I am literally exhausted from two late nights in a row and restless sleep. so no more posting than to say that I wrote something :) More tomorrow....

Today is a big day. For a couple of reasons. The first is this beautiful girl....



This is my Molli. She turns 10 today. 10. Double digits. She'll never be a single number age ever again. There's something sort of sad about that. She has grown up so much. I wish I could freeze her...or fast forward to about 20 :) I'm gonna have my hands full with this girl, she's her mother's daughter. She is so smart (Gold Honor Roll for straight A's) sweet, funny, has a beautiful voice, and is so determined. I just adore her. Happy 10th my Molli bug.


The second thing is no small thing either. This evening my husband, parents, brother, aunt and Grandma are going to see this....



I'm so excited!!!! I adore this show and it makes even more fun to go with my family. Matt has never seen it so he's excited too. I just love that my parents gave us kids such an appreciation for good theater. We have been so blessed to have seen as much live theater as we have, not a lot of kids get to do that. It's just another reason I love my parents! So it's time to get all dolled up...which basically means I'll be wearing nice jeans instead of sweats :) Lots of details and birthday pics tomorrow!

I would post today but I am too busy staring at and kissing this cute boy....

So November was complete failure for me as far as NaBloMo went....ugh. I guess I still struggle with thinking that I have nothing to say. Nothing that anyone wants to read anyway. Well I'm going to try again for December. Be prepared for some complete nonsense as I will strive to post everyday which means who knows what will happen :)

November was full. Thanksgiving was...well, it was good. It somehow has lost it's "specialness". I'm not sure how that happened. I think part of it is that my family gets together every week for a big meal so Thanksgiving just seemed like another of those days. We have decided to shake it up next year....big plans for that!


The UPS man has learned my first name...that's how often he has been here in the past few weeks. I have fallen in love with online shopping. You can find EVERYTHING on Amazon. And I am not kidding about that. I love getting packages everyday and squirreling them away before the kids get home. Christmas is coming!!!

We got our first snow today. The kids were beyond excited. They were begging to go down to the bus 10 minutes early so that they could play. We'll see if they still feel that way in February.

Well off to turn up the Christmas music and wrap some gifts...till tomorrow!

There comes a time in the lives of men....or in my case, women...oh wait someone already wrote that...

Tonight I am contemplative. There is so much going on for me right now. Most it of I cannot, no, will not share on here....I don't trust who may or may not read this blog. But there's a whole ton of stuff that I am dealing with. Some of it is deep, painful and raw...some of it is stupid human games and silliness. It all feels heavy though. So today it made me take a long look at how I deal with stress.....

1. I talk to myself. Actually I talk to the people who I am mad at or who have hurt me. Except I do it in the mirror. And I am very mean.

2. I eat. Why oh why is this???? Why do I always turn to food like it's somehow going to make me feel better about myself? Yes, my Burger King lunch was delicious, but were the 12,000 calories worth it? Did it fix anything? No.

3. I cry. Not a lot, but there are moments when I feel so overwhelmed that I cannot help it. I used to think that crying was a sign of weakness.....now I know, sometimes I just need to let the tears flow.

4. I laugh. It's really bizarre....sometimes, the stress just makes me laugh out loud and by loud, I mean LOUD. People think I'm cracked out and try to commit me to the looney bin. I just get rolling and can't help myself....everything is hilarious.

5. I shut down. I go into a "coma", if you will. I slap on a happy face and literally shut down. No one can hurt me that way.

6. And finally I heal. I realize that my life is not over, that I am surrounded by people who love and affirm me and I know I can get out of bed tomorrow. One of my favorite quotes is, "Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it". I cling to that....it's all going to be ok.

I am so excited!!! My friend asked me to do a spotlight piece on her blog!!! That means that maybe more than 3 people will read what I have to say :) I can't tell you how excited I am about it, it borders on OCD actually...so go take a peek! Read through her blog while you are there, she's an amazing writer and hilarious!!

No Missed Opportunities

There are times in your life when you can define it or remember it with a song.....this summer this was our theme song.....

You Capture
Halloween/ Silence

A day late for You Capture, but that's ok....

Silence first...when Matt gets home from work early and all the other kids are at school, this is usually what happens...silence....
A happy Bumblebee
My pumpkin girl

Molli as Molli Lou Who and Liam as a skeleton

For more on You Capture head over to I Should Be Folding Laundry

I am not happy. I had a post all written and done for yesterday and it didn't post!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!! *deep breath* Moving on....

