The All-Boy Crew...

One beautiful, October afternoon, Larry finally warmed up to this crew of boys...and Tehya!  Pulling out fence posts with the tractor was the perfect excuse for the kids to be super excited and hangin' around outside.  Brian and Jon had come from OKC and my boys had been at the MacSteel picnic all day.  We all came together just in time for some super duper good times!

Dear Santa...

Remember the trampoline incident over the summer?  Well, all I've heard since then is how Santa can just bring a new one...right????  After much deliberation, it has been determined that Santa will, indeed, be delivering a new trampoline on Christmas Eve.  If only he could also magically set it up...

Mom and Two of Her Girls...

Just an afternoon in the back yard, hangin' out...

Halloween Fun...

Social Faux Pas???...

Eric and I attended our first ever company management Christmas party last week.  I was SO nervous...about what to wear, who I would talk to (we are the youngest couple), remembering my manners, etc.  As it turns out, all was well.  There were plenty of people there that I knew from my time way back in college, working as a summer student at the plant...before I met Eric.  It was so good to see everyone and to get to catch up.  I made new friends and reconnected with the old...freinds, not people.  The steak was tough, but the company was great and we had a good time!

Thanksgiving Get-Together...

We had such a fantastic Thanksgiving!  It was good to see Stacy and Carol and the boys LOVED having them here.  Thanks, Mom, so much for snapping this photo of us...we really appreciate it! :0)

A Message From Garrett...

 hhhhhgfjkgniuhgntuihjtfghbjvgghjghjkfhhhhhhhdrtghrtjhgklrhidgrfhgukigtugryhryiyjuifhiurthguifhjkrkuhrgkjn,rgkjihfjdhnjnmfmfesh,skfjh9451122857459*9**-/*--*kgg;toiyhi527cbdghjgifujiky78969j
g


love,
Garrett

Christmas Card Craze...

 Braden actually took the photo of Eric and I for this year's Christmas card.  He did a great job!

 He's also a major camera ham!  I did a whole photo shoot with him.  He himself posed all different kinds of ways and just had a ball!  When Garrett started whining, Braden was so frustrated

Garrett Jake was not having any part of that green shirt!  I asked him to put it on for a quick shot, but he burst into wailing tears anyway.  After threats and promises, Eric finally got him to at least stop crying and sort of make a half-way decent face for the photo!  Really, it was the promise of having his Wii taken away for yet another week that did it! :0)

"The Mountain..."

So, Amy and I are here at Mt. Petit Jean again...good food and good teaching fun.  If only I weren't ill.  I was at the clinic with two antsy boys at 9:00 this morning, dressed and somewhat ready to teach Kid's Own Worship, but suffering from kidney blight.  Ugh...my darn  kidneys.  Anyway, looking forward to all the cool things I'll learn while I'm here, but not looking forward to missing my boys...all three of them! :9)  So, greeting to all from "the mountain..."

Ready For Turkey Day, Anyone?????...

I am SO ready for a break!!!!  Life in the world of junior high has been rough lately and I've pretty much had it.  Every morning, Garrett wakes up and cries because he has to go to school and I feel the same way much of the time.  One of these days, I may just have to give in and stay home with him. 

I'm ready for a vistit from Grandma Susie and Aunt Stacy, I'm ready for three days off, I'm ready for no worries, lots of cooking, snacking, watching cartoons, and just hangin' out!  I CAN'T WAIT! 

TURKEY DAY...GET HERE QUICK!

"I Want Mario..."

This is Garrett's entry into the preschool pumpkin decorating contest.  He started out wanting a "rock star" pumpkin, but decided at the last minute, literally, to have Mario instead.  He got to try on his Halloween costume tonight, Mario, and was smitten.  So, the pumpkin HAD to be Mario.  Quite frankly, I'm suprised it wasn't his first choice! :0)

Falling for Fall...

Braden, Tyler, Jacob, and Garrett...humoring their mothers and calmly posing (momentarily) at the fall festival a few weeks ago. 

Our Little Tiger Cub Scout...

Garrett's 5th Birthday Sleepover...

After all we've been through as a family recently, I am just not up to a "friend" (big, expensive, time-consuming) party this year.  So, we invited cousins Tyler and Jacob to Chuck E. Cheese instead.  We all had a great time! Braden seriously cleaned up on tickets at the Sponge Bob game!  Afterwards, we took the kids to Great American Cookie (silly parents).  Four little boys in the noisy, echoing halls of the mall...wow...really LOUD!  Tyler came for a sleepover, so the boys ate their cookies before moving into the guest room for an all-night movie marathon (yeah, right).

