Insert Clever Title Here

Has anyone besides me noticed a trend I've got going? Every time I do a post about Hayden I go for several days before I post again. Why is that? Maybe posting about him is like raising him. It's exhausting. The kid's got ADHD with an emphasis on the "H". (Although he has made HUGE strides. Is LEAPS and BOUNDS ahead of where he was 3 years ago when he was diagnosed. In fact he doesn't take meds anymore.)

So anyway, I have nothing of real importance to blog about today. I just wanted to post something as to avoid leaving another "Hayden" post up for a week.

I've been so freakin' bored this week. I am proof that one cannot die of boredom. I know this because I still have a pulse.

Tavis brought home the buggy yesterday. It's so dang cute! I took some pix of the kids in it and I'll get 'em posted. It's bright red, just for me. I can't wait til spring really gets here (for that entire 2 days before it turns to full-fledged summer which is how we roll here in Utah) so we can take it out. It's street legal so I can take the kids to school in it and they'll be so cute and everyone will look at them with "oh man, I wish I had one of those" looks. Not that I like to be the center of attention...I'm just sayin'.

I've been mentally preparing to start my HCG diet. Tomorrow I start the binge process. I've been practicing that part all week, though. I'm not good when it comes to no carbs and thinking about what I'm going to eat. I'm hoping these next 3 weeks will show me that I really can live without Crunch Berries every single night. I've tried to go an entire day without carbs or at least very few and I didn't make it past the two eggs I had for breakfast. And 500 calories a day? Please! I burn through that many calories in a single bowl of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. But, I've paid the money and gotten in a fight with Tavis over it so I'd better do my very best to make it all worth while. I'm really tired of never wanting to go outside because I HATE the way I look. I saw all the pix of the lunch on Saturday (thanks TWSS!!) and I hardly recognized myself. In my mind I'm still thin and have a thin face. (kinda like the reverse of anorexic girls, right?) Then I see pictures and YIKES!!! So I'm actually really excited to get this done. To see just what I can accomplish. And when I've got a smokin' hot body again, let's just see if Tav's complaining then!

OH! Great news! My former boss at the restaurant where I used to work said I could come back to work next week! I'm really excited! (Notice all the "!") It's probably only going to be an extra $100 a week but getting out of the house and bringing home yummy food and having some spending money that's not coming out of the house-hold account is going to be great! YIPPPEEEEE!!!! Plus, I really loved waiting tables. I love to meet people that are out doing my same exact favorite past time...eating out. People are usually in a good mood when they're out to dinner so you rarely get grumpy, grumps. I do wish, though, that when people came to dinner with their little ones they would just automatically double their tip since their waitress is going to be on all fours picking up french fries and crayons (and other squishy things) when they leave.

Well, this has turned into a pretty freakin' random post. And it's not even Tuesday! It is, however, "Earl, Kath & Kim, The Office and Grey's Anatomy" day so yee-haw!!!

And the sun is out and it's supposed to be in the 50's today! (Zip it, DeNae!)

K, well, have a great Thursday! I love Thursday. It such a nice day to have right before the weekend. It's got a good "feel" to it.

Happy Birthday, Hayden!

Hayden and Harley

Three Little Cousins:

Kanyon, Lincoln, Hayden

All 2 months apart starting with Lincoln

Our "backwards Oreo"

Ten years later

Hayden and Kanny

On Monday, February 22, 1999, I went to the doctor hoping she would induce me like she said she...might. "Um, no. You're not even dilated at all."

"Oh for the love of Pete. Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Come back on Wednesday."

(Me: Stomps out of the office, grumpily.) (After I got dressed, of course.) (You're welcome for the visual.)

So that night I went to bed and woke up at 4:00 in the morning to pee. Went back to bed and...OK, these are probably details you don't want. What I'm getting at is that my water broke right when I got back in bed and I thought I had just peed myself. Which wouldn't be all that unlikely.

I woke up my (at the time) husband, Scott and told him my water broke. He flies out of bed and we proceed to panic and get ready to go. You see, we thought the baby was like a fish. That he couldn't live without water. And we had a 45 minute drive to LDS hospital in down town Salt Lake from our house in Tooele. So after I remind Scott that he should probably wait for me, and we call our mothers, we start the drive down the back road out of town. At 90 mph. Down a 45 mph road.

"Scott, it's going to take us longer if we get pulled over than if we just go the speed limit." He sands it down to 60.

