Photo update

...I've got photos to share, so here they are-from Thursday to Saturday.

This is Sir Knight Noah during his Fantasy Feast that he and his class had on Thursday. It was truly sweet. The boys painted their own shields and made their own crowns and magic wands (no swords--I guess because it is a church preschool). We had a lot of fun!

Noah scored a goal on Saturday! I don't know if he really realized it, but it was pretty cool to us! He is doing such a great job of hustling after the ball, but he is a little timid about getting the ball. Don't really know why-Noah is anything but timid-but I am hoping he'll get the hang of it.

This is the "moving" statue that we saw at the Art Festival in Downtown OKC. The boys gave him a tip and he shook their hands. They thought that was pretty cool.

The festival was right by the Myriad Botantical Gardens, so we went inside the Crystal Bridge. It was really neat--waterfalls, pineapple plants, cacti... The boys were really impressed and so were we. Here are a few more:

The art festival was very impressive. I found some jewelry there that was really beautiful (Mom, you would have loved it). I didn't get the jewelry, but it was nice to look at! I also loved the black and white photography. Rhett found some wooden cars that he helped Dad pay for and Noah found a light up frog. (don't ask)

Yes, there were a few off the wall things, but for the most part it was fun and I know I will want to go back next year.

bloom

(Peace Lily from Ephemera: http://www.ephemera.org/archives/375.html)

...I had a great post planned, but my camera's battery is not charged (the plug wasn't working, therefore, it the charger wasn't charging) so I will have to wait another day for the pictures of Noah and his super cute festival he had yesterday. He was a knight and had a crown, magic wand and shield. He was awesome.

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I did want to wish my sweet friend Julie a very Happy Birthday!! Her b-day is tomorrow and I hope you have a fantastic one! Julie has been my friend for so long and I'm very lucky to have her in my life.

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I also want to say that my peace lily is blooming. This is special to Seth and me because last year at this time, we received the peace lily when his Grandmommy passed away. It is a huge plant and almost didn't make it twice because it was in a hot car during our move last summer. But I cut some leaves off and placed it in a place in my house that gets sun. There are times I forget to water it and it droops, but it always bounces back. I have had to trim it a couple of times because the leaves get so big. I never thought it might bloom again (houseplants do not like me, usually). But, a week ago, I noticed the white blooms coming up. Today, they are tall and about to open up. I love that it is blooming again, one year later. It is like God is reminding us of Grandmommy and what a beautiful, special woman she was. Just like the plant, she was strong and bloomed even after going through hard times.

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Rhett had a t-ball game last night and he did an awesome job. He caught a fly ball (which is huge in t-ball)! I am so proud of how far he has come. The beginning of the season he was almost afraid of the ball and now he is catching them in the air. Wow! I didn't get to watch it though because I was at Noah's soccer practice. I hope someday I will get to see Rhett and his superstar plays because so far I have missed all of them.

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I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Celebrate those in your life that bloom, even though you may not get to be there for their special days or happen to miss special things that happen to them. Celebrate those that made a difference in your life. Celebrate those who love you. Take extra care of those relationships.

And remember to water.

these are the days

...Just because I did one thing last night, I changed a little boy's view of his day. After supper, Noah and Rhett went outside to play. I told them they could not play in their sandbox because it was too wet and I really didn't want to deal with the mess. Noah had been complaining about this being the "worst day" pretty much all day, which I can understand--it rained pretty much all afternoon and they didn't get to play with their friends.

Anyway, they were playing and I was trying to clean the house while listening to music and Keith Urban's song, "These are the Days" came on.

these are the days that we'll remember.

these are the times that won't come again

the highest of flames becomes an ember

and you gotta live them while you can.

As soon as I heard those words, I rushed outside and jumped on the trampoline with the boys. Even though I had just ate supper and knew my stomach would not feel too great, even though I had a pile of dirty dishes, even though...etc.

And you know what? Noah and Rhett had the most fun. Noah looked at me and said, "Mom, this is the best day ever."

Just because I decided to take that moment and "live them while you can."

Life is hard. Life is not fair and life goes by too fast. But one person has the power to make another person smile. To make someone's day "happy."

