Last Night

I was told to try an even earlier bedtime.

6:00 p.m.  Dinner

7:00 p.m.  Head upstairs for baths

7:30 p.m.  In bed

7:40 p.m.  I check on Taylor and she tells be that she wants more time to read to Maxine.

7:50 p.m.  Taylor comes downstairs and hands me a pair of feather earrings.
Taylor: Mom, I got these for you! They are so soft!
Me: Taylor, did you go in my room?
T: *rolls eyes* Well, they weren't in MY room and they weren't in SISSY'S room... I got them from your room.  Sissy helped me.
Then, she went back up to bed by herself.

8:05 p.m.  We hear talking but assume it is the girls "silently" reading to their "friends."

8:10 p.m.  Jaden calls us upstairs because Taylor won't stay out of her room.

8:15 p.m.  Taylor has to go potty for the 150,346,257th time.

8:25 p.m.  Taylor is refusing to get into bed.

8:30 p.m.  Taylor gives in and lays down with her eyes closed as long as I hold her hand.  I hold it for about 2 seconds and then hand the job off to Maxine.

8:40 p.m.  Getting frustrated with my child for not wanting to go to bed.

8:50 p.m.  She's snoring.

10:00 p.m.  I go to bed.

5:15 a.m.  My alarm goes off.  I jump up and look to the floor.  Taylor is not there!  I go to her room and she is still fast asleep!

HALLELUJAH!!!

Taylor is spending the night with Gramma J tonight.  Yeah, she's taking one for the team.

It's SHANuary!

It's SHANuary 9th and you know what that means... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

At 31, I'm officially "in my 30s."

Last Saturday, we all went to Casa to celebrate!  The girls gave me their presents that they picked out all on their own :o)

The suspense is killing her!

Glittery red nail polish!!

Jaden was SO excited about this present...

She got me a new scarf and explained to me that she knew I would love it because it is red and red is my favorite color!

I do love it :o)  Love her, too!

Next, it was Taylor's turn to give me her gifts.

Orange nail polish!! Taylor knew I would love it because it is her favorite color :o)

She got me a new ring!  Such a sweetie, that Taylor Max :o)  Love her!

The girls helped me blow out my candles on my cake!

It was a fun celebration!  Tonight, we are going to "the chocolate store" (Fort Wayners call it DeBrand) for a birthday dessert after dinner... I'm fixing dead fish.

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A birthday text from my mom this morning...

Mom: Happy birthday to you. Happybirthday to you. Happybirthday dear shannon. Happy birthday to you!

Me: Thanks :o)  Going to DeBrand tonight if you want to join!

Mom:  :>

Me: Is that a bird??

Mom: Dont know what it is. first time i typed it was: Fk  haha

Maybe she was wishing me a happy BIRDday??  Whatever... Happy SHANuary 9th!!

30 Things: 10 Things I'd Tell Myself at 16 - UPDATE!

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year old self.

My 16th Birthday in 1998

1. See all of your friends around you? THEY matter, not that doofus you are dating. 

2. Take super good care of your skin because when you are 30, you'll have "fine lines" on your forehead...

3. Someday you will have TWO daughters. Be kind to your momma or karma will come back to bite you in the butt.

4. Be nice to your bro. Believe it or not, he'll be your buddy one day!

5. Have fun! You are still a kid.  Enjoy your time in high school and keep making memories. Live with no regrets.


6. Never stop reading!!


7. Do your absolute best in school. Strive for perfect... you can do it!


8. Save your money. You'll want a good chunk to start your adult life with :o)


9. Image is NOT everything. Don't compare yourself to your friends. You are beautiful exactly how you are.


10. Smile!  Never stop!  Find happiness in the little things :o)

UPDATE: I asked Mike what he would tell his 16 year old self: "Wrap it before you tap it."

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Stay tuned for 5. What are 5 things that make you most happy right now?

Giants are the best readers!

Jaden: Mom, guess what! I can read now!
Me: You can? Good job!
Jaden: Yeah, I just learned!
Me: Wow! 
Jaden: I can read just like you, Mom!
Me: Really?  Good job, J!
Jaden: I'm getting so tall, aren't I?! 

:o)  Mike and I died laughing! Whenever J learns something new or does something really well, we always make the comment, "You're getting so big!"  or, "You're growing up so fast!"  I guess in her 4-year-old head, that means she's getting taller!  Man, just when we think she might possibly be the smartest little girl in the world... ;o)  But, we love her to pieces!!

