flashback friday..

here is a picture of brandon and me on our wedding day. unfortunately, i don't remember a whole lot from this day. everything was so rushed and busy that it all just runs together. i do remember being so excited to be getting married and starting our lives together. nobody waited for us to get to the luncheon before eating, yes, they ate without us. of course, we waited for others at their luncheons (a little bitter, yes). and the only thing we got to eat at the reception was the cake we used in the pictures. we were starved! another thing, we got married on dec. 17, 1999 and i don't think it has ever been hotter in december. we about melted!! oh well, the things we do for love (like the song)!

spirit week

this week was spirit week at school. i always enjoyed this when i was in school and wanted caleb to participate. he dressed up every day except for 80s day (didn't have a mullet or permed hair handy). they also had twin day but didn't get a picture. these two pictures are from mismatch/crazy hat day and hawaiian day. i was really surprised that caleb would do the mismatch thing. he is not keen on looking silly or drawing attention to himself but he really had fun. for hawaiian day, the shirt he wore was bought by my mom (that i forgot to pack for disney, sorry mom) and came in handy. i put it on him and he said "i don't want to wear this hawhitey shirt!" for some reason he can't say hawaii and of course i laughed at him. when he found out that other kids would be wearing their "hawhitey" shirts, he was good to go....

monster trucks???

on our way to school, caleb asked "mommy, are monster trucks real?" i told him that they were. "well, can we buy one?" i explained that monster trucks aren't something that you can just go and buy. well, he seemed to accept that. then he said "i think they cost two thousand hundred three dollars. that's a lot of money, huh mommy!" i just said "sure" (one of those mom answers when you don't know what else to say or not sure how to explain). caleb has been learning money in school and decided to put this knowledge to use....."that would be 31 dimes, 3 pennies and 1,000 nickels." it took all i could not to laugh at him. he was convinced that that was a lot of money and was so satisfied that he didn't even need my opinion....love that kid!

flashback friday

okay, so i'm jumping on the band wagon too. i enjoy reading and seeing others posts on fridays so i will try and keep up.




here is my senior cap and gown picture. i was a member of the 1997 graduating class at j.u. blacksher high school. i was involved in just about everything that there was to be involved in. before you think over achiever, it was a really small school. the school was (and still is) k-12. at that time, there was probably 500 students total, yes total. i really enjoyed going to a small school. i started and finished with many of the same people. eventhough we had a small graduating class, we were very competitive. my greatest achievement was being named valedictorian.

i still enjoy going back and visiting my old school. i recently went back for my 10 year reunion and homecoming. i had a blast, good times! go bulldogs!

please make him share!!!

in earlier posts, i have mentioned how no amount of food goes unnoticed by troy. he still eats non-stop and wants anything that anyone else has. so here's how it played out last night....

after dinner, caleb wanted me to go to the store and get him a treat. i said "no, but there are some ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. get one but don't let troy see it." i had already shared some of mine with him and he didn't need anymore. plus, when caleb tries to feed him, it looks like a food fight has taken place. so, caleb got an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer and started eating it. brandon and i were watching tv and heard troy whining. i looked over the back of the couch to find this......



caleb was desperately trying to hide and obey the rule of eating at the table. so i got out my camera, of course, and snapped the picture. troy saw the flash from behind and then he gave me this look (like pleeeease make him share)......



we laughed so hard while caleb was steady shoving ice cream sandwich into his mouth!

is that your BRAT?

okay, so i don't have good luck with kids in public. i will now explain...

yesterday, i took my boys and the 2 kids that i sit to mcdonald's. we met up with a friend of caleb's, his mom and little brother, no school because of president's day. so we get there around 11:20 and the playground is closed until noon. Forty minutes before lunch time isn't the time to clean and change lightbulbs, on a school holiday no less! so we got our food and let the kids eat, at least that's all they could do. well, the playground finally opens and we go in. the kids are playing, having a great time, all is well (for about 5 minutes). i was talking to beatris (the mom) and looked back to see another kid push jon(little boy i sit) down. so i jump up, go over and check on jon. he's okay. i ask the other kid not to do that again, i get ignored. i sit back down and jon goes and plays. not 5 minutes later, this same kid is slapping and pushing and slapping jon even more. i jump up again, pull the kid off of jon, check on jon (still holding on the this other kid). i stand up and this guy is in my face (person space totally invaded), "IS THAT YOUR BRAT THAT KEEPS PUSHING AND HITTING THE OTHER KIDS?" "what?" (that's me) "IS THAT YOUR BRAT?" (him) at this point i am "shaking" mad! "NO THIS ISN'T MY BRAT BUT THAT'S MY KID HE IS HITTING!" (that was me :0 ) (him)-> "oh!" (notice not yelling anymore) me-> "I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO HE BELONGS TO, CARE TO FIND OUT?" (i'm still yelling, oops)

