IttyBitty Blog

I try to be a good wife. 

I remember back  when I was afraid and uneducated on the subject of boys, but secretly looked forward to having a “boyfriend” someday.  I would think, “boy, I’ll be the best girlfriend ever”.  I’d think of all the nice things that I would do for him.  I rehearsed what I’d do in my mind. 

Once I got a boyfriend that I liked, my thoughts then turned to marriage.  I dreamed about what a good wife I’d be.  I would cook dinner every night, always do the dishes, and of course, throw extremely nice parties for my husband. 

My perspective on marriage and being a good wife has changed a bit, as I’m sure it changes for a lot of people.  I started out quite good, but somehow I’ve slipped a bit.  I think that having children may have changed things.  I used to have time to be a good wife. 

My good wife status was changed last week when I threw Joey a surprise Birthday party.  I had it planned for two whole weeks and actually kept it a secret for the whole time.  (If anyone knows me, that is a miracle)  Better yet, my kids kept it a secret too…up until the last hour.  (darn it)  I even had Joey convinced that I hadn’t had time to buy him a present. 

Here’s a copy of the cute invites:

 Funny, right?  Not zaney or whacky, but funny…right?

The party was a success.  The important people all showed up.  Here’s an example of the decorations:

I am getting really good at photoshop.

We had pizza, salad, cake and ice cream. He opened his presents (I DID get him some) and  then, we swam.  A fun time was had by all, especially Joey.  Just look at the excited look on his face:

Joey is so lucky to have such a good wife.

I met Joey just one month after my fiance Steve had passed away.  I wasn’t really ready to date, but wasn’t ready to be alone  either.  I was very messed up to say the least.  It’s amazing to me that my nearly constant breakdowns and sobbing during those early dates didn’t send him running for the hills.

But, he didn’t.  He stayed.  He helped me.  And, it wasn’t easy for that 19 year old boy.

It’s been nearly 12 years that Joey’s been in my life and ten years of that in holy matrimony.  I’ve watched that 19 year old boy grow up into quite a man.

Together, we’ve shared:  living in three different homes, three cats, one dog, four foster children, 9 different places of employment, two college graduations, six vehicles, many vacations, loss of grandparents, loss of a parent, loss of pets, good times, bad times, and three of the cutest kids to ever walk (and crawl) the earth.

I love him.  A lot.

Looking forward to the next decade.  Happy Anniversary, Joe Joe!

Joey’s Grandma Parker passed away two weeks ago.  Though it has been sad to watch her get old and suffer, we are happy for her to finally be at peace.  It’s so hard to have our grandparents leave us.

I was looking through our wedding photos the other day and realized how many grandparents we had just 10 years ago.  There were 8 of them all lined up.  Joey and I were just missing one grandfather a piece.  Since that time, all of Joey’s grandparents have passed away.  I am lucky to still have three.

I’m glad that I was able to know all of Joey’s grandparents; I feel like they were my own.  I will miss hearing all of the stories and long visits with them. 

Grandma Parker didn’t want a “formal” funeral, just a graveside service.  Because of the snow, we ended up making it a little more formal, however.  Many of the kids and grandkids spoke a few words about her.  I’m proud to say that Joey was the best one (in my opinion) and did such a great job.  He is becoming quite the public speaker.  He does weddings and funerals, but he’s booking up fast!

We found this picture of Joey last night.  It is Miles in a couple months.  I can’t get over how much they look alike.  No paternity test needed here!

Most every morning, after my shower, I find Joey and Malone in this position…

And Malone is usually purring like a chainsaw.  I really don’t know how he can sleep through it.

This year, Joey helped the kids to make a gingerbread house.  He did a pretty good job and I suspect that he’s been watching a little Martha Stewart.

Well, after most of the candy had been picked off and it came time to dispose of it, Joey decided that it would be fun to blow it up instead.  So, using some old firecrackers, he wrapped up the house and set it to fire. 

The explosion was very very loud and little pieces of “something” flew everywhere.  (some of them hit me, ouch!)  Some of the candy blew off, but the house was still in tact!  Amazing little house. 

I wanted to stay and take a few more pictures of the aftermath, but Joey said, “get in the house before the cops show up!”

Joey and I have conflicting ideas about Santa’s “duties” at Christmas time.  We have had the same discussion each year since we’ve had children.  What exactly does “Santa” bring and what does Mom and Dad bring?

I believe that MOST of the presents should magically appear beneath the tree on Christmas morning and should be from Santa.  The stocking is also from Santa.  Just one or two presents should be from Mom & Dad….like the pajamas for Christmas eve and one other thing. 

Joey, on the other hand has it all wrong.  He thinks that we should put out all of the gifts under the tree from the get-go and Santa will ONLY deliver the stocking stuffers. 

So far, I’ve won the “argument” each year and we’ve done things my way.   I mean, what kind of lame Santa only brings stocking stuffers?

The earth has been lucky to have Joey in it for 30 long years now.  That’s right….Joey has hit the big 3-0. 

Not only is Halloween the day that Joey was born, it was also the day that we had our first date…11 years ago!  I met him when he was a mere 19 year old baby. 

We were supposed to have a party up at the cabin for Joey and his uncle who is turning 50, but unfortunately the party was canceled due to illness and a canceld plane.  I didn’t really have enough time to plan anything really special for his 30th…and I feel kind of bad. 

Tessa and I tried to make the best of it and made him a birthday cake.  Then, we took him out for Chinese food (his favorite) and went home to carve pumpkins for the night.  Then, we finished the day at Katie and Jason’s. 

Even though, it seemed like an ordinary birthday, I hope that Joey knows how much I really do love him and I’m glad to have him.  I really would have had a party if I’d had the time!

I’ve actually known Joey for nearly 11 years.  I met him on his 19th  birthday, he was a young-en.  We have been married for 9 years as of yesterday and in honor of the 9 years, I thought I’d write 9 things that I love most about Joey:

1-  He has unconditional love for me.  No matter how mad he ever gets, or how badly I might mess something up, or how ugly I might look…..he always loves me, no matter what. 

2-  He doesn’t fight dirty.  He refrains from ever saying mean or hurtful things to me just to hurt my feelings.  He rarely stays mad for very long and he usually can remain the calm one in a “heated” situation. 

3-  Joey is frugal and very good with money.  I know that I can always trust him to take care of the bills, etc.  He loves bargains like I do.  (Although he does get embarrassed of my coupons from time to time)

4-  Joey gives REALLY good massages and he’s always willing to rub my feet, put lotion on them, and he even paints my toe nails. 

5-  He makes me laugh.  Hard.  He is very smart and has witty little comments all the time.  Sometimes, I even steal his jokes and use them at work. 

6-  He keeps me up on politics and the issues.  He’s very patient to explain things to me that I don’t understand.  He knows so much stuff!  He also has a great memory.

7-  He is the BEST gift giver ever!  I don’t know how he does it, but he always manages to get me things that I really wanted but didn’t even know that I wanted.  His gifts are also very thoughtful  (but the cards aren’t). 

8-  He is a very good dad.  He is so helpful to me with the kids.  He almost always does the baths with them and makes sure they take care of their teeth.  He is also good for trimming their nails and he’s a PRO at that little baby boogar sucker thing.  He lays with Tessa each night for at least a half an hour telling her stories.  It’s very apparent how much he loves them.

9-  He does nice little things for me consistently, just because he knows that I like it.  For example, he almost always drives because he knows that I don’t like to.  He also always mows the lawn and takes care of car maintenance; also things that I hate to do. 

Ok, there are many more reasons why I love the Joe Joe…..but we’ll stop with 9 for now.  I’ll come up with the “top ten” next year.

I love you, Joey….Happy Anniversary!

I am going to be next year’s junior officer advisor and in being so, will have the honor of going to Prom every year.   Joey is so excited.

This year, we attended as chaperones to see how things worked, etc.  We had fun….yes, even Joey did.  It turns out that Prom is a very fun place to sit and people watch.  We commented on the crazy outfits and crazy dancing. 

We got paid $70 between the two of us and got free pictures.  I think it was a fun date night.  We ate dinner at Rino’s…a VERY good restaurant if anyone’s interested.  And after the dance was over, we went to a late night movie which I slept through (of course). 

Oh, and Joey and I danced too!  twice!