The Bonner Buzz

Men are from Mars and Women are from THIS PLANET!

2012-02-13T13:50:00.000-06:00

So we continued to do our winter yard cleanup, getting leaves picked up, trimming back dead plants, etc.

The one thing we had to finish was the front flower bed.

that is an "after" picture, no there is not a "before" picture because I suck at doing this...

E and M and I worked hard at cutting the lantana back, removing weeds, leaves, and etc, and it looks pretty good.

Also worked on the rose bushes and that flower bed over by the truck

Domino even helped by standing guard by the gate in case we happened to open it and he could go run around in the neighborhood un chained...

We even rescued a snake...

now I know, you are going, ok, thats nice, but what does that have to do with the price of tea in china!

well, this picture...

I see, a cleaned up flower bed, that we worked hard on...

My Husband, the LOML, my reason for being, see this

The "other" blog

his tools, thats what he sees here...

not all the work that was done, but what tool did the work...

I really truly love him with all my heart and soul, but I just dont understand him

My Sister

2012-02-10T13:19:00.001-06:00

so I have 2 sisters by blood and a 3rd sister by real estate. In other words, she and I grew up in the same neighborhood. She probably spent more time at my house as a kid than she spent at her own.

Well anyway, M (no not our M, first, this is a girl, and you should have known that because I said she was a sister) was in town with her children over the weekend (she lives much farther south than us, where things are always hot and sweaty and muggy...) so she and the boys came by. Her boys, J and A and our M immediately started up a NERF war that ended up leaving the house covered in NERF bullets. Here is a picture of them running around...

yes, it is kind of dark, but if you squint, you can see them.

after that we sent the boys outside which they started a game of kickball in the cul-de-sac which of course other neighborhood kids joined in on. Here is a pic of the game in progress

Yes, its kind of dark also.

M (her, not him) and I ended up sitting in the front yard with D on a leash while E played Zebra for the game. Here you can see us relaxing in the front yard

gosh your right, that picture is dark also. Dont know what was wrong with the camera that day

In the end they had to leave to get on the road to head home, and we had practice to go to, so we didnt get to spend very much time together, but the time we had was good.

(next time I will get my camera out so I can actually take pictures of these things as opposed to pretending there are pictures there when there are not)

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-09T13:22:00.000-06:00

for that most famous Sunday of the year, we decided to invite a few people over and watch the commercials...

I mean game...

We smoked some wings in our new Grill

yes, they were good...

T&T brought some ribs they smoked...

K&C brought dip

JP brought all the good for you stuff, veggies and fruit and such...

We also had all kinds of chips and dips

and boiled shrimp

and chocolate cake

and banana pudding

no one should have gone hungry, and if they did it was their own fault!!!

We had a good time watching the commercials, I mean game..

The children, including some of the big ones had a good time shooting people with nerf guns..

Gabby probably got shot more than anyone else, its really tough to be a teenage girl...

Little G had a great time, she didnt want to sit and watch, she wanted to play with the boys

and the flashlights

and the guns

and the flashlights...

did I mention she likes flashlights?

anyway, a good time was had by all, and we are glad for the people that came over. We hope everyone had a good a time as we had, and hopefully we can do it again next year

BASEBALL!

2012-02-08T13:55:00.000-06:00

in case we havent mentioned this before, we are a baseball family..

My child, lives, sleeps and breathes baseball.

The team has been practicing a lot lately and they look real good...

the facilities are awesome and we have great seats to view the action of the practice...

yes, thats right, from my truck.

It's cold and windy out there, I cant just sit out there in the cold and wind

I cant...

really...

Here is ONE of the new uniforms..

we also have shirts in Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Black, Brown, Taupe, Fuchsia, Hot Pink, and Lavender.

OK, maybe not all of those colors, but we have a lot of shirts...

First games are coming up and we are all excited to see it come together on the field

already starting

2012-02-07T15:49:00.001-06:00

as I have mentioned 10000000 times before, our family is all about baseball...

Well M had the first scrimmage the other night...

It was cold, and I mean cold, and the wind was blowing so hard buildings were falling down.

ok, maybe that is a bit of a exaggeration, but suffice it to say, the wind was blowing hard, and it was cold.

yes, it was under the lights, at the Tigers facility

We were good parents, waited in the car while the team got warmed up , once the game got started, we got our chairs out and went and sat by the fence, ready to cheer our child on!

we were back in the car by the second inning. If it helps, we could easily see the game from the car.

When M caught in the 3rd we had gotten out and went over to watch him, and then went back in the car when the inning was over (thats M in the second picture)

anyway, glad Baseball is started up and in full swing. M is very excited. Apparently broccoli makes you play baseball better.... more on that story later..

The amazing Kreskin

2012-02-07T12:44:00.000-06:00

I have to share this story....

A few weeks ago, night before the rodeo, we had a family dinner at a Chinese buffet place. We were all sitting there chowing down, and this conversation went down.

Uncle M - Well M who do you think is going to win the super bowl?
M - (without hesitation, looks up from eating) The Giants.. (went back to eating)

- pregnant pause-

Uncle M - well I guess I need to go change my bet then huh!
M - (again, without hesitation) yep

Looks like they should have listened to him..

This aint my first Rodeo

2012-02-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

As a family tradition, my dad gets tickets to the FWSSR and we go each year

(thats the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo for ya'll non rednecks out there)

My aunt and uncle come in from the farm and go, our family goes, my sister's family goes, my dad goes, everybody goes... and a good time is had by all.

We end up going over in the morning so we can wander through and look at cool things for sale, and cows, and horses, and sheep, and goats, and chickens, and bunnies, and.... (my uncle even bought a couple of bulls while he was there)

Here's some of our family watching G riding a pony

whats hard to believe, is the one on the left is my 10 year old child!

Here's G riding the pony

ok, now look at this picture...

see the ponies Butt in the left hand side of the picture? someone colored a white pony PINK!!

that is so many kinds of wrong.... anyway

our view of the Rodeo.

The opening ceremony

It was a good rodeo, only cowboys who did well were the Team Ropers, everyone else, the animal won, Bull riders were 9-2 (bulls winning) A good show none the less!

If I can get on a soap box for a minute... It is nice going to a event where people putting on the event and the people attending the event are proud of America. This is someplace where when the American flag went by you, people stood and removed their hats. When the riders went by the American flag, they removed their hats. Its a show of respect that just isnt around anymore, and I enjoyed it. Sang the national anthem and said a prayer too... Hmm, why is that so refreshing?

ok, getting down off the soap box..

BTW, my husband said to me when we parked that there were more Chevy Tahoe's in the parking lot than any chevy dealership in Texas...

just a fun quote to share with people...

Sundays

2012-02-03T13:17:00.000-06:00

Craig Morgan has this song called "Thats what I love about Sunday"

the chorus goes something like..

Thats what I love about Sunday
Sing along as the choir sways
Every verse of amazin grace
an then we shake the preachers hand
go home into your blue jeans
have some BACON and some BACON
pick a backyard football team
not do much of anything
thats what I love about Sunday

ok, maybe I put the thing in there about Bacon...

but around our house, it cant be Sunday without Bacon

and I'm not talking about that fake, cook in the microwave Bacon

I'm talking about real Pig fat cooked in a pan kind of Bacon

Biscuits are always good too..

You know who loves Bacon the most?

yes, thats right. D LOVES BACON!

He actually drools staring at the plate of bacon sometimes...

The good thing I will tell you, is that I am glad our dog does not play Baseball, because he had a trouble with the fly balls

He missed this one.

and this one

and this one...

Oh well...

if you happen to have extra bacon, be sure and stop by and see D. He will love you forever for it.

Of course he loves everyone no matter what, so honestly not much will change,

except he would probably drool on you if you brought him bacon, and dog drool is gross!

so maybe just leave it on the front porch or something...

Lights, Lights would be BAD here..

2012-02-01T15:30:00.001-06:00

the title of this post could have been many things...

