Not Good at Good-Byes

I can't bring myself to officially shut 'er down - yet - but can y'all please start visiting me over at my other and now main blog, Deadlines and Naptimes?

For three reasons:

1) Isn't that an AWESOME mommy blog name? Yeah, I know, I'm not creative by nature so when I hit something good I am proud.

2) I HATE the name of this blog, always have and there's no clean way I can think to tinker without basically starting over. No, wait, yes ... there's no way (subtext: at least not an easy way for a only very part-time web geek like me).

3) I cannot maintain two blogs and long ago the reason for STARTING a second one - documenting Rachel's birth - luckily wrapped up (i.e., she popped out). So now I'll just have one life, two kids and the ONE BLOG. Some of which is evidenced by my last photo post to Eemia's life...my kids at my mom's for Thanksgiving. Yes that's right, not Christmas, peeps, those are still on the camera. HENCE why I'm STREAMLINING a bit.

This blog will remain in cyber-wherever for a while I guess, I hope, so maybe someday when I've got spare time (whoo HOOOO can you believe I said that?) I can print off the posts.

Or as EEJ and I have fervently been discussing, maybe I can transfer them over to populate my other blog someday when Blogger gets a clue and makes that possible (COME ON, BLOGGER EMPLOYEE #18 WHO IS IN CHARGE OF SECRETLY MONITORING OUR BLOGS FOR 'USER INPUT' - MAKE IT HAPPEN!)

Anyway it's sad to say good-bye. This was my first foray into blogging and it's been cathartic, fun, and most important, given me great connections and insights into this new world of moms and blogs. I know so many people better now - IRL and online, I've learned so much from everyone here, and look forward to continue and hopefully even step it up, over there.

I've been postponing this post because I thought I'd do something more fantastical to say Bye but instead I'll say CLICK HERE NOW and be on my merry way. Sniffffffff.

And Now, a Little Levity

The last few weeks have been intense. This made ME laugh, so hopefully it'll do the same for you even if you've seen it before ... I took the liberty to bold my personal faves.

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

BARACK OBAMA : The chicken crossed the road because it was time for change ! The chicken wanted change ! And he wanted to share the eggs with those that have no eggs of their own... eggs for everyone!! The rich people will pay for them.... we will spread them.

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

SARAH PALIN : Where's my gun?

JOE BIDEN : [silence]

HILLARY CLINTON : When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won 't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty ! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks .

PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

YESSSS!

I am thrilled, I am proud, I am excited.

I am also nervous and not convinced the world's now perfect. There is a tremendous if not unmanagable need for Obama (would have been the same for McCain) to perform, lead, at such a high level, in such a time of unrest, concerns, fears and yes, I guess, crisis, in our country.

I believe he is up for the task, truly. But I know he can't "fix it all." And who can imagine in today's world of terrorism and economic turbalence, how the next 4 months, much less 4 years, will really unfold? What his administration will have to respond to? How they will really juggle all those balls at once, as he famously told McCain during the campaign suspension? How he can really live up to all those campaign promises? (Side note to Pres Elect: At least focus on healthcare and education, and I'll let ya off the hook on taxes and clean energy for a while...)

But regardless. Regardless. Something amazing ... truly, amazing and historic as historic GETS ... has occurred. Juan Williams said on FOX, this isn't just FOR the history books, it might be the COVER of the history books. He may be right. (By the way, his comments after the announcement were very emotional, sincere and touching. Glad I've braved FOX lately to catch them.)

Like many, it brought tears to my eyes. It made me truly joyous and optimistic. And, most powerfully, it previewed how different the world will look when my kids can vote. What will and won't be "normal" for them is so vastly different than what our parents and even we have grown up with, I am hoping they almost will not believe us when we tell them about it.

We've crossed a line that I believe we will never go back over. (Next up: the ladies!!!) It wasn't the reason for my vote. But it is the reason my vote meant so much. And the reason for which I was so proud to have my 10 week old daughter with me, in her Daddy's arms, as we was able to vote for someone we both feel very good about. Who also is black.

Side note: I was also very proud that I brought her home from the hospital on the day the second woman in history was nominated for VP. No matter how violently I did not support her as a candidate, I respect that Sarah Palin too will go down in history for this election - and who knows what others to come. And, that she stepped boldly up to the plate, took the hits, and worked her ass off to take another step forward on behalf of not just women but our country.

Congratulations, President Obama. God bless you and keep you and yours safe. And please do the kick ass job that I think you will.

My Other Boys

Because we mostly spend more time with our St. Louis friends, and our closest family is O'Fallon (and we don't even see them much - the rest are Warrensburg, MO, Chi town, Colorado and Arkansas), I don't post as many photos of them as I should.

But these are my OTHER boys - Connor, 7, and Logan, newly 9, my "little brother" Bryan's boys. They live in Warrensburg and my parents, who live there too, took this during what I hear was a lovely fall walk.

These kids are a preview of what I expect my still soft skinned, chubby and semi-controllable toddler boy will become someday: wild, loud, skinny/muscled, with skinned knees...but also super smart, funny, kind hearted, and just plain fun to be around.

Can't wait to see them at Thanksgiving and watch Matthew follow them around like Gods.

What a Beautiful Sight

Obama speaking in St. Louis on Saturday.

Wish we could have gone but combination of my eyesight and back row and two kids probably equals, CNN viewing was better ...

Fall Fun, Take 1

We hit Rombach's pumpkin patch this weekend with all the girls ...

From 2008 October

Kim, Amelia, Erin, Bridget, Rachel and moi.

All the guys ...

From 2008 October

Mark, with no kid (HAHAHA), Tim, Shane, Mike and Matthew

And all the yellow school buses.

From 2008 October

Defying gravity are Rachel, Shane, Amelia, Bridget and Matthew

Nice photo shopping, EEJ. It seriously does look like our children are prodigies able to sit/stand by themselves and even drive the bus. Even Rachel looks like she can hold her head up, hooray!

Doesn't it look like we had fun?

From 2008 October

Actually, we did. A ton.

Sure, these outings are now very different than they used to be. They are no longer beer soaked, smoking and darts and Golden Tee 3 a.m. nightmares. Instead, we're doing bottle and spit up and tantrum and sticky hand laden afternoon kidfests. But I have to say, having these five kids hang out is fantastic. Loving every minute of this next step of our lives.

And of course this post wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin pic.

From 2008 October

(Thanks EEJ. That was a LOT easier than uploading and digging through my own!)

Possibilities

Sunday will be Mike's and my seventh anniversary. SEVEN!!! We'll celebrate the occassion by taking two probably grumpy babies to my work picnic and carting them around in crowds and heat.

Ha ha, just kidding. Well, we WILL do that. But first we'll celebrate for real. Because Libby is a saint on earth, she agreed to babysit Saturday night so we could go out. WITHOUT KIDS. WITHOUT PREGNANT BELLY. And, so help me, WITHOUT GUILT.

Erin and Tim had done this for us just before Rachel was born, and that was great. But there's one thing this date night will have that was missing before. Just one little detail...ALCOHOL.

So, internet friends, what should we DOOOO??

Because we don't go out and because if we do it involves the worlds "sports" and "bar", I don't know where we should eat or what cute little place we should go for drinks after?

Or, if we go the more high brow route, what good movies are out now? You know, that you would go see, if you could, if you weren't at home caring for one or two babies (my readership is as housebound as I am, I fear).

Or if you don't have comments, at least vote in my poll. Need all the help I can get after seven years.