Lemonade

02.09.12

2012-02-09T19:58:00.002-07:00

Today was the Day

All My Biggest, Fondest,

Flash Mob Dreams

Came True!

[Who Doesn't Want to be Part of a Flash Mob?!]

And?

We Got to Do it in Our

Running Attire!

[Seriously, Does it Get any Better than This?!]

[Me Far Left, with Flash Mobby Friends]

Sigh.

I Don't Think I have Any Dreams Left to Dream,

They've all Come True!

Flash Mob Dance?

Check.

Someday

2012-02-05T23:35:00.004-07:00

I Will Put the Family pictures on Here, that We had Taken Back in October.

And

I Will Start the Re-Do on My Bedroom and Master Bathroom, that I've been Thinking about Since Christmas.

Sigh. Someday, Guys. Someday.

Today

2012-02-05T23:15:00.002-07:00

B was Coloring on Some Papers for School.

Youngest Brother, J, Decides He would like to Color, too.

Grabs a Marker,

and a Page,

and Happily Colors Away.

On B's School Page.

B was Quite Upset and let Little Brother Know.

J Leaves the Room,

Heartbroken and Crying.

I Watched B to See What He Would Do,

Being so Angry about his Ruined Schoolwork.

He thought a Moment, Grabbed a Paper and a Pen,

and Drew Three Pictures.

Then Called 4 yr Old J in,

and Said,

"Here, You can Color on These"

And Once Again, He Happily Colored Away.

My Heart Melted and My Eyes Watered and I Had to let B Know that

I was Proud of Him,

and I Loved Him.

02.05.2012

2012-02-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

Skype:

How Some People Watched the

Super Bowl

Chess

2012-01-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

While on His Lastest Adventure to China,

Spouse picked up a Cool little Chess Set,

as a Gift for Someone.

As we took it out to Admire it,

9 yr Old says He Knows how to Play Chess.

No.

None of Us Know how to Play Chess,

in this Household.

I Stand Corrected.

9 yr. Old Taught Us All How to Play Chess, Today.

Says He Learned How in First Grade.

And Yah,

The Kid Knows how to Play.

We Played All Day.

[Reckon' We'll be Keeping the Chess Set]

You've Had a Birthday!

2012-01-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Birthdays at Our House,

Always Start with Breakfast in Bed

with the

Whole Gang!

[Can You Tell Who the Birthday Boy is?]

Fortunately for Me,

I got to take the Birthday Boy on a Hot Date.

We Spent the Evening with Friends,

Eating Yummy Italian Food,

at a Fun Table Set Up

In the KITCHEN of the Restaurant,

Wolfing Down Chocolate Cake,

and Then Laughing Till

Our Eyes Watered and Our Sides Ached

With the Humor of Brian Regan.

{Happy Birthday!}

On a Side Note:

2012-01-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

The Boys Graduated

from their High Blue Belts,

to Their Brown Belts.

Uh, Their Mom, Just hasn't Uploaded her Pictures, Yet.

iSpace

2012-01-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

...Here We Go!

Football-ers

2012-01-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Game Faces

{RAWR}

After School One Afternoon,

C Asked Me to Play a Round of Football with Him.

Um,

After I Got the Ball back from My Horrible Attempt at a Drop Kick,

that sent it Over the Fence the Wrong Way,

We had Ourselves a Good Little Game.

I Didn't Go Easy on Him,

and I Tackled the Dicken's Out of Him!

However,

He Won Me.

19-21.

[Good Times]

Tray Makeover

2012-01-12T20:27:00.002-07:00

Been Wanting to do a Paint Job-y on an Old Breakfast Tray,

First, I Tried to Remove the Legs,

but They didn't Budge,

So I've Just Secured Them Underneath,

(You May have Better Luck with Yours!)

Then,

I Sanded The Whole Thing,

Just Enough to Remove the Shine,

and Scratch it Up a bit to Give the New Paint Some Grip,

Then I Primed it,

Painted it a Light Gray Color,

and Used My Tinted Glaze to Add the Ever Loving Details!

[I Use a Tintable Glaze,

that I had Tinted the Color: Fired Earth by Valspar.

Same Thing I've Used to Antique My White Cupboards,

and other Furniture!]

Decided I Could Use Some

2012-01-12T20:18:00.002-07:00

Aqua

in My January Decor

So,

I Grabbed Some Ribbon,

Some Spray Paint,

and

Some Miscellaneous Items,

that I Thought Could Use a New Splash of Color.

HaPpY NeW YeAr!

2012-01-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

We Hosted a New Years Eve Party

And When the Clock Struck Midnight

[Eh-Hem..9:30]

The Place Exploded

{CONFETTI}

Christmas

2011-12-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

It is Tradition at Our House,
that When It is Your Birthday,
You Get Sweet Rolls and Breakfast in Bed;

Hence,

Christmas Morning

Always Starts with Sweet Rolls,

and Singing

"Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Because We had Church at 9AM,

We Got All Fixed Up and Sweet Roll-ed,

Before We could Peek at What the Jolly Ol' Elf Brought!

{SURPRISE!}

After Checking Out the New Goods and Stockings,

I Pulled Out a New Christmas Tie for Each of My Gang

[And Then We Went to Church]

And Upon Our Return Home,

This is How We Christmas-ed:

{Merry Christmas}

We Were Glad to Have Grandpa T and Aunt K Join Us

for Christmas Eve, Church, and our Christmas Day Festivities.

We Ended the Day with a Trip Out to the Cemetery,

To Wish Merry Christmas to Ryan's Mom,

Whom We Lost

just 12 Weeks Before Christmas.

We Sure Missed Her

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

Traditions:

{Christmas Eve Morning Breakfast & Family Gift Exchange}

{Christmas Eve PJ's}

{The Nativity Story}

{Milk & Cookies for Santa}

{...And His Helpers, Who Stayed Up till 2AM Putting Stuff Together!}

To: Each of YOU

2011-12-22T23:04:00.003-07:00

May Your Christmas be Merry & Bright

Photo: jackiestringham.blogspot.com

Homemade Christmasy Things:

2011-12-21T23:32:00.000-07:00

{Carmel Apples & Gift Tags}

Important Mail Box Business

2011-12-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

Letters to Santa.

Cookies Galore

2011-12-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

In Keeping with Grandma T's Cookie Making Tradtion,

Aunt K. had all the Grandkids over for an Afternoon of

Cookie Making Mayhem,

to Allow their Parents to Christmas Shop!

Thanks Aunt K. for Keeping the Tradition Alive and Kicking!

Christmas Card Clothesline

2011-12-15T23:25:00.003-07:00

I Love Getting Christmas Cards!