It could have been, I love my truck, but
It could have been, find out who your friends are
It could have been, That took a lot longer than expected...
It could have been, batteries, batteries everywhere, and not a drop to drink

but anyway it ended up being a play on words for a movie quote I use all the time, "Lights, Lights would be good here"

remember? Pretty Woman.

Julia Roberts plays a hooker and Richard Gere is a rich guy driving a Lotus sports car? They go driving off and she says..

yes, thats right, she says, "Lights, Lights would be good here"

You know, why is it that her dress in the movie poster is pink, but in the movie is blue. Did no one notice that?

so anyway, on to the story.

Its the weekend, on Saturday we we had practice, we added a child to our house for the evening, we stopped at Ace Hardware for my husband to get frustrated at the people there, we went to dinner at Pizza Inn, then went home. E was driving... Sunday morning we leave to go to practice and at the field, just stop and let M out. We dont get out, we dont lock the car, etc. (dont worry, this will become important in a minute)

as Spongebob says... "2 hours later..."

the truck wont start, wont do anything. We of course cant figure out how it could be dead, we were just sitting there. Radio wasn't on, doors weren't open, etc.

OH YEAH! ITS THE DAMN LIGHTS!!!

even though this is a vehicle from 2008, even though its a hybrid, it doesnt have automatic lights. Now, if you get out of the car and lock it, the lights will turn off. But we didnt get out of the car, so they stayed on for 2 hours....

We called K&C, left a message, called JP and asked her to come rescue us, while I was talking to JP, C called back, and he was closer so he came. We tried jumping it off his car, with no luck, so he ran E back home to pick up the Tahoe. E came back with tools and was able to finally get the Highlander to jumpstart (its actually difficult to jump start a hybrid, with no key). You dont know whether it is going to start or not, it finally tried it, and actually did.

I have to say, I am kind of confused in the good it does me to have all those batteries in that vehicle that will drive it down the road if the one crappy little battery in the front holds it all for ransom.

So after we got the toyota jumped, I took the boys in the tahoe to take R home and E went driving in the toyota to try and make sure it would get a charge back in the battery so it would start the next time.

UGGG, Hopefully E will remember to turn the lights off from now on (you know the thing doesnt even go bing at you, its SO STUPID!)

Red Tails

2012-01-31T14:05:00.002-06:00

You know, We saw The Tuskeegee Airmen years ago when it came out and we liked that movie. We got it from Netflix and watched it again so M could see it and we still liked it and M liked it.

Then we went to see Red Tails...

OMG this movie was terrible. One minute its a war movie, one minute its a Love Movie, one minute its absolutely none of those things.

The visual FX works in the movie was terrible, seems like all the shots were some kind of green screen work and they looked fake. My husband, of course, noticed all of that and even more, but even M talked about all the "fake" shots and how bad they looked. A lot of the audio didnt sound right either. E said it was bad ADR work, whatever that means...

so no story line to speak of, bad visuals, bad audio..

a quote from the movie..

"Experience is a harsh teacher, you get the exam before the lesson"

well in this instance, the lesson is, dont go see this movie. its 3 hours of my life I will never get back

think what I could have done with those 3 hours....

yet, another gun

2012-01-30T15:22:00.001-06:00

M brought home his report card and guess what, He got straight A's

so then after that, I need to go to Target, and I take M because I go after I pick him up from school.

M runs off to see the Nerf guns, because of course he wants to buy a gun just like he got for B

well he comes back and says he couldnt find it.

We walk by the aisle, I go in there, and what do I find?

The gun he wants..

He wouldnt put it in the cart either before checkout or after

I told him he deserved it for getting good grades...

Didnt take 2 minutes to get it out of the box at home and batteries in it for it to be sailing bullets around the house...

Oh well, at least he's happy

Riler

2012-01-27T15:18:00.002-06:00

M has 2 best friends, one, his brother from another mother, he has known since he was 8 months old.

The other, R, he has known since Kindergarden.

Since we dont go to school with R anymore, we dont see him as much as we use to, but we try and setup times for them to see each other as much as we can.

Well last weekend, R came to be our second child for awhile and as you can tell from the photo, the boys did not stay still for a single moment the whole time they were together

see what I mean.... Cant even sit still long enough to eat a banana and take a photo. I swear M was in front of the camera when I pushed the button

They wore out all the video games, ran ruts in the carpet, and left nerf bullets everywhere in the house (I found one in the oven!

anyway

Check Please! - RANT

2012-01-26T10:47:00.001-06:00

OK so I'm going to express some frustration and rant for a minute. Please bear with me....

Chase Bank. We've been a customer of Chase Bank for 20 years through all of its various forms.... Bank One, etc. Usually I don't have any issues with them but sometimes they just frustrate the living crap out of me. The first frustration arrived when we moved. I called the bank to change the address on our accounts and was informed I could not change the address on the account because I am not the primary account holder. How 1950's is that? It's a joint account, I can take every single penny out of the account if I choose but I can't change the address for fear that I may be stealing money from my husband. ARRRGGGHHH!!!

Yes, I know it has been almost 7 years now since this happened, and no, I wont let it go!

OK, so the next time they frustrated me was a similar situation. I decided getting monthly bank statements in the mail was a waste. So I asked them to turn off the paper statements and just send them electronically. Again, I was told I could not make that change because I am not the primary account holder..... E's name is listed before mine on the original forms from 20 years ago. ARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

Again, no I wont let it go...

But, I have to say this latest round with them has been absolutely the most frustrating thing EVER!!! As probably many of you know we all write very few paper checks these days. I used to keep a close eye on check stock in the house but now since I write just a couple a month I don't keep that close an eye on it. A couple of weeks ago we were taking the family for our regular hair cuts. This is one of the places I write checks. I pulled out my checkbook and made sure I had a check which I did but it was the last one. I checked the drawer and found that it was the last one period. So here's where the fun begins.

I go online to the chase account and tell them to send me a box of checks. The same box of checks I ordered last time, and the time before, and the time before, and the time before, and etc... for the last 20 years... You get the picture.

Last time they did a little weird thing with E's name making the d's different sizes but no big deal. (no one spells his name right, and I mean no one. Honestly, its kind of a thing for him, but hey what do I know, its not like everyone spells my name wrong, oh wait, THEY DO!

I double checked the printing instructions to make sure all was well and zapped the order off to whomever handles such things. As I was down to the last check I made sure and requested expedited processing. A couple of days later I received a package of checks in the mail. No problem, right? WRONG!!!!

Apparently the check printing company (Deluxe) has decided that Edd's name is misspelled and really it should be Ed.D. Nope, wrong, and not acceptable. So I called the bank and told them the check printing people had made a mistake and please send me another order. I was on the phone with the customer service agent for about an hour, no joke, while he put a stop payment on the box of checks I held in my hands and authorized the new order. I implored him to expedite it as I am out of checks.

A couple of days later I received another package of checks. Low and behold they still insist Edd's name is Ed.D. So..... I call again and this time I'm not as nice. The customer service agent assures me that she's called over to Deluxe (while I waited on hold) and made them correct their records as they have it in their records as Ed.D. and if she put in the order that was what I would get again. So, to make sure they got it right this time she called the printer directly and fixed it. OK, finally getting somewhere here.... and reminded her that I am out of checks and need them ASAP as I have paid for the expedited service and it's now been two weeks and I have no checks.

A week goes by, no checks. So, Monday I call the bank. I've decided that all of that was a farce and she never even put in the order for the checks. I ask about the status and was told they were mailed on the 17th.... from where, I ask, Mongolia? It shouldn't take that long to get a package of checks. He checks on the order and informs me that not only were they mailed on the 17th but they still have the wrong name printed. I tell the agent I'm tired of all of this and I want to talk with a Supervisor as this is ridiculous. Low and behold, he is a supervisor (or so he claims). I rant and raved and yelled and screamed about how ridiculous it is that I cannot depend on MY BANK to send me a simple box of checks with a simple name spelled correctly. And, just where in the bloody hell does Deluxe get off deciding how to spell a customer's name.... etc. Short story ( i know, too late) I was upset and shared my feelings with this so called supervisor, you get the picture.

