Spring Showers....

Hi everyone. We are still staying very busy. Rather than one long rambling post, I did a few different ones today.

Every year, we have wanted to attend the Kingswood rummages to see what all the fuss is about. Every year, I find out about them at the last minute and don't get a chance to go. This year, I did my research and found out when they were in advance. I took Thursday, the 24th off so we could go. Lucky me, the day we picked to go, there was a monsoon. We went anyway.

The morning started off well, but after an hour or so, it unleashed. We were about 6 blocks from my jeep and decided to run for it. Unfortunately, I got stuck at a busy intersection and the motorists did not feel sorry for me. The just kept on speeding by, splashing up water all the way. By the time I finally made it back to the jeep, it was to late. I looked like I had just jumped into a swimming pool.

Rather than let it dampen our spirits, we headed to Walmart for some dry clothes, umbrella's & poncho's. After we found the much need gear, we headed back out. This time, only our calves and feet got wet. Al and I compared it to playing in the rain like we did when we were kids. Because of the rain, we did not hit nearly as many sales as we would have liked to. I didn't find a single thing for myself. But despite all of that, we had a blast. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Spring time in SD

For those who don't know what spring time in SD is like.... That date is no typo....
The weather man said chance of rain/snow mix. No accumulation expected. The ground is to warm. You should receive a Budweiser toast as a real man of genius. Because of you, Mr weather man, I wore my blue foam shoes. Croc's as you may know them. Croc's minus socks. Only you could predict no accumulation. Leaving many unsuspecting, trusting listeners to go into work expecting nothing. Only to come out to something. And not just a little something. A whole foot of something. White blowing flakes of cold. Cold that falls into the holes of blue foam shoes. Cold flakes that seem to become even colder after they collide with sock less feet that cause them to melt. Melting into puddles of freezing cold ice water. Freezing the little tootsies of your faithful listeners. Here's to you Mr weatherman. One of a select few men who tell a lie to thousands without flinching.

The kids

Not to much new as far as Tanner goes. He will be 13 in a few months. Those of you that have teenagers or remember that age, know what that means. Girls are now interesting, puberty s^cks, and parents are lame. The only other thing on his agenda at this time, is completing the hunter safety course.






Colter's vocabulary is growing right along with more teeth. He loves to play outside and is becoming a pro tantrum thrower. Melt downs occur every time we go in, get close to the door, or when mom pretends not to know why he is handing her his shoes. Mom is becoming a pro tantrum dis tractor. One episode was cured by making a chocolate pie. Colter got to lick off his first "spoon". Which of course, eventually lead to more melt downs. Good times!!

Kitchen progress

The kitchen has been coming along, slowly. It will be done someday. For now, I am happy that I have a few cabinets.... Some counter top.....
and something to cook with.
I am getting a bit anxious to get a sink back, but the above will pacify me for a bit. Al is going to have to call in a reinforcements to help him cut the rest of the counter top. He is not exactly fond of that task which causes him to speak in bizarre tongue. He is not excited that I threw a miter into the mix. Luckily, he has a relative who is an expert in diy home improvement. Hopefully, that relative will be willing to lend a hand, or some advice....for Al's sake. And for my SANITY!!!

Princess Chopper

While demanding my attention this morning, I noticed that princess Chopper is starting to get white around the eyes. My little princess is starting to age. It made me shudder to think about her getting old. I love my princess like mad. Yes. I am one of those crazy folk who think their pets are their kids. :O)



Until next time.....

Swinging

Big & small, having a ball

Kitchen

I have not had anytime to post lately. Well, I am sure that I could find a second, but I have been taking every opportunity mother nature has given to get outdoors. When I haven't been outside, working, chasing a toddler or cleaning, I have been trying to help Al get the kitchen done. We didn't have much of a kitchen before, but we have not had one at all for the past 3 weeks. Al has been working on it when ever he gets a chance, but he is not a huge fan of the mudding & sheet rock part. So, that has taken him a bit longer. This week we should be able to get most of the cabinets set, hung and my stove back in there. No more to go food! I can only eat pizza and chicken so many times. Fast food is not even an option. Yuck!!

This is the kind of mess I have been dealing with the past few weeks.....
You have no idea how happy seeing painted walls has made me.

Enjoy the weather this week! They are talking 70 for tuesday. It will be a great day to spend shopping with my Sis-n-law! I can't wait!!

Mom email

Hi everyone. I recieved an email that I would like to share with you. I am sure most of you have seen this one before. I know I have, but I think its a good one.....enjoy!

Being a MOM...

