Thursday & Friday

Thursday.
Candace invited us for bowling, at Brunswick.

She's full of useful information...
like kids bowl for free there, all summer.

Her and I paid our $8 each (for ourselves to bowl) and enjoyed our cheap date and then had lunch at Chickfila.
I tell you every time I mention her, that she's greatness.
(all of my friends are!)

She is sweet, inspiring, a great mommy, my go to chick for spiritual guidance, an incredible nurse...
and freak'n FUNNY.

Who knew that girl that I stalked down in the Weatherford College bookstore, a decade ago, would still be sending me midnight texts of funny pins that she can't pin...
would take a job with the same-great company that I work for...
who drove to the hospital when Maddox was a baby, late at night, to take him to her house while my grandmother was passing away...
would offered to come to my house and pray with me when I was an overwhelmed new mommy...
has the exact same sense of humor as myself, and makes me laugh until our cheeks hurt...
and encourages to me to be better, even when she isn't around.

People at our work always tell us that they are reminded of the other.
I take it as a compliment.
From someone who has never had a foul word spoken about her in her entire life...
I'd love to be more like Cdizzle.

Every time she mentions a play date together, I know it will be buckets of fun.
Thursday was no different.

One game was plenty for our kids...
by about the 5th frame, they had removed their shoes...
and by the 8th, they were starving!

A little chicken, waffle fries, ice cream, and play was more than my kids needed to send them out on our drive home!

Friday.
A day at Hawaiian Falls with my SIL had been planned for weeks.
My step-dad blessed us with passes, and we invited a few of our friends to join us.

I woke up with a fussy baby Beckham, so I thought it might be a trying day.

While packing bags and lunches and attempting to get Maddox a yogurt... a green yogurt further back in the fridge... I busted a Tupperware of homemade hot sauce all over my kitchen floor.
Maddox was squealing about a few drops that got on his leg,
and in my head, I was screaming about my destroyed house that I scrubbed on my hands and knees, just a few days prior.

I couldn't find my keys, but could search no further and grabbed the spare.

Just as we were pulling out, Maddox said, "are you sure we have everything?"
We didn't.
I had left my wallet on the island.
I thanked him for the reminder and we headed to the park.

Randi and Kim pulled up a few minutes after us.

We gathered our bags and coolers and 7 kids between us, and hopped onto the trolley.

Just as we pulled up, I realized that I left my tickets!
Randi gasped too...

Her's were in her car...
Mine were at home.

I headed back to my car, with Maddox crying, unable to understand that we were actually going to the water park-- just not now with our friends, a bag that weighed as much as Smart car and Beckham on my hip.

Driving back toward the house, I called Lance in tears.
He reminded me that these were tiny worries in the big scheme of life...
And I decided to turn around and purchase tickets.

Candace had two 1/2 off coupons, so it wasn't a huge loss.

From there, our day was fantastic, with a group of awesome girls and sweet kids!

My mom and sister showed up after lunch--
and we only lost 2 kids!

Maddox slipped away from my sister and Kim.
They came back in panic, but he had already made it back to Candace and I, with a handful of cotton candy that he somehow panhandled from the shark shack!

He said, "they said that this sweet wittle boy needs something too, so the boy asked me what I wiked and I told him cotton candy."

Ellie Kate got away from us too.
We had split up and were seconds from panic when I found her.
She too, had used her experience to swindle a sprite from the life guard's shack!

Candace and I see an opportunity for a family business.
Start small with cotton candy and soda-- next step diamonds!  ;)

Kim and Randi left an hour or 2 before Candace and I did.

We ran into my friend Whitney and my friend Libby there, too.

We had snowcones, watched a little luau, scrubbed our kids in the showers with Candace's always-prepared shampoo, and dressed them in clean, dry clothes.

Which was fabulous idea, because my kids crashed in the car, and were down for the night!

Sun kissed and wore out... just the way I like them!

