If you didn't think I could get any shorter. . .

The formating was rather difficult between scanning & then posting. . .never did quite figure it out. . .that's why the spacing is so erratic. Enjoy! You can click on each picture to make it bigger. (because you know you want to see a giant Tanya. . .) It's been said that the third picture of me closely resembles Gus.

I must share.

So we have this new bathroom in our bedroom & haven't used it much except for the potty because the bathroom isn't all the way completed.

Anyway, Randy asked me about a month ago if I thought that bathroom stunk. (We are not really sure if our the guy that put together our toilet knew what he was doing) I thought it sort of stunk. . .and we left it at that. Well, just the other day, I was finishing up breakfast & Randy asks me (inquisitively might I add) "Will you come & smell the bathroom?"

I immediately thought there was something the matter with the plumbing in there & so I took heed & got up from the table & went into the bathroom. . .By the way, I took a huge wiff wanting to make sure I knew exactly what our plumbing problem smelled like that I might be able to later describe it to a plumber. . .a GINORMOUS WIFF. . .kind of like when you are at the doctor & the nurse says, take 2 BIG deep breaths in. . .

Sure enough, it stunk. . .

"It smells like poop, Randy! . . ." (at this point, shocked & worried about the toxins that are children might be breathing in) And then right before I was about to say, "What do you think the problem is?"

Randy blurts out "It is poop. . .I just pooped in here!!" We both died laughing.

Sick, huh? It reminds me of the time I ate Randy's boogers. I'll save that for later.

Do YOU have any funny stories?

Glowworm or Ila?

Her daddy thinks she looks like a glowworm. . .what do you think?

Anyone need a new alarm clock? This one never fails.

It has been a struggle to get Charlie to get out of his bed on his own when he wakes up. Yes, my almost 3 1/2 year old (as well as my almost 2 year old---i think he learned it from his brother) sits in his bed & hollars (loudly might I add) until I either go in and get him, or until he gets tired of screaming. (usually 45 minutes-1 hour)

At any rate, Randy & I have tried every way we know how to get this child to get out of his bed in the morning without being prompted & without screaming so that he doesn't consistently wake up Gus (they share a room) & the whole family for that matter, at 5:00 a.m.

We worked out a reward system. Charlie wakes up & comes out of his room, without screaming & without a prompt & there is a treat waiting for him on the table. And yes, if he doesn't get up without yelling & screaming. . .I show him the snack & say "sorry Charlie, maybe tomorrow" and then I put it in the cupboard. At naptime, it is usually a sucker or a fruit snack & in the morning, usually gold fish, a granola bar, and some water. He was able to choose what things he wanted for his reward. Well, this has only worked three times for us (at naptime) and that was about 2 months ago.

After this time had passed with no improvement on his part, we were still offering the snack on the table & talking about bedtime & waking up & what charlie's part was. He understood it completely and could recite it to anyone who asked, but rarely did what he was supposed to. . .until this morning.

Last night, before bed, our neighbor Eleanore came for dinner & left some cookies for the boys. . .so, I told Charlie that if he got up out of his bed without fussing & without me getting him, he could get a bag of cookies. At this point, I was losing hope that he would catch onto the idea. . .so my rewards were getting big. . .presents, candy, soda, yep, soda, and now a bag of cookies. I am desperate at 5 a.m.

Well. . .4:45 a.m. . .and I hear Charlie come out of his room & head straight for the table. I snuck back in my room & tried to resume sleep. . .it never happened but that is a different story. The point is that Charlie did it & all it took was a big bag of cookies. I will keep you posted on tomorrow morning's happenings. When we all woke up, he was also rewarded with a little toy. I'm hoping this made a lasting effect. . . because you know what they say, when Charlie wakes up, everyone wakes up.

PS: I am convinced that Charlie has an internal alarm clock. . .no matter what time he goes to bed, he wakes up at the same time. It's crazy. . .the later I go to bed, the later I want to sleep. . .not him---put him to bed @ 6 pm. . .up 11 hours later. . .put him to bed @ 9 pm. . .up 8 hours later. We don't need an alarm clock, we have Charlie.

