Brendan is 12

When did that happen? I can NOT believe that he is 12 years old! We let him take some friends to the waterpark. We stayed the night. It was fun, but wow, I must be getting old because I was TIRED! We had a lot of fun.

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Our Chicken laid it's first egg. It's like 1/3 the size of a regular egg.

We've collected two now, and Brendan has eaten both of them. I tasted one, and I do have to say they have a different flavor. I'm sure it's because they are so fresh, but they are much more flavorful than the eggs from the store. She laid her first egg on Brendan's birthday.

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In other news, our chinchilla had her baby. She was born March 15th so we names her Lucky.

She is by far one of the cutest things I have ever seen. She's three weeks old today, and already three times that size. She's beautiful. I planned on selling her, but we love her too much. We're keeping her.

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B's on Spring Break this week. His dad is off from work, so they will be able to spend some quality time together while I'm working. :)

Waterparks

We visited an indoor waterpark yesterday. It was a fantastic break from the negative twenty degree weatherwe've been having. It was nice, and warm, and we stayed way longer than we planned on staying. We had lots of fun. B wants to have his birthday there, which is coming up in a few months. I think we are going to do that. It should be super fun.

Nothing New

Nothing exciting has been happening. Try outs for basketball are on Monday. I am crossing my fingers that B makes the team. Other than that, nothing much. I started a new job, and JJ got laid off the very next week. So B's life hasn't changed much. Dad just picks him up instead of mom. Sorry to be so boring. But, after last year, boring is good! :)

Christmas

Christmas was great this year. B got a new quad which he's wanted for awhile, and had no idea he was going to get. (I can't believe I kept a secret that long!).

We wrapped up the keys and put a note in the box that said "look outside". It was great.

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Chickens

Anyone know anything about chicks? We are the proud owners of five baby chicks. I think two maybe roosters and three are hens, but I could be wrong. They are pretty darn cute. I've wanted to get chickens for quite some time. If I have to live out in the country at least I could get fresh eggs!!!! My luck they will all turn out to be roosters and I'll get arrested for cock fighting!

They are adorable though...

It's been too long.

Wow I haven't posted here in a long, long time.

Well most important on the list is this:

BEST REPORT CARD EVER!

This little piece of paper has brought great joy to our household. It also cost me $250! We pay B $20 for every A, $10 for every B. We made this deal with him when he was in third grade, and only got graded is 5 or 6 classes. Now it is breaking the bank! But it's worth it because he's worked very hard this year and we are so proud of him.

As a reward for his great work, we let B adopt a pair of homeless chinchillas:

If you don't know what a chinchilla is think mouse face, rabbit body, with a squirrel tail. It's also the softest thing you will ever feel in your life. Soon, we ended up with SIX homeless chinchillas. I have reached my limit. Although they aren't much trouble. They don't smell at all. They don't really shed. They are pretty low maintnance pets. B even spent some of his report card money to buy them a new cage, which I thought was pretty grown up. He takes care of them. Feeds, waters, even cleans the cages! I'm pretty impressed.

Halloween

B is away at camp for the week. I really miss him. I feel lost without him. It's hard to cut those apron strings. But, I'm sure he is having the time of his life. He'll probably come home and sleep for 12 hours.

For the first 6 or 7 years of Brendan's life my mom made his Halloween costumes. When he was 2 she made him a dinosaur costume. He loved it. We still have it, and last week Mason tried it on.

First Concert

We took B to his first concert Saturday night. He's into rock music. I'm not. But this was pretty good. It was called The Music of Led Zeppelin. The guy that sang the music was pretty close to the real thing, but it was different because they also had a 50 piece orchestra there. Weird I know, but it works. If they are in your area it's worth it to see them at least once.

Here are a few pictures. I had to take one because we got to park front row, about 20 feet from the entrance at DTE and that never happens. Last time we were there we had to walk like a half a mile to the entrance!

Where Did The Summer Go?

Has anyone seen the summer? It seems to have disappeared. I can't believe that school is starting on Tuesday! :( I like spending the summer with B. He and I spend a lot of time together.

We've been gardening hard this year. Everyday we are out there doing something. Last night I made garlic potatoes from the potatoes we grew in our garden. They were so good. I even used our fresh grown basil on the salmon. Yum! This is the first year we've gardened, and we are getting pretty good at it!

We tried to grow watermellon this year, and were so excited they grew. I don't know how to tell when they are ripe, so I asked my grandma. She told me the thump them and if they sound hollow they are done. So we came home and thumped the biggest one and it sounded hollow. After much deliberation we decided to pick it. We took it inside and cut it.

It wasn't ripe yet! :( My pig liked it though.

And, just for laugh's, here's a picture of B haming it up for the camera. (That is a tomato in his hand. Our tomatoes are so big they are taking over!)

Summer Fun

This summer has been very busy for us. Two weeks ago we went to an annual rib cook-off that they have in my hometown. Just as we were getting ready to leave there was a downpour, and I mean DOWNPOUR! I left B and my grandson M under a tree and ran to get the car. This wasn't the greatest idea because it rained right through the tree and by the time I got back to them this is what they looked like:

Everytime I look at these I laugh because poor M was so mad. He kept yelling "Why you leab me GG!"

Hard Times

B has been having a very hard time dealing with his sister's death. I feel so sorry for him because this is a pain I can not fix. All I can do is help him work through it. He has been seeing a counsoler, and I do think it is helping. But even the mention of her name will send him into bursts of tears. I just don't know how to help him, and it breaks my heart. He NEVER talks about her, and hasn't told any of his friends about her. It's just so sad.

