Snips & Snails...

Wish

2011-12-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

Elf Catch Up

2011-12-21T17:39:00.000-05:00

Frisbee is taking a bath in marshmallows...

Hanging out in the stockings...

and apparently he got stuck trying to get into the cabinets...probably trying to get the marshmallows for his bath!

Ballin'...Shot Callin'...

2011-12-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

First game done. We lost. I think I was more nervous for this than I was for football! Jayke is by far the smallest one on the team. He is the youngest and probably the one with the least amount of experience. He didn't do too bad. He says he got one rebound but I didn't see it. It was a little confusing because we had a kid show up for the game who hasn't been to any of our practices because he plays on another league. He, of course, was VERY good so he got the ball all the time and confused out plays that were run in practice. Hopefully this will all get better.

This is the first time Jayke has gotten a jersey with his name and number on it so I had to get a shot of his and Zion's backs while they were waiting for the game to start. Cute.

Still At It

2011-12-18T15:07:00.002-05:00

Good thing that was an old box of cereal I was about to throw out or I may have been upset with Frisbee for wasting food!!

The Elves Rock picture was today's mischief...yesterday he was found trying to squeeze between the shelf and the top of the turtle acquarium. He didn't quite make it and was just hanging there. (no pic) This morning when Jayke got up he came in to tell me that Frisbee MUST be stuck because he didn't leave last night! Oops. Frisbee must have been so busy he forgot himself last night! Good thing Jayke went to his friend's house this morning and gave him a chance to leave and get back to play in the cereal!

The picture below was from a couple of nights ago. Apparently the Lego Star Wars guys got fed up with the elf's antics and decided to take matters into their own hands...

So Rotten!

2011-12-15T23:26:00.002-05:00

Our ornery elf decided to get a little creative with Jayke's picture last night! I think this may be the one Jayke has liked the most. He looked a little indignant at first then yelled at the elf a little. After that he began to laugh. After a few minutes to contemplate Frisbee's mischief, he then was mostly concerned with whether or not he would "Clean that up!"? I told him that I have to clean up after his elf every night and that seemed to relieve him somewhat. He doesn't mind that his mother has more work to do as long as I remove that marker from his face!

The night before the elf was busy in the cabinets. He made snowmen out of marshmallows. Jayke just wanted to know if he could eat them. I didn't allow it but there were plenty left in the bag for him to snack on when he got home from school which made him happy.

This elf business is becoming quite the chore! Now that he has gotten so creative it is a challenge for him to come up with new and better ideas every night. Thank goodness he saved all this creativity for the days closer to Christmas! If he had started out this way I don't think he would have had enough ideas to make it 25+ days!

Silent Night

2011-12-14T17:36:00.001-05:00

Ornery Lil Elf!

2011-12-12T23:53:00.002-05:00

Our elf has been busy! Fishing for goldfish and hiding in interesting places!

Looks like someone needs to go to the grocery! I did throw out the expired eggs!

Turkey Surprise

2011-12-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

I love when I find things like this in The Boy's backpack!

What I'm Loving

2011-12-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

and can't get enough of! I found this pillow on Etsy and HAD TO HAVE IT! This pillow is so perfect in my house. I just wish I could find coordinating ones to go with and maybe even bring these colors into my bedroom.

Speaking of Etsy...it, along with Pinterest are my new two addictions. Like I needed any more. I get so many ideas from Pinterest it's crazy. Went out and bought some canvas and stencils for a project. Hopefully it will turn out great and I will be able to post it. For now you can just admire my pillow!

Another Sport!

2011-12-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

I realize this ins't a very good picture...it is the only one I've gotten so far. I will have to get one next weekend at our first game! So far he loves it. He and Zion are the only two second graders on the team with a bunch of third graders and I have to say I think they are the best two of the bunch! Jayke needs to work on endurance and his arm strength though to be able to get the ball up to the basket easier. I think he is picking up the general idea pretty well though. His coach is pretty old school and has them running suicides and playing shirts and skins. Thank God Jayke wasn't one of the "skins"! He won't even take his warm ups off in the gym with other people around and he has shorts on underneath! He thought it was pretty funny that Zion had to take his off though. We will see what happens when he is picked to play on the "skins"!

Mason's Birthday

2011-12-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Mason's birthday party was at Escapades this year. A bunch of rowdy boys let loose on an indoor playground...CRAZY! There was a moment when I was sure we would get kicked out. We had kids ON TOP of the huge climbing apparatus instead of IN it like they are supposed to be. We had a group of boys cheating at the games that give you tickets for prizes. It was insanity. When our group left we had random kids we didn't know running up and hugging the kids in our group to tell them bye they had so much fun with them. The kids in our group ranged in age from 6 to 14...the older ones were the ones climbing where they shouldn't have been and cheating at the games. Maci and her friend spent a large amount of time just laying in the ball pit with random kids climbing all over them...or over them to get through. Balls were being chucked every which way...both in and OUT of the ball pit. Some how we managed to not get the boot and all had a wonderful time!

I have the bowling alley booked for Jayke's party this year but after the blast they all had at Escapades I am now considering moving it so they can all go back. Matthew has been begging Ang to let him take Jayke and Mason to Escapades for months. He was so happy to finally be there...I'm sure he would love to go back. Above is a picture of Jayke, Mason, Zion, and Levi. Jayke and Zion are in the same grade, as Mason and Levi are too. They all play soccer together and Zion is on Jayke's basketball team. They all get along and have a great time together.

After the birthday party, Mason had a birthday dinner on his real birthday a couple of days later, and cake the day after that. I'm sure Jayke now thinks he needs to have a 3 day birthday as well!

My Motto

2011-12-01T00:02:00.001-05:00

This pretty much says it all...

Favorite ornament this year!

Nemo Loves Tinsel!!

2011-11-30T23:02:00.002-05:00

I must say I have been highly disappointed in both my cats lack of cooperation in their Christmas photo shoots this year. Too much movement leads to blurry pictures...I just need them to sit perfectly still with the garlands and different items wrapped strategically around them. Is that so much to ask?

Just Enough For Frosty

2011-11-30T00:20:00.006-05:00

We finally got to use the snowman kit that Aunt Dona gave us a couple of years ago. Good packing snow fell today. Unfortunately the yard was so wet from all the rain before the snow that our snowman was a little muddy. This also prevented us from making him bigger and also from placing him where I wanted him...up closer to the tree with the snowflake lights by the house. At least we were able to make a small version of Frosty and The Boy was more than thrilled with his snow buddy!

He did all the building himself...I just lifted the snowballs on top of one another. I imagine he will melt by tomorrow night but at least we got to enjoy him for one day. I saw the neighbor slow down to take a good look at him as she drove by.

I think it's about time to buy some new snow gear. The Boy's snow pants are a size 4/5...he wears a 7. They are long enough but a little snug in the waste and the hat he now "LOVES" that he hated last year is pretty tight as well. I tried everything to ge thim to wear this hat last year and he absolutely refused. Got it out today and he said he loves it. No idea what changed his mind.

The Halls are Decked

2011-11-28T14:35:00.002-05:00

Luna is one happy cat...that I finally got her favorite toy back out! Her eyes lit up and I'm pretty sure she grinned as I pulled the tree out of the box and began to assemble it. She sat quietly and watched as each piece went into the next and the lights were finally lit. As Jayke and I fluffed each branch she circled the perimeter watching with anticipation. As I strung the garland around the tree I think I saw her begin to quiver with excitement. Once the garland was on I gave The Boy the go ahead to hang the ornaments. Luna could stand it no more. She dove into the tree and started batting at every ornament within her reach. Tugging at garland and even making a run for it with one ornament that Jayke made causing The Boy to darn near have a heart attack. We got the water bottle out and by the time the tree was done Luna looked like she had survived a monsoon.

Nemo is not as mesmerized by the glittery tinkling tower of fun as Luna is. He approached with caution and quickly learned that touching the shiny dangling objects caused an unpleasant shower of water to hit him in the face. He does enjoy hiding under Luna's tree and attacking her as she is trying to dismantle it though and I had to remove him from his perch about three quarters of the way up the tree once last night. About three hours after the tree was finished the cats both were curled up asleep...exhausted from their attempts to take down the tree of toys I provided them with. I'm sure visions of shiny balls and fluffy garland danced through their heads! No doubt they were planning their next assault!

Old and New Traditions

2011-11-25T12:15:00.002-05:00

Every year as a child I received and Advent Calendar in the mail around Thanksgiving. The calendars were usually a pretty winter scene with lots of glitter on them and I couldn't wait for December 1st so I could see what was behind the little doors and windows. I've looked for Advent Calendars similar to the ones I remember as a child but I can usually find are the ones that have a chocolate behind each door. They are plain and each chocolate is basically the same. Not much excitement to the chocolate Advent Calendar.

I've been disapointed by the calendars and had all but given up on that tradition then I found this!! A Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar!! How cool is that? Yea, I know it isn't the old fashioned card stock calendar, covered in glitter of my childhood but I think it will elicit the same anticipation and enjoyment that I got from my calendars as a child. Jayke will have this waiting for him when he returns from the weekend with his dad!

Each day he will get to open a little door and remove a small plastic bag filled with the parts needed to create one of the following Star Wars characters or ships...

He is going to LOVE this...highly recommend to anyone who has kids who love Star Wars or LEGOS or both! Also to moms who are big on creating Christmas traditions with their children.

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

Jayke got to be an Indian at his "Feast" at school the other day. Here he is in in his vest that I had to go out and buy a package of white t-shirts and use half of my coffee to make. Apparently the teachers haven't changed their curriculum due to the economy! They still have us spending money every other week.

Jayke is with his dad for Thanksgiving so it was pretty quiet at Mom's for dinner. Not so much at Dad's. There was a lot of complaining about the fact that it was 6 o'clock and the turkey was STILL cooking! Everyone was starving. I guess it takes longer than one would think for a 22 lb turkey to thaw. It should be ready in a week or two! LOL Good thing they also had an 18lb ham too!

I skipped Black Friday this year. I have all my shopping done so there was no need to go out and spend any more money. We are heading to IKEA Saturday though for my birthday!! Can't wait...first time at IKEA!! Happy Birthday to me!!

Can You Keep a Secret???

2011-11-21T20:37:00.002-05:00

Don't tell Jayke...below are two pics of what he is getting for Christmas this year. His is black and will probably be decorated like the one in the top picture...

I really love them both but I think he will like the top one better. He will get a gift certificate to go pick out his fish after the holiday.

