Not Me Tuesday!

I've been wanting to post something today, but I just couldn't think of anything worth saying. Then I remembered something I saw on someone else's blog. I thought to myself, "I'll steal her idea!" I found her blog through my friend Krystal and check it every once in a while. Please read Krystal's post for today or link to My Charming Kids to learn more about this amazing mom and her faith in Jesus as her 4th child is born tomorrow. He has heart problems and they don't know what God has planned.

Mck Mama (author of My Charming Kids) does Not Me Monday where she tells all the things she's recently done by saying "Not me! I didn't do that!" I thought that might be a fun way to tell some things that are going on around here. And yes, I know it's not Monday, so here's my Not Me Tuesday. Hope you enjoy!

I did not volunteer to man a booth at the Halloween carnival at the boys' school just so I wouldn't be labeled the "loser mom" so early in the year. Not me! And I was not relieved when the carnival ended much sooner than expected because, hey, I'm paying them to give me a break from my kids, not to mention other people's kids. I would never get excited over something like that. And after I left the carnival, I did not go vote and wear my "I Voted!" sticker proudly all day. Why would I? And I definitely did not eat my favorite Jason's Deli delight, the scrumplicious Ranchero Wrap, for lunch. You will not smell it on my breath or see the remains of it dribbled down my shirt.

I also did not just today empty the remains of the cooler from our camping trip we returned from two days ago. That would be gross. And when I picked up the boys from school I did not eat a piece of Coleman's candy without asking and get caught. He did not tell me, in a grown-up manner, "If you want a piece of someone's candy you should say, 'Can I have some of your candy please?' and they will say,'Yes, you can have some of my candy.' OK Mommy?" And I was not embarrassed because my Bible study this morning said that I should model confession and asking for forgiveness.

I did not let Coleman and Spence watch three videos so I could take a nap on the couch. What horrible mother would??? And I did not make poppy seed chicken without poppy seeds for dinner tonight. Man, I've not been busy today!

What have you not been up to?

Our First Family Camping Trip

We just returned from our camping trip! There were six adults and six kids, 5 of whom were under the age of 4! Hopefully those campers around us were not out in the wilderness seeking some peace and quiet. If so, they didn't find it! We had a great time. Camping would be serious fun if you didn't have to sleep on the ground. Brian has promised that we'll bring air mattresses on our next adventure. For privacy reasons, I'll call the kids I, K, W, and E. Enjoy the pictures, for they tell the story so much better than I can.

Let's go camping!!!

The car was SO PACKED that camping gear was actually falling on Spence's head. He reminded us of the guy you see driving down the freeway holding the mattress on the roof of his car. I guess that's why serious campers drive trucks, not cute little SUVs.

We chose our perfect spot (close to the toilet) and set up camp. We had reserved a spot, but when we went to check it out found that it was a tiny spot surrounded by RVs that cost more than our house with plasma TVs and satellite dishes set up outside. Brian informed me that was not camping.

Our campsite

The all-important campfire
This is where it all happens: cooking, chatting, s'moresing.

I was so good with all the little ones!

The girls getting breakfast ready
There was a little trial and error with the iron skillet, but it turned out yummy!

This morning we took a walk. The kids loved being out in the woods.

Brian and Spence, and I and K with their Mommy and Daddy

Me, Spence, Travis, Cody, Coleman, I, K and W

Coleman and W "hunting" with their stick guns

Spence checking out the pond

Travis and Cody

The boys and me (dreaming of a hot shower)

Here are some lessons I learned on our first family camping trip:

1. Little boys will drop pants and pee anywhere.
2. It doesn't matter how many pads and blankets you put down. The hard ground is still all you will feel.
3. Cooking eggs in an iron skillet which you've just cooked bacon in is tricky.

Lesson Coleman learned:

1. We did not have his sleeping bag personalized with his name. Coleman is a brand of camping gear. He wanted to know why the stove and K and W's tents said Coleman on them.

Why I Really Shouldn't Leave My Shoes Lying Around

Looks like Coleman's inherited my dancing skills as well as my sense of style! You must click on the picture to get a better look at Coleman's face.

