Top Ten/Three (December 24-30)

It's Christmas Eve
I'm not sure what happened but I only made it to the top three this week

1. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a big turkey and having Beth over

The boys were thrilled with her gift selection (remote control helicopters)

2. Christmas morning we opened gifts at home

Santa brought Spencer an ipod nano and he brought Parker a Kindle Fire

They boys were also happy with all the things from Mom and Dad, especially the new scooters

3. We spent Christmas afternoon at Grandma and Grandpas

Grandpa did a little shopping and gave the boys some BBs and targets

The rest of the week was spent playing with new toys, shooting guns,

 downloading apps and begging Mom to go to Walmart to spend gift cards

                          

Still recovering from Christmas

I vowed to make the holidays relaxed this year

I got the job done but I still feel like I have the Christmas hang over

Does anyone else dread putting the decorations away?
I put less and less out every year because I hate the clean up 

Here is the run down of our Christmas get togethers -

Friday night we celebrated with My Mom's side of the family at my Mom's house

Saturday we had breakfast with my brother and his family and relaxed at home the rest of the day

Sunday morning we went to church (The kids sang and it was adorable)

Sunday afternoon we celebrated with my Mom, Dad, brother and his family at Mom's

Monday we had my MIL over for lunch

Tuesday (Christmas Day) we opened gifts at home and then went back to Mom and Dad's

After typing all of that, now I know why I'm still dragging

Here are a few pics from our holiday

Spencer's favorite gift was a bow and arrow from Grandma and Grandpa

The boys got to eat the legs off the turkey (because it's Christmas)

Amelia loved all the tissue, paper and bows

Yesterday, the real tree had to come down

It stopped drinking water last week, was dry and there were needles every where
Remind me why we get a real tree every year
Oh yes, we LOVE going to the tree farm and smelling pine

The house looks bare but it's nice to have the extra space back


Christmas break was lovely but we're ready to have our every day routine back

Top Ten (December 17- 24)

It's birthday week at our house

1. On Monday Parker turned 8

2. Parker took cupcakes for his birthday treat

I am now know as the cupcake queen by all of his classmates

The cupcakes weren't fancy so I'm guessing their mama's need to bake for them more often 

2. The boys had their Christmas program

They were so handsome in their shirts and ties

(My babies are growing up too fast)

3. As I was laying in bed reading to Parker,

he told me that (insert name of classmate)'s mom got a little carried away with the eye shadow.

I laughed hysterically and he said - you know the stuff you wear right here (as he rubs his eye lids)

I have to say, I think he is going to like the natural look on girls

4. The boys have been busy shooting their BB guns
When Parker got his for his birthday, I warned him that he wasn't going
to just be able to pick it up and have perfect aim
(The boy surprised me, he did great)

5. The boys are both signed up for gymnastics again
(I'm so excited - Teaching hasn't been the same without them)

6. We FINALLY got snow and 2 days off of school

7. We haven't had a nose bleed yet

8. My children now own more guns that their dad

(Parker got a mini Daisy for his birthday and bought 2 air soft guns today with B-Day money)

9. Friday night we celebrated Christmas with my Mom's side of the family
My boys were so happy that the girls were home

10. On Sunday we went to Christmas service at church
and celebrated Christmas with Grandma, Grandpa and the rest of the crew
Favorite gift opened-
Spencer- bow and arrow for Grandma and Grandpa
Parker- Angry Bird hat from Jeremy, Leslie and the girls



Merry Christmas Eve

Top Ten (December 10-16)

We are getting closer to Christmas

1. Spencer had his Cub Scout Christmas party on Monday night
(Pizza, games and derby cars were handed out)

2. Parker had 3 cavities filled on Tuesday

The dentist thinks his allergy meds have caused dry mouth which in turn causes cavities

because the saliva doesn't protect the teeth
(BUMMER)

3. The boys took clothes to school for their clothing drive this week

(Their school collected over 300 items) 

