New healthy snack find

Garden Harvest Toasted Chips: Vegetable Medley.

These are actually pretty yummy! I mean, if you really like to snack on chips like me, this is a great alternative. They're baked with 100% whole grain, and 1 oz of the chips has a half serving of vegetables in it.
For 16 "chips" it's:
120 calories
3.5 g fat (no sat or trans fat)
3g dietary fiber
2g sugar
2g protein
I can't wait to try the other flavors, Apple cinnamon (with serving of fruit instead of veggies) and Tomato Basil.

One little Mary jumping on the bed...

Jeff watched today as Mary jumped from the bottom bunk up ONTO the top bunk with Shelby. She had told us that Mary had been up there but I didn't believe her.
Here's proof that Jeff walked in on (this is Shelby's top bunk):



Shelby also told me that Mary was up in the fort (in the backyard) with her yesterday. I asked her if someone put her up there, and she said, "No she just climbed up." Now that I've got to see to believe!!!

Shelby has been CRACKING me up. She randomly calls me Meg or Megan, and she knows it's funny. She's got such a great sense of humor!
She is starting school a week from Monday, and instead of talking about how she misses her friends and teachers, she lists them off talking about how much they miss HER. "...and Linnea misses me, and Miss Debra misses me, and Ryann misses me...." hahaha

Cole is talking up a storm and understands everything. Yesterday he told me that he pooped (grabbing his bottom and saying "PooPoo") so I said, "Go get me a diaper and we'll change you." So off he ran to his bedroom and came right back holding a diaper, and then laid down for me to change it. Maybe my BOY will be a little easier than Shelby to potty train!

Awwww...

I just walked into Shelby's room where she and Coleman were playing. She was saying, "Yeah Bubby and we will always be best friends...."

They are getting so big!!!

These pictures that Jeff took yesterday at the park really struck me. We don't have babies anymore. Shelby is seriously a little girl now, and Cole is well on his way. ((((Tears!))))






Mary cuddles with Bobby:



And here are some pics of the finished tile in the hallway. I did the little "mosaic" or whatever you call it to transition from kitchen to hallway. It's the same tile but different sizes because we used 13" squares in the kitchen, which they do not make anymore.

Shelby likes it:

More weekend

On Friday we went to a birthday party at a bounce house place in Southlake. It was GREAT. The little girl is in Shelby's class and she was turning 3. She has an older sister who is probably about 10, and her sister had about 7 friends there, and before the party they had divided up the guest list of 3 yr olds and assigned them to the pre-teens. The girls then followed the little ones around through the whole place, helping them up slides and in and out of bouncehouses. Shelby's "babysitter" was the best one! Shelby of course took to her right away and bossed her around, holding her hand and pulling her around the room, asking her to even go to the bathroom with her. I felt a little strange not having to follow Shelby around the whole time like I normally do! I will have to have a baby when Shelby is about 7, so that we can do this too. (Kidding.)
Shelby and Lillian:


Seriously these girls were the PERFECT age to enjoy walking around with the little ones and helping them, but not getting annoyed with them or having something better to do. I wish I had a neighbor about this age to come play with my kids just so I can cook dinner or get something done. :)

Shelby the party princess:


Cole enjoying some more 100 degree heat:



How kissable are those cheeks?!?!?

Poop update

My phone at work rings:
Me: "Hello?"
S: "Mom?"
Me: "Yes?"
S: "My poop is green."
(Me = cracking up.) "Yep, you ate a lot of blueberries!"
S: (repeating Nonnie) "It's turquoise."
(hands the phone to Nonnie.
I love these throughout the day updates! haha

Visitors and comment

I added a sitemeter to the blog last week and it is so cool. I glanced at it this morning, and 2 people who visited the site from some "different" google searches came up.
1. photos of white trash houses
-----WHY is my blog showing up on this search? Is google trying to tell me something?

2. lick me mommy
------Another WHY are we showing up here, but also WHY is someone searching this?

haha!
I also noticed the first INTERNATIONAL visitors, from Midrand, Gauteng. That's in South Africa. AND Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. There were also some New Zealand hits.

