Ooohhh check it out!

Check out the poll on the right, McCain's leading! :)

We are catching up on our to do list this weekend, with a trip to our water park tomorrow. Yippee! Ü

Happy Labor Day! Ü

(Photo. Automatic. Flash. Quickie shot. :)

From Miss S.

We are soooooooooooo blessed with Bentley's teacher this year. She is wonderful! Such a relief after our experiences the last 2 years. I know she is exactly what Bentley needs.

Below is part of an email I received from her & I found it quite interesting:

"He is very smart! His vocabulary is HUGE!! Has he ever been tested for Gifted and Talented? I would want to observe him a little longer before I submitted his name, but so far, I am seeing a lot of gifted qualities in him!!
Thank you!!

Miss S.

I tend to agree with her comment & I think because he's so darn smart, it creates a lot of our challenges with him. But I wouldn't want him any other way. He's perfect. Ü

We are individuals, not duplicates.

That is my very own personal quote. :) Made it up all by meself & I've used it before. :)

That said, I appreciate everyone's comments. I really do. It is very interesting to me to read different aspects from different people. Of course we all don't agree & we all don't think alike - if we did, there would be no need to vote in the first place. There are pros & cons of all four candidates. History proves it, the present represents it, & the future will rely on it.

Just because you & I don't agree, or you don't agree with her (meaning anyone), is no big deal. We all have the right to our own opinions. I'm not going to dislike you because of your political choice. I appreciate your opinion. My blog is a friendly blog & hopefully a fun, silly one. Friends are friends regardless of their political opinion. (Even though Christine doesn't obey very well...heehee :)

Please feel free to leave any comment you wish on my blog. I have no problem with that. The comments that are left just might encourage someone to vote who was thinking of not voting. It doesn't matter who they vote for - their choice - just vote! Stand tall & be proud. However, what I don't appreciate are comments such as "try harder". I have no reason to try harder. I'm not trying to do anything. I'm not trying to convince anyone who they should vote for. I'm not trying to impress anyone. We are/were simply discussing the most recent announcement. An interesting one for many.

Regarding Palin's baby boy versus Obama's children - it's very simple. Obama's children are not infants & do not have (known) special needs. Palin's baby is. And that baby deserves his mother's love & attention. Not when it's convenient. Not until she finds something better/more important to do. All the time. The position she is currently in is not/will not be 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The fact that Palin's husband is a play-at-home father is great. That is their personal choice. That precious baby still deserves a mother who is committed to him & his needs. And that - is my personal opinion. Ü

Now let's play nice. :)

Kidbits.

I was brushing my teeth this a.m. When I finished, I called to Audi to check on him.

Me: Audi, are you ok? What are you doing?

Audi: Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm jis sittin here watchin tv. ....pause.... with a lizard.

Me: What?!

Audi: I'm watchin tv. With a lizard. He's watchin tv too & I'm holding him gently.

Sure enough. He was holding a tiny gecko. LOL Outside we all went, gecko in hand.

Me: Put him down now.

Audi: No! I want to keep him.

Me: Audi put him down so he can go eat. He's hungry.

Down went the gecko. Outside. Where he belongs. And inside went Audi to wash his hands with lots of soap. He is all boy. Too darn cute! Ü

Photos. Manual. No flash. I may start posting my settings soon. :o)

Her.

She is precious.

Photo. Manual. No flash. I am getting there. Ü

Exploring.

Someone has discovered there are many more rooms to this house. Isn't this the cutest photo? She looks like such an itty bitty in our huge foyer. :)

She is really getting brave. Holding on w/ one hand. Look how proud she is. :) She is not cruising yet, but I'm sure it won't be long. She is reaching milestones sooner than our other 3 did. Keep on workin', thyroid! :)

That's our carbon monoxide alarm you see on the wall. See how it's crooked? Yes, she found it. A few times. :)

At the Endocrin on Monday she weighed in @ 22 1/2 lbs. If you remember her last visit, we had issues w/ her weight (they rounded up & it seemed as if she had gained too much too fast) & I had to have her reweighed at the pediatrician. I do not think the 22 1/2 is accurate - if so, she is completely off the chart on weight. Ha! I do believe, however, she is over 20 lbs. She measured 27" in length (50%) which means she has not grown in length for quite some time. She is now in her new big girl carseat, facing forward, & in hog heaven. Her latest trick is to crack up when I'm laughing. It's so funny. She is SO amazing! :o)

2nd grade.

