It's Amazing

To have not only a best friend, but a best family!
Of course everyone whe knows me knows of my best friend Brandy. But It's not just Brandy it's the whole gang, Robbie, Shania, and Angela... and maybe to be Kaitlyn.
Sometimes it is hard to find time to do stuff and hang out or money to go someplace but man when we haven't been together in a while and we get out wow do we have a blast and suddenly realive what a blessing it is!
Although my kids are a good bit younger; 2.5 and nearing 4 to her kids 8 and 9, they still have fun together!
We met up at kids cove yesterday at 3:30, we stayed and played til 5:30 then we went to McD's on Old Forest Rd and grabbed a bite and played some more. Us adults even joined in the tube crawling and sliding.We are able to have so much fun both in the larger pricey-er outings and in the smaller fun ones, that are nearly free. But wow when we left McD's near 7:30 my kids were both zonked out before I got to Walmart to by juice and poptarts!
Thanks for an amazing Sunday of fun Bran, Rbbie, Ang, and Shania!

Cuteness

CUTENESS

It has been both fun and a self estem booster that ever since my bday DH and I have made sure I get my nails done... usually every three weeks... It's worth the money to us now that we aren't 100% check to check! Dh enjoys them back scratches and I feel cuter- even if I'm not which is wonderful!!
But really WOW those guys and gals are so amazingly talented... The teeny tiny details, the precision and most recently the designs they can do! WOWSERS! Last time I got navy nails w/ white and sparkley siver snow flakes and have NEVER in my life had so many complimants for any reason... this time i got deep purple nails and said I wanted a design and they have such imaginitiveness and creativity and it again turned ut beautiful!
So yup just had to blog about my cute nails;-)

Post Holiday Survey

Post Holiday Blog

Did your kid sit with Santa? Yeah kinda--- We went to the mall the night Santa arrived... we rode the horse and carriage- even w/ one of A's school friends! Then we went and stood in the hr long santa line.... The whole time Jayna blew Santa kisses and he blw kisses back and Ant was going to ask for a football. Well Ant was fine sitting with him but NOOOO Jayna was NOT interested so Mommy, Uncle Mark, Tony, Jayna Mr and Mrs. Clause took the pic together!

What did you have for Christmas dinner? I cooked it aall!!!! Go me!!! I made blueberry muffins, choc chip cookies, ham, green beans w/ bacon and onion, sweet potato casserole, pepperoni rolls, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie... then we had store bought mac salad and tato salad

What was the best gift you received? I liked ALL my gifts- especially my Steeler's coat!! I also got a nice fuzzy robe, fuzzy slippers, and a bedding set

What was the worst gift you received? no worst gift but it was annoying to put on our new sheets to find out we got QUEEN sheets with our KING SIZED bed in a bag set UGH!!!

What was your kid(s) favorite gift? I'm not sure but I think Ant's was a castle and Jayna's was a bunch of dress up pieces!

What was the best moment of the holidays?
Having Marko's mom, aunt and brother over two more yrs and hopefully the whole fam can be home for cmas<3 and stay home for good-- hint hint!
What was the worst moment of the holidays?

What are your resolutions for 2008?
none, just my goal of working LESS

Did it snow anytime during your holidays?
NOPE

Anything you want to add?
Way too much stuff was given to the kids AHHHHHH, So we spent their Christmas cash on shelves and storage units!!

Believe them when they say

my belly hurts!~

It started Sunday:

After 3 years and 10 months of parenting I dealt w/ my first ear infection... kinda.
My dad took A to WV 12/26 and they got bak last night. Around 4 mom called me at work saying he was complaining his ear hurt so they took him to the dr. By the time they left the house he was crying b/c it hurt so they gave him 1/2 of a children's chewable tylenol.
The dr said he had a "whoppin big ear infection" and laughed when my parents said they gave him 1/2 a tylenol because for his weight he can have 3-4 whole ones!!!
My 3 y/o is 50.5 lbs!!!
He seems fine today although on tylenol and antibiotics.

Then at bed time last night he said his belly hurt- I assumed he was just making excuses to stay up.... he wasn't and we both ended up needing showers while dh cleaned the floor- EWWWW

Godbye 07, Hello 08

Another Year

Another year come and gone.

This yr has been pretty good to us.

It ended sadly, but over all a good year.

