The Crow's Nest

Firefighter Crow

2009-11-11T09:29:00.003-06:00

Brenden was a fireman for halloween this year...who would've guessed!?! This is actually the first year he has been one. This costume is awesome! Ordered it online, kinda expensive, but looks & feels just like Daniel's bunker gear & he can wear it for a long time for dress up. It came with the jacket, pants (with suspenders & all!) & helmet. I added the letters & Daniel brought home some of his accessories for him.

My munchkin & I, ready for trick-r-treating!

My two handsome firemen! He used Daniel's fire boot for his candy bag :) It, of course, was lined with a target bag!

My mom's company has a big halloween party every year & this year...guess who won the costume contest??? hmmm....
I just couldn't pass up posting this cute picture. Going potty in the "big boy potty." :) Daniel was in there-not me, just in case anyone was wondering.Hope you all had a nice halloween. Now, it's time for the hustle & bustle of the holidays.

he had the pig flu!

2009-09-09T12:48:00.004-05:00

yep, daniel was oinkin' a couple weeks back with the swine flu! :) although, it was not very funny at the time.

he had been having an annoying cough for about a month, if not longer, that started from his allergies. finally went to the doctor & they said he had bronchitis (which i thought was odd-it was not like the bronchitis i've had!), they gave him a z-pack & a steroid inhaler. that very next day he was so much worse, we didn't know what was wrong. he began having fever & coughing pretty bad. that night (or next morning) he woke me up, calling me from the bathroom. he was laying on the floor & couldn't move. i took his temperature & it was 104!!! uh, that's not good. i called our doctor's office & left a message for them to call me right away in the morning. i didn't know if he was allergic to the medicine, or what i should do.

brenden was home from school that week (we took him out of primrose-that's the next post-i have so much to catch up on it's not even funny), so i took him into work with me for a bit, so he wouldn't have to be home with daniel. his fever had gone down like 2 degrees, with quite a bit of medicine, so i thought he was ok to leave for a bit for some rest.

one of the times i called to check on him, he told me to come home & take him to the hospital-which i was shocked for daniel to say that. on the way to the hospital, all i could do was pray. i swear, i just knew he was going to go unconscious on me. he was not good at all!

our primary dr made us come by his office first, so he could do blood work real quick (because if it was the flu, we didn't need to go to the hospital). blood test came back negative for flu. he told me to go ahead & take him in, thinking it was meningitis. by this point, i was shaking-so nervous! they took him into the ER right when we walked in. while we were in there, his fever finally started to break, after like 8 pills!

so, more blood was taken. thankfully this ER dr didn't think it was meningitis, so daniel did not have to do the test from his spine to check for that. but the flu tests still came back negative. come to find out, with the swine flu...only 10% of the people that have it, do their tests come back positive! what's the point of the dang test then?? they gave daniel some medicine to take home & we were able to leave that night.

the turn around was amazing. the next day he was so much better. you would've never known how sick he was the day before. here are two pictures from the hospital...

brenden playing games on my phone & texting bubba & bamaw :) daniel trying not to die...
and, attempting to fix his hair-he knew where these pics were going. haha i told him don't bother, it wouldn't do any good, he hadn't taken a shower in like two days!

we are very thankful he's all better now! i know this is a bit long & drawn out, but i wanted to get it all documented while we remembered it :)

only a tiny piece of wisdom remains

2009-08-21T19:45:00.002-05:00

about three weeks ago, i had my wisdom teeth pulled. 3 of them, so i still have one! my top right one is way up in there, & he was so kind & decided not to ruin my sinuses trying to retrieve it.

so, the plan was to have "conscious sedation." i had wanted to be put under, but would've had to go to an oral surgeon. and, i just knew the two sleeping pills they told me i would get, along with the gas, would put me out real quick, so i was fine with it. yea, i was awake. never fell asleep. he even had to give me a couple more shots because i could feel pressure. oh, and the gas thing; well, i was very nervous & had been crying a little bit, so my nose was stopped up-i couldn't breathe in any gas!!!

it wasn't as bad as it could've been though. while he was pulling them out, he said he was having to cut two of them out, because they were so strong. he said "wow, i wouldn't expect this from a little white girl, maybe a big black man, but not you!" haha i guess big black men have strong teeth?!?! :) then he said, you like milk don't you!? um, yes, that would be why i've already had two kidney stones. we love this dentist office, they are all so kind & try to do whatever they can to make you feel comfortable.

gettin' some gas, listening to sugarland...

the aftermath. daniel said he couldn't even tell where my chin was, i was so swollen. all of the swelling finally went away probably about a week & a half ago. it lasted longer than i thought it would. i am still bruised, to the touch, on both sides of my bottom jaw. oh, and i now sneeze different, which is a bit odd. and it is tight when i open my mouth to yawn. but whatever, no pain like it had been!

i tried to go back to work the monday after it was done (which was 4 days later), i was in so much pain. i had run out of pain medicine, they told me to take 4 motrin plus 4 tylenol. yep, nothing helped. i was afraid i had that dry socket stuff, but apparently it has a timing it likes to stick to-it won't be till 7 days after your teeth have been removed that you notice it. ok.?. she said i would be in quite a bit of post op pain because he had to cut away part of my gums & also get in close to the bone. well, i would've liked to had known what to expect!! so, they gave me more meds, & it finally got better.
frozen corn :)...
my boys took good care of me! while i was having the surgery done, daniel had left to get me flowers, a card, my pain meds & some ensure (the doctor wanted me to drink it). my parents also sent me a gift card for braums!! ;) and, um, from what i'm told...daniel & i went there after the dentist, but i don't remember any of it! later that night he was telling me something & i was like, what are you talking about?? he said when we drove through braums. uh, hun i didn't go to braums. he said, yep you did! haha! whatever, guess the sleeping pills had finally started to work.

i'm glad you only have to have your wisdom teeth out once. although i do like that hydrocodone stuff. just sayin.

fishy, fishy, fishy...

2009-08-17T23:10:00.003-05:00

brenden had swim lessons these past two weeks. in this class, they learn just some of the basics, and she didn't let go of them to swim all on their own. that will happen in the next class. unless, i guess he picks it up before then-he sure loves being in the water. here he is with his teacher, miss jordan, doing the kicking motions...

swimmin' like a fishy...

after just going under...

and, on the last day, they got to go down the slide...
our little fishy with his swim certificate...

pathetic

2009-08-07T14:11:00.003-05:00

there's really nuthin' more to say. just pa-freakin-thetic! it's a dogs life :)
boy, he makes me giggle. he is such a good dog!! we've had him for about 2 months now, & he's great. daniel kinda makes fun of his teeth, but i think they're pretty darn cute. when he looks at you, this is how he usually is...

his top lip, tucked under his teeth. you're a great dog, booster!!!

his new toy

2009-07-15T10:32:00.003-05:00

well, little man got his first 'toy' over the fourth of july weekend. he was so excited when papa surprised him with it. we had planned on getting him one eventually, like within the next year or so. but, papa apparently had other plans ;) he also got an awesome helmet & gloves. here are a few pictures of him riding in our backyard...

if they made 4 wheelers for dogs, this one would have one! he barks at brenden when he stops for just a second, or when we don't go fast enough on ours.

now, you know they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? well, it doesn't. a couple years ago, while we were a the lake house, daniel was riding our 4 wheeler. he went over a jump, but didn't slow down in time & couldn't turn fast enough, which landed him in a cedar tree! well, that's been a joke on him for quite some time. now, he has some company :) brenden was riding his in front of our house, coming from across the street. a little boy was riding his bike past our house, while watching brenden. he was not paying attention to what was in front of him, so his bike ran into the back of daniel's truck. brenden saw this happening & was not paying attention to where he was, either. as daniel & i were yelling "stop!" he popped the curb in front off our house & hit one of our baby maple trees with his 4 wheeler :( so, he rammed a tree, just like daddy! i had to take a few pictures of this 'first'. if you look at the front silver part, you can see fresh bark in two places...

and, here are the two places scraped off the tree...

thanks bamaw & papa-he loves it ;)

booster has a wang infection

2009-07-08T10:37:00.002-05:00

yep, my dog has an infection in his junk. kinda gross, but at least it's gonna be fixed!

we took him to the vet this morning, because i thought he may have pink eye. i noticed it on monday evening, then, this morning i noticed that easton's eye was real red & had junk coming out of it. i didn't want to have to pay for two exams, so i figured i would use booster's medicine for easton too. i mentioned that to the vet (we go here all the time, but i have never seen this dr), & he said well, he probably has a cut in his eye. oh, really!? both of my dogs have a cut in their eye-at the same time!?! sure.

i told him i thought it was probably pink eye. he said "dogs don't get pink eye like we do." so when i called on monday night, they were lying... oh, & all the stuff i read online yesterday was wrong too???

he put the dye into booster's eye to check for the cut, but didn't see one. hmm, surprise there. he said he would bring the drops back in to us-never saw him again, the assistant helped us.

she came in with the drops, i asked her what was wrong with his eye. she said "he has conjunctivitis." i asked "pink eye?" she said, "yep, pretty much." oh!!! :)

i then mentioned something about the other infection. let's just say i had noticed the same greenish, yellowish gunk (like with his pink eye) coming from him, but didn't know from where. i had, um, seen it on the wall by his pillow (from when he shakes after he wakes up). so, we now have cream we get to put on him, down there! this is gonna be fun :0

another year older...

2009-07-01T19:15:00.002-05:00

my birthday was monday, & i just wanted to post a few misc pictures from that. on sunday night, my mom fixed me a yummy dinner at their house. here's brenden singing happy birthday. those 4 different cheesecakes were my birthday cake-the vanilla bean one was very yummy!
on monday night they came to our side of town, because i wanted to have dinner at casa rita's. this place has the best mexican food ever, as well as raspberry tea! we go there quite often :) here's me & my lil' thug...

me & my handsome hubby :)
my parents said you can sure tell we're brother & sister. i can't see the resemblance ;)

my brother, bren, mom, & dad enjoying dessert-don't worry, daniel & i were enjoying ours too! i always have room for dessert...

i also got surprised with a cake & lots of well wishes at work! it was nice.

Brenden's 4th Birthday Party

2009-06-30T21:10:00.004-05:00

Brenden had a great birthday, we had a fun time celebrating with so many friends & family. Can't believe he's four. Now he keeps saying, next time I'm going to be five! Slow down a little, Buddy. Here are a few pictures from his party...

Daniel, Brenden & I during cupcake time. He wanted to put his jumbo cupcake on top of his new skateboard we got him, so that's why it's on the table :)

Opening presents. Got some spending cash, along with so many great presents! It amazes me, that from all his birthdays (all four of them ;)), he has only gotten one duplicate item!

Some of the friends & family...

With his new skateboard...

My mom, my aunt & my grandmother, getting some baby love :)

Playing out in our backyard. We love being out here!

We love you little man, we hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Blueberry Farm

2009-06-23T13:59:00.008-05:00

anyone need some blueberries?? we've got plenty! two gallons worth to be exact :) this past weekend we went to my boss' in-law's place. they have a blueberry farm with a ton of beautiful blueberry bushes!! first time we had gone & we had a good time! made a little day trip out of it.

they grow them organically there, so we would just eat as we picked :)

this little man was pretty smart, he knew where the good food was. can you find him?

we got there around 11:00 & it was already pretty hot. so i was glad brenden would find bushes, plop down under them & start pickin'. he would partly be in the shade.
daniel & i, courtesy of brenden crow...

little man & i with one of our buckets.

daniel & brenden running through the bushes. brenden always says "i'm faster of you." cutest thing!

he stole my camera as we were taking a water break. i found so many cute & good pictures once i looked at it. here's one of them, he did this himself. i just giggle every time i see it. such a ham!

and this is how he looked (and we felt) on the way home-before we stopped at dairy queen!!

am i four yet?

