Rough Sunday Morning

I usually get up and go to church on Sundays, but I leave Tucker and Matt home and just take Cameron. So much easier that way. I had to laugh when I got home at close to 11 and here these two were watching tv. I swear, boys start early with the tv and the recliner. I love that he even has his hands behind his head like, "this is good, I'll just stay here all day." And Matt looks like he really had a rough night, but it may be just a bad shot. Anyways, here are my boys.

Fall is in the air....

Fall is in the air....actually, all that I smell this morning is that nasty grass fire that is burning outside of town, but it's coming and I can tell. Tuesday we drove to Cascade to stay with Matt. All of the logging crew and family are staying at Clear Creek, which is about 7 miles outside of Cascade. It was a fairly nice place, good for the kids so we did a lot of "exploring", treasure hunting, and playing in a nicely located sand pile. I finished a book and a half while they played in the sand, so it was a good time. Yesterday they got up at 6. I don't know what the excitement is about waking up in the trailer, but they were ready to get up and get outside. It was freezing. I made them wait while I drank two cups of tea to get warmer outside, but to no prevail. We bundled up and headed out. By 10:00 am we were bored with that space, so we drove to McCall to look for some beaches, but in reality, there's a great craft/quilt shop up there that I love to go to. Unfortunately, Tucker hates shops that involved crafts, decor, clothing, or anything other than toys or food. We didn't last very long because I didn't want to have to pay McCalls's prices on something if he chose to throw up on it.

We ate lunch at Lardo's, which is delicious, but spendy. Tucker had a $5.00 hot dog. I swear, I can understand on other foods, but a hot dog is a hot dog. Oh well. Then we drove around looking for a beach, but there were so many people and my dog is out of hand so we decided we were more "Cascade" type beach people and drove back with the kids saying "How much longer to the beach?" the whole 30 minutes. We went down by the main dock in Cascade and again, the kids were fascinated with exploring, the water was shallow so they could wade around, and I read my book. Wonderful until Cameron brought me a dead fish head and wanted to know where his eyes were.

We left about 3:30 to drive home and it was 82 degrees in Cascade, it was 98 when we got back to Emmett. It was an absolutely beautiful drive home. Love late summer drives in the mountains. I always have to put on the Fleetwood Mac CD The Dance while I drive windy roads. And of course that makes me turn off the A/C and put the windows down and just appreciate nature and good music. I bought that CD when I was driving back and forth between Montana and Idaho during college, it just says "Road Trip" to me. So do that Dixie Chicks CD's but they were at my house. It's amazing how reminiscent I'm getting with music and I'm only 28! Imagine what I"ll be like when I'm old.

And speaking of being reminiscent, I have a new project that I'm working on. My life story. I've decided that I have reached a point where I have some stories to tell (and some that I will still keep quiet) and some advice and wisdom to give. I think for the most part people wait until they're too old to record their stories and of course perpspectives change, advice will change, and we will ultimately grow wiser. I want my unwise, younger day perspective to be heard and recorded. I think it will be amazing to go back and read it when I am old and wise. So, I've found a life story kind of fill in the blank book and I'm working on my own version. I'm sure CAmeron will love it when she turns 28 and wants to see what I was doing then. I can just hear the sighs now. It's bad enough her entire life is documented in scrapbooks, but now, she can read what I have to say about life. Poor girl. I can't help it, I love to document life. I think that everybody has a story to tell and sometimes I think we're all missing a huge opportunity by not telling those stories. It's so easy to forget the little things.

And, because I ramble a lot when I'm not posting pics of the kids, my goal tonight is to get my photos of July and August downloaded and post some new pics. ENOUGH of this philosophy bullshit, we all just want to see some pics of cute kids!

Have a great day! We're off to Music and Movement class and then home for laundry and cleaning.

Why do I do this to myself?

I just signed on to teach the Junior High Religious Education class at my church for this school year. I can barely make it to church on time with my kids, it's stressful and a disaster every week, but yet, I think that I can teach the Junior High. This is the worst week of my entire year because all of my friends are teachers and they are all going back to teaching and I am not. I love the fact that I get to stay home with my kids. Every week but this week. I love teaching and I get pouty and down and depressed because I don't get to go and start setting up a classroom and smell new pencils and new tennis shoes. And then, in two weeks, when the newness has worn off and the school doesn't smell like pencils and new shoes any more, but it smells like cafeteria gone bad and body odor, and my friends are bitching about their newest kid who is trouble, I am so happy to be home with my own little monsters.

But I still get depressed this week. I love school. So, to make up for not going to school next week, I have decided to teach religious education to a bunch of kids who hate being there and have a ton of attitude. I think it will be good, however.

Wish me luck. Teaching junior high should earn me a few points towards redemtion in the eyes of God. I hope.

A poop story

I just had to share this poop story with you. So if you don't like stories about kids bowel movements, I'd skip this post.

Cameron was outside playing yesterday and here she comes running like she's Forest Gump inside and straight to the bathroom. She's not in there very long when I hear the dreaded, "COME WIPE MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" So I go do my duty as Mom and out the door she goes again running as fast as she came.

