Wandom Wednesday

My fellow blog buds, I'm sorry - I'm hit or miss on here lately. My time is all filled up with kids, church, life, work, the family, soccer games, more work, CR, The Landing, and now I've added Relay for Life into the one free moment I had. I don't even have time to watch the shows I want to watch that I DVR'd to watch later when I had time! So here's a few things.... OH - Please note that just because I slightly SKIMMED over Relay for Life it's not the last you'll hear of it. Get out $10. We'll be in touch. This pic if from a daddy & daughter something. I don't know what it was, or when it was all I know is it meant my house was silent. I took the longest, hottest bubble bath and sat there until my skin wrinkled like a raisin. I love Daddy/Daughter somethings!

My girls look way too old in this pic. ; (

Date night. We went out a while back and ended up at Barnes & Noble (age old tradition from our dating years, we would eat dinner and then wander the book racks, holding hands, whispering, kissing when no one was looking - awwww sweet memories.) We actually went to B&N on our first date.

But this date night, 15 years later was different. We walked around together for a minute then split up and looked at what we wanted, then met back up for my husband to show me this beauty...

hmmmm. Nothing ends off a romantic evening like trying to figure out what your poop is telling you. So we sat a table and giggled at poop names like:

chocolate hostage

colon cannonballs

lincoln logs

and ...sewer serpents

Now THAT's romantic. Then I looked at home remodeling books and he looked at books about serial killers. Nice. (When we got home I googled "what does it mean when your husband looks at books on serial killers" then, I slept on the couch with one eye open JUST to be safe! )

This crazy chee-chee is 5. Yes FIVE! This is where I blog about how much she's changed our life and how blessed we are - but if I say all that I'll cry. I don't feel like crying. Addy Irene you are wonderful and amazing...

we love your smile and your laugh. I promise by the time you graduate from high school I will have made you something that looks sort of like a scrapbook. (Or, I'll at least throw some pictures in a shoe box and write your name on it.) We love you!

That is enough wandomness for one wacky Wednesday afternoon.

Monkey See. Monkey Do.

My children are monkeys. (Not the cute kind that sit on your shoulder.) The wild, climbing, crazy, kind.

They climb on everything.

When signs are posted that clearly prohibit "no climbing" that makes them want to climb more. Their eyes light up, looking at me like, "Mom...can we, can we, can we?"

I let them get some climbing in this weekend, they climbed on everything in sight and did monkey bars too, which was fitting for the two of them.

{When we're at the Zoo and watch the Chimps eat I think to myself, "I could totally see my kids eating peanut butter off each others heads. I draw the line at flinging poo at each other though, that's just wrong.}

Look at that determination...

My sweet little climbing monkeys! I do love them!!!!

I just wish I knew where they got it from...

I really have no idea at all!

Cancer Sucks.

I hate cancer.

Really, I do.

Here's an update on my dad. He has multiple myeloma which is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in bone marrow. Today (he tried yesterday but his numbers were too low) he’s starting the harvesting process for his stem cells. That means right now there is no new cancer that they can see at this point, so that is why they are harvesting at this time.

This process is Autologous stem cell transplants, (AHHH, thank you Google) in which his peripheral blood stem cells are taken from him (harvested), frozen until needed, then given back to him (transplanted) after he has received high doses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both, to destroy the myeloma cells. (I feel like I could write an episode of Grey's Anatomy now.)

For the next 3 days they will harvest (at the OK Blood Institute.) It’s a 4 hour long process each day, they need millions of these good cells. Then at some point later they will do chemo and radiation to basically shock his body and hopefully kill anything bad. Then they put the good cells back. Long, painful, procedure.

This is from his blog post today....
God continues to take good care of me, and we rest our faith in him. You know King David put his faith in God and God cared for him and he was even called a "man after God's own heart." I hope to continue to be the kind of man God wants and needs for me to be. So keeping my faith in God is my ultimate Goal -- and whatever he plans for me is what he wants. Please pray that I can keep my faith in our Heavenly Father.

God is good! That's our motto, and we're stickin' to it.

The Case of the Funny 2nd Grader.

This little 2nd grader....

cracks me up.

She makes me smile everyday. (Yes, sometimes she makes me wanna scream too, but the smiles outweigh the screams - in my book.)

The other day she brought home her library book selection and I just started laughing...

I said, "The Hardy Boys?" She said, "Yeah Mom, you know I like a good mystery."

Hearing her say that made me laugh even more thinking that just yesterday we were sitting in her bed and she was reading mysteries like "See Dick. See Dick run? Silly, silly Dick."