2009-06-12T20:09:00.001-05:00

First thing I heard Friday morning...whispering, "mom, am I four yet?" Yes, little man, you are four.

Yesterday my baby boy turned four. Could you please pass the Kleenex?? Oh, the love we have for this little man is unbelievable! No words.

Friday was his day. We went for donuts before school (which we do every Friday, but it was his birthday so it made it more special). Friday was silly hat day at school, so that would explain the hockey helmet :)

I made dirt cupcakes for his school...

Saying the blessing before eating the cupcakes :)...

Couldn't pass this up. I'm sure one day he will be a bit embarrassed...

To be even, I will embarrass myself...

Then, we needed to go get his blood drawn for his endocrine appt next week. We felt awful doing it on his birthday, but thought with all the other things we had planned, he wouldn't think about it too much. He took it like a man :)

On to the bounce house place!

My cousin, his wife & their 3 kids met us there. Here's Brenden & Wes acting like monkeys...

Got home, after eating dinner at one of his favorite places-Chick fil A, and opened the things Daniel & I got for him. One of which was a pair of roller blades. He loved them & had to try them out immediately. Getting ready for the ice hockey skates :)
We had also planned on mowing because he loves doing that-and we needed to. And he wanted to take the training wheels off his bike & try riding it without them, for the first time. But, this rolled in & rained on our parade...We had a wonderful day! His party is Sunday, so I will post then!

Meet Booster!

2009-06-10T15:19:00.003-05:00

We got a new puppy (yes, this is a puppy)! He is a great dane/catahoula mix, and he is so handsome ;) They think he is almost a year old, but we will never know for sure-we got him from a shelter. Right now he is only 58 pounds & stands to my hips when he is walking. So, he's not too big, yet! The vet really doesn't think he will get much taller, only fill out a bit. He is such a good dog! He was a stray, so he didn't even know how to sit when we got him, but now he already knows sit, lay down, off, down, & stay (for about two seconds-we're still working on that one). He does like to bite butts & we haven't been able to get him to learn not to do that just yet. It sure is funny though!What ball???
Big kisses...

Somebody knows the rules-can you guess who...

Love 'em!

get a new girl!

2009-05-29T19:11:00.002-05:00

after dinner, bren & i were finishing up the cookies we were baking, then he sat on the floor by easton.

bren: he started saying...three boys! then counting all of them-him, daniel & easton
me: how many girls??
bren: only one, you!
me: what am i going to do about being the only one?
bren: get a new one!
we both couldn't stop gigglin'

then, he said, just get an extra one! :)

the projects begin...

2009-05-13T19:24:00.001-05:00

we love spring & summer. love the warm weather & love being outside. not much gets done in the house (projects, straightening...), cause you can never get us to stay inside for any length of time. we like doing projects outside, in the yard & with the house. daniel & brenden started it last night-we got top soil for our grass to make it more full & so it can grow better...and i was about to go crazy with my allergies. we had gone to home depot earlier in the night & i think it all got to me. i was miserable!!! love his faces...

and what better way to finish off some hard work-but with an ice cream treat! i bought those mini drumsticks & they are the perfect size! i think it may have been the first one brenden had ever had, so he was trying to find the yummy chocolate at the bottom ;)...

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-05-07T11:25:00.003-05:00

We spent this past weekend at Great Wolf Lodge! I think the best part of the mini vacation was having to drive only 20min to our destination :) Not really, but it was a plus! This place is so much fun. And, everything you need is there, so you never have to leave. Daniel plays on a Christian Hockey League & they were having a tournament this weekend, so they hosted everyone at Great Wolf (at a discounted rate)! Teams came from Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota, around here...so it was pretty neat having everyone come here.

We got one of the rooms with a 'Wolf Den' fir Bren. Here is his little cave that he slept in (it had a bunk bed & his own flat screen)...

Painting a snake at one of the activity places(tongue always helps)...

Following are some pics from the indoor water park at the hotel. Sorry-they do not do this place justice. My camera is awful!!!

Brenden & I went to the 'Clock Tower' before bed one night, while Daniel had a late game, to hear story time. Here is the wolf...

At the arcade...

can you tell im really not into this post. i think thats why it has taken all week for me to put it up. just new it would take a while to upload all the pics. whatever...the weekend really was a lot of fun though!

Bubba & Bren playing hockey. Bubba played in the tournament too, on Daniel's team. It might as well be a family team. daniel, bubba, and my twin cousins play on it.

Brenden & his second cousins playing. They stayed at the hotel as well, & had a blast swimming & playing together.

The teams pray together after each game...

Daniel's team. If you can see through the darkness of my flippin' camera. Daniel is standing up on the far left, Bubba is on the ground second from the right, my cousin, Evan, sitting to the left of Bubba (he is the goalie), and my other cousin, Justin, standing fourth from the left. It was a nice weekend & a good tournament-they got second place! A couple side notes...friday & saturday night, while we were there, brenden woke up around 1:00 in the morning. he did not know what was going on. he would not respond to us when we talked to him. he got upset when i tried to move him or lay him down-we found out he was sleep walking both nights! even though he stayed in his bed, they still call it that, & it can be caused by being so exhausted. so, that was interesting. he has not done it since :) and, daniel bought a brand new stick the thursday before the tournament & the second game, he broke the thing! now, this is one of the new one piece composite sticks, so he couldn't go replace the blade or anything like that. my heart sank when i saw it happen. this thing costs almost $200! the second it turned 10:00am, i was calling the hockey shop to see if there was a guarantee or something-there is!!! yay!!! we had to ship the thing to the manufacturer & will receive a new one. whew. and what else...oh, my grandmother went to the hospital saturday night, thinking she may have had a heart attack. at 5:00 in the morning they found out she had a stomach virus & anxiety :) we were very happy to hear that's all it was.

hope all you mommies have a blessed mother's day!

i can't stop vacuuming!!

2009-04-29T12:51:00.002-05:00

seriously. mr dyson, you're amazing. expensive, but amazing. i got a purple dyson last night, & i can't wait to get home & vacuum, to make pretty little lines all over the carpet. again. i did last night already. i have wanted one for a couple years now & finally!!! so excited. our 7yr old clunker of a vacuum worked ok, but it's like 50lbs, wouldn't turn well, & kinda stunk. i am d.o.n.e. with it! never again. have i said i am excited?? we were at target, walking around & daniel just plopped the box in our cart. uh, um, what are you doing? it took my breath away, honestly. excited!!!!

Weekend What-nots

2009-04-27T12:39:00.002-05:00

We had a good & busy weekend! Let's see here...Saturday we were doing stuff in the yard & around town & we also went to see the new Disney movie, Earth! It was the first movie Brenden has been to in the theater. He did pretty well, asked a couple times if we could leave, but all in all, he enjoyed it. It was a really good movie-especially if you like animals :) Then Sunday, we had a Baptism for my cousin's baby to attend. Then were at their reception for a couple hours. Then, we went to play firefighter at Daddy's fire station!! We had a really good time there! Here are a few pics from that (i did not have my camera all day, so these are from Daniel's phone)...

Daniel pulled the engine out and he & doodle got to spray some water.

Then, they started spraying the foam, which was even more fun! Brenden & I walked around in the "bubbles" from the foam they sprayed...
Such a handsome man :)...

Little man & I (still with foam on our feet) by the pretty engine. This truck is amazing. It is only a few weeks old, & smells like new car inside :) It's pretty amazing everything it does!

So, we were worn out from the weekend, but it was a lot of fun & still beautiful weather! Leaving the station, Brenden said "Jesus, Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day!" Priceless.

recovering & catching up

2009-04-24T10:32:00.002-05:00

it took about two weeks, but i think the three of us are finally as close to "normal" as we can be. we all had the stomach virus. it started on easter :) brenden had it, then daniel, then i finally got it. thankfully mine was not as bad as theirs, but little man had the worst of it, i think. breaks my heart when he is sick. this was not just a 24hr thing either. it lasted each of us about 3 days! miserable. i did lose 5lbs so far though, so there is a plus to this thing!

i haven't even posted pics from easter. or the zoo several weeks ago, or so many other things. i have gotten way behind on my little online scrapbook thing i've got goin' on here! oh well. i will be catching up these next few days, maybe :) the weather has been so beautiful here lately it's all we can do to not spend the night outside. so, maybe i will lock myself indoors & start uploading some pictures. we'll see...

Weekend What-nots

2009-04-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

Let's see if I can remember the weekend since it's, ya know, Wednesday already!

Friday night we met my mom, brother & grandmother at Red Robin for dinner, then they were going to take Brenden back to their house for the night, so we could do the garage sale. (whew-that sentence wore me out) My mom & Daniel's birthday is tomorrow, so they had coupons for free burgers. It was yummy :)

That night Daniel & I stayed up finishing things for the garage sale (which went a lot better than expected! got rid of a butt load of clothes!) He was putting together the two clothes racks we borrowed from my grandmother. These things are old, which means they were actually built worth while. He asked for my help to hold one side, while he twisted the other. He started twisting the darn thing before I had a hold of my end. This heavy, hard, metal clothes rack slammed into my ear! It hurt more than anything has in a long time. Right on the cartilage at the top. So, it turned all shades of pretty purple & swelled up a bit. Nice.

My dad got a new job a couple weeks ago, and he has email. My dad has never once worked on a computer. My mom has had him get on it to try it out & learn, but he has never had to do it for work. Well, he does get on it now to work. Which is pretty big for him, he is very insecure about it. Not really open to learning new things I think. He just sent me the second email I have ever received from him. The first was last week. Pretty neat!

It's been a little rough this week, for Doodle. And me I guess. He has been whiny, and a little bossy. And isn't putting his listening ears on too well, either! He had his new scooter taken away for 24hrs, and he didn't like that too well, so hopefully it will get better. I just keep praying for patience for me, as well as being equipped to be a great mom for him. I love him.

And my husband, I love him too ;) 11 years ago yesterday, he walked up & asked me for my number. Then I asked why. Ha! Dork. He still called me!

This is not really weekend what nots is it? More like, I'm at work, high on Sudafed, & would rather be writing non stop than doing anything productive. Whatever...

I'll just keep going. We have a realtor coming to look at our house tomorrow night. We'll see what she says. We (Daniel-not me) go back & forth on selling the house. Just keep praying that we will know God's will. The market is pretty good in our area now, so maybe it won't take long.

Tomorrow is Daniel's bday!!! 28-gettin on up there! Hope he's excited, he gets to go to a bonnet parade & egg hunt at Brenden's school, in the morning, then we clean the house for the realtor to come that night. Fun day :) My mom gets to work on her birthday(it's tomorrow too, like i said), so I guess that's not any better.

lata! pics to come after the egg hunt tomorrow!

he melts me

2009-04-05T22:02:00.002-05:00

this afternoon was a little rough.

little man & i were going to a few stores & i told him on the way "i want you to stay right beside me, ok!" (the stores we were going to did not have baskets for him to get into). of course, he says "ok!" first dang store we go to, he wants to stay at the front & play hop scotch on the tile. i let him have a few hops. then ask him to come with me. he trails behind...i remind him of what i said on the way. he was just determined to get to me; he then tries to hide by the front window, then in the corner of some racks, and tries to climb on a display thing in the middle of the store. i gave him a choice. he could quit acting the way he was, stay beside me, or we were not going to the pet store.

long story short, we did not go to any flippin' pet store!

as i was putting him to bed, i said that he could talk to Jesus & ask for his help in making better choices. after i walked out of his room, he kept singing & talking, then i hear "mom?" "mom!" so, i walk to his door, let him know he needs to go to sleep. he said, "i need you" i walk in & ask what he needs. (usually water or something to stall going to sleep) all he says is, "you're beautiful."

i give him hugs & kisses (while crying-happy tears(as he would say)), tell him thank you so much. i let him know how beautiful he is as well & tell him that he made my night.

he melts me. i love him to pieces.

garage sale time!

