oh hey....

...the girl next door has revealed her November kit! Make sure to check it out here...she's giving out some GREAT "incentives!"

EXTRA EXTRA....

...READ ALL ABOUT IT!!! check out my FIRST INTERVIEW with Essense Vibez here:
http://essensevibezxtraz.blogspot.com/

::Interview with Keandra Willis::

check this out, have you ever met someone online and feel their spirit shine through your screen when you're chatting with them?--if you've ever chatted with KIWIKREATOR KEANDRA, you know what i'm talkin' about!!--this woman has been my inspiration for some time now and yes, she knows it!--what i love about KIWI {what i passionately call her} is her beauty, her honesty, her way of making you think and how she can turn things around when you're feelin' like crap-a-doodle after a long day or puttin' up with everyday life--i'm so feeling her passion to create--you talkin about an artist!!--KEANDRA has evolved!--sit back, relax and read about this incredible woman whom i love from bottom of my heart and soul--:

(you can click the link to read the rest!) thanx to pam for allowing me such a wonderful opportunity to express myself and my views!!!

two years ago today...

...at 2:30 in the morning, i was merely praying for God to please let this kid COME ALREADY!!! now, as i look at those beautiful eyes, i'm just so grateful for the blessing which is him! even though he just cried for 15 minutes straight and gave me a not-so-great, VERY early start to my day, i still appreciate having him in our lives. plus, i understand his pain so i'm cutting him some slack! see, daddy decided that two is "big boy" range. and big boys NEVER walk around looking like this:
john has been talking about it for months...even warning kea: when you turn two, daddy's taking keeper from you! (keeper is short for PEACE keeper). well, the other day kea and i were home alone and keeper was misplaced. so, i decided that i may as well bite the bullet and start the process then. kea was NOT HAPPY. he thrashed; he begged; he screamed; he almost made me lose my mind! but, we're at day four now and he's doing well...for the MOST part. several points to remember:don't mention keeper around him; don't show him any pictures of himself UTILIZING keeper; and the MOST important rule: make sure to freshen his diaper before he falls asleep so that he doesn't have to be awakened in the middle of the night screaming for keeper. why am i up at 2:30 am, blogging? i fell asleep last night before kea. when i was awakened around 1:30 by barney singing about friendship ( i don't LIKE that dinosaur!!!) i checked kea and realized he was SATURATED!!!! of course, he couldn't stay that way because he's so susceptible to diaper rashes so i had to bite the bullet and change him...and i woke him. at first, he just reached for keeper; then, he insisted that i find it FOR him...LOUDLY...for TWENTY MINTUES!!! it's times like these which separate the weak from the strong; times like these REALLY show if you have any abusive tendencies! but, i stayed cool. even though he was twitching, i resisted the urge to stuff keeper in his mouth while screaming, "here...TAKE HIM!!!" you see, the last four days have been like living with a crack addict going through withdrawals. he awakens and he is the SWEETEST little boy, with those big beautiful eyes and those beautiful teeth. then....just...like....THAT...he snaps and turns into pookie from new jack citytwitching, throwing himself around...just like a person who's fighting an addiction. i feel pretty much like a crack addict myself right now because all i can do is hold him and rock him back and forth while he claws at me and his daddy snores (did i mention that daddy can LITERALLY fall asleep in two minutes flat? i've always wanted to suck that ability RIGHT OUT OF HIM like a BODY SNATCHER...i NEED THAT!!!) but, God is good because He gave me some peace and now the murderous thoughts have dissipated and the warm fuzzies have returned. at two the little boy:
*snatches his pamper off and asks to use the potty more often
*tells us EXACTLY what he wants/doesn't want (cup, please! stop, ahmad! eat, please!)
*will give me kisses most of the time without making me fall to my knees and beg for them
*loves to be outside
*LOVES LOVES LOVES football! he will throw his arms in the air whenever the crowd roars
during a game. doesn't matter if it's a first down...SCREW THAT!!! EVERYTHING'S
touchdown!!!
*loves the phone...not to talk...just to listen...well, he will say lub you and bye but not much else
*makes us so grateful to have him in our lives. have you ever been in a situation where
you desire a thing for so long that when you finally get it the disappointment is just
overwhelming? well, i wanted this little boy for about eight years. around the time ahmad
turned three, i decided that i wanted another baby. i would daydream about it, pray for it...i could just feel this baby in my arms. that feeling has never diminished. i worried that having another baby at a more...ummm, MATURE point in my life would mean i would be dealing with this little person with a lot less patience. i delivered jamani the month before i turned 20...he was like a toy to me: i just played with him and held him all the time...he was SO MUCH FUN! i was 24 when ahmad came along and still young enough to be pliable. but, i had kea two weeks before i turned 36. i was afraid of not having enough patience to deal with him daily. but, that worry was unwarranted. of COURSE he tweaks my nerves every now and then...but HE actually drives me a LOT LESS crazy than my 18 year old! i feel so blessed that God has entrusted this beautiful, intelligent, FUNNY little being into our care...AND so blessed that God gifted me with a good husband to help raise this little person! so, i guess the good outweighs the bad and we'll keep the little boy (cause about an hour ago i was SERIOUSLY contemplating giving him to Goodwill in the morning with the donations!)
we're having a REALLY small party saturday with some of kea's favorite characters from sesame street. the only one he'll call by name is "elbo" so i made some quick invitations using him

i normally love EVERY aspect of parties, from the food to the balloons to the decorations. but, i'm so swamped with everything else right now that i'm just ready for this one to be OVER!!! i'll be working like a robot today to get as much done as possible before we attend open house at ahmad's potential high school...MERCY!!! that's ANOTHER thing: my baby will be in HIGH SCHOOL next year! UGH!

i have a new neighbor...

...but i'm not sure if i like her or not. i mean, she seems like a cool chick...very stylish! but, she's always talking business...her business THIS and her business THAT!!! you know i'm all about the family and quality time making memories with them so i'm not sure if our friendship will blossom or not. check her out yourself...let me know what you think!

first of all, i'd like to thank...

...the academy (velvet) for this auspicious award! always, giving glory to God for blessing me with this gift! To my wonderful husband, who is at this moment cooking breakfast...yeah, i'm feeling kinda silly this morning! my girl, velllllvet (can you tell i love her name?) gave me a great blog award.


The rules are I have to pass this along to 5 other friends and answer a list of questions in ONE word!

Here are the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? dead
2. Your hair? red
3. Your mother? hungry!
4. Your father? hungry!
5. Your favorite food?crabcake
6. Your dream last night? art
7. Your favorite drink? delaware
8. Your dream/goal? peace
9. What room are you in? kitchen
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? success
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? comfortable
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. Something that you aren't?white
15. Muffins? carrot
16. Wish list item? lexus
17. Where did you grow up? suburbia
18. Last thing you did? laughed
19. What are you wearing? underwear
20. Your TV? news
21. Your Pets? none
22. Friends? cherished
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? silly
25. Missing Someone? daddy
26. vehicle? truck
27. Something you're not wearing? bra
28. Your favorite store? kreatorville
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? now
31. Last time you cried? month
32. Your best friend? taj
33. One place that I go to over and over? computer
34. Facebook? yes
35. Favorite place to eat? here

now, onto you:
1.taj
2.peggy
3.charity
4.mands
5.jenneke

by the way, we're taking my parents to dinner today to celebrate my mom's birthday (on the 20th)...that's the reason for the "hungry" crack!