A Day of Memories. . .

Alright so it started back in September of 1997. We met on a blind date. That blind date was amazing! I didn't think so at the time, I thought Big Daddy was the typical guy trying to impress me. He apparently did impress me because I called him next and asked him to go to devotional with me on Tuesday. He said he normally watched the devotional in the theater arts building and so that's where we went. We saw each other everyday from that point on.

On October 19th, Big Daddy proposed. Surprised me and I surprised him too letting him know I needing to think about it. I said yes the same day, later in the evening. I already knew I wanted to marry him. We were engaged and started planning our wedding date and all the other fun stuff that goes along with getting married. We rented our first apartment by putting a deposit in on it in February and holding it by paying "most" of the rent on it every month for the landlord to hold it for us since we loved it compared to everything else out there. I'm telling you our friends all hung out at our place because it was roomy and didn't have pigeons living in it with us. Oh, and, the bathroom was not IN the kitchen.

Big Daddy had a goal not to kiss until he could kiss his wife. So, not really fond of this idea, I tried with all my might to sway him away from his goal. I really did try! But, he when he has a goal he is trying to attain, he reaches it. So, that's right we didn't kiss until. . .

May 15, 1998 over the altar.


On our wedding day, we walked over to Wendy's, we weren't hungry - just thirsty from all the kissing we had to do to make up for lost time, and we both ordered BIGGIE Pink Lemonades. So, in honor of our wedding day, we always have gone to Wendy's and gotten pink lemonades to celebrate. A couple of years ago, Wendy's stopped carrying their pink lemonade. So, now we make our own. So today, I made pink lemonade. I didn't have enough to make TWO BIGGIE pink lemonades so I made one pink and one blue raspberry lemonade. That's our two glasses we typically use. D-for Dad and M-Mom. Big Daddy even called today and asked if we could make a date for some lemonade. I love that man!
So, here we are today. . . a portion of our journey together completed and lots of years ahead of us. This is our first anniversary apart. Lucky 13! Seeing how we have been in the military for almost 10 years, we do consider ourselves lucky.

I'm so happy with the choice I made those many years ago to marry Big Daddy. He brings a smile to my face, still makes my heart flutter and holding his hand is still one of my FAVORITE things to do!

Sweetheart, Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Wk 1 and a Few Confessions

• We survived the first week of Big Daddy's current deployment. Here are a few of the highlights. . .

Picture Credit

• 
  
  So, as you can see from the picture above, I think I might be the one who leaves the toilet paper roll empty. Sorry, Big Daddy, I have blamed you plenty in the past.


• 
  
  Miss Priss announced proudly as we were leaving the airport: "If Daddy dies, we will be fine." She was very matter of fact about it and wasn't upset at all.


• 
  
  Things that have broken this week: the master bathroom sink stopper, Big Daddy's drivers window won't go down, and the second scrubbing bubbles automatic shower sprayer (I keep killing them - not sure how but if it makes a sound like an elephant trumpeting underwater, it will stop working in less than 48 hours)


• 
  
  We have had one adult chicken die. Not sure why. . . Three of the 6 baby chicks we transfered over to the big coop also died - I'm sure that was the pecking order.


• 
  
  The roof on the house is finished! Yay!! I about went bonkers with all the pounding. Now the only thing left is to paint the rest of the vents.


• 
  
  I officially joined the gym and have had good sore muscles and I'm liking it. I still prefer my old gym but distance makes it impossible to go.


• 
  
  I've opened Big Daddy's deodorant and smelled it twice. I miss his smell. Not the Ooh, honey I just got done working out give me a big ol' hug smell but his nice clean smell.


• 
  
  Made a great recipe for dinner this past week : Mango Chicken Rice it was super yummy and a keeper recipe for our family


• 
  
  Diva got her progress report and all looks good 6 A's and a B


• 
  
  Cowgirl has a for sure contagious laugh. She starts to giggle and in no time others have joined in.


• 
  
  I've enjoyed a few solid cadbury chocolate eggs with the pastel coating on them. Thank you Walgreens for marking down the individual packs in your after Easter sale to $0.18 each. I'm praying the 5 bags I bought last a while (remember they are tiny bags). I do love chocolate!


