Here it is. My Christmas post you all have been asking for. We traveled up to Bloomington, Ill. Our normal trip takes about 13 hrs but this one took 19 on account of bad weather and an irritable 1 yr old. He cut four molars during that 4 days. Christmas Eve I went shopping all day long. My Mother-in-law can shop! That is an understatement. We went everywhere. We arrived home around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Mom, Amy (Andy's sister), and I stayed up very late wrapping all the gifts. Amy turned in at @ 2:30-ish, I went to bed around 4:30-ish and Mom was up until about 5am. A.J. and Ben are the only two grandkids and they got spoiled rotten! Christmas morning was a blast. Ben was fine playing with the ribbon and stocking stuffers. A.J. loved everything he got. Especially the marbles Nonnie got him. We cleaned everything up and extended family began showing up for lunch a little before 1:00. A few of the guys stayed over pretty late talking and drinking. All turned into bed except Andy, Ryan, Max and Jesse. This is where the feud began. Yes we had a family fight. Jesse, (who is Amy's boyfriend of five years) from what I understand, does not drink very often. He started in on Andy during their poker game telling him he was being retarded and stupid. Now, let me explain that all the guys get lippy and talk a lot of smack to each other all the time. I think Jesse took some things personally that Andy had said the night before, and was just getting back at him. "O.k. , o.k.", I thought. But then, Jesse picked up a cat, and chunked it at A.J. - A.J. had a scratch from climbing a tree earlier that day that was red and puffy and very tender. So he cried. I said out loud through my madness" Jesse needs to say sorry doesn't he?" and he said "I'm not saying sorry he shouldn't be such a pussy. I told you I would make your kid cry. You f*ck me and I will f*ck you back." Of course by this point I'm fuming!!!!!!! I went in and asked Amy if Jesse was a mean drunk and she said if he drinks hard liqueur he can be a jerk. She then said he was probably getting back at Andy. I told her I had thought of that, but that shouldn't involve A.J. and I. So she said she would come out and be the b*t*h and make sure everything was o.k. Jesse calmed down (we thought) and I had put A.J. to bed. Andy had no idea that any of this happened. I guess Amy said something to Jesse because he came out in the kitchen, holding the cat, where Max and I were. He says to Max," Hey Max, did you know Andy and Christy have a cat?" Max says he knew we had a dog and I said yes we also have a cat now. Jesse said" Did you know that sometimes there cat scratches A.J. and it is no big deal?" Let me explain that we had this conversation earlier in the day. so I turned around and said" Yes but we don't throw our cat at our five year old and call him names, and Jesse I will not talk to you about this while you are drunk we can talk about it tomorrow!" Jesse walked into the living room and Max asked what was his problem and I said he was just being a jerk. From the living room Jesse asked if I was telling on him again. I just rolled my eyes and ignored him until he said" If you think he was hurt tonight you just wait until tomorrow." That was it for me. I went and got Andy who was playing Guitar hero with his brother and told him all that had just taken place. If you know Andy then you probably know he wanted to tear this guy a new one. This kind of stuff makes it hard to be a good Christian. I asked him to wait until tomorrow. A little bit later Ryan comes into the kitchen wanting to know what happened so we told him the story and out of the hallway you hear"Why are you guys talking s**t about me. We said we aren't we are just telling the story to Ryan. He mouthed off a little more and Andy said" You hurt my kid and disrespected my wife and that is unacceptable. You need to apologize. " And Jesse said "who cares, who cares, I'm not apologizing for anything." Amy was standing in the hallway with him holding him back in a way, telling him to come on. Andy then told him just to go to bed we would be leaving the next day. he continued mouthing off all the way back to the bedroom. Amy and I had plans to go to Pier One the next morning and return her jewelry box. I guess she is mad at me because she canceled those plans and I have got nothing but dirty looks and the silent treatment. I've been told that they think we are upset about a tiny little scratch the cat left. This is to big a mess to just sweep under the rug and I don't do that anyway. I am confused as to how this became our fault. All I did was stand up for my son. Anyone else?

