Weekend Retreat!

I am sooooo excited. I leave today for my weekend Scrapbooking retreat in Medora! I leave in about an hour, so I am running around here like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure I have everything, and also to make sure I have everything written down for Scott and the kids. They have a busy weekend ahead!!! Have a great weekend, see ya Monday!

Body parts

As I was cleaning up the kitchen this morning after breakfast, before walking Gage to school, here is our conversation.
Gage: "Mom, is dick a bad word?"
Mom: (Eyes have popped open, jaw has dropped to the floor) "Yes, Gage, that is a bad word! Why do you ask? Where did you hear that?"
Gage: "What if your name is Dick?"
Mom: "Well Gage, if your name is Dick, then that isn't a bad word. But if someone's name isn't Dick and you call them a dick, that's a bad word!"
Gage: "But my Grandpa's name is Dick."
Mom: "Yes, Gage it is. That's not bad when you call him that, because it's his name. Gage, do you remember not long ago when we talked about nuts being a slang term for testicles, well, dick is a slang term for your penis."
Gage: (Eyes are big and a little shocked). Alan has a book with Dick in the title. He told me that was a bad word.
Mom: "Well Gage, if that was in the title of a book, then it probably wasn't used in a bad way, because it was probably someone's name. Dick is a nickname for Richard. So, if you call someone that when it's their name, it's okay, but when you call someone that when it's not their name, you're calling them a penis, and that's not nice. So, if that title was meant in a bad way, then he shouldn't have been reading that book!"
Gage: "Okay Mom. Alan always tells me the truth."

I want to know if anyone knows how and when Dick was derived from Richard? Maybe long ago someone called a guy named Richard a dick, and somehow it stuck and all these poor men named Richard have been being called Dick all their life? We call my brother-in-law Richard (behind his back of course). I suppose we shouldn't do that in front of Gage anymore!

The questions are only going to get worse I'm afraid.

Pirate's Booty

Have any of you ever eaten Pirate's Booty? Emma and I went to a friends house for an afternoon playdate and she asked if we would like some Pirate's Booty. I laughed and laughed. It is real, and I did have some, and it was pretty good. Never thought I would say that Pirate's Booty is good. HA HA!
Emma's class went on a field trip this morning to Papa's Pumpkin Patch. It was raining this morning, so it wasn't a great time to go, but they are so filled up with schools coming on field trips that you can't reschedule if you don't come. Last year Emma's class got rained out, and the teacher said we were going to go this year, even if it was just to get the kids' pumpkins. They did get to go on a train ride, then we left. I think we were there maybe 30 minutes. Enough time to get some pictures for Emma's scrapbook. I had 4 kids riding with me. There was some interesting conversation. Emma's buddy Silas gave all the girls an anatomy lesson, and made sure they all knew that babies were carried in mom's tummy, then comes out through their vagina! (va-jay-jay) as Oprah would say, or (weetie woo) as we would say. Silas says, "That's right isn't it Stacy?" Stacy says, "Yes, Silas, that is right but let's not talk about that right now!" I haven't had that lesson with Gage or Emma yet, because they haven't asked yet. I think Silas would be the only other child in Emma's class who would knew what Emma was talking about when she hollered out testicles as her "B" word last week!! HA HA! Actually, he was probably confused, because I'm sure he knew that testicles didn't start with a "B"! Anyway, none of the girls seemed to care about what Silas had said. We'll have to wait and see if the other 2 Mom's come complaining about the topic of conversation that went on in my vehicle this morning! LOL!
I'm on the countdown...........................only 2 more days til my weekend scrapbooking retreat in Medora! I can't wait!!!!!!!

Hunting widow

Fall is here, which means I am officially a "hunting widow". Scott and Gage arrived home yesterday around 12:30pm from their long weekend of hunting. Scott has not even been home for 24 hours, and he is gone again. He has 100's of different friends that he hunts with. None of the others' wives will let them be gone as much as Scott is, so he needs several buddies to switch off amongst them so he'll always have someone that can go with him. I think there were about 5 with him this past weekend, so Jody Jennings is the buddy of choice for tomorrow, as I'm sure those other 5 are "homebound" for a few days since they were gone the over the weekend. Gage had a great time. He says he shot a duck with his BB gun but didn't kill it. Brie came home exhausted, which is a good thing. Scott, well, I know he is tired because he was doing weird things in his sleep last night and that typically happens when he's sleep deprived. Last night he was making hand movements and mumbling something. The fun thing about this is, that I can actually ask him questions, and he will answer, as long as I don't technically "wake him up". I am going to have to keep a pen and paper on my nightstand so I can remember details of what he says and does. That will add quite a bit of humor to future blog postings.

