You're killin' me, Smalls...

We are proud parents of a 36 year old teenage girl. Ok. Actually, she is a pre-teen. She is 12. She thinks she is 36 though.

   She more than likely thinks this because she was forced to grow up and act like a mother to her little brother, and really, a support to her father when she was just 7 years old. They are best friends, her father and her. There is nothing wrong with that and I am glad they trust each other and have the bond they do. However, when you talk to your kid like she is 36, let her hang around you and your friends (by the way, I mean a collective "you", as in, I am just as guilty of this as her dad), and give her more responsibilities than most 12 year olds have, it's no wonder she thinks she is 36 and grown and can make her own decisions on what is best for her. Even if we have said otherwise.

   C wants a facebook. She has wanted one since she was 10 however, in the last year or so the desire is really strong. She can't tell you exactly why she wants one, but she wants one. For awhile there, the begging and the pleading and the tears were almost a daily thing. Bee actually doesn't really care. If I weren't around, she probably would have had one ages ago but I am the one with the issue. He sees my points on why she should not have one (She isn't even old enough. The Internet got me (and him. Not together, of course)  in tons of trouble both known and unknown to my parents, it allows you to be sneaky and do things in your own home that you used to have to sneak out far from your parents to do. It is nothing but drama and bullying and inapproiate-ness from kids her age. She already has had her childhood taken from her because of her mother. I will not allow the Internet and stupid mean girls to further take it away. She has no idea how to police her site to make it safe-er from pervs and weirdos. Bee says he would have her password and log in daily and whatnot, but I see how well he followed through on that with her older sister...as in...he didn't), and so while we argue on weather she can have one or not, he supports my stance and doesn't allow her to have one in the meantime.

   C turned 12 this year and in 8 months she will be 13. The legal age in which she could have one. I knew I would lose the battle by her birthday. I was slowly coming to grips with it and actually felt that maybe, just maybe, she could handle having one. I was going to police it, so I was confident that nothing too horrible would happen. I still didn't like the idea, but I figured there is only so long that you can force them and deny them things that all of their friends are doing/having before they become the "weird" kid. It also made me think of how my parents were convinced that by merely having the Internet hooked up at our house, people would steal their banking info, their identity, and that  I would be kidnapped and end up in a child sex-slave ring. I remember rolling my eyes and trying to convince them that while it had not been that long since they were kids, the world had changed. Advanced. What was scary to them, was only normal, every day life advancements to the rest of the world. And so, I prepared myself.

   C had not brought up the whole facebook thing in awhile. Bee and I chalked it up to the fact that she knew wasn't going to win. Mainly, because to get her to stop the incessant asking and crying, Bee detailed a 23 point plan she had to follow to the "letter" and then, and only then would he consider discussing it. (The Plan included things like she had to clean her room so clean that it could pass a military inspection AND keep it that way, not even a piece of paper was allowed on the floor, for 30 days) She half followed the plan for about 2 days. We took her silence as admitting defeat. Also, with school starting, she had football, and then basketball season came and she was doing Civil Air Patrol as well and there was really no time. She was so tired, most nights she went upstairs to bed by 7:30-8:00 pm. I almost looked forward to rewarding her/surprising her with one when she was 13 (or maybe 13 and a half..).

   Last night she sat down at the old laptop of Bee's that serves as her and Little Man's gateway to the intertubes. She needed to log on to her Civil Air Patrol site and take her test to get her rank promotion. For whatever reason (the computer is super old), it wouldn't bring up the website. It kept telling her that the cookies needed to be turned off. Bee was trying to help her, but only getting frustrated so, when I walked by she gladly jumped up and asked for my help. I sat down and was trying to get to the screen where you can turn cookies on/off, when I came upon the browsing history. Lo and behold, 3/4 of the list was facebook.

