Jade on Tenor

Jade is playing tenor drums this year.

She got to play with the high school at one of the football games.

First Grade to the Fair

Jim, Isaac and I got to go to the Fair with Naissa's first grade class. We spent some time playing in the stinky farm animal area. I can't remember if we went to the fair last year or if it's been two years since we last went, but there were new things to see and smell this time. A musical section - very cool! They even had a "Super Dooper Pooper Scooper Station" where kids could use pooper scoopers to pick up fake poop! Not sure that made the top 10 list with these kids but Hey...it made us laugh!

The girls tried milking the fake cow and came out giggling.
The girls and Betsy the Cow (the boys had already moved on to the next station)
Isaac in the play area....before we lost him.

Naissa panning for gold.

Naissa after the lady said there was NO GOLD and that they were just panning for rocks!

Naissa with some friends.

The girls at the top of the Tree Fort.

As the girls walked away from Smokey they asked

"How's he gonna tell us about fire if he can't talk?"
good question.

Zack and Football

Zack has been looking forward to playing sports at school

since he was in first grade.

You can't play football, basketball,

baseball etc...until 5th grade.

#55

We pulled Naissa out of school so she could

*CHEER*

for her brother and the rest of the team.

(She was just thrilled)

Zack got to *verse*
(that's what the kids call it - not just mine)
a few of his friends this season.
One of them was Ryan.

Way to go Zack!

Football is my least favorite sport for kids to play in school.

(Except for wrestling but thankfully Zack didn't want to wrestle)

Zack has come home just beat up from this sport.

Headaches, goose eggs, black eye, muscle aches,

scratched lip from some guys dirty fingernail

(and yes I know it was dirty,these kids are 10-12,

they don't wash their hands)

One day Zack came home and laid down

saying his head hurt.

Being the sympathetic mom that I am

I told him to get up and take something for it

so he could get his homework done.

It wasn't until after dinner that Zack told us

he had been put up against the biggest kid on the team.

(Zack = under 70lbs and Big Kid = 124lbs+)

Zack caught the ball, coach blew the whistle

and the Big Kid still tackled him.....

cracking Zack's helmet and popping his neck!

OMG!!! Why is he still playing?!!

IDK?!

Another game the ambulance was called out TWICE!

Only one more game left

then I can switch my worrying gears to

Basketball!

Aren't there less injuries in basketball?

Aniah and Tiahna's Birthday at the Tea House

Naissa and Kaylin enjoying lemonade and tea

at the Tea House for Aniah and Tiahna's birthdays.

Shaleena bought the girls princess dresses,

tiaras and jewelry to wear.

Naissa and Kaylin
Aniah, Tiahna, Kaylin and Naissa

Silly Princesses

Who woulda thought a plate of cucumbers, salad,

hard dry bread and chicken sandwiches

with the crusts cut off

would cost $16.50!?!

I'm guessing it was the edible flower!

The girls had a great time.

They got to drink fancy tea

and eat little PB&J, PB&H, Cream Cheese & Jelly

and Egg sandwiches all with the crust cut off.

Then they were brought little wiener wraps

and cup cakes!

All dressed up and treated like

Princesses!

Natalie Grant - I Will Not Be Moved - Official Music Video

One of many reasons "Boys Will Be Boys" is Crap

Today was yet another reason, in my book,

as to why the excuse that boys will be boys is just crap.

An excuse to hurt other people...like women blaming

EVERYTHING on hormones.

Yes, boys do stupid things and

hormones can aid in making a woman crazy (ha!)

but to play everything off as such is pure

C-R-A-P.

I think pride and big egos are why boys

do many stupid things.

Boys need to be tough, or at least appear as though they are.

If that means hurting another boy to make them feel

like the man they aren't,

then that's exactly what they do.

It is not easy to be on the losing team,

or to get beaten by your opponent,

but to do so with a good attitude far surpasses

any winner who has a bad attitude.

