Pink Ladies

This Friday was the annual Sock Hop at Isabelle's school. This is one of Isabelle's favorite nights of the year, as she loves getting dressed up in her poodle skirt that Grams made for her and showing off her dance moves. By dance moves I mean awkwardly shuffling around the floor, cause girl was blessed with Todd's coordination on the dance floor. Which, for those of you not in the know, is not good. Sophia and Hudson were blessed with the groove. But what she lacks in skills, she makes up for in beauty. It more than makes up for it.

Getting dressed and ready to go. Sophia decided to go with a princess dress for her outfit. Nice.

First she descended the outside steps like royalty, then she busted out with a huge twirl in the driveway. On top of beauty, we'll also add "very humble" to her list of finer qualities.

Did I also mention attitude? Here she is on the dance floor. Lord, help us.

A good time was definitely had by all. Hudson and Sophia had fun running around with the big kids and playing with balloons. This is the third Sock Hop we've attended since Isabelle started elementary school, and it's funny to watch the dynamics change from year to year. The first year she just shuffled around the outside of the dance floor with all the other kids in kindergarten. In first grade, she only hung out with her regular group of girls. This year, however, there was a mix of boys and girls dancing together, and this little boy Cody kept angling in to dance next to her. They also kept chasing each other around the gym, and generally being dumb second graders. I joked with her afterwards as to whether Cody was the new "Devin" (Devin, as most of you that hear about Isabelle regularly know, is the boy in her class for the past two years that cannot stay away from her for the life of him. Poor kid gets in trouble in class constantly (for two yeras now) for talking to her, follows her like a lost dog around the playground, he used to play with her hair, races her to our car at the end of the school day...the poor kid is beyond smitten.) Anyway, Isabelle clearly stated there was no new Devin, but that Cody was "just Cody." Way to keep your options open, Isabelle. Once again, Lord help us.

A purse for your thoughts?

Our garage acquired a new occupant over the weekend, and no it was not my coveted Ford Flex (sigh...one day!). No, it was a new gas (gas! apparently this is important) lawn trimmer (aka "weed eater" where I come from). Much complaining has taken place during the past couple of seasons from Todd over the subpar electric (read: must be plugged in and runs with a cord) trimmer that was being used. Never mind the cuss words that were flung when the string broke or plastic parts fell (were forcefully torn) off the body. Our neighbors must be so proud to have us around...

At any rate, I agreed and gave my blessing when Todd asked if he could get a new trimmer next season, and if it could be gas. Now at the time I was unaware "next season" would be February, nor was I fully aware that purchasing a gas powered trimmer could run as high as $200. So imagine my surprise when I came home yesterday (Friday) and Todd said we'd be buying a new trimmer this weekend. Wha? Did I miss spring? Is summer here already? Cause I feel a little screwed. No, the lawn needs mowed and apparently that cannot occur without said trimmer. Sigh. Fine. So then the cost discussion came up and I pointed out really what a waste this whole thing was considering how little the trimmer gets used. Todd is particular about the lawn at mows it AT LEAST once a week during peak growing season, but only trims it a couple of times a month. I pointed out that if I were to spend the same amount of money on a purse, that the cost per use would be so much higher.

Let's cut to the chase...this argument got a little ugly and we both agreed to disagree. (Honestly, most couples fight about disciplining the kids, finances, cleaning the house....we fight about cost per use on a purse v. a yard tool. We're fucked up.) Bottom line: he got his damn trimmer. No, it didn't cost $200, but it sure as hell wasn't free. And I sure as hell didn't get a purse. But it did get me thinking; had I won the argument, what purse would I buy? Hmmmm....

If I were being conservative, and hitting the $200 mark, it would be this beautiful hobo from Banana Republic. And yes, I'd get the yellow. Which would blow everybody's mind considering they've probably never seen me wear anything close to that much color.

