Living in a Hotel

I got a new job. A newer one than my new one.

Then, here comes the best part....I will be telecommuting! That means my office will be in my home, in CO. It's going to be much more flexible, so little things, like walking Mcayden to the bus in the morning, will be something I will be able to do!

The company headquarters are in KY, so they are going to fly me out for four weeks of system, culture, etc. training. I get to come home for a visit after two weeks, and then back to KY.

I will be designing training curriculum and working with a big team of designers, which I think is a HUGE plus!

So, starting on the 11th, I will be living in a hotel. It's going to be a LONG time to be away from Rick and my little kids, but after the four weeks, I will be around a lot more!!

Plus, as my mom pointed out, living in a hotel can have it's perks. I won't have to make my bed or clean my room for a month.

It Just Takes Time

It's going to take some time to play catch up here. Man, a lot has happened in the past few months (nine months to be exact). Ah, I don't really want to play catch up. And since this is my blog, I don't have to. :) So, we are just going to start from now and move forward.

Dear Blog

Dear Blog:
It has been months since I have written you. It's not because I don't care about you, because I do. Really, it's not you. It's me.
I hope you will forgive me. I would love to catch up.

Love,
J.L

First Snow

Earrings

...a few more pictures of Addison and her new earrings.

Ear piercing!

I had been thinking about doing it for a while. Rick and I had talked about it and I had gone into the store for more information, but hadn't gone through with it. Until Saturday.
We went to the mall so the kids could play and on our way to the playground, Addison got her ears pierced!
She did such a great job holding still. They pierced both ears at the same time, which helped. Addison cried for a few minutes and then wanted to keep looking in the mirror at her new earrings.
She loves them and invites everyone to look at her "ewrengs".

Dentist

We hoped Mcayden would have a good experience at his first dentist appointment and fortunately he did. We made the appointment for Big Grins, a "just-for-kids" dental office. He had the full exam, including x-rays and a flouride treatment. One toothbrush, some flossing sticks and a cool canvas bag later, Mcayden left the dentist's office with a big smile on his face.

But Daddy and Mommy weren't smiling when we found out he wasn't actually covered on our dental plan and it cost $200 for this visit! (Our bad)

Shadow Puppets

Shadow Puppets have been all the rage at our house lately. Every night the kids race to get the flashlight and grab the characters for their little show.

Mcayden hates getting "bunny ears" and he will slap at the back of his head (as if they are really attached) and squeal for Daddy to stop giving him bunny ears!

Scentsy Superstar

I was recently promoted to Superstar Consultant! What does that mean? It means I am one level below Director and three levels below Superstar Director (which is my ultimate goal)!

If you know me, you know I love doing Scentsy! When we moved to Co., we didn't know anyone and now I can honestly say I met all of my good friends b/c of my Scentsy biz. It has been awesome!

Thank you so much for your support with my business! I couldn't have made it to Superstar without you!

http://lifesmellsgood.scentsy.us

Punishment

"Addison did it."

Mcayden has really been into drawing dragons lately. To me, they look like large cactus clusters, but Mcayden can explain what each part of his drawing is and the detail he goes through is pretty amazing.
Sunday morning started off like normal, the kids were running up and down the hall way, laughing and growling like dragons. But after a while, it got quiet. Yes, we know quiet is never a good thing, but we couldn't help but snuggle in a little deeper below our quilts and enjoy the silence.
Soon enough Mcayden came bouncing into the room to tell us Addison had drawn on the wall. There were little marks along the wall by the stair case, but the kicker was the huge MURAL on the guest room wall.
Mcayden insisted that Addison did it, but he soon learned telling that lie was worse than the marker on the wall. After spending four minutes in time out, he was handed a rag and told to wash off the marker.
Mcayden has always been dramatic and we listened from the other room as he whaled and whaled about washing the wall. Rick and I looked at each other and laughed. The whole thing was pretty funny. We just hope the marker comes off the wall, or Mcayden's punishment may end up including paint.

You'd Think I'd Learn

The house was quiet which could only mean one thing. Trouble. Addison has a nack for finding (and reaching) things she shouldn't be. She found the one small container of black eyeliner I have and, well, you can see what she did. You'd think I would have learned my lesson from the last time, wouldn't you?

This eyeliner and brush are what I had left out to paint on Mcayden's cat and whiskers, for Halloween. They were tucked snugly against the mirror, on the far side of the counter, where little hands could not reach. Well, that was a joke. These little hands know how to reach and get into anything they want. I swear, she has built-in-Inspector-Gadget-extenda-arms.

Lesson learned? Well, I hope so. My make up (or what's left of it) is securly locked in my bathroom cabinet,on the top shelf, high enough that hopefully even little extenda-arm girl can't reach.

Smartie Pants

Dinner at Chick-fil-a turned out to be even more fun then anticipated. While we were eating our chicken nuggets and fruit, an employee came over to let us know they were going to be playing a game for "family Fun Night". After finishing our dinner and playing on the playground for a few minutes, we went to play the game.

We were divided into teams and played Cranium. Mcayden was "Team Dragon" and Addison and I were "Team Bats". We competed against "Team Tiger" and "Team Caleb". Addison spent most of the game decorating my face with Cranium stickers, while Mcayden threw his hand in the air, enthusiastically yelling out his answers.

And the winner was....Team Dragon (Mcayden)! He was so excited and proud of himself. He won the board game "Scribbish". What a little smartie!

A (very) Happy Halloween

We are a "thing"!

Our playful black cat and Carebear. "Trick-or-Treat!"

