Pictures Galore!!

I am soooo loving my new camera!!!! I can't say enough great things about it, and I know that there is still so much to learn, yet the camera allows a complete novice like me to take some really great shots. I have to give credit to Doug, however, for taking some really cool ones too!


So bear with me with all the pictures. They are pretty cool though!

These pics were taken the day after I got the camera. Basically just me messing around with the settings.



Big surprise right? Zak without clothes or shoes. Yep, just the way I like him. I envy that kid his freedom sometimes.



As I was herding everyone inside (cause I can never go or do anything BY MYSELF) something on the lawn caught my eye. Naturally I took a picture. I walk over to it and I discover this.



Yes, it's our potty seat. Nope, I sure don't know how it got outside. I AM sure all the credit goes to Zak, but I really have no idea who the culprit is cause I was so into my new camera. I suppose that the kids could've gotten hit by oncoming traffic for all the attention I was paying them. Darn my new camera! Wait, I didn't mean it...I still love you best! This here potty seat is about to become Zak's new friend next month.




I couldn't resist trying the camera out while Zak was in the bath. He decided by the end of the "photo shoot" he'd had enough. "No more pictures mommy. I done!"






Friday we went down to Great America for the day. We had an awesome time! Doug's mom went with, even though she wasn't sure her house would be standing by the time we got back. What a trooper! We just kept praying the fire would somehow turn and go up the other side of the canyon. Luckily she had family that ran up there and grabbed all the important stuff when they started evacuating people. Fortunately the fire did turn and her house was saved. A lot of other people weren't that fortunate.



The first ride was the Merry Go Round. I always feel like this ride is a waste of time, much like the ferris wheel, but the kids won't be little forever. Sooner than I'm ready, I know, they'll be all grown up and the merry go round will get walked by, with nary a parting glance. They'll be on to bigger, better, and faster, and the Merry Go Round will be something that I will look at and remember when. So we'll enjoy it while it lasts!



This picture is Doug telling me to go on the other side and take pictures. I didn't want to, I was happy where I was. I had some nice shade, the lighting was good, and I was just happy to be spending the day with my family. Consequently, every time they came around he was pointing and yelling for me to move, so that I had to delete HALF the Merry Go Round pictures, and you know how I feel about the Merry Go Round. (Sniff) I would've yelled back "Just let the professional take whatever pictures she wants to!" but I refrained. I didn't want the people standing next to me wonder about my sanity, cause I care what perfect strangers think of me.




My baby with my baby's daddy.



The kids wanted to try their hands at navigating little boats on the river below.





It's so hard when you're little! Andon had to peer through the wood slats just to see where his boat was.



Zakry just gave up and watched everyone else. I just love his backside!! It speaks to me. (LOL)



This is the cool "Survivor Ride" with pyrotechnics too. It looks very tame, but it really is quite the ride. One of my favorites!
(This is us in line.)



We're the bottom right. It's the girls and I and Doug's mom, not necessarily in that order cause you can't see the picture when you add captions. You were such a trooper Collette! (This is a woman who gets very sick on motion rides, but still went on. You may be able to see her with her eyes closed. Yep, she closed them pretty much the whole time AND was wishing the ride would just be over soon. I guess I shouldn't have bullied her so much. Just kidding!)



There's just something about that fire that really makes you feel you're on survivor island. (did you catch the sarcasm?)
All in all, still a great ride, even with the cheesy fireworks.



Most of you probably know how much Andon loves Sponge Bob. When we saw him walking around Andon became so excited. We honestly didn't think he would get close, cause he can be such a woose sometimes, but he surprised us. I didn't get a picture, but he shook his hand and talked with him as well. I know, why didn't I get a picture? It's anyone's guess.



I just can't get enough of my baby and my baby's daddy.



Andon and Zakry have this thing with airplanes, helicopters, and if you're Zak, motorcycles. When they saw this airplane ride, they got so excited and ran right over to get in line.







Doesn't it bite when they close the gate RIGHT before it's your turn to get on?!! The above pictures were the boys and Doug AFTER they got on, but the below shots are what they did when they realized that it wasn't quite their turn. So funny!!