• 
  
  On Sunday, we played a game in senior primary where we sang some opera and silly monster voices. I LOVE singing opera style and the kids love it too. My silly monster voice was a ridiculously high squeaky voice and the kids were laughing so hard. I do enjoy my calling!


• 
  
  Drama Queen was wanting to test out the Lord by asking Him multiple times the same question hoping He would change his answer for her. She has since talked to me and says she doesn't think it would be a good idea to test the Lord like Joseph did when Martin Harris wanted to take the 116 pages of translated materials. Thank goodness the girl must have thought about it on her own.


• 
  
  I've slept with all the lights out! That's a biggie for me.

Let's Talk About Me. . .

This next year is gonna be tough! I am a super strong woman with lots of talents and skills and I can conquer practically anything! I am. . .

1. a military wife


2. a mother


3. a daughter


4. a sister


5. a friend


6. a teacher


7. a lover


8. a wonderful singer


9. a great cook


10. a seamstress


11. an artist


12. an organizing junkie


13. a chicken rancher


14. a gardener


15. STRONG, FUN & LOVED!

Spring Family Pics

Big Daddy & Little Mama

Kissing! Love Miss Priss' face. Climbing trees makes taking pics more fun!

Family. . . isn't it about time.

A big BIG thanks to Dee Miller for being our photographer!

Please Tell Me This Happens To You Too. . .

I spent the day at home today waiting for Big Daddy's new shed/workshop to arrive but that didn't happen - the truck broke down so we are supposed to be the first delivery in the morning. Yay!



It's pretty cold here today. I think it might have gotten up to 38 degrees. Pretty chilly if I do say so myself.



I wandered out to check the mail and should have grabbed a sweater or a jacket but I didn't. I was moving quickly but became very curious about something in one of our burn piles. You take a look. . . (it's a bit yucky so you are warned)



What do you think that is?? I think it's a cows spine, that's what Big Daddy thinks too. Some dog must have drug it into our yard (Patch of Heaven). Seriously gross, huh?! The funniest part is when I showed the girls, Drama Queen was facinated and wanted to be the one to show everyone else. I headed back in to the warmth of the house and let her share the discovery. I was only able to observe through the window but you would have thought all the girls lost a long time family pet. The looks on their faces were so sad - guess that's life in the country - you never know what the dog will drag home (even if it isn't your dog). . .

Just One Good One. . .

Nana Banana was nice enough to offer to take a family portrait for us in front of the tree on Christmas Eve. It's always fun to do family pictures. We say off the wall comments just to make us smile. One of our favorites is "Daddy wears pantyhose." (don't worry Big Daddy would never do that) Another way to get us going is to do a little fanny pinching and squeezing.

One of the first shots. Notice Miss Priss is spinning around to find out WHO touched her. Cowgirl is protecting her backside. Big Daddy is checking to see if his aim is right and Little Mama is protecting her backside too.

Now it's Drama Queen's turn to mix it up and do a famous dance move trying to squirm away from fanny pinches. Miss Priss is protecting her assets. Diva is making sure she can be seen while Cowgirl obviously has her hand covering her hiney.

Great smiles in this one. Cowgirl caught her attacker! Miss Priss is tired of smiling and protecting her hind-end. Drama Queen's face is saying, "Enough Already!"

Finally, a good shot. . . for the most part!

Couldn't skip putting one if of just the girls. They are all so beautiful and full of energy. Such a delight to have kids at Christmas time.

We Made Them Look!

Don't you just love Miss Priss's slumped shoulders??

Thanksgiving Alien

Miss Priss came home from school on Monday wearing this new "hat." She quickly and proudly announced she was an "Alien." I'm sure she had rehearsed in her head several times exactly what she would say when she burst through the front door. I laughed, Big Daddy laughed and so did Miss Priss when she realized she was trying to tell us she was an Indian.

My Baby is Tri-Lingual

Yes! You heard it first here. Miss Priss is Tri-Lingual. Guess she follows in Big Daddy's footsteps.

