DEMO!

So, first of all, I'm now noticing that the date on my camera is WAY off! So, this weekend McH's parents were over and helped me get ready for our new floors. We took off the 1/4 inch round piece on the baseboard and ripped up the carpets.

Then, this morning we went down to Austin and picked up the floor. It's a really pretty mahogany. It's going down on Thursday, so hopefully by next weekend I'll have new pics!!

Monkey "helping". We were laughing because he wanted to lift one of these himself! We finally talked him into helping his papa, rather than carrying one on his own! (After he spent 15 minutes trying to just move one inside the van! lol)

I'm thinking this looks like FAR more flooring than we need, well, it is, but it just seems like WAY too much!

And, finally, Monkey is hoping that once the floor is in, we can get him a more comfortable reading chair!!

Next 3

Nothing much to say, except that the exchanges between Seacrest and the judges is SO uncomfortable! Not a huge surprise with the picks and I was glad to hear Simon's comment that "we may see a couple from tonight" back with the wildcard picks. I really think that both Jesse Langseth and Megan need to be in the top 12, though, I still would like to see Matt Giraud back.

My Idol night

Okay, here we go. Three categories: BO-ring, MY EARS!, Not bad and then I'll hit my picks.

First, quickly, I have to say ... WHAT ON EARTH WAS GOING ON?! Actually, I'm thinking about it tonight. Ya know, supposedly (and I think they did) they were focusing less on the crazy auditions this year. Well, I think they compensated by putting the awful in the top 12. What is with the song choices?! Why are so many girls singing boy songs?! I'm waiting for next week when I just KNOW one of the guys is going to sing Britney Spears or something ... maybe Rehab by Amy Whinehouse ... what is going on?!

So-So:

• Jasmine Murray. I mean, it was aight. Not a huge fan.
• Matt Breitzke ... eh. I debated which group to lump him into and decided here. His voice is good. He doesn't deserve AI. What was up with the weird way he was saying his words? And, he'd do a ballroom dancing coach proud with his "rise and fall". Yikes.
• Kai Kalama. Now, if I didn't have to watch him, I think I'd have put him in the 'Not bad' cat. But, whoa ... craziness!
• I have to stick Nick/Norman here. I think he's funny and one of the highlights of the show, but at the end of the day it's getting old. I have a feeling the AI producers who decided to let him through are going to get bit in the arse for that decision. It was funny ... was. Now, it's turning into a joke on AI, rather than just a joke.
• Matt Giraud .. wow, I really like him and I hope he goes through. I actually liked him singing Cold Play, though it wasn't the best.

My Ears!

• Jeanine Vailes ... there is absolutely nothing to say except HOW did she get through to even Hollywood?! When you move your hand around like Mariah Carey does, it probably means you can't sing.

Not Bad!

• Adam Lambert. Yeah, really good, but I have this feeling he's in a production. Like, I think he sings the rocker/alternative kinda thing really well and I think he takes that and then determines WHO he is to fit that ... does that make sense? Just feel like that's not really him. But, yeah, his voice is ridiculous.
• Kris Allen. I really liked him. I hope he goes through. Maybe the song wasn't the best, but I really thought he had something raw and lovable.
• Allison Iraheta ... holy mama! I was nervous through her song, but man I thought she nailed it! I thought I'd easily be able to predict her through ....
• Mishovanna Henson. Um, I actually liked the song, thought she had an amazing voice, but it was a bit detached. I think it would be sad not to see her in the top 12.
• Megan Corkrey ... it wasn't my favorite, however, I think the competition would really miss out without her. Her "dancing" was a little weird to say the least, but she's got something different, just like ...
• Jesse Langseth ... again, not my favorite, but wow she's got something too. I am no longer pulling for that funky chick from group 1 ... can't even remember her name! These two girls NEED to be in the competition.

I think THIS is the group (at least compared to group 1) that it would be a real disappointment if the judges had to pick only one wildcard from each group.

My picks: I'm going to do two for this one. I'm going to give who I think will go through and who I would vote for.

Guy: Adam Lambert (I'd vote for Kris Allen)

Girl: (ah! this is hard!) Allison Iraheta (I'd vote for Megan Corkrey)

Next Top Vote: uhhh ... Jesse Langseth for both.

To Whom It May Concern

Well, I should be talking about Amazing Race. But, other than the fact that I think it's a big bummer that the cute little "hick" couple got booted. My only hope is that the flight attendants go next.

So, now that we've got that out of the way LOL Here is my letter.

To those of you without children:

Let me first make clear that this is not to every person who has yet to have a child ... but, you will know when you read this if it's for you ... if you don't know what I'm talking about in this letter, than it is directed at you!!

First, let me say that very few moms expect special attention, that being said, all of our lives will be happier if you can help us out with a few things.