AAHHHHHHHHH!

I am so overwhelmed with my house right now. Where do I start? How about on the Internet. lol The boys got so many gifts that I have no where to put them. I feel that it is time to purge. That will take for ever so I just keep telling myself "one thing at a time". Why is it that I'm the only one taking care of the clean up? My cat has decided she needs to be in my way no matter what I'm doing. I think she missed me. Ahhhh.

Karma

What do you think of karma? I don't believe in karma. I think it is just something people use to rationalize their behavior. What do you think?


http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/buddhismtoday/bc003.htm

Been a while

Wow, Christmas has kept me very busy not to mention my two boys and husband, in-laws and being out of town. Here is one of the paintings I have done. It is personalized for My Husband's second cousin who will be born in March. His name is Matthew Paul. Can you find it? I promise I will blog about our Christmas soon.

Waiting for naptime......

It is one of those days. You know what I'm talking about. One of those days where you just can't wait until the little pitter patter of feet comes to a silence. And when they do you can breath again. You may not be able to think clearly or be held responsible for any decision making but you can breath. That is the moment I take off both my socks and shoes, do a little yoga stretching and tackle the things I've been putting off for the last week or two. Like finishing multiple projects I have started, ironing, mopping, mowing/yard work, phone calls, or sorting through paper piles.(which have toned down since I quit paying bills and stopped opening the mail. Andy does all that now.) I also have spent a lot of that time on the computer and more commonly, painting. Yes, I wrote it. I have been painting. Been very inspired recently. I just need more canvas and paints. I also have been a little artistic with my photography. Check this out.........these were taken specifically for the bathroom.

On a lighter note, Here is our tree and a few ornament close -ups. The tree skirt was Andy's as a little boy. Some of the ornaments were too.

Confirmed but not confirmed!

Alright well, it is indeed pink eye. We got drops yesterday and started an aggressive antibiotic. Those of you that know me, know I wouldn't normally use an antibiotic. Since we leave in five days I felt it necessary. A.J. on the other hand has something we are unsure of. If anyone doesn't know, He has had blood on the toilet paper several times. By the time we went to the Doctor for it, it had been four times. One of which was a dime sized clot. The Doctor looked at the exterior parts and didn't see anything. We took home a stool sample test and turned it in. During the time both samples were taken there was no blood, go figure. So it came back neg. At my Dad's house Sun. there was blood for a sixth time. We called the Doctor and they have decided to refer us to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. Keep us in your prayers. We want a miracle!

I Pink Eye!

My sweet baby boy has pink eye! Well we haven't had it confirmed with the doc yet but he was around it last week so I'm pretty positive! He woke from his nap yesterday with a normal looking eye bugar. Within 2-3 hrs his eye was swollen shut. By morning both eyes were infected. We leave for Ill. Sat, so we are going to the docs today at 3:00. Isn't this pitiful ?

Paper airplanes

A.J. and I went to see "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" and it was great ! Ever since then, he has been fascinated with making paper airplanes. I don't want to spoil the movie for you so I won't go any further on that. Here is a paper airplane that Andy made for him. It works really well, too!

Random Events

Benny-Pie loves to make messes! But I can't complain because he does attempt to clean them up. I am constantly finding socks in the sippy cup drawer, toys in the dirty laundry, and my kitchen gadgets in a mess. It brings a smile to my face when I find such treasures. Who would have thought?

Thus Far

Here are some pictures of our Christmas fun!

Building a ginger bread house,

Dancing to Jingle Bells, and

Hunting for Christmas Lights.

Elfed

This is hilarious! Click on the link.



http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1309452587

Thanks Katherine! I saw it on the news but never got the web address.

