Overheard sayings from random shoppers

Prior to Christmas just like everyone else I spent a lot of time and money around town in stores. On one of these trips as Wes and I walked by another couple here is what we heard....

"What if I put mistletoe in my pants?"

HHMMMM.......

One-Eighty-Out

So these two quotes come from Carsen and could not be much farther apart......

Number 1.
"How would you like it if I used the mean voice on you when you were late for school???"

Number 2.
"You always keep me warm.......with love."

One More Thing!

So, just found out that G will be having basketball practice the same nights as C is having hockey practice. So what this means is I have 30 minutes between practices to get C off the ice out of his equipment and in the car for the approx. 20 min. drive on good roads to the next location for G to be to practice on time. We will be doing this twice a week from now until I don't know when....FAAANTASTIC!

funny..ha...ha...

Tonight Carsen saw a commerial with Tim Allen and said "Hey that is the guy from Hairy Dog."

I cracked up....ummm you mean Shaggy Dog??

Blame Facebook!

Hey....HEY...anyone still reading this? OK Karen, no more having to look at my cleavage!!! I think I am back. Seriously, facebook has taken over the blog time. I have missed it..I have missed Carey and Karen!

The rest of our October and November went quickly!

Had the annual Halloween party at our house.

Carsen turned 6! We had a big party where we took 15 kids to the movies then out for food, soda, cake and presents! The party room at Wingers was TORN UP!! They were all great but Wingers puts bowls of popcorn on every table so put that many kids and popcorn together and where do you think most of it ends up???~The floor! Our waiter was so great I was trying to help him clean up and he kept telling me to leave it. He actually said "Thank you for ordering something."

Which led me to think that people use this room, mess it up and don't order anything??











AND he lost his first front tooth..well if truth be told I yanked it out due to the fact that it had been loose moved and started to reattach itself in a funny sticking out, position so the adult tooth was just coming in behind it. It took dental floss and 4 good pulls to come out. Sounds yucky huh! He took it like a champ!







Griffen just been "going to school and doing chores" (according to him.) But I guess it paid off as he made the HONOR ROLL!!!!! this term.. his words were..."I got all A's and 1 B and made the honor roll and did you know that if I get all A's I can make the Grand Honor Roll?" Funny thing was he said it with something akin to Shock and Awe. My impression is that he did not even know that such things as honor rolls existed.

So that leads up to last night and our annual Snowflake parade which has consumed most of my whole week. Somehow...unbeknownst to me it was determined that I had artistic talent..(I don't) and I was nominated to paint all the details on our float. To include drawing and painting people. Fortunately, where I was working on it one of the guys that worked there took pity on me and drew the people for me so I just had to color them in. It actually came out pretty good and Griffen got to ride on it down main st!

Surprising questions

"So my husband wanted me to ask you how you get your cleavage to look like that?"

Not making this up totally true question that
was asked to me last week
by a fellow mom.......

Ooops

I just realized that I intended to post a couple of these pictures here and didn't actually do it. So here they are. I took these in our backyard after a big scarecrow stuffing party that I hosted in early October!

Quotable Quotes...

"Geez, I am having really good manners today!"

~Carsen at breakfast after politely asking for some hot cocoa~

Only Me?

OK, here are a couple of things that have happened this month...curious if others are prone to these kind of things.

One sunny morning earlier this month, I was casually walking out of the BX on base and for no apparent reason I completely wipe out!!

This was not just a little stumble and fall, but catch yourself on one knee kind of fall.

This was an all out arms flailing, one knee down, second knee down, hands hit the pavement, bag (with brand new bottle of Patron) goes flying, narrowly saving myself from doing a full face plant kind of fall.

Again~ no apparent reason..no crack in the sidewalk, no pebble stepped on, no Patron affecting my equilibrium, no anything other then one more chance to try and perfect my tuck and roll...still don't have it down but I am sure I will get a do over at it some point in the near future.

(By the way the Patron was fine ...when i told this story to my dear friends that was the first and only thing they asked about~ between the laughter that is.)



Another odd thing happened to me today was while I was out running with Lana~
I went to scratch my nose and literally my finger jams up inside my nose.....the aforementioned dear friend does not hesitate to call me on it immediately asking..."Why are you picking your nose?" ~~I was TRYING to SCRATCH it!!! Sort of felt like a Seinfeld episode.

These are just a couple of things from the past couple of weeks....I have more....but this is enough for you to get the idea.

