Boys and Baseball

Some friends invited us to the Astros game on Saturday. So, we decided it would be fun for the boys to go and the girls to hang out at the house! The boys had a blast. They each got an Astros blanket when they walked in the gates along with a ball.

Mary Frances and I curled up on the couch and watched The American Girl movie. It was so much fun! Do you know how long I have been wanting to curl up and watch a movie in the middle of the day on Saturday? I didn't have to get up for anything!

The movie was great, too. We learned a lot about the depression and how it affected people - rich and poor! Later we went to the grocery store to get my freebies and the rest of the list. Then, we ate dinner, showered, and curled up in my bed to watch some of The Princess Diaries! We didn't get to watch the whole thing. So, Mary Frances is still waiting to see the Princess in her gown!

Feeling Blue...

I was very sad to find Candy's owner today! Of course, I was happy to be able to help them, which is why I rescued her in the first place, but I am sad because it looked like we were going to get to keep her. I remembered that the SPCA, the shelter Sugar came from, has a board on their website where you can post lost and found animals. So, I thought I'd check it out to see if she was on there! My heart dropped when I found her picture, but her owner was THRILLED to have her back.
Apparently, she had been lost for 3 days when I found her over a week ago! And, I found her about 10 miles from her home!

So, we're totally fine, but I still miss the cuddly thing!

Oh, by the way, her real name is Ladybug...I like Candy better!

Meet Candy

And as if all that sugar from Easter wasn't enough, we got more "Candy"!
Candy is our newest family member. I found her on a busy road last week where she almost got hit by a car. I picked her up fully intending to return her to her owner, but after searching for a microchip, placing signs around the neighborhood in which I found her, and driving around looking for "lost dog" signs, she belongs to us!


She is so adorable, fully house trained, LOVES to sleep, and tolerates the kids! Sugar enjoys playing with her but she's kind-of like a guard in basketball! No matter where Candy tries to go, Sugar is always one step ahead. Since Sugar is twice her size, she is successful in her blocking attempts!

Anyway..that's the newest news here..I know, all you have to do is stay tuned..there is always NEWS at our house, huh!?!

What Was He Thinking?

I've postponed this entry for a week or so because I want to be respectful to my husband! But my mother has laughed so hard at it, that I just can't keep it off anymore! It must go down in the books! So, I need to start by saying that my husband is a wonderful father, but he does not think the same way I do! As far as he is concerned, underwear is underwear....

Those of us who are mothers (and now my husband) know otherwise...It is NOT smart to put boxers on the child who still POOPS in his pants! If pictures were not so graphic, I would have taken then and posted! Instead, you have the face of the precious culprit of the event you are about to hear about...
I had just threatened the children that they should not wake me up for ANY reason while I was taking my very brief nap downstairs. They were to stay upstairs and play! Just as I began to doze off, I hear through the monitor..."Oh no..." Then, Thomas bursts into my room and says, "Mommy, this is very important. Chase pooped in his pants and it is all over the floor and the sofa." Of course, my response was, "What? How did that happen?" Thomas says, "He's wearing my boxers!"

So, I stomp out of my room (like an adult, of course) and I am greeted by Chase at the landing on the stairs. He is fulled clothed - shoes and all - but covered in poop - hands, legs, and the shoes that just traipsed down the stairs! I hadn't even been upstairs yet, and was already grossed out! So, again like an adult, stomp to the door and call my husband inside to see what HE did by putting boxers on this child! He was not very happy about my attitude, but I wasn't happy either, and you know that misery LOVES company!

So, as I am trying to explain to him why this is his fault, I am undressing Chase and wiping him down with wipies - still on the landing. I'm explaining to Ray C. that this has cost me my much-needed nap and that it will take FOREVER to clean up.