I didn't want to go to bed last night. I didn't want today to arrive. But both were inevitable. And he went to his first day of 2nd grade. He was so excited. Not to mention, so cute.

We all walked him in. He headed down his corridor without hesitation. I was grumpy. My summer with him just wasn't long enough.


I snapped my photos & kissed him goodbye. My heart sunk but I did not cry. Fortunately, I had scheduled Mercedes' Endocrin appointment for today. So we did that & went for her bloodwork. Those two tasks kept my mind busy.

At 3:00 p.m. he hopped in my car with the largest, most adorable smile across his face. He had a blast. He loved it. He loves his teacher. He rubbed my arm. I cried while he told me all about it.

He knows how to work me. We had this conversation also.

Bentley: I didn't get my work completed because I was missing you.

Me: Because you were missing me? You mean because you were talking too much.

Bentley: No, I was thinking about you.

Me: You mean you were talking too much.

Bentley: Um, yeah.

And then I took him to Sonic to retrieve his much needed orange slush.

There are no words to describe how much I love him. Words do no justice for the love I feel for this child. He is more than I could ever deserve.

Will sending him off ever get any easier? Because my heart says no.

Kidbits.

Me: Bentley, do you want more Calvin Klein undies? Do you like those?

Bents: Nope. I prefer Hanes. I only want Hanes.

Me: Ok. Why?

Bents: Because they have new ones. They don't ride up.

ROFL! Hanes it is! (Even though I'm pretty sure he is speaking about the commercial introducing the new women's line.) Ü

Shower help requested.

We have a large shower. We have a lot of people who shower regularly. The mold & mildew is getting out of my control. I leave the shower door open to help with this. (Yes, of course I clean it. I know what you're thinking. :)

The shower is so large, the fumes from cleaners are killing me because I have to use so much. I don't want to do that anymore/use them anymore. However, I need something strong & potent. And I've heard yes use bleach, & no don't use bleach. We also don't have any windows in the bathroom that open - they are the dumb ol' coke bottle windows. That makes matters worse.

I am googling like crazy. If you have a large shower, how do you handle it?

Any ideas from you guys? Please?

Regarding school supplies.

And Christine's comment. There is no way I could just read her comment & move on. LOL Ü Part of her comment read:

"you should see our public schools list...crazy long including 6 rolls of paper towels, 4 boxes of zip lock bags, 4 boxes of tissues etc...I thought that was nuts!"

Christine, is this list for just one child? Are you kidding me? 6 rolls of paper towels, 4 boxes of baggies & tissue? Girl, that made me crack up.

I hope you did some investigating. Because it sounds to me as if teachers in your ISD are coming up with a sneaky & unique way to stock their personal kitchen cupboards. ;o)

Also, have you all heard that a school in Houston (TX) is now allowing teachers to bring handguns to school if they have completed a training course? Very frightening stuff.

Pulling up.

She's missing an earring? She is? I certainly can't tell. ;o)

She mastered it! Pulling up @ 7 1/2 months. Though I think this is a tad early - the reason it makes me soooooooooo happy that she is reaching all these milestones is because it tells me that her thyroid is working! PTL! :)

The photo above is a quickie shot. I was trying to get ready for Meet the Teacher & was running behind schedule. Audi was entertaining Mercedes & excitedly ran into me saying "She did it! She's standing!" I ran to get my camera & switched that puppy on automatic. Good heavens. All of the photos I snapped (really fast) were completely blurry. I figured my camera was on it's last leg. One can hope. :) Later on it dawned on me that camera was focusing just fine - I didn't have my contacts in yet. Baha! Ü

I'm surprised she pulled up in her pack-n-play. She is never in that thing - only to take naps. That's it. I do not use it for a babysitter. Ever. Even at dinner time, she sits with us, as a family, & has her dinner & crackers/puffs/juice. She does have a lot of floor time, but only because she loves floor time so much. Miss Independent. :) That said, when she is on the floor, I am with her. I do not leave her be while I 'fuel my own flame'. (ahem) Although I love photography & am drooling at learning more - it will have to wait. My children come first & aren't left to fend for themselves while I boost my ego. (ahem). Heehee...inside joke. Ü

Now. I have one other thing to say. And you just might want to sit down as it is HUGE & unexpected. Especially coming from me.

