looking back part 2

Continuing the recap...
July:

I absolutely loved Washington D.C. and I would go back anytime.  It had so much history, so many beautiful things to see, so much to do and we also got to see my sister, Krista and her family, so that was an added bonus.  The weather was just perfect when we went in the middle of July which was good, because we walked and rode the subway everywhere. It was here I rediscovered my brain, which sounds funny but it is true.  There is so much I want to learn about what happened here, especially during the Civil War.  I have many books that I have just started to get through, thanks to my dad, the history buff.

August:

The boys were on the swim team and it was actually so much fun to watch.  Well, the last meet was way too long but the races were fun.  I never got to do anything like this when I was a child (living in a small town had a few disadvantages) so it is cool to see my kids swimming so well. 

September:

I turned 32 this month.  And Seth sent me flowers. Love him!

October and November:

These two months I am going to lump together.  They weren't the best months for us.  We were struck with the flu and for two to three weeks, we were stuck in the house.  It was also when I found out two of my good friends were moving away and taking their children, my kid's friends, with them.  We were all down in the dumps.  I think this picture of Noah says it all.

I do have to mention that we went to Longview for Thanksgiving to see Seth's brother and his family and that was fun.  Especially the night of Thankgiving when some of us went to the midnight Toys R Us sale.  What were we thinking?  I don't know, especially now, because what we waiting 2 and a half hours in line for to get, will ultimately be returned because Rhett changed his mind on what he wanted.  But we will always have IHOP.  Good times.

I do also have to mention that I have been actively green this year, at least when it comes to trying to get our school to be a little more green.  I think the magazine drive really helped get more people to recycle paper at least.  I am happy to say that part of my goal was realized. 

December:

Mile of Magazines! Happy Birthday!  Happy Birthday! Water slides! Snow sledding!  Hellos! Good-byes! Merry Christmas! We have had it all this month! It has been busy but good.  My favorite part was seeing my family.  The White Christmas was nice although a blizzard was a bit much I thought.  :)

It has been quite a year.  I don't think I will choose a word for the next year.  I think I just want to see what this next year holds.  All the surprises, all the changes that may come, all the good and even the not so good.  I wish for health for us and all our loved ones, happiness and awesome adventures. 

Happy New Year everyone!

looking back

First:  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  We love you!

Second: The first of 2009 I wrote about wanting to rediscover passions, creativity, relationships and my brain.  I wonder how I fared?  Let's look back on this year and I will also point out the highlights.

January:

The first of this year, we celebrated the New Year with my sisters, brother and their kids and our parents. I really love the first day of the year because you know that you have a whole new year ahead of you, full of promise and change.  This picture reminds me of that.  It also reminds me that Rhett, Mallory and Jana were sick that vacation and Rhett and Mallory had stomach issues all through January, but I guess that is life.  Here is hoping this January is better for all. 

February:

It snowed one of the only times that winter in early February and it was enough to miss school for a couple of days, although none of the parents could understand why.  :)  I picked this picture because we went sledding with one of my good friends, Cathy and her children.  Cathy and I became very good friends over the course of the almost three years that she lived here and it was she that made me realize that friends don't have to come in one kind of package.  There are different kinds of friends and she was my "daily talk about nothing but also everything, make me laugh and have fun and just be there" kind of friend.  I miss her dearly since she moved, but when she calls or I email her, it is like nothing has changed.  We still talk like we live right down the street from each other and I love that.

March:

My mom came down in March when Rhett had his hand surgery. Moms are great like that.  No matter how old you get, you still need them.  Rhett was so brave during his surgery and it was the last of the month when he had it, meaning we fretted all month over it.  I think all of us did. No matter what I do with my life, I am a mom first and this situation cemented that for me.  It was hard to do much else or concentrate on much when your child is hurt or has fears and worries.  His fingers are doing quite well now by the way.

April:

This month, I took the boys to meet a children's book author. Tedd Arnold was pretty cool and I love that we experienced that.  My boys love to read and I hope this is something they will always remember.  Just seeing Mr. Arnold draw pictures on the fly (He is the author of Fly Guy, you know) was amazing and made me want to do that.  Not that I did.  Of all things I wanted to "rediscover," creativity ranked low on the list this year.  I did not do much about that this year.  I wanted to but something always came up, ect.  I did do a few things, like make costumes and sew baby presents and helped the boys with their craft projects, but I wanted to do so much more.  I don't know why I didn't.