{Rope & Clothespins}

Primitive Christmas Tree Garland

2011-12-15T22:31:00.004-07:00

I made this Garland Several Years Ago,

and its One of My Favorite Things to put on My Christmas Tree

I used String and/or a Thin Ribbon to Thread Together

Dried Apples, Oranges, Buttons, and

Dried Cinnamon/Applesauce Cutouts and Beads.

I also added a Tie Fabric Here and There.

I made Several Strands of the Garland

not One Long One,

as it tends to be a Little Heavy.

To Make the Apple-Cinnamon Cutouts:

Combine

1 Cup Applesauce

1 Cup Cinnamon

Until Smooth

Divide into Two Portions and Roll Out.

Cut out Shapes or Form Beads,

{Make Sure to Use a Straw or Toothpick to Make Holes}

Bake at 150 for 3-4 Hours, Until Center Looks Dry.

Remove and Let Cool.

To Make the Apple Cutouts:

I Sliced an Apple, and Used a Small Heart Shape Cookie Cutter,

Let the Apples Dry on a Rack or use a Dehydrator.

For Dry Orange Slices:

Thinly Slice an Orange,

Let Dry on Rack or use Dehydrator

If You Have Leftover Pieces or Don't Want to Do the Garland,

Simply Add an Ornament Hook to Dried Pieces.

Ornamental Oranges

2011-12-14T23:34:00.002-07:00

Slice, Dry, Hook, Hang.

Merry Mass Exodus

2011-12-14T23:26:00.004-07:00

Of the Christmas Cards

[Good Luck Lil' Fellas]

Tis the Season

2011-12-09T23:20:00.001-07:00

We Spent a December-y Friday Evening

Making Cookies,

Watching a Christmas Movie,

and Wrapping Presents.

{I Love Christmas!}

Pretzel Rods

2011-12-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

All Through the House

2011-12-06T15:40:00.002-07:00

{A Few of My Favorite Things}

12.05.11

2011-12-05T23:25:00.002-07:00

Grabbed a Group of Friends,
Bundled Up to Our Eyelashes,
Braved the 19 Degree Temperature,
Jumped on the Public Transportation,

And Went to Marvel at the Downtown Lights

{Sparkly}

Christmas Kick-Off Getaway!

2011-12-05T23:01:00.005-07:00

We thought it would be Fun to Start a New Tradition

and take a Weekend,

and Go Stay at a

Nearby Hotel

(4 Miles from Home!)

And Go Do Fun Holiday-y Things.

First Stop:

The Movies.

Then We Filled the Rest of the Evening With

Dinner and Swimming.

The Next Day?

More Swimming,

Christmas Shopping,

And Chocolates

Then We Returned Home,

Filled the House with Friends,

A Service Project,

Hot Chocolate,

and

Laughing Till Our Gills Hurt.

Christmas Tree-ed

2011-12-01T22:46:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T22:07:00.003-07:00

{Giving Thanks}

Returned to My Ol' Hometown

for the

Big Feast

I Somehow Managed to Talk My Younger Sister and Spouse

into Doing a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K.

It was my Sister's First Time Running that Far,

and She Worked Hard for Every Mile,

and Didn't Stop!

I was SOoo Proud of Her!

While we were Out

Getting Our Run On,

My Mom Kept the Household Busy

Making

TURKEYS!

Other T-Day Favorites:

Pie

Gingerbread House Crafting

And a

Turkey Bowl

We Spent the Rest of the Weekend

at Black Friday Sales,

Visiting,

and

Watching Chick Flicks.

We Took My Mom to See

For Her Birthday!

And She Spoiled Us with a Breakfast of

Danish Ableskiver

[aka Pancake Balls]

Oh,

and What Family Gathering is Complete

without a

Monogrammed Plastic Cup Line-Up?

Ta-Da!

Q&A

2011-11-17T22:30:00.003-07:00

I am REALLY Bad at Answering Questions!
I Don't have Comments Linked to My Email,
So I Only Know if I have a Question or Comment by Checking the Actual Post.
Which I Don't Get Around to Doing Very Often.
Sorry! [Does Anyone Know how to Fix that?]

So Here's a Run Down of Your Questions,
and Me Striving to Answer Them:

DWilmes asked What Kind of Floor I Have: Mannington Golden Nugget with French Bleed

JessCrafts asked about the End Panel of the Cupboards: I Sanded them EXTREMELY well, then Painted them to match the Rest.

JennaLeigh asked How I Did the Beadboard in the Cupboards: Check out My "Kitchen Cupboard MakeOver Part II (There's a Link on My Sidebar)

Msstitch asked for Ideas about putting BeadBoard on a Cupboard with a Raised Center Panel: My Initial Idea is to put beadboard on the raised panel, then put a little trim piece running all the way around the raised panel part, to conceal the beadboard edge. Does that Make Sense? Not Sure if that would work without seeing it, but maybe something to consider?

Rgass asked about how I shot the base Cupboards, if I took them outside: I think You're asking how I took the Picture? The Only part(s) I took outside were the doors and drawers. The other part may look like its outside, because I had light flooring, before I replaced it. Did I Understand the Question Right?

And To EVERYONE who has Been So Kind to Leave a Nice Note: Thank YOU! Your Kind Comments and Friendship just Bring a Smile to My Face!

[Edit] I think I Figured out how to Get Notifications when Someone leaves a Comment/Question. Hopefully This Will Help Me, to Help YOU!

Dance Class

2011-11-16T22:17:00.003-07:00

Don't Believe I've Mentioned
that I've Started Going to a Dance Class.

For Old Ladies.

Just Like Myself.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

We Went to a

Veteran's Day

Program at the Kids' School.

B Won an Award for his ArtWork!

[That's My Artsy, Smarty Scientist!]

On a Side Note:

Celebrating Veterans

Always Chokes Me Up.

I have so Much Admiration and Gratitude for them!

Later that Evening,

We Surprised Pa T,

with a Little Veterans Program,

We Put Together

to Honor Him Being a Veteran.

[He LOVED It!]

Then We Took Him out to Dinner.

[He Probably LOVED that More!]

Kick Off to Christmas

2011-11-10T22:09:00.002-07:00

Had Family Over Tonight,
for a Kick-Off to Christmas Evening.
[Yes. Weeks Before Thanksgiving.]

We had:

Christmas Music,

Christmas Cookies,

Christmas Lights,

and

We Set Up Our Christmas Village.

[Which Has Taken Over My Front Room,]

[and Rendered]

[My Sofa Useless].

Ran My 300th Mile

2011-11-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today.