This is what they really looked like...sugar coma!

This is what they morphed into when I forced them to "smile..."

This is what I found at 6:45 this morning...Tyler was in the playroom scouting for more toys to bring to the top bunk.  Somewhere between all of this, I had to search out Garrett's allergy meds for Tyler snort because he was completely clogged up and upset, then Tyler and Garrett abandoned the movie idea and left Braden in the room alone to go play Transformers in the boys' bedroom.  Braden came to tattle on them some time around 10:30, so I put the two monkeys in bed and took Braden to my room...he instantly fell asleep.  I have no clue when Tyler and Garrett passed out, but at 4 this morning, Garrett came to tell me that he couldn't sleep with Tyler who smelled bad (Garrett thinks everyone and everything smells bad...he's so sensitive).  So, I put Garrett on the bottom bunk with Braden (who I moved when Garrett came to complain about Tyler) and tucked all 3 sleepy, cranky boys in...praying for them to sleep late.  WHATEVER!  Eric got them donuts for breakfast and now everyone is playing happily!  I'd call it a success, considering it's the very first sleepover any of them have had! Good times, folks...good times!

Braden's Education...

I opened Braden's school notebook to check out what cool things he'd been writing about...look what I found!  Ahem...let me translate: "I love Lily.  Lily is hot, hot, hot.  Lily is a princess."  WOW!  On the other hand, check out the capital letters, correct spelling of most words, noun/verb agreement, and proper punctuation!  WOW!  AND, Lily has green hair...my favorite color...awesome!

Nanny's Birthday Luncheon...

Who loves his Nanny???

My future staring right back at me...two beautiful ladies.

Garrett Jake...ever the ham!

                                       Brad and Garrett...an unexpected friendship!

Back To The Old Grind...

Well, Garrett starts back to Pre-K tomorrow in the pirate classroom...he's very excited...ARGH!  The total bill, though, for his school supplies was $54!  Good thing they provide a tax deduction sheet...can't say the same for the massive amount of supplies I had to purchase for Braden's public school forray into first grade.  FOUR boxes of crayons????  Are you kidding me????  I have a sneeking suspicion that I'm providing someone else's kid with crayons...and who knows what else?

While Braden is babysitter bound until school starts on Thursday, I'll be working to be professionally developed...whoopee.  You know, I was just thinking, "I need developing, possibly in my profession, this week.  Yep, development is the key."  Really, I'd rather just get to it with the students.  I am pumped, have lots of good ideas, and can't wait to get started!!!

Still feeling well with the pregnancy...no sickness.  Although, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to digest just about everything I eat.  It tends to stick with me for HOURS.  But, when I do get hungry, I feel like I could eat the rear end out of a rhino...as Eric so eloquently puts it!  I am not gaining any weight (perhaps it's too early for that), but I am absolute best pals with my treadmill.  Should probably still be doing the Slim in Six workouts, but I can't read while I do that.  On the treadmill, I'm going through the books like crazy...and I don't want to stop, even when I'm tired, because I'm always at a really good part...so I just keep walking! :0)

We Are Fam-i-ly...

Freak Storm Destroys Trampoline...

A very strange and strong-winded storm just blew over the house at about 4:20 this afternoon.  I was standing at the sink preparing a mess of peaches for the deep freeze when I happened to look out and see the pouring rain.  After running to close the garage, which was taking on some serious water (and on my new desk, I might add), Eric and I stood by the back door marvelling at this sudden display of weather.  That's when we also got an eye full of flying trampoline!

It flew across the backyard, becoming lodged on the neighbor's bridge across the creek.  The boys were "napping," so they ran in to see what all of our commotion was about.  I just said, "You boys might as well come over and look at this."  Poor guys...

We retreived it a bit ago, unfolding it from it's mangled position in the creek. As I headed back up to the house with the boys, Braden said "At least Santa has plenty of time to make another one!"  How perfectly eloquent...

Cashews...

'Nuff said...

Caroline Loves Monkeys...

My good friend, Jennifer, has the cutest and sweetest little tot, Caroline, who is just about to turn two years old.  Caroline LOVES monkeys, so I picked up fabric and notions this afternoon to craft Little Miss her very own monkey tote bag!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE!

NEW DESK...

