Name That Baby Boy

It's time to start thinking about names. Bart and I have very different ideas of what a great name is.
We have Brennan Daniel and Jackson Gabriel...so...what should baby boy #3 be named?

6 Words

So the deal behind this tag is to describe yourself in 6 words... and for a fun addition add a picture of yourself too!

1. Mother
2. Wife
3. Creative
4. Lazy
5. Daughter (to my parents and of God)
6. Teacher
   

Now I get to tag YOU.... the rules say i have to choose 6 people so here it goes! I tag: Jeni C., Lexi, Maren, Jenn, Bart, Papa Jeff.

Brennanism

"Mom....MOM! What does proclaim mean?"

"hun?" (I'm blogging, leave me be, I think to myself)

"You know (in singsong voice) I proclaim the gospel."

I haven't heard of a primary song that says "I proclaim the gospel", but I am thinking he might be referring to "Called to Serve" (Far and wide his love proclaim...)

Potluck Theories

Tonight we attended a church potluck. The main course, delicious fried chicken from Hyvee (seriously...YUM!)...the sides and desserts were provided by church members.
Let's just say, I sure missed Baton Rouge 2nd Ward and Sis. Davis. Where it seemed that everyone in BR2 brought enough to feed an army, the folks out here brought smaller portions, and there just wasn't much variety. What was there was good, yeah, but it just didn't come close to matching the southern hospitality that poured out in the dishes we chose to bring. (there were some good desserts, esp. the strawberry pie from Village Inn)
This has gotten me to thinking...what's the difference? Bart thought maybe it was because there weren't many families in attendance, but that theory was shot down when I remembered a potluck the boys and I attended in Natchez, MS at my parents ward. There weren't many people there, probably 25 at the most, but there was enough food to fill the table and then some.
I guess it just has to do with how we Southerns view food. We like it, we generally prepare it well, and we like a LOT of it. No reason to not have everyone taking some home to the ones who had to work or were feeling sick that night. Here in Omaha, though, some of the variety, the spice, the mystery...was missing.
It sure did leave me feeling kind of home sick, missing those Sunday afternoon "Linger Longers" and Sis. Davis, telling the children to go last and bossing everyone around.


By the way, Bart thinks I shouldn't post this, saying it will hurt those who attended and brought food's feelings. That is not what I intended. I enjoyed the food I ate, I just noticed there is a difference b/w "north" and "south"...I am NOT trying to start a civil food fight over this.

Isn't it funny...

how every time I think, "Oh, I need to go water my baby peach tree!", it rains within 24 hours?

I can't wait until it is large enough to give us fruit...that is if the poor thing doesn't die of dehydration or frost bite in the winter...

Growing Up

It has come to my attention that my children are growing up too fast.
Jackson is starting to go potty without me asking (we are not really working on potty training, he just does it), sleeps in a "big boy bed", objects when I say we are going to X and then go to Y instead (memory like an elephant), and today, as we are sitting on the couch watching Jungle Book, he eyeballs my PB&J sandwich and says, "Mama, need peanut butter sandwich, please." and then he took it from my hands! After he had it, he tears off a tiny piece and says, "For you, Mama."
Brennan is about to start "real" school, or "5-year old school" as he calls it. He is learning how to be a good helper and sound out words to read.
Today he actually put Jackson down for a nap. I generally put Jackson in bed around 12:30-1, after Curious George on PBS. Being the bad mommy that I am, I allow the boys to watch this show as they eat their lunch at noon. I was on the phone and trying to get off as the show ended, but it wasn't working. Brennan came downstairs and informed me, "It's Jackson's naptime." to which I replied, "He'll have to wait a few moments."
Next thing I know, I am still on the phone and Brennan comes downstairs again and says, "It's Jackson's naptime and I put him in my bed and let him use 'white quilt'." WHAT? Since when does a just-turned-5 year old put his little brother down for a nap? I had to laugh, because I knew he really just wanted to play nickjr.com on the computer for a bit, but still...it started me thinking (again) about how fast they are growing up.
At least we still have moments of innocence and wonder. Both boys love to cuddle, greet me with "good morning Mama" and give the best hugs and kisses around.
So, don't grow up too fast. Mama will get off the phone to put Jack down for his nap tomorrow...I don't want to miss a moment of their childhood...even if it is shared with his brother.

