Potty Time!

Potty time? No, not really but I thought I'd give it a shot! More like a shoot, a photo shoot!

DVB has been giving us some signs of impending interest in using a potty. I think... After he poops he brings us a diaper without being asked. When he pees, he holds himself. So those are signs, right? I don't remember LOB or DJB flashing us those signs but I'll take anything I can get!

He hasn't actually sat on the potty diaper-free yet. I thought I read some where to let the kids play with the pot for a while first to get used to it! You know me, gotta follow the rules! Ya, you are right. I followed the rules with LOB but I'm a slacker now with #3!

So here are a few pics of DVB playing with his pot!

DVB took a little time out of playing with his potty to pick on Toni for a while.

Toni is very tolerant of the Wild Man crawling all over her, pulling on her ears, and sticking his fingers in her "ayes."

"I'm so cute. Why would anyone call me a Wild Man?"

I'll let you know when some REAL potty action happens! Don't be holding your breath!

Just a Day Full of Errands for Me!

I promise I won't post any more gross lizard pictures. But I do have more if you are interested. They've even done some Internet research on the lizards they love to catch. They are called Southwestern Fence Lizards, in case you were wondering. And I know you were...



I don't have anything too terribly exciting to report from our wonderfully quiet house. My morning did start out pretty interesting, however.



First, I walked into DVB's room to get him out of bed this morning and I just about puked! Oh the smell was horrendous! Come to find out, he had puked during the night and I obviously didn't hear him. I'm soooooo sorry DVB! You can take away my mommy award if you want to. So I'm on load #2 in my fancy dancy washing machine which so conveniently has a "sanitize" cycle. Just to be sure it's clean I may run the load one more time! Yuck! He's feeling just fine, by the way. No signs of any future puke coming my way!



Next, I was sweeping the kitchen floor and out flung a scorpion from my dust mop! Did you hear me scream? Upon further inspection, it was DEAD! Good thing! The bug man was just here last week so he must have stirred up a few with his magic killer spray.



Then, GOB called me in a slight panic! As they do for every hunting season, they waited till the absolute last minute to turn in their deer hunting application. He sure was lucky I didn't have much on my to-do list for the day. So being the wonderful wife I am, I brought him 2 envelopes to work and picked up his application and then delivered them to the Game and Fish place. Apparently, it is common practice for all deer hunters in this state to wait till the last minute to turn in their apps! By the looks of it, I won't have to worry about them getting drawn because there were a few hundred people doing the same thing as me in the 5 minutes it took me to park, get DVB out of his seat, put the apps in a box, buckle DVB back up and drive out of the packed parking lot without getting hit by another frantic deer hunter! Run poor little deer, run away from these unorganized hunters!



The rest of my errand trip consisted of a stop at the Post Office to send a care package to LOB and DJB and a stop at Wally World for a few groceries!



Now DVB is nicely taking a nap in a pack-n-play while is crib and sheets are soaking in bleach! I should probably get working on that list of things I have been planning on doing with 2 kids gone! Closets, here I come!

Patent Pending...

This was taken from Grandpa's daily email that he sends to me. I thought I'd let him be in charge of my blog post for the day. But only today...

So it got a little boring in camp today, you can only walk to the lake and play ground so many times. It's too windy to take the boat out. DJB came to me early this morning with an idea to put two cans on his back and drink from them with some tinker toy parts. I didn't take him serious at first and then later today he asked again if he could do his invention. Oh well what the hell just add some duct tape to an idea and you have the DJB hydrator !!!!! LOB wants to save his shirt for tomorrow . He thinks he can get it off and use it again. Might need to invent a way to refill on the fly.

Yep, that looks like something my boys would invent doesn't it? They are definitely their father's sons!

But wait a minute! Hooooooooold everything! What is it exactly that they are drinking?

Is it beer? No. Otherwise I bet Papa would be placing an order for his very own custom DJB Hydrator!

Is it Sprite? Yes, for DJB. Oh, ok. It's mother approved!

But LOB appears to be drinking Dr. Pepper! Whaaaaat? Upon further investigation by phone, the boys told Grammy that they never get to drink Dr. Pepper at home! Well, duh! Do you think these kids need to be any more active than they already are when in a caffeine-free state? The answer is: HECK NO!

