Two Toned....

I really needed to buy milk yesterday, but the day was crazy. Before I knew it, it was 9:30 pm and I was soaking in my bathtub. I figured I'd just go this morning with the kids. I had a bad dream about Shawn and woke up crying at 6:30 am. I knew my kids would sleep until at least 8, and Ethan would be the one the little kids woke up if they couldn't find me, so I decided to sneak out the door and be back by 7 before anyone knew I was gone. So sneaky. (Don't call DFS). Because I was being so sneaky, I left the light off in the laundry room where I found my flip-flops, and then quietly snuck out the door. It wasn't until I was walking across the parking lot of the grocery store when I realized what I'd done. The people in the store probably thought I was making a fashion statement. But, no, I just literally got dressed in the dark. I now will always wonder when I see people in the grocery store in the wee hours of the morning donning odd apparel if they too dressed in the dark, or if they are indeed making a fashion statement.

Faux Hawk....

On Monday of last week, after Ethan was done eating breakfast, I said to him "let me comb your hair before the bus gets here." He usually complies. That particular morning he told me he wanted to do it himself. This is what the finished product was:He went from preppy to punk in one minute flat. I think it's funny. He was so proud of his new look. I attribute his desire to having his locks fashioned after a rock star to the video game guitar hero III. Ever since he got the game for his Wii he's done nothing but strum lyrics----with or without the guitar present. This weekend he was practicing playing while hanging upside down on the ottoman. Hard core rocker. He's informed us he'd really like to take electric guitar lessons now, because he is so good at playing these songs. He obviously doesn't lack confidence.

Pregnancy Noshing....

I've decided I might know the reason for my extreme pregnancy weight gain. I eat a lot. Well, I actually eat fairly well throughout the day. It's once those kids are in bed, and I'm reclined with my feet up that I start dreaming of deliciousness that needs to be consumed. Sometimes it's a bowl of cereal, washed down with some Frito's, followed by a little chocolate. Last night it was this:Homemade chocolate chip cookies with chocolate-caramel-brownie-almond-chunk ice cream sandwiched in between. Heaven. Also close to 3000 calories. I've decided that this is my absolute last chance to eat whatever, wherever, and however much I want. I'll be counting calories the rest of my life so I might as well live it up now. I'm sure after this little girl makes her debut and nothing in my closet will cover this body of mine, I might have a few regrets. But for now? Well? The kids are in bed. I better go put my feet up and decide what form tonight's calories should take on.

Medical School.....

The class of 2008 graduated this last weekend so I was able to see some old friends. Beckie & Raquel have lived out of state for the last two years during their spouses clinical rotations. They were in town for graduation so we had a little BBQ at our house. Katherine and her family came too, because they've been in town for awhile and know the other families. Seeing these girls really makes me reflect on this whole medical school experience. It truly is like nothing you can describe. You just have to go through it to understand. It is pretty tough. Not just for the student, but for the entire family. I've really learned to lean on my friends. It's amazing what tight bonds form when you are going through a major experience like this. The kinds of friends I've made are the kind you can see once every 2 years or so and pick up right where you left off. They just get me. I only have to say "internal medicine rotation" and they all know that means Shawn will be absent for awhile. They understand why I hurry and hang up the phone the minute Shawn walks in the door---time with your spouse is sacred. I'm so glad we've stayed put for residency so my path crosses all my friends that have moved away every year when it's graduation time. Next year will be my last graduation-re-acquaintance-weekend. We'll be the one's moving next summer. Weird. I'm sure I will be full of mixed emotions. Girls, congratulations on helping your husbands make it across the first few stages of this journey. Sorry to say you've only just begun. Thanks for stopping in to see me. You girls rock. Oh, and Beckie? Thanks for the beautiful pictures you so sneakily took with my camera. They are so you.

Here Froggie Froggie.....