Just because you got knocked down in a scrimmage

and had to dust your pride and

big talking off the seat of your pants,

doesn't give you the right to seek revenge

on the guy who was just doing

what he was supposed to in the game.

To use an object, such as a football helmet

to inflict pain on another,

especially when they don't have time

to defend themselves,

is just LOW.

It's a good thing some boys can admit

when they've made a bad decision

and say sorry when they are wrong.

It's a good thing that some boys

can forgive as quickly as things happen.

Too bad this mom doesn't process that quickly.

The Zoo

We went to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago with some friends.

I think it's been over a year since we've gone.

It was our first time seeing the Sting Ray Bay,

the black footed cat (only weighs 2 lbs!),

the grass where the hippo used to be,

a camel and a couple of cranes where the bison used to be

and a couple of other little changes.

My all time favorite has always been the tigers.

This one below had been smelling around a plant

and came up with that "cat pee high".

If you have a cat at home you probably know

what I'm talking about.

Pumpkin Farter Picture

Praise Alliteration (P)

Praise the Precious name of Jesus,
the Prince of Peace
For this Punk’s Penalty your Palms were Pierced
You didn’t Partake in my Pity Party
but by your Power you Plucked me out
of the Painful Pit I was Playing in.
You forgave my Prickly Past and
Poured in me your Perfect Peace
Your Patience Perplexes your People
You provide for my Plate,
You O God are my Portion
Protect me from Prideful People
who Pursue Prosperity by Picking on the Poor
My Patella’s are Planted on the Pavement
as I Proclaim your Praise
Even as I Pause and Ponder,
you are Preparing for me a
Permanent Pad in Paradise.

You want a what?!?

Zack needed a mouth piece today for football,

so Isaac and I went to Target to look for one.

One our way in we stopped to look at the

Dollar Halloween stuff.

Isaac was taking his time looking at

each thing and asking what it was,

if he didn't know.

As he scooted along the shelf he stopped

and grabbed up an item and turned to me and said....

"Puh-Leeeeeesse Can I have a Pumpkin Farter???"

With puzzlement crossing my face

I looked into his little hands

to see him holding proudly....

a whoopie cushion with a pumpkin face on it!

Of course

I had to buy it for a buck

just because I didn't want to forget

to tell Jim about the "pumpkin farter".

My memory ain't working so well these days...

a little too much stress, mess, bills,

lack of sleep & nutrition

and just plain craziness in the world!

But Praise God we can find Joy

in the little things like

"Pumpkin Farters"!

AMEN??

Simon's Cat 'Cat Man Do'

Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner'

Simon's Cat 'Let Me In!'

30 second Barbie Wannabe

Sometimes you gotta pay a little extra for the real deal.

99 cent Wannabe Barbie didn't last 30 seconds in the car before her legs fell off.

Imagine my daughter's devastation when she tried to take this wannabe out of the package and her legs remained in the plastic! "I don't want this stupid Barbie! She's got no legs now!" Then came the tears. I couldn't help but laugh. I had tried to explain to her that it wasn't a "real" Barbie and how she would probably lose her head if she tried to fix her hair.

By the time we drove the 2 minutes it took to get home

Poor Wannabe had not only lost her legs and her head but her arms as well!

I thought my daughter had learned a lesson about cheap toys

but when we went back to the store (they had bamboo for $1)

she wanted to try her luck on Wannabe Polly Pocket.

UGH!!!
I managed to talk her into some stale candy instead!

Gunner

Gunner is now our free roaming backyard bunny. He's the size of two of our cats and bigger than the third one. He likes to nibble on my plants and flowers, which has not caused noticeable damage, so I've been okay with it. But when I went out to check his water today I found him eating my aloe plant....nearly the entire thing!!

I have been really lazy about blogging lately. I've uploaded pictures but have not posted them. I now have like 4 posts just sitting in the drafts, just needing a little editing. I thought I'd start with this one, because the story is so short. Have a rabbit, he runs loose outside, he ate my plant! Yep! So maybe in the next couple of days I'll get my rear in gear and post the rest.