More Oklahoma Pictures

Turns out I didn't take as many pictures as I should have...we had way more fun than the pics show!

The kids found a turtle they named Chunk. Here's a picture of Avery and Chunk:

Reese and Macy B are two peas in a pod. They both love dressing up, playing house and just in general being Miss Prisses:

We also celebrated JD's 5th birthday while we were there. His mom and dad got him a trampoline. I think Aaron and Josh hated putting it together, but it was a BIG hit with all the kids.

Josh and Emily's backyard is awesome. My kids aren't used to so much room to roam and play. Here are Rhett and Reese on the "waterslide."

Here are all the cousins at JD's birthday party. It seems like there are more every year...maybe that's because there are!

We loved the trip and were so sad to leave, Avery and I actually cried a little bit on the way home. Now that Avery is in school, we don't get to go up as often, so we're going to try for at least one more trip this summer. I'm so glad my kids have P-town to visit...there's nothing like small town freedom in the summertime!

Pictures from our Mini-Vacay

On the way to Pawhuska to get Avery, we stopped in Oklahoma City so Aaron could do some business there. The kids always like staying in a hotel, so we made it a little mini-vacation. With kids, you can turn anything into a big deal, don't you think?

Here are a few pics.

Buffalo outside our hotel. I thought this was kind of cool. I want one for the backyard.

I don't even know what this is called, but it was in between our hotel and the canal at Bricktown. The kids loved it. I even got in on the action, but me looking like a sweaty, soaked rat isn't something you want to see. I will let you see Rhett kicking water on me.

And then back at the hotel....

That's Reese, testing out her new goggles in the bathtub. She looks awesome in them, doesn't she? (About how I look in goggles, I think.)

At least she was able to get hers on. Rhett wouldn't let me help him, so this is how he "swam." Seriously.

More pics from Oklahoma (including Avery!) tomorrow...or whenever I get around to it!

Avery in Oklahoma

Avery has been in Oklahoma since Saturday and she hasn't called me once. I've called her, but she is too busy to talk. Luckily, my sister keeps me updated via text and she has sent a few pictures. Sunday, Aunt La La (my sister) took them to Woolaroc, a cool little museum-type place we used to always go on field trips when I was in elementary school. It has lots of Cowboys and Indians stuff, which I knew would impress Avery. Turns out, they've added a lot to Woolaroc since I was there...(can't believe it's changed in the last THIRTY years!)

There is a petting zoo there. I honestly have no idea what this animal is.

Avery forgot her cowboy boots, so Aunt La La took her to the local store to buy the ugliest boots in Osage County, but Avery loves them. She is wearing Cash's jeans and shirt, which is about 4 sizes too big, but she is happy. JD is wearing a floppy old hat that my Nana has for dress up and he seems pretty happy too. Cash is the only one who looks unhappy, but I think that might be his "I'm a cowboy, don't mess with me" look. It must be...here's one of all three of them looking that way.

They are so stinkin' cute, aren't they? Avery will have these memories forever...I'm so glad I let her go!

Although, I wasn't told there would be live ammunition:

Apparently, this "mountain man" lives there, in a tee pee. Here are the kids, inside the tee pee:

I still haven't figured out if this is for real or the dude works for Woolaroc...surely he doesn't willingly live in a tee pee with no running water or electricity? Stranger things have happened I guess.

Here they are in the campsite. It appears to be the kitchen. I'm sure cooking in a tee pee can be kind of tedious.

I wouldn't know anything about that because, apparently, I have completely lost touch with my Osage Indian heritage; I thought Avery was holding an axe in the next picture:

For those of you who have either lost touch with (or never actually had) your Native American side, this is a tomahawk. You know, the tool used to scalp the white man. There isn't a child alive in Osage County that doesn't have a rubber tomahawk. Mine had a red spearhead. It's a lovely toy to give a newborn baby.

I will leave you with a shot of the kids searching the landscape for Indians...did I mention that each of this children ARE actually Indians, even if only an itty bitty bit?

