Are you ready for some football?

It's that time of year again! Tonight is the first Boise State football game. We're all geared up. Jaysen is bummed because he's got his last night of Golf League and can't miss it because it's the playoffs and will determine if his team comes in first or second. But he'll be home halfway through the game and I have been instructed to TiVo the whole thing for him. ;0)
Now, don't think that I'm a football lover. Because I'm not. But, I do have to admit that it is fun to watch Jaysen watching the games. And the bowl game in January was awesome...so maybe I'm converting. Who knows. But we do have fun with it. Any time you want to come over and watch the game...just let us know! It's always more fun watching it with others!

Get on the bus!

This morning I put Landon on the school bus for the first time EVER. I'm surprised it got to me the way it did. I've been waiting for him to be ready since the end of kindergarten. ;0) He just kept telling me that he "decided" he didn't want to do it anymore after I would get him pumped up about it. Sigh. Oh well.

Anyway, even this morning when it was time to go he quickly changed his mind and said he didn't want to do it anymore. Yeah......and since I'm a "mean mom" I told him I didn't care and he was riding it anyway. ;0) He's almost 8....I walk him to the bus stop....he can handle it. He just is so scared of the unfamiliar. It makes him literally sick. But, there comes a time when whether or not you are ready, you have to just go for it.

So, we walked the short distance to the bus stop and a couple minutes later the big yellow bus came around the corner. I told him I loved him and he climbed on and all of a sudden I missed him. When did my baby get big enough to ride a school bus by himself? And then I think....did he make it there ok? were the kids on the bus nice to him? Argh!!! I hate that! I know I'm overprotective...but I just want him to be OK. Sigh. I know...I'm pathetic.

I am meeting him at the bus stop at the school when school is out to help him figure out which bus to go on because he was REALLY concerned about it. And honestly, after my experience getting on the wrong bus when I was in 2nd grade....I don't mind. ;0) And then I'll pick him up at the bus stop again by our house so he can ride the bus home and get it all figured out. And then I'm done with the whole picking up the kids thing! YAY! Waiting 15-20 minutes in front of the school so that I can get a parking spot is ridiculous. So, this will be great once he gets through this first day.

Happy now?

Wow...my eyes look evil in this picture. ;0)

Anyway...here! Now you know what it looks like. Are you happy?

Painted Black

Though I do love that song.....I'm not loving the color right now. Let me explain.....

So, I like to change my hair. I do it a lot. Whether I cut it, layer it, dye it, perm it......whatever. I'm always feeling like I need to do something different. Anyway, I was born a blonde. Which is pretty obvious if you take a look at my kids. They are both blondies....well, after 28 years...my hair has slowly faded into brown. I've dyed it and dyed it for 10 years now so that I could be the blonde I was born to be :0) but I've just about had it with the upkeep. So, I decided several weeks ago that I was going to return to my "roots" and be a brunette. Chocolate brown is what I was going for. So, since I usually do most of my hair dying in the comfort of my own bathroom, I went and bought a box of color from Target. The box was for Chocolate brown hair. Yay! Put it on, did the whole thing, rinsed and did my hair....and it was still blonde. A darker blonde...but blonde nonetheless. Sigh. Nobody could tell the difference. NOBODY! Not even my sister! And girls notice this kind of stuff.
So, yesterday I went and bought a second box of color. A different brand, but still for chocolate brown hair. Put it on last night night....did the whole thing.....and now my hair is BLACK! What the crap! And I'm not kidding. Jaysen is trying to be nice about it...but I can see through it. Landon is worried that he's going to get lost if we go somewhere because I don't look like myself. Sigh. It's ugly. So, this morning I called my friend who is a stylist and asked her what I could possibly do without further frying my hair. And guess what? I have to have black hair for two weeks before I can dye again, otherwise I might as well shave my head for the frying that will occur if I dye a third time. And even then, I can only add chocolate brown highlights. Sigh. So, I have black hair....for two weeks. There will be no picture on the blog about it. And I won't be leaving the house much......that's what I get for trying to be a brunette.

I guess I'm just too much of a "blonde" to figure this stuff out. ;0)

First Day of School

Sniff. Sniff. This is my baby Landon just before he turned one. Isn't he a cutie? So small, so much fun............so small.

