Insomnia!!!!!!!!!!!

The time is actually 12:25 a.m. (Blogger always records the time a couple hours behind) And yes, I am awake and thriving. What is up with my stupid self? I should have gone to bed at 10:00 like any sane parent should. I didn't go to bed last night 'til 1:45 a.m. and am sleep-deprived already. I have always been a night owl, and I am worse when Jim is out of town. (Yes, he is out of town again. Can we say 5 weeks in a row?) I don't know if I stay up because I finally have time to myself without needy kids or a horny husband, or if I'm just hard-wired to stay up late. Whatever it is, it's beginning to take it's toll on me.

My late-night ways used to not be a problem when I could sleep in and be lazy all day. But now that I'm working and have to be up and ready by 7:30 (6:00 if I want to work out-ha,ha!) to start the morning with my kids before work in the afternoon, I'm having a harder time staying bright-eyed when the late afternoon rolls in and I'm staring at a computer editing nuclear engineer manuals. It's also not good for trying to lose weight!

Several factors weigh (ha,ha again) in: When Jim is gone, I don't feel like cooking healthy for picky kids who won't eat it. I usually just eat the kids mac & cheese, peanut butter, McDonalds, and whatever else is fast and easy. I also have been taking a Dr. Pepper and Milk Duds to work to help ward off the afternoon drowsiness (I have to admit-some days I just want to crawl under my desk so no one will see me and take a quick nap). And then there is the late night snacking while I catch up on the DVR recordings of Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and Desperate Housewives. Can you imagine how this can quickly turn out of control? Luckily, I've only gained 2 pounds over the last few weeks but if I don't stop now, 2 pounds will turn into 30. Help!!! I need inspiration. I need motivation. I need calorie-free pop that tastes good and keeps me awake. I need a few more hours in the day. I need more sleep.......... Excuse me while I go crawl in to bed and lay there for another 30 minutes until I drift off. It is now 12:45! Do you ever wonder if it would be better to just stay up all night and clean your house. Think sleepy thoughts, Christine. Think sleepy thoughts. Goodnight!

Soiled, wet, and a sheep you won't forget!

We went to my brother's Halloween party Saturday night with a bunch of friends from high school (it's nice only being 1 year apart in school because we have a lot of the same friends-and I'll have you know I didn't kiss any of the guys present when I was in high school! I can't always say that when my brother's friends get together. Hey-there's just something HOT about your older brother's friends when you're a teenager!) ANYWAY, back to the subject! We all dressed up with our families and had a night full of food and fun. We did all of the traditional games like bobbing for apples and eating donuts tied to strings. The kids had a blast and were all pretty soaked by night's end. We also bowled with pumpkins, painted pumpkins, played a vicious sock game, and a hilarious question game. The costumes were great and dang funny. We had a pregnant nun, a male "Little Bo Peep" and the sheep, a Pimp Daddy, a mullet dude, and a doctor and her patient who couldn't keep control of his bowels. The kids were all adorable of course!

The night of the pumpkin massacre

Jim and I and the girls all piled into the kitchen and onto the island for a night of pumpkin carving fun. It took a few minutes for the girls to really get into the guts, but then they all just went for it. They ditched the spoons and dug with their hands! Avery got a kick of spooning out guts (well, a seed or two each time) and dumping them into the bowl. She also got brave and tasted the yummy, slimy, orange goop. She was not pleasantly suprised! We even carved one of the pumpkins for our Black cat, Tillie! What a great time together as a family. Which poses the question: Do you think every Mormon family across the world carved pumpkins for FHE?

The finished product: 3 adorable girls; 3 amazing pumpkins!

Where Have I Been?

I wish I could say I've been away on some exotic vacation or thrilling adventure, but to be honest, I've just had a major case of blogging block and busyness. And the fact that Jim has taken my camera on all of his recent trips. He has been gone the last 4 weeks in a row on business and on hunting trips (Oregon, Guam, Alpine, and Denver), which has left me to fend for myself in childcare and work responsibilities. I did get to spend last weekend scrapbooking with the women in my family. It was a lot of fun and a huge necessity since I haven't even opened the scrapbook supply since the last time we got together six months ago. Of course Jim wasn't successful on his hunts, so he wants to ago again this weekend. "Sure, why not." He better freakin' get something cause I'm running out of patience.

The Hassmans are Alive with the Sound of Music

Since we didn't get to watch Conference on Saturday because our Dish satellite was full of snow, the girls (well, Ashtyn) and I watched The Sound of Music. It is probably one of my all-time favorite movies! Ashtyn, who is just five, absolutely loved it! She has begged to watch it every day since. Granted it is quite long, I've let her a just a couple of times but each time, have sat down again to watch it myself. So much for all of the cleaning I was going to get done the last few days. Ashtyn said tonight, "I'm Liesle, and I'm 16." Her favorite part is when Liesle gets her first kiss and says, "wheeeeeeeeeee". How adorable! Jordyn and Avery also think it is funny when I sing "Climb every Mountain" at the top of my lungs while they're in the bathtub. Good thing Daddy is gone; he might think we've all gone crazy by all the singing going on in our house!

Love/Hate Relationship!

Airplanes definitely make our life easier. But I'm beginning to believe they make our life more stressful. My husband just called to tell me that his flight has, once again, been delayed. He gets to hang out in the Honolulu airport for the next five hours in the middle of the night. Imagine being in Hawaii and not being able to get out and have some fun. This means he won't get home 'til way later tomorrow (if he makes his connecting flight which leaves only 20 minutes after he is supposed to land-yeah-good luck!). The kids were so excited when I put them to bed tonight knowing their Daddy would be home when they woke up. Not so much! I swear Jim has the worst luck. He gets delayed on probably 85% of his flights-I swear, no exageration. And since he travels quite a bit, the delays really add up. Airplanes: gotta love 'em; gotta hate 'em!

Happy Columbus Day!

My husband took my camera to Guam for the week so I doubt I'll be posting much. Too bad because I wanted to take a picture of our Winter Wonderland on Saturday. It was so crazy! We have branches all over our yard and I seriously thought our big cottonwood tree was going to fall on our house. It is 65 degrees today and beautiful! Thanks Columbus for finding this amazing land!

Into the Skies...

My hubby is off to Guam in the morning for the next week. Poor guy-he has to be at the airport at 5am for 21 hours of travel time. And he just got back from Oregon for five days on Thursday. He is so sick of airplanes! I've gotten used to him being gone a lot and am not quite the wuss I used to be at home by myself getting scared at every little noise. But I still have a fear that his plane is going to crash and I won't have a husband and my kids won't have a Daddy. Why do I think such things? Pray for the pilots and safe landing for Jim. We will miss him! Every time Avery hears a loud vroom sound (car outside, 4-wheeler, washer, etc. ) she says "Daddy" because she thinks it's his big, loud truck pulling into the garage. It is so sad to see her run to the door and want her Daddy. Hopefully this week will fly (no pun intended) by!

I'm always afraid something like this will happen but much worse-especially since Jim mostly flys over the ocean!

Head over wheels!

What great parents we are! Jordyn fell out of the cart onto her head at Sam's Club the other night! I seriously thought she had a concussion because the floor is concrete, the carts are tall, and she got a big, blue bump on the back of her head. She was dazed and really pale for about 20 minutes. I totally wanted to take her in but Jim convinced me to just see how she acted the next few hours. Everything turned out fine and after checking on her during the night a few times, she woke up her usual, happy self. This is her the morning after! Mothers out there-I know you think this will never happen to your child (like I thought), but please be careful. It happens before you know it!