I think that they may never want to come home to their momma. I bet they think I run a tight ship around here. The funny thing is, I really don't! But I will admit that I hoard the caffeine for myself! No sharing allowed!

Guess what Uncle B's suggestion was? Why isn't she at least giving them Mountain Dew! Brother...brother...brother (me shaking my head) You have a lot to learn, as always! Just joking but I will remember that when you and Aunt J send us your kids to watch in the future. But I don't think I'll fill them up until they are ready to leave! Ha!

Lizard Lovers!

Ok, I know I have 3 boys. And I know that boys like to do yucky things like playing with bugs and other creatures. But boys? Why must you put them on your heads? Why must you even touch them? NASTY! Check out these pictures!

LOB before lizard... Doesn't he look perfectly adorable? Check out all those freckles!

LOB after lizard... LOB? Now why did you have to do that? Um, Grammy? Have these kids had a bath in the last couple weeks? I hope you at least make them wash their hands before they eat!

It looks like maybe Grammy is desperate for some "cuddle time." Why don't you try it with one of the boys or Grandpa and let that creepy thing go! ack!

This picture was titled by Grandpa, "Taking After His Uncle." Yes, I agree. And notice his Junior Ranger badge? He's very proud of it. I guess he had a workbook that he had to complete and return to earn his very special badge. I think I better check into signing up for Boy Scouts soon. I believe our local troup accepts boys at age 7 and he'll meet that requirement in just a couple weeks! I'll get on that!

Now in this picture, my poor middle child looks like a hillbilly! Hat crooked, tongue in cheek or something, and he probably has his Crocs on with socks! I'm not quite sure how to interpret this photo... What's up DJB?

Clearly they are playing Survivor in this picture! Should I be worried that my parents are feeding my children lizards? Run Lizzy, run! Run for your life. But I think you may already be dead...sorry. Boys! You are not supposed to kill the lizards! Their job is to eat crickets and scorpions so please don't kill them!

Yes, DJB! I guess I'll just have to accept your love of lizards! But don't think I'm going to cave in on the lizard-for-a-pet idea! I will have to draw the line at any creepy crawly things as pets. Which reminds me...the hermit crabs are still alive, I think. And the guinea pig too. Oh and of course Toni is still getting into trouble. Don't worry, I'm taking care of everybody for you guys! See you guys in 12 days!

1st Real Babysitter

DVB survived his first day with a real babysitter on Monday. By real I mean, non-related by family or friends. Actually the babysitter is a friend of our's kid (is that grammatically correct?). But I don't think it counts...




I guess the day went fine. When GOB asked, he said DVB poops a lot! So if that was the worst part of the day, I'd say the day went just fine! His mom stopped by to check on him unannounced and I only called once. He said he's willing to come back so I guess we're set for the summer and for me picking up some extra days at the hospital!



LOB and DJB are now camping at a campground near the cabin with Grammy and Grandpa. It has a lake so they drug the boat along and plan to do some serious fishing. But for now, the latest report is that they are keeping themselves nicely occupied by climbing a rock pile and catching lizards! Sounds like they are in heaven if you ask me!


I had to make a couple phone calls to LOB today to make sure I ordered the correct birthday party supplies. This year's theme is anything related to skateboards and Tony Hawk. My little baby isn't so little anymore. I guess I won't be able to stop him from riding a skateboard any longer! Boo hoo!

Speaking of babies. Mr. DVB has decided to start saying a few words all of a sudden. Today as I was ordering LOB's party stuff on the computer, I could hear him toodling with some paper and stuff. I got up to check on him and he looked at me and said, "eety." Translation: "pretty." He was coloring with a marker on a piece of wood that holds a roll of paper. Later in the day he said, "Hi" to LOB on the phone. I'm trying to teach him body parts, too. For "eye" he says "aye." I'm also working on animal sounds so I ask him what Toni says and he repeats, "ar ar!"

No post would be complete without a couple pics. Here they are fresh off the almost daily email!

They Haven't Said, "I want to go home," yet!

So my big boys don't miss me a bit. LOB and I talk everyday but DJB just can't work up enough courage to talk to me on the phone! LOB says he misses me but Grammy said he hasn't said h.o.m.e yet. Um Grammy...FYI, LOB can spell. Just letting you know.

