Slacking

I haven't had time to get any pictures, but I thought I would post quickly to let everyone know what the other surprise was for the boys (since a couple of you were waiting to hear!).

The boys came home on Sunday and were surprised to see their bedroom completely made over. Yes, I mean completely.  Brian and I spent the entire weekend while they were gone doing a complete bedroom make-over for them.  They have been wanting it done in chocolate brown and steel blue, so I painted it (three walls are light brown, and one wall is steel blue), new bedding, shelves, rug, curtains, light (took out the ceiling fan and replaced it with an awesome light fixture)...literally everything is brand new.  It is such a cool room, and honestly it is probably MY favorite room in the house now.  I'm amazed that Brian and I did it.  It looks THAT good. And their favorite part of their new room?  Their new 32 inch LCD TV that is mounted on their wall!! I've been promising them a new tv for their room, but they certainly didn't expect this one.  Brian mounted it wirelessly (all of the wires are running behind the wall so you see nothing!). 

So that is their little extra birthday surprise.  Their room is the one room in the house that we really hadn't paid much attention to yet, so it was due.  Now it's the coolest room in the house, and the boys absolutely love it.  They are actually spending time in there now, and for the past four mornings in a row they have made their beds before they left for school without being told.  We'll see how long THAT lasts!!!!!

So...that's why I've been so busy.  Sean's party on Friday, the room make-over all weekend (I was up until 2am on Saturday and didn't finish until the minute I had to walk out of the door to pick them up from the airport on Sunday night), three exams in the past two days, and now I FINALLY have a break for a couple of days.  Whew.  

My teenage son

Sean is 13 years old today, and it was a great day.

At 3:34pm today Sean became a teenager. We celebrated in style, and now he and Bren are on a flight on their way to Atlanta. They are due to arrive in about 30 minutes.

Brian picked Sean up early from school (we always let the birthday boy come home early on their birthday). He thought that we were going to be picking up his five best friends to have dinner at Kobe Steakhouse, and then they would be going to the airport with us to drop them off. Instead I had a black Expedition limo pick up his five friends, and then come to our house right when he expected us to be leaving. Not only was he surprised to see the limo, but he was even more surprised that his best friends were all already inside waiting for him. We all rode to Kobe for dinner and his birthday celebration, then rode in the limo to the airport to see the boys off to Atlanta. They both really enjoyed having the friends there at the airport with them while they waited, too.

Brian, Erin and I just got back home, and there is even more planned for the boys as a joint birthday present for them that they don't even know about. I'm hoping that they will be too busy while they are at their dad's house to read this and even know about it. I won't post what it in just in case they do read this, but once they are home I'll update the blog with exactly what the "extra" surprise is, and more pictures.

Let me just say that I feel very honored to be the mother to such a sweet, compassionate, and loving child. Sean has been such a blessing of a child from the second that he was born (all 11 pounds and 23 inches of him!!). I remember being in the hospital while doctors from all over the hospital came to see him during our two day stay because he was the biggest baby to have ever been born there (at least up to that day). Being my first baby I didn't see what all the fuss was about until I saw him laying in the nursery next to the other babies. He was just my baby. And I was the lucky one for so many reasons!

Happy birthday to my sweet pea. As you have said to me since you were two years old, "I love you up to the sky and down to the ground!"

In the airport (taking pictures on his laptop)

My little man (ready to get on the plane)

The gang with a man who was walking through the airport!

Sean and one of his very best friends, Aspen.

Lunar eclipse

I managed to get one decent picture of the lunar eclipse last night.  It doesn't look like much with nothing to give it any perspective, but it was still neat to see, and I like the picture with all of the blackness around the moon.  All three of the kids enjoyed watching it, too.

Click on the picture to see a larger version with more detail.

Can it be?

Tomorrow I am the mother of a teenager. Wow!

Four-wheeling in Georgia

I've been wanting to post this picture for a while, but I've been waiting for Sean or Brendan to get me a copy of this picture. This was taken over Christmas while the boys were in Georgia with their family there. I LOVE this picture! It is Sean and Bren with their dad (Larry), step-mom (Martha), brother (Trevor), and sister (Madalyn) and all of their four-wheelers. Yes, even the little ones have their own, and they are 5 and 3 years old! Sean and Bren each got their own for Christmas from Larry and Martha, and they spent a lot of time out riding while they were there this past December. They had a blast, and as you can see they spent a lot of time getting DIRTY (=FUN).

The boys are flying back up to Georgia next weekend to spend the weekend with Larry and Martha (to celebrate both of their birthdays), and they'll have a chance to ride some more. They are both really excited.

Do not use www.flowershopping.com

Talk about terrible customer service!  I ordered flowers for Pam for her birthday.  Here is the arrangement that I ordered.
 

This is the arrangement that Pam received.
 

I was horrified when I saw the pictures of the arrangement that she posted of the flowers. They aren't the right colors or types of flowers, they are haphazardly thrown into the vase, and there is more greenery than there is color.  I think anyone would agree that the arrangement that was delivered was NOT a good representation of the ordered arrangement.

I emailed the online company, www.flowershopping.com and asked for a refund.  The following day I received an automated email notifying me that a refund had been placed.  No apology. Nothing.  THANKFULLY I called Pam to let her know what I had done, and also to let her know that another gift was on its way, because within a matter of minutes the local florist arrived at her door TO PICK UP THE ARRANGEMENT!!!!!!  Can you believe that?  That has got to be some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life.  Not only was I humiliated once by the quality of the arrangement that was delivered to someone very important to me, but then I was humiliated a second time by them coming to her home and retrieving the flowers.  I simply cannot believe that they did that.  In good faith they should have not only left the "bad" arrangement there, but they should have brought her a proper arrangement.  

I guess it just goes to show that so many people are just not concerned with quality customer service any more.  It's more about the money than about pleasing the consumer, and that's a shame.  I will see to it that Pam gets the proper birthday gift, but in the meantime if you are shopping online for flowers DO NOT use www.flowershopping.com.  I know that I won't ever be using them again.

11 on the 11th

In about 30 minutes my BooBoo will be eleven years old.  At 10:19pm on February 11, 1997 my second child, Brendan Connor was born.  He has been a mommy's boy ever since that minute.

I picked Bren up early from school today (as a birthday treat), took him out for lunch, and then we went out to Macaroni Grill (his choice) for dinner.  He'll be having a party this weekend with his friends.

And I just have to tell everyone that I love that my 11 year old son isn't ashamed to hold my hand in public, kiss me in front of his friends, tell me how much he loves me in front of his best buddies, and I adore the fact that he still snuggles with me on the couch, and cuddles up against me on the weekends when I'm sleeping in.  I just love it, and I don't think it'll ever get old.

Happy birthday my sweet boy.  

The Giants

Wow, that was a great game last night.  The first three quarters were pretty boring, but the last quarter was enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.  They actually played some football!

This was my contribution.  Brian and Erin went to a Super Bowl party (I had to stay home and study for two exams), and I made this berry tart for them to take.  The hosts are from New York, and are HUGE Giants fans.  So instead of using the typical fruit that I use, I used the blueberries to form the NY logo (the best that I could anyway). Underneath the fruit is a layer of white chocolate and cream cheese.

Next year the Super Bowl is right here in Tampa again (it was just here in 2001).  Wouldn't it be something to see the Packers or the Jaguars in the Super Bowl right here in our own town? Woohoo!!!!