COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING

Let me just start by saying that I pick Dalton up from school every day and it is very routine all the way to our conversations. He can never remember what he did in school that day, but he will usually tell me if he had a good day or a bad day, and all he is really concerned about it what kind of snack I brought him for the very long, 15 minute or less, drive home. ha

But today was different. He was quite cheerful. He said he had a lot of fun in P.E. He was very enthusiastic of the snack that I brought him and he convinced me to take the long way home-which is the way he likes to go and I usually won't go that way. Along the way he turned and looked at me, with his heart wide open, he said "mom we are going to collect coins for people who don't have food or water so they can buy a goat?" WHAT? And yes this did make me start to giggle cause all I could think of was he wasn't paying full attention, big surprise, and they said the money would go for COATS. That makes sense right? He noticed right away that I apparently didn't get it. So he tried to explain it to me again this time saying that the goats would make milk for them. I AM SO SORRY TO SAY THAT I COMPLETELY LOST IT AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO PULL OVER CAUSE I COULDN'T SEE THROUGH THE TEARS ANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor Dalton looked at me with hurt in his eyes and shouted "IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!!!" To which I explained that no it was not a funny situation but it sounds funny to buy a goat. He almost had tears in his eyes and he was very furious at me and he said "you don't get it! We will take in change and fill a jar and after it gets full the school will go and buy the FREAKING GOAT!!!!" Yep that just added fuel to my fire and I laughed all the way home crying all the way! He turned away from me and would not talk to me for half an hour after we got home.

Ok, so now you are probably wandering about the goat...here's the scoop: They are participating in what is called COINS FOR COMPASSION. (there was a note in his backpack) It says the coins that they collect will allow them to show compassion and share the true spirit of Christmas to a child in need somewhere in the world. They are hoping to collect enough coins to give a goat to a needy family in the name of their school. The gift of a goat cost $75 and provides milk, yogurt and cheese to a needy family. It is done through World Vision. This makes sense and I think it is a wonderful thing for them to do and for the kids to participate in. As you see COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING!

LETTERS TO SANTA

Dear Santa, I want a big tan dog with fluffy ears and Sorry Sliders and a Big Cupcake maker. (which is that mold that looks like a cupcake but it makes a giant cake)

In our house we have a tradition where we write our letters to Santa and put them in this little red mailbox on our mantle where Santa gets them when we are sleeping. Recently, Dalton decided it was time to write letters and if you wouldn't write one then he would write it for you. I guess he was mad at me at the time-see for yourself. I also have a picture of the one he wrote for himself and I will decode them for you too. lol





Hi Santa My mom been very bad do not give my mom presents.


Seriously??? I think I will wait a few years before I get him for this! haha ;)

WE HAD VISITORS!!!!!!!!

We all know how excited I get when someone comes to visit! Well, my cousin Gail and her husband Rich, whom we had never met, came for the weekend and we had a great time getting re-acquainted. I had not seen Gail since my fathers funeral back in 1998. We lived in middle Tennessee and she lived in Columbia Missouri. We took them to see a few of the local sights since they had spent so long on the road I knew the last thing they wanted was to sit for another long haul in the car.

A funny little story about the visit...while sight seeing we took my Expedition so that we could all be in one vehicle. The guys sat up front, mom and Gail sat in the middle and I sat in the very back with Dalton. We were in route to Mt. Nebo when the most horrible foul smell filled the truck. My eyes began to water. Mom turned back and looked at me with absolute horror on her face. Using my eyes I pointed towards Denny, cause we all know this is something he would do, and just shook my head and held my breath knowing that Gail and Rich was dying to open a window. The air had not even had a chance to clear when the truck was filled with this awful fog AGAIN! But this time Dalton leaned over, with a giggle in his voice and his face growing redder by the second, said in a whisper "mom I can't quit farting!" I had to let everyone know who was the cause of such a stench. Who knew that little 53 lb body contained a weapon of mass destruction!! lol

NOVEMBER 5TH DALTON'S BIRTHDAY

Yes I know I am Way behind again!

Dalton's birthday was on a Thursday this year so we did our family celebration with the normal birthday dinner and cupcakes and then it was back to the books for Dalton since he has 3 test every Friday.

That Saturday we had a party for him with classmates and other friends. We let the kids play freely until it was time to eat pizza then we had a hayride and wound things up with the beating of a pinata. I think everyone had a good time, I know Dalton did.

1ST GRADE 1ST QTR. HONOR ROLL

On Wed the 28th we attended Dalton's first awards assembly. He made straight A's and got to go on stage and was presented with a certificate. He thought that was really cool and so did I! I hope this will encourage him to keep up the good grades. Tonight the honor roll was posted in our local newspaper and I showed it to Dalton. Dalton said with a great big grin and a tone in his voice that showed me he was completely blown away "why is my name in the paper mom?" "You got straight A's on your report card and you deserved it my little man." I had to fight tears through the assembly and I have had to fight tears in this posting.

TRIP TO PAM'S OCT. 2009

This picture was taken out side of a Kirklands store in Edmond. It is so beautiful!

Dalton and Margaret in their Halloween shirts.

