Grateful #4

MORMON MESSAGES

I am so grateful for these wonderful little gifts.

They bring my focus back to what is important and

invite love and the Spirit into my heart.

This is my favorite today.

Grateful #3

After doing eight loads of laundry yesterday, 

I'm so grateful for the

 yummylicious smell of this stuff.

Grateful 1 & 2

Wow! November snuck up on me!  I have so much to be thankful for and this is such a great opportunity for me to document!

#1

I am SO grateful that I figured out what 

I want to be when I grow up.  I am so grateful for the sacrifices of my loved ones (and my dirty house) that make it possible for me to get an education!

School makes me so happy! 

 #2

Oh, sweet pizzookie. I need say no more.

Where has all the TP gone?

I was deleting photos from my camera

and I ran across this one.

I didn't take it.

Apparently Rydge is a photographer as well

as an expert in wasting TP.

At least now I know why we keep running out.

I needed that

I saw this on FACEBOOK.

I totally laugh-snorted when I read it.

I needed that!

Critters

We have had a series of odd critters around here lately.

Maddie, Rydge, and I found this little fella a few days ago.

I've never seen anything like it.

I think he's a caterpillar.

I like to think he's going to be a beautiful butterfly someday.

 So weird, huh?

I've heard of eyes in the back of your head, 

but eyes on your butt? 

That's new to me.

 On Sunday I came home from my early meetings and the kids were all out in the driveway looking a bit excited.  That is NEVER a good sign.  Turns out we had this little dude 

sleeping in the corner of the garage. 

An opossum. 

How utterly disgusting is that rat tail? ug. 

He did not love being disturbed.

He hissed at us.

Tyler named him Reggie. 

I hate him. 

So when it got dark I attempted 

to bait this critter out with some tuna.  

I left a chunk near him and dropped tuna bits here and there and then left the can in the middle of the driveway.

My plan was to watch for him to come out of the garage and then run and shut the garage so he didn't make it his permanent dwelling.

As most of my good plans do...it backfired.

I looked outside about 20 min. after strategically placing the tuna and saw this.......

(pic from google - it was night and I was freaked out)

Apparently skunks love tuna even more than 'possums.  

So now, I have a 'possum residing in my garage somewhere.

A skunk hanging out, probably waiting anxiously for more tuna.

And a creepy crawly weird squishy thing that I hope turns into a butterfly.

Awesome.

One Lucky Guy

No, Tyler didn't take two dates to Homecoming.

We met up with our beautiful Hayley-girl for photos.

Sweet cousins!

 Ty and the other Hailee  :)

Cute couple.

I'm not quite sure how we went from t-ball

to Homecoming. Time is flying by 

WAY too fast.

MUM's the word

Let me first premise this post by asking pardon

of any Texans I may offend.

Ok.  So the MUM.

Tyler asked sweet Hailee to Homecoming.

Texas tradition states that the boy gives the girl a MUM

that she wears to school on Friday and the game Friday night.

So we made the MUM.

$90 and hours later....

here ya go.

Tradition also dictates that there is an "exchange".

Last night we took Hailee her MUM and she gave Ty his armband.

The MUM is covered with noisemakers...

airhorn, bells, cow bell... the noisier the better.

Seriously, can you imagine lugging this thing around all day.

And this is SMALL....

I just don't get it. 
I kept asking myself...why???
Purpose?

But I have to say - it was pretty fun hanging

with the kiddos putting it together. 

The Conference Sniper

So last weekend was so amazing.  I love General Conference weekend for so many reasons.  
1. I get to SLEEP IN
2. Going along w/number 1 I have NO early Sunday meetings
3. I wear my pj's all day.
4. I get to color with my baby.
5. I take naps.  Lots of naps.
6. I get to soak in the words of the living prophets. 
7. Oh, and food. Lots of food.

This conference we had a bit of a different experience.

Apparently, every single one of us ticked Rydge off.  Kyle took his spot.  I told him "no". Tyler was buggin, etc....

As we were sitting there quietly enjoying conference, nerf bullets showered down upon us from the upstairs loft.  

Thus was born the Conference Sniper.

Aye Carumba.

Car Communication

 I'm taking a momentary break from studying to bring you this post.

