Everyday Life

So since I didn't post a picture of my boys yesterday, they asked me to put one of them in today. Here they are......Connor is making dinner for himself. If he looks funny, it is because he is trying to cover his nose with his shirt. He said that his food really stank before it was cooked and didn't like the smell. And this is Gavin watering his sister, I mean the lawn for me. Not much else to speak of. I am still trying to figure out what to do for my anniversary afternoon and cleaning my house. It, my house, seems to be made of Teflon, as none of my cleaning seems to stick.

How Quick They Learn

Okay, so maybe it is a girl thing, but how is it that girls instinctively strike a pose like this when the camera is on them?

A/C, DVR, questions, oh my!

I woke up to a puddle on my floor near the door that houses our A/C unit downstairs. Bummer. A/C is just kind of important here in TX. The good news is that I don't have to pay for whatever is wrong. The bad news is that I am stuck here all day until the maintenance guy shows up. The funny thing was to watch everyone step a foot in it except me and yell, "Eww!". Our cable box also gave up to ghost this morning. That isn't such a horrible thing cause I am not so addicted to TV like others in my home, but I am sad to see the DVR disappear. I love that invention:the ability to tape a show without a VCR and then watch it, being able to zip by commercials. Watching TV goes by so much faster for me now. I hope that we are able to transfer what we have already recorded. The kids will be sad otherwise. Oh well. No biggie. Tim is turning it in and getting a new one today. Anyhow, I got this email from Diana R. today and thought that I would do it here on the blog instead of the regular questions. Thanks Diana! It was fun to stretch my brain that way. The rule is to answer each question with only 1 word. Can I tell you how hard that was? I like to explain things. Ha. Or I talk too much. Here goes:


1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your significant other? Tim
3. Your hair? straight
4. Your mother? example
5. Your father? confused
6. Your favorite thing? bargain
7. Your dream last night? blank
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? college
10. The room you're in? Kitchen
11. Your fear? debt
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? gone
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? thin
15. Muffins? moist
16. One of your wish list items? vacation
17. Where you grew up? Monterey
18. The last thing you did? breakfast
19. What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? off
21. Your pet? Children
22. Your computer? used
23. Your life? stressed
24. Your mood? grumpy
25. Missing someone? YES!!
26. Your car? old
27. Something you're not wearing? makeup
28. Favorite Store? Borders
29. Your summer? hot
30. Your favorite color? red
31. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
32. Last time you cried? clueless
33. FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER: bed, bathroom, school, church
34. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS? chocolate, artichoke, crab, fondue

16 Years and Counting....

So my anniversary is coming up....I can't believe that we have made it to 16 years. Somedays it seems so much longer. Another 3 years and I will have been married the same length of time as I was single. Weird. I had almost forgotten about it, actually. I have read other friends blogs, about the sweet romantic things that their husbands have done and planned for them to do. It would be so cool if I could have a year where my husband would take the lead and plan something that would blow my socks off. Alas, it is not to be. I married the wrong man for that. I will be thankful for my crumbs, I suppose. Our anniversary is on Sept. 25th. When I was reminded that it was coming up, I made mention of it to Tim. He then proceeds to tell me that he has planned to take a 4 day weekend around the 25th. Ahhh, how sweet, I think....he wants to spend all that time with me. Reality enters: the 4 day weekend will be devoted to a fishing weekend that he has planned. While online, he found a site that was running a bass tournament for military guys and all of it is free: the entry fee, a hotel room, and all food. So, he has already written and gotten a spot(without talking it over with me). "So instead of celebrating our anniversary on it's day could we do it on Monday?", he asks. Whatever. Sure. He wants me to come up with something for us to do on Monday....we have until the kids come home a little before 3pm all to ourselves. I have no clue what I will come up with or even what is feasible for us to do financially or time wise on that day. Not really excited about it yet.....maybe I will have a burst of creativity and come up with something cool and then start looking forward to it. We'll see how it goes.

Ouch!

We had a good weekend for the most part. Tim woke before the sun came up on Sat. and told me he was fishing and would be back around noon. He says that he asked for permission and I call this cheating because there is no way my brain functions before around 8 am. I barely even remember the beforehand conversation taking place. Ha. Anyhow, Laurel was way happy cause she got to go to a birthday party. In the meantime, the boys and I cleaned house. They were really great and didn't even complain. Maybe my training of them is starting to pay off or maybe all the stars in the sky were aligned. Who knows....I am just happy that I got help with no grumblings. Later when Tim and Laurel got home, we all went out, bought Gavin a new bed, got Connor and Gavin haircuts, went to a book store, and then out to eat. All in all a pretty good day.
picture of Gavin's haircut
Laurel made a funny. While talking on the phone to my mom, she was trying to pull all her hair together and then twist is around. "hey mom, can you put a muffin in my hair?" I didn't understand for a second that she was asking me to put a bun in her hair. It is funny how sometimes we can mess up words like that.
In other news, Connor was messing around with some kids outside and got pushed off a scooter and ate pavement. We are lucky that all he got was some road rash on his face. I hate those scooters and a pair of wheelie shoes were involved too....I hate those even more. He is worried what people will say at school. I told him to tell people the truth and no one would say anything more. Hope I am right.
Connor's road rash....nasty bruising to ensue

