I didn't have my camera with me for this one, but you will thank me later...

First you need to look at the pictures in my last post. Do you have that image in your head really clear? Ok, then go on with me for a day in the life with 2 boys. When I picked up Ryan from school today the weather was gorgeous. We couldn't go home on a day like this, so I took him and Aiden to the park. It's actually called the Mall for you locals. It's a nice big open field to run around and let the boys burn off some energy. There is a little old playground there along with some sand boxes that both boys love. We took Ryan's soccer ball and kicked it around and then I just let the boys run free. They were in heaven. Kind of like letting dogs out of a small fenced back yard.....

Speaking of dogs....if you have a dog and take it for a walk in the parks this post is for you! For the love of all that is pure and good, please, please, please pick up your poop! Ok, do you still have the image of the chocolate kiss in Aiden's hand from my last post? Well, it happened again today, but it wasn't a chocolate kiss! That's right, he grabbed the dog poop and had it all smeared on his hands. Ok, I know you are gagging. I almost threw up too. But I'm the one who had to grab him and carry him all the way back down to the van and clean him up with wipes and water from a 1/3 full water bottle. It was not a pretty or nice smelling afternoon. I managed to get all of us in the van with only a little watered down dog poop smell lingering along with us. We drove straight home and like dogs hanging out the window for fresh air we survived.

A few hours later, we are home, showered and overcoming the mild trauma. Aiden is down for a nap and, oh by the way, I know you are wondering....no, he did not get any in his mouth! Thank you God for small blessings!

This is what happens if you give a Hershey Kiss to a 19 month old in the van! Don't do it--even if he was screaming for it.

Busy week, fun girl time, blown budget!

This was a busy week. It seems every day something out of the ordinary was going on. I started a new ladies Bible study on Tuesday, had soccer practice later that night, had a Real Estate Agent's luncheon on Wednesday at our house (which meant cleaning the day before,) and tonight I got to go to Kidsmarket-a huge consignment sale which was a ton of fun. And by the way tomorrow is Parent's Night Out at the Church (woo hoo!)

After dropping off the boys tonight at Scott's office I drove through a terrible thunderstorm and later to find out which was a tornado watch. I was praying nearly the entire way and just as I made one of the last turns to get to the consignment sale, the rain slowed down and I saw a beautiful rainbow. Thank you God for your beautiful promises.

The sale is a little overwhelming. I should have loaded up on caffeine beforehand. There is so much to look through and choose from, I decided to take it in shifts. I actually just took a break so I could have dinner with my friend Katie. I think this might easily become a tradition for us. This is my second year to consign along with Katie. We had gone to consign our things a couple of weeks back at 3:45am --yes that is in the wee hours of the morning. The earlier you get there the better shopping time you get. And lo and behold we got in the first shopping group-which means better picks of the discounts. The trouble was I didn't have a baby sitter today so I actually had to go 2 hours later than I was assigned. Tragedy I know, but Katie was faitfhul and made it there early. She was also kind to wait for me and stay for dinner at O'Charley's. After we had a great meal and great girl time I headed back to the sale. And I'm so glad I did. This time loaded up on soup and salad, I actually found more great things becuase some things had been put back on the shelf that weren't there the first go around. It made me want to go back even again tomorrow to see what else will have been reshelved (but that's not happening.) Budget is blown! I just hope what I earn from my sales will cover what I spent. Fun memories!

I really need to keep a camera with me at all times! I wish I had a picture of the night.

6 Flags Over Trussville-Spring Break

This Spring Break was pretty puny in the weather department so we didn't have a whole lot planned. We did hear that the carnival was coming to town so I definitely put that on the list of things to do. Last year we had seen the rides going up and planned on going but somehow missed it, and when we saw them taking down the rides Ryan had a fit. He was so sad and talked about it for about a month after. He just couldn't understand why we didn't go. SO this year there was no way I was going to miss it..or so I thought. We had planned on going at 1pm but there was a sign saying it wasn't open. I couldn't believe that I had to tell Ryan we couldn't go. I said "I have some bad news," and he started to cry that silent cry that about ripped my heart out. But we went ahead and made some plans to meet a couple of his friends at Burger King to play on the playground and have a milkshake. While we were there we heard the carnival would be opening at 4pm so I told Ryan I had a surprise for him. When I told him we were going to the carnival afterall you would have thought I told him we were going to Disney. The bad thing was I didn't bring my camera because I thought we weren't going. The good thing was my friend Katie had hers and took these pictures for us.The official name of this ride was the Sizzler but for some reason Ryan called it the Thunderbird....not sure why. Maybe it was the way the seats looked like they had wings...whatever the reason, it was fast! They started out in the seats on opposite sides but the force of the ride made them slide across and squish the inside person. It was hilarious! I must admit it scared me a bit though.

The Sizzler...or the Thunderbird was by far his favorite ride. He also liked the bumper cars but we didn't get a picture of those.
This was a mini-roller coaster and you would have thought he was in heaven. At first when Aiden saw him he cried, but after about 3 times he saw Ryan waas having fun and he cheered him on.

This was a runner up for his favorite ride. The top of the stairs was about 40 feet in the air and they slid down on the little blankets. He probably climbed to the top 10 times and road this again and again throughout the afternoon.

