My Four Bubs

The Mighty A

2012-02-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we traveled over to Alabama for some business with DB, and afterwards we took the kids to the USS Alabama (a/k/a The Mighty A).

(All my photos were watermarked along with the ones I took at the

USPCA Region 1 Trials... and I'm way too lazy to fix it).

This thing is ginormous! A bit of trivia... The Mighty A is half as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Wow, right?! I have no clue how many levels this thing has, but when we entered on the main deck, I counted at least 6 flights of stairs going down. DB had to stay topside with LadyBub, but I followed the boys down very steep, stairwells toting my camera around my neck AND clenching BB's arm with the death grip (yep, he climbed down all the stairs with us).

Maybe with all the men on board it would have seemed like tight quarters, but I was really surprised at the amount of space on the lower decks. There were dentist offices, medical offices, locker areas, bathrooms, etc., etc. I mean, you name it... they had it. I wish I could have taken more pics, but it was all I could handle just trying to keep pace with the big Bubs and hold on to BB so he wouldn't get hurt. Also? Imagine that my kids were the ONLY kids there amongst a bunch of retirees that were old enough to have probably served on The Mighty A and, trust me, you could hear us coming.

The face in the hole things get me every time. So funny. :)

These look comfy. Not.

When we made it back topside, there were turrets galore.

My boys get slightly overexcited when it comes to large weaponry...

... that's okay though. I was in desperate need of catching my breath.

We found out when we came through the other side of this thing that we weren't allowed to go in there in the first place. 'NO CLIMBING' in big red letters was painted on the other side (yeah, a picture would have been hilarious, but I was too busy walking away and gritting my teeth while yell-whispering get down! get down!)

After playing around on deck, it was time to climb up. I counted at least four stairways... the very top one was blocked off and thank goodness because we were high enough (no pictures of that either because I again had the death grip on BB).

We'll have to go back another day and tour the submarine because we were all too exhausted to even give that a second thought (and, nope, Bubba had no idea he was getting bunny-eared - HAHA).

We Partied Like It Was His Birfday

2012-02-20T17:56:00.000-06:00

'Cause it was...

BB's THIRD Birthday {today}!!!

So we took him to the Zoo (I took him last year and he had a blast, so we figure as much as it costs to get into the Zoo now for a family of 6... we'll make it an annual thing).

BB was really excited to see all (five of) the 'aminals' at our (tiny) Zoo.

{And, that comes to roughly $20 per Zoo animal for our viewing pleasure).

Um... can I put sanitizer on his lips?

We had to drag Mr. Eeeeew, NO WAY I'm going in there... we're all gonna get salmonella into the new bird enclosure. And then? Freakin' every bird in the place started to land on him. What's funnier than that?

Maybe the boys chanting 'poop, poop, poop!' when this one landed on his head.

And that about wraps up our Zoo. Now we're getting ready for some Angry Bird cake and then we'll probably get sucked into watching a marathon of Dora until the Birthday Boy falls asleep. :)

Before and After

2012-02-17T12:41:00.000-06:00

Bubba this morning before his appointment:

More than 2 hours later...

Me: "So, what did the dentist say??"

DB: 'Thanks for the money.'

What I'm Up To!

2012-02-08T10:19:00.002-06:00

OK, I've been busy!!! But, before y'all send out a search party, I thought I better do a little random updating... ;)

We finally decided to get a designated bedroom set up for BB and LadyBub.

This is the big Bubs' old bedroom and, although it photographs well, the walls were very dingy with... 'boy.' Seriously, they have baths before bed, but there were foot-smudge marks all over the walls from when we had the beds set up as bunks. D-I-Sgusting.

So... we (and by 'we' I mean 'I') painted the bedroom. I sent DB to the store and told him I wanted a 'Tiffany box blue' and he came home with this beautiful color, Valspar Eggshell in 'Sea Kiss.' It's perfect. :)

And, believe it or not, we went to Target, got separated, and when I found him in the bedding section he had already picked out the quilts for the beds. He did good, huh? (I was a little miffed that he didn't even wait for me, but after looking at everything Target had to offer, I agreed he made good choices).

{The table between the beds is going back to bright green. I painted the top a mint green and I don't like it.}

Nope, this isn't 'staged' they really did get in the wrong beds. HAHA!

All that's left is to hang stuff back on the walls...

and then see if I can actually get them to sleep in there. *SNORT* ;)

Of Cats and Sleepingbags

2012-01-16T10:43:00.001-06:00

This is us. Every night. For those of you who were utterly confused the last time I mentioned it? Yes, we sleep on the floor.

(It starts out nice and neat, but in the morning it looks like some strange bird nest).

We've always grabbed blankets and pillows and snuggled during 'family time.' Because we're such a loving family (and because between our couch and chair, there are 4 cushions to our 6 rear ends).

So, anyway, sleeping. Yeah. Ladybub didn't do much of it. When her first birthday rolled around and I was still getting up half a dozen times a night (and more), I was at my wit's end. I couldn't co-sleep with her in our bed because BB already claimed that spot (and he's a sloppy sleeper... he sleeps in the middle of DB and I, and we turn our backs to him so that we wake up with all our teeth).

One night Ladybub fell asleep on the living room floor while I was watching TV, so I grabbed a blanket and laid down next to her. That night she woke up ONCE. It was heavenly (and painful). For the next couple weeks, DB would hug me in the morning and I'd let out a whimper because many parts of my body felt bruised, but after awhile I was numb to the pain and, heck, I was actually getting some sleep.

So here we are some four months later, and you know what I realized last night? My kids don't have sleeping bags! How did this oversight occur? When I was a kid I had THE best sleeping bag... well, I think I did. It may all be a figment of my imagination, but I vividly remember a sleeping bag. Of course, it could turn out to be like the cat...

The cat, you ask? Well, yes, there was a cat (I'm sure of it). A cat my grandmother brought to me when I was in 3rd, maybe 4th, grade. It's so vivid, it's almost like it happened yesterday. You see, my grandparents came to visit us in their RV. It was a bright sunny day, my grandma opened the door to her RV, stepped out, and in her hands she held a teeny, tiny kitten for ME. HOLY COW! I had wanted a kitten f.o.r.e.v.e.r. (except my parents weren't 'cat people' because cats are nasty, being that they crap in a small box and then spend all day hanging out on your kitchen counter, or dining table). Needless to say, my parents made her take it back home with her. I was crushed. It was still my cat though, and grandma was good about updating me on him or her and it lived a long, happy life.

My parents came to visit us at Christmas. They couldn't stay at our house (with our dogs) and opted for a hotel instead because, ironically, they now have not one, but two cats (hairless cats... because to non-cat people, hairless cats aren't 'real' cats. I would like to point out, however, that although hairless, much like 'regular' cats, they still crap in a small box and then hang out on your kitchen counter. Just sayin'). And so I very innocently recounted my very vivid memory of them denying me that kitten three decades earlier. They didn't remember.

The next morning they came over and presented a united front that the 'cat incident' never happened (they were apparently up half the night wracking their brains and came to the conclusion I was nuts). In fact, they insisted I call my grandmother and ask her. I was feeling pretty sure of myself... grandma WILL remember and I will be vindicated. As the phone rang, my parents were still talking amongst themselves, agreeing that it never took place. Mom even went as far as to say 'your grandfather would NEVER allow an animal to ride in a vehicle with him.'

Grandma answered, I quickly brought her up to speed, and the first thing she said was 'Grandpa would NEVER allow an animal to ride in a vehicle with him.' (Yeah, I think it sounded a little too rehearsed as well). Also, as to my vivid recollection of the RV? They didn't own the RV until I was in high school, so I pretty much made this whole scenario up in my mind. It must have been a dream that I somehow turned into a memory and held onto all these years. Yep, my parents are still laughing.

So when I say I had this really cool sleeping bag... maybe I didn't. Who knows. But what I vividly remember is a plush, light blue sleeping bag and on the inside BAM! a life-sized John Travolta in his white suit, striking a pose. Did I even like John Travolta? Who knows. I do remember a dancing show... I think. Was it Solid Gold? Am I just thinking of the movie he was in and getting things all confused? Who knows. But I'm certain I remember taking it to numerous sleepovers, inching down into it and covering my eyes while watching Godzilla vs. Mothra and being scared out of my mind, and standing up and pulling it over my head while my brother and I blindly ran into each other and laughed hysterically (this isn't recommended, I think he lost some teeth that way). It could all be a figment of my warped imagination, but the bottom line is... my kids don't have sleeping bags and we sleep on the floor A LOT. Parental fail. I think a trip to Walmart is in order.

Happy Day!

2012-01-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

The New Year is off to a grrrrrrreat start!!! It may have something to do with BAMA winning the BCS last night. WHOOOOO HOOOOOO! (Which has absolutely nothing to do with these pictures that I took at the park the other day). :)

We're having a very mild January. I think we're supposed to get some chilly stuff this weekend, but otherwise it has been really nice, hot even.

If LadyBub gets any cuter, I don't know what I'll do.

The Bubs all need haircuts, so excuse their scruffiness. It'll need to be done soon too because Bubba is going with DB on a business trip. He's gonna be gone for 8 days and I have NO idea what I'm going to do without my big brother helper. I'm trying not to think about it.

Toothless here will be my extra set of hands while Bubba is gone. I'm. in. big. trouble. HAHA!

And, this little turkey is still talking up a storm. My fave is when I leave a room and I hear him yell 'Mom??' 'Where at you??' It makes my heart swell up... of course, the terrible 3's are looming and his standard response to most requests is 'No, I NOT.' *big gust of air as heart deflates* ;)

ROLL TIDE!!!

(Which still has nothing at all to do with this post, but we're a little nutty over here).

Matthew 18:20

2012-01-09T09:31:00.001-06:00

Rach and Mr. D, we love ya and we're gonna pray y'all right on through this!

Matthew 18:20

{Rach and Mr. D. are the nicest people I've never met. ;) If y'all love 'em too, please grab the Rockin' button, above, and remind them we're all praying}.

New Year Crafting

2012-01-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

One day when I'm not sleeping on the living room floor right next to Ladybub so that she'll sleep through the night, she's gonna have her own room. In fact, ~~she~~ we may get our own room soon so that I can try and sleep in a bed (of course, after nearly 3 months on the floor, I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be able to sleep in a bed again).

Anywho, I already have some ideas floating around in my head for ~~her~~ our room. Tiffany inspired (love those little blue boxes) - robin's egg blue, black, white, and silver.

She's growing some hair, so my first project was to make a bow holder. I found a wooden 'A' at Walmart for less than $2, a couple spools of ribbon, and some blue paint (I already had the silver and white paint).

I hot glued the ribbon to the back of the 'A' and also the loop at the top so it could be hung. I used a new pencil with an unused eraser to dip in the white and silver paint for perfectly round dots. Then I used a Sharpie marker to make tiny black dots around the white dots and to add her initials. A thin coat of polyurethane to finish it off and voila! Now I just need a room to hang it in. :)

Christmas Wrap-Up

2011-12-29T19:03:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful, albeit barf-filled, Christmas.

I spent way too much time trying to get that perfect-glowy-Christmas tree picture (and the only thing I was successful at was convincing myself I need a 50mm lens for my birthday in order for my pictures to not suck).

BB spent the majority of his holiday sicker than I ever care to see him again. He had a stomach virus that just would. not. go. away. After 3 days of vomit, I took him to the doctor and they gave him Zofran... and after another 4 days of being drugged up so he could hold down Pedialyte and Saltines, he finally turned the corner.

Christmas Eve was... really not that great, but yet still peaceful in that celebrating Jesus way? If that makes any sense. The big Bubs went to bed early (7:30pm), and around 10pm I started pulling out all the 'Santa' stuff so I could go to bed. Then? Chaos. BB woke up and then threw up and DB took him to the bathroom to get in the shower. His crying in turn woke up LadyBub who began her own crying. Then, Lil' Bub woke up and walked down the hall to ask me if Santa had come yet. I told him of course not because everyone was still awake; however, he somehow got past me without my knowledge and then I caught him coming back up the hallway in the other direction. I was SO upset that he had seen the box of Santa stuff in the corner of the dining room (we leave our Santa gifts unwrapped), as well as all the stocking stuffers I was in the middle of organizing that were all over the table.