In my fantasy Alice in Wonderland existence, I'd buy this beauty. Wait...I need to wipe the drool of my keyboard and possibly put my panties back on to continue. This, my friends, is my dream purse. It's completely me (black! stud detailing!), and I'd quite possibly let it sleep in bed with me at night if it were mine. Tiny problem...$650. Yeah, that's not happening while Todd has a pulse. Or at least while we're married. I mean, I tried to convince him the other day what a sound investment it would be to buy me a black Chanel Camelia ring...yeah, he wasn't going for it. I even tossed in the token, "but I have two daughters and could pass it along to one of them one day." Nope. Wasn't phased. Bastard. One of these days I'll buy this purse and just tell him I found a perfect knockoff. Shhh...don't tell.


"Lay on your back, point your heels to Jesus, and think of handbags!" ~ Karen, Will and Grace

For whom the alarm tolls

This has been "one of those" weeks.

Three nights ago, a sock that was on top of my lamp almost caught fire. In my defense, I didn't know the sock was there. And no, you don't need to know how it ended up there. Regardless, Todd was laying next to me in bed (I was reading, thus why the light was on) and asked the always pleasant "what smells like burning cat" question. I looked over to see smoke coming from the top of my lamp (said sock), and promptly grabbed it from the lamp and tossed it to the ground. Condition of my sock? Obviously ruined. Laughs had from this incident? Many. Lesson learned? Ummmm...check for socks on your lamp?

Two nights ago we were awoken at 400 in the morning by the sound of our car alarm going off in the driveway. Todd jumped out of bed and ran to the front door. He looked outside to find the minivan was still there (Damn. Honestly, I wasn't really moving too fast cause who the F cares if they took the van. They'd have been doing us a favor.) At that he walks upstairs only to find Hudson standing in the middle of the living room with Todd's keys, pushing the alarm button. Yes, at 400 in the morning. No, I don't know what the hell he was thinking, but I'm sure our neighbors were all asking the same thing.

Yesterday I took Isabelle to the dentist only to find out that in six months' time we will be starting her orthodontist work. Apparently her crowding issue has moved into the severe category and has to be dealt with pronto. Pronto = Expensive! The child is 7 and is going to be the death of me, or at least of my wallet. We leave the dentist, me slightly shaking as I text Todd to tell him about our impending financial doom from braces, and she randomly asks when she's going to get twinkle toe boots. Timing is everything with me, and this was *not* the time. I shot her my look of death and she quickly got the hint. On that note, I'll be selling off her brother and/or sister to the highest bidder to fix her teeth so Isabelle can continue through life in beauty queen fashion, so do let me know if you're aware of anyone in the market for a fairly well trained three year old or 22 month old. Accessories included!

From Sunday night through Tuesday night, I slept a total of 8 hours. Folks, that's not normal and one can barely form a coherent thought on such little sleep. Hudson was sick and doesn't do well sleeping unless he has the perfect balance of pa-pa (pacifier) and drinks (dink!) of water throughout the night. And apparently the little prince wants someone right next to him when he bellows out these demands every thirty minutes. Sleep? Nowhere to be found. He has finally snapped out of it, though, and last night I slept in my bed for the first time in days.

Which brings us to last night. We missed the entire first half of the Lobos basketball game due to the TCU and Utah chicks going into triple overtime. WTF?!? Rarely do we get a station that's actually showing the Lobos, and of course the time we do we miss half the game. Perfect. But we're cruising along, looking solid against UNLV...and then the last 5 minutes of the game happen. An 18 point lead quickly diminishes to 2. Todd goes straight to his typical gloom and doom statement, "there's no way we're winning this game," which in turn earns him a nice FU from me...further obsenities fly, but are apologized for later and chalked up to "stress of the game." By some grace of God UNM won the game by 10. We got massive love during the game from the announcers and it was even mentioned that we're NATIONAL contenders. I'm giddy, riding high off another win against a top 25 team, and then Todd mentions we should try to fly to Vegas if the Lobos make the MWC Championship game. My eyes almost pop out of my head, as Todd never suggests we do anything even remotely exciting like this. Immediately I'm googling that shit to find dates. And of course, in the true fashion of this week, it turns out the MWC Conference tourney is happening when we have company in town. Cause that's just the kind of week it's been.

