School's out for Summer

Cooper's last day of school is today.

Olivia's is tomorrow.

Then it's summer break baby!

They are ssssooo ready for summer break - and Mama is too!  I am so tired of drop offs, $5 for this, $2 for that, $30 for a yearbook (for ELEMENTARY KIDS!!! WHAT!), etc I could scream.  I know I'm going to miss the closeness of THA, but I'm really looking forward to the new journey the kids are going on with new schools.  (Specifically earlier drop offs!)

We don't have many plans for the summer.  A few trips to the beach are planned of course, maybe a camp here and there at the YMCA.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll let them stay up late every night and wear their PJs over to Nana's in the mornings.  Does it matter?  Nah, of course not.  I do have some weekend ideas planned.....especially since sports are over and we can relax and do whatever we're in the mood for.  I want an ACTIVE summer - not two kids playing the Wii all day, every day.  (which would make both of my kids happy I'm afraid)

So, expect to read about hikes, bike rides (oh yeah, Al doesn't know about these yet, he hates to ride bikes), golf cart rides, swims,etc all summer long!  We have a family membership to the Y, so I plan on using it up this summer.  COOPER WILL LEARN TO SWIM IF IT KILLS ME!  I have tried *everything* to teach that boy to swim - and trust me, just throwing him in and saying "sink or swim" isn't effective anymore.  He sank.  I jumped in.  He just looked at me like "WTH Mommy?"  I felt like the biggest toad to ever walk the earth.  Maybe swim lessons for the 100th time....who knows.  He will learn though!

OLIVIA WILL LEARN TO TIE HER SHOES!  This one will probably happen before Coop learns to swim.  She already knows *kind of* how to tie her shoes, she's just not consistent at all.  But I refuse to let her enter 4th grade without knowing.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.  She is a stubborn, stubborn child and hates to be told how to do anything.  Because she already knows how, you know? 

Anyways, it's summer time and I'm happy!  Too bad I don't get a summer break.  :(  

Full of sugar

He is so open with his love.  I love him for that.

I love my kids!  O is so much like me it's not even funny.  I mean, sometimes I honestly feel like I'm having de ja vu with that girl.  She is a sweet, big hearted 9 year old - but her love and affection comes on HER terms.  I've tried to change that with her - but honestly, I understand.  I was the same way until 4/4/03!  :) 

Cooper, on the other hand - is my kid that just lets his love pour out.  He wears his emotions on his sleeve and doesn't mind giving hugs and kisses.  He'll openly tell me he loves me and misses me.  It absolutely melts my heart.  I'm not sure where he get this from.  Al is  shy and private with his emotions.  But I'm glad Cooper is so loving.  I have no doubt it'll make him a wonderful husband and father one day.  :)

In the picture above, he had made cards for his teachers.  How sweet is that?  He couldn't wait to take them to school today and give them out.  He'll be going to a new school next year and said he wanted them to know how he felt.  How could you NOT love a kid like that?  

Happy Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!  I know I did - I woke up Sunday morning to two little faces peering down at me.  My little monsters had made me breakfast in bed.  I had Doritos, a brownie, and boiled peanuts.  And a glass of sweet tea to wash it down.  They know their Mama all too well folks! 

How sweet is that though?  It's days like Sunday that make me feel 100 times thankful I became a mom.  There was a time in my life when I was younger when I wasn't so sure it was what I wanted.  Of course now - well now I know that it's what I ever wanted and more!

I hope you told your Mama's Happy Day!  I know I learned from the best - I have one of the best moms in the world.  Now we prepare for Father's Day.......:)

Just Call me Chef Mandy

If you're a regular on my blog, you know that Al is the cook of the house.  I get grief about this from time to time, but mostly everyone is jealous that my man cooks.  :) 

You should be.  He's one good cook! 

