Gonna get a complex

The past couple of days have been "funny."

1st we're in Wal-Mart, JJ's getting stickers from the greeter. This Amazon of a woman comes up saying how cute he is, looks at me and says in a disbelieving manner "oh, is he your baby?" Uh, no, I just stole him out of some other woman's arms (I guess one that's cute too) and decided instead of running to go into Wally World.I mean come on, he's only slightly darker than me and he has my eyes, nose, and lips (and John wasn't even 10 feet in front of me!) I guess it got to me because never once has anyone assumed I was a nanny, yet I know others have gone through that with their biracial kids from the start. I guess I was kinda proud that it was clear he was my kid, that I've left my mark. (and what's ironic, everyone has always assumed that Brandon is mine...)

Next, I was on the phone yesterday and our interperter was sitting next to my desk, she started laughing at me saying how she likes me accent (I was speaking Spanish) that its cute. I've never once thought about my "accent" when not speaking English. I know I say the words with the proper inflection, thanks to a good Spanish teacher who really pushed not having her students sound stupid, but it still made me wonder all day if my accent was really odd.....

tagged by Melissa

Four Things
Four place I go over and over:
WalMart
Work
Kristin's
McDonalds

Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
Ginny
Cyndi
Al
Bruce


Four places I would rather be right now:
Florida
Hawaii
OC (in a few hours!)
SO MD

Four TV shows/programs that I watch over and over:
CSI
Survivor
Big Brother
Lost

Four things I have for breakfast:
Sweet & Salty Bars
oatmeal
cereal
eggs & bacon/scrapple/sausage

Four animals I like best:
Monkeys
Dogs
Ducks
Panda Bears

Four beaches I’ve been to:
Paradise Cove, HI
Land-O-Lakes, FL
George Lake, NY
VA Beach, VA

Tag 4 people:
Ginny
Penny
Rhea
Michelle

Foto Friday

Gonna keep myself from posting a complaint, like I have the past couple of Fridays, so here's a pic of JJ, he was so good getting his hair cut, he even sat by himself (and mom could kick herself for not saving the pic she took of Ms Lynn cutting his hair.) And he told me afterwards how he likes Ms Lynn!

Also, if you get a chance, vote for JJ in the American Baby Cover Contest:
http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/photoDetails.jsp?photoId=282400007

My niece is cute too (great family genes huh), here's her pic if you want to vote again:

http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/photoDetails.jsp?photoId=280500412

The Mullet

My son has a mullet, and no, I don't think its cool that he has "business in the front, party in the back." (I don't think its cool that I know that saying either.) But I can't touch it, trust me, there are pictures that show how bad mommy is with cutting his hair! Does anyone remember my almost bald son last year (but, to be honest, that was more Pop-Pop's fault there.) It just grows so quickly, it's so hard to keep up with! And when its long it gives me bad thoughts, such as how pretty it is and we need to try to have a daughter so I can put cute ribbons and barrettes in her hair, or worse, I'll just go ahead and put the cute ribbons and barrettes in HIS hair NOW (yeah, an opportunity for more pictures that he'd hate me for in the future.)

Thankfully, for the sanity of us all, it will be cut tonight!

Fly Your Flag!

'It is only the dead who have seen the end of War' (Plato)
'Today is never as bad as yesterday or as good as tomorrow' (Unknown)

GET YOUR FLAG READY! Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign and PLEASE forward this Email immediately to everyone asking them to also forward it. We have less than one week and counting to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America .
THE PROGRAM:On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States .Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this seventh anniversary of one our country's worst tragedies. We do this honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms. In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorismof all kindsAction
Plan:(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how youfelt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.
(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.
(3) If possible, fly your flag at half staff in memory of those killed on 9/11 and those who have died in combat since fighting those who would harm the USA.

Where do you want to go?

This is just list of places I want to go, things I want to do for whatever reason - do you think getting away is on my mind? At least with the option of John going back to the military in the future we may have the opportunity to write some of these off on Uncle Sam's dime (or at least partially.)

- see an Irish castle, on the green Isle itself, sit in a pub with a real "beer"
- go to Australia, not completly sure why this has always appealed to me
- see the pyramids in either South America or Egypt
- go to Niagara Falls, just something about natural beauty & wonder
- VEGAS BABY (and not for gambling, I want to see the different hotels/casinos themes)
- while in Vegas take a day trip to see the Grand Canyon
- see Mt Rushmore
- go back to Hawaii, of course for time with family
- Italy, the old cities just look so full of culture, past and present

Add your own list, I'd love to see what appeals to everyone else too!

Thanks friends!

After the day from he!! I really needed to get out and be mindless for a few hours! Now I gotta go find the soundtrack!!!! Anyone in need of a good laugh, go see House Bunny, its worth it! Thanks Rhea!

And Bruce, thanks for sending me this too:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Friends are wonderful for making your day better!