A few days ago, during my daily

afternoon chauffeuring experience, I had all of the

kiddos in the car and

I noticed Tyler holding notebook paper up 

against his passenger side window.

Curious, I asked him what he was doing.

Communicating. With fellow autos on the road.

Enjoy his little messages.  I know I did.

 As far as I know we only got honked at once. 

Could be the loser cruiser?  I don't know.

I'm still kickin'

school, sick rydge, homework, relief society, kids, football, more homework, spencer gone for SIX weeks, piano lessons, seminary, more homework, cleaning (a little), relief society again, more kid stuff, more homework.

I'm still kickin'.  I'm just tired.  Really. Tired.

Weekend in Dallas

 Spencer is on a six week assignment up in Dallas - so this crew took a road trip up north to Dallas over the holiday weekend.  Most important destination (AFTER seeing dad) IN -N-OUT! We were there three days and went twice.  If we didn't have such righteous kids it would have been Sunday's dinner, too.

We also visited the Ripley's Believe It Or Not/ Wax Museum.  

It was so awesome.  

It was a party for all the emotions - funny, scary, stupid, intriguing....

My two sillies posing with a wax mee-maw.

Mee-maw looking a little befuddled.

After checking out the placement of their hands...

I can see why.

Here is me with my fellow hairy-chinned friend.

Maddie posing next to a life size image of the tallest man ever - 

He was 8'11" and wore a size 37AA shoe.  Intriguing, I say!

I can't even count the number of times we've passed this awesome Sam Houston monument as we are coming and going from Dallas.  We finally stopped in Huntsville to check him out.

  He is honkin' huge! 

Totally stopping at the Prison Museum on the next run.

Of course, Kyle had to climb up on the base that says

"please don't climb on monument" 

and of course, his mom had to get a picture of it.

Maddie gets extra credit in her Texas History class for any TX monuments she visits.  Maybe she'll get even more extra points for planting a wet one on Sam's cheek.

Visited my sweetest, forever friend Susan (and fam) on Sunday.  

She fed six extra famished fasting people on very short notice.  

That gal rocks!!!!!

All in all - fabulous weekend.

Maybe could have done without the state trooper pulling me over, and heartburn from too many onions on my in-n-out burger, but other than that - happy days!!!!!

Completion

This is a photo of some supremely awesome women!!

Back in May I posted about the moment of 40 year old insanity

in which I joined the Summer Of Seals competition. 

Last Saturday, Aug. 27, was the realization of that insane moment.

Not only did I have a permanent marker

number written on my shoulder for the first time ever -

I swam 500 meters in 16:11.

I did 25 push-ups (in 2 min), 

42 sit-ups (in 2 min.), 

and one pull-up.

I ran 1.5 miles in 13:05. 

 And did it all BACK TO BACK.

Yeah. I know. Impressive, right?

Before you are misled you must know that the other 

magnificent women pictured above (my team)

kicked my trash, as did the other 150 participants.

BUT THIS ISN'T  THEIR BLOG, IS IT??

 

My goal was completion. 

My reality was that I not only completed the requirements, but was able to walk away from swimming, running, and exerting myself on Saturday without pain or exhaustion.  It was supremely satisfying.

And yes, - I'm totally doing it again next year!

What the first day of school means around here....

 It means my oldest turned 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It just occurred to me - at the end of his b-day-

that this child can DATE now. 

I'm not sure I'm okay with that.

 It means these three cutest faces will

not be arguing over PS3 and the TV every

stinkin' minute of the day!!

But most importantly - 

the first day of school around here means:

MOM HOMEWORK
Rydge walked in the door after his first day and said, 
"mom! I don't have any homework, 
but YOU do!!" 

Is it really necessary to have the same 47 forms 

filled out for EACH CHILD??!!??

Happy First Day o' school!!

twice bitten...

This poor baby and her bug bites. 

This time she decided to kneel on a fire-ant hill.

Not her wisest of decisions!

These photos were taken the day after the event.

The first day it looked like a solid 

ant on steroids bite.

She had quite an intriguing method of counting her bites

which included a pen and advanced math skills.

She counted over 112 bites.

Sometimes I wish she just wasn't so dang delicious!