Halloween Through the Years

2011-11-21T20:18:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

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Digits

2011-11-18T01:32:00.001-05:00

Some Things Never Change

2011-11-14T02:15:00.002-05:00

Jayke and I went to see Grammy in the hospital Friday. The last few times I have gone to see her she hasn't had much to say so I expected the same thing this time. I was afraid she was going to be in really bad shape too. Boy was I wrong! She was having a breathing treatment when we first got there so she wasn't able to say much but when it was over...someone had opened the flood gates! She talked and talked! She told everyone who came in the room that I have no job, no husband, and need a haircut! It has been a while since I've heard this critique of my life from her so it didn't really bother me this time. It was actually kind of funny to me....I mean, it's all true! Even the haircut part!

She was particularly funny when her poor male nurse came in for the first time. She demanded to know who he was and WHAT HE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DO IN THERE! I'm glad these nurses are used to dealing with this. He just laughed and answered all her questions...and believe me, there were a lot! I thought he was going to make it out unscathed but she nailed him in the end...it came out in their conversation that he was married and she immediately asked him, "Do you think that is going to last?" That was my cue to leave because I knew where this conversation was heading. She was about to try to fix this poor man up with me. We had to get while the gettin was good! Fortunately, they were going to take her down for some test so there was a subject change and an exit strategy. I think before I go up this week I will call ahead and make sure all the nurses on duty are female!

On the way home I whipped into a parking lot and had The Boy get out so I could get some pics to play with later. A left over drainage tile was the perfect spot! It's hard to come with interesting subject matter in MUNCIE!

Apples and Indians

2011-11-13T01:38:00.000-05:00

We went on a field trip last Thursday with Jayke's class. They are studying Indians and Johnny Appleseed right now since Thanksgiving is approaching so we went to Minnetrista which provides a tour and lecture on both subjects.

First up...apples! We went into their mini orchard to inspect some apple trees and taste some different kinds of apples. Their orchard leaves a lot to be desired and it was probably a little late in the season for this particular lesson. There weren't any apples left to investigate...basically they turned the class loose to look at leafless trees. Something second graders couldn't care less about. They did enjoy the eating part at least.

Next up...cider! This was a much more interesting lesson since the kids got to juice the apples themselves. Below is Jayke taking his turn...

They got to drink the cider once made. I think eating the apples and drinking the cider was the highlight of this outing for sure!

If you are sensing a lack of enthusiasm on my part regarding this field trip you are correct. Not only did I feel like it was a very dull experience but it was also FREEZING! It may have been the coldest day we have had so far this fall. I thouht this was an indoor field trip so Jayke and I were not dressed appropriately for the weather either. Since no note came home regarding wearing outdoor clothing I assumed it was indoors. Found out later that Jayke was supposed to tell me they were to dress warm and wear old shoes...neither of which we did. Luckily I had some gloves and a hat in the car for him. Many of the kids were underdressed so this must have been a common assumption.

We had lunch inside and were able to get warm before heading back out. I noticed one little girl who sat at our lunch table paid an extra amount of attention to Jaykeb. Her name is Katie and I've heard him talk about her before. he seemed fine with the attention from her too. Maybe he has a little crush..I'm pretty sure she does! LOL

The Indian part of the trip was the part I found the dullest. The kids seemed like they liked it somewhat. This was also the part that was the coldest. I was never so happy for a field trip to end! I checked my phone while we were out there and the temp was 41 degrees with a wind chill of 32 degrees. I know they don't allow them to go out for recess if it is below 40 so I was a little disappointed that they didn't reschedule or find a different location on a different day for their field trip. All of the moms were in agreement.

While out there I took the opportunity to take some pictures to edit. If it weren't so darn cold I would have stayed after the kids got back on the bus and taken some more!

SCORE!!

2011-11-10T23:29:00.003-05:00

All this Martha Stewart Halloween loot for less than $20! There are really nice garlands, coasters, treat bags and boxes, cupcake picks, and a large window cling that is a crow in a tree for the back door window. Originally $80 worth of stuff...and actually stuff I like! I never find clearance stuff I like. Usually there is just junk left over. Not this time! I can't wait for Halloween! I'm going to celebrate it the entire month of October next year!

Trash Talkin

2011-11-10T01:58:00.003-05:00

Jayke got a new basketball from my dad the other day. He was thrilled and immediately had to drag Dad out to the driveway to show him his skizzles (skills, Mom...skizzles are skills). There isn't even a basketball goal in the drive anymore so it was more a dribbling demonstration.

I was watching as The Boy put on an impressive trash talking display. Some of my favorites were..."COME ON OLD MAN!" directly followed by, "HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW,OLD MAN?" after doing absolutely nothing to elicit this exclamation/question. He also informed us he has "HOPS". He has about as much "HOP" as a gofer. After those got old he preceded to remark on Dad's attire, calling out his footwear in particular. I didn't blame him for this one...just look at those shoes! At least he hasn't duct taped them...yet. I was waiting for them to disintegrate right in front of me. They are his favorites, by the way and he is quite proud of their advanced state of decay.

As I was watching the dribbling exhibition, I was taken back to when I was Jayke's age out in the same drive playing basketball with Dad. I laughed to myself as I realized that he has the exact same moves that he had when I was a kid. Those moves worked the same on Jayke as they did me too. Funny to watch. I'm glad The Boy is enjoying his new basketball. The more he enjoys it the more he will practice and actually develop some skills other than trash talking...he seems to have that one down!

Editing Process

2011-11-09T00:56:00.002-05:00

I become more and more obsessed with my photography apps every day. So many ways to edit one photo and come up with different end results. Thought I would post the process this photo went through. This first picture is the final edit. I usually don't do more than one filter on a photo. I do end up cropping more than once on some pics. I may let this picture stand like this for a while then eventually I may end up trying a different filter on it just to see what else I can come up with.

The next picture was the first crop I did. I like being able to see the steps leading up to the door but I didn't like how narrow it ended up being. Also, Instagram doesn't let you post a vertical photo. The final edit, above, was the crop that had to be done to post to instagram.

And finally...the orginal untouched photo as I took it. Beechgrove Cemetery has several of these huge mausoleums. I took this photo not even knowing if I would be able to do anything with it. Now that I see the results I want to go back and photograph some of the others! Jayke was with me and he had his Nintendo DS which has a camera. He now thinks he is a mini photographer. He took as many pictures, if not more, as I did. I should take a look at them and see what he came up with.

Just A Photo

2011-11-08T14:07:00.002-05:00

I love when I'm going through my camera roll and find something I missed before. I found this picture I took a few weeks ago. Just an old abandoned building on the south side of town.

You've Got Mail!

2011-11-07T22:59:00.005-05:00

Jayke doesn't use his lap top very often but every once in a while he gets it out and checks his email. Note: If you email him it may be a while before you get a response! A couple of nights ago he must have been in the mood to do a little emailing. I was sitting on the couch on MY lap top when he yelled at me to check my email. The following is our correspondence...

FROM JAYKE: What are you doing?How much $ are you giving me tomorrow?I hope it will be $ 1000`000!When do you think we are going to go over to Bob,s?Do you like Nemo?I really like him.

FROM WENDY: I'm not giving you any money tomorrow! You got more than you should have today. I have no idea when we will go to Bob's. I suppose whenever he invites us. Yes, I LOVE Nemo!!! And Luna too! You need to clean your room! It is a disaster and you told me you cleaned it!
Love,
Mommy
P.S. If you want to see the blog just click down below this where it says Wendy Howell blogspot.

FROM JAYKE: Why aren't you giving me more MONEY!I didn;t get enough MONEY!Well we better go to Bob;s soon.Iwish he would invite us soon!I LOVE Nemo and Luna too!!!!I don't need to clean my room!t isn't aDiSASTER and I did not say I would clean my room.

FROM WENDY: If you want MORE MONEY YOU BETTER CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!! It is a disaster, I can barely see the floor!! I'm not sure you understand how this chore business works. I tell you what to do and you do it...THEN you get money. You do not get paid to do your homework, but nice try. You should be cleaning the house for free considering I buy your food, let you live here, do your laundry, drive you around, let your friends come over, take care of your pets, cook your meals, pay to keep the cable on so you can watch tv, help you with your homework, and MUCH MUCH more!! In fact, you should probably be paying ME!! :) I have no idea when we will be going to BOB'S again. I keep telling you we have to be invited. I'm glad you love the cats...what about the dogs though?

Love,

Mommy

I'm still waiting for my response. Maybe he doesn't have one. I can hardly wait until he gets a phone and starts texting me from his room!

Haven't taken any new pictures lately. We had soccer tryouts Saturday. He will be playing on the travel team in the spring. That means I will be out of town almost every weekend! Basketball tryouts are on the 15th and we have a field trip on Thursday, which I am going on with the kiddos.

Oma has gotten a job! Yea, you read that right! She got a job working at an antique store. The Boy drove me nuts Sunday to take him to see "her store". He thinks it is hers. We stopped by on our way to see Puss and Boots at the theatre. Now Jayke just cannot figure out why she is working there instead of me! He also thinks she is selling our stuff in there because we saw some items that people bought from us at our rummage sale and now are selling in the antique store. This bothers him greatly. He brings it up several times a day. I think he wants me to change the locks so she can't come in and get anymore of our things. After her first day of work he asked her if any one tried to buy her since "SHE IS AN ANTIQUE!" Gotta love that boy!

Golden Glow

2011-11-02T00:32:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have taken this fall. This is a big old tree in the cemetery where I took the Werewolf/grave pictures. It had gotten really windy and Jayke was ready to go but I saw this tree and had to take a picture. Unfortunately the sun had gone behind a cloud and it wouldn't work the way I wanted to take it without the sun. I made Jayke hide behind a huge headstone from the wind until the sun came back out so I could get this shot. I'm glad I waited!

Two Ghouls

2011-11-01T00:37:00.000-04:00

Mason the Zombi and Jaykeb the Werewolf. While we were trick-or-treating one lady saw them coming and said, "Oh look! It's Edward and Jacob!" (From the Twilight movie) Edward is really a vampire but Mason could be a vampire if he just had the teeth! I didn't think of this before the lady mentioned it but as soon as she did I looked at them and totally saw it! So cute! I wish I had thought of it myself. Jaykeb told the lady his name really was Jacob! She may have given them extra candy too...I don't know.

We didn't last very long trick-or-treating. Jaykeb started saying he was tired and his legs hurt. I think he just wanted to play basketball and wait for Matthew to get home. Matthew and Alec had basketball tryouts so they weren't able to go with us. Jayke was more than bummed.