They're cut, I bleed

As a mom, there are times that you want to wrap your kids up and shield them from everything. I know it isn't possible and that at certain ages, life can be cruel. We all make it through, but it is still painful when I hear that one of my kids is having a hard time. Usually, it is Connor that I worry about, but Gavin is making it to an age that kids are beginning to try to be more popular and can be really mean. He has been getting teased a lot due to the fact that he wears glasses. I know I am his mom but I thought he looks really handsome in his glasses. Anyhow, he misses MO and his friends who never teased him. So, 2 days ago, he came home really upset cause the boy right next door that he had started to hang out with had turned on him and was calling him a nerd because he got good grades and wore glasses and he was even nerdier because he had befriended someone who wore glassed too. Then he was called gay cause he didn't have a girlfriend and hadn't kissed anyone. Come on! He is 10 for heaven's sake. Does it really start this early??? Anyhow, I talked to the boy and his mom. He denied it all(why would Gavin make it all up....whatever). The mom still yelled at him and got mad so the kid apologized to Gavin and all was right again. Aren't boys great that way.....if it were girls....I shudder to think of the ugliness that could ensue. Then later that night, his dad came home and he got another round of punishment. I was scared that that may have the opposite affect of making things right. I worried all night and all the next school day, but things are still good between them. I hope it continues. In the meantime, I am ready to go get him contacts before middle school starts next year cause I know it will only get worse. I just wonder if he is too young for them. It is something I need to think on, I suppose. Oh well. I had to laugh though when the father next door was saying that the reason why kids bully each other was because they don't like themselves and were jealous. I don't know if I believe that even as an adult. I just think that some kids haven't been raised right and are down right mean or sometimes kids can get caught up in peer pressure and mob mentality(kinda like Lord Of the Flies) or something stupid like that, but do we really still believe that old adage of jealousy and low self esteem?
On the funnier side of life, I was making some herbal tea for Gavin cause his throat was hurting and we had no medicine for it in the house. I drink my tea like the English do with sugar and cream in it. This is the conversation the took place:
me: do you want cream in it too?
Gavin: what does it look like?
me:(take creamer from fridge and show it to him)
Gavin: Yeah
I finished making it and handed it to him. He takes a sip and says: Cream with sugar....just like I like my women.
HA! I about fell over with laughter at such a random comment. At least he still knows how to make light of things and laugh even when the going gets tough. I wonder where he got that from(sarcasm)?

5 Second Gripe

If one more teacher sends me a note home asking me for yet more school supplies, I might have to hurt someone! Why do they put a list out if they are only going to request more from us. And personally, some of it is insane.....almost every teacher of Connor's Middle school has requested that I send in a box of Kleenex. That may seem like nothing but think on this for a moment. That's 7 classes and then multiply the amount of students that run through each of those classes....that is a sea of tissue. So, I am ignoring it and if needed will send in his own personal tissues if he ever has the sniffles. One class asked for 7 spiral notebooks...for one class. I wouldn't have any problem with this other than the fact that most years, when they bring their stuff home at the end of the year, a lot of it is BARELY used. Waste of money and landfill. I remember going to school with a binder with a divider for each class. If I was really prepared I had enough paper and pencils, but that is all I got and I made it through the years just fine. Ha. Sometimes we complicate things so much nowadays. Up to this point I have spent about $200 on school supplies(that is between 3 kids mind you)....a little excessive and not in the budget either.
Okay, I am done complaining. On to the things that have made me chuckle. I got another offer for renting my home yesterday. Why laugh you ask? The couple asking to rent my home had 11 dogs!! Yes, I realize that our backyard is perfect for that amount, but come on. Even 11 dogs that are the best and most well behaved dogs would do such major damage that it isn't even funny. The realty lady that called prefaced the whole conversation by saying" I realize that we already have an offer that you are willing to take, but by law I am required to tell you of all offers...""there is a couple who would like to rent your house and they have.....11 dogs." WHAT?! Anyhow, I laughed and then turned her down. I am sure she saw that coming. I feel bad for that couple. How they will ever find a place is beyond me, but I don't feel bad enough to be that person. Ha.
Laurel came home the other day and told me she learned a new dance. She then proceeded to close her eyes, stick out her tongue, stick her rear out as far as she could, touch her knees together, feet wide apart, with her elbows tucked into her sides at a 90 degree angle. Can you picture this? She tells me it is the BootyTa. Ooookaaay....what are they teaching her? LOL. I will have to take a picture of it and put it up here sometime. Actually it is some activity recording that tells you what to do.....like put your elbows by your side....and it works up to you doing all of that together and looking funny. It could be a good lesson in following directions that is just goofy to boot.