   I didn't say a word, or freak out right away. C has fully admitted to checking out her friend's facebook pages who's parents didn't make them go private. Also, she has had a few friends over not that long ago and any one of them could have logged onto facebook from the computer. After a closer look, I saw they were actually facebook messages. They were from people I recognized as her friends. So, I asked why they were there. If she had said "Oh, Alicia was over. They might be hers" I probably would have believed her. Not that I encourage lying. Actually, that is just how much I (and her dad) trusted her. However, she fessed up instead. Which, is better. She is still in more trouble than I think she will ever realize, but it would have been that much more harder for her when I found out she was lying. Because then, I would have searched her to double check. I would have found her too, because she used her real name, real picture, real location info and everything. And it was public. Anyone could find her both on the Internet and most likely physically too within 5 seconds of typing her name.

  We went through her facebook messages, which some were conversations held between 9 pm-2 am. Which, since she goes to "bed" so early could have been easily done with her DSI safely tucked away in her room,  her friends (all 117 of them!!), her posts, and her pictures. Bee changed everything to private and locked her out of her own facebook. We stressed how dangerous it was, how she obviously doesn't have the maturity to have one yet, and how disappointed we were she went behind our backs and acted so sneaky. She will not she the Internet or at the very least, her facebook for a very long time. Bee said, she might be 15 and still not have one. She is also grounded and on a very short leash right now. So much so, Bee is getting a babysitter whenever we leave and don't take the kids with us.

Sigh...Kids...The next big fight (although, I am sure after this it will be awhile. She'll want to let this situation cool off first) will be the cell phone. And, if I have my way? She will be driving before she has a phone.

Looking back, I'm a pretty smart cookie!

I was bored yesterday and was looking back through some old posts. I came upon a list of 30 things I have leared about life (I posted it in honor of my 30th birthday). I wrote this list my self. I was shocked at how true and thoughtful it was. Ha! :) Anyway, it's funny to me because really, they are all still true today and some stuff I am still working on :D Anyway, enjoy! Again. :)

Monkee's list of 30 truths about life

1. Mom and dad may not always be "right", but they always know what's best.

2. Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize.

3. You may be able to "handle it" on your own, but it's always best to lean on your best friend when times get tough, good, sad, whatever.

4. A hug will always make anything better

5. Good Vodka and Good wine. 'Nuff said.

6. Laugh like no tomorrow, cry like no one is around, and have inside jokes!

7. Surround yourself with good people!

8. Always make the effort. Even if no one else is. At least YOU can sleep at night.

9. I do not like seafood. At all. No matter how you cook it or hide it. Yes, this even means shrimp and talipa. I don't care if you think it tastes "just like chicken" I can tell. I can ALWAYS tell.

10. Water may be good for you, but Diet Coke tastes better :)

11. Best Hangover cure in the world: Two Tylenol with your first beer. Two before bed, and you'll be fine (your liver, probably not so much...but..)

12. If you forget the information above, and wake up with a hangover, Gatorade. Tastes nasty, but it WORKS. Or, if none on hand, LOTS of water and greasy food.

13. With children, always bring a spare. Spare blanket, Spare Coat, Spare Clothes, Spare toy.

14. Keep a towel in the car. Always.

15. Live on a budget. Seriously.

16. When dealing with the Government, IRS, DMV, Gas company etc, ALWAYS keep a copy, and make note of your confirmation number.

17. Take time to stop, if even for a second, everyday to take in your surroundings. GOD did this. All of it.

18. Keep your bank account in line. Always. Less stress that way.

19. Don't worry about things you can't fix or can't fix right now...worrying does nothing but upset YOU. (Still working on this one!)

20. A glass of wine with a friend solves most of the worlds problems.

21. Honesty is always best. Lying is too hard.

22. Never put anything in writing that you wouldn't stand by.

23. Gossip is fun, unless you are the one being gossipped about.

24. One GOOD friend is better than fifteen so-so friends.

25. Family is always there. No matter what.

26. Pick your battles. People will take you more seriously.

27. You can't make everyone happy, so it's best to focus on the one person who means them most and make THEM happy. YOU.

28. People don't change, for the most part, they just get better at hiding their flaws.

29. Treat people, especially those who are handling your food or various accounts with your utilities, with kindness and how you would like to be treated. You get a lot farther with a funny joke, or a cherry tone, than to start yelling. You are a number on a page until you make them smile. Then all doors open up.

30. Start every day with Thanking God. It gets the day off to a good start!

Seriously...

It really truly boggles my mind and makes my heart sad when my 10 and 12 year old cry over things their mother and grandparents say and do to them. The lastest? Bee, Little Man, and I went to C's game last Thursday. Little Man didn't want to say hi (maybe because they openly admited they liked C more because they feel Little Man get's "more" at home). As "pay back" they let C "have it" via email (even though she DID say hi to them and Grandma even gave her $1 for the vending machine) and said they weren't coming to any more games of any sort unless personally invited. They didn't show up to  Little Man's game on Saturday, but have been to all of C's this week. Then, they get a letter from their mom "scolding" them for being rude.Little Man's response? He was PISSED and said he "didn't even know if he wanted them at his game now" and then he cried because his feelings were hurt.

Then that bitch of a grandmother  has the audacity to post things on her facebook about how her grandkids are her "world" I want to tell her AND her daughter to eat a big fat DICK...and Choke on it...the lot of them don't deserve to even be in the same STATE as my kids...let alone talk to them. They have created this and they wonder why they are greeted with indifference. Little Man is 10. He is smart as the day is long. He has been getting the short end since birth. I think he has them figured out. It makes me so sad.

Bee and I are getting back $1400 from Uncle Sam. My lawyer is on stand by. Best damn divorce/family lawyer the state of Ohio has to offer. She is one evil bitch too. I've seen her walk out with the house, the kids, and the kitchen sink where there was otherwise no case to be had. She is also a close friend of my boss. She owes him a favor. I am that favor.

Don't Eff with my kids.

Saddle up bitches. It's time for war.

I'm comin' up shy..

I feel like I have just enough to say something, but not enough to write something. It's making me feel blocked. Ha!

C's basketball team played their make-up game yesterday from the missed game they had last week due to the snow day. They won 57-3. They are now 4-0 and play again today against Aurora who is 1-3. I really want to be there. It's their first home game. I hate that they are so early.   Sigh. Oh well. Next year, I suppose.

Another thing that has me feeling a little better about things. They shut down the stalker page. They also know who the guy is. For those who don't know, we had a stalker in our little town. He was stealing facebook, instagram, and tumblr pictures of young girls from Perry and posting them on his facebook. Over 800 pictures of girls from Kindergarten up through College. It was bone chillingly creepy. They were not of a sexual nature. He never made comments about them. They were just...pictures. He took them from their pages so, it wasn't like he personally snapped the picture. Since they were posted online by the owners, he wasn't doing anything illegal. That was the difficult thing. As a parent, and as a parent of a young girl, I was still outraged. The police have found him though. They talked to him and told him he was being a creep and to knock it off. He doesn't even live in my town. Nor has he ever. He lives in a town next door. When asked why he did it, he said that he wanted to showcase the young talent to the world. Let them see what kids are actually capable of doing. He wanted to "pat them on the back" for their good works. When asked why he only focused mainly on kids from Perry, and always girls...never boys...he had no answer. He is also single and in his 40's. **shudders** Facebook permanently deleted his account for a violation of terms. They also blocked his IP address. He can set up another fake account, but at least not from the comfort of his own home. Also, the police know who he is and what he looks like so they can keep an eye out.

Why do people have to suck?


That's about it for us. For today at least :)

Just a few bullet points..

• Kitteh SAIL : THIS is freaking hilarious. I've watched it, no kidding, like 700 times and laughed hysterically each and every time. Perhaps I think it's so funny because it reminds me of BFF Rose's cat? I dunno. But I heart it right in it's face.

• I got my rings back on Saturday. They needed to be sized and we didn't have time before the wedding. I am so happy to have them back. I felt bare without them. Bee wears his ring everyday. I felt like a bad wife without mine. LOL. Now, I just need to get my wedding pictures back from my photographer. I hope they come back soon!

• Little man's birthday outing on Friday turned out great. He had lots of fun with his buddies and I spent more money that I planned, but oh well. All the kids had fun, so it's a win. Getting all four boys out of the house the next day with overnight stuff and basketball gear was a little like herding turtles, but we managed. Good thing he had so much fun this weekend that was already planned with other people and their schedules involved because otherwise, he would have been a sad little boy when Bee and I canceled everything. His teacher called Friday afternoon. Seems like he is lying and not turning in homework again. Sigh. Awesome. 

