To me...

...Happiness is going to take a hot bath after a long day, and finding out your husband scrubbed the bathtub clean for you! :)

Why Not?

I'm always saying, "no." Always. No, you can't do this, no, you can't do that.
This morning the boys and I were enjoying a quiet day at home and it started raining. I love to watch the rain so I took the boys out into the garage to see outside. It was one of those nice steady rains with no thunder or lightening. Beautiful. Immediately Mason asked if he could go play in the rain. I immediately replied no, you can't play in the rain. Then it hit me. Why the hell not? Why can't he play in the rain? So I told him sure, get out there! And I took a seat with Sam in the garage and watched Mason head out into the rain in his undies. And he ran, stomped, danced, jumped, and laughed with the pure abandon and joy that a five year old boy can find playing in the rain. Even stood with his head back catching raindrops on his tongue. Once again, it's the little things.
Lord, help me to remember to say yes once in a while...

Weekend Recap

Kooper told Mike, yesterday on the way home, that Sam should be required to wear a helmet at all times. This is not a bad idea. Sam is climbing on everything! He fell of the the playroom couch twice Saturday night! And that floor is concrete covered with outdoor carpet! First time he went face first and put a knot on his forehead. The second time he went backwards and put a huge knot on the back of his head. Did this teach him anything? Nope, he was right back up there. Mike caught him on top of the kitchen table the other day. I'm thinking we are in for a wild ride with Sam.
Saturday was a good day. We got up and were on the road to Dallas by 6:30 am. Kooper had a soccer game at 9 and baseball at 2. Unfortunately both got rained out. So we spent the day in Dallas/Ft Worth instead. Went to Bass Pro Shop first. We love going to look around in there. And we actually didn't spend too much this time. Mike got one pair on pants and I got a pair of pants for hunting, they were marked down to $10, can't beat that! Mason wanted everything as usual. Finally when we were leaving I told him that there were lots of toys in there that mom and dad want, but nobody was getting anything. After that we went and found the Grapevine Mills Mall. Mike was actually on board for this! (He's usually not much for shopping.) Walked around there for a while. We let Koop do the rock climbing. Then we made a pretzel/cookie stop. (All three boys were silent for about 3 minutes as they stuffed sugar down their throats!) I found a Tommy Kids and Carters store. I really wish we had these here! Especially the Carter's store, it was awesome and cheap! Finally we ended the trip with a late lunch at Outback. Yum.
After we got home, the kids were ready to run after being in the car for so long. Some neighbors stopped by as we were unloading and then dad, Nancy, and Hannah came by too. Ended up being a fun evening!
Sunday we went to church then made the Walmart run. Fun, Fun. Worked in the yard a bit and watched the boys play baseball. Mike was able to get back early from taking Kooper home, so we got to eat green chili enchiladas together after we put the kids down. Good weekend.

I love shoes

I made the mistake of walking by the shoes last night in Dillards. Then I really made a mistake by trying on these Gianni Bini shoes. The I simply just bought them. But I LOVE them. They are my new favorite things. Yes, I know they are shoes. But to a mom who is always buying things for little boys, shoes are my thing. I haven't bought any cute or expensive shoes in a while. Definitely going to have to stay away from Dillards! So far I haven't tripped while walking in them....

End of the season

We had our last tball game last night. I'm kind of sad! I think Mike and I enjoyed it as much as Mason did. I really enjoyed watching the kids improve and meeting so many parents. I also got to help out in the dugout last night. And I have to admit, it wore me out! Who knew it was so exhausting trying to keep 12 five year olds contained and organized?? So now I guess it's time to get Mason signed up for swimming lessons and maybe a week of camp with Kooper this summer.
We are in the process of trying to find someone to redo our ceilings in the house. We had some water damage from a wind storm, so we are getting half a new roof (yes half from the insurance, makes no sense whatsoever!) and the ceilings have to be repaired. This is going to mean scraping off all the acoustic popcorn stuff, spraying texture, and painting. Not to mention repairing the water damaged part. And we want all this done for a reasonable price. Crazy, right? The first contractor that came out to quote it recommended moving out while the repairs are being done. Nice. And where are we supposed to go?? I am excited about having it done. I think it will look great. Just not enjoying trying to find somebody we trust to do it and the mess it is going to make.
School starts in two weeks! Paid my summer tuition yesterday and officially applied to nursing school last Friday. (Books for two classes cost $400!) I asked Mike if he's ready to be Mr. Mom and he says he's all for it. I think we're both ready for this big adventure, but ask me a month from now and it may be a different story. :)