So this Supervisor assures me he's fixing the problem, is going to credit our account for the cost of the original box of checks, and is going to send me another box of checks overnight so I'll have them as quickly as possible. I assured him I could really care less about the $13 for the checks but I really am concerned over the fact that they can't seem to get it right. He assures me it's right now, he's fixed it, he's a supervisor ( so he knows what he is doing, supposedly) and all will be well when I get the next order.

So Tuesday I receive the package of checks that was mailed on the 17th.... I knew what I was told and that it probably wasn't right but I had to see for myself. Sure enough, it had the wrong name on it.... but surprisingly, had a second set of name and address that was right. That's right, these were printed with two sets of names. ARRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!

But, it did give me hope that perhaps the "supervisor" could just delete the bad name and replace with the good name.

So Wednesday I received the promised overnight package from Chase. Anxiously open it up to find.....

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

YEP, they screwed them up too!!!!

we're back to the Ed.D.

You have got to be freaking kidding me... I GIVE UP!!!!!!!

At least they have credited me for the four boxes of checks I have sitting on the desk and I havent had to pay for this whole debacle, BUT THAT IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT!!

I cannot believe people can screw this up that bad.

As my father says, These people could F up a wet dream

I'm torn between calling Chase to tell them they're idiots, taking the four boxes of checks to my nearest branch and telling the branch manager they're all idiots or just giving up.

What I did do.... I ordered a box of checks from Checks in the Mail. Hopefully they can push the "I believe" button and decide I do know how to spell my husband's name. Stay tuned.

Apologies for the rant but I'm REALLY frustrated about all of this. Oh, and would anyone like some checks? Thanks for listening. Amen.

Its that time of year.... The Deuce

2012-01-25T09:39:00.002-06:00

and yet again, off the CCA with another load for them...

While I was there, a guy pulled up with a truck and trailer. The trailer had a hot tub on it..

The guys who unload the trucks were looking at that going.. UMM, what do we do with that?

Wheat Thins

2012-01-24T20:21:00.000-06:00

Tornados!

2012-01-23T18:58:00.000-06:00

some friends of ours neighborhood was rocked by Tornados last night, (outside of Birmingham Alabama)

They are all fine, but the neighborhood is a wreck! Dont know who else is their area might have been hurt.

wouldnt hurt to say a few prayers for them

MAYBE, he does actually listen

2012-01-23T11:29:00.001-06:00

So we have this creature who lives with us, but doesnt really live with us. He lives in his own little world and only every so often does he venture into ours.

I just know if we could all live in his world, then everything would be great!. But the problem is, we dont, we live here and he floats back and forth (maybe like that guy from The Traveler series of books, although when M is in his own little world, he doesnt look like he's sleeping, He looks like he is there paying attention to what is going on, he just isnt)

Of course, I am talking about my child, my offspring, my boy,

and again the problem being, when he is in his own little world, he pays no attention to ours,

and I get frustrated...

and thats not good, I dont like to be frustrated,

and M doesnt like me to be frustrated

and E doesnt like me to be frustrated

and Domino, we actually he doesnt care

ANYWAY,

but every now and then, he really surprises me.

The other day E comes home from work and M asked him how his day was. E replied that he spent almost all of the day working on Japan. M's response was, "How is the UFC event going"

HMM, comprehension, retention of previous mentioned facts, the cognitive ability to tie it all together...

HMMMM

Then, when I picked M up from school on Wednesday, I told him that E had to go to Austin on a emergency and I wasnt sure when he was going to come home. M's response... "What happened at Longhorn?"

HMMM, yet again, comprehension, retention of previous mentioned facts, and cognitive ability to tie it all together...

hmmm, again.

This creature will definitely need further study.

AND the project is finished

2012-01-20T11:24:00.002-06:00

so M was out of school on Monday, so I tortured him and made him work on his school project most of the day (We are such bad parents, making our child do his own schoolwork and such)

As he was complaining about how hard the Styrofoam was to paint, I was thinking to myself, "you were the one that HAD to have the biggest ball in the store!"

Here is the "work" area for the project...

and here...

(drum roll please)

is the completed project

He got a 100 on it!

Crazy, Busy, Hectic, but FUN weekend

2012-01-16T13:46:00.000-06:00

As usual, our weekend was pretty crazy.

Friday I was in Corpus working, came home late that night. E and M went running around trying to find B a Christmas present (yes, a Christmas present, bear with me here) and were also picking up supplies for a project M has to do for school.

When I land I get a note from E that said they struck out on the present for B and that "when you see the Styrofoam ball, its all M's fault" Hmm, thats not good either way around. The project for M is he has to do a thing on a planet. He picked Jupiter. E and M went to Hobby Lobby (I know, that place is always a zoo and too many crazy people there, think I would rather go to wally world than there, and thats saying something) to get poster board and a styrofoam ball to paint like Jupiter.

When I got home I saw the ball and got the story. M decided that since Jupiter was the biggest planet, well then he should get the biggest ball, which is 10" All i thought was, thats a lot more to paint!

Saturday morning we stopped at a couple of estate sales looking for a piece of furniture I want (no, I am not sharing what yet, you will find out when I find one and not a minute sooner!) but we found nothing, so we headed over to JP's. Edd worked on mounting some AC registers for her. (Yes, it was harder than it looks, he had to build a whole thing and all, point is, it was hard and just "looks" easy.

Also worked on her storm door which quit working that morning. We were not planning on working and running, but while we were there I got an e-mail that said M had practice that day, WHAT? since when? Well apparently since right then. Luckily we were able to get done at JP's just in time to run home, have M change, grab a snack and get to the field right on time, which means we were late, because if you are on time, your late... Never mind, you wouldnt understand.

Well while M was running circles around the field, E and I went to Target to see if we could find the present M wanted to get Brandon. I got the whole story about how the 2 stores they drove to the night before had a terrible selection of NERF guns, which is of course what M wanted to buy Brandon, and etc, etc. Well we walked in Target and walked in and E picked up a gun and said, this is it!. Apparently this Target had more stock than the ones by us. That was good because that let us get in and out of there quickly.

So we get back in time to pick up M after he was out of breath from running around the bases 14 times, or something like that, run to Bass Pro to pick up some ammo since E has shot almost all we have for M's new gun, and we were off to see B.

We ended up eating with T&T&M&B at Chicken Express (dublin Dr Pepper, get it while you can!) and then going to B's roundball game, which they barely won, and then back to exchange Christmas presents, hang out and play with the dog, and watch the Pats beat up on Denver. Oh it was so sad, sorry Tebow!

At some point, late in the evening, we went home and had some time with our heads laying on a soft pillow, but a very short amount of time later, we were up, had our Bacon (it was Sunday, had to have Bacon or the dog would have had a COW) and were at K's to work on her Kitchen.

Sunday morning, her kitchen looked something like this.

By the time we were done, it looked like this.

This is only step one in the process, but we did manage to complete step 1 at least.

After that we went home and got cleaned up, got M dressed and went to practice.

Wow, I thought I was tired enough after the weekend, I think I'm even more tired after running through it again....

Anyway, its nice to get back to work so I can get some rest :)

I love my husband, but sometimes....

2012-01-13T16:03:00.000-06:00

you know I love my husband, with all my heart, but sometimes the things he does, really makes me shake my head.

So the other day, he and M went to the park to practice Baseball. He was hitting M grounders and fly balls and M was at shortstop. They were working on fielding the ball and coming up throwing. M was having a hard time at the team practice coming up and turning all the way to make a good throw over his shoulder.

During this process, my husband, the Love of my life, challenged my child, wait, lets not go there yet. Here is the setup.

M was here, in the field at approximately shortstop position.

E was at home plate. On the fence behind home plate, which you can see in the picture,

Yes, you can see it, its right there, yes, look again and you will see it, FINE)

THERE, see the fence, good!
ok, now where were we. Oh yeah, on the fence behind home plate, E put a leaf. He hooked it in the fence and you can see it in the picture. E told M that when he came up throwing he needed to aim for that leaf, and hit it.