Allright. I will try to be clear so you all can have a better idea of what Christmas will be like in our household. The 1st of December starts out with an advent calender and setting up the Christmas tree and decorations. Every Sunday evening we will search for magical nieghborhoods filled with twinkling lights. The middle of Dec. we host a Birthday Party for Jesus. It includes cake and cocoa, candy and crafts. We donate gifts to less fortunate children. My children will take part in buying gifts for our friends and loved ones. We spend time with our family in various ways may it be ice skating at the Galleria, Holiday in the Park, Trimming each others trees, or baking and exchanging Christmas goodies. We also decorate a ginger bread house. On Christmas Eve we might go carrolling, or stay in by the fire reading Christmas stories and eating Christmas popcorn. Christmas morning we have the largest breakfast you could ever imagine with just about every favorite breakfast dish possible. We open a few gifts and check out our stockings. Andy has volunteered to start dressing up as Santa. Then we are on our way to visit family. The whole month is filled with the most beautiful music and lights and smells. We are always wishful for snow! You see, I am not anti-santa. I am not going to hipe him up though. There is a very interesting blogspot you should check out.... timesandseasons>>saynotosanta It isn't what you think... http://www.timesandseasons.org/index.php?p=1766

Check out the story that the nurse left at the end of the blog. I love it!

Red Flannel Day!

My boys are so much fun. We spent some time in our necessarily huge sandbox and when Ben wakes up we are off to the park!

I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year so you might get one through E-Mail!

NEW HAIRCUT!!! I promise I will upload a picture soon. I am so picky! I don't always like pictures of myself! I use to be very photogenic but I guess with age that changes. Here is one that will work for now. I always have thought that bangs were funny but I think I am enjoying them now! I also decided to keep some length because I always look funny with short hair. That is what my husband says anyway and I value his opinion!

Brag Time

I just want to take a couple minutes of your time to brag about A.J. Truly in his heart he wants to be a good kid. He really wants to make me happy. We made cookie dough yesterday and I gave him a couple bites. He asked if he could have a little teeny tiny bit more and I told him no, that he could have a small cookie when they were done. He then says,"Mommy will you take my spoon so I don't try to sneak some." I said "Sure." Later, Andy came home, ate a couple cookies and asked A.J if he wanted a bite. A.J. told him no, that I said he couldn't have anymore. Andy then says "A.J. , do you want a bite?" and A.J. said nooooooooo daddy! Then he came and told on Andy. He is always trying to remove temptation from his life and make sure that he is doing what he was taught. He even says things that he isn't sure about and then asks me " Mommy did I lie?" I guess I have drilled it into him enough that it is very important to tell the truth."
I pray he continues to live this way!

Philosophy? Why are we who we are?

I'm sitting in my living room listening to instrumental Christmas music, the saxophone, and wondering if I have chosen to really enjoy it because of a comment I remember my Mother making, or because I naturally am drawn to it? You have heard the phrase, "Children are like sponges." haven't you? They truly are. That is part of why we are who we are today. I believe that we tend to own the things we hear important people say in our childhood. By important people I mean, Mothers, Fathers, Teachers, Idles, Friends' cool Moms. (Mostly parents.) Let me explain. My mom made a comment when I was younger " I wish I could be a size ten again." So the size 10 became my limit. Anything more than that became unwelcomed in my body. Sometimes, I wish she had said a size 7.
I,m also talking about early childhood. Before the age of six, parents are IT! After that, we somehow become lame, uneducated, embarrassing........need I go on? I haven't directly experienced it on this side , but I do remember my feelings towards my parent as a youth. I think I could write a book with all the thoughts piled high in my head, but I'll try to wait until I have experienced all the seasons of child rearing, and a little more education! Our personal claim is a choice that is formed through all the things we encounter in our lives. I believe we make our choices based on feelings and beliefs. We choose to live a certain way, dress a certain way, talk a certain way. We choose the things we like.....music, art, food. To an extent, we choose the things we feel. We also make unconscious choices.(Like the size ten, quickly became a conscious decision.) I could go on and on, but I won't. My point is, in part, we are all the people we have chosen to be. Or did our parents choose who we are, and what our choices would be? The other part is what God gave us. We are all made up of parts. Are you proud of who you are? Not your image, which I believe we all have, but who you truly are in your heart. Are you proud of your secrets? Do you really like the music you like or was that chosen for you? Just a thought. Make any sense?

