New Year's Eve - About 8 p.m.

As Christine was feeling today, I feel like my blogging sucks lately. It seems like all I'm doing is whining or moaning about something. Do you ever just get sick of hearing yourself bitch all the time? Humor me, I'm in a funk. I know you're thinking...AGAIN?!

I don't know if it's because Christmas is over (every year once Christmas is over, I get this feeling like, "Now what?")...if it's because the kids have been sick...or if it's because RD and I have been getting on each other's nerves lately...I just can't shake this pissy-mood I'm in. I sat down twice to write in my blog today, and I just couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Good example: I finished writing that last paragraph about five minutes ago and I am still sitting here staring at the screen.

So (notice I start a lot of sentences with so?) I guess if I can't think of anything worth talking about, I'll take my grumpy butt upstairs and see if I can find anything on tv...besides Carson Daly.

Happy New Year! *weak, forced, yet genuine smile* (Can it be forced yet genuine at the same time? I'll pick yes!)

Google's GMAIL

I have five GMAIL-invites available. If you are interested, leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. :)

SPLAT!!

I'm in a Snot War and the snot is winning.

I've tried to make it over to a few of my blog pals' sites, but there is oodles and oodles of snot waiting to be wiped off the furniture, floor, toys, highchairs, entertainment center, and probably the ceiling as well.

SA is still producing mass amounts of ooey-gooey slime, and it seems SJ willing to play along and start producing some ooey-gooey slime of his own.

I looked down at my pants today and saw all these mysterious, dried-up smears. I looked closer...then it dawned on me...more snot.

Off to clean I go...

Pet Peeves of the Day

I believe I have more pet peeves than the average person. I've more than once thought of writing a post filled entirely of pet peeves. If I were to do that, I would give away how truly bitchy and uptight I can be, and why would I want to do that? *innocent smile...heeheehee*

I'll post them every now and then, and I'll try to space them apart so you don't get sick of me whining about all the things people do that really aggravate me.

1. Scraping of teeth on a fork - *Screeeeech* Do people not realize how horrible it sounds to hear someone scrape the food off their fork with their teeth? It's like nails on a chalk board!
2. Slurping of soup and/or coffee - I realize it's hot, but do you have to make that annoyingly-loud slurping noise? It is possible to sip without making that awful noise.
3. They've always got it worse - When you talk about something bad that happened, or possibly you were sick, and the person says, "Oh...that's okay...I had such-and-such happen to me...," implying that whatever ailment they had or whatever happened to them just had to of been much worse. I'm sure their intention is not to say that you don't matter, but it is very belittling and discounts whatever it is you just said.
4. Phone etiquette - This may be a little over-the-top, and maybe I'm expecting too much out of people, but I think that when you call someone you should ask them if it's an okay time to talk (i.e., 'are you busy'...'is this an okay time for you'...'do you have time to talk', etc.). This always bothered me when I was at work - I would answer the phone, the caller (friend, family, etc.) would launch into whatever they had to say; nevermind, that maybe I was swamped or that my boss was possibly hovering over my shoulder. Now that I have kids it still drives me crazy. I could be in the middle of a feeding, changing a diaper, chasing babies in every direction...just ask if it's a good time. It seems to make all the sense in the world to me, but...I dunno...maybe my expectations are a little over-the-top.
5. Tardiness - Everybody does it. I know there are always exceptions. I just wish people would at the very least call. I think it is disrespectful of everyone's time expecting them to hold things off (oh...I don't know...like say dinner...or...opening Christmas presents) until you're ready to arrive. Because people like...oh...I don't know...us might have woken babies up from a nap so that we could arrive on time...only to wait around for an hour for everyone else to arrive.

Whew! I feel much better now! *haaaaa...breathe out...breathe in*

What are some of your pet peeves?

Birthdays don't count once you have kids

RD and I joke about how people don't really care about you once you have kids. For instance, when you see someone you know, or someone calls, they say, "Hi! How are the kids (or more often, the triplets)?" - no one cares how we are anymore. It's not something we complain about, it's just a fact of life.

