Wordless Wednesday - Tuesday Edition - Stuffed Theatre

Manic Monday - Pull

Over at It's A Blog Eat Blog World, Mo's word is Pull. Why? Well because he get a hankering for some pulled pork.

My entry isn't really about pulling pork, it is more about pulling at my heart strings. The person doing the pulling in this picture is my bacon (mula) (eh...see the pork tie in there?) making hubby. In this, one of my favorite pictures from last year, he is pulling our little rug rats or the players of my heart strings for a walk/ride around the block.

The Blink of An Eye sign I have on the back of the wagon is for my other blog "In the Blink Of An Eye." I loved this shot because it was a beautiful sunny evening. My husband doesn't usually have time to do little things like this with us. I love when he makes the effort to really show us that in the craziness of his overextended life at the moment he truly loves us.

Watching them walk ahead of me while I took pictures, really pulled at my heart strings because it encompassed everything I imagined before having kids of what I wanted my life to be after them. Just being together and enjoying the walk, the weather and just being together is really all it takes for this small town girl to be truly happy.

The little people in the wagon are my heart on legs and they pull on my heart strings at least 100 times a day. The man has pulled on my heart strings for seventeen years. Sometimes a good pull and sometimes a OMG BAD pull, but that is what relationships are about. As long as we continue to pull together, things will always be ok.

Photo Friday

I love this Meme. Where have I been? Head on over to Photo Friday if you want to participate. The weekly challenge is EMOTIONS

She is soon to be 3 and full of emotion. Not sure what most of these faces say but she is my little actress.

Friday 5 for March 28: Odd Jobs

Who in your life would make a really good butler? Clarissa
Who in your life would make a really good head of state? My Hubby
Who in your life would make a really good TV talk-show host? Teresa
Who in your life would make a really good astronaut? Ohio
Who in your life would make a really good movie director? Sheress

Thanks for playing, and have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Fill - In #65

1. Some relationships are meant to last forever
2. Aerosmith is the last concert I saw; it was ages ago.
3. Spring should be here any day now.
4. Oh no! I forgot to check the eggplant
5. I've recently started thinking about my daughter's 3rd birthday.
6. My kids never fails to make me smile.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my kids seeing their Daddy, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and playing, and Sunday, I want to take the kids to Church.

Wordless Wednesday - My Little Actress

In Your Easter Bonnet - Play in Dirt

I don't get it.

What is it with kids and dirt?

The first part of this story is that my daughter and I were (ok me, I was), very excited that this would be the first time she would wear an Easter bonnet and white gloves. She was excited to put them on and she picked out the bonnet herself.

I bought her something to wear (probably the 5th thing I have purchased for her clothing wise in the almost 3 years she is here). Something new, not handed down, hers and hers alone. It wasn't my favorite but there wasn't much to chose from. Easter is really early this year and it is pretty cold for the typical Easter wear.

She was all dressed sitting waiting to leave for her Abuela's when she asked me to change her diaper...insert screeching car tires here because ummm hello she hasn't worn a diaper in just over 3 months. In the 3 months since she has trained she has had 3, count them, 3 accidents. So why, oh why on this particular day, when the outfit had only been on her for 1/2 an hour would she decide to use it as her own personal portable potty?

I told her that she didn't have a diaper on and that I hoped she was kidding. I had just washed and dried her tights. The reason she wasn't wearing them earlier was because they were in the dryer, drying so that she could wear them with her new stinkin' Mommy doesn't love Easter outfit.

Anyway, I digress. I change her, and tell her how disappointed I am that she pee'd in her clothes and next time ask me to take her to the potty. She says what she always says, "I'm sorry Mommy." We put on the next best thing. A punky, fun, pair of stockings, the only ones that would be warm enough but didn't have snow flakes on them and head out the door.

We go to the in-laws with my son looking like the little man and the girl looking like a little funky punk. Eat a wonderfully delicious lunch and then my husband decides to take the kids outside.