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

When you leave the gym all dressed up for the day and it’s pouring down, I mean pouring down rain, and you put your tennis shoes back on so you don’t ruin your heels, and you’re glad you did when you step into water that literally goes past your ankles, then you about fall but you don’t (thank goodness), instead you drop your purse upside down into a running river of water, and the entire contents of your purse (including your wallet, phone, and Dave Ramsey envelope system) go floating away and then you have to stop to collect everything - meanwhile you’re getting completely soaked from head to toe and your hair is dripping wet, then you think to yourself ”wow, this is a bad morning" and then you're relieved that you're not wearing anything white because that would just suck.

V stands for....

V stands for VERY NORMAL DAY

Today I left for work and whispered to my husband (who was still in bed), "Happy Valentine's Day, I love you." He sleepily responded, "I love you too." Then I said, "Don't forget the chips for Addy's party."

Two hours later, I get a text. (Secretly, I'm thinking it's going to say - Honey I love you I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day, you're my everything.)

It says, I forgot the chips.

DJ's not shy to tell anyone that he doesn't believe in Valentine's Day. He loves me. Period. He knows that. I know that. So our Valentine's days are just normal days.

Like today...my valentine lunch consisted of me eating some tuna fish at my desk and then going and having my eyebrows waxed by a little Asian man named Juan. Totally normal.

Happy V Day.

Movie Review

DJ and I decided it would be fun to let Lily start watching movies/TV shows we watched as kids and loved.

We've done a few like Annie and Saved by the Bell, but during the recent Snowmageddon (that was my favorite phrase from the event) we decided to try the movie Labyrinth. DJ and I both loved that movie, it came out when we were 10 years old.



We all cuddled up on the couch with popcorn in hand and began our adventure into the Labyrinth. (Addy was asleep in 15 minutes, which we were fine with.)



Lily liked it. She caught on, liked the characters and was glad to know the man with big hair wasn't really going to hurt the baby. She also liked the music. (SEE, everyone loves 80's music.)



I was glad the movie didn't scare her or give her nightmares. I, on the other hand, was a little disturbed at the sight of...



David Bowie's pants. Who thought those pants were a good idea? These people created pretty amazing costumes, characters, masks, and animation for a movie from the mid-80's, but nobody had the guts to stand up and say "dude, those pants are disgusting!" or "hey Dave, I think you need a longer coat!"


This is one time when the high definition TV and Blu-Ray clarity is NOT recommended!

World's Suckiest Mom.

Last night I was cleaning out a cabinet. (Nothing good ever comes from cleaning.) My sweet 4 year old found a scrapbook. A REAL scrapbook. With pictures, trinkets, glue, goodies, stickers, adorable paper, cutouts, and sweet notes....all about her OLDER SISTER.

She ooo'd and awww'd and then said, "Mommy, where's my book like this!?"

I started to sweat. Quick, think fast. I could lie..."honey, there was a fire, a flood, the dog ate it"...but I didn't lie. "Mommy has it started, it's in my closet." She rushed to my closet. Oh I've got it started all right. Her name is written in it.

She ran to her dad. "My book like sissy's isn't started, it only has my name." (I suck.)

My sweet husband tried to bail me out, "Well mom is going to do it, you know when she did your sisters? When you were born. So Lily was almost 3 years old, so see...moms not that far behind with yours." (I don't feel like he's helping me at this point, I can feel the sarcasm. She's broken. I've caused this pain. Then "his help" gets worse.) "Do you want to help mommy do it? Cut the paper and pick things out to go in your book?" Her eyes light up, and she yells, "YES!" GREAT, now I'm behind on this scrapbook, and have a full time project manager to dictate my every movement.

I've GOT to get her 1st year book done, so she'll always have it. They will both have one book that I actually spent time cutting & creating. Then after that, it's printed blogs for me. Someday when my kids feel let down and think they have the suckiest mom in the world that never documented anything in their lives, I'll be able to say..."look girls, look....Mommy blogged, SEE - I do CARE!"

Easy Bake = Pain in my...

...well, you know.

The American Girl doll marketing people are just flat out genius.

Those Play-Doh guys keep coming up with new and inventive ways for us to squish and mold that junk into fun, cool shapes.

Crayola, they're no dummies. Things get old, they just make-up a new color......who doesn't want to color with some jazzberry jam & mango tango!?

But these Easy Bake people are down-right crooked I tell ya, crooked.

Santa brought an Easy Bake oven to our house this year. Santa probably shouldn't get up at 2:40 AM the morning after Thanksgiving and go shop for toys for kids. He makes quick decisions and doesn't take time to think thru what he's doing!

After we searched over town to find the correct 100 watt bulb for the device the stirring and spraying and pouring and scrapping and waiting and asking "is it ready yet?" began.

Oh they were proud. They loved it. Couldn't get enough. I, however, had enough seconds after I opened the box.