The Papa Bear and I had a great, quiet, peaceful weekend. DVB cooperated for most of our plans. We spent some time today researching concrete countertops at our local home improvement stores. Now we just need to gather all the supplies and try out a couple samples to find the perfect color and texture combination. I probably should back up in my story. Our travertine countertop is falling apart because the previous owner cemented the travertine down to the existing formica countertop! Thanks buddy, what a half assed job! I guess I really didn't like it anyway so maybe I really should thank him! Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll have some pictures of some progress in the project!

Here are some pictures of the continuous fun LOB and DJB are having...no wonder they don't miss me!

This picture depicts a classic DJB invention! Why doesn't everyone pull their lawn mower behind their bike?

UFO Mystery Was Solved

So all that worrying about my possible abduction was for nothing! Ha!

Channel 5 figured out the mystery of those UFOs after some research. Apparently, 20 balloons were released yesterday from The Space Data Corporation. The balloons were attached to cell phone towers. You can read the article here.

In other non-related news:

There won't be much blogging action from me in the next week. I am working the next 6 out of 7 days to cover a vacation-50 hours to be exact! DVB will have his first teenage babysitter-a 15 year old BOY! LOB and DJB don't know what they are missing out on because they'll want to come home if they find out. They will meet Dylan the Babysitter next month since after next week I'll be working on Monday's too!

Have a great weekend!

A New Revelation!

I am still here, just to let you know. I do have my bags packed in case those UFOs come back again. hee hee


As I was cleaning just now, I had a HUGE revelation! (do you know how wonderful it is to clean without miniature helpers? heaven!)

Ok, are you ready? Here it is:

I bet that those UFOs that were hovering over our house this morning were the same aliens that peed all over the bathroom rug a couple weeks ago! DUH! I better look around and see if they let any deposits last night/this morning!

I'm a genious I tell ya!


I better call DJB up at Grammy's and make sure he's still there. You know, he did see them actually pee on the rug! Maybe he knows them!


The noon news said they have questioned The National Weather Service and Government but all agencies deny any activity. So they must have been space saucers!

Updated: We Have Visitors!

So our neighbor rings our doorbell at 6 am.
Neighbor: "Hey, I hope you were awake. Do you have a camera?"
Me hiding behind the door: "Um, ya, we were sleeping. That's ok. What's going on?"
Neighbor: "I've been watching 15 UFOs above our houses for over an hour. I called Fox 10 and they said to send them a picture."
Me in my pajamas and hair a MESS: "OK, I'll go grab my camera."

You have to look pretty closely but you can see 7 of them.

So I turn on the News after I sent the pictures to Fox 10 for our neighbor and I just happened to stop at channel 5. And all of a sudden they say that people have been calling in from all over the Valley about the UFOs and could someone send in a picture. So I do and not even 2 minutes later my picture is on the news! Hilarious!

So at last check, which was 1 minute ago, there are still 7 of them and they are in a line. The neighbor boy is freaking out! He keeps ringing the door bell, seriously scared. It's SO funny! He's sure they are getting ready to invade!

You better check in with me in a little while and see if I'm still here...I'd appreciate it! Ha!

UPDATE: I even made the Channel 5 webpage as a Top Story! and the Executive Director sent me an email thanking me for my pics!

They are Having Fun!

Here are a few pictures of the fun the boys are having at the cabin. I left them a bag full of craft projects to do in case they got bored over the next few weeks. It looks like they already did most of them all in one day!




They made some aliens out of those little plastic circles that melt together with an iron...whatever they are called.

They practiced their shootin' skills...I didn't have anything to do with those supplies!

They painted bird houses. It looks like DJB has been lizard hunting again. See the lizard on the Tony Stewart bird house? The one he caught over the weekend was HUGE and very colorful. I wish I would have had my camera to take a pic of it! One of his many nicknames is "Lizard Boy!"

They planted flowers. They love to look at flowers at Home Depot or Lowes. And of course they love digging in dirt. Mix both those things together and you have a pretty flower bed!