It took awhile to get everyone settled back down. DB took BB into our room to watch Scooby Do and try to get him back to sleep, and it was nearly midnight before LadyBub crashed out and I laid her on a blanket on the living room floor. I was exhausted and near tears and still freaking out that Lil' Bub was going to wake up in the morning and tell me he saw everything in the dining room. I started hurling toys under the tree and cramming stockings with whatever I touched first on the table, and then the phone started ringing off the hook... DB's grandfather had passed away. Not completely unexpected, but still somewhat of a shock. I think we finally went to bed around 1a.m. and the boys woke up at 5:30a.m. to open presents.

Thankfully Lil' Bub had not seen anything... or he deserves the Oscar for outstanding performance by a child on Christmas morning pretending his DSi was from Santa and not his parents.

The Bubs raked in more loot than... well, I'm not sure what exactly, but it ought to be illegal. Nooks, DSi's, video cameras, insanely large Nerf guns, light sabers, blah, blah, blah... and so on. Oh, and my fave? A hard drive for their beloved Xbox *rolls eyes* (because y'all know how much I ♥ the Xbox). ;)

DB and I are still getting used to the new 'pink corner' of the living room. It's so weird for us to walk through the house and see this stuff after 10 years of guns and action figures.

And then there are the clothes... :)

So, not exactly orchestrated and planned out to the contentment of my little OCD heart, but we DID have a wonderful Christmas with music and movies and great food and laughter and snuggly pj's and lots and lots of vomit.

My very favorite moment was Christmas evening when the kiddos were all playing and I looked across the room at DB and we smiled at each other, thankful that we had pulled off another memorable Christmas for the kids and enjoying a moment of feeling truly, truly blessed.

WHERE are the Candy Canes???!!!

2011-12-20T22:51:00.000-06:00

We went to see Santa tonight and, for the bargain price of $27.50, we got a 5x7 and 4 wallets of this...

Lil' Bub flat out refused to see Santa because 'that dude' wasn't the 'real Santa' and he wasn't going to waste his time with some fat poser.

Baby Bub who was super excited before we got there, saying 'Merry, Merry Chris,' clammed up the second his butt hit Santa's lap... head down, blank stare.

Lady Bub screamed her head off while DB stood 2 feet from her and giggled, as I yelled like a crazy woman from behind the barrier 'Pick her up! Pick her up!!!'

Bubba, who is our always charismatic, happy-go-lucky child, looked like he was in pain.

And 30 seconds and nearly $30 bucks later, we have a wonderful Christmas memory.

Santa looks thrilled, no? {Seriously, the more I look at his face, the more I laugh.}

And just to prove Baby Bub wasn't emotionally traumatized at his very first meeting with Santa, he stayed put while Bubba rattled off all the things he wants for Christmas (and, yes, I took my camera, but by the time we realized their picture was going to be crap, we'd already agreed to pay for it).

He also stayed put while Santa offered up a... wait. a. minute... reindeer headband? WHAT THE CANDY CANE is going on over here??? For $27.50 they can't pass out a candy cane?!

So, we drove 25 minutes to the mall, pissed off all the kids, got a crappy picture to commemorate the experience, and then walked to the food court to learn that Chick-Fil-A C.L.O.S.E.D. As in...GONE. As in, NO more Chick -Fil-A and 'kids eat free Tuesday nights' at the mall. Ever.

Ah, memories.

We then went across the street to a 'sit down' restaurant and had dinner and laughed about the picture through the entire meal (well, maybe not Lady Bub, but she'll laugh later, right?) ;)

Elf Planking

2011-12-17T14:32:00.000-06:00

WW ~ Yep, He's a Bama Fan Too!

2011-12-07T13:49:00.000-06:00

Really Practical Gifts

2011-11-28T18:51:00.000-06:00

I'm on top of things this year - the first round of Christmas cards were mailed out before Thanksgiving, I'm pretty much done with shopping for the kids, I bought wrapping paper and snagged the cute little scrap-book gift tags that the Dollar Store has if you get there early, and I decided I'd make a few handmade gifts and ordered super cute Christmas fabric last month so that I could get started. Whew, I am good.

I had big plans to make several Christmas table runners. I made a few last year, but I didn't hand-bind them and that's not really the right way to do it and stuff like that bothers me. So I set out this year to do them right, having read up on binding and slip stitching. And, I made... ONE. One was enough. Hand binding is a pain in the you know where.

Then I had an epiphany. Zipper pouches! Because they're cute, useful, I've never made one before and I like a challenge, and I had all this really cute Christmas fabric that needed a project.

Uh... Christmas fabric? Cute, but not real practical... unless the recipients really love Christmas. I suppose this will eat at me until I order some really cute non-Christmas fabric and go back and make all the intended recipients some 'everyday' zipper pouches to go along with their Christmas ones. Unless, of course, I decide I want to make table runners.

Letters!

2011-11-18T08:34:00.000-06:00

Dear Baby Bub and Lady Bub,

Could y'all PUH-leeeeease stop tag-team pooping? Set your little clocks and get your business done at the same time. We'll get an assembly line of diaper changes going and be done with it because this changing one of you and 10 minutes later changing the other is for the birds!

Love,

Your Momma Who is Knee Deep in Shhhhhhhhh....tuff

* * * * * * *

Dear Walmart,

I love me some lay-a-way and I was so excited to learn you were bringing it back for the Christmas holidays, BUT I've been in to pay on my lay-a-way 4 times now and every. single. time. I'm told I can't make a payment at the check out register and every. single. time. I say 'yes I can,' as I hand the cashier my lay-a-way receipt and tell said cashier all she has to do is scan the bar code at the top of the receipt. All four cashiers have reluctantly done as instructed (while looking at me sideways like I'm an alien from another planet) then when the receipt has been scanned and my lay-a-way total pops up on the screen (just like I said it would), they FLIP out, throw their hands up in the air, say they weren't 'trained' on how to take a payment, and then turn on their little blinking manager light. Every. single. time. It's super convenient.

The point of my letter, other than to just gripe for the hell of it, is to suggest that I get compensation or some sort of discount for training 4 of your employees. My time is valuable. No doubt I'll be imparting my lay-a-way wisdom on a 5th employee next week. Maybe a simple memo to all your cashiers would have been a good idea?

Sincerely,

SMDH Every Time I Try to Pay on My Lay-a-Way

* * * * * * *

Dear DB,

When you get home in a couple days, you will have been gone for 20 days. TWENTY. I do alright, but there comes a point when this gets old. It's usually right around day twelve. I needed some retail therapy. And I needed it bad. You bought me a new purse and wallet.

Don't worry... it didn't set you back that much. In fact, I'm not even sure it's real leather. It feels like leather, but for what you paid, I doubt it. It's just leather-ish. Our anniversary is a month away, so we can call it an early anniversary present (or not). Or we can just call it what it really is... a sanity purchase. And if you intend to be away like this, I will be making more of them.

Love,

Your Wife Who Loves Her New Purse

One More Time

2011-11-16T11:22:00.000-06:00

Aaaaaaaannd here we go UH-gain.

After first taking the big Bubs to the beach on Saturday and then BB on Sunday, I loaded up ALL the Bubs and we went out to the beach for the third and final installment of TBCCPS (The Big Christmas Card Photo Shoot). "Practicing" sort of went out the window because this was a lot of dang work (washing all the wet, sandy clothes included), so I decided to make do with the shots I was able to get.

Yep, I said wet. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum got IN the water. It's still warm... we can still get away with shorts and flops, but it's not THAT warm. *rolls eyes* Boys.

This was the best group shot so, yeah, we're not having a group shot on the Christmas cards.

I'm sure my camera guru, Pam, knows... but I think the ISO is off in this one? It was super hard to see if the pictures were any good while we were out there because it was so bright - made it hard to adjust settings (even though I don't know what I'm doing anyway). Anyhow, not the best, but there's a sweetness to this picture that I like (plus I really wanted a picture with the butterfly on Lady Bub's jeans showing - HAHA!).

In this one as well, we have white ocean instead of blue, but I love this picture. I can see the 'teen' starting to show in Bub... he looks so grown up. :(

Finally - BLUE water! YAY!

This one is getting framed.

And last, but not least, my little princess. She did good. ;) Well, I'm pretty fairly almost certain that I'm DONE with my Christmas cards... maybe. I made a collage card and it looked great and I ordered it. But, of course, LB lost his dangling by a thread tooth Sunday night and if I think about it too much, I'll be loading everyone back up in the car to go get that toothless Christmas card shot. We'll see... DB will be home to help me next week. I don't think I should deprive him of the enjoyment of a photo session. I know how much he loooooooooves it.

Sandy Suckers

2011-11-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

This is what it looks like when you drop your sucker in the sand before you even get one lick.

This is what it looks like when you try and get the sand off your sucker.

And this is what it looks like when your mom says screw it and lets you eat the sandy sucker

because she wants a Christmas-card-worthy shot.

TBCCPS

2011-11-12T21:28:00.000-06:00

I need some, like, dramatic Law & Order music or something... ya know, the - - -

DUN. DUN.

{I'm not trying to be a stick in the sand, but I need LB's gross-rotting-gray-hanging sideways-been like that for 3 months-wiggles when he breathes-stupid tooth OUT. Like, NOW! Toothless xmas card pictures? Yes, please!}

I took the 'bigs' out to the beach for practice shots today. It went decent. 'K, it went better than decent. What I mean to say is... I'm happy. Christmas card photos are never easy. Last year's card sucked and I've been stewing about it for a year. But?

DUN. DUN.

I snagged me a good one this year. What? Not all of the Bubs? Small victories, my friends. Small victories. And, I'll take it.

And there are other delicious, yummy alternatives saved on my computer just waiting to learn their fate. Will they make this year's card? Hmmmm.... (Yes, I talk to my pictures. What, you don't? Just look away. I'm DELIRIOUS at this point).

Next up? The littler half of this foursome...

Preparing

2011-11-11T16:36:00.000-06:00

I'm still practicing for TBCCPS (The Big Christmas Card Photo Shoot).

I'm consumed with it... I'm not sleeping, not eating (okay, not really but I am pretty obsessed).

I'll be back after TBCCPS is complete, I have the pictures I want, and my cards have been ordered because the TBCCPS is serious business around here.

{BB is facing forward, looking at the camera, and smiling... this will never happen again}.

And, if things go as wonderfully as I'm hoping (*knock on wood*), my Christmas cards won't contain the above photos.

Wish me luck... ;)

Monday Mugs ~ Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T05:45:00.002-05:00

Aren't they handsome? Somehow our agreement to put a little face paint below their eyes turned horribly wrong. Why?

Because I put DB in charge of face paint.

BB joined right in with his brothers. We had a Scooby Do (or 'Coopy Do') costume that was Ah-dorable, but he refused to put it on. I took it back and got him this hideous camo thing, thinking (hoping) that he'd go for it when he saw his brothers. It worked.

I could have dressed this cute thing up in a bazillion different costumes oozing lace and frills, but instead...

...she went as Chewbacca. Because we already had the costume. And because I'm cheap.
(With three older brothers, if we continue this trend she's gonna hate Halloween).

This is how my littles rolled... they busted right up in our neighbors' houses, got comfortable, and picked out what they wanted.

And when we were done at each house, BB promptly looked over his shoulder and told the candy giver to 'close de dor.'

* * * *

Stop by Heather's for more Halloween fun.

Story of My {Photography} Life

2011-10-30T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm having panic attacks... about Christmas cards. It's all I can think about. I came up with a brilliant plan though. It's a 3-step plan. First, I'm going to take practice shots of the kids... see what works with each one (who I can bribe, who I have to yell at, etc.). Then, I'll take each one out to the beach for individual shots (they're easier to work with one-on-one). Finally, we'll all go out to the beach for a group shot (which will surely be a hideous outtake, but it won't matter because I'll have fabulous individual shots to fall back on. And then, of course, I will spend countless hours on-line creating The. Best. Christmas. Card. Evah. while the laundry piles up and the kids destroy the house). See, I have a plan.

******************

First up for practice shots? BB. Can y'all appreciate how difficult it is to get an obstinate toddler to put on a button-down dress shirt? Uh huh. But, we did it... with no crying. Why?

Because I bribed him with a gourd.

Aaaaaaand... there he goes climbing out of the chair.

But, I got him back in the chair. Thank you gourd.

Hmmm. Okay. Better.

Ooh, a smile. Oh. my. gourd. *palpitations*

Okay, now, just look at mommy. Please?

Nope. Wrong way.

Okay, baby, could we just put the gourd down for a minute...

Wait. WHAT'S that sound???

Really??? Are you kidding?

OH. MY. HELL.

RUUUUUUN!!!!

*HEADSMACK*

NOW you want to sit still?

