HELP!!! Soliciting your Advice!

HELP!! We've endeavored into the "We're Serious Now" Potty training mode with Mason! I need TIPS!! I know that many of you out there have successfully trained boys and I NEED TO KNOW what worked for you!

We've been at it for about a week now... I'm to the point of letting him be in diapers till he's 10!! I'm soo frustrated!!! We've put him on the potty every 30 minutes with sticker chart reward after! It's time to step it up to the next level- Gimme any suggestions ya got! ... And YES!- we've tried the "sink the cheerio" trick! :D ...Actually it was goldfish crackers 'cause that's all I had on hand! It works good, but now he expects a snack when he's on the potty! UGH!!!!

They say EVERYBODY has a Twin Out There Somewhere....

It was brought to my attention that my favorite brother in law, Mario, often gets mistaken for John Legend! It was actually our waiter who brought it up. He was all smiles," ...So I bet you get this a lot- But, You look a lot like..." Now until he said that, I hadn't ever put the two together. But sure enough- the resemblance is uncanny! What do you think?

I tried to get Mario to throw his "John Legend" weight around and get us some upgrades at the Day Spa... No luck! :D








And just today I was told by a patient that I'm a dead ringer for the ESPN Sportscaster Heather Cox, who happens to live in the area also... Somebody BETTER tell me if my bangs start to look like this! I expect a true friend INTERVENTION!!! HA! HA! HA!! :D


To be fair though, here is a more RECENT picture of her... :D

Turkey Recap...

Well it's ALMOST too late to mention how much fun we had at Thanksgiving! We went down to California to visit my Sister,Trysh and her family. We had such a good time! The first day was actual Turkey day- I don't think I have TOTALLY recovered fully from ALL that FOOD! YUM,YUM! We then tried to fight off the triptophan (sp?) by....what other than.... AMERICAN IDOL, Wii version!--- I have a new respect for those contestants... WAY HARDER than it looks! Later on, after everyone slipped into our PJ's ( 2 other families joined in the sleepover!! :D) and put all the kids to bed, we challenged each other to a very vocal game of 'Battle of the Sexes'! The Boys beat us, but OF COURSE- We're still reviewing the tapes for the final verdict on a couple of their answers!



The next day, we awoke to the the FIRE ALARM and delicious breakfasts aromas... But mostly the fire alarm!!!... (Which no one REALLY knows why it went off! The food wasn't burning or anything!) Breakfast was OVER THE TOP GOOD! Trysh's Friends know how to cook!!... Of course so does Trysh! :D After breakfast, we mounted up and headed over RPM to race some go-karts! Those puppies were fast! I wish that I could say that I whooped up on the boys...BUT I CAN'T! I got schooled then left at the bus stop!!! But at least I didn't get any "BLACK" Flags...OR TWO OR THREE!!! (BEN!!!!) Afterwards, we met up with everyone else at the roller skating rink! I haven't done that since I was in grade school! But it was fun rolling around to the music and the disco lights! I, of course, traded in my old school skates for some roller blades. The four wheel where just too.... stable! Mason had a good time at his first skating rink experience, but he would rather stick around the arcade games. Luckily, his cousin Anissa showed him the ropes! Those two were inseparable the whole weekend! It was adorable! And to top off the whole day, we headed over the Leatherby's, an old style ice cream parlor that made sundaes bigger than my head!!! Very nostalgic!

On Saturday- Trysh, Mario, Ben and Myself left the kids with my capable nephew, Marquis, in charge and a promise that he got $5 a dirty diaper and a nice Christmas present for each "Poops" diaper he changed. He handled the wet diapers beautifully...except that he put the new one on backwards! But at the sign of the first "Poops" diaper... He promptly called his auntie Jamie (who lives just 2 miles away) to come resolve the situation! :D THANK YOU JAMIE for EVERYTHING!!! And Marquis earned his money that day! :D So the four of us, drove down the San Fransisco for a little day trip and a relaxing SPA EXPERIENCE!!! AHHH! We're talking white plush robes and ALL! Massages, pedicures, manicures... OH MY!!! IT was heaven! A BIG Thank you to Mario and Trysh for making it a truly MEMORABLE experience for us! It was some MUCH NEEDED relaxation for Ben and myself. We had lots of laughs and a few tears... mainly when Mario had to LEAVE the SPA! He could have stayed there forever :D... and he's not alone!