Who thinks that Aunt La La is one brave soul for taking all of these yay-hoos out by herself? I'd say she's a pretty fabulous aunt, wouldn't you?

Bittersweet

It's hard to let go of your babies. Especially for me. I'm a control freak and a worrier and I want all my little chicks under my wing at all times. But, if you want normal, well-rounded kids, you have to let them have some freedom, let them grow up, have experiences, see life. At least that's what they tell me.
So, I'm trying. My sweet sister, Aunt La La, has asked me several times if Avery could come spend a week with her family. My first thought was "Not no but hell no." I didn't think I could ever let my little baby girl leave me for a whole week. La La kept asking. She reminded me that, if we want our kids to be close, they are going to have to spend more than weekends and holidays together. I know she's right. And Avery LOVES going to P-town. Grammy lives there, as well as Uncle Josh, Auntie Em and their kids. In P-town, she has more freedom. There is lots of room to run, play and get dirty. I knew she would love it, even though I wasn't totally sure she would be able to spend several nights away from home. I finally gave in. I trust La La completely and if I'm going to start letting my kids be independent and well rounded, there's no better place to start than with family, right?
Ok, so Saturday, I met La La halfway (sorta) between here and P-town. I fully expected to be sobbing when I saw her drive away with my Doodlebug, but I didn't. I just said a little prayer that they'd be safe and that was that. I will admit that my heart was a bit heavy the rest of that day, but when they called and said that they had gone to the local store for some black cowboy boots so Ave could wear them to Woolaroc the next day, that heaviness lifted and I knew this was going to be the best week Avery's ever had, to date. (By the way, the boots are horrid. Lauren said she had the choice between some "normal" brown ones and these black ones, which have red stitching and silver toes. My brother, Josh said she can either be a cowboy or do a Mexican hat dance in them. I can't wait to see them in person. I should have pictures any day now.)
Anyway, needless to say, she is having a ball. They got to shoot "real guns" at Woolaroc, get inside a real Indian tee pee and throw tomahawks. It's literally Cowboys and Indians around those parts and she's getting the full treatment this week.
I'm so glad she's having fun. And I do miss her, terribly, but it's been so good for Reese. She gets to be the big sister and I don't think she's had one meltdown since Avery left. It's like she's growing up a little bit too.
It's a good thing. Hard for me to let go and admit she's growing up, but good for her. That's what they call "bittersweet," right?

Swim Lessons

The kids are in swim lessons this week and they are having a ball. They are learning a lot too, thanks to Miss Sally. And even though I love watching each of them learn new skills, I must admit that my favorite thing about this week has been watching Rhett.

He has been hilarious all week. He listens so intently, you almost forget that he's only 2 years old. He's not afraid of putting his face in the water and his favorite thing to do is jump off the side of the pool. Any time Miss Sally tells him to do something, he yells "OKAY," and when she asks him if he's ready he yells, "YEAH!" He has jumped in twice without anyone there to catch him, which nearly gave me a heart attack, (He has scratches on his back from where I reached in to grab his pants.) but other than that, he's done a great job. And he LOVES it.

Reese, on the other hand? Not so much. She really didn't like the first day too much. In fact, at one point, she very politely asked Miss Sally, "Could you please stop touching me?" She doesn't love putting her face in the water at all. She'd much rather be posing at the side of the pool.

Avery, as usual, has made it into a competition (just in her mind and in the car on the way home) and wants to be the best one in her class. So, yesterday, when Miss Sally gave them the option to either jump off the board and swim to the side or try to learn to dive, Avery was the only one who chose to dive. I'm sure she was nervous (I know I wouldn't have done my first dive from the board...I was always diving from the side for 3 weeks before I would do it off of the board.) but she wants to be the star of the class, so she did it.

Here she is, preparing for her across-pool swim. She and Rhett obviously have the same taste in goggles.

