I want my Prince Charming home!!!

Ok, just a warning, this is going to be a vent, not a large one, but a vent nonetheless.

Hubby left Thurs afternoon to head to a paintball tourney 3 hours away. All of us were planning on going, we were going to drop him off & then the kids & I were to head to my mom's. My cousin's DD was getting married (1st of that generation) & I wanted to go. I was told Wed night that Bonez had told a friend he would be around & willing to feed their animals while they were out of town. Later Wed night, I got a frantic phone call from my brother saying my mom was being loaded into an ambulance & taken to the ER with "chest pains".

I talked to my dad on Thurs & found out it was her gallbladder & they were going to do surgery so for us NOT to go. (5 extra people in their tiny little house would be too much for her). Mike leaves, we stay.

Fast forward to Friday morning. Mom goes home, they are NOT going to do surgery, she's on a blood thinner & it's too risky. Alrighty then... So, my phone rings & it shows up as "message alert" on caller ID. I answer not knowing who the heck it is. It was reverse 911 letting me know that there is an armed & dangerous guy in my area & to stay inside, keep all doors & windows locked etc. They would call back when they have the situation under control. GREAT! LOOOOONG story short, I got my "next" call around 2 saying they were "suspending the search because they THINK the guy has left the area since they couldn't find him"?! WTHECK?! Uh, sorry, that does NOT make me feel better!!! I was beyond freaked to go to bed that night, let me tell you! OH, I forgot, Hubby's cell wasn't working for some odd reason so I couldn't get ahold of him. (Not that he could have done anything since he was 3 hours away, but still). I log on to see if I can get any more info on this creepy guy & YES, they caught him... 4 hours away!!!

It was SO nice to be able to be outside with the kids yesterday after spending the entire day cooped up the day before. We had a big water fight, washed my car & just had fun. Oh, C Man's BFF had stayed the night & his dad forgot he was here (mom & rest of fam was out of town...) so he didn't pick him up until 8:30 last night. No biggie, we LOVE S!

Somewhere around 2am I swear I heard voices IN MY BEDROOM... COMPLETELY FREAKED ME OUT! Finally realized no one else was in my room, BUT my stupid neighbors behind me were having another party (this happened Thurs night too). They were jumping on the tramp, about 8 people, do you have any idea how loud a tramps springs are with that many grown adults on it at one time?! LOUD I tell ya! This went off & on for about 1 hour, I was SO frustrated & tired. They would quiet down, long enough for me to start to fall asleep, then they would start out again. At one point, some guy was doing back flips on the tramp & I swear, I honestly hoped & prayed he would miss the tramp & fall off! I know, mean, but man, I just wanted quiet. Really, is that too much to ask at 2am?! Anyway, I finally fell back asleep somewhere around 5. GRRRRR (jut in time for Princess to come join me...

Today is the day we've all been waiting for, Daddy is coming home!!! Poor little Princess, she's been so lost, I was gone the majority of the week, & then once I got home, Daddy left. She's been looking all over the house trying to find him. The first thing she says when she gets up is "Daddy..." Anyway, we've all been looking forward to him being here. The plan was for him to leave there by 6 at the latest & that would put him home around 8:30 or 9. Totally doable.

Well... Since his phone is on the fritz, I wasn't sure if he would call before he left, to let me know he was on the road. 8:17 my phone rings... it's him, he is just leaving the field, still has to drive back to XYZ & unload the truck, then back to Dan's to get his stuff & his car. Then he still has a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive home!!!

Need less to say, I wasn't real happy at that point. I don't know about you, but I had it in my mind that I was going to be able to "go off Mommy Duty", or at least get a break around 9 tonight. Obviously that didn't happen. It really isn't a big deal, but when I "mentally prepare" for something & then find out it's not going to work out that way, I start to shut down.

Here I sit at 10:11, almost 2 hours after he called & I still have probably an hour to go before I get my "mental break". At that point, it won't even be a big deal since all 4 kiddos will be sound asleep...