Home

2011-11-01T21:45:00.000-06:00

Kansas City CHIEFS

2011-10-31T21:08:00.001-06:00

{MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!}

Being from the Kansas City Area,

Who Our Favorite NFL Team is!

The Monday Night Football

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Game

Was the Highlight of Our Trip.

Can You Say

EXCITED?
It was on Halloween Night,

But Nobody Complained about Missing out on Trick or Treating!

Here's How our "Halloween Party" Went:

[The Program]

[The Costumes]

[The Party Goers]

[The Party Place]

[The Main Party Attraction]

And

[The Party Pooper]

Cause Every Party has One.

We Could Not Have Asked for a Better Game Experience!

The Crowd Around Us LOVED

Seeing the KIDS,

Talking with Them,

and Hi-Fiving Them after Each Good Play.

The Game was AWESOME!

It was Neck and Neck,

and In the Last Minute,

It Looked Like We were Going Home LOSERS.

BUT,

Then a FUMBLE,

and We went Into

OVERTIME

and the

CHIEFS

Pulled Out a

WIN!

So. Much. FUN.

Kansas City {Cont'd}

2011-10-30T22:33:00.002-06:00

Day 2

Visiting the Old Homestead

The Family went to Visit the Home where Ryan Grew Up.

It was a little More Run Down,

than had been Hoped,

But He was Still Able to Show the Boys,

the Lake, Creek and Forest area

that He is always Telling them Stories about.

They even Tossed a Football Around,

for Good Ol' Times Sake!

Then We Explored the Old Town,

and Hit Up an Old Favorite:

The Dari B

Our Accommodations that Night

Were at the Old Elms Hotel.

When We Arrived that Evening,

They said the Hotel was Closing the Next Day

for a $16Million Renovation.

It has a bit of Interesting History,

and Beautiful Grounds!

That Evening,

the Family Met in the Upper Lounge Area,

and We Snacked while We Played Charades,

and Several Hilarious Rounds of Dance Freeze

(think of Dancing, then Freezing when the Music Stops!)

So Much Fun!

A Beautiful Day!

Kansas City Day 1

2011-10-29T22:42:00.001-06:00

First Stop:

A Good Ol' Friend's House!

and

Tractor Rides!

Then

WORLDS of FUN

HightLights:

B and C Rode all the Scary Rides. Mom Did Not. Grandpa Did.

J Loved Riding in Grandpa's Cart with Him.

J also Wanted to go on the Carousel. Sooo Bad.

C Got Stung in the Ear = Swollen Ear and Trip to First Aid Station.

Lots of Stuffed Animals.

Funnel Cake.

Then?

Hit up a Trunk or Treat

{Harry Potter, Vampire & Indiana Jones}

Also,

Funny thing,

While at this Trunk or Treat,

Eating Dinner,

We Happen to be Sitting at the Same Table as

My Cousin Caryn and Her Family!

What a Surprise! So Funny what a Small World it Is!

Kansas City Here We Come!

2011-10-28T16:08:00.001-06:00

10.28.2011

{The Rowdy Bunch in Rows 15 & 16}

We Took a Quick Trip Home to Ryan's Motherland.

We Went Over a Weekend,

and the

Main Attraction?

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME!

We Were ALL

EXCITED!

Pinewood Derby

2011-10-26T16:22:00.001-06:00

Our First Derby

10.26.11

B's Car did Fairly Well,

and

We Even Have a Guest Driver:

Good Ol' George Washington!

See Your Strength & Beauty Everest Run

2011-10-21T22:28:00.000-06:00

For My Birthday,

I Had Decided that I Wanted to Get Up

and Run a Steep Hill that is

Affectionately called "Everest" Around these Parts.

I had Always Fancied it as Something Only the Crazy Runners were Up Doing,

but Since then, I have Run it, too.

It's Pretty Serious.

I Threw it Out to Any Friends,

Who wanted to Come with Me for

My Running Birthday Party.

So, with a Couple of Party Goers,

We Headed out Early

on a Chilly October Morning,

and

We Stormed that Hill.

See Your STRENGTH & BEAUTY Everest Run

{Me Far Right}

I LOVE this Picture!

Ryan had Gotten up Early,

and Met Us at the Top

with Oranges and Water,

[Treats for My Party Guests]

We Partied

(aka Took a Break)

and Looked Down at the Pre-Dawn City Lights Below Us.

Then we Bulleted Back Down.

Ryan again, Surprised Us,

with Smoothies and Crescents at the End of the Course.

He Truly Went out of His Way,

to Make this Fun for Me!

I Truly LOVED Doing This!

"It is a Shame for a [Woman] to Grow Old,

Without Ever Seeing the

STRENGTH & BEAUTY

of which Her Body is Capable."

~Socrates

Oh, and My Party Favors?

That Quote,

with Bundles of Chocolate Cake.

[It is MY Party, After all]

Pumpkin Patching

2011-10-19T22:08:00.000-06:00

10.19.11

{PUMPKIN PATCH}

{Pumpkins IN the Patch}

{TRICKS}

{TREATS}

And

Spooky Glowing Corn Maze Eyes

Look Who's 4!

2011-10-17T22:14:00.001-06:00

Breakfast in Bed,
and

Toys Galore!

Hoo-Ray!

{Happy Birthday}

Sunday Evening Drive

2011-10-16T22:05:00.001-06:00

Through the Canyons

to See the Colors of Fall.

10.16.11

Today

2011-10-15T21:26:00.002-06:00

Night of the Running Dead 5k

I was able to talk a group of Friends into doing a Zombie Run with Us!

You could register as a Human, or a Un-Dead.

The Humans got a 2 Minute Head Start,

then the Zombies were off for a Chase!

The Girls {Humans}

The Guys {Zombies!}

{Zombie-ness}

And Afterwards?

{Ice Cream for ALL!}

Thanks Friends!

[Can I talk You Into Doing it Again, Next Year?]

Date Night

2011-10-15T20:22:00.002-06:00

10.14.11

Friends. Dinner. Vespas.

Fall Wreath

2011-10-15T20:07:00.002-06:00

Saw this in My

Lowe's Outdoor Living Magaziney

Gave it a Whirl

EASY.

Took Me 25 Minutes,

and most of that time

was spent on deciding how Long I

Wanted to Go on the Ribbon.

{Ceiling Medallion. Spray Paint. Ribbon.}

Mini Wreaths

2011-10-15T12:35:00.003-06:00

I LOVE to Decorate with Wreaths!
Here is How-to for the Mini Wreaths, I did for My Cupboards-
Cause, They needed a little Wreath-ness!

I Couldn't find little Wreaths,

so I used a plain stick garland,

that was all rolled up at the store,

in the perfect little round, wreath-like bundle.