If you've got it, flaunt it. (and other stuff)

Yesterday we had a great day at the daycare!
The kids played well together, no fighting... and other than me shipping them to the backyard sprinklers during Beckham's nap because they have no comprehension of the word "quiet", they were great.

(today, however, they have each set in time out already --Maddox for whining and Kyleigh for hitting... but it is too early to call it a loss just yet!!  ...we still have swimming in our future!)

I was going to post pictures of their bubble wars from yesterday...
but I realized I have a lot of pictures in my phone that I haven't posted yet.

So...
I have them...
here's the flaunting.

After bubble wars, Maddox wanted a "metal detector"... 

he was sure that if I just taped this pump to his bubble gun, it would work.

It didn't.

 

While I was at night clinic last night, Maddox stood on the retaining wall for hours and chatted with a new friend diagonal from our house, and Robby next door.

 Back inside (and smelling like a puppy), I asked him the little girl's name.

He told me it was either "chloe" or "clokey" but he wasn't sure.

I'm no betting girl, but I bet Clokey is not correct!

***

Now onto the section, labeled:  random pics in PJs.

There is just something sweet about bed hair, raspy voices, snuggly faces...

and if you are lucky...

Still sleeping babies.

 

 

***

Beckham wants to be Maddox.

He follows him around, plays with his toys, wears his shoes, aaaannnd bites and hits him.

Maddox is so sweet  and patient with Beckham.

{{ but I am sure the tables will turn at some point.}}

Last night, Beckham brought me a pair of Maddox's underwear and was trying to put them on.

So, for about an hour, he sported his first pair of Buzz Lightyear underwear around and a smile.

***

Rapidly changing pace again::

Have you seen my Rapunzel hair?

I mean really.

If you have known me longer than a minute, you know that the ears is about as long as these locks grow.

I occasionally have the itch to cut it...

or go back blonde.

But the husband is a fan of it long and dark,

and it is cheaper to keep it this way.

So for now, it stays.

***

All of my blogging friends are so healthy.

I am not.

My husband, however, made a promise to me 2 nights ago that he is going to try to get in shape and eat healthier.

So, I guess I am going to have to pay closer attention to all of your clean eating boards and start changing the way I cook.

Really it isn't me, though.

I could very easily be a vegetarian, who eats icing by the spoonful at midnight.

This was yesterday's lunch.

Not because I diet... but because all of these things sounded good and I wanted them.

Unfortunately, fried okra, onions and potatoes sounded good the day before.

I am very inconsistent.

Lance eats nothing green.

Basically, he could live off of meat, potatoes and chocolate.

But it is going to kill him, if he does.

***

Finally, I am going to close with more drama from the news.

(this post is all over the place, so why not?!)

Lance was going crazy last night over the shooting in Dallas and the way the spectators were acting.

He even tivo'd it, (because I never watch the news) so that I could see.

He usually takes stuff like that personal, but last night, it made me sick too!

Of course I come from a family of police officers, so I am going to side with the law.

I already get my piss hot every time someone throws a hiss-fit on FB for getting a ticket.

Usually "the dumb cop" was hiding or whatever.

Every single day I speed down 820 to work.

Every single day I take the risk that I could get a ticket for it.

I am breaking the law.

What in the heck do people think?

They want the help if their house is broken into, or their child goes missing or they are hit in an accident when someone else is breaking the law...

but they, themselves want to be omitted.

I don't get it?

I am telling you now, that if one of my loved ones is getting the hell beat out of them from the behind the badge, regardless if gun-fire is shed first or not...

I hope they fire.

I hope they do exactly what that cop in Dallas did yesterday from the drug house.

Why do people think it is okay for criminals (aka: bad guys) to attack police officers (aka: good guys) and not have to face punishment?

I would like to hear from this low-life's friends what they thought the officer should have done?

Died for this punk?

Let him go?

I just don't get it.

If you remember correctly, my brother holds a medal of valor for running into gun-fire to save a woman's life.

