For the love of my children

As I've mentioned in previous posts, it's been friggin' hot. I know that this shouldn't come off as a surprise since we, well, live in the friggin' desert and it's known for being friggin' hot in deserts. So yesterday I was feeling claustrophobic and like I've been a bad mom for not taking them out much to do fun things. I mean it's not like they don't get playtime, because we do let them go out and ride their bikes. It's dark, but hey, it's better than heat stroke, so we're cool with being creatures of the night.

One day a few weeks ago Jack took Syd and Punkin out for ice cream and to a really cool park he had discovered on the way to check out some job. He told me that it was shaded, so I figured I could take it for awhile so that the kids could play. Lucky for the kids, there was a splash pad, but I was leaning toward heat stroke. I didn't know there was one, so they went in fully clothed which was fine with them. Syd spent most of her time in the water just content to wander around smiling and singing to herself.

Here is Mel showing off the new gaps in her mouth. She lost two teeth the other night, and she's working on one more. That kid is all about scoring dough from the tooth fairy. She's trying to figure out why sometimes she gets more money than others. I tried to explain to her that the tooth fairy may have had to spread her cash out for more kids on particular nights, and that maybe the last time she had a slow night. I am a bullsh*t peddler.

I think that I've come to terms with the idea that my children are odd, but I'm still not sure where they get it, so if anyone has any ideas...

P.S. Punkin was with us but she was in an anti-camera mood and I didn't want to bring on a fit. I'm outta ding dongs, so I need to keep the peace.

Run Cow, Run!

So my equine education has moved on to roping. I've been there and done that with my gymkhana observations, (yes, I know what it means now for real! *see cowgirl post from like May*) so now I'm moving on in my attempts to learn all I can about horses and the stuff that people do with them. I have to say that roping looks the coolest, though I don't see myself moving into it myself ever since I'll be lucky to keep my seat period, let alone work a lasso while chasing a cow at breakneck speed. After I heard that some of the guys that were practicing the other night had won pots that totalled over twenty thousand, I'm thinking that I need to prod Jack into being a roper or something. He seems like he could be the cow chasing sort.

Here is Roy. Doesn't he look like a real cowboy? He's a really cool guy that owns the ranch that my friend Stacey boards her horses at, and he's been trying to teach me a thing or two about riding horses. The man has a long haul in front of him.

Here is Roy dealing with a horse that doesn't want to do what Roy says. Check out the look of determination on his face as he makes the horse back up and obey. Check out the look on the horse's face. You can almost hear him saying, "Fine man! Whatever you say! Just cut me some slack!" I and the horse that I ride have identical expressions, only the horse has the confident look and I am the one pleading. Therein lies my problems. That's why I have Roy teaching me stuff, cuz I don't want to die.

So what they do is back their horses into these little u-shaped areas where they wait at the ready for the cows in the waiting chute to be set free. Here is a cow that was waiting for its turn.

_-^-__-^-_ "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen..."_-^-__-^-_

Then the gate is lifted and cow and horses jet off. Next thing you know, the person called the "header" has, well the head, and the person called the "heeler" has well, the feet and the cow is spread-eagled and I'm guessing, not real happy. Here's the deal though, I was most impressed with how when the cow shook off the ropes that it just wandered right back to its pen. Trained cows. Never woulda thought. It's a wild world man!

Are you lookin' at me???

The more I'm around horses, the more aware I have become about the variances in personality traits. My friend Stacey's horses run the gamut from the diva, to the grouchy old military man, to the petite guy that's always the sweet friend but won't see no action. The diva, Dancer, with her baby Sundae were put to play together in the round pen for some exercise. I felt her joy as she ran around enjoying her freedom out of her usual digs. Only I got a babysitter and she didn't.

FREEDOM!!! (yelled in Mel Gibson from Braveheart voice)

Here's the deal though; Dancer maybe would be addressed more appropriately as Princess because she's all about getting constant love and devotion from all, but do you see her looking at me all paranoid like? You know she knows she's hot just by the way she runs/prances, so what's with the camera shy attitude?

