Boysa!

Man I love my boys! I just LOVE being a Mommy. Look how dang cute they are. Ayden is eating his cereal and dropping it on the ground, then Ethan is eating it for him! Like a little puppy. Both of them are perfectly content with their role in their cute relationship.

But they were pretty mess after this. Ayden was dropping milk soaked, sticky cereal all over Ethan and himself and the the counters... etc.

Sooo.... They got a bath!

Ayden's parked himself under the shower water we have running. You can see it in the photo.

Perfectly censored as always. :)

What Makes you Feel Loved?

I have been talking to a woman at work who has recently become engaged and she is reading The Five Love Languages for couples. It was interesting listening through her about what the book talked about.

We talked about how different people feel loved through different things. Some people are very physical, some like quality time or cute little gifts from their significant other in order to feel loved. I was curious to see what my 'love language' was and yes, too lazy to buy the book, so I searched online and found the quiz they offer at the end of the book. http://www.afo.net/hftw-lovetest.asp I thought some of you might actually be interested in taking it as well and put the website above.

For those of you wondering. :) Here is my love language results.

If you can't really see it. It says I'm 33% quality time and 30% acts of service. Those two things are most important to me. The rest... meh, its nice, but not my cup of tea!

So for those of you out there that want to make me feel happy and loved, which is really probably just McKay and my parents and in-laws AND relatives. Basically just family! You've got your golden answer! Spend quality time with me. :) Because yes, I DO like that. I am also a firm believer that you can't just make quality time. You have to be around the people you care about often enough and then quality time happens. Naturally things like baby showers, bridal showers, girls night out, dinner dates are all things that pretty much cover quality time... or at least in my head they do. It should be called quality time baby shower or quality time dinner date.

 

The other huge love language thing for me is 'acts of service', who doesn't like it when someone does something nice for them! Maybe I'll get McKay to read this so he can score some big brownie points. Then perhaps I will feel more inclined to cater to his love language, whatever that may be.

He needs  to take the quiz, even though I think I have a pretty good idea of what his love language is. ;)

Full of Personality

alright, so for the life of me I cannot find where the little button went that allows you to add videos! What the heck is up with that? If anyone knows where I'm supposed to go, I would love to be enlightened. Because my button that USED to be next to the 'add photo' button has vanished.

I have noticed lately that I haven't had much to say about my two cute little boys. So I decided today to upload my photos and realized I have a ton of really cute pictures I haven't shared yet!

I cannot seem to keep my kids off my legs and for some reason, one particular day while I was cornered by then I must have had my camera. Ayden of course was, as always, the good sport about the camera in his face and wanted to show off a new look he's been working on.

Little Ethan on the other hand, just wanted me to hold him and in order to focus on climbing my legs to get closer to me, he has to stick out his little tongue. This is something he does quite often right now. I'll be feeding him baby food and his tongue will be hanging out. Not so easy to get sweet potatoes in his mouth when his little tongue refuses to cooperate.

We recently bought a new computer desk and its big enough under it now that both our children like to play there. Ethan of course, is more interested in me still. I will be sitting in our chair and he'll climb up the thing to try and get to me. I don't know why I'm so popular around here!

On my birthday we had chocolate cake. It was easily the most delicious thing we ate all day. Ayden loved it! He was so happy about eating the chocolate cake that he wanted to share with his little brother. You can see Ethan in the lower half of this photo sitting in his walker. When we weren't looking Ayden tossed, I know how much chocolate, at Ethan and they both went to town. Ethan's face looked about the same as Ayden's does here.


You can also see some beautiful flowers in the background from my parents for my birthday. I love getting flowers. They always brighten a room. And in my case, MY yellow flowers seem to attract children. First I had my little sunflowers ripped up by the neighbor kids and then. . .

Ayden ripped up these lovely ones. He didn't get them all. Just about two. I don't know if you can see the carnage in this photo very well, but there's petals all over our table and then lots more still in the arrangement. He tried to put the flower back together. I saw what was going on and he hurried and stuffed all the petals back into the other flowers.

Last photo. When is the last time you remember just falling asleep in the sun? If you can't remember you're long overdue! If its been over a month, you're also overdue!

Ethan keeps a healthy sleep schedule in the sun and he thinks its a necessity you should also keep up.

That ONE guy

You know how in every office there just has to be that one guy. . .

That one dude that looks at you and won't stop!

Picks his nose in front of everyone.

Scratches himself in places that should NEVER be scratched in public!

Says the really stupid joke that leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable.

That one guy that smells funny, has dandruff and hangs around your cubicle or desk like a vulture.... just waiting!

Yeah- we have our ONE guy.

Do I EVER get the heebie jeebies when he looks at me! No way will I EVER walk down an alley way with him at the end of it.

Goodbye Dusty

I am so sad right now. My parents had to put down our puppy today. I cannot believe he is no longer here. I was perusing my photos to see what pictures I had of him to show off to everyone and I am heartbroken that I do not have more than two photos. If any of you have ever had a dog or a pet of your own that has passed away then you know exactly how I feel.

He really was another member of the family. As you can see he was not a puppy either, that was a nickname that never seemed to leave him even as he grew up. He was a wonderful dog.

He would growl and yip whenever my parents hugged or kissed. He was crazy jealous of my dad. :)
He would get really excited when he was younger and would run around the lawn as fast as he could, chunks of grass flipping up under his paws as he cruised.
He would fly around the house ecstatically barking whenever we pulled the leash out of the garage for a walk.
He would get snacks from my Mother, usually leftover food, and would bury it in the garden. We could all tell because the tip of his nose was brushed brown.
He was scared of raccoons and not very intimidating to cats. But he sure tried to be. :)
He loved my Mother, during the last years of his life, he would follow her around the house. He would lie at her feet under the computer desk. He would nuzzle his head onto her lap. He loved my Mom the most.
He protected me from the crazy neighbor that brought a gun to our house. The man was going to shoot him, but Dusty wouldn't let him get any closer to the house or to me.

He was my perfect puppy. 

Toward the end of his life he began to slowly dwindle. I was not even around him much, but when I came home to visit I was devastated at how much he had changed.

My bright, excited, cute, friendly dog was gone. And in his place was a blind, deaf, diabetic and arthritic dog.

When I say he is gone, when I actually hear myself say it, I cannot control myself. You'd think with everything else going on in my life that I would have run out of tears by now. Nope! They still stream from my eyes as if I have never cried before.

At least he went peacefully. He had my Mother right by his side, his little head resting on her lap. He didn't feel a thing. He just closed his eyes for the last time on this earth.

 I am so sad right now.

My Mother sent me some more pictures. I had to share them.

Proof Dusty loved my Mom most! Yes he was fat- but Oh so happy!

Must have been my Dad's birthday. We always joked about Dusty being born on April Fools Day and my Dad's birthday was in April- so we also joked that they were born on the same day.

And yes- this is a VERY old picture of all of us with Dusty. I'm going to guess that I am about 11, Melissa 9, Nathan 6 and Daniel 4. But that's just a guess. That would leave Dusty at about 3 or 4.

Happy 22 to me!

 I've been on this planet for 22 years now. Officially 22 years tonight at 11:36... or something close to that. I'm pretty sure that I have it all figured out! Ok not really! Not even remotely close as matter of face. But I thought I would share my 22 things I've learned while on this planet. Everything on here has really happened in my life, not necessarily to me, but I have learned from them!

1. Do not ride a motorcycle without a helmet and long hair. From the back it looks like you have a mullet.

2. When you yell at a toddler, they only yell back. And then they rinse and repeat on the baby.

3.Bugs materialize out of no where! Always check your water glass for surprise creatures.

