{no surprises from me}

well, as i was zipping through target today as i had to go in for some garden gloves...i spied something. normally, i do not think it would ever have caught my eye. but, a couple of months ago, scott carried in a very old, fragile radio that his italian grandparents used to listen to in their old country store and home. wow, life before television. it almost overwhelms me of the music, news and current events that likely filtered through that old radio. it now sits on top of my living room cabinet. how fitting? above our television. i will often look at it as i pass through the living room and just wonder.......

well, today, i saw a "replica". a crosley radio, cd player, etc. so, i toyed with the idea for a while and loaded it up in the cart to surprise scott for our 15th anniversary next month. then, as i thought all about it, i got realllllllly excited. until the last few years, you very rarely ever found a television on. it was always music. whether i was here alone, it was scott and i (days before children) or when noah arrived. i love music more than i can even express. so, as i dashed through the store (and, almost broke my hand...different story, different day) i got very excited about just having "music" back again. dancing with the kids in the kitchen. dancing with scott (when he can walk better, poor feet!), introducing the boys to my love of ella, frank, harry, etc....

so happy!

well, even though our anniversary is August 9th, i just couldn't wait. scott was very surprised and very happy with it. it's actually very pretty and so vintage-y. so, i have harry connick serenading throughout the house right now. we've all danced. scott hobbled to appease me for a few seconds.

but guess what?

it just dawned on me that it will be SIXTEEN, not fifteen. did i really just do that? and, did scott not catch my goof? uh....no.

so sad! i'm officially old!

and, the one below is not the one i got, it is a darker wood, but similar....





CORRECTION: see above, when i posted our anniversary as august 9th. well, it has not been a mere 15 and it is not the 9th either. head hurts. it is the 7th. on scott's birthday. the 9th.......evan's birthday.

i.give.up. do you think sleep would help?

{snippets}

just a quick update:

*still chasing myself in cicles. but, tonight i have no ballgames to go to. whew! big relief!
*2nd week of swim lessions for E, 1st week for N - they are both swimming like little fish! evan would live under water if he had the lung capacity! they have both done really well! so proud!
*based on the immediate above, a sweet friend from high school is the one teaching them this week. i've had to brace myself as you always want your children to make a good impression, but, she IS a teacher, so i know she's seen it all. today, when e had her in stitches, i once again blamed it on the steriods i had to take during my pregnancy. and, in her summation of noah's personality today, she nailed him as well. amazing.
*hoping to take the boys swimming tonight to show their newly acquired skills to daddy. fingers crossed.
*we got the final assessment of the storm damage. a new roof is desperately needed and some of the siding will have to be replaced. initially, i was diasppointed with just the chaos it will bring, but, stopped myself and very grateful for good insurance. so, no complaints.
*along with the new roof, i've decided to paint my front door black. {gasp} and, finally have those shutters that were suppose to have been hung, how long ago???? finally hung. so, it may look a little different. and......my ivy that i had been trying to get to adhere to the house, but, it got weed eaten down three times..is finally adhering. now, i think i will start it on the other side. not that i need to be reminded i live in the south with the 300 degree weather. but, ivy just says southern.
*i started painting the boys bathroom. again. it is peanut shell. i love it, scott not so much. but, he is appeasing me. thanks, honey!!! now, i have grand plans to rip out the cabinets/sink, replace it with a smaller cabinet sink...finally get a normal size toilet in there and hang a new mirror. we will see. i can paint, but, not so certain about all of that. well, pretty sure i can't do any of that. but, a girl can plan.
*finished phase 2 of my wild drapes in my office/entry way. ran out of trim, so will wait until it goes on sale at Hobby Lobby again. hot glue is a miracle.
*i moved the sewing machine that sat unboxed and untouched to a small, dark, hidden away corner. for now.
*about to order my own family pics!!! jess did a great job, can't wait.
*have decided...i will never be caught up. i'm not even sure what that means anymore.
*so happy with the decision not to send E to kindergarten this year. The flack I have caught is no longer even phasing me. I know it's the right decision.
*noah is begging to go to church camp....jury is still way out on that one. hmmmm....
*family dinners have become a HUGE hit here. the boys will now easily bypass their beloved Mickey D's....when we have the option to eat at home. love it!

until the next report..........

{we had a visitor for lunch}

apparently spiderman decided to drop by and eat his veggies. Not certain where Evan was? he never showed. but, in the pics below spidey tried to talk noah into trying a tomato. it didn't go so well. see by the expressions below.