It's no wonder when G says that he is too embarrassed to tell me something and i say..go ahead you can tell me, think of all the embarrassing things I do and he laughs and says "Oh yeah, your right!"

I LOVE AUTUMN!

Here's a couple of pictures from our Autumn activities.

Note: Pappy's pumpkin carving stance!?!?!

File this under NASTY!

So..the dogs butt exploded...you think that i am kidding...well I'm completely serious!

He was licking his butt WAY more then usual so after telling him 5 times to knock it off I picked him up to have a little look. (eewww.. I know.) Anyway, it was red and swollen but I could not see anything else and there was no way I was touching it, plus it was about 9:00 p.m. so there really was nothing I could do about it right then except lock him in the laundry room and see how it looked in the a.m.

So, upon awaking the next morning I checked on him and literally his whole butt had exploded and it was. just. NASTY. I immediately called the vet and got an appt for right after I dropped C off at school.

Could not find the leash so had to carry him ~as far away from myself as I could~ into the vets and give them a look at the puss ridden butt...you just threw up a little didn't you!

End story something about anal glands having to clean them out....he should be doing it himself...but somethings not working....paid $200.00 for them to clean him up....will probably happen again...someone needs to help him clean them....I'm curious if anyone is willing to volunteer for this litte J.O.B. because it sure won't be me!

October's Digest....

Wow, did not realize that it was Oct. 1st the last time I wrote...let's see we have had a couple of things going on..

1. "Lost in Translation"~ Carsen was talking to Wes' dad on speaker phone and this is how it played out.
Grandpa: "What are you doing today?"
Carsen:"Going to work with my dad to play my DS."
Grandpa: "Just being a general pain in the ass?"
~Wes and I were listening and both of us almost peed our pants laughing!~

2. Realized that we may need to stop thinking that it is "cute" when Carsen says "Mank you" instead of "Thank you" and start encouraging him to say it correctly as he actually has a hard time with the "th", "L" and "Sw" sounds....great parenting huh!

3. Flew in the "Vomit Comet" again down to Travis A.F.B. for a graduation then on to Vegas for a friends fun 40th birthday celebration.

4. On the plane ride there we hit a GIGANTIC air bump that caused me to slam my head into the roof of the airplane...when we landed Wes says "Wow that was a big one...I have only hit about 10 of those my whole life." My reply: "Lucky me 2~~YES TWO!~~of those have been with me in the freakin plane with him!! YEA!!!

5. Am giving running a try again...I managed 2 miles yesterday~with the Ipod and at my own pace. Felt....OK! Didn't have to stop once and managed to lap an old couple!

So, there is the readers digest version of the month so far.

Mumbling from a sleeping man..

My goal was to get a head start on today because Wednesday's are crazy for me. So last night I put a rump roast in the crockpot. By the middle of the night the whole house smelled of roasty goodness and since Wes is a talker anyway about 2:30 a.m. he says loudly...

"Just the smell will make you fat!"

I guess that's a good thing right??

Parenting 101

Ok, so how do you keep from laughing while you explain to your 5 year old who is walking around the house singing...

"CHEATER, CHEATER, WHERE'D YOU MEET THAT NO GOOD WHITE TRASH HO?"

that he should probably not sing that song???

WORD VOMIT REMORSE

Hey does anyone else out there ever have this?? You know where something comes out of your mouth and you are not sure why you just said what you did but it's already out there and too late to take it back. Or sometimes you say whatever it is and 30 minutes later after the whole conversation is over and you are running the playback through your head and all you can think is.... WHY? WHY? did I say that?? Did I need to say that? Did it help anything? WHY?!!!!????

%^&&*&^#$* Running

So, as i am headed to my spin class the other morning the husband says (he is flying nights) "why don't you go for a run with me instead?"

uumm...ok.... I guess I could do that.... so away we go....

I would like to say that we jogged side by side, enjoying each others company, got a good workout, etc. but, I just can't lie to you. I SUCK! Seriously, running is so not my sport. You people who love to run are INSANE!! ~Carey~Karen~Alexis~you know who you are! I literaly thought my throat was going to close up and my lungs were going to explode!! The thing that I can't stand the most is it is not my body, my legs are not tired, I am wearing 2 sports bras to contain the girls, everything feels great except my breathing. I get to a point that if I don't stop running and just walk I may pass out right there on the trail. Not good!