After our shortened outing we headed to Oma's to show them what a scary Werewolf Jayke was. He barely had any makeup left on his face though. Jackson didn't mind...he was only interested in Jayke's furry head and hands. I think he thought they were a cat! Oma gave Jayke a Scooby Doo DS game which he immediatley started playing. He says it is his favorite game and hasn't stopped playing it since. We couldn't stay long because The Boy had to get home, shower, do homework, and position himself on the couch in preparation for watching Sammy Terry. I decided to let him stay up late and sleep on the couch so he could see Sammy. We usually don't do this on school nights but since it was Halloween and Sammy is only on once a year (if that) I was making an exception. He made it to 9:30 and then he was out. 30 minutes short of Sammy! I expected this so I set the DVR to record it.

I, on the other hand, thouroughly enjoyed Sammy and the old movie he was hosting. I checked the Facebook page for the tv network later and saw that hundreds of people had posted requests to bring Sammy Terry back every Friday night to host Nightmare Theatre. We will see if they listen!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T02:11:00.001-04:00

And Happy Blog Anniversary to me!! 5 years ago today I wrote my first blog post. It doesn't seem like I've been doing this for that long and I'm kinda surprised I kept up with it. Now that The Boy is able to read it himself, I am glad I did. He loves to get the printed version out and read it now and then.

We carved a couple more pumpkins today. I don't know who had more fun putting the holes in the middle one above, Jayke or me. We had Oma bring Opa's drill over...I'm surprised he allowed us to use his power tools on something like carving a pumpkin! I did make the mistake of drilling the first hole in the kitchen. Pumpkin bits went flying every where! The cats liked that. Cats love pumpkin. It's weird. I've always had cats who have eaten pumpkin. We moved it out to the front yard after that and made a huge mess. Easiest pumpkin I ever carved and it looks cool too! On the little one (the one we grew in our front flower bed) I carved the eyes and mouth then scraped just the outer layer off around the eyes to make them bigger. Next year I'm going to try carving a couple like this. Not going all the way through the pumpkin. The problem will be finding a pumpkin that isn't too thick so the light will shine through. The smaller ones are better for this, I think.

Tonight I put the pumpkins randomly through out the flower bed after I lit them. They looked really good but now I wish I had more. I don't know why...we won't even be here tonight for trick or treaters. We are going over to Ang's house for trick or treating. I hate that it is on a school night. When we get home we are going to stay up and watch a scary movie hosted by Sammy Terry!! Sammy Terry was the host of Nightmare Theatre when I was a kid. Every Saturday night on the local tv station this guy dressed up as a goul would host a scary movie...providing commentary on commercial breaks. I used to stay up and watch him with my dad when it was his weekend. The original Sammy Terry is in his 80s now but his son has taken over. They bring him back on Halloween some years and this is one of them. I want Jayke to watch him and see if he loves him and his sidekick, George the spider, as much as I did when I was a kid. We love all things SCARY! Too bad Halloween only comes around once a year!

Where the Wild Thing Is

2011-10-30T02:14:00.003-04:00

And here he is...Wolfman Jayke!! Pretty scary stuff huh? Well, he thought he was scary and that's what counts! I thought it turned out pretty good! I ordered the hood and gloves and pulled all the rest together out of his closet. A pair of jeans that were too small so they would be short and I cut gashes in them to look like claw marks. An old white t-shirt I could put rips in, a plaid shirt, and I rubbed his brown makeup on the shirt and jeans to make it look dirty. I should have had some red makeup to make him look like he had blood on him too but I didn't think about that.

Applying the makeup was quite the ordeal! He was not pleased at all with my first attempt. He wanted MORE! After I put more on, it was too itchy and making his eyes water. I told him to suck it up...Werewolves don't complain!! There was some complaining about the teeth too. They are vampire teeth and that was not appropriate, according to The Boy. Teeth are teeth, I told him and once he looked in the mirror he decided they would do. I don't know where he gets this anal behavior from.

We don't trick-or-treat until Monday. I was giving the costume a test run by taking him over to trick-or-treat at my dad's house. On the way we made a quick stop for a photo shoot.

The following pics are of my Abercrombie Wolf...

Did a little editing on them and posted them to Instagram to share. I got a ton of "likes" on them and one guy posted a comment saying, "These pics should be in a children's book...that is definitely where a wild one is!" Once I read that comment I agreed. They do remind me of that book some.

I was really happy with the graveyard photos. Jayke was pretty cooperative. I had built this up all week, telling him we were going to do this. He needs to work on his posing and facial expressions for his future phot shoots though. He looks a little constipated in some of them. That was his "serious...I'm thinking of eating you" look. I particularly like the contemplative Werewolf sitting on the grave. I think he was still thinking about our earlier fight over the rip in his shirt and whether or not it showed his belly button. He doesn't like to show too much skin. Less is more! When I told him I was going to rip his shirt the entire costume almost got vetoed! He takes his modesty seriously!!

While looking through these I began to think that maybe the serious facial expression was partly due to the fact that I am a crazed photographer. To take the corn field shot I all of a sudden whipped off to the side of the road, checked the mirrors to make sure we were alone, and yelled "GET OUT AND GO IN THAT CORN FIELD!" He went without question but now that I see these photos I half wonder if he thought I was leaving him there. I see he forgot to put his gloves on before exiting the vehicle in a flash.

We visited my dad for a while and then headed back home. Now we get to do it all over again on Monday. I just hope hair and makeup goes smoother on Monday than it did today! Werewolves are so cantankerous!

Through The Years

2011-10-29T00:45:00.000-04:00

Goo Flinging

2011-10-28T08:16:00.002-04:00

This was a BAD idea!! 3 boys in the front yard carving pumpkins...the carving never got done. Right after I took this picture a goo flinging war broke out! There was orange slime flying all over. I'm pretty sure I will have a pumpkin patch instead of a front yard next year because of all the seeds left out there. We never got to the carving because of the goo war and the wrestling match that it tuned into. Jayke and I did manage to carve one a few nights ago though. As always, Jayke stood next to me with the phone in his hand ready to dial 911 IF I sliced off a digit...or three. Pumpkin carving is dangerous business. I survived with only one minor cut. No trips to the er...didn't even require a bandaid.

How Much Can we Fit...

2011-10-27T02:56:00.003-04:00

....into one fall break? I'd say not much!! We started off by going to Jayke's parent teacher conference. The Boy got a stellar report, as usual. He is being recommended for the challenge program and he is above average in reading. He has straight A's. The only thing she could come up with to say is that he could stand to slow down a little when doing his math papers and tests. I've talked to him about this before. Then she gave me math sheats for him to do at home that I am supposed to time. Huh? Slow down...speed up. Confusing.

After the conference we were off to lunch with Ang, Bob, and Mason. Bob ended up taking the boys home while Ang and I ran some errands. We are getting ready for our 31 party this week. Jayke was supposed to be spending the night with Matthew (A BIG BIG deal) that night while Ang and I took Maci to the midnight showing of Paranormal Activity 3. Instead, it turned into a sleep over at Bob's with Mason, Matt, Alec, Mo, and Jayke. Bob was busy making nachos for the "fellas" when we headed out to the movie. I was preparing myself all day for the beating I was going to take at the movie. Ang doesn't do well with scary. Last time at Paranormal 2 she beat the crap out of me and tried to sit on my lap. I considered taking a helmet and a taser. I made it out with only one bruise. Seriously...she bruised my arm!! She is no longer allowed to sit next to me in scary movies.

Friday was another jam packed day for the kiddo. After picking him up from the sleep over we went to Oma's to see Aunt Dona. Jayke took a brief nap then he was off to Escapades (indoor playground) for a birthday party. As I was heading back to pick him up from the party, I got a text from Bob...he was taking the "fellas" bowling. Did Jayke want to go? Silly question. Of course he did! I picked him up from the party and took him bowling. Bob had picked up an extra boy since the night before so now there were 6 of them. Jayke did pretty well bowling but by the second game he was exhausted. He actually asked to go home.

Good thing The Boy went home and got a good night's sleep because Saturday Bob was calling again. This time they were going to the Ball State football game. Bob lives to haul the "fellas" around! After the game they went back to his house and I joined them later for dinner. We hung out there for several hours until we went home to bed.

On Sunday Jayke and I went to see the movie Real Steal. He loved it!! It was a pretty cute movie. I think we are going to start going to movies more often using my coke rewards points and stubs card. Can't beat free movies especially when you have to take a loan out to get the popcorn and coke!

Monday we did nothing. And it was great!!

After all that running around I was ready to just lay around. We did carve our pumpkin in there some where but I can't remember what day that was. We still have 3 more pumpkins to carve. I was just too tired to mess with the others after our busy weekend. I am glad fall break was only 5 days...one more might have killed me!

Instagram Profile

2011-10-17T01:15:00.002-04:00

This is a screen print of my Instagram profile. There are many many more pictures but you can only print what fits on the screen of your phone. I may start posting these regularly as I get more pics taken and edited. Just my latest obsession...er hobby.

Making Progress...

2011-10-16T01:04:00.000-04:00

The Boy may have a future as a painter...at least as my new painter. We fired the old painter, Oma. Got half of the room painted today before we pooped out. The color looks blue here but it is really a VERY teal color. The color name is "Day at the Jewelers" and it is fab!! With a name like that it has to be!

We did have some assistance from Oma. She is permitted to paint at my house as long as she is supervised. If she isn't things tend to go horribly wrong! We also had some help from the cats. Luna was particularly interested in what was going on. She thought the ladder was placed there for her personal use and tried to sit on it the entire time. When I took it away she leaped up into the window, putting her hind paws in the paint then tracking kitty prints on the window sill. When I finally removed her from the room for good she left with a teal tail. Jayke wrote a story about it tonight...The Cat With the Teal Tail. It was a short story.

I can't wait for the room to be completely painted and get the furniture in there. It's going to look really good! I may have a hard time letting Jayke and his friends play in it!

Another Park Another Walk

2011-10-15T22:02:00.003-04:00

Jayke is confused with my new found obsession with taking pictures. He doesn't remember living in South Carolina when I used to do this every day. Today when I wheeled into Minnestrista on the way to soccer he was a little miffed. Just sure we were going to be late for practice! He wanted to know why I was taking so many pictures of things other than him. When I handed him my phone and showed him my camera roll he got it. I had to pry it out of his hands to be able to take these shots of Oakhurst Gardens and Children's Garden. I've put pictures of this garden on here before but not pics taken in the fall so here are a few I took on our walk.