And I know I had more fun jumping on the trampoline than I would have washing dishes. Dishes will still be there. Little moments like that---well, they probably won't.

Realizing this, I decided we should play a game of Monopoly Jr. together. Rhett and I had fun "being poor" together while Noah couldn't stop laughing about how "rich" he was. I lost the game, but won as a mom last night.

So, I hope today you do something fun, something that you don't think you have time for but want to do. It might change your whole attitude about your day--at least for a moment or two.

7 things you may not know about me

...So I got tagged by Cheryl to list 7 things people don't know about me. Since most of you who read this are my family and close friends, that might be a little difficult but I'll try.

1. I wish my house looked like the Pottery Barn Catalog. Really I do. White couches, beautiful wood floors, rich painted walls...I want it all. (And, yes, Seth, I know that it is impratical, expensive and very improbable that this will ever happen! hee!)

2. I have to watch series finales of tv shows. Even if I have never before watched the tv show, I will want to watch the very last show--just because. And if I didn't get to watch the finale of a tv show that I liked, I will watch for it on reruns. Several years ago, I watched China Beach reruns every day at noon until finally the series finale. Now I am on to Family Ties. I didn't get to watch the series finale because a thunderstorm knocked out our power (all those years ago) so now I record every episode and see if that is the finale.

3. In college, I briefly wanted to study to become a meteorologist. I took a class about weather and I was fascinated! Unfortunately, they had no more classes I could take at that time, so my thoughts about that faded. I still like watching the weather though.

4. I can't go to sleep unless our bathroom door is closed. Completely.

5. My favorite flower is the Gerbera Daisy. Any color.

6. I haven't read a book since Christmas. And it takes me a week to read the Sunday paper. And I love magazines. I've read many of those since Christmas.

7. I watched Blades of Glory with Will Ferrill and although it was silly and stupid, I could not quit laughing. Ask Seth. I think I laughed the whole way through.

I supposed to tag people but I think instead, I'll leave it up to you. If you are reading this and want to post a comment about some things we don't know about you or want to blog it (and let us khow here in the comments of course), then feel free to do so! Have fun!

Sandbox!

...The sandbox is finished and so I'm sharing some pictures!


Noah was hilarious! He tried to bury his hands and his feet and while he could get both feet and one hand buried, he couldn't figure out how to bury his other hand. He would pull out his buried hand to bury the other hand, then look at the hand that was now out of the sand. So he would pull his foot out to bury that hand. Then the same look as he saw that now his foot was out. He even tried using his head to do the job at one point. So funny!

They have really enjoyed it. Seth did such an awesome job!

just some randomness today

...I haven't blogged in awhile so I guess I better catch up. I really have no thoughts today on what to blog on though. So here are some random Aimee things:

*We watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition last night as a family, instead of our normal movie for our "movie night." I wanted to watch it because it was a family from Lawton, Oklahoma. The dad was in Iraq when he was injured and paralyzed. Then, 18 months later, he and his family had a car accident that resulted in his young son being paralyzed as well. It was very moving, as always. I think it was good that Rhett and Noah watched it. Hopefully, it made them realize how lucky they are.

*Yesterday was Earth Day. We are really trying to be more aware about the environment. We are recycling more and are going to use those little weird looking lightbulbs, ect. I think if everyone did something small, it would add up to something bigger. I just want the world to still be a good place to live when my kids (and their kids) get older.

*I love our neighborhood. There are so many boys around! I think it will be a lot of fun this summer. They can all go from house to house.

*The sandbox is finished!! It looks great! I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Rhett and Noah love it! They played most the afternoon on Saturday in it (and yes, some of the neighborhhood boys came over for a while too!)

*We joined the church we have been going to yesterday. I am so excited about this church. I feel so comfortable there and think it will be a great place to raise our kids.

Okay, I think that is it for now. Have a great Monday!

how do we keep our kids safe?

...That is the question I have running in my mind since that horrible event at Virginia Tech. Here are some other thoughts:

Noah goes to preschool that is very near a college campus. What if something like that happened here? I cannot imagine the fear I would feel.

I wonder if people homeschool their children so they think it will be safer. I just wonder if that is one of the reasons. But you still have to let them go to college, right? One of the victims at Virginia Tech was homeschooled.