We did figure out a way that worked out and plan to do that again in the future. We run together until I can no longer take it then he sprints off a ways comes back and when he gets back to me we take off running together again. We both got a good interval workout but since it was due to the fact that I am such a LLLLOOOSER in the running dept. i'm not sure how i feel about it!

Right back at cha!!!

You know how when you were young and in trouble and your mom used your whole name you just knew that you were in deep poop....well my 5 year old used my whole name on me today in that same sinister voice...

"MOMMY LYNN FRENCH!!!"

1st day of Kindergarten

And so it begins....Monday was Carsen's first day of Kindergarten! He was so excited and I managed to make it through without a single tear!! Weird how I cried over the 5th grader but not the kindergartener!!

He is a smart little guy already and Wes once again tried to use one of his "quotes" on one of our boys with this result.....
Carsen spilled a soda in my car and started bawling...
Wes: Well it's done there is no use crying over spilled milk..
Carsen: "It wasn't MILK!!!"

Birthday??? Christmas??? What???

So, Carsen has been saying some odd things these past couple of days and finally today I caught on to what is going on in that little brain of his. He has been really talking about Halloween and planning his birthday (November) Telling me what theme, who is invited~who is not~(Sarah because she currently has a cold), what he wants. Asking if daddy will be home for Christmas.....(from his current 2 week trip) you get it. Basically, everything that happens in the winter months around here. FINALLY, today I asked him why he is planning all this stuff and his reply to me was.....

"You said it seems like it is going to be an early winter!"

Opps...I guess I did say that!

5th Grade

Sniff....Sniff...

It's the first day of 5th Grade!! I am not sure why it is bothering me except I remember 5th grade. Not bits and pieces like I remember k-4th but I actually remember... my teachers, Krissy and Kimberly my bestest 5th grade friends, my first dance...I even remember the song!! total eclipse of the heart. I guess it is all of these things and now thinking I have a 5th grader. WOW~my prayer last night involved a little of "please God don't let the next 8 years go by too fast" because the past 10 have flown by.

Scrubbing Bubbles

Today I bought one of those new "scrubbing bubbles" gel toilet cleaning/deodorizing things which the boys thought was the coolest thing..... so we squished one in each of our toilets and Carsen says.

"When are those little guys going to come out and clean?"

The funny thing is I remember thinking the same thing when I was little.

G in a Nutshell

So... today we find out who G's teacher is for this next year. It turns out we did not end up with who we requested. The one that Griffen really wanted and who is also the "science" oriented teacher who has a special grant to do a volcano project. Even though oh by the way he was the top science student in his 4th grade class.....but whatever.....when we stopped at the school and read the list today his little face fell and he stated that he does not want the teacher he ended up with she is the meanest teacher ever and now wants to be HOMESCHOOLED!!!!!!!!! Now this is where I begin to say now it won't be so bad. If you follow the directions and are respectful you won't have any trouble at all...blah....blah.....blah.....now these are the words that are coming out of my mouth but the thoughts going through my head sound more like this......

"Oh crap, he is going to be in trouble every frickin day.....i can't have him start out his school year not liking his teacher before we even begin......i will be getting called every damn day.....i seriously don't think i could homeschool him.....what the crap am i supposed to do.....how can i work him into the class he wanted?????aaarrrrggghhhh......."

Fastfoward to this evening after the spouse gets home from work and he is talking to G about having a good attitude about things blah...blah....blah....and

Wes: "Griffen what do you do when life hands you lemons?"

Griffen: (without skipping a beat) replies: "YOU PUCKER UP." (notice the period....this was no question this was a flat out statement from the kid.

Me: hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahah......hahahahahahhahahahha.......hahahahahahah

HUGE ACHIEVEMENTS!!!

We have now added 2 more wakeboarders to our family!!! BOTH boys got up on the wakeboard and stayed up even crossing the wake. This is such a huge step for G....he has done nothing but tube for the past oh...I don't know.....8 years!!!! C has tried every year since he was 3 but this is the first time that he has been able to do it. He stays way scrunched down but that board is planed out and he can go back and forth so for a 5 year old it is awesome. He will be throwing back flips before we know it. I would post pictures but I managed to forget to pack a camera for the trip so I am waiting to get the copies from the others that went with us on the houseboat so be watching for them.

Michael Phelps Rocks!!!

