2009

And I see for one fleeting moment, a paradise over the sun....CD




One the eve of January 1st, 2010 I can't help but look back on 2009 and say good riddance.

With the exception of my friends' babies being born, P2 being born,& all my family and friends still with us, this year pretty much sucked for a lot of people.

Personally, I endured two surgeries and M had one. One surgery yielded me a healthy and beautiful baby girl, the other left me with four horrible scars on my tummy. Damn, there goes my bikini modeling career.

It's been a tough year financially for us, but I can't complain too much. Having another daughter and the expense that comes along with another child was much anticipated (goodbye cable TV) & welcomed. Sure, it's been tight but it was expected. The economy has taken a dump in 2009, but it can only get better, right?!

2009 does end a good note for me though.

We have jobs, we have a home, we have reliable transportation,we are in relatively good health and we have two healthy and beautiful little girls who love us. We couldn't ask for much more.

To those reading this, I hope you find paradise in 2010.

Annual Christmas Photo

As I mentioned in the posting below this, every year I take a pic of P1 (and now P2) on the couch with their Xmas loot from Santa & Mom & Dad (wink wink).  Sometimes it includes presents from her Nannie and her GG too.  Anyway, here are P1's all together in chronological order with the exception of last year.  I'm praying they are on the laptop because I can't find ANY of my Christmas day photos on the home PC. :(  Anyway so here they are!

**Note** I found the missing 2008 pic!  See below!

2002

2003 (I didn't do so well this year!)

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009 (So few presents!  Sign of the times, Kiddo!)

And Introducing P2's First Annual Christmas Photo.....

Get used to it, P2!!!  Every year Mama is going to plop you down on the couch surrounded by your goodies from us!  Just ask big Sis!

Merry Christmas

I've been putting off updating my blog with my Christmas post/pics since my laptop cord is MIA.  I'm sure I'll find it somewhere in the mess I call my living room.  It looks like a Babies & ToysRUs exploded in there.  That's what happens when you work full-time, your DH is still recovering from back surgery, and you have two little kids!!   It seems like everytime I clean up one mess (or pile), five pop up in its place.  I digress....

So about Christmas!  It was a blast!!  We were suprised on Christmas Eve with snow!!!  In our neck of the woods, snow maybe comes once and year and usually it's just a dusting that doesn't last for more than a day.  As I currently blog, there is still snow in my yard at home!  Once again, as I blog now, it's raining and we're supposed to get more snow today into this evening.  I wish my big girl was at home to enjoy it with me, but she's at the inlaws house.  Anyway, so back to Xmas eve.  M had to work so it was just me and the girls.  I was a cleaning, wrapping, and baking fool that day.  I managed to get done most of what I wanted to, but it took all day! 

It was a winter wonderland outside, & P1 wanted to go play in it.  I told her to get her new jacket and go outside.  She couldn't find it.  The New Jacket.  The Brand New NICE WARM jacket that she had worn to school ONCE.  She had left it at school.  She Thinks.  I was sooooo mad, I almost cancelled Christmas on her.  I even called M at work and told him I was going to call "Santa" and have him bring P1 coal this year.  M said that was a little harsh and didn't think ANY parent had ever taken away Christmas before. (I didn't mind being the first.  She had been really bad the last couple of weeks and losing the jacket was the final straw). Well, since the school is out for break, no one is there to let us go look for it.  M tried on Monday.  The janitor let him look in the lost & found, but it wasn't there.  So here we are, without a warm jacket.  Oh, and I didn't cancel Christmas but she didn't get to go out in the snow either.  I digress again (man, I'm bad about that)....

OK, so once M got home on Xmas Eve, we had our traditional meal!  Tamales, refried beans, Spanish rice, and a homemade soup I like to call Hominy Stew.  I made it the day before and let it sit overnight in the crockpot and it was soooo yummy.  A nice touch when there is a near blizzard outside (no joke, that is what the news was calling that weather!). 

After dinner M started a fire, we watched A Christmas Story, and the girls got to open their new Christmas PJs!  I also took a ton of pictures! 