In January my best friend and her dh got custody of his daughter!!<3>

In Fenruary my lil man turned 3~ and cute as can be~

In March my husband turned 21 and gave ME the birthday gift of a trip to PA to reunite with my family. Thank you baby, you mean the world to me and you will never know how much the reunion means to me!

In April our baby turned into a terribly two toddler~ and still so darn cute when she's evil! Angela's bday too at putt-putt; a blast although chilly My baby nephew was born!!!

In May Shania's bday at Kid's Cove, Brandy's bday, and what would have been Blake's 4th bday- bittersweet:-( Anthony was in his 1st school performance and so precious it was!! Our pastor Jerry Falwell died

June was next w/ Anthony's 1st year of preschool done! Robbie's bday We even snuck a quick visit to WV the last day of June begin of July... my sis turned 26~

July marked the 4 yr anniversary of my godson's death and it still hits you like a brick in your face. I love that baby boy so much! We went on a family vacay that started in PA and our final farewell's to Aunt Grace, then Williamsburg to Busch Garden's and Water Country USA. Much fun to see my son ride his first adult roller coaser... I think the baby was still a bit too young to have too much fun at Busch but she's def a water baby~ July also marked Brandy and Robbie permanatly welcoming Angela into their family!!

August we took one more vacay, this one was only PA and I got to spend time meeting my newest nephew thoroughly and rebonding with my sister nd her family. I miss them so much, yet I know it is best for my fam for me to be here and I can't afford many visits... thankgoodness myspace keeps me somewhat updated using pictures!!

September Uncle Zac moved out. I went to the mgr conference in Hershey Pa

October I turned 23. Halloween was fun with me as the king, my lil Kangaroo Jack and my tendercrisp chicken~ and we were able to spend time with Bran, Rob, the girls and more friends! It was wonderful!! We also managerd two trips to PA one for Bridge Day and one for Kelvin's bday! Parker's bday too!

November I got an ast mgr FINALLY after 2.5 yrs!!!! We got to go to WV for Thanksgiving too!

December was a bittersweet month. I worked a heck load of hours. I was so tired and drained by the time i got off work after being called in on my anniversary 3rd yr in a row!) I was an emptional mess but my dh was awesome and we ended up having a sweet date. I worked a ton more. My best friends dad died suddenly of a heart attack on christmas eve and that put so much strain on any further plans.... I made my first ever holiday meal, gray helped me magnificently so I could be w/ Brandy.

oh how dare me orget to mention my oldest nephew had a bday 12/30!!! I love you Hunter William George Kennedy<3

And that is my year in a page or so!

As for goals and resolutions- eh I don't really believe in those. But kinda did one... I refuse to work insanely crazy hrs anymore and put my family 2nd, behind BK. And I made this known to my DM 12/28 and already changes have been made~

My only other desire is to get back control of the middle room upstairs from all our never ending house "guests" so my kids can have a bedroom... it may take a lil while but we'll get there....

Happy 08 my friends~

Insuraceless... Good or Bad, I' divin IN

nsurance drives me insane!!! At least w/ car insurance I don't feel 1/2 as ripped off as I do by health insurance! My company offers heath insurance. When I first started getting it in 04 my family policy was 140 a check for 20 key care which basically means no deductible minimum, 20 bucks a dr vistit and 20% of the costs not covered--- or something close. This past year I was at the max amount I could afford a yr 350ish a pay which is 700 a month... is that insane or what!?!? At least oct 04-april 05 i was preggo so using it regularly but like this past year I spent nearly 9,000 in insurance and spent only maybe if I over estimate and include the bipap machine we bougtht and dh's sleep study all dr visits, all prescrips- less than 3,000 so why am I coughing up all this cash for literally nothing? In hopes I nearly die so I see some benefit? Well this year they uped my rate (everyone in the company's really) to $450 every other week!!! That is 900 a month and 1400 in the 2 months w/ 3 paydays--- are they CRAZY?! So for the first time ever starting Tuesday we will be an unisured family! It's a lil scary but in essence I should be saving lots of $$. 900 a month and only spend 100 a month max in insurable money max! So hopefully it will become a nice $800 a month savings plan right?

Oh did I mention that I went to anthem.com, whom our insurance is through and I can get a policy to cover my whole family for less than $500 a month so why were they about to charge me $900 through work!? Does that sound fishie or what?

The Simpson-Sykes'

Just for fun!!

So I was bored so finally simpsonized my family.... the website's been p for 6 mos but while bk had the promotion going on the website was slammed and took forever but now you zip right through at simpsonizeme.com and here we are!