Just living life....

I haven't blogged in a while, but really there have been few interesting things to blog. I haven't' taken any new pictures of the boys in the last couple of weeks, but they are doing great and growing like weeds. I have been deep in projects and am wrapping up the last "swap" of the year with my friends... Now on to Christmas projects. I will be busy busy busy... I have an ambitious amount of gifts to make, and all the little things I want to do with the kids. I am going to start selling the Uppercase Living products in January so everyone get ready for an open house. They are great for any room and I am so excited, I can hardly wait...
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Big Daddy and Nancy, but during Christmas, there will be visitors from Germany. I can't wait for Little O to see them again and hear them speak. He enjoyed them so much last time but he was only 2. He will be fascinated by them this time. It will be a great time! I guess I'll sign off for now. I'll try to get some pictures up and have something interesting happen.

Vrooooooom!!!!

I went to ride in the Nextel Cup car this weekend. It was a blast. Just pure fast fun! It was however, my ride so only things that happen to me happened. No one that was employed by the speedway knew about the ride alongs and the cops that were directing traffic were confused about which roads were open, so it took 40 minutes to get from 114 into the TMS. Next, the event staff had no idea where to park. Another 20 minutes.... When we finally got to the gate, we had to stand in line until way past 6 p.m.(I was supposed to sign in by then) We finally get to the right line just before our ticket time. I get dressed in the fire suit, get my helmet and stand in line again. I am the 1st in that group, so I get to choose my car. I am so excited!!! They have a number 8. I run to the car (the second woman in line wants #8 too). I get in and joke with the driver about if he's a pro? He says he's been doing it a couple of weeks! I think he joking, but the guy in charge comes over a couple of times and gives him feedback and instructions. I was starting to get a little nervous, but still ok. They give the signal to start the engines and.... nothing. It won't start. I guess it still has the DEI engine. They push start it and we almost bump the 29. (That would have been a bonus.) After we get going, it was great. There were 19 cars on the track with us. I swear we were really close to the wall a couple of times, but wow what a ride.... Everyone that loves Nascar should do it! It was loud, rough, and smelly but the best ride of my life. It changes your whole perspective about what the drivers see and do... I loved it. Thank you to Otis for coming up with the gift all on his own and surprising me. I love you....

Halloween Fun

We went to Shaunery's house trick-or-treating for Halloween. What a party... I don't know how many people were in that little neighborhood, but it seemed like hundreds. Several families gathered at Shaunery's and then took off to gather candy. I don't think many people "trick" anymore, in fact that word has a whole other meaning now. But off we went. The kids had a great time and ran around the neighborhood while parents talked and tried to keep up. Otis had a great time. Payton hung in there. He rode in the stroller again this year, but next year look out. All in all, we had an excellent time and I still believe that it is the closest thing to true Halloween around. Here is a group shot, and one of little O as the Red Power Ranger.....

More Birthday Fun

Last weekend we went to Lawton to celebrate both of the Otis' birthdays.... We have been doing this for the last couple of years and I think both of the guys look forward to it. We always have cake and presents... For Little O, it is a chance to have just one more birthday. For Big Otis, it is a chance to celebrate with family and be home. We played poker and had a great time, although this was a short trip. Football has one more weekend. So we will get to stay longer next time. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Big Five for Otis

Little Otis turned 5 today....He has been so excited all day, it is hard to describe. He has done the "happy dance" several times. We and Mema both gave him new additions to the Geo Trax railway that he had. It is now huge and he couldn't be happier. All the new trains have names and jobs and he is quickly learning all about them. Who knew trains would be such a hit??? Any way, we had a good dinner and cupcakes to celebrate, then Mom and Dad went out to the game room and played with the trains for an hour. Of course, Otis is still out there. Bedtime will be fun..... Here are some pictures of the fun.... I also included a picture of Payton in his jeans...He had forgotton that shorts can have legs and tried to pull them off. Mom and I laughed forever....