DUUUUDE, I SAID RUN!!!

My camera CAN. NOT. get wet.

Okay, minor setback. However, I am not a quitter. We do not quit. We'll just move to the other side of the yard where it's dry... ooh, and we'll look at the pumpkin! Look at the pumpkin, buddy!

*sigh* Yeah, I know, sweetie...

"Wet."

Let's go inside.

TST - I Hate Bugs

2011-10-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

Wednesday evening before bed, Bubba screamed 'bug, bug, bug... BIIIIIIIG bug.' I knew exactly what it was. With all the things that have happened while DB has been out of town... dead fish, cleaning the fish tank, ginormous spider (which I washed in the washing machine - a story for another day), etc., etc., I knew what it was without him having to say (ya know, Murphy's Law and everything). It had rained. Every. year. we get at least one or two in the house. Always after it rains. And they're always in the bathroom. HUGE cockroach. Seriously, they're as big as a small mouse.

I grabbed the broom and ran into my bathroom before it had a chance to get away. I smacked the floor several times and then finally made contact. It flipped over on it's back and I did the most rational thing I could think of at the moment... I picked up the *ramekin off the bathroom floor and covered the bug so it couldn't escape.

**For your viewing pleasure -

***With the monster trapped, I turned on the closet light so that if the kids got up in the night to use the potty, they could easily see the ramekin.

The next morning I struggled with what to do. I needed to clean the house because my MIL was going to be visiting on Friday. I thought about asking our neighbor, Mr. T, to pick up the bug for me. After all, he's single... he has to be his own 'bug getter,' right? Well, I felt stupid about it and I couldn't bring myself to ask him.

Later that day, the guys that live across the street came over to help with our fish tank (also a story for another day). They brought over their fish vac for me to borrow, and while they were telling me how to use it all I could think about was how I could work 'large bugs' into the conversation. I mean, they were letting me borrow their tank vac to vacuum up fish poop. Surely they wouldn't think twice about picking up a bug for me. Well, I couldn't bring myself to ask them either.

Finally, Friday afternoon my MIL arrived. I was getting desperate. I knew it was my only chance... otherwise we'd be stepping over the dang ramekin for 2 more weeks until DB got home (and trust me, with 4 kids and 2 dogs running through the house, it was just a matter of time before someone knocked it over). So, I came up with a plan. (Yeah, I'm spineless. So what). I leaned over to Bubba and quietly said 'you and your brother need to man up and go get that bug out of my bathroom. It's just a bug' (my attempt at reverse psychology). LB overheard and freaked out and went and asked his Nanny to get the bug. I held my breath. And??? Without even a second thought, SHE GOT THE BUG!!! Whew! My ordeal was over! (And then she laughed that it had been there for 2 days).

*DB was a chef. We have TONS of ramekins... and they're all over the house because the kids like to play with them.

**The photo was staged for this post and that is NOT the actual bug ramekin. I threw it away. At some point in the future, I didn't want to be dipping my fries in honey mustard and be wondering is this the bug ramekin?

***When DB is out of town, ALL the kids and the dogs sleep in my room with me. Amberly in her crib, the boys and Heidi Belle in the bed, and Hoss on the floor. Cozy, no? Let me tell you, there were some close calls with the ramekin. Hoss was very interested in it. I woke up many times to make sure it was still in place.

Share your TST at:

Sitting in the Chair...

2011-10-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

Where have I been? Well, DB has been out of town... for awhile. And, he's not due back... for awhile. And? Ladybub has decided she'd like to climb on EVERYTHING. Of particular interest is the chair in the living room. We have carpeting, so it's not like she'd get a concussion or anything (and, yes, she's fallen once already), but she has ZERO coordination or bodily control and, of course, she wants to climb up over the back of the chair and dive head-first into the window, or bungee jump off the sides (except without the bungee). She's. driving. me. bonkers. Someone literally has to be sitting in the chair AT ALL TIMES.

{She thinks she's funny.}

So that's where I've been. I'm sitting in the chair so she won't... and I'm hungry, tired, and I really have to pee. I've tried to use my time wisely by learning how to use my camera in manual mode. If you notice the grainy, shoddy excuse for a photo (above), it's not going well. Thankfully my MIL will be here in a couple days. Guess what I have planned for her?

Yep. She's going to have a nice, relaxing visit - in the chair... while I catch up on the things around the house that I can't do from the chair. Like... EVERYTHING. Starting with the laundry that is stacking up in the hallway because no more will fit in the laundry room (and taking out the trash). I'll spare you a picture of the dirty dishes in the sink because no one should have to see that (actually, maybe the dishes would have been more welcome than the dirty underwear on the floor).

How many days in a row do you think kids can survive on Pop Tarts? Never mind.

I'll be back when reinforcements arrive...

Operation Find Julie (and a Project)

2011-09-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

**Operation Find Julie** The Blog Dominator a/k/a King Julien's URL has changed and, ~~since Rach pointed out that I owe Julie due to the infamous April Fool's Joke of 2010,~~ since I completely adore her and blogging just wouldn't be the same without her, I'm going to leave this message up for a few days at the top of my posts so that you can FIND HER. Foursons

* * * * * * *

Okay, so I've been working on a project. We have a dining room table with 4 chairs... which means one person has to wait for a chair (Miss Ladybub has her highchair for now, but she's been eyeballing the dining chairs lately. I'm sure she wants to claim her spot, and then we'll be down 2 chairs). And because we could all too easily end up like the Heck's (on my fave show The Middle, after all we already have their bedspread on our bed. Yes. We do. The exact one) and pull up lawn chairs to the dining room table for the extra family members...

... I decided we better do something about it NOW. We've extended the leaf, we're in the process of looking for a bench, AND I'm giving this very old table (DB grew up eating at it) a much needed makeover.

I'm painting it charcoal gray (the flash makes it look lighter than it actually is).

Not quite finished yet. Once it's done, we're going to work on the table top. I wanted to leave it its original color, but now that the chairs are different, the seats look really light and don't match the dark wood in the table top. At. All. I think we're going to have to sand it down and go with a lighter stain to make everything look good, but I like the way it's looking so far. Whatcha think?

Jules is LOST!!!

2011-09-26T07:42:00.000-05:00

FIND. HER.

Foursons

www.myfourboys.com

The Birthdays are Done!

2011-09-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

Lil' Bub turned 7 on Friday. We had already celebrated his birthday when the boys had their big party, but we wanted to do something 'special' on his special day ~~because we're trying to avoid therapy later.~~

The Superintendent (a/k/a me) lets all the kids have the day off on their birthday, so we went to the put-put/arcade place (we'd never been before). It was great - we were the only people there. Lil' Bub had a blast and even made THREE hole in one's.

Documenting the event was a little more difficult. All the pictures looked like this...

and this...

We have no idea what BB was saying, but he was persistent.

He did this at EVERY hole - we had to pick him up and

move him to the next hole and then he'd

do it again. HAHA!

Later that afternoon we went swimming and had cake, thus concluding the August/September birthdays. Whew! Now on to Halloween...

Par for the Course

2011-09-12T15:19:00.001-05:00

I took my poor, barefoot baby into Target this morning and bought her a pair of shoes. Her first shoes. *Sigh*

Oddly, it dawned on me that while my boys can have one pair of shoes that seem to match every stitch of clothing they own, apparently it's not the same for girls. For now, we'll have to coordinate everything around these little lavender shoes with pink butterflies on the toe (or I can just say she's hip beyond her, um, year and we're totally into the color blocking trend). ;)

After Target, we stopped at a fabulous park on the water with huge oak trees and I had visions of capturing some really great pictures (stupid me)... except that 2 minutes after we arrived, Lil' Bub plunged off a 50 foot rock climbing wall (okay, it wasn't that high) and let out blood curdling screams (in only the way a jilted middle child can) that he broke his leg (he didn't).

Then, of course, Baby Bub wanted in on the action and he proceeded to climb up a structure I totally didn't think he could climb up. He then stood at the top of a 50 foot slide and decided to look over the edge instead of sitting down like normal people. I think I yelled something like 'you better sit the hell down.' Nice, right? Freaked. me. out (yes, we were quite the spectacle at the park). But, in my defense, I had Lady Bub in my arms and no way to catch him if his large toddler head threw him off balance and his little body decided to follow said large head right over the edge of the slide... it was really high).

{That's not a bruise or dirt on her wrist/hand/leg...

BB colored on her with a 'washable' marker that didn't wash.}

Well, two flashes of spending my afternoon in the ER in less than 5 minutes was enough for me. I promptly loaded everyone back up in the car and we left (and I listened to a plethora of whining and complaining and 'not fairs' all the way home... or at least until we made it to a McDonald's and I bribed them with a Happy Meal to be quiet).

Lady Bub thinks the shoes are pretty nifty though (even if we don't need them now because we are never. leaving. the. house. again.). :)

Because It's Her Birfday!

2011-09-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

She had her party on Saturday with her brothers, but today is her special day. She got flowers from her Daddy this morning, a tradition he's planning to continue each year (and when she's older he wants to take her to lunch too, just the two of them), so she will grow up knowing how a man should treat her. *melt*

Then, we went to the butterfly park and took pictures of her in her new butterfly dress from Nanny. :)

{Hmmmm... we should probably buy her some shoes now that she's walking, huh?! However, I get points for already buying her a toothbrush - - I won't tell you when I realized I needed to buy Baby Bub a toothbrush 'cause it's just plain embarrassing.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Tonight, we'll be cutting into a cute little pink Barbie cake... and we all know how she feels about cake! ;)

Happy Birthday my sweet little princess... I love you to the moon and back.

It's Safe to Say She Likes Cake

2011-09-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

Mother Nature Hates Me

2011-08-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

I've been midnight crafting again. I was going to title this 'A Bunting We Will Go' to be ~~corny~~ clever, or 'The Bubs' Big Birthday Bash' because that's why I've been midnight crafting, but after watching the news I had to go with 'Mother Nature Hates Me.' I'll explain...

First, I made another hat (oh, hush).

Well, I had to. The other one didn't match any of Ladybub's dresses.

Plus, she has only worn this dress once and I love the colors so I decided to use it as inspiration for her decorations.

Then, I made a bunting out of scraps of fabric.

And, I'm in the middle of making tissue paper poms. These things are addictive. The table cloth is yellow, the plates/napkins are teal... I feel like I need one more color of pom. Look up there at the bunting and tell me what color to use. Pink? I think that's the only color that's not represented, and maybe it will tone down the 'bright' of the colors I have so far?

Anyhow, now there's a tropical ~~nuisance~~ disturbance that magically appeared overnight in the Gulf and we have a 50% chance of rain on Saturday... for our OUTSIDE birthday bash. The Bub's invited 14 kids, we've reserved a ginormous water slide, I put on the invites that everyone should wear trunks and bring a towel, and we're planning to BBQ. Yep, Mother Nature Hates Me. But, there's an even bigger chance of rain Sunday/Monday, so I'm hoping that we'll be spared between the hours of 2pm and 4pm on Saturday. Who knows, maybe it'll be overcast and cooler and actually enjoyable to be outside? It could happen, right?

And, I may or may not have another outfit, top and bloomers, cut out and ready to sew. Ya know, in case there's a need for a costume change (hush). ;)

P.S. ~ *Laughing* I guess the boy Bubs aren't really represented here, but they didn't care for tissue poms. They're getting a green table cloth and green/brown balloons, unless I can find anything in camouflage because that's what they specifically requested.

Do Y'all Have One of These?

2011-08-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

Ya know...

A Food Storage Device?

Or... as DB likes to call it - Large Tupperware.

Birthday Craftin'

2011-08-19T06:47:00.000-05:00

I'm smack in the middle of getting everything ready for the Bubs' Big Birthday Bash! September 3rd, we'll be celebrating Bub's 11th, Lil' Bub's 7th, and Lady Bub's 1st (and since I don't want my winter baby to feel left out, I suppose we'll include BB as well and have an 'unbirthday' celebration for his 2.5).

So... *drum roll* I give you... Lady Bub's 1st Birthday Hat! :)

I took a cereal box, cut a large triangle (with rounded bottom edge instead of straight), and then folded it in half and stapled it (and when I say 'fold' I really just brought the sides of the triangle together so that it would make a cone-shape). I used my cardboard template to trace out the same shape on my fabric (actually, I did that before I stapled it). Then, I covered my cone with felt. I don't think that was really necessary, but I didn't want it to feel like a cereal box. I sewed the '1' onto the fabric and then sewed the sides of the fabric together, sort-of making a cone pillowcase for my hat. After that, I pulled the fabric over the cone and blinged it up with my hot glue gun. Oh, and since silk flowers are not cheap, I used a small square of Velcro to attach the flower to the hat - - that's so getting made into a headband after the party!

