The most valuable item in my purse

My son Shane wants to be a Geologist someday. The boy already has a monster rock collection. Everywhere we go, if they're selling geodes, or the likes, he's 'a buyin'! When we go on vacation, or if he has a particularly good memory, he'll look to the ground and pick up a rock. I've been telling him lately to label them. He has them all displayed proudly in his room. I think if he labeled all of them, when he's a Grandpa, he could tell such great stories about his life all from rocks.

When we first moved here, he found this rock in our backyard and ran to me and gave it to me. Now it has a home in my purse. I carry it everywhere. It's the most valuable thing in my purse, and that's the truth! Mere chance could not have orhcestrated such an awesome thing. God created that rock just for me. For Shane to find someday, and give to me. He's so awesome!

So, I know I have been MIA for quite sometime. I just talked to my mother, and she said, I needed to post. So, here I am. Posting. Sorry to have taken so long to post. Did you miss me? I know that you did. You can admit it.

So, we went out a while back and launched the new rockets the boys had made. Remember how Theron lost his at rocket camp? Well, we went out and launched the newly made ones. Collin's did weird circle thingies. Theron's went straight up and down. Shane's went almost due sideways. And, we lost it! Urgh! I mean, seriously, where do they keep going? It was like, it should be right here! But it wasn't. Dang it all!

If only I was blog smart enough to cue the Air Force theme song right here...Off we go into the wild blue yonder...or something like that.

Look, he let me take his picture! Apparently when he's holding a rocket, it's ok!

"Cue the Hallelujah chorus now......"

Look at the view we had while we were launching the rockets...

And, as we were plodding through yet another field infested with flying stinging insects looking for a rocket, you know that I had to stop and take a nature shot!

Hope everybody is doing well!

Sorry it's been so long....

I just have not posted like I should have in the last few weeks. I haven't even checked everyone else's posts as religiously as I should be. I'm just going through one of those phases...do you want to hear about it? I knew that you would.


1. Working at the library is going ok. The one part that is difficult for me is all the young mommies coming in with their little pre-schoolers. I just look at them having such a great time, and think, wow, where did the time go?

2. OK, so the first day of middle school was Tuesday. On the way there, I thought Theron was going to hyper-ventilate in the back seat. He said he had a stomach ache the entire day. His locker won't open. He's late to class because of it. He knows nobody, and is tooooooo shy to talk to anybody. So, I said, "do you want to homeschool again?" To which he quickly answered, "NO!" So, that made me feel good about his past homeschooling experience! So today was the first day he had to ride his bike home instead of me driving him. He was very upset about this. He did not want to do it. But, he did it, and he said it wasn't that bad.

So, since his school starts at 7:25, and his locker won't open, I have to have him there at 7:00 a.m.! Hello.... Seriously? Are you kidding me? Some of the mom's are even showered and have make up on! Obviously that's other moms and not me! So, I am trying to get used to this new schedule, and trying to go to bed early, which is not easy. While D was gone, I would stay up until 1:00 a.m., because that's when we could talk. After all, I could take a nap if I wanted to the next day. So, now, trying to go to bed early is hard. Even if I'm tired, I just can't fall asleep that early!

I've now been trying to load pictures for a half an hour, and it won't let me. Ugh. I didn't want to have a "pictureless" post, but apparently I will. So, maybe my next post will be better. Nobody likes a whining blogger. This was a whining post. Sorry. Please forgive me.

When does fall come? When does the new TV schedule start? Oh, sorry, I wasn't going to whine. I'll go now.

Camp was a "Blast"

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while. That's the longest I've ever gone. Nothing to post about last week. Collin and I just moped around the house missing the brothers. We were so excited when we got up on Friday morning and were on our way to go get them. When we got home, I had to work for four hours. Then that night we ate pizza and watched the DVD from camp and had a fun family night.

So, apparently, they had a "blast" at rocket camp. They are already planning on returning next year. The first two nights they had terrible thunder storms. They both said it was so loud. I'm glad they made it through that! I actually had D call the camp to see if they were ok. They think I'm a freak.

They spent the week (a little time each day) making rockets. On Thursday, they launched them. Both of theirs did great. Unfortunately, afterward, Theron couldn't find his. He watched it land, nobody was up on the hill where it landed, and when everybody's was launched, they went up to get their rockets, and he couldn't find his. When I picked them up, even though I had to go to work, we all searched up on that hill for 45 minutes. We just couldn't find it. Those who know me know how I usually scream around any kind of buzzing, stinging flying things. I was so wanting to find that rocket for him, I barely made a peep. The boys were very impressed with that. Theron said I must have really wanted to find it! I said, of course I did. I love you. Well, apparently the earth swallowed it up because it was nowhere in sight. So, daddy took them out to Hobby Lobby over the weekend to get new ones to make together and launch. They're planning on launching them out at the base this weekend. Of course I'll post pictures!

When I was picking them up, one of the CIT's asked me who I was there to pick up. I said Theron and Shane. She said, they're brothers???? The other CIT's there looked at each other in complete and utter shock. "Theron and Shane are brothers?" "I never in a million years would have guessed it!" It was funny. I told the boys that was good. They are two distinct people with unique personalities. They agreed. It's a good thing. It's always fun to freak people out also!

Susie, now you'll have to e-mail me and tell me all about what they "actually" did. Since I mentioned CIT's are you singing the song from Meatballs????? I have....

