Show Me The Money Honey!

My cousin has been in town for a few days and she has a daughter, Madison, just a week older than Sofia. The girls had been finding money around the house...we're talking dimes, quarters, etc.. My Mom told Madison that she could keep any money she finds. Sofia overheard this and went running off to my Mom's room, coming out with 2 twenty dollars bills that she "found" earlier on the dresser! I never did find out the outcome of this story....is Sofia $40 richer, or did she have to give the money back? lol. I may have to hit her up for a few dollars.

Bunko and a Broken Heart

Wednesday night was Bunko night at my house, which also happened to be basketball practice for Darius that Ewan had to coach, so, there was no option but for them to be out of the house. Of course, they were going to have to kill a little extra time because no kids or spouses allowed in the house during Bunko time. (It's not that serious, I'm just being dramatic.) Anyway, it happens to be my birthday on Sunday. (I'll be like Baskin Robbins...31 Flavors. That's just what pops into my head when I think of 31.)

Anyway, they came home, super excited about their shopping excursion. (And, they came home REALLY late I might add.) Dad must have forgotten about baths, showers and um, bedtime, because bunko ended before 8:30pm and they didn't get home until close to 10pm. I was worried about them until I talked to my Mom, who happened to be working at the mall that night, and called to tell me about this cute little family she just saw, that happened to be mine. :) (That was about 9:25pm)

They arrive home and after cleaning up the bunko mess, which wasn't too bad, and enjoying my time alone on the couch, I had to deal with the hustle and bustle of now preparing them for the next day. As if it wasn't late enough, Sofia lost her mind. Well, not literally, but seriously. This little girl was breaking my heart. All of a sudden she cried, saying, "My brain can't stop thinking about telling you what we got you for your birthday." I tried to brush it off and tell her it was supposed to be a surprise and that surprises are fun. That did not work. At all. She burst into full on tears, saying she just couldn't handle it. She did tell me that the present was now with Grandma, so I tried to convince her to call Grandma and talk to her about it. Yeah, that would be fun. I picked up the phone, dialed Mom and gave Sofia the phone. The only thing my Mom heard was sobbing. So, I had to get on the phone, explain the situation and then give Sofia back the phone. Terrible idea. She really was breaking my heart, watching her cry like that over a present for ME! She was so sad!

I sent her out to talk to her Dad about it. He said, it's a B-B-Basketball Goal. (Some of you may know where that came from.) That didn't help either.

Finally, I layed her in bed with me and asked her if I could guess what it was. I got some big smiles, and when I started guessing, I got some big laughs too....

Me: "Is it a...Christmas tree?"
Sofia: "No!"


Me: "Is it a snuggie?"
Sofia: "No!"

Me: "Is it a watch?"
Sofia: "No!"

Me: "How many presents did you get me?"
Sofia: "Two."

Me: "Is it a purse?"
Sofia: "Yes."

Oops, I may have gone too far, but it did stop the tears and made her forget about it. I haven't heard a word about it since, but we'll see what I get for my ThirtyWonderful Birthday on Sunday!

Memories last a lifetime

What a flip flopped week. Thursday started out horrible...as in, super-busy, car insurance mini-disaster, soccer practice rained out, straight from work to a Pampered Chef party...luckily, I work from home and the party was across the street! And Friday, was fantastic!

Friday, I got to watch one of the neighbor girls and it was so fun to watch her pretend and play. She did discover the Baby Alive doll and how it went potty. When the kids got home, she was anxious to show them. She squeezed the water into the doll's mouth and kept pulling the diaper down. The doll suddenly shot out water across the room and nailed my arm! That created a lot of laughs!

The girls were playing with pretend jewelry and I had the idea to set up a jewelry store. I told them each to go get a purse from Sofia's room and we set up shop, playing for hours. There were several quotes I wish I could remember. At one point, the boys came out and Darius pretended to "rob" the jewlery store. He thought it was funny, but I advised against that type of behavior. So, instead, the boys started shopping at the jewelry store when it "went global" according to Cole, and we set up outside. The jewelry gave the boys super powers.

It was such a great days since there wasn't a lot of fighting, really none actually, and we only watched The Princess and the Frog and started Aliens in the Attic, but got too busy playing jewelry store.

We only had one soccer game this morning and then Sofia plays tomorrow. And next week is the long awaited debut of Darius playing basketball for the first time. We waited until he showed an interest in it and he finally said he wanted to play. So, Ewan will coach yet another team. For the next few weeks, soccer and basketball will overlap and Sofia is starting a cheerleading class for the next month or so. It's pretty much going to get chaotic at the Auguste household. But, it's going to be lots of fun and I am looking forward to it.

For those that don't have kids, you do not realize how quickly this time flies. Honestly, it is so scary. So, we do what the kids want to do and there will be plenty of time during the years when they don't want anything to do with us. We can't do it all, but we enjoying the balancing act, and still trying to have some down time at home with each other. We feel so thankful for what we have been blessed with and despite the stress and chaos of our busy schedule, we are making memories that will last a lifetime.

