Fun at the water park

We are enjoying Caitlyn's visit. We have been on the go a lot. One day last week we spent the day at Pirates Cove. (a water park). We made it 4 hours before the afternoon showers we've been having rolled in.

From Pirates cove

From Pirates cove

From Pirates cove

From Pirates cove

From Pirates cove

I've won an award!!

Thank you to my good bloggy friend Anita over at A Woman, A Wife, A Mom. She passed this award on to me. I love reading Anita's blog. We became fast friends. She is a mom to three and I love reading about all of her adventures and day to day happenings. She's always so real and honest. She is someone who seems to live life to the fullest.

These are the rules......

1) Grab the Award and link the person whom you got the award from.

2) Pass the award to different bloggers whom you think are deserving of this award.

3) Write a post about the award and there you’ll link the person who gave the award to you and those people who you’d like to pass the award.

4) Continue your passion in writing because your hard work will always be appreciated.

I love so many of my blog friends it's hard to decide but I will pick the first three that come to mind.

I love reading Lindsay's blog over at Bytes of Memory. She's the mom to a toddler (Sammy) and I love reading about what he is up to. They are always doing fun things and she always posts lots of great pictures.

Another favorite would be Debbie's Suburb Sanity. She is an amazing writer. She's so original. You never know what she's going to come up with next. I can always count on her for a good laugh!

Okay, one more. Woman Interrupted . I always enjoy her insights. She is a great writer. She has an adorable little boy and another baby on the way. Go over and check her out. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks again Anita!!

Your Gonna Miss This

I took a picture of the boys walking home from school together on their last day. This will be the last time they will walk home from school together. Connor is off to middle school and by the time Alex is in middle school Connor will be off to high school. I'm going to miss seeing them walking and riding their bikes to and from school together.

Last day of school and the end of an era...

First day of school

Check out more of "Your gonna miss this moments" HERE.

Summer has begun at our house

Summer schedule so far...



Tuesday: The boys finished up school. We really had a great year. Both had great teachers and the year went by without a hitch. Phew!

Wednesday am: Caitlyn arrived early and the boys, I and Grandpa had fun going to the airport to pick her up.

Wednesday pm: JONAS BROTHERS CONCERT! It was a great concert. The kids were up on their feet through the entire thing. Jordan Sparks opened for them. She's a great performer. Our friends invited us and it was a blast! I took some pictures with my phone but they didn't turn out very good.

Alex, Caitlyn and Connor as the concert is just beginning
Connor, Hailey and Lauren goofing around


Waiting for the Jonas Bros

Mom. Where are you going??

I usually don't like to talk about this because for those of you who still think I'm perfect it may shatter your whole vision of me. The truth is I do have this tiny little flaw that I'm not very proud of. I consider myself a fairly reliable, capable, independent woman. I've been driving since I was 14 years old, I started working at 15 and worked until into my mid 30's when Alex was born. I've lived in 5 different cities since becoming an adult. I've never had an accident (while I was driving) and I've only received a couple (maybe 3) speeding tickets in my life. The problem is I have a tendancy to get lost. I always find my way eventually and before we had kids I could keep it to myself and Mark would just wonder sometimes what took me so long.. :-).

ThankfuIly I do know my directions and the first thing Mark taught me when we moved to Denver was "the mountains are always West". That is very helpful except for when it's dark out like the time I was coming back from the airport after dropping Mark off and I got lost. YES I got lost coming home from the airport. An airport I had been to many times. I won't go into great detail but sometimes I tend to mentally wander off and then I saw a sign and thought I was missing my turn so made a quick decision and turned. Well it was wrong, so I wandered around Aurora in the dark for nearly an hour. Oh it feels good to get this off of my chest. That was years ago and Mark still brings it up. He will say "I still can't believe you got lost coming home from the AIRPORT!". See he was expecting me to call when I got home, that was before we had cell phones. Otherwise he would have never had to know. He just can't wrap his mind around it. Mark is one of those people that have a built in compass. He NEVER gets lost. He can visit a city once and pretty much know his way around.

