Corinne is Three!

Today was Corinne's 3rd birthday. I can't believe how fast three years went by. She is officially a big girl, but she will always be my baby. We had a fun little family party last night, and today we went to Chuck E. Cheese. This was a labor of love; there is no place I loathe more than Chuck E. Cheese. That's another story for another time. She was thrilled with all of the new clothes and toys she received. She has been waiting weeks for her Tinkerbell birthday, and when I told her tonight that tomorrow it would no longer be her birthday, she started crying. You just can't give a girl all that attention and then, take it away; we get used to it really fast. Since she was about to be three, we were starting to feel a little silly that she was still in her crib. Why mess with something that works? She slept so well in it, and she never tried to crawl out. She's been potty trained since 19 months, so I would just hear her yelling on the baby monitor, " Mommy! I have to go tinkle so bad!!" We finally went out and got her a big girl bed that she loves. I tried to lay down with her last night and sing her some songs, but she asked me to please go out of her room. She said she was sleepy and didn't want me on her bed. So, I guess she's turned into Miss Independent. All my babies are no longer babies. It makes me feel, for an insane split second, like I might want to have another one. Then, the thoughts of screaming, diapers, no sleep, epidurals, and watching myself turn into a blimp, once again, remind me of why that's probably not what I really want. Let's face it, I feel like there are not enough hours in the day right now. I would have to gain some super powers to have enough energy for a fourth. I'll settle for kissing on my sister's and my friend's new babies. Corinne is my favorite girl ever, and I know she will need to be locked up in about 10 years or so. I'm sure she will be what her daddy says is a "knockout." I just want time to slow down a little bit. I want her to stay my baby girl.

This is how Corinne fell asleep in her big girl bed tonight. She won't put down her Hannah Montana microphone.

On DVD

Yep, so I'm one of those big dorks who went out today and bought Twilight on DVD, the day it was released. My excuse is that I felt I had to payback the debt I owed for watching a boot-legged version on the internet a few months back. Actually, I just really enjoyed this book series; the first series of books I've ever read, and I just want to own a copy of each movie. So, it looks like there will be three more DVD purchases for me over the next few years. Unless, of course, they don't turn all of the books into movies. That would have to be impossible with how much money is being made off of this one movie alone, thanks to women like myself; oh yeah, and the teeny bopper girls. My super hub was even willing to pick it up for me at Walmart in the wee hours of this morning after he got off of his swing shift. But, I had to get it from Target; they were the only ones I knew of that had the three-disc set. It's fun to see all the deleted and extended scenes and hear the commentary. Okay, I just proved my nerdiness. I discreetly tried to grab a copy at Target this afternoon without anyone noticing me, but of course, I ran into my brother-in law and sister-in-law, Jay and Katie. I was exposed, but they love me none-the-less. Too bad Christian made a latex glove full of water explode all over the remote control (yes, we use latex gloves as water balloons). So, the remote was no longer serving it's only purpose in life, and I had to go through all the special features by getting up every couple of minutes. Ahhhh, the price I pay to be entertained. If you are reading this and wondering, "what's all the fuss about?" I totally get you. That's exactly what I thought until a few months ago when I started reading Twilight.

Always Entertained

So, John suggests that he should go into the store with me to get the several things we needed. We were in a big hurry; Christian was about to be done at school. Having the kids in the store never makes it a quick trip, but John got his own cart, put Coy and Corinne in, and said he would get the couple of items from the opposite side of the store. We planned to meet up somewhere in the middle. Time is now up, and we really need to quickly check-out so we're not late to get Christian. This is what I found at our meeting place...
Notice that there is nothing in the cart but children? And I'm pretty sure we already had those before we went shopping. So now, the twisty ties in the produce department have become a new item for art projects. It was pretty funny, so I couldn't pull off having an attitude about it. I do, however, think my eyes are going to be permanently rolling for the rest of my life.

