Things of late....

Days are just flying by. Every morning I wake up and I think, "holy cow, another day already!" Does anyone else do this?? Well, I wish my mind was in a creative place right now so that way I could have something interesting to blog about. I have come to find out that I hate Facebook. It is the stupidest most addictive thing ever! It has caused everyone to not keep up on their blogs, myself included. Or, as Judd puts it..."a complete waste of time, why would you want to keep in touch with everyone you've ever known anyway?" Judd's just kind of anti-social. What is it with men not having friends? Why do I have to plant the seed of idea that maybe he should go and hang with the guys once in a while? Women just automatically do it. I make it a goal to get out and away from the house once in a while for some girl time. It keeps me sane. While I'm on the subject.... anyone want to go hang out this weekend? ;)

Well, I had my first Sharing time experience in primary this past weekend. I hand made some puppets and had a puppet show. I was pretty nervous. I still don't know how to deal with this whole "keep 80 kids in order" business. Well, it got mixed reviews. Some of the kids said they wanted to do it every week and some of the kids booed at me. I will get the hang of this soon. At the least I have learned that I have no shame... or pride.

Have I mentioned that I have a baby who is almost 16 months old? Have I mentioned that this baby does not ever intend to walk?

He is however, very fascinated by Madison's boom box

And he loves to climb up and sit on everything. I caught him sitting on top of my keyboard the other day. Wish I would have had a camera for that one but I was too busy freaking out that he was going to crack his head open.



Madison has continued her tradition of wearing the strangest outfits to school. She has, however, been brushing her hair. A sign of her growing up, I'm sure. This morning she said to me "a girl in my class always wears fancy clothes and always looks pretty." This was a teaching opportunity in the making.... my response was "well, you are so pretty that you don't have to wear pretty clothes. Sometimes people feel like they always have to wear pretty clothes because they don't believe they are pretty and it makes them feel better. Be very thankful that you know how beautiful you are, and your friends will like you for who you are and not your clothes."

See, I just might survive the teenage years.

Nolan is a pretty sweet kid. I know that I've said many things on this blog that may contradict that statement. He's always so good and quiet for his teachers, he helps me unload the dishwasher every day. Lately he's been saying sweet things like "i will eat what ever you make for me" or "you are so pretty". I went in to check on him while he was sleeping the other night to find him missing from his bed. I looked around the room and noticed that he had climbed up on the top bunk with Madi and was sleeping with her. I guess this has been going on for a while and I never knew it. He says he gets scared and he sleeps better up there. Poor Madi. That kid is a wild sleeper. He's always taking up the whole bed, kicking her off of her pillow and she just sleeps through it. What a good big sister. I had to get a picture, so I would never forget....

Break Time

I know its been forever since I've posted. I haven't really had much to post about I guess. Days in the summer seem to run together and I was way to busy! Well, summer is over!!!! Hallelujah!! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Actually, that's not true. I'm still going to be super busy! I've been doing so good though. I posted a while back how I was narrowing down my wasted time (thanks to some wonderful Ensign articles) by not being on the computer as often. The past few weeks have AMAZED me! I didn't realize that I was on the computer that much... really it was only like an hour a day, but it was taking away from so much other stuff. So, that being said, I'm probably going to be posting on here every other week for a while until I get this new calling in order. I feel a bit overwhelmed right now, (for those not in my ward, I'm the new primary pres.) a little freaked out, but I've had some good prayer sessions that have given me some peace.
Oh, don't worry, funny stuff is still going on around here. I plan on laying down the scoop. For instance....

If you get grossed out easily, PLEASE don't read this...

