The Devil Wall

You know the scary movie where the person turns around, and there is mysterious writing on the wall that wasn't there before, and it looks like it's written in blood? This is the horror story that happened in my kitchen today.  Except the writing isn't in blood, it's in 

WASHABLE CRAYOLA MARKER. 

It has happened before, and it is back to haunt me...

A little background. A few years ago, we painted one of our walls dark brown. Before we painted, I - being the fun mom that I am - let the kids draw on the wall with washable crayola markers. We were going to paint over it, so I didn't see the harm. Boy, was I wrong. Wrong with a capital W. There was a whole lot of harm. Deep harm. Scars that won't go away. 

We primed. We could see the marker through the primer a bit, but we didn't think too much about it. We were using dark walnut brown paint. Nothing would show up underneath dark paint, especially not crayola markers. We got one coat of paint up and as it dried, we could see the outline of the kids' drawings - stars, animals, words.  Well, the second coat would surely cover it.

 Have I mentioned we were wrong? Because we were. 

The second  coat of paint didn't cover it either. Neither did the second coat of primer over the two coats of paint. Every time the paint dried, we could see the stars. It was those "damn stars" as we still call them.  Finally, we were satisfied that we could no longer see those stars after the fourth or fifth coat of paint, over the two coats of primer. 

Fast forward to today, where I decided that the dark brown was too dark. I wanted more light in my life. So I painted all of my walls light grey. I used "Super Paint" from Sherwin Williams. It has primer in it. It is awesome paint and looks great on everything. 

Except for the devil wall. 

That's what I named it this afternoon. Because guess what happened?

 I stood back to admire my work, and saw those damn stars staring back at me. 

The stars that are supposed to be forever hidden under two coats of primer and at least four coats of paint. I stepped back in horror and also noticed letters and animals and scribbling and everything else the boys decided to draw on that fateful day where I tried to be the fun mom who let their kids draw on the walls. It all stands out even more because it is a light paint. These are bad pictures, but can you see it? Maybe it's fate. Maybe we're supposed to have writing on our wall that just won't go away.

Bryan is out of town, so I called him to tell him that our house is haunted. Or at least our wall is. He is almost convinced that he is going to have to redo the sheet rock to get rid of the devil in the wall. 

So whatever you do, don't be the fun mom who lets the kids draw on the wall before you paint. It will come back to haunt you....  (pretend the music from the X-files is playing in the background)

Typical Parent-Teacher Conferences

Today, the boys had parent-teacher conference. I asked them before-hand what their teachers were going to tell me. Trey's answer was "I don't know," which is his answer for most things. He's a boy of not-so-many words. Kevin told me that his teacher would probably tell me that he talks to much. Not surprising. He's a boy of way-too-many words.

Trey -

Straight A's, Straight H's. Reads at a 3rd grade level. Very obedient and helpful. Good example to other kids. His teacher even told him he could talk more if he wanted to.

So typical. He does not want to stand out, so he always behaves so that the teacher does not have to bring attention to any bad behavior. His goal is to blend in. He is CRAZY at home, but is very reserved at school. When he does something, he does it to a perfection. It shows in his school work.

Trey is so completely different from the terrorist child I imagined he would be when he was two. He is happy, mellow, determined and sensitive. It is so fun to watch his school personality develop, because it is so different from his personality at home. At home, he is the nut of the family who is always making us laugh. At school, he is the quiet kid that never speaks out of turn or breaks a rule. I love seeing these different parts of him develop.

Kevin -

Was a little nervous. When his teacher asked him why, he said that he was nervous about getting a B and about getting in trouble for talking. She was SO good at telling him his strengths and making him feel good about himself. He got all A's and a B+, which is pretty dang good. She did tell him that he needs to work on his "talking." Ha Ha!

Again, so, so, so typical. This is about the same report he has received since starting Kindergarten. Great grades, great kid, just needs to work on not talking so much. His teacher said that he is not disrespectful, not mean. "He just has a lot of friends, and wants to talk to them...all the time." So, I will remind him not to talk so much as he goes out the door every morning.

