Copper Top that Never Stops

As of late, I have noticed that my blog has been a little one-sided. There have been many a mention of Nolan and less so of Nick. This just isn't right. I have two boys equally capable of providing me with blog worthy posts!

Nolan's antics have just put him near the top of the silliness meter...which in turn makes me want to record his craziness on this here blog. But that does not mean that Nick isn't silly or crazy. 'Cause he is. But he does his crazies in a much less audible form. When he was a toddler he cornered the market on crazy. He was a non-stop ball of energetic boy that bounced from one side of the house to the other in .2 seconds flat. That is where the title to this post comes from... We frequently called Nick "The copper top that never stops"! Thankfully, he has toned down quite a bit.

In the last few days, I've been thinking alot about how Nick is nearing a turning point in his life. He is only a mere week and a half from entering teenage-dom. YIKES! He has always been such a love-bug. Never embarrassed to be with his parents or younger brother. He gives me hugs everyday after school right in front of his buddies. He's always depended on us for everything and slowly that dependence will wane until he's on his own. The process of becoming less dependent can be a tough tug-of-war between teen and parent. I'm hoping the coming years will go smoothly. If it's anything like his life up until now, I think we can count on smooth sailing. I have no doubt the transition between kid and teenager will come complete with lots of great stories to share. I'm settling in for this new phase with anticipation and a happy heart! Nick has been nothing but a complete joy in my life and I'm a better person because of him. Can't wait to see what's around the corner! I love you Nick.

Sometimes I wish I were ten again...

The other day, we took the boys to a really fun toy shop in a neighboring town.

It was packed to the rafters with the most amazing games, gadgets, and well...toys.

They had things you just don't see everyday. One of those things caught Nolan's eye. And he was completely stuck. He wanted this item more than any other fantastic toy in the fantastic store. He was desperately trying to remember how much money he had in his piggy bank at home so he could finagle a way to purchase this delightful gizmo. He knew he was three dollars short and would have to bargain with "Madre" to see if I would swing a purchase.

We agreed that washing the dog would bring him up to what he needed to complete the deal at the register.

So....

He grabbed the box off the shelf looking just about as gleeful as a kid in a toy store could. Seriously.

This is what he could not leave without...

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The Supreme Moo Mixer

Chocolate Milk Mixer

It even touts a trigger button that creates a whirling vortex of power!

How could he NOT want this thing?

He will never have to stir another pesky glass of chocolate milk with a spoon.

Oh the JOY!

When I mentioned to him that the box states "Requires a large appetite for fun!"

He responded by saying "That'd be me!"

Now if this isn't funny enough... I have to tell you what happened not 10 minutes later.

We stopped off at the fish hatchery to check out the salmon ladder. When Nolan got out of the car I laid his "Moo Mixer" on the front seat... He said "shouldn't we hide it away, so no one will break in to steal it?"

Oh, how I love that boy.

Spooktacular

Here's just a little taste of what Halloween was like at our house this year...

We were a little slow to decorate...but everything made it out of the rafters by 2 pm October, 31st.
Here's my son the hobo. We went online to get ideas from Yahoo images. When we searched for hobo we got all kinds of good ideas...When we searched for bum, well...we got some interesting images! (We laughed so hard when we realized bum has more than one definition.)

Looks like he's ready to high tail it to the train tracks...Yup, those are his toes sticking up out of his shoes.

(He did not ride his skateboard, he just happened to be playing when I called him over for pictures....)

Pumpkin #1- Nolan's crazy mustached gourd.

Pumpkin #2-My big toothed pumpkin.

Pumpkin #3- Nick's Medusa haired pumpkin.

(Connor doesn't do pumpkins...)


Nicholas spent the evening with his best pal, Nick. They spent part of the night half-heartedly trick-or-treating and the other part of the night scaring kids that came to our doorstep to get candy. Their favorite victims were pre-teen girls...they screamed the best.

It was a lovely evening for all the cute trick-or-treaters.... Clear skies and almost a full moon.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween too!

How Nolan likes to stay warm

Before school started last month I bought Nolan a new coat. Little did I know he was going to love it so. He almost always makes a comment each and everytime he puts it on in the morning before school... "I sure do like this coat, mom" or "It could rain on me all day and this coat would keep me dry, mom". This makes me happy because my other child who shall remain nameless... absolutely hates to wear a coat of any kind. You'd think I'd asked him to put on a pink, fluffy, glitter covered garment by the looks he gives me anytime I tell him to put his coat on. I just don't get it.

