Big Night in the Clinton House!!

James lost his first tooth!!! Soooo exciting!!

Now James does not like anything that has to do with his body. Like if he passes gas he just goes on as if nothing has happened..he gets so embarrassed! So, I was like...hey James is 5 he should be getting loose teeth soon. I checked and not only were his two lowers loose....there are two adult teeth halfway through right behind them!! Oh my goodness he does things fast!

The only problem is that since the adult teeth didn't push the baby ones out, they had the possibility of their roots strengthening. We have an appointment set for Thursday to have both the lowers pulled. I told James this and his fingers and tongue went into overdrive trying to get these boys out! We had one of them to the point that it could bend all the way forward but we couldn't bend it back because of the tooth behind it. So, I put my nail under the front of the tooth and just popped it out. He was soooo excited (not to mention that I had promised Dairy Queen if he could get it out today! Even funnier..when we called my mom to tell her she thought James said the Fairy Queen was coming to the house!! haha).

Now we just have to get the second one out tomorrow!

The pictures are gradual throughout the day. And as I previewed the pics I saw how dirty his face has been ALL day...I will work on learning how to wash my children in the next coming weeks!!

Enjoy!

And The Winner Is.....

Kaylee Clinton!!

I love word plays and so does my darling daughter. So, when Kaylee came up with a play on words all by her eight year old self, I had to take it.

New Column Name is....drum roll please...

Brighton New World...get it? Like Bright and New World. So cute!! Yay Kaylee!!

Thanks so much to all of you for sending in your ideas. It was fun reading them all. I really appreciate all of the support I have gotten from you and all of the excitement that you've shared with me! I am one lucky girl!

Just Another Week in the LIfe of Krista

We got a new security system in the new house. I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to darkness and night time! So, the first night that Jim is not home with me when I go to bed, Monday night, the front door won't arm. I call the company and they tell me they will have someone out tomorrow and teach me how to bypass the one connection for the night.

Side note: There is a train about a mile from my home. At night time it somehow picks itself up and moves its tracks right outside my door so that it sounds like it's about to come through my bedroom!! I have learned to sleep through it though.

Back to my story. So, I have decided that I'm not sure how much I like alarm systems because you sleep lightly and listen to see if you hear the siren that could possibly go off (at least that's what I do). Not to mention on this particular night that I've pretty much convinced myself that someone has tampered with my front door and is just waiting for me to turn out the lights so that they can kill me or whatever it is that they do when they break in. Somehow between listening for my front door and waiting for my alarm to go off, I do fall asleep. And then the stupid train goes by! I almost hit the frigging ceiling!! Needless to say, I was up every hour that the train went by that night!!

Then on Wednesday I was so very very brave! I took Jimmy's truck and drove on the highway for 20 minutes to get his emissions test done. I also got my Colorado driver's license. I was so proud of myself that I found a bakery and treated Jagger and to a chocolate croissant. Yummers! Then we headed back to Brighton and I had both of the vehicles registered. Go me! From there I went straight home (this is an important part of the story.)

Since I had written such a big check at the registration place I came in the house knowing I should update my checkbook. At the same time I saw my voice mail blinking and while I listened I checked my email and was shocked to see I had 20 new emails. When I finally got through with everything I went to get my checkbook. Where is it? I am positive I put it on the counter. You know how you know you put something somewhere and you look around over and over and over for it and it puts you into a really bad mood...well, that was me! I was so annoyed.
Jagger and I went and picked James up at the bus stop in the car and decided to go back to the registration place because I must have left it there. Nope, not there. People, I am telling you, I did not go anywhere else! When Jimmy wakes up I have to tell him. And he reminds me of another Krista story.....