Just thought I'd throw this one in. Have I said how much I love this camera?!



Andon LOVED the swings!




I know we look bored, but they were taking SO LONG to start the ride. Sheesh! This ride was rode by myself and Brittnee, because Teaghan was too chicken. She did eventually ride it by the end of the day though. Brittnee on the other hand wanted to ride EVERYTHING, but couldn't because she wasn't tall enough. She is such my daughter. Teaghan is Doug's. That story in a few moments.



This was my favorite ride of the day. The Delirium. Later on that day, (no this is not the story I was referring to a moment ago) as me and Doug's mom sat and waited for Teaghan and Doug to ride, there was a park speaker right near us that was blaring music. Doug's mom commented that it was enough to make one delirious. Reason being is that we had to wait a while for Doug and Teaghan to get on. Right before their turn they had some maintenance people come out and run the ride, without passengers, twice. Mind you, this was right before Teaghan and Doug got on. I commented to Collette, "Don't you think it's a bad idea to be the 'test subjects' right after a maintenance check?"




Andon and Zak really wanted to go see Sponge Bob 3D. Of course, 3D cannot be seen without the 'special' 3D glasses. As these pictures were being uploaded into our computer, I asked Doug why they're all looking up like they're amoebas. They're completely comatose! Were they tired....or what? He said they were watching the sponge bob cartoon while we were waiting. Now you know why I let the kids watch sponge bob at home.






So here's the story, well, mini-story. The Demon, as you see below, is the first upside coaster the girls have been on. Brittnee was super excited, Teaghan- extremely nervous. So nervous that she began crying. She refused to ride. Britt on the other hand did and loved it, as we knew she would. We kept telling Teaghan to just try it. She was adamant about not getting on. Doug was the same way. He didn't ride a coaster till he was, I hope this is right, 13 years old. 13 years old! What a pansy I said! I, on the other hand, rode them at the same age as Brittnee. I loved the thrill. I CRAVED the thrill. (okay, that makes me sound crazy, but I really do enjoy a good adrenaline rush.) Teaghan is like her dad. Now though, Doug loves extreme rides, has from the moment he got over his fear of coasters.



So we didn't push it on her. By mid-day, she finally rode. She was crying as we first got on, but she overcame her fear and we are so proud of her! She rode the Demon 3 other times that day. We tried to get her on the other coasters, but she wouldn't have any of it. Baby steps, baby steps.

I'm adding this to my sidebar

Coleen, you always surprise me. I know how clever you are, plus just all the dadgum great ideas you have(I've been reading The Pioneer Woman too much), but this latest link you threw my way had me laughing so hard that my kids and their friends peeked around the door with "Yeah, my mom is crazy. I just think you should know that so when you come over next you won't be surprised" looks. I'm posting this link down below because I want whoever reads this blog to read IT, and I mean the WHOLE thing, and then the link will be on my sidebar. I just don't want you all to miss this great funny!

Cake Wrecks

As for pictures with my new camera, I'm still in the 'experimenting' phase. Or maybe I should rephrase that to be the "lame-brain woman still using the manual" phase. I suppose that I'll post them anyway, even though they're still SOOC. I know, who does that anymore? Don't I know that everything's done with photoshop? Yes I do, but I also know that when one buys something very expensive, one better pace themselves after that. I'm still deciding between the Adobe Photoshop CS2 or the new version, CS3, but both are fairly expensive, and the Elements. I'm leaning toward Elements just based on price, so for now I will have to reconcile myself to SOOC shots. Maybe that will force me to learn more about my camera. Who knows? If anybody has any advice or knowledge about the two, the three, whatever, let me know.

My Camera Has Arrived!!

Yes, my camera is here. Yes, I am super excited!! I've been reading all I can on photography, especially digital photography. I've been reading about photography lately like I read the 'vampire series.' I now know what white balance, shutter speed, aperture, ISO setting is. Do I know where they're located on my camera? Do I really know how to use each one? Nope, not a clue. I know it comes with a manual and all but, manuals and me, we're not so great together. I suppose it'll have to become my new best friend, since there will be no way I can work all the menu functions, f-stops without it. I can't wait though! You'll probably see more postings of photos I've taken than anything else for the next couple of posts, at least until the novelty wears off. Of course, nothing will be photoshopped, but that's just "keeping it real."