May:

Noah graduated kindergarten in May.  We did mostly school stuff in May and I was so glad it was summer vacation.  The end of May we went to Friona to celebrate a huge milestone:

65 years is how long my grandparents have been married.  I hope in 54 years, my great-grandchidren are sitting on Seth's and my laps as we celebrate our 65th.  :)  That is a long time, isn't it Seth? One of the things I wanted to rediscover was reasons I liked my husband.  And I did.  This year has been so much fun with him.  We had our ups and downs like all couples do, but I remember mostly the fun I had with Seth.  The effort he made to spend time with us.  The times he made me laugh when I needed it most.  The way he is always there for me and makes me feel special.  I am very lucky.

Very lucky indeed. (This picture is from one of our friend's birthday celebration.  Our friends, Erin and Andy, really helped Seth and I come out of our shells.  They introduced us to people that we call good friends today.  They were the people that we spent all our weekends together.  This year was a wonderful year for new friendships and deepening existing ones.)

June:

Can you believe the only pictures I took in June were pictures of my garden?  But I guess that is okay because I really stepped up and with my family's help, we created a wonderful butterfly garden.  That the bees really, really enjoyed!  We did see some butterflies in the fall but mostly it was the bees.  But I was happy.  I hope next year it is even bigger and better.  Rediscover my passion for the environment?  Check.

Because this has turned into such a long post, I will finish up tomorrow.  See you then.

a random post for the end of the year

I re-read the last Harry Potter book a few days ago.  By this point, I don't read the entire thing...I like to skip the parts I don't really care too much about.  Anyway, I read it over again because I watched the newest Harry Potter movie on dvd which is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  It left me with many questions.  This post is probably only for those who have read the books and/or watched the movies, so I apologize to anyone else. But in case you ever want to read them and still want to read my post (because you are that loyal), then I won't give too much away.

1. In the book, a seeing mirror was given to Harry Potter by his godfather.  Harry broke it when Sirius died but kept the shards.  The mirror comes back in a major way (to me, at least) in the final book.  BUT, they left the mirror out of the movies completely.  How are they going to work that out?
2. Tonks and Remus fall in love and eventually get married in the books.  Again, they left their relationship out of the latest movie.  Are they going to ignore it or find a way to put it in? 
3. Bill, Ron's brother, was not in the Half-Blood Prince movie at all, although something life-changing happened to him in the book.  And he is a part of an important plot point in the last book.  Why did they leave that part out in the movie?  And how are they going to explain his changed appearance in the final movie, if they are at all?
4. The more I watched the Half-Blood Prince, the more disappointed I was in it.  They essentially made it to be a teenagers have hormones movie.  They cut out a huge action sequence (the fight at Hogwarts and the end)  and added something I didn't understand (the fire at the Weasley's house).  Ok, this isn't a question, just a complaint. 

For those who have followed Harry, what do you think?  Am I being too critical?  Are there any questions you want answered?  Any major holes you see?  And for those who don't follow Harry, check back tomorrow and I'll have some pictures.  Not of Harry Potter. 

a week later...

Well, it has been a busy week but I wanted to show you the pics of Noah's birthday.  He turned 7 last Saturday and was so excited.  We spent it doing what he wanted for the most part, but we were also trying to get ready for our family trip to the Greatwolf Lodge.  We met my whole family there the next day.  It was great fun!  I didn't get a lot of pictures there because we were so busy doing stuff! 

We told Noah his big gift was a bike that he could pick out himself.  He loved that idea and now owns a green bike.  His next favorite gift was a Webkinz gecko and I wish I had a picture of his face, but my camera battery died.  He loves it though!

****

Oh and did you hear? We had a White Christmas of epic proportions! Ha! Ha!  At least that is what the newscasters would descibe it:  The Great Christmas Eve Blizzard of 2009!  We got 14 inches of snow which means that Rhett and Seth could build a huge snowman!  Seth tells me I better be careful for what I wish for.  Hee hee. White Christmas indeed.