Oh well, at least he's on his way! (I hope)

My little "Top Model"

I passed by this covered bridge 2x a day while driving the last little bit to & from day camp. I finally stopped 1 day on the way home & since I only had Bubby with me, he got to be my "model". Actually, when I asked if he wanted me to stop so he could climb the big rocks, he was totally excited! Here are just a few of the cool pics I got. It is absolutely beautiful up there & it wa a gorgeous day, so I'm really happy about how these turned out. My next goal is to take the whole family up there & do some family & also individual shots. A friend has asked me to do her family pics, I think we'll make it a family day & get them all done at once. I'm so excited! Now to just convince the boys in this family (hubby included) it will be a "fun" activity! Anyway, here are my pics...

Cub Scout Day Camp

Can I just start out by saying, I am EXHAUSTED!!! It was a looooong week, that's for sure. I got (read: HAD) to go to cub camp all week. Luckily there were 3 of us "leaders" with my group. We had 10 boys between us. I think all the boys had a blast, there was definitely lots to do to keep them busy, but it was tiring. I had 3 Weblos from my pack, one of the leaders, had his own 2 boys & then there was another leader that had 5 from her pack. The first 5 boys I just mentioned, were PERFECT, seriously, it was SO much fun getting to know a different side of them. Seriously, I think they were the best 5 kids there! They all got along really well, had good attitudes, are just really good kids. The OTHER 5 in our group... well, let's just say that NONE of the things I just mentioned could be used to describe ANY of them! They were beyond out of control! Like seriously, they were BRATS! Constantly in trouble, like at EVERY.SINGLE.STATION we went to. It became pretty embarrassing. I felt bad for their leader, but honestly, her son was the worst. Let's just say it was NOT fun. We were definitely a "divided" group, it was us vs. them all week long. I think that's the reason I'm so tired, I got so sick of having to discipline those 5 kids CONSTANTLY!

Anyway, other than dealing with them, it was a fun week. The boys got to go to the shooting range every day, shooting b b guns, & bow & arrows, that was pretty funny to watch. The boys thought it would be a piece of cake, they were surprised to find it to be much harder than they thought!


They also did "field games" every day. That was a favorite station because they were on the go constantly.


Let's see, they also did woodworking (making bug barns), & leather skills.




Some of the other hilights were, water bottle rockets on the last day, making a "den" flag,


& of course, the obstacle course that the boy scouts set up for them. D got bored in the "tag along" group so he came & hung out with us 1 morning. Because we were missing 1 boy, I let him join in & participate in the obstacle course part. He got to cross the Monkey Bridge, which of course, he thought was "SIC"!




I'm glad I got to go & enjoy the week with C-Man, it was lots of fun seeing him interact with his peers. I'm exhausted, but it was SO worth it!

Fun useless facts...