Margaret and Dalton on the trick or treat hayride.

Dalton and Margaret on the pony rides.

And the kids playing on the trampoline.

Dalton and I spent last weekend in Edmond Oklahoma with my friend Pam and her family. Dalton and Margaret are just a year apart (she is older) and they get along really well. We participated in some Halloween fun sponsered by the church they attend. We went on a hayride where we got out in a field and the kids went on a trick or treat trail, they played games for prizes and rode the ponies. It was great getting together and look forward to more get togethers with them! Pam and I have been friends since high school and I am proud to say she is one of my best friends! :)

GOOFY

This is Goofy being very patient as Dalton pushes her around in a stroller. I love the one where they are kissing!

2009 COUNTY FAIR

This is Kiley and Dalton on the mini roller coaster. I know the background looks fake but it was getting ready to pour down rain on us!

I know it has been a while since the fair but I have had some problems with down loading my pictures.

REPORT CARD DAY!!

Yes, I said report card day with excitement in my voice, for I have already been for my parent/teacher conference and have his report card in hand. We are proud to announce that Dalton got straight A's!!! We were very surprised due to the fact that at progress report time he had 2 A's and a B. (they only have 3 grades right now) We have worked really hard with Dalton trying to get him to understand why homework is important and why good grades are important. I guess some of it is starting to sink in. He will be rewarded with something special in hopes that it will be additional inspiration for him to continue to do well and improve.

WAY TO GO DALTON - WE LOVE YOU!!!!

HARVEST HOE DOWN 2009

Last night was the 2009 Harvest Hoe Down at school. This annual event is a big fundraiser for the school and a lot of fun for the kids. Along with games to play for prizes they have inflatables, face painting, temporary tattoos and a paper auction for items like gift baskets, services, food, entertainment and a getaway or two. The kids also sold tickets for the spaghetti dinner which was quite yummy this year.

We are pleased to say that Dalton actually wanted his face painted this year! I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but it really is. He let me paint his face earlier this year at his Kindergarten graduation party here at the house but would never ever let anyone anywhere do it. Dalton and his shyness has come a long way and I just hope this was one more baby step into being a more social child.

DECISIONS DECISIONS

Like most parents I often ask Dalton what he would like to do when he grows up. I can honestly say I was not prepared for tonight's answer of "I would like to just lay on my bed and watch T.V." "Seriously Dalton? That is what you want to do when you grow up?" "Well, no mom but I haven't got to watch much T.V lately so I would just like to watch some. Okay, so he is almost seven. I am really not going to sweat it too much right now since he would probably change his mind a million times before he ever leaves high school anyway.

This does remind me of last year, when he was in Kindergarten, and I had picked him up from school and the first thing out of his mouth was "mom I've decided I don't want to be a teacher any more I want to be a cowboy!" That decision was made the day the "cowboys" came to school and brought their horses, did tricks and let them pet the horses. HELLO CHILD we just moved from a farm and my cousin has a horse farm. It's not like he was never around horses!!

OUT WITH THE OLD SO WE CAN BRING IN THE NEW

THE FOLLOWING IS A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE-SUMMER OF 2008.

We moved here in May of 2008. It took me quite a while to get everything unpacked or at least gone through. Once this task was done I decided it was time to go ahead and get rid of the things that were no longer needed, wanted or used. When I was going through Dalton's toys I was trying to pick out the items that he NEVER played with or had out grown. This is extremely hard to do when he is here-I think my son could be a hoarder. On this occasion he was in the playroom with me and of course he was fighting me all the way on my choices of elimination. I came across a stuffed animal of Big Bird that had motion sensor eyes and would talk to you. This was an item I was putting in the get rid of box because Dalton NEVER played with it. Dalton didn't even really care for Sesame Street. He did like Elmo. So, as Dalton watched me throw the bird in the box he started yelling "STOP YOU CAN'T THROW MY ERNIE AWAY I LOVE HIM!!!!" That is not a typo he really did call it Ernie!! Once I stopped laughing and explained that he didn't even know who he was he thought I was lying to him and he did not like me laughing!

MY BLOG

I have decided to use my blog as a diary-sort of. I want to put in writing some of the things that goes on in our lives, especially things that involve Dalton. We are printing out my blog and keeping it in a binder so that he has something to look back on when he gets older and we are too old to remember anything.

So hang on as from now on we may be taking the occasional walk down memory lane.

DALTONS FIRST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME

It has been several weeks now, but I am behind on my blogging, but we took Dalton to his first high school football game and it was extra special because it was 1. homecoming and 2. Jeremy our next door neighbor plays on the team. It was an exciting game and they won!
Now, Dalton's version of it may be slightly different. Partly because he doesn't know much about the game but mostly because there were several of his friends there and he was all about the socializing. Yes, we are still talking about Dalton here. He wanted to stand at the rail in front of the cheerleaders with his friends and he wanted to eat stuff from the concession stand. He said he had a good time and wants to go to another one.

A NOTE FROM DALTON TO MEME

Children today learn at a faster pace than what we did when we were kids but it still amazes me when Dalton reads me books, sounds out words until he gets it right and he takes pride (finally) in what he has accomplished.