Grandad = Cool

I had nothing but the best of intentions to get something posted on here last weekend, to wrap up the month of January. But it didn't happen. Obviously. Regardless, a week late in posting pictures and updating the blog is equivalent to me being about 10 minutes late, well, anywhere I go, which happens all the time. So I guess what I'm saying is...this is right on time!

January wrapped up with Grandad (my Dad) coming to visit. The kids love, no ADORE, their Grandad. He comes up every few months to spend the weekend with us, sometimes to celebrate special events (Halloween, birthdays), but sometimes it's just because, like this weekend. We went to Isabelle's soccer game on Saturday morning (she scored a badass goal!) and before that had watched Sophia and Hudson attend soccer class (Sophia didn't cry!). On Sunday we headed down to take in the sights at Safeco Field for Mariners FanFest. It's a nice little event that gets the blood pumping for baseball. The kids love running on the field, and it's just something special we do with Grandad.

Boy bonding time.

Folks, this is wrong. We spotted this little girl at FanFest, and I had to take a picture. I'm assuming her parents put her in this outfit cause it was cold. I don't care, as it's F-d up. And I'm sure some of you are oohing and aahing and saying how cute she looks. It's not cute. It's not Halloween, and jackets aren't that expensive. If you can pay to get into FanFest, you can buy your kid a coat. I think her Dad thought it was cute, which is just pathetic. To further add to the story, this kid came over to see what my pack was doing at one point, and Sophia promptly knocked her to the ground (Honestly, it was not intentional, at least not to Poodle, as she thought Poodle was Hudson. Who she knocks down all the time.) . Anyway, Poodle started crying (which was BS, cause Sophia barely nudged her), and Poodle's dad shot me what I guess was his look of death. Dude, you only have one kid, your look of death barely registers on my radar. So I just smirked at him and offered a non-genuine "sorry." Come to my house for a day and you'll master the look of death in no time, as you're dropping it on someone every 5 minutes. Sophia recounted the story to Todd a little later (he was off getting snacks and missed Poodle) by telling him she knocked over a poodle. Of course, Todd thought it was an actual dog and found the story hilarious. I shared the above picture and told him it was actually a kid dressed as a poodle, and then he was just sad. PARENTS: NO POODLE OUTFITS UNLESS IT'S HALLOWEEN! Sheesh.

My Dad and Sophia share a special bond. They just delight in each other's company.

Just not sure what we're gonna do with this girl.

My Dad will be heading our way again next in about six weeks to take Isabelle to see Alice in the theaters. We all share a high love for Johnny Depp, so Todd and I will probably tag along. We were told by Isabelle that she "guessed" we could ride in the car with her and Grandad, but we don't get to sit by them in the theater. See, taking Isabelle to see a movie is another Grandad treat each time he comes. Kind of like buying ice cream for them each time we pass a Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen. Yes, my kids can be easily bought. They're okay with it. At any rate, Grandad? In my kids' eyes, the coolest person on the planet. Next to Taylor Swift.

P.S. I just went to view this in blog form and realised the pictures are very big when you click on them. Sorry. I'd go back and fix it but I'm too F'ing lazy. I'll try harder next time.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

This weekend was busy, as always, but topped with a very special event. For over a year now, Isabelle has asked, no begged, me to let her get her hair cut...short. I've resisted, as frankly it seemed like so much work. She plays a lot of sports, so the "go to" pony-tail is just something I wasn't willing to let go of so easily. So her hair has gotten longer and longer and longer. We trim it every six weeks, but it quickly grows out again.

Anyway, a week or so ago we had one of Isabelle's friends over who commented that she wanted to grow her hair out to donate to Locks of Love. I'm very familiar with the organization, but really hadn't put all the pieces together to think it could be an option for us. But the gears got turning in my head at that moment. "Isabelle," I said, "if your hair is long enough to donate to Locks of Love, I'll let you cut it." She was delighted, and to me it seemed like a win-win situation. I read the requirements on the Locks of Love website - you have to have a minimum of 10 inches of hair for donation - and we verified that Isabelle had that covered. Appointment was made for this weekend, and the pictures below will tell the story best (click on the pictures for a larger view).