I agree with those that say we should focus on why this person did it. But I also agree that we need to focus on stricter gun control. Something must be done. When Mexican government is saying that a lot of their crimes are being committed by guns smuggled in from the U.S., then I think we have a problem.

How do we keep our kids safe? What can we do to prevent this from happening again? I don't know. I have no answers. But I sure do want them.

photos to share

...Here are two pictures of the sandbox project:

Rhett was a big help ;). It is going to be huge! I bought the stain today but it was still too wet from the big rain yesterday to stain it. Maybe tomorrow...

And here is Noah and Seth. Daddy did a great job keeping Noah happy the night Rhett had his sleepover.

Grandmom is coming tomorrow. She is stopping here a couple of days before flying out to see Krista and her girls. The boys are very excited. They are going to take her to their Tae Kwon Do class. Should be a lot of fun.

Til tomorrow...

a little update

...The spring weather has come back. Thank goodness. Sunday we spent the whole afternoon out in the yard: me, gardening and Seth making a sandbox. I'll post pictures as soon as that project is done. Seth has gotten it built (it is huge!) but now I have to stain it and then we have to get sand. Lots and lots of sand. The boys are excited about that!

Yesterday we spent the day at the zoo with friends and we had a good time. Didn't see a lot of animals out but the kids didn't really notice.

Saturday we all went to see "Meet the Robinsons." It was different. Wasn't my favorite. The boys liked it but didn't get it. It had some time travel in it and was confusing. Anyway...

Oh, big news. Rhett had his first sleep over on Friday. He went about two houses down and stayed at his friend's house. It was hard on Seth but harder on Noah. Just b/c it wasn't fair. So that is why we went to see a movie. To even up the score. :)

Tonight is more baseball if we don't get rained out. Noah's soccer game was rained out on Saturday. It has been a month since he has had his last soccer game. I don't think he realizes he even plays anymore.

And that is all I have...Have a good day!

Friday Favorites

...I like Fridays. That is when I get the energy (or the want tos) to actually do laundry and clean. The rest of the week--not so much.

I like Lipton Green Tea with Citrus. It is yummy. I can't make it this good!

I like The Office. Hilarious.

I like Rhett. He is such a cool kid. He is always thinking of others.

I like the rain. It makes our grass green. I especially like it when I don't have to go outside in it.

I like babies. My cousin, Michelle, had her 3rd yesterday. It's a boy! Congrats to Michelle!

I like Noah. He gives the best hugs. He can be the sweetest.

I like Noah's soccer coach. She is so patient with the kids (3 and 4 year olds).

I like Seth. He helped with the coach yesterday. He was so patient and sweet with them too.

I like watching the weather. Especially Channel 8. Sometimes, when the weather is inclement, they devote hours to the weather. They say the same things over and over. But still I watch.

I like that I know what inclement means.

I like the way Noah says "festival." His class is having a Fairy Tale Festival in a couple of weeks and he calls it "feztibal."

I like my new camera. A lot. Thanks sweetie!

I like getting packages in the mail. Especially when they contain scrapbook items. That is why I like the kit of the month clubs. A new package of scrapbook stuff every month. And now I get a package for being on a design team for Your Scrapbook Stash. New paper...mmm.

I like my family. I'm lucky to have such a great one, both by blood and marriage.

Have a great weekend!!!

where have you gone?

...Ok, my willing of Spring to come back is not working. It may snow Saturday (if not, it still will be really cold.) I know, the rest of the country is feeling it too. And, yes, I will try to keep this in mind come summer when it is 100+ degrees outside. You wanted it to be warm, I'll say to myself, now it is. So stop complaining!

I got impatient and bought flower seeds today. The boys and I will plant them in peat pots today and let them grow inside. We'll see how that goes. I think it will be fun. I also bought a gardening magazine that has some great ideas like color combos from the color wheel. Who knew that little wheel would be so darn important in 5th grade Art? Now I see its use in everything: scrapbooking, interior decorating, fashion, now gardening. Amazing. Hee!

