Bloggy awards

I've been meaning to post these for a while now, but never seem to get around to it.

I want to thank Carebear over at (formerly) Two Under Two. Whew! for the super follower award.

Also, thank you to Ali, at The Blessed Country Mom for the Attitude of Gratitude Award.

Follow the links to check out their awesome blogs!

Thank you, ladies. I love your blogs! I'm sorry it took me so long to post a thank you.

I would like to pass on the super follower award to several ladies, who always support me. I know a few of you have already received the award from Carebear, but I feel the need to give it to you again!

1. Kimmy at baby yahyah

2.Ali at The Blessed Country Mom

3. Brooke at Dinkypops No More!

4. Sara at Domestically Challenged

5. Kameron at A Wrinkle in Time

I would like to pass the Attitude of Gratitude Award on to these bloggers:

1. Courtney at Courtney and the Boys
2. Annie at Crazy Busy Fun
3.Jen at Gage & Lila
4. Tami at Looked Good on Paper
5. Mrs. Staff Sergeant at Married To The Military
6. Stephanie at The Simple Things In Life
7. Kylee at The Kerby Family
8. Becky at The Holloway Clan
9. Julie at Tales of Two Ts
10. Elizabeth at Small Town Blessings

I love your blogs, ladies! I'm so sorry if I missed anyone! It's late, and I'm sleep deprived!

It's BACK...Not Me! Monday!

MckMama is back! Head on over to her blog to read her Not Me! Monday post, and to read many others like it! MckMama's blog carnival makes Mondays so much better!

It's not me who finally had an eye doctor appointment this week, after going without one for over 3 years...or 4....or 5. I have not been bumming contacts from my mom for 2 years. I am not walking around with the world in a blur because my new prescription needs adjusted.

It's not me who had her first drink in over 6 months. Said drink did not make me feel completely woozy.

This weekend, I did not buy a pair of those gigantic sunglasses that are so in style. Even if I had, I really wouldn't actually like them.

I am not going crazy from not being able to run due to my crushed toes from a horse stepping on them. Part of my middle toe is not completely numb. I am not contemplating going for a little run on treadmill today, due to that fact....if I can work through the pain from the bruises on the non-chipped/fractured toes.

It's not me who will probably regret that run tonight.

Never a wordless wednesday (with a crayon making turorial)

I can never seem to participate in Wordless Wednesday. I always have too much too say!

Last night, before bed, I promised Dylan that we would paint lizards and make crayons. True to my word, we did just that.

Our first order of business was painting squeaky lizards. Lexie napped during that one. I told Dylan not to paint himself, but I knew from previous experience that he should remove his clothing. The tongue sticking out while concentrating must be inherited from me!

Sure enough, a bath was needed after this project!

After Lexie woke up, we made crayons. It's an easy, fun thing to do!

Preheat your oven to 350. Take the wrappers off of some crayons (I use broken ones) and break them into small pieces. Place them in cupcake/muffin liners.

Dylan wanted a Superman crayon and batman crayon so we used those colors, and Lexie chose pink, purple, and green.

Place the liners on a cookie sheet (I used a very old one in case wax spilled-it did).

Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the crayons are melted. Remove from oven, and let cool for 20-30 minutes. This will be the finished product: (Hmmm, they kind of resemble Reese's Peanut Butter cups!)

Have fun!

Or try to, even if you're miserable!

Ahhhh...now there's my silly girl!

I Heart Faces...Reflection

I chose to enter this picture in this weeks theme, in the kids category, at I Heart Faces.

This picture was taken at the end of June, in 2008. My mom and I spontaneously decided to stop at a little zoo. It was raining out, so I grabbed my simple point and shoot digital, instead of my DSLR. I love the picture, though. I could not get a picture of my son's face, but I was able to capture it in the glass that separated the viewing area from the lion habitat.

Check out the other entries at I Heart Faces!

This horseshoe did not bring me luck

Lexie and I had a rather rough weekend. We have the battle wounds to prove it!

On Friday, our ferret slid down the entire length of Lexie's arm, leaving a long scratch behind. Right after that, my dad's stupid little chihuahua tried to steal food from Lexie's hand. When she pushed it away, it snapped at her, and bit around her eye. She ended up with a cut on her eyelid and several cuts below her eye. I love dogs, but I seriously wanted to punt the little stinker across the room, like a football!

My poor baby looks like she was attacked by a wild animal! Well, in a way she was.

