...Cheetos and ice cream will have to do. Nicky is drowning his sorrows with food instead of alcohol. So maybe he's smothering his sorrows? Anyway...



Nick is upset because his brother got to take a trip and he didn't. Drew has gone with his Daddy overnight to visit his grandparents 2 hours away. Andy needs to go to Frankfort tomorrow for work, and we thought that the boys might do well with some time apart. And maybe Drew would straighten up his act a bit if he got some one-on-one time with his dad. What we didn't realize was how hard Nick would take it. I really thought he'd be OK with staying here with me. And now (3 hours later) he is. But for about an hour, all he did was cry. And eat. He had a bowl of cheetos, and a banana. A cheese stick, and some cereal. And milk, LOTS of milk. And I let him, because I hated to see him so sad.

But then we had a date. He took me to Backyard Burgers for supper. He paid for my dinner (OK, so I put the $$ in his wallet and his wallet in his pocket. He still handed the girl the cash). He picked the table, and held my chair out for me. And after we ate, he said "since we're sad, Mom, let's get some ice cream".

How could I resist?

This is not an uncommon sight around here:



I took this picture while the boys and I were out looking for acreage to buy. Currently we live in a nice (although small) house that just happens to be on a very busy highway. It wasn't an issue when we moved in, because we didn't have any kids. It became an issue the first time Drew, as an 18 month old, made a mad dash for the road. We don't live in the city by any means, but we don't really live out in the country, either. According to local folks, we live "in the county". We want to live in the country. The further out the better. No problem if there are cows in the road--I'm not driving that fast, anyway.

Not only do we want to live further out, we want acreage. Property. A place to build our 'dream home'. Enough that we can have cattle. And horses. And whatever else the boys (or I) might like to raise. Space to ride 4 wheelers without disturbing the neighbors (and without having to load them in the truck and go somewhere else), space for a pond to fish in. A place for a garden. A BIG vegetable garden. Room to hunt, if that's what the boys want to do--and at this point in time they're leaning that way.

Do you know how hard that is to find? Especially when you're not rich or haven't inherited family farmland? It's easy enough to find 1 or 2 acre lots. It's pretty simple to find 75-300 acre tracts, if you've got $200,000 to spend on property with no existing home. But just try to find 20 acres. It's nearly impossible. The property I was looking at was two 4-acre lots. The man selling it wanted $25,900 for EACH LOT. That's nearly $52,000 for 8 acres! The location was exactly what we're looking for. The price? Not so much.

And don't get me wrong. I have no problem buying an already existing home. We just can't find one. Not one far enough out, with enough acreage, without too much acreage.

Not one in the right school district.

Oh, did I mention that? As if our criteria weren't strict enough, we really don't want to leave our current school district. The elementary school is the best in the county.

Think it'll ever happen? Sometimes I don't think so. I am constantly reminded to be patient, by family and by friends.

Patience is not one of my strong suits.

Today the boys and I had an adventure. While Andy was sleeping (he worked last night and works tonight) we went to Pennyrile Forest State Park. We saw the lake, and threw in lots of rocks. The boys loved leaving their footprints in the sand on the beach. We hiked a trail (a STEEP one--not a good choice on my part...). There was a "cave" for the boys to explore, and, most importantly, a playground. And now? They're napping. Adventures wear them out!

Nicholas suprised me today. He was in rare form, laughing and being silly. Quite the little show off. Then he got a bit too brave, and called me a stupid knucklehead. And when I asked him just what he said, he repeated it. Twice. I explained to him that my feelings were hurt and I thought maybe an apology was in order. His exact response: "I don't WANT to be sorry. I'm NOT sorry. I'll go sit on my bed and be mad". And so he did.



He stayed there, on his own accord, for nearly a half an hour, alternately crying and talking to himself about how he was so mad at me. Keep in mind, I did not send him in there. I just asked for an apology. After 30 minutes or so, Andy went in there and asked him if he was going to tell his mom he was sorry. "No. I'm so mad at her." Well, gee. Whatever did I do? Anyway, about 15 minutes after that, he came walking out into the kitchen, and said (while crying) "I just love you. I'm just so sorry. You're just my best friend." and then gave me a giant hug and a wet sloppy kiss. Who knows? I guess he just had a 2 year old moment.

The boys picked out their own clothes this morning. No suprise that I got even more of the "Are they twins?" questions than usual while we were at the store. When we went out they wore their cowboy boots and matching camo jackets, too.

I never did like the terms "boo-boo" or "owie" for an injury. It just sounds so babyish. Or maybe babyish isn't the word. Maybe the right word is whiny. I know, I'm strange. I'm also probably the only mother in the universe that winces when her children call her "Mommy". I so much prefer Mama. Or Mom. Or Mother. Heck, I think I'd rather them call me "Alissa" than Mommy. Anyway...