What is in the back of your car? Booster seat, jumper cables, tire chains, flags from flag football & some misc trash (candy wrappers etc) oh, & a case of bottled water
What color is your toothbrush? Green and White (I think)
What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Heading out the door for my last day of cub day camp
What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Eating dinner
What is your favorite candy bar? Hmmm, I don't think I have a favorite...
What was the last thing you said aloud? "Wow, you lost a tooth... again?!" (To my 12yo)
What is the best ice cream flavor? Mint choc chip, Rocky Road, or if from Baskin Robins, Baseball Nut
What was the last thing you had to drink? Water
What are you wearing right now? Denim shorts & a day camp t shirt
What was the last thing you ate? Cheeseburger
Have you bought any new clothing items this week? I didn't "buy" it, but I "got" a day camp t-shirt for volunteering every day at day camp. Does that count? Oh, I also bought new socks for the boys last night
What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Carmel! (esp if it's soft & gooey, warm is the best). I also love super buttery
Ever go camping? Not much since I've been married, but I am trying to change that. LOL
Do you take vitamins daily? Nope
Do you go to church every Sunday? Yes
Do you have a tan? Tan, what's a tan? I'm either red or white! Right now, I'm both
Do you like Chinese food over Pizza? I like both equally
Do you drink your soda with a straw? Only if it "comes" with a straw, otherwise, out of a glass, NEVER a can
Are you someone's best friend? Yes
What are you doing tomorrow? Sleeping in! Other than that, not much! I do have laundry to do & at some point, the kids & I are having a big water fight, either tomorrow or Sat
Where is your dad? Too far away. =[ In Portland taking care of my mom
What color is your watch? I have 2 that I wear, a super cool pink, green & silver that my friend made me, & a plain ol leather one.
Do you use chapstick? Yes, or something similar!
What is your favorite number? 4
Do you have a dog? Nope, 4 kids are enough for me thanks!
Last person you talked to on the phone? My friend Linda, oh, wait, nope, it was my DH who's out of town
Any plans today? My day is just about over. We're watching a movie right now, then I'm thinking it's a perfect night for an early bedtime. Wonder if the kids will go for that...
How many states have you lived in? Hmmm, Cali, Oregon, Utah, & Idaho... I think that's it so 4
Ever go to college? Yep
Do you dye your hair? Who, wha? Oh, me? Yes, maybe. LOL
Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Gas prices and & lack of $
Last song listened to? I have no idea, I had the radio turned on in the car, oh wait, I remember now, Tim McGraw's, Don't Take the Girl
Can you say the alphabet backwards? I'm sure I could if I really focused. I don't think I"ve ever had to though...
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My funky floral mary jane crocs
Are you jealous of anyone? I don't think so...
Is anyone jealous of you? Doubt it.
Do you love anyone? That would be a long list...
Do any of your friends have children? Yes. Most of my friends do. I think maybe all but a small handful DO have kids
What do you usually do during the day? Clean, do laundry, read, scrap, surf the net, play with my kids, cook, clean some more, & then I do more laundry ... Now are you jealous of me?
Do you hate anyone that you know right now? No. Do I have reason to? Yes, but do I? No, not worth my time & energy
Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Of course!
What color is your car? Titanium Grey
Do you like cats? No!!! (But I don't like dogs either)
Have you ever been to Six Flags? I'm not sure, I don't think so
How did you get your worst scar? Having 4 C-sectons did it for me. Luckily it's only 1 scar though & definitely worth it

Ok, now you know more about me than you ever wanted to know. LOL Feel free to snag this & have fun with it on your own blog.

Code Red Hockey Tourney...

The boys had a hockey tourney in Boise this past weekend, wow, what a tournament! I'm only gonna give you the short run down...

D's team ended up taking 3rd. Not bad, but definitely not what they are used to, that's for sure.



C-Man's team did great & actually played their best games of the season so far. They lost in the championship game so came home with 2nd place medals. They skated their hearts out, it was SO nice to see them actually playing as a team out there.


Bonez' team... well, they did AMAZINGLY well! They ended skating away with the 1st place trophy in their division! The super cool thing about this is... The Treasure Valley Flames (12u) have been undefeated for the past 2 years. They took 2nd (or 3rd) at Nationals 2 years ago, then went back & won the whole thing last year. We beat them Saturday. That was a HUGE blow to them. They were out for blood at that point, we were the first to beat them & they were NOT happy. Then, we had to face them again Sunday for the "BIG one". Once again, we beat them, BUT, not only did we beat them, we "mercied" them... that means we beat them by 8! They did NOT take it well, let's just leave it at that! :) Man, our kids skated like they had never skated before, it was a GREAT weekend for them.


Ok, NOW... let me tell you a little bit about the teams we played... the Idaho teams are absolutely incredible players. They dominate in each division, they are all very good. (Well, except their "B" teams, but I'm talking their "A" teams here). Most teams can't even score on them, that's how good they are. Our 10's team didn't win, but we did score!

Anyway, it was a GREAT weekend all the way around.

Ok, just because I love these pics, I have to post them too. The first one is of D in between games. This is D "hanging out" with Trevor, who is on the 16u team...



Here's the Princess in the "tub" at the hotel room. This hotel was SO nice, btw. Anyway, she thought this little "cut out" was built just for her.

My body builders...

These pics are so cute, I decided I had to share. I was doing my hair & this is what I saw behind me. It was so funny, Bubby was just being silly & posing (he was looking in the mirrors too) & the Princess was trying to do the same. I grabbed my camera & hoped they would keep going, they didn't disappoint, that's for sure! I can't wait to scrap these!


"Hey, how do you do that?"


"Like this bubby?"


"Look, I did it!"

