I'M THE MOM!

I love this! (And not only because my favorite line is in here. Those of you who know me, try to find it!!!!)


I can't wait to sing this when I have (eeek) teenagers!

THIS

is what my house can look like


when Anna does THIS for 2 hours and 20 minutes.


Oh, I also showered AND dried my hair during that time too.
AND ate breakfast A-L-O-N-E while reading a book.

BLISS!!!!!!!!!!!

To enter or not to enter???...

Subtitle: Things that never cross men's minds:

I went to the Y today to go swimming before our train ride to St. Louis. I opened the door to the women's locker room and it was
PITCH
BLACK.

Here's what went through my mind in approx 2 milliseconds:
-Why are the lights off?
-Am I allowed in?
-Is the pool open?
-Should I just go in and try to find a light swit-?
-What if someone's waiting for me?
-This IS the women's locker room, after all!
-Oh shut up and just go in!
-Wait what if there's a bad guy?
-This totally looks like a scene from a horror movie?
-Just go i-!
-That's what the blond in the horror movie always thinks right before-

I bravely/stupidly stepped in and the lights popped on. That freaked me out and intrigued me at the same time.
So I walked to the other end. The lights popped on there. Then, I realized the lights are MOTION SENSORED!!! Oh how cool.

I was smiling all the way to the pool!

Happy New Year (Again)!

For those who don't watch the news (Ahem... Kayla), here's a great recap of 2008:

Why it's great:
-It's funny
-My DAD found it!?!?!?!?!
-This is my 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What did YOU have for dinner?

Thanks for asking!

I had blanched acorn squash with a hint of butter and hickory smoked salmon salad with asiago cheese.
AND, Curt did the salmon outside (plus the rest, of course) in the freezing weather like a real man!


Just saying....

Most hilariously bad family photo ever taken.

Anna's Birthday Slide Show

A serious solution to a serious problem

NATALIE PORTMAN & RASHIDA JONES Speak Out by Natalie Portman

HAPPY New Year!

Well, I'm sad to see 2008 go but I'm excited to see what 2009 will bring.

Here's a recap of some of my 2008 favorites:
-Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna
-Being a full-time mom most of the year
-When I HAD to go back to work, finding a job that was so cool and flexible
-Obama
-Seeing lots of springs with the fam
-My visit to Kentucky
-Making friends with Michelle and Sophie
-Stokes visits and hanging with all Anna's "Uncles"
-Joshie and Kate's engagment
-Friends becoming preggers or parents


Here's a list of my 2009 hopes:
-Improvement on money issues!
-A published book for dad
-Rest for mom
-A full night's sleep (no wait, FULL TIME full night sleeps) for Aunt Emily plus a new house
-Nice girly friends for Uncles Russell and Kevin
-A certain announcement from Miss Katie (the kind that should come FIRST, KG ;-)
-A healthy happy sleepy baby for Kayla and Ed
-Perhaps a certain hip happening for CJ and Mary
-Nice trips for Momma Maria (WITH Curt, this time)
-Continued delights from Miss Anna Banana who is starting 2009 out with the following words:
-Cheese (chesssss)
-Whoa
-Go
-Papa
-Ball
-Up (pahpahpahpah)
-Hi
-Kah ka kah ka kah! (You'll have to ask the Uncles about this crazy one. Hint: Arrested
Development)
-And many more that I can't think of right now.

HAPPY NEW 2009. Be good and true to yourselves. Be.

Love,
Momma Maria

We hired a REAL babysitter!

Yep. Last night we hired someone other than family (a.k.a. a real babysitter) to watch Anna so we could do New Year's right at Grandma Stokes......

She called us at 9:30pm cause Anna had been screaming for 30 minutes after waking up (which she never does) and the babysitter knew when to throw in the towel.

So I didn't party like it's 2009 after all. And we were out a full night's pay (WHAT?? We weren't going to stiff her. It wasn't her fault!)

But aren't you proud of us??????????????