stickyfeathers

the hodgepodge edition.

i'm making this post in bullet form as i will be all over the board tonight.  enjoy.

• it is snowing, again.  lovely.  had to share.  i know a lot of you are having the pleasure of dealing with the big joke called mother nature as well.  spring, where are you already?!!  my toes need sunshine!
• tomorrow is tucker's two year checkup.  i'll let you know how that goes. 
• watched gone baby gone tonight.  i really liked the movie.  matt said he didn't.  whatever.  i really liked casey affleck.  yum.
• speaking of yum, if you liked the cupcake shot in my last post, check this one out.  after i took this shot, i ate all four of them.  i'm guessing it was about 700 calories.  ooops.
• the house is still in recovery mode after the party.  eh, i'll get around to it.
• tomorrow night jenn and i are heading to a stampin' up party at my aunt's house!  i was going to take tucker, but i'm needing a night out so he's staying home with matt.  i'm going to try to purchase something that i will ACTUALLY USE.  it should be a fun night.  my aunt is awesome!  :)
• my tailbone still feels horrible.  i didn't bring my doughnut to work today thinking i could deal or that it wouldn't matter - i was wrong.  i spent parts of the day standing at my desk because the thought of getting up out of the chair scared me.  add to that the fact i have a horrible headache even after popping about a dozen ibuprofen and tylonel.  gotta love that.
• oh, i'm finally getting around to updating a girl and her canon. 
• did i mention that i wore flip flops to work this morning and it is now snowing?  phooey!
• i had a good hair day today - enough to make me reconsider chopping it all off.  i'm sure that will change by tomorrow.  isn't that what always happens - you want to cut your hair, then it goes and looks good on you and screws with your mind.
• i'm taking a risk here admitting this.  i swear i am not a hick.  matt and i have been watching ax men on sunday nights {insert laughter from across blogland here}.  i think i really am addicted to all reality television.  whoops.
• it currently looks like toys-r-us just exploded in my living room. 
• i've been messing around with photoshop tonight.  got a few shots edited.  i just love this one and i had to share it.  his shirt says 'daddy's big helper. will work for cookies.'  so very true.

the birthday party.

tucker had a great birthday party!  we had our families and close friends over to celebrate his big day.  the meal included sloppy joes, cowboy beans, fresh veggies/dip, potato salad, and chips.  everyone enjoyed the meal (except for most of the kids who were wired off sugar from nana!).  then we had cupcakes (tucker blew out his candle before i got to take a shot of him doing so).  they were oh. so. good.  then the toy bomb went off we opened gifts.  tucker got a ton of really nice things!  he got a basketball hoop and tee ball set, trucks, books, tools, cute clothes, flashcards, a 'cars' fishing pole, a basket of 'food' for his kitchen, and a ton of other cool things.  he also got some money to put into his account.  i think this was my favorite gift of all because it does not take up any space!  :)

within minutes of the kids arriving (tucker, his cousins, and his auntie), his bedroom looked like a tornado had hit!  i had them all wave to me for the picture.  it just cracks me up.  oh, then i had to take a few shots of the cupcakes.  yum!

then we opened gifts.  tucker got some help from everyone.  it was really hard to keep his attention once he opened the big trucks and a few books.  man...who knew you would have to bribe a kid to open presents!  oh, and then there is the whole process of taking the presents out of their packaging - those damn little wire twist ties will be the death of me!  we are investing in a small pair of wire cutters before the next party!  if you check out matt in the second shot, he's taking the trucks out of the box - he was in this spot for over 30 minutes.  i swear. 

during the entire night, i managed to get one shot of my kid alone.  it's not perfect (none of these are - the lighting sucks in my house and my shots are all wonky), but it's my little babe.  then because i'm a dork, i took a shot of some of his cards.