OU!!!!

We had a small gathering for the TX vs OU game yesterday and what fun. Nothing better that a group of men loving football. I think the women would agree that the men were louder that our children ever are..... But a good time was had by all.

Otis played his fourth football game yesterday, and they won with no problem. They are undefeated. Watching the other team's coaches get frustrated and yell at their boys, made me very thankful for our coach who is patient, laid back and fun. He is so encouraging with Otis, who is one of the youngest players. He found a job for him to do, and keeps him on task so he is successful at it. What a great coach.

Payton is walking everywhere and pointing and grunting for everything. He is becoming a full time boy. But he is soooo cute. He is still very much a Mommy and Daddy's boy, but he is starting to go to others, so maybe there's hope.

We spent Sunday at Big Daddy's for his birthday. We ate and played at his new house. Little O has a tree swing there and today, that's all he wanted to do was swing.....Payton was very jealous that he wasn't old enough to swing and let us all know how unfair it was.

Big Big News

Otis couldn't stand it anymore(I love that about him),he told me about my present. For those of you who don't know, he had ordered me something a couple of weeks ago and wasn't going to tell me.... But, here it is, I get to do a ride a long in a Nextel Cup car the night before the race. 160 MPH for four laps. It will either be the ride of my life, or I will throw up and pass out. Either way, I can't wait. What a cool gift. I will be a forever memory for me. I had hoped to one day get to go to a race, but this is much cooler.... Everyone pray for no rain on November 3. Lucky me!!!!
Everything else is great here, Otis and Payton are well and their parents are too. We are all eagerly waiting for the Texas/OU game this weekend. We are having people over to watch....
One month to Nascar....

We have walking!!!

Finally, Payton has decided to join the walking world. He decided on a Friday to give it a try, and by Sunday, he was taking 10 steps at a time...what a cutie. Now I have to chase him even harder. Great for MOM. He is still eating everything in sight, and all the time. He and Otis are so different, but I guess that's what makes life interesting.
Otis has played two football games now, and did even better the second week. He is trying so hard, but his concentration level only lets him go so long. Thank goodness the games are only a hour, he manages to get through them well. Practice, not so much. We are working on that. After 45 minutes or so, he is done. Then he's just trying to find anything else to do. And I mean anything.
We went to Oma's and Opa's last weekend, and Michael and MikelAnn were there. Otis had so much fun playing with MikelAnn. It was great for him to get to spend some time with his cousin. I didn't get good pictures, but here is one. She is 14 and beautiful. Poor Mike.

First Big Game

I don't want to seem like an impossibly proud football mom yet.... but, today was our first game with flag football and Otis did great! He is number 15 and his job is to hike the ball. He has a little trouble focusing on the game, so the coach put him in the middle of the action to hike the ball, and he does it great! They won and made 3 touchdowns! After the game, the Coach came over to him and told him that he had hiked the ball perfect every time and that's why they were able to make touchdowns. Otis was beaming... I didn't specify which one here, because it was hard to tell which Otis was prouder..... Here are a couple of pictures. It is hard to focus on the one year old, cheer and take picture, but I am doing my best. Big O can't do anything else but watch the game. He is so excited.... We had a great time as a family and Payton didn't seem to mind not getting much attention. What a day.
Otherwise, Payton is taking two steps at a time and trying to get it. Maybe soon. He is getting two back teeth and is still eating everything he can get his hands on. I know this, because yesterday while I was carrying him in with my ice cream, he took the spoon and began to eat it before I could get in the house...

What a week.....

It was a busy week.... Here are pictures of Little Otis' first day at preschool. He was resistant, but finally gave in and posed for a picture. He is very happy in the 5 year old class... He feels like such a big boy and we are working on things like "responsibility" and "using our manners". He is really maturing.

