Shhh...it's our little secret.

OK people, please don't tell her that I said this, but I'm pretty sure that I'm turning into my mother (Gasp! Clutch Heart! Say it isn't so!)  And while we're keeping secrets, don't tell my husband or brother either, because they are constantly saying this and I'm constantly denying it and I don't want to have to admit that they are correct.  Those words literally taste like vinegar leaving my mouth when I have to say it to them.  I'd like to continue to deny it, but I'm afraid that this post is going to prove it.  I said that I wasn't going to blog about myself, but here I go, doing it again. 

I think that discussing what I did while getting ready for my brothers wedding would be a good place to start.  To set the scene: It was a busy morning.  Jackson slept horribly the night before and didn't get to bed until after midnight because his belly was hurting.  Everyone wakes up in good moods.  The boys go off to the Football Hall of Fame (I was totally jealous) and the girls head to the reception hall to set up center pieces and such and to get our hair done in the brides room.  I didn't bring my stuff to get ready because I thought that I would have to take Vettori back to nap, but the little angel napped there.  So we stayed and helped longer than we thought.  Around 1:00 p.m. my mom, Vettori and I headed back to the hotel to meet the boys and get ready.  They were trying to nap so I did what I could in the dark.  We had to be back for pictures at 2:30 p.m. since we are all in the wedding.  When they got up we got them into their tuxes and Vettori into her dress.  I went to put on my dress I realized it was in my mom's room.  So I ran up and got it and it was very wrinkled from being in my carry-on bag on the plane.  I read the tag and it says "cool iron when necessary."  I say to my mom that I'm afraid that I would burn a hole in the dress and I asked her to set the iron for me.  She sets it and I start ironing.  We're chatting and I get through the back and then turn it over.  It turns out that my mom set it on the highest setting and it took about that amount of time to get hot.  So when I put the iron on the front side by the pocket, it burns a hole in the dress....this was approximately 1:50...40 minutes before pictures.  I gasp and kinda yell "I just burned a hole in my dress" and begin to panic.  My mom then looks at it and gasps herself.  Luckily my mother is a very handy person who doesn't panic and thinks quickly, so she tells me to call the front desk and ask for safety pins or a sewing kit.  And they had a sewing kit so my mom went to work.  Thank goodness or I would have been wearing jeans and boots...I didn't bring much else and I don't sew.  But I am now motivated to learn.  I do find it ironic that I can suture people and do on a regular basis, but I'm intimidated by a dress and a sewing kit, but I digress.

Today  I took some pictures of the dress the way that I wore it and then I undid the thread and took some pictures of the hole for your enjoyment.  It is once again very wrinkled from being in our suitcase on the way home, but you get the idea.

Here's the dress after the patch job.  You can hardly tell, right?

  

A close up of the fantastic job my mom did.

And here's a couple of the hole. 

         Yes, it is singed and crusty around the edges....sexy is the word that you're looking for.

We had a ton of fun at the wedding and reception and all was fine, but it was a close call.  I am not blaming this on my mom (totally) because how can you be holding an iron and not realize that it's hot?  Totally my fault. 

Example 2: On the day of Jackson and Dominick's last baseball games we spent all morning at the ball fields.  Jackson's Tball game was at 9:00 a.m. and Dom's coach pitch was at 10:30.  Sometime around noon or so we start loading up the car.  It was getting hot so I take my cell phone out of the pocket of my sweatshirt so that I can put the sweatshirt in the trunk.  I place my cell phone on the roof of the car.  I put my sweatshirt and the baseball stuff in the trunk.  While I'm getting Jackson buckled in John shuts the trunk and gets in the drivers seat.  I then shut Jackson's door and get in the passenger seat.  We are on our way home (approximately 15 minutes later) and the phone rings.  I ask John if it's his phone or mine.  He says his but I go to look for my phone anyway and it hits me.  I turn to John and say "I think we have a little problem."  I tell him that I left my phone on top of the car and he just shakes his head and laughs at me.  We turn around and go back, but it wasn't in the parking lot or at the desk.  On the bright side, we have insurance and when I called to get it replaced they upgraded me to the 3D phone.  It's pretty cool.

