Underwater Egg Hunt at the Y

Today was the underwater Easter egg hunt at the YMCA. Braden signed himself up for the 6-9 yrs. old deep-end hunt. This was not his best of ideas considering he broke 2 pair of goggles last summer and lost his other pair a few weeks ago. Luckily, they did shallow and deep hunts at the same time. After a few unsuccessful attempts in the deep-end, Braden realized he needed to move to the other end of the pool.
(We are going to leave early tonight and try and find some goggles at Target or Dick's.)

Here is Jon as we wait for Braden's group to start.



Braden took a picture of Jon and me. Not too bad. Jon looks a little funny though, but I suppose that can't be helped. :)



Braden coming up empty handed. His fluffy hair looks really odd when it gets weighed down by the water.



"I think there is an egg around here somewhere."


Tonight we're going to the Arena football game. Hopefully I'll have more pictures to post tomorrow. And hopefully we don't leave Braden on the side of the road somewhere. The kid is CRAZY!

Friday!

I love Friday because tomorrow I don't have to get up early. Dallas hasn't been sleeping through the nights lately, so I wake up every morning feeling like I never got to relax. I think she's more trouble than a baby! Jon got up with her this morning at 2 am. She didn't need to go out, she wanted to go downstairs and eat. (Her food has to be kept in the laundry room, away from Raider)

I was going to post a Happy First Week! to Peyton Dirk Jones today, but I can't get the pictures of him to post. Perhaps I'll figure it out later.

Tomorrow we are going to watch the Ft. Wayne Fusion's first home game. The coach gave Jon 4 tickets yesterday. Apparently the don't have a decent QB. (They had offered Jon the job, with a "by the way, we practice in the mornings") It should be interesting to see his reaction.

I had my first week back in class. I only have class Tues. and Thurs. which is nice. But I have a morning class both days and then 5 hours before my evening class.
I did read 1 1/2 books yesterday though!

Braden has Spring Break next week. Please pray for my sanity!

More Arkansas Pictures

Since I have no pictures of my own to post, I thought I would share a few more from Jon's trip to Arkansas. He's been home for over a week now and the guys have been e-mailing each other pictures from the trip.
This beautiful shot was actually taken by my husband. I had to crop his finger out of several pictures. This one included.



Here is one Will e-mailed. It's not everyday you see Jon on a horse. So even though the sunlight makes it hard to see him, I had to post it. (I know it looks like he's riding a pony, but Jon says the horse was 3 yrs. old)

The horse's name is Kool-Aid!

Will's grandparents raise chickens and then sell them to Tyson. Here are the adorable babies they had just gotten in. It's kind of sad to think that you or I could be eating these guys in a few months.



More chicks! Jon said they raise 80,000 at a time.

New Bike

Finally, I took pictures of Braden's new bike! He bought this back in January with his birthday money.
It was such a beautiful day today. We had all the windows open and I even turned on ceiling fans.




Here is Goofy with his bike. The sun was so bright, I didn't notice that his eyes were closed until I loaded these pictures. Is anyone besides me tired of the fluffy look?



Dallas and I went on a LONG walk this afternoon. She was filthy when we got back. She found every puddle and all the mud in town.
After her bath, Dallas stretched out on the back of the couch for a nap. (She's so long!)

Oh My Gosh!

This has been cracking me up for several days now!

I bought Braden this bottle of Clearly Canadian. I saw Nash on it at the store, and despite my feelings for him, still purchased the drink. After I got it home, I realized that CLEARLY Steve Nash is CANADIAN. Get it?

Steve Nash is Clearly Canadian......... because he is Canadian.

(Jon thinks I'm a dork, but someone somewhere must have my sense of humor. Right?)

In other "Oh my gosh" news:

Friday was apparently National Have A Baby Day!

Chris and Lindsay welcomed Peyton Dirk into the world, and

Ali and Jake were in the hospital and supposed to welcome Baby Kate as well.

** I was going to call Ali's sister and find out, but I have yet to do that. My new plan is to go see Ali and baby Monday. I hope!**

Does anyone else feel scratchy?

