Another Berlyn-funny!

That kid just cracks me up sometimes. I think that it must be because she is such a tiny little person with such a growing mind that is emerging. So last night we were sitting at the dining room table for dinner and a discussion that we have quite often comes up. The girls like to go to bed in the clothes that the wore all day. Maybe I'm just the most disgusting person in the entire world, but I just don't think that it is as big a deal as Rob does, but whateva... So the subject comes up and it is very obvious we have had this conversation before. Rob starts in on how at night we sweat, blah, blah, blah (we don't need all the details)and ends with, "and do you know what is in sweat?"
Berlyn's hand shoots up excitedly like she's in school and says, "I know, I know! Pick me, Daddy."
So Rob 'called on her' and she shyly answered, "pee..."
Stinkin' cute... even tho it's kinda gross.

My big girl:

Old Memories and Bosnians

I was pretty sure that I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I can't seem to find it... so maybe I didn't. My memory is so poor! Oh! I remembered! I wrote about it on facebook under my wedding pictures. Anyhow, here is the story. I shopped high and low for Rob's wedding ring before our wedding. Well, within a week of our wedding, we went on our first honey moon. We backpacked up into the mountains... it was like 6 miles... uphill... both ways. Alright, just on the way in, but it was hard! I even got lost on our little venture and was just about to enter complete freak-out mode when I found the trail again. He got tired of waiting for me so I told him to go ahead of me and set up camp... surely I can follow a trail, right? Not when it ends! Anyhow, he did get there way ahead of me. By the time I arrived, he had already lost his wedding ring... somewhere. We searched everywhere, but never found it. Here is a picture of our first rings:

Jump ahead 6 years, I bought Rob another wedding ring when he was leaving for Bosnia. He wouldn't wear the thing tho, something about getting it caught on helicopter parts and electric currents. So he put his ring on his watch band. (I also need to add at this point that I mailed him a camera to use in Bosnia... I'll come back to this in a little bit) Well, one fateful morning, Rob opened his watch and the ring fell off into a boardwalk type thing. Several Bosnians that worked on the base came along and ripped up the boards and never found the ring. Rob took pictures of them ripping up the boards and looking for the rings.... these are the only pictures he took the entire 8 months he was there.


So... here is the question. Is the third time the charm? Should I really fork out money for ring number 3 when it will probably be lost in less than a month? I will add that I have had my share of problems w/ my ring. I think that it was cheaply made to begin with... my opinion. I have had to replace several prongs and I actually lost the big diamond once... right after I got the prongs redone. Somewhere in Nampa, there is a diamond floating around! I also lost it for a few months. I thought it fell down the drain but I found it eventually.

Hey, I just remembered it my anniversary!

Not my marriage anniversary, but Valentine's Day marks the date that I realized I was not invinsible. On Valentine's Day 2005, I went on a bike ride w/ Ethan and got hit by a car while I was in the cross walk. It was at Lake Lowell and Midland. I wasn't hurt all that bad, even tho I should have been. I landed 10 feet from my bike, face and wrists first on the asphalt. My leg got smashed between the bike and car. I'm just thankful that it was me that was hit and not Ethan. For him, it could have been a fatal hit since it would have hit his body. She just got my leg really. BUT!!! I did hit the hood of her car before I went flying and I left a dent! I think the worst part was pulling the chunks of asphalt out of my face. That was extremely painful. The pictures are from right after the accident, before I went to the hospital and before I got swollen and bruised. I ended up looking pretty bad. And my right ankle still is puffy and if I've been up on my feet alot it looks like this again.

THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!

Okay it's not shocking! But I completely forgot to add my Guns n' Roses pictures to my blog last nigth so now I will!! I know, I'm a nerd!

A little G'n'R for ya...

I love the classic (old) Guns n' Roses. You know, back when Axel Rose was young and hot. Did I really just type that? Yes, I did! Anyhow, I have 3 favorite GnR songs: Sweet Child 'O Mine, Patience and Welcome to the Jungle. I have repeatedly subjected my family to the torture of listening to these songs, sometimes over and over and over again. Anyhow, every single person in my family can sing most of all of them by heart. So a few days ago, Berlyn, who turned 5 in December, was singing Welcome to the Jungle while she was coloring on the floor. It kinda warmed my heart. So I stopped working to really listen to her and this is her interpretation of the song (real words in parenthesis) only at the chorus:

Watch it bring it to your Shun,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,na knees, knees, (those are right)
I wanna watch you sneeze (I wanna watch you bleed)

I wanna hear you sneeze (scream)

I haven't a good laugh in a long time and that one did it! It was hilarious. She hears something so different than me. We were talking about it tonight and she is insistant that those are the right words. And quite frankly, they aren't great lyrics and I would much rather watch (or hear) someone sneeze than bleed or scream! I will never, ever listen to Welcome to the Jungle the same.

NO!

