Go Obama!

Since it costs $20 for a stinking Obama yard sign, I thought I would take advantage of my $2 pumpkin and give him a little publicity of my own. Well, Pat carved the one on the right, I did the one of the left with Jackson repeating incessantly, "This is taking a really long time!"

Closing the gap here! Only 2% difference in polls here with a 3% margin of error! Tuesday is going to be REALLY exciting!

We are gearing up for the Halloween Witch to visit. Who is that you may ask? Well, after the kids go trick-or-treating, you leave your candy out at night, and the Halloween Witch comes to collect it and leaves a toy instead! The Halloween Witch has been visiting us since Jackson's first Halloween, call up the Halloween Witch and have her come visit you this Halloween!

Mickey and Minnie

Rylee Rose is Showered!

This weekend, Rylee Rose was showered with gifts and love. We had a little shower for her and she got a WHOLE LOT OF PINK!!! I have to admit that bringing Tyler's pink rocker out into the living room and stacking all the gifts around it was such a good idea. I didn't take one gift, people knew where they went, and it was a fool proof way to eliminate some work on my part, so I advise a designated seat for the guest of honor if you are ever hosting one of these events.



The cake was made by a friend of my grandma. We kind of stuck with a pink and brown theme,so she did a really nice job. Everyone said that the cake was amazing, and when Pat tasted it, he was in love!

I was also fortunate to get to spend some time with Karissa this weekend. Being around her for even such a short period of time makes me realize how much I miss her. Jackson just LOVED Leila. He was also a great friend to Malakai and did a super job sharing his toys. I would love to be able to see these kiddos grow up together! It did confirm that my kids are definitely ready for Rylee Rose to arrive. They are great helpers, following Karissa around picking up toys that Leila dropped, bringing her a bottle or pacifier if Leila was crying, and overall, just really loving her!

Just another reason that I hate the winter. I did a load of whites last night, and this morning when I go to sort them, it is dang near impossible to tell which tiny white sock goes with what tiny white sock. Now granted, Jackson's foot is a lot bigger than Tyler's, but their socks need their names embroidered on them. FOR THE LOVE OF MONKEYS!!!

Dentist Phobia

I have to tell you that I am absolutely one hundred percent IN LOVE with my dentist. If we both were not married, I think I might go after him. I have so much respect for the man, it is amazing that I can feel this way about a dentist. HOWEVER, this does not stop me from crying when I walk in the door. Today, Pat and I went to the dentist to have a cosmetic consultation. Since the dentist, hygienists, assistants, office manager, and accountant all know my HATRED of my teeth, they suggested that they let the dentist take some pictures and models, and then Pat and I could come back to talk to him about what the options were. I couldn't even let him take the pictures without crying, and I made him promise that I would never see these pictures. ***Once, when I was in about eighth grade, a dentist took pictures and pulled them up on a screen for me, proceeded to tell me all that was wrong-as if I didn't know, and I haven't been able to look at a picture of my teeth ever since, and I have never really even discussed my options for fear that I would have to look at the pictures.***

When I arrived today, the dentist made some jokes about how I didn't have to look at the pictures, but could he just show Pat? UUUUUMMMMMM, that was the trigger, tears started flowing, I seriously cannot take a joke about this. He was kidding, and he promised that he would do his complete presentation and analysis without anyone in the room ever seeing the pictures. I think at this point Pat was dumbfounded. In the ten years we have been together, he has never been to a dental office with me. AND LET ME TELL YOU, it is not a pretty sight. He was just staring at me, absolutely supportive, don't get me wrong, but just like, "The dentist is not even touching you, why are you crying!?" So, we continued on with the consultation, my teeth are amazing, I have an amazing bite, they are super straight, good gums, so on and so forth, they just look crappy. The dentist told Pat that even if they don't think my teeth look bad, this is an extremely emotional issue for me, and that the tears aren't a fear thing. The dentist told us that he has no doubt that if he did the procedure for me that he would have clients forever because I would be so happy. BUT, here is the part where I think both Pat and I fell head over heels, when I said to the dentist that I didn't think I could do the top without doing the bottom, and he said, "Do I want to take your money? YES! Will I do the bottom for you? ABSOLUTELY! However, if you do the top teeth, you will be amazed at how much better you will feel, and there are other, CHEAPER routes we could take with your bottom teeth before we go the veneer route." He had analyzed the pictures, my bottom teeth don't show when I smile, they are really not an issue. He understands that they are an issue for me, but monetarily, they should not really be discussed at this time. He answered all of our questions. Getting veneers is a REALLY involved process, like WEEKS! For two days you have on temporaries, then you go back in and discuss what you like and dislike, then for three weeks, you wear some more temporaries, go back in and discussed what you like and dislike, and finally after like a month of analyzing, you actually get the veneers put on. Good news is that he agreed to give me the Brophy discount on my veneers as well-just because my mom works there! YAY!