Princess Roo LOVES playing with her brothers, she is going to be 1 tough cookie, that's for sure! She tries to do everything they do, cracks us up.


So, what do you think, body builders in the making?!

My Embarrassing Haircut...

Ok, so it's the end of the school year, the kids bring home their writing journals & a whole bunch of other "stuff". It was late one night & I started going through some of C-Man's pile. I found a writing journal of his & started skimming through it, trying to decide if it should be kept, or tossed. OMGosh, I was laughing so hard, I was literally crying. The story I am going to share with you is just so... HIM! It still cracks me up each time I read it. It may be kind of long, sorry, but it is funny. Anyway, here goes... (oh, he was 9 when this happened).

Snip! Snip! That's the sound of my hair being cut. I will never forget my surprise accidental haircut.

Just before I got my haircut, I was playing my ps3. i was also beating my brother in the video game. When I beat him by a lot, (43 pts), he got mad because everytime I beat him in Madden, he would get mad.

After a while my dad came downstairs saying "hurry up, are you ready yet". He said that because we were supposed to go as soon asI got home from school, & he was upstairs playing poker online for an hour. Then we left, when we got there my dad gave them a picture of my brother, he said "that's how I want their hair done/cut. It felt kind of awkward. When they finished, it left like I had NO hair.

When I looked in the mirror, it was way shorter than I thought it would be, I HATED it. Luckily I had a hat with me, so I put it on. When I walked next to my dad, he knocked my hat off. My brother said "ha ha, you look funny". I said "Well, you don't look any different" because he got his haircut also!

That's the story of my accidental surprise haircut... but there is one thing wrong, it wasn't really an accidental haircut. Next time I'm beating my brother in a sweet video game & my dad says "hurry up, are you ready yet", I'm going to sneak out the front or back door & see if my dad is looking for me to take me for a haircut.


Ok, you may not find this very amusing, but I can TOTALLY hear him saying this. This one makes me laugh, all the time, he cracks me up! Anyway, I left everything just the way he wrote it, I didn't "fix" anything.

Hmmm, it's time for him to get another haircut, wonder if he'll remember this story, maybe I'll bribe him with something else first, THEN, head to the haircutting place. LOL

The Princess...

Man I love this little girl! Her newest thing is when asked "who's a Princess, or, who's beautiful, or who does Mommy love", she raises her hand & says "ME"! She's so stinkin cute, & such a girlie girl!!!

Ok, just wanted to share!

Fun Survey ...

Fun Survey...I stole this one from Brandi, who stole it from Kaye.

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What do you buy?
1. Produce: red grapes
2. Bakery: french bread
3. Meat: ham
4. Frozen: ice Cream
5. Dry goods: pasta

Let's say we are heading out for a warm weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. denim capris
2. T-shirt
3. under clothes

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 4 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. You need to listen!
2. Go do it now!
3. YOU are the cutest... in the world, do you know that!?!
4. I love you!

So, what 4 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. sleep
2. cuddle & play with the kids
3. shower
4. read something

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
1. the people who swerve in and out, cutting people off, just to make it to the red light five seconds faster than everyone else.
2. people that don't use turn signals
3. people who drive too slow

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. reading a book
2. chattin with friends, (phone or IM)
3. surf the web
4. Scrapbook
5. shopping

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it will have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Polar Bears
2. rhinos
3. giraffes

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Oprah - don't watch it but would love a free car LOL!!
2. Dr. Phil
3. According to Jim
4. 2 & 1/2 Men

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. mint choc chip
2. rocky road
3. baseball nut

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. wallet with no money in it
2. boys' scout badges
3. chapstick
4. lots of receipts
5. snacks for Princess

You are at a job fair, and asked in what areas you are interested in pursuing a career. Lets pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. speech therapist
2. girls hair stylist (NOT cutting, just the fun stuff)
3. teacher's asst
4. perfect mom

Anyone else want to play?

Baseball Time...