Normally I don't mind them being little rug rats because well as far as rug rats go they are pretty clean. They never have crusty messes under their noses, they never smell, their clothes don't have huge unidentifiable stains and they don't argue to wash their hands, but why on Easter must we play in the dirt?

I guess they had a good time and Tide will take out the stains. My mother and father would have freaked if we were all dressed up playing in the dirt but I guess there are worse things they could have gotten into.

So Easter and dirt, perfect together. Who knew?

What a difference year makes.

Happy Birthday To The Teach

Although my husband does not read my blog (*gasp* I know right!?), today is his birthday and I want to honor him here where I spend about 35% of my day.

Since this blog was intended as a legacy for my children I want to tell them just how much he means to me and how awesome he is.

Written with the limited knowledge I have learned through the 17 years of knowing his parents.

Daddy was born in Newark NJ back in 1971. His parents came here from Spain about 3 years earlier to live "the American dream," the one his father saw in all the movies he watched.

His father (your Abuelo) was a hard worker who learned English, went to college, got a job as an electrician at CBS and made a decent life for his family.

Daddy grew up in New Jersey and was the only boy and the youngest of 3. He went to high school, played football, was in the band, eventually taught himself to play amazing guitar. He was a really great guitar player and joined a few bands. I used to go watch him play and everyone would come up to me telling me what a great guitarist he was.

We met while I was driving around with Aunt Teresa after breaking up with a boyfriend. She knew that I liked long haired guys and noticed him change lanes next to us. He was in front of us and she honked to get his attention. He looked in his rear view mirror and she told me to wave. She didn't want him to think she was trying to get his attention. She was very adamant about that.

We followed him through 2 towns until he stopped his car. He says now that if his car was faster he could have outrun us. I remember telling her to stop following him because it seemed a bit manic and we didn't know who he was, where he was going, or what he really looked like. We saw a long haired guy in a car and we were following him? If I had been driving we would never have met because I would not have followed him. She takes total credit for setting us up and also blames herself when we had problems, "If I hadn't chased him you would have been with someone else."

We could have met somewhere else because we did like the same music so it may have been inevitable anyway that we ran into each other in a club or bar. Although he wasn't 21 years old yet so he didn't go out as much as I was. So who knows.

Anyway, when he finally stopped the car at his destination, and he was cute and had a guitar I was thankful that she had followed him.

She was pushing me to get out so that he again didn't think she was the one after him. I had no idea what to say. What do you say to someone you obviously chased for 15 minutes, cutting in and out of traffic and park behind him on a suburban street? As I was walking around the car I noticed a blue WSOU Pirate Radio bumper sticker. So what do you think my opening line was? Yup, "where did you get the bumper sticker?"

He told me that he got it at a club, party, someone's house...I don't even remember his answer. I just remember feeling stupid and wondering if he was interested in my friend, the tall blonde or in me the short brunette.

I asked about the guitar and he said he was going to rehearsal at his friend's house. He pointed the the house. I felt like I should let him go but why follow him if I wasn't going to at least get his phone number?

He said he was looking for a singer for his band and I told him I knew a lot of band people. He gave me his phone number and said if I knew someone who was looking for his band to have them call him.

We got paper and pen and he leaned on the car to write his number. I remember that the name he wrote looked like Toe. I joked about the name and he smiled and said, "No dude, that's a J", then he playfully shoved at me and I felt like we knew each other.

I don't recall the rest. I don't recall him walking away, or us getting back in the car. I don't even recall how many days it took me to call him but what I do remember is calling him and telling him that I was the girl who chased him down the other day. He said he knew and that he remembered. I know also that I wanted to be certain that he knew which I was, blonde or brunette. I told him that I was the short brunette and he told me that he knew and that he preferred short brunette's. Yeah...score.

I'll save the rest for another day, I just wanted to get into writing how we met.

There are so many reasons as to why "The Teach" is the guy I decided to spend my life with.