Funny example, my birthday is tomorrow (Dec. 27), so when we were exchanging Christmas presents with my dad and his wife, he gave me my birthday card - out fell two fifties. I look up to say thank you and he says, "We thought you could buy something for the kids with that," then I think noticing a slight look of surprise on my face, he says, "or......do whatever you want with it."

Hmmm...they had just given the kids their presents...this was a birthday card addressed to me...yes, I think the kids would like mommy to have a new pair of jeans. :)

Drop it like it's hot

I've got nothing meaningful to say, but I just wanted to drop in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! As I'm sure all you are, I'm going to be very busy for the remainder of the week. I wish I had time to visit each one of your sites to leave you a personal message, but unfortunately, my chicken and dumplins and cleaning are a'callin'.

Speaking of cleaning...I'm settling for sort-of-clean as opposed to the CLEAN-clean I was striding for.

Merry Christmas to you and your's!

I might sneak back a bit sooner, but for now, see you Christmas night! RD is now scheduled to work that evening. :(

You know you have kids when...

you have to schedule sex.

Lastnight a little after 7 p.m....

Me: I'm going to Target after Desperate Housewives...which means we have to have sex before 8.
RD: But I'm watching Extreme Makeover (Home Edition).
Me: Well you'll have to miss the end.
RD: But the end is the best part.
Me: We better get to it then. Let me put the quilt in the washer then I'll meet you in the bedroom.

HOW ROMANTIC IS THAT?!

You have GOT to be kidding me!

Whoever was looking for boyfriends who change their girlfriend's poopy diapers...I thought I'd seen the weirdest of the weird when it came to crazy searches, but you my friend, have been bumped to the top of my list.

Countdown to Christmas

I had this grand plan to bake dozens and dozens of cookies and make little goodie bags for all my friends and family. Okay, maybe not all of them, but a select few. Now Christmas is less than a week away and I don't see me donning an apron anytime in the near future. I guess those little goodie bags I bought from Current will have to wait until next year.

While the babies scratched each other, pulled each other's hair, and screamed in anger at each other over the prized-toy of the minute, I sat down on the floor to scribble out this week's plans.

Sunday

• Go to Target to get M's (RD's stepmom - whom I am crazy about) birthday gift, little gifts (that I forgot to put on my previous list) for RD's stepsister's and stepbrother's kids, shoes for SA and SJ to wear with their Christmas outfits, L'Oreal Moisturizer, and maybe some lipstick (If I can find a color I like. I'm very picky about lipstick.).

Monday

• Go grocery shopping.
• Make batches of food to freeze for babies.
• 11:45 a.m. - Home nurse is coming over to give the babies their Synagis shot for the month.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Organize Christmas presents into groups of events. Right now our bedroom in the basement is filled with presents - in no particular order. I want to get them into groups of who we're going to see (i.e., Christmas Eve - RD's dad's house, Christmas morning - RD's mom's house, etc.). It will make it much easier when loading up the car for each outing.

Tuesday

• Clean, clean, clean! I mean really clean. There was a good quote in the January issue of Parents Magazine - it couldn't be more true, "Trying to clean the house while your children are growing is like trying to shovel the sidewalk while it's still snowing." -Phyllis Diller At this point in our lives, I don't know if our house will ever be truly clean, but I'm going to make an effort.
• Go to Sam's Club to spend a buttload of money.

Wednesday

• Take presents over to MIL's house, so we don't have to lug them all over Christmas morning.
• 5:30 p.m. - Our friends, P & C, coming over for dinner (we're making chicken and dumplings) and to exchange presents.

Thursday

• Clean and clean again. Yes, it happens that fast.
• 5:00 p.m. - My dad and his wife, SM, coming over for dinner (we're baking a ham and making green bean casserole and Au Gratin potatoes) and to exchange presents.

