Hooray for Thanksgiving!

We're off to Silver Dollar City for Thanksgiving, and could NOT be more excited. Seriously. We even have a family motto that we will be shouting throughout the park on Turkey Day, it's "Hooray for Thanksgiving!" Capri came up with it, and we've been practicing it quite a lot. Sunday's drive home from church involved us all taking turns saying the family motto along with our best "Yee Haw!". It may become a lot like our "Serenity now" (from Seinfeld) if the lines are long and it snows. But seriously we don't care, we are just so excited to see the lights, the shows, and generally have a grand ole time in one of our very favorite places.

Since I never got around to posting about our last trip in September, I figured I better post some pics before I get brand new pics. It was the Harvest Festival and we got some beautiful shots. We even got the bejeebers scared out of us by a "scarecrow" that turned out to be a real guy. I didn't get a pic of the scare, but it involved:

1. Seeing a scarecrow that looked kind of like a Bald Knobber
2. Moving in for a closer look
3. Him saying something and moving
4. Jeff and me yelping and then laughing hysterically
5. The kids yelping and then crying and clinging to our legs for the next 15 minutes.

It was awesome.

WANTED: Extra Large Pickle Jar

I've been having some pickle jar moments lately. Again, my kiddos aren't listening, they're growing up against my wishes.

Capri, who's wanted to be big since she was a baby, is really actually starting to get big - in more ways than just size. Her attitude is changing, she's growing out of the fits (good) and growing out of her little girl ways (bad). She still loves princesses but seems to talk more and more of being a "rockin' star". She's aware of her body, and doesn't want people to see her undress - even Daddy. This one threw both me and Jeff. I could SEE both of our hearts breaking a bit when she said, "Daddy don't look, I'm changing."

Rome is getting bigger too. He's still Rome, one of the nicest kids you'll meet. But he's testing the boundries, he's fighting the power more. He's realizing that he has his own voice.

And then there's Sable. She's the guiltiest. If I had a pickle jar big enough I'd smush her into it right now. I can't quite pinpoint it. It's more of a look on her face. It's coming - my baby is leaving me. She'll be a kid soon. She'll be talking, her hair will finally grow, she'll be tall enough to climb in the playplace at McDonald's. She'll turn 2. And my heart will be broken completely.

As a stay at home mom I know I'm lucky. I've squeezed nearly every possible moment of my kid's littlehood out for my own personal joy. I've gotten to experience it all, but it's NEVER enough. I never feel satisfied.
If it wasn't for this stupid, weak, malformed body of mine I'd probably end up having a dozen babies. And when it was over, when my body finally said "no more for you", I'd still cry. But my body IS stupid and weak and I doubt it could endure more than 4 c-sections. My grandma had five, but she's one tough broad.

So knowing that I can probably only endure four of the dreaded "c's" that means I've only got one left. ONE. And that thought leaves me sadder and more fearful of my kids growing than ever. It makes me want to put it off - wait, wait, wait to have the next. This makes my parents happy, it makes Jeff sad and leaves me in the middle. Numb at the thought of being DONE.

To top it all off, the odds are pretty darn high that I'll be completely done having kids before any of my brothers are even married. That makes me sick. Again I'll be left at the top. When they are all jointly sharing in that joy, I'll just be the old lady. All my future sisters-in-law will be giddy and joyful and friends, and then there will be me - the OLDER sister. Not really a sister at all. Yet again.

It stinks and I hate it. But as far as I can figure so far, there's nothing I can do about. If only I can find that extra large pickle jar. . .if only.

Dear SM,

That's right, I've abbreviated your name. Deal with it.

Your second book (which like the first I REFUSE to name in my blog) made me laugh out loud today.

As we skulked back to the makeshift garage, I contemplated my luck. Only a teenage boy would agree to this: deceiving both our parents while repairing dangerous vehicles using money meant for my college education. He didn't see anything wrong with that picture. Jacob was a gift from the gods.

I estimate this laugh was worth about 35 cents. Therefore, the check I am eagerly awaiting from you now can be for a mere $7.65.

I was also very glad to have somebody else, Jacob, enter the story. I was just about ready to drive to Forks and strangle Bella.

I know, I know, she's fictional. But it would have been very dramatic nonethless.

Thanks (still no luvs),
aby

Dear Stephanie Meyer,

I must be in a letter writing mood.

I just wanted to write you and say, you are making me crazy.
That's all.

No wait. I'll explain.

I was FORCED to read your first book. FORCED.
OK, so I ended up liking parts of it. Mostly the parts that had nothing to do with Bella's constant descriptions of Edwards "perfect face and marble chest". I liked Jacob, I liked the rest of the Cullens. Frankly I wished the book was all about them.
When I finished your first book I was left thinking, "THAT'S the end?". This made me mad. You had left it so open for a sequel that I knew I'd have to read the next one. So I went BACK to the library and got on the waiting list. This time I was somwhere in the 300's. So I waited. And waited. Then I got sick of waiting for something that I really didn't even WANT to read so I bought the darn thing. That's right. I BOUGHT it.
And now I am reading it. And all of the Cullen's are gone, and Jacob is nowhere to be seen and I am having to endure PAGES and PAGES of Bella's whining and "numbness". For goodness sakes, does the woman have any self esteem AT ALL??