Treasures!!!

Are they as cute as I think they are? Ben had his first haircut. He did pretty good. Of course the first 15 minutes he sucked on a hairy sucker. That helped. After that, it took a little creative attention grabbing from me and A.J. My babies aren't babies anymore! Every day passes quicker. Some more than others. I try to have some family time, and a little one on one time, each day. It isn't as easy as it should be. These are my treasures! I put everything into them that I'm passionate about!

Gobble Gobble!

Holy cow, I cant believe Thanksgiving is in 5 days! And then only four weeks till Christmas! O.K. one thing at a time! I tend to get excited this time of year. Let's see. What am I thankful for this year? There are always the things I'm thankful for all the time like friends and family, good health and a little bit of red wine. I would have to say most recently I am thankful for electricity. Confession time! Andy and I had a little mis-communication (that's what I'm calling it) and our electric bill didn't get paid. So the electrician came and turned off our power. I knew it when it happened so I quickly met him in our front yard. I asked if there was anything I could do to get him to turn it back on before he left and he said I needed to call our provider. He was so cold and emotionless. I guess you have to be in that line of work. So I embarrassingly hurried back into my house to call TXU for I was running out of daylight. At 5:45 pm, I had 15 min before we were covered with darkness. The bland, dry character on the other end of the phone said it would be a $90.00 reconnection fee for same day reconnection. Made me wonder what tomorrow's rate was, so I asked. Yes, $10.00! So we made a fun night out of it. We had a fire in the fire place, candles lit everywhere, and we took our showers that night so we would have hot ones. I had thawed out a smoked sausage already so we threw it in our cast iron skillet with some olive oil, sliced potatoes, bell pepper and onion, and cooked it on the grill. It was wonderful! We all stayed warm that night,thank God, and the boys and I went to IHOP for breakfast the next morning. We were all good and the power was back on by 4:30 that afternoon. After the Breakfast and reconnection fee we saved $70.00! I have to tell you, I didn't realize having electricity makes life so much easier!

drunk driving

O.K., so I know the title of this piece needs some work. No, we were not driving drunk! I was playing with my camera in the car one night and these are the pics I got out of it. What do you think?

Blah..............

What to do? What to do? I don't want to bore you with the details of the crap in my life right now because you probably have your own crap! I am such a drag right now. My sweet husband is trying so hard to make me happy. It mostly works. I have a potential job change coming up. I struggle with letting people down pretty often. This potential job is in the line of faux finishing which most of you know is what I've wanted to do for a long time. I feel like it is O.K. to let go of the twins I'm watching to pursue my dream job. But I would also have to let go of my own children. This is a struggle for me considering the most fond memories I have of my mother are from when she stayed home with me before I started school. I also struggle with the fact that my heart lives in nature, in the mountains. If I ever got there, I would have to give up my dream job anyway, for another dream. Does that make it O.K. ? I wonder what God is up to? I know he is in all this. Then there is the unspoken war of my divorced In-Laws. No, No, No, they aren't at war. I am. Andy has two families. Well, four now. When we visit or talk on the phone, Andy and I both wish we could live where-ever the person we are talking to, lives. So the answer seems to be (not to go to either place because) we can't be both places at once. I also don't know if I should put Ben in M.O.P.S. next year. I feel funny about sending them to daycare before they can talk. I need to just throw myself into prayer and stay there.

Party , Party , Party

BUGS AND PANCAKES DON'T USUALLY MAKE IT TOGETHER BUT FOR THIS PARTY THEY DID. We had so much fun! The pancakes turned out perfect and the kids spent most of their time in the sandbox(of course). We had a bug hunt in the backyard and a bug toss as well! The boys got a ton of toys! So for Christmas we are asking for Walmart gift cards! We would like to be with Andy's Mom this Christmas so that would help us get there. I also want to go back to Colorado this spring so it would help with that as well! We also plan on putting the boys in the same room this late summer and possibly having a toy room. Gift cards would help with paint and organizational tools. If you are the kind of person that doesn't like giving gift cards, we adore handmade gifts, and you can never have too many books!

