Even though we were given Monday off work, I need an extra day. A day to recover and sleep. No interruptions, cell phone off, no one here, just a day off! This weekend didn't really feel like the 4th of July. Mainly because it rained. Rained, rained and rained. Not fun. Most of the fireworks was postponed. I did get to see fireworks thanks to Jos sending a video via text message. We spent the day with family and friends. It was a good day even though the weather didn't cooperate.

Jake's 3rd birthday was yesterday. I cannot believe he is 3. Time goes way too fast. He can say/sing his ABC's, county to 40 (sometimes 50), somehow count to 10 in Spanish and loves to sing. I have sadly got him hooked on any GLEE music whatsoever and his favorite song currently is "Somebody to Love". It was "Faithfully" last week. It changes weekly. We let him pick whatever he wanted for breakfast. As usual, he wanted blueberry pancakes! We then let him paint for a few hours on his new easel (a birthday present from Eli). I may say he is pretty good at abstract art. He loves putting his art work on the fridge. He then moved on to Play-Doh (another birthday present).  He loved being able to to mash it and do whatever he wanted to with it. I was a little worried he would want to mix the colors and all that, put he is OCD (like me) and didn't even want 2 colors touching! He made spiders, snakes and random foods. It was fun to watch his imagination go! After about 3 hours of coloring, painting, Play-Doh, it was time for lunch. He wanted his PB and J sandwich cut up in shapes and ate a healthy portion of fruit. He then was stuffed. I said it was okay if he watched an episode of his favorite show. After that, he took his 2 hour nap! We read some more and made dinner together as a family. He loves to help out with any meal. When he got into bed he said "Mommy, you gave me the best present, a great day!" Can we say, melt my heart?! I love this kid!

In other news, Jana is still on her rendezvous vacation. Searching for McDreamie, E.C. and Michael Buble. Her photos make me jealous but they are gorgeous! I think this will have to be a vacation in our near future. Maybe not to Forks but at least Seattle. I have a feeling I will fall in love with that place and never want to leave. This week is a 4 day week at work! I kept forgetting today that it was Tuesday.  Michael has a double header tennis match tonight for the finals so I am home with the mutts. Hawkeye is sleeping on my feet and Zoey is basically sitting on my laptop. That dog, I tell you what.

One thing I am really starting to get excited about is:

Hopefully November comes quickly. Actually, maybe not. That means Baby J will be here in less than 4 weeks! Yikes!

List....what else?!

It's the 4th of July weekend! Welcome 3 day weekend! I love the 4th of July. It's on my top 3 holidays. Here is a list of things we are looking forward too:

1) 3 day weekend! This is a major plus for me. I am welcoming and embracing Monday. I do love this time of year because it kicks off the downward slide of the rest of the year. Mainly, a lot of paid holidays! We do have a busy weekend but anytime you can get an extra day, enjoy it!

2) Party Planning. Jake's 1st of 2 birthday parties is this weekend. We are having his family birthday party this weekend. We have to get all the food and the decor. He of course wanted a Thomas birthday. The kid loves this stuff. We are super excited about his "big" present this year. He is going to freak and I can't wait! We have to shop at the Nob and get all his decorations and what not. Something I love to do. I could spend a lot of money in that place. Does that mean I am basically providing Ferry his paycheck?!

3) David. It's always a great weekend when David can come home. I love it so. Plus time for the coaching to begin. Hold the phone, he met a girl! Little excited about that. I am just so glad he is coming home. I am sure a boys night out at the movies is already in the works. 

4) Birthday Party! Somehow, the past 3 years have flown by. On Monday, we will have a 3 hear old! I still find that absolutely flabbergasting. I do not know where the time went. He is a little excited because he is having 2 birthday parties. It worked out better if we did a family one this weekend and a friend one next Friday. I am so ready for another BBQ. They never get old! Jake is very excited and cannot stop talking about his birthday. It's adorable. He always lists everyone who is coming and what we are going to do. I hope he has a great day!

5) *Fireworks* I love love love fireworks. I love that it's completely dark and that Jake sits there in awe of them. I love that Michael, still, pulls me in his arms and loves to cuddle while they go off. I love the feeling of all the people there, experiencing the same thing as you, at the same time. I love just being with my family and friends underneath the dark sky. We have 2 nights planned that we can see fireworks! I am a little pumped! I love the 4th of July. It's a great holiday and a great reason to celebrate.