4. Spencer is getting SO GOOD on his violin
He played Ode to Joy last night

5.  We're hoping for snow next week
(It's in the forecast, lets hope it stays there)

6. One week until the family arrives for Christmas

7. We held our children a lighter tighter after the horrific shooting at a CT elementary school

8. We celebrated Parker's 8th birthday on Saturday night

9. We went to Heartland Fellowships Courageous for Christ Drama Production

10. The boys helped me make covered pretzels


We will be celebrating Christmas (a little early) next week

Celebrating in sadness

As the world is still shaken from the tragic shooting in CT, 

I feeling guilty because we are celebrating 

I get to hold my baby, tell him I love him and wish him a happy 8th birthday

20 of the lives taken were younger than my Parker

7 staff members died trying to protect these little angels

While I hear news anchors talking about the horrific incident,  see the pictures of those innocent children, 

the pictures of parents hysterical and the police men huddled together supporting one another

My heart aches for the families, friends and police department

The parents of these young children won't get to celebrate another birthday with their child

For this reason, I feel guilty

but I also know that our days on earth are numbered and we should celebrate every one of them

This sweet boy turned 8 today and we are blessed that he is happy and healthy

Parker - Happy Birthday Big Guy!

You bring joy to our hearts with your infectious smile

That dimple in your right cheek is enough to melt your mama's heart

You are sweet, lovable, caring and attentive

Celebrate every day and know that you are loved more than you'll ever know

Top Ten (November 26- December 10)

Last week I skipped our Top Ten 

This week, we are back on board and I combined the last 2 weeks

1. Parker has been writing adorable notes to people for Christmas

So far he's written a note to Santa and Amelia

2. The boys and I took our angel gift to church last week 

We hung around and helped get the church ready for Christmas

3. Last Sunday we went to our last National Guard Family Christmas Dinner

I'm so happy to say it was our last but sad because I know how much Chip is going to miss it

4. My boys want to be in gymnastics again

(I couldn't be happier)

5. Parker still hasn't had a nose bleed

6. We were going to go to the Holiday Stroll Friday night as a family

but the boys decided they would rather go with Grandma and Grandpa

7. My Mom informed me on Saturday morning that Spencer

 had been checking out the presents under her tree

He said- OH GRANDMA, are you SURE there aren't any more gifts that you have hid away?

I REALLY want a bow and arrow; That's ALL I want!

(He's going to be SO EXCITED!)

8. The boys helped Grandma ring the bell at Hy-Vee for the Salvation Army

9. We sang Christmas songs in church yesterday

(Why is it that I get goose bumps when we sing Christmas songs in church?)

10. We celebrated my Dad's 62nd birthday

Spencer played Happy Birthday on his violin and my Dad Loved his new book

He's a TROOPER

Parker has always been our laid back, go with the flow little guy

It's a good thing he was born this way because in his short little life (7 years), he has been through A LOT

Our little guy should have a fear of doctors but for some odd reason; he doesn't

We were sitting in the waiting room

 waiting to be called back for our appointment to get Parker's nose cauterized

Parker grinned and said, there's Dr. Simpson

This Dr. would soon be inflicting pain on my child but Parker loves him

As we continued to sit in the waiting room, 

I couldn't help but over hear the conversation between the Dr. and who I assumed was a patients wife

I could tell the Dr. was not happy and was trying to make himself heard

I heard it - but this woman was NOT getting it

Thankfully, we were called back and didn't have to hear any more

After hearing what we heard, I think we were both a little nervous

 that our child was going to be the next patient

I was praying the Dr. would come in and have everything put behind him

He did and we think he's the best

He ALWAYS greets us with a hand shake and his nurse explains EVERYTHING

Parker did AMAZING!