We also have a new member of the family. It's larger than most of us, and it had a bumpy ride to our house, but it is here and now installed in our kitchen. Let me just tell you that finding your refrigerator dead on the first morning of preschool can be a bit stressful.... The only thing worse is to find that you have disposed of the only large cooler you have because it leaked. However, we survived and by 8pm that evening, we had a new refrigerator and a tired mom. Let me also just share with you that Home Depot does not stock "dream" refrigerators. You have to take what is there. So if you would like stainless steal or black, and can not live in a cooler for a week, order you new fridge before it goes out. Also, the Home Depot guys are not the smartest guys on the block (my dad pointed out that that's why they don't have better jobs), and when they say,"You don't need to tie that 2 ton appliance down", or "it will be fine if you don't go 100 miles an hour" they are incorrect. The last bit of wisdom I will leave on this subject is that you need to know how to tie down your own 2 ton appliance, or have it delivered. (Which if you can not live out of a cooler for a couple of days, again order early.) Well that was our week. Exciting huh?

Life is moving along...

Well, we got back from vacation and life has again begun to move along. We are all back to work and Wednesday, Little Otis will be returning to Preschool. He is excited to be in the 5 year old class. He is a little resistant to change, so his new teacher has come in and met him a few times to "break him in". He seems to like her. I was afraid that after being with Miss Paula and Miss Ginger so long, it would be hard to find someone he liked. But I think Miss Regina will be good for him. He is now formally getting ready for kindergarten. I can't believe he will be starting next year.
We ended the summer with alot of fun and Little Otis will be playing flag football beginning Sept. 15. If you know my husband, you know that this is very exciting for him. I think we will probably play soccer in the spring and t-ball in the summer.... Here we go on the sports whirl wind.... He is so in to the computer right now, he thinks everything has a .com. And just in time for his birthday(I'm sure it's for the Christmas rush, but he is sure it's for his birthday), Thomas the train has all new stuff... Great. At least he's consistent.
Payton is still not walking. I think he's lazy.... Everyone else just says it's his pace. We are encouraging him, but he is a little resistant. We took them to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack yesterday(Thanks Julie) and they both behaved like perfect gentleman. Imagine that. We had a blast. Our boys are growing....Well enough for now... Otis requested that his train table be moved back to his room, so here it is in use..

Best Family Vacation Ever!

Ok, so it was the first and by default the only family vacation that we have ever taken, but it was great! Despite a few bumpy moments in the car, it was pure fun! We did so many things that Branson had to offer and I'm not sure we scratched the surface. We rode the "Ducks", which are old WWII amphibious vehicles. We toured land and then the lake. Little Otis had a blast! Payton was mostly along for the ride, but the open sides were a little much at 50 miles per hour. He did enjoy looking around though. We also rode go carts(Both Big and Little Otis' favorite thing). On the last day, we went to Silver Dollar City, an old timey amusement park. They had lots of rides that Little O could ride alone, which became the motto of the trip, "I can do it by myself". He also rode 2 "big" rides with Otis. He was afraid of nothing! (I think this might be a bad thing.) We were exhausted at the end of each day, and here's a "note to self", 4 people in 1 hotel room for 3 days = claustrophobia. The only downer, my camera batteries failed two separate days so there are not many pictures. But I will make the best of it. Here are a couple.....

On our Way!!

We are officially on our way in the morning at 5:00 am(or so we believe that to be the plan). Branson here we come. With a one year old that hates the car, has never successfully slept with others in the room, and is learning to eat "grown up" food. Sounds like heaven doesn't it? Don't let me forget the four year old that can't sit still, wants to hear the same song over and over, and will have to watch mommy and daddy's tv. But even with all of that, I have been excited about this trip all summer. We went on many family vacations when I was a kid. Or at least me and Dad did. We covered Texas, Mexico, New Mexico, Arkansas and numerous other places. We always had a blast(at least that's my memory of it). I can't wait to share those times with my family. It took so long for me to get here, and the road hasn't always been smooth, but if I ever think about any other life, I just review the past and once again I am grateful for my husband and two great boys. Not to mention parents, sister, in-laws, friends and others that aren't "officially" family members, but really are. Thank you all for being you, and for taking a little time out of your day to keep up with my little clan. I will sign off for now before it gets really mushy.... I am after all emotionally unavailable and all. (Steph M that's for you). Here's a picture of the boys playing....