Thanks Doug for such a truly thoughtful gift!

My New Camera!! YIPEE!!

My sweet soul mate of 12 years heard me talking about how I would love to take up photography as a new hobby, and how frustrating it is to see a picture in your mind but not be able to get it in a picture. That's the problem with most click and shoot cameras. And really, I'm no pro either, but I confessed that I would LOVE to learn how to use a camera that had different lenses, try my hand at photography and see if I can get the pictures that I see in my head into print. So he hears me say this, maybe twice, (though I've probably said it more than that to other people!) and that maybe for Christmas I could get myself one. (Christmas is always a good excuse for the 'want list.') As you can see from previous posts, my camera sucks!

So Doug comes home one day and hands me a card with this wad of paper in it. I was thinking, "what the heck is this? (sorry, that's the U-tard in me. We use 'heck' a lot.) I unfold it, look at it and see lots of colorful information and pictures, and it still takes me a minute to figure out that he just bought me all the stuff on those sheets! He said he researched it, and asked a couple of photographers what a good beginner professional camera would be, and then he bought it.

I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D40! WOO-HOO!! I cannot wait to get my hands on it! I'm sure it's going to take me a year to figure out all the different gadgets and shutter speeds, and something called 'white balance,' but I cannot wait! Now I suppose I'll have to get Photoshop Elements. Maybe I'll start dropping the hints now!

I'm IM-patiently waiting for it to arrive. Till then, I'm on pins and needles! Hee-Hee!

On another note, since we're having lots of "potty moments" lately, I thought I would share the most recent. I know you all love these moments! LOL! Andon calls me into the bathroom to inform me that he was done going 'poo-poos.' I said "great, let's get you down." He then informs me that I needed to wait and then I could see him concentrating (pushing) very hard. And for all that effort, one little plop could be heard. He looks up at me and says, "the poo-poo is stuck. I can't get it out?" (yes, a question mark, since he's never experienced this phenomenon before. The boy just has great bowels!) I told him that it's okay, it'll come out later. (The things you have to discuss when you have children.) He said, "yeah, but it's stuck behind my brain." Ha-ha, hee-hee, I was so laughing!

Full disclosure seems to be the theme for the week. Brittnee again asked me how babies got IN the tummy. She's aware how they come out, but not how they got in. Nope, just not ready to talk to her about this because a. she's a little too young and b. The rest of the 3rd grade would know by nightfall. Yes, I think it's okay to tell your kids about the birds and the bees (see, I can't even say it)when they're 8, but it really depends on the maturity level of the child. I may just wait and make the school fill her in like I did Teaghan. We did have the discussion though, just not till she was in 5th grade!

My first!

Tonight was my first piano recital!! It brought back such memories of being a kid and playing in recitals, and now I got to do one for my students, my girls'! Unfortunately the pics weren't that great, not your fault Doug, it's just the camera. (Stupid camera!) Anyways, I couldn't be more proud. They all did a great job, and it was so splendidly selfishly wonderful to see the progress each one had made. I can't wait to see them continue to make progress and get better, and to think that I had a little bit to do with that. What a blessing!

Trucking Accident

This is what happened Saturday night. Aren't they lovely pics? Why is it, now that I'm older, when I see blood I get nauseas. Not just sort of pukey, the kind where you just have to sit down, but the kind where you know if you don't find the nearest seat you will pass out. I never used to be this way. I got cut up all the time when I was a kid, especially on a bike. I even had my gums burned off to allow braces to pull my teeth down. Did I get sick? No. Did I feel in the least bit squeamish? Nope. But if one of my kids gets bloody, boy do I get sick. I'll blame it on getting older because there are rides at the amusement parks that I can't seem to ride anymore, i.e. the 'Teacups,' and the like. So when Doug brings in my sweet baby cut up from the road, I lost it. (no, not literally, I did contain my "cookies.")

