Merry Birthday!!!

Well Christmas 2008 is over as is my 25th birthday. I will say it was a pretty good day. Aiden got all kinds of fun stuff from his grandmas. Tools to cars, he made out. He was able to rip paper off gifts himself this year. It was a slow going event with him. Every time we got a new one open we had to stop and take it out of the packaging to be tested. But it was still fun and I am happy to see twist ties are going away. They now have these little plug/screw things that go 10 times faster. A great bonus when you own an impatient toddler. I think Aiden's favorite part of the day was birthday cupcakes. It was almost as messy as his first birthday party.

My brother and I made out like bandits, again. My mom really puts all her heart into Christmas for us. Lots of gift cards. I am most excited about the gift card to REI my mom got for Skip and I. Cant wait until spring when we can go spend it on MORE hiking gear. Yes. Uber excited. I have a ton of candles to burn. Cant go wrong there. My brother was awesome and got me some photo frames for all the pics I have stored on this computer. I can wait to start looking thru and printing out the great ones. 2 new blankets. Those of you who have been to my place and know me, well you know I cant have enough blankets. Its very hard for me to turn them down!! I love them! But the things I have too many of are for another blog. Couple new winter hats. Yet another item I cant say no to. And of coarse we added another WWII book to the collection for Skip. Next year I'm asking for a new bookshelf!!

ANd then there was the FABULOUS gift for my mom and brother. Scissors. I ended up getting them each 4 pairs. In all sizes. I can tell you that gift went over GREAT. My brother was laughing so hard when he got the box open and my mom was a bit behind and didn't realize what he was laughing at. Then she saw and she also had a grin. They were both quite pleased. Best gift Ive ever given. LOL

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Running with scissors

For as long as I can remember a battle has raged between my mom and my brother. From the day Chris learned how to use a pair of scissors, things have never been the same. He likes to cut up everything. He will sit there and cut a perfectly good piece of paper into a billion pieces. My mom always needs scissors for something and neither one of them can ever find them in the house. I can tell you we have probably been through at least 20 pairs in the past 12-13 years since we came to Colorado. There are times when Chris has been known to have 3-4 pairs in his possesion alone! You should see what happens in the house when this is discovered by Mom.

Well it has come to my attention that there is only ONE pair of scissors left in the house. That's right ONE. Every time I am there it's a battle over who currently has them. No one ever goes out and buys more. This year I have a plan.

I have been searching for the right Christmas gift for these two members of my family when it hit me!! They need some cutting power!! No more will I see my brother running to hide the only pair available. No longer will my point the tips at me and tell me it's not funny. I have solved it.

This Christmas I will go and purchase each their OWN pair! Not only will it help to end this civil war between them, but it will make them responsible. How you may ask? I am getting them engraved with their names! Oh yes. I can see it now. I will make them open the boxes at the same time. I intend to wrap these gifts like the ones you see on TV. Beautiful paper, ribbon and exquisite packing material. It will be fabulous!! I will also have the camera ready for this one. I promise to blog the outcome the nite of Christmas. I just can't wait!!!

Making tough decisions

I think every one of us is often faced with difficult decisions. We have to make them all time. Some are easier than others and some of us have to make them more often than not. They come in all forms and all degrees of difficulty. I suppose its all different for each of us. I was faced with a tough situation today. One I have not had to deal with in a very long time. Allow me to explain.

It's Thursday. I pick Aiden up every Thursday morning and I usually get outta bed and just kinda go. About 10 o'clock rolls around I am still in bed, I decide it's time to call Christa to make sure she is home and let her know I am on my way. This is where I get the news that it is snowing out. Remember I am still in bed and I haven't even looked out the window yet. I hate the snow. So I tell Christa I will call if its too nasty to drive all the way down there. No, this was not the difficult decision.

The thermometer says 22 degrees. Damn. I get out the ninjas to wear under my jeans and shirt. Nice green pair of army socks to wear over the ninjas and then pull the boots on over that. Already feeling warmer. What comes next is the hard part. I know I am going to have to sweep the car off, if not scrape as well. I look at my winter gloves. They are the big, thick type you use to build snowmen or go skiing in. You know, the kind that make you handicapped the minute you put them on.