Volunteering

I learned something about myself tonight. Well, I kind of already knew that I hate volunteering for things, but I never really thought about why. I discovered why, tonight. I don't like volunteering for things because when I do something, I do it to the extreme. I engulf myself into whatever it may be, and I become obscessed with it (there's a recurring theme here, with the OCD idea). For instance, last week when I was obscessed with the Cub Scout thing, well, it was kind of a good thing that I was. I had more information to share at Gage's first Den meeting than the leader did. I'm not trying to give Scott a hard time or anything, because he had quite a busy weekend with Gage and his 100 friends in Tuttle. That's alot of work entertaining that many people and making sure they all have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. I always want everything to go perfectly, and many times it is out of my control. The meeting wasn't a total disaster. Alot of the stuff wasn't really Scott's fault. The head of the pack has not even given us a roster of the kids that our in our den, and we have not gotten any information on whether we are to be giving out the recognition patch, etc. I just hate disorganization. This past summer, we were involved in the baseball program with Gage, and it was a total disaster and completely unorganized. Scott volunteered to coach Gage's team. It was better after that, but I don't understand how people that are in charge of these things can let them become so chaotic? I guess that is why I don't volunteer to do things, because I would go completely nuts trying to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible and that everyone went home happy.

Busy day

Emma and I had a very busy day. Just us girls! :-) We started the day quite early helping my friend Amy with her garage sale, that we had a few items on. It was crazy busy! I have never had a garage sale where you nearly sell out of everything! I had taken my stuff to her house in about 3 trips, and came home with 3 things that didn't sell! It went well. Emma and I had to leave a couple times; however, for extra sacks, then dance. I was disappointed at dance class (quite bored in fact). They have the stage completely blocked off so you can't watch them practice. So, I pretty much sat and twiddled my thumbs and watched the other kids running around the basement of the church. We left there to go home and have lunch. Emma did NOT want to go back to the garage sale. I don't blame her. I didn't want to take her back either, as I knew she wasn't having fun, and I wasn't having fun with her begging for every single toy/stuffed animal that Amy had for sale. UGH! Things were better after her son Clay got off of work. Emma had her own 17-year-old friend to play with. She enjoyed that alot. Clay was very good with her. When we were packing up and getting ready to leave, Emma asked Amy and I if we could schedule a play date for her and Clay!!! Man, I am in trouble!
Scott called to let me know that they are doing well in Tuttle. They got up early this morning, hunted, killed birds. Apparently after Scott and a friend had shot their birds, they let Gage shoot his BB gun at the ducks that landed on the water. He thought that was great fun. He did have a major meltdown. I wasn't surprised, as he went to bed later than usual and was up very early this morning. He did take a nap this afternoon though (Scott made him), and then woke up as our normal, happy-go-lucky Gage. He'll be ready for complete meltdown when he gets home Monday, and he has his first Cub Scout den meeting that night, which is here at our house. So, I best get to cleaning tomorrow!
It was a beautiful day here today. I hope tomorrow will be just as nice!

The "B" word

Thought I would share Emma's picture from her Bear Box parade. She was quite proud when she saw me waiting for her to come through, as I was the only Mom there to watch. Remember, I have OCD!

TGIF!!!!

Today is Friday, thank goodness! Scott and Gage are going to be gone the whole weekend. It is the duck opener this weekend. Emma is quite upset that she doesn't get to go, but Scott promised her she could go next year! So, there will be a party about this time next year! HA HA!
I took Emma to school this morning. She was excited because they are having a Bear Box parade. Get the "B" theme? When we walked into her classroom this morning, her teacher Kathy says, "Oh, I want to tell you something before you leave!" So, Emma washed her hands and we got her backpack and jacket hung up in her cubby and she went off to play. I went up to Kathy, half scared of what she was going to tell me. Well, they are working on the alphabet. Last week was the letter "A". This week the letter "B". Which is why they are having the Bear Box parade today through the Y. Kathy said that sometimes she needs to help get the kids' minds going on different words, so she tries giving out hints. One was, "It flies in the air, and says tweet tweet", they all yell bird. Yes! Way to go! Then, her next hint was, "We all have one. On it is our nose, ears, eyes"........................I'm thinking oh no, boobs, butt. Emma shoots her hands straight up in the air saying, Oh, oh, I know! I know! Kathy calls on her and Emma shouts out "testicles!" Kathy said it took all she had not to burst out laughing, but instead she says, "No, Emma, nice try but that starts with the letter T". Oh my. I'm not positive why she said that, but I have a pretty good idea? I wanted to tell the story on the day of the Pumpkin patch post, but that one got to be way too long to fit in another story. So, here goes.....................While we were waiting for Scott to get home last Saturday from hunting, I was surfing the 4 television channels we have for something to watch. Nothing I wanted to watch was on, but I decided baseball was the best choice. As I was watching the game, Emma was sitting with me. The batter got hit in the wrist with the pitch and he hit the ground. Got his wrist nice and good. Emma was asking me about it. "Why did he get hit?" etc, etc. Anyway, she was enthralled by it enough that she was hollering out the door for Gage to come in and watch. When Gage came in, it was pretty much over. He says, "Mom, you remember when I was in baseball and...........................well, what I THOUGHT Gage was going to say was that one of his teammates got drilled in the thigh with a hard line drive. Instead he says, "Mom, you remember when I was in baseball and when Jody Jennings got hit in the nuts with the ball?" My eyes opened wide and my mouth drops open as I'm trying to decide if I just heard him correctly.
Mom: "Uh, Gage, where did you hear that word?"
Gage: "What? Nuts?"
Mom: "Yes, nuts! Where did you learn that?"
Gage: "I don't know?"
Mom: "Gage, we don't say nuts! That is a bad word. A better word to use would be testicles. That's the proper word. People say nuts, but that is a slang term for testicles, like balls is a slang word for testicles!"
So, you see, Emma was totally involved in "listening" to that conversation. I'm pretty sure, she was thinking balls, when Kathy was asking for "BODY", but she didn't want to use the "bad, slang word", so she yells out "TESTICLES!" Our friends at the pumpkin patch, that kept putting the big pumpkins in the wagon.........remember them? Well, I had told them this story and they were laughing at me, telling me that was going to come back and get me, as they were saying Gage was going to get teased one day when he asked his friends about their "testicle cup" when he was playing baseball. Or that they would say something like, you're Dad must be a scientist! HA HA! It came back to bite me a little sooner than expected, and with the wrong child. I wonder how many kids in her class even knew what "testicles" are???

