Saturday Silly.

Quick background:

B-rox reads.  Everything.  Anything.  He reads - period.  (Is it redundant to put the period after I wrote period?) 


His Gramma and Pa-hat bought him his favorite book last summer, "Reptiles and Amphibians".  It's a four hundred page book on just about every reptile or amphibian on Earth.  He reads page by page - and can recall just about any fact he's read.  Trust me, I've tried calling his bluff.  He can flip to the page, shove it in your face and say "told you so" quicker than the Sahara can melt ice. 


Conversation between the boys:
Kenny:  Why do mommy's have to have big boobs to feed babies?

B-rox:  Well, I was reading about the Frilled Neck Lizard the other day and I think it's their defense against predators.

Uhm... Yeah.
My kids need to worry if boobs are my defense against predators.  Because, if you had to rank my "defenses" on a scale of McLovin' to Vin Diesel - I'm a Paul Rudd.  No lie.  

What's on their mind?

I like to "interview" my kids every now and then.  I think it helps me get to know them better.  Because kids change ALL the time.  I sit down during quiet moments and ask them random questions.  I've never thought to write it down before because I've always felt like it was sort of a personal exercise between us.  Then Hubband and I had a conversation about a fourth(?) grade project where he said he wanted to have three kids and drive a mini-van. (He's SOL on that particular notion.) It's fun to look back on that stuff and see how you changed throughout the years.

So this morning, during my "coffee time", which is usually their "entertain yourself" time, they sat on my lap and we interviewed.  They call it the "imagination game".  I took notes on my phone and am glad I've decided to write it down.  They're not going to want to miss some of the answers that that hour on my lap produced.

1. If you could be an animal - what would you be?
B: An Orangutan.  Because I like the name and how they have really long arms.
K: A chicken.  Because I like how they go bok bok bok and I like to eat eggs.  


2. If you could go on vacation right now, where would you go? 
B: Africa.  That place is cool.
K: Starbucks, then McDonalds, then Panera.  {Hungry much?}

3. If you could be a piece of clothes - what would you be. (what color, what's on it and why?) 
B: A shirt.  It would be yellow with ghosts on it.  It would be a zip up short sleeved, because it's hot in Africa.
K: Shoes with rocketships.  So I can go fast. 


4. If you had to eat one food every day for all your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners - what would it be? 
B: Bananas.  Because orangutans like bananas.
K:  Macaroni and cheese.  Because it's my favorite.  You make it awesome, mommy.  


5. If you could be a plant or a rock, what would you be and why?
B: Rock.  Because I'd be a whistling rock.  That would be my defense against predators. {Rocks have predators???}
K: Plant. Because I'd be a blue plant.  Plants are alive, not dead like rocks.  


6. If you could drive - what kind of car would you drive? 
B: An off road racer.  Because I like to go off-road and I like to do it fast.
K: A fast car.  Like a Corvette.  So I can match Daddy.  


7. If you could have a pet - what kind of pet would you have? 
B: A bug.  Half ladybug - half butterfly.  I'd call it a lady fly.
K: A zebra.  I'd ride it to work and black and white are awesome colors.  


8. What do you want to be when you grow up? 
B: A rockstar that sings about crazy stuff.
K: An astronaut.  {In light of the recent NASA developments - I prompted him to give me another answer.}
 A Table. 


9. How much does that job pay? 
B: $165 an hour  {Must be an indie artist...}
K: $55 dollars an hour to be a table.  {Maybe I need to look into this being a table thing...}


10.  Where do you want to live when you grow up? 
B: In Borneo for a while. Then when I'm old I'll move to Nigeria.
K: At home with mommy and daddy.  


11. Do you want kids?
B: Yes.  95 girls.  All twins.  {A Siamese in there somewhere then?} 20 boys.  All twins.  {At least he's cutting his baby momma's work in half?}
K: Yes.  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten. (On his fingers)  All sisters.  


I like my kids.  They're funny.

Thursday Thidbits.

Tidbits are for Tuesdays.  THidbits are for Thursdays. 

