Forever Learning

my super heroes

2009-07-14T07:39:00.004-05:00

this summer i have turned the tv off (except for a few cartoons in the morning) and limited (really limited) the computer time for the kiddos. i have loved listening to their pretend play. they have been fishermen, teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, construction workers, swim stars, track stars, movie stars, award winning vocalists and song writers, super heroes, and (my favorite) house keepers... ok, i made them play that.

this is a picture of the boys putting on their super hero masks.

they used electrical tape... if that ain't usin' you imagination, i don't know what is!

we made them take the "masks" off before we went to lowes... but it left black lines all over their faces.

nice.

wedding showers

2009-06-26T08:40:00.008-05:00

my baby sister is getting married in august.

i can't hardly believe it... but i'm super excited!

we gave her a "family" wedding shower last weekend.
"mmmmm... don't that look good?!"
"shhhhh... don't tell her what's in those boxes"

i love it when all my family gets together. they're so great... they make me happy!

and... they bring out the best in me! i love them for that!

the beach

2009-06-23T17:43:00.014-05:00

we vacationed at the beach a couple of weeks ago... it was great! we went with my mom and some friends of ours.

we swam in the ocean

we played games

we saw dolphins... while on a big boat

my mom kept all the kiddos so that we could go on two... two double dates. these are pics from the first one. my sweet friend and i did not plan our attire... it just happened. i must admit... she's got great taste.

we even posed for some pictures

and finally... the picture that breaks my heart... everyone is in this picture except my mom. she was the one taking pictures the entire vacation. she was one of the reasons our family had a better time this year than any other year we've gone to the beach. she was funny, helpful, sweet, the kiddos loved... loved that she was there. and yet... i didn't have enough sense about me to get her in the picture with us. ugh...

seriously?!

2009-05-08T21:10:00.004-05:00

today the boys accompanied me as i shopped for my mom.

other than them racing to push the handicap button that opens the doors; and super t knocking over a display of shoe boxes... oh, and stone forgetting that he had wrapped his knee in a nasty ace bandage which dangled from the bottom of his shorts... things went pretty well.

in the car on the way home, super t pushed the button that lets the seat in front of him fall forward. after doing it several times, i finally told him to stop. of course... before we made it home, he did it again.

as punishment, i told him that he was not allowed to ride in the third row seats again.

not 5 seconds after i get that out of my mouth, stone says... well, super t, you better do it one more time since you won't ever be back there again.

oh my, this is how his brain works... and he's tryin' to convert his brother.

the little princess and i

2009-04-30T18:02:00.005-05:00

little princess and i had the opportunity to go to a concert last friday night.

music is something she loves. the first time little princess sang an entire song for the boss and me... i almost cried. her voice is just so sweet.

she wants to sing and play the guitar and play the drums... for a living. so, she was pumped about going to the concert.

it was really fun... long... but really fun, and little princess loved every minute of it.

we ended up getting really good seats. this is some of what we saw.

did we miss the mark???

2009-04-20T17:51:00.005-05:00

i knew this day was coming.

this is the conversation i had with little princess on the way home from school today:

little princess... you know billy bob?
me... yeah.

little princess... well, he sent me a note today. then the teacher came into the room, so i threw it away really quick.
me... oh, really? (the thoughts in my head... smart girl... no need to read those silly notes from boys.)

little princess... well, after school, i asked him what the note was about.
me... yeah. (the thoughts in my head... big mistake!... i hope it's not what i think it is.)

little princess... he told me that he wanted me to be his girlfriend.
me (very composed on the outside, i must add)... oh really? what did you say? (the thoughts in my head... yikes!!! it is what i think it is. please tell me you've heard what your daddy and i have been saying...)

little princess... i told him that i just want to be friends and that i don't want a relationship.
me... oh, that's so good. you're very smart to tell him that. (the thoughts in my head... aaahhh, that's my girl. i hope that word gets around. i'm so glad that she's been listening to us. i'm such a proud momma. thank you, Lord! um... she said relationship... that sounds so weird coming from her, i don't like it.)

fast forward to right before supper.

little princess... momma, i don't want to have a boyfriend now.
me... that's good.
little princess... yeah, i don't want a boyfriend until he's old enough to have a car and a job... that way he can take me on dates and pay for everything.

