what I hear

...Often, Rhett and Noah will hum a particular tune, especially when playing with their toys or cleaning their rooms. This is a tune that I recently put on my Zune because they love it so much.

The Star Wars Theme Music.

And, it is funny to hear them hum it. They hum different parts at different times but mostly it is the beginning part: DUM! Da da da da da da dum! DA DA DA DA Dum...

It makes me laugh.

Around here it is Star Wars, all the time. They love all the Star Wars toys they received for birthday and Christmas and it keeps them busy but also they are full of questions about the movie, the cartoon, the characters, who killed who, who is from where, ect. ect. My answer: Go ask your dad. :)

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve!!

Christmas was

...sweet, according to Noah, who got what he wanted from Santa: Star Wars Legos the video game. This went along with their Nintendo Wii (yes, we got one! Thanks to Santa's elves--Krista and Chris) and Rhett and Noah were so excited.

...busy and fast. The time went by so quickly that I could hardly believe it. I don't feel that I got to spend a lot of time with my brothers and sisters but that really is how it is with 7 kids running around in one house.

...unfortunately, a time of illness. I had tonsilitis, my niece had an ear infection and my poor husband got the stomach bug the day after. I was disappointed because I wanted to see my friend Christy and her baby, but because of illness, I knew I couldn't. Sorry Christy. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

...exciting and happy. Holly and Justin had their baby a few days before Christmas and I hope they had a wonderful holiday with their brand new baby boy.

...fun, through it all. Even though there were cranky kids (mainly Noah), and sick ones and it went by so fast, I think we all had a good time. It was great to have everyone in my family together again--it had been over a year since that happened the last time. I felt very blessed.

oh what fo it is

...Noah, singing at the dinner table:

Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells. Jingle all the way. Oh what fo it is to run in a fo fum fa fo sleigh. Hey!

and...

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus underneath the nistletoe with Santa Claus.

and after some coaching from Rhett...

Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a...bah, bah, bah bah sleigh.

Happy Birthday Noah!

...Last night Noah was so excited because he knew that he was going to wake up and be 5! Also because he knew he could open his 2 presents that I held back from his birthday party. He then looked at me and said, "Mom, I don't want to grow any older than 5." I asked why and he answered, "Because I don't want to go away from you." Is that not the sweetest thing? How he already understands that growing up means leaving your parents I am not sure, and I know by the time he is 18, he'll be ready to get outta here! :) I just told him with tears in my eyes that I will always be in his heart and he in mine. That way we'll never have to be apart from each other.

Of course, last night's conversation was farthest from his mind this morning. He was ready to open his gifts! I guess it is a tradition now to open presents in the morning. I know it started because 1) impatient little boys and 2)Daddy wanted to see them open them but had to go to work so now that is what we do. It gives them some excitement in the morning.

PS-Rhett has figured out by not riding the bus in the mornings and afternoons buys him more time to play with his new toys. This week I have been taking him to school and picking him up from school. It does give him 1 more hour in the day to play; smart kid. :)

Happy Birthday Rhett!

...Rhett is 7! The night before his birthday we were saying "good-night" to him and he said: "Mom, you don't have to check on me anymore at night because I'm a big boy now." (This was after I told him he didn't need the light in the closet on at night because he was a big boy now). I told him I would probably check on him anyway. He said, "Okay!" A few minutes later, he and Noah came out of the bedroom and Rhett said: "Noah is scared. I think he needs a light." Uh-huh. So the closet light was turned on again.

Rhett was so excited about his birthday and kept asking me when we were going to celebrate it. I told him we were having his party at 3, but we celebrate his birthday all day. He really got excited then.

Rhett opened 2 presents from us in the morning. (Noah does have pants on by the way. He sleeps without a shirt on) He and Noah also opened Aunt Krista's gifts. They loved them and were a big hit all day long!

Don't look at the cakes too closely. They were quickly baked and frosted. Rhett let his best friend help blow out the candles which I thought was nice.

And Noah was so excited to finally be celebrating his birthday too. After all day long hearing that it wasn't his birthday, it was Rhett's, he finally got to hear Happy Birthday too!

Noah the angel at the children's program at church. He loved having wings but didn't like the halo too much. He did wonderfully! He sang and even danced some. I was impressed!

Rhett aka Joseph also did great. He was a little nervous being in front of everyone but toward the end, he also sang some. I think they were both glad it was over with. After weeks of rehearsal, they were pretty tired of singing.

Have a great Monday!

sweet ramblings

...Tuesday: Noah asked my neighbor out of the blue if she had been hit by Cupid. She said she guessed so. He answered, "Of course you have. You love your husband!" Then he said, "I've been hit by Cupid too." My neighbor asked, "Oh? You have a girlfriend?" Noah: "Yes! I love my mom!"

Wednesday: Rhett said that he decided he didn't need presents for Christmas. "All I want is you Mom!" Noah chimed in and said all he wanted is me and Dad. Rhett said, "Yeah. And you Noah." Noah: "You too, Rhett." Rhett: "Well, maybe I do want presents too. But I still want you Mom."

I think I got two of the best Christmas gifts I could ever ask for.

more on that frozen stuff, birthdays and Christmas

...Earlier today I wrote that frozen ice fell from the sky. Being that ice is already frozen, I think I meant frozen rain. :)

No school Tuesday. It should be warming up but Wednesday there is a chance for frozen rain again. Rhett wants to go back to school and I don't blame him. They are going to be making gingerbread houses and working on their Christmas program. He misses his friends and his teacher.

Noah, on the other hand, is happy to be home.

Rhett is worried that everyone will miss his birthday party. I told him since most of the guests are his neighborhood friends, I am pretty sure they will still come. And actually this weekend looks like nice weather ahead.

Noah, on the other hand, has no concerns about the party. His concern lies in his gifts: He just wants something robotic. This is the first I've heard of this and we've already bought birthday gifts, so he will not be getting that. I don't think he will be disappointed because he likes everything right now.

And I've finished all my Christmas cookies. Or at least I decided that I am not making any more. After 4 hours in the kitchen, making a big mess, letting the boys cut out cookies, mixing several batches of cookies and cleaning the big mess, I am also wondering if I should just order their birthday cakes. That sounds so good right now.

Oh, and one more thing. Rhett is going to be Joseph in the Christmas program at church!! He is pretty excited about it. He did tell me one thing before he got too excited: "I hope Joseph doesn't have to kiss Mary." I assured him that he didn't in the play. Whew.

icy wonderland

...Yesterday, frozen ice fell from the sky. The boys had fun breaking it off of the chairs and feeding the ice to Scout, who loves ice.

Then it got dark. And the ice kept raining down. And our lights went out. We lit candles, Seth started our fire and we brought the boys in the living room to sleep. About an hour later, the lights came back on and I left the "comfort" of the floor and headed to bed. At 4:30 am, Noah also headed to my bed. Such a young age and he already knows the floor isn't that great for a bed! Anyway, I was awake so I turned on the tv and found out school was cancelled. Rhett was so funny this morning. He ran in and said, "Mom! We slept in! We are late for school!" When I told him the news he smiled.

Seth made it to work okay but said it was really slick.

So that is what is going on here. More rain is coming down now, so I don't know what our situation will be tomorrow. But I do know one thing: Winter has begun.

my December boys

...In a little more than a week my sons are going to have a birthday party. At our house. I have no idea what I'm going to do for cakes. For treat bags. (And when did it become law that we had to give out treat bags? When I was a child, I went to a birthday party expecting nothing else but cake, maybe ice cream and a thank you note for the gift if lucky. Now I hear children complain if there is no treat bag. It is appalling really.)

