Not Dead-Just Stressed

Well, yes, dear reader, I am still alive! I just noticed and was quite alarmed that I have not posted on this blog for almost a month! Quite shameful! And I have missed you, dear reader, as posting on this blog has always been something I have rather enjoyed. I guess the reason why I have been missing in action lately is that I have been going through some stuff-shall we say? I will have more time to explain after school is out (9 days-whose counting?) but until then, I am fine, Bubba is fine, we are well and starting out on a new adventure together! I figured that although I have nothing terribly exciting to share, if I didn't post soon, I'd forget how-maybe this will reinvigorate me and I'll start posting more often like the good old days.

(Don't you love cryptic messages that leave you wondering what the heck is going on? Yeah, I hate them too!)

Wicked Awesome!

Last weekend my mom, sister and niece were in town to help me celebrate my 35th birthday. With all the drama that has been going down in my personal life lately, it was really nice to get away from it all and have some fun with two of my favorite people. We did a little shopping at Gardner Village, went out to eat at Macaroni Grill, took the kids to Discovery Gateway and then, last but not least, we went to see this...
I have been wanting to see Wicked for a long time and let me just say that it was worth the wait. I think I am borderline obsessed I liked it so much. Worth every penny! Two thumbs up!! Four stars!!! It was the cherry on top of a very fun birthday weekend sundae.

Spotlight: Andrew at Five

I did one of these kid's favorites posts when I first started this blog, but the boy just turned five and as I read through the old list, some things have changed. Here's the update:

Favorite Color(s): Silver, black, white, red and pink (this child will not be tied down to one color, and generally chooses whichever color from the above list happens to drive by us in a cool car that he spots and admires)

Favorite Book: The one that is requested the most is probably: Knuffle Bunny Too! by Mo Willems (sequel to the beloved Knuffle Bunny adventure). Darling book and I Andrew loves the illustrations that are black and white photographs with cartoon drawings on top of them. Are you surprised the favorite book does not involve trucks, cars, trains, airplanes or construction equiptment. Yes, interesting.

Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the classic version). He loves singing all the songs, especially the Oompa Loompa warning about too much TV and getting fat-it is hilarious! He has also taken to quoting entire scenes of dialogue (repeatedly), which has caused us to seriously limit Wonka viewing. So amazing that five year olds aren't bothered by low-budget special effects and less than stellar acting-it's all about the Oompa Loompas!

Favorite Food: Frozen Marie Calendar's Chicken Pot Pie . I know, not the most nutritious meal for a toddler, but it will do in a pinch for a fast dinner on SEP night or lunch on a Saturday and he loves the things! It's not like he's eating them everyday and no I am not defensive! (They have carrots and peas in them!) Favorite Toy: Dad's Pliers. (Should I even be letting him play with pliers?)This child has millions of the latest and greatest toys to play with, but he cannot get enough of a pair of old pliers he found in the laundry room the other day. They have transformed into dentist's tools, sea monsters and remarkably-pliers, all in a matter of a few days.

Other Likes: Jumping on the trampoline, pop tarts, playing at the park, Caillou (the bald cartoon kid), playing games with mom and dad (a recent fave is Pictureka which he is surprisingly very good at), sucking his thumb (STILL!!! although it is becoming much less frequent), Oreo shakes, cheeseburgers ("KETCHUP ONLY! no pickles, no mustard!"), going on field trips, trucks, our cat Rocky (not so much our cat Boo), cake (it's the only way we can get him to attend friends' and family's birthday parties without complaining, juice boxes, entertaining, watching movies.

Dislikes: Cleaning his room, riding his bike (I know, weird-we have to FORCE him), being away from mom and dad, going poop (it bothers him-did I mention this kid is QUIRKY?), shopping (he always asks, "are we just getting ONE thing?"), cheese (unless it's melted on a burger), raw carrots (cooked are fine).

Monsters vs. Aliens

I took Bubba to see this little gem today and we both quite enjoyed it for very different reasons. Andrew liked the army troops, helicopters, tanks, spaceships, aliens, monsters and battle scenes. I liked that the hero of the movie is a girl (played very sweetly by Reese Witherspoon), who learns crucial life lessons about female empowerment, self-esteem, and the importance of good friends. Andrew is reenacting the army scenes as I write this but I am hopeful that someday, if I do my job correctly, he will come to understand the "other" essential parts of this movie. I give 4 1/2 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a couple hours of low maintenance (translation: I get to sit on my bum and do nothing while my child is highly entertained) family fun! I would tell you all about the spectacular 3-D effects, but unfortunately my neighborhood theater didn't feature the 3-D version.