{technical headache}

well, i'm without a cell phone. again. i think i managed to keep this one alive for about 3-4 months. it's a miracle God ever gave me children. i dropped my little red blackberry on the cement yesterday. again. it had a quick and immediate demise. so......another one has been shipped. i think this will be my 5th in a year. crazy. some have been totally my fault, others have not. needless to say, if you need me.....you may want to send an email. it is working today. but, wasn't last week when yahoo decided to eat over 1500 saved emails. or, you could call me at home. however, it may be safer to send me smoke signals.

i really do not make this stuff up.

{weirdness}

as strange as it is......i think that's probably what makes it so great. yesterday was the topper though.

angela and i have very, very similar taste. (except in food and it is as different as it could possibly get. a different story, for a different day. but, i continue to dispute the idea of fruit being mixed with "real food". yuck.)

you can walk into either of our homes and see several of the same things. our closets, ditto. sometimes, that happened while we were together shopping and we just both liked it that well - but, more often than not - it happened by chance. she called me recently and told me about a set of curtains she was looking at at pier one. i had just bought them the week before. that was out of about 30 different ones to chose from. and, that's nothing really. a couple of weeks ago, she brought me a "surprise"...a new apron! so, i went to my closet and pulled out the one i had got her. from the same store. of all the things in that store.......aprons. we just laugh. it happens over and over.

but, yesterday when she came over. she was wearing "my" new glasses, the ones i just picked out friday and have of course, not even received them yet. it was the very first time i had seen hers. we go to two different eye docs. neither of us had described them to the other. she had narrowed her selection down to 4 and ended up with those. i had a pile of about 20+ and narrowed mine down to those.

it's kind-of freaky. but, in a good way.

{over-scheduled}

i'm sitting here yet again. will i ever learn?

last week was horrific. yes, it could have been worse, but, it was p-r-e-t-t-y bad all on its own. let's see......3 MD/dental appts, 4 baseball games, 5 swim lessons (one of which I was 30 min late for because of dental appt. the session was 30 minutes long. no swim that day. which broke my little guy's heart. which broke this mommy's heart) then.....the usual work, sessions, edits, church, and a wedding. whew!

i look at this week. let's add five more days of swimming (for both this time), VBS x 5 days, 5 baseball games (I think?), appointments with insurance adjusters/contractors for recent roof damage...more trial work, sessions, church, etc.

i am not a happy camper with what i've allowed to happen again. i did skip out on the signed-up, paid-for baseball camp a couple of weeks ago, because there just really wasn't a way to juggle and he needed to concentrate on the absolute basic of hitting......but, the guilt was heavier than heavy. vbs tomorrow......they both are dying to go.....it is so very important.....but, i truly cannot expect to drive over twice a day, actually locating and picking up early because of the swim lesson time conflict.....again, something they both desperately need....then race off to a long week of baseball games.......expecting to get my work done. and, all that time in the car? where is my time with the boys? ugh. head hurts. three trips to FS on Friday ALONE. pretty much two every other day.

something has to give. vbs? i know how incrediably important that is..especially when they are both so excited. swim? it's a necessity too as the lack of could be fatal. baseball? the commitment has been made.

i know what choices i will have to make this week, it will not be easy, because i will have two very disappointed little guys. but, someday, i will breath a little easier when i realize that i truly cannot do everything.

severe case of mommy guilt. need to let it go!!

{deal of the day}

i had to call H from the parking lot. i was so excited. but, i have been looking at luggage for months. i am determined to get busy taking the boys on weekend trips and a real vacation this summer. i have extra hands that have offered to travel with us as scott usually does not do travel very well with the migraines, nausea, etc.

today, i "ran" into my beloved, tjmaxx....look what i saw.....



of course, the first tag i looked at was the original...i was immediately sad, and put it back because if the three piece set was orignally.......$880.00 there was no way i could afford the tjmaxx price...but, i looked again just to see and it was....












$99.99. woo-hoo! i could swing that! but, who in their right mind would have EVER paid the original???? i love tj.

now, where to go first????

{monkey see}

remember back a few months ago...my boycott on BK? well, last week noah and i were racing from a very late MD appt to a baseball game. he had not eaten, he was hungry, i just had snacks stashed in the car. well, the BK entrance was within feet of my vehicle and would have lent for an easy exit in the direction of the ballfields. as i started to turn in, noah reminded me of my "cause" after seeing that terrible commercial. he was willing to wait and just have a snack. i felt terrible, it had slipped my mind in a moment of frenzy. thanks little man, for hearing my words and helping me follow through with my actions. you amaze me.

{more for TH}

Thank you so much Jessica! XOXOXO! and, the funniest thing is...she found my sweet perfect spot....an orchard. I have been in search for one forever, and Scott found me one but it is in Oklahoma, so, I guess I need to plant one. Or, just visit Jessica!

{garden of the month award}

nada here. ever, ever, ever. but, my rewards are much greater!

i'm feeling a little sappy this morning, and definitely misty-eyed. our yard is a mess. which is actually quite the understatement of the year. our backyard is literally a muddy mess in the place a patio will eventually sit. i hope. it's been quite the problem already. then, as that is going on, i am in charge of the front beds which were totally overtaken by bermuda grass due to 2 years of neglect. so, i have been killing weeds with every chemical known to man. and, you know me, i hate chemicals. but, i hate weeds in my landscape even more. if my shrubs survive it will be a miracle. today, was mulch day. a whole lotta mulch in the back of the truck. enter, the shovel. and, exhaustion. 4 inches per the advisement of the sharum team. suffocation to the weeds that try to remain is fully intended.

then, i step-backed and had a flashback. i walked to the very front of the yard to the fence and surveyed the progress of the morning. immediately, i remembered standing in that very same spot about 9 years ago, as i took literal picturesof our house. we were in the process of building the portfolio our future birthmom would hold and view. she would look at every picture. she wanted an image of where this baby would live, a picture of our home. that spring, before we had even given a thought to portfolio building, we had spent hours getting our landscaping in shape as back then, we had lots of time on our hands! :) and, luckily when the time came to get the adoption plans going, nothing was needed other than walking out to the front yard, taking a breath and snapping the shutter. this house could become home. it was a big moment. and, of course, it was not about the "house", but, just a small step in getting to him. :)

today, i teared up as i remembered. it was like i was standing there with those emotions, but, then, new emotions were thankfully overshadowing. what was so nice and neat then, is scattered with "life" now. today....a red wagon sat in the front yard, silly string stuck to the front door, a bat and ball attached to the flag pole, a dog that is merely for the kids as i have no real fondness for her, dirty shoes at the door, sprayed down flip flops on the bench, bikes, trikes, scooters, swingsets, a go-cart that is stuck in the mud (still) just out of view, a knocked-over bucket of chalk, a hop-scotch sketch on the drive, 5 yapping puppies playing, 5 furry bunnies.......life.

Thank YOU God!!!!!!

i would take a disaster of a yard any day over a sterile manicured one. even if it came with a sign declaring i had the best yard on the block. the flowers in my yard are actually prettier than any blue-ribbon winning prized rose.

i wanted life then, and i cherish it now.

ps, i actually snapped pictures today, but cannot get any do load? maybe later.

{hmmm.....}

a morning of legos, water gun fights and super-hero costumes. it's definitely good to be a kid! i'm jealous.

{empathy}

okay, being on the other side of the lense....NOT SO FUN! Yesterday, we RACED to NWA to my friend/photographer Jessica's for some pics. I took hers last year and just never had time to get ours done, so, I made myself. Remember the rain that has given me ulcers over the past two months, well, it was hot on our heels all.the.way.up.there. I was sick. Because it would likely be months before they could reschedule. (sound familiar??) we were calling, checking the radar for weather.....drops were falling, but, we went on. We made it, barely. I won't even tell you about the self-administered spray tan I had given myself the night before. you will see it for yourself! ugh! yea, i know, not smart. nor will i tell you that my kids acted like they had been in front of a camera a time or two. because they did not. even when i pulled out the guns of bribery, of super-soaker variety. surely, there are not ugly scowls on their faces (as well as mine), one of us would be staring at the camera, the other three looking in every direction but the camera, one little guy continously loosing his shorts to his ankles, intense humidity that completely changed my hair - it looked one way at the beginning and a totally different look at the end, sporadic rain drops, scott trying to adapt without sunglasses.......and poor jessica, having to witness it all! so, yes, i am a mom. never feel bad when i take your kiddos pics and you raise your voice to them in my presence. i can giggle on the other side of the camera, but, not so much on the mommy end. it was painful.

however, because she is so good.......we got some precious shots. i'll try and get some up later today. ;) thanks, jess!!!!