The Trip

This was Spence's first car trip (other than the hour and 15 minute trips to my parents' house) and he did great. When we arrived at the hotel, Coleman said in his most excited voice, "I've never stayed at a hotel before!!!" I reminded him of all the times he's stayed in hotels, and he reminded me of the time we visited cousin Brittney in a hotel in Galveston. Luckily, he did not notice the p-o-o-l right by the stairs that led up to our room. Friday night we went to the football game and the boys had a blast. They ran around and played with all the other kids, then watched the band at half-time, and finally became obsessed with getting the mascot Willie the Wildcat's attention. Coleman also seized the camera at one point and went on a shooting spree (I won't post any of those).

The boys are leaning on the rail trying to get Willie's attention.

Spence's first Texas football game

Saturday morning I awoke and realized I had no idea what fun things to do with the kids until 4:30 when we would be leaving to go to the carnival at Candice's parents' house. In a panic, I called Candice asking for family fun advice. She gave me some great ideas, but once we hit Wal-Mart, Double Dave's (you know I can't pass one of those by), and the mall ( a girl's gotta shop), it was time to head back to the hotel to rest. Coleman drove me crazy asking when the Halloween party was going to start. Luckily, I bounce back from crazy pretty easily.

Love that chocolate chip pizza from Double Dave's!

The second best thing about Double Dave's - the arcade! Daddy and the boys were hunting.

We arrived at the carnival and Candice, her sister, and her parents had done a great job creating a fabulous Halloween festival! There was a fishing game, batting game, putt-putt, treasure dig, bounce house, bobbing for apples, rubber duck game, tractor train rides and more. All with candy and prizes! There was great food and lots of friends. The boys wore their costumes the entire night (which I could not believe). We ended the night with a hay ride. The boys enjoyed it so much, and I could not believe how many more stars are in the country than in the suburbs. Amazing!

My knight in shining armor and the fire-breathing dragon

Time for candy!

Please open this candy for me!




Press arrow to play.



Spence and Paul David

Some of my high school friends (Beverly, so sorry we took this after you left)

Why 2 year olds don't stay out 'til 11 every night

About as tired as he gets

After such a fun weekend, I felt a little guilty that the boys don't get the country lifestyle more often. At least we have friends to visit and can go anytime!

Pictures Coming Soon

We had such a great time on our trip to Harleton this past weekend. We've been so busy since we got back that I haven't had time to post pictures. I'm hoping to get a chance tomorrow, so check back!

It's Been HOW Long?

We're off tomorrow to Harleton for a "15 years since our last Homecoming" get-together! Coleman is looking forward to the football game and the fall carnival at Paul David's Nana's house. He and Spence get to wear their costumes - a knight and a dragon. They get so excited when they put them on... and they've had them on quite a bit. We've had no sword injuries as of yet! I can't believe it's been 15 years since I was a Senior celebrating Homecoming. I looked for a picture from that night to scan, but I could only find little ones and they were extremely glued down in an album. I'm so exhausted from packing that I don't have the energy to search through other albums. I think it's easier to pack for a week long trip than a 2 day trip. Or maybe I just get disgusted at how much we have to take just to go away for 2 days. Either way, it's ridiculous. We'll take lots of pictures and post them when we get back! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A New Adventure Awaits

We made a date with some friends to go.... camping! Brian and the boys are excited about this. I haven't had time to sort out my feelings yet. No, just kidding. I think it will be a lot of fun. We went looking for a tent this past weekend. The one we have now is not big enough. Did you know they make tents to sleep nine? I don't believe I know eight other people I would feel comfortable sleeping in the same tent with. Coleman got a new sleeping bag. It's a Coleman! I don't even have to write his name on the tag. I felt kind of weird in the sporting goods store yelling, "Coleman! Coleman!" when he would wander over to another aisle. People probably thought I was looking for the name brand equipment, not my child.

Today Coleman went on his first school field trip... and without Mommy! I was a little nervous, but I didn't want to be an overprotective Mommy who keeps her kids from new experiences. They went to Bounce U, a place with all those inflatable jumpy things. He loved it! And more importantly, Mommy made it through.