While I was shopping earlier this week Dalton was home with mom and she was on the phone. Dalton knows he shouldn't interrupt when someone is on the phone unless it is an emergency so he decided to write meme a note and give it to her. This is exactly how it read:

hugre for a samwij penut butr and jele

I know I am his mom but I think he did a pretty good job and we knew exactly what he wanted. I love that little boy!!!!!!!!

WHEN CHILDREN ARE SICK

There is nothing like feeling helpless when your child is sick. This past week Dalton came down sick. He first started out with a small cough and was hoarse then on Tuesday evening he was complaining of a headache and by the time he went to bed he had a fever of a 102. Here is where it got complicated and I am glad the neighbors didn't call children's services....... Dalton wouldn't take ANY kind of kids OTC medication! I have all kinds. I have the liquid that you pour in a cup, the kind that you chew, the ones that is a strip and it dissolves on your tongue, eye droppers to use. OK so I think I have started to paint this picture pretty well. We crumbled up the chewable and put it in applesauce-that didn't work, put it in pudding-he tried it but claimed it was making him sick. This went on for an hour+ and we were so aggravated we couldn't see straight. I even threatened to take him to the hospital. Have you ever tried to put an unwilling cat into a pet carrier and it seems like they suddenly grew about 8 extra legs and you can't get them in?? Well, that is exactly what it was like. I picked him up and all of the sudden legs were every where and I couldn't get out the door. That kid has some amazing strength. No matter how bad Dalton felt he fought me at taking the medication. He went for the first 24 hours with out eating or drinking which really scared me. He was weak and since he didn't feel good he said he couldn't walk to the bathroom so most of the time I carried him. I know I am a pushover. When he finally decided he would drink something he wanted milk. WRONG-O LIL BUDDY! I told him if he would take the medication so his fever would go down he could have some. He decided he wanted a watermelon slush from Sonic. I gently spiked a small cup full with the Tylenol liquid but he fell asleep before drinking very much so I don't think it did much good. So the next time he wanted a drink I tried to give him some and I guess I didn't have enough slush in there and he said it tasted sickening and he now wants nothing to do with a watermelon slush. He doesn't know that I was "spiking" his drinks. So my next shameless act was while he was asleep I took an eye dropper and squirted it in through a hole where he has lost a tooth! He made a couple of noises as if I had just gave him peanut butter but then he rolled over and out the rest came. The fever is gone now, thank you lord, but I don't know that I ever got enough medication in him to help with the fever.

And for the record: while trying to get him to try the different types of medicine I was tasting them to see if they really were as nasty as he said. The liquid is not wonderful but it is not worth keeping a fever over and the grape chewables are quite yummy!!

BLOGGING

I find it hard to keep up with my blogging these days. So forgive me as I start to try and catch up again and start blogging some more "Daltonisims". Dalton comes up with some of the funniest stuff and some things are so stinking smart. I wish he expressed his intelligence in his school work like he does with other random issues.

BRANSON - LABOR DAY WEEKEND

While we were in Branson Dalton wanted to ride the "duck duck boats". We decided to take the Tablerock Lake tour and it was AWESOME! We had a terrific boat captain. His name is Captain Magic. I think we would ask specifically for him if we were to do it again. But next time we will probably take the Lake Taneycomo tour since we haven't been on that one either. The Captain, once out in the water, asked who all would like to drive the duck. He made sure that everyone who wanted to drive the duck got to drive the duck before we left the water. So the picture above is of Dalton driving the duck. He even got an official honorary duck drivers license (certificate).

One afternoon we took Dalton to Springfield to eat and play at Incredible Pizza. We had so much fun!!! Dalton got to drive the go carts and bumper cars all by himself and he was loving every minute of it!! If you look closely you can see the two cushions they had to put behind his back. Note: I am not a Lowes traitor! We had no control over what car they put him in since we were not close to where he has to go to get on the ride.

Our whole trip was a lot of fun. I picked a hotel that had an indoor pool so my little fish could swim-which he did several times. I caught a severe cold so it set is back a bit and we didn't end up having enough time to go to the Branson Zoo or for me to go clothes shopping for Dalton.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OLIVIA GRACE

I would like for you to meet Olivia Grace. This precious little baby belongs to some friends of mine, Laurie and Rafe and big sister Amelia. This sweet little baby made her grand entrance a few months early and is experiencing many complications. Her bad days seem to out weigh her good days at this point but there have been improvements here and there. Her most recent problems has made it necessary to have a blood transfusion, she has had and still may have bleeding on her brain which is causing seizures. Laurie and Rafe both have colds and are no longer able to see her, Laurie's parents are going to the hospital so they can be with the baby, and sweet little Amelia is desperately missing her mommy and daddy.

Please keep this family in your prayers. Pray for a complete recover for Olivia, pray for rest, health and peace of mind for Laurie and Rafe and Amelia, pray for knowledge and technology for the nurses and doctors who are caring for her.

Thanks, I appreciate it and I know the family really appreciates it!

