Boys and "Girls"

OK... I've been hemming and hawing about even including this post, but it cracked me up and someday I will look back on this and laugh so here it goes....

Last week, the four of us were sitting around the dinner table shooting the breeze and eating our meal. You just never know what topic might come up at our dining room table these days. We usually talk about what the boys did at recess or what crazy things have been happening at work lately. But this particular night was a little different.

Somehow we got on the subject of words and meanings. I can't for the life of me remember why but that is how this how thing starts.

Connor started talking about onomatopoeia's and was trying to explain to the boys just what an onomatopoeia was. In case you need a refresher, they are words that sound much like the word they represent. To get Connor's point across he chose a few words as examples. "Drip sounds like a drip of water..." "Bubble sounds like a bubbling pot of water..." etc, etc, etc...

This is when my pre-teen throws out his own version. Mind you, he has just finished the health unit at school that talks about the birds and the bees... "Oh, you mean like boob?, not only does it sound funny, it even looks like the word it represents...round and curvy." I shudder to include that I think he even cupped his hands to make sure we all understood what he was saying.

This is when my jaw dropped and Connor busted out laughing. I think Nolan even had to keep from spewing his food from laughter. This is when a proper mom would have squelched this inappropriate discussion and moved on to another topic, but not me...all I did was laugh 'til I had tears coming out of my eyes.

Sadly, this isn't the first time mammaries have had a post dedicated to them. I just find it a little odd that my little boys have been the instigators (even without knowing it) of all posts about the "girls". Should I be worried? Is this normal? I suppose it is. Although, I certainly don't remember my brothers talking about such things at the dinner table.

Kodak Moment

I was browsing through some old photos the other day and came across this one.

It was taken back in the summer of 2005,

We hosted a big family gathering for Connor's side of the family.

I love this picture for many reasons...

1.The dark clouds mixed with sunshine.

2. I love my yard when it's the middle of summer and everything is pretty.

3.I love the range of activity going on...

(Everything from Uncle Terry video taping the gathering, to kids running with balls strewn around the yard, to Sarah holding her newborn baby by the picnic table.)

4. It reminds me how important family is to me.

5. It makes me feel happy.

Summer Daydreams and Hamster Wheels

While the rain drips outside my window, (Um, excuse me, let me state the fact that the rain is now mixed with SNOW) I will think to the future months ahead that have great fun and much sun in store for me.

As soon as school lets out for Nick and Nolan we will be heading to central Oregon to spend some quality time with these folks...

We've rented a house in Sunriver that is nestled next to a slow flowin' river in a beautiful pine forest. We'll be spending our days riding bikes, swimming, rafting down a river full of rapids, laughing and having a grand time. We LOVE vacationing with my brother and his family... We rarely get to see them, but when we do...it's like a tornado of fun! I can not wait!!!!

My parents are planning on joining the fun and that just makes it even better!

A month after that fantabulous trip, Connor and I will be jetting off to spend some quality time in this lovely locale with the funnest people gracing this planet. It will be a vacation to remember I'm sure. Sunshine, sandy beaches, great friends, and never ending laughter make for a memorable vacation.

I can not wait for the summer to roll around! I've had it up to my eyeballs with nasty sideways rain, slushy drips, and wind blown hair. I need warm sunshine against my back, flip flops on my feet, and a cool margarita in my hand.

I will be spending the next few months preparing for these trips by daydreaming and hopping on this little fella...

This is my pal, "Dreadmill", He's supposed to help whip my derriere in shape for my upcoming trips. That is no easy task! Wish us luck as we spend quality time together almost every day. If the sun ever shows it's head in these parts, I'll give dreadmill a break, and actually run outside...what a novel idea!

I hear him calling my name... So I must go. I'll daydream about crashing ocean waves and river rafting all the while!

Spring Break In a Nutshell

Another Spring Break has come and gone.

We were busy but in a "let's do whatever we feel like whenever we wanna" kind of way. There were no time lines and no schedules and that is how I like it!