   

tucker had a super great birthday!  i can't believe i am the mom of a 2 year old!  wow. 

i am exhausted.

the party update will have to be tomorrow.  i am exhausted and going to bed!  i even fell asleep on the couch tonight - i never do that!  hope everyone had a good weekend!

happy birthday tucker!

two years ago today, i met my little gomper for the first time.  since that day, i've been completely in love with this little guy.  sure, there are days when i would like to pluck the hairs out of my head one at a time, but those are few and far between.  for the most part, we have a loving, happy, goofy, smart little dude that makes our lives complete.

this year, he has grown so much.  he went from crawling to walking, jabbering to talking, and no teeth to lots of teeth.  he runs around this house like he's a track star.  he loves when i sing him 'twinkle, twinkle' when i put him in bed at night.  he can count to 10.  he loves music and will rock his little body to the beat.  he has a slight case of obessive complusive 'have to be clean every second of the day' disorder (i hope this is a stage)!  he loves mickey mouse, cars, and pooh.  he can say the names of every. single. truck. in his truck book (i have to get that on video).  he can say his abc's.  he loves books and having them read to him over and over and over.  he loves to go 'buh bye' and go 'crusin' in the truck.  he will help me clean - using either a duster or the vaccum.  he will eat just about anything (when he feels like it) with the exception of raw tomato's.  his favorite treats are m&m's, pudding and suckers of any type.  he loves to play in the water, take a bath, and brush his teeth - pretty much anything having to do with h2o.  he continues to roll his eyes at us to make us laugh.  this kid is quite the card.  i'm sure there are many more things that i could share about him (but i have a party to get ready for)! 

you have gone from this tiny little babe that i was sure i would break...

 

then you turned into this cute little gomper that i loved to squeeze...

and now you are becoming my big boy and you continue to give me something to smile about everyday.

 

happy birthday tucker!  we love you!

he's turning two tomorrow...

i can't believe my little dude is turning two tomorrow!  i plan to have a fun post about him tomorrow, but tonight i had to share this.

last year, on the night before his big birthday, i took a few 'mommy and me' shots.  i love snapping away with this little guy.  now, things have changed and he actually 'gets' what being in front of the camera is.  the other day, when i was taking pictures of natalie and tucker, natalie said to tucker, 'say cheese tucker', to which tucker replied, 'cheeeeeese tucker'!  natalie and i burst into laughter, only to be copied by the little gomper himself.  so, when i whip out my camera these days for 'mommy and me' shots, he's cheesy as ever! 

'mommy and me' (march 28, 2007):

'mommy and me' (march 28, 2008):

okay.  i just love this shot - his pj's crack me up!  i don't look my best, but who cares.  i can't believe how much this kid has changed in just one year!  look at those curls he had going for him last year.  this year, he's turned into a real charmer.  :)

thoughts for thursday.

i'm curious about something.

how many of you clean your house before you have company over?  we are having tucker's birthday party on saturday night and i'm in the total clean mode.  the bathroom is pretty much done, but i still have work to do in every other room in the house.  eeek!

so, do you go out all if you are having company or no?  if not, what do you usually clean - just the living room?  how many people have to come over before you get a little crazy and clean every room like myself?  give me the details on your 'company cleaning modes'.  hahaha!

leave me a comment so i have something to read during my 'cleaning breaks'.

i've been tagged...and you're next.

anne from bun in the oven tagged me for this meme.  you know, the one where i share seven random things about myself.  here we go, again. 

1. i chew on my pen caps.  i know - bad for the teeth!
2. from the third grade until i graduated high school, i spelt my name: jeni.  it was always legally: jenny (not jeni and certainly not jennifer).  i think my parents told me when i was little they meant to have it spelt jeni, so i just started spelling it that way because it was different.  i never legally had it changed (that costs $).  when i graduated high school, the retards in charge of our yearbook put 'jennifer' under my photo on our senior page.  i was pissed but whatever.  nothing like really asking someone what their name is - drrrrr.  anyways, in college i started spelling my name as it was legally: jenny.  now, i like it that way much better.  oh, and don't you dare call me jennifer.  i hate that, as some of you might know.
3. i have been pulled over by the law a few too many times to admit to.  i've had um, two speeding tickets and one stop sign violation ticket (which i got on my BIRTHDAY).  i've had one written warning and well, a baker's dozen verbal warnings.  there, i admitted it all.  i haven't been pulled over since last summer.  i hope to keep the streak alive.  i swear - i'm slowing down officers.  it helps i only drive to work every other week.  that cuts down my odds of having my plates ran.
4. if i am driving somewhere, i have a habit of trying to figure out to the minute what time i will arrive at my destination.  i look at the clock, i figure in the miles and how fast i'm driving.  i like to see how close i get and usually - i'm right on the money.
5. i have a scar on top of my right foot from dragging the top of my foot on the sidewalk when i was riding my bike.  i was about eight when this happened.  it hurt like hell, but the scar is a perfect circle.  it's kinda cool.
6. i hate washing dishes with food on them.  i wash them off before i clean them with the scrubbie.  oh, and i don't fill the sink with dishwater and let them soak in all that.  ick!  i just rinse, wash, and rinse again.  no soaking in dirty water.  i don't even like to pull the plug in a sink of dirty water!
7. at my wedding, we gave away trees as favors.  however, we never planted one in our own yard!  we did get a red maple as a wedding gift that we did plant in our yard so i think that counts.  however, it was about six feet tall and our little tree favors were just starting their lives!  i hope there were a lot of people that planted them!  okay, and an additional note: i'm not a treehugger!  :)

