If any teachers at stella's school are reading this BEWARE because she & her friend Cooper are trying to dig out of the playground under the fence! She keeps coming home filthy & she told me why. I told her if she makes it out & heads across the street to zigeez, to watch for cars!!!

A client gave Hank a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast in Edmond 2 YEARS AGO...so we finally used it Friday night. On Saturday we ate at the historic Cattleman's Steak House in Oklahoma City. Our steaks were AWESOME...here is a before picture.

I don't know what these little sticker things are called, but Hank and Sam are very good at getting into them EVERY time they go out into the woods. These shorts are waiting to be cleaned off by Sam (yeah right) so they can be washed because they will not come off in the washer.

If you have ever been around an emergent reader/writer you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say they constantly go around sounding out words, asking you how to spell EVERYTHING, and writing their ABC's. Stella has little nests of notepads and pens all over the house. Her nightly showers take at least 30 minutes because she has to spell all over the glass in my shower...yes - she has taken over my bedroom and bathroom! Just now she was sitting there saying "b-u-ill" (BILL) "f-u-ill" (PHIL) and then just started practicing her pigeon call out the window. That is when I wish I had audio, but I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

BRISTOW ROCKS!!! Sam has a game tonight. We go all out for our school - even purple hair!

What is that? It's my cracked cooktop (one of my sons - I won't mention which one) dropped a heavy glass lid on it. I was just thinking how my kitchen is looking pretty rough and we have only lived here 2 1/2 years. I made myself feel better by telling myself that my kitchen has "battle scars" from hours of tireless cooking for my family. You can always tell when there is a cook in the house because the kitchen doesn't look all shiny and new...so if you ever go to a house with a pristine kitchen - don't stay for dinner!
Side story - I have alot of these - the same week one of my sons cracked my cooktop...he let the dog chew up a $200 shock collar and left an iPOD out in the rain. His mowing allowance for the rest of that summer was MINE!

I know this may be upsetting to some, but it's the circle of life... Or it's just a hungry snake. Our pet corn snake (Star) eating dinner. Yes - the mouse (or hopper) was alive moments before this picture was taken.

Tonight as we turned into our church Shelby looked up at the sign (which is not for our church but out by the road kind of like it goes with our church) and the sign says "Praise Center Ministries." She said is that us "praise center mistresses?"

I met Hank in Tulsa for a kid trade ( he took Stella ) while the rest of us went to guitar & church. I was trying to convince her to go with daddy & I said " maybe you can play in the jet tub!". She said " I don't want a bath, I want the mall!". Sam said " she's 6 & she wants the mall????"

FAIL:( I am sorry QT workers! Here is the funny part: I was trying to pull into the pkg. lot but had to stop in the road while the guy in front of me looked at a wrecked car in the parking lot. I honked at him bc I didn't want to get rear-ended. When I got out to pump gas he says "was that you honking at me?" (I'm alone with my kids) I say "yea - that's a good way to cause a wreck, you can rubberneck once you pull off the road." Blah, Blah, a few more exchanges and he started yelling "honking lady, etc." I said "shut-up, you're an idiot and you don't scare me!" That is when Sam's jaw hit the ground. So we walk in to get our hot chocolate and I drop mine everywhere. The first thing I did was look around to make sure "Mr. Tough Guy" wasn't watching my EPIC FAIL!

I was in the dining room helping Shelby do homework and we look outside and see this. Sam and Levi having a Dr.Pepper fight. I told Shelby "I give up!" Don't even get me started on Sam and fire... I was just happy to see Dr. Pepper and not flame throwers.

I love it when my kids tell on me:( When I picked Stella up today our conversation went something like this:
Stella: "I told my teacher you threw that fundraiser paper away and she gave me another one so I can win a bluetooth!"
Me: "how did you know that was a bluetooth?"
Stella: "because it's blue and shaped like a tooth"
Me: laughing...
Stella: "if you throw this one away I will tell her again... PAUSE...I think someone gave me lice today (as she scratches her head)."

Proof that my kids have a serious gum addiction! This is 2 feet from a trashcan. A few weeks ago we stopped by the candy store where Shelby got a bag full of gumballs (the big ones) and she chewed 20 GUMBALLS during 1 movie. Next Christmas the kids are getting gum and empty boxes:)

Don't tell Sam I just bathed the dog wearing his hoodie... Shelby is home sick (throwing up) today, so she was my photog.! So ready for warmer months and healthier kids. In the past 4 weeks 2 people have tested pos. for flu, 2 have had stomach bug and 1 tested pos. for strep!

