Fictional Characters Are Haunting Me!

Ahhhhhh!

Fictional characters are haunting me! Even in my sleep!

I had a dream last night that the Easter Bunny forgot to come to our house! I wonder why I would possibly dream that!?! Could it be my ridiculous forgetfulness of moving Nissy the Elf? Could it be that the Tooth Fairy forgot to stop by after I sent out the reminder on the World Wide Web?

Ahhhhhh!

Will someone call me and remind me to put out the Easter loot at about, say 5am Easter morning? The loot is already purchased. Let's hope I remember where I hid it!

Any dream analyzers out there? What exactly does this mean?

He Said, "No More Pets" But...

DJB has wanted crabs for a long time! We actually went to the pet store with intentions of getting a frog. But as it turns out, frogs eat live food and this momma is not going to buy LIVE food for a frog! Also, the fire belly species they sell at Petsmart is toxic after you hold it for 5 minutes! That would be a double NO NO thank you on the frog. DJB was ok with it though, he was worried Grammy might eat his frog's legs!

So here are "Sandy and Sponge Bob!" They eat dead food! They are Fiddler crabs and only eat 4 itsy bitsy specks of lobster bites per day! Oh, and an occasional dead blood worm!

This is their habitat. It's part water and part plastic beach with a few giant ceramic hiding place fish decorations and fake greenery.

This is Sandy. I couldn't find Sponge Bob at the time of posting. I sure hope he's still in there somewhere!

DJB took his crabs to school last Friday. (I know, that sounds soooo bad!) He said now everyone wants crabs! (Um, yeah, that too!) He also mentioned that Isaiah wanted to eat them.

In other pet related news: The 3 remaining mantids were released into the wild yesterday. This momma was tired of buying $4.99 bottles of flightless fruit flies!

Any guesses on the next creature that will show up at our house? We gotta try them all! But don't tell GOB....

Anyone seen DVB?

Me: "LOB, go help DVB." as he's crying in frustration...

LOB: "I can hear him but I don't see him!"

So this is his new Terrible Two Trick. Since he's into climbing, he pulls himself up on his belly and then gets stuck when he tries to sit up! This happens over and over and over again!

I've already posted about him thinking that the smelly, hairy dog kennel is a fun place to hang out in...Now get this!

He goes through the dog kennel and attempts to escape outside through the dog's door!

DVB: "Since they never feed me around here, I guess I'll have to find something to eat all by myself! Yum, this looks tasty!"

At DVB's 15 month check up yesterday, we found he his still hanging on to those 97th percentile rankings in all categories! His newly-turned-five-year-old brother, however, is only in the 25th percentile for weight! DVB weighs 30 lbs and DJB weighs 37 lbs! The doctor says to me, "Wow, you have 2 very different boys, don't you?"

Happy 5th Birthday, DJB!

We had a busy, party filled weekend!

This is party #1. They are DJB's preschool buddies. We had a science experiment theme...

Here's the Diet Coke Geyser with Mentos experiment. It's always good for a few oohs and aahs!

For party #2 Mr. Mad Scientist himself made a surprise appearance!

This is snow. Arizona snow, that is. It's actually the same stuff that is in a diaper for absorpancy. It started out as about 2 cups of crystals and grew to 5 gallons! The kids had fun sliding around in it. It sure made a huge mess! And, it does not melt!

Cupcake cake #2.


Do you see any evidence of black frosting?

So that was DJB's 5th Birthday Party! LOB is now counting down the days until his party. Who knows what we'll come up for his party. I have a couple months to think about it!

The Praying Mantids(plural) Finally Patched!

Just as we were about to give up on the egg case hatching, it decided to hatch! Yay! And just like the instructions said, they were about 200 of the little critters at about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long! So we ran off to get them their food at Petco-flightless fruit flies and loaded a sponge up with water.

But we have some sad news to report. All but 6 of them were dead this morning. LOB said, "Wow, that didn't last long!"

When The Big Brothers Are Away...

The Little Brother will play....with their toys!

The Big Boys are still hanging with Grammy and Grandpa! It's been absolutely wonderfully peacefully heavenly productively quiet around our house! Thanks Grammy and Grandpa!

Today they are planning on taking the new Light rail Train down to downtown Phoenix and go to the Science Museum. I wanna go! Oh, wait, I guess not, I'll enjoy another stress free day! Woooo hoooo!

He's A Terrible Two Year Old Already?

I have been so busy today that I almost forgot to write my "Weekend Fun" post. We did have a fun weekend but I didn't take any pictures of it. Saturday we had a nice afternoon over at some friend's house and GOB played Mr. Repairman for them. That's his side job and he usually gets paid in liquid...beer that is.


