All for Snooker

I can't believe it, my little Snooker is 8 years old (yesterday). I'm sure all moms say this, or feel this way... but when I look at him I still see my little two year old... my baby of the trio. Sigh... he's no baby, though... nope, he's a big (well, big for our guys), tall, lanky boy. I'm not sure he will ever grow out of the baby giraffe movement... that just seems to be the way he handles his body... but my oh my how he's grown!

Since it was his birthday, it was birthday adventure day. Daddio took the day off, and we had the day jam packed with fun. We started off with a family run... which turned into a Daddy and boy run, while Mommy tried not to die at least a lap behind them (thanks to a migraine the day before, and all the meds... ughhh, but I digress). Next up was a yummy bacon and egg breakfast... a Daddio special! Then we were off. Snooker decided he wanted to hit the Lego store where he could browse and pick out his gift (yeah we're cool like that). Then out to lunch... and off to the surprise adventure...

Adventure Landing in Dallas is super cool... and empty during the week when school is in session... SWEET! Thursdays are $10 per person for all you can play mini golf, and laser tag, and then a handful of tokens for the arcades. We started with golf. Now, anything that the kids think would be way fun to do usually turns into a frustration for them. They are convinced that they know what they are doing, so when things aren't working the way they thought... well, little fits occur (bowling was one of these... they hated it during the event, but couldn't stop talking about how great it was later). The golfing experience finally came to a close... I would love to tell you won, but no score was kept... I managed 3 holes in one, Daddio had a few, and so did Bubba... Daddio's memory is probably better than mine so he might remember if the other two managed to get one as well.

Next up, video games. Yeah we went through those 50 tokens QUICK!

Then... LASER TAG! Oh yeah. Okay, yesterday morning I put in about 2.5 miles, the boys did a little more... somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 miles. Then we walked the Lego Store at the mall a number of times to find JUST THE RIGHT THING, then walking around the mini golf 18 holes... by the time we got to the laser tag my legs were feelin' a little rubbery (and the little slip on flats I was wearing certainly weren't helping the issue)... but hey it is laser tag (or Star Wars shooting if you ask the boys)... and there was plenty of running, and crouching (which I wouldn't recommend to those who would wear a knee length skirt and attempt to be modest with a black light not doing you any favors... just wear shorts, you will thank me... I learned the hard way).

And if the laser tag wasn't cool enough... oh yes, we as parents got even cooler... GO KARTS (the Jr. karts they could each drive). I know... just send the 'Parents of the Year' award now... no need to wait til January to tabulate the results!

Snooker cracked us up! Well, it was an educational experience all around. From watching them drive go karts, here's what I've learned: Bobcat will be allowed to take Drivers Ed and get a license. He was cautious, and stayed in his lane (although he will not be allowed to have a cell phone, he was constantly yelling over the noise trying to talk to his brothers... no conversatin' while you're tryin' to drive). Bubba will not be allowed behind the wheel of any motorized vehicle. The kid hit EVERYTHING the whole time! And Snooker, sweet sweet Snooker, is a speed demon. He figured out that if hung back a little and got some space in a particular portion of the track, then he could hit the gas and sling shot around the bend. Oh yes... no driving for that one until he can afford his own insurance and pay his own speeding tickets!

We hit another round of laser tag then headed off to pick up the dessert that Snooker has wanted since, who knows when (his brothers got to go with Daddio... so he's only heard of this place)... the Chocolate Factory. Yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds. They have huge apples dipped in all sorts of caramel, chocolate, toffee, cookies... then the truffles (I had a champagne truffle myself that was... AMAZING)... yeah, that took a while for little Mr. Indecisive... but he finally decided on an apple that had caramel, white chocolate, then dipped in crumbled oreo's, and a few gummy worms on top (dirt and worms).

Finally we arrived home... a long day nearly behind us... just one more thing... one more birthday gift from us.

Keva Planks! We first saw these at our local museum. He loved them (I loved them)... and every time we stop into that museum, he always asks if he can build with them... so on our last trip there Daddio slipped away to the gift shop and bought the biggest box of them they had! Needless to say, he was overjoyed when he opened it.

After some building time... we were all off to bed...

And this morning... RUBBER LEGS, lots of building, and one happy boy!

Did someone say chocolate...

This weekend we celebrated Bobcat's ninth birthday. Here he is with the loot from his party! Notice the light saber in front... take a wild guess how the other two brothers reacted when they saw that and realized that they do not have one and it isn't nearly close enough to Christmas to rectify the situation... and usually something THAT COOL means they have already received one exactly like it, but they are without... NICE WORK GRANDMA! Seriously, it was pretty funny to watch their reaction as they realized what it was. The SHOCK was priceless! Going into this party I had no idea what sort of theme we were going with, and neither did Bobcat. I knew he wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, and to complete the dessert he wanted chocolate ice cream! Do you see a pattern? Well, Daddio and I finally came up with a chocolate party (I know, shocking :-). So everything was decked out in brown and silver (Hersey's wrapper style)... and his cake looked like a big Hersey's bar. Now I will freely admit while the idea in my head was SPOT ON... the finished product was not my best work. That being said nobody really cared because.... IT WAS CHOCOLATE! Other tasty treats include chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate dipped marshmallows... and of course chocolate bars and kisses!