Psalm 78:4
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

Thank Heaven for Big Brothers :)

I completely dreaded the days of kindergarten after two years of preschool and having to wake Sofia up. She is not a morning person. Her hair was a mess, she wouldn't wear socks, wouldn't wear panties. It was basically a total nightmare. I dreaded it the 3 days a week that I actually had to get her ready. So, all I could think about was the fact that at the start of kindergarten, I would have to do it 5 days a week!

Luckily, the Happy Morning Gods have shined upon us. Everyone wakes up without a fight. The braid has kept me sane. Undo it in the morning, no tangles, beautiful hair. Thank you Lord.

Despite the few tears at school at the end of the last two days, Sofia is really enjoying it. I have gotten two different stories from two different kids, trying to explain why these tears occur. Apparently, Sofia thinks the school day is just a little too long. When they are getting rounded up to head in the gym to get on the bus, Sofia breaks down and is ready to go. But, never fear, Big Brother to the rescue! Mrs. Switzky goes to get Darius to come stand by his sister. He really is a great brother. On the first day of school, they were eating breakfast and out of the blue, Darius patted Sofia on the head and said, "Have a great first day of school Sofie." It was so sweet. No one was talking and that's what he had to say. He really does love her, even though he chooses to "beat" her up sometimes, or take her things.

So far, the start of the 2010 school year seems to be a success. Only two days down. We'll see where this new adventure in life takes us!

Have a Schlitterific Day!

Okay, so the Negative Nancy attitude that some people have about Schlitterbahn can just stay home. There's a reason that I only have pictures from our mini-vaca include everything BUT Schlitterbahn....we were too busy having fun!

Friday night started off at the Holiday Inn Express, where we discussed what would be served at the complimentary breakfast, where Kids Eat Free. Hmm. Does that make sense to you? I am not even a breakfast person, but was fascinated with what stuff they might have. I knew there would be no bacon and waffles, and Ewan was convinced there would be. No bacon. No waffles.

We went to the T-Rex cafe on Friday night. Been there before, but Janel hadn't and it's kid-friendly. Sort-of. Unless you're Sofia and you're afraid of everything but water. It was delicious and we ended up celebrating Sofia's birthday there. Why not? I mean, give the girl a cookie and some ice cream. Fun times.

Walked around Legends for awhile and got the kids some shoes at the only store that was open at this time. Played in the fountains. All around, a great time. But, still just leading up to the point of the trip....SchlittTrip 2010!

Long story short, I bought our tickets on ebay (Thank you Stacy!) and the deal was too good to be true. I was just sure we would get to the gate and have to slap down the credit card and pay another $130 on top of the $58 that I got 4 tickets for. Yes, 4 tickets for $58.00. Total. So, we paid less than $15 bucks a head. But, after actually going to Schlitterbahn and experiencing the most awesome attraction...

The "Wavy River" (that's what we renamed it) and, the Shawnee North "Lazy River" is now renamed Lamo River. Things will never look the same there again. It can't be called Lazy River anymore because you can't be lazy there, you actually have to do some work to get yourself going. The "Wavy River" (actually called the Torrent River) will do all the work for you, however, it is fun to position yourself against the outside wall in order to catch the full height of the wave. I could go on and on about this, but I will stop. Just go experience it for yourself.

And, if this day wasn't already amazing, Shelly and Nelly took us to an amazing Jamaican restaurant, G's Jamaican Cuisine.Un-believeable. I like food and all, but when I take a bite and start making noises, it's pretty darn good. Brown Stew Chicken. Out of this world. Sofia of course got chicken tenders and fries, but those things were awesome too. So, she says she's going back and getting the same thing. Whatever. Suit yourself, I will be branching out and trying some more Caribbean food. I told Ewan on the way home that regular food just doesn't taste good anymore. There's no flavor explosion. These island people know how to cook. No air conditioning in the restaurant. You walk in and feel like you walked straight into a place on the actual island. You can't beat that. Darius just walked in from riding his bike and randomly started talking about G's. We had authentic Jamaican "pop," Kola Champagne and Cream Soda and they loved it. Obviously. They can't stop talking about it.

So, 11pm and we roll into the driveway. A fantastic time had by all and SchlittTrip 2010 was a HUGE success. We missed the rest of our Caribbean Crew, but we're not leaving you behind next time. No crew member, or wife or kid left behind!

It's 12:45am and I am blogging...

Long boring day, what am I still doing awake? Sofia is on the couch next to me, snoring. Darius is laying in his bed, coughing, as usual. And, I should be in bed. Thursdays are now my Friday due to my latest work schedule, so I guess I am just taking advantage of my awesome 3 day weekend.

