Sassy, Classy, and Still Kickin' Assy

Help Spread Holiday Cheer

2010-12-03T06:54:00.002-07:00

Please help to spread holiday cheer this year to our many heroes. When filling out your Christmas Cards, please make sure an address a couple to :
Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.
These go out to wounded soldiers, soldiers serving our country, and our veterans and their families. They need to be recieved by December 10, 2010.

visit the snopes website for more information on what you can/cannot send! http://www.snopes.com/politics/christmas/soldiercards.asp

Finally updating

2010-10-01T15:39:00.006-06:00

Well, we welcomed baby Florabelle into the world on August 31st, 2010 weighing 7lb 6oz. She is a healthy little girl and we have no complaints about her thus far. She sleeps good, eats good, and poops good. She does like to be held a bit more than Winston did, but overall it's more cuddly time for us then! Here are some pics that have been taken by us and also at Inspire Portraits here in GF, MT.

Kids Bedroom

2010-08-25T16:16:00.006-06:00

Well, I have had requests for pics of the kids room and here they are. They are sharing a room for now and their room is for sleeping only- they do have a playroom upstairs not to mention a loft above their bedroom to play as well- so it looks cramped, but really it's fine for 2 small children to just sleep in. Flora has the old crib and dresser that were used starting with my mother (60 years old) and all the beautiful purple butterfly bedding my mom bought. They rug is "monster fur" feeling as I call it- very soft.

Winston's side is all new Toy Story Themed like he wanted it. I made some curtains to match and found a great rug at Target for $5 (that was 75% off!!). He also got the new bed with drawers underneath it, so the dresser is built right in/

So they both have new and I think it worked well with the green walls that were already in there. Now, we just need to second child to get here to be able to put it all to use!!

Mom's 60th birthday bash

2010-07-17T18:06:00.003-06:00

It was Ken's 42nd as well. We had a small BBQ at the house. We BBQ'd LOTS of food, had a firepit, and overall just had a good time. Special thanks to Charli for making moms cake, it was wonderful as always! And mom made Ken's penuche frosting cake (that he wouldn't share- jerk!). Anyhow, thought I'd share the pics with you all.

Baby Shower Fun

2010-07-17T17:48:00.012-06:00

(Tori, Sam, Myself, Billie, and Charli)

My friends threw me a baby shower a few weeks ago and it was SO wonderful! (My computer has been on the fritz, so posting about it has been hard). My friend Samantha flew up from San Antonio, TX and threw the shower along with Tori, Charli, and Billie. It was wonderful...we had great food, games, and door prizes for all. Nobody walked away without something, including my hostesses. I made out like a bandit and it was all great! Even with 30 guests, I didn't get doubles of anything. Wierd! So, thank you to all who made this possible, all who came, and all who couldn't be there as well. It was beautiful and I love you guys!

32 week photo

2010-07-15T15:32:00.002-06:00

This is the 32 week ultrasound pic I had done on Tuesday. We were rechecking some cysts they had seen on her head back at the 20 week appointment. Thankfully they are nearly gone and we can not worry about them. They caught this good one of her face though. Her chubby little cheeks are just too darn cute to me. Her eye is open as well and she's looking around then. She measured about 4.5 pounds and her heart rate was 141bpm. It was fun to see the heart and I had someone training doing my ultrasounds, so it was neat to get to see everything extra long. I cannot wait to meet her! Time is ticking away!!

"Are You My Mother?"

2010-05-10T16:00:00.004-06:00

Winston's class did the play "Are You My Mother?" today at school and will be doing it at the retirement center on Thursday again. It was so cute and they worked VERY hard on it. I recorded the whole play, so it does take about 10 minutes to watch for those who are interested in watching. Winston is the "snort" which is the furthest character on the right (the hero of course) he is wearing a box and a hard hat and isn't a part of it until the end. A few of his friends from playgroup are in it as well for those who know them. Addy is the baby bird (main character) and Keenan is the airplane (next to Winston). Paul's bosses daughter is the narrator who tells the story as well, so it's kind of fun to share with all who may know these guys as well. Just wanted to share how cute the kids can be. ENJOY!! I hope as much as I did.

It's a girl!

2010-04-22T15:44:00.002-06:00

Well, we finally had the professional ultrasound done today and it confirmed our unprofessional opinion. YEP, it's a girl- so WOO HOO! Of course I am not technology smart so I cannot get the movie to save to the computer...Paul will have to do that. For now I will share an ultrasound picture in which she is being an acrobat. The video has her just tumbling and tumbling around, hope hopefully I'll be able to share that with you soon too. Thanks for all the pink thoughts today....you guys rock!

Soccer Season Again

2010-04-13T16:11:00.003-06:00

It's that time of the year- SPRING SOCCER! Yeah! And we have Coach Paul teaching us all about it this year. We had our first game on Sunday and had our butts handed to us, not that anyone besides us parents are keeping score of course. They had like 20 goals and we had like 0, seriously. Our kids were just running around like "whatever- do whatever you want, we don't care" It was rather amusing seeing them just running around without a care in the world, it was only cold and windy outside. At least we missed the snow though-that was during the 3o'clock games and ours wasn't until 5 thank goodness. Found out our kids have ALOT of work to do if they plan to ever make a goal at a game this season though. Lots to practice on Thursday nights!