Since I have been told this for the past five years, I've thought a bit about it. I want him to behave, but being "social" (the word used every year since Kindergarten) is part of his spirit. It's part of who he is, and has been since he could talk. I don't want to break that. I like that he feels like he is best friends with whoever he sits next to. I will help him know when he should zip his mouth and listen, but I will also encourage him to continue to be social. This is a characteristic that I LOVE about him. So I apologize in advance to all of his future teachers, because this seems to be a pretty strong trend.

So it seems my children are complete opposites. Trey's teacher is telling him to talk more if he wants, say something silly, goof off once in a while. Kevin's teacher is telling him to please SHUT UP, but in an I'm-a-teacher-so-I-have-to-be-nice sort of way.

I wouldn't change a thing about either of them. Love, love, love their polar opposite personalities.

Funnies

We asked the boys if they know who Elvis is. Trey said that he is a Canadian who is famous for his paintings, who also plays the banjo. Kevin did a "Thank you. Thank you very much" impression, but didn't know anything else.

So, no. Apparently they do not know who Elvis is.

While we were fixing lunch the other day, Kevin gave me a hug and said: "Mom, you are prettier than Selena Gomez." He's good. Whatever he is sucking up for, it just might work.

The boys have been speaking in English accents for the past month or so. They call each other "lad." They say "cheerio" when they say goodbye. They try to use proper words when they speak in their accents. It's HILARIOUS. Because, let's face it...things are just funnier when they are spoken in an English accent. Especially by these two nuts.

Trey also has a few phrases in Chinese and German Accents also.

In Chinese: "Chinese Restaurant." Lame on paper, FUNNY in person.

In German: "Do it. Do it now. I kill you." Think Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ask him though, and he'll deny it.

A little tired today

Bryan has been out of town for the last two weeks. I told the boys that if they were good, I would let them sleep with me one night. I don't know why they like to do this so much, but they get so excited about it.

I know that when I do this, I will get about 3 hours of sleep. max. They want me to sleep in the middle. Kevin is on one side. He doesn't make a peep, doesn't move all night. I barely notice he's there.

And then there is Trey...

During the day, Trey's personal space bubble is about a 10-foot diameter. He doesn't like to be touched and he will let you know it. I don't know what happens to him at night. I scoot him all the way over to the side of the bed, and within 10 minutes his knees are in my ribs, his arms are draped over my face, and his face is buried in my pillow, right next to mine. And he makes noises. He grunts. He snores. He moans.

This goes on ALL. NIGHT. LONG. And just when I scoot him over and think he might not move, I get an elbow to my face and his little body is almost on top of mine.

You'd think I would have learned my lesson and put the brakes on this after the first time I let them sleep with me. But the truth is...

I kind of like it.

I know that at some point, they are not going to count down the days until they get to sleep next to me. They are going to want their space. Away from me.

At some point, Kevin will be staying out late with friends, coming into my room to tell me he is home and then going to bed without me tucking him in. But last night, he was content falling asleep snuggled in my arms. And when he woke up, the first thing he did was snuggle back into my arms while we watched Phineas and Ferb before we got ready for school.

And Trey...the child who I have to beg and bribe for hugs and kisses, the child who will rarely hold my hand or sit on my lap...unknowingly wraps his arms around me and nestles into me all night.

So every time I got kneed in the ribs, or elbowed in the face, or didn't have room to turn over, all I could do was smile and savor the moment. Because I know those moments won't last forever. As much as I try to stop it, they're determined to grow up.

I took this picture at about 2am. Trey's arms are like this all night long.

Love, love, love these kiddos...

"I really want to be an engineer...

...but I just wrote this to be funny."

Trey was supposed to write about what he wants to be when he grows up.

I'm just impressed that my six-year-old knows how to spell "paleontologist."

8.5 moves in 6 years

Bryan and I were trying to think of ways to torture our children a few weeks ago. We came up with something that we thought would do the trick. We were right. They were tortured.

We took them on a drive to all the places we lived before we bought our home. We covered all 8.5 moves, complete with stories and narration. And a camera. We wouldn't even let them play their DS games. They had to actually listen to our stories and look out the window to where we were pointing. Torture!!!

