Laundry, old folks and baby talk

I laid (lay?) awake in bed last night until 3am just thinking about stuff like...

• + I really hope our washing machine is fixed for real this time. Repair attempts (under warranty) have been made three times in the past month. I've been too chicken to run a load to see if it works. While laundromats are an option, they are not my favorite for several reasons-- the chiefest being that I used to work at one while I was in college. Laundry by the pound for college kids is gross.
  
  

• + There are a couple of elderly widows at church that I would like to become better friends with. Not only because friendships are a blessing that runs both ways, but because old people are just fun, y'all. They have the most interesting stories and will often surprise you with a sharp and quirky sense of humor!
  
  

• + My sister Lele is prego and due in January. Her and her husband have taken to calling the baby different names according to its growth-- names such as sesame seed, blueberry, garbanzo, and lemon. The only problem with that is that I keep picturing her having a lemon in her belly!
  
  I know that is an absolute impossibility because I've seen her ultrasound pictures.
  
  When *I* was prego, we simply called the baby "baby" until we came up with their name.
  
  (Try to not be in too much awe of my creativity-- I know it is simply astounding.)
  
  1.) Did you have any special names for the little peanut-chicklet-baby in your belly?
  
  2.) Do you ever speak in baby talk? Y'know, that annoyingly high pitched ridiculous voice that no baby could possibly understand? Once in a blue moon I catch myself speaking like that and must teach myself a lesson by washing my mouth out with soap.
  
  
  

It's a wonder I ever get any sleep around here, what with all the profound and intellectual contemplations that bombard me in the dark hours of the night.

Noah-boah is 8!

Yesterday, my Noah celebrated his 8th birthday. Although we spent half the day driving to visit my parents, it was still a very special day that we celebrated together as a family. Balloons were hung in his doorway while he was sleeping, notes hung on the mirror, gifts wrapped... and ice cream cake from Coldstone at halmonee and grandpa's house!

The BIG day for the boys, however, was today when we took them to Six Flags! It was a scorching 102+ degrees but there were NO LINES!!! As in zero. We got there when they opened at 10:30am, rode all the rides (except the Tony Hawk ride which was broken), and left around 3pm. The boys even admit to be roller-coastered out!

Strange Confession: I can ride the Superman, Batman and almost every roller coaster. But what really scares me? The swings.

You can stop laughing now.

Really. I mean it.

Back to the purpose of this post...

Happy Birthday to my sleep-loving, goofy grinning, army man loving, Scooby-Doo PJ wearing, says he's a daddy's boy (but I know better), 8 year old Noah!!! You make me so happy and I love you very much!

(Don't worry, I won't make you wear a hat like that ever again. Unless you're in BIG trouble or something.)

(This was definitely the year of lost front teeth. I'm going to miss that wonky-pirate grin... it's already changed into something more.. ummm... normal?)

I also want to wish my very awesome (older! bwahaha!) sister Coco a very happy birthday today!!! I love you Coco! (We need another pic of the two of us together-- this is the only one I could find!)

My toothpick

David and the boys went to the dentist yesterday. According to the dentist (because doesn't everyone go to the dentist to get weighed and measured?) Austin has grown 4 inches this past year. And with the 4 inches, he's only gained 4 pounds!

Isn't there a line in a movie (was it So I married an axe murderer?) that says "his head is so big it looks like an orange on a toothpick!"? Anyhow, although cuter than an orange, he is quite a spindly toothpick of a boy!

The old ball and chain

Two weeks ago, David and I spent a few days in San Antonio with our good friends Tim and Laura. The Riverwalk area is a romantic place to stroll hand in hand-- interesting people, delicious dining options (well, except for this one Italian place that was super yucky. note to self: stick with Mexican food when visiting SA!), and picturesque areas to sit and relax.

Look! David is smiling in this picture! :) He's not as mean as his bald head makes him look sometimes.

When strolling about hand-in-hand in the aforementioned romantic Riverwalk, people smiled at us and were just super friendly. At first I didn't see the glances and smiles by complete strangers for what they really were.

This one couple laughed and asked David to stop so they could look closer at his shirt-- that's when I KNEW.

Hey, people think we're NEWLYWEDS!!!

It would've been a-okay if this were due to how young or in love we look.

