Life loves Laughter

I don't know why, but as I am sitting here, I started thinking about this. I know you will agree, that one of the best things in life is a really good hard laugh. The kind that makes you laugh so hard, your stomach hurts, your head is about to burst, and you eventually start choking. You finally stop laughing after 5 minutes of straight laughter, only to start again up again in 2 minutes. This can continue on for over an hour. Some people wonder what on earth is wrong with you. Others may know, but still wonder?! Sometimes, there is one person who is laughing right along with you. Usually, you have one or two of these people in your life. These people tend to be a really great friend or family member, and it seems as though you can read each other's minds. Sharing a laugh with one of these people is most likely the cause of the continuous laughter. It is a euphoric feeling, blissful really.

On occasion, something will crack you up, however you know that it would be inappropriate to laugh. Even rude. You try your hardest not to laugh. If you are alone, it usually passes, and embarrassment by either party is spared. Then, there are the times that you are with one of your mind reading pals. Your belly starts to shake a little. You try so hard not to look at them, because you know if you make eye contact with them, you will burst. For some reason, the urge is just to powerful and you have to look. Your eyes meet and you let out a beller. Damn! Its all over with. I am a rude jerk! But dang, that was funny!

For me, its these times that are the best. I hate to love them, but I just can't help it. I by no means want to be rude or hurtful. I am glad they don't happen very often, but I also feel great when the do. I guess it is because it doesn't just happen with anyone, it happens with loved ones. It reminds me that I have a special bond with these people, they know me well, and they love me unconditionally.

As I sit here, I am remembering two specific times. One involving my brother, with my grandpa being the poor victim, and the other with Paula, and the old school nurse that delivered her first born. I am thankful for these memories, but I am even more thankful that I have these two awesome people in my life to share a laugh with! Okay, okay. I am thankful for all of you, but today is their day.

My goal for today, was to make all of you remember a great memory you shared with someone special. I hope it worked, and I hope you all have a good hard laugh today and everyday!

Family time

I managed to get a couple of good pictures of Tanner and Colter this weekend. Tanner actually hung out with Colter and I all weekend. That was only because he got in some trouble and dad took his TV and games away. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed it. We got to have some of our good conversations. It always makes me feel good that he knows he can come to me and talk about what is on his mind. There are many things I hope I can accomplish parenting my kids, but one of the really important things, to me, is that my kids always know they can come too me. No matter what, I hope they will know that it doesn't matter what they have done or how they feel, I will always be there for them and try to understand. I also hope I raise respectable, honest, caring human beings, but I would hope that is the goal of all parents!

Tanner seems to have a good time entertaining his little brother. Its great how much he likes interact with Colter. He is still afraid to pick him up, or help him sit back up if he tips over. Tanner has been very curious about everything that I have to do for Colter. He asks a lot of questions.

Get this thing off of me!

Sadie was guarding the boys as they played.

Tanner seems to be more comfortable with everything now. I think before, he was a little unsure were he would fit in to our new family. I know all older siblings have feelings like this, but I think there was a little more to it with him. Having two families can not be easy. I am glad he is more relaxed, and I hope he realizes that he is a very important part of our family. No one can ever replace him.

Baby Katie

I have another request for you all. My friend Bobbie also has a baby in need of some prayers. She delivered her baby girl Katie yesterday in Mitchell. The baby's oxygen levels were low, so they wanted to send them to Sioux Valley so the baby could be in their NICU. No one wanted to take them because of the weather, but they must have finally decided they had no choice and they finally got them there. Once they arrived at Sioux Valley, they found out that two of the valves in her heart were backwards. So they flew Bobbie and Katie to Minneapolis. Katie will hopefully have surgery in 5 days or so to correct it. She will have to stay there for several weeks.

Her husband had to stay behind to get their other two kids situated before he could leave, but from what I understand, he is on his way to the cities right now. I hope the roads are not bad and he makes it there safely. Please say a prayer for Katie and her family!!!