I finally get Chase undressed, and he is standing with his legs shoulder-width apart with poopy all down the inside of his legs. Well, Sugar (the dog) wanted to go up the stairs to check things out, and we were in her way, so she used the only entrance she had - in between Chase's poopy-stained legs! Guess what? The poopy disappeared as she ran through! YEP!!

So then, I yell at Ray C., "Look what you did! Now you have to clean the dog!" And do you know what he did? He took her outside to see in the sunlight where the poopy was and then had the NERVE to come back in and tell me he didn't see anything on her! As you can imagine, I gave him a look he will not forget and explained to him that the dog is poopy-colored, and I didn't care if he saw it! I reminded him that she hadn't had a bath in 3 WEEKS anyway, so he'd better bathe her NOW!!

I would like to clarify something here - I do not normally order my husband around or speak to him this way! I was VERY aggravated this particular day and behaved in a way that I should not have. I do not believe it is appropriate to speak to anyone this way, but I let my anger get the best of me! (I know you all are laughing, but this is the truth!! I don't want anyone thinking this is normal! The poopy is normal - the behavior, not so normal!)

ANYWAY...as he takes Sugar to the bath, I wipe up what is remaining and get a PULL-UP on the child! I then proceed to the upstairs where the actual mess is! OMG, you just can't imagine what I saw! Poopy smeared all in the carpet and sofa (luckily there is a cover on the sofa). Whole chunks (not sure what they are called) of poopy were in the play house. This is obviously where it all started because that was easy to clean up!

I then began to pile up blankets and the sofa cover - anything in the vicinity that might have been tainted. These all went through a few loads of wash! I wish you could see my face, even now! Then, I got on the floor where the smell was AWFUL! I had to wipe up the mess with toilet paper before I could even try to clean up the stains. After, a few rounds of Resolve, some heavy Lysol spray, and even Febreeze, the room still smelled awful! I had to come back up the next day to do another round of Resolve which seems to have gotten it!

Chase still wears underwear to school, but he is in pull-ups at home! I just can't handle any more poopy! How much can one person take?

Yuck...I think this is the grossest poopy story you'll find on this blog, but there are some other funny ones! You should look around! The moral of the story is....DRESS YOUR KIDS YOURSELF!!!

Easter Eggs Galore

We hunted for Easter eggs almost every day last week! By the time Easter arrived, I was tired of Easter Eggs, but it was a fun week!
Everyone got their alotted 6 or 12 eggs depending on which hunt we were attending - neighborhood, church, school, etc. And every egg was full of delicious candy!
I even managed to get the boys to give Mary Frances a little SUGAR!! Aren't they so sweet?

Chase goes Skiing...

Chase had to visit the doctor a few weeks ago. We had no idea you could go skiing while you wait!!
Only a boy would do such a thing! Fortunately for them, they have no clue what those things are for!

Honey visits

Honey and Grandaddy were both supposed to visit a few weeks ago, but daddy had to stay for his job. We really missed him, but we had a great time with Honey, my mom!

The kids loved her picking them up from school and the school bus! They were so proud to show her off to their friends and teachers.

We got to go to the rodeo and carnival while she was here too! What a blast! Chase, especially, has been waiting for the rodeo to come back since it left last March!

He wants to be a cowboy and ride a bucking bronco when he grows up!!

It was a fun visit with Honey!! We can't wait until she comes back!

Day 4...

Wednesday we went to Blanco State Park, just outside of Austin, to attend a class about Animal Tracks. It was given by one of the park rangers and actually set up for home schoolers, but anyone was able to come along. There was only one other family there. So, the kids got lots of attention. They made animals prints out of plaster and went on a hike looking for real animal prints. The most interesting to me was the Ringtail Cat which I had never heard of. We saw several of its prints near the river.

After that we came back to the house. I cleaned up while Ray C. and the kids rode the four-wheeler all afternoon, and then I took another nap!! We made spaghetti and, of course, had s'mores AGAIN!