You all know that I have a lot of ladies in and out of my home for hair purposes. All of those who come over have to use the same bathroom that the kids use. So the other day I was swamped. People in and out all day. After a long day of hard work I stumble around the house to get dinner ready and the table cleaned off. for some reason my kids insist on bringing all of their toys out every day and playing with them on the counter or the kitchen table, just to give me something more to complain about I'm sure. Anyway, I go to where Nolan has his whole lot of army men and notice that there is something startling on the table. A tampon applicator. He is using it as a gun for his army man. I freeze and stare for a while, hoping that maybe I'd seen wrong, but no. It was in fact an applicator that he had admitted to finding in the trash can in his bathroom. He proceeds to tell me that it is a trumpet and I pray to high heavens that he didn't put it in his mouth. Thank goodness he hadn't. I then sanitized just about every surface and child in my home. no longer having an appetite for dinner, I think I served the kids apple jacks and told Judd to fend for himself. don't get me wrong. I was laughing my tail off, but I'm not sure if it was because it was funny or i was in shock. There you have it. Adventures in the Rich Household. Come over anytime and you are guaranteed to be entertained.

just thought i'd share

New bumper stickers....Does anyone know where I can order these?? ;)

Trip to the Mountains...or hills

The day after I got back from girls camp, we headed back in the same direction. I ate in Payson on Thursday, came home and then ate there again on Friday. I should have just stayed there. Oh my, that was a lot of driving (especially when I have a teething child)!!! We headed up to Snowflake for Pioneer Days. I've never been to Pioneer Days. One of the biggest things I noticed is that there are a ton of Mo Mo's and millions of Wranglers. We stayed with our good friends, The Hall's. Thanks Tansey!!

My kids were in heaven from the first second they got there. There were horses all around and some weird African bull. There was this little kitty that would run around, and for anyone who knows me, cats really creep me out, but this one was really cute. They were able to go down to the "crik" as Judd puts it. I call it a creek, but I guess I'm a city girl. I swear my kids didn't go to bed until like 11 every night. They were just having a ball and wandering around. It seriously made me want to move somewhere open. Kids just can't do that kinda stuff around here.

Saturday morning we went out to the parade. Somehow Coulson slept through the whole thing. That was a miracle in its own. The kids stocked up on candy and were pretty wired. After that we took them to the craft fair. They weren't too interested in that though. They kept whining for food, drinks, bathroom, bounce houses (this is the story of my life while on vacation, can't you tell?) Anyhoo, I thought we were going up there to beat the heat but it ended up being close to 100, so we decided to go hang out at the house. Then Madison got lost for like 2o minutes, someone always does. Its to the point where I don't freak out when I lose a kid. Judd's not used to it so he's kinda panicking. I'm just plain annoyed.

After some serious 3 hour naps we went out to dinner. I must say the funniest thing about a small town is. Everyone knows where EVERYTHING is. We were in 1 of the 3 restaurants in town and there was a business card for a salon. It did not have an address or cross street on the card. All it said was "next to Subway". This really cracks me up. But I'm sure anyone from Snowflake who reads this will know right where it is.

We then went on to the rodeo. This is where I decided I am a fan of wranglers on certain people. There were real cowboys there. The ones that are all dirty and have gloves hanging out of their back pockets. Woooeeeee. It was an eye candy fest for sure. The best part of the trip if you ask me ;) (hopefully Judd doesn't read this.... when we first got married he owned a bunch of wranglers and I made him get rid of them. I can't handle a boy in wranglers unless he is A. Riding a horse or bull. B working on a farm. Or C. Wrestling steers. Point being, you can't just wear them for recreational purposes.)

(notice my big smile ;)

The kids sure loved watching all the cowboys ride those bulls as much as I did. We watched fireworks at the end, which is good because we didn't go out for the 4th.

The next day we shot guns for a little bit. Poor Nolan. somehow the gun he was shooting scared him and it kicked back and the scope hit him in the head. Now he has a big bruise on his forehead. I told him he looks tough and to just tell everyone how he got it and no one would mess with him ;)

That's our Snowflake story. Next year hopefully lazy Coulson (who is 14 1/2 months old and still not even wanting to walk) will be walking and it will be easier. All I can say is that I am done vacationing for the summer. It always sounds like a good idea and then I get up there and remember how much work it is. Its bitter sweet for sure!!!

