MIA

So, I KNOW you all have missed our blogs LOL...(hey, it's an ego booster, just roll with it) We have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! I have a ton to blog about that you will be SO sick of reading that you may just opt out entirely...that's ok, I understand...really. We just got back from Vegas...that was SO much fun. Trinity's Chinchilla is missing. Tristan got 2 new therapists. We may be getting a new house..that's a LONG story. Ummm, what else.....stay tuned for new blogs.

Snuggle Puppy of Mine

This is why I love Weimeraners. They are the snuggliest dogs on the planet...well, our planet anyway. Despite the craziness the first 2 years, the subsequent years are AMAZING...and lets face it, they are cute. Trinity loves her dogs so much, and though you can hear her yelling "LYLAH! " all day long, she still cuddles with her at night...oh, and so does Shannon apparently!

So, have you hugged your snuggle puppy today?(poor Shy didn't know what was coming when Trinity readjusted...shortly after this photo we moved her so that Shyanne would not pass out LOL...)

His way of getting his voice heard

So, you know that Tristan is not very vocal...well, he makes TONS of noises, from rasberries, to fart sounds, singing to screaming...but words, words are not a strong suit for little t. Today, he amazed me. It was around his nap time, but I had to get a load of laundry in the dryer...so, I was going to put him down right afterward. I looked down at this little guy clinging to my leg, and said to him "Are you ready for your nap bubub?" Just a rhetorical question, then...it happened. He grabbed hold of my hand *this from a boy that DOES NOT hold hands...we are holding his as he is squirming away from us, but, he never reciprocates or initiates a hand hold.* Anywho....he grabs holdof my hand and starts to walk out of the laundry room...I stop what I am doing and just follow him, I was anxious to see how this was going to pan out. Sure enough, he walks me into our bedroom...right over to the bed, looks at me, then pats the bed as if to say, "Yes mama, I am ready for bed." I was so proud of him..he is communicating more and more with us, the best way he knows how. Until he finds the words, this is going to have to work, we will make it work!

What are 3 things you wish you'd known at 20?

My friend Katie posted this on her blog, so, I too am going to play! Thinking back to when I was 20, there are quite a few things I wish I would have known, we will stay away from the obvious "Lottery numbers....answers to midterms...etc., etc, I will give honest answers and hope you do the same! Oh, and for fun..here is a pic. ENJOY!

So what would you tell your 20-year-old self if you could go back in time?

1) Food and Nutrition is going to be a REALLY important class for you, so...STAY AWAKE.

2) It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, you are amazing to at least one other person.

3) Prescription pain killers are the devil, no good for you.

Now, come on, tell me what you would say to yourself!

Because my BLOG needs more pics

...and little t has been exceptionally smily lately.....Here you go.

I am just people watchin'

This is my FAVORITE past time. Before I was a mommy and was a "working class girl" *gosh, that sounded seedy...you get it though, when I worked away from home* I would sit outside during my lunchbreaks and just watch people. I have always been fascinated with people. I like to watch and imagine how they were when they were younger...from looks to demeanor. Were they the high school jock? The prom queen? The loner? I am not a big label person, but, lets face it...high school age is all about labels, and for some reason, I always wonder about how people were in high school. Maybe because it is such an identifiable stage in everyone's life. We all survived it, but I like to try and imagine how these strangers did. Well, yesterday I had a second to myself while waiting for Shannon and the kids to meet me inside Walmart. I sat in the aisle, and watched *gosh, I sound creepy....* After the typical, "I wonder if he was a jock? If she was a cheerleader? If she befriended everyone...." I saw them. A couple around 80 years old. One look, and I knew that they have loved each other forever. They were holding hands, looking at each other when either one spoke, they adored one another. I knew that they had an amazing love story, one that stood the test of time. I knew right away that they were together since high school...I knew, I didn't wonder. I hope that one day, when there is a curious onlooker watching Shannon and I together that she sees in us what I saw in them...

You are what you eat....