Yes, there is a leaf hooked in the fence, ITS RIGHT THERE... FINE

NOW, do you see the leaf now?

ok, now that we have that out of the way.

2 or 3 balls into this challenge, M hadnt hit the leaf, and he says something like "there is no way I can hit that" Getting whiny like a 10 year old boy does.

Here comes the thing that makes my scratch my head,

sit down, you need to brace yourself and be ready for it.

are you ready?

E says to M.

"If you hit the leaf I'll buy you another gun"

HMMM, not, I'll take you to the movies, or I'll make you ice cream, or I'll let you take the dog for a walk, or I'll let you rake up all the leaves in the yard by yourself, or I'll let you spend your Christmas money on underwear and socks... (OK, maybe some of those wouldnt have motivated him as much as others..)

But does he use any of those things? no, he says "If you hit the leaf, I'll buy you another gun"

Now, if you know our child you can imagine the smile that spread so far across his face that his hairline re-ceeded. You can also imagine how much more effort went in from that point forward. (if you dont know our child then think about how happy Ralphie was when he got his Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun)

Well on the 2nd throw after the offer was made, from a spot in the outfield behind the Shortstop position, M put the ball right on the leaf, and I mean dead nuts on the leaf.

My husband, the LOML, my reason for being, then cussed out loud. We wont repeat it here.

My child then laughed and jumped up and down and did kartwheels in the grass (O.K. maybe he didnt do the kartwheels)

They kept going, and M got really good at hitting the general area around the leaf. Even came real close when he was chasing a ball into the outfield and had to field the ball, turn and make a good throw.

It is amazing how much effort someone can put toward something when they really want to.

Needless to say now my husband has a new project to put some effort towards, and we will have yet another gun to find a place for...

Its that time of the year

2012-01-12T15:58:00.000-06:00

usually, about this time, the piles of crap and clutter that the people around me store up in my house finally get to me and I have to say ENOUGH!

because of course I am very responsible and never pile up any clutter or crap that I dont use.

Really, I dont.

so over the last week or so I have forced the LOML and my offspring to clean out all of their areas of the things they dont use, play with, touch, wear, whatever so we can give them to someone who will appreciate and love and take care of them better than they will.

Of course I dont have much to do during this time period because as I mentioned above, I dont hoard things at all. I also dont pile all the flat surfaces in the house with mail, and papers, and dvd's and other such things like the people around me

Really, I dont....

and while we are at it, I have a bridge to sell you,

right after I drop off load #1 of many to CCA

A shootin' we went

2012-01-09T17:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday the family went to the gun range so M could shoot his new Gun

If you look close you can see me in the picture, If you look you will see E, then come to the right you will see M, then on the very far right, you can see the edge of a white stool in the picture, If you look just right on that and back a little, way off in the distance, you can see me standing behind the camera taking the picture. Well no, not really, but you read all this anyway, didnt you!

Well why we were there, the LOML came up with a challenge, for me vs my child, who could shoot better. We would run through the 3 guns we had there (Henry 22, Winchester 22, Winchester 30-30) and see who could hit the best across the 3 guns. 5 shots from each gun

M refused to shoot the 30-30 based on the kick he felt the first time he shot it, he's still a little nervous about that, so I had the advantage there since I would shoot 5 bullets that he wouldnt.

Above, thats MY target, notice all the holes in the BLACK PART

Above would be M's target......

We wont mention who won...

Because the looser is kind of sore about loosing a shooting competition to his mama...

oh wait...

I just gave away who won it..

oh well, yeah for ME!

Time

2012-01-05T13:27:00.000-06:00

Years ago, (2006) while in Colorado we went to the White Fence Farm restaurant and got this picture of M sitting next to a TJ statue (AWESOME fried chicken, if you ever happen to be in the area)

While in Colorado over the Holidays we were able to go back to that restaurant and take another pic of M sitting next to TJ

He looks a little different huh.

Just, how many Nerf guns, would be too many Nerf guns....

2012-01-04T13:25:00.001-06:00

My child's Nerf gun collection

do you think 23 Nerf guns is too many?

hmmmmm

We are such bad parents

2012-01-03T13:23:00.000-06:00

as I am sure you know, we bought Michael his first real gun this past year

A Boy and A Gun

Well for the last couple of months he has been getting upset with his father, because since buying M's gun, E has bought 3 for him.
i-like-texas
rednecks-anonymous
i-can-stop-anytime-really-i-can

(All lever action guns, no I dont think he has a problem.... why do you?)

M keeps saying that its not fair and all that kind of stuff. Well E started talking to M about what he wanted and worked it down to this gun..

I know, another lever action, go figure, apple and the tree....

Well we looked around and couple not find one in the shape we wanted for the price we wanted. Then E came up with a few more options for M to look at, and M decided these would work also

a pump action rifle.... ok well at least we are expanding our horizons..

a bolt action camo covered Savage rifle... (Camo is cool, no matter what!)

So we started looking some more, seeing what we could find. Even looked at a few places in Denver. (we went to a place called The Gun Room, which was great! and had a good selection, AND we went by Gunsmoke, you know the place where they shoot the TV show American Guns..)

Found some that were close, but they werent quite right (and having to buy a case to check them on a plane made it tough also)

So yet again M decided that his father was working against him to make sure he did not get a new gun, and of course that is not what was happening. (really, it wasnt, I promise) After we get back from vacation the Fort Worth gun show was going on, so we headed over there (OMG! I have never seen so many people crammed in such small aisles..) Well what did we end up running across that M fell in love with?

YES, thats right, its a Winchester 9422 Lever action 22 magnum rifle. The EXACT! rifle he started out looking for... And the place we ran across it at? Blast and Past, the same place E bought one of his 94's from.

Good things come to those who wait....

Now if only he could stop being mad at his father!

Make like a tree and.....

2012-01-01T18:25:00.000-06:00

What better way to start the new year off than....

raking leaves...

Gosh I really loves the trees in our neighborhood, and that is one of the things that really drew us to this house, but this time of year, I do not look forward to...

Here we are raking up one section of the front yard into a pile / row to pick up

One trashcan and 9 bags later, it looks like this

The next section we did with the lawnmower, because its much easier on the areas that arent just completely COVERED in leaves...

(yes we make our child go outside and do manual labor, oh isnt it terrible.... we also make him brush his own teeth as opposed to having his man servant do it for him. why you ask? well because, we dont have a man servant.)

Of course we didnt worry about picking up all the leaves because they still arent all on the ground yet....

It will be 2 or 3 more weekends worth of work until we have them all picked up from the front and back yard..

BASEBALL!!

2011-12-31T18:25:00.000-06:00

I know, you thinking, now? really? Baseball has already started?

Well for us, spring baseball has already started... Lets backup and re-cap.

We played with the North Texas Glory in the fall, that team pretty much fell apart and we went looking. M went to 2 different tryouts, got offered spots on both of those teams so he had to choose which one. the one he chose?

The Dallas Tigers.....

We have had a couple of informal practices, including one good session of BP, but this was kind of our first real, big, team practice.

The weather was great and it was a great practice. I really like the coach, his attitude, the way he works the boys, etc. We are really looking forward to a great season of Baseball!

4 Christmas' and a Vacation

2011-12-30T18:02:00.001-06:00

Well as usual, our holiday time is pretty hectic, and it started early this year, We had our first family "Christmas" the first week in December. That one was for my dad's side of the family, Uncle Steve made his famous enchiladas, which were excellent as usual, and a good time was had by all (except for maybe Owen, who kept getting beaned by balls every time he came in the room, of course the people throwing the balls were the LOML and my child.. no surprise there)

Next was our crazy weekend, on Saturday morning we went to my mothers for the family "Christmas", which as usual was pretty exciting. There were gifts with multiple tags, there will gifts with the wrong tags, there will gifts to people that the tag said it was from them!

The stove smoked up the house and as usual there was no where near enough food for all of us (yeah right) The three of us then ran off to the PG party at billy bobs, then came back to my moms to drop M off, then went home to change, then E and I went to the PG concert that night at Billy Bobs, we got home very late in the evening (or early in the morning, depending on how you want to look at it) and got up early and went back to my moms because we had "Christmas" for her side of the family that day at her house. All in all M got way too many presents (and way too many Nerf guns) and we all had a good time seeing family.