i was speechless.

for the entire afternoon, i was beaming... really. i was thinking she didn't want a boyfriend because she's heard and believes the wise words of her parents. the wisdom about the heartache that comes along with having boyfriend/girlfriend relationships too early... the wisdom about protecting her heart.

all that wisdom... freely given, and she walks away with the desire to wait until the boy is old enough to pay for everything. oh well... at least that gives me 6-8 years to have the other stuff sink in.

super t's new hairdo

2009-04-19T17:38:00.004-05:00

super t has beautiful curls... i love 'em.

but... every now and then, the boss gets the urge to cut it all off. not trim it, not tighten it up, but shave all of it off. this typically happens while i am distracted. this particular time, i was heavy into laundry and didn't notice the buzzing sound until it was too late...

super t was super excited to have a mohawk.

and he was super disappointed when he found out that the mohawk wasn't here to stay.

i... love... fridays!

2009-04-03T16:35:00.003-05:00

these are three things that i love... along with fridays.

ahh... my swiffer wetjet. i really love this thing. just squirt and mop. it's perfect for those little spills... when they happen... or (in my case) three days later when you find the little spill b/c your foot sticks to the floor. either way... it gets the job done.

oh my... these things are good. and one of the best things about 'em is that i can pronounce all the ingredients... and i actually know what they are. yeah, they're good, really good. very crunchy and really good. i like them with grapes... it's a great combination.

these are great jeans. a little pricey, but very much worth it. i think the designer adds a little extra fabric for the rump... which is perfect for me. this is one of the only brands that fits my waist and my bum. holla to all my ghetto butt girls.

boys are... gross

2009-03-27T16:56:00.003-05:00

i've known for several years now that boys are gross. they love to be gross. it's fun for them. my boys (big and small) take great pleasure in making my face turn from a nice rosy hue to green... and if i actually gag, that's just a bonus for them.

today i broke a nail. it was a lovely nail. i was sad.

stone was in the kitchen with me when i noticed my broken nail.

i told him about it. so... he ran (because he runs everywhere he goes) over to see it.

i was sure he just wanted to see what a nail actually looked like because he eats his. he's a nail biter.

anyway. he looked at my nail and asked if he could...

oh my...

he asked if he could... eat it!

what?! gross!

i gave him a disgusted look (which i'm sure he enjoyed), and told him, "no!"

i was by the sink, so i just flicked the nail in there. stone was apparently still following that nail...

and i'm not kidding...

he almost reached in the sink after it. i had to stop him. and i still don't know if he was really gonna eat it or if he was just messing with me.

where have i gone wrong with that boy?!

good-bye ole barn... part 2

2009-03-26T18:32:00.008-05:00

i'll miss you, ole barn

burn, baby, burn

spring break

2009-03-24T07:48:00.011-05:00

we've been on spring break this week. little princess and stone are at the boss' parents house. super t was there; but he missed us, so we picked him up early. i was happy to get that call telling us that we were gonna have to come pick him up. it was sweet.

we went fishing with super t yesterday.

super t and the boss getting their poles ready

super t did a good job casting

...so did the boss

they caught one... yeah!

the boss had to show super t that the fish didn't have any teeth before he would put his thumb in it's mouth.

it was nice to get alone time with super t... that doesn't happen too often

i think he enjoyed it, but this morning he's begging to go back to his papaw's house. i guess we're just not as much fun.

good-bye ole barn

2009-03-10T17:03:00.005-05:00

this was our barn

this is what i saw when i pulled up from work today...

when the boss decides to do something, he gets right to it. we had been going back and forth about keeping this barn. then one day last week, the boss told me that he was gonna start tearing it down.

my thought when i heard the news was that he is going to kill himself trying to get that barn down.

so, i was debating whether i should voice my concern about losing him forever, or voice my support for him... you know, build him up... saying stuff like you can do it because you're so strong and so manly.

well, i did both. i told him that i thought he could do it, but that i hoped he didn't kill himself. the way i figure it... i balanced out the negative with a positive... and if this was math, it would be like i hadn't said anything at all... because an equal positive and negative cancel each other out. so, no harm done... right?

remember us in your prayers... i'll keep you posted!

tagged!!!