The Amazing Pizza Machine!

Brennan and T. playing

Brennan and T. still playing (they rode the roller coaster together, too.)

Jackson and Brennan driving cars...Jack is only pretending, but he was happy, so who cares?

Jackson and L. on a ride. They look guilty.

Smooth move Jack! He's a lady's man, and once Brennan is in school, his ratings with the ladies are going to skyrocket.

Jack on the train.

Brennan and Jack on a ride.

We visited the Amazing Pizza Machine for the first time Monday. Some of our friends in the MOM's group were going, so I decided it was time Brennan used a few of his LA birthday dollars and we went, too. Brennan has been asking to go ever since he saw a commercial on t.v. and Jackson was just as excited, too, feeding off of Brennan's excitement. (See below post)
We pigged out at the pizza/taco/spaghetti bar and played lots of fun games.
Thanks, K., for taking Brennan on the roller coaster. He had fun, even though he freaked out in the car when he told me he did not tell you thank you. (So, thank you!)
So, although we won't make APM a regular haunt (it is a bit of a drive from our house), we will go back...some day.

2 yr. old wake up call

This morning I planned on sleeping until 7:40 when I had to take Bart to work.
At 7:05, Jack comes in and the following conversation occurs:

Jack (just woke up): take dad work now!
Me: What?
Jack: mazin' izza sheen!!! (amazing pizza machine)
Me: That's not until lunch time! Go watch t.v.


Then, when we took Bart to work and were coming home, Jackson got more and more upset the closer we got to home. He's never even been to the Amazing Pizza Machine, but I guess he is smart enough to know that is not where we were going. When we got to our house, he had a mini melt down. I guess that means he's going to have a good time today, right?

Scar Face...er, I Mean Jackson

Jack has a tendency to be a bit of a klutz. If he could get hurt by something, he usually will. He has a small scar under his eye from when he was about 9 months old because he falls so much. I am truly surprised we have not had to make any trips to the E.R. with him.
A few nights ago, Bart and I heard a tinkling noise coming from the boys room after bed. We ignored it, thinking they were out of bed playing with LEGOS. Actually, Jackson had somehow reached a framed picture on his dresser and broken it. Thankfully we check on the boys before we go to bed, because we discovered glass on the floor and went to investigate further. I found glass in Jack's bed and instantly had Bart get him out. In his bed, near his face and pillow, was a large shard of glass with a pointed tip, about five or six inches long! It looked like the perfect prison shiv. If he had rolled over it would have stabbed him, most likely causing major injures.
Now, you are probably looking at the picture and scratching your head. If the glass didn't cut him, then what DID happen to his face? Well, today right before church, Brennan was swinging a snowball maker in a circle...not being mean, just minding his own business and wasting time until we were outside to unlock the car. Jackson walks by him and BANG! our newest injury has arrived. So, if you ever want to include somebody other then your own family in your prayers...add Jackson, he can use all the blessings he can get :-)

Memory Tag

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. I can't wait to see what people remember.

It'll be fun! I tag all of y'all!

Brennan's dream job

Brennan in car this afternoon: Mom, I wish I could do a morning paper route.
Me: Why?
Brennan: Because it would keep me busy.

All Aboard!

Brennan and Jackson with their conductor hats and fingerprint train crafts.

Last Saturday, we took part in Omaha's Railroad Days. For $10, our entire family was granted admission to four local museums and Lauritzen Garden. All of the museums in some way related to trains, but we only went to Lauritzen Gardens and the Durham Heritage Museum. That was enough to fill the entire day. Trolleys and buses provided transportation between all of the sites, so you didn't have to waste time/gas driving from site to site. It was very well organized and a lot of fun. I think we will go back next year, esp. since for us to get into Durham Heritage Museum would cost $20!. To see more pictures from Saturday, click here.
Jackson was very funny at this event because he kept yelling, "All Aboard!", esp. as we boarded the small train that took us on a ride around the gardens. (even that was free!) Brennan says his favorite part was the crafts and getting mud all over himself and Jack (on accident...I think) Mine was watching the two boys get so excited over so many different things.