I survived yet another year of Girl's Camp!!

I made it back yesterday!! It was my best G camp experience yet! I was so excited to go with the 4th years again, and for those of you who don't know anything about girl's camp, the 4th years do all the cool adventure stuff, so I had 4, 15 year olds who had never mountain biked and the plan was to do a day long adventure race where the majority of it was mountain biking. We raced from 7:30 to 4. The girl's were such good sports. We biked, did GPS, archery, knife throwing, shot guns, blow darts, air rifles, canoe, team building exercises and tons of other activities, with a big obstacle course at the end. My ladies didn't complain one time!! The next day we did some repelling and swam in freezing cold swimming holes. Finally, by day 3 we were able to take showers!!!!! I was a stinky mess if you can imagine. What an awesome experience it was. We were away from phones and radio and TV and did lots of good spiritual stuff. Those kind of experiences change your outlook on your life so much! I just feel like a different person when I get home!
Judd made it through with me gone. The house didn't burn down and no one died. The kids were all sick though. I guess Madison threw up all over herself. Judd has a hard time dealing with stuff like that so he cut her shirt off of her and threw it away. My house was a wreck when I got home, but it was still good to make it back. Now we are off for a stay in Snowflake. Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures to share!!!!

random stuff that I think is funny

Funny Thing 1: Judd took the door off of the kids' bedroom because they kept slamming it. Now when they are playing in there babyzilla and dogzilla can come and go as they please leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. A request was made to put up a baby gate, so I did. Now all day I hear "I want to go out (or in)" Thank goodness a plan was devised to get in and out of their room. I feel like we are living in a cage. Funny Thing 2:

why is it, no matter what you're doing, a kid has to come and sabotage? Whether it be folding laundry, cleaning cupboards or mopping, they always have to be right in the way. Its like the law or something. Here we are trying to play shutes and ladders on the floor as a family. Not happening tonight.

This is the face of a baby plotting a way to steal my camera

Funny thing #3

Night time scripture study. Judd decided that he would teach the kids of the creation.

(I didn't feel like looking up the scripture to post it, so here's what I remember of it)

Judd: "The Lord created a companion for Adam from one of his ribs, and says to call her woman. The Lord then says that man shall leave his parents and cleave unto his wife. They shall be naked and not be ashamed and shall be of one flesh"

Madison "Dad, why are you smiling like that?"

Me "Because Daddy is really immature"

Funny thing #4

The other day I was in a hurry. I always seem to be in a hurry, come to think of it. This is something I will need to work on. Anyway, the kids are all dressed and ready to go, and then I noticed that I really needed to shave my legs. Crap. I hurry and turn the bath tub on and get to business. The next thing I know, Coulson has come along and is trying to splash in the water. "no worries," I think. at least he is entertained. Then somehow he flips into the bathtub. Clothes and diaper totally soaked. that kid.

Funny thing #5

Coulson always finds Judd's books and steals the book marks. If Judd were a woman he would remember to leave his book up high where kids can't reach it. But that's just one more reason why women need men around. For something to laugh at.

are you ready for this?... family vacay

Well, much has gone on in the past week. So I shall start from the beginning so I don't leave anything out. As you all know, we had our family vacation to cali.

Here's how my week was...

Friday... Had to get all the crap ready for week-long camping and beach trip to San Diego, and it was a lot of crap, mind you.

Dropped my van off at the mechanic to make sure everything was good to go.

Saturday...

in the morning, still haven't heard from the mechanic. Started to get worried, so made phone call to mechanic.

mechanic says transmission is bad and advised us not to drive to California. Crap.

decided I needed to clear my head so went and played 9 holes of golf. Always does the trick.

While golfing worked my self up about trip to cali with bad van was a bad idea even though judd says is just fine. Started scheeming a plan.