He was already a husband at the time...

And a father.

And his only back up was a rookie.

But he ran in...

carried a dying woman in his arms over a 1/2 mile to an ambulance...

and saved her life knowing that he could be giving his up.

One of his best friends and fellow-officers was killed by an idiot just like this guy.

They don't get paid enough...

they do more good than bad...

and their main goal is public safety.

Our safety.

I hate the news.

home

Lance and I are both home-bodies.

Not long ago, we got a chuckle, realizing that we were both the kids who would make the phone call late at night from sleep-overs because we wanted to go home.

Except for staying with my friend Mandy, as a kiddo, I honestly don't think I ever made it over night at any friends.

My Aunt Penny, still jokes, that she would hate it when I would want to come stay with her because she just knew that she would be making a late night drive to calm me down.

I like home.

With that said, we tend to carry this on to our kids.

We aren't the parents who send our babies off for the weekend...
Or go on weekly date nights....

There have been times that we have something going on that is not kid friendly, and my mom will keep them.
But...
We roll into her house, at whatever time we make it there, because we need to see our tiny-turtles and know they are fine before we can sleep.

In Maddox's 4 years of life, I can probably count on one hand how many nights he has slept away from me.
And thus far, I have only trusted 2 people with that honor!




Beckham; once.

***

Yesterday I missed out on the CO shooting stuff for most of the day.

Nick Jr had no coverage and it wasn't until I saw a few FB statuses "praying for Colorado" that I realized there was some crazy-tragedy over night.

So I popped onto a news station, and caught bits and pieces and then I called Lance for him to fill in the holes.

From then on, I had that story on my mind.


What would I have done?

Even Lance's pistol, that is always strapped to his hip, wouldn't have helped us against his full body armour.

What if it would have been a girls night out?

Would I have been the friend that would have helped my pal with the gun-shot to the leg, out the door...
or would I have saved myself, thinking about my babies?

I get a lump the size of Canada in my throat when I think about the dad with the infant...
Or the 6 year old, who died.

I can't stop thinking about how evil that normal-looking boy was.

How?
How do people do these horrible crimes and not feel the pain they inflict on others?

Why?
Why did people feel the need to go to the midnight showing of that movie?  With their kids...
And is this story going to cross my mind one day my boys beg to do the same?

Too many questions... no answers at all.

***
So I strapped the boys in their 5point harnesses and we headed to see daddy at work.
Home.

After lunch, I thought I would run into Home Goods/ TJ Maxx, right near Lance's work for some school clothes for Maddox.
I ended up ditching my buggy, however, and walking out because Maddox had used up his chances, and I had to hold on to my word.
"We're going home."

I didn't take his tears completely to heart this time, like I usually would or let it ruin my day...
my kids were safe, and with me...
home.

On my way back, my mom called and said she was keeping Ellie and Gunner for the night and wanted Maddox to come out too.

He was in trouble...
And I was on slightly on edge....
but I let him go.

 
***
We commented a few times about how much we missed Maddox, but we made the most of some time with B, and headed to bed.

I turned on the 10:00 news, (which I never watch) to fill more gaps in the Batman shooting only to hear another tragedy of a 3 year old was left in a daycare van and died in Dallas.

I can (but don't want to) imagine the horror of pain that mom went through when she got the news...
And I know now that he was sleeping...
but all I could imagine last night, was Maddox, when he goes into the garage or the back yard without unlocking the door and panics to get back in.
He immediately starts crying, screaming and beating on the door as if he is the Hulk.
He is fighting for air and wiping tears, acting as if he is moments from death, within the few seconds it takes me to unlock the door and let him back in.

In my head, this baby was fighting the same way.
For some reason I had it in my mind that he knew he was dying and I couldn't breathe.

***
At 11:00 last night, I was in a tearful breakdown and Lance agreed to make the 35 minute trip to pick up our boy, if I needed, but went out of his way to assure me that we didn't need to.