Is it just me or is she eyeballing the little boy next to her? She's probably trying to psych him out. It's not a race and no one else cares, but that's how her little mind works.

Summertime is Here!!!

Hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

Guess what they are doing????

Did you guess "pulling teeth?" If so, you are right! Avery lost her first tooth last night. Needless to say, she was beyond excited. She bit down on a ball (is it strange that my kids were playing 'fetch' and carrying balls in their teeth?) and it loosened it a LOT. She was shaking and doing the half laugh/half cry. Do you even remember being that excited about something? I think childbirth was the last time I felt that way. Amazing how a 6 year old can feel that many emotions over a tooth.

We all took turns trying to pull it. She was a trooper. I tried with a Kleenex, Aaron tried with dental floss (see above) and when nothing worked, Avery just reached in there and yanked it herself. As soon as it came out, there was more shaking, accompanied by the nervous laughter.

She couldn't wait to call Grammy (and anyone else who would answer their phone at 9:20 p.m.). Here she is, spreading the joyful news.

This morning, the excitement started all over again when she found, not only the tooth (she wrote a letter to the tooth fairy asking if she could keep it), but a $5 bill and "fairy dust," which, to me, looked like pink glitter, but Avery thinks it fell off the tooth fairy's wings. Reese thinks it came off of her wand. Wherever it came from, it was worth all the hassle it takes to clean up glitter in carpet and bedding.

I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. As of Thursday last week, she is officially a first grader. I remember when I was younger, thinking that time drug by as slowly as a crippled snail. Not anymore. I wish I could push pause. Not right this second, because Reese and Avery are arguing, but maybe later. Like when they are sleeping.

Homebody

I am a homebody. I love being at home. Sure, I have my times where I need to get out, but most of the time, my weekly grocery shopping cures any cabin fever I might have.
One Girls' Night Out can last me a month or more. I just don't need to be out and about. I love my house, even though it's not fancy. I love my kids, even though they drive me crazy sometimes. I even enjoy cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.
Sometimes I look at friends of mine and think "I'm so lazy." I think I should be taking my kids to Mother's Day Out or Little Gym. I should schedule more playdates. I should get them in more activities. But honestly, it wears me out just thinking about it.
I know it probably drives my friends nuts because I'm not really into chatting on the phone or always up for doing something. I like not having plans very often. I'm never bored. Honestly. If I have a time where there's not something to be cleaned or washed, someone to be fed or bathed, or wifely duties that need tending to, I don't feel bored. I feel blissful.
Right now, I'm sitting outside, on a blanket, while the baby I watch naps and Reese and Rhett run around on the sidewalk. I'm not doing anything, but I don't feel restless or bored. I feel content. The fact that we have gymnastics today bugs me more than the fact that I may not speak to another adult for 8 hours today.
My husband is going to play golf tonight and won't be home until after 9:00. I was irritated by this because he didn't tell me ahead of time and I'm a planner. And frankly, I don't want to have to take all three kids to Target, but I'm not upset that I'll be alone with the kids.
Maybe it's because I moved to Texas without a friend or family member to hang with, talk to, count on. I was home alone A LOT. I got very good at filling that time. Mani/pedis, books, magazines, computer, exercise (as a last resort). I find all kinds of ways to occupy my time if I don't have chores I have to do.
Maybe it is because I'm lazy. I hate buckling kids in and out of car seats just to run errands or "drop by" a friend's house. Maybe I just don't want to dress in something other than workout clothes or wear makeup, which I would feel the need to do if I wasn't at home all day. Maybe I am a control freak and when I'm by myself, I can watch what I want, eat what I want and boss the kids any way I want. Scratch the last sentence. Even when my husband is here and he's in charge of the remote and being picky about what we have for dinner, there's still no place else I'd rather be. (Ok, if I'm being honest, sometimes I'd rather be any place but here. The nights when kids are fighting and whining and the husband is being a turd; those nights feel a bit stifling, but fortunately, they are few and far between.)
Whatever the reason, I have decided to embrace it. I am a homebody. It works out great right now because I'm a stay at home mom with no money. The fact that it doesn't really bother me that my car may not move for 3 days at a time is probably a good thing because I can't afford to go very far anyway. Frankly, I don't do well with doing things I don't like to do, so if I hated being stuck at home or needed to be around other people all the time to be happy, I would probably be a beast to live with. (Ask Aaron what my personality was like when I had to work when Avery was a baby. I'm surprised he still liked me enough to have two more kids with me!)
So for today, I'm just going to be grateful that I'm a homebody. I feel blessed that the four people who live in this house just happen to be the four people I like to be with the most.