Happy Birthday to Payton!!

Well, Payton turned big 1 last Friday. On Saturday, we had a party to celebrate with family. I think he had a great time. He still can't tell me, but he has continued to play with all of his new toys all week whenever possible, so I think it was a success. Little Otis didn't really play with things at this age, but Payton can't get enough. Thank you to everyone who came and made it a special day for him. Most of the family was here. Both sets of Grandparents, and assorted aunts and uncle, cousins... Even though he won't be able to remember it, it will be scrapbooked for all eternity... Little Otis did very well. He helped his brother with presents and then did the tradional letting go of the balloons..... We are still working out the car problem, but hope it will be done soon. To all of my friends that I usually see, I miss you and hopefully we will be back in circulation soon.

So it's been a while....

Yes, it has been a while. (Thanks Jeanne for the reminder and the little guilt trip.) I feel like the summer is rushing by and we are now trying to catch up. It did feel a little like Seattle here for the beginning of the summer, rain every day. Now we are enjoying Florida weather, rain every afternoon.... But, my grass is green and I am not having to water it. So there are positives. The kids and I have been doing so many things and with working, we are busy all of the time. We have been enjoying our time though. Splash parks, swimming pools and playing with friends have all been on the agenda in the last couple of weeks. Little Otis is growing so big and beginning to mature some. Payton will be 1 tomorrow. I will post pictures of his big birthday and of the party on Saturday...
If you have been around us for any amount of time, you are familiar with the Geo, or little red car as Little O calls it. Well, it has died. Yes, 220,000 miles later, dead. This has been coming and you would have thought we were more prepared, 220,000 miles and all, but not so much. Now we will have to find another car for Otis to drive to death. Yipee!!! (Sarcasm of course) Oh well, all good things must come to an end. I have had that car for 10 years. It has been very very good to me. We are considering mounting it for a sculpture here in the yard.... Here are some pics of my boys.

Playpen???

My dad has suggested that I put Payton in a playpen in the office while I work. I was a little taken aback. Do people do this anymore? It seems mean to me to put him in there and just expect him to sit there for a couple of hours. I told dad I thought he would cry.... Dad answered that after a week or so he wouldn't and then Payton would know who was "boss". Am I crazy that this sounds wrong?!? Is this generational or am I just one of those moms who gives in to her kids? I am not willing to do this. I am willing to stop working if it is too much to have the kids here, but I don't want to "cage" my little one so it is easier.....

A true stay at home mom day

Today I am a stay at home mom. Little O is sick and we are grounded to the house. He does feel badly, so badly that he is actually sleeping off and on all day. This might be the first time that has happened. Since he was running a fever, he couldn't go to school today and he was terribly dissappointed. He really does like going and playing with his friends. He also begged for chocolate milk and even though I knew it was a bad idea, I gave in. Big mistake. He threw it all up, all over my bed. Thank God for matress protectors. So we have been home. It has been very nice. I have taken care of Otis and played with the baby all day. I am living the life of leisure.(Except for all the laundry, dishes and cleaning up after throw-up.) But I digress... We went to a pirate birthday for our friend Erin on Friday and Otis had a blast. Lots of water ballons, cake and ice cream. What could be more perfect for a little guy. Then we spent the weekend in Oklahoma with the family. Payton swam in the pool twice on Saturday and seemed to love it. On Tuesday, we went to a water park and again spent most of the day in a pool. They both had a blast! I think Payton will fit in to our water loving family just fine.....Here is a picture of the party, I failed to take any pool pictures(but I have a ton of scrapbooking supplies to use if I ever remember to take some).