So, today was the first day of school. OK, let's let the tears start falling! I tried really hard not to cry when I was standing there in line with Collin. Only a few tears leaked out. Wendy knows how I balled my head off when I dropped him off to kindergarten last year. That was hard enough. Letting him go for a half a day. Now this! This is brutal. Heartbreaking. He's my baby. My friend. My little dude. When did I get so old????? Wah!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so off my game, I forgot my camera. Wah!!!!!!!

So, I should change my profile. I really am not a stay at home mom. I now have two, yes, count them two part time jobs. For those of you who know me, I got a job working at where I worked in Ohio. For privacy and safety reasons, I'm not going to say where that is. Let's just say the "mother ship" has once again called me home. We'll see how this goes. I may be saying adios to the library. I'll just have to see.

So that's my news. Sorry so long in between posts. I have more pictures from camp with my boys actually in them. They're just in one of those disposable cameras. You know, the dark ages? When I develop them, if they're good, I'll post them.

I think I'll ramble on forever...

First of all, what in the world makes people so grumpy and angry at the Commissary? I'll just throw that question out to all you mil-spouses. I mean, yes, it's crowded. Yes, the lines are long. But, have you compared the food prices to your local grocery store? It's insane crazy some of the deals you can get at the commissary. So, everybody needs to chill out. There, I got that off my chest. I feel better now.

Next, a few of you were wondering what the going rate for the tooth fairy was these days. Well, in my house, she brings $2.00 per tooth. Which when you add it all up over the years, across a whole mouth of teeth, kids are making out way better these days than they did when I was a kid. So, with a newly acquired $4.00 in his wallet, $10.00 in birthday money, and a month's worth of allowance, Collin was dying to go to Target the morning after the tooth fairy visited. He bought a Nintendogs game, which by the way is the cutest game ever. I totally want to go buy myself a pink nintendo DS and get it, but I'll control myself. Also, he bought a Cars playhouse. Now it actually does look like a Cars marketing promo room...

He's loving the playhouse, and even dragged it into mom and dad's room last night to sleep in. However, he didn't really sleep in it. He ended up sleeping way over on daddy's side, giving him about 5 inches of space in his king size bed. Why in the world was he doing that you might ask? Well, because we dropped the other two off at summer camp last night.

To get to this camp is incredible. It truly is out in the middle of nowhere. There was a quick orientation for the parents, and then the parents were "outta there". Except of course for me and D. I actually stood there nearly in tears and asked one of the counselors if they were going to "take care" of my boys. He had a look on his face like "you are one crazy mom." But, seriously, this is a big step for me, and I'm not taking it very well. I'm freaking out actually. They don't come back until Friday. So, Collin and I are just trying to make it without the others without crying all the time. Which, considering that we went to the commissary, it's kind of difficult.

Of course, Theron wouldn't let us take a picture of him, but my faithful Shane stood there and smiled for me! At least I can still count on him.

I keep thinking, of course if something happened, the camp would call me. Of course they would, wouldn't they? It's a Christian camp, so hopefully the other kids will be nice. So, send good and comforting thoughts my way. I know that they're just entering their place in the world, and I need to let that happen. They are well in the care of their Heavenly Father. I know they are. I just need to be better at not worrying.

Well, I think that was a long enough post for you to read. Until next time...which might be Friday when I get those boys back under this roof where they belong!

Houston, we have SUCCESS!

OK you guys, I kid you not, the teeth fell out! Yippeeee!!!!!

I was shopping with the two older ones for summer camp next week. So, I only have it second hand. Here's how it panned out apparently. Collin was playing hide-n-seek in our house with our neighbors. He turned his head, and one of them just poof...flew out of his mouth on the hard wood floor. He looked at it, and the other one just fell out of his mouth. Isn't that hilarious? Not a story like, he was eating corn on the cob or anything. They apparently just went-a-flying!

Not to gross you out, but here's some pics. They're cute, cause he was so excited to tell me when I got home.

I know, that last one was way more nose than you wanted to see, but I think it's way cute. Of course, I'm partial to the little dude.

So, the tooth fairy is gonna have to bring double the money tonight...

Ugh, is summer over yet?

I'm weird. I really don't like summer by the time August rolls around. I CAN'T WAIT until fall. It's my favorite time of the year.

By the end of July, it's just so hot!

By the end of July, I'm really wishing the boys would go back to school! We've had fun this summer, and believe me, I love spending time with those boys, but we have a hard time finding things to keep their interest by this time of the summer.

I just love fall. There's nothing like seeing a tree with changing leaves. It's just beautiful. It's just so nice God gave us such pretty things in the fall after we've endured a hot summer. I love how it feels to take an early morning walk, or an after dinner walk during September or October. I love the cool air.

However, in the spirit of trying to make the best of the rest of the summer, we went a local park with a neighbor today. Here's some pictures of our little excursion. But, it was HOT!

Of course my tween never lets me take pictures of him. You may think that I don't take pictures of him, but I try, really I do. I try all the time. It just never works! He runs and hides.

That was the best I could get. He turned his head when I was going to take the picture. I tell you, embrace your ability to take pictures of your kids now. You won't be able to when they get older!

So, my new favorite addition to my home is a metal sculpture. You just can't get it's full glory from this picture. But, it's amazing. In person, the details are amazing. It's just beautiful. Because I love fall so much, my husband bought this for me. It's above our fireplace, that has pictures of the family on a ledge above it. It kinds represents a family tree to me. Theron already wants it when I die. Geez, is that all I'm worth? Seriously!