A great day!

Well i am at work at the moment but today i think is going to turn out great!!! One of my best friends of all time called this morning and is coming to town today so that means it ladies night!!!

But first after I get out of work I am gonna pick up the kids and go home and take a nap. Then I'm going to take the kids to the livestock show. For Austin this will be as many "Yee Haws" as he has ever seen in his life, very short life, but life! All barn yard animals to him are "yee haws".

And then i get a girls night! WOOOHOOO!!

Dryer 2 points....us 0

So our dryer broke 2 weeks ago. We had it looked at and the guy said that we burned out the motor and it wouldn't be worth our time or money to have it fixed and we would be better off just buying a new one. So we paid this shmo $40 bucks to tell us to buy a new dryer... thanks for nothing!
Paul being the bargen shopper he is went to every place around town to find the best deal on a dryer we liked and could afford. Got a great deal on one at Best Buy and it was just the newer version of the one we had. Cool, and what was better was it got a tiny ding on the side of it when they were moving it so we got $50 off and they would take away our old one when the new one was delivered. Can't beat that with a stick!

So me being ever so excited to use power tools I hooked up the dryer cord to it, have Paul help me bring it in and get the hose hooked up to the back of it. So excited at the reality of not having to use a washiteria again I plug it into the wall and say a tiny prayer it works, fully expecting it to do so. AND THE DAMN THING STILL WOULDN'T TURN ON!!!

Okay, don't panic, maybe the dryer cord needs to be replaced. Last night we buy a new one of those and again I get my power tools out to get it hooked up right. So sure this time it will work i plug the new cord in. WHAT?! that one doesn't work either!!!
Trying not to punch the wall and break my fingers I huff and puff and walk away!
So now we have to call our landlord to have him send someone out to check the wireing behind the breaker box and if that doesn't work i will be calling Best Buy to have yet another dryer delivered to my home. But for now I still have no dryer and laundry pilling up. What's a girl to do!? That's like having your blow dryer gong out, or your straighening iron die right before you have to leave for work.... ARGH!!!

Haircuts, Labels, and Donuts!

So I but the bullet and chopped off my hair, and colored it too. I couldn't stand the layers I hat cut into it, it looked bad and was too much work to do anything with it. That and i wore it up all the time. So yesterday i went and chopped it off. It's very nice and short. I had it cut to my chin in a cute little bob. And I had it died a medium to dark brown with some auburn, honey highlights and low lights. I know, dark, but it looks great! I'm gonna try to get to a computer that I can put pictures on so I can finally post them on here. But I'm happy with my hair!
Last night i got home and showed Andrew my hair. He was in school when I did it so when i got home i was curious to see what he said.
I walked in and said, " hey buddy look i got my hair cut and colored, what do you think?"
He looks at me puzzled for a minute and says, "get shorter so i can see it, You're too tall."
so I kneel down and he pats the top of my head, he then walks a circle around me to inspect the rest of my head. He pats around the side of my head and says, "well the side looks nice, and the top isn't bad. It's a little short, but.... I think I like it, you still look like momma so it's okay."
"Thanks kiddo, I'm glad you approve"
He then asks, "did you cry? you know haircuts don't hurt, just keep your head still. Did you get a sucker for being good?"
"No buddy, they said i was too big for a sucker."
"Well, I wouldn't go back to that place if they don't have suckers!"
Funny kid!


On another note...
I ordered labels for the boys with their names on them a while back. Andrew came home with an order form in his backpack for labels with their names on them. They were really cheap and promised to hold up in the dishwasher or washing machine so i thought i would give them a try.
They really work! I labeled just about everything! Sippy cups, diaper bags, school stuff, you name it, I put a label on it!
Well my sister was wanting to order some for her little girl who will be here at the end of may so i gave her the website.
If you are interested in great labels for your kids stuff visit the website at:
www.simplystuck.com
They have any kind of label you can think of or need. Just thought I would pass on a good thing!

And Donuts! Or Nonuts as Austin calls them.
our neighborhood is really close to a great donut shop and for 2 days in a row I have stopped to get the kids donuts or donut holes. Austin lives them, he will eat a dozen of them over the course of his day. he eats a few for breakfast and later some for a snack, then he has lunch and a nap and eats the rest when he wakes up. All the while he walks arounds the house turning his head from side to side and singing something like, "nonuts, nonuts, i like the nonuts."
he is in the phase were he could live on air so if we get something in him somedays you count ur blessings. At least he's sweet when he sings and eats...

family dinners

Our kids are now at a great age that going out to eat with them is just two kids screaming. I love that now after church on sundays we go out for mexican food, now it's tradition. It's funny to watch the boys eat "chips and spicy" until their mouth is on fire.
Yesterday was not one of my better days... so I was not about to do any cooking. So we went for a great dinner at Chili's. The kids ate tons of chips and spicy and by the time dinner arrived they were too full. Andrew said he would take it for lunch today, and he did.