I seriously wish I had something entertaining to share, but I just don't. I am topping off this boring day, with a boring blog. I guess that would be starting off this day with a boring blog. Maybe I will wake up and have something important to share. A cool dream or something. Until then, goodnight. :)

Isn't it Ironic? Dontcha think?

Well, we live in Kansas, so I suppose rain at the most inopportune time is VERY likely. What goes better with fireworks than water? i.e. rain.... Actually, I can think of MANY things that go better with fireworks. The pool, water slide, horseshoes, water balloons. Everything I had planned for the Caribbean Night/Birthday/4th of July/Anniversary celebration. It felt like we were staring at the rain all day long, waiting for it to stop. It would sprinkle, pour, sprinkle, pour. Repeat.

The dominoes went on. The music went on. The food, went on and on, and on. The rain went on. Watching the radar, eating some more, playing in the rain. Rain seemed to be the guest of honor, and then, finally, a ray of hope.

The rain stopped just in time to go load up on fireworks, return home, get dark and light them off. It was definitely a memorable time for me at the fireworks stand. Sloshing around in mud, and somehow, I was the only who left with mud splattered up the back of my legs, all over the back of my shorts and squished between my flip flopped toes. I wish I had a picture of this lovely sight. My husband sent me straight to the shower when I got back. Apparently, this mud mess didn't look quite right on my rear.

We had a slight mishap with the neighbors firework falling over and everyone ducking for cover. I did run away and slipped in the garage falling on both of my knees, but did go back to try and snatch up my kids. By then, I think the scare was over. But, when you have shots firing all different ways and you don't know where the next one is going, things turn into chaos mode. The important thing is, I remembered to go back for my kids, even if it was slightly after the fact. Oops. I think everyone was a little weary of lighting anything...for the next few minutes.

Sofia survived the noise and she actually enjoyed herself, despite needing a nap "right now" in the middle of the day. But, Grandma Pam let her sleep on her lap, and then she was good to go.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the evening. Sometimes you are just too busy to take any pictures. And somehow, I woke up to a clean house, all of the dishes done, not many fireworks outside to clean up and everything back in it's place. Thanks to all of our wonderful Carribean crew guests, WU family and my Mom and Grandma for helping keep things under control and picked up throughout the night. The 1st annual cul-de-sac 4th was a fun and exciting one, despire God's little rain display. But, he was generous enough to open up the floor just in time for the lightening of the fireworks. Isn't it ironic? Dontcha think?

Time for an update, just to say I blogged today.

Wow. There has been absolutely nothing to blog about lately. Nothing really interesting, besides all of the sickness at our house, which is definitely not fun to blog about. So, I will spare you the details. I could have been blogging about the Hammers successes, but I didn't want to jinx them. They did end up with a 1st place finish for the regular season and are now in tournament play. I am just going to let them have fun with this. In the end, they will still get a tropy for being first place in the regular season. It's been a long few months, but I know Darius has had a blast!

But, today is a Happy Birthday day. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. The beginning of July is big for us....July 1st - E's birthday. July 3rd - our anniversary (7 great years!) and then of course, July 4th - Independence Day!!!! And, for us, that means, food, friends and fireworks.

Apparently, we have a family tradition of staying at home on the 4th of July. We're not allowed to go anywhere. People can come to our house, we just can't go to others. I do appreciate that my husband gets these things in his head, and they mean a lot to him. So, this year will be a big collaboration of celebrations.... the birthday, the anniversary, Caribbean night and the 4th. I think I may actually be leaving something out, but that doesn't matter. The show must go on.

This will be our first year of having the 4th at the cul-de-sac and we are excited. I was kind of hoping that more of the neighbors would be home so we could have a big outdoor party, but it sounds like some of them will be out for awhile. I wanted to share our bakes and rum cake! But, we will still have a great time. Regular Caribbean night activities will resume in August, just before school starts. Wow. That is so crazy to even think about. So, let's don't.

We did kick off the week on Sunday with a great day at Phil's house. There were blow up water slides, a bouncer, the trampoline, the pond with paddle boat and diving board, and of course food, friends and fireworks. The 3 key F's. Unfortunately, Sofia was sick and didn't participate much in the evening. She had to be rescued by her Grandma Pam Cockerham. Thank Goodness for Grandma's to come and save you. I am sure she was feeling much better after some TLC from her. She was like a new kid when we went to pick her up. And, also a big thanks to Lisa for the Motrin. It was truly a lifesaver that night!

So, the countdown is on. Only 2 more days until the 4th of July. Happy Birthday America!

Take me out to the ballgame....

Am I seriously about to post this? Really? Admitting that I can't get enough of watching the Mini 7's play baseball? Wow. Who am I?

So, around February, some of you may have read my posts complaining about all of the baseball practices and how I hate baseball anyway, and Darius isn't going to like it, blah, blah, blah... Well, I take it all back.