Friday Fun: M&Ms vs. Eminem

As I sit here listening to Lighters on YouTube:


Other Person in the Room: "Is that Eminen?"
Me: "EminEM, like the candy, and yes it is Eminem."
OPR: "They're still making music? Aren't they getting old?"
Me: "He. It's not a group. Eminem is a person."
OPR: "Oh, when did they break up?"
Me: "No, Eminem is a person, not a group."
OPR: "Oh, I thought it was Eminems."
Me: "No, that's the candy."
OPR: "No thanks."
Me: "Huh?"
OPR: "Oh, I thought you asked me if I wanted candy."

Dead serious.

Parents At Work

Last week, I called Mike at work.

Mike: "Hello?"
Me: "Hey!"

Mike: What's wrong?
Me: Nothing.

Mike: Who's sick?
Me: Nobody.

Mike: Usually you call if something is wrong or someone is sick.
Me: Nope, just bored.
Mike: Gee, thanks.

blah, blah, blah...

Mike: Alright, I'll talk to you later.
Me: Ok. Have a great rest of the day!

Mike: Love you.
Me: Love you more, love you most, EX STRIKE!
Mike: Smurf you!

For the record, I have no idea what "ex strike" means.  When we tell Jaden "Love you," we have to go through the whole "love you more, love you most," just like in the movie Tangled.  Rapunzel says something after her mother says, "love you most."  I'll have to watch it again to see what it is that Jaden is trying to say after that because it comes out as "ex strike!"

Actually...

As I am getting the girls ready this morning:

Me: Taylor, hold still... One more pig to go!
Jaden: Ponytails are one and pigtails are two, right Mom?
Me: Right. I don't know why though because pigs only have one tail.
Jaden: Well, actually Mom, two pigs playing in the mud have two tails.

She is right, I guess!

An expert in avoidance!

Jaden is a curious cat.  She is always wanting to know more about whatever conversation is going on around her.  With all of the babies being born lately, I knew that THE QUESTION was inevitable.

J: Mom, when me and Taylor were babies, how did you get us out of your belly?
Me: Well, I went to the doctor and he helped me.
J: I know, but how did you get us out?
Me: You just come out when you are all ready!
J: *sighs* I know, Mom, but where did you get us out?
Me: At the hospital!
J: *sighs*

Yeah, yeah... Don't judge

¿Se habla Español?

Jaden: "Taylor, can you say apple?"
Taylor: "Ah!"

Jaden: "Good job! Can you say daddy?"
Taylor: "Ah!"

Jaden: "Good job! Can you say mommy?"
Taylor: "Ah!"

Jaden: "Good job! Can you say happy birthday?"
Taylor: "Ah!"

Jaden: "Taylor, can you speak Spanish?"

Let the celebrations begin!

What a great birthday!  Yesterday morning, Jaden got to open a present from Taylor.

She got an Ariel friend!

 

Then it was time to go to daycare.  On the way there, we always pass an elementary school, a high school, and the preschool where Jaden will go in the fall.  As we passed the elementary school, she was telling Mike and me (like she often does), "That's where I'm going to go to school when I'm five." 

Then we passed the high school, "That's where I'm going to go to school when I'm big." 

Finally, preschool, "That's where I'm going to go to school when I'm four."

I said, "Jaden, how old are you?"

She replied, "I'm three."

"Jaden, how old are you?"

"Mom, I'm three!"

"Jaden, what is today?"

"It's my birthday!" Wheels start turning... "MOM! Wait! Where are you going?"

Knowing where this is headed, I replied, "We're going to Annie's!"

She yells, "No, Mom, STOP! I'm four!  I have to go to preschool!"

After her celebrations at daycare, she came home and got to open a couple of presents from Mom and Dad. 

 

A Jessie shirt!

And a Rapunzel doll!!

Gramma J stopped by to wish Jaden a happy birthday and brought a gift from her and Grampa Max.

 

Princess dolls!

For her birthday meal, Jaden got to pick her most favorite thing for me to fix... PASTA!  She loves mostaccioli pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese :o)  Mike, Taylor, and I had ours with red sauce.

She loved it!

After dinner, we went to the mall for more surprises!

The girls played in the play area... 

Threw pennies into the fountain... 

Rode the carousel... 

...and had dessert.  Mike and I had Auntie Anne's pretzels but Jaden wanted a chocolate bar from the candy store.

Then, we headed to Build-A-Bear!  Jaden picked out the glittery cat.

She got a special sticker since it was her birthday. 

Then, she stuffed her cat... 