No... I still do not have a new driver's license. Do you realize that I have to do my hair for that? And since I'm thinking of getting a hair cut, shouldn't I wait til then? Ethan asked me a few days ago what I would do if I got pulled over. So I unleashed the drama queen in me and told him. He was quite impressed. For a few minutes, I was actually hoping I would get a chance to try it out for reals... then I changed my mind. Hopefully by the end of the month. I just really like my picture right now. I look so... young.

I need to brag on my kiddos!

I have 4 of the best kids ever and I'm not sure where they got these rare traits that I'm going to discuss. Rob does not possess these AT ALL. I may have been this way had I been allowed. These traits actually only belong to 2 of the kids but they help spread the trait around. So for the past several months, I will be down here in my living room working or watching tv and all of a sudden, it will dawn on me that I'm all alone. All 4 of the kids (including my youngest) have made their way up to their bedrooms, and they are either sleeping, reading and playing quietly! How amazing is that?? In fact, last night around 7:30, I asked where Ethan was, and Bri let me know that has was already showered and in bed. I didn't ask him to do either. And since the beginning of the school year, I have only once had to wake up Ethan and once for the girls (I actually missed that one!). Ethan wakes up at 6:30, dresses and leaves for school by 6:53. He comes in and lets me know he's off. At 7:00, Briyanna's alarm clock goes off. She is absolutely anal about being to school by 8:30. Why she thinks it takes an hour and a half to get ready, I'll never know. Anyhow, I hear her wake up and then I hear the drill sergeant in her come out as she yells Brenna out of her bed. Brenna really could stay in bed til 7:30 but Briyanna won't allow it! Now so you don't think I'm a horribly irresponsible parent, my alarm clock goes off at 6:35 and 7:30 and then 8:00. I wake up the first 2 times long enough to hear movement and know they're up and getting ready. When I roll out of bed at 8:00, the girls are completely ready to go except for their hair. I get dressed, do my hair, brush my teeth and throw on a little make up and we're off. I have it so easy. Hope it lasts another 13 years!

My Passsion has been Reignited!

I am positively the biggest reality TV geek out there... and I'm not at all ashamed to admit it! I'm irritated 'cuz I'm gonna have to buy a TV converter box for this awful addiction I have! Seriously, the only TV I watch is reality TV, except for Life and Law and Order. I love the Biggest Loser, Survivor (watch for me, I will be on there someday. I waiting to look hot in a bikini :D ), American Idol, Amazing Race (that would be awesome too), The Mole, The Apprentice, Invervention, Hell's Kitchen.... the list could go on and on! I absolutely loved Fear Factor, so sad it's not on any more. So I was browsing HULU.com yesterday and found another reality TV show on there that I've never even heard of! And let me tell you... I am hooked!! It's a little bit of everything I like all wrapped into one. It's called SOLITARY! You must check it out! The concept is absolutely INSANE. You're looked in a room all alone for who knows how long and a 'computer' controls every move you make. And you loose your name and go by the number in your room. It has a little bit of Fear Factor in it but it's just crazy. I could NEVER, EVER do it though... I would come out a complete basket case! Here is a picture of what their rooms look like.

Trouble seems to follow me... or in this case, I follow it!

Every other Friday night at 7:20, it is my job to go and pick my son and my niece from a church camp meeting across town. (This is going to be easier for my in-town friends to get than my out-of-towners!) Briyanna chose to go with me. I leave my subdivision on Iowa and turn south (or right for you direction impaired) on Midland, up to Greenhurst, turn east (left) and drive for about 5 miles. That's it. Well, last Friday night, I took a small detour. As soon as I turned onto Midland, I realized that I was behind a drunk driver. It took us 2 minutes to go half a mile from Iowa to Greenhurst. So I call Rob, tell him I'm behind a drunk driver, and should I call the cops. Uhh... YES! he tells me. I begged him to call, but I guess it does make more sense that I call since I am the one tailgating the guy! I call the cops and follow this guy 7 1/2 miles w/ my gas tank nearly on E! I have to take you through the turns we made and the close calls this guy nearly had. From Midland, we turn on Dooley. Most of Dooley, this guy is half over the center lane and it's a fairly hilly road. We come to a stop at highway 45 and turn south (right). We drive up to Locust, turn east (Left). At this point I'm wondering why the didn't just go all the way out Midland til it turned into Locust, but... I thought that about several of his future turns too. We continue on Locust. At Powerline, the fish hatchery intersection, the guy COMPLETELY runs a stop sign... I mean, flies through the thing! And there was a huge truck that barely missed him. As soon as he crosses the intersection, he slows back down to his usual 20 mph. When we get to Southside, he turns south (left) again, this time stopping but still managing to pull right in front of a SUV, barely not getting hit again. This whole time, Briyanna is hoping to witness a high-speed chase. We follow him some more til he turns east (left) on Lewis lane. He turns south (right) on Happy Valley Road. At this point, the dispatcher I'm talking to asks if I see the deputy as he flies past me. He flips around, passes me and follows my drunk driver for about 1/2 miles and then decided that, yes, indeed, he is pull-overable. The dispatcher tells me to stop about 50 feet behind him and wait. He comes back and lets me know that my drunk driver isn't drunk.... he's diabetic and has low blood sugar.... nice! He had to call someone to pick him up and be retested to see if he was good enough to drive. The entire time, I'm praying, please don't ask to see my license, please don't ask to see my license. You see, my license is expired (a week over) and I just haven't felt like going to renew it. I told Briyanna, if he asks to see my license, you just might get your high-speed chase. He didn't ask to see it and I will be going in on Monday to get it renewed. This whole thing, took us 25 minutes and we were 15 minutes late picking up Ethan and Hannah. But it was fun!