Now, Lady Bub has about three different dress choices for her birthday and I've been having trouble deciding which one to go with. BUT??? None of them match this hat. HAHA!

If at First You Don't Succeed...

2011-08-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

After the Bubs got their plank on, we did actually go in Super Cuts and get much needed haircuts (or maybe these qualify as trims, since 2 of them can still get their hair into a decent ponytail). ;)

I've been waiting, like, a month to go somewhere other than our front yard and get pictures of all the kids together. Finally, I got my ~~way~~ wish.

But it can never be that simple, huh?

*S.I.G.H.*

And, not for lack of trying... because I TRIED.

And TRIED.

And, after I snapped this picture and looked over at DB's face?

I knew this was as good as it was going to get because he might as well

have had 'I'm ready to go' stamped across his forehead. LOL.

So, I faked a smile and let Baby Bub run off with DB to play while I got a couple more shots of the two kids ~~I could threaten~~ who would listen and the one that can still be restrained.

And then I perked up a little. :)

And this one is getting framed because it makes me giggle.

WW ~ Two and a Half Planks

2011-08-17T04:31:00.000-05:00

On a Roll

2011-08-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

Have y'all noticed I'm on a bloggin' roll lately? Content might suck but, hey, I'm posting.

Well, we started back to school this morning and it went great! We're using the workbox system this year and I'm more organized than I've ever been. This year will be smooth sailing...

I'm a bit of an overachiever... I hauled my scrapbook stuff out of the closet to make the name tags and
numbered cards (might as well use it for something). Then, I picked up some laminating sheets at JoAnn's, laminated everything, and pulled out the hot glue gun and attached the Velcro.

The only problem is the littles keep pulling my numbered cards off the drawer fronts and I am finding them all over the house.

I'm in the middle of a sewing frenzy . The 'chocolate donut' (hee, hee) boppy cover was a big hit and so is the matching blanket. All the boys want one now.

And, and??? WHY oh WHY did no one tell me I. can. ruffle. with. my. sewing. machine????!!! I thought I had to have a special ruffling foot, but NO!!! All you have to do is set the tension. *smacks head* Have I told y'all I ♥ ruffles?!!!

Ladybub loves ruffles too... or sunscreen, not sure.

And I found the tutorial for this on my new favorite thing evah... PINTEREST (it's almost as good as ruffles)! Thank you, Brandi and Tina! Y'all have created a pinning fool! {To find me there: Thebubsmom}. This cutie little dress was made out of one of DB's t-shirts.

Okay, I must get back to sewing and ruffling and pinning... and upcycling all of DB's t-shirts into a new wardrobe for my girl. ;)

Have a great week!

A New BOP-EEEEE

2011-08-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

This kid ♥ his boppy.

He drags it around the house with him, naps with it, snuggles with it, can't sleep at night without it... it's his 'security boppy' (and it's one of the words he can say really well 'BOP-EEEEE'). :)

And with ratty manufacturer's tag and busted zipper, this poor 'ol boppy has seen better days.

So... a trip to JoAnn's and $11 later...

BB is the proud new owner of a brown minky-dot boppy cover.

{photographed in LadyBub's crib, no we don't make the boy sleep in pink bedding}.

I took the old boppy cover, disassembled it with my seam ripper, pinned its dead carcass to the new fabric, cut around it, stayed up until midnight sewing (the big boys were having a sleepover, so there was no point in trying to go to bed anyway), and voila!

Brand. New. Boppy.

I even added some ribbon 'tags' because he would rub the manufacturer's tag on the old cover while drifting off to sleep.

Sis says hmmmmmm.

Uh oh...

Because It's Hot

2011-08-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

Alternatively titled: Why Firemen are Cool

...because they will let your boys and your boys' dog -

- do this.

Even with all the crazy water restrictions right now.

And it was FUN.

Apparently.

Really fun.

And probably necessary in order to avoid heat stroke, I think.

I'm ready for fall now.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-08-11T05:55:00.000-05:00

There has been a firestorm of You Know You're From groups popping up on Face Book lately. In fact, in the last week, there have been two just for my high school. Well, one group for the little town in Texas, who someone illiterately established as 'You Know You From Cove When...' (but you can't expect much from a place that renamed the school mascot and changed it from Bulldogs to Bulldawgs), as well as a spin-off group that is class-specific *cough-coughclassof90cough* because none of us more, ahem, mature alumni could understand the younger generation's text-speak (yes, I come from a distant time called complete sentences).

Needless to say, it's been quite entertaining to see what everyone remembers. Honestly, the fact that we still remember anything is encouraging (well, with the exception of DB... he's pretty sketchy from about '87 - '90, so this may all be news to him).

You know you're from Cove when... you consider this to be a 'hairstyle' (or you show up at the salon on Saturday morning hungover from a kegger).

You could also be from Cove if you stood in front of this tree in your senior portraits. I'll step out on a limb here (pun intended) and tell you that all 360-ish graduating seniors have a picture in front of this very tree.

Also? You would know you had been a Copperette if red lipstick and blue and gold eyeshadow were staples in your daily beauty regimen, even when you weren't performing (and in case anyone is wondering, blue and gold should never be worn on the face). And... they used to make us wear pantyhose under our uniform. Yep. Socks OVER pantyhose - in. Texas. (as in, it was a cool 105* in the shade, and probably the reason to this day I haven't touched a pair of pantyhose in 20 years).

You might be from Cove if your *cough-coughcheerleadercough* boyfriend agreed to wear purple to the senior prom (a very important first insight as to his trainability - yep, he was a keeper). ;)

And, finally, you absolutely know you're from Copperas Cove, Texas if you risked being late to graduation so you could stop off at the 7-Eleven for a Big Gulp.

*Disclaimer* I do not want to know if you were in kindergarten when I graduated from high school, and I especially do not want to know if you weren't even born yet. Just keep that info to yourself. Thankyouverymuch. :P

Wordy Wednesday - Walking!

2011-08-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

Someone

is officially

walking!!!

Eleven months old on Monday, and it didn't take her long to start zooming around the house (and that's chocolate smeared all over the side of her dress. I took BB to speech while DB 'watched' LadyBub. DB's baby watching = put the baby in the high chair with a handful of chocolate chips! hahahaha). ;)

Happy Wednesday!

I'm Addicted

2011-08-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

To taking pictures...

.... and this is my new favorite picture of the moment - I like the slightly quirky ones {she's wearing her 'Daddy's Shirt-Dress' which is way too big, but I couldn't resist giving it a try}.

She looks just like me, no? Yeah, not so much. You could humor me though. Four tries and they all look like DB.

This is her Mary-Kate and Ashley look alike photo.

'Daddy's Shirt-Dress' from the back. Seriously, love it.

Then we went outside. Yep, fun-filled day of dress up and baby torture. Our neighbor was outside with her dog and she was trying to help me keep Lady Bub distracted by walking behind me with her dog. It worked... and then LB decided she'd just lean over and look around me.

And then our dog got jealous and wanted in on the action {yes, that is 7 month old Hoss... the 'puppy'}.

I think I took about 100 pictures and, unfortunately, I didn't get the shot. We I had fun though. :)

Someone...

2011-07-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Someone has a birthday coming up in just over a month. Unbelievable.

I found two really cute outfits that I thought would photograph well (this is dress 1), and we've been playing around this morning taking pictures.

Ideally, I want to do her one year old pictures outside, but I need the practice snapping pics of her either way.

{Melt}

Don't you love the dog feet (paws?) in the background?

I love this one... she's looking out the storm door (and I had just enough room to crop out all the crap on the front porch).

DB will like this one, I'm sure.

We went outside on the driveway for all of 2 minutes... a) it was way too hot and b) all she wanted to do was eat dirt. Oh well, I have a month to keep practicing. :)

Just Make Yourself at Home

2011-07-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

On. My. Bed.

Sure. Have a doughnut if you'd like {looks like you had some crackers too}.

For the record, I don't even know what the inside

of my parents' bedroom looked like.

Where I've Been... (and random crap)

2011-07-20T18:56:00.000-05:00

Nowhere exciting, just been busy, busy, busy.

Our dryer decided to act up last week, but thankfully our neighbor was out of town and DB was cat sitting for him (translation - we had a key to his house). We did just enough laundry over at his place to keep our favorite things clean...

...so now that our dryer is fixed, I've been washing our unfavorite things. And there's a freakin' ton of them (and I'm not done yet). Also? We borrowed a roll of toilet paper, a roll of paper towels, a can of sliced mushrooms, and a coffee filter (we also looked high and low for some Tums, but couldn't find any). At one point during the week, we were getting ready to go to the store and DB said 'I have to go over to T's and get a shirt to wear,' and I looked at him all crazy and said YOU CAN'T WEAR THE MAN'S CLOTHES! He meant he was going over to get one of his own shirts out of T's dryer. Bwahahahaha. (Another neighbor asked us to house sit just last night... we're going over to pilfer through his house later - I kid). :P

Bubba lost another tooth. However, Lil' Bub is still hanging on to his front tooth that was ready to come out 6 weeks ago. If the wind blows hard that thing will fall right out of his mouth, but he refuses to let us touch it. I hope he doesn't choke on it in his sleep. ;)

Lady Bub. LOVES. dog. food (as in she will pimp slap you if you try to fish it out of her mouth), she can stand up unassisted, she has her FRONT TEETH, and I taught her to princess wave (there will be a video soon because it is stinkin' cute).

I'm undecided on the benefits of speech. I'll probably look back and realize it was helpful, but right now it feels like three steps forward and two steps back. BB has no diagnosis other than 'speech delay' with regard to motor blah, blah, blah. The words or vocabulary or whatever is in his head and he comprehends on a very high level, he just has difficulty getting it to come out verbally... and so we practice. And practice. And practice. And stickaforkinmyeye we P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E. And, after many, many weeks, of trying to teach him to say something like 'open,' he can finally say 'OPE-mmmm' (and by 'teach' I mean he can parrot things almost immediately, but what we consider success is when he uses the word spontaneously without being prompted). The therapist had him signing at first, which he picked up on very quickly, but then she said he was 'too smart' and that he had the ability to talk, so we were going to try the tough love approach and push him harder. There has been some improvement, but things are moving along sloooooooowly.

And, finally, now we are taking a little school break for a couple weeks ~~so I can blog more~~ while I get things ready for next year (and, Tara, thanks... I think I am going to use workboxes). :)

The end.

Green Again!

2011-07-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

We've been enjoying a week of green flags.

It's so nice when the ocean cooperates

{and it's better for the ~~stupid, drunk~~ tourists too}.

The Bubs have thoroughly enjoyed playing with the cousins this past week.

And splashing around in the waves.

The water is gorgeous and oil-free, so we're thankful for that.

And, every time we go out to the beach, we realize we don't

take advantage of what's right in front of us nearly enough.

Because we always have so much fun

{and there's going to be sand in my car regardless, so we might as well enjoy it.}

Jumping for Joy!

2011-07-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

Why you ask? Because the cousins are here!!!

And everyone is all smiles... er... wait a minute

And everyone is all smiles!!!

There's so much fun to be had...

...things could get a little crazy.

Hey, but we won't let these kids run-a-muck. {Timeouts are always an option.}

Naaaaaaw, they're good kids. Look how Lady Bub is just beside herself with happiness to have a couple girls to play with. {Hmmmmm...BB may be signing obscenities at us... not sure on that one.}

One thing is for sure though... Aunt Brandi's camera is happy, happy, happy!

Space

2011-07-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

Remember when you first started blogging and you were completely addicted and you spent hour upon hour pouring over HTML so you could figure out how to get the coveted 3rd column installed on your blog because you were too stubborn to pay someone else to do it and if you didn't figure it out you would die? No? Oh, well, me either.

Like so many others, after all those hours of work and bottles of Tylenol for the headaches, in just a few short minutes, and without second thought, I ditched the 3rd column for more picture space... because just like so many others, I'm a professional photographer now that I have a DSLR. LOL. ;)

Hope y'all have a safe, happy 4th!

Paradise

2011-06-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Yep. We live there.

Well, not there exactly. That's Newman's place (we're dog sitting).

