Where Have I Been?

Hi Everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've made a post but I've been really, really busy! Started a new job, been out working in the yard planting, school's out which means new schedules to coordinate, yada, yada, yada!

The job is going GREAT! I absolutely love it. Went to Dallas for some training where I worked with a wonderful person named Dayna. She knows so much about the job I'm in and the best part is she's cool with me calling her anytime with questions. In fact, everyone in the Dallas office told me to call anytime! That is just an awesome feeling to know people are so willing to help.

Kids are good, although Jole's been feeling a little puney (sp?) lately. Not sure if it's a virus or what but we're keeping an eye on things. Kayla's glad to have the summer free but she's still doing a little dancing. Babysitting class is up next and she's looking forward to being in the neighborhood 4th of July parade. Then it's off to MC for us! Just going for a week this year but it'll be nice to get away as a family. Kelly's doing well. He's studying for his next test on the CFP - class #3 out of 6. I've no doubt he'll do great.

And it's hot down here - been in the 90s way too often for my liking but I guess I shouldn't complain because at least it's not 100! Did some tree trimming last night and boy did that give my arm a real workout and Lord knows I could use the workout!

Well, it's been a busy day so I'm going to leave things as they are. I'll try to write more later and add some pictures when I can.

Later Taters!

m.b.

Sheckers Anyone?

Anyone know what a Shecker is? I didn't, up until a couple of days ago.


For the last week or so, Jole has been telling us he wants some sheckers. We kept asking him "what are sheckers?" He'd say "sheckered shoes!" We had no clue. Even Kayla asked him "checkered shoes, like mine?" thinking he wanted a checkered print on his shoes. He'd say "yes, like Jesse has!" Like any parent, we told him "ok, we'll look for checkered shoes".


Never found them - until this past weekend when we were at Academy Sports. We're all walking thru the store, looking for track shoes for Kayla, when Jole yells out "Sheckers! Look mommy, Sheckers!" There in front of us was a huge display of Skechers.


Kelly, Kayla and I all went "ohhhhhhhh!" Skechers, not Sheckers! We had a good laugh over that one and now we all call them Sheckers. Unfortunately they didn't have the sandals in his size so we had to walk out of the store without them. However, the good news is that I did find some at Famous Footwear in his size so the little stinker now has his own pair of Sheckers. I'll try to post a picture of him in his Sheckers very soon - just gotta take a picture first. :-)


And as a side note, can someone please tell me why little boys feel the need to pee all over the toilet seat? Jole discovered this trick at daycare and says all of his friends do it. I, however, have explained to him that little girls need to sit on that seat to use the potty and really don't want to sit in his pee. Not sure I got thru to him but it was certainly worth a try.

Boys. I just don't get it.

m.b.

My New Job!

Hi guys! Just a quick update to let ya'll know that I started my new job on Wednesday and if the work itself is as great as the environment, then this is going to be an excellent fit! My co-workers are a lot of fun - we've already had some laughs and are getting to know each other. My boss is very easy to talk to and get along with - we've laughed at each other as well. And my view...oh the view! I'm on the 21st floor and can probably see all the way to Norman if I look hard enough! Will be going to Dallas and Minneapolis for training in the future and it sounds like there will be lots of support for me as I learn. I'm anxious to learn as much as I can to really help get things rolling in the office. How exciting!

Memorial Day weekend is here and we have no big plans. It's great! Kayla wants to go to Academy Sports to find some shorts and Jole, well, Jole just want to play outside as much as he can. It's supposed to be 90 today so I'm sure we'll be outside. Last night sat in my neighbor's driveway and visited with a few people while the kids played. We even managed to have some Bacardi Mojitos while we supervised the kids. Frightening, isn't it? :-)

Well, Kelly's cutting the grass so I'm going to head off to the rest of my day!

m.b.

Cat Update and Dance Recital

For all you cat lovers out there, you'll be glad to know that Scarlett is doing well after the de-clawing. :-) When I brought her home her front paws were a little swollen but she's doing much better now. What's really fun is watching her try to jump and attach herself to the wall like she used to. Now she jumps and just sliiiiiiiides down the wall. Purdy darn funny if ya ask me!

Yesterday (Saturday) was recital time for Kayla - what a long day. We arrived at noon to help setup and allow time for the dancers to practice, the recital started at 2:00 and I think we left City Arts at 5:00. OMG! But it was a great recital and it was fun to watch all dancers, young and old, show off what they've learned for the year.

It was an especially exciting day for Kayla as she was allowed to wear her new solo dress for one dance during the recital. When she walked on stage you could hear all the oooohs and aaaaaahs from the audience. It was great! She also participated in an instrumental performance with 2 other flute players and one oboe player. They performed the song Irish Washerwoman. She's been practicing for days and sometimes I wonder if Kelly and I will ever get that stinkin' song out of our head! One final thing on the recital...Kayla's placed 2nd in the click-2-3 contest! She did 93 clicks (with her hard shoes, she jumps and clicks her heels together). The girl that won did 243 clicks! There was no catching that girl but Kayla sure gave a great effort.