I know this is not interesting to anyone else but Bryan and I (and our tortured children), but I thought I would document it. For posterity's sake or something.

Now I should preface...we were married young. I was 19 and Bryan was 21. I still had at least two years of college left. Bryan was fresh off his mission and just starting college. Our tuition took most of our money, and we were POOR!

#1 - Paula Apartments in Sugarhouse

Our first apartment was a tiny one bedroom in Sugarhouse. This is a bad picture of our bedroom window (below). There were 8 apartments in the complex.

Memories:

*We were close with everyone in the complex. We were all young, married, with no money. We would spend our Friday nights playing croquet and watching football/movies in the common grass area.

*Waking up to the SWAT team surrounding our complex and yelling at us to "stay low and away from windows." They wouldn't let us leave for over 8 hours. There was a standoff that turned into a murder/suicide in the complex next to us. We spent the day watching movies and making cookies (we didn't stay low) instead of going to school and work that day.

*Bryan's POS car started to break down here, especially in the winter. So a couple of times a week, I would have to TOW IT DOWN THE STREET to start it. At 6:00 in the morning. Yup. We were awesome.

*Sunday lunch with our next door neighbors. We went over to each other's apartments every week after church and ate CEREAL together. I told you - we were awesome.

*This was probably our favorite place to live. We loved our neighbors and ward.

#2 (really 1.5) - Paula Apartments take 2

Then a two-bedroom became available, so we moved across the grass. These are bad pictures. The complex used to be nice, but when we drove through, it was run down and a bit sketchy. There was a scary guy on his steps watching me take pictures, so we hurried out of there.

#3 - Applevale in Murray

We moved from Paula Apartments to Applevale beause we had the opportunity to live at Bryan's mom's house while she was away. It was a big house with free rent. We figured, why not? It didn't last as long as we had hoped, and we had to move a few months later.

Memories:

*Living in the neighborhood we both grew up in.

*Having my parents around the corner.

*Living with Bryan's sister, DeDe, and her husband and getting to know them better.

#4 - Browning Avenue by Liberty Park

We wanted to find a place closer to the U, and found the cutest little house to rent close to Liberty Park. We rented the top level, another couple rented the basement, and a single girl rented a back area.

Memories:

*The power went out all the time here. We spent many evenings playing cards on our porch when this happened. Loved the porch.

*There was no air conditioning. We had a spray bottle by our bed and would spray down the sheets before we got in bed to keep cool. We finally broke down and bought a window a/c unit.

*The first thing we would do when we got home in the evenings was to get the vacuum and suck up the 20-30 june bugs that would make their way inside every single day.

*I finished college here! I also completed my most difficult semester when we lived here. I took 12 hours of credit, worked 30 hours a week, and worked at my unpaid internship for 30 hours a week.

#5 - Marmalade Square in North Salt Lake

We moved to Marmalade Square in North Salt Lake because I was pregnant with Kevin and got a job as a weekend leasing agent here. I was paid with free rent plus commission. It was a job I could do from home, and we didn't think we could pass up free rent, especially since I didn't want to go back to work full time after Kevin was born.

Memories:

*Kevin was born a couple of months after we moved here! Looking back, I can't believe I took my first child home to such a yucky place. It had bugs and huge cockroaches everywhere. I remember taking Kevin on walks around the neighborhood and I couldn't believe the awful conditions. I guess we were focused on the free rent, and tried to overlook the rest.

*Kevin had surgery on his cleft lip here. As a new mom, it was a time of anxiety and uncertainty. I learned a lot of things about myself during this time.

*Although we were elated with Kevin's birth, we still call that summer the "summer from hell." (Sorry, Kevin). Bryan worked all day from 9-5 at Standard Batteries and then at UPS (for the health benefits) from 10pm-2am. He didn't sleep, Kevin didn't sleep, I didn't sleep. Kevin had surgery. Kevin was grumpy. I hated my job because I really wanted to everybody to run away. As fast as they could.

*Besides my memories of Kevin as a newborn, I can't think of any good memories about this place.

