Birthday Boy is Nine

When Bubba turned two he didn't say much. His vocabulary was limited to a handful of words/sounds. He was a quiet boy---which is hard to imagine now I know. But when he was turning two and we'd ask him how old he was, he'd say "NINE!"
It was the funniest little voice and we'd crack up every time. In fact, I think Grandma Hogue got him a "9" candle to put on his cake that birthday.
Anyhoo...he really is nine now.
Luke reminded me several times today that he is halfway to adulthood.
Holy ravioli! In seven more years he could potentially have a driver's license and in nine years he will HOPEFULLY be in his senior year of high school.
Nooooooooooooooo!!
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Bubba woke us up this morning at 5am and came into our room.
Happy Birthday Bubba we whispered!! He said he wasn't feeling well and we took him into the kitchen to examine him.
BLAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Bubba puked all over the kitchen floor.
Poor, poor Bubba. I have heard of birthdays ending with vomit but its no way to start a birthday.

By 7am we somehow talked him into a birthday breakfast consisting of a McGriddle from Mickey D's.
(He originally requested what every nine year old begs for: donuts.)
We hit the drive thru and then went to Panera so Luke and I could get a breakfast sandwich. We also let each of the kids pick out a chocolate chip "muffie." (aka...an expensive muffin top)

After breakfast we took Bubba to Target to pick out his gift. We knew he really wanted a Pokeman DS game, but it doesn't come out for another week.
At breakfast Luke asked him, "If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?"
Bubba quietly replies: "A day without arguing?"
Thats when I knew something was wrong with the kid. Who wants a day without arguing over some cool game/gadget?!

We drug Bubba to Target. Yes---drug him. He wanted to go home.
He picked out another Pokeman game for his DS and we pre-ordered the Pokeman White game he wanted.
We were scheduled to go to Bear Valley to have a family lunch/party for Bubba. We gave Bubba some Tylenol and waited.

This is Bubba by the time we got home from the store! Oh Bubba!
Tubbs sat by Bubba's bedside and they played Pokeman together.

Within a few hours he chippered up and we headed up the hill!
SNOW! We were welcomed by Grandma and Grandpa and a few inches of the cold, white stuff! We haven't visited the snow yet this season, so it was a nice little treat. It also gave us many picture opportunities!

She is a fan of the tasty snow!

Standing behind the fancy birthday snowman (and baby snowman) Luke and Tubbs made.

Grandma made a special birthday cupcake-cake for Bubba. Delicious.....even though Bubba didn't want any. We all ate some for him.

On our way home from the snow. Bubba is ready to go back to bed!

Nine treasures about Bubba:
1. He loves orange chicken. He would eat it for every meal. Seriously. He likes Panda Express orange chicken best.
2. He is a home-body and if he could be anywhere (besides Panda Express) it would be home. (I hope he always enjoys hanging around the house with his family.)
3. Bubba is approximately 90 pounds, wears a size large (10/12) shirt and a size 7.5 shoe in men's.
4. Luke's favorite thing about Bubba is he's affectionate. Bubba loves to cuddle up with daddy at the end of the day and watch TV.
5. Tubbs's favorite thing about Bubba is when he trades him Pokeman....even though its rare. :)
6. Bubba's favorite thing to play/read about is Pokeman. (Thank goodness he is done with the "Bakugan" phase. Whew!)
7. A few of his favorite extracurricular activities include: playing tetherball with Luke and Sawyer, taking his sister's pacifier and hiding it, and playing his IPOD Touch. to do is cuddle up with his dad. Now that we have a TV/DVD player in our room he asks if they can lay in bed and snuggle before bedtime.
8. Bubba's favorite color is camoflage green. (I have no idea when that started...or how long it will last.)
9. Bubba still has no plans on growing up. If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he just kind of looks at you all bewildered and smiles.
I love you Bubba.... Happy Birthday!

Family Picnic

Sunday after church the weather was BEAUTIFUL!
Luke surprised us with a picnic lunch at the park down the street. We brought the food, some bubble wands, and a Frisbee.
Luke BBQ'd some chicken breasts for us and the kids ate hot dogs and Cheetos.
(Of course I snuck in a pack of Spring-time Oreo cookies for dessert.)
Perfect!