For Amanda

A few weeks ago, I tried to take Braden's picture as he did "the worm." They aren't very good if you are using them to try and learn how to do it, but he sure looks funny.

The Golfers

"1st Annual Danville Open."

(Annual? We'll have to see.)

In this first picture, Will is on the left and Jon is on the right. I can't say for certain who the guys in the middle are. Yes Jon told me, but I'm not good about remembering names of people I don't know.

Here they are on Sunday. The little guy with the trophy was this year's winner.

(Also, this picture makes Jon look a LOT bigger than he actually is. Just thought I'd mention that.)

**There are more pictures of Jon's trip, but at least 1/3 have Jon's finger in the shot.**

He's Home

"There he is! I see him! There he is, Mom! There's Daddy!"

As you can see, Jon made it home safely tonight. He's showering right now, so I thought I would post these two pictures real quick. I'll be too busy doing laundry tomorrow to do it then! :)

** The pictures are a little blurry because my boys are embarrassed by me taking their pictures, in public and at home. I had to snap them quickly, while I had the chance. **

No Mom, I'm not tired!

Braden shortly after returning from his sleepover.

According to him, he got 10 minutes of sleep last night.

This Question Was Asked At Church Today:

Do you ever have that nagging feeling that someone somewhere is more excited over an athletic event than we are worshipping Jesus Christ?

Alone!

I'm all alone tonight and thought I would go ahead and share that info before I head off to bed.

Jon is still in Arkansas. He's having a great time and will fly home tomorrow night. And instead of staying with me and being the "man of the house," Braden left me for a friend tonight. He's off having a sleep over and then going to church with Jared.

How lonely will I look tomorrow at church?!?!

Things Get Strange When Daddy's Away

This is the look Braden went with after his shower tonight. He has on his pj's, robe, and the robe belt as a karate/Rambo headpiece. (Grandma called while I was looking for my camera)

You would think it was hard to be this cool, but you forget who his dad is! I think this is a glimpse into what Braden will be like as a teenager, getting calls from the little girlies!

And then there was Dallas. Why she is under the chair with the bone I'm not really sure. This was my third attempt at taking the picture though. Every time I got the camera turned on and pointed her way, she would pull her face and the bone farther under the chair. As soon as I gave up and turned it off, out she would come again.

Things are really weird when Daddy isn't home!

Braden has been in his own bed for over 30 minutes though..... he's still there and quiet. Last night he came downstairs crying about 15 minutes after I tucked him in:

"I miss Daddy! I want Daddy to come home! Why did Daddy have to leave?!"

It was very sweet and it allowed him to sleep in Daddy's spot. Luckily he was so tired, he hardly moved. (Three more days!)

Yum

In honor of the fact that I made it through Winter Quarter, and am still holding onto the hope of a 4.0, I celebrated by enjoying 2 Snickers Crunchiers and then having Subway (complete with a Mr. Pibb) for dinner. I haven't had anything carbonated in 2+ weeks, so this was a big deal for me.

I found this kind of amusing because most college students would celebrate with drinks, not chocolate. :)

The Nanny

Tonight while Braden was at Awana I called my very pregnant friend, Ali, and we went to dinner. She isn't due for a few more weeks now, but her cat seems to think little Kate could arrive this week. (Smart cat!) Anyway, she and her husband were talking this week and if she would have to go back to school before the end of the year (she's a teacher) and if I wasn't working, they were wondering if I would babysit little Kate during the day!!!

I'm so excited! All the "ifs" aside, I'm honored just to be asked!

So exciting! Thought I'd share....
I also brought my camera along in case she went into labor while we were out. Sadly, she did not, so no pictures.

(Pink because it's a girl!)

He's Worse Than A Woman

Jon left EARLY this morning. He flew into Dallas, spent the morning with his family, and then left with the guys just before rush hour. Last night (when I got home from taking 2 finals) he got out all the stuff he "needed" for the 4 days he would be golfing. Here is what I had to fold and pack into one suitcase:


Four days! Yes, he needs golfing clothes and a change for the afternoon, but really?

