The Barrette Dilemma

Okay so I need some answers...What is the deal with baby hair clips?? I mean sometimes I feel like I have to be a professional hair stylist to put these little clips in my daughters hair!! It is absolutely ridiculous!! I mean they look so cute in the package and so your thinking, "Awwwwe, my little one has the perfect outfit that will match that little butterfly clip." Or, "Finally, I found the right shade of green for her little flower shirt." I get so pumped , so the next day I pull out the little outfit that I have been waiting for her to wear and attempt to place the precious clip in her hair and IT WON'T STAY! Now, I'm no fashion model, but putting a clip in my own hair is something I have been able to accomplish most of my life. This seriously baffles me. I have such a variety of barrettes that I am pushing overkill here, but I'm SURE that I just haven't found the right kind that will stay in her hair. I mean I have tried butterflies, strawberries, ladybugs, bows, frogs, turtles, the snap kind, the little pinch kind, you name it I have tried it. Either she does have enough hair to hold the clip or she has too much hair and the clip pops off. I mean come on people..Which is it?? Is there no consistency when these clips are mass produced? They make these little hair things so darn cute that they suck you in and then poof...you have now spent a small fortune on baby hair accessories. Or when I do finally get the look I am going for and we finally get to leave the house, of course 10 minutes late, it still ends up a disaster. If the car seat doesn't pull the clip out when I go to pull it over her head, which happens all the time, then by the time we arrive at our little destination the clip has disappeared from her head. I turn around to retrieve my little one and her hair is sticking strait up, due to some crazy hair spray, and she has the rubber band in one hand and the clip in the other. I don't know.. I know I sound crazy, but this is a real problem. Maybe I am in the dark and there is some baby hair class that I have missed where they instruct you on the proper technique of fastening the hair in the clip. If so would somebody please clue me in so my little girl won't continue to run around looking like a troll doll!!

Beep-Beep

When our oldest son (Jake) was first learning to talk we were so excited. So, to help him along we would refer to things by the sound that they made. For example, a horse was a "He-he," a cow was a "mooo" and even a popsicle was a "Slurrrpppp." And so on and so on. Even when I was tryng to get around the kids or I needed the kids to move I would say, "Beep-beep..move please" or "Beep-beep.. excuse me." So anyway we have gotten away from most of the other sounds but the "beep-beep" thing has stayed now 2 kids later. I have noticed that Hailey has picked up the phrase and she will use it when she wants to get somewhere and there is something stopping this process. It could be an older brother or an object, she doesn't really care, she just wants to get where her little mind thinks she should go. Sometimes she will even yell the "BEEP-BEEP" if you are not moving fast enough. I know..I know, that must come to a stop.
So today she was sitting at the table eating her lunch while I was sweeping the kitchen and dining room floors. She soon was done and wanting to get down and go into the living room to watch cartoons with Jarred. I had swept the floor into a pile, a pretty big pile I might add, and went to get her down. So sippy cup in hand, she walked by the pile and I was thinking she is gonna walk right through it. She has been told that this is a no-no many times and definitely has gotta into some trouble over these decisions before. As she walked by the little food and dust heap she slowed down and I'm sure her mind contemplated the thought of disobeying. However, she thought better of it and even though her little brain probably said "Don't do it, go around" the words that actually came out was a very casual, "Beep-Beep." And with that she was off to see what her bubba was watching on T.V. Seriously, these kids make me smile!!

