Tag
Hello, I got tagged by Melanie, so here we go...
A-Attached or Single?-Attached
B-Best Friend- Depends. Always my sisters Mich & Stef, in Teaxs Mel & Amber, in Cali it's gotta be Tracy
C-Cake or Pie?-chocolate cake with chocolate icing, always!
D-Day of choice?-Saturday, no work, no lessons, sleeping in
E-Essential item?-Cell phone, of course
F-Favorite color?-Red & pink
G-Gummy bears or worms? worms
H-Hometown?-Fresno, California
I-Favorite Indulgence? Shopping (It would be Krispy Kreme, but oh well)
J-January or July?- You would think my birthday month, but I have to say July
K-Kids?-2, Jacob & Kiernan
L-Life isn't complete without? My kids
M-Marriage Date?-May 29, 1998 (Hey Mel...I forgot AGAIN! 10 years! Oops)
N-Number of Bro & Sis?-2 sisters
O-Oranges or Apples? oranges
P-Phobia and Fears?-Having a major disease, like cancer
Q-Quote?- Hmmm, so many. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" -Eleanor Roosevelt
R-Reason to smile?- My kids make me laugh all the time...especially Kiernan, she is unmatched in sass & spunk
S-Season of choice? Fall!
T-Tag Ten People? Oh boy lets see...Stefanie, Kristi M, Kristin M, Anna H, Gwen H, Krista G, Kimmie C, Laura S, Natalie M
U-Unknown fact about me?-I HATE the smell of toothpaste. I wanna gag every time I brush my teeth
V-Vegetable?-Mushrooms & Zucchini
W-Worse habit?- I'm so forgetful it's nearly a crime. I don't do it intentionally, but I do it a lot
Y-Your favorite food? The last few weeks I've really craved a good mushroom burger
Z-Zodiac sign? Aquarius

Bad Blogger.

I know, I know...I'm a terrible Blogger! I've been reprimanded several times this week. I'm just so freakin' busy between work & the house. I've nearly got the kids rooms done, so I'm going to try & take pics and get them online by wednesday. Is that okay with you people? :)

In the meantime here are some cute videos I found of the kids. Here's one of Jake when we went to the Houston Rodeo. My little Texas Boy had to ride the bull. The video looks like it's in slow motion, but that's the actual speed that the bull was going...he was only 5 after all.

For Kiernans 3rd birthday we got her ears pierced. Is it terrible that I laugh when I watch this video? I know, I'm a terrible mother...but her expressions are just priceless! Thanks Miss Melanie for taking the video for us...

One last one...this is also Kiernan's third birthday. Apparently I am the worlds worst mother...look at what her Birthday treat is! Not only did I force a painful procedure on her, but I couldn't even make the proper dessert.

The Curse. Continued...

I told you.

I told you the car was cursed, but you didn't believe me. "Oh, that Shelby...so dramatic, she's just doesn't pay attention." You thought it, I know you did. WELL, it's cursed, so here I am again.

Last wednesday Kiernan & I stayed home sick. We we're both pretty yucky, but I realized we were out of toilet paper (a very important thing, toilet paper...especially when it's doing double duty as kleenex). So we head off to Costco for TP & frozen chicken. We wander, we pay, we head back to the car, we go to get out the car keys...hellooo, keys? No keys? NO KEYS!? That's right no keys. I think back & realize Kiernan had been playing in my purse. Oh crap!

Well, to make a long story short we were at Costco for over 4 hours. I had asked every worker if they'd seen them, I'd crawled on the floors, and had dug through Costco TRASH CANS!!! (ewww) Every employee in the store knew me, my sick kid, and my husband who showed up to search. They knew it was a rental, and that when I called the rental company I was told they could come & tow it, change all the locks, recode all of the computer chips & charge it all to me.

By the way, did I mention that in all of the frenzy I forgot to pick up my kid from school? Well, I did. Did I mention that I had a ridiculous case of strep? Well, I did. Did I mention that this car is cursed? Well, it is.

Told ya'.

P.S. Hey Gwen, so sorry I was totally psycho when I saw you! I was loosing my mind, as you could easily tell, I'm sure. Next time we'll chat...you look AWESOME by the way. ~Shelby

Minivan Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

First off, can you tell I've been watching a little too much Scooby Doo lately?

