My New Free Piano

Okay so everyone always teases me about being addicted to craigslist. I do admit I check our two cities daily (usually more than once), and then cause I've done that I check out April's, and Wilmington's, and even occasionally Gainesville's. But my addiction has paid off! I was the first to call about a free piano listed in harrisonburg. It is a Brewster upright grand piano built in 1910. I went to see it expecting it to be really beat up and maybe not playable, but its beautiful and has now been in my living room for 4 hours. Ian thinks it is a cool new toy, and I wish he wasn't sleeping so I could play with it more. I do admit it is huge and takes up a lot of space, but it was free. All it took was $6 for piano dollies, a tank of gas, and a wonderful friend with a truck, a trailer, and some muscles to help my wonderfully buff husband get it here! We are so excited to have it. Now I need to get motivated to practice and be a better piano player so I can play songs for my kiddos!

I haven't forgotten my blog, I just have more of a life!

Okay, okay so those of you who keep asking for more, though I'm not sure why, here it is. WE HAVE FRIENDS!! I know i'm a little excited, but it is exciting. and i'm going to use our friends as an excuse of why i haven't written in two weeks. I'm getting a little more adult interaction in during the days and so i'm a little less of a frazzled mom. Also, our nights are getting taken, for example, last week was my birthday and jake and emily watched the boys and we actually went out for a nice dinner without small children. Thursdays are now basketball nights, and the girls are actually trying to convince me to play when they start again in jan. I have tried to tell them they really don't want me, but they don't seem to believe me when i tell them about my lack of eye hand coordination. Mom/April I made need one of you to send a note to make them believe me. So then last friday we got to play games (with our friends) and sat hung out with my beloved Chels, and sun brett was of course working so I went to our friends' house. See, I have a lot less frazzled mom time and it is wonderful. Oh I forgot to mention Tues is now soccer day. Brett had his first soccer game and didn't have a heart attack, YAY!, but did bang up his knee pretty badly. Right now its about twice its normal size and pretty bruised underneath the huge crusty scabby part, but he had fun :)

So having friends is pretty much the highlight of the last two weeks, also actually starting Corban on solids, and Ian pooping in the potty for the first time today (we hope he makes it a habit)! Its the little things in life that make me happy!

6 minutes

This week has really been a target widow week. Brett goes in before 7 and hasn't been home before 8. What really stinks is that tonight, he has no idea when he will be home and the next 3 days will be the same. Add into this equation that we are in the middle of potty training Ian, are supposed to start solids for Corban as per his GI, and we are having Target people (including Brett's boss) over to our house either Friday or Saturday and so I have been painting trim all day with both boys either crying, throwing up, or peeing all over the house. Its been a little rough. Ian is finally having dinner (a microwaved corn dog) right now (8pm). I am considering making broccoli too, so don't think I don't feed my kids veggies.

I guess I'm really writing right now, not because of brett being gone, but because of what happened today. The crowning moment of today, which just makes me mad, well I guess bitter is a better word, or hostile towards, was a relief society skit practice. First off, I said yes when asked to participate before I knew this ward didn't offer a nursery at big things like a visiting teaching conference. So I have to go and I have no one to watch the boys, because everyone I would ask will be there and Brett will be at Target. So I'm a little upset because I'm stuck, and then they wanted to practice this week. I let them know that would be fine, but I would have the boys. No big deal according to them. So after painting all day, Ian and I hop into the shower to clean off, and I leave a few minutes later than I wanted to. Well my phone rings when I'm about a minute away from church and its 6:06. Its the person in charge of the skit wanting to know if I am on the way, have I left yet, when will I be there. I was very nice and told here I was turning into the church. 6 minutes late, really that's not that bad. Its not late enough to call and track down someone is it? I mean really there is a big huge spot of paint in the middle of my hallway carpet from a toddler, there are crunched up stomped on goldfish on my living room floor, in my life 6 minutes late is on time. I walk into the gym ready to practice, put Corban in my wrap and I'm ready to go (6 min late!). Apparently bringing my kids threw everyone off but me though. Who cares if I have to read my part while me finger is in Corban's mouth and ian is trying to climb up my body to get on the stage, its not a distraction its how I live. So lets move on get this practice over with so maybe I can feed my children. Anyway, the whole 6 minutes late things really just set me off. I'm doing all I can and trying not to back out of the skit, since who knows where my children will be, can't you cut me 6 minutes of slack?

Anyway, tonight I am hoping to be able to hop into my huge tub (one of the reasons we bought this house) after bedtime and drowning my sorrows (or in actuality soreness, spit up, and pee) away. Calgon please please take me away!

Cool Corban

Corban learned an amazing new trick today, considering he is just barely 5 months old! Enjoy the video (warning one of his old tricks is shown too and my pretty annoying babytalk is showcased)! Hopefully this link works. http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z258/ashleykhooks/?action=view&current=MVI_3499.flv

When did I become a redneck?

Tuesday night we were outside playing and watching brett mow the grass. I was sitting on the porch with Corban and as I was watching Ian, it dawned on me that we've become rednecks. I know this is shocking and a little embarrassing, and needs some explanation. However, all you really need to know is we like nascar and you need to see these pictures!





My child was outside "mowing" the grass in pretty much a t-shirt, underwear and a cowboy hat! I really blame potty training and the grandparents who gave him the cowboy hat he never takes off (really mike and Marian the boy would sleep in it, if he could lay his head down :), but it sure is cute! )

my new blog and the search for our "soul mate couple"

okay so finally i've decided to become a blogger. April got the jump on me and started her own, then kept making sure that i'd actually read hers. then one of our new friends, who is hilarious by the way, is also a blogger, so brett started telling me to start one. So here I am. a word of caution to you: i think capitalizing everything that should be capitalized takes to much effort, so only the occasional word will be capitalized. i also make no guarantees for spelling or grammar. our computer keyboard needs replacing and often just doesn't register half the words i type, so that is my excuse for all mistakes.

okay well to start for those who may need a bit of catching up, we just moved to a small middle of the nowhere town in VA, which we love. we love our first house-even though it is a lot of work. we loved our neighborhood and most importantly we love our ward. Also important, brett is enjoying his job so far and is in the thick of things since Target opens in October. So there is the start of the blog, now I just have to remember to keep posting stuff. good reading to all, at least I hope its good reading, maybe even a little amusing at times :)


The search for our "soul mate couple"

brett and i have always joked about finding friends as a married couple and now as a married couple with kids, its even harder (for those of you really behind, we have two boys. Ian just turned 2 this month, and Corban is 5 months old). We have always said that we are looking for our "soul mate couple". We do refer to first dates, joke about one-night stands (I know so irreverent), and even being stood up. Since we moved to VA, we have had maybe only one or two sets of good "couple" friends (cheata and kenny, our most recent, we love you) and moved away before we had the chance to develop any really lasting relationships. But here, "we have options," as said by a random college boy. There are so many interesting and fun couples in the ward-and we are so ready to start "dating" again. So let the games begin :)