After the girlies were in bed, the Santa gifts made their way out of hiding.  Oops, something just occured to me.  I think I have one more present of P1's hidden in the closet.  Hmmm, now I'm thinking Easter Basket! Anyway, so we set out all the presents and I went into a coma.  I was sooo tired from the day's work.  Unfortunately I didn't get a full night's sleep since a baby, who shall remain nameless, decided she wanted to keep checking for Santa every few hours.  Grrrrr. 

By 8am P1 came bouncing into our room wanting to go check out the goodies.  Little did I know, but M had set out the baby gates blocking the entrance to the living room so she couldn't get a peak before we were up.  Smart man!  I was going to wrap half of her door with Xmas paper, but I didn't have the energy.  Did I mention how tired I was?? 

Santa brought P1 the following:
All Four Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters with two accessories (anyone need some, I have extras of those darn things!)
Liv Dolls & Accessories
Misc Movies
Twilight Board Game
Itunes & Justice Gift Cards, and some other stuff I can't remember.

For P2:
FP Rainforest Jumperoo (which she loved)
Leapfrog toys; Alphabet Ball, Piano, and My Pal Violet (her fave!)
Stacking toys and snap together block things!
I'm sure there are others I can't remember, but those were from Santa only!

After they were done opening the presents, I took my annual Xmas pic...it was P2's first!  More on this later!

Then we got dressed and ready and went to spend all day with the family.  Since there was still snow, the kids had so much fun playing in it!!  So much fun that they didn't want to come in and open presents!  Talk about unusual!  I guess since snow is a novelty in these parts, they figured they better get while the gettin's good!!! 

Great food and great company it was!!!  I wish I could have seen my family, but maybe next year!!!  I hope everyone had a great day with family & friends.

Follow up to the post below

So I finally got an email from the grandma of the two baby boys.  She said it was tough right now, but other than that they are doing well.  She didn't mention anything about her daughter and the stupid choices she's been making.  I've written her another email back just to see how her Christmas was and we'll see how that goes. 

I figure all I can do at this point is be a friend.  If she needs my help, or if I witness the situation getting unbearable, than I will step in & do something.  If it's meant to be, everything will fall into place like it's supposed to.

I think I've finally cracked.

I haven't even mentioned this to DH, and it probably won't happen, but I'm considering asking to adopt two baby boys. Shocking, I know. I'm crazy for even thinking A) it could happen and B) this person would give up her two boys. I just feel compelled to at least try.


Back story, a former co-worker has a daughter, I'll call her Kay. She is 22, I think. Kay lives with her mother, and both don't have a job. Kay has a toddler boy. The toddler's dad is in prison. Kay is also pregnant with baby boy #2. Don't know where the baby's dad is. From what I understand, Kay takes off for three days at a time and leaves the toddler with Grandma. Yes, more than likely is into drugs. BTW, grandma is without heat right now, I don't know how she is paying the bills, and Christmas just isn't going to happen when there is food and diapers to buy. It's an awful situation, and my heart just breaks for the toddler and for this unborn baby.

So I don't know jack about adoption, and if it could be as simple as the parent(s) signing over their rights. I have a feeling it's not. I'm not dumb enough to think it would be as simple as that. It will probably cost thousands and like I said, it probably will never happen...but I feel I at least have to put it out there to the Grandma/Kay and see if she would even consider it. I highly doubt any mom would just say "Oh sure, you want my kids...you can totally have them, where do I sign?!?!"

I know I'm totally crazy nuts for thinking we could do this, but I know we could and I know God would provide.

It's a total long shot, like I said. I doubt it will even happen, but I at least need to ask. Convincing DH will be another issue. Financial logistics would be his biggest obstacle, not caring and loving two more children. That would be the easy part.

Or maybe if we couldn't adopt them, maybe one of my friends who desperately want children would be willing to.  I don't know, there are so many options, but none could happen if Kay simply says no.  I haven't even mentioned it to my coworker.  How do you bring that up?  "Hey, your daughter SUCKS as a mom.  I think she should give me her kids. OK?!"  Ya, that would go over real well.   How do you ask that??  Do you even ask??  Or do you hint??  "So, since your daughter is a crack head, do you really think she's a fit parent?  Hmmmm, I wonder where there is a fit parent willing to take on two more children?  Hmmmm, I wonder where you could find such a person???"  Who knows. 

