little gifts to me

Today is only Monday and I am noticing little gifts all around.

• My two wonderful boys put their cereal bowls in the sink when they were done without even being asked to do so. 
• Chai Tea Latte:  A little piece of heaven in a cup
• Bath and Body Works socks:  A little piece of heaven on your feet.  They are infused with shea butter.  So soft and warm.
• Little baby girl:  As I write this, one-handed I might add, I am babysitting my friend's one month old daughter and she is the sweetest!

Hope your Monday is going well!

this week

For some reason, this week hasn't found me in the Christmas spirit.  Or maybe it has.  Because doesn't everyone get grumpy and stressed out before Christmas?  Ha. So maybe I haven't been in the right spirit of Christmas.

This week, I have been short on temper and time.  This week, I don't seem very happy (in the words of my dear oldest son).  This week, I have grumbled and complained and cried and fretted.

This morning, I have decided that the reason for all of this is because I have finally gotten fed up.  Somehow, this past year, I have lost my faith and my optimism.  My inner joy if you call it.  And I don't like it one bit.

I want those things back. I am going to find them. Somewhere, somehow, I will find those things again.

Have you ever lost your faith?  If you are asking "faith in what?", well, I say to you, (in the nicest way possible and very gently) "It doesn't matter in what."  Could be in one thing, could be in all things.  Could be in small things, could be in big things.  Could be you aren't sure.  Which is where I am.

I think saying it out loud is the first step to findig those things again.  At least, I hope so.

impossibly true

Last night, Rhett asked Dad a question. 

Rhett:  Dad, I have a question.
Seth: Okay.
Rhett:  What is a seven letter word that starts with a P and means "impossible, but true"?
Seth: Umm, I don't know.
Rhett:  You don't know?
Seth:  No.  Why do you need to know?
Rhett: It is for enrichment.  Our teacher tells us a story and then asks us a question about it.  Sometimes the word is in the story but sometimes it is not.
...
Rhett:  So you really don't know what the answer is?
Seth: No son, I really don't.   Maybe you should tell me the story.
Rhett:  Well, the story is about a bird named Paradox. This guy sees this bird that looks like it is filled with water and...
Seth:  Wait, wait, wait.  What is the bird's name?
Rhett:  Paradox.
Seth:  Do you know what paradox means?
Rhett:  No.

Seth gets a dictionary and looks it up.  He reads it to him:  A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. 

Seth:  Don't you think that sounds like your answer?
Rhett: Wait, paradox has 7 letters?!?

yie! yie! yie! yie! yie!*

*

So glad it is Friday!  Long week.  So much to do, especially clean the house.  That is why I am blogging.  Don't want to begin that chore.

Wednesday, Noah had to do his monthly family project.  The "family" is supposed to do it together, but Noah really dislikes for anyone but me to do anything for him so usually it is a "Noah" project, with a little help from mom.  Rhett is doing a project of his own, so he won't be left out. 

Now, Rhett's project, with a little help from Mom, is hanging on our chandelier.  The snowflakes look neat when the sunlight is shining through.  So sparkly.

{Speaking of sun, well, weather, it is frigid today!  Early this morning, I stood outside with two other dynamo moms freezing our tails off just to collect magazines.  We love the earth so much! :) }

This is what I did yesterday:

Rhett and the 3rd Grade are doing a Christmas Music Program and I said I would help with costumes.  I made 6 soldier costumes yesterday.  It took all afternoon and evening.  The boys were basically on there own from the time they came home from school until about 8:30.  Thank God for tortillas and cheese.  Anyway, I did make it up to them by playing Beatles Rock Band with them.  I even let them stay up past bedtime to do it. 

Oh, and Rhett is the lead.  Yipee!  I am so excited for him. He is playing a janitor who doesn't like Christmas.  They are doing the play 3 times, once on his birthday, so he is so excited.  And nervous. And happy he doesn't have to sing the songs.

One last picture:

Because it is so cold, Scout has been inside at night.  (Brinkley is in the garage).  Scout decided to try out Rhett's "fossil" of a shell that he made with clay a couple of years ago.  I guess she thought it was a cookie, I don't know.  She must have liked it because this morning, it was in her mouth again! 

