Because tonight I will be too busy watching Ryan Seacrest to post...

Okay, so I am still holding on to the grudge against the Holiday Inn of Newton, Mississippi but at least now I can laugh about it...right! I did think of emailing this sign for them to replace the existing one. I thought would be better truth in advertising for them.

>

anyway, that had absolutely nothing to do with New Year's (but it was funny) so let me get back to my post. I decided to do a New Year's post ala photobucket (and with contributions from the Arrington family photographer...myself)cause who wants to just read my resolutions when pictures are so much more interesting....

Every year as long as I can remember it has been Kaileigh and me watching Dick Clark and kissing each other (the last few years she will only let me kiss her cheek as she is almost a grown up and too old to kiss her mother on the mouth) it is our tradition to just be together.It started out just us two cause that is all their was of our small family and as the family has growned it has stayed a time we look back on how far we have come and how excited we are to see where we will be going. She is the same sentimental sap that her mommy is and I love it! She gets my need to be this way.

so anyway, I just love New Year's Eve. The name alone does it for me. NEW YEAR. Not that the old one wasnt great but I love the chance to start over. I think that is cause I have self esteem issues and feel like such a failure most of the time. I don't say that in a pity party kind of way I just usually find a way to mess up things even though I have the best of intentions. So here is to the promise of getting it right in 09,,,,

Last year my kids helped me turn 30 at Red Lobster. I want to remember this year to stay focused on the fact that I have healthy crazy kids that make my head spin. Each day is a gift and the next one is not guaranteed. I should not feel stressed but blessed.


and than mommy celebrated on her own!!


Last year Dan and I got to go to Vegas (gasp! and we were ALONE) it was a much needed escape and a special time to reconnect.


and then we took the kids to Disney World for Dan and Kaileigh's Birthdays.






with a stop off at Sea World for the girls and me



and as fun as those trips were last year, this year I want to remember that it is not how far away you travel in miles but how far you can travel closer together as a family.That is what makes a successful family.

Last year we took in a game or two...This year I want the kids to get to play in some games of their own. My goal is to keep my kids active and busy on positive things like sports and music not just tv and chores.




Last year I was able to cuss my husband enough to get him to take a picture or two ....This year I want to make him happy enough to actually WANT to be in the picture and not hold it over my head for this great and wonderful thing he thinks he did (and I realize I am setting myself up by saying that but oh well sometimes being a wife is work)







Last year I MADE the girls be nice to each other...This year I want to teach through example reasons why they should WANT to be nice. So that means being nice to my own brother and sister.





This one is hard to admit but last year I babied Isaiah. I did it okay. I spoiled him and turned him into a sissy momma's boy. So this year I want him to learn to be his own man. He is just so stinkin cute I could not help it!!









Last year I started to heal and really understand the impact of Jack Ryan's life and death on my life. I learned that prayer does yield blessings that might take awhile for you to really undersatnd.and that you just have to accept whatever it is God has planned for you (even if it is not what you want) This year I want to remember Jack Ryan Gillham everyday. And to not be sad but to keep it always in my heart and head that great things are happening because of his life (and passing).


THE JACK RYAN GILLHAM FOUNDATION




I know that I am truly blessed as cliche as that sounds. Both Last year and this new year coming up will be but a moment that comes and goes before I know it. I would like to say I know who I am, that I am confident and sure of myself but I think I learn new things about myself everyday. I have come along way from the unwed teenage mother on welfare to where I am now. And through my mistakes and triumphs I am okay with all of it. It is what it is and I can't change it so I embrace it. I am just going to take it all on. The ride and its bumps will be a wild one, but I am up for it and looking forward to it!

Happy New Year yall!!!!

Letter to Mr. Customer Service Represenative of Holiday Inn

Thank you Holiday Inn of Newton, Mississippi for making the last 4 days of my life uncomfortable and inconvienent (and those are just the descriptive words I could think of that I would not have to sensor out). To be able to stay in one of your rooms made me desperately wish for a drink and in a dry county where your wretched INN is located all I could do was substitute my sons cold medicene...not the same at all.

My nose has the permenant stinch of the dead body you left rotting somewhere still in it despite the kleenex digging, nasal spray injecting and vicks vapor rub that WILL NOT make that smell go away.

My computer revolted and refused to work when we finally did make it home. It had to be in protest of being subjected to trying to connect to your network. although I don't know how my precious Toshiba got its feeling hurt, because the wireless internet you boasted about did not let me get online not once. Do you KNOW how long it takes to get caught up on 4 days of unread blog posts. Not too mention all of the witty and clever things I had to say just left my mind because I could not get online.




Here is a bit of advice that I promise you would improve customer satisfaction, Mr. Holiday Inn Customer Service Represenative. Finding little black hairs in the bathroom that I am not sure (nor did I want to dwell on) where they came from does not inspire a make yourself at home attitude. It inspired me to hang over the side of the balcony and make myself at home on your parking lot because I did not want to go back in that ##$^&** room. So your cleaning ladies did not have to clean my room but I think I more than made up for that by what they did have to clean up. Enough said Mr. Customer Service Represenative.

Some people vaction in homes like this






While my vacation home looks like this

prince charming does indeed sleep

 
 
 

Am I the only one here?

The night started out sweet and ideal. See, we happened apon a Mickey Chrismtas tree and Isaiah was completely geeked out by it. He is obsessed all things Mickey Mouse so I did not care that the thing was ridiculously over-priced. We put the tree in his room and turned on the lights and music. It was such a complete and innocent childlike pleasure, I just knew this holiday season was going to be magic....
 


At an hour of the morning I don't even want to mention we finished cleaning the house, assembling the toys and finishing off the last of Santa's cookies and milk. The tree was not perfect, which made it all the more perfect to me.
 

and all too soon the present opening was over and I was left with this.... Why does it seem like the clean up takes so much longer and is much more work than the getting ready for???
 


I hope you all had as good a holiday as we did. We did the old traditions and made some new ones along the way, and I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Christmas Eve part two

The whole family on the square. We tried about 5 times to take the picture, but someone was always looking away, stinking out their tongue or crying "I'm cold" (that last one being my husband) so finally I just said, just take it and I will be happy with whatever it looks like. and I am.

 

kid shot....
 

Kaileigh and Emory and I in front of the hog.
 

Ruby Wednesday

A group of us went to Ruby Tuesdays for Christmas Eve dinner. Odd choice I know but that is where we ended up. It was a blast. Of course no one was there and we had the salad bar to ourselves. yummy. No one to fight off for the cottage cheese and black olives (two staples in our house) afterward we went to town square and took pictures.

At dinner, Isaiah found a straw. He loved that straw and decided its purpose if really to be used as a projectile instrument. So he used it for just that. Dipping it in his sprite and launching the liquid at Keith. I know I should have stopped him (and I did eventually) but I had to stop laughing first....

 

 

 

thought this is cute

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.
- Kurt Vonnegut

blackberries, Sam and Jason and some dang UGG boots

yes, I have a picture of boots on my blog. This picture is in my mind while I am a awake. It haunts my mind while I am asleep. I hate this picture that won't leave my thoughts and if I see another pair of UGG boots after this holiday season I don't know if I can stop myself from throwing up on the poor person wearing them.Let me explain the origin of my work discomfort.

you see, my club did a fundraising sale where we had some nice ladies come out and take orders for boots. You pre-paid for the boots that day, they ordered them, and as soon as they came in you could pick them up at the club. We recieved (or will recieve soon) a donation from the ladies for hosting the sale. All was fine and dandy until.....



Our United States Postal System at it's finest!!!! Someone there in customs decided to confiscate the boots and hold them in customs, checking each box to make sure we were not smuggling in antrhax or Sars or crack or something else.

So, enter 200 plus irate-paying boot enthusiasts screaming for their brown boxs containing what they believe to be wool gold.I don't have much to tell them which is not making me popular around here right now.

