Three Turkeys At Thanksgiving.

You know there is going to be trouble when you see this line up on your couch!! Everyone run and HIDE!

Our Night Out Without The Kiddos!

Woo Hoo!

Christmas party time was here and we had a blast! The kids were at a good friend's house, so no need to worry about them, and it was just good times ahead for these Nashvillians!

We arrived in Hot Springs at the Arlington around noon on Saturday and had a fabulous lunch at a local eatery. It was so nice being able to talk to my husband without wiping mouths and playing tic-tac-toe. Not that those things are unimportant, it was just a great time alone! We walked around historic Hot Springs and found some really great stores to browse in. Reading all of the interesting facts and seeing pictures of how the rich and fancy lived back in the twenties was just fascinating to us. Some of the bath houses there are still functional. We did not endulge; however, maybe another time.

It was then time to get ready for our party! Yeah, I got to dress up...it has been so long. I had forgotten what it was like to put on fancy clothes! Husband was lookin' mighty handsome in his suit and party shirt. I was just hoping that I would not fall over in my high heels, I am not the most coordinated person.

Pictures were first, hopefully they turn out well! I will post them on flickr as soon as we get them back. Then, on into the ballroom so the festivities could begin. We socialized and I met so many people that my husband works with that I was hoping there would not be a name test at the end of the night...I cannot even remember my own kids' names somedays. Anyway, we had a pretty decent meal and then we had a gift give-away (we didn't win anything), and then came the fun part, DANCING!

We were dancing the night away! Husband was trying to teach me how to swing dance, hehe. That was comedy relief all in itself for everyone watching. We also had fun dancing individually. My husband actually even led the people train during the train dance. I didn't know he was such a party animal! We closed the dance floor down and was invited to go downstairs to the piano bar, but we politely declined. My feet were killing me and who am I kidding, we are too old to be out that late! So, up to bed we went!

It was a fantastic time! Oh and just in case you were wondering, I managed to not fall the ENTIRE time. I guess it was just meant to be...

My Favorite Time Of Year.

I am so happy that it is becoming fall and that the temperature is dropping from the ridiculous levels. The leaves are covering our driveway and the pool is being cleaned quite frequently, but all in all I will call it a fair deal....for me at least, I don't have to clean the pool or the driveway, hehe. (Thanks, honey) It is really beautiful here. My mums have bloomed and they are really quite lovely, if I do say so myself.

It is so wonderful to go outside with just a sweatshirt and be comfy. No sunblock, no profuse sweating, and no dehydration factors to worry about. Yeah!

Then, around the bigger corner, we have Christmas. I am a Christmas geek. I love it! I love the shopping, the cooking, the crowds, the spirit, the music, the everything!

What a great time of year! Aren't we all so blessed!!

Happy Anniversary Mema And Pepa!

We are blessed with you two in our lives. Thank you, God, for the never ending blessing of Mema and Pepa!

Happy 8th Anniversary, guys! Hope you have a great day together.
We love and miss you.

And The Mother Of The Year Award Goes To.....

We went to dinner Friday night with friends of ours at the local Mexican joint. We had a fun time visiting and sharing comical family happenings. (We have plenty of material)

All was well....drink orders were placed and we were digging in the bottomless baskets of chips! Suddenly, Braydon said, "Mama, my lip is burning" in a panicked stricken tone. I was a little puzzled and then I just figured the salsa must be too spicy for him, so I proceeded to just wipe off his little mouth.

I looked over at him a moment later and his upper lip had started to become enlarged! Okay, I thought, more detective work needed here. (Me thinking) He had requested a lemonade for his beverage of choice (his favorite drink at this place) and we had to send it back because it was icky. The replacement drink was punch....ok, he loves punch, what would be wrong with that? Well, I will tell you what is wrong with that....it wasn't fruit punch, it was strawberry juice! For those of you that do not know, we discovered last year that Braydon was allergic to Strawberries!

Crud! Was this going to be an E.R. worthy blooper?? We poured some water down his throat, with a little excess going down his shirt (oh well), and just all kind of stared at him for a little bit. I think the only thing that saved us was that it was imitation strawberry juice and not the real thing, whew! We finished our dinner, headed home for some benadryl therapy, and all was fine.

I would have never thought to ask the waitress if the punch had strawberries in it, I mean, they never do! UGH! Oh well, I guess I will always and forever ask about the contents of juice! DUH!

Bad Mommy....and the mother of the year award goes to..............

Those Pesky Little Critters!

One by one...in they come....the occasional wasp is what I am referring to. Minding our own business, we are sporadically attacked by the "killer wasps" while watching T.V. or just passing through our family room. AHH!

I don't know where these things are coming from??? (Don't say "outside", please)

This is what happens: Eldest child, doing his schoolwork, Mom in the bathrooms/bedrooms cleaning up. All of a sudden, I hear a very loud pre-pubescent squeal! I come out and sure enough we are being tormented by another wasp.

They thought they had us.....until....today! I figured it out while walking Fargo the wonder pest. The little buggers have made a nest inside of our chimney! I saw swarms of them just lingering around the stacked brick. So, an occasional wasp comes down the flu and squeezes it's sad little body through into our dwelling.

Husband is going to climb up on the roof and pulverize them! That in itself will be an entirely additional blog!

Just...Great.

Yesterday my husband calls to say that he needs a ride home from work because the car will not start. Crud!

It is at the repair shop currently with the help of a good old fashioned tow....wonder what is wrong with the ol' turdball????

...They called and think it's the starter ($318.00) or possibly the engine could be locked up (thousands) AHHH! We hope it is the lesser of the two evils! If it's not, the repair shop can consider themselves the new proud owner of it (per my husband's words).

Ahhh, just another day....

Why Do Children Have Brain Damage??

So, the twelve year old decides to have some fun in the kitchen the other day. Poor unsuspecting mom enters the kitchen returning from a bedroom mission and landed on her bottom!

That really hurt. My overly analytic brain was whirling. What had happened to my kitchen floor?? I mean, I usually keep it pretty clean, but never so shiny and as slippery as that day. So I decide to myself...I will ask the boy!!

I guess while I was working about in the house, he decided to take a little break from his schoolwork and have a little party. He thought it would be fun to spray the floor with pledge, put some socks on, and have a nice dust busting, skating arena.

HUH?? My brain just doesn't comprehend this sort of craziness! A part of me says, "very creative idea", and then the other part makes me think, "Are you that goofy, son??"

I know there will be many more adventures such as these living with all boys....I hope this is amusing to some of you....or some of you may be thinking this is payback from my childhood....whatever it may be, I know my kids are nuts.

Nothing will ever surprise me anymore...this is what motherhood has taught me.

We're Back From The Beach.

Home again after our great vacation.....time to unpack! This is my most dreaded part of vacation. Not only is the end inevitable...I have to put everything back in it's proper place.

We had a great time on the beach. The kids made a really huge sand castle with a retaining wall that survived high tide for a couple days...pretty amazing! We walked the stores and just relaxed in our condo. It felt wonderful just to lounge and be around family.

School and work to resume tomorrow...must go prepare!

Wonder where we will end up next year.........

One Week From Today....

I am so very stuffed with anticipation for the upcoming Smith vacation! I am just thinking that one week from today at this very moment we will be on our way...WooHoo!

Uh Oh...this would also mean that I have a lot of things to do until that time comes! There are lists to be made and obsessive compulsions to attend to. It is all worth the work, though, we are going to have a great time.

I am trying to think of some fun things to do in the car with the kiddos. Personally, I am not able to do much in fear of an emesis attack, but maybe I will be able to get some activities together for the non-motion sickness type (lucky kids). I am sure we can come up with something....any ideas??

Have a great weekend!

My Birthday...30th, Just Another Day.

Tuesday was the day, the day that I had unknowingly regretted for several years previous. I was 30 and there was no stopping it.

So, at the ripe age of thirty, life is pretty good. I cannot complain, well I could talk about how after childbirth I have stretch marks that I could name and put on a map they are so large, but why waste the time. I have better things to do...such as scrubbing toilets and cutting the crusts off of sandwiches because as all moms know, there is an obvious disease that you can catch from that part of the bread. Wonder really should put a warning on their bags, but anyway, there has to be worse things in life than just turning the big 3-0. Let me know if you can think of any.

I have decided to list a few things that I will never be able to do again...just as therapy (I know what you are thinking, but it's not negative, just the truth).

• Wear a string bikini. (Let's face it, I couldn't do that at 29...or anytime since David was born)
• Say that I am in my twenties.
• Get another birthday card without buzzards and/or a RIP sign on it.
• Remember anything.

I guess there are a few things to look forward to:

• Getting closer to having an AARP card.
• Senior Citizen discount.
• A knee replacement.
• Hair turning gray and or white.
• Silver Sneakers program at the gym!

All and all I think it was just another day in Smithville. I don't really feel much older, so I guess it is going to be an uneventful thing...that is until I reach 40....then I may need to be hospitalized for trauma. Remember I live with all testosterone filled boys, I could already be legally crazy!

Happy birthday to me!

What I Woke Up To On My Birthday.

My husband is always up to something! That is what I love about him.

I will blog more on my 30th birthday a little later, but the pics are already on flickr.

Blame It On The Rain.

Last week when we arrived home from Texarkana, we discovered something very wrong! There was a disturbing plop, plop, plop coming from the play room. David came in from said room and yelled, "Mom, the ceiling is leaking"!!! Oh crud! That cannot be good. I am not a professional contractor or anything, but I do believe that water coming into the house without an invitation is a very bad thing. I called husband and he came home immediately to repair our issue. He climbed up into our attic and there were several different water intrusion sites! He put buckets up to catch the water droppings and we were off to "kana" again that day to get some supplies.

When we arrived home, the rain had ceased and we were in good shape. The contractors came to look at the damage, and we are getting a new roof, compliments of Shelter Insurance Agency.

We have seen enough rain for this year. My hair is as curly as it has ever been...no I haven't gone crazy and had a perm. It is all thanks to my friend, Gustav.

Survival Is The Key!

First day of school picture.

Well, we did it! We have successfully completed our first week of homeschooling. David was pretty much a trooper through our first couple days...when I wasn't really sure how to do this. I think now we have developed a schedule that is working for us....which is good, because I love schedules!! (and lists...irrelevant point, I know) We try to get the bulk of our work done in the morning and the rest we do during Braydon's nap. It is much easier to do the more tedious curriculum with the three year old at rest.

Braydon is also doing well with his schoolwork. We have pretty much conquered the shapes and colors and are moving onto letters and numbers....he really does not have that much enthusiasm when it comes to this part....WAH! I am able to get him to do a few things, but his mind is very active and with that comes 3-4 minute sittings....then he is gone....ZOOM....off to the playroom. Oh well, it will come in time. He does love to sit at the computer and play toddler games and is rather "handy" with a mouse. A friend of mine let us use a computer game of hers and he absolutely loved it. Yes, big shocker, I wrote it down on a LIST to buy next time I go to the "Kana".

So, after the first week I still have all of my hair, was able to sleep at night, and I kept up with all of my other chores. It makes a very full day, but my kids are worth it.

Grandma's Visit...

Oh yeah.....pictures are also posted on Flickr from when Grandma was here and we had bunches of fun at the lake!! Check 'em out.

Some Updates.

We stayed in Little Rock on Friday night...we spared no expense..hehe! Yeah right! It looks like a nice hotel on the outside of the building....that is about the only positive thing I can say about it. Let's see....there was a burn hole, more than likely cigarette induced, on the blanket on MY bed! It was a non-smoking floor...anyway, a couple little spots of stained blood or something on a pillowcase, and the wall mounted hair dryer blew up in my hand. Okay, it didn't actually blow up, but it rotated very slowly and then turned bright red and smoked more than a trucker. The entire room was engulfed in stink from the blow dryer drama. It was a great night!

The kids and I went to the Discovery museum in Little Rock on Saturday and had a really fun time. Pictures on flickr. We also went to the local mall and checked out the three story Dillards!! Neato!

School starts tomorrow and we are gearing up for that. We are both a little stressed out (David and myself). Gotta go and finish my lesson plans for the week. Will let you know how our first week goes. David will be back to blogging for some creative writing assignments...so stay tuned!

A Visit From Grandma.

Grandma came to visit us for a few days and we had a great time. We went to the lake and had a picnic lunch and then went back the following day and rented a boat. It was a beautiful weekend and we couldn't have asked for a better time.

Thanks for coming to see us, Grandma!

Church At Our House.

On Sunday, when we were getting ready for church, the boys decided that all of their webkinz needed something to do while we were away. They decided if we were going to go learn about Jesus that the webkinz should have the same opportunity.

They lined up several webkinz that made up the choir, put a webkinz on the pulpit for the preacher, and finally filled the pews with the rest of the stuffed animals. It was very cute.

The sermon of the day was about Noah and his ark. I overheard "the preacher" discussing how Noah was condemned and laughed at because he was building such an absurd structure and that he was a faithful servant of the Lord. I listened to most of the sermon and it was great to hear that not all of what we teach them goes in one ear and out the other! They are great kiddos!

Now if all of their playtime could be that wholesome...yeah right, they are boys!

David's 7th Grade Curriculum....Thus Far!

Here is what we have decided to study this next school year.....well at least tentatively.

• Life Science with Lab
• Algebra 1-2
• Spanish 1-2
• Western Hemisphere Geography
• Health
• Spelling/Vocabulary/Poetry Memorization
• Grammar
• Literature....we have not established the exact books we will be reading!
• Bible

Oh, we will also be doing some Home Economics, Industrial Arts, Music, Art, and P.E. throughout the year!

We are very excited to "dig" in and have a very productive year!

Wii Fit Fun!

My Surprise!

Late yesterday afternoon, I had noticed I had ran out of romaine lettuce. I called my hubby to see if he would mind running to Wally-World after work (it is right across the street for him). Of course, he said he would.

He walked into the kitchen "tossed" the salad to me (haha), and went back outside??? I was wondering where he went, but I was in the middle of finishing dinner so I didn't think too much about it. He came back in, only this time he was holding a brand new Wii Fit!

I was so excited! I had been wanting one of them forever, but we couldn't find them anywhere. Chris had people at work (obviously, unbeknownst to me) looking for this game and one of them had found it! How wonderful my husband is.

After dinner we played it and had a great time. It was quite comical to see me do the balancing exercises, since my balance is HORRIBLE! The Wii actually asked me if I fell down a lot (husband laughing hysterically at this point). I actually do trip and fall a lot, but that isn't the point here. We had a fun evening and I cannot wait to continue to use my new exercising tool.

Thanks, honey! I love you bunches. :) You always do such wonderful things for me. I feel blessed EVERY day knowing that you are my one and only!

The Boys....And A Closeup.

Expiration Is A Possiblility.

IT'S SOOO HOT HERE!

I believe yesterday and today it has been between 104 and 105 degrees outside. The heat index was over 115 degrees! It's not even August yet, what is this yankee gonna do??

The only saving grace our family has is the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the temperature of the water has been creeping up and up. I believe our water was 96 degrees today. It is almost like a hot bath in hot weather....still wonderful to have though. The previous owners of our home stated we may need to put ice cubes in the pool at some point through the summer. I understand why now!
We are in our pool every single day and we wouldn't know what to do without it.

Yesterday, we went to a nearby lake and looked around, but it was too hot to do the trails and such, maybe next time. (if it's fall, that is) hehe.

Maybe the boys and I will fry an egg on the patio tomorrow, they would get a kick out of that, I think!

The Boy's Blog.

Well, he did it. David finally has his own blog. Check it out...

www.squishworld.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

The Milk Man...Well Boy.

Today I ran out of my skim/fat-free milk. Thus enlies the reason for my blog tonight.

So, upon discovery of my much needed trip to the grocery, I happened to find two, one dollar bills in my purse. (I never have cash on me since the invention of the debit card) I thought, ya know, I could just let my 12 year old go into the grocery and make the purchase???? I know what you are thinking, wow, you are sure living on the wild side, Amber. For those of you that know me well, know that I usually never let my children out of my peripheral range of sight. Anyway, I was so amused with the idea that I informed David that he could do "the deed" for me and it would save me a trip in and a possible impulse buy. Of course, he was very hip to the idea.

I could see his mind starting to think of how he would perform this act....Should I go to the self-checkout lane, should I get a cart, or should I just get a basket, which way shall I walk to get to the milk area???? It's perplexing to people like him and me.

We arrive at Wally-World and he is so excited he can barely stay buckled while turning into the parking lot. Off he goes into the big store all by his little self. He glanced back several times to see if I was watching him walk in...guess what, I WAS! Big shocker, right?

A few moments passed......

Out he came sporting his pre-pubescent walk, a bag in one hand, and the largest ear to ear grin I have ever seen. I was trying not to laugh, but it couldn't be held back...he was so excited.

He did a great job buying exactly what I told him and he gave me back all of my change! He informed me on the way home that he could probably just be given my grocery list and he could do all of my shopping for me. I told him I thought I would probably do it for right now....but if I ever needed a 1/2 gallon of milk again...he would be the go to guy!

My Husband Went To Jail Today???!??!

Chris is heading up some foreign trade zone thing at his place of employment. With this responsibility comes a few weird quirks. He had to give all personal information starting from birth and today we found out he was to be fingerprinted. Crazy!

So he goes to the local police station/municipal court/jail/sheriff's office/library/city hall today....whew that is quite a facility. Backing up a moment, I have to describe this geographic location. The prisoners walk in and out of the building at most times of the day. When I take the kids to the library, we always see them outside smoking or washing the police cars. This is an odd sight to take in as a city girl. I mean there is not any guards or anything. This gives an entire new meaning for the term "trustees" in jail, right? Ok, back to the fingerprinting. Chris is in the police station section of the afore mentioned long named place. This means he is at the desk labeled, Police Station. The lady at the desk asked him and his co-workers to have a seat and she would be with them in a moment. (Chris said she was working on something upon their arrival.)

After waiting for 45 minutes she asked if she could be assistance (Folks, nothing fast happens in this city, we have lived and learned). When they stated the reason for their visit, she quickly apologized and said, "Oh, I am sorry, you will have to come back tomorrow. Today is Thursday, our court day, we are admitting all of the prisoners today." Keep in mind that my husband called earlier that day and he was told to come by anytime. They are just used to people moving so slowly down here, I don't think they actually thought he would be coming on that same day...I mean that is some kind of crazy lightning speed...whew, crazy hoosiers!

Knowing my husband, he would have to have a response to that, right? Well he said, "What would be a good time to come?" She replied, "Anytime would be a fine time, except for Thursdays, or anytime between 11 am and 1 pm, or after 4." My husband said his thanks and the crew were on their way back to work.

Anyway, they have decided to give it another try tomorrow. It will be before 11, after 1, and before 4......

A New Braydonism.

A new term for sausage biscuits per Braydon........

He is convinced that the new name shall be...Hyena Burgers!

I believe the new influence is from his current favorite movie, George of The Jungle.

Go figure.

Funny Times.

Here is a comical little conversation with Daddy and Braydon....

Setting: Braydon being goofy (as always) playing around with Daddy.

Daddy: Tootie, why are you soooo crazy?

Tootie: Daddy, ya know I've been falling down a lot....proceeds to show boo-boos.

I thought that was cute....

Mini-Me.

I always encourage David to write as much as possible. He writes short stories and I have him journal everyday. He is also wanting to start a daily devotional/prayer journal which I think is wonderful. I believe that the importance level of having children write frequently is unmeasurable. Sometimes you have to give constant nudges to get them to write, but it is all worth it. I am sure they will thank you when they are older and trying to get into college...maybe.

I am excited to say that he has decided to share some of his stories/everyday issues with us all. He is going to start a blog just like me!! How fun.

When it is finished, I will be sure to let everyone know the address so you can all check it out. I am sure it will be chucked full of "good stuff"!

10,000 Pictures.

David has been saving up for a laptop computer. This is quite a task for him since money always has a way of burning holes in his pockets. Well, I knew it couldn't last forever.....

We took a trip to Texarkana on Monday to do some Mom-like errand stuff. David had been talking about possibly getting a digital camera for several days. He does really enjoy taking pictures so I thought this may not be the worst thing to spend his money on, so I allowed the pre-purchase browsing to commence. He bundled up a good chunk of his money, stuffed it in his wallet, and was ready to roll.

I decided that we would check out Target's cameras just to get an idea of what was out there in the "beginner camera-man" category. They didn't really have that great of a selection, though, so we went to our family favorite for electronics, Best Buy.

We checked out all of the merchandise and then a salesman came up to David and asked him what he would like in a camera. I enjoyed listening to them communicate about his likes, dislikes, and the limited budget. I cannot believe he is getting so BIG! Anyway, he had a very intellectual and grown up conversation ( I was in the background listening, but still trying to give David his space). A few moments later, David had picked a camera and we were in the checkout lane. I don't know about other mommies, but it is always so hard for me to see my kids spend their own money on things, especially a large amount of money. Oh well, I will get over it...cha ching...the money was gone.

In normal David fashion, on the way home he had read the entire manual for the camera. He was telling me all of the features that it had and what he really liked about it. I kept waiting for the buyer's remorse, but it hasn't come yet.