I may sound stressed and I will be until I get the cake thing figured out but, really, I love that their birthdays are so close together. I also love that they are December babies. I loved that after having Rhett, he spent his first Christmas in his striped red and white outfit sleeping the whole day surrounded by his new stuffed animals. I loved that a day after bringing Noah home from the hospital, Seth and I left the boys with their uncle and aunt and we went shopping for his First Christmas ornament. I loved that on Rhett's 5th birthday, it snowed, even if we were in the part of Texas that hardly gets snow. He was so excited. I loved that we got to have Noah's first birthday at my parents' house surrounded by his cousins that were there for Christmas.

In a little more than a week my oldest will turn 7 and my baby will be 5.

stop and...

...It is easy to get stressed during the holiday season. I saw the beginning of a news story last night that began with a man saying that more people now dread Christmas coming than are excited about it. I, too, can get caught up in the materialism, the "I gotta bake those cookies for our neighbors!", the decorating, finding the perfect gift, ect. Sometimes it is good to take a step back and just enjoy the season:

*Drive around and look at the Christmas lights. Try to find Griswold's house.
*Make a batch of cookies just for your family.
*Tell your kids about any special ornaments you have.
*Let your kids wrap some presents and just look away when they use a whole roll of tape for one gift.
*Sing Christmas carols at the top of your lungs.
*Teach your kids other versions of "Jingle Bells" (Batman Smells versions is a favorite around here)
*Let your kids give you one more hug, even if they were supposed to be asleep an hour ago. :)

the countdowns begin

...It is December! The boys are beyond excited because Rhett and Noah have birthdays coming up in 13 and 16 days respectively. We have figured out our party plans, sent out invitations and now all there is to do is wait. And wait. And wait. Noah said it seems like his birthday will be in 100 days, not 16.

The boys are also going to be in our church's Christmas program. Noah is going to be an angel (he is very excited as angels are exceptionally powerful) and Rhett is going to be an animal (either a donkey or horse). This is their first Christmas program and I am looking forward to it. I still can remember putting on that angel costume at my church and just waiting for the year I could be Mary. Sadly, I never got to be Mary because I think we stopped doing Christmas programs because we ran out of little kids, but I digress. Anyway, it should be fun to watch.

Rhett and Noah are also getting into the Christmas spirit by listening to songs and watching movies. Their favorite movie to watch: Home Alone! Casey and I watched this so many times when we were younger and we loved it! You should see Rhett and Noah howl with laughter at the robbers' expense!

And, it was my niece Mallory's 6th birthday yesterday! I was going to have Noah help me wish her a happy birthday but he had a bad day at school so he is not in the mood. But, I will say that I hope you had a wonderful birthday and a wonderful tea party and got wonderful presents! I can't believe you are 6! You are a beautiful, creative, smart girl and I am proud to be your aunt! And I know Noah secretly is wishing you a happy one. Rhett too!

Have a fun Monday!

PS-Happy belated Birthday Abbey! I hope you had a great celebration!

my sister started it

...Yesterday, Krista posted about how good her memory is and also about Santa. First, her memory is amazing. Secondly, I, too, have been thinking about Santa a lot lately especially because my 2 sons are asking many questions that I am having a hard time answering.

Question: Does Santa have money to pay for all these toys that he gives?

Noah has asked this question many times. At first, I answered yes. (easiest) Then I changed my mind. Because, as my sister pointed out, many kids less fortunate than mine don't not get gifts because they are bad so I can't say that Santa is shelling out money for some and not for others. That wouldn't be fair.

Question: Do I use the "Santa is watching you" line on my boys?

Absolutely. I have been singing it to them every time they fight. Hey, it gets them to stop! I don't ever say that they won't get gifts if they are not good but I guess that is implied in the song. I have also told them their uncle got a jar of tears one year for crying too much. (Isn't it funny how strong a memory that is?) They don't take it too seriously though.

Question: Do you have to have faith in Santa?

Rhett asked this question last night. We were listening to a story about having faith in the Christmas spirit and he got confused. I tried to explain that Santa came each year to give kids an example of the spirit of giving. Because that is what he is all about. He gives, without thanks, without expecting anything in return, because he wants to. It is very beautiful when you think about it. I have heard many stories over the years about adults teaching children who are too old to "believe" about this spirit of giving and how it is so important as a human to have an unselfish heart. I think the poem, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" and my favorite story from when I was a child, "The Littlest Christmas Tree" are two such stories for me.

Question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Rhett also asked me this question. I know he is getting close to figuring out something. In school they are studying different countries and how they celebrate Christmas and he said that some people in Mexico don't believe in Santa. I also know some kids in his class already don't believe.

I answered "Yes." Just like my mom did when I asked her. She never told me no. Ever. Do I think she is a liar? No. I think she was being true to her heart. Like I am now. I don't ever want to tell my sons that I don't believe. And for reasons such as the one stated above, I won't. Really, isn't it much more fun to believe in something so good and so kind than to not?

I do remember the year I left Santa milk and cookies and I got a letter from "him" thanking me. The moment I looked at the note, I knew. It was my mom's handwriting. (She has the neatest handwriting!) And it broke my heart. Still, I told myself that he was still real and I hung that letter up on my bulletin board. I kept it there for most of the year. And every time I looked at it, I knew the big truth. At first I was mad. How could he not be real? Then I came to understand what Santa was all about and why mom was adament in her belief. And, then, the next Christmas, I too, found mom's hiding spot for gifts. So life was good again. :)

Question: So what will I do when my boys stop believing?

Cry. Ha! Well, maybe. But first, I'll find that poem and then I'll tell them my story and how much fun it is to be someone else's "Santa." And I'll find a better hiding spot for gifts other than my closet because really, that is the first place they will look. (Sorry mom.)

sweet and sour

...Noah is getting to be quite famous. It seems as if all the bus drivers know that he will stand there waving and showing toys to whoever drives the bus. The regular bus driver has been gone for the past week and I promise, when the substitute driver opened the doors, he smiled wide when he saw Noah. My neightbor says .must be a photo of Noah saying: "This kid will show you toys. You'll love him!"

His teachers love, love, love him.

Other parents tell me he is such a cutie.

He has a smile that will light up a room.

I have seen him hug on his friends and be so kind to them.

Noah can be so sweet. To other people.

But to his family, he can be so sour. He actually told me today that he was never listening to me again. I told him: "Fine. I just won't talk to you again." He said: "Ahh, you'll forget." Humpph. (Yeah, I felt like I was a little girl fighting with my brother at that moment.)

When he was in the car with my parents the other day, I think he almost drove them crazy because of his complaining and whining.

His aunt was trying to get a picture of him, Rhett and her two kids and he absolved into tears and screaming. (He is almost 5!)

He can be downright mean to his brother.

I guess it is good that he shows his sweet side to others. It could be the other way around and then everyone would dread the little kid.

Oh, he does show his sweetness to us every once in awhile. And I do treasure those moments. Just a few seconds ago, he said he was sorry for saying he would make me pay! because I told him to get his shoes on.

That's something at least.

