Video of Max with Zoey's Frog

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Our Smiley Countdown

I always have to come up with craft projects for Zoey and I am not too creative. Here is a picture of our latest. It is a smiley countdown. She gets to take off a smiley face every morning until Daddy comes home. Some I made on the computer and we colored and some she made on her own.

And here is Max playing in his PJs this morning, still with bedhead!



I think my computer is possessed and may die soon. It is making lots of weird noises. My connection with the world may soon end....

A Generation Gap- Already?

Just a little update... We are doing okay. Just going about our normal business. Trying to keep more busy than not. Poor Max has been having some hives I think, so I may have to take him to the doctor tomorrow if I can. The kids are definitely starting to get a little irritable. This is usual if Ross is TDY. But in the past, he would be home soon enough. Zoey will talk to Ross on the phone sometimes, but Max won't. He becomes quiet when I put the phone near him. Whenever Zoey or I mention "Daddy" he says, "Daddy" and looks around. Max is talking in his sleep. Last night I was awoken by an "Oh no, oh no" so i ran into the room and he was fast asleep. This isn't the first time. I wonder what his little dreams are about!! So that is all with us, now unto my random thoughts for today...

I was sitting at a stoplight today near a more affluent part of town, where it is not uncommon to see kids driving a Lexus or BMW. I looked over and saw some kids in a Jeep just like mine, only much nicer, newer and with band stickers all over, so it was probably theirs. It was four young high school aged boys. They were all stylish in their funny crooked hats and one guy had his leg up so I could see he was wearing those super tight skinny jeans (that is a whole other thing I don't get- boys wearing girl jeans). Anyway, my first thought in my head was, "punks!" Now- take this all with a grain of salt and a little humor, but remember where I am coming from... I stay at home with two small kids and I don't want them to get older than 8 right now! I have a neice and nephew who are older and awesome and really good kids, but besides them, I don't like any middle or high school kids because I don't want my kids to be that age!! I also don't work in a high school like my sister or MIL, where I am actually getting to know these kids as the people that I know they are... so this is just generally speaking and stereotyping!! Anyway, as I said that in my head, I thought, "that is what I used to hear my dad say about some kids!" Whoa!! When did this happen??? And it is true, I realized I have been saying this about all kids I see lately... I drive by a high school a couple times a week to pick up Zoey and these thoughts go through my head. So I quickly broke it down in my head, and this is the time line I have come up with on how I am now a generation gap away from high schoolers!!

When I was in high school- of course I was beyond cool. No question, there.

When I went to college- high schoolers were pretty lame and naive and silly to think they were cool, for clearly now I was the epitome of cool, much more worldly and all (forget that I went to college in small town Texas)

After college- you read those e-mails that talk about "freshman in high school now are born in .... they never lived without a cordless phone, or a microwave" and you think, "whoa, I remember the year they were born, I must be getting old... nah, I am young, and hip, and oh so cool."

And then one day you are driving and look to see that the person driving next to you is just a KID!! And then you have kids and are just afraid of the youth today that you see walking around the mall because you see them trying to act so old and you know that they are still pretty young. And you don't care anymore about being cool... and anyone who seems older and a little "different" seems threatening to your young and innocent children and so they get labeled, "punks."

And so the generation gap begins!!
Coolness... it is all relative anyway, right?;) Well, luckily for me and much to the dismay of my future high school children, my really cool years haven't even begun!! Hee, hee:)

Video Message for Daddy!!

Mr Potatohead, Panties and the BEACH

I found this when I was cleaning up last night:

Zoey took the baby potatohead and put a foamie baseball outfit on him. She got the mitt and ball in the right spot and everything. He is also wearing a baseball cap, but it is hard to see... She does this kind of stuff all of the time. It makes me laugh.

And another funny story: We were going to the beach today and we walked by a bunch of flowers. I have a bad head cold, so my voice sounds funny. Zoey was pointing out all of the flowers and asked what one type was. I said "those are pansies!" She just gave me a weird face that looked like I was crazy and said, "PANTIES, what?"

Here is a picture of the dolphin Zoey saw and pointed out today all by herself:



And here is Zoey after she said, "Take a picture of me on the sandhill looking at the dolphin!"

Ross, the sandhill was pretty much still there, but Max gave me the orange bucket and instructed, "More sand, Mommy" I was tired!!
Max was too busy digging in the sand for dolphins and pictures. We survived our first day! Thanks for all the encouragement family, love you all.

Pics and My Little Sunshine...

Well, we took Ross to the airport...Sad Cloud:(
I was crying a little bit from being sad and also just feeling a little overwhelmed. Zoey could tell I was upset as we drove away and she wanted to ask me what was wrong...
Zoey: Mommy, what... what is it??
Me: Oh, Zoey, I am okay... Mommy is just a little sad that Daddy had to go away for a while.
Zoey: But I still love you.
Thank you very much my sweet girl!

Here are some recent pics:
Max with his cheesy grin...



Zoey smiling in the backyard:



And here are the kids eating "DADDY's FUN MIX" tonight:

Bye Bye Daddy!!

We are having a bittersweet weekend. Ross was able to take Thursday and Friday off to spend time and run errands before he leaves for a class. He will be gone for four weeks! I know that that is nothing compared to what Tina and her family are doing, but it is still going to be a challenge for all of us. We mentioned Daddy leaving to Zoey and she just kept asking why? Max doesn't get it and will probably be a little out of sorts for a couple of days. So if the tone of my posts change a little bit, it will be because I am thinking of sharing more little stuff with Ross along with the bigger things I remember to share with all of you. Probably even more random funnies and other small adventures the kids and I will be taking. Please post when you can, it will be nice to hear from you, and please pray for me and all of us. Any time in the past that Ross has had to go away for a while, we have gone with him. Now the kids are too involved in things to be gone for so long and to just hang out in a hotel. They both like their schools, and sunday schools and activites and I think now it is just better to keep them on their schedule. We will see, I may be calling my mom and dad to ask to come visit them before the first week is done!! We love you Daddy/Ross, and we will miss you lots and lots...XOXO