First Illness of the Season...

And I'M the one who is ILL!!!

It all started with a little crawl in my throat on Friday. I chose to ignore it and try to will it away as I met the girls for a great lunch at Cheddars. Shortly after, it was time to pick up the munchkins and get them down for a nap ASAP so that I could have them up, ready to go, drive through someplace for some sort of anti-nutritious meal, and drop them at the church by 5:15. We were working a Fall Festival that night at San Jacinto. Well, as the boys napped, I noticed myself trying to clear the crawl out of my throat more and more often. "Noooooo..." I was thinking to myself. Well, fast forward to 8:30 that night... Bill and I had worked the "Giant Slide" outside, and the air had gotten rather cool. My throat was really starting to hurt. However, I chose (again) to ignore it all and go out to a late dinner with other grown ups. Hey - that doesn't happen very often - you'd ignore feeling like absolute crap, too, if you were me! BUT... by the time we had dinner, got the boys, and got home it was 10:00, and my throat felt like I had been swallowing fire for 3 tickets each while little witches and ghouls watched. OUCH! It hurt so terribly, I couldn't sleep. all. night. long. Saturday was a looooooooong day of laying in the chair, on the couch, the bed, where ever I felt like it. The kids were good to me. (All 3 of them! ;o)) Not too much whining and fighting. Matter of fact, Caleb told me, "Mom, you sound really bad. I think you have a seal in your throat!" (I can only imagine he got this from his last bought of croup when I said he was "barking like a seal.") Today has also consisted of quite a bit of laying around. I've got to get over this. The week starts anew tomorrow, and it doesn't slow down for a sick mommy.

*Big Sigh*

Fall Has Flung!

We always say "Spring Has Sprung!"... but you never hear "Fall Has Flung!" At any rate, fall arrived this weekend! That just excited me so much! Crisp, cool weather... smelling wood burning in the distance... chai tea lattes... cute hoodies... and JEANS! I love jeans!

We woke Saturday morning to cloudy, cool, kind misty weather. The kind that tells you it's ok to let go of summer because changes are around the corner. Bill has been working on the boys' playset in the backyard. Since it was so cool out that morning (and the boys HAD to be outside with Daddy), Bill lit the chiminea for the first time. Ahhhh... the warmth... the smell. Yes, fall... you are here. The boys would run and play and then come get cozy by the fire before running off to help daddy hammer and screw planks together to create the already loved playset.

So far, the week has been full of pumpkins, too! Pumpkin patch here, pumpkin patch there, everywhere a pumpkin patch. And do you think the kids tire of it? Of course not!! I took the boys one day after school - very convenient since the patch is AT their school! They were wearing the shirts that I made with a girls' group a couple of Sundays ago. While the shirts are cute and get lots of comments... they are going to be the death of me. Thank goodness I will not have to continue to be ever-so-careful in laundering the beloved pumpkin shirts - with anything else. (That could be its own blog all together. *rolling eyes*)

Fall has also brought the blessing of RAIN! It was wonderful to cuddle up with my boys and listen and watch and smell the rain. When you live in a place where rain is a hot commodity, you learn to appreciate every drop that God allows to fall. Connor particularly enjoyed staring out the window while the wet stuff quenched the thirst of our new grass.

And, of course, fall brings out the new clothes. You know, the ones you've been eye-balling in your closet, but it's just not quite cool enough to wear? IT IS NOW COOL ENOUGH!!! Caleb and Connor were SOOO excited to sport their jeans and their Halloween shirts. (Caleb so much so that he's wearing the shirt for the second day in a row... thankfully, we have no place to go!)

After all of this, you can tell how much we love the fall. I don't know how you feel about it - you may not like cool weather and chai tea. If fall is not your favorite, just do your best to smile -

Warmer weather will be here before you know it!

A Man After My Own Heart...

Like he didn't already have it! SHEESH!!

The first Sunday of every month the girls from my Sunday School class get together for some "us" time. Normally we meet up at a little place called Baker Street and have sandwiches, coffee, dessert, etc. This meeting, however, we planned a little craft time where we were going to make Halloween shirts. We were excited to see how these would turn out!

At lunch earlier that day, Bill and his step dad were talking about how dove season is almost up, and they have not had a chance to go hunting much at all. Daryl (step dad) asked if he wanted to go that afternoon. Bill promptly looked at me and asked, "You have your girls thing tonight, right?" "Well, yeah..." I replied slowly. "But... I don't have to go... I... know you haven't... hunted in a while..."

"No. No-no." Bill interrupted. "You need to go do your girls thing. Not a problem."

Point 1 - Bill.

Fast forward to later that afternoon... I was giving hugs and kisses good-bye, and I happened to throw in, "You guys really need to clean up your toys while Mommy's gone. The house is a mess." (In one ear and out the other...)

We had such a great time dying our shirts, the sinks at church, they dryer at church, and our fingers orange! I looked at my watch and *GASP* it was 8:40!! I really wanted to see my babies before they went to bed. So I grabbed my wet shirts out of the newly orange dryer and headed home. It was quiet when I walked in. All 3 boys were already upstairs for the evening. I got upstairs to find my 3 guys watching Sid the Science Kid in my bed. Two of the guys were bathed and ready for bed!!!

Points 2 and 3 - Bill.

I ran back downstairs to shut down for the evening and - what's this?! I can see the floor! I hadn't noticed before, but I can see the floors of the Living Room AND the Play Room!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Points 4 and 5 (two whole rooms!) - Bill.

I went upstairs with such joy in my heart. I snuggled with my loves, read to the two youngest ones, tucked them into bed and sighed a sigh of utter contentment. Ooooh! Then it began to thunder, lightning, and even RAIN! It couldn't get better than that! I told Bill how much I appreciated and loved him for what he'd done. What he DOES DO. My heart was happy as I drifted off to dreamland...