Put a heart in her cat... 

Gave her cat a bath... 

And picked out a special outfit for her cat... that she named Fairy. 

She LOVES her new friend! 

Jaden had a great birthday yesterday :o)  After all of the activities, she was EXHAUSTED!  After we had put her to bed, she called Mike back in just to tell him thanks again for everything.  She is such a sweetie :o)

This weekend, we are having a party with our families to celebrate 4!

Bringing in the BIG bucks!

Mike and I had to stop at the bank last Wednesday after work to cash a check. This check has been sitting in my billfold for a couple of weeks now.  Why?  Because it was for only $4 :o)  We needed to get gas anyway and the bank is in the same parking lot so we headed over.  That is when we turned into pot-smoking college kids:

Mike: "You should've said, 'Um, can I have that in ones please'"  *giggle giggle*
Me: *giggle giggle*  "I was thinking about asking for biggest bills possible!"  *giggle giggle*
Mike: *giggle giggle*
(tube slides down with envelope in it)
Both: *giggle giggle*
Me: "Can you open and count that for me to make sure it's all there?"  *giggle giggle*
Mike: *giggle giggle*

I think the cold meds and pain pills (for Mike), along with limited sleep probably made this a little funnier than it really was.  Then again, I am still giggling while I relive it!

Have a great day!

BTW, Neither Mike nor I are or ever were pot-heads, just in case you were wondering!

Another baby??

While I was brushing Jaden's hair as she sat at her vanity, we had a little chat:

Jaden: "Mom, do you have another baby in your tummy?"
Me: "No, I only had two babies in my tummy; you and Taylor." 
Jaden: "I think you do."
Me: "Why do you think that?"
Jaden: "Because I heard it talking. It said 'Oooh oh ooooohhhh.'"
Me: "No honey, that just means Mommy's hungry."

I'm just happy that she thought I was pregnant because of the sounds, not the shape ;o)

9 months pregnant with Taylor

12-21-12

Does this date have any meaning to you?  I had no idea there was any significance to this date at all until last night.  Mike and I were downstairs and he casually brings up "2012."  In response to the blank stare on my face, he started to question whether I even knew what he was talking about... um, nope.  So, he kindly began to explain to me how the Mayans stopped the calendar on December 21, 2012... blah, blah, blah... the sun is going to throw these freaky death flares that will creep into our atmosphere through some hole in the Earth's magnetic field and knock out the entire power grid for the whole world for like four to six years... or something like that (or maybe not even close... that is what I heard).  There are these hidden bunkers that the government is building that are ten stories tall under the airport in Denver, and unless you have a bazillion dollars or work for the government, you will be screwed.  I told him I didn't believe in that stuff and I choose not to even think about it.  But the funny thing about how the mind works, you can't really choose what you don't want to think about.  In fact, not wanting to think about it makes it the only thing you can think about.  After he said that our family would die of starvation in two years, I started to think about nothing BUT that.  I was watching Modern Family (and especially loved the half-episode at the end with Phil and his sweatshirt because it just so happened that I was wearing this in sashimi... nice, I know) and in my head, I was calculating how many cans of green beans I needed to buy to prepare ourselves for a six-year power outage.  In case you are wondering, it is about 8,000.  Stupid, stupid sun flares.  Thanks, Mike.  Thank you for filling my brain with useless worrying.  grr...

So, what are your thoughts??  Watch Jesse Ventura explain it all...

Pillow Talk

As I lay in bed reading while Mike watches TV...

Shannon: You should read.
Mike: No thanks.
S: I have some books I think you'd like!
M: Why do you want me to read?  Because you do?
S: Yeah, it's fun! Then, when we're old, we can sit in bed with our reading glasses and drink coffee and read!
M: You've thought about this way too much.
S: You'd have white hair and square black glasses.
M: And you'd have purple hair and a big @$$.

 

Can you handle it?

After a horrible night of crying, getting out of bed for no reason, and calling Mike and I into her room every two seconds, our conversation in the car the next evening went a little like this:

Jaden: Mom, when we get home, can I watch Pongo?
Me: No, because remember you didn't go to bed good last night so you get no T.V.
Jaden: Oh.
Me: If you go to bed good tonight you can watch Pongo tomorrow.
Mike: No crying, no getting out of bed, and no calling Mommy and Daddy, ok?
Jaden: Ok.
Mike: Can you go to bed good and be a good girl?
Jaden: I think I can handle that.



p.s. I added a photo to my Pumpkin Painting post so you can see the final product!