2009-03-01T10:06:00.007-06:00

i've been tagged, here are the rules:
1. go to your documents/pictures
2. go to your 5th file
3. go to your 5th picture
4. blog about it
5. tag 6 people

ok... so i had to cheat a little on this. my 5th file was before and after bootcamp pictures. the 5th picture in that file was an after picture... so it was a better option than the before pictures... but i will not subject my loyal readers and fans (whom i love and respect) to that vulgarity. i won't do it.

these are the rules i followed...

i've been tagged, here are the rules:
1. go to your documents/pictures
2. go to your 5th file (unless you notice this file may be full of pics of you in your bikini... if this is the case, go to your 4th file... if your body is completely covered, stick with the 4th file)
3. go to your 5th picture
4. blog about it
5. tag 6 people

this is a pic of me at the asu women's football clinic.

it was really a lot of fun. in this pic, my team and i were racing to dress a team member (that would be me) in football gear. i couldn't believe how heavy all that stuff was, once i had it on.

we won, by the way!

i went to the clinic with a great friend of mine... my fellow fantasy football lovin,

flag football in the backyard playin,

sunday afternoon nfl watchin,

ny giants cravin,

victorious secret gal pal.

i can't imagine having gone with anyone else.

i love you, girl!!! ps... you're tagged!

also tagged are...

archerhill 09

2009-02-22T08:28:00.007-06:00

we've been doing a garden for the past three years with friends of ours. this is our garden from last year.

this year, we're starting earlier than we ever have before. the boss decided to start our tomatoes early from seed and just let 'em grow in the house until it's warm enough to put 'em in the ground outside. i'm sure there's a name for this... but i don't know all the garden lingo.

he's labeled the cups and everything... fancy and official, i know.

little princess noticed the cups in the window and asked the boss about them... this is the conversation i heard... little princess: what's in the cups? the boss: i planted tomato seeds in there. when the plants get bigger we'll put 'em in the garden. little princess: ohhhh... brief pause... why did you name 'em all tom?

bless her heart.

oh... how i've missed you!!!

2009-02-14T09:40:00.014-06:00

we got power yesterday... and i'm so thankful.

this is a run down of the events that have taken place since my last post. i'm gonna try not to be too boring... but... beware, a lot has happened!

we lost power during the ice storm on tuesday night... that would be tuesday, january 27th.

while we were getting ready for a great game of sorry... sitting near the wood burning stove... with candles...

our sweet neighbor came over to offer us his generator. we gladly accepted his offer. although at the time, i didn't realize how important that generator would be for us.

my thoughts on this day... tuesday, jan 27th: wow... this is sorta cool. we probably won't have school tomorrow... the boss probably won't have to work. maybe we can play outside tomorrow.

we got more ice... much more ice tuesday night and wednesday morning.

our great friends came over on wednesday afternoon to spend the night. that was fun. we played mexican train, mafia, and sardines. good times, good times.

my thoughts on this day, wednesday, jan 28th: this is fun... having another family around... to sit in the dark with... much better than being alone.

stone got sick thursday... he couldn't eat, had fever and a headache. our friends left... probably cause they didn't want to get the sickness (i don't blame them). they also needed to get a generator, and set up a way for them to live in their house... b/c by this time we are all realizing that it may be like this for a while. thursday night... in the middle of the night... stone couldn't make it to the bathroom (and i'm not talking about vomiting) . so the boss and i had to clean up... in the dark (super dark)... in the middle of the night... and we couldn't even wash the sheets. we just threw 'em outside. it was terrible! friday was much of the same... except the boss had to go back to work. i was on my own. stone was still sick.

my thoughts on this day, friday, jan 30th: this is terrible... i don't know how much more i'm gonna be able to take of this... should i just throw those sheets and blankets away?

on friday afternoon, in my very unstable mental state, the lights came on! i could hear the angels singing. i called the electric company immediately b/c we had a down power line from our night light... that i'm sure was hot. and our main line was splintered but... my power was back... not 100% b/c we couldn't use the big stuff (dryer, microwave, treadmill, etc), but that was ok for now... at least we had hot water! and my mind was recovering.

we took the kiddos to the boss' parents, so that we could clean up the yard. we had a good weekend cleaning up... very productive. and we watched most of the super bowl at our friends' (whom we love so very much) place.