#6 - Memory Lane in Holladay

A few months after Kevin was born, I got another job making enough money to afford rent, play Bryan's tuition, and allow Bryan to quit his job and focus on school. Best of all, I could also take care of Kevin because I could do it from home. I had already decided that I did not want to leave Kevin to go to work, and I did not want to rely on anybody else to watch him. I didn't know how I was going to do it, and this was an answer to my prayers. It was not easy at all, but worth it. I was on call 72-96 hours per week and I felt like a walking zombie most of the time from the 24-hour shifts. Anyways, we left Marmalade Square as fast as we could and moved to Holladay.

Memories:

*Living down the road from my cousin, who married one of Bryan's best friends.

*Taking Kevin on walks and looking at the multi-million dollar homes on our street instead of the boarded-up homes with the hookers on the corner like at our last place.

*Hauling groceries/laundry/Kevin up and down two flights of stairs all day long.

#7 - Kent's House in Sandy

Bryan's uncle lived in New Mexico. He asked us if we wanted to rent his home for barely more than what we were paying for our apartment. It was a large home with a large yard, and we jumped on it.

Memories:

*Kevin learned to walk here. I remember Bryan chasing him around the living room, and Kevin would laugh and laugh and want to do it over and over.

*We did a lot of yard work. I think we pulled an entire garbage can full of weeks.

*When I think of this house, I smile. Kevin was so much fun here, and we loved the space and openness of everything.

#8 - Hunters Woods in Murray

Unfortunately, Bryan's uncle had to unexpectedly move back only a few months after we moved in. I was so sad to leave. We were in a hurry to find a place, and we found on in Murray, close to where we grew up. We chose it because of the size and location. Those were almost the only things we liked about Hunters Woods.

Memories:

*The people below us smoked, and our apartment ALWAYS reeked of cigarette smoke. I tried every way possible to mask it, but it wouldn't go away.

*The dog poop on the grass every time we would go out to play.

*The drug deals I watched go down behind the dumpster.

*Bryan's beloved bike was stolen from our second story balcony.

*We moved here just after Kevin's first birthday. There were duck ponds on the other side of the property. Every day, Kevin and I would walk to the pond and feed the ducks. It is one of my favorite memories of when he was young. He absolutely loved it and would make duck sounds all the time when he wanted to go feed them. When I was on call for work, it seemed like I would always get a call as soon as we got to the pond, or even before we got there. We would often have to hurry back and Kevin would cry and wonder why we couldn't just stay. At times, I would want to cry as well, wanting to just be with him instead of worrying about work.

*Bryan would come home from work/school and take Kevin on bike rides almost every night. Kevin would become giddy with excitement as the evening came closer, and would wait by the window for him. They loved their bike rides together.

*Bryan finished school while we were here!

#9 - Morningside Cove

After Bryan was done with school, we were finally ready to buy a home. We were open to move anywhere in the valley, but ended up buying a home less than 5 minutes from where we grew up. It's not a big home, and there are things that we would definitely change about it. But as soon as we walked in, we knew we were supposed to buy it. Neither of us had a question. We are supposed to be here.

We've lived here for 7.5 years and love it. Great neighbors, great ward, great school. Trey was born a year after we moved in, and this house fits our little family perfectly.

And while Bryan and I were reliving important family history, this is what the boys looked like in the back seat for most of the ride...

One day, they'll appreciate this. Maybe.

So I Have It On Record...

After giving Trey some medicine for his earache, he reaches around me neck, gives me a hug and says:

"Mom, I'm glad I have you. I love you. A lot."

Coming from the kid who will barely hold my hand anymore, it

melted my heart.

Ditto...

Such a smart boy...

Conversation between Kevin, Trey and myself this evening as we are waiting for Bryan as he is helping a disabled car on the side of the road:

Kevin: That's nice of dad to help those people. Mom, why don't you ever stop and help people on the road?

Me: Well, it's a little more dangerous for girls to help people on the side of the road. Plus, I don't know anything about cars. I help people in other places like grocery stores and malls.

Kevin: Other than helping people on the side of the road, girls can do pretty much everything boys can do. Trey, did you know that a long time ago, girls couldn't vote or have cool jobs or do sports? But now they can do all of those things. Boys are still supposed to treat girls extra special though.