Getting ready to start. Looking a little nervous.

Megan, who cuts my hair, did the deed. She separted Isabelle's hair into two braids for donation.

Here the braids are being cut off. Everyone in the salon gathered around to watch the big moment, and kept telling Isabelle what a fabulous thing she was doing to help others.

Getting styled. Isabelle couldn't stop staring in the mirror, and was delighted with the outcome.

Isabelle with her hair that she is donating. She was very excited that her hair will be going to help other kids, and fully plans on growing it out again for another donation.

In addition to the big cut, Isabelle's soccer team also played their first indoor game of the season. They won 2-1, which was huge as we're putting our almost all girls team (we were given one "token" boy to technically keep the team co-ed) against all boys teams or mostly all boys teams. The rules state each team must have at least one girl on the field at a time (five players on the field) but we're often sending all girls out. So, this was a big win and we hope the first of many. Sophia and Hudson are also attending soccer class right before Isabelle's games, so Saturday mornings are busy. We hope you all had a wonderful weekend like we did!

~ Shannon

Please pass the meds

Apparently today is the most depressing day of the year, at least according to this article. I can buy it. I can’t think of a ton I’m excited about today, except that the sun is out in Seattle, which is always a plus in January. The joy and happiness of the holidays are behind us, and right about now most of us are starting to realize all the extra drinking and sweets we ate are now also behind us, just in the form of our bigger butts. Todd and I are on a bit of a detox diet; no soda, smaller portioned meals, no red meat, and no cheese (well, the last one is mainly mine). We’ll see how it goes. We were also supposed to cut out coffee and alcohol, but realized that then we'd end up divorced and that's not any better than fat.

We painted our bathroom this weekend, which was starting to drop into a state of depression itself since it had been a few years since being painted. Below is a picture. We went with a lovely dark gray which I think makes it look a little more formal. Hopefully the color will hide marker and crayon too, since Sophia has been on a tear lately of coloring on the walls. Next we’re moving on to painting the rest of the upstairs, which is in desperate need as our walls are trashed from the kids.
Watched the Golden Globes last night. Just one thing to say: Robert Downey Jr. He obviously won’t win an Oscar for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, but I loved the movie and adored him in it. Todd put it best after RDJ finished his acceptance speech, “I would totally add that guy to my list of people I’d like to eat dinner with. You just don’t know what he’s going to say or do, but you know it’s going to be great.” Agreed. Robert, consider it an open invitation to dine at our house any night. On a side note, why must people display their horrid breasts and plastic surgery faces for all the world to cringe over when they appear on the TV (Courtney Cox, Mariah Carey…looking in your directions)? On a positive note, Kate Winslet and Reese Witherspoon were just as classy and gorgeous as ever. Props and keep it up, ladies.

Song of the moment: It’s a tie…Sea Blue by Sam Bradley and Being a Mockingbird by Bobby Long

In honor of today's holiday, be kind to each other.

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Best of 2009

Best of 2009

I am not really much for making New Years resolutions, but I am a complete sucker for the “best of” or “top” lists for a given year. Music, books, movies, restaurants…you name it and I’m game. When my Entertainment Weekly showed up last week and I saw that it was the year end review, I promptly sat down on the curb and started flipping through and reading all the “best of 2009” lists. (Okay, that’s a minor fib. Primarily I was looking for pictures of Robert Pattinson. There, hope you’re happy now.) I couldn’t even wait to get in the house to read. Pathetic, yet I don’t care.

So on that note, I am proposing my own Best of 2009 list from this year. I’d like to say this has been a non-eventful year, but I’d be lying. And I’d like to say it’s been all packed full of joy and happiness but, again, a lie. However, I am learning at this point in life to find the silver lining, as my mom would always say, as there usually is one, but you might just have to dig a little deeper than usual to find it.

