It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

All but one present is bought, all the presents are wrapped, the parents are on their way here, Josh has strep throat, I still have baking to do and it is FINALLY “cold” outside. We are down to about 59 degrees. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Today is last day at work for a week, so I maybe MIA for a while. With the parents here, and staying for a while (YEAH!) and the kids out of school (darn) I will be busy with life.

Things I am looking forward to this next week:

• My parents arrival.
• My husband getting better.
• The kids NOT getting the gunk.
• Me NOT getting the gunk.
• Baking cookies with the kids.
• Opening presents, I haven’t peeked AT ALL this year, a first I do believe.
• Watching the kids open their gifts, because I haven’t peeked AT ALL this year.
• Watching my husband open his gift, hee hee. He is going to love it!
• Making a ham AND a turkey-although not at the same time for the same meal-thank goodness.
• Shopping-with mom of course, see previous entry.
• Having my parents meet Amy’s parents. It’s almost like we have been dating for years, and are going to “take the plunge” and now the parents have to meet. We truly believe that two sets of parents who have such decent kids must be able to get along, maybe even like each other. We also don’t know how 10 years have past and parents have never met. It may just be our Christmas miracle.
• Opening our gift to “baby Jesus”-After watching A Charlie Brown Christmas with Jacob he asked some questions and decided that because we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday that he should get a gift. He doesn’t even want to open it, but keep it forever and take it with him when he goes to heaven to meet God and Jesus. I told him I thought it was a fabulous idea to get Jesus a birthday gift, but I think we should open it and remember why we love Jesus and are happy he came to earth for us. He seems ok with that idea. So I think we maybe starting a new family tradition this year with a gift for Jesus and his birthday.
• Finding a really cool nativity scene after Christmas, maybe it will help facilitate some of Jacob’s questions next year.
• Just slowing down. This has been two of our most busy weeks in months.
• Not working.
• Finishing the play-room- It has the first coat of paint, but needs another.
• Singing Christmas Carols with my kids. They love Feliz Navidad.
• Enjoying the precious time that God has granted me with my family.

Conversations with my daughter

While out doing some more last minute shopping last night with my two kids, mostly to get out of the house and away from my strep infested husband, I look over at Emily who is sitting in her seat with her eyes rolled back into her head almost comatose.
“Sleepy?” I asked her knowing full well that the last two weeks have been go-go-go for her. She has been loving it, but by about 7pm she is wiped.
“No, no” She says, and tries to perk up, afraid she might miss something. I say to her, “Well, Emily starting on Saturday, Memaw and Pepaw will be here and we should slow things down. I will be off work and we sill just kinda chill-out for a while and catch our breath.”
“What about treasure hunts?” she demanded, “and shopping!”
“Shopping?” I say, thinking what a little brat, she just assumes that because I won’t be working that she will go shopping.
“Memaw loves to SHOP!” Emily exclaims and I chuckle to myself.
Yes mother, be prepared to shop, Emily expects it!

Kevin Federline (K-Fed) cooks us dinner

Josh took me out for a nice no kid dinner on Friday night to Tokyo Steakhouse. It is one of our favorite places to eat without kids. We tried taking the kids there once, but it just wasn’t happening. While we were waiting for our cook to come over and, well, cook we got to know some of the people we were sitting with. One “older” couple (and when I say older, I mean about the age of my parents) who had requested a specific cook. Now, when Josh and I go we prefer to have an actual Asian dude cook. Even if he is as American as they get, it’s better than the white dude. Well, this very nice couple had requested K-Fed come and cook our dinner. I swear to you as soon as I saw the guy it is what I thought. So he does his little thing and we eat and leave. AS we are walking out the door Josh says-wow, now I know what K-fed’s doing since Brittney dumped him! I just about died!

From my son after I have been sick for over 24 hours.

Eww, mom, the bathroom is smelly.

I love that kid.