A Birthday to Remember

I think I am finally recovered enough from last weekend's festivities to try and blog about them. We had so much going on and had so much fun, I don't think I will be able to begin to do it justice, but I will try.
My family came into town early Friday evening and we headed to Garcia's for dinner. It wasn't meant to be a birthday dinner, but someone asked Andrew if he thought it would be fun to get to wear the "birthday sombrero" and be serenaded with Happy Birthday, Mexican style. Of course, he was all about it, especially when he heard fried ice cream would also be part of the deal-OLE'!
After dinner, we were off to Disney on Ice-Mickey and Minnie's Adventure or something like that. It was fun, but mostly for Rylee-Andrew lost interest pretty quickly. Funny, he enjoyed the ice show plenty when we took him when he was three. His tastes are becoming much more discriminating as he gets older I suppose. It weren't no MONSTER TRUCK RALLY- He's becoming a true boy's boy!
The next day was the Big Day-Party Day! Andrew chose a construction theme (he actually couldn't decide between construction and Spiderman, so I made the final call). I think the results were pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. I served Andrew's treat choices-Doritos, Cheetos, Peanut M & Ms and Skittles in little plastic dump trucks. I threw in carrots and dip so it looked like we were at least TRYING to be healthy. We had traffic cones, caution tape and balloons outside for decoration. Andrew invited 10 of his little friends and cousins and 7 of them ending up coming, which was plenty! Every kid got a pair of goggles, a carpenter's apron and plastic hard hat to wear. Funny, not very many of the kids chose to wear theirs-I thought kids just loved to play dress up?

We played three games:
1. Tower building contest with legos

2. Tool Relay-the kids had to load a series of plastic tools into their tool pouches and then unload them so the next person could go lay them back down in the line. I think it was probably the most fun game.

3. Beanbag toss into the back of a plastic dumptruck

(I had more games ready, but we started getting short on time).

Then the kids decorated cookies my sister made in the shapes of hard hats and dump trucks (Thanks Hill!) Then we opened presents and Andrew got a TON of great new things. He was opening them so fast, I had a hard time keeping track of what was from who, but some of his favorites were some cool truck videos from Meemaw, a motorized shark monster truck from Rylee, and of course the trampoline from mommy and daddy.

Finally, it was cake time (which Andrew had been asking for since before the party started as soon as he saw the cake). He kept asking, "Are we going to have cake yet?" The people at the bakery did a great job making up for my inability to make a homemade cake-I thought his construction cake looked fantastic! Andrew loved it too, and that's what really matters, right?

After the party, everyone worked on getting the trampoline put together until it was time to go to dinner. Andrew got to choose where he wanted to go, and much to the delight of my dad, he said he wanted to go to,"the place with the buffalo head and pink butter" aka Maddox in Brigham City. So buffalo head and pink butter he had and a pretty good birthday too, if you ask me. Good thing you only turn 5 once!

Happy 5th Birthday Bubba!

Here's a big birthday shout-out to my very favorite kid in the world! I am so teary and emotional today. He is turning five and I am at work. We celebrated (big time) over the weekend but I feel like the time is slipping by so quickly, I just wish I could be with him, today of all days! I couldn't ask for a better boy to be my son and I don't think I appreciate and treasure him as much as I should. He really is a GREAT kid! Party details to come...

Planning THE Party

I have been MIA for the last couple of weeks. Apart from recovering from my vacation, working my fingers to the bone, and spending too much time playing with my new toy, Facebook, I have been occupied with important business. The business of planning THE party. My boy and only child, Andrew, the Bubba, apple of my eye and center of the universe is turning five on the 16th. (Moment of silence while I shed a tear-they really DO grow up too fast!).


Thus, a party MUST be had. A party to end all parties. A party the likes of which has never been seen before. And the party's theme will be...DRUM ROLL PLEASE...Construction! I think I have mentioned before that my son aspires to drive a dump truck or if he's REALLY successful a tow truck. (I am not slamming people who do this type of work for a living-I just want to make sure he at least gets a college education first!)


So, I am expected to plan an unforgettable shindig with nothing but dump trucks and bulldozers as inspiration? Well, that's what the boy wants and so he shall have it! So I have been googling and running from store to store to find the best cake, games, toys, prizes and goody bag loot to be had. The party is Saturday and if anyone shows up, I think it will be really fun. I will be sure to post pictures and a full report as soon as I recover from the social event of the season. If you have any brilliant ideas to contribute, I would love any help. Over and out.