2009-04-02T12:33:00.003-05:00

we are having a garage sale this weekend-finally. i have had our spare room packed with garage sale merchandise for several months. a ton of clothes & shoes!! i can't believe we have so many to sell from just daniel, brenden & i. i spent tuesday (and will today & tomorrow) getting things together to sell. i was so excited to show daniel the clothes i had piled up of mine to sell-i made him come look. his eyes got big & he said "that's a ton of clothes! are we going to have to replace all that?" haha!! sure, punkin. sure! :) those black trash bags are full of clothes...

another pile...
and another...

here is part of our spare/garage sale room...
come one, come all!!

5 eggs!!!

2009-03-30T12:31:00.003-05:00

tweetie had babies! im so 'cited :) about two days after i wrote the last post, daniel noticed (some of us are a little too short) a couple eggs in there. then she had more! there were 5 (with this pic, you can only see 4) when we came back from mexia this weekend (family reunion-will post on that later tonight)! as of last week, we do not use the front door! when we notice someone coming up to the door, we open the garage, so they won't disturb the birdies, or knock down the nest when we open the door. i pray they stay safe & are healthy! i love having animals around our house.

growing up, when we lived in cedar hill, our house backed up to land, and we had quite a few critters! we had a family of opossum (which one was albino) and we had a family of raccoons too! they would all climb up on our fence & get in our backyard to eat (yes, we did feed them). once we apparently had not put food out, and we heard something on the backdoor. went to look & there was a dang raccoon. he knocked on our door for food-not kidding!

i will post pictures once the eggs hatch :)

this and that

2009-03-25T11:13:00.003-05:00

brenden was pretty sick last week with a bad cold. we kept him home on monday, because he had a low fever on sunday, then he began to feel better. thursday, the school called & said he didn't have fever, but just wasn't himself. we went to pick him up early and poor thing, he looked awful! shortly after we got home his fever was almost 102! he fell asleep on our bed, would wake up to cry & fall back to sleep. all i could do was just lay there & cry with him. he got to stay home again on friday though, and him & daddy had a good day together! he's all better now :)

last year around this time, i wrote a blog about peetie & booty call (two little birds that made a nest in our christmas garland, so we had to leave it up until like april)! well...peetie is back with a new lady :) her name is tweetie. she is just a pretty gray, no red. they decided to make a nest in the wreath on our front door. our door has a arch of glass at the top, so we get to see the nest and watch them from inside our house. it's pretty neat! yesterday, she stayed in the nest all day! babies?? we will see...

daniel will be taking the engineer test next wednesday (april fool's day-who decided on that?!?) to hopefully promote to engineer! he has been studying for the past three long months for this. a couple hundred firefighters take the test, but they only take as many holes as they have open-i think it may be like 17 right now. and the guys that have been on the dept longer than him, get extra points, so he feels like it's a long shot, but i know he can do it. God's will we know, but man, it sure would be an amazing blessing! so, send up an extra prayer for him, if you have a chance :)

oh, we got family of the month at brenden's school for march! i wanted to ask if that means we don't have to pay tuition for this month, but i figured the answer would be no, so i didn't waste that oxygen. they wrote a little thing about our family & we got to bring in a few pics to put up on the board at the entrance.

stars are not doing well at all right now. that's all i have to say about them.

i could probably go on & on for a while. but it's all really just mumbo jumbo. just sitting here at work, waiting for the rain to come :) have a nice wednesday!

our sunday morning worship

2009-03-22T22:10:00.003-05:00

As I am getting ready for church on Sunday mornings, this is what I usually see & hear. I got Daniel a guitar for Valentine's Day, which he plays it every chance he gets and Brenden loves to play the piano. They make the most beautiful music!

my bathtub rocker

2009-03-19T09:19:00.002-05:00

someone needs a haircut! :)

wish i had the balls to actually do his hair like this. i think it looks cute on him!

Happy Birthday Bubba

2009-03-11T12:02:00.004-05:00

23 years ago today a little man was born that I claimed to be "My Bubba," and apparently let everyone who wanted to see or hold him, know that. To this day, that is his name and always will be. I have never called him by his 'real' name (Christopher). We've been through our share of things together. Homes, schools, sports, family members passing away too soon, fights (oh, so many fights. i think we are probably tied on who won them, but sometimes i thought i wouldn't come out alive :)), animals, tears, smiles and among plenty of other things, firework accidents (because we had no adult supervision).

He's an awesome hockey player, an amazing photographer, a great brother & an even better uncle. Bubba, I hope you have a happy birthday. I love you.

Last night him, my dad, mom, grandmother, Daniel, Brenden & I went to Dave & Busters to celebrate. We had a blast & did not want to leave that place. Here's Brenden & Bubba after he opened the present Brenden picked out for him...(Reese's peanut butter cups-with one missing, because Brenden ate one while he was wrapping the present)

Daniel and Bubba racing cars, while Papa & Doodle look on...

We decided to race each other, but Brenden couldn't reach the pedals, so I just had to race too :)

Daniel, Brenden & me. He was too wired to do a normal smile...

He could have spent the night on this thing & not known we had left...

Weekend What-not's

2009-03-10T21:30:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was beautiful. Mid 80's and sunshine! What more could you ask for? Saturday, my friend Vipha's little boy turned 2, so we went to his party & Brenden got to hit a pinata for the first time. We had a really good time there & ate yummy food! Went to church that afternoon, because they started doing a Saturday service also, and we love that! Then we finished off that day with grocery shopping, which we love to do (seriously we do :)). Sunday we woke up at uh, 7 (or at least I did-the boys slept a little longer) to go to my brother's hockey game. They won 5-1; he scored one goal & had one assist. I always enjoy watching him play! They play their home games at a rink in a mall & the mall was not open yet that morning, so Brenden took advantage of the play area being totally empty...

Bubba on the ice (in the middle with the blue helmet) Go Bubba!!!...

Me, Doodle & Bubba after the game...

The rink was empty for quite a while after the game, so we just slid around on the ice a little & Daniel & Bren played a little broom ball...
This was how our weekend was spent every time we were in the truck-windows down, enjoying the weather...

We have an ostrich!

2009-03-09T16:43:00.002-05:00

Or that's what Brenden thinks, anyway! On Friday, I had the backdoor open so he could run in & out to play, because it has been beautiful the past few days. While I was in the kitchen, he came in & (quickly but easily) shut the door and this is how it went...

Bren: (whispering as he shuts the door)"there's an ostrich"

Me: "what?"

Bren: "there's an ostrich out there"

Me: "an ostrich? what does he look like bud?" (all the while trying not to laugh my head off)

Bren: (while flapping his little arms like a butterfly) "like a butterfly"

Me: "he looks like a butterfly? wow, i've never seen an ostrich in our backyard!"

Bren: "the other night, daddy & i were eating pizza, we had the door open & an ostrich came in!"

Me: wondering what in the world they did the other night...just went along with his story & giggled about it, telling him the ostrich won't hurt him.

I told Daniel about it on Saturday & he said he was talking about a moth! :) haha too cute! Don't know where he got ostrich out of moth, but I liked it.

Stars (Penguin) game

2009-03-04T13:54:00.004-06:00

We went to the Star's game on Sunday, which ended up being the Penguin's game, because they spanked us 4-1. We had six games in a row at home & lost five of them. Granted we had 5 players out because of injuries (& 1 out for being suspended for apparently trying to "gouge" out another players eye at the end of the Duck's game), but we could've done better. But, we won in Cali last night! March is the month with the most games, so I pray we get to be in the playoffs. Hopefully some of the injured ones will heal quickly, ahem...Morrow! Here's Brenden (named after morrow by the way-i may have mentioned that a couple times :)) on the mini zamboni...

A picture of the warm-up, thanks to Brenden. He loves taking pictures.

I took a picture of Daniel & Brenden, then wanted one of him & I. Well, little man was not cooperating. The second Daniel would take the picture, Brenden would look away. So...after we got him a little bag of popcorn, I said show Daddy your popcorn...meaning hold up the piece in your hand (thinking this would make him look at the camera for longer than half a second). He thought I meant this...

Haha! Well, it worked, just not the way I was intending. He's still handsome, even with a mouth full of popcorn. Here's him & his daddy...
Someone next to us offered to take a pic of the three of us. You see that behind us? Yea, the wall! I swear I thought I was going to pass out being that high. We have never sat this high at a game, & don't plan on it again. We got the tickets from someone at my office, tried to upgrade them, but couldn't. So...here we are in the nosebleed section.
Go Stars!!!

His time is changing

2009-03-02T13:04:00.003-06:00

About a week & a half ago, Brenden started waking up around 6:30am. Well, that doesn't fly very far in our house. If it's earlier than 7, we don't function properly. His morning routine consists of watching a 30min cartoon & asking for cereal (in a cup). So, this past week I've walked him to the living room, turned the TV on & walked back to a warm bed. Once his show is over, I hear a little voice, "Mom, you told me you were gonna get up!" So, I rooollll out of bed & start the day.

We tried putting him to bed later, then earlier & his wake up time never got any later. Then a light bulb went off in my head. I asked myself, "self, when is daylight savings??" I was so excited to see that it was coming up on the 8th!!! I don't know how he knows, or what changes in his little body for him to start changing his internal clock. Who needs a calendar! I've got Doodle :)

Bring it on, daylight savings! We need that extra hour. Oh, and, uh... Spring, you can come a little early if ya like :)

Weekend What-nots

2009-02-23T21:19:00.003-06:00

We spent the weekend mostly around the house, which was nice. It was cold & windy on Saturday, so we couldn't play outside. But we did go out for an ice cream treat & to the grocery store! Easton helped me watch Brenden for a bit while I got some things done around the house...

Brenden holds the rope, Easton grabs a hold of one end & pulls him all over the kitchen! So many cute squeals come out of Brenden when they play :)

And Doodle got a new bike! Didn't even know Bamaw & Papa were bringing one over. He has already gotten too tall for his other bike, so we needed to get him one, but they beat us to it! We've let him ride it in the house since it hasn't gone outside too much & from the time he gets up till the time he goes to bed, he's circling the house on that thing.
And this dog...

decided to roll around in the grass Sunday afternoon and then Brenden thought he would look nice with sand on top of that. Normally wiping the grass (never had to get sand off before) off wouldn't be a big deal, but static (one of the many lovely things that comes with winter) will not let it come off! So today, he got to go get pampered at Pet's Mart with a bath. We've got a lot planned this week, so more pics to come :)

under construction

2009-02-20T21:24:00.002-06:00

again. warning...will look gross until i am finished :) well, it may still look gross when i am finished, but we'll see! may not have energy to finish it tonight.

I am not a freakin' chicken.

2009-02-20T13:24:00.002-06:00

This is my "me time." Tanning. 20 minutes of white noise, drowning out life's noises. It had seemed like forever since I've tanned (and by the paleness of my body you could definitely tell), so it was nice to start going again. And, I always say, tan fat looks better than white fat :) Well...I talked Daniel into going, because I thought he would like it! He has never tanned before & obviously didn't know what to expect. So I was telling him how to turn the bed on & to not stay in the same exact position so he doesn't get bulb lines, etc... Then he said "so, it's kinda like a rotisserie thing?" What the...?? He thought that would be a good idea, so he wouldn't have to move, it would just move him! Um no, not really & I am not a chicken, that gets turned every few minutes to bake! :) Although, some people call it fake baking, so maybe.

Just got off the phone with Daniel. He said the doctor called & referred him to the ENT doctor, because of him being dizzy or something. Then he asked me if that was the ear, nose & tongue doctor! haha That's my fireman.