We got to the hospital at 5:00 am. Our mothers got there at 5:15 am. Let me just back up a bit by saying that I had been having contractions for the last week. I could literally time them and several times a day they were like 5 minutes apart for a couple of hours at a time. Well now. Now that my water had broken, there were no contractions to be had. None. But since I had ruptured, they let me stay. My biggest fear was that they'd tell me to go home. So we wander the halls of the floor, trying to get some contractions going. Nothing. Have I mentioned that they won't let me eat? Ya, I'm STARVING.

Finally, at 2:00 pm a contraction! At that point I got the epidural. Hey, it's my belief that we owe it to the pioneers of medicine to get epidurals.

Me: "What's that? The baby is post...what? Oh, posterior. So I have to turn from one side to the other to get him to flip over? You realize I'm numb, right? That I have ZERO control of my limbs below the waist? Oh, OK, so Scott and my mom get to flop my legs over for me as I turn over. That should be fun for them."

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick........tock.

Tick freaking TOCK.

7:00 pm rolls around. Scott and moms are hungry. (Oh, really? The hell, you say.) So they go eat dinner. I tell Scott to please hurry. Which he did. It was about 7 seconds after they all left that the epidural wore off and I was in some seriously hard freaking labor. (Are you keeping up? It's been 15 hours!!!) And it KILLED!!! Scott came back shortly and was able to alert the proper authorities and get me hooked back up with some drugs. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh.....that's better.

8:30 pm. Guess what? It's time to push! YIPEEE!!! Let's get this party started!

"Mom, you get to hold my leg. Scott, you're on the other one. Lucky, lucky ducks!!!"

Push. Push. Push. For an hour.

Mom: "He's got hair! I can see his cute hair!!!"

"Am I even pushing in the right place?"

"Well, sometimes. Push like you're having a...y'know...(looks around, whispers)...bowel movement."

"Excuse me? What was that?" So I do. And they all start cheering, "YES AMBER!! THAT'S IT! PUSH RIGHT THERE!!!"

Absolutely not. Even worse than being sent home was (is) my fear of doing that on the delivery table. I don't care if it takes all freaking night to deliver this baby I'm so not pushing there.

I keep asking Scott, "did I poop? Did I? Now?"

Scott: "No, you're fine."

"You'll tell me if I poop, right?"

"You're not going to poop."

"But you'll tell me, right?"

"Yes, I'll tell you."

9:30 pm I feel the strangest sensation I'd ever felt in my life. I feel my baby "slither" out of me. I hadn't felt a thing up to then but I felt that. And then the next sensation that I felt was overwhelming. I NEEDED him. I needed him on me, now. NOW. You could have been standing there holding a million dollars in your hands, telling me I could have it if I just waited one minute to hold my baby and I'd have turned you down before you even got the whole sentence out. Give. Me. My. Baby.

Scott will tell you that the doctor tossed him up two feet in the air like a pizza and cleaned him all off. I didn't care if he was covered in gutty stuff. I needed him. Those four and a half seconds were the longest of my entire life.

And then she laid my beautiful baby boy on my chest. And I was complete. My heart opened up and he landed squarely in it. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Oh, was he CUTE! And perfect!

The first thing I said when I saw him was, "shit, he's cute."

He was such a good baby. He slept through the night at two weeks of age. He had his dad wrapped around his little finger right from the word "go". He was always tall and skinny. His first words were "beat up". He'd wrestle with Scott, that's how he learned that phrase. One day, when he was almost 2 we were driving to Jill's to play with her and her baby boy who was born just two months after mine. I told him we were going to play with Kanny (Kanyon). He said, "Tanny, beat up?"

"Um, no, mister. You can't beat Kanny up."

He didn't put weight on his legs til he was a year. He "commando crawled" with lightning speed. He walked at 15 months. Scott and I would wonder out loud what we ever did for entertainment before he was born. We had so much fun with him. We could hum the tune to Indiana Jones, Darth Vader's theme song, Star Wars, and Superman and he'd tell you their respective titles. That time of my life was among the best I can remember. My mom didn't work. I spent the days with her and Jill and our babies. Being a mom suited me. I felt right at ease with it.

So today I honor my first born. The one that gave me my first experience with unconditional love. The one that still loves to snuggle up with me. The one that can put his legs behind his head or curl up into a tiny ball. My "human pretzel". He makes me laugh every day.

Today is your day, Hayden. I love you.

...when your post has been up for almost an hour before you realize you forgot to give it a title?