And it didn't end there! I got up this morning and went to get my yummy coffee creamer out of the fridge... 2 lunches packed and ready for school.

Points 6 an 7 - Bill.

He's a winner.

Saturday - All Things Round

As you well know, I'm all too excited that we now have grass for the boys to play on in the backyard. We actually have grass on one side in the front now, too! YAY!! And grass brings toys...

This morning, however, started out with pancakes. Mounds of round pancakes. Hence the beginning of our Round Saturday. After breakfast, Bill got started on the first backyard toy - the trampoline. More roundness. It's a different kind of trampoline. No springs to fall through... Instead, it had fiberglass rods underneath that allow it to bounce. Interesting... Anyway... it took several trips around and around and around the thing to get the rods in, the poles in, and net up.

Who's toy is this again? Just curious...

Since the trampoline's been put up, we've been in circles - inside, outside, inside, outside... today's making me dizzy...

Wonder what's 'round the corner for this evening?

Curse You, Blogspot!!!!

I've been trying to edit my grass post for an unacceptable amount of time... by simply putting line breaks between some statements...

WHY, BLOGSPOT, WILL YOU NOT ALLOW THE EDITS TO STICK?!!?

WE HAVE GRASS!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!

It's been a long time coming... lots of "being patient" while the sprinkler system got put in - there's so much in that story that I promise not to bore you to death with that. Anyway... I'm just so excited my kiddos now have GRASS to play on rather than dirt piles and rocks. (YES - I'm fully aware that they may prefer the latter, but I've pumped this up so much that they are just as excited!)

Now we can get to work on their playset that has been sitting in our garage in 5 boxes since the end of August/first of September? Memory fails... did I blog about that most crazy trip to get the kids' playset?

Now we can put the trampoline up.

Now my dogs have grass to lay on and, yes, poop on.

Now...maybe...just maybe I won't have to sweep and mop soooooo often because of dirt constantly being tracked in by 2 kids, 3 dogs, and a husband.

You didn't seriously think I tracked dirt in, did you?!

Before: palates have arrived!

Caleb checking out the new "green welcome mats"Pookey, Aubbey, & PJ like it a LOT!

One more palate left... yes, there will still be dirt... grass costs money, ya know!

Stinkin' Alyson! She Tagged Me...

Thanks a LOT, Alyson (said all sing-songy and whiny, of course!)
She stinkin' tagged me, and I'll feel ever-so-guilty if I don't oblige...


First post a pic of you and your kids:
I cannot BELIEVE this is the only recent picture I have of myself with my kids... this will be changed soon - I. Hope.

1. How many children do you have? Two

2. What are their ages? Caleb is 4 going on 14 and will be 5 going on 15 in December. Connor is 1... for 30 more days. :o(

3. What time do you start your day? I wake when Bill's alarm goes off @ 6:00. Then I waller (what a great Texas term) until 7 when he's done primping (good thing he doesn't read my blog!), and then I get in the shower... it's go time from there! I like to be out of the shower, dressed, and semi-ready to go by the time the boys are up (7:30ish).

4. What do you eat for breakfast? Does 1/2 to 1 cup of decaf coffee with Splenda and Toffee Nut creamer count as breakfast?

5. Do your kids watch TV? Ugh. I don't even want to answer this question... of course they do!! I'm a crappy mom and my kids veg out 12 hours a day in front of the boob tube! Ok... perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but sometimes I think that way. Really, though, I don't guess they watch a whole lot. Connor like Curious George, and Caleb hearts Sid the Science Kid. Both PBS programs, so I guess I'm not rotting their brain too terribly, right? RIGHT?! Actually, Caleb's surprising me with his new found "scientific knowledge" from STSK. Plus - oooh, get this - there's this great part on EVER episode where Sid and his mom are heading to preschool, and he sings this little rap-thing: "I love my mom!...uh-huh... My mom is cool!...uh-huh... But now it's time... for having fun at school." Ok. As long as Caleb learns that mantra, he can watch it as much as he wants!!!!

6. What are their favorite activities? OUTSIDE!!! They love playing outside! And I can't imagine how much fun it will be when we actually have grass and their play set up! For now, they are loving the dirt piles (top soil) in the back yard...full of adventure, treasures, and excitement... actually, they may hate grass and a playset. They also love dress up. They have several costumes, and it's fun to see them act out what ever garb they're decked out in. But the new found fave is the Black and Decker Work Bench - courtesy of mom's guilt after her far-too-long vacation!

7. Do you get a break during the day for some you time? Thankfully, yes I do. Usually from 2-4. Connor naps daily. Caleb naps on school days and then reads/watches STSK (thank goodness for DVR!) on Tues/Thurs. During that glorious time, I'm usually on the computer or cleaning. Wait... cleaning doesn't count as "me" time, does it? Dang it!!! I gotta stop that!

8. How do you end your day? 8:30 - the race is on... kids in the shower or bath, Bill and I tag-teaming it as each one gets finished up... we read to them - usually individually - say prayers and head off to dream land. Bill and I are so stinkin' "old" the we usually head for the blessed bed ASAP. We usually watch a movie or catch up on CSI Miami, Grey's, or ER, and then we watch the back of our eyelids for as long as possible.

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip? ENJOY EVERY MOMENT YOU CAN!!! They grow up sooooo fast, and all of a sudden you realize they aren't your babies any more. Cherish the very precious moments you have each and every day. Oh - and laugh! If not, you may lose your mind. And, of course, pray. *But, um, don't pray for patience... 'cause, um... well, you know.* ;o)

Now I get to tag...
Kelsy
Tina
April
Jenni
Dana
Diane

Ooooo... that's a bunch of people who are gonna be mad at me!!! *insert devil smiley here*