so the "nice" man and i try to find who this naughty kid belongs to, no luck. well, long story short, the kid was there with his grandparents. the grandpa was told what was happening. he sincerely apologized and let's me know that the kid has some developmental "issues", his words not mine. not to be rude but the kicker was that the grandpa said "he can be overly aggressive at times." what is an "overly aggressive at times" child doing unsupervised around other children?

unfortunately, the kids didn't get to play long because that other kid was just out of hand. we left and jon was okay (just a little red cheeked from all the slapping)!

here's your valentine...

yesterday, as i was getting myself ready for caleb's school party, caleb comes in to see what i am doing. by this time i am dressed (thank goodness)! he walks up to me and says "happy valentine's day mommy!". then he gives me a big hug and says "here's your valentine!" who could want more right? he then says he has one more gift for me. he puckers up his lips and wants a kiss. i kiss him and he says "that makes two!" cute kid! he was so excited about valentine's day.

brandon and i don't make a big deal out of valentine's. we usually go out to eat somewhere but nothing expensive or fancy. yesterday, brandon surprised me with an mp3 player. i guess he was tired of hearing me whine! thanks b! love ya!

i ran and ran and ran.....

this post isn't about anything in particular (sorry if you were expecting more). i did have a good run today. i am working on a 5 weeks to 5K program. today i had to run for 10 mins. well, i ran for 10 mins total not 10 mins. straight, does that count? man am i feeling it!! i am also working on my water intake. i had a chiropractor tell me that everyone should take their weight, divide it in half and that's how many ounces of water (minimum) they should drink in a day. i did it about 2 years ago and lost 12lbs in 2 weeks!! i still ate whatever i wanted that's just how much water weight my body was holding on to. i know that that won't happen this time (but okay if it does) but i have lost 2lbs since monday! anyway, try it and see what it does for you!

fun at the park....

yesterday, we took the boys to the park. they had so much fun. of course, there wasn't alot for troy to do but he loved the swings. he would sit so still that he would almost fall asleep. caleb was his usual friendly self. that kid can make friends with a rock! he found some kids to play with and had a blast. before long, he was wanting brandon and me to play hide and seek. brandon wasn't feeling well but played one round with him. then caleb and i played tag. it was so fun! we were laughing and chasing each other all over the playground equipment. i'm sure i looked like a total idiot but that's what you do to make your kids happy, right? we had alot of fun but then it started getting dark and cold so we left. i really enjoyed taking the boys to the park. they had a blast and it is so rewarding to see your children happy....

our troy boy

the other day i had this guilty feeling come over me about my blogging. i realized that i have another child other than caleb that i don't think that i have mentioned that much. so here's to troy.


he is soooo sweet. we can't decide if he's a mommy's or daddy's boy. when troy hears the garage door open (brandon coming home) he perks up like a little puppy. he knows that daddy is home. he crawls to the door and whines until brandon picks him up (maybe he is a puppy). but before long the only person he wants is mommy. he is definately more cuddly than caleb ever was or will be. in the last few days he has developed his "silly" face and pretend laugh. he is so funny! you wouldn't be able to tell from pictures but the kid is a bottomless pit and a scavenger. he is always looking for food. he will stand in front of his high chair and eat the stray cheerios, raisins or whatever that fell into the seat. brandon told troy that he was going to have to get a second job just to be able to feed him! yes he eats that much! no plate of food goes unnoticed with that kid.

one of the greatest things is that he adores his older brother. troy will follow caleb all day long! caleb lets him play in his room and makes him laugh all the time. he endures torture from caleb and always goes back for more.


we waited so long to get him here and we are loving every minute with him. we love our troy boy..........

I was tagged in January

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 Years Ago: I was going to school at Troy State University. I was still living in the dorms (fun, fun) but no freshman 15 for me!!!