Seriously, this dude is A~MAZING!!!! I can not believe his talent. The freaking camera had to pan back just to SEE who was in 2nd place in last nights relay!!! A~MAZING!!!! Here's a funny thing. Both boys are in swim lessons this week prior to the houseboat trip and I swear G is trying to imitate Phelps. I say not a bad role model at all.

Summer in Pictures....

Plea...

Please talk to your "age appropriate" kids about autoerotic asphixiation. It is the pinnicle of the "choking game" It will be uncomfortable to do so but our friends here just lost thier 17 year old son this past week to this and it is the 2nd person that we have known that has died in this manner. Many people have never even heard of it but there is a lot of information online including the exact definition..... I typically don't get very serious on my blog but knowing 2 people who have lost their lives tragically to this is too many.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me???

So, a good friend of mine was staying at another friend's house and found this little wonder of nature. After the screaming ended she decided that my boys would like to see it. So she jars it up and brings it over....now I have this thing living in a jar INSIDE MY HOUSE.....it is called a Jeruselum Cricket or a Potato Bug or my personal favorite and as far as I am concerned more appropriate....SATANS FETUS!!!!! Not only is it the freakiest bug I have see so far but these objects on your screen are NOT larger then they really appear. Look at your pinky finger...the distance between the tip of that finger and your knuckle is about the size of it. If you have abnomally small fingers then double it....seriously, it is THAT big.....Thanks Friend!!!!

A couple of gems.....

While eating breakfast one morning and reading A Thousand Splendid Suns......

Carsen: Mom, why don't you read that outloud to me?
Me: It's not a book for kids.
C: Well, Griffen is a kid.
Me: And I don't read it out loud to him either.
C: Dad's a teenager.
Me: Oh really, so what am I?
C: You are just a mom. (said with a look of "your kidding me right?")

The other happened while camping for a week with a couple other family friends.
We had 3 families all with kids but one has a daughter who is 14 and very cute.
So the boys are down at the playground at the campground and here is the conversation that has been relayed back to me.

Carsen: Mary is HOT!
This is where the conversation ended because Griffen put Carsen in a head lock and dragged him back up to the camp to apologize to Mary for making an inappropriate comment about her. It was a little hard to explain to my 5 year old and my 10 year old that it was not exactly a bad comment....etc...all of this while trying to keep from laughing too hard.

Still Alive and Tired!!!

Sorry...too tired can't write much....went to Vegas....came home....had a local airshow.....Griffen gone to Colorado...not missing us AT ALL....friends just moved here....Pappy working 14 hour + days....redoing G's room.....watching friends girls......squadron friend on bedrest in need of help.....delivered collected meals for her......bridal shower this weekend.....cocktail party for commanders at the wing commanders house on Saturday....need to make appetizer to share.....Carsen has a friend over to spend the night....think I may have a cold or possibly allergies.....so tired......hope I can sleep tonight........was up at 3:30 watching movie as I could not sleep......aarrrgggg.......

Scientific Questions

Carsen: "If I drop fire ant into water do they sizzle?"

We all just wanna be big rockstars...

"Hey I didn't know Uncle Vern was a guitarist."

~Griffen's words while watching David Cook sing with ZZ Top on the final episode of American Idol last week.

quotables...

I have other things to write about from this past week but I am currently pushing being late for a school fieldtrip so I just have to pass on this little nugget from 2 minutes ago....

Carsen steps out of the bathroom and I tell him go wash your hands.
His reply to me:

"This time I did not stick my fingers in my butt."

Like that makes a difference!!!

Oh Happy Day...

In honor of Mother's Day I thought I would post one of my favorite quotes.

"Making the decision to have a child--It's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

Quote by Elizabeth Stone

Overheard Conversations...

G had a baseball game today and in the bleachers where I was sitting was also a family whose son is on the same team. Well, they had the parents, a couple sets of grandparents, and looked like a couple cousins etc..you get the picture it was a lot of family support for the kid. Who is the catcher on our team. So, as we are watching the game and they are playing against one of the toughest teams in our league the mom is cheering and saying things to the son on several occasions..."Get behind the ball." "Move your body" etc.. then when he is up to bat there is a lot of bench coaching going on also. Nothing bad just a lot of "advice". Then at one point she says, "I will get you something if you get a hit." To which almost immediately one of the grandma's says. "How about less advice?"

I laughed out loud at that one.