But I Didn't unwind the Garland,

Instead,

I bought a bundle of the Greens that I Liked

{this Cute Stuff was Eucalyptus}

and I clipped it apart and Wired it to

the bare wreath Base.

(Remember, I used something that was intended to be unrolled and used as a Garland, not an actual wreath!)

For the Over the Door Look,

I Used one of Those 3M Scotch Hooks,

Upside Down,

So I could Loop the Ribbon Onto it!

{Wah-La!}

Q&A

2011-10-15T12:27:00.003-06:00

This is for Brindy, who asked if I did the Cupboards with a Paint Brush or Spray? I used a paint brush for the primer coats, then I used a Foam Roller Brush for the Paint Color and Clear Coats, it give a smooth finish.

For Cindy, who asked about the Flooring: It's Mannington's Golden Nugget, with French Bleed.

Susan asked if I used Oil or Latex Paint on the Wood Cupboards: Latex

Moving Up in the Ranks

2011-10-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

10.11.11

So Long Blue Belts,

Hello,

Hight Blue Belts!

LOVE Your BODY 10K

2011-10-09T16:00:00.009-06:00

About a Month ago, My Friend asked Me if I wanted to do a 10K with Her. She's always asking Me to Run Races of Insane Distances with Her, and I Always turn Her Down. But not this Time. THIS time I was Like, "Self, Why Not? You've Been Running all Summer and You Won't Feel Like Doing it After You Slack all Winter. Why Not NOW?! It's Now or Never- Just Do it for Pete's Sake!"
So, I Got up the Next Day, and Ran My Usual 3.5 Miles, plus Two More Miles (total of 5.5 miles) and I Felt Great! I Called Her Up, and Said I'd Give it a Whirl. We'd Run on Our Own during the Week, but Saturday Mornings, We'd Meet and Run our Little Hearts Out. I've Run Places and Distances and Hills that I Didn't Think I Could. I've Got Awesome Calluses in New Places, Black and Blue Toe Nails, and I've Started to Crush on Running. It's Become so Exciting for Me!

Yesterday was Our 10K.

It was Rainy, and Chilly and Full of Hills!

But

I DID IT!

[Brace Yourself for Onslaught of Pics]

{FINISHER}

Time: 59:09.3

Ave Pace: 9:31

18th Out of 92 in My Age Group

I Got a Nose Bleed Right after We Started. That's Never Happened! Luckily, We Didn't Miss a Step, as My Running Friend had Tissue! Not to Mention, she Lugged around our Water, and our Energy Snackies, Bless Her!

Notice Two Things from the Pictures:

A) When You Breed You have a Built in Fan Club

and

B) Looks Like the Spouses Kept the Kids Busy Making Posters, While they all Froze and Waited!

Run a Freakin' 10K?

Check.

Q&A

2011-10-08T17:21:00.002-06:00

This is For L. Jones, Who Asked: What the Color in My Kitchen was:
"Sag Harbor" by Valspar. This is the Green Color on the Long Wall, is that the Color You Wanted?

To Sarah, Who Asked: The name of the Thin Brick I used on My Back Splash
and How Much it Cost?
The Brick I Used was Called "Oxford". It was actually a Whole Brick Variety, that they Cut for Us, so it Cost a Wee Bit More (1.00 per Brick, rather than the .60 of the Thin Brick Variety) But With the Cost of the Newly Cut Thin Brick, and the Supplies (the Chicken Wire, Thin Set, and Mortar) it was around $100 for the Whole Project. I Bought 85 Bricks. I Took them My Measurements, and they helped Me Figure Out How many I would Need. It's Amazing what a Difference $100 can Make!

For Brown, Who asked about the Chicken Wire: It's a Type that they use for Tile. So it has little cups, kind of, that are made to hold onto the thin set and hold Mortar for the Bricks. It's Worked Awesome. No Problems- Good and Sturdy!

To Bre, Who asked if She Could Paint those Cupboards ANY Color?
My Personal Opinion? GO For It!!

And Tausha, Who Asked about My Mini Wreaths. I'm Working up a How-To, just for YOU!

And to Everyone Who has Left an Encouraging Note and Pleasantness- THANK YOU!

You've Had a Birthday

2011-10-08T17:04:00.004-06:00

Shout Hoo-RAY!

Look Who's 9!

It's Tradition at Our House,

that When You're the Birthday Boy,

(or Girl, in My Case!)

You Get to Have Breakfast in Bed

with the

Whole Family!

B Wanted to have a

{SUPER SECRET SPY}

Birthday Party

We Tossed Some Ninjas,

Wrote Notes with Invisible Ink,

and Tried out Some Walkie-Talkies,

and Disguises!

(Unfortuantely it was a Rainy, Cold Day, so we Had to Skip some of the Super Secret Spy Fun-ness!)

Oh,

and if

Anyone Asks,

This Never Happened.

Just Sayin'.

{An Angel is Welcomed To Heaven}

2011-10-01T12:29:00.005-06:00

September 24th, 2011
We Lost Ryan's Mom.

Marilyn Timmons

1941-2011

She was Plagued with Health Problems Her Whole Life, Including, being the First Known Case of Polio in the State of Idaho, Severe Asthma, Spinal Meningitis, and Congestive Heart Failure. She Also Lost Her Mother suddenly, when she was only 16, and became a Mother Figure to her two younger sisters, the youngest being only 6 years old.

Despite Her health Complications, she Married, and Raised Three Sons. She was a Master of Jokes, Bright Ideas, Silly Games, and Providing Love, Friendship and Smiles to Anyone, and Everyone, though She, Herself, was often in Pain.

If You Look up "Devoted Mother" in the Dictionary, You Will See Her Picture. I have NO Doubt that her World was her Family. My Husband tells me of the Popular Sleep Overs at His House, where His Mom was Always Present and Laughing and Joking with His Friends. She would Declare a "Snow Day", and let Ryan stay home from School, just so they could Hang Out and Have a Good Time together. She Allowed her Front Room, to be Decorated in Michael Jackson Posters and Football Cards. She Cherished every Note and Visit from her Boys and Grandchildren as They've Grown, and She was So Proud of Each of Them. A Couple of Weeks Before Her Passing, she mentioned to Ryan that Her Love for him, just Left Her "Star-Struck" when He was Around.

She Would take the 8 Grand kids on Grand Shopping Adventures to the Toy Store, and Movies, and held an Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Afternoon, to allow the Parents to go Christmas Shopping while she kept the Kids busy. She Frequently Watched our Boys for Us, so we Could go on a Date. She would have Crafts or Races and Various Activities and Prizes Planned for them. She was So Full of Energy and Life, for a Body that Wouldn't Allow her to get around Like she would have liked in her later Years, especially the Last Several Months.

