I Did It!

I made it through NaBloPoMo! I blogged every single day this month. I guess that makes me a NaBloPoMoMoFo. (I hope that doesn't offend anyone.) It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I will just keep going and see how long I can make it. Maybe I'll sign up for Blog 365. Or maybe I won't. I guess we will see.

I ALSO ventured forth into my first ever "Black Friday" shopping foray. Now, I did not get up at the butt crack of dawn to wait on any lines, and I didn't really push and/or shove to get to the "greatest deals". I went to the Wal-Mart across the street after the boys were in bed. I am guessing I missed most of the rush. Oh, it was still a little on the crazy side, but then, it is Lawton, Oklahoma. However, I did get about half of my Christmas shopping done the forty-five minutes I was there. Score!

AND, I went to a movie. In the theaters. In the evening. Whoa. Joni and I went and saw "Four Christmases" last night. I thought the movie was pretty darn funny. Definitely on the predicatble side, but it was a fun, romantic comedy, Christmas movie. Vince Vaughn just kills me and I think Reese Witherspoon is fantastic. So, if you're looking for something to see and you don't want anything that'll make you think too hard, but is funny enough to keep you laughing throughout most of it without going the raunchy/gross humor route I would recommend this movie. And now that I have turned from blog post to movie review column entry, I think I will end this.

Saturday Silliness Part D

I almost forgot today is Saturday! (See what happens on long weekends? I lose all track of time and days and such.) Now, today's video is one that some of you may have seen before. I know I have received it via email at least twice, if not three times, in the last few months. However, I think it is worth sharing, so here it is (it picks up around the minute and a half mark, so stick with it)...

Isn't that cool?! It almost makes me wish we had dancing at our wedding, and that we had thought of this too. Other couples have done the same sort of thing, but I think these two take the "cake". Get it? Cake? Wedding video? Wedding cake? (insert moan here)

Doing a Meme

According to Urban Dictionary, the fourth definition for the word "meme" is "in blogspeak, an idea that is spread from blog to blog."

That being said, I have seen this meme on a few other blogs and thought I'd give it a whirl since it seems like fun. The rules are as follows:

Go to your sixth picture folder
Select the sixth picture
Tell the story behind the picture

Now, I take a lot of pictures, and I have a slight case of OCD, so I have folders inside of folders inside of folders when it comes to my pictures. That means, I had to bend the rules a little (which I think is okay). From my sixth picture folder, I then went to the sixth folder, and then I found the sixth picture. Sure, that makes 666, but it's all good. Anyhoo...here is the picture I found...

This is a picture I took in Heidelberg, Germany when Josh and I visited one day while I was pregnant with Zeke. It is a picture of an Asian tour group, walking around with their big umbrellas. I have to say that I heart Asian tour groups. I hope no one thinks I am making fun of them, because I'm not. I think they are great, and it makes me truly happy every time I am out and I see one (unless they are getting in my way or slowing down my process, but that could be said about any tour group regardless of where they're from). The reason it's orange, is because I did this little personal art project where I played with the tints and shades and then made it all one color. I actually have this same picture in several other colors. I even printed them out in different sizes and put them into a frame. It is actually pretty sharp.

So, there you have it. What's the sixth picture in the sixth photo folder on your computer?

A Bird of a Different Kind

Let me being by saying, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there! I hope you all had (have) a fabulous day. I know I did.

This morning we went over the Starling's house for brunch. Joni made delicious homemade cinnamon rolls and a fruit salad. The kids played, we all ate and talked. It was nice. After we got home, I put in a little video for the boys (it was a little on the early side to start their naps) and gave them a small snack. Once they were down for their naps I started on the bird.

The duck to be exact. That's right, this Thanksgiving we did things a little differently here in Walterland. Instead of a turkey, we had a duck. A delicious duck. A duck stuffed with apples and onions and covered in strips of bacon. Also, it was just me and my men folk. Just the four of us. No one else. It was so nice. We ate at our normal dinner time, we gave the boys baths, then we started our new family Thanksgiving Day tradition of watching "Madame Blueberry" (it's the VeggieTale all about being thankful), and put the boys in bed. Now Josh is finishing up the cleaning and I am here blogging, thinking about the cup of tea I'm going to make once I'm finished. Ahh...a most successful Thanksgiving if ever there was one.

*I posted a picture of the duck and of Deacon's belly here. The rest are on Flickr, here.

Another Toothy Entry

Who knew one could blog so much about teeth? Maybe this is the last of it though. Maybe not. Only time will tell. On that note, my poor baby is teething. Wow! And stinky! Good thing Josh is home to take care of that one. Anyhoo...Deacon is teething. He is currently working on teeth 9-12, all four of them being molars. Just look at how miserable they make him...

We all know how much Deacon likes to eat, right? Well, this was taken yesterday morning. I think he ate maybe one of those apple slices. Poor baby. He spent all morning (besides the 15 minutes he sat at the table) in my arms. Oh how he did WAIL if I tried to put him down. At least he napped well. He did perk up at the dentist's office though. And he's been doing better since then. It was just a rough morning, and it's been rough sleeping (or not sleeping) the last few nights.

Now Zeke, on the other hand, has been cracking me up the past few days. He has developed a little bit of a runny nose. He used to come to me with his nose in the air, sniff really big, and wait for me to wipe his nose. Sometimes he'd find a tissue and do it himself. Then he decided in the last two days that he couldn't really be bothered with that and started using his sleeve. Yuck. Now, just starting this evening, he has started walking over to me, inspecting my hands, and selecting a specific finger to stick into his nose. Oh yeah. Thaaaat's sweet.