OK, my sister did this meme after she read her blog buddy's post. So I thought I'd do it, too.
Don't You Hate it When...

• ...your baby has been napping for a good hour or two and you start to feel a little drowsy yourself so you close your eyes. And the second you do, your baby's eyes fly open?
• ...you let your dog out to potty because she refuses to use the freaking doggy door...
• ...and then you forget about her and you get all snuggled back in your blanket on the couch only to hear her yap at the door?
• ...every time you read your sister's blog you laugh your butt off so you say in the comments that this one was the funniest one ever and then...she writes another hilarious post and you want to say the same thing but you feel stupid because you're sure she's going to think, "OK, Amber, I get it. You think I'm funny. Come up with a new comment."?
• ...you're so short that you try to get into the back of a full-size Ford Bronco but you slip and fall face first into the back on the floor...
• ...and your sister-in-law, instead of helping you, stands in the driveway and pees herself laughing? (OK, actually this one would have to go on my brother's ex-wife's list. As I would be the driveway-standing, pant-peeing, sister-in-law.)
• ...when you're six months pregnant you go shopping with two of your sisters and one of them trips over the curb and lets out the most hilarious scream and it cracks you up so bad...
• ...and there's a fountain right next to you...
• ...and despite your very best scissor-stance, you proceed to pee yourself in front of everyone in the Tai Pan parking lot...
• ...and when you finally get in control of yourself, which is EXTREMELY hard because your sister (the tripper) is now laughing so hard that SHE'S about to pee herself, which cracks you up even more, you go inside to finish emptying your bladder (all three drops that weren't in your undies) and the restroom is in the back of the store...
• ...and your sister (tripper) is following you because she needs to go now, too, but she can't stop laughing and you're trying not to sound bitchy when you say, "dude, for real. You have to stop laughing and you have to stop following me because I'm seriously going to pee the rest of myself"...
• ...and then these two sisters refuse to go back to the place you're staying so you can get change your pants...
• ...so you're forced to walk around Tai Pan in your dirty pee pants, all while getting more and more chaffed?
• ...you stand up and your niece says, "Aunt Amber, you've got a big butt."...
• ...and your sister says, "LONDON!!!!! You can't say that to people!"...
• ...and your niece (who was, like, 4 at the time) says, "what? I love her big butt. I...I love her butt!"
• ...your husband single-handedly keep McDonald's in business and then gives you crap for spending $4 on a chai tea at Starbucks?
• ...you sign up for the HCG diet and when they tell you that you have to binge for three days before you start the injections and the 500 calorie a day diet you practically giggle out loud because you're so excited to just eat and eat and eat? (Which is pretty much why you're in the predicament in the first place.)
• ...you're watching The Biggest Loser and the gal goes up there to weigh in and you think to yourself, "how is it possible that this person has been at the ranch for so long and has lost so much weight and is still HUGE??? And then she gets on the scale and she weighs less than you? And now you're thinking, "she better be four feet tall."
• ...you spend weeks mocking the Snuggie and now you want one...
• ...and your husband says under no uncertain terms will anyone in this house EVER have a Snuggie because they're the most ridiculous things ever (which they are)?
• ...you've always known your baby is especially brilliant but the fact that he's learned to throw his head back and bat his spoon and shake his head when he's done eating kind of makes you wish he wasn't so dang smart? (Is it me or is 9 mos a little young for him to be pulling such stunts?)
• ...you want to record too many shows on your DVR and it tells you that you can't record that many shows as if it's saying to you, "dude, there's NO WAY anyone could watch that much TV in a day"?
• ...no one but you knows how to operate the HOV lane?
• ...people speak to their children for the "entertainment" of the grown-ups around them?

So ya, I could go on for days. Make sure you go read the other two posts I mentioned. I literally laughed my butt OFF when I read my sister's. (It grew right back.)

Check Me Out!

Hey guess what? I'm guest posting over at justorganizeyourself.blogspot.com
I'm posting this from my phone so I'm not able to link it. Sorry, you're going to have to actually copy & paste.
This gal has a lot of good tips on getting organized. I definitely need her help!
Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Harley playing in his exersaucer.

Harley playing "in" his exersaucer.

Am I On Candid Camera?

Anyone been to Wal-Mart lately? It's a freak show, people! I've always known this. I've known that on my worst day I can walk in there and see a dozen people that look worse than me on their best day. It's the place to see the latest trends in pj's, slippers, greasy hair-do's, stretch marks peeking through those not-quite-long-enough t-shirts. But this weekend, was just like an out of body experience.