Busy Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T18:40:00.003-06:00

We had such a fun and busy Easter weekend! On Saturday we picked up Tana and Kendra and went to Home Depot to make their butterfly house (they both did really well), then we went to the circus- where Paul and Winston both had their first ride on an elephant, then off to Grandma's house for an egg hunt followed by some playing of course, then we took the kids home and came home ourselves to get cleaning for a small Easter dinner at our house. Paul and Joe also moved the swingset over to our yard on Saturday while the kids were playing inside at grandma's house. Then Sunday was Easter brunch, yardwork, playing, and Easter dinner of course. We had a smoked ham that was REALLY yummy thanks to Paul. Mom, Joe, Emma, Brooks, and us 3 made for a wonderful little dinner. Now it's Monday and the week has started again and I honestly am glad-i was so worn out from going going going this weekend!

Last Ultrasound Pics

2010-03-17T18:29:00.004-06:00

Here's the last ultrasound picture I had taken March 2nd. The baby was SO active...kicking and punching the whole time! Holy buckets, I can't imagine it being like that when I can actually feel it. Paul's been calling it Sugar Ray for now, but we need to come up with a girl boxer name instead...jeez what's he thinking? Hopefully at the end of the month, beginning of April we'll know what the baby is. HOPEFULLY! We actually call it "finding out what kind of puppy it is", since we're going to play around at my work (at the vet clinic) with the ultrasound machine and see what we can see. Then I'll go to a professional and make sure we know for sure! Until then, this is what I've got for looking at. I've still been really sick for the last few days, after a few weeks of feeling better. Now I have a head cold and a toothache on top of it. I'm telling you, this pregnancy has not been any form of fun yet! So let's hope for feeling better and PINK thoughts everyone, PINK thoughts!

We've been doing lots of tours!

2010-03-17T18:19:00.004-06:00

First we toured the local bakery "Great Harvest Bread" where the kids learned all about wheat and what it's used for. Did you know it was used to make licorice? I didn't. Anyhow, they made their own loaf of cinnamon bread, rolling it out and putting it on the pan and all, then we came back 2 hours later to pick it up. It was such a yummy snack when Winston got home from school.

Next was our local Papa John's Pizza, where we made our own pizzas- they were huge (8 slices each)! Winston and I made our half and half and it sure turned out yummy. It was a great lunch to have before heading to school and daddy sure appreciated us bringing it to him for lunch too.

Catching Up- this ones from January

2010-03-17T18:14:00.006-06:00

Here are some photos of Winston at his gymnastics competition he was in back in January called "The Rootbeer Cup" (note how high he was when he was hanging upside down on the rings-it'll scare the heck out of you!) He had a blast though and loves loves loves his medal he recieved for it.

New Addition Coming

2010-02-01T12:52:00.003-07:00

Well, here's the announcement quite a few people have asked about over the years. We're expecting. I haven't made it through the first trimester yet, but I can't just keep it to myself this time. I get so busy in life and slip up in conversations and typing. I went to the doctor today and they predicted me to be 8 weeks and 4 days along as of today. This is putting me due Sept 9-12. I will be having a c-section again and it will be a week before those dates, of course we won't plan for that until it gets a little closer first. The baby's heartbeat was 171 today, in the ultrasound the baby is the little white spot on the small black area. Anyhow, THINK PINK people because I want this to be the last time I have to go through pregnancy!

Giveaways Galore

2010-01-29T19:54:00.002-07:00

Check out this amazing website giving away a bunch of wonderful, neat items daily. They are absolutely awesome and there are so many that would be wonderful to win. So go check it out and see what you could win too! http://thedressupdrawer.blogspot.com/

Sunday Snowday (complete with a crappy football game)

2010-01-10T18:30:00.004-07:00

Well, it was warm enough today we could go out and make a snowman and a snow-fort/igloo. We had a great time building and playing in the snow together today. We had a snowball fight, created 2 snowmen, and made our big snowdrift into an igloo for Winston. It is complete with a flag and all (the one they put in the yard when they fertilize it lol). Afterwards, we came inside for a while. Paul and Winston watched TV until the game came on, while I went to a party at a friends house for the new YOUR SHAPE Wii game(which turns out to be pretty awesome!). Afterwards, I came home and we finished out the game. What a lousy outcome- what the heck was Aaron Rogers doing at the end there kicking that ball on the way down? Cost us the game 100%!! Oh well, next year huh? Anyhow, here's some pics of our fun before the depressing game!

Christmas Program

2009-12-21T21:24:00.003-07:00

Winston is still young enough for me to call it a Christmas Promgram and it not be "wrong" so I'm going to do it. For their program they showed us their skills they have learned in gymnastics, which they are learning things you don't normally do until 6 years of age at 3-4 years old. They are doing very well according to their gymnastics instructors, then they sang Silent Night along with the sign language they learned to it, Jingle Bells, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Lastly, they all recieved certificates of achievement and were so proud of themselves. It was a full house there watching so the videos have lots of background noise on them as well. I think everyone brought their extended, extended family to it (brothers of half brother, your uncles mom, etc-lol), but it was nice to see the kids put on a good show like they did.

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza

2009-12-21T21:14:00.005-07:00

We went all out and made tons of cookies this year. I think I will gain 5 pounds just from them...they are so yummy! I made the BEST peanut butter cookies I have ever had in my life (and yes I'll post the recipe at the end). Winston is such a big helper and always wants to be a part of everything, not to mention he is so particular when we're decorating. It took like 4 hours to bake and decorate sugar cookies!! Oh well, it was fun.here's a picture of us making the cookies together. Our matching aprons say Holiday Hugs and Christmas Kisses. TOO CUTE!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1c. peanut butter (JIF Natural makes them so yummy!)