6) Family and Friends <3 Anytime spent with my family and friends is time well spent. I am very blessed in those two areas. I couldn't be more thankful. I love them all!

That is a good enough list for now!

Update on this past week. Went to Eclipse...twice. Yes, it's amazing. I will go again and again. As many times as people ask. I do get the privileged of going again this weekend too! Tuesday/Wednesday was an experience. Something I will do again. Now Harry Potter, yes there were people dressed in robes and playing Quidditch, but Twilight fans are insane. We had a viewing party at Jana's with Twilight and New Moon. After an amazing dinner and 4 hours of Edward time, we piled into "The Cullen" car and headed to Wynnsong. We got there around 10. My word. Luckily we got there when we did. They had a event going on in the parking lot. Music, raffle, merchandise, and you could donate blood. Literally. Once you got into the movie theater, they had blood to drink aka fruit punch, red colored popcorn, wedding cake, picture opprotunities, a arch with Edward underneath it that you would wear a veil and hold flowers to take a wedding photo. It was just pandemonium. People were every where. They have 16 theaters and 14 of them were being used for Eclipse and they were all sold out. We got there just in time. We got to our seats around 10:15ish and sat there till the movie started at 12:11. It was fun seeing all the crazies out and about. I am still unsure about the fangs. Mainly because they don't have any! It was a great audience and everyone in our theater was about 25 and older. No screaming girls! Thank goodness! I did only get about 2 hours of sleep and Josie and Mike tried to keep me awake on Wednesday. I did make it through the day without falling asleep. I think. I ended up getting 10 hours of sleep on Wednesday! That was amazing!

Thursday I met a few fabulous ladies, this does include Ferry, at On The Border. It was a blast! I did have to leave early because D and I were going to Eclipse at 8:20. Again, it was amazing. I will stop the blogposts about it until the DVD comes out. Just only 503 days till Breaking Dawn opens! 

Now onto a fabulous weekend with loads of things to do! Everyone have a safe weekend and holiday!

PS - Jana, I miss you already! Hurry home!!!

Let the screaming begin

Now, I am not one to get overly excited about too many things. I am pretty casual and laid back when it comes to events in my life. It's just who I am. I will say a side of me has been revealing itself this past week/weekend. My 13 year old screaming, stalkerish, hyper side. A side I keep tucked away until it bursts out due to some insane event. That would be Eclipse week. It's finally here. Laugh, you may. I am fine with it. Derrick and I have been counting down at work, Jana and I have been counting down, I swear to the secounds, and we have a fun evening planned before heading out to the midnight showing. Yay for no sleep and work the next day! I have re-read the entire book and now have been listening to the audio book. Obsessive? Maybe. This is my favorite book out of the four. It has always been my favorite. I still can't put my finger on it as to why. But my 13 year old squealing girl came out in full force this weekend. We went to Burger King 3 times. Yes, 3 times. Mind you, I only got something once and it was a shake. Michael wanted dinner from there Friday, which I had no argument about since you get Eclipse stuff! Plus he won a free whopper and a free double cheesebuger. Saturday, we stopped for the boys to get them kids meals. Sadly, the toy they received was a Jacob wallet. I am giving that away if anyone would like it. Sunday we stopped to get some ice cream on our way home and once again, Michael won a cheeseburger and I won a value meal! Plus the lady gave me the Edward cup and Michael the Jacob cup. She even knew! Maybe we should go to Burger King Tuesday night Jana. Hahaha. Tuesday will be the big day for us! Twilight movie marathon before us ladies head out to the midnight showing! I hope, really hope, I will be running on pure adrenaline on Wednesday at work. Then I will be able to crash Wednesday night and make up sleep. Only to go out with a group of fantastic ladies on Thursday. Yes Mike, I'm including you as one of the ladies! So, here's to a fantastic week, full of fantastic friends and family! I know Michael will be glad when this week is over. I know that he rolls his eyes everytime an Eclipse trailer appears on the TV. Thanks for putting up with me and Jana love! =)

Plus Jake's birthday is a week away! I can't believe he is going to be 3!!