Today is Thursday. I love Thursdays. Well ,Thursday nights to be specific. Why, you may ask. Well, I'd be happy to tell you. Thursday night is ladies night. Last year, I started going over to my beautiful friend Rhonda's house to watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. It became our ritual. It me, Rhonda, Tara, Jaymie, and Dana. We get together every week. It's not so much about the shows, although we love them. But it's become this tight knit group of women, a place we go to every week and can share whatever is going on. These women have become my confidants, my secret keepers, my friends, my joy. I can always count on them for laughter, sympathy, anger and tears. I have become a better woman because of them and I am so thankful for them. So here's to you ladies....I love you all and am honored to share my Thursdays with you!

Break out the drinks, it's almost time!!!!

It's Election Tuesday. I packed up my boys and headed out to vote. I was slightly nervous that there would be a wait and what would I do with my 6 month old and 19 month old??? But thank heavens there was NO line and we were in and out in five minutes. Everytime I vote I am always stunned that I am allowed to do that! What an awesome country we live in. I will say that even after being all patriotic I will be so glad when this day is over and all the ads and phone calls stop!!!

I am so thankful today....thankful for heat, for hot water, for food, for my family and my van. It may sound silly but it's just been one of those days where the very simple every day things seem overwhelming. I am so grateful.

My sweet Liam is giggling at me over the top of my laptop while I am writing this so I will go and snatch him up and smother him with smootches now :) But I will leave you with a recent favorite snapshot of mine. Till tomorrow.....

Here we go.....I'm gonna post every day this month. I swear. :)

The past few weeks have been busy for us. We're finally into a pattern of school/work/church. I LOVE having five kids in school. It's been great having just Liam at home. I've started babysitting for my friend's adorable little boy so it's tons of fun with my two little boys here. It's definitely a change!!!

I'm so excited about what our family did last week! We decided to sponsor two kids from Compassion International!! The boys picked a young boy and the girls picked a girl!!! I can't wait till we get their pics in the mail so I can share their precious faces with you. I love them both so much already! We sponsored a girl named Fia and a boy named Arnoldo. My kids are so excited to write letters and get to know all about these two young kids. They've asked if we can send them clothes and toys. It's so exciting to see them excited about giving. We've got some things cooked up for a different Christmas this year, but I'll save that to share later. :)

Tomorrow is election day and I am SOOO glad! Not only will I have the privilege of going and helping to choose our leadership, but it means that my home phone will FINALLY stop ringing every 5 minutes with calls!!!! Hallelujah! So don't forget to vote tomorrow!!!

ORANGE

This week's challenge was so fun!

For more on You Capture, go to I Should Be Folding Laundry

Man, I suck.....I am on the computer EVERY day! How is it that I cannot remember to blog??? It's not like I don't have anything to say, good grief, Matt tells me to stop talking at least twice a day!!! Note to self: find a way to remind myself to blog

I'm getting excited :) Tomorrow morning I leave with my mom, Aunt, and Grandma to head to Frankenmuth and Birch Run over night. This is the first time I am going away without taking Liam with me. The first time that Matt will have all six kids on his own. I know he'll be fine, he's an old pro. But I'll keep my phone on loud, just in case :)

I started my weight loss program (again) on Monday. So far so good, although I did have a McChicken sandwich yesterday. But I did exercise...so that helps right??? How I wish there was just a fat cure....but I suppose that wouldn't help change my mindset about food and my relationship to it. It would help if I didn't love sweet stuff so much. Oreos, candy bars, Twinkies....um...I'll be right back :)

AAAHHHHH!!! So frustrated with myself! I do well and post a few days in a row and then completely forget to post for two days!!! That's it, I'm setting a reminder on my phone to remind me.

I had to borrow a prompt from NaBloPoMo for this morning....what was the first play you ever saw live?