When we arrived home it began....pictures galore. It was an unexplicable display of flashing and clicking. He took pictures of dirty dishes, the inside of the butter tub, one million pics of the dog, and anything else laying around.

We went to Wal-Mart today and he purchased a camera case and some lithium batteries. I am so happy he is having a great time with it. I am going to look around for some possible photography classes that he may be able to participate in.

He didn't quite make the laptop, but I think that he will equally enjoy this purchase.

Queen of The Blogger Slackers.

Has it really been a month? Oops!

Well here is our month in a nutshell.....

**After returning home from our Indiana visit, we stayed busy with swimming and just having good old fashioned fun.....for a week.

**We received an email from Sharon stating that her mother was not doing so well. We decided to load up the kids and take yet another trip. We had a great time visiting family and the boys were able to see their great grandmother for the first time.

**Back home again. The kids were ready to stay home for a while...so that is what we did. We hung out and had great family fun.....then the pool pump went kaput....sniff sniff.

**Andrew had a fun eighth birthday with lots of camping gear, a cool remote control jeep, guitar hero, super smash bros. (wii game), and some birthday money....always a winner! We celebrated at the local mexican restaurant where they sang and fed us free sopapillas! Oh yeah, and Andrew wore a sombrero during the serenading. Good times.

**I am revving up for our first year of homeschooling. I am very excited and I cannot wait to get started....David can wait (he says). He wants the summer to last a little longer. I am all finished picking out curriculum (a large task for me) and we are ready to roll.

**The kids have been camping out in the playroom with their tents. They are really roughing it with their air conditioned room, TV, and all the inside amenities. Anyway, they are having a great time with it and I am getting over having this VERY LARGE mess in the house. (Because that is what it is.)

**So that has been our month. I have not paid much attention to blogging. I don't have any great excuses, so I will not give one. I just didn't do it. My goal is to do better....hehe.

The Time Has Come.

It's over. Two weeks have passed and it is time to make the 12 hour journey back home. We're coming home, Daddy.

Hopefully I am able to put the "Mommy selective hearing earmuffs" on and enjoy the trip (all of my children have very strong vocal chords!!)...wish me luck.

David's Birthday.

David had a great birthday on the 4th!

He made out like a bandit with a lot of money, tons of great books, a briefcase, and an Ipod charger. He even has another gift to open when we get home from Aunt Sara and Uncle Brian....incentive to get home, I suppose.

Chris and I purchased a mini fridge for David's room for his birthday since he is decorating it as a dorm...he is very excited about being able to grab a beverage at will. Good times.

Thanks to all for making it such a special day for "the boy"!!

Hope you have a great 12th year, David....we love you and you are a wonderful kiddo. Thanks for making every day spent with you a special one....and always unique!!!

Oh My, Target Is Just Down The Street From Me!

What shall I do? I am here, in Indiana, surrounded by civilization for an entire two weeks. Too bad the last thing my husband said to me prior to leaving is, "Don't burn up the checkbook"....RATS!

The boys have been to Toys R Us three days in a row now and I think I have seen enough of that store. I think it is time to cut off the monetary support line from the grandparents to the children. If it doesn't stop soon, I am afraid I will not be able to fit the children in the car along with the "new stuff" back to Arkansas.

As for me, I have behaved. Oh how I have become the submissive wife....go me!

I really would like to get some new exercise pants....but it isn't life threatening.....I love you very much, husband! :)

Countdown To The Party.

I cannot believe that David is going to be 12 tomorrow. It just doesn't seem possible! Where does time go, and the other pressing question....am I really getting that old??

The wrapped presents are just maddening to the boy, and it is funny to watch him just sit and salivate at what could be in the irregularly shaped boxes. He knows the exact number of boxes and if you asked him, he would probably be able to give you precise dimensions. Needless to say, he is ready for the day to come.

I am very proud of the "little man" David is becoming and I hope he has a super-duper party loaded with fun.

Cannot wait to see everyone coming in for the event!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is the day that the household caters to my husband...(how is that different from any day??..hehe). He is the birthday boy today and he is turning the big _ _! AAHHHH, I married an old man.

We love you and happy birthday!

Also happening today is David's birthday party. We are throwing a pool party for him and he is very excited about that. Hopefully, it will not steal Daddy's thunder since it is on the same day!

Jam-packed, fun-filled day ahead of us...then tomorrow, off to Indiana! 12 hours in the car with just the boys and me!! WOO HOO!

Up Since 3:41 a.m.

The dog woke me up at 3:41 a.m. today and I wasn't able to go back to sleep.

Hopefully, my OCD/anxiety traits will not fail me now since there is so much to get done before my trip! It's days like these that I wish I was an avid coffee drinker. If I fall asleep in David's birthday cake then it will just have more personality. Off I go.

Park Day.

As said in the earlier post, we went and had a great several hours at the park.

The ladies in the "Mom's Group" threw a little goodbye party at the park today for a wonderful lady that is moving away. We will miss her and her kiddos greatly, but we wish them the best in their new location.

Our kids played for quite a while during our visit/farewell. We had a pitch-in type lunch and just soaked up the sun and fellowship. My children were nice and filthy when we finally left, but they had a great time.

I am so thankful to have found such a wonderful group to pal around with. These ladies are the "real deal" and would do anything to lend a helping hand if need be. What a continuous blessing for ME!

Summer Vacation.

Ahhh, the first day of summer vacation for David. He is very excited about not having school for a couple of months.

I think for his first official day out we will go to the park and swim in the pool. I will tell him the catch later.....he has to help me clean the house since we will be goofin' around all day.

Distressed Dog.

If you didn't know, we have been painting David's bedroom....doing it "dorm" style. We have completely destroyed all pink, girly existence from that end of the hall now. (Now, we just have to add some girly accents to Mommy's room....slowly but surely so Daddy can take it all in).

Anyway, during the painting process, David has been sleeping on the sleeper sofa in the family room because of the fumes. This is a very good time for David. He requested that our dog, Fargo, would be allowed to sleep with him. We agreed to that request.

The poor dog started acting out signals of distress when he saw Mommy and Daddy going to bed without him. He started walking in circles and pacing the floors. I could tell he was thinking this was not going to be good....because he really just tolerates David.

He was able to sleep with David for two nights, but now we are back to business as usual. David is in his "new and improved" room and Fargo is back with us.

Fargo started walking back and forth from our bedroom around 7:30 tonight just letting us know that he had been through enough and it was time to quit messing around. He wanted to sleep in his "normal" quarters....spoiled pooch!

Looks like he is getting his way....he is sleeping on my side of the bed right now!

And, Oh What A Doofus Am I.

Today we spent some time in the pool. I thought I would be cool like grown-ups are and float around on a raft-like device and just watch the kiddos play....usually I play too, but I just had to live on the edge!

I lubed the children with 50 SPF sunblock until their typical pale appearance was even more albinoish. I guess I just plopped the remaining block that was on my hands onto myself....apparently that was not enough to handle my old friend, the sun.