• Saturday, the kids went sledding, my sister and her boyfriend came to chill with the kids, and Bee and I went to PA, which feels like our new home, and he did his arena ball thing. :) The other team was late. It should have been called a forfeit but it wasn't, and everyone seemed to be in a big hoopla. My feelings? We won 28-12. It's over and done and we have a the "W". Who do we have next week? :)

• When did she get so grown up?:) She has her own thoughts and feelings. Her own issues she feels strongly about. She is getting taller. She has a shape. Boys look at her. Sigh...

• Speaking of making up their own minds, the kids both decided yesterday that they just didn't feel like talking to their mom. They asked us if it was alright that they didn't answer the phone when she called. Hmm..

That's what I got today :) 

Boy's just wanna have fun

Can I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Mither and Fither dancing to their song at my wedding :)

We made it!

It's Friday! woot woot!

Yesterday, I took full advantage of my snow day. I cleaned. Did laundry. Washed my sheets, pillows, and blankets (Can I get an "Amen" for clean sheets day?!) Hit the store and bought things like cat food and litter so that my asshole cats won't be dicks. :D I even set up dinner so it would be ready at a normal time :) Then,
Bee and I grabbed little man early from school (20 minutes early) and we surprised C at her basketball game!

See? Surprised. A little angry looking, too. However, I assure you, she was not :) My baby girl played awesome! I really enjoy going to her games. It's a special treat when I get to go because they are usually at 4 pm on a work day. The nice thing is, next year she will have the 5:30 games. I can make those! Woo! Perry girls ended up winning 32-19 making them now 3-0 for a perfect season so far! I was glad too. The opposing team's fan were obnoxious. :)

I also love the braid she has been wearing while playing this season. Cute :) I hope her basketball pictures turn out better than her football ones. They are today after school and she slept in about 30 little braids making her hair look like it was 1987 and she went a little crazy with a crimper iron. Oh well. :) We all have our fashion moments :P 

As long as she doesn't look like this again...

We're good ;) *shudders* (ok, my kid is beautiful! However, her hair was pulled back so you couldn't see her ponytail making her look like a dude..and those uniforms were the old raggy ones because someone stole their new ones. Her jersey isn't tucked in. It's just that short...and her pants are 3 sizes too big and yellow with dirt and sweat that isn't hers.) 

Later, we came home to homemade crock-pot mac and cheese (Little Man's favorite) and garlic bread ham and cheese sandwiches. Oh, and homemade caramels squares for desert. Good times :) Still not "healthy", but at least we are eating a home cooked meal that isn't from a drive-thru. We got back into that habit last year. I want to break it! 

Tonight, I decided I hated myself. Haha! No, not really, but I allowed little man to invite 4 friends over and I would take them plus C to Scores as a birthday treat (not "party"..more like a small outing). They have Unlimited Cosmic Bowling and Laser Tag for 3 hours on Friday nights for like $13 per kid. Problem is, everyone comes, so it's a little like hanging out in a club that blasts nothing but Justin Bieber and Selina Gomez while people set off m-80's...and all the patrons are high on sugar, and crack while inhaling LSD like candy. 

Then they get the munchies.

Meh, It'll be a great time for the kids. I just gotta figure out how I am going to transport all of them there. Bee has a meeting tonight. Maybe I'll call my friend Christina and see if she can help drive...and save my sanity ;)

  

Snow day Part 2

So yesterday it took me two hours to get to work.

TWO

Annnnd, I almost died at least 6 times. The way I normally go to work, I avoided due to all the hills and curves. Good thing too. There was a 9 vehicle pile-up. 4 semi's and 6 cars. A few seriously injured, but no one died (thank the Lord). I have lived in Ohio my whole life. I have driven in all sorts of messes. However, yesterday really freaked me out. I'm not saying it was the worst I ever drove in. I'm not saying I'll never venture out again when there is snow. I'm just saying, It scared me to the point that the thought of facing that again today, I decided to pass. I call in today.