Friday (Christmas Eve)

• 4:30 p.m. - Go to RD's dad's house for dinner and to exchange gifts with his dad's side of the family.

Saturday

• Make fruit salad to take to RD's mom's.
• Make relish tray to take to my cousin's.
• 11:00 a.m. - Go to RD's mom's house for brunch and to exchange gifts with "her side" (his parents are divorced). My mom will join us as well.
• 3:00 p.m. - Go to my cousin, LM's, house to exchange presents and eat dinner with my dad's side (my parents are divorced...which I've probably already mentioned before).
• Later that evening after we put the kids to bed, RD and I will exchange our gifts to each other. We figured it would be easier than trying to do it that morning while the kid are crawling all over us.

I thought I had an overwhelming week ahead of me, but it doesn't look so bad. I've got all my crossables crossed and I'm praying and wishing with all my might that we all stay healthy so we can enjoy our first Christmas as a family.

So, Pink Poppy, you've inspired me to make a list. Here's to hoping I stick to it!

Let's Get Ready to Rummmmbbbbllllle!

It has begun. The babies are turning into these little people with minds. These little people are slowly, no quickly, taking over our house.

Not only do they crawl away from us as fast as they can, they take little breaks to look back and give us a sly little smile and evil little laugh...then they're off! As soon as they see we're on their tail they switch into overdrive and scoot their little bodies even faster.

JUMP! JUMP! JUMP! JUMPIN' IN THE CRIB! As the diligent disciplinarians we are, we sternly say, "NO JUMPING!!" Stopping...nervous "uh-oh-face," then...JUMP HARDER! JUMP HARDER! JUMP HARDER! FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!! ROARING WITH LAUGHTER!

So this is how it begins. Who will win? Place your bets, folks. The little people are resting - regaining their strength for their next battle...the battle for the upperhand. I must refuel on some Diet Coke and practice saying "NO!" in the most serious, bad-ass way I can. I MEAN IT! *insert evil parental laugh here*

Big Lots = Big No

Today was a day to look forward to - I had an afternoon to get away! I started off with a stop at Club Diva, where I get my hair done. I got a trim and had her wax my brows. You can color me grateful that I am blonde, because if my eyebrows weren't white (yes, they're that blonde), I would be one bushy-browed-lady. I had fun dishing about all the people we used to work with, our Christmas plans, and some of our favorite shows (e.g., Desperate Housewives, Days of Our Lives, etc.). After that, I was off to wrap up the rest of my Christmas shopping.

My first stop was Borders - I picked up a gift certificate for my cousin L's son. Then I went nextdoor to Old Navy. If you haven't gone there lately - GO! GO! GO! I could not believe all the deals they have right now! I got black tights and a cute, black, button-up sweater that sort of flares out at the bottom for AR to wear with her Christmas dress. What's the deal with all these Christmas dresses having short sleeves?! Hello?! It's December! I bought a replacement gift for my cousin J's son because they sent the wrong size when I ordered on-line. I bought a cute fleece pullover top for myself - it was only $11!!! I bought a little lipstick case. And, finally, I bought RD a blue, fleece pullover and one of those bands that you wear around your head to keep your ears warm. I'm sure there's a name for it, but I've got no idea; and no, it's not earmuffs.

Then I went to Babies R Us to get some Stage-3 Dr. Brown's Nipples, which they were out of, and look for some shoes. I bought some Sketchers for the boys that were on clearance, as well as some more bowls and spoons for feeding time.

Then the big mistake...Big Lots. I had not been to a Big Lots in over ten years. The last time I went to one was when I had moved out on my own. I was in desperate need of plates, glassware, small appliances, you-name-it to get started. That was the first and last time I shopped at Big Lots. It was filthy. The store was filthy, the merchandise was filthy, and even the people were filthy. I hope not to offend any of you that choose to patronize this place, but I can only speak for the locations close to me, and trust me, you almost feel like you need a shower after leaving.