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of 'starting a family.' 'We're taking a survey,' she says half-joking. 'Do you think I should have a baby?'

'It will change your life,' I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

'I know,' she says, 'no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations.'

But that is not what I mean t at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, 'What if that had been MY child?' That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of 'Mom!' will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitat ion.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromanti c.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.

I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. 'You'll never regret it,' I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

I am in heaven

You may think (ok, know) that I am totally crazy, but I just took the most amazing shower ever. No naughty thoughts here people. Before I was ever married and certainly before I became pregnant, I had no idea just how much of a luxury taking a shower was.

I remember a conversation that was had at a family dinner once. It was before Al and I were married. My dad had asked Al if I still took those 30 minute showers and wasted all the hot water. (That was no joke. I really did.) Al replied back with something like....no she doesn't. But she still wastes all the hot water. When ever I shower with her, I almost end up in mckennan's burn unit. (Also no joke. I like it hot!) At this point in the conversation, my Mom's eyeballs about popped out of her head. I told her not to worry, we wore our swimming suits. :O) All though I am sure she knew better, that is what she wanted to believe.

Any how, the past 8 years or so, I have always felt rushed to get in, get out, and get the job done. Someone always has to go to the bathroom, etc when it is my turn. Since my toddler came along, I really feel rushed.

Tonight, it is just Colter and I. He has been fast asleep for over an hour. I got in that shower, and I didn't have to worry about a thing. I took almost a 20 minute hot shower. I got in a good 10 minutes of just standing under the water and relaxing. No interruptions. It was heaven!!!! Thank you Lord!!!!

Nightmare on Chopper's street

It all happened on Monday afternoon. My day started out like an other typical day in this dog eat dog world. I did my usual bed pounce to wake up my human slaves so I could go outside. After I complete my mission, I prance and bark all the way to the door. My bff, Sadie, growls, spins in circles and foams at the mouth. Once outside, I bark at the air until I finally decided to relieve myself. Back inside I go.

Sadie and I assume our usual positions. I lay on top of the couch where I can get a good view out the window. My pal Sadie, stands on the couch and plasters her face to the window. We want to make sure that anyone who dares to pass by, knows whose territory the are on.

Ah, the first victim of the day. The old lady and her dog. I throw my head back and bark towards the ceiling. I'm tough, and they better recognize. In case they are doubting me, Sadie lets them know she is there to back me. She bounces of the furniture and window, while spitting, barking and growling. They must know that if the window were not there, they would be lunch. Once the lady and her dog pass, we continue to bark for a minute or two. Just in case.

Today seems a bit slow. There are not as many people trespassing today. Perhaps we have scared them all. Wait! Whats that?! Oooo doggie! Its a human crossing the street a block away. I enlist the help of Sadie to make sure they keep on walking. We showed him. He must have been to scared to come down here.

In between my missions to protect whats mine, I take catnaps. However, after one of my afternoon catnaps, something appeared that had me shaking like a leaf. My human slave says that its scary because of the smelly mess of germs growing inside. But that is exactly why I was captivated and couldn't look away. That same smelly mess of germs was to much for me to resist. My eyes were glued to it. Then, all of the sudden, it would move. I barked and ran away with my tail between my legs. Every time I went back to look, it would happen again. It was so traumatizing. All afternoon, I agonized over this thing.

I was so relieved when my human slave so bravely scooped the thing up and got it out of my sight. Finally, I could resume my position on the couch. Life is back to normal again.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Peeps!!I wonder how many of you are doing something special today?. I am a bit ashamed to say this, but I can not honestly remember the last time I attended church on easter sunday. I would be willing to bet the last time was about 15 years ago. Today is no exception. I am at work. I realize I need to stop procrastinating. Its time for me to find ways to get my family and myself more involved with church.

I do love Easter time. Its the time of year when all of God's miracles are being resurrected. His only son, nature and his creatures. Its a fresh new start for all. I love all of the pretty colors, the glorious smells, the return of beautiful song birds and the gift of new life for many little critters.

I knew it would not be an easy task to decorate eggs with an 18 month old. However, I felt that I really needed to do it. I want him to have these great memories. Yes, I know he probably will not even remember, but I will. So, I attempted to help Colter decorate his eggs. Or should I say, I did most of the decorating. He was more interested in trying to drink the dye from the cups, ripping apart the card board box and trying to throw the "balls" (eggs) across the room. Needless to say, we did not have much for finished products. My flash gordan skills are not as good as they used to be and many off the "balls" did not survive. My little pitcher has a great curve ball!