OCD or trying to be a good parent?

Well, Gage is officially a Cub Scout. We are watching the uniform shirts on ebay to see if we can get a better deal than the local shop. I know we should support our local stores, but even the area leader said that you can get them cheaper on ebay. (Like I need more excuses to shop on ebay!) Anyway, I am currently bidding on one and am at $5.00. Wish us luck! Scott, Emma and I went to the Capitol Trophy Shop to get a few of the items Gage will need, ie his Cub Scout Handbook, Pack # patch, World Crest patch (or whatever it is called), and The Northern Lights Council patch. This is not going to be good for me. I'm not sure if I have OCD, or if I am just wanting to be a good parent? Also, I have a bit of a competitive drive within, and that has alot to do with it as well. Anyway, I was reading through the book, trying to learn more about Cub Scouts. Scott told me at lunch that he made it all the way through the levels. I'm not very "Cub Scout smart" yet, as I don't know all the levels, beads and what not. It won't take long, however, and I'll have it all down. There are MANY different things Gage will be doing to earn beads for his Immediate Recognition Emblem (don't be too impressed, I had to go get the book as I couldn't remember what it was called). The "electives" Gage will be doing range from helping do chores at home to making cards for the elderly in nursing homes, etc. Many of the electives we already do, so it won't be too difficult. For each 10 electives we do, Gage will earn a Tiger track bead. After he has earned all 15 beads he will be eligible for a Tiger Cub badge showing he has earned the rank of Tiger Cub. Scott is Gage's Den Leader. The first "Den meeting" will be here at our house. Wonderful! I am as excited about Cub Scouts as Gage is. You should all be ready, as Popcorn sales start in October! (That is one thing I just HATE doing.... selling things!) I guess Gage and I will grow together. He can earn a patch if he fills his order form, which I believe is 25 lines. So, be ready! :-0 (That's your advance warning.....they have made it quite easy to sell to family that is far away, as you can order online and have it applied to your Scout, Gage, and it will be mailed to your door!!) How easy is that? So, get ready Grandpa and Grandma, and Aunts and Uncles..................you are no longer safe by living afar! Gage has a Mom with OCD who wants to earn as many patches as we can! HA HA!

Fall cleaning

I don't know if the fall-cleaning bug hit me today or what, but I actually did some housework. Emma is a great helper. She saw me cleaning the upstairs bathroom sink and wanted to help. Alot of the time, I just want to get it done and I try getting her distracted and she'll go off and do something else. I decided that if she wanted to help, I would let her. I told her to take a washcloth and take it downstairs to the bathroom and clean that sink. I figure if I can't see what she's doing, then it won't drive me nuts if she's "not doing it right"! Not too long later, she called me downstairs to look. I honestly don't know how bad it was before she started, but typically, the downstairs bathroom sink is a complete mess with toothpaste all over it. I think the kids get more toothpaste on the sink and cabinets than they do their toothbrushes and teeth? Anyway, it was totally wiped clean! She pointed out that she missed the toothpaste that was all over the front of the vanity, but I was so excited about the work she did on the sink I didn't care, and I just wiped it up myself! I think I'm going to have to let her help more often, and the secret is for me to be in a different part of the house doing something else! We may try that again tomorrow after school! If I could only figure out how to get her to pick up her room?

Disturbia

I wanted to mention that I watched Disturbia, a movie I received from Netflix, last night. I recommend it to all of my faithful readers. It was recommended to me by my sister Kysa, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

End in sight?

We had a productive Sunday! Scott spent all day painting the house. We are ALMOST done! The only thing left is to paint the foundation on the south and west side of the house, and to removed our south gate and paint under the boards connecting the fence to the house. Oh, also I need to finish painting the rafters in the patio area. That's tough on my neck, so not looking forward to finishing that up. Anyway, I think it's possible to get it done before it snows!

Gage and Emma played very nicely most of the day yesterday. They played Yu-Gi-Oh cards on the front steps while I was cutting back the plants out front. Gage makes up his own rules and Emma doesn't care, so it was fun listening to them play as I worked. We are getting ready for winter to strike!

