the dreaded OOPS call

This morning my sister called, I was looking for the phone & found Brayden with it, so I just assumed he was answering it, but there was no one there. So I called my sister back & 5 minutes later the doorbell rings. I look thru the peephole & see a Police Officer. AHHH! Of course a million things are running through my head.... did something happen to one of my neighbors, was there a crime in the neighborhood... first he asks if everythings ok, & I say yes, then he says we got a hang up call & we are just checking to make sure everythings OK.

I had foreseen this happening when Brayden came home last week with the big 9-1-1 packet & a fireman had come to the school & taught them all about 9-1-1. I was afraid of this, so I explained, only in emergencies! The Policeman was very understanding & I felt like the lamest mom on Earth! Mind you this is is Sunday morning, just woke up, in my pjs, crazy hair, standing there humiliated & apologizing to a very handsome Officer! He was very kind to tell Brayden he did a good job but then clarified what a real emergency would be. Brayden just said, "sorry. I was just trying to practice."

I think he learned his lesson. I remember doing the same thing at his age, but they called back, not just came over! (by the way, comforting to know they were here in 5 min!) But I remember how horrible I felt & so I was careful not to make him feel the same... Happy Sunday everyone!

ME DO IT!

Somehow the wonderful phase of 'Self Independence' (or in his case, points to himself & says "ka-ti!") was long forgotten in my mind. Or maybe Brayden just wasn't as DANG stubborn & head-strong. Its such a bitter-sweet phase because on one hand it is so AWESOME that they just suddenly get the urge to do everything themselves, but on the other hand, your patience is worn thin! Kosty has surely embarked on this phase of life, and let me tell you- EVERY quick & simple thing is suddenly a very LONG and frustrating process.

For example, he INSISTS on getting INTO the car all by himself. And then once he FINALLY gets in, he has to have his little proud moment, then has to put himself in the carseat too. If I even so much as give him the tiniest nudge, he screams at me. Its really annoying when we are running late!! But thats my excuse. And when we go places, he wont sit in the cart, & he rarely lets me hold him. He wants to walk around on his own like he is 15. It is a lucky day if he will hold my hand.

He HAS to get his own drinks too. Which means that I have to take him over to the cupboard & let him pick out his OWN cup, then back over to the fridge where I have to hold him up so he can get ice then water from the dispeneser. AHH! Multiply all of this by several times per day. This morning I made him pancakes. He HAD to put the butter on. Then he HAD to pour the syrup (NO!!) then he refused to even let me cut them up. But he can't do this part. So I insist on helping and then he tries to 'get rid' of me by pushing me off the bench. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I must lift him up to the silverware drawer too so that he can select his own cutlery.

And he has to open everything himself. I gave him a little foil wrapped chocolate, he sits down & tries to open it for about 15 min. He refuses to let me help, but at the same time he is getting angry that he cant do it fast enough!

Oh- the worst one is when I try to read him books before bed, lately he pulls me off the rocking chair, while shaking his head, saying, "No, Mama." Then he gets up on the chair & "reads" them by himself! I am left sitting on the floor trying to read the pages (upside-down) for him! Pathetic. This one I am going to have to break. I really miss snuggling & reading him books. Hey, easy now! :(

Oh it is SO much fun. It is a trial, but at the same time I am just SO stinkin PROUD of him. My little stubborn, determined, wanna-be-independent, strong-headed, fiesty little guy. Its so nice of him that he ensures theres never a dull moment around here.

Favorite TV chefs

(last public post, I am still waiting on a few email adresses!)

