Yet Another Very Serious Interview with the Little People.

Welcome SITStas! Y'all don't be shy! I'm so happy to have you here.

The boys are out for summer, yesterday being their last day of school! So, in honor of this joyous occasion, it's time for another interview with the little people.

Meet tha Playas... (or meet the players)

Remy, the six-year-old

Donny, the eleven-year-old

Annie, the sweet labrador retreiver

As I ask these questions, Remy's answers will always be first, because otherwise he tends to copy Donny's answers (little brothers do that, you know). So, Remy's answers will be in his favorite color, RED. Donny's answers will be second, in his favorite color, BLUE. My comments, interspersed throughout will be GREEN. Following me still? Onward to the fun stuff.

Did you throw the sticky ball that's currently still stuck on the ceiling in the den (going on over two weeks now)?

No. I don't like this question. Donny did it.

No. Remy did it.

Hmmm....Annie must have done it then?

What will you miss about school?

Friends.

Seeing friends and having something to do all the time. (oh, we can find you stuff to do all the time...hehe)

Where did you sleep last night?

In the backyard (really, Remy? Where in the backyard?) on a couch. (We don't have a couch in the backyard. Ok, moving on.)

On the floor (because we had a guest staying in his room. Why didn't you sleep in Remy's bed, since he obviously wasn't in it?) I don't like Remy's bed. Ok. Moving on.

What did you think of the new Indiana Jones movie and what was your favorite part? WARNING: Don't read from here on if you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to see spoilers!

It was good! I liked the part where all the knowledge went into that woman's head and the aliens went around.

It was very good. I liked all the parts where they were in the old temples.

What are your summer goals?

Swim.

Get good exercise every day.

(to survive! and maybe get a tan...with sunscreen)

What kind of summer camp would you like to take?

Basketball camp.

Space camp.

Spa camp?

Here's our wild question for the day...What would Annie do if she met a Martian in the backyard?

She'd butt scootch on it!! (he laughs non-stop at this point)

She'd sniff and lick it.

Now, the boys got to make up their own question...What would you do if you saw mole people popping up out of the ground?

I'd step on them!

I'd grab a camera, take pictures and then run out of there! (he's sooo my child)

I'd take pictures, then blog about it, then get the heck out of dodge. hehe

The interview started to fall apart at this point as the boys tied a balloon (helium & mylar) to Annie's collar, and she was running around trying to get it off. Then she jumped on the bed in my room, causing the balloon to immediately get caught in the fan...and now there is a big mess to untangle when my hubby gets home. (I'm too short to get it!) Lovely. BOYS!!!

That's all for now, folks. I'm leaving this post with pictures of the boys' end-of-year good report card reward/graduation gifts that we bought at Target the other day. Both these items are made by Razor and a LOT of fun.

Remy's PowerWing

And, Donny's Rip Stick.

My body tells a story.

I love telling stories. To my children, to my family, on this blog, and especially on paper. However, my body tells a story as well, and it's uniquely my story.

I have scars. Not any that seriously disfigure or stick out glaringly. Some people see scars as a blemish on their skin, an imperfection. Same with stretch marks. We women don't want them, but most of us get them with pregnancy. I read somewhere that someone called hers "badges of honor." I really, really liked that, because not only am I stuck with my stretch marks and need to make the best of it, but also because of the positive conotation that accompanies that term. Being pregnant and growing a baby inside of you is an amazing process, and we'd be crazy not to expect some sort of physical impact from that.

When I was little, I was wrestling with my sister on our couch. And, wouldn't you know it, we rolled off, and I banged my forehead into the corner of our glass coffee table, cutting my head open. This resulted in an ER visit and stiches. I have a little diagonal scar on my forehead, faded now and barely noticeable.

One summer I was bopping around on the side of the pool at our country club, where I have many, many fond memories of summers spent, and busted open my chin. I needed stitches and I have a tiny scar on my chin, faded now.

(Are you sensing a common theme here? Rhea the clumsy child who ended up in the ER more than her hyper little sister?)

As a pre-teen, I was running in circles around our pool table in the pool house, letting our crazy cocker spaniel chase me, when I decided to trick her and duck out the sliding glass door, only to discover I had closed it. So, I ended up falling through the non-safety glass and slicing open my right hand, completely severing three and a half tendons. I had to have surgery, stitches and go through physical therapy to get the use of my right hand back. I have a big scar there.

I have multiple little scars in various spots where I've had moles removed. Those moles usually come back from the lab as "atypical" which means they could eventually develop into cancer. I'm thankful they've been removed, and I treasure my life.

I have scars from surgeries. A gall bladder removed, that was quite a story in itself.

All these little marks make up me. They tell MY story. I'm sure I'll have more. My children love to ask me about them.

As much as it might be nice to look perfect, I don't.

Does your body tell a story?

New glasses & A Bedtime Story

So, yesterday Donny (my 11-year-old) wore his new glasses for the first time!! He was nervous about getting glasses, but I think he looks great in them! He wore them to school for the first time today, so I can't wait to hear how that went. He also ordered special ones to play sports in that are shaded, but they haven't arrived yet.

