The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Yes, it is a Michael Jackson Post

What Michael Jackson would have looked like without surgery.

Quotes of the Week:
"Hey, did you hear Michael Jackson died?"---my tutoring kid
I wanted to say, "Get right outta town! No way!" :)
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"I have no interest in watching TROY. There. I said it."---Chris
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"I can't believe Paw Paw is old. He's old like Oedipus. All the time!"---Luke to his grandmother while he took a bath.

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One of our neighbors has his daughter and son in law living in their basement. They also just had a baby. They are both youngish. The guy leaves the house to smoke a cigarette and pace and/or talk on the phone. It makes me smile.
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I Know...Too Much Time On My Hands...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Playstation 2 and Houdini Dog

Sitting here on the less than stellar couch in the Jen Den (aka the living room) with Frank on the floor on my foot (so comforting) and Bailey next to me. The boys are in Luke's room. Jake likes to go in there, climb up on Luke's bed and hit Luke on the head. Get your head outta bed, you ain't listening to what I said...Now I hear Luke telling Jake to go play with the Legos. "Just don't throw them." (Sound of a thrown Lego.)
Speaking of Legos...Uncle Max dropped off a big surprise for the boys on Father's Day. A Playstation 2 with lots of games (plus a replica of an Atari, which is bringing back lots of memories for me and Chris). Luke and I are trying to learn how to play the Star Wars Lego game. We get stuck on a certain level. I guess I have to nerd out and go online to get some clues...Luke and I will be playing and say the weirdest things to each other:
Me: Sorry I slapped you.
Luke: It's okay. Sorry I killed you.
Me: Honest mistake. It's okay.
I love how his character will go through a door and he'll holler to me: "Follow me, Mom!"
:)
Jake likes to take over the other controller and press buttons willynilly...
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The Beagle Bailey Report: Well we should call her the Great Houdini, because she loves to roam. Surprise! A beagle liking to roam. Anyway, last night was her third escape. It was about 9:00 pm when I realized she was gone (due to an error on my part---leaving the gate unlatched). Chris had gone to bed early because he's working his butt off lately and needed to get up early. Luke and I got in the car and drove around the neighborhood trying to spot her. (And that was a neat moment---the windows down, the moist heat, the crickets...the wind...Luke being excited to help me.) She wasn't in the other two places I found her last time and I was feeling pessimistic. I prayed and had Luke pray too that we would find his puppy. We drove down an unfamiliar street and I saw her sitting on a driveway. I called her and she came and all was well. As I drove away with her in my lap I wondered, "Hmm. Hope I just didn't take her from her original owners!" Oh well. If she escapes again (if, HA...when!) I'll get a clue if she heads back to the same house. Until then, she's my dogger.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I love you!

Shark!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Filth Wizardry

Thanks go out to my cousin, Christy, who sent me this awesome creative link for stuff to do with your kids! This woman has some creativity, man!

Pool. Hose. Run.

“Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.”--Ada Louise Huxtable (no clue either...)

Summer Summer Summer...

The ice cream truck is a regular sight around our neighborhood lately. The boys (and, I have to admit, their mama!) get real excited when the magical sound is heard coming down the hill. My heart felt so light and happy sitting on the swing sharing my snowcone with the boys (while they slurped on their push ups). I don't remember ever seeing an ice cream truck in our former town. Have you? (Those who have lived there or live there now.)

Simple pleasures, man.

Here are some ideas for summertime fun:
Seven Backyard Games and Activities
20 Fun Ideas

Tomorrow Luke Will Be Five

But we celebrated today with friends, family, and good food.

"You know what Mom? This was the best birthday in the whole world."--Luke

The New Dog

Okay, so here's the story about Bailey. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed the next door neighbor teen aka babysitter, aka "your basic middle aged woman's nightmare" was out jogging with a new dog. This dog. So she of the short shorts was out running around with this dog on a leash and Chris and I took notice. Yeah, Chris took notice alright. Anyway, so I go out with the boys (minus one dirty minded old man) and we pat the dog, love on the dog, blah blah. Jake calls the dog "Puppy!" (and it's still what he calls it, especially when she's bolted from our door or backyard---"PUPPPPY!!!!") and Luke liked the dog right off. I was impressed at how sweet the dog was to the boys. Her eyes kind of remind me of Stella, but that's about it. (Stella with eyeliner). So a few days pass and the people next door don't want to take her to the shelter because she thinks she will be killed within weeks (do they really move that quickly?) and would we be interested in taking her? Another dog was not on my summer to do list, but I was curious. So, one evening after my dogphobic tutoring student was gone, I told Chris, "Um, I'm going next door to get that dog." They would keep her, but they already have three dogs. "She said we can try her out; if it's not a good fit, they want her."

