33

On my 33rd year of life....this is what I woke up to this fine morning! What a sight to behold! Not to mention the wonderful weather we had today! Today I told myself I didn't have to do anything I didn't really want to do. So I read on my Nook for 2 hours (I will finish that 3,000+ page book if it's the last thing I do!) and then I worked out and got ready for the latter half of my day. On my way out to take Dru to school I saw this...I couldn't believe it! It almost made me thought Spring was around the corner...along with the awesome, sunny we had going today! January is such a droll month as it is but to have sunshine! I had to wear my sunglasses! We are mole people I tell ya and we all probably support the sunglasses companies more than most. As I was driving home from the SuperMall, I saw this. I just thought this was so cool! Like we were being invaded!!!
For my birthday I decided I would try and go out and go shopping and spend all my birthday money. So to the Supermall I went (had to exchange some things) and I went to Bath and Body Works and bought a smelly something or other. Smells wonderful by the way...Pomegranate Lemonade! Anyway, after that we headed to Target...I had/have some gift cards for there. Target was good and I had so many things to look at...they either didn't have what I wanted (special kind of tweezers), or I couldn't tell how dorky I looked in the pair of shoes I wanted (so I gave up and put them back), OR Eli started having a break down. And let me just say (for those of you who KNOW me) I even had a cute little dress in my cart to try on!!! Thanks Eli!! So I put most of my cart away and walked away with one movie, 2 work out DVDs, hand weights, a Coke Slushie (Eli took most of that, thanks!), and a candy bar(which if you have kids, they make it hard to eat candy in front of them cause they think they are entitled or something). Sigh...I failed miserably today spending money! So, instead I just might go get my hair chopped off and dye it blonde!

Eli had my candy bar...made me share it with him...booger!

I didn't have to make dinner tonight! WOOHOOO! This was truly a feast fit for a Queen and her jesters. Ian and Lee are toasting to my health...or to some plot they have agreed to put into action...you choose. Eli in his words when asked to say cheese : " I not, not know?", and then there is the token cute kid, Dru. Kid is just darn lucky he's cute...or else...

And on another note, has anyone figured out what the secret is in Chinese food is? Why is it you can pile your plate full of that food and be stuffed beyond recognition and be literally starving half an hour later?? I mean like your stomach is caving in on itself you are so hungry? And here I am, the birthday girl! Thirty-three years of age (and on a weird note...33lbs less than last year), I had a great day with wonderful weather! Frank bought dinner for me tonight and when my parents come this weekend he's buying me a birthday pie. I know you are thinking a pie, but this place makes pies that are too die for! And we just had cake at Lee's party so, I'm done with cake!

To top of my day, which lets face it, no day of mine isn't finished unless something stupid happens. Well, stupid really isn't what I'd use, but whatever. I managed between taking money out of the bank and getting in the car, to drop my bank card. Only to realize as I was at a clothing store that my card was missing! Turns out (thankfully, after I shut it down) that someone in the bank parking lot found it and brought it in. Good grief! One day! One day is all that I ask for to not have to worry about something!

Why?

My kids: "Why did Auntie Nikki leave the skull thing at our house?"

Me: "Uh, that's not from your Auntie. That's been sitting outside for months now, from a wind storm awhile back, no one has been listening to me when I've been telling you that it's out there, not even your dad (who brought it in saying, look what I found)."

First thought to myself: Why doesn't anyone listen to me????

Second thought to myself: Those boys don't know their Auntie as well as they think they do!

Seven

How To Tame Your Lee...I mean Your Dragon...sorry for the slip up! This was the cake Lee picked out for his party. Thanks to his Grandma, she makes it possible for her grand kids to have cakes likes this. I never knew cakes like this existed as a kid...my kids are spoiled! I can not believe that my boy is 7! I remember thinking 7 was so old...he's 7 now...I have no idea what I think is old now. My oldest is going to be 9 in March...I have a feeling this year is going to be a tad tough for me...I just shivered! I knew it!

Listening to the choir of angels singing him Happy Birthday!

Make a wish my dear boy! Here's to a great year of 7!

What a special boy you are Lee...now if you would just listen to your mother and quit getting bigger, that would be nice.

Cupcake

Lee's cupcakes for school...pretty nice...kinda girlie but it's what he wanted. Last year he had a pink cake with pink frosting...he confuses me sometimes.

Rainbows

Lee's birthday is tomorrow, he gets to bring treats..his favorite colors are green and red. Green cupcakes

Red Frosting

Together

I bet this makes a lot kids have rainbow poop! Those parents are going to want to hurt me!

Chef Lee Paulson

One of the things Lee asked for Christmas was an Easy Bake Oven. I think he liked the idea of it and I think a big part of it he asked for it to see what people would do. Most would associate this kind of thing with a girl and really they don't make a boyish looking oven. I believe he had pink or green to pick from. Anyway, I think he kept asking for it to see if someone would tell him know that's a girl type toy or whatever, but no one did.

