We are back.... and there are presents!!!

We are back from vacation and we had, it was so fun. It's really nice to be back {as always}. Here is a taste of what is to come this week. A slip 'n' slide contest that the husband won {this is a fun one}, family pictures, dinosaurs, a missing shoe, time with Aunt Connie, Tunes on Tuesday and What the world needs Wednesday, and last but definitely not least a tribute to coaching track.

First I have to tell you about my FABULOUS present that was waiting for me when I got home. I signed up for a swap with Mamarazzi {so fun!} You should all definitely stay up with here so you can get in on the next one. I was paired up with Amy {Keeping up with the Schultz Family}.

Here is all the great stuff. First off, Amy decorated the box {I'm going to do that next time} so it was so fun to see it when I got back from vacation. I got a pink Gatorade, Kiwi-Strawberry. A great movie, "13 going 30". A bandanna {the cute one there with the yellow boarder} and a pink wrap. Rachael Ray's magazine, and tons of goodies... which I hid right away. I love my boys but I like my goodies too. Amy was so cute, and her dog Timmy sent treats to my dog Captain, and her daughter sent juice boxes to my boys. I totally love this! It was so fun. Amy it was so nice getting to know you and your family. Thank you for all the fun stuff and sharing your favorite things with me.

Thank you Mamarazzi for coordinating the swap.

Peek back this week to see what we've been up to.

Just so you know

We are out and about for a little bit. I'll blog when I get a chance. {For my track kids.... I'll blog about all of you soon} "Tunes on Tuesday" and "What the world needs Wednesday" may or may not happen this week. It depends on if I get a chance. For those of you crazys that want to walk by my house beware that I have a man eating fish on guard until our return. I love you all and I'll check on you often. See you soon. {Think next Monday}

What the world needs... Wednseday

Is more Father and Son time.

Tunes on Tuesday

This last Wednesday Steve and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. I was at a track meet {Steve is saying what else is new} {In my defence this is only the first anniversary that I have missed... usually he is the one that is gone} Steve I love you, for supporting me and being a great husband. You truly make Heaven a Place on Earth, and where ever we go in our travels as long as I'm with you I'll have my piece of heaven {and with that we have a total flash back to the '80's}

"Heaven is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle
Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

When the night falls down
I wait for you
And you come around
And the world's alive
With the sound of kids
On the street outside

When you walk into the room
You pull me close and we start to move
And we're spinning with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love...

Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

When I feel alone
I reach for you
And you bring me home
When I'm lost at sea
I hear your voice
And it carries me

In this world we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore

Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

Thank you for the best 9 years!!! I LOVE YOU!!{Maybe next year we'll get to spend it together}




ps... if you know how to get a youtube video actually on my blogger I would love to know thanks

6 Things that make me happy

I was tagged by my cousin Melissa. It has been great being back in contact with her and getting to know her better. I think cousins are so fun and I've been lucky to be able to stay in touch with many of my cousins.



So the tag is 6 unimportant things that make you happy. {we all know that our kids make us happy so you can't pick that}



1} Green Grass.... I love the smell of freshly cut grass and the way it feels on my feet. I love the color and they way it make everything look brighter.



2} Music... Again, I love the way music makes me feel. I like the beat and bopping my head {although off beat} to it. I listen to the lyrics of every song {I like to know what I'm singing} and I like the story it tells



3} Hot Showers.... I'm so thankful for this convienence! Not just to be clean but because I feel like it washes away my troubles or stress from the day. I can hop in the shower and come out and be a better mom and person.



4} Moving.... I really enjoy moving. I love meeting new people and seeing new places. I love the new challenges and over coming them. I love cleaning out my house, and getting rid of the junk that accumulates. This isn't to say that I don't look forward to my "white picket fence" because I totally do. But right now I really like moving.

5} My Dishwasher.... I love being able to plunk my dishes in and have them come out clean. I rinse them off first but I love knowing that they are sanitized. And while we are on the subject of dishwashers... Thank you all who come over and eat with us, I totally enjoy the company and good conversation, but to be honest... after you have helped me load the dishwasher, I redo it because you probably have loaded it wrong.... {I appreciate the effort}

6} Sumer Evenings... I love the warm evenings. I love watching the kids play outside and run from house to house. I love getting to know my neighbors. Every now and then we get the water out and let all the kids run wild. I love seeing the joy that stay's on the boy's faces as they get to watch the sun go down and still get to play outside. I love seeing the stars and moon rise. I love the warmth.