Trey: I know, like we have to open the door for them.

Kevin: But there is one thing that girls can do that boys can't.

Me: And what is that?

Kevin: They can get pregnant and have babies.

Me: Why do you think that Heavenly Father made it so that only girls can have babies?

Kevin: Because it's really hard, and girls are tougher than boys so they can handle it better.

AMEN, KEVIN!!!

I am saving this for your future wife.

Dumb Question

Trey's hair hasn't been cut for about 3 months and is starting to get curly. I love it. Anyhoo, a lady in an elevator asked me the other day if Trey's hair was naturally curly. I had to bite my tongue.

My gut reaction was to say, "No, it's naturally straight. Every morning I get the curling iron out and curl my 4 YEAR-OLD BOY'S hair. Except for when I put it in curlers the night before."

Hmm, maybe she doesn't like silent elevators and just asked the first question that came to her mind. But really, what would be the alternative if his hair isn't naturally curly? Curlers or curling irons. On my four year-old boy. And what are the odds of that? Pretty dang low, one would hope. So anyway, I kept my sarcastic remark to myself. I simply said, "why, yes it is."

Kevin's First Day of Second Grade

So basically.....I DREAD the first day of school. Kindergarten because my little guy was growing up and starting a big, new school. First grade because he was going to be away from me all day. You'd think by second grade I'd be fine. I wasn't. Two words - BASKET CASE. What is my problem? Is this normal? Or am I some sort of crazy mom who doesn't know how to let her children go? The Saturday and Sunday before school started, I couldn't think or talk about it because I would start to cry. Then Bryan leaves town for work on Sunday and leaves me to deal with Monday all by myself.

Maybe I get like this because it seems like time goes by so quickly. I mean, it doesn't always feel like that - not when I'm telling Kevin to simply take his shoes off for the 39th time because there is dirt all over my once clean floor. Or when I'm trying to find the one single lego piece that Trey has to take to bed with him. But really - wasn't Kevin just learning how to walk? It seems like yesterday that Trey was a fiesty little baby that wouldn't stay swaddled. Now they're 7 and 4. I would pay a lot of money to just keep them at these sweet, innocent ages. But they're growing up way too fast. Maybe that's what gets me.

Or maybe it's because I never feel like a good enough mom. Am I teaching them enough? Do I read to them enough? Are they getting the life experiences they should be? Do they laugh enough? Are they gaining a testimony? Do they have enough self-confidence? Maybe I didn't do enough with them during the summer. And now the summer is gone and they start school. And they are under the influence of others for most of the day. Did I do enough?

I know, right? BASKET CASE! And then I drop him off. I shed a few tears and then meet some friends for breakfast. I play with Trey, and then I am a normal person again. And things are just fine.

Anyways, Kevin loves school and very easily makes friends. There is really nothing to worry about. I asked him if he had butterflies in his stomach on our way to school. He didn't understand. I said "butterflies" is when your stomach feels funny when you are nervous about something. "Mom, I don't get nervous" was his answer. Not my child. We said hi to his teacher and then Kevin was all about finding his friends on the playground.

Not wanting to get out of bed so early.

Awww, if only every morning could be like this.

Notice the shark shirt. It's only a matter of hours before his teacher will learn about at least 3 different species. And that's only the beginning.

His teacher, Mrs. Hansen. She also taught both of my brothers when they went to Viewmont.

Kevin asking if he can please just go play with his friends and stop posing for pictures.

When he came home, I asked him how his day was. His response - "It was Terrific. Awesome. And really, really great." After telling me about his day, he said "I am so lucky. I get to go back the next day and the next day and the next day - for nine whole months!" Again, not my child. I'm so glad he likes school so much. Now, I just need to make it through Trey starting preschool in a few weeks.

Nice Try

Five minutes after I put Trey to bed for the night, he gets up and this is our conversation...

Trey: Mom, I think I'm going to throw up!

Me: You're going to throw up? What hurts?

Trey: My chin.

Hmmm . . . I smell a big, fat FAKER!!!

Just to play along, I put a bowl to the side of his bed - just in case his chin got the better of him.

"Mom, I Did a Bad Thing and I'm Really, Really Sorry!"