{Yes, we feed Bubba.}

Newman has some seriously gorgeous scenery. Everywhere you look there are spots for drool-worthy photo ops. I love this shot - Bubba got a sliver from the dock, which is nasty, but I just like this picture for some reason... maybe it's the brotherly concern.

My sweet little elfin-eared baby.

Make that my sweet little elfin-eared-vampire baby.

Does this make you want to whip out your camera or what? DB has promised to take me back tomorrow so I can get group shots of the kiddos... ya know, ones where they're wearing clothes and they're not soaking wet.

I might possibly be dreaming about taking pictures tonight.

Because I can. not. wait.

To go back.

Give me a give me a give me a redneck girl...

2011-06-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

Our family tree has branches.

Lots of them.

I swear.

Bubba

Lil' Bub

Lady Bub

Notice any similarities? Bwahahahahaha. And to think, I was worried the hospital gave me the wrong baby?! SNORT!

{BB is the only Bub that didn't get the funny tooth. I had to go back and look at pictures to make sure, but he got his front teeth first like normal people... he must have drawn from the gene pool on the non-redneck side).

Other People's Children

2011-06-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Generally speaking, I don't like them. Unfortunately for me, we live in a neighborhood with a lot of them.

Lately we've had some issues with a few of these children that just boggle my mind. Issues with highly inappropriate language being used. Language I don't approve of. Language, and maybe I'm just living under a rock, that's shocking to me. It makes me wonder where the supervision is for these kids. At school? At home? How are they allowed to speak this way and no one is aware of it? No one is correcting it?

The problem is mainly with two of the boys that were in 5th grade this year. Their use of language recently resulted in a conversation wherein I had to explain to the Bubs what gay is (amongst a few other things that I'm not even going to mention because I don't want a bunch of weird hits on my blog). These two 5th grade turds have been throwing words around and admittedly don't even know what they mean. Apparently one of the boys was picking up quite a lot from the 6th graders at school and he just repeated what he had heard 'to be cool.'

Since they didn't seem to have any parental supervision, morals, or personal standards, DB took it upon himself to explain to these boys that we wouldn't tolerate that type of behavior, and that they wouldn't be allowed to play at our house or with our boys if it continued. He even threw in the threat of speaking with their parents. It seemed to do the trick... or so we thought.

One of these 5th graders is a child I've never liked to begin with. He's one of those kids that's so annoying, you find yourself sneaking around in your own front yard so that he doesn't see or hear you because if he does, he's going to come over and intrude on your family time. When I see this child, I immediately start chanting in my head what would Jesus do, what would Jesus do, what would Jesus do over and over because it's the only way I can find the strength to deal with him politely (but I do force myself to be polite because this child is unfortunate in every way possible).

Well, this past Saturday, I found out that this child took it upon himself to explain to my 10 year old and SIX year old what sex is. And, Reproduction 101, as per this little shit is as follows: When a boy and a teenage girl get in bed naked and have a baby. Well, ya know, there's nothing like having a goal, you punk ass dirtbag (I'm venting because I can't say this to his face, and punching him in the nose will get me locked up).

So, needless to say, Lil' Bub was grossed out and confused, and Bubba was upset because he thought he was going to get in trouble (Bubba got a little more detailed information, although still not accurate. He had the privilege of being shown the pamphlet that was passed out at the Sex Ed assembly at this kid's school).

The following morning, DB sat down with each boy and spoke with them separately. Bubba now has correct information, albeit basic, he now knows the truth. Lil' Bub also has correct information, although VERY basic and age-appropriate. He's no longer confused, but still completely grossed out. As for the child in question, DB told him he's not allowed to play with our boys anymore. Ever.

Our day ended with this conversation:

LB: Mom, (looking at Amberly in horror) did you do THAT to have Amberly?

Me: Yes.

LB:    (Squeals with disgust). Mom?

Me: Yes?

LB: And... did you do THAT to have ME????

Me: Yes.

LB: So... (looking around at his brothers and sister and trying not to throw up in his mouth) YOU'VE DONE THAT FOUR TIMES????!!!!

Me: *crickets* Um... Yes.

Sprinkle, Sprinkle

2011-06-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

We try to make Sunday Family Fun Day, so after church we took the kiddos to the sprinkle park (it's already so hot that one must be near water or risk catching on fire).

Here Lil' Bub demonstrates our glow-in-the-dark factor (my apologies to the State of Florida). However, if you were walking with us somewhere at night on, let's say, a poorly lit street with heavy traffic, you'd be perfectly safe due to our natural light reflecting abilities.

At home he smacks her in the head with toys.

Jedi water tricks.

This is just one of those 'mom' pictures that we have to take.
I love the size comparison.

Here, I'm pretty sure I've caught Bubba checking out the ladies.

Lord. Help. Me.

After sprinkling, we hit the swings for a bit. So far, it's the only way to get BB to smile for a picture (can you envision his senior portraits?)

Thankfully, Lady Bub is still happy sitting in the stroller, but I know those days are numbered.

We walked down to the Sound, but since that's like swimming in toilet water, we went back to the sprinkle park. At least there's chlorine there. {Oh, and DB is missing something...}

I had to torture the big guys one last time before leaving the park.

And, this Bub is days from losing his front teeth *sob* and this may be the last picture I get before he is forever different. *sob*

Maybe by next Sunday we will have forgotten how much trouble this outing was and we'll do it again. ;)

More of the Same...

2011-06-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

Just more pictures... this was going to be a WW post until I realized it was Thursday as I was getting ready to click on the 'publish' button. HA!

Best Face Photo Challenge

2011-05-31T05:59:00.000-05:00

Best Face Photo for May 2011 - People's Choice Photo Challenge

at i heart faces.

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T10:34:00.003-05:00

Thankful for those who sacrifice so much,
giving up their special moments in life
so that we are free to have ours.

{BB didn't want his picture taken and pouted the entire time.}

{The Bubs with their grandma ♥ }

Once a Shirt, Now a Dress

2011-05-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

Okay. Seriously. Sit down.

This is so stinkin' cute...

This is or was one of DB's old button-down shirts that he never wore. Now it's a Lady Bub dress!!! Can you stand it????!!!! I know! Me neither!

I wanted it to look very vintage-y, so I went with a tan-colored embroidery thread (and, yep, the 'A' is supposed to be slightly off center. Okay, not really... I screwed that up).

And, the cutest part ever - ever - EVAH? The buttons and pocket are on the back of the dress. I could have put them on the front, but I saw some dresses on Etsy that were done like this and I though it was quirky and cute.

So, what do you think? I think DB better hide all the shirts in his closet. ;)

My mom...

2011-05-15T19:29:00.000-05:00

can talk me

in to doing

just about anything

for a funny picture.

2nd Mother's Day

2011-05-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

Because when your husband does something, like, let's say... give you workout clothes for Mother's Day, you're entitled to, basically, whatever you want.

Sunday morning I had breakfast in bed. Eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. I got to take a nap until the left side of my face was numb and my pillow was soaking wet from drool (and then I turned over and gave the right side of my face equal treatment). I also sat on my workout-clothes-wearing-arse while my dear, sweet husband made spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread for dinner.

The fun continued today on what I like to call 2nd Mother's Day when, at my suggestion, we all loaded up in the car and went to the...

I originally suggested this "lunch on the beach" idea Saturday afternoon

and was shot down, however, I had a little more

clout after the giving of the gifts on Sunday morning.

There is nothing quite like getting out to the beach and

seeing the GREEN flag!

WOOOOOOHOOOOO!

The boys always have a great time.

DB had a great time too (that's his 'happy' face). SNORT!

And, yes, while the boys swam, Lady Bub and I sat on our you know whats. ;)

After swimming we went and sat on the deck of a restaurant

on the beach and had a delicious lunch.

{Lady Bub's first time in a high chair!}
{I only noticed she was chewing on the menu as I snapped the pic. BLECK.}

{And, can I just say, the fat rolls on her arms totally slay me!}

The view from our table.

It was hot, hot, hot, but there was a wonderful breeze on the deck.

BB slurped down his apple juice in about 2 seconds, so DB let him have a sip of his soda. Soda lips. LOL! (By our 3rd kid, we realized children don't need to drink soda, so he has never had any before).

After lunch, the kids played on the playground.

They had a blast. I heard a few 'best day evers.'

While the boys played, Miss Lady Bub and I enjoyed some chocolate cake.

{Look close and you can see those 2 bottom teeth.}

{Okay, and another one of LB because I can't get over her cuteness.}

And now I think I will set a record and retire for another nap. Great job on the Mother's Days, DB! I will get right on losing those last 10lbs. and, thanks to you, I will look ever so stylish while I'm working out.

{FYI - I am SO poking fun at him. It's really more lounge wear than workout clothes, but referring to it as workout clothes got me extra Mother's Day perks, so I just went with it). :P

It was Either Sew or Binge Drink

2011-04-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

Right before bed Monday night, Miss Lady Bub had a low grade fever. I figured it was the two beautiful little pearls she has been working on, so I gave her some Tylenol and we went to bed. Fast forward to just after 1 a.m., and she was sound asleep, but she was panting like our German Shepherd (and like any panicky first-time mom, I called my ped and woke her up to tell her Lady Bub had a fever of 101). She assured me Lady Bub wouldn't burst into flames, cook from the inside out, or suffer any brain damage.

Tuesday afternoon I took her to the ped's office to get checked out, mostly to pacify my nagging first-time mom anxiety. Despite alternating Tylenol and Motrin all day, she was 102. She checked out perfectly, aside from the fever, so the doctor concluded it was a virus (don't you love paying a co-pay for that?).

This song and dance continued for another 24 hours. And, when she hit 103, I was rocking myself and repeating 'she's not going to burst into flames, she's not going to cook from the inside out, she's not going to suffer any brain damage.'

To salvage what little sanity I had left, I turned to my sewing machine.

I used the 'Fit for a Princess' Picnic Quilt tutorial found here to make a Get Better Dammit taggie quilt.

I put ribbons (or taggies) in each of the four diamonds (and I added a fabric flower in the center of the quilt just for fun).

Using random scraps that didn't really 'go' together, I initially thought it was hideous. I needed the distraction, though, so I kept working on it.

When it was done, I loved it so much I wished I would have made it larger (Lady Bub digs it too).

And, the Get Better Dammit taggie quilt worked! Lady Bub's fever finally broke at 4 a.m. Thursday morning and she has been back to her old self ever since. Now, someone please explain to me why this little 15lb. bundle of pink turns me back into a quivering pile of first-time mom mush?

WW~One of these things is not like the others...

2011-04-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:49:00.000-05:00

WW ~ A Two-Fer

2011-04-20T06:42:00.000-05:00

Sleepy Toddlers

* * * * *

I'm as Surprised as You Are

The Dog Post

2011-04-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

(alternatively titled: Because My Husband Made Me)

Remember these little furballs? Seven boys and one girl, born January 1st (and, yep, we know all their names, and DB keeps in contact with the owners... they even send us pictures).

Bear
Bruister
Draco

Jackson

Jaxson
Turok

Heidi (the only girl was named after her momma)

and

Our boy, Hoss.

(or Hoss Boss as we like to call him...

because not only do we NOT call our kids by their names,

we don't call our pets by their names either).

Daddy Bub is quite smitten with this little guy

(and I thought he was a freak about Heidi Belle. Pshhhhht).

I have to admit, he's pretty exceptional as far as puppies go. He's extremely laid back, very tolerant of Baby Bub's toddler lovin', he's scary smart, and he has only chewed up one pair of my flip flops.

His biggest accomplishment right now, though, is... um... growing.

I swear, sometimes I look at him and he's noticeably bigger than he was the day before.

He has already lost his baby face. :(

At the rate he's going, maybe we should have named him Clifford.

People Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend...

2011-04-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Gone are the days of smacking her in the head with toys, tipping over her bouncy seat (with her in it), or sticking curious fingers in her eyes, up her nose, or in her ears.

Now he cooks for her...

...and feeds her Melissa & Doug wooden mushrooms

(or Raisinets, if I'm not paying attention).

They play side-by-side in harmony.

And it only took 7 months (or maybe he just likes her for her paci).

TST ~ Busted

2011-04-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a dad knock on our door. He's a good friend of DB's and he was looking for his son, Kurtie (and let's just say this has happened before more times that I can count).

He asks if Kurtie is here and I tell him no, but that my boys are playing over at Sebastian's house. I ignore the puzzled who's Sebastian look and I tell him to hold on a minute as I smugly reach over and grab my bright yellow two-way radio. 'Hey, Bub?' I, of course, get an immediate response 'yeah, mom.' I smile as I try to contain the pshhhhht, I know where my kid is look from creeping onto my face.