I could go for some eggnog right about now.

Let me say that I have gotten some pretty fun videos of charlie singing, gus catching a football & ila kicking & smiling like crazy. . .but for some reason the blog isn't letting me upload my videos. Sad! I do hope that everyone doesn't tire of seeing pictures of the kids. Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. We had some of Randy's high school buddies & their wives & kids over for some food & fun--his friend Eddie's girl Avery-11 weeks old-has long, red hair---it's too cute! To top it off, she was also wearing a retro 80s sweat band to keep her hair back. Adorable! The guys sat around & talked about all of the crazy things they did when they were in high school. . .and the women counted the number of times they've heard the same stories before. . .it's fun, though, because randy is an excellent story teller. Charlie had his way with the chocolate dessert when nobody was looking & Gus tried to kiss on whatever baby was closest to his mouth. . .

Out with the old.

Charlie told me today that he couldn't wear his cowboy boots to preschool because he couldn't sit criss-cross-applesauce when he had them on, so he wore tennis shoes instead.

What do you/did you say? When I was a kid, we called it sitting "Indian style."

Special.

Charlie wanted to say the prayer at lunch today.

In the prayer, he said, "thank you for letting dada to go work, thank you for my friends to come over & play, thank you for the food to nursh (nourish) body (my body), thank you for Gus & dada & thank you for baby Ila to come from Heavenly Father"

I almost cried. The baby Ila part just melted my heart.

She's a pretty big deal.

Gus kicks the habit

Thanks to "Hoof! stop the bite" Gus has stopped sucking his thumb. For anyone who didn't know, Gus would suck his thumb almost constantly . . .he would remove it to eat & bite & that is pretty much it.

I painted it on his thumb & he only slipped up twice. . .crazy thing is that the stuff is so potent I only had to apply it once. It is nasty & SO bitter.

Good job Gus!!

Walmart ad is in

http://tgiblackfriday.com/Walmart

I just can't help myself. . .

Eating cupcakes must be rough.

Is her head connected to his hip? No . . .but Gus sure wishes it was.

Ms. Fabulous

Never too early to learn to fix your own bed-head.

My comic relief came to me off of a school bus

I loved everyone's doings from 5 years ago. Too funny.

My job started today. She is almost 10 & a crack up. These are a few of the things she had to say. . .she was here 45 minutes. All unpromted. . .I didn't have to ask her anything. . .she just talked. It was fun.

"My mom buys my clothes when I am at school. I wear all that she buys unless it says 'ugly dorkface' on it."

"A lot of people think I'm really nice" (And she is, too)

"I'm gonna be a babysitter when I grow up"

"You're pretty much my guardian now. Just sign here." (She wanted me to sign off on her homework. . .although it wasn't done yet)

"I think if people are going to breastfeed on the isles they should just use a bottle. It's gross."
(I'm not sure what isles she is talking about)

"These pecans pretty much taste like nothing."

"YUCK!!!!! Charlie just ate a pecan off the carpet!" (She obviously hasn't heard of my 24 hour rule. . .the one that surpassed the 30 second rule a long time ago)

"When I turn 13 I'm gonna start babysitting & I'm gonna do it for free." (I'm taking note)

Out of the mouth of a child

I loved everyone's 5 year ago responses. . .

My job started today. I should probably pay them for the comical relief.

She says: (She's almost 10)

"You're pretty much my guardian now. Just sign here." (A signature is needed to verify that she does her homework. . .but I'm pretty sure she has to do her homework first)

"I don't think that people should breasfeed in the isles. They should use bottles. It's disgusting."

"I'm gonna be a babysitter when I grow up."

"Yuck! Charlie just ate a pecan off the carpet!" (she'll discover my 24 hour rule. . .it surpassed the 10 second rule long ago)

"These pecans pretty much taste like nothing."

"I'm gonna start babysitting when I'm 13. I'm gonna do it for free." (Note to self)

Up & At-em

It's time to wake up people. It's your turn. Name 5.

Grandma Gene--you, too!

Go back 5 years. . .what were you doing?

I was. . .

1) Living like a pig in a pigsty in Joplin with some fabulous women.