I am burnt. I am a crispy critter. This appearance of mine is obviously comical to my husband because every time he passes me or takes a glance he starts laughing. I am not that amused, though. I am hoping that this burn will be toned down by the time I have to drive to Indiana on Sunday....that could be an uncomfortable ride.

I am covered in lotions and solarcaine, I can't wait until the aroma is right under husband's nose tonight in bed...we'll see who has the last laugh then!!

Really Kwik Update.

Award ceremony on Friday for David, painting of David's bedroom, more swimming in the pool, yard work for Daddy, trip out of town, spoke to Maria on the phone (yay), sick day for mom, pressure washing the fence (daddy), burning sticks/papers in firepit thingie (david and daddy), playing outside, and that is about it....off to work again!

Things On My Plate Currently!

We have several things going on at the house right now!

• Planning for David's birthday party...yeah, the big 12!
• Planning for Daddy's birthday party...whew, the big _ _!
• Planning for our trip to Indiana next weekend!
• Award Ceremonies at school.
• Last few days of school are half days..ugh, right in the middle of Braydon's nap (no bus comes to our house, we have to provide transportation)....RATS, poor Braydon.
• Packing, packing, packing.
• Making cakes for both birthday parties.
• Making dinners for husband while I am in Indiana.
• And, of course, all of my daily work.

These are just a few of the things I have to get done this week and next. Gonna be a busy one, or I could be just over analyzing it as I do everything else...who knows??

Pool Time.

Well, we did it. We took our first of the season plunge into our pool this afternoon. The water temperature was about 84 degrees and the outside temp was about 95 degrees. It was quite chilly at first, but then the heat of the sun made up for it. The kids had such a great time and were so excited to be splashing around. Braydon had no fear this year and he jumped right into the pool. The only downside is that he can't touch the bottom...bummer. David jumped right in and had a great time playing with Braydon. Fun times.

The pool is my only saving grace this summer, as everyone knows I do not do well with HOT weather. I know I am in for a long summer since it is only May and I already think it is too stinkin' hot outside.

To Homeschool Or Not To Homeschool....That Is The Question!

We have been trying to decide what to do as far as education goes with David. We are not at all impressed with schooling here (that is putting it nicely). Anyway, neither my hubby nor myself are homeschooling advocates, but when we see soo many things that seem sooo absurd, it made us start to think about other options. There is a private christian school here in town, but much to our dismay, the teachers are not accredited and we have heard not such great things. Also, it only goes to sixth grade so that really is not an option anymore anyway. What do you do? You want the best for your kids, but what is the best?

I was able to go and educate myself a little further on homeschooling this weekend. There was a conference about three hours from home and they had all of the curriculum vendors present. It was such a great time, not just for the education, but I went with two girlfriends! I had an entire day (7:30 am to 6:30 pm) with no children!! I didn't know what to do quite frankly. I enjoyed our girly talks and just plain old fashioned fun! YEAH! I cannot remember the last time that happened...maybe before Braydon?? Daddy had a great boy day with the kiddos doing yard/outside work. He looked beat upon my return, though. I am sure he was glad to see me. I was very thankful that he allowed me the opportunity to go and have a day to myself (I didn't know there was such a thing, really). What a great hubby.

Husband and I are still figuring things out....but we know the Lord will lead us into the right direction.

Our Dilation Issue...Part Deux.

So David's eyes were normal again around 4pm yesterday....poor kid. Anyway, we picked up his glasses, they were fitted to his head, and we were outta there. Hopefully, next year there isn't such a dramatic experience. Oh wait a minute, that's right, everything with this family is a dramatic experience....silly me!

Pictures of his new "trendy" frames (as he calls them) will be on Flickr later tonight after school lets out. I forgot to do it last night....oops. He is very proud of them as he picked them out all by himself.

Our Dilation Dilemma.

It was time to get another pair of glasses for David. I scheduled a routine eye exam for him at the local optometrist for last Friday. At his appointment we were told that David was not relaxing his eyes enough to get a proper reading so we needed to reschedule for another day where more time could be spent deciphering his "ocular" situation. We rescheduled for yesterday.

We arrived yesterday at the clinic for our lengthened appointment with a little bit of a nervous child. David was quite afraid of the drops that were to be instilled in his eyes with his "sensory issues".

So the optician/assistant (whatever her title is) came in and gave David his initial drops to numb the eye....burned (so he stated). Then came the dilator drops...burned (so he stated). His eyes were completely dilated within seconds, but she still decided to go for another round of the droppage...burned once again. She assured David there was no way for the drops to be burning his eyes, but I would have to disagree with her since the whites of his eyes were bright red!

Anyway, the drops were in and the doc came in momentarily. David had been dilated so heavily that he wasn't able to read anything even with the help of lenses. So the doc informs me that the best he could do was get David to 20/60 vision.....Mom is not so happy with that statement, but I go along with it. We picked out some cosmic frames, obtained the free stylish tinted eye coverings used for dilated eyeballs (David loved these goofy fake sunglasses for some reason), and went on home.

David was uncomfortable with lighting most of the evening and went to bed. The next morning I went in to get David out of bed and turned on the overhead "bright" lighting. He screams. I began to get aggravated from my verbal assault but then I did some investigating and saw that David's pupils still covered the entire colored part of his eye! WHAT?? I ran and grabbed a flashlight and shined it into his eye and not one thing happened...his eyes were still non-reactive to light. Well, that is partially true, something happened, just not any eye response. I did receive a large screech from the boy. I guess there will be no school today.

I called the doctor and he said that sometimes blue-eyed kiddos can have an overly sensitive reaction and the dilation can last for a little while. Good to know, I guess.

It is now 7pm and David's eyes are still quite dilated and the blurries are still present for him. What a day....who would have thought that a routine check at the eyeball doc could lead to a sick day at school. Hopefully I will be able to see his blue eyes in the morning...I'll keep ya' posted.

My City Child.

A couple of weeks ago the boys and I were driving down a country road (really, the only kind of road around here). Anyway, there was a really neat farm that had miniature ponies and we drove rather slowly past so the boys could take it all in. Next to the farm was a field of moo-cows...and here is how the rest of the adventure goes.....

Braydon: "Look, Mommy, there are cows next to the little horsies".

Me: "Yes, aren't they cute". (saying this for child amusement purposes only, nothing at all cute to me about farm animals...bluh, ick)

David: (In a rather excited tone) "MOM! The people next door to the mini ponies have MINI COWS!!!!"

Me: (Laughing at my poor child) "Honey, those are just babies".

David: "Oh, oops."

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Can't wait to see you again. I love you.

Sincerely,
your kiddo

The Peach Festival.

On May 3rd, we attended the annual peach festival here in town. It was a nice little affair with local vendors and Chris's favorite, a car show. We browsed around at some tractors, a pet store on wheels, and some junky junk that you just can't help but stop and check out. It was also Nashville's 100th birthday so we celebrated with free cake and orange fanta. They had just about thought of everything except for napkins and forkage....oops!

Braydon took a ride on a cow on wheels powered by a rope and a cowboy and then enjoyed himself on one of those bouncy air-filled contraptions....David just watched.

Then both of the boys decided to get some tats! FUN!

David is sporting a green laughing frog!

Braydon went with the blue Triceratops...both equally good picks....notice how David's leg is about the same diameter as Braydon's...hehe.