I love great family date nights!

Love on isle 5

One of the things I love the most about my hubby is that he likes to grocery shop with me. He doesn't mind it one bit. Yesterday before I got off work I talked to him and told him i needed some things at the store. he said if i would pick him up he would go with me. Awsome! Going to the store with 2 kids by yourself is hard.
Paul is just as bad at impulse shopping as i am. Only at the grocery store though, that's the place we get caught up with all the extras.

I have said before that i should buy stock in apple juice because we drink so much of it! So last night as I was putting our 4 bottles of apple juice in the cart along with lots of limon lime gatorade, Andrew looks at it all with a smile. He says to his dad, "look momma got me my gatorade and Austin his apple juice." Paul says, "yes, when you were in momma's tummy she drank lots of gatorade and when Austin was in her tummy she drank lots of apple juice." To which he replies,"well it's a good thing we got out cuz she would have to pee alot with all that stuff in her tummy"! We thought it was funny, you could see the wheels turning in his head. Austin had that glazed over look in his eyes at the sight of that much juice. Paul shook his head at the 3 of us and said he loves us all, with all our wierd beverage habits.

By the way... if you send Pual to the store with a list of stuff to get he gets 10 times that amount. Just as bad as i am...

Marriage Survey... i'm bored

Answer the following 25 questions about your marriage, then tag whoever you want to do this!Come on, play along - inquiring minds want to know! ;-)

♥ What are your middle name
Kevin and Ann

♥ How long have you been together?
We've been together for 8 years and married for 7

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Maybe 2 weeks? it was fast

♥ Who asked who out?
He did, it actually started out really badly but got much better as time went on. He only asked me out to win a bet and i only went out with him because he had a hot car.

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm 27 and he's 26

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
Mine, mostly just my sister. But she's his sister pretty much too, we share her

♥ Do you have any children together?
Two good looking boys!

♥ What about pets?
3 cats and 1 dog and Paul hates them all

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Nope

♥ Are you from the same home town?
yup

♥ Who is the smartest?
Paul is on a lot of things but there are some things, like computers and cooking that I'm much smarter at

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Me!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Tejas is a favorite, we eat mexican food every sunday too. We like alot of places

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
New Orleans I believe.

♥ Do you have a song?
When i said I do by Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black

♥ Who has the worst temper?
that would be me probly.

♥ Who does the cooking?
Usually me, but Paul makes the best eggs and is the king of the grill.

♥ Who is more social?
That would def. be me.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
That is Paul - I'm ok with mess....

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
More than likely me.....

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Andrew, when he climbs in the bed in the middle of the night, every night! Thank God it's a king size!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Neither, we hate mornings!

♥ Where was your first date?
Denny's for desert, but that was only cuase he forced me to meet him there so he would work my friend's shift so she could go out of town with us. He ended up not working it but we also lied about where we were going. We said we were going to a funeral but really went to Sea World. He found out and made me go out with him again.... and the rest as they say is history!

♥ Who has the bigger family?
EQUAL

♥ Do you get flowers often?
Nope, the cat rips them up so we just don't waste our money on them

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
alternate between the families

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
It took only 3 weeks for that, Hey man when you know, you know!

♥ Who eats more?
Def Paul, i don't know where he puts it all

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
I wash and dry but he folds and I put aways

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Me, Paul has no patience for it

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Always him

Okay so now if you are bored and care to share some information about your marriage fill this out. it's kills at least 15 minutes of the day...come on 6 o'clock!!

Picture Day

Today was picture day again at Andrew's school. They take pictures twice a year, and I just finally gave away the rest of his last pictures. Oh, well!
He didn't have to wear his uniform today and he was very happy with that. Then i told him that didn't mean he could wear his Superman costume to school. Bummer

So last night i picked out his clothes, and he approved of them too. Then I started talking to him about his smile and just to smile nice. So he turns to me and gives me the biggest, cheesiest, goober of a grin. It was a little shocking, um let's work on that.
I told him he didn't have to smile that big and he said he didn't know how not to smile that big. So we stood in front of the mirror and practiced. After a little bit he had just the right smile all ready to go. It reminded me of when my grandma and I sat in front of the mirror one for what seemed hours so I could learn to raise one eyebrow like her. I'll teach him that later.