Our week started off with some fun time spent with my niece, Jessica. At Christmas, we gave her (and her three siblings) certificates that entitled them to a day of fun spent with the four of us and a fun-filled sleep over. The only stipulation was they had to come one at a time. She was pretty stoked about leaving her young siblings behind to come hang out with us for some quality fun! Nick, Nolan, and Jessie spent most of the day outside in the sunshine riding bikes, rollerblading, and climbing trees. Oh, to be a kid again! Then we all piled in the car and headed to a great new restaurant in town called Mizu. The chef cooks at your table all the while dazzling you with superb culinary skills. He also randomly flung food through the air to all of us to see if we could catch it in our mouths. Very entertaining. You should've seen the amount of food on the floor behind the kids! They LOVED this place! Our day/night spent with Jessie was almost like a Christmas present for ourselves...she's a great kid and we loved spending one on one time with her!



We also spent a great deal of Spring Break sharpening our Baseball playing skills. Nick will be playing baseball on a league in a few weeks so we bought him a new glove and headed to the park. It was just Nick, Nolan, and myself digging up the diamond one sunny afternoon. We had a ball! OK maybe a ton of balls especially when mom was the pitcher. :) Luckily, my kids have a lot of patience and didn't mind that the incoming pitches were less than perfect. The fun on the ball field transferred to fun in the backyard when we played catch about a gazillion times over the week. I love playing catch with the boys... they just open up and say the greatest things. For example... Nolan was pondering who would win a baseball game- Superman or the Green Lantern? He went into great detail about who would win and why. I could've listened to him all day!

The rest of the week was spent sleeping in, watching movies, going to the library, having a picnic, making Easter baskets, painting bird houses, and having fun with cousins. It ended with a rainy Easter Sunday and a few family members feeling under the weather. But we spent the day munching on chocolate bunnies and playing a board game together, it was a nice day.

The boys are sad to see the vacation end and are less than thrilled to head back to school especially because it's testing week. Big all day aptitude tests given all week long. I don't blame them for not wanting to leave this laid back, no stress week behind. It's weeks like this one that remind me how happy my life makes me. I'm a lucky gal to have such a fun, healthy, and blessed family. We have fun together and I wish they could hang out with me more often during the week. Ahhh... Summer vacation isn't too far off, I'll have to remind them of that as they head out the door tomorrow morning.

Birthday Wishes...

When I was a kid in the early 80's, my best friend Karen and I would have to come up with some creative ideas to keep boredom at bay. A typical day in our young lives would find us writing "fake letters" to each other. In these letters we would pretend we were all grown up and we would write about our day to day lives, how our "husbands" were the greatest, and that our adorable "kiddos" were the apples of our eyes. After finishing writing, we'd hand them to each other and that's when the laughter would ensue. Karen was a stellar writer even in her younger days and always managed to crack me up. We'd laugh for a few minutes then we'd head to the kitchen to grab cylinder of sour cream and onion Pringles (I swear those containers would breed in her pantry, they ALWAYS had Pringles and an endless supply of Planter's Cheez-Puffs!) then we'd march outside to swing in her hammock, much on chips, and sing silly songs. That's just what we'd do. Without that girl next door my childhood would have been B.O.R.I.N.G.





Fast forward about 26 years.... Today is her 34th birthday and I'm happy she's joined me in the mid-thirties! (Connor would totally debate this fact, he insists I'm in the late-thirties...but he's 40 and senility is affecting his better judgement.) I'm super thankful she's remained my friend all of these years. I love that fake letters are no longer needed... She's got a "real" husband that really is great. Her four kids are amazing in every way. And her day to day life is still worthy of making me crack up from time to time! She's the best mother I know, her kids know they are loved and are growing up to be wonderful little people! If you need a laugh, call Karen. She's brilliant and keeps me in stitches with every visit! I treasure her friendship like no other friend I have to this day. It's a special one that I thank my lucky stars for all of the time. We've got many memories behind us and many more to be made in the future!



Happy Birthday to one of my all time favorite people on this planet! I hope you have something wonderful planned for your big day. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you... I would totally bring some Pringles to share.