Me: 'Is Kurtie with you?'

Bub: 'Yep.'

Me: 'Are y'all at Sebastian's?'

Bub: 'Yep.'

I smile... bigger. The dad, clearly in total awe, says 'wow, I gotta get one of those' (pointing to the two-way). I smile again (yes, I am awesome) and I give him directions to Sebastian's house and send him on his way.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER (read like the voice on Sponge Bob)

It's dinner time, so I pick up the two-way.

Me: Hey Bub?

*Silence*

Me: Bubba?

*Silence*

Me: BUBBA.

*Silence*

After several more attempts, including one in which DB grabs the two-way and informs the boys that not answering is detrimental to their health, I get up and get my stupid car keys.

I drive to Sebastian's... no Bubs. I drive a little further to Nathaniel's... no Bubs. Okay, I'd be panicking except that I'm PISSED. Not only are they not answering the two-way, they ARE. NOT. WHERE. THEY. SAID. THEY'D. BE. So? I park at Nathaniel's because they have been given permission in the past to be inside Nathaniel's (but not Sebastian's because I don't know his parents as well) so if they aren't outside, they must be inside.

I completely see the irony in the situation as I walk up to ring the doorbell, cursing under my breath and vowing physical pain when I find them. I smile brightly when Nathaniel's mom answers the door and I ask if my boys are there. She looks confused, but confirms that Nathaniel told her they'd all be at Sebastian's. I totally play it off and tell her I probably just missed them.

I drive back by Sebastian's house. Nothing. Then? My supersonic mom ears pick up the faint sounds of kid voices. I sit completely still. Listening. I finally get a bearing on the voices and I stomp the gas pedal. I fly around the corner and then I slowly scan the area and listen. I roll forward until I see the top of Bubba's head in the distance. They are playing in a big DRAINAGE DITCH between some random person's backyard and a construction site. I roll to a stop and then sit and watch.

After about 5 minutes, I reach over and pick up the two-way. I watch Bubba run over and grab the radio.

Bub: Yeah mom?

Me: Get. in. the... (he takes off running before I can finish)

He thinks it's just time to go home. Well, this is totally not satisfying at all. I pick up the radio and yell 'STOP!' He stops. I say 'Where are you going?' He stands there for a minute, still not realizing I am parked behind them. So, I try again and I say very calmly... GET. IN. THE. CAR. He stands there. He looks at his brother. He looks at his friends. They all look around. Confusion. And then I am spotted. A friend points and Bubba turns around. Oh, yes. THIS is what I wanted. The look on his face. B.U.S.T.E.D.

Oh, and? GROUNDED.

A Weekend of Stinky Animals & Monday Mugs

2011-04-04T07:49:00.000-05:00

HA! Heather's Monday Mugs theme is 2 Year Olds!

Hey! I have one of those! :)

* * * * * *

The bigs had a sleepover Saturday night (yeah, yeah... they caught me in a moment of weakness). And, when the ~~party animals~~ guests were still here the next morning after 10:00 a.m.? Well, let's just say it was a long night and momma needed some fresh air and some quiet (and maybe a Red Bull or five).

So, the littles and I ventured all the way across the street to the...

Zoo.

Lady Bub didn't care much, but she got her obligatory
'I'm at the Zoo' photo anyway.

However, Baby Bub and I had a great time.

We stopped to smell the flowers...

...and the goats.

{FYI, the flowers smelled waaaay better.}

We had a lovely visit with a ~~snooty~~ giraffe.

Baby Bub even stopped ~~for a millisecond~~ and sat on a bench to pose
for his obligatory 'I'm at the Zoo' photo.
(I'm not fast enough, I caught the dismount).

He then tested out the 'honkability' of this poor statue's nose...

...and then investigated further when it didn't honk (my nose honks).

After an hour and a half of walking those little legs around at the Zoo...

...I found him passed out on the floor.

(no photos, but I looked just like this in the other room).

Homeschool How-To's - Beachin' It

2011-03-28T14:44:00.001-05:00

Last summer we failed miserably at Beachin' It. We went to the beach... twice, I think. Once on a day-long trip kayaking with my parents, and a second time to take pictures and say our goodbye's (the great BP debacle).

Well, that's just completely unacceptable. We MUST do better than two measly beach trips this summer.

So, when Bubba suggested Beachin' It at 10:30 this morning, I agreed (really, I think he was just trying to get out of doing the rest of his math).

There was no oil that we could see. Oh, sure, it's out there in the Gulf somewhere. A whole bunch of it. For now, though, we're going to work on getting that 'A.'

Ya know, there's important stuff to be mastered here.

Like the proper way to get pummeled by a wave
(tsk-tsk, Bubba needs practice).

We can just chalk it up to Phys Ed, right?

Convos on the Two-Way

2011-03-27T09:45:00.001-05:00

We got the boys a set of two-way radios for Christmas. I've never been one to let my kids roam freely, but all of the kids around here (and I do mean ALL) seem to have free reign of the neighborhood (which includes a lake, several construction sites, and a retention pond). That just spells disaster to me but, at the same time, Bubba will be 11 this summer and he needs to be given some freedoms ~~so that he will screw up and I can ground him and not have to worry about where he is~~ so he can learn responsibility.

The two-ways allow the boys to walk to various friends' houses without me hearing a random ambulance and thinking the worst. I can check on them at will. They've actually come in quite handy. Most of the neighborhood kids like to come back here and play in our yard anyway, but at least the boys feel like I'm being "fair" in letting them walk around the block to see if their friends can play. Also? The blog fodder these things are providing is a bonus.

Bub: Mom.

Me: Huh?

Bub: Moooo-- (*bleep* doesn't hold button down long enough)

Me: What? I didn't hear you.

Bub: --Ooooom (*bleep*)

Me: Bub, WHAT?! Hold the button down!

Bub: Mom, I just saw a black cat.

Me: Great. Do you need anything?

Bub: Well, I just saw a black cat.

Me: Okaaaaayyyyy.

Bub: Hey, mom.

Me: What?

Bub: Mom.

Me: Yeeeeeeeees.

Bub: Mom, I just stepped on a crack. Is your back broken?

Me: No.

Bub: Okay. Well, I didn't mean to.

Me: It's okay, Bub.

Bub: Mom.

Me: What, Bub?

Bub: I stepped on another one. You still okay?

Me: Yeeeeees. Bub, where are you? Are you at Nathaniel's yet?

Bub: Almost. Hey mom?

Me: What?

Bub: I'm standing on a crack and jumping up and down on it. Are you still okay?

Me: Do you want to hurt me?

Bub: No. I just wanted to see if it worked.

Me: It doesn't.

Bub: Okay.

Market Research and a Hat Addiction

2011-03-24T13:10:00.000-05:00

I made another hat last night...

...and I went from one extreme to another.

The first was too small, and this one is way, way too big (Lady Bub is sure to get plenty of wear out of it while watching football with her daddy though). And, along the way, I may have developed a slight hat addiction. So much so, I might even start making them on a regular basis (like, maybe Etsy?).

Now, I'm not trying to guilt y'all in to buying a hat, but I do want to pick your brains... What would you pay/what have you paid for a sun hat? For the little kiddos, do you like/prefer ribbon ties, or fabric straps with Velcro tabs?

Any other suggestions?

Also, for my crafting buddies, I just about hurt myself trying to figure out how to make a fabric flower. If anyone wants to know how, I will share the knowledge. ;)

WW~Puppy Kisses

2011-03-23T04:18:00.000-05:00

Bitty Baby Hat

2011-03-22T18:33:00.000-05:00

I made a bitty baby hat for my bitty baby...

...only my bitty baby's head isn't as bitty as I thought it was. The hat doesn't completely slide down onto her 6 month old head (the hat is supposed to be a 'small' - 17 inches). So? I think I'll give it to someone who has a bittier baby.

I don't generally give stuff away that I've sewn because I have a perfectionist complex, but aside from a small area in the hat lining that had to be slip stitched (which I totally suck at), it's pretty darn perfect.

Anybody want it?

*The button is sewn on good but would, of course, be a choking hazard if it came off.

**We do not smoke, but we have a big, hairy dog. I did not, however, let the dog wear the hat.

***I suck at putting stuff in the mail.

And now I am off to make a larger hat...

My Bucket of Sunshine

2011-03-20T17:31:00.000-05:00

Spring Break Madness

2011-03-17T23:13:00.003-05:00

It's spring break and I may or may not make it out alive.

This week has been full of video games; playing outside; endless 10-year old boy drama (he's not my friend/he is my friend/he's not my friend/he is my friend); playing inside; playing at various friends' houses; supplying the neighborhood with juice boxes; the stupid ice cream man who is bleeding me dry; inviting friends to lunch (in front of said friends so I can't say no); riding bikes; the banging of the storm door 500 times per day (in/out/in/out/in/out); the front yard littered with guns and swords; dirty, sweaty, stinky boys who must bathe every night; and... the best? Conversations like this:

{Sitting in the living room while Bubba plays XBox Live, I see one of his friend's avatars pop up on the screen.}

Me:    KillerNate? (sideways eyes)

Bub:   Uh huh. (completely ignoring me)

Me:   KillerNate? Really? (placing special emphasis of disgust on 'killer')

Bub: Yeah, mom. (eye roll)

Me:   Um...why??? (trying very hard to understand 10 year old boys)

Bub: Mom (said with exasperation), because KillerN-a-t-h-a-n-i-e-l sounds stupid. (duh)

WW ~ The Ears are Up (Mostly)

2011-03-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

Just Be Nice

2011-03-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

Be nice. It's pretty basic.

We've all told our kids to be nice at one point or another. I've heard moms at the playground yell it... 'be nice!' My kids have heard those words from my lips many times over (although, if you've read about any of my boys' antics, I generally find my catch phrase being 'be appropriate').

So, exactly how can we expect our kids to be nice or appropriate if we don't set the example? Ya know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Ahem.

I've been fortunate enough not to experience it first-hand, but I've seen it... moms leaving other moms nasty, hateful comments. I actually feel bad for the person spewing the hatred because, not unlike in-real-life bullying, the bully isn't really upset with the person they're attacking. They're upset with themselves. Their own failures, jealousies, shortcomings, etc., and it makes them feel better to belittle someone else. It's sad. Especially when there's so much more to be gained by lifting each other up, rather than tearing each other down.

For me, the beauty of blogging IS that I've met so many different moms from so many different places with different views and different parenting styles. That's what's so fabulous! I love seeing another mom's perspective. And if it's that bad? Just click on the little 'X.'

I like to think that visiting someone's blog is no different than showing up on their doorstep. You're entering their space. And, just as easily as you showed up, you can leave... respectfully.

I took The Mom Pledge.

You can take it too, and help stop the hate.

Random Weekend

2011-03-13T17:17:00.001-05:00

I've had very little time to sew, but I did recently finish a romper for BB. I rarely sew him clothing (just not as fun as sewing the girlie stuff), but this was an Oliver + S pattern I really wanted to try.

I love it, and I'll be making him several more for summer.

BB loved it too.

We had to bribe him to keep the romper on so I could take some pics... so we took him outside and Bubba blew bubbles to keep him entertained.

Bubba can be pretty entertaining like that.

And, it worked. He forgot all about his hatred for the romper.

Lady Bub had a nap. Ah, the exciting life of a baby.

And, BB had his favorite snack...

BB, don't stuff the whole donut in your mou... never mind.

Lady Bub enjoyed a stroller ride when she woke up from her nap.

We also did the mutha load of spring cleaning, yard work, laundry, made a huge pan of lasagna, the Bubs had friends over to play video games, we watched movies, we enjoyed the gorgeous weather, and I lost $20 to the 'Tooth Fairy' when Bubba decided to pull out his first molar right before bed (note to self: keep small bills on hand). And, there are no pics of Lil' Bub, as he spent the entire weekend being pissed with the 'stupid Tooth Fairy' because she didn't leave him something too.

The Newest Member of Our Family

2011-03-09T16:51:00.001-06:00

Here on the Ponderosa, our puppy adventures are almost over. We have one pup that still needs a home (we affectionately call him 'Little Joe'). And then there's this guy...

Hoss

a/k/a Ziegel Haus von [insert our last name]'s Heidi Black Belle

{translation: Brick House of/from [insert our last name]'s Heidi Black Belle}

And, at 9 weeks old, he's already HUGE (and he may have also replaced me as the love of Daddy Bub's life).