This is why you are making me crazy.

Therefore, I would like my money back. I think you can swing the 8 bucks. I'll be awaiting your response, and check.

Thank you (no luvs),
aby

Ding Dong the Cast is GONE!

Last friday,














And then, while eating lunch in the HOSPITAL cafeteria, Rome not only "spilled the salt" - he broke the entire salt shaker. Literally, he hit the shaker by accident and it shattered everywhere. Let's just hope that our impending bad luck doesn't involve any more broken bones. We're DONE with that for while.

Knock on wood.

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

First I want to say that I think you are all just grand. And extra special. And dandy.

Second, I want to say that I HATE your automatic music players (or whatever they are called). Does HATE seem like a strong word? Sorry. But it's true.
I really, really, really HATE them.

Here's why:

1. I don't keep my speakers on all the time. What can I say, I like the gentle hum of my computer. So when I do NEED to turn them on to watch one of your videos that you so brillantly figured out how to download (something I've never been able to accomplish) I am blasted with whatever music you've loaded onto your blog. I hear no kiddies, no birthday song, no funny baby gurgles. Therefore I have to FIND your music player, turn it off, go back to the post and then restart the video clip.

2. Here's where it gets REALLY hairy. I use Firefox, and as you may know, Firefox keeps multiple pages open with tabs at the top of the screen for easy access. I like this. What really throws me off is when I have a blog open, then use a link to get to another blog. Then I go to play a video on the second blog and so I turn on my speakers - BLAAAST!! Music instead. So I search for the music player and turn it off. But the music doesn't stop, "*$%#**#!", the OTHER blog ALSO has one and I have to go back to the first blog and find that player and turn IT off.

So as you can clearly see this is causing me great problems. And distress. And cursing.

It's not that I don't love Y-O-U fellow bloggers. I do, I DO love you! It's just that I really, really, really, REALLY hate your music players.

Oh yeah, I also really hate your word verifications. This is another source of frustration when I leave a perfectly snarky comment and then have to type in something that looks a lot like this:

JojoBOSkojilLSKION

luvs, aby

Kid Dates Part Deux

Another successful round of kid dates, 1/2 a few weeks ago and the other 1/2 yesterday and today - though no pictures this time.

Imagine if you will. . .

1. Aby & Rome date: Rome's choice, Chuck E Cheese. Noise, chaos, french fries, soda, games, rides and a smile from ear to ear on Rome's face the entire time. TONS o tickets = Rome gets a mini rocket shooter, a soft ball and some candy. There is little better in this world to Rome than rocket shooters.

2. Jeff & Capri date: Capri's choice, lunch at On the Border. Capri LOVES to go to lunch or dinner with Daddy, or really anybody for that matter. All our kids L-O-V-E to eat out. We have apparently trained them well.

3. Aby & Capri date: She didn't get to choose but I knew she really wanted to go get ice cream at Cold Stone. So we made it a "shopping" date followed by ice cream. The Salvation Army was having a 75% off sale for all the clothes, so we hit that. Capri was HILARIOUS while we looked through all the racks. She kept picking out the ugliest things - ok so MOST of the clothes there are the UGLIEST things - and then saying "this is for you Mom, HA HA HA HA!" or "This is for Gramma, HA, HA, HA, HA!" I nearly bought one of the shirts she picked out for Gramma and was going to MAKE her wear it when we come to visit. You lucked out big time Mom!

4. Jeff & Rome date: Rome's choice. . . Chuck E Cheese. Shocked? Well don't be. It's pretty much his favorite place on earth. I'm sure the experience was pretty much like the date with me - except this time he came home with a tiny dinosaur and a couple of candies. Needless to say, Mommy is WAAAAY better at winning tickets than Daddy.

A Peter Pan Halloween

Well we did it, another successful Halloween. And this year, all on our lonesomes. Grandma was extra busy and so I was left to figure out how to magically transform us all into the cast of Peter Pan. With a little luck on Ebay, a little luck at the Salvation Army and a LOT of luck sewing I was able to get us looking the part.


(Note: Due to a seriously unfortunate choice of hand placement, I look pregnant in this picture. I AM NOT PREGNANT. I'm just fat.)


I was especially proud of Jeff's hat. It was a black witch's hat that I converted and covered in red felt. Took a while but was totally worth it.



My costume looks the easiest, but I did have to shorten the sleeves and add elastic. I did have the comfiest costume though!


Capri has worn a wig three Halloweens in a row. She truly excels at what we call, "committing to your costume". We tell the kids, you've got to commit to your costume. Hot, cold, uncomfortable - sometimes you have to sacrifice to look the part!


I'm really not sure that Rome's smile could get any bigger than in this picture. Doesn't he have the REDDEST lips ever?




Our ticking Crocodile. You wouldn't believe how coveted crocodile/alligator costumes are. You CAN'T find them in a store, and online they are snatched up like crazy. It took me weeks to finally win one on Ebay at a price that wasn't INSANE.

YUM!!