He told me that there was no way he could get out of their house and into their car...
or that no crazy man would bombard their home during the night in gun fire.

He had to remind me that even though he wasn't in our home...
He was with my mom, and to me, she has always been home.

He was fine.

***
I called, anyway, and talked to him and told him to never, ever, ever get in any car without an adult, ever, even in the middle of the night, and even if the coolest toy is inside or a friend asks him to play in there and told him I loved him...

My sweet sister, (who knows I am crazy) moved him to her bed...
and I slept.

***
Today, Beckham and I went to get Maddox.

Lance and I switched cars for the day and I had to wear this pair of old skanky Oakleys all day, because they were all I could find in his console.
(I was still waiting on my hair to dry so I could pull it up, so pardon the lioness hair.)

I then stopped for an ice coffee at McDonalds (for the same reason I buy snacks at Dollar Tree and dresses at Ross) and slurped up a slippery substance like snot, and had to pull over to puke it into the street.

Then I picked up on my school clothes shopping from yesterday...
But Beckham became sick of riding, and decided to crawl through a rack of clothes and fall onto his head so hard it made a sound that rips at your gut and insta-lumped making him cry harder than I have heard him cry yet.

Right after his traumatic episode, a set of brothers pulled a cart onto themselves and I rendered some pediatric nursing skill to another knotted head and a wounded hand.

After all of the madness, I rewarded myself with the most perfectest pair of suede flats for fall,

and tortilla soup.

***
Back to bead.

At home.

Praying for all of those families in mourning.
And for mine...

Surviving my anxiety.

A little bit of noneness...

This is one of those ramblers...
but I am going to throw it at you.

**
Yesterday we went back to Hawaiian Falls with our best pals, The Addington bunch.
It was bring-your-friends-for-free day for season pass holders, so despite snacks and lunch and the little gas it took to take us there, it was no money from my pocket for a great time of play.
It was also my niece, Kyleigh's, 5th birthday.
So Holly's daycare took a field trip and it was the perfect way to celebrate her big day!


**
I have been talking with my friend Whitney... and my friend Dani... who are both back to school at UTA, and I have decided to dive in.
In the kiddie pool, of course.
I am going to take 2 classes in August... and maybe 2 more in October...
Or maybe no more until the spring semester...
This is the kiddie pool for Pete's sake!
And I have time to decide.

I want to go back to school.
I need to go back to school.
I owe it to myself to go back to school.
{{^^same stuff I always say}}

But I stress easy.
And we are fine with me staying exactly where I am at.
For forever... if that's what I choose to do.

I love my job...
And have the perfect schedule known to man.

But I don't think I will be satisfied until I finish.
I just hate deciding.

**
Life.
I love my life.

I love the people in it.

I have times where I am buried deep in anxiety and wants and "can't wait untils" and "need to be better ats" that I don't slow down and enjoy the blessings in front of me.

But a lot, here recently, I have just had moments of gratitude.
Pure joy.
Abundance of happiness.
And a full heart.

I feel like I tell you guys a lot when I am frustrated...
So I thought I should share with you that I am happy.

And at peace in life.
With the sweetest 3 boys in the universe as my co-pilots.

**
Remember I had the itch to go big-car again?
I miss the space of my Tahoe...
And the excessive number of air vents to the boys on 100 degree days...

So we found the perfect Z71 Tahoe (with bucket seats-- my #1 must-have, that my last one did not have)
and we put my Murano on Craig's List.

People started contacting us-- but it was Maddox's birthday week.
One never showed up...
One needed heated seats (one of the only upgrades that mine doesn't have)...
One offered 1/2 of what we listed it at...
and another was coming from far away and our available times and his didn't mix.

In the mean time, a fellow co-worker offered a trade (plus some cash) for her fully-loaded Yukon XL.
I wanted it.
Lance was being a brat about no 4WD, and claiming it was too long.
She ended up changing her mind...