1c sugar

1 egg

Mix all ingredients, drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet, flatten with a fork and sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes

The Season for Giving

2009-12-21T08:35:00.004-07:00

We had such a busy season of giving this year! The Mamas Group adopted a family from the YWCA here, the family was a mom and her 2 year old son is all. So basically with a group of 20+ women they scored pretty big. I think they got everything on their list and MORE! My mamas group is such a wonderful giving group of women and I am so happy they all pulled through to make it happen for this family! The picture attached on here is how many gifts we ended up with when I went and played Santa delivering them. I hope this helps them out in life and they are able to pay it forward in the future to someone else. Then we adopted a 3 year old boy off the St.Vincent tree at Winston's school as well. He wound up with some clothes and a few cars to play with. Winston's school gave their books from the month of December to some less fortunate kids in our community as well, the wrote little notes inside the books and sent them off to the kids. It has been really cute to see Winston understand the concept of giving to people in need this year! He wants to buy things at the store for kids who can't afford them now, so precious!

Snowman Making

2009-12-21T08:25:00.003-07:00

On Tuesday it was finally warm enough to set foot outside to play in the snow (I'm not complaining, I know I live in MT). Winston really wanted to make a snowman. Of course I haven't made once since probably middle school, so it was an experience for both of us. His head would fall off his body, so I'd push harder and then the body would break. UGH, like I said an adventure! We finally got it made and used a hat and scarf from the garage, got sticks from the side of the house, used rocks we had inside for the face and buttons, a baby carrot for the nose, and koolaid to make the red smile! Winston wanted a broom, but I wasn't bringing my only broom outside in the snow so I told him maybe next time we can get a broom for him. He loved his snowman and sang "Frosty the Snowman" while we made it. Of course the song is a mixture of "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" but it's cute to listen to. By the next day, it was warm enough he was down to just his bottom part and by Friday he was gone completely! Winston didn't understand why he was melting into the ground and wants to make another one next time it snows. He doesn't think the next one will melt into the ground, because we will make it special! Oh well, that was our Tuesday afternoon fun, thought we'd share with you!

Holidays in Swing

2009-12-06T17:13:00.005-07:00

Last night we had our Mamas Group Christmas Party here at the house and it was a blast as always with these girls. We had lots of yummy food, exchanged ornaments (in which I threatened to put mine down my pants to keep if from being stole!), and then we had fun opening door prize for everyone. We each put in $10 for the door prizes then I go out shopping in search of the deals of the century to make the gifts as awesome as possible, they ranged anywhere from $3-25 but you'd never know I only spent $3 total on any of the gifts we had. A few people brought great little gifts to share with everyone as well. I am so happy to have such a wonderful group of women to have fun and grow with both at our moms night out events and playgroups with our children. They are like family to me and for that I am thankful! With all that said, I'm definitely feeling in the Holiday Spirit now and can't wait to spread the joy of the holiday season to everyone else! HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON EVERYONE!

These are the cute snowman cheese ball and plates I made for the fun Christmas party. I just love em'!

Polar Plunge/Anniversary 2009

2009-12-05T08:01:00.004-07:00

Okay, as promised I am uploading pictures from our Polar Plunge! Paul and I raised $270 and the event raised over $23,000 for the Montana Special Olympics. We had a blast doing it too. My team consisted of 6 of us [Charli, Tori, Carrie, Sarah VT, Lauren(who wasn't here to jump), and myself], we raised $905. We wore tutus made by Carrie, shirts that say "Imma Frigid Mama", specially made earrings, and some fancy leggings. The water was WAY colder this year than it was last year though, so quite a shock when we hit it. We were the 3rd team to go and the hottub didn't feel very warm when we got in ! Paul's team was John, Claude, and himself all from Cable Technology, they raised $530. They wore their swim trunks and flowery swimsuit tops, along with Christmas hats. They were the last team to jump and said the hottub was luke warm by the time they got in. Overall we had a great time though. Paul and I walked around the stroll afterwards with John and his family and Claude, then went out for dinner and drinks at Boston's. It was a fun and simple 5th wedding anniversary and we wouldn't have done it any other way. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you who supported us. You rock and we love you all.

Thanksgiving Pics

2009-11-29T09:59:00.004-07:00

We wound up having a nice Turkey dinner here at our new house. Was kind of nice to be able to spend the first BIG holiday in our new home here. All the food was great although the turkey did take forever on the smoker. Along with the malfunction the smoker had.....it was smoking from everywhere and there was a fire in the back of it. So that was an ordeal so us to take care of. In the end it tasted wonderful adn was super moist. We had all the good stuff- stuffing, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, potato casserole, corn, mixed veggies, bisquits, pumpkin cobbler, wine, beer, and kid wine. It was way too much food, but the leftovers are wonderul too!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T08:52:00.003-07:00

I am so thanksful to have such a wonderful life, I have a great family and a wonderful set of friends. I am thankful that Paul has a great job to provide for us, thankful for our beautiful new home, thankful for our well-being,thankful for my friends who I've had throughout my life, thankful for my Mamas friends, and thankful for life! I hope everyone has a wonderful turkey day.....stuff yourself until your at least a few pounds heavier!!