It had been many years, and I must say, they have great commercials. So great, that they convinced me to give it another try. Name brand items at close-out prices - sounds great to me! I hadn't stepped three feet in the place before I realized...nothing had changed. I let out a big sigh and thought that I might as well look around since I was in there. It was packed. There were moms with screaming kids everywhere and many girls that looked to be about 18 (and wearing a serious amount of make-up) doing their Christmas shopping. I was walking pretty fast up and down each aisle with my freshly-styled hair and my large Coach bag, giving my best I'm-not-as-snooty-as-I-look smile.

I turned the corner and nearly walked right into a mother that was so angry, her face was as red as Santa's big coat. The words I'm about to repeat don't sound so bad on paper, but imagine if you will these words being spout out by Linda Blair as she is projecting bright, green pea soup across the room, "I TOLD YOU...THEY DO NOT HAVE TOYS HERE. YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYTHING. DO YOU HEAR ME? CALEB AND CONNOR, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU PUSH ME ANY FURTHER...CONNOR! CONNOR! DAMN IT!!!! WE'RE LEAVING." OOOOKAAAAY. I smiled to myself as I passed her, knowing that my Linda-Blair-moment will come. It might not be for a few years, but it will come. Before I had children, I might shudder at the woman's voice, but at that moment, I felt sympathy for her.

I continued on up and down the aisles...nothing...nothing...finding nothing...okay...time to go. I head to the front of the store, ready to make my exit. There are four registers, all of which have long lines of people ready to check out. My eyes quickly scanned the front of the store and I realized that the only way to exit is to walk through the check-out lines. *SIGH* I had to pee, it was hot in there, my mouth was excruciatingly dry, and I felt panic setting in seeing I wasn't going to be able to get out of there - at least not as quickly as I wanted to. I looked at the last line and saw what looked to be an opening. Just as I headed in that direction I hear this voice that sounded like it was coming right out of Hell, booming out, "CONNOR! DAMN IT! I TOLD YOU!!!! THEY DO NOT HAVE TOYS HERE! YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANY TOYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS? DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND. ME? DOOOOO YOOOOOOUUUUUU?!" By now my state of agitation is pretty high. I had this extreme urge to go over to little Connor and say, "Listen, kid, they DO have toys here. In fact, that whole back corner is nothing but toys. Now...you help me get the hell out of here, and I'll buy you a damn toy." Wouldn't it be fun if we could say whatever we wanted to say, whenever we wanted to say it? Just for fun. THEN be able to hit rewind. At least we could get it out of our system.

The interaction that was playing in my head quickly passed as I saw my chance to exit was about to pass if I didn't act fast. I made my exit and took a big breath as I walked outside.

So no matter how witty you are in those commercials, Jerry Van Dyke...four rolls for Scotch-Tape for 99 cents, just ain't worth it.

Stand Back

Just stopping in to say I won't be posting anything until...probably tomorrow evening. I'm way menstrual right now...and trust me...you don't want to hear anything I have to say in the state I'm in right now.

Tis the season for PMS!

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

I am just beside myself with excitement for Christmas!!!!!!!!! This is going to be the start of many wonderful Christmas' to come. I always enjoyed Christmas before, but now with our three beautiful babies, it's going to keep getting better!

Remember my crazy, hoosier neighbors? They have some Christmas decorations hanging, which is always nice (ah-hem), but they also have a Jack-O-Lantern hanging on a pole next to their driveway. When are we moving again?

I need to get on track again with my workouts. I've been eating fairly well, considering it's the holidays, but I haven't worked out in two weeks. The scale hasn't moved in quite awhile.... At least it isn't moving up.

