S Club Mama

Ok I had this great post written out but I'm on my sister's laptop so I'll have to make the CliffsNotes version here. Thank you so much to Tiffany over at the R Family Diaries. I won her 100th blog post contest! It's something that is going to help my family out so much, so I can't even express my thanks (and I was about to cry until the internet ruined my first nice post). You are just so amazing when you leave comments alone and now this; ....thank you (ok I'm blubbering up again). So go check out Tiffany (you can find her link in my right-hand column) because she's amazing.

It's game day, folks! My boys are dressed and ready to go! Get ready for the new season of Husker football. Go Big Red!

Lately our job search has had some interesting opportunities. A friend of Mr. Pessimistic's called & said he has some work that he could use some help with at least until October. We'd have to move out to the panhandle of Nebraska & live in a small house (I think with this guy) without cable. Alright, I can deal with that as long as there's a yard & I have my PS2 to play movies in. Our landlord told me that he was talking to a friend of his who is a carpenter/farmer. He said he's swamped with work & could use some help. Big A doesn't have carpentry experience but he's a quick learn and hard worker. Big A got a call from the Retsacnal county (backwards in case they google Big A or something) correctional facility. It was kind of an impromptu interview. He should hear back on that job sometime in the next 2 weeks. He still has some applications out with the Forest Service, but there doesn't seem to be much hope there. And we did put in our resu...

This is Moose's best friend. Yes. It's a stuffed animal. At least I'm pretty sure it's his best friend; he spends all of his time with him. They wrestle and snuggle. Puppy sings and talks while Moose squeals with delight. I have learned each and every song attributed to this puppy - by heart. Sometimes I just randomly find myself singing one of his songs. Thanks puppy! Join the fun over at Carrie 's. Happy Friday. TGIF!

Why are so many of us bloggers hitting a wall lately? Is it the weather? Are we beginning to be so close that we are like sisters and it's that time of the month (only partially kidding...that'd be weird)? Is it the school year (which would provide those with school-aged children something to write about you'd think)? I don't know why I'm at a loss. Moose has done plenty of cutesy things lately: sitting in a box (crying to be let into a box, first off), chewing on a tooth brush for 1/2 hour....there are cuter things, I'm just (again) at a loss. I could tell you about the dead mouse I found at the bottom of my basement stairs. And how I was so freaked out, I left the washer lid open...and it filled with water. Now my basement stinks. I could whine (yes, Becky, whine haha) about how much I miss my friend. Or about how scared I am about our whole job situation (it feels like no one else has ever been in this position). Or how about how my aunts are visiting tomorro...

Welcome to Writer's Workshop Wednesday presented to you by Mama Kat . I have a confession....it's about an obsession. Not with rhyming but with giant pandas. They are the cutest, most cuddly-looking creatures in the animal kingdom. Now this love of mine has an early start. My oldest stuffed animal was a panda bear. This panda bear was from my daddy. I was (and am) a daddy's girl. When I was just a wee tot, probably 15-18 months old, my dad went to Texas. I've never known why he went down there, but I know he brought me back my very first panda. She's never had a permanent name, although she has been called "Brandi" numerous times. Do you remember the show Kids Incorporated? There was a pretty girl called Brandi on there & I loved her. And I always wanted that to be my name....as much as I was a daddy's girl, I didn't like having a boy name - even his (I feel differently about this now). I NEVER wanted my mom to wash her. I cried and cried until...

I got tagged a long time ago but didn't realize it. I can't remember who tagged me (sorry) or what exactly the tag was (sorry again). SO I'm going to make up my own fun little game-thing. 10 Things You May Not Know About Me 1. I love to act . I have been the lead actress in 3 one-act plays, 1 1/2 musicals (one got canceled before we could even get it all memorized...story for another day), 4 oral interpretations of dramas, and 3 duet acting events. 2. My first date was a blind double date (my best friend was dating our foreign exchange student, my date was a friend of his). We went to see Shallow Hal. 3. I cussed in the delivery room (just once, just as Moose was coming out...). Well...you would too if your kid was 9lbs 8oz! haha (ok maybe I'm just a weenie). 4. I have made 18 scrapbooks since I was in junior high. Three of those (so far) are for Moose. 5. Big A & I met playing sand volleyball outside my dorm room. I can still remember his big blue eyes from tha...