Remy (the six-year-old) seems maybe a little jealous that Donny got glasses and he didn't, so I did buy him some sun glasses. He also wanted just one photo taken when I took Donny's glasses' photos, so here is it! Look at that face. Adorable. He is missing two teeth, the upper front two on either side of the middle ones. So, he has the middle top two, then the spaces on either side, and then the canines next. He just doesn't have them. He didn't have the baby teeth there and he doesn't have the permanent ones there either. Weird, huh? He has orthodonic treatment in his future.
Now, the other night, something amazing happened. BOTH MY CHILDREN SLEPT IN THEIR OWN BEDS!! Don't ask why this was amazing or why we've been having issues. Just accept the wonderful miracle as it is. Here's Donny in his bed. You can just barely see the top of his hair sticking out. Barely.
And, here is the photo evidence of Remy in HIS bed. He is also covered almost completely, with just the tip of his hair showing as well. How strange both my boys completely burrow when they fall asleep....but it doesn't last all night....they eventually kick all covers off, I promise.


I am so thrilled by this miracle, that, after taking pictures to document the occasion, I head contentedly back to my room to get in my nice big empty bed...but wait...what's this?

She's not supposed to be in my bed!! She sleeps with Donny. Oh, man, I knew it was too good to be true.

Annie, go sleep with your boy!! Out!!

She doesn't look like she's moving.

Fierce Fashion Statement

On Tuesdays, All Things BD used to post a hilarious fashion photo of her daughters' amazing clothing choices, and I laughed and loved every one of them. Boys just don't have the same amount of clothing combinations to choose from, I swear. So, I'm stealing borrowing this concept, and here's a picture of me as a child, exhibiting fabulous style and trendsetting fashion.



Every girl needs a rabbit fur jacket, a wispy nightdown and hairy monster slippers.

The Secret is in the Sauce

Big Giveaway goin' on over at The Secret is in the Sauce blog. Check it out!

Taggeroni, Taggalicious, Taggafantabulous!

My good friend Kat from Sunshine and Lemonade tagged me with this meme. It's only fair, because I've tagged her many times. So, here we go! And, I had to add photos to mine...I have to tell a story with pictures and words, it's just a compulsion.

What was I doing 10 years ago?

I had just turned 21 years old and was finally legal to drink. I'd been married for almost two years and had a baby. I was working in children very part time and staying at home with my little Donny the rest of the time. I only ended up working for one year before I made the decision to go back to school full time at the University of Texas.

Five Snacks I enjoy:

1. Fruit Smoothies I make at home with strawberry protein powder

2. Popcorn

3. Apple slices dipped in peanut butter

4. Raw carrots and cauliflower dipped in ranch dip

5. Sour cream and onion Pringles (bad, I know)

Five Things On My To-Do List Today:

I love making lists and crossing things off. I can get obsessive about it. Five things is just a small, small, TINY section from my To Do List:

1. Finish putting together teacher gifts.

2. Change air filters in the house.

3. Arrange for Donny's friend to come visit from Austin.

4. Finish packaging the Pinkalicious Swap stuff

5. Schedule Donny's orthodonic imaging.

Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionaire:

1. I'd buy a ranch, a huge ranch, in Texas.

2. I'd finish college (I only have a year left!) and have college funds for my kids.

3. I pay off all my own debt and my entire extended family's debts.

4. I'd donate to lots of charities and travel a LOT.

5. I'd buy an island and build a huge resort for all my family and friends to come visit.

Five Jobs I Have Had:

1. Lawyer's assistant

2. Childcare teacher to infants and toddlers

3. Nanny

4. Writer (not paid though...)

5. Mom

Five of My Bad Habits:

1. Disorganization

2. Getting stressed out and raising my voice with the kids

3. Emotional eating

4. Being too passive

5. Passing gas and burping (hey, I live with boys)

Five Places I've Lived:

1. Kerrville, Texas

2. Austin, Texas

3. Salamanca, Spain (for one month)

4. Dallas, Texas

5. Suburb north of Dallas, Texas

6 People I Want To Get To Know Better (yes, this means you are tagged!)

1. Rae/Giggle at Giggles

2. Britgal Sarah at Brit Gal in the USA

3. Chatti Patti at Chatti Patti Strikes Again

4. Go Mommy at Ramblings of a 30-Something Mom

5. Jennifer at The Cotton Wife

Five Random Things:

1. That sticky ball is still hanging from our den ceiling.

2. I read constantly. I have a million books going all at once. I keep some in the bathroom, a couple in my purse, one in the car, and so on. I LOVE to read.

3. I studied Spanish and Latin in elementary, high school and college. I love languages. I can also understand and sort of speak a language my mother made up as a child. She spoke it to my older sisters when I was little, and I could never understand it. Now that I'm older, she taught it to me, so now I speak it and my kids have no idea what I'm saying. None of the men in our family know it, just the women.

4. My hair used to be white blonde and pretty straight, with slight waves, when I was younger...then it went darker and super, duper curly on me around my twenties! Very strange.

5. I know how to ride a horse, shoot a rifle and a shotgun, and have gone dam sliding more times than I can count.

Naptime - Camera Critters

Picture taken by me at the Fort Worth Zoo.

If you want to join, go to the Camera Critters blogspot and read the rules!

It's easy and fun.

Misty Dawn started it all.