The Year With 2 Trees

...I put up 2 Christmas trees this year. In retrospect, I realize how silly it is to have two trees one room apart from each other and Seth agreed. But let me explain. This year, I let the boys decorate our tree how they wanted it. They wanted the multi-colored lights and I like the white lights. But I said okay. I didn't help them with the ornaments and saw that all of their ornaments filled the tree. It looked great. But a little part of me wanted the tree I saw in my mind. So I got out our other tree has white lights pre-strung on it (thank goodness) and decorated it with red, white and silver ornaments. Rhett helped me with this and I love how it looks. I don't regret doing it. We had fun doing both trees. And if you sit in the chair in our living room, you can see both. (This is the chair Seth usually sits in, so lucky him!)

The boys did wonder if this means they will be getting double the presents. No. Well, would Santa know which tree to put the presents under?

I told them Santa knows that their mom went a little overboard this year and he would know exactly which tree was the present tree.

And if he gets confused, we won't have to look far for the gifts. It is only one room away.

sad heart

...Julie Lyons passed away this past weekend. I am sad. I never met her but as a mom, my heart hurts for her children and husband. From reading about her on her blog, I could tell she was a special woman with a strong and loving heart.

thank you

...Today Rhett and his class will have their Thanksgiving play. Rhett has a few lines. Let's hope his nerves do not get in the way. Noah is going to come with me. Let's hope he just does not get in the way.

I pray that everyone who is traveling will be safe this holiday. Have a great and wonderful Thanksgiving. And maybe help your mom or mother-in-law with the dishes. And spend some extra minutes with your spouse, even if it means watching football. And even go play outside (if it is not too cold) with your kids. That is what I am planning on doing.

Here are a few quotes for the holiday:

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero

O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.~William Shakespeare

And one more thing: Thank you for coming here and reading my blog. I know I don't always have something worth reading, but I thank you for stopping by to check. If you leave a comment, an extra thanks. Know that I think of each one of you, even if I do not know you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

four things

...Today I am thankful for:

*our fence is finished! Seth did such an amazing job. I did help, but he did the bulk of the work and it took him 3 weekends. But he is done and it looks great!

*getting ready for Christmas. I am cleaning house today and decided to start putting out decorations. And it made me excited for the holidays. Thanksgiving is going to be fun and then the boys' birthdays are around the corner and then Christmas! I love this time of year!

*Rhett wanting to "have conversations" with me. :)

*getting organized. again.

Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Mom!

...Noah says: Happy Birthday, Grandmom! And also, I want to tell her what we bought.

I say: No.

Rhett says: Happy Birthday Grandmom! Happy Thanksgiving anyway. I love you Grandmom. I hope you have a good birthday. I'll see you at Thanksgiving. I believe you are 20.

Noah says again: I believe you're 30. I hope you have a good birthday Grandmom. Why does Gary have to go to golf courses?

Rhett says: Write a message back to Rhett and Noah!

I say: Mom, have a wonderful day tomorrow! We all love you and think you are the best.

this is why moms don't have nice things

...The other day the boys were outside and they ran around my little tile-top table ($15 at Kohls) and it fell over and some of the little tiles fell off. Well, the boys were very apologetic and I said it was really okay but they insisted on helping me fix it. So I got some glue and we glued the tiles back on the table. Now, you can tell where the tiles fell off, it doesn't look the same and really to anyone, it doesn't look all that great.l

But to me, it is beautiful.

And every time I look at it, I will remember how they worked together and glued on over 50 tiles on that table. Even though they thought it was so hard. They were so concerned because they thought it was an expensive table! I didn't want to tell them there was no way I would ever spend a lot on a table that was bound to get knocked over by two little boys. Because I guess that point didn't matter. What mattered is they tried to fix their mistake.

I am thankful that they cared at that moment.

And I am thankful that I have had that moment to remember these past few days when the boys have been fighting, pouring pepper into cereal, spilling things, and being whiny.

And I am thankful I have that moment to remind me not to buy nice things.

he was sorry

...Noah came in my bathroom this morning while I was fixing my hair.

N: Mom, I am so sorry.
me: What happened?
N: (big sad pout on face) I accidently poured my broder's cereal.
me: You...poured...out? your brother's cereal?
N: Yeah. I said I was so sorry.
by this time, Rhett comes in, nose covered by hand.
R: My nose still stings.
me: What?
R: From the pepper.
N: I said I was so sorry!
me: Wait. Noah, did you pour pepper into your brother's cereal?
N: I said I was so sorry. It was an accident. (wailing cry)

Sigh. Somedays, I think I want to move to Austraila.

don't fence out your friends

...Today I am thankful that my boys have friends. Does that sound funny? I hope not. It is just kind of a relief to know that they have good friends. Good friends are hard to find and not everyone is so lucky. Rhett is going home with a friend--he is a car-rider today and that has gotten him so worried! I told him to just follow his friend and he should be fine--and Noah has a friend over right now. They love playing with their friends and it makes me happy to see them surrounded by kids that love to have fun.

I am also thankful that they have neighbors to play with. This weekend Seth and I worked on our new fence and so I was glad they had playmates to keep them busy.

Our fence is looking wonderful by the way. It is made out of cedar and is tall and there is no way our dogs can get out. Yay!

And yes, I see the contrast of this post. I am saying how wonderful it is to have friends and neighbors but then I am talking about a tall fence that we are building to keep people out. But Seth and I really like knowing we can go into our backyard and not have the whole neighborhood peeking in. Not that they are or even want to, just nice to know we have some privacy. Not that we are doing anything that warrants that. It is just nice.

But just so you know, our neighbors are always welcome. Well, mostly always.

I hope you have a great day!!

sweet-smelling reindeer

...I saw this cute little reindeer ornament in the Pottery Barn magazine and thought instantly, "I've got to make this!" So I picked up some cinnamon sticks and silver paint and add a little hot glue and a cute red ribbon, and now I have 2 little reindeer that smell subtly of cinnamon!

If you are wondering why I just didn't buy it, well I have to thank my mom for that too. I remember doing all sorts of Christmas crafts growing up--a wreath made out of yarn and a hanger, our names made out of wooden letters and ribbon are two that come to mind--and now when I see something the first thing I think of is: Can I make this? If I can then I am not going to buy it! Silly! :) It is so much more fun to make things and now I just have to work on letting my kids help me more. Hee! Hee! Noah did help with the paint some but I am thinking I need to make some more and let them paint the whole thing. I found everything at Hobby Lobby by the way. Maybe I've inspired you to make these somewhat primative reindeer or something else out of cinnamon sticks. If so, I hope you tell me about it! :)

Have a great day!

my dogs will thank me when it's cold

...I am thankful that my mom taught me the basics of sewing. I've been thinking about getting the dogs a bed for the cold months to put in their dog house or cage when they are in the garage, but I really did not want to spend at $50 to buy them. So today I got the idea that I just needed to sew my own. I have already put one together using felt, cotton and burlap but I need something to fill it. I am going to have a velco opening so I am thinking small wood chips/shavings. Pillow fluff won't work-it will get stinky. Do you have any other ideas?

That is what I've been doing today. Lots of fun. And it will only cost me about $15 for 4 pillows. (I got way too much fabric so I'll just make 4). But that is a lot of money saved, right Seth? ;)

it's that time again

...time to enjoy looking at the fall colors, time to start snuggling under more covers at night, time for Christmas songs to start playing in stores (it gets earlier every year), time to be thinking about the holidays, and time to start my Thankful List! I did this last year--every day in November (that I blogged) I wrote about something I am thankful for. It really is good for the soul to think about things you appreciate, so I am doing it again.

I am thankful...