The Hammers have been working so hard and have been pulling out wins all season. It has been so much fun to watch them work together and get excited to keep winning. They have been told that they can't assume they will win, and I think they all realize that, and that is very important, since they are currently undefeated. I don't even like to say that out loud. They seem too little to be keeping score and standings. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing. I haven't decided yet.

Win or lose, I will be proud of those Hammers and how well they have done this season. We've got three days straight of baseball coming up, and I actually don't mind. (And, I'm sorta tan from being forced to sit in the sun for two hours at a time, days in a row.)

Go Hammers!

CBN Memories

According to Darius, Caribbean Night has been one of the best things ever invented since moving. This is supposed to be an exclusive event and I could get in trouble for sharing so many of the details, but I just can't help it. There are so many memorable quotes, photo ops, candid kids and grown adults, just having a great time.

Darius woke up this morning and said...

"Could you please just play the Ragga Ragga song?" Darius had a great time dancing around the entire house and this was one of his favorites, although he has already complained about not letting him hear Justin Beiber. Hmmm....

Then, he walked into the kitchen and shook his head and said, "Man, this Caribbean Night, all we had was meat and grains and cheese. That would be a milk product." I guess he forgot about the cheese balls, cupcakes, cake, spinach and artichoke dip, Twizzlers, hershey kisses, some secret food that the Committee wouldn't share and cheesecake that never even made it out.

Now, the girls just float around the house. You don't hear much out of them, but they have their baby dolls and push their strollers. (Since there is so much space) And, baby Sean is up and walking. I can't wait for him to start talking!

This Caribbean night was particularly special due to the graduation of three of the committee members. The 4 members of the Caribbean Committee are now all proud alumni of Washburn University. Congratulations to 4 SMART BODS!

Darius walked up to one of our newest Caribbean Night regular, Janel, and said, "Ya know what?" Janel acknowledged him and Darius said..."My Dad's a Master." Now we're all just trying to figure out what he is the Master of.

The 4th of June

So, yes, I may be a little early for the Fourth of July, but in the world of blogs, changing your template is kind of a pain. Who has time to search for a new template when there are so many random things to be blogged about.

I labeled this the Fourth of June, because, that is just around the corner, and then, one short month from then, will be...the Fourth of July.

I don't have anything really exciting to post about, except that I am preparing for a special day tomorrow. It will be a Caribbean Committee graduation celebration extravaganza. Also, good luck to the Hammers! We will miss the game due to Ewan's graduation, but it was easy to choose which was more important. I love watching those Hammer's, but I will love watching my husband even more. Hey, I'm lucky he is even going to graduation!

The Tornado Saga

Well, anyone who has ever read my blog probably knows that this isn't the first tornado dream and certainly won't be the last. If I had the power to block out these terrifying dreams, I certainly would do so.

Last night's episode occured out in an open area similar to the cul-de-sac we live on, but Ewan and the kids and I were actually together, which is a rare occurence. I don't know why it is so much more comforting to have Ewan there in terrifying situations, especially when he thinks tornadoes aren't a huge deal, but, he was there, and I was glad.

This wasn't as long as some previous tornado dreams, but we were all outside playing. Darius was riding his bike when we spotted one tornado. I was motioning for Darius to find this little hole that we would take shelter in. The ground was white, the hole was round and about the size of a frisbee. Darius was able to get in feet first, and I was halfway in when Ewan pointed out another tornado on the other side. He was reaching for Sofia's hand and then I woke up, so Darius was the only one in this strange shelter.

We live outside these days, and the surroundings were familiar, but we are usually surrounded by our neighbors and neighbor kids. In the dream, no one was around. It was quiet and still and then the wind picked up and the tornado appeared.

Since I was awake and couldn't sleep after the dream, I made the mistake of googling tornado dreams, which surprisingly, I have never done before. Of course, there were lots of different interpretations...chaos in your life, the possibility of being uprooted to a new place, etc... but I still attribute these dreams to 1) my fear of tornadoes since I was little and 2) my kids. I started having these recurring tornado dreams when I was pregnant with Darius and for awhile, everytime I had a tornado dream, I thought I was pregnant. I always had such detailed dreams while I was pregnant with both kids, so, naturally, I put the two together. I now know that if I really was pregnant everytime I dreamed about a tornado, we would have outgrown this house long ago!

The "Glee" way

I watched previews for this show, for what felt like an eternity. The commercial with the Don't Stop Believing song got me so excited. I know this is just a show, but I love when I come across a heartwarming, funny, entertaining, not reality show, that just makes me smile. Many of my friends know that I love/loved... to sing. I don't do it much anymore, since I don't have a fabulous group of people to do it with. Of course, the things I miss most about high school are cheerleading and Singers. That shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.

Glee takes me back to the days of getting out of class to go perform at a nursing home, quick changes into our lovely gowns with strapless bra's (or lack of bra's in some cases) and hose and jewelry...the whole nine yards. And who didn't love going in someone's room and waking them up in the middle of the night/super early in the morning and dragging them to Denny's in their pajamas? It does seem strange to me that I don't remember being initiated into Singers. Maybe initiaion came after my first year. I honestly can't remember. It was like 13 years ago!

