Hey girl, hey.

Ooohh weee! Things have been rather quiet around here lately, haven't they? Well, I promise it's not because I'm hiding any life revelations or grand secrets, but more because I've honestly just been bizzy as a bee and loving every minute. (And also, if we're being totally honest, I've done what most every other blogger on earth has done and transitioned a lot of my random thoughts/pictures/musings over to Instagram. Join me?)

What a summer we've had! I took a week-long trip to DC for work but also rather coincidentally got to spend time with my bestie for 7 straight days. We haven't done that since high school and it was kind of amazing.

I also had Lasek surgery back in May, and have threatened more than once to blog about it. I'm sure I'll never actually get around to it, so rest easy knowing that 1) I can see; b) I don't regret it; and 3) I still reach for my glasses every morning out of sheer habit.

Last weekend, we had a family reunion for my Dad's side of the crazies family--the Talicska clan.

We even made shirts for the occasion, which might seem confusing to normal people but they totally make sense to us. I'm uncertain as to whether or not that hotel will have us back, but it was a great weekend!

And, as you know, my brother and SIL had their sweet baby boy, Michael, in June and we're planning our next trip to Connecticut for when my sister has her baby boy in August. BABIES. BABIES EVERYWHERE.

My own children continue to be the cutest things with two legs and eyeballs on earth, and it's hard to believe that Alex starts school in the fall. (Hold me.) We're taking him on a very special trip to Chicago this weekend in preparation. Just him and us. Special requests from a 5 year old include: taking the train, hotel with a pool (on the roof!) and a trip to the beach. I also think I'm going to blow his mind with a taxi ride. Being a parent is the funnest.

I did not eat Puppy Chow for breakfast.

Well, that's a lie. Because I did.

And for those individuals that either live in a hole or only eat things Mother Nature provides, I didn't eat dog food for breakfast. I ate CEREAL covered in powdered sugar, chocolate and peanut butter. So it's totally legit.

In other news, "Operation make Joey his freshly ground coffee in the morning" is going very well. Today is Day 3 and I've officially become a pro at setting the coffee pot to "auto brew" at the witching hour of 6 a.m. Also? getting everything prepared the night before is so efficient. Why have I not been doing this all along?!

When all this to-go coffee brewing is paired with my horrible memory (see also: forgetting to bring my travel mugs home every night), I tend to get low on mug options. Thusly, my 2 favorite mugs are currently in the wash. And by "in the wash" I mean they are in the sink, untouched. So today, I'm rockin' a mug with the mugs of my boys:

I know, right?! Christmas 2 years ago. My how time flies. Please also note how adorbs my desk is. Lamp. Desk calendar courtesy of blue soleil, Mentos gum (duh). Love notes from Joey. Everything a girl needs to survive!

Boys are weird.

Maybe it's because Kelli and I forced Kyle to play too many "girl" games growing up - like Barbie Mania extraordinaire - but I really do not understand "boy" games and how to "play" them.

Take, for instance, Legos. Joey is obsessed with them. And when I say obsessed I do mean that just as I cannot go to DSW without perusing the size 7.5 clearance section 17 times, we cannot go to ANY store that sells Legos without at least taking a saunter down the aisle to "oooh" and "aaah" over the newest collections.

But back to Legos. You open the box. You follow the directions (creativity much?). And then what? You look at it?

And what about trucks? Alex LOVES anything on wheels, and every night we make at least 12 laps around the house with Hot Wheels, monster trucks, and a random Mr. Potato Head. Don't ask. But when I try to make it a "game" or into something more interactive (like crashing, races, ramps, etc.) he'll have none of it. He just wants to crawl around the house making "vrrrrrrrrroooom" noises.

Now...dolls I get. You can feed them, clothe them, take them places. Dress up? I totally get it. Beauty Salon? Bring it on. Girl games get me.

The irony of all this is that if we have another baby, I would love to have another boy. My life surrounded by trucks and Legos and other smelly/dirty boy things delights me. I find them oddly lovable.

In summary, Boys > Girls. Except when it comes to shoes.

There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

I also hate liars, coconut (the food, not the lotion), cats and hangnails.

But moving on...

I went to the North American International Auto Show today, because let's face it, why not? Oh, and probably because it pays the bills... Anyway, I saw this:

WANT. For obvious reasons.

Also? Our dear friends Sarah and Jason were in town last night and we got together for dinner at Rochester Mills Brewery. In the section adjacent to our table there was a speed dating event happening. Oh em gee. It was like watching a car accident in drunk, sloppy, awkward slow motion. So very, very wrong but I couldn't look away. Speed dating. What an atrocity.