Got home from golf, tried to convince judd that driving a bad van is a bad idea.

plan worked...

wa-lah

spent all night at car dealership getting van. YAY. I've never owned a new car before. I must say that I've now turned into anal car lady and won't let the kids even get in it without wiping their feet off.

Sunday.....still getting ready

Monday.

off we go. Everyone did really good on the way there. I have good car riding children.

The camp ground was really nice. We went swimming and froze our butts off. I love arizona. You can swim and not freeze when the wind blows.
we went to lego land and the sea life aquarium. i must say that i've heard mixed reviews about it, but I loved it!

We went to the aquarium first and the kids thought it was the coolest place ever.

the kids loved every second and they even did roller coasters. They were brave. There was one roller coaster that was pretty scary and after that one they decided that they were done with rides. here's some lego land pics

Here's where the fun really started...

I love the beach. I think its the funnest, most relaxing, best free thing to do, ever. We borrowed some boogie board and I was excited. We went to Coronado Island which was so cool. We had a mother load of stuff to carry down there and it was quite a walk from our car. Judd had coulson on his back, coolers, chairs, beach toys, boards, towels etc.... it was a long walk.

this was all I saw of coulson the whole time. He kept trying to go into the water I showed the kids to boogie board. They had so much fun for about 3 minutes. Then nolan tipped over and got wet, then the wind started blowing, then they were hungry, then they were freezing, then they were throwing fits, the umbrella flew away. Our beach trip lasted about 25 minutes. After all of that prep time, i was pretty p.o.'d if you can imagine. We packed up the mother load and had to go give the kids showers and the water was cold. Everyone was in fits. I now hate the beach and will never go back. ;) I was very mean that day. We went back to the camp and all took naps.

before and afters of Nolan That afternoon we went to seaport village, which I love. We had yummy pizza and looked at all the cool stuff.

Thursday we went to balboa park and did some geo cacheing. That was okay. I hate doing that crap with the baby in a stroller, but judd loves it, so i try to be a good sport. the park was beautiful though.looking for caches she was a poser that dayMe and Madi waiting for the boys.Madi posing for the camera.
teaching madi how to climb a tree

after that we went and did the midway tour which was my most favorite part ever!! its one of the navy fleet ships that was used during desert storm. they don't use it anymore so we were able to check out the whole thing. It was awesome!

This is the jail. I need one of these at home ;)
this is an F-14 tom cat. Judd's step brother Blake is in the Navy and this is the plane that he will be flying. What a brave kid! Just looking at that thing makes me nervous.That ship was so huge. I loved that part!

I went up top with the kids to see the control tower. we had to climb 5 flights of really steep ladders. We get up to the first deck and they start whining because they are cold. We had to go back down. I was p.o.'d yet again. In fact, I spent pretty much the whole time being p.o.'d. I really don't like being away from home.
That night after the kids were asleep we decided that we wanted to leave friday instead of saturday. we were all spent and wanted to get everything taken care of on sat instead of sunday. So there was my vacation in a nut shell. Glad its over. We did lots of fun stuff, but there is nothing better than coming home after 5 days of sleeping in a tent. I loved my house and I also have a new-found appreciation for wal-marts in gilbert arizona. California walmarts are the most insane places ever. a mix between old casinos and swap meets, only with way more people.

I think the funniest part of the trip is that Judd brought a fanny pack. He tried to convince me that this was a good idea and you have all of your money and chap sick easily accessable. What a dork. thank goodness that I hid it and he forgot about it. otherwise he would have actually worn it and would've been walking around looking like an old lady.

ahhhhh, I love being home. Now 2 weeks until I'm back in a tent for girl's camp. I will not take my bed for granted ever again.