This was the only ride that could fit all his friends at the same time. The little girl next to Ryan is the same age as Aiden, but no way would Aiden sit still in the ride. I could just see Aiden trying to climb out, so he just sat in his stroller and watched from the side.

The motorcycles were pretty cool but according to Ryan they didn't go fast enough! He even stood up at one point to do tricks so the carnival guy had to stop the ride to make him sit down. oops! All in all it was a great time! By the way...notice we were sporting our green for St. Patrick's day!

Soccer has begun!

Soccer practice began on March 8th...and Ryan is loving it. We only have practice once a week and then a game once a week. This is a much better schedule than t-ball. Ryan just got tired of going so much to T-ball practice and then Saturday games too. Now he asks everyday if we have soccer practice. We shall see how long tha lasts. I hope he continues to enjoy it. The hardest part is Aiden wants to play too. I'm truly considering getting one of those monkey harness leash things. I said I would never be one of those moms...but lo and behold I'm considering it! I am thankful that Scott is not coaching this year because I need all the help I can get!

A new road

I've been thinking about starting a new blog to record the things that travel through the road map of my mind. Sometimes my musings seem a bit inappropriate for posting here. I mean aren't family blogs merely for the purpose of posting pictures of your adorable children? Well, I might be crazy but I have so many thoughts on stuff! Instead of adding a new blog, I'm going to just simplify and add those thoughts or memories to my current blog. Go figure....Be forewarned though....they may or may not make sense, and you may or may not agree. I would love to hear from you nonetheless.


As I type, I'm laying in bed at 1am. My carpal tunnel and my tenditnitis are killing me especially in the slumped position I'm laying in next to my hubby...who by the way is snoring away. I wish I could sleep like that.

I'm not sure why I feel I have the need to record my thoughts. I'm not even sure who would read them. Perhaps it is just another way of passing the time while I can't sleep. Perhaps I think someone will read these words and relate and be a bit encouraged on their own journey. Part of me is a bit scared I will type something that someone might misinterprate and be lead astray. But in actuality I think I'm typing these words simply so I won't forget the moment in time. I have a terrible memory. It has pretty much always been that way. I think my mom was that way.

Anyway, I feel like I'm on a new road. A road that can really be traveled by whosoever choses. Some days the forecast may be stormy, some days it may be cold or even bonechilling. But hopefully somedays will be nice, calm sun-shining kind of days. I hope you join in and have fun on the ride while I am simply making memories.

Stop Spinal Muscular Atrophy!!!

All you have to do is provide your email, name, and b-date the first time but they will not spam your inbox. AND THEN VOTE EVERY DAY unitl March 31. They are currently in 4th place and need to get to 2nd place to win the grant of 250K!

Here's the story:
Yesterday I went to a breakfast with a group of ladies and met a very interesting mom who has a very important message! Her niece has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. You are probably asking what is that? I hadn't heard of it either. The face you see on the widget and Pepsi website is my friend's niece.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is the number one genetic killer of children under two years old. Symptoms include severe weakness in the entire body. Babies are too weak to roll over, sit up, crawl. Children are too weak to stand or walk. Victims of SMA can lose head control, ability to swallow, ability to make facial expressions. Babies, kids and adults with Spinal Muscular Atrophy have weak lung capacity and which is often the cause of death. A common cold can lead to hospital stays and can cause a child to lose strength they never get back. But to top it all off their brains are fully aware and functioning.

The good news is that research is very promising. Researchers know the gene that causes SMA and the defective gene has a rare "back up" gene, that can be a source of therapy. These two facts makes SMA the neuromuscular disorder closest to a cure according to the National Institute of Health. So let's push SMA research over the finish line.

Please do not ignore this. It is so easy to just vote each day. And you could help change America!

Spaghetti night

All three of my boys love spaghetti...but I think Aiden likes to wear it almost as much as he does eating it!

Notice his foot propped up on the table.....let's just all get comfy while we eat!

SNOW AGAIN!!!

Yes it is March 2, and it is snowing AGAIN! This has been the craziest winter. I still don't understand all the hype about global warming. I was wondering if Ryan's preschool was going to be open this morning, so I called my friend Katie and she didn't seem to see why they would close the school. She said it was mostly just rain. She probably thought I was crazy, so I decided to go ahead and take Ryan because it was going to be picture day. Well, when I crossed the Interstate there was absolutely no snow in Trussville. I couldn't believe it was that different, so I'm posting a picture of my front yard just to show the difference in 2 miles. I'm beginning to think mother nature just has it out for me! And yes by the way that is a for sale sign in the front yard....if you know of anyone looking, please let me know!

This was just a random picture of the boys watching TV. I'm still scared of the day that the sibling rivalry starts, but for now I'm enjoying that they get along. I just loved the way Aiden was leaning up agains big brother. This is my little climber. He is going to be the death of me! He climbs up everything...the stairs, the couch, the table! I've even caught him on the back porch steps at night when we had just the screen door open. In this picture he is actually going down backwards. All we have to do is say "come on Aiden let's go get in the van" and he turns around and sits down and starts sliding down the steps backwards.

I'm so ready for Spring so we can get outside and play more without having to bundle up in layers and gloves. ughh! Come on Spring....