Back To Normal

About 6 months ago my brother (Anthony) and my niece (Jackie) moved in with us. It was a very quick move, I mean like a 1 day decision, and they have been here in our house ever since. So, last Wednesday they moved out. I refrained from using the word FINALLY because I don't want to be rude, but I got to be honest it has been a long, very long 6 months.
The circumstances in which my brother moved out here on are of course personal, but let me just say they were extreme and his former life was not good. Nothing against the law or anything just not a good setting for his little girl. Rusty and I offered for him to live here to help him with a fresh start for a better life for him and Jackie. Well it hasn't really gone according to "my master plan" and there have been many bumps along the way. I have described it as a roller coaster ride and Rusty and I are definitely ready to get off. My brother and I really aren't close, which is sad considering we are each other's only siblings. However we do love each other, but our life styles differ in any and every way possible.
Last week he mentioned to us that he was wanting to move out and find his own place somewhere around our town. Now, Rusty and I were surprised by this but it was his decision. Now where he wanted to move really wasn't feasible, so his plan started to fade. But there was one other place for him to go and Rusty and I encouraged him to move. This new place was definitely not "The Marriott" but it would definitely do. Now I want to make it clear that Rusty and I don't make it a habit going around telling people where to live and such, but if everyone knew all the details over the last 6 months I'm sure they would be no question of where our intentions were.
So, anyway it is 5 days later and even though I worry about how they are getting along, it is nice to have our family back to normal. I can go to bed with a clean kitchen and wake up it as well. If Hailey wakes up in the middle of the night, and she does, I can go get her and not have to worry about getting completely dressed from head to toe to do so, and there are many other little things that can take up where they left off...ya know?? Anyway, so basically our life is now trying to get back to where it was 6 months ago as far as the routine we had. I am still able to see my brother and I still get to watch Jackie while he is at work, so that is nice. I do miss her because she is a sweet little girl and our whole family has grown to love her. She even calls me mom, because of course she hears my kids call me that and it is confusing to her, but still we do have a bond.
Rusty and I have often talked about why the Lord brought them out here and what the purpose was for this whole experience. What I think is that without this last 6 months happening, we would have never really known Jackie and in turn never have a good relationship with her. Now after having them live with us and kissing her "owies" and giving her hugs goodnight we have something special that can never be broken. She forever will be a big part of our lives. I even feel sad as I write this because even though it has been rough, I have grown attached to her and now she is gone. But, even if they move back home she will still know us and now the connection is real instead of just brief visits like it would have been before. So for that we are thankful. And as for my brother...well if we can start to build a better relationship then that would be great too.
As he reminded me often I am not his mother, but it was definitely time for this little bird to leave this nest!!

The Phone Whisper...

So it has come to my attention that I have a little problem... Luckily it has not gotten out of hand yet, but I definitely need to nip this baby in the bud. For some crazy reason when I am chatting on the phone I will all of a sudden pull the phone close to my mouth and whisper the end of my sentence. I know it sounds crazy and really there is no rhyme or reason for it, it just happens. Now again, luckily it does not happen with all my phone conversations, just one. This person shall remain nameless, okay just kidding it's Trina. I have tried to pin point the time of the conversation when the whispering actually takes place, but I really can't get a good feel of way it happens. Now we are both known for being silly, especially with each other, but this really isn't even very funny..Actually it is kinda creepy!! She is very sweet and just giggles, but I'm sure she is like, "What is the deal with that?"
So, now I am faced with what to do about my little phone issues. Really I can't have this trickling down to other conversations because I'm sure the cable guy or the lady at the bank will be totally confused as to why I choose to whisper in their ear. Plus everyone knows from previous posts that I can not continue to whisper in Trina's phone cuz she won't be able to hear me...HeHe....I mean admitting I have a problem is the first step..right?? Now on to the solution!

Hicks from the Sticks

Right after my husband and I got married we loaded up our little red Toyota pick-up and set out to move to to the state of Washington. We are originally from Oklahoma so the travel was quite far. Some of Rusty's family lived out here and his brother-in-law offered him a job. So anyway we got here and settled in to the routine of this small town. No big deal even though I was used to the city, I kinda liked it. My sister-in-law came by our house one morning to pick me up to go to "town" for the day. Yes that is what I said, around here we normally make a day of it..hehe. Anyway as I jumped in the front seat my legs bumped into a rifle that was also riding shotgun with me..no pun intended. So it being just us girls in the truck I asked, "So what's with the gun?" She didn't miss a beat and said, "Oh..it's just in case I see a bear or cougar on my way down the mountain in the mornings or on my way home." And with that she simply put the truck in Drive and off we went to town. I often think back about that moment and remembering wondering what in the world she was talking about!! I mean what was she gonna do if she shot something...jump out of the truck, gut the animal, and then continue on down to buy groceries??

So now living out here for 8 almost 9 years now I realize that during hunting season you will rarely find a hunter who doesn't have some sort of rifle stashed away in their truck somewhere.

I was reminded of this, this morning when my hubby stopped by the house. I heard the front door open and the kids usual response to their Daddy. He poked his head in our bedroom door where I was in front of the computer and also on the phone (of course) and he said, "Okay I'm heading out." I turned to ask him why the visit was so short and I saw his .22-250 rifle in his hand and there was no question needed. It was already answered. He was heading on a service call somewhere and it was probably about a 30min-1hr. drive and his eye was gonna be on the look out for coyotes. One of my husband's favorite phrase's is, "We are just hicks from the sticks." Now, he knows I do not care for this analogy of us and whenever I'm in ear shot of the comment I try to correct him. But I am starting to think maybe he is right. I mean anybody who can get used to the fact that a gun is in your vehicle for the off chance you see something, well then maybe that assessment of us is completely on the money!