Pat on the back

So I am just going to go a head and do it. I am giving myself a big ole pat on the back! Pat! Pat! Normally, I would not be praising myself, but I just can not help it. I am just too proud and I wanted to share. I have been smoke free for a year! I had tried so many times to quit, but would always break down within a week or two. I always told myself that if I ever did get pregnant, then that would be when I would do it for sure. What better reason, right? Well, when I first found out I was pregnant, it was a lot harder than I thought. I decided to try and ween my self off of them, but as luck would have it, they started to make me sick. That made it so much easier.

I still have cravings on occasion, but the only last for a second or so. I tell myself your a fool, and they go away! I am sure that the cravings will never completely go away. I am just grateful that I can't stand the smell any more. I also would never start again, because I would not go outside to smoke, and I would refuse to smoke around Colter. I feel really bad for Tanner. All of those years we smoked around him. I hope we did not damage him!

On another note, I would like to ask all of you to say a little prayer for a friend of mine, her baby, and her family. Her name is Kerrie and she has had a very sick little boy named Jack, who is 3 months old. Jack has been in the hospital since Monday. He has been having some problems with his breathing and has been choking until he turns blue, and he is always gagging. They have been running a lot of tests, and have discovered a few things, but are still doing test to rule things out. He has been sick for some time now, so I am glad they are finally trying to get to the bottom of things. Like the super mom Kerrie is, she has not left Jacks side all week. She also has two other little ones at home. Luckily, she has a great husband and friend who are taking care of things at home, but I am sure it is not the same with Mom not around. I would imagine that she is wore out and that the whole family is under some great stress. I hope they get answers and get to come home soon!! I know Kerrie and her family would appreciate your prayers, as would I.

I hope none of you get buried in all the snow they are talking we could get this weekend! Have a great one!

Definitely a Barnwelling

For the most part, Colter has always looked a lot like his daddy. From the first moment I saw him, I thought I was looking at a baby Al. Heaven help us! :o) The only features that resembled me were definitely his ears and may be his lips. I must admit, I was a little hurt that he didn't look that much like me. You know, because I am so gorgeous and all! :) I wonder if anyone else had those feelings? I did have a few people tell me that depending on how you looked at him, they could see us both in him. I thought they were just trying to be nice. Now that he has grown a little, well a lot, I can see it too. I think so far, his features have turned out to be a nice mix of both of ours. He has his dads round head and pug nose, and his moms big eyes. I think he is the cutest baby I have ever seen, but of course that is because he is mine.

Lookin' like Daddy!

Lookin' a little more like Mommy!

Its strange how you can take so many different pictures and sometimes they don't look like the same baby. Just like these pictures. I think he looks totally different in both. They were taken the same day about a half an hour apart.

Colter has been such a good baby. I cannot complain one bit. There is one thing for certain he has received from me. His temper! He is usually pretty laid back, but when he gets mad, watch out! If you live on this planet, then I am sure you have heard this statement come out of your mother's mouth. "I hope someday you have 10 kids just like you!" Or a some kind of variation to that. I wonder if that is some kind of spell mother's put on their children when they are rotten? I have not been let in on that secret yet.

When Colter gets hungry, he wants to eat now and if you don't hurry, watch out. I sometimes wonder if that is why I was so cranky when I was pregnant and hungry. When I was hungry, I also wanted my food now! He must have been in there screaming "feed me now!" One of Al's buddies would call all the time. Every time he called he would ask me what I was doing and I would always tell him I was eating. It got to the point that whenever he would call or stop by he would say, "Are you eating?" No wonder I gained 65lbs when I was pregnant.

Sorry my post was all over the place today. Just wanted to keep you all on your toes!

Monkey Boy

When Colter was born, I called him my little monkey boy. He had big feet with long toes. When ever I would lay him on my chest, he would curl his little legs up and position those feet and long piggies in such a way, that he reminded me of a little baby monkey. And, of course, there is also the nickname that I gave his father. (Most of you know!) When I saw this hat, I knew I had to get it. I tried it on him, and he looked so darn cute, that I don't think I even looked at the price tag. I probably would have bought it even if it cost $100.00! I bought it at Old Navy, and of course, about two weeks after I bought it, they started clearancing the winter items out. Go figure!