Today we went to Chuck E. Cheese with MOM. Click here for the pictures with captions. The boys surprised me by eating two pieces of pizza...each. If you know my boys, you know this is a new development.
We love C.E.C. because all games are one token and one token is only .25! Then if you use coupons (like I do), you can get tokens for 12.5 cents each...I saw a coupon for signing up online to get 100 tokens for $10...I am going to do that soon! Of course, I know it isn't nearly as cool as Amazing Pizza Machine, but I like spending less then $5 and having an entire morning of fun with my boys and our friends.

The reason no one from LOUISIANA will vote for OBAMA.......

If you put a G in front of his name it will be:

GO BAMA.....

And there ain't no way we are gonna do that....

(Now, I don't care who you do or don't vote for, I got this in my email and thought I'd just point out a scary but true fact.)

GEAUX TIGERS!

Happy Birthday Lillia

Brennan was invited to Lillia's birthday party at Katelman Water Park. It's a really neat swimming pool with a zero depth entry for the little ones, a sand area with fun play toys, and a super fast slide! A perk of this party is that the entire family was invited, so we all got to enjoy ourselves.
Although it looks stormy in the pictures, it didn't actually rain.
As many of you know, Brennan has been taking swim lessons for years now (seriously, he started when he was one!) I have thought they didn't really pay off...I am not huge on swimming, and the neighborhood pool cost WAY too much money for the summer, so he hasn't really ever practiced what he learned. However, at the party, although he had his Spider Man floatie (never buy a floatie from the Dollar Tree, by the way), he was kicking properly and trying to float on his back and even using his arms to do a few strokes. Now, he's no Michael Phelps, but at least I know he is kind of catching on. Maybe next summer we'll go to the pool and he can practice and really catch on.



Anyways, thanks Lilla, we had fun and I hope you had a great birthday.

Wipe Out

For some reason, Brennan and Jackson are obsessed with ABC's summer show, Wipe Out. I'm not sure if they think all the people falling of the obstacle courses into mud and water is funny, or if they love staying up past their bedtime, but they are hooked. They ask if it is on every night and talk about it during the day.
Yesterday, Brennan made his own wipe out course in his toy room with trucks, little people, and blocks...no water allowed! He played with it for what seemed likes hours.
I don't mind this newest craze. It gives me some leverage to get them to do things quickly on Tuesday nights.
"Brush your teeth quickly before Wipe Out starts!"
"Eat all your veggies or you go to bed on time"
"Who can pick up the most LEGO's during this commercial break?"
Things like that.
Oh, and right now the boys are getting ready for the big show, by picking up all of their boys and getting ready for bed...giving me a few minutes of freedom to do whatever I want.

Food For Thought-5-the end

I have come to the conclusion that trying to write about food every day for a month while pregnant with a very hungry fetus is not a good idea. It has left me feeling, well, empty...in need of more nourishment, craving whatever I wrote about in the post. Although I do enjoy trying to meet the challenge of NaBloPoMo, I am dropping out of July's challenge...it's just getting to be too costly to my hips, thighs, and belly. I have really enjoyed reading your comments and ideas about food. I think I will pose questions at the end more often. Then we can share, even though we are not together.
Maybe I will give it a try next month, maybe I will wait until Fat Baby is born to try to blog every single day for a month. You, my faithful reader, will have to wait and see what I decide to do.

