Thanksgiving Weekend

Having four days off from work is a very rare occurrence but a very nice one (well 95% of the time).
Thursday we ended up going out to eat with my grandparents at Sirloin Stockade and it was so busy that we didn't get to sit together. So to me it didn't feel like a "family" dinner or any different than if Kenny and I took the kids out to eat. I was very bummed and disappointed that none of our family on either side did anything on Thanksgiving. But next year we decided to have it at our house for both sides of the family.
Later Thursday afternoon Kenny and I took Blake and met another couple and their daughters to watch Happy Feet Two in 3D. Blake loved the movie and it was the first ever 3D movie it was strange seeing stuff come out of the big screen at you. Was cute watching the kids trying to catch things that were coming at us.

Friday morning I woke up to a very awesome text from a very good friend... that she had gotten engaged the night before. I am so happy for her and Blake is happy and excited that he will finally get to attend his first wedding ever. I opted to stay far away from stores on Friday figured two kids and crowds were a recipe for disaster. So we stayed home then went to my in laws for dinner that night.

Saturday we got up bright and early the kids were already at their grandparents house (apparently grandpa can't resist the kids crying wanting to stay so they got to stay over night). We headed to Jeff City to shop for appliances, I knew Sears and Best Buy had some good specials going on for Black Friday weekend. After a couple hours of shopping both stores we decided to get Samsung appliances from Best Buy and got one heck of a deal! Our refrigerator is a bit more fancy than I had intended but for the price I went ahead with it. The oven is a new version of the double oven but only has one door. Once we have it in the house I will take pictures and explain better. We also got our over the range microwave and dishwasher. We got some other shopping done and I was able to get prices and ideas of other gifts.

Sunday we got up early again (so much for getting caught up on sleep with the long weekend) and headed to breakfast and then to Lowes to pick paint. I knew going in to this that it would be a battle. Amanda and I went a few weeks ago and picked several colors and Kenny liked most all of them. However he got frustrated with me because I wanted to make sure what colors we chose I could easily match curtains and decor to. Granted I won't be buying that stuff soon but I wanted to be sure it wasn't going to be a color that was hard to match. We survived that trip got samples and headed home to put them on the wall to be sure we liked them. Having two kids running/helping/arguing was a challenge but we liked all the colors we picked. So back to town we went to buy all the paint and primer. Felt great to have two big things out of the way.

So this week/weekend we will be putting on the primer and then painting the walls and be ready for tile. Another huge task that will cause some arguments I am sure. The way I look at it is we are going to live in this house for ever and I don't want to just settle or pick because we are in a hurry and not like what we get. I've talked to several people that did just that and then hated the floors or wall color for years to come. Not to mention I am a big price checker and want to get the best deal out there which aggravates Kenny at times. But he had to admit my shopping for deals on appliances online and making him go shopping Saturday really paid off.

5 Question Friday

1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood? Not necessarily a certain song. Although listening to Blake sing his and April's song Big Green Tractor usually makes me smile no matter the mood.

2. Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one? Fake fake fake way less mess. Although the real ones are pretty and smell nice I just don't like their mess.

3. What are you thankful for? My kids, husband, family and my amazing friends! As well having a good job and a home.

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?

Hmm, not really sure. But I would love to have a job where you could dress casual from time to time and wear something more comfortable.

5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?

Yep and guilty of even waiting awhile after it comes on to fill up.

My Deer Hunters

Deer season around our neck of the woods is like a huge deal guys drop everything they are doing to go hunt. I don't mind going out and hunting but I am a bit picky there isn't any getting up before daylight walking thru the woods in the dark to get set up for this girl. But living in a house full of all boys well this past weekend was like Christmas!
A friend of ours from Illinois was here to hunt and when he is here there is no chance of watching anything on tv other than the outdoor channel (thank goodness for DVR)
Blake has been going out with Kenny since he was about 2 1/2 and LOVES it, this year Kenny thought he would let Blake sleep in and come back for him in the afternoon. Much to all of our surprise Blake woke up by himself at 5 am and got dressed and was ready to go before the big guys!

Couldn't get him to smile because he kept going MOM we are going to be late! So off they went at 5am with their chocolate milk, donuts, blaze orange and guns. Nathan was awake and didn't know why he couldn't go with Daddy and Bubba.

