$1.75 Hershey Chocolate Bar....

Notice the candy bar in the top picture. Now imagine buying a candy bar at Blockbuster for $1.75, opening it and seeing a small bite taken out of it. Well, if you ever see this, it was probably my son....

Cody took the boys to Blockbuster on Sunday evening. While Cody was paying for the movie, he looked back over his shoulder to check on Hudson, who was fingering the candy on the display. Cody noticed that Hudson was slightly chewing something. Upon checking, he discovered chocolate in his mouth. Now my sweet innocent Hudson knows he is not suppose to have sugar because it makes him way too hyper. Cody started digging amoung the candy wrappers only to find that Hudson had covered up his master plan by rewrapping the candy bar back up after taking his bite. Hud's plan would have been perfect had Daddy not busted him in mid action. So, needless to say, Hud had to apologize to Mr. Blockbuster and we paid for the $1.75 candy bar. So, next time you buy a candy bar from Blockbuster, make sure you check it first! ;)

Oktoberfest

Saturday we went downtown to the square to see Oktoberfest. It was so crowded; it was unbelievable. It was wall to wall people, bands playing, kiddie booths, vendors, beer...you name it. The boys got to ride a pony, buy a puppet, sit on an old fire truck and experience the night life of Oktoberfest. It was fun!

Balloons and Bugs...

Friday evening we were eating dinner when we looked out our kitchen window to see beautiful hot air balloons traveling over our house! We dropped our forks and ran outside to watch a group of them travel over our heads. It was awesome to watch them so closely! The boys were so excited when the passengers in the hot air balloons waved back at them! Then we ended the evening with bugs. Boys....balloons.......and bugs. I love my little family.

"I want to eat Cloud Puff"

I picked Hudson up from school today and he said, "Mommy, I want to eat some Cloud Puff". I thought he was referring to Marshmellow Puff so I told him that I would buy some the next time I was at the grocery store. He said, "No, the cloud puff that is in the sky". I said, "Oh, that would be yummy. What do you think it would taste like?" He said, "Cotton Candy". Shep then chimmed in and said, "I think we should get a huge trampoline and jump up there!!". Hudson said, "No, Bub, that wouldn't work, it wouldn't reach. You need to climb to a really tall building and stretch up". I just love how their little minds work..... :)

"I want to eat cloud puff!

"Singing in the Rain"....

This is hysterical.....I was getting dressed and putting on my makeup and Cody and Hudson run into my bathroom. They had an umbrella open and were pretending like it was raining. They said, "Hurry, Mommy! Get under the umbrella, it is raining in the bathroom!!". So, I drop everything and go stand under the umbrella. I then start singing the song, "Singing in the Rain" and we all start singing like a bunch of goofballs but Hud was laughing so it was all worth it.

Well, I thought our little imaginary game was over when we all walked out of my bathroom. I proceed to go into the living room and a few minutes later I heard the shower start running. I looked at Cody and was puzzled. We ran into the bathroom and saw this picture above.....Hudson in the shower with the water running, butt naked singing the song, "Singing in the Rain". I laughed hysterically and then ran and got my camera. Just one of those precious, forget me not moments!

Relaxing day off with Daddy...

Cody had the day off on Monday so we had so much fun just hanging at the house. We usually just GO-GO-GO so it was nice to just chill at the house. Cody made archery sticks for the boys and had fun playing "archery" in the backyard. We sat on our back upstairs porch and watch the hot air balloons fly over our house and then ended the evening with a Speed Racer movie. Who says you have to spend money to have a great family night?

I love you, 10ny, Pops!

This is my Pops....isn't he handsome? I just love my Dad more than words can possibly ever explain. The Lord so blessed me with the most loving, caring, brave, witty father. There is no greater feeling in the world than to be a Daddy's Girl. Tomorrow, (Monday, the 22nd) will be the 3rd anniversary that he has been in heaven with Jesus. Cancer may have taken him physically but it will never take away my sweet memories or love for my sweet Daddy.

The pictures above were taken at Shep's 1st birthday party and Pops died 6 weeks later. I have to say that it was the most painful, heart wrenching experience watching my Dad die before me . I know what it means for your heart to physically ache and shatter into pieces and it so hard to think back on that time in my life. It is when you hit rock bottom and question, "Why?!!!!!!"....that is where you will discover that the Lord hears your prayers and loves you more than you will ever know. I may not understand or have the answers but that is ok because I know that His plan is perfect and that is all I need to know. I have faith in Him. But thank THE LORD for my faith in God. God, you carried me when I didn't think it was possible to even get up out of bed. Losing my Dad only strengthened my faith in the Lord tenfold. I have such peace, such comfort knowing that my Dad is in heaven. How on earth do people cope without the Lord in rough times?