My weekend recap

I realized with all the worry of late I totally forgot to talk about my trip “home” to Las Cruces. I got up early (earlier than I do for a work day) and caught a plane into El Paso Friday morning. My dad picked me up and took me to breakfast at Village Inn where I had strawberry crapes without spilling any on my white t-shirt. That’s a first. We went back to their house, but the maids where there so we went pooting around town for a while. When we did finally return to the house I just sat for a minute and then went shopping. I found the coat that Emily wanted from Old Navy, that we couldn’t find in any store in Austin in her size. They had about 40 of them in her size in all sorts of colors that were already sold out in central Texas. I was thrilled, as was she when I got home with the jacket. I also purchased a gift for the wedding I was attending the next day. I didn’t want to show up empty handed. That night I went out with my dear high-school friends Heather (and her husband) and Serina (and her husband and adorable little girl). We ate good Mexican food and I laughed harder than I have in ages. It is always so nice to reunite with old friends and catch up and just laugh. We closed the restaurant down that night and Serina’s little girl Samara (I’m sorry Serina, I know I butcher the spelling of her name, I just did it phonetically) was SOOO well behaved. She was playful and liked all the attention, but she was pleasant and fun to be around. The next day I went grocery shopping with my mom. Well, we “attempted” to get to Albertsons, but it never happened. My mother hates to go to the grocery. She would rather gouge her eyes out than go to the grocery store. I enjoy going to the grocery, but she doesn’t have a wonderful HEB in her neighborhood. We first went to Glenn Cutters Jewelry and that is were I fell in love with a $15,000 set of rings. They were beautiful, but probably not going to be seen on my hand anytime soon. Then off to Target and to lunch at a new restaurant in town that was so nice. Fast Italian food-that was good. We both had salads that were good and kept me filled all day long. I truly enjoyed it. It was wedding time next. It was a nice simple ceremony in which I saw many old friends that I haven’t seen in years! However, the most surprising bit to the whole thing was there was a dance! at the reception and champagne! drank for the toast. This is a Church of Christ! What?!?! They almost had issue when we drank milk at my wedding as part of a frat tradition.

Overall it was a good weekend, I got to see most everybody I wanted to and I enjoyed spending some time with my parents without the craziness of the kids. It also gave me some time to think about how I want to change my life. We have made some decisions and choices about the next year because of the quiet time I had on this trip. Josh is going to get his tclose license, which will open doors for him in the field he has chosen for a career. I am going to hang tight where I am and save up to open my own businesses. Yes, plural. I don’t want to talk to much about them, because I have some fabulous ideas I don’t want to have stolen from me-thanks to Amy and I’s constant email brain-storming yesterday. I am very excited, but have but some real time and financial plans in place in order to make it happen. We have other fish to fry first and then begin saving for a fantastic new life! By this time next year big changes will have been made! This is the year for the Sumpters!

Just call me "Lumpy"-they did in highschool

Well, it is official. I went to the doctor this morning in regards to this and there is nothing “officially” wrong with me. I just happen to be lumpy right now. Tender and lumpy. Almost an Elvis song. I can hear it now…”Love me tender, love me lumpy.” Well, ok, maybe not. I am to start taking Vitamin E supplements and return back to the surgeon in 3 months to see if my tender lumpy spot has turned into a good old fashion lump. No biopsy, no lumpectomy, no nothing. So all the worries and all the questions and all the little ladies at church coming up to me asking if I have cancer were for nothing. Now I can start worrying about something new, like how I am going to save up for this, this, this or this. These are the wonderful things that I want. It’s only about $60,000 worth of “stuff”-but at least that is what I am worrying about rather than my health.

Shopping!!!

For Emily’s birthday she received quite a bit of money for gifts. The night before last we went on a shopping spree of sorts after I got home. Taking Emily out shopping with purchasing her clothes in mind is hysterical. She loves to shop. She loves to try on clothes and model them in the mirror.