(P.S. How many times did I say the word 'lazy' in this post? Think I have a guilty conscience about sitting on a blanket in the front yard, jacking around on the computer when there's a floor to be vacuumed, clothes to be ironed and coupons to be clipped? Nah. No way I'm LAZY!)

Birthday Pics

Last Wednesday was Avery's actual birthday. Her friend, Lilly wasn't going to be able to attend the "official" party so we had her over after school for cake and play time.

I actually think Avery would have been fine with just this as her party. They played in the water, she got presents and cake, and we all went out to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner. Here she is, in the PPP parking lot. I let her choose her own outfit.

Yes, I think she would have been fine without an "official" party. But, we had one anyway.

Here's the "official" cake. (I think it's every bit as awesome as a fancy bakery cake...and it's a cheap one from the neighborhood Kroger!)

Obviously, we went with a Rock Star theme.

The kids dressed the part.

My mom said she thought the kids (invited to the party) were too young for Guitar Hero.

I say there's no such thing as too young to rock!

See?

Happy 6th Birthday, Doodlebug! We love you bunches!

Guess Who is 6 Years Old Today???

One of my favorites

I was going through some old stuff this morning and came across one of my favorite pictures of all time.


It's a picture of my brothers and I, doing God knows what, in the spring of '99. I love how young we look, I love that we're all grinning so big and obviously having a great time. We were camping at Ft. Gibson lake in Oklahoma...the only thing I can say about that trip is that I learned to enjoy beer for breakfast.
A few marriages, kids, and mortgages later, I'm not sure we could ever replicate that kind of carefree silliness, but I'm thankful to have memories like this!

(P.S. In case anyone is wondering why my sister wasn't in the picture, she had probably just turned 17 and was still in high school. My parents would have never let her out of the house with a bunch of nut jobs for a three day camping trip with no adult supervision. Wait. I was 26. That's technically an adult, isn't it? Is it possible I wasn't as mature as I should have been?)

He's TWO!!!!

I can't believe my baby is already two. In fact, I wouldn't believe it at all if he hadn't started yelling "NO!" at me and frowning at me at least 200 times a day.

His 2nd birthday was Saturday and we had a mini-party at home with just us and my dad, his Pa Pa. Here he is first thing Saturday morning, opening his first gift.

New shoes, which may not seem like a fun gift for a 2-year-old, but he loves shoes. Plus, they make him run super fast. See?

(He had pajamas when he woke up, but somehow, all three kids ended up in undies only.)

Here he is blowing out his candles on the ugliest cake in America. I saw a picture of an adorable cake on a box and thought I'd try to make it. I could tell early on that mine wasn't going to be adorable so we just threw some icing and sprinkles on it. The kids thought it was the coolest cake ever, but I'm extremely thankful that this cake was just for family.

His playgroup friends came over Monday and we celebrated again.

Here he is, blowing out the candle on his official cake. He said it was "Awesome," which is his latest new word and my absolute favorite. I make him say it at least 5 times a day.

Happy Birthday, Big Tuna. No matter how big you get (and how much you prefer your daddy and snub me), you'll always be my precious baby boy. LOVE YOU!!!

Wrapping Gifts

Tomorrow is Rhett's 2nd birthday. I've had his gifts for a few weeks, but just realized today that I hadn't wrapped them. I did fine until I got to the big present.
Notice anything strange about this bag?







