Middle Finger of Grammar

This is from one of my favorite new blogs, www.stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com . I love words. Word puns. Plays on words. The author of the blog is writing a book and is asking people to define words and certain sayings that are from his writings and he gives an example of one. I LOVE THIS THIS EXAMPLE!

Middle finger of grammar

Origin:From the post, "Being afraid to use our gifts."

Definition:When you're tired of putting satan "on notice" and you really want to make him mad, it's best to lowercase his name which, in some circles, is known as the middle finger of grammar. OK, it's only known in the SCL (Stuff Christians Like) circle, but ours is a perfectly fine circle indeed.

Example: "Yeah, I know satan should be capitalized, but what can I say, I'm a big fan of the middle finger of grammar."

Check out the blog...he has lots of great stuff to laugh at!

Jellystone of Estes Park

What a great weekend! It was our family's first camping trip...in a tent, not a cabin. It was cold at some points and rainy at others, but it was a perfect first trip.

The perfect weekend picture!

Jagger saw Yogi and just threw his stick down and ran to hug him. So cute!

Every night at 6pm, and in the morning at 10am, they have the lowering/raising of the flag. The first night we went and James was chosen to help lower the flag and then hold it while it was folded. He did a great job and never let the flag touch the ground (which apparently is a huge no-no...who knew?!).

They have a balloon guy that comes out at certain times and makes hats and animals for the children. Jagger was the only one who was patient enough to wait in line for 30 minutes and got a cool fish on the end of a fishing pole for his patience. It's Monday and it still hasn't popped...I'm dreading that tearfest!

Kaylee found a cool resting spot next to our tent.

Doing the camp thing and roasting some marshmallows for smores..yummy!! I think they have gotten better as I've gotten older!

I was in charge of the fire and was tired of looking for twigs to start the fire...so I just dragged a whole branch over and ripped the twigs off myself. Jimmy thought I was crazy.

This is the tent we all slept in. Not very big but free...Jim's mother gave it to us! It is perfect for our family with the size that we are but we will grow out of it pretty quickly. We're looking into a pop-up now. If you have one or know someone that does and you are looking to sell...let us know!!

We were waiting in line for the Wagon Ride with Yogi when I took this picture of Jagger sitting on my feet. He looks adorable....my dirty pants however, pretty gross!

Wagon Ride with Yogi.

Daddy lovins on the Wagon Ride.

The kids had a blast putting their knees and elbows on this contraption and then sliding down. It looks like James is about to eat it...but he actually has a plan!

I totally LOVE my husband in a sweat shirt! Yummers!

Kaylee and James loved to be pushed by daddy on the tire. It made me and Jagger want to puke just looking at them!

Just daydreaming....

I told you...I was the firewoman!!

He could sell the Oscar Meyer Wieners with this cute picture!

Jagger was making his own garden. Pulling out flowers from random places and then sticking them in his own "garden."

And Kaylee's garden.

Like I said, perfect weekend. You can see what we did on our side trip on Sunday in the post under this one. So much fun!

Side Trip

As much fun as camping was, it was also cold and rainy this weekend, so we decided to take a trip a couple miles down the road to the Rocky Mountains. I am always amazed at the new places we find to explore and how every one of them becomes my new favorite place.

Well, except this first one. There is a parking spot and then you get to walk up on this ridge and look down. This is about 12000 ft elevation here. Obviously you aren't looking over at a 12000 ft drop but it's still way further than I would ever want to fall!

This is only about a 15 ft drop here.
This is right beside where we parked our car. I love how they have photo ops every two miles...you just pull over and they have the perfect boulder/ledge/sign for you to take your picture on/with/beside.

I was way too scared on this ledge thingy so I sat on the edge and told my husband to hold on to my kids for dear life so I could take the picture. Aren't they adorable?!

Some complete stranger managed to talk some courage into me so that I could get in the picture while he took it for us. I was off the ledge about three seconds later! But we will always have the picture! haha

This is a little creek that we found in a spot called the Hidden Valley. Much more my style...I LOVE the word valley!!

The kids wanted to touch the water and see how cold it was. Crazy cold for the end of May! The kids thought that was kind of neat though.

Then we did a bit of scenic driving, still in the Rockies, and ran into this herd (?) of elk. They were right off the side of the road. Amazing!

And a waterfall we found called Fall River. We found a campsite right beside the Falls and they let us drive around in it. Very rustic and beautiful. Tents only...and no hookups or showers. That just might be our next getaway!

We are still so loving Colorado....so much to explore! It will take us years to see all that we want to see here.