DC Yesterday

What a lovely day to walk around out nation's capital! Spending time with family was great too, and JJ's been telling us how he likes Uncle Mike & Aunt Ginny. He's still talking bout the dinosaur bones too. We also went to the Holocaust Museum, something I've always wanted to do, and while yes, it is something everyone should experience, it is not something I can do again. I blame it on being a mom, but while sitting in front of an exhibit on the genocide of children and looking at the innocent face of my sleeping son in my arms, it hit WAY too close to home!

At least its Friday

Oh, what is it with the past few Fridays and Mondays, people are just being nasty! That's ok, at least I have a pick me up at home! (and yeah, as I've been told, he's going to hate me when he's older for the pics!)

"Momma there's a dinaswar, I scared."

(hurrying to get under the blanket on the couch)

"Momma, dinaswar still there *giggles*"

(I guess its good that JJ's invisible dinasaur is both deaf and blind since there was a lot of movement and sound coming from that blanket.)

Anyone else....

Is anyone else already thinking about Halloween? I'm trying to get matching costumes for John and myself, something work appropriate to though. JJ will probably want to be Spiderman the way he's going. I can't wait b/c he's going to be so much fun this year trick-or-treating! It's like each year Halloween is more and more fun!

And in the spirit of being someone else, I played around with http://www.dailymakeover.com/ and got some new looks. It's going to be awhile before I have the 10" needed to donate to Locks of Love and still have enough for some length, but I wanted to play around a little....

Oh, my brain is all screwed up!

Can someone explain to me something? My dad is 69, but he's not old. My son is 2.5, and he's old! I can't rationalize the way my own brain is working!

Looking for....

I'm looking for Obedience Schools for teens. I looked in the phone book but couldn't find any. Same with lobotomies, they weren't listed at all in the yellow pages! How about Witness Protection, I can't even reach them to inquire about their services! It's like there's no way out of this!

HHHEEEELLLLPPPPP!

Cool Dude

The Easter Bunny is a jip, all the sunglasses he sent me broke! Now Mickey, his glasses rock!

And check out my latest video, once I learn to write my alphabet I'll be taking all your autograph requests!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2124952174789603259
Have a good Sunday! Love JJ!

My mantra for the day.....

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine......

(sure, you've heard it, we all have, but there's no better way to sum up how my day has been so far, I only wish I could SAY it.)

At least I can use 1 more mantra to make it somewhat better:
THANK GOODNESS ITS FRIDAY!

Oh, well, need a laugh to get you through the next few hours? Here you go? www.funnyjunk.com

Summer & Celebration Doll

I can't believe that summer is almost over! It has gone by much too fast! And I always dread the end of it, it always gets so comfortable with Brandon down so much, then to have to go back to seeing him every other weekend, many times less due to sports. Of course JJ being able to go out and expel some of his endless energy each night is a huge plus, and we can't forget the smiles on his face from just being outside. And the warmth, I always hate to see that go, I'm so not a cold weather person, not enough natural insulation. Things are good up until Jan 2nd. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas there's enough to keep me happy, occupied. But after that, its all bleak to me, no matter how much the sun shines! It's like living for the weekend, but I live for the Spring, just in anticipation for Summer. I'll miss the sand, the boardwalk, THRASHERS FRIES, longer nights, warm air, flip flops, watermelons, the smell of fresh cut grass, lightening bugs, kids playing in the neighborhood. Oh, yeah, we need to move south! (this has all come up b/c Brandon goes back Sunday :( then he'll be back Labor Day weekend, so its like its all back to the drudgery.)

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. ~Ada Louise Huxtable

This is kinda neat, make a celebration doll for someone you know with or who has had breast cancer. www.celebrationchain.comHere's the one I did for my friend Jackie: There are two ways to view your doll. Use the link above or enter your ID code number 11147 in the "Find a Doll" link on the Celebration Chain home page.$1 is donated for each doll "made"

JJ's vocabulary

Did you know JJ has a penis (I'm sure you've felt pretty sure in rightfully assuming yes)? Well, he does, and he's not afraid to tell you (much to his older brother's horror that we would teach him such a word! What are we doing to the child?) He'll gladly point out that he has one, as well as others who he thinks has one too. We were in Food Lion the other day and there was this sign on the turn table saying not to forget about BOB. I asked the cashier what it meant, before he could answer me, JJ piped in that Bob has a penis. Come to find out, BOB is just a reminder to check the bottom of the carts, but the expression on the teenage cashier was priceless. But the best was actually going on about a month ago, when I was changing JJ (yep, he's lazy, doesn't even want to think about the potty) and he quite frankly told me "look mommy, JJ's soccer balls." Don't now exactly where he got that from since we are trying to use the correct vocabulary.

And here it was I was worried he'd be yelling out in public about John farting....

There's also this thing he does when he wants to talk to both John and myself. Instead of saying mommy & daddy he's shortened it to dame, almost sounds like dummies. Wonder if we should be worried, lol.

Goofin & Supporting!