In an attempt to make my dinner a little healthier I put my chicken chunks (picture and recipe at bottom of page) in a bowl of shredded lettuce and poured Rotel (Mexican - Lime & Cilantro) over the top. It tasted like a taco salad and I filled up on the lettuce not the chicken. Eating early dinner tonight bc my son has a basketball game.

YEAH - I just finished typing all 26 pages of "Our Story" which will be a hyperlink on this blog. I started creating this blog Friday morning and have literaly been sitting in front of my comptuer ever since. I have barely showered, lived on cream cheese and pita chips, ignored my daughter who was throwing up yesterday (it's a good thing she has a nice dad who would sit by her) and probably developed a blood clot from sitting in this chair so long with one leg folded up under me.

This is what country living looks like. One of Sam's boots is across the road burried in the mud of an icy pond? What was he doing in an icy pond you ask? Getting his feet stuck in the mud and swimming out I guess?

This apprears to be a cute picture of Shelby, but it's really an example of how parents give in to their children's wants just to avoid a fight. We had just been at the top of the Sears (now named Willis) Tower in Chicago. Of course there is a gift shop at the top where everything costs 5 times what it should. She HAD to have this monkey which was thrown away as soon as we got home!

Sam was so excited to get his American Girl party favors at Stella's birthday party at American Girl Cafe

Me after mowing - was I mowing a racetrack?

Stella wrote her name on her jacket so it wouldn't get lost (with a silver sharpie). Good thinking Stella!

Hank enjoying a relaxing weekend at the ranch. Oh wait - he's working - because he doesn't know how to relax!

Sam & Shelby with cousins. What is it about boys and fire?

There ya go Hank...it's okay to enjoy yourself. Fun is a good thing:)

Like mother, like daughter. Give us water and People magazine and we are in Heaven!

Lovin' the lake this summer

Our OPRAH trip. SOOO much fun. I actually talked to her during commercial. I said "Oprah, Oklahoma loves you!" She sang "OKLAHOMA" to me and talked about when she and Gayle road tripped here. It was an out of body experience.

One of the scorpions that stung Hank in our bed right after we moved in.

The kids as KISS

The kids invented a new sport called "ultimate chairing." It's very safe...haha

Stella, Stella, Stella

There is that sad backyard again.

Every parent can relate to this. This is the day after Christmas and notice what they are playing with BOXES! The built box city while the brand new Christmas toys sat all alone. I can't tell you how many times Hank and I have said "they are just getting empty boxes this year."

No one is talking!

Did Stella ever wear clothes when she was little?

Best friends...

Talk about messy...I potty trained Stella in the back of my car. This was at soccer practice. What's a busy mom of three to do? It never failed, when I would be in the drive-thru line to pick the kids up from school Stella would have to go right then. She would just crawl in the back and go. I would clean the potty chair out when I got home.

Can you tell I walk in on a lot of surprises? This was Christmas Eve - guess she was trying to look like Santa.

They built this rock path to get to the other side of the pond...they were so proud!

Did I really let my kids make this many messes? I'm a neat freak - how did this happen?

The shirt says it all

Girls will be girls.

What is Stella wearing? Hank taking one for the team again:)

The girls put make-up on daddy with bathtub crayons - what a sport Hank!

Those mud pictures were taken in the backyard of our old house. When we sold it the realtor said "oh my! well, something can surely be done with this yard but it will take some work." It was ALSO completely covered in beans and bean sprouts because that is when Sam learned how to make bean shooters out of a balloon and gatorade bottle. It's a good thing we got these kids out to the country!

Good times!

laughing too hard to comment....:)

What happened to mommy's flowers?

Pancakes anyone?

Chocolate fondue - YUMMY!

Nap

Naptime - so hard to wake up:(

Here are some "messy" pictures. My kids are good at this!

Stella had to get 5 stitches in her finger after cutting herself (and a vein in her finger) with a butter knife - yes a butter knife. She was helping me make a salad. She pushed the butter knife through the end of a cuccumber and sliced right through a vein. Blood squirted out!

It seems like I have a lot more pictures of Stella's injuries because they are digital and easy to access. I will have to scan pictures from Sam and Shelby's younger days.

Look at that sad little face. This is what she looked like during her violent fits most of the time. DHS is probably going to take my kids away after looking at these posts. If you have no idea what I'm talking about read "Our Story" at bottom of blog. So glad she is NOT doing this anymore.

Stella dropped a Pledge can on her toe helping me dust.

Stella having EEG - during her violent fits - she had every test under the sun...MRI, etc.