We were so thankful that the Dr. agreed to do the surgery in the office to bypass our deductible

We will still have to pay for the surgery but we won't have the huge cost of anesthesia 

Afterwards, Parker's throat and nose were very sore

We took him home and found that Spencer had made him a bed on the couch 

and even got him a drink and a piece of candy

(What a sweet big brother)

The night of surgery, I was reading to the boys
and all of a sudden, Parker fell
He was laying in bed, reaching for a toy and fell and hit his nose on the window
He scrapped up his nose but IT DIDN'T BLEED

We are a week out and Parker is doing fantastic
No nose bleeds this week
The real test will be in another week when we are done with the Vaseline

We're so proud of our little trooper!

Top Ten (November 19-25)

It's Thanksgiving week

1. It was a short 3 day school week

2. Spencer watched "THE MOVIE" at school

I guess that's what you do in 5th grade 

(I'm not ready for this!)

3. On Wednesday the kids were getting out of school early to begin their holiday festivities

They also got to go to school and hour late due to some nasty fog

4. On Thursday morning we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

5. For Thanksgiving dinner we went to Aunt Janice, Uncle Kent and Katie's as usual

6. Mama got to go Black Friday shopping with Grandma

7. On Saturday we went to Kelly's Tree Farm to get our Christmas tree

8. Saturday night the boys stayed the night with Grandma and helped her decorate trees

9. Sunday we went to church and picked an angel from the angel tree

10. We LOVED our 4 day weekend but we couldn't be more ready to get back to our routine

It's okay to be scared

Last week we found out our little man will be having surgery 

We've been talking about this boys nose for quite some time

Every winter when it gets dry, it gets worse and bleeds (LOTS)
We had been using vaseline in his nose every other night but have resorted to every night

The little one gets embarrassed

 and  it got to be a bit much when he was having 3 nose bleeds a day

Thankfully we had an appointment with the ENT coming up

We have discussed the nose at the last 5 appointments but have put off fixing it because of our insurance

(I know, it doesn't make sense-Insurance is supposed to help right)

The Dr. has agreed to do the surgery in the office to bypass our out of this world deductible

Dr. Simpson is confident that Parker will do great

I'm not going to lie,

THIS MAMA IS SCARED

I'm wondering if we made the right decision to have it done in the office

Would he do better at the hospital or at the surgical center?

They told us NOTHING about recovery

The Dr. did tell me that he will numb his nose really good - AMEN

If Parker is nervous, he isn't showing it

My sweet little man just wants a nose that doesn't bleed
 I've told him it's okay to be scared and he just smiles

Surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday
I'm sure everything will be fine but until then, I'll worry

Top Ten (November 12-18)

The week started out eventful and NOT in a good way

1. Another pair of broken glasses

This time he tried to superglue them hoping I wouldn't find out

Super glue all over the frames, lenses and my fingers- Not a good day

2. Grandpa watched the boys while Mom worked and Grandma was in Hawaii

Grandpa took the boys to the gun range, Subway and then they had Whitey's malts

3. Parker had 3 nose bleeds on Tuesday and another on Wednesday (Poor little man!)

4. On Wednesday we saw Dr. Simpson
Parker will be having surgery on the 28th to hopefully stop all the nose bleeds

5. We went to our first Festival of Trees Parade
It was FABULOUS!

6. The boys survived Grandma being in Hawaii for a week
She brought them back shirts and shark tooth necklaces

7. Spencer decided to learn "Happy Birthday" on his violin all by himself
He found sheet music on the internet, printed it and began playing

We didn't make it to 10 this week

I have a bad feeling about my Top Ten posts
(They may be coming to an end)

I might just have to blog about the most important things
Even if it's one every few weeks

Reminder to self- We are blessed

In church on Sunday Pastor Tim reminded us that we are blessed

We shouldn't have to be reminded that we are blessed

We can't even begin to compare our lives to others

Yet we focus on the bumps in the road

Yesterday morning the truck wouldn't start

(I'm praying it's just a battery but we haven't figured that out yet)

So while I fret about the truck and the anxiety runs high, I remind myself that I'm blessed

We have more than we need and could ever ask for

So I went about my day and tried not worry about something I had no control over

I can't do anything about a truck that's broke down

If it's more than the battery, we get it fixed and go on

It is what it is!