As for the game. We lost 24 to 12. But Griffen got to pitch which is what he has been dying to do all season. I was shocked that the coach put him in to pitch because as much as I love the little guy he just does not have the pitching arm...maybe someday but not currently! But, I do love that the coach, even though we were playing such a tough team put him in there to give it a try! We are really fortunate to have a coach that puts the priority on the kids and having them enjoy the game and not just be 'in it to win it.' Plus, he really knows his stuff so they are learning a lot from him too.

Drugs are bad..

Today Carsen and I were driving and he say's to me "Some people smoke in their cars."

Me: Yes, some people do smoke in their cars. But we don't smoke at all.

C: Yeah, and if someone tries to give me drugs I say No thanks, I'm already cool enough. And then I walk away and the police will come and get them.

Wow..uummm..we have not even had the drug talk with our 5 year old but it sounds like he may have it down! I really loved the "I'm already cool enough" part.

Amish Friendship Bread

So a friend of mine gave me the "starter" for this Amish Friendship bread. The deal is it comes in a ziploc "starter" that you don't know exactly what is in it as it is a "secret" but you are required to squish it around for so many day (it comes with directions) and then on day 5 or whatever you are supposed to add milk, flour, etc...and then continue to squish it around for another few days then add a whole bunch of stuff and divide it up to pass on to other friends plus bake one to eat and then start your process over so you will be baking every 10 days and passing out "starters" every 10 days....Oh and you do not refrigerate this starter stuff. Sounds fine right.

Well, apparently I was not meant to be Amish because I CANNOT do it..... I received this on Friday and have squished it around every day since only to have my gag reflex tested every single time. I finally threw it away this morning because I seriously could not face almost throwing up for the 4th day in a row. My family has found quite a bit of humor in it you know....

"Hey everyone, Mom is about to squish the white, foamy, fermented stuff again....come watch!!!It's hilarious! I bet $5.00 that she actually vomits today!!!"

WEEK in REVIEW...

Carsen got beat up at McDonalds....

Couple arguing loudly in the library tried to involve me....

4 Baseball Games, 1 soccer game, 1 cub scout meeting, book club meeting.....

Husband left for Vegas.....

It was my birthday.....

~I'm a little worn out! Hope it is not my age catching up with me!!~

19 to 2

Griffen's last baseball game was a tough one! They lost 19 to 2.....BUT fortunately he was not all that upset because one of the 2 runs that they scored was G-dog himself!! The other team had a very strong 10 year old pitcher who was striking every kid out 1-2-3....until G got up to bat and by his own choosing decided to BUNT! Well, it worked he bunted right down the 3rd baseline and made it on to first base!!! YAY... but that's not all he then decided to steal 2nd, and 3rd, and HOME!!!! He also felt the need to SLIDE into each stolen base so he not only came away with the run but he also has a huge strawberry wound up his back to show for it. We are all very proud!

IS IT JUST ME...

Are there others out there that have odd things happen to them or just me?

We went up the military ball this past weekend and a friend of mine needed a massage to relieve back spasms so we just start calling places to see who could fit her in and I figured I would get something...mani? pedi?...something!! So, we found a spa that had an hour massage for her but the only thing for me was a spray tan. Well, I figured why not..right? Thinking that this would be like a booth that you stepped into and it sprayed you down and your good to go.

Well, not so much!! I stripped down and was in nothing but disposable little paper G-String panties and a shower cap (nothing else!!) and stood in a tent thingy where the only straight dude in the whole place came in and sprayed me by hand with an airbrush gun. And, not only did I stand there naked in front of one stranger BUT there was also one of the female hairdressers in there to monitor that nothing inappropriate was going on.

I take a deep breath and think....

"OK I can do this" "I CAN do this" Breathe,,,,breathe,,,stop your hands from shaking, your going to pass out if you don't breathe but, but....if I breathe I cannot suck in my stomach as much as possible...holy crap why???WHY??? "I CAN DO THIS!!!!!

I convince myself that it will be quick and there are only 2 people who I will never see again watching me stand here NAKED being SPRAY PAINTED....

"please let this be quick, please let this be quick, please, please, please......."

Well, it was relatively quick (not quick enough) but relatively quick unfortunately, not so fast to stop yet ANOTHER PERSON FROM KNOCKING ON THE DOOR AND COMING IN THE FREAKING ROOM WHILE I STAND THERE NAKED!!!!!!!!!