YES, It was a JAM PACKED weekend that topped the memory list! Thank you again for having us down! We love You and miss you already!

Irony is Everywhere!

I was making dinner the other night when I looked up and was struck with the funniest realization! I've had this family picture sitting on my counter, waiting to find the right frame for it....for probably 3 months now. It's to the point that I forget it's even there! We got a new pet fish (Mason has named him Fishy...) about a month ago. So the other night I REALIZED that it PROBABLY WASN'T the BEST idea to have the two of them next to each other... POOR FISHY!

SHHHHH! I'm trying to EAT my words while reading!

Sorry- I haven't been blogging - I've been reading the "Twilight" book...and soon to be book(s)... I've wanted to see what all the hype was about. And I have to say, I'm hooked! I'm not a big reader and this is the fastest I've ever plowed through a book. Why just today I found myself squeezing in a little reading... WHILE I WAS WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT! VERY, VERY unusual for me!!! I apologize to all of you that I made fun of for this type of behavior. I guess it true what they say... "Don't knock it 'till you try it!" :D Here's to you EDWARD for making 'pale' skin an attractive feature! (Just remember- I was pale ( and always will be!) before it was cool to be!) HA! HA!

A Birthday Wish!!!

My darling friend Stephanie requested that, for her birthday, all her friends enjoy a fabulous meal of some sort and send her a picture of it. As a way for all of us to celebrate across the nation. I chose this tasty treat that we used to enjoy when we were room mates back in the good 'ol days! I'm not sure exactly how we CONCOCTED dipping carrots in cool whip. (I think a 24 pack of mountain dew was involved!) But it's ACTUALLY really good! So to salute my dear friend on her big day- I post this ode to the past! :D

Happy Birthday Stephanie the Great!!!
This ones for you!!! Wish you were here!!!

CAUTION for YOUNG Readers!

I was conversing with my coworkers the other day and it lead to me asking everyone how they "FOUND OUT" about Santa when they were kids... (Sorry to spoil it for some of you out there!)

I guess it interests me so much because I don't really remember how I found out. No mean kid dropping the bomb at the playground...or catching mom and dad in the act...or ripping off the Mall Santa's beard. I guess I just put it all together and didn't worry too much about it 'cause presents kept coming. On gal at work put it nicely when her kids figured it out. She told them that " As long as there's love in our home, Santa will always exist!" I thought that was kinda sweet! So I pose the question to you:

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT SANTA?...

~Leave me a comment with your story! ~

One of MANY Reasons Why I Don't Like Bears!!!

My parents emailed this story to me today and I was SOOO AMAZED that I'd HAD to share. This happened to the brother-in-law of a guy that my Dad works with.... I have to warn you that the pics aren't for the faint of heart ESPECIALLY if you haven't been around hunting much. I posted the ones that best tell the story in a PG sort of way.

This is the exact email that my dad received and forwarded to me:

Many of you know that my brother-in-law(Bridgett's husband), Ron, was attacked by a grizzly bear last weekend in Wyoming, while bow hunting elk with his dad.

Ron amazingly came through with non life threatening injuries.

Ron, who is an experienced hunter and used to be a guide, was calling an elk for his dad, who was down hill 40 yards. The elk suddenly spooked and then Ron heard a noise behind him. He turned around and a grizzly was 15 feet behind him. He tried to shoo it away but it proceeded toward him. He went behind a tree and the bear kept coming, so he took off on his "death run" down hill towards his dad. With the grizzly just feet behind his son, and running full speed, Ron's dad shot one arrow. Ron saw the arrow fly by his leg, unsure of whether it hit the bear, and within a few more steps, Ron was on his back with the grizzly on top of him. With is arms shielding his head, Ron kicked and punched the bear with all he had. Ron said it all went too fast and he was so full of adrenaline, he could not feel any pain at the time of the attack. When the bear continued to attack, Ron's dad, could see that the bear was bleeding badly from the arrow, and he went over and started beating on the bear with his bow(You can not carry guns during bow hunting, so he had nothing to shoot it). The bear continued to attack Ron, biting clear through his left hand and glove, and down to the bone of his right arm just below the elbow. Then the bear, stopped, looking at Ron's dad, walked away several yards, and rolled over dead.