The Sunday before last the Steelers were playing the Ravens.  It's sometime in the 3rd quarter and we've been watching from the beginning.  So to say that I'm very invested in the game is an understatement.  They scan the crowd and lots of terrible towels were waving and I look at John and say "there sure are alot of Steelers fans there."  And he responds, "that makes sense since they are playing in Pittsburgh."  I just shook my head and said "you're going to tell my brother that I said that aren't you?"  And he replied "of course I am."

And last but not least.  Way back in July my brother turned 28.  I sent him a birthday card, but instead of putting his address on it, I put my aunts address.  He has never lived at that house.  It would be kinda understandable if I put my parents address...but my aunts....no clue why I would do that, except I'm losing it a little.  I'm a mere shell of my former self.  I'm pretty sure that during my pregnancies I lost brain cells that I can never get back and I'd be willing to bet that these kids continue to suck more braincells from me daily. 

Who would have thought that the irreversible brain damage didn't happen due to all of the alcohol I consumed in college, but instead by those tiny little humans that call me mom.  Amazing really....especially if you knew me back then!

Until next time....

You're not a girl....you're a mommy.

Have I really not blogged since September 2nd?  For real???  I don't even know where to begin. 

Jackson has had some funny  moments recently.  The other day he was laying on the couch and John was sitting beside him and he started to kick him, not hard, but that annoying little kick over and over again.  John tells him to stop and he doesn't.  So I say, "Jackson stop kicking your dad."  He responds "I'm not kicking him, I'm pushing him with my feet."

Jackson is very into Jake and the Neverland Pirates on the Disney Channel.  He was a pirate for Halloween.  We play Jake and the Pirates all the time.  He has quite an imagination.  He assigns us characters.  He is always Jake.  John is always Captain Hook (which Jackson pronounces Cackan Hook).  This way they can fight and he can yell at John.  Vettori gets to be Izzy...Jake's cute girl sidekick who wears a pink bandanna and hoop earrings and cute boots.  When I ask who I get to be he always assigns me Cubby...a short, kinda chubby little boy who is inept at most pirate things.  Really Jackson?  When I ask why Vettori is Izzy and not me he says "because sister is a girl."  What?  I say I'm a girl and he says no you're a mommy.  I say well I'm not a short chubby little boy and he laughs, tells me I'm silly and says that I have to be Cubby.  Then he proceeds to boss me around and yell at me "Cubby row my boat" or "Cubby go fight Cackan Hook" or "Cubby go get me the treasure map."  And the list goes on and on.  When Dominick is at our house I typically suggest that Dominick be Cubby and Jackson says "no he can be another Jake."  Seriously?  So I usually ask if I can be another Izzy and he tells me no because Izzy is a girl and I'm a mommy.  At least I know my role....and apparently so does he. 

Jackson took his role as pirate for Halloween very seriously.  He was so proud of his costume and very excited that he got to wear it 3 days in a row.  I'm sure we'll be wearing it again soon to the grocery store or who knows.

Here's a cute one of all of them together.   We had the cutest little double scoop of ice cream, the best pirate and the coolest rock star out there.

I was going to get Vettori a little pig or elephant costume because I thought it was super cute since she's a little fatty.  John told me that it was child abuse and it would give her a complex when she's older.  He asked if they were out of crowns and pretty dresses for his chubby baby princess (his words, not mine).  But when I saw the double scoop of ice cream I couldn't pass it up.  Well my cousin's husband apparently doesn't think that those costumes were child abuse because she dressed her daughter, who is Vettori's age, as an elephant.  She also got both of her daughter's ears pierced when they were little babies, which John also thinks is child abuse, so I'm hoping he doesn't call CPS on them...they are 2 for 2 now.

(Sorry the pic is so blurry, but it didn't transfer well from the text message)

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!  This was the most fun Halloween so far.  Jackson was beyond excited about his pumpkin that we carved and Dominick shared his enthusiasm.  They had fun at the pumpkin patch picking them out. 

Their smiles and enthusiasm continued all the way up until it was time to blow the candles inside the pumpkins out at the end of the night on Halloween.  They loved dressing up (3 times) and trick or treating and going to their school Boo Party.  I'm sure it's only going to get better as Vettori gets older and joins in the excitement.

This is them inspecting the pumpkins and fire. 

Even after we went in they were looking through the window at their works of art.

Until next time.....