2) Eating a lot of taco bell & consuming WAY too much fire sauce.

3) Playing "do you love your neighbor" & "what if" at least once a week

4) A senior @ MSSU soon to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Sociology

5) 2 months shy of marrying Randy. . .and totally twitterpated (still am)

Check it out.

Who couldn't use a new caravan??

We're going to try & win this with the kids.

See it here. http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/info?pn=carolingvideo

I love those new Dodge Caravans.

Got me a job!

Angie, a neighbor that lives 3 houses up, came to me on Monday & asked me if I wanted a part-time job. She needs someone to watch her 9 year-old daughter, Christian, when she gets off the bus until her dad gets home. (1 hour M-F)

I thought about it & told her I would try it for a couple of months & see how it was working. I'm sure it will be fine. . .but I didn't want to be committed to something if it ended up not working out after a month or so. The bus is going to start dropping her off at my house on Monday. It'll be fun for the boys. She is a VERY outgoing girl & really sweet. She likes to ride bikes with Charlie.

Yeah for my new part-time job! I don't know how I will balance the demands of work & motherhood. . .haha.

Now we're talking. . .

Heard this from a friend. . .

You can get a sneak peak @ what's on sale the day after Thanksgiving.

Check out this site---

http://tgiblackfriday.com/

There are other black friday sales sites that may have more ads available. . .

PS: Seems like walmart asked for their black friday ad to be removed from all sites. . .
but I did find a site that will be able to post the ad on the 19th. Also, the sales for walmart are to be the same in the store & online. Interesting.

What's your fave food on the Thanksgiving table?

I'll go first:

Mine is a combo: Dark meat turkey with eggnog.

(Booooo! for light meat)

You're next!

Colors Vs Chemistry

Charlie is learning his colors---so I made color flash cards. 4 of each color--totalling about 30 or so cards. Index cards were my best bet---so I used what I found first. . .which later turned out to be a problem.

Randy was going to do flash cards with Charlie today & noticed what was on the backs of the flash cards. . .

Turns out, the index cards that I cut in half and colored contained his organic chemistry compound nomenclature information. He says this info is priceless & invaluable. . .the SUM of his college organic chemistry experience. Woops. He was totally BUMMED. . .so much so that he was still dwelling on it 10 minutes later. . .(even though he hasn't looked at the cards in 3 years)

I felt terrible & agreed to reconstruct the cards for him. . .afterall---they are PRICELESS. We need a mastercard commercial about organic chemistry compound nomenclature. What's more important anyway, Charlie learning his colors or Randy remembering that he once knew organic chemistry?

MMW (Murray's Most Wanted)

Wanted

Baby Girl. 12 pounds. 23 inches. Needed on 1 account of spitting up in a woman's soup while being passed across the table at Super Saturday (crafts, crafts, and more crafts) at church. If found, please kiss her, kiss her, and kiss her some more.

Gus

1) His most used two word phrase: "hi ila." Next is "I want milk." (i know it's 3 words)

2) Loves to jump & dance. His favorite dance move is flapping his left arm like a chicken. It's sweet.

3) Can imitate Charlie. He can't copy him word for word, but he gets the fluctuation & the correct number of syllables. Only funny when he isn't copying something sassy out of Charlie's mouth.

4) Sometimes poops in the tub. . .when Charlie is in there, too. Yikes.

5) Doesn't like to be last. If you get too ahead of him coming in the front door, he will throw himself onto the concrete in an attempt to slow you down. . .I always wait. A little "Come on Gus, I'm waiting for you" goes a long way.

6) Loves Ila more than soy milk itself.

7) Is the first one to want to wrestle & the first one to want to cuddle.

Charlie

1) Great day at preschool. His teacher was WAY impressed of his tricycle riding abilities.

2) He told me at lunch today that he used to drink milk out of my you know whats when he was a baby. Nice.

3) Is learning his colors & is an excellent sorter & loves to be 1st. 1st out the carseat, 1st one down from the table, 1st one out the door. . .not to mention 1st one to wake up in the morning. 4:30 am. . .is that really necessary?