The bear was autopsied and showed that it was well over 500 lbs(the grizzlies in that area average 350lbs) and 11 years old(which is in it's prime). Following the path of the arrow, the autopsy showed that the arrow went in, hit a main artery, then bent, and hit the heart!

A one in a thousand shot they said.

Another important fact to mention and that gave me chills is that Ron's dad had had surgery on his arm, because he had injured his arm and was not even able to pull the bow last season. This was to be his big hunt, and before the day of the attack, he had already missed two elk that were standing still. The morning of the attack, Ron's dad (also named Ron), prayed "God please guide my arrow today".

Little did Ron Sr. and Ron know how God would guide his arrow that day!

These are the pictures of the bear and the area that everything took place in. Please enjoy at my expense. Ha ha.

Ron

Pretty AMAZING, Huh?! I personally don't think that I'd be sticking around to take pictures after an ordeal like that... But that's just me! :D If you'd like to see ALL 34 pictures, I'd be happy to forward it on to you... IT REALLY IS AMAZING! That guys Guardian Angel deserves a RAISE!!!

p.s. I'm sorry if I grossed you out- But I DID warn you!!!!!!!

There's a SKUNK in Our Yard!!!!

In an effort to help Mason ACTUALLY LIKE his Halloween costume, we forced him into it then took him outside where he wouldn't think about it so much. Getting it on him was all but tramatic - He didn't like all fur. But, once we were outside playing, he realized how warm it kept him. He forgot all about it! It was a pretty funny site seeing this giant skunk running around our backyard! What a memory! Hopefully on ACTUAL Halloween night it won't be so tramatic!! :D

Quirks...We've All Got 'EM!

I was tagged by my cousin, Kami to blog about 6 of my quirks. I've seen this on other blogs as well and... I must say- I'm quite comforted that we ALL have a little OCD to a degree! It's interesting to get to know these things about everyone! At first, I thought I was pretty boring and didn't have ANY... Then I asked Ben if he could think of any for me! Kinda sorry I asked... He was able to rattle off three or four off the top of his head. And here I am laying awake at night for a week straight and couldn't think of ANY... But I have to agree with him- I TOO HAVE MY QUIRKS! :D

1. When folding clothes, I "WHIP" each piece of clothing into submission first. Then proceed to MILITARY fold them VERY TIGHTLY... I guess my logic in this is to incorporate ironing into the process without plugging anything in! Just killing two birds with one stone!!!

2. I might have mentioned this one before, but I've only met ONE other person with this same quirk... I HATE COTTON BALLS!!! Holding a cotton ball is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! I'm getting goosebumps and shivering just thinking about it. It makes a high pitched sound when you squeeze it that kringes me to the bone! I can't explain it any better than that! My brothers like to torture me with this one!

3. Bare counter tops are a MUST in MY KITCHEN! NO small appliances.... No loaves of bread... NO cookie jars are left out for long periods of time--- Only the BARE MINIMUM- The only permanent residents on my counters are: A very tasteful spice rack, A wood block of knives, a paper towel stand, a small plant (that I've sworn I've killed at least 20 times... It keeps kicking! And come to think of it- It's the ONLY plant in my whole house...) and an occasional basket of fruit ( so I'll actually eat it!) I'm STILL training Ben to about this pet peeve of mine! FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING!!

4. I make Ben sleep on the TOP of the top sheet while I remain comfy underneath it......Totally kidding! Just trying to see if your paying attention! HA! HA! Although I did enforce this rule STRONGLY when I had to share a bed with a gal-pal in my single days... I called it the TOP SHEET/BOTTOM SHEET Rule! I didn't want to accidentally feel my friends leg in the middle of the night!!! YUCK!

