AMomTwoBoys

I haven’t had two seconds lately to sit down and THINK, let alone write anything.

Which is pretty much why my last post was full of pictures!

Because LOOK! CUTE BOYS! Gorgeous setting! SHINY! OOH!

You get distracted and don’t realize I’m using smoke and mirrors, or in this case photos, to trick you into thinking I’m publishing actual content. I’m sneaky like that.

*WAPOW!*

See what I did there? You totally forget my admission in the last paragraph because you’re so awed by my stunning show of blogging prowess and use of the misunderstood and often maligned *WAPOW!*.

See what I did THERE? I used a bunch of big words in one long ass run on sentence. You don’t know if it makes sense. Hell, I don’t even know if it makes sense. But now you’re totally confused and have completely forgotten what I told you a few paragraphs up.

*WAPOW!*

**I’ll be back in a few days to tell you all about Zach’s speech evaluation. YES! Zach. Speech Evaluation. Tuesday Morning. Sigh.**

P.S. I swear I’m not drunk.

Except not really, because I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.

Oh, and I HATE editing photos.

I was working on a post today about friendship.

Anissa knew I was writing it and had the audacity to bet someone that I wouldn’t be able to write it without being snarky.

She was right.

Dammit.

Which is exactly why it was never published.  Because, fuck me, I couldn’t let her be RIGHT.

But now?  I’d give anything for her to laugh at me and make fun of me about it.

Because she’s lying in a hospital bed in the ICU after suffering a stroke this afternoon.

And she needs all the positive thinking we can muster.

So, please.  Send her every ounce of positive thought you have inside your body.

I don’t do prayers, but if you do and you think they’ll help, go for it.  I know Anissa believes in them.

I expect her to be making fun of me again in no time.

I love you Anissa.  I’m proud to call you my friend.  Come back to me soon.

You can find more information and access to a form to sign up to help over at Aiming Low.

All the posts for Anissa, the same Mr. Linky is on numerous sites, no need to add your link more than once!

Dear Maddie,

Today is your 2nd Birthday.  But you already know that.  It’s YOUR birthday after all.  The day, two years ago, when you came into the world. Amidst fears.  Amidst worries.  Amidst joy.

I didn’t know your parents then.  I wasn’t following along waiting for news of your birth.  I didn’t know how much they had been through in the months leading up to your arrival.  I was completely unaware of all of it.

I didn’t meet you or your parents until you were home and thriving.  I got to know you, like thousands of others, through your mom and dad’s websites.  I was lucky enough that a twist of fate introduced me to them on an elevator one night.

I was lucky enough that, because of that one moment, I got to know you.  I got to hold you, to play with you.  Love on you.  Talk to you.  Smile with you.  Laugh with you.

My boys got to know you, too.  You poked at them.  You giggled.  You stole Zach’s glasses every chance you got.

But it wasn’t enough.

No one got enough time with you.

It’s not fair that you’re gone.  It’s not fair that you don’t get to eat twice as many cream puffs for your second birthday as you did on your first.

It’s not fair that your parents and grandparents have to go on without you.

It’s not fair that the rest of the world doesn’t get to watch you grow up.

It’s not fair.

But we will remember you forever.

We will remember the light in your eyes. The size of your grin. The sound of your laugh.

We will remember.

And you will always make us smile.

We love you, Maddie.  We miss you.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

If you wrote a post for Maddie’s Birthday, please link to it below.

If you are on Twitter, please plan on tweeting with the #Maddie tag between 4 and 5pm Pacific time today.

Also, in honor of Maddie’s birthday, please considering donating to Friends of Maddie. Helping NICU babies and their families by supporting the charity started in Maddie’s name is a great way to remember and celebrate her life.

Dylan has moved on to the Pre-K portion of preschool.

One of my favorite things to do when I pick him up from school is to read the board about what they did that day. It’s much more “school” based learning this year, as in they talk about letters and sounds and words and books and the meaning of things. It cracks me up every day. I can just picture those teeny little people sitting around talking about loud vs. quiet voices. And what a vegetable is compared to a fruit. And the difference between opiates and barbituates.

Just seeing if you’re paying attention.

Anyway, in the past few weeks he’s decided he’s a budding artist and writer. He spends a good deal of time every day sitting at the kitchen table with paper and crayons, working on his letters. He’s always asking me how to spell things, and if he doesn’t know how to write a letter, he asks me to write it in the air for him. Then he copies me. After that, if he’s not sure about it, I write it on a piece of paper so he can copy it.

