I'm Back
10 years ago
Last night I was able to go to a jewelry party hosted by some friends from MOPS. I haven't been able to go out in a while and so I was really looking forward to this! It was so fun to go around trying on all kinds of jewelry and visiting with other women. Some of them I already knew and others I was just meeting for the first time. I made a wish list of some of the pieces that I fell in love with and was thankful for the option since my budget for the party was $0. I told Brandon this morning that he was going to get an email with what I'd picked out listed. Did I mention that the party was from 7-9 and I finally left at 11:00? That's how much fun I had! Brandon called at 10 to check on me. They "made" me stay (took lots of convincing) so that I could be the earring model. I was the only one with long brown hair and they said the earrings stood out more on me. My name and model have NEVER been used in the same sentence before so I had fun! (There's not much of a need for women who are 5'3" with splotchy skin.) I got home around 11:30 and was still pretty awake so I read for a while. I didn't even look to see what time I finally put the book away, but I'm thinking well after midnight. I actually woke up feeling very refreshed and excited about the day. Tonight is Brandon's turn to go out. The house is still a wreck, but I don't care b/c I'm happy! Hope you get your turn soon!
Sunday, I woke up and didn't feel too hot and ended up spending the day with this little guy.
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While Brandon spent it with the cute little things. They took Brick to swim in the bay, the kids decided he was having too much fun in the water and joined him. I just remember waking up to laughter every now and then during the day. I'm so thankful that I have a husband that will step up to the plate when called on, without any complaints. I love him more every day! I just wish that I could have been there to see and hear the kids playing in the following photos. It sounded like it was a great time.
This was a good and bad weekend. Saturday was great for the kids and I, but Brandon was paged at 2:00 in the morning to deliver a baby. I'm not sure why, but his moms like to go into labor around that time on the weekend. I told him that he needs to talk to them about that and he just laughed. He got home around 10 Saturday morning and the kids and I were just about to load up to head to the pumpkin patch. He joined us with the promise of a strong cup of coffee on the way. We had a blast! We'd already bought our pumpkins there last Sunday, but they have extra events going on Saturdays. The money all goes to help the youth group mission trips at the church. Christopher loved the dragon bouncy house and Sophie just couldn't seem to get over all the pumpkins that were lying everywhere. She spent pretty much the whole time in awe of the "orange-ness" and trying to figure out which ones she could pick up. We all took naps when we got home, played outside, and then went to a friend's house for bratwursts and football.
This past summer our church had Crocodile Dock as our theme for VBS. Christopher loved the fact we had matching t-shirts with a crocodile on the back. (He wears his backwards so he can see it.) Now, every time he sees an alligator or a crocodile he yells "crocodile dock!" His real crocs, the t-shirt, anything and everything is crocodile dock. Sunday morning Brandon took him to Waffle House for breakfast and on the way home they past a car with Univ. of FL flags flying on either side of it and Christopher yells out, "Hey Daddy! They have two Crocodile Dock flags on their car!" War Eagle, my son! (Please don't mention the game from the weekend, I know.)
Tonight after supper Brandon said brownies sounded good. We all agreed. I took Christopher to go get the box mix and he was studying it deeply. He then informed me, "All it needs is 2 cups of oil, (paused for some thinking here) some blue (a.k.a. - water) and 2 eggs. That's it!" I laughed and gave him a big hug for trying to read.
if you drive past our house you most likely will see these bodies in the window. This is their absolute most favorite spot in the entire house. They love to climb on the back of the couch and stare out into the world to see what is going on. I've actually had a neighbor tell me that she loves stopping to get her mail and see these two staring out at her. (She's a wonderful neighbor with a wonderful daughter who likes to babysit for us.) I think it just shows how much my kiddos love to be outside. I think they would be perfectly happy if we lived under a couple posts with a roof so they could never be inside.
And to be fair, if you are in my backyard, this is what you will see looking into the back of the house. A beautiful dog staring at a squirrel, trying to figure out how to catch him the next time that door opens. Please ignore the mess. I can't keep it clean. I promise that I try, it's just doesn't happen with those cuties above!
Yes, it's true, I have been able to inundate Christopher with loads of good influences. First being Tigger and Pooh and their band of problem solving smarty-pants. Then I showed him Mickey, Pluto the aphasic dog not to be confused with Goofy, the other dog who talks very well, and his gang who also solves problems, followed by a host of cartoons that all blur together.
Finally I have taken my role as father-figure to a new level. I led my son to the light. I showed him "Nacho Libre", a movie with Jack Black. It has quickly become one of my favorite movies and it stocked full of wonderful quotes. It is the first real movie my lil' man will watch. In fact, he loves it.
