Cowboy up!

We may not have a lot to brag about in this little town of ours, but each year my kiddos get to don their cowboy duds for the week of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. (Its real... I'm not kidding. We have a billboard that says "Find out what rhymes with varmint..." I never did find out). Who knew that that my 'ten minute cutout naugahyde chaps' would get so much wear! Even my little boys who aren't in school insist on dressing up.






Ben was a sweet heart and let his big sisters use his button up shirts all week for cowboy shirts. He also lent Brooke his beloved cowboy boots. As reward, his daddy took he and Connor to buy some boots that actually fit. They are in heaven with their new boots.

Temper, temper!

Monday we had a family night where we learned about controlling our tempers. Two specific incidents (on top of all the sibling grumpiness) prompted this lesson.

First, I noticed a LARGE circle of paint peeled off the kitchen wall. The perpetrator confessed and said that it was done because she was angry. The second: I noticed a nice, new brown crayon scribble on another wall... done at such a height that I knew it was done by someone who knew better. This second perpetrator said it was also because of anger at someone. Arg! I guess its better than breaking windows or heads, but sheesh!

But I confess there have been times when I have wanted to scribble on the wall too.

What-cha-got in there?

I am now looking obviously pregnant. Yesterday I was wearing a hoodie with a front pocket. My belly was filling out the sweatshirt nicely. My three-year-old came up looking at the pocket of the sweatshirt. "What-cha got in there?" he asked as he excitedly stuck his hand into the pocket. He looked disappointed at finding it empty. And then a look of disgust crossed his face that he'd been fooled by "the baby in mommy's belly."

Ten years of bliss!

This is what I was doing ten years ago today. Its been the best adventure ever! I been so blessed and I couldn't imagine a life any better than I have!

My Mr. Wonderful made sure I had something pretty to look at today. I'm so spoiled!

"Don't burp in front of the queen!"

"You wouldn't do that in front of the queen." is a common sentence tossed from child to child at our dinner table. I'm not exactly sure where it all started... perhaps at our lunch time tea parties. Who knows what queen and why my children would ever be eating with her, but anything to encourage better manners during meals is just fine with me!

At dinner tonight, one of my children coughed, burped and "tooted" simultaneously. (I didn't even know that was humanly possible). I looked at the accused with a look of horror and instructed him to say the necessary "excuse me's." Which he did and was promptly informed by another child that if he'd done that in front of the queen he would "be headed." She repeated her warning several times, each time talking about being "headed." I couldn't help snickering as my son was picturing (with a puzzled look) where exactly he was to be headed to.

Gratitiude

Sometimes it's hard to have a good attitude about housework. It's always there, never stays done, and at the end of the day you can't even tell what I've done that day. But today, as I've been busy doing all that I usually do I have been so grateful for how "spoiled" I am. I am grateful for:

my washing machine and dryer
my dishwasher
my vacuum
hot, clean water
electricity
a gas stove

Dr. Ben at work

My little scientist was at work again yesterday. He and Brett entertained the neighbors with a soda pop and mentos explosion. (If you haven't seen one, its a lot of fun for about $2). I couldn't get the video to load... it was really neat. The soda flew about 20 feet into the air, and they the boys got to eat and drink the leftovers.