an end to an era...

it's happened.
they have asked for the 'baby toys' to be sold to make room for more BIG KID TOYS! it almost broke my heart to hear it!
we have been collecting these 'Rescue Hero's' and ALL their supplies for years!
24 figures, 2 ships, 3 firetrucks, a armload of backpacks, huge ships...(jack 'won' that one for being potty-trained!)plus much, much more.i think Sam got his first one for his 2cd. birthday.
i admit, i didn't do too much arm-twisting when they said to 'part with them'... you should see how much space they take up! so, if anyone is interested in buying them so that my boys can have some new LEGO, i'm going to be listing them on Craig's List but if you are interested, let me know...i'd be happy to let someone borrow them for awhile (since SOME of my friends,i won't mention names, (Kathy AND Becky) claim they have NO ROOM for them. it's ok girls, i feel the pain...thus the reason I'M getting rid of them!).
i'll even deliver!! :)

after all, i still have about 6 more boxes up in the attic of MORE BABY TOYS!!

ponder these things in your heart.....

max copying down some 'treasures'...

the champion.....

he won.
fair and square.
i secretly said to rye afterwards..."that was so nice of you to let him win!"
"i didn't LET HIM WIN, i just lost my concentration." rye said.

max will NEVER let him live this down. truth be told, he deserves to be gloating...he just learned to play chess. gotta say, this boy knows his stuff.
kuddos max, kuddos!

random things...

KIT....you inspire me! :)


81 Things You Probably Didn't Know Until You Read This:

What Color Is Your Tooth brush ? WHITE, SONICARE.

Name One Person That Made You Smile Today ? MY MOM.

What Were You Doing At 8 Am This Morning? FINALLY DRINKING MY COFFEE AFTER GETTING BOYS ON THE BUS.

What Were You Doing 45 Minutes Ago? DOING MY BIBLE STUDY.

What Is Your Favorite Candy ? NOW OR LATER.

What' s the last thing you said out loud? "THANK YOU" TO RYE.

What Is The Best Ice Cream Flavor? I AGREE KIT, MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP.

What Was The Last Thing You Had To Drink ? WATER. YA, STILL TRYING TO CUT BACK ON THE DIET COKE.

What Is The Longest You Have Gone Without Sleeping? 2 DAYS.

Have You Ever Made A Promise You'd Die To Keep? YES.

Have You Bought Any New Clothing Items This Week? I WISH.

The Last Sporting Event You Watched? WII SPORTS.

What Is Your Favorite Flavor Of Popcorn? X-TRA BUTTER, X-TRA SALT.

Who Is The Last Person You Sent A Message On Facebook? KAY EIDE.

Ever Go Camping? HAVE I EVER GONE CAMPING? DUH. HELLO. I LIVE TO CAMP.

Do You Take Vitamins Daily? NOPE.

Do You Go To Church Every Sunday? YES.

Do You Drink Your Soda With A Straw ? NOPE.

What Did Your Last Text Message Say? I DON'T TEXT.

What Are You Doing Tomorrow? HELPING OUT AT SCHOOL. HELP WENDI PLAN WHERE MY NEW FLOWER BEDS SHOULD BE & WHAT SHOULD BE PLANTED IN THEM. THINK ABOUT MAKING DINNER BEFORE NOON.(IT'S GOOD TO HAVE GOALS.)

Where Is Your Dad? PROBABLY SURFING THE WEB...RESEARCHING SOMETHING HE'S ABOUT TO BUILD OR SOMETHING ONE OF HIS KIDS TOLD HIM THEY WERE INTERESTED IN. HE'S FAMOUS FOR THAT.

Look To Your Left, What Do you see? MY NIGHTSTAND. BURIED UNDER ALL MY CRAP....

What Color Is Your Watch ? SILVER.

What Do You Think Of When You Hear Australia? KATHY.

What did you do yesterday? WENT TO CHURCH, OUT THE BIRCH BAY, VEGGED.

Do You Go In At A Fast Food Place Or Just Hit The Drive Thru? DRIVE THRU WHENEVER POSSIBLE. ISN'T THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF A 'FAST FOOD PLACE'!!??

What Is Your Favorite Number? 89

Who's The Last Person You Talked To On The Phone? BO,WHO IS SELLING TICKETS FOR THE LC PANCAKE BREAKFAST. CALL HIM!!

Any Plans Today? IT'S NIGHTTIME,OFF TO BED.

Biggest Annoyance In Your Life Right Now? ANNOYED THAT I'M NOT MORE DISCIPLINED.

Last Song Listened To? HHHMMMM...DON'T KNOW.

Can You Say The Alphabet Backwards? GIVE ME TIME.

Do You Have A Maid Service Clean Your House? I'M THE MAID.

Favorite Pair Of Shoes You Wear All The Time? MY BROWN MERRILL'S OR MY PINK & BROWN HIGH TOP CONVERSE.