Warmer weather (and rain) mean an abundance of frogs and toads in our neighborhood. Ethan and Kennedy love to catch them, and the little boys love to play with them. Yesterday Landon came running in the house saying, "I caught a frog! I caught a frog in Chris's yard while I was lawning the grass!" I figured he'd left it outside. Wrong. He opened his fist and was holding a frog the size of his palm. He was so excited. I finally got it back outside and he was showing me how it jumped right in front of his mower so he grabbed it. (He is very dramatic with his speech. He doesn't only tell, he shows what he tells.) I love the days when we can be outside all day long and have no need to enter the house until bath time. Lovely.

Hershey Track Meet....

Kennedy and Ethan participated in the City wide Hershey Track Meet. (This was a few weeks ago, I'm just a little slow to blog lately). Ethan participated in the standing long jump, the 50 meter run, and the 200 meter run. I really don't think he had any idea what he was getting into with the 200. The track doesn't look that big, until you actually start running all the way around it. He is obviously not my competitive child. Either that or he tried to play down his abilities so he wasn't disappointed if he lost. Before each event he'd say to me, "I'm thinking I'll probably get 3rd or 4th place with this one. With only 4 of us racing, I know I won't get 5th!" I just kept laughing inside. Partway through the 200 I didn't know if he'd make it. He was about 200 yards behind the guy in front of him, and starting to slow down. I knew he would do everything he could just to finish, that was his goal with this race. I was so proud of him when he crossed the finish line. I know how hard it must have been for him. To his credit, he was competing against 9 and 10 year olds. Just the way they had it organized.

Kennedy was the one that surprised me. She told me she didn't want to run at all. She participated in the softball throw, the standing long jump, and the 50 meter run. She really didn't want to do the run, but I'm so glad she did. She is fast. She came in 2nd out of about 8 girls. I think she could have come in first but she kept looking over her shoulder to see where the other girls were. She also ended up with 1st place in the softball throw. Way to go Kennedy.

They both had a great time and did a great job.

After the events we headed to Paglai's for pizza. Shawn had the two little boys with him, so it was just us three. I had forgotten how much fun those two are to be around. Without the distractions of the little kids, we had some great conversation. I hope I get to be with just them more often, because they are truly a lot of fun to be around.

No Maintenance Needs Maintenance.....

I am a no maintenance type of girl. I kind of always have been. When I'm getting dressed up it means I'm wearing mascara. No fancy hair-do's, pretty much blow and go. This worked great when I was in my early 20's. I'm slowly realizing as I get older that to maintain a no maintenance look, I need maintenance. Since I've been living in this small town I've slowly been making improvements. There are a lot of girls here who know a lot about looking good. Lucky for me, they are willing to share their secrets. When I was 30, I was finally convinced I needed to pluck my eyebrows. Sad that it took me that long to realize the necessity. I quickly moved to waxing them once a month at a nearby salon. I have to say it's really improved the look of my face. This last year I became friends with Natalie. She will be mortified that I'm telling you she knows a lot about a lot of stuff. She doesn't like to share with others, not out of selfishness, but out of fear she'll come off as a know-it-all. She simply isn't. She just knows a lot about being a girl. When she moved here she couldn't find a salon to meet her waxing needs so she took it upon herself to learn all she could in order to do it herself. I came to the realization I needed to wax more than my brows and started going to her place once a month to wax my unwanted facial hair. About a month ago it started to hit me that she will be moving away soon and her waxing station will no longer be available at my disposal. So, I dragged her 1 1/2 hours away to a Sally Beauty Supply to find all the necessary tools for me to have my very own waxing station. I had visions of a hairless body knowing full well that I was now capable of waxing myself. I had all the stuff, right?? Needless to say, I've had a few "incidents". I've had to call Natalie mid-waxing many times trying to have her fix my issue. Like when I waxed my armpit shut. That was a doozy. Baby oil works like a charm. I went back to shaving after that one. The few issues I've had have seemed minor compared to what I did a few nights ago. It was time for my lip waxing so I went ahead and took care of that. Perfection. My eyebrows were starting to look a little haggard, so I decided I should clean them up a bit. Natalie was planning on coming over later that night to watch the bachelor, so I called to see if I should wait for her direction. She didn't answer her phone. Instead of trying her cell I figured this was something I was capable of doing alone. After all, Natalie isn't going to be around forever. The bottom of my right eyebrow was a breeze. I got just enough hair to sculpt it, but not too much. My confidence got the best of me. I went for the upper brow. A little wax must have dribbled down into the middle of my brow because when I ripped off the muslin I appeared to resemble Vanilla Ice. Not the "I'm so cool with a scar in my eyebrow" Vanilla Ice, but rather the "I sure do look like an idiot with a big gap in the brow" Vanilla Ice. The picture's a little dark, but it's probably better that way. I started laughing hysterically because I realized how bad it was and knew I needed to laugh to avoid tears. I called Natalie and mentioned that there was a slight problem. Good thing good friends realize a dire situation and speed to the rescue. Natalie came in and assured me that I definitely had an issue, but nothing we couldn't work through.
N: Get out your tweezers and let's pluck those big ones.
Me: Um, Shawn took the tweezers.
N: You have no tweezers?
Me: What about surgical clamps? They might pluck some hairs?
N: I'll run home and get mine. I think we'll need the eyebrow stencils anyway.