That party was fun, the food was tasty, and the boy was happy :-). What more could you ask for!

Bubba's Up!

Number 2... Bubba turns 8! Our fun loving, cheerful, and always hungry Bubba celebrated his party in Camo style. His birthday request... a tank cake. How can you refuse such a funny little face. Oh, and birthdays past :-(

Bubba turns 7

Bubba turns 6! (All the kids received their very own homemade batman cape!)


Bubba turns 5 (sorry no picture with the cake... I didn't make it and not a single one came out well)!

Bubba turns 4!

Bubba turns 3... his first birthday with us!

Snookie turns 7!

Well it's that time of year again here at the ole barnyard... BIRTHDAY SEASON... First up is the SNOOKIE MONSTER. My little guy... uggghhhh... my baby... celebrated his 7th birthday (well, technically it will be on Wednesday, but the family gathering was yesterday). Following custom, I've put together a little timeline (backwards)...

76
5

4

3

and his first party ever with us... 2!

#899

That is the number of this post! How appropriate to say good-bye to his twenties before we roll over to such a large and round number! That's right, my young husband has now joined the ranks of the 30 somethings!

The 4th was spent with our boys, Bean, Daddio's mother and grandmother. While we were celebrating this momentous occasion, we were also remembering 5 years ago on this date when the boys spent the night with us the first time (what a way to spend your 25th birthday... with your new sons in the backyard on the slip and slide... oh, the memories).

So to my dearest husband... here's to 30 more!

30 Somethings

Today's post is a meme of sorts... one that I'm doing on my own, not one that has been circulating (but is similar to all the other meme's out there).

So, since today is my special 30 something birthday... here are 30 somethings about me (they will be quite random...)!

1. I'm 30 today... March 3 1979 was the start of this llama's life!


2. I was born in a small hospital, in a small town in Louisiana.


3. Had I been a boy, my parents planned to saddle me with the name - Walter Craig (they are both family names... but seriously, I'm glad I'm a girl)... the name the did choose for me came from a dream my father had before I was born (thank goodness he wasn't ON anything at the time, otherwise I might be Rainbow Moon or something).


4. My favorite color (someone actually asked me about this today) is PINK! Although I never realized just how much I liked pink until I had boys and was suddenly surrounded by blue.


5. I love driving cars with manual transmissions! That's right, this lady likes the stick shift!


6. My favorite car that we've owned... 2001 Red Mustang (5 speed manual... of course)!


7. What cars have we owned... oh how the list has grown... my first car was a Geo Metro, then right before we got married Daddio got a 1999 Saturn coupe (5 speed), then the Mustang, then a Mitsu Lancer, Mitsu Outlander, Nissan Quest (YUCK), and now we have the Yukon XL and a Mazda 3 (5 speed). We like cars!


8. Here's a weird one... my eyes are green and blue... green in the center and fading out to a blue ring out the outside... when I get upset the blue grows and overtakes the green!


9. I like stickers... actually I hoard stickers. I have a box that has stickers from when I was in grade school that I still haven't used (a few really great scratch and sniffs). I'm much better about using them with the boys now compared to 4 years ago, but it is still a work in progress.


10. I'm weird about certain food combinations. I like nuts, but I don't like them on my sundae. I like lemonade, but can't stand any lemon flavored desserts. I like grapes, but I don't like grape drinks (oh, but I do like wine, it just doesn't always like me). Hmmm, I can't think of all of them... Daddio can elaborate, he thinks a lot of my preferences are strange while I find them normal!


11. I like working hard... manual labor. I don't mind breaking my back all day long because I know that there will be success at the end... and I like knowing that I put the effort in!


12. I love camping!


13. I love the beach!


14. I love road trips!


15. I could eat ice cream every single day if it were available to me (or milk shakes).


16. My favorite drink is Dr Pepper... and my second favorite... Root Beer Float (note- it has ice cream).


17. I like floating around in my bathtub. Seriously, I fill that huge garden tub up and get my float on. Daddio thinks it's pretty funny that someone can actually do such a thing... but hey I'm 5'2"... I fit!


18. I don't particularly care for cats... I'm a dog person... but I really only like my dogs (I know, that's weird, and I accept that).


19. I have very small hands that made playing piano a little more difficult, and I don't have the finger reach for the bass flute... which sucks because I would love to actually be able to play one, they sound cool.