Ok, I am going to be literal with this one despite REALLY TRULY believing this, but, I have a funny thing to share. This evening Shannon treated the family to eat dinner, I could pick wherever I wanted....I picked Cracker Barrell for some unGodly reason. I actually really enjoyed the meal though, despite the portions really not being a "hearty" and "country sized" as they were described, the food was pretty yummy. But this is not the purpose of my post. The conversation that Shan and I had following dinner cracked me and him up for about 5 minutes...and I giggle a little when I replay it, so, I am sharing it. We were talking about how the food failed to fill us up as we had wished, and then, this came out of our mouths

Me - "Is it bad that I am still hungry?"
Shan - "I wasn't really all that hungry to start with, but I am STILL hungry."
Me - "You wasn't?" *catching my English slip...but...it was already too late...he heard it.*
Shan - *in a backwoods accent* "You wasn't? Man, you really are getting into this restraunt, must be the country abiance in the air."
Me - *Blushing at the stupidity that just came out of my mouth*

So, you are what you eat...and tonight, I was a Country Ham steak with Mashed potatoes and a side of hillbilly.

Childhood and protecting what is precious

CHILDHOOD
Childhood is a time for learning about the essentials~ about the heavenly world and the earthly,about goodness, beauty and truth.
Childhood is a time to be loved and to love,to express fear and to learn trust,to be serious, to be calm,and to celebrate with laughter and joy.
Children have the right to dream, and to grow at their own pace.They have the right to make mistakesand the right to be forgiven.
Children have the right to be spared violence and hunger,to have a home and protection,and support for growing up healthy,with good habits and sound nutrition.
Children need people to respect,adults whose example and loving authority they follow.They need a range of experience ~ tenderness and kindness,boldness and courage, even mischief and misbehavior.
Children need a loving relationship with the earth~with animals and with nature, with families and community.
Children need moments for devotion and space for curiosity,protective boundaries and freedom to create,and time to rest, to play, to work.
Children need to be introduced to a life of principles,and given the freedom to discover their own.
The spirit of childhood calls for protection and nurture.It is an essential part of every human beingand needs to be kept alive.
Alliance for Childhood

I got the yuckas now

UG, I am sick....little t contracted some sort of virus when we were at the doctor last Wednesday and now, I too have the yuckas...it stinks. I don't get sick very often, so, when I do, it's usually a doozy. Symptoms : Stuff Head, SORE THROAT, nausea, sinus pressure, loss of apetite, ACHY ACHY BODY...I mean, really sore. It really is not fun. Luckily, my little Trinity is taking really good care of me and bubub is cutting me some slack too, he actually took his nap on time today YIPPIE! I have a doctor appointment at 2, Shannon was able to get off a little early and will watch the 2 T's for me...I just hope that I can drive!!! I do have to share a cute thing that T said to me last night. I was tired and moany, you know, when you are sick you become a sissy...well, I said something to the effect of, "I don't really have anyone to take care of me like you and brother do, so, I have to do my best..." She responds "Mama, I can take care of you, that's what I am here for. If you are hungry, I can make you dinner in bed...I am a real good cereal maker." It was so cute. Tristan slept REALLY GOOD last night, but I slept like caca. I hope this moves out of my system quick, a sick mama is not a good thing!!

FUN Kids Website

Trinity loves playing games on Playhouse Disney, but, it is a little over Tristan's head...I mean, he likes all the music and videos, that he will sit still for, but, other than that, he is really not interested. I stumbled upon a website through one of my homeschool groups called Up To Ten www.uptoten.com It has the coolest stuff. It is an independent site and is free. They do have a section for subscribers for schooling, but you can play plenty of great free games. We love Boola & Kwala, and the coloring is pretty fun too. If you have a child 0 - 10, you HAVE to check it out. Have fun and let me know what you think.

Every dog has his day...and today's was...........

KOTA'S!!!!