So, she runs home to get the tools I am lacking. When she returns she draws with perfection what my eyebrows should look like.

N: Okay, now comb them up.
Me: With what?
N: Do you still have the eyebrow brush I gave you?
Me: Somewhere......oh, here it is.
N: Now that they are combed up, let's trim them with your eyebrow scissors so we can wax the rest without catching the one's we don't want to lose.
Me: Eyebrow scissors? Um.... (the closest thing I came up with were Jackson's fiskar kid scissors probably covered in glue)
N: I'll be right back.

She ran home again. Poor girl. She really didn't know what she was getting into trying to teach me how to be a girl. She returned with numerous eyebrow items and we waxed, trimmed, plucked, and made me look normal. She did an awesome job. Who would have thought that having nice eyebrows took so much equipment. I guess we need to head back to Sally's. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to know the proper way to be a girl so I can teach Kennedy. Thank goodness for friends that have the patience of Job. That's what you need to teach me.
While Natalie still lives here I think I'll have the confidence to wax my brows myself. She does only live 3 minutes away and seems willing to save me. But, when she moves? I think I might have to start heading back to the salon.

Farm Boy....

Last week while the kids were in school, Landon and I were able to visit the farm. Just us. It is rare that we two venture out together somewhere like this, so it was fun.

First, we met up with his girlfriend. You have to have a beauty by your side to truly enjoy farm life.

Next, we enjoyed watching the cows. Climbing in the pen would have allowed for a closer look, but it wasn't allowed.

Then we headed to the shed to plant our own pumpkin seed.

After the seed planting, we were able to go on a hayride. We were being pulled by a "very large tractor" according to Landon. Of course we sat by the girlfriend. Too cute.

Landon loved the farm and outright objected to us leaving. A little Mcdonalds ice cream cone bribery came in handy. We really enjoyed our time alone together. Or, Landon really just likes farm life. And ice cream.

Just Horsin' Around....

A few weeks ago our neighbors had a birthday party for their daughter who was turning 5. The surprise for the birthday girl was the renting of real horses to ride. Lucky for my kids, we were all invited and got to take part in this activity. I wasn't surprised when the older 3 hopped on and took their turn. I was, however, shocked when Landon donned the helmet and ran over to catch a ride. He kept saying, "I want to ride the lellow horse. The lellow one Mom." I figured he was just talk. Until I looked over at the owner hoisting him up and saw the giant grin on his little face. He loved it. He even rode twice. As did all the kids. Lovely. I really enjoy watching my kids experience new things. Especially when they are so nicely arranged by somebody else.