So I got him up this morning, teeth brushed, glasses cleaned and we put some stuff in his hair so it would stay combed. As we were riding in the car to school he asked," momma, are you sure I'm handsome for pictures today?. I told him he is one of the most handsome boys I have ever seen. He said he would remember how to smile nice.
I'm sure they turned out just great and i can't wait to see them.
Now I just need to take Austin someplace to take his picture so he doesn't come back at me later and wonder why there aren't as many photos of him as there are of his brother....

15,10 AND 30

Our dryer broke this past week, I think it commited suicide. We got it 7 years ago and from what I'm told dryers should last twice that long. But what you don't realize is our great skills of over loading that poor thing. It had a hard life, it worked harder than most dryers work in their lifetime it worked in 7 years. It ate more snaps to childrens clothes and sucked away many a socks.
After all of that I would die too. So God be with you as you go to the dryer Heaven in the sky.

Well now that i made an obituary for my dryer I have to figure out what I'm gonna do to dry clothes. If any you know me well enough you know that EVERYTHING goes in my dryer, I don't buy any article of clothing if it can't go in the dryer. I don't own anything that says, "dry clean only".
So until we can get a new dryer I was way behind on laundry. We had run out of towels to dry off with, and undies that didn't have holes in them. I joked and told the hubby that I had crotchless underwear but they didn't start out that way.

So we packed up all our laundry and headed to a washiteria. I decided that since we were going to wash all this stuff at the same time I might as well wash everything. Bedding, dust ruffles, bath rugs, mattress covers and pads, all of it. To many of those in the washiteria we looked like rich spoiled people we were bringing in so many baskets. So what are the numbers at the top for?
It took us 15 washers, 10 dryers and $30 to clean it all.
I hope I get a dryer soon because I don't want to have to do that again anytime soon.
Now I just have to get it all hung or folded and put away. That could take another 7 years!

Austin...Animal Whisperer

I don't know what it is in Austin but all of our animals and even the animals of my family have this... thing for him.
You all know about him and Ucy(Lucy). But now our "psyco cat" Belle has taken to sleeping in his window sill. Then 4 nights ago i went in to check on him and our little cat, "Kitty" (so original huh?) is sleeping in his arms and with her head next to his on his pillow. Kitty is this tiny black cat and I think she's full grown. But she loves him, lets him carry her around in some not so comfy positions. Our cat Bear is the same way.
Once I can my home computer fixed and working i will take pictures. But for now Austin is Dr. Doolittle!

I'm Cool... at least for now

Today was the Valentine's lunch at Andrew's school. They were serving lasagna but the school said they didn't find the slip that I put in Andrew's backpack saying we were coming so I picked us up some food. Which turned out for the best because they didn't have enough food for every one.
I asked Andrew last night what he wanted me to pick up for him and his request was a corndog, french fries and chocky milk. So I headed to Sonic this morning and got 2 kids meals with exactly what he wanted. (Austin came too and whatever big brother eats little brother wants too)
I walked in and you could tell he was watching the door waiting for me. Wow that smile was so great to see. I got us all set up to eat and his teacher introduced me to the other mothers at the table. I had 4 of the moms ask me how I trained Andrew so well and how we got such a well mannered boy. They said he has good manners and even tells the other kids about manners and not throwing fits. They asked what my secret was..... to which i had no secret, I just got really lucky with haveing 2 great kids.
So we ate our yummy lunch and the the kids got up to sing us a song. It was great, Andrew smiled from ear to ear and Austin clapped for his Bubba the whole time.
After that it was back to class, since I had a little extra time I thought I'd hang out and let Austin play with andrew and all the toys they had out. Austin likes to stay in his brother's class and play with his friends.
So our time was up and it was time to go. I told Andrew, "bye buddy, I love you and daddy will pick you up after school."
He says, "bye momma, I love you too. You're still my best friend!" AWWW but one little kids says, "she can't be your best friend cuz she's your mom!" To which Andrew replies, "yes she can cuz my mom is cool!"

I'm Cool!!!! my kid thinks I'm cool!!! So for at least a little while I am a cool mom with well behaved, well mannered kids. We'll see how that changes when we get home tonight and I make him turn off his game to go to bed.