AWANA Grand Prix Night

If you live in my house, and chances are you don't, you know that my least favorite time of the year is the day before and the day of Awana Grand Prix night. Those two days for this year happened to be yesterday and today. I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator! I admit it and am not ashamed because I just so happen to do my best work under pressure. Every year we have to come up w/ some crazy design for a pinewood derby car and I normally have to shape it w/ a knife. Then I take it to Rob and he cleans it up! Some of out past designs include a police car w/ a Christmas tree on top, a celery stick w/ peanut butter and a (real) peanut w/ goggly eyes taking a ride(used this one twice), 2 peanuts riding in a shell, a stick of butter, and a pink pearl eraser (used that one twice also). Well this year was no exception for originality. You would think that the idea bank would run dry, but it hasn't yet. In fact, I already have one in mind for one of next year's car.
This year, Ethan went with a pickle... or cucumber. Depended on how you wanted to see it! I can design... I can't make them roll worth a hoot! Rob actually shaped this one and I sanded and painted it and hot glued the wheels in... that right there might be the problem :). Anyhow, his actually crossed the finish line every race and that is all we're going for!

Poor Briyanna! She has had the worst luck the last 2 years and I can't help but think some of it is my fault. This year she had a stick of dynamite. Now the idea behind this is great because the group that they are in is called TNT for Truth and Training. I was hopin' for brownie points, but no one got it! Sheesh... Anyhow, I should have put one of my gold pom-poms on the end of the fuse to make it appear to be ignited, but I didn't. I actually did run out of time. AND... this is embarrassing, but it only crossed the finish line one time. So all in all... I failed her!

Brenna had a Flower Power car. I paper pieced (scrapbooked) over 150 itty-bitty flowers and then glued them onto that car. It took my 3 hours to do her car. Thankfully no shaping of the car was involved! Just a coat of paint and those stinkin' flowers! Her car was awesome this year! I'm not sure what I did wrong but she came in 2nd in all of her races (definitely not near the fastest tho) AND got a 3rd place trophy for design! I'd like to think that I, er, she really earned it!

Super Bowl 2009

I am a football fan. I actually knew who was going to be playing in the Super Bowl before the game, unlike others living in my house! Anyhow, every year we normally do something, but this year, we didn't have any plans. So Rob decided we needed to host a Super Bowl party, for non-football people. This party was not for watching football, but for eating. Rob's parents and brother's family came over to eat... and watch commercials. I made 10 lbs. of super hot buffalo wings and we had chips and dip, veggies and dip, taco dip, and Rob's mom made her yummy cabbage rolls w/ cheese dip. We are a family that enjoys our dips! Most of us cheered for the Cardinals, except for Jeramy. He cheered for the guys wearing the yellow pants. And Lisa had an odd obsession over Larry Fitzgerald's butt. She thought it was big and told us many times. I really don't have an opinion either way. It made the game even more eventful... especially when he actually started to make some real plays. You be the judge...



So we ate and ate. I ate so much I almost puked. But it was fun. Here, I don't look like I was having fun, but I really was.


Here is the yellow pants fan, Jeramy. He had to leave for work before the game actually got good. He worked and then went straight to the hospital for kidney stone surgery. I got the privilege of watching their kids today. I had an 11 wiper diaper and and 8 wiper diaper!

Here is the proud owner of the 11 wiper diaper... Kayden. Is it chocolate or is it poop? ("Baby Mama" reference for those who don't know...)

Ethan and Briyanna took their cousins, Hannah and Brenden, to the youth group super bowl party so we were minus 4 kids (and that was GREAT!!). The other four did this...

and this...


In other words, they ate, dressed up and messed up rooms.

For the Undecided Super Bowl Fan!

I am always looking for a way to make life a little more fun. So 3 hours later.... I made the kids their own super-fan shirts... especially since we don't have a team to cheer for this year and they are going to a youth group Super Bowl party with the church. So here is the plan. They are going to flip their shirts around whenever possession of the ball changes. We'll see how long that lasts!