DVB has been enjoying getting all the parental attention without having to compete for it! He was actually pleasant and fun last night instead of whinny and fussy. He's got a goofy personality that's very different than the other boys. He was entertaining us that's for sure! I told GOB that he is going to be the fat-jock-class clown-girl charmer one! Wouldn't it be funny if we read this 15 years from now and I'm right?!

And in case you are wondering, LOB is going to be the "normal" child. He's not going to be in the accelerated classes at school-just average. He will play sports but it won't be his forte. He's going to be the "pleaser" and make his parents proud that he's the "good kid", kinda like I was! hee hee

As for DJB, he's going to be the one that we get calls from the Principals office because he made some concoction in Chemistry class and started the classroom on fire or something to that effect. He's also going to be the brainiac. Despite his shy nature, DJB is going to be a "problem child" I believe.

So there you have it! You didn't know I could see into the future did you? Ha! My post about fun at the cabin turned into a whole 'nother post about fortune telling! It's just kind of fun to stop and think about these boys and realize how very different they are. I'll have to do some research and see which one of these boys is most like GOB. I'm thinking DJB is the answer but I'll let you know when I figure it out for sure!

A Super Duper Fun Weekend!

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the cabin with chilly, rainy weather the whole weekend. It was great!


We had a successful garage sale in between all the rain showers. We got rid of a lot of junk! It's amazing to see what people will buy! We had a lot of laughs not only at what people were buying but the actual people! There are some lookers up there!

LOB and DJB had fun tootling around in between people catching grasshoppers, lizards, and beetles, spying on people from their tree house, and occasionally digging in the dirt during our sales. As mom and I were sitting in our cashier spots, we notice DJB giggling. He was perched in the tree house and had been waiting patiently for someone to open a metal canister that was on a table. He came up to us and said, "Did you hear that lady scream? I put a grasshopper in that can! ha ha ha ha ha" It was hilarious! I guess you had to be there!

LOB and DJB found a new hobby this weekend too. We have a couple sharp shooters on our hands. They really can hit a beer can with a bb and pellet gun with incredible accuracy! Speaking of beer cans, LOB got to mount his beer cap collection on some slats of wood. He and DJB were so proud of it! They were going to hang them in their tree house the last I knew.

Toni enjoyed her weekend too! She loves the freedom of running around and retrieving her dummy and sniffing elk and deer poop!

DVB mostly just got in trouble all weekend. The boy just can't sit still! We all took turns following him around and keeping out of trouble as much as possible!


And the best part of the weekend? We got to leave 2 boys behind! LOB and DJB are going to hang out with Grammy and Grandpa until LOB's birthday party weekend. We'll see if they actually last that long. Just in case they don't, I better get going on my 2/3 kid-free projects. Cleaning closets, throwing away toys, and carpet cleaning are on my list to name a few!

Someone is Bored Already!

Would you believe I have already heard THE words?!

"Mom, I'm bored!"

"LOB, it is not possible! It's your first day of summer break! Go start reading your Magic Tree House books. When you are done with that set, I'll buy the next 20!" That should keep him busy all summer!

Sheesh!

Good thing we are going to the cabin tomorrow. Grammy and Grandpa want the boys to stay all summer. Ya, right-good luck with that is what I say! LOB says he's planning on staying a week! I myself, was hoping for a little longer than a week but I'll take whatever I can get. Would you also believe that DVB was not invited to spend the summer with them? I wonder why?

School's Out For Summa!

Remember singing that song at the end of the school year?

I remember my Grandma B teaching me this little jingle too:

Eeeny meeny deza pini
ooh ahh bobalini
atcha katcha liberatcha
I like you
take a peach
take a plum
take a piece of chewing gum
no more school
no more books
no more teacher's dirty looks
yaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Who knows why on Earth I remember that of all things! Heck, I can't remember what I need to remember! Do any of my cousins out there remember this too? I was singing it the other day and the next door tween wanted me to write it down because she thought it was so cool!

So DJB graduated preschool and LOB graduated 1st grade today!

Let the sleeping in every morning for the next 12 weeks begin!

(me talking to myself) "Wake up, Me!"

Oh, I must have been dreaming! How about I wish for sleeping in?