Notice the back?

Don't you just love the tail?!
















Super cute!

Know-it-alls

They drive me crazy! Unfortunately, I live with one. You know how it is. Once they reach a certain age, they know EVERYTHING! I should let you know that I am sharing a house with an expert on everything. A real life walking encyclopedia. The following is me trying my best to make it stop!!!

Tanner: Stating some more things he believes to be knowledgeable about.

Me: You know, you can be smart even if you do not know everything.

Tanner: What do you mean?

Me: I mean, you don't have to be a know-it-all to be smart. There is always something new to learn. I'm smart and I don't know everything. I hope I never stop learning. That would make life pretty boring don't you think?

Tanner: But I do know everything.

Ouy!
I know now would be a good time to apologize to my parents, but I'm not going to. I too, also knew everything! :)

Weekend play dates

My big boys had a fun weekend. Saturday night, Tanner had his pal Wesley spend the night. He informed me that they planned on staying up all night. I told him I didn't care what they did, as long as they didn't wake up his brother and I could get some sleep. Wesley showed up around 1pm and I hardly even knew they were there. It wasn't until sometime after 11pm that they decided to get rambunctious. It sounded like they were tearing down the walls in his room! I decided that I would give them until midnight until I intervened, and by then they had quited down. I finally fell asleep. I am not sure if they made it the entire night, but I do know they were still up at 6am.

I am sure some of you are aware that there are some pretty rotten kids out there. Tanner has brought a few home, but they are usually not invited back. Wesley is a great kid. I think he may be a wild one someday, but he is very polite and I like him a lot. I had told Tanner to get with Wesley and decide what they wanted for supper. He told me that Wesley liked chili and that's what they wanted. I told him he better find out if Wes likes green peppers and onions, because my chili is loaded with them. Tanner said that Wes was not picky. That he would eat anything. So at supper, I noticed Wesley did not eat much of his food. I asked him if he liked the veggies, and he said "Not really, but my mom told me I had to like whatever you make!" Too funny. I assume Tanner was wrong. He must be a picky eater if his mom had to tell him that! He did not starve, we had lots of other things to eat. They had a great time!

Al also had his fun this weekend. He took Saturday off so he could go riding on the river with his buddies and about 40 other guys. They got on the river in Dells and rode to Trent. I am sure they had a few drinks at the bar before heading back. He managed to make a whole day of it, even though he had worked the night before and got up around 7:30 to go. The guys tried to get him to go bar hopping when they got back, but he decided he better not. It has been a while since he has been out riding with his friends, so I know he had a great time.

Speaking of riding, I guess I ended up with a new dirt bike. Its a long story that I won't get into. It was meant for Tanner, but he will never ride it. He is not into that, it scares him. Al decided to put smaller tires on it so that Colter could ride it too. I am not sure what he is thinking. Colter will not be able to fit on it for quit a few years, and by then I am sure the tires will be wore out. That's my man, always thinking ahead!

Who's the Man?!

Harvick is! Go Harvick! Go Harvick! Go, Go, Go Harvick! Yeah, that's right. My man won the only Superbowl that matters, daytona 500! (Sorry football fans!) As soon as he won, he called me again and asked me to marry him. I had to break his heart, once again and tell him I was still married. I wish these guys would quit calling me after every win. I know I am gorgeous, but geesh, enough all ready!

Hey, Hey now people, no need to be harsh. Its my fantasy world, let me live in it!

Letter to the editor

There was a letter to the editor in the paper on Thursday that got me a little peeved! I apologize to those of you who do not have access to the paper. I would type out the letter here to share it with you, but I think it is crap, and I will not waste my time rewriting it.

I am sure you have all heard about the missing girls this past weekend. A friend and coworker of mine had posted earlier this week on her blog about this. Basically, she talked about how she heard the dispatcher did an awesome job and talking about how we do a thankless job. We, along with some other first responding agencies, often go unnoticed when it comes to helping people. We are not in this line of work because we want to be praised, we are in it because we want to help people. Often times, we have to deal with hysterical people, angry people cussing at us, death and drunks. We often have to sit hear and wonder what the outcome of a call is. It is by no means a glamorous job, but it is all worth it when you can help that one person.

This letter that was written to the editor, was written by a fellow first responder, who is on search and rescue. May be I have taken the letter the wrong way, and if I did, I apologize, but it seems like an attack on the 911 dispatchers and the way we handle calls. I say that because there are no other agencies mentioned in the letter. He is upset because search and rescue were not immediately paged out to help look for these girls. He goes on to say that it is not the first time that this has happened. He also would like you to believe that we are wasting the tax payers money, by not utilizing all of the equipment and training they have to offer. He also states some other "facts" that are not consistent with what actually transpired, but I am not able to go into that.

It is really a shame that some people would write a letter like that not knowing all of the factors that were involved in the situation. I don't even know all of the factors and I have way more access to finding out how things actually happened than he does. He has no idea what we do at our dispatch center, and I will not pretend to know everything that they do when the are out there on a call. We have been trained to do our jobs and follow certain procedures as are they. Depending on the circumstances, we do not always call the shots around here. We may not always agree, but that is the way it is. I refuse to point fingers, especially when it is at another first responding agency. We ultimately have the same goal, and that is to save lives.

I am not sure why he felt it necessary to try and open a can of worms, but I guess that is what he has done. I don't know about you, but as a member of this community, and as a dispatcher, I would like to believe that all of the agencies that may be involved in saving my life or yours, have respect for one another, and that they know what they are doing. If you or I need our lives, or the lives of our loved ones save, I certainly wouldn't want people arguing about who, what, why, when and how.

Well, thanks for letting me vent. I needed to get that off of my chest. It just touched base with a few of my personal pet peeves. And please, if you read the letter to the editor, don't let it scare you into thinking you may not receive the help you need. We do know what we are doing!

Everyone have a SUPER GREAT weekend!!!

Why?! Why?! Why has it invaded my dreams?!

I know I have been talking about snoring a lot, but I just had to tell you about the crazy dream I was having Tuesday night before work.

If you have read all of my posts, than you probably all ready know that my hubby is a snoring beast! I usually lay down before work and try to get a couple of hours of sleep before I go in. Sometime during that time, Al must have decided to come in and go to sleep. And, of course, he started snoring. This night, I must have been really tired, because I was sleeping through it. My mind was not completely unaware, however.

In my dream, I was walking down the hall of a school, by a class room. I heard this awful noise coming from inside. I was just too curious, so I looked inside to see what was going on. I was shocked by what I saw. It was a little girl, sleeping at her desk, snoring away. I was in disbelief that something so small and dainty could make such a noise, so I went in to investigate. As I approached her, I saw another desk hiding behind a cabinet. There were feet sticking out from beneath it. When I reached the girl, I looked to see who was behind the cabinet, and it was my hubby! Fast asleep and snoring away. I then realized that it was not the girl that was snoring, but my husband! I should have known! He is the only person, other than my dad, that I have heard make such noises. Noises that make you wonder.....How can a chain saw fit in that nasal cavity? Why do I still have to dust with all of the dust he probably inhales? How does he not get dehydrated? Why doesn't he wake up from hearing himself? Is that the cause of his poor hearing?

Now, I am sure this has happened to you while dreaming. Your dream fast forwards and all of the sudden you are some where else. Well now we were in bed sleeping. In my dream, he was still cutting down trees and it had woke me up. No surprise here. I started screaming at him as loud as I could, "Wake up! Wake up! Stop snoring! Why wont you wake up and stop snoring!" I was yelling this over and over and getting really frustrated. It must have been frustrating my brain too, because I soon woke up. And you guessed it! Al was sawing the biggest log in the forest. So, I gave him a little shove and he rolled over and was quite long enough for me to get back to sleep.

The moral of the story.... there isn't one. I just thought it was funny and I hope I could give all of you a good laugh too.

Al is in total denial. He does not snore! Just ask, he will tell you. I have been thinking about recording him so I can play it back to him, and also for a good laugh. May be I should post it here! lol! I don't know if he would be very appreciative of that. I love my husband dearly, and would not want to embarrass him. But I must admit, he is a big goofball, and he is the main source of my comic relief! I am not laughing at you honey, I'm laughing with you! Wink! Wink!

Jump, Jump and away!

Colter's got a new toy! That's right, its a jumperoo, as seen in the picture. It belongs to his cousin Chase, but Chase has officially become a "big boy" and no longer wants to play in it. So, he said his baby cuz could use it. Actually, Aunt Stacy was behind it all. Chase was taking a nap, and I am not sure he even knows it is gone. I am sure he doesn't miss it all that much.

I have been so fortunate to have a friend/sister-n-law like Aunt Stacy. Chase is almost exactly 11 months older than Colter, so Stacy has given me access to every thing that Chase has "outgrown". She was also there for me when I was pregnant, going through mood swings, and gripping about every thing, and she continues to be there for me now. I can call her and ask her the stupidest thing and she never makes me feel like an idiot. She is a great friend, and I am lucky to have her in my life. So, a huge thanks to you Stacy! Oh, and I suppose I will also thank my brother for cleaning the garage so I could get some great stuff. That is probably the only thanks you will get from me bone head, so you might want to save it. Luv ya!

Now that we got all of that out of the way, lets get back to the original subject! Colter seems to enjoy his new toy. He hasn't quit figured out what it can really do, but I am sure that will come with time. And when that time comes, I may wish it hadn't. I was warned that this thing can be very loud once it gets to bouncing. I have a short video of him in his jumperoo, all though he seems to be more interested in what the dogs are doing. It is still cute though, because he has the staring role. Stay tuned......

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING VIDEO MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS. Yawning can be contagious. Side effects of yawning include suddenly falling asleep and loud snoring. If you are at work, you should wait to watch this video until you get home. Failing to due so could result in office humiliation and loss of your job. If job loss occurs, you should talk to your boss and beg him/her to let you keep your job. You should also buy everyone in the office rolls, or somehow humiliate another co-worker so they forget about your mishap. If this video causes you to yawn, you should not operate motorized vehicles. Not responsible for injuries, job loss or humiliation that may occur due you not reading or taking this warning seriously!

Yum!

After several attempts, Colter has finally learned how to eat baby food! Hurray! I have been trying off and on to feed him cereal since he was three months. At his four month checkup, our Pediatrician gave me the green light to go ahead and start trying baby food. He said Colter may not like the rice cereal, as it does not taste very good. I have not personally tried it, nor do I want to, so I will take his word for it. I do believe he was right. Colter will not eat the rice, but he will eat the veggies! Super Exciting! I plan to give him a few weeks to get used to eating his veggies. Once he has mastered them, I am going to try some of the oatmeal cereal. May be I should call our Ped and ask him how that tastes!!

This weekend, Tanner, Colter and I made it to Sioux Falls. We were not there long, because it started snowing and the roads were starting to get slick. We had a good time anyway, and Tanner finally got the gameboy he had been saving for. The only problem was he didn't have enough left over to buy a game. When we got back to town, I took him to Pamida to see if he could find anything that he could afford. Nothing. He said that they had games at the Pawn shop, but they were closed. I promised to take him there on Sunday. I did, but again, nothing. So, he carried it around all weekend looking at it, but not getting to play it. It was a sad site.

I had a Dr. appt on Monday, so I told him I would try to stop at Last stop CD shop and see if they had anything. That made him feel a little better. I did manage to find one of the games he said he wanted, but it was more than what he had to spend. I was actually impressed that he was even able to save his money long enough to get something he really wanted, so I decided I would just pay the difference. When Tanner arrived home from school, he came running in and looked at me. He didn't say a word, but I knew that look on his face. So, I told him to go get his money. He does. I handed over the game and he gave me his money, every penny, nickel, dime and quarter he had. The best part, I am sure he robbed it from the laundry!!!

The Bumbo

I know some of you thought I was crazy when I was talking about the bumbo seat. A lot of you wanted to know what it was. I thought I would post a picture of Colter in his so you could see it. And also because its just too darn cute not to share. I will say that Colter has not liked it as much as I hoped. I think its because he is so big. His legs get stuck when you try to take him out. I know a couple of mom's with smaller babies who love it. I wish we could have got more use out of it. My girl Paula has put dibs on it. So I hope she will get some good use out of it when her little guy arrives.

Speaking of her little guy, I am totally bummed that we will not get to celebrate my 30th birthday with a tottie or two. Paula is due at the end of April. I asked her the other day if she could ask her Dr. to induce her a few weeks early so we can go out. She agreed, but i am guessing her Dr. probably will not. I am not sure if that qualifies as a good enough reason! We have decided that we will just have to load up our kids and go out for supper. That will be a interesting adventure! We always have a great time no matter what we do. Paula, if your reading this, we will make up for it on your birthday! (as long as you don't get pregnant again!~ sorry, I had to..too funny!) And FYI, I put the R in Rad!

Have a Fabulous Friday and a great weekend all!

Conferences

Everything went well with Tanner's conferences. He is doing extremely well with his grades this year. Go Tanner! The teachers always say the same things about him....He is very smart, but he is a social butterfly. He talks to everyone, all the time! I think that is a good quality to have, but it can also get you into trouble. She did say something we had never heard before. He loves to read. In fact, she has to stop him from reading books in class so he will pay attention to what is going on. Again, good he likes to read, bad he is not paying attention. I have never seen him reading books at home, however, he is always reading his dads hot rod and racing magazines. He is also getting a 98.7 in social studies right now! They are learning about the revolutionary war, and of course, he loves that kind of thing. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes into the military when he graduates.

I think I am going to try to get to Sioux Falls this weekend. Tanner wants to go and see if he can find the gameboy advance he has been saving for. Colter is going to be needing formula. I have a doctor's appt down there on Monday, but I see the 7 day forecast is talking snow. I don't know how much, hopefully not a lot. I am thinking it may be wise to get down there and get the formula in case I can't make it on Monday. Anyhow, I would love to get out of the house. Tanner and I haven't got to spend much time together since I went back to work. It would be nice to be able to have some good quality time with him.

Hope everyone got a good report at conferences!

Another sleeping baby picture

After I posted yesterday, I came across another picture that I love of Colter sleeping on his daddy. He wasn't quit two months old here. I couldn't resist adding it. Hope you enjoy!

Look what I can do!

Once again, Colter has been amazing me with the things he has learned this week. Its crazy how much they can change in one weeks time! I am not sure if I am way to over zealous, or if every mom gets as excited as I do about every little thing. And I do mean little. Like the fact that he realized he could flap his arms and that he can stick out his tongue and make farting noises. There certainly isn't a place for these things in the baby books.

Wednesday, when we got home from daycare, I laid him in his crib like I usually do, and got him out of his snowsuit, hat, etc. I turned away to put his gear on the dresser, and when I turned back he was laying on his tummy. He had rolled over for the first time and I missed it! I put him on his back again, and he kept trying to roll back over. I watched him for a while, but he couldn't quite make it all the way over. Since he was entertaining himself so well, I decided to take advantage of that time to get his bag ready for the morning. When I got done, I came back in, I found him laying on his side, fast asleep. All that trying to roll back over business must have wore him out.