We were sitting at the doctors office yesterday and she looks at me and says, "I know how to clap in Spanish." I smile and say, "Oh, you do?" She proceeds to hold up both her hands and shakes them twisting at the wrist - making no noise at all. She's beaming! I tell her, "That's how you clap in sign language." "Oh, then I know how to clap in Spanish too," she says. She then claps her hands. "Mom, I'm smart." "Yes, Miss Priss you are." Now, I am smiling ear to ear because this is just too funny. I couldn't pop her bubble! She was quite proud of herself.

Christmas Wishes

They are just wishes, right?


Miss Priss's Christmas Wish List:

• Toy Puppy



• 2 front teeth or maybe some of these



• Nursery play set



• Unicorn Pillow Pet



• Zebra Zhu Zhu Pet



• Fun Keychain with keys wants to clip it to her bag



• Frisbee



• Teeter Totter - Big Daddy and I are willing to build this



• 3 Barbies



• Barbie Accessories

Drama Queen's Christmas Wish List:

• Locket



• 2 Barbies



• Charm Bracelet



• Doll House



• Lots of Play Money - some of these and these and don't forget this too



• Razor Scooter



• Mighty Beanz



• Purse



• Play Cell Phone (not that she doesn't already have several)



• Puppy Pillow Pet

Cowgirl's Christmas Wish List

• laptop computer



• One of these



• Cell phone (she has to share with Drama Queen and wants her own)



• Big Digital Camera



• Zhu Zhu Pet - Stinker



• Digital picture frame



• RC Pet



• Baby doll


• Wood Carving Kit


• Volleyball Set
  

Diva's Christmas Wish List:

• Make-up (she's only wearing lip stuff so far)


• CD's - this & this & this


• Lots of Gel and Glitter Pens


• Dangle Earrings - (if you can find sets with three earings this would be awesome since she loses only one earring regularly)


• More of these


• Oragami Paper & Book


• I-pod Green Please


• Flatscreen TV


• Wii Games she really wants this one


• Curling Iron or curlers

Big Daddy's Christmas Wish List:

• Flatscreen TV - The biggest one there is


• Blue Ray Player


• Tractor with shredder and discs


• 16-18 inch Chainsaw


• Power tools like this it's what he REALLY wants or this too


• Wii Games for the Family (4 players please) like this


• Storage Building


• One of these for the whole family


• Guarana the drink not the supplement


• Nativity - unique not ugly
  

Little Mama's Christmas Wish List:

• 20 pallets of this


• A Gator


• Laptop Computer


• One of these


• 6qt Kitchenaid Mixer - mine needs some serious repairs I've used it to death


• Peafowl


• Subscription to this, this, or this


• Cricut Machine


• Egg scale or Egg Basket size medium please


• A Gift Card Here

Fun Day at the "Pumpkin Patch"

I've asked in the past - why do we do this? And, we smile?! I think secretly everyone knows I like them.

Obligatory picture before we went in. You know, you may never find your way out!

Our choice in maps. We took the SUPER EASY one so the kids could answer correctly. Again, secretly I was afraid of the maze, I'm not so good with directions when all I have to rely on is the sun or moon.

Picture of the girls IN the maze. Doesn't Miss Priss look thrilled? They were troopers and stayed together quite well. We did get "lost" a few times. We made it though.

Drama Queen trying her hand at the corn cannon. I didn't whip out the camera until she was the only one left to shoot. If you hit the target you got a small bag of kettle corn. Little Mama hit the target and boy was that kettle corn yummy. We wanted to get more but you had to stand in a terribly long line, place your order and then wait 30-45 minutes for more kettle corn. The poor young men and women running that booth simply couldn't keep up with all the demand. It was probably the BEST kettle corn I've had since the street markets in California.

Miss Priss's fall portrait. Yes, it was humid and hot and windy. Miss Priss was trying to smile and this was the best she could do. Right after this picture she started complaining her lips were hurting. Poor thing her lips were chapped.

Drama Queen sittin' pretty with a fall pumpkin.

All my gorgeous girls!