So around here an injury is either an "ow" or a "bleeding" (pronounced bleedin' by my hillbilly children). And Drew has a doozy. He bites his fingernails (I know, but what can I do?) so I don't examine them regularly while clipping them. And he washes himself in the tub, and washes his own hands after using the bathroom. And he can be quite stoic when it comes to pain, when he wants to be. So I don't know how long he's had this ingrown fingernail/infected hangnail/whatever. But the end of his middle finger is hot and red and puffy all the way to the first knuckle. And near the nail it's bluish black, and split open a little, and oozy. He says it just happened today. I messed with it a bit, which resulted in alot of tears on Drew's part. It's VERY painful, apparently. Eventually I just gave up, and applied Neosporin to the open area and put on a bandaid. But really, if it gets worse I think he'll need to see a Dr. I'll be watching it pretty close.

And of course, Drew got a bandaid, so Nick invented an ow, too. No fair for big brother to get a bandaid and him not:



Total change in topic. I am in love with this new Yankee Candle scent:



Or maybe it's just new to me. Whatever it is, I LOVE it. It smells so yummy. I need more.

As promised, photography by my children. They did pretty well. Drew was really careful and tried to line up all of his shots:





And Nicky took tons of pics of the kitchen floor before he figured out what he was supposed to be doing:






It probably didn't help that this camera is fairly heavy, so they had a difficult time holding it up high enough to get good shots. Drew was very interested, and tried really hard to do a nice job. He's been asking for his own camera.

Nick wanted to do it, too, but mostly because his brother was taking pics. He's crying because he wanted his turn to take pictures, and Drew wasn't finished yet.

Labels: Photography

Tonight's experiment--10 second shutter speed and a kid with a flashlight:




And tomorrow, for your viewing pleasure, "Photography by Drew and Nick Sanderson". Or, "What happens when you let your kids use your camera..."

Labels: Photography

It's been one of those days. You know, THOSE days. The kind of day where everything goes wrong. The kind of day where you just feel blah, for no real reason at all.

It all started this morning, when I woke up to the sound of sleet blowing against my window. You do know that yesterday was the first day of spring, right? Right. Anyway, it was cold. And no one wanted to get out of bed, including myself. Then it was icy on the way to the sitters house, so that wasn't fun. Then Nick cried when I left this morning, for the first time in ages. I felt like scum leaving him.

Let's see, at work... My computer crashed, sending lots of hard work right down the drain. I had a ton of cases to work up. My stainer quit--in the middle of a run--so I had to re-do 20 slides. I forgot my lunch. And my cell phone.

Home again...Drew got another bad report today, for lying and for breaking the same rule repeatedly. I just don't know what to do with him.

It's still cold, and rainy, and just plain icky:



And here is all anyone has the motivation to do around here:



Let's hope tomorrow is better.

On the bright side, today is my best friends birthday. Happy Birthday, Annie!

My parents came down to visit this weekend:


We all had a very nice time. Andy and the boys got to swim at their hotel yesterday while I was at work, and then we grilled burgers last night for supper. Today Grandpa took us shopping where it was toys all around, and Grandma got to see how well Nick can drive the Jeep. They're on their way home right now, Andy is on his way to work, and the boys and I are on our way to Lowes.

Oh, and for your viewing pleasure... The Power Rangers Song, by Drew Sanderson:


Video Sharing at DropShots.com

Lots of kids have teddy bears that they are attached to. Nicky has a lion. Acutally, he has 3 copies of the same lion, in case one or more were to get lost. Nick LOVES his lion. Lion is necessary for sleep, and for comfort when sick or hurt. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered this in the living room:



So, you tell me. Is Lion carrying the sword? Or has he been brutally run through and left for dead on the living room carpet?

It was a pretty day today, and an even nicer evening with a breeze that was only slightly cool. We played outside until the sun went down, then I grilled chicken for supper. Very nice.





Total change of subject.

Drew got in trouble today at the babysitter's house. He's been having some problems with lying. More specifically, lying in an effort to get other kids in trouble. Through trial and error we've learned that physical punishments have absolutely no effect on him. Better to take away something he truly looks forward to. So, 2 weeks back when he was lying EVERY DAY, we decided that every day we got a bad report he'd lose watching his movie before bedtime. One time of that, he was cured. Or so we thought. Today he's been in trouble for lying again, and even lied to me after we got home. I am at my wit's end. He won't get his movie tonight, but he's not seeming too upset about it.

Any ideas?

...the first thing you say to your husband when you get home is "wait until you see these turkeys!"

I saw these guys today in a cattle pasture along a county road. I was amazed that they hung around long enough for me to stop the truck, roll down the window, turn the camera on, and zoom in. I was really wishing for that telephoto lens...

Well, this weekend hasn't been bad, as far as weekends go. Yesterday we attended a birthday party for the daughter of some of our friends. Lexie turned 3, and the theme of her party was Cinderella. Let me tell you, Nick was in heaven. He was the only boy there that willingly took home a Cinderella goody bag. :)

Today, we discovered that Nick is officially a big boy now. He gave up the baby potty a few weeks back, and he's been sleeping in a big bed for a LONG time. Today he pronounced himself too big for his booster seat at the dinner table. In order to be able to reach he still has to sit on some old textbooks, but we can hide them under the chair pad so that's OK.



