Boyfriend anyone? Anyone?

Wanted: A fun, spunky, outgoing girl to date my pretty cool brotha man.

Anyone? Come on. He's a pretty great guy. Not to mention, if you are reading this blog, you probably already know me and hey, that would give you more of a chance to hang with me. Win Win.

(he will so kill me for this.)

Oh, and if this guy isn't your type, I just so happen to have another single bro in law! I swear, all you singles out there, this is so your lucky day. Yes, my friends. This guy is pretty great too.

(yup, he'll probably wanna kill me too.)

Riddle me this.

Here's a riddle for you...

What do you get when you take a trip to the zoo, some really awesomely pretty days, one 50 hour work week, one freshly planted garden, with new raised beds might I add, (after working the 50 hour work week), then having one 11 month old niece staying over for 2 nights, one fun BBQ, one day spent taking said 11 mo old niece home to Tigard on, ahem, MEMORIAL DAY, and waking up one day (today) at 4:30 a.m. to get to work by 6:00 a.m. to get a couple hours of work in before ANOTHER trip to the zoo, this time chasing after 3 fun 1st graders, not to mention riding the school bus, shudder, then going back to work for another 2 hours after that wonderful trip, then taking 3 girls to a soccer practice for a 3 on 3 tournament happening this coming Saturday in 86 degree weather, after which you go home water the beautiful garden that was planted, then making dinner?

Oh, just one really exhausted Momma. And approximately 432 pictures to download.

No Big.

Can I get a comment around here?!

I don't know about you, but I am a terrible blog comment-er. As in, I normally just don't do it. NOT because I don't want to, mind you, but because I hardly ever read blogs from the actual blog sites anymore. WHY? I am so glad you asked! Its because I am Google Reader kinda girl. Its like my 17th favorite thing in the world. I mean, where else can you check out all the most recent posts of your favorite blogs in one place? You get to "subscribe" to the blogs you read, and voila! As soon as the author posts something, Google Reader, PICKS IT UP! So, to all of you fellow bloggers out there, who might not have heard of this Reader bidness, I encourage you to check it out. Let me know what you think!

Oh, I am going to make more of an effort to comment on my fave blogs now too, so don't leave me hangin if you love Google Reader as much as I do!

Fun in the sprinklers.

It is so beautiful out today, so I thought I would get the sprinklers out for the girls to play in! And don't mind my un-mowed yard. My hub is incredibly sunburned from working in his parents yard yesterday, and he just did not feel like working in our yard today. I don't blame him!

A day at the Zoo!

The girls & I went to the Zoo yesterday with my parents as well as my sister and her fam. It was a great day!

Eric Clapton? In case you were wondering: Not for kids.

This morning as we were driving into town, we were listing to a bit of vintage Eric Clapton. You know, his good stuff. "I shot the Sheriff", "Knockin' on Heavens Door", "Layla", & "Cocaine" among others. Now, we weren't really paying attention to what songs were on as we were driving. Turns out, Alex was. Really listening. Very intently apparently...

Ooops.

When I picked Miss Alex up from school this morning, the teacher quietly pulls me aside and asks me about some "songs Alex was singing during play time."

Shoot.

Me: "Ok, what were the songs was she singing?"

Crickets....

Mrs. B: "Well, I heard her singing something about "shooting a sheriff", then, "she don't lie, she don't lie, cocaine". And I have to tell you Mrs Johnson, this is not appropriate for the classroom or for 5 year olds."

No kiddin?

Me: "OH, I AM SO SORRY! We had an Eric Clapton CD in the car this morning and those are his songs. I didn't even realize that she was listening so intently. My husband & I were just talking in the car and not even paying attention to what was on the stereo. We would have turned it off or switched the CD, or or or something! I am so terribly embarrassed. I am certain she doesn't understand what she is singing about. I mean, its not like we talk about stuff like that at home! Really I am so very sorry. Um, did the other kids hear her? Do I need to talk to any parents? Wow. What do you need me to do?"

I think I rambled.

Mrs. B: "No, the other children weren't paying attention to it, I just wanted to bring it to your attention. This is really not something to joke about you know. I figured they were song lyrics which is why I am taking this directly to you and not approaching the principal about it."

Me: "Thank you for letting me know. I will make sure to remove that CD from our player. Did she have a good day otherwise?"

Mrs B. "Well, No. She didn't. She was very difficult during recess..." (it goes on but its boring.)

Me: "Ok, I will have a talk with her about that too. Sorry about everything today Mrs. B, have a nice afternoon."

Eric Clapton Cd: $12.00
Pre-School Tuition: $125.00 a month
Having you childs teacher tell you your daughter was singing about Drugs & Guns: Priceless

5 minutes in Peyton's shoes.

Hmm, I think I'll go for a walk.

Oh! I found a basketball!

Whats in there?

Up the stairs!

I think I want a steak.

Oop, its time to put my helmet on.

Wonder who can help me?

Daddy can!

Ooooh, bugs.


These photos were literally taken within a FIVE minute period. She is such a busy little bee!

Peyton & Mommy

Sweet baby kisses.
Cuddles.

Oh that baby smell... It will be missed.