The day got progressively worse

As I was doing hair, I heard the boys wresting

They have been told a million and one times not to wrestle

Someone ALWAYS gets hurt!

I was irritated but was not going to excuse myself to send the boys to their rooms

I finished my clients hair and showed them to the door

I turned around and Spencer said- I'm sorry I broke my glasses

Not only had he broke his glasses, he attempted to super glue them back together

I think he thought I wouldn't notice 

How could I not notice when they were sitting lopsided on his face

and

had super glue all over the lenses

I was shocked at how calm I remained

My blood was boiling

They knew better than to be wrestling especially with glasses on

Instead of making dinner, we spent an hour ordering new glasses

Now we have consequences and we wait for new glasses

As I'm dealing with the glasses, I'm also dealing with the third nose bleed of the day

Today we will be visiting Dr. Simpson and running through some options

My husband says we need to win the lottery to pay for a new truck, glasses and surgery

Until then, we will remind ourselves that WE ARE BLESSED

Top Ten (November 5-11)

It's been another uneventful week at our house

1. On Tuesday this Mama got some much needed girl time

I went on my annual Christmas shopping trip with my friend Jill

2. Daddy took Tuesday off to care of the kiddos while Mama shopped

3. Mr. Crabs didn't die after all

We didn't realize crabs molt

I think we should have done some more research before we bought one

4. Spencer had his first orchestra concert

I thought the kids sounded great

5. While Mom and Dad hung Christmas lights, the boys played with snakes

6. Parker woke up on Sunday with a bad headache
After church the fever hit
We're looking forward to some R&R tomorrow

7. Since Parker was sick, he didn't get to go to Costco with Grandpa
You would have thought I told the kid he wasn't getting anything for Christmas
Tears, tears and more tears


And that's it for the week

Weekend in Wisconsin

I'm just going to start off by saying :

I could NEVER travel for a living

It's not just because I wouldn't want to leave the loves of my life

It's because I never know what to pack

So I spent a good portion of last Wednesday ironing clothes

just so I could put them in a suitcase and have them wrinkled in 30 seconds

On to better things

We enjoyed our weekend in Wisconsin

It was so nice to get away and not wash dishes or laundry

I missed the hubby but he was at drill all weekend so I wouldn't have seen him much any way

On Friday we drove for most of the day
6 hours is a LONG time when you have children in the car
The boys were VERY GOOD travelers considering

When we arrived, the girls were excited to see us

The kids went outside and played in the leaves

On Saturday we celebrated this sweet girls 8th birthday at Rudy's Lanes

I was hoping the party would have wore the kids out but they couldn't wait to go swimming

And on Sunday we went to church for Metadel's dedication

We had a fun weekend with the family
The kids always surprise me with how well they play together

We'll get to see all of them again in 6 weeks 

Top Ten or maybe less this week (October 29 - November 4)

It was a fun week
Halloween
and
A long weekend in Wisconsin

1. We made Halloween treats for Parker's class

2. We celebrated Halloween

3. Friday the boys and I went to Wisconsin with my parents

4. On Saturday Spencer got some exciting mail

He was invited to the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC

We are so proud of Spencer for all of his hard work and dedication

5. We celebrated Metadel's birthday and dedication

6. On Sunday, Chip called and told us Mr. Crabs (Parker's crab) died

And that's it for the week

When I say "that's it"
I don't mean for it to sound like it was a boring week
We had a fun packed 3 days in Wisconsin
Next week we will be recovering

Top Ten (Oct. 22-28)

It was a busy week at school

1. It was Drug Free Week at school

Every day the kids got to dress up

Monday- I'm a Jean-ius! I'm Drug Free! (Wear jeans)

Tuesday- Don't get tied up with drugs (Wear tie-dye apparel)

Wednesday- Care about your body! Be Drug Free! (Wear red)

Thursday-Black out drugs! (Wear black)
Friday- No School - Hip Hip Hooray!