Three at a time.........

I am afraid to ask "What next?" Our iron broke. We were getting ready for our family pictures and our iron broke. Needless to say, Andy and I both woke-up sick, so we didn't make it to our appointment. Then, my vacuum started acting funny. It makes this really loud whining noise (as if I need more of that) and doesn't have much suction. It is a Bissell and we have had problems with it since we bought it two years ago. A few days ago, our computer crashed. All my photos and important documents and personal info is stored on it. Andy took it to a friend at Fry's today to see if we could get it fixed. I wont be able to post any pics until then. Wish us luck!

Ben is One!

Ben had his first birthday and it was a lot of fun. We started the day off snuggling. We had donuts for breakfast. Went to the park, which is another whole story. Then we took a nap. After nap, Ben got his presents. He loves his huge Tonka Tuck. For dinner we went to a restaurant in Arlington called Campo Verde. They had lights everywhere and a train that ran around a track up near the ceiling. We finished the night off with a fried ice cream and headed home to say goodnight.

Trick or Treat!!!

Happy Halloween! The Boys had a great time trick or treating. A.J. got a ton of candy. We normally only go to our friends houses but this year we decided to go to a couple more. You can't see it, but A.J. is wearing a Jack Sparrow hat. I was so proud of A.J. He went up to the familiar homes by himself but the ones he wasn't sure about he asked for some company. Andy wasn't to excited about me sticking to his side, but it made me comfortable to know A.J. could decide if a house was safe or not. Ben (the skeleton) sat in the wagon being pulled by Daddy, and dragged a pumpkin straw on the ground halfway around the neighborhood. It kept him entertained. I tagged along behind with my wine in one hand and camera in the other. Then we all headed back to feast on the candy. Ben had his first sucker. Boy was it good!!!

Round 17, DING DING DING

Yes it has already started. The fighting. Not only bickering, but physical wrestling, too. If this is starting now, I can only imagine the brawling ending in all out knock outs in the future. "Lord, help me!" I try to just stay out of it but that is impossible when you're the mommy. Yesterday, Ben bit A.J.'s ear so hard it was bleeding! We had to put a band-aid on it. Surely we will get through this.

Recipe!!!!!

Yummy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Fish your seeds out of the pumpkin shell. You don't have to clean them but I do.
You can leave some string on them for flavor but get rid of any chunks. Spread your seeds on a cookie sheet with raised sides. Add two tbsp of olive or veg. oil. Salt to taste and bake in the oven on 350 until golden.
These are a favorite treat of mine in October.

Yummy Batteries!

My one year old loves to eat batteries. I know what your thinking but please know I'm a very laid back, let nature teach, sort of mommy. He usually gets them out of the remote, which we try to keep put away, but you can't ever assume a 4 yr old will remember anything. So I just found him hiding behind the recliner, eating the batteries from the remote. I made this huge production about how yucky they are. So A.J. comes over and eagerly says "Is he bleeding? Mommy is he bleeding?" in a way as if it would be really cool. What is it with boys and boo-boos?

Fall Festival

Oh My Goodness! I cant believe I forgot my camera. I should have that thing glued to my eyeball. O.K. so I can believe it. This has been happening to me frequently.

The Fall Festival was so much fun! A.J. went into several bounce houses, rock climbed, jumped on a bungee trampoline, hit a few baseballs in the batting cage and got a ton of candy. The batting cage experience was so cute! He had no idea what he was doing, but he did make contact! Ben just observed most of the time, and danced to the live music.