The cakes on the box look normal. They look large enough to share with your sister, but they're not. You have to make two cakes. Mixes that cost $6.99 for a kit. Crooked. (Betty Crocker cake mix, Wal-Mart $.97 box. A full cake, enough cake to feed your sister, your neighbor, your neighbors sister, plus some.)

They were slightly thrilled. Lily's eye was twitching with excitement!

Delish. I have never seen Rachel Ray licking the palm of her hand in the middle of her cooking show. We need to continue to work on etiquette, I see.

But, giiiirrrl, you gotta try this cake...it's the bomb. Fo' shizzle! (Yes, I had to look up fo' shizzle in the Urban Dictionary.)

65 years

My Nana & Papa are celebrating 65 years of marriage today. Wow.

Incredible.

3 sons.
5 grandsons.
1 granddaughter. (that's me.)
11 great-grand kids

ALL believers in Christ!


That's a legacy!

We love you Nana & Papa!! (I called my Nana and said, "So, 65 years, you think he's the one?" HA HA She just laughed!) Happy Anniversary you crazy-in-love-kids!

Also...while I'm here and before I forget...we got to do something uber cool (thanks to my Uncle Jim) on Thanksgiving. My Papa (he's 94) got to talk with his sister, my Aunt Re! She lives with her kids in California. Neither of them can make a trip like that anymore to see each other, but thanks to technology they were able to Skype and talk! It was wonderful. I had tears in my eyes watching them look in amazement at each other and talk to one another. It was so sweet and a very special memory.

Ain't technology grand!

The Tooth Fairy is Unpredictable.

FYI: When you lose a tooth in Miss Johnson's 2nd grade class at Charles Haskell Elementary school you get a cool treasure box to store your tooth in.

It's pretty amazing. (My camera was not cooperating.)


This 2nd grader was thrilled. Her tiny tooth was hangin' on for dear life but had to go to make way for that large awkward tooth that is going to cost me thousands to straighten up.
(Also, 2nd graders like anything that go on their wrists. I'm not sure why.)

She left the tooth under a message that read, "My tooth is under this piece of paper!" She's a planner - would hate for the tooth fairy not to realize where the tooth had been placed.

This latest tooth fairy experience sparked new and curious conversations. Like...

• "Is the tooth fairy really a fairy or is it a mommy or daddy?"
• "What does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth?"
• "I think it's weird that he just collects teeth, why does he do that?"
• "How does he know what to pay for each tooth? Sometimes it's $1, $2, $5?"

I have always been baffled by those questions as well sweet girl! On a side note, I was thrilled I found 2 bucks in my wallet that night.

The sweetest part of any "lost tooth" at our house is the tooth fairy pillow! My grandmother made this tooth pillow for me when I was 6 or 7. It has a little pocket and the tooth just slides in! Lily uses it now, and when she's done we will pass it to Addy. It's a sweet memory of a sweet woman! (I know Grandma would be thrilled to know Lily is using it too!)

PS. Anyone know any good orthodontists?

Edible Artwork

Dear Lily & Addy,

I love your artwork. I think it's wonderful.

When your teacher brings yummy macaroni, fruit loops, beans, coffee beans, sprinkles and whatnot, to use as decoration on your artwork it's fun! So fun! I'm glad you love it. BUT when you bring home your yummy artwork please put it up high. Very high. High enough, that you're little puppy can't find it!

He adores yummy artwork too!

For instance, this yummy apple pie artwork that had real sprinkled sugar all over the top of it!

As you can see he literally ate the entire middle right out of the pie! YUM! FYI...dogs that weigh less than 6 pounds shouldn't consume construction paper, sugar and glue. This is the same reason we said it's not good for him to eat Barbie shoes, hair clips, and crayons.

Love,

Mom

Click it, or Ticket!

I think DJ and I can say, without a doubt, that we have successfully drilled into our children's heads the rule that wearing seat belts is a must!

I was driving with the girls yesterday and while stopped at the stop light, we look over and see that the SUV next to us has two little blonde-headed girls jumping around the backseat seat belt-less!

My girls immediately notice the situation, and began to comment...

Lily, "Wow-they're not wearing seat belts, their dad must NOT care about them!"

Addy, "They're going to fly right thru the windshield."

Lily, "And probably, they're going to die."

Addy, "Then, the po-leece man will come - and their daddy will go to jail."

Seat belt safety - CHECK!

Now, back to the parent guide to see what's NEXT on our agenda...

Say what?

Addy brought home a Pre-K homework assignment (what is this world coming to when Pre-K students have homework?) She had to cut out little pictures of words that started with the letter N and glue them in their correct place on the page.

The first was...
Native American. The following conversation transpired....

Lily: Addy, that's a Nate of American.
Me: A what?
Lily: A Nate of American.
Me: A Native American?
Lily: What?
Me: Native American NOT Nate of American.
Lily: Ohhhhh!
Addy: No it's not, it's an astronaut.