But, he's the sweetest, gentlest pup... and that's for sure a good thing because he's going to weigh nearly as much as I do.

Oopsie!

2011-03-06T10:12:00.001-06:00

Here's the deal... my URL said 'threebubs' and it bothered me. Its bothered me for more than a year because it's like Lady Bub isn't being accounted for (I know that sounds weird, just go with me on this one).

I thought about dumping the blog altogether and starting over, but then I saw this nifty little place in the dashboard where you can change your URL. *Light bulb* So I changed it. And I was pretty proud of myself too. And then I looked at my blog and saw that everyone I had stashed in my blogroll was gone. Poof. And then? I realized that everyone that knew how to get to the blog before, would not know how to get to it now. And I laughed. A lot. And when I thought to myself what if that would have happened back in the ol' blogging hay day? (when I blogged daily, and commented daily, and kept up with followers like a crazy person), I had a vision of myself in the head-down position hyperventilating into a paper bag (am I right, Jules?). And I laughed some more.

So... I'm still here. I just don't exactly know where here is. More importantly, I don't know if you know where here is.

Yogurt: It's THAT Good

2011-03-04T20:19:00.000-06:00

Kaaaa-Chow

2011-02-21T17:23:00.002-06:00

Someone had a birthday yesterday. A 2nd birthday... a Lightning McQueen birthday. (And, sooooo ignore my homeschool mess in the background and my sewing basket. I did crop out the giant world map that is currently pinned to the curtains, though).

This 2-year-old Lightning McQueen birthday reminded me of another 2-year-old Lightning McQueen birthday. Excuse me for a minute while I have flashbacks...

{Lil' Bub on his 2nd birthday.}

{He got quite a surprise that day from his Nana and Poppy.}

{And, we still have this hot rod in the garage - Baby Bub has yet to be introduced.}

Okay, back to the present. Or... presents (snort).

When we woke up and BB saw his Lightning McQueen themed birthday, he pointed and said kaaaaa-chow (I do not kid).

He went straight into tearing open packages.

He loved everything and played all day.

Later we had cookie cake and BB even blew out his candle on the first try (nope, we don't wear clothes at our house). We also went out in the yard and blew bubbles and BB played with a remote control car he got from his Nana and Poppy. A really lovely afternoon.

Until... this handsome little thing said he didn't feel good.

And then his partner in crime said the same thing.

{After further investigation, both had fevers of 101.}

And this morning? The new 2-year-old... yep, 101.

By the time we got into the doc's office this afternoon, he was a balmy 103. :/ We were sent over to the hospital for a flu test (we are currently waiting on the doctor to call us with the results).

In the meantime, the Bubs have been quarantined to the front bedroom, and BB's fever is now back down to 101.

Which leaves us with...

... this cute thing who also had a fever this morning, although it was low-grade. She had Tylenol and her fever broke and she has been fine since.

If BB has the flu, the doc will be calling in prescriptions for Tamiflu for all the boys tonight. However, Ladybub can't have that, and the flu is just not a good thing for babies this young. I'm praying it's not the flu and, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate any prayers (good vibes, sparkly fairy dust, or whatever the case may be) that you can send this way.

*UPDATE* - BB's flu test was positive. :(

The Littlest Bub...

2011-02-18T16:37:00.000-06:00

.... is nearly six months old! How is that possible?!

{How's my left side? Cute, huh?}

{And my right? Equally as cute, I'm pretty sure.}

{But you can just give up on me actually looking at the camera... 'cause I'm not gonna do it.}

It's Bedtime

2011-02-13T10:01:00.000-06:00

I have my sippy cup and my book and I'm ready for bed.

Oh, and P.S.? I'm sleeping in your bed tonight.

YesIam.

Well... if I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep, you'll let me stay here.

No, I'm not awake. I'm sleep laughing.

Wait... What? Tickling? Really? You don't play fair.

There. Now you don't see me. If I'm quiet, you won't even know I'm here.

Is it working?

Okay. New plan. What if I'm all cute and stuff and I show you where my chin is?

And, my ear?

And, my nose? You know you can't resist the nose.

Goodnight. {hee, hee... I win.}

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

2011-02-12T06:28:00.000-06:00

Sorry... I'm sure y'all are sick of dogs, but it's sort of what's going on in my life right now. ;)

{And this picture makes me smile.}

WW ~ Puppy Eyes

2011-02-09T10:26:00.000-06:00

TST - It's a Family Thing?

2011-02-08T06:40:00.000-06:00

Generally speaking, I don't call any of my kids by their actual names. I took great care in picking what I thought were fabulous names, but I rarely use them. For instance, Bubba? I usually call him Bub or A-A (which sounds like Ayay - stupid, I know. But, Lil' Bub couldn't say his name when he was a toddler and that's how it came out. And, of course, we thought it was cute). Lil Bub? Well, I call him Aub-sha-bob. And, Baby Bub? He's stuck with Ali. Which, brings me to another story...

When I was pregnant with Bubba (and I didn't know he was a boy yet), I wanted to name him after my grandmother. Peggy. Only, I didn't completely like 'Peggy' so I asked my parents what her full name was. Turned out, her name really isn't Peggy. That's just a nickname my great-grandfather came up with based on a song he liked. I don't know if it was a folk song or an actual song-song, but he started out calling her 'Peg' and it just turned into 'Peggy' over time. Her real name is not even remotely similar. 'Peggy' isn't on her driver's license or anything else; however, she introduces herself as 'Peggy' and that's how everyone knows her. And, her sister? My Aunt Rocky? Well, that's not her real name either. In fact, I have absolutely no clue what her name is (and now I'm going to have to call my dad and find out).

So, the point being, aside from the fact I rarely call the boys by their given names, it has come to my attention that I don't call Ladybub Amberly. Ever. Bubba started referring to her as 'Amberly Pamberly' when I brought her home from the hospital, and I now find myself calling her Pammy, Pammers, or Pam-Pam.

Maybe I should just call her Peggy?

Knee Deep

2011-02-05T11:15:00.001-06:00

Hmmm... I was going to post more in February, wasn't I? Well, the busy has not slowed. At all. I've been knee deep in it lately.

I've been knee deep in annual doctor and dentist visits for the kids. No cavities! WOO HOO! I think the Bubs have finally mastered brushing properly (and daily). The dentist had a heart-to-heart with Lil' Bub and told him he absolutely HAD to stop sucking his thumb. So far? Three nights, no thumb. I'm proud. :)

Bubba was also evaluated for braces, and the orthodontist said he was fixin' to lose a boat-load of teeth. Great. (Said while rolling eyes). I think I've mentioned a couple... three or four hundred times how I HATE the whole losing the teeth thing. Blah. Anyhow, he said to bring him back in six months and we'd see where we're at. He said he would pull them now, but he could see Bubba was an exceptionally bright, self-confident young man so there was no need to put him through that. Yes. We know that... but it's sure nice when others see it as well.

I've also been knee deep in puppies (and there's never been a truer meaning of 'knee deep' where they are concerned). Those little stinkers are messy with a capital 'M'. Four of them will be heading off to their families very soon, though.

And? We've been knee deep in school. Finally getting back into the swing of things. The new curriculum I ordered for this semester came in and I've had these boys doing more than 3 hours of school per day. Muahahahahahaha. Ahem. Lil' Bub is very close to reading, and he has really nice handwriting. Oddly? He's ambidextrous, I guess. He's 6 and he hasn't picked a hand yet. Everything I've read says not to force him to pick. Sometimes he writes with his left, sometimes his right. But he can write equally well with both. Go figure.

Daddy Bub is knee deep in a class that I can't wait to be over. I really should get paid for being his personal studying assistant.

I'm also knee deep in babies and diapers and potty training. Oh my!

And, finally, I'm knee deep in Baby Bub. Whoa, that child has decided to be a mommy's boy. He has just about become a permanent fixture to my body. Which means *sigh* Lady Bub is probably gonna end up being Daddy's girl.

Baby Bub is having some possible speech delay issues, so I've been knee deep in focusing my attention on him (which suits him fine because he wants to spend every waking minute with me anyway). The doctor isn't overly worried at the moment and neither are we, but it does make things a little challenging/frustrating for him (and for me). It may be as simple as him needing a little extra time since he was premature. We don't know yet. What we do know is that he follows directions, interacts with us, is incredibly affectionate, and blah, blah, blah, does all the "normal" stuff... except talk as much as he should be by now. One of the handful of things he does say is "hi sister" (which comes out like hiieee sisser) when he sees Lady Bub... or the puppies. HAHA!

And that's about it. Are y'all as exhausted as I am? Bright and early Monday morning I have more well-kid appointments, and then DB has a ginormous paper due, which I will no doubt be typing for him. Whoop. Whoop.

I'll catch y'all sometime next week. :)

Toothless

2011-02-04T08:58:00.000-06:00

A very handsome 6 year old I know...

... lost his first tooth yesterday.

Weekend Fun

2011-01-29T09:58:00.001-06:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I've Been Sew Busy...

2011-01-23T20:03:00.001-06:00

Just the kind of busy I like. Granted, I've had to stay up until midnight or later to find the time, but sew worth it.

First, I pulled out the Christmas quilt I started on and never finished. I hate to leave projects unfinished. Guess what I hate even more? Working on a Christmas quilt after Christmas.

I decided not to actually quilt it and opted for yarn knots in the middle of each of the small squares.

I pieced together leftover fabric for the backing. And, for now, I'm done with it. Until say.... November. I just don't feel like binding a Christmas quilt when I have spring on my mind.

Next up, I pulled out this little top that I also started on before Christmas. I screwed up the back closure because I couldn't figure out the directions for the continuous lap, or whatever the heck that is. The front was so cute, though, so I played around with the closure until I had it looking halfway decent. I think I'll have to use a hook and eye instead of a button, but no biggie.

The pattern had shorts with the top, but I didn't like them. I made bloomers with butt ruffles instead (I found an excellent tutorial for the butt ruffles at a very cool blog called Sewing Dork. I'm not linking the tutorial because, well, I'm lazy, but she's in my side bar - - - where I like to stash all you people who I want to find again). ;) Oh, and I'm not actually done with these yet... I still have to put the elastic in the leg openings.

Next up, my parents mailed me a box of sewing goodies for my birthday (fabric, thread, and a couple new patterns).

I made this top with capri pants. Fist time sewing with seersucker. Eh. Also, first time sewing with a McCall's pattern... and another eh. The top was okay. The bodice is lined, which I like. There's nothing super special about the capri pants. However, I will tell you McCall's went around the block to get next door as far as the directions were concerned. Pants are SO easy. But these? Oh my good grief. I lost track after I referred to my seam ripper for the fourth time. Ridiculous, ridiculous directions.

And, finally... ta da! I LOVE this. LOVE. Again, it was supposed to be a top with capri pants, but I just went with bloomers after the above-mentioned capri-pant disaster. The fabric my mom picked out is so dang cute. I just think it turned out sweet and it screams FIRST BIRTHDAY DRESS to me! I'm going to the craft store to find a cute embroidered applique of a cupcake or something and I think it'll be perfect.

So, these will be added to the closet full of things I've been sewing since I found out I was pregnant with Miss Ladybub. In about six months or so, every single picture of her is going to be accompanied by the words 'remember when I made that?' because right about now she has a complete wardrobe through age two.

Well, this is probably my post for the week. I may pop in later, who knows. It's my birthday week and I plan on doing a whole bunch of not much. Except for maybe eating cake. On Tuesday. ;)

Just Life

2011-01-17T22:35:00.000-06:00

I was hoping to get back to a more 'normal' schedule of blogging after all the craziness of the holidays, but it seems to be more difficult than I thought. I think I've hit that bloggy brick wall. Oh, I have plenty to share and to say... I just don't have the motivation to share it or say it. Or, the time. The time is probably the bigger issue.

We've been busy. Like, waaaaaay busy. Let's see... Baby Bub is sort-of sleeping in his own room now. We moved him into his own room last week and he goes to bed fine, and sleeps fine. Until about 2 a.m., that is. Then he calls for me to come and get him. Which is okay because that's about the time I'm up feeding Ladybub anyway. But, once he's up he won't go back to bed in his room, so I have to take him to mine. And, he's NOT a good bed partner. After a week, it's a miracle I still have my front teeth.