I know what you are thinking:  I really must not want to clean house. 

You would be correct.

Have a great weekend! And stay warm! 

*That is what Noah yells while he and Rhett are playing football in the house. Don't worry, it is not a big football. Actually, I don't know exactly what they play. All I know is that Noah gets the ball and then yells that over and over. The first picture made me think of this story. Noah looks like he is yelling that. Probably is.

what is old becomes new again

You might not have noticed in yesterday's picture but my coffee table has had a makeover.  You see, above, the green stain toward the left of the picture?  That is the sprite that someone didn't wipe off the table.  But if you look closely, you will notice that the table wasn't in the greatest shape of its life either.  (This was one of our first big furniture purchases-the coffee table and the two matching sofa tables).  So, I had a wild hair one day the week before Thanksgiving and decided to do this:

It is now red!  I may need to darken it up because this red (paint that I used in the kitchen) is almost too bright compared to the other reds in the family room, but the concept is great.  It adds a punch of color to a very brown room:

And it definitely looks better than the before picture. 

Have a great day!

time for the merriment to begin

It is December!

Yesterday, the boys and I put the tree up.  Noah was so excited and happy-until he wasn't anymore.  Then he just wanted to watch tv or play the Wii.  He had been begging to see his ornaments for 3 days.  I guess he wasn't begging to put them on the tree though, so I shouldn't have expected anything more.  What was I thinking?

This is Noah hanging one of his first ornaments. Before he was not wanting to anymore.

Rhett was a trouper and hung all of his.  He had a comment about everyone of his ornaments, which reminded me of myself.  I remember every single ornament-where I got it, from whom it was given, the when is getting a little fuzzy but some of them have dates, which is good.

After the tree, I dragged the boys outside for their Christmas card picture.  Again, Noah was not excited to be doing this particular thing, so I had to resort to telling him to imagine Rhett was wearing a purple dress.  Low blow, Rhett thought.

I did get at least one good picture, which I am not showing because that would ruin the surprise of opening the card, but here is a gem that shows I have driven Noah crazy with pleas to smile for the camera.

And this was my back-up plan. Rhett made it at school-isn't it great? I'll definitely frame it but if Noah wasn't going to cooperate (I know, he is almost 7, how hard can it be to make that child cooperate! But I am slowly finding out that you can't MAKE Noah do anything.) it was going to be our Christmas card.

****
Happy Birthday to Mallory, my niece.  I hope you have a great, wonderful day!  Also, Abbey, happy birthday to you as well! 

happy they are mine

When going around the table for Thanksgiving dinner to say what we were thankful for, Noah said, "My brother."

When Rhett and Seth were at the Texas Tech-Baylor game in Dallas, someone leaned toward Seth to say, "You must have taught him right."  A Baylor football player was hurt and Rhett had his "Guns Up."  Just like you are supposed to if you are a Tech fan.

Sigh.  My kids are the best.

thankfully, the time is here

Rhett says, "Gobble Gobble!"

He and his classmates were turkeys trying to convince everyone else not to eat them.  It was cute. 

Today, Noah and his classmates are making a Harvest stew, each bringing their favorite vegetable.  I am sure most of them brought corn.  But that is okay.

Tomorrow there is no school.  We are ready for Thanksgiving!  I love Thanksgiving.  I love the food, the desserts and the time spent with family.  And it also means that it is closer to next month which is full of birthdays and Christmas. Love it.

I hope everyone else has a wonderful holiday.  (And if you eat turkey, don't tell Rhett).*

Oh, and one more thing!  My mom has started a blog.  It is called "Ramblings" and the link is to the right.  Go check it out!  And Welcome to the blogging world Mom!



