Awhile back...

Ashton

Laken

Proud Gabe... no training wheels!

love.


~Thank you Beau & Darcy for coming down to hang out in Winfield! It was great to spend time together!

Satterlee Camp

Gabe, Haylee, Maverik & Whitley

BULLFROG!

& Morning sunshine, smoke through the trees ~ Satterlee Camp.

:)

Emporia - Park & Zoo

Eagles!

Skunks!

If it were a Wednesday...

This would be a Wordless Wednesday post... fun pictures, huh? :)

-Emporia, Ks. Zoo & Park - Sept. 11, 2010

If I had a nickel...

• For every time I've wanted to update the blog...
• For every photo I need to get updated...
• For every mental blog I've composed...
• For all the trashy celeb updates I have read lately. Why do I want LiLo to stay in jail so bad? What's wrong with me!? :)
• For all the mornings I've wanted only to stay in bed!
• For all the nights I've wanted to turn in early... Really early! What is it... the moon?
• For every time I've neglected housework...
• For every time I've left clothes in the washer too long...
• For every time having company over has motivated me to Actually Get the House Clean!
• For all the times lately when I've been 1-2 ingredients shy of being able to cook what I wanted to for dinner...
• For all the times I drive on Empty...
• For every "Don't" "No" "Quit" "Stop" etc... Ugh!
• For every time I've had to carry a boy to bed after he's come in to snuggle with us in the middle of the night...
• For every load of laundry I need to wash Right Now!
• For every day I've wondered if the teacher sent a note in a backpack!
• For every time I've turned the radio off because I couldn't find a station that was interesting...
• For every nice thing someone has done for us lately...
• For all the projects we have going on right now...
• For every time I've thought of deleting my Facebook account...
• For every time lately that I've been reminded, I'm almost 30.

That would be worth at least a buck, right? :)

A quote I loved...

"If a child is given love, he becomes loving...

If he's helped when he needs help, he becomes helpful.

And if he has been truly valued at home...
he grows up secure enough to look beyond himself to the welfare of others."

x

~ Dr. Joyce Brothers (I don't know who she is - just saw this in an email.)

Two Trouble Makers

tonight:

• Gabe & Ashton dumped the salt & pepper shakers out & onto my kitchen table/chairs/floor. Ashton was wearing most of the pepper on his lap, and so I do believe he started it, but then I'm pretty sure Gabe decided it looked fun and so he dumped the salt... ugh.
• Ashton unzipped the bean bag chair and was removing fist-fulls of little styrafoam balls and throwing them onto my kitchen floor.
• I put out an ad - seeking the nearest band of gypsies so I could give these boys away.

:)

Ornery buggers!

From this weekend:

• At least twice over the weekend, I would hear Ashton crying and I would go to where the boys were, and when I got close I would hear Gabe change his tone into this soft, coaxing voice and ask his brother, "oh, did you fall down?" or something of the sort - when I KNOW Gabe had just hit him or taken something or whatever to cause a big fight... ! (Ashton is still too little to really tattle yet, so Gabe thinks he's off the hook!)
• Ashton has taken to biting again. He's also proving his exceptional lung capacity with all his screaming, which he often does just after getting into trouble or just after his brother has made him mad. :/
• Gabe is still into costumes. I find him a .10 cent Batman mask at a garage sale and I'm the coolest mom ever. (bliss!)
• Ashton is still into snuggles. After his nap yesterday, we curled up in the recliner and we both nodded off for a few minutes. He says "snuggle buddy" when he wants me to hold him. :)
• Gabe thinks he should be allowed to go to the refridgerator and get out whatever he wants - even pour himself a glass of juice if he sneaks around the kicthen long enough before I find him! This weekend he pulled a chair over to the kitchen sink and was "getting himself a drink of water" (i.e. running water and playing in the sink.)
• Ashton is a little repeater now, and getting very clear with his words/meanings. He's even trying to mimic his brother at singing songs and things like that. He also says, quite frequently, "Awww, dawnit!" Happy there's no 'm' sound in there, though!
• Last night, for the first time in many months when I've found Ashton sleeping on the top bunk with his brother. He was actually laying on Gabe's arm, snuggled into his shoulder. It was the sweetest thing... :)
• Gabe is easy to get to sleep. "Be a good example for your brother," seems to go a long ways with him. He is very difficult to get to EAT though. He will sometimes chew a single bite endlessly, trying to pass it off like he's really eating.
• Ashton is easy to get to eat his dinner. He will often eat more than his older brother, especially the meat of the meal. He's very difficult to get to bed though. He wants to follow me out of the room every time, no matter how many books I've read or songs I've sung! I hate to get onto him right before bed... but he usually won't go down without a fight.
• Gabe is annoyed that every night Ashton wants to read the SAME book. :) Ashton's favorite right now is 'Go Dog Go!" and about 4 pages before the end Aston is yelling, "a dog party!" because he knows where those dogs are going! :) Gabe picks out different books every night for me to read. I actually love bed time, aside from struggling to get Ashton down.
• Ashton tossed himself onto his bean bag on Saturday morning - but it was pushed up against the kitchen chair so he hit his eye on the edge of the chair. A dangerous - but not serious - accident. :(
• This weekend, Gabe basically painted Ashton's face and forehead with a blue marker.
• Ashton joined me in the bathroom this morning while I was taking a shower. He took a little bath in the sink - covered his head and the mirror with lotion - and did it all while wearing his pajamas plus a superman costume.
• Gabe told me this weekend that Grandma Peggy makes better lunches than I do!

Ornery Buggers!