WHAT A GREAT 1ST WEEK OF SCHOOL

We ended the week yesterday on such a good note! Dalton came home with his first spelling test which he got a 105% on. (so not my child-Denny gets credit for this one) He got a 100 on his sight words and got all of his reading comprehension correct. I AM SO PROUD OF THAT LITTLE STINKER!!!!! And he felt good about himself too. It was a struggle every day getting him to do his homework. He wanted to go out and play.

Dalton also received his first invitation to a birthday party. It was a pool party and we went today. Remember he went to swimming lessons last month, so he has a FEW basics but probably didn't really have them down pat. He has no fear of the water so he is eager to jump in! If he is going to be in water deeper than his head he is required (by me and his dad) to wear the life vest. So we took his life vest with us today and he put it on right away so he could jump in the deep end. ( This is an in ground home pool so he was always an easy distance to me.) There was 3 other kids there that were all pretty good swimmers. He took off his vest and got in the shallow end so he could play a while then all of the sudden I see him under the water....kicking his feet....doing his arms....swimming from one end of the pool to the other!!! He was probably swimming as good as me or even better under the water! He was so proud of himself! He came up out of that water with a big ole smile on his face. I am not too sure that he wasn't smiling under the water too. I am sure the other kids there swimming has something to do with him getting it straight in his head as to what he is suppose to do. And of all times-I didn't have my camera with me! I went looking for my cell and I had left it at home too. BAD MOMMA BAD MOMMA

DALTON'S FIRST DAY OF 1ST GRADE

Dalton's first day back was Aug. 19th. I am just slow at getting this on here. So far so good. He says it is kinda boring right now. They will start with the real stuff next week...then he will wish he was bored again! lol

This year was much easier than last year-for both of us. He really didn't seem too nervous last year but I know he was a little. I guess this year he knew what to expect and so did I so we were both good.

My little man....sniff sniff

BREAKFAST ANYONE?

When it is time for me to go grocery shopping I ask everyone if they have any special request. I specifically asked Dalton what he would like for breakfast for school and for lunches. After careful thinking he said that he would like some of those "Kaleb's Flakes" for breakfast. It took me a minute or two to figure this one out but then I realized he was wanting Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. Now that one I can get!

LAST DAY OF SUMMER

Dalton with his "ta' go" drink from Pizza Hut.

I love this picture even though he didn't want to take it-he almost smiled.

He did pretty good at throwing the ball.

I can't get over how grown up he looks in this picture! He is only 6-soon to be 7 in 4 months.

Such attitude!!! Notice all of the missing teeth? He looks like a Jack-o-lantern so I have been calling him Jack-he is not amused by it.

Ok, I know it is not the LAST day of summer but it was the last day before school starts. We had a great time and he was well behaved all day.

A PLACE TO JUMP

We now have a local place to take kids where they can jump on the inflatables. We went to an open house yesterday where everyone got to jump for FREE! Here are some pictures of Dalton having a great time! The kid was sweaty!!

GOING FOR A RIDE

Yes, Dalton really is riding the lawnmower. He has been begging to ride it by himself but when he got on and got going he wanted Denny close by so he walked beside him as he made a lap around the yard. The funny thing is the poor little skinny rat barely weighs enough to keep the pressure on the seat to keep it running!

PLAYDATE WITH AUBREY

You will have to ask them why they had the rubber gloves on. All I know is they were playing in the yard, they did have big rubber boots on too, and then the next thing I see is them wearing the gloves. I know they were picking up rocks and messing around in the creek but RUBBER GLOVES????

So I guess I will call this "WHAT HAPPENS AT OUR HOUSE STAYS AT OUR HOUSE". :o)

METEOR SHOWER

Dalton had a new first tonight...he witnessed his first meteor shower. We have been trying (and by we I mean I) to get him in bed earlier so he will be ready when school starts but tonight he just couldn't get wound down. If it were not for my dear friend Lisa putting a posting of the shower on Facebook I would have never known about it and he would still be clueless.

While we were sitting in our lawn chairs out in the driveway Dalton saw a big bright star and got all excited. not sure why. But I explained that it was the north star and it was brightest of all the stars. He was good with that and said nothing more.............and then the confusion was bound to happen...................he said "mom, isn't that the north star where Santa is?" OH YES HE DID-AND I COULDN'T QUIT LAUGHING. He did not appreciate my laughing either but I couldn't help it.

PRAYER REQUEST PLEASE!!

Hello everyone! I am asking that all of you read this and then stop and pray.

This prayer request is for Marta. Marta currently lives in Mo. but used to live in Tn. and she is the best friend of my friend Denise. Marta was a cancer survivor until recently when her doctors found cancer again when they were operating for something else. Right now Denise is kind of in the dark as to what all is going on and as to how bad it is but it looks like the cancer is in her breast and in her stomach area. There may be more but the family isn't saying much right now due to the fact that Marta is taking this hard.

Let's pray for peace of mind for Marta, the healing of her body and pray for knowledge for the doctors.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and pray!