He has also started doing this every morning...

Yup. My little man likes to "read" the cereal box during breakfast. Sometimes lunch. I think he tells me stories about what's going on, but you know. Occassionally he'll burst out laughing at something he sees on the box. It is pretty funny.

He has also started that phase where he wants whatever any other kid (namely Deacon and Sammie) is playing with. This morning, for example, Zeke was happily playing with his Thomas trains, which Deacon was trying to take from him. So I gave Deacon some cars to play with so he'd leave Zeke alone. Next thing I knew Zeke was crying because he wanted the cars I had given to Deacon. I tried to give him two different cars, but they weren't good enough I guess. So Deacon decided he wanted the new cars and I gave Zeke the cars Deacon had been playing with that he just cried over wanting so badly. What happened next? Zeke started crying because he wanted the cars Deacon was playing with now. I mean, really, is all that necessary? I guess when you're 2 going on 3 it is.

But both boys are incredibly sweet, and usually pretty giving with their kisses (especially when they're for Mommy). In case you can't tell, I love these guys...

I Wish We Could All See Pediatric Dentists

I tell you what, our visit to the dentist didn't get off to the greatest start, but it sure did wind up being fantastic. And really, the only reason it got off to a bad start is that I left the house without the office's phone number and/or address (which I made me pretty sore at myself), and I only had a vague idea where I was going based on directions I got from Joni yesterday. Her directions were good, I just got them all backwards when it came time to put them into action. Sigh.

BUT, as I drove down Gore (the street the office is on) for the seventh or so time, I finally decided to stop in an oral surgeon's office. I figured, one dentist should know where another one is, right? The woman at the front desk was fabulous! She not only gave me perfect directions, the phone number and the address, but she called the office to let them know I had gotten lost and was on my way so I could keep my appointment. See? She's fabulous.

So we finally make it there, and unlike the pediatricians office we went to for the boys flu shots, this office had toys in it! (Seriously, how do have an office where you see kids on a daily basis and NOT have toys in the waiting room?) It also had a series of kids magazines and I read some of the one on archeology. I've always been fascinated by that stuff. Anyhoo...our appointment was at 10:30, but with arriving five minutes late and having to fill out paperwork, it was about 11:15 before the boys were called back. They hygenist was great. The doctor had
Spongebob on his cap, so Zeke was happy with him. Both boys did great and got all sorts of treats (toothbrushes, stickers, and toys, oh boy!). The dentist did say that Deacon may need braces when he gets older. The kid is 17 months old and has eight teeth. I think we'll hold off on making that call for a few more years.

But it all went pretty quickly. We were in the car and on the road by noon. OH! This is just great. As we were getting ready to leave, the hygenist said to bring them back in six months, and I told her we would be in Alaska by then. So she says, "Well, let us know if you want us to make copies of their records from today, and do you know where in Alaska?" So I told her Anchorage. She then made a photocopy of a list of pediatric dentists in Alaska for me! Wow. I think that is just so cool. To celebrate the boys doing so well, we stopped at McDonalds on the way home for some french fries, which I gave them with some chicken nuggets I made. Nothing like going through the drive thru for a large order of fries that went right onto the old Visa. Now they are napping, and I am enjoying the quiet afternoon.

Maybe They Just Aren't Meant To Come Out

Let me tell you about the saga that is my wisdom teeth, and their "removal".

All little over two years ago, I had been told by the dentist in Germany that my wisdom teeth needed to come out. Two have cavities (they're hard to reach), one is growing out of my cheek instead of straight out of the gum, and if you're gonig for three, might as well go for all four before my mouth desides there isn't room for them all and my teeth start shifting. "Fine." I said. "Let's do it." So we made an appointment.

And then I found out I was pregnant with Deacon. Appointment cancelled. Bummer. These things cause me serious pain at times. Not that it's unbearable or constant or anything. Just annoying every once in a while. Like when I eat super sweet treats. Or when a small piece of popcorn gets lodged back there under the gum somehow.

So, I have Deacon. I finish breastfeeding Deacon. I call the dental clinic on post to remake the appointment (mind you, this is a good year or so later), only to be told that they were currently NOT making appointments for family members and to call back around April when they should be seeing family members again. Okay. I call back in April. I am told they still aren't seeing family members and to try again next month. Ooookay. I call in May, and am told that I can either call back next month when they should be seeing family members again, OR I can go in every day as a standby patient, and if someone cancels or doesn't show up, I can then have their appointment. Right. Like I'm going to go down to the dental clinic, every day, waiting for an open appointment to just appear. And what am I supposed to do with my kids EVERY DAY while I sit there twiddling my thumbs, hoping someone won't show up for their dental appointment?

So, I call again in June. Do you want to guess what they told me? They still weren't seeing family members and had no immediate plans to start doing so! At least this time I was told that I could be referred to a German dentist, on the economy, if I wanted to go into the dental clinic on post and get the required paperwork (which would also mean a visit to TriCare - and I don't want to get started on that). Why couldn't someone have offered that to me months ago when I started the phone calling process? By now, it was too late to go through all of that because we would be moving in July, and I would have to make an appointment for x-rays and a cleaning before I could even get an appointment for wisdom tooth extraction. Sigh. So I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wait until I got to Oklahoma to get these stinkin teeth removed.