Here's Lexie on Saturday. She had just hiked a mile on her own (Go Lexie!) and was very flushed, so the cuts are hard to see. Her lashes cover part of it as well. (You'll have to click on the picture to enlarge it. Got to figure out how to post them larger!)

Today, we were visiting my horse, and as I was letting him back out to the pasture, I got stepped on. 1000 lbs of weight right on my toes! I pushed the horse away, and the pain was so intense that I started to black out. I was able to herd my kids back to the car, and as soon as the doors shut, I draped myself across the seats and gave in to the fainting!

Now, I have swollen, bruised toes that go from feeling completely numb (that's not good, is it?) to absolutely throbbing. I'm limping around the house. I'm so bummed, because I really hit a good routine with my running, and now I have to take a break!

What's that about horseshoes bringing luck? Because that horseshoe crushed my toes!

On the plus side, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and we had a wonderful, fun, busy day on Saturday. Also, my horse seems to be feeling better now that it has warmed up!

Now...back to being gimpy!

Stop what you're doing. Go. Play.

I didn't play with my kids today.

Those words bounced through my head, as I tried to fall asleep last night.

I desperately raked my brain trying to remember a moment that I sat down and played. Sure, a few books were read in my arms, and I made them laugh a few times, but I couldn't remember sitting down and playing.

The guilt ripped through me, and I wanted so desperately to wake them up and play.

So I vowed to do better today. Just like I did when they were babies, I planned to stop what I was doing once an hour and spend quality time with them. To play with them with no other distractions.

So, I did. And it was great. Every hour I reminded myself to just stop whatever it was that I was doing, walk away, find my kids, and play. We read many books as we snuggled in the sunlight streaming in from the window. Dylan and I played a board game. We played for hours outside...I actually left my book inside this time.

It was worth it. The smiles on my kids faces showed me just how much the quality time meant to them.

There will always be dishes in the sink, bills to pay, a house to clean, an internet to surf, a book to read...but my children will not always be there. They are growing up entirely too fast, and will one day leave the house. And I will be wishing that I spent more time with them...

So, stop what you're doing. Go find your kids (or a loved one!) and have fun. If they are sleeping, peek in on them, and think about how blessed you are. They are what matter in life.

I may be a late-night blogger, but I'm going to log off, sneak into my kids rooms, and give them a big smooch. Then , I'm going to go to bed earlier than normal, so I am ready to play in the morning!

Tuesday & Wednesday's Musings

We have had two more days of rain since my last post. Tomorrow is the start of some beautiful weather!

Yesterday, the kiddos and I wore orange for Stellan and said a prayer while he was in surgery.

I tried to snap a picture before we hurried out the door, but Batman and LexieBean CrankyPants were not in the mood. (Hmmm...is Batman picking his nose?)

We spent the afternoon visiting my parents. While we were there, my cell phone took a plunge into the toilet and it's battery life came to a slow, vibrating end. Nasty. Lexie's thoughts on the incident? "Ewww, dwoss." Totally, Lex. That's just dwoss!

Because I cannot live without my cellphone (on my behalf, we don't have a landline), I headed out to get a new one. Before I left, I reminded my dad that he should get used to carrying his cell phone with him when he's out and about. He told me he existed 68 years without a cell phone, and doesn't need it. AHEM. I hope he was thinking about that when his van temporarily died in a parking lot.

My dad and Dylan decided to come along, and they had a treat at Dunkin Donuts while I picked out a new phone. $3 and 15 minutes later, I left with my new baby. Thank you 2 year credit and rebate!

..............My old phone came back to life late last night. HA!

Grant's great uncle passed away early Saturday morning, and the funeral was last night, immediately following the viewing. It was the kind of service that had you laughing over memories more than crying. Grant's Uncle Tom started a very successful car dealership, so his name lives on.

My parents watched the kids while we were gone, and we didn't pick them up until very late. Dylan had a blast with my dad, as usual. They played in the rain for 2 hours, and built a personalized, wooden chair for Dylan to use at his daddy's "campfires." Lexie just drove my mom nuts with her new, terrible two antics. Hehehe! Both kiddos went to bed late...which meant that they slept until noon today....SCORE!

Speaking of today, Lexie turned 26 months old and Dylan is officially 4 years, 5 months old. I can't even comprehend the fact that my daughter is 2, let alone 2 years, TWO months!

I got in another run today...running is my new addiction...and crystal light lemonade. Anybody that knows me and my extreme hatred of artificial sweeteners is probably passed out on the floor right now from that news!