...that I have gotten a jump start on my holiday prep. Today I ordered my Christmas cards! Woohoo! Believe me when I say I did a dance `a la Evan Almighty when I got that done. I know the most time-consuming part is still to come (addressing) but I really am okay with that. I am happy because it means Christmas is coming. It means that people will be sending us Christmas cards. I love opening the mailbox and seeing different colored envelopes in the mix of bills and junk. It means that people cared enough to write our address (or type it out) on it to send it to us. In this techo world where email has replaced most mail correspondance, it means a lot. So, I am thankful for friends and family sending Christmas cards too. :)

Have a great day!

writings by Rhett and Noah

This is something that Rhett wrote this morning before going to school:

I am six 6

I have a Bruthr that is named after Noah and The arc. his Name is Noah too and I thot That he is Luckee.
I am Luckee Too. I have 95$ and with 55$

And this is what Noah wrote shortly after (with spelling help from me):

IAMNOAHONTHEARK

:)
Have a wonderful day!

Halloween redo

Noah tells everyone to have a Happy Halloween! He was most excited that the day finally was here, but he was not interested in wearing his Pokeman costume again, so he was Spider-Man for the second time. I think maybe that all the festivities of Halloween are becoming an overkill. Let's see...we had a costume birthday party to attend, a Fall Festival, trick or treating at the lake, halloween party at school, a festival at Seth's work, and finally trick or treating. I am thinking that is way too much Halloweening for me.

Rhett in his redone Spongebob costume that no, did not get worn on Halloween night either. I had to paint the face on a t-shirt instead of the posterboard so Rhett could bend down. He decided to be a cowboy for Halloween. Sigh.

And finally, the pumpkin Rhett and I carved for the fall festival. Isn't it hilarious? We didn't win first but second was pretty great!

Trick or Treating last night was fun. The boys filled their bags up to the top so they were happy. Some people were handing out full-sized candy bars! Those may have to become missing...:)

Have a great first day of November! It's my grandad's birthday so Happy Birthday Grandad!!

odds and ends

...The 142 pumpkin whoopies went to the Fall Festival and everyone who tried them loved them. There were way too many leftover but thanks to my neighbors who really loved them, I didn't get too many back.
*
Boiling eggs was for the egg race. I agree with Justin. I thought boiling eggs was silly for a game that no one really liked. Oh well.
*
I didn't tell you that the pumpkin Rhett and I carved won 2nd prize at the Festival. Oh yeah! I'll show you a picture of it on my Halloween post tomorrow. It was a great one!
*
Today, I heard on the news that not making your bed is actually healthier for you. Dust mites don't like the dry environment. If you are neat and tidy and make it, then the dust mites will be loving the warm, moist sheets. Ewww. Good thing we rarely make our bed around here!

Seriously, I don't make a big deal about making beds. Usually we don't have time. Sometimes around the middle of the day, we might get to it but that is only on weekends when Seth is home and he is the one to do it. :) Oh and when we have guests. Of course.
*
Rhett and I also made a turkey for a school project. It is hilarious and cute. I'll show you a picture of that too sometime.
*
Noah actually got sick of wearing his Pokeman costume. He has worn it at least 4 times and it is not even Halloween yet. So today, at his Halloween party, he is wearing Spider-man. Thank Goodness I saved those old costumes!
*
I've got to go to the party and help so have a great Tuesday!!

whew

...This weekend was filled with baking, boiling eggs and getting ready for the Fall Festival. Two of my neighbors and I worked hard and it was a success! I think everyone had a great time, especially the kids.

This week is going to be busy: making a turkey with Rhett for school, Halloween party for Noah, Trick or Treating, Book Fair, Open House for Noah, Parent/Teacher Conference for Rhett, and I still need to clean my house from last week!

I really can't believe November is here this week.

Have a wonderful day!

that's a lot of whoopie

...I mentioned yesterday that I was going to make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for the neighborhood Fall Festival on Sunday. What I forgot to mention was that I would be making 144 of them.

I am just now realizing that is CRAZY!

Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?

Hee.Hee.

subbing, fires, and food

...Today I was a sub teacher at Noah's preschool. I spent half the time in the 3-4 year old class and the rest of the time with Noah's class. What a difference a year makes. The 3 and 4 year old class were still unsure of themselves whereas the older 4 and 5 year olds knew they were the big kids. That class is all boys too so it was more competitive and "look at me!!" Noah was great though, even with his mom in the class. :) I had a lot of fun. It was good for me to do something out of the norm. It is always good to change up your routine every once in awhile.

***
So these fires in California are so terrible and sad. I really have a heavy heart about it. But I love how people come together and help during tragedies. I wish people wouldn't need things like this to remind them that there is something great about helping others and being kind and caring.

***
Fall is here in full force with cold weather and wind so I have been in the mood to cook! I made a lasagna last night and also made breaded pork chops the other night. I am still using the Deceptively Delicious way and adding vegetables to things and trying to make healthier choices. The lasagna had spinach and although the boys weren't happy about it, they ate it, if only because of dessert. Hey, whatever works.

I am also in the mood to bake and one of the things I made last week was Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Rachael Ray's magazine. They were so yummy! I am going to make them again for the neighborhood fall festival on Sunday and I am so excited to eat them again. Seriously, these were so easy and quick and delicious. But anything with cream sandwiched in between two cookies is good, right?

have a great day!

hmm...

...Is it a sign that one shops too much when catalogs from toy companies (i.e. Fisher Price, Hasbro) come directly to your house?

Is it a sign that one needs to find a life when those said catalogs are looked at cover to cover like a really good book?

Just wondering...

this is

...This is the playset that we got for our boys (and for me) to swing and have fun.

This is Noah and Rhett's reactions to the playset we got for them to swing and to have fun.

***

This is the wonderful surprise that we found by taking a side road to Turner Falls on the way to Fort Worth for our weekend of fun. Beautiful.

This is the first thing the boys wanted to do when we got to Fort Worth Stockyards because it was a longhorn and they thought their Grandmom would love it because she is a big UT fan. The longhorn's name: Pecos Bill.

This is the cowboy hat that Rhett wanted so badly when we got to the Stockyards (I bought one too!) This is Noah who bought....a rubber yo-yo frog. Sigh.

This is the friendly cowboy who said, "Howdy" to the boys during the longhorn cattle drive that we watched at the Stockyards during our weekend of fun.

This is the Botanic Gardens, which is where I wanted to go during our short little trip to Fort Worth. The Conservatory was neat. This is the waterfall that was there. But the Japenese Gardens is what we liked the best. It was peaceful, beautiful and serene. It had a meditation garden, lots of bamboo, a huge koi pond and many interesting things.

This is just funny. (found at the Japanese gardens)

This is just funny too. This is at the Fort Worth Zoo where we met Seth's brother and his family and spent 4 hours looking at animals and trying to keep a hold of our animals, I mean, kids. Noah and I found these turtles and they just look hilarious.

This is Matthew, Noah, Rhett and Sara who had a lot of fun together. They all got tired and cranky (but then again, so did the adults) but we all had a great time. I am glad that we met them during our weekend of fun.

And this is to my friends in the Fort Worth area: Sorry we didn't call and see if we could visit you. It was really a quick trip and we were already meeting family there. I thought about all of you though when we were stuck in traffic and wished and hoped that you didn't have to do that every day. The traffic was terrible. I think I have become quite spoiled. Oklahoma City does have traffic, but not to any degree of what Dallas/Fort Worth has.

Anyway, this is me, signing off so I can enjoy one more day of Fall Break. My neighbor brought over some corn chowder and since it is rainy and cold outside, I am going to enjoy every bite.