Halloween Happenings

2009-10-29T16:06:00.007-06:00

Today was Winston's Halloween Party at school, so I thought I'd share a few pics from the fun we had. They went on their own personal parade around the block and waved at cars, had a visit from Happy the clown, then had a snack, and finished off with a few songs. He made the cutest pumpkin to bring home and put outside too. It was a blast! The pics are Winston's 2 pumpkins, the parade they had, and the cutest snack another mom made and brought that is even healthy!!!

Pumpkin Fun

2009-10-12T18:31:00.003-06:00

Well, today we made it out to the Pumpkin Patch and it was a blast as always. We went on a hayride, tracked our way through the maze and found a couple of pumpkins to go home with us. Winston picked a white one to take for his school project and a big Orange one for his Pirate Pumpkin kit(THANK YOU BECKI!). We had such a good time. It was a chilly day here (20 degrees), but it was sunny and not windy for the first time in a week. It was absolutely the perfect day for a fall Pumpkin Patch visit.

Soccer

2009-09-28T16:45:00.000-06:00

Well, Winston had his 3rd soccer game yesterday and I actually got a cute action shot, so I thought I would share. h thinks soccer is fun, although after about 5 minutes on the field he is tripping and falling and laying on the ground because he's wiped out. It's rather comical though to watch. Being the people watcher he is, he sits back and watches what the rest of the team is doing and goes from there. If he thinks it's okay he joins in, if not then he goes about doing whatever he feels like doing (picking his fingers, laying on the field, staring off into space). Anyhow, thought I'd share with you osme pictures here. Oh yeah, and here's the face he makes when he's very serious about it. :) LOL

First Time Home Buyers

2009-09-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Well, Paul and I took the leap to be first time home buyers. We made an offer on Monday night and the sellers accepted by Tuesday morning. Holy Cow has it been a whirlwind since then! LOTS of paperwork to do. We are set to close on Oct 14th as long as everything works out with inspections, appraisals and such. So we'll keep you all posted, just wanted to share our good news!! If you want to see more pictures, it is listed under Coldwell Banker here in Great Falls and the MLS # is 09-1920.

High Heel A Thon video and results

2009-08-15T16:16:00.000-06:00

So I booked it for the babies and got 2nd place. I just could NOT get past the lady in front of me, she was fast! I had my heels duct taped on a ran as fast as I possibly could. What a marvelous idea that was, thanks to Corie! The event raised over $2000 and there were only 15 participants, so I think that's pretty good for the first year. I included the video Paul took, I am the closest one on the left with pink pants on (next after that is Charli, Sam, and Tori all in a row). It was fun, but I aspire to kick that lady's butt next year!!

These shoes were made for running.......

2009-08-11T17:02:00.000-06:00

And on Saturday that's what they're going to do! I (along with a few of my girlfriends) will be running in the high-heel-thon on Saturday morning to benefit the March of Dimes. So wish me luck and hope I don't break my neck, twist my ankle, gfet road rash on my face, or anything else that could possibly go wrong! I think I might duct tape them to my feet so they don't fall off! Hey they were only $6 shoes, so I don't really care!

Okay, we had our Moms Night Out and practiced down the alley. Notice the tape I'm using matches my shoes (THANKS CARRIE!!) We had quite a fun time and everyone else got a kick out of it too!

Winston's Treasure Box

2009-07-08T17:18:00.000-06:00

We made a race-car treasure box to be auctioned off at the Great Falls Public Library at the end of the month. It was what Winston wanted to do, so we made it happen. We painted it blue, added flames, put some sweet wheels on, colored on a windshield, stickered it up and even added mufflers with bobby pins, what a blast we had. doing it! The treasure inside is 3 mini race cars, making ours the best one out there!! These are auctioned off to help fund next years prizes/books for the summer reading program. So it's an awesome creative craft for kids that ultimately benefits them in the end too. The auction is Thursday July 23rd from 2-5pm at Library Park here in Great Falls (behind the library), if you are able to come out and support or even just check them out, please do!!

4th of July Fun

2009-07-02T15:32:00.000-06:00

So we decided to have a fun playgroup for the 4th of July. We wanted to tie-dye, so we decided to do it in red and blue on our white shirts. It was quite a fun, yet messy time. Everyone had fun and the shirts I'm sure will turn out great. Winston and I had made ours a few days ago on a trial run and here's how they turned out. I think they are fun and festive, as well as being able to wear them on other occasions as well. Winston and I will be rockin on Saturday!

Fishing Day

2009-06-29T10:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was so beautiful outside, we decided to do a little fishing. We went out to Wadsworth Park (simply because it's a little more kid friendly than other places). They stock it up before the kids fishing day that was back the first weekend of June, so sometimes you can actually catch something. We did not wind up catching anything, but we had a good time messing around anyways. A lady next to us caught a really nice Rainbow Trout and another lady caught a Walleye that came by in her canoe, so there are fish to be caught.......just not by us!! It was so nice to not be couped up at home and just be outside. Winston has a blast too, except he gets a little mad when we don't actually catch anything! Oh well, I just love the days when we can go lounge around like that and enjoy the outdoors. I hope we can have a few more Sundays like that before the summer is over!