4) Was sharing carrots with Randy yesterday and said to him "This is all you get, dada, all day." Sounds like exactly what we say to him about snacks, treats, and candy. . .which leads me to my next point.

5) Has been using the same lines I use on him, on me. For example. . .Charlie will tell me what to do. So I say, "I don't like that, don't boss me." And so it begins, I ask Charlie to put on his shoes & his response is "don't boss me." Hmmm. . .

6) He can go and go and go all day long. . .so every once & a while, I will say "Charlie, come here" He comes & we cuddle & then I tell him how much I love him . . .So last week Charlie was running around singing & dancing & I said, "Charlie, come here." He totally doesn't want to come to me & just says REALLY fast "I love you, mom" & then runs away. . .he obviously knew what was coming & just wanted to surpass the sitting on the lap hugging thing. Sad.

7) Can pee without pulling down his pants or unbuttoning them in any way, shape, or form. It just involves some tugging up and out his pants. That is talent. It sure makes peeing in public a lot less embarrassing. . .unless they see the stream.

What's your story?

Have you ever searched for your own name in a search engine?

They say that so-called "digital dirt" can affect all sorts of things including employment opportunities. So . . .I thought---I better search for my name in google.com----

And I did. . .using my maiden name. . .and I found my name listed 6 times---only 1 of the times was it really me. The first 5 times were about some woman by the name of "tanya kuschel" taking Dell to court. Definately not me. . .but probably wouldn't get me the job of my dreams at Dell. . .unless I cleared up this unfamiliar issue.

Totally interesting. . .so I searched Randy's name and found 10,000 hits! I'm not sure how many of those are actually him . . .but he was definately not in the top 10---unless he is a 33 y/o male, an insurance man. . .or a music teacher. Hmmm...

I wanted to search one more person. . .who should it be? Why not bekki casselman. 83 hits for Bekki. She must be popular. . .or maybe just the name is. Either way, she made it into the top 3. Number 3 is the one I am most interested in. . .and I quote (hence the quotation marks) "Bekki Casselman topless. . ." What??? Check it out (don't worry--it's totally G rated & comes from her last high school reunion). It's pretty funny. Luckily, people in her life currently would probably search for Bekki Murray---which I did not do. What kind of "digital dirt" can you find on yourself? Go to google.com and type your name inside quotation marks.

PS: If you find anything on yourself that you would like removed, it is best to contact the site administrator and not the search engine itself.

Boys.

I'm keeping all the chocolate to myself.

Our trunk or treat at the church was last night. Ila was going to be a sunflower. . .and by the looks of her costume, I figured she would just be a stem (the body) since the flower (the head) looked so uncomfortable. . .as it turns out, she didn't want to be either---I couldn't get her to quit screaming when she was wearing it. I took a picture anyways---it's her first Halloween---I couldn't resist.

I never win anything. . .but Randy does.

Randy went to a Business After Hours (supported by the Chamber of Commerce) tonight. . .it's a networking meeting---they host two every month & they usually have appetizers, drinks, & prizes. Randy has made great contacts at these events.

That is all besides the point. . .because tonight he won something!!

He, of course, pretended like he didn't win anything, when in fact he won a Full Body Experience from a SPA!!! It includes a 1 hour massage, a 1 hour pure focus facial, an Aveda manicure & pedicure & a $41 skincare & makeup gift. It's valued at $220!!! And, being the wonderful husband that he is, he gave it to me!

Hip hip hooray. . .

Just for the fun of it.

Don't worry. . .nobody was injured during the making of this film.

PS: Charlie didn't dress up as a cowboy, he IS a cowboy.

For the love of music.

You know the cardboard cylinder that is revealed when the papertowels are all gone?

Well. . .we call that a 'Doo-da-doo' because that is how the song goes that we sing into the cylinder. . .you know "Doo-da doo, da-doo-da-doo!"

I am glad I was present before a disaster was born---Charlie found an entire roll of papertowels & as I walked into the kitchen, I found him just beginning to unwind the BRAND new roll. . .I asked "What are you doing?" Charlie said, "I want a doo-da-doo." YIKES! I almost had 85 paper towels on my kitchen floor. I always wondered what the kids were thinking just before they unraveled my toilet paper. . .