Look how tall he is!  I'll let you guess what the eyes and nose are.  That was my idea and pretty clever if you ask me. :)

****

And here is one last picture.  This is my whole family at the Gaylord Hotel, which is right across from the Greatwolf Lodge.  We spent an hour or so there just looking around, taking pictures of us. Really, that is what we did.  We actually went there to see the Ice sculptures but didn't realize we needed reservations for 15 people to get in to see it.  Don't know why that didn't occur to us. :)

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  And have a wonderful Happy New Year!

it's that time of year

*when I get a sore throat.  I thought it was just a cold. Now, I am thinking otherwise.  I may head to the clinic to get checked out and get antibiotics before it is too late. 

*when we are ready for a break.  Last day of school for awhile.  Boys are excited.  Noah is especially excited because tomorrow is his birthday.  We are taking him to BJ's, his favorite restaurant. 

*when I should have all my Christmas shopping done, but I don't.  I didn't even have that many people to buy for.  And I haven't even mailed my Christmas Cards yet.  They have been ready for two weeks.  Just haven't gotten the stamps at the post office.  Maybe I'll do that after the clinic.

*when I get to see my family.  My sisters! My brother!  Their sweet kids!  My parents! So happy about that!

I'll post tomorrow because my baby turns 7.  Which means he is not a baby anymore.  But he will always be my baby.  I'll also wish you a Merry Christmas then too.  So come back and see because I'll have pictures! 

Nine

No, I am not talking about the new movie, Nine, that has been nominated for some Golden Globes...

I'm talking about Rhett who turned 9 today!!!  We all woke up early (for us, not for Seth) so he could open his presents.  I don't know how we got started opening presents right when they wake up, but I think it is fun.  And who likes to wait?  Not me.

Rhett was totally excited about his gifts.  First, he opened the gift from Uncle Scott, Aunt Melissa and Matt and Sara.  If you can see, he was pretty happy.  First he was happy that it was an Underarmor shirt.  Then he was even more excited because it had Texas Tech on it.  Good job fam!

This is after he opened his Madden 09 DS game.  He didn't like this one at all. ;)  Actually, even though he looks like he is about to throw it down, he really was just whooping.  Woo!

And in a big box, he received many things Texas Tech.  He wanted his room to be decorated in Texas Tech things, so I think we got him started with a blanket, several signs and a lightswitch.  Who knew I would have such a Texas Tech fan? 

Rhett has his first performance as Mr. Duffy today in his play and is extremely nervous.  I am thinking of bringing Tums just in case.  But he will do fine.  And I made Chocolate Crinkles for his birthday treat and a cookie cake for tonight.  We are set to celebrate!

Have a great day!

today feels like a Monday

Yesterday was a nice day.  Today, ugg.  (and I am not talking about the boots)

• This is the fourth time I have been up to the school to help decorate the stage for the 3rd grade musical and we are still not done. 
• My wonderful craft idea for Rhett's 3rd grade party (writing letters to servicemen) is now a no-go. But does anyone tell the homeroom mom (that is me)?  No.  So I have to come up with something else in 3 days.
• I have to go to Wal-mart.  Enough said.
• I totally made the wrong copies for Noah's teacher and I made a lot of them.  I wasted her paper and the number of copies she has.  I feel so bad.
• Noah and Rhett did not put their bowls in the sink this morning.

So, let me think about yesterday again:

• Rhett and Noah got to pick out their birthday gifts from Grandmom (she sent a gift card) and they had so much fun playing their new DS games.
• My friend from far away called yesterday to be a good friend to me.  Miss you Cathy!
• Seth's Christmas present from me came in the mail yesterday and I totally gave it to him already.  I just got to excited.  You want to know what I got him, don't you?

Saucony Running Shoes!

                  He likes them but needs to break them in a bit.  I think they are totally going to help his feet.  His poor no-arches feet.  :)

Here is hoping your Tuesday didn't feel like a Monday.  Or it was like my Monday, yesterday, then I hope it was like that.  Are you confused?  Because I am.

little gifts to me

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

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

Hope your Monday is going well!

this week

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

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

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

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

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

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

impossibly true

Last night, Rhett asked Dad a question. 