Here's what happened: Andon was riding in one of the large Tonka trucks that we own, riding it down the drive way. He would sit in the back like it was a chair, and then let gravity propel him down the driveway. I had gone out to see what everyone was up to and I beheld this. I said to Doug something to the effect that this probably wasn't a good idea. I walk back inside the house, and not two minutes later, I hear screaming and Doug walks in carrying Andon. To make a long story short, he'd biffed it on the curb and his face took the fall. He scuffed up his top lip (i've never seen a fat lip as large as he had!), had a bloody nose not only INSIDE but OUTSIDE as well. He forehead was scratched, and even his forearms weren't exempt from the road's assault.

Needless to say, he screamed, Doug cleaned him up, and I got sick. But despite being sick I did have the frame of mind to get pictures. How truly sad am I. But here's the thing, I plan on publishing this on Blurb as a journal of sorts, so I HAD to get pictures. There, that's my excuse. Luckily now he just looks like a four year old with a moustache, reminiscent of Hitler. But I know, wherever I go, people are probably thinking I beat him. They're not far off. JUST KIDDING!!





On another note, yesterday Doug and the kids watched the "Papa Movie" made by my sweet sister-in-law for father's day after we lost Doug's dad. It still makes everyone cry, it's that moving. I thought a year and a half later that it wouldn't affect us so, but it still does. There came up some pictures of the hearse with papa's coffin being loaded and then a picture of the hearse driving away. Andon says, "There's Jesus car!" referring to the hearse. He then says, "Jesus car is SUPER FAST! It brought back memories of when he named the hearse "jesus' car." (See In the Mind of a 4-year old for the story behind this.)

I suppose he'll always think of the hearse as Jesus' car, at least until he's old enough to reason that one out, but I hope that he stays as pure and sweet as he is now. But what I really do hope is that he remembers just a little bit about his Papa that loved him so.

Potty Training 1 year later

Andon just said the funniest thing that I now have to blog. Okay, so I don't HAVE to, I WANT to, cause it's not like I have anything else to do. Picking up the house, getting the kids in jammies, teeth brushed, helping Teaghan make Potatoe Biscuits from Oklahoma for school tomorrow, it's just not as important. I mean really, one has to have priorities. Here's what happened:

Doug and I were looking at flutes for Teaghan on Ebay (Doug's newest obsession- oops HOBBY). Andon comes in to use our bathroom. He's in there for a bit(no.2) and then we hear " Mommy can you wipe me?" I said no, that daddy could do it,(cause that particular item on 'mothers job application' is just not one I relish. And really, Doug's at work all day, he can wipe a butt.) But then daddy said, "no, Andon, you're a big boy. You can wipe yourself." To which there was some whining and then this comment: "But it's too far down there." and then with a whiny voice, "It's too hard!" Daddy replied, "you can do it. You're a big boy." Andon: "I don't want to be a big boy. I want to be a girl."

I don't know what being a girl has to do with not wiping oneself. I suppose he thinks girls are exempt from wiping. Maybe he thinks we've got it easy. But whatever the case, we had a good laugh!

Completely Engrossed

Ever hear of the vampire books? I'm sure you have, you'd have to be living on another planet I suppose to have not. Well, after much tribulation in trying to stay away from those books when everybody raves about them, I caved. Jill plopped the book down in front of me last week and said that I had to read this. I cocked an eyebrow like she was crazy cause there was no way I wanted to. It just didn't seem like something I would get into. So we talked and I discovered that it was the book for book club this month, which I've been wanting to go to for some time now, so I said yes, I'd try it out just so I could say that I hated it. I wanted to be the only one to hate it because EVERYBODY and their cat loves it!

Well, I'm sad to say that I finished the book in one day and called Jill the next morning to see if she had the second! She laughed. I am now about to read the second, thank you Rene, but before I do I have got to get the kids dressed, my kitchen cleaned, teeth brushed, myself showered and dressed so that I don't feel guilty when the book completely absorbs me. Only thing missing is the chocolate, but Jill will probably appreciate not having chocolate fingerprints in her book. Even as I type this I am so anxious to start reading! First I have to drop Andon at Joy School. I wonder where I could take Zak? JUST KIDDDING! He fends for himself fairly nicely. JUST KIDDING!
So I will now add my acclaim to the much heralded vampire series. I suppose that you can write about anything, even vampires, if you're a great writer. The writer's prose is excellent, and you feel like you're really there. The romance between the two main characters is beautiful, yet clean. There's nothing worse than reading a book that you have to skip the next 6 pages because of all the graphic detail, if you know what I mean. I suppose that's just another reason why I like this series. It's clean yet you feel the intimacy between the two. Very good writing!!

