Snippets...

Some days are just funny.

Even if I am stressed or tired or busy.

Funny.

So, I can't quit giggling about our day, I'm just going to share some highlights.

Bear in mind most occurred from the time I got up this afternoon until I came to work.

This morning, after picking up Bug and Ace from my mom's where they spent the night, I was talked into a drive through the donut shop window where I was given very specific orders.

Ace: 2 pigs in a blanket (not his usually 3) (and yes, he usually eats them all)

Bug: 1 cinnamon twist, 1 strawberry, 1 chocolate with sprinkles (usually just eats the frosting off the top)

About 10 minutes away from home, Bug removed her headphones.

In her most matter of fact, prim voice says:

"Excuse me mom, I've just eaten my chocolate sprinkle donut, and I SEEM to be a bit thirsty."

So sorry sister, nothing to drink here...we'll be home soon.

Woke up this afternoon to discover that Libby, our precious little dog who only chews on her toys and random socks, has chewed through the Dyson vacuum cord.

We've owned it all of 3 months.

Part of me wanted to get mad and accuse Hubs of being lazy and not rolling it up...

but the other part isn't so sure I wasn't the lazy one who vacuumed and left it out.

So sad.

Thankfully, the nice Dyson people have informed us that there is a repair shop about 30 min away, but that chewed cords are not covered in our warranty.

On the way to visit Nana today, who is recovering very well from her hip replacement surgery, one of our favorite babysitters calls me.

I had sent her a message earlier about babysitting Friday night so that Hubs and I can go on a date.

We REALLY need a date.

There is no alone time in the foreseeable future because of extra work shifts, normal work shifts, and the arrival of VBS and more work...

We REALLY need a date.

I am so excited because SHE CAN DO IT!!...

about the time that Hubs reminds me that

HE HAS SOFTBALL ON FRIDAY NIGHTS.

Sigh...I guess we'll schedule a date now for SEPTEMBER!

Went to the local spray park tonight with my friend from MO who is now visiting TX.

Made the kids a lovely picnic supper with PB&J, carrot sticks, cucumber salad, cherries, water and cookies.

They ate a ton...sorry Hubs for the cherry induced bowel issues they are sure to experience all day tomorrow.

After running an errand after the spray park, Bug asks when I'm going to feed her supper.

I explain that we had a lovely picnic at the park and she ate quite a lot.

She says she wants a real supper...so much for a semi healthy dinner.

So, we're in the Chick-fil-a drive through...you know, for real supper.

Bug decides she wants a "special drink" like daddy gets at Chick-fil-a.

Hubs informs me this means she wants a cookies-n-cream milkshake...now, of course, he and Ace are going to need one too.

I pass on the offer, because I've been around the block a time or two.

Two kids are NOT going to drink 2 whole milkshakes, and those suckers aren't cheap.

Sure enough, Ace hands me his after drinking less than 1/4.

I specifically ask him if he is done...yes, he's done.

So I do what any resource conscious good mother would do...finish it.

In the tub a little later.

I hear Hubs talking to a sniffling child.

In they come.

I love privacy!

Hubs tells him to let me know what's going on.

Ace:

(sniffling, bottom lip quivering)

You drank all my drink.

Me:

You said you were finished and it would have gotten yucky.

Ace:

(in a rising, crying voice)

I just want my drink...that was so WUDE (rude).

So sorry honey.

Go drink the rest of your sisters...oh, but wait...she actually drank the whole stinkin thing!

I love my family.

I am so glad they can give me such a good laugh.

Even on days when it seems nothing you do is right!

Wordless Wednesday...

Oh the joys...

I wanted to title this post

A Tale of 2 Vomits

However, I felt it might be a little TMI for a title.

Today's story wasn't quite as funny until I remembered that my original story happened when Hubs and I vacationed in Branson, MO a couple of years ago before visiting our good friends who live near Kansas City.  Well, today the kids and I were on our way home from visiting the same friends.

