When I grow up...

"I won't grow up, I won't grow up...I don't wanna wear a tie..." Peter Pan sang. In Never-Neverland, you aren't required to grow up is what I hear. After a night of filling our mouths with corn on the cob and cake. Sparklers, bon fires, laughter, bug spray and sitting amongst the stars above (wayyyy past bedtime). If I could speak on behalf of my children, nights like these even I would want to stay a kid forever.

One of my most favorite things to do is to watch my children from afar. Their expressions, their movements and their sweet lil voices are all captivating. The WONDER in their eyes twinkle as they are holding onto a sparkler. Nights like last night, I want my children to stay this age forever.

On our ride home both kids sat quietly and sweetly(more like exhausted) in the backseat. I could not help but smile at the silence:) When we arrived home both kids reluctantly got out of the car because they new what time it was: BEDTIME.

If you are a parent you probably have a child or two that does the WALK OF BEDTIME...you know where Im going with this? "I need a drink, Im hungry, I need a story, Oh man we forgot to pray Mom/Dad, my toe hurts, Im hot, Im cold, I need a blankie(even if this child is not use to having a "blankie" all the sudden he/she does), Im missing a pillow on my bed, I need to brush my teeth, it's too dark, it's too light..."

Last night, Max actually was doing an excellent job of following our directions. He had put his pajamas on and was talking to Casey in the kitchen. Earlier in the day he got to go to Chuck E Cheese, it was there that he recieved a card with a picture of him on it (kind of like a pretend credit card). He was figiting with his "credit card" aka his 'debit card' as he calls it. He looks over at his Dad and says...

Max: "You know what I need? I need a wallet."

Casey: "A wallet? Ok, bud, we will get you a wallet."

Max: "Yea, a wallet so I can put my debit card in it. Then I will take my wife and kids to Chuck E Cheese and we can all have our picture taken together there."

Casey: "Your wife? Kids? Who are they?"

Max: "DAD!, You know....my girlfriend Dad!"

Casey: "Who would that be?"

Max: " MY girlfriend TEA'!"

Casey: " Oh she is still your girlfriend?! Well, that will be nice"

Max: "Yea, When I grow up I am going to have a debit card, a wife named TEA' and kids and I am going to buy them all stuff at Chuck E Cheese, well, Im going to buy them lots of stuff. All I need is a wallet."

A wallet...that is all we need in life to have the following; a wife, kids and stuff from Chuck E Cheese! I think we have some more work to do...haha, but he at least knows the debit card part;) haha

So, I have to say when HE grows up(even though, this is hard for me to swallow)...I want my son to remember how generous and considerate he was at the age of 5 years old.

It is easy to love people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. Bring love into your home because this is where our love for one another must start. ~ Mother Teresa

1Corinithians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things

I choose L.O.V.E.

Windex and Boogers

Not sure who, what, or why my child thought it would be a great idea to pick his nose and wipe boogers on the sliding door but he did this morning. His accomplice was his sweet "innocent" sister Maisy Grace. They were tag teaming it one would pick and wipe and the other would spray the Windex....what on earth you must be thinking?! Exactly, how do you think I feel?

Gross.

I stood from afar to watch what their next move was...the little paws from an almost 3 year old opens the back sliding door and goes outside with the Windex. Her brother follows. All I have to say is any living insect in our backyard is gone now. They have been exterminated from the premises with Windex.

It dawned on me, that back when we lived at our other house we had an ant problem there in the Springtime and I would go around spraying them with Windex. Little did I know who was watching....now I do. So, please feel free to call if you 'got bugs'...I will send them right over.

Clean Up Aisle 3 year old...

When ya gotta go....ya gotta go.

Should've listened the first 5 times Maisy honked her crotch and danced in placed telling me she needed to go pee. Like I have thought numerous times before she has peed herself "if you act like you don't hear her, then magically she wont have to go." I think this thought derives from the umpteenth number of times she has said this to me, I drop everything, sprint for the nearest restroom and when we arrive at the toilet she toots and dribbles 2 drops.