I've been trying to figure out what the kids want to be for Halloween. I want them to be Shrek and Fiona (mostly because I think Emma would make a cute Fiona with her red hair). Gage doesn't want to. I know Emma could just be Fiona on her own, but I like for them to "go together". I know that's silly, but it's more fun to scrapbook that way! Gage is wanting to be some Star Wars dude, and there are a couple female Star Wars characters, but talking Emma into it isn't easy. I don't think she knows what she wants to be. We looked online at several stores at their costumes. She wanted to be ALL of them, so narrowing it down is going to be hard for her I think? Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I don't know why I enjoy it so much, but it's fun dressing the kids up and watching all of the reactions of our friends as we stop at their houses for treats. Last year they were Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Those were kind of boring costumes to me, but they loved them. The year before that they were Peter Pan and Tinker Bell (very cute). Prior to that was Woody and Jessie from Toy Story 2. I remember taking them to Scott's office and one of the guys just LOVED the costumes. He still talks about it to this day. Then, Emma's first year of Halloween they were dressed as Pooh and the Honeypot. Adorable. So, it's been a tradition that they "go together". I know it's going to end sometime in the near future, so I best do it while I still can. I don't think I'm going to win with the Shrek and Fiona thing though. You'll all be waiting at the door to see what they are on Halloween night! :-)

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde

Uffda! I am glad this day is over! It was a long day. Many things happened, but I am going to skip through most of it and start at the end of the day. We had a church function tonight that we attended. It consisted of a potluck/hot dog roast at Papa's Pumpkin Patch. The weather was beautiful. We waited at home for Scott to get back from hunting, so we could all ride together. While we waited, I got the kids ready. I was sure to put them in long sleeves and long pants so the hay maze wouldn't cause problems. I put them both in Halloween orange shirts, one reason to be festive, but the primary reason was so I could easily spot them afar. Well, that wasn't too smart, since we were going to a PUMPKIN patch were there are a gazillion ORANGE pumpkins! They were pretty good though, so it wasn't that big of deal. We stood around and talked with friends for awhile before leaving. For some reason, they thought it was funny to put the biggest pumpkins around in the wagon that we had. Scott kept removing them. Gage kept trying to return them to the wagon. Stupidly, we went with $5, which I thought would cover any hayrides the kids might go on. Emma was loading up the wagon with several small pumpkins because they were all the perfect ones. I don't know what happened, but I was waiting at the exit for Scott and the kids, and Scott came up with the wagon, Emma and many small pumpkins and said Gage was having a meltdown. While Scott was trying to eliminate all of Emma's pumpkins, I went to see what Gage's problem was. He was screaming and crying hysterically because he wanted a pumpkin. Well, he wanted the huge ones that kept finding their way into our wagon. I tell Gage we only have $5, so we can't get any big pumpkins this time. Our friend Steve offered to loan us some cash, but I told him that was okay, because we were going to be back at the pumpkin patch at least 2 more times with school field trips. They have metal rings to put around the pumpkin to determine the price. I sent Gage back to the pumpkins with the ring (which by the way was illegal, according to the pumpkin patch police). If one goes, then more go and by the time they know it, they are all missing. I understand the concept, but Gage was in the middle of a crisis and I thought maybe she would chill out about it. NOT! She had to go with us and then make sure we brought it back. The pumpkin Gage wanted was $11. I told him we could come back to get it later. (He thought I meant later, like after we got home, then come back later). Anyway, he was screaming and didn't want to get in the van because he wanted a pumpkin. We did buy a pumpkin for $5, and one of the male pumpkin policemen just gave Emma the little one she was carrying!! Anyway, I was trying to figure out how I could get the situation under control, and I noticed Steve was just behind us in his car, and I was going to go ask him if we could borrow the cash afterall to get Gage a pumpkin, but Scott says, "Oh yeah Stacy, just give him what he wants, like that is going to teach him anything!" I got in the car and as we were driving away, Gage was screaming at the top of his lungs. This continued the ENTIRE way home!
Gage: "I WANT A PUMPKIN! TURN AROUND AND GO BACK AND GET ME A PUMPKIN! YOU ARE A BAD DAD! I WANT A PUMPKIN!"
Emma had her fingers in her ears.
Gage yells: "EMMA THAT IS RUDE TO PLUG YOUR EARS!"
We get to the main road to head back into town and there are about 15 turkeys crossing the road, so we have to stop and wait for them to cross.
Gage: "JUST GO BACK, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THOSE DUMB TURKEYS! I WANT A PUMPKIN!"
Mom: "Gage, do you have money?"
Gage: "YES I HAVE MONEY" (as he throws his wallet up to the front)"I WANT A PUMPKIN!"
Mom: "Gage, you do not have enough money to buy that $11 pumpkin."
Gage: "YOU HAVE MONEY!"
Mom: "Gage, I do not have any money."
Gage: "I SAW YOU HAD TWO $20 BILLS THE OTHER DAY."
Mom: "Gage, I deposited those bills into my checking account so I could pay some other bill."
Gage: "WELL, I WANT A PUMPKIN! GO BACK AND GET ME A PUMPKIN!"
Mom: "Gage, that bill I probably paid was for birthday presents for you, so if you would like, I could take them back and get the money back and get you a pumpkin."
Gage: "Oh."
Dad: "Gage if you keep acting like this you aren't going to get any birthday presents!"
Gage: "I guess I can have that pumpkin in the back" (in the sweetest voice imaginable).
We get home and Gage is all smiles, Emma opens up the back door of the van, and they are deciding who gets which pumpkin, with absolutely no fighting at all.
Gage: "Mom, you don't have to take those presents back."
After giving the kids their baths I told Gage he should apologize to everyone in the car for all the screaming we had to endure the whole way home. Gage goes into the bedroom, where Dad is already changed into his pajamas and nearly asleep.
Gage: "I'm sorry for behaving so badly." He tells Emma the same thing.
Emma: "That's okay Gage."
That was the end of that. I should have mentioned the birthday presents a little sooner. The ride home would have been much more pleasant. I only have about 2 more weeks to use that threat, so I best take advantage of that before the opportunity passes!

