My Chaos -

Day 22 - We aren't huge church goers, even though I have been contemplating going back recently. But we do believe and I try to pass that on to my kids whenever I can. Joshua has especially taken an interest in our faith lately. It is so beautiful and humbling to see the power of prayer and belief through the innocent eyes of my little boys.

Since I couldn't sing to you on the phone at work yesterday.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DADDY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOUUUUUU!!!! I will post an even better version on here tomorrow, so be on the lookout...

Day 21 - Purge baby, purge!! That's the ginormous pile of clothes that came out of my closet. And does it look any roomier in there???? NOPE!

Day 20 - Cub Scouts has been so wonderful for Bryan. It has been really neat for Brandon and I to watch him make all of his achievements while learning so much. This has been really good for him.

Do you think it's unhealthy that my son loves all things military and if given a choice everything would be done up in camo?? Here's his blanket that we made together (sort of). He really likes it though and has been sleeping with it since the day we made it. Joshua's a bit jealous so I will have to make one for him too - AFTER we get his room in order.

He did not like the dressing that was on the broccoli... Bryan love his Miso soup with the "cheese" in it. Can you resist those chubby cheeks??? Maybe he can stab something to pick it up.... But Bryan is a pro at using his chop sticks. The people who work there think it is AWESOME that he brings his own chop sticks!

Day 19 - Joshua's first trip to Nakamotos. He did pretty well and Bryan wasn't too protective of our traditions. Everything went well until I was paying and Bryan took Joshua to the restroom to wash his hands. (the restroom was diagonal from our table across the dining area). Well... Joshua comes marching out of the bathroom and about HALFWAY across the room yells "Mommy, I need to poop!" OK, I seriously wanted the earth to open and suck me into the deep, dark, depths of anonymity - pleeeeeaaaaze? just this one time can I escape total mortification? The only saving grace was a young couple sitting right next to where Joshua had made his spectacular announcement.... they were laughing hysterically. OK, maybe I can get through one more Mommy moment. I did apologize to anyone within hearing distance for my son's complete lack of humiliation (I think I more than made up for his lacking). Oh well...I'm a mom, I have 2 sons, they are obviously very confid

Day 18 - Ahhh - a little time to myself.... Spent playing in my scrap room working on a couple of layouts.

Day 17 - I have 2 pics for Saturday. Family game night. We played "A Ticket to Ride" and had lots of fun. Joshua got bored after awhile and ended up coloring, but I still enjoyed the time with all 4 of us together.

We got the cubbies put together and the canvas baskets put away. His clothes are now in his dresser and we have displayed his recent large Lego projects. We also went to the fabric store to buy some fabric to make a curtain to hang on his closet doorframe. We took out the door because it was hollow and was not withstanding the abuse of constant opening and closing that a kid does. This is better anyways since the door won't be in the way now. Oh and you would have been amused to see me trying to figure out how many yards I needed to buy. I was screaming the whole time in my head: "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM DOING! I BARELY KNOW HOW TO OPERATE MY SEWING MACHINE!!!" We also got some fleece to make one of those tie blankets and of course Bryan went nuts when he saw the camo fleece! I figured if 10 year olds can make those tie blankets, then I can.... that remains to be proven...

Day 16 - My sanctuary. I love my scrap room! It is my place of peace and relaxation. And it happens to be where the boys and I have LOADS of fun together as well! My favorite part??? Maybe my suede chair or the TV or maybe the fact that this is the most organized place in my entire house!

Observation #1: Doing my nails ONLY when mom is home doesn't last... Observation #2: Being an idiot when you are 12 years old stay with you...FOREVER! (NOTE THE SCAR ABOVE THE TYPING)

Day 15 - Bye, bye Grissom! I have major gaps in my CSI watching history and I never watch the actual current episode (I'm a reruns junky), but I did tune in Thursday night to watch William Peterson's exit from CSI: Las Vegas. I hated that they chose Lawrence Fishburne to replace him, but after watching his debut, I think it could be interesting. I hope CSI doesn't tank now that Grissom is gone...