Not even two minutes later, here she comes again running like the wind. As she's running through the living room she says, "Here comes another poop! I don't know what my deal is!"

Matt and I were laughing out heads off.

Garage Sale time

I have decided I must be missing some sort of "sentimentality" gene. I have no problem getting rid of my kids stuff. I just put Cameron's whole baby crib bedding out in the garage to sale, and I looked at it and I thought, my how that reminds me of when she was little, and then I put a price on in and walked away. If I save it, I'll just get rid of it when it's 20 years old and nobody will want it, so why not? Why don't I want to save it? I also think somethings wrong with me in the sense that I have never held a baby and had baby fever. I just don't. In fact, I have the opposite. I almost get anxiety thinking that it may be me that has to take care of one. I love my kids more than anything, but I just don't wish to go back down that road.

Matt always says I have a soft heart with a hard ass shell. I think he may be right.

One of my Favorite Stories ever!

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the U.S. postal service.
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have.. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

Monday Monday

I'm having a lazy day. Actually, I shouldn't say that, I have already mopped the floor and vaccuumed, but that is going to be about it for the day. I am getting ready to have a yard sale on Friday and I am just not very motivated to start sorting things. But, I need to get that going.

We found out today that Matt's brother Jake and his wife Ashley are expecting a little boy in January. I had about decided that it was going to be a girl so I was shocked when they said boy. That makes Cameron the only girl on the Brown family side, with 3 boys from Luke and Becky, her brother Tucker and now another boy cousin from Jake and Ashley. We call her the Queen Bee and she is very much the boss of all cousin situations. I can just see her out in the yard playing football with all of them and being just as tough as they are. I'll be surprised if she isn't the only girl all together out of that side, but I guess time will tell.

I have two card swaps that are due any time, guess I should look up that, and our monthly local swap to get started on. I also have cards to finish swapping out from our last swap. And I am only caught up to Christmas on my scrapbook. I am looking forward to some cooler weather so I can stand to be up in my bonus room (heat rises) and actually get to scrapping again.

This past weekend we watched Gran Torino (I know, everybody has already seen it) and I thought it was pretty darn good, even though I can't stand Clint Eastwood. I also watched The Duchess, with Kiera Knightly, which was EXCELLENT. Of course it goes right along with my love for British history made fiction. What an awesome lady! If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend it.

Off to Cascade

We are off to Cascade today. It is windy, rainy, and cold here. I can't imagine what it will be like up there, but we are still off. Matt has a bass fishing tournament tomorrow morning on the lake and we are going to entertain ourselves until 4:00 which is the weigh in. Should be a good time. The kids are dying to swim and I am dying to enjoy the sun and I'm not sure if either of those things will happen, but we're off to try. I'm thinking of taking a few good books and the portable DVD player and enjoying a lazy day inside, but I doubt the kids will go for it. We'll see.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

I can't believe that Cameron is four years old today! It seems like not long ago that we were celebrating her first birthday with a full blown luau, as seen below....When she turned two, Tucker was just about 10 days old and she was all over the place, enjoying her new toys. Here is a picture of her with her playhouse she got for her 2nd birthday. So sweet.What a difference a year can make. Here is her third birthday. SHe is really starting to look like a little girl instead of a baby. She LOVED her birthday this year. Loved everything about it.And here she is just recently, this is not a birthday party shot because I'm lazy and I haven't downloaded them yet, but they're coming. She is such a sweet princess of a little girl. Full of life and asking a million questions about everything. I am so lucky to have such a sweet little girl for a daughter!

Class Reunion--fab or flop?

So I have officially been to my ten year reunion. I just keep thinking about when I graduated from high school, the idea of a ten year reunion seemed so far away, and now, I turn around and has it been ten years or has it been five minutes? Isn't it funny how life just goes? I swear, ten years used to be a long time, but lately, ten years doesn't quite seem like enough time. Tucker is two. Cameron is four. And in six more years, Cameron will be ten, and half way grown. And it will happen in the blink of an eye.

I fear that I will turn around again and I'll be sitting at my 20 year reunion. Hopefully it will be a little more planned than this one, because we seriously hung out at the park for a family picnic, which was fine, and then the whole adult get together got cancelled and moved and I missed it because we had other plans and then it flopped big last night at the rodeo in town. Of course it was great to see the few that I saw, but there were a lot more than I would have liked to see again. I'm almost wondering if facebook and myspace has taken the place of the need for reunions at all. I was not surprised to see anyone in particular because I'd seen everybody roaming around online.

Today will be a day of rest. I am so tired from this past week! We have been cleaning and preparing for two big birthday parties, and I also helped chair our first vacation bible school at church, which required loads of work and preparation and then ended with a hugely successful week. I taught preschool and had 10-15 kids all five days. We got down on the floor and sang songs, played games, and used a lot of glue and glitter. It was so rewarding and great to be back in the swing of things as far as teaching goes.

Well, I think I'll hit the shower and then see what condition the kids are in for breakfast. I actually think they may have given up on me coming downstairs and fixing anything and they are eating chips. I'm a great mom today.