Next was E's side of the family, we met his parents for dinner one evening and had a short but sweet Christmas but as usual with our hectic schedule, that is all the time we could pull together.

Then, we were off to Colorado, we rented a house just north of Idaho Springs, got 2 feet of snow on the ground the first day we were there, and had a good time relaxing and getting away from it all. We did manage to do a few things while were there, like go to the Argo Tunnel and Mill

The Railroad museum (second best railroad museum we have been to)

The Coors Tour

Had many Snowball Fights

(cant have a snowball fight without a fort Squidward.... you didnt let me crouch down!)

and santa even managed to find us out there on the mountain and bring M a few things..

All in all it was a great December and a good way to close out 2011

here's looking forward to 2012!

Pat F'n Green!

2011-12-19T09:07:00.000-06:00

Everyone who knows us, knows we are BIG Pat Green fans. Every year Pat's fan club hosts a party at Billy Bobs on the day of his December Concert, and we go to the party and concert assuming our schedule allows. This year, the schedule part was tough and we ended up driving back and forth across the metroplex all day long to get it all done, but we lived so I guess it was all good.

The afternoon party was great, we skipped the "wait for 2 hours in line to get your picture with Pat" part because we have a stack of pics of us with Pat and partly because the schedule for the day was pretty hectic. We did get there in time for the question and answer part

and then the "private" concert. Which as always he did a great job.

Then we were back that evening for the concert and it was great as usual. Honestly it was like the Pat Green of the old days. He sang songs like "Here we Go" and "Southbound 35" that are songs that made him famous at dance halls around Texas.

He did a cool version of "Galleywinter", and "Baby Doll" that both really show off his writing and performing talent. Of course, he sang some of the more "pop" stuff for all the girls in the audience and he sang songs off his new album. One was called "Austin" and another was called "All just to get to you" which they were also shooting a video for. Its a cool song, he did it once during the afternoon party and twice during the evening concert.

Here is a video about the song I found on youtube from when he played western days in lewisville (which we did not go to, I know, we're bad)

All in all we were glad to see Pat back to his old self and had a great time at the concert.

The things I have to put up with...

2011-12-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

see the kinds of things I have to put up with!

Link to story the LOML wrote.....

At the gun range

2011-11-23T11:23:00.001-06:00

The Cone of Shame!

2011-11-23T08:59:00.000-06:00

Remember the movie UP! and doug? "I do not like the cone of shame" (there are a lot of other great quotes in that movie from Doug, but for today, we will stick with the cone of shame)

Well Bo had to go to the doctor the other day and has become the second most expensive cat we have ever owned (and thats saying something) First on that list was Patches, and that a lllooonnnggg story, which we arent going to go into now.

After coming back from eye surgery, not only does he has (4) different kinds of eyedrops he has to have put in his eye on a rotating schedule, he also has to wear, (wait for it....)

The cone of shame!, and he is not happy about it

He cant hide in all of his usual places because the cone does not fit. He keeps running into doorways (because of the cone and also because vision on one side still isnt back to what is use to be) . and most of all, he cant rub his face on things, which he loves to do

and most of all, it is hard to eat with this thing on!

although it is kind of funny because he was scooping the food off the plate with the cone and then licking it out of the cone.

so for the next week or so, feel bad for our poor defenseless cat as he has to live with this thing wrapped around his head

The Myth of Sisyphus

2011-11-21T17:11:00.000-06:00

Or otherwise known to me as, "The 7th Level of Hell"

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a brilliant rascal who sometimes played tricks on the gods to get what he wanted. He even used trickery to avoid death. Finally the gods had enough and condemned Sisyphus to eternal hard labor -- his punishment: rolling a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down to the bottom each time he finally gets it to the top.

I am convinced at this point in my life that it was not a boulder up a hill he was rolling, it is LAUNDRY. Yes thats right LAUNDRY. This is a project that no matter what you do, you will never be completely done with it. The problem is, even when you are doing laundry, you have clothes on that you will eventually have to wash. (unless you want to go around naked all day, and well.... I dont think so) I guess you could just buy new clothes each week and throw the others away, but that doesnt seem realistic does it. So what do you do? Do you wash them quickly so you only have small loads to do? which equates to doing laundry every day, all day, for the rest of your LIFE! or do you let the laundry pile up until you cant see large parts of your house and then spend the next week digging your life back out through the use and abuse of your washer?

UGGGGGGG I get frustrated just typing about it...... and I roll the boulder back up the hill.

Annual Tree Pic

2011-11-20T11:26:00.000-06:00

We planted this live oak tree the same year we moved in this house. I've tried to take a pic of Bruiser and the tree each year after to show how much both have grown. I definitely think he is out-pacing the tree. Here is a pic from the year we moved in:

And here he is now:

How time flies!

Velocity

2011-11-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

Since I'm posting, and put the LOML into cardiac arrest. I'd thought I'd post about what I've been doing the last couple of months aside from laundry, taxi service, maid, and housekeeper (oh, and lawyer). In August I took the plunge and started working out three days a week at Velocity. If you don't know what Velocity is here's a link to the Coppell branch: http://www.velocitysp.com/coppell. It's a crossfit program which combines cardio, weights and strength training.

Anyway, not to pat myself on the back but I am pretty proud for getting up and doing it. It was very intimidating at first but now I've settled into a rhythm and have a good group that I work out with. They are very encouraging and just all around good people. I don't see the changes yet but others have said they do, I'm purposefully not getting on the scale and just doing the program. I can do things now that I couldn't even dream of doing in August (like doing more than 1 pushup and running more than 10 feet). So, if you want to come join us I'm there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 and would love to see you!

If you want to know more about the program drop me a line or give me a call.

Christmas Thoughts

2011-11-09T14:21:00.000-06:00

The LOML always gets on to me for not posting on the blog. Well, a FB friend posted this and with things coming to that time of year I shared it with the LOML and now I'll share it with you:

CHRISTMAS 2011 – BIRTH OF A NEW TRADITION

"As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories have been in high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor.

"Let's make this year different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift-giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes, there is!

"It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?

"Everyone -- yes EVERYONE -- gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

"Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

"Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American-owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates. How many people couldn't use an oil change and lube job for their car or truck, done at a local shop run by an American working guy or gal?

"Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese-made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or her lawn mowed for the summer, or their driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

"There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half-dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember folks, this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your hometown Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

"Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

"OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

"Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

"Musicians need love (and income) too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

"Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten-thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a $5.00 string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

"You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

"THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

"Send this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?"

You dont have to go home, but you cant stay here...

2011-11-07T10:58:00.000-06:00

It is officially cold, the leaves are starting to fall from the trees and the Pool is officially CLOSED for the winter

Here's the before...

and the after...

Only 134 more days till spring!!!

He's coming for you!

2011-11-04T10:53:00.001-05:00

M was a Grim Reaper for Halloween... complete with voice changer to make sure he sounded scary.

The Rebellion will be so easy to crush!!

2011-11-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

one more notch in the belt of the darkside... (ahh, to feel the power of the darkside)

as of last night, my blackberry is no more, and in its place? well what else...

these guys never had a chance....

I now have a

Tumbling down the rabbit hole, and loving every minute..

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2011-09-23T18:08:00.000-05:00

Drag Racing!
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San Francisco Trip

2011-08-13T13:35:00.001-05:00

In what has become a tradition we made our final "just before school starts" trip of the summer. This year the location was San Francisco. Three reasons.... the tickets were CHEAP.... the weather should be cooler than Texas in August... and we could check off one more Major League Ballpark from our list. It was a great trip.

We didn't hve many plans, a few things we really wanted to show M as this was not the adult's first trip to SF. One of the first interesting things we saw was right by our hotel - note the sign - under "FUN" - Avis Rent A Car.... hilarious.

The first thing we did was walk along the wharf, a nice view of Alcatraz and, of course, the sea lions.