Another problem I have is coming out of a location and going the wrong way. Must be an inner ear thing ; ). I went to pick Alex up at a birthday party the other night and I started going one direction and I was sure it was the wrong way. I was trying to find a place to turn around when Alex said "Mom, What are you doing?". I said I'm going the wrong way (again it was dark and I couldn't see the mountains) He said "NO YOUR NOT" "KEEP GOING". I was sure he was wrong and determined to prove it to him when I saw the street we needed to turn on. He said "SEE MOM!". After the party I was taking Alex to a friends house to spend the night. We had only been there once before but it wasn't far from our house and I was sure I would remember which house it was. Well we found it and walked up to the door. We rang the doorbell 3 times and no one answered! I thought they had forgotten or something and I was thinking about how dissapointed Alex was going to me when a nice looking young man teenager person walked up to us from the street and said "Who are you looking for?" I told him the friends name and he smiled and said "he lives around the corner". So we found it and everything was fine. I was only 1 cul de sac off, give me a break! Hopefully Alex will be sleep deprived when he comes home and won't bring it up in front of Mark. I really don't want to see that dumbfounded look on his face that I've seen so many times before that clearly means "I just don't belive this girl."


>

One more thing. Am I the only one that gets turned around coming out of hospital rooms? I always want to go the wrong way?? What's the deal with that. I've been lost in a hospital more then once.. right Dad?? I won't even go into the time that Mark was having a procedure and Dad and I went to get the car and got lost. Mark left the wheelchair he was in at the front door with a horrified nurse saying "you can't leave". He told her he had to because his wife and dad would never find there way back. He found us and helped us find the car.. Sorry Dad I shouldn't tell on you too but "the truth will set us free"! Don't you feel better already?

Many years ago we were camping in the mountains (pre kids) with Monica and Tamara. Mark's younger sisters for those of you who don't know. I think they were pre teen or early teenager age or something around there. Mark sent us to town for something we had forgotten and when we were leaving the campsite and getting on the highway the girls said "I think you are going the wrong direction". I assured them I was going the right way and they would soon see. I could see them eyeing one another in the rear view mirrow, looking a bit like "Where is she taking us?". Well after being on the road for what seemed like way to long I had to concede I must have gone the wrong way but how could that be? There again, must be an inner ear thing. So I turned around and eventually got to town, got what we needed and headed back. Mark was very agitated and said "What took you so long?!!". The girls said "she went the wrong way". There was that look again. So perplexed and confused.

So there it is. It's out there. Now you know. It's a bit like life. I may take the wrong turn, go the wrong direction, knock (or ring the doorbell) on the wrong door but eventually I get back on track and find my way home.

Today was a special day

Mark's Birthday, Connor's 5th grade continuation ceremony and last day of school for both boys

Today was Mark's 43rd birthday. We celebrated with Grandpa yesterday by having DQ ice cream cake (Mark's request). Don't worry Mom we will have a real birthday cake when you come. ;-)

Tonight he opened a few presents from me and the kids and then we went to Rubios for dinner. It was nice to just sit and relax with the kids as they told us all about their last day of school.

Connor's Continuation Ceremony

Today was my Con's last day of elementary school.. He is now officially a middle schooler. It's funny how it all came and went with not very much fan fair. Much the same as other meaningful moments seem to pass by with us hardly noticing. They had a nice ceremony at school. Connor and another classmate gave a little speech and he did a good job. It always amazes me how poised he is in front of an audience. Mark and I always say we have no idea where he gets it. Not from us that's for sure (maybe Grandpa).

From Continuation ceremony

From Continuation ceremony

From Continuation ceremony

From Continuation ceremony

Father's Day add on...

I was kind of hurrying to get my Father's Day post up and I left out my two special Dads! Check back here if you missed it!

Eventful Week

We have an eventful week coming up! Tuesday is Mark's Birthday and also the boys last day of school. For Connor it is his last day of elementary school (I'm sure that is another post). I'm not sure quite how I feel about it yet. He will be having a continuation ceremony tomorrow and I already feel emotional just thinking about it.