8 years ago I could not travel back to Canada without documentation because I was in the middle of trying to get a greencard. I was leaving for Canada in two days. Kaylee and I had picked up lunch at Cracker Barrel one day and I have a habit of throwing my wallet into whatever bag I have just gotten with my purchase. Once I got home I removed my purchase. The bag was such a sturdy bag that I used it as a garbage bag and threw Kaylee's diaper genie bag into it and put it on the curb with the rest of the garbage. Once the garbage was picked up I realized what had happened and called Jimmy crying my eyes out because of the upcoming trip. My super hero husband called the City of Baytown and found out what truck picked up our garbage. He then called the garbage truck driver and was told that he was already at the dump but that he would dump beside the big hole (because I have no idea what the technical term is) and he could come dig through if he wanted. Jimmy left work and met the truck and dug through a whole truck load of garbage looking for a Cracker Barrel bag with diapers in it...and he found it! Complete with my wallet right at the bottom like I told him it would be.

So, when I told Jim about losing the checkbook you can imagine how he felt. How can I possibly lose these things?? He made me call and cancel the last two checks and I was frustrated the rest of the day. That night I was going upstairs to put the kids to bed and noticed Jagger closing the cubby in his new bed. I saw stuff in there and was wondering what he was storing. And guess what I found?? I knew I had brought the stupid thing home!! I called Jim but he wasn't as nearly as excited as I was because the probability of me losing it again in the future is kind of high, I guess. haha!

On Wednesday I got sick too! Runny nose and cough.

All is well that ends well. This is my normal and I woudln't trade it for anything! Besides, it gives me something to talk about.

Jagger's Room

No, he isn't my favorite...he just got lucky because we had all of the stuff! haha The bed is new because Kaylee had to take her bed back because her bunk bed wouldn't fit in her room. The quilt is the one we made for James while we waited for him to come home from Russia (James is now in a full size bed and the quilt is twin). So, we just did a cowboy room because it was super cheap and easy. Notice he still has a corner of race car stuff though!!

Column Name-Need Help!

I need help! I need to name my column. My new boss, Kevin, suggested that I go to my blog readers for ideas. So, I need your ideas. And the one that comes up with the one I love the most will win a great big THANK YOU straight from me!! That's all I got...I'm not getting rich writing this column!!

Okay, so here is how the column is going to work. Very similar to my blog. I will be trying out new things in and around Brighton, CO. I have a quest to find a new hair dresser, a new babysitter, a new cake lady..I will try different activities and restaurants. And I will write about my experiences. Some will be things just Jim and I try but most will be kid-friendly places. The idea is to grab the attention of my age group. New people will have a place to look to find things to try out. Long time residents will maybe enjoy seeing what they've always seen in a different light. In the column the readers will be referred to my blog to get more in-depth with my family and me.

So....I need a name that encompasses all of that! I know a lot of you email me and that's fine..you can still do that at kristaclinton@hotmail.com. I thought it might be fun for others to see though by leaving it in the "leave a comment" section.

Thanks for your help..can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Krista

Seriously Famous Dude!

I GOT THE JOB!! Writing a bi-weekly column for the Brighton Blade. I need to go in and sign some papers and then it will be official. Oh...and I have to give them a picture. Ugh! I was telling my sister that I wish she was so here so we could have a fashion show and snap pictures all night long until we find one that we like. Just as well she isn't though...we'd probably have some margaritas to celebrate and in our drunken stupor we would pick the one where I look the most retarded! Now I will have to comb through my computer files and see if I can find one. Really though...is it even possible that there has been a picture taken of me without a child on top of me in the last 9 years?? This could take a while!

But who cares...I have a job. Yay me!

100 Things About Me

I love lists! I love paperwork. I love organization. But I especially love lists. So today when I checked Carissa's blog and saw that she had a list of 100 things about her it was only natural that I be a big fat copycat and make my own list (which you may also be a copycat and do yourself because they are so fun to read about other people! And besides, Carissa admitted to copycatting someone else!) So, here goes...