fast forward to tuesday, feb 3. super t and i left school a little early b/c super t had a 102 fever. i wasn't feeling great either. we went straight to bed when we got home. my stomach had been feeling weird all day, so all i ate was bread. super t felt better by wednesday morning... i didn't. as we were lying in bed wednesday morning, the power went off. i got out of bed, looked out the window, and saw a lineman on the pole. i thought he was fixing our lines, but i was wrong. he was just cutting our power off. i was sick all day. headache, stomach issues, and by wednesday night i was running a fever. i couldn't keep anything in me for long... no water, no gatorade, no nothing.

my thoughts on this day, wednesday, feb 4th: i hurt. it's cold. i'm glad super t's feeling better.

thursday was worse. i still had all the same symptoms, i couldn't get my fever to come down with meds. i was cold. i was going to the bathroom at least once an hour and i was vomiting, too. i didn't eat anything, and the gatorade i was drinking... wasn't staying with me... if you know what i mean. at this point, i couldn't even walk a straight line... the box squats had worn off and were doing nothing for my balance.

my thoughts on this day, thursday, feb 5th: i hurt. uh, oh... i've gotta go to the bathroom again.

on friday my fever went away and my headache was gone. everything i drank still went right through me. i made the mistake of eating a sub sandwich... which caused cramping... lots of cramping. and, of course, doubled the bathroom trips. it was not good.

my thoughts on this day, friday, feb 6th: if i don't feel better by tomorrow, i've gotta go to the doctor. i hurt. why did i eat that sub? uh, oh... i've gotta go to the bathroom again.

i went to the doctor on saturday and found that i'd lost 10 pounds. yeah, 10. i felt so bad, that i couldn't even enjoy it. i had pretty much convinced myself that i was going to need an iv... but i prayed that i wouldn't have to go to the hospital. we just couldn't afford it. the doctor did some blood work... i'm not really sure why b/c my mind was mush. but this is what i heard her say: blah, blah, blah... i'm gonna give you these pills... blah, blah, blah, blah... these pills will be your friend... blah, blah, blah, blah... try to eat bland foods, like mac and cheese... blah, blah, blah, blah. so, i went home and started taking those pills. they worked. and i lived off mac and cheese until tuesday.

my thoughts on this day, saturday, feb 7th: thank you, God, that i didn't have to go to the hospital. and thank you for doctors that give us pills that become our friends.

fast forward to thursday, feb 12th. we still didn't have power. well... actually, our neighbor noticed a day or so after our power went off the second time that we didn't have power and let us borrow his generator again... so we weren't completely without power. but still... our lines needed fixin'. so, i talked to someone at school who happened to know someone who worked for the electric company; and friday morning... 7am... the electric people were at my house. praise God for working things out for us!

my thoughts on this day, saturday, feb 14th: valentine's day... i love the boss (who took care of me... and everything else while i was sick), my kiddos (who make me feel special and keep me laughing), my friends (who've proved that they will do whatever it takes to help us out), my co-workers (who make coming to work more fun than it should be), my family (who i've grown to love and appreciate even more the older i get), and finally, the lineman who came to my house on friday (who i wanted to give a big hug and kiss).

happy valentine's day!!!

we've got damage

2009-01-27T08:33:00.008-06:00

this is what i think... if it's gotta be cold, then it should snow.

i love the snow.

i like to play in it. i like to look at it from the inside... sipping my coffee and eating something full of sugar and fat. i like to watch the kiddos play in it. i like to have snowball fights in it... until i get hit, and then i like to look at it from the inside... sipping my coffee and eating something full of sugar and fat. aaaahhhh. it's so fun.

but, we don't have snow today. we have ice.

ice is sorta neat because it's something different and pretty and very fun to slide on. but oh my, it's dangerous. i walked outside this morning to snap a couple of pics... of our fallen tree.

as i was taking the pictures, the wind was blowing a little; and i could hear the trees cracking. it was creepy. and then, i heard a really big crack... and i went running inside. i ran like i had forgotten that the deck was a sheet of ice... which i had. i didn't fall (i credit all the box squats i've been doing... they've improved my balance). but... as soon as i made it inside, another big (and when i say big, i mean huge) branch fell.

here's another pic... i didn't take many. it's dangerous out there!

