Well, Well, Well... I simply have no excuse. 2013 regurge.

One of my friends from high school was talking about standing in the shower and thinking of all the things that had gone on in the past year.  She said "OH CRAP, I better start writing some of this shit down!." That got me thinking. I have blog, and have had one for nearly ten years.  Yes Dear Reader, if you are reading this now, I have had this for ten years this coming September.  I remember I started it because I wanted to talk shit and be able to remember all the adorable things that my children do/did.  
     Everyone has the best of intentions with their first child. They go whole hog, scrap booking and keeping memories.  Then the second one comes and, not so much.
     So, in the spirit of continuity, I will do a regurge.  It's been a long time since I have done one.  now I have to go get my phone and get some pictures of of it to post.  I know I don't have to say that I will be right back, because you don't actually know I am gone, but I will say it anyway, just to be contrary.  
 Be right back.

That took a while.  Not that you know that, but it did.  I got a case of what I like to call "Cindy Smedley Sidetracked" I was making photo collages, because too much happened this year, so I had to consolidate space.  

Of course I like to take silly pictures with the kids.  We all know this.  It's a fact.

Also, I am huge on costumes.  I made Ayman an Obi-Wan Kenobi costume for Halloween a couple years ago.  We got to use it again for Star Wars Night at the Stockton Thunder.  So much fun.  I also made Jennah a bad ass Princess Leia costume, because sewing your own damn costumes is a lost art and also, BECAUSE I CAN.  For Halloween, which is the picture on the right, Ayman was Jack Sparrow, and Jennah was a Pirate Wench.  My mom totally scored a great pirate costume with hat; it was a little small so some modification was in order.  Also, I made him a wig bandanna combo from a cheapie mask my mom had in her costume trunk.  We topped it of with a pirate beard and make up and BOOYAH, Mommy rulez!  Jennah and I had a great time thrift store shopping for her costume bits.  That girl can shop.

We also had a year of fake moustaches and broken right arms.  

So, Ayman broke his arm in August.  He fell off his bike because he hit a curb, because of his desire to be FIRST at all times.  I hope he took something away from that experience.  Jennah broke her arm in early January, (I know it is in 2014, but I am lumping it with 2013 for posterity)  Let me tell you how, dear reader, since this is for you too.  Ayman and Jennah call our bedroom "The Training Room".  It has a big Cal King bed, and the kids wrestle with each other.  Roughly.  They have just always done it.  This time, big brother accidentally stepped on Sissy's arm.  You know how when your kids cry, you can tell from the tone if something is really wrong?  Well, I heard Jennah make a noise of pain. Then she said, "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry.... " It was at that point I threw my laptop on the floor and hauled ass back into the bedroom to see why she wouldn't be crying.  Due to a policy I have called "If One of You Ends Up Crying You're Both in Trouble" they didn't want to tell me a thing.  I waived my normal policy on that night.  Ayman was torn up- he was sad he hurt his sister, and terrified he would be in trouble.  Jennah was cradling her arm and doing what can be best described as Lamaze breathing.  I took her to the urgent care, it was xrayed and splinted, and we went out to the county for a cast the next day.  What a difference, let me tell ya.  Ayman was damn stoic about his broken arm.  He wept silently.  Jennah, not so much.  Ayman had tylenol with codeine the night of the break.  Jennah was asking for pain meds three days later.  She really is her mother's daughter, just as Ayman is his father's son.  Genetics are fun, huh?

The above picture is just so cute.  I picked the kids up from school in December and decided to take them to Panera for some hot chocolate, a cookie and some conversation.  They're adorable.  I am not biased at all.  