Well, yesterday before heading out the door, Nolan had noticed that his fave coat had a label that touted it could withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees. His love for his new coat had grown even more. Next thing I know he's standing outside the back sliding door, just standing there in his coat and basketball shorts. He came in from the almost balmy 40 degree weather with a grin stating "It's true mom, I didn't feel any cold penetrate this coat. Except my legs are FREEZING!" I said "Perhaps you should wear pants in the Fall and Winter instead of shorts, silly." He replied by saying "Nah...All I really need is a snuggie."

A snuggie? Ya... I'm sure that would go over well in the 5th grade. Who knows, maybe it'll be the next trend. In any case, I sure love Nolan and his happy goin' coat lovin' ways.

Brandi Spectacular...

For the past 12 plus years, Connor's sister, Shannon, has been a huge help to us with our boys anytime we needed her. She's always willing to lend a helping hand around every corner and for her we are so thankful!

We decided to treat her and her husband to an evening of fun. So when we heard Brandi Carlile was coming to town we thought it would be fun to bring Shannon and Claude along with us to witness one of our all time favorite performers in action.

We saw her in concert 2 years ago and were pretty much hooked. She has an amazing and powerful voice. We splurged on some tickets just 6 rows back from the stage and smack dab in the center. It was AMAZING!! We had a perfect view of her unbelievable show.

What made it so much fun was not only the fantastic music, but the fact that she was playing in her home town on the final night of her tour. She was just as ecstatic to be there playing for us as we were to see her. Our seats were so good that we soon realized we were surrounded by many of her family members and close friends. It was fun to hear them chat amongst themselves about Brandi. Very fun!

Most people I've met have no clue who Brandi Carlile is... it's still early in her career. But let me just say this... She. Will. Be. Big. Her music has been featured on Grey's Anatomy, a few commercials, and she sold out her concert tour around the country. She really has an amazing gift and I have now doubt she'll be widely known before too long.

Connor and I thoroughly enjoyed her concert and I think Shannon and Claude were blown away by her as well. Her live performance far and away surpasses her recorded music, which I happen to love!

Thank you Connor for treating us all to a memorable night. I will never forget it!

Check out her newest video release....right here!

Happy 90th Granny!

This lovely lady is turning 90 years young.

She is Connor's Grandmother and is about as sweet as can be.

She has six children...

She has twelve Grandchildren...

She has 13 Great Grandchildren... Whom all think she's GREAT!

We are celebrating her birthday tomorrow with tons of family who have come from near and far to help Marie ring in her 90th year.
We were told not to bring gifts, but come on...you only turn 90 once if you are lucky!
So what do you get your delightful grandmother for such an occasion, you ask?

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A beautiful jar filled to the brim with candied orange slices (her absolute favorie candy) and a few rootbeer barrels (her absolute LEAST favorite candy...she can offer these to friends who stop by, so she wont have to share her slices).

Connor has been teasing his Grandma about her rootbeer aversion ever since he could talk, so it just seemed fitting to throw some of those in the mix. :)

We love you Grandma Marie and can't wait to spend the day with you tomorrow!

Today I will...

not feel sorry for my poor virus-stricken self...

make a great attempt at feeling more like a human being and less like a plagued troll...

go through an entire box of kleenex...

sneak some candy corn from the witch dish as I walk past...

drop off a fun package addressed to a fun person at the post office...

look outside my windows at the glowing orange and yellow trees lining our lovely neighborhood...

Welcome Nick and Nolan at the front door with a big ol' hug...

smooch Connor on the cheek as he walks through the door (I've got a cold folks!)...

make my family one of their all time favorite meals for dinner...Colorado Pie...

hear a play by play of my family's day and hope for great details...

be thankful for this life I'm living...

The best way to spend 24 hours...

We were the lucky guests of the J household in P-town this weekend and just like our past visits we were treated like royalty....

First up....

Play, cuddle, play, smooch on, and love this little guy! He loved Connor right back! Austin is a mans man, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with me...aka weird lady who was constantly making googley eyes and silly noises.

We spent the day visiting with Brad and Karen, talking about things of importance... such as how much we dislike Huey Lewis...How cilantro makes everything better...How grotesque her oven mitts are... you know, important stuff like that!


Our hosts fed us an amazing lunch and then it was off to Viera's bakery for some much anticipated doughnuts. Let me just say YUM.

We were feeling a tad guilty for the calories we'd chomped down so why not head outside...
We bundled up and walked around their neighborhood all the while scouting out the newly built homes, watching the boys toss the football back and forth, and just simply enjoying the afternoon.

Back inside the boys goofed around and gave the "Wit" an exciting ride on a sleeping bag.