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

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

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

yie! yie! yie! yie! yie!*

*

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

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

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

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

This is what I did yesterday:

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

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

One last picture:

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

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

You would be correct.

Have a great weekend! And stay warm! 

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

what is old becomes new again

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

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

And it definitely looks better than the before picture. 

Have a great day!

time for the merriment to begin

It is December!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

happy they are mine

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

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

Sigh.  My kids are the best.

thankfully, the time is here

Rhett says, "Gobble Gobble!"

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

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

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

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

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



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

did you know

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

celebrating mom

To my mom:

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

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

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

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

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


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

Moms are special healers that way.

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

already with the Christmas lists?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ones I'm sure I want  
1
2
3
6
7
9
10

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

Here is Noah's list:

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

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

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

Aimee. who loves her boys still.

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

Noah.
who does not like change.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Bad move, bud." I answered smugly.

picture update

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

I am working backwards here but here goes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It made Seth and I laugh.

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









Have a great Monday!

why I haven't blogged

THINK GREEN

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

What else? 

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

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

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

checking in

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

hello

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

This week, I am not laughing anymore. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

wishes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

inspired!

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

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

Have a great weekend!

you'll like this post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ramblings from the seat beside the sick bed

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

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

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

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

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

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

family gathering

...This past weekend, I went to Friona with the boys for a family reunion. You see, my grandfather has 5 brothers and sisters. They may be getting older now, but still find the time to get together.

I am amazed at how even though we are all older and the grandkids are having kids now, I feel the same as when I was a little girl and we would go to my great-grandparents house for get-togethers. The older women still gather in the kitchen, bustling around, all trying to set food up and later, clean dishes. The older men still gather in the living room, either to watch a game or talk about their golf game and how terrible they played that day. The younger couples and their parents sit close to the youngest children, watching them play and horse around and making sure they don't get hurt. It is different now because now I am no longer one of those children playing. My kids were some of the oldest children there. But I loved it. I loved getting to see my cousins and their families again (or meet their kids for the first time).

Here is a few reflections of my weekend:

*Full Circle

Friday night, the boys and I went with my brother, his son and my parents to the homecoming football game. Casey and I hadn't been back to watch a game since we graduated so it was a little strange and it made me feel old because I hardly knew anyone anymore. But it was fun to watch the boys, especially Rhett, watch their second cousin play football. They thought he was the bomb. So on Saturday night, it was such a thrill when Brenner (the football player himself!) played football with all the little cousins. Rhett was in heaven! Brenner earned a gold star that day. What is so neat about this whole story is that when Brenner was small, he loved going to the football games to watch Casey play! He was such a fan of Casey that only years later, did he realize Casey had a twin sister. Ha! Ha! Now Brenner has 3 fans, one of which is Casey's son. Very cool indeed.

*At least we can laugh about it

After the football game, we went to my grandparents house for a few minutes to see my cousin, Michelle and her kids. Michelle has three adorable children, two girls (one Rhett's age, one Noah's age) and a boy. Michelle and I were talking about school and of course, the subject turned to the flu as often is the case nowadays. Casey walked over and asked what we were talking about. After hearing that we were talking about the swine flu, Casey looks over at her third grade daughter, Baylen, and says, "What were those pigs thinking? Giving us the flu!" And she says back, quick as a whip, "I know! And I thought pigs were smart!" Hilarious!

*Four class reunions, lots of tractors, two queens, and a marching band

Saturday morning was Friona's Maize Days parade. The kids loved it because of all the candy that was thrown to them. Trailers full of people celebrating their class reunions passed by, some older than others, but all happy to be there. Miss Friona passed by and so did the homecoming queen, but they didn't throw candy, so the kids were not interested. Little Miss Friona did throw candy so she got a better response. It is all about the candy. One guy passed by throwing what it looked like the contents of his truck. Turns out it was notepads advertising his business. Next year, throw candy!