I am praying for a better day tomorrow.

CUTE!

Okay, I know I already posted today, but Emma and Gage received an exciting package in the mail today!! Grandma Pipi found this little dance outfit in one of her closets that used to be my niece Katie's. Emma put it on immediately! She doesn't really care for the hair thing, but I made her put it on so I could take a picture for my blog. It is sooo cute! As for the rest of the things in the package, well, most of it is junk, that Grandma wanted to get rid of which she knew the kids would love. Thanks Mom! NOT! Oh, and one of the items is a top set of her old dentures! NICE MOM! I had to quick tell Emma, "OH NO, DON'T PUT THOSE IN YOUR MOUTH!" Since we have some Halloween fangs hanging around that she likes putting in her mouth, I wanted to make sure she didn't think that's what those were! My Mom is a nut (you might have guessed that, knowing me...........I'm a chip off the old block). I hope you're reading G'ma Pipi!

Cub Scouts

Gage is sooooo excited to FINALLY be signed up to be a Cub Scout. He has been talking about it for a year now. Last night Gage and Scott went to an organizational meeting at the school and Gage came home with a Cub Scout matchbox car, a Pinewood Derby car kit, and a lunchbox type box to put his car in. He is so excited to start working on that car. He asked me this morning if he could start on it tonight! He took all of his items to school today for show-and-tell. I'm sure he won't let his teacher forget about that again today! :-) I'm excited for him.

Emma and I went to a Pampered Chef party last night. It was fun and they had some yummy food to eat. I can't wait to get the spices I ordered so I can try them out, and my new cookbook. Hopefully it will inspire me to start working a little harder at figuring out meal plans for supper. It's a new cookbook called Dinner in 29 minutes (I think that's the name?) Anyway, I am sure about the 29 minutes part!! I don't know what my problem is about preparing supper. I think I am in such a rut, I need some new ideas so I can get excited about it. I seem to always fix the same old stuff. It's good stuff, but if you have it ALL of the time, it just gets old.

My friend Emily is back from their trip. They've been gone for a couple of weeks, so I've been missing her. I lost my walking partner Sherry, as she started back to work when school started back up since all of her kids are in school all day now. I am sad about that. However, I did get Emily to walk with me today. It was a bit cool out, but it felt great. I need to get a routine started so I can get that walk in most days of the week. It does make a huge difference in the energy level I have for the rest of the day. However, now that I've been working in the evenings and having problems with insomnia, it's hard to have enough energy to do much of anything. I've also noticed I'm grumpier than usual. Scott would agree with that I'm sure. I need to get my schedule changed around so I'm not so grumpy and tired during the day.

We have a busy weekend planned. My Circle group starts meeting again tomorrow and we are studying a new book called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World". I've been working on the first chapter and I think it's going to be a good book with good discussions to follow. We are meeting at Stringbean Coffee Shop. I'm excited about that too! I was introduced to Starbucks' Caramel Frappucino last year, and I LOVE THEM! I tried a hot Caramel coffee last fall and really liked it. Then I've tried their Vanilla Latte, and fell in love with that. Then, just the other day I tried their Pumpkin Spice Latte and it was delicious! I have never liked coffee, but man, these are GOOD! The only problem is, I will go broke if this continues. I'm not addicted yet, physically, to the coffee. It's the taste that I crave. So, I need to figure out how to create these on my own at home before the physical addiction to the caffeine kicks in!!! It's so bad too, because I can rationalize buying them because it's coffee. Everyone drinks coffee. It's not a treat. Everyone drinks it. Anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to create these delicious coffees at home? I'll be starting from scratch, as I don't even have a coffeepot.

Dreamcatchers

Last night as I was just finishing up work in the basement (around 11p.m.) I heard Gage crying in his room. Scott had just gone up to bed, so he wasn't asleep and went to Gage's room. When I got to his room he was really crying, saying "I had a bad dream, a really bad dream!" After I asked him what it was about, he said a rocket hit the earth and exploded. WOW! That was a bad dream. He didn't want to go back to sleep because he was afraid he would dream it again. I was in his room for an hour laying with him. Every time I would attempt to get out of his bed, he would start to panic. I tried putting different thoughts in his head by asking him what we were going to do for his birthday this year (which isn't very far away so I best get it in gear!), and what did he want the most. We set up a line of "dream police" across the foot of his bed. We apparently read in a book about bad dreams and dream police. Anyway, we had several stuffed animals lined up across his bed, along with Grus, our cat, and they were going to police any bad dreams that would come his way. Gage also said he wanted to get a dreamcatcher, as the bad dreams get tangled in the web and the good dreams make it through the spaces. I am going to look for a dreamcatcher, or maybe we'll make one, but then how do I explain the bad dreams then? I went to bed at midnight expecting him to be right behind me and getting into my bed as well. I was quite surprised this morning to find that he didn't come to our bed in the night. After I woke him up, he was excited to tell me that the "dream police" worked, and that he dreamed that he and Dad went hunting in some video game, and he shot a big-horned sheep with his BB gun and killed it. He said he hit it straight in the heart. GEEZ! I'm not sure I want him dreaming that stuff either? Although, Scott thought it was pretty cool.

Scott was going to go to school today to have a special lunch with Gage. When we got to school, the kids and I went to the office to see what we had to do so Scott could do that. She said just let his teacher know so she can put his name on the lunch list, and we could either pay for it or put it on Gage's lunch account. On the way to his classroom, he told me he didn't want to do that today. That surprised me!? Not sure why, but I'll have to start playing 20 questions with him after school. Not sure if he thinks he might be "embarrassed" to have his Dad there, or what? I'm sure when you're a "big kid", those kinds of things come into play. (By the way, it was a COLD walk to school today with the wind blowing like crazy. My little weatherbug says it's 47 degrees. However, with the wind chill, it felt much colder than that!)

Hair cut

I took Emma to the salon yesterday to get her hair cut. This is the only the second "real" hair cut she has had in her life. She didn't really know what to think, and the lady tried getting her to smile, but there was no way that was going to happen. It is pretty cute, and much shorter than it was. I french braided it for school today because she had swimming lessons and I don't want the teachers to have to take time to comb it, etc. When I went in to watch lessons at the Y, the teacher saw me and came to tell me that Emma had her braids taken out of her hair before I even got down the stairs when I was leaving this morning. Her teacher said that as soon as she got them out, she was flipping her hands through her hair and moving her head from side to side as she flipped. I'm not sure if you get a clear picture of that, but I know she didn't learn that from ME! Where do they get this stuff? Apparently she wanted the teachers to see her new haircut? I had a problem with her doing this last year, and I told her if she kept taking out the braids, then I was going to have it cut short like Gage's. That cured the problem, so I guess I'm going to have to threaten that again. I told her today that I would make a deal with her. Since she has swimming one time a week this year, then if she wore her braids on swimming days, then she could wear her hair down on the other 2 days. We'll see if that works. If not, back to the salon we go!!

Funny!

Here's a funny thing that happened this morning.

Gage: "Mom, there's something breathing in my closet!"
Mom: "What? There's something breathing in your closet?"
Gage: "Yes! It's not Grizzy or Grus."
Mom: "Are you sure it's not Griz or Grus?"
Gage: "Yes Mom, I'm sure! Can you come down here?"
Mom: "Okay."
Gage and Mom are standing in his room in front of his closet and we both stop breathing or making a sound so we can hear this noise Gage is talking about. We hear nothing. Then Griz shows up.
Mom: "See, it was Griz!"
Gage: "No it wasn't Mom, he wasn't in here."
Mom: "Well Gage, I don't hear anything. There is nothing to be scared of. What do you think it is?"
Gage: "A monster!"
Mom: "Gage, you know there is no such thing as monsters!"
Gage plops down to the floor and looks under his bed.
Gage: "EMMA!"
Emma comes crawling out from under the bed laughing. I start laughing. Gage starts laughing. I had no idea she was under there and neither did Gage. She played a pretty good joke on him. Usually when they are playing hide-and-seek she will call out, "Gage, I'm in here!" LOL! I thought I would share that funny little thing that happened this morning before I forgot. I'm glad it was all fun and games and that Gage didn't get ticked off because Emma scared him! We all must have gotten enough sleep last night!

Toothless wonder!

Gage lost another tooth today for a total of 4!! It has been hanging by a thread for quite some time, and he has not let me even get ahold to wiggle it, as he must have known I was not going to just wiggle! At supper time he bit into his potato and said his tooth was getting more loose. I was afraid he was going to swallow it, so finally after supper, I sat down on the couch, pinned him between my legs and tickled him until he couldn't keep his mouth closed and I finally got a hold of that slippery little fella and yanked it out! I wonder what the tooth fairy is going bring? She left a book and some money last time, so the standards have been set a little too high for just the 4th tooth. What was that fairy thinking??? He has school pictures next week, so he will look quite cute for those!

Beaming with pride!

Emma had her first dance lessons today. She's a natural. She takes after her Grandma Pipi. Grandma was big into dance when she was young. As you can see from the pictures, she was adorable. Also, I want to point out, that little sack behind the instructor on the floor, is a bag full of suckers. Emma will do almost anything for candy, as evidenced by the previous blog entry about her "cabity". I was beaming with pride the entire class. She apparently has been watching enough Angelina Ballerina and Barbie and the Nutcracker to get some ideas on what to do and how to do it. She certainly hasn't learned that from me, remember, I don't have rhythm. We have also been talking alot about different activities that she gets signed up for. She's been talking alot about gymnastics and dance, and I'm always telling her when she can learn to listen, she can do those things more often. She was paying very close attention and did everything she was supposed to do. There are only 4 girls in the class, and one of them has obviously been enrolled in the program before. The other 2 are new along with Emma. There will be dance recital type events, the first one being in December, I believe. I remember my niece Katie going to dance and getting her hair all done up and make-up on. She was beautiful in her dance costumes. I'm excited for Emma to do that. Although, I am going to have to have some help in the make-up department. I don't remember the last time I wore make-up. It was either in nursing school, or possibly a time or two when we lived in Mississippi (10 years ago!). I don't even have any make-up in the house. Maybe that will be to my advantage when she wants to start wearing it when she turns 12? Anyway, I'm sure I'll be calling on my make-up wearing friends when that time rolls around. Although, this may be more of a ballet-type program and I don't know if ballerinas get decked out in make-up? Emma enjoyed her class and I did too. We learned alot today. I also learned what side of this big church to park on so we don't have to run around the entire building checking all of the locked doors, finally to find one open, all of which occured in the pouring rain. Also, those cute little pink leather ballet shoes were only $13. I was glad to hear that!

Another week come and gone!

Well, we made it through week two of school and everyone is still alive (barely). I can't wait until the time changes so I can convince the kids, when it is dark at 4:30pm, that it is bedtime!!! Maybe then we can all have some peace. Gage had another major meltdown last night. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what the heck was going on, as it was nice and the windows were open and I'm sure the hollering and crying was heard by all of them that happened to be outdoors at the time. Scott was out of town, and Gage was not happy that he couldn't talk to Dad. Dad was in an important meeting at the time, otherwise I would have been happy to dial him up!!!
Both Gage and Emma had show-and-tell at school today. I always enjoy seeing what they pick to take. It's never what I think it's going to be. They both took their Webkinz stuffed animals. They were also able to print out a picture of the rooms they have created online for them, but Gage wasn't too happy that the ink cartridge was running out and all of the colors weren't exactly right. He later decided that was okay and wanted to take it afterall. He told me on the walk home that his teacher forgot that it was show-and-tell day so he had to remind her. I hate to tell her that he has a memory that doesn't quit! He said only 3 kids, including himself, brought items to show-and-tell about. Apprently all those parents forgot too, but I'll bet they'll remember next Friday! :-) I'm not sure what Emma "tells" about her stuff. She couldn't remember much about what happened today to fill me in, except that she got 2 muffins at snack time.
This evening we were at our neighbor Maggie's big 40th (YES 40!!) birthday party. The kids had a great time, but once again made it to bed later than I wanted. So another fun-filled day to look forward to tomorrow!
Scott made it home from his trip to MN this afternoon. He spent his afternoon decking his truck out with those new floor mats that I ordered (NOT!). Apparently I ordered some seat covers as well. I missed another photo op of him putting more stickers on the back window of his truck. He'll soon run out of things to "accessorize" it with. I HOPE!
Emma has her first Kinder Dance session tomorrow morning. I'm anxious to see how it goes. I reread the info sheet and noticed there is a "dress code". We don't have the leather ballet shoes, but I'm sure they'll have some available for purchase. I'm afraid to know how much those are going to cost!
The hunting season starts up tomorrow, but I believe I am going to be saved by the wind and rain that is predicted. Hallelujah! The sharptail grouse are safe for another day. I must admit that I am anxious for Brie to get out and run off some energy. She's been spending her time outside emptying our recycling containers and I have been out picking up chewed up #1 and #2 plastics, along with a bunch of cardboard. That's one bad thing about backyard fences, all the junk stays in our yard instead of blowing into the neighbors. I'm sure they are thankful for that! I remember them acting a little sad about the fence going up soon after we moved in, and they said it wouldn't bother them if Gage (Emma hadn't arrived yet), wandered around in their yard. The following spring, when all of the grass was dead in our backyard from the dog, I'm sure that changed their minds about the fence!! My Dad tells me you can't have kids, dogs and a nice yard all at the same time. He is correct.
Well, it is nearing midnight, and it's time for me to head to bed so I can lay there awake for another 3 hours. I've got lots to think about, apparently.

Emma's first day of Jr. Kindergarten

Well, today was the big day. Emma got out of bed much easier this morning, knowing she was going to get to go to school! Dropping kids off at school is a little more hectic this year, as they are both supposed to be at school at 8:30a. I'm lucky Northridge and the YMCA are only a few blocks away from each other! No one was late this morning. And, I'm sure you're wondering what I did with my first 3 hours of freedom since this past spring? Well, it wasn't great fun, that's for sure. I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. :-( I know, I know, that's not "spicing" thing up much. Emma enjoyed her first day. She came home with a Science worksheet that they completed in class, so already up and learning!