Here she's warming up to the camera and audience of onlookers. Showoff. But it's ok, because she is gorgeous. And the baby is cute too of course.

Here's a smiling horse and his ass! (sorry dear, had to say it!)

And finally, this guy has the right idea! Don't worry, be happy!

Missing Woman

There once was a woman named Rochelle. She had to give a talk one Sunday morning, and was never heard from again.... :)

Happy Birthday Elaine!

It's birthday time again! Jeez Louise, it's been busy with these lately!! Elaine is my sister in law and it is her 26th birthday today. I can still tell you the number because she's still young enough that she isn't ashamed of it. I'm not sure at what point we need to start lying about our age, but I'm for sure it'll be me that has to start since I am the eldest. Of course Elaine and I do not have the same ridiculous obsession with aging that my brother Jon has, so maybe he'll be the one to start lying first. I'm gonna wager that he'll hit it real soon, and I bet he'll stay 29 for a looong time.

Anyway, I tend to digress, but then you all know that. I have known Elaine for eleven years now, and I am so grateful for her. She is the ying to Jon's yang, or vice versa, or whatever. Her calmness and common sense do us all some good! I do have to tell about a moment in history with Elaine though. She got permission to drive with Jack, Jon and I to Arizona when we moved here the first time about ten years ago. Jack and Jon were in the moving truck and Elaine and I followed in the car with my dog Cody, and my two cats. One of my cats sat on the back tray behind the seats and every other second he would meow really loud. We amused ourselves by throwing M&M's at him. Unfortunately we were headed for the desert and it was a bit hot, and I had melty chocolate stains all over my upholstery. It sucked a bit. At one point in California, she took over driving and as we were driving down the freeway on ramp she says, "I've never actually driven on the freeway before." That was the dang funniest thing she could have ever said at that moment! She did fine though, and we had a good drive. Not so good for the boys though since Jack isn't the best traveller. Honestly, he's the biggest pain in the rear, maniac I know, so they decided that the only way they could survive it was to smoke as many cigarettes as possible. Every time we stopped for food or gas they would open the doors and it looked like someone had just opened the door to a steam room. I'm surprised they didn't have lung cancer by the time we got there since they crammed years of smoking into a 24 hour drive. Aaah memories...

Elaine is truly one of the sweetest, most loving people I know and I am so happy that she is a part of our family. I also think my kids kind of like her better than me. Probably because she's not the one yelling at them to leave her alone while she's trying to blog, for crimeny sake! We love you and miss you Elaine! See you soon!

Some days...

The Adam Sandler movie "Click" sometimes makes me a bit wistful. For those that don't know the story line, it goes like this: A man is given a tv remote of sorts that allows him to fast forward, rewind, and pause his life. At first it's all fun and games because he realizes that it allows him the ability to play a few pranks and such, but in the end the moral is that it's always better to live through the good and the bad. Blah. Blah. I don't ask for much, but days like today I think that a pause so I can breathe and count to like three hundred instead of ten, so that I can act appropriately instead of going ape "poopy" would be a good thing for everybody. Or to fast forward to bed time would be even better! This wouldn't need to happen very often. Just on days like today. Days when Punkin won't stop crying over EVERYTHING. She woke up moody, (PMS anyone?) and nothing is making her happy. I knew right off the bat that things were going to be ugly, and have been continuously digging in my bag of tricks to try and break her out of it. I started with chocolate and a back rub with a good movie, and then went to a hot bath, beauty rituals, with cute hair and a pretty dress. When that didn't work, I broke out the cute little flip flops that I bought her yesterday to see if new shoes would work. It worked out great until she saw me taking a picture of her cutting them apart on the upside down stool. So I'm giving up on her mood, and thinking that I need to go get something yummy to eat for myself, more chocolate, headphones, and a good book. It may help to salvage what's left of the fragile grip on my sanity, and keep me from saying something that my children will hold against me years from now in a therapy session. Later, I will blame them for my large butt in a Weight Watchers meeting or something, so the blame will come back around. It's the circle of life I suppose. Now, if I could only fast forward past the trip it will take to get all of those things from the store, it would be really sweet, but alas...