I went to DVB and LOB's end-of-year parties with DVB in tow yestereday. DVB did fine at DJB's 1/2 hour party but at LOB's 1.5 hour party he went bonkers! I mean bonkers! Sitting in the stroller like I really wanted was not an option! LOB's teacher could see my frustration and said to let him out a roam, she didn't mind. So I did and for the next 30 minutes I followed his every foot step and replaced the things he had pulled off the walls and returned the things he stole of other kids' desks. Then I decided I wasn't having fun and we left early!

DVB and his WILD behavior has made us (me and my parents) recall many memories of his Uncle B at this age. To those of you who know Uncle B, I know you are wondering how I could possibly be blessed with a child with a such strong will and such a strong desire to make their parent's lives HELL interesting! Uncle B was supposed to get that kind of kid for himself as pay backs! Not me! I was the good kid! *sigh*


Here's DJB and his cute little fellow graduates.



This is the only picture I got at LOB's party other than the one below which clearly depicts DVB's wildness!



Next is a little video of DJB accepting his award for Trustworthiness. Notice his teacher's comment about him hopping on one foot. It's either the foot hopping or turtle shrugging that he does to mask his shyness. So yes, he's half turtle, half frog! LOB did the same thing at that age except he croaked out loud like a frog. Hmmm, I wonder what creature DVB will be? A Tasmanian Devil? Maybe!

Mish Mash Mosh!

There's nothing too exciting going on around our house so I thought I'd do a catch up post and show you a few fun pictures from the last few weeks...



Here's LOB, some buddies, and the greatest teacher ever!

"Mom, this is so embarrassing!" LOB had a little Mother's Day play at school. He even had a speaking part!

"Quit taking pictures of me!"

DVB learned a new trick. He's blowing you a kiss!

DVB must have thought Toni needed a little snack...He went and got the dog treat container and sat down. Toni politely obliged. Big shock!

Here's Toni hanging out with her new boyfriend, Buster. Check out his tongue! DVB loved tugging on it-that licker is long! Buster was a little on the timid side but Toni showed him how to be naughty and wild. She even got him to swim in her pool.

Grandpa sure is brave! LOB had fun!

Pictures from the end of the years parties are coming up next!

Swingin' In The Rain!

Is this a redneck concoction or what? They tied the rope in our lonely tree and put Toni's plastic baby swim pool under it. We got a little unexpected rain shower this afternoon and they thought it was the coolest thing evah to play in the rain and listen to thunder and swing in their tree like monkeys! It's the simple things that they go wild over! Poor DVB missed out, he was snoozing!

Notice the graffiti still on the wall? GOB came back from Home Depot today with some graffiti remover spray. But now since it's raining, he can't try it out! Excuses, excuses!

I worked my first weekend solo at the hospital. 5 hours on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. I think I'll be able to handle this job every other weekend!

There's only 2.5 days left of school until we have a Kindergartner and a second grader. The kids are excited for summer break. We're thinking about going to California for a couple days at some point this summer so they are constantly asking when we're going.

Did anyone notice my hit counter? I've gotten over 2000 hits since I started in January! Thanks for reading!

That's it for the happenings at our house for now...

Chicken, Lizards and a Birthday!

I never buy chicken legs because I really don't care for them myself. But as Mom and I were out shopping I just couldn't resist the sale of 10 chicken legs for $2.77 at Fresh & Easy. I knew for sure that GOB would eat them. So in attempt to get DVB to be quiet so we could actually eat our supper without listening to a fussy kid, Grammy handed him a bone. He cleaned the bone and then got another whole leg and chewed on it so we could enjoy our supper in peace! Now we know what might keep him quiet for awhile and tomorrow, I'll have to go back and buy the other 4 packages of $2.77 chicken legs because all the boys devoured them!








We like lizards around our house too. The boys spend a lot of time trying to catch them. Recently a friend of ours told the boys to stun them with a squirt gun and then pick them off the wall. Sure enough! It works! DJB is especially good at the capture! He said he has a lizard trap in the backyard. I might have to investigate that invention. It could be a whole 'nother post!




Toni turned 2 yesterday if anyone is keeping track! So remember when everyone, like you, told me that she would miraculously settle down when she turns 2? I'm waiting and I'll let you know when it really happens!


Here she is taking a nap on her birthday! And yes, she looks awfully calm and well behaved in this picture but I'll be sure to snap the next photo of her shenanigans!