Kelly and Jole were at the recital too and because we bribed Jole, he actually behaved pretty well. We/Kelly told him that if he behaved, we'd take him to McDonald's after the recital. What more can a 4 year-old ask for??? So he got his Chicken Nuggets and Chocolate Milk and was thrilled to death.

Today is a beautiful day in Norman. It was bout 90 degrees with lots of sunshine. After church we all went outside. Kelly's been cleaning out the garage and I worked in the flower beds, laying down much and tidying things up. The kids have been playing and fighting with each other and I'm considering having an adult beverage before I go to bed. :-) Look out! Here comes Jole on Lightening McQueen! (i'm sitting in the front yard watching him play while i do this) Thank goodness he stopped before slamming into me!

Well, I'm gonna post some pictures for ya'll and just kick back and enjoy the evening. Kids playing, neighbors working in the yard, mosquitoes gnawing on every bit of us. Ain't life in Oklahoma grand?

Later Taters!

m.b.

Vacation Time!!!

Yes, this is my second post today but yesterday was my last day on the job at BOK so today I'm taking easy and having a little fun! I don't start my new job until next Wednesday! WOO-HOO!

So today I took Scarlett, our 9 month old kitten, to the vet to have her front paws declawed. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do it but she's started to literally climb the walls. She jumped 3 feet high, grabbed onto a wall/room divider in our entry way, and slid down the wall. Not good. I was tempted to ask the vet to pull out her claws one by one and VERY slowly with no anesthesia but I didn't. I do love that cat but hate what she's doing to my home.

Anyway! The cat's at the vet, Kelly's at work, Kayla's at school, Jole's at daycare and I've been doing housework and running errands. I did take time to have lunch at Hideaway Pizza with my friend Mary. (Dad, if you're reading this, Hideaway is that pizza place that you love when you come down here.) So it's really been a nice day. Probably 80 degrees outside, sun is moving in and out from behind the clouds and guess what? We're under a tornado watch until 9:00. The way it feels outside I would bet money that someone is going to get hit with storms today - hopefully it won't be us.

Mommy's Day Update

I hope all you Mommy's out there had a wonderful Mommy's Day. (That's what Jole likes to call it.) As soon as I woke up Jole jumped onto our bed, put his face in mine and said "is today mommy's day?" And when I said yes, he looked at me with those big brown eyes and said "I love you mommy" and gave me a kiss and a hug. Now THAT's what it's all about. But there was a little confusion on his part....

He likes chocolate milk in the morning - in fact he has to have it every morning - he's addicted to it. So he looks at me and says "mommy, will you get my chocolate milk?" I responded with "it's mommy's day buddy, ask daddy to please get it for you." To which Jole responded "not daddy, it's mommy's day, YOU get it!" Needless to say I set him straight on that one.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday...what was yesterday - oh yeah! It was Thursday! :-)

So I'm taking Jole to daycare yesterday morning. It was a nice morning, warm, quiet, the sun was coming up and out of the blue Jole says "I want a different sister." He was straight-faced and very matter-of-fact about it. I, of course, was doing everything I could not to laugh! I asked, "why do you want a different sister?" The response was "because Kayla's mean to me!" The thing I found most interesting about this was that that very morning when I went to wake Jole up, where did I find him? Sleeping at the foot of his sister's bed! He can't fool me - he loves his sister! I guess he can't help it...he's a man in training.

Something exciting happened for Kayla yesterday - her solo dress arrived! Yes, it's here, all the way from Scotland! And it's absolutely beautiful. It fits her really well and the colors are amazing on her (orange and white). Hopefully she'll get to wear it for at least one dance at her recital next week. We're taking it to practice tomorrow so her teacher can see it and see how it fits. Kayla will be terribly disappointed if she doesn't get to dance in it at the recital so if you're reading this, please cross your fingers!

Now for today...FRIDAY! Busy day at work - but who cares? I'm not going to talk about work! My last day is Monday and then a week off before starting my new job. I'll be busy while I'm off work but that's ok. Gotta get the cat declawed, meet a lady in OKC who needs some dance shoes, meet my bible study gals for dinner and drinks (yes, I said bible study and drinks in the same sentence), then Kayla's recital and somewhere in there I want to plant flowers and just work in the yard!

Driving home was crazy today - or I should say it was smooth sailing until I got close to Norman. I couldn't figure out why traffic was so backed up and then there it was, blaring out of my radio - OU COMMENCEMENT! UGH! Traffic will be horrible all weekend! I'll just stay away from campus.

Dinner club tomorrow night at Rick & Kristi's and it's Brazilian night! Never had food from Brazil but am excited to try it. Kayla will be dancing in Ponca City (we'll miss it) and Jole will be at home with our dear friend Donna - she's a kids best friend. She pretty much lets the kids do whatever they want and then when we come home the living room is a mess! Full of toys with Donna and the kid(s) sleeping on the floor. I love it! When we see that we KNOW our kids had a great time with Aunt Donna. :-)

Ok...enough. And if you're still reading this I should tell you that yes, Kelly's here, but he's in the other room watching all the political news of the day. We're still pulling for Obama! And Michelle, if you happen to read this: yes, I know I'm your LD friend. (liberal democrat)

And that's Life As We Know It! Nighty-Night Ya'll!
(told ya I'm turning into an okie)

m.b.