The Age Old Question...Wax Or Tweeze??

Okay so I need a show of hands from all you girls out there who hate to tweeze you eyebrows. I know hate is a very strong word and yes I know I shouldn't use it, but why does it have to hurt SOOO bad?? I actually have a couple of issues when it comes to plucking these bad boys. First of all I sneeze like the dickens!! Seriously, my friend Trina was at my house one day when I was checking myself out in the mirror and the task had to be done. She witnessed the sneezing frenzy of course laughing the whole time. I thought she was crazy when she told me that, "NO. I never sneeze like that!!" But it is true, I have watched her do a little plucking waiting for the tissue but it never happened. So I'm thinking I have some sort of problem.

On to issue #2..I have pretty fair skin, especially in the winter. So I have to tweeze my eyebrows only at night before I go to bed (sorry Rusty) or at a time of day that I know I will not see a sole. Really, it is bad, it looks like I just got slugged in both eyes. They are so crazy red that nobody wants to see that picture.

So I know what you are thinking....silly girl just have them waxed. Well been there, done that, let me tell you a little story about it. About a year ago I was talking to my dear friend Trinaleah and I was trying to convince her to get her eyes waxed professionally. Now the convo DID NOT come up because she has facial hair issues (hehe), we were just chatting about girl stuff. Anyway we were headed to Wal-Mart and I told her that I even think that Wal-mart will wax you eyebrows in their little salon. She was like "Yeah well that is great ...but no thank you." I should have listened to my good friend right then and there. However I was out to prove a point that professional waxing was the way to go. I thought her hang up was w/ that, but I'm kinda thinking now it was just with the whole "WAL-MART" part of it. So we get there and I plop myself down on the chair and I tell Trina, "Come here.. Get closer, I want you to see that it is no big deal." She walks over and the lady ( who I trusted knew what she was doing) slowly dipped the stick in the wax. She clumsily then pulled the stick out and kinda tried to get the glue to stop being stringy. I noticed this, and this should have sent bells and whistles off in my head, but I was tryng to show Trina that this was our future, no more plucking ourselves. (Many red flags are going to be put up and really I didn't heed to a single one.) So finally the lady got the wax HOT enough to attempt to spread it on my eye. As her hand started to make its descent down to my face I noticed that she was shaking...thinking okay, no big deal, right.. wrong! I'm a little nervous that this shaky hand was about to spread hot wax on my eyebrow and was supposed to leave some hair behind!! (Red Flag) So that somehow got accomplished and the spreading was done. She then put the strip over my eye and then immediately pulled it off. NO smoothing it on, NO pulling my eye tight, NOT even pulling it the opposite direction. (Red Flag) I could feel that the wax was definitely hot enough, but when she showed me the strip there was almost no hair. I said," Well I think you are supposed to smooth the strip, pull my eye tight and pull in the opposite direction." Thinking this is waxing 101 lady. I told her try it again.(Red Flag) We went through the procedure 2 more times. (Red Flag) Finally she told me the reason why she couldn't get a good strip of hair was because my hairs were too short . NOT TRUE. She then busted out the tweezers to finish up the job. So, by now my eye has been so worked over that it is kinda of moist, you know like when it has been cut or burned. YEAHHHHH.. The whole time I'm trying to be this brave little solider to show Trina it's a piece of cake, and as I look up at her facial expressions throughout this torturing ritual she shows shock, grimaces, alittle confusion, and yea its Trina, so a little of smiling that smile that says this is CRAZY and we are soo am gonna laugh about this later!!!!

So now on to the other eye..... Basically it went pretty much the same way and when it was done I still had to go grocery shopping through Wal-mart. It wasn't pretty, not pretty at all. It took days for the scabs to heal and I even had alittle bruising. Needless to say, I have not had my eyes professionally waxed since, and I think I scared Trina forever!

A Sledding We Will Go....