If you read, talk to me! I love to hear from people, whether I know you or not. Comment! :)

HOT & productive weekend

It was a HOT weekend!



But the kids didn't mind:


(notice our GREEN grass- still green in late July. Jeffie's been doing a great job keeping it watered....but I'm still a cynic and say it'll all be brown by end of August!)





We stayed inside as much as possible but it was kind of hard since Jeff and my dad were installing tile in our hallway, entryway, and 2nd bathroom. They worked HARD, sweated a lot, and are almost all done! All that's left is grouting, which Jeff is doing today.




Mary definitely preferred the INDOORS this weekend too. She is totally a princess.

Fun at home

Playin on Sesamestreet.com with Mommy:



Cole caught eating (again):




"Mommy, I want to be a doctor."




Shelby being silly:

Story from Nonnie

When Shelby was at nonnie's house, Nonnie told her to go get some new panties and put them on. Shelby replied, "I can't Nonnie, I think I crapped em all."

I'm pretty sure I probably told her that, because I get so sick of her having poopy accidents. Oops!

Jeff's job- hope and prayers please

I am about to rush home to my babies but wanted to update y'all and ask for some more prayers for Jeff's job situation. Although we have been exploring all kinds of career paths that he might go down, Jeff was REALLY good at what he did, and last week we found a job posting (a new one) for a company with an opening doing EXACTLY what he did at his last job. He applied and then followed up on Monday and today they called him and spoke for a short bit and asked him to send his resume over to them again. This is good news---at least it's CONTACT! It's so hard to get anyone to actually call you when you're just sending in letters and resumes online.
So please keep this situation in your prayers- we are very near to August and are going to have to make some big decisions regarding child care and stuff.

2 months worth of Wal-Mart

Is this pathetic?? $915.29 from May 21 - July 21. Wow.

5/21/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $12.60
5/21/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #5080 WAL-MART #HURST TX 5945 $29.61
5/21/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #5080 WAL-MART #HURST TX 5945 $3.26
5/22/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $16.87
5/23/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $6.69
5/28/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $26.77
5/29/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $77.28
6/3/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $17.45
6/4/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #5080 WAL-MART #HURST TX 3816 $55.31
6/9/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $33.48
6/9/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #2981 WAL-MART #KELLER TX 3816 $78.44
6/9/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #2981 WAL-MART #KELLER TX 3816 $40.89
6/16/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $5.24
6/16/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $4.62
6/17/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $5.72
6/17/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $4.00
6/23/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #2981 WAL-MART #KELLER TX 3816 $27.02
6/24/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $91.25
6/26/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $34.40
7/1/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #2981 WAL-MART #KELLER TX 3816 $14.22
7/2/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #5080 WAL-MART #HURST TX 3816 $26.59
7/8/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $120.54
7/14/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #2981 WAL-MART #KELLER TX 3816 $140.99
7/18/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 3816 $21.71
7/18/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #0807 WAL-MART #N RICHLAND H TX 5945 $2.66
7/22/2008 POS PURCHASE - WAL-MART #5080 WAL-MART #HURST TX 5945 $17.68


And that's not even where we get all our groceries. During the same 2 months we also spent:
$95 at tom thumb
$145 at Target
$150 on beer
$240 at Kroger
$125 at Dinner Station

Phone girl

Shelby has finally started talking on the phone and she cracks me up! She is so talkative and busy. She thinks she's so cool! At home she runs as fast as she can to the phone to answer it and I usually let her because usually the only people who call us at home are our families. The other day she answered "Hello" and after a minute she said, "Who is this?" (pause) "I want you to come to my house." Finally I got the phone from her and it was our exterminator lady! Haha.
I just called and talked to her this morning, and she was telling me about their morning:
"Some lady took daddy's radio and bent it. And I wanted to listen to the highway song but she took it. And that's not nice. Daddy didn't lock his car....
I got candy at the store, and we ate chicken in the car....
I fink bubby wants to talk to you."

