Ignorance is Bliss...

Ryan came home from school today looking like this.

I told myself, "Don't even ask!"

But I did.

I am telling you, "Don't even ask!"

(I hope somewhere at school today he got some kind of academic credit for this! AND hopefully he has learned that not all markers are washable!!)

Learning from the Animals...

With the economy going "hog wild" and essentially in a "pigsty", we should take comfort in the fact that, according to this mama...

"Life in a pigsty is not all that bad. You can always find something to smile about!"

Gettin' Down on the Farm...

A few weeks ago (when the weather was alot warmer) I went with Emilee on a preschool fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Farm. There was so much to do and see that we were rushing to do it ALL in just two hours. The kids could hardly wait to get started.

First, we wandered around inside the corn maze, which was in the shape of a spider's web. We let Emilee & Sienna led the way and were pleasantly surprised when after a short time they found the EXIT.

Animals, Animals, Animals Everywhere...



Emilee is a total animal lover (with no fear whatsoever) AND since there were lots of different animals (cows, bunnies, goats, horses, chickens, pigs) to be seen on the farm, she happily skipped around the pens, petting and visiting every one of them (multiple times).










Several fun slides!

Cute photo opts!




While climbing around this haystack playground, Emilee made a surprising discovery (see for yourself.)

After a fun hayride around the farm, Emilee & Sienna searched in the pumpkin patch for their very own pumpkin. It was a very fun day. On the way home Emilee announced, "Mom, let's go there tomorrow!"

A Day of Mourning...

Sophy passed away today. Our hearts are broken. We will miss her.

A New Mode of Transportation...

Brock and Ryan's orthodontist has a great incentive program that rewards patients who take excellent care of their teeth and braces. At every appointment they can earn up to 3 tickets (for clean teeth, no broken brackets, and being on time) and enter a monthly drawing, in which one patient wins a prize valued at $150 (digital camera, iPod, Nintendo DS, or a gift certificate to the mall). In May, Brock was the lucky winner and chose the gift certificate. When he showed up to pick up his prize they gave him a check for $150 (they forgot to get a gift certificate from the mall.) So, for the past several months the money has been sitting safely in Brock's bank account.

That is until two days ago when Brock decided he wanted a Ripstick. Now, I am familiar with this perilous mode of transportation. I have seen kids operating it successfully; however, to me it looks fairly difficult and very awkward to ride. Therefore, when Brock announced that he wanted to buy one (which meant he would probably want to ride it) I had a flash back... to a similar mode of transportation called a scooter (only it had a handle bar.)

Here are the images associated with scooters that quickly flashed through my mind...

So, thanks to a $10 scooter (which cost us 50 times it's purchase price in medical bills), Brock's first accident occurred in April 2003, at the age of 5, when he shattered his front tooth (the root was extracted by the dentist and 3 yrs later the permanent tooth finally came in ) on the handle bar of the scooter after crashing in our unfinished basement. Then the following year, Brock (age 6) spent the entire summer wearing three different casts... BLACK, RED, and GREEN.

The broken bones started April 2004, when Brock broke his right arm the first time, scooting on the sidewalk in front of our house. The tiny front wheel got stuck in a sidewalk crack (I always knew those cracks were unlucky.) In June, a few weeks after the cast was removed, he re-broke the same arm going down the neighbor's drive way (it was very obvious he had broken it.) This time we had to take him to the Emergency Room, where they put him to sleep and reset the bone using an x-ray machine (cha-ching.) At the end of July, after more x-rays, an orthopedic specialist said the arm hadn't healed completely... so a third cast was installed. Wearing a cast for 4 months did not stop Brock from enjoying his summer activities. He still played t-ball and went swimming several times a week. However, by the time school started in late August, he was "cast free" and we were "scooter free." After the 3rd cast (3 strikes you're out rule) we gave three fairly new scooters to a young, poor, yet grateful door-to-door salesman (who happened to have 3 kids and fortunately didn't believe in jinxed scooters.)

Therefore, it was with much trepidation (and only after stalling for as many hours as "parently" possible) that I drove Brock to the store and allowed him to purchase a Ripstick. I am trying to be optimistic, that we will have better luck with this mode of transportation. Brock reports that he is getting "the hang" of it and can now turn corners. Of course I wouldn't know, because I have to close my eyes when he rides it.