the rules are to tag seven people to share seven things about themselves.  well, i'd like to know seven random things about libby, jaime, hope, leah, cass, amy, and mary!  sorry ladies, i had to let you share in the fun!     

happy birthday house!

he can't hide today - happy birthday derek! 

you know, i should have posted one of the REALLY great shots i have of you.  :)

doughnut anyone?

i stayed home from work today because i have a pain in my ass.  literally. 

i did go to the doctor today.  why?  i don't know, i just thought they would take an xray to confirm if it was broken, fractured, or just bruised.  however, no xray was taken.  what happened was the doctor told me that the treatment would be the same no matter what - sit on a doughnut, and take a crapload of ibuprofen and tylenol extra strength.  oh, she also told me that if it was infact broke, and if i had another kid, it would most likely break again during childbirth.  super.  she ended it with the fact i could feel this pain in my ass for about a month.  could things get any better?  sure.  the doctor also said i should bring my doughnut with me wherever i go so i can sit in comfort.  lovely.  to tell you the truth, it gives you some relief, but not total comfort. 

all right.  i'm done complaining about the tailbone.  i'll try not to whine too much over the next MONTH. 

weekend rewind.

i hope you all had a very hoppy easter.  :) 

this weekend we traveled down to matt's grandma's house in wisconsin.  i got off early friday from work.  we left town and got down there in time for dinner.  friday night was pretty low key.

saturday we got up and hung out for a while, before the big egg hunt!  tucker had a lot of fun and i got some cute pictures (almost the only pictures i took all weekend - whoops).  it is hard to take shots when it is so bright out!  the sun on the snow could blind a person.  anyways, finding colored eggs in the snow was pretty tough - i took a picture to show you how camoflauged they were.  loved it.  there is also a family picture of us (it would have been sweet if tucker was looking!), tucker with nana jamie during the egg hunt, matt with tucker and the bunnies, duck, chick and lamb (who honestly kind of freak me out), and one of tucker's little snow boots.

 

saturday afternoon we had our big easter dinner.  it was delish.  ham, cheesy potato's, corn, homemade bread - and i didn't over do it either.  jess, corey, matt and i played cards (smear and cribbage mostly) for like hours upon hours.  good times, until i fell down the stairs.  yeah, you read that right.  i fell down some stairs (not the entire flight - thank god) but about seven of them, with tucker in my arms.  he was fine, but my tailbone suffered the brunt of the whole disaster.  right now, it kills.  it feels like my tailbone itself is glued to the chair i'm in and when i go to get up, i'm ripping it out of my body.  yeah, wonderful.  needless to say i won't be doing my boot camp workout for well, a couple days.  oh, i almost forgot to add - we had two real little easter bunnies at the house too.  i took a picture of the mellow cute one (who most of the time looked like it had been ran over by 3 two-year-olds.)  :)  i also threw in the best shot i had of the three of the kiddos next to each other.  they were busy and i didn't get a lot of shots of them so this was the best one.  hahaha!

we got up sunday morning, ate breakfast, and got ready to leave.  we said our goodbyes and took off early.  it was nice to get home in the early afternoon.  i managed to get our bags unpacked and the laundry started before i peeked at my reader.  i had like 100 posts sitting there waiting for me.  whoa!  throughout the night i read them.  i started going over my photo's from the weekend too.  my butt hurt so bad that it was hard to relax in the recliner.  tucker ended up falling asleep on the couch at about 530.  i woke him up at 730, got him ready for bed, had him eat dinner, then we all went to bed at 10.  his schedule was all wacked by the weekend so this week should be interesting.