But nope, I knew better than to think that. Wanna see the real reason?!

Yup, the old "Game Over" shirt given to him not by his old buddies back in the day, but from some certain boys at our church who know that David loves him some Xbox 360! How sad is that?

It is kinda funny though. Especially how the groom is frowning and the bride is smiling.

I'm not mad. I'll keep wearing this shirt anyway:

Little days can be big deals

You'd think that a day like today wouldn't be a big deal. After all, it's just Independence Day... it's not like it's Christmas, a birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day or anything like that.

We were blessed to be able to hang out and have dinner at a dear friend's house today. We had a marvelous time! After dinner, swimming for the kids, and a movie, it was a quiet ride home-- David trying to get comfortable in his seat (he had his appendix taken out this past Tuesday) and the boys just sitting and looking out the window at all the fireworks stands.

Their favorite was always one close to our house. While we never actually bought from them, the boys would comment year-round on the perfect name of this stand: Po-man's Fireworks. Only, they never said "poh" or "poor"... they'd always laugh hysterically and call it POO man's fireworks!

It's almost as if David and I could read each other's minds. We couldn't help but think of this time last year. When we still had Christian with us. When he'd look at his big brothers and laugh at the word "poo" with them! :)

I still remember the giant bag of fireworks we got from our friend Loren. Man, my little pyro's LOVE fireworks! This set of pictures makes me smile fondly every time I think of fireworks.

David had been outside with the boys shooting a few off when Christian walked in the door. All I could see behind his black smudged face were these bright blue eyes! Talk about dirty! They would light a black snake, watch it "grow" and then he'd insist on picking it up. The snake's powdery black body would disintegrate in Christian's hand, and yet he would never give up on the impossible taks of trying to hold the thing!

It is just one of many memories that are etched in my mind. And I am glad for it.

I really, really, really miss him. Like Austin said the other night, it just isn't the same around here without him.

The very long week

To keep the very long week from turning into a very long (and dull) post, here is a quick rundown of the past week:

- This past Friday, Austin and Noah attended a very special bereavement camp for children called Camp Agape. Not only did they have fun with all the activities (swimming, kayaking, horseback riding, archery), but they saw that they are not alone in their grief. I might have to make a whole separate post about this camp-- it was that good.

The boys really enjoyed their time at Camp Agape and were able to work through many of their emotions concerning Christian's death. They are also still talking about how much they enjoyed their buddies for the weekend. So Dennis and Phil, if you happen to be reading this, THANK YOU for taking the time to care for my boys. You have impacted them positively during a very difficult time in their lives. I don't think they will ever forget you!

- We can take comfort that Death is Not Dying.

- This past week also marked the passing from this life into eternal life for a good friend of ours-- Zared Zajicek. He was seriously injured when he fell through a roof. He is survived by his sweet bride April (they were married in May), amazing parents, four sisters, one brother and many friends. I could say so much about Zared and his family-- how they have been such a blessing to David and I over the years, how much we will miss Zared and how our hearts are heavy with sorrow for his family. And yet I have no words. It's like they are all somehow crammed into my heart and I can't get them to come out. *sigh*

You can read more about him at http://www.a-zupdate.com/. If you feel led, please make a contribution to help April with her living expenses until she can sort out the next step in her life.

- The morning of Zared's funeral, my husband David woke up with a tremendous pain in his upper abdomen and chest. He was really hurting, y'all! I rushed home, saw that he had been vomiting since 8am, and took him to the ER.

After an insufferable wait, ECG, ultrasound and CAT scan, they determined that it was his appendix. It is hard to believe that they could take that out laporoscopically! Three little incisions and that poisonous thing was removed. The good thing about that kind of surgery is that it is not only fairly routine nowadays, but you get immediate relief from the pain. We are so glad to be home now and very thankful for modern medicine and health insurance!

- I am so happy that my mom and dad came to visit! I really am blessed with wonderful parents and in-law's.

I was hoping to make this witty and interesting. Oh well. I think just getting it all written out without falling asleep was an accomplishment in and of itself!

13 Years

Fourteen years and 2 days ago, I walked into the Federal Building in Dallas, TX to take the Air Force Officer Qualification Test. I sat next to this handsome, confident and funny young man. We had lunch that day. A week later, he finally asked me out by saying "So when are you going to let me take you out?"