{summer reading}

i did set the timer, so i knew this was going on. i still found it sweet when i walked through. and, he definitely made himself comfy.

{literal dogs days of summer}

the boys tried to play in the sprinkler, but chloe won out......

{ice cream}

they are like chocolate and vanilla. see for yourself....

exhibit A and exhibit B (aka type A and type B)

but, regardless....they are yummy, yummy!!!!

{another one}

a faith that is real. this one always makes me cry!

{one of my very, very favorites}

This is truly one of my very favorites. in case you do not "know" steve wiggins music - you need to give it a try. he is an amazing songwriter who writes very simple, but profound lyrics. and, steve is actually my brother-in-law, david's brother. he is a great guy with a great wife and four little ones! they have relocated to california, but, when they make it this direction for the holidays (especially thanksgiving here at the farm) - we love it! it's just been way too long. an amazing family.

and, for added triva: scott and i are on his first cd. no, neither of us can sing, but, they needed "voices" on one of our visits to memphis. on an evening out for dinner, we walked down to ardent studios where they were in the process of recording the very first cd. and, he was sweet enough to mention us in the credits. you didn't know we were reallllllllllly famous, did ya!

seriously, check out his music for no other reason than to be "regrounded". i ran across it today and put couldn't wait to hear it. i never get tired of it.

{snippets}

*an early morning snuggle with an under-wear only clad, warm little body. (that would be E as N would never, ever go to bed without pj's from head to toe!) he was very, very snuggly. i wish i could bottle those moments. i had to pull myself away to start the day. ahhhh....but what a great way to start.

*whoa. i'm looking at my planner and how did this happen? crazy-busy summer? that was not suppose to be part of the equation? within the next 3 weeks only: 13 more baseball games, a week of baseball camp, two-three weeks of swim lessons, a week of VBS, an invitation to another week of VBS, art camp, a Fun Day, an out-of-state family reunion, a wedding (to photograph), 12 more photography sessions, a summer reading program at the library and then the regular stuff....md appts, haircuts, church, etc, etc......i need to re-evaluate to re-vamp. i'm tired already. i just want sprinklers and sno-cones. :) where is my eraser?

*evan walked in with his hair split down the middle of his forehead. i thought, 80's? he quickly informed me that when he parts his hair like that.....he looks like a jonas brother??

*my noah has become a sleepy, sleepy head. welcome summer!

*noah is also eating me out of house and home. is this what they meant about having boys? i never thought it would hit my picky, little eater.

*i unpacked my new sewing machine this morning. the one i purchased in december. i'm very, very intimidated. why in the world did i not take home ec? SD - do you do tutorials? my first undertaking will be napkins. simple, simple cloth napkins. they may be finished by thanksgiving?

*noise: this is what i am currently hearing - 6 puppies barking like mad, a mama dog barking occasionally, an unwatched television playing, a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, mom and evan playing a very loud stompin-spider game with a bonus of giggles from both, a steve wiggins (my bil's sweet brother - great music guys!) cd playing in my office.....overload maybe? and, no scott is not at home. and, the blinds are open. :)

*playing on the swingset.

*yummy chocolate ice cream and a low-flow (??) sprinkler.

*evan stumbled in my office today collasping on the floor. he told me he was very sick because he had not "got enough snuggles today." emergency treatment was rendered. :)

*a meal of mac & cheese in mismatched bowls with noah as evan slept in the floor. the true definition of fine dining! :)

*are anyone else's kiddos fighting like tigers and bears. we have surpassed cats and dogs. i remember from past years, that the transition to summer will.get.better.
right?

*off to get slushie's. i mean play baseball!