     So that is about as many pics as I will post, Ayman turned 10 last year and is in the fourth grade.  His teacher is Ms. Wendt.  He loves to read.  In about August, he started reading the Harry Potter books.  By the end of the year he was pretty much done with them.  Now he is reading The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  We went to his teacher conference and he has read, get this, 600k words since the beginning of the school year.  He loves to read so very much.  It warms the cockles of my cold, dark heart. Jennah turned 8 last March.  She is in the second grade, and her teacher is the same second grade teacher Ayman had: Mrs. Ellis.  Jennah's reading is coming along wonderfully. Jennah's big thing is art.  She loves drawing pictures, making jewelry and just about anything that exercises her creativity.  She is a thoughtful and sweet young lady.  I am so proud of the both of them.

     On a personal non-child related note, since September I have lost 48 pounds.  Amr and I joined the gym and I have been going regularly. Between my mom, dad, brother and I we have lost about 250 lbs.  My brother has lost a whopping 100lbs!  It's really awesome. Amr and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary at the end of July.  Time does fly!

Also, if you are just joining us, I do not try to pretend that I am a professional writer.  So please, if you feel the need to grammar/punctuation nazi me, don't. I just don't care.
   
There is the regurge.  Hope you enjoyed it.  I would promise to do better, but I am sure that I won't.

Jennah's Hello Kitty Birthday cake

And here we have my daughters sixth birthday cake.  I made the the Kitty with gum paste, all of the flowers with royal icing, and the petal frosting pattern, I got straight from Pinterest.  The totally kooky thing today was that I got this big, bad-assed cake tip (see below) for frosting cakes.  It knocked the crumb coating and filling in between layers out with a quickness.

How about that bad boy, huh?

So there ya have it.  Hello Kitty birthday cake.

Jennah and Mommy

On a more personal note, six years and three hours ago, I gave birth to a tiny little girl, and named her Jennah. Jennah, my baby doll, you are getting so big and turning into such a charming little lady.  I love you so much.  I look forward to watching you grow up, even though I wish you could stay little. *sniffle* oxoxox Mama

First day of school, 2 times.

Aymans first day of school was the 18th. He is in first grade this year. He picked that shirt out himself at the "boutique" (a fancy was of saying thrift store, lol.) He is getting so big.

Not for nothin', but my son does an awesome robot.

And here he is at his very own desk in class. *sniff* I am verclempt.

Jennah was sick on the real first day of school so we will call this Jennah's first day of school. She is also sporting a complete "boutique" ensemble, WOO HOO! It is adorable and she was very excited to go back to school.

And here we have a crazy pose, just for funsies. Too cute. Mommy is super proud of you guys, and loves you very much!

Backyard Sprinkler Fun

Interview with Jennah

Jennah gets a big kid bike.

So when Ayman was learning to ride a bike, the kid next door, Nicholas and his mom Deb were watching. She was telling me about how she couldn't get Nicholas to ride without training wheels. (that is his bike in the foreground) She said she had a bike the perfect size for Jennah, that her son had grown out of. SCORE! So without any further adieu, Jennah and her debut on a bike with two wheels. (and two training wheels.) Yay, Jennah!

Woo Hoo! video of a race, starring Ayman and Jennah

A Birthday Dinner.

Jennah and the customized Cherry Chip cake I made for her.

Ayman, Millie and Jennah with the cake.

Photobomb! (LMAO, Alex)

This is my present. I got her 4 years ago last Thursday.

Well we had a little dinner over at my Mom and Dads house tonight- and a tiny birthday celebration for the girl. No big deal, just dinner, cake and ice cream. She did get some good presents, and loved decorating her cake wit the M&M's. She even let Millie help her open presents. My girl is a great sharer. Well sweetie, Mommy loves you so much, Happy 4th Birthday. *sniffle, tears, sniffle*

Sleepover, Wooo HOOOO!

The pictures run backwards, But Ayman and Jennah had their first sleep over on Friday the 19th. Lilyith, one of Ayman's kindergarten classmates stayed over. It was her first sleep over too. They had a blast, and I took plenty of pictures for her mom to see. The awesome thing is that Lilyith gets along great with Jennah too- she has little sisters so she is just wonderful with her. I would totally do this again. So, if you want, scroll down to the bottom and work your way up. Thanks for reading.