Ok, so I'm not Abba or the A-Teens but... I took some pictures of my boy in his church clothes & he looks like he's dancing. He's not. He doesn't dance much except a little bouncing sometimes (and when I make him dance with me). He likes music, smiles when it's on, but he's like his daddy: limited dancing. But take a look at my big boy in his khaki pants. These are the only pants that will fit him length-wise. He wears a 2T but isn't as tall as that (yet) so I don't know what I'll do this winter. Maybe buy a sewing machine....um....or roll them up. But you can also tell the weather is starting to change. It's been shorts or nothing for the past 3-4 months and now ....fall is coming! I love it! Alright...go shake your groove thing....you know you want to!

Friday morning, Moose woke up at 2:30 or so (yes, in the morning). I figured he was cold because we'd put him to bed in just a tank top. He's had some awful heat rash the last few weeks so I thought that was the best pjs I could give him. Anyway, I figured I'd just cover him up or put some pants on him. He was pretty wide awake when I got in there so I changed his diaper and put pants on - not a peep out of the kid! I grabbed his awesome camo blanket (from Mrs. Spiderlegs) and covered him with it while cuddle rocking in the chair. He sucked his right thumb as always while using his left hand to poke at me. He just would use his pointer finger and raise it to my face: my mouth, my nose, my eyes, whatever. So I swaddled his arm back into the blanket. And he just laid there, gazing up at me with his big ol' eyes. After twenty minutes or so, I needed a potty break because this kid was WIDE AWAKE. So I woke up Big A before my bladder lost it. He rocked him for a good twenty ...

No one saw this yesterday so I'm counting it as Friday's post! Today Moose & I were in Dillard's with the Spiderlegs. They were looking at watches, so I let Moose down to walk. He eventually found the ladies, toddling over to the sales ladies chatting. One of them goes, "Oh hey there Charlie Brown!" I must have looked questioning at her because she goes to the other lady, "Doesn't he look like Charlie Brown?" I thought about it and, she's right! He does with his clear hair (basically, it's transparent)! Very funny I've never noticed that. Then a little girl walked by with her mommy and Moose stepped out of their way to let them through. Another sales lady commented on how nice he was, already a gentleman. Aww...my little gentlemen (takes after his daddy...who still opens my car door after 4 years). EDIT: Someone super smart (possibly my best friend) gave me a very smart idea (one that I somehow overlooked): dress Moose up as Charlie B...

I finished reading a terrific book last night: "Sisterchicks on the Loose!" by Robin Jones Gunn. Don't lose interest now; the title does NOT do it justice. Have you ever read a book where you just identified with one of the characters? This was one of those books for me. Sharon is the mother hen, always doing for others and putting herself last. I'm not martyring myself that much; I do things for myself. But just how much in her shell she is reminds me of myself. I know God has something great planned for me; I don't know what that is exactly, but I know there's something. I'm not saying that I'm going to win an Olympic medal or the lottery. It may be as simple as getting a book published or leading a ministry at church. The last one was something that hit me last night. I did take it from the book, but the idea is so fantastic that I couldn't help it. Mommy's Monday Mornings. A place where mothers can come (or anyone really) with their kids t...

Matthew 5: 43-48 Love for Enemies 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies [ i ] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 7:1-5 Judging Others 1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let ...