I MUST For go Weekend Fun to Bring You Some Live Action!

I better call the news crews! We have evidence that we have been visited by:










ALIENS!





Yes, you heard that right! Aliens apparently snuck into the boy's bathroom during the night and peed on the rug! Can you believe it? This is all according to DJB who must have seen the little buggers in action!



My first thought was they must have been BOY aliens because they clearly have the same problem with aim as the boys in my house!



My second thought was I better try to hose off some of this alien pee because it's going to get really sudsy in my new HE washing machine which is a big no-no!



Did you see the similarity of the hue of this alien pee compared to the booby trap liquid that was mysteriously applied to the bottom 2 rungs of Papa's ladder last week?



So fair warning to our friends and family who visit our house, the next time you wash your hands over here, it may be with alien pee!



Maybe I could sell my story to Dial for a little commercial advertising!

I'm Finding Strange Things Today!

So for some reason my morning has been filled with finding peculiar things around the house and in my minivan.


As I sanitize clean my van I find:


1. Scribble marks on a booster seat. Why are there markers available in the van?


2. Scribble marks on the seat belt. Maybe all these scribbles were done by one of the graffiti artists.


3. A cup holder 1/4 filled with sand. Clearly the young fellow that emptied his shoe in there was so nicely thinking that his mother might be mad if he just dumped it on the floor mat!


4. A piece of chewed gum stuck on the belt buckle.


5. Ooooh, this is a good one: A beautiful finger painting on a back window done with a very greasy medium-most likely chapstick as the culprit left the evidence in a cup holder!


6. Numerous legos--way way too many to count.


7. I discovered mud-like hand prints on the side of the house as I got the hose to wash off the floor mats.


8. A gazillion tiny crumbs possibly from something edible, not to mention a couple french fries!


10. A few gazillion white hairs most likely from some furry animal.


11. I suppose I've said enough to embarass myself...


Now for the 'as seen inside of the house' today:


1. Hand soap covering the bottom 2 rungs of Papa's ladder which was still upstairs from his laundry room renovation. I'm just guessing that the little boy who performed this trick must have thought that ladder was pretty dirty! Either that, or he was watching Home Alone and was trying to recreate a booby trap!


2. I'm sure I'll run into something else today. I'll be on my toes looking for any other booby traps!


As I review the above list, I'm pretty sure that DJB is guilty on all accounts except for the sand finding. That one LOB is guilty of!

No Photographic Proof!

It's been requested of me that I update my blog. But I don't have much to update.

We had a fun weekend although I have no photographic proof. We spent the majority of the weekend out in the front yard, playing with friends and enjoying some beverages. It might possibly be our last weekend of tolerable temperatures before fall. We are going to attempt a block party next Saturday though. When the sun goes down I guess it is very pleasant.

We took our first trip of the season to our community pool on Sunday. The chilly water did not stop these wild boys from jumping in but it did stop their momma! DVB forgot he enjoyed the pool last summer. It took quite a while to convince him that it was fun to float around in his boat! Maybe when the water warms up in a couple weeks he'll recall the fun.


Hmmm, what else?


Oh, I know. It sure will be nice when DVB learns a few new words. Right now he can say "down, no, ooww (sp? like ouch), and pupty."


DVB and DJB drove me crazy in the grocery store today. DVB yelled "Oowwww, oowwww, owwww!" like I was torturing him! And his brother was being a pain-in-the-butt whining for a toy! Um, self? Why didn't you go to the grocery store over the past weekend without kids? (See, I am going crazy, I'm writing to myself on my blog!) Some fellow shopper commented on how organized I was. I believe "Very Impressed" were her words. Instead of graciously accepting her compliment I think I might have said "Ya right" in my frustration with my children's behavior! I think maybe she was commenting on my coupon organization! Yes, that's it! I have a new way of organizing if anyone out there is interested. It's much less time consuming than the previous way of clipping all coupons and entering them into a database. I digress....


LOB is counting down the days till the last day of school. The count, in case you were wondering, is 11.5 days. I need to get busy making a list of things to keep these boys occupied this summer! We won't be going on the same road trip we took last summer. Bummer, I know.


Well, that's it till something fun and exciting pops up! And you never know when that might be around our house! Have a great week!