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

Denny recently ordered a new carburetor for our lawnmower and it arrived today. Dalton is always looking for mail, which he never gets, and was excited to see we had a box in our mailbox. I explained that this too was for someone other than him and that it was daddy's carburetor for the 4 wheeler. ( I thought that was what it was for) Dalton took the box in to mom and showed it to her an explained to her that it was carburetor for a 4 wheeler but he did not know why it wasn't called a 4 wheelburetor. Later when Denny got home Dalton took out the box from his room, he hid it there with out me knowing it was in there, and gave it to Denny like it was a big surprise. That was when Denny told him it was for the lawnmower. So as you could imagine Dalton was quick to come in and let me know that it was a lawnmowerburetor and that I was WRONG. Silly me.

JUST AN IDEA OF HOW BIG DALTON IS

Ok this is for those of you who need a "Dalton" growth update......................he will be starting 1st grade this fall, I am thinking by the time he starts 3rd grade he will be taller than meme!!!

SWIMMING LESSONS HAVE BEGUN

Dalton and Ethan waiting their turn. Dalton smiled the whole time he was there!!

Dalton on the boogie board learning to kick and go. Do you see the smile on that boys face!!!!!

I am absolutely delighted that he is enjoying swimming lessons. I was hoping he would go into this with his "no fear" attitude like he does with other things like riding his bike, 4 wheeler, climbing trees, trying to catch snakes...I think you get the picture. Now we just need our own pool!!!!!!!!!! hint hint honey

4th OF JULY

What an interesting 4th of July we had. As you can see the ground is wet in the pictures. It rained off and on all day. HURRAH!!!!! We desperately needed rain! But if you ask the little guy in the picture running with a sparkler.....he will tell you differently. We had planned on going to a celebration at a church that throws a gynormus (by small town standards) gathering with food, inflatables and fireworks. They actually do the best fireworks in town. Since it was raining off and on all day and I was having back pains we decided to go later in the evening. We arrived about 7:45 but it was not looking good. A really weird fog was rolling in and you could see the next storm moving towards us. It was already lightning. As we were looking for a place to park, I was on the phone with Christy who was already there, they announced that they would be starting the fireworks early in order to beat the storm. Five minutes later they were shooting off fireworks. We decided it would be best to just go to the neighboring Lowes parking lot and watch from there. GOOD THINKING!!!! They almost immediately went to their grand finale then shot off a few others and that was it-it started pouring the rain again!! So we come on home.
We had some fireworks here at the house but nothing of that magnitude, so we planned on shooting ours on the 5th of July. Dalton even talked Denny into going back and getting some more fireworks. Our neighbors asked us to come over to their yard cause they were shooting off their fireworks too so we took our stuff and gave it to the guys and let them shoot it (they are younger and can run faster! hehe) and enjoyed a nice evening with the neighbors. They had some MONSTER fireworks that was awesome!!! I didn't know the average person could buy the kind of stuff they had.

BECAUSE DADDY SAYS SO!

(fyi this is the garage & my recycling)

My sweet little son is quite the pack rat. He has taken over things of ours and hid them in his room with out us even knowing it. Right now I am talking about a certain picture frame that holds many pictures and it says I Love My Cats on it. Yes, this is from back in the day when I had lots of them so there are many pictures in it. Dalton knows who a few of the cats are because they were still alive when he was born but there is one in particular who was and I guess always will be fond of. That cat being "Turdball" a.k.a Goofy since we didn't want a 1+ year old saying the word "Turdball". Dalton could do anything to that cat he he would come back for more. As a matter of fact-Dalton is the one who found Goofy dead, but didn't know he was dead, and brought him to us. It is a sad and morbidly funny story. We made an elaborate kennel for the cats who were old cause they were not always hitting the litter box right and we were afraid of them ruining the house. Anyway, we were packing up from a garage sale when we saw Dalton coming around the house carrying the cat and we immediately knew that the cat was not alive. As I was shouting "put the cat down he is dead and that is gross" Dalton was shouting back "he's not dead his eyes are open." They were open. But the cat was NOT alive. He had not been dead long. We took the cat away from Dalton and he was running around screaming and crying that was his kitty and it wasn't dead. He was very upset with us that we wouldn't call an ambulance and take it to the hospital. Dalton was just 4 1/2 at the time. Once we convinced him that it was dead he was then wanting to go around and show people his dead cat. And those were really his words. "I want to go show Susan my dead cat." See-we have taught him to share. lol When Denny went to return the tables Dalton wanted to go with him-but he also wanted to take the cat too. Of course Denny said no. We could hear Dalton screaming as they drove down the road "I wanna take my dead cat." We buried him in the back yard and Dalton wanted to watch. It was so pitiful. He talked to it the whole time and cried some too. Denny and I were balling our eyes out and I think it was more over his reaction than to the actual death of the cat. The cat was 17 or 18 years OLD. The next day he took my mom out to see where he was buried and even offered to dig him up for her. Such the gentleman. lol
Ok. fast forward to this past Sunday. Dalton was running around with this picture, driving us nuts with it, trying to convince someone-anyone that he loved all of those cats and wanted them back. They are all buried in Tn. I can't even provide him with bones! Denny finally lost it and said we will not have any more cats nor will we have any more animals in this house after these 2 dogs are gone. Dalton went away slightly heartbroken but he doesn't give up easily. Dalton was back later asking the same things over and over again. Denny said "let it rest."
Then here we were yesterday leaving the dentist office and there was a commotion of birds in the bushes screaming and fighting and all of the sudden this tiny little kitten runs out and straight to DALTON!!! Ok so you all know what happens from here..................we have this new kitten at our house that can't be more than 8 or 10 weeks old. It has a lot of similarities to Goofy #1. Yes, that's right I said "Goofy # 1" because we now have a Goofy #2. And just like Goofy #1 - Goofy #2 is just as tolerant with Dalton. Dalton has pushed him around in his garden cart and his lil kids grocery cart, had it hanging in some sort of net thingy in his bedroom and it slept with him on the couch yesterday afternoon for hours. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN INDOOR CAT!!!!! And those famous words that Denny spoke just 2 days earlier..................................are gone and forgotten.

JUST HOW REDNECK ARE WE REALLY GONNA GET??

And by we I mean DENNY! We have recently spotted a snake in the creek again. Actually there are 2 different ones. When one or both of them is spotted we have used the following techniques in trying to kill them:

* sticking a pole up under the bank trying to stab it
* sticking a rake up under the bank trying to stab it
* shooting at it with a bb gun (all he did was poke the snakes eye out) haha

And now we have gone to a whole new level...............FIREWORKS! Yes we took a drive to a local firework stand just so we could purchase fireworks to kill snakes. I am happy to report (I think) that they no longer sell M 80's cause so many people were getting their hands blown off. Now here is a random thought................couldn't this be a good war tactic.........happily give the enemy M 80's and let them blow off their own hands??? Nawwwwwwwwwwwww we can't do that. ok back on track here.... So we have an array of bottle rockets and some other sort of thing that goes boom that we hope will kill the snakes. Stay tuned for updates on this one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

My birthday was last week on the 24th. yea yea happy birthday to me blah blah blah. What I want to tell about is Dalton- of course. You see I did the first sentence to try and make it kinda like my cake, which was pink and purple tiedye . It also had a peace sign on it. On the second day of eating on the cake Dalton came in looked at the cake and with a wrinkled up face and his lip all puckered out said "I wanted a piece with the STEERING WHEEL on it mommy!" bahahahahahahahahahaha kids are so funny!!

SCIENCE CAMP

Dalton and his friend Ethan attended Science camp last week. On the first day when I picked Dalton up and asked him what they did he replied "I don't know, I can't remember." I paid $75 for this?? So the next day I asked the same question and he said "he was a scientist." Well there you go. I am so sure many of you paid big bucks to go to college when all you needed to do was pay your $75 and go to day camp for a week. At the end of the week he came home with a journal charted with their activities (made by Dalton) which was mostly pictures he drew. He had a Kaleidoscope that he made using a toilet paper roll and some sequins and one of those small condiment cups with a lid that you get when you get your food to go at the nice eateries. Who knew. They made a necklace with cool beads that change color in the sun, decorated a t-shirt, made paper flowers, some sort of prism thingy and a lot of net things to do at home stuff. I know they actually did more but I am not sure exactly what all they did with it, such as the bubbles, dry ice, trash bags???? (not all at the same time-or at least I don't think so)

OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Sitting at a slot machine while waiting for our name to be called to go eat breakfast. As tight as I am holding my bag you would think I really had something in it!

View from a top of the Eiffel Tower


Another view from a top of the Eiffel Tower
For our 20th anniversary we went to Las Vegas. It seemed fitting since we honeymooned there. We have traveled there many times since but the last was in 1997 and so many things have changed since then. We spent 5 days and 4 nights at the Paris hotel which was plenty but at the same time we still didn't go everywhere we wanted to go. Our big wooo hooo while we were there was a 4 wheeler trip we took in El Dorado canyon. They picked us up at our hotel and took us to our tour. Our tour consisted of riding 4 wheelers in the desert and on small mountains and hills, a BBQ dinner and a tour thru a real gold mine that actually still has gold in it. It was fun and something different to do from the normal casino hopping. We were hoping to see some "desert" life, (ie. lizzard, snake, spider-not that I REALLY wanted to see them but I know they are different than the ones we have at home) but all we saw was a coyote at sundown. Oh well.
We also took a tour to Primm Nevada which is where I got Denny to ride the roller coaster, the very same one he said he would never ride again back in 1997, and he vows to never ride it or any other roller coaster again! It is a good thing Dalton is my little thrill seeker and loves roller coasters too! While they are strapping you in the roller coaster there is a recording telling you all about the coaster: said it gets to 87mph, over 200 ft tall and it pulled as many "G's" as some astronauts some where-I missed that part.
On our last night there we went into the top of the Eiffel tower. While waiting in line I discovered our camera was not working. It is a good thing that Denny's cell phone takes pretty darn good pictures. Now if I can just figure out how to get them transferred onto here. ;) I'll keep trying.
We had a good time! Happy anniversary to us!

WHAT ALL CAN KIDS GET INTO IN ONE DAY?

I WILL TELL YOU WHAT ALL KIDS CAN GET INTO IN ONE DAY!

Said kids (that being Dalton and his accomplice Aubrey) started out playing in his bedroom. Hotwheels, trucks and tractors everywhere! After playing there for a while they went upstairs to the playroom. I did not go up there-I was scared too. They left from up there and went outside and played on their scooters. ( I am going to do a giant run-on of what all they did outside) They got out the wagon put in some tubs, got out the butterfly nets which Dalton has taped them onto broom handles to turn them into fishing nets. yes theses WERE from brooms and mops of mine, they caught fish and craw fish from the creek and put them into tubs and buckets (temporary pets) they got bored with that and got into the pool, had noodle fights in the pool- and out of the pool, came in and changed clothes, went back out and was playing on the playset. They were playing for a long time. This gave me time to start cleaning up the mess they created in the house when they came in to change clothes. Denny came home and asked what all of the hammering was outside-sounded like it was coming from the playhouse. I go running out to find both kids on the roof of the playhouse. Dalton had a hammer and 5 inch nails hammering them into the roof of the playhouse. I guess Aubrey was up there for moral support??? Whatever he does-she does. Got them down from there and they went back to looking for fish in the creek. Thinking that it is safe to go back in only to later find them in the last and remaining dirt pile in the yard. COVERED!! I will never be able to get the dirt out of Aubrey's clothes and actually this is the second time they have got into the dirt so it is the second shirt she has ruined. Her momma may kill me this time. Aubrey said they are not new but they sure did look it. "Did" being the operative word. This pretty much went on until dark when they came in and ate and got a bath then played a little bit longer until bedtime. I thought it would never get here. Neither child was bad-they were just hard to keep up with.

WHAT A WAY TO KICK OFF THE SUMMER

On Wednesday Dalton was out playing in the yard. He was making his usual rounds on his bike, playing on the play set, playing in the creek etc. He decided it was time to jump the creek-again. Now mind you, he jumps the creek all the time so this is nothing new for him. (the creek is about 4 feet wide where he likes to jump) Dalton took off running and jumped, he made it, but he didn't land right, he was in flip flops, he hurt his foot. He complained that it hurt and hobbled around a bit but it didn't slow him down too much. By bedtime it was a whole nother story. The poor kid was crying that he was in pain. I gave him Tylenol and an ice pack and he finally cried himself to sleep. The next morning he was still in pain and couldn't walk on it so I made him an appointment to see the DR. He had his first xrays done. Nothing was broke just bruised. They told him to keep off of it and keep it elevated and to wear tennis shoes for a while for support. You know this is not going over very well. He can't sit still.

Last night we took Dalton to a local festival and pulled him around in his wagon. He wanted to ride the MECHANICAL BULL!! Needless to say he did not get to ride it. (I didn't have my camera with me hehe)

SMOKERS BEWARE!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR this makes my head spin around!!!!!!

Here is what happened: yesterday going into Wal Mart there was a man who was walking about 4 feet in front of us. Right before the man went through the automatic door he extended his arm backwards and FLICKED his cigarette!! It came within inches of hitting me. If Dalton had been on that side it would have hit him for sure!!! So, I said in a LOUD voice "you almost hit me with that cigarette!" No response he just kept on walking. So I said in my next loud voice to my mom but the loudness was so he could hear it (not cause mom is hard of hearing or anything) "that idiot almost hit me with that cigarette and wont even acknowledge it!" still nothing. So in my next loud voice, and by this time he had stepped up his pace, I said "if he had hit my child with that thing he would find out what it is like to have this plus size momma kicking his butt!" He never looked back and increased his pace-which I could have easily caught up with him cause these legs are short but I have got a fast pace that Denny cant even keep up with. At this point I had to let him go on or I new it was not going to be pretty.

Family, friends and those of you who I don't know: WATCH WHAT THE HECK YOU DO WITH YOUR CIGARETTES CAUSE I AM ALL "FIRED" UP AND READY TO GET YA!!! (what if that had landed in a baby carrier???)

SUMMER VACATION

Well, here we are in our second week of summer vacation. Doing better than the first official day when Dalton told me he was BORED. Right now we are just kinda hanging around the house not really doing much of anything. We have plenty of summer plans which include Dalton going to Science (day) camp for a week, birthday parties, swimming lessons and hopefully out of town company.

Denny and I will be going to Las Vegas for our 20th wedding anniversary this month. We went to Vegas on our honeymoon so it seemed fitting to go for our 20th. We have been to Vegas a few times since then but it has been a long time since our last trip so we know it has changed a lot and it will feel like new to us like the first time we went out there.

Here is my problem: I will be gone from Dalton for 5 days!!! I don't know how I am going to handle this. The only time I have been gone from Dalton that long was when I was in the hospital, he was 3, and I was really sick with my kidneys and we didn't want Dalton any where near the hospital-afraid he would pick up a bug while there. I was really out of it and didn't know much of what was going on anyway. I may have to take up drinking ;) haha.

Anyone who would like to come visit with us this summer (or any other time) let me know so I can put you on the calendar and have something else to look forward to.

MY NEW HAIR DOO AND COLOR

5 + inches taken off and shades of brown, red and blonde. I am lovin it!

DALTONS CLASS AT GRADUATION

LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

Today was the last day of Kindergarten. He was not excited about me taking this picture-at all! Compare this one to the first day.

Me and Dalton at his class party today. Just as a refrence for those of you who have not seen Dalton for a year now....I am standing on my knees-no more looking eye to eye. Pretty soon I will not feel the need to squat/kneel/hunker down anymore for pictures.

Dalton and Mrs.R at the party today. Man is he gonna miss her as his teacher!

Dalton didn't want to pose for this one either but Michael and Ethan did!!!! Great smiles guys!

DALTONS' BIRD TRAP ( you gotta read this one!)

We have put out a lot of seed lately trying to get more grass to grow. We have also had a time with the birds getting out there and eating it. Dalton got the bright idea that he was going to make a trap and get the birds. If you look closely he has a measuring tape of Denny's out there along with his box and a roll of tape and some string.

Next Dalton went in to the kitchen and got out a hamburger bun, took it to the garage and put some grass seed on it and then went back out and gathered some dead (and a few still moving) June bugs and this was the bait to catch the birds. I explained to him that birds don't have thumbs and would not be able to pick up the sandwich. He then informed me that I was stupid cause he knew that birds didn't have thumbs and that they would peck at the sandwich. Silly me to think otherwise!

Here is what the trap looked like with some other bait he added to it before he put the sandwich in.

He was such a happy camper over his trap. Unfortunately when mom took the dogs out to potty Roscoe went over and ate the sandwich!!! ewwwwwwwwwwww and crunchy!

YES I DID A DOUBLE TAKE TOO

So, I was driving down the road when I passed this guy and then did a double take in my rear view mirror. I then pulled into a church parking lot and got out my camera and took pictures as he was coming my way-then I pulled out and got this close up at the light. I just find this so odd in so many ways.
1. Old man on a bike with a bird on his shoulder on a busy road.
2. old man in an icky T-shirt.
3. old man with a VERY EXPENSIVE bird
4. there is poop on his shoulder
5. I am not sure but I think the stains might be pee pee

If it were not for the fact that while we were at the light the bird was moving around and checking things out-I would have thought that it might even be stuffed-but it is not.

BEHIND AGAIN

You're not really surprised are you? I am behind..again. And sadly I can't remember what all I have missed putting on here. I think I missed the trip to Play World and the Zoo. I don't think I am going to try and go back and get everything-just a few things and just go from there.

SOUTH AMERICA

Last night while taking a bath Dalton announced to Meme that he wanted to go to South America. Not sure if she understood him right she asked him to say it again. She heard right. She asked why he wanted to go to South America and he replied "we saw bears at the Zoo and I want to go shoot a bear." hmmmm I guess we don't have any bears around here.????? She thought about it for a moment and asked "Dalton where do you live?" and he said "North America."

Now I am going to assume that they talked about South America in class that day but since he can never remember what he did in school when we ask him this may remain a mystery.

OH ME O MY

Dalton and I had a squabble the other night. Needless to say he was very mad at me. I can honestly tell you I can't remember what it was about because here lately he throws a fit when he doesn't get his way and I have to hear things like "I'm not your friend anymore" which I tell him I am not here to be your friend I am here to be your mom and help you make good decisions and keep you out of JAIL! And I also hear "your not my favorite anymore". Come on we all know MEME is his favorite anyway so that one doesn't work either.

So he brought the doodle pro out to me and said "here". I asked what does c is my as mean? He said "no mom" pointing to the c making the sound from a K. Then it all made sence to me!!! It says (in translation) Kiss My A$$!! Oh my gosh!!!!!!! He knows he can't say the words so now he is trying to write them in a sentence to me????? I immediatly sent him to his room. I had to. I couldn't help myself and neither could Denny. I thought Denny was going to blow an artery he was laughing so hard.

WHAT NEXT??????????????????? Is he going to be the kid who decides he wants a Happy Meal and he wants it now so he gets in the truck and takes off? Lord help us!

KINDERGARTEN MAY DAY

Dalton's latest project for school was to make a hat for a May day parade at school. He brought home a Dixie paper plate and bowl and had to go from there. So, Dalton and I created this hat that we call "Rub A Dub". We used Styrofoam balls, clear plastic balls, shredded iridescent filler, 1 rubber duck, 1 small bar of hotel soap, 1 cut up wash cloth and some ribbon to hold the hat on. Oh and a lot of hot glue which I was in charge of not Dalton.

I had my days all screwed up so it went in a day late and didn't make it for the judging. =( When I picked Dalton up from school and as we were going down the hall with his hat we had many teachers stop us and comment on how much they liked the hat and didn't see it when they were judging them. I think we could have had a possible winner.

MS RETREAT WITH MICHELLE

Michelle was recently invited to a Multiple Sclerosis retreat by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. It was free to her and 14 others paid for by a grant from Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Everyone got to bring a guest. We spent 2 days learning about new therapies and medications, nutrition and Yoga. The yoga class was wonderful and the instructors showed each one how to do it according to their limitations. It was fun, informative and there was great fellowship with the other participants. Michelle and I had a fun time together too!


The retreat was on the grounds of a Methodist camp. There were beautiful spring flowers blooming everywhere which helped the cool wet/damp days seem a lot brighter.