Get out your Dramamine, Phenergan or Zofran if you will-

Because this post will make you nauseous.
This morning I woke up to flowers, an expensive and wonderful smelling candle, and a card for no reason at all. Which is Reason #531 Why I love my husband so much.He is really great and thoughtful.. He signed the card from the kids and himself. So sweet. I am a lucky, lucky, lucky girl.
I love you honey.

The MAN, stickin' it to me.

Well, I have talked to my supervisor at work, again, and I guess I have to work for the fourth of July holiday. But I don't mind because of this: On graveyard shift the holiday is the night before. So I will still be able to take the kids to fireworks, and I get an extra day on the schedule plus my payrate at time and a half. Which is SWEET. I am still irritated about it and I am still considering filing a grievance, but whatever. It is all good. Last year I worked all the holidays and they didn't have a problem with it, but if I want to be off for two in a row, Oh hell no. I guess it is more the principle of the thing, regardless of the compensation in pay. They only follow rules when it is convenient to them, not all the time. I guess that is why there is a union in the first place. Bastards.

So Sweet.

Cousins, kickin it.

This is Ayman and his cousin Lexi. They were thick as thieves yesterday. It was so cool to see. Lex wanted to teach him what a "sentence" was and played little piggies with him. They enjoyed their lunch on a quilt and had a nice time together. We got too many pictures of it.

Happy Fathers Day Amr!

We went out to my Grampas house for a fathers Day BBQ. It was a nice time. A ton of food, and good company, it was nice to see everyone and made me think we should do it more often.

Here is something that sucks.

(Let me give a shout out to Ming-Ming, you oughta appreciate this one.)
A couple things, really.
First: My job. I got an email from the woman who writes the schedule at work. She informed me that I would have to work on the fourth of July, even though it is a Tuesday. She told me I had to work it because I didn't work on Memorial day, and because it was in our union contract (it isn't by the way, I read it last night.). Well, let me say right now, F&*% that. I didn't work on Memorial Day because I am on a shortened schedule as of late, due to the birth of my daughter. I had to sign a paper saying I would come back to work 3 days a week starting July 1. So I only work on Fridays and Saturdays. Usually I work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That is what I signed on for in December of 2004. Weekends only. So Labor Day, and Memorial Day are on Mondays, big deal....Last summer I worked on the fourth of July AND Memorial Day, as a favor to the dingbat that was writing the schedule then. How soon we forget. They don't have a problem with that right? I also worked on Xmas Eve and day, New Years Eve and day, because, hello, they fell on the weekend. Did I complain? No. That is what I signed up for. So I guess this is where I call for Union intervention. I know I pay them 16 dollars a pay period for something. So the boss can suck it. I am not working. She can put that in her pipe and smoke it. She also informed me that I will be having trouble with the other holidays that fall on Monday as well. No I won't. So there.
The other thing is, I defragmented my computer and got rid of a whole bunch of crap. Now, when I went to open Mozilla today, I have a different homepage, all of my bookmarks are gone and when I go to the sites I used to frequent I have to put in all of my passwords over again. That sucks big time. Jerks.

I Love Being A Mom.

Tonight while my son was in the bathtub I whittled down his toy basin. He has a million little happy meal toys and stuff that really hurts to step on in his toy cabinet. I took out anything I didn't see him play with lately, and out in to the garage it went. I am considering giving the crap to a second hand store, because let's face it, my son has too much crap. My husband is as bad as me in contributing to it. We can say we are even. I have a thing for buying the kids clothes, and every once in a while Amr will buy the boy some toy cars from the junk store. Any way, he was in the bath and all the toys in the cabinet turned into, 3 balls (one basketball, a small soccerball, and a nondescript ball) a fire truck, an aquadoodle, and the basin, which now contains his big lego looking blocks, some mardigras beads, and an assortment of cars. Of course he also has that recently popular toy from Auntie Renee,the tupperware ball with the holes and shapes to put in them. Don't forget his Hello Kitty earmuffs either. He can't ride his little scooter thingie with out those:


(that is priceless) I guess, long story short, (too late) I reduced his toys. It works out great (for me at least) and he has so many he doesn't miss them. I know, I know, I am preaching to the choir here, any mom knows about what I like to call "Toy Appreciation" It is a must, or you will find yourself up to your hiney in toys and other crap you manage to accumulate for your child.
After Ayman got out of his bath, his Daddy was getting him ready to go pray the last prayer of the night (Isha'a) at the mosque. After he was dressed he proceeded to open the cabinet and blessedly, did not seem to notice the dramatic decrease in his toys. He did however, notice that I put all of his lego type blocks together and proceeded to play with them. He played with them like he had never played with them before. He played with them like he hadn't ignored them at all in the last week. Then it came time to go. His Daddy was standing by the front door, telling him time for "bye-bye". Ayman jumped up to go. I had just cleaned up the damn toys, so I said, "Put your toys away, baby" and he proceeded to pick up his blocks and put them in the tub. I am looking at Amr like, "huh?" you could have knocked me over with a feather. Then he picked up the tub and put it in the cabinet, and closed the doors. WOW. I was dumbfounded. He never did that before. Of course that is not to say that I didn't waste lots of my breath telling him to, he just never bothered with it. (why would you if your mom is just gonna clean it up anyway?) After that Amr picked him up and gave him kisses while I gave him "Bravo"'s We were impressed. Then Amr told him, "say bye- bye, Mommy" and wouldn't you know? He said it! I was so stoked. Sure all this seems little and trivial, but it was awesome. I had to write it down. He needs to see this stuff when he grows up, and I need to remember how he was when he was little, when he is big.
I am a dorky mom, sue me.

Look at the ears.

Today I had to take Jennah to the doctors office for her 2 month immunizations. Well, she had to get FOUR shots! I guess I forgot about that sadistic crap from Ayman. Anyway, I thought since I was going to be dosing her with Tylenol every four hours, I might as well make it worth it. We went right on over to the mall and got her ears pierced too. She had a very bad day. Actually though, she is doing good. She has slept a lot, blessedly. It looks so precious! I felt apprehensive about it at first, but then I just decided to nut up and do it. I think she will thank me later. (or hold it against me, who knows.)

Happy Family

Another picture from Jacobs graduation party. I think we are all looking at the camera, amazingly enough. Ayman was totally distracted by the last of his Smartees in this sitting so we had to try to take this about 10 times. The joy of a short attention span.

Kickin' it with Uncle Alex.

We went to cousin Jacobs graduation party this last weekend. Luau food and fun was had by all. There was a pinata, and Ayman got some smartees out of it. He is seen here with his Uncle Alex, chillin' and chompin'.

Cass and Jenn

Okay, I know this is sickeningly sweet, but I had too. She is wearing the second dress that was made for her by Gramma and I. Very precious.
I want to take this time to say that we all had a very nice time at Jacobs party. My Aunt Cindy always does such an awesome job on that stuff. Everything so well thought out. She had all kinds of great stuff to eat, and an adorable cake with pictures of my cousin from when he was little on it. What a good mommy. I can't believe he is old enough to go to high school already. It seems like not that long ago that I was babysitting him and his brother so their mommy and daddy could go have a romantic weekend, six weeks or so after his younger brother was born. That was a rough babysitting gig. It made me appreciate family planning in a way I never had before. As in, I planned on having my family in the far away future, and only when there would be a husband involved. 12 years later, here we are. I sit at my computer keyboard blogging away while my son hunches over, quietly behind me trying strain out a poop, without me noticing. (we put him on the toilet by the way, but I think he sees that as somewhere to pass the time before he poops in the clean diaper we put on him when we give up.) Where does the time go?

Sleepin' with Daddy

I came home from work a couple of weeks ago and this is what i found. Amr and Jennah sleeping in similar positions. So cute. He takes care of her overnight on Fridays and Saturdays wheni am working. What a brave soul.

I meant to do that.

Ok, I realize I have not written a monthy update on Ayman in like, MONTHS. Forgive me, between being pregnant, having a newborn, breastfeeding and going back to work, I seem to have forgotten. Let's say he is doing great. He has started really trying to talk, and can say "triangle" and identify the #2. He fetches diapers for his sister and gives her her pacifier when she spits it out. He loves Blues Clues, Wonderpets, and Dora the Explorer, and I love him.
Time to go cuddle the larvae, I will post again soon.