The music of Glee just makes me happy. I pretty much love every song, whether I loved or hated the original version by the original artist. I usually prefer "the Glee way."

Of course, I am already anxiously awaiting the next episode. There is such a wide variety of personalities. It's easy to get sucked in, even if you aren't into music/singing/glee clubish types of shows. Glee is great entertainment!

Master of the House

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am getting anxious for the school year to be over, and I am not even the one in school! What's with that? Well, I am really looking forward to getting my happy-go-lucky, carefree husband back. He has worked so hard, and spent countless hours on projects, homework, studying for tests and preparing presentations. This chapter in his life will soon closed in a few short weeks. There has definitely not been a lot of complaining on his end, probably more on mine.

I am so proud of his hard work and dedication, and finding a way to balance work, family, coaching soccer and school. I tell him continually how much I appreciate him for everything he does, but I don't think he will ever realize how grateful I am. We have gone through so many obstacles and experienced so much joy together. I know that the best is still yet to come! I'll be ready for this MBA graduate to take back his favorite position...Master of the house. (Or, I will let him think it's his title anyway.) :)

Kindergarten Roundup

Well, the time has finally come. My Sofia will begin kindergarten this fall. I can't believe that both Darius and Sofia will get on the bus together and disappear for the day. What am I going to do?

Kindergarten Roundup was held on Thursday, April 1st, and Sofia really had a great time. They arrived and picked up a Sheriff badge with their name on it. Sheriff Sofia and I headed into the library to begin the process.

They took the kids to do some informal assessments, play and get familiar with the idea of going to school. We took a bus ride around the area and they each received a cowboy hat when they returned. Roundup ended with a visit to the kindergarten classrooms.

I know that Sofia is ready for Kindergarten, but I am not so sure that I am ready for her to go to kindergarten!

How well do you know your husband?

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? ESPN Sportszone or something on the Discovery channel.

2.You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Thousand Isles (Island) if they have it. If not, usually ranch.

3. What is one food he doesn't like? Popcorn. Who doesn't like popcorn?

4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does he order? Lemonade

5. Where did he go to high school? St. Mary's College Prepatory

6. What size shoe does he wear? 13 or 14 depending on the type of shoe

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Naruto episodes

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Subway: Tuna with lettuce tomatoes, green peppers, onions and a little mayo. At home: Roast beef

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Curried chicken would be at the top of the list.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Raisin Bran.

11. What would he never wear? A sweater vest.

12. What is his favorite sports team? I honestly don't know. There are so many teams. He's never been a real die hard fan for any one of them.

13. Who did he vote for? He can't vote.

14. Who is his best friend? There are a few.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Drink Diet Coke. I am still working on this, but not for him. For me!

16. What is his heritage? He is from the island of St. Lucia.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind would it be? No cake. It would be either Passion Fruit Cheesecake or warm apple pie!

18. Did he play sports in high school? He played futbal (soccer) when he was younger, but didn't take on basketball until he was older. Played lots of basketball in college. That's how we met. The rest is history.

19. What could he spend hours doing? Currently, he could spend hours building his kingdom on my facebook account. No wait, I think dominoes with Sheldon, Mo and Troy could even top that. Dominos are endless.

20. What is one unique talent that he has? Letting the sunshine in. This was recently brought to my attention and has lots of different meanings. Good, bad, interesting and inspiring.

FaRmViLlE FaNaTiC

So, I see their point. Yes, Farmville does cut down on productivity, but you have to be smart about it. If you've seen Dr. Phil, you know that there are people out there that their lives truly revolve around planting and harvesting crops. I do not in any way plan my life around whether or not my crops will wither. I think it is funny that it all started out last year, when Ewan wanted to start a garden. He wanted to get the kids up every morning in the summer to go out and water it. I was not thrilled about this, because I wanted the kids to sleep in and not be grumpy. We are total night owls, so summertime usually means semi-late nights for the kids.

So, Farm Town came about and I told Ewan he should just play that. I was joking, but he used my account and started playing. It was actually looking sort of interesting and I didn't want to "mess up" his farm, so when Farmville came out, I jumped on it and started my farm. Of course, in the beginning, all my crops died, and I was like, "What am I doing?" But, time went on, and slowly, but surely, my farm grew bigger and bigger and the coins kept rolling in.