Here is a video showing you how well Christopher remembers quotes from this fantastic cinematic gem.
-brandon
I decided that this was the week that Sophie was going to be "unplugged" from her pacifier. I informed Brandon on the way home from church on Sunday and he didn't say much. He loves the "plug" as much as the kids have. Who wouldn't? It's the quickest fix out there! I've loved it too, but after waiting until Christopher was 3 to get rid of his, I realized it was a terrible idea. Here's what I learned from that experience:
1) the bigger they are, the bigger the tantrum they throw
2) if they can get out of bed, they WON'T stay in it
3) the longer you wait, the harder it will be
and most important...
4) you can forget naps b/c they won't take them for a few days.
SO, I thought I would get rid of Sophie's before she's two, is still in a crib and I have mom's day out to help me do it. She naps there and they said that she went down no problem for her nap on Monday. Yesterday she cried a little, but it was nothing at all like what Christopher produced when he was going through this process. I'm looking forward to not having to keep up with those little boogers anymore. I know every child is different and some just drop it no problem, but not my kids. Now, if we can just potty train her soon I will truly jump up and down with pure delight!!
Brandon took Christopher for a run after work yesterday and they ended up by the water. They watched the sun start to set and so Brandon saw this as an opportunity to talk to Christopher about God. He began to talk about how God made the sun and the beauty of it setting. He told Christopher, "Did you know God made the sun?" Christopher replied, "God made snakes too." He's right.
Last night we were saying our prayers at bedtime and Christopher is getting much more confident about praying and will actually say his own prayers at supper time. Lately after we say amen, he rolls over quickly and says as fast as he can, "DearGod,Thankyouformytruck.Amen!" Then he rolls back over to tell me, "That was one prayer." He's right again.
This is Christopher's new dumptruck that he and Pop made. Even Sophie loved it.
Here is where Christopher is working hard making his lil' dumptruck.
Sophie's Minivan; made by Christopher and Pop.
Cameron sliding in Mimi and Papa John's bathroom.
Brandon with Camille, Cameron and Sophie
Christopher loved the dirt pile at Pop's house. We couldn't keep him off it. Such fun to be had with a boy and his dirt.
Ta Daaaaa! I love dirt.
All of Mimi and Papa John's grandkids
Sophie and Cameron loving on each other!
Papa John and lil' Camille lovin' on each other.
We got home from Mom's Day Out and saw that we had been "boo'd". The kids were extremely excited to say the least! Christopher was shaking at the idea of eating candy. I was thankful I didn't buy those cute halloween placemats I saw at Kohl's today b/c we got four of them in our bag. I just got on to him b/c he wouldn't stop eating candy and was grabbing everything and freaking out. So, I better go try to put him down for a nap. Guess I know what we are doing tomorrow... getting our "boo" on so we can pass it on to someone else!
I've been trying to add the rest of the photos from our trip, but it won't work for some reason. Not sure if they are too large or what, but I'm working on it. It was a great trip and the kids loved seeing their grandparents. When we were leaving John and Lisa's, Christopher told me, "That was a great trip to Mimi and Papa John's house!" There was no doubt he had fun spending time with them. He had fun playing with Brandon's old trucks and the toys they keep in the closet and riding in the wagon. I know he'll look forward to going back soon!
It was nice to be at Grammie and Pop's house too. The kids always look forward to going to the lake. Aunt Jenny and Anne Morgan were there waiting for us and we all couldn't wait to get our hands on that little girl! She loved Christopher and would give him the biggest grins when he would tickle her cheeks. I forget how fun it is to watch babies learn new tricks and become more aware of their surroundings. I think I like watching them and not being the newborn mom for once. We've always had a new baby the same time as someone else, so it's fun to enjoy being the aunt and just an aunt.
Christopher had more fun playing in the shop with Pop and building new toys. The first was a big dump truck. It's awesome! It dumps and everything. We left it at Grammie and Pop's house so he could make some more. He also wanted to make something for Sophie and they came out with a little minivan. Ok, so it doesn't have a cover, but it's got 3 rows to it and a sign on back that says "Camp-Wag-a-Tail or Bust" on back. (That's what we call their house b/c of all the dogs.)
Sophie surprised us all the most b/c she absolutely LOVED holding those new babies. She has really gotten into playing with her baby dolls she got for Christmas last year and it's so fun to watch her little "mommy" instincts come out. She got to the point where she would run to the couch, climb up and hold her arms out saying, "Baby! Baby!" It was so cute! She loved holding Campbell and Anne Morgan. She'd give them kisses on their head and point out their eyes and ears. She loves those babies.