The dress Aunt Sarah bought me happened to match my diva booties from Aunt Joyce!

Attack of the cats.

A tornado warning was issued for Bella Vista & the surrounding area shortly after 4 pm. At 4:30, the wind started to pick up & just as it did, 4 cats came to our house & didn't leave for 1 hour. The final thing that drove the cats away was my neighbor's dog, Duke. I did call the animal shelter. . .I figured it was worth a try. . .they do not pick up cats. That explains our cat problem. The first two weeks that we lived in Bella Vista, Randy trapped (with a small animal trap) 6 cats. This was only the beginning of our stray cat epidemic. . .the problem with them is that they climb underneath our deck & pee. . .and it stinks (that is why I found these 4 cats so disgusting). We've been pretty much cat free for a couple of weeks, until today. Randy was rather neutral about cats before we moved to Bella Vista. . .& now he hates cats. If he would have been home. . .well, I will leave that up to the imagination. If you know Randy---you can guess what would have surpassed. Usually that cats that frequent our house are homeless. . .what are called ferrell cats---the ones that chase squirrels & actually catch them & then eat them---WILD. Today the 4 cats that visited my house were sweet & tame. . .it was hard not to befriend them because they were so sweet. . .but I knew if I did, they would have never left. I hope you enjoy the video. I only wish I would have captured a picture of them following me down the road. . .one right after the other. As I was walking (with the cats in tow) a neighbor asked me if I was the new cat lady. . .haha. Not.

PS: The guy that charlie said that he called. . .well after I came inside, I realized he had answered the phone while I was out. I'm still not sure who called. It was probably a telemarketer & it serves them right calling me when I'm on the do not call list. . .so they get a 3 year old answering.

Attack of the cats: Part 1 (hopefully part 2 never comes)

A tornado warning was issued for Bella Vista & the surrounding area shortly after 4 pm. At 4:30, the wind started to pick up & just as it did, 4 cats came to our house & didn't leave for 1 hour. The final thing that drove the cats away was my neighbor's dog, Duke. I did call the animal shelter. . .I figured it was worth a try. . .they do not pick up cats. That explains our cat problem. The first two weeks that we lived in Bella Vista, Randy trapped (with a small animal trap) 6 cats. This was only the beginning of our stray cat epidemic. . .the problem with them is that they climb underneath our deck & pee. . .and it stinks (that is why I found these 4 cats so disgusting). We've been pretty much cat free for a couple of weeks, until today. Randy was rather neutral about cats before we moved to Bella Vista. . .& now he hates cats. If he would have been home. . .well, I will leave that up to the imagination. If you know Randy---you can guess what would have surpassed. Usually that cats that frequent our house are homeless. . .what are called ferrell cats---the ones that chase squirrels & actually catch them & then eat them---WILD. Today the 4 cats that visited my house were sweet & tame. . .it was hard not to befriend them because they were so sweet. . .but I knew if I did, they would have never left. I hope you enjoy the video. I only wish I would have captured a picture of them following me down the road. . .one right after the other. As I was walking (with the cats in tow) a neighbor asked me if I was the new cat lady. . .haha. Not.

Things I wish I had

If you're interested, check out Randy's website---it has pictures of work he has done.

I've been working on it here & there.

www.aquacrete.net

Married so soon?

Following is the conversation we had at lunch today. I think that Charlie got it confused with the age he is going to be when he gets baptized. . .

Mama: "Charlie, who is dada's dad?"

Charlie: "Papa Ed!"

Mama: "Charlie, who is dada's mom?"

Charlie: "Nana Bekki!"

Mama: "Charlie, who is Papa Ed's dad?"

Charlie: "Nana Bekki!"

Mama: "No, Nana Bekki is Papa Ed's wife. Who is Aunt Sarah's mom?"

Charlie: "Bobby!"

Mama: "No, Sarah is Bobby's wife."

Charlie: "Gus is gonna get a wife when he's 8 & I'm gonna get a wife when I'm 8, too!"

Gus. Prejudice? It can't be.