Jake's friend called last night asking if Jake could come sledding today at the school. They were out of school for some silly reason and so the kids thought it would be just awful to stay inside and do housework all afternoon. So, I decided to let Jarred in on some of the fun and off we went to the park. The boys had a BLAST! Hailey and I watched from the suburban. I think she had just as much fun watching her "bubbas" race down the little slope only to slip and slide their way back up to the top for another round. I then decided to make it a Kodiak moment . Here are some of the pics I took.

Cool Slideshows

The whole session only lasted like 45 mins. By the time Jarred got back in the suburban and pulled off his hat, his hair was drenched with sweat. Jake's little checks were soo red. Hot Chocolate here we come!!

I Caught A Fish Mom!!

So my hubby took the boys out ice fishing this afternoon. Which really is quite a rare moment considering my husband is not a fisherman and my boys have never really gone. The whole concept of ice fishing really doesn't appeal to me at all. The fact that you have to stay outside in the same weather that not only is cold enough to freeze a whole pond, but also keep it frozen is kinda kooky. But they didn't ask me..HeHe. So we bundled them up in all the clothing that would fit on their little bodies and off they went to catch the "Big One."

So here is the fruit of their labor. Jarred caught one, not excatly the size the boys were hoping for, but he was sure proud. The excitement I guess he displayed was quite cute. His recount of the actually reeling in of the fish was great and then he summed it all up with, "I'm glad I killed a fish Mom." He however was not too crazy about the "sliminess" of the trout, so big brother Jake was eager to step in and help handle the thing. All-in-all it seemed like a pretty good day even though it was below freezing. BRRRRRRRRR!!

My Little Mess Maker

Okay, so I know what you are thinking, she doesn't look messy to me. Well you will notice the only clothing on this little one is a diaper and or course her big brother's shoes. Well, no I do not make it a habit out of letting my 21 month old baby run around basically naked in the dead of winter, but honestly I can't keep clean clothes on this little girl today! You will also notice the innocent look on her face, with the hands behind the back act, like I actually believe that she was just simply playing and causing no trouble at all. Yeah Right! Also note the little rag that is thrown at her feet that I'm sure she was using to try and clean up whatever disaster she has just made somewhere. Oh no little girl... this momma is on to you!
I started out my day feeling very lazy and I really had no motivation to get going on the housework and such. Not soon after I am feeling quilty about these thoughts my niece walks in and says,"Hailey made a mess, " in her 3 yr. old slang. I then rolled out of bed to find some of my lotion all over the dining room floor and all over Hailey. She was of course trying to clean it up fast and furiously. I got on to Hailey, changed her clothes, and cleaned up the mess. I then decided to go get on the P/C for a while and soon Jackie came back in and said,"Hailey made a mess again." I again walked out of my room and saw that she was getting into some body spray and playing in the toilet. (This is an on going problem in our house, the toilet issue. Believe me it doesn't make me happy!!) I then again disciplined her and changed her again. I now have motivation to clean so maybe she will stop finding things on the edge of counters or on table tops to get into. Not too long after that Hailey came walking up to me and says," UUGGGGGHH" which in normally the sound I make when she gets into something. I then say what did you do? She then shows me her hands and I walk in to the living room and she has got into the pink strawberry milk powder and poured some on the carpet. I then discipline her and change her clothes AGAIN! So a few hrs go by and no messes are being made so I'm a happy mommy. I'm in my bedroom chatting on the phone and picking up my room and then she comes to me, shirt off and her chest is all wet. I smell her to see what she got into, she had grabbed the pledge and sprayed it all over the coffee table and was cleaning. I guess she thought that I needed a hand. I then told her NO-NO for the like 100th time, swatted her little bottom and put the cleaner where she can't reach. Luckily she is pretty good about not putting thins in her mouth. So a few moments of quite time passed and I was like Okay I know she is into something. I'm grabbing my camera and gonna make a memory out of this busy day. So as you see this is what I came upon. Nothing notable, but I'm sure I just caught her before she acted. Let me tell you one thing, I can't remember that last time I was so excited about nap time!!!

"It Will Put Hair On Your Chest......."