As we Returned from Vegas, we were met with the news that she was in the Hospital, due to Heart and Lung complications. She spent the Week there, and we went to Visit Her on a Few Occasions, and Could Tell she was Feeling Stronger and Much Better. However, after Being Released and Driving to their nearby Home, an Accident Occurred that left Her with a Head Injury and when the Paramedics arrived, they were Required to use CPR to Revive Her, though she would never gain Consciousness.

Her Heart would Stop Again, that Night, as Her Family Came together to Rally Around and Pray for her, Hoping she Could Hang on, Until her Oldest Son could Arrive from China. However, at Midnight, when Her Dear Loving Heart Stopped for the 3rd and Final Time,

it was Decided to Let Her Go.
She is Missed Very Much.

"Wherever a Beautiful Soul has Been,

There is a Trail of Beautiful Memories."

-Author Unknown

Las Vegas

2011-10-01T11:42:00.004-06:00

September 11-15th

We Flew to Vegas

For a Convention

for Ryan's Work.

While He Attended Day Classes/Meetings

[Big Yawner!]

I had a Great Time with My Sister-in-Law

Lazing at The Pool,

Getting Our Nails Done,

Working Out,

and

Visiting the

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar & Shop.

One Night We Went to

The House of Blues

for Dinner and Some Blue-sy Music.

Then We Walked

"The Strip"

and

Found a Place for Some Great Dancing!

The Final Night Banquet

is Always a Fancy Evening

[Us]

and

Concert

[Sheryl Crow]

Then Our Lil' Vacation Was Over.

Next Year's Convention?

San Antonio, TX

Yeee-Haw!

The Welcome Mat

2011-09-30T18:23:00.003-06:00

is Out to All My New Followers!

Holy Smokes.

I've Been Kind of Busy, and Haven't Checked the Ol' Blog (or Posted) for a While,

and When I come Back to Jot..er..Type a Few Words of Our Going Ons,

I'm Rather Surprised (Stunned? Shocked?)

to See that My Followers had Jumped

by Leaps and Bounds.

I Think Most of You (My Fine, New Friends)

were Directed by Pinterest to My Home Projects,

and Decided to Stick Around.

I have Received a few Questions,

and I'll Get to Those, I Promise,

I Just Wanted to Say,

"Hey Friends, Welcome!"

and

{Thank You}

Nacho Night

2011-09-30T16:23:00.000-06:00

Sept. 30, 2011

The Last Friday of the Month

at Our House,

is Excitably Known as

Nacho Night

There's Only TWO Nacho Night Rules:

1) Everyone in Their Jammies

2) Kids Pick the Movie

(and My Personal Favorite)

3) Eat as Many Nachos as You Can!

This Month's Nacho Night Notes:

Featured Film: Star Wars The Phantom Menace

and

Guest Appearance by Grandpa T.

Fort Business:

2011-09-15T13:15:00.007-06:00

Ryan and His Dad,
Worked throughout the Summer
to Build a Fort for the Boys-
( And All the Kids in our Hood, Shall We Say?)
Here's a Tour:

Visitor Sign-In

Now, Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Hear?!

200th Mile

2011-08-29T16:12:00.002-06:00

Today I Ran My 200th Mile!
Seventeen Months Ago,
I Got Up,
and Went for a Run
for the First Time in My Life.
It was the First 1.66 Miles,
I had Ever Run.
I Had NEVER Wanted to Run.
Now,
by My Own Two Feet,
Thunder Thighs,
Oatmeal Squares,
and Sheer Will Power,
I have Run Over 200 Miles.
Never Thought I Could.
Ever.
--
PS Doing My First 10K in October. I'm Pretty Excited.

Soccer Season

2011-08-27T16:26:00.000-06:00

Has Begun.

Nacho Night

2011-08-26T16:05:00.002-06:00

Haven't Posted a Picture

of Our Monthly Nacho Night

In a While,

So Here Ya Go!

Nacho Night

August 26, 2011

Feature Film: Gulliver's Travels

Was Greeted By

2011-08-26T15:59:00.000-06:00

My Fan Club,

Early One Morning,

Upon My Arrival Home

from

Running.

[It was My Longest Run (almost 6 Miles), and I was Thrilled by Such a Welcoming!]

Randomness

2011-08-22T15:41:00.000-06:00

A Picture of ME

By 8yr. Old B

[Quite Acurate, No?]

7yr. Old C

Has Sweat Bands

that He Loves to Sport Around

and

3yr. Old J

Spent One Morning,

Asking to Go to the Store,

to Get Some Car Magazines.

You Know,

the Kind that are FREE

and Full of Car Ads?

He Loves to Circle the Cars,

and Color on Them.

08.09.2011

2011-08-09T15:45:00.001-06:00

LOVE the Enthusiasm?

{Post PreSchool Lunch Date}

First Day of School

2011-07-26T15:31:00.002-06:00

July 26, 2011

{2nd Grade}

{3rd Grade}

One of My Back to School Traditions

is to Make a Special Treat,

or Prize

and

Write a Special "Back to School" Note,

and Have it Waiting for Them,

on Their Pillow,

when They Get Home from School That First Day.

Gives Them Something to Look Forward To,

and It Gives Me an Extra Opportunity,

to Tell Them I Think They're Pretty Special.

School Shopping Extravaganza

2011-07-25T22:56:00.001-06:00

{1st Annual}
We Have Decided on a New Tradition.
Growing Up,
We Each Recall that Back to School Shopping was
Something Special & Exciting.
Because We Have Year Round School,
and Our Summer Break is 3 WEEKS,
I Usually Squeeze it in at Random Times During the Break-
Nothing Spectacular to Write Home 'Bout.

But this Year,

We Decided on a Change.

We Got a Hotel,

4 Miles from Home

[We Could See our Neighborhood Out the Window!]

and Close to Shopping.

The First Evening We Spent

Getting New Back Packs & Threads.

Then We Enjoyed Dinner

Outside on a Patio at a Close-by Grill,

Enjoying the Live Band,

and Cool Summer Evening.

Back at the Hotel,

We Went Swimming,

and Stayed Up Late Watching a Movie.

The Next Morning,

We Had More Swimming,

and then Headed Out

For MORE Shopping,

{New Shoes and Fun in the Dressing Room!}

We Hit Up the New Cars 2 Movie,

and More Dinner,

Before Heading for Home.

It was Fun to Give the Boys

such a

School Shopping Treat!

We Loved it!