So today was Bubby's first baseball practice. Let me tell you, this kid was SO excited! The night we got him his new spiffy neon green glove, he slept with it, crack me up! Yesterday, he walked around all afternoon wearing his cleats, (he's trying to learn how to tie his shoes & has it in his head that they are the ONLY shoes he can learn on) LOL. Yeah, I would say he was ready for this morning! He slept on the couch last night, this morning, all I said to him to wake him was " Bubs, it's time to get ready for baseball..." man, I don't think I've ever seen him move so fast LOL. He had to have taken the quickest shower ever (yes, he used soap AND shampoo).

We got to the field & he met Coach Kevin who handed him his new "Stover Indians" hat. HOLY COW, you would have thought it was Christmas, Bubs was so excited! None of his friends were there yet, but that didn't stop him from hooking up with a few other boys & playing catch. It was so fun to watch all of them. These are all 6-7 year olds & most haven't played before. This is NOT t-ball (I don't do t-ball). Anyway, I only had a chance to snap a few pics, but that's okay, we have the whole season ahead of us.

Here's my little "Major Leaguer"...


His buddy Branson would NOT stay out of the picture so I snapped 1 of the 2 of them right after practice. Part of Bubby's excitement is knowing that he has 2 of his good friends on his team. It's gonna be a fun summer!

Summer Time Fun...

School is out, it's time to get down to some serious business... business of having FUN. That's what this summer is all about for us. Here is C-Man on his last day of 4th grade.


We "toasted" in the beginning of summer with 2 of our friends, we all enjoyed yummy rootbeer floats.


Because the weather was actually decent we had "water wars", we tried "wrestling" each other out of the "ring". We had a BLAST & got definitely got wet!


Ok, just because I couldn't leave the Princess out... here she is just hangin out & running from the boys.

My boys are growin up!

Ok, so we decided it was about time that Bonez learned how to mow the lawn. I've always been terrified of letting my boys do this. When I was younger, (Middle school maybe) I had a friend that was mowing, & well, something got "stuck", he tried to "un stick" it & well, he lost some fingers. It STILL freaks me out whenever I think about it. Anyway, Prince Charming took care of the back, then turned it all over to Bonez. My job was to take pics. LOL

So here is Daddy showing him how to start it...


Doesn't he look so happy & excited?! LOL


He found out that this is one of his new responsibilities, he's not so excited about summer anymore. LOL

Happy Father's Day!

Ok, once again, I wanted to take a picture BEFORE church, well, ONCE AGAIN, it didn't happen. This is the best we could do.




We spent the day (after church of course) relaxing at home, enjoying each other. Well, okay, that's not entirely true, but we DID spend it relaxing at home LOL. Prince Charming didn't have anything to open, he came home Monday with some big ol box & set it down in the family room. I asked what it was & he said "My Father's Day gift... well, also a "good job" gift for the boys too". Ummm, okay, but what IS it?! He bought a new amp. Okay, but, what about the new video game that was your "Dad's Day gift"... or the drum... anyway, not a biggie, but I did tell him not to expect anything on Sunday. He was totally cool with that; Besides, it makes things really easy for me when he does his own shopping.

I think the best "gift" for him yesterday was the LAKERS WINNING the game. That was AWESOME!!!

Ok, I'm outta here.

Domesticated?!

Ok, those of you that know me well, this is going to come as a complete SHOCK to you. Infact, you may want to make sure you are sitting down when you read it.

Ok, this is the story of the "Chicken noodle soup... from scratch". I was chattin with Goldfish a few days ago, she mentioned she had made homemade pasta & it was drying. I was giving her a hard time (she's pretty darn handy in the kitchen unlike her older sister) & told her I had never done that, nor had any desire, too much work. Ok, she pretty much "challenged" me to try. Ok, fast forward to the next day & where did I find myself? In the kitchen making noodles from scratch!!! I was IMing my friends who were literally laughing their butts off as I was trying to figure out how to "beat an egg", "sift flour" & "roll loosely". It was HILARIOUS! Amanda tried to convince me to do a live blog while I was doing it, but that would have been too much work, so this is what you get, the aftermath of it all.


I knew no one would believe me when I told them I actually did it, so I took pics as proof. Oh, you want to know what I made the noodles for... Chicken noodle soup of course. Hmmm, never done that before either, so, trusty Goldfish gave me the recipe for that too. Now the funniest part of it all... NO ONE IN MY FAMILY EVEN LIKES SOUP!!! Ok, here are some pics of my "noodle adventure"...