Gloves are the evil of cold weather. You know you need them, but you don't want to need them because of all the issues they cause. I put them on. I put them on BEFORE I put my coat on because we know what happens if you don't. You have to try to cram the tops of the gloves into your coat and that leaves the possibility of a gap that will allow cold air in and at that point the damn things are useless!! Now I pull on my coat all while dreading the next step. The zipper. Now I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat because you too know the hardship!!!

I struggle. I get a firm grasp of the left side of the zipper, using both hands to find and get a hold of it. Now for the right side, but my left hand is already holding something and cant help grasp the pull up piece. SHIT. No, don't take the gloves off, you know what will happen. SO there I stand slowing spinning a circle in a right handed direction thinking somehow that's going to help me get a hold of the zipper with my current handicap. I finally after some time I get it. But it continues to get harder.

Now both ends of the zipper in hand I have to match the pieces up. I don't wanna talk about how hard it is to see a black zipper on a black coat with black gloves. And since I cant feel anything I have to try to see it. So over to the lamp I walk bending kinda backwards to bring it into the light. Sheesh. I few tries and I get it up. Now I'm freaking hot, remember everything I said I was wearing!!

You would think that's the end of the ordeal. But if you wear gloves often you know very well it is not. I am very satisfied at this point because I have dressed myself in a manner that no cold air is gonna get in anywhere and I will stay nice and cozy in the 22 degrees of warmth we have outside. YAY. Well I have one word to just tear down any happiness I was currently experiencing with myself. Keys.

I dropped them 3 times trying to lock my door. Its amazing how much smaller that little piece of metal gets in the winter. Hadn't realized it shrunk. Damn gloves. By the time I get the car swept off and I am in the road I'm so mad at the damn gloves that I whip them off and throw them into the seat next to me. Thinking maybe I have hurt their feelings. HA! Take that gloves, I don't need you.

So you see, gloves make decision making VERY difficult when it come to dressing for winter. I will have to make the same decision again tonite after work. Maybe I can find someone to zip me up this time.............

I don't know really

I don't really know what to write about. All I know is I am extremely bored. I have watched every chick flick I own...ALONE. I hate that. Im working on a 750 piece puzzle and 2 baby blankets and it doesnt seem to be enough. What gives! Im so bored that I almost had a lapse in good judgment and went back to myspace!! Don't wanna do that again.

I got the Christmas tree up tonite. I even have more than the 5 M&M ornaments from last year. Had to do some slight rearranging to make some room for the little 3 foot tree, but hey it looks cute!

I'm happy that I can finally say I wont be so alone next month. I am eagerly anticipating Skips return. It will be a great relief to get things back on track and at the same time will help to clear the lost feelings and unsure decisions about things out of the back of my mind. Pretty much burnt out having them there all the time. I'm happy to have someone again. Its been a very long time since I had any free time taken up with shared feelings. I miss it horribly.

Aiden continues to get cuter everyday. I don't know how that is possible, but he does. We are starting to get 3 word sentences out of him. Recently he has begun to understand the power of "mine" Everything is now, my book, my car, my toy, my fish.......anything that is yours is really his. He likes to fake gag. Sometimes you really think he is choking and he busts into fits of laughter instead. We watched Tarzan today and he said elephant. Big word for a 2 year old . Way cute. He continues to shoot the cat, rats and me with his water gun any Chance he gets. One handed he points it and says. " BECK BECK". He will then squint his eyes, throw his head back and go. " HAAAAAA'. He's become a fantastic head banger and has even begun to sing words from songs. His dancing abilities are well worth the wet pants you will have from laughing.

I am hoping he doesn't have a 9lb weight gain this winter. I still want one more summer to haul him around in the pack. I am going to get him a drum for Christmas. He very much enjoys beating things and making noise. I figures I would nurture that little instinct. Maybe someday it will pay off in the form of millions! I can only hope.