Time to EAT!




This was her favorite place to hang out!


Bubbles!






Good thing there are only five of us---because I don't think I could squeeze one more face into our self-portrait.

Thanks Daddy for the wonderful impromptu picnic. Can't wait until it warms up again so we can spend more afternoons like this.
Spring Fever has sprung!!

Valentine's Day 2010

This year Valentine's Day fell on a school holiday for Luke. Somehow his school district didn't align their school holiday with the rest of Bakersfield. I don't know what happened, BUT this was great news for me. I asked the babysitter if I could bring Petunia over as usual and it was no problem.
Sooo---Luke and I had all day to celebrate Valentine's Day and it was fabulous not having to worry about the kids or rushing to get home in usual; "date-night" fashion.
I scheduled us each a massage at a spa nearby and I was going to surprise Luke but since I had to book it at 8am I wasn't sure how I could get him ready and out of the house that early...for no good reason. So, I ended up telling him on Saturday night.
So, I took Petunia to the babysitter, Luke took the boys to school and we met at the spa. The massage package came with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries afterwards. We elected to pass on the champagne so they brought us some apple cider!






After the massage he read my special Valentine's card in the car that said something about how magnificent he is....and how much he deserves me because I'm a trophy wife.
HAHAHAHA.

Luke surprised me with a Fossil watch that I liked in a catalog we got in the mail after Christmas.
I love my Valentine watch....but keep forgetting to wear it! I haven't worn a watch in 2-3 years.
(Hmmm...maybe that's why I'm late a lot.....)
Luke couldn't get the links out so we took it to a jeweler who wanted $8. Luke thought it was too much so he tried again at home to take them out. No luck.
So, we went to his watch kiosk in the mall....and they wanted $15 to remove the links.
I guess the jeweler near our house was a bargain after all!



We went to Panera for an Asiago breakfast sandwich. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

We went to the new movie theater downtown to see the earliest showing of "Just Go With It" and it was hysterical. We both really enjoyed it. The theater was LARGE and the seats rock/recline. Luke was in heaven!


My favorite part of the movies with Luke...is of course our milk duds and popcorn.
(I made sure to buy the duds beforehand at WalMart for half the price and double the size!) :)


After our wonderful day together we picked up the boys at 2:30. They were so surprised to see both of us in the car.
We took the kids to Jamba Juice and Baja Fresh for dinner. It was great timing because no one was there.
Bubba...with his red mustache.


Hungry....after our movie treat wore off.


Petunia decided she didn't want her quesadilla, she wanted the rest of MY burrito.


My crazy boys.

Thankful for my Teammate

As you can probably tell, I was a little irritated, tired, crabby, frustrated, ticked off....on my last post.
I know children get sick. I just don't have to like it.
I really, really, really would put each of us in a bubble if I could get away with it.
Last night, Petunia was in crib by 8:30pm.... and awake at 11pm.
(I went to bed at 9:30pm because I know better to stay up late with this girl's sleep schedule. Now with her sick she's a ticking time bomb.)
She decided to cry, whimper, scream, roam the hallways, roll around in our bed, scream some more, until 1:45am. Then she cried uncle....at least until 5am. I got her out of her crib and put her in bed with us and thankfully she went back to sleep.
(It was an unexpected phone call from a friend at 7am that woke us all up.)
What a night.
Isn't parenthood grand!?
I just wish I could live off this amount of sleep without turning into a evil human being.

Anyways---when I woke up this morning and getting everyone out the door to work and school, I was thinking about how fortunate I am for my teammate---Luke.
Yesterday, I was getting ready to load Petunia up in the car so we could head out for the baby sitter's house and work, when I saw the blisters around her lip.
Luke wasn't yet dressed for work and when we agreed she probably had HF&M Disease he quickly offered to take the day off with her. I was too amazed that she was sick with it AGAIN to argue with him. He assured me it was fine and rushed me out the door so I could actually get to work on time.
I felt guilty because I thought I should stay home with her. He tried to make me feel as good as possible and I was glad he was on "my team."

