4:45

In case you were sitting there thinking to yourself, "Gee, self. I wonder what time Anna got up this morning."

Now you know.

p.s. I wasn't up with a sick baby. I got up on PURPOSE with an alarm and everything.

These are a few of my favorite things

1. Superheroes. They save people. They look great in tights. They are often portrayed by very handsome men (and sometimes they are not ...*cough* Toby Maguire). And I'm lucky enough to have superheroes in my house on a daily basis.

2. The Library. Love, love, L-O-V-E the library. Fun place to go and we always come home with a stack of books. It's no secret I love reading. I just recently added the weRead application on Facebook and I'm amazed how many books I've read in the last few years! But what I love is that my kids also love books and reading. I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I happen upon one of my children sitting in a corner of the house with a stack of books.

3. PBS/NPR. PBS for Great kids shows, great adult shows, fantastic news programming. NPR for great news and radio shows. You can't listen to "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" and say NPR is boring.

 

 

4. Ghirardelli double chocolate brownie mix. I have yet to find another brownie on earth that can compare. These are the final word in brownies.

5. The Park. Any park. It's free, the kids are running wild and I can usually get some talk-time with other mommies.

6. Ikea. For a lot of the same reasons as the park but add in yummy meatballs and french fries.

7. Having a washer and dryer in my house. Okay, it's been 2 years now and I still get a little giddy over having my very own matching washer and dryer. It's going to take a long time to overcome the memories of 4 years of college followed by our first 4.5 years of marriage. Laundromats suck. Laundry rooms? Awesome. (p.s. to my old Wymount girlfriends...does anyone still get terrible deja vu when they see a Red Flyer wagon go by?)

8. Outback Steakhouse. Honey, if you're listening, let's go Outback tonight. Fo rillz.

9. Holiday dress clothes. For my kids, not me. I love getting little matchy-matchy outfits for my kids to wear to church. Bonus that I have a girl now and get to do dresses and mary janes!

10. Netflix. I decided to sign up for Netflix at least during busy season when I know Chase is going to either be working late or going to bed early. For 9 bucks a month I can get one DVD at a time (currently watching Gilmore Girls) and watch unlimited movies online. If anyone is looking for girly movies to watch I would suggest "Becoming Jane" and "The Jane Austen Book Club." Both are very cute.

11. Blogging. I love writing blogs and mostly I love reading blogs. Especially UMC blogs. Keep 'em coming, girls!

If this were Facebook it would say, "Anna can't wait for Miles to grow a butt."

So we're at the park after picking up Cameron from preschool and everyone is running around enjoying the beautiful weather.

Except me.

Because all I could see was Miles' butt sticking out every 10 seconds.

As a mom of three you can imagine that I spend my fair share of time hitching up droopy drawers. Since the invention of the built-in belt I do this considerably less, but still. So anyway, as I'm running around the park trying to cover the incessant plumber-bum all I could think is, "I can't wait for Miles to grow an honest-to-goodness, real, live BOTTOM!"

And then I got to thinking that my mental Wish List is definitely in need of some fine tuning.

Before I was a mom I always had a running list going of the things I wanted. Sometimes they were purchases (Volvo Sportwagon - this is still on my WL, though I have way too many kids for it now), sometimes they were personal goals - like losing that (1)5 pounds that never seemed to go away on it's own despite my meticulous diet of salads, movie theater popcorn and chocolate.

But now that I'm a mom my WL has changed a lot. I spend oodles of time drooling over things like baby clothes, carseats, strollers, diaper bags and Pedipeds. When I'm at the store I go straight for the kids/baby section. In my dream world I'd be using Pampers Cruisers diapers and never thinking twice! And my fantasies are now exclusively of me doing housework completely undisturbed. Taking closets apart and putting them back together, reorganizing the silverware drawer, wiping down every baseboard, cleaning every corner! The possibilities are endless!

So is it just me? Are the rest of you non-ugly moms still hanging on to that Original Wish List? Or do you have a nice combo list? Perhaps your ideal weekend consists of a marathon trip to Walmart, scrubbing the kitchen floor and then getting a massage afterwards?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Now people will know I'm stalking them!

Because I totally just ripped this off of the blog of my SIL's friend (follow that?). That's just how I roll.

You know you grew up in the '80's if....
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do theCarlton
3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom
4. If you ever watched 'Fraggle Rock'
5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
11. You know the profound meaning of ' WAX ON , WAX OFF'
12. You wanted to be a Goonie.
13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe)
14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable.
15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
18. You still get the urge to say 'NOT' after every sentence.
19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
20. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
21. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?' 22. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up'
23. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
24. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
25. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
26. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
27. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
28. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
29. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB'
30. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class.
31. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
32. You just sang those words to yourself.
33. You still sing 'We are the World'
34. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans. And still debate on which is the right term!
35. You owned a bannana clip.
36. You remember 'Where's the Beef?'
37. You used to (and probably still do) say 'What you talkin' 'bout Willis?'
38. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

I am happy to say that I lived through all but a week and a half of the 80's. And I'm not so psyched that their back. People, for real? Pleated high rise pants weren't all that great the first time around...