Yep, someone got into Jeff's truck a few days ago and totally destroyed his radio. They didn't get it but they made it useless to us. :(

There's Something about Mary

Mary is such a little kid companion, it's awesome.
Cole wakes up but won't get out of bed until Mary comes into his room. Then he happily squeals "Mer Mer!!!" He loves her so much- he lays all over and and gives her kisses and she just lets him. He loves to stick his hands and feet in her mouth and she "play bites" him. She is SO gentle. And Shelby pulls Mary around the house and Mary just happily follows her around. Such a great doggy, we are really lucky to have found one that is SO great for our small kids!

Millie is engaged!!!

My sister's boyfriend Luke proposed to her last night on the campus of Notre Dame. They are hoping for a summer or fall wedding next year! Congrats you 2! Shelby and Cole are looking forward to having a new uncle! :)

Weekend pictures

I only have a few.
This is a poor little (ex)-gecko that was found under the carpet pad in the hallway when we pulled it up. He was drowned and/or smushed to death. YUCK!!


Cole-dawg in Mary's cage:


Cutie patooties ready for church (with their candy necklaces!)

White Trash date and tiling

Well, it's a good thing we didn't go out of town!
Thursday evening as we were getting ready to walk out the door to our "date," Jeff steps in some wetness in the hallway. Of course he immediately assumed it was the new dog peeing in the house. But upon cleaning it up, we realize that it is a lot more than would come out of a dog. Our air conditioner is leaking into our hallway again! It's not a leak that would flood the house (well it might given enough time) but it's not something you can just ignore. So Jeff figures out the problem and fixes it (another clog that he unclogs in the unit) and manages to get soaking wet with sweat before our date. :)
So we went on our "white trash date" and had a great time. We went to Fuzzy's taco shop and then bowling. We bowled 5 games and had a blast. We decided to go bowling when we were watching Season 2 of Sex and the City last week and Carrie and Big went bowling, and we both looked at each other and smiled, like, "That's it!" So we went and it was fun. I wasn't too bad! My best game was my first, at 138.
Anyway, today we ripped up the carpet in the hallway. Yep, we just DID it. The pad was soaked and mildewy and making the house smell, and I've been griping lately about how matted down the carpet is already getting in the hallway anyway, since it is so traveled on. So now we're living on concrete until we can install tile. We were able to find the same tile that we installed in our kitchen:

and we will order it on Monday. The hallway is connected to the kitchen so it makes sense to use the same tile. We're probably going to take up the tile in the entryway and make it all one seamless journey of tile through the entry, hall, and kitchen. Good thing Jeff is Mr. DIY (do-it-yourself) !! :)

Thurday Blog #1

I know wordy blogs can be annoying but most of this is funny stuff!

Shelby's favorite "game" right now: She says, "Mommy I want to be the mommy and you be the darlin." So I act like the baby/daughter and she is my mommy. If I talk to her normally during this game, she says, "Mommy talk in a darlin voice." She's started trying to play this game when I'm telling her to do something (because when I'm the darlin I can't tell her what to do.)

A couple of shelby's most-used phrases:
"Hey dad listen up!"
"Mommy I have a great plan." ...(plan/idea)... "Is that a great idea?"

Yesterday I was talking to Jeff in the kitchen while Shelby was sitting on a stool in the hallway (in time out.) She was out of sight from us. I was telling Jeff how they should have some plan tomorrow and I said, "maybe even the zee oh oh or something." (spelling out zoo.) A second later, Shelby said, "Mommy I want to go to the zoo!" I said, "What made you think of that?" and she said, "Nuffin, I just want to go sometime."

2 nights ago the kids made their way into the kitchen while we were in the living room and I was about 30 seconds behind them. I thought Shelby was getting water from the fridge. I walk in there and Cole is all splashing around in wetness all over the floor happily yelling, "Wa wa! Wa wa!" and giggling. After a few seconds Shelby (who was standing on the side watching) sheepishly looked up like she was in trouble but trying not to laugh and said, "That's pee." Sure enough, she had pissed herself in the kitchen floor and let her brother play in it! Ugh. Then it was immediate bath time. The end.

Coleman has tons of words now. He points up at the fan and says "Faaaaaan." (Everything is drawn out.) Every time I get him dressed in his room he chants, "Haaaat. Haaat." pointing to his hat rack until I complete his outfit with a baseball hat (which he leaves on for about 5 minutes most of the time.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY