Happy Halloween

Layla picked a costume this year that couldn't be cheaper ... LOVE IT!!!

School Pictures

So Layla brought home her school pictures today. Too cute. I always frame a 5x7 of Gage's and Layla's next to each other on the piano and I just keep stacking them inside the frame so that I can look back on all of them. Gage looks like a completely different person this year but Layla just looks like Layla with longer hair. It's a big toothless grin picture and I love it!!

My kids are growing up so fast but as Kathy reminded me ... I was popping out babies in my twenties instead of dating and drinking. I get to date (Nick, of course) and drink (cuz I don't do that now) in my forties when my kids are grown. That's right all of you with your little ones ... I'm done in just about ten years!

I just realized that in ten years Gage will be almost 24!!! Holy Crap!!!!

Warning: I'm On My Soapbox ... You May Want To Stop Reading Now

So I did my Wednesday volunteering in Layla's class this afternoon. I read with a couple of groups of kids. They were reading a first grade level book and what should have taken ten minutes to read took more than thirty. Layla's teacher came out into the hall just as they were finishing to see if the book was too hard for them. The kids went back into the class and I told her that it was very frustrating to read with these kids because I feel bad for them. It is clear that their parents don't read to/with them ... ever. That may sound all judgey-mcjudgerson but it's just the way I feel. Anyway, her teacher agreed and said she wanted to show me something. Now, she's not really supposed to show me this but I have known her for years (she was Gage's teacher) and she knew that I would just look at what she wanted me to see. It was the MAP test scores for the second graders. Layla had the highest score for reading ... by far. She was so far above that she was in her own catagory. Her teacher was pretty excited that they had to create a box just for Layla!! Now you may think I'm just bragging (no shit I'm bragging) but I'm not just bragging. I just want it to be known that the only thing Nick and I did was read to her ... every night whether we felt like it or not, whether we were tired or crabby or busy ... it didn't matter. Sometimes it was a pain in the ass and sometimes none of us felt like it but look where it got her!!

Sleeepy

So I had a dream about "the conflict" last night. It was so crappy I think I actually cried in my sleep but that's not the worst part. The worst part is that I couldn't go back to sleep. There is nothing worse than laying awake in the very early hours of the morning. I'm sure I wasn't alone, I probably woke Nick up with all of my tossing and turning. So now I'm all baggy eyed and tired and I really just want to go back to bed. I hope Nick wasn't up for as long as I was or his day is going to be shit. I'm off to make a big fat pot of coffee and get Layla ready for school.

Nick ... if you're exhausted ... I'm sorry!!!

Just wondering ...

So we got a call from the Norm Coleman camp yesterday. It wasn't the automated call ... nope, it was a real live person. Of course he asked for Mrs. Diane so I asked who he was. He didn't answer he just started reading from his script. I'm not sure why I felt compelled to listen even for a minute but I'm actually glad I did. The guy made me laugh out loud. He had the worst voice EVER for the job that he was doing. It was monotone and he was mispronouncing half of the words he was reading. He was talking about unions and how Al Franklin (yes, he said Franklin) is bad for unions and Franklin this and union that. I finally said "Dude, his name is Al Franken." I couldn't help but laugh when I said it and clearly it didn't hurt his feelings because he laughed too. I said "Okay, I'm gonna hang up now." and he said "Yeah, (chuckle, chuckle) I guess you are."

I'm just wondering ... do you think he got it right after that??

Are you ready to ROCK???

So I pre-ordered Guitar Hero so that I would not have to wait like everyone else. Smart right? Not so much. It came out yesterday and while Layla and I were at Super Target yesterday afternoon we saw four of them. I thought it was no big deal because surely Best Buy would be shipping ours out today. Not so much. I got an email this morning that they would ship it in two weeks. Two weeks!! No way. I started calling Target stores and the one closest to me had one and the guy even said he would hold it for me. Layla and I went before school this morning, wet hair and all, and picked one up. Now I'm gonna finish this blog and clean the house and my reward will be putting it all together and rockin out ... all by myself. Maybe I'll be a pro by the time the kids get home. I better get to it!

P.S. Yes ... I realize I am a huge dork.

BFF's

So Layla celebrated another special day yesterday. She and Allie celebrated the "anniversary" of when they became best friends. They got their nails done and went to lunch where they sat alone and exchanged gifts. Too cute!!