Oh how pathetic! I don't know that I've ever cried while holding new shoes. Life is tough for wee Punkin. Seriously...

Fun With Erasers

I have to confess that I have a weakness for office products. I like fresh notebooks, new pencils sharpened to a fine point, and all the little officey gadgets like tape dispensers, staplers, three hole punches, etc. So when late August, early September rolls around I tend to buy into the back-to-school buzz and want to collect all of those joyful new office products. But here's where I have to practice restraint! The last couple of years I've waited 2-3 weeks to really stock up, so that I can go to Target and get their 75% off sales! I got boxes of crayolas for $.08, and decorative folders for their homework for $.11!!! I was in heaven! I had so much crap that I had to donate some to their classrooms, but who could pass up such deals? So throughout the school year, the kids were pretty much set for supplies (to say the least) but a couple of weeks before school was out, we were at the store and Melanie was complaining that she was out of the little erasers that you put on top of the pencils. Not necessary since most pencils have erasers, but you can never have enough, eh? Fine, they were cheap, and well, I liked them as a kid too, so they came home with us. I never really thought about them again, because hey, I did my duty. I bought them. End of story.

I forget sometimes, how creative my children are. I mean, I know that they are really good artistically and that they play imagination sort of games with their toys, but sometimes they even amaze me!




Who would have thought that erasers could be so fun? They were in the back of the truck chattering and giggling and such, and we were just so grateful they were happy, that we never turned around to see what they were up to. Imagine our surprise when we finally did turn around, to see this!



And then later we saw this! The adventure went on for days after the erasers were removed for Melanie, because she left them on too long and they left little round circular hickeys on her face in that lovely pattern. We didn't go out much. Let's just say that though it was entertaining, those erasers will never be seen or heard from again....

Punkin Doodles! (a.k.a. Alicia)

It's Punkin's birthday today! It's hard to believe on one hand that she's already three, but on the other hand I can't imagine life before her. Though she is a handful by most people's standards, she brings such entertainment to our lives, that it's totally worth all the aggravation! Her latest frustrations have been that she's not as big as she thinks she should be. For the life of her she can't figure out why she can't keep up with her sisters and do everything that they do. Last night for example, was glorious for her because we went outside so that she could go play, (we wait until dark because it's so friggin' hot) and she was so happy to be on her little big wheel riding after all the big kids up and down the street. Of course, she's not afraid to pull the baby card when it suits her needs either! For her birthday she wants only to go to the store to get chips, but I think that we'll go swimming at Josie's too. She loves the pool! (plus, it's friggin' hot)

DNA Discrepancy

I have decided that the cute little furball that we have acquired, Wyatt, is not just the Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix that we were told. I have decided that he is also somehow, some way, part Piranha. The holes in the very finger in question confirm my story. Sorry for the poor picture quality, but it's hard to snap a shot while your other hand is being chewed on by a Piranha/dog. Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

Ode to Dads...

Tis Father's Day and I just wanted to take a moment to talk about the men in my life that have made the biggest impact. I suppose I should start with my husband, but I often don't do what I'm supposed to, so I'll start with Dad.

My dad has been an amazing example to me of selflessness and determination, not to mention some of the more unsightly traits like being anal retentive, and having what most think of as a sort of sick and twisted sense of humor. Because of him I can't seem to be able to force myself to put a dish in the dishwasher that is less than spotlessly clean already. I've tried to put them in dirty but then the twitching becomes unbearable and I have to get them out and scrub them. Thanks dad, for that! This man is not my biological father, but though he did not physically create me, he has had a huge hand in creating the person that I have become. (Sorry dad, I have to blame someone) He was the one I took shopping with me when I needed school clothes, prom dresses and even my first bikini. (that one nearly killed him! And yes, I used to be able to wear one!) He has always taken care of me and treated me as his own and has extended his love to my children. I am and will always be grateful to have had him in my life. Thanks dad, for everything! We love you!