Speaking of Amazing, LOST! What tricky tricksters they are. All I can say is I love that Sawyer is being nice to everyone now. I really like Juliet and I love Kate and Sawyer together. That hug was too sweet. And poor Sun. Is she a goner?

Have a great day and don't put those sweaters away just yet!

Planet Earth, fundraising, and Rhett

...Have you been watching the Discovery Channel on Sunday nights? If not, you need to. Planet Earth is amazing. The video footage of animals and nature is so beauful and awe-inspiring. I want the book and the dvd series now. I cannot say enough about this show. AMAZING!

Click here if you want to learn more about it. And watch it when it comes on. It will change how you view the planet you live on. (Yes, I know I am being dramatic.)
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It seems like a lot of you feel like I do about fundraising. Rhett is going to a new school next year (b/c it is nearest where we live, not because I'm mad about the fundraising! Ha!) and I am making sure I get involved with the PTO. I know I have no new ideas yet, but I am going to be thinking about it!

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Finally, here are some pictures of my son in his baseball uniform. He was great at thinking of things to do on the camera.

Last night, in the pouring rain, he hit the ball all the way to the fence! So cool! Of course, I didn't see it because Noah and I finally left because we were soaking wet. It was the last inning and I didn't think he would be batting again. I was wrong. But he was so excited!

Today I think I'll finally be able to cook Easter dinner! Yay! We have nothing going on tonight, so I can cook the brisket and potatoes. I'll have to fix another dessert, because, if you have ever had Good Cake then you know, it doesn't last long.

Have a great day!

What!?!?!

...You know I don't like to complain much on this here blog. I like to keep it happy and upbeat and, hopefully, for the most part, I do. But I have to get this off my chest.

Today, after school, Rhett pulls out this huge envelope out of his backpack. Fundraising time. Again. It is a pretty cool fundraiser (a coupon book for area restaruants and stores) but after I read the back of the booklet, I stopped looking. It made me sick. Here is what it says:

Sell a Product that

Virtually Sells Itself and Meet

Your Fundraising Goals Fast.

No Door to Door

Sales Needed:

Simply Sell to Parents and

Relatives and Have Parents

Sell the Product to

Their Co-Workers.

Let me repeat that last part: Have Parents Sell the Product to Their Co-Workers!

Oh no. Seth will not be taking the "product" and selling it to his co-workers. He already has a job. Since when did schools advocate that parents sell for the children. I am not naive. I know it is being done. But is it right? No. I don't think so. And I know that most people do not want to buy if the child isn't present. At least the people I know.

Yes, let's teach our children that they really don't have to do any work at all to get ahead, to help their school out, to make a difference.

Jumping off my soap box now...

Scrapbook Tuesday is back

...after a week's absence. I know you all were missing it.
I am willing spring to return. Willing it. No more cold weather. No more heavy coats. Come on warm weather. And can you come before Rhett's t-ball game on Tuesday night? Please? Noah and I did not like the cold and wind we had to endure the last two games.

This layout was kind of fun to do. I used a flower cookie cutter to paint the outline of flowers. The picture was of my tree right when it started blooming. It is full of green leaves now (and it needs some warmth, sun!) but I loved it when it was covered in white blooms.

Have a great Tuesday and will the sun to shine with me! Spring come back!!!

and a happy Easter to you!

...A day late, but who's counting? We had a great Easter. It was cold, snowed part of the weekend and I didn't get my Easter dinner cooked yet, but we still had a great time spending time as a family.

I did make Good Cake and thought of you, Mom.


I'm excited because we bought a new camera this weekend! It has 12x optical zoom and many other neat features by old camera didn't, so I've been playing a lot with it. Here are some Easter pictures of the boys:




Rhett with his Easter Bunny gifts. There are 2 Spongebob cars here. Very cool.


And here they are right before we went to church. I wanted an outside picture, but the weather didn't cooperate, so this was the best I could do.

Church was not much fun for Seth and Noah. They spent half the time in the car because Noah could not calm down. He couldn't take his sticky frogs (an Easter gift from us. That is what is on Rhett's hand in the photo above) into church and it just set him off. He missed Children's Church and Seth missed the sermon. That child. So stubborn.