Fun Trip

Our family went on a little trip last week to southern Cal. My mom came along, which was wonderful for several reasons. Not only do we enjoy having her with us, but John and I kind of had a built in nanny...wink. I was almost getting my feelings hurt because the kids always wanted to be in her hotel room instead of ours. How could I complain? John and I were able to go out every night after we had gotten the kids ready for bed. I've never had so much mommy freedom. We spent the first few days in Anaheim, and we went to Disneyland for two days. The first day was beautiful, but the next day it was pouring down rain on and off. We were all pretty much damp the whole day, and the nerdy ponchos did not help. That didn't stop us though. When you pay that much for Disneyland, nothing stops you. We weren't the only crazy ones out there. John and I regretted the fact that we didn't buy 50 of those ponchos at the dollar store. We could have made a killing at Disneyland...supply and demand. I saw three or four families at the park that I knew from Vegas; it's a small world after all...ha ha ha, I'm so clever. Christian has become somewhat less of a weenie when it comes to the rides. He was a little more willing to try some of the new ones, and now, Thunder Mountain Railroad is his favorite ride. He hated it a couple years ago. Coy has moved into the top weenie position. He did not like any ride with a drop. That became the question of the day, "does this one have a drop?" Corinne wasn't quite tall enough to go on the faster rides, so we'll see how she deals next time. In my experience, girls are much more fearless when it comes to that sort of stuff. She was, however, terrified of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The screaming and crying got old, so she had John put his hands over her eyes the whole ride. She hated the part where you see Davy Jones in the mist, and it looks like you are going to run into him. I didn't think it would scare her that much. We all had so much fun, and the kids were sad to leave.

The kids had been bugging me so much a couple of years ago about Disneyland, and at the time, pink eye had made its rounds in our house. So, Mickey Mouse had come down with a bad case of pink eye, and that's why we had to stay away. I felt a little guilty every time Coy would randomly ask if Mickey still had pink eye. They were happy to hear that he had made a full recovery, and it was safe to enter Disneyland again. We took the kids to Newport to play at the beach, and they loved finding as many shells as they could.

My mom, then, drove the kids back to Vegas while John and I stayed in Newport for a a couple more days. We stayed at a nice non-kid-friendly hotel and had a good time acting like teenagers again. We went to Knott's Berry Farm one day, which was totally empty. I realized that I may be getting to old for some roller coasters; my head hurt after everyone I went on. We did a lot of beach walking around Hermosa and Redondo Beach, and we made a little visit back to the place where we got married in Redondo Beach. It was fun to spend all that time together alone.

John's grandpa is not doing very well. He's had dementia for a while, and now, he's in the hospital with pneumonia and a staff infection. He is on a feeding tube because anything he eats or drinks he chokes on, and some goes into his lungs. This is causing the pneumonia. John's grandparents live in Torrance, so we made a trip to the hospital to see grandpa. It was very sad seeing him like that, and he doesn't realize who we are, but he has lived a long, happy life. We were glad we got the opportunity to see him and say goodbye. After that we went to visit John's Grandma Irene and Aunt Linda at their house. It was wonderful seeing them. Then, it was time to head home. I was really starting to miss the kiddos, and even though I knew they were fine, I couldn't help but worry about them the whole time we were apart. Thanks, mom for having the courage to go it alone those couple of days. You all survived, and it allowed John and I some much needed couple time.

Playing at the Park

He's growing up so fast; such a big boy!

There's a cute western-themed park by our house that the kids love to go to. It's really big and always packed, so I try to avoid it when I'm with the kids by myself. I'm afraid I'll lose one. John was with us today, so why not.

Yes, Coy's at that age.