Regarding Meet the Teacher night...(I should have reread the school supply list I typed out on here - I didn't purchase enough writing tablets or school glue. Ha!)

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Bentley's new teacher! Woohoo! :) :) :)

School supplies.

Is it like this everywhere? Does everyone go thru this?

Below is Bentley's school supply list. No problemo. Let's begin.

12 - Number 2 wood pencils Oriole/American brand.
1 - Pocket only folder. Assorted colors.
1 - 4 pack EXPO 2 low odor chisel tip dry erase markers.
1 - 48 ct. Crayola crayons.
1 - Plastic pocket-only folder - assorted color.
1 - Washable Crayola thick classic markers - 8 ct.
1 - Long plastic pencil box with lid - size 13x5.25x2.5 (will hold a ruler).
4 - 8.5x11" - 1/2" rule, red baseline w/dotted midline writing tablet (D'Nealian).
1 - .77 oz. Elmer's glue stick.
1 - 7" 8 ct. Crayola colored pencils.
12 - Reclosable snack bags.
1 - Sharp 5" scissor.
2 - 4 oz. Elmer's school glue.
1 - 120 ct. Kleenex tissue.
2 - Magic Rub eraser.
1 - Box reclosable quart bags - 25 ct.

I typed the list exactly how it is on my printed sheet. I added the periods 'cause I'm picky like that. ;o)

Now then. There were a few simple things to purchase - the pencils, the 4 oz. school glue, the pocket folders, crayons, markers & dry erase markers. Every thing else was a hassle & took going to another store. At both stores though I had to do some thinking & scouting.

Oh, I forgot to mention we are instructed to "be brand specific" on every single item. Bossy little people.

The "plastic" pocket-only folder - it states one. Yet is says "assorted color". Does this mean more than one in assorted colors, or, get any color but just purchase one? I bought 4 just in case. Assorted colors.

Long pencil box - Target had some that were just an tee tiny bit shy of holding a ruler. We passed.

.77 oz. Elmer's glue stick. Simple. Except they don't make .77 oz. If so, I didn't find it. Do you buy 2 smaller ones or 1 larger one? I opted for the larger.

8 count colored pencils. Simple. Except they don't make an 8 count. It's 12.

Sharp 5" scissor. Ok. Is the brand Sharp, or do they mean 'sharp not blunt'? I couldn't find a Sharp brand. I have Fiskars.

120 ct. Kleenex. Simple. Except Kleenex brand (which I'm instructed to purchase) doesn't come in 120 count. I opted for more.

Reclosable quart bags - 25 ct. Simple. Except they don't come in 25 count.

I did have to go to Staples to find the "Magic Rub" erasers (& other items). What? The pink ones don't work? Also, I could not find the "8.5x11" - 1/2" rule, red baseline w/ dotted midline writing tablet". Sheesh! I found all but that particular one. Bents ended up with a 3rd grade writing tablet & dimensions are close, but not exact. I didn't know what else to do...? And why don't any #2 pencils work? Why must they be Oriole/American brand?

Are you just supposed to get the closest thing you can find to the required list? Why do they list certain 'counts' when brands don't make those certain counts? Such as bags & Kleenex. Why can't I buy Target brand tissue? Target brand had the count they are requiring. But I'm told to buy Kleenex brand.

Tomorrow night is Meet the Teacher. I am really trying to stay positive for Bentley. 'Cause he's still so excited. And this year I will be marking every single school supply with his name. See how they like that, darnit. Yes, the public school grump has resurfaced! That's me! Ü

This year's supplies cost: $56.08 - including an oh so cool backpack & lunchbox. :)

Can't wait to do this for 4 children. :o)

*Sarah - your comment made me giggle. I hadn't thought about it but you're right - it is a blessing to not have to buy school supplies! :o)

Rebecca - the supply list I have, I printed off of our ISD's web page.