Padre

Today is Father's Day. It has to be one of my favorite holidays. I know that sounds odd, but I actually enjoy it more than Mother's Day. I love being a Mom, but I am rewarded everyday and sometimes, it's hard to show how much you appreciate your Father or Hubby. First off, I would like to give a shot out to all the Mom's and Dad's out there that are doing this alone. Taking on both rolls is something that I respect and admire. It takes so much strength and determination, you are truly heroes!

I have always had a special place in my heart for my Daddy. He has always been there for me when ever I needed him. He was always someone I knew I could count on, trust, receive great advice from, receive the proper punishment for crimes committed, one that always was there to bait my hook (even now), a man that was a Man of God, someone that I could always pick on knowing he would get me back, someone that could always just check me when it needed to be done. I have been very fortunate that God placed me with the parents that I received. It is a complete blessing. I have always been a tom-boy and I have to give my dad credit for that. I am not a girly girl by any means and having my dad as a dad, really let me be myself. I was always into fishing, being outdoors, music, sports, cars, etc. I was fortunate to have a dad that knew all about that jazz! My dad help make me who I am and I will always carry his legacy out. He means the world to me and I have no problem always being a Daddy's Girl, even at 27! As I have grown up into a adult (at times I am), our relationship has gotten even stronger. I am very thankful that God has shown me how wonderful my dad and mom are. So Happy Father's Day to the greatest role model of a Father that anyone could ever dream of. I love you daddy!! You will always be my Fabio!

As a girl, who is a Daddy's Girl, I always was looking for that man that was most like my father. I had no idea he would be right under my nose for my entire life. Michael, you are amazing. You are beyond anything I could have ever imagined up in my dreams as a young girl. You are beyond any sort of Prince Charming. You sweep me off my feet daily and I love you more and more as each day that we spend together passes. You are an amazing dad! Even when you have long days at work, or after playing tennis after work, or even when you are doing side jobs, you always have time for your family. You put things aside of us and you always are available to play with Jake. I don't think I have once heard you say "no" to playing with him when he asks. I love watching you two cuddle while watching TV or reading. It melts my heart every time. You are an outstanding father and role model to Jake and I know you will be to the next one! God has given Jake and I one amazing gift that. We could not ask for a better man to lead our family. I love you and cannot wait to see what our future holds. Thank you for being such a great dad! You deserve to be celebrated everyday!

**Today was one amazing day. I got to spend it with the most important men in my life and had a wonderful day with family. I am completely grateful for the people God has given me in my life. I cannot express how thankful I am to Him!

To end the day out, Michael danced to "Can't Touch This" and it was amazing. I did video tape it! It's pretty fantastic! He then serenaded me to not one, but two 98 Degree songs. Corny to some, but I loved it. He then played "our song" and we danced in the living room. I am extremely lucky.

Spontaneous

That word sums up the last three days. Friday morning I woke at 4:45am as usual. About 5:30 I went for the first on many "Michael, time to get up". Rather shockingly, Michael awoke and just started rambling. David was suppose to come home this weekend and they had all this stuff planned. Turns out, he was going to Arkansas to help Laurel with all the kids while Michaels parents were down there. Since they bought the house, we haven't been down there. Michael was jumping around like a little kid wanting to go. Begging, like one too. I have him a list of things that had to happen in order for us to go. By 9am, Michael had all these things met and was ready to roll out of the state.Of course, I was at work and finished a half day, then drove him insanely fast, packed, picked up Jake and headed out. The car ride was, well, interesting to say the least. I believe Britney, NSYNC and BSB made a few appearances and the dance moves will never be forgotten. We got there about 8, which wasn't so bad since we left at 2. We chatted with Michaels parents until the other load came! After the kids ran around for a while, we realized it was 11:30 and we headed to bed. Now the bed. This is the first time since we have been married that we have stayed at Grandma's but now Chuck and Marilyn's house. We have never experienced the bed situation. If you have ever wondered what it was like to lay on a pile of bricks, we now know. This bed was so uncomfortable. Micheal dove into it and basically just stuck to it. Getting comfortable was something that was not going to happen. When you moved, the whole bed just stayed in it's place. When we woke up, it felt like we had slept in a back bend position over a rock. It took us a few moments to move. 

Saturday morning some of the group went Kayaking at the lake while the rest of us played with the boys and enjoyed some sunny weather. After lunch, the boys all went swimming, while some of us napped. Hey, I needed it. That night was rough. Gigi came over for dinner and was surprised to see all of us. After chatting it up, we headed to Gigi's new place. Of course, it was gorgeous and perfect for her. Funny haha, we left all the kids with Marilyn. Ok, not so funny haha, but it was. She gave all three boys a bath and water was everywhere. She got Grant out and he thought it would be funny to pee all over a clean towel while Jake and Ethan just laughed it up in the tub! They were pretty good for her but we probably stayed a little too long at Gigi's. It was a full day. Jake swore that he was not tired. But as he was telling me about his day, the boy stopped mid sentence and fell asleep. I picked up my book and read for a little while. It's so nice to have piece and quiet. Even if it's just for 15 minutes! Then yet another night on the pile of bricks we call a bed. I guess we should be fortunate to have a bed.

Sunday came too soon. We had to come home today due to the fact we aren't teachers and don't have the summers off like some people in our family! Haha. So we packed up the car and drove the 6 hour trip back. We left about 9:30 and got home around 3:30 which was perfect. We were able to stop by the grocery store and came home to crash. I still can't believe we drove 800 miles in 3 days. I guess it was worth it. Family time and a lot of laughs! At least it's a little cooler up here! 93 degrees and 100+ humidity down there was just rather disgusting. You know it's been raining a lot when the neighbors across the street have a lake in their backyard. 

Now to face another Monday tomorrow! Can I just fast forward to Friday?!

Wait.....worth it!

For the past few months I have been waiting for this book to come out. Call me a loser, I don't care. "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" finally made its debut Saturday. We were out and about so I was able to pick myself up a copy. I've been reading things recently way off my "Twilight" fascination. It was about time for me to snap back in. It took a whoppin' 2 hours to read this 167 page book. We got home from a friends house and I was wide awake so I read it from 11-1am. Of course, I couldn't put it down. What is my problem?! I honestly don't even care. It was fantastic. I do wish, at some point, it would be from Riley's point of view. I won't ruin it for other "twilovers" that are going to read it. It was just interesting to see the other side. The "bad" side. The true dork in my came out after I read it. I went back to the end of the book where she meets the family and Carlisle decides he will spare her. I read the part between this book and Eclipse. Sadly, everything made sense. There were a few parts in Eclipse that didn't make sense when the Voultari showed up, that make perfect sense now. Anyways, that was my dork side. I guess I did the same with Harry Potter. I usually re-read those after each movie. Then I realize how much they leave out! Ok that is all on the Twilight fanatic front. 24 DAYS!

The weekend was goooood. Friday I got to spend the evening with my 'rents, Eli and Jake. My dad roasted hot dogs and smores and we just had a good time. Michael had a tennis match so it was a great time to be able to spend time with my 'rents! I would hang out with them every night if I could. People always tell you that your parents will become your friends some day, and it is so true. 

Saturday we ran around like crazy. We spent a good about of time and money at Home Depot. We have a lot to do in a little amount of time! We headed to Target and then grocery shopping. By the time we got home, it was lunch time. Jake went down for a nap while we started putting up all the new blinds. We then headed to The Proctor's for Cash's birthday bash! I still can't believe he is 1. Both him and Norah seem to have grown up so fast. It's insane. It was a fabulous time as always and the company was spectacular. We stopped by the park on the way home. It was only about 7ish and the equipment wasn't too wet from the psycho down pouring that had happened a few hours earlier. After Jake was beyond tired we headed home. After catching a flick with the hubby, I started reading as I previously wrote about. Ugh, I'm such a dweeb sometimes.

Sunday. We needed Sunday. We got up the rest of the blinds, packed up about 5 huge boxes full of clothes and bedding. I did a ton of laundry and went through all of Jake's clothes. Now, it's relaxing time. As a tradition that will never break unless the show ends, we are watching the MTV Movie Awards while eating popcorn! 5th year we have done this. We didn't invite anyone over this year. We were too tired. Haha. J-LO and Tom Cruise just knocked my socks off.

I love this!

As a mom, I find this absolutely hysterical! The words he are saying, are just perfect!!