The weather people said it was to start snowing in my county at around 4am and not stop until roughly noonish. I decided my house was an awesome place to stay and wait it out. Only problem? By the time little man left for school, and I had already called my boss,  it was beautiful out. The sun is bright. The sky is that bright "summer" blue. The clouds are few and puffy like big cotton balls. By all accounts, it's a perfect day. I feel like a horse's behind. I easily could have just gone into work. But, by the time I realised how nice it was, I was already elbow's deep in chores.

Cleaning, washings sheets, sweeping. I had a "to do" list a mile long. I never like a day stuck in the house to go to waste :)

Oh well. What the hell? I have 17 vacation days left. Why not? :)

As an added bonus, I can go watch my favorite 7th grade basketball player play in her game this afternoon! :D

Married and Domestic :)

So, now that I have a sweet new fridge, and actually have food that is inside of it, Maybe I should start cooking real meals again ;) It's good practice. I am going to start cooking healthy meals for the whole family starting the week after Valentine's Day. Why then? Well, Bee is going out on a boys hunting trip and BFF Rose and I are going to have an orgy of fried foods and beer that weekend. Figure, I'll be ready to eat something good for me by then :)

Yesterday, I got up, browned a roast in my new "Orgreenic" pan (The jury is still out on if it works or not), and put it in my handy dandy crock pot. Then, I cut up two onions in thin slices, squeezed some of my minced "squeezeable" garlic, some fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, and a half a cup of black coffee. Set it so it would turn on at 11 am, and left for work. When I got home, my house was filled with yummy smells and my roast was so tender you could cut it with a fork!

I then cut up red potatoes into bite sized pieces. Covered them generously with a stick of melted butter and added salt, pepper, and garlic. Popped those babies in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 minutes while I made desert.

This... This was desert ;)

Cream cheese stuffed, cinnamon monkey bread. It was sooo good. Let us all take a moment and bow our heads and give thanks to the Lord, Our God, for Pinterest. :D

The NEXT step is to try and make the meal I cook slightly more healthy ;) Baby steps.... lol!

Snow day!

Yesterday was MLK day for my kids. They enjoyed the day by laying around. C was on the computer ALL DAY, and Little Man watched the hell outta some youtube (just like his dad. They watch it like tv. TV for those with ADD, although, neither of my guys has ADD. They are just smart and impatient.) Then, later they went outside. They played for hours. Later, I found out they player for hours and little man neglected to wear gloves. I guess, at one point his friend and him put socks on their hands. His excuse was he didn't know where any of his gloves were.

Ahem.

His gloves, all seven pairs of them, were in the glove and hat basket. Where they have always been. Since the dawn of time, or at least since I have been washing and putting away their clothes. Sigh.

Anyway, the weather wasn't getting any better last night. The kids went to bed praying for a snow day. Well, at 5:45 this morning, their prayers were answered. As an added bonus, so was the school in which C was supposed to face in Basketball today, so the game is now canceled as well. Since all the school buildings were closed today, that means Little man won't have practice either and this Monkee doesn't have to drive around like a mad woman tonight! Woo hoo! :) I set up dinner in the crock pot this morning, wrote out their list of chores that I wanted complete by days end, and set off for work hoping not to slide around too much.

I made it to work a little worse for wear, but alright. I do feel guilty though. I am sitting at my desk in my nice warm office with my heater going full blast at my feet while my hubby is outside working in the 5 degree temperatures. I am hoping the new socks and fleece I bought him yesterday keep him warm!

Here's hoping this is the last snow day for awhile. I don't know if my house can take much more of two young'ins roaming free all day ;)

Back to the grind

As it usually goes, our weekend went way too fast and I am left on Monday morning, blurry eyed and wishing for my bed. Especially since I woke up to 5 inches of snow, with it coming down in droves. Ah, lake effect snow, how I have NOT missed you. My only consolation is when I think about my boy waking up this morning and the smile I am sure that will spread across his face as he realizes that 1, there is no school today thanks to Martin Luther King day, and 2,  as an added bonus, there is snow.  I am sure I will come home to wet pants, socks, gloves and hats by the washer, and wet snow boots drying on the mat. My, how that boy loves him some snow. Almost as much as he loves riding his bike in the driveway without a shirt in the summer :)

                                       