And this is my baby Landon this morning just before I took him to his first day of second grade.
Still a cutie, still fun...but so big! When did he get to be so big? Almost 8 years old? Second grade? It makes me so sad to see him getting so big so quickly. But, also so excited for the fun things that come with having an 8 year old.
Anyway, he was sooo excited for the first day of school. I didn't even have to wake him up. He was up before Jaysen! Which was good though because we had to get to his school early so I could drop off the Open Court Reading books we put together for the third grade this past weekend and then also pay his lunch money. So, we were there when the doors opened at 8:00 this morning! He got 30 minutes of playground time this morning! ;0)
Anyway...we'll be having his favortie for dinner tonight, as is our usual tradition for the first day of school. Chicken Alfredo, or as he calls it...Noodles with White Sauce. ;0) I hope he has a good day!

Boondocks

Every summer Jaysen and I have taken Landon to Boondocks up in Boise. He looks forward to it every summer. Unfortunately, our summer has been so hectic with moving and everything else that we hadn't made it yet. With the last weekend of summer approaching we knew that no matter what, we had to take the trip. So, we went up on Saturday. We took our neice, Genea with us too. It's always more fun for Landon if he's got a playmate. ;0)

Anyway...after our usual round of miniature golf, Landon and Genea went for a ride on the bumper boats and got completely soaked. But they had a blast. Here they are shooting water at us. The stinkers! Actually, it felt pretty good. It was 95 degrees on Saturday!
Then, since Landon is tall enough, he was able to drive the mini karts by himself for a race. He did a good job too for not having a license! ;0)
Since you can't ride two to a mini kart, Jaysen took Genea for a ride on the "real" ones instead. She had a blast too! Just enjoying the ride as you can see.

And this is my Mackenzee. She was so mad that she couldn't participate in anything outside besides the miniature golf. She soooo wanted to go on the bumper boats. She was peering over the gate at them, and so I thought it would be a cute picture. She didn't apparently want to be cute, she wanted to be mad. So she hid her face from me. What do you think? Still cute huh?

All in all, Saturday was a blast. The kids got to play till they dropped (and so did we!) and it was a really fun family day. (even though I'm a really mean mom)

Open House

So, tonight was the official "Open House" for Landon's school. We got to go meet his new teacher, Mrs. Grubbs, and check out his classroom. Which, just so happens to be the exact same classroom as last year. ;0) Where his 1st grade teacher decided to start teaching in Burley where she lived, it opened up that spot. So, 2nd grade moved in!

Anyway, he got to pick out whichever desk he wanted, and he chose the second to the last row in the back. Yeah.....Oh well. And...he got to put everything in his desk for his first day of school on Monday.

I love that we do this at his school now. His first year they didn't and the first day of school was a mad house. Letting him meet his teacher and get comfortable with his classroom makes such a difference on that first day. So, we're ready for it! Bring it on!

Playgrounds and Picnics

Since this was the last night that any cousins would be here visiting for a while, Papa decided we all needed to go to Rock Creek Park for Family Home Evening for a picnic. It was such a beautiful night too. We ate some good food, and the kids played on the swingsets and ran around. Too much fun....We even walked the trail almost all the way to the end. By the time we were done, poor Mackenzee's little legs were so tired. But, being the Mackenzee we all know and love, she (of course) kept up with everyone else and would not be held...she was as big as everyone else. Sigh. And all the boys wanted to do was pick up sticks and hit each other with them. Sigh. ;0)

But, we had a good time. And tomorrow they all go home. School is coming! I need to finish getting ready. Maybe tomorrow.....

Happy Birthday 'Lina Mae!

My neice, Alina, just turned two last week.

She and Mackenzee are just two months apart. They have so much fun together, and hopefully will forever. Right now they are so alike, it's fun to watch them together. Both love to play dress up (which is why I got Alina lots of dress up jewelry for her birthday), and both love to wear their dresses in the dirt! ;0) Tomboys through and through. You gotta love it!

Shelby Jade

My neice, Shelby, has been visiting for the last week and we've had so much fun with her. Mackenzee has found her new best friend. Everytime they've had to separate, she has bawled and screamed Shelby's name. I don't know what we'll do when she has to go back to Archer for real.

And Landon has enjoyed having someone to play with as well. A bud. Even if she is a girl. :0)

I told Shelby we might have to steal her and keep her here with us. We'll see what happens.

Back to School shopping

So, it's that time of year again. School starts in less than two weeks! So, we went yesterday to buy Landon some new school clothes. He is getting so big! Though I still had to buy slims with the adjustable waist for his pants, they actually FIT him. In previous years I would buy them and they would still practically fall off of him. I barely have to adjust the waist and the leg fits perfectly. Sigh. Not that it's a bad thing, it just means he's filling out and getting older. 2nd grade! Almost 8! My baby! Sniff!


His new thing is wearing "Army" clothes. Anything camoflauge is cool I guess. So, I bought him this new camo shirt. As I was perusing the racks at the store, I came across these adorable camo pants in the little girls department. And, even though she's not going back to school.....I figured she could get a matching outfit with Landon. They are adorable you know!

And to top it off, Payless was having a BOGO sale, and so, I got them matching shoes too! I know I'm pathetic...but I couldn't help myself.

Can We Build It? Yes We Can!

So, slowly but surely we are getting things put away. Finding the rest of our stuff in the sea of boxes out in the garage is the next obstacle. Sigh. We'll get there. But I am NEVER moving again! ;0)

Anyway, yesterday Jaysen decided it was finally time to put together the swingset we bought clear back in May. When we bought in online, it was on backorder until the end of June! Holy cow! And by the time we got it, we were halfway into this whole moving thing. So, it's been sitting in two big boxes in our garage for over a month waiting for us to be able to put it together here at the new house.



My dad came over to assist Jaysen in the job. Even with the two of them, it took several hours of poring over instructions and matching pieces together out in the hot sun. I felt so bad for them. I made it up to them by cooking their favorite food...Mexican! Homemade salsa and black beans and everything! (Side note: I am so excited to be able to cook again! I let my pantry get unbelievably bare so there was less to move over. So, there was no baking or cooking at my house.) Anyway...the kids had a blast last night playing in their new clubhouse. And I'm pumped that outside is where they will want to be now. ;0) Kenzee is going to drive me crazy with her "helping". But, Landon is home now, and so we should be set!

Come on over and play! We're ready for you! ;0)

Mow Mow

So, we are in our new house. I am sitting here surrounded by boxes. Not wanting to unpack them. Sigh. Slowly but surely it will get done. It's the decorating that stresses me out. What to put where....and I don't do big walls very well, and and and .......argh! And the other part that stinks is that we are half camping out with half of our house sitting in the garage, because we can't finish the basement until we get the other house sold. So, all of my scrapbook stuff.....in boxes still. Not that I have time to do it right now anyway...but still. ;0)
But, since we are finally in our new house, we were finally able to go and pick up our kitties and bring them home. They have been ready for us to take for a couple of weeks now, but didn't

want to get them until we were officially in the new house. So, we picked them up on Sunday. We got two of them. We're hoping that since they are sister kitties, they will have each other to play with and not run away like the last one did. Landon still gets a little sad over that and angry at me, because it's my fault...did you know that? I didn't. But he said so, so it must be true. Anyway......so, each kid has their own kitty. Landon picked out a gray and black tiger striped kitty and named her Spiderman. Sigh. I tried to get him to change it, but he's set on it. Oh well. And since all Mackenzee says when she sees a cat is "Mow Mow!", we figured we'd just call it that. So, her kitty's name is Mow Mow. (not like mowing the lawn. More like Maow, like what a cat sounds like when it's meowing)

Anyway....we went to Home Depot for the millionth time last night to grab a few more things we needed and I decided we needed Cold Stone before we went home. Well, come to find out, on Monday's if you buy a Love It size ice cream, you get a free kids ice cream. So, Kenzee got her very own Cake Batter ice cream with M&M's mixed in. She thought she was so cool. Well, of course the kitties were definitely interested in what she had in her little bowl. And since she LOVES them, she decided she needed to share. We've all seen those gross clips on commercials or tv where the kid lets the dog or cat lick the ice cream cone and then take a lick for themselves. Yeah. That's what we caught her doing at the table with Landon's cat. And since Kenzee is such a giver, she wanted to make sure that her kitty got some too, so she hopped down from the table and took her ice cream to Mow Mow and gave her a few bites too. Sigh.