Halfway through the day my boss calls and ask if I can meet him at AT&T. I thought hmm....maybe it is for a donation for one of our upcoming events,or a club sponsorship request, so I stop with the boots for a minute and head that way. When to my extreme pleasure I find we are there to get my new work phone. (cue choir ladies singing LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)


Okay, so I had to return back to the boots, but I don't care cause I have a blackberry...now if I can only figure out how to work the thing.

I made it through my work day and in a drained daze arrived home. I sat down on my candy cane and ritz cracker stained couch and begin the process of going through and catching up on my DVR'd shows this being my favorite (well,that and Nancy Grace)


I got through the episode thinking it was about time to hit the sack when what did I see on the preview for this week.....SAM AND JASON ARE GETTING BACK TOGETHER.


Praise the script writing genius who made this plot line possible. Forget my worries over the threat of terrorism or finding world peace, all is right in my world again.


First a bunch of boot chaos over some UGGly shoes, a blackberry that I can't operate and then Sam and Jason,What a day, what a day.

meet the pups...continued

So we are quickly approaching the time when the puppies will be leaving us to go to new homes. Each one has a spot in our hearts and this will be very hard to let go. Here are newest pics of the 4 of them. All their eyes are open and they are squirming and shrieking louder and stronger each day. I can no longer fit all 4 in my hand at one time, they have grown so big they now have to be held seperately.

These are the two dapples. One is black and gray the other being two shades of brown.


Our two brownies. The only way to tell them apart is that one has a black skunk stripe and the other has black on it's nose and paws.




Super precious, those little pups. Maybe there is some way I can hide them from my husband? You think he would notice 4 extra mouths to feed? It sure is a nice thought.,

All I want for Christmas is Super Nanny

So I am trying to lighten the mood a tad (as my last post was a post melt down post) so anyway, here goes....

While reading Bethany's Blog I stumbled upon Mama Kat's blog. Very cute-sy stuff in both of these blogs, you should go check them out!!! Anyway, there was a writing workshop that I decided to participate in today (with the help of my kids)

MOMMY: Dear Santa,

EMORY: "But I wanted to say Dear Santa, it's not fair"
KAILEIGH: "Emory, you don't get to do it all. You got to say Dear Santa the last two times"
ISAIAH: "My mommy"

Emory: "No I did'nt silly billy go go girl, your not my mommy so don't tell me what to do. Mommy, she's not specting my privacy"
KAILEIGH: "Oh grow up, are we done? Can I go play Nintendogs now? Ewww gross, mo-o-m she is licking me"
EMORY just laughs hyserically
ISAIAH: "My mommy"

I can see this going downhill fast so maybe this was not such a good idea as a joint project, I will write Santa myself with my own wish list!!!!!! and instead of my two front teeth, All I want for Christmas....is Super Nanny.

monday, wishing it was still sunday

As I slid, (literally), into the parking lot at work this morning, I could not help but think to myself....man, I wish it were still sunday. A lightbulb went off and I decided "what a great idea for a post" so I give you MY TOP FIVE REASONS IT'S MONDAY WISHING IT WAS STILL SUNDAY.....

5.)Okay, so my bed does not look like this. (picture rumpled covers and drool stains from the 2 and 6 yr old invaders of my sleeping space) but you get the point. I wish it was still sunday so I could be in my bed.



4.)I love and am shamelessly addicted to tru tv. (not reality...actuality)I wish is was still sunday so I could be in my bed watching this channel.



3.) Who wants to be out in this? The bundle-ing up of the kids, then un bundle-ing once you get where you are going only to have to re-bundle to go back home. It is just too exhausting!!!! I wish it was still sunday so I would not have to leave my house and my bed and my tru tv


2.) I wish it was still sunday so I would still have that extra day I lost somehow and am no where near ready for Christmas....as my countdown calendar lets me know on a daily basis



1.) I wish it was still sunday so I could spend the whole day with my 3 little reasons the season is so merry and bright!!!!