Nuts and Soap

Yesterday was just a crazy day. Busy at work, phones were out, accountants were in, ugh, just crazy. So then I go to pick the boys up. Sam had his third bite mark in as many weeks. Had to have a talk with someone from the school. As I'm having this talk, Mason and his class walked by. I could tell by the look my son gave me that he was in trouble. Sure enough, when I went to get him, I had to have a talk with his teacher. Mason has recently picked up the word "nuts" from a friend at school. And it's driving me crazy. I've heard it a few times here at home and have warned him about it. I've considered talking with his teacher about it, but didn't want to get another child in trouble. Well yesterday, he overloaded the sweet, timid, cute little afternoon teacher with "my nuts this" and "my nuts that." The poor girl had a hard time getting the word out to tell me about it. I promised her we'd take care of it and have a talk with the his primary teacher about the other student as well.
The whole way home Mason didn't speak. He knew it was bad. And he gets this sad look when he's in big trouble, so it makes ME feel bad that I'm fixing to have to have it out with him. We got home and I sent him straight to his room, he was already screaming, "I don't want a spanking!" Really?? I'm thinking, is this really my Friday afternoon??
I had warned Mason before about soap in the mouth when he talked dirty, but had never followed through on it. So I called Mike to see if he was almost home and if he was on board with the soap idea. He was. So, I called Mason to the kitchen table and handed him the bar of soap. That was the end of the world for him. Hysterical, clinging to the chair, "don't put it in my mouth!", crazy. He was ready to take a spanking instead of the soap. I finally got the soap in his mouth and told him to leave it there to clean out his mouth. Then I had to walk away because I WAS ABOUT TO CRY! I made him keep the soap for about a minute. I then asked him if he liked it or if he wanted to say anymore bad words. He is now adamantly against soap in the mouth or any bad words that will put it there. So this was a pretty traumatic twenty minutes Mason and I had. By the time Mike got home I told him I'd handled it and it was over. I did take away his tv too, but I think he was relieved it wasn't worse than that. I now know why my dad always came and hugged me after I got in big trouble as a kid. It sucks having to get onto your kids! It really makes you feel bad! I think it may be harder on us than them. But, I keep reminding myself that I don't want a five year old boy that goes around thinking it's okay to talk about "his nuts."

What's Your Wednesday Worth?

A mid-week trip to Wal Mart ... $115.40

Having the kids fed, bathed, and in bed by 8:00 pm ... $0.00

Enjoying a quiet Wednesday night with your husband ... PRICELESS

Doing Something Right

Mason's preschool teacher pulled me aside to talk to me. She said that Mason had come up to her, gave her a big hug and told her thank you. She asked him what he was thanking her for? Mason told her thank you for getting him ready for kindegarten, because he'd went to kindegarten roundup day and saw that they did the same things that Ms. Bre does, so now he knows he's ready. Bre said she was just speachless and it made her feel good to know she's actually doing good with the kids.
I was shocked too! I have a well mannered, polite, loving little boy. He drives us crazy at times and acts like the 5 year old boy he is, but he's a great kid! Mike and I are doing something right! :)

Happy Sunday

What a great weekend it has been! I took Friday off to spend the day with Mason for his Kindegarten roundup in Holliday. Yes, my baby is going to be starting school this year. He was so excited for our big day! He kept telling me he loved me and was so glad we were spending the day together. And was really excited that Sam went to daycare and not with us.
We headed over to the school Friday morning, not knowing what to expect. They welcomed all the parents and kids and then sent them off to class. They then asked us to leave them there and come back at 11 to pick them up. Apparently they "test" them to see where they are at academically and use this information for class sorting. Mason did great. He was a little nervous, but didn't hesitate to join the class. I was the one that was actually a little emotional! So, I went and did a little shopping to make myself feel better while he was at school. When I picked him up, he was full of stories. He is ready to start school he says. After that, we had lunch with Mike, did a little shopping, picked up Sam, and headed out to visit with my mom and David. The boys love going out there. For one thing, they get whatever the heck they want. They also get to run wild without anyone telling them to come back. The joys of living in the country! Mom cut Sam's hair for me. He was looking like a little wild man! He looks much better. Both boys (and momma) were worn out by the time we got home. None of us were awake by the time Mike and Koop made it in.
Yesterday, I had planned to spend some time with my little sister. The Wichita Theatre was putting on High School Musical 2. So, I kept it a surprise and loaded her up and took her down there. She wasn't too excited at first, I don't think she realized what exactly it was we were going to. Once it started, she loved it. It was really enjoyable! Some very talented teenagers! After that, Mike, the boys and I cooked supper and had a quiet night at home.
Today we got up and headed to church. Mason asked for the purple bag during children time. I had known this was going to happen since he's not very shy. (We've only been going to this church for a few weeks.) One child a week gets to take home the purple bag. They bring whatever they want the next week to show the Pastor during children's worship. Mason is already convinced he wants to take his monster truck. I'm hoping to talk him into something more original by next Sunday. Dad, Nancy, and Hannah also made it to church with us. I'm really liking this church, and the kids seem to enjoy it to0. It's alot easier than driving to Olney to go to church.
After church I cooked some pork fried rice and Mike mowed the yard. I just finished up a little tlc sewing on Mason's poor blanket. It's about ready to be stored away for life, but he's not ready to give it up yet. Mike just left to take Kooper home, so it's just me and the boys for the rest of the day. Just a good relaxing day around here. I'm thinking of popping a girly movie in, but odds are I won't get to watch any of it. Oh well!