If you are reading this, please pray for my Mom, Jerri. It has been a long road for my sweet Mom. They were together for 47 years. They married when she was just 16. So, she has had to learn to start life over on her own and it hasn't been easy. I know my faith carries me and keeps me strong. It is very hard for me to watch my mother drift along without him. I wish I could kiss her boo-boo and make it all better. Oh, if it were only that simple. She is a believer too......she is just oh-so-sad and just longs to be with my Dad again. Someday, Mom. Just fulfill your plan that God has for you here on earth first. Dad is looking down on you and is very proud of you!

Pops...thank you for your "Chucky Story". That was the greatest gift I ever received from you. I know you wouldn't come back to earth, even if you could. You are having a fabulous time, I can't even begin to fathom. But, I know I am so happy for you for where you are. I hope you are up there on the back 9 with Jesus with your exploding golf ball trick! I will see you in my dreams and speak to you in my prayers. Until we see each other again, someday.....I love you, 10ny plus infinity! - Hezzie

Super Heroes to the rescue!!!.....

My friend Kylie had a hot date night with her husband last night and I got the pleasure of babysitting her ADORABLE babies, Noah and Lola. We had such a fun time...it didn't even seem like babysitting at all. They spent the majority of the evening playing Super Hereos. I love the names that they chose:

Hudson was....Super Mickey Mouse
Noah was........Super Karate Guy
Lola was..........Super Cowgirl
Shep was........"Indegestion Jones" (he meant to say Indiana Jones.....I love that one!!)
Cody was.......Super Howdy Doodey

I don't know who was more fun to watch....the kids in their imaginary role or my husband! After many rounds of running up and down the stairs and around and around the living room, we finally settled down to watch "Little Rascals". It was a FUN evening!

Shep's First Homework Assignment....

Shep was so excited this week. His teacher gave him big boy homework just like Hudson's teacher does! Each day, Hud and I sit down at our dining room table as soon as we get home from school to knock out his homework. Shep gets a little board so I try to give him some paper to color so that he feels important too. This week, Shep's teachers sent home some homework for him to color, cut, paste and write his birthday on. He took it so seriously; I loved it! Here is a picture of him before we got started. I love that The Hulk was supervising his coloring.....

The boys also had their buddy, Collin from down the street to play. I just love Collin and his family. Collin is also an adopted angel, just like my two precious boys. He was adopted from Russia and came to the states only a year ago. His family also adopted 4 other children from Russia as well. It got my wheels turning...hmmmmm.....a little girl sure would complete our family! :) Maybe someday....

Meet My Newest Boy......"Levi"

For those of you who know me, you will know that I love animals but I am not a huge animal lover. Now my cousin, Pam....so is BONKERS for dogs, animals, anything that moves. I didn't get that genetic gene, cuz... I think pets are awesome to have but I have a bit of my Dad in me too. (He liked big dogs but called small dogs, "Yapper Crappers"). Now, my husband was raised with dogs, as if dogs were apart of the family...this was totally foreign to me. So, Cody is a huge animal lover and has been dying to get a pet that the boys could grow up with. I could swing either way. I see the benefits of having a pet but I also see the responsiblity, they can tie you down, they shed, I have allergies etc.., etc...

Well, after church on Sunday, we were leaving lunch and Cody noticed a SPCA adopt a pet van in the parking lot. We made a hard right turn and the next thing I know is that we are walking into Pets Mart. We proceeded to bring out 4 to 5 dogs out to walk and none of them really spoke to us. We both decided that we didn't need to rush into getting a dog and that it would be nice to wait and take our time and get the right dog as a Christmas present for the boys. Oh, and by the way, lets stop by the other SPCA office on the way home.

As we walk through the Kennel at the SPCA, I am following Cody and the boys as they do the looking. After all, he is the expert on dogs, I am just along for the ride. All of a sudden, this yellow lab, sticks his paws out through the gate and reaches out to me. I immediately look down and see the sweetest brown eyes I have ever seen. The dog will not let me leave him. Cody continues to walk on with the boys and I can't leave. This dog is begging me to love him. Not only that, the poor baby is skin and bones. His name is "Levi". He is 3 years old and is extremely skinny. They think he came from the Houston area and was abandoned from Hurricane Ike. You can tell he was a pet, was clean and taken care of but just malnourished . I stand to leave and go find Cody and Levi stands on his back legs and reaches up for me through the bars. I cannot leave this dog and refuse to leave this dog. I spend the next 20 minutes bonding with Levi and poor Cody is chasing our 2 boys. I knew we could take Levi home to be our newest baby boy. I knew Cody was a sucker when it came to dogs and he wouldn't be a hard sell. He has been home for one day now and will not leave my side. He is the sweetest dog I have ever seen in my life. He has made me a changed woman......I am now officially a dog lover.

The Great Wolf Lodge - Mini Vacation

Cody and I decided to take a weekend get away, mini-vacation with the boys to The Great Wolf Lodge. We had heard so many good things about it and it was only a 30 minute drive to Grapevine. It turned out to be a total blast, the boys had a great time and Mom and Dad are exhausted. It is a "lodge" hotel with an indoor water park, plus a Magic Quest scavenger hunt through the hotel.