    Part of the reason the weekend went so fast is that we were no stop with our activities. Friday night, I left work early to meet our TV guys. They finally brought our TV back from service. We had sent it early December to fix what appeared to be scratches on the inside of our screen. It turned out to be no more than a spider's web over the mirror that project the image onto the screen! Glad to hear that is all it was. After a brief nap with Sammy, my scarf kitteh, we then headed down to the Dome for Ram's practice. Semi-pro...you never stop, do you? :) My friend, Nancy came to help me and watch. It was a nice turn out and the guys got a lot of practice in. Which was nice. I hope we have a good team this year :)

                                      

                                     

                                      

Speaking of teams, after getting home after midnight and getting to bed around 12:30, it was a little difficult waking in time for Little Man's basketball game. But, we made it none the less :) Unfortunately, they did not win. But, he did score almost all of their points. That's my boy :) We cheered him on as if they will winning by 1000 just the same. C was still sleeping when we left, so we just let her stay home. She has been sleeping for long periods of time lately. I think she may be going through a growth spurt because otherwise she seems healthy and normal. 

                                     

Saturday evening, C went to the mall with her friend and was going to spend the night over there, so the boy, Bee, and I all loaded up and went to watch Bee play Arena football in PA! It was a beautiful night, and a nice drive :)

This was their first game of the season. There was a LOT of people there too! They started their season out with a bang, and ended up winning 56-10! I was so proud of my guy too! He was supposed to only be a "back-up", but ended up playing the whole game! 

#70 for Arena ball! 

Sunday, we slept in, I uploaded pictures from the weekends activities, and then we went out to dinner at Mongolian BBQ with several of our friends. It was a beautiful way to spend our afternoon! We made it home around 8pm and found 2 sleeping kiddos! They went up to bed and Bee and I relaxed until it was our bedtime!

It was a weekend full of family activities with a healthy mix of adult time. It was perfect, and I can't wait to experience many more with my "new" family :)

This and that

Basketball Diaries 

C is once again doing basketball. This year, since she is in 7th grade, she had to try out and actually see if she made the team. SHE DID. Bee and I are so proud of her. She is playing on and made a team that other girls who have been playing since they were 6 did not. She is also a starter. :) That's my baby girl, doin her thing :) Her team has only played two games so far, but they one both of them. By HUGE margins! I got to go to the second one. That will probably be the only one I can make :( She is in 7th grade and they are lowest on the totem pole for getting a "good" schedule. By Good, I mean a time that is not 3:30pm on a Tuesday.

Little Man is also playing basketball. He however, is still playing Rec. He also has greatly improved from last year. He is probably one of, if not thee, best player they have. He has gotten a lot more aggressive while playing (this is a good thing), but is still not 100% confident. It will come with time. Unfortunately, there was not enough interest for a travel team for 4th grade, so he is only playing Rec. His team has yet to win a game :/ He doesn't mind too much, though.

Coffee Talk

3 years ago, Bee and I took the kids to Cedar Point. While there, I bought myself a large coffee mug as my souvenir. I like to think about all the fun we had on that little day trip while enjoying my morning joe. Thus far, it has been my absolute favorite. Well, after Christmas, it became my #2 favorite. This one, pictured above, is now my #1 :) It was a Christmas gift from my boy. It also serves as a reminder that after this year, he will no longer get to shop on his own at school for Christmas gifts for the family. 5th grade is "too old" for that :(

It also helps me remember every day that, no matter what, I am this boy's mom. Sure, he has a mother. A woman who gave birth to him but, she is not his mom. She does not wash his clothes, make his lunches, give him her last $5 to buy lunch at school with his friends or to get ice cream after a hard fought game of basketball. She does not answer his endless questions of the world, soothe his fears, take care of him when he is sick, be silly with him when he needs a laugh, or protect him against the evils of this world in the only ways she knows how. She certainly had that chance. In fact, she already had the job. She didn't even have to audition for it. However, she threw it away. She did it easily, too. Unfortunately, he had to suffer that loss, but I will do my best to make sure he knows that loss no more :) He is my boy. And that lanky, beautiful chick-a-dee above? She is my girl :)