sweet, little moments

2009-01-25T16:39:00.006-06:00

we spent the night at my mom and dad's this weekend. it was fun. it's always fun there. the kiddos spent time with their cousins. and we got to spend time with the rest of the family. good times, good times.

anyway, our sleeping arrangements at mom and dad's were... the boss, the kiddos, and me in the same bedroom. the boss and i had the bed and the kiddos slept on the floor with a ton of blankets and pillows and "fuzzies". ("fuzzies" are the really soft, special blankets... you know the ones.)

anyway, we were all in bed... the lights were off... and for some reason stone starts talking about how he is scared to go into the dark. little princess tells him that when she is scared she prays and asks God to be with her.

and then she says... it kinda feels like a blanket around me. but, do you know what that blanket is? it's Jesus.

ahhhh... i love that. i love that she is a christian and that she feels the presence of her Savior. i love that she showed compassion for her brother. i love the way she explained the comfort of our God. like a blanket.

i've felt that same comfort.

the same God that comforts me, wraps Himself around my daughter like a blanket when she's scared! wow!!! i will never look at a blanket... or "fuzzy"... the same. praise God for these sweet, little moments!

grocery shopping... alone

2009-01-19T15:55:00.004-06:00

ok... i went grocery shopping alone today. i normally don't do the grocery shopping, and i never do it alone. but... i noticed several things today as i shopped, alone.

- i can keep up with how much i'm spending much better. there were no "momma can i have this?... momma will this make me strong?... momma did you see that man?... momma is that a man?" normally while i shop, i'm repeating in my head the amount i've spent ($39, $39, $39)... throw in one of those questions, and it ruins my counting ($39, $39, ...insert question here... $39, wait. no, it was $29... is that right? yeah, $29, $29, $29). that's probably why i always go over my budget.

- i noticed that some people were looking (really it was more than looking... they were glaring) inside my cart. i've never noticed that before... and i felt invaded. i mean, when shopping, you don't look into other people's carts! it's just common courtesy. i think it's the equivalent of going into a stranger's house and searching through their pantry... it's rude, and i don't like it.

- people were not opting out of going down an aisle just because i was on it. that was nice.

- while checking out, i did not have to threaten anyone. that was also nice.

- i was in and out... quick.

- as i was walking out to the car, i didn't have to make anyone hold on to the cart... nor did i get to push anyone while they were riding the cart.

so, these are my final thoughts on shopping alone...

- it's more pleasant and much faster, but not near as much fun.

- if you've never been shopping with three kiddos, i highly recommend it... at least once (my kiddos may be available, if you don't have any of your own).

- and... if you talk to yourself while shopping (as i do), you won't look near as crazy if you have a kid with you.

i love my man

2009-01-16T16:13:00.007-06:00

this is the picture i was... was going to blog about (which may have been a little embarrassing for the boss)

but

after the way the boss made me feel today

i had to give him tons of praise!

this morning started off pretty rough for the boss and me. when we got up this morning, the boss noticed that the water line to the ice machine (in our newly remodeled laundry room) was busted. we cleaned up the mess (and when i say we, i mean mostly the boss). then got right to the workout. clearly the boss was irritated by the situation with the ice machine, because (as my personal trainer) he took it out on me.

he made me do box squats... and, i told him last week that i didn't want to do box squats any more. they're super hard and they're getting boring. anyway, i didn't do 10 box squats or 20 box squats or even 50 box squats... i did 60. that's right folks, 60.

what's a box squat, you ask?

well, with your legs shoulder width apart... and holding a 10lb medicine ball... you squat until your bottom lightly taps a box about a foot high. yeah, it's crazy.

and mind you, that's just a portion of the workout... but that was the portion that made me mad.

fast forward to about 9am. i had to call and ask the boss to bring me money. he sweetly agreed. and... instead of bringing what i asked for, he doubled it.

then when i walked in the door after school, i could smell...

coffee. fresh coffee.

but the boss wasn't home, so i was confused.

then i found this...

ok... will you please notice a couple of things in my honey's love note?

-he signed it boss. this is typical... even before the blog.

-he drew himself above his signature. this is also typical.