Kimberly - interesting thought - "so all children feel equal". I would 'buy' that but here (in Texas - our district anyway)...in Kindergarten...after spending 6 hours w/ Bentley & letting him pick out all his own, personal stuff for his first exciting year, they made everyone toss everything into one big pile. He never got to use his stuff. We were sad. :( Last year - very same thing happened. This year, not sure. But I'm putting his name on his supplies in anyway! :)

The pierced ears dilemma.

Ok. Now. I know the photo is blurry - getting this child to hold still is impossible. :) If you draw an imaginary line from ear to ear (or even use your cursor) - it's quite noticable the earrings are crooked. Boo. I'm just not sure at this point which one is off. Looking at photo, is the left too low or is the right too high? Check out the curled tongue. This girl can almost completely 'roll' her tongue (curl both sides up to almost make an 'o'). Not sure of the correct term to use. I can't do it, so I don't know. :o)

I phoned our pediatrician today. The dr. said to wait 6 weeks before repiercing. I asked them about the little knotted scar tissue that results from piercing, because that's what I'm most concerned about. They said you can pierce thru it, it's not a big deal.

So, we wait. I'll probably give it a little longer than 6 weeks just to be on the safe side. It's a shame she'll have to hurt again when we redo. :( I should have been smarter & not done this important procedure on Tax-Free weekend. Everyone was distracted & people were everywhere! That made focusing difficult.

Katie, Jaguar never really messed w/ her earrings. Hers were pierced @ 4 months. However, as she grew (like about 1 - 1/2 years old), she did pull them out every now & then. Very seldom. I did take her to the dr. a few times because I wasn't sure if she may have swallowed one. All they did was listen for wheezing & we were good to go. I do recall them telling me she could be x-rayed if it would make us more comfortable, but we never did. I guess if we go to the airport someday & she beeps, we'll know there's an earring in there. ;o) Seriously, I don't think she ever swallowed one. And never have we had any issues since. That said though, I think it is the parent's responsibility to check the earrings & make sure they are good & secure. Constantly. And of course you know I do that. Hubby is even trained to do it. Ü

**Rebecca - I agree with you. I believe her left is too high. That is the one I raised. If you could see her entire ear lobe, it actually is perfectly centered. But it still looks too high. I wish I could get her right ear earring back in, & then we could just repierce her left ear, lowering the piercing. Thanks for your IMHO! LOL

**Yay! I got the right earring (her right ear - lower piercing) back in! Wahoo! Now I have to dr. that thing like crazy to keep it sanitized & I don't even want to chance that sucker getting infected, & then all we have to do is lower the left ear's piercing & repierce. Won't do that for quite some time though. She'll just look a little 'off' with one earring. ;) Sheesh! I'm tired of all this earring drama! Ü

Question of the day.

We went & spent all day with my mom today. She's really doing fantastic with my children - I'm just so pleased. We're having a really good time.

We were in the car for quite some time today. Mercedes began crying. Loudly.

Mom: Does she take her pacifier?

Me: She doesn't really take a pacifier.

A few minutes go by. Mercedes is still crying. (Ready to get out of the carseat)

Mom: Can you force her to? LOL Ü

-2 diamonds. Update.

I took one of Mercedes' earrings out.

Yesterday I noticed the girl had marked the piercings really low. I had her move the markings up a time or two. One we (I) got perfect. One is still too low. (It happens to be the closeup shot in the photos below. You can see it's a little low - not much lobe under the stud. What do you think? The diamond in the photo where hubby is holding her, you can see that one is perfectly centered - or I think so - maybe it's too high?)

So I called Claire's & asked them what to do. She suggested we remove the earring we aren't happy with & it should close back up immediately since it was just pierced yesterday. Wait two weeks - bring Mercedes & the earring back & they will repierce that particular ear for free. Yay! Not so yay for Merc. :( I knew I should have raised that marking on the other ear further up. I knew it. But I didn't do it - I thought it would be ok. Poo.