Jack has grown into such a great husband and father and I am so grateful for his unconditional love for me and the kids. I am also grateful now for his sometimes surly attitude because it keeps me laughing! He is such a hard guy for me to take seriously now that I am forever finding ways to aggravate him for my own amusement. I really need to get some hobbies... Here is a picture of him doing dishes. I had to put this in here for posterity. (please ignore the horrible looking chick in the picture; she'd had a long day) I'm not saying that he won't clean because he does it plenty, but his worst chore is the dishes. Oftentimes, I'll come home and the floors, the counters and everything in sight will be sparkly clean, but he'll have stacked every dirty dish that he found in the sink so high that you can't even get to the faucet. So this picture of him doing dishes makes me smile, that is until I look a little left. Then I want to cry. But alas, I'll sacrifice my own dignity by putting it up just so you can all see Jack doing his good deed. I love you, Murray!

Jon's Birthday! Hooorraay!

Jon is probably shaking his head at that title which is why I did it. See, he has issues with birthdays. Mom was just like him about that. I was never sure on the big day if I should say anything, because she was not at all happy about the aging process. Jon is turning 28 today. Yes, I said today, which means that I am all caught up! Yay for me! Woo hoo! Holla! Anyway, about Jon- He's just under four years younger than me which for those of you that don't know the stories, means that he got tormented by me as a child. Yep, sweet little 'ol me picked on an adorable little boy! He done me wrong right off the bat though. He was born with a penis! ( I said penis! *giggle, snort*) I was totally devastated! I was sure that he would be a little sister. Instead, I dressed him up in my dresses until he was like eight or so, and did his makeup and hair to create the perfect sister. I failed. Surgery wasn't an option. Dang! I'm cool with it now since we get along great! Somehow he's found it in his heart to forgive me for my earlier transgressions. Not that he was a little saint or anything. Here he is in his garage with that poor innocent bag he beats the crap out of.



Could you even believe that this guy would be capable of doctoring up fireworks to blow up a mailbox? No? Would you believe that he put them in our mailbox to see if it would work? He was saved that beating by an observant police officer who watched him do it.



This is a great shot of him a couple of years ago with Elaine. It's labeled on my myspace page as "Pimp Daddy Jon". I'm particularly fond of the Top Gun sunglasses. Would you believe that this cool cat would actually tape razorblades to his fingers to impersonate Freddy Kreuger, and go as far to slash the arm of the couch? No? Well he did, and the only smart thing about that particular incident was that he used double sided tape on the inside of the slashes, and covered it with a doily or something. It went undiscovered for months.

I'm really glad now that Jon somehow lived through his childhood, cuz he's one cool bro'!

The Stork Arrived!

No, I was not secretly pregnant, or will I ever be again because God is not that cruel! We did though, acquire a new baby! We named him Wyatt Earp, though we obviously just call him Wyatt. We just thought the second name would serve as a good addition when we were yelling at him or something. Just like we always throw in the girls' middle name when they're in Big Trouble. He is a sweet little thing, and I haven't gotten a good night sleep since we got him because I have to get up every three hours or so to let him do his business.

So I have a new fuzzy son, and I do so love him! Especially his super bright blue eyes!

Punkin so loves him too! She lub, lub, lubbs him! Lucky Wyatt!

I was trying to get him to pose, but he is resistant to holding still, giving me his annoyed look, and wanting to go back in the house because he thinks he's hot or something. 106 is not hot! Spoiled brat! Geez!

This is him whining at the door trying to get me to release him from his photographic obligations. I love his fur! He looks like a fuzzy cat at this angle. Well, one with a funny head anyway. He will be a great addition to the family even though he was totally unplanned. All we did was go with my friend Stacy to see her new baby horse, and next thing we know we have a puppy! They had twelve of the little buggers running around, and they were just too cute. They would have let us take them all if we had been that stupid, but fortunately we're just a little stupid.