* * * * *

Lil' Bub is pushing this whole 'middle child chip on his shoulder' to new and interesting heights lately (in other words, he's driving me freakin' batty). He was doing better for a while, but then he really turned it up a notch. Every night for the past 3 or 4 nights, he fights going to bed. He's hot. He's having 'bad dreams' (even though he never actually made it to the sleeping part, so how could he be having bad dreams). He's thirsty. He wants to sleep in my bed. He feels like he's going to throw up. He's hungry. He's sad because he didn't get to have 'family time' (even though we all spent the last 2 hours sitting on the couch snuggling and watching a movie). He has a headache. Yep. I'm thiiiiiiiiiisclose to giving him back to the Indians.

The Indian thing is a little drastic, so we're just going to try harder. Even though we feel like we bend over backwards for him already, we're going to try harder. We're going to be extra patient, we're going to be extra loving, we're going to be extra tolerant, and we're going to try our darndest to make him feel extra special. Starting with instituting a 'kid's night' and taking each kid somewhere for one-on-one time (and, of course, Lil' Bub gets to go first tomorrow night on a dinner outing with DB). If none of that helps, we're going to change his first name to something other than 'Frederick' because DB is convinced he's this way because we named him after my dad.

* * * * *

Ladybub is still a sweet baby that likes to be held all the time. :)

* * * * *

And, Bubba? Well, all the planets are aligned or something because he has been super, super, SUPER good.

* * * * *

So, between all the 'kid stuff' and keeping the house clean, dealing with football season (you can read in to that what you will, ahem), waking up in the morning feeling like I've been kicked in the kidneys because I have, in fact, been kicked in the kidneys, taking care of eight puppies, and desperately wanting to find time to sew... well, it's left zero time to blog. But, life is good. Better than good. Ya know? So, maybe I'll find time to blog in February. ;)

Missing you guys, though. :)

WW ~ Complete Cuteness

2011-01-12T07:58:00.000-06:00

If You See Me, Just Don't Point and Laugh

2011-01-11T10:06:00.000-06:00

I've thought long and hard about posting this. For one, because it's totally embarrassing. I can laugh at myself, though. Question is... do I want you to laugh at me? You'll probably think that either a) I'm the most unfortunate person you've ever 'met' or b) I'm a complete moron. I'd like you to go with 'a.'

So... I'm not much of a 'makeup' girl. Oh, I used to be. I used to look like I had escaped from the circus (and that's another story for another time). Since having kids, though (and living at the beach), I just have no use for makeup. Me getting gussied up is me wearing tinted sunscreen. However, not wearing makeup very often is not to say I don't have a beauty routine.

My daily beauty routine consists of washing my face, applying eye cream (ya know, the wrinkle fighting kind), moisturizer with an SPF, lip gloss, and...

... the medieval torture device known as the eyelash curler. Okay, so I like my eyelashes curled. I have stubby, pathetic little lashes. They look better if they're curled, even though I rarely wear mascara.

A couple weeks ago, I was feeling odd. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I just knew something was off... out of place... or... missing. I felt a draft? I can't really explain it other than my right eye felt weird, and I just chalked it up to the fact that I had recently got my haircut and made the asinine decision to get bangs (which, by the way, are currently poking me in the eyeballs and annoying the ever loving stew out of me).

It took me several days, but I finally made the gruesome discovery... I'm missing a whole hell of a lot of eyelashes on my right eye. I don't mean the random one or two that occasionally fall out. I mean A LOT. Like, there is a HUGE gap in my eyelashes. I was stumped. I spent about a week running my finger over the area in disbelief, trying to figure out what happened. I thought of every possible scenario. Is it some weird postpartum hormonal thing? A vitamin deficiency? I even zeroed in on my hairdresser. That heifer must have cut off my eyelashes while she was chopping my bangs all to hell. But that didn't make sense either, especially due to the short stubby nature of my lashes. It's not likely they could have been, um, in the way.

I finally pointed it out to DB and the boys. They laughed. Uncontrollably. I was still perplexed... and was even checking everyday to make sure I hadn't lost anymore. Then, one morning, I went through the usual routine. After washing my face, I opened the bathroom drawer and happened to see my eyelash curler. I hadn't picked it up since... hey, wait a minute!!! It hadn't dawned on me before, but I had a light bulb moment when I saw it. I just knew. And, sure enough, when I picked it up there were my eyelashes dangling from the contraption.

How could this happen? Well, apparently, you're supposed to change out those spongy pads on the eyelash curler. I think every 3 months is the recommendation. How many times have I changed them? Never. Never in, like, 10 years... or more. I can't remember when I got the thing, but I've had it a really, really, really long time. And, when you don't change out the spongy pads? Well, they get squished with use and then the bare metal CHOPS OFF YOUR DANG EYELASHES. Lesson learned.

And, just so you know... eyelashes DO NOT grow back fast. I might need some Latisse.

Of Showers and Toothbrushes

2011-01-07T21:53:00.000-06:00

No posts in six... almost seven days? I'm having blog withdrawal. And blog withdrawal is something in the realm of raging PMS, plus I've had sinusitis. Plus, plus... at least two of the four kids at any given time in the last week has had snot pouring from their face. Plus, plus, and the really big plus... DB has had the man flu. Fun times, fun times.

It's been crazy around here. Super crazy. So crazy, in fact, my hygiene has become an issue. Or, my hygiene is a non-issue. As in, it's pretty much non-existent these days. Which is gross. Especially with my OCD tendencies. So, my New Year's resolution/goal, or whatever, is to take a shower. ALONE and OFTEN. Because as of late, I've had an audience (and now I'm out a toothbrush as well... keep reading).

Me taking a shower is an ordeal. I have to make sure the older Bubs are situated with some sort of brain enriching activity (yeah, okay, I tell them they can play videogames). I make sure LadyBub is asleep in her bassinet, and I mean sound asleep because nothing is worse than getting in the shower and getting wet and then hearing the baby scream her head off. And then? I grab Baby Bub and set him on the opposite end of the shower floor with a few toys.

The next 15 minutes (or 20 if I can get it) consists of me washing everything as fast as I can without splattering soap bubbles in Baby Bub's eyes, all while balancing on one leg and rolling a die cast Lightning McQueen car back and forth to him with my free foot.

And, to simplify things? I just go ahead and brush my teeth while I'm in there too (I'm a multitasker). With my very nice Oral-B rechargeable toothbrush. I'm very particular about my toothbrush. My toothbrush is, well, mine. I don't share. Ever.

So, yesterday, when Baby Bub reached over with his elasta-fingers and managed to snag my toothbrush off of the ledge as I was negotiating getting a wet slippery toddler out of the shower, I tried not to panic. But, seriously, it's like he knew when he'd have the best opportunity to swipe my toothbrush (after all, I've seen how he stares at it). I couldn't rescue my toothbrush from his clutches at that moment, even though I so badly wanted to.

Just as his little wet feet hit the bath mat, I said hey, honey, that's mommy's and... I watched helplessly as he turned it on and stuck it in his mouth. *sigh* Oh well, we're f-f-f-f-amily, and we have the same germs, right? Or, at least, similar germs? All the while I was screaming in my head ewwwwwww, dog food boy has my toothbrush in his mouth!!!

He then stopped. Abruptly. He took the toothbrush out of his mouth, and he looked down. I followed his gaze and... I fully expected I was going to join him in watching him pee on the bathmat. But, toddlers are weird little creatures and even when you think you know what they're thinking, you're probably wrong. I was wrong. Maybe he was contemplating peeing on the bathmat. Maybe he had the urge and had to stop and think about it. I'll never know. But he didn't pee. Instead, he decided to brush his nether regions with my toothbrush. My toothbrush was violated.

From now on, I want to shower ALONE (and I want a new toothbrush).

Guess Who's Here?

2011-01-01T14:32:00.000-06:00

Last night we managed to stay up and greet the New Year. We went to bed shortly after midnight and then about an hour and a half later, Heidi Belle woke us up to greet...

... her babies. We were up until 8 a.m. 'assisting' Heidi in delivering her pups. Seven boys and 1 girl.

At 10:30 a.m., momma and pups went to the vet to be checked out. The vet said everyone was doing fabulous. It's going to be very interesting over the coming weeks to see what we have. Right now they all look predominantly black, but that will all change. The vet thinks at least one of them is a sable.

Can I just tell y'all? For someone who was adamantly opposed to breeding the dog, I am on a serious puppy high right now.

It was absolutely amazing, picking up these tiny things as they were born and rubbing them with towels and watching for them to breathe and wiggle around. Of course Heidi did most of the work, but still. Amazing.

They're eating great, and when they were weighed at the vet they all weighed right around 1lb each.

We are all completely in love. :)

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-28T09:13:00.001-06:00

Well, Christmas? It was wonderful. I have a ton of pictures, so I'll try to keep the commentary to a minimum.

First, my parents showed up earlier than expected because they like to screw with my mind. The house was a mess, but we were happy to see each other. We spent Christmas Eve watching The Guardians (cute movie).

The Bubs woke us up at 5:45 Christmas morning screaming 'Santa came!!!' (also, look at the top left corner and check out my 'Merry Christmas' banner... nice, huh? Thank you, Heather). :) *(yep, I don't know my right from left... that would be the top RIGHT corner).

BB somehow knew to go straight for the stocking (he's saying 'cheese' with a mouth full of chocolate-marshmallow reindeer).

The big Bubs loved the Harry Potter castle from their Aunt Jamie and Uncle Forrest.

Me? Oh, yeah, I loved it too *sarcasm* ;) (and this is where you ooh and aah and tell me how wonderful I am because I spent all of Christmas putting this thing together).

BB loved his Automoblox.

And his George.

Bubba got his first BB gun (that one still boggles the mind, but Grandpa Scott taught him how to shoot last month so maybe we're okay).

Puzzle Boy was over the moon that Nana got him a 'special' puzzle (she found a company in China that does this and it really turned out great).

My dolly with her dolly.

(I couldn't resist getting LadyBub her first baby doll).

And, finally, we had a little Christmas fun with the Bubs.

Nana and Poppy and my brother and his girlfriend went in together and bought the Bubs an Xbox Kinect and 3 games. Since we knew this ahead of time, DB and I purchased 2 additional (non Kinect) games. After all the presents were opened, we handed them our two games. They opened them and were excited, but immediately noticed they were Xbox and not Wii. I pretended I had made a mistake and ordered the wrong thing. Lil' Bub's shoulders slumped over and he made the frowny face and Bubba was nearly in tears.

Then, Poppy told them there was a present on the couch they had missed.

Tiny Dancer

2010-12-26T20:52:00.000-06:00

My Four Bubs

The Mighty A

We Partied Like It Was His Birfday

Before and After

What I'm Up To!

Of Cats and Sleepingbags

Happy Day!

Matthew 18:20

New Year Crafting

Christmas Wrap-Up

WHERE are the Candy Canes???!!!

Elf Planking

WW ~ Yep, He's a Bama Fan Too!

Really *Practical* Gifts

Letters!

One More Time

Sandy Suckers

TBCCPS

Preparing

Monday Mugs ~ Happy Halloween

Story of My {Photography} Life

TST - I Hate Bugs

Sitting in the Chair...

Operation Find Julie (and a Project)

Jules is LOST!!!

The Birthdays are Done!

Par for the Course

Because It's Her Birfday!

It's Safe to Say She Likes Cake

Mother Nature Hates Me

Do Y'all Have One of These?

Birthday Craftin'

If at First You Don't Succeed...

WW ~ Two and a Half Planks

On a Roll

A New BOP-EEEEE

Because It's Hot

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Wordy Wednesday - Walking!

I'm Addicted

Someone...

Just Make Yourself at Home

Where I've Been... (and random crap)

Green Again!

Jumping for Joy!

Space

Paradise

Give me a give me a give me a redneck girl...

Other People's Children

Sprinkle, Sprinkle

More of the Same...

Best Face Photo Challenge

Happy Memorial Day!

Once a Shirt, Now a Dress

My mom...

2nd Mother's Day

It was Either Sew or Binge Drink

WW~One of these things is not like the others...

Happy Easter!

WW ~ A Two-Fer

The Dog Post

People Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend...

TST ~ Busted

A Weekend of Stinky Animals & Monday Mugs

Homeschool How-To's - Beachin' It

Convos on the Two-Way

Market Research and a Hat Addiction

WW~Puppy Kisses

Bitty Baby Hat

My Bucket of Sunshine

Spring Break Madness

WW ~ The Ears are Up (Mostly)

Just Be Nice

Random Weekend

The Newest Member of Our Family

Oopsie!

Yogurt: It's THAT Good

Kaaaa-Chow

The Littlest Bub...

It's Bedtime

Really Practical Gifts