2. Parker told me that he doesn't want to carve a pumpkin this year, 

he would rather make a pumpkin pie out of it

(Mama made him a pumpkin pie and we'll be carving pumpkins next week)

3. On Tuesday we had parent teacher conferences
The boys are doing GREAT
Spencer got to give his own conference
(I'm one proud Mama and we celebrated with chocolate dipped ice cream cones)

4. On Wednesday Grandpa got to watch the boys
They ate Subway, Whitey's malts and Keebler coconut dream cookies
I guess that's what Grandpa's are for

5. On Thursday the boys got out of school early

Parker has been wanting to go to the library for weeks so we went

6. On Friday the boys didn't have school and they had a sleep over with Grandma

7. I surprised the boys!

We are going to Wisconsin next Friday for Metadel's birthday and dedication

8. We carved our pumpkins

9.  We went to visit Aunt Ruby

10. We finished off the weekend at the Haunted High School

We are excited to go to Wisconsin
Next Friday can't get here soon enough

Photo Dump

Other than my Top Ten posts, I have given up on blogging for a while

We pretty much do the same ol' stuff every day

I'm anxious for the the upcoming holidays so I'll actually have something interesting to blog about

So for today, I'm photo dumping :

 Amelia was wiped out for 2 days after her last trip to the vet

but before long she was causing mischief

Didn't your Mama ever tell you not to put a plastic bag over your head?

Why did I spend money on Halloween costumes?

Last weekend while I raked, Spencer made friends

 Gross!

There's my kiddos for you!

Top Ten (Oct, 15-21)

This week definitely ended better than it started


1. Monday started off REALLY ugly

I don't like to yell at my children but I had to put my foot down to the nasty backtalk

2. Thank goodness tomorrow is always a new day 

3. The boys went through the Toy Land ad and picked out what they want for Christmas
(There will be a post dedicated to the Toy Land ad)

4. Spencer has been playing Jingle Bells on his violin and this Mama loves it

5. Our girl Amelia went to the vet on Wednesday
She had a checkup, vaccines and was groomed
It wiped her out for 2 days

6. I was hoping the day would come when Parker would sort of like school
I think we're there!
Instead of me reading to him every night, he has started reading to me
AND the spelling tests, MY GOODNESS, this boy is really starting to shock me
I'm so proud of him!

7. Spencer made his goal for Cub Scout popcorn sales
So far he has sold $350

8.  Spencer got pop, popcorn and a movie on Friday for making his AR goal

9. Saturday we put the boys to work
This seems to be our weekend ritual lately
I know I shouldn't rush winter but I'll be glad when we aren't mowing, raking and cleaning gutters out

10. We had family pictures taken and we can't wait to see them


Next week is another busy week
It's Drug Free Week
An Assembly
and
Confrences

Taking it all in

On Sunday I ended up at Urgent Care with chest pain

I had chest pain all day on Saturday but felt much better on Sunday

or so I thought

The boys and I went to church and while sitting in church the pain returned and I started feeling sick

The hubby was out of town with the Guard all weekend

so I called to let him know that I was going to Urgent Care just in case they hauled me off to the ER

Diagnosis: Costochondritis

I have no idea what caused it but was thankful it wasn't anything worse

I'm on a muscle relaxer and it seems to be helping

but

my body doesn't tolerate drugs very well

I get severe insomnia while on prescription pain meds or muscle relaxers

I'M BEAT

How can I be totally exhausted and not able to sleep?