So, having a 7 year old and 4 year old boys you can imagine that they want to be JUST like their Dad. Not only do they think he is superman, but they want to hunt with him, work with him, and even look like him. (Actually it is pretty cute..how long to you think it will last?) So, occasionally we use this leverage to convince the boys to eat something they aren't crazy about eating. Rusty likes to encourage them with comments like "Fear Factor it" or " It will put hair on your chest," so wanting their Dad to be pleased and to maybe even make him brag a little about them, they usually will comply. We then cheer for them and whatever needs to be eaten usually makes its way into their mouth and down it goes.
So one thing that Jarred my 4 Year old will turn up his nose to is the crust off bread. It kinda annoys Rusty, but honestly it really doesn't bother me that much, (I'm not crazy about crust either...HeHe). So of course Jarred has heard the little comments around the dinner table many times. The other day my brother came walking in the house at lunch time. He was carrying a burrito that he had bought and he also had come hot sauce that he got as well. Jarred immediately walked over to his uncle to see what he was unwrapping. My brother began to put the hot jalapeno sauce on the burrito and take a bite. He then asked Jarred if he wanted a bite. Jarred asked what kind of sauce that was? Uncle Anthony said "It's jalapeno sauce...Hot!" Jarred immediately said, "No thanks." My brother then said, "Oh, come on...it will put hair on your chest." And to that Jarred simple said " Nah, I'll just eat my crust." This I thought was very funny, was my 4 year old developing that witty sense of humour that I love or was he just choosing the lesser or two evils? Either way it gave my a giggle.

Little eyes are always watching us

Earlier this evening my husband and I were in our bedroom just chatting away. I was of course at the computer trying to navigate through my new obsession ( my Blog..hehe) and he was laying lazily on the bed watching and of course asking me questions about this new task in my life. Our children, of course, seem to always hover around us most of the time. As they all filtered in and jumped on the bed with Rusty (my husband) we didn't think too much of it. Not soon after, our niece wonders in wanting to join in on the action or at least see where her play mates had scurried off to.
I should inject right here-- my older brother and his cutie pie daughter (Jackie) are TEMPORARY living with us, and so her being only 3 she tends to run with my crew. Hailey (my daughter) and her get along pretty well, of course they have their territorial moments but that is to be expected of any 3 yr old and 1yr old...right? So back to my thought...
As Jackie climbs on to the bed my 4 yr old (Jarred) says, "OHH who's stinky?" So I look at Hailey who is laying next to my husband and think surely not her because I just changed her like 30 mins. ago. So I ask Jackie "Jackie are you stinky?" -another sidebar - She is not yet potty trained just in case you were thinking this story was getting too yucky.--
She, of course, just looks at me. My 1 yr old then gets up and walks clumsily over to Jackie, bends down and smells Jackie's diaper, looks up at me and says "SHEWWW-EEEE."
This of course makes my husband and I laugh. I'm sure she picked up on all the times we have checked her dirty diaper, via the smelling of the diaper, and probably even had that very same reaction to it. It just goes to show you that no matter how small they are, they will pick up even on the little things. So, just a little reminder to all you mommies out there.....they are watching!!

What to say...What to say??

So I woke up this morning thinking "Okay I need to post something..anything." I thought this shouldn't be so hard. However, I've read a couple of my friends blogs, of course they sounded amazing, which is where the pressure that I'm feeling is obviously stemming from. As the day went on I kept thinking, "Okay I'll get to it..I'll get to it." I mean after all there is no way I could be experiencing writers block before even I get to my second post. (HeHe) Soon I found myself analyzing every situation or conversation wondering if it was blogging material. So tonight I was on my way out to my church quilt meeting and I was considering the whole blogging process. Why had I actually started this new journey 4 days ago, which was now a thorn in my side. I mean after all I wasn't an all-american writer and I'm not really even that computer savoy. Well I did this so the loved ones that are not able to live close to me can keep up to date on the ins and outs of my life...right?? And now, all of a sudden I"m thinking that I have to produce this award winning journal, hence the pressure. I mean after all I'm not a genius but I can string a couple of thoughts together to form a sentence or two. So I guess what my bottom line is that this blog is going to be about my life -the exciting and funny times, but it is also going to be about my life- the not so exciting and funny times. If that even makes since. I guess I finally realized it and writing it in words, it became even more clear. This will be for me and my memories, and well if it entertains a few along the way... well then that is just icing.

Getting Started.....

Ok so here goes....This is my first post and being the novice that I am, I'm a little uncertain of what to actually say. So basicly this first little blurb, I've been told, is actually about just getting a feel for the blogging life and testing the water for what I want my blog to look like and say. So on that note I will move on to the point of this first post and see what it actually looks like, or should I say my patient friend who is helping me, and so there it is.......I am an official blogger so until next time happy reading.