Looking at Stat Counter, someone was looking for my site. Now...having a journal posted on the WORLD WIDE WEB, I can't get my panties in a bunch when someone I know reads it. There are a few posts I wrote that in hindsight I should've gotten my emotions in check before writing, but overall, there are very few things that I've written that would embarrass me if someone I knew read it (aside from maybe my mother). It's just sort of a creepy, weird feeling seeing that someone was searching for this site. So, whoever you are, I hope you're enjoying. :)

There's a new Crate and Barrel that opened up close to my house. I'm going to check it out tonight with my friend, C. Something tells me our bank account is going to take another serious hit! I'm hoping they have some bathroom fixtures there (I know Pottery Barn has them, but I'm not sure that Crate and Barrel does) - RD is wanting me to pick up a new faucet and light fixture for our bathroom.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was bedridden, flipping through the channels, eating ice cream sandwiches and waiting for RD to bring in the mail in hopes of seeing some fun Christmas cards. :)

We started a new feeding schedules for the babies yesterday. So far it seems to be going quite smoothly. Previously they were eating two solid meals a day and had four bottle feedings; now we are feeding them three solid meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and have only three bottle feedings. It sure will be nice saving money on formula. Hopefully things will be a bit easier once we get the routine down, but for now it doesn't seem to be saving any time by cutting out the one bottle feeding. Which makes sense considering we added a solid feeding. I don't know where I got the crazy idea that this would be more time-efficient.

The kids (I've found I've started calling them "the kids" now a lot more than "the babies"! eek! My babies are growing up!!) have about 30 minutes left to nap, I'm going to try and get some presents wrapped.

Until next time...

WHAT? WHERE? HUH? WHAT HAPPENED?

In an attempt to get some housework done, I put SA in the exercauser, SJ in the swing, and AR in the highchair. I scooted them all up next to each other so they could make goofy faces and laugh at each other.

AR had dropped her tupperware (the lids make great toys!), I bent over to pick it up, and *SHA-ZAM!*...SA reached over and pulled my pants down.

Oh...you just wait, buddy! When you're old enough for "paybacks," you're soooo getting it! ;)

Compliments for Dummies

We had a good time at the party. We didn't get to bed until much later than I'm used to (oooohhhh...11:45 p.m.! We're party animals! haha!), so I am exhausted today. I tried to sneak a nap in this morning, but the babies weren't cooperating and the phone wouldn't stop ringing, so mission unaccomplished. I don't know how I made it those first three months with the babies not sleeping through the night, because I am one who needs my sleep - I'm a big baby without it.

RD and I were joking about my poncho before the party. I expected heat for it, but I didn't care, I was having fun with it. When we got home I told John that one of his friends complimented me on how I looked and how I thought that was nice of him to say - women are always throwing compliments around at each other, so a compliment always seems to weigh more when coming from a man. I spend the majority of my time at home wearing yoga pants and a cotton tee, hair pulled back in a ponytail, so it was nice to feel pretty for a change. Then RD, not knowing it kills the point of what he was trying to do in the first place, tells me this, "Yea, I told him that you thought people would make fun of you for wearing that, so I told him to tell you that you looked nice." Then he gives me this big smile as if to say, "See how sweet I am?"

Okay, that was nice for him to do - but first, I really don't care if people make fun of me for what I'm wearing. My goodness, I'm 30 years old and I could care less. I kind of expected it and I was ready to laugh along with them. Am I supposed to care if someone doesn't like what I'm wearing? And second, God love 'em, if he wants to be so kind as to tell someone before I arrive to make sure they tell me I look nice, that is very sweet of him, but you're not supposed to turn around and tell me about it!

Men! They try...but they just don't get it! :)

And the winner is...

Head on over to the Best of Blog Awards 2004 to nominate your favorites!

Thriller

As babies are crawling all over RD while he's sitting on the floor, he says, "I feel like I'm in that Michael Jackson video with all the zombies."

So Help Me God...

I find myself saying this a lot lately, in my head that is. And it's usually directed towards my husband, and it's usually something pertaining to the kids.

This morning started out like this...

I was in bed trying to sneak a few more minutes sleep. AR and SJ were standing in their beds, jumping up and down while holding onto the rails. This has ended badly many times. *BOOM* Now...keep in mind that I got up at 2 a.m. to tuck SJ back in as he had crammed himself into the corner of his crib. Then between 6:30 and 7:20 a.m. I had gotten up several times to either throw more toys in someone's crib, comfort after one had fallen, etc. - anything to get more sleep. Whatever made me think that I could get some quality sleep in the next 10 minutes is beyond me (it was 7:20 a.m. and we start our day at 7:30 a.m.) It wasn't a head-crashing-against-the-rails-boom, it was more like a fallen-flat-on-the-mattress-and-got-the-shit-scared-out-of-me-boom, but there was a little more urgency to it then that. I was tired. I was fed up. RD had been pressing snooze on the alarm clock for the past 20+ minutes. Why can't HE go make sure SJ is okay?!

Me: Can you go make sure he's okay?
RD: nothing
Me: Since you have to get up anyway?
RD: made a sound that sort of sounded like a yes.
Me: thinking, "So help me God, if I have to go in there...!!!!!"

Nothing...nothing..."Whaaaiiilllll"

I then got up in a huff and went in there - absolutely fuming.

RD: I was going to go in there!!

When? When was he going to go in there? I already feel like an awful mom now anyway. I shouldn't have waited for RD...I should've just gone in there. SJ was fine. He got his arm caught in the rails when he fell. He was more startled than anything, but he was fine.

In many ways I feel like having children has given me more patience, made me more tolerable of many things, yet where my patience has suffered is with my husband.

I have many times thought to myself, "So help me God if he doesn't...change that diaper...take that box downstairs...make that formula...So help me God if have to do that I am going to burst!!!!!!"

With the upcoming New Year I've decided what my New Year's resolution is going to be...to be more patient with my husband. He is a wonderful husband and father and he deserves the patience I would give to anyone else.

Speaking of patience, AR has used all her's up and is ready to get up from her nap. So off I go!

But first let me ask you...what is your New Year's resolution?

Hey, Mr. Postman...forget something?

Today is what...December 8? We've only received three Christmas cards so far. pout...pout.

It seems we usually have more than that by now. I have no business whining about it considering I haven't mailed mine out yet...though they are stamped and ready. :)

I love getting mail, always have, which makes December even that much more fun for me. Christmas AND birthday cards (my b-day is Dec. 27).

Maybe tomorrow. *sniff*

I got it now

The holiday spirit that is.

My weekend at the lake did it. I love, love, love giving gifts! I love the anticipation of seeing their reaction, seeing how happy they get when they see what I carefully chose for them. And...I'm not going to lie, I love receiving gifts as well. New things are always fun - and it's always fun to see what my friends and family see as "my style."

I have our Christmas cards all ready to mail. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. We dressed the kids up in these cute velvet sailor outfits RD's stepmom had bought for them. As you can imagine, trying to get three babies to cooperate for a picture isn't an easy task. It became obvious pretty quick that RD and I had different visions in mind for our photo. The babies were crawling all over each other, at least one would be crying at any given moment - I liked the chaos. I thought it would make for a cute picture - three babies in a heap - it made a funny photo that would give people a glimpse into what life's like around here. RD didn't see it the same way. He wanted the "perfect picture"; three babies smiling and sitting upright. Neither of us got what we wanted. The only one that turned out okay enough to use for a card was just sort of blah. Sure, they look cute, how can they not? ;) It's just not a picture I'm excited about. Plus, I took the picture then went straight to Wal-Mart. What I didn't notice was the major red-eye the kids were sporting. When I showed RD the finished product he said, "Nice devil children." Humph...oh well. I'm going to keep my eyes out for some cute photo cards from our friends; I want to ask them where they had them done. I was not at all happy with the quality from Wal-Mart. My cousin referred me to them saying they did a great job, but it looks and feels so cheap to me. It's not that I think Christmas cards are that important, but this picture on the card might be the only one some friends and family will have of the kids for awhile, so I wanted it to be nice. There's always next year, right?