Of course, the dental clinic here doesn't see family members and we had to apply for and wait for dental insurance. Now that that's been taken care of, I started calling dentist around here, trying to get an appointment for a cleaning and x-rays so I could get a referral to an oral surgeon to have the wisdom teeth taken out. Can you even believe that they are ALL booked through until the middle of February?!? Which, if you remember, is when we will be moving to Alaska. (Oh, Fort Richardson, outside of Anchorage, for those of you who asked more specifics.) Double sigh.

Now I'm putting it off again. I am, however, thinking about checking out how dental works in Alaska. And I think I might call now to see if I can't get an appointment for after we get out there. Of course, I'll make an appointment, only to get to that date and time and not have a house, car, friend who can watch my kids, and/or any-idea-where-to-go-and-wind-up-being-uber-late-thus-meaning-I-won't-be-seen-and-have-to-make-a-new-appointment-four-months-from-then.

On the other hand, I called to make dental appointments for the boys today, thinking we'd run into the same thing, expecting the receptionist to tell me January would be the earliest they can be seen. Not so much. They have appointments for 10:30 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning. Not only did they have an opening for tomorrow, but they had FOUR openings for tomorrow. How does that happen?!? And I bet you all know what I'll be posting about tomorrow now. Until then...

There Are Few Things Sweeter...

...than a Sunday afternoon nap. Ahhh. I can't remember the last time I took a nap, let alone a nap on a Sunday afternoon. It was wonderful. All of us napping. So peaceful. So sweet. I am wishing you a Sunday afternoon nap wherever you are.

Saturday Silliness Part 3

I have no idea when this commercial came out. I have no idea how I ever even found it and downloaded it all those years ago. But I do know that every time I see this commercial I cannot help but laugh. I hope it makes you laugh too.

Maybe It's Not the Safest Activity

But they sure do have fun doing it!

(And don't worry, Zeke's head was perfectly fine after that little bounce off of the couch.)

Where Do You Blog From?

My dear friend, Marie, posed the question, "Where do you blog from?" on her blog, to all of her friends. Well Marie (and everyone else reading this blog), here is where I blog from...

A little "desk" from Wal-mart. A roller chair that doesn't roll so well on rug that Josh got for me while we were in Germany (it did roll fantastically on those hard floors). Next to my little computer area is a book shelf littered with papers and binders and my current knitting project. You will also see, on the other side, Josh's guitar. This makes a fabulous foot rest. And it's centrally located in the living room with the TV and the couches and the toys. But it faces away from the TV, so I can't watch a movie and be on the computer at the same time, which is probably a good thing, because then I miss out on a lot that's happening either in the movie, or on whatever I'm doing online.

As for what I should be doing when I blog, that would be nothing. Usually, I sit down to do this after I put the boys down for their afternoon nap. So, there are no distractions, no kids running around who should be supervised, nothing but quiet. Or my music. Currently I've been switching back and forth between Elton John and Phil Wickham. I know, I know. They are pretty different guys. But I like them both. And Rusted Root. Been jamming to Rusted Root a bit lately too. Although, that is usually when I'm food shopping. Which has nothing to do with where I blog. So I guess this means I'm done with this post. Now, like Marie, I pose the question to all of you...Where do you blog from?

Does It Count?

Have you ever had this happen to you? Where you are doing something routine or whatever (driving, getting dressed, playing with your kids [if you have kids], brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, etc) when for no reason at all someone just pops into your head? This happens to me often, and when it does, I usually like to pray for the person, or people, who popped in for a little visit.

However, I have realized recently that I don't stop what I'm doing to pray. Say, for example, I'm brushing my hair after my shower and getting ready for the day and someone I haven't seen since high school pops into my head. I usually think, "Hmm. How weird that I would think of that person after so much time has gone by, I wonder how they're doing?" Then I will pray a little something for them along the lines of, "Lord, I have no idea why Soandso popped into my head right now. I have no idea what they are doing with their lives. I lift them up to you now, Lord. I pray for them, their loved ones, and I pray that you would draw them closer to You at this time in their lives. Amen." All the while, I'm still brushing my hair, or I've moved on to applying the deodorant, or I'm driving, or having a little conversation with Zeke.

So, now I'm wondering, does it count? Does it really count as praying for them? Does God take my little prayer seriously even though I'm talking to Him and to Zeke at the same time? Can it really be considered praying if I'm saying this in my head, while forming a list of things I need to get done that day, while getting dressed, while eating a snack, while texting a message to Josh? I mean, if someone was going to talk to me and ask me for my help or to look after someone for them, I would probably like their undivided attention. But then, I think, is that limiting God? I mean, if God can listen to every single prayer that is prayed all day long, then why would I think He couldn't pull the prayer out of my head and my heart admist all the other stuff that's going on in there?

I mean the prayer. There is nothing but sincerity in my heart towards that person and that prayer when I'm praying it, even if I'm in the middle of something else. So, should I stop what I'm doing and pray, even if it means pulling over to the side of the road, or kneeling by my bed half dressed with knotty hair, or walking away from Zeke to get a quick ten seconds of "quiet time"? I don't know. Which is why this post probably feels like a bunch of rambling. I just go around and around with it in my head, but to not go around and around with it in this post, I'm going to end it here. Somewhat abruptly, probably. But I'd like to know, what do you think?