There are a lot of people who don't enjoy Halloween. Infact a couple of people I know posted on Facebook they wished it would be taken off the calendar. Insanity, I say! Insanity! Infact, I wish there were more days in the year when you could dress up totally crazy, and color your hair blue and it would be totally welcomed.

Mcayden and Addison really enjoyed wearing their costumes and trick-or-treating. Mcayden would run ahead of us and crouch down on the ground meowing. He was in full character all night ("black cat"). Addison was a CareBear (Love-a-lot bear). She "got it" this year and would run from house to house with her brother, carrying her bag of candy on her arm, like a purse. When people would offer the kids more candy, Mcayden would say, "No thanks, I already got one. I am going to more houses" and Addison would hold her bag open.

I thought it was fun as a kid, but it's even more fun as a parent!

Rick and I decided to be "Thing 1 and Thing 2" from Dr. Seuss. It was so much fun having crazy, blue hair (plus it was e a s y).

We went to our friend's annual Halloween Party and trick-or-treated in her neighborhood. It is a great neighborhood There is one house that gives out full size candy bars AND a can of pop! (It's my favorite house.)

Addison kept opening Pixie stix by biting them in half and then dumping the candy in her mouth. Those are definately her favorite!

Needless to say, the kids CRASHED when we put them to bed and they both slept soundly in their sugar comas ...while Rick and I washed the blue out of our hair.

Dragons

Since seeing the movie "How to Train Your Dragon", Mcayden's little dragon toy has enjoyed a second life. He is really creative in his play and used his "go fish" fish to feed the dragon. Yum. Yum. Yum.

(I don't know why the pic of M wouldn't get bigger--they are pics from my phone)

Primary Program

Mcayden insited on wearing a tie today for the annual primary program at church. He had his first speaking part in the program this year. "I follow Jesus Christ by loving my family."
You probably saw me, the mom beaming with pride, as he recited his line from memory. Because I'm a teacher, I was sitting with the kids, a few rows behind Mcayden.

The primary program is always so much fun to watch. The little kids waving to their families, goofing off and reciting their lines. We had our own little John Moschitta, Jr. (The Micro Machines Man) recite an Article of Faith. You could hear the chuckles across the congregation.
Overall it was a very nice program of singing and kids swaying, twisting and moving to the music, dressed in their sunday best. And best of all (for me), seeing my little boy sitting up front in his white shirt and tie making hand puppets and looking back at me with a big smile.

Trick-or-treating at Treatsylvania

We hadn't decided if we were going to take the kids to Treatsylvania this year or not. Infact, this month has gone by so fast, I didn't even realize there was no more time to think about going or not. Lucky for us, our friends invited us to go with their family, so the decision was made.
Mcayden wanted to be a black cat this year and Addison is "Love-a-lot" Care bear. It was fun to make their costumes. They were simple and easy--my kind of crafting.

Karma

I'm lucky I'm still alive. When I was two years old, I was terrible. I put Stain on a quilt my grandmother had made, I spread strawberry jam on every. single. step. from the main floor up the stairs, I stuck my sister's doll in the fire place (into a burning fire) and then pulled it out onto the carpet (starting the carpet on fire). I also fed my sister's favorite teddy bear to the neighbor's dog. Do you see why I say I'm lucky to still be alive? Sadly, I single-handedly put the word "terrible" before "twos".

Well, as Karma would have it, my little Addison has become a little destroyer of sorts herself.
Yesterday, I ran inside to talk to my friend, leaving the kids in the car, doors locked, windows part-way down. I came back out minutes later to find Addison covered in brown and black...dirt? No, it was not dirt, my friend, it was my Bare Minerals makeup. Powder makeup, now all over Addison, her booster seat, the car seats and the floor. She opened every container she could get her little hands on and dumped them. All. Over. Empty containers lay scattered around the floor and under the seats. Oh, Addison.

Mcayden was quick to point out he had stayed in his booster seat and Addison had gotten "my potion" out all by herself. Her little hands were covered, as was her face and sweater.

As I began to gather up the little containers and search for the lipgloss wand, I thought about all the terrible things I did as a two-year-old. "Karma", I thought, has come full circle.

Classic

This is a classic picture I get of my kids. See how they are looking in different directions? No, they are not looking at other people. We were the only ones in the area. As soon as they say cheese, they look away!

Denver Children's Museum

We had orginally planned to go to the Denver Zoo, but decided to meet our friends at the Children's Musem instead. We had never been before--it was so much fun. It reminded me of the Children's Museum in Wa. There was tons to do--- the kids were constantly off in two different directions! Luckily Mcayden played with his friend, Trennon and his mom kept an eye on them as they darted from activity to activity! Mcayden playing on the full-size fire truck. Complete with fireman garb, flashing lights and a siron!

Mcayden and Trennon showing off the fish they caught! No fish stories here!
One of the many play/discovery areas. There was so much to look at, touch and explore. It was so cool!

Addison in the market, doing a little grocery shopping. Whole Foods got some great advertising with this little market. The kids loved it. After shopping, they could go into the restaurant and cook food and serve it up for their hungry customers!
The bubble area was really cool! The kids were able to do all kinds of activities with bubbles, including standing inside a big, square bubble (first bubble pic) and experiment with other bubble blowers, etc. The bubble solution was the best ever--a great bubble every time! I want the recipe!

Sweet Surprises

Mcayden said he had a surprise for us. And what a sweet surprise it was. He made little Lincoln log people of "Daddy and Mommy". Aren't they adorable?! The little piles of mini-logs below our heads are our hearts, "so they can go boomp!"