Below, in the bottom right corner you will notice a pile of 13 undershirts! 13! After I brought this to his attention, he did remove 4-5 of them. ** There are also approx. 4 pairs of shoes and 2 pairs of flip-flops.**

Here Jon is after we finally got the suitcase zipped. It took both of us to get the job done. I have no idea how he is going to get everything back in there and make it home.


He's there somewhere! (Please ignore the horrible curtains in the background. I have yet to purchase some for our bedroom.)

Finals Today

Please say a prayer for me. I have my Math final, then Children's Lit. I also have a paper to write (5-7 pages and I have written almost 1 page) for Reading Foundations.

But after all this, I'll be done!

Sunday

Sunday was another beautiful day! The sun was shining and the temperature wasn't too bad. (I wore a t-shirt and sweatpants most of the day.) Thankfully we remembered the time change around 6:30 am. Our Sunday School teacher wasn't going to be there, so Jon and I were in charge of bringing the DVD and getting things set up --- for the 6 of us that showed up!

For the record: I HATE SPRINGING FORWARD!!!! It is so hard to adjust to that lost hour.

After church, Braden made lunch for us. He had asked Saturday night if he could make dinner on Sunday. He decided to make his specialty: PB & J and bananas! The only catch when Braden "cooks" is that he will only make one sandwich per person. So, I had to make Jon 2 more sandwiches and 1 more each for Braden and me. He did a great job though and was very proud of himself!

After lunch, Braden headed down the street on his new bike (I'll have to get some pictures of that), and Jon and I went out to clean cars. I washed mine while Jon cleaned out the inside of his. He now has a backseat!!! After mine was clean, I helped Jon wash his. He hasn't washed his car since before we got married! It was disgusting! I scrubbed one side, Jon hosed it off, and you could see the 2 different colors. It really looks like a new-ER car! I also vacuumed out both cars and cleaned Dallas' nose prints off the windows.

Because of our great weekend outside, I now have to write a paper TODAY! and study for 2 finals tomorrow. I'll be done after Tuesday and can't wait.

Jon leaves for Texas/Arkansas on Wednesday morning. He's currently struggling with where he wants to go eat when he gets there. He'll be gone until Sunday night and promises to miss me terribly. (Even though he'll be golfing daily and watching college basketball and playing poker and.....)

Please keep him in your prayers as he travels.

Great Day

Today was absolutely beautiful! For the first time this year, I opened up the windows and the front porch and turned off the heat! The sun was shining all day!

I cleaned most of the downstairs. Braden went down the street to a friend's house. Jon worked on some pre-trip prep for work. (He leaves this coming Wednesday for 5 days. I know he will have a great time, but we'll miss him here at home.)

Anyway, after I cleaned inside the house, I moved to the front porch. Braden and Jon have all of their outside stuff there and it's a bit of the mess. I moved stuff around and went through the toys. I threw out all the broken toys and made a pile for Jon to go through. He's had a container out there forever. It was in the outside closet at the apartment too. It's filled with college stuff that he has never bothered going through.

Today was the day! It was great! What was in the container? Well, most of it was junk that he threw out. But he also found a card from Andi. (Amanda, she has your handwriting!) I read it aloud while he continued to sort. Sparing the details, we had a good laugh.
Also in the container was a book entitled Where's Mom Now That I Need Her? Jon thought it was a book his mom had bought for him when he went off to college. Obviously, he never opened it. Today he did and discovered post-it notes on several of the pages: 7 in all. After looking at the notes more carefully, he realized the book wasn't from his mom but Andi's!!!
I was going to scan in the actual post-its, but I'll just share a few of them instead:

On how to treat cold sores: "Watch who you kiss and this may never be a problem"

On how to make whipped cream: "But canned whipped cream is more fun"

I'm not sure where this was but: "Borax powder helps eliminate roaches (so does quick feet with shoes)" Like she knows!

And on how to avoid food poisoning: "Don't eat!"

Very weird. We had a good laugh about some of it. And to round out the ex-afternoon, mine stopped by before dinner. He was dropping off a DVD for our Sunday School class, but I just now realized the irony.

We wrapped up our day with dog walking. The weather was great! The boys had on shorts and I was quite comfortable in my hoodie and track pants. Hope we've seen the end of winter. Oh, and I also got my first subbing paycheck in the mail!