4. First time Mom's are territorial and long time Mom's just "know it all." Please don't share you infinite wisdom with me unless I ask and new mommies, relax a little!  *I think I still fit in the category of relax woman!*

5. Triaminic is a Godsend when flying with children.

6. Don't suck up to your boss- you just look like a tool to everyone else, plus if you boss is smart enough, they probably know what you're doing.

7.Use vinegar and bleach when you want to stop your washing machine from smelling. Just run the water on hot and pour a load of vinegar in. Then do another load with a ton of bleach. Then 1 more wash and life is good! DON'T run clothes through!

8.Black albinos look cool. Google it! You know you want to.

9. Don't try to cut off my Dad on the road. He WILL get you back.

10. Mini sunflowers look like giant dandelions to a child. Don't plant them where a kid can to them!

11. When taking photos at the Grand Canyon; DON'T stand by the edge. You could  fall off.... no really- you could. I have proof.

12. The energy drink 'Monster' or ANY energy drink with taurine in it has bull spit as an ingredient. And I like Monsters... what is wrong with me?!

13. When you get older you get a lot less recognition for doing good or making cool things. Get used to it.

14. Pretty people scare me.

15. When trying to show off with a soccer ball. Get your aim right or you might nail someone in the back of the head and knock them over.

16.I know you're in that toilet stall. I can see your feet. But that's ok, try to be as quiet as you can. I still know you're there.

17. No one likes to hang out with a downer. So knock it off!

18. When you hit a tree snowboarding, don't be surprised if you can't remember why you're out in the snow.

19.You have to wear pants AND undies when you ride in a jeep. Its not like a car, it doesn't have doors! You can't hide yourself from waist down.

20. Nobody likes a one-upper... for anything. Don't be one!

21.If you don't have breasties- don't wear a maxi dress, it makes you look like a colorful Popsicle stick.
22.Do not shave crop circles in your superstitious neighbors' dog. Bad things happen.

Ya never knew that being around for only 22 years could bring someone such insight!

Happy birthday to me!

Flowers, bugs, water and WOMEN

There is usually a mold for everything right? Or at least I thought so. Flowers have a certain way they grow and they always grow that way. They're ReAlLy good at it. They never mess up! Unless the idiot that planted them stops watering them. *NOT their fault!* I'm usually that idiot. Bees do their job flawlessly, humming from nectar filled plant to nectar filled plant. Water trickles down rocks into little streams with the rest of the water. It never tries to go upstream while the rest heads the other direction. Everything seems to have a way it does things. Humans on the other hand? What's our mold? Or more specifically in my case... Mothers- what is that mold supposed to be like?

Her house is clean, the dinner is ready at night and it wasn't made out of a box! She has a garden, she cans the food, her children are little angels. She goes to every football game, soccer game, dance recital... you name it she's there! She's the head of the PTA, the book club and is actively involved in church. She can sew like a genius, she is the best scrapbooker and record keeper. All the while looking like a Goddess.

Some of the women I even talk to are pretty good at doing a lot of those things. They brag about their garden. They brag about how much they were able to can this year. They share their 'infinite' wisdom with all of us less qualified Mothers. They talk about how smart their child is. "Little Timmy is the top of his class and I of course home schooled him for the first few years of elementary school!" and "Suzie could read before her third birthday! She's just so smart... Excuse me, your child is eating the sand again." Oh- uh...right. Boys knock that off, its only going to hurt coming out the other end!

I am NOT the right mold society has created for Mother's. PB&Js are a staple of our diet. My boys sometimes don't get out of their PJ's until the next day. They eat snacks all day. My house is a mess, the dishes stack up on me, I don't shower my kids every days. I would rather order out than make something. I don't look nice and beautiful every day. I look rather scrappy actually. *I bet some of you are just about horrified now! How could you NOT do that every single day!? What kind of a Mother are you??*

I'm that Mother --> Do you see her? The one flattened under the stand. At least when it really comes down to it, I love my children, I do my best, they ARE fed and fairly happy. I do NOT fit the mold. Instead of growing into a beautiful Sunflower, I ended up a dandelion. But heck- kids love dandelions too right!