Ok maybe not wordLESS Wednesday but the picture is definitely worth 1000 words! I'm not going to lie & say this unemployment thing has been totally sucky. Big A has been home so much more & Moose is getting to hang out with Daddy that much more. It's so nice! So today when Big A went to work for a friend, I really didn't want him to go. I know we need the money & he has to go, but ugh...just lounging around the house, him scouring the Internet for jobs and hanging out with us has been really nice. But I know someday very soon, Big A will find a job and will have to go back to work for the majority of the day. But if nothing else, I know this tough time has had some silver lining behind it. We've been to the park and library together, and got to bake some cakes for the party (well, Big A baked, I decorated). And hopefully tomorrow or Friday we'll get to have some quality hang out time with our friends.

As you know, our friends (the Spiderlegs) are moving away. On Sunday there was a going away party for them at this really beautiful park nearby. I named myself the unofficial photographer of the evening (which was weird because I now realize that I didn't get pictures of Mr. Spiderlegs or his family - I did but they turned out blurry so it's like I didn't...oops). Anyway, here are some pictures from the affair. Cake #1: It doesn't matter if they move to Timbuktu, home is where the heart is! Cake #1: LJ's favorite colors! LJ's mom and niece Moose alongside LJ & K's nephew the men by the grill LJ's brother playing with Moose LJ with her nephew old friends chatting it up Moose made a new friend our friend Cale with the original Baby Cale (aka Moose) looking good, ladies! (Almost) Plain White Ts LJ's nephew helping K's cousin's kid tie his shoe Moose knows just where to find the football Anyway, the day was fun. After the cookout/hangout time...

So, we didn't get the job we interviewed for on Saturday. Kind of hard because it was for lack of experience. Big A was raised on a farm but not one with 600 head of cattle. It just seems like there are more and more obstacles every day. It's hard to keep trusting (but I am) and just know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. And knowing what's in our check book & savings makes it tougher some days. Hopefully something will come up soon.

Alright, I decided to play with Candid Carrie today! Welcome to Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta at the S Club. My first picture is my boys being silly playing outside. I was sitting just where I am now, and I hear a knock on the window. I turned to find these...lovely...faces smushed against my window. Big A does NOT like Moose to make a mess when he eats, but I have convinced him that he needs to. He's a boy! He's a baby! So here's Moose's first attempt at eating spaghetti by himself. Yum yum! Enjoy your Friday! TGIF

The A-team girls took us to the Ltown Children's Museum for Moose's birthday present. It was so much fun! But very tiring. It was also very hot in there - and I wore nice shoes, no socks, and a real bra. Yuck! I'll share some pictures really quickly with you about our fun day. Moose & Peaches checking out the "vet clinic" at the museum. Moose thought this puppy was real. Future State Trooper Moose Riding the motorcycle - Moose hanging on! going in the tree stump Mom, look, a cow! riding on the space buggy exiting the space shuttle big chair! Moose's favorite part - water got a picture for Daddy - Go Big Red! the S Club & A team (ready to go home) Thanks, girls, for such a nice day! And the kids took a nice nap most of the way home - woo hoo!

We've all heard about the power of prayer. I know it's true, too. If it weren't true then my son wouldn't be how he is today. When I was 5 months pregnant, Big A & I were going to Walmart & a movie with friends. We had had quite a bit of snow the night before and earlier in that day. It had stopped & the sun was out. We were less than 10 miles out of our destination when Big A took the cruise control off of our big pickup, Eleanor. She was a big silver half ton Dodge club cab. Beautiful truck.... .... Anyway. Just as he took the cruise control off, we hit some black ice. We were in a 2-lane highway in the right lane. Our back end swerved to the left, taking the truck right along. We swung back to the right, then turned around with our tailgate to the north (we were headed north). We slid over to the shoulder of the road. At this moment I knew this wasn't very good. In a split second we were on the roof. Talk about scary. Then just as soon as it had all s...

Is he the only one who walks/sits around the house in his skivvies? I really don't think he is, so what is it about? Why do they feel the need to be almost naked (if not all naked)? Poor Mrs. Spiderlegs has ALMOST seen Big A naked too many times!! And now...he's teaching our son to do it, too! Exhibit A Exhibit B Exhibit C Exhibit D Exhibit E Exhibit F (ok this is where you're supposed to be naked!)