Okay, so I need to first explain that no, I do not own a minivan. Those of you who know me well enough know that I am not a big fan of the minivan-type vehicle (really any "mini-type" or "van-type" vehicle is a bit annoying to me). Not exactly earth-concious, I know...so, sue me.

Frankly I have mocked minivans for so long that in spite of the heckling I am recieving from my sisters I'm finding it hard not to admit that the dang thing is incredibly convenient. It's such a relief to not have to do that contortionist thing that moms do when the kid sitting right behind you announces that they couldn't get their seat belt buckled...while your plowing down the freeway at 65 miles per hour. You know, the one where you must disengage your arm at the shoulder, flip it into the back seat, and then buckle the kid in with one eye pointing forward (scanning for Cops now) and the other pointing back searching for the 2 inch slot lost somewhere between the car seat & the crack. By the way...why is it ALWAYS the kid right behind you? Why can't it ever be the one in the opposite seat, or even the kid that can eventually find the buckle themselves? Nope, it's the toddler who's apparently become blind, lost all of their fingers, and developed an aversion to all seats except the one right under your backside.

I digress.

SO...here's how we got the Minivan. My 2 year-old, brand new, hot off the lot, Ford Explorer was making "a noise". Not a bad noise, but a noise regardless. So, it being under warranty we took it in. They called back later that day to let us know that, "Hey, no big deal...it was just a computer glitch. Reset the computer & we were good to go. Oh, and by the way, did you know that you have FOUR LEAKS!?! "

*pause* (counting on fingers) "Do I have 4 things that can leak on my car?"

Apparently I can. Transmissions, radiators, breaks, and some other mysterious thing that have somehow, in sync, worked together to manage and bust all at once. While 3 of the 4 things were a quick fix, apparently the radiator part we need is made in a black hole somewhere south of Saturn and won't be available until *drumroll please*...November. Yes, you heard me right. NOVEMBER!!!! Luckily we are under warranty and are provided with a rental car until ours can be fixed. Or the apocalypse...whichever comes first.

Now, I've learned one or two things about minivans since acquiring this one, hence the curse mentioned in the title of this Blog.

Lesson #1-Minivans are longer than Ford Explorers. This means that they don't fit in the garage as well. For example, I am including the picture of the MASSIVE SCRATCHES that I put on the RENTAL CAR the first night we had it:

Lesson #2-Apparently all break pedals aren't in the exact same spot in every car. Which I found out on day three, after rear ending a car going down Herndon Ave (think Highway 6 in Texas) in after work traffic on a Friday. Actually, there was next to no damage (slightly bent license plate) on my car, and a small "bolt shaped" impression on the bumper of the hysterical teen ager that I bumped. Through gasping tears she asked for my license, registration, and insurance card...isn't that what the cops ask for when you're pulled over? She wanted to take pictures of the "damage", nothing registered on the camera...because there was NO DAMAGE!! Eventually I asked for her dad's phone number & called him. He's the actual owner of the 1984 Buick that she was driving. I explained everything to him & told him to call me if he wanted me to take care of any "damage". I haven't heard from him since.

So there you have it...I knew there was a reason that I didn't like minivans. They're cursed! The sooner I'm done with this one the better!

Lost & Found

LOST

Sweet little girl named Kiernan, large hazel eyes, long brown hair w/ big bows, & big smile.
A.K.A. -Sweet Pea, Baby K, or Love Bug
Loving personality, gives lots of hugs, very friendly, tells people they are beautiful. Easy going, travels well & enjoys a variety of foods.

FOUND

Demon Beast child, approx 4 years old, watery brown eyes, tangled hair & unbrushed teeth.
A.K.A. -Whiner, Little booger, or plain old brat
Cries constantly, talks back, & is extremely defiant. Refuses to leave the house, go to bed, eat, dress, brush, or be agreeable in ANY way.
Has been seen wearing my daughter Kiernan's clothes, and has most recently been seen hitting brothers and as of today...mothers.

If this child is yours, please contact me immediately, so that I may return her to you post haste (no guarantees on condition of returned item).
If you have seen Kiernan, please return her home immediatley...and tell her that her mommy REALLY, REALLY misses her.

