Worse than a horror movie

That's right; Halloween 2, Scream, The Others ... They got nothin' on me. I took on Rena's challenge and found some horrifying pictures from high school. Be prepared. I've warned you. Here's one of me in home ec class. That's my friend Sarah who's making bunny ears on me. Isn't she a great friend. By the way, I'm NOT posting the picture of Sarah and I on "twin day," wearing matching vests. It's just too shocking for words.

And here's me next to my brothers, whom I have hidden in order to spare them the humiliation I am now subjecting myself to. Don't ask me what the heck I was doing in this picture, because I wouldn't be able to tell you.
And this one is truly awful. I had been crying, so my face is extra pink and splotchy.
HOWEVER, I must not have looked that bad. I think I just didn't know how to dress. What with the tapered jeans and the baggy shirts, I mean. Here's me at senior prom with my date, Jess. That was my first date ever ... in my life. See, I don't look terrible here, do I? Just a little goofy.
And now that you've had a good laugh and your sides are aching, I pass on the challenge to you! Find an equally terrifying picture of yourself from high school and post it on your blog. I want to see those 80's styles, people! Bring it on!

Oh my gosh, SNOW in Texas!!

Here's Benji trying on a beanie before we go to Texas.

Here's Kate and Ethan in the holiday spirit making a gingerbread house. Cleaning up after this was a .... a difficult task.
Christmas Eve, we flew to Texas, and it was snowing!!! There were about 3 inches of snow in Grammy's back yard. We attempted a snowman, but the snow was too powdery and didn't stick. This is the best we could do:
Not very impressive, is it?
The next day, Christmas Day, the snow had all stuck. It was a white Christmas! Here's Ethan running through the snow:
And who are these fine-looking people?
That afternoon, the snow was beginning to melt, so it stuck very nicely, and we made this fabulous 4 1/2 foot all fellow. Chad added ears to it, so it became a snow bear. Then he added antennae, so it was a snow-bear-alien:
Isn't he handome? His smile and eyebrows are made out of almonds and cashews.
Wow, that is an amazing snowman:
Two days after Christmas, we went to see some ice sculptures in Grapevine. My favorite was this amazing manger scene. You can't really tell from the picture, but they are life-sized sculptures. It was really cool.
Chad and I had our SEVENTH anniversary on the 28th. Here's a nice sign that Shonda and Amanda made for us:
One day, my family all went to a state park. Here we are having a jolly time, except for Ethan:

Here's my incredibly strange brother and his fiance Amanda. She's super cool.
Ethan turned FOUR on Jan 1! Here's Ethan wearing one of his birthday presents.
And Shonda and I created this impressive gingerbread clock tower with connecting cobblestone bridge.

WHAT?

Really? Not a single person has a comment to leave about the hilarious pictures below? Come on!

More reasons to love my family ... OR

... more reasons that I might end up in the loony bin.

Benji cried after Chad took away the marker he was chewing on:
Fat lip after a fall in the bathtub:
Ethan took this picture of crazy Daddy. Need I say more?
Ethan took this picture of Benji:
and this one:
And the following are me trying to get a decent picture of both children at the same time. Not an easy task:

Ten things you probably don't know about me

1. I wish I was Anne of Green Gables

2. I love my Schwinn Free Wheeler AL Swivel Double Jogger Stroller that I got free from Christie almost more than life itself.

3. I also love my garlic press from Pampered Chef an enormous amount. It is the greatest garlic press known to man. If you get one, you too will experience the joy that I have experienced.

4. I've been listening to country music lately. For years, I hated it; now there's a whole new genre that my eyes are being opened up to.

5. In college, I took an aesthetics class with Chad to prove my love for him. I tried so hard to understand it, and somehow got a B, but I really hated it, and it caused many fights between Chad and I

6. I used to fold my underwear carefully in a specific way and put the freshly washed ones underneath the older ones, so that they were rotated and all got used evenly. I quit doing this about 2 weeks ago; I finally realized I don't have time for this. Now, they're wadded up in the corner. It'll probably take another month before I'm really okay with this new change. YIKES!

7. My lifelong dream is to publish a book and have it fill the shelves of Barnes and Noble and be on the New York Times Bestseller list.

8. I had a poem published in a Canadian magazine when I was in college.

9. I used to shampoo my hair every single night, always, no exceptions. Then Betsy told me about a girlfriend of hers who has truly amazing hair, and she only shampoos once a month. Since that night 3 weeks ago, I've only been shampooing every other day. On the off-days, I feel ugly and dirty and greasy, but I really want amazing hair.

10. I haven't ovulated in 2 1/2 years.

Halloween

First of all, are we not the most adorable Peter Pan family you've ever seen? AND, I must add that our costumes were homemade! I made Benji's shirt, all of my costume except the wings and the shoes, all of Ethan's costume, and Chad's coat and cravat. Isn't that Martha Stewart of me? Thanks, Michelle, for making Benji's hat when I failed at it.

Here's Captain Hook and Tinkerbell, putting aside their differences for the sake of love:
Here's Ethan trick-or-treating at University Center:
Chad and Benji trick-or-treating at Uni Center:
Benji takes a break in the stroller and enjoys a lollipop:
Here's Ethan with his good friend Gugi:
Here's Ethan with his good friend Kate:
And here's Peter Pan with Mr. Smee:
Here's me with my sweet, darling, chocolate-drooling, sugar-saliva-encrusted children (By the way, Benji refused to let go of his pumpkin all night; he wanted to keep the candy close at hand):

List of things I did NOT do today

1. work out

2. eat healthily

3. sit on the floor and play with my kids

4. have patience with my children

5. go to the WIC office

6. buy plane tickets

7. pay rent

8. talk to good friends

9. read my sister's long email

10. read any of my book

But I DID wash, dry, fold, AND put away 3 loads of laundry, which is quite an accomplishment for one day. And I took care of two kids all day. And I squeezed an hour-long nap in while the kids were down. And I ate tons of Halloween candy; it's taking over my life and my kitchen, so the best thing to do is eat it so it's all gone.

I feel lousy about my lack of accomplishments today, but I need to get over that. I need to be more of a be-er and not such a do-er. It's one of my hubrises.