Who doesn't love good food? I am grateful for parents that are both GREAT cooks, yes my Dad is too! They taught us to appreciate good food. I remember growing up and all of us being SO excited for 'Artichoke Night', and we really looked forward to Dad's brussel sprouts too. Oh and my Dad used to own a steak sandwich shop, a VERY long time ago, but he still treats us to the BEST steak sandwiches on special occasions. My mom has always made the best breakfasts too. Cream cheese danish & hot cocoa, or Cream of Wheat in the winter, or crepes, french toast, etc. Anyways I LOVE to cook and I love trying new recipes, and watching the Food Network. I actually really enjoy 'reading' cookbooks too. Here are my all time fave Food Network chefs!
First up is Paula Deen. I just love her 'southern drawl' and she just seems so warm. Like you could just go walk in her home in Savannah and she'd just give you a big hug & fix you a yummy plate. She has an inspiring life story & she has the cutest personality too. And of course everything she makes LOOKS incredible. She is known for her love of butter (budda) and she has 2 handsome sons that still call her "Momma." I love Momma's boys! Try one of her recipes, you WILL NOT be disappointed!

Next is Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) She actually used to work in the White House until she realized one day that she wanted to do something "creative." So she bought the Barefoot Contessa, a specialty food store, and she had a catering business. I love her because she is so sophisticated with her cooking. I like how she is all about the quality ingredients, example: she always says, "make sure you use a good vanilla". She also has quite the privileged life! She lives in the Hampton's and has fabulous parties every weekend at her fabulous home, or in her fabulous garden or on her fabulous beach. Oh, and she always uses the word FABULOUS. She's always entertaining some big important guest such as a an actor, publisher, garden lighting designer, or floral designer, and I find it rather amusing that all of her friends seem to be gay men. And I love how they always film her picking up fresh ingredients from different specialty food shops all over her posh little town. We certainly don't have those here!

Setting to Private...

I'm gonna set my blog to private. I have been debating for a while but did not want to deter any family or friends that might think it too complex to sign in... and I've been too lazy to collect email addresses. (mom, I hope you can still get in ok, let me know)

So, to anyone who cares to continue reading, (as long as you are normal, that is) please send me your email address! Please & Thank you!!

Dance Party! Yeah Baby!

(Don't forget to PAUSE the music down below before watching)

This is one of our favorite things to do. We turn the TV on one of those music channels, and the boys dance their little hearts out! Brayden calls it "Dance Party." Oh, and you can hear Kosty saying his new fav expression, (that he learned from Brayden) "Yeah baby!" Although he doesn't like for us to repeat him & laugh as you will see when he yells at me & then comes over and whacks me! Little rascal!!

Star of the Week

Every Friday when I pick up Brayden from school, he says, "I didn't get Star of the Week..." He has been eagerly & patiently waiting for his turn, and he finally got it. We had to make a poster all about him and he wanted to get started on it the very moment we walked in the door on Friday, even though it wasn't due until Monday. That's my Brayden for ya. He ran in the office and came back with pictures he picked on his very own.

Here is is interview:

What is your favorite color? Blue and green

What is your favorite sport? Soccer & Basketball

What is your favorite subject? Science

I am special because- My mom loves me

What is your favorite food? Subway sandwiches with olives, turkey, mayonnaise & American cheese ( I love that he even specified the type of cheese!)

A person I look up to and admire- My mom (probably because I was doing the interview)

When I grow up I want to be- a yard worker (back to square one)

My favorite book is- The Little Critter Collection

He was SO elated and could not wait for Monday to come so he could do his little presentation. Long after the poster was completed I found him with 2 huge puddles of glue and 2 little toy cars glued on to the poster, "to show that I collect cars." And he chose a joke to tell the class too. Monday came and Jer & I went to his class to watch him present the poster, he was so cute and confident. When he was done he told the joke, "What kind of car does Minnie Mouse drive?" The answer was, "A Mini Van!" All of the kids were giggling. One little girl shouted, "A convertible!?" So funny.Then he got to get out his show & tell, which was his little Kids Cookbook. So cute. I love this boy! So proud of my little 'Star of the Week'.

pointe fascination...

Jer and I watched a show about the process of making pointe shoes and how they are hand made. I could not believe how much hard work & PERFECTION & time are put into EVERY PAIR. And they cannot be sold unless they are perfect. Its a rigorous & tedious process and like I said, each step of the way is done by HAND. No wonder they are so pricey. I am so fascinated with pointe shoes (well, ballet as a whole) but ever since I was young I had always wanted a pair. I just think they are so beautiful. Everything about them. Whats not pretty though, is the damage that they do to your feet! REAL Ballerinas sure have some gnarly feet. I am constantly amazed by how easy professionals make pointe work look. I mean the balance, grace, and flexibility is beyond me. They can move their bodies in a way that doesn't even look like it COULD PHYSICALLY be possible! and then they are on POINTE. SO Crazy. (I just love that pic of Paloma Herrera---gorgeous!)