Field Trip to Billie's house

2009-06-27T19:08:00.000-06:00

My friend Carrie had wanted somewhere to take her kids to ride some horses that aren't nasty looking and treated like crap, so she called up Billie and planned an afternoon outing to her house. Winston, Paul, and I were invited to come on over as well, so we did. The kids had a blast riding the horses, although Winston wouldn't go a second time without Paul riding too (which he did). Then they got to see and feel the mini horse and mini donkey carrots. What a fun time that was, the kids were eating the carrots as well! Billie has a baby raccoon right now named "Olga" which we took our time passing around and checking her out. She sucks on fingers, which is too dang cute. (I had told Billie it was disgusting, but actually it's cute!!) Lastly we got to see Billie snake "Monty" We didn't hold him because he had eaten a bunch earlier and she wasn't 100% comfy with the kids holding him. They did have an awesome time out there though, it was like a zoo with cats, donkeys, horses, dogs, snakes, and raccoons! Thanks Billie and Connie for taking time out of your day to let the kiddos have fun at your place!!

Goodbyes suck!

2009-06-26T13:58:00.000-06:00

Today was a hard day for me...I had to say goodbye to a good friend. It made me think of when I had to say goodbye to the Lindals 2 years ago (another VERY hard day for me). Made me remember what the military life was like and I hated it, losing a friend is never fun. I know it's not really "losing" a friend, because they can still be my friend from a distance. But to have a friend move away just plain sucks. Nicole was the first person I really felt 100% comfortable with when the mamas took off and one of my confidants when I needed someone. She is one of the most generous, sweetest people I have ever met and am glad to have had her here with me, in my life for the last year and a half. Without Nicole the GF Mamas sure isn't going to feel the same for a while. I will miss seeing her and precious little Ben each week. So, THANK YOU Nicole for being such a wonderful friend and for helping make the GF Mamas what it is today. I wish you the very best of luck in all of lifes endeavors. I know we will keep in touch, and hey maybe I'll have to come to the east coast and see what it's all about. I hope you find/create a group that you will fit right into as well as you did with us- hey D.C. has to have much better things to do than po-dunk Great Falls! Love you and miss you already...and you're still here! Now I think I'll step away from this blog posting before I cry a little more!

What constitutes a friend?

2009-06-24T21:41:00.001-06:00

So, clearly there are some people in my life who don't know what it means for you to be my friend. Yet, when they want something they sure as shit tell someone they're my friend. So, here's my list on how to be my friend:

Be someone who I can actually stand to be around
Be someone I know I can confide in and it not get around to the rest of the world
Hang out with me somewhere other than a function in which we have to be at (Girls Night Out, playgroup, work, family function, etc)
Give me a call every now and again (I know I suck at this too, but hey I work and try to manage a mommy and me group) I will eventually call you back
Don't criticize me having a drink (or 4) on the weekends (sorry my husband is cool about it and yours isn't)
Don't talk shit behind my back and think I won't find out
Invite me and my family to do things with you and your family
Miss me like I miss you! Keep in touch even if it's just via emails/facebook/myspace/blogger!

Basically, do as I do- be nice and have fun and don't use my name just to get yourself something. Don't say things that are hurtful just because you're jealous or don't like my lifestyle. It's my life, not yours. I don't criticize people and they way they live, so don't do it to me! You people know who you are and I just want you to know, it is very hurtful to me and I don't appreciate you being a BITCH.

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

To all the men out there who have taken me on like their own child when my father was gone, thank you for being there for me and being father-like to me! To my grandpa, my brother, my Papa Gordy, my brother in law, my father in law, the mamas Daddy's, and everyone out there I know who is a father! And to my husband who is the most wonderful father I could ask for my CHILD. Everyone kick back, have a beer, and know I am thinking about you. HAPPY FATHERS DAY! (The rocks are Paul's gift from Winston)

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-06-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

So today's the day my mother was brought into this world back in 1950! Next year is a big one and we're thinking Hawaii is a great way to celebrate it! (Not in June though she says maybe in November or something when it's cold out here!!) Anyhow, here's a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the woman who has always been a constant in my life, to the greatest woman I know, and the woman who I aspire to be just like someday (I already look just like her according to the family I saw over vacation!)- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM. I love you more than you could ever imagine!

Welcome Summer Weather

2009-06-01T17:19:00.000-06:00

So the day after preschool graduation, we decided to go to the spraypark for a little fun time. It was absolutely beautiful outside and we wanted to enjoy it while it's still free. We went at 11am and it was already well enough warm to be there. Winston had a blast spraying the other kids with the spray guns, finding bugs, and just playing around. What a wonderful way to start off summer vacation!!

Graduation Day at School

2009-06-01T16:25:00.001-06:00

Winston officially graduated from his first year of preschool last Thursday, with a tear rolling down my face. It was too dang cute and amazing to see how they've changed over the last 9 months. They each had their moment of fame with a solo act. Winston's being the abc's. Mind you Winston would not talk for over 3 months of the year, so he did really well in his speaking.

These videos are some examples of their daily activities they do there. Included are "Shaking the Sillies Out" and "Months of the Year"

Winston recieving his "diploma"

I am so proud of what a smart, sweet little boy he is. I am excied to have him back with me every morning and to myself for a little while. We always have a great time together, I cherish every moment we have together- my goodness do they grow up fast! I hope you all enjoy the fun videos and pictures attached as much as I enjoyed seeing them and then sharing them with Paul. I haven't blogged a ton lately, mainly because I've been so busy getting everything ready for school to be done and for our upcoming vacation this week. So, hopefully we'll be able to keep up on our vacation and share our fun times there!