After lunch I had an orthodontist appointment. They took out the palate expander and replaced it with a wire that will keep my teeth where they are. Man, is that nice! They told me that was like going from granny underwear to a thong! That is exactly how it feels too, almost like nothing is there! I now have to be patient until Oct. 22, and they will start closing the hole between my 2 front teeth. Thank goodness for this false tooth!!! It's amazing how good I can feel about having 3 front teeth! Dr. Warford is quite excited about the changes that have taken place. (So am I!)

Silver Bullet a.k.a. serious carcass hauler

Apparently Scott is bored with my blog. I received an email from him asking me to post these pictures of his truck, which he named "Silver Bullet, a.k.a. serious carcass hauler", and said I can talk about how Gage and Emma love riding in it and how it's costing more to get it "ready" than I anticipated.

Well, it is true, Gage and Emma love riding in it. Mom is not too thrilled, however. As you can see, it is an extended cab, but that extension is quite small. There are 2 jump seats which aren't real compatible with car seats/booster seats. In order for Scott and the kids to ride in it together, Emma must ride in the back on the jump seat with her carseat that barely fits, behind the passenger and Gage then must ride in the passenger side in the FRONT seat, in his booster. Needless to say, Gage was quite thrilled by that. He has NEVER ridden in the front seat before (aside from the 2 block drive from my parents' house to Scott's parents' house in rural, small-town Iowa). The reason no one is able to ride behind Scott is because he basically has to sit in the back himself to get his long legs to fit in the truck! He is able to turn off the air bag, but I still don't think it's a great idea for them to travel with Gage in the front. He will have to use the van in the future, and I will get to drive the "silver bullet". However, my van is NOT going to be a serious carcass hauler, even though it is a "silver bullet" as well.

It is also true that it is costing more to get it "ready" than I thought. First, we buy the truck. Next, we buy the topper. However, the topper was hunter green, so we then had to take it to an autobody place to have it painted to match. Today I received an email from Cabela's telling me my order for floor mats has been shipped (needless to say, I did not order floor mats). Oh, and did I mention we had to buy new brackets for his Yakima rack that he will place on the top to haul his boat? I wish I had a picture of him sticking his little DU sticker that he got at work today to the back window. :-) I'm not sure what other "accessories" we "need", but I'm sure we aren't finished. I'll keep you posted.

I do agree, that my postings were getting quite boring. Not too many exciting things have happened lately. I could tell about someone falling off the ladder painting, but that didn't happen. I'll try to spice things up a bit and see what happens!

Happy Labor Day

I hope all of you are having a good Labor Day, and hopefully you get the day off to do whatever it is you need to do. We've been painting and maybe seeing the end in sight? We'll have to hit it hard today, and I doubt we will get it totally finished.
I totally forgot about posting yesterday. We went to church, came home, then Scott started painting. I worked a couple of hours at my transcription job. I also was dinking around clicking on the links in my friend Emily's blog and ended up on her brother-in-law's blog. His name is Steven Furtick. He is a pastor with Elevation church in Charlotte, NC. I noticed that you can watch his sermons online and I decided to click on it. I was amazed. He is a great speaker, and very interesting to listen to. I have since listened to about 5 of his sermons. I sometimes have a hard time paying total attention to a sermon (that might have something to do with having kids at church with me). He certainly speaks in a way that grabs my attention. I believe he's 27 years old, and to be preaching like that at 27, it's quite amazing! You'll have to check it out. You can get there through my blog, by clicking on Macaroni and Cheese, Emily's blog link on the right side of my blog, then on the left side of Emily's blog, under spare time reads, click on Pastor Steven Furtick, which will take you to his blog, then click on watch sermon online. Let me know what you think.
Last night we went over to our neighbors' house. Missy and Wayne are great people. They're fun to talk to.
I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Weekends

I think I might have to change my work time to weekends? The doctors that I listened to this morning were MUCH easier to understand! I actually had one report with no QA markers, which went straight through the system to the client! I think that might be the first one to do that?
Alot of painting going on here this weekend. The weather did get hot today, so that slowed us down a little this afternoon. Our neighbor up the street, Missy, came and helped out a bit. She loves to paint she says! We were happy to have her! Every little bit helps. Scott was doing some scraping and priming on the soffit. He did some slopping and now I believe I will have to put a 3rd coat on the north side of the house! UGH! There are quite a few white droplets on my nice, blue paint. I guess we need to get that stuff done before we get the final coat on the house, or it will have to be painted again. I should have known better. It is getting closer to finished though. I am down to 5 windows to trim. (Unless of course, paint gets slopped on that too!)
It's a quiet weekend. Gage and Emma have been asking to play with friends, and all the ones they mentioned are gone for the weekend, or have company. Gage wanted to know why everyone else gets to go do things and we have to stay home and paint. I know Gage, I don't like it either, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!