Best of 2009
5. My New Job. Not a huge change, as I just went from one company to another within our enterprise, but it was a major lifestyle change in regards to my stress level. It’s only been a few weeks, but I think Todd would agree that this probably added years to my life. I am forever in debt to the people that fought for me, and approached me with this chance and I would probably throw myself in front of a bus for you all at this point. No, really, I would.

4. Twilight. I know you are reading this and snickering, but I don’t care. And honestly, I could have put this higher on the list and only resisted because it came into my life so late in the year. This has been my total guilty pleasure of the later part of 2009 and the $40 I invested in four books…wait, and the $20 for the Blue Ray DVD…have provided me with hours (and hours) of entertainment. Prior to New Moon coming out (which I bought advanced tickets for and saw on opening night), I poured over the internet sites looking for new images, clips, whatever I could find. I scanned my TV stations and DVR’d everything that was Twilight related…and then proceeded to forward the list to Wohn so she could set it all to record as well. Wohn then forwarded it to her husband, Steve, so he could set everything on the DVR, at which time he responded with, “Done. Ridiculous. I have cancelled the IU game and Raw to accommodate this vampire movie.” This is what Twilight has done to so many of us (formerly) normal, sane women. I walked by the magazine display while shopping at Costco one day and nearly launched Sophia out of the cart when I put on the brakes after spotting Robert Pattinson on the cover of Vanity Fair. I exchanged giddy emails with friends discussing whether or not he and Kristen Stewart were dating (don’t get me started on their Harpers Bazaar photo shoot) (oh, and I fully believe they are together.). Really, I could go on. I think Wohn put it best on Christmas after she and I exchanged cell pictures of our gifts from Santa (I got a Team Edward water bottle…yes!) when she said…”We are 12.” Yes, and you know what, sometimes that’s okay. However…shame. Lots of shame.

3. Balloon Fiesta. We’ve been to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta many times before, but never when so many planets have aligned to allow us to have the number of friends and family gather at once like we did this year. Not only did we get to see the joy on our kids’ faces at the hundreds of hot air balloons launching into the beautiful blue New Mexico sky, but we got to witness it with Todd’s parents, my mom and step-dad who drove in from North Carolina, two of my best friends, Crystal, who drove in from Dallas with her family, and Kristy, who braved a sick little Logan to join us, plus old friends from high school who I hadn’t seen in YEARS. On top of that, it was just about the time of Sophia’s 3rd birthday, so we got to throw her a party at the Bounce House in Albuquerque and have my kids, Kristy’s kids, and Crystal’s Cameran all there together to celebrate…plus two sets of grandparents! This NEVER happens for my kids. Separately we also got to spend a little time with old friends from college, though any time we spend with John and Colleen and their family is never enough. We miss you all and will always treasure that amazing week we had back home.

2. My Friends. I have had the divine pleasure of becoming better friends with so many folks this year, and it has blessed my life in a plethora of ways. I’ve become closer with friends we’ve had for years, closer with friends from Isabelle’s soccer team (who are like family now), developed our new makeshift family that we spend holidays with now in lieu of being alone…for hermits like us, this is impressive. I have had the pleasure of watching people grow in their relationships, expand their families, been at their sides through loss, and leaned on them in our hard times fully knowing they would help us stand. I love you all. Hey, and I put you above Twilight…pretty damn good!

1. Overcoming adversity. Todd and I have had challenging years during our time together, but nothing at all can rival this year. We’ve gone through hard economic times with Todd’s job, multiple serious illnesses/diagnosis in the family, surviving life with three kids with very little help, and generally trying to keep our sanity. We’ve had minor snafus along the way like dog attacks, the van getting hit by someone who ran from the scene, sick kids (Hey, H1N1, feel free to not come back again. Thanks.), Todd’s lingering soccer injury that has resulted in him walking around with a “boot” on his foot now…but really that’s all minor in the big pictures of life. Our family has faced some major adversity head-on this year, and we’re still standing. Above all, I’m not looking at 2009 as a year to frown down upon, but rather a year that our mettle was tested, and we came out gleaming like sterling silver. The Maynes will overcome!