5. When I rearrange my furniture, I GO TO TOWN with the vacuum to try to remove the old indentation marks left in the carpet . Even to the point to where I'm down on my hands and knees, raking it out with my fingers to get the carpet to pop back up.

6. I don't really like the phone! I can't explain it- I'm just not a big "phone person". I SUCK at calling people back. I guess I feel like whatever I'm calling about is going to interrupt what they're doing in their house. Or I'm avoiding being asked to do something... I can't really explain this one either. I, however, LOVE email or texting! Maybe it's because I have time to think about what I'm going to say.Or that its short and sweet and to the point! Please tell me I'm not the only one out there....! And don't take it personal if I don't call you back- Its just in my head! I must admit though, that I've gotten a WHOLE lot better at MAKING myself call people back! :D

7. I don't like seafood of ANY KIND! It ALL has a FISHY Smell to it. You CAN NOT convince me of it otherwise! When I look at shrimp.... All I see is it's little head and that DARK streak down it back that is it's INTESTINAL TRACK filled with POOP!!! And don't get me started on lobster- No thanks to anything that I have to break it arms to get to the meat. GIMME a Bacon Cheeseburger ANY DAY! I actually told a someone that I was allergic once... just as a way to politely decline some clam chowder that they made from scratch! But then they asked what happens to me if I eat seafood???... I didn't have an answer and made a ROYAL JERK of myself! Lessoned learned!!!

There you have it! Proof that I am a FREAK! I in return tag Jill, Molly, Stephanie, Kaylynn, Karalene, and Andrea! Let's keep this QUIRKY FREAKINESS GOING!!!!!

Happy Birthday DADDY!!

When I was little, I thought you were the greatest dad in the world...Now that I'm grown up, I see you as more than just a Father, I see the friend who was ALWAYS there....

...And I still think you're the GREATEST Dad in the world!!!

Happy Birthday to the BESTEST DAD and PA-PA in the WHOLE WORLD!!!

Just in Case You Were Wondering....

YES! ....It REALLY hurts if you suck your big toe up in a Vacuum!!!!!

Halloween Is Gonna Stink This Year!

I got this email from a friend of mine... It made me laugh!
Sad but TRUE!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

According to the American Cancer Society:

Every 2 minutes, there is a new breast cancer diagnosis.

85% of all diagnoses have no family history.

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between ages 40 and 55.

I don't share these statistics to be a total downer. Most of you know me as always trying to look at the positive side of things! But this is the reality I face at work EVERY DAY! Now normally, I don't talk much about my work because it usually makes people nervous and immature... But this is worth it!
I recently met a woman who needed some post wire films- just before she went to surgery to have part of her breast removed with a cancerous lesion. She was very sweet and ready to start the fight of her life. But I could tell she was scared too. So as usual for me, I tried to help her cope the only way I know how- LAUGHTER! I joked with her that this would be the easiest mammogram of her life being that her breast is mostly numb! She smiled and started to relax a little. We joked and laughed a little more as I was pulling up her old films. I couldn't help but notice that my initials were on her screening mammo films!
After we got her pictures done, I got her back in her wheelchair and tried to make her as comfortable as I could. Both of us knowing that the hardest was yet to come for her. As I wrapped a blanket around her, I half joked that I felt I had to apologize to her. She of course looked up at me perplexed. I explained that I was the one who got her into this mess by doing her initial Mammogram that found the lesion. She smiled as it jogged her memory and grabbed my hand and pulled me down for one of the biggest hugs ever!! She let go and replied. "HONEY, You can save my life ANY DAY!"
Tears welled up in my eyes even more when I took her back to her waiting husband and she said to him, "This is the gal that did my mammogram! The one that they found it on!" The husband walked over to me, shook my hand and gave me a heartfelt, "Thank you, Ma'am!"

Now all except for the "Ma'am" part, it was an awesome full circle moment for me on why I do what I do! Believe me it's not for the PRESTIGE!!! :D Most of us have been affected by Breast Cancer in one form or another and DANG IT ladies, we have the power to fight it! There are soo few things out there that we can be proactive on- why not your HEALTH. So I empower all you out there to get checked! DO YOUR MONTHLY BREAST EXAM!!!! AND GET CHECKED BY YOUR PHYSICIAN!!! And if you're of age, GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!!! With these three SIMPLE things, we can find it at the earliest, most curable stage! And we can start focusing on how 7 out of 8 women WON'T be diagnosed with Breast Cancer!....The breast you save - might be your own!(Sorry- I couldn't help myself! :D)

Now repeat with me....... I AM THE CURE!!!!! I AM THE CURE!!!!! I AM THE CURE!!!!!

Mr. GQ

You know when you put pieces of different outfits together and you create a whole NEW outfit combo... We'll that's what I try to accomplish while getting Mason ready for church. I'm tired of the same outfits every Sunday, so I TRY to spice it up! Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't! Last week's outfit, we dubbed as Cowboy wedding! HA! I should have taken a picture of THAT! It consisted of fancy tie,vest and collared shirt... and jeans! Lets just say that my kid grows so fast overnight, that his black church shoes fit one week and then not so much! My only option at that point was to throw on some brown sandals...which don't jive with black Sunday pants! PLUS WE WERE RUNNING LATE! So the fixer was to throw on some jeans to tie everything together and save us from starting from scratch. Sorry- Long story, needless to say that this week went MUCH better! I thought he looked so adorable (... 'course I'm biased!) that it inspired a photo shoot when we got home. :D

Life on Wheels!

For Mason's birthday, Grandma and Pa-Pa gave him his first skates and all the gear to go with it! This is the first time Mason's let us put all the gear on! So we ventured out around the block of our neighborhood... And remarkably, Mason did quite well- He only fell twice! Those dang curbs! :D

Try not to Laugh... I DARE YOU!

We found this video on youtube, and Mason just can't get enough of it! I've never seen him laugh so hard! And I have to admit, I laugh just as hard! This kid is adorable! Enjoy!

BROKEN!

So I was reading on a couple of my cousin's blogs how things seem to be breaking down in their households in groups.... To that I add... THANKS ALOT- YOU JINXED ME!! :D HA! HA!

Last weekend our Dryer kicked the bucket AND then our vacuum followed suit deciding that it had had a full and productive life! 'Course... I can't be too angry! I too would putter out after drying FIVE loads of Laundry!! And I DID do a MASSIVE clean down of my house... (I'm talking TOP TO BOTTOM- You could EAT off the baseboards!!!)
Ben OF COURSE being Mr. Fix-it, tried to revive them both. I walked into the family room and found Ben trying to do "CPR" on the Vacuum, it's "guts" and bolts strewn all over. He then immediately grabbed my hand, his voice softenned, "I'm sorry Mrs. Taylor!.... I've done all that I can... I don't think it felt any pain..." WHAT A CLOWN! Although, HONESTLY, I am kind of excited at the opportunity now to buy NEW appliances! HEE! HEE! HEE! I guess that's why I haven't been too depressed. But in the meantime, This is what our house has looked like this past week waiting till we've had the time to go get a dryer...Just watch though- next we'll have to replace all our curtain rods! CRAP! I JUST JINXED MYSELF!!!!! :D

....Another Question???

I guess because it's my day off today that I have the time to think of these things...

Am I the only one who gets kinda panicked when you have to verify the word after you've typed a comment on someone's blog????

It's like it transports me back to grade school when you had to get your eyes checked by reading "the 4th line down" or those tests to see if you were color blind... You know?- the ones with the hidden letter that is a different color. I feel the pressure all over again that ONE WRONG LETTER and BAM!- "You have to wear glasses for the rest of your life!" Or BAM!- "No driver's license for you!"....
And don't get me started on the hearing tests I remember taking! :D I'll never forget the PARALYZING FEAR of hearing that HIGH PITCHED BEEP and raising my hand as fast as I could so the nurse KNEW I was not deaf! I remember thinking that I had heard the beep, but all it was was the residual ringing that continued after the ACTUAL beep!... Man- Being a kid was pretty stressful!
I laugh at the thought of the little man in the computer that's keeping track of all the word verifications, then when I go to renew my license or something, the person behind the counter will say " Sorry Mrs. Taylor! I show that you messed up on the word verification on the Tait's blog, the Perriton's blog AND the Tingley's blog all in one day! We are revoking your license due to the idiot factor that you so strongly posses!" :D

Anyway- this thought always crosses my mind!....I was just wondering if I'm the ONLY freak out there or if there are others! BUT- Don't worry! This won't stop me from leaving as many comments as I can!! HA! HA! HA! :D

.....Question?!

So I was driving home from work the other day- I was sitting at the LONG light at Franklin and I couldn't help but notice the electronic sign at the local HOOTERS....

"Come in for our expanded KIDS MENU!"...

WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD TAKE THEIR KIDS TO HOOTERS!!!! Ewwww!

A Nice Quiet Weekend.... LITERALLY!!!

The Fort that LOVE BUILT!

About 5 weeks ago, Ben and I came to an agreeance that wooden play sets are FAR TOO OVERPRICED!!! We felt that we could easily build something equally nice for half the price of what the stores were charging for a kit. When did I become SOO frugal?... I don't know! But, that's beside the point... We did some internet surfing and printed off a picture of a swing set that was about what we wanted. (Fun and simple was ALL we were really going for! Some of these kits are OVER THE TOP UNNECESSARY!)

So with a picture and a FEW (and I mean FEW!) measurements, we got to it! We figured that this project would easily just take a Saturday and maybe a few trips to Home Depot to complete. Boy, were we wrong! But, I have to say- We had SO much fun putting this together and figuring it all out! I think that Ben and I BOTH surprised each other on our knowledge of building. (Don't let the pictures fool you, we were 50/50 on building this puppy!) And about 3 quarters of the way through it, we did wonder if this really was for Mason or for the two of US! :D All in all, we reached our goal to build a less expensive, yet equally beautiful play set and as a BONUS... We got all kinds of GREAT MEMORIES to go with it! PENNY PINCHING WINS AGAIN!!!! :D

It's Official...

Yes, Travis is Married! YEAH!! I knew when they started dating that this was the LAST girlfriend of his that I would have to meet. I remember telling Travis ..."that if you screw this relationship up- I'm done! Don't bring any more girls around!" No one could be as nice, darling and beautiful as Ericka. The road, as it always is, was a little rocky. But, they looked inside themselves and realized that together is where their true strength was. Welcome to the family, Ericka- although we inducted you long ago! :D Congratulations to you both and all our LOVE! Thanks for letting us be apart of your Glamorous day!!

And They Lived Happily Ever After!

Ben and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! We went out to the Melting Pot ( a fondue restaurant) in downtown Boise. While it was super fun, I couldn't help but think as we were boiling our meat dishes in the yummy broth...."Here we are for a night on the town- and we're COOKING our meal?!?!" Still it was a night to remember- (the dessert tray alone will always have a special place in my heart! :D)

I can't believe that it has been 5 years already... although looking back on the pictures, all I see are two baby faced kids!! :D We have had our share of adventures, heartbreak and days that I could smother him with a pillow in his sleep... He has been patient and my best friend! And through it all, I've come to respect and adore my husband more than I could EVER express! I am truly grateful to my Heavenly Father for the lessons that we have learned together and for the road that is yet to be traveled...

Mason and His LADIES!!

Mason has two little lady friends that he just loves to play with and the feeling is mutual! The three of them will just spot each other across sacrament meeting and go "nuts", jumping on the pews (sp???) with totally jubilee having found each other! Today there was a chorus of "MASON!" "MASON!" during sacrament from Chloe and Sydney who did the first spotting. The three of them are just ADORABLE! Last week we, the mom's and the three musketeers, ventured on an outing to Roaring springs- A super cool water park! Mason dug it with a BIG 'ol shovel! Chloe was FEARLESS on the tube slides, Sydney conquered the lazy river after her mom nearly DROWNED in the under tow of the water fall! :D--- and Mason couldn't get enough of the wave pool!!! We had so much fun that I believe a season pass, for next year, is in order. Heres some cute pics of the three of them!!!

Girls Camp 2008

I had the opportunity to go to girls camp this year- I lept at the chance to hang out with the girls/leaders again since I am now in Primary. It was a blast! (Probably due to the fact that I didn't have to do much of the planning! I likened it to me being the "cool" Aunt who swoops in to play with the kids after the Mom does ALL the hard work for them! :D) Nikki did a FANTASTIC job as GC Director. She planned an Army Boot Camp theme this year with the motto "BE all that you can BE!" and modeled EVERYTHING after Pres. Hinckley's talk on the seven "BE's". It was a HUGE success! There was a physical obstacle course one day and then a mental one the next! We even had an Spiritual AIR-RAID at 2:30 in the morning!...The girls jumped out their beds with joy for that one- NOT! They were able to have a spiritual reflectiveness as they walked through the woods. And the stars in the sky were enough to take your breath away!

We had some great laughs and shed a few tears....BUT MOSTLY LAUGHED! I'm so amazed at the youth- Their true colors shined that week and WHAT A RAINBOW IT MADE!! I will never forget the memories made there and I hope they know how much I look up to them!!! Thanks for letting me TAG ALONG!!

Don't Forget To Write!!!!

We'll last Sunday we finally released Rocket back to his home... at least- We think he'll like it there! It was very sweet- Mason said a very heart felt "'bye, turtle!" and waved as Rocket entered the water. In a sort of "Thanks for everything!" kinda way- He swam in a little half circle and looked back at us before he submerged down to the bottom of the pond. (If you look closely you can see him in pond just in front of Ben and Mason!) Good Luck Rocket! :D

Ben's Wildlife Rescue!

So Monday night, I'm just picking up the house-waiting for Ben and Mason to get home from locking up the church building. I heard the garage door open and thought,"Man, they're taking a while coming inside.."

They finally came through the door, Ben was carrying a bucket and seemed boyishly excited, "C'mon Mason! Lets go in the backyard!!!" as he rushed through the house.

I didn't know WHAT they were up to 'till I saw the the shadow of the head of, what I thought was, a snake! As I was bolting up the stairs to lock the door, Ben realized he better let me in on their little adventure. All he said was,"It's a turtle. I SAVED IT!"

After a HUGE sigh of relief, I just laughed and shook my head- This is SO Ben and yet...the last thing I expected all at the same time. So I joined them in the backyard where Ben relayed the events to me of driving down the busy road and seeing the turtle crossing it. Fearing for it's safety (AND he thought Mason would think it was COOL!)- He drove the few blocks home, grabbed a bucket and went into ACTION!!
That night we had an impromptu FHE of building a turtle habitat out of Mason's old pool. We threw in some fresh lettuce out of our garden, a couple of rocks for him to perch on and a flower pot for him to sleep in. Ben even grabbed my patio chair and placed it partially OVER the little pool so the little guy could have some shade from the HOT sun. Mason LOVED every minute of it! He kept saying,"Hi Turtle! What doin'?"

We've had a FUN week with him. We've named him ROCKET due to his ability to kick it into high gear when we try to pick him up. We've had some turtle races and Mason loves to pretend to be a turtle and crawl on his belly next to Rocket. Mason has helped change Rocket's water and feed him apples. (Rocket's Fav!) Yep, It's been fun but it is drawing to a close as we will probably be releasing him back into the pond near our house. But we hope that he will have lots of great stories to tell his fellow turtle buddies about us. AND that he'll stay away from the busy road!!!! :D

You Turn Your Back For ONE MINUTE....

It just never fails! You think your child is quietly playing and your getting a moments break to load the dishwasher or something- then you hear it- "OH NO!!!"

You're mind is reeling, "What could it be?...OR- What's broken now?"



I have to say that this is a first in our household...And I doubt the last! :D But, it could've been ALOT worse... It could've been a PERMANENT PEN!!!