Teething nightmare

Who else's child teeths 3 or 4 teeth at a time??? I am in teething hell. He doesn't sleep well, doesn't nap well, and isn't so excited about playing by himself while I work. Finally after listening to him cry for what seemed like an eternity, he has gone to sleep. (I think it was 15 minutes, but a loud and serious 15 minutes it was) To top it all off, I have lost the brand new bottle of teething tablets that I just got. What's up with that??? I will be stopping at Walmart on my was home. What fun that will be.......

Bang, Bang, Squish, Squish

Fourth of July was truly great this year. This is the first year we have been able to shoot fireworks since Otis was big enough to care.... So we did it up big time. Dodging the rain, we went to a morning Parade, ate lunch with Kelli, Kevin and his family, and then returned to Blann land to celebrate. We ate, played, ate, and played some more. At dusk, we set of fireworks until almost 11 pm. What a day! What fun! Little Otis loved sparklers, and most of the fireworks, but after a while, I think the big kids that were in charge, were having more fun blowing up things and the little guys were over it. It took 5 grown men to work it all out, but they did a great job. As for the ladies, we sat back, cheered, corrected, encouraged and chased all of the children.(8 in total) What was going to be a small get together, became an all out party!!! We will have to do it again sometime..... Here are some pictures. The last one is the kids at the parade, our three on the bottom. Otis, Payton and Sara Faye. The second is Otis and Sara Faye walking back to the car, I just thought it was cute. The first one is what could be captured of Little Otis with his sparkler. He wouldn't slow down long enough, or pose, so here are the trailers....

Just another Birthday for Rick...

The family got together and celebrated Rick's 40 something birthday last weekend. We played games and toasted his upcoming year in style. I finally got the family together and remembered the camera so that we could get some pictures. We have not been good at that the last few times.... Everyone is so busy and when we are having fun, it is hard to remember to stop and get the camera. But success this time... These are my "little" nephews and Rick. Ricky is quite the camera bug. He is photogenic and poses at every opportunity. The other two, not so much. It took a few tries, but we got a good one. For those of you in Germany, Kevin has now outgrown both Rick and Ricky.... Who would have guessed? I also put in some other family shots so all can see them.

Just another rain day

With playgroup cancelled, we decided to trek to the zoo. It was supposed to rain, but we thought, It's not so hot, and most of the animals will be out, so let's go. We had a blast!! Otis had not been since he was little, and obviously Payton had never been, so off we went. Payton was a champ, sitting in the stroller and looking at all of the sights. Otis was even cooperative and I think ran all the way through the park. All in all, a great day of fun. I love to see the kids faces when they see new things. The lion roared, I mean roared. I don't think I have ever seen one in real life roar like that! It was cool. There were other friends there, so I had some assistance with the kiddos, so I enjoyed the sights too. Here are pics of the kiddos.
On the way home, we got some bad news about a friends mom. Those of you who know Jeanne, pray for her and her family. I know I am. I guess that's all we can do for now.

Father's Day

What a busy weekend. Even if we stay here, we are soooo busy. Yesterday I had a Pampered Chef party. I have never done anything like that before, and it went really well I thought. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Thank you for coming if you did. I had old friends, new friends and truer than true friends in the same room. If I had been able to take time, I would have been misty eyed. I think I am now. My friends now are scattered to the winds and I don't get to see them much, but I love them the same.... After the party, another friend came over and cut everyones hair that was still there. Don't be shocked when you see me, it's mostly gone. Not as short as Jeanne's, but very short for me. My sister and her boyfriend stayed, and we played dominoes and laughed late into the night.
Father's day was busy too. We met my best friend Stephanie, her husband and baby girl for lunch. This was Casey's first Father's Day and we celebrated in style. And for four adults, a four year old, 10 month old and 4 month old, the lunch went off without a hitch. Well until the end. While we were paying, Otis was holding Payton and I think he has very quick hands(good for football?) because he knocked over Otis drink in his lap.... Big wet spot. Then Otis was holding Cali before we left and she spit up on him.... Another wet spot... Steph decided he was the human sponge... It was pretty funny.
For dinner we went to Dad's. Nancy made great ribs with all the fixings. I haven't eaten so much in a long time....Good to spend time with family. I have a lot of great men in my life. I feel very blessed. I suppose that my dad has influenced me the most and now my husband is the most important. Not to mention the two mini men that I have. All men, all the time. Here is a pic of Otis with Payton....

