Out of the mouths of babes.

This morning I came downstairs dressed and ready for work.  I sat down with the kids to give them all hugs, cuddles and kisses before I left for the day. 

Noah snuggled up to my side (don't you just love snuggles from kiddos who are all warm and cuddly in their pajamas).  As I was enjoying the cuddling, Noah pulled away, looked at me with a critical eye and said, "Mom, you wear that dress too much."

Lovely. 

You know it is bad when you are seven year old is commenting on how often you wear a particular piece of clothing.  Granted, I have owned this dress for a long time.  *Sigh*  Maybe my wardrobe does need a little refresher. 

Moving along . . .

Next, Eliza comes to give me a hug good-bye as I am standing near the door.  At four years old, Eliza's head comes to just above my waist (do you see where this is headed?).  Eliza hugs me, pulls away, and says, "It feels like there is a baby in your belly." (which I can assure you there is not). 

Wonderful. 

Again, I can admit that after carrying five babies in my womb in a period of seven years, my stomach is not what it used to be.  I will also admit that I should probably work-out more and eat less chocolate.  Nevertheless, not exactly the words that I wanted to hear as I headed out for the day.

It is a good thing that they are both so cute. 

Jumping on the Band Wagon Five Years Late

I have a new addiction love.

How could I have missed it these past five years?

A few weeks ago my facebook news feed was filled with people mourning the end of this show. 

What was all the hype about?

Can watching a show about football really be all that interesting?

Ummm . . . YES!!!

Love it, absolutely love it.

Summer Date Nights, part II

This week was my date night with Noah.  We always call Noah our "sporty kid."  He loves being outside, loves being active, and love, love, loves anything competitive.  This is the kid who asked if he could go outside after we had been at the pool (and the heat) for almost ten hours this past weekend.  While the rest of us collapsed inside, Noah headed out to play basketball.

So, when I first told the kids about our Summer Date Nights, Noah's list of potential activities included all things sporty:  bowling, roller-blading, laser tag, etc.  His front runner was roller-blading and I began looking forward to a night of fun at a local roller-skating rink. 

However, after Davis's date night at the movies last week, all that changed.  Noah had to go see a movie.  At night.  Just like Davis.  And there was no convincing him otherwise.  I don't know if it is the fact that our boys are only two years apart, but there is a constant underlying competitiveness between them.  If Davis did something, Noah had to do it too.

So, off to the movies we went.  The movie for this week:  Cars 2 in 3-D.

I have never been to a 3-D movie before, and quite frankly, I am not sure what all the hype is about.  I used tickets I had purchased through Living Social, so I did not have to pay anything extra for the "3-D experience," so we decided to give it a try.

The movie itself was okay.  Not nearly as great as the first Cars movie, but we still enjoyed it.

More importantly, I had a great time with Noah!  He is such a great kid and is growing up way to fast.  As we were talking during the drive home from the theatre I told Noah how much I love him and how proud I am of him. 

His response, "I know.  But Mom, did you say these same things to Davis last week?" 

See what I mean?

Summer Date Nights

This summer I decided that I wanted to "date" my kids.  In a family of six, there is always something going on, and I rarely get the opportunity to hang-out with each of my kiddos one on one. I wanted to invest time into each child individually, so I came up with the "Summer Date Night Plan."  Each week, I take out only one child for an activity of his/her choosing.  It has to be something local and relatively inexpensive, but otherwise it is completely up to the kiddo to choose what they want to do.

Last night I went on a date with Davis.  He decided on a movie.  At first he asked to see Cars 2, but about a week ago he asked if he could change to the final Harry Potter movie.  (I was hesitant at first because the movie is rated PG-13, but ultimately decided that he could probably handle it).  Davis has read the entire Harry Potter series numerous times, and I knew he would have a blast.

Davis actually counted down the hours until our date.  I would like to think that he was excited to spend time with me, but who am I kidding?  It was all about the Harry Potter movie.  Ok . . . well, maybe it was 90% Harry Potter, 10% hanging out with Mom.  Or 80/20?  I will just tell myself it was an even 50/50 split.

We had such a great time!  We stopped by Target for a little candy treat, and then settled into our big comfy seats directly in the middle of the movie theater.  I enjoyed chatting with Davis on the ride to the theater (I think that you can get some of the best conversations in with tweens during car rides), in Target and as we sat watching the previews and waiting for the movie to start.  As he approaches the teen years, I want to keep our relationship strong.  I want him to know that he can talk to me about anything.  I love that boy and can't believe that he is almost ten years old.

The movie itself was fantastic!  Lots of witty dialogue, suspense and action all rolled into one.  Two thumbs up from both myself and Davis.

Next up, Noah.  He still has not decided what he wants to do, but the top contender as of this morning is roller-blading.  Sounds fun to me!

My Civic Duty

This poor blog.  It has been neglected for weeks.  I was afraid that would happen.  Life just gets in the way.  Work, church, friends, kids' activities, traveling, vacation.  Pick an excuse.

 

But today I am stuck.  Stuck in a jury waiting room along with six hundred other individuals from Orange County.  What a great time to update my blog.  I have hours to pass with not a lot of things to do.

At 36 years old, this is actually the first time I have ever had to report for jury duty.  I was called once while in law school, but was excused because of my school schedule.  I am suprised I have not received a summons before.  I have been registered to vote since I was 18 years old.  This also worries me a bit.  Perhaps my luck will run out, and I will be chosen for a jury.

Jury duty provides for some interesting people watching.  There are all types of people here.  Old and young.  Different ethnicities.  Professionals and blue color workers.  The wealthy and the poor.  It is interesting to sit on this side of things.  What will the lawyers be looking for today?  I find myself scanning the room and making initial judgement calls on who I would like for a jury in one of my own civil trials.

Also, will a lawyer want me, an attorney with 10 years of experience, on a jury?  My guess is no.  Unless my background meets the exact characteristics that one of the attorneys are looking for, I will not be chosen.  Jurors with any type of legal experience are typically choosen as the foreperson.  The other jurors will like to him/her for guidance.  I hope that is my ticket out of here.

In general, people do whatever they can to get out of jury duty.  As I was waiting in line to check-in, I heard many complaints and excuses.  I have to admit that I also hope I am not selected.  I have a deposition to prepare for and a flight up to Oregon tomorrow.  Not to mention the difficulty I will have meeting my monthly billable requirement if I have to sit on a jury for several days.  However, if it weren't for my pesky job, I think I would like to be chosen.  It is an opportunity to serve, and I would love to be able to see the judicial process from the opposite perspective.  It is crazy to think that the people sitting in this room have the power to take away a person's freedom.  It is an awesome responsibility. 

*****

It is now 9:07 a.m.  I have been here since 7:45 as required by my jury summons.  The check-in process took nearly an hour, and the court employee just announced a 30 minute break. (already?!?).  This bugs me.  I want to get to work.  I want to get things done.  I need to just get over it and realize that I am in for a long and tedious day.