Next we found the Maritime Museum and visited all of the ships there, very interesting so see the history and how long some of them had been in operation.

We rode the trolly and visited the trolly museum.

We did manage to catch the Giants/Phillies game at AT&T Park. It is an amazing park, very fan friendly. The Giants weren't in it that night but we were able to catch our first fight where both teams cleared the dugouts... made the whole game worthwhile. Oh, and there was this really loud guy who sat next to us.... "HUNTER.... oh HUNTERMAN..... you're a follower". He was a die-hard Giant's fan and razzed the Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence the whole game. I'm sure Pence and other major league ballplayers have learned to tune that out but I really thing this guy got to Pence, even if just a little. The funny thing was - Pence hit a homer... priceless!

After the game we walked back to the trolly stop and caught the trolly back to the hotel.

On Saturday we drove out to the Winchester Mystery House... if you haven't been you really need to find a reason to go, it is so fascinating. The tour was different this time than last time and they now have a behind-the-scenes tour which was very interesting as well.

On Sunday we made the round trip around the bay - over the Bay Bridge, across the bridge from Oakland to Marin, then back across the Golden Gate. Lots of fog around the gate every day we were there. We spent the rest of the day walking around and seeing what we could find.

We found a Duck Tour - it was a lot of fun!! Below are pics from the day including the view of AT&T Park from the water in the duck, again, FUN!!!!

Monday was our trip out to Alcatraz. M really like it and we tried to lock him in a cell but he's just too quick for us now. After we took the electric bus/street car downtown and watched the last of the Harry Potter movies.

The weather was great, almost chilly at times, we were interviewed by a TV reporter who recognized us as being from out-of-town. I don't know if we actually made it on the news but M really enjoyed the attention. A nice, cool, and relaxing trip... until next time San Francisco!!

Summer Wrap Up

2011-08-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe but M starts school on Monday - 5th Grade. We've struggled in recent weeks with which school he should attend and those of you who know the story know our struggle. In the end we've decided to leave him at Temple for this last year of "elementary". One day at a time, one step at a time...

So, in our rush to finish the summer in grand style we've worked on our "to do" list these last couple of weeks.

We stepped out for a Rangers game against the Twins, sat right behind the bull pen so M got to see all of the pitchers doing their thing, he was in heaven!

We sent M off to Church Camp with his best bud. They had a great time and M is already planning his return trip. Here is a pic of M and B at MAD Camp.

While M was at MAD Camp the love of my life and I drove down to New Orleans for some adult time. Of course, no pics were taken during that trip. But while we were there we found a shirt that was perfect for M and here he is modeling it.

Stay tuned for a summary of our final trip of the summer - San Francisco!!!

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2011-08-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

Giants / Phillies Game - AT&T Park!
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2011-07-26T18:51:00.000-05:00

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2011-07-26T18:46:00.000-05:00

Let's go CJ!!!

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2011-07-20T20:34:00.001-05:00

So cool!
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2011-07-20T20:33:00.001-05:00

They arrive!
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2011-07-20T20:16:00.001-05:00

Waiting for the bats!
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A Boy and a Gun

2011-07-12T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well, M has expressed some interest in guns (shock). Edd took him out shooting when we were at the Thomas Farm installing the door and he did pretty well. Also, as M was going to be at the farm again for an extended stay we decided to invest in a gun just for him. So, my son now owns his first gun and I believe we are falling down the rabbit hole. Here is a pic of M shooting his new gun at the farm...

He can't wait for the next season to start.... whatever that is.

Rough and Ready to take the field

2011-07-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

Just before the final game... great pic!

End of Baseball, for now

2011-07-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well baseball fans, the Coppell Cowboys Black ended their season in grand style at the AAYBA tournament. They finished 4th Place in the Bronze division. The boys played hard and tried their best and we're very proud of them. A shout out to the coaches who worked hard and dedicated their time to the team - Thanks!!! Go Cowboys!

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2011-06-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Go Rangers!!!!
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2011-06-22T18:57:00.000-05:00

Ranger Game in the Cuervo Club! Thanks GB!!!

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2011-05-29T15:27:00.001-05:00

Edd and M ziplining!
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2011-05-27T17:01:00.001-05:00

Smokies Baseball!!!
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2011-05-27T15:53:00.001-05:00

Indoor figure 8 track
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2011-05-27T11:37:00.001-05:00

Woo hoo!
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2011-05-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

View with storm moving in...
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2011-05-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

Our View!!
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2011-05-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

Been here 10 minutes and this is 1st stop!!!
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2011-05-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

4th Grade Finished!!!
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2011-05-23T13:05:00.001-05:00

Our Storm Surprise, a turtle in the pool!
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Busy Weekend

2011-05-23T07:46:00.000-05:00

My Aunt and Uncle needed some help with a remodeling project at the farm. So, we drove down to give them a hand and to spend the weekend "away". The project was to remove an 8 foot sliding glass door and replace with a standard french door. And, while we were down there Edd had some things on his "bucket list" for M to do....

Feed the Cows/Donkeys with Z

Drive the Tractor

Shoot a Gun

Oh.... and we got that project done too!

Before

After

Looks great!!!

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2011-05-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

Belle's Spot for Today!
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Mother's Day

2011-05-09T14:24:00.002-05:00

Have to share, this is the post my son left on his daddy's blog....

http://double-d-garage.blogspot.com/2011/05/mothers-day.html

Check it out, so sweet! Love you Bruiser!

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2011-05-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Baseball fireworks!
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2011-05-06T20:30:00.000-05:00

Beautiful night for a Rider's Game!
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4th Grade Zoo Field Trip

2011-05-06T13:23:00.001-05:00

I always try to go to at least one field trip a year. Well, before I knew it the end of the year arrived and I hadn't made one trip. So, I went with M's class to the Zoo, actually with the whole "elementary school". It was a good day, at least for the four boys I got to keep track of...

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2011-04-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

Go Riders!!!!
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Another Project Complete

2011-04-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

We always have projects going at our house. One we've been working on the last few weeks is a "gun" cabinet for M's Nerf guns. This was a family project and we all had a hand in it (see prior posts). Well, we finally got it in place and full of Nerf guns today. Let the wars begin!

The Bell

2011-04-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

Faithful readers may recall we received a delivery a few months ago of an antique bell and other assorted antiques from The Bonners. The bell has been faithfully waiting for its rightful place in the yard. This has taken a lot of work on the part of my beloved. First was to pour a concrete pad. Next he built brick pillars with support in them. Third we placed stone slabs on top of the bricks. Finally, today, he was able to move the bell into it's new home. We are all very happy to have the bell in its rightful place. Welcome to your new home bell!

Coppell Opening Day Parade

2011-04-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Coppell held an Opening Day Parade for all of the rec kids. The select team kids were there to cheer them on - go Coppell!!!

This is Bruiser with two of his teammates - yes they are that much smaller than him!

A serious baseball discussion going on here I'm sure.... or maybe not.

Boys lined up on the parade route cheering for the rec players.

Coach was nice enough to lift him up so he can see!

Bruiser carrying his teammate on his back, this was about the time they started to crash into the grass (thankfully it was grass).

IMG00176.jpg

2011-04-04T17:45:00.001-05:00

Brilliant or stupid? Hmmmmmm
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00173.jpg

2011-04-03T20:03:00.000-05:00

GO RIDERS!
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Full Weekend of Baseball!

2011-04-03T19:18:00.000-05:00

We had a full weekend of baseball. First the Cowboys had two games on Saturday, won one, lost one... here's Bruiser pitching, hitting and catching:

Next we had tickets to the Rangers' game against the Red Sox. Opening Weekend!! Rangers trounced the Sox including a GRAND SLAM HOME RUN!!!! It was awesomeness! Here's a pic of the boys at the Rangers game.

On Sunday, two more Cowboys games but had to bail on the second because of our next engagement. The Cowboys won their first game! Here's a pic of Bruiser sliding into home.

The greatest thing about this weekend - Bruiser broke his dry streak and HIT THE BALL!!!!! Thanks to a lot of hard work and practice he managed to swing the bat and get some hits!