Meet Emma

2009-02-18T11:02:00.002-06:00

This is Brenden and his girlfriend, Emma, on Valentine's Day. Look at her boots!! :) He wanted to bring her something for Valentine's Day, and that is what she's holding behind her. He got her a Disney Princess coloring set. The other day Daniel & I went to pick him up at school & he turned around before walking out. He went over to where all the kids were, Emma stood up & they gave each other the biggest hug, then she gave him the sweetest kiss on the cheek! We are just blown away by the things he says about her & how they act towards each other. It is SO sweet. I met her mom yesterday & she was saying how cute the two of them are together. But, we have not met her dad yet-I'm not sure how he feels about his 3yr old daughter having a boyfriend! ;)

waiting on dad

2009-02-05T12:20:00.003-06:00

Brenden & Easton waiting on Dad to get home from the station on Friday, with donuts (or nanos-what Brenden used to call them). They both get so excited when they hear the garage open.

Baby Jesus

2009-02-02T16:16:00.002-06:00

Saturday, while Daniel was pumping gas, Brenden & I were just sitting in the truck talking. Our conversation got interrupted by him saying this...

Brenden: "Awww, it's Jesus"

Me: "What?"

Brenden: "It's baby Jesus"

Me: "Hun, you think that looks like baby Jesus? It's a Keebler Cookie truck."

Our Ice Day

2009-01-30T09:37:00.002-06:00

We had an ice day on Wednesday & got to stay home. We had quite a bit of ice that had fallen overnight. So much that we had our own ice rink in front of the house! We got bundled up after breakfast & headed out to "skate" around, and also play some hockey. Doodle saw me putting on my ear muff things & asked, "what are you doing?" I told him, then he said he wanted to put his on. I told him, he didn't have any, but that we would have to buy him some. He was already on the other side of the house getting whatever he was going for. He came around the corner like this...

I thought it was so cute. He went and got his ear muff things we got him at the air show! Whatever keeps your ears warm ;)

We let Easton out front with us. He really enjoyed it also. His favorite part was going along the edges of the street, stomping & pawing at the ice, till it cracked & he could eat it.
And, we got to play ice hockey!!

We spent the rest of the day on the couch, watching a movie & playing.

we've got frizzle!

2009-01-27T22:02:00.002-06:00

that would be freezing drizzle for y'all not from these parts :) it's been going on all day, but tonight it started sleeting a lot. here is our magnolia, with some ice on it...this is our trampoline! we have almost half an inch of ice piled up on everything we've seen.

daniel & i freezing our butts off...
doodle & i doing the same. he woke up at 10:30 tonight & came into the living room, so i just had to take him outside to see it all!

best part...we just found out that my work & his school is closed tomorrow!!! woo-hoo! pajama day.

i've got a good man :)

2009-01-22T10:31:00.003-06:00

yes, i do. i have a good man! well...i actually have two good men, if you count doodle :) oh & i can't leave my good chocolate man out. but, i really just wanted to say i have a good man; my husband is pretty darn good to me. just sitting at work thinking about it, so i thought i'd write it down for him to see later. love you punkin.

i eat my chocolate milk

2009-01-21T14:54:00.002-06:00

when i fix chocolate milk (from powder-nesquick) or hot chocolate, i put the mix in the cup, then pour the milk in, but i don't stir it. i get me a spoon and go after it! i eat small amounts of the powder in the bottom of the glass along with each spoonful of milk :) oh, it is so yummy!

yesterday, ALL our silverware was dirty. we are trying to do a lot better with eating out, because we like to do it so much, but man, there are a lot more dirty dishes to wash, when you eat at home! anyway...we were out of cascade, so i couldn't run the dishwasher at the moment. and i wanted chocolate milk. right then. so...i dug around our mixing mess drawer & found this. it's one of our huge serving spoons, but, uh it has holes in it. it was not a very productive little spoon for me to eat my chocolate milk with.

Station 11

2009-01-19T19:44:00.002-06:00

Daniel has a permanent station!!! He put a bid in for the spot at this one & got it. His first shift was Saturday, so Brenden & I went up there to visit & meet the crew & brought some goodies. This is a brand new station, that just opened on the 15th, and it's so nice! They say rookies will swing stations (which means each shift he has the possibility (and usually did) of going to a different station (there are 41 in ft worth) in the city, whichever one needs a person to fill in, if another firefighter is off) for about 3-5 years, & Daniel had to do it for 3. I think. We are praying he will only be at this station for a couple months, because he is taking the engineer test in March to promote :) I know he can do it!

The beautiful kitchen! I would love an island this big :) Oh, & some of them pretty pots hanging from the ceiling!

The bedrooms (this one is Daniel's, there are still things that need to be done with every room in the station, that's why it looks a little unfinished.)

The living room has eight recliners & is perfect for watching sports :)

Doodle & I trying out the recliners...

it's not my problem.

2009-01-14T13:19:00.002-06:00

My little man opened my eyes a little yesterday & taught me something. I was in our bedroom getting ready, he was in there with me & Daniel was still in bed. Here's what was said...

Daniel: "My biceps are really sore from working out."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry hun."
Brenden: "Mom, it's not your problem!"

Haha! No babe, it's not my problem.

grateful

2009-01-13T19:30:00.002-06:00

and, now he's married.

2009-01-11T17:12:00.002-06:00

well, i got to school to pick bren up on friday, and i got some news. his teacher said, "brenden tell your mommy what you did today on the playground." i said what, kiss emma?? haha no, but close. he told me, emma is my girlfriend, so we got married. what!? man, he likes to get things movin'!

she said it was a big deal, & they had a big ceremony! we thought it was pretty cute. now, i just wonder what her daddy thinks...

He's got a girlfriend!!

2009-01-09T10:51:00.003-06:00

well, my little man's got his first of many. a girlfriend! well, i say first of many, but who knows, he could marry her! never know :)

several weeks ago he started talking about this girl named emma. her name would come up every once in a while. daniel & i saw her during the thanksgiving lunch at his school; she was sitting just so quietly at the end of his table. this past week, he has been talking about her quite a bit! when he does, he smiles & his little eyebrows go up & down! it is so cute! but when we talk to him about her & ask him questions, he grins & gets so embarrassed. yesterday he told us she is his girlfriend!

i did ask him if he has given her a hug. he said "no, they won't let me." haha! daniel & i thought that was pretty funny. brenden said, "i just get a ball and we pass it together!" lol so cute & so innocent-it's very sweet when he talks about her.

this morning when i took him to school, his teacher said, "you know he has a...(then she pointed at emma). oh yes, we know he has a girlfriend. both of his teachers were saying how cute it was. when they are outside, he will follow her around (he told us he likes to chase her-apparently she likes to play hard to get!) and when she sits on the step, he will sit right next to her & place his arm around her! oh my gosh, it makes me melt! he is going to be such a gentleman-just like his daddy ;) they also said that she does the same to him, so at least it's not all one sided.

watch out ladies! parents, lock your little girls up! my little man is a ladies man!

Just a glimpse

2009-01-07T11:16:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Daniel & I went to the park where we like to run. We ended up walking most of the three miles we went, so it wasn't as productive as we would've liked. But, if we would have been running, we would have missed seeing all that we did.

A few areas of the trail go through wooded spots, with massive trees, brush & creeks. We saw a couple hawks, and a beautiful Blue Jay, along with a couple other birds. The Blue Jay stayed so close to us & was singing beautiful music! Daniel said "you know, since reading The Shack (by the way, one of the best books ever. ever! you've got to read it) it just makes you imagine how amazing all this will be in Heaven. Everything green, kept up, and how it should be, and all the critters, and birds roaming around." So, we began talking about that along our walk.

Next time around the trail in that area, it was like we were surrounded by birds. They were everywhere! We saw birds that we have not seen in years. It was amazing. I wondered, why are these birds coming out & flying and perching on the trees right by us? Then Daniel said, "you know why." It was as if God had sent all these little (and big) birdies to show us-just to give us a glimpse of what it will be like. We saw the hawks, the blue jays, a sparrow, cardinals and red birds, a woodpecker (which we sat and watched for about 15 minutes, because neither of us had seen one in about 15 years), mocking birds, doves and finches. They were all chirpin' an singin' so pretty.

We had a beautiful, eye opening walk together.

84 degrees in january!

2009-01-04T08:53:00.002-06:00

love it!!! saturday was a beautiful day!

but...just wait a day in texas. today's high is 40. can't wait for monday, it might be around 80 again :)

Where'd the year go?

2009-01-02T10:51:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's already 2009. This past year flew by! It seems like as I get older, the years go by faster & faster. Time flies, when you're having fun, right?

We had a nice Christmas & New Years. I didn't take many pictures over the holidays, & honestly have not looked at the few I did take, so I'm just going to write about it...

I think our Christmas went on for about a week & a half. It started the Tuesday before & ended New Year's Eve! Seeing different families on different days & trying to let Daniel have all his Christmas, since he was on shift the day of. Oh, & Santa came to our house a day early!! He new daddy would be at the station, & wanted him to be able to be a part of the day. :) Brenden got his Spider man scooter he's been asking for & we also got him a hockey set, that comes with two goals & 4 sticks & other fun stuff. I think he loves that just as much as the scooter! I think it would be easier to list the things he didn't get, so I will just stop there! I'm just excited to go through all his old toys & get them donated. We have been so blessed. Really. This past year has been so hard on so many people, with the jobs & gas prices & the economy. We feel very blessed that we have secure jobs, that will never be lost & that the market won't hurt us.

I got lots of purple stuff for Christmas!!! love it! Daniel got me a purple hoodie, & he also got me a purple Mag lite flashlight! This thing is the same size that the police carry & it is the most beautiful color purple ever! I have been wanting to have better flashlights around the house, they just make me feel a little more safe, & this thing is also a weapon, it's so big! His main present for me though...I have a massage a month for a whole year!!! I got my first one on Tuesday. I think he may have to do this every year for me, after I get spoiled this year ;) I got him a new system for his truck, & also got a few of the pictures framed of him that were taken while he was at fires. Now, he just needs to hang them!

New year's was as boring as the past 3 have been. So exciting! Just Brenden & I at home (because, you know, Daniel was at the station!), in bed before midnight. Although, my mom & grandmother came over & we went out to dinner, so I guess we did do something :)

Anyway, didn't plan on this being so lengthy, and boring! I pray that 2009 will be a wonderful, safe, healthy, happy, blessed year for us all!

Wrapping Ideas from My Husband

2008-12-23T10:27:00.002-06:00

Daniel wrapped my presents in black trash bags. He & my brother always try to be clever with what they wrap with. I think he did a pretty good job this year! Too bad we didn't have any purple trash bags :)

A Texas Snowman

2008-12-23T10:07:00.002-06:00

They built these close to our home & I thought it was a cute idea. We have been able to build a baby snowman here before, but this is about as close as you can get. A snowman, made out of hay. And here is a Christmas tree, made out of hay...

seriously?!?

2008-12-19T22:41:00.002-06:00

i'm sure you've heard about burger king coming out with the "flame broiled" smelling cologne. well, on the news tonight they were doing the "viewer's voice" segment & this dude called in and left a message saying this...(oh, you know we are in texas, so add that country po-dunk voice with it)

"thank god burger king finally came out with that cologne that smells like a hamburger. my wife weighs 437 pounds & it's about time she paid some attention to me!"

haha!!! i was rollin'! it was too funny (and unbelievable at the same time). i'm hoping it was a joke. he did sound pretty serious though.

Christmas lights...long overdue post.

2008-12-19T10:41:00.003-06:00

Daniel (and Brenden) did the lights on the house the week of Thanksgiving, but I am just now getting around to posting about it?!? Last year when Daniel was doing the lights, Brenden couldn't stay off the ladder. He just wanted to be up on the roof, and this year was no different.

I'm not too crazy (to put it lightly) about heights, so I was half way up the ladder just making sure Brenden was safe & secured.

I think Daniel did a good job securing him, don't ya think? haha! Looking at it now, makes me think of something off the Christmas Vacation movie.
Here he is helping hand over some lights...

Well, here is a picture of the house, finished. All though, our camera is awful, so the picture is as well. You couldn't see the lights with the flash on & when you turn it off, you can't move at all, or it looks like this...but, if you look closely, they each look like little swans (they are normal lights, i promise)! :) It looks beautiful in person!