About mid morning I got a call and it was Blake who was so excited he could hardly get the words out. Finally I put it all together him and his daddy got a big 8 point buck. I didn't really think much about it when you hear of people getting 12, 14 and 20 pointers. Later in the day Kenny calls and asked how to send a text with a picture. Finally about an hour later I got this picture delivered to my phone and then knew why they were so excited.

It was the biggest deer Kenny had ever shot and it was the first deer that he and Blake had ever got together. I was also told to be thinking of a wall for it to hang on in our new house (he suggested above our bed and I said NOT)

I'm really glad that Blake enjoys going out with his dad and hunting and doesn't get freaked out by it. Won't be long and he will be the one shooting the deer and it won't be long before Nathan is tagging along with them. However I have a feeling when that happens I will have to become more of a hunter and be taking Blake out in the woods. Now if only they made deer rifles in pink.....

My boys are growing up

Last weekend Blake wanted to stay with my mom and stepdad of course they were excited to have him. His Grandpa took him hunting since it was youth season and then the had to go to the dollar store and buy some toys. Sunday they painted the master bedroom closet then right before I got there they went out hunting one last time.
When we were getting ready to leave Blake wanted to put the ATV back on the carport and well Nathan wasn't going to pass up a chance to go for a ride. However I was a bit nervous that Blake was taking Nathan for a ride without an adult. Even though it was only 20 feet to the carport I was nervous but Nathan had a huge smile on his face.

Now Blake thinks he can take Nathan for a ride on his four wheeler. I think that is something that will have to wait until next summer. Nathan has his own power wheels four wheeler and that suits him just fine.

Storm Chasers

I love the show on Discovery Channel Storm Chasers. And yes I am terrified of storms but still watch the show every season.
Well yesterday Kenny called me at lunch and said you'll never guess what's in town, followed by um check the radar and make sure there are no storms coming our way. He then told me that the TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) was sitting by his work on a trailer. I of course jumped in my car wanting to actually see it in person, when I got across town it was sitting in Plaza Tire's parking lot.

I felt like a total weirdo driving by taking pictures and circling the parking lot. I hoped that the actual crew that drives the car in the show would be here but nope. I think they were just hauling the car somewhere. But it was SO cool to see it and I was shocked by the size of it.

Blake loves watching the show with me so he thought it was super cool that I have real pictures of the TIV.

Halloween

Halloween a night of rushing, stress and over stimulated kids.... While most kids love trick or treating and dressing up mine seem to be ok with one stop then go home. Blake has never been in to trick or treating at more than one place maybe two if I was lucky, he doesn't like candy so guess that could be part of it. But each year grandparents want to see the kids dressed up so each year I try to make it fun.

This year Blake wanted to be a ninja which for anyone who knows him will find that strange. He has been a bullrider each year for Halloween since he was 2 and he is now 6. He still wanted to be a billrider but talked his papa Mitch in to getting him the ninja costume. Nathan well I had planned on putting him in his boot and wranglers with chaps and letting him be a cowboy like bubba. Night before Halloween I got a text from a friend saying she came across a elephant costume her son had wore, so Nathan was an elephant and a very cute one at that.

Although not a fan of the hood because he couldn't see past the trunk he was still cute.

Our first stop was at the St. James Nursing home so the kids go see their Great Great Grandma, they had several of the residents sitting in the community room handing out candy. Of course Great Great Grandma wasn't out there so we had to venture back to her room. Needless to say it was a weird experience that I will post about later. But the boys got to see her she told Nathan elephants were ugly and told us she was dying.
Couldn't get a real good picture with both kids and her since she wasn't very cooperative

We left there and headed to my Grandparents house stayed a few minutes then headed to Vienna around 8 (which is past Nathan's bedtime and real close to Blake's) to see my parents. Both boys fell asleep on the way there and I had to wake them both up to go in. After leaving there we had to head back to Vichy to my in-laws house by this time I was wore out stressed and ready to be home.

I think next year if Blake isn't interested in going to more than one place we won't. I will not push it on him and I wont push him to get candy he don't eat or try to get him to eat it.