1. I have a really long name..Krista Margaret Eleanor Devine-Clinton
2. I love all of my names except the Krista (all the others have special meaning).
3. I named my daughter the same way..two middle names.
4. We named James just to mess with people's heads because everyone always asks if Jimmy's name is James (it's not).
5. I was born in Ottawa Canada.
6. When I think of home I still picture Montreal, Quebec.
7. I have had 11 surgeries.
8. I was born with a cleft palate.
9. I am blind in my right eye.
10. I used to wear a hearing aid.
11. I want to get a hearing aid again.
12. All of the people that I say "what?" to all day long want me to get a hearing aid.
13. I have the perfect husband.
14. I have three beautiful children.
15. We took fertility drugs to have Kaylee.
16. We adopted James from Saratov, Russia.
17. Jagger was a huge surprise.
18. I get upset every month that I realize I'm not pregnant.
19. I could have a house full of children.
20. Parenting is the hardest job in the world!
21. I feel guilty for how much I yell at my children.
22. I am terrified to be home alone at night.
23. I make my children sleep with me when Jimmy works nights.
24. I love to read.
25. I am 9 months and 21 days into reading the Bible in one year.
26. I am a christian.
27. I love God.
28. I am especially thankful for grace.
29. And mercy.
30. I love small groups.
31. I like to cook.
32. I like to make cookies and cakes with my kids.
33. I love to have people over for dinner.
34. I don't have a lot of friends.
35. I am very close to the friends I do have.
36. I talk to my mom everyday...usually more than once.
37. I talk to my sister Jennifer almost every day.
38. I wish I talked to my sister Catherine more often.
39. My dad committed suicide when I was 19.
40. The first funeral I ever went to was my dad's.
41. I miss my dad's laughter the most.
42. I can still hear my dad say my name "Kris" any time I want to.
43. I have a half brother named Michael.
44. I lived in Texas for 10 years.
45. Texas never became home to me.
46. I moved to Colorado a month ago.
47. I feel happier in Colorado than I have in a long time.
48. I have been married for 10 years.
49. The last four years of our marriage have been the best!
50. I love growing old with my Jimmy.
51. I am scared of dying.
52. I am terrified of heights.
53. I zip lined the first and only time this past summer at family camp.
54. I am not inclined to ever do it again.
55. I want to go white water rafting.
56. I am shy.
57. Yet I know I'm a leader.
58. I annoy myself when I talk about myself too long.
59. It makes me feel like I am boring the other person.
60. I am now wondering why I am writing this list.
61. But my love for lists is winning!
62. I have dislocated my left arm 5 times.
63. I have only dislocated my right arm once.
64. I have a horrible long term memory.
65. I have extremely vivid dreams.
66. I have been known to confuse my dreams with reality.
67. I don't remember my parents being married.
68. My parents divorced when I was 6.
69. My mom is one of my favorite people in the world.
70. I love to paint. Walls not pictures.
71. I love my hair.
72. I like how my hair changes colors all on it's own. No, seriously.
73. I love to do big projects with my husband.
74. My husband is way funnier than me.
75. Most people are way funnier than me.
76. I was born without the funny gene!
77. I love baths.
78. I hate walking.
79. I eat three meals a day.
80. I hate to drink.
81. Unless it's fountain coke.
82. I craved fountain coke and red meat in both of my pregnancies.
83. I am a jealous person.
84. I get my feelings hurt very easily.
85. I don't lie.
86. I hate being lied to.
87. What you see is what you get with me.
88. I am proud of how my life has turned out.
89. I feel very blessed with everything that has been brought into my life.
90. I am always trying to be a better wife and mom.
91. I want to be a better Christian..more knowledgeable.
92. I want my children to grow up loving God more than anything.
93. I have failed at doing daily devotions with my children.
94. I really want to go to Jamaica or Los Cabos with my family.
95. I want to be skinnier.
96. I hate brushing my teeth (but don't worry, I do!).
97. I love writing.
98. I love blogging.
99. I still love lists!
100. I wouldn't change a thing about my life except to have my friends and family closer.