Still have a few small items to attend to, like a new drawer lock and touching up paint, but this is basically it!

Random July 4 Photo...

That's Jake, and no, it's not lit...

Project Update...

Well, I stayed up LATE working on the first coat of paint for my desk.  That magical mixture of both appropriate temperature and humidity came together around nine.  So, Eric set up his spotlight for me, but it had to be kept WAY back since it gets so hot...it could literally ignite the vapors!  And, you will all be proud to know that I stayed and fought the good fight with two big, hairy spiders (the big-web ones that I can't stand!).  One was RED, and the other was black with a huge white spot...but they're both dead now!  I win!  The "hammered" finish didn't turn out on some parts of the finish, but I'm going to try a second coat this evening...late.  At the very least, it's still a cool silvery/black finish and looks amazing compared to what I started with!  I am so excited!  Basically, $56 worth of spray paint and I've got a new treasure!  Awesome!

I Love a Project...

So, I need a real desk for my classroom...don't ask...it's a public school thing.  Anyway, I thought about purchasing a small kitchen table from WM or Target, or maybe even checking out Goodwill.  Then it dawned on me...my mother had the greatest desk when we were kids!  Many moons ago, when we moved into the "new" house, the desk stayed in the old house since we had a built-in in our new kitchen.  So, it's just been sitting in the abandoned house for, like, 25 years!

I realize that there is a LOT of work to do here, but OMG, it's so gonna' be worth it!  The brown spots you see are rust damage and it's pretty severe, but nowhere has it eaten all the way through...so, tons of sanding. 

It's also missing one drawer, but my mom came up with a great solution...Eric is going to cut a piece of plywood to fit the space, which I'll paint to match, and I'll just use one of my baskets at school to fill the space!  Genious!  I spent literally four hours this morning sanding and scraping at the rust damage, but it's cleaned up and ready for the Rustoleum...it better block like it says it does!!!

I'm going to use the "hammered" black finish.  I used the hammered antique finish on a desk and lamp for Braden's room long ago and I LOVE it, so I'm sure this will be just as wonderful.  I can't wait to post the "after" pics...hopefully soon.  However, I'm waiting for less than 90 degrees and less than 85% humidity to be able to begin the spray process...wish me luck! :0)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Seriously, I NEED the rain to stop.  I NEED the beautiful, sunny days to return so I can let the boys outside or take them to the pool!  Cabin fever is setting in and all tempers are running short...and Braden thinks he's grown...

Happy Independence Day!...

1776...234 years ago is not really all that long in the grand scheme of things.  Thanks to those who have made our freedom possible over this short span of time.  Happy Independence Day, America!

The Great American Summertime Treat...

Eric's New Smoker...

Eric's birthday was the day before Father's Day, so he decided he would like to have an electric meat smoker as a combined gift.  I couldn't argue with that, seeing as how I LOVE food and smoked meat would be a treat for us all!

The boys were psyched to pose with the box that was bigger than they were.  There was talk of putting them both inside and shipping them to Aunt Stacy...suprise!

After all was said and done, Eric proudly cut his first smoked pork ribs...with the rest of us looking on and drooling!  The first try was a complete success!

Easter...Can't Believe I Didn't Post These...

Well, better late than never, I guess...

Reading...a lot...

I've been reading quite a bit lately, and I just loved The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I wanted to reread Small Town Girl, but remembered I loaned it to Eric's mom...but a worthy trade it was for her book of scintillating short stories. I finished reading Schooled today, but cannot remember the author's name.  It's about a brand new "shiny" teacher fresh from the school of education at Columbia University who lands a dream job teaching jr. high English at a Manhattan prep school.  After realizing she'll be broke the rest of her life, she begins "tutoring," really doing kids' homework for them, but for the Manhattan social elite, it amounts to $250 an hour...nice supplement to a teacher's stinky salary.  She becomes addicted to shopping at Barney's, anything Chanel, and endless trips to Starbucks.  It all comes to a breaking point, but will she give up her world in the lap of luxury?  Hmmmmm...

That's mostly what I've been up to the last 4-5 days...reading with a sprinkling of laundry/dishes/dinner! :0)

San Antonio Vacation...

Sea World and Shamu!

Above the Riverwalk after Daddy's birthday dinner...

Finding fossils at the zoo...

Oogling Jimmy Johnson's Lowe's race car in Sea World.

"Milking" the cow at the San Antonio children's museum.

Boys of all ages love to build things...