Grampy- John Hefty

Here's my grandpa, "Grampy", with my dear Aunt Lindee showing her best side! Grampy just had his birthday on June 5th, and he's been gone for almost two years now. I had always spent alot of time at my grandparents house growing up, and loved their yard which was about an acre that was all landscaped. There were trees to climb, cherries to pick, tetherball, and volleyball. They also had a hammock that I spent many an hour reading in. My grandfather taught me the game of jin rummy. He thought he taught me too well. A couple of times he would say in his disgusted tone, "It's been awhile since anyone beat my as* that bad, you little sh*t!" I loved it! In my younger years my grandpa was the quiet guy putzing around the yard, or sitting in his favorite chair reading his novels while popping peanut m&m's. After my "Nanny" had her stroke, Grampy had to start taking care of everything which meant that he actually had to talk and venture out more. He took a liking to it, and that's when I really got to understand him. It's sad to think that something horrible like her illnesses brought out the best in him, but it did. He took amazing care of her with a depth of love that brings tears to my eyes. It was in these later years of his life that he went from being just my grandpa, to being one of my best friends. I miss hearing about his newest and latest gadgets, sitting on the porch talking, and watching my kids try his patience! I am grateful though, that he got his wish to join Nanny again and that I had the time with him that I did. He was a very cool man, and I miss him!

May Birthdays!

Wait. May? It's June, right? Well, yes, it is, but that just shows how truly behind I am in my life. Again, my sad tale. So I had decided sometime in April to start documenting birthdays and unfortunately for me, there were alot in May and now in an attempt to keep to my goals, I shall get caught up. By the way, sorry for everyone I missed before mid-April. You gotta start somewhere, and I guess I'll catch ya next year! Anyway....

May 15th

Christopher!!! He is the oldest of good ol' Uncle Scott and Aunt Donna. He's my sweet guy that Mel swore to marry when she grew up. They are second cousins, so it might be legal, but I think the age difference might be a problem. Also, she said that when she was four. I don't think we can hold her to it, since she wasn't of legal age anyway. Chris moved back to Oregon after a stint in Florida with his mom, and is trying his luck with the working world and planning to go back to school. He was always big into baseball, but focuses now on his singing talent. We love you Chris! *He's the young guy by the way, the old one is Uncle Scott. Love ya Scott!!*

May 20th

Sydney!!! My middle child turns 6! I am feeling age-ed. For Syd's birthday we went swimming and had Strawberry Shortcake liberally topped with Redi-Whip and chocolate syrup. It was great! We kept it pretty low key since it was a weeknight and we were having a little party for both girls on Friday night. I had to save up my energy, you see. I'm so grateful for this little girl. When I was pregnant with her I was so worried that I couldn't possibly love another child as much as my first, and within minutes of her birth, I realized that that fear was totally unfounded. Of the three, she is the one that I worry and cry for the most because she feels like the most vulnerable. She has a way of looking at you sometimes with such a purity that it makes your soul ache, and she can be playing in the room by herself with me and be so peaceful to have around. I do, and always will love my Sydney!

May 24th

Where do I start with this day? Well, besides the fact that I was married on this day, my cousin Matthew's birthday is on this day, and my oldest, Melanie was born on this day. Do you know what this means? This means that I haven't celebrated my anniversary for oh, about eight years. I tried really hard to have her the day before by running through the hospital corridors, pushing out of turn, always eyeballing the clock to make sure it was still the 23rd. I was and hour and a few minutes late. Dang! Whateva... Mel is for sure my kid. She is responsible, kind, good with directions, clever, organized, and loving toward her siblings. (yep, that's me! *snicker*snort*) Seriously, there are days that I don't know what I would do without this kid! She helps me without me having to tell her most of the time and just takes care of everyone. This allows me the time to plop in front of this here laptop and write about her, and stuff, without the house burning down because of She Who We Will Talk About in June! ( I just had to tell her to let the puppy out of the closet, you all know who we're talking about here!) Mel is an amazing kid that I am grateful for every day, and I hope she knows how much I appreciate her!