So, our second commitment for Sunday, the Riders Exhibition Opener against the Round Rock Express. Riders didn't come out on top of that one but here's a pic of Bruiser at the game.

I'd say that's a full weekend of baseball! Go Cowboys, Rangers and Riders but especially Go Bruiser!!

Bruiser the Welder!

2011-04-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

Daddy has been trying to teach Bruiser all kinds of useful skills. This week - welding! Yep, welding! Here are a couple of pics of their first lesson.

They were working on the nerf gun rack for the nerf gun cabinet.... we love our nerf guns! Here's a photo of the finished weld - go Bruiser!

He's only 9

2011-03-29T18:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you who dont know, M goes to Velocity a few times a week for agility training and exercise. First, we cant say enough good things about the Velocity program, second M loves it. He has a great time and gets a lot out of it. Even gets upset when for whatever reason we cant make it

For a LONG TIME he has been doing the "youth" program but he has been getting bored with it and bored with waiting on the smaller/younger kids in the groups to catch up to him. He has been bugging the coaches to be moved up to the next class level.

Well one day we show up and he is on the only kid in the youth class and he asked about moving up again. The Coach says, "how old is he" I answer 9, then, "when will he turn 10" I answer September...

HMM

Finally the coach says he can try it that day and see what he thinks. M runs off to join the D1 group and the coach states as a fact "he will want to go back to the youth class after a day of working hard with them" lets back up a second and say that D1 is for 12-14 year olds.....

Of course the coach was totally wrong. M totally loves it and has now been officially moved up to the D1 class, so now here we are at Velocity again in the D1 class.

funny thing is.

He is kind of hard to pick out in the picture, because he is the same size as all these 12-14 year old boys. Seems like only yesterday he was but a small baby in my arms....

(if you look close he is on the right in a gray shirt)

Next thing you know he is going to be bigger than all of us, and a lineman on a football team! (god help us)

Let the Games Begin!

2011-03-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well baseball fans, the season has begun! Go Cowboys!!!!!

Spring Break Road Trip 2011

2011-03-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

This year, to escape the madness that is Texas with every school district having the same Spring Break, we decided to take a road trip to Colorado. I remember as a kid going to Colorado several times with the family, riding the Durango/Silverton Train, camping out, getting sick on Pike's Peak... ahh, good times. Well, I wanted to share these memories with my beloved and our child. My beloved had never been to Durango and, of course, neither had the child. So, I started to plan.

Little did I know that going to Durango would involve a 16 hour drive.... funny, it didn't seem that long when my dad did the driving. This would be the LONGEST road trip we've ever taken as a family.... longest by far. So I fretted over the best route to take and ways to break up the long drive to avoid a mutiny en route. M wanted to invite a friend so we did and his parents agreed. Now my beloved and I were going to embark on the longest road trip ever with not one but two 9 year old boys. I wasn't sure if that was better or worse...

I decided the first leg of our adventure would end in Amarillo. I had grand plans to make it to Amarillo in time to take the boys to see Palo Duro Canyon. I totally underestimated how long a 6.5 hour leg of the road trip would be with stops and a landscape that hardly changed from one county to the next. Here is a pic of the boys playing at the rest stop outside of Wichita Falls where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

From there we continued on to Amarillo but didn't have enough daylight left to make the canyon, and really didn't want to extend the trip by another hour it would take to get there and back. So, we let the boys play in the hotel pool then had dinner and walked around the mall to stretch our legs.

The next morning we started our 2nd leg of the adventure with the goal being to reach Albuquerque. Our first stop was to visit Cadillac Ranch, which is quite a sight if you've never seen it.

If I thought the view from Denton to Amarillo was tiresome, the view from Amarillo to Albuquerque would make someone suicidal. To top it off, after we passed the "Welcome to New Mexico" center we were advised the next rest stop would be closed. OK, we'd stop at the third one.... only to find it closed as well. As our only options for stopping were truck stops and some questionable establishments we continued on until we finally found a rest stop that was open for our picnic lunch. Lucky for us the wind was only about 80 knots and FREEZING!!!! Edd pulled the car literally up next to the picnic table to try and block some of the wind. We had the fastest picnic lunch ever, worthy of a speed award and then finished our lunch in the car.

We arrived, finally, in Albuquerque and had the time we hoped for to visit the Unser Museum. Unser, if you don't recognize the name, is a big racing family based out of Albuquerque and they have a museum dedicated to all of their glory. Nope, not joking, every thing in the museum was focused on how great the Unsers are, makes you wonder. But, it was a nice diversion for a while and they did have some cool cars so well worth the stop (especially since kids were free).

That night we ventured out to a movie after the boys checked out the hotel pool. That night Edd and I also discussed at length just how we were going to make the trip back as, to this point, we'd left that open. We decided that no matter what, going back to Albuquerque and down I-40 to Amarillo was NOT an option, we had to have better luck spending a little time in New Mexico as possible. We've marked New Mexico off of our list, we've been there, we've seen it, we're done...

Monday morning we started our last leg of the journey to get to Durango. As we were driving along trying to figure out what exactly would draw people to live in New Mexico we were shocked to come upon two signs, one telling us we were leaving New Mexico (WOO HOO) and the next saying we'd finally found Colorado. Well, we had to stop and enjoy the moment, we even went back to memorialize the event on camera.

FINALLY!!!! We'd made it to Colorado. It was amazing, almost immediately the scene changed and we saw some redeeming value to the landscape. Then, next thing we knew, we came around a mountain and VOILA, we were in Durango.

We had rented a condo in downtown Durango, within walking distance to the train, downtown, just about everything we planned to do, which was not much. The condo was really great a shout out to VRBO once again. If you're planning a trip to Durango give me a call or shoot me an email and I'll give you the contact information for this condo. Here are the views from the condo:

Yep, if you look close enough in the 2nd picture, you can see the train station and rail yard. Very cool. Here are some pics of the interior of the condo...

Monday afternoon we walked around Durango and checked things out. Tuesday we had train tickets for the Durango/Silverton Train which, in the winter (October - April) doesn't actually make it all the way to Silverton.

In the winter the train stops and turns around in Cascade Canyon which is beautiful. In some places the snow in the canyon was over two feet deep (I know this because I stepped in it and was afraid I wasn't going to make it back out). Needless to say the boys LOVED the snow and had a great time, while they could, playing in it.

The canyon is bordered on one side by the Animas River and there was a foot bridge across the river. Amazing to see the mountains on all sides and the river rushing beneath you.

Hard to keep the boys out of the water, they really wanted to test it out even though we assured them it would be freezing.

Then we boarded the train and headed back to Durango. Such amazing views! We had to stop on the way back because while we were in the canyon a boulder had fallen onto the tracks and they had to bring a crew over to move it. They said it was about the size of a VW, we saw it, it wasn't that big, maybe 1/2 a VW....

On Wednesday our goal was to stay out of the car. We toured downtown Durango, let the boys play some baseball and football in the park

bought some souvenirs, had pizza as big as 1/2 a pie for lunch

and then went back to the condo to cook dinner on the grill. It was a quiet and relaxing day.

On Thursday we started the long drive home. This time cutting across Southern Colorado and spending as little time in New Mexico as we possibly could. This meant crossing the mountains which was amazing to see.

We drove all the way to Amarillo on Thursday which, all in all, wasn't a bad drive. On Friday we made the dreaded drive from Amarillo back to Flower Mound which was just as painful the second time. We stopped again at the rest stop outside of Wichita Falls for a picnic lunch and the boys played some football.

In all we traveled approximately 1720 miles. We were happy to learn in June AA plans on making daily flights to Durango.... come on June! We'd love to go back and venture farther out around Durango but not at the cost of a 16 hour drive, couple of hours flight would be much much better!!!!

Now we're back to our regularly scheduled program and the start of baseball season!!! Go Cowboys!