A Day of Pampering...

I love those early mornings when I jump out of bed, full of endless energy and a burning passion for cleaning. Yesterday was one of those such days. Like a whirlwind, I worked my way through the entire house (and straight through lunch), whipping everything I touched into tip-top shape. I even went the extra mile on a few special projects, such as vacuuming the dust bunnies behind my bed, swifting the walls and ceilings for cobwebs (although now they are gone I realize that I should have left them as part our Halloween decor), and organizing the girls very messy hair pretty drawer. After several hours of high speed cleaning, I decided the rest of the afternoon should be spent in rest and relaxation and even a little pampering...

...for Sophy!!

The past few weeks our sweet little leopard gecko has been feeling a little under the weather. She has stopped eating her crickets and started losing weight. We have been extremely worried about her (and truth be told, I believe her days are numbered.) So after reading about her symptoms and condition on the Internet, I decided she needed some urgent attention and a little pampering.

The so called pampering began with a pedicure. Every girl likes to sit back and soak her feet (and I assume lizards are no different.) During my Internet research, I learned that Sophy has extremely delicate little claws on the end of her feet. When she sheds her skin (every 4-5 weeks) it can sometimes get caught on her toes, becoming difficult to remove without pulling out her claws. So, Sophy relaxed in my hand while soaking her feet in a dish of warm water. After the dead skin became soft, I carefully rolled it off her foot with a Q-tip. Now that I could see her tiny little claws, I have to confess that I was really tempted to paint them red (you know, the full pampering treatment.)

Next, I decided that since nothing says "Get Well" like a nice, spruced-up home, I cleaned and freshened her cage. After that, I hand fed Sophy a plump, juicy meal worm. It was a little tricky because the meal worm was still alive but we eventually got it down. I held her over the water dish so she could wash it down with a drink of water. The pampering ended with conversation (on my part only) and socialization (I admit it - we were blog stocking) as Sophy soaked up the warmth of my hand and enjoyed a nice nap.

I so thoroughly enjoyed the bonding the afternoon of pampering created that I am considering doing it again tomorrow... for Rosco. I'm thinking of letting him roll in the horse muck next door (a dream come true for him), then giving him a bubble bath and feeding him the leftover steak bone from tonight's dinner. Service, it's a wonderful gift (in any form and for every recipient!!)

Sunday Picnic at the Park II...

On Sunday we had another picnic at the park, only this time it was with the Alvord Family. It was so much fun being together, visiting, playing games and of course, eating.


There are a total of 14 Alvord Grandchildren, with a wide spread of ages, the oldest being Jason (36 yrs old) and the youngest being Emilee (4 yrs old). Our four children are among the youngest grandchildren in the family. In fact, most of the older cousins have children the same age as their younger cousins. The only cousins that are close in age to our kids are Kylee & Parker, who are Ryan and Brock's ages. Ryan & Kylee are tenacious teenagers, enjoying all the rights and privileges that go along with being a teenager (such as the inability to pose for a decent picture, as seen here.) Brock & Parker both share a love for sports and enjoy playing them whenever they are together. Parker is currently wiping the floor with his opponents in basketball and Brock is currently wiping the grass with his opponents in tackle football. Go Boys!!

Grandma came prepared with a bucket of outdoor games. Here are some pictures of just a few of the games the kids played...

Just like being a teenager affords certain privileges (like being silly, obnoxious and loud)... being a 4 year old does too. Here are two picture perfect examples of those privileges.

I mean, who else can get away with using a bucket toilet in the parking lot (the public toilets were inaccessible, so thanks Grandma for being prepared.) And after her Daddy caught her with her finger in her nose, he told her to stop. As soon as his back was turned, I took this picture and entitled it "Sneaky Picker."

I believe one of the reasons she can get away with public exposure like this (which is otherwise obscene and disgusting in adults) is because she is a such a darling, sweet little girl who says the cutest things. Like when Aunt Becky called her a "sweetie-pa-titie" and Emilee replied, "No, I'm just Emilee!" AND when it was time to go home stated, "I want to stay her forfefer! and Mom, I want you to stay with me." (I guess we'd better go ask Grandma to leave her toilet bucket.)

Here are more pictures of our incredibly fun day...