The other day some pre-paving work was going on behind our house.
I woke the boys up from their nap to sit out on the deck.
AND eat ice cream with cookies on top.
I am the coolest mom, ever. 
Ok, maybe not. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but B-rox has
decided that he LOVES coffee.
He steals it, sneaks it
and on the weekends gets a couple of ounces.
Here's the kicker:
He likes it black. 
(No "Airplane" jokes, please.)

Last weekend we were looking for something fun to do after dinner.
Couponing to the rescue!
Rango had a $5 dollar off the video coupon.
Safeway had a special where:
Buy the "Rango" dvd or blu-ray get:
Free box of Pop-secret
Free bag of Hershey's kisses
Two Free Lipton teas.
Plus, an extra $3 dollars off the video.
Total: $38 dollars.
We paid: $19
Yay family movie night.
Even if the tea was disgusting. 

Paving day!
(Finally)
Steamrollers, dumpers, skid steers - OH MY!  

Little brothers are awesome, right?
(Braxton asked if he could put his head there so Holdeezy could grab his hair.)

Random picture of a Beluga Whale.  It mysteriously
appeared in my photo album on my phone
while Hubband was documenting my Tri.
Weird. 

At the Firefly Festival, learning to roll down a hill.
Because this kind of stuff is important.
They ask whether you can or not on college applications.

"Look Mom, I'm a big boy too!"

Tradition.

All my kids get baths in the sink.  They just do.  

I think he enjoyed it...

I picked up this water table at Target the other day for 60% off.  Just $20!  (I also got a GIANT amount of the boys' Christmas shopping done in this particular clearance sale.  Score one for a less stressful holiday/birthday season.)

Lolz.  That's all I can come up with.

It's a hit.  

I love that they can be near me - but not underfoot during dinner time.
Thank you Target, for the awesome steal.
Now, if only this heat wave would go away so they can handle being outside
more than 10 minutes at a time...

I love sales...

I can haz blueberries?

Yes, I can!

I've Teased You Enough...

Where does the time go????  Seven months already???  Geesh.

Happiest baby, ever.  

"Squeeeeeeeee"

West Coast is the shit, man. 

Last month he was 17.5 lbs.
26 inches long?
He sits, rolls, and laughs at everything.
He has four teeth.
He loves, apples, bananas, avacados, blueberries, pears and pizza.   (No.  Not joking...) 
He does not like cucumbers or watermelon.
He loves to say "mama".  He sings it, screeches it, says it, mumbles it.  It's all about the mama.
He sleeps better at night now.  But he's still in his Rock 'n' play, because he refuses to sleep lying on his back. He also has comandeered our bathroom as his bedroom. I know it will eventually end, so I'm just trying to remain chill about our unusual sleeping arrangement.  Somedays, it's easier than others.

Towards the end in this video, you can hear Hubband ask "who is this?".  He was pointing to me.  Holdeezy knows and loves his mama!
(Ok, maybe not.  But - please don't burst my bubble!)

Friday Fill-In. Woot.

Blogger is being a juice-box and won't upload the video I want to upload to finish off H's 7 month pictures post. So, I plan to wow you with a Friday Fill-in.
By wow, I mean - you clicked on my blog by accident - right? 


Well, I'm gettin' right down to it.

1. If you could have a private concert with any singer, who would it be?  submitted by An Air Force Wife’s Blog

Bare Naked Ladies.
No, not a porn concert - the band.  They've been a favorite since I was a youngin' . (Though, my parents questioned whether or not they should let me have a band with such a scandy name - despite the un-scandy lyrics.)

2. Is there anything you do to supplement your family’s income? submitted by Our Life, One Adventure at a Time

I take on the occasional family portrait session.  I don't do it often, and it doesn't pay great - but I love it.
Mostly, though, I'm just a drain on the pocket book.  Or, that's what I'm told.  Excel spreadsheet what? 


3. During your pregnancy (whether past, present, or future), what did you nickname your unborn baby before you knew the sex? submitted by Explosions of Love

The first was named Gus Gus.  An homage to Hubband's lineage.  Because pregnancy nickname was as far as we were going to go with Gustav.  Plus, the mouse in Cinderella is adorable.
The second was Thing 2.  If you've never read "The Cat in the Hat" you need to skip yourself back to pre-school and learn up. Yo.
The third was called baby DinoZore.  Because that's what the first two wanted to name him.  Also, because we didn't tell anyone what the name was until he was actually here.