And due to me being overwhelmed, I decided to keep my car.

It is a great car.
It gets great gas mileage.
I just feel crammed and I hate that it has 87K miles and there are 2 tiny vents for the back seat. 

Just as we were going to take it off CL, we have had 3 more emails....

So we left it.
And will see.

**
I feel like I have been telling you about our land for a year.
And maybe I have?

After my step-dad crunching some numbers....
and a few conversations with Peggy (the owner)...
We are finally in the final stages.

However, we were originally going to buy 8 acres, but apparently there is some law that if it was less that 10.1 acres, we were going to have to pay 25K for it all to be re-plotted.  (or something-- I am just the messenger here)

So back to square one, and she agreed to sell us 2 more acres.

The guy was out there yesterday setting up our bounds and what-not for the survey.

And hopefully next week, we will have papers calling it ours!!

**
If you follow my Instagram, you know that I play softball these days.

I am really bad at it.
And Lance thinks he can coach me into an athlete.

You don't go 28 years of being awful at everything... never touching a bat, ever...
and turn into Josh Hamilton overnight.

I'm just going to suck, babe.

I am sorry.

He, on the other hand, is really good.

He makes us points, which is something that I have only accomplished once.
From a walk.

bla bla bla... at least it's time together and in good company!

**
Maddox makes me LAUGH every day.
Most things are only funny in the moment and I'd have to tell you the whole story to get to the punch line-- so we take our family-chuckle, and move on...

 

Sometimes he just blows me away by his sensitive nature, and big heart.

Other times, I am embarrassed by my less-than-perfect parenting, so we keep the laughs between us.

Like yesterday when Maddox called Beckham a "skunk-bag".
--The day before, Lance told me a story about some people we know, and referred to them as scumbags... so I can totally blame him for that one!

But then he asked me "what the hell?" today.
--which comes straight from my mouth, I know. 

I wasn't proud either time, but I would be lying if I didn't laugh in my head, both times.

**
Beckham still rarely says anything.
But his eyebrows and grunts say a lot...
He shakes his head yes or no-- and does the 'gimme' sign with his hand-- and is such a little lover, which is enough communication for this momma.

What cracks me up about him, is how many men comment on how cute he is!

A lady at our softball game stopped Lance on Sunday to say that she's never seen a little boy look so much like his daddy!  (I could see the sparkle from Lance's smile a mile away.)

But shortly after that, the biggest guy at the park asked to hold him and was showing him games on his phone!

A lifeguard came up to me yesterday at the water park, to tell me that he was having a great time watching Beckham play.  And in the most manly-est voice, he told me that he was "adorable".

I think its his care-free personality that reels people in.

I joke and say that I could toss him in a pit of lions and he would roll with it.
Although I am sure his eyebrows would be going a mile a minute and grunting the entire time!


**
Did I tell you I cut his hair?

Everyone commented on his little mullet... and then someone put it in a pony tail at the birthday party, so I took it as a sign and finally took the scissors to it.
I miss it already.

Just another step in him becoming a big boy.

**
I am so excited for fall!!

Besides it being my favorite time of the year, I am counting down the weeks until Maddox starts MDO.
(and it isn't because he just knocked the globe off of the stand and knocked an "E" off of the wall trying to catch the globe.)
It is because he is going to love school!!
I am so excited for him to do art projects, and make friends, and dress so cute everyday. 
I am excited to spend a little one on one time with B too.

I called last week about starting him in soccer too.I am excited about it.

Mainly because I work nights, so Lance will be in charge of the beatings of practice.
And I just get to show up in time to wear my team-shirt and yell for my biscuit!

It's is a Christian organization and everything I have heard about it, sounds perfect for us!

**
I am sure I will publish this and think of 15 more random things worth sharing...
but I am sure you are tired of reading as it is.

And since I started this post, this morning and am not finishing it until midnight...
I am hitting send and calling it a night!