It was my friends massage therapist who was finished up and wanted to know if I wanted my friend to come in with me until I was done. ARE YOU BAGGING ME??? NO!!! I don't want my friend to come in here.....I don't want you in here....I no longer want to be in here but with half of my body spray painted I must now bite the bullet and let him finish....AARRRGGG!!

I have to say...I love the results but before I return..at least to that spa....I would have to take a few shots of liquid courage!!!

So anyone else have these things happen or is it really just me??

Fairy Time?

Well, it happened Carsen finally lost his first tooth.....then Griffen lost one of his molars....then a 2nd molar....then tonight Carsen lost his 2nd tooth....WOW can you say frequent flyer miles for the tooth fairy??

Random Quote...

Carsen: "Look mom I didn't even catch dirty."
~After playing outside~

Baseball Season

I recently read a post from a 'blog friend' about her son's first game this year. Griffen will also be having his first game of the season next weekend. So, between her post and Griffen playing and the fact that he is no longer a Rookie but now a Minor which comes with the possibility of the much talked about "little league" issues that we have all heard. It reminded me of a poem that was printed in our newspaper last year that I cut out and have had on the fridge since. I did have to uncover it as artwork, photo's, and report cards have buried it over time but here it is..

He Is Just a Little Boy

By Chaplain Bob Fox
"The Old Bluebird"

He stands at the plate with
his heart pounding fast.
The bases are loaded, the
die has been cast.
Mom and Dad cannot help
him, he stands all alone.
A hit at this moment would
send the team home.
The ball meets the plate, he
swings and he misses.
There's a groan from the
crowd, with some boos and
some hisses.
A thoughtless voice cries,
"Strike out the bum."
Tears fill his eyes, the
game's no longer fun.
So, open your heart and
give him a break,
For it's moments like this, a
man you can make.
Please keep this in mind,
when you hear someone forget,
He is just a little boy, and
not a man yet.

Kissy Carsen

So a couple of night ago I was putting Carsen to bed. We went through the usual routine...prayer..hugs...tucking...kisses... now the last portion takes quite a bit of time because I believe he takes after 'Kissy Grandma' so picture lots and lots of kiss! Well, he had apparently decided to take it to the next level....he OPENS HIS MOUTH!!!!! and trys to give me a kiss. My immediate response was "WHOA...what are you doing????" He told me, "some people kiss like that. " I then tell him that only married people are supposed to kiss like that. He then gets a startled little look on his face and says, "oh, ok...please don't tell dad."

LATEST QUOTE

"Nice buns mom."

~Griffen

After making his sandwich on a whole wheat bun.....

Jelly Beans....

We still have jelly beans from Easter and from the Jelly Belly factory which Carsen loves...so yesterday he was enjoying the last of his Easter candy which along with the jelly beans he has some of those little chocolate filled robin's eggs. He picks one up and shows me and says...

"Hey mom, these are grown up jelly beans."

My Next Little Einstein

Yesterday morning Carsen woke up and informed me that he is done with preschool and will be starting kindergarten TODAY....to prove this he counted to 150 for me and also told me that he was not doing the alphabet any longer because he was ready to move onto words. He also told me it was time I taught him how to read. He was so serious that when we got to school he also told the kindergarten teacher that he was coming to her class. She said he could if he could tell her what sound "CH" made because that was what they were working on today he then got shy and hid behind me but his current teacher told him she had some kindergarten work for him to do. So he came home with a word list to work on.

It looks like he is headed down the love of reading path where his brother and I walk often...

Naughty Monkeys?

These are my new, not even remotely sensible shoes that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! They are made by naught monkey. I wonder if I am supposed to feel like a naughty monkey when I wear them?

Overtasked??

So, I am filling out my calendar for the week and this is the week that Carsen starts soccer and Griffen starts baseball and I am wondering WHY... OH... WHY... I thought this would all work out without any catches?? Listen to this...
Tuesday: 5:30 ~ 6:15 soccer practice @ one school
5:30 ~ 6:30 baseball practice @ a different school
6:30 leader meeting for scouts also at a different location
Wednesday: 5:30 baseball practice
6:00 scout meeting (again different locations)
Thursday: Sweet nothing!!!
Friday: 5:30 soccer prac.
5:30 baseball prac. (you guessed it different locations)

I am now hoping that this new wizardology book that Griff got for being the top reader in his class will give him a clue as to how to clone me so I can be in 2 places at one time!!