But lately for some odd reason, probably thanks to Pinterest, I've got the "cooking" bug.  I mean, like planning a menu out for the week so I can cook EVERY night type of cooking bug.  I have to admit, I am rather enjoying myself.  I've found some great recipes on Pinterest.com - if you're not a member, join. Seriously - it's not just food - you can find just about anything on there and some really good ideas.  And I've found some quick, easy meals that I had forgotten about.   I've found that I really don't mind cooking as long as the recipe isn't complicated and it doesn't take too long.  Anything else and I lose my interest fast.  Call me lazy, but after working all day and coming home, if I can't make it within an hour, I'm out. 

Pudding Hole Cake - was sssooo good!

Shrimp Boil Kebabs - ssssooo good and easy.

The pictures are only of two things I've cooked - I made that awesome cookie/Oreo/brownie dessert from a recipe on Pinterest.  I've found crock pot chicken and dumplings (which are like the easiest thing to make EVER), breakfast casserole, diet strawberry cupcakes, chicken bog, bacon wrapped hot dogs - all from that wonderful site that has changed my life.  Ha ha!  (Don't forget my homemade laundry detergent - got that from there too!)

And don't worry - Al still cooks too.  :) 

Finally...the Tooth Fairy has arrived!

Cooper finally lost his first tooth and he couldn't be more excited.

He won't stop smiling!

The year is almost over!

School year, that is!

And I'm not sure who's more excited - the kids or me.  (I'm pretty sure it's the kids!)

It's hard to believe the year is almost up.  O made straight A's this year.....she's the smartest 3rd grader I know.  Cooper is finishing up 5K - he's actually doing testing right now.  He comes home every day and says "I did so good on my test today Mommy!" I'm not sure how he knows since it's not graded until later and then the results are mailed to us.  I have no doubt he's doing well though - he may not be the student O is, but he's a very smart little boy!

It's also a sad time since the year is almost over.  The kids have LOVED THA but we just can't afford to keep sending them.  I have nothing against public schools, I just liked the fact they were at the same school, it was small, and the classes were smaller.  Now I'm facing two different school drop offs every morning.  That kind of blows.  O and Coop are looking forward to going to a new school though, so that makes me feel better.  Cooper is REALLY excited about being somewhere OTHER than where O is - I do believe THA was just too small to contain both of my kids. 

Hey - maybe since they will see less of each other, they will stop fighting ALL THE TIME?

Yeah, I doubt it too.



Dessert Theater

THA held their 2nd annual dessert theater last night. Of course, O and Coop wanted to go for the free desserts. Haha.

(This Mommy bought her dessert the morning of at the store!)

Cooper's class wasn't in it but the rest of the school was! O dressed as Charles Goodyear aka white lab coat and safety goggles. Ha! She looked fabulous though. Al and I were do proud of her.

And wouldn't you know, my camera ran out of battery about 20 seconds before her ONE line. Argh!!!!!

Soccer has started

It's Upward Soccer time at our house!  Every Saturday for the next two months will be spent out on a soccer field.  Cooper LOVES soccer - and he's actually pretty good at it too.  He's got crazy speed.  O, on the other hand, enjoys it but only when she's playing certain positions.  Ha ha - she's a trooper though, and I'm proud that she keeps at it.

Al and I are coaching O's team this year - which is funny since neither us know what we're doing.  But, I can tell you, (and I'm sure Al would agree) we are having a GREAT time coaching these girls.  I honestly wasn't sure what I was getting us into (yes, I volunteered Al - ha ha!) but I'm glad I did it.  We are by far not the best team out there, but that's ok.  The girls get along and seem to be having a good time.  I had offered to help coach Cooper's team but with their practices at the same time on the same day and games at the same time some this season, I won't really get to help.  I promised him that I would make it up to him and volunteer to coach his team next season.  He'll be moving up out of the kindergarten/co-ed teams and into an all boys team.  Talk about interesting!  Ha ha!

We had our first game on Saturday - my team got stomped.  No, STOMPED.  Those girls on the other team showed no mercy whatsoever to my girls.  I guess that's a good lesson to my team, but it would have been nice if the other team had eased up a little before the last 6 minutes of the game.  We had no substitutions so the girls had to play the entire game and they got wore out.  I think the game this weekend will be better though since they now know what to expect.  At least that's what I'm hoping/praying/doing a dance for - I hope the first game isn't going to be a hint on how all our games will be going.  That might make for a long season!  Ha ha!  Seriously though, the girls are doing great and I'm super proud of them. 