Happy Birthday America! & Food for Thought-4 (a day late)

This fourth of July we invited some friends over and had a little BBQ. If you know Bart, you know he likes to go overboard when it comes to grilling. So, we had hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, BBQ pulled pork (slow cooked all day in crock pot), and we were going to have ribs, but we convinced Bart we had enough! We also had a delicious homemade apple pie, thanks to Maren. The kids played in the pool and the sprinkler, the adults lounged around and had a carefree afternoon outside, enjoying the not yet too hot weather of Omaha.
After dinner, the kids and moms went to the park, while the men stayed back and did manly stuff.
When it was finally starting to get a tiny bit dark, we loaded up our cars and headed out to Boys Town for a fireworks show. While waiting for the show to begin (it gets dark REALLY late around here, like 9:30-10), we learned a few things...
#1. Bring bubbles, balls, and glow sticks
#2. Don't sit near a street light
#3. Don't drink too much, b/c the bathroom is far away
#4. Don't follow Kris and Mick, thinking it probably really is faster then getting onto Dodge, change your mind about where you are going, and wind up on Pacific St. where the onramp to the interstate is currently non-existent due to construction...

Overall we had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year, maybe even bigger!

So...What did you eat to celebrate the fourth of July???

Family Photo's

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Family Photos taken by Dusek Photography. Thanks Kim...We love our pictures!

Food For Thought-3

My favorite drive thru?
Taco Bell
What do I order?
1 bean burrito
1 soft taco OR 1 of the new $0.99 super tacos OR 1 tostada

What is your favorite drive thru when you are starving and can't wait until dinner time?

Food For Thought-2

What is your favorite part of a BBQ?
I think mine is baked beans, made the way my parents make it, with lots of ground beef, sausage, bacon, and BBQ sauce...slow cooked for hours.
Yum.

"What in History of Life is THAT? Is that sky falling in Omaha?"

Brennan's response to seeing this picture on Emily's blog.

Food For Thought-1

Last November I participated in NaBloPoMo...or National Blog Posting Month. It was a free for all of blogging, with one post every day. Since then, NaBloPoMo has added the feature of blogging on a specific subject each month.
July's subject is food...and although the past month's topics haven't quite caught my attention, this one did.
So, prepare yourself to be feed by my blog every day in the month of July.
Oh, and feel free to join me...we could all get some great tips and recipes from this experience.


Entry 1:

If I ever need a recipe and can't find one in my cookbooks, I always try to find some version of what I want on the Southern Living website. I just trust it more then other sites out there. I guess I figure if someone in the south thought it tasted good...it probably did.
These people up here in Omaha just don't have a clue what good food is all about. No offense Nebraska, but so far we have not been impressed with your selection of dining options. Now, I know there is good food out there, just the stuff in our price range is blah...we used to love to eat at T.J. Ribs and Copeland's if we wanted to eat out...not too pricey, but not McDonald's cheap, either...here, I'd rather get a burger at Culver's then risk wasting money on food with no taste.
Where do you love to eat when dining away from home and where do you go for recipes? Leave a comment and let me know.

Brennan's 5th Birthday Party at the Fire Station!

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***press pause on the music player if you want to watch the movie***

Brennan's 5th birthday party was a huge success even though there was a major hold up along the way...no power due to the destructive storm the night before! Lucky for me, I'd already baked and frosted the cake, so all I had to do in the dark was make the frosting and start to decorate it by candle light. I quickly decided to wait until morning to finish the cake.
I was worried people would think it was canceled, since our phone wasn't working and I couldn't call the guests and let them know everything was okay. However, they all came, except for one family of sick children and one family who was dealing with a very wet basement.
The fire station down the street also had no electricity, but we drove by early in the morning and asked if they still wanted us to come and they said they were ready, so after play time (outside...the toy room in the basement was too dark and spooky), cake time, and present time, we were off to Fire Station 42 for a really good luck at fire engines. It wasn't nearly as fun as the tour we had when Kim set it up a few years ago, but I think the kids had a good time, even if they didn't get to ride the fire engine around town or shoot a fireman's hose (we did do that stuff in Gonzales...how cool is that? thanks Kim!)
Overall it was a great birthday party and Brennan really enjoyed himself, which is all that really mattered, anyways.
Wonder what he'll want next year???

Confessions of a not so sauve' five year old

Brennan just came in and asked, "Mommy, do you know where your MP3 player is?"
"No" (yes, I do, but I thought he'd want to listen to it and I don't think its batteries are charged)
"It's on the bottom of my bed! I got it last night and listened all night!"

Now, that is NOT how you should go about sneaking Mom's IPOD into bed with you...and getting to keep it in there, now is it?