SPRING BREAK HIGHLIGHTS

WOW! This was one of those weeks that flys by but it also seems like Easter was a long time ago instead of just a week ago. Our week started out with Easter. It was nice enough here that the big bunny hid the eggs in the yard for the first time since 2003! Neither boy believed that the eggs were hid outside even after they each found one on the patio. They grabbed that one then ran back inside to find the rest. Once we convinced them that if one egg is hid outside then ALL the eggs are hid outside. They quickly found them all then we all were back inside for hot chocolate. It was sunny but still cold that early in the morning!

On Monday we packed up the camper and with 2 other families headed down to SIX FLAGS for the week. It was a great time. We had nice weather for the most part and even though it was spring break for Oregon and California the crowd and lines were not bad at all with the exception of one ride which all but 2 of the adults and the "too short to ride" crowd stood in line for 2 hours for only to get on and apparently in one of the first turns Griffen looks at Wes and says "I just lost my glasses!" GREAT!! First day of the trip, second ride of the day!! Unfortunately, his prescription is so much that those "one hour" shops cannot make new glasses so he had to go the rest of the time without. It was strange to see him without glasses for so long but he did not have any problems or get any headaches without them so that was good news. So off we all went to ride as many rides as much as possible for 3 days in a row. We had 5 adults and 7 kids with us ranging in ages from 6 months to 10 years. We all had a good time with the exception of a couple of hunger meltdowns, and one water from the dolphin tank incident!

First day, all the kiddo's and Pappy!

It's a Looney Tune World!

Griffen sans glasses!!

His Highlights:

He went on the BIG rides. KONG, MEDUSA, TAZMANIAN DEVIL, BOOMERANG!!!

This is a big step for him.

Carsen's Highlights and quotes:

Wes and I having a little spat (neither of us remember what it was about.) and Carsen say's to him.

"Why did you ever marry her?" (Little Harsh!)

At the Jelly Belly factory we look over and Carsen and our friends son, also blonde and blue eyed are getting their picture taken with an Asian family. When the boys came back over to us I asked why they were taking pictures with them and Carsen replies,

"They wanted us to but I couldn't understand them they speak spanish."

On this trip he also informed me during his one meltdown before bed that,

"I ruined his life and everyone elses too!" (OUCH!)

He changed his mind after a good nights sleep!

My Highlight???

At the Jelly Belly factory I got punked by the husbands! Griffen was the unknowing pawn in this little GAG! (Literally, GAG!!)

So, we all get our favorite flavor of beans and are formulating our next move while eating these beans and Griffen says hey there are some in my bag that I didn't put in there so I tell him that sometimes with that many they get a few flavors mixed up and just take them out and give them to me. Which he does and seeing the 'buttered popcorn' flavor I pop it into my mouth. Well, I quickly realize that I am not tasting buttered popcorn but 'rotton egg' yes, you read that right ROTTEN EGG!!!!!!!!!! I am able to turn around and the trash can is right there so I can spit it out and proceed to spit again a few more times, then jump around because I am about to toss my cookies right there in the visitor's center of the Jelly Belly factory on front of everyone!!! YEP....they sell those Harry Potter Beans there also...and as bad as the rotten egg tasted I am VERY glad that I did not end up with VOMIT, or BOOGER. (they have them) It was a total set~up and I still can't believe that I walked right into it with my eyes WIDE open. Gotta love livin' with BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A WEEK OF AARRGGGG...

OK it is only Wednesday and here is what has went down already this week....

MONDAY~ This might be TMI but don't care I am telling anyway. I finally went to in for my "girl" appointment. So, I change into my little paper gown which really there is almost no point in having it but at least it is something right? And the Dr. comes in and we are chatting and then she starts the exam you know...lay back, scooch down to the end of the table and put your feet in the nice little stirups...so she does the first part of the exam, and we are still having a conversation about kids, school, etc... and then she stop's mid exam to continue our talk...now just to paint the picture I am STILL laying on the table with my knees WIDE OPEN and my goodies fully exposed as she is standing in between my legs, rubber gloves, juuuust talkin to me....I don't even remember what she was saying at that point because all I could think was "please finish....please finish...it's getting a little breezy down there in rio...."