There was a huge woman (I don't usually judge people for being fat, because I am a FAR CRY from skinny. Besides, it rarely has anything to do with whether or not they're a good person. In fact, I'm not judging this woman for being fat. But the fact that she was overweight just drew more attention to herself.) yelling at her kids. She was so freaking loud! It was never a "come here, honey" or "don't touch, sweetie". It was "GET OVER HERE!" And, "DON'T TOUCH THAT!!!". I'm a pretty mellow, laid back person. I mostly just mind my own business. But this time I had to give her my best "crank my head around and glare" look. I'd be a huge liar if I told you I've never scolded my kids in the store. But I try to do it discreetly. I don't ever want people looking at me the way I was looking at this woman. Twice.

And have you ever noticed that you end up going in the same circles as other people? Like you run into them on every other aisle. So I got to see this charming gal every time I turned around.

So after I got done with the grocery part of my shopping I head over to the pharmacy to get some baby Tylenol. On my way I pass a woman who's talking to herself. Like full-on talking. Not just "ok, I can't forget the milk...". No, she's in a deep convo with herself. I couldn't believe my bad luck! First, a mean-talker in the grocery part and now a self-talker in the boys' clothing department. I headed over to the pharmacy fully expecting to find a leper colony! Actually, in that area it was just kinda depressing. Mostly old people shuffling along behind their carts.

The check-stand offered more entertainment, though. First, I got in line with the self-talker. (See what I mean about circles?) Then the cashier supervisor person is talking to my cashier about her (own) granddaughter. She got the part in an Aladdin play and needs a dress for a part...can't think of the name...starts with "p"...(other cashier calls out "pirate!" (Me, to myself: Really? Have you seen Aladdin?))...so I chime in, "peasant?"
Supervisor: "YES!!! Thank you! So I don't even know what a peasant would wear. What is a peasant?"
(Me, to myself: Really? And you work at Wal-Mart? Huh.)
Anyway, I explained to her that a peasant was poor and they wore kind of ruffly dresses (I guess), paid my freaking $123, and left.

Feeling much, much better about myself.

Ever SIt Yourself Down and Find the Seat is all Wet?

"Hayden?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just go to the bathroom?"

(Real quiet) "Yeah."

"What do you think I just sat in?"

(Real quiet) "Yeah, yeah."

(Not so quiet) "What. Did. I. Just. Sit. In?"

"Pee."

"Lift up the damn seat!!!!!"

Wordless Wednesday

Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Had I not taken the picture myself I might not have believed it. This woman is in the bank drive-up on her JAZZY!!!

Tuesday Random Thoughts

OK, there's supposed to be a little linky thing but I can't figure out how to make it work. So if you want to get in on the random-ness go here. The idea is that you just say random things that weren't enough of a thought to make it on its own as a post. So here we go!

• Today I was listening to the radio in my car and I was BELTING out a song that I LOVE. Then the next song came on and I had no idea what song had just been on. Why is that? It's not the first time it's happened.
• Kristina P. mentioned "Sapped" a while ago in one of her posts and it reminded me that I like that show so I tuned in and the girl that narrates has THE MOST monotone voice ever. I can't believe she got a job using only her voice.
• I get confused watching my son at basketball practice. He hustles the least, yet requires the most drink breaks.
• How can you tell when blue cheese dressing has gone bad? It pretty much tastes and smells sour all the time.
• Harley can patty-cake on command now. Ya, it's adorable.
• The cinnamon rolls at IKEA are pretty much the most delicious thing ever. Totally worth the walk through the Bermuda Triangle just to get them. And they're cheap! Six for $4!!!
• The "flip" on my cell phone is getting loose because I flip it open four million times a day to text.
• Valentine's Day is the worst holiday ever invented. All it does is put pressure on men to do something for their wives and it makes women feel bad because their men don't do enough. Seriously! We're all comparing our "what did your husband get you?" stories. I can't be bothered.

So there you have it! Go visit Keely for all the random fun!

Flashback Frid...er...Saturday

Caution: This post contains the word "shit". A bunch.

