things i have learned this year

* turning thirty was no big deal. honestly, who really cares anyway. besides the fact that my thirty can kick my 20's butt.... but then again, the first of the gray hairs keep showing up. and i've got some weird issues going on with my joints, and i definitely can't eat junk food without wanting to barf....

* fussy is growing up faster than his big brothers. really. i know i just had him, and now he's a two year old. and he is also kicking my butt, in almost every sense of that phrase.

*this post is famous. at least i get a couple of hits from this picture almost every day. lots of people must want to know how to dye a dog.

* spring soccer is for crazy people. d'ya remember how cold it was this spring? i think the kids should have played in snow pants. it was miserably cold, and we learned to never ever ever play soccer again. that is how miserable it was.

*birds who build nests in bbq grills won't have genetic furtherance. or should i say, their babies will die. either way. even though it is fun to watch them sort of grow, don't get attached because then you have to bury them.

*running is hard. even when you want to do it for some crazy race. training for a race is hard. running up hills is hard. i don't know why it took me so long to learn this lesson in life. in fact, i may not have learned it, since i signed up again.

*toenails take a long time to grow back. i lost one in may. and it almost looks normal. almost.

*turning 5 is almost as cool as star wars.

*turning 8 is cooler than star trek...not.

*starting a tradition is almost as fun as keeping them.

*chickens are like, the coolest, pet ever. not because they are cute or cuddly or anything like that. it's because they make big eggs.

*lagoon is fun, if your kids are cool. even twice a year is doable.

*getting a deaf dog spur of the moment is fun for the kids. but when mom is up all night with allergies, the poor poochie is sent back.

*nothing in the world beats a family vacation. and i mean the kind of vacation that you pack up and go somewhere that you know your kids will be amazed, and your husband will take over 500 pictures. a good, old fashioned vacay to yellowstone did the trick this year. i wonder what will await us next year?

*nakedness has a beginning. and i think this was it for fussy. this is the exact moment that started the clothes hating and escapee mindset.

*that last twilight book was lame

*i still think this movie rocks. i was saddened that i didn't get it as a christmas present like i asked santa. instead, he gave me a kitchen aid. what can i say?

*i can create a lot of guilt, shame, pain, and disappointment by just saying whatever is on my mind. i tell ya, i had nothing but emails with this post. and i didn't' think it was so bad. but apparently it touched a lot of nerves, made a lot of people mad, and generally made me out to be a big fat bawling baby. however my readers took it, i won't take it down, because it is who i am, it is also who i choose to be. and for that, it stays. so i may be a big fat bawling baby, but who is reading the big fat bawling baby's blog??? huh huh? that is right. which one is worse?

*cutting, or not cutting hair, is still a big deal for a boy.

*snow in october doesn't mean there will be snow in november.

*in an election year, it is possible to win and lose friends by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

*consistency is the key to keeping up killer arms, abs and running speed.

*i've got a great set of kids, even when they are bad, they are still amazing.

i know i have learned more this year. and i know a big part of learning and REMEMBERING what i have learned is this dumb blog. it keeps me honest when i don't want to be, and it keeps me true to myself. i know i have offended. i know i can say more than i mean to. i know that this little window into my world is incomplete and can be confusing. and to think it all started because i was bored.

and that is the biggest thing i have learned. and am learning. i am in no way perfect. but i am who i am. and i have a pretty sweet life.

happy new year.