Day 14 - Are we helping to keep Nintendo in business or what? Teal is Bryan, red is me, blue is Joshua. Maybe Brandon needs a black one now. Oh and even Grammy has one, but I can't remember if it is pink or red.

Day 13 - iPod = Sanity. I love my job for the most part and I really enjoy the challenges, but when I have been practically living there for what seems like an entire week, I tend to get grouchy. I admit it. It's not pretty either - kind of one of those out of body experiences where you see yourself from afar being a total wench, yet you still can't get the message to your brain quickly enough to give the impression of having some sort of semblance of civility... When I see myself getting ready to spew ugliness, I just plug in and ignore the chatter and reminders of why I am in a foul mood to begin with.

Day 12 - This was my desk as I left it on Monday night. It had been a long day and I was tired, had a lot to do still and felt like I was getting nowhere fast!

Day 11 - I love how unique Joshua is. What other kid do you know would absolutely LOVE getting an apple peeler/corer for Christmas??? This was one of his Christmas gifts (thanks Grammy and Papi!) and he loves that he doesn't have to wait on his Mommy's very poor peeling skills for an apple anymore! I have to admit.... I think it's pretty cool too!

So I haven't been posting. or walking. I have been taking my pic a day though. I'm about to catch you up on that. Starting tomorrow it is back to walking. I've been pretty much living at work this week, so I am relaxing tonight. Tomorrow - no excuses.

Day 10 - Bryan's totally stoked about his new bed set. It's so funny, he looks so little in that big bed compare to the bunk bed. He really loves it and has already opened every drawer and has been mulling over what to put where. One of the things I like about the pic above is his shoes - so neat right next to his bed. Here are a few other pics as well...

But let me tell you - everything I DID do today has made my whole body hurt! I did get a lot done though. Took Bryan to school Went to WW Cleaned the kitchen Fixed a nice lunch Did laundry - OK, 2 loads Argued with Rooms to Go Refused delivery of Bryan's armoire Brandon and I took the headboard apart a bit and carried it upstairs where we (mostly he) put the bed together. Moved all Bryan's new furniture into place Made his bed Planned the menu for the week Went grocery shopping where I proceeded to grumble about how expensive healthy food is! So, now I'm tired.

Day 9 - Ahhhh sweet organization! I'm on my way! Thanks Dad for sending me the new toy - maybe I can reduce the blond moments and get with the program. I think the Cub Scouts might be the most grateful for your gift! LOL! LOVE YOU!!

I didn't walk on the treadmill or at work today... I know, I suck. HOWEVER... I did clean out a certain 10 year old's room, dusted even the walls, vac'd and shampoo'd his carpet and boxed up all of the Christmas ornaments. My body hurts. I will walk tomorrow morning.

I would be happy if there were another few hours in the day. I just can't function on as little sleep as I used to. By 9pm, I am totally worn down. We have so much to do this weekend: - Take down Christmas decorations - Empty and scrub Bryan's room - this has to happen tomorrow night since I want to shampoo his carpet tomorrow night as well. - Get Bryan's new furniture - Organize Bryan's room. - Pack up Joshua's room so we can paint. - Fix the pool pump pipes. - Venture up into the attic to see if we have had any de-squirreling success. - Oh and let's not forget the never ending pile of laundry. See? I need more time. And that is just what I want to do this weekend. My overly ambitious brain would like to add ACTUALLY painting Joshua's room, but that is insane. I would also like to fit some scrapping time in there as well, but I just don't see that happening. :(

Day 8 - Isn't she so cute??? I know her eyes are closed, but I think that adds to the smile - she looks like a little girl! This is Alexa - used to be my boss. She's a great boss too! She leads by example and treats her employees with complete respect. OK - here's another one with her eyes open this time:

I went on a lovely walk today with a coworker. It was nice to get outside and the weather was just beautiful!

Day 7 - I love how tough my 5 year old is! He is always ready to take on the world!!

Can I just say: EVERYTHING THE 2 FOURTH GRADE TEACHERS HAS DONE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SUPREMELY UNORGANIZED. That is nicest thing I can say right now...

OK - so I didn't walk as long and not on my treadmill. I worked really late tonight, so I took a walk around the building at work. Not a spectacular walk, but it was something.