On Sunday, Grammy and Grandpa came and got LOB and DJB and they were planning on an afternoon of swimming and birthday present shopping for DJB. Today they went up the back roads 4 wheel driving over Four Peaks mountain range. It's not a ride for the weak stomached like me but they probably think it's cool! I haven't heard from them so I'm assuming they are busy having fun. I hear tomorrow they are planning on going to a Spring Training Baseball game with Great Uncle Barry and Cousin Brian who are visiting from Iowa. As you can imagine, I'm enjoying their Spring Break also!

So here are a few pictures of the 15 month old who is acting like a 2 year old lately! I sure don't remember the 2 older boys being so adventurous at such a young age. Or maybe I don't remember it because of my age! Anyway, he's a climbing monster and thankfully he hasn't been a crashing climbing monster, YET!

The poor babe is battling a head cold right now with really crusty nose and eyes! Yuck! I know it's more than you wanted to know! Hopefully he'll be feeling back to normal for the big birthday party on Saturday.

"Keywords" Lead Them To Me!

So I thought I'd share some phrases or keywords that people type in Google and find my blog. Google Analytics nicely keeps track of important stuff like this for me!



1. ghost spray (3 times)
I think I should whip up a big batch of that stuff and sell it! It seems to be popular!


2. dog butt wipes (2 times)
I think that maybe I should invent some dog butt wipes too! DVB just shares his butt wipes with the dog. They work too and leave a nice refreshing sent of cucumber behind-on the behind! Ha!


3. brewery horses youtube by mouse nose
Um, ok, I have no idea how or why you landed on my lil' ol' blog by searching that phrase! No horses or mouse noses here! And I've never used youtube. But we do have a brewery!


4. derma wand
Again...huh? I don't know what a "derma wand" is but I want one! It sounds magical. Does it make wrinkles go away?


5. dog butts
Yes, dog's do have butts.


6. dogs putting butt on you
Well, silly, don't let them put their butt on you!


7. i'm working on a first grade project how would I build a leprechaun trap
Oh, ok, this one makes sense. Go ahead, I give you permission to copy LOB's idea since you stopped by!


8. monster go away spray
See, I think I could make millions off this stuff! Don't tell anyone it only worked about a week at our house before it turned into a water squirt toy!


9. wash dog butt
It's a good thing to do while giving them a bath...


10. washing dog butt
Or you could let your dog take care of washing his/her own butt *lick lick* NASTY!


11. wiping dog's butt
Who would have ever guessed that so many people Google about a flippin dog's butt!


12. 3 boys breweries
In fact, unknown to me when I started 3 Boys and a Brewery blog, there actually is a Three Boys Brewery. It's located in New Zealand. I think maybe I should get in touch with them and see if we can get a few samples or maybe they would like to fly our 3 boys and a brewer and momma out for a tour! We LOVE brewery tours! Hopefully after we become BFF's they won't make me change my name or maybe better yet-maybe they'd buy my blog name from me. Ooooh, that sounds good! I've had quite a few hits looking for them.



So there you have it. These are phrases that people have actually, no lie, typed in Google and found ME! Dog butts, breweries, and ghost spray-now that's good stuff!

I Ain't Got Nothin'!

Oooh, my Grandma B. would not be happy with me being an English Teacher and all.... I Ain't Got Nothin'!

But really, not much is exciting around our house this week. So how about just a couple pics...

Here's where DVB hangs while we're in the front yard playing after school. He'd much rather be roaming around the yard or the neighborhood but his momma gets tired of chasing him so she pens him up! The weather is perfect right now at 78 degrees. If only it could stay that way. We know what's coming!

Here's how Toni looks at me when I talk to her. I just know she's thinking, "Lady, you are crazy and I don't understand one word you are saying to me but keep on talkin' and maybe one day I'll actually obey you!"

Here's LOB flying the world's smallest kite. It was a GREAT find at the dollar store! I'm going back to get more for my stash!

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Oh, I just thought of some exciting news!

It's my Grandma's b-day! Happy 80th Birthday, Gram! We Love you!

We hope you had a great day of traveling the countryside checking out quilt shops! That sounds like a good day to me!

Yes everyone, my 80 year-old Gram has a computer and knows how to check my blog and comment on it too occasionally! How impressive is that?! I'm so proud of her!
________________________________________

That's all for now. Maybe I'll have some more interesting material next week when the kids are off of school for Spring Break.

Weekend Fun and Some Almost Live Action!

What a weekend be without fun?