Super Cooper before Sissy's game.  He's too cool ya'll.

My O - ready to play!

Wish us luck on Saturday!  :)  

Tooth Fairy is Playing Favorites

Cooper probably thinks the Tooth Fairy is playing favorites or just doesn't like him at all.  He's 6 1/2 years old and doesn't have ONE single loose tooth yet.  His baby teeth are perfect.  I kid you not - he's got the prettiest little baby teeth I've ever seen.  He wants a loose tooth so bad I'm surprised Al and I haven't found him knocking his head against the wall or something.

Olivia, on the other hand, has lost more teeth than I can keep count.  I don't know how many teeth you're supposed to have, but I swear to all things mighty this girl has lost about 100.  When she had her first loose tooth, the Tooth Fairy was ELATED.  But then she kept losing them and the Tooth Fairy had to take out a small loan to keep up. 

Luckily, we had a dry spell after that.  The Tooth Fairy was able to pay off her loan AND save up for future lost teeth.  All was right in the world.  Olivia didn't lose one single tooth last year.  Not ONE. 

Then a few days ago she mentions a tooth was hurting and was loose.  I joked that it was probably a permanent tooth and it was falling out because she doesn't brush her teeth well enough.  But no, it's ANOTHER FRIGGING BABY TOOTH (which is good I know, but seriously, aren't they all out already?)  The Tooth Fairy started to get nervous because O's record is not to lose just one, but several.  Finally the tooth came out last night and the Tooth Fairy was able to scrounge up a few dollars to put under her pillow.  (Tooth Fairy has an online shopping problem and always short on cash.) 

Cooper was mad this morning.  I mean, I had to force the boy to brush his teeth because he's now on  a mission to just let his baby teeth rot out.  *sigh*  I locked the garage door because I fear he may sneak in some pliers and try to pull a few out.   I even explained to him that the Tooth Fairy liked him and his sister equally, it just wasn't time for him to lose any teeth.

He's still not a happy camper.  And honestly, pulled teeth kind of grosses this Tooth Fairy out. 

Happy Easter!!!

Getting our eggs DID.

I had totally forgotten how fun dyeing eggs could be. We had a blast. And I didn't even care about the mess. That says a lot.

We did some at home and some at Nana's. So tomorrow should be very fun and interesting when the egg hunt commences. :)

Happy Birthday Olivia

Happy nine years Olivia!!! I am so blessed to have you as my daughter. I hope I celebrate 100 more birthdays with you.

Last day at eight

Can you believe my girl will be NINE years old tomorrow? Neither can I.

She's a great kid. Her heart is big and she's smarter than her Daddy and I combined. She loves her little "bother" but still argues with him about *everything*. She asks a million questions watching movies or tv. She will drive you insane with her stubbornness.

At nine years old Olivia loves:
CSI:Miami
Skirts
Basketball
Painting her toenails
Blue NOT pink
Harry Potter
Peace signs
Clemson
Lala loopsy
Calling me "mom" instead of mommy

Can it really be nine years?

Sums it up

If there ever were a picture that sums up my kids relationship - it's this one.

Cooper being the dare devil, taking a chance, wanting to be wild and free.  His smile proves it.

And then there's his Big Sister - my Olivia Grace.....wanting to help, protect, make sure her little "bother" doesn't get hurt....being a little mommy.  Her heart is good and her heart is big. 

There's no doubt they are two different human beings - they fight, they bicker, they annoy each other.  CONSTANTLY.  Yet, I always seem to find moments like these where they are actually *enjoying* each other's company. 

One week until.....

One week until my baby girl.....my first born turns......

NINE years old.

