It's been good...

... for the two of us.

The thing that excited me most about B-rox heading off to his first day of school - was that Kieran and I were going to get some one on one time with eachother. The kind that Braxton and I had pre-Kenny.

I thought, "I could get stuff done, we could play, I could run errands and not go raggedy, and I can really get to know my second son without interference!"

I'm an idiot. We play, and I'm definitely getting to know Kenny without interference. But I don't get stuff done. When I do run errands? I still go raggedy. Mostly because I'm spending money, and I know what will be waiting for me when I tell my husband.

So, now I just need to find motivation. To clean the bathrooms, and vacuum - and order prints for my friend, sister, mother, grandparents and my house...

But cuddling with that guy up there? It's too much fun.

So the rest of the world can wait.

The Bond.

When Kenny's third leg came into view that day in June 2007, I cried. I gave myself one day to cry and lament about Mark's inability to give me an X chromosome. The finality of never having a girl justified crying about it - but just for one day. (Because in reality - you really do just want a healthy baby)

The next day I woke up and started thinking about the possibilities. I hoped - no, scratch that - I prayed they'd have a bond like this:

So, I will never have cute sundresses to buy or barrettes to put in hair. But I have cute kids - and they love eachother. And that makes me happy.

What I cuddle with...

These are seven of the books I bought with the gift card from Peggy and Rickey. The first night I just sat there with them on my lap. I couldn't decide. (the other seven books are leather bound Jane Austen) In case you're wondering what books I bought:

Vision in White By Nora Roberts (I can't help it - I'm just as addicted to her as I was at 16)

A Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (One man's memoir of his quest to follow the bible as literally as possible for an entire year. So far a very well written, funny, interesting book)

Outlander by Diane Gabaldon (have no clue... sounded good... time travel... scottish guys fighting...)

Newjack By Ted Conover (A writer goes under cover as a guard at Sing Sing Prison)

Lady Chatterly's Lover By D.H. Lawrence (gotta love the classics!)

Demon Ex-Machina by Julie Kenner (the fifth installment of my Demon hunting soccer mom series)

Guilty By Karen Robards (a thriller to round things out)

I got the books Friday night. Saturday afternoon I read Vision in White and then once I finished that I started A Year of Living Biblically: One man's Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Oh yes, He does. And it's hilarious. Especially when it ticks off his wife. For instance - he tells her that the week she's surfing the crimson tide - he can't touch her. Or sit anywhere she's sat. So she sits on every surface of their home, except the six inch high bench for their toddler. Great stuff.

I love books. Thanks Peggy and Rickey, the gift was wonderful - I even Love NY a whole lot (like six nights a week a whole lot). :D

I'm a Train Wreck.

For those who for some reason don't know at this point - I volunteer at a local hospital. It's fun. Today was really fun. It was a disaster drill involving many major hospitals in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.

The Scenario: The VRE Train is bombed at Rippon Landing. There is a second explosion at the Crystal City Metro Station. Hazmat at second explosion.

The hospital I work at is the closest to the VRE explosion, thus becoming the command center for the incident.

I got to be a victim! Full on moulage style.

For those who don't know what moulage is, it is the application of fake wounds. It tends to engage the doctors more - making for a more memorable lesson and better visual aid.

Our hospital is not a full on County General or Seattle Grace - so we're not equipped to take too many red tags.

When you are a victim in a disaster or disaster drill - you are tagged based on injury suckness. Green is - you got lucky. Put a bandaid on and go home.

Yellow is - We think you might have gotten lucky. But you have some obvious problems

Red is - Well, that sucks. Hopefully you pull out of it.

Black is - I'm sure you can figure that one out.

I was a yellow tag. Crazy head laceration, broken arm/wrist and second degree burns on 30% of my legs. I also had a baby. But she was a red tag. Burns to 50% of her body, and glass sticking out of her head.

The outcome was that the baby died (lame - I know) and I was sent up to surgery as soon as the amputee was done.