Day 6 - This is perfect for today. I am achey, sore, a littly grumpy and tired. We had the perfect dinner today - Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches and Tomato Soup. Hit the spot and now I'm ready to crash for the night!

LOL ! This is what Joshua has been saying lately when you don't acknowledge him the first time he tries to get your attention.

Let me just say that I did NOT want to, almost didn't, but DID in fact walk again today. I'm tired!

Day 5 - this is my favorite one for today. That's ice on that tree not snow at all. Note that today is Monday. Two days ago the temps outside were in the mid 80's. I would comment more, but I am a little irritated at the moment. So there it is - Day5. Honorable mention: it was ugly outside today...

That's right baby - FOUR days in a row!!

Day 4 - OK, so I was SUPER busy today. We've been trying to desquirrel our house, working on the pool, fixing a bed and emptying a child's bedroom today. I had snapped a couple of shots earlier today, but had pretty much forgotten about the photo of the day. I took a couple of pics looking for something that struck my fancy, but ended up choosing one from earlier today. Joshua cracks me up when he starts looking at catalogs and here he is looking at a Lego catalog while lounging in my scrap room... Every single page I heard a "Mommy! You gotta see this! Can I have it?" Makes me laugh.

That's right, I'm on a roll....

Day 3 - this is my shot for today. I love that Bryan is a Lego master! He really is. He amazes me with his creations. It also makes me quite sorry that I didn't invent these little treasure troves. Can you imagine how rich we would be? LOL! Legos are expensive, but they are so worth it in my opinion - they entertain and excercise the brain! And they have provided countless hours of chatting and hanging out across the scrapbook table with my boy!

Woohoo! 2 days in a row - that is good for me!

Day 2 - this is the shot I chose for today. It is one of some of the last remnants of the Christmas season. I'm sure it will be taken down by next weekend. I like the angle of the photo from the bottom of the light post. I had a lot of fun taking this shot from different spots and it was kind of funny how people were looking at me like Ihad lost my mind. These light posts are kind of reminiscent of the old gas burning lights from times past and I like them, so I chose to stand there and make people wonder.... On a side note: Bryan has always been interested in taking pictures as well and has shown some natural ability when it came to finding some really interesting view points. Tonight we took an unplanned, fly by the seat of our pants drive around town and ended up walking around Firewheel. He with his camera and me with mine. We chatted about composition and the rule of 3 and he took some good shots with some thought behind them. I may have to post a photo of his choice so you

Day 1 of walking! Hoping to keep it up every day!

Day 1 - I chose this photo because of Joshua's eyes and his smile. He was so happy and TOTALLY excited about helping his Daddy build a wooden box in the back yard. His smile made me smile!

Holy cow! 2009! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe night celebrating the New Year! What are your plans for the fresh new year??? I have several things that I would like to accomplish this year. Last year I wanted to do the following: 1. Lose weight - that has been on my list for the past 10 years I think. Maybe this is the lucky year. - I didn't do this, but I didn't gain either, so I look at that as a positive. 2. Go to Belgium to visit my folks - this is so getting crossed off. - I didn't do this due to the cost of airline tickets last summer. My parents did get to come home and we made it a vacation and took the boys to Sea World. 3. Blog more - as in write more, not just photos. - I went through spurts, but I will continue to improve on this. 4. Have a solid bedtime routine with the boys - so tired of the chaos (and it is totally my fault) - This got much better. Mostly because Bryan has a shot we give him every night, so that has helped us follow a routine.

As always, Santa left the boys a letter. Bryan read it out loud to Joshua - he always looks forward to Santa's letter. Joshua finally got his own crayons! Bryan's been dying for an iPod for the past couple of years! He finally got an iPod Nano for Christmas from his Grammy and Papi. He was so excited and has carried it around everywhere since Christmas! Joshua looking (drooling) over a tin full of candy from Santa - can't go wrong with chocolate!!

This was the first year that the boys and I went all out and experimented in the kitchen with different cookie recipes. We had a lot of fun, but now I know any cookies requiring cookie cutters are a total pain in the butt and I can probably wait at least 6 months before I am ready to bake anything at all....