Karen was back in the kitchen whipping up a meal worthy of praise and requested recipes. Seriously... she is a master in the kitchen. We feasted on marinated chicken burritos smothered in cilantro tomatillo sauce, rice, cheese, and the world's best salsa. (I have to admit I have already made a batch of her salsa and we had it for dinner tonight!!)

We chased down that fab meal with a chocolate cake infused with caramel and topped with cream cheese frosting and toffee bits. That is not a typo folks...it was really that amazing.

Into the evening, we broke out "Settler's of Catan". A game that was introduced to us in Cabo and that Karen just loves with all of her heart. Um...ok...that's a lie. I keep telling her that it is a game based fully on luck, which I truly believe... Your luck was just not in the sheep farmin' cards this time around my friend.

We pretty much laughed the entire evening.

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Then it was off to bed...

Their guest room is like a hotel.

Unlike ours.. that is more like a poor college student's excuse for a bedroom. You know... a bed whose box spring is 6 inches too small for the mattress making sleeping on the edge a tad bit challenging. Um..sorry about that Karen, I promise to fix that before your next visit.

Then it was up and at'em to spend a few more hours visiting, playing, and consuming even more delicious calories before our trek back over the mountains.

Here's Connor taunting Sienna and Hannah. They kept trying to steal bacon between his attempts at pinching their fingers with the tongs. They LOVED it!

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Thanks again for always making us feel so welcome. I envy your ability to make everyone who enters your home feel like part of the family. The food was to die for, the accomadations were lovely, and the company couldn't be beat. We hold our friendship with you close to our hearts. You are dear friends and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with you this weekend!

Thanks again!!!

My ears are happy

I'm as giddy as a chubby kid in a chocolate shop....

One of my all time favorite musicians, Brandi Carlile, released her latest CD today and it is pure ear candy...

LOVE IT!

Rockin riffs, heartfelt stories, sad songs, happy compilations... it's got 'em all! She's got the most amazing voice to go along with her thought provoking lyrics. She's a musical genius. Yes, I'm a fan.

I can hardly wait to plug in my ipod on my way to work tomorrow and listen to the entire thing. Can you think of a better way to start your work day... I think not.

But what I've even more excited about is the fact that my rump will be seated only six rows back from her microphone in a mere 3 weeks when I get to see her LIVE in concert!

It's going to be unbelievable! Thanks Connor!!

If you've never heard her songs, I suggest you give her a listen... you won't be disappointed.

Wonderfully Wicked

Today was a glorious day...

I had the opportunity to share this lovely brisk Autumn day with some fabulous gals. We travelled to the Emerald City to watch an amazing show about the Emerald City!

I saw "Wicked" with my dear friend Karen, her adorable daughter Hannah, and her lovely mother Ann.
Knowing I was going to get to spend the day with this lady made me beside-myself-happy.

Isn't Hannah just the cutest? And look at the green scarf adorning her neck. Karen fashioned that little number just yesterday to give Hannah some green bling to wear to "Wicked". She seriously reigns supreme in the mother world!

This shot would have been beyond cute, if my camera had been cooperating. I think it is protesting Fall, and refusing to take any indoor pictures.

We couldn't wait to get inside to find our seats and start the show!

It really was one of the most amazing productions I've seen on stage.

It was so easy to get wrapped up in the story line and be transformed to another place. It was a clever story with amazing performers who could sing the chandeliers right off the ceiling. Unbelievable!

We followed up our fun afternoon at the theater with a delicious meal where we could sit together, share our thoughts, and laugh the evening away.

It was a perfect day.

Thanks ladies!

Yes, I have a pulse...

I'm still alive and kickin'....

Just busy and slackin'...

However, I can safely say my boys have not been slackin' AT ALL. This school year is proving to be a challenging one so far.

First off, Nicholas has entered the world of middle school. I'm still in denial and having a hard time fathoming my child entering this phase of life. Where has my little red-headed knee biter gone? He's entered the halls of a school that so far, has no problem with piling on mountains of homework, that's where. He seems to be liking his new school, just not the amount of homework he's dealt with each night. After dinner, you can find him planted in his desk chair working away for an average of 2 hours. I honestly do not remember this as a 7th grader, do you? He is in honors classes so that may be the difference. I hope things get easier for him and maybe he'll find a better balance of homework and free time soon.

Nolan is LOVING school so far... His new teacher is perfection. I've met her only a few times but she is well spoken, friendly, caring, organized, and has Nolan's success in her best interest. Yay! We've been lucky to have awesome teacher's for Nolan in the last few years and that makes me unbelievably happy. It should be a fun year for him. It looks like he'll have lots of interesting and challenging assignments to keep his bright brain busy.