Caitlyn (our neice) is coming on Wednesday. We are going to a Jonas Brothers concert that very evening.. thanks to a good friend. Should be a very fun day!

In the meantime we still have baseball MWTTH. We will miss Alex's first game on Wednesday to go to the concert but it will be worth it.

UPDATE!!!

Do you remember the song I posted about "It's My Lie (Let me live it) by Chris Hanners. Well, because of the amount of interest shown it stayed on the website an extra week! Thank you to those who took the time to leave a comment. Here is the lastest from the Songwriter himself Mark Schlemmer.


Hello Everyone,



Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Due to your support, GAC let Chris stay on the site another week. If you’d like to post again, here’s the link. Take 30 seconds and help a southern gentleman break into the charts. http://blog.headlinecountry.net/ Chris opened at # 149 on the Music Row Breakout chart and in 2 weeks he has jumped to #104. He is getting national airplay on some affiliate stations. If he can hit #50 on this chart, he will go to the Billboard chart. It would be kind of cool if these posts had a chat room feel. You can agree with someone by name, and disclose your part of the country. The is a post by Caren Wiggins that will give you more on Chris. She is the wife of the owner of Little House records. He has a MySpace page you can visit.





Thank you in advance,



Mark Schlemmer

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!!!

It's been a nice day. Mark, Dad and the boys went to Grandpa's gun club this morning and did some target practicing. I made French dip while they were gone. We had a nice lunch when they came home. The boys did good and had a great time!

We had planned to go on a hike but Alex was too tired. Mark and Connor ended up going on their own and had a nice time.



Thank you honey for being the greatest Dad and husband anyone could ask for. We are indeed very lucky to have you!



*********** I'm adding this on after posting. I can't believe I forgot my own Daddy! Well I think you all know how much I love my Dad. One thing I always think of is his big strong hands. He gave me such great security as a child and even now! In the past when a traumatic event has happened (we've had a few). I will call him and as soon as I hear is voice I start crying and usually can't speak for a few minutes. He will just say "It's ok honey, just relax, it's ok." He will never know what a comfort he has been to me in times of distress. Happy Father's Day Dad. I love you, Your #1 girl (he calls all of his girls that but I still like to here it).

Also my other Dad (Mark's dad) has always been like a dad to me, not an in-law. He's always there with comfort, support and big shoulders. He always adds life and laughter to any event. It's good to know he's always just a phone call away. I love you Dad.

What's Cookin' Wednesday...

Make a Smilebox recipe

What I learned this week...

Check out more "What I Learned" over at Musings of a Housewife.

I learned this week that I really don't have much to complain about after watching

"Little Couple". on TLC. It's a reality show about Jen and Bill a Newlywed couple who happen to be "Little people." Jen is a Doctor who takes care of premature babies and babies born with difficulties. Jen is an example of someone who has overcome adversity, but what inspires me the most is her spirit. She stays so positive! I never thought about how it would be living in this world as Little person. They have so many challenges. Her husband Bill has a big personality and at times I think he's a little sarcastic but he obviously loves and adores Jen.

In one episode they are discussing having children. Because of Jen's size it would be a huge risk for her. As they discuss the possibilities they decide it's just too risky. They will have to take another route. I'm not sure why I'm so intrigued by this show but I noticed there are several other shows about "Little People"! I honestly am not sure if I am intrigued by Little people or just this particular couple.

It really made me stop and think that there are many other people out there that have life challenges I never even thought about.

Perfect Moment Monday

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Sharing a blanket

My perfect moment came this week when I happened to stop and take notice of the boys sharing a blanket and just relaxing together. I tend to focus on the times when they are not getting along but when I noticed this I realized they have an abundance of times when they DO get along.