Float-ees

2011-07-25T22:41:00.000-06:00

The Completed Float Edition:

{At the Thing, for the Thingy, Before the BIG Thing}

{Where Apparently, I'm Awesome at Face Painting. Yes. We All have Hidden Gems}

Before the Launch of the Finished Floats

for the Big Parade,

They Gather Them All Together,

for a Float Preview,

A Free Opportunity for the Community,

to Come Check out the Floats,

and Cast Votes,

in Various Categories.

We Won

"People's Choice Award"

It was a Choice Opportunity

to Learn what Goes into Making One of These Razzle Dazzle Things,

and I'm Glad I got to Help Out!

{Happy Anniversary}

2011-07-24T17:12:00.003-06:00

Headed Down Town for the Evening
To Get Our Delicious Eats On Here:

Look!

They Printed a Special Menu for Us!

We Scarfed Down the

Albacore Tuna & Avocado Tartare

and

Thought the Salmon with Cucumber Tzatziki

and Steak
Were To Die For!

We Ended the Delightful Evening

Thoroughly Stuffed!

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-24T16:45:00.002-06:00

My New 7 Yr. Old

Army Birthday Party

{Everyone Got in on the Action}

Dinner and Games

{Happy Birthday C!}

The Rest of the Story

2011-07-18T22:07:00.002-06:00

Ok, ok!!! I have received thousands of requests since Jeralyn did the anniversary post. Please promise me if I tell the rest of the story that you will stop calling me, stop texting me and stop peeking through our windows.

So, I will admit that I had tried to politely break up with this foxy lady but she didn't quite get the hint. So, as she said I reluctantly told her to go fly a kite, err..I mean I agreed to go fly kites with her.

It was freezing cold and I had only one thing on my mind and that was trying to figure out the shortest amount of time to fly kites without seeming rude. I know that sounds awful but I had to end this somehow without hurting her feelings because she was, of course, so sweet.

So I'm sitting there thinking this and we really weren't saying hardly anything at all and then something really weird happened. All of a sudden I looked at her and something instantly changed inside me. I remember thinking, "are you stupid, this girl is amazing". It was like she had a little glow around her and from that moment on, I was completely smitten. I didn't want her to leave my side.

I didn't say anything once I felt this way at the park but I remember thinking that I wanted to take her to dinner and I wanted it to be as far away as possible so that I could feel this way for the rest of the night.

So that's it. I'm no expert blogger like my girlie girl but hopefully you can tell how in love I was with her. Now, here we are 13 years later and I realize how lucky I was to snag someone like that. She is definitely a keeper!!

2011-07-18T15:08:00.003-06:00

Spent the 13th Anniversary

Picking Up the Groom from the Airport,

And?

I Think I May Have Him Talked

Into Doing a Ditty

to Answer Everyone's Burning Question:

"Why?"

13 Years

2011-07-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

The Story of Us

2011-07-15T16:59:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow We Celebrate our 13th Wedding Anniversary.
And I Thought I'd Share the Story of How We Met.
It Goes a Little Something Like This:

We Met at College. I was a Freshman, He was the Equivalent of a Senior.
We Knew Each other Through Our Roommates. They were all Dating Each Other, to put it in Summary Form.
He had a Girlfriend, I had a Long Distance Boyfriend. However, I did Notice that He and His Girly Friend Always Seemed to be having the Laughiest, Funniest Time, and I Wondered what that Would be Like.
However, Sad times (for them)-they broke up. And as Everyone was Returning from Christmas Break, to start our Second Semester of the Year, Lo and Behold, Look who starts to Come around. I Figured it was for My roommates, but secretly Hoped it was for Me. About a week into the Semester, I start going out with his next door neighbor, and Ryan was always there, poking his head out the window to Holler Somethin' Cute and Funny at Me. We Had his apartment over for dinner one Sunday, and there was Flirting and Crushing Galore.
After that, we were pretty much together all the time.
For a Week or So, anyway. Then he broke up with me. Something about Wanting to Get Good Grades or Something Gross Like that. But I'm Not Good at Letting Things Go, or Taking a Hint, I guess you could say.
Fortunately, for Me, We had joined a Country Dance Club on Campus as partners, and We were always looking for a chance to polish our moves and lifts and They had Dances several nights a week on campus.
During the time that we were totally into each other (you know, those 2 weeks, or so), we had bought kites, but had never used them. I asked if he would like to go fly kites and he reluctantly agreed. While I was Getting Ready for this Date, I think it finally hit me, that maybe He REALLY just wasn't interested in me anymore. I told Myself that I Would Drop it after this Date. In Fact, I Says to Myself, "If he brings Me home, the Moment we are done flying kites, I Will Know."
It was FREEZING and we went out and Flew those Kites. Laughing a little, but mostly not saying anything. I Knew this was the End. We Got in the Car, and Headed for My Apartment. We Got Closer, and I Knew this was the Moment of Truth. About a Block from My Place, He says, "Do You Want to go to Dinner? Do You want to Go to [Insert Name of Town 30 Mins Away]?" That Night was our First Make Out Session. Er, I mean Kiss. And then, we were Inseparable. We Were Engaged a Couple of months Later, and Married in July of that Same Year.
We Got Engaged Just before School Ended for the Year, and then we Had to Go our Separate Ways for the Summer. Both Back to our Homes (In different States)to Earn Money. I Flew Out for 3 days, to His Home, to meet his parents and to get our Engagement Pictures Taken. He was Very Sick with Mono at the Time, so we Didn't even get to Kiss. Our Engagement was 12 Weeks. We Stayed in contact through Email (which was very slow dial up at the time, it was the latest and greatest) and precious, few phone calls.
Thirteen Years Ago Today, July 15th, we met in the Place of our Marriage- Out of State for both of us, to get our Marriage License the Day before our Wedding. I Think we were both nervous that we would get together that day, and feel like strangers. But We didn't. We were still madly in Love.
We Were Married the next Day.
And Now this is US.
Thirteen years Later with 3 Kids, A Mortgage, and a Business or Two to Keep Running.
And You can Bet I Don't BLOG About Everything. But Rest assured that We've been Up and Down, and In and Out, and Over and Under. We've Been Through Hard times and Laugh Out Loud Times. We've Fallen apart, and We've Come Together.
And? We're STILL Doing this Thing Called Marriage.

Love You, Babe.

P.S. We Still Dance in the Kitchen

and

PPS. You Should Ask Him, how come He took me out to dinner that Kite night,

I always Love his Response.

Moving Up

2011-07-14T22:37:00.001-06:00

To Blue Belts

The Boys Had Another Belt Test.

And Yes. Those ARE Nun-chucks.

And They Know How to Swing 'Em.