He knows where his present is!

2008-12-12T11:02:00.002-06:00

he will not leave this tree since i wrapped his present! i put it way up under the tree, thinking he may smell the massive candy cane bone. he just puts his big nose (and half his body) right up under that tree to try & pull out the tissue paper from his bag, to sneak a peak. i'll hear him from the other room, growling at us, because he just can't stand it. he's almost as bad as daniel & i! :)

we usually know what we are getting before Christmas even gets here. we just can't keep our presents for each other a surprise. the year we got married, we had to go out & buy more gifts for each other, because the week before we opened all our presents! haha we just couldn't wait. since then, i have not wanted to know what i am getting!

dang starbucks hot chocolate

2008-12-08T22:01:00.002-06:00

the three of us were up all night last night. little man was so sick. he threw up at least 7 times. starting at 12:45 & finally ended at about 6:00 this morning. he never complained about feeling bad before bed. we went to starbucks & he got his usual "coffee" (kids hot chocolate). so, we think the steamed milk or something may have made him sick. thank goodness we have a lot of blankets left from when he was younger, because we had to change his bedding like 3 times. i just laid on the floor & snuggled with him as daniel was finishing his bed.

i don't like it when he feels bad, but i sure do love the snuggle time!!
he has a few animals that he keeps in his bed. well, let's just say they got dirty. daniel told him they all played in the mud & had to get a bath! :) here is bunny, oscar the pig, spot & einstein...he stayed home with daddy today & soaked it all in! also fell asleep on the couch, which never happens! he is doing better tonight, so i pray he is able to sleep better too.

Christmas traditions...a new one!

2008-12-04T21:54:00.003-06:00

I love the traditions that we have & making new ones! Well, we have a new one. We usually just go to a nursery or a Christmas tree lot to get our tree, but I thought we should cut one down this year. My mom, dad & brother wanted to go along with us. We had so much fun! We went to the same place where we got our pumpkins from. They also do Christmas trees. Here we are on the wagon, waiting to be taken out to the fields...I am so sad I'm not in this picture! It would have been a great family picture! Well, I guess it still is, just missing me! :)
Here are some of the trees they have. They grow three different varieties, & they are all so beautiful!

This picture is just priceless. He was playing peek-a-boo behind the trees. I love this little man to pieces!
Here is the tree we got. We let little man decide which one he liked.

Bubba got a needle stuck in his glasses while he was helping with the tree. It's one of those...you gotta be there kind of things. It was quite funny! :)
And... look who I got to see again!!!!! Kong!!! I still want a donkey, in case anyone was wondering. (you know, Christmas is coming!) wink, wink
Chocolate man decided he wanted to help trim some of the limbs once we got home...

We can't wait to go back next year. This place is wonderful! Thanks, Mainstay Farms for a beautiful tree!

on comet, on cupid, on donder, & easton?

2008-12-02T21:34:00.003-06:00

our thanksgiving

2008-11-28T21:43:00.004-06:00

on wednesday, we went to a thanksgiving feast at brenden's school, which was nice. he enjoyed being able to come back home with us after lunch! then thursday, we went to my parent's house for most of the day. we didn't hop from house to house this year, which was very nice! we did go see daniel's dad & step mom before our dinner, but other than that, we stayed put. we play football every year during thanksgiving & christmas, it's just something that has to be done in texas :) here is bubba, daniel & brenden playing...

while they were playing, my mom, grandmother & i were inside getting things ready for dinner. every time i am cooking-no matter what it is-something comes flying out of the bowl or saucepan. well, this time, it landed on my foot. i was making my deviled eggs & some of the yolk part decided to make it's home there...

little man loves deviled eggs! there's bubba. he's beginning to remind me of my dad-always ends up in the picture somewhere...

here's the set table. i know it's boring; seeing the table is not the point. ok, see the ceramic turkey in the middle of the table? see the ear of roasted corn behind his butt? well, on the other side of the turkey are little candles that are lit. while we were all at the table eating dinner, flames engulfed that ear of corn! not kidding! we couldn't believe what was happening. well, thank goodness a fireman was there, because they might not have a house right now! haha joking. the corn was a little too close to the candle!

daniel picked up the corn & threw it out back. here it is, still smoldering...

we had a nice thanksgiving & have so many things & people to be thankful for! hope you all had a nice one too!

Have you ever seen a...

2008-11-26T18:39:00.002-06:00

Brenden has recently started telling his own little jokes. They all start with "have you ever seen a..." They just crack him up! Here are a few...

Have you ever seen a horse riding a cow?

Have you ever seen a pig riding a butt? haha

Have you ever seen a bike riding a horse?

And the one he said tonight...
Have you ever seen a mouse riding a cookie in the water?

I just imagine him sitting at the table, at school, eating lunch with all his little friends going around the table telling jokes!

Hoe Ho

2008-11-25T23:03:00.002-06:00

As I was finishing up a few more Christmas cards last night, Brenden asked to fill one out. He circled all the little snowflakes, did a few letters, and doodled on the inside.

Then he wanted to write on the envelope. I asked him what he wanted to write & he said ho ho! I know they are on letter G this week at school, so I asked him if he knew how to write the letter H. He said yes, and started drawing an E (which he did perfect on, but it wasn't a H), so I drew a tiny H on the top of the envelope, so he could see. He then went to the left of the E & did the H, then an O-which he knows how to write. He wrote the correct letter H above the E, then another O. After he was finished, I noticed it was addressed to Hoe Ho! lol

oh, i meant to tell you...

2008-11-23T17:06:00.003-06:00

my husband just told me i remind him of the chick on "american pie" that always said "this one time, at band camp..." but instead, i say "oh, i meant to tell you..."

Entry room finished...check

2008-11-19T11:32:00.004-06:00

Well, almost. Still waiting on the curtains & for one more hook thing to be hung, which Daniel is working on. Then we will be done! Here are some before & after pictures of our front/entry room. I like to call it our antique churchy room! :)

We love to paint & do projects like this together. Probably because we actually agree on what we want to accomplish & the color we want it to be. So, it's a lot of fun. And I like the smell of paint. Which, is probably a little odd. That reminds me...we were at the store the other night & I had bought one of those fine tip sharpies to do the Christmas cards with. Well, you can't buy that without someone coming to the register (we were doing self checkout) to make sure you won't be sniffing it or anything. Little did she know! Sharpies are one of my favorite smells. haha! Along with white-out. But anyway...this is totally not what I was planning on talking about in this post! While we are on the subject though, I had a teacher that liked the smell of skunks! now, that's wacko. OK, enough of this. Enjoy the pics.

weekend what-not's

2008-11-17T15:32:00.002-06:00

Anyone ready for Summer already? I know I am.

It blows my mind that Turkey Day is next week! Where did this year go? The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by. Not sure if I like that too much. Just don't want to miss anything. That's the main reason for this blog, so we can look back on things we did or went through.

Anyway...

Daniel was so sweet this weekend (not that he usually isn't)! Brenden decided he wanted to be a rooster on Saturday morning & wake up at 6:30! Any other day, I have to go in and wake him up at 7:50 to get ready. So, I tried to trick him & say it's night-night time hun, go back to sleep, I will see you in the morning. haha Well, that didn't work! For the first time, Daniel got up with him & they let me sleep! I got to sleep till 8:35! They even left to go to the grocery store & I didn't know it! When I woke up, he was making breakfast for me & had a nice, big fire going (in the fireplace-not the stove). It was awesome! Thanks punkin :)

Got our Christmas cards done, & my Christmas lists filled out, for what to get the family. It was actually pretty easy this year. We didn't stress out about what to get for who.

Daniel & I painted! We did the front room in our house. It's a deep cranberry-burgundy color(called city bistro, if that helps any)! :) We love to paint & we may be doing another room-or two-this weekend. I will post some before & after pictures later. It really changes the room, now we just stand in there & stare. ha! Which is quite boring, because the only thing in there is an antique church pew (is that how you spell it?) & an antique piano.

My Mom wanted Brenden to come over on Saturday night, & Daniel was on shift on Sunday, so I slept till 9:35 on Sunday! I sure love sleep. Saturday night Daniel & I had our date night of dinner & grocery shopping! haha Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

A new toy? I'm not thinkin' so!

2008-11-14T15:24:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks back, as I was getting ready, Brenden was messing around in the cabinet under his sink. Which is fine, because we don't have anything unsafe in there. So, I just let him keep playing. Well, I walked into the living room & this is what I saw...

He had apparently found the box of remaining nursing pads I had, from 3 years ago! He thought he found something pretty neat! Whatever keeps him occupied for a bit, right?!?

he's home!

2008-11-13T10:07:00.003-06:00

look how happy he is! :) we sure missed him. the house just wasn't the same with him gone! he had gone to lay on his pillow to rest & brenden followed him in there, covered him up & tried to share some mini gummy bears with him.

you can tell he is in some pain. they give them the injections in the back (kinda like where a dog's waist would be), so he's a little swollen there. he didn't eat last night or this morning, but he did eat the treats i gave him; go figure. he did great through it all! now comes the hard part of keeping him calm & unexcited for 4 weeks. i will need some prayers for that too! :)

I was supposed to serve on Jury Duty yesterday...

2008-11-11T20:36:00.002-06:00

But I forgot. Totally. Forgot. Jury duty. How does that happen?? I have never known of anyone forgetting they needed to be at Jury duty. But I did!

Yesterday morning I was at work, talking to my friend Vipha & she was saying how she was late to work because her husband had to go to jury duty. I swear my heart fell on the floor. I said "what is today???" The 10th. I ran out & said, um I've got to call Daniel. I was so scared that I was going to be arrested or something. I started crying. I was terrified. I don't want to go to jail!

Well, I called Daniel & his response was, "don't call me, call them!" Oh, uh, yea. Ok, good idea. I called the number they had on the papers, left a message saying I totally forgot. When the lady called me back, I asked her if I was going to be arrested & she paused. Then said probably not. She sure sounded reassuring!

Everything was fine. I have been rescheduled for a date in February. I pray I remember that day! Something tells me I will be arrested if I don't!

A little prayer for my chocolate man

2008-11-10T22:32:00.002-06:00

We found out a couple months back that Easton was heart worm positive. We are taking him to the vet in the morning to have the treatment done, to get rid of them. He will stay overnight & we will pick him up Wednesday evening. He started actually showing the symptoms about a month ago-coughing a little bit, & sometimes taking deep breaths. Other than that he is still his active, spazo, sweet, funny self :) If you just have a spare second tomorrow, please send up a prayer for him to be strong & pull through the treatment without any complications. It's apparently a risky procedure & can be hard on some dogs. They did say he was a prime candidate for it, so we think he will do great! Once we bring him home on Wednesday, he has to be calm for 4 weeks. 4 weeks!!! That's going to be the hard part. :) Love you 'Cleason'-be strong. We will have Dino at home waiting for you.

His sense of direction

2008-11-10T11:19:00.003-06:00

My mom came over Friday night so I could highlight her hair. We had planned on getting dinner first, & started deciding where we wanted to go. We asked Brenden what he wanted, & he said he wanted to go to the store where his friend is. Ok? My mom & I decided we would just go to a Chinese place up the street. He said, no I want to go to the store where my friend is! I told him we were going to eat, not going to go to a store.

He continued...said he wanted to go to the store where his friend was & where there was a ball, & a horse, and a bucket. I thought he might of had a dream about this, because I had no idea what he was talking about! I asked what his friend's name was & he didn't know. He said he was not in his old class or his new one. I was like, where did your dad take you, and what in the world are you talking about!?! We asked him if he knew where this place was. He said we turn, turn, go over bumps, turn, go straight. :) okie dokie.

So we were getting in the truck, and we decided to get Chinese. His eyes started tearing up! He was determined to go to this place he was talking about. I backed out of the garage, & said what way do I go buddy? He told me every turn to take & what direction to go to get us out of the neighborhood. I said are we going to get on the highway? He said yes. I was wondering if I needed to fill up my tank before we left the area, cause I had no idea where he was taking us!