Almost ready for that Sigh of Relief

So I got a phone call today from our realty company telling me that I had 2 interested parties willing to rent our house. BUT....one had 2 dogs and the other had 2 dogs and 2 cats(we had specified that we would allow one pet). They were both willing to pay the non refundable pet deposit so I told her to go ahead with the couple with the least amount of pets. But they don't make it to town until the beginning of Oct. So we are still doing the waiting game of seeing if they will really move in or not. Although, I see a faint light at the end of the tunnel, I am not doing the victory dance yet. In the meantime, I will be crossing fingers, picking 4 leaf clovers, rubbing buddha statues and praying my heart out.
I got a good reminder today in an email from a friend and thought that I would pass it along:
"The Lord has promised us that as we 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing, . . . all things [will] work together for [our] good' (D&C 90:24). That doesn't mean that everything will be perfect or that we will not have any trials, but it does mean that everything will be okay if we just 'hang in there.' Ours is the opportunity to 'be . . . an example of the believers' (1 Tim. 4:12), and the Savior has promised that 'all things are possible to him that believeth' (Mark 9:23). So believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided."
Elaine S Dalton, "Believe!" Ensign, May 2004, 110
They are inspiring words and I needed to hear them again.
With that being said, I forgot to do my questions the other day. So I will do it now:

What is your favorite book?
That is a hard one cause it can change and does often, but I think that I would have to say The Little Princess. It is the first words only book that my mom read to me and it began my love affair with reading. I showed me that reading words could conjure a whole new world in my head.

Would you rather be a Beauty or a Geek?
Okay......hmmmmmm.....if I was a great beauty, people would jump to do my bidding and somehow beautiful people end up with more benefits, but geeks usually end up making more money and are more successful that way....so I guess I would be a geek. I could always use the massive amounts of money that I made from my genius geekery and get plastic surgery to be more attractive if it bothered me enough. Ha.

Favorite perfume?
I like the scent of Beautiful by Estee Lauder, but I also like the cheaper version of perfume with body sprays by Bath and Body...currently I am liking Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Favorite cologne?
I love Cool Water by Davidoff, but I am a cheap date cause I also like the smell of some of the Axe sprays....a man who smells good is way hot. And a guy who wears Polo or Drakkar just makes me feel like I went back in time to High school. Ha.

Favorite Cartoon?
That's hard cause I still enjoy watching some of them.....Looney Tunes will always be a hit with me especially certain Bugs Bunny ones. I liked the Animaniacs...it had witty humor. I also like the Fairly Oddparents sometimes. Oh and one of the times that I have laughed the hardest is during one episode from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I am posting it below....it is just a short clip. I know I have a strange sense of humor. I don't know if I can say they are favorites but as long as a cartoon has a witty, but not rude sense of humor, I can enjoy it.

Catch up!

It is so easy not to post but I didn't want to get too behind so I will now try to remember all the non consequential things that have happened since last writing....I guess the biggest thing to happen was that I got Laurel's ears pierced. I know to some people that is no biggie, but for me it was a huge decision, well, sort of. As a girl, my mom always told me that I couldn't get mine pierced until I was 18 and it was a really big deal when she gave in and let me when I was around 13. Laurel had a fun time picking out what earrings she wanted...they had to be the most flashy of course. They were flower earrings that were made of pink crystals for the petals and a green one for the center of the flower. They pierced both her ears at the same time and Laurel was surprised that it hurt. I didn't warn her. Bad Mommy! She scrunched up her face and made that whining noise that kids do to start crying and then realized that they weren't hurting anymore and abandoned the cry tactic. She then got excited and picked out some butterfly earrings to wear when she can finally change them.
We had Tim's Chaplain that he works for over for dinner the other night. I turned into Super Homemaker and made a great meal if I do say so myself. Lasagna, homemade french bread, corn, and salad with homemade brownies for dessert. I know this isn't something fantastical, but for me it is big. I don't cook big meals often and so this was all out for me. Laurel made the comment that she was hungry like a wild hungry monkey person. Ha. It sounded funny and random.
The kids are still doing well with school for the most part. Connor still reports that he likes this school, although his history teacher is short with him. I guess it is time to make sure that doesn't go further. Gavin tells me everyday how much he hates it here and how lame the school is. He is my teen with Angst with a capital A and he isn't even a teen yet. Yikes. He can be such an Eeyore sometimes lately. Laurel is loving school. I kept wondering why she wasn't completely worn out by the end of school and found out that she actually naps during nap time. Good for her, bad for me. Ha. Below are pictures of Laurel on her first day of school(finally) and I feel bad that the ones of Connor and Gavin were so blurry that they are not worth looking at. I will load up some pictures of them soon.
Other than that, I just want to say to Taylor and Melina: Congrats!!!!! I wish that I could have come home to see you two married. I am so happy for you and wish you a wonderful and long married life, full of love and laughter.