Katie, if you decide to pierce Lily's, just make sure they mark the piercings smack dab in the middle of the earlobe. This way, as Lily grows, the earring will always be right in the middle. Jaguar's are still perfectly centered. Yes it will hurt her, but it's very brief. Mercedes only cried for 5 seconds, & so did Jaguar. And if you decide to wait, you may run into Rebecca's issue where Lily may be too frightened to do it. Either way, just do what you are comfortable with! :)

**Ugh! What to do? Now I'm thinking I should remove both earrings & redo them both in about a month. Help!

**Doesn't matter now - both earrings are out. Was rocking her while ago & noticed the back was missing off the remaining earring - how that happened is beyond me as those are locking backs. I could hardly get the other one off. So...now we'll repierce them both. At a way later time. ;o) Our pediatrician actually pierces ears so I think I'll check w/ them. Crud. This would only happen to us. Ü

**Rebecca - thanks so much for that info. Gosh I can't believe Jaguar's went off without a hitch & Mercedes has been so difficult. I definitely will be calling the pediatrician after your comment. I'm so glad you shared that. That's horrible! :(

Her first diamonds.

First, here's her pig tail. Is that what it's called? I don't like it. Ha! No time to work on it - we had to get going. Did I mention we think she has some other ethnicity in her? We're thinking Asian, but now I'm also thinking possibly Guatemalan. Unfortunately we'll never know. What we do know is that she is perfect, hand-picked & beautiful. Ü

Yes her tongue is yet again...up. LOL That darn tongue is either up or out when she smiles. I really need to ask the pediatrican about that. ;o)

Tada! We got her ears pierced today. :) Here she is all happy happy with daddy 'cause she's oblivious as to what's about to happen to her. Heehee. Hubby held her because I held Girl1 when we had her ears pierced. Girl1 was done @ 4 months - Girl2 is almost 7 1/2 months - I waited with her because she had such a rough beginning. (ahem - notice how absolutely perfect her ear shape is. I am an ears fanatic. God knew because all of my children have the most perfectly shaped ears. Girl1 had a 'bent' ear at birth & I tried taping it & then playdoh'ing it into shape. LOL That's another post. ;o)

I couldn't really get a good shot because 2 girls pierced her ears simultaneously.

Oh boy she cried, but only for about 5 seconds. Then I showed her all the other bling bling at Claire's. She liked. :)

The finished product. Ü (The purple you see is actually from the marker where they marked the piercings.)

Love my beautiful girl.

No title.

Katie - the gowns I bought from Wal-Mart were just hanging on a hanger. No package. Completely loose & open at the bottom (no elastic). They are 12 month in size & bought individually. Once they are washed, they are so soft! Love them.

Thank you girls for the comments on my 'adultery' post. Just something I was thinking so I typed it out. My thoughts/posts aren't always warm & mushy, LOL, more like curt & to the point. :) I think everyone feels the same about adultery. It is certainly an act that is performed by choice & can most definitely be avoided & prevented. Thanks for the kind words. :)

Off to Babies-R-Us - Girl2 needs a big girl carseat! We're going to go ahead & turn her around to face forward (typically we do this @ 8 months) so she should be loving that! I know it's too early to face her forward...shhhhh...don't tell! :)

Katie, do you use a Mighty-Tite on your carseat? One of the best inventions ever made. Ü

Monkey see, monkey do.

She has her camera.

She is taking photos of her babies.

I wonder who she gets that from? Ü

A new photo of my baby. 7 months old now. Ü

In this photo, she is actually in a nightgown. She has outgrown her footsies & I haven't made it to Carter's yet. So I picked up these little gowns at Wal-Mart. Now I'm here to tell you, I am very particular in what my children sleep in. I want their jammies to be oh so soft & comfy. I want my children to snuggle in & sleep good. These little temporary gowns - rock! I'm buying more. :)

This weekend I will attempt her first ever pig tail. Her hair is long & I love it! I hope it works. :)

Happy Friday! Ü

Adultery.