It was a fun Saturday....next festival coming up is the Dinosaur Festival...we can't wait.

Daniel-Son Paint da Fence.

Ahhh yes, the proud painting child, smiles as he does away with the faux painted girly walls!

Well one of our projects is done....Andrew and Braydon's room is painted! WOOHOO! This past Saturday and on into Sunday we put our "camping green" pants on. We fought the good fight of having to paint much lighter walls with much darker paint.

It only took two trips to the "big city" but all is good now that we can say, "it's over". Oh wait, David's room is next weekend....AAAHHHH!

We have decided that our painting expertise is only bedroom-worthy and that we shall be hiring somebody to paint the kitchen (all those cabinets, and we will be painting over wallpaper...this could be a problemo!).

Catch Phrase of The Evening.

This took place at the local Mexican restaurant right in the middle of our dining experience........

Chris: "Ma'am, there was a fly cooked in with my refried beans."

Waitress: GASP!!

Now, those of you who know my husband, know that in confrontational situations he can get a "little" upset. He didn't. Maybe it is the small town life...who knows. We promptly left and didn't speak of it again.

Poor husband.....but thinking about it doesn't really do my stomach any favors either because I had a BEAN burrito...EWWW! I guess there could be worse things than fly guts....yeah right!

A Mid-Week Surprise.

Today, Chris calls me from work and asks if I have dinner started yet...

Thank goodness I hadn't started...he wants to take me out!!! YAHOO! Not only does he say he is taking me out, but he is taking me to Texarkana (the big city for us).

What a great surprise. We ate at Olive Garden and then on to Michaels for crafty ideas for the boys and me this summer.

All and all it was an unexpected but wonderful evening.....thanks honey!

Fargo, the Wonder Pest.

As you all may know, we have a chihuahua. He thinks he has earned the title of "King" in our household especially since Chris has been allowing him to sleep with us at night. He comfortably wiggles his way into the middle of the bed and pushes both of us to the edges. While doing this he also manages to steal most of the cover as well.

Lately, the main concern is his "potty" habits. He was doing just fine until recently. The dog will now wake up between 3 and 4 in the morning and jump off of the bed and walk in circles until we escort him outside. This behavior is extremely annoying. We do not like to hear the pitter patter (spelling?) of little feet on our carpet at those hours of the morning. I am afraid just to let him continue walking in circles (not for the fear of him just becoming dizzy and passing out, that would actually be alright), I do not want him to lay a "big one" on the floor....so this is what we are dealing with, not any life changing event, just a lot of dog poo!

Since our children are grown enough to sleep through the night, we did not have night duty any longer (YAY).....but now, Chris takes a night, then I take the next. Who would have thought it would have come to this....Marital Dog "Dootie"!!!

Things I Have Learned From Living in Arkansas.

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Arkansas.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Arkansas plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

Onced and twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.

People actually grow and eat okra.

There is no such thing as "lunch." There is only dinner and then there is supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!

Backards and forwards means "I know everything about you."

Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

"Fix" is a verb. Example: "I'm fixing to go to the store."

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You know what a "DAWG" is.

You carry jumper cables in your car ... for your OWN car.

There are only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

The first day of deer season is a national holiday.

100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm."

We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as "goin' Wal-martin" or off to "Wally World."

A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.

A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop ... it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: "What kinda coke you want?"

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don't need no stinking driver's ed ... if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

If you understand these jokes please forward them to your friends from Arkansas (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be a Arkansan; it takes talent. You might say it's an art form or a gift from God.

This sent to me via email from an actual Arkansan.

Green Foamy Foam.

Twas the night before school and all through the house,
Kids were getting ready for bed, I was ironing a blouse.
When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter,
I ran to the "getting ready for bed area" to see what was the matter.

Okay, enough of the tired poem sound-a-like thing....

David yelled, "MOM". I ran back to the bathroom and during the soaking/cleansing of his retainer, he had accidentally dropped the efferdent tablet (he soaks his retainer daily with these tablets to sanitize) on the floor. Well, before he was able to grab the tablet, Fargo decided to snatch it up and give it his own proper disposal...in his belly.

Fargo, of course, was looking a little rough-like. He was walking in circles with that submissive ears down kind of look. Chris and I were wondering if he might just blow up with all the foam production that had to be going on inside. Wouldn't that be just a wonderful sight?!?!

A few moments later......

The dog was a green foamy foam production machine. He had become a rabid-like beaner dog with foamy jowls and quite fresh breath.

No harm was done, that we know of, and he is back to his snatcheristic ways.

The Post-It Poster Child.

David loves to get up early on the weekends and play the Wii, but he is first required to make his bed. He rarely remembers this rule. When he forgets and plays the Wii anyway his consequence is no Wii for the rest of the day.

This was his latest plan for not forgetting to make his bed. He has made himself just a couple of reminder notes on the back of his door. Chris and I discovered this "reference area" this past weekend.

I don't think he should have a problem anymore. At least I can hope.

The Confession.

Braydon: "Mommy, I have to tell you somefing."
Me: "Ok."
Braydon: "I have to tell you the troof (truth)."
Me: "Ok."
Braydon: "The troof is...well the troof is I do not like diesel engines."
Me: "Hmmm, ok."

You heard it hear first, folks....breaking news at the Smith Ranch.

It's A Pollen-Palooza.

The picture above is after a downpour of rain here in Nashville. The pollen count is so unbelievably high that it just about covers all outside surfaces. The cars are yellow, the roads are yellow, and when the water pools (as above) it creates pollen mosaics. I thought this particular collection of water was rather pretty.

Everyone, hurry and invest in kleenex stock. I know it has to be skyrocketing around here. Runny noses are on the rise and colds are being passed out like church bulletins.

Our Hotel Disaster!

On our way to Indiana, we thought we would take it nice and easy and cut the trip up into two days. We normally just drive the entire 12 hours and just deal with all the "long trip issues".

The kids were so excited that we were going to stop and spend the night in the hotel, swim in the pool, and just have some downtime from driving. I think they were just a little too excited....

We had dinner at the one and only Lambert's, Home of the Throwed Rolls. That was a great experience. There were rolls 'a flyin' and side dishes passin' by at all times. I was, however; hit in the bottom with a roll, no damage done(plenty of cushion)...just good times. Then it was time to return to the room at the hotel.

Bedtime hours were upon us and the children were going to share a bed...Ha, yeah right!

We were bothered with giggles, "he's touching me", hehe, "his foot is on me", and anything else you could think of for THREE hours.....

DADDY HAD ENOUGH....!!
He jumps out of bed with a wicked purpose, I'm sure. He asks the children who would like a spanking first and my dear little Braydon speaks up with such confidence and volunteers.......his brother. How sweet! Chris and I are laughing so hard at this time, he just hung his head, grabbed his pillow, and we each slept with one of the hooligans.

Oh, I forgot to mention Fargo was with us for the trip and during all the chaos, he had to be walked a couple times, barked at every passerby, growled at the air conditioner turning on, and jumped up and down off the bed at least fifty times.

It doesn't have to be said, but Daddy will never do this again.

Back Home Again in Indiana.