The above picture is Jennah (right) and Lilyith, PASSED OUT. I mean it was only 11:30! Lightweights.

Ayman was not happy about having to sleep all by himself, but dammit, RULES ARE RULES.

Lilyith and Jennah at bedtime. Observe the awesome murals that Ayman and Jennah made on the walls. I was going to wash them off, but I think they compliment the room. NOT.

MMMMMM, Popcooooooorrrrrn

Jiffy Pop is old school but way cool. I remember when I used to stay the night at my Uncle's house. His wife at the time would have my brother, and cousin and I make Jiffy Pop. it always seemed like it took forever to get going and I remember my arm would hurt from shaking it, so we all took turns. I brought that to the table for these kiddies. It was a raging success, if I do say so myself. (and of course, I do.)

For dinner the menu consisted of Chicken rings and seasoned crinkle fries. What part of the chicken do you suppose the "ring" comes from, anyhow?

The kids playing dress up. Ayman is wearing a cape I made for him in ought six, for Halloween. he was Dracula. In this instance he was a ghost, and a wizard. Wonder where he got that, Dad? *coughHarryPottercough*

When we got home after school the kids were sent out to play. It was a beautiful almost spring day and the back yard is so....dare i say, verdant? Right now. They figured out a way for all of them to ride the Barbie Jeep (thanks, Grandma!) It wasn't dangerous at all. Look out Mother of the Year Award, i am owning you! LOL.

Hope you enjoyed that backwards pictorial journey.... Coming soon, the lovely conditions of my probation for the RCB, or "Why You Should Never Ever Be An Ass When You Are Younger And Have a Record to Prove It."

Woooo Frickin' Hoo., CRT some kid pics.

Ayman and Jennah ready to go to the mosque for Isha. so cute.

Ayman is like his mom, digs the self portraits.

Ayman had a friend over for the first time today to play, his name is Nicolas and he lives 3 doors down. They all attempted to play SpongeBob bingo.

Here are the kids rolling in Jennahs barbie Jeep for the first time this spring.

Well, i was notified today that i will be getting my Respiratory license. This should happen sometime in May. I will keep you all posted. Now i am just gonna need a job......

Phillips Farms Fun

OK, so we had a little outing today, with Gramma and Grandpa. We went to Lodi- Phillips Farms to be exact. We saw silly pumpkin scenes, the kids walked through tunnels, made from bales of hay, Mommy spent quality time looking at their chickens and roosters (why do i love chickens so much? Weird) We then rounded it out by purchasing pumpkins. Jennah of course got a "teeny-tiny pumpkin" and Ayman got one he could not even lift on his own. All in all, it was a nice day.

Hay Ayman! Whats up?

Raggedy Ayman

Ayman and Jennah on corn donkeys or something.

Sissy and Brother, standing at the entrance to a hay tunnel.

Pumpkin patch field trip

So, Jennahs preschool class went on a field trip today, to the pumpkin patch. It was alot of fun. She was in a group with her BFF, Rana. Here they are when they just got off of the bus.

There was also a hayride. Since there was a big rain the other day, they didnt take us out to the orchard, becuse they were afraind to get stuck in the mud. We did a couple laps around the parking lot and pumpkin stand. It was cool. It was the first hayride for Jennah and I both. Good times.

There was also a "Planting Station" where the whole class planted Sweet Peas. It is called "learning" Whatever that is supposed to mean....

It was a good day, but a long one. It was HOT. Just two days ago, you would have thought it was the end of the world- or time to build an ark, it was raining so hard; today, 80's. Whatever! A special thanks to Uncle Alex, who endured the stink-eye from Ayman's kindergarten teacher to pick him up. Without that, this trip wouldn't have been possible for me. Thanks, Uncle!