Do I think I will do it? I don't know! I left there with a sick feeling in my stomach knowing how much it was, and how this is not the right economy to be committing such a extravagant act, but at the same time, I think about how much better I think that I would feel, I just don't know. I don't have to decide today, maybe we will win the lottery, and then I can do extravagant things. But, just talking to him and knowing that there is hope for my bad teeth makes me a little happier. It is really bad how bad I want this!!!!

If you want to check out some of his work, go to http://www.docrad.com

What Does Your Daddy Do??

Sarah's class is discussing what their daddy does when he goes to work, so Shannon asked me to ask Jackson what his daddy does when he goes to work. Jackson replies, "He goes to court." In all honesty Pat probably goes to court twice a month, but Jackson is convinced this is where is spending his time. I need to give Jackson a better answer to this question though because some people may think his daddy is the one standing trial!

Well, IT IS OFFICIAL!

I have still NEVER been to a bachelorette party! I was supposed to go out with some girls on Saturday night to celebrate Tricia and Andy getting married, but when I walked in the door after the shower on Saturday, Jackson puked up the entire contents of his stomach on the couch. SOOOOO, being the SUPER wife that I am, I offered to stay home because I have been here alone with both of them when one is puking, and TRUST ME, it is no fun. One throws up, the other comes over to look, you have to give one a bath, but the other one is left alone with the vomit, etc. Doesn't that sound fun!!???

Anyway, the kids had a great time at Lizzy's birthday party this weekend. She had a 101 Dalmatian themed party. It was really cute, but 101 Dalmatians is a hard theme to find paraphernalia to go along with it. Andrea got bone cookies from Barb's Bakery. Hands down, the best frosted cookie that I have ever had!!! Not like those grocery store knock offs! The cake had dogs on it (even a Dalmatian), and my Disney Freak of a child tells me later, "Um, those weren't the right dogs! They weren't the Dalmatians that are in the movie!" OK Kiddo!

Other than that, we are just CRAZY busy here. Getting ready for our VERY busy weekend: Miller Family Fun, Pat's 10 year high school reunion, and Katie's Baby Shower! FUN TIMES, ONE STRESSED OUT MOMMY!

PS-It was very clear from my spell check of this blog, that I am clueless when it comes to how Dalmatian is spelled!!!

Tyler Gracie

Took her to the doctor on Monday for her 2 year check up! Just some more proof that the Howell children have LARGE heads!!! She is 15th percentile in weight (23.8 lbs), 55th percentile in height (34 inches) and 70th percentile in head size!!!! She is my darling, little peanut that's for sure! At two, Jackson was 85th percentile in weight (32 pounds), 100th percentile in height (38 inches) and 97th percentile for head circumference!!! I love these comparisons, they make me giggle!

Gotta Love the Weekend!

Jackson and Tyler went to grandma's house this weekend so that Pat could recover from the minor procedure he had done on Friday! I didn't have anything done, so my house should be SOOOOOO CLEAN, but unfortunately, it is a really large mess, and I don't see anything being done about that in the near future because I have a Board Meeting tomorrow, and I am busy typing up minutes and agendas! This was Jackson's weekend to have Sassy. Sassy is their classroom dog that comes with a journal in which you write about the weekend and include pictures of what the child did with Sassy at home. VERY FUN! Sassy went to grandma's house, Peter Piper Pizza and Schnepf Farms! She had a very busy weekend. The pictures did not turn out so great because it was windy and sunny, and trying to get a picture of the two of them, let alone the four of us, is RIDICULOUS!!!!!! We are lucky enough to be enjoying the beautiful Fall weather, let's just hope it sticks around!!

10-09-08 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!

While it is NOT a star birthday here (NINE YEARS OLD on the NINTH), it is pretty dang exciting that the numbers line up the way they do for Tyler's SECOND birthday! It seriously seems like she was just born yesterday! To my little Pinkalicious, our lives just would not be complete without you in it! Happy Birthday!

Big A, Little A what begins with A!

Seeing as how the preschool I am sending Jackson to is apparently not "academic" enough for private school standards throughout Phoenix. I have taken it upon myself to teach Jackson how to cut, hold a pencil, write letters, etc. This was his very first attempt at writing, and I have to say that I am pretty impressed! I have no idea how to teach writing, because most kids had mastered this skill by fourth grade, but he seemed to be pretty impressed with himself when he wrote a letter he recognized! We are taking it just one letter at a time, on the days that he does not go to school! YAY-Jackson! Harvard here we come!

Get Out and VOTE!

How much do I love Tina Fey???? I have to admit that the skit this week about the VP debate was definitely my favorite! I will honestly say that if Tina Fey agrees to do SNL for the next four years, it could be worth it to see the "Mavericks" in office! Can you imagine the skits they could come up with then!!! No matter who you want, make sure you get out and vote. In AZ, Monday is the last day you can register before the November election!