Mostly what I want you guys to know as we celebrate his 37th birthday, is that he loves you. He works hard to make sure that you guys have what you need and what you want. He comes home after running his own company (anyone who has their own knows you work 24/7) and plays Xbox with Handsome and hugs and kisses you both until you can't stand it.

He may not have time right now to go to the park with us, or family outings but when he is with us he does try to spend as much time as possible talking to you, asking how your day was, what you did, and what you learned. He is eager to see what you drew, colored, painted, etc. He hands over his TV most of the day until 7:00 when he wants the news on. He wrestles, carries, spins and throws you until everyone is exhausted. He takes you out of the bath, dresses and combs your hair, fills milk cups, brings home pizza on Friday's, cuddles you until you fall asleep Goddess, or carries Handsome to bed when he falls asleep in the living room. Shh's you when you wake at night and holds you if you get hurt.

He is amazing in so many little ways and in the biggest way of all. He gave me my biggest reason to be here. He gave me the two of you. Without him there would be no you and there would possibly be no me.

Sadly, we were unable to get him much for his birthday but I am sure that the sight of you guys bringing him his gift and saying "Happy Birthday Daddy" this morning were enough for him.

If not, next time he will have to give us a list right????

Self Portrait Friday - Your Favorite Picture

My favorite picture? It is almost impossible for me to chose just one of my picture because I love so many of them. Any picture that has my kid or my kids in it is an absolute favorite but Kristine of Random and Odd is asking for my "Favorite"

I guess if I had to chose just one (kill me now) it would be my son's baptism picture.

I love the way his face is looking up toward the sky. It is as if he is looking toward the Heavens and they are shining down on him. He looks proud to have just been baptised. I also love how happy and proud my husband and I look. I love that we were both wearing blue and that you can see his wedding band as he hold back my hair (it was so damn windy that day).

I am not an overly religious person by any means but I always thought the light shining on my son's face and his smile shows me that something special happened that day and my son was the only one who knew it at the time. I have these pictures at Webshots and would have loved to crop out the random people in the background but I couldn't download my own damn picture from my website.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Reasons I love Being A Mom

1. The unsolicited kisses - who doesn't want one of those?

2. Waking up to a sleepy little one walking over to me and saying, "good morning Mom" with their arms raised for me to lift and kiss them good morning.

3. Getting to re-read some of my childhood books with an eager audience.

4. Feeling those little arms around my neck when I lift them up.

5. Getting to play with Play doh, Barbies, Crayons, Little People, pretend food and baby dolls without someone looking at me funny.

6. The smell of the top of my kids head and the little soft spot under their chin.

7. Being able to grab a handful of baby butt and squeezing anytime I want. Love that little baby butt.

8. The smile they get on their face whenever I look at them.

9. Waking next to them every morning.

10. Hearing them bless me in their prayers at night.

11. Listening to them talking to each other the way I talk to them.

12. Loving someone so deeply it makes you want to cry.

13. The biggest reason I love being a mom if my kids make me smile more than anyone else in the world. I laugh every day.

Wordless Wednesday - My Little Ones

Amateur Book Review - Veil of Roses

Last night I finished Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald and after P.S. I Love You I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It is about Tamila, a 27 year old Iranian women who comes to America for 3 months on a birthday Visa from her parents to find a husband and stay in the States.

She stays with her older sister and her sister's husband, takes an English class, goes to Starbucks, and falls in love with America, her freedom and an American.

I liked this book for a couple of reasons. Tamilia is likable, the characters are interesting, the

story witty, her potential husbands comical but the biggest reason is that I was reminded of how much I love my freedom. As an American I know we take this for granted. I try not to but I don't think we realize just how lucky we are to live in a Country where we have choices.

It was interesting looking through the eyes of someone who never knew freedom and watching her amazement as she acquaints herself with the freedom she and everyone should have if they so desire.

Her reactions to police, her friends, a free sample at Starbucks and sneakers were uplifting, humorous and captivating.

The ending was somewhat predictable and I wish that the conclusion I was hoping for, played out longer than the last 4 pages. I was happy with the ending and reminded of how "free" we really are.