We are taking our Spring Break this year in Indiana....and it starts tomorrow! What this has meant to me the past week:

1. Make multiple lists.
2. Clean entire house so when we willl not have a mess to come home to.
3. Couple more lists.
4. Pack EVERYTHING.
5. Clean out car.
6. Oil change.
7. A few more lists couldn't hurt.
8. Gas up the truck.
9. Load the truck.
10. Lay out clothes for the next morning...ready to roll.
11. Last but not least, review final checklist to make sure we have everything.

Hmm....guess I just made another list, a public one. Everyone share in my sickness!

Cannot wait to see everyone!

Taking Down the Wall....paper.

When we purchased our home, we knew that we would have to change the color of all the boys' rooms. David's room is a lovely shade of pink and the other bedroom is a mixture of pink, peach, and some other girly hues.

I suppose we made the boys put up with these colors long enough so we started taking down wallpaper border in the multi-colored room. Of course, it couldn't just be normal border. The previous owners had it done very fancy-like for their daughter. On top of the border there was stenciled plaster in the shape of leaves. Let me just say, it was a great time to grab the ol' spackle knife and scrape and scrape some more. Finally, the job was done, and I only had a few battle scars (better than usual).

Now...we move on to the paint....WAH!! I have to say that I am still burnt out from painting the entire house in Indiana right before we sold it.

Chris offered to hire painters, but I thought I needed to take the project on myself. I should have just kept my mouth shut....must have been hormonal that day. I can always count on my eager estrogen to kick in.

Hopefully, it will not take me as long to paint as it did to remove the border....we will see.

I Will Take....umm, 1 Day at the Park and Hold the Sunburn, Please.

Okay, I was a very irresponsible parent last Friday. Typically, I am the world's largest advocate for applying sunblock, but I didn't really think about it since it isn't even spring yet....DUH! I do live in Southwest Arkansas now!! So anyway, after we were home for a little bit and I had scrubbed the skin off of my child, (see previous post for that story) I noticed that Braydon had sort of like a raccoon shaped mask from the ol' sun. I felt like such a goofball....which I do come from a long line of, but that is beside the point. My baby had a sunburn and it was all my fault.

It was time for Chris to come home and I knew he was not going to be very pleased with my handy work. I applied some lotion to his little reddened face and Braydon was doing alright. At least he didn't act like it was painful. So, in walks my hubbie and he notices our little scorched stinker. He gave Braydon big hugs and gave me, "the look". He then reminded me that we had bought an aloe plant. Alright! I had totally forgotten about it, which also meant I forgot to water it and put it in the sun occasionally. Well thank goodness that our aloe plant was an extremely low maintenance one, because it was still standing and green!

I grabbed a piece and squeezed, out came the aloe. I put it all over Braydon's ow-ies. He looked at me like I was crazy during the application, but he allowed it.

A couple hours later it was getting close to bedtime so we did our nightly routine. I put on Braydon's pajamas and he said to me, "Mommy, are you going to put more salad on my face"?

After nearly wetting my pants, I put the kids to bed and we waited to have salad until breakfast the next day.

FYI....Braydon's mask has left the building....thanks to our old friend, salad.

Water Logged.

It's Friday, so we went to the park to have our weekly play group fun. It was going to be wonderful, the sun was shining and it was just a beautiful day. We had an Easter egg hunt and then a nice pitch in lunch afterwards. The kids were having a blast (they were digesting sugar by the second) and we, the moms, were enjoying eachother's company.

We stayed a little longer than usual because it was so nice outside we couldn't force ourselves to leave Mother Nature. I saw Braydon just having a delightful time with his friends by the swings. I knew there was water underneath them, but I didn't really think that much about it. One of the ladies in the group said, "Amber, you should go check out our ninos". I walked over to find my boy laying down in the pooled water. He had playground covering (chopped up tires) in every crevice of his body. He was just hanging out on his belly like a frog on his lilly pad sunning himself. Life was good for Braydon. Then he continued his water voyage by taking his play stroller and running through the water like he was competing for a monster truck show.

Now, for those of you who know me well, you know that I have a little problem (okay, maybe more than little) with OCD and anxiety about getting dirty. (I have a few more crazy quirks, but who's counting, right?) I have made remarkable strides towards being "more normal" though. I actually laughed this one off and it felt kinda good!?! Weird, huh?

Anyway, I stripped Braydon down, (I haven't come far enough to put him in my truck looking like that) then put a flannel shirt of Chris' on him, and buckled him in. Braydon really liked riding bare-butt to flannel in the truck. It must be the Arkansas influence, hehe. When we arrived home, I immediately put him in the tub and scrubbed him down....whew, all better now. I can breathe again.

It sounded like I was doing better for a minute, didn't it? Well, a girl can't ask for everything all at once now, can she!

Braydon had a great day at the park and Mommy had a great day of psycho-therapy! Oh yeah, I also had a marvelous time visiting with all my super gal pals!

We've Been Hit!!!

Last night I was on the computer and all of a sudden my browser had changed and I had a mysterious new toolbar in place?? I kept trying to close out this screen, but no luck! It was pageforsafety.com. Little did I know that this is a virus and it was overtaking our computer. AAAHHH! I researched this bug and found out that spyhunter, a spyware program, could beat this thing. We downloaded it, paid the required thirty bucks, and we were on our way. This spyware program found over 100 parasites on our computer. HOLY COW! I am still really nervous because I do not know if any of our personal information was leaked in the "repairing mode".

The thing that really upsets us is that Norton Antivirus kept stating that everything was fine. We did a full system scan and it came back perfect...yeah right! We pay a lot of money to update Norton every year, but we may check into another software program.

We were also amazed at how authentic these "fake" webpages were. They had seals of authenticity, spyware links, and a lot of garb that definitely could fool ya'! (Well, maybe not a real computer guru, but I am nothing close to that.)

I hope we are fixed...if we are not, this could be the last post on this blog for a while! Hehe.

And I Thought Indiana Weather was Bizarre!

Tornado sirens blared and meteorologists earned their pay yesterday. The city of Nashville was under a tornado warning all morning long. Chris called me and the plant had taken cover. Hmmm...maybe something is going to happen...it was about 65 degrees outside and we were experiencing a torrential downpour of rain, but no winds or anything of a tornadic nature! I think somebody in town became siren happy, just my thoughts, though. Finally the rain subsided, the ground swallowed most of the water, and the temperature dropped (no tornadoes here, whew! I guess there was some damage about 40 miles from us, but I was more worried about flooding than anything)....gonna be a cold front coming through we are told....

We wake up this morning and there is about 1 1/2 or 2 inches of SNOW on the ground...WHAT???!! This is so weird! It was mid 60s yesterday!

So, the boys wanted to play in the snow and build snowmen, but by the time we did our morning routines and were ready to go outside.....the snow was gone! (I was ok with this since I do not like snow and I have been under the weather for a few days.) Anyway, it came, it teased us, and it left....my poor hoosier, snow loving kids. Que sera sera....

Bu-Bye, my friend.

Well, the day finally came that Braydon had to give up his passy. It was not as bad as we had thought, but I think Braydon disagreed. The daytime hours were not that bad...we went to Hot Springs to visit the science museum so he did not really think about it. Then came bedtime and this is how it went down.....