The water park was amazing, way better than Hawaiian Falls. This was totally indoor, so sunburns were not a problem. They had wave pools, water bucket brigades, kiddie sections, lazy rivers and several HUGE, multi-level water slides. Our legs were aching as we were climbing the many stairswells going up so I decided to count the steps the umptenth time we went up and the tallest slide was 104 stairs up.....no wonder we were tired!

When we got tired, we would dry off and go on our Magic Quest scavenger hunt. This was a totally cool event. The hotel must make millions off this event every year.....each wand was $14, then you had to buy a clue book and pay for the game We dropped an easy $50 for this experience but hey, we were on vacation. You buy a "magic wand", get a magic code book and set off looking for clues throughout the hotel. Picture frames talk to you, magic treasure chests open up, fairies give you clues. The only problem is that you have to go looking for clues via each floor of the hotel, including stairwells....8 stories up. Our legs were aching after 2 days of climbing stairs. At the end of the magic quest, you were to fight the "dragon" who protected the treasure. I secretely think it was a weight loss hotel as much walking and stair climbing that we accomplished this weekend. But, nonetheless, we had a fantastic time!

Fun with 3 Little Monkeys...

My best friend, Heather (cool that we both have the same name) is in Tennessee celebrating her anniversary with her hubby. I get the pleasure of having her son, Luke over to spend the night. It has been fun with 3 little michevious monkeys running around the house! Enjoy the pics! I would write more but I have to go put them to bed!....or try to put them to bed, anyway!

Shep's 1st T-Ball Game: Tigers vs Yankees

Cody and I so enjoyed our first 4 Year Old T-Ball experience! It was a joy to behold. I have never heard so many parents laughing all at once. It was the cutest thing to watch. The little boys were so adorable not knowing which way to run or where to stop. It was cute to watch both teams run after a foul ball. On another note, Shep is quite the athelete. Even though he didn't know the rules of the game just yet, he is quite the hitter and thrower! He has a natural athletic ability! I see scholarships in his future!!!

The Great Big Lightning Bug Hunt!

Cody and I were working in the yard and we noticed that lightning bugs were abuzz everywhere! So, naturally, we grabbed a couple of jars and took the boys on "The Great Big Lightning Bug Hunt". It was a ton of fun and it brought back memories of iur childhood! It turned into quite the teaching opportunity too. The boys were inquisitive and wanted to know why the bugs lit up and we told them about how the bugs were spreading the light of Jesus all over the world. Then they wanted to know why they were small and that led into the conversation how God can make small things mighty, like David and Goliath. This conversation led to the song, "This Little Light of Mine". This little lightning bug brought so much joy to my boys this evening not to mention that we all loved watching Cody dance around in the dark trying to catch lightning bugs...I wouldn't trade the experience for all of the money in the world!

"Mom, the fish needs to go potty!!"

Well, today is Friday....Hudson is in school and it is Shep's day off from PreK. I am going to treasure this year of having Shep as "my little buddy" on Fridays, just Sheppie and me! Our first Friday off from school has been entertaining and educational! Shep became insistent that "Ish", our fish had to go potty. This is the conversation that took place (over and over):

S: "Mom, Ish has to go potty!!"

M: "Sweetie, fish go to the bathroom in the water they swim in."

S: "Ooooo, gross, no they don't!! He needs to go to the potty like us"

M: "Honey, have you ever seen fish in the lake jump out of the water and walk over to a bathroom?"

S: "No but this fish has to!"

M: "Sheppie, honey, if you put the fish in the potty to use the bathroom and flush the toilet, Mr. Ish will go bye-bye."

S: "No, he won't".

He became very insistent that Ish must use our facilities. He then proceeded to put his toys in the water to try to fish him out of his tank so he could put him in the toilet. I kept trying to explain in every way possible that that was not how God made fishies go potty. This conversation repeated itself over and over for well over an hour. It is only 9:30 in the morning so I won't be surprised if I see Mr. Ish belly up in the swishy water by the end of the day.

Shep's 1st Day of Christian PreK....

It was a wet and windy day for Shep's big first day at school! Hurricane Gustav is blowing some major wind up our way today but we didn't let that get our spirits down! Shep was so excited to start school today and especially excited that his best buddy, Luke is in the same class. Luke's Mom and I are a little nervous about what these two munchkins will cook up together this year. The first thing we told the teachers is to seperate them both and they did, thankfully. I am happy to report that they both behaved themselves on their first day and received glowing reports from their teachers!

On another note, when we got home from school, Hudson and I sat down to do his homework. I noticed that on the back of his paperwork, he had drawn a picture of a girl. I asked him, "Honey, who is this a picture of? Is it Gabby?". He said, "No, Mom, that is Gracie.". I said, "Oh, I thought your girlfriend's name was Gabby". He said, "No, I just have 2 girlfriends, Mom. One at school and one at church". (OH MY, ........My little Don Juan is starting early).