On the way home my five year old asked a very random question. "Mommy, is Santa magic?" he asked, "because I didn't hear those jingling bells last time. Do you remember? It was so quiet, he didn't make any noise." My heart sank. We haven't ever made a deal out of Santa. Never really discussed it. My family always asks him on Christmas morning though "did Santa come to your house?". He might have said yes or not really answered. I don't remember. (I think that is my way of avoiding it.) But this time I know we need to address it. My temporary reaction was to say,"You know, I didn't hear anything either. Do you think he is magic?"(Thanks to my friend Katherine for that suggestion!) I wasn't satisfied, but he was. There are all these Christmas movies and people in our lives that make Santa real. I don't want to be deceitful by sliding the questions that he asks, or by lying to him about it. I have no problem with being honest with my children. The problem that I can see arising is with the friends and cousins that hear him tell the adults" Santa died a long time ago. WHY CAN'T ANYONE PUT HIM TO REST?" O.K. j/j. I don't think he would ruin it for the other kids on purpose. I think all the people who hound him with questions will ruin it because they aren't seeking an honest answer, which is what they might get.(In front of all the other children.) My kids will know the story of Santa . And I believe Christmas will be just as, or even more special than, it is for anyone else. We will be going to Ill. for Christmas this year and I pray it goes smoothly as far as this topic is concerned. So for any family who reads this blog, BE ADVISED! WARNING! Just kidding. A.J. will know that some children believe that Santa exists today and to not spoil the fun for them. Trust me , he can be secretive.

Dirty diapers!!!!!!

I swear Benjamin is full of poop! I don't know what is going on but when you have a 1 year old that poops as much as his 34 year old Father, it is scary! I feel like all I do is change dirty diapers all day, so I made up this song. Ready? Here it goes.................

Tinky, tinky, tin-ky, what do you say<
You've got a dir-ty dia-per eve-ry day>
Tinky, tinky, tin-ky, what do you smell<
You've got a poo-py dia-per that must have come from hel-p.

I would sing it for you except that might ruin it.

ciao-

thoughts

Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately in no particular order.

I need to find something fun to do..............
I miss my best friends............
My husband is awesome...............
My kids are growing so fast.................
I need to make a list..................
I need to go over our budget again....................
I want to finish that project I started...................
I wish it would snow too........................
I need a haircut......................
I want to have a get-away with my husband................
When was the last time I cleaned that...............
We all need new shoes.....................
What am I going to go to school for.....................
Grocery list................
Dinner.......................
Are we done having babies............................
I don't want to stop nursing Ben................
I want to be free................
I want a day of nothing but photography......................
I wonder if I can get a baby sitter for Christmas shopping............
Where are they going to sleep...................

Rain, rain, go out of sight, come again during the night............

I think that it should only rain at night when everyone is sleeping. The weekends are no good because we have a lot of playing to do then. Tues. and Thurs. are no good because I take A.J. to school on those days and don't want to get three babies out of the car in the rain. Wed. are no good because Andy is off on those days and we like to be outside. Mon. and Fri. are left but they are no good either because those are my grocery shopping and errand running days. So, I say again, It should only rain at night.

Kimbell Art Museum

I took the boys to the Art museum yesterday which actually was pleasantly surprising. Ben obviously could have cared less but A.J. and I share a passion for paint and sculpture that I have not shared with anyone so close to me before. As you can imagine , I was very excited that he showed any interest. There are currently no exhibits but their permanent collection is always nice. We saw the ancient paintings portraying the story of Jesus and Lazarus. A sculpture of John the Baptist was something I would like to go back and take the time to look at. I think A.J.'s favorite was a painting of Don Pedro. He was very curious as to why Don Pedro looked so angry. We spent a lot of time looking at a painting of a pirate and damsel. A.J. had a lot of questions about that one. The frame was just as beautiful as the piece. In November they will have an exhibit called "Picturing the Bible" which I'm excited about. I might go back to see that one alone!

Jackpot!!!!!!!!!!!

