"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.