Matthew is Christopher's younger brother. Apparently may of us in the family like to make babies in August. Matt is still in Florida kickin' it with his mom, and I'm hoping I'll get to see him when we go for the family gathering this summer! Last I checked, he was into skateboarding and playing video games. He was one of the kids that was beating all the grownups in the Halo tournaments at Uncle Neal's last year. It's always humbling for Jack to play video games with these kids every year. Just when he thinks he's pretty good after many hours of concentrated practice, they beat his butt without even blinking an eyelid. Happy Birthday Matt! *Matthew is the peace man in the front*



May 31st

Bob Robert/ Uncle Bob

I feel like I should put this under my Tales From the Shortbus heading since Eric is his oldest spawn as well, and well, because we all know where Eric got his crazy ways! I will not sully the family history by laying claim to any of those genes! Aaah, I have many a story about Bob because I spent so much of my life hanging with Lindee at their house. As a child, I had a deep desire to harass and aggravate this man. I guess it's just one of those things that never goes away. One memorable time, I was helping him move their portable dishwasher over to hook up at the sink, and I pushed a little too hard and it ended up going up and over his big toe. I laughed so hard I almost peed! I still laugh hard at that one! I think the hopping around hollering was my favorite part! Then, at mine and Heather's housewarming party for our new apartment, I asked him what time it was. He turned his wrist to check, and here's where the funny part comes in: He was holding his drink in that hand! I laughed hysterically the whole time I mopped it up!

Bob is not known for his fashion, unless you consider that he is very well known for his lack of fashion! Lindee and I bought him new, nice clothes, but he stubbornly stuck with his wardrobe of polyester shorts, ripped jeans, character tees, topped with faded, sometimes torn flannels. Add that to socks with sandals, longer hair, and a crazy beard, and we have a vivid picture of Uncle Bob. With that picture in mind, let me tell you my favorite Bob story. My aunt was in the ICU, and I called to see how she was doing. The nurse that answered said that my aunt's nurse couldn't talk, but that she would forward my call to the waiting room where she said my uncle was. Someone else answered the phone, and I said, "I'm hoping you could tell me if my uncle is sitting around there. He's tall, with longer dark hair, and he... well he... looks kinda... homeless?" I truly meant that in the nicest way possible. Here's the kicker! She responds with, "Yeah, I know that guy! Hold on, let me go get him!" Next thing you know, Uncle Bob is on the phone. The best part about Bob is that he too thought that was pretty dang funny! Happy Birthday Uncle Bob! *This picture is of Bob with the other cousins, Kyle and Adam. Kyle thinks he's sexy.*

As I mentioned earlier, I got stupid/crazy and told the girls they could have a friend party. Since their birthdays are only a few days apart, we did it together which would probably have been totally insane if everyone had shown. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for them, we did it on the Friday night of Memorial Day weekend, and the rainiest, nastiest weekend in Arizona for some time. The weather ruined my plans of having children playing outside amusing themselves after pizza, followed by cake and a return to their respective families. This required interaction and inside activities that I had wanted nothing to do with. I ended up gluing a million (or more) craft sticks together so that they could paint and decorate them for picture frames, and they also made beaded jewelry. And I face painted. It made them feel cool. It made me tired and wishing that short people knew how to hold still. All in all, we survived it, and I did my duty by my children! We survived the birthday season!!!!

Here's craft time. That's me frowning as I try to paint a masterpiece on a moving object. They all wanted patriotic stuff. Whatever happened to butterflies and ladybugs? Nope, the order of the day was flags.

Presents! I would hazard to guess that these are what prompt these little people into wanting parties. It's all about the gifts! Not my kids though, with them it's the thought that counts... riiight.