Some light bulb went off in my mom's head (thankfully) & she said, are we going to the place where you get pancakes?? I wish y'all could have seen the look on his face! He was so excited, we figured it out, finally! He said yes with this huge smile on his face! Cracker Barrel Restaurant (and country store) is the place. And my mom has always called this little ferret thing that has a magnet in his nose, his "friend"! The magnet is connected to a ball (which he mentioned earlier in the night was orange)! He rides a little horse at this place. Oh and his "friend" is in a bucket.

I said, you know how to get there? And he did. I told him he was going to tell me how to get there. He showed me where to go for the highway, what exit to take, & what turns to take to get to the restaurant. We were blown away. Here are a couple pics I took with my phone...

I remember last year he started telling my mom how to get from their house to ours! Guess he's pretty good with direction! Which is good, considering I just figured out how to know what direction I am facing about 3 years ago!

Halloween parade & party

2008-11-01T23:47:00.003-05:00

Friday was Brenden's school Halloween parade & party! They all got to wear their costumes most of the day. Here are all the little kiddos in his class, getting ready for the parade...

Here they are during the parade (cowboy's waving at the camera)...

They went back in through the front door & we came in the side door. He thought we left & was just so upset! So was I!

Cowboy & Dad
Cowboy & Mom (or cowgirl, as he kept calling me)

We had a wonderful time & are so glad we are able to be there with him during these times!

Bamaw's company halloween shindig

2008-11-01T22:56:00.004-05:00

The law firm my mom works for does this amazing Halloween party every year. Their whole floor is turned into different themes of a haunted house, but not all of it is haunted. Some playful. Here's my cowboy!!!

My mom dressed up as an old lady this year. She did awesome on her make-up! Promise, this is nothing like what she looks like :)

Here she is on the right. That is one of her co-workers in that Mona Lisa frame, mantle piece thing. This area is where the elevators are, so when you step off, it is pitch black. Pretty fun!

Cowboy & Daniel, in one of the scary places...

Little man walking across the stage, during the costume contest...

And here we are, the boring mom & dad, dressed up as parents :)

More Halloween Activities

2008-11-01T22:44:00.003-05:00

Brenden & I put together some little goodie bags for his classmates, for the Halloween party day. Let's see...we had goldfish, teddy grahams, & play dough. Brenden insisted on making himself one. He helped me fill some & then he put a candy corn sticker on all 21 of them!

Frankly, this is what he was more interested in-jumping on the guest bed.
And, we also made caramel apples, for the first (and probably the last) time. haha! They were pretty good, and we enjoyed doing it, though. Here are some of the remnants...

Fall is in the air!

2008-10-27T23:45:00.005-05:00

And it's cold. Already. The first freeze usually doesn't come till the end of November here, well tonight's low is 30! It does get us more in the mood for pumpkin carving, though. This year, since Brenden knows shapes, we thought it would be fun to let him draw the face to be carved. I asked him what shape he wanted the eyes, he said triangles. So, he drew triangle eyes. Then I asked him what shape he wanted the nose & he said circle. So, he drew a circle nose. Then he drew a perfect little smile :) Here he is drawing the eyes...

Here is what the pumpkin looked like...I finished the bottom of the mouth, and added a tooth!

While Daniel was carving it, I gave Brenden his little pumpkin & some finger paint, which he enjoyed...

Pumpkin, on his head, being cut open...

Doodle & Daddy...

Brenden wanted his turn to take a picture...look out Bubba, he's doing pretty good :)

Doodle & Mom...

We had our first fire for the season! Love it!

Doodle & Easton enjoying the fire...

We made fun memories tonight!

Weekend What-not's

2008-10-27T16:14:00.003-05:00

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, which was nice. My parents & Bubba's girlfriend came over to visit Friday night. Bubba is in New Orleans for like 6 days. He works for Starbucks, as a barista, but goes to school for photography. They are having the big Starbucks conference this week in New Orleans & asked him to come photograph the whole thing! Thought that was pretty awesome. He IS pretty darn good, if I do say so :)

Daniel was pretty sick this weekend. He did try to get sympathy from me-didn't work very well-sorry punkin. I did surprise him with his favorite lunch though! He had a fever & everything he ate, came back up. So, I'm guessing it was a stomach bug. I pray Brenden doesn't get it. He is feeling better today. Brenden & I went a few places together & had lunch together, & we always enjoy that. He's my little date ;)

My mom wanted to keep him Saturday night, so he wouldn't get sick from Daniel (that was her excuse anyway...I'm sure she just wanted to steal him for a while :) ) Daniel was on shift Sunday, so I had the whole day to myself! I didn't wake up till like 9:30, went back to sleep at 2:00 & got up at 5:00. Just laid around the house & read my book (The Shack). It was a great & much needed day-thanks mom!! I did miss my little man though :)

Gonna be a pretty busy week. Beginning of the Holidays, non-stop from here. This week, we are carving the pumpkins, making caramel apples, doing goodie bags for all Brenden's classmates, going to my mom's company Halloween party (which is always amazing), Halloween parade at Bren's school, & then trick-r-treating! Happy Halloween!!!

just ramblin'

2008-10-23T10:33:00.003-05:00

5 posts in 6 days, what am I thinkin'!?! just a few things that have been going on...

1. easton (my chocolate man) had an awesome dinner last night. daniel cooked steaks out on the grill. brenden took a plate out to him, to bring them in. well, brenden got side tracked or something & as daniel put all three steaks on the plate, it tilted. the steaks landed on the back patio. as this was happening, brenden asked daniel what they were, daniel said "it's steak, it's what we're having for dinner." not two seconds later he says "well, it's what we were having." haha!! it was too funny. all we could do was laugh, i mean what can you do? by the time i was getting the camera, easton had scarfed that down like no other. as we were at the table eating our green beans & rolls, he came in, mouth wide open, just smilin'!

2. daniel made his hot sauce last night. atleast we had some of that for dinner. oh & i made double chocolate ghiradelli cookies, so we had that too. guess dinner wasn't so bad, huh?!

3. brenden is learning so much. it's amazing! we can talk with him about anything & everything & he just takes it all in. we could have conversations with him all day straight & he'd be just fine with that. spanish...wow, in a couple months he will know more than daniel & i do. now, he likes to say colors in spanish rather than english. it's so cute hearing him say verde! when i picked him up from school yesterday, the director stopped me on the way out & said she would like to talk to me. great...who's butt did he try & look at this time. she said they have an opening in the preschool 2 class (he is in preschool 1), & she asked his teacher to decide who she thought was mature & ready enough to be transferred to the older class. she chose brenden! we are so excited! we will begin the transition next week :) they do this school like a regular school, so in august they move up to the next "grade," but he'll be headed there early, i guess. he has only been in this school since june! she said, he'll do preschool 2, then pre-k, then on to kindergarten. whoa, nelly!! time's movin a little too fast! :) he'll be in kindergarten in 2yrs?!? so proud of him.

4. i'm already done with the cold weather. yea, it's been one day, but who's counting. bring on the heat!

5. tuesday night, we went to one of the new stores (belk) by our house, to buy brenden some new jeans. there were two ladies walking towards us as we were walking down the main walkways inside to get to his section. he was walking right in front of us. he stops, puts his hands up & says "stop! people getting' in my way!" yea, he says this to the ladies. guess they were taking up more of the isle than he thought they should. we just kept walking... i guess, since he got ALL his looks from his daddy, then he gets the attitude from his momma! just wait till he starts driving.

enjoy the rest of the week!!

Need a weekend from the weekend.

2008-10-22T21:23:00.005-05:00

Yea, it's Wednesday, & I'm just now getting around to talking about the weekend we had. Oh well, I think it took me that long to process it. We were going, going, going. A couple stores were having a grand opening right by our house, so we went there first thing. Did a couple other errands, then went to Grapevine for the Butterfly Flutterby. The Monarchs are migrating to Mexico now, & they do this event every year at this time. Brenden likes butterflies, so I thought it would be fun. We enjoyed it! Here is his envelope with his butterfly in it, getting ready to be released.

On top of Daniel's shoulders, trying to open the envelope to release the little guy...
Here is Brenden's butterfly!!
Then he also got to see the train pull in, which I think he enjoyed more than the butterfly activities :) After that, we did lunch, nap, shopping & more errands. I'm wore out thinking about it again.
Then, Sunday, we went to the fair. Again. Were there 10 hours. It was closing day & we had a blast. This time I only had fried cookie dough (again), fried oreos, & 2 watermelon drinks. I think I did pretty good! I also rode the Texas Star Ferris Wheel. Which is ginormous! I've gone to the fair every year of my life, more than once & have never ridden it. Probably because I am not too crazy about heights. But, Brenden was so excited to get on it, so I did it for him. We were all able to ride in the same "cage." Here is my mom, Jessica (brother's girlfriend) & my brother. Daniel, Brenden & I were sitting across from them. Brenden loved it. I don't know what it was like. I had my head almost buried between my legs clinching onto anything I could with my hands.
Then, Daniel & Bubba got on a ride together. I don't even know how to explain this thing. It had a G-Force of over 5! It went upside down, round & round & inside out! Serious.
Here they are being flipped around...
And upside down...They love stuff like this. Whatever floats your boat!

Here is Brenden on one of his rides. Look at the half naked mermaid, with her hair covering her boobs. Think that's appropriate for a kid's ride??

Already excited about the fair next year!

Gone. All. Gone.

2008-10-22T10:48:00.004-05:00

This was Sunday... (don't ya love the devil eyes)

This was Tuesday...

My hair. is. all. gone. 7 inches off. Gone. But give it a couple months, it'll all be back :) I love that my hair grows so fast. Every year I am able to have a wild hair in me & chop it all off & by the next year, it's grown back, longer than before.

Phone. In the gutter.

2008-10-20T19:30:00.003-05:00

Not kidding. This...

Went in this...
Brenden & I got home, went to check the mail like always. I had my phone in my hand. Along with my purse, his backpack & my keys. I was opening the mailbox, when my phone fell out of my hand. I froze (& held my breath), you know, as if me being still will make my phone freeze & not fall into the gutter. Well, that didn't work. The back popped off (stayed up on the street) & the rest of the phone fell into the black hole. I was lost. We don't have a home phone. Only our cell phones. And, of course... Daniel is on shift! Surprise, surprise. You mean, something happened & Daniel wasn't home to help!?! Yea, he seems to be on shift every time he's needed or when something unusual goes wrong. Although he was home this weekend when a little gecko was in our house :)

Anyway...how am I going to get this thing out? Went next door, used their phone. Called Daniel to let him know I don't have a phone. I said "I have a fireman & he's not going to come help get my phone!?" Little Man said "maybe a police officer will come help!" haha Daniel wasn't too sure what to think of that :)

The neighbor called her son & he came & climbed into the gutter & got my phone!!! YAY! I was so thankful. In the meantime, Daniel had called the fire station close to our home & asked them to come help me! I thought that was awesome! So, um, they were already on the way when the boy had gotten my phone out. So, we got to say hi to the guys anyway :) Here they are leaving the house...

It was a pretty eventful 30mins. Then, my parents called & I found out the bottom floor of their house flooded from the washer. Fun. Ok...I have to go make my neighbors (and firemen) some cookies...

totally not planned

2008-10-17T20:23:00.003-05:00

Doodle & I wore the same exact thing today-and I seriously did not plan it! As we were getting in the truck to leave this morning, I looked at his outfit & then at mine...um, this is a little weird. Both had on a navy shirt, brown pants & brown shoes.

Don't ya just love the peanut butter mustache he has :) Before we took the picture he laid down his little black & decker hammer he has, and as we were standing there, he said "I want to hammer your butt." Nice.