To be truthful, the moment my mother heard he wanted this she was all over it. She wanted one as a kid and didn't get one, so by golly her grandson was going to get one! Living vicariously through her grandson...she asked him if he might want more baking things for the oven and he said he did want them for his birthday. I see more baking in our future. So there is the finished product. One yellow cake with chocolate frosting...it tasted alright I suppose. About what I expected from a little light bulb oven. He and his brothers however were over the moon! I want to be that little again and be tickled over little things like that!

*PS: I can't believe that child of mine will be 7 on Wednesday!! Where have the last 7 years gone??

Connect The Dots

So the other day I had Ian sit down and watch the memorial service in Tuscon, AZ. I thought this was important for a few reason and others I don't really know why. A few reasons were that our President was going to speak and I thought what he had to say in this instance (since he was steering clear of making it political) was important to hear. Secondly, there was a young girl Ian's age who was killed and being that Ian is almost nine...for some reason I thought this significant. Probably cause it affected me more than probably him. Anyway, I made him sit down and watch at least Obama's speech, which was very nice. Although I was highly disturbed by all the applauding and standing ovations during a memorial service. Ian lasted a little bit through the speech and then took off. He's asked several questions about the tragedy in Tuscon...but being that he's a boy I was slightly taken aback by the question of what kind of gun did the gunman use? Why this was important to him I don't know, other than I know he's very interested in guns (Christmas Story runs through my head ALL the time). So I told him and we went about our business.

Fastfoward to today and after coming back from a birthday party for Grandpa Lee, Frank stopped at the gas station to get a cigar. So while his dad was in the station getting is vice, Ian piped up and said "Mom, someday I'm going to run for President. I said OH? He said yes, so that someday I can make it illegal to smoke. I said OK, that works for me." A few minutes later he asked me something again, and this is where sometimes I wonder how little kid brains work and how they connect the dots to things. I'm still thinking about it. Ian asked me if the person who killed all those people in Tuscon smoked cigarettes or smoked cigars. Because in his head that's what made the guy kill all those people. I'll have you know at this point is when his dad got in the car and only heard part of the conversation and looked at me quite defensively it seemed. Like what was I telling his child about his vice...makes people do crazy things...ha! Anyway, retold to Frank everything I said here and then told Ian no it was cigarettes or cigars and no I don't know if he smoked, he just had a different opinion and didn't quite know what to do with it.

I just found it very curious how he connected two things and thought they went together...

Christmas Day Excitement...or was it????

This wasn't nearly the response we were expecting, kind of a let down really. Poor Frank, it hit him hard...he had it built up in his head and the kids just didn't hit the mark. He tries so hard! My mother however, was funny, she was WAY more excited than our boys were. Maybe we should take my parents instead of the boys!

*Disclaimer: to be fair...my kids have no idea what Disneyland really is. They know they are suppose to want to go because it's all over the TV and their friends have gone and had a good time. But other than that, they haven't got a clue! The closest event they have gone too is the Puyallup fair to just get the tiniest glimpse of what Disneyland truly is. So it will be fun to take them but how do you get excited about something you really have no clue about???

Christmas Morning Video

The last face on this video is priceless and SO typical!

*PS

Continue to scroll down to December to catch up on some previous post from last year that I'm just now getting too...if you'd like. I believe there are at least 3. Enjoy!

My House

No bathroom is complete with out their very own Nerf sword to defend off invaders (especially if you forget to lock the door!) to the Paulson throne (yes you may laugh cause I'm laughing hysterically).

I saw this during Christmas break and died laughing! It was about as good as finding army dudes in my bed when I pulled the covers back...all back to Sleeping with the Enemy...I forget which post that was...last year sometime I believe. Either way, sometimes those boys are good for a laugh when they don't mean to be.

Enjoy the chuckle!

Do Over

I don't feel like posting much tonight...I'm in a mood.

I'm going to say this and in by no means do I think my life is horrible, but there are some days it's just not worth getting up because then I might not have to feel anything. And that does just sound wonderful right now.

On Wednesday my grandfather passed away and that whole situation is what it is...nothing bad mind you, just...eh whatever...I know and that's what matters...go with it ;)

The last 2 days along with my grandfather, I have been praying for another family and a little boy who lost his life today. He was Dru's age and so it hits home just a tad hard. It happened all so quickly. So pray for this family, especially the mom, it was just her and her son...She and the rest of the family have a long road ahead of them. It's been rough here in my town the last few months with kids and parents...so many more stories and lives lost and lives changed forever.

I think that says it right there...lives changed forever and ever.

I would like a do over on the new year please, as I'm sure everyone else would also.

Lord hear our prayer!

Followers

It says I have 12 of you guys out there...I'm shocked! I thought for sure the numbers would have dropped after I've been gone all this time!

Well I promise I'm here and now with the kids going back to school and the husband going back to work, routine shall prevail once more...THANK HEAVENS!!!

So with that said...there has been lots going on and many things to blog about. And because I am who I am, it will all be chronologically in order so you might have to look in December of last year. It just has to be that way.

Start looking in the next day or two for my ride through Christmas break, New Years and whatever else happened through all that time off!

I do hope everyone had a good holiday, we did. It was way busier than I would have wanted but I enjoyed a good portion of it also.