Many would tell you this is an extremely hot topic for me. It most certainly is.

Warning: rough ride ahead. I call 'em as I see 'em.

You see, I was raised witnessing adultery first hand. My dad had numerous affairs while married to & living with my mother, as well as his children (that would be me). I remember well the first time I met my dad's 'mistress'. I was 13 years old. My dad always had boats - my boyfriend & myself went to the lake one day to meet my dad (my mother never went out on the boats) & go out in the boat. As soon as the boat got closer to the dock we were standing on, I spotted her. Her & her two children. In the boat, with my father. I distinctly remember looking at my boyfriend & saying "who in the hell is that?!" I'm sure my dad had many girlfriends before her (or maybe not, not sure) but she is the first one I was aware of. Anyway, my dad pulled up to the dock & we climbed in the boat. Of course I was introduced to his "business associate" & her children. She was a pretty redhead, much more attractive than my mother (truth hurts), she was soft spoken, quiet & friendly. Her children, I believe, were as shocked as I was & didn't speak much. Neither did I.

Francis was in our lives for a couple of years. Or more. Can't remember. Every time my grandparents (my dad's pathetic parents) came into town, believe it or not they would stay at my dad's girlfriend's house, & if we (myself & brothers) wanted to see them, we had to go to her house. I never did. My brothers did. From that moment on - I hated them.

There were times that my mother would leave for work, Francis would come to our home, cook dinner, clean up the dishes & leave, & then my mother would arrive home from work. Unbelievable. Unbelievable that 1.) she did it & 2.) my father subjected his childen to this kind of trashy behavior. But he did. My girlfriend used to ask me "why don't you tell your mom what your dad is doing?" I'm sure my mother already knew what my dad was doing, but I would look at my friend & say "how do you look at your mother & rip her heart out?" I never said a word to my mom & of course she never said a word either. My dad would disappear for days & then resurface. We all knew where he was. Unfortunately, that was our life.

During this time my dad did everything in his power to get my mom & us to leave. But we had no where to go. I remember bathing with snails/slugs because he wouldn't do anything to the house to help us improve it. I remember our kitchen being completely embossed with cockroaches, our counters were almost black. Filth. Disgust. We lived with it because again, we had no where to go. My dad owned 5 cars & wouldn't let my mom drive any of them. Fortunately at that time my mom's parents stepped in & gave my mom a car. A car with no a/c, because they live up north. So my poor mom drove a car, in Texas, in 105+ summer heat, with no a/c. All the while my dad drove his Cadillac & cute little Mustang, among the others. Within time my mom purchased a mobile home & got us the hell out of there & that mess.

Francis eventually passed away from cancer. I felt bad for her children as they had no one - their dad had passed away years prior in a plane crash. Her kids were adopted, so they didn't really have many relatives. Francis' daughter & I, get this, actually became sisters-in-law down the road, as we married brothers. She then became one of my closest friends & I still love her to this day. I get so excited when I get to see her. We never, not one time, ever spoke of the affair. Never. Our lives had moved on.

Many years later, I meet my husband. Low & behold, his family too was distroyed by adultery. His mother had an affair while married. I remember the first time I met her - we ran to the store for something & she nonchalantly told me about it. She blamed the affair on hubby's dad. Whatever. Or should I say, bullshit. I don't buy crap like that. When you're a grown adult, you are completely responsible for the choices you make. Take responsibility & stop blaming others for your poor choices.

And now we have this. This nasty, disgusting, pathetic, lying sack of crap, known as John Edwards. There is no way, & no reason, to sugarcoat it - he's trash. And he could have been our President, y'all! Sweet. I don't know if you've been keeping up with this scandal & all of this monster's lies, but he's digging himself a bigger hole by the day. And now his mistress' sister is speaking out. He's a frickin' lying jerk. But the worst part about all of this is his wife who is dying, & his children. And of course, his newest baby girl that he is too ashamed & embarrassed to claim. It is absolutely heartbreaking what this family has gone thru & for what is yet to come. Innocent people whose hearts are being ripped out & lives torn apart; & not to mention, all of the humiliation they must endure along the way. I feel so, so incredibly sad for them. They are living a life of hell that no one deserves to live. And his wife is going to pass away under these horrific circumstances! That is just unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.