Silly Putty. Meet my TV remote. Oh wait, it looks like you already have.

Not sure how to go about tackling this one...

Don't Try This at Home

I'm out with the boys the other day and there is this guy who is making animals and hats and different things out of balloons. The line of kids waiting for their dumb little balloon dog is at least a mile long. Of course, the boys want a balloon animal of their own. So here's my GENIUS idea. For some reason I can't remember, I have a bag full of those long balloons at home - complete with a book of how to make those strange animals. I tell them that when we get home, they will get their own balloon animal - whatever type and color they want - made with love from their mom. Sweet.

How hard can it be? I have a step-by-step instruction book after all. Kevin wants a dinosaur. Sure, no problem. Trey wants a giraffe. Great. After 90 MINUTES and about 26 popped balloons, THIS is what they get...

Those are supposed to be baseball hats. Look closely and you might be able to catch the vision.

Really, balloon twisting is a tough job - especially if you want to end up with a balloon that actually resembles something recognizable. Those guys who make it look easy and can do it in 7 seconds have some fierce talent. Oh, and the sound of balloons rubbing and twisting together when you do it too slow is awful. Worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. I'm not exaggerating.

The point - I should have waited 20 minutes in line. It would have saved a lot of time, and a small piece of my insanity that day.

Happy Birthday To My Little Rascals - A Bit Late

Kevin and Trey have both had birthdays within the last month. Kevin turned 7 and Trey turned 4. I know this is late, but I have to wish them HAPPY BIRTHDAY and let them know how much I love them. Sooo... a picture and something I love about them for every year of their little lives...

Kevin...

-You make friends easier than anyone I know. This is one of your greatest talents, and I hope you keep it up. It doesn't matter where we are - the park, McDonalds, the mall even - you ALWAYS make a friend.

-You are very sensitive to others' feelings.

-You have a very strong testimony, and I see it growing all the time. I love hearing that you say silent prayers in your head when you need help with something at school. I love talking to you about those prayers and seeing the tears (that you deny) in your eyes as you feel the Spirit.

-You are very smart! You love to learn. I know more about ocean animals than I ever thought I would through you. I love that you want to be a Marine Biologist. Whatever your dreams are, I hope you have the courage to follow them.

-You have always been a snuggler, even now with your long, growing body. When you come in our bed in the mornings, you still manage to mold your body to ours and snuggle as close as you can.

-You laugh easily.

- You are very creative. The other day, you made a submarine out of food and turned your bed into a boat. I love it!

Trey...

-You are determined. When you want something, you don't stop until you get it. While you are four, this can be frustrating for both of us. I think when you are older, this trait will serve you well and help you to accomplish many things in life. (That's what I keep telling myself).

- Self-mastery is very important to you. You will practice catching a ball until you have it just perfect. You will do something over and over again until you have it just how you want it. Even if it takes hours. Or days.

- You like to be goofy. This is kind of new for you, but you seem to have caught on pretty good. Whenever you sense that somebody is upset at something, you do something funny to diffuse the situation. We can't help but laugh!

-I love the random hugs and kisses you give me throughout the day. "Mom, I need some hugs" and "Mom, I love you" are phrases I hear multiple times each day from you. Please never stop!

Oh, and I can't forget their cupcakes. It's pretty easy to guess whose are whose.

I'm back!

Dear Beloved Blog...

It's been over two months since we've last talked. I really don't have any good excuses for not stopping by. Where has the time gone? We've missed so many things - Easter, the end of school, Mother's Day, Father's Day, traveling for the first time by myself (pathetic, I know), a couple funny stories, some boring stories and a few things in between. So what to do? How about we just say that the last two + months have been great and call it good. Now, this is kind of hard for me. My OCD wants to fill this void (as nominal and boring as it might be) but I'm going to start here and move on. Soooo...let's start with our vacation a few weeks ago.

Newport Beach!!!