Yesterday he was supposed to drop my car off at the dealership on his way to work to get a noise/shimmy diagnosed. Thankfully, he kept the appointment and after 2 hours took the rig over to get new tires put on it. THANK YOU!!

We met for a quick lunch together and then he headed to the car wash to get my rig cleaned, detailed inside, and waxed. I was so surprised, but I guess my whining at lunch about how the kids have destroyed the inside of my car didn't fall on deaf ears. They even cleaned Petunia's car seat which was NOT pretty.

What a pleasant surprise. Daddy and Petunia had a busy day, but I was so happy that Luke was able to take care of some "honey-do's" on his day off with Petunia. When I got home from work I admired my nice, clean rig...and have a new rule: No kids allowed. (I wish)
I think its looks better than when we bought it 18 months ago.
I am really blessed to have such a wonderful husband who works so hard to make us all happy! I love you!

Not Again

I am not going to be taking Petunia to the kidcare at the gym AGAIN.
If I suggest it or you see her in kid care anytime in the next two years please shoot me and put me out of my misery.
Please.
It is just not worth it.
Petunia has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.....again.
I am sure she isn't happy about it...and either is mama.

Week in Review

Time for blogging (much like sleep) seems hard to come by these days.
I love to keep a journal of events and can imagine reading through these entries one day with my kids. (and hopefully grand kids)
Because of the lack of rest, when the kids finally get to bed the first thing I want to do is spend a little time with Luke and hit the sack! I feel a little guilty on those evenings I am watching the clock....waiting for 8pm to roll around. The boys are so tired they would pass out before 8pm, but Petunia has to wait until at least 8pm before I put her in the crib. I think this girl requires very little sleep--like her brother Tubbs. I find myself wishing I could fast forward a year or two--to the part where she is potty trained, talking to me AND sleeping through the night. But at the same time I sure do cherish the fun I have as I carry her on my hip and dance through the house with her. And every pacifier we find hidden through the house is a treasure. Watching her face light up because her beloved pacifier is her favorite thing int he world!
One day, it won't be.
And one day she will speak in complete sentences....and tell me exactly what she thinks about me and my rules.
Ok...maybe I should stop thinking about 1-2 years from now.

All right....let's see.
Saturday.
Petunia is sick as a dog. I finally decide to take her to the Urgent Care because she won't stop coughing and gagging. The Urgent doctor is the biggest idiot I might have ever met.
Seriously.
One recommendation: Do not go to the Urgent Care at 6:30pm when it closes at 7pm. Because no matter what your issue is, its not urgent enough....and they just want the heck out of there.
Tubbs wakes up in the middle of the night with an ear ache.
Another one bites the dust.
Sunday.
Super Bowl. I could care less who is playing but I am looking forward to the food. I am late to church because I am on hold with the retarded doctor at the Urgent Care who decides she doesn't need the antibiotic he gave me the prescription for the night before. At the end of the conversation it was the closest I've ever come to telling someone point blank "You are an Idiot!"
But I somehow refrained....and headed off to church! :)
Monday.
Its a holiday for the boys' school but not Luke's.
Lovely.
Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa Hogue. They stayed Sunday night with us and spoiled the kids rotten all day. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!
I had an appt after work for Tubbs at the pediatrician to have his ear checked, but he insists it feels fine.
Thank goodness!
Tuesday.
I am not a fan of yours. Is it Friday yet?
I cannot wait until Friday. But I would settle for Thursday.
My goal this week is to get to work on time. Didn't happen today....but at least I beat my boss into work.
That wasn't too difficult since he was out in the field all morning.
I did decide to take a run at lunch. 3.5 miles was a perfect way to enjoy the 60 degree weather. I wish I could run everyday like this.
I made Asian Chicken salad for dinner...which Luke and I love. Problem is the kids won't eat it. It really stinks trying to feed the kids on nights like these. Ugh!
Wednesday.
You are still not Friday. But Pilates at lunch was good. I am recruiting the guys in my group to try it out....and they don't seem impressed. But it makes me very happy to see them look like idiots as they try to do some of the moves. This makes my afternoon much brighter! After work I find joy in imitating their version of Pilates to my husband. :) I know--I'm not very nice.