I had BIG plans of making a nice dinner for Chip when he came home from Des Moines on Sunday
Needless to say, that didn't happen

So on Monday I took it all in

The smell of a pumpkin candle burning
Corn and potato chowder and home made bread cooking
and
looking out our dining room window at our beautiful maple tree

Top Ten (Oct.8-14)

This week has been full of laughter, tears and photos

1. This girl cracks us up

If you read this post, we obviously haven't made any progress with teaching this girl to sit like a lady

2. The boys have done lots of tree climbing this week

3. My children aren't allowed to go to my parents house any more
The boys brought home 2 tree frogs on Wednesday night and wanted to keep them
After lots of tears, this mama gave in

4. So maybe the tree frogs weren't a good idea
We woke up on Thursday and found that Mr. Bonkers had lost part of his tail and was shedding
We had no idea if this was a normal thing so the frogs were taken out of the tank

5. Spelling and AR are going AWESOME
Parker has scored 100% on every AR test so far
and
Spencer met his goal and will be treated to a movie, popcorn and pop next month

6. Friday was the Fall Festival wrap up assembly
The Colorado Tigers got to dress up their principal like the village joker

7. On Friday Daddy was away for the Guard
I love date nights with my boys
Pizza, Culvers custard and a drive through the cemetery looking for deer
(We saw our first buck of the year)

8. I LOVE listening to Spencer play his violin

9. Parker has been into puzzles lately
Chip suggested I get some with more pieces that would take him a while
Lets just say that Parker has the patience of a saint

10. Halloween costumes have been bought


What will next week bring?

Top Ten (October 1-6)

I can't believe it's October

Where has this year gone?

1. Mondays are Mondays 

Then we add a Fall Festival meeting, Cub Scout meeting and teaching gymnastics and it's beyond crazy

2. Our tree is changing colors and dropping leaves 

 Hopefully my children won't fall from the tree

This boy scares me!

3. My boys sold 100 raffle tickets for their Fall Festival at school

4. We bought pumpkins

(I cheated and saved money by taking the kids to Hy-Vee Drug Town)

5. Spencer started using his bow in his orchestra lesson this week
(His first concert is next month)

6. We are LOVING this weather

7. Spelling tests are going AWESOME
Parker got another 100% today

8.  Friday was the Colorado School Fall Festival

9. The boys were begging to rearrange their bed rooms
We spent all of Saturday moving giant bunk beds and cleaning

10. Parker gave us a scare on Sunday night
We think he had a reaction to a piece of triple berry pie


Walmart has their Christmas stuff out
It will be here before we know it

Top Ten (Sept. 24-30)

IT'S HOMECOMING WEEK
Which means it was a busy week at school
Dressing up every day, an assembly and a parade
(I did a horrible job of taking pictures this week)

1. The boys went to school in their pj's on Monday for pajama day

2. We are preparing for the Colorado Fall Festival

This mama has volunteered to count raffle tickets for the next 2 weeks

We are hoping these Tigers can sell 10,000 tickets

That's a lot of counting for me!

3. Spencer ended up with bronchitis too
I guess he didn't want to feel left out or maybe I didn't use enough Lysol

4. Spelling words are going MUCH BETTER
It helps that this week was review week

5. The boys found this at Grandma's house

They took it to school on Thursday and it was confirmed as a Sphinx Moth
(Dad ended up killing it on Sunday-He thought it was cold so he stuck it outside and roasted it)

6. The boys ran the mile for PE on Wednesday
After watching 3/4 of the kids walk most of it, I'm glad my boys are athletic and take it serious

7. I was barely gone 30 seconds when the curtain rod was pulled out of the wall for the second time
What do these boys (this includes the hubby) do when I'm gone
How do parents let their kids stay home alone at these ages,
do they not care if their houses are trashed?
It was an accident but STILL!

8. We walked in the Homecoming parade and had a GREAT time

9. The hubby treated us (the kids and I) to a date on Friday night
We went to the corn field maze at BarnYard Blooms in Grandview

10. Sunday was the best day of my childrens lives
They have been saving money to buy some pets
We surprised them after church and took them to PetSmart

 Spencer's green anole - Mr. Bonkers

Parker's hermit crab - Mr. Crabs


Next week is a BUSY week also known as Fall Festival week at Colorado School
I'm hoping I get time to post a Top Ten for next week but I'll apologize now in case it doesn't get done

Fabulous 5 on Friday (Date night)

It's Friday again!