I don't get adultery. I don't understand it. Every home has a door. For crying out loud - leave! Pack up & leave before you result to killing the last ounce of dignity your spouse will have left. Walk out the frickin' door before you cheat. Why & how do people stay? Do they honestly think that by staying, that will make things all better? How do they climb in bed with their spouse while committing such a despicable act? We all know how many do it. My dad sure did. And his life was pretty darn grand. But the truth is, it wasn't. It just looked like it was - on the outside. I'm pretty sure he was dying on the inside. But he made his choice.

Yes, I certainly could write a book. I've actually thought about it. Ha! But I'm pretty positive my events aren't nearly as interesting as some others'. Admist all the turmoil mentioned above, my brother's new girlfriend had an ex-boyfriend that committed suicide, I dropped out of drill team when I could have went so far, so far as winning a scholarship, my grades went from A's to D's & I barely got my cap & gown (no I didn't get my cap & gown when all my friends did) & graduated, my dad tried to 'catch' me & beat the crap out of me all the while chasing me calling me a slut (I was 12, maybe? Had no clue what the word even meant), my oldest brother entered the Army to escape all the hell we were living, I married & divorced 3 times by the time I was 24, I was abused by my husbands (& my father) not only verbally, but emotionally & physically as well including having a knife held an inch from my face, I've encountered a stalker (still don't really buy that one but everyone keeps telling me), almost kidnapped, blah, blah, blah (meaning a whole lot more). My life was very interesting, yet extremely sad at the same time. And now you know why I'm a little 'different' from some others out there - I typically have a different perspective than others do. I can't & won't apologize for that. It has gotten my where I am today & I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

And now, thanks to God above, I enjoy & relish in my beautiful bliss. Ü

A familiar scene in our home.

Beijing 2008.

Summer Olympics.

We are all addicted & staying up way too late watching. Ü

(Yes, Audi has socks on his hands because I can't get this child to stop biting his fingernails! He also peels the skin off of his thumbs. All of his fingers are on the verge of being infected.) Excuse the flash on the tv - this was a quickie shot! :)

And I threw this one in there because I think it's precious! Miniature feet. :)

I am so impressed.

My blog is working again! Did you miss me? Ha!

Let me explain what happened. Ü

So I switched to Wordpress. Loved it. Loved it. Loved all the sophisticated options. That said, I was having heck getting my photos to upload. You know that I post a lot of photos, so this was proving very frustrating for me! You also know I have 4 miniatures & when I post, I need to post as quickly as possible. I don't have time to upload, delete, reupload & then tweak. Sheesh. On top of that, I had to resize each & every photo I was posting & that took more time. On Blogger, I don't have to do any of that. I can just post away! So I decided I needed to come back. I missed my polka-dots anyway. And my music. And my sidebar photos of my cuties. Ü

There you have it. I've been working on this since Saturday & at 5:00 a.m. Monday morning I started throwing up (sweeeeeeeet) so I had to take a break yesterday. I could not get my domain to work but finally discovered it was one itty bitty mistake I had made - I rectified that & now I'm back to blogging heaven.

Today we have a Graduation celebration. Hopefully tomorrow or so I can resume posting! :)

Me & him.

Went outside today. Played with my camera. He's my most perfect model. :)

This first one. "The sun, mom!" Couldn't open his eyes. I found that interesting since the sun happened to be behind a cloud at this particular time. :)

He's the cutest thing ever! Tonight I was reading them all ("them all" - like I've got 6 or something :) a book & had them gathered around me. He was laying his head on my shoulder. Too sweet. Life is good. Life is grand! Ü

Photos taken on manual. No flash. I must remember to adjust my white balance when shooting on manual. Ugh! Not too long ago, I was so pleased to read on Tara's blog that she forgot to adjust her white balance when taking some photos. And she's a professional! It's nice to know I'm not alone. :) Anyway, thankfully I noticed right before we finished. He then was ready to call it a day. ;)