After the parade, we walked around the park where I bought my children whips. Indiana Jones whips. I know. What was I thinking? Hey, Rhett has only whipped himself once so far. :>

*Holly, the hero

Earlier last week, I emailed my friend, Holly, because I thought she might be going to the parade. She was so I asked a favor: get my kids Texas Tech jerseys! They are impossible to find in OKC, can you imagine that? Well, she came through and already, Rhett has worn his 3 times since Saturday. So thank you Holly. We are forever grateful!

save me

...Noah and Rhett were in charge of putting a pile of things away that were in the hallway and belonged to them. It wasn't a big pile. Maybe 10 small things. One of these things was a parrot sun catcher that I had received in the mail from some "save the birds" company. (I get things like this a lot: Save the wolves. Save the birds. Save the trees. Yeah, save some trees and quit sending me mail! Anywho.) I didn't want the sun catcher and told the boys it was theirs.

My mistake.

Not a minute later, I hear yells coming from their end of the house. I hear a cry, an "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!", and a "Leave me alone!" along with the door slamming. I knew it was about the parrot sun catcher. Why? Because it was something new to them and there was only one.

After assessing the situation, (Noah punched Rhett because he thought Rhett was going to throw something at him. Rhett didn't throw something at him until he did but he missed so it doesn't count, right? After apologizing to each other, although Noah had already apologized three times but only because he didn't want to get in trouble so he reluctantly did it again), I took back the sun catcher that had caused the trouble.

When will I learn?

check this out

...If you like games and music and even more, if you like to make your own music, then you must give this a try. It is kind of addicting.

Raindrop Melody Maker

The game if from Lullatone (http://www.lullatone.com/). They like to make stuff. It says so on their blog.

a birthday list

...Today is my birthday. I have to be honest-I am not quite as excited that I am one year older as I had been in the past. But that is okay. To celebrate my day, here is a list from this past year:



Things I love that I swore that I never (which sort of makes me a hypocrite)
-Diet Coke.
-Texting. I love texting now that I have a keyboard on my phone! I can text my sister in NC! I can text Seth at work! I can text my neighbor across the street! It is so great.

One Thing I have heard from my son which I had hoped I would never
-Mom, M_____ (a 3 year old neighbor) took her shirt off which is okay because at least she doesn't have her, you know, yet. Funny, I didn't know you had to grow those. I thought they just appeared. -Noah, yesterday, after spending time at a friend's house

Places I have gone and would go to again
-New York
-Washington D.C.

Places I have gone and swore that I would never again but did
-Oklahoma State Fair (Picture this, three heavy-set boys with Mohawks, wearing OU sleeveless jerseys with matching athletic shorts walking around with two women, one pregnant, one older, both of which are wearing tie-dyed dresses. Awesome)

Favorite thing to do with my kids
-Play the Wii. Now, we have Beatles Rockband which is so much fun! Thanks sweetie!

Favorite thing to do when my kids are asleep
-Play the Wii. What? Beatles Rockband!!

Books I read that I didn't think I liked but ended up loving
-The Twilight Saga

Books I read again because I still love
-Harry Potter

Book I recently read that made me a little less naive about the world
-Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot

Favorite Musician
-Joshua Radin

Song that my sons like but I wish they didn't
-Poker Face by Lady Gaga

Current Events that my sons were interested in and wanted to know more about
-Obama becoming President
-Micheal Jackson's death
-40th Anniversary of NASA landing on the moon

Something Cool that happened this year
-Meeting Astronaut Alan Bean and having my kids shake his hand. He also told Rhett he liked his shirt. Sweet.

An I was there when it all went down moment (actually this happened a week before my birthday last year, but it still counts bc I didn't do this list last birthday)
-Walking by Lehman Brothers after attending a broadway show in NYC and seeing all the tv cameras pointed at the building. I had no clue on what happened but we all knew it wasn't good. And we were right.

Still the best thing I am doing with my life
-Being a mom to Rhett and Noah and Seth's wife (of 11 years!!!)

our Wednesday

...Wednesdays are our free day, meaning we don't have any activities that we have to do. I like that it is in the middle of the week. It gives the boys a nice break. The last post I mentioned something about building a lego ship. I actually have been building all of the boys' lego sets again. Mainly because Rhett wanted me too but also because it was bugging me that they weren't built.

Anyway, the boys have been building things with me. I told them that we could check out the new Lego Store that is at one of the malls on our free day. So yesterday, we picked up Seth after work and went.

It is a very cool store and the boys each picked a small set for themselves. Last night, they got to work:

It was a great day.