Tonight we went to the Pinnacle Promenade to find Charlie some shoes. He has now graduated to a size 8 & had been wanting to use money out of his piggy bank for weeks. He was so proud when he picked out his own shoes & paid for it with his own money. . .although he had no idea that he came up more than $10 short & when I asked him later how much his shoes cost, he told me $76. As we were trying on shoes, Gus was happily playing with the wooden box toy when a African American boy came & stood beside him. Gus lost it. He screamed & screamed & screamed. He looked like he had seen a ghost and had been kicked in the stomach at the same time. The boy didn't even bother Gus a bit. We are pretty sure that Gus was scared because he'd never seen any other skin color than white. . .and I was embarrassed because I'm pretty sure the mother of the boy knew what had happened. Gus needs more diverse friends.

Good read

I've been reading a book lately about parenting and marriage. This was in a chapter I read yesterday & it pertains to marriage. It's funny & definately has a great point.

""Perhaps one valuable lesson we can learn is to keep our comments to ourselves if they are not uplifting. I have always enjoyed a lesson taught by the young couple who moved into a little home after their honeymoon. The wife took a little box, put it under their bed, and told her husband he must promise her to never look into it. The husband agreed to her request. He was, however, dying to know what the box contained. The first year, he kept his promise even though he was tempted to look several times. Twenty years later, he had stil not looked at the contents of the box. One night, after twenty-two years of marriage, his wife went to Relief Society, and he just couldn't stand it any more. He pulled out the box, looked in, and found three potholders and $21,000 in cash. That night he felt so guilty, he confessed to his wife what he had done. She, of course, was shocked and exclaimed, "You didn't!" He said, "Yes, I'm very sorry. but now that I have looked, can I ask where you got the $21,000 and why three potholders?" She replied, "I made a vow when I disagreed with you, I would not say anything but would just go in and make a pot holder." He said, "Wow, you only disagreed with me three times in twenty-two years?" She said, "No, that was the number of times I thought you were right." He then asked, "Where did the $21,000 come from?" She answered, "That's the profits I made from selling the potholders I made!""

Everything turns, turns

1 year ago. . .time flies (that was so much fun!)

The boys 1 year ago. . .

Today: Gus says Ila

Today: Charlie vs. Box (sorry, it's kind of dark. . .but pay close attention, charlie is saying "dad, you're killin' me!)

Smile! Say cheese! Look this way! Wait. . .nevermind, would you at least just sit still?

Compliments of Uncle Matt & Aunt Tori

Compliments of Nana Bekki

No Hunters Allowed

Randy caught wind that Bella Vista was going to outlaw bow hunting in the city. . .so he and some neighbors went to the city council meeting on Monday night. It was said that it was the biggest turnout they've had for a city council meeting ever---standing room only. Randy said what was on his mind about the deer population & that the crowd applauded (go Randy!) He felt good. Anyways--it was a close call, but I know that you will all be pleased to know that the people won & Randy can still bow hunt in Bella Vista. It's a good thing that it was majority rules because there was one old bitty on the council that was anti bows until the end---any other way & I'm pretty sure Randy would have killed her.

So. . .since bow hunting in Bella Vista is on, Randy was off last night to distribute some corn for the deer to eat & then wait for him to come & spear them. He took Gus & Charlie & they had a great time. Randy asked Charlie: "Are you having fun throwing corn?" Charlie said: "Yeah, dad, that's how I roll." Then he adds: "I roll just like you, dad." Children are so sweet. . .

Which reminds me. We really should be more like little children. Last week, one of Charlie's close friends threw a fork at his face, barely missing his eyes & piercing his left ear. Interestingly, Charlie cried because of the pain inflicted upon his ear, but quickly got over the disappointment of his friend's decision. They were playing together only minutes later. . .and by morning, Charlie had forgotten what had happened to his ear (although his ear was still hurting). If we could all forgive & forget like little children.

(PS: Bobby, I saw a truck with the words: Ridin' Dirty on the back windshield & thought of you--good times)

Charlie's blogging video debut

If you listen closely, he does a small encore in the middle of his song.