"FAST"-idious Genes

Friday, that is...yesterday, we went to a track meet for Teaghan. No, she's not in track, it's just a once a year track meet for 4th through 6th grades among the various schools in the area. They have the options to run the hurdles, the 400m, the mile, the 100m dash, etc. They can choose any and all if they want. Teaghan's team, put together by Kyla, ran the 440m relay. There was the four of them, and if you don't know what the relay is I'll refresh your memory: the one with the baton handoff. Ahh, now you remember. Teaghan was the second runner, and I have to say, we were somewhat surprised how fast she really was. She made up time, even being on the outside lane. She was really booking! All four girls did great, but the other teams were just faster. It was just fun to see them out there with some of the other kids from their school, and they all cheered each other on. Teaghan and her three other friends ran the the 100m, which is just basically a sprint. Teaghan has always been fairly fast, maybe not the fastest in her class, but within the top 5 definitely. However, as she has gotten older, the kids don't really race each other anymore, not like you do when you're 6 and 7, so we weren't really sure how she'd fare in the 100m since we hadn't seen her run in a while. I'll let you watch the video below to find out how she did.

On a side note, having spent 3 hours at the meet yesterday, it got me thinking about how quick I used to be. There was only 1 boy who could beat me in elementary school. His name was Jeremy Griggs. Gosh that boy was fast. It would just kill me that I couldn't beat him, especially when we were usually neck and neck. As I got older, I sort of forgot how fast I was, and really, racing didn't hold a stick next to the plethora of boys in Junior High that I had realized weren't all that icky. I had now officially moved past being a 'child.' (in my mind at least.) Then one day, when I was 16, well maybe 15...or 17, I can't quite remember, my parents and I were talking in the kitchen. I don't remember how the subject came up, but I recall my dad saying how fast he used to be in High School. Now, my dad is 5 foot 8 inches, very broad shouldered and a somewhat stocky fellow, but when he was in High school, he played sports and was in good shape, as you usually are when you're young. He told me of an incident involving another student who thought he could beat my dad. Keep in mind that most of the school knew my dad was fast, but apparently this guy didn't believe it, so he challenges my dad to a race. Dad accepts, and needless to say, Dad wins. "No big shock," says dad. At this point in his narrative the skepticism must have shown on my face because he said to me, "Let's go out to the street right now..you and me, and we'll race." Keep in mind that my dad, at this time, was in his mid 40's and wasn't exactly in the same shape as he was when he was younger. Plus, my dad is ALL torso. He has short legs. I, on the other hand, have long legs, thanks to my mother, and so I thought I had the advantage. In the usual, "I know everything" teenage bliss, I said, "game on!" We exited out the kitchen, went through the garage, and out to the street. I think at this time my mother tried to dissuade me. I thought she just wanted me to spare my father the embarrassment. I was SOOOOO wrong. She wanted to spare ME the embarrassment. We decided on a spot to race too, which was only two houses away, and we ran. I ran my guts out! And then I picked them up and ran some more! And he beat me. That's not even a good adjective. The man annhilated me! He just breezed past me like he was Zeus riding on a cloud.

I have never forgotten this. Even though I was taken down a notch, I couldn't help but admire the man, who at 45, could make a punk 16 year old eat dust. I don't think I was more proud of my dad than at that time.

Needless to say, I'm hoping the gene creeps up into one of my children's double helix. In particular, I think Andon might have inherited Grandpa's DNA. He looks more like my side of the family than Doug's, and I will be thrilled if he inherits Grandpa Lee's quickness. So far, three out of the four kids have exhibited some amount of quickness. Yes, maybe even Zak. Right now I'd say he's the quickest/slipperiest. Since he's a lot like Doug, and Doug ran track in High School, this logic sort of makes sense. So watch Teaghan and find out what place she took.

