Sunday, May 31, 2009

I shall cook no more!

My hubby might say I never cook anyway . . .

Here is all that remains of my favorite crock pot after Christopher chucked a frozen pork loin into it. He wanted to put a "pan sear" on it before putting it in the crock pot. I thought we should not dirty any more dishes than he was willing to wash. Plus, we still had kids to get ready for church that morning! So he did a little anger slam of the loin into the pot. We did not realize the damage he had done until after we had cooked the roast. Luckily I used a cooking bag, or the juices would have run all over my kitchen while we were at church!
I looked on the Internet to find a replacement ceramic bowl, and the lid (that was broken 2 years ago but my dog launching it onto the floor). Sadly, it will be cheaper for me to run to Wal-Mart and buy a fancy new one!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

DON"T FEED THE ANIMALS!!!

When will we learn -


NO GUM FOR RYANN!!!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Guess what Ryann just did....

Moms often sit together and say, "Well, listen to what my kid did last night." or "My child said the funniest thing!" I am totally that way about my kids. Every mom, and dad, has funny little stories of the craziness that is a child.

As each of my 4 girls have made it to 4 years old, I have thought each of them as "Monsters"! Silly little creatures who say the funniest things. Rylie was so cute. My first child, and first experience with the wildness of a toddler. She was wild, rarely napped and was always in to things. Dylann, a little more shy. VERY STUBBORN! She spent most of her toddler years in a swimsuit; always under her clothes, or as her outfit of the day! Rosie little cheeks and a belly laugh to make any grown man sound girly! Kendall, my little rock star from birth, has always been her own creature. She was always naked! She left the house with clothes on - never made it back into the house with clothes on! If a stray naked toddler was seen roaming the town, everyone knew to whom she belonged! She was my most wild until Ryann came along! She was also the one who went missing the most. I called 911 more than once to find my child out frolicking in the fields with her giant dog Kodiak. And now there is Ryann.....

This child, who has almost made it to 4, is totally nuts! I have no idea where it all comes from! (I am sure, a true reflection of her parents and older sisters!) She is the funniest child I know. She says the weirdest things. The silliest things. I love to hear her view of the world. Her silly little lisp as she chatters away telling me about Aliens in the clouds, tattling on her sisters, or telling me how much she loves her Papa.

Maybe it is all so special to me because she is my baby. My last experience with a toddler as a mother. I would love to be able to freeze her for a while at this age - minus the screeching at the top of her lungs and her squeally, LOUD fits of rage as she has to leave Papa in the parking lot to go home with her mommy!

I love to watch her play, so excited to find a gross bug, or BUFFALO bones in the hills (really they are old cow bones which we must drag home and put in the flower beds). I get a little misty eyed as I think of how this will not last forever. I talk big about how excited I am for her to start Kindergarten - in fall of 2010- and am so happy it is ALL DAY kindergarten. But really, I am sad about that. Sad to miss out on all the crazy chatter of my baby.

The other night while watching t.v., Ryann and I saw a baby being born. She said, "Mom, I want one of those in your tummy." I told her that "Mommy cannot have any more babies, sorry." She looked up at me and said, "I'll get put back in there so I can be borned again." A nice offer.

Last night, she curled up with me to go to bed. All snuggled up in my arms she said, "Mom, I have a secret. It's a big secret. I can't tell you." I just said, "Oh!" to which she replied, "Mom, I peed outside. I peed in the dirt!" Peeing outside is really nothing new. She is a free pee-er. I just love that it was her silly little secret that she couldn't keep.

With Ryann, her dad I hear a lot of "Guess what Ryann just did?" or "Look at what Ryann is doing!" If it is quiet - find her fast! She loves her sisters make-up - she was plastered in it from head to toe last night. She loves to paint her own nails, which always leads to painting the feet, legs, bathroom floor, ect... She is pretty good at haircuts too. The hair still has not grown back!


She is a force of nature!
And I am totally in love with her!

I hope every mom knows how lucky they are to have a toddler!!!!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

School's OUT FOR SUMMER!!

The school year has ended! Who knows were the time went.

Kendall was a ROCK STAR in First Grade. She did so well! Her teacher, Mrs. Cornia, calls her a "Firecracker-Multitasker"! She loved her teacher, loved her classmates and loves that summer IS HERE!!!
Dylann came out of her shell a little more this year. 4th grade was good for her. (I cannot believe she will be in 5th next year!) At the End of the Year Talent Show, she sang a solo! Yes, my super shy, super stubborn child sang a song all by herself in front of the entire school and their parents! WOW! I am so proud of her. When she told me that she wanted to sing, a solo, in front of people - real live people!- she told me: "I know, I have been watching the crowd for years and I think I can do it!" I told her that the people will be watching her, looking at her, maybe even staring at her. She said she could do it, and she DID!!!!! Yea!!!Rylie was an awesome 6th grader! She only missed 2 days of school, only missed the bus once and had straight A's each trimester! She won a $35 gift card for having the most AR (reading) points in the 6th grade!

So, now it is on to summer! I love to hear the words.....
"Mom, I'm bored! What can we do now?"

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Preschool Graduation 2009

Last night was Ryann's Preschool Graduation. (She will have one more year of Preschool before Kindergarten.) During practice, Ryann was so good. She sang the songs, gave her part, and sat on her chair. At "GO TIME" she was a mess! She wanted me to sit by her. Then Rylie. She would not speak. She sat on the side and sang the songs.

