I need a moment to vent

OK... so I understand Julius is 12, and it is quite possible that 6th graders are the most obnoxious people in the whole world, but I may have to put him in a hole until he is 25 and a respectable person again. I love him... he is so funny and smart... he's really cool to talk to... I love him...but damn! So he has started on a new "I don't want to live here anymore" and "I want to go live with dad" and doing the boundary testing thing I thought was over when he was 3. I know my goal is to make an independent person out of him, but when he does this 'you can't make me' thing it drives me nuts! What makes it worse, I think, is that it's Elvin's expressions and attitudes coming out of him. Not only does it push the very same buttons that Elvin used to infuriate me, it scares the hell out of me that Julius might grow up to be too much like him. In all fairness, I realize this is my mother's revenge. I remember telling her that I wanted to live with my father... but with me it wasn't so realistic because my dad's been practically AWOL since I was a toddler. And, I know this is directly related to him getting into trouble for getting grounded for getting kicked out of band. So, I probably shouldn't wig out and imagine a horrible future for a kid that doesn't learn impulse control and respect for authority. Breathe deeply, Jen... It's going to be a bumpy decade.

I need a vacation!

So, I'm just now getting to the point where I can post about my vacation. Boy, we had a good time... Even Julius. We played on the beach, spent time with Ryan's grandparents, went to Busch Gardens, and saw a dead giant squid at the aquarium. The kids actually behaved very well. Ryan, Olivia, and I got a sunburn. The kids' allergies go away in Florida, but aparently I develop allergies there. Skills were honed: Julius perfected his Sean Connery impersonation and Ryan took about a thousand pictures. A good time was had by all. Family Pics are on my web album... fancy-schmancy pics are on Ryan's

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryan_baxter_photography
http://picasaweb.google.com/jenniferbaxte
(or you can just click on my slideshow to get to my albums)

Vacation is almost here!

Yeah! Tomorrow we leave for vacation. I'm so excited. This is the first time I have ever been on my own vacation. Every other time, me and the kids were tagging along with the family. It feels good to be on this side of financial struggle. Ryan is excited... Olivia is excited... Julius is still opposed to anything that may resemble fun. It's like that cruise ship commerical. He'll have fun in spite of himself. Ok... so I have to share. Ryan bought himself a cowboy hat! Hee, Hee, Hee! It will look stunning with his shiny basketball shorts. See ya'll in a week!

My Ticket to Hell

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	Low
Wrath:	Very Low
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Very Low
Lust:	Very Low
Pride:	Very Low

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

So I took this quiz online. Maybe I thought I'd find out what I'm going to hell for, although this is by no means an exhaustive list, I'm sure. While I'm not surprised by sloth, the greed did catch me off guard. I guess it's something I'll have to work on.

New Toys!

I have my new laptop! The unexpected downer is I'm finding myself feeling too old to learn new technology and got very frustrated. I had to back up, remind myself how young I am and start again.
Plans for vacations would be coming along well except Julius doesn't want to go to Florida! Elvin doesn't have a sitter, so they "have" to come with me to the Sunshine State. I don't understand my son's aversion to anything outdoors. I was never an active girl, but I'd never scowl at the chance to play at the beach for a week! Oh well, once again I must force my son to have fun, and I'm sure he will. Olivia is getting very excited, but she said she would be either way. I'm just afraid this is my last chance at a family vacation before they become teenagers and completely unpleasant to be around. I'm also afraid of how my haircolor will go with a tan or what I look like in a bathing suit, but such is life.

Julius' Future

I wonder if Colbert did impersonations of the president when he was 11?

Meet my future sis-in-law

It's been a highly exciting week... Olivia is about to turn 10 and double-digit is a very big deal. She wants a fancy cake from the Jungbauer bakery and another set of holes in her ears. Todd just announced that he is engaged. I would be tempted to poo-poo at the one month courtship, but I have a very good feeling about this girl. While I am a bit disappointed not to have Tanya as a sister-in-law, Kristen seems like a great person. Don't they look cute! We'll have her Baxter-ized in no time. Julius is on his way to being an official pre-teen and I have no idea what to get him. And... it looks like we may be going to Florida on spring break with Ryan's family! I'm so happy to have things to look forward to.

Work is still way disappointing... but this could always be the cosmos' way of pushing me towards something even greater. You just do what you can and let go.