I pick up Tony's Pizza on the way home from work since Luke has a board meeting he has to go to. Yes...it was my night to cook. :) I check the mail and am pleasantly surprised to find our state tax return.
Can I get a hallelujah?!I open it to find $162 of it has been deducted by the Franchise Tax Board for a bill they said I never paid in 2009. The bill was for a prenatal genetic screening test performed by the Dept of Public Health. Apparently, my primary insurance denied the claim because they are LAME...and they don't bill secondary insurances.
LOVELY!
Luke tells me the money is long gone and we'll never get it back.
I hope he's wrong. If someone would have returned one of my calls from 18 months ago I wouldn't be in this craptastic situation. I want my money back!

Thursday.
Finally!
Thursday is my Friday. Just one more day to get through before my four day weekend.
Thursdays are also my favorite because I have get to have lunch with Luke on Thursdays. He "pencils" me in on his calendar every week so others will schedule around it. I LOVE lunch with the hot guy on Thursdays!
Luke picks up the boys from school and Bubba announces: "I hate this school!"
Apparently some kids were teasing him about his red, chapped lip. Luke and I have talked to him MANY, MANY times about licking his lip. Hearing Bubba re-tell the taunting broke Luke's heart-but at the same time he thought it might motivate him to stop. We'll see.
After I get home from work we change, load up the kids and head to the gym. We stop and get Mickey D's for the kids since its 6pm.
Healthy food for the kids to take to the gym for dinner! :) Haha!
We decide to try the "Sprint 8's" at the gym tonight. Success.
(http://coachrj.blogspot.com/) Link
After a 20 minute workout we are tired.
Too tired to stay up and watch Grey's Anatomy. I love my DVR on nights like this.
What I do not love is Petunia waking up every 2 hours all night long.
This girl is killing me. At some point during the night Tubbs came in....which meant Bubba needed to come get in our bed too. I think at some point Luke went and got in one of their beds.
I don't know...its all a blur.
Friday.I love you Friday.
I drop the kids off at school and get to the gym at 8:10am.
I thought about not going to the gym, but considering the amount of cake balls I have consumed the past few weeks I went. Glad I did--got in a 6.3 mile run. I wish I could run like that EVERYDAY.
We talked dad into Red Robin for dinner. If you get one of their new rewards cards and register it online you get a free appetizer.
(There goes my 6.3 mile this morning!)
Their mint brownie shake is also really really good. Might be as good as their chocolate shake!
Great way to end the week. Ready for the weekend!

Toothless Tubbs

Tubbs lost his first upper front tooth.
He has been playing with this tooth for over a month.
Finally he was able to pull it out himself!
AFter it came out he tooth the tooth to the bathroom and brushed it. He wanted to get top dollar for that tooth.


I went to bed a little earlier than usual and completely forgot about the tooth fairy. Lucky for me (and Tubbs) Luke remembered just as he went to bed.
The tooth fairy was very generous and brought Tubbs 5 one dollar bills (because thats better than one $5 bill)
Didn't you know that!? :)