There really isn't that much to photograph in there and we didn't have as much time as I would have like. The lighting was bad too...cloudy overcast day. At least I got a couple of shots to play with on the iPhone later and post to Instagram.

I Say "WE" Like I had Something to do With This...

2011-10-13T09:54:00.002-04:00

Here is the table Jim built for my mom! I must say I was impressed. I mean I know he can build houses... but tables??? LOL I just wanna know why we aren't in the furniture building business? We could totally sell these...and I know this because I posted it on Facebook and got approval from my minions.

I hope my mom is happy with it! Having a kitchen that is too big is such a PROBLEM!!

Luv

2011-10-13T01:12:00.001-04:00

This picture and the edit I did on it...

Did You Hear That?

2011-10-12T00:36:00.003-04:00

Jayke's Halloween costume was delivered by the UPS guy today. I am very happy with it and so is he, all though he wasn't for a moment. I decided a demonstration was in order so I waited to open it when he wasn't around. He went to take a shower so this was the perfect opportunity for me to open it and take a look. I then decided to try it on (just the hood and gloves part). I thought it looked pretty good so I crept into the bathroom with it on and flung the shower door open. If you heard a strange noise this evening it was probably him screaming. :) Costume is approved.

Now before you go reaching for the phone to call me up and yell at me (Mother) he was only scared for a second then thought it was hilarious and slammed the shower door shut. He was more concerned with me seeing him naked than the creature I had become slaughtering him. As soon as he got out of the shower he had to try it on and thinks it is the best costume he has had so far! Finally something scary!!

The above picture is a close up of my favorite Halloween candy jar with a quick edit and crop I put on it. Love it!!! Love how I can edit my photos now. My phone is always in my hand and I'm always trying out different filters. I think my Halloween decorations are my favorite subject to photograph. More to come, of course!

Second Grade

2011-10-11T20:30:00.001-04:00

Trying a post from the new Blogger app for iPhone...

Oma's Final Resting Place

2011-10-09T23:01:00.002-04:00

I guess we are going to keep her close...as you can see we have placed her headstone in our front flower bed cemetery. We also put graves for Jayke's friends, Hunter, Bea, and Nolan (I spelled his name wrong on his stone) My friends, Bob and Angi (aka Skinny Jeans) also will be eternally resting out front. The above picture is my favorite. I edited it to look like this...very creepy! Below is an unedited version but doesn't have all the graves pictured...you get the idea though. We are going to carve all the pumpkins...about 5, closer to Halloween and light them up. Hopefully it will give our cemetery a creepy glow at night!!!

On another Halloween related note. I finally found and ordered The Boy's costume. You know this is an ordeal every year. He always picks a costume I know he won't wear because of the mask. I think I have found the perfect solution this year. Something that fits his criteria of being scary but without a face mask and fits my criteria of making a good picture. My criteria also limits us and prevents covering of the face. We are both satisfied with this year's selection and I can't wait to see it on him! Such an ordeal...which I'm sure is mostly my fault.

The inside of the house is fully decorated for the holiday as well as the outside. I was apparently feeling ambitious this year. That or my meds are kicking in...either way I've been on a roll. I even made Halloween cupcakes for The Boy and his friends. Jayke was very upset with his friend, Nolan, who didn't appreciate my baked wares. He took one lick and threw his away. Jayke has been going on about it for two days now and even told Nolan he could never have another cupcake. We finally resolved the issue when Nolan told him he didn't like chocolate that much. This reasoning for disposing of my culinary creation must have been satsifactory to The Boy because he has sense dropped the subject and forgiven Nolan his offense. I, on the other hand, am a little miffed with Jayke for his critique of my decorating skills. He informed me that our living room was, "Not very Halloweeny"! I told him to go stand in the kitchen. The kitchen looks like Halloween barfed all over it. It's my favorite time of the year!

More Pics From Our Walk

2011-10-06T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a few more pics from out walk the other day...

His 9th Season

2011-10-05T22:42:00.000-04:00

Wow! I counted and it has been 9 seasons of soccer for The Boy now! This one is coming to an end soon so I took a couple of pictures at our last game. Finally had some sunshine to be able to take some.

Jayke is by far the best player on the team. The coach pays special attention to him, always playing him the most and talking to him after the games. Sometimes not a good thing. The other night he played the entire game. Didn't rest a minute and he paid for it afterwards. I had to pull over on the way home for him to get sick. During the game the coach was even telling all the kids in time out that they weren't helping Jayke at all and he was the only one out there trying. I know this is why he plays him the most but I'm going to tell him I want him to sit at least 1 full quarter a game from now on. I'm also telling Jayke to slow up a bit while playing. Confusing for him since we always talk about playing hard and never letting up...now I'm telling him the opposite. Hopefully he will figure it out and pace himself to last the whole game without puking!

Hanging With Jack

2011-10-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of pics from the day Mason came home on the bus with Jayke. Took them to my mom's to give them something to do for a while. They hung out with Jack in the back yard.

Undefeated...so far...

2011-10-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

Jayke's football team is undefeated so far this season. We may be the only team that is too. Jayke has improved a bunch. He plays running back and has gotten really close to scoring a couple of times. Two more games this season. Hoping for at least one touchdown. He loves it and says he wants to play tackle next year. I was afraid he wouldn't want to play tackle once he actually got hit but he took a hard hit in practice the other day and got right back up and kept on playing. I guess we will be padding up next fall!

Aqua Park Outing

2011-10-01T00:27:00.000-04:00

Jayke and I have been really busy...hence the lack of posts. Tonight I finally took some time to sit down and do some editing and uploading. I have many more pictures to put on here but for tonight I'm just going to post our pics from our Aqua Park walk.

There is a park in Anderson, on the way to my Dad's house that I have driven by for years and years but never stopped. Today we stopped. I can't believe I've never explored this park before now! It has the best walking trail around the lake through wooded areas and some open area too. There are several bridges you cross as you are walking along the lake with the river to the other side. On the pond there were lots of geese and ducks and one big beautiful swan. We weren't supposed to feed them but we snuck a package of crackers in for them. The swan came right up to us to eat.

On one side of the park there was a huge sculpture and a playground area. We stopped briefly for Jayke to play on the slides and to climb on the sculpture a bit.

After we left the park, Jayke kept telling me how much he liked taking that walk and how shocked he was that I did that. He forgets how I used to do these things with him every day in South Carolina and even when we first came back. It has been a while since we have gone exploring though. I guess because I have always lived here it doesn't seem like there is anything to discover but we did today. I promised to take him to Mounds State Park one day soon. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and we can have another day of exploration soon!

The Fam

2011-09-29T08:22:00.001-04:00

My sister, Kim. My other mom, me, and AJ celebrating AJ's birthday last month.

Green Again

2011-09-25T08:31:00.000-04:00

I don't understand how we keep ending up being on the green soccer team!! I think we have been green at least 4 or 5 times. Can't we get a teal or light blue shirt...just once??? All my soccer pics look the same. Well, here are a couple more green team soccer pics...

Above he is waiting next to Olivia to get his individual picture taken and below is the team. This may be our last season with the rec league. He needs to move up to travel. Will depend on time and money though. We want to try baseball in the spring so that may prevent us from doing it right away.

Jayke is having a good week. Undefeated in soccer, leading scorer on the team, undefeated in football, (almost scored a touchdown last game. Got pushed out of bounds right at the cone) straight As on the mid term report, AND lost another tooth! This time he didn't swallow it either. Lost it in the lunch line at school. Now he is missing both front bottom teeth. Think the top will be the next to go. Hope the bottom come in first though!!

1-0...Good Way to Start!!

2011-09-20T17:06:00.002-04:00

We won our first football game...4 to 2. We only count by ones since there are no field goals or extra points. Jayke had fun but has a long way to go to figure out what he is doing and feel comfortable with it. Before the game he told me he has no idea what he is doing. That was evident when I was watching him take his turn at running back. Before the play began I could see him talking to himself and trying to figure out which way to hold his arms to receive the ball. Then he was supposed to run left and he ran right. No big deal though...he will get it after a few more practices I'm sure.

The picture above was taken by a photographer for the newspaper. Her daughter is in Jayke's class and plays on his team. She made sure she had me add her on Facebook so she could share the pictures with me. He was in the huddle getting instructions when she took this. He looks slightly terrified to me.

Team pictures were before the game. As you can see, we are the Bucs and Jayke is number 4. He has never had a number assigned to him before so this is his first number. We may try to keep it as his permanent number throughout all his future sports.

After the game Alec was helping Jayke and Mason practice a few things. He worked with Jayke for a long time trying to help him learn to catch the ball. They have to get used to it cause it hurts when you catch it sometimes. Alec is the quarterback on the 7th grade team so he has lots of practice throwing and did a great job helping Jayke. He was catching really long passes with ease by the time they quit. Alec was impressed with him and took him to the concession stand and bought him a treat as a reward. Between Matthew and Alec, Jayke has two surrogate big brothers. They both are great with him and he adores them both!

Busy busy weekend! Friday night practice then High School Homecoming game, where Jayke hung with his buds the whole time. Football pics at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning with a game at 8:30. Extra practice with Alec after the game. Home to change and head to a play date and lunch at Parker's house. Picked him up at 3 from Parker's and as we pulled in Bea and Hunter were sitting on the front porch waiting for him to invite him down for a cookout at Bea's. After the cookout I loaded him in the car for a card party at Angi's! Whew! His social life is a full time job!!

He was so worn out Monday that after school when I took him to get his haircut he fell asleep in the chair and actually fell half way out of it. We caught him before he fell completely. The girl had to hold his head up while she finished cutting his hair. After that he had a snack and was revived for the rest of the evening until we both fell asleep on the couch at around 7p.m. I'm so glad soccer was cancelled for rain so we could rest up. We have to get used to this double sports thing. We are a lot busier than usual. Jayke told me after the hair cut that soccer didn't get cancelled HE got cancelled! LOL

He's a Big Shot Now!

2011-09-16T23:50:00.000-04:00

3 yahoos at the High School Football game. Jayke now thinks going to these games is the best thing in the world! He got to hang out with a bunch of his friends from school and was able to run around the entire football arena by himself (with a friend). You could tell by looking at him as he would go by that he thought he was something else. Bob took this picture of Jayke, Levi, and Mason. Levi and Mason are only first graders and weren't permitted to run like Jayke and his SECOND GRADE friends were. I'm shocked he paused long enough to get a picture with these underclassmen! Jayke and his buddy, Ian, were even sent off to the concession stand by themselves to fetch SkinnyJeans (aka: Angi) a drink. He was pretty proud of himself and Ang and I were just as impressed that the drink made it back and was even the right thing...Dr. Pepper.