I Can't Believe I Won!

Well, maybe I can believe it. Let's start from the beginning, shall we? A few weeks ago I started attending the local chapter of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) with Joni. Today was a MOPS day and we were all supposed to bake and bring in 2 dozen of our favorite cookies, or holiday cookies, for a cookie swap. We all got to grab up some of each others cookies and now we all have tons of cookies in all different varieties.

I decided to go with a cookie recipe that Kirsten had given to me a few months ago. I made them for a picnic two months ago, and they came out pretty well, and they were kind of different, so I figured I would make them again for today. They are called Jam Thumbprint Cookies and look something like this...

Yum! So I bring in my cookies, and I enter them into the contest. The cookies were judged and three winners were picked: Tastiest, Most Original, and Most Holiday Themed (or something like that). And wouldn't you know it, MINE won for Tastiest! I couldn't believe it. I mean, they are tasty cookies, no doubt, but I thougth for sure someone else's should have tasted better.

Then I saw that the prize was a candle, and I wasn't so surprised anymore. You see, I have a fair amount of candles in my house - too many if you ask Josh. And I've stopped buying them because I have so many. Now, I don't enter too many raffles or contests or whatsit, as there aren't many for me to enter (at coffee's there would be one, or at PWOC on occasion), and I don't usually win. Which is fine. I usually just give my dollar or whatever to help out whatever cause they're raising money for, or if it's a game prize, I play for the fun of playing. HOWEVER, if the prize is a candle, you DO NOT want to play/enter/go up against me because I will bring you down. For whatever unexplicable reason, I just cannot seem to lose when it comes to winning candles. Or coffee mugs. But those aren't as sure of a thing as candles. (You can see the candle in the picture of the cookies.)

Now I just can't wait until Josh gets home so I can tell him that, not only did my cookies win Tastiest, but, BUT I won a candle! He is going to be SO thrilled.

C'mon Zeke. Smile for the camera.

Sorry, Momma. But "Joe Cool" doesn't smile for anything (except maybe for the pretty ladies out there).

And yes, those are on upside down. And yes, they are Deacon's sunglasses. So yes, they are a little snug. And no, those aren't all his cups. Yes, two of them are, but the one all the way to the left is Deacon's. Silly boy.

It's Our Turn!

So, after everyone left Schweinfurt (besides me), there would be the occasional "get together"/"reunion" type of thing with our friends from Schweinfurt. Usually in the Ft. Bragg area. After said reunion, those who were there would blog/email about the awesomly awesome time they all had getting together again. Yet, there were always two of us missing from these gatherings - Joni and me. So Joni and I would get the blogs and emails and then we'd call each other and say things like, "It must be nice being able to see your friends again. Too bad we weren't there" and the like.

WELL, yesterday, Joni and I drove the three hours to Dallas, Texas to meet up with Jenn Wake and Suzanne and David Mikkelson (who were all down there for a PWOC conference), and we had our own little mini-Schweinfurt reunion! Yay us!

And yes, we are standing in height order like a bunch of nerds. I promise you it was unintentional though.

Now, here's something random, but SO great. I went to the bathroom at one point. That's not the random/great part. Upon returning from the bathroom, I walked past a woman who looked rather familiar to me. I sat down, looked at Joni and said, "Does anyone remember what Kristen Toth's mom looks like? I think that lady in the red jacket is her." So we all looked, no one knew for sure, and Jenn said, "I'll take care of it." I informed her Kristen's mom's name is Mrs. Chandler, and so Jenn walked over and asked her, "Is your last name Chandler?" She said yes, turned around to the rest of us, and I jumped up saying (rather loudly - but not quite yelling), "You're Kristen Toth's mom!" Well, she is just fabulous, as you can tell by the picture.


I also met a woman whose hubby is stationed at Ft. Richardson, Alaska, where we are heading in February, and so she and I talked for a good fifteen or so minutes. Now I am SUPER excited to be heading out there.

After sitting on the hotel couches for four or so hours it was time for those attending the PWOC conference to have dinner, so Jenn handed me her ID card, handed Joni Suzanne's ID card, and off we all went to dinner. Then I got busted by a woman from our PWOC, who thought it was great that we drove down for the day, but says she's going to call me "Jennifer" on Thursday and let me explain to everyone why. Sweet.


After dinner, it was time to hit the road and head back home. Oh, and by the way, Josh was absolutely AWESOME and watched ALL THREE KIDS the entire day. Jim had a field thing so he couldn't help, but Josh volunteered so Joni could go unencumbered. Isn't he greatest? Jim did make it home way earlier than expected, so that was nice too, but HURRAY for Josh, for doing it and surviving. And hurray for us for getting to see our fabulous friends again. We love you guys, and we miss all of you. Anyone else coming to the area anytime soon?

Saturday Silliness Part Two

Today's video is one that was sent to me a few (or many) months ago from Linda. I am a huge fan of Hugh Laurie, and so this video just tickles me. I hope you enjoy it too.

This Kid Just Kills Me

I am talking about Deacon. Seriously, this kid kills me.

I mean, who just sits in a box on a whim, then makes the Zoolander face?

Or, who can make a mess out of anything they eat, including animal crackers? Quite possibly, one of the neatest, plainest foods on earth (after white rice), Deacon usually needs a bath after eating just one of them.

Obviously, that's not animal crackers. That's him going to town on some honey mustard sauce. Mmm.

