i take my son fishing on mother's day...

and enjoyed mother nature.....

can't help but wonder if animals celebrate too.

(took these mother's day this year and came across them again today)

a few pictures from the last post...

brooke and i headed to the top of the river by bus then getting ready to tube back down to our truck.
brooke lazin'

brady saying "get the picture mom.

hurry of me with the waterfall behind me"

(i got it, but not perfect. trying to keep the camera out of the water if possible)

brady catching some rays

the river ahead of us.

you'll find us tubing down the Niobrara....

this weekend chuck, i, and the kids will be tubing together down the river.

never been yet but heard it's a load of fun.

we will be on one big tube together with our lunch. should be relaxing.

hopefully will get lots of neat pictures to post after...

here is some info on Niobrara supertubes.
if canoeing's your thing they have that too.

brady

today i was reminded of things i feel sorry for...and a funny thing brady said after his hair cut about a year ago. after we got his haircut, we stopped at the pet store because that's what we do to entertain ourselves and plus brady LOVES animals. snakes, spiders, dragons, dinosaurs, sharks and he loves learning about animals. anyway (this was suppose to be a short story:) ) this is what he said to me a year ago as we left the pet store.

"mom, don't you feel sorry for the tarantula at the pet store??"

I was beginning to think this kid could not be my son. I responded with something like this..

"uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nnnnnnooooooooooo!"


but tonight as my son lays shivering on the couch from a fever he's trying to break, i do feel sorry for my boy. :( third day of school and already was sent home with a fever. also had 3 others who went in nurses room only to be sent home. so i guess you can say school has began and so has the sharing of sicknesses. yippee. poor guy.....

i bet my son wishes i was so sorry i'd go buy that tarantula he wanted, but there are just some things a mother can't handle living under the same roof with and a pet tarantula would be one of them. he did get McDonald's though. that's something i could do to make him feel a bit better.

saying a little prayer that in the morning brady's temp is gone and he's feeling like himself again.

by the way the doctor said no school until his fever is gone and brady responded with

"i have football tonight" :)

weekend entertainment.

we will be heading to Imperial, Ne tonight to go see these guys!

some old music, but i'm still a fan.

saturday we have our fourth wedding this summer to attend here in town.

great couple getting married, so excited!

and sunday after church i will be doing some baking for my silpada party

on monday night.

there you go the weekend planned out and underway!

Have a good one!

a quote from my son.

brady "middle school is cool."

school just begun, along with everything else.

yup, mornings like these when you can barely open your eyes

ya know... those early morning practices for the sport of your choice

she's all signed up for volleyball on the first day of school.

afternoons like these

games days like seen here.
(brooke in orange...love the socks.)
and he (my boy) will be signed up as of tonight for football
the sport of his choice.

where we will have more after practice moments like these.

game fun like that. (#18 belongs to me)
and practice, practice, practice looking to improve the skills

these are the days of our life. well, school days.

lots on my mind these days

1. school starts tomorrow..will i have to force my kids to get out of bed on time each morning?
or to remind them everyday that they have to do their homework before they play? or remind them they cannot bring kids over while we are at work? all of these stress me at this time of year.



2. why work keeps stressing me out. seems the inventory's always off. seems no one knows how to communicate anymore on what they need and when and how many. seems everyone here now is starting to annoy me??



3. wondering if the reason everyone is annoying me lately is really something inside of me??

(do i need medication for the hysterctomy i just had this year at 33 years old)



4. why sometimes this year i've felt so blessed and other times i feel so angry and let down. (maybe this goes back to #3)



5. cell phones!!!why didn't i realize getting my kids cell phones was not a good decision even if everyone else is doing it?? i'm worried my daughter might have carpel tunnel someday as much as she is texting. (i am on her daily about the amount of time she spends doing this) threatening to take it away each time and them feeling bad because she crys at the thought of not having one. it would've been easier to just not have givin in to letting her have one in the first place, and i'm stupid for not realizing that sooner. P.S i didn't have my first cell phone until i was 26 years old and only use mine for if i travel and get stranded somewhere for instance.



6. frustrated on why some parents don't stay out of kid drama at school and feel the need to call me and my pastor everytime my girl messes up.



7. so thrilled i have a PPF .....{pony pal forever}.... (her name is Kerri) she's always there for me.



8. And Brady...is he really entering middle school this year (6th grade)...he's my baby boy and he's bigger than me and wears a size 10 1/2 in mens shoe. dear brady's feet, you can stop growing now before my mom has to pay to much for shoes. he's such a sweetheart.



9. And Brooke...is she really in her last year of middle school and next year will be a high schooler. the thought just makes my stomach ache. my first born and yes she has out grown me too. i am now considered the short one in the family. but how cool is this.....we wear the same size shoe, so when i want to feel cool i can borrow her shoes and be in the "in crowd" cool for me but for brooke not so much. she's such a sweetheart.