And I have to show the party mascot. He had a little hole in the back of his head to assist in hanging him properly, but I'm just not proper.

So ends the longest post in the WORLD!! And an exhausting month....

More Visitors? Why, yes.

We were lucky enough to have more soggy souls from Oregon come down to visit in an attempt to feel heat and dry out a bit! Heather and baby Adison stayed with us for five days. Again, we didn't go out and do much, mostly because she's been to Arizona enough times, that she doesn't really feel the need to do much sight-seeing. It was all about quality time!



Here's Mel and baby Addy hanging out. Much of their visit was spent with us transferring her from one of my children to the next. They were totally fascinated with her and wanted to love on her. Fortunately, she is such an incredibly mellow, easy baby and tolerated it well. Even Punkin was all about handling her which was cute on one level, but a bit scary since she's not all that big herself.

On the Saturday she was here we all drove up to where Heather's mom, Virginia was staying with her friends and had a bar-b-que, swam, visited, and celebrated the girl's birthdays with them since they wouldn't be here. It was alot of fun!

Do you think Syd had to pee much? Aaaah... here's the Jack we all know and love!

Addy was pretty content to float about. It was the first time she had been in the swimming pool and she was in love! Of course, she is Hawaiian, so it sorta makes sense! She better watch out for the crazy bald man lurking in the background. Weirdos are everywhere!

So, as I write and look back at the pictures that she emailed me, I noticed one thing. There is not a single picture that was of all of us. Not even one of Heather and I. Heather takes pictures of everything. I don't exaggerate either. Of every one shot that people see, there are usually several more for just in case. Geez Heather! Fallin' down on the job! We love you anyway! (slacker)

The In-laws are coming! The In-laws are coming!

Ok, so they already came. I'm sadly running terribly behind on my life updates. Better late than never eh? That is the sad theme of my life. I seem to always be running behind on something. I try and tell myself that it's better to be running behind on things than to be doing nothing at all. I sleep better thinking like that than thinking that I am a horrible procrastinator (which may be more truthful). Anyway.... Jack's parents drove down to see us for about a week this last month, and it was great to hang out with them. We spent alot of time just hanging out at home. I cooked alot. Jack's dad, Jack does not like to venture far, so I was determined that if he didn't want to go out and explore, that at least he could say he ate well here! (my growing gut doth protest!) The kids really enjoyed having their undivided attention for so long, and were really sad to see them go.

One night we went to Peter Piper's Pizza to see what it was all about and to get Grandpa out of the house for a bit. Here's Mel playing air hockey with him. We won't talk about how bad she beat him. We also won't talk about how bad I beat him! I don't take mercy just because he's age-ed! Annihilation would be an appropriate word! Mwahahahaha!

Here's me and Helen after one of my too fatty, overindulgent meals. That's bloat man, not fat. Really.

This one needs to be framed. Not because it's so family-ish, but if you look at Jack's hand, what do you see? Well you don't see his middle finger all by itself, that's what! That's just not normal!

This one almost scares me. Mel looks like she's all hopped up on goofballs or somethin'. This will be one of those pictured I'll drag out later, when I'm trying to make her feel dumb.

Punkin loves Grandpa!

Grandma was marvelling with Sydney that we have such and incredibly pathetic dog.

We love you and miss you Grandma and Grandpa!

Blogging Hiatus

In case anyone has noticed- I have been away from the laptop. It was painful at first, I have to admit, but what amazed me the most was how much stinkin' time I had! I find that I spend too much time meandering on the Internet, and not so much time doing important, but horrible tasks like laundry and mopping and such. In any case I'm back and shall do my bestest to get caught up on the busy last month. In the meanwhile here's a picture of the peeps to tide you over until I can get busy telling of the latest fiasco's they've been involved in.




If you've ever asked the question "Does a bear sh*t in the woods?", well you could ask these wise ones. I bet they could conjure up a divine answer for you during their meditative session. That, and other important truths, I'm sure.