20. I used to be totally cool with snakes. Our AP bio teacher had a boa that we always had out during class... now... I HATE SNAKES... I don't know when it changed for me, but I have a hard time in the reptile house at the zoo!


21. If I had a swimming pool, I would swim every day... I love the water!


22. I never thought I would choose homeschooling, but now I could never see myself putting the boys in an institutional school on purpose.


23. I'm not a huge fan of skirts (or dresses). I have a few for church and nice occasions... but give me shorts or jeans and I'm a much happier girl!


24. I'm SHY... and I'm nervous... and I stutter if I'm asked to read in front of a group. I really don't like being the center of attention, I much prefer to go unnoticed. But if you've see me in public within the last few years, you will see a different person all together... I've been able to put my passions in front of my nerves and at time manage to overcome my fear.


25. I'm a terrible speller! Uggghhhh, and I have a bad habit of leaving out words when I write. Generally I'm okay when I type because I can type as quickly as my brain is spitting things out... but actually pen to paper is a whole other ball game!


26. I enjoy sewing... well all sorts of crafting really. During Lent I plan to spend more time doing crafty things! Maybe some of those things will show up here :-).


27. I love a clean house. I even enjoy the process of cleaning the house... freshly vacuumed carpet, shiney mopped floors, and clean bathrooms... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh.


28. I have 6 boys apparently... 3 that behave for me, then they switch over and become a different 3 who don't behave for sitters.


29. I have amazing friends! You know who you are... and I love you all.


30. I have an even more amazing husband... for all the normal things, and for going to an amazing amount of work to pull of the best (surprise) birthday party I've ever had!

And for those who are wondering, I did in fact where the tiara the entire evening!

Bobcat turns 8!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... I still can't believe I'm the mother of an 8 year old... that boggles my mind! But he's done it, and it was a lot of fun!

This year we had a very small crowd, on the kid front we had our three boys and my 6 year old niece... so we were able plan some fun activities that fillded the majority of the time and know that I wouldn't feel overwhelmed in the process!

Bobcat wanted pizza for his birthday meal... so before the party started I pre-made the GF crusts. When the guests arrived they slipped into their custom aprons and got to work building their own pizzas!

(Snookie, Great Grandma, Bobcat)

(Bubba and Niece)

Next up was cupcake decorating! Yes my friends, I pawned off all my usual birthday work on to the children... what? They loved it!

The kids got into... and so did the grandmas and great grandma!

The party was a grand success. The pizzas were tasty, the cupcakes were... decorated, and the birthday boy enjoyed himself!

Happy 8th little man!

Happy Birthday to Bubba!

Bubba is seven years old. Wow! It's pretty neat that we've had him for a little over four of those years. He is a wonderful boy. He works hard and plays hard. He's really looking forward to preparations for his first holy communion. He has the most adorable oversized front teeth (I really hope he grows into them!). Bubba is a friend to all and just plain fun to be around. He always has a soundtrack - if he can't talk someone into turning on a favorite George Strait or praise and worship CD, he just sings it for himself. He gives the best hugs. His little body is changing; he is lean and mean. I suspect he will be a very good looking young man. Fortunately, he still has his little forehead that gets bumpy when he is grumpy. It's exciting to see him grow, but I'm so glad he is still small enough to pick up and swing around. And he will always have that infectious giggle. What can I say, he is just such a joy to his parents. He is very funny, although little bro Snookie has taken over as class clown. Bubba's humor is still in there, you just have to coax it out sometimes. I love them all, but I do feel a special connection with Bubba. For one, he is the middle child, like I was, so I feel a bond there. Also, we share a first name. I remember the day our adoption case worker called to tell us their names. I was so excited to have my name already in there! Those birth parents got something right! I knew from the first moment I met him that he was mine. He is my constant sidekick and the first to volunteer for helper duty when I have a job to do outside. And, as I've written before, he is always there in the morning, waiting to hear my keys jingle so that he can spring out of bed and meet me on my way out and his way to the bathroom. I love starting my day with him. Bubba, we love you!

2004

2005
2006
2007
2008

Reflections on Snookie's 6th Birthday

I have been planning to post a few thoughts on Snookie, but I haven't had much time to think and write lately. So, a couple weeks late, but here goes...

What can I say about Snookie? I think this series of photos sums it up pretty well:

Yes, he is "that kid". Every family has one, I think. He is such a happy person. Sure, he has his moments - he follows the pattern set by his brothers. Some rough days in school, some rough nights in bed (immediate fun definitely, always, outweighs possible future consequences). He is a little sensitive. He doesn't like to lose at games. Even when he's in trouble, he's smiling. Not to be defiant, but just because he's thought of something funny and he can't help himself. He rebounds quickly from his sometimes frequent time-outs.