Chris was not thrilled, but allowed me to do this.

A few days later I was a bit overwhelmed with the newness of the dog and suggested giving her back to the neighbors. He was already attached to his "war damn beagle". He even seemed really sad when she went missing once on his watch (she ran like hell once on my watch and came back after lil Jakers called out "Puppyyyyyyyyyy" a million times). I found Miss Bailey three streets over and she seemed glad to see me. She just gets a scent and runs with it. I imagine she's probably like, "Damn, where am I?" once she's over her smellfit.

So there's the dog story. Maybe it will work out.

Summer of '89

Can't believe that twenty years ago I was riding around town in a worn out white pick up truck driven by Rod Thunderstruck (Name slightly changed to protect the not so innocent). I remember how much it rained that summer. I was 16 and was working in a clothes store for spending money and had just discovered Guns and Roses. I wore these really cool jeans all the time that had a hole right over one of my knees. I remember drawing stuff on my big ole knee with a marker through that hole.

"Rod" and I used to ride around town smoking Marlboros and listening to whatever was on The Fox. Classy, yes?

This was before I turned "pre-Emo" and started wearing a lot of black and trying real hard not to have too much fun and got so serious.

I thought about summer '89 today because, on the way home from the store, even though the boys were hollering in the backseat, I could make out Don Henley's "End of the Innocence", which was popular then. Great song.

Just Dew It.

Dewberries? I'm a bit baffled. These are growing off a tree in my yard, but I can't find anything on the internet that says that they can grow on trees. Everything I see says a bush/creeping vines... Thoughts?

I'm too scared to eat them or let the kids eat them (duh) until I know what they are. It was fun picking them though. I was moseying around the backyard while Luke and Jake ran around with the new puppy, Beagle Bailey (long story---more on her later) when I noticed these dewberries(?) on the ground in my little "garden island". I looked for the bush that they fell from but couldn't find it. Just cuz, I looked up and saw lots and lots of them on the leaves above. I was excited and hollered for Luke to grab the basket off the back porch. We (I) picked a good bit, getting the juice on my fingers (what a childhood memory that brought back---my Grandma Jones had these in her overgrown backyard) and finally we went in, because it got so hot out.

Jake stood on the bottom (I had a little step ladder to help me) looking up at me, with his hands behind his back (as usual).

So tell me, are these dewberries? Can they grow from a tree???

UPDATE: I must have a mulberry tree!

Luke's Pre K Graduation Video: It's Like You Were There!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

When you watch the kids singing, he's the second from the left. I have to admit it, I cried when he was singing the "Here I am to Worship" song and was doing the sign language. Oh My Goodness, I was so proud!

Baby in a Bath. Sickening Sweet. Be Prepared! :)

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An American Tail

Last Tuesday, the boys and I met Mercy and Lindy at the local movie theatre to catch 1986's An American Tail. I had never seen it, so even I was intrigued. I was fourteen when the movie orginally came out, so you know, I wasn't really into mouse movies. :)

Well, we only got to watch half, because Jake threw a hissy fit, but it was a good experience. I really love the movie theatre---we plan on going back soon.

Vacation Bible School, Tutoring, and Frank

Well, it's been a colorful day. First of all, it was the first day of Vacation Bible School for Luke and he was okay with it...until we got there. He freaked the heck out. Clung to me, cried (big ole tears), screamed, hollered, damn near pulled my shirt off. I told him, "Don't make me beat you in church, baby." A VBS worker had to literally PULL him off me and take him into the classroom. The classroom where Mercy was. Poor Mercy---Lindy pulled strings to get Luke in there with her and there he is, embarrassing the you know what out of her. I could read it in her eyes.

After I ran some errands and cleaned the house, Jake and I went back to get him and he was fine. Sharing coloring stuff with a new friend,etc. No tears. He had a sticker that said, "I Learned My Bible Verse!" and a postcard from VBS that told us what he learned today. He learned about Jesus. SURPRISE! :)

He later told me, "I don't like how that place makes me stink." He then corrected himself hours later and said that it wasn't the school/church that smelled, it was Frank. (I had put a flea and tick collar on him and it has an aroma---not unpleasant, if you ask me.)

Speaking of Frank...

So I had my first tutoring session about an hour ago. Frank, Chris, and the boys were supposed to be in the back yard or in the Man Room downstairs during the hour session. Luke comes up the stairs WITH FRANK, who comes running in the dining room, where my 14 year old student, a small boy, absolutely FREAKS OUT and JUMPS on the dining room table. Yes. I'm not kidding you. I get Frank back downstairs and when I come back, the student is apologizing for jumping on the table, but it's okay. Nothing was hurt. That kid is very very scared of dogs. Man...