Poor Coy Coy

Is this really all necessary for one very minor filling? As you can tell by his bright red cheeks, the nitrous oxide was not helping his anxiety at all. I actually think it made the panic a lot worse. He kept saying, "I want this thing off my nose right now!" I thought my kids were immune to cavities, but alas, Coy just had to get the first one of the group. My boot camp style, twice a day brushings have failed. The whole pink balloon thing in his mouth was a new one for me. They said it kept him from swallowing any of the yucky stuff, and it gave the dentist a clear working space. This was a cavity being filled not open-heart surgery. He was very brave, and he survived. I do have to say that Spongebob playing on the ceiling above him helped the absolutely-no-fun situation. There's nothing worse than seeing your baby in pain and panicked at the same time. It's tough being four.

Just so it's clear, I don't enjoy taking pictures of my children in sad predicaments. The dental assistant was trying to explain the pink latex square to Coy. She asked if I had a camera so I could show him what it looked like later. Corinne has been deeply disturbed by this picture. She can't exactly make out what she is seeing, and she's worried about what was being done to her big brother.

Funny Story

Coy is my child who has a fascination with Physiology and Anatomy. He's always asking questions about his body. Some of these endless queries include such topics as the brain, bones, blood, digestion, the respiratory system, and yes, childbirth. I try my hardest to change the subject whenever that one comes up. Well, since we have had our new puppy, Apollo, Coy has been inspecting his little doggy body. John pointed out to him, right after we brought the puppy home for the first time, that Apollo also has a belly button like he does. Coy seemed to be giddy at this new discovery. Since that first time, he's asked several times for me to point out Apollo's belly button; then, he laughs like it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. I say all this to tell you what happened a couple of days ago. As I was taking Apollo downstairs to go outside, Coy walked up to me and said, "mommy, I want to touch his belly button." So, I told him to go ahead. Coy then proceeded to, rather roughly, grab and twist Apollo's little puppy wanker. I quickly pulled Coy's hand away from the poor animal, trying to sound concerned as I told him what he was grabbing. He thought about it for a second; then he said, "ohhhhhh." We both laughed for a long time. The best part was the surprised look on Apollo's face as he was defenselessly being molested. I love this 4-year-old.

For the Love of Donuts.....or Doughnuts

We have a Krispy Kreme addiction around here. It's no secret. There is not a donut in the world that can compete with a "Hot Now" original glazed. I had my first when I was visiting My Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kent in Tallahassee. They are to blame for this new form of gluttony in our family. This was a couple of years before a Krispy Kreme shop was put in Vegas. Christian was 8 months old when he had his first, and he was a changed baby. You know how kids bring cupcakes to school on their birthdays? Well, mine bring a couple dozen original glazed with a Krispy Kreme hat for each classmate. They have scored major friend points with this simple act. Yep, I'm the coolest mom around.

My kids always beg to go to this particular donut shop on our way home from church because they have learned that it is right around the corner- dang that sense of direction. So, this easy request of theirs, that I grant a couple times a month, makes me mother of the year in their precious little eyes. I live for the adoration of my children...what mom doesn't?? They love nothing more than to go into this yummy smelling donut shop and press their little noses against the glass. They are mesmerized as they watch the floating donuts flip onto the grease and then, go through a waterfall of glazed sugar. It is quite a sight for them. I snapped this candid when they weren't looking. It's the simple little things in life that bring them so much joy.

Christian's first- January 2002

Hugs for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! We love all of our family and friends very much. Coy Coy had a special hug to give at his preschool's Valentine's Day party. As usual, Coy's voice is easily heard above the others....a true entertainer.

David on Drugs

I came across this video the other day through a forwarded e-mail. This is seriously one of the funniest little videos of a kid that I've ever seen. Anyone who has ever had their wisdom teeth out, or any kind of dental surgery, knows that whatever drug they use to put you under is very unique. I've had other surgeries before when I broke my nose, but that anesthesia did not affect me at all. However, when I had my wisdom teeth removed, I woke up crying, asking where my dog was. Repeatedly, I kept saying that there was water in the peanut butter jar. I was very confused and distraught about it....funny stuff! So, I totally empathize with this poor kid. At least he gave his dad, and the rest of us folks, a good laugh.