Things that make me smile

My husband reading to our children

My sons love of all things simple

My daughters delight of learning
(she came home from school wearing this....a prize for good behavior all week)

And my husbands humor....he will kill me for posting this but if i'm ever in a bad mood all I have to do is look at this picture and laugh my ass off!

Name Change

As you can see, i've changed my blog name. When all my friends started blogs I wanted to jump on the bandwagon, of course I wanted a catchy blog name. But i've come to realize that I want to be more "real". That if i'm going to blog about "my" life then it's going to be the "fun" and "crappy". That is who I am for better or worse~love me or hate me :) So now to explain how my new name came to be....a long time ago I read this book called "Mothering without a map". The title drew me to it, like the smell of coffee brewing on a very tired morning. Here is a little exerpt to help you undersand why I like it so much.....
"Every woman longs to be a good mother. But what about women who grew up feeling "under-mothered"-whose mothers were absent, distracted, distant, depressed, well meaning but inept, or otherwise fell short in some vital way? How are they to become the good mothers they aspire to be?"
How can I become the good mother that I aspire to be.....that is a question I ask myself often and hope to find the answer too. I invite you, my friends, family, and people I hold dear to join me on this journey of Mothering without a map.

My sweet boy

Just now Tyler was giving me kisses and he stops and says "If we kiss eachother we have to get married" Thank you son for a great morning giggle...I love you!

mommy

7 years ago today....

A letter to my husband....

7 years ago today we sealed our lives together with a kiss. That day was one of the happiest days of my life. Here we are 7 years later and I still love to think about that day in September. Our lives have have maneuvered through the twist and turns of finishing school, first home, and kids. And through it all I wouln't have wanted to "ride that ride" with anyone but you. It hasn't always been easy, or maybe better said, I haven't always been easy, but your willingness to listen, being open to change, and supporting "me" and "us" through it all makes me love you more each day. You are the most wonderful man, husband and father. I want you to know how much I love you! And I can't wait to see where our next 7 years takes us.

All my love,

your wife forever...

Dinky Creek Weekend

We went camping this weekend with my in-laws. Camping with them is always a good time. Usually we go on Memorial Day weekend (which we did but it rained the whole time), so we decided to go 1 more time. We stayed in the "C" loop, a first for us. No one knew what the site would be like but it turned out great. We didn't get there until after dark, let me tell you putting up a tent in the dark takes skill! So after we got settled we ate some great stew (thanks to Pam) sat by the fire and finally turned in a little after 11pm. And then the fun begins.....

We were getting settled and Beth come over to the tent and says the family next to us has just seen a bear! Joseph gets his shoes on and heads to the truck for his rifle. He tells me to stay in the tent so here I am, alone with Brooklynn sleeping, and Tyler jumping on his bed. Then I hear it....IT...the sound is like a deep intake of air and exhaling growling noise. My mind is racing....how do I get both kids to the truck????? I see Beth and say where's Joseph?!?! I want to get in the truck!!!!! Then as soon as it all began someone says "it's not a bear it's someone snoring in this tent!" I have never been so relieved! Needless to say I still didn't sleep very well that night!

So the next day the guy left to go fishing. Pam had taken the kids for a walk, so Beth and I were enjoying the quiet and taking a few minutes to catch up. Beth went to her tent to grab something and then something caught my attention. I turn to my left and this is what I saw......I yell for Beth, Beth, come here! She pops her head out of the tent and says what?!?! I say Beethhhh, come here! It's a freeking tranchula! Now this could not have happened at a worse time. Beth and I are the biggest spider phobes around! So here we are, I'm jumping around like I have ants in my pants and we are trying to figure out what to do about it. We can't just let it go on it's way because we would not know where it went. So we decided that I would but a lid on it and let the "Men" handle it. So when they came back Joe took care of it. I LOVE YOU JOE!!! Here's a clip of it it motion....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Z0FMYcVXo

Well that was our excitement for the weekend, here are some photos of what else we did while we were there...

Just being silly

On our way to the creek

I love this picture of Brooklynn and Joseph, I've found that some of the best photos are one's that I don't ask to say cheese!

Nesting

"The nesting instinct is the name given to the distinctive urge to clean, tidy, and organize that occurs during pregnancy."

So can you "nest" without being pregnant? I'm starting to think so...what else could have made me spend hours on my weekend doing this?!?!

I started to wonder if maybe I was loosing my mind. What other explanation is there for cleaning the sliding glass door track with a toothbrush...inside and out???

I wonder if Joseph is thinking he died and went to heaven....intense cleaning without the hugely pregnant wife.

Note to husband....
Don't get to used to it...I'm claiming temporary insanity!

ANTS!!

OMG!!! I HATE ANTS! Why can't they just die?!?!?!? I swear they must be SUPER ANTS because no spray will kill them. But maybe, just maybe I have found the kriptonite for the SUPER ANTS. They seem to love it, now to just wait and see if they DIE! DIE ANTS DIE!
Ok, maybe I have to much time on my hands...I need a hobby...

By the way these photos were taken 10 min after I put the bait down, now do you see why they make me crazy?!?!?!?


Hey Jen got the heebee jeebee's yet?