By the way, being able to post video just brought my blogging experience to a whole new level!!

72 pounds of pure love!!!

Yuck. . .Pumpkin Pie

Halloween is almost here & I'm taking ideas for costumes for the boys, Ila, and me and Randy. The only way that me & Randy will dress up is if we have a family costume. For example, some friends of ours have 4 kids. The kids are going to be a lion, tiger, & a bear, mom is going to be OH & dad is going to by MY & the baby is going to be "!" Cute, huh??

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Here's that recipe that I made for you & Bobby . . .

http://www.myfamily.com/exec?c=content&htx=view&siteid=zX2bAI&contentid=ZZZZZZV9&contentclass=RECP

If it was too spicy for you, just use petite diced tomatoes instead of tomatoes & green chiles. Just so you know, I used garlic powder & didn't use any bell pepper (only because I didn't have any).

Enjoy!

"Can I go in the cage & play?" HUH????

Ila's idea of enjoying the zoo

After feeding the giraffes, we all needed a potty break. As I went to take Charlie to the bathroom with me, he darted into the MEN'S restroom!! It was difficult not to dash in after him. . .but then the thought of other men standing at the urinals (Yuck!) helped me gain some self-control. So I just stood at the door and tried to coach him out the door. . .I succeeded only after he went potty it the urinal, got as much soap on his hands as a little boy could ever dream (the foam kind, too), rinsed & rinsed & rinsed & rinsed his hands again, & took full advantage of the electric dryers. At least he got the order right! For the record, this is only one reason why someone created leashes for children.

Crying over hot chocolate...

So last school year a few of my friends and I started a tradition of "crying over hot chocolate" after bad tests. This was greatly due to the fact that we were in pchem and all of our tests were horrible! Anyway, lets just say that we had to continue the tradition after last night's instrumental test...hot chocolate was much needed. Now I'm just hoping that partial credit rules in my favor. (Note that there has never been any actual crying, but the name goes well.)

Know your neighbors

Are there sexual predators in your neighborhood??

http://www.familywatchdog.com/

This site will give you an approximate address of the predator & picture & convictions.

There is a man convicted of rape living down the road from us. . .always good to know.

Look fast

This is for Bekki. I know you always said how wonderful it would be if Ila had red hair. Check out this picture!! Her hair isn't really red---it just looks that way in the picture.

Oh & I have to give Gus a shout out--today he pooped in the potty or should I say his poop made it's way into the potty. I would tell the story, but it's gross.

Their joy was full.

Good to laugh at yourself

We went to the Benton County Fair Yesterday. We pay for our tickets & then enter in through the gate. Instantly I smell something yummy, so I say to Randy, "ymmm. . .that smells good" Just then, Randy realizes what I was smelling & decides to entertain it for a minute. He asks: "What does it smell like?" I reply: "It smells like fruit juice---do you smell it, too?" "Yes. . .I smell it, he says. . .but what you are smelling are the porta potties!!!!" In all fairness, those were the best-smelling porta pots I've ever encountered.

P.S. Randy said it was the blue stuff they use to keep the pots clean that I was smelling.

An appetite like her mama

Weighing in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. at her 3 week appointment, Ila wears this outfit with pride!

She gained 10 oz. in 6 days--way to go, girl!

Charlie vs. Charlie

Charlie: a lady. . .and blood. . .and police. . .the grass and a hundred dollars.

Bob: Who had $100?

Charlie: The lady.

Bob: I wish I had $100.

Just for your viewing pleasure

Life as a princess. . .

You can't read her onesie, but neither can she. . .

It reads: "Does this diaper make my butt look big?"

And no, princess. . .it doesn't.

What did you say?

Charlie: "I wanna write my name. I don't want crayons."

Mama: "Sit at your table and I will get you some colored pencils."

Charlie: "Not colored pencils, I want skidmarks."

Mama: "What?"

Charlie: "Skidmarks!"

Mama: "Okay, go get the skidmarks." (Charlie runs to the desk)

Charlie: "I found it!"

Mama: "Charlie. . .that is a marker, not a skidmark"

Charlie: "No, it's a skidmark."