Witmob

Today was a beautiful sunny Spring day... Finally. We had snow falling last Tuesday and I was not amused. So I welcomed this bright and lovely day with a smile on my face.

We spent the majority of the day outside. We've been promising the boys we'd take them to the local skate park that we've driven past on numerous occasions. They always ooh and aah at the thought of trying out their wheels at the park. So today they were giddy with excitement and I was not. I don't know why god thought giving me two boys was a good idea. I seriously cringe and worry with every "boy thing" they do. For instance, I was the only mom at the skate park packin' a small baggie filled with first-aid supplies. It's a miracle I don't have a massive ulcer after 12 years of being a mother of boys. Nick and Nolan had THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES and nary a bone was broken. Both of them caught on really quick and were doing tricks off the ramps and half pipes before I knew it. I must say, I actually enjoyed watching them between cringes and gasps.

Then it was off to the Green River for a small hike and to try our hand at hopping on rocks near the water's edge. I really wish I wasn't such a nervous Nellie... Why can't I just enjoy the lovely landscape and chirping birds as my children happily play alongside the river? Instead, I'm envisioning the worst case scenario of them slipping in the river only to be carried downstream never to be seen again. I talked myself out of my paranoia and discovered that I too, can huck a rock pretty far across the river. We had a grand time sitting on giant boulders surrounded by lapping water watching kayakers pass us by in the rapids. It was a lot of fun especially when Connor and Nolan both ended up knee deep in the drink. Good times. Good bone chilling cold times!

Connor said I should really rename my blog. He thinks Witnob is a far better name for me... Worried is the mother of boys. I would have to agree. But I seriously am going to make an effort at being less over protective. It's almost paralyzing and I'm missin' out on some of the fun. I just need to let my boys be boys... I promise I will not bring the baggie of first aid supplies to the park next time, I will just leave it in the car. :)

April Fools Shenanigans

We survived another April Fool's Day around here. It makes for a fun day, but also makes you feel a little paranoid at the same time.

I started the morning off trying to trick the boys. I told them to go get the milk out of the milk box that the milk man just delivered on the front porch... Nick came in with a notice from the milkman stating their cows can't produce enough milk to sustain the needs of our community... too many teenage boys drinkin' too much milk... Nick and Nolan were outraged until they saw me snickering.

Next... I was at work, when I received a phone call from CPS. The lady said they have had a few reports of Nolan coming to school dirty and smelly and that I'd have to come in to talk to them. Yeah right! I knew right off the bat that it was my old pal Suzan trying to pull a prank on me. See, I've gotten her SO MANY TIMES in the past (she's gullible that way) that she tries to get me back. Didn't work! I said "Really? And what school does my son attend?" Ha! She didn't have an answer, plus I know for a fact my kids are clean and smell just like fresh daisies every day of the year! :) Nice try Suzan!

Then...another call came in to work for me. This time it was a crazy customer who said his doctor wanted him to purchase some "Cow Butter" for his "Itchy groin". Um....yeah.... Hello Connor! I must admit, his accent was well done, but 16 years of marriage and you know your spouse's voice backwards and forwards. I have to admit that while I was laughing out loud into the phone receiver a little part of me was praying this wasn't an actual customer.

Connor also tricked Nick and Nolan by making a Russian Roulette dinner. On a few of the appetizers he made, he sprinkled Tabasco sauce for a "fun" surprise. Apparently, it made for a fun dining experience. And much milk was consumed-- mostly by Nick!

Then right before we climbed into bed, Connor opened his closet door. Inside he found a note from Nick saying "April Fool's DAD... I set your clock ahead one hour... hee hee hee" Of course, he meant for Connor to find this note the following morning after showering and getting ready for his work day. He was disappointed this morning when he found out his joke was thwarted.

He also put a bunch of hardback books in Nolan's pillowcase, hoping Nolan would clunk his head when it was time to go to bed. Nice huh? Nolan was not amused.

Ahhh... Fun times. It turns out we all need a little work at being more tricky. Which I guess is a good thing. :)