The hubby took us on a date

Culvers for dinner and then to the Barnyard Blooms Corn Maze

Fabulous 5 on Friday

Cute kids surrounded by pumpkins

 Warty pumpkins

I'm sure there is a real name for them 

  

Lil' Punkins

(Notice the sign)

That's what I love about Barnyard Blooms

Down home Country

 Look at that face

Adorable goats

Fun at the corn field maze

We need to go on dates more often

I hope you had a fabulous Friday!

Top Ten (Sept. 17-23)

We had a very busy week

1. Monday we went to the doctor

Parker had bronchitis and ear infection

2. We had our popcorn sales meeting for Cub Scouts

(I could NEVER be a sales person)

3. This mama is back teaching gymnastics on Monday and Wednesday evenings

(As of Saturday, we had 130 kids signed up)

4. Spencer has been playing his violin
(hot cross buns...hot cross buns...)

5. On Thursday Parker had an appointment at the allergy and asthma clinic
(The Dr. is changing some of his meds but says he looks great for being sick)

6. Friday was Fall Festival Kick Off
(Bring on the FUN!)

7. Friday night we picked apples from the apple tree at Colorado School
You should have seen us climbing on the hood of the truck trying to pick apples
(We made homemade applesauce with them on Sunday)

Amelia likes apples too

8. On Saturday, Spencer went to a birthday party for a classmate

9. On Sunday morning we put the boys to work
The boys were great helpers and always love getting dirty 

10. We spent Sunday afternoon selling raffle tickets and tracking down Coopers owner
(The boys found a cute puppy and we were able to track down it's owners through a lost pet site on FB)


Next week is homecoming and I'm sure there will be lots of pictures posted
I LOVED homecoming week when I was a kid and still LOVE homecoming week
Go Muskies!
(I feel like a trader and since L-M homecoming is this week to, I say- Go Falocons!)

The LOVES of my life

I took the boys down to the river to get some pictures for Grandparents Day

I fall in LOVE with these boys more every day

They are best buds!

I'm sure there's more than one reason

God gave me boys for a reason 

 I'm sure there was more than one reason

I'm sure he knew that I wouldn't be able to handle a girl

We have one little girl around here and her moods change in a split second

She can go from laying on her back wanting her belly rubbed to attack mode in no time 

Yes, I'm talking about our cat

(She's like one of our kids but in a different form)

As I was sending emails and checking facebook yesterday,

I turned around and saw this

 How do you teach a girl to sit like a lady?

Obviously I failed to teach her that

(Oh and she must have gotten over the embarrassment of her bad haircut)

 I put my hand on her and told her she needed to sit like a lady and she gave me this look

 and went back to sleep

She's very smart and she uses it to her advantage

She has learned that if she sits and cries/pouts long enough, 

the sliding glass door will be opened for her

She has also learned that if she gets kitty treats from me,

 she can beg the boys and make them think she hasn't got any yet

My boys are NOTHING like her

They don't pout

They don't talk back a whole lot

If I tell them NO - They usually know that's my answer 

But we LOVE this girl and we'll just have to work on her 

Can you say SPOILED ROTTEN?

Top Ten (Sept.10-16)

This week was rather boring

1. Wednesday was Spencer's first orchestra lesson
He claims he didn't learn anything new

2. I'm helping out in Parker's classroom on Wednesdays

I love the huge smile on his face when I walk in 

He does still love me

3. I think Fall is coming

My little guy has been struggling
Monday - ear pressure
Thursday - Sore throat

4. Parker has finally made it into size 7 jeans
(I thought the day would never come)

5. Parker stayed home sick on Friday
(We made cookies, watched TV and rented a  Wii game and a movie)

6. Friday night we watched Soul Surfer
(Parker picks GREAT movies)

7. Saturday we went ice skating at Coralville Mall
We promised we would take Spencer for his birthday which was in February
Lots of tears were shed and I vowed to never take children ice skating again