New addition to the family

Yes, we have a new member to our little group. He is a beta fish that Big Otis brought home yesterday. He says that he was walking through the store and thought "Otis needs a fish". Now, I have walked through that very same store many times, and have never thought that. But Otis did, and there we have it, a fish. His name: Swirly Otis. Why you ask?(I did) Little Otis explained this very logically to me. Swirly, because he was swimming around and around in the bowl. Otis because everyone in this house is named Otis, so he should be too. Makes sense to me. So Swirly Otis it is. I am a little worried that when you ask him how his fish is, he says, "its not dying". This may be too much for a 4 1/2 year old. But so far so good.

Otherwise, everyone else in the family is doing well. Payton wants to walk and eat everything. He's growing so fast. I'm getting ready to plan his first birthday party. It hardly seems possible.... A whole year. I feel so blessed to have them both and am thankful everyday.

Running for President???

The truth is that I have been nominated for President, but I was not actively campaigning... I guess that is over. Thanks Shaunery. And although I will do my best if elected, I'm not sure why others feel that I will make a great President.... Don't you need experience or something??? Thank goodness not many of the Moms have my blog site..... It is a bit indulgent I think.... Anyway, we went to Oklahoma this weekend and had a great time. My nephew Kevin, turned 16 and is off to High School. (It is only 10th-12th grade there) I can't believe it. He has grown so much and matured so quickly. Now he is learning to drive..... Time flies....
The family here is great. Payton has a new tooth. This makes 3. He is still trying to work out the walking thing, but is crawling on all fours very fast now... He is in to everything. I love to watch him explore things and figure out how they work. This morning, he discovered how to put the balls in his dinosaur toy he has had for months. Before, Little Otis and I have helped him. No more help needed.
Little Otis has been out of school and going to Big Daddy's to work with me. I have to say, he has been excellent. I am so pleased and proud of him. He will be going to Summer School beginning next week, and I am glad for him, but it would be o.k. if he wasn't going. We would do fine at home. But he likes it, and it keeps him busy with other kiddos. I am also happy to report that Mom's club play groups are on Tuesdays this summer and he will get to attend those... Swimming and playing all summer long what more could a 4 year old need? I know, a pony ride. Here he is on a pony last weekend in OK. He had 6 rides and would have stayed all day if I would have let him. Alright, enough rambling, I have to try and wrestle the baby to a nap....

BECKY FOR PRESIDENT

Has Becky ever mentioned she's a member of a local "MOMS" club? Or that she's currently nominated for President?? Guess what? She IS. And she desperately needs your vote! Becky wants to respresent YOU and work hard for YOU. So any of you "MOMS" reading this, remember VOTE FOR BECKY!
(Becky, really should consider who she allows to post at her blog......lol)

Where does this stuff come from?

We had a very busy weekend at home and had a great time spending time with different friends and family every day of the four day weekend. Little Otis got to go to Chuck E Cheese with us, Aunt Kelli, Kevin and Sarah. I think Payton had the most fun though. He played games and rode rides with Sarah and Kelli and laughed all the way. We also had a wet cookout with Shaunery and her family and ended with a birthday party for Staci's daughter who turned 3. What a little princess.... When we finally got home last evening, exhausted and drained, Little Otis brought over the donut that Otis got for his butt injury and began to put eggs in it. When we asked him what he was doing, he replied(like we were idiots), "I'm hatching my eggs...." Oh of course, how silly of us. It never occurred to us to "hatch" the plastic eggs in his brothers baby toy. To him it was obvious. I made Otis take pictures.... Then Little O practiced taking pictures with my camera and did a wonderful job if I must say so myself..... Maybe a budding photographer? I could use one of those in the family.....