Ahhh, the memories, well first you should know that my parents were both theater majors in college so I grew up with HUGE influences toward theater, musical theater specifically. By the time I was five, there weren't many musicals that I had not seen. Most of my earliest memories revolve around theater and musicals. When I was five, we lived in Pittsburgh PA. My dad was working as a lighting designer for the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. He was allowed to take my brother and I backstage to watch the company perform the Nutcracker Ballet. I remember it being so big, larger than life. The show was breath taking to watch, the costumes were magnificent and the music - unforgettable. What really made my night was when my dad took us to the dressing rooms afterward to meet the dancers. (at this point, I was dead set on becoming a ballerina!) I met the girl who danced Clara who was just a little older than me. And then, I met the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was breath taking, tall, thin and sparkling in her costume. I was speechless. Then I looked down. She had removed her ballet slippers already and her feet were horrific; black and blue, bleeding and swollen. She noticed me staring at her feet and said "The price you pay for being able to dance." AS we walked to the car, I told my dad that I had changed my mind about being a ballerina. Princesses have perfect feet. :)

FACES

This was a fun one, because there are some faces in my life that I love....

Silly Faces

Handsome, grown up faces

Dirty, little boy faces

Sleeping baby faces

And even grumpy faces....I even love them....well most days!

For more on You Capture visit here

What a gorgeous day! 80 degrees in October! It made watching a football game a tad warm, but who can complain?? I think I may have even gotten a sunburn! WOOHOO!!

Today was Jonah's next to last football game of the season. I was searching for a "Play" theme for the day when I realized I was sitting watching one! Jonah has really come alive as a player this year. I think the new coach has helped a TON! Jonah's skills have improved and he seems much more engaged in the game. His attitude has matured as well, not getting so upset when they lose, etc. I love watching him play. I will admit that I still cringe when I hear their bodies colliding on the field. That sound of crunching helmets and pads worry me a bit, but I feel such pride watching him. What an awesome young man he is turning into.

We also "played" today at my parent's house. We helped Dad close up the pool for winter. Sad day. Means summer is really over. And, of course, you cannot close the pool without a final jump in. So my crazy husband and 4 big kids plus my dad and brother took the final plunge of the season with the water a crazy 59 degrees! It was a fast jump!!! With that, we said good night to the pool. We'll miss it.

A full day of play today with the Kurtzs :)

a fast post today as I have a lot to do...

We are having friends over for dinner tonight. We haven't done this in SOOO long and it feels so great. This family is in our small group at church and we have committed to having dinner together every Friday night. Obviously, there will be weeks with things going on and we won't be able to, but we're gonna try. Now off to try and make the house presentable....see you in a few weeks! LOL

What a day! I had to take my Thomas man to get his four year old shots. I was a little worried given his past behavior at the doctors (ie, refusing to get on the scale, not letting the doctor touch him, etc.). We made a quick stop at Walgreens on the way and I let him pick out a drink and a candy (hey, I'm not above bribing!) and told him that if he was really brave at the doctor, he could have them. Well, he did amazing. He was so good and did all the required things. He even did great during his shots...it was great. As great as watching them stick needles into one of your babies can be :)

Thursdays are my most favorite days of the week. Some people like Fridays, but Thursdays are my most favorite. I know you are curious now :) Thursdays are when I have ladies night. I get to escape as soon as Molli is done with Girl Choir and head to my girlfriend Rhonda's house. There are 5 of us that get together every week and watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. It's not so much about the shows as it is hanging out and being together. It's my night to reconnect and feel like something other than a mom. I look forward to it every week and count down the hours. So my PLAY for the day is my ladies night adult play time!!!

Oh I've failed already! Just got out of the habit of blogging so blogging every day has escaped me. Especially the last two days where Liam has been cutting ANOTHER tooth and it has been miserable. No sleep, nothing getting done, just sitting with a crying baby trying to stay sane. Last night I really hit a wall. Usually I am fairly patient as a mom. But after no sleep and no relief from the crying, I just wanted to run away. Let's face it, I still feel that way this morning.

So as far as PLAY goes this morning, that means that I playing hooky. Hooky from the dishes and messy living room and the millions of loads of laundry that need folding. Hooky from getting dressed and hooky from showering. Well...ok maybe not showering...a long hot shower sounds amazing actually. I'll take Thomas' rubber ducky and then it counts as play right? :)

So the theme this month for NaBloPoMo is PLAY...this is gonna be fun :)

As I was browsing their site, my eye caught this blog so I clicked on it. Where I discovered the most wonderful thing EVER.....

I was raised by two theater major parents....musicals were my life. I couldn't understand why in fourth grade that no one understood me quoting 1776....didn't everyone watch musicals all the time?? We just got this today in our first day of PLAY and it is AWESOME! Oh my word....so much fun!

So what are you playing today??