It's the medicine...not the 3yr old

2008-10-13T12:08:00.003-05:00

As most of you know, Brenden is hypo-thyroid. He has been since he was in my belly :) Here's a little background...

At my 20wk sonogram they noticed he had a goiter (which is like a bump in your throat where your thyroid is-kinda like it's swollen). So they sent me to a high risk obgyn. The first thing he did was pull Brenden's blood to test his thyroid levels, which consists of sticking a massive needle in my belly to draw his blood. We knew then, he was hypo-thyroid (his thyroid is there, but just does not produce enough "juice"). Which is supposed to come from your family, but neither Daniel or I have problems with it & don't know of anyone else who does, in our immediate family.

So, starting that week, up until I delivered, we had to go in every week to the hospital & they injected medicine into my belly for him. Which, again, consisted of having a big needle stuck into me, around my belly button-with um no numbing whatsoever! After the first couple injections, his goiter was gone! But he was still (& will always be) considered hypo-thyroid.

I had that done every week. It was the most painful thing ever. (Well, almost. I had kidney stones twice while I was pregnant. THAT was the most painful thing ever. I would not wish those upon anyone.) I did get to see him every week though, with the sonograms & that was awesome!

This apparently, is quite rare to find like this. Which, it seemed like we were always on the low end of the odds. I have O- blood. So, that meant I have to have Rogam shots at the beginning of my pregnancy & at delivery, because of the risks of mine & my baby's blood mixing. Well, since his blood was drawn every month to check his levels, I was able to get one of those shots every time we did that :) yay. Come to find out...he is O- also! Which there is only a 30% chance of the baby getting the mom's blood type. And, that meant, I did not need any of those Rogam shots after all.

I was induced 3 1/2 weeks early, so they could treat him out here. There were risks of him being deaf & having learning disabilities & other risks. He is the most perfect little man ever! We were so blessed to be able to catch this when we did & to treat it so soon & to have the most amazing doctor. He is perfectly healthy. He does have to take a pill everyday & will for the rest of his life, to regulate his thyroid levels. We go every few months to have his blood drawn & go to his Endocrin doc. There is a 25% chance of this happening with the other pregnancies, if there were to be one :) It just terrifies me to have to go through all that again, so if there were another one, it may be a while.

All this to say...Last week he was all over the place. He would get home from school & just not stop! He did not take any naps, which is totally not like him, & didn't eat very well. We had a feeling his levels were a little high, but weren't for sure. We thought he may just be acting like a 3yr old :) Today he had his Endocrin appt & his levels are high! That is exactly how he should be acting if they are high. So...his medicine is being lowered a little. It's just so amazing how many things your thyroid controls. And, it's amazing what doctors are able to do these days. We are so blessed & thankful to have such a wonderful & healthy little man!

Air Show

2008-10-12T21:42:00.002-05:00

Brenden & I (and my mom, brother & his girlfriend) went to the air show on Saturday. This was our second year to go, and we have so much fun. I don't know why, but something about those jets, just gets me. I love it. We live real close to the airport they have it at & can see a lot of it from our front yard, but it's amazing being right in front of it all. Here are a couple of the small planes playing around...

Brenden & I in front of a FedEx plane, that everyone could walk through.
This picture says it all. Sausage in one hand, snow cone in the other. Having a blast!
Here are one of the jets, after he had just landed. There were four of these & then there were five Thunder bird jets also. So often, we will see one or two of these things just flying around playing over our house. It is so amazing what they can do. I so bad would love to ride in one, but I almost feel like passing out just thinking about it, so maybe not :)

i want a donkey. still.

2008-10-09T22:46:00.003-05:00

i just can't stop thinking about this dang donkey. i really want one. i think our backyard is plenty big enough for one, but daniel doesn't seem to think so. not sure if our neighbors would appreciate him either. but i would really like to have one. i have already picked out his name too. his name would be kong. get it??

donkey kong.

i need to go to bed now...

Pumpkin Pickin'

2008-10-07T21:52:00.004-05:00

We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend. I had found a new one, that we hadn't been to before, that was like 40mins away-but totally worth the drive! We had such a good time! Although, it just doesn't seem right when it's 92 degrees while you are getting a pumpkin. Anyway, here's little man...I think the pumpkin to the far left is one that we got.

The three of us on the 30min hay ride...
This little guy was the cutest thing ever! They had some goats on the farm, along with this donkey. He was so sweet & loved to be loved on! I could have stayed with him all day. I want a donkey.
This place was all country! We loved it!
Daniel & Brenden going through the maze...
While we were on the hay ride, they told us to look out for a "hobo." Here he is. He did a really good skit!
Here are some of the Christmas trees they grow there. We will be going back soon to chop one of them down :) Can't wait!

Chicken Fried Bacon??

2008-10-02T21:46:00.006-05:00

Oh, the great State Fair of Texas. We went on Tuesday, which was a beautiful day! I have been every year of my life. Every year. Not missed one (neither has my brother or mom) & we usually go a couple times each year. It's so much fun seeing it through Brenden's eyes now. He has a ton of fun! Here are a few pictures from our day...

Brenden with the longhorn (can't remember his name...something like Pete, maybe?)This pig was going crazy over Brenden! He would not stop oinkin'! He was so excited-it was cute.This is while we were in the petting zoo. Feeding a baby giraffe...Feeding a camel (she had just had a baby who was SO fluffy & soft)...Couldn't help but take a picture of the baby lamb in the tire...Ok, here it is...one of the new foods this year...chicken fried bacon! I feel a heart attack coming as I'm sitting here. They seriously just fry up some bacon. I took a bite of it, & was not too crazy about it, but my mom, Daniel & Brenden liked it. Along with the butt-load of people in line getting it. I, personally, will stick to my usual...ready for this...fried pb&j w/ banana, fried oreos, & fried cookie dough(which just makes me melt)!!Brenden standing in front of Big Tex...Here are a few of the rides he rode... This was a fire truck ride. As it went around, the ladder part went up & down, & he could spray water at the fake fire in the windows...Daniel & Brenden on the caterpillar roller coaster. Which I think Daniel enjoyed more than Brenden. Here he is hanging onto the antennae...One of the rides Brenden & I rode, which went pretty high in the air...And, of course, we had to make a sand bottle thing. I made so many of these growing up. This was his first & he enjoyed playing in the sand :)The ride home...We love going to the fair. It's just a great tradition we've always had. I meet people that were born here & have never been to the fair! That just blows my mind. I mean...look at all the wonderful food you're missing! ;)

Floatin' the River

2008-09-29T11:51:00.005-05:00

Daniel & I took a little trip down to New Braunfels, for our anniversary, this weekend. We had a really good time walking through the little stores and antique malls. We stayed at a bed & breakfast, which was right on the Guadalupe River. It was very pretty & relaxing! Here is the view from our door...

Another view to see the river...
At one of the places we went for dinner they had this old fire hose...
Downtown Gruene at night (which was about a mile from the place we stayed.
For our first time, we floated the Guadalupe! The water was ice cold. Although, after a while my butt & toes got numb, so it wasn't too bad :) Until we went over the rapids & got soaked. We had a blast and it was an experience! We did the 4 hour float, which was the longest, and I couldn't imagine going any longer than that. I found out, as we were getting out of the water, that Daniel saw a snake swimming with us-so glad I didn't know this at the time-I would have been in his tube real quick! Wish we had pictures of us on the river, but we didn't want to loose all the pics from the trip, if the camera got soaked. Here is the river, where we put our tubes in...
A family of deer close to our b&b...

Daniel & I...on our 6th (wedding) anniversary.

The first of many

2008-09-25T21:48:00.003-05:00

Brenden had his first open house tonight! I can't believe it. I just can't believe how much he has grown & how these past three years have gone by too quickly. I've enjoyed every bit of it. We were able to go talk to his teachers, see his art work on the walls, and for him to show us different things he does during the day. He was telling us the days of the week...

And bashfully saying the pledge of allegiance...
Love you, little man!

Our family rap names...

2008-09-23T19:21:00.002-05:00

Taco Bell has this thing where you put in a little bit of info & it'll give you your rap name! Here are ours...

Daniel...Master D. Crunch-ah
Me...Lil' K-Dawg 8oz.
Brenden...B-Bop Small Spice

:)

My new ride!

2008-09-18T21:00:00.003-05:00

Well, I traded in my car on Saturday & have been blessed to get what I've wanted for a long time. I went to test drive one a couple weeks ago, and just fell more in love :)

I had my 03 Accord for 3 years (bought it used-which I said I would never buy a used car, because you just never know what's really going on with it), and it was pretty much a wacko! I love Honda's and I loved that car. I was just always paranoid, wondering what was going to happen next. The alarm system was a spaz-the horn would start honking for no reason, the lights would click on & off & the only way to get it to stop was to unhook & re hook the battery. I got flat tires ALL the time. When I went to get my inspection done a month ago, it didn't pass, so I had to get something repaired. The check engine light came on...and so on...

After I test drove the Hummer, I just had a wrong feeling. I felt like I just needed to be content & thankful for what I had (which I always have been). I just prayed & asked that God show me His will, and if it was for me to get the truck, to just show me. The next day, I got in my car to leave work & the maintenance required light started flashing! You've got to be kidding me...what now! We just knew we would have to continue putting money into this car(that we still had a couple years of payments on). The following day the dealership called us, telling us all the great deals they had going on. We decided to go back in & see what would happen-all the while still praying :) Then next day, I drive home in this...

I just love him!!! He's so purdy and big and SAFE :)
It actually took me a couple days to let myself be happy & excited about it. I just totally don't want people getting the wrong impression. I was content with what I had & I feel so blessed to be able to have something like this.

He has a closet addiction

2008-09-17T20:53:00.003-05:00

This dog sure keeps us on our toes. He's got a personality! He has this love-hate relationship with polish remover. I think he's addicted, but in denial. When I get the bottle of polish remover out to do my nails, he knows what's comin'. He walks over, slooowly, with his head down & sideways acting like he doesn't want any part of it. Sure! He will lay down right next to me on the floor and inch closer to the cotton ball that's just been doused with remover. The second I put that thing close to his nose he jumps back, bites at it & starts rolling over. Then he comes back & growls at me for more. Here he is with a cotton ball on his paw...

This is when he tries to bite at it, although this time, he bit off more than he could chew...
Daniel playing like he has the cotton ball in his hand for Easton to smell. This is when he starts to roll over...
I love my chocolate man!!!

"Wittle Man"

2008-09-07T20:58:00.003-05:00

One of the new songs Brenden has learned... :)

Mary had a wittle man

Wittle man

Mary had a wittle man

Fleece is white as snow

Hockey Moms and Butts

2008-09-04T09:57:00.003-05:00

Don't know if any of you watched Sarah Palin last night, but she was awesome. We do vote(republican), but this time, we honestly weren't real crazy for either of the candidates. Her speech last night changed that! I am so excited for her. She just seems so real. I know they all say things to make you vote for them, but I have a really good feeling about her. And besides, she's a hockey mom, so I would vote for her anyway!!! :)

Only difference between a hockey mom & a pit bull...lipstick!! so true! I can't wait for Brenden to start playing. He doesn't know what he's got comin'-or what i've got comin'! ;) I've had a head start with being a hockey sister, wife, daughter, & player.

Ok, now onto the butt part of the title...there was a note yesterday on Brenden's daily sheet, that said his teacher needed to speak to us in the morning. I wish she would have explained a little more-so many things were going through my mind. Last night I was trying to think of what it might be about.

Here's the deal...he likes butts. Can't blame him. I had a feeling this is what it had to do with, so I asked him "Buddy, have you been touching your friends' butts at school?" He got this huge smile on his face and said "yea!" haha I had to cover my mouth, so he wouldn't see me smiling.

So, I told him we don't touch people's butts. He said "only mommy & daddy." lol! He has seen Daniel & I pop each other on the backside & he has started to do it. Although, he takes it a little far & has tried to stick his hand in the crack of our pants (just our pants, not our actual backside-just in case you were wondering). lol sorry, can't help but laugh.