Are You Jealous Of Anyone? NOT THAT I WOULD ADMIT ON MY BLOG. MOSTLY, I'M PRETTY CONTENT.

Is Anyone Jealous Of You? WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO BE ME?? :)

Do you love anyone? HELLO!

What Do You Usually Do During The Day? I DON'T REALLY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. NOW THAT'S JUST SAD.

Do You Hate Anyone That You Know Right Now? HATE? NO.

Do You Use The Word 'hello' Daily ? JUST WHEN I'M BEING A SMARTY-PANTS SO, YES, I USE IT OFTEN DURING THE DAY.

Do You Like Cats? NO, NOT AT THE MOMENT.

Have You Ever Been To Six Flags ? YES.

How Did You Get Your Worst Scars ? FALLING OFF MY VERY COOL, 1970'S BANANA SEAT BIKE, GOING TO FAST DOWN G&G'S DRIVEWAY. MORE DETAILS? JUST ASK. I REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY!

Last Cd Played? KENNY CHESNEY.

Last Time You Cried ? LAST WEEK.

Have You Ever Slept Until 1pm? OH, YES.

List Four People You Tell Pretty Much Anything To? A SHORT LIST. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Laughed Until You Cried? MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT.

Gay Marriage? NO!!! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT ONE!!

Lowering The Drinking Age? NO!!

Who Are The Best Huggers That You Know? I'M NOT A BIG HUGGER. HOWEVER, I WOULD SAY, I LIKE TO HUG LIK THE BEST.:)

Do You Believe In Love At First Sight? NO. I BELIEVE YOU CAN STRONGLY 'LIKE' SOMEONE HOWEVER, LOVE TAKES TIME.

Is There Something You Want To Tell Someone? YES.

Time You Saw Your Father? SAW HIM DRIVING UP OUR DRIVEWAY, IN HIS REALLY BRIGHT ORANGE COAT, ON HIS SCOOTER, IN THE RAIN. IF YOU KNOW MY DAD, THAT DOESN'T SURPRISE YOU.

What Time Did You Wake Up Today? TOO EARLY.

How Old Are You? 38

What Were You Doing At Midnight Last Night? READING.ATTEMPTING TO SLEEP.

What Is Your Favorite Thing In Your Room? MY SILVER SAGE PAINT COLOR.

Where Is Your Best Friend Right Now? IN BED, RIGHT NEXT TO ME,READING.

'gratitude' for my sister..

sister, i'm posting this for you! :)
********************************


Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .

(Chorus)

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please . . .

legacy...

a quiet day here.
house was pretty clean, toilets washed, most of the beds made. i actually dusted which is worthy of a blog entry in and of itself! i vacuumed. emptied the dishwasher but of course, the laundry wasn't caught up. is it ever? i cranked up my i-tunes and enjoyed my 'mellow-inside-day'.
i love those days.
one song that came across my music was a song written by Nicole Nordeman called 'Legacy'. if you haven't heard it, go to Google and try and find it! it's an amazing, powerful song! you all know how much i love lyrics of great songs so i posted the words below. be thinking of how you can leave a legacy for those you will leave behind someday. in the big scheme of life, does it really matter that my house was cleaned, toilets washed, beds made,house vacuumed and dusted? (OK, it matters a bit to me! :))
anyways, ponder away!!!




I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

kissable....

max has these sweet, little kissable lips.
just like daddy.

something shocking....

with his back to me, jackson says....

"mom, tell me something SHOCKING"

"well jack, let's see....mom loves you!"

"WOW, SHOCKING!" he turns around and this is what i see!! (i had him re-inact this for the picture)

a funny, odd child i tell you. :)

sunshine, cold and NON-smelly cars....

someone pinch me. seriously. i woke up with sun pouring into our windows and thought this MUST be a dream! IT WASN'T!! a perfect afternoon to take the boys out to Birch Bay for some good ol' rock & log throwing. admittedly, rye and i spent some time in the car...too cold for us old folks. nothing keeps the boys down though. they would have gone swimming if we let them. lucky for us, this trip we left all the 'wildlife' in the ocean where they belong. most trips we end up taking all sorts of animals home (boys snuck in a bucket "just in case we changed our mind") and then the poor things die a few days later! so it was strictly a rock collecting trip! (just to mention, thankfully, the car didn't smell like a sewer tank when we got home!!)
thank you God for a reminder that spring is right around the corner. i needed that today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE B!

i'm just getting around to posting pictures of my brother Brady's 36th birthday party. (way back on march 1)i can't believe my baby brother is 36. dang, he's old. our favorite thing to do is the 'party grill'. however, can you say CHAOS?????? 7 kids+7 adults= complete mayhem! still a great time. happy birthday dear, dear brother. i'm so honored to be your older (and wiser) sister. i love you buddy.