I'm now going to post some pictures of the moulage process. If you're squeamish - Don't scroll down.

My head lac. It was pretty gruesome. They use a special wax and made it lumpy and swollen and stuff. It was grossing the nurses out. But hey - my hair looks pretty good for having been blown up on the train at 6am.

The "pregnant" lady's leg injury. We gave her a saline bag to cut once she got into the ED. Awesome.

Compound Tib/Fib.

Looks pretty awesome right? We made the ten year old sit like that for 3 hours. None of us old folk could have pulled that off.

Seriously fun. Can't wait 'til next year's drill.

Help - I'm stuck!

Monday, Kieran climbed up into the window. He couldn't figure out how to take a step down backwards.

What did I do when I heard his cries for help? Took pictures. Worst. Mother. Ever.

Happy Birthday - To me!

Somebody recently mentioned that I post embarassing pictures of my sons - but never of myself.

I am the one behind the camera usually, so the pictures of me of late are scant.

The pictures will only be embarassing to the boys when they're older.

However, to rectify this error, I've scanned in a few pictures of myself through various periods of life.

Laugh. Enjoy. Whatever - now you can't say I haven't been fair....

Born 9-16-1985. Sex symbol in the making... '86I'm not going to lie. I think I'm adorable. Helping gramma bake. '88Easter '90

Mom, who the heck dresses up their five year old as a dead convict? And then lets them pretend to behead their gramma? One of the few times we actually got along...The cakes I produced with this were epic... I have no words.

Truly one of the best months of my life. I can't wait 'til the boys are older and we can do backpacking excursions. (ok, not for a month like I did... but a week? Think I can pull that off?)Love the scrunchi. Stern wheeler on the Willamette for a KYSG conference. Dad wouldn't let me wrestle...

Happy (belated) Birthday to myself.

This is Spinal Tap.

Turn your monitors up to 11 folks. That was lame. Give me a few posts to get back into the swing of things, please.

So, I'll make the long story kinda shortish.

*Saturday, I got a flu-type-bug. I guess I scared Mark, so he forced me to go to the hospital.
*There is apparently an outbreak of meningitis in the county of which we live. Some of my symptoms matched up - leading them to do a spinal tap.
*The doctor was semi-rushed as it was shift change, and 2am.
*He poked the "dura-matter" (covering for your spinal column)
*This meant that I had spinal fluid leaking out of the hole.
*That sucks.
*Uhm, percocet doesn't fix that kind of pain.
*For three days I leaked spinal fluid.
*On the third day I was pretty convinced I was going to die.
*Mark was too - so he packed me back up and took me to the ER
*They did a blood patch. (take blood from your arm and inject it into your spinal column to clot over the hole.
*Two hours later I could almost sit up pain free.
*I've been chillin' on bed rest to make sure I don't blow the patch. Because honestly, that was the worst pain ever. I would rather give birth un-epiduraled again (and I really liked the epidural I got for the second go 'round with that whole messy business) Labor/delivery would be a walk in the park compared to this.

So that is the whole "where's Sarah" story.

The Cardigan.

These pictures are not the awesomest. But I didn't have a ton of time this morning - so deal.

How can you not love school uniforms when you look this dapper? (just FYI - he does love his school clothes)

At the same time.

Yesterday Braxton was quiet. His teacher even said so. Weird right?

Kieran was whiny. Clingy. Well, they both were actually.

And then Braxton threw up.

And then Kieran threw up.

And then Braxton threw up.

And then Kieran threw up.

All day and night long.

All the blankets are to protect the couch.

They cashed out at about midnight. Kieran woke up at 1am for some more fun, and Braxton woke up at 3am for some more fun. This morning they seem to be doing better. All they get is pedialyte and saltines until I know that stuff isn't going to spray all over...

I'm not a woe is me person (most of the time) but could I please get a break this week?

It could have been his skull.