If I won a million dollars...........
I would pay off our mortgage, and do the things to this house I want to do but cannot afford. I would buy a house in Colorado and let friends live or vacate there for free. I would pay off our parents mortgages and put money away for my kids' college. There is so much more I want to do, I don't think 1 million is enough. If I had more, there are about twenty or 30 other mortgages I would payoff. (About 6 million right there.) I also would like to learn and play the stock market. There are a few places I would like to travel to and of course I would get my own degree. There is of course the ten percent our church would get, and many things I would pray about that the Lord would use us and have us do. There are a lot of dreams that would be fulfilled.
I'm sure we all play this game. Heb. 13:5 says keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God will never leave you nor forsake you. It seems like money would make life easier but maybe it would have the reverse affect. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and it could be that we just wouldn't be able to handle that amount of money. If we want more, does that mean we are not content with what we have?

ERA?

What era would you most like to live in?

I don't know about an era. For some reason or another, I have always been infatuated with the pioneer days. I guess the idea that "we all work hard to benefit one another" is intriguing to me. That, and the fact that you don't have to worry about life's hopeless impracticalities. Don't get me wrong! I do enjoy a lot of the simple things we have such as plumbing, electricity, and grocery stores. Although, I wish we spent more of our time growing our vegetables, and making our children's toys. A wonderful day in that time would start out..............
Waking in the morning to the sound of the rooster crow, the smell of fresh ground coffee beans from Auntie's field next door, and laughter coming from the kitchen. I would walk out to the chicken coup, A.J. and I hand in hand, and we would gather the eggs for that morning's breakfast. Bacon would come from the pig that was slaughtered yesterday by Daddy. After breakfast, he would head out to complete the construction of our fence, that will contain two horses tomorrow. The kids will frolic in the fields while I finish the days chores. After supper,
we will all gather on the porch for an evening of music and entertainment brought to you, by none other, than our own band.

Cereal

If I were a cereal, what would I be?

Hmmmmmmm. What an interesting and incredibly questionable thought! I would like to be some kind of Kashi but I'm not disciplined enough. What about Life? It could be reserved, and not so sweet that it is ruined. Something with fruit? No. ...... I might have to walk through the cereal aisle for this one.

Embarrassment

What are some things you are embarrassed about?

Wow, this could bring you a page full. Sometimes I'm embarrassed of my home. It really sounds pathetic, and low but I enjoy impressing people. I like to make people comfortable and happy. My floor is hideous, and there is always stuff everywhere. I swallow my pride very often! I can't stand it when my husband invites people in our home when it is filthy! That is embarrassing! And it really angers me. I feel like I need to give explanations and apologize to whomever visits during times of craziness.
Sometimes my kids embarrass me. A.J. says things that are not appropriate, or does things that are not appropriate. If he is disrespectful to another adult, that is embarrassing!

BIGHT ERS!!!!

Oh my goodness! My 11 month old, I recently discovered, is a bight er! When he gets angry at someone, he bights them! I fear for the two seven month olds that I keep three times a week. It has been O.K. so far but in the next couple of months they will be crawling and taking toys away like any other normal child. I fear that Benjamin will take his aggression out on them. He is starting to think twice about it and I pray this stage will soon end! I swore my kids would never do this.........

conversation starter

What interests you in a friendship? .....
I think the things I think about first are, Do they have any kids? Probably because I have my kids with me 98 % of the time. Second, Are they married? I don't like my husband to have single friends. It isn't in his best interest or mine. We need to have something in common with our friends. And, My Husband and I are becoming one right? So we look for friendships in other couples. Next, Do they have a similar belief system? Then , Are they honest and faithful? This is very important! (Obviously) Last, Do they encourage me and my family TO BE THE BEST WE CAN be?

What interests you in a friendship?

Art

I am deprived from my passion. I'm not sure if I'm doing it myself or if my passion just doesn't fit in to the life I have chosen. Anyhow, I thought I could change that and incorporate it into my occupation but it just didn't work out. So my next attempt is to take A.J. and Ben to an Art Exhibit. I might have something else to blog about if this works out the way I think it might. Wish us luck.

Just getting started

I might be in over my head with all the things the internet offers to take up time. Lets just add another. so not much is going on right now. In-laws coming in town this weekend and we are going to a Southlake game tomorrow night. Starting to plan the boys birthdays and some adventures for the future. After the holidays are over and everything calms down we will start changing some things in the house.
That's all-