We had football practice before the football game for Jayke's first flag football game tomorrow. We have to be out there at 7:30 a.m. for pictures before the game. Don't these people realize it's the weekend??? We have to get up earlier tomorrow than we do on a school day!! That is just wrong! Jayke was not thrilled about it...I was even less thrilled. He is big on staying up late and sleeping in some now...wonder where he gets that from.

I'm happy to report that our first week of playing two different sports at the same time has been just fine. Not too worn out and I think we both kinda like it. Gives us something to do. The only think Jayke didn't get to do this week was go to TEPPANYAKI!! For some reason he really likes to have Oma take him to this Chinese buffet. Yesterday he came in, grabbed the phone, and said he was calling Oma to take him to Teppanyaki cause he knows how she loves it! (She hates it) He called and she told him no. He persisted but the answer was still no. Mean Grandma. She then showed up at our house about 30 minutes later to drop off some cream for this hideous sore on my lip (another story). When she left Jayke looked at me and said, "She's nuts...she came over here for YOU and not Me!! Why did she barge out of our house like that? Somethings wrong with her. I hope she isn't on some kind of medication!" I wish you could hear the tone he was using when he said this. HA- LARIOUS!! I had to call her right away to tell her what he said and she laughed so hard she had an asthma attack...while driving...thought I was going to have to go peel her off a telephone pole. The Boy is a funny guy.

Next Year's Project???

2011-09-15T01:54:00.002-04:00

Hoping to have this built on the back of the house next summer. The back of my house faces west and in the afternoon it gets so hot in my living room the air conditioner can't keep up. It it always 1o degrees warmer than what the thermostat is set on. I think this pergola would help keep the temp down and save me from hanging quilts on all the back windows in the afternoon. I'm tired of sitting around in the dark sweating!!

From a Dragon to a Smurf!

2011-09-11T00:06:00.001-04:00

We went to Kings Island with a group of friends Saturday. This was Jayke's first time. He has been asking to go all summer though so when the opportunity came up to go during a private event and at a reduced price we jumped on it. The park was closed to the public for Honda days. Angi's hubs works for Honda so we were able to go as their guests. Above is the group that was in our car. Matt, Jayke, Kaylee, Maci, and Alec. Ryan, Ang, and I were also in there. The other group that went with us was Melanie, Andy, Katie, and Noah. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the entire group together.

We got there and split up...the big kids went with Ryan to ride the scary roller coasters and Ang and I took Jayke to the kiddie part. We convinced him to get his face painted. I've always wanted him to get his face painted at the zoo or where ever we were that they did it. This may have been my last opportunity so I begged and bribed him to do it. He got a blue dragon mask.

Katie joined us later after she got tired of riding the big rides. We went to the game area and Ang won a hat... The kids were not impressed...I thought she looked Gangsta!!

The Boy saw a game that had Hello Kitty prizes and was sure he could win one for me. He was correct! He shot and made 2 baskets and won me this...

You know how I LOVE the Kitty!! Jayke rode his first roller coaster and although he said he liked it, he did NOT want to ride it again today. He rode a different one though and liked it. We rode several things and he conquered his fears pretty well. Cried on one the first time but got right back on it afterwards for a second ride. I was pretty proud of him. He did great the whole day!!

Ang and I, on the other hand...not so much. First there was an ongoing incident with my shirt. I chose the wrong ensemble for the day's outing. Every ride I went on Ang was shouting at me that my boobs were out!!! And they were!!! I looked down and my shirt was blowing around so much that it was no longer covering what it was supposed to be covering!! This became the ongoing joke of the day. Then it was Ang's turn. On the first hill of the biggest coaster I rode that day she dropped her phone!! Are you kidding me? I was her riding partner of course and lucky for her I was, cause I caught that sucker with my foot!! Yes, I caught her cell phone while being hurtled sideways down a hill at a very high rate of speed and slammed sideways back and forth. I'm just awesome like that!! She couldn't believe I caught it. Her daughter was in the seat behind us screaming at us cause it was her phone. When the ride stopped the guy in front of us asked if it was a black phone. We said yea, and it turned out that he had half of it in his lap. We slapped that sucker back together and got the hell off that ride!

We went up in the Eiffel Tower and I took this shot. I also was reminded of my great fear of heights. I could barely take this picture. Getting close to the edge (which is completely enclosed) was even terrifying to me. I think it gets worse as I get older.

Katie rode a lot of rides with Jayke in the kid section. We were glad she was there. She also played games with him while we waited on the others.

We had a great day. Got there at 11:00 a.m. and I finally took Jayke to the car at 9:30 p.m. He walked the whole day without complaing once. He didn't mind waiting on the others occasionally where most kids would have a fit that they weren't getting to ride something or play a game at all times. The only rough moment we had was at the very end of the night when everyone decided to ride the big water ride. Jayke, of course, wanted to go with Matt. They headed off and when I got him back he was absolutely soaked from head to toe and BLUE all over! He looked like a drowned Smurf. He then had his meltdown. He was cold and miserable and I didn't blame him. Lucky for him he has a mother who anticipated this and planned ahead. I had dry undies, socks, shirt, shorts, pajama bottoms, and a sweatshirt in the car for him so I took him out ahead of everyone else so he could get changed into dry clothes while he had privacy. He wouldn't have changed if the others were there.

No one else brought extra clothes so it was a miserable ride home for them. I could not wait to get home. I was so sore and worn out. Today I can barely move. Every part of me hurts. Not sure if that is from the rides, from being completely out of shape, or from my advanced age. Maybe it is all of the above...all I know is I definitely needed today to recover. If we go back next year I may need to start a workout regimen a month in advance to prepare!!

Running Back??

2011-09-10T03:04:00.000-04:00

Our second football practice went well. They actually had them playing some different positions this time. Jayke played a defensive position a few times then they moved him to offense. He played guard and running back. After practice he was all fired up. He now thinks he is going to be a running back...and he will be a good one he said. He ran one play and already has visions of the Super Bowl! I guess thats good. He is positive...lets hope he stays that way! Oh...and there was contact in this practice and he still likes it! Soccer starts Monday. We will be playing football and futball!!

Trending...#sidewalkchalk

2011-09-01T01:41:00.003-04:00

Sidewalk chalk had been popular around here lately. For the past couple of days the kiddos have been working on their masterpiece out in our driveway. Jayke is working hard on a semi here...only one of many drawings as you will see...

My offering to the creation was a couple of stick figures. I can't stand the way the chalk feels to be able to do it very long. I'm weird like that I guess.

Jayke made this drawing of me and below is the entire thing. I know its kinda hard to see but i thought getting the artists in the picture was more important.

After the creative geniuses were finished they decided to take a little ride... (They are on a skateboard)

I wish you could tell from the picture how much chalk was on their clothes and skin. Jayke came in and went straight to the shower. He has just started taking showers instead of baths. It is really funny to see him go in the bathroom, take his shower, get dressed, take care of all his oral hygiene steps, and fix his hair. I become needed less and less everyday.

A Brief Outing

2011-08-31T01:17:00.000-04:00

Nemo went back to the vet today to get his shots. He was very well behaved. Most laid back cat I've ever had. He has gained 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks. Doesn't surprise me...I haven't found a food he won't eat. Including sourkraut with Thousand Island dressing from my reuben and fajita rolls. We took him to Arby's after as a special treat for being such a good boy. Really, the Arby's was for The Boy who was "STARVING TO DEATH!" as always. He was nice enough to share some of his roast beef with kitty who rode in the passenger seat like it was his job!

His little outing must have really worn him out. Not a care in the world...he should be worried that the couch is about to swallow him!

Gassed

2011-08-30T00:21:00.001-04:00

We survived the dentist! I think I may have been more worried about this than he was. I considered asking for my own shot of nitrous when we got in there but I knew I couldn't afford it! The Boy did amazingly well. I was completely shocked.

When I picked him up from school he immediately started bombarding me with questions about what was going to happen. I didn't want to give him too much detail...I wasn't too sure what he already knew either. I hadn't told him anything. For instance, getting a shot hadn't been mentioned at all. Apparently he had been discussing it with his pals though because he had all kinds of info. He knew there was going to be a shot and HE told me that when they put him on the gas it would just make him relaxed and feel a little funny then the shot would only feel like a little pinch. I'm guessing his friends don't have very good oral hygiene either considering they seem to be experts on the subject. Hunter is the one who provided him with the most info. I actually should thank him because what he told Jayke made it go way better than it would had I been the one to explain it to him. I don't think he trusts me to give him the facts or something.

All was good until he saw the mask and she explained how it would go over his nose. She leaned him back and put it over his face and the tears started to roll out of the sides of his eyes. He reached for me to hold his hand (all though he denies this now) and lay there with his chin quivering. All of a sudden he started to smile and laugh a little. Then, "I LIKE THIS STUFF!! IT MAKES ME FEEL FUNNY!" I don't know if having the mask covering his nose made him not be able to hear, because he was shouting everything. The girl then told me that it was time for me to go out. Jayke said okay and as I left the room he was waving frantically with a goofy smile on his face, yelling, "BYE MOMMY!!" I was cracking up.

The dentist came out after the shot and told me he was doing great. When they were all done he marched in holding a new squirt gun and a bouncy balloon with his cheek swollen and red. This was the worst part. He hated his face being swollen and his lip numb. He turned into a real grouch and fell asleep in the car. About two hours later all was normal again. All that worry on my part was for nothing. I'm still very glad it is over with though. He told me he likes going to the dentist now. If that is true then he takes after me and AJ...we are both weirdos who like going to the dentist and nap through root canals. I'm waiting for the other 3 teeth...hopefully he can lose them before they get bad enough to need filling!

Strolling Through the Goose Poop and my Addictions

2011-08-29T23:23:00.006-04:00

I am totally sick of eating fast food and frozen dinners so we ventured over to Oma's and Opa's tonight right around dinner time. Right on cue Jayke started whining about how hungry he was and we got an invite to dinner. Opa's homemade steak sandwiches. (The Boy who only eats 3 foods got chicken nuggets) After dinner we stopped at the club house and took the long walk along the lake back to the woods. I took pictures, of course.

Jayke almost ended up in this creek...
(I would not have been happy!)