Of course, the kids all turned their noses up at it, but then... I pulled the typical, you can't have ______ until you have some of this. You want to know something... they all ate it & the coolest thing EVER happened...

Bubby asked for more, & not only that he said "Mom, will you make this EVERY night, well, just switch between this & Mac & Cheese"! HOLY COW, I about fell over!

No, I won't be making it every night, & well, since I made the first batch (doubled even) of noodles & well, it just didn't look like it could possibly be enough, I doubled it AGAIN. Ummm, yeah, we now have more frozen soup in the freezer than we'll ever be able to eat! Oh well, live & learn I guess.

My baby boy is growing up!

Yep, Bubby got his Kinder diploma, guess it's official, he's going on to 1st grade! They had a little "portfolio" thingy today. They got to show off their work, sang the cutest "brain kiss" song, (complete with actions)... hilarious, although, to be honest, it reminded me of something sucking out the brain, vs a brain kiss, but that's okay! We saw the cutest slideshow that Jill (greatest teacher in the world) put together of the kids, it showed them "growing up" from the beginning of the year, through last week. They sang another song, something about flowers, I don't know, it was too fast for me to keep up. Next up was the passing out of their "diplomas". Now, THAT was funny! Jill was trying to get the kids to wave & smile at their parents, holy cow, VERY comical! Oh, then we got some yummy cookies that the kids decorated. I'm not sure how D got any frosting on his cookie, it seemed to be more on his shirt! LOL Guess he was wanting to save some for later. Anyway, I took some cute pics & thought I would share. Oh & Amanda, I didn't cry! I did get teary as they were singing one of the songs & then again when Jill got all teary, but I was good! :)

The first pic is of Bubby & his teacher, Jill, (Bonez had her for 1st & 2nd so we knew how lucky we were & also knew she would be the PERFECT teacher for D). She did NOT let us down. The other pic is of D & his best buddy. Man, these 2 definitely gave Jill a run for her $, that's for sure!!! I was laughing so hard at them as I was TRYING to take a decent pic, they were totally goofing off, it was hilarious, I just turned to Mike & told him "they are SO their father's sons!" (Anyone that knows both dad's can attest to that!!!)

Ok, I think I've rambled on enough...

Crazy little Monkey...

Ok, I just had to share these pics because they make me laugh. The little Princess has been so miserable lately, that I need to remember the goofy things she does when she's feeling good. Man I miss my silly little girl!

What is it with not following through?

This is something I just don't get. If I say I'm going to do something, I DO IT. End of story, it will get done. No need to remind me, not need to call & nag, no need to wonder, trust me, it'll get done. I'm finding that not everyone is like this. I'm having a hard time with that concept. It's a hard lesson to learn that not everyone can be counted on when they commit to something.

I'm not going to get into the whole situation here, not that I think the person would ever read here, but just in case... Anyway, I got "roped" into doing an end of the year "group" teacher thank you gift. Well, 3 of us were to each do our part. The person who approached & then volunteered me, decided she didn't want to do anything after all. She didn't say anything to us, just didn't do anything. Ummm, ok... she did decide to "help" the other mom, but misspelled the teacher's name on that project. She redid it & noticed after school today that she spelled it wrong AGAIN!!! Ok, so part of me feel bad for her, but for cryin out loud, if you spelled it wrong once, wouldn't you check & recheck & recheck again, to make sure you spelled it correctly?! GRRRRR! She said she was just going to give it to her anyway. Ummm, I don't think so! How embarrassing!

Anyway, I'm just frustrated & needed to vent. I really like this mom, but come on, just follow through on something if you make a commitment.

ARGHHHHHHHH!!!

Ok, I either have to let it all out here, or I'm going to lose it, like seriously lose it! I spent my morning at the Doctor's office, AGAIN. The good news is that Bonez does NOT have strep! YAY!!!

The Princess on the other hand, is STILL miserable! All she is doing is whining & crying & screaming, which then gets her coughing & then since that hurts her throat, she starts the vicious cycle all over again! ARGHHHHHH!!!