*Actually, Rhett really doesn't care if you eat turkey or not. He is looking forward to Turkey Day.  And pumpkin pie.  Noah wants turkey too.  As long as it is the drumstick.

did you know

• that if one spills Sprite onto a coffee table and doesn't wipe it up, it will absorb into the wood and turn it green. Good lesson learned by all, eh Rhett?
• that putting soft, flannel sheets on a bed will make it so comfy and warm that it will make it near impossible to get out of bed in the morning?
• that putting a chocolate glaze on caramel popcorn is a surefire way to have one eat the entire bag by one's self?  Those Boy Scouts do know what they are doing.
• that lifting nearly 2500 magazines into a paper recycling bin will make your back and arms very sore the next morning?  (We are half-way there to our goal of a Mile of Magazines!)

celebrating mom

To my mom:

Who never says no to playing a game when I ask, even though the rest of the family is less than enthusiastic

Who always makes an effort to make her home warm and inviting for guests, even if they are just her children

Who hangs her grandsons' art proudly in her hallway and would do it the same for all her grandchildren

Who has the best cookies, fruit salad and apple pie around and she shares her recipes

Who is always there when you need her, even if you are far away or seem like you are far away


I remember the summer that I lived in an apartment for the very first time.  It was also the summer I got married but I digress.  I had a job at a daycare and at night I took a few classes.  My roommate was Christy who also had a job and classes.  Anyway, one of the first weekends of the summer when Christy went to visit her parents, I caught a stomach bug.  (It was also one of the first weeks of my job, so I wasn't used to all those germs yet from the cute children I guess) It wasn't the worst stomach bug I ever had but I was by myself so it seemed pretty bad.  I called Mom.  Who immediately said she would drive down to take care of me.  And she did.  I remember by the time she got there I was feeling better but honestly, I think I felt better the moment she said she would come. 

Moms are special healers that way.

Thanks Mom for all you do.  Happy Birthday! I love you!

already with the Christmas lists?

Hello!  I know it has been a long time.  Last week was...ugg.  Didn't feel well.  But this week is a new week so hopefully I will post more often. 

Rhett and Noah have taken it upon themselves to write their Christmas Lists to Santa.

Rhett:  Mom, do you believe in Santa?
Me: Yes.
Rhett:  Me too.  Do you know some kids in my class say that he isn't real?
Me:  Well, he is as real as you want him to be.
Rhett:  Oh, he is real alright.

At this point in Rhett's childhood, shouldn't he be a little suspicious? He is in 3rd Grade.  I am just afraid that he is going to be crushed, just crushed when he finds out the truth.  So I try to throw in remarks like "he is real as you want him to be" to prepare him.  Subtly.  I don't know what I am doing.

Anyway, with no further ado, here is Rhett's list:

Dear Santa,
I've been trying to be very good this year. My wish list is this.
1 Ipod Nano (Blue)
2 Mind Flex
3.Fossil Fighters
4 Webkins Shark
5 year supply of bacon
5 biggest star wars Lego set ever
6 10 Texas Tech window stickers.
7 2 under-armor shirts
8 Madden 2010 (Wii)
9 Baron Batch's autograph
10 pink and orange Zumbuddy

Ones I'm sure I want  
1
2
3
6
7
9
10

Rhett marked out his "year supply of bacon" because as he put it:  "I don't think I really need that much bacon."  You think?

Here is Noah's list:

Dear Santa
1 Every webkinz ther is.
2 a real webkinz bunny.
3 ipod nano (green).
4 a bird with a Texas Tech sign on it.
5 a owl webinz.
6 a webkinz Dragin.
7 a webkinz geco.
8 a webkinz Husky.
9 a webkinz Pug.
10 Babe Ruths small metal

I think that Noah secretly doesn't believe in Santa and wants to catch us in a lie because how, oh how, are we going to get anything of Babe Ruth's or is there even such a thing as #4?  And I made him mark out #1 and the real in #2.  Because as we all know, real bunnies freak me out.

So there we are.  I wonder how many times this list will change before December 24?

Aimee. who loves her boys still.

I don't have much to say but feel I should blog about something.  It has been not such a busy week and besides, my sister who works at a paying job and is a mother of 2 kids blogs everyday (at least this month), so I feel sort of like a slacker.  So I will blog about...

Noah.
who does not like change.

The other day he came in upset and near tears because he and his friends were playing baseball and then they decided to play football instead.  Noah insisted that he hates football and just wanted to play baseball.

Yesterday, he came in upset and near tears trudging toward his room.  When asked what he was doing and what was wrong he said that he and his friends were playing football and now they want to play baseball so he had to get his bat even though he didn't want to.  Confused I asked him, "I thought you didn't like football?  And liked to play baseball?"  He answered that he was sick of baseball and was having fun playing football.

So my only conclusion to this was that it doesn't matter what he plays with his brother and friends, he will get upset if they change their minds in the middle of their game of whatever and want to do something else.  He doesn't like change.

Rhett.
who thinks he is getting way to big for his size 8 pants.

The other night I told the boys to go get a shower and Rhett stated that they got a shower last night.  I told him that no they didn't.  He said, "Yes, we did."  No, you didn't!  And on and on it went because I can't back down from an argument with someone who argues like my brother once did.  Anyway, I then remembered that I am the mom and asked him, "Do you really want to argue with me?"  to which he answered confidently, "Maybe." 

"Rhett!"  his dad angrily yelled from the other room. 

"Bad move, bud." I answered smugly.

picture update

Happy Halloween! Happy November! Happy Day, I have pictures for you!

I am working backwards here but here goes:

The boys dressed up for trick or treating. Noah was Mutt Williams, from the last Indiana Jones movie. He looked great, especially with his hair dyed. Of course, no one knew who he was.

"Oh, are you Elvis?"
"Cool! A biker!"
"Hey, are you that guy from Grease?"
Noah's response to that one: "I don't even know who you are talking about!"

But he loved it and next year he wants to be Indiana Jones.

Rhett was Snake Eyes from GI Joe or a ninja. Just like 4 out of 5 boys were ninjas this year. He decided next year he wants to be Frankenstein. It is scarier.

Last week was Red Ribbon Week and Thursday, they got to have crazy hair.  So we did the whole spraying color in the hair and they loved it.  It was raining that morning, so I made sure and told them not to get their hair wet or it would run down their face.  They were extra careful!

And this is Noah, after a whole week of being sick and staying home.  It was a Friday and Fall Break and one of his friends invited him to go to a Pumpkin Patch.  He was finally better, so we said Yes.

30 minutes before they got to our house to pick him up, he pulled up a chair to the window and waited. So patiently but yet so ready to be free.

It made Seth and I laugh.

But I know what he felt like.  That weekend, we were out of the house as much as possible.









Have a great Monday!

why I haven't blogged

THINK GREEN

This is what I've been up to.  A Think Green Initiative at our school is in full swing and because I am chair (why did I want to be chair again?), I have been up to the school almost as much as my kids.  I have also been at the computer going through names and emails because we are going to Email Correspondence instead of hard copies of notes.  About 75% of the families are on board which is great, but that means I am seeing names in my sleep.  Besides that, I am excited.  We are also doing a Mile of Magazine Drive through the month of November and December.  We need to collect 5600 magazines.  That is 8 per child.  I have about 40 here at the house, so my kids are more than covered.

What else? 

Two of my good friends and neighbors are moving away.  What makes it worse is that they have kids who are good buddies with my boys.  So we have been sad around here.  Very happy for them and their new opportunities but sad that we won't see them in the everyday setting anymore. 

We are winding down our sports for the fall.  Noah wanted to play basketball in the winter, but I promised we would find something fun to do if we didn't.  Does that make me a bad mom?  I don't think so.  I just think we need a break.  Going to 2 different practices and 2 games a week is tiring. 

So that is why I haven't been blogging.  I'm too busy thinking green.  And being sad.  And driving kids around. 

checking in

I am well!  My kids are well!  We are enjoying these last two weeks of October.  I'll have a make-up post with pictures, I promise, but right now I just wanted you to know that we aren't sick anymore.  Yay!

hello

Last week, when I found the quote above this post, I laughed. 

This week, I am not laughing anymore. 

Whatever "not feeling well" is, I had it.  I am feeling better today and Noah is on the mend as well.  He, too, had the piggy flu and now has an ear infection on top of it.  Thankfully, Seth took care of the boys when I was feeling my worst and a sweet friend brought us chicken noodle soup from Panera (the best ever).  But I have to say that quote is so true.  Kids don't care if you are sick.

I want to also take this time to give a big cyber hug to my friends Holly and Justin.  I hope you know we love you!

Although October hasn't been the best month for us, it is a month of celebration for my family. 