1. If you are a sales associate helping us out at checkout, please try to gauge our child/ren. If he/she/they are screaming, please don't take 10 minutes to comment on his/her/their smiles/chubby cheeks/outfits/etc. Please just quickly take our money and hand us our bag. We'd like to get our crabby child into a better mood in any way possible and sitting in a stroller/stuck in a vice grip in our arms is just not working. Besides, if he/she/they kick/bite/push/yell/etc at me one more time I may have to take it out on you ... absolutely nothing personal.

2. If you are our waiter/waitress. Bring crayons and bring something ... crackers/bread/a tough piece of leather STAT! Don't look at us like we're nuts while we try and contain a child/ren and look over your menu. If you really want to get a tip, attempt to distract said child/ren by being nice or send over someone who can. DO NOT put my drink in front of my child/ren, ESPECIALLY if it is hot. This should be common sense. And, on the topic of hot things, bring us an extra plate if the plate with the child/ren's food is hot. EXTRA NAPKINS! And, finally, don't make us sit around for a check especially if my child/ren is running circles around the restaurant. Bring us our food, bring the check!

3. Don't give me a dirty look because my child is screaming/running/crying in the store. Don't loudly whisper to your ugly husband that 'people like that should take their kid(s) home'. We don't have any milk/bread/eggs/laundry soap/etc so deal with it. I want to hear it even less than you want to hear it. Trust me. After I struggle to keep my child/ren in the cart (those 'seat belts' are a joke) while I try not to drop anything as I load the checkout belt and simultaneously disgard all of the things that my child/ren has/have added to the cart unbeknownst to me, I have to get into an enclosed metal box with this screamer/cryer/whiner.

4. If I am walking with a stroller down a ramp, don't walk in front of me ... especially not slowly. There is a chance that I will not be able to slow my momentum. Now if I am going up the ramp, you're probably good. Unless, of course, I've had to take a running start to get the stroller and all of my packages up said ramp. I do not take any responsibility for you being mowed down by a jogging stroller filled with a child, shopping bags and the remnants of a happy meal pushed by a woman who has not showered in two days, has a shirt on which has a smear of jelly/juice/snot/or something much worse, and is half asleep.

Here is my promise to you. If you help me out with the previous things, I will promise not to intentionally aim my child/ren at you if he/she/they begin projecting any bodily fluids.

Small print: I cannot be held responsible if previously stated projectile bodily fluids splatter/drip/leak onto any person who agrees to the 4 requests. Mother can only attempt to direct said fluids toward a person who does not agree to the requests.

FFF and I've been tagged!

Favorite Foto Friday!!!

These pictures are from a Western days fair that I went to in Arizona with Monkey and my dad. Typically when we hit the petting zoos, mama stays out and takes pics while daddy goes in with the tot. All those animals grabbing at me makes me nervous! But, I went in this time and we had so much fun! Mumble was hysterical!

Yes, he's really hopping right into the food bowl. Thankfully the goats didn't seem to mind the Monkey.

Okay, at this point I really should've picked him up, but it was SO funny! This pig slept the whole time we were in there and Monkey wanted SO badly to pet him and talk to him (her?). So, since the piggy wouldn't wake up, he just got right down there to talk to him!

TAG!


I was tagged by a friend to go into my picture folder and find the fourth folder, then upload the fourth picture. Well, after cleaning out my folders (really, there were a ton of either blank folders or folders with pictures that Monkey took of ceilings, bookcases and the floor), I found my fourth folder ... which contained only two pictures. So, here's the second of the two. This is from when McH was in Sgt school and had to come home and pack (in like two hours) so that his bags could be shipped to Iraq. It was a crazy afternoon! I love his bald head, I think I'd just shaved it a few minutes before this!

My tag-ee's:

Erin

Tara

Ruthanne

Kelly

Nani (maybe it'll be a good 'figure out pictures' project!)

The Results

So, looks like I got the first 3 right, which I'm glad about. Paula made the point that you never know what will happen and I think that's obvious with last year's Michael getting booted. Very glad to hear he's got a CD coming out, looking forward to hearing that. But, I was disappointed with his and Carly's song. They were both favorites of mine last time, though, I didn't like that song when they sang it on the finale last year. Can't imagine why they couldn't come up with something new in nearly a year! Too bad about Carly's hair ... seriously, I don't think any of us needed to hear that.

I'm wondering if the judges have to pick one wildcard from each show ... I kind of hope not, though, I suppose Jackie Tohn would be interesting to see.

Hello Idol Fans

So, I guess I'm into reality tv! It's funny to think that reality tv can be an escape from reality, but ... there ya are!

So, I always kind of think it's crappy when you have a situation like Idol this time. 12 people. The top girl, the top guy and the person with the next highest score get through. But, what if all the girls suck and there are 5 really awesome guys? One crappy girl gets through and 3 great guys don't?

Well, first I need to say that I nearly fell off of my couch when they announced that Tati-crazy-ana was going to sing Whitney Houston. Really, I was kind of excited ... I think it was the train wreck mentality! I was blown away that she didn't completely suck, however, "reality" as it were, came back into focus as soon as she finished singing. Do you think that the voices in her head are far too loud for her to hear the judges? I mean, she never seems to actually answer a question. Kara cracks me up.