Anyway, I need to go help Noah clean his room. Have a great day!

good times by Rhett and Noah

...I guess Rhett has heard Seth and me say the words, "Good times" jokingly (remember it on Saturday Night Live?) because yesterday he put those words into action:

R: Noah, I remember when you were born and Mom let me name you, so I chose "Noah" and you became Noah.
N: Yeah.
me: No. I came up with Noah. We didn't let you name the baby. Rhett, you were just two years old! You would have come up with "Scooby-Doo" or something.
R: Oh, I remember when I wanted to name Brinkley "Scooby-Doo!" That was funny!...Good times. Good times. Really good times.

That made me laugh.

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When we do something fun or enjoyable, it is the "Best Day Ever!" But, if, on the same day, we have to do something like, say, go to the grocery store and they can't buy a toy, it is then the "Worstest Day Ever" or "A Day that gets Worser and Worser."

Noah's "Bestest Day" was yesterday. He got to "eat lunch at school" (which means he got to stay a few extra hours for Enrichment), he had an Easter Egg Hunt and he got to dye Easter Eggs at home. However, there were a few "worser moments" when he had to stretch at Tae Kwon Do and not get a drink, when he had to go to bed without a book (because the egg-dying lasted way past bedtime) and because he couldn't sleep with Rhett (because it was a school night).

Can we say "dramatic?" And, yes, they get that from me.

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Another thing that Rhett at least gets from me is his ability to have practice conversations with himself. It is mostly in front of the mirror (I did that all the time as a child) but he can do it anywhere. This morning I heard him have a pretend conversation with his school friend.

R: I dyed Easter Eggs last night.
R (as his friend): You killed an egg?
R: No, no, no. I colored the eggs. No eggs died.
R (as his friend): Oh that is good.
and on and on...

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Have a happy Easter everyone!

snakes in our house

...Ok, not really, but we have had a lot of exposure of snakes here recently. Every day for the past 2 weeks, Rhett has brought home a book about snakes from the library. So we have read about the habitats of anacondas, rattlesnakes, cobras, more anacondas, garter snakes, pythons and my favorite, mambas (also thought of, by me, as the deadliest snake ever. Why? No human has survived their bite without immediate medical attention. Also, they do not let go!)

Now this is hard for me to read about these things. I do not like them, Noah is scared of the books, they are so boring (every book has the same information: Snakes have fangs, snakes eat food whole, snakes lay eggs...) yet Rhett brings a new one home every night. I can't discourage him. Can I? (Seriously, can I? Because I dread reading any more about snakes!)

I guess the positive spin is that we will know all there is to know about snakes so if we ever go to a place where these snakes live, we will know to stay away from them.

Wait, I already knew that.

Ok. So Rhett will now know that.

Except for the fact that after every book is finished, he exclaims: "Well, I am never going there! I don't want to go where that snake lives!"

Ok. Good. Who wants to go to Africa where the black mamba lives anyway?

tired tuesday

...What I thought was allergies is now turning into a cold, so I'll make this short.

Rhett had his first t-ball game today and he did AWESOME!!!! He made 2 outs and if anyone has ever watched t-ball, well, then you know that is amazing. We were so happy for him! Of course, I did not bring the camera...I never bring the camera when I am supposed to...but we have another chance tomorrow. He'll play again. In colder weather. Yuck. Cold front moving in. Not happy about that.

I will leave you with a picture of the sky on Friday night before the storms started rolling in:


The sky looked like most of the day (completely cloud covered) but I love how the light is hitting the clouds in this picture. Very beautiful.

monday, monday

After the heavy rains on Friday, Saturday and Sunday were just wonderful days to be outside pulling weeds. Ha! Yes, we are waging an all-out weed war on our lawn and I think we are winning in the front.

The weekend weather was beautiful. The boys had a lot of fun playing with several friends and Seth and I had a date night on Saturday. We went to eat dinner and watch a movie with two other couples and had the best time. It was good to get out by ourselves.

The boys had an Easter Egg Hunt at our church and do you know that I took absolutely no pictures? I had the camera in my purse too. Oh well. We are going to color eggs (Star Wars style) so I will be sure to get plenty of pictures of that.

Today is just another Monday. Busy doing laundry, ect. But I hope everyone has a great day!