Have a wonderful day!

quickly

...Fall Break is here! The boys are loving it and so am I! So is Seth because he took vacation! Yea for us.

The boys are also loving their playset. I will get pictures up here on Monday or Tuesday. Feeling lazy today.

Loving the weather. No tornados the other day but a strong hail storm which was neat to watch. It was over in 10 minutes.

Week 1 of the DD food plan is considered a success. We are eating more veggies! Yay! I feel so much healthier already!

We are planning a weekend o' fun so today is the day we get everything done so we can have our weekend o' fun. We are going to take my Tahoe in to fix the speedometer today too. Sometimes it freezes up on me. At the most inconvient times. (Of course). So this weekend it gets fixed.

I have noticed that the boys are actually having conversations about things other than tv shows, toys or an unfairness that has been committed. The other day I heard this:

R: Man, the weather was so weird today.
N: It really was, Rhett!
R: This morning it was really foggy outside.
N: It was so foggy!

And that was it, but I was excited. :)

Have a great weekend!!!

everything I love: surprises, food and birthdays!

...Today is a weird day, weather wise. We have a tornado watch for the entire day! It is very eerie feeling outside too. And, two men are in my backyard, right now, trying to put together the play set that we bought for the boys (Surprise!) I am very excited for this play set. One, because it has swings and Noah and I (uh, I mean Rhett) love swinging. Ok, I mean me. I love swinging and that brings me to Two, this play set is strong enough for adults to play on it too! Three, we had a play set in Midland and the boys played on it a lot so I am so happy that we are going to have one again. Plus, if we move, this thing is going to come with us. It has a lifetime guarantee and the company will move it for us. Excellent! So, I am hoping that it will be put together before any major weather happens. Mainly, I don't want those men to get caught in the storm. Of course, I will let them in, but you know what I mean. :)

****
Sherry asked if I could post a recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. I will do better than that. I will post a recipe from that book and also my Mom's Manhattan Meatballs that I added puree to. Your son will love these meatballs, Sherry. Every man and boy who has ever tried these meatballs love them.

Note: To puree, roast or steam vegetables (I roasted the butternut sqaush for about 45 minutes and steamed the carrots and spinach) then puree them in a food processor. Add a little water with the carrots and spinach to make it creamy. The cookbook comes with all the instructions on how-to puree.

Manhattan Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage
1/2 c chopped onion
2 eggs
2 c bread crumbs
1/2 c butternut squash puree
salt and pepper to taste
dried parsley (a big pinch)

Mix beef, sausage, onion, eggs, bread crumbs, puree, and seasonings together. Make into meatballs and brown in a pre-heated skillet. Place into a baking dish.

For sauce:
1 c apricot preserves
1/4 c carrot puree
1/2 c barbeque sauce

Mix together and pour over meatballs. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve with rice or couscous or noodles.

Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious Brownies
Note: These brownies will only get better. The first one is good. Then on the second day, you will find that it is even more delicious. By the third day, you are hooked! Be sure to let them completely cool, so that the spinach flavor totally disappears. I sprinkled powdered sugar on mine. So yummy!

Nonstick Cooking Spray
3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c carrot puree
1/2 c spinach puree
1/2 c firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T trans-fat-free-soft tub margarine spread (I used Canola Oil instead)
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 c oat flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a low flame. (I melted it in the microwave)
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine (or oil), and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes.
4. Whisk in the egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Makes 12 brownies
Info: 133 calories per serving, 3 grams of fiber.

(from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, pg 156)

****
Today we celebrate another birthday in my family (3 in a row!). Happy Birthday to Gran Valoris! I talked to my dad last night and my mom made him an apple cobbler so he was happy. :)

****
I hope you have a fantastic Wednesday!

the healthy way of living

...It is a challenge to eat right, stay active and have a healthy state of mind. I say this only because for the last month, when I was not feeling well, I did not do any of those things. I was too tired to cook good meals for my family, so we mostly had quick (i.e. frozen or take-out) meals. I did not feel good enough to work out or do yoga or anything for that matter. And when you don't feel good, you obviously don't have a healthy state of mind.

Last week though, I had had enough. I ordered a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) called Deceptively Delicious and I love the idea of it. Basically, you puree vegetables and then put them into recipes that your kids already love. But it makes those things really good for you. So I decided to try it. Friday morning, Noah and I went to the grocery store and bought all kinds of vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, squash, spinach and sweet potatoes) and then came home and started steaming, roasting and pureeing. Noah thought everything was smelly and gross and just wanted to make banana bread. So after I got everything pureed, including some fruits as well, we made the banana bread recipe from the book. I snuck in some cauliflower puree in with the banana so Noah would not know. Let me tell you, he licked the spatula clean. Loved the batter. The bread is wonderful, especially with peanut butter.

I also made the brownies (with spinach and carrot puree). Seth thought they weren't sweet enough, but I really love them. I especially love them because they are low-fat, have some nutritional value and they taste good. The boys loved them as well. I am excited by this point.

Now some of the recipes the boys haven't gone for. The sloppy joes weren't as good as the ones I usually make and they didn't like the mac and cheese but I have found that you can add these purees to a lot of your own recipes.

Mom's famous meatballs: I added butternut squash in the meatball mix and carrot in the barbeque sauce.

Barbeque chicken: I added carrot in the barbeque sauce as well.

Tacos: Add crushed tomatoes to your meat instead of just water with the taco mix.

I am very optimistic about this. I love that there are ways to get your kids to eat healthier without forcing them to eat something they normally would never eat. I love that the purees are easy to add to your food. I love that they really make you feel satisfied. (Normally, after I eat a brownie, I want another one. Chocolate is addictive for me. I feel like I can't have enough. One brownie from this book was perfect. I felt satisfied. I didn't need another one.)

I was so excited about this I decided to cook all the meals for the week on Sunday. And I loved that too. Now we have good meals prepared and I won't be rushing around at 5:30 wondering what I could make that is quick.

I am going to keep this going. I want to keep this going. For my family, especially the boys. And I recommend the cook book. It is fun to look at and read and I love when cookbooks are fun. That makes cooking more fun for me.

****

Happy Birthday to my dad today! Dad, we love you and hope you have a great day!

oh yeah...Blog Action Day

...On Saturday I posted that Monday is Blog Action Day and then I forgot! Anyway, Blog Action Day is a day where bloggers post about a single issue to create awareness. The issue for this action day is the environment.

My husband jokingly refers to me as "Conservation Girl" but the truth is, I am not nearly as close to being the conservationist as I want to be. But here is where we are now:

1. We have now replaced half of our lightbulbs with the energy-efficient kind.
2. We now recycle full time. All paper, cans and plastic go in the recycle bin.
3. I waste no bottled water. If we happen to forget that we have bottled water (in the car, around the house) and it is no longer what I call drinkable, we water the plants with it. And yes, we don't buy bottled water that often anymore. Just for the kids' lunches and if we plan on having company.
4. I am letting 4 of our magazine subscriptions run out. (2 for the kids and 2 for me). That leaves us 4 magazines left. (I just realized that we have 8 subscriptions to magazines. Yikes. Of course, 2 are new subscriptions that I bought from my son's fundraiser, so we never had 8 all the time.) Oh and we recycle those. Or pass around. :)
5. I tell my husband all the time that we should plant bamboo. Somewhere. He thinks I am kidding. ;)
6. I try to get all my errands done all at once, in an effort to save gasoline. It is still hard and I still find myself going to and from my house a lot because of school and swimming and such, but I am working on it.
7. I secretly praise my husband or myself ever time we sweep up the grass after mowing. We don't use a leaf blower and never have. Yea for us.
8. I unplug my cell phone charger if I am not using it.
9. My mom will attest to the fact that we keep our thermostat at 78. Seth would put it at 79 if he could.
10. I am spreading the word to conserve. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

And if you haven't read my first post of today, read on...

celebrations

...Noah's school celebrated Oklahoma's Centennial Birthday last Thursday. They even got their picture made for the newspaper! Then they had a parade around the gym, waving Oklahoma flags, blowing on kazoos and wearing Wally the Worm glasses (he is the mascot of the school). I love that my boys get to celebrate the state's historical birthday. It is pretty cool.