• My nephew's birthday is today.  He is 9!  Happy Birthday Nicolas!*
• My dad's birthday is tomorrow.  Happy Birthday to Dad!*
• My grandmother's 90th birthday is Saturday!*  My mom is having a party for her. 90.  Wow.  That is amazing.

Have a good day and here's hoping for a day out of the house.  At least for Noah and me.**

*Because of said "not feeling wellness," all birthday cards will be late. Sorry.
**It is Fall Break today and Friday for the boys.  As if we needed a break.  Because my kids have missed half a week of school each, they I am not feeling the excitement of a Fall Break.  I am sure we'll find something fun to do. 

wishes

The other night I was wishing, wishing that Noah hadn't gotten sick like his brother, exactly one week later, on a Saturday, and that led me to thinking about how I really like wishing.

As a child, I made many wishes.  I would wait for an apppropriate time of course--the first star of the night sky, blowing out the birthday candles but later realized that just wasn't enough.  So I found out that if an eyelash falls out and you find it, you can make a wish and then blow your eyelash into the wind.  Blowing dandelions was another good time to make a wish.  Then, I admit, I got a little carried away.  If I saw 11:11 on the clock, I would make a wish.  If our car drove over a bridge at the exact time a train went under it, it was wishing time.  If I was eating a bag of peanut M&Ms and came across an M&M without the peanut inside, I would make a wish.  As you can see, I did make it a little hard for me to find opportunities to wish.  I knew it couldn't be very easy; that I had to work for it.  (Imagine my disappointment when I looked at the clock at 11:12, or after begging inside my head for Mom to drive faster, we just missed the train or eating a whole bag of peanut M&Ms and they all had peanuts).

I wish that I could tell you that I stopped doing all of that when I grew up to be an adult.  I wish I could tell you I was a bit embarrassed that I didn't stop.  But those wishes weren't made on any of the criteria I have for wishing, so sorry, it just won't happen.  :)  Although now, I do most of my wishing at night when I can't sleep.

To me, wishes are hopes, little prayers and dreams.  Why would anyone want to stop that? I remember a year ago I read a book (and I think I talked about it on this blog) about a woman making three wishes that she hoped would come true in a year.  The thing about her wishes, though, was that she just didn't make them in the one-star night.  She thought about it, she wrote them down, she made a sculpture of what she wanted to see in her life and she even sought those things out. 

I thought about that as I was wishing the other night in my bed.  How do I go about making my wishes (or little prayers) become a reality?

• I wish I could be the kind of mom that has breakfast ready for the kids before they get out of bed.
• For that to happen, I am going to have to be the one to get out of bed earlier than I currently do. 
• I wish I could get those Waste Management people to call me back and talk to me about a recycling contract for the school.
• I am going to have to sound more authoritative, less like someone who is easily pushed around.
• I wish I could sound more authoritative on the phone.
• I am going to have to practice.  Look, I admit, Dad, that I am a mumbler.  I also am no good on the phone.  Or with confrontation.  Or having a take charge kind of attitude.  I am cursed with being too nice. :)  But maybe this will be good for me. 

Those are just small wishes I have.  There are others, deeper and more personal. But talking about these wishes has made me want to think about those others.  Maybe I should do what the author of that book did.  Maybe I will write it down or draw a picture--something to remind me what I am striving for in my life.

Do you still wish?  Do you have funny ways of wishing (or is it just me)?  What is something you wish for this week?  I hope that whatever you wish for, it becomes a reality for you.

inspired!

...It is Friday!  Woohoo!  I think I want to do a Be Inspired Friday post today. It has been forever since I have done one but I finally upgraded my editor on the ole blog and it has a bullet option!  Perfect for a list-maker like me.  Side note:  Being a list-maker doesn't make one organized.  Just so you know. 