We have a Christmas party to go to this Saturday, plus the regular family get togethers on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I would like to find something fun and festive to wear. Sweaters with appliqued snowmen and Santa Clauses are not my thing, but I was thinking something more along the lines of maybe a red or green poncho. I'm not wanting to spend a lot of money so maybe Marshall's or TJ Maxx would be a good place to look.

Well...now I'm just rambling because I don't feel like doing anything truly productive - like cleaning or laundry...

I hope you're all ready for Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate this season.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome Home to Me!

I'm back after a long and wonderful weekend. I had an amazing time with my family - and once again I am amazed at how wonderful the women in my family are.

As excited as I was, my weekend didn't get off to a very good start. I knew I would miss the babies (3-4 hours is the max I'd ever been away from them), but I didn't realize how hard it would be just to walk out the door. I was a little on edge all Friday morning - I was excited, but at the same time I dreaded saying goodbye to the kids. I helped RD feed them at 11 a.m., then put on my coat, ready to go. I hugged RD and each of the babies, then headed for the door. AR comes crawling as fast as she can, following me to the door. Here come the tears. Not her's, mine. After RD pushed me out the door, I hit the road. As soon as I merged onto the highway Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved comes on. I've danced to this song with AR many times, so this tune just pumped up the flow of my tears even more. Next song was Remember When by Alan Jackson. It's now obvious, the radio is showing no mercy.

I knock on the door of my Aunt J's, my eyes all puffy and wet. She immediately grabs me and gives me a big bear hug and says, "I've been there, honey. I know it's so hard the first time you're away from your kids. The first one's always the hardest - and you've got three! Three first ones! It's got to be three times as hard. We're going to have so much fun, sweetie. Let's get your bags and forget those tears." And that's just what I did. I needed this weekend away. I needed it and the babies probably needed it, too. I'm always there with them; I think it will do them good to be without their mommy for a day or two.

There were three cars heading down - seven of us total (me, three cousins, two aunts, and my Grandma). When we first arrived we sat down and wrote out our Christmas lists, went through some pictures, and made our plans for the weekend.

Friday night we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I had a margarita, and that one (wonderful) margarita had me giggling and giddy. We shared many stories, some old and some new. We then got some groceries and settled back in at the condo to rest up for our busy day ahead. The condo by the way is my Aunt J's. They've had a condo at the lake for about 8 years or so. It has three bedrooms, sleeps 12, two "family rooms" , 3.5 bathrooms, a full kitchen, large screened-in deck - a wonderful set-up.

Saturday morning was our day to shop. We spent the better part of the day at the outlet mall. To our surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. This was really surprising considering the wonderful, mild weather and it being December, so close to Christmas. We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. The plan was to go see a movie (Christmas with the Krank's), but Grandma was too tired, so we rented a movie (Jersey Girl). It was AWFUL. We didn't even make it to the end. We started trickling off to bed one-by-one, each saying as we go, "I'm tired. I don't care how this ends." I keep getting more and more convinced with each movie that Ben Affleck is an awful actor.

Sunday morning we went out for a late breakfast. It was an all-you-can-eat breakfast, so I stuffed myself with French toast, biscuits and gravy, bacon, and orange juice slushes. I got my carb-fix for the day! We wrapped up the day with more shopping then headed home.

I walked in the door around 7:30 p.m. - just in time to put the babies to bed. The whole ride home I had visions of the babies squealing with glee at the sight of me...didn't happen. In fact, AR acted like she wasn't quite sure she knew me. She kept looking at RD for reassurance. Great. Just great. Also, looking around, the house was spotless. RD had scrubbed the floors (by hand!) and had washed and put all the dishes away. Now that I've swallowed my pride, I'm ready to ask him what his secret is. ;) I already knew that I was married to a wonderful man, a wonderful father, but I'm once again impressed.

So that was my weekend. I had a wonderful time, ate my weight in food, and spent way too much money.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Be Back on Monday!

I have lots to write about, but unfortunately no time to do it. I'm going to be heading off to the lake tomorrow for some serious shopping and some serious chow.

Have a great weekend!

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