Another Friday Rant

Seems like there is never any time anymore.
Fridays are my only real time to sit down at the computer at home...and it has to be while Petunia is napping. I went through my home email this morning and realized I hadn't been on the computer since the weekend. Crazy. At least for me.
Three kids, work and a husband will keep you busy.
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On the way home from picking up the kids from school I was giving them hints about dinner. Luke was making "manwiches" with ground chicken, which I knew they don't like. One of the clues I gave was, "Daddy makes it." To which Bubba replied, "Daddy makes everything, that's not a clue."
I started to chuckle and I realized, yes...Luke does do 99.99% of the cooking. I am a lucky, lucky woman!! :)
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I am realizing more and more and more every day that Tubbs is very much like his father. This is a good and a bad thing.
Bad- because it means I have two Luke's in the house.
Good-because now Luke knows what its like to negotiate with a terrorist.
Just kidding Luke.
Kind of.
I do find it very humorous to watch Luke try to get Tubbs to talk to him and open back up after he has gotten in trouble. Tubbs likes to say things to try and get our attention...or make us worried. Apparently Luke's famous trick when he was a kid was getting up on the roof...and he'd threaten to jump.
Man..I wish I could see a video of that from 30 years ago!
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I nonchalantly made the comment this week to a friend that I am not a "joiner." I tried to explain myself and it may not be the right context or sound good, but I have turned into a "homebody."
After rushing around to/from work four days a week, I find it very hard to take on extra-curricular activities/gatherings. Its not that I don't want to socialize or help anyone out. I miss my kids and Luke.
The minute I walk in the door from work I set Petunia down, put my purse up and change into my pajamas.
This technique works good for me because if I need to get something from the store, I can usually get Luke to run in for me since I'm in a state of disarray.
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I have really dry skin. About a month ago I tried this new facial moisturizer that I do believe is a keeper. Its the best I've ever tried.
Its Origins "Starting Over."
Just a little tip for ya.
I think its well worth the $45!!
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This week the boys were grounded from ALL ELECTRONICS.
It was one of the best weeks of motherhood so far.
That may be a slight exaggeration.
But it was fabulous.
Of course this morning they became ungrounded and I couldn't get Bubba to look up from his IPod Touch for more than 2 seconds before school. (An "insider" informed me he was also brushing his teeth while playing on it. How is that possible...I don't know.)
But I am looking forward to another week without electronics. I can see one in my future.
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Running.
I did make it to the gym three times this week to run!
I got my lazy butt to bed before 9pm on Sunday night so I could get up at 4:30am on Monday.
I am not sure what was more difficult: going to bed by 8:45pm, getting up at 4:30am, or staying awake during my 1:30pm Monday meeting.
Somehow I managed to do the same thing on Wednesday. Tuesday morning my alarm went off, I got out of bed to change...and got back into bed. No success.
Today I didn't have to get up early (thankfully) so I went right after I took the kids to school. I am not sure if I can stick with the 4:30am thing....but I am going to try. It just stinks having to go to bed so "early."
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Petunia is sick UH-GAIN.
Seriously.
The girl just got off antibiotics a week ago and just got over her cough. She woke up last night with croup and she is snotty. (Which means my shirt has turned into one big snot rag!)
I didn't even take her to the gym. Her getting sick so easily is why I was going to the gym at 4:30am....so I wouldn't have to take her.
Which has me re-thinking the whole early morning gym thing now.
I guess it was Bubba or Tubbs who passed the cold back to her.... Which means I will probably get it again next.
How the heck has Luke not got it yet in this daisy-chain?
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Bubba made honor roll again this quarter.(Congratulations!)
Just like last quarter, he had all A's and one "B."
That math will get you every time!
He is working on Geometry now....which is a little crazy to me since I am sure the math he is doing now in third grade, I wasn't introduced to until middle school.
(This is where my husband would insert some sarcastic comment about me growing up in Lake Isabella and not being surprised.) :)
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Tubbs was snuggling up with his sister and was mumbling to her that when she is in Kindergarten he would walk her to the bus stop every morning. Luke overheard Tubbs tell her that if someone tried to take her he would give her his house key and tell her to run home so they could take him instead.
It was all very sweet, while at the same time a scary thought. I know that Tubbs loves his sister very much and I hope he always looks out for her like that.
(Even though at the rate Petunia is growing, she might be bigger than Tubbs by the time she gets into Kindergarten. I am not sure anyone is going to want to mess with her.) :)
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Cake Balls!
Oh cake balls.
I made cake balls for a Super Bowl potluck party at work on Tuesday. I made German Chocolate and Red Velvet. I also decided to try a new flavor....milk chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, dipped in milk chocolate.
Oh heavens.... Its my kryptonite.
I do think its the best flavor yet.
Anyways, after tasting my first batch of those on Sunday I had to make more.
Luke had a Super Bowl potluck at work yesterday, so I made more cake balls. Naturally. It was the perfect excuse.
For his potluck I made German chocolate and the peanut butter chocolate.
On Wednesday night I was dipping 4 cakes worth of balls from 8pm-10pm. Luke tried to take photos of me in all my glory, but thankfully there isn't any evidence.
I think he's ready to send me to the cake ball wing of the Betty Ford clinic.
(Of course when he is eating one (or two or three) I don't see him complaining.)