His teacher said that a girl was laying on a bench while they were playing outside, and he was beside her...by this time my mind was racing-what in the world did he do?!? She said he looked to see if the other teacher was looking & then he went & lifted up the back of her pants, & looked at her butt! no way. She said it's nothing bad & they all start doing things like that at this age, boys earlier than girls.

I'm not too sure what to say to him, other than not to do it. She said to get a book for him that tells about our bodies, but I think that may make him more excited!!! :)

Are you my mother?

2008-09-02T19:41:00.003-05:00

You remember the book where the animal (is it a bird??) goes around asking other animals if they are his mother? Well, it happens in real life. We found a bird's nest in our tree this weekend & a hatched egg on the ground! We were excited to have baby birds :) The neighbor's had one in their tree also, who hatched a little while ago. He was on our porch today & is so cute! (brenden just walked in here, gave me a big hug & said i love you so much!-just had to add that in real quick-he's the best) ok now back to the bird...He flew away & I looked out the side window to see where he would go...

He went to our neighbor's yard. That is him on the left. I guess he wanted to see if that black bird (on the right) was his mother. Well, um...that bird is dead. I noticed her there this morning. So I guess she never answered the baby bird...on to the next animal...
by the way, it was not his mother! it was another type of bird.

Scratch & Sniff

2008-08-28T12:39:00.003-05:00

Don't ya just love the smell of fresh baked bread!?! That's what our home smelled like on Tuesday :) It was yummy!!!

Speaking of smell...I know most of you have not had the pleasure of smelling (played in) hockey equipment. Well, let me just give you an idea...We were washing Daniel's equipment a couple nights ago & while we were putting it into the washer (as I was holding my breath), my eyes started burning! No lie! I just had to turn around & walk out of the laundry room. It's awful. I'm sure it doesn't help that they don't wash the jersey's after every game, which I may start doing. On Sunday night at Bubba's game, Brenden & I sat a couple rows back from the bench-big mistake!!! I have been around hockey all my life & have actually gotten used to the smell, but sometimes it just slaps you in the face! Well, it did at Bubba's game. I asked Brenden "do you smell that?" He sniffed & said "what?" I said "that nasty hockey smell." He sniffed again & said "yea, it smells good!" what!?! Guess he's made to play hockey!

Anyway...just continue thinking about wonderful fresh baked bread ;)

Quick Weekend Getaway

2008-08-26T22:21:00.006-05:00

We decided to take a spur of the moment little getaway this past weekend. The three of us went to Frisco (which is only about 45min away), played a little, went shopping, spent the night at a hotel and ate! :) We went skating at the Stars Center on Sat. morning, since Brenden has not had a chance to use his new hockey skates yet (which I need a pair of, cause those rentals are uuugly). It was fun! We just need to take him more often, so he can continue learning.

As he says..."when I get bigger & bigger & taller & taller, I can go as fast as Daddy" :)
We had lunch at this 3rd Base place (which we won't be going to again), & they serve these fries that they call 'happy fries'-aren't they cute!?! This one kinda looked like an alien or something, but the others were cute & yummy!
Then we went to the mall, of course, & also rode the carousel. It went for quite a while-which Brenden enjoyed!
All shopped out!!
Little Man found a book at Family Christian...

Where's Doodle??? We had to go to Ikea too!!!

He found his spot in the bed real quick!

Fountains outside hotel, where we took a nice walk after breakfast.On the way home...I thought this was so cute, but he said "no more pictures!!" (that is his foot on the right side, trying to keep me from taking the picture) haha

We also had to stop at Wooley's for ice cream!!! ;)Then we finished off the weekend at another one of Bubba's games...at which, we were told, most of the goals were scored for Brenden & I! lolBubba (#71) & DoodleWe really enjoyed the little time we had away for the weekend! We love that we are able to do things like this!!

under construction...update!

2008-08-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

it's fixed :)

pardon my messed up blog-i know it's tacky lookin'! i have changed templates, but need to fix something, & my hubby's gonna help. i'm not into all the techy stuff :)

Find the Chocolate

2008-08-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Brenden & I made oatmeal choc chip cookies the other night, that were yummy! He helped with cleaning the dishes afterwards too, by licking the spoon :) Poor little man...he's going to be a lot like me! Which I guess it's nice that he will have some traits from me-by looking at him, you would have no idea he was my kid! He's his daddy's little twin. Anyway, he is picking his cookie apart, just looking for the chocolate pieces, which is exactly what I do! We go for the good stuff. I torture my cookies, & leave the scraps for Daniel. I do the same with donuts. I tear off all the bottom part & eat only the top that has the chocolate!! Now, if they can just make a donut that has chocolate all the way around :)

Awesome Weekend

2008-08-20T10:21:00.000-05:00

We had such a good weekend!! Daniel's Dad & Step mom came over Saturday morning & visited for a bit, which was nice! That night Daniel, Brenden & I went to the Circus. It was Brenden's first time! We had planned on getting a bite to eat downtown, before the circus, so we didn't have to eat a nasty hot dog, or cold nachos. Well, that's exactly what we ate for dinner! When we got downtown, we went to the water gardens. We had so much fun! It was a beautiful afternoon, not 150 degrees like it has been! So, we spent all our extra time there, & had to eat at the circus.

Daniel & Bren
Brenden givin' me some love! He is such a sweetheart-look out ladies, he's gonna be like his daddy :)
Daniel & Brenden down in the main water garden. This place is so pretty & peaceful!
This is how far I got! I went down maybe 4 steps & about had a heart attack. It seemed like the steps were moving under me! So, I stayed up on top & freaked out about Brenden being down there. He loved it though.
We were able to go to the animal open house they have before the show starts. It was really neat-you are able to get almost right up to the animals. Here is one of the white tigers, sleeping. They are so pretty! Wish I could have one.

This is Toby. He kept getting in trouble, because he would lift up the pole in front of him, with his trunk & make it fall back down. It was really cute!! He just wanted to play ;)

All the tigers...this was probably one of the best parts of the show. The circus lasts for 2 hours, which is longer than I had remembered, but we thought we would stay the whole time-even though it would be a bit after Brenden's bed time. Well, about half way through, after the tigers were done, he looked at me & said "can we get out of this place?" haha!!!! It was so funny. We went ahead & left, since we had already had a busy day.

This was how our Sunday morning began...with drums! While we were getting ready for church, Brenden got his drum out, then Daniel went & got two pans out, & the beat began! He keeps beats really well, I can't wait to see if he will do something with music. I'm sure we'll be getting a drum set for Christmas ;)

Oh, and the tongue always helps! :)

Sunday night we went to my parent's house for dinner & had a good time there too! Not too many things planned for this next weekend, but I'm sure something will come up. We have so much fun doing things together & going places, we can't just sit around the house! :)

"Target"

2008-08-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

Brenden's first single. He wrote (made) it all on his own :)

Target

Swingin' from a rubber band

Target

repeat (over & over & over again)!!

We went to Target a couple nights ago & he made this song up. He has been singing it ever since! It is so cute, I just had to write it down, so we would remember it.

What will he say next??

2008-08-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

I guess it should be 'what will they say next'. Although Brenden has learned so many amazing things at school, he has also learned a few not so amazing things from the lovely kids there.

Two weeks ago he was eating a pop tart & started making boom-boom noises while he was holding it in his hand. I said, what are you doing? He kinda smirked at me & said "I'm shooting people"! What!?! I then had a little talk with him about guns. We don't talk about guns & he surely doesn't see them on our tv. I asked him who does that & he started naming a couple boys at school. He said, "only bad people, only shoot bad people". Yea, well, I told him we don't shoot anyone & we don't talk about or play with guns! He has attempted to shoot things since then, but we just continue to talk about it with him & he seems to be getting the point. His teacher has already previously talked to the two main boys' parents, so hopefully it will all stop soon. If the parent's do their job!!

Tuesday after we got home, he said poopy-butt. I asked him if he was calling someone that, or if somebody had a poopy-butt today. lol He kinda just blew it off. Then later he tried to call me a poopy-butt! Excuse me...then we had another little talk about that not being a nice thing to call people. Have not heard it since ;)

This is not a bad thing, it's just really cute. On Monday we were driving to the store & he said "wha ka heck" (what the heck)! It was so funny. He didn't just say it once, he said it over & over! wha ka heck, wha ka heck, wha ka heck Daniel & I couldn't hold ourselves together-we busted up! Brenden giggled too & then continued with it! It's so cute hearing him say it.

Anyway, just a few of the things he says that I want to remember!

Shoo Fly!!

2008-08-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

Another Monday morning! We had a pretty low-key weekend, which was nice. Friday the three of us went to Babe's for dinner. For those of you who don't know about Babe's...I'm sorry. It was very yummy!! Brenden was not feeling too well, because of his allergies, so all he wanted to eat was a biscuit & honey. Saturday he said he wanted to go to the 'Christmas store' (Hobby Lobby), so we walked around there for a while.

Yesterday, after church, we went to lunch at Cheddars. The service at this place blows!!! But we go there ALL the time, because it's yummy. Well, this time, the service was ok other than getting a couple things wrong on our order. But...for some reason there were quite a few (too many) flies in there. We were waving our hands all over the place so they wouldn't land on our food or drinks. I felt like we were at a dang picnic! Brenden would look around & giggle, then say "look, there's two flies on that lady's back." haha!! Needless to say, we ate & ran!

Had a couple hockey games yesterday too. Daniel's (which Brenden & I did not go to this time) and Bubba's (we went to his). It was good to see him play! Because of the times his are usually at, we have not been able to go to one of his games in a while. I'm his biggest fan ;) They both lost their games, but they both had a goal!! Anyway...I know most of you aren't hockey fans, sorry to bore you :) I guess you also won't care to hear that Star's preseason begins Sept. 23rd!?!? lol

I just have to add this in...Brenden can count to 10 in Spanish!!! He also counts to 27 in English! I am so proud of him :)

Isn't he beautiful?

2008-08-04T16:19:00.000-05:00

We went to my Aunt's (great aunt) house last weekend for a cookout & to swim for a bit. Look what comes into her yard! He is one of her neighbor's pets & he just goes wherever he pleases! She said he comes over all the time & likes to have cereal! Brenden had never seen a peacock before, so he loved it! I would love to be in an area where all kinds of animals come to visit! Maybe I will someday :)

Guess it's my turn...

2008-07-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

I was tagged (several times actually) so I figured it was time for me to do it. I think this is what I'm 'posed to do...

First, the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you. Several of the blogs I read have tagged me!! Just look at the blogs I read below :)
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself. Or things people may not know about you.
4. Tag people at the end of your entry.

My 6 facts:

1. I pop almost every bone in my body! Fingers (three different ways), toes, ankles, knees, elbows, neck, back (three different ways), wrists (makes a pretty odd sound), and I'm still not too sure what it actually is popping, but either it's my hip or my groin (if that can pop)-really odd, but it feels good!!! :)

2. I sometimes laugh like a Guinea Pig (I know they don't laugh, but how they sound)! And I want a Guinea Pig, but have not convinced Daniel yet! Just wait till Brenden gets older :)

3. I don't eat crunchy fries. I only like the ones that are smushy! And I dip them in sweet & sour sauce (or Polynesian)-This is so not weird, but Daniel seems to think so!

4. I want to own a Hallmark some day. Worked at one for about 6 years, & I just love it!!

5. I have to make the bed EVERY night, or I will not sleep in it! The covers have to be just perfect. If Daniel tries to go to bed before me I make him get up when I get in there, so I can make the bed! I also remake the bed after the ladies leave from cleaning the house, because they don't make it the way I need it!

6. I put ice in my milk. Only ONE piece though-can't be any more than that!

OK, on to the tagging. There are so so many people I want to know 6 random facts about that my list would be forever long, so if you are reading this, YOU'RE TAGGED!