Jennah is a drama queen; funny.

So Jennah biffed it at the coffee shop with Amr and Ayman, and apparently bruised a bone. I took her to the Dr. for xrays and it isnt broken. That is good. However, she is milking the injury. I expect no less from a daughter of mine.

In other Jennah news: she put a leash on the step stool and said it is a puppy. She has named it Shatawny.

She calles Scooby Doo "Scooby Dude", and handstands are hamsticks.

Just so you know.

Ayman doesnt like you to laugh at his stories. Even if they are funny on purpose.

He came in the house from the garage a few weeks ago and told me: "Hey Mom you know why i was shaking? I went out into the garage and the light was off and I was freaking out."

Ok, how do you keep a straight face thru that comment? You don't. I am having a hard time explaining the difference between "laughing at" and "laughing with."

It will make sense some day.

Umm, Six month regurge, sorry folks. Time flies.

Okay so yeah, i have been a terrible blogger. Real quick before i go in to all these pictures let me update you on me. I took my CRT exam and passed with flying colors and am now Cassandra Smedley-Nasr, CRT. Yay me! I also went to my 20 year class reunion in August and it was a wonderful time, however i forgot my camera so no pics. Like you care, right? So that is it for me. Lets talk about the above pic, this whole post goes backwards chronologically and i havent got the patience to change it so forgive me.

Above Pic is from my adorable niece, Emilias first birthday. She loves her auntie.

Here is the birthday girl with her adoring cousin fan club.

Thend result of jennahs very first haircut. She was so excited. She wanted to look like her friend Rana. It looks so cute. I gotta say i teared up when I took her for this cut. Yes, i save the hair.

During her haircut. She sat still very good for it.

Jennah before her first big girl haircut. I did this on the second day of school when i decided that i no longer had the patience to brush out all that hair.

Ayman, Mommy and Jennah on the first day of school. Jennah is in preschool and Ayman is in kindergarten.

Jennah was so ecited to go to school, and her class starts 55 minutes after Aymans. She thought i was taking her home, and lost it. Then when we got to the preschool she was all smiles again. Drama Queen.

Here is Jennah and Ayman on the ginormous slide at the county fair. they loved that thing.

Ayman took a trip to the train museum in Sacramento with Uncle Jim, Aunt Cindy, Jacob and Adam. He could not have been more excited, let me tell ya.

Ok her is a bit of silliness. This is 4th of July at my mom and Dads. this guy next to me is Jacob, my cousin. We were all amazed at how much we look like each other, and commented that if you put a goatee on me, we would be twins. well, scroll down.

Jake did a darn fine job photoshoping that goatee on me. LOOK WE'RE TWINS!

Jennah and her Daddy at 4th of July BBQ at gramma and grampas.

Woo Hoo! Sparklers! Ayman loved this, and.....

So did Jennah.

So we went to Mickey Grove, and they had these lorakeets. One Crapped on me, then another one bit me. Freaking birds.

this picture is at Pixie woods, in june Jennah looked so pretty in these hydrangeas. She was all "Look Mom the flowers are beautiful!!!!"

Jennah and Ayman in front of the little train at Pixie Woods. This was a big hit. Helpful himt, dont sit in the first car behind the engine. I had a headache from the deisel fumes. bleh!

Cute face, there, Ayman. Pixie Woods. It was a good day.

McDonalds Picnic before going to Pixie Woods. Grampa and Ayman were yackin' it up.

Millie, Uncle Alex and Ayman at Aymans preschool graduation.

Ayman getting his preschool completion ceritificate from Ms. Sonia. Sonia is now Jennahs preschool teacher.

Millie and her pretty Grandma at Aymans graduation.

The happy familia de Nasr at Aymans graduation, June 3, 2009

Jennah looking like a diva in Gammas sunglasses, at graduation.

This is Cameron, Ayman and Rami getting ready to graduate.