I have tons of gift sacks in the closet. The problem is, all of the Happy Birthday ones were small and all of the bigger ones were pink "BABY" bags. I'm not going to load up three small children just to go to the store and spend $4 on a gift bag..
I settled on this one for two reasons: 1) He loves Dora; and 2) He can't read.
Feliz Navidad, Third Child. Just because I wrapped your birthday gifts in Christmas bags, does not mean I love you any less!

He's Just Organized

I happen to think it's precious that he's so precise about things like this. Plus, I love that he puts his dishes in the sink and keeps his cars lined up neatly and that he wipes up after himself when he spills something. Yes, I think it's precious, so I don't want anyone sending me a pamphlet on "Signs Your Kid May Be Rainman," or flyers touting seminars on "The Obsessive-Compulsive Child." I choose to believe he got my organizational gene and that it's my good fortune that this gene has made itself so obvious before he's even 2 years old. So there. Nothing odd about it.

Crossed Signals?

I think that somewhere along the way, we got our signals crossed.

Here's our precious little GIRL, Avery, at a flag football game recently.

(Note: She won the headband at the pizza place the night before. I, for one, am devastated that it has gotten misplaced.)

Now, here's Rhett. our big strapping, young BOY. Wearing a princess dress.

I promise he wanted to wear this. And, just to be clear, his dad put this on him. I'm not sure he thought I was going to post it on the internet, but hey, we're all friends here, right?

(Note: I'm so happy to have a husband who is so secure in his own masculinity that he'll let his baby boy wear a dadgum princess dress anytime he dadgum well pleases!)

So, we've got a girl who thinks she's a boy and a boy who wants to wear dresses. Thank goodness Reese is normal.

Wait.

Reese races imaginary friends and picks her nose while she sucks her fingers. God help us.

No Story Behind This Picture...

I just happen to like it.

The Latest Face

This look has become a constant around here lately.

He could be saying No, juice or shoes (My personal favorite is Duuuuude). He can pretty much bring fish lips into any situation and it will make me laugh. Even when he's saying, "No," and frowning. It still makes me smile.

Left Out

Avery's friend, Lilly is here. They, along with Reese and Rhett, went outside to play. They get the only two swings and won't let Reese do anything. She is, understandably, frustrated and things start going back and forth and it ends with Reese telling them she's not their friend. Avery and Lilly are mad and they storm inside, vowing to watch a movie "by themselves, with no rude people." A moment later, Reese came in, wrapped her little arms around my legs and said "I just want my big sister back."
It was almost too much for my heart to take.

Mealtime at Our House

This is mealtime at our house, in a nutshell. Avery and Reese are usually pretty good. Ok, Avery is pretty good. She knows that, if she wants a treat for dessert, she has to eat the majority of her food without whining. Reese understands the dessert part, but hasn't mastered the "no whining" rule. But Rhett? He hasn't learned any of it. He starts screaming the second I put his plate in front of him, unless it's macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets, and doesn't stop crying until the vile plate of food is removed, which is when everyone is finished. Mealtime is so pleasant lately. Luckily, he loves fruit, cheese and yogurt, so we do have some healthy choices for him, but I refuse to make different food for my kids, so he gets a "kid lunch" and whatever I make for dinner. He rarely eats any dinner, then spends the rest of the evening whining and asking for 'nacks and I find myself saying, no fewer than 12 times each night, "You can't have snacks if you don't eat a good dinner."

He better grow out of it soon....Skinny Tuna just doesn't sound as good as Big Tuna.

I don't know about you....

...but I think Reese may have outgrown the OSU cheerleading uniform.

The tag says 18 mo. Not sure why it was in her drawer, but she loves it. Here she is after her bath, wearing it as a nightgown. Three days ago, she wore it with black pants to the grocery store. Not many people could pull it off, but I like her sense of style.

P.S. Could someone please tell Avery she is a precious, beautiful, 5-year-old GIRL, for Heaven's sake????