If the helmet companies need a ringing endorsement, they have one in us. That crack goes all the way through the styrofoam. It could have been his skull. Wear your helmets people.
Time for a new bike...

The Rattle of an Empty Car Seat.

Today was B-rox's first day of school. He was completely stoked, and sat in the circle like quite the big boy. Nobody cried (at least nobody from our family - there were plenty of other cryers there.) and Kieran even seemed to do ok leaving his brother behind.

Then we headed to Alexandria so we could pick up Braxton's cardigan, as it is pretty chilly here today.

I'm so excited for him. And me...

Golly I look le tired. He said goodbye and plopped down on the circle. Don't ask me what's up with the kid not in uniform....

Love you Braxton. I'm so excited for all your school adventures to come!

Not a good morning.

For those in the FB world - you already know the extent to which my morning sucked. For those of you not - or would just like a better explanation - here it is.

This morning started out like any other. I woke up, went to the gym, came back said goodbye to my husband then hopped in the shower. Just a few moments after I put my clothes on my doorbell started ringing.

I chug down the three flights of stairs and peek out the door to see my husband covered in blood. (Just FYI - not a good way to start the day)

Apparently on his trek to the VRE station a car pulled away from the stop sign and T-boned him and sent him flying.

*She didn't run the stop sign, and she didn't just leave him. Thank You number 1 and 2. Had she run the stop sign, or just left him things might have been different.

By the time he gets to me, he's going into shock from being hit by a car while riding a bike and the fact that he got hit by a car while riding a bike.

I took him to the hospital to get him checked out - and only cried a little. (Of course - it was while I was on the phone - with a dude no less... Thanks Mike.)

Mark managed to come out fairly unscathed. The nurses and doctors that attended to him were all impressed by how well he came out of it. Normally the circumstances in this instance are drastically different. Thank you Jesus.

He's sore, bruised, sprained ankle (not broken after all - Thank you 3), and his face is mangled.

I'm now going to post some pictures. However - his face isn't pretty - and that is with the unawesomeness that is my iphone camera. So if you don't like blood and stuff please don't scroll down.

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The vicodin started to kick in and the shock started to wear off. He's not Casper pale in this one,

This one kind of shows how swollen his face is getting. His helmet saved his head, but his entire forehead is a goosegg. His chin also resembles Leno's. His lips are huge. Like ginormous, can't hardly suck a straw huge. (love the BCD's. His glasses got completely effed up... so he gets this hotness until then) very un-quality picture of the gouge in his chin. It's called an 'evulsion'. A big chunk of skin is missing. But it was so deep (think gums here people) that it had to be sewn up. So he's going to have a crooked dimple in his chin. (don't worry babe - I'll still love you). Being very brave.

I love you honey - and I'm so glad that you made it out of this relatively unscathed. YOU ARE NEVER GETTING A MOTORCYCLE! We'll go car shopping as soon as it doesn't hurt you so much to move.

These pictures really don't do it justice. Which is probably a good thing. It makes my stomach hurt every time I look at him. B-rox keeps asking him to wash it off and Kenny keeps telling him he looks weird.

I'm just glad he's here.

I have no idea...

... What to title this post.

*Gramma and Pa Hat sent the boys UGG boots for winter. The boys loved them. Since neither boy will be wearing them with a mini-skirt - mom has no objections.

*Tonight we went out and the boys played with the neighbor boy (who is about a year and a half older than the B-rox).

*They went from riding bikes, to playing soccer (with a non-soccer ball), to playing soccer where hands are allowed, to playing soccer where hands are allowed and riding a stick pony.

*Braxton wore his UGG boots the whole time.

Pictures below. Enjoy.

I love the hair in the action shots. It's what makes or breaks a soccer star. Duh.

Keraaaash! (don't worry - no kids were seriously injured)

Ready...

...Two years too soon.

He wore this all day. He didn't want to be "wate".

Honey - you have two years to get ready. Let's enjoy our one on one time until then.