4. Have you ever won a blog giveaway?  If so what did you win? submitted by Mrs. O’s Life

Yes.  It turns out, that taking away my luck getting pregnant has channeled my luck into other areas.  More specifically, winning give-aways.
I've won a ring, a Panera Gift Card, and a cloth Diaper.   I was notified of the first win (ring) while I was waiting for my epidural in the hospital.  (ThankyoubabyJesusforthechangeinluckandnomorebabiesAMEN!)

5.  If I looked into your refrigerator right now, what would I find? submitted by Married to the Army

Two drawers and a shelf full of produce.  A gallon of iced tea. (unsweet, because simple syrup is GROSS.)  Woodchuck hard cider.  Milk.  Cheese. V8 V-fusion.  Yogurts.  Lunch Meat.  Tortillas.  That's about it.  Not much else will fit...

I WAS going to post about Holdeezy turning Seven months, but I'm posting about this, instead.

My day has been interesting so far.  Not bad.  Just interesting.

*The boys, of course, were up too early.  After talking to themselves in their beds until 9:30 pm.

*Coffee, laundry, and breakfast - all before 7:30am.

*Bought the Papa Petrone's groupon.  I love me some scramble bread!!! 


*Showered, Dressed, facespaced, pinterested, and then left to run some errands.
I had seen a super sale on running gear at Dicks and had to check it out.  I managed to score a $70 dollar pair of compression shorts for $16.  WIN!  
The boys have been saving their "allowance" in order to purchase a Captain America Shield and a Real Thor Hammer.  Also, managed to get my favorite mascara and eyeliner for just $5.  Hubband can now stop saying things like "It costs too much money for you to make yourself pretty for other people."  


*While out on errands, I gave one of my fruit and nut bars to a homeless guy.  Who gave it back, because "he doesn't eat that shit". (His sign, ironically - said "will do anything for money, or food".)  His wife/partner/sister/mother snatched it back from me and said "ignore the douche bag, thank you and God Bless".

*Then The B-rox told "the most funniest joke in the world" Q: What do you call a potato and a shoe?  A: A  shoe potato.  Both boys lost their breath laughing.  I was definitely missing something there.

*On the way into Target, the lady in the car across from me noticed the rosary I have dangling from my rearview mirror.  She politely informed me "Catholicism is a sin, and I can show you the true Jesus Christ."  I said nothing.  I really wanted to tell her to eff off, but that wouldn't be very christian - now would it?  Also, Hubband would be mad if I taught them that word.  On pinterest, I recently saw a button that said "If only closed minds came with closed mouths".  I let out a little "Amen" when I read it.

*In Target I had a really nice conversation with a really old lady about how I should keep trying for a little girl.  Explaining to her that I can't have any more kids did nothing to deter her from her opinion.  Then we discussed how she thinks it's stupid that all of the personal hygiene items are in one section of Target.  Except for the hair care.  Which is halfway across the store.  I agree.  Though, not because my hips can't handle that much walking... 


*Walking out of Target - the boys and I almost got Linda Blaired.  There was a girl (probably 10 or 11 years old) who had an incredibly upset stomach.  She was just outside of the exit puking up her guts - towards the exit, instead of away and bawling.  While her mother and older sister just squealed "eeeewwww, gross, OMG".  I handed the poor girl some wipes, turned her away from the exit, told her I hoped she felt better soon and I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about her whack of a mother.  Completely erasing my good karma moment from earlier.  C'est la vie.  She stopped crying, thanked me and tried to clean herself up while she puked her way to the car.  As her mother squealed, "You're not getting in my car until you knock that off", behind her.

*And now I'm home.  Preparing for my trip to the post office today.  Because, well... You never know what you're going to find there... 


*A bird flew into my window just now.  I hate birds.

Time to get back to laundry.
Because this is what the kid wore to bed last night.
Christmas Jammies that are too small... So they're only pulled halway up his rear,
And his St. Patrick's day onesie.  

Video 1: Happy Velocibaby. 

Video 2: I'm a bear!  