So, if you're queasy stop reading now and come back tomorrow when I post cute pics and nice stories of our quick visit!

I'll start with the funny story from 2 years ago...I'm feeling a bit nostalgic!

And had actually forgotten about this until a couple of months ago one of my co-workers reminded me of the original story I had emailed her!

So, Hubs and I took Bug and Ace on vacation to Branson in the fall about 2 yrs ago.  Bug was 4 and Ace was 2.  After a few days there we headed to our friends house.

Ace has always been known for his eating and used to be a horrible vomitter.

It was almost comical (in a sick nurse/mother kind of way) that he would eat anything and so fast he would not chew well and...well...you can guess what happened.

So, we had driven to Branson all day, were tired and hungry, and after checking into our hotel, went to the buffet next door for dinner.

It was amazing food!

Totally worth, at the time, the obscene price we paid to eat there.

One of our favorite parts of the buffet was the fried shrimp! 

The kids were eating it up too...after we had pulled the tails off.

So, 

When we were seated, I was thankful to look around and see that our booth was in a mostly empty area of the restaurant.  Let's face it...anyone who's traveled with kids knows that your behavior expectations can't be too high after a day of car travel.

They weren't being bad, but were slightly restless, and it had the potential to get ugly.

It wasn't long before a couple with older children were seated in the booth behind us...

the mom rubbed me the wrong way when she demanded that they wipe down the whole booth before she would sit down because it looked dirty.

Turned out Ace had dropped his spoon on their booth (it was clean).

So now I'm irritated with snooty lady.

It was just a clean spoon!

(sometimes I'm a little irrational when I'm tired:)

Well,

we were doing OK until Hubs got up for dessert.

Ace, with lightening quick speed, grabbed a shrimp tail off of the discard plate...

scarfed it, choked, and started vomiting.

I'm embarrassed to say that this was such a normal experience at the dinner table during that particular season of our lives, that I was just calm as can be, catching what I could in my hands, transferring it to a plate, trying to be discreet and trying to sooth Bug who has always had a tendency to freak out and start gagging when Ace pukes. 

(God was laughing at me the day I got this combo!)

So, Hubs shows up, swoops Bug away, and I'm left to clean up Ace and apologize to the wait staff and help clean up the gore...

then, when I thought he was done, crazy boy turns his head and vomits over the side of the booth,

straight into snooty lady's purse!!

I apologised, giggled a little inside and we were out of there pretty quick after that.

On our way out of the bathroom I noticed that the lady and her family were then moved to a clean booth well away from where the had been.

I'm sick enough to giggle still when I remember that I was kind of proud of Ace!

So, today...

The kids and I are on our way home.

We left our friend's house pretty quickly this morning when her little boy woke up sick.

My kids said they felt fine, and we were ready to get home and see Hubs and Libby.

Ace was not a happy traveler.

We pulled over to a pizza place that had a play area.

My plans were to eat and let them run off some energy before finishing our journey.

We got out of the car, placed our drink order, and headed to the bathroom.

NOBODY mentioned they were feeling bad...

We walk back to our table and Ace suddenly stops and yells

"I DON'T PEEL GOOD"

Bug freaks out...as already mentioned she's mortally afraid...doesn't even like deep coughs.

I'm thinking geez, here we go again.

BUG SIT, ACE YOU ARE FINE!!

Except his little shaky hands dart up...and with lighting fast anti-vomit reflexes I was surprised were still there after so long...I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pull it up just in time to catch everything until we could get back to the bathroom.

GREAT!

I'm alone with 2 kids in an unfamiliar town in OK 4 hrs from home.

I've just abandoned one in the booth and have the other dangling over a toilet.

Hubs doesn't answer his phone.

What do I do.

Thankfully Ace was OK after the one incident.

Even funnier (you know, if you're sick like me)

he was mad when I took away his Dr. Pepper and pizza and told him he could only have water!