Getting Real on getting over myself

Why didn't anyone with school aged kids warn me that summer time is a horrible time?! I feel like I've been running around in circles. I've been working too much, over scheduling myself and just plain stressing out. With all of the kids making messes and fighting and whining and wanting to eat all day long, I've just about lost my marbles. Don't get me wrong, I love my life. I have so many blessings that I give thanks for daily, but...I'm seriously stressed.

The story of late....

I have a husband that requires a lot of attention. Sometimes I like to say that he's the wife. He wants to snuggle and talk and wants me to focus and remember everything he says.


Now there's me. I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum. I've been very detached lately. Pretty sure its from having wild banshees running around my house all day. I've tuned out emotion just so I can make it through the day with out packing my bags and going to a hotel so I can just be ALL ALONE. Even just for an hour! I know I'm not the only mom who feels like this either. I give all day and work to keep a house of order, which mostly is in chaos, just to have husband come home and want more attention and love. I don't feel like there is anymore of myself to give. Poor guy.

There is something you must understand about me. I'm controlling. I think most women are or have to be to some degree in order to run a home. You do have to be a manager type to make it work. I think sometimes I go overboard. I just don't know how to relax and have fun if my house is a mess or if there are things to be done. I think this is always a struggle I will have. Not that I am a freaky clean person, just that disorder really bugs the crap out of me.

Okay, now is some serious venting.

I am confused!! We are told to have house of cleanliness and order. To have FHE and make sure that you have a fun lesson planned, Prayer, scripture study, family scripture study, serve, bake, have hobbies, learn new skills, get an education, raise children of all ages to be sweet angels, be patient, loving, supportive, organized, have food storage, learn to cook from it, be prepared for emergencies, responsibilities in the church, make time for yourself. The list goes on and on.

My thoughts... we are only human. I know these things are important, but they are driving women mad! (unless you are a robot, and I think I've met a few) Trying to get a grip on all of these things reminds me of a time when I went on a hike in the superstition mountains. I ended up getting the trail mixed up and started climbing up this wash. The rocks were all loose and every time you took a step some of the rocks would start moving and falling down the hill. A trail that should have taken 5 minutes was ending up taking 45.

If we try to do all of these things at the same time, we can have no foundation. We always feel overwhelmed and like we are trying so hard to make it up this mountain and it just seems impossible.

I have been so stressed and overwhelmed lately. I new somthing needed to be done. I took the weekend to figure out my life. So here is what I've learned over the last few days through some serious soul searching and prayer.

1. I need to simplify. This is always something that I have to remind myself of every year or so, as I seem to get carried away. Stop planning so much crap to do. when I'm in a hurry simple little things can feel like a catastrophe. I need to slow down. and sometimes Its okay to just stay at home and relax.

2. I need to prioritize. All of those things being taught to us are important, but almost impossible to try and conquer at once. The most important being FHE and family prayer. As long as those are our foundations we can work in the others gradually

3. I need to have fervent morning prayer. I need to start my day that way in order to function properly. I feel like I haven't gotten the chance to the past few years because I'm always getting catapulted out of bed with whines of "I'm hungry" and then my day is off and running.

4. I need to stop being so selfish. I signed up for this job. I decided to have these kids and now I need to get over myself and deal with my responsibilities. I need to love them and nurture them and take care of them even if I feel its cutting in what I want to be doing.

5. I need to get over my hormonal constipation and love my husband. He works every day for our family and has provided this home and a car for me to drive and my new Nano ;) Even if I feel like I give all day long, he still deserves love and attention. We made promises to love and honor each other. I need to work harder at fighting whatever chemical imbalance that is going on in my brain and just love him.

6. I need to stop comparing myself to what everyone else does or has. Honestly, I will probably never live in that beautiful $500,000 house or drive fancy cars. All wanting that stuff has done is make me ungrateful for what I do have. My van is ugly, but it takes me where I need to go. My house may be small but it provides shelter and is a place where we share memories. It is not for showing off it is for living in and I need to be more grateful. One thing that has helped me is to stop reading fashion magazines or watching those dumb celebrity news shows. I don't know those people, I never will, I don't care what they are doing or wearing or who they are dating. It has no bearing on my life what so ever. That pointless wasted time only makes me feel inadequate, when I am actually the one who is better off.