I think his pain is worse than mine. That must be how my mom feels.

Busy Weekend

We have a super busy weekend. I am the Vice President of our local festival, and we had tons of things to do this year. B got to spend alot of time with his friends. He stayed at my mom's Thursday night, Friday night he didn't get home until about midnight, Saturday night he had a friend stay over, and Sunday night he stayed at a friend's house. He fell asleep at 7:00 today. As soon as we got home he took a shower, ate, then fell asleep on the couch. That's the second time he's done that this summer, and I love it. He hasn't done that since he was very little. He even got to be in the parade, which he enjoyed.

Here's a picture. Don't mind the hair. It rained all day.

Gardening

B has become quite the little gardener. My husband went a little crazy this year, and we ended up with a barry patch which includes strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and blueberries. I'm actually excited about the berry's, but I'm really excited about the zuccini. I love zuccini. I will eat it for lunch and dinner all summer long. I won't bore you with a list of all the stuff we're growing, but trust me when I tell you it's alot. The pictures don't really do the garden justice, but believe me when I tell you it's my husband's pride and joy. :)

Happy Fourth of July

We are celebrating the Fourth of July on the fifth actually because that is when the big fireworks are where we live. The fifth actually will be our four month anniversary since we lost our baby Brenna. I'm not sure what the day holds for us, but I'm feeling like the day will be good. I hope you all have a happy (and SAFE!) Independence Day.

Growing Up

Where has this year went? B is growing up so fast, it's unbelievable! It seems like just yesterday he was a little baby. Now he's almost as tall as I am. He's grown so much that we had to buy him all new clothes. Nothing fit. NOTHING. Not even socks or underwear. He grew two inches in two months. He's also decided to grow his hair long. I think it's safe to say that I hate it. But his dad had long hair when he was B's age, so it must be in his blood.


As I write this he's outside helping his dad in the garden. He's become quite the little gardener. This summer has been busy for him, and I'm glad. It's good to stay busy.



I don't know where the past few years have gone. It seems like he was just born. I wish our kids could stay little forever. They really do grow up way too fast. The picture on the right is of Brendan and I. He was about 5 or 6 months. I was 20. That was probably the best time in my life. I miss those times.

Busy Weekend

We had a super busy weekend that included a hotel stay, suprise birthday party, visit to the grandparents, a wedding, swimming, and boat races. We've went to the boat races every year of B's life, so we couldn't miss it no matter how busy we were. He enjoyed it with a few of his friends.

The day before we left B stayed at a friends house. They must have stayed up all night long because he came home and fell asleep watching TV. That never happens so I had to snap a picture.

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Yes, it's true. Today is National Bring Your Pet to Work Day. Since I'm going out of town for a few days, I thought I'd share this little tidbit with you and schedule it to post today.


I love my dogs. Well, actually I love one of my dogs like she is a child. The other two I like on varying levels. (It really depends on if they woke me up barking during the night, or scratched my screen and ripped it again, etc.) We have three dogs, all of whom I brought home (my husband must really love me!).


Daisy is a Shih Tzu that we got 9 years ago. She was a rescue dog, and in very bad shape when we got her. She is my love. I seriously love this dog like she is a child. She goes on vacation with us, actually she goes everywhere with us. She's 10 years old now, and I know she's getting old (but still acts like a puppy!). I dread the day I have to say goodbye. My brother jokingly tells me he expects me to keep her DNA and clone her. I laugh and say I will. I'm not joking.

Lilo is a mutt that someone was trying to give away at the grocery store. She was about 6 weeks old when I felt bad for her and brought her home. She's 5 now, and still not that smart. We love her anyway. She hates it inside (and I hate her fur inside), and we live out in the country so she spends most of her days running around chasing who-knows-what in our fields. She's a good girl, and never leaves our yard.

Peanut is a Chihuahua that my brother found as a stray. When we found him he weighed less than four pounds. He was a sad sight. B always wanted a Chihuahua, and when I saw him I really fell for him. Although we're not sure how old he is, he's getting up there in age. His day goes something like this: take a nap, eat, poop, bark at neighbor, go back to sleep. He's got it rough.

We also have a cat who my husband had before he had me! He's 14 or 15. His name is Simba and now that he's older he will finally allow me to pet him.





Oh yeah, I also have this little lady:

Her name is Sadie. No she does not live in our house, but she does follow us around like a dog. Her only "trick" is to squeal at us until we give her food.

And for your viewing pleasure, my favorite picture of my baby Daisy, and grandbaby, Mason:

It's one of those pictures you get lucky enough to take, but didn't plan on it. I makes me smile every time I look at it. I just love it.

FYI- I did not take any of my pets to work today. I hope you didn't either.

Growing Up

B is growing up. He doesn't really need me anymore like he used to. He wants to be with his friends and have fun. He still likes hanging out with his dad and I once in while, but he doesn't depend on us like he did when he was little.

I remember when my stepdaughter was his age. My husband was heartbroken when he relized she was growing up and didn't want to hang out with him anymore. I know what he's feeling.

He's at a friend's house right now, and I'm really missing him. This morning he was driving me crazy (cabin fever) but the second he was gone I missed him.

We are going away to the boat races this weekend. He's bringing a friend along and we're staying at a hotel. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.