Austin and his Ucy

So when we got Lucy(our dog) andrew was about 15 months old. So she has always been around kids, boy kids at that. She thinks these boy kids are hers though, they belong to her and she is there mommmy dog.
When Austin came into this world she thought we brought her home a baby. when he cried she barked at us to make sure he was okay. She slept under his crib for the first 6 months of his life and where ever her baby was she was there also. I will find some pictures of the boys when Austin was little, Lucy is in every one of the pictures.
Well now that Austin is bigger he has discovered the bond between them is ever so strong! Austin wants Lucy or Ucy as he calls her(cant say the L in her name yet) to be everywhere he is.
When he wakes up in the morning the first thing you hear him do is tell her "Hi Ucy". She sleeps on his bed with him now since he is in a twin bed.
He shares all his food with her, even when you tell him not to. He has to go outside with her when she goes to the bathroom and tells her, "You peepee Ucy".
He just loves that dog! Sometimes she drives me nuts and I can't stand her but she obviously is not my dog but she is Austin's and he is her boy.
Dog isn't just man's best friend but a 2 year olds best friend too.

I am slowly turning into my mother.... RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!

Well I had to resort to my mothers tactics this morning. It's a sad day when you wake up and have to do or say things that your mother said and you vowed to never do or say. But today i was left with no choice and was not clever enough to come up with something else.

I poured some water on Andrew to get him up and out of bed. Seriously though it should not take 30 minutes to get him up. On school days it even takes me that long. So, he had just enough water on his face that he shot up angrily out of bed yelling at me. Should I not laugh at him when he's yelling at me?
We are a family that needs and loves sleep. We take naps and try to sleep as late as possible. We are just a family that requires more sleep than others. We are cranky when we're tired and we are not at all morning people. And we don't generally speak to each other until mommy's had her coffee and the boys get breakfast...it's just how WE are.

So in not being able to get Andrew out of bed and running slightly behind and making the threats of water on him and still nothing, I did it. Water on the head and hissing and spitting!

What worse is when I find myself yelling at them and saying some of my mom's favorite quotes.
Thanks mom for all the great lines that you yelled at us as kids so we could grow up to do it to ours.

Some of the great lines my mom taught/yelled at us:

Because I said so that's why!
I'm the parent, I'll do the repremanding!
She's your sister you deal with her, has now turned into, he's your brother you deal with him.
It's time for your daily good tickling!

Well now i'm going to get some counseling to deal with this.

just a few more...

Tonight at our church Joyce Meyer is preaching. If you don't know who that is you can google her. But she is a great speaker who more or less tells you like it is and from her tv show she looks at least 6 feet tall.
Anyway, my grandma likes watching her so we are taking her with us tonight too. Our church is kicking off their yearly womens conference but tonight men are welcome too.
It should be really good and I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and we got grandma some earplugs so the music won't be too loud for her.


Also, Andrew has moved on to the Game Cube and has now beat me at Mario Tennis. He has also mastered Monkey Ball and Mario cart.
As mentioned before he gets about 45 minutes a day to play but boy can he do alot in that amount of time. Kids got some skills....

Austin is talking so well and his favorite word at the moment is "treats" which he calls anything chocolate. The kid is a boy after his Sussa's heart. (Melissa, my twin) I bet he could even out eat the pregnant girl when it comes to sweets. At least he says "tank you" when he gets one.
Silly boy....

Scabies gone!

I HAVE DONE IT!!!! I washed and scrubbed and lathered all of us and everything in our house and thankfully I have made the scabies bugs run for the hills! On friday night I had to put this cream all over both kids and myself, (Paul was working that night so he put it on himself in the morning when he got home) and put us to bed praying that this stuff worked.
As I was lathering Andrew up with all the cream he says, "Mom, why do i have to put on this cream when i'm not the one with the itchies?".
I say, "it's so you don't get the itchies like Austin."
He replies, "well this stuff stinks mom."
I say, "it doesn't have a smell Andrew, and besides this stuff isn't supposed to smell good it just supposed to kill the scabies."
To that he replies, "WHAT??? It's supposed to kill babies! Well we should get Austin in the bath quick so he doesn't die, why are you putting this stuff on us if it's gonna kill babies!?"
After I pick myself up off the floor laughing till my side hurt and he's done scolding me for then laughing at him I tell him," It doesn't kill babies, i said scabies and they are little bugs that bite you and give you the itchies."
He say's, "well this had better work the first time cuz I'm not letting you put this stuff on me again."

Thankfully it did work the first time and after all clothes, sheets, car seats, carpets, couches and any other surface i could think of were treated i think we are safe.
I see know that we arent going to get through these child rearing years without this kind of stuff but at least someone in our family can make us all laugh.
And sweet Andrew will most likely be the person to do that!