Through these last few days I've come to realize that I love my life for what it is. I love my house even though its cramped, I love my body even though its not what "society" says it should be, I love my kids even though they can be really naughty. If they were quiet and good all the time it wouldn't be as fun. I love my husband. Sometimes I wish he could be buff like Hugh Jackman ;) but I love him for who he is. He was everything I thought I needed when I decided to marry him and to this day he still is.
I have trials in my life. They may be not as hard or different from other people's. But what I do know is that everything that has been thrown my way, good or bad, has changed me as a person. I am who I am because of those times.

In getting over myself the last few days, I've gotten to know myself. My life isn't all about me. its about how I impact those around me. Its how I spend my time building my family up. Its preparing my children for their lives as adults. I've learned that life is worthless unless you share it, and that's what I plan to do.

playing tag

Tagged by miss Stephanie

Here are the Rules
1. Mention the person who tagged you
2. Complete the list of 8's
3. Tag 8 other people to play and let them know they are tagged!
4. Have a bit of fun!

8 things I am looking forward to
1. Our trip to Cali in 9 days!
2. Girl's camp
3. New Moon Movie
4. book four of the Luxe Series "Splendor"
5. Harry Potter and half blood prince movie
6. Book 4 of Vampire academy "Blood Promise"
7. Catching Fire, sequel to Hunger Games
8. date night with my husband!

8 things I did yesterday
1. cleaned
2. worked
3. took kids to play group
4. took kids to swimming lessons
5. worked some more
6. read a little
7. cleaned a little more
8. went running

8 things I wish I could do
1. hike the coast a Kauai for a week
2. run the Boston marathon
3. i wish I could be more patient
4. I wish I wasn't scared of riding horses
5. I wish I could see the Oregon coast
6. flips, Madison would like that
7. sing
8. dance

8 shows I watch
1. Grey's
2. Desperate Housewives
3. So you think you can dance
4. Big Break (golf Show)
5. Ultimate Fighter (because Judd makes me)
6. That's all
7. I would rather
8. read books

8 favorite fruits
1. watermelon
2. strawberries
3. pineapple
4. apples
5. oranges
6. kiwi
7. blueberries
8. raspberries

8 places I'd like to travel
1. east coast (the whole thing)
2. Ireland
3. Paris
4. Greece
5. Costa Rica
6. Fiji
7. Colorado (seems silly, but I've never been there)
8. Samoa

8 places I've lived
1. San Diego
2. Manteno Illinois
3. Kankakee Illinois
4. Tucson
5. Mesa
6. Gilbert
7 that's it

8 people I've tagged
1. Meg
2. Mary
3. Makenna
4. Kelli
5. Samira
6. anyone else that wants to...

Quote of the day

Judd is coming out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around him, mind you. The kids just happened to be in my room at the time...

Madison to Judd"wow dad, you be having a lot of hair on yourself."

She proceeds to tell me... "Dad's hairy. He has hair around his nipples, on his face and even in his armpits. He's like some kind of hairy monster."

Well, I like to call it a carpet. What I really think is that his body hair is making up for his lack of hair on his head.

sorry for the gross post.

To Dad...

What does your dad do for a job?

Madison~fix meters

Nolan~ goes to school


What is the funnest thing you do with your dad?

Madison~ play football with him most of the time

Nolan~ play baseball



What is something your dad always says to you

Madison~ he says my mom is crazy

Nolan~ make your room clean



What makes your dad happy?

Madison~ when he plays with me

Nolan~ cleaning my room



What is something your dad is good at?

Madison~ my dad is good at school work

Nolan~ going to school



What did your dad like to play with when he was a kid?

