Didn't happen

So I'm sitting here sweating, because I'm SICK! I've had a 101 degree fever since yesterday afternoon and all I do is lay down or sleep. My big hair color didn't happen. When I feel better I will update you all. And thanks to your comments I know I'm not the only one who has to color, I just should have done it sooner!! Better get back to bed.

Thanks alot 30's

Today, I did something that I have never done. I bought a box of hair color. Now, I have always been happy with the hair choice God made for me. And I still am. Only there's one little problem. I am now finding grey hairs. I'm not ashamed to say I'm 32 years old. But really, there should not be grey hairs yet. And now I am forced to cover them. Until I'm at least 40. Have you ever been down the hair color aisle? I think there are 536 shades to choose from. I didn't change my method of shopping, which is grab and go, for this. I looked for the darkest shade of brown, checked the price, and threw it into my basket. I'm going to take the plunge this weekend. I'm going to take before and after pictures because you, too, might have to do this one day, and I sure don't want you to feel alone. As long as its doesn't come out purple, I think I'll be happy.

I want to run away from 2

Yesterday was attack of the 2 year old. I have this 2 year old who gets under my skin like no other. She has these great qualities like: she can sing really well, she is very funny, she has a smile and a giggle that will make you feel warm inside. And then she has these other qualities: a very high pitched squeal/scream that ensues when she doesn't get her way, the tears flow 8 out of the 12 hours she's awake, and she is very picky about what she wears these days. I don't know what it was, but yesterday, after enduring the 100th scream and tantrum of the day, I called in reinforcements. And I left. For 3 hours. I basically wandered aimlessly around the north side of the city, moving from store to store. With only a purchase of 2 pillows at $4.98. I reluctantly came home, but by then, it was Andy who needed the break - after only 3 hours. I have a feeling that it is going to take me a lifetime to learn what God wants to teach me through mothering her. And of course its things I'm really lacking in like patience, a gentle spirit, and patience. I'm up for the task, well, really I don't have a choice. I wouldn't trade her for the world though. And today is a new day. Its going much smoother. She's at Mother's Day Out.

Happy Easter

A day of Egg Hunts

And I use the word "hunt" loosely. Its more like egg gathering. First up was the Egg drop put on by our church. We dropped eggs out of a helicopter. I'm so proud to be a part of a church that does such cool, creative things. Then it was off to the egg "hunt" at Grandma and Grandpa's park. Cousins Sloan and Jack were here from Texas to join the fun. Here's a photo montage of the day. You can click on the pictures to get a better look at the fun.At the egg drop
The easter bunny dropping more eggs out of the helicopter



The loot


Spectators (Grandpa and Rene')


She got to hunt at the 2nd one

Cousins

Retirement......Grandma's in for it

I had like 50 errands to run today. And well, with 3 kids, I just don't even need to explain how much fun that is. Then I had a stroke of genius. My mom, who is a school teacher is on Spring Break. I'm pretty sure she has nothing better to do that to ride around in my car for 3 hours and stay there when one or three children are sleeping so I can run into a store in a flash and leave them sleeping peacefully.

Grandma retires this year. I really do try not to bug her on her days off and see if she'll take one or all of my children so I can refill my empty tank. (we're not talking the gas tank on my van, people). I'm going to try to live my normal life without a helper and let her enjoy her retirement. My sister makes fun of me. Anytime she can't get me or our mom on the phone, she calls the other and leaves a message usually like "Aim, are you at mom's again????" Or "Mom, I know your not home because your probably at Amy's." Really, I know she's jealous she can't have her watch her 3 kids when she's 2000 miles away. What would we do without our moms? As my mom put it while I am loading my kids into the van to go home, my very cranky kids mind you: "When your grandma, you just send them home". Being grandma is the furthest thing from my mind. But before I drove off, my grandma, the kids call GeeGee, reminded me that it comes faster than you think. So as I drove home, I thanked God for my 3 kids, one who was fussing and 2 who were fighting. They'll be big someday and I'll be sad.

But how sad am I going to be, really, when I can get a full nights sleep and run to the store by myself? Good thing I've got a long time before I find out just how sad I'll be.