It really does blow my mind how anyone could look at these two beautiful, wonderful, smart, funny kids and choose to leave them. Or, like their grandparents, treat them the way they do. Like openly admitting to the children that they favor C over little man (I REALLY hope HE was at least NOT present for this conversation. It's bad enough C had to hear it) because in their warped sense of reality, they think little man gets favored more at home. Which, is very much not the case. It has been my mission since day ONE, to make sure that they are treated and loved equally by Bee and I. Why? Because mainly, when I came into the picture I could see how much C gets favored and treated better than little man by them and their daughter. I wanted him and her to both know that at HOME, with their dad and I, no one was liked or loved more. They EACH were a blessing in their own ways, to us and to this world. C may be better at some things than Little Man, and Little Man may be better at other things than C. It doesn't make one better than the other, just different. 

That family may never wise up in time to know that, and even if they do, it just may be too late. Lives and little kids, wait for only so long...

What?!

Don't you keep YOUR milk next to the Tequila? ;)

You know you are an adult When...

Your idea of an exciting way to spend your money is....

To buy a new Refrigerator!!! Oooohhh! Aahhh!!

Yup, my 23 year old self has officially facepalmed. 

Haha :) Really though, we needed a new one. Bee had this old, old, OLD side by side when we met. I had no fridge of my own to speak of. Well, I had one, but it wasn't mine. It belonged to my apartment complex. I am sure they wouldn't have wanted me to take it :) Anyway, the one we had was ugly, it froze my veggies and anything else you dare to put in there, and there was never any room for anything! Two years ago on Valentines day, Bee got his Big TV. We paid it off this month and Bee said I could go "next" and get our new fridge.

I love this appliance. It's so pretty. And Big. And I can actually open it and look around and see everything!

So, that is what is new and exciting in our house. 

Little Man turns 10

January 2, 2013 my little boy turned 10.

TEN!!

Where did the time go?

We celebrated by going to a movie. Then we came home where Nonnie (my mom) made him his favorite. Macaroni and Cheese (home made) and Shrimp cocktail. Not together or anything. Just served at the same time.

Then, I made a homemade dark chocolate cake and homemade vanilla butter cream frosting. We ate cake and opened up presents. He got  his exploderz gun he had been hoping he would have got for Christmas ;)

Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet, boy :)

New Year's Eve - My wedding day has arrived!

The few days leading up to the wedding caused me to have to have xanx fed to me like PEZ from my mother. Trust me, this was best for everyone...however, it wasn't anything bad. I am just a worry wart is all. I didn't get much sleep, but by the time the day arrived, I was a blubbering hot mess. But it was awesome :)

Bee's and my song is called "Free" by the Zac Brown Band. Bee's brother, who ironically looks just like Zac Brown, played and sang it on his acoustic guitar as our processional...talk about #2  BEST moment in my life thus far. In fact, I am weepy just thinking about it. I am so glad I had the sense to ask my godson Kam (BFF Rose's son) to film it for me on my camera. He got my #1 best moment of my life on film..marrying my husband and My personalized ceremony written and performed by the Rev., BFF Rose's boyfriend. Our Ceremony was perfect. PERFECT.

I also cried. A lot. Almost the whole evening. They were happy tears, intermixed with laughter, love, hugs, kisses, and spending time with a room full of people I'd take a bullet for any day. It was, without a doubt, the best day of my life.

ps- My Photographer is amazing :D

Then, we partied. Hard.

And I paid for it the next day...hard... ;) lol!

We have so much food and alcohol left...but I don't even care. :)

Little Man and C at the rehearsal Dinner

The REV

Little Man before we left for the Rehearsal

My Poppy :)

Our View from the bridal table

Poppy and I walking down the aisle

My poppy and I

Placing of the rings

Little man watching the ceremony

First Kiss!!

Waiting to be announced into the reception

Head table

Garter Removal

Never mind my stupid face. I was caught blinking lol

Should we? 

He started it...

My first dance with my husband :)

Bee and his mom dancing to the Mother/Son dance 

Once little man relaxed from not having to give his speech, he cut  LOOSE! He owned that dance floor with his friends!

Brother in law and Sister in Law being lovey :)

Centerpieces

Love this picture!

My Beautiful "new" Sister in Law, Ashley

And that's just a few pictures from other people...I can't WAIT until my professional ones are done! :D