Madison~ he likes to shoot guns

Nolan~ when he was a cowboy he liked to ride horses.

How old is your dad?

Madison~31

Nolan~ 51

How tall is your dad?

Madison~ he's like 6 pounds, mom, I don't even know what you're meaning

Nolan~ 50 inches tall

What is your dad's favorite thing to do?

Madison~write letters

Nolan~ shoot guns

What does your dad do when you're not around?

Madison~he just reads book and does tests on his school work

Nolan~ kidnap people

What is your dad good at?

Madison~ good at gymnastics

Nolan~ good at being hulk

What is your dad not very good at?

Madison~ skateboarding

Nolan~ arguing with questions with his friends

What is your dad's favorite food?

Madison~ pizza and sausage

Nolan~ noodles and chicken

What does your dad do that makes you proud?

Madison~does chores

Nolan~ doesn't fight with me

How are you and your dad the same?

Madison~ we both like to be together

Nolan~we have the same hair

How are you and your dad different?
Madison~ we don't have the same hair

Nolan~we have different skin

Where is your dad's favorite place to go?

Madison~ grandma and grandpa's house because that's his mom and dad

Nolan~ wal-mart

How do you know your dad loves you?

Madison~because he thinks I'm always smart

Nolan~ do not fight

What does your dad like best about your mom?

Madison~he loves her
Nolan~ he likes when she smacks him on the bum

We're going private!

Just letting everyone know that as of June 15th I will be changing our blog to private. If you want to be invited, email me at juddandkristina@msn.com

Ah, weekends

Is it just me or does anyone else hate weekends? Is it just my house that somehow becomes destroyed even after all of the tedious chores I did all week, and why don't I want to clean it? Surely we can't be the only household that is ripping each other's hair out (except Judd's of course) because we are stuck together for 60 hours strait. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but for some reason there is no routine on Saturday or Sunday. What the heck is everyone else doing?!? How do you keep sane?? I've got to know!!

Quotes of the day

The elementary school is having a camp out this weekend with all of the dads and their kids. Unfortunate enough for Judd, I will be busy that night, so he is planning on taking all 3 kids by himself. He's not excited. However, since the school is right next door, he is trying to talk Madison into doing all of the festivities and then coming home to sleep for the night. She doesn't like this idea.

Madison "Please, please, please can we spend the night in the tent?!?"
Me "Its going to be like 100 degrees over night. It will be so much better to sleep in your own bed. You can play there all night and then come home. It will be fine."
Madison "I don't want to come home I want to camp"
Me "well, I'm not going to be here, so its not up to me. Its up to your dad"
Madison "Why would it be up to dad when you're the boss" (smart girl)
Me..... I had to think out this answer for a few moments "I am the boss when I'm home, but sometimes when I'm gone, its okay to let daddy be the boss."
She was satisfied with that answer.


Coulson turned 1 on Wednesday!
I can't believe how time has flown with this baby!
We didn't do anything super special, seeing as how he didn't even understand it was his birthday. We're going to have cake and ice cream this weekend.

On his birthday he decided to sleep in like a good boy. I asked Nolan if he wanted to come with me and sing happy Birthday to Coulson. So we sang our song and it was really sweet. Coulson was smiling and dancing to our song. When we finished the first thing Nolan said was "can he talk now?"
They must be excited for him to join in on the fighting.

YAY for new books

I just picked up my much awaited reserved books from the library and I'm so excited. I love living in mini fantasy worlds. It gets me away from the everyday. I wish I could say that I read biographies or something that could put into my brain a plethera of knowledge, but no, I love any type of fiction. Judd said that I must have the knowledge of someone with a masters degree from all of the books that I read. I just laughed at him. If he only knew my knowledge only consists of things that really have no bearing in life what-so-ever, besides my own personal gratification. But don't go telling him that I'm really not that smart. He'll never know. He stopped paying attention to what I read a few years ago. Ignorance is bliss. ;)