WHOA...

so. i hate snakes. i hate them alot. they make me squeemish. i could really do without them. do you get how much i despise snakes?

well, chad has been in colorado for a couple of days. he got home late last night. anyways, tuesdays are trash days...and since he was out of town...i had to take the trash down to the curb. i hate trash duties too. but, that's neither here nor there. i went out to the garage to get the trash can to walk it down. as soon as i opened the man door, i noticed, what looked like a tail of some sort. it was a brick reddish color. i immediately thought snake for some reason. i froze at first, but then decided that it was not the right color for a snake. so, i bent down to get a closer look. i was not sure. it could be a snake, or it could be...well...i really don't know what else it could have been. i was just in denial. so, i stood there for a minute and then decided that the trash looked great just where it was. i went inside and called chad in denver. he was in a meeting and texted me back that he couldn't talk. so, i texted him..."SNAKE IN THE GARAGE." he texted back, "how big?" like that matters. i went back out to look again. i could only see a little of the body, and the tail. colton and i were bent down looking at it...wedged between the garage slab and wood side panels. i asked colton what he thought it was. we were not sure. then...IT MOVED! i freaked at that point. then, i went and got the neighbor, and he came over with a flash light and looked at it for me. he said that he thought it was poisonous. GREAT. then he told me to go get a coat hanger. i did and was none too thrilled about what was going to happen. he tried to get it out, but it was gone. in hiding, if you will. so, i did not set foot outside again yesterday and was prepared to live a life without ever setting foot outside the house again. i had everything i needed within the 4 walls of my house anyways. i liked it in here. so, this morning...chad went outside to start taking everything out of the garage to see if he could find it. i said, you are never gonna find it and i am never going out there again. he was not out there 30 seconds before he came in to tell me he found it. it was outside the garage...down in a crack between the garage and the pavement. so, he told me to take colton to school and that he would get it. THANK YOU SWEET JESUS. my man was there. here he came to save the day. no more snake to worry about. i did not ever have to see it again. i wash my hands of the whole situation. sweet relief. i did not have to see him chop it to bits. i did not have to see it wiggle. bye bye snake. so i told colton to come get in the van. i stepped in the grass between the house and the van and tuned around to make sure colton was coming. (he was not as eager to miss the snake masacre). he reluctantly followed me, and the rest of the story is somewhat of a blur. all i know is that colton yelled..."MOM! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE! WATCH OUT!" in what seems like one hurried motion, i looked at where he was pointing; looked down; saw another snake right next to my flip flop wearing foot; and nearly passed out. chad, who over-heard the whole exchange, was at my side in 2 seconds flat; pulling me behind him; and hoed it to death while i watched with mouth opened wide. "my eyes. my eyes." and...my hero.

now, i'm sure that there is a mama who has set up house in our garage...probably in the kid's ball bin...and her millions of babies are crawling all over our yard and making their way into our house.

who thinks i'll sleep well tonight?

3 Strikes and You're Funny...

The other day, Chad and Colton were playing baseball in the backyard. Chad was pitching and Colton was batting and running the bases. Each time he would bat, he would be a different Astros player. Once he was Brad Ausmus (yeeee). then, he was Craig Biggio. Then, he was Lance Berkman. Then, he was Brandon Backe (and yeeee again). He was hitting great. Chad was really pitching too. He would hit the ball...usually the first pitch in...and run to first base. Then ghost runner on first. You get the drift. So, the last batter was Morgan Ensberg. He takes a few practice swings; steps into the batter's box; and prepares to hit the ghosts home. And then, the unexpected happened. One. Two. Three. Struck out! What????? Then he shruggs, drops the bat, and says, "Dad. I'm thinkin Morgan Ensberg is not that good."

On The Day You Were Born...

...You were wanted. You were loved.

...You were special. You were beautiful.

Today; you are still all of those things. Forever.

Happy Birthday to our Aiden Annee-Grace, who turned 2 years old this morning at 1:47 am. This last picture was her answering me when I asked her how old she was. "Twoooo."

We love you baby girl. Happy, Happy Day.

JUMPING THROUGH HAPPY

The other night, I was at a friend's house. The kids were playing in the backyard and we were all sharing a meal in the comfort of the patio. There is nothing like your kids having good friends. The kind that they always want to be with. The kind that you love because they love. Kids know how to love. They know how to be friends. They are innocent. They have not been corrupted by rejection, deceit, insecurity, or manipulation. They just love. They play. They can argue one minute and hug the next. They can be crying at the drop of a hat, and all it takes is a glance and an apology from their friend to make it all better. Tenderness. And off they go. Running. Laughing. Playing. Happy. They pray for each other nightly. They don't forget. They are genuine. Dear God, please help my friend to not be sick or sad. I am learning about being a friend from watching my kids and their friends. Colton is planning on having 6 kids with his little Anna Marie. After they get married, of course. (She is not so sure. Her face was priceless when Colton gave her that little piece of information. Marriage fine. 6 kids. What???) Anyhow, innocence. At it's best. We decided that I would bathe my 3 over there because they would, most likely fall asleep on the way home from the sheer exhaustion from happiness. In the bathroom was a plethora of different perfumes on the counter top. Now, me being a detail person, obviously loves smells. I, in an attempt to not get bored while the kids had their little bit of play time with the soap, began smelling all the perfume and carefully examining the different bottles. Funny how the bottle does it for me...more than the smell. It could be a great smell, but if I don't like the bottle...it's a no go. I spotted a bottle off to the side. It was a simple shape. Perfume a simple clear. There was a pink flower on the front that caught my attention first. It was the color of Aiden's walls. I love Aiden's walls. So...naturally, I love the flower. It was a simple daisy. The kind I doodle. I popped the top off and closed my eyes to take the smell in. It was a good smell. I looked at the bottle to see what the name was. I finally found it on the bottom of the bottle. Very small. Very...um...innocent and surprising. Its name was Happy. I sprayed it up into the air and then proceeded to jump through the mist of spray. Then I thought to myself...I just jumped through happy.

Inspired by a friend. A friend who, when I'm with her, always makes me feel like I'm jumping through happy.

Finally. Better Late Than Never.

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they had a ball. actually, they had a "field day"

holloway's class...first place, baby

anna marie is thrilled to be doing this relay. can't you tell?

like father...like son

like mother...like son