Current Status:

2011-07-14T14:32:00.007-06:00

{Reverse Tie Dye}

Wha-La!

PS The Black is Mine, and They're Way Jealous, Because of Its Rad-Ness

Notes

2011-07-13T23:05:00.002-06:00

{LOVE}

Before He Left,

Someone

was Busy Hiding Pink Notes.

[I Think We've Found them All]

Skype-ing

2011-07-11T23:07:00.002-06:00

[Good Times]

I'll Probably Get Killed for Sharing this Picture,

Even Though it was Evening Here,

He had Just Rolled out of Bed at 6AM

Where He was.

And Apparently,

He Needed a Good Nose Picking.

Cub Scout Camp

2011-07-11T22:38:00.002-06:00

Look Who Got to Take a Car Load of Cub Scout to Day Camp

It was Great to Go with B

and See What the Little Dudes

Get to Do at Day Camp.

I Got to Go, Because I'm the Wolf Den Leader,

Ryan Went because I Begged Him to.

Actually, No Begging was Involved

He Wanted to Get in on Some Scouting with B

When We Got to the Obstacle Course Station,

Our Guide Said,

"The Fastest Time We've Ever Had was 15 Seconds"

Ryan did it in 14.

SPEE.DY.

We Had a Lot of Fun,

and Came Home

Thoroughly Exhausted.

July 4th

2011-07-10T21:46:00.001-06:00

Our Razzle Dazzle Best

July 1 & 2

2011-07-10T21:13:00.003-06:00

July 1 Was the Last Day of School

Picked Up Kids and Headed for the State Line for a Big Ol' Family Campout

I Didn't Take the Fancy Shamancy Camera

My IPhone was Dead

I Didn't Get Any Pictures

If I had, They'd Include

Reverse Parade; The Kids Dress Up. March Back and Forth in Front of the Adoring Parents, and WE Throw Candy at THEM. They Loved It.

Painting Birdhouses

a "Pinata" That was Essentially a wrapped box that My Folks Threw on the Ground and told the Kiddies to Kick It Open.

Nertz

Grandma's Treasure Hunt

Grandma's Scavenger Hunt

Boys and Dads Throwing Footballs and Riding Bikes Non-Stop.

"What If "Questions Involving Finger Amputations Around the Citronella Candles Late at Night. And My Bro-in-Law's Late Night Snack Attacks.

Stories about How Everyone Met their Spouse

Mississippi Mud Brownies

Sharing a One Person, Narrow Cot with Ryan the Last Night (We Each Froze the Night Before and Decided to Share the Blankets Together) and Getting the best Night's Sleep Either of Us Had Gotten The Whole Trip!

Swim Lessons

2011-07-08T17:03:00.005-06:00

[Yes, Those are MINE!]

The Break Down:

B: (On the Left)

Has a Natural Swimming Ability,

and Can Swim the LENGTH of the Pool

Yet, Gets Squeamish about the Diving Board Thingy

C: (On the Right)

Has to Work at Being able to Do that Swim Thing.

However, has No Fear of Running, Jumping

Off the Diving Board,

and Doing a 360 in the Air.

Repeatedly.

Also, Gleefully Volunteered

to Dive Down 12 Feet

With His Instructor.

And Liked It.

Randomness

2011-07-08T16:24:00.002-06:00

8 yr. old B Got Glasses.

[I Think He Looks Pretty Handsome and Smart]

6 yr. old C Wore the Same Pair of Shorts

Every Day

the Last TWO Weeks of School

[Sigh. Whatev.]

3 yr. Old J

Kept Asking,

"When Will I Get Baptized Like Daddy?!"

At Least, That's What I THOUGHT He was Saying.

Then I Figured Out,

He was Saying,

"When Will I Get Black Eyes, Like Daddy?!"

[He's My Only Blue-Eyed Child, After His Mother]

The Grass is Always Greener.

Good Times

2011-07-08T16:22:00.001-06:00

In the Box In the Sand.

Saturday Afternoon Lunch

2011-07-08T16:15:00.002-06:00

In the Fortress,

that Dad and Grandpa Built.

[Before it Was Done]

The Wild Flower Patch

2011-07-08T16:08:00.002-06:00

That Grows in the Garden that Wasn't This Year.

Oh, Plus the Strawberries-

They're Back, too.

And the Weeds.

Where Did June Go?

2011-07-08T15:43:00.002-06:00

Highlights:

The Kids were Still in School. And Karate and Cub Scouts, and Swim Lessons.

Ryan and His Dad Worked to Build a Fort for the Boys.

We Hosted Our First Outdoor Movie Night of the Season; Tangled

And? The Weeds Took Over the Garden.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:49:00.000-06:00

For Father's Day,

Dad Wanted to Go Boating;

Wish Granted

We Just Went Out

and Spent a RELAXING Evening

Chillin', Cruisin', and Groovin'

On Sunday Morning

Dad was Served Breakfast in Bed

with Sweet Drawings and Notes that Read:

"My Dad is Smart! He Even Knows Times Tables"

[8 yr. Old B]

and

"I Miss My Dad when He Goes to Work. I Wish He Would Stay Home. My Dad Loves to Play with Me. I Like it When he Plays Football with Me. I Love You"

[From 6yr. Old C]

We Tried to Give Dad the Royal Treatment

with Lots of His Favorites

and Notes and Posters Galore,

because We Wanted Him to Know that

The Dad at Our House

is Very

LOVED!

Conversation with 8 Yr. Old

2011-06-16T20:50:00.001-06:00

[He had Earned Himself some Extra Chores Over the Weekend]

Me: Thanks for Getting Up and Doing Your Chores with a Good Attitude and No Complaining!

B: Well, I Did it for Two Reasons; 1) To Help You to Not be So Stressed and 2) Because You Could have taken My Friends away, but Instead, You just Gave Me Extra Chores

Me: Aw, Thanks. You Are Good Son. I Love You.

B: And You are a Good Mom. I Love You.

([Hugs])

What?
Did That just Happen at MY House?!
In REAL Life?!
Awesome.

Bear World, Pt. II

2011-06-16T20:45:00.000-06:00

A Smattering of Pictures that Didn't Quite Make it in that there Post Below.

Vacation

2011-06-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

We Went on a Lil' Weekend Trip to Idaho.
We Met While Going to School there,
and Wanted to Introduce the Kids to the Campus,
and All the Glorious Stories and Places of How their Parents
Met and Fell in Love!
We Spent Time Playing at Parks,
Swimming at the Hotel (lots of Time, there!)
and Riding Scooters around the Falls in Idaho Falls.

We Spent a Sunny Day Here

Seeing These Guys

Riding Rides,

and Doing This

And,

Unfortunately,

One of them Got Eaten,

and Had to Stay Behind

What?