Yes.  These videos are mostly for the enjoyment of the Grammas.  Though, that doesn't mean you can't think he's the cutest baby in the whole wide world!  {because, I do}

Buffalo Chicken Bites.

I recently jumped the Pinterest bandwagon.  The plethora of new ideas out there is amazing.  Uh-MAZE-inG!

There was a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Bites that swam my way and I decided to run with it.  Except - I never looked at the recipe.  I just looked at the picture and said "I can do that".  


And, I did.  Because, the Hubband loves buffalo chicken and needed some show of luvin's.  

Sadly - I didn't shoot the finished product. We were so hungry we made those things disappear like David Copperfield.

Here's what I did.  

Boiled the chicken in a broth, then let cool and had the boys shred it.
Then I heated the shredded chicken with some sharp cheddar, bleu cheese and "Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce".  I popped a top on a Woodchuck Hard Cider.
Finally, I wrapped that in some Pillsbury crescent roll stuff,  then baked.

Now, Hubband is full, happy, and willing.
To buy me an entry into this race.  muahahahahahahahahaha! 

Yes. My shirt IS on backwards.

(This post may contain graphic photos...)

Today was T-Day.  

The day of my triathlon. 

Packed, organized and ready to go! 

Chattin' it up with friend in transition, pre-race. 

The boys and my Hubband made this race for me.  They were awesome.
I feel loved, supported and encouraged to continue.
Thanks boys. 

Graphic photo coming up! 

In the queue (Why is it spelled like that?  Seriously?)
[le sigh.  I used to have decent legs...]

And. I'm off. 

I'm not completely sure how I feel about the pool snake swim.
But do you see those three guys right behind me?
They ALL decided to pass me.  AT THE SAME TIME.
Do you know how they did it?
By swimming ON TOP of me.
I lost a bit of time there, obvs. 

Not completely thrilled with the swim.
Also, not in focus...

Bike portion.

I'm an animal!
I borrowed this bike from a friend.  She was SO awesome to let me borrow it. Truly.
I have now learned why I need an actual road bike or Tri-bike if I plan to continue this.
[into transition 2]

Out of transition 2.  

FINISH LINE IN SIGHT!
[thank you baby Jesus.]

I finished at 1:19. 56 - or something like that.

Swim - 11 minutes.  (NOT a good time, and slower than I was expecting.)
Bike: 38 minutes.  (7 minutes faster than my goal.  If I get a lighter bike, I might get faster yet!)
Run: 26 minutes. (Exactly at target speed.  For a half marathon. Owell.)

I ranked One-hundred-somethingth [lower end of the 100's] out of almost four hundred.  385?
I placed 8th in my age group.

I feel tired now.
But, I've learned a lot.  (Like, don't take a gel you've never taken before.  It *might* make you puke half a mile into the run){ok, it totally made me puke.}
Also, next time I'm not even going to bother putting a shirt on...

Stealing a moment.

With the computer.  That I just turned on four minutes ago.

As my mother so nicely pointed out in a text today - I have not apprised people of Kenny's sitch.

He has a green stick fracture.  I'll explain in a later post what that is. 
He is NOT in a cast, they've decided splinting is the best way to do it.  (Idiots)
He seems to be healing very quickly - which is putting my mind at ease about their prophecies of tissue damage.
We'll re-assess in two weeks.
Lindsay, in answer to your instacare question:  We are tri-care.  We pay $0 for any ER visits made.  Wait times can be a pain in the ass, but it's literally across the street from our house - so mondo convenient.  

That is all I can write right now.  I'm going to steal these next few moments to actually take a breath.
Before Hubband goes back to work for the night.  

They're DONE!

The fans!  Yay!  One step closer to a finished bedroom!  I'm sure in another two years, when we get ready to move - we'll have them done.

For some reason, anytime I was working on this fan - I sang "Pocahontas" songs.  

Thanks, Karen - for the genius idea.  I'm still trying to figure out the last few finishing touches for it all - but it's up and Braxton LOVES it.

For Kenny's we just painted it silver.  There was too much color on the wall to put any on the fan as well.  Don't want to cause a seizure or something.
When it's spinning (as you can see) it looks a bit like a UFO.  When it's still it looks like the space station... or something.