Francisco de Coronado: Dork-o the Explorer

Riley has his first oral report in school today. He had to dress up as the legendary explorer, Francisco de Coronado, then get up in front of class and give a report on him. You remember him, right? I think he was more important than Columbus, Lewis & Clark, Magellan...the list could go on. I mean, who doesn't consider the idiot who went searching for the 7 lost Cities of Gold super important? Try finding a lot of info on the guy. He was born, he died, and in between he was the first European to see the Grand Canyon. And here's a shocker-he NEVER found the cities of gold! Try putting that into a full page report for an 8 year old!! I think I "explored" the Internet longer just looking for info on him! Anyway, here's to hoping that the $30 I spent on his costume earns some SERIOUS extra credit.

Pumpkin Guts Are Everywhere!

We carved Jack O' Lanterns last night. I put it off as long as I could in order to keep from having rotting pumpkins oozing all over the front steps. The boys had a great time carving their own pumpkins. Daddy had to step in to help Bryson, because there is no way our little clean freak was going to put his hands into "pumpkin snot"! (Thanks to Jeremy for that little gem!)

Milk Jug Monsters

The boys and I made milk jug monsters the other day for Halloween. We painted them different colors then painted on faces. Some are more Picasso inspired, I think, but are cute, nonetheless!

**The rule for this little game is your response to each question can only be one-word.

1. Where is your cell phone? PURSE
2. Where is your significant other? WORK
3. Your hair color? BROWN
4. Your mother? TALENTED
5. Your father? PUSHOVER!
6. Your favorite thing? FAMILY
7. Your dream last night? NONE
8. Your dream/goal? PERFECTION
9. The room you're in? OFFICE
10. Your hobby? CHILDREN
11. Your fear? DEATH
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? HERE
13. Where were you last night? BED
14. What you're not? FEARLESS
15. One of your wish-list items? CHOCOLATE
16. Where you grew up? MAIDEN
17. The last thing you did? TYPE
18. What are you wearing? CLOTHING
19. Your TV? QUIET
20. Your pet? NONEXISTANT
21. Your computer? CRAP
22. Your mood? GRAND
23. Missing someone? HUBBY
24. Your car? VAN
25. Something you're not wearing? COAT
26. Favorite store? ROSS
27. Your summer? FABULOUS
28. Love someone? DEEPLY
29. Your favorite color? YELLOW
30. When is the last time you laughed? TODAY
31. Last time you cried? YESTERDAY

I have another "Quirk" (who knew?)

Okay. I have a serious problem. The last couple of posts, I added pictures. The problem I have is, something went wrong with the way they posted, and they aren't in order of how they happened. That is driving me up the wall!!! My computer is too slow lately to change them in a reasonable amount of time, so to keep from yelling and screaming at my children to go away and let me fix this mess, I'm going to attempt to just "let it go". This is very difficult for me. Every picture I ever took of my kids B.D. (before digital) is in the exact order that they were taken in albums, which are also arranged in order on the shelf. Heaven help me. So, as you look at the pics, please attempt to see them in the order in which they were intended to be seen. Also, if you haven't yet enjoyed the PELICAN POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS video, please do. It's a classic!

Life's a Beach...and then you die. (Or at least I feel like dying!)

Today was perfect! The weather was wonderful. Bryson and Riley woke up in a strange, but cute position! Jeremy fished all day. He caught a few fish, then he caught a pelican! After he freed it from the fishing line wrapped around his wing, I recorded what happened next-it's classic!! The boys had a great time playing on the beach for a while, then ended up in the water. This made them VERY happy! They fed the seagulls and Bryson kept fussing at the bigger birds for being a "big bully" to the little birds! Jeremy caught 11 blues (more, actually, but several got away). After a full day at the beach, we went to KFC for supper. Becky and Randy took the kids home afterward and Jeremy and I went to Walmart to get him some new shoes since he involuntarily went for a little dip in the ocean, fully clothed! We stopped by Wendy's for a chocolate shake. Of course, I couldn't order a small,so I sucked down the large so the boys wouldn't catch me with it when I went home. Hence the title. I feel like I am going to die! I will never look at a chocolate milkshake EVER again. (At least until tomorrow...)

Just Beachy!

The boys had a BUSY day today at the beach! They went on a bike ride in the rain this morning. As we were walking down to the beach, they went on a lizard hunt. They were so excited when he turned colors from dark green to bright green! They played with Daddy, hunted for shells, tormented MawMaw with sand fleas, and went fishing. The most exciting part of the day was that Avery learned to ride a two-wheeler!!!! There are lots of flat roads down here, so it was easy for him to finally learn. Porshia nearly killed PawPaw on the tandem bicycle (see the fear on his face?!) After supper, it was a bike ride to the pier (Becky & I walked), fun in the arcade, then, what else? Death By Chocolate at the Tastee Freeze! Yummy! The boys quickly fell asleep after baths and brushing teeth, so it looks like another early start and long day tomorrow!