It has been a fun vacation. I feel bad taking the kids and Sugar back home to be confined in our little yard and to only be able to go outside while supervised! It has been so much fun for them to roam free, go on adventures and “safaris”, and play in the dirt. They have been so dirty every night that it makes me happy to see the boys being boys! Mary Frances has enjoyed the adventures as well, but the boys have been in HEAVEN this week.

I am so grateful to my husband for planning out this vacation and allowing us to have so much fun!

Day 3...

Today is Chase's kind of day...a day when everyone wears GREEN! When I told him yesterday that everyone would be wearing green today, his jaw dropped. He was so excited!

Sugar is doing fine. We keep checking her for bleeding and keep popping he Vitamin K pills. I really think she is wishing she was a farm dog. She gets to run free all day long. What a blast!

I woke up this morning to Chase saying in my ear, “Rise and Shine. It's morning!” When I looked outside I saw the perfect conditions to see deer. So, Ray C. agreed to watch the kids so I could go out for a few minutes, but I didn't get very far. I tried to quietly walk across the rock driveway, but as soon as I took 2 steps, a deer started blowing at me. I hunched down under the blanket that was wrapped around me and waited, but before I could see them, Chase opened the door and Sugar took off running after 2 big deer! I did see them, but not until Sugar chased them away! Oh well, maybe tomorrow!

Today, we visited the public library for a special St. Patrick's Day craft, and then Ray C. did a little story time with the kids. We also heard a bagpipe player outside of the library. We ALL enjoyed listening to him play Amazing Grace since it is a family favorite – a very common bedtime request, actually!

After the library, we went over to a popular sandwich shop recommended by friends – Alvin Ord's. We bought some delicious sandwiches and took them over to the park where we ate, played, walked, and even stuck our feet in the gorgeous spring water. The only down side was when I lost my phone at the dock! Oh well, it isn't the end of the world!

After our park adventure, we came home, and I took a 2 hour nap!!! That might have been the highlight of my trip! I love being out here, but I am exhausted!!

The kids played, I got dinner together, Ray C. prepped the grill. We ate hamburgers and smores. We played with Sugar, and then Ray C. took the kids on the 4-wheeler. It was a great day in the country!

By the way, the country boy has returned! Ray C. gets teased a lot for being a city boy, but he really belongs out in the country. He grew up with trucks, guns, and duck boots. So, when he gets back to it, it fits him. He loves the city, but he comes alive out here.

Day 2...

So, Monday started at 6:45 because our kids NEVER sleep in! You'd think that the time change would help, but it works against us every season!

Ray C. had planned for us to leave by 10, but we were gone earlier. Actually, we were about to leave at 9:30 when we realized that Sugar (our sweet dog) was eating rat poison! I had seen her eating it earlier, but thought she had gotten some soap. It was waxy and green. It actually looked a lot like a Greenie dog treat.

Anyhow, we called our vet, and they said we needed to get her in to a vet right away. So, we began our trip by dropping her off at the vet for a fun day of vomiting, eating charcoal, and ingesting Vitamin K to counteract the blood-thinner that makes up rat poison! She stayed with the vet while we moved on to Natural Bridge Cavern.

It was so beautiful. It was discovered by a group of 4 college students from St. Mary's College in 1960. I can't imagine what it must have looked like to them when they first discovered it! The rooms in the cavern are huge. One of them was the size of a football field – filled with stalagmites and stalagtites. I could never remember which was which, but they said the thing to remember is that stalagtites hold tight to the ceiling and if stalagmites keep growing, one day they might touch the ceiling! I like that

Thomas journaled all day – drawing pictures of each sight. I gave him a journal before we left so that he could keep a daily record of what we do for Spring Break. He has really enjoyed it.

When we emerged from the surprisingly humid cave, we walked into the cafe for lunch and saw some of our neighbors. So, we enjoyed some lunch with them before heading off to pan for jewels! The kids found some really great stones and arrowheads.