The Salmon Fam (My parents, siblings and spouses) spent a week in Newport Beach...with no children. Re-lax-ing!! We woke up when we wanted, went to movies without coordinating babysitters, didn't have to worry about naps or getting home in time for bed, only had to take a single small bag to the beach, and basically did whatever we wanted. It was so nice to get away. I missed Kevin and Trey like crazy and it was great to get back to them. Bryan's cousin, Annie, babysat and the boys LOVED her! She did such a great job with them. After spending a week with her, they probably realized that I am a boring mom.

Some fun memories from Newport...

-Watching Trevor and Bryant try to put on girl wetsuits that were too small on the beach.

-Even funnier...watching Mer try to peel the suit off Bryant when he was done. It ended with his butt skidding across the sand.

-Taking a line-drive tennis ball to my face from MY HUSBAND.

-The Angels vs. Rockies game and the "Go Fish" game with the 1980's baseball cards. "Do you have any guys who look like serial killers?" was the best question asked. Mer had two, possibly three.

-"I'm right here!"

-"Donation..." (You don't want to know).

-Trying to get my parents hooked on "The Office" by making them watch the first season. We got some laughs, but I think the jury may still be out. Seriously, how can you not love that show?

-Backing into a car on the last day in our car THAT HAS BACKUP SENSORS!

-Bryan pulling up to a BMW (in our Oldsmobile minivan) at a stoplight and revving the engine to race. The guy wasn't amused.

-Knottsberry Farm and the Xcelerator rollercoaster. 0 - 82 in 2.3 seconds.

-Thinking I saw a shark when the boys were "surfing."

-Chronic Tacos. Hole-in-the-wall with AWESOME fish tacos.

-Making crepes on Father's Day. Probably my favorite breakfast food ever. I think I ate four.

-The "bubbles" picture. (Don't ask...really).

-Bryan licking up a piece of food that landed on his arm - from Trevor's mouth.

-Longboarding down the street to the pool area.

-Volleyball, basketball, football and tennis.

-The Crab Cooker - best seafood ever!

Basically, my family is awesome. We had such a fun time together. Thank you for the memories!

Stinky Feet

Me:  "Trey, your feet STINK!"

Trey:  "No, they don't!  They smell like marshmallows.  But not the white kind.  They smell like colored marshmallows."

I have no idea where this came from, but they definitely DO NOT smell like colored marshmallows - at all.  I think it's bathtime...  

So Typical

Conversation between Kevin and Trey last week...

Kevin:  "Trey, what did you do in school today?"

Trey:  "Had an Easter party."  

Kevin:  "What else did you do?"

Trey:  "Nothing.  We had a party."

Kevin:  "Yeah, but what did you learn about today?"

Trey:  "Nothing.  We had a PARTY.  I ate candy."

Kevin:  "You didn't learn anything?  Did you learn about a letter or a number?"

Trey:  NO!  We had a PARTY!"

Kevin pauses to think for a minute.  I can see the concern growing in his face.  

Kevin (very sternly):  "Trey, school is not just about parties.  You're there to learn."

Trey:  "No, it's about PARTIES!"

So typical.  Of both of them.  

Kevin - I hope you still think like this in 10 years.  I love it.

Trey - party on.  

I love these boys...

A Plug for Harmons

So I have to preface this by saying that I had a gazillion things to do in a very short time frame that morning.  My mind was everywhere.  One of the things I had to do was pick up some groceries for dinner that night.  I rush through the grocery store in record time and got everything on my list - three bags worth to be exact - $39.42 worth to be even more exact.  End of grocery trip, right?  Wrong.  I get home and opened the back door to retrieve my groceries.  THEY'RE GONE!  What could have possibly happened to my groceries?   I retrace my steps in my mind.  I remember pushing the cart to my car.  Did I really push the cart to my car and not take the groceries out of my cart?  I was on the phone, but...wow, that's bad.  Even for me. 

So I go back to Harmons to see if I can retreive my groceries.  It's only been five minutes.  They should still be there.  I drive around the parking lot looking for a lonely cart with three bags of groceries.  Nothing.  Now I have to go inside and actually ask if somebody found the groceries, which is slightly embarassing.

I see the front manager, who is the same woman who bagged the groceries for me.  

"Uh, hi...Did someone by chance turn some lost groceries in?"

"Lost groceries?"