CRAZY Hair Day!

Today was Crazy Hair Day at the boys' school. We started with piggy tails all over Ry's head, but he decided it made him look too girly, so we went with all over white! He didn't want Avery to be just like him, so Avery went with white with red polka dots.

I've been tagged!

6 Quirks About Me!

1. I'm extremely controling when it comes to the care of my kiddos. When Jeremy and I went to Savannah last year, I left notes everywhere telling Mom and Dad what to do and when. Each boys' lunch had clothes pins with their name on it, notes were taped to just about every cabinet door in the kitchen!

2. I am addicted to hand sanitizer. If we go in a store or come out of church, hands get a squirt as soon as we get in the car. The boys know to get a squirt as soon as they get in when I pick them up from school. They each have a small bottle in their lunch boxes. There is a bottle in my van, Jeremy's car and truck, in my purse and a huge one I keep under the kitchen sink for when we have a have a fire in the pit outside!

3. I am VERY anal about bedtime for my kids. 8 pm or I freak out! It's like the world will cease to turn if they aren't in bed asleep (or at least quiet) by 8:30!

4. I have OCD when it comes to me going to bed. Every night, after the boys are asleep, I go in their room and kiss them. Normal, right? But, after that, EVERY time I walk past their door, I have to check on them again...to make sure everyone is breathing! If I try to walk past, I always end up stopping and going back, because what if this is the time I should've checked and didn't?! Crazy, yes. But it keeps going. I check the doors (all 6 of them) to make sure they are locked a million times! I know I've checked it, but I still go back, "just to make sure". I think I need therapy!

5. I won't take off my wedding rings. EVER. Jeremy proposed in Nov. 1997. My engagement ring didn't come off until our wedding day (May 30, 1998), when he put on my wedding ring. My wedding ring didn't come off until they forced me when I had surgery last year, right before our 10 year anniversery! Seriously, almost 10 years before I took it off! And I put it back on as soon as I got home. I'm obsessed about not taking it off! (Probably because it took Jeremy sooo long to put it there!)

6. I'm a planner. A list maker. If we decide in January to go on vacation in June, as soon as the house is booked, I start making lists for packing clothes, food, toys, etc. I get online and look up things to do where we are going. Donna and I assign who brings what and plan every menu, down to how many boxes of Velveeta Shells & Cheese to bring! I pack outfits for cold weather and hot weather for EACH day, extra everything "just in case". I pack my kids back-to-school stuff in late July in their backpacks, make up a weeks worth of sandwiches at a time and freeze them, pack lunches a week in advance, and on Sunday afternoon, I lay out the entire week's clothes for the boys. No wonder I'm so tired!!

Now, I'm tagging Donna, Sumer, Tonya, Regina, Samantha, & Kelly. When you see this, post your quirks on your blog!

One last Hoorah!

I'm trying to get back on the wagon. I rarely workout anymore. I was so hardcore for awhile...now I'm crappin' out on my willpower! Anyway, the boys are going to be in the Claremont Kids Marathon in December and I guess I'm running it with them. So, Sumer and I have made the commitment to ourselves and each other to be in shape and fulfill the dream of "The Angie Pants" by then! In short, the Angie Pants are size 2 pants that skinny mini Ange couldn't wear anymore because they were too BIG! So, our dream is that one day, the Angie Pants will overcome the obstacles that are our thighs and button without cutting us in half. Before and After pics of us in said pants will be posted shortly. So, as a send off to my sweet tooth, I just ate this lovely little (okay, so it's not little!) bowl of heaven. Complete with nuts, whipped cream and Hershey's syrup. Now, back to counting every freakin' calorie...again.

Riley Can Ride!!!!!!

Riley has FINALLY mastered the art of the two-wheeler!! After months of Jeremy working with him (And Riley fussing and giving up), he went out on his own and did it himself!! PawPaw pumped up the tires on Porshia's old bike and Riley took off like pro! We are so proud of him!!!

Blue & Gold

Riley's Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet was today. He earned his Bobcat badge. We are so proud of him!!

Fireside

The boys LOVE to have a fire in the pit and roast hotdogs and marshmallows! PawPaw Randy built a HUGE and very HOT fire last night. You can see by Jeremy's face why there are no pics of Bryson close to the fire. He couldn't stand too close!

Company Picnic

Here are some pictures from Jeremy's annual company picnic. The kids had a ball!