When theres a note on your door...

The Joys of Home Ownership
volume three

So, I arrive at the house on tuesday to work on it, and theres a note on the door. *crap, what now*

The note is from the City of Fresno, and it states "Notice and order to remove public nuisance violations". It also states "The condition of the building upon this property constitutes a "Blighted Building" and it is required that you correct the violations upon the property. The violations must be removed by April 13, and the building cannot be vacant past April 25th."

Oh yeah, and did I mention that the city says we owe them $85 for having to come out & serve the paperwork, $185 for having an unoccupied building, and by the way...we'll owe another $85 for them to come out & inspect the property after the "violations" have been taken care of. *pulling hair out & screaming*

I called the city & spoke to our inspector. Apparently he's seen a lot worse & feels bad for us, but someone in the neighborhood complained & he was required to act upon it. Apparently, us over there working on the house every day just isn't fast enough for them. *Grrrrr*

A Day At The Beach. Part II

Our first stop was a a vary popular seaside town call Pismo Beach. EVERYBODY from Fresno goes to "Pismo", as we like to call it.

Pismo is nice because it's got a great pier for fishing, a lot of beach for playing, quaint "tourist traps" for shopping, and finally it sports the most award winning clam chowder in the state! The line to place your order always is out the door and around the side of the building. I have been going to The Surf Shop just for clam chowder since I was a kid. There are times my sister and I have made the drive just because we were craving it...and we're not the only ones!
So here is a picture of baby Bella hanging out, while Tracy and I chowed down on clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. Yummy!

Luckily Tracy & I are pretty laid back about the day. It was quite the challenge having the 4 kids between us & trying to order food, find tables, get everyones drinks, cut up food, go to the bathroom, watch the baby, stop Kiernans constant crying (I don't know why), and handle the "I don't want this", "I dropped that", "That's mine", "Can I have yours?", "Are we going to the beach yet?", and "I don't want to sit here" comments. Seriously, we really were having fun.

To Be Continued...

A Day At The Beach. Part I

Last week was spring break here in California. I worked all week & started to feel a little bad for the kids as they told me about all of the things that their friends were doing for the break. Finally at the end of the week I decided to take a day off & do something fun...a trip to the beach!

The weather was perfect. I called my friend Tracy to invite her & her kids Trevor & baby Bella. They were all for it, so a plan was set. I met Tracy & her kids on the other side of town to load up all of us into my car for the drive. It's a 3 hour trip...2 1/2 the way I drive. (2 hours if I'm by myself.) We started transferring her stuff to my car at 7:30am, about 30 minutes later we had managed to fit into my car:1 baby w/ carrier, 2 hyper boys, 1 cranky girl, 3 bags of clothes, 2 bags of food, a giant stroller, purses, books, beach toys, DVD players, 2 surprised moms, and one giant kite.

It then took another 15 minutes to load the DVD player, hook up the ear phones, set up the Ipod movie, get out the snacks, find the cell phones, buckle everybody in, pull out the baby toys and actually START THE CAR! That would be a grand total of 45 minutes in a Carls Jr parking lot trying to leave.

While it was a slow start to the day, the kids were great in the car. The baby slept & the moms got to chat, so all in all it was already a good day by the time we got to the beach.

To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

This weekend we celebrated Jakes birthday...for the 4th time! Apparently I haven't figured out how to coordinate all of the friends, family, acquaintances, Bobs, Jims & Joes that I thought needed to be invited to celebrate. This may take me a few years.

I sent out handmade invitations thinking, "Hey, I'm crafty!" Okay, while I may be crafty, apparently I'm not so smart. The very next day the calls started rolling in...somehow I managed to not only get the date of the party wrong (everyone wanted to know if it really was on a monday at 2 in the afternoon?), but Jakes age too. He came home upset because his friends were teasing him about turning 6 years old, when really it's 7. But hey, they looked fabulous, in spite of being completely innacurate.

This is Jake with the cake I made for him, it's a "Chinese Dragon" since he was having his party at a Karate studio. He was thrilled with the cake & wanted to eat it immediately...as in immediately after I frosted it. Sorry kid, after all that work (2 cake mixes & 4 cans of frosting later!) I wanted somebody to see it besides him & I. Everybody had pretty much the same response when they saw it.