Who knew we had a goof-ball on our hands. This was taken in Rehoboth yesterday while doing some school shopping with friends. John made sure to point out to him he was being checked out by a group of girls, who saw him do this and then went up to some other random guy and asked for hugs (not that it bothered us, lol.)

Also, we are doing the MD Komen Walk In October in memory of my mom and honor of my best friend! Please join us if you can:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/login/teamPageEdit.asp?ievent=262076&lis=0&kntae262076=33E96238BB9F4E0FB5B7F57A38A4CAAD&page=view
And if you can't participate but would like to donate, here's that link!
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=262076&lis=0&kntae262076=33E96238BB9F4E0FB5B7F57A38A4CAAD

The team link doesn't seem to work, try to go through the 2nd link for my personal page, or:

Komen Team, Families Fighting, for the 2008 Komen Maryland Race for the Cure. Follow This Link to visit the team web page.

The Cheetos Bandit

If you're gonna steal something, don't leave a trail back to your hideaway!
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10130319?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com
Were they caught orange handed? Better not let JJ know there's a way to do this, the boy is addicted to Cheetos!

Can I just add how great today is? Of course, it's Friday, can't go wrong there. I get 2 days off with my 3 favorite guys! There's less than a hour before we get to go home, can only get a little better than that, and that's when it reads 5:00, but I'm not even pushing for that b/c its been a really decent work day. We have friends we are getting together with this weekend in OC, of course always look forward to that. I have a good book waiting for me at home, as well as a photo project for Brandon and a couple craft projects that I really want to work on. But, then, to add the cherry on top, I got an email giving me $20 off ANY purchase to 1 of my fav stores. I can't wait to get home and pick something out, then of course the anticipation of waiting for something to arrive, its like Christmas, then I get to plan something as an excuse to wear it out to! Yay! Can you tell I'm a happy camper!

PP&T for my brother and his family

Some of you already know that the younger of my 2 brothers is a lifer in the Army. He's chosen a life of government property, of great valor, which I give him huge props for! A little over a month ago I found out that he would be going back to Iraq, which of course scares me since he was shot there going on 2 years ago (and you know I've just been waiting for the next bad thing to happen.) My sister-in-law sent me a message this morning asking for prayers since they just received orders for him to report to TX in a month, I am guessing they are attaching him to a different unit before deployment. This of course will be even harder on him and his family (wife and 3 kids.) So, if you could all add in the prayer chain that maybe his order will be changed so we can all sigh in relief, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!!!!

The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. - Douglas MacArthur

What really matters

I decided to change today's post up some once I finally got to sit down and do something I have been planning for a long time....

Today's quote for the day:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

And what really DOES matter:
Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo I finally had the time to sit and watch this, with some excusable interruptions. I can't wait to pick up the book! Sit yourself down, sit your kids down, and make your dream list!

My fortune cookie from tonight was so revelant: The courage to be great lies within each of us.

here's some pics from our friends' wedding back in June too...
http://www.simplephoto.com/SC/index.cfm?fuseaction=FavoritesList&favid=596A2837&eid=6063570&fn=SKPhotographyLLC

lies, lies, and more lies!

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual.
- Thomas Jefferson

One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. The bamboozle has captured us. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.
- Carl Sagan

Lying is done with words and also with silence.
- Adrienne Rich

Some simple things

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/08/03/applegate.cancer.ap/index.html Please, take this to heart all my friends and family out there, get your exams! You're never too young, and push for a MRI, I know I will (and mine have to start this year as well b/c of family history.) This touches everyone 1 way or another and early detection is an important key!!!!!

And this is for Emily:
http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/2008/08/august-3rd.html
Five Simple Things To Work On This Week:
1. Indulge in a bubble bath, time to myself, at least 2 nights
2. Indulge JJ's imagination each day
3. Practice better posture (yeah, stole that 1 from you Emily, I've been slipping lately)
4. Tell my closest loved ones something special about themselves that I appreciate
5. Find a special meal, never fixed before, to cook for my guys

Create your own list of simple things and link it to the comments here.

I told my dad I'd get a cowboy

..but I never figured it would be this way....

Earlier this week JJ told me he wanted to be a cowboy. I'm not quite sure where he got it from b/c the only cowboys you'll hear about in our house are running across the field in blue and silver. But, not one to staunch his creativity or to think that only girls can play dress up, we got the basic makings to turn him into a cowboy. Hopefully it will wear off for him, otherwise you'll be able to spot us easily, just look for the kid in the black hat.

So, here's the Hooters pic, notice his hand to her side, he was scared to touch her it looks like. I can't comment on their wings, but their crab legs were worth it! Got myself a shirt too - ssshhhh, don't tell my dad ;)

MMMMmmmmm

Yummy, crabs. Gotta love a hubby who will pick things like that up out of the blue. And tonight, Hooooooters, I'm going for the wings, and from what I've heard about the one in OC, that's about all the guys will be getting too, lol.