Revenge of the Train

Poor Kosty, he is now learning his first lesson in "What goes around comes around." And YES, that most certainly is the SAME dang train that he got stuck in my hair! I think it should be recalled!

Real or Rumor?

Is it true that you can get worms from eating raw dough?

I surely hope not. We really like it.

A Funny Conversation...

Today I was driving the kids home from school, (Lauren is a little girl from Brayden's class that I babysit) Anyways this is how it went.

Brayden: Steven (from class) wants to be a JEDI when he grows up, HA!
Me: HA! What do you want to be when you grow up, Bray?
Brayden: A House Worker. (a step up from his previous goal as a yard worker)
Me: Lauren, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Lauren: Um.... just a grown-up.
Brayden: But why? Its more fun to be a Worker.
Lauren: No, being a worker just makes you TIRED.
Brayden: No, all you do is just pound the hammer one time, and then you're done!

Fishing With Dad

While Jer was in broker's school for 10 days, the boys & I missed him so much. He left at 9 am & didn't get home until 10:30 pm. Kosty would walk around to the back door & then the front door with his very whiny-sad voice saying "Da-da?" I said, "Sorry Kosty, he's at work." He said, "Noooooo." I felt bad for him b/c he just didn't comprehend. I told Brayden when he first started what the schedule was gonna be like & that Dada would not be home until he was already asleep. He said, "Are you serious?!" Poor babies. Then the next morning he brought Jer this piece of paper & they started drawing pictures of all the things Brayden wanted to do with him when he was done. It is just the cutest list, I want to keep it forever. First on the list was "Fishing with Dada." Brayden has never even been fishing, but has wanted to for a long time. So on Saturday Jer took him fishing. We have a small lake in our neighborhood, so a very short trip! They caught one fish the first day & then 4 more the 2nd day. It made me so happy to see them spend quality time together & Brayden was elated. I am so grateful to have Jer back and that he is such a good daddy to do all these things with him even though it was scorching outside.

"Things to Do With Dada" highlights from the list:

• of course, fishing


• playing baseball


• skateboarding


• ride bike with no training wheels


• watch a show together


• ride bumper cars


• go out to lunch


• play a game on the computer


• play freeze-tag


• eat cereal together


• collect leaves
• play hide-n-go seek

I guess Jer is gonna be busy the next few weekends! Maybe I should start a list of my own...

Pizza Party (weekend cont'd)

My Aunt Sadie came down from Montana this weekend to visit, so my mom came down from Snowflake to pick her up from the airport. We all got together at our house to have a little family pizza party. We just got all the ingredients & made the pizzas ourselves. It was yummy & much better than trying to go out to eat with that many people! Since my mom wasn't in town when my sisters & brother had their birthdays, we kinda had a little celebration for them all, (justin-where were you!?) I just made a trifle and we put some candles on it. Aunt Sadie is such a crack-up. She is so bubbly & friendly. My mom just loves her, you can tell by how happy she looks in the pictures. They are so funny together, they call each other "Boo-Boo, or just "Boo" for short. Then they went back up to Snowflake the next day. It was a fun, but quick visit!

Aunt Sadie & My Mom Geez, Brittney! Does your birthday ever end????!

My Sisters (Isn't it strange how different we all look!)

Then today for Labor Day, our neighborhood had a little party at the park with of course inflatable slides, a little parade, Baskin Robbins ice cream, the Gilbert Fire Dept Truck, & of course a sweet D.J. Uncle Zach joined us too. It was so miserably hot. But the kids sure had a blast. So did Jer. Him & Zach were running up & down the slides & doing backflips on them. Goofballs.

Easy, Jer!