They Said We Could Feed the Bears

2011-06-02T18:59:00.000-06:00

Soccer. Done. FINALLY.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T18:35:00.000-06:00

We Went to a Veteran's Celebration of Sorts,

that was Rather Interesting and Touching

and We got to Check out the Army Helicopter.

Then We Got a Bundle of Flowers,

Divided it Among the Boys,

and Went to a Local Hot Spot-

Er, I Mean,

Cemetery.

We Don't Have Any Body Buried Locally,

So we Let the Boys Put Flowers on Graves,

that Don't Have Any Flowers.

They Like to Look for Babies and Veterans.

[Cleaning off Graves]

Then We Checked out Kung Fu Panda II.

Look Who Came With Me

2011-05-30T18:28:00.000-06:00

On My Early Morning Run.

He was So Excited to Come with Me,

He Could Hardly Sleep.

He was a Bit Chilly,

and at the end,

Said it Wasn't Something He Was Really Interested

in Doing Again with Me.

I Kept Trying to Get Him to Tell Me How Awesome

He Thinks His Mom is,

but He Kept it All Inside.

Real Good.

Float-ees

2011-05-30T17:14:00.000-06:00

We Live in a Community that Does Summer Parades Forwards and Backwards,

All Summer Long!

And with Parades, come FLOATS!

I'm Talking

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats Here,

Folks.

All Big

and

SPARKLY!

I've Always Wonder How They Make those Things,

and Now,

I've Had the Opportunity to Help With One!

Our Family Helped to make a Bug Family

and I've Been Able to Help with a Few Other Projects

Along the Way:

The First Volunteer Day I Went,

I was Given the Task of Designing a Variety of LEAVES

Shown Here, in Various Stages of Done-ness.

And?

I Was Quite Flattered when They Referred to Me as

Their "Leaf Hero"

and Did a Little Ditty on

the Parade Float Blog

[Aw. Shucks!]

It's Been So Fun

to Learn What Goes Into

Building a Float,

and

to be Coated in

GLITTER!

Muffins & Movies

2011-05-29T14:26:00.000-06:00

Spent a Sunday Night

Munching Muffins

Lazing on Our Pillows,

and

Watching a Flick

[We've Decided to Make it our Newest Tradition]

A Rowdy Game

2011-05-29T14:25:00.000-06:00

of Neighborhood Football

And I'm Pretty Certain

the One Who Had the BIGGEST Blast,

Was Much Older Than Eight.

Nacho Night

2011-05-29T14:21:00.000-06:00

05.20.2011

Menu: Macho Nachos and Ice Cream Cones

Movie: The Princess Bride

Formal PJ Wear

Special Guests: G'Ma and G'Pa P

Stowaway

2011-05-29T13:55:00.000-06:00

Dad Usually Has a Pretty Full Truckload
of Posters and Signs,
and Marketing Jazz

And on this Day

Stowaway

He Would Have Been Pleased as Punch,

to Ride All Crunched Up,

and

Get to

Go to Work

with Dad.

Growing Up

2011-05-17T13:47:00.000-06:00

8 yr. Old B:

In Reference to the Nest of New Baby Birds We Have In our Grill, Which We Can Hear Chirping Away, Even as We Are In the House. We Only Open the Lid and Check on them Once a Week to See How they are Growing. We just checked a Couple of Days before, yet, B was Wanting to Take another Peek. Thinking He could get Me to be more willing if I thought that they had developed a ton more in the Last Two Days, he said, " Listen, I Think those Sound Like Teenage Chirps, Mom"

B has Also become Quite the Smarty Pants. I was Amazed that While Outside picking Up Rocks, he was able to tell me all about which part of the Earth's Layers and Such it Must have Come from.

And about Electric Eels.

Often While Going Through His Backpack,

I'll Find Art Work that He will Tell Me is from a Girl In His Class.

I Asked What He Says and if He Ever Gives Them a Picture,

He Said He Always Says, "Thank You"

and Gives them a Note.
*

He Still Plants a Kiss on My Cheek,

Each Morning Before Jumping Out of the Car at School.

Told Me His CTR Ring Helps Him to Not get Angry.

6 yr. Old C:

In the Mother's Day Card C Gave Me,

He Wrote a List of Things that I Do For Him,

My Favorites:

"She Drives Me to School Every Day. She Drives Me Everywhere".

and

"She Makes Cookies for Me."

[Aw, Sweet. He Thinks I Make them for HIM]

He Got Some Chapter Books from His Grandma,

and was So Excited to Have his Own.

He's been Working Hard at Reading them.

He LOVES to Go Out to Our Basketball Hoop and Shoot Baskets.

He LOVES to Play Catch with the Football and Dad.

He LOVES to Show Me How Fast He Can Run.

I had to Take Him an Extra Shirt to School,

due to a Bloody Nose.

I had been Cleaning House,

so Pulled on a Jacket,

left quickly and went in my Exercise Clothes.

His Expression Said it All:

MOR.TI.FIED.

He asked Me to Please NOT Wear

My Workout Clothes

Next Time,

because Usually, I Look Pretty Nice.

Won't Kiss Me in the Car at School,

but Will Turn Around and

Slyly Wave

Over and Over,

as He Walks to His Line.

Has a Quick Wit.

I Asked Him Why He Didn't Run Fast

at All During an Entire Soccer Game,

He Said "I'm Just Saving Up My Energy"

LOVES to Sneak His Little Paw

into His Dad's Hand as They Walk.

3 Yr. Old J

LOVES To Do Whatever "The Brothers" are Doing.

Watching a Bird Eat Ants and Bugs,

"Mom, the Bird is Eating the Ants. That's GROSS, Huh!"

While on a Hike, we Told the Boys to Watch out for Snakes,

he Said, "Baby Snakes? Big Boy Snakes? and Daddy Snakes?"

Tacks the Phrase

"You Know"

onto the End of Lots of His Sentences:

"I was just Playing, You Know"

"I Don't Like This, You Know"

"I have to Go with The Brothers, You Know"

Also Uses, "Never Mind"

Likes to Help Me Pull Weeds.

He Sits Right Next to Me,

with His Little Hand on My Thigh,

and Wants Me to Sing,

"Oh, My Darling Clementine"

Loves to Have his Brothers Read to Him,

or Play Lego's with Him.

He Misses Them LOTS When they are At School.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T23:14:00.000-06:00

Breakfast and Sweet Notes in Bed

A Photo Shoot with the Darling Rowdies,

A Delicious Dinner,

And

Chocolate Cake Galore.

[Thanks for the Loving, Special Day, Family!]