Walking along this little guy scared the bejeezus out of Jayke. Made him scream like a girl. LOL...

I don't think I've ever seen such a small frog. I used to only see the huge full grown bull frogs my Gramma's dog, Cisco, would pull out of the pond. He loved to hunt them. Jayke wanted to catch him and take him home to live with our turtle but I convinced him that he was better off here with his family.

On the way back I realized this was a bad idea...taking this walk. I started wheezing and coughing non-stop. Jayke kept asking me questions and I couldn't even answer him. I just kept thinking that I was going to end up laying spread eagle in the goose poop while Jayke made a frantic phone call to Oma to come save me. I can just picture Opa walking slowly up to me and standing over me(clutching a Coors Light) as I lay gasping on the ground. If I was lucky he might back his truck up and throw me in the back end to haul me back to the house. Thankfully, this did not happen and I made it, huffing and puffing, back to the car. My kid was in the backseat scolding me for not carrying my inhaler. I just wanted him to be quiet so I could concentrate on getting back to the safety of my sofa. This bronchitis is no joke!! It needs to go away. It is affecting my social life. It is causing my house to go to hell and it has greatly enhanced my addiction to twitter...after all, I have to do something when I can't sleep due to the coughing fits. When I am recovered I may have to go to social networking rehab. Facebook, twitter, blogger, Intagram...oh my!!

Note: As to not confuse my poor mother...I didn't back date my earlier post therefore, you get two today. You lucky things.

A Little Late Summer Swimming

2011-08-29T20:20:00.002-04:00

Still plenty warm out so Jayke got to go swimming with Mason yesterday. This was the highlight of our weekend since I am still trying to recover from bronchitis. I don't think it is ever going to go away. I've been sick for four weeks and counting...

Gearing Up

2011-08-28T00:49:00.002-04:00

Attempting to be organized...I am packing two sports bags. One for soccer and one for football. Now if I can just get Jayke to leave the stuff in the bags!!

Are You Ready For Some FOOTBALL??

2011-08-26T01:14:00.000-04:00

I realize this isn't the best picture. Our field is in the shade and I was having to zoom on my iPhone...not the best option for photographing. Needed something to blog the first night of football though.

Jayke is playing flag football for the first time this fall. We are still doing Soccer too. Soccer is Monday and Wednesdays and football practice is Fridays with games on Saturdays and Sundays. I put him in to hopefully toughen him up a little bit. I figured he would hate it but I was wrong. He LOVES it...so far. They haven't had any contact yet so we will see what happens after that. I think I learned more about football this evening than I ever knew! It is definately a different atmosphere than soccer. These coaches are SERIOUS!! They yell at them and are pretty gruff. At first I was thinking this was a bad idea. I'm going to end up getting in a fight out here if these guys keep yelling at my kid like that, but after watching for a while I saw that it wasn't mean...it was constructive just in a different way than what we are used to. This is where the toughening up begins..I guess for both of us. Should be interesting.

Porch Movies

2011-08-25T00:31:00.000-04:00

Jayke, Hunter, and Captain America (Nolin) taking a break from the heat...enjoying a showing of Eclipse on the fron porch. It usually takes Jayke about 15 minutes to set everything up and I'm not sure they have ever made it through the opening credits of any movie they have attempted to watch.

And I Didn't Even Try!

2011-08-24T00:11:00.000-04:00

This vine is taking over my front flower bed. It sprung up from a left over something from last fall. I don't have any idea what it actually is. Below is a picture of what is growing on it...it kinda looks like a butternut squash somewhat but the vine looks more like a zuchini. I think it's a mutant. Whatever it is I will have lots of them for decorating this fall. I tried to find the post where my mom and Jayke tried to grow some pumpkins, but couldn't. The picture was of dry cracked earth and a pathetic little shriveled up vine. I thought it might be nice to compare that attempt with my ubervine that I didn't even TRY to grow! :)

Knocked Out

2011-08-22T01:03:00.000-04:00

Quite comfortable in his new home. Nemo snoozing away on the couch. He is used to the dogs and Luna now. I love that he is cuddly too. I think that is something I've been missing...a kitty to love on. Luna won't let me. It has been since before I moved to South Carolina that I had a kitty that was cuddly. Luna is great, don't get me wrong. She is friendly from afar. You might get to rub her a couple of times then she is done. What she lacks in friendliness she more than makes up for in comedy though. Funniest cat I've ever owned. None of them even come close. They make the perfect pair...and they LOVE to play with each other. I think Luna thinks she got a new toy!!

The Fairy was a Bust

2011-08-21T00:37:00.000-04:00

I should have posted the question of Facebook before I tried to play Tooth Fairy because apparently I was a little low with my offering. I gave The Boy two dollars. That was AFTER I forgot all together. He woke up in the middle of the night and I heard him which jogged my memory. I ran in and grabbed the money and was going one way out of the kitchen when he was going in the other side looking for me. We met near the hall and both screamed. LOL... While he was looking for his funds under the pillows on one side I shoved it under the pillow on the other side. He found it and just sat there with a dollar bill in each hand. I kept questioning him trying to figure out what was wrong with him but he wouldn't answer. Finally I got him to lay back down. I figured he just wasn't completely awake.

The next day I asked him after school what was wrong and he finally said he thought he would get more. I don't know what he was expecting although, he did say he was hoping to get enough to pay Oma to clean his room. Since I am pretty sure he has no clue how much it would take to pay her this still doesn't give me any idea as to what he was expecting. My cohorts on Facebook have informed me that the first tooth is usually around $5.00. I contemplated going in and sticking a couple more dollars in his bed and just telling him he missed them but, in the end, I decided $2.00 was plenty. Things are out of hand these days...$5.00 for a tooth??? That is ridiculous...the Tooth Fairy is unemployed!! He hasn't mentioned it since and he managed to clean his own room...much to his dismay.

Will The Fairy Go Inside Me???!!??

2011-08-20T23:58:00.000-04:00

The World's Loosest Tooth finally fell out today!! Fell out and down his throat apparently because we can't find it. He was sooo excited but then all of a sudden he got really serious and asked me if the Tooth Fairy would go inside him to get the tooth. After he was reassured she wouldn't he was happy again and called Oma, Meemaw, and Ppa to tell them he lost his first tooth! When Meemaw answered the phone Jayke said," Hello! This is the guy who just lost his first tooth!" LOL!! I wonder how much you get for a tooth these days...hope that fairy doesn't forget!!

It's Not Even Halloween

2011-08-17T23:55:00.002-04:00

Captain America stopped by tonight. It's always nice to have a Super Hero in the neighborhood!!

I Should Not Have Gotten Up Today...

2011-08-16T20:27:00.004-04:00

Not a happy boy at the dentist today. Not a happy mom either. I'm not going to blame this totally on him because I should have been on him to brush his teeth more often and better. 5 cavities today!! FIVE!! That is how many I've had in my entire life. that is $600 AFTER insurance pays!! All in baby teeth...so now what? Do I waste the money to have them filled or try to wait it out and hope he loses them before they start to hurt?? The dentist said one definitely has to be done now so I guess both of the ones on that side are going to get filled. The other side...probably won't. First of all, if they aren't going to hurt then I'm not going to waste the money. Second of all, I probably won't ever be able to get him back in the dentist's office again after this. He is not the best patient to begin with and this will more than likely finish him off with the dentist.

The appointment is set for the 30th. I may need to self medicate before dragging him in there. We have been working on "The world's loosest tooth" for weeks now. That is what the dentist called it. Jayke stood in front of the mirror and wiggled it for about 30 minutes tonight. As soon as he saw the first hint of blood he was fa-reaking out! I've never seen a kid react to blood the way he does. Every time he gets a scratch it's as if he is panicking that it is all going to leak out before he can slap a SpongeBob band aid on it to stop it. Unfortunately we cannot put band aids on teeth. The tooth is still hanging on and after witnessing today's appointment and the freak out over the bloody tooth, I can only imagine what the next appointment will be like.

This was the beginning of my day...at 2:00 p.m. Why does my day start so late? Because I have bronchitis that is causing me to wheeze and keeping me up all night. The coughing or the feeling of the wheezing doesn't keep me up, just the sound. I thought I had a solution and turned the tv up so that I couldn't hear the wheezing but then I started watching the movie that was on and ended up staying up till it was over. That was around 4 a.m. This is the third night in a row for this ridiculousness. I may need to drink an adult beverage...or 3 tonight to make myself go to sleep.

After the disaster at the dentist, I took The Boy to Meijer to get dental floss and a bottle of mouthwash with fluoride. We are instilling a new oral hygiene regimen. This will not happen again. My wonderful day continued once I got in the store. While checking out I had a big bag of dog food rip open and spill all over the floor. I could have gone and gotten a broom and dust pan from the cleaning supply aisle myself and taken care of it faster than the fine employees of Meijer did. Frustrated. I'm ready to get the heck out of there. On the way to the car my bronchitis kicks back in and I start hacking like a barking seal. I'm pretty sure the lady walking into the store thought I had tuberculosis or some other air borne pathogen because she immediately crossed to the far side of the aisle. I was trying to get into the car as quickly as possible to hopefully get the coughing under control and in my haste I snatched up a grocery sack which ripped in half. The only fortuitous moment of the day was when I managed to catch the bottom of the ripped bag before I was doused in Ortega taco sauce. I needed to get back to the safety of my sofa ASAP!!

I made it home without incident and decided it was probably a good idea to not go back out or do much of anything else today. It is not looking good for me today. I hope this bone rattling cough goes away soon so I can get back on track!

Back To School!

2011-08-15T18:39:00.003-04:00

Second grade began today but not without a huge argument the night before regarding The Boy's attire and bedtime. The argument was short-lived but not without a bit of door slamming and some serious pouting. I will give myself a pat on the back for my level of preparedness this year though. I had every single detail covered which is not really like me of late. Being organized is not my strong suit these days. I did manage to get it together for the first day though and I'm sure he appreciated it.

Jayke has been saying all summer he didn't want to go back to school but then last night he began to get excited. This morning he woke me up at five something saying he couldn't sleep. I told him that I COULD sleep and it was too early to get up!! He left the room and I went back to sleep. When I got up he had fed and watered the kitten, let the dogs out, and gotten dressed for school. He was ready to go. I took him this morning instead of sending him on the bus since he had a bunch of extra stuff to carry. He was happy to learn that Parker would be in his class again. Parker has been in his class every year and also went to Cub Scouts with him. I left him sitting at his desk looking a bit timid.