Is it just me or is it really 2006 in here?

I'm starting to notice a trend in my life. As with housework, Justin Timberlake and low-rise jeans, I'm very slow on the up-take when it comes to blogging. And no, I'm not referring to the frequency with which I churn out new blog entries. I'm thinking more of the fact that I've been using the same blog-in-a-box format that I've had for a long time. Personally I don't have a problem with it. If you've met me/seen me you can guess that I'm pretty low-maintenance and so is the rest of my life. I'm no-nonsense and all business in every facet of my life. My car, house, hair, wardrobe, kids. Okay, my kids are WAAAAAAAY high-maintenance. But that's about it. So it shouldn't surprise anyone to come to my homepage and see that, whadya know, Anna's page is a wild showcase of BLAH. And I've seriously been cool with that.

Up until now.

Maybe it's the "xhoh;asdfohfae;awhadf9jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj" comments that I've received that showed me people were clearly falling asleep on their keyboards immediately upon opening my site. Or maybe it's the 4583 times that someone has casually mentioned that they would love to check out the other blogs I stalk but I don't have any links listed. Or maybe it's the fact that I know people are out there reading my blog and they're not really sure who I am. I mean, there are no header pictures, no "contributor" pictures, and it's a lucky day if you actually see me POSTING pictures!

So I've decided it's time. I'm off to find the cutest, most scrapbookey, color-coordinated, ribbon-festooned, antiqued, season-themed, high-maintenance, time consuming blog format possible.

And then I'll think about it.

Because this is my blog and I can blog about anything I dang well please and if you don't like it you should stop reading my blog or stop being my friend or stop being related to me...

So yeah, one more thing about Twilight.

Read this. No, seriously. Just do it.

p.s. Eric Snider is famous in the BYU community because he used to write for/edit the school paper. He's frickin' hilarious. So you should just go ahead and read everything he's ever written. Ever.

p.p.s. While you're at it, you should read Joel Stein. He's my fave satirist/columnist for Time Magazine. If it were proper I'd invite him to live with us. Here's a good example of the many reasons why I love him.

It just keeps getting better!

My birthday was yesterday! I hit the big 2-9! I know a lot of women don't like their birthdays for whatever reason, but I never mind having a birthday. Maybe it's because I'm at the end of the line of siblings and I have a little perspective. If they're not old how could I be? Anyway, for me it feels like every birthday is just a little better. So on Saturday I was happy to continue the trend! Me and the girls + Cheesecake Factory = good times. Thanks for making it happen, ladies! And thanks to everyone who called/texted/left messages/emailed me yesterday. It was such a love fest!

L-O-V-E

   T-H-E-S-E G-I-R-L-S

 

p.s. Because I don't want to depress my general audience I won't tell you how many of these women have given birth in the last 6 months or so.

p.p.s. Okay, yes I will. 5 of the 7.

Best Of Christmas 2008

And we're BACK!

After a multi-week break you know it's going to be a long one. Do yourself a favor and go to the bathroom, grab a snack and put on your jammies before you settle in.

Who's house? Carl's House!  - We set out at 7 AM (which was actually an hour later than we had planned) after going to bed at 1 AM and getting up at 5:30. We had good traffic and good weather and made it to Murfreesboro, TN to spend the night at my brother Carl's house. He greeted me at the gas station by chastising my inadvertent support of Hugo Chavez, I called him a Yuppie Republican and we joked about my carbon footprint. Because that's what you do when you haven't seen each other in 3.5 years. We had an AWESOME night/morning hanging out with the Tennessee Kilgore's. Carissa is as cute in person as she is in pictures and Tyler and Drew are about 5 feet taller than the last time I saw them. Kendra is still as skinny as the day is long and Carl is still a DORK. They took us to a great Mexican place where Carissa danced her hiney off before settling onto my lap to finish off my dessert. When you're that cute you get whatever you want.

On the road again - The party didn't last long, though. We got on the road by 9 the next morning to head to my parent's house. Again we had pretty stellar traffic and we somehow missed the blizzard that everyone was expecting. I'm sure it hit somewhere but it wasn't near us. Which was slightly disappointing because I was hoping for a semi-white Christmas. We made it into town before midnight and got settled.

The Cast - By Sunday everyone had arrived. Lylla, Mike and new baby Emma came by for a visit after church and we made white chili for everyone. Chrysta, Karl and their munchkins Hudson, Cannon and Keaton arrived about 24 hours after us. We were all treated to the Keaton Experience. I could tell you about how big and tall this almost-9-month-old is, but it's something that you have to witness with your own eyes and feel with your own hands. Words don't do him justice.