This is where I would post some first day of school photos. But, alas, I'm unable to upload the photos I chose. It may have something to do with this new template I picked out... Hmm.... I don't know. You'll just have to envision the boys standing in the entry way wearing new school clothes with nicely combed hair. :)

On a side note... I will not let weeks go by before posting again. I know this to be a fact because I've got some fun stuff coming up that I'll want to share. Starting tomorrow! Some wickedly fun stuff!! :)

Oh, to be ten years old again....

What do a can of orange silly string, a plastic fake gooey "egg", and glow in the dark vampire fangs all have in common?


Apparently they are all things that a ten year old boy can NOT live without. Nolan took his wallet to the store with me today and those are the essentials that he wanted to spend his hard earned money on.

Gotta love it!

Never Ending Summer Vacation

While the teachers are on strike, the kids shall play...

We are on day nine of the lovely teacher strike in our school district. I support our teachers and agree that class size is a huge problem. However, I also would love for my children to not be in school over the fourth of July holiday next year.

But in the meantime, we've taken it upon ourselves to make the most of this extended summer break. We especially like to play in cities where all of the kids are currently attending classes.

Last week we invaded a nearby town's community center pool. It was fabulous! They have the best indoor pool ever, complete with water slide, lazy river, and fountains. The boys and their neighborhood friends had a blast.

Today we are contemplating heading to the largest lake in the state to play in the sunshine and munch on some Ivar's grub. It's a beautiful sunny day and the lack of other children at the playgrounds will make it even more heavenly!

Hopefully, next week will find Nick and Nolan donning new backpacks and hitting the books. But for now we'll just take advantage of this beautiful September day and have some more summer fun!

LOL

I just need to record this little tidbit of funny.

While making our way to our Labor Day destination last weekend, Nolan said something that made me laugh out loud.

He and Nick were passing the hours in the backseat by playing a friendly card game of "war".

Everything was going well, lots of laughter, a few verbal jabs of one upmanship, and the like. Then out of nowhere Nolan said "Sorry, Nick... I can't hear you over the sound of my winning."

Feel free to use this phrase courtesy of Nolan. I know I will be putting it to good use in the future. :)

Fun and Filth

Friday was technically the last day of Summer for my boys. I say "technically" because there is a very good chance their first day of school will be delayed due to a teachers strike. But even so, I decided to take them to celebrate one last day of summertime freedom.

We piled into my little earth lovin' car and headed to the local water park. We threw in a couple of neighborhood friends to amp up the fun.

My boys have been BEGGING me to take them to Wild Waves since the first time they were able to see it out the car windows along side the freeway. And seeing as how they are up to my chin now goes to show you how long they've been begging.

I hadn't been to said water park since I was a teenager, some uh, twenty years ago. Yikes. I haven't been in a huge rush to return because even from the freeway you can tell the park has pretty much remained in the same shape since the totally tubular 1980's.

Now mind you all of the boys LOVED the park. From the stomach churning amusement rides to the sea sick inducing wave pool. They were in tween boy heaven.

I, on the other hand, was grossed out. I don't think they've cleaned the park since the day I last stepped foot in it. The stairs leading up to the water slides were caked in mildew, dirt, and who knows what else. The mold growing on the exterior of the water slides was disgusting to say the least. What disgusted me the most of all was knowing that this park is raking in the dough. I know this because I had just spent 24 dollars on a lunch consisting of two stale pretzels, a plastic cup of fake cheese nachos, and 3 small sodas. (You are not allowed to bring food in from the outside world.) Seriously. Not to mention paying 10 bucks to park my car in their own lot. I also dropped $8 to keep my personal belongings safe in a locker. All this on top of the small fortune I shelled out just to get the three of us through the front door. Would it hurt them to purchase a pressure washer and put it to good use? I don't think so.

The rides in the amusement park are the exact same ones I rode on as a kid. I couldn't help but hope and pray that we weren't going to be the ones on the ride at the time it decided to kick the bucket. Rusty hardware, rickety fencing, and completely moldy awnings greeted us at every turn. Nice. I'm so glad I was the only one who cared. All four boys were as happy as can be. They were looking at this fun day with their kid goggles on. I wish I still had a pair of those. You know, the goggles that once you placed them on your face make everything fun and wonderful. Kids are born with those and I think somewhere between 20 and 30 they disintegrate.

Nick was constantly thanking me for taking them to this place he's been dreaming of since toddler hood. The kids were enjoying this last day of summertime freedom. I guess I shouldn't be so critical of a place that can still evoke smiles and laughter from the people it's meant for most of all. I hope they enjoyed it, 'cause I doubt we'll be going back... at least for another 20 years.