TUESDAY~Cub Scout day for Griffen. Most know that I am the Den leader for his group and I have heard crazy stories about parents freaking out at things but this is the first time that I have seen it first hand. It was Pinewood Derby night. (For those that don't know the boys built little cars out of a wooden block and then they race them.) So our whole pack is there and one of the dads is one of our pack leaders so he was the go to person for the derby. Well part way through the event a couple of parents questioned something and he seriously LOST HIS MIND....started yelling and cussing and generally was extremely aggitated. Well, you know me I can't be like everyone else and let him rant and rave. I have to tell him that he has no business cussing and behaving like that in front of our kids and also proceeded to inform him that he was acting like a 4 year old and throwing a fit was no way to behave like a role model for the boys....he continues to yell, cuss, throw a chair and say that he wanted to punch someones head off. I then tell him I am done with him and he needs to leave. He did leave with a few more choice words and told me that I could do everything from now on to which I replied "Fine, I will." I am not sure what I have gotten myself into but at least I know that I will NEVER behave that way in front of my kids or anyone elses at any scouting event....EVER!!!

WEDNESDAY~ Today is the 2nd day in a row that Griffen has gotten a RED card which means that he must call home and tell me how awful they think he is....now honestly, he has had to call 3 or 4 times this year for as far as I am concerned really trivial things. Like no kidding last year he had to call home because he was talking in the library...so yesterday the call was because he was running in the hallway....seriously....SERIOUSLY. Today he had to call home because he said the teacher was going over a problem and on the paper it had a "+" and the teacher said it was a "-" so of course Griffen being the kid that he is he corrected the teacher. Well, needless to say that did not go over well at all and he got a RED card and send off to call me and tell me yet again how horrible he is.....then he comes home with a homework assignment to answer these following questions....

1. Why should you follow directions when given to you by an adult?
2. Why is it necessary for you to always try to correct other peoples statements when others don't treat you this way?

I don't really have a problem with him having to answer these questions but, it is also time to admit that once again Griffen's teachers have reached the end of their patience and the rest of our year will most likely suck...SO GLAD it is SPRING BREAK!! Our last good year was Kindergarten. He is now in 4th grade. I just wish that the teachers he has would understand that it is just his personality. He is a bright kid who needs things to be a specific way. He sees things in a very black and white way and has no problem questioning authority when he does not understand or believes that authority to be wrong. He lives outside of the box of what the school deems normal. Anyway, tonight we are going in to talk to the teacher...should be fun!! Again, SO GLAD it is SPRING BREAK!! Six Flags here we come!!!

AMAZING....

I have been reading a blog that I stumbled upon being a blog stocker...it is an amazing story who's blog has had over 1 million hits. So, if you are in the mood to cry, laugh and be amazed I suggest reading this....
http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

HELLO DELICIOUS....

I made this for a friend's baby shower. It is SO good. I refuse to tell you the calorie and fat content but will say make it for a large group. Now quickly...get to baking!

BUTTERMILK WHITE CAKE WITH COCONUT

Preheat oven 350

4 egg whites

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. shortening

2 tsp. vanilla

Unsweetened coconut flakes

Buttercream frosting recipe *see below*

Let egg whites stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. Grease and flour pans, set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add buttermilk, shortening, and vanilla. Beat on low until combined. Beat on medium 2 minutes more. Add egg whites, beat 2 more minutes. -don' worry Batter looks curdled it's not- Spread into pans and bake 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched & wooden pick comes out clean. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans, cool completely. Prepare frosting. Layer cake with frosting between each layer and frost rest of cake. Press coconut flakes all over top and sides.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Beat 3/4 c. softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in 3 C. powdered sugar to combine. Beat in 1/4 C. buttermilk and 2 tsp. vanilla. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar to make it spreading consistency.

This is the single recipe. I double both the cake and frosting recipes and turn it into a triple layer round cake with usually enough batter and frosting to make a couple cupcakes too! -you know just to have some to taste before serving.... This is a great cake. Especially, if you are not the worlds best cake decorator. It always looks pretty and finished but you don't have to go to decorating 101 to achieve the look. Throw a couple of flowers and a little ribbon on top and voila!! And that's before they taste it! Happy baking.

Condolences

I am married to a fighter pilot. Once in a while I am asked if I am bothered by the danger of his job. My reply is normally, "No, he loves what he does and he is good at it." And in all honesty I typically don't think of the 'danger'. But, there are times when we lose one of our own that forces me to think about it. Today turned into one of those times.

We are a small community of people that are spread across the world....

my tears and condolences go out to his wife and family.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331558,00.html

More Snowcapades Pictures

UUMMM...I would have posted a picture of myself here..but she who takes the pictures does not exist in photographic memories......