When he arrived home after school I tried to ask him some questions about his classmates and the teacher but he wasn't having it. He was out the door and down the road to play with his friends. Maybe later tonight I can get some info out of him. I guess he had a good day.

Trying to Develop a New Hobby...Again...

2011-08-14T00:19:00.005-04:00

I've been busy downloading a bunch of apps for my iPhone for taking and editing pictures. Now I am obsessed with it. I mess with it all day long. I've gotten a few that are pretty good that I really like. I have to get back in the habit of taking pictures again...and like everything there is improvement with practice. Some of the different filters make the pictures look old, which I like a lot right now. Hoping I get better, but here are a few that I like so far...

Oma, This is Not Your Business!

2011-08-13T01:30:00.003-04:00

This is what the school supplies for second grade look like. Included are all his new clothes and the new Nike Air Jordans his dad bought him. Please also note the new hair cut...finally!

My mom took us school clothes shopping today. Jayke doesn't need a lot of things but there were a few items we needed to get to get him started this year. For some reason it seems they don't have much to choose from in his size but we managed to find some cute things. Right now Jayke is into wearing track pants and basketball shorts with t-shirts. This is fine but he likes to have Nike and Adidas brands now. A little rougher on the pocketbook.

Having him have an opinion on his clothes now makes it interesting when we hit the stores. He is not really difficult but he definately has an opinion. He also still values my opinion apparently because he asked me what I thought about everything he saw. My mom would try to give her input and he would say, "Oma, this is not your business...Mommy, what do YOU think of this shirt?" He didn't even want her to touch his clothes for some reason. He also now thinks he needs to go into the fitting room and try everything on. I vetoed that action. I hate going into a fitting room for myself let alone a seven year old. I told him he could try everything on when we got home.

Two stores and we were done. I think I am lucky to have a boy for this reason. When we got home I was treated to the most peculiar fashion show I've ever seen. He promptly took all his items into his room and began to try them on. He decided to try only one item on at a time. This meant if he was trying on a shirt he didn't have on any pants and vice versa. A little hard to get a good impression of what his outfits look like when I only get to see half of one at a time. Very funny to see him parading around in his briefs with his skinny little legs sticking out too! I pleaded with him to try on an entire outfit but he was determined to drag this out as long as possible. When he was finished he laid everything out on display in the living room. THIS I understood...as a kid I always liked to lay everything out so I could admire it for a while. He is just like his momma!

Tonight I got all his supplies opened and put together. I wrote his name on everything and packed his back pack. We are ready to go Monday morning. Second grade here we come!!

Getting Along

2011-08-12T01:48:00.003-04:00

The kids are getting to know each other. So far, so good. Only had one minor incident with Simon going after Nemo. I don't think he would hurt him but it sure did scare Nemo. I think he has had a bad experience with dogs...he is more afraid of them than any of my other kittens have been. He seems to love Luna though. Every time he sees her he runs right up to her. She just looks at him. They will be tearing the place up in a day or so I'm sure.

Tonight as we were sitting here watching the animals get acquainted, Jayke asked me to make him some cinnamon toast. Half way through his second piece he announced that they should have my cinnamon toast on Rachel Ray's show!! It is THAT good! Funny. I didn't bother telling him that cinnamon toast is maybe the easiest thing in the world to make. I also thought that we are watching entirely too much day time tv...good thing school starts Monday!

Snips and Snails

2011-08-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

Jayke likes to keep up with the Blog.

Found Nemo

2011-08-10T23:29:00.005-04:00

....and here he is! Driving to my dad's house yesterday I glanced over and saw a little kitty on the side of the road. I immediately went back and got him. I figured he would run from me when I tried to pick him up but he came to me willingly. When I got him to Dad's house we discovered that his back leg was injured and his nose was scraped up. We figured that someone probably threw him out of their car to get rid of him. Jayke LOVES cats so he automatically wanted to keep him. I told Jayke that if he wanted to keep him that he would have to pay for the vet bill with the money in his piggy bank. He replied, "That's ok...I don't really use money anyway."

Nemo came home and today we took him to the vet and had his leg looked at. They think it is just a sprain. He got dewormed, checked for feline leukemia, and was sent home with some flea medicine and pain medicine. He got to come out into the living room with the rest of us tonight. He immediately saw Luna and walked right up to her. She wasn't so excited to see him. The are gradually getting used to each other. He is really scared of the dogs though so that may take a little longer than it did with Luna.

Jayke's Bathroom Tree

2011-08-10T01:50:00.002-04:00

Another wall decal...I'm obsessed with them. I love the way they look and love that it is something different than using framed artwork every where. I had to take this picture looking into the mirror...the tree is on the opposite wall and there is really no way to photograph it and get the whole thing in the picture. The bathroom is too small and the tree is too big. I wish I had more walls because there are so many of these that I LOVE!!

And MORE Swimming!

2011-08-09T01:24:00.000-04:00

Seems like all we have done this summer is swim. This time we were at Angi's mother-in-law's house. Jayke loved the basketball goal! He could jump off the side and dunk the ball which he did over and over and over. I even managed to sit outside in the SUN for about 2 hours. It was a shocking situation. Anyone who knows me knows I HATE the sun...with a passion. The only thing I hate more than the sun is SWEATING in the SUN...both of which were going on at the pool. I think I sat out in the sun so long I must have given myself heat stroke or something because I came home from the pool and MOWED THE LAWN! Not only was I now in the sun and sweating but I also had grass and dirt stuck to my sweat covered skin. YUCK!!! Needless to say, it was a traumatic day for me. The Boy had fun though!!

The picture above I took with a new app on my iPhone that allows you to only color the parts of the picture you choose to. I've been addicted to tall these apps. I wish I had had them when Jayke was younger and a more willing subject. Now when I try to take his picture he is always moving at just the wrong moment and I have to keep telling him to come back and do it again. There is a lot of eye rolling and sighing involved. Sometimes some yelling and threatening. Not a good time. I'm sure he is thrilled that I now have all these apps making want to take even MORE pics!

I'm happy to report that The Boy finally LOVES to swim!! I was worried bout him for a minute. He now has no problem jumping and diving off the diving board and can go under water without coming up screaming, "TOWEL!!!"" and flailing around like he is having a seizure. A much appreciated improvement.

Latest Fad...

2011-08-05T15:13:00.004-04:00

The big thing this summer has been duct tape bracelets. Don't ask my why...I don't get it...kinda like the silly bands from last summer. They make duct tape in all different colors and even decorative patterns now. We have had duct tape with a leopard pattern, zebra pattern, camo pattern, flames pattern, and more. At one time Jayke was wearing 7 different duct tape bracelets on both his wrists and ankles. Between the bracelets and all the bandaids he barely had any skin showing at all!

Retro Photo App

2011-08-01T15:59:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to see what a photo with the Hipstamatic camera looks like. Makes Laynie look even older than she already is!!

Survived...

2011-07-18T14:00:00.002-04:00

....day two of the hottest soccer camp ever!! Predicted heat index of 115 degrees today. Luckily we started earlier today and were out of there and safely back home to the air conditioning. It is particularily chilly in here this afternoon since The Boy is not currently speaking to me. He is angry because I won't let him go outside to play in this scorching heat. Imagine the look I got when I handed him a new book and told him he could spend the afternoon reading indoors.

Tomorrow is the last day of camp but not the last day of the heat. He doesn't want to go back. It's too bad because the heat ruins anything outdoors this time of the year.

Why Does It Have to be so Hot???

2011-07-17T18:51:00.003-04:00

The thermometer in my car read 90 degrees when I went to pick him up from soccer camp today. Its hard to tell from this picture but he is pretty red in the face and sweaty. He was more than ready to leave when I picked him up. Two more days...each supposed to be as warm if not warmer. Please note his sweet new kicks!! Apparently in soccer, the brighter and more obnoxious the shoes the better. Both of us had issues with them not matching his clothes (Jayke kept saying he looks like a clown) but when we got out there and saw all the high-school kids in their wild footwear we knew Jayke was properly attired.

This camp is being held at Ball State. The womens soccer team is putting it on and they have brought other coaches in from all over to help out. We have a couple from England, one from Africa, and one from South America. Included in that mix is a former olympic goalie. Sounds like it should be a good camp...as long as they all survive the heat!

Finally Got an Invite...

2011-07-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

....to swim with Mason at his house. We went over early evening and they swam until 11 o'clock at night. I stayed to supervise because Jayke doesn't swim that well and there were a bunch of big kids there. It was getting kinda rough so I stayed until he was out of the water and the cover was on the pool then I went home and Jayke got to spend the night with Mason.

Having the big kids there was actually kind of good for Jayke. They got him swimming and jumping into the deep end. Getting him a little more used to having water on his face...which he hates. He still won't jump off the diving board though. Maybe by the end of summer that will be one of his accomplishments. He leaves for his dad's on Sunday for a week. Maybe he will learn to like the water better while there.

Does This Cat Look Guilty???

2011-07-10T18:41:00.002-04:00

....because she IS!! A few minutes before I took this she was IN that aquarium trying to get Jayke's turtle. I moved it to the second shelf to keep him safe. Luna spent hours last night trying to figure out how to get to him and managed to keep Jayke up half the night pounding on the side of the tank. Hopefully tonight she won't be as fascinated by Jayke's turtle and he will be able to get some sleep...and so will I!

Change, Change, and More Change!

2011-07-09T23:56:00.007-04:00

Well, the tan and the shaggy hair go well with the ukulele but the skull t-shirt doesn't really scream surfer boy which is what I think he looks like with his hair grown out. Cracks me up. We've been working on re-doing his room for the past two days...that will be another post though. Haven't got it all done just yet. It looks so much better though. Changing it from a little boys room to a "Bigger" boys room. My mom thinks it looks like a teenager's room. That works for me...means it will be a long time before we have to change it again!

The ukulele playing reminded me of this...

He sure has changed!! lol

Inspired by Peacocks and Zebras

2011-07-07T20:59:00.006-04:00

This is the new paint color I'm going to be putting in the front bedroom of my house. The bedroom I'm turning into a game room for The Boy. He will be getting a flat screen to go in there and we will hook his Wii and xbox up because I can't have his game play interfering with my reality tv viewing.

This Zebra rug is currently making it's way to my house to go in the game room along with...

The perfect gaming chairs. Two bean bag sherpa chairs. No...I am NOT crazy for putting white chairs in my son's game room!! Why would you even think that? Remember that white comforter I put on my bed??? It is still as perfect as the day I brought it home and these chairs will be just fine. Jayke is careful when I make sure I point out what he needs to watch out for and pay attention to.