After some arguing and tears and insistence on his part that he was OK 

he ate 2 pieces of pizza, 2 bread sticks and drank some water...

we crossed our fingers, settled back in the van with dirty clothes and a big Dickey's cup on standby "just in case" and made it home OK!

And there you have it!

Have a great day.

Oh my...

Ever have one of those days?

You know,

the kind where from the moment you wake up

you want to pull the covers over your head

curl up in the fetal position

and suck your thumb...

maybe even call out for your mommy??

No??

Well Geez...me neither.

Definitely not today :)

Taking Chances...

Bug and I both had an itch for ice cream after dinner tonight.

When the boys didn't want to come along, we made it a "girl date" and headed out.

On the way there Bug wanted to know all of the details involved in a banana split.

So, I enlightened her on all of the miraculous goodness involving 3 different flavors of ice cream and all the yummy toppings involved in a dessert sent down from heaven.

Any good mother would have done the same :)

The down side to this new interest is obvious to those who have met Bug IRL...

she's picky and stubborn and barely nibbles on food that she's familiar with and knows she likes.

Also, if you've seen me lately, you know that the last thing I need is a whole banana split that Bug won't eat with me...I'm not afraid to be real here, it's the truth.

But what fun is it not to branch out a little every now and then and take chances??

Well, we would have missed out on this...

She LOVED it!

and ate about 2/3's herself...

I couldn't help but laugh!

Now, though she'll have to learn some sharing etiquette.

at one point she turned the dish around to start in on my 1/2 of the strawberry, and the bowl inched slowly from the middle of the table towards her until she had complete possession!

Happy 4th!

Alternately Titled:

A Boy and His Dog...

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

We had a wonderful, busy weekend...

and, you guessed it, like the bad blogger I've been since vaca

I didn't touch my camera, not one time!

Saturday I packed up the kids and Libby after Hubs left for work (so sad, but we all have to return to work eventually) and headed out to my aunt's house on the lake 2 hrs away!

We had a great time visiting with family we don't see regularly and the kids enjoyed swimming in the lake with all of the cousins!

Today after church Hubs and the kids left me to nap a little before work and headed out to our friends house to swim in the pool and set off fireworks!

I got to hang out with everybody for about an hour and enjoyed visiting with Granny Lin.

Thanks to the camera on my phone I do have a picture trilogy that cracked me up so, of course I'll share!

First I have to back up just a smidge.

Ace is all boy.

He has two gears...full throttle and drop.

We've always cracked up about some of the places that he crashes when he can't go anymore :)

Second...Ace LOVES Libby (the new dog)

It is so funny to watch the two of them.

Often, we have to call ACE off to give Libby or "Wibby" a rest :)

Third, I don't know how, 

but I've become one of those crazy people who feel bad about leaving the dog home indefinitely.

While I'm pretty sure I'll never be like the "dog lady" back when I worked at the mall who pushed her dog through the mall in his own stroller while wearing his own Tommy Hillfiger sweatsuits, we have been bringing her along with us when we can to avoid leaving her pinned up in the crate.

And while I'm in the confessing mood...

we did take her to Lowe's in my purse.

My former self is gagging at me right now :)

So, all that to show you 3 pics...

First, Friday after softball

Second, 10 minus 2 seconds after I put the van into drive after spending the day at the lake...

headphones on, sucker still in mouth, dog asleep too.

Third...

after arriving home from the lake, our neighborhood was having a big 4th get together that involved tons of fireworks.  Ace has decided this year that he doesn't like fireworks and refused to sit out on the front porch with me and Bug to watch them.  In his defense they were pretty loud.  However, we compromised and I set him up with a movie and the dog and promised to check on him every 10 minutes.  Well, the second check I did I couldn't find him...I got a little worried.  The dog was sitting on the couch and Ace wouldn't answer when I called him.  I checked the bathroom and all the beds...but, after closer examination of the couch, I found Ace.

He had burrowed under the pile of clean towels in the bend of the couch, covered his head and fallen asleep.  I guess Libby was standing guard :)

So, these two are becoming quite the pair!