My current favorite though, is that he loves beads, but hasn't figured out how to put them around his head yet, so he just sticks them under his chin and hangs out like that.

Deacon is such a sweet, sweet boy, I almost can't stand it. OH! I also thoroughly enjoy it when we're eating and Zeke decides to have some of his drink and Deacon has a mini panic attack. It's as if he's thinking, "WAIT! We're drinking now? Why didn't anyone tell me?!? I can't miss out on the drinking. AHHHHH!" And then he drinks with such ferocity I'm afraid he might hurt something.

I can't wait to see what this kid comes up with next.

That's it. I'm Just NOT Doing It.

And that is all I have to say on the matter of potty training. Okay, that's not really all I have to say about it, otherwise, this would be the shortest blog entry ever. Okay, maybe not ever but it would not make for very good reading. Anyhoo.

We were all set to go this past weekend. Josh had a four day weekend, I took a poll here on this blog, and we got the toilets and the underroos and everything all ready. Mentally, I was totally prepared. The weather was nice, and we were going to do this thing! Saturday was a busy day for us so nothing doing then. So, I figured we'd start Sunday after their "after church" naps.

And then Josh got sick. Again. On a long weekend. Again. There was no throwing up or anything nasty like that going on. He just slept. And slept. And when he was awake he complained about his whole body aching and making him not feel good. Then he would sleep. Sigh.

So, I'm giving up for the time being. Maybe we'll try over Christmas break when Josh is around more and it's unlikely he'll be sick the entire two weeks or whatever he has "off". Sure, he'll be sick some of it, I mean, it wouldn't be time off if he was perfectly well the whole time. And it'll be too cold (I hope) to really go anywhere or want to do anything, so we'll be spending PLENTY of time in the house just hanging out. Or, we'll just decide that Christmas is too close to moving and so we should just wait until the spring. Or whenever it gets warm in Alaska.

At this point, I don't even care anymore. And please don't misunderstand me. I'm not upset or frustrated or anything negative about it. I was excited two months ago when we first started talking about it, but now I'm just like, "Whatever. I really don't mind changing diapers. I don't care if they stay in them for another couple of months. They'll get trained eventually, maybe I should just wait until they tell me they're ready so it'll take three days instead of three months." I mean, they all learn how to use the toilet by the time they reach kindergarten, right? So, why rush it? For all I care, the toilet can stay where it is, right at the end of the line-up.

Okay, maybe not right where it is, as that is a terribly inconvenient place for Zeke to have set those up, but you get my point.

We're Going On an Adventure

That's what Josh said yesterday as I walked into the kitchen at 11am to see why Zeke was walking around with a spoonful of peanut butter. He usually only gets those when PBJs are being made, so I was curious as to why Josh gave him one no where near lunch time. As I walked into the kitchen ready to ask one question, I took one look at Josh and instead asked, "Why are you making lunch now?" "Because we won't be home when it gets to be lunch time" he answered. "Oh?" asked I. "And where will be at lunch time if not at home?" "We're going on an adventure."

So, Josh finished making and packing a lunch for us all. I got the boys into their shoes and into the car and off we went on our adventure. Which wound up being a beautiful drive through the Wichita (ahem) mountains and the Wildlife Refuge there. The wildlife was not very abundant, but the beauty of God's creation sure was. Here are a few pictures from our afternoon. The rest will be up on Flickr within a day or two.

The Wichita "Mountains" (sorry, after seeing the Alps, I just can't accept these as real mountains)

A longhorn. We saw a few of these guys and one bison.

The boys doing what they do best - play with dirt.

Deacon standing on the top of Mount Scott.

Climbing all over the rocks on top of Mount Scott.

We really had a great time!

The One Where Amanda Bynes, Eric Bana, and "Chuck" All Make an Apperance

Last spring, I taught/facillitated/led/whatever a class at PWOC. Almost every week, to kick off class I would pass around a little red box that was in the shape of a Chinese food container (like rice comes in). Inside of this box were 35 or so strips of paper. Each piece of paper had a random question on it - anything from "What's your favorite Jelly Belly flavor?" to "If you were invisible where would you go?" to "What trend today do you least understand?" The point of the questions was to get the ladies talking and sharing with each other.

One of the questions I pulled (yes, I played along too, what kind of leader would I be otherwise?) at one time was "If your life was made into a movie, who would play you?" Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I have a pretty extensive knowledge of actors and actresses, and movies. I just love that stuff. So, I was uber-excited to get this question. Who would play me if my life was made into a movie? I thought about it for a minute and came up with this lady right here:

That's right, I picked Amanda Bynes. I think she's the cutest thing ever, and I enjoy everything I've seen her in. Okay, I did think she was a little obnoxious when she started out on "All That" but she's grown and matured, and she just cracks me up. I was reminded of this question and my choice last week when I watched "She's the Man". After the movie was over I told Josh how I picked Amanda Bynes to play me, and he asked, "Well, who would play me then?" Hmm...

I had never thought of that. So I jokingly offered the kid who played the guy she liked in the movie, and Josh did not approve. "He's too dorky" was Josh's reply. Okay then. He then suggested Eric Bana...

Umm...I love you, baby, but umm...no. I was able to veto Eric on the premise that if Amanda was playing me, the actor playing him would have to be someone closer to her in age, and Eric Bana was just a smidge too old for Amanda. Whew! HOWEVER, I then suggested "Chuck"...

And all was right and beautiful in the world. Wouldn't that just be the greatest? A movie about my life, starring Amanda Bynes as me, and Zachary Levi as Josh? As I told all of this to Linda, she had the best response (and sorry if I'm stealing your comment here, Lin). She said, "I would totally go see that. And I wouldn't go to the matinee to save a few bucks either. I'd go prime time and pay the full $10 to see that." She sure knows how to make a girl feel good.

Now, who would play you if your life was made into a movie?

Ahh...Saturday

This past Saturday was a good day. Josh got up with the boys so I could sleep in. I slept in until 8:30. Sweet. When I got up, Josh had already made chocolate chip pancakes and there were still some left for me. Score! The boys behaved well and I took them for a little walk after their morning naps. Of course, we didn't get very far because we walked past the Starling's house and wound up playing inside their house. Oh well. It was fun all the same, and the Starling's are so gracious to let us just crash their house whenever we go out for a walk. I guess I should start going the other direction.

During their afternoon naps I went food shopping by myself and listened to Rusted Root on my iPod while shopping. Groovy. When I got home, I found that Josh had cleaned up while I was out. He's such a good man. Of course, as I was setting down the first load of groceries on the counter Josh said, "Um. Don't look." Which, of course, meant I looked. And what did I see? This guy right here:

That's right. There was a little scorpion in our house. IN OUR HOUSE! I stayed calm...relatively calm anyways. But Josh looked them up on the internet and according to the internet (and we all know how reliable a source that is) the scorpions here in Oklahoma are not deadly. Getting stung by one of them is the same as getting stung by a bee or wasp. The snakes here on the other hand...

Moving along. After unloading the groceries and getting the boys up from their naps, we walked them back over to the Starling's house. Jim and Joni are awesome, and to thank us for watching Ani for two weeks while they were in California awhile back, the got us a gift certificate to Olive Garden with a night of baby-sitting included! Wahooie! So, we dropped the boys off with Joni and boogied over to the Olive Garden. We got there at 4:50 and there was already a wait. But it was worth the wait. We ate and talked and laughed and had a great time. Thank you Jim and Joni!

We picked the boys up after we got home from dinner, put them into bed, and just relaxed the rest of the evening WoWing. It really was a great day.

Ka-blamo!

That's the sound my bottle of lotion made today as it exploded all over the bathroom and me. Josh apparently did not share my notion that it would make great blog fodder, so he ignored me when I asked him to go get the camera and take a picture of me with lotion all over my face, in my hair, and on the clothes I was wearing. Instead, I had to get changed, and get the camera for myself, to capture what was left of the mess (my husband is quite efficent when it comes to cleaning up the house). Here's what I was able to snap pictures of before Josh escorted me out of the bathroom saying how I should think twice next time I decide to use my lotion bottle to practice my "touchdown!" dance.

What's that you ask? How did this happen, if not in a touchdown dance gone awry? Well, what had happened was, I was getting ready to put on some lotion after my shower (the air is getting very dry here). I opened the bottle, squeezed, and realized nothing was coming out because it was clogged with dry lotion. So, I moseyed on over to the sink and proceeded to squeeze the lotion bottle as hard as I could, figuring if I applied enough pressure, the clog should come flying out. "Well, you got the clog out" Josh offered as I explained it to him.

Yes, honey, I did.

Saturday Silliness

Today, I have chosen to share with you a video that makes me laugh every time I see it. Enjoy!

My Sweet Helper

This post is going to contain a lot of bragging. Just to let y'all know. My eldest son has become quite the helper lately. I don't know when exactly it started happening, or why, but Zeke is just looking for things to help out with all day long. He starts the day by unplugging his night light for me. Then he helps me get his juice cup together. After juice and milk (for Deacon) are all set up he goes and gets Deacon up. While I pick Deacon up from his bed, Zeke unplugs Deacon's night light. He helps me get him dressed by getting his socks for me. He helps me throw away the dirty diapers. He turns the lights on for me if they need turning on.

This Sunday, I went food shopping. When I got home, Zeke came outside (he can open the doors if we leave them unlocked), walked up to me and took one of the bags I was carrying and brought it inside for me. I almost cried, it was so sweet. But it's things like that that he's been doing a lot of lately.

He's also started carrying on little conversations. Yesterday we were wrestling, and it would go like this. I would sit on the floor, he would run at me and knock me over. I'd go, "Oh no! You got me!" Then he would get up and look at me all seriously and say, "You alright Momma?" And I'd say, "I'm alright. Are you alright?" He'd go, "Yeah, I'm alright." Then I'd sit up and we'd do it all again. It's fabulous. He also has gotten very good at saying "You're welcome" anytime I thank him for helping or for anything really. Even if I'm being a little sarcastic, like, "Thanks for stepping on my foot with your sneakers on Zeke." "You're welcome" he'll say. It's too cute.

He's really been doing so much better with his words. He still tells a lot of stories using his "Zeke speak", but more and more he's throwing "real" words out there, and really getting the hang of conversations and social things of the like. It has been so much fun watching him lately. He is turning into my little man.

OH! And he's starting to get association. The Starlings came over for dinner on Sunday and when the walked in, Zeke pointed at Jim and said, "Hammie dada." I said, "That's right. That is Sammie's daddy." Then, on Monday, we were out for a walk, and Jim drove past on his motorcycle and as he did he waved and yelled, "Hi Zeke!" Zeke looked, pointed and said, "Hammie dada." THEN on Tuesday, we were playing in the backyard and we heard a motorcycle drive down the street and Zeke looked at me and said, "Hammie dada." Yay!

And if all that's not enough, as you can see in this picture, he is quite the ladies man.

I Found This Interesting

The other day, we were playing in my bedroom, on the bed, when Zeke got down, grabbed three "New Testament/Psalms/Proverbs" Bibles (you know, the little ones that the Gideon's International hands out - pictured here on the right), and handed one to Deacon, one to me, and kept one for himself, so we'd all have something to read. So I opened the little Bible and there, in the very front of the Bible, after the little blurb about the Gideon's International was this:

"The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. It's doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

"It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

"Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.

"It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgement, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."

All this time, I never realized these little Bibles held such "big" words in them. Talk about being uplifting and convicting at the same time. And that's all I have to say about it. I'll let the words speak to you for themselves.

To Train, Or Not To Train - Part Two

So, we had decided it was about time to start training the boys to use the potty. The people voted, we decided to train both boys at once, we bought a second toilet, spent some time putting them on it fully dressed to sort of get the idea, etc. Then all the menfolk got sick and we decided that wouldn't be a good weekend to try. Then we figured we would try on Josh's next four day weekend, which, happens to be this weekend coming up (Veteran's Day).

HOWEVER. I took the boys to the doctor's Monday for their flu shots and as he was checking Zeke, the dr. said, "Now, you don't want to worry about potty training boys this young. If you push them before they're ready, they're going to have a lot more accidents then boys who are older and more ready for it." Basically, he told me to wait until Zeke walks up to me and says, "Mother, I am fully ready to be out of diapers and using a toilet like you and Father do. Please help me with this process." Or something along those lines.

So, now I don't know what to do. Do I try it this weekend and see how it goes? Do I wait until Zeke literally tells me he wants to use the potty? Who knows how long that could take. Granted, he is picking up the vocabulary necessary, but he could be four years old before we get to that point. Do I just wait until he's 3, which really means we'll wait until we get to Alaska, because really, what's the point in trying before then when that move and all that's going to come with it will just throw him off and he'll probably spend about a month in diapers again anyways?

Since I'm at a loss, I'm going to leave it up to you again.

poll by twiigs.com

Why I Should Win "Mother of the Year"

After reading this post, PLEASE do not call Child Services on me. I promise you, I LOVE my boys. These were accidents. Maybe they could have been avoided, but they were accidents. I would never intentionally bruise my children's foreheads like this. That being said, here's why I deserve the title "Mother of the Year" (or not).

SO, yesterday, Joni and Sammie had a playdate with a new mom in the neighborhood at this great outdoor park, and invited the boys and me along. This park was great. It was like a giant wooden castle with different levels of pathways and slides and bridges and stuff. Lots of fun. So, we were there for probably an hour when I decided it was time to go (it was lunchtime, they NEEDED naps, etc). Right around my deciding this was when a few other kids showed up and started climbing up to the higher parts, Zeke following along, so excited to explore parts of this thing he didn't realize he could get to. Awesome. Now, I didn't mind him going up there. If Josh had been with me to help with the boys, I would have taken him up there myself. I just didn't like him going up there when I wanted to leave. So, Joni said she'd keep an eye on Deacon so I could work on getting Zeke back down. Which is quite difficult when he doesn't want to come down, I might add. Finally, he comes running past me, in a place I can reach him at. So I reach out to grab his shirt (this way I could pull him back so he'd land on his bottom, all cushy with diaper), and I miss, as he is way faster than I usually give him credit for, and I grabbed his foot, making him fall forwards instead of the intended backwards, and he bounced his head off of a step, started crying, and Joni said, "Well, that's one way to get him down." Yes, yes it is. He was fine in a matter of seconds, but he has a nice little bruise to help remember that day by. And in case you've never really tried, it's not that easy to get a good picture of a bruise.

Now for the bruise on Deacon's forehead. This one happened a few days ago, so his bruise has already gone through the dark purple phase and is headed toward the yellow-green phase. I know you know what I'm talking about. So, the other day we were playing in Zeke's room. We were reading, wrestling, playing in the closet, rolling around the floor. All fun stuff. At one point, the particular point I'm talking about, I threw Deacon's blanket over his head, fully expecting him to pull it off his head, as he usually does, and laugh, and hand it back to me to do it again. What I did NOT expect was what happened next. Instead of taking the blanket off his head, Deacon instead stood up, and proceeded to walk around the room. Since he couldn't see where he was going and since I was too busy laughing at him for being a silly boy, neither of us could stop him before he ran head first into the window ledge. Oh, there were tears and I felt terrible for not taking the blanket off sooner, and then we called it quits for playtime in Zeke's room and had some lunch. Beacause if there's one thing that will always make Deacon feel better, it's food.

But in happier news, I took the boys to get the first round of flu shots yesterday and Zeke weighed in at 34 1/2 pounds, which puts him around the 75% range, and is 37 inches tall, which is about the 50% range. Deacon weighs 24 (almost 25) pounds, which is just under 50% (I find that so hard to believe, this kid is HEAVY) and he is 32 inches tall, and that puts him at about the 75% range. And there you have it. The doctor here seems very nice, I'm glad I chose him. And they both did really well, crying with the initial prick, but stopping almost immediately after. Just think, we get to do it all again next month for the second dose! Then again the following month for their 3 year and 18 month check-ups! Yee-haw!