{snippets of our day}

*i'm still stuck on yesterday. it was almost perfect. just a great, fun, relaxed day.... (those seem to be way too few and far between). but, after my post, the day continued with snuggles, movies and very little work. not that i didn't have a ton to do......but, i chose not to. good decision. precious moments with my boys!
*in that same yesterday afternoon, i took the time to view a new (maybe??) tv show. i will occasionally watch television, but not very often. all i can say is WOW!! if i got anything from it - it was all of the things i do not want to be as a mother, friend or just with my life in general. and, it was a reality show. my eyes were bugged out of my head probably 99.9% of the time. so very sad. and, that's everyday life for the women of the show. i'll take dirty floors, filled-up sinks, hair that is waaaayyyyyyyy past a needed trim, the need to actually balance a check-book because it does have its limits, kids that i parent instead of becoming BFF - over the glitz and glamour i saw in that 30 minute episode. wow.
*a great day at church (we missed you, daddy - hope you feel better very soon!!)
*family dinner around the table with lots of conversation. isn't it amazing what a simple meal can do?? however, i did purchase the roasted chicken, mashed pototoes and salad. but, i did switch them over to "real dishes" prior to eating. :) it just feels better.
*listening to both boys sing THE B-I-B-L-E as i type this. evan must have had that in his SS class today because he has been steadily singing it since loading up for the trip back home. :) love that.
*summer cookies the boys just ate at the bar. i have alot of colorful sprinkles to clean up. :)
*my first conversation with noah about evolution. he laughed and laughed and truly thought i was joking that someone could possibly think it makes any sense at all that we evolved from apes. the big bang, just as nutty. he thinks it is truly the funniest thing he has ever heard. and, i shot it to him straight with all of their "scientific reasoning." he continued to laugh. the human body alone and it's unbelievable design is enough evidence for him. we had to get daddy up to convince him i was not playing a horrible joke on him.
*the initial stages of the yard work that will likely be ongoing......all........summer........long.
*the boys watching "old-fashioned cartoons" as noah says. and, they ARE his favorite, hands-down. boomerang anyone? scott had it added for summer break. this is one of the few times they've got to watch it as we have been on the go! or busy, busy outside.....
*taking time today to breathe and get geared up for a crazy week ahead....2 md appts, a quick out of town afternoon trip (we're having our pictures taken:), a week of baseball camp, only two nights of baseball (woo-hoo!!).....

tonight: sno-cones after a session.

{a great day}

(so far!)

**up at 5:30 am to hit the ground running. today is my mom's birthday and her very, very favorite thing in the world to do......something that i detest.......yard sales. odd, huh? i love a good bargin, and i know i'm likely missing out on some great finds, but, they make me dizzy. really dizzy. but, i sucked it up and gave her the morning. a very small sacrifice in the scheme of things. the boys were more excited than her. and, a definite bonus...angela and her mil came along. noah was not a happy camper as every one we hit, we pretty much left with nothing....UNTIL our very last stop. they had 4 boys. enough said. ;)
**lunch with the boys and my mom.
**picking up a super-cute cake for her.
**practicing hitting (baseball, not brother) with noah in what feels like 100 degrees out there.
**the boys sitting in the kitchen as i type this eating their snack of summer oreos (blue filling) and milk.

a brief pause in typing as evan just entered my office COVERED in soggy oreos. evan + learning to dunk the cookies = not a good combination. i think he probably should stop counting as he dunks it to oh, probably around 30??

**cleaned up little guy and now they are getting ready for a movie. (on their dog beds nonetheless!)

and, the days not over yet!! ;)

{summer}

ahhh....i just peaked out the window and saw the following:



the boys and jessie (my cousin who is in from college for the summer) having a mid-morning picnic in the tree house. yep! she climbed up too! the treats consist of moon-pies, chips, chester pops (as e calls them), capri-suns, juicy juice and n's beloved pb&j sandwiches. this is following n hitting the baseball, e swinging as high as he could go (or that jessie would allow;) and playing with the puppies. right now, n is reading aloud a magic treehouse book to the others while all three are in the treehouse. to be followed by popsicles and a sprinkler.



if only i could hear the conversations going on.



welcome summer. i'm glad you finally came!

{summer find}

a few weeks ago i ran into big lots in between md appointments and bought the boys a "dog bed". they had really cute, super-large, very cozy dog beds that have worked out perfect for the boys snuggling up when they are watching cartoons and movies. and, they are a very plush dark chocolate with even darker chocolate animal stripes of some sort? zebra maybe. but, the boys love it and i did leave out the part about them being intended for a ahem........canine. they think they are just cozy pillows, size extra-extra large! :) shhhhhh........

the best part, is that if they are left out.....they look great. :)

{precious commodity}

wow. it is amazing what sleep can do for you. i thankfully logged in about 4.5 hours last night. that is a significant accomplishment considering the last week or so (went to bed at 5:40 am on Saturday - making the rest of the weekend, sort-of a blur). but, after getting some zzzzzz's last night, i've already checked off 4 major things off my to-do list. and, it's only 8:45 am. i just won't tell you how long i've been up. ;)