I had one hour before Max needed to be picked up. "YES!" I thought to myself. "I can get this, this and this marked off of my list." So naturally, I packed Maisy in the car and we hit the first stop, the grocery store.

I have a love/hate relationship with the grocery store. I love that I am able to buy food and never have to worry about going hungry as long as HyVee Chinese is around. I despise grocery stores for these reasons. No daycare,smells like cantaloupe and cardboard boxes, the shopping carts with little cars stuck to the front of them and last but not least no one has ever greeted me with a glass of wine instead I get a piece of cheese or watermelon.

We are in HyVee no more than 2 minutes, I look over at Maisy and she's grabbing at her patootie. I purposely did not ask her if she needed to go to the restroom...because of what I stated above. I continue with my tasks. Look over again seeing her chucking dvd's in the bin with one hand and her other holding her patootie even tighter. OK, I am disturbed at this point, either she really has to go or I needed to have a lil chat with Sigmund Freud on what's appropriate and not.

I pay and turn around to slush my flip flops in a clear puddle. When I look at Maisy she looks relieved and has a sheepish smirk on her face. I said, "Maisy Grace, did you potty?" She grins, "SSSSSSsssYEs!" Oye. I turn around back at the counter and ask for paper towels and disinfectant.

All cleaned up on aisle 3 year old! We head to the bank. In the drive thru at the bank. The teller asks how she can help and I tell her. In the meantime, Maisy has unbuckled and wiggled out of her car seat. She says, "Mom, I need to potty". Now I ignore the teller, I am in potty panic mode...we are in the CAR...YIKES. I look all around my car...Ahhhh HA! A size 3 diaper(aka baby thong for Maisy) in the passenger door. Angels were singing for me. I unbuckle myself, still ignoring the bank teller. Twisting my body around I put Maisy into a diaper before this woman's eyes. My hair in my face, I settle back into my seat. I look over at the bank teller's face and see this perplexed look on her face, clearly not knowing what to say. "Phew, first time for everything....IM SUUUUUUPER MOM!" I said to her in the awkward silence. The teller uncomfortably smiles and hands me my money and a sucker and raises her eyebrows at me. I drive away.

I know I am not the first mother to ever have a public pee incident. But I do think I deserve a SUPER star of putting a small diaper (not the right size for my daughters goozie) just with the twist of my torso. That takes talent. Or let me think so anyways. I simply can conclude, EVERYONE I have ever met has a "story" of meeting me...maybe that teller and I will be friends someday and she can truly tell me what she thought about me:) Until then, pee-pee in the pottttttttayyyyy!

Mile 1...

Run.Run.Run. I live, breathe and eat around people aka my husband Forrest Gump... that all they do is RUN. Although, it does inspire me to want to run and my body tells me that I need to RUN...I simply can't get these hooves to GO.

I am determined that I AM going to RUN past my RUNNING fear. I have made a bucket list of things I want to do before I die...and you are probably thinking she has added a race, marathon or Triathalon to her list, nope. I simply want to learn what this running is all about. I want to understand the sickness that overcomes a runner's body to feel the "need" that they "have" to get a run in for the day. Because, quite honestly, that pains me to think of it.

Steps that I have been told will make me a better runner:

1. Sweet running shoes...look awesome and feel even awesomer(ok, so no one really told me this part, but myself...must look the part to play the part is what I say)

2. MUSIC that makes your feet not want to stop moving...here's the hard part for me...I either was born with ears that are challenged or every pair of head phones need to be tied around my ears three times to get them to stay.

3. Motivation: Challanging to fester up the attitude and determination to dedicate an hour of my life a day to something that I at the moment dread thinking about. I need people in my life like Richard Simmons, Pat McManus, Stuart Small,Spartan Cheerleaders. If you fit any or all of these peoples characteristics please join in cheering me on to take the first step into a RUNNER'S WORLD!

4. A Mind full: Safe to say, I can ACE this part (with as much as I talk...I talk even more to myself)


5. Challenge myself and not give up.

6. Wish me luck...Gotta RUN~ Peace