Long Day

We are at home today because we have nothing to do.... that's right, we have nothing to do. I can't believe it. No work, no lunches, no errands to do, and no friends to meet. So what do I do instead? I spent two hours cleaning Little Otis' room, and did laundry all day. Now I know why I schedule so many things during the week. Staying home is too much work!
Payton is pulling up on everything to stand up. This includes the computer chair that I am currently typing from. He just stands there, and then begins to cry, and then really throws a fit.... He's developing such a personality now and is letting us know when he wants something. He laughs all the time It's fun to watch. He is so different from Otis at this age, everything goes straight to his mouth. I'm not used to that. I'm rambling on now, but I just feel lucky to have two healthy boys to bother me all of the time. And I have nothing to do.... Ha Ha

Going, Going.......

Almost Gone. We have sold the farmhouse where I grew up and the developer is moving at lightening speed to get ready for new pretty houses on the land. I went to take some pictures before the house was totally removed. That surprisingly caused a few tears and some reflection. We moved here when I was 9 and lived in an RV for a while until we remodeled the house. There are many memories attached to this home for me. When I was young and an only child, living out so far was a blessing and a curse. I was lonely at times, but the room allowed me to play in the fields, pretending to be anything I could come up with, and to learn a lot about raising food. (Mostly that I don't want to.) I rode horses here with my mom, and bottle fed calves and one possum(Can't remember what happened to him.) But mostly, it's where I lived with my dad, who gave up so much time and energy (not to mention money)to take me through my teenage years and I grew up and developed into an adult in this house. That will never change, even if the house is gone and there are newer prettier ones there. I guess it gives other little boys and girls an opportunity to benefit from this place and grow up too.

Just a normal Sunday

We spent the morning doing things around the house. Once we finished, Big Otis decided to mow the yard. Little Otis decided to "help". I got a couple of great pictures. He actually got water for dad and helped him move things to mow, so he was a big help! Dad was impressed and Little O was proud of himself.... Then we went to my dad's new house and had a cookout with them and my sister. We took these pictures of everyone and I had to put them in. Dad's yard is soooo green and the house is so pretty and new.... What a great end to a lazy weekend...

Mother's day summary

Another Mother's day down.... This year, I have two little ones to Thank me, well sort of anyway. We spent this year with Otis' parents and family in Lawton. I got the cutest shoes, a fabulous card and some flowers from my very thoughtful nephew. Oh and the best part, I got to sleep late... I mean until 11am late!!! What could be better? My intention was to take pictures of the family playing cards and having a great time, but we got to the "having a great time" part early and I forgot. It might have been the bucket of Margaritas that I won at Pokeno on Tuesday.... At any rate, here is a photo of my two with Mike, Otis' brother. We don't see him a whole lot, but the kids love to see him and he is always lots of fun. Payton still looks at him funny, like,"you look like my dad, but I'm sure you're not... I think".

While searching for the pic of Mike, I found this one of me and my incredibly shrinking sister-in-law, Wanda. For those of you in Germany, or who just haven't seen her in a while, she is a sliver of her former self! She is looking great and we are all proud of her....

Well, since I last posted, I have been to Cat's Creations for National Scrapbook day and slept 5 hours the whole weekend. I didn't take any pictures of the event, but friends did, and I'm not sure anyone would want to see me with only 5 hours of sleep anyway. I had a great time! It was great to get some time to do scrapbooking without interruptions like, Can I have more chocolate milk? Can you turn my T.V., Can you push me on the swing and WaaaaaaH!. But it was great to come home to my little family of men.