So ya, it's another hair-brained idea....but from the second I heard she was pregnant (right after I came back to work from maternity leave in Aug) the thought popped into my head.  I should adopt them.  We could provide a loving, safe, secure home for them, I would get the big family I want without risking my life in the process, and M would get two sons. 

I don't know, it's a HUGE undertaking and certainly not one to take lightly, but I just feel the need to put that option out there to them and see what happens. 

Single Mom

 I don't envy them.  It must suck to be a single mom.  Never getting a break from the chores.  Never getting a break from the kids.  Having to do all the laundry, all the cleaning, all the cooking, etc etc.....  Eeek, no thanks.  I knew I loved and appreciated everything that my hubby does for us, but now I'm really thankful for him.  Since he had the back surgery (which was a success!), all of the responsibilities we use to share are now mine and mine alone.  I'm tired.  Very tired.  P2 still doesn't think sleeping through the night is a good thing, so trying to keep the house running smoothly on limited sleep is starting to ware me down.  I could crash right now on my keyboard, but somehow I think my company would frown on that. 

Surgery

Well my DH is having back surgery tomorrow. :(  I'm scared for him, but I'm hopeful that it will bring him some relief.  He has three herniated discs and they have been rubbing on his sciatic nerve and causing him a lot of pain in his hip and upper thigh.  He's been in some degree of pain for over a year now and he's tired of it.  He takes Ibuprofen like it's candy and we all know that's not good for the body.  Plus, he's had two rounds of shots to numb that portion of the nerve and its only brought minimal relief.  Since I had the c-section in May and my gallbladder removed a week later, we've met our out-of-pocket max for the year so he's making the best of it and getting it done now rather than later. 

If you have any extra prayers to spare, please send some up for my hubby.  I hope and pray the surgery goes smoothly and that he gets relief from the pain.  I love you, honey. 

P1, P1, P1

Have I ever told you how much this kid cracks me up??  From the time she could talk, she was saying the funniest things.  Not only is she hysterical, but her outlook and perception of the world around her is one of the many reasons why I love that little girl to the depths of my soul. 

These are a few of my favorite Piper-isms through the years:

Age 2, she was singing christmas carols in the backseat and copying me.  "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, had a very shiny *shit* nose".  I hit a pot hole and guess who didn't miss a beat while repeating after me!  I had to silently crack up!!

Again at 3, while driving I took a wrong turn and got lost.  She was chatting and I asked her to be quiet because I was lost.  Her reply? "No mommy, you're not lost, you're right there".

Again at 2, we call boy & girl parts by their real names at our house, so when she walked in on M getting out of the shower she gasped "Daddy, what's that on your 'gina?!?!".  OOPS. 

Around 3, she saw M in his boxers and said "Daddy, I love your big girl panties!!". 

At 4 she learned to tie her shoe.  I said "I can't believe you know how to tie your shoe, you're not even four and a half!"  She said "No, I'm four and a whole!". 

At 6, "Mommy, I really like Batch & Mahzert".  She means Bach & Mozart (yes, she loves classical music and dances around the house like she's a ballerina!)

At 7, at dinner the other night. 
P1: What is for dinner cuz it looks like fish.
Me: It's muppet. (I couldn't resist!  It was a porkchop!)
P1: It is? What's a muppet? (Do you feel old?!  We did!!)
Dad: Like Big Bird & Elmo.
P1: Oh. 
P1: Daddy, can I have more Muppet??  

Last week at the grocery store while looking for cat litter, "Mommy, do you have a coupon for Tittie Cat".  Horrified, I said "NO, it's TIDY CAT".  Thank goodness we were alone!!

This week when she said she couldn't do something I had to remind her of her age.
Me: YES you can because you are 7. 
P1: I'm 7 and a half
Me: No you're not.
P1: I'm 7 and three quarters.
Me: No you're not.
P1: Well, I'm 7 and three pennies.
Me: Fine.  LOL