For fellow Farmer friends.... here are my thoughts about Zynga's addictive game:

1. Why am I so disappointed when I click on GET FUEL and I get a small can. EVERY time, I wish it was a Large can! Well, almost! It just seems that way!
2. The Hot Rod Seeder/Harvester/Plow is AWESOME, but when is Farmville going to let me get more fuel without paying real money for it, 'cause that's not gonna happen.
3. Getting fuel from friends farms is pretty much a joke. I want the 75 cans I got for Christmas.
4. I always used to adopt every animal that roamed on my farm, and I sometimes ignore them now. Poor little lost animals.
5. I actually listen to some of the podcasts. I do think that's sad, but I can't wait til I get my puppy!
6. I want to make the farm look good, but it's never big enough and I want to maximize my crop space....thanks to my husband.
7. I wish I could say that I gift everyday, but it's hard because I have so many friends that are listed as Farmville friends, that don't actually play farmville, and they get annoyed when they get presents and they don't play.
8. If you don't play farmville, please remove the application so you don't show up as a farmville friend! Please and thank you! ;)
9. The Valentine and Gold collecting is a little out of control. I am sure FV got exactly what they wanted...a little friendly competition, but that's not really my nature. But, I just collect Valentine's and Gold and go on my merry way. How much you wanna bet it'll be Easter Eggs next?
10. I have $4 million farmville dollars and of course, secretly wish that it was real $. But, who am I kidding?
11. I quit hatching people's eggs until I realized that there are sometimes collectibles in there.
12. I swear, every time I hatch a golden egg, it's a golden chicken, and that annoys me. Especially because some people get cottages and other large items.
13. I want storage to store things that I don't even want on my farm. I don't like selling things. I guess you could say I am a farmville hoarder.
14. Did I really just spend 20 minutes blogging about FV? You bet! I LUV FarmVille!

Snow

SNOW

Which one do you prefer?


You may be beautiful when you fall so gently and light,
but if you visit Google again, you may stir up a fight.



You took over Christmas and church pajama day.
You even made it so cold that no one goes out to play.


Snow usually doesn't bother me, but we've spent too much time together.
I have had enough and am ready for some Caribbean weather!



I'll have to settle for the upcoming Caribbean Night.
We'll crank up the music and pretend we see sunlight.


My husband is from an island, so what is he doing here?
I suppose he couldn't resist me and my Ichabod cheers.


Let's get back to the point, of this very important poem.
The fact that you, Snow, needs to pack up and find a new home!!!

The game of LIFE!

So, a memory may be defined as retaining or recalling a past experience. Aren't we glad we have these memories? I can remember being a little girl, playing in the basement at my house, all by myself for hours. I had the biggest, coolest Barbie house and my Barbie was equipped with every outfit and accessory imagineable.

I can remember my first boy/girl party and whose house it was at. I can remember elementary school and being sent on the wrong bus the very first day of school. I can remember the time that my Mom spanked me and I looked at her and said: "That didn't hurt." That probably wasn't the best response, but I can remember it.

As I sit here, looking at my own children, and watching them make their own memories, I am thankful. Thankful that I am allowed this experience. Life. The thing about life is that, experience is not required. We are experiencing life everyday. Whether it is life 25 years ago, when we were playing Barbie's and doing cartwheels, or life 10 years ago when we were in college....this game is not to be taken for granted. It is always nice to stop and remember how amazing it really is.

I have no idea how I ended up where I am today, but I believe I went down this path that God helped guide me on, and helped me get through difficult levels of this game of life. He helped me score and collect points. Well, that doesn't sound right, but you get the idea! Friends and family helped somewhere along the way. It is hard to believe that I am 30 years into the game. But, I am having a great time. Life is a game. Now go play!

Adjusting to the new position...

Well, we have all heard the term soccer mom. And, I thought after I got a minivan and my son started playing soccer, that I had met the definition or requirements of that title. But, I have quickly learned that is not the case.

I do owe my husband an apology for the slight meltdown I had after the first night of baseball practice. Yes, I do want Darius to be involved and do the things that he wants to do. But, when a child wants to do it all, don't you have to draw the line somewhere? I mean, he wanted to do cub scouts, fine. But then I ended up as one of the leaders. He wanted to do soccer, and Ewan ended up as the coach. Super. And then Darius decided that he wanted to try his hand at baseball. Fantastic.

Well, with Ewan being in school, it truly means that most of this falls to me. I admire Ewan very much for sticking with school and finishing up his Master's, which will be completed in May. (I don't want to jinx him or anything, but since he pretty much get's straight A's, I think he may be safe.)

So, baseball batting practice is on Monday nights, Tuesday nights are cub scouts and soon-t0-be soccer practice, Wednesday nights are Sofia's dance night and Thursday nights will be fielding practice starting next week. So, that means, that every weeknight is officially filled up, except for Friday nights, which will hopefully remain Family Night. Saturdays are taken up by soccer games, birthday parties, Caribbean Night (which sometimes means, Caribbean afternoon into night) and Sundays, church., sometimes meetings, sometimes E has work, preparing for the new week, etc...