After that, we decided to journey through the Wildlife Safari. I have to say it was my idea, and it was disappointing. I was so excited about going, but it just didn't do much for us. However, we did get REALLY close to the zebras – close enough to see all the green junk he was “saving” between each of his teeth! Chase even got to pet him!

Before returning home, we picked up Sugar, paid our HUGE bill, and received instructions on how to care for her the rest of our vacation until she can be seen by her vet. We have to wait for blood work results to come back to see how much she actually ingested!

We had a wonderful dinner outside enjoying God's creation. Then, it was off to the showers to pull out cactus spurs and clean up for bed!

Tomorrow, we're going to the library for a special St. Patrick's Day event!

Spring Break

We just returned from Spring Break where we had no internet access - very nice!! However, I did keep a good record of what we did. So, I'm going to post each day one day at a time! Hope you enjoy!

Vacation started today at 10:00 a.m. We left the house for San Marcos with a very detailed itinerary for the week prepared by my sweet husband. First we stopped at Bastrop State Park in Bastrop, TX. We had lunch and hiked for about 2 hours before returning to the car. We were all worn out before we could even finish the trip to our destination! We still had an hour to go!

We arrived at the house at about 5:00 this evening. We are staying in the home of a friend from church. It is amazing – a beautiful Texas style house with living area, kitchen, bath, and 1 bedroom upstairs, and then a bunk room downstairs! The kids are in love.

There is Longhorn poop everywhere – like at the front step. Seriously, there are four HUGE piles just between the house and the car and that's only about 10 feet! We are hoping to see some tomorrow! We've already seen 4 deer today – in the park!

We grilled hamburgers for dinner and enjoyed smores afterward – all part of daddy's master plan!

It took a little while to get the kids to sleep, but everything is quiet now. I would love to lay around and read, but I'm too exhausted! I've got to go to bed, too!

Caverns are on the agenda for tomorrow! I can't wait!

A new Hair Cut

Thomas decided to cut his own hair while Ray C. and I were out a few weeks ago! The babysitter felt so bad, but it could have happened to any of us! He's now sporting a cute buzz cut!

Cowboy Chase

Ready for the famous Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show beginning this week!

Bad Blogger

I have to apologize for my absence from the blogging world. I am going to try to get back at it this week! We have still had very funny things happening in our house. You will be hearing and seeing some of them soon. Until then, here's a funny from Chase.

As we were riding in the car one day Chase kept telling me about all the things he wanted. I stopped him and said, "Chase, I have to tell you something."

"What?", he replied.

"The world is not all about you!"

With a very startled look and voice he said, "It's not?"

"No." I replied.

Then he insisted, "Yes it is!" And so we began the battle back and forth! It may still be years before we get this under control!

Who peed on your pants?

As I was sitting out in the driveway with several other moms in the neighborhood, I noticed that Thomas outfit didn't look right! I said, "Thomas, have you been wearing those pants all day?"

His reply,,"No, I had to change at school because Jayln peed on my underwear..."

After a longer than normal pause and a very strange look, I said, "Wait a minute...Did you say, Jayln peed on your underwear?"

"Yep," he replied.

"How did that happen?"

"Well we were using the same potty and he just peed on my underwear."

I could only reply, "okay."

What else is there to say? Of course, Ray C. thought it was hillarious.

Do You Think This Will Work?

I actually took this picture this morning as we were coming back from taking the kids to school!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

The kids were discussing what they wanted to be when they grow up on the way to school this morning with Ray C. Mary Frances wanted to know if cars cost a lot of money. When Ray C. said yes, she said, "Well, I'll just marry someone who has 2 cars!"

Ray C.'s response was, "Or you could work really hard and buy your own car. So, she decided she would be a dentist so she could clean her daddy's teeth and then give him a kiss!"

Chase piped in yelling "DADD-Y, DADD-Y! When I grow up, I wanna have a big 'ole wallet with lots of money inside and I can buy a big truck and a race car!"