We can't wait to go meet our newest little neighbor, Regan Lee, but right now the kids have a little cold and I'm not going to let them near that house until they are completely over it. I might have to go visit tomorrow while they are in mom's day out. Like I said, I'm going to try to get photos on here as soon as I can. Just check back later!
I haven't finished adding photos from the first half of the trip, but here's a clip of what Christopher was up to this morning at Grammie and Pop's house. It typically involves two more little boys on two more plasma cars, but those are all in Nashville right now. If it looks fast, it's b/c it is!
Here are some photos from the first half of our trip at Mimi and Papa John's. No more words now, waaaaaaaaay too many photos!!!
We are in AL for vacation this week and I'll post photos later. We are at the Hemphills for the first half of the week and then headed to the Armstrongs for the rest of it. Today it's my in-law's anniversary so we are celebrating all day and Brandon's sister and girls are coming over to join us. I'm so excited b/c we haven't met the newest little one!! It's been rainy here and cooled off sooner than we thought so the shorts are staying in the bags and the sweatshirts are coming out. We'll probably have the same outfits on in all the photos when I get around to posting them. But I'm not complaining one bit! I'll take cool rain over hot sun any day of the week! Before I go, do any of you lay awake at night thinking of things to post about on your blogs? I do every now and then and last night I thought I'd never ever fall asleep!! I have one that I want to definitely post about, but it will have to wait until another day. Hope you all are having a great week and I'll see you soon!
Not much exciting happened around here this weekend. We pretty much stayed home all day on Saturday and didn't make it to church on Sunday b/c of the colds we've had. My allergies have started acting up again b/c we ran out of Zyrtec and I had a couple days without it. We had friends come over for dinner Saturday night b/c we've been trying to go out without the kids, but that never happened, so we figured we'd just have them over instead. It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone and the kids had a blast running around being silly.
Sunday we let the kids go outside and paint on a roll of paper I'd bought months ago, but was too hot to go outside and unroll it. The whole project was over much faster than you'd like, but that's the way it is with kids. You think it'll take 20 minutes to have fun and they are done in 8 flat. Brandon took Christopher to the BX to spend his hard earned allowance and Sophie and I went for a walk in the wagon. She didn't like riding without "Boppy" at first, but she got used to it. When the boys got back, we put Sophie down for another nap and not much later Brandon went down with Christopher. I decided to read a book on the couch, but started to doze, so I figured I might as well take a nap too. About an hour into my sweet slumber and huge boom sound woke me up. Brick went nuts and Brandon came running out. It sounded like a bomb had gone off, so we went outside, but didn't see anything. Then we realized the power was out and figured a transformer must have blown. I had a feeling it would take a really long time to get it fixed, but in less than an hour the power truck was right outside our window at the telephone pole across the street. No wonder the boom was so loud!!! We went out to go watch and found out the reason everything had happened was due to a squirrel. The giant ants of the neighborhood as I like to call them b/c there are hundreds of them around and they are just as annoying. They run along the side of your house. They are on your trash cans when you go out. They are even in your van if you leave the door open! I'm not exactly sure why God created them, but I'm sure He had a very good reason. Well, I like to call this adventurous creature the "stupid teen" of the bunch. You know, the type that will do anything b/c it sounds like a cool idea, but has no warning brain cells in his head? Unfortunately for this little guy it ended in disaster. This may sound mean, but I wish so badly that I could have seen it happen. Maybe it's b/c we love watching America's Funniest Home Videos and I think it would have made a hilarious one!
Have you seen the latest Dove commercial? It is to the tune of "Do Your Ears Hang Low" and it's so cute! I love that they have been trying to redefine what beauty is, but this song got me smiling and laughing. I tried to find the video online, but I guess it's not on there yet. Just keep your eyes and ears open for it. It's really cute!
We got new neighbors today. Living on a military base this happens quite frequently. They've been working hard on getting the houses ready by chopping up the doors (I'm assuming they replaced them), cutting down the trees in the front yard and the bushes as well. Don't ask, it's not what I would do to welcome someone, but I guess they thought it was a good thing. The whole reason I'm blogging about this is how I found out we have new neighbors. I saw a man walking by this morning and nobody has lived there for several months so I got a little curious. I looked outside and saw a minivan parked in the carport and these in the "flower bed" by the front door:
Nothing says "Welcome to Florida!" like a pair of plastic pink flamingos does it? I died! I wanted to go out and take a picture, but figured everyone watching me probably wasn't the best way to say hello. We joked with some friends when we first moved here a year and a half ago about sticking some of these in their yard, but we never did. And come to think of it, I haven't seen any anywhere. Honestly. I'm off to tend to another sick child. We were cold-free for about 4 days and it's come back to haunt me. I don't mind though, just means lots and lots of cuddling.