Memory Tag! This is FUN!!!! :D

1. As a comment on my blog, or email me- leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! :D

(Go ahead and leave a memory for Ben AND/OR Tristin.)

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Our 4th of July Recap!

We had a FABULOUS FOURTH! We enjoyed a great BBQ with some good friends, the Blacks and the Germanes. We introduced them to Huckleberries by bringing over our last bag and throwing them into some HOMEMADE ice cream! SO GOOD!! While waiting for the ice cream to finish, we went to check out our little neighborhood's 4th annual 4th of July Parade! It's really cute- All the neighborhood kids decorate their bikes, scooter, stroller, and even power wheel Jeeps with anything red, white and blue! It's really adorable! Then they race around the block waving their flags and letting their streamers fly! It's such a great way to teach patriotism!

After heading back and devouring our ice cream, we packed up and headed to the Speedway for some Fireworks! Mason was soo excited to be up passed his bed time, but as soon as the fireworks started- he began to be quite unsure about the whole thing. He finally warmed up to them. In the video you can hear him say how "TALL" they are and some of the colors he's sees. At the end of the show, He looked up at me and wanted..."MORE BOOM!" I think next year we will introduce him to Sparklers!!! :D

Tag...You're it!
Joys:
1) Mason falling asleep in my arms. (It RARELY happens!)
2) Waking up next to Ben.
3) Laughing with friends and family.
4) 4 seasons of nature.
Fears:
1) Something happening to a loved one.
2) drowning
3) BEARS!!!
Goals:
1) Be a GREAT mother/wife.
2) To visit Scotland.
3) To save someones life.
Obsessions/Collections:
1) Obsession- WARM brownies and ICE COLD milk!!!
2) Obsession- Pop Culture!
3) Collection- Old School Nintendo and games.
Random surprising facts:
1) I CAN'T stand holding a COTTON BALL!!! It's like nails on a chalkboard to me!!!!
2) I have a double jointed thumb that can "HULA"... See Below.
3) I would LOVE to host the Family Feud! Watch out John O'Hurley!! :D
4) I'm the friend that EVERYONE compares their tans to so they feel better about themselves- And I've accepted that!

I Tag: Valerie,Amanda, Jennifer, Cami, Mary Ann, Stephanie, Tami, and Becky

Call him.... COACH Taylor!

I forgot to mention something pretty big that has happened in our house- Ben accepted a position to COACH Pole vaulting and Hurdles for the high school here!!! He is so STOKED! And so am I 'cause that means he has halted his plans to build a pole vault pit in our backyard...You think I'm kidding?!?! Dead serious- He had it all roped off to show me how it would work. It was adorable! So he emailed all the high schools around, looking for a set of pads that they might be getting rid of. When none of them emailed back, he started calling. He's VERY determined when his mind is set on something! He finally got a hold of the Head Track Coach at Meridian HS and she asked him, "Why do you want the pit???"
Of course Ben replied,"So I can build my OWN pit!"
After the laughter subsided, she said,"Why build a pit when you can use ours?"
The conversation continued and ended with her saying that they WERE looking for a NEW coach. Ben and I talked about it and realized that THIS COULD WORK! Ben called her back and hashed out the details. My FAVORITE part though was upon accepting the job, she said how much Ben would make- and He said, "YOUR GONNA PAY ME TOO?!" :D...AGAIN- ADORABLE!!!

As you can see, Ben has the DEEP passion for the sport! He gave up pole vaulting in college to spend more time with me. He says that it was worth it, but I can see how much he misses it. The "Other Woman" I call it! HA! I am so excited that he is able to do this and I know that he is going to be an AWESOME role model for the kids! He already is to me! The Head Coach told us that one gal, who is pretty good, was going to transfer to another school because last years coach really shafted the kids and didn't do anything. She found out that Ben was going to coach next year and decided to stay. He's already making a difference! I'm SOOO proud of you- CONGRATULATIONS BEN!!

In honor of this, we found this video to show the "HIDDEN" dangers of vaulting! Can you say YOWZER! Get this guy some ICE! HA! HA! Enjoy!

Mason's Photo Shoot

Guys Weekend!