"Humph! You made that didn't you" (insert accusational tone of voice here)


This studio was a total birthday bargain! The guy running it had tons of games planned, from some crazy dodgeball, to beating each other with giant foam bats (the boys were in heaven), and a great obstacle course with hitting, kicking, rolling & hopping among other things.

All in all, a good time was had by all. The kids were exhausted...

the moms got to chat...

And everybody left happy!

Cutie nephew, Baby Luke!! Sweetest baby ever!

This, is how you do it...

The Joys of Home Ownership

Volume Two

Mike Coleman, 5 hours. One Spot.
Shelby Coleman, 3 hours. One corner.

Terry West, one hour. Three rooms.

*SIGH*

And So It Begins....

The Joys of Home Ownership
Volume One

At 2:00 Friday afternoon we got the keys to our (not so new) new house.
At 2:30 we went to go look at our new house, because now we could do it without breaking any real estate laws. We couldn't really do anything there, and we'd seen it a dozen times already, but this time we actually owned it & could stand there staring at it for as long as we wanted, and the Nazi Regime also known as Countrywide Lending couldn't say a dang thing!
At 2:45 the City of Fresno stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood (that we'd belonged to for all of 45 minutes) and then cite & fine us. Apparently the real estate company (note: see afore mentioned Nazi Regime) illegally turned on the water to the house.
*sigh*

Volume Two

12:00 Saturday afternoon Mike went over to the house to "work on it". Yay! Getting things done!
3:30 I took the kids to go & see how it was going. I cruised the house to find the project he chose to work on...since there are so many to be done.
Hmmm, maybe he scraped the popcorn off of the bedroom ceilings, then I could paint the kids rooms. Nope. Okay, maybe he started power spraying the moss off of the outside of the house, better curb appeal...that would be good. Nope. Well, he must have started pulling down the wallboard in the living area so that we could get it floated & textured? No. Cleaning up the backyard? No. Scraping up the linoleum? No.
So about this time a friend shows up & gets the tour of the house. Mike & I show him around & finally end up at the garage. Mike takes him in and excitedly explains about the power washer my dad loaned him & what a great job it did of cleaning up THIS SPOT on the garage floor.
"Right here the oil was so thick it was like tar, it took me awhile, but look at that! It was layer after layer of grease...but look at it now!"

5 hours later it's just a regular oily spot on the cement floor of the garage, instead of a big, nasty one. Whatever that means.
*Grrrrrrr*

I think we need to have a discussion about priorities.

Snow much fun!!

Last weekend was the 5th(?) annual Coleman family snow trip. For our family it was actually the first annual, since this is the first year we've been able to attend. What a great time we had.
The kids really enjoyed hanging out with Aunts, Uncles & Cousins for the weekend. There was a lot for us to do...we ate, played games, ate, did puzzles, ate, watched movies, ate, and went sledding. Did I mention that we ate. A lot. All weekend long.

Unfortunately Jacob was sick when it was time to go, so I stayed behind an extra day with him, hoping he would get better quickly. Sadly, this meant that he wasn't able to go on the ski trip that he & Mike had been planning. Luckily, Kiernan was able to go, and she loved it. She did a great job & hardly complained.

The Uncles (and Aunt Tina) did a fabulous job building some great sled runs right behind the cabin. We had a small one for the toddlers, and a long spinny, twisty one for big kids and adults, which we called The Luge! So Fun. Oh yeah...then there was the one that Mike & Scott made that went under the snow. That's right, it was a sled run through a tunnel! No joke, check out the pictures to see.

Jake stayed sick until nearly the last day, which made him sad, but he's already looking forward to next year. Here are a few scenes from the trip...enjoy:

Mom & Jake helping each other out, after sledding off of the track & into the trees!

Jacob heading back up the hill for another run.

Couple of snow bunnies, after riding the Coleman Family Luge together.

Jenna coming out of the tunnel slide that Uncle Scott & Uncle Mike built...super cool!!

Some of the Coleman gang out for a wild ride


Kiernan's first ski trip...just her and Daddy.

What a fast learner

Looking good, while having fun.