Speaking of cool, the coolness factor went way down in our house on Saturday night. We went to a costume/birthday party and Seth got the idea for us to dress like nerds! The coolness factor went even furthur down when we realized it took us virtually no time at all to look like nerds. Seriously, no time.

I wish you could have seen the bottom half of our costumes. I had knee high socks and a kleenex sticking out of my shorts for allergies (unfortunatly, I really had to use it because my nose ran all night!) Seth wore white socks with his dress shoes and don't you love his teeth? (Oh, Krista and Mom, do you see my bangs? I wasn't lying when I told you I was going to get them! And when they don't look like this, I really like how I look with them. ;) )

Anyway, everyone loved our costumes. They even said we were the best couple's costume. After awhile, I took my glasses off and then I got a scare. Someone thought I came as Britny Spears! Aaaaahhhh! Hee. Hee.

The yellow things are my sons. Rhett is Frankenbob Squarepants. I made that little ditty myself! He wore it for exactly 2 minutes. Oh well. There is still Halloween night. Noah is Picachu from Pokeman. And no I don't know if that is how you spell that or not or even what Picachu does.

The boys have 3 days of school this week and then it is fall break! And they are getting a big surprise (well, they sort of know, but you don't, so isn't that still a surprise?) on Wednesday, hopefully. I will be sure to let you know when it happens. :)

Be sure and have a good day. And remember to recycle old magazines. I did that over the weekend and I feel so good about myself. Oh and I also made all of this week's meals on Sunday. I am so happy about that! Not only that, they are good for us! I'll have more about that another day...

Lastly, my nephew turns 7 today. Nicolas, I cannot believe you are 7 already. I still remember when you came to meet Rhett for the first time (you were 4 months, Rhett was 2 months old). Now you are a rocking 1st grader! You have a high coolness rating in our house. :)

i'm this kind of blogger

Blog Action Day is October 15. That's Monday! See you then!

just rolling along

...Let's see, this week

*Seth and I had a touch of the flu. His was really worse than mine (isn't that always the case thougth?)
*Both boys were in charge of snacks for a day at their schools. This is a big deal. Picking out the right snack is very important. You can make or break your coolness by bringing the right or wrong snack. Stressful.
*Rhett lost his lunchbox. Again. Sigh. This is because his teacher (God bless her) has a rule about no lunchboxes in their backpacks. Ok. I agree, sort of. In the morning, when their lunchbox is full of yummy, juicy things, don't put it in the backpack so no messes will take place in there. But, in the afternoon? After lunch? When the lunchbox is empty? And little kids can leave their lunch box here or there? Please can we put it in the backpack then? Please?
*I found out the reason Noah does not want to go to Enrichment. Because he misses me. Let's say it together now: Awwww. But, really, I am thinking, "Come on Noah! Go out and enjoy life, my sweet, sweet boy!" So today, he is going to Enrichment. Only because they are making cookies. So, yes, cookies win over time with mommy. And I can understand that. :)
*The boys started their third session in swimming lessons. And I am so excited for them. They are getting really good! No more staying at the shallow end for us!
*Noah's school is celebrating Oklahoma's birthday (100!) this week. I think the actual birthday is next month. Anyway, Noah comes home from school every day saying, "It's Oklahoma's birthday today!" Funny.
*Oh! Because of the dog show on Friday, which went very well, Scout was awesome, Rhett is no longer afraid of her or Brinkley. He is playing with them again and I am so relieved. His teacher really knows what she is doing. See, she sent home a paper explaining 6-year old behavior and one of the things on there was that a lot of 6-year-olds are afraid of dogs. So she had a whole unit on dogs and a dog show. Smart woman.

I think that is it for now. Have a wonderful Thursday!

What are they saying now?

...Today both boys learned about Columbus. Rhett even made a cool 3 boats on waves which I was very impressed with. So at supper, I asked them about ol' Christopher.

Me: What did you learn about Columbus today?
Rhett: He sailed in 3 ships.
Me: Why?
Rhett: Because he wanted to.
Me: Well, what did he find?
Noah: Indians! And you know what? They were naked!
Rhett: Yeah, because back then...
Noah: Rhett! Don't interrupt me!
Noah: You know what they wore back then? They wore skins of cheetahs, not clothes.
Me: Oh. I did not know that.
Noah: Yeah. Cheetah skins.
Me: So, what did Christopher Columbus find besides the Indians?
Rhett: Umm.
Me: Why do Americans celebrate Columbus day?
Rhett: Because he liked to sail?
Me: Was it because he discovered America?
Rhett: Oh. Yeah. Sure.

That is still the story right?

If there was a trophy, Scout would be a winner!

...I know my blog has been lacking any substance as of late, and that won't change with today's post. Sorry. :)

Today Noah and I are taking our boxer, Scout, to a dog show at Rhett's school. This is a little worrisome to me. Not that Scout is a bad dog, she is not. She is a very sweet, loving dog who sometimes gets so excited that she is around other people that she jumps on them. I also don't know how she will act around other dogs. I don't think she will be territorial because it won't be at her house, but I hope she won't bark or growl at the other dogs. I am also a little unsure of how Rhett will be. He has been a little afraid of dogs lately. Any dog, even ours. He doesn't like to be near them. Yet, he has told me over and over that he wants Scout there. So we'll see. But I do know that Scout is a beautiful dog and everyone who sees her loves her.

And, no, I didn't even think of taking Brinkley. I would be crazy to take that over-hyper, can't control even with a leash, slobbery, huge lab-something else mix. Love him but only from afar. Just kidding. I do love him. Really. But still not taking him.

Noah asked this morning if there would be a winner at the dog show. I told him I didn't think that it was going to be a contest, just a show. He was disappointed.

Rhett said he thought the whole school would be there at the dog show. Again, disappointment when I said that it was just his class.

I would take pictures, but with my sore arm (yes, still with that tetanus shot!) it will take all my strength just to control my dog. So you'll just have to imagine how things will go. Paint a good picture for me, will you?

hint hint

...This morning after Rhett had breakfast, I catch him dragging his laundry basket, full of his dirty clothes, through the living room. I look at him and he says, "Mom. This is getting a little full."