Daddy's Day at School

2009-06-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

They did their dads day at school as I had said they would and boy did the have fun. They had BBQ sandwiches and deer antlers on the tables. It was so "manly" decorated and it was fun. The kids did a "My dad is super because poster" Winstons answer was "he plays with me and let's me watch cartoons." I am glad Paul got to experience the same thing I did and have some quality time at school with his little buddy!

Bad Day Thursday warning graphic descriptions

2009-05-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I was just overall having a bad day. It started off with me questioning friendships in my life, Mamas group drama AGAIN. It's amazing how people Can be the way they are and just be okay with themselves you know. I can't imagine hurting people on a daily basis and not even flinching at it. Or tell me it hurts your/someone Else's feelings when you're not being invited to something that I didn't plan and then you don't invite me to your something, but tell me about it. THAT"S PLAIN @$$ rude! But I guess that's not how I roll, I'm a people pleaser and always try to make others happy. Anyways, that's my rant about how my day started off. Then, the washing machine quit working, which was not good since Winston had an accident on Tuesday night in his bed and then Wednesday night in ours. So, I had to 2 beds worth of bedding, all my towels, plus my week of laundry to do still. UGH! I loaded it all up and went to the laundromat, what a chore that was and man was it expensive! $25 it cost me to wash and dry all my laundry. On the plus side, I love the smell of fresh laundry so I was in HEAVEN when it came to the smell of the place. I did get some work done while waiting, but it's just not convenient to go to the laundromat. Finally, I decided to go work on some of my reminders at work because I do need to get ahead before we go to Wisconsin at the beginning of June. I was there for 3.5 hours when I found out they were going to put a horse down and we needed to remove it's brain for testing. Now, this is when my day gets better because I love to watch these kinds of things ans see things I have never/rarely seen before. It was a very sad situation, but a neat thing to see (of course I wouldn't want this to happen if it wasn't necessary). I came home and got Paul (Winston stayed with Grandpa Joe) and we went up to watch, which turned into us helping. The horse wound up passing away on its own and man was it stuck in it's stall. Thank goodness Paul was here to help, otherwise it would have been us 3 girls and 1 doctor. He did an awesome job helping and after a long while and many different trys/angles used we got the horse out. Then came the fun part, we had to remove the horses head, take it into the clinic and then remove the brain. Now, removing a brain is not very easy, the body's structure is absolutely amazing. The skull around the brain is VERY strong and we literally had to saw to get it apart. At about 9:30ish we finally got him open and got the brain out, but it was a fun experience for both Paul and myself. I'm glad we went up and be able to see that again. I've seen it twice now and thought both times it was exhilarating. Oh yeah- when I say we in all of that I don't mean me, I grabbed tools and watch mainly, everyone else did the actual work. Then, I got to come home and watch my DVR'd Grey's Anatomy which just left me wondering if they die or not. What a heart wrenchingly sad ending for Izzy and George if they die! Oh well, now I have something to look forward to in the fall I guess. So, that was my bad day yesterday and I hope the weekend winds up being a fun, drama-free, heartwrenching-free, laundry-free time.

Thank YOU for all of your support

2009-05-11T11:33:00.000-06:00

Well, we had our March for Babies walk on Saturday and our final amount raised as a team was....drum roll please......$1282! We did awesome AGAIN this year. I am do thankful to all my mamas who helped me out. We were a team of 11 and 9 of us showed up to walk, the other 2 have an excuse though- 1 was in the hospital because she had her baby on Saturday morning (Congrats Sarah!) and the other is down in Alabama with her hubby who is in the military (missed you Lins). Anyhow, it wound up being a beautiful day on Saturday (meaning no wind!) and we had a great time walking 4 miles in support of babies/mamas everywhere! The Great Falls area raised over $36,000 alone, go Great Falls! Anyhow, I just wanted to tell you all THANK YOU for your support. I appreciate all everyone does to help me in my fundraising events- whether it be a monetary donation, helping prepare for an event, or even just cheering me on. I have the greatest support system anyone could ever ask for.......without you it wouldn't be possible. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Mothers Day Breakfast at Preschool

2009-05-07T15:36:00.000-06:00

Today was the Mothers Day breakfast at Winston's preschool. It was so much fun and SO dang cute. They sang "You are My Sunshine" first, then they served us breakfast. When I say served us breakfast, I mean the kids delivered it on a platter to each mom. It was grapes, watermelon, and a blueberry muffin-they had the same only their muffin was smaller than the moms. Each mom had a placemat with their children's hand print on it as well. There was a list of what each child says to the phrase "My mom is special because"....Winstons said "She helps me take a shower" LOL. Then they sang the sond "I Love Mommy" from the video above. Winston is in the yellow shirt on the end. Lastly, they gave us these cute little cards they had made and a planted flower in a container they had painted. It was so cute, yet it made me want to cry because I realized he's not a little boy anymore and more like a BIG boy. He's such a sweetie and I couldn't have asked for a better little boy.

Tie-dyeing Eggs

2009-04-05T18:01:00.000-06:00

I had read about tie-dyeing eggs in a magazine and thought I'd give it a go and man did they turn out neat! I went to Goodwill and Salvation Army for some cheap silk ties ( I bought 5 of them for under $5), I brought them home, took them apart and cut them to fit around my eggs (which are not yet cooked), being secured by rubber bands on each end, brought water to a boil over the stove, then stuck them in for 15 minutes (leaving it at a boiling temp.). After the 15 minutes, I removed them from heat, let them cool, and then removed the fabric to find the coolest designs. Some just transfer colors while others transfer the actual design. I made 18 eggs with the 5 ties, my only complaint was the smell of goodwill/salvation army being dispersed throughout my house. Here's what they wound up looking like

You can see the pink versus the white ones, the ties had many different colors in them.

