Family Fun Times

We have had a lot of fun the last several days.

On Sunday, I was off work since I worked a double the night before. After I slept for a couple of hours, we headed out for the zoo. It was a beautiful day! Delaney liked the Giraffes the best and Joshua like the Elephants and Lions. We didn't get to ride the train since it was too close to closing time.

We went to dinner at Steak 'N Shake afterwards. The kids (all four of us) love the place.

Tonight, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for an evening of gross pizza and fun. Joshua was suppose to have a skate party with his school but he can't skate very well. He decided that it would be more fun for Delaney if we went to Chuck E. Cheese instead. AHHH, good excuse to get us to go there though. We had fun. We all like to play the games.

And the winner is.....

Joshua had his pine wood derby this weekend for Boys Scouts.
Joshua's car won 1st place in his den. He didn't win over all but he was pretty proud of being the fastest in his den.

It helps that daddy is a Mechanical Engineer :). Paul worked pretty hard on it. Joshua sanded on it and painted it.

Chilly Night

Joshua had a fun night at school last night. The school held a free chili dinner and math game night. They also had door prizes and Joshua won a Yahtzee game. We already had one but he is so proud that he has one of his very own now. He loves that game.

Joshua and I were working on a pattern puzzle. I don't know if that is what it is called but it is where you have an outline of a picture and you place different shaped pieces (squares, triangles, trapezoids, etc) to cover the picture perfectly.
We were both working on our own Angelfish shape. Joshua completed it in a matter of minutes while I will still trying to figure it out. I was quite impressed. He is obviously very skilled at that sort of reasoning. I wonder if it is more of a Right brain thinking. He is a lefty. I am a righty. Maybe he is just smarter than I am :).

I have been very impressed with Broken Arrow schools. My mom was sad that my kids weren't going to Bixby like we both did but BA rocks! Yes, it is a MUCH larger school district but I have been very pleased with them so far. I think that student/teacher ratio has a lot more to do with a school's performance than the mere size of it.

11 Rules of Life

I recently read this on another blog site. It rings so true that I thought I would share it.


Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a high school about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one!

If you can read this - Thank a teacher!
If you are reading it in English-Thank a soldier!

The Woes of RSV

Delaney was exposed to RSV week before last and became sick last week. She ran high temps and had congested cough for several days.

Saturday, I began feeling ill but with extra sleep was able to be up and working.

Delaney acted well yesterday and even began eating normally again.

Today, she is more lethargic, not eating and just spiked another temp.


AHHHH!!! This is for the birds!

When I get married......

The kids are always talking about what they will have when they get married or grow up, esp. Delaney.

She has listed the following goals for herself.....

-When she grows up.... she will be a boy like Joshua. This obviously comes from her admiration of her brother.
-When she gets married....she will be a mother and have two kids. She would like a boy and a girl.
-When she is a mother.....She will be so happy and hold her babies when they cry.
-When she is grown up.....She will have breasts and be so happy. (okay..she really said boobies).
-When she gets married....She wants a purple harmonica. LOL, okay so she is only three and her goals are still those of a three year old.

It is so cute to listen to their aspirations no matter how silly they may be.

Joshua wants 16-20 kids and a big enough couch that he can hold them all in his lap at once. He also hopes his wife is big enough to have 16-20 kids :)

What has gotten in to him?

Joshua tends to get into things while I am in the shower. As I was drying my hair, Paul notified me that Joshua had been out in the front yard playing a harmonica. Bad thing is was that he was only wearing a coat and underwear! Luckily we live out in an addition with large lots. Our neighbors are who Jeff Foxworthy writes about so they probably didn't think a thing about it if they saw Joshua.

Later, I went into a shoe store with the kids. Joshua noticed that there was a security camera and monitor at the front of the store. He decided that he would do a little dance in the front of the store. Once I curtailed that adventure then he was on to trying on women's high heel boots. He was more than out of control. Will he ever settle down??? I wonder some days.

"Tell Her I Love Her"

When Joshua was leaving for school yesterday morning, he stopped and asked me if I would do him a favor. "Sure", I said. He said,"Tell Delaney that I said 'I Love Her'".

Ahhhh, make my heart melt.

Now if only I could teach them to show each other that they truly love each other. In reality, they torment each other non-stop. I know....that it what siblings do. My brother and I did the same thing!

I love watching them interact for the most part. Watching the bond between siblings is so endearing. It makes my heart smile.

Happy New Year!

Wow, time flies when you are having fun! It has been awhile since I posted.

Well, the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. I truly enjoy the holidays and spending more time with my family. It is nice to get back to some since of normalcy and routine though that the rest of the days bring.

As I reflect back on the last year, I can truly say that 2005 was a year of many changes. It turned in to an awesome year for me. I am probably the happiest that I have ever been. I am so blessed to have an awesome husband and kids, great family and friends. I love my home, church and job. I am content in all things and desiring nothing at this point in my life.

I have started a part time/ temporary job at Dillon International (the adoption agency we used). I feel great joy being able to help out the place that helped me acheive my dreams of becoming a mother. I am helping on the filing system. It astounds me that every file there (and there are thousands) represent a child finding their forever family and a family's dream coming true.


I do have a few things that I would like to see me have more discipline in for 2006.

1. Spend more quality / alone time with my husband.
2. Play more often with the whole family.
3. Get back to my exercise regime (I have slacked off lately).
4. Lose about 10 pounds. (Consequence of getting behind on #3).
5. Eat healthier (see #4).

I hope every one had an awesome New Year! Here's to the year of 2006!