Go, Go Kiernan!!

Jake The Destroyer.

I left my friend in San Francisco...

Mmmm, Mimi's!

Us on the BART...this is taken after the transvestite (in very snappy heels) but before the cussing rapper & his highly embarassed friends.

Woo Hoo...We look like hot escapees from Alcatraz. Did we actually leave the hotel like this, no. Did we actually buy the same exact shirt, yes! Great taste can't be denied.

Two weekends ago my BFF -Texas style came out to California. Melanie flew in on thursday & left on Sunday, just enough time to get into a little trouble in San Francisco! I left early from work to pick her up a Oakland airport, because we were staying in Pleasanton for the weekend. Here's how the weekend began:

Mel: I've landed, are you close?
Shel: Yeah, about 1 hour. I'll call when I get there.

45 min later... (have you seen me drive?)

Shel: Okay, I'm here. Man this weather sucks (pouring rain outside). Are you outside?
Mel: I'm in Terminal 1, pick me up there...
Shel: Terminal 1? There aren't any terminal numbers here?
Mel: There aren't?
Shel: No, it's pretty small. Are you outside?
Mel: I'm looking for you. Where are you?
Shel: What do you mean? I'm right outside the terminal...
Mel: No, I mean where am I?
Shel: Huh?
Mel: Are you in San Francisco?
Shel: No. I'm in Oakland...didn't you book your flight here?
Mel: (mumbling in backgound) Uhhhh, I'm in San Francisco.
Shel: I'm sorry...what?
Mel: They lost my reservation, it must have changed when I rebooked. Oops! Sorry.

Luckily Mel & I are pretty laid back in regards to vacations. We just drifted from thing to thing...no set schedule. It was great! It was so fun hanging out with Mel again, in spite of the nasty weather. We spent a VERY productive day in San Fran (maybe a little too productive...) and then puttered the rest of the weekend. 3 movies and one very bizarre manicure later we were feeling pretty relaxed.

I took her to several "California" restaurants, and an old Texas favorite or two (yum, Cheesecake!), while taking in the San Fancisco "scene". We thought the transvestite on the BART was pretty interesting, until the rapper got on...dancin' & cussin' in the seat right next to us. Mel yells, "Sombody get me off of this train!"...she obviously did not grow up in gang country! :) Luv' ya girl...always making life fun!

All of this can be yours...

Well, we close on the house Feb. 28th. In two more weeks all of THIS *insert sarcasm here* will be ours! We're especially proud of the Harvest Gold tile & fixtures in the kitchen, and the one time gold carpets throughout the house. We got some exciting *sarcasm, again* news last week...the house has mold (not the bad kind) in one wall, and termites (ground treatment only). Yay! Projects!

We had plenty of time to back out, but we really see potential here so we're going for it. You are looking at the next 5 years of my life people! As a matter of fact...you may be looking at the next 5 years of your life too (Dad, Scott, Chris, Russell, Hee Hee), so prepare yourselves! *evil grin*

Moving on, in, up, oh whatever...

Well, we finally did it...we found a house! I could tell you about all of the drama surrounding the purchase of this particular house, but let's just say it's done. Moving on. Or, should I say moving in?

Here is the link to the MLS for the house: http://www.realtyconcepts.com/Nav.aspx/Page=http://fresnomls.rapmls.com%2fscripts%2fmgrqispi.dll%3fAPPNAME%3dFresno%26PRGNAME%3dMLSLogin%26ARGUMENT%3dBlpFQsEvNh2L4dzmHvaUKQ%253D%253D

Suffice it to say, it's currently a pit of rotting carpets & dated fixtures...but it's our pit. We found a foreclosure in a very nice neighborhood, 2650 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, living & family rooms, dining room & large bonus room. Oh yeah...and a pool. Did I ever mention that I don't like owning a pool? I don't like owning a pool. There...I said it. But, it's part of the fabulous foreclosure deal that we got, and hopefully I will come to enjoy it. We like our schools, not sure about our ward (the reviews are mixed), and the lot is 10,500 sq. ft.

There is so much to be done to it, but I suppose I have the rest of my life for that. Take a peek & tell me what you think...I'm hoping to send out really good before & after pictures some day.