When I got home, little Otis and I had a mommy and son outing to Casa Manana to see Narnia. It was a musical and Little O had never been to one before so it was a first. He was a little restless, but did well overall and enjoyed it. Aunt Kelli met us there, and we enjoyed spending the afternoon together. Here is a picture of us at the show. Thanks to Aunt Kelli for including us in the adventure.....

I decided after looking at the pictures, that I needed to put this one of Payton in. He is very tired, the party was too exciting to take a nap, but isn't he cute? Both of the kids slept all the way home, and as I looked around the van, I thought about how lucky I was to have three great men in my life. It doesn't hurt that they are all cutie pies too.

Just plain "worn out"

This is the first chance I've had to blog this week. I have been filling in for my dad's office helper and that leaves very little time to do things at my house. This unfortunately includes laundry and cleaning which are way behind..... But, on a better note, we went to my sister's house today and met Kevin's family and had a ball. Big Otis must have said three times on the way home, "that was fun." I replied, "yes, it was", all three times. Little Otis and Sarah played on a slip-n-slide and had a ball. I guess I should also include Kevin and Kelli in this, since they both went down it as well.... The slip-n-slide was a little worse for the wear, but everyone had an excellent time. I of course have fun photos to blog and scrapbook. Here are the kids, and since Kelli tried to slide on the sly, here is the picture I promised of her where afterward, she looks as though she wet her pants. I love you sis! Thanks for the great day.

Easter Fun

We had a great Easter weekend. Otis is really getting into this Holiday in a big way. He is a big fan of the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause and any other fictional character that will bring him treats!! It is so fun to watch. We colored eggs on Friday night, and then on Sunday, went to a friends house and hunted.... Here is a picture of Otis... Payton was not so active this year. He slept through the coloring process, and he mostly wanted to be held and watched his big brother during the big hunt. Next year I'm sure he will make up for it. More next time.

Where's Otis???

I was looking through the blog at past postings and it occured to me that Big Otis is not in there.... How could I have missed him? Well here he is enjoying one of his favorite past times, wrestling with the boys. They love it and he can't get enough.

Payton was playing on the floor with me this morning and before I knew it, he was standing next to me! What a little sneaker... He let go, and I guess thought he was going to walk, I caught him just in time. He wants to walk so badly.

Otis is doing well in school and is going to attend a couple of days this summer so he doesn't get bored. He has been helping me clean and do laundry all day... what a great help!

Well, Payton is wrestling my tennis shoes and losing, so I'll go for now...

Busy Busy Blanns

Well, here is my super cool 4 year old. Isn't he getting big? He wanted me to take this "cool" picture of him while we were playing outside. Last weekend, my sister and her boyfriend and little girl came over for a cook out and visit. We all had a ball, especially the kids. I think Otis is girl crazy already. He proposed to Sarah, but I'm sure he wasn't serious.... do you think? They were so cute.... As for the rest of us, we are all busy with the day to day life of a family of four. It's hard for me to keep up sometimes. The kids are doing great and growing by leaps and bounds.

This week we went to visit their God Mother Stephanie and her new baby in McKinney. It was a great trip in our new minivan. It will make traveling so much nicer.... Yes we finally broke down and traded in the car for a "family" size vehicle. It is OU red and we all love it!

Let him eat cake

Well, the picture says it all. Usually kids wait until their first birthday for some good old birthday cake, but lucky Payton was initiated on my Birthday. Yes, I did have another one of those.... Anyway, he kept looking at everyones cake and making noises so, Oma gave him a taste. One thing led to another and he had red icing all over. It was too cute. We all had a ball watching. It was a fun weekend. Thanks to all the friends and family who sent well wishes and the homemade birthday cards, you guys rock!

Payton is dying to walk and practicing everyday. Otis is playing in all the mud created by the rain we have been getting. And their parents are trying to keep up. More next time....