Who stunk:

• Casey Carlson ... wow, that was just weird. Personally I hated her outfit. I thought her voice was okay until she started some of the notes that she held. Weird.
• Stevie Wright ... ouch. I think she seems sweet and it's obvious that she and her family were confused by the judgements comments. But, my opinion is that if you choose a song, outfit, look because of a judge, then you aren't being WHO you are. She seemed like she had fun!

Who I fast forwarded (boring, but okay - basically, not bad enough to watch, but not good enough to watch either:

• Ann Marie Boskovich ... she's good ... but there's no way she'll beat out the top 3 in this group.
• Anoop Desai, Brent Keith, Ricky Brady, Stephen Fowler ... I think that for the most part they have great voices, but nothing special. I mean, David Archuleta has a fab voice and I really liked him the first couple of times I heard him ... and then it got boring because it was the same ... really nice, but nothing that made me think OMG I must have his cd.
• Jackie Tohn ... okay, I didn't FF her because I couldn't get over her pants (yes, I said pants), however, I didn't think she stunk. Nope, her vocals weren't great, but yes she was entertaining. So was Amanda Overmeyer, but, she got old too.

My picks to go through:

• Girl - Alexis Grace. One word. Wow.
• Guy - Danny Gokey. The first time I heard him I picked him as the winner. My opinion hasn't changed.
• Third - Michael Sarver Loved the song. I think he has a shot to go somewhere.

Good night all!

"Don't let a cheese hit me"

Amazing race started tonight. I always want to watch a whole season of this, but I've never been able to. Now, with the power of DVR, I'm going to!

First episode was tonight. I'm not even through the entire episode but am laughing so hard that I knew I had to blog about it! The first big deal was bunjee jumping from, I believe, the second highest spot in the world. Not funny, but cool, for sure.

AND THEN, came the cheese. Yes, the cheese. They went to Lucerne and had to carry these huge wheels of cheese down this wet, slippery hill on these ... I don't know what they're called ... cheese carriers, I guess. It all started fine and very un-funny. And then the first carrier broke. And the second. Then the first wheel of cheese went rolling down the hill. I really wonder what kind of speed that thing clocked!

The funniest was one of the guys (who looks to be tall) who lost control and started running faster and faster before he finally fell. I mean, I was impressed that he didn't fall on his face because I would have LOL

Man, though, really. What an experience?! I mean, how many people can say they fell, slid, crawled up or down a hill carrying a wheel of cheese in Lucerne?! One of the "older" contestants was sliding down the hill when another wheel of cheese became a runaway. His response?

Don't let a cheese hit me!

Love The Cutest Blog on the Block people!!

I've made some changes!! I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of the codes for the side graphics, but hopefully I'll be able to fix that soon! I've never used photo editing software (or whatever it's called lol), so I was full of trepidation when I downloaded paint.net. I went through a tutorial and found it pretty easy to make a collage. Next I think I'm going to try and do one of those black and white pictures with a hint of color.

So, I know that most people don't comment, but leave me a comment if you don't mind and let me know what you think!! The background of the collage was from the night before McH deployed this time. I think it's such a poignant picture.

I've said it before ... I'll say it again ...

WE LOVE THE BATH!!!!

I really just can't say it enough! Last night I wanted to just skip bathtime because it'd been a long day, but, I was begged and yes, I usually give in. So bathtime was had by all.

Cissy knows what I'm saying while I'm taking this picture ... SPIT IT OUT!!!

We love the bath so much that we even like to get in fully clothed! THIS is what happens when mommy trys to shower. Okay, that may not make sense, but just after I shut off the water, this child CLIMBED IN! I couldn't believe he actually did it. Definitely confirmation that he grew a couple of inches during our AZ vacation.

Happy Valentine's Day

Well, kinda crappy here LOL But, still ... Happy Valentine's Day to all of my friends! Hope you all have a great day! I'll be cleaning my house. Fun. This "card" fits my "love" of spending this day without my really hot husband!

Bike Ridin'

Today, two of Monkey's friends stopped by and took him bike riding! Such fun they all had!! Monkey really wishes he was big enough to ride his own bike, but he's gonna have to wait a few years! Thankfully, these boys are so good with him and don't seem to mind much that he's so much smaller, especially when they can play in the sprinkler when it's hot!

Quick update and pics

My husband bought me a new ring!!! Well, I bought it, but we'll say it's from him!

And, we are starting the potty training journey. This (below) is not really how we're doing it, but it's pretty funny. Monkey didn't have a diaper on and started to pee - not really, but he said 'pee' and Cissy, as though she'd never had a child, started running around holding him out as if she didn't know what to do! She finally plopped him on the potty!

Along with all of that we've had tons of excitement and fun here in AZ. I'll write more about it later, but here are some park and other fun pics.

Practicing for the X games.

And ... just because my son is just like his daddy ... all about the boobies.