When did this happen?  If she goes to college at 18 years old, I'm already half way?  NO, NO, NO!!!! Olivia is awesome - she may be stubborn, loving on her own terms, and the biggest "little mommy" ever - she also has a heart of gold and is loyal to anyone she loves.  Yes, she takes after her Mommy in a lot of ways.  :) 

She's growing up.  And her brother is right behind her.  *sigh*

I know, I know

I know, I know......I said I was going to get better at blogging.  I really do apologize!

I signed Al and I (yes, you read that - I signed Al up) to coach Upward Soccer this year.  I thought it would be fun and really get us connected as a family.  I swear sometimes we are all plugged into some sort of iPod, iPad, iPhone and I'm just tired of it.  I know NOTHING.  And I mean NOTHING about soccer.  I do know you're supposed to kick the ball into the goal.  That's about it.  I was really hoping I'd get smaller kids, but we ended up with O's age group.  Which means, they keep score and I've got to try to teach these girls something about soccer and maybe, just maybe win a game or two.  I already hate the pressure.  Ha ha!  We are looking forward to it though and I hope this is an experience that Al and I will both enjoy.  If not, I'll never hear the end of it from him.  :)

On a more serious note - one of my oldest and dearest friends lost her brother over the weekend. Please say an extra prayer for the Lloyd family.  Casey was a son, brother, father and loved by many.  I remember him best as a young kid - he loved coming over to our house to see my dad.  Tommi Lynn and Becky were wonderful big sisters and always looked out for their little brother.  Prayers are needed to help the family through this difficult time and the days ahead when they must pick up the pieces and continue on.  

Washing clothes

Thank you Pinterest for another great recipe!

Homemade laundry detergent!!! Very simple, works great, and should last a LOT longer than the store bought stuff. And I'm hoping it'll help some with O's allergies. *crossing fingers*

Pinterest is making me all "Susie Homemaker" - have you noticed? :)

What a load of......

CRAP.

Sorry folks, there's no other way to say it.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-dept-criminal-justice/death-penalty/death-row-inmates-case-about-more-innocence/

My cousin Barry was shot and killed while on duty in Houston, Texas in December of 2000.  The man who shot and killed him is on death row.

He may now have a chance to get a new trial because he supposedly was not defended properly.  What a load of crap.  So, you're first two lawyers weren't good enough to get a guilty man off so you have a right to find a lawyer who is?  Are you kidding me?

I'm by no means "Pro Death Penalty" but I'm not completely against it either.  I understand that there are innocent people put in jail all the time - but this man is far from innocent.  He's basically trying to place blame on the other guy simply because the other guy's father was also a cop.  He's trying to say he was framed so that the police community could protect one of their own.  Yeah right.  I was never for the death penalty until my cousin was murdered.  Such a sad circumstance to happen for me to realize that sometimes the death penalty isn't the wrong answer.  I simply believe that there are some crimes that should be punishable by death. 

Where were my cousin's rights when he was arresting this guy and he shot him?  All because he had a record and would likely do jail time.  It completely and utterly infuriates me.  I can't imagine what my Aunt and Uncle and all my cousins go through while dealing with this.  The victim and the lives of their family always seem to be the least of importance.  That's just wrong.  We spend so much time focusing on the rights of the criminal that we forget why they are a criminal to begin with.  I pray that "Will" doesn't get his new trial and all his efforts are exhausted.  I know that sounds cruel, but I'm not sorry.  I'm just not.

No bashing me for my opinions - it's my blog after all. 

Brooms

What is the deal with all the broom pictures? They are really annoying the hell out of me.

And even more annoying is the fact Al and I can't get ours to stand. Ugh.

What a stupid waste of time. (I would feel differently if we weren't LOSERS.)

Sinful dessert

Thanks to Pinterest, I've found a few yummy recipes to try out.

And then I found the most glorious recipe of all........

The cookie dough/Oreo/brownie dessert. I've seen it a few times on the site and finally decided to give it a try.

OMG....,it is delicious! Even Al, who normally doesn't go crazy for sweets, loved it. He told me not to take it all to work bc he wanted seconds. Score for me!!!