When Tavis and I were dating we went to his shop and I saw a cute little 50cc Honda motorcycle. I'd never driven a motorcycle before so I jumped on. He had a pretty big yard behind the shop where he kept all his equipment so I rode around back there. Weaving in and out of track-hoes. Dodging dozers. It was FUN! Yes, I was extremely big for this "bike". (It's best suited for say...a 5-10 year-old) And even though I crashed into the teeny, tiny garbage dumpster I had so much fun and I couldn't stop thinking about riding that thing. I dreamed about it. I just wanted to get back on it. Tav grew up riding motorcycles and loved them. So when I showed an interest in them he jumped. We went that very weekend and he bought me my very own. (I would receive criticism from my family that he had bought me a motorcycle instead of an engagement ring.)

The bike he bought me was a 125cc. It was too small for me in size. Also, Tav knew I would outgrow it skill-wise in just a matter of time and require a bigger "cc" bike soon. Well, that spring and summer I rode the hell out of that bike. It was so much fun! I was pretty impressed with myself. I could climb hills and grab gears while doing it. I could ride down steep hills (but only if Tavis was at the bottom telling me he knew I could do it). I rode so much better if he was behind me. He was my courage. He knew my skill level as well as the capabilities of my bike and if he told me I could do something, I knew I could. He'd never lead me astray.


Eventually, I got good enough to carry a passenger. I'd put Avery on in front of me and Tav would put Hayden in front of him. They. Loved. It. And again, I was pretty good!


Now, let me just say that I did fall a few (several) times. But I've only "wrecked" maybe, 3 or 4 times and even then I just got scraped up and bruised. (Which I actually loved because it gave me bragging rights at work.) All the other times I would just dump my bike. Like just tip over. Especially in the sand or really soft dirt. These dumps didn't hurt.


So in July after Tav and I got married we went to his family's reunion. (Avery was 5 and Hayden, 7) His whole family is into ATV riding. We took Hayden and Avery on a ride one day. Like usual, I had Avery with me and Tavis had Hayden with him. (I should note that they both loved to ride with Tav because he'd go fast and make small jumps. Mom was much more cautious.) We were cruisin' along when all of a sudden we hit some sand, right on a turn. Avery and I dumped it. As we fell I said, "oh shit."

To which Avery replied, "oh shit."
I said to her, "did you just say 'shit'?"
Avery: (Looking up at me with sheer horror on her face as she realized what she just said.) (Picture "Ralphie" from "A Christmas Story")
Avery: "Uh...uh...uh...uh"
Me: "It's ok, baby girl. When you're falling off a motorcycle sometimes you gotta say, 'shit'."
Avery: (WHEW!!!!) "hahaha."
Tavis and Hayden: "A ha ha ha!!!"

So we pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off and I pick up my bike. Now, I don't know how many of you are familiar with motorcycles, (yes, my family, I'm talking to you) but when your bike tips over gas spills out of the top of the gas cap. I know this is some kind of safety feature but I'm not sure why. Anyway, I get back on and get Avery back on with me and she looks down and sees the gas on the gas tank, right in front of her.


Avery: "Now what's all this hellin' gas doin' on here?"
Me: "BAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! OK, munchkin. First of all, clean up the talk. Second of all, if you're gonna cuss you need to have it make sense. It's what's all this damn (I wasn't going to go into the other swear word option) gas doing on here?"


That's the end of the flashback. I should wrap it up by saying that I did outgrow that bike. In every way possible. Tav got me an enduro (off road as well as street legal) that is 200cc. I loved riding it around town. But on one trip to the canyon I got spooked because I almost got hit by a van on a dirt road. So the next time we went riding I was nervous which makes for squirly riding. Avery and I were on my bike again and we dumped it. This time, however, we were on a steep hill with jagged rocks and we got pretty banged up. I rode back to camp and have never taken my bike off road again. Of course, I was pregnant during part of that time and then had a newborn last summer so I really couldn't go anyway. I've lost my nerve, though. Tav's building us a dune buggy that will be done this spring. I'll drive that around with Harley and Avery. Tavis, Hayden and Dalton will ride their bikes. (Hayden rides the 50cc I spoke of four days ago at the beginning of this post) I seriously can't wait til summer!!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Sold! In less than an hour! (This is Hayden's bed. We've coddled him long enough. It's time he slept on the hard-wood floor.) (I'm kidding. We sold his bed so we could get a smaller one to make room for Harley's crib in his room.) (Am I ready for Harley to be out of my room???) (I made that quilt.) (I also painted those walls. And those "cats"? Not stickers. I painted them, too. All by hand. All by myself.) (Yeah.)

I put all that in "( )" so it would still be wordless. Things in "( )" don't count as words.

Free-Be (how many e's are in that "word"?)