Kindergarten Picnic

James had a picnic on his second to last day of school. It was really fun for him to eat lunch at school since he is half-day kinder and doesn't normally get to do that. Jagger and I joined him but he (as well as all of the other kids) wanted to sit with the teacher instead of us! haha It was still lots of fun to watch and Jagger and I enjoyed our picnic on a blanket right next to James' class.
I love that these boys love each other so much. Brothers are so special!

Teacher Gifts

Going along with my new found frugal lifestyle...I had to make FIVE teacher gifts and I tried to do them for under $10 each. I made it at $10.25 and I am pretty happy with that. Next year I will have more time to plan and I will make it a point to pick special things up when I see them on clearance.

Each teacher received a $5 Starbucks card, a candle in a glass jar, a pure and natural hand soap and a destresser hand lotion.

My children colored each of their teacher's gift bags by themselves and then we just added the pink tissue paper. So cute with their added touch. I hoped the teachers loved the bags as much as I did! haha

We were very blessed with all of our teachers this year and I can't say enough about how they made our transition to Colorado so much easier than it could have been. I am so thankful for the teachers we had and I'm already praying for teachers for next year!

I'm a GREAT AUNT!!

My beautiful niece, Melanie, gave birth to her first child today. A beautiful baby girl named Adrianna Jennifer. She came into this world at a whopping 10 pounds and 9 ounces!! Way to go Mel!
I love this picture because you can see all of her chunky little rolls. Such a darling...she looks like a perfect little cherub!

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this beautiful gift that you have brought into our family's hearts. I pray that you will watch over Adrianna and guide her on the path that you have set out for her. I pray for Melanie and Adam as they take their first journey into parenthood. Raise them up to be the parents that you want them to be and give them the wisdom and patience they will need along that path. Bless their little family Lord and keep them safe and healthy and keep them always as close together as they are today. You are an awesome God and we are so grateful for our precious Adrianna. In you holy name I pray, Amen.

Mel...I am so proud of you! You are going to be a great mommy!

Go Astros!

We took our annual trip to the Ball Park to see the Astros and Rockies play. Astros won...of course! James had his first field trip that day and decided he would rather go on that then come with us. We missed him being with us but he had a blast at the zoo. Jimmy's friend Eric took James' place at the game. He also took this first two pictures for us....





Kaylee getting some shade.

Jagger enjoying some Scooby Doo snacks.

Jim and Eric watching the game.

Awwww....aren't they a cute couple!!

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for the wonderful day I had in the sun today at the baseball game (Astros won! Go Stros!!). Colorado has the best weather ever and I am soaking up every minute I can!

I am so thankful for the close relationship that I have with my family in Canada. They make sure to include me in everything and I am forever grateful to them for that!

I am thankful for a wonderful in-law family. They love me to pieces and I love them just as much!

My husband is the best. Yes, he has his faults...but he is better than most! I can't imagine going on this journey of life without him. He is my everything!

I am thankful for my relationship with God. He is my foundation and through Him I have so much hope and that makes life so much sweeter.

My Kaylee drives me insane with her mood swings but I can't get enough of her. I am thankful for the good moments in between the moods and thankful that she is comfortable enough and feels loved enough that she can have her moods with us.

I am thankful for my James' laugh and smile.

I am thankful for Jagger's sweet touches.

I am so thankful and so in awe of the wonderful new friendships that God is growing in my garden of friends. How precious they are to me!

I am thankful for long phone conversations with my forever friends.

I am thankful for this house and all that it is filled with. Especially the love and laughter that echo off the walls.

I am thankful for our church that I am learning so much through. And so very thankful for the bible study/girl nights that I get to be a part of every week.

I am truly humbled and honored with all that God has placed in my life. My biggest prayer is that I will never take any of it for granted.

Wordless Wednesday

Two Cents Tuesday

Here is my two cents worth....

Children should not ever be taught how to speak!

While having a mature conversation about our changing bodies...

Mom: Are there other kids in your class that are growing boobies?

Kaylee: Yes. "N" has big boobies...like you...but hers are higher up.

Point and case!

Not Me Monday

I have not done a Not Me post in a while, so here is quick one for the month of April.

I did not give up my favorite drink, Coke, for Lent and then completely splurge every day since Easter. I absolutely have not gained 5 pounds in my splurgence. That could not possibly be me. I am the epitome of diet and exercise!

I absolutely did not go dumpster diving in the recycling bin so that I could find more coupons. There is no way that I am that addicted to the grocery game. I have no idea whose bottom that is hanging out of a dumpster that my husband has in a picture on his cell phone. All I know for sure is that it could not be me!

I did not punish my son and tell him that he could not play his DS for the rest of the day only to give it to him 30 minutes later to keep him quiet while I volunteered in my daughter’s classroom. I am much too disciplined for that kind of nonsense. No way did I cave that quickly!