Additionally, Sarah crafted me THE MOST AMAZING birthday present, EVER. It's quite possibly the most brilliant accessory I've ever owned. Sparkles. Flowers. Ruffles. (!!!!!!) Pictures tomorrow, promise.

Happy Thoughts.

Tomorrow is Friday. Yippee!!

Big plans are in place for Poppi's berfday, which is Saturday. Can't give hints because he's an avid reader, so I'll recap on Monday. Yes, I'm 27 and my Dad's still my biggest fan. Mom is too, but computers aren't really her thing. Texting, however, is her game. #1 stunna.

I saw tulips fighting with all their might to peek out from the ground yesterday. A sure sign of spring!

I get to see my sister in one week. A week that will probably feel like a year, but a week nonetheless.

Exciting Recent Life Events.

1. We moved Alex's crib down a notch this weekend. It was a strange reminder that he's growing faster than we ever thought imaginable, but totally necessary if we are to avert the reality of waking up and finding him running crawling wild through the house like a party animal.

2. Panera no longer carries their decadent double chocolate cookies. Those cookies were the only thing I craved when I was PG, well, except for the random 2 times I really, really, really, really wanted a tuna fish sammitch. So, I guess Panera has made the decision for us. We will be a family of three for all of eternity. I simply cannot go through another pregnancy without those cookies.

3. I'm quite sure I've performed a triple Salchow (also announced by Brian Boitano as a "sow cow") on the whole driving to CT thing. Meaning I've completely changed my mind. We'll be flying now. Why, you ask? Because yesterday when I told Joe it was 12 hours (not the 8 he thought), he immediately threw his wallet at me and told me to book the tickets. Travelocity, here I come!

Epiphany.

This morning it hit me like an 18-wheel semi truck rounding the corner at a NASCAR race: Alex is mine.

I know what it might sound like to my readers. At least 75% of you are thinking, "Captain Obvious much? She's just NOW realizing this fact? Call CPS ASAP!" But really...it came straight out of the blue and just *wham* was all up in my grill, totally without permission or fair warning.

The realization of carrying him for 9 months and subsequently having him sliced out of my uterus has finally snuck up on me, and it's no small thing.

       He is part of ME.

       He is not rented, leased, on loan or just visiting for a long weekend.

       I am responsible for raising him to be a genuinely decent human being.

It's no small burden to bear, and it absolutely blows my mind to pieces to consider the gift of his life. I mean...think about it: I grew a person - a freaking PERSON - from scratch and now I get to take that person and introduce him to life and all of the opportunity it holds.

I honestly stopped breathing for a minute on the drive into work thinking about how magnanimous my job as a Mother is. Literally was near panic attack status.

But then I remembered that I am awesome. And that Joe is awesome. And that we are awesome together. And because of that, Alex will be awesome.

And now, I shall resume breathing normally and return my pulse to resting rate.

Friday!

First, let it be known that there is not enough Starbuckies in the universe to make it through today. As such, I will once again put into practice what you've all come to know and love as my one of my "lazy list posts." Deal.

- The season premiere of Grey's Anatomy was a little slow and rather predictable, but I sat in awe as we watched it on our brand new BATV! 52" of pure, LCD HD entertainment. That's what she said.

- Yesterday marked the 44th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 11246 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which officially prohibits sex discrimination in employment. *Snaps* for LBJ. I can't help but giggle a little bit when I type his initials.

- Tragic: we lost our Baby Bjorn. We'd only used it a handful of times, and I was really looking forward to using it on the Apple Orchard trip...but it's gone! Last time we used it was at Arts, Beats & Eats in Pontiac and we're pretty sure it fell out of the bottom of the stroller when we were loading the car back up in the dark. Boo.

- To my above point, I was bidding on a NEW Jeep baby carrier thingy on ebay yesterday. I was the only bidder with 30 seconds left ($2.00, thankyouverymuch) and some douchebag outbid me by $0.50. It honestly took me until last night at about 9 p.m. to officially get over it. Actually, I'm still pissed about it. Stupid whoeveryouare.

- Thanks to those who have voted for Alex in the GAP contest. Apparently the voting system and web structure for the site was designed by dyslexic monkeys because it only works for like every third person. Que sera, sera. Please keep trying....daily.

- And finally, for your reading enjoyment, you KNOW it's newsworthy when the WSJ covers it.

Happy almost weekend!