Soo...We Got Our Next Duty Assignment

This is the third big thing that happened here in Walterland last week, that I alluded to in Saturday's post. We know where we're going next. Get ready to be surprised, because we are going to....

ALASKA!!!!!

What?!? I know, I know. Where did that come from and how did that happened? To tell you the truth, I still don't even really know. Looking at how it all just came together it's pretty clear that Alaska is where God wants us to be for the next two years or so.

Josh had originally been told that the only assignment available to him when he completes his career course in February would be as an FSO (Fire Support Officer) for a Special Forces unit. He could have his pick of unit, but it would mean deployments. Josh, never one to believe what he'd told if he thinks differently (no matter how much proof is sometimes laid before him) tried emailing the guy back to see if there really wasn't anything else, but all his emails kept coming back to him.

On Tuesday, Josh decided to get online and look up a phone number for this guy, and when he got on the website, newly posted (that morning) was this assignment in Alaska, essentially training units up there that are getting ready to deploy. So, he calls the guy from branch, asks him about the job in Alaska, the guy says he'll call him right back, DOES (I think they really wanted this position filled), and tells Josh if we want it, he'll work it for us. Josh says, "Let me talk to my wife about it, but see what you can do." The very next day we had an RFO (request for orders) for the job - it's Josh's. Wow. So, it truly took us by surprise, but we are SUPER excited about it. Especially since it means Josh won't deploy any time in the foreseeable future.

And there you have it. Alaska, here we come! In February/March. In the winter. And the cold. And the snow. Oh, and the ice. It's gonna be a great time!

NaBloPoMo

I'm doing it. It is National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo. The point, I guess, is to commit to writing a post a day for the entire month of November. I've read about it the archives of some more "experienced" bloggers in the past, and I've always been a little curious. My SIL, Linda, told me last night that she's doing it this year, so I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and give it a go myself. She informs me it's harder than I think, which must mean it's terribly difficult as I can already see it not going well as I am a bit lazy sometimes when it comes to blogging, or really, doing anything on the computer that isn't WoW or spider solitare.

That being said, I am excited to have some kind of goal for the month and I look forward to meeting this challenge. Mind you, not every post is going to be supreme quality. I'm sure there will be days when I just throw up a picture, or a random one line entry about absolutely nothing, but it's going to be fun all the same.

Anyone care to join me?

The Happy Post

It was kind of a big week here in Walterland. Big enough that it deserves three separate posts. However, I'm going to do a "two-in-one" thing today and I'll post the other one on Monday or so. So, without further adieu, "The Happy Post".

Happy Birthday Honey Bear!

Josh's birthday was Wednesday. In honor of his turning 28, I was going to make a list of the 28 reasons why I love him. But then I decided that 28 wasn't enough as well as too many (not enough to cover it all, too many to sit down and write out). So, here are a few of the many reasons I love this man.

*He loves God.

*He loves me. :)

*He loves our boys.

*He can eat two pounds of lasagna in a single sitting (and not gain any weight from it!)

*He makes up fantastic songs about just about anything in just about any genre (such as rock operas about math; country tunes about dinosaurs fighting jungle cats; poppy little tunes about Bernoulli's principle of laminar flow; etc)

*He can think of a million fun things to do with the kids that I would never in a million years think of.

*He gives his best in EVERYTHING he does - even things he claims he doesn't care that much about.

*He makes me feel safe.

*He makes me feel like together, and with God's help, we can do anything we want.

*He has taken me all over the world to places I never dreamed I'd be able to see (after getting married anyways).

*He thinks fettuccini is the sauce named after the cheese that's used in it (as in feta - feta cheese - fetaccini) and that alfredo is the way the pasta is cooked (as in al dente - alfredo).

And about a kagillion more things.

I love you Josh, and I look forward to spending this 29th year of your life (and many, many more years) with you.

Oh, and to celebrate on his special day, Josh had to work late and didn't get home until 5:45. I made chicken parmigiana and linguini, we gave the boys a bath, put them in bed, then ate brownies (he's not a cake guys) while we watched "House" and "Chuck". Nice and simple, just how we like it here. Happy Birthday Honey Bear!

Happy Halloween!

And yesterday, as I'm sure you're all aware of, was Halloween. This year we dressed the boys up as our favorite superheroes. Zeke was Batman and Deacon was Superman. Basically, we put them in their pajamas, attached the capes, and did their hair. The hair was the best part. I spiked some of Zeke's hair to give him a sort of wild look as Batman is a sort of wild guy. Deacon's hair I parted on the side and combed down to give him that "good boy/cub scout" look. Josh pointed out that I forgot the curl in his forhead though. Oh well. They looked cute.

After dinner and getting them dressed, we walked over to the Starling's house to take some pictures of the three kids and to trick-or-treat at a few of the houses right here. As we were walking down the street, one of the neighbor kids (they're all about 11) pointed at Deacon and said, "Aww! Isn't he cute?! He's dressed up like Superman!" Zeke was uber excited to be at "Hammie's" house and the three of them ran around and had a great time.

We then trick-or-treated at a few of the neighbor's houses (most of them weren't home though). The second house we got candy at, Zeke tried to give them the candy he had gotten the from the first house. It was cute. Then we headed home and handed out candy - which Zeke LOVED helping with - and had baths and all that fun stuff. All in all, a rather fun Halloween.