There is no way that my son did not win a date with his teacher at his Spring Fling’s silent auction because of me. I mean, he had saved up his birthday money and had been looking forward to this for weeks. It is impossible that I got so caught up on bidding for a game basket that I forgot to check his bidding and he got outbid in the LAST MINUTE! Nope, I’m a devoted mom to my children’s wants and I would never let that happen.

My house alarm absolutely did not go off at 3 in the morning when my husband was not home. I did not barricade my children and myself into my room and have the police come check out my house only to find out that a Diet Coke exploded in the downstairs fridge and set off the glass break. It’s impossible for an exploded Diet Coke to create that much drama. That must have been one of my bad dreams.

It is impossible that the above mentioned Diet Coke exploded because my son was playing with the temperature dial AGAIN. My children always listen the first time I tell them anything, so somebody else’s rotten child must have done it. Not mine!

Somebody has absolutely hijacked my blog because those things may have happened to someone...but it certainly was NOT ME!

My Most Favorite Mommies

Do you see those beautiful women? I am so blessed to call them my family. They are all so special to me and I wanted to honor them on my blog on this Mother's Day.

My Mommy is the one in the back right. Mom...you are my best friend. You have been my mom, my teacher, my rock..my everything! You have loved me through my highs and my lows and have never stopped telling me so. I love your smile, your laughter and your love for life. You have overcome some amazing obstacles, been through some hard times and yet you have always come out better, instead of bitter, at the other end. I live for our morning phone calls and our daily scrabble emails. Even though we are far apart in miles, I have you with me everyday in heart! You are the best mommy and I love you all the way to the moon...and back! xo

I'm going in order of birth here....

Jennifer is the one in the back middle and my oldest (going to be a Grandma soon!) sister. Jen, I love you so very much. You make me laugh the most! You are so funny and quick and have the best laugh ever! You are the one that springs into action the quickest whenever someone, or something, falls apart. My children think the world of you and I think you are even better than that! You have been an awesome mommy and gave me the opportunity to be such a huge part of your children's lives and that is a blessing I will always treasure. I am so excited for your new journey as a Grandma to start this week! You are the sunshine in my cloudy days! xo

Catherine is in the back left. You always have a smile on your face. And a great big beautiful smile it is. This is your first year as a mommy and I am so thrilled and excited for you. It meant so much to me that you brought me along for the journey of your pregnancy last year. I will always treasure that and the hope and love that was born out of that journey. You are so strong. You are the one that can stand up against anything and anyone. You were the perfect sister to have beside you when the bully came knocking. I love you very much and I love the brand new niece that you brought into my life! xo

Melanie is on the bottom. Melanie is my sweet niece; Jennifer's daughter. Smelly, I love you to pieces. I remember when you were little and we would have sleepovers and you'ld sleep in my room with me. I remember taking you on the bus and to school to show you off to my friends. You were the cutest little girl that ever was! You are going to be a mom as of this week and I know you are going to be the best mom ever. You have your mother's sense of humor and you are going to have such a fun time raising your little girl. I am so proud of you and who you have become. And I can't wait to be a GREAT AUNT! So fun! I love you so much Smelly and I so wish I could be there with you this week! You're going to be a rockstar! xo

I would be doing a complete disservice if I didn't include my other favorite mommy in this post.

My mother-in-law is very special to me. I will always be so grateful to her just for giving me that gorgeous man in the picture with her. He is my everything! But there is so much more to Mom than that. Mom, I love you for loving me just like I was born to you. I love you for caring so much about me and this family that your son and I have been blessed with. You have such a generous heart and have been most generous with your love. I am so blessed to have you in my life and to be able to call you my friend. I treasure the small moments that we've found over the years to have by ourselves and to grow our relationship. You are the best mother-in-law that a girl could ask for! xo

Freecycle

I have drawn the conclusion that you should never pay full price for anything anymore! It's ridiculous what is out there if you just look for it.

My friend told me about a site called freecycle.org. You type in your city and state and then a list comes up of people that want things and people that are giving things away. The catch is that it all has to be FREE!

I have wanted a sandbox with a lid for my kids. I posted that last week and today I went and picked one up from a lady who responded to my post. It's in perfect condition and my kids were THRILLED to put it in our backyard. And I'm so excited that it was FREE!

Don't mind the rock on his head...we weren't trying to stone him, we just don't want the wind to blow the lid off!

Jagger's Turn

Well, since I blogged about my other two precious children today, it's only fair that Jagger gets one too. Remember the strawberries he planted, in the pot he painted, on Earth Day? Well, Jagger has been very patient and has a strawberry that is almost ready to be picked and eaten! Way to go Jagger! Can't you just feel the pride oozing out of this picture?!!