As you heard, she placed second! She did awesome and she was so proud of herself! She wants to race in Middle School as well, so it'll be interesting to see if she gets even better. Can't wait though! It's such a great feeling when your kids do something well and they feel that sense of achievement. We are so proud of her!

Moral Mirrors

There is no conceivable way that you can be a good mom and be self-centered at the same time. Our kids are our "moral mirrors." (okay, that might be a stretch, but stick with me here.) How does one stay focused on oneself when hearing from ones 4 year old the words that one has said a time or too. (Now I'll break out of the third person.) I was just talking with Elisha today about the words our kids hear us say and then repeat. For example, Andon was asking me to do something, and yes, I admit I did want to sit on my butt a little longer. In my defense, I rarely get to just "butt sit." My butt was grabbing a mere few seconds when he asks me to do something for him. I forget what but I answer, "Just a second."(My standard response. In fact it is such the standard response that I get sighs out of my kids when I use it.) Andon apparently is learning that when he hears the "standard response" he shouldn't like it. It should not be accepted. So he says, "Now mommy." And as an afterthought, cause it usually scores him points, he adds "please?" I said, "Okay. Let me get up and get it." Apparently I was too slow because he adds, "Chop-chop Mommy!" I now know exactly what that sounds like when I say it. So, back to the original premise here: It's hard to take yourself seriously when you have children. If you do, there will be no enjoyment in your life. Besides, this is the stuff that makes life bearable. A good laugh makes everything just a leeeetle bit lighter.

Trauma Drama

I'm writing this post while Zakry sleeps, before the next phone call from Poison Control, and while my comfort food, chocolate sheet cake, is cooking. You're probably thinking "did I read that right? Did she just say Poison Control?" Yup!

Some of you already know, thank you for your phone calls and visit because without you I would right now be thinking I'm the WORST mother in the world. Really though, I still do think that right now. I suppose it's too fresh. But now I need to blog this episode in my life so Zak will know the kindof Trauma Drama he causes his poor mother.

This morning Zak had wanted some fruit snacks and to watch Go Diego Go. I set him up with both and proceeded into my room where the computer is located. I checked my e-mail, bank account, and talked with Melissa on Google Chat. I then had the thought to go check on Zak. Whenever it gets quiet he's usually into or doing something he shouldn't. So I get up and go out to the living room where I see him standing by the couch. As I walk over to him, I see two medicine bottles and my toddler drinking out of the dosage cup. I freak, grab the medicine bottles and realize that he's drank the entire contents of both bottles. Holy Crap! What the.... I wrack my brain trying to figure out how much was in each bottle. One was a benadryl and the other a cold medication. I panic wondering what I should do. My first inclination was to call Doug, which I did, but then realized that really wasn't going to help at this second and so I call 911 who transfers me over to poison control. As I'm on the phone I try to make Zak gag, and as you can imagine he's really not liking that at all and so he clamps his teeth down on my finger. So I give him water hoping to dilute the meds. The poison control guy, Mike (aka my hero) tells me its okay and asks me all these questions. He wanted to know how much Zak weighs and so I'm a madwoman running around trying to find my scale that I just put away yesterday after cleaning my bathroom. But I had no idea what I'd done with it! My brain simply wasn't working. Suffice it to say, Benadryl really isn't that harmful when you weigh 29 pounds and drank half of a bottle. As for the cold medication, that was only a quarter of the bottle. Mike has been calling me every hour and thankfully will continue to do so till Zak wakes up. I have to say though, it is rather nice to have some time to actually get some things done without wondering what he's up to, like blog this ( I know, I'm seriously messed up!) without having to keep one eyeball on him at all times. I'm seriously considering chaining him to the kitchen stove with only a 3 foot radius. That way he can't climb up to the high cupboards and poison himself, or, what he did a month ago, light my toaster on fire. At this point I'm wondering who's going to croak first: me? or him?

Now I'm going to go get my chocolate sheet cake, aka comfort food, out of the oven and devour the whole thing. This trauma is going to cost me 5 pounds, at least.

And what do you know, 'The Poisoned One' just awoke and is fully refreshed after his nap, ready for a new adventure. However his mommy is about to lapse into a coma.

No Secrets in this House!

Doug's birthday is coming up and I got him Guitar Hero III for the Wii. I can write this because it is no surprise to him. I was researching whether to get him GH3 for the Playstation or the Wii, but I didn't know which one he'd want because there were pros and cons for both, so I had to tell him and let him pick which system he wanted it for.
Yesterday I went out and bought it. It's rather long and so I'd left it propped up against the wall in the sack in my room. Andon comes in and asks what it is and I tell him it's a guitar, but it's for daddy for his birthday and not to tell him. I know, he already knew what he was getting, but Doug is known to open his gifts early if he knows they're in the house, and I always cave and let him. This time I want him to wait till it is his actual birthday, so I told Andon to keep it quiet. Who was I kidding. This morning he gets up and the first thing he says to Doug is, "mommy got you a guitar for your birthday." So now Doug knows it's here in the house, and Doug, if you're reading this, don't even ask me to give it to you early. I won't baulk!! And no amount of military tactic will work. Well...maybe jewlery. We'll talk later.

Half- Assedness

Yes people, in reference to the title, some of you may consider that a swear word, I do too, but in this context I am using it as an adjective to describe a state of being. Coleen, you get this, right?
I realize I haven't been posting as religiously as I have been these last couple of months. I think it's because the addictive side of my personality has ebbed and the more practical side has finally kicked in. That's not to say that I don't read all of YOUR blogs, but I just haven't felt inspired lately. It could be a number of things: The first being that I'm just plain tired, the second being that the batteries in my camera died, and the third reason is that when I do something new, I REALLY give it my all till I get burnout. Luckily, I don't feel burned out at this juncture because really this blog is more of my way of journaling than actual entertainment and has been from the very beginning post, but what I'm trying to say is that I am one of those people who do things just a little half assed. Just a little! Although I enjoy blogging too much to give it up, I am trying to discover a happy medium. The other day when I was playing around with some different widgets, I didn't realize that I had spent two and a half hours doing just that! Doug, never the complainer (really!) even commented that perhaps that might be excessive, especially when I had no idea that much time had passed. Is that a problem? I don't see a problem.

So anyway, things have been going systematically as ever. I'm still trying to keep my head above water until my better half is able to contribute again. For those of you who watched conference yesterday, the talk on motherhood was especially good. That whole talk was written for me and I cannot wait to read and re-read it. Ya'll may see some of it in future postings. So for now, until I have something to blog and not all this senseless chit-chat I do, or until I get batteries for my camera, this will have to suffice. But if my children's battery operated toys that they haven't been able to play with for a year is any indication, it may be awhile.

Orange Chicken

Warning! If you like this chicken, disregard this post.
Life as a stay at home mom most days dips into the mundane and the routine, all of which children crave. And really, I've started to see the blessings in the routine of the day because it means nothing disastrous has occurred. A disguised blessing, if you will. I pick up the same toys day after day, I do the same dishes day after day, I wipe the same butt day after day (yes, my 4 year old is still having me do this, and honestly I'd rather not wage that war right now), I help with the same homework, you see where I'm going with this. If you're like me, a "treat" every now and then does wonders for one's morale, especially when so much of what we do goes unappreciated. So today I was running around gathering birthday presents for the birthday parties that my girls are going to tomorrow. To give credit where credit is due, the boys were not all that bad today in Michaels. Knock on wood. I decided to take them to the library but when I got there it didn't open for a half hour. So we hung out. All is going well. Really! So I'm feeling pretty darn happy that the boys are being good and then I start thinking about lunch, because after we had finished with the library it was 12:30. My first thought was to pick up something, but we did that yesterday when we were out, and frankly it's just not that healthy. But I didn't want just a pb&j, I wanted something yummy! Here's how it works for me: I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad. And no, that does not mean that I'm sad more than I'm happy just cause I'm thin. I know some of you were adding that one up! Rest assured, I love food way to much to give it up. I credit genes and a fast metabolism. Anyway, I'm trying to plan out a lunch menu in my head while getting the boys buckled into the car and I realize that I bought this orange chicken from Costco last week. I love orange chicken! I decide that that's what I'll have for lunch! I'll get the boys a pb&j, cause they love those, and I'll enjoy my orange chicken and not have to share. Anytime I don't have to share puts me on cloud nine. I take the package out of the freezer and I notice that there's two packs! Well, great, I think, I'll be able to save it for another time! Double whammie- the day just keeps getting better!
As I'm putting the chicken on the cookie sheet I realize that it doesn't look as appetizing as I'd like, but whatever, I'm sure it will be good, and besides, I'm still thinking "I don't have to share!" I know that's rotten, but it is such a treat to not have to share EVERYTHING!
The timer goes off, I add the glaze and honestly, it's not looking too bad. It doesn't smell as good as I'd imagined it would smell, but I'm sure it will be good. The boys are tucked away with their sandwiches, juice boxes, and Cheetos (I know, the nutritional value is not real high here, and we probably could have eaten out and had the same amount of calories) and I sat down with my Orange chicken, and took the first bite.
It was not good....(sigh)not good at all. What a disappointment! I really am so sad about the orange chicken! Too much hype I suppose. So I ended up sharing with Teaghan and her friend because they're the only ones who would eat it.
Moral of the story, don't use food as an upper. It can damage ones psyche.