There you are, 6 random things that make me happy. I tag anyone who wants to do this. Tags are good for days that you don't have anything to write, or if you are having a slow day, or maybe just a brain cramp. So do it if you want to.....

The going ons....

So things have been "slightly" wild at the house lately. The boys are keeping me busy as always but sometimes... oh sometimes.....First we have Tommy and his new look. He has been showing me his new faces lately and this has become a favorite. {oh just wait it get's crazier at this house....}

And here we have James... If you look real closely you can see that he is missing a chunk of eyelashes... He and the brothers were running around and all of a sudden James starts crying and claiming that he is BLIND!!! For about 10 minutes he is crying and being blind. {and we all know that James is so NOT dramatic} So after he was done and we were able to look at him {thankfully he still had his eye} he had a little scratch above his eye, and that missing chunk of eyelashes. He actually looks kinda funny. {just so you all know you should thank Photoshop and be grateful that I was able to photoshop the booger out of James' nose}

And now we come to..... Tim... that in itself should send chills up your arms.

Here we have my odd child peeling the buttery part off of his toast. Who does that???

And here we have him not letting his short size get in the way of getting the things that he wants. I was wondering how Tim was getting so many things that I put up out of his reach... I guess my question has been answered. Looks like I need to hide things....

And here we have something we have never dealt with before... a budding artist. Tim has taken his creativity to the walls of our home. James and Tommy never did this they were always good to color on paper {and occasionally themselves} Tim on the other hand... Good heavens this child... Good thing he is really cute. While we were asking the boys who did it, James and Tommy said that it was Tim. Tim, on the other hand kept blaming Tommy.... all the while holding the evidence... the magenta crayon.

Oh the joys of boys.....

What the world needs... Wednseday

Another beater, and bit more chocolate!!

Tunes on Tuesday

This week the music is a bit different... In honor of my track kids going to State... shout outs to *L*,*K*,*T*,*L*,*C*,*M*,*B*,*L* you totally deserve it!!

So this song is one that I use to pump me up when I run. All you runners out there, I think you'll like it too. The beat is a great one to run too, and I think a lot of runners can relate to it after they have worked so hard to reach their goal and win, but was out done. It makes you want to run harder and come home with the "cup"

"The Distance" by CAKE {click here to hear the music}

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,
Engines pumping and thumping in time.
The green light flashes, the flags go up.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank,
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank.
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns.
Their prowess is potent and secretly stearn.
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down.
The fans get up and they get out of town.
The arena is empty except for one man,
Still driving and striving as fast as he can.
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But he's driving and striving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

He's going the distance.
He's going for speed.
She's all alone In her time of need.
Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse,
He's going the distance.

No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no wine,
He's haunted by something he cannot define.
Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse,
Assail him, impale him with monster-truck force.
In his mind, he's still driving, still making the grade.
She's hoping in time that her memories will fade.
Cause he's racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse.

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And long ago somebody left with the cup.
But he's striving and driving and hugging the turns.
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns.

Cause he's going the distance. He's going for speed.
She's all alone In her time of need.
Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
He's racing and pacing and plotting the course,
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse.
He's going the distance.He's going for speed.
He's going the distance.

Good Luck Buena kids, you've worked hard and I'm really proud of you!!

FIRE!!!!!

Yes, we had a fire at our house!! I was sitting and reading a book with the boys and Tommy kept saying that he didn't like the fire. There was no fire in the book that we were reading. We turned the page and Tommy said it again, "Mom, I really don't like the fire." Again I said that there was not any fire in the book that we were reading. After a third time I asked him where he saw the fire. HE POINTED BEHIND ME!!! I turned and looked and there WAS a fire! I jumped up to see Steve's hat on fire. I ran over there and grabbed the hat and tried to blow it out and it wouldn't go out. I ran over to the sink and through the hat in there and started running the water on it.

And here are the results...