Ok, she's now drugged up & in bed all propped up, hopefully she'll be able to get a good nights sleep so we can both have a better day tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Sick kids...

UGH!!! My kids VERY rarely get sick, like the last time Bonez was sick was 2 Christmas' ago. Princess has been to the Dr. 2x because she was "sick". Once was a few months ago & the 2nd time was today. She has a double ear infection & a "yucky" throat. Wonderful...

Bonez was just "off" most of the late morning, I asked if he wanted to go to the Dr. when I took Princess, nope, by then, he was feeling fine. (Of course he was). Him & I went to the movies, you could tell he wasn't feeling well, but kept saying he was fine. By the time we got out, all he wanted to do was come home. He was literally asleep within minutes. He ended up sleeping for about 2 hours. He has been in tears ever since & is just laying on the couch. Poor guy! I'm going to have to call & get him in first thing in the morning. I think he has strep. UGH!!! He has perfect attendance at school, this has been a HUGE thing for him, & something that is VERY important to him. I would HATE for him to miss one of the last days of school, esp since he has come so close to earning this "award". Let's hope we can get him on antibiotics & he's doing better quickly!


I'm tellin ya, there is a reason my kids are never sick, it's because *I* don't do well with it. I have gotten literally no sleep the last 3 nights, Princess will come into my room (or where ever I am) crying & telling me she wants to go "ni nite"... BUT she wants me to put her right back in HER bed! ARGHHH, you mean the bed you just got out of, you REALLY want me to go put you back in THAT bed?! Yes, I do it, I carry her (still not sure how I have managed to do that with my eyes closed without falling or dropping her) & then wait while I try to fall back asleep. It's right about the time I'm starting to go under that I hear her again. I'm telling you, this is NOT fun!!! I HATE having sick kids. All I want to do is crawl under my blankets & curl up & fall asleep, I bet I could sleep for days at this point. I also hate feeling so helpless. There isn't anything that *I* can do to make them feel better. I would take it on for them if I could, unfortunately, I can't do that. I've been pumping them full of meds & saying lots of prayers for them. I just wish there was more I could do. I really wish my "majic" wand was working, I would wave it over them & get them back to "normal".

Ok, I'm off, time to take care of the sickies...

Blog Challenge, Part 2...

If you were able to go on a vacation for 1 week, anywhere you wanted, & with anyone you choose, where would you go, who would you take & why would you choose that location.

Ok, I've had a hard time with this one, I got it narrowed down to 2, I'll just pick 1 I guess & go for it...

If I could go anywhere, I would go to Bermuda with my hubby so we could visit our bestest friends who live there. We did so much with C & K when they lived here, they moved back there right after we left & have only seen then once since then.

I've seen pics of it there & have heard all about their lives there & really want to go see it for myself. Going with DH would be perfect, Kris & I have already "planned" it... M & C would go hang out & play golf every day, K & I would go shopping & just hang out with Tab. I wouldn't even mind going out as couples at night a couple of nights we were there. LOL


One day Kris, one day!!! They're coming to visit us this summer, I can't wait. I know it's not the same, but at this point, I don't care, I just can't wait to see them again so we can pick up where we left off. Fun times, fun times!!! Man I miss them!

Instant Messaging...

Ok, so I am addicted to my laptop, that isn't a big surprise to anyone that knows me.  All of my friends live in here, that's what I keep telling my hubby.

Ok, so I've been keeping in touch with my friend's through IM.  What a great thing.  One of my BFF lives in Bermuda, it is SO nice to be able to have daily conversations with her, & they don't cost us anything!  (Ok, that's just a bonus).  I have a friend in Canada that I chat with on a daily basis (although, I'm not sure why I continue to talk to her, she calls me names, like nitwit, & tonight she called me a wingnut, luckily I still like her). I also have some great friends on the other side of the states, we don't have to run up our phone bills chatting with each other.  I LOVE using IM.  I've seriously made some great friends off board by using IM, it's been a great thing in my life.