-he noted the time. this too is typical.

his notes were this way even when we were dating (with the exception of the boss part... he just started that several years ago)! i love it!

but... ahhhhh... fresh coffee and doughnuts. i also love that. and yes, i did eat one... or two. but i did 60 box squats today! i feel i deserved them.

quick funny

2009-01-12T20:02:00.002-06:00

the boss and i were talking with the kiddos about their lunch today. who they sat with, what they ate, what they liked the best, etc. this is a portion of the conversation. me... did you eat the beans? stone... yuck, no. little princess... my friends think they're gross; so i ate my beans secretively.
question of the day... if you eat beans secretively, does it make digestion easier?

a volcano for the little princess

2009-01-11T16:06:00.011-06:00

she glues a bottle to one of my bowls

she makes the modeling clay

she puts the clay around the bottle

she and her very sweet friend paint the volcano

the finished product... watch out!!! she'll erupt at 2pm tomorrow

she's been reading the blog... so the question of the day is for her... what do you think about little princess' volcano?

quick funny

2009-01-10T10:56:00.002-06:00

one of the reasons i wanted to do a blog is so that i can post funny things my kiddos do. i forget so many of them.

so... i'm cleaning the toilet (which i hate). super t walks in and immediately gets a disgusted look on his face. super t... whatch you doin? me... i'm cleaning the toilet. super t (still with the disgusted look)... ew, you know my poop in there?!
side note: in super t language, my takes the place for i... always

question of the day... what's your best toilet cleaning tip or product?

end of the week praise

2009-01-09T17:40:00.002-06:00

this week God has blessed me... my top 5(in no particular order)

-we had a great week at work/school
-the weather has been nice enough for the kiddos to play outside
-the boss and i have worked out 4 days this week... bonus blessing: only 1/2 of my body is sore (last week it was more like the whole body)
-i had the opportunity to share my testimony with the kiddos in children's church... there was one little girl who was very interested and asked lots of questions. this is sorta how part of the conversation went: her... what is sin? me... it's when you disobey God, like breaking one of the commandments. the other kiddos... yeah, like don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, don't be jealous, etc. her... i think i've broken all of 'em. it was a very, very sweet moment. she made no decision that day, but i'm sure God is moving
-i've laughed this week... a lot

question of the day: how have you been blessed this week?

stone's prayer

2009-01-07T15:48:00.000-06:00

i was putting the boys to bed last night... this is something i don't do often b/c the boss does it most of the time... anywho, we always pray as part of our routine.

stone's prayer: "God, i just pray that you would not let me have any bad dreams tonight. i pray that i wouldn't have any bad dreams. and Lord, i just pray that i would have no bad dreams. God please help me not to have any bad dreams because of what i just watched on tv. amen."

so... you might be wondering what he was watching (as was i, b/c while the boss and the kiddos were watching tv... i was trying to figure out how to blog). he was watching superman. superman!

what is scary about superman?

the commercials! more specifically, a preview for the movie, the unborn.

stone explains: "super t watched the whole thing, but i closed my eyes. i watched a little of it, then i closed my eyes... i was trying to be strong, momma."

you see, recently i talked to the kiddos about only reading good things and only watching good things because those are the things that they will think about through their day. so, he was listening! either that or he knew what was coming and didn't want to see that ugly kid in his dreams... but i chose to believe that he was listening! did you notice that he pointed out super t watched the whole thing?

question of the day... why are horror movies with creepy kids in them always the scariest?

The Boss

2009-01-06T17:44:00.000-06:00

ok... so i've decided to do a blog.

and... as a blog stalker, i've picked up many cool ideas from my friends.

i've noticed that some of my friends don't use their real names. i like this... so... i asked the kiddos to come up with their own blog names. after filtering through a few names like super freak and stone boss, then trying to make the baby understand that he can't use his own name... or his brother's name... or a combination of both. they're happy with... little princess, stone, and super t.

there was no need to ask the hubby. he will be the boss. and those of you who know him, may already know about his weird obsession with being called the boss. i don't understand it... i will not call him that in real life... but i will use it here.

so... i'm jumpin in with both feet. i don't know what i'm doing, and it's taken me two days just to get a layout... but... i'm learning.

question of the day... because i'm forever learning, and who better to learn from than your friends... how does a ten year old girl come up with the blog name "super freak"? (i blame her father)