Okay stike that comment - maybe they BOTH need homework!

Things I say as a Mom...

that I NEVER realized I would have to say......

"Don't sit on your sister's head, she can't breathe."

"No, we don't want to smell your feet. Yes, I realize they really stink - we still really don't want to smell them!"

"You need to wipe better."

"Why don't you have panties on?"

"Don't ask strangers to smell your feet."

"Don't lick your wounds - this is a thing your dad said to be funny and it wasn't, and he isn't, and it isn't! Just don't ever lick yourself."

...as big as your head!

Have you ever heard the saying something is "as big as your head" in reference to food?? Like "I ate a cinnamon roll the size of my head!" Or, "that burger is as big as your head." (It's probably dangerous to consume food the size of your head considering our stomachs are supposed to be the size of our fists, or something. I'm sure this girl can clear all that up.)

The other night we were eating at Qdoba. My husband loves for them to stuff a burrito until the tortilla seems like it will break, it's a challenge to him. The bigger the better.
It is a little disturbing to watch him eat it....


I made the comment "that thing is as big as your head!" Then we did some comparing...

Really????? Look at that thing!!!!!

He was so proud, and I was in shock. Then my shock turned to embarrassment when I realized people were staring at us hold a burrito up to our kids heads and then take pictures. "Look ma, this burritos as big as my head, quick - take a picture! We gotta show everybody back on the farm."

I wanted to yell out "don't worry, I'm a blogger" because when you're a blogger you can take pictures of pretty much anything and get away with it!

The Toothless Years

I love this girl! She just takes amazing pics of my kids ALL the time! (Love, love, love her!)

Lily turned 7 back in June, but it was so hot we waited a bit to get some 7 year old photos of her. I freaked out a bit last Saturday and thought...."those teeth are going to come in and I am going to forget that adorable little toothless smile! I have to get pictures now!"

(Then I thought a little more....."Those teeth are going to be big and awkward and then a dental professional is going to tell me I have to pay mega bucks to fix them, and then when it's all done and she is out of braces and her teeth are perfect it will be time for the Addy to get them.")

Teeth or no teeth....I love this sweet 7 year old!

10 Random Thoughts

1. Took my youngest child to Chuck E. Cheese's last week to reward her for not crying when going to school. (Yes, that means I bribed her. I'm not writing parenting books anytime soon, don't worry.)

2. Chuck E. Cheese's frightens me. It's like the fair only everyone is inside one small, very cramped building.

3. They serve beer at Chuck E. Cheese's. No I didn't partake, it just really bothers me that they have it there. Not sure why, it just made me mad. I wanted to walk around to the parents drinking and ask who was driving their children home.

4. I don't like the fair. (I think I've blogged about that before, but I am too lazy to find the post and link it to this post. I just don't like it. Period.)

5. The news about this mom who locked her kids in the closet for 10 hours makes me physically ill. I can't imagine a 7 & 5 year old realizing their siblings were dead in the closet with them. Sickens me.

6. Wow, that was a deep-dark Friday thought.

7. Our puppy keeps pooping and peeing in the house. He might get dropped off in an empty field soon, very soon. (Just kidding, don't alert PETA please!)

8. Addy & Lily started soccer again! I love watching them play.

9. It's time to decorate for fall! I love fall.

10. My dining table is piled high with papers, junk and other things I need to go through this weekend, and trash a bunch of stuff. Ewwww. That doesn't sound fun at all....maybe we WILL go to the fair after all.

He...

He will do just about anything for his kids.


He won't fight them when they beg him to play the High School Musical 3 Dance game for the PS2.

He does it because he knows it makes them happy.

He doesn't love the fact that I'm taking his picture, because he knows he'll end up on a blog somewhere.

He says rude things to me while dancing on the plastic mat.

He wants to know where the camera is when it's my turn. I hid the camera.

He has mad skills and can dance better than most white Church of Christ boys.

He might never speak to me again after reading this post.

God is Good!

September 11th will forever be in our hearts in minds due to the tragedy and lives lost in our country on that horrific day.

In the Utley family we remember that day for two reasons, 9-11 and the day dad went in for major back surgery to remove cancer that was forming on his spine. (We found out on the 10th, and he had surgery on the 11th.)

This past Saturday, September 11, 2010 was two years since dad's surgery...so we had our God is Good party to celebrate what God's done for us, and that dad has progressed so well.

Life has changed obviously and he can't do as much as he once did, but he's here with us and that is God's plan, for that we are thankful!

(Honestly, we will do just about anything to "celebrate" so we can have an Eileen's Cookie! YUM!)

I just loved these pics with dad and Lily! So sweet!!

We love you dad/Bob/Uncle Bob/Bob-O/Poppy!

God is so very good!!!