A Toast!

Braden wrapped up his first week at Washington Elementary. To celebrate, I bought him the cutest little bottle of sparkling cider. It was in a mini champagne bottle. He loved it! He told me I should buy 3-4 more bottles. (If you didn't know what he was drinking, the pictures might be a little alarming.)

Good Morning

Thought I would say "good morning!" I am subbing in a 4th grade class again today. The little angles don't get here for another few minutes, so I thought I would update. But of course as soon as I get on, I forget all I was going to post.

Braden is having a great week at his new school. He is soooooooo much happier! He is making new friends in addition to the few he already knew. We are also working at home to learn some of the math concepts he is missing.

I finished my winter quarter classes, finals are next week. I would love for someone to volunteer to write a paper for me. I hate papers.

In other news, I have almost finished week 2 of my eating better. (I'm not sure about Jon, though he did make wise decisions at the grocery.) I have cut out all snacking. I am eating healthier meals; carrots, things that say "reduced fat," wheat, oatmeal. I am eating smaller portions. And the big key: I am only eating one chocolate item one day a week!!!! There is honestly chocolate in the house that I haven't touched! I am also going up to the Y on days when I am home.
Hopefully, I'll notice some progress soon. I am determined to lose the weight I started putting on when I met/married Jon. It's not baby weight. It's off the market, security weight!

Have a great Friday! (Payday!)

Catch Up

I have been a bad blogger this past week. I posted a few short blurbs, but no pictures. What can I say? Finals are next week and I've been catching up on all of the stuff I had been putting off. And, I subbed last week. Braden started at Washington this morning. All went well while I was there. Braden, of course, was acting shy. I'll have more details after I pick him up.

Here is what went on here last night: long jump practice. Jon and I aren't sure why exactly, but Braden decided he and Dad needed to have a long jump competition. Braden was pretty pathetic, so Jon started working with him on the mechanics involved with jumping for distance. They were adorable/hilarious!


That's my husband! Can't get by without a little showing off. He can hop up and over the beanbag, all by himself!

Braden tried, but didn't quite make it.

Grumpy here has been a little butt lately. Perhaps it is because she has not made it into a blog in a while. (Jon thinks she is having trouble adjusting to the fact that she in not the center of the world.) Also, she doesn't share well.

Here she is ignoring me as I remind her that bones are not allowed on the furniture.

Here Dallas glances my way, but still ignores me.

And finally, she gave up all attempts at hiding what she was doing. She just chewed (gnawed) away on her rib bone.

Braden has been given the job of shoveling dog poop one day a week. Last week, it took him over one hour and ended in tears! (He works so slow) It would have taken Jon or myself about 15 minutes. Of course as you can see, he didn't work the whole time. Somehow he ended up on top of the snow pile and yelled for Mom to take this picture.

Here is the Great Poop Explorer!

Reason #7

Jon went to the store today without his wedding ring! And he was gone for quite a while and didn't return home with his typical ton of stuff.

Busy Bray

Braden has had a very busy week. Last Saturday was his last basketball game of the season. We have joined the Y recently, so beginning this week, Braden is taking a Kids Power Fit class. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, for one hour, he goes and "works out" at the Y. This week was basketball, so they just played games and shot around. Next week Jon was told they are doing circuits. Braden told me Wednesday, "I wish my class was everyday! Except Wednesdays because I have dance and Awana, so I can't go then." I told him I was glad (and that he better feel that way next week!) Jon and I are excited that he is out being active at least 3 days a week.

And now for Braden's big news: Today was his last day at St. Mary's. Beginning Monday, Braden will be in Mrs. Stemen's 2nd grade class at Washington Elementary!!! (She was my third grade teacher several years ago.) He is soooooooooooo excited! His former teacher had been making his life miserable. When my son, who loves all things that involve socializing and learning, is asking Jon and I both if he really has to go to school the next day, something is wrong. That something was his teacher, who believes that kids learn best when they are all beginning yelled at everyday.
And as an added bonus: no uniforms and Jon does not have to work bingo ever again!

I have some pictures to post. But my camera is downstairs, and I'm not going back down just to get it. So......

Until next time. Good night and God bless!