I am sure most of you would agree that sleeping babies are so precious. Listen to me! Who would have thought I would be saying things like this. Pre-kid me probably would have smacked post-kid me upside the head for being so crazy for baby! I think I am the poster child for how much having a child changes your life. I am truly blessed!

My precious angel, snoozing away!

Tonight we will be going to Tanner's conferences. Hopefully I will have a good report tomorrow. They almost always say the same thing, so I am pretty sure I know what to expect. Still, I can't help but get a little nervous about what the teacher may say.

Good luck to all you parents who have conferences tonight! Have a super Thursday everyone!

New aroma PLEASE!

Unless you don't have a TV, then I am sure you have seen these commercials. A guy puts on some Axe and the ladies can't resist. I have a story about "the axe effect", or lack there of.

A while back, my husband was in need of some deodorant. We both needed to get something at pamida, so he came with me. Normally, I would just get the deodorant myself. But this day, I let him pick out what he wanted. That was my first mistake. He saw the axe deodorant and thought he better give it a try. For the next few weeks, every time he would walk by me, he would raise his arm into the air hoping I would get a whiff. Now I don't know about you, but I certainly am not into sniffing arm pits. Needless to say, "the axe effect" was having no effect. I am guessing that it does not have the same effect on married women as it does on single women.
My husband, however, must have thought the deodorant was not powerful enough. Soon, he was wearing the body spray too. I am sure he thought it was working, because soon after Colter was on his way.

With as sick as I was through out my pregnancy, there wasn't much happening at our house. My husband must have thought that I could not smell him anymore. The aroma was gradually getting stronger. I could have swore he was bathing in the stuff. May be it was my super sniffing pregnancy powers, or may be he was using half a bottle of body spray a day, I am not sure which. But "the axe effect" was certainly having an effect on me, but it was not the one he was hoping for. It was having a HUGE effect on my stomach.

I informed him of this, and at first I think he thought I was kidding. I mean after all, in his delusional world, the women where lined up at the door and he was having to beat them off with a stick. He informed me that he gets sweaty and that way it helps hide the b.o. Again, delusional. At this point, I was thinking I would much rather smell the b.o. than the axe. I guess he finally came back to reality when he figured out the reason I was always gagging when he was around was because of the body spray. Thank the Lord!

Once Colter arrived, he decided he could start using the body spray again. WRONG! I am not sure why, but I absolutely can not stand the smell of it. It makes me want to toss my cookies every time I smell it. So, he has put me in charge of picking out a new aroma that will not offend my stomach. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

I am also thinking about starting a support group for the wives of the men who have seen these commercials. Please contact me if you are interested. :)

Gotta luv my Al!

Another cold weekend

Brrrr! Will someone please tell the weather man to turn up the heat! It was cold again this weekend! Like you all didn't all ready know that. I know that I should not be complaining, we have been pretty fortunate. However, its my right, and I'll cry if I want too.

Colter and I stayed home all weekend. I hate to take him out when its this cold unless I absolutely have to. I am starting to get stir crazy. I need to get out! It seems that Colter gets sick of sitting in our tiny little house too. I can't wait for spring, so we can start hanging out outside. It should be here soon, at least according to the hog. This is the first year in a long time that I can recall he didn't see his shadow.

Tanner spent the night with his pal Wesley on Friday night. The rest of the weekend he spent moping around the house telling me he was bored. He has been trying to save his money to get a gameboy advance. He wanted to walk across town to his grandma's to see if he could "work" for her to earn some money. I was not about to let him do that in this cold. Besides, he tries to get grandma to give him 20.00 for sweeping the floor. If only it were that easy......

I spent my weekend trying to entertain Colter. He has been crabbier than normal. I believe he is teething. I keep looking in that mouth hoping to see a tooth, but nothing. You can definitely feel them though.

He found his feet this weekend, so he has some new play toys. Which is great for me. It might keep him busy enough for me to get something done. I actually spent Monday morning from about 8am to 2pm cleaning. I strapped him in the baby bjorn and away we went. Of course, we had to break for naps and feedings, but he was happy, and that's all that mattered. I wish I would have figured that out sooner. He almost doesn't fit in it anymore. Oh well, that is my duh moment for the week. (I am sure it won't be the last!)

Colter's favorite things right now...His brother and Chopper. Chopper was and still is my other baby. She is the princess of the house. Colter loves to watch her. He even tries to pet her, well, more like pull her ears and hair. Chopper loves babies. I suppose because the are easy to steal from. She is a food freak. Colter and her will get along great! At least I will have someone to help pick up the mess Colter creates with his food. And clean off his face when he is done. Ewww, I was just kidding!

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

becoming a blogger

So, after much debate (with myself and I), I finally decided to join the world of bloggers. I am by no means a great writer, so I may regret it. And after reading my blog, you may regret it too!!! Any how, I hope to be able to post a few times a week, if time will allow it.

The main reason I wanted to start this blog, was for those of you who don't get to see us that often. I know that Grandma would sure appreciate being able to see Colter grow, and know what he has been up too. I am sure a lot of the posts will be about him, but I plan to keep you informed about the rest of the family too.

The family.......

This is the only picture I have of the four of us. It was taken at christmas time, in case you couldn't tell. :) I made Tanner stand in front of me so you couldn't see how fat I am.....lol! I am happy to report that I have been faithfully getting on my treadmill the past two weeks, and I have actually lost 6 lbs. Yeah me!!! Any who, the picture is not the greatest, but it is the only one I've got. It seems we are never all together at the same time, and if we are, I am the one taking the pictures, as Al likes to chop off everyones heads!

Al, like always, stays busy. He just cannot sit still for more than 10 mins. He tends to have to many things going at once, so he never gets his own stuff done. It doesn't help that he works that weekend shift. Everyone seems to think since he has all week off, that he has nothing better to do than work on their stuff. His phone rings off the hook and it drives me nuts. He doesn't have the heart to tell anyone no. I told him I would do it for him, but he didn't think that would be wise....lmao!! His sleep schedule has been so screwed up lately. He hasn't been able to sleep that great at night, so when I get home from work, he usually heads for Tanner's room to sleep a little longer. He snores so dang loud, that I can't sleep. I have a hard enough time trying to sleep during the day without him snoring, so he is nice enough to do that for me. When I left for work tonight, he was actually sleeping for once, and man was he snoring. I went to let the dogs in the bedroom with him, and they looked at me like "Do we have to go in there?!" It was too funny!

Tanner is 11 and in the 5th grade. He is such a good kid, a little on the lazy side, but he's still a good kid. (Now I sound like my high school principal. I know some of you will know what I'm talking about!) He is very smart and has such a kind heart. His class mates think he is a good comedian. His is a gamer all the way. It's all he talks about. His little brother adores him and always gets a huge smile on his face when he sees him. I told Tanner the other night that we should make a video tape of him, so when he is not around and Colter is fussy, I can pop it in. Now that Colter can do more, Tanner is actually starting to get more interested in him. Tonight he actually hung out with us and helped out so I could try and get some things done. He was good help.

Colter is growing up way to fast! He never was that small to begin with, and he just seems to keep on growing. He will be 5 months old on Monday. It just does not seem possible. Where has the time gone? He has been trying like mad for the past 3 weeks to sit up. Last week was a week of many firsts for him. He got his first boo boo from hitting his head on his exersaucer, he figured out that he could actually stand on his legs, (also because of his exersaucer), and he pooped on me for the first time while I was carrying him to the tub. What a little STINKER!

I used Colter's christmas money to buy his exersaucer. He seems to enjoy looking at the world from a new angle. Here he is in it. I almost think he looks like he is giving that attitude look his mother gives, but lets hope that's not the case!!

Colter trying to eat his rattle.

Colter trying to sit up with the help of his boppy.

I have been trying to get a picture of Colter's beautiful smile, but this is as close as I get to catching it.

Well thats all for now. Every one try to stay warm this weekend!!