I think they almost look antique!

We also embarked on taking some spring pictures in the Easter Outfit(s) I bought Winston, so here's a couple of those to share as well!

Isn't he just handsome? I know I'm partial to him!

My smartie pants kid

2009-04-03T17:20:00.000-06:00

He's only 3.5 (as Grandpa Joe calls him) and he's just so dang smart. I can't believe he still has a year left until he goes to school! He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES preschool and quite frankly, so do I. I tried teaching him how to write and within just a few months he seemed to have things figured out at school. He has figured it out a little too much I think though, since I've found his name on the wall and also on the leather couch- YEAH! He tries to blame it on Tana, I can't imagine why I wouldn't believe her! He actually writes his name backwards sometimes too. I'm not really sure what thats all about, but it's a mirror image of what it should be! I scanned it, but it makes it look so photocopied! It's actually on yellow construction paper in pink marker.

He also knows his phone number and is so good at telling what it is. it's kind of a little scary cause he just tells people "i know my phone number!" and then rambles on what it is. That was a little harder to work on than his name, but he's got it down now! The alphabet was easy because I had bought him a V-Tech game that tells you to find the letter on the computer and what it is when you're looking for it, we also read the "Alphabet Zoo" book almost every night for like 2 months so he figured it out fast! Now he is singing his ABC's, misses a few letters here and there, but he's got ost of it down. It's just so dang cute. He also does the pledge of allegiance all the time, that one can get old-FAST! We just finally figured out it's indivisible and not invisible for the wording in it.

He tells me what little people can say and what big people can say. For example, little people can say "Oh pickles" and big people can say "Oh, Sh*t". It's absolutely funny when he tells me that. And the things he learns from me, like "Do you hear me" "Are you listening to me" and "Hey I'm talking to you"! I wish I had never ever said them! they come back to haunt me at the worst times, let me tell you!

We also like drawing people now. They are funny as heck too! this is the picture he drew of himself, he thinks it's just great!So that's just my little bragging rant I needed to go on, WOW- I just can't believe how time flies!

Fricking Perkins!

2009-03-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

Us girls went again and has our final bad experience. And based off the managers reaction when I called her about it, I will NEVER go to any Perkins restaurant again! This is the letter I am sending to the editor of the GF Tribune about my experience: I could go on and on, but honestly if I make a book I don't think it'll ever have a chance of being published!

In today’s world of political correctness and social tolerances it is often forgotten that discrimination is real and can affect anyone at anytime in any environment.
Recently a group of my friends, I, and our children ranging from 3months to 4 years of age, patronized a local downtown franchise “family” restaurant for lunch but, we were served much more than that. We began our outing which was to be a polite gathering and socializing extravaganza with an exorbitantly long wait filled with dirty looks and impolite tones. After nearly 30 minutes of waiting we were escorted to our “area” nestled in the dark recesses of the restaurant not too unfamiliar to the catacombs of Europe. This particular location would seemingly ensure our children would not disturb the other presumably more profitable couples and groups of elderly patrons. We had no premonition that our arrangements were soon going from bad to worse. Right out of the gate our server addressed the table with an impatient “What do your kids want to drink?”. Throughout the rest of our dining experience we were served to few drink refills and a multitude of eye rolls, with the exception of one waitress who found it in her heart to gather some crackers for a child who was getting just a little impatient as we waited for our food. I’m pretty sure she will be canonized at some point.
After consuming our lunches and making sure that our table and floor messes were left to a minimum. We strolled out of the catacombs to the front of the restaurant to pay our respective tabs and to claim the “Bakery Fresh” cookies that are provided with the children’s meals. Eureka! Yet again we have found the same impatience and brash personalities at the front counter. At this point I was beyond frustrated, I had seen numerous other customers come, dine, and leave the establishment all the while being treated like guests at Martha Stewarts home while my group received the treatment you would expect Martha received in prison.
Now, I am not one who would normally complain about this type of service, but this wasn’t the first time it has happened at this particular restaurant. I even called to talk with a manager about the way we had been treated, who remembered who we were. I was told they were busy at the particular time we had come. Since when does being busy constitute being rude? I fully understand not all children are always on their very best behavior, however I would think after numerous visits to this restaurant without one breakdown, not one thrown fit, not even one mess on the floor we would be treated nicely since we have done our best to make their jobs easier. What more could the restaurant staff ask for than a table of well behaved children and well mannered mothers who pick up after their children messes ask for?
So now I wonder, Are children in restaurants found to be such a nuisance to staff and other patrons to the point that restaurants are placing them in designated areas? Will we hear the common phrase “Welcome to our restaurant. Do you prefer the children or non-children section?”?