This room will also have all my black and white framed pictures of Jaykeb in it and I may string some white paper lanterns together to hang ceiling to floor in the corner as my light source. It's been a while since I've been able to be creative...who knows what I will come up with!

I'll Have a Rockin Red Shirley T with THREE Cherries!!

2011-07-06T18:59:00.003-04:00

....and if it doesn't come with THREE cherries The Boy will send it back!! Luckily our servers have all been great and brought him all the cherries he has wanted. The Red Lobster is his fav so I took him there for dinner yesterday. He ordered his usual...crab legs...which basically means a lot of work for me. After dinner, a trip to Target then the Redbox for movies. It was a lazy day which after the past week was welcome.

Everyone Take Cover!!!

2011-07-05T12:33:00.010-04:00

This looks like a serious situtaion. It was certainly LOUD!! That is Ryan wiring all those firecrackers together with one long fuse so that they would all go off at the same time. It started off slowly and gained momentum until you couldn't tell that more than one was popping at a time. Very cool. Very big mess in the street. Glad I didn't have to clean it up. The Pickerings bought a lot of really good fireworks and put on a great show enjoyed by most. Some neighbors left because they felt it was too dangerous and we heard second hand that another neighbor complained. Really? You are going to complain that we are lighting fireworks on the 4th of July?? We were well within the designated time frame for lighting them as well. Wonder if they complained to all the other families who were lighting them too.

Jayke and Mason only were on this blanket long enough for me to take the picture. The rest of the time they were up running around having all of us yelling for them to GET BACK!

Jayke and mason did some sparklers and we lit a Chinese lantern. Apparently the Chinese lanterns were very popular this year. You could see them floating all over the sky almost every where you looked. I'm just glad none of them landed on my roof.

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All of this was on the 3rd. On the 4th we went downtown to watch the professionals light up the sky. Jayke wasn't very interested in the ones downtown. It wasn't as exciting to him... probably because there wasn't much threat of danger.

One of the Gang

2011-07-02T13:18:00.004-04:00

Here is The Boy hanging with the "Big Kids"! (front to back) Olivia, Maci, Ryley, and Jayke. Ryley just moved in across the street so Jayke is excited about that. His younger brother was Jayke's reading buddy in kindergarten. Brady is in 5th grade next year, Ryley is going into the 8th grade along with Maci and Liv. It is kinda funny to me how these big kids will just let him tag along with them. He thinks he is something!

We have been busy busy!!! Had two garage sales in the past three weeks. Had a Thirty One party at my house, and started redoing the landscaping in the front of the house. My garage is the cleanest it has ever been! Got a lot done, now if I could just find a job!

Alecazams Fireworks

2011-06-27T23:43:00.007-04:00

Here are Mason and Jayke at my friend, Bob's, fireworks store. We decided to put them to work for a little while trying to bring in some customers. They got lots of honks but didn't manage to bring in any business. They had a lot of fun though...well Mason and Alec did. Jayke was really embarrassed to be standing out there waving a flag. He wouldn't wave that flag for anything. Notice the strange look on his face...

We've Got a Winner!!

2011-06-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

Gavin, Syndey, and Jayke went fishing at my mom's today. Jayke was the first to catch a fish. He has been on a winning streak this past weekend. Aunt Sherbo set up a game for the kids involving the slot machine at my dad's house and apparently Jayke won twice...a total of $11.00. That was only part of his winning streak though. He came in second in Pineapple Bowling at Camp Morrison. Out of all the kids there it came down to the oldest and the youngest at the end. The oldest won but I think second place is pretty good for the little guy! I will call it a win (almost). After all of that luck we figured we should probably get him a lottery ticket. Sherri got all the kids a scratch off. Gavin won $50 and Jayke won $20. I think I need to sneak him into the casino and stick him on a slot machine for a couple of hours! He now wants to bet everyone though and runs around the house yelling, "Lets gamble!" Probably not a good thing. I'm going to have to explain to him that most of the time you aren't that lucky and you lose money...not win it. I'm just glad one of us is lucky!!

Have No Idea

2011-06-24T21:10:00.002-04:00

I'm not with him so I have no idea what he is doing. I got this picture sent to me on my phone from my sister. I do know that is shaving cream but that is all. I will have to get the story from him when he gets back from the lakes. All those people in the background are cousins.

Ready, Set, Go!!

2011-06-22T17:18:00.004-04:00

I think Jayke is finally becoming a fan of the water. Helps having the big kids around to show him how it's done!! He jumps in and actually goes under without coming up screaming for a towel to dry his face with. He just needs to learn to close his mouth and hold his breath. Lots of coughing when he comes up. I'm just glad he will do it finally. What kind of kid doesn't like to swim???!!?? Sydney and Gavin are showing him how it's done.

Another Bargain

2011-06-21T17:35:00.001-04:00

Kids for sale!! For the low low price of $99.99 each! As is, all sales final, no refunds or exchanges!

2011-06-20T15:15:00.002-04:00

Jayke is off to the lakes and the pool with his cousins and aunts this week. He has been at my dad's for a couple of days, where he has been to the batting cages and mini golf, shopping, out to lunch, and lots of swimming. Today he heads to the lakes with everyone for "Camp Morrison". He was not even bothered by the fact that he isn't going to see me for four days. Barely even told me goodbye, he is having so much fun. I, on the other hand, will be at home with the dogs. No lakes for me.

Fireflies...or (since we are in Indiana) Lightning Bugs

2011-06-19T01:08:00.001-04:00

I've Said it Before...And I'll Say it Again...

2011-06-18T00:58:00.000-04:00

....it's hard to get good help these days!!

This is The Boy's idea of working a rummage sale. Lucky for him (not so much for me)n that there wasn't much to do. Rummage sales are not what they used to be! I used to have amazing sales but the last several have really been lousy. A ton of work for very little reward.

I thought for sure this would sell...

It was a bargain!! Orginally $250 and I was trying to sell it for $80. It is like new. The Boy was ok with selling it at first but the longer it sat in the driveway the more he disliked the idea. Half way through the sale he started riding it and announced that we probably wouldn't sell it now because we coudn't change the price now. We had told all the people who came in the morning that it was $80 so it would be unfair to those people to change the price now. The rest of the day he sat worrying each time a car would pull up that this would be the one who took his wheels away. He didn't worry so much if someone pulled up in a car but if a truck arrived he was sweating.

At the end of the sale he drove it till the battery died then parked it as far back in the garage as he could get it. I guess we will keep it and try again next year. Surely he will be ready to part with it then.

Jayke's May Writing Journal

2011-06-11T20:34:00.004-04:00

Final journal of the year.

5/2/11--April showers bring May flowers. I hae seen flowers on our appel tree. I have toolips.
5/3/11--In May I see flowers. There are lots of flowers in May. I have lots of flowers in my yard.
5/4/11--I've always wanted to have a duck tape braclet. My and I were going to go to Kaidens house last night. Masons dad dind't let us. (He left out the word friend above.)
5/5/11--What do you think Cinco de mayo is crazy. He is probly really old. He might of evented the phone and computer.
5/6/11--Today I can buy books because my Grandma is comeing. She can buy me books. I will get lots of them.
5/9/11--I'm so happy when I have soccer. I will prolby score a gole. Last time I scored two goles. Soccer is really fun.
5/10/11--During recess I want to play with my friends. We will play tag. No body will catch me.
5/12/11--I would invent a robot. I would make it red. I will be a really big one.
5/13/11--Over the weekend I played with my friens. We jumped on his tramplen. We bouncsed really hi. Then we went in side. Later on it started to rain so we went in the garage.
5/14/11--After school yesterday there was a tornado drill so are bus came back to the school. We had to sit in the bathroom for awile. It was gross.
5/15/11--Today we have a subsutoot teacher. She let me take the invelopes down. It was really fun.
5/17/11--I would like to learn to count to a million. it would take a wile. It took me a hour to even count to 600.
5/18/11--My best friend is Kaiden. he gave me a duck tape bracelet. I really like it.
5/19/11--If I went to the beach I would go swimming. I would build a sand castle. i would make it really big.
5/20/11--I got to wait for the bus at my friends house. We went in his grandmas bus. Then we went ot the back of the bus and his grandma tried ot get us.
5/23/11--One of my favirote things at school is resess. I like the slides. I like the swings.
5/25/11--One of my favorite things in school is math. I can add and subtract. It is really fun.
5/26/11--One of my favorite things at school is centers. We can play memory and play moviel. I have to do it today.
5/27/11--One of my favrite thing at school is reading.l I can read Marvel Heroes. I am really good at reading.
5/31/11--Today at school I would llike to play out side. I will fo down the slides. I can swing. I can play with my friends.

Driving Miss Daisy

2011-06-10T14:54:00.001-04:00

We took Grammy out to see the new flowers they planted at the "Health Campus".

On to Second Grade...

2011-06-03T16:31:00.003-04:00

School is out!! Someone made the honor roll...although, I had to give him a little grief because two of his A+ grades from last grading period dropped to just an A. He ended up with straight A's. Came home the last day with next year's supply list so I am now chomping at the bit to go buy it all even though they don't even have the school supplies out yet. It's a challenge each year to refrain from going out right away and getting all the stuff on his list. Open house is Aug 11th ...only two months and he is back to school again!

I'd Like to See You In the After Life

2011-05-30T18:07:00.003-04:00

My mother is apparently reading a book about a child who died while in the hospital but survived only to tell about heaven and all that he saw there. She, for some reason, felt it necessary to share this story with Jayke who is now obsessed with heaven. He has continuously talked about heaven since getting home from Oma's. He is pretty upset about the whole thing too because he is sure he is going one way and I am going the other. This is upsetting to him because he would like to be able to see me after we are gone. I finally figured this out after answering many questions about heaven and "the place where the devil lives." When he asked me if, "people who go to heaven can see the people who go where the devil lives" I finally knew that he had decided that he was going to heaven and I wasn't. I asked and it was confirmed that, yes, this was exactly what he is thinking. However, he feels if I clean up my language this can all be avoided. I will try to work on that.

I Can Solve Your Problem

2011-05-25T18:49:00.005-04:00

Mommy, I sure hope you get a job soon cause I'm sick of looking at you!

I promptly took care of his issue by sending him to his room to contemplate how he chose to express himself, thereby making it so that he no longer had to look at me!! I have a resolution for all his problems!