We were engaged 3 months later. Here's a pic of us at our first Christmas together a la Sears:

Brrrr... doesn't that realistic background give you the chills and make you want to drink some hot chocolate and sing Christmas carols?

Ummm, yah... That's what I thought.

I graduated college in May and we were married in June.

Anyone want to tell me to say Cheese and smile? I was a tulle princess marrying my prince (that looked like he had a mullet in many a wedding photo courtesy of bad lighting and poor photography skillz). Look how young we all look!

David was already working for Continental Express and made Captain that Christmas (way to go, baby!). We honeymooned in Cancun and began our life as Mr. and Mrs. in Cleveland, Ohio.

When we first got married, I would wake up every day and be amazed that this was my life-- how blessed I was! I couldn't believe that I got to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful man. That we could be together all the time.

And you know what? I still feel that way today.

HAPPY 13TH ANNIVERSARY, MY LOVE!!!

Ready, Set, Go!

Next to the Father-Son campout in the fall, Austin and Noah's favorite Master Club (like Awanas) activity is the Pinewood Derby.

POP QUIZ: Can you guess which car up there belongs to Noah?

The Derby is a fun time of food and fellowship with friends from church. Since this is a race, the goal for many is to build the fastest car. We are not quite there with the car building skillz to win first place (or any place!) when it comes to speed. Our enjoyment comes from building a car from the boys' imagination and shooting for a win in the Most Creative category.

Oh and it is always a good idea for the car to make to all the way to the end of the track! I am ashamed to admit that this year, we had a vehicle stop cold right in the middle of the track. Not once, but TWICE! Sorry Austin! But look, him and his yummy car forgive us!

Doesn't his car look delicioso?

Austin worked with David to make the dish part of the car. He made the ice cream, banana and toppings with Crayola Model Magic. Neat-o, don't you think? Slow car but still fun!

**Did you figure out which car up there was Noah's?**

It seems whenever Noah is concerned, an army man must always be involved. In fact, I had to get on to him tonight for hiding army men and Lego's in his bed so he can play with them at night! Silly boy. At least this guy has his arms-- they purposefully maim their guys in battle sometime. To make it more real. Ummm... okay.

Noah was double blessed this Derby because his car not only made it to the end of the track every single time, but he also won the trophy for Most Creative. Congrats Noah-boah!

He is very proud of his trophy. What is it with kids and trophies anyway? Maybe I should make myself a trophy. Y'know, like "Queen Mother of the Year" or something.

Austin was happy for Noah to win. Austin actually won Most Creative for his police tank car back in his first Derby. And Christian even won a trophy last year for 2nd place in speed. :) Courtesy of Luke-- thanks, Luke!

So big smiles all around-- with or without trophies!

Christian - Pinewood Derby 2008

My "debonaire" dad

My dad sent this picture to me tonight.

And if that thin young man with shades and a motor scooter wasn't enough, he wrote this on the back of the photo:

"In case you don't recognize this handsome, debonaire, playboy. It's me. Show this to Dan & all pretty girls."

I admit it... I totally busted a gut when I read the back of this picture-- especially the part about showing it to all pretty girls! Oh my oh my oh my! How funny is that?!

This is completely opposite of what I know my dad to be like. Not that he isn't handsome or anything... he's just a rather quiet, devoted man that has been married to my mom for over 3 decades. So it's hard to see him as a "debonaire playboy". It does make me think that I need to ask my dad a few more questions about his childhood and young adult life. Maybe even bring out the old voice recorder.

Are y'all surprised by old pictures of your parents or how they used to be back in the day?

This also makes me wonder what my boys are going to think about David and I when we were younger. Or even if they were to look back to how we are right now... would anything be surprising to them? Would we seem like normal parents or like old fogey's? Maybe I should ask them when they wake up in the morning. Or maybe I just don't want to know.

I <3 Faces Photo Challenge: Sepia Toned

This week's photo challenge is "Sepia Toned".

For the Children's Category, here is my cutiepatootie nephew making a funny face (and he isn't even eating prunes-- at the moment, anyway!):

And for the Adult Category, my new brother-in-law The Major: