Thank You. Thank You. I'll Be Here All Week.

I have come to the conclusion that I am raising two nuts.

Ri laughs all the time. He even tells good jokes - of course he doesn't speak English yet, but his jokes are very funny to him.

Rea has always had a great sense of humor - just like her mother. =) And along with her quick wit, she is pretty smart. This combination has led to a few amazing conversations.

Conversation 1:
Scene - I am unpacking from my Denver trip. When we were out there, I picked up a Broncos shirt. 

Rea: You got a new shirt Mom. (She points to it)
Me: Yes, I did.
Rea: It has a horse on it!
Me: Yep. Hey, (turning shirt to the back) do you know what this says?
Rea: Yes, it says Tim Tebow.
Me: Good job! But technically it just says Tebow.
Rea: Oh. (she flips shirt around to front) Mom, I didn't know Tim Tebow plays for a horse team!!!  (she is beyond excited about this)
Me: Oh, yeah, I guess he does. But technically it's a Bronco.
Rea: (gives me the you're an idiot stare) Technically, it's a horse.

Well, you can't argue with that.



Conversation 2:

Sometimes I like to punish myself and start the day off on a total bummer note... So the other day I stood on the scale.
Rea came in just as the numbers settled. She said, "Hey Mom, what's the scale say?"
I said, "It says HUGE. Grrr." Then I walked out of the bathroom.
Rea stepped on to it. When it settled, she looked down. Then she turned around and said, "Huh... Look at that. It says LITTLE."

Does the thought really count??

Yesterday was Father's Day. And I dropped the ball in a big way.

I am a fan of all holidays. Even the fake Hallmark ones. And I expect Shane to feel the same way. Shane and I were away for Mother's Day this year, but we still went out to eat with the kids when we returned home that night. And Rea picked out a great card.

Every time I think about this card, I laugh.

Shane did not fail me, even though he really does not like "silly holidays". He sees them as an excuse to spend money.

Well, I had Father's Day all planned. Shane had scheduled to take a half day of work on Saturday so he could help our friends at PBA with their event. And then he was going to hang with the boys for Danny's birthday party (the pics are epic). He swapped shifts with someone, so he could take Sunday off. I had Saturday planned with the kids... we were going to do arts and crafts for Daddy. Rea likes to make things, but the child cannot keep her trap shut. And it is for this reason that I was waiting until Saturday to make cards and pictures for Shane. I knew if we did them on Thursday, he would have heard about them on Thursday.

Well, Saturday at 6:30am, I went to get Ri out of his crib. He was burning up. Fever of 101.5. Joy. Then around 10am, I noticed some red dots on Ri's arms. 4 dots to be precise. Ri was crying, screaming, all together uncomfortable all day. Around dinner time, there were probably 30 dots randomly scattered on his body. I called the doctor. She said to come to the office in the morning if he has a fever during the night and if the dots don't disappear.

Anyone who has kids knows that there was no time for arts and crafts. And I didn't make it to Publix, Target, Hallmark, anywhere that sells cards. Truthfully, not a single Father's Day thought crept into my mind.

Shane, I am sorry you didn't get the Father's Day you were secretly hoping for. =) You are a great dad and the kiddies are lucky to have you.

dadden i love you, rea


Rea really typed the message above. =) Ri, Rea, & Mommy love you so much Dadden. You are awesome! Happy Father's Day!! Rea says, "You are my favorite."

Help Joplin

My framing company (FanAddict Frames) is trying to help the people of Joplin, MO. We have 2 NASCAR photos taken by a local photographer Richard Watson (www.piginaswamp.com) that we are framing for a discounted price, and donating 50% of the purchase price to the relief efforts in Joplin.

Help out by emailing me to order yours today! Email: mindy@fanaddictframes.com

11x14 - $100
16x20 - $150

We will ship anywhere in the US. Both pictures can be framed together. The frames come double-matted and are available in black, mahogany or silver moulding. If you are interested in the print only, please email me for details.

Happy Birthday to Me!

For as long as I can remember, I have dreaded my 30th birthday. It was always a symbol of being old, way past cool, might as well be dead. Shane turned 30 a few years ago. I threw a great party for him. I mailed out invitations for people to come "mourn the loss of Shane's youth." Everyone came dressed in black. The food was themed. We even served drinks from a coffin. It was awesome.

But the thought of me turning 30 has never really sat well with me. There is no way to pretend to be young. I past the point of really feeling young last year when Shane made me give up my Volvo SUV for a minivan. That was a major blow to my psyche.

Anyway, my amazing husband (and some pretty incredible friends) gave me the coolest, most awesome 30th birthday ever. We flew out to Denver to visit with some friends for a few child-less days.

There are plenty of funny stories from this trip... but honestly, I am too tired to relay them here. And some I don't think I will ever tell. =) But I am willing to share the pictures.

Shane's last healthy meal...

Yay Dan

Arrggg... Gotta love the Yo-hos!

The view from the 26th floor

Not a bad view... 

Steve, don't eat yellow snow!!

Can you believe it??? Snow in June!!

Hiking up to St Mary's Glacier

Dead man on a pig??

Derrick and Shane

Steve and Dan

You must be jokin' with all them stairs... =)

Coors Field... from the living room

Birthday dinner at Texas de Brazil

The picture of how we all felt after 2 hours of stuffing our faces!

Happy birthday to me! (Too full to eat it though)

Not going to explain this one...

Steve and Dan at Snooze (amazing breakfast joint)

... of course by the time we got there it was noonish.

At the airport, ready to see our babies!

Some important shout-outs:

Shane - You rock. I love you more each day (and after 50 yrs together, that adds up to a lot). I am so grateful for this awesome birthday trip. There isn't anyone else I would rather be with on one of the most painful days of my life. =)

Steve, Dan & Derrick - You guys are my hysterical, gas-filled, disgusting brothers.... and it was wonderful (though at times horrifying) to spend the weekend with you. Thanks for making this birthday the best I have ever had.

Jim - Too bad you missed it. I still love you. I know you were there in spirit.

Mom, Dad, Linda & Scott - Thanks for taking such great care of the kids. Shane and I were never worried about whether they were having fun or not. We appreciate your willingness to let us scoot away for the weekend. I love you guys.