I'm too old for this I think

2009-03-21T14:21:00.001-06:00

So, there I was at Hastings at Midnight last night eager to get my own copy of Twilight and I realized I think I might be a little old for this. But I don't care! Charli and I had our picture taken at the "prom" there and we made fun of quite a few teeny-boppers. We couldn't decide if it was better not to be them or not to be us "old" people at a young people thing. We think at the next movie release we'll even get dressed up and participate in the cotume contest (we definately will have had a few drinks by then though). We had fun though and that's all that matters. Matter of fact it was the best dang book I've read in a Loooooooooonnnnngg time, so I don't care. I am in love with a fictional character and I'm okay with that. I want to be a vampire when I grow up and I'm okay with that too. I even bought my own Twilight "TEAM EDWARD" shirt and I am going to a Twilight Pajama Party tonight. So it's official, I am a member of the cult known as Twilight and I'm pretty sure I'm a lifelong member too. I can't wait to watch the movie tonight (AGAIN) and I might even reread the series for the hell of it too. *TEAM EDWARD*

Parades are great

2009-03-17T18:29:00.001-06:00

We had the annual St. Patricks Day parade in town today and I just loved it as usual. The bagpipers (my favorites) were first, they always make the parade so enjoyable. When in a parade I think either right in front of or behind them would be the very best place you could possibly be. Winston loves getting candy as well, although he doesn't get much because he only goes for one at a time. He has to open them and eat them before he goes for another one, and then they're all gone of course! I picked up a bunch of candy and put it in the hat he was wearing and brought it home. Then, he was saying trick-or-treat walking around with it here...maybe a little confused about holidays.

Irish Blessing

2009-03-17T08:39:00.000-06:00

This is my Irish Blessing to all of you this St. Patricks Day:

Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers—

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours—

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!

And for those of you not wearing green, this is me pinching you........PINCH!

Where did all the nice people go?! Bring em' back

2009-03-12T10:23:00.001-06:00

You know, I seriously am so very tired of rude people. Since when is it okay with employers to have their employees be so rude. What happened to the friendly country folk? Maybe aliens took them?! I mean, what the heck did I do to make someone have to be so rude?! Oh yeah, that's right probably nothing- my presence making them have to do something maybe had something to do with it. I am so tired of everywhere I go there has to be some person who is rude. Whether it be a worker, a customer, or just some random person on the street. I had a lady come up to us at McDonald's on Tuesday night (it was a cold night yes) and ask Winston "Where are your hat and gloves young man, don't your ears and hands get cold when it's so cold outside?" Seriously, is she implying that I'm a bad mom because he doesn't have a hat and gloves on? Maybe if she would have watched us when we walked in, she would have seen he had them on and we took them off and put them in my purse right when we walked in. I don't understand where people get off trying to make others look dumb. She looked dumb when I told her they were in my purse, because we'd taken them off upon arrival. Or how about those moms who mean mug at places such as open gym at gymnastics. What the heck is that for? They aren't any better than me, I pay just as much for my kid to be there each week as they do. Oh wait, I pay more because I pay the monthly rate of $180 for him to be there at preschool 3 days a week for 3 hours. I have just as much of a right to take my kid wherever I want to take him and pay for it as she does. Just because she's a doctors wife doesn't mean that those of us who aren't are below her...he husbands the doctor not her, maybe I should remind her of that!! Last but not least, how about diners (Perkins in my case) in which my moms group and I have been known to frequent after our library trips. They seriously give us the dirtiest look when we walk in there with all our kids. Yes, usually we are outnumbered 2:1 by the kids, but that doesn't mean we have bad kids. Our kids act the most behaved out of most kids I see now a days in restaurants. They don't yell, scream, throw food on the floor, etc. They act much older than expected in a restaurant, considering all of them are under 5! if they make a mess, we pick it up. That's how we do it in our group. We want a good reputation around town and want to be able to use facilities here without any problems. So, I think they should reconsider giving us a dirty look, because we sure could give them a reason to not like us coming there. I'm just so sick and tired of the rude people out there! My job can be SUPER stressful every single day I'm there, I never know what emergency or anything can walk through the door, but guess what even when I'm 150% stressed out I'm still nice- you even get a smile on my face! So my message to the world is quit being a bunch of assholes and be nicer- it can make a person's day go so much better!

Seriously snow- GO AWAY

2009-03-09T09:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I know I live in Montana and it snows here, but I am so done with it this year. I think maybe the month of negative numbers and ALL the dang snow we had this year just has made me tired of it. I want chirping birds and warm weather like I read on my friend Hallie's blog...maybe I miss Texas just a little (although I would never admit it before). If it's the only thing I miss about it, then I miss the warm weather in the late winter that enables you to be eating the food out of your garden by the time summer even rolls around. But, here I am in Montana with a snow covered garden, freezing my butt off. So BOO on Montana snow this year, maybe I'll like it more next year. But for now I'm just waiting (not very patiently) for spring to get here! Dear Old Man Winter, you deserve a LONG vacation. Please take it ASAP. C'mon spring already!

Help me reach my goal!Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

2009-03-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

My first blog- EVER

2009-03-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

So a bunch of people I know are now blogging their lives on here and I really enjoy feeling like I can keep up with what's going on their lives although we live in different areas of the world. So, I talked to Paul about it last night and we decided we would start blogging to let our friends and family have the chance to do the same thing. I can't promise it's always going to be nice and woo-hoo about everything, but I can say you'll know what is going on. I myself am a very opinionated person and have an attitude to back it up, so there will more than likely be some of that coming through on here as well. Just want you to know what you are getting yourself into when you read this blog, although most whom know me should be aware of this. I'm looking forward to sharing our lives with you all and keeping up on my fellow bloggers lives out there as well!