So what happen? Here is the culprit. The Glade candle, Steve put his hat on the candle with out paying attention. {In his defence he hates candles}

It wasn't that scary while I was trying to put the fire out... I think it was the adrenaline rush. After it was taken care of, and I thought about it I was kinda freaked out. If Tommy hadn't said anything it could have been much worse. so he was declared the "Hero of the House"

What the world needs... Wednseday

{First off in full disclosure.... this idea came from cjane. Every now and then she has a post called "What the world needs..." so I thought I would do the same thing. Why am I telling you all this? For those of you who read cjane will know that she doesn't like people who plagiarize her. Not that I blame her, I wouldn't want someone to take my ideas and not give me credit. So thank you cjane for the idea.}

What the world needs.....

More Star Wars aliens.

{Tim trying to put his pants back on.... I think he needs some help}

Tunes on Tuesday

Welcome back to the Tunes on Tuesday. Jewel is probably my favorite female artist {you'll be hearing a lot of her}. I love her songs. She writes all her own songs and the meaning runs so deep. As you read over the lyrics really read them and take them in.

This song by Jewel is called Life Uncommon. I was having a really hard time, when I was pregnant with James, coming to grips that I was going to be "just a mom." I was really afraid that I was going to lose myself. How was I going to change the world if I'm covered in spit-up and have dark circles under my eyes. As I listen to this song I realized that I don't have to have a cape to change to world. I need to be willing to be engaged in good things, be it raising kids, supporting a husband, coaching, or just being a friend. I need to not worry about the the things I can't change, and put all my focus on the things I can. I want to live a life uncommon, and the best way for me to do that is to help my boys be just that...uncommon


Life Uncommon
Don't worry mother, it'll be alright, And don't worry sister, say your prayers and sleep right, It'll be fine lover of mine, It'll be just fine,

Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom, No longer lend you strength to that which you wish to be free from, Fill your lives with love and bravery, And you shall lead a live uncommon

I've heard you anguish, I've heard you hearts cry out, We are tired, we are weary, but we aren't worn out, Set down you chains, until only faith remains, Set down you chains,

And lend your voices only to sounds of freedom, No longer lent your strength to that, which you wish to be free from, Fill you lives with love and bravery, And we shall lead a life uncommon,

There are plenty of people who pray for peace, But if praying were enough it would have come to be, Let your words enslave no one, And the heavens will hush themselves to hear, Our voices ring out clear, With sounds of freedom, Sounds of freedom

Come on you unbelievers, move out of the way, There is a new army coming and we are armed with faith, To live, we must give, To live,

And lend out voices only to sounds of freedom, No longer lend out strength to that which we with to be free from, Fill your lives with love and bravery, And we shall lead...Lend out voices only to sounds of freedom, No longer lent out strength to that which we with to be free from, Fill you lives with love and bravery, And we shall lead a life uncommon

Here is a YouTube video of this song. It is NOT sung by Jewel.... don't look at the hair that these ladies have.... in fact just close your eyes and listen to it.

This, That and the Other

I really have been bad about blogging.... in my defense I have been really busy. I'm hoping that after track is done I'll have more time to blog. Here are some going ons around here.

As always the boys are keeping me busy. But we have added an extra every now and then....

Tommy is replaced by "Buzz Tommy Lightyear" He has been making more and more appearances lately.... kinda like the Superman thing. {He was Superman for 69 days straight!!}

With the weather so beautiful out here we have been spending our weekends {when we have them} outside. Here is a picture of Tim.... right before he fell off the rock he was sitting on.

He leaned over and just kept going. Don't worry.... you will all be able to recognize him again... he has a bump on his forehead.

Remember the post about the bee? Well for those of you who might have thought I was over reacting.... here is the picture of the bee. Can you see how huge it is!!???

Believe me... it was totally worth the screaming!

We went up Mt. Lemmon and here is a picture about half-way up.

I'm so in love with all my boys!!

Here is Tim with the flowers. He was so gentle with the flowers....until he was picking them for me, then they were in many pieces.

James thinking he is funny by tickling people with the weed.

And Tommy in a headlock. Yes I realize that the husbands' head is cut off. {it wasn't purpose}

Who says that kids don't help out??....

Tim wanted to wash his blankets, so instead of putting them in the washing machine he decided that he would do it himself. So he put his blankets in the shower {along with some other miscellaneous toys} and turned it on. He forgot the soap {thankfully} and let me put them in the washing machine.

While Tim was washing his blankets James and Tommy learned to fly....

This is why couches have cushions....

I think Superman forgot his cape.

I hope your days are busy with happy things too.