This morning when my alarm went off at 7:28 I hit the snooze button. Nine minutes later, I hit it again. Nine minutes after that, I hit it again. Finally, at 7:46 I turned off my alarm and laid back down for "just a few more minutes". At 8:05 I sat bolt upright and said, "aw crap!" My kids need to leave at a certain time in order to catch the bus, so when I realized they weren't going to have enough time I just figured I'd drive them to school. Giving us 20 extra minutes to get ready. So we leave for school 15 minutes before it starts.

As we head down the hill I don't notice the lack of traffic. At the bottom of the hill, where the school is, I do notice the lack of flashing yellow lights by the cross-walk. Which was also missing something...a crossing guard. There were no kids walking down the street. No kids on the playground. No buses. No notice on the marquee saying anything about school being out. No one answering the phone in the office when I call to see what the heck is up. I drive to the other elementary school down the road from ours and see their marquee..."no school Feb. 2nd". Huh.

No kids. No bus. No cars. No school? Yep.

Turns out it's the end of the term and the teachers were having their prep day. Or as my sister, Jill, likes to call it "teacher lazy-ass day". (Sorry, Kim. Those are her words. Not mine.)(Kim's a teacher.)

You know that feeling when you wake up and you're all panicked because the sun is way too high in the sky and you know you're going to be late for work but then...you realize...it's Saturday?!?! That had to be what my kids felt this morning. Avery wasn't convinced at first, though. As I sat there in the parking lot I said to them, "I don't think there's school today."

Kids: "Ya right. Bye mom!"
Me: "No really. Look around. Where are all the kids? Where are the buses? Where are all the cars? (There were a few cars but only about half the normal amount.) I just called the office and no one answered."
Avery: "You have to be patient, mama."
Me: "Avery, I called twice."
Hayden: "Maybe we're late."
Me: "No, we're ten minutes early."
Avery: "Well, why don't we just go in and see if there are any kids in there and if there's not, we'll call you and you can come back and get us."
Me: "No, munchkin, I'm pretty sure there's no school today. That other school is out and we're always on the same schedule as they are."
Hayden: (Turning back-flips in the back seat.)
Avery: "Why don't we try calling my teacher?"
Me: "Avery, we're going home. There's no school today."
Avery: (Finally!!!) "Wooo-hooo!!!"
Me: "Sheesh! We could have slept in!"
Hayden: "I'm going back to sleep when we get home!" (which he didn't, of course)

It was a fun day. I wasn't even bugged by the fact that I couldn't watch my DVR'd stuff. No one was pretending to be sick so I didn't have those rules to enforce. It was just chill. We even watched HSM 2, which was brutal, but I survived.

These days are so rare with my babies and I just loved it!

Happy Birthday To MEEEEE!!!

Finally all the waiting is over!!!

• I got to sleep in til 11:00.
  
• I got SEVENTEEN birthday wishes from all of my closest "friends" on Facebook.


• I talked to my kids (they're with their dad) and Avery sang Happy Birthday to me. And then she kazoo'd it to me. And then she kazoo'd It's a Small World to me. And then her dad yanked the kazoo out of her mouth.


• Hayden sang "Happy birthday to you. (UTAH UTES!) Happy birthday to you! (UTAH UTES!) Happy birthday dead mama, (UTAH UTES!) Happy birthday to you!!! (UTAH UTES!)" So freakin' funny!


• I had SEVEN texts waiting for me when I woke up.


• Tavis got me a way sweet card. (I'm going with Niki to Sego Lily next week to get a massage and pampered and then to lunch. That's what I asked him for.)
• I got THIRTEEN more texts throughout the day. Plus a "Happy Birthday Eve" text from Kim last night.
• I got THREE phone calls. My sister Kim, my dad, and Tav's mom. (OK, technically she's his step-mom but being a step-mom, myself, I don't like the word "step".)
• The Steelers WON!!!
• My mom and my brother and sister-in-law and their kids and Chance and Niki and Hunter all came over and we celebrated and watched the game. They were all going for Arizona...SUCKERS!!! (Although, have you all heard that story about Kurt Warner and his wife and how they met? So awesome! What a great guy!)
• That half-time show was cool, huh? My brothers are HUGE Bruce Springsteen fans. (I have a nephew named after him.)
• Tavis helped my get the house so clean! I should have company more often!
• The Office is on!!!

Seriously, it was such a GREAT birthday! Twenty-two days til the big one-zero for Hayden!