See, it doesn't even look appetizing from the picture, and that's not because I take bad pictures!

One of THOSE days!

Yesterday was one of those days when I would literally give my I-teeth to go back in time 10 years. Well, maybe just 5. Yep you guessesd it: the 5 year mark would be right before Andon and Zak were even thoughts. But even though I wish it today, my life would be empty without them tomorrow. At least the lessons I've learned from them about myself would've been forever missing without the dynamic duo.
Looking back at the mother that I was with the girls, and the mother I am now, I find two distinct differences. Number one, I actually thought I was a good mom, you know, one that had it all under control. And maybe back then I might have, but only because the girls were so much EASIER than the boys. Number two, and this one is hardest to admit because now I have to acknowledge the snob in me, is that since the girls were easier I often looked at other people with whiny kids or ones that threw temper tantrums the whole time in the store and thought, "why is that kid so whiny? Doesn't his mother know how to calm him?" You know the ones. You see the poor mother in the produce section and the kid is throwing a major fit, worthy of an Emmy. Next you see this poor woman in the pasta aisle, same kid, same Emmy fit. Next, the bread aisle.... you see where I'm going with this? Her whole shopping experience that takes at least an hour is filled with cranky child. That's the worst possible situation. But here's what I would think: First I would always have empathy, but the thought that would run a close second would be, "Someone needs to show her how to discipline so that child knows he can't get away with that. He needs to know that he can't talk to his mother that way." Now I know this sounds very pious and all, but in my defense I really did feel bad for her. During this period when my girls were little, they did throw the occasional tantrum in public, but they were easily controlled. Where am I going with this you ask? I'll tell you. Heavenly Father, in all his wonderful wisdom, saw fit to teach me about what compassion REALLY is. Not the kind where you feel sorry for someone but walk on by, but the kind where you stop and try to help out. My boys have taught me this. I am now the mother in the store with not only ONE screaming, whining child, but TWO! TWO!!! I am the one all the other shoppers are trying to avoid. During such times, (and it really is EVERY time I'm in the store with them!) I want to stash the shopping cart and run to Fiji. Yes, if it was possible, I would RUN. I would be running so fast that I would be able to run on top of the water. This is how desperately I want out of the situation. I have now turned into the mother that the other mother with the perfect toddler (which I used to have) is wondering if I'M in need of some parenting classes. At this juncture, a resounding, echoing, YES! would be in order.

Some good has come out of being humbled. I now have REAL LIFE empathy for mom's who battle children in the store, because they're just doing the best they know how to do. It's just a difficult child and some are just harder than others. I no longer walk on by, afraid to intervene. I at least will stop and try to give the child another focus. Usually it's a who's this crazy lady look. But it usually does the trick. But here's hoping that my boys mellow with age, because I don't think I could handle any more hard knock lessons coming my way. One day my kids may receive a postcard from Fiji!