Whew!

The title of this post describes my feelings today. Our trip to Colorado to say goodbye to Andy's grandma was fun, exhausting, cold, tiring, snowy, did I mention how tired I am? Note to self: don't start out your trip by leaving at 3:30am. You will never recover.

The 12 hour drive actually wasn't so terrible, thanks to that little thing called a portable DVD player. From Nemo, to the Wiggles, it was on the entire day. Hey, its vacation.

A few trip happenings: Paige chewed her first piece of gum, loved it, and then I bribed her with it to get her to do the dirty business in the potty, which she had still not mastered. It worked. Zak learned he has a love for the Turner Classic Movie TV station. He takes this after his mother. I really miss the mountains. And I drank more coffee than I care to admit.

Once I can find my way out of the mountains of laundry, I hope to be back on a blogging schedule!

Goodbye Grandma

Poor Andy is saying goodbye to the 2nd family member in a year. His grandma died a couple of days ago. Mary Lou defined the word "feisty" and while I only knew her once her Alzheimer's had set in, she was a wonderful lady. Andy has many fond memories of her. We'll be making the trek to Colorado tomorrow to say goodbye. I'll leave you with a clip of Grandma Mary Lou singing hymns, something she loved to do, from just a few weeks ago.

If any of you from CO are up for late night coffee, I'd love to hook up if I can get away!

Advertising money well spent

Zak has this thing about the TV. When a commercial comes on, telling you to go somewhere or buy something, he feels like they are talking directly to him. I often hear, "Mom, they said that Chuck E. Cheese is where a kid can be a kid. I'm a kid. We need to go there." Or "Mom, that man said to go to such and such dot com. Can you turn on the computer?" The other day he was asking me for something I had never heard of. It turned out to be a prescription drug. A little rant about the prescription drug commercials. Who is honestly going to ask their physician for a drug that in the commercial they list all the side effects, including but not limited to nausea and vomiting? Ridiculous. Anyway, I am trying to tell him, to no avail, that those are people who want our money and we can actually make a choice as to what we want to spend it on. He is not convinced. At least he's thoughtful. He saw this infomercial about some purse that can hold all your stuff and told me that he'd tell his dad I needed that.

You have got to try this

Okay, I made these yesterday. They are so incredibly easy and so delicious. I took them to a meeting and have never had so many requests for a recipe before. Impress your family this weekend. These are strictly for enjoyment and have absolutely not health value whatsoever. I know your cringing Traci, but even you would like them. Did I say how easy these are?

Guess I forgot mall manners

Zak had plans to go play at a friends house after school so it was just me and the girls. I hadn't been to the mall in like a year, so I decided to take the girls in the double stroller and have nap time in the car. I remember now why I haven't been to the mall in over a year. We started it all off at the pretzel place because full bellies means happy children. That lasted almost through the first store. In that store, while I was at the check out counter, I turned around to find Paige not in the stroller but digging in some lady's Dillards sack with her greasy pretzel hands. I didn't stay to find out if there were grease stains on whatever was in the lady with the leopard fur top's bag. Store #2 had Paige crashing the double stroller into many clothing racks and giggling like I've never heard her before. The third and final store - the one actually in my price range was Payless Shoes. And it proved to be the most exciting store by far. The next three things happened simultaneously. I am trying on a shoe, Paige conks her head on the metal stroller's side which produces loud wailing, and Rene' pulls down 4 shoe boxes off the rack while sitting in her stroller seat with what used to resemble a pretzel in her hand. Had I know the entire store would be watching what I did next, I would have chosen not to wear my jeans with the hole in the knee.

indecisive

So I've had a few posts in draft mode but I decided to delete them. One was on how I can't stand politics, or the people running for President this year. The other was just plain rambling. I know you would all be rivited by my political view and my deep thoughts. But I decided against it. I can't decide what to blog about. I have quite a few things running around in my head - most of which would stir up controversy. And really, I've had enough controversy in my life without trying to actually stir it up. So, until I can land on a subject I want to put out there - I will leave you with a link to my favorite new blog. The Pioneer Woman and The Pioneer Woman Cooks.