Spring Tradition

2011-03-06T09:53:00.000-06:00

Every Spring we have a tradition at our house. When we've had a few days of warm weather and are sure most of the leaves are out of the trees we'll uncover the pool. It needs to be a sunny day as the pool cover needs to be spread out to dry and cleaned off in the driveway. Well, Sunday was that day. The LOML and son mowed the backyard and did some leaf clean up and then we took the cover off of the pool. Not that exciting, I know, but there's another part to this tradition. M always HAS to get in the pool. He never thinks it's "that cold" and he needs to be the one to be the first in it. This year was no exception. The pool temp was probably 50 and he quickly decided maybe that wasn't such a good idea but, to prove us wrong, stayed in another 20 minutes or so. Boys....

Autorama!!

2011-02-20T20:24:00.000-06:00

For the last few years we've made the annual trek to Market Hall to check out the cars at the Autorama. Well, this year Edd happened to be freezing his *)(!!!!)( off in Calgary for Hockey Night in Canada so it was just M and I. Lots of cool cars to see, always a good show, and we enjoyed getting out and about without anything in particular to rush us (very uncommon these days). We both wished Edd could have been there but I took lots and lots of pictures (M would say I took a pic of every car, but that's just not true). This was one of M's favorites, even if he doesn't look all that excited in the pic. Boys...

Let Baseball Begin!!!

2011-02-20T20:19:00.000-06:00

Yes, baseball fans, it's that time of year again. Scrimmage on Saturday and the boys played well. Looking forward to an exciting season and lots of baseball. If you'd like a schedule let me know and I'll put you on the distribution list. Go Cowboys!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!!!!!

2011-02-02T20:25:00.002-06:00

I know, we all really like getting snow around here, every once in a while, but why oh why did we get hit like we did this year? 4 days out of school one week, 1 more the next.... really???? M had a great time the first two days but even he was ready to go back to school after that (and I was ready after 1!). It was truly beautiful and gave us time to pause but it definitely caused a disruption in the force... and I'm ready for SPRING!!! (and baseball)

Snow Day 1 - Really More Ice than Snow

Snow Day 4 - LOTS AND LOTS of SNOW

Bruiser trying to cover as much as possible!

Christmas at Home (#4)

2010-12-31T17:14:00.000-06:00

After a long flight home we celebrated our own family Christmas.

Christmas in Hawaii (#3)

2010-12-31T16:57:00.002-06:00

We broke from tradition this year and spent Christmas in Hawaii. We had a great time with great friends and enjoyed the Hawaii weather (except for the rain). I think we hit everything everyone wanted to do and if we didn't I apologize and it's a reason to go back!!!!

Ask me if you want to see more pics or need additional details, love to share!!!!!

Bonner Christmas (#2)

2010-12-19T16:59:00.000-06:00

Christmas with the Bonners.... love those legos!

Helicopter Santa

2010-12-19T16:38:00.002-06:00

M's GP's new abode featured a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus who arrived via helicopter. M wasn't all that impressed with the jolly old elf himself but the helicopter, now that's a different story. I must admit it was pretty neat to see.

Wade Christmas (#1)

2010-12-18T16:45:00.001-06:00

We started the Christmas season with Wade Christmas. This consists of my mother's side of the family: Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. It was good to see everyone, some we hadn't seen in a looooong time.

School Christmas Program

2010-12-14T16:42:00.000-06:00

M in his School Christmas Program. Maybe one day they won't make his class hide behind the Poinsettas.

Pat Green!!!!

2010-12-11T16:57:00.001-06:00

M and I had a nice visit with Pat Green for the Dancehall Party. Love his music!

Michael's Pens

2010-12-08T11:09:00.000-06:00

Michael decided he wanted to turn some pens this Christmas. So he and Dad picked out some blanks together and dad showed him how to do it. Finally, a finished product is ready for some lucky lucky people!

The Personal Entertainment System

2010-12-08T11:06:00.000-06:00

For G, M is her Personal Entertainment System. Whenever she sees him she smiles and laughs and just thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. She loves the funny guy.... not so much his father, the scary guy... but it's a package deal.

G Learning to Walk

2010-12-01T08:50:00.001-06:00

G is learning how to walk!!!!!

Childersburg, AL

2010-11-27T12:14:00.000-06:00

While we were in Alabama we took some time to drive down to Childersburg to see an old mill and covered bridge. Unfortunately for us the mill and bridge were closed. But the owners were there and had the gate open so we got to poke around a little. Nice place, will have to go back next time we're out that way.

Just outside of Childersburg we found this old trestle bridge as well. Nice little town.

Birmingham Trip

2010-11-27T10:59:00.000-06:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving we flew out to Birmingham to visit our friends. A quick trip to get away and see how everyone was doing. During the trip we all drove over to Atlanta to see the Georgia Aquarium. It's a nice place but I don't know about the "best" or the "biggest" I think we've seen better and bigger. The cool part was the whale sharks, they had 4 and they were HUGE! Also liked the Beluga whales who, coincidentally, had arrived the day before from Sea World San Antonio. Overall a good trip and lots of nice memories to start the holiday season.

Turning Pens

2010-11-17T17:05:00.001-06:00

Like father, like son, M has developed a fondness for working in the garage especially with his daddy. He's been obsessed with making some pens of his own and to give away to people. So, Edd bought some supplies to get started and then M busted his wrist so the project had to be put on hold. Now that the cast is off M's back and ready to go. They started the process last night cutting the blocks into the right size for pens. I'll keep you updated as the project continues.

Nerf Wars

2010-11-16T13:46:00.001-06:00

I don't know about your house but Nerf Wars are big at our house. There are ALWAYS Nerf guns, Nerf Bullets, Nerf gun parts, etc. around on the floor, on top of the furniture, in all kinds of places you'd never expect them. At any given moment a Nerf War can break out. This can be between M and a buddy, M and his daddy, Daddy and M and his buddy or buddies. The only rule with the Nerf guns is that you absolutely cannot shoot the dog or the cats, it's just not fair. Yes, Aunt Susan, you can even shoot people in the head, just ask Chris, all perfectly acceptable and within the rules (intended or otherwise). I've had Nerf bullets land in the middle of dinner I was preparing... So, the other day as I was taking pics of the old carpet or the rooms after the removal of the old carpet (see Edd's post) I was also in the middle of a Nerf war. So, I stopped and took a pic of M waiting to ambush daddy from the balcony. Ah the joys of Nerf wars!

CARPET!!!!!

2010-11-16T13:42:00.001-06:00

We finally have new carpet installed

Link to Carpet Story

Spring Ball

2010-11-12T14:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know, it's barely winter but try-outs for Spring Ball are in full swing. Bruiser really liked his Coppell team and so we decided to focus on that. Luckily for us, being incapacitated and unable to actually do the try-outs, the CBA gave him a medical waiver. So he attended the try-outs and helped out as much as he could. Last night we got word and he's back on Coppell Black! So, another season of Cowboys baseball for this family. Go Cowboys!

9U Select Team Spring 2011 Teams

Cowboys Red Coach: Bruce Rodger

Cowboys Black Coach: Chris Rosenbaum

	RED			BLACK
1	Brisco	Michael	1	Albright	Luke
2	Duron	Cole	2	Benton	Damion
3	Hart	Sam	3	Bonner	Michael
4	Kelly	Sam	4	Gonzales	Daniel
5	McGrady	Liam	5	Hirvilampi	Samuli
6	Morland	Mason	6	Holt	Austin
7	O'Toole	Ryan	7	Hopkin	Taylor
8	Parlier	Clark	8	Liu	Christian
9	Pranske	Nicholas	9	Marchant	Brendon
10	Rodgers	Ben	10	Matos	Carlos
11	Winneker	Maxwell	11	Robbins	Caleb
12	Wyatt	Colby	12	Rosenbaum	Payton

Tom Sawyer

2010-11-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

So Michael's school has Spirit Week once a year. This is the week the kids get to cast off their uniforms and wear something themed every day. One of the best costumes we came up with was for Thursday which was Storybook/Super Hero Day. Trying to come up with an idea that would be easy and not break the budget I settled on Tom Sawyer. So Michael took his fishing pole and dressed the part. I thought he looked pretty cute and so did his class as he won for the class that day!