Us...on a typical day...except I'm not in pajamas and I showered.

Travis and I had been fighting yesterday...so I sent him to his room for like the billionth time...when I went back to check, this is what I found.

Then I celebrated! but quietly....

And this from the girl who never even combed her own hair...

When it comes to doing hair I am a complete amateur---I don't think I even combed my hair till I was like 12! I love the internet though...because then I don't have to be creative and still Martie can look cute. There is a great blog out there called "She does Hair"---this mom comes up with the cutest hair-do's for little girls and I copied this one for Valentines Day...yes, I was pretty proud of myself.

It's a heart...in case you can't tell!

McFly not feeling well!

Martie Jo was sick and not feeling too well all last week. She was really sad and pathetic, and as bad as this sounds, she was also a little funny. I was her best friend all day, her healer, the one who brings her drinks and holds her...but at 9:00pm--when Jeff gets home---I am chopped from the top of the totem pole! She would lay on the couch and if I even asked her "how she was" or "if she needed anything" she would glare at me and say..."NO...I WANT DADDY!"

I tried not to take it personal...but COME ON...Mom's just get NO credit! When she grows up she will look back and appreciate me---right? hopefully? please!!!

P.E.

It was 2:37 time for school to get out, so I headed for the "corner", the spot where I meet my smiling Caleb at the end of each school day. He comes running down the road to me, loud and out of breath, he shouts..."Hi Mom!" It's wonderful. Like every other day, the first thing I ask Caleb is "How was school" and he replies..."Fine."

Me: "What did you do at school today?"

Caleb: "We went to the library and had P.E."

Me: "P.E. now that is fun....What did you play?"

Caleb: "Speed Stacking"

WHAT? This is weird, I have never in my life heard of "speed stacking", is this some new sport I don't know about.

Me: What is speed stacking?

Caleb: Stacking like paper or plastic cups fast.

I laughed really loud & long then blurted out "That is the stupidest frackin' thing I have ever heard"

I'm not great at sensitivity. How ridiculous! What about crab soccer, dodgeball, sit-ups, walking the track, tag, jump rope, heck even badminton, at least you get to stand up... Apparently they sit and they stack cups (but REALLY REALLY FAST) Hahahahaha

People are so worried about funding for programs at school and there is always talk of having to cut programs like P.E., but really if this is the kind of stuff they are doing during P.E. (for one hour every two weeks)---I don't see the big deal. Maybe I shouldn't be so sarcastic---I mean this could be as big as bowling or 4 square. Maybe someday if Caleb works really really hard at his stacking...he could win a medal.


P.S. Incidentally, I also had P.E. today---I did the dishes and put the cups away.

To my friend Becky: forget about going to the gym tonight---stay home and work on your "speed stacking", then later you can do some "speed showering" followed by some "speed sleeping". Sounds like a work out to me.

Physical Education-----hahahaha---I am going to be laughing about this everytime I look in my cupboard at my neat stacks of cups.

The sun was shining....

the air was warm, I could smell something green (grass, leaves, something), and I could hear the birds chirping....

My kids laughter bouncing to my ears from the backyard

No piles of snow suits and boots by my front door

We rode bikes

We played baseball

We painted the town red (literally with sidewalk chalk)

We blew bubbles

We climber all over the jungle gym and made ourselves dizzy on the merry-go-round

We were joyous!

AND NOW....

SNOW and more SNOW and more SNOW...

I feel like a character in one of those historical novels.... I'm living on the prarie in a sod house and getting so stir crazy I start talking to the animals, and myself, and the furniture. CABIN FEVER!

I've made a serious attempt this year to avoid sitting the kids in front of the TV watching cartoons....but I AM OUT OF OPTIONS!!

We've....

colored, painted, went swimming, sledding, snowman, snowballs, crafts, preschool, movies, games, basketball, huckle-buckle bean stock, made cookies, and so on....I am completely out ideas.

So we will sit.

We will watch Spongebob.

We will wait for spring.

And if you don't hear from us...then I wandered away from my little sod house out into the snow.

Seriously though, I'm not crazy just really really tired of winter! I'd never make it in Alaska.

It's cruel to tempt me with spring...to give me a week of it and then take it away. I'm not a glass half-full type of girl....I want it all the way full!

Caleb reaches the age of accoutability...oh snap...