10. And Chuck... my husband of almost 14 years...(i still at times refer to him as my third child) he works so hard between his full time job, and national guards and is tired at times, but still finds time to do things with us and makes everyone feel safe and happy. and sometimes i have little patience with this man but i love him dearly. he puts up with my crankyness, and me when i'm not so lovely to put up with. when i pout and scream at the kids because they don't listen to me, when i can't keep up with full time job, kids activities, and keeping the laundry done and a house clean....he understands and says it's alright. and he's right.



11. hoping my wedding gift gets here in time for the wedding this weekend. so fair it hasn't shown up



12. trying to get things in order for my silpada party i'm having monday. what finger foods i should make and drinks should i serve.

13. headed to chiropractor again today, hoping that it's helping my back and not hurting it more.

lots going on with me inside and out.

a year already without her...

wow. can you believe my grandma has been gone a year now

it seems like yesterday when i rec'd the call.

first posted here.

were does the time go??

pictured here: my brother josh (and yes beau below trying to get his nose in the photo:) ) me, my kids, brooke and brady and my grandma Pearl.

this was taking christmas 2006 in Maine while my husband was in Iraq.
same visit. grandma doing what she did best....cooking for loved ones.
(can you believe she is 95 in this picture. just beaming and beautiful)
and yes we were having Lobstah!! Maine Lobstah.

i also can't believe we've lost 2 more special people in my family since.
my other grandma and my father both in May this year.
it's been tough, but lots of love looking down from heaven now.

they're good....my little carnival detectives.

yet another carnival has arrived in our small town.

yet again i fail to keep the information from my kids.

it's like kids can smell the thing coming from a mile away.

they told me it was here, before the trucks even found the fair grounds.

fair food, fair rides, fair fun.

and my kids expect me to take them....

wednesday, thursday, friday, and saturday.

(kids these days, so demanding sometimes)

they again will probably get there way....

some pictures of last years carnival

dad tying shoes tight so they don't get caught somewhere they shouldn't

brooke and friend stuck in the ski...giggling.

brady getting on ride...(what a handsome fellow the child of mine.)

note to brady: boy don't ride to many of the rides that spin because remember last time

you up-chucked by the end of the night. pace yourself

p.s. last year brady won a hermit crab. (we could've bought the thing at a pet store for 5.00 but it was more fun spending 50 some dollars on it to finally win it.) anyways so i tell my friend it lasted like 2 days before it died and brady walked in the room so I had to confirm that.

Me: "buddy didn't your hermit crab from last year only last like 2 days."

Brady: "no it lasted a whole week"

now that's worth the 50.00 for the smelly, creepy, thing!

soap box races

i never heard of soap box racing before coming to nebraska

i'm sure it's been around but here...it's big

they had races this weekend and here are a few pictures of brady's friends doing it.

seems fun to build your own car and try to make it faster then the other kids

so why you ask haven't my kids joined???

well it is time consuming and does cost to travel and compete

and by gollie jee with all the things going on now already with my two.

i'm out of time, money, gas, patience, energy, sleep, coffee, etc.

i feel the need to explain as people keep asking when i'm entering my kids.

and i think never is the answer. sorry to be a party pooper.

and thanks for inviting me to watch your kids race

{that part i do enjoy. cheering your kids on along side you}

a funny side note: since they notice our kids are not racing and we may be available during races,

they have asked if we will work the concession stand. it's been awhile since i flipped burgers, plus i'm tired. but always feel guilted into helping.

another GI Joe weekend for the boys...

this weekend chuck has guards, we have golf, and also another wedding to attend so busy, busy.

chuck and keith in Iraq back in the day.

Have a good weekend!

went golfing with Brett....

chuck's friend brett is in town and the last time we saw him was in keystone, colorado months and months ago. we had a great time in keystone, and him visiting this week has reminded us of our trip there and all the laughs we had. this visit we took brett golfing then out to dinner with just as much laughs as we had on the mountain. only this time his wife wasn't with him:( (maybe next time)

we decided tubing would be safer than skiing...

after tubing dinner and drinks below the mountain...

chuck and brett getting ready to race..

me...almost scared to death.

chuck and i on top of the mountain.

my granny's chocolate cobbler....not my grannies but someone's granny.

this has to be one of my favorite desserts

warm chocolate with cold vanilla ice cream to melt on top

found the recipe here

i know i'll be making it for my family soon.

ray & lindsey's wedding

b & b were having a ball at the wedding, as you can see.....until.....
they noticed this note and bag from the bride and groom on the table..

candy buffet!!!! are u kidding this is a kids dream come true in a moment of boredom
b & b at the candy buffet trying to fill their bags.

it may help fill the bags quicker if brooke put the candy in the bag instead of her mouth. (but somethings telling me they were in no hurry)

and the lovely bride and groom.

peach color was bridesmaids dresses...

i've always been a fan of peach.