My wonderful husband keeps reminding me that he would be taking Darius to some of this stuff if he wasn't in class. But, the thing is...he is in class! It wouldn't be so bad if the facility wasn't CLEAR across town. Literally, couldn't get any farther away. But, I think I am just adjusting to this new lifestlye. I know I am not the only one to go through it, and won't be the last. So, I am willing to let my kids do what they enjoy and sacrifice a little bit of my sanity. I know that we will be right there, watching those games, at that dance recital, and making sure that daddy and the batmobile and mad mom in a mini-van are ready for round 2, and round 3....and round 4.... you get the idea.

Watch out for that....

SOCK BOMB!




I think we started a new fun game at our house. I was sitting on the bedroom floor, folding laundry and the kids were bored. They kept coming in the room. E was laying on the bed, and I was folding...what's with that? Anyway, I grabbed some rolled up socks and started throwing "bombs." And, I started a true explosion alright. An explosion of fun! We literally ran through the entire house, arms loaded with socks. We were hiding at every corner and I was on my own team, while Ewan was laughing at all of us. He probably would have joined us if his knee wasn't swollen to the size of a watermelon. Nonetheless, we had a great time.

The kids kept conversing about where they thought I was hiding, and when they were wrong, E and I were trying hard not to bust out laughing. The laundry room light comes on automatically when you walk by, so this kind of hindered my trying to hide, but I didn't complain too much being bombarded by sock bombs. I mean, at least they were clean!

When it got to the point that Darius was heading to his sock drawer to load up on more socks... I drew the line. I mean, the socks from the folded laundry were already out, but digging out more socks? No thanks.

Sidenote here, a really nice mustang just turned around in the cul-de-sac and it was literally the color of an orange.

Anyway, after round one of the sock bomb war, the kids were begging for me. I was sweating and needed a break, so I went into Ewan's socks and gathered up a bunch of "huge bombs" and after a few minutes, I was ready for more. I don't think it's such a good thing that I now have the kids running around saying. "bomb.bomb.bomb. bomb.bomb.ba-bomb," from Meet the Parents, but we sure had a great time!

The art of Stephanie's snow shoveling

***CAUTION: If you like to shovel snow, or do a good job at it, don't read.***

Okay, so, since I only work part-time, it stopped snowing and Ewan pretty much works circles around me, the least I could do would be to shovel the snow. I mean, I feel like it's the little things.... well, apparently this is not such a little thing.

It seems easy when you think about it, but I must have a few issues going on here. Either a) we have two really crappy shovels (one is a $30 shovel. I feel like that's an expensive shovel, but I know nothing about shovels) or b) the person operating the snow shovel is just really terrible at it.

You should see everyone else's driveway. I think I am not the only woman in the neighborhood to shovel today, but I did witness someone shoveling their driveway and they made it look effortless. And, the driveway is perfectly "clean" or really just wet looking.

So, you should see my driveway. I left a huge patch at the bottom that will remain unshoveled because I am just done. There are little snow patches everywhere, and I promise I really tried my person best because I do like things to be, not perfect, but if you are going to do something, at least do a good job, ya know?

I would take a picture if I wasn't so worn out. But, I am now drenched in sweat and my driveway still looks crappy.

There is only one good thing that came out of this: I got a decent workout and worked up a sweat.

Too Blessed to be....(you guessed it) Stressed!

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED. Ya know, this is a very cheesy statement. But, break it down, and it really does have a lot to say.

This morning, I took some time to really stop and think about all that I have been blessed with. I have been stressed over so many different things in my life...small and large. And, looking back, I am able to see how insignificant those things really were. I am thankful that I grew up in a home that provided a strong faithful foundation, and know that these things in life would be so much harder without God.

Family and friends are definitely a go-to during tough times, but God? You can talk to him anywhere, anytime. Tell him anything, and he'll listen. His answers come, in his own time, but the answer will come. Sometimes, the answer comes along and you don't even realize it, because it may not be the one you were looking for.

I was driving home from dropping Sofia off from preschool, wishing that I would like to switch places with my husband for a day every once in awhile. I don't know how he does it. He goes to work all day, and then straight to class, and sometimes straight to play basketball. He really is too blessed to be stressed! He doesn't have time to be stressed because of all of the wonderful things he has in his life. His strong will and faith have provided him with so many opportunities. The latest opportunity has him in class tree nights a week. (Yes, tree. My favorite number tanks to a few Caribbean people in my life, that I have been Master's Graduation to you baby! I know you can't wait!

So, this "too blessed to be stressed" came out simply out of some little things. It just hit me that we are currently booked up for all weeknights, and with Ewan in class most of those nights, I get to do all of the running. It's cold, we're busy, and I'm over it... already! Monday nights are baseball batting practice, Tuesday nights: cub scouts & soon to be soccer practice, Wednesday nights: Sofia dance, Thursday nights: baseball fielding practice... Saturdays are soccer games, Sundays: church and sometimes basketball for Ewan.

Why am I even blogging about this.... 'cause I am "too blessed to be stressed!"

Shopping, Husbands, Sizes & Shoes

So, most women would probably prefer to shop for themselves, but I had a really great time shopping with my husband last night. I like to shop for him by myself, but it makes things difficult on final size/length decisions. Finding a 3XLT is not an easy feat. So, when you do find something, you almost have to not look at the price, and snatch it up! But, it makes for even more fun shopping when things are on sale, and then they are an extra 30% off AND you are actually able to find things in the right size. And the shoes, those are another story. Let's just say, you missed out a fun time.

Yesterday, Ewan and I were both off for a crazy morning with the kids. Darius' class was going to the KS History Museum and Sofia had visiting day at preschool. So, E and I both went to the museum, and then he split to go to Sofia's visiting day. The day started out very crazy because I was still waiting on approval to be off work. I was supposed to work 10:45am-2:45pm, and it took over a week to approve my time off. I learned my lesson trying to use some special time that I earned off (long story) and ended up having to make 2 trips home to enter the requests. Luckily, since I work from home, I was able to swing by and enter my requests and enjoy the day off with Daddy and Sofia.

So, after the crazy morning, we came home, sat on the couch and went back to work on Mario. It was great, but we were lazy! We had no real desire to go shopping in the freezing cold, but got a call from my Mom telling us about the great sale. So, we had no choice but to keep playing Mario until Darius got home, and then eventually get dressed and head for the mall. It was well worth the trip. We got out alone together, got some great clothes and had a little break from those kids we love so dearly. I always miss them, but am always so grateful for a little bit of time away from them.

As much fun as I had stacking up purchases for the man of the house, I may have to go and find some things for myself...

Wedding Dress

Sofia was talking about my wedding day. She was saying that Grandma Pam and Nanny brought her and Darius to where her Daddy and I got married. She was quite sure this is how it went down.

After some conversation about this big wedding day, I asked her if Mommy was wearing a pretty dress or an ugly dress. (Why I would ask this, I will never know.) She tells me that it was a pretty dress, and then changed her mind to "a little bit ugly." I had to get to the bottom of this. I asked her why the dress was "a little bit ugly" and she said that it is because it was red, and not pink. And she likes pink better. Well, that settles that. Now, I am just trying to figure out where it is that she thinks her Daddy and I got married, and where I was wearing a red dress? Uh, this is going to bug me!

Itsa me, a-Mario! Imma back!!!

Super Mario has partially taken over our lives. Well, not literally, but we have been on a coin mission for the last week, avoiding the last of the Worlds. There has been a lot of yelling, laughing, crying, googling and just plain old family fun!

Darius somehow manages to scoop up all of the best powers to be had. He runs, jumps and sacrifices his lives, all just to be the first to get a coin or jump into a penguin suit. He is our fearless leader and afraid of nothing. Ewan and I get to sit back, shake our heads and say, "Really? Really? You did all of that just for a tiny yellow coin?" And, he says that he did it just for our own good.

Sofia is known as bubble girl. She loves to float along, and "play" the game along with us. Occasionally, she will venture out of her bubble to get some power, but likes to be cozy inside the comfort of her floating bubble.

Dad is the Savior. He comes along and cleans up the mess everyone else has left behind, or he is the only one who hasn't bubbled up, or gets a one up to bring everyone back. Thank goodness for the savior! Darius would be in a world of hurt without him!

I just have fun with it, but also stress out too much. I get super frustrated if we've been working on the same level for hours, making the same mistakes over and over. I guess if anything, it helps with dedication and not giving up?

Well, World 8 is waiting and I hear some going a-ringin' so... here I go!

Caribbean Night

Well, the first Caribbean Night of 2010 is scheduled for this evening. CN seems to gain more speed as each month goes by. I am always thinking up new recipes and things to be served and Ewan is the one that puts them into action.

Tonight, we have on the menu....Guiness Ice Cream. It was our first attempt ever at homemade ice cream and the Guiness part complicated it a bit. But, we didn't mind. We had fun reading the recipe and tripling it, and then doing everything backwards and trying to go back and clarify what we meant. It was quite entertaining.

Then, we had a run in with the actual ice cream freezer. The motor kept getting stuck and would quit turning, but in the end, it worked and we have our very first batch of homemade Guiness ice cream. Ewan told me that it didn't look quite right, that it's a little "browner" than in the Caribbean, and I had to remind him that we are not in the Caribbean. We are doing our best here!

Our wonderful sister-in-law contributed to this month's Caribbean Night. They made the trip from St. Lucia to New York and were gracious enough to provide the dried sorrel flowers needed to make a yummy Caribbean "fruity" drink. The kids had a great time helping with it and stirring it up. They even made a little video to send to Grandma ' Ronica.

Only problem this time....where's the food? It may just have to be pizza.

Now, you may wonder what actually goes on at Caribbean Night. I won't share all the details, but it involves a lot of laughing, dominoes, eating, playing the wii, kids running/crawling around, movies, music and FUN!