5 Things On My To Do List Today: 1. get Caleb to school 2. fold the laundry (maybe)
3. pick Caleb up from school 4. go running 5. cook dinner tonight

Snacks I enjoy: sour candies, especially sour jelly bellies. I like cake too.

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire? I'd build us a custom home, must have a movie theatre room, game room and surround sound. Buy a new car. Buy a house for my parents, sister and brother. Buy Brandon a helicopter. Travel to Europe. Hire Brooke a nanny for all her babies. Help take care of my grandparents.

3 Of My Bad Habits: 1. I can be pretty mean somtimes. 2. I am a tv junkie. 3. I stay on the computer way too long.
5 places I have lived: 1. Uriah, Alabama 2. Troy, Alabama (on campus) 3. Troy, Alabama (off campus) 4. Gilbert, Arizona 5. Queen Creek, Arizona

5 Jobs that I have had: 1. worked for florist 2. Monroe Journal (newspaper) 3. CC5 theatre 4. sales associate at Kitchins' (clothing store w/ stupid name) 5. Enginehouse secretary.


Things people don’t know about me: I've had 2 miscarriages. I am the oldest in my family. I was valedictorian of my senior class. I play with my hair all the time, suprised I'm not bald. I have a degree in Math Education. My "celebrity" crush is Anderson Cooper (something about the hair and giggle). My sister is mental ;)!!

I tag: Nicole (your the only one left that I know that reads my blog)

our new prophet

Pres. Monson, our new prophet. i was able to watch the press conference of the announcing of the new prophet. i was so excited when it was announced that Pres. Monson was called. after having had not such a great morning and all the worries that are on my mind, i felt a calming feeling come over me and i know that all is well.

caleb's special day

saturday was a special day for caleb.

it didn't start out so great, in his opinion. he and brandon went to get their hair cut. in order to get him to go, we let him use one of his bookit coupons at pizza hut. that started off his special day. then, he finally got to fly in a helicopter with brandon, just the two of them. he was so excited and loved every minute of it! brandon said that they "played" a million questions during their flight. they got to fly over our house and close to the mountains. they landed over in superior and then flew back to the airport. after they were done, we went to chili's, caleb's favorite place to eat. he had been begging us to go and eat there for months. not that we don't like chili's, it's just that it is kind of out of the way. anyway, brandon decided that we would eat there to top off his day. then we came home and watched spiderman 3.


we got to spend alot of time together as a family, which doesn't happen very often because of brandon's schooling. we didn't really appreciate the experience that they got to share until last night. about 6:00 pm we got a phone call saying that the company that brandon was doing his schooling with had "gone under". so that means no more school! brandon was so close to finishing. he was to be completely finished in 9 days. now we don't know if finishing will even be possible. considering what has happened, i am so thankful that brandon got to fly caleb on saturday. brandon not being at home b/c of studying and school has really been hard on all of us, especially caleb. i know it will be something he will never forget...........he got to fly with his daddy!!

the nerve...

friday started out great! after school, caleb had a friend over to play. they had a blast talking about transformers, star wars, legos....boy stuff. well, eventually the fun had to end and his friend had to go home.









brandon came home from work and then had class later that night. so while brandon was in class, the boys and i went grocery shopping. on our way to town, i realized that troy was missing his jacket, pacifier and bottle! what was i thinking? whatever i got, i deserved!! on to errands....we first had some fun at mcdonald's and then made it to costco just before closing. then we ventured over to walmart. i made my way through the aisles getting what i needed. the last thing that i needed to get was a heart-shaped cookie cutter. i looked in the baking and cookware sections...not there. well caleb needs valentines for the school party so we went ahead and got some.

while we were still on the valentine aisle, i got distracted by something. even now i don't remember what it was but all of a sudden i hear, "you don't do that! pick that up!" i stood up to see a lady (not an employee) at the other end of the aisle (i was at the opposite end) pointing at caleb. i asked her what was going on. she said "he just threw that toy down on the floor!" i asked caleb what was going on and he said nothing. by this time he is in tears. the lady actually yelled at him! he was so upset he couldn't even talk. come to find out he picked it up off the floor and then dropped it. all the lady saw was him holding it and dropping it. i was so mad that i went to the end where she to confront her and she was gone. i know that he shouldn't have dropped it on the floor but it was 1 of about 20 stuffed animals on the floor. usually, i have to make him stop picking stuff up and putting it back on the shelf. the nerve that lady had!!! you don't just yell at someone's child when you don't know what happened....