Despite little t having a fever and no nap we had promised T that we would take Dakota to the Wash place today. We stumbled upon a LOVELY dog spoiling store. It is called Wag N' Wash...it is AWESOME. If you love your fur babies as much as we do, then you will ADORE this place. Their tag line is "Wash 'Em, Feed 'Em, Spoil 'Em, All in One Cool Place"

It has everything you could imagine for pampering your pooches and kitties. They have hard to find collars / leashes / leads, awesome dog toys, Dog/Cat beds, Homemade ALL NATURAL/Organic doggie treats. These are gourmet dog treats, cakes, cupcakes etc...sold individually and by the pound. The best part about this place, and the reason T was so excited...was this

You get to WASH and DRY your dog!!!! Who in the heck needs Build a Bear with a place like this!!!! And WE LOVE Build a Bear, so, that is saying a lot. You get to pick your wash...Basic, Premium, or Ultimate. We opted for the Premium, you get to choose from a long list of designer shampoos and conditioners tailored for your dogs hair type and skin type (yeah, I know....) and it includes a after bath leave in conditioner, blowdry and a cologne. Trinity got to do the WHOLE thing (with our help of course) and it was so much fun. Dakota likes his bath, so this was like Disneyland to him. She put on her apron and just got to work....

The blowdry was a bit scary for him, but she liked it...

Our total after wash, conditioner, leave in conditioner, cologne, blowdry, nail trim (by the professionals) 1/2 lb of doggie treats, and 1 special cupcake for Kota was only $21.65! So, if you have pups or cats that you would LOVE to treat to a special day, look them up. They are located on 7th Ave. 2 blocks North of Indian School Road on the West side of the street. www.wagnwash.com/phx/

They are really AWESOME...sweet people, your kids can get messy in a clean sort of way, and you can take your time. They are caring too...they care about boy and girl dogs...so, they cater to both.

SO MUCH FUN!!!! Next week is Shy's day, stay tuned!

Fever, fever you're no fun..spoils the fun for everyone

Sooo, little t wakes up with a fever this morning...he slept like caca mufasa last night and decided to rise at 6AM..YAY! Poor buddy...We had to cancel his PT today, but, other than that, he did exceptionally well considering he was all hottish...that was until bedtime. He turned into a pumpkin around 8ish crying nonstop until just now...I have him sleeping here on the sofa so I can watch his breathing. Since contracting RSV at 6 months, he has already had 2 additional bouts with Bronchiolitis...and I think we are headed for Numero Tres.....I SOOO hate breathing problems. Give me a boogery nose, poop out the back of a diaper, vomit....yes, vomit...but no breathing stuff, that just scares me. Lets hope he feels better soon, I do NOT like a sad and tired baby....or mama for that matter!

What's In Your Pocket???

Because this is all the CRAP that I pulled out of mine when I was doing laundry....yes, that is a toy animal of some sort...some receipts, yarn, pennies, a hair tie, my handy dandy Discover card, a popsicle stick, a nail, lint, candy wrappers...what in the heck else is in there???

Oh yeah...we smoked you!

Is what came out of Trinity's mouth last night when we (Shannon and I) were "racing" *don't worry...we were only going like 50, but we would rev up the engine for T so she thought it was much faster*. Well, we won of course...and when we got home, Shannon gets out of the Civic, we pile out of the Magnum and Trin walks up to Shan, with a little pep in her step..."Hey dad...I guess we smoked you!" It was the cutest thing. I think I have a race car driver on my hands...just add that to the VERY long list of things that she wants to be when she grows up.

Back to Basics

We have homeschooled T since she was born LOL...I think all of us essentially "homeschool" our children without even knowing it. She LOVES to learn, which is why I was so sad that the "real school" was such a disaster. She is a social freakin' butterfly...loves kids, older kids, babies, adults, dogs, whatever...she loves being around others. So, when she told me "Mama, I wan't to go to real school and homeschool after ok?" I thought, WOW...I wish that it could have been better for her and the other students, as I am sure that many of the others are experience similiar issues. Today, we took t to therapy and while we were waiting for him to finish, T was playing with a wonderfully pleasent, easy going, sweet little 8 year old girl. She was working on some homework and T and she started talking. At the end, we found out she is homeschooled through an awesome Charter School called Arizona Virtual Academy. I enrolled Trinity today. It is all homebased, but you have a teacher that you can check in with ANYTIME. They have monthly socials, meetings, orientations, all that other stuff that you seem to miss with the traditional homeschool programs. The curriculum is based on the child's level of learning and it gets more difficult as they are mastering the programs. They offer World Languages and you can add a foreign language at anytime...it is a self paced program that has graphics, cds, dvds...your K-12 can learn English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Portugese, Latin....I am excited...I have a new renewed sense of happiness! Check it out if you like... http://www.azva.org/ Let me know what you think.