Hmmm...is that a hint or what? :)

a little catch-up

...I need some Advil PM. I just saw a commercial for it. Maybe it will help me sleep through the night. You see, every day since last Monday, my arm has been so achingly sore from the Tetnus shot that I got, that I cannot sleep through the night. Lesson here is: If you ever have to get a Tetnus shot, get it in your hip, not your arm.
****
So the new tv season is upon us. I am so glad to be watching new episodes of The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I also like the new show Chuck. It is hilarious. Pushing Daisies looks pretty interesting too.
****
My neighbor is having a Halloween/Birthday party for her kids next Saturday. The catch is that she wants the adults to dress up too. I haven't dressed up for Halloween in forever. So after careful thought (mostly thinking about what Seth would be willing to dress up if he will at all) I think I will tell Seth to dress as a teacher and I'll dress as his student or teacher's pet. That way he just has to wear regular clothes and I am going to wear those knee high socks with some black shorts and either a white shirt or a sweater and carry an apple. Good idea or no? Oh and by the way, I haven't told Seth this yet. Hee! Hee!
****
Tonight I am going to cook for the first time in over a week. I am looking forward to it. Seth had cooking duty this weekend. He made Peppercorn Turkey Burgers and they were delicious. I think we ate on those for at least 3 days.
****
Allergy season is seriously kicking our rears. We are tired, sneezy, stuffy-nosed, tired, tired, tired! I am ready for a good freeze to kill that ragweed. But on a positive note, my flowers are so pretty outside. The orange and yellow marigolds look so good with my pumpkins.
****
Have a great Wednesday!

questions

...Here is a sampling of questions just asked this morning by my 2 sons:

Can I move my ladder over?
Can I go to the bathroom?
Do I have to go to school today?
Can I have the doughnut with orange and black sprinkles?
Why does my brother always want what I want?
Can I have another doughnut?
Do I have to go to Enrichment?
Who is the Toys R Us gift card for?
It is a coupon?
What are coupons?
Are you sure it is not a gift card?
Do I have to wear pants?
Do I have to wear my tennis shoes?
Is everything in my back pack?
What do box tops do?
Do I have to wash my face?
Can you carry my lunch box?
Can you?
Can you put my coat in my back pack?
Can you buy me a blue light up light saber?
Can I wear my Krispy Kreme hat to school?
Can I watch tv?
Can my friend pick me up from school?
Can I go to his house?
Why not?

This was just in the first hour and a half of the day. My mind is frazzled. I am glad I have a few hours to recuperate until they are back. :)

Have a good day.

did you have a good breakfast?

...For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.--Andy Rooney

raindrops keep falling on my head

...Sometimes the rain (literally and figuratively) must fall. This morning it stormed and resulted in a very foggy start of the day. The boys thought it was cool. However, Noah's forehead was not, so he had to stay home from school today and accompany me to the doctor. I am hoping he just has a little virus and nothing serious.

My trip to the doctor was uneventful. He thinks that it is either contributed to allergies or low blood sugar. I have to go to a cardiologist just to be safe. So that is all I know right now. I am glad that he wasn't too concerned about it. I am tired of getting strange looks though as a result of the big cut on my forehead. I know they are thinking, "Who beat you up?" I want to just say, "You should see the other guy!" Hee. Hee.

I really am ready for the weekend. This week has been a hard one. My childhood dentist passed away, Julie Lyons is needing extra prayers, my husband is under mucho stress at work and I could go on but I won't. I will just say Thank God tomorrow is Friday!

I also am thankful that I have two boys that make me smile, even when it rains:

here's a story for you

...What started out as a normal Monday soon became something else.

Monday afternoon, I was outside talking with my neighbor while Noah played with her friend in their house. All of the sudden, I felt a little light-headed and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, hearing my neigbor yell her husband's name.

I fainted.

Ok. That shouldn't be a big deal right? Except the fact that I went head first into the street. Except the fact that I had fainted a mere 6 weeks before that.

So to the ER I went.

That night, I came home and could tell the boys (and Seth) were concerned. Noah now keeps asking different questions about fainting. What is fainting? Why does God make people faint? Do little kids faint? This is a different thing to see Noah afraid about something real (not monsters). I don't know if he is scared because it was me that was hurt or he is afraid he will get hurt. And both have been easy criers about little things since this has happened.

Seth is worried as well. I didn't drive at all yesterday (Seth's orders, not the doctors).

Yesterday I was feeling a little down about everything but last night I looked at the positives that came out of this situation. Here they are:

*I have gotten my tetnus booster and now I am updated on my vaccines. I was just talking this past weekend about needing to get that done. This isn't exactly the way I had wanted to do it, but it is still done.
*The ER did a CT, an EKG, many blood tests including diabetes, hypoglycemia, anemia, ect and everything looked normal. Good news.
*I now have a primary care doctor. I have to go for a follow-up to get a holter monitor (to record my heart for 24 hours) and try to find out why I am fainting. I didn't bother getting a family doctor before this because I didn't need one. Turns out it is always good to have a family doctor.
*I have a wonderful group of friends here. My neighbors did everything Monday. They helped clean me up after my fall, one took me to the ER, the others took care of my kids, including feeding them supper. Another friend is taking Noah to school the rest of this week. I can really feel the love from them and although I knew they were great friends before, I really appreciate them in a whole new way now. I feel I can trust them with anything and that makes me so happy.
*I got an Ann Taylor Loft gift card in the mail yesterday afternoon from my sweet friend (thanks Chrisy!) and it came at exactly the right time. :)
*I am feeling better today. I am still a little sore (mostly from that darn tetnus shot!) and I look like I have been in a major fight, but I do feel better. I am ready for my doctor's appointment though. I want to know why this happened.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day. I will get those pictures posted soon.

i'm 30!

...And I had a great birthday! It started Friday night. My sis, Krista and my mom went to the Melting Pot and had a fun time. We decided to just do the chocolate next time. It was fabulous!!!

Saturday my sweet husband and wonderful dad took care of the boys (including my nephew) while the three of us went shopping all day. Do you know how long it has been since I went to a mall and walked the whole thing? Taking it all in? Not having to rush? Too long. I think I bought the most but we all had a great time. Especially shopping for shoes.

We came back to the house exhausted (because shopping all day is tiring!) and got ready for a little neighborhood get-together at my house. Seth got bar-b-que and I had made cupcakes earlier in the week. Having everyone there that I have gotten close to this past year was special. Rhett had his first Coca-Cola and was WIRED the rest of the night. He was crazy! :)

Some of my favorite things:

*the boys getting me my favorite kind of flower (Gerber daisies)
*finding not one but two pairs of shoes that I just couldn't live without :)
*making my brother's day: Saturday morning, Cameron gave me a hug and said "Happy Birthday!" Seth asked him who else had a birthday. He said, "Aimee." Seth said, "But who else?" Silence. Seth: "Your daddy!" Cameron: "My Daddy? My Daddy!!" So we gave Casey a call and Cameron said, "Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!" three times to him.
*The Flaming Turtle at the Melting Pot. Milk chocolate with a caramel swirl topped with chopped pecans, flambeed. Do I need to say any more? Probably not, but I will. The dippers were bananas, brownie bites, pound cake, strawberries, Oreo-covered marshmallows, graham cracker marshmallows and cheesecake. Now you know why I said we just need the chocolate.
*All the birthday wishes and cards. Thank you everyone!
*Just having my sister and mom there. That was great. The only thing that would have made it better was if Jana could have been here.
*The fact that my husband did all of this for me. I love that. He makes me feel very special and deserving. 30th birthday or not. Thanks sweetie!

Check back later for photos. I will add them later today or tonight. I am just in a hurry right now. I only have another hour until I pick Noah up from school and I still need to clean the kitchen.

Have a great day!

some things

...I am turning 30 on Saturday.

3.0.

Thirty.

30.

I am trying to get used to the idea...

***
Noah, who normally loves going to afternoon enrichment at his school, refused to go today. I asked why (selfishly hoping he would change his mind because I needed to get a lot done today) and finally he said because when he is there, he gets in trouble.

me: What kind of trouble?
N: I sit on my knees when I am not supposed to.
me: You sit on your knees? Oh, at circle time?
N: Yes.
me: When you are supposed to be sitting on your bottom?
N: Yes.
me: Ah.