The following are things I've learned since we got our dog:
- take his collar off at night so it won't wake the kids too early in the morning, or you at night.
- make him go to the bathroom before you go to sleep, not when he goes to sleep.
- when it's a full moon out, close all the blinds in the house so he won't notice.
- make him sleep in the hall or in your room so when your back neighbor decides to workout on his back patio in the middle of the night, he won't go nuts.
- don't borrow a shock collar from the neighbor when there is water within running distance.
-have your checkbook ready to buy a new shock collar when he does decide to run away and you can't stop catch him.
- have your husband scare him into not running away so that he will be too afraid to leave the front yard and so he will stay off the couch trying to look out the window to see what you are doing.
- always keep a towel handy for when your husband does get onto him so you can clean up the pee that results sometimes.
- just go ahead and buy the pooper scooper instead of trying to use a shovel, it's much easier!
- try really hard to teach him "ladies first" so he'll quit running over your little girl in order to beat her through the door.
- just go ahead and teach your little girl what "hang on!" means b/c she'll pick up on that faster than he'll learn the above lesson.
- love on him every chance you get b/c he really is a sweet dog who adores you for bringing him home to a family!
The other night when Christopher and I were talking about the Bible, I told him that God made him and he said, "No way! God builded me?"
See! I told you he's going to work in construction one day. That's how everything is processed in his little brain. It's all about building.
... you can't afford fall decorations, find scraps around the house and use those,
... your top loading washer won't drain or hit the spin cycle, try putting 40 lbs. of weights on it until the broken part comes in,
... your son gets bored in the shower, get his dad to hold him up so he can use the curtain rod as a road for his trucks,
... your kids are bored and it's pouring out, grab construction paper, scrapbooking scissors and glue sticks and let them have at it.
I've been trying to talk to Christopher more about God and he kind of gets it, but I think it's becoming a little more exciting to him now. I was reading in my daily Bible the other night and one of the verses in chapter I had to read was one that Brandon taught Christopher, Romans 8:31 - "If God is for us, who can be against us." I got really excited b/c I finally had a way to show him and explain to him better about what he's been learning at church and home.
Tonight we were reading our bedtime stories and then turned off the light to say prayers and "have a little bit of talk" and I remembered the verse. I jumped up and told him I'd be right back. That got him all excited and he followed me and shouted "War Eagle!" (that's for his aunts) and I died laughing and made him go tell Brandon.
Back to the story, we went to bed and I opened my Bible to show him the words and explain what the Bible is and what it's about. I told him he had a Bible (Thanks Aunt Jean!) that was given to him when he was born. He knew exactly where it was, I was glad to know that b/c we haven't read it since all the discussions have started, and jumped down to get it. We opened it up and I read 3 of the stories that I knew he'd learned about at church. Daniel in the lion's den, Noah's ark and the latest, creation. We talked a little about each one and he got more excited after each story. After telling him that each story was in the Bible he'd say, "No way!!" His new favorite phrase.
He wanted to keep going, so we read about Zaccheus. I told him there was a song and I hoped I remembered it as the words came out of my mouth. He loved it and he kept wanting me to sing it. Thankfully kids don't care if you've had a sore throat for over a week and sound like a scratched up record. Then he wanted me to tell him the story again. I asked him what he thought Jesus and Zaccheus ate and here's what he said, "Chicken nuggets with french fries and peanut butter. But no strawberries." Who knows? Maybe they did eat chicken, potatoes or nuts.
I'll have to add that to my list of things to remember when I get up there. I'm just finding peace in knowing that my little boy is getting so excited about God and learning more about Him that it makes me want to cry a little. I needed that. Thanks God for answering another prayer and letting me know that I'm not quite the screw up of a mom that I think I am sometimes!
My best friend of over 20 years (wow, that makes me feel old!) and her sisters started their own business and foundation for children who have lost a parent to cancer. They lost their mom to cancer when we were in high school. Mutual of Omaha is doing a campaign for Aha Moments that will become a commercial. Please go to the link below and vote for them! They made it from thousands to 75 and in 2 weeks it will be narrowed to 25 and we can vote again. The top ten will be made into commercials. Please, please, please go vote for them!!! It would be so cool to say, "hey! I helped make that commercial possible!"
Here's the link: http://www.ahamoment.com/vote/fairytales . Now get voting!!!!
Brandon told Christopher that when he came back from morning workouts they could make pigs in a blanket. When Brandon walked through the door, Christopher said, "Daddy, I want to make pigs under a tent now."
Enough said.
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