Drama Queen Fall Portrait

All my beautiful girls again.

Cowgirl's Fall Portrait - I love the smile on this girls face! Her whole body is smiling! Can you see it too?

The girls loved the "Cow-ch."

Diva's Fall Portrait

So, one of the biggest things we were looking forward to was the pumpkin patch. Little Mama had called in advance and spoken to someone at the farm about the pumpkin patch. She assured me that the kids would love it and get to wander around a select their choice of pumpkin. When we arrived at the field, there was little selection. We did not get a single pumpkin. We got back on the hay wagon to ride back to the main maze and saw something wonderful. More pumpkins! You see - this is apparently how pumpkins "grow" in our part of the country.

The pumpkins "grow" in these special containers. Do you see how bare the field was? Some wonderful farm hands help to distribute the "fresh grown" pumpkins for you enjoyment.

Gentle boys! These are "fresh grown."

The girls all followed the tractor around like deer follow a feed truck on the hunting ranches. It was pretty funny!

Drama Queen had found an itty bitty baby pumpkin.

Miss Priss selected her small pumpkin and was found with the chapstick out a lot. Good thing I'm a smart mama and keep one in my pocket all the time.

Drama Queen with her selection.

Diva and I saw lots of people carrying around two pumpkins at a time just like this. Didn't they know they looked ri-donk-u-lous? We think this picture is funny!

Cowgirl and her prized pumpkin.

Drama Queen on the hayride.

This is one of the pictures I took on Saturday that I really liked.

We had a blast and will probably return next year too. However, we are still searching for a REAL pumpkin patch.

Thoughts for Thursday

picture credit

• I have a fear two uniformed men are approaching my door and I am home alone.


• Are their certain days that all children everywhere are just rotten? (yesterday was one if you need an example)


• Does your heart flip every which way when the phone rings at an odd hour?


• I feel accomplished this week most of my Christmas presents are purchased and wrapped. No midnight wrapping party this year!


• I'm in search of the perfect outfit - however I do believe I stopped dressing in "outfits" by the age of 10


• I'm looking forward to mowing my yard - with my straw hat on - I'm cute


• I think sometimes there should be a medal for being a mean mom - I'd wear it!

Amazing!

The past two nights this has been amazing! What's even better? Knowing that Big Daddy sees the same moon I do.
♥Love you Big Daddy♥

A Day Of Fall Fun

We went out to a farm a little ways out from our Patch of Heaven. We had a day filled with fun!

Miss Priss on one of the hippity hops. It didn't last long since there was another little boy in there and she decided to be shy. Miss Priss has never been shy!

All the girls tried their hand at roping. Drama Queen actually roped her stick animal and Diva got close lots. Miss Priss found herself frustrated and in a tangled mess that she walked away from. Cowgirl roped the animals the best by walking up to them and placing the lasso over the head of the stick animal then would walk away and tighten the rope. What a tricky little lady she is.

Cute sign!

Cowgirl smiling and fishing all at the same time. Look at that, a natural multi-tasker!

Diva caught the first fish, a perch. She was so thrilled! Look at that smile!

Little Mama fished too. She caught the biggest fish, a catfish. It was nice and slimey.

Miss Priss panning for gems. Look at that action, she saved even the tiniest rocks.All my beautiful girls panning for their gems from their bags of "gems from around the world."
Drama Queen and Diva posing as a goat and pig. Why are these things so popular?

Miss Priss and Drama Queen pumping thier water pumps for the duck races. Isn't that the best smile!?
Miss Priss driving the tractor. Again, why are these SO popular??
Cowgirl relaxing on one of the many many swings. She was the first one on the swings and the last one off.
4 little monkeys swinging on the bars. . . Ok, not quite, Diva and Cowgirl could touch. . . All the girls on the "barrel train." Notice Drama Queen and her beauty pageant/parade wave. Note to self - do not ever ride the barrel train again, you are getting too old. . . seriously, my back was killing me.
Diva chillin' on a swing. She is such a beautiful young lady!
Drama Queen just hangin' out.

Hope y'all have a fun fall!