This is entirely random, but I have had an amazing dinner each night this week. And I cooked two of them! On Monday, we had spiral cut ham, smashed potatoes, butter beans, and salad. Grant was in heaven. Yesterday, my mom made me one of her usual gourmet meals that she blesses me with two nights a week. She made this delicious chicken dish-cut up chicken, zucchini, leeks, celery, and carrots in a chicken broth-like sauce, served over noodles. French bread with garlic butter and herbs, and vanilla cake with blackberry coolwhip frosting completed the meal. Today we had the leftover ham in a delicious ham, potato, and cheese casserole, served with salad. YUM! I'm hungry again!

Tomorrow's meal will never live up to those. It's just me and the kids, and since Lexie only eats macaroni and cheese, I guess that's what we're having. On second thought, I'm having the leftover chicken dish! ;)

Here's to waking up to some sun tomorrow! It's about time!

Rainy Day Blues

It's another rainy, overcast day here in PA.

We have been stuck inside all day, and the kids were restless. Luckily, my best friend's son was here for most of the day, so Dylan and Lexie had a playmate.

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Dylan has been fighting haircuts since a sign fell on his head almost 2 years ago, which required staples to close the wound. Quick, but not painless...no pain medication was used. OUCH. Needless to say, it's been a struggle ever since. As soon as scissors come near his head, he flinches and runs away. All I've been able to do was trim the front of his hair! So he has been sporting a shaggy 'do for a long time.

Somehow, while Lexie and Tyler were napping, I convinced Dylan to let me cut his hair. It took some coaxing..."Buddy, you're starting to look like a girl." "Look, your hair is longer than Lexie's!" Finally, with the promise of a shower by himself-no sister in the tub with him- after the haircut, I was able to start snipping and shaving.

Here he is, sporting his new faux-hawk!

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After Tyler went home, I put a movie on for the kids. Dylan picked "Homeward Bound." My animal lovers have been glued to the TV for 45 minutes now. Big mistake, though. All Lexie keeps saying is, "Kitty fell in the wad-er! That's baaaad!"

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This is where we put the kids when THEY are bad.

Okay, so not really. But Lexie loves to hang out in our chihuahua's crate for some reason!

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Happy Rainy Day....thank goodness the sun is supposed to shine in a few days!

A lazy Sunday

Our plans for today were canceled.

I guess that was a good thing, because we had a really busy day yesterday. We visited our horse, went to a birthday party/picnic, and then hung out with some friends.

I, however, was bored. Lexie took a marathon nap, and Dylan was outside with Grant and his dad. So I sat down, and did something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I decided to change up my blog. I was ready for a new background, new header, and new pictures! It's spring...time to start anew!

...and just for the record. Lexie and I did NOT stay in our pajamas all day.

Okay, so maybe we did.

Easter Sunday

I have to conclude my Easter weekend post with our Easter Sunday! The day dawned bright and sunny...the kind of day that brought a smile to your face. Dylan and Lexie woke up, spotted the Easter Bunny footprints on our floor, and followed them to the kitchen, where the bunny hid their baskets. Both kids were excited about their goodies...Lexie had to break open the box of Peeps immediately.

We headed off to church. The combination of the service and the sun-filled church left me feeling so joyful and blessed. Lexie's charm came through in the middle of the service. Grant had taken Dylan up to the front of the church for the childrens sermon. After that sermon, the church was silent as everyone filed back to their seats. As soon as Lexie spotted her daddy and her brother, she said, in her adorable little voice, "HI DADA! HI DYL!!! HIIIIIII!" Her excitement rang out through the church, and everyone errupted in laughter. The kids were absolute angels in church, earning the praise of several people and the Reverend.

After church, we stopped by Nannie's house for tea (and candy). Nannie gave Lexie and Dylan the most obnoxious, noisy bunny toys...they loved them, though!

We then headed to Grant's other Grandma's house for dinner. Delicious, as usual! Dylan had to entertain the roomful of people...typical Dylan. Lexie hung out on Grandma's lap, and played peekaboo with her skirt.


Our last stop was at my sister's house for an egg hunt and my family dinner. The egg hunt was fun (though chilly!) and dinner was great, but everyone left rather quickly after dinner...due to some interesting events. Hey, life in a family this big is bound to be crazy.


When we got home, the kids attacked their Easter baskets, which they apparently had been missing all day. Dylan went straight for the candy, and Lexie stole Dylan's playdoh monkey.Overall, it was a wonderful Easter Sunday, and I really couldn't ask for a better day. It was beautiful outside, the church service was great, and we spent the day with our loved ones.

After such a busy weekend, all was quiet in our house...