Time for bed Braydon....

Braydon: "Where's my pas?"

You do not get it anymore, remember? You are a big boy now.

Braydon: "I not a big boy, I'm your baby!" (he had furrowed brows and some would say it was in a mild yelling tone) "Ok, Fine!"

So off to bed he went with, of course, his teddies. He moaned a little fake cry on the monitor (Yes, I still do the monitor thing. I know he is three now, but it's a sickness) and whined for a few minutes. The next thing ya know.....Braydon is in our bedroom...

Braydon: "Mommy, I have to potty."

No, you don't buddy, you just went ten minutes ago.

Braydon: "Yes, Mommy, I have to go."

So, to the potty we went and he squeezed out what I think was maybe two drops and then we proceeded back to his bed. He again asked for his passy.

Five minutes later...

Braydon: "Mommy, I have a fingernail (Braydonism for hangnail), help me."

Ok, come here and let me fix it.
So I fixed the present problem and he was satisfied and went back to his bed. He again asked for his passy.

Five minutes later....

Braydon opens up our bedroom door and says, "Mommy, I tooted" with a grin from ear to ear. We told him to get back in bed, after quietly laughing , and he again asked for his passy.

This went on for a couple of hours until he finally just gave up and fell asleep.

The next morning he did ask for it one time, but when he found out I was not giving in he was just fine. No damage done. Today is his fifth day without it and I will have to admit that I miss seeing it in his face. He still looked like such a little baby when he was plugged. It's hard to see them grow so quickly. What do you do??? Just one more step he has taken on his way to grown up-ville.

We have a 3 year old!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, BRAYDON!! He wanted a Diego cake this year...so here it is.

Texarkana Teeth

So...Braydon fell a couple weeks ago and hit his front tooth on the 'ol chaos causing coffee table. It bled. He cried and screamed. After using the "cold pillow" (Braydonism for ice pack) on his mouth, it appeared fine. A few days later swelling went away and then....the dusky colored tooth. I then knew the nerve was no more. My heart was broken. No mommy wants to see their little one lose a tooth before it's time. It was time for a trip to the dentist.
I called around. Trying to find pediatric dentists in a small town is just great fun, can you see my fake grin?? Anyway, I was referred to somebody through a local dentist that wasn't taking anymore children as patients, so that dentist gave me another name. His name is Dr. Wharton-Palmer. He is located in Texarkana....so I called him and made an appointment.
We began our trek to "the Kana" (Texarkana) this morning with Peter Pan in the DVD player, the pacifier, and two teddies. Life was good. Arrived ahead of schedule, filled out necessary paperwork while Braydon played (they had a slide inside!), and they called us back. We went into this little booth and they proceeded to ask some medical history, which I had just previously filled out in the initial paperwork, but anyway, they asked him to pick out a toy and he was gone. He was such a big little man holding his teddy bear and walking into the exam room. I (not as brave as him) went back to my perch, back in the holding tank. About 10 minutes later, a breath of fresh air said, "Mrs. Smith". I jumped up and followed her back to Braydon. He was smiling from ear to ear with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and a toy race car in his clutches.
The doc came in next with great news! No cavities....and the tooth is fine, it will just be a little darker than the rest and will eventually fall out on it's own. Whew. The dentist was Australian, I believe, extremely friendly, and Braydon hung on every word that he spoke. I was immensely impressed with him and his office staff. See ya in 6 months, doc.
Afterwards, we decided to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch as a treat for being such a brave little guy. We played in the kid's room a while and decided it was time to.....go home, NAH...let's go shopping!!
Ok, the shopping craving was satisfied and it was time to head back. We put Over the Hedge in the DVD player and returned to the "ville".

Once home I remembered I needed to reschedule a hair appointment for Chris. His lady had to cancel on him Friday due to panic attacks. Hopefully, she doesn't have any with the scissors in hand! Wish him luck, he goes tonight. Hehe.

Cupcake-Eaters Unite

Today was play group at the church for us. This is a group of stay-at-home moms that meet up once a week to let their kiddos play. Braydon always looks forward to playing with his friends.....Mommy too!

Since Braydon's birthday is next Wednesday, I brought in cupcakes for everyone to share. It was a great time. There was icing flying, over-sugarized children, dirty mouths, and a lot of napkin usage. You just live for that stuff, don't ya??

David's Short Story....it's scary!

In Nashville, there used to be a large and beautiful house which was supposed to be badly haunted. Locals told how horrid noises were heard at the dead of night. The clanking of chains which grew louder and louder until there suddenly appeared the hideous phantom of an old man. He was a picture of filth and misery, his beard was long and matted. His white hair was wild and uncombed. His thin legs were loaded with the weight of chains that he dragged wearily along with links while all the time he raised his arms and shook his shackles in a kind of helpless fury. The ones brave enough to stay a whole night in the house were almost petrified out of their senses. At first sight of the phantom it was even worse....death and disease followed those who had stayed a night in that house. The old house was totally abandoned with just a lonely For Sale sign, but nobody ever even inquired about it and it fell to ruin and decay. One day there was a couple that was helpless, no where to go, could not find lodging in Nashville. They rented this place even though they knew the story of the ghost phantom. On their first night there they started decorating and they heard the rattling chain and saw the gruesome old man. The ghost beckoned them with a tired finger. They followed him to the garden and per his request dug a spot and found a skeleton, his skeleton bound in chains. They gave him the proper burial he had been asking for for many years.

Some say, though, you can still hear the rattling of the chains......

The End by David Smith

We were so proud of David...he wrote this in school today for a 30 minute assignment...not too shabby for an 11 year old!

The Puppeteers!

This is the group that performed for us on Valentine's Day. It was quite a captivating event. There were blacklights, comedy, and of course since it was Nashville, it made the paper. Thanks for the show, David.

Braydon Warholized

My creation
Originally uploaded by mommydesmith

The many sides of Braydon

Sweat on the browbie!

Originally uploaded by mommydesmith

Chris and David ate a piece of Warhead candy on Sunday. It was a sour, rough, face snarling event. Pictures of the entire happening on flickr.

I am head of the Pupununu People

This is Fargo settled in for a nice nap over the weekend. It must be tough to live this sort of stressful life!
I am head of the Pupununu People
Originally uploaded by threelittlemenandamommy

Weedeaters, Chickens, and Us

So, we have never had a blog before. Chris thinks it is a good idea for us to archive our daily goings on....so here we go.

Nothing much to say about Nashville other than the title of this post. I did, however; leave out the fact that the town does have an "odor" from the chickens every so often (more often than not).

As all of our family and friends know, Chris has taken a job here at Husqvarna and we have been introduced to the country life. A lot of adjustment has taken place for all of us, especially the kids when I drag them to our only chain store in town DAILY, Walmart. I never really was a great lover of Walmart, but now holds the title of "the mall". I have probably been in every aisle, seen every item, and looked at every piece of produce in the store....thrice!
I think Fargo, our chihuahua, is probably the most adjusted thus far. He doesn't seem to mind the change, always new territory to sniff out!

Well, that was it, our first post. More to follow if I can figure all this out!