:) It's a crazy life I live. Work is a zoo, my house is a zoo, my kids are monkeys, and Jermie and I are both exhausted these days. But, I was fairly productive this weekend - got fall/winter clothes ready for the boys and sorted through tons of clothes to get ready for a garage sale. We're having one this weekend - it's Winfield's unofficial city-wide sale weekend, since Bluegrass is going on. I'm mostly wanting to get rid of clothes, toys, and other baby stuff. Everything not sold will be donated away! :)

I know it's all very random lately, but that's all I've got right now!

from bachelor & bachelorette...

To Bride & Groom!

Mr. & Mrs!

Congratulations, friends!

Matt & Alli - I know you're not even engaged yet,

but I enjoyed planning your wedding with you at the Barns at Timber Creek!
www.timbercreekbarns.com

:)

SONNET 116

"Love is ... an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."

First Bus Ride Ever

Today Gabe got to do something Very Special - Ride the Bus for the First Time! Something he told me this morning he has Waited His Whole LIFE to do! :) He didn't even want me to take him to school this morning. "Don't you think it would be cooler if the bus came to our house?" :) Not a chance, kiddo! So, Ashton and I took him in and I made sure the teacher knew he would be getting on the bus, and then Ashton and I headed out... I watched the clock this morning. Gabe is out of school at 11 but the bus ride to Grandma Peggy's is expected to take an hour... She emailed me to let me know he arrived at 11:50, and said that he was actually very sober and serious when getting off the bus. (Who? Gabe? Crazy!) Better yet, she even blogged these pictures of my big boy. 2nd day of Pre-school. First day to visit the school's library. First day to Ride The Bus!

(from Grandma Peggy)

Awww! What a big boy! :)

Good Morning!

There's nothing like a rainy morning to say, "Get back to work, the weekend is over!" Guess I'm up to it - I did get a 4-day Labor Day weekend and was in Denver Tuesday-Thursday last week for a conference... both were incrediable! :)

I don't think I've ever taken such a long haitus from blogging. Writer's block I guess. Coupled with knowing that I haven't downloaded or edited pictures in as much time, and I simply haven't had the time to do it all like I want it to be done... for the record! :)

I've actually had a LOT to blog about. But can I start off with - this may be my favorite time of year. The change of seasons, summer to fall. Warm/Rainy/Fall-like... I'm happy to wear jeans and not tired of any of my fall wardrobe, yet! In Winfield we know it rains in September - how much fun would the Bluegrass Festival really be if they didn't have to evacuate the fairgrounds from flooding!? :) Jermie's working on siding the house though, so while he likes the cooler weather, he's got a much smaller window for getting everything done out there...

The boys are doing good. Great actually. I'm frustrated to hear them still coughing and sniffling. Don't ever know with them if they're sick or have allergies or what to do to clear them up. Can't say that a cough or runny nose has ever slowed those two down though! :)

Gabe started Pre-School on Friday. It was a big day for him. He tells people, "You know what's cool, I started Pre-School and learned to ride my bike on the Same Day!" He is SO proud of himself! And he did - last week he and dad spent a lot of time working on riding his bike without training wheels. He made it to the end of the block from our house - a good distance! Jermie tells him as soon as he can ride his bike from our house to the end of the block, turn around and come back, without stopping or tipping over, then he will earn his Bicycle License. :) (I'm going to have to print out some official thing to give him, because I know he won't forget!)

While he was at pre-school, Jermie and I both had the morning off. I had just gotten home from Denver the night before. We spent a few hours running errands and browsing garage sales, then we went to get him. He was so happy and excited! I was so happy and excited for him! It was not a morning of emotions and sadness. I don't know if I will feel that with Gabe. He's such a social, independent little guy. I know he's fine and I know he's happy! It is sad how fast four years can just fly by though...

Wednesday is what I'm worrying about though. Tomorrow, I drop him off at Pre-School and then go all the way to work... and the school bus will pick him up and take him to Grandma Peggy's! UGH! :? I can't help but think about him not getting picked up and me being half an hour away! I will feel much better to learn there's nothing to stress about with Gabe riding the bus... Let's hope! :) *Sigh.

While I'm sitting here with a few minutes left before one of the boys wakes up, let me think about what I've missed writing about in the past couple weeks...

• A Wedding ~ Brad & Whitley, the bachelor and bachelorette, a beautiful bride! We went with Matt & Alli. Fun night, beautiful place - the Barns at Timber Creek - a renovated old farmhouse north of Winfield. LOVED it.
• Getting Gabe ready for school - doctor, dentist, shots... :/ Haircuts, school supplies, and a new Iron Man backpack... :)
• A big annual meeting at work - lots of pressure leading up to it to get everything in order! But, we showed my presentation, and my boss called me up to the front of the room to say how much she appreciated me, and gave me a little gift for working at the grant office a year. At the end of the day, I felt great and everything turned out pretty nicely!
• Followed by a trip to Denver for the National Prevention Network Research Conference... Learned some, absorbed a lot, had a LOT of fun. Stayed at the Hydatt Regency downtown, walked to the downtown, outdoor mall. Got a chair massage and my toenails painted, ate at some terrific restaurants and tried a lot of new foods, shopped, of course, and really just enjoyed it! :)
• Came home to a dozen red roses - bought for me by my three boys. Jermie insists they were Gabe's idea... :)
• Labor Day weekend, projects at the house, fun times with friends... :)

There's probably a lot more, but the little one is on my lap. He loves to snuggle, and he's so warm and sweet, fresh out of bed. He keeps getting wide-eyed and saying, "Funder!" He's a little scared, but I'm trying to convince him of how cool thunderstorms are! :)

Gabe's sweet word right now is "gypies." As in, "Don't take me to the gypsies!" Except he pronounces it more like, "jippies." :) We end up teasing him more because he's so cute when he says it! :)

Okay, well, that was a long hello. Let's hope I can get some pictures on here soon! I will try! :)