"Well, yes.  I was just here, and I think I left my groceries in my cart instead of putting them in my car."

"Oh, I remember bagging them for you.  Which groceries are you missing?"  

"Well, all of them...three bags..."

"You don't have any of them?"

"No."  How can I possibly justify my dumbness here.  I can't.  "I forgot to put them in my car."  

"Well, nothing has been turned in.  Do you remember what they were?

"Yes.  Thanks.  I'll just go get them again."  Really, I wonder what she was thinking at this point.  

She then tells me to go ahead and get the groceries again, but not to pay for them this time.  I object.  She insists that I get all of the groceries I got before, but not to pay for them.  Now, is that customer service or what?  

This isn't the end.  Later after I get home, I have to load something in the very back of my van.  What do I find?  THREE BAGS OF GROCERIES - THE ORIGINAL BAGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE LOST.  They were in the very back of the van.  I just checked the back seat.

So now, I start feeling pretty good about myself.  Of course I wouldn't have pushed my cart all the way to my car and not unload the groceries.  I did load them.  I'm not loosing my mind.  Then I realize that this makes me look even dumber than just loosing my groceries - I had them and couldn't find them.  

So I go back to Harmons with my receipt.  I had to pay them back for the free groceries they gave me.  I prayed that the manager I talked to earlier was done with her shift.  She wasn't.  I then had to explain to her that I found the groceries I thought I had lost and needed to pay her back for the groceries she so graciously gave me earlier.  That conversation was as equally awkward as the first conversation.  I'm sure she thought I was a complete nut case.  I probably would have to agree.  

Moral of the story - if you're going to loose your groceries, loose them at Harmons.  Great cusomer service.  

Randomness

Some random things that have happened over the past couple of months...

**We finally got Trey in a bed (He's only 3 1/2).  Notice the car in is hand.  He can't go to bed without bringing the toy of the day with him.  Some nights it's a car, some nights it's a golf club - yes, a full-size golf club.  The other night it was a basketball.
Kevin has discovered the "Magic Tree House" series books.  He LOVES them and will easily read 60 pages a night.  We put him to bed and he gets his little light out and reads until he falls asleep.  It's great, and I can't get the books fast enough.  
Kevin took a basketball skills class and is now done with it.  His favorite day was the last day.  It's all about the trophy.  He did have a fun time and can now sort of dribble the ball.  I guess that is worth the thirty dollars?
Kevin also finished swimming lessons.  He's determined to become a good swimmer so he can "learn to scuba and become a marine biologist."  
Remember how I said that Trey always had to bring some sort of toy to bed with him?  One night my brain was on vacation and I let him take silly putty to bed with him.  SERIOUSLY, what was I thinking?  Kevin even told me that Trey should put the silly putty in a container before he took it to bed.  I told him, no, it would be fine.  Really - what could have possibly been going through my head that I thought this would turn out well.  The picture below is what we woke up to.  Aaahhh!  This is "the" stuffed animal - you know, the one that he sleeps with every night and can't let anything happen to it.  So after a little internet research, I rubbed it with hand sanitizer and WD-40 and got it out.  Who would have thought?  Note - don't let your kids sleep with silly putty.  I'm guessing this is common sense to most moms.  
We had so much fun outside with the warm weather last week.  Too bad it didn't last long.  The boys love playing in the dirt in our flower bed in the front yard (I'm hoping it will be home to flowers instead of toy trucks this year).  I don't mind them playing in the dirt.  They're boys.  That's what they're supposed to do.  

Kevin and Trey were in the bathtub for over an hour the other night with their goggles and snorkel.  I was cooking dinner and all I heard was hysterical laughter coming from the bathroom.  I finally decided to set up the video camera on the counter just so I could capture the fun they were having with each other.  The video was priceless.  I would show it, but Trey kept standing up and showing his hoo-ha.  I'm sure there's a way to edit it and cover it up, I just haven't figured it out.  (They're going to love these kind of videos when they're 16).  So for now, here's a picture.  
I did something VERY embarassing at the grocery store last week.  I'm not sure if I want to write about it - it might taint my image.  I rarely do dumb or embarassing things.  This was a doosey.  Is that a word?