Guess What We Had for Dessert

Answer: Chocolate ice cream

Halloween is Gonna Suck This Year

Signs of Fall

Ah fall. Cool weather, crisp air, football games, oatmeal for breakfast, an inundation of fundraisers, fall carnivals. Back it up! What is with all these fundraisers? We've already been hit up twice by neighbor kids (and the regulars haven't even come by yet) and the boys brought home TWO fundraisers from school today. I'm sorry, but I don't want to ask people I like to buy $40 foot cream or $16 cookie dough. I'm going to have to start using the peephole when the doorbell rings. As for the boys' school fundraisers, I'm wondering if they'll believe that fundraisers are against my religion. I need to search the scriptures and read up on the Baptist Faith and Message. Oh well. I'm enjoying the rest of fall. Even though our days are still hot, they aren't unbearable. And the mornings are nice and cool. Spence and I love having maple brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. The only problem is that the house, my hands, and Spence's face smell like maple syrup the rest of the day. It's the craziest thing! After eating it, I take a shower and wash my hands several times and at bedtime I still smell like syrup! One day I even cleaned the sink with bleach. Afterwards I didn't smell like bleach, but syrup! I guess there are worse things to smell like. Happy Fall to all! By the way, I like you. Do you need any foot cream or cookie dough? If so, you know where to come.

A Few of Brian's Favorite Things

My friend Jennifer tagged me to post some of my husband's favorite things. I will try to do so from my point of view (without asking him). Should be easy enough. I mean, we've been married for almost 10 years now!

Brian loves finding a good deal on Ebay! Seriously, we get about 5 packages a week.

Brian takes debt very seriously, and is a fan of Dave Ramsey. Thank you Brian for being concerned with our family's finances!

Brian is a do-it-yourselfer! Why would he pay someone to put in a new window or door, build a wall, paint, rewire, or do anything else that he can do himself? He saves money and makes our house look beautiful!


Brian likes sports, but he isn't fanatical about any certain team. He likes the Texans and the Astros, but I think his favorite is the college basketball finals. Last year he took his dad and brother to several games.

Prison Break is Brian's favorite show.

Shawshank Redemption is Brian's favorite movie.

Brian loves a good project. This is his Jetta that he's converting into an electric car. He's waiting on some parts to come in and some spare time (ha! good luck with that). When it's done, he'll save money on gas, and stick it to some Middle East dictators! What a smart man I've married.

Telemarketers... Just kidding! A little joke for those of you that know Brian's favorite hobby.

Brian loves his family! I think he would do anything for us. We love you too!

This only shows some of the "things" he likes. If you know Brian, then you know that he loves Jesus, enjoys helping others, wrestling with his boys, and doing sweet things for his wife. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives!

Hmmm, I guess I should tag some friends to do this too. No pressure, but I tag Candice, Theresa, and Sheree!

Prehistoric Take on the Modern Sandwich

My mom bought this for Coleman. It's called Dinobyte. It cuts the crust off the sandwich while cutting it into two dinosaurs. So cute! Coleman and Spence love it! I had been using cookie cutters to cut Coleman's sandwiches, but it wastes so much that I had stopped doing it. This cutter is perfect because it gets rid of that unwanted crust while cutting the sandwich into these adorable, uh, I mean ferocious, dinosaurs. Thanks Mom! The only bad thing is that you have to buy the biggest bread you can find. Sunbeam Large just fits, but sometimes a leg gets left off.

Pictures from Montana

Cheeeeese from Montana!

As good as the family portrait gets with toddlers

A classic Montana pasttime - The Carousel
See how Spence is holding on to Grandma for dear life!

Coleman and Grandpa went to a big gravel pit to get these rocks.

Then Coleman helped Grandpa put them in the backyard.

Putting hand prints in cement

Look at our hand prints!

And the highlight of Coleman's trip: a trek up Mount Helena! He kept saying, "I want to go climb the mountain!" So finally Grandpa, Daddy, Coleman, and Lucy went mountain climbing. They made it about half-way up. Coleman really enjoyed it, but tired easily.

Born to climb!

Checking out the view with his "binoculars"
(in case you can't tell he doesn't really have any binoculars)

Let's take a rest

Up, up, up

One of my favorite pictures

We love you Grandpa and Grandma and miss you already! Can't wait for our next trip!

We're Back

We're back. I've unpacked. But where's the camera? When I find it and have a few moments, I'll post some pictures from our trip. Rita and Gale are the best hosts! They even managed to have perfect weather for us while we were there! Thank you for a wonderful vacation Grandpa and Grandma.