8. Saturday night the boys had a sleep over with Grandma

9. Gosh Darn-it!
We were doing so good with the bloody nose situation
How can the cold meds dry him out and cause a bloody nose
but
his nose still drips like a faucet

10.  On Sunday the kids helped us work on my Mother In-laws yard as her birthday gift
Next year she'll be receiving a gift card; it will be easier
The boys were well behaved and found an adorable kitty to play with


I see doctor appointments in our future
Fall is here and so is cold season

Top Ten (Sept.3-9)

Thank goodness for three day weekends

The kids were already in need of a break from school

Top Ten

1. The boys spent Labor Day playing with friends

2. Wednesday was picture day

(This mama remembered it was picture day but forgot to send the money - Good Gracious!)

3. Spencer brought home a worksheet and said he needed my help
(I knew this day was going to come and I've been dreading  it)
What are the 4 types of sentences and describe them
(Thank you Google, I owe you BIG time)
I told Spencer this didn't make him smarter than me,
it just means that in 24 years, I can test HIS memory

4. Chip has started bowling again every Wednesday night in Tipton
I took advantage of having the boys to myself and took them to McDonalds
After we ate, the boys talked me into taking them to the wooden park
(Note to self - This was a BAD idea)
We spent the evening digging splinters out of little hands

5. Spencer's Orchestra Super Lesson was on Thursday
He was SO EXCITED to get his violin

6. We really dislike spelling words
(Especially when we only have 4 days to learn them)

7. Spencer spent Thursday at the Discovery Center for a field trip

8. Friday was the day of the DREADED spelling test

9. The boys went to a birthday/pool party on Saturday
It was a bit chilly but the kids didn't mind

10. Sunday was Grandparents Day and I needed a picture for my Mom and Dad

The boys weren't all that cooperative but we got one


We're on our fourth week of school already
Time flies when you're having fun

Top Ten (Aug 27-Sept 2)

We are finally getting into the swing of things

I feel like we have returned to our routine and I'm loving it

Top Ten

1. Monday was CRAZY to say the least

Band meeting from 4-5
Orchestra meeting from 5-6
and
Cub Scout Recruit Night from 6-7

2. Spencer has decided he will be playing the....Violin
My Goodness instruments are expensive!
Why couldn't he pick the trumpet or baritone? (we have those)

3. The boys have been busy reading

Spencer finished a 500 page AR book

Parker brought home 2 AR books and did a great job reading them and doing his report

4. I'm a little sad that Spencer won't be doing gymnastics this fall
Something had to give and that's what he picked

5. Cute things being said-
We had a fish die this week
Parker took a look at it and said, why don't fish close their eyes
Dad: Fish don't have eye lids
Parker: Why do we have eye lids
Mom: They protect our eyes from dirt and things in the air
Parker: And hot sauce
(I'm not sure where that came from)

6. I bought the kids Scattergarories Jr. this week
On Tuesday night we played for a little bit
The letter rolled was - G
One of the questions on the card was- How do you make money
Spencer answered - Grab and Run
(Who's teaching these things to my child? My Goodness!)
I had a better answer- Garage Sale

7. We went shoe shopping on Friday night
(Do you remember how much I HATE shoe shopping? I HATE it a lot!)
I would love -
To be able to go to 1 store
Have both kids pick out a pair of shoes that are in our budget
And not shed any tears
(It would be a miracle!)

8.  Mom, Can we put him in the bathroom sink?
(Parker found this tiny frog and was certain we needed to keep him)

9. Saturday night I sent the hubby and Parker to the video store
They returned with "The Zoo Keeper"
It was such a cute movie and the boys were entertained

Next week is another CRAZY week
Just a few things on the calendar
We will be closing on our loan to refinance our house
Our van windshield will be getting replaced
and
Bowling starts