It would have been great to have some extra hands, but Tanner went to his mom's for the long weekend. Tanner was looking forward to meeting his new little sister. His mom had a baby girl the beginning of February and he had yet to see her. I hope he is having a good time. I hope ya'll are having a good time!!

What is wrong with you boy?

I don't know what is wrong with my kid. He is crazy. I think he loves pain & torture.

Al took Colter out to play in the recent snow received. Of course, Dad thought it would be funny to throw snow balls at such an easy target. Colter really enjoyed being hit with them. He found it to be loads of fun. Most kids probably would, right? Then, while Colter was trying to run in his 500 layers mom made him wear, he tripped and fell face first into the snow.

All though you can not tell from the picture, he actuall thought that was pretty darn funny too. I am not sure all kids would think that was quite so great.

Fast forward to a couple days later. Once again, Al decides it was time to pick on Colter. Al picks up the water bottle, intended to be for naughty dogs, and squirts Colter with it. Colter let out a big laugh, so dad squirted him again. This time he accidentally got him in the face. Colter thought this was the greatest thing ever. So, dad did it a few more times. When he decided he better quite, Colter got made because he wanted more. If Al would squirt him any where besides in the face, he would also get mad. The water bottle got put away, but eventually had to be put out of sight all together because Colter was so mad that no one was going to squirt him in the face anymore. I am pretty darn sure that most kids would not likes this.

The following day, Colter hit his head on the wall pretty hard. I knew it must have hurt, but I didn't want him to freak, so I tried to just ignore it. I couldn't for long, because he decided that hitting his head on the wall was a good time too. (((SIGH))) At least he wasn't doing it real hard. Perhaps the damage was all ready done. What is wrong with you boy?!

House update

After a few week hiatus, Al is back to working on the kitchen again. Our taxes arrived a few weeks ago, and we promptly headed to Lowe's to spend the money. I had made a few changes in the layout of the kitchen, and we still needed some of odds & ends. Other than the fact that I need to exchange a few things, I think we have everything to get the kitchen done!

Al started sheet rocking the ceiling, repairing walls and taking down the old cabinets. He has 2 out of the 3 cabinets removed! How on earth did these people survive with such little cabinet & counter space? I admit that the kitchen has its obstacles, but if I can do it, they could too. (At least I think I can.) I cannot wait to see my creation come to life.

Colter has been helping Al & I out. He has been having a blast with all the tools. Its so cute to see him trying to "fix" things. He is quite handy. I helped out a little by tearing down the hideous wallpaper that was used as a back splash. Once I started to tear it down, I found even uglier wall paper underneath. I didn't know it was possible, but it was. I have also started some destruction to the bathroom. Its a great way to blow off steam.

I keep noticing new things about the house that amuse me. The previous owner had the house since the 40's and it was used for a rental for the past 20 years or so. Its obvious by some of the repairs that he made. Either that, or he was just not very handy. Who uses duct tape to patch plaster walls, and then paints over it? Not even us der hillbillies thought of such a good idear. I guess were just not true to dem der roots. :O)

Hope yer all havin a fantastical weekend!

Colter's week

Last week I said I had pictures, and I wasn't kidding. I just couldn't seem to find the time to post. So here you go. Narrated by Colter.

Now that I am getting to be a big boy, Tanner is much more interested in me. His interest seems to be more aimed towards picking on me.....

torturing me....
scaring me...
did I say picking on me?
In the past couple of weeks, I have finally figured out how to release all of my excess energy. I have way more than anyone person should have. At least that is what Mom says. I surprised her by climbing on this chair and fussing until she came to see what my major malfunction was. Boy was she excited to see how big I really was and that I could get up here all by myself.
Her excitement did not last long, because soon I was showing her that I could also climb onto the couch and anything else that I could find. Mommy got a little upset when I found out that I could climb onto the dinning room chairs, and then onto the dinning room table. She didn't see me fast enough on my 2nd attempt and the chair went out from underneath me. Hopefully, I will remember that the next time the chairs call my name.

My sock fetish has turned into a just plain down weird foot fetish. I love to take my shoes & socks off every night and when I am done, I have to take my Mom's off too. I try to take Dad's off, but he doesn't let me. Mom says that I should be thankful. :O) Recently, I discovered that I could actually put my Mom's shoes on my feet. I thought I was pretty darn funny and had to show Mom.

Then I thought I would give walking a try....

I had a lot of fun, but I got mad when they would fall off and I couldn't get them back on. For some reason now, Mom puts her shoes in her bedroom when I take them off for her.
Hope you are all having a great week!

Mischievous

This is an example of what that looks like.