I thought about how they are fortunate to have one another. They may not realize it yet but as they get older I believe they will. They have logged in so many hours of laughing, playing and sharing together. They do almost everything together. They've even taken to sleeping together. As you may have read in some of my prior posts, Alex does not like to sleep alone. There have been weeks where he sleeps in a sleeping bag at the foot of our bed. We recently changed Connor's bed from twin to full and Alex loves to sleep with him. Sometimes Connor will moan and groan about it but we always tell him it's up to him and he will smile at Alex and say something like "ok but you owe me". I think Connor secretly likes having him there even though he may be a cover steeler!

We all have perfect moments. It's all about taking the time to notice and appreciate them so if you'd like to see more, you can hop over to Weeble's Wobblog.

*************If you didn't see the Check this out post, please check it out HERE. I heard from Mark (The songwriter) this weekend and he thanked everyone for their support and leaving comments. I have one more favor to ask. If you liked the song and artist it would be great if you could go back to the website Headline Country, click on contact us and leave a comment about the artist (Chris Hanners) and song (It's My Lie, let me live it). If there is enough interest it may be possible for him to be featured on the GAC Headline show.

Thank you for your support. I know they appreciate it very much!

Check this out...

We have a celebrity in the family!

Mark's Mom's cousin's husband (got that) is a song writer. I believe he has written a lot of songs and he now has one that is going to be on the radio! You can check it out HERE . It's called "It's My Lie (let me live it", sung by Chris Hanners. It's a really fun catchy song. I would love it if you could check it out and leave a comment on the site (please mention either the title or the artist).

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Random thoughts

You may have noticed I haven't been posting very much. I know you've probably missed my insights and revelations terribly (ha). I go through spells where I just can't put a good thought together... KWIM? (I learned that from my fellow blogger friend Anita yesterday).

So here are some things rattling around in my brain...

Summer is coming. We have kind of a wacky schedule because Alex is in year around school and Connor will be traditional (middle school) hard to believe. We are looking forward to Caitlyn (our neice) coming on the 24th and Tamara, Mike and Lila on July 1st. We get to meet our precious Lila for the first time! We are counting the days.. literally because Alex keeps asking "how many days?"





The boys don't get out of school for another week and a half or so but we are already feeling in summer mode. We haven't done our nightly reading in several days and we've been letting the boys stay up later...

BASEBALL, baseball and more baseball. We are into baseball now. Alex has it on M & W and Con T & TH through July. Yes, that's 4 nights of baseball in a row. They are just practicing right now. I am looking forward to the games but I have a feeling by the end of July we will be ready for it to be over.. then into Tackle Football mid August. (Makes my stomach hurt just typing that). I have to make peace with it. Pray for me :-)

We love our new little puppy Max but remember my blog about the PPB . I think I'm babied out. You heard it here first NO MORE BABIES... until I have grandchildren of course :p.





Well that's about all I have..

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday

I can't believe my "baby" is going to be in 3rd grade!
Check out Five Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesday.

A new addition...

We have a new addition to our family..

Meet Max



Mark, yes Mark felt like Skylar needed a playmate so we started looking and ended up bringing this little cutie home yesterday. He is an Italian Greyhound (IG) like Skylar. He is about 9 wks old. He is a couple of months younger than Skylar was when we brought her home.

Skylar checking him out

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Did you just lick me??? Last May we went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. We went up to pet the giraffes and this one LICKED me... it was a really gross feeling. Can you tell by the look on my face?

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays at Five Minutes for Mom.

Things I do for me Monday...

I borrowed this cute little button from Anita over at A Wife, A Woman, A Mom I thought it was a good idea. Thanks Anita!

One of the things I do for me is exercise. I haven't been too consistant in the past, but for the past few weeks I've been going to the Rec Center 5-6 days a week.

First I do this for 30 minutes....



Then I do this for 30 minutes... (For security reasons, I used a body double in these pictures, I'm sure you understand)



But first and most importantly I go to the library and check out the latest magazines to read while I'm exercising... helps pass the time.





and then of couse I must have my little pink shuffle to keep me going... I need some new upbeat music for working out though.. any ideas?



A good comfy pair of these...



I know by now you see how high maintenance I am but I also must have one of these on hand..



So this is something I do for me and I feel so much better when I do!!