The post that needs no name.

Disclaimer: I am not to be held responsible for any vomiting or laughing so hard you pee yourself. That, I would solely blame on my two oldest daughters.

Picture this:
Dinner. Old Spaghetti Factory. Moms (Grandma Cindy's) birthday. Nice family night out.

"Hey Momma, I need to go potty." says Maddy. "Alrighty, Alex do you need to go to?" I reply. "Yeah, I do." Alex says. So off the 3 off us go to the teeniest of bathrooms for a mega restaurant. There is a line. And prom dresses. Lots & lots of prom dresses. (um, yeah those "prom" dresses? Lets just say they looked more appropriate for 27 year olds. NOT for 16 year olds.) Anyways, I digress. We get to the front of the long prom dress laden line, and all 3 of us go into the handicapped accessible stall. Alex says, "I need to go first!" Now remember it was Maddy who asked to the restroom initially. Maddy, "NO, I NEED TO GO 1ST!" "NO I DO!" This goes back & forth for, hmm, 30 seconds or so before I have enough and tell Maddy to let Alex go first. So when I turn around to get a toilet set cover off the wall, Maddy grabs her opportunity at retaliation and SHOVES Alex. I turn around, and in almost a slow motion type Matrix-y move Alex faaaaaalllls iiiinnntooooo thhheee toilet. Face first. Shoulder deep. Ack. Alex scrambles literally out of the toilet and holds out her wet arms, and starts to SCREAM at the top of her lungs. And she screams, and screams. And Maddy laughs & LAUGHS. And well, I kinda maybe might have laughed a little bit. Maybe. Then I decide enough I enough and I go to the bathroom first. Then Alex, who is still freaking out on me, demands I use toilet paper to dry off her arms of toilet water, she goes next. Then Maddy, who by this time is laughing so hard I thought she would wet herself before she could get onto the seat. She made it just in time. Whew. That was a close one. We finish up in the stall, walk out into the teensy tiny area to wash our hands and ooops, Alex trips and falls into a girl. In a stripper, ahem, I mean prom dress. And catches her self with the toilet arms. Shoot. I really hope she wasn't standing there listening to the whole bathroom shenanigans. I take Miss Alex and the still giggling Maddy to the sink where we "wash" our hands/arms. And by "wash" I mean scrub them so darn hard that Alex tells me, "Mommy! You are HURTING my arms!" Ok. They must be clean then right? I sure hope so, because I RAN out the dumb door.

And the good part about the dinner? My brotha man Austin's ex-girlfriend Crazy Crystal, works at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and she totally comped our meal. (My fam of 5's meal that is) NICE! I mean, that's $40 that didn't have to get paid. Sweet.

I need a break

Meltdown in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.... For reals. I am in dire need of a break. A break from my job. From my kids. From my house. From. Just from.

Work is so busy right now. I am frequently in meetings. I told Trav the other day that my job title should be changed to "Meeting Go-er". And when I am not in meetings, its then time to play catch up with my in-box. I tell my self daily - be thankful for your job, be thankful for your job. And I AM thankful. Just tired.

Kids are driving me to the drink. (iced tea that is) Peyton is our little angel/demon child. Alex. Well, shes still our Alex. (need I say more?) And Maddy is little Miss Attitude. I tell my self daily - be thankful for healthy kids, be thankful for healthy kids. And I am thankful. Just tired.

My house. Doesn't.Stay.Clean. Ever. The Laundry, I swear is plotting against me to bury my house while I am at work. Dinner? Yup, every night it gets made. I know, I know, these are things EVERYONE deals with. Daily. And I also tell my self daily - be thankful for my home, be thankful for my home. And I am thankful. But I am just so tired.

Mothers day is coming up and I am praying that I get a day to do nothing. The thing is, we both have mothers to celebrate as well. So the chances of me being able to do nothing is slim to none. Not to mention Church at 9:30, so there goes sleeping in. And I probably just sounded terribly selfish huh. And, as embarrassing as this is, we have no extra money for gifts for our Mothers. Or for a lunch out so I don't have to cook. But heck. My mortgage is paid, so there's something.

Sorry for the really negative post today. I just really needed to get this off my chest. Next time I will be happier, and maybe I will tell you about the imaginary vacation I will be taking.

A big day for Miss Maddy

Maddy lost her first tooth! I really had a hard time with it too. It really hit me then that my "baby" isn't a baby any longer. I, ahem, may or may not have cried a little (or a lot) about it on my way home. It didn't help that the girls were listening to the Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack and the Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus song, "Butterfly Fly Away" came on. Fuel to the fire I guess.

You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair
Had to drive me everywhere
You were always there when I looked back

You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be

And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me

Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream

Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, hold on tight
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly fly away

Butterfly fly away (Butterfly fly away)
Got your wings, now you can't stay
Take those dreams and make them all come true

Butterfly fly away (Butterfly fly away)
You've been waiting for this day
All along, you know just what to do

Butterfly, Butterfly, Butterfly
Butterfly fly away

Butterfly fly away

Butterfly fly away

For a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus/Billy Ray Cyrus song, man, it can sure tug on those heartstrings.