Besides doing a little yard trimming and cleanup in preparation for DJB's b-day party in a couple weeks (I guess that's not really fun), GOB took the bigger boys to Manzanita Speedway to see some midget and sprint car racing Saturday night. DVB and my strep throat and I watched a couple chick flicks and enjoyed a nice quiet evening.

The Boys had a great time and especially loved all the dirt raining down on them when the cars zipped around the turns. They are planning to go back again some time but when it's warmer! You know 55 degrees is a little chilly to be sitting outside watching a race!

And now for the Almost Live Action from our house!

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As I was writing this post and just about ready to hit 'publish', I ask DJB to check on DVB because he is out of sight and is very quiet. I figured he was just playing with the plastic cups in the bottom cupboard like he always does. DJB says, "Oh, no! He got into the powder!"

Yum, how did that flour taste, DVB?

We're Expecting....

........more creatures at our house! Ha! Did I get you on that one? Really, don't you think 3 kids are plenty? Yes, I thought so!

DJB got this praying mantis kit for Christmas from Uncle B and Aunt J. We needed to order the egg case from New York and I had been putting off since Christmas because they cost twice as much in the winter time than they do in the summer time. Uncle B felt sorry for the boy so said he would spring for them so we ordered them in the hopes they would "patch" (as DJB says) by his birthday later this month.

I should have recorded the giggles of excitement and the huge anticipation of opening the mysterious envelope! It was great!

The vial on the left is the egg case which is supposed to patch 150-200 mantis nymphs and the vial on the right is their food of flightless fruit flies but they arrived dead. I don't know what that blue stuff is. Maybe it's the fruit flies food ????

This is their habitat.

The directions told us to find a stick to attach the egg case onto...DJB found a small log instead. It'll do. The little nut looking thing on the end of the white string is the egg case.

Yesterday while we were picking up dog food I decided to ask the reptile keeper at the pet store if they carried cricket nymphs as it was a second suggested source of food for the mantis nymphs. After we discussed what exactly we had and we were going to do, he began to lecture me that I couldn't just let 200 praying manti (plural ?) into the wild without first contacting the AZ Wildlife Foundation! Whatever dude! AZ was not included on the "do not send to" state list so there! Like they are all going to live anyway. Pftt! So we walked away. In the dog food isle, the dude found me again and handed me a vial of very live flightless fruit flies complete with larva which was exactly the same thing that had come with the egg case to begin with. So, good I thought, their food is taken care of if they ever decide to patch! But of course Mr. Dude reptile keeper couldn't help but get the last word....once again he preached that I could not just let 150,000 praying manti into the wild! Dude, weren't you listening to me I said 150-200. Sheesh and shut it!

Last year we did a similar kit that was 5 Painted lady butterflies. It too started at larva and the kids had a blast watching their life cycles. We of course let them go into the wild *gasp*. I wonder if AZ is now totally overpopulated with butterflies and has some new kind of disease or insect problem because of it?

So wish us luck that at least a couple will patch....we'll keep you posted!

Leprechaun Traps and Weekend Fun!

So I'm a few days late in posting our weekend fun. This momma has had a fever and sore throat for a couple days. I never get sick! And I can't remember the last time I had a fever! I'm on the mend so it's almost back to business as usual!

LOB's first school project was to make a Leprechaun Trap. You say, huh, what the heck is a Leprechaun Trap? Me too! So we googled it and found 100's of pictures of leprechaun traps! Grandpa and Papa were in charge of the structure help and I was in charge of the decoration help. We were informed on the directions that leprechauns are very mischievous and greedy fellows. They also are attracted to shiny and glittery things. So voila! Here's the making of a leprechaun trap-Now don't be stealing our idea for your own!

Here you see a couple of very serious architects!

Of course The Middle Brother couldn't be left of out the fun, so he made himself his own trap!


Painting an orange strainer black.

The finished product!

Let's say you are a leprechaun. You run up to the pot of gold (aka a witch's cauldron found in the Halloween decorations box), you snatch out the top coin and WAP! BOOM! BANG! You are trapped! Bwahhahahaha!

Here's Grammy and The Boys jumping on the tramp! Hil.ar.i.ous.!

DVB had his first experience in the sand box. I was trying to get a pic of the boys and then along comes Toni and since she thinks she's one of them, she had to be included in the picture!

Finally! If only DVB was looking at the camera! It's virtually impossible to get a picture of all four of them looking at me at the same time but I'll accept this one!

And here's some wrestling fun! The boys beg GOB to wrestle. It's sometimes a supper time bribe. "If you eat all your supper, you can wrestle with Papa!" gobble, gobble, gobble goes the food! Even The Littlest Brother partakes! They LOVE it!