• See, isn't this cool?
• And so much easier!
• Art Display and Storage Box:   Bloesem Kids blog always has such great crafts that I find myself going here first if I ever need a rainy-day craft for the boys.  This Art Display and Storage box is such a great idea that I think we'll do it next time my kids say, "I'm bored." "Let's do something together Mom!" (Yeah, I have strikethrough now.  Isn't it awesome!)
• Kim Haynes is an Oklahoma based photographer who took photos of my whole family three years ago because a friend of a friend recommneded her.  I love looking at those pictures everyday and love going to her website to look at all her work. She is so talented and I am thinking it is about time to get some new pictures.  (hint,hint Seth)
• I love this idea:  A Recycled Gift Bow!  You can make it from old magazine pages or even old map pages.  This is such a fun idea.  I hope I remember to do this for Christmas.
• On a sad note:  My favorite cooking magazine, Gourmet, is shutting down.  I really wish I had helped them out by taking a subscription.  Instead, I relied on their website for wonderful, delicious dishes that impressed all my neighbors.  I bought their magazine on occasion and plan on buying their last issue in November (or is it this month?) and found it so enjoyable to read.  I understand the reasons for it shutting down production but I will miss the inspiration--especially when the website shuts down as well.

Have a great weekend!

you'll like this post

...So, have you noticed anything? :) I decided I was bored with my blog layout and did something about it. It helps when you can't go anywhere because your child is home sick.

Which leads me to this--Rhett is back at school today! Feeling good and dreading the homework he'll have!

The rest of this post is sort of a photo recap from the last few weeks. It is a modge-podge, so get ready:

For my birthday, the boys blew up balloons for me that morning. An even greater gift: Rhett learned how to tie balloons, so I didn't have to do anything! Yay!

Last week, I received a lovely little gift from my sister Krista. To show you what it was, I tried taking a picture of myself wearing it, but I kept closing my eyes because the flash! Picture after picture, I took, only to see in my viewfinder myself with eyes closed. So by this picture, I was laughing hard at myself:

After all of that, I realized, you couldn't even see the necklace that well, so this one I just took one of the necklace. It is probably the only picture I didn't blink:

Isn't the necklace adorable! It is a scrabble tile!! Krista bought it from etsy.com, a site I love because it has all kinds of handmade wonders. Thanks sis! I love it! I wear it whenever I have to take care of things for the Green Team PTA. Oh and good news on the Green Team front: The school is going paperless as far as school correspondence is concerned! All news that the principal or the PTA has for families will go out in an email instead of sending home 700 copies each week! So exciting!

Fast forward to last Friday: Seth surprised me with flowers! It was so sweet and unexpected. They were a little mound of colorful flowers like daisies and such. Two days later, I noticed another type of flower:
The tulips totally shot up and look like they are trying to escape! They were not like that when Seth brought them home. It gave us a great laugh. I have enjoyed the burst of color, especially since the weather has been grey and gloomy and we've been inside all week.
This next picture, I took on the way to Friona almost two weekends ago. I love taking pictures of the sky and this was just wonderful. It was of a heavy rain storm that we eventually drove through (or at least one like it). I love how you can see where it is raining and where it is not. It was more fun seeing it from afar than driving through a storm like this. I couldn't see a thing! Rhett was a little worried. He asked later, "Mom, how could you drive through that?" Good question.
I hope you have a great day. I am just so happy my kids are healthy that I know I will.

ramblings from the seat beside the sick bed

...Since Rhett is sick with the flu (yes, THE flu that everyone is talking about), we have been pretty much stuck inside for 4 days. Which isn't a bad thing because I've gotten all the laundry done and I haven't spent much money. So there is that.

Rhett doesn't like soup so I have been eating it for him. I ate Chicken Tortilla soup for 3 meals in a row and today for lunch, I had Chicken Noodle soup. Rhett has been drinking sprite, gatorade and eating Honey Nut Chex, without the milk. Seriously, that is all he will eat.

All Rhett wants to do is watch tv, so I've let him. I mean, what else is there to do when you feel bad? Right now I am making him try to take a nap because yesterday he didn't take one until he passed out at 5:30 and then didn't wake up again until the morning. I hear him moving around though, so that must mean he is starting to feel better because he is not wanting to go to sleep.

He does still have a slight fever which means he won't be going to school tomorrow. I dread that day. He will feel better by then (fingers crosses) and therefore will be bored the entire day. I'll have to think of something fun to do. But still relatively calm because he is supposed to rest.

I talked to my mom yesterday and she recalled the 6 weeks she was stuck inside the house while her four kids had the chicken pox, one at a time. 6 weeks. And this was before the Wii. Or the DS.

But that is what moms do. (Or dads). And that is all I've got to say today.