I can't believe my little baby boy is eight years old. I remember when they first put him in my arms...how new and wonderful it felt...and now he is such a part of me, I don't have a thought that doesn't include him. We didn't do anything to fancy for his birthday. We went bowling and Caleb got to invite a couple of friends (Joey and Annie), then we came home ate cake and opened presents. The picture of him with his mouth gaping open in excitement cracks me up because the present he is opening is SCRIPTURES! He is so righteous. hahahha

Caleb's presents were scriptures, star wars action figures (the force is with us... constantly...ugh), an art set, cubscout shirt & book, money, hat, PS2 game.

He is so spoiled. Thank you everyone for Caleb's gifts--you are way too good to us & we are blessed.

The moments I live for...

Jeff is gone on drill so it's just me and the kiddies again. We have a tradition on these weekends of waking up on Sunday mornings and one by one the kids will climb into bed with me. I was warm and toasty in the middle of a Travis, Martie, and Caleb sandwhich, and there was no place in the world that I would rather be. On top of that, my youngest son decided to be extra sweet this morning----which is extra special because he isn't, how do I say this in a nice way, "The most openly loving" little person (whoops he doesn't like to be called "little"---he is medium!" Anyway here our a few tidbits from our conversation that made me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Travis to me: "Mom, I love you."

Me: "I love you too."

Travis: "Mom, I love you forever."

Me: "I will love you forever too." "yes...Martie and Caleb also."

Travis: Mom, you're beautiful!"

Wow! i thought, this kid must want something....

Me: Thank you Travis!

Travis: Mom, you have beautiful hair...

Me: You are very sweet today Trav

Travis: Mom, you have beautiful eyes.

Me: Thank you Trav

Martie: Mom, I like all your eyes.

To which I think I had an overdose of affection after having gone so long without, that I said..."Why don't we go make breakfast"

Now, I in no way belive I am beautiful but.... I think it is sweet that my kids do.

this is gonna be a great day...

p.s I love them... I will forever.... they are beautiful (eyes, hair, etc)...

Our dog....aka "The Money Pit"

So last year around Christmas time our black lab BJ got sick and stopped eating or drinking. After a few days we decided to be responsible and take her to the vet (my dad would call this a waste of money). It turned out that she had some sort of bacterial infection and needed antibiotics, which apparently are alot of money. I don't know about your houses, but our kids always start talking about what they want for Christmas really early & with our sick dog----we really felt like telling them "For Christmas this year, your dog can live." Anway BJ got better and here we are a year later AND she started acting all sick again.
Syptoms as follows: no eating (this from the dog I saw eat a wiffle bat), no drinking, no pooing, etc....
AND OF COURSE she was looking at me with her big sad brown eyes and being unreasonably cute. I tell you if she had gotten sick in the summer when I caught her chewing up my patio chairs, I would have said "good riddance!"
Anyway, off she went to the vet clinic where the doctors are so nice and after them doing an xray for free since, we are too cheap---they discovered that my "brain cell deficient" dog had swallowed a big (golf ball size) rock & it was lodged in her intestines. They then informed us that the surgery would cost $800.00 and that was only if their were no complications (knowing OUR DOG there would be complications). So we go to the vet this morning to have her put down and they tell us that she PASSED (a nice way of putting it) the rock!!! All I could think about was Travis saying..."This one's gonna hurt." Well, I guess we got lucky, the vets were all pretty amazed. Interesting how a dog can do something so stupid (eat a rock) and then be called miraculous all because she pooped! Anway, her new name is officially the "Money Pit"

Cheeto can sing...

We heard Trav singing this song and I was very impressed that he remembered the words (well most of them). I guess they do get something out of church.



and yes, you heard right..."this is my secret booty."

I Love it...I love it not....

Laundry and I have a love/hate relationship.

I hate when it piles up over the baskets and onto the floor.

I can't stand when I've started a load only to find halfway through the cycle that I didn't yet have all the dirty clothes from the bedrooms (i.e the ones hiding under the bed, in the toy closet, in the pillowcase).

I hate when my jeans go through the dryer and end up smaller (it happens---I know it)

I detest when my fabric softener drips onto my shelf.

I abhore when my downy ball is tangled up in clothes and I can't find it.

I despise putting clothes away in dressers only to find they've crawled back into my dirty clothes basket not an hour later.

I loathe matching socks.

I get angry when I find a butter rum lifesaver melted to shirts in my dryer.

I HATE LAUNDRY.....

I love warm towels from the dryer.

I adore fresh clean sheets after a relaxing bubble bath.

I worship (not in the blasphemous way) comfly clean socks.

I like the hum of the dryer...it soothes me.

I smile when I see my favorite pair of sweats folded neatly in my drawer ( just waiting for me to put them on.)

I feel pride when I see my cute children all turned out in clean, bright clothes with smiling faces.

I'm the mommy and....

I LOVE LAUNDRY!