He was pretty upset about this so I didn't make him go.

***

Yesterday, I ordered Noah's costume online. He was so excited. Then he found out that it wouldn't get here until next week. We have had at least 4 conversations so far about why it is not coming today or tomorrow. And what 7 days is. And what a week is. And why it takes so long. And how I can do nothing about how long it takes. And how the costume is his, it just isn't here yet. I even showed him a map of the U.S. and said the costume was in a store in California right now (I don't know where it comes from...probably China) and it takes at least 2 days to drive there from here and since the mail truck has many places to go between here and there, that is why it takes so long.

I am regretting making the purchase with him knowing about it.

***
Rhett wants to be something scary for Halloween, but I can't bring myself to let him be Dr. Zombie or any thing with a scary face, so he is going to be Spongebob "Frankinbob" Squarepants. I could have ordered this costume too, but seriously, if I can't make a sponge costume, then my grandmother and probably my mom would be so disappointed in me. :) Rhett is pretty excited about making it, so that is good.

***
My sister comes here tomorrow! I am super excited!!

***
Have a great day!

answers to faq

...I finally got an answer to the question we ask every time we are at the eye doctor for Rhett.

Will Rhett have to have surgery to correct his eye-crossing?

We have asked that question every time we have gone to the eye doctor since 2004. And every time the doctor (each time a different doctor) has said, "I don't know," or "Maybe."

Today, the new doctor said, "No."

He said that since Rhett's glasses fix his eye crossing, then to have the surgery would be pointless. Because he will need to wear glasses for his far-sightedness (80%) and the glasses would make his eyes cross outward if they were to correct his inward crossing with surgery. Oh.

I also asked if his eyes would always cross. 50% chance it will get better with age. Not good, not bad. Toss of the coin kind of thing to me. But the good news for Rhett is, that when he gets older and is weaned off his bifocals (that is the doctor's goal), he will be able to wear contacts. So, I feel good. Usually I feel...like I didn't learn anything. That we still don't know anything. Today I know something. Rhett will probably always have to wear glasses, which is fine, and he may always have a little eye-crossing action without his glasses or contacts. But he will not always have to wear bifocals. And surgery is not an option because his glasses correct the problem. God is good.

we got our kicks on Route 66

...A giant 66-foot soda pop bottle, over 400+ kinds of soda to choose from, a cafe that apparently had such great food that it was impossible to get a table, a convenient store and a gas station all make for a very unique landmark on old Route 66. Best of all--it was so much fun! We headed to Pops on late Saturday afternoon and although it was too crowded to eat the burgers and fries, we each got to choose our own soda pop. (Although, it is very hard for me to use the word "pop" because I grew up using "coke" for everything. "Do you want a coke? Sure, I will take a Sprite.")


The giant soda pop bottle lights up at night. We'll have to catch that next time. It is only miles from our house you know. And the boys thought we should come back every week. They were that impressed.

Rhett chose root beer for his drink. He first chose Grey's, but after paying for it and opening it, we realized it was diet. Seth and I are totally against diet drinks, especially for kids, so Seth went back in and bought him a Frostie's Vanilla Root Beer. Rhett loved it: It tastes like ice cream!

Different kinds of soda pop line the glass walls of the building. It was pretty amazing really.

Jolt is the drink Noah wanted. Because it has twice as much caffeine as Mountain Dew, we said No Way! He has enough trouble going to sleep as is! :)

So, he chose Jarritos Pineapple soda instead. It is made in Mexico and it tastes just like a pineapple life saver. Yummy! Noah really liked it.

Seth chose Boylan Orange Cream, mostly because it was sweetened with pure cane sugar. Have you ever had an Orange Dreamsicle? If you had, then you know what this tastes like. Not too orangy but very creamy. Seth and I traded half way through our drinks.

Let me tell you why. I chose Stewart's Ginger Beer (a ginger ale) for my drink and while I loved it, after a while, the spicy ginger taste really started burning my throat!! We looked at the ingredients and saw it had Quillaia Extract. We thought this might have something to do with the spiciness. We were right: I found this on the web: Quillaia Extract occurs as a reddish light brown powder or brown liquid, having a characteristic pungent taste. It actually comes from the bark of an evergreen tree native to China. There you go.

And the last picture is of the Sopranos pop. It is an Italian Soda and I liked the color. And what a tribute to that show! :)

We just thought the experience was neat and although we won't be going back every week, like the boys want, we do want to go there again. Good old fashioned fun is what that was. The world needs more of that for sure.

Have a great Monday!

do you feel that?

...That cool breeze? The rustling of the leaves? Isn't it just wonderful?

Fall is coming. I can feel it. The mornings are getting cooler, the afternoons are breezy and warm and the evenings are beautiful.

I love Fall.

Do you know what this means? It is time for another list!

Reasons I love Fall or Autumn:

1. Back to School time: As a kid, I loved September. The newness of school was exciting--who was in your class, who was your teacher, wearing your new clothes. This newness wore off quickly, more quickly with each passing year. Now I get to experience the same thing through my sons' eyes. Cool.
2. Warm Blankets: So by now you must know I have a fondness for blankets (since I've talked about them for 2 posts in a row) but isn't it great when you can put your warm blanket or bedspread or quilt back on your bed at night? Cozy.
3. New TV season: I love tv. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. I don't watch it all day. I do love watching it at night after the boys go to bed though. Especially when the new tv season kicks in. I love discovering new shows, getting back into my old faves and the fact that there is something on besides reality shows really makes me happy. Although I really do like Top Chef on Bravo...
4. Back to cooking: Admit it, during the summer, your oven stays cool most of the time. But during the fall it is so great to have the want to to turn it back on for meals. Casseroles, pies, breads and cheesy pasta dishes all start sounding good again.
5. No more shorts: At least for me. I know people wear shorts thru September and on into October, but not me. And thank goodness. I love wearing jeans. They are comfortable and you don't have to worry about any of that extra stuff: white legs, unshaven legs, ect... :)
6. No more bugs: Yes, they are still around. But most of the annoying ones are gone. The flies are becoming scarce and so are the locusts. The june bugs have come and gone. The rest are thinking about hibernation. Yay!
7. Lots of celebrations: My nephew's birthday is tomorrow. Jana's is on Saturday. My brother's (and mine) is a week away from Saturday. Then in October there are 3 more birthdays (my nephew Nicolas, Dad and Great-Gran), November is my mom's and my brother's-in-law birthday and December we celebrate 3 more (Mallory, Rhett and Noah)! That is a lot of celebrating. There is also the fact that 12 years ago in September, Seth and I officially became a couple. (Do you remember that, sweetie? If you don't, let me remind you. We had been talking more and more and started hanging out together again, after being on a break (ahem) from the previous Spring, and during a JV football game, where I should have been watching my brother play, I was walking with you in the parking lot and we pass a friend and she says, "I am so glad y'all are back together. You are such a cute couple." We looked at each other and that is what pretty much sealed the deal.) Also, Oklahoma is celebrating it's 100 birthday in November and that should be a pretty cool event. It will be neat to experience that with the boys.
8. The trees: The colors that are present in the fall are absolutely breath-taking and just make me so happy to be alive. God really knew what he was doing, didn't he?

Have a great weekend. Happy Birthday to Cameron and to Jana!! I love you!