Life is good today...

 I noticed that it has been a month since I last posted.  And when I "say" that I noticed, I really mean that I have been catching some slack from my sister and my cousin....and I received a post on my facebook wall that read:

"DUDE. blog something. i look like a stalker now logging on every day (sometimes twice) for the latest in your life only to find that it is still b's graduation......;)"

I won't mention any names because I would hate to embarrass anyone by revealing that they actually WANT to read this nonsense, but, ahem, Manda, I'm looking at YOU!


When I started thinking about what in the world I have been doing, and what in the world I would write about, it DOES seem like there has been a lot going on in the last 30 days.

• I went on a trip to Florida with some friends.

There is something about spending time with someone you feel like you've known forever....even if "forever" is in reality only about two years.

There is also something to be said about getting your feet wet and doing something that you've never done before, laughing like you did when you were a teenager, and learning lessons that will last a lifetime.

However, just like with any trip, the best part is always arriving back home.

• L lost another tooth.

• I also seemed to have spent quite a bit of time at ball games or ball practice. 

And when one child wasn't playing in the game....

the other was playing in the dirt.

(I might also mention that I have been doing a lot of laundry lately.)

• I was overjoyed at the Grand Opening of Dollar General!!

For those of you that don't live in a small town, you lose the right to laugh at me.  When you only have two convenient stores and a small grocery store, get back to me on the importance of a Dollar General in your life.

Seriously.

My facebook status that day was:  "Thanks to Dollar General, today is a changing day in my life."

And it was.

I don't think everyone understood that.  My mom claimed she had people contacting her asking if I had gotten a new job.  With Dollar General.

Next time I guess I'll clarify exactly HOW my life is changed.

• I also celebrated a birthday. 

The morning of my birthday I was met at work by a friend with some tasty breakfast and Dr. Pepper (yum!).  Another friend brought lunch and my friend, Becky, and my sister, stopped by to eat with me. Later in the day I was visited by my friend, Marlana, who not only was bearing gifts but also gave me the gift of her time. 

I truly felt blessed in a time when I really needed to.

It is sometimes so easy to lose sight of the important things....

That night I went out to eat supper with my family and although friends on facebook suggested it, Steven DID NOT take me shopping at Dollar General.

He did, however, buy me a new DSLR camera.

I use the term "buy" lightly.

He gave me money and sent me to the store to get it myself.

I'm not complaining.

But I will clarify:  I didn't buy IT at Dollar General.

• Steven, the kids, Aunt Sissy, Uncle Jason and I went to St. Louis to celebrate Blake's "birthday weekend".

Last year was Blake's first "birthday weekend" trip and we went to see Brad Paisley.  Since that time he has wanted to celebrate the next birthday in the same way.  When I saw that Blake Shelton was opening for Brad, as was Jerrod Nieman, I asked if Steven would want to accompany us this time.

He did.

When I left the house that morning, B had just thrown up on my bed.  I frantically threw the bedding in the washer, threw up a prayer that B wouldn't get sick again, and left Steven with the kids while I went to work until noon.

As I left work I called Steven and asked how B was.  He said he had been playing hard and acting fine.

I was so thankful. 

I hated to cancel our weekend trip, but I would hate even more to make a three hour drive to St. Louis with a sick kid in the car.

As I got home and started loading the luggage, I noticed B lay himself down on the floor.

"B, are you OK?"

He assured me he was and a few minutes later we were out the door.

An hour down the road, when B started to throw up once again, I found myself thanking God that I had made my mother proud and before we left had packed a towel, two wet washcloths in ziploc bags and a tupperware container.

The car remained puke free, and thanks to the tupperware container, it remained odor free as well.

I don't think Steven even paused in his consumption of his ham and cheese sandwich.

(Yes.  We are THAT family.)

B claimed he felt better and we continued on down the road.

(Honestly, I think this alone caused Sarah to take us out of the running for Parents of the Year....even though I DID pack TWO washcloths in ziploc bags....)

I am, however, happy to announce that we made it through the weekend without any more sickness.   There were a few questionable moments, but that is when the coolness of the wet washcloth came in handy.

I'm not sure why, but apparently L didn't want a "cool" washcloth....

Maybe she thinks her momma is crazy and wouldn't know "cool" if was right in front of her.

B enjoyed having his daddy there with him this year.



And although he was a little disappointed that we weren't as close as last year....

......he was thankful that he was able to go at all.

• The next day we visited Union Station and the St. Louis Zoo.

Aunt Sissy was channeling her inner Subaru driver.

And I took the opportunity to break out the new camera and try to figure out some of the settings...

Sissy was convinced that THIS tiger was going to jump OVER the ravine between him and the train and take out some innocent bystanders (train riders) or not-so-innocent bystanders (us).

I also splurged and bought train tickets so that we could ride around the park.  Blake loves trains and I am a fan of anything that gets me out of walking long distances.

For the record, if Steven asks, riding the train was free and the arm bands we had to wear were only a formality.

Even with the train ride, the kids said they were SO hot that playing in the mister was absolutely necessary.

My kids are pretty lucky to have their Aunt Sissy and Uncle Jason.  They are a "great aunt and uncle" (L's words) and even put up with my kids talking to them on walkie talkies for the entire three hour drive, asking "uh....what are you doing?" after there had only been silence for mere minutes.....



uhh.....make that "mere seconds".

• We celebrated B's 6th birthday at home with relatives and family friends.

He had stated that he wanted to give everyone go-kart rides when they came to his party.  They obliged and judging by their smiles, some of them got the ride of their lives.

Blake's smile was a little bit "bigger" than usual due to a wasp sting on the side of his cheek that he received the night before.

I think the big smiles were contagious!

• We also celebrated B's birthday with his friends.

Although I am not a cake decorator, nor have I ever fancied myself a cake decorator, B apparently missed that memo and believes that his mom can decorate cakes.

He started planning his cake late last fall and more recently had drawn it out on a napkin for me.

It had to be a NASCAR cake.  It had to have stands for the spectators.

And so, this is what he ended up with:

This.  And a mother that swears she'll never decorate another cake again.

Blake enjoyed being the "birthday boy" and spending time with his friends jumping their little hearts out.....

...and I think the girls had fun, too.

• Of course, you can't have summer without swimming.

• And what is summer without jumping on the trampoline?

• We also recently found a turtle in our stock tank and are trying to unfold the "How did it get in there?" mystery.

• When I wasn't busy doing any of the above, I have been taking many useless pictures trying to figure out my new camera.

There is SO much I don't know and so much I didn't learn from reading "Digital SLR Cameras & Photography for DUMMIES". 

What does that say about me?

Wait!

DON'T ANSWER!

 At this rate, I can only imagine what the next month will hold......

If I were a betting person, I would totally place my money on more shopping at Dollar General.