I have a sister, growing up, we were the furthest things from "friends", but ya know something, we both grew up & I now consider her one of my best friends.  We would RARELY chat on the phone, ever try having a phone conversation with 9 kids around?  Not an easy task, that's for sure.  We both live on our computers, we finally decided to add each other as buddies. OMGosh, it's been INCREDIBLE!  I really don't think a day has gone by that we haven't "talked".  It's so nice to really be a part of each other's daily life.  I think we are probably closer now than we have ever been, & ya know something, I LOVE it!  It's been so much fun getting to know her as an adult.  I love the fact that I can, & do, call her a friend.  She is such a positive influence in my life, she is amazing.

Ok, I was just told I needed to clarify something... it's not that my sis & I weren't "close" before we started IMing.  Life just seemed to always get in the way.  It wasn't uncommon for us to go months without talking to each other.  We always got the updates from mom & dad, the 2 of us just didn't always seem to "connect" on the phone.  Like I said, life with 9 kids always seemed to keep us both busy.  By the time we would have a few "quiet" minutes, it was to late to call. This has made our friendship much easier to maintain.  (Hopefully that makes sense).

Anyway, all this rambling just to let you all know that I LOVE IMing.  What a great way to reach across the miles & connect with friends.

Ok, seems like certain "friends" are feeling left out because they weren't mentioned by name so here ya go...  I also IM with... Amanda, Brandi, Des, Jillie, Judy, Jules, & Melissa.  (I even put everyone is alpha order so please don't flame me on that part too! LOL). (I used to IM with Sherry, but she doesn't have it on her computer anymore).  I hope everyone is happy now!!!

If there is anyone else, I left off, I am truly sorry & please don't take it personally!

Blog Challenge...

Tell about how you have influenced someone & made a difference in their life. Now, the 2nd part of this is tell about how someone has made a difference in YOUR life. The catch is that you can NOT include family members. For the final part of this challenge, I'm challenging you to let your "hero" know how they have "changed your life". You can either write them a note, make a phone call, hey, even print out your blog entry & send that to them. Just let them know.

It doesn't have to be anything BIG that someone did, sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Whatever it is, tell about it & then let that someone know.

Ok, since this week I am "hosting" the challenge, I figured I better get something on here quickly.

Since I knew my turn was coming & I knew this is what I was going to do, I've been doing some thinking about it. One of the lessons at church today was on "heros".  I thought about how coincidental that was, knowing what the challenge was going to be.  Anyway, here are my 

stories...

How did I "influence" someone's life...  Well, about 11 years ago, I was "paired up with" someone that wasn't very active in church to be a visiting teacher.  (We visit other sisters in church once a month, give a short message, & kind of, just be a friend, see if they have any needs etc.) Anyway, I had no idea who this person was, & anyone that knows me knows how hard it is for me to call & talk to someone on the phone that I don't know.  I finally stepped out of my box & called her, & called her & called her, until finally she gave in & decided to meet me so we could get our VT done.  You know something, we became the best of friends.  She has made MANY life changes throughout our friendship, & is also now very active in church & has been for years.  I can't (& won't) take all the credit for where she is now, but I also know that I had something to do with it.  I know that because of my DH & I, she left a VERY abusive relationship, that alone, makes me feel good.  I know that she & her children are safe now.

Ok, next part... How has someone "changed MY life"...  I have a couple of stories, but the one I'm going to share is about my BFF from college.  Because Jillie had a car (most of the time) we went to her house pretty often on the weekends.  Anyway, after college I went back to living with my parents & she went back to her hometown.  While at home, I met a "guy" & we "hit it off", started talking marriage etc.  Sounds pretty romantic & great huh.  Yeah, but there was 1 problem... he was a missionary for our church!  Uh, can you say OFF LIMITS!!!  It was under the advice of a wonderful mission president that I was pretty much told to leave the state. Either that, or X would have to leave.  This is where Jillie came into the picture.  Her family decided to "rescue" me & invited me to come live with them until X got off his mission.  I believe I was on a train within 2 weeks.  Had Jill & her family not extended that invitation, I'm afraid to know what X & I would have done.  I can pretty much guarantee, he would have been sent home & that is NOT good!  A lot of "life changing" things happened that year I lived in SLC & I am so thankful for such a great friend & her family.  Her family really took me in & treated me as part of their own (curfew & all) LOL!