It's easy to think of him as the baby of the family. But more and more lately, he really surprises me. He can be very insightful and generous. He will often put others' needs or wants first. He'll volunteer to go last. He is a smart little so-and-so! He is picking up math and reading much quicker than his brothers did. He just gets it more quickly, and don't assume that he isn't listening just because he happens to be looking the other way and singing...

And he is growing fast! He's already passed Bobcat in height, and I suspect he'll overtake Bubba within six months.

Overall, he is just such a joy in our lives. We were not sure we were ready for three children at once. But life without number three would just be incomplete.

Picture of the day...

Okay, I'm not one for messes. I don't think kids are cute when they are coverded in yuckiness... especially food (oh man there was a kid at Rosa's the other night... gross)... anyway Daddio hollered for me to grab the camera and snap this shot of the Snookie Monster just after cupcakes...

YUCK... but I thought there are others of you that might enjoy!

Oh, that's Bobcat next to him without a mess to be seen ... ahhhh, at least I have one who knows how to do it!

Snookie's 6!

Age 2

Age 3

Age 4

Age 5

Now.... AGE 6

If you can't tell... that's Wall-E!

Happy Birthday! *Now with Pictures*

To Daddio! Today marks the beginning of the last year of Daddio's journey through his twenties... and what a day it was! Reaching temptures of 105 degrees, and wind that really felt more like a hot hair dryer... we ventured out of our cool cave after he opened gifts (a sweet new coffee maker that grinds the beans and has a timer, a golf flag for our flag pole, and a cool new golf shirt).

Activity 1: Driving range... first large bucket of golf balls went well, the second one was not so smart... sweat dripping in our eyeballs!

Activity 2: Movie -- Wall E... cute and funny, and not nearly as preachy as we thought it would be.

Activity 3: Central Market for some crazy awesome coffee beans (SnickerNut) for the above mentioned sweet new coffee machine. Oh, and for some amazing steaks for dinner! (And a lovely addition to the meal was Beer Bread.)

And then home again, home again... and out of the insane heat. After all the adventures of the day it has been a relatively quiet day.

A look at History - March 3

1845 - Florida became the 27th state in the United States.

1845 - The U.S. Senate passed legislation overriding a presidential veto for the first time.

1875 - Georges Bizet's opera Carmen debuted in Paris, to cool audience reception and panned by critics.

1879 - Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood became the first woman lawyer to be admitted to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States.

1913 - A women's suffrage march in Washington D.C. was attacked by angry onlookers while police stood by. The march occurred the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. Many of the 5,000 women participating were spat upon and struck in the face as a near riot ensued. Secretary of War Henry Stimson then ordered soldiers from Fort Myer to restore order.

1918 - Germany, Austria, and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

1931 - The "Star-Spangled Banner" was adopted as the national anthem.

Birthday - Railroad car builder George Pullman (1831-1897) was born in Brocton, New York. He improved railroad sleeping accommodations, developing the folding upper berth and lower berth designs. His company went on to become the biggest railroad car building organization in the world.

Birthday - Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Bell and his father were involved in teaching deaf persons to speak. Bell developed an interest in the vibrating membrane as a method of electrically transmitting sounds. His very first sentence spoken on the newly invented telephone on March 10, 1876, was to his assistant, "Mister Watson, come here, I want you."

Birthday - Mine! 1979

How did we celebrate...

camping of course!

Some of our trip can be found here!

Party Time

With sick boys, and a busy schedule Bobcat didn't get to have his official party til last night. In Llama fashion, Bobcat picked out his own them and he and I had fun shopping for supplies on Saturday evening... just the two of us.

What was the theme... STAR WARS - DARTH VADER, of course. I was a little concerned on the cake... we looked for a theme cake pan - no luck, I thought cupcakes would be cool - nope not what he wanted, he wanted a cake with Darth Vader on it... that was why I was worried. On the way home from our trip Daddio called to find out the selections, and to do a little online research before we got back. He too, thought it would be cool to put Darth Vader on a cake... my worry level reached ORANGE (dang near RED). After some work on Daddio's part he found a sight with 'How To Draws' and found Darth Vader... and my friends DADDIO drew Darth Vader on that cake! What a great job he did!!!! My contribution was making and frosting the chocolate cake with chocolate chip frosting... And yes that is a Darth candle holder just to the upper left of the cake... SWEET FIND!

Happy Birthday Bobcat

Today our oldest turns 7!

Last night we did our little family birthday celebration (a day early due to business travel for Daddio), and Bobcat got to open his gifts from us. The highlight gift would be a new little digital camera for him. He really enjoys pretending to take pictures (even using rocks for his camera), so we decided to get him a camera of his own. He spent an hour or so this morning taking pictures... 100 to be exact. We got them on the computer and 26 seemed good enough to keep for his first day shooting! If you would like to see what Bobcat found interesting enough to take pictures of check it out!