no more waitin'....

if i had a nickle for every person, over the past few weeks that have said, "i blog-stalk you", i'd be about $2.35 richer. or something like that.

oh, the pressure.

i'm sitting here, in our hotel room, in the middle of tim-buck-two (Laramie, Wyoming), pondering where the past 3+ weeks have gone. i've had nothing but time to blog but have i? noppers. i figured i'd be better to collect ALL the memories FIRST, then blog. (ok, i've been too lazy but whatever.)

well, that plan isn't working out too well for me since i can hardly remember what i did a week ago. or yesterday. or an hour ago.

bear with me while i gimp thru my sometimes cloudy mind.

this is going to be a work in progress so hang in there with me.

back on June 28, i left behind my four boys, in the middle of all the end-of-the-year-chaos. in hindsight, this was NOT a great decision. i spent the entire week away, thinking of all the things i was missing. thankfully, i have very understanding children, a super husband & a gem of a mother-in-law, & amazing family to help me cope with my guilt. (remember, i have guilt issues).

my hub, God bless him, roadtriped it out to Michigan alone. he's a doll. an incredible dad, always looking for ways to make memories with my kids. (more to come on that.)

since my sista & folks were in michigan, i was busy! ya know, doing the normal things moms do when they don't have children around....we drive around aimlessly, relieving our childhood, shopping for absolutely NOTHING, sleeping in until...i'm sorry, i can't disclose that information for fear that you think me lazy. which, sadly, i am.

two days after i got to michigan, my baby girl, cousin deedee got married. she's just a babe.

it was a GORGEOUS day, for a GORGEOUS bride and groom.

the setting? overlooking Lake Michigan. honestly, so incredible.  a fabulous party followed at my uncle gary's 'barn'. i'm not sure why they call it the 'barn' cuz it's cleaner than my house! you think i'm kidding. i'm not. can i get a shout out from those that know uncle gar?? i'm NOT kidding, am i??  everything in his life is in order.... i love that about him.
anywho, the reception was SO fun! anytime i can hang out with my cousins, who i miss terribly, is a good day.

after we left the reception, we weren't tired so we went out.

finally home at 2 am.

sat up and chatted, on my auntie jan's sofa bed, with my sis and cuz, gina until 4am.

it was wonderful. and i'm not kidding.

another great thing about being here early, (before everyone else got here) was that my sister and i were able to spend an entire weekend together. i adore my sister. that's all i have to say about that. (for now).

FINALLY, after 10 days, the fam showed up.

that's what i like about you.....

this is a post that i wrote last January about my hub. a good reminder to always be thinking of what we love about our significant other.
brag about your spouse.
tell them how proud you are of them.
don't make them wonder where you stand.
please don't assume they know.
so, here you go babe, these are the things i adore about you......

1...he is loyal.
2...he always smells freshly showered.
3...with just a few sentences, he can have me laughing hysterically.
4...he is random.
5...he is one of the most ethical business men i know.
6...he looks really good in royal blue.
7...he has 2 sisters and one brother. he eats dinner with them almost every Sunday and Wednesday nights.
8...he is good to his mom.
9...his sibling closest in age is 9 years older than him.
10....he loves a clean truck. it hardly ever looks that way.
11...he can be awake, talking and 2 mins. later, he can be in a deep sleep.
12...when he bathes the boys, they always end up smelling better than when i do it. he uses A LOT of Baby Magic on their hair. i love that.
13...his football jersey number in high school was 77. which is now jacks favorite number. he wants to be 'just like dad'. :)
14...he actually owns a Letterman's jacket that hangs in our front hall closet. he has never, to my knowledge, worn it. (think i can sell it on eBay?)
15...i just learned TONIGHT, while we were talking with some other people, that he never graduated from college. very interesting piece of information that we never talked about. guess i just assumed. not like it matters, he has a great job, which he LOVES!
16...he's blind as a bat. won't wear glasses cuz the lenses would be too thick.
17...he is a very helpful husband. he cooks, he cleans, he's wonderful. :)
18...he doesn't hate to iron. i do. hmmm, just got to thinking, maybe he does hate it but realizes if he doesn't do it, he'd be wrinkled all the time.
19...he's a very good kisser.
20...if he knew how good he looks in a baseball hat, he'd wear one more.
21....i love it when he has a 'five o clock' shadow going on. that's HOT!
22...he's a good tipper.
23...he's a great dad....i'm proud to be raising my children with him.
24...he is wonderfully sentimental. not a quality all men have.
25...he is a man of faith. it is reflected in his life.
26...he has seen every episode of M.A.S.H and Seinfeld at least 20 times.
27...he thinks Battlestar Galactica is interesting. (i think it's stupid, but then again, this isn't about ME, is it??? trust me, it's stupid!)
28...i don't think he's read a whole book ALL the way thru since high school. OR EVER!! however, he does read the newspaper.
29...when he is on vacation, he's on vacation. he's good at relaxing.
30...he's great at grilling!
31....he's very affectionate.
32...he weighs the same today as he did in high school.(when he sets his mind to something, he does it.)
33...he talks on his phone about 8 hours a day. i'm not kidding.
34...he very good at balancing his work and home life.
35...he loves 'mindless' computer games.
36...he has a good reign on his tongue.
37...he loves Mike and Ike's, Skittles and Junior mints.
38...cold popcorn and spiders gross him out.
39...he's very particular about how his steak is cooked.
40...he LOVES his mom's chicken souffle and my chicken Parmesan.
41...he prefers his mom's homemade maple syrup instead of any store bought brand.
42...he really likes my parents.
43...he pays all his bills online.
44...he once shoveled a little old mans sidewalk in the middle of a snow storm. he didn't even know the man. our boys still talk about it today. it was an amazing act of kindness, one that i'm so glad our boys got to see.he is teaching them to give to to others by living it out in real life!
45...he loves talk radio.
45...he prefers 80's music to almost any other.
46...when he runs on the treadmill, he listens to sermons instead of music.
47..he's very knowledgeable in the world of politics.
48...he's a Republican!!
49...i love his heart and his humor.
50...he lets me sleep in every Saturday and makes the kids pancakes.
51...he has this thing he does with his mouth when he is really touched by something. one corner goes up. maybe it's something i would only notice but i love it when he does it. i love his sensitive spirit.
52...he has a good memory.
53...he can still make my heart skip a beat when he looks at me a certain way. the same way it did when we first started dating.
54.i know, without a shadow of a doubt, that when he said his wedding vows, he meant them. he shows that to me everyday. when we're old and gray, he'll still be there. i don't ever question that.
55...i love his heart for Jesus. he continues to search to know Him better.

lawn buddies......

this little buddy belongs to my BFF.

alex is his name and rye's lawn mower is his game.

every time he comes over, he asks about 'uncle wyans mowwo'.

he's a big talker, you see, since he loves to look at it but NEVER wants to ride.

well, 'my' boy has turned a corner.

last week, he was taking a poll.

"kaiden (his brother), did you ever wide (that's how he pronounces it. be still my heart) on it?"

"yes alex, i did"

"devin (other brother), did you ever wide on it?"

"yes alex, i did"

"jack (my boy), did you ever wide on it?"

"yes, alex i did"

"max, did you ever wide on it?"

"yes, alex i did"

"sam, did you ever wide?"

"yup".

"today i'll wide it too!"

YEA ALEX!!

while rye unloaded it off the trailer, alex was one step behind.

so, SO precious!

i loved watching rye with a youngen again.

i loved it that alex could NOT wipe that smile.

spoon me

um, excuse me but is anyone else in Love with these??

i am. i am.

the end.