He’s getting REALLY good and can write his name without very much help. And he can write mom and dad without ANY assistance! Isn’t he BRILLIANT?!

The only problem is that he doesn’t really understand the idea that letters need to be in a certain order. Sometimes he spells his name, and when he shows me (SO VERY PROUDLY), the letters are there, but they’re in different orientations and positions all over the page. I think he’s just channeling Salvador Dali. Or maybe it’s that he’s 4 1/2. Whatever.

Today he decided he was going to write a book. A BOOK!  It’s eight pages long and it’s about a man who is painting a wall, who then goes out on a boat and eats a shark before heading back to land and walking around a park.

Without further ado, I offer you a sneak peek at his genius:

The cover:

That’s a person.  Painting a wall.

On the boat.  Catching and eating a shark.

Looks chaotic, doesn’t it?

This says “DAD.”

Or, “DDA” if you read it literally and can’t get into the mindset of a 4 year old.

I’m waiting, patiently, for the publishing firms to come calling.  I sense an all out bidding war in our future.

Also?  He’s better at drawing at 4 than I am at 30.  Which, I suppose, isn’t saying much.  Should I try to enroll him in an intensive art and writing program?  You know, to foster his obvious talent?

My Grandma turns 93 today.

She’s in San Francisco enjoying her day with my mom and Aunt and cousin and family.

She won $150 at Bingo this week.

She loves beer and pizza.

She’s been known to knock a few back…in recent years.

She ALWAYS looks put together.

She takes apart and re-sews her clothes so they fit her better.

She doesn’t take shit from anyone.

She plays a mean game of poker.

She was an avid golfer in her day.

She’ll tell you exactly what she thinks. Whether you want to hear it or not.

I hope to be just like her when I grow up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

*I’m yelling because she can’t hear very well*

You’ve been gone seven months today.

You’re supposed to turn two on Wednesday.

We will remember you with smiles and cream puffs.

We miss you, Maddie.

We love you.

*If you are planning on writing a post for Maddie’s second birthday, there will be a Mr. Linky available here at midnight on the 11th.  Mike and Heather, and the rest of the family, are going to need all the love and support they can get this week, so let’s show them how much we love them.  Any spam or negative links will be immediately deleted.  All ad monies received for the month of November will be donated directly to Friends of Maddie.  Email me with any questions, please (meghanATamomtwoboysDOTcom)*

I’ve had that damn song stuck in my had ALL DAY LONG.  But really only the first two lines, because that’s all I know.

Anyway, I got home from the Boston and New York trip on Saturday.  It’s definitely nice to be home, but I miss my girls like nobody’s business.  I will tell you how much love I have for them, and how freaktastically awesome the trip was another day.  It’s too much to throw together in a quick and thoughtless fashion.

Which is totally what I’m doing right now.  Heh.

You see, I’m getting ready to head out of town AGAIN.  This time to Las Vegas.  WITH. MY. KIDS.

Yes, you heard me correctly.  I’m going to be one of THOSE people.

The kind of person who takes my children to Sin City.  To mingle with prostitutes, strippers*, pimps and derelicts in general.

Oh, and Playboy bunnies, because we’re staying at The Palms.  Home of The Playboy Club.

You would think that parents who DO choose to take their young children to Vegas would stay at a “child friendly” resort.  Like Circus Circus.  Or Treasure Island.  Or even The Mirage.  They have dolphins which, in my mind is equal to child friendly.

But no. We chose The Palms.  It’s a long story that I’m not going to bore you with.  But it comes down to location and my snooty attitude towards shitty hotels.

I’m hopeful we’ll see the cast of Real World.  Or maybe Heff’s girlfriends will be there.  That would be awesome.  They can nuzzle Zach’s blond bespectacled head amongst their ginormous boobs.  I could take a photo and use it as my Christmas card.  The possibilities are endless, really.

Where was I going with all of this?

Oh, right.  I’m going to be in Vegas.  With my kids.  And I’m not entirely sure about the internet situation.  And whether or not my husband will divorce me if I PAY to connect to the internet from our hotel room.

But he’ll be at a work thing for two full days, and I’ll be alone.  In a hotel room at nap time.  By myself.  Well, with the boys.  But without adult interaction.  I will need my interwebz.

So, in conclusion (because I can’t continue rambling on like this forever) I’m hopeful I will post again in the next few days.  But don’t count on it.

*I have nothing against strippers.  I just frown upon exposing young children to Strippers.  Unlike these people:

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