Twas the Night Before Christmas  - So at my house Christmas Eve is the big to-do. I think this originated sometime during my childhood but I'm not sure. Regardless, it's the best night of the year. The family gathers with our extended family - Matt, Deb, Mason, Chase, Steve and Gracia Blanchard - and we eat finger food, sing songs, do the nativity, read Luke 2 and open presents. And if you're Deb you do all this whilst looking crazy good in a Side Pony of all things. Because you're Deb and you can do that. Oftentimes we will end the night by joining said Blanchards at their church for midnight mass. But this year no one was feeling very Lutheran or something because we didn't go. Sorry Blanchards. You can totally count us in for next time.

Twilight; Part Deux - Christmas night Bird and I headed over the theater to see Twilight because she HAD NOT SEEN IT (and yet claims to be a fan of the books....sure you are, Bird. Sure you are.). I was very pleasantly surprised that the movie was okay the second time around. I didn't love it the first time and I didn't love it the second time. It was slightly better because of the way less bedazzled face on Edward (good job on the editing, Twilight Movie Editing People), but I still have higher hopes for the rest of the series.

Party Like it's 1999 - Or 1998. The day after Christmas my graduating class had an Ad Hoc Reunion. That was literally the name of it. Put together by the Awesome Miss Lauren. That's literally her name. So fun I forgot to pull out my camera (per the usual). Unfortunately Cameron was at home puking so I had to leave before the arrival of Matt Reedy. If you knew him you'd know that's a travesty.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls  - One of the major reasons I wanted to be home for Christmas this year was to meet Emma, my newest neice, and be there for her blessing. When I arrived I found out that Emma didn't have a blessing dress yet! So Chrysta and I took it upon ourselves to see to it that Emma was dressed to the nines. We scooped up an adorable dress at Strasburg Children, I made an ENORMOUS bow and head band and then let Chrysta do her Martha Stewart business on the blanket and ruffley ribbon socks. The overall result was really, really, ridiculously good looking. And Mike did a wonderful job on the blessing. And I spent the entire sacrament meeting sitting in the hall with Sophie who was being a huge diva.

Cheers! (and Cheers Also Too) - The Saturday after Christmas we all got together at Bed's house for a little surprise baby shower for Lylla. The surprise part of it was her arriving before anyone else. So when we showed up she slid Risky-Business-Style into view doing jazz hands and shouting "Surprise!" I yelled back that she was the one with a newborn and it would be nice just for once for her to be late somewhere...But despite the tardiness on our part the party kicked off with Bed handing us yummy drinks in her prized Cheers and Cheers Also Too glasses (the glasses, it should be noted, that have replaced her very valuable antique dishes from her grandmother on the top shelf of her China cabinet). We ate pizza, played silly party games and decorated onesies with puff paint (all the while assuring Gracia that if she had her glasses, more practice and was right-handed she would have done a first-rate job!). The night ended with a nut-free, egg-free cake that was delicious and I took home my very own loaf of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread. It was awesome, Bed.

BFF's - Because of SickFest 2008 (which doesn't deserve it's own blog - it deserves NOTHING!) I didn't get to see as many people as I wanted to. I did, however, have the privilege of seeing Malissa, a BFF from high school. We ate chicken, played Wii and reminisced about every weekend of our senior year when the two of us, plus our three other BFF's Alexis, Jana and Jill, would spend the night at my house and go out at 3 AM to eat waffles at the Hearth. New Year's Day my college BFF, Pittsburgh Sara, came to visit. Contrary to popular belief Pittsburgh Sara actually lives and works outside of D.C. Anyway, she came up and we watched a small part of the Rose Bowl, ate Oyster Soup and got caught up. If I had my way I would own a private jet and go see these girls whenever I felt like it...BFF's make the world go 'round.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - The BEST part of being home, hands-down, was hanging with my sisters. The Kilgore Sisters Ride Again was so awesome it's hard to explain. There are no words. I just love, love, LOVE my three sisters. It was a HUGE bummer to miss out on Kathryn,  Christy and Sara, though. I'm counting down the days until our next reunion!

Homeward Bound - By the end of our trip I was feeling ready to go home. The kids were off their schedules and acting like maniacs. And I just couldn't wait to get home and put Sophie in her OWN ROOM so I could get some sleep again. So on Jan. 2 we packed up and rode out of town; back the way we came. We made Memphis by midnight, Sophie woke up at 4:45 AM and thus started day two of the trip. We were home by 3 PM. And I was completely unpacked by yesterday afternoon (I did laundry on Saturday but didn't do any other unpacking until Monday morning). Chase had a couple Inventory Observations yesterday and today and heads back to work for real tomorrow - busy season, don't you know.

 

p.s. Since it already took me, like, 3 years to upload pics to facebook you can go here to check them out. I swear I'll put pics on the blog soon. So much redundancy with facebook and blogs...