Tried to get some decent pics of the boys outside today, but they were too eager to play to be still for me for very long. But one or two came out nice.



And here's Drew, wearing the shirt that says it all:



And here's a cow. I really wanted to get closer and take pictures of them from the ground up, but not one of them would stand still long enough for me to get close enough to do that. But I thought this one came out nice. And see the beautiful blue sky and the grass that's turning green? I believe spring is officially on the way!



And this evening was an adventure. I took the boys to O'Charleys BY MYSELF. Oh my. That was an experience. Actually, it wasn't so bad, except for when I took them to the bathroom and returned to find our table cleared and someone else being seated there. And our food hadn't even arrived yet--just drinks and rolls! That's OK, though, because we got free dessert out of it. And really the boys behaved pretty well.

We had a pretty wild storm this afternoon. There's another one on the way, but in between the skies were VERY cool.




Oh, and here's Nick, the day after his fall. I'm finding that bruises don't photograph well at all. No matter what settings I try on the camera, I can't get a pic that shows how bruised his head and lip are. He's been pretty much constantly dosed with ibuprofen all day, and still he complains that his face hurts. Poor little guy.

Today was a beautiful day. And for once, we were all home when it was still daylight! So, taking advantage of the weather was priority. Andy and I were doing some light yardwork, and the boys were helping/playing. I asked Nick to please bring me my garden rake. He was thrilled to be asked to help, especially since Drew got to use the leaf blower. He ran and got the rake, brought it to me in the front, dropped it down on the sidewalk, and turned to go back into the backyard. BAM! Down he went. He tripped right over the rake he had just carried out, and landed face-first on the brick sidewalk. There was quite a bit of blood, and when he saw it he panicked. We got him cleaned up and bandaged up, and here he is a few hours later. There's a pretty raw scrape under the band-aid, and all that red you see on his cheek is scrapes. And his lip is busted, and all bruised and swollen on the inside. When he saw the pics of himself on the computer screen, he said "Look, Mom! There's my bleeding! Stupid rake!".

Well, it's 5:30. I have been off of work for exactly 2 hours. In that time I have:

1. picked up my children at the sitter's house
2. driven back past my house and into town all the way to Lowes and purchased 10
bags of Lava Rock for the front flowerbed.
3. stopped at Tractor Supply on the way back home and purchased a bag of cat food
and 2 model tractors for the boys.
4. once I made it back home, I put together a meatloaf and put it in the oven.
5. I peeled potatoes to make mashed potatoes, and set them to boil.
6. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, and baked the first sheet.
7. I folded a load of laundry.
8. I've delivered no fewer than 3 glasses of milk and 4 cheese sticks and 2 packages
of fruit snacks to my kids.
9. I ironed Andy's uniform
10. and I typed out this blog entry.

Whew!

Oh, and my Mom tagged my by e-mail today. I thought I'd post my answers here, just for the heck of it.

Fours:


A) Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Burger King counter girl
2. worker in a steel plant
3. veterinary technician
4. Histologist


B) Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Gone with the Wind
2. Top Gun
3. The Princess Bride
4. The Long Hot Summer

Places you have lived:
1. Lebanon Junction, KY
2. Murray, KY
3. Princeton, KY
4. Hopkinsville, KY

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Unwrapped
4. Dirty Jobs

E) Four places you have been on vacation and really liked:
1. Panama City Beach, FL
2. Niagra Falls, NY
3. Gatlinburg, TN
4. Poplar Bluff, MO

F) Four websites I visit daily:
1. Life's Little Adventures
2. My parenting message board
3. 2 Peas in a Bucket
4. E-Bay


G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. A big greasy bacon cheeseburger
2. Pizza
3. Peeps
4. Bacon

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Outside, on a dry sunny warm day
2. the lake, in a boat
3. the beach, ANY beach
4. a restaurant where they'll serve me supper and clean up after

If you read this, consider yourself tagged...

Labels: Parenting

I took these pictures of the boys this afternoon. They were more than happy to pose for me, because they're wearing their camo. They have a love of camo. An obsession, almost. Where they got this I don't know. I don't hunt, and Andy hasn't in YEARS. But one day Drew asked for 'hunting clothes' and that's where it started. My children have an entire wardrobe of clothes that are either camo or have logos like 'Mossy Oak' and 'Winchester' and 'Realtree' on them.

Anyway, here are two of the best pictures from what is becoming my weekly weekend photo session.

Around here, springtime means calving season (and planting season, and yardwork season, but for the purposes of this post it's calving season). It's alot of fun to watch the babies play together out in the pastures, running and hopping and having a fine old time.

This little one is a bull calf, born probably 4 hours ago. He's already up and walking, he's eaten a few meals, and he's ready to play. His mom has different ideas, however. She's never done this before, and she's feeling a bit overprotective. Maybe he can play tomorrow...

Drew and Nick are in love with all the babies. They desperately want to play with them, and every day I have to explain to them the many reasons why they can't. Fortunately they're good boys, and are (mostly) content to stay safely on our side of the fence.







Good night, everyone! See you tomorrow...