She did stand up to get her special award: "The Starburst Award!" Tami told her it was because she was such a "Starburst" of energy. She would add such silly things to Preschool. They would talk about school stuff and Ryann would always add a little extra burst of trivia that had nothing to do with what they were learning in Preschool that day. I am hoping she kept it clean :)
This little preschool class was so fun! There were 8 moms & 8 kids. We took turns teaching, thank heavens! (Props to teachers everywhere! I could never do that everyday!!!!!!!!!) Thank you to Tracy for letting us all invade her house every Tuesday & Thursday and letting our little rugrats terrorize your bathroom and backyard!

Lamb Weigh In 2009

Lamb Weigh- In was super fun - FOR CHRISTOPHER! He met up with "Uncle Kent" (not blood related, but close enough! We simply adore him and his wife Judy!!!) They took the horse trailer up to wrangle some mutton. I am sad to say that I missed the fun that gathering the lambs was. I later learned of the super fun time Topher had getting the lambs into the trailer. I felt like I was waiting at the 4-H Barn FOREVER!

Finally the lambs arrived! Topher brought in the first lamb, after trying to walk her on the leash. He ended up dragging the poor lamb to the chute. Topher was eaten by one of the lambs. He almost lost his manhood to one chomp of "Dominique". It's a good thing he doesn't need it anymore :)
Meet Rylie's lamb "ROXY"

and Dyalnn's lamb "DOMINIQUE"

Ryann and Kendall stood by and watched as the lambs were weighed in, tagged and then hauled back to the trialer by the magnificent Topher. He decided that trying to let them walk to the chute was a waste of time. He carefully picked them up, one by one, and carried them like babies to the chute! What a dad!
The fun came when he tried to get the lambs out of the trailer in to the back yard. I received a phone call:

Him: "Where are you?"
Me: "Picking up dinner."
Him: "Well, one of the lambs took off up the street and I can't catch her. She is just gone! I hate lambs!"

Lucky for Topher, the neighbor's grandson was mowing the lawn and helped corner the runaway lamb. Topher was able to tackle the lamb and haul her home. Thanks Justice, Topher appreciated the help. And I am sure you got a good laugh out of the Topher Tackle too!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

DOLLS!

I had plenty of baby dolls as a little girl. My best friend Amy and I had twinner dolls, that on mine I drew boobies and pierced her ears with little silver poke pins. I still have my favorite doll from my childhood, she looks just like me. I would pretend she was alive ALL the time.

I, however, have a fear of dolls! Rational - nope! My mom had the freakiest porcelain doll that sat on the top shelf of her closet, her beady little eyes staring at me, waiting for me to fall asleep so she could smother me.


I hate doll museums! Doll movies! DOLLS! Lagoon use to have a freaky doll museum. I so did not like to go near that attraction!
Watched 'Chuckie' after a school dance - yuck! The clown doll in 'Poltergiest' - horrifying!

A friend from work always tells me how lucky I am to be able to buy baby dolls for my girls. How fun to pick out a cute dolly, cute little clothes, strollers, diapers, etc. And I can only think of that evil doll perched up in the closet, watching and waiting!

My girls do have several dolls, which are kept upstairs in the playroom out of view. I gave in and let them all have a fancy porcelain doll, but the
y must stay upstairs. The moment I see those dolls giving me the stink-eye, they are out of the house!

So - today my fear of dolls was reignited when I simply walked in to the Post Office to get my mail and ......


BAM! FREAKY NAKED DOLL IN THE CORNER!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

A fond farewell . . .

When buying older homes, you get old toilets! Ours was a nice blue potty - with matching tub! It had been our good friend. 5 years of toilet training, sick kids and grown-ups, toys stuffed inside, stickers adorning the lid. It even survived a dousing of mosquito spray which made the laminate seal bubble up and cause butt's to stick to it for a few weeks.

Countless winters of freezing pipes did not have any effect on the blue potty. Then one day last week, "POP!" The beautiful blue tank cracked sending a flood of -CLEAN- water all over the bathroom floor. We went 5 days without a toilet! (We do have another one upstairs, but when you are all cuddled in your bed downstairs, who wants to run upstairs in the middle of the night? Sometimes I would sneak and use the blue potty, hurry and turn on the water supply on, flush, wipe up the water all over the floor, and no one was the wiser. Until Ryann was caught using the blue potty and she quickly told her dad that "Mommy went in the blue potty too!")

So, so long to blue potty......

Hello to new white potty.....

It is really hard to look and the nice new white potty in the midst of the old peel and stick tile floor, surrounded by wood paneling I painted yellow in a fit of rage. At least we will save $100.00 when we go to redo the entire bathroom this summer!

And we now have a lovely planter in the backyard! YEE HAW!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Gum is not a Necklace!


Ryann was chewing gum. Then she thought - "I want a necklace!"
So, in her 3 1/2 year old brain, she thought - "Hey, I can stretch out my gum and make a necklace!"
Around the neck it goes! And the end result is your chin stuck to your neck by a wad of gum that refuses to loosen it's grip on your skin!

Ryann refused to let me clean her mess up! My solution -

Me - "Ryann, do you want a peanut butter sandwich?"
Ryann - "Yep!"
Me - "Ryann, wouldn't it be fun if we put a little bit of peanut butter from your sandwich on your neck? I will do it too!"
Ryann - "OK!"
Me - "Oh, look! The peanut butter is helping your chin go back to the right position!"
Me - "Yea! Don't make necklaces out of gum ever again!"
Ryann - "I like necklaces!"

She ended up with a section of her skin missing for a few days!

You might be a Redneck if. . .

Sometimes I love to just sit back and look over this crazy old world I am living in:

Never in my life had I seen such bizarre doggie behavior until I moved to the country. Dogs do ride in the back of trucks. But they also ride on the trunk of a car, in the tractor bucket. They ride in the cab of the truck while the children ride in the bed.

Country living is lots of fun ....