When I picked her up from the neighbors and told her that we were going shopping she asked to go to the mall. Uh, no. The outlet mall? Uh, no again. How about Old Navy? Ok, she says. Off to Old Navy we go. We find a coat, but it fits just right and we want a size bigger. I am hoping to find it at another store. We picked up a pair of chocolate velvet pants, a scarf, two long sleeve t-shirts and a pair of pj bottoms. Everything but the scarf was on-sale. We headed next door to Justice. It is a store for 8-12 year old girls. I think Emily fell in love the moment we walked into the store. Jacob wanted to go to a boy store. It was so pink and frilly. It was also very pricy. Emily found a diary here that she wanted to get. So I let her. It is a High School Musical themed journal and she was SO excited!!



Here is a picture of her in her pink sweater and velvet pants with the journal.

We ran into Target and picked up a pink sweater to go with the pants we got at Old Navy and a red shirt with sparkles. We had a good time and she still has quite a bit of money left.

We got home kinda late so I sent her into the house and we brought the packages into the house later that night. Josh was looking through the bags at things she picked out and was less than pleased with the journal she picked out. You see, it has a picture of a boy on the front, and that’s it. It is the boy from High School Musical, but he still was less than pleased with it. I personally think Emily only likes it because it is High School Musical, not because of the boy, but I will let her daddy squirm for a while before I let him in on that little secret.

After shopping!! She was so excited!

When I go shopping I try to prepare a list in order not to forget anything important. I guess I have passed this little bit of OCD onto my son. Josh had started a list of things for me to pick up at the store and Jacob took it upon himself to finish the list. Here is the photographic evidence:

I suppose he thinks we need:
granola bars
Sprite
Ritz Bitz
Ponpela Oil
Cookie Dough

Isn’t he sweet? It wasn’t all for him, he want to make sure I pick up some olive oil for my cooking as well. He is so considerate and loving. I don’t know what I would do without him.

Watch out, here I come!!

I am very excited. I am going on a mini-vacation/weekend getaway. I am flying back to New Mexico, by myself, to attend a wedding for a good friend of mine. Because I am taking Friday off from work I will have 2 and a half days there, to run-a-muck without a husband and children. I am sure I will be dreadfully bored and ready to come home by Sunday, it is Las Cruces after all, but right now I am excited to travel for fun, something I haven’t done since I went back for my high school reunion!

Birthday Weekend

Emily turned the big 8 this weekend and celebrated non-stop. Especially if you sing the words to “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to…” in your head as you read this. She is only 8 and acting like 16. Well, maybe 12. She is crying all the time, for no reason.



She had a party at Mrs. Ann’s house on Friday afternoon. I had pictures, but accidentally erased them all. She received an Easy-Bake Oven from Mrs. Ann. They are really great babysitters.

On Saturday we went to get her hair cut and then dinner, Emily’s choice. She chose Fuddruckers, and so off we went. We ended up getting it for free because they lost our order. Plus they gave us way more food than we ordered…. too many French fries. When we got home, Emily opened her presents from us and the grandparents. She received a Barbie head, a do it yourself build a bear, a beautiful necklace from her daddy, books, an electronic pet, a jewelry box and some smelly soaps. She was pleased.

On Sunday was the big party. We invited 11 girls to attend a Diva Spa party, where they got to dress up, get their nails painted, their make-up done and walk the runway, do the electric slide, eat some gold fish/cake and open presents.





It was fun. The girls had a blast and Emily got s few books from Claire, a Bratz doll (that we are only letting her keep because it has more clothes on than normal. She has flannel pj’s, a t-shirt and a robe. No prostitute action figures for my girl, no-no! And she got a lot of money fro her shopping spree that we are going to have some time this week. I can’t wait! So over all a good weekend, if she wouldn’t have cried most of the time. I think she was just way hyped up for her party. Because once we had the party, she was wonderful the rest of what was left of the weekend.