One Sick Cody

This hasn't been a good start to 2012 for Cody. In the last five weeks he's had Strep with Scarlet Fever, Strep again, and now the Flu. We went in to the doctor again today. I thought he was getting strep again because he's been complaining of a sore throat the last few days, and last night started with a fever again. But after the rapid strep test came back negative and talking about symptoms, found out it's the flu. Not the throw up kind of flu. The major body ache - can't walk around, can't stand, sit, sleep, it hurts so bad I walk around like an old man type of flu. Cody is one of the toughest kids I know. He can take pain like I've never seen. So to see him crying at the Doc's office while getting the strep test done, and then cry every time he has to get up, I know he's sick.

Poor kid.

I hope March begins a good month for him.

Old Photos

Don't you love looking back at old photos? Especially of your kids? I do. I love it! And that's kind of what I've been doing. Really I've been cleaning out pictures on the computer, making sure their saved to other websites, on disks, etc. But that's like playing, right?!

I had to throw these pictures on here. Here's some of the best I've found recently.... (Taken July 2010)

 I couldn't resist taking pictures of him like this. He looks so much like his Dad and Grandpa Morse in these. Love that he posed for me.

 Love this picture!

And then there were these....

Can't forget the uni brow! Thank goodness T.J. bought these mustaches at Scout Camp so we could have some fun pictures with them.

Love their imaginations.

Classic Boys!

I sure love them.

I Love...

I am so in love with The Pioneer Woman and her fun blog thepioneerwoman.com and tv cooking show on Food Network. Let's just say this... her and I have a lot in common. (She also thinks everyday should be chocolate day. I so agree with that!) And watching her show with Jared in the room confirms it. He was constantly saying, "She's exactly like you!". Maybe that's why we get along so well. Ok, in my make believe world we get along great. In reality she doesn't know who I am. But still, I'm very faithful to her blog and show. And that just might pay off for me one day. You know, when she decides she really wants to meet me and invites me and my cowboys to her ranch to meet her and her cowboys/cowgirls.

I can't wait for that day.

For her Valentine's post this year she wrote a list of things she loves and encouraged others to make one, too. And since we are like twins, I have to do one as well. Honestly, I really like this idea. Probably because I'm not one to get all mushy about Jared and our love saga. Ha, ha! Besides, I'm too considerate to make you sit and read through that. And, I would never write that anyways cause that's just not me. Give me real life. That's more interesting anyways.

So here's my Valentine's Day list. And don't mind all the mentions of food. I'm a food-aholic and not afraid to admit it. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I LoVe...

Photo taken Aug. 2011

-This guy.

Photo taken Oct. 2009

 -My Cute Lil' Cowboys.

-Trucks. And I mean a serious truck. Not one of those stupid looking one's city folk buy.
-Bulls and Horses.
-Chicken Chow Mein.
-Computers.
-Tacos. (Me and T.J. both!)
-Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
-Date night with Jared
-Jared's arms and shoulders. He has some serious muscle.
-Rodeo.
-Fields of hay.
-Big Sprinklers that water those fields of hay.
-Nature.
-Mountains.
-Snow. It makes everything look so beautiful and sure brings out the kid in everyone.
-Diet Coke.
-Chocolate.
-Football.
-Cooking.
-Texas Stars. I have a bazillion all over my house. Jared's banned me from buying more. So I have my mom get me those as presents. Ha!
-Chaps. Especially on my Cowboys.
-Watching Jared shoe horses. He's so dang good at it! And cute, too.
-The way I feel after lifting weights with my cute CPT.
-Barns.
-Tractors.
-Trains. I have a serious addiction to these.
-Camping.
-Hot Dogs.
-Cowboy Hats.
-Thanksgiving.
-Halloween.
-Anything that has to do with Fall.
-Walking through leaves on the ground and hearing them crunch under foot.
-My Testimony.
-Pumpkins.
-Hay. (As long as I don't touch the grass hay. Apparently I'm allergic. Makes me break out in hives.)
-Doctors and modern medicine.
-Gas at the Oral Surgeon's Office. Almost knocks me out cold. And I need that!
-Family.
-Spaghetti.
-Freedom and living in America. Especially living so close to Camp Williams that I can hear and feel the house shake when they practice their bombing. So fun!
-Pizza.
-Summer nights.
-Newly painted walls.
-Military Aircraft.
-BBQing with Jared. Most especially Tri Tip, Pork Butts, Steak, Chicken, and Brisket.
-Mexican food.
-Spicy foods.
-Good food in general.
-Bike rides with my boys.
-Spring... all the tulips, daffodils, baby animals, green grass, leaf buds popping out on trees, and warmer weather.
-The Gospel.
-Taking pictures and recording our life through them.
-Cruel Girl Pants.
-Campfires.
-Corn on the Cob.
-The book "The Help". Love it!
-Cowboy Boots.
-Wranglers on my cute cowboys.
-T.V. show "Friends".
-Sewing.
-Chinese food.
-Sunday dinners with the fam. 
-Writing.
-Family History.
-My camera (a.k.a. another best friend of mine.)
-Laughing, jokes, and having fun.
-Wyoming. More specifically Jackson Hole, The Tetons, and Yellowstone. My favorite place ever!
-Curly Hair. (Thank goodness.)
-Peanut Butter Bars.
-And last but by far not the least.... Our Family and knowing I can be with them forever.

Ah, my BleSsiNGs in life. So very thankful for these.

Love,
~Jenn The Great

Kids Say the Darndest Things

After finally getting Hunter to settle down tonight, I gave him a haircut. As he was getting ready to shower, I hear him say...

"I'm all furry!"

That kid cracks me up! He comes up with the funniest things to say. There is never a dull moment with him.

Ring Leaders

I did it. I became one of "Those" parents tonight.

I threatened my kids with, "One day I hope you guys have kids who are exactly like you someday!".

Ya, it's been one of those nights.

My boys are so hyper. Actually, take hyper and then times it by 10 and you have my boys tonight. It must be because it's Valentine' Day tomorrow cause other than that, I have no idea where this is coming from. They haven't had sugar. Dad isn't home (He's our biggest ring leader), and they've supposedly been doing homework. How do you get this hyper from doing homework?!

Honestly!

I don't know if I dare go back upstairs. I can hear them as I type. It sounds like herds of elephants galloping across the floors. Hunter is running circles between the kitchen and living room, pretending to be the horse in the rodeo who runs while holding the flag during the Star Spangled Banner. Only his version of the song,  "And the heart of the three." (Translation... "And the home of the Brave"). Cody and T.J. are "working" on their Valentine's, but really are laughing as hard as they can at Hunter, who is now doing tricks with the flag as he runs past. Cody then yells out, "I almost peed my pants!" as he's gasping for breath between bouts of laughter.

Then the boys run downstairs to tell me Hunter has changed the message on the answering machine. You know, the one everyone hears when they call and no one answers. I don't even know how to do that! I'm one of those old people who have to break out the manual to figure technical stuff out. (Embarrassing!) Good thing we don't have that hooked up right now. More bouts of laughter erupt as they listen to that chipmunk voice of his over the newly recorded message.

And they say they are doing homework!

My house is turning into a zoo.

Three boys. All within three and a half years.  They've become the ring leaders around here. I never knew the energy that could come from boys until I had my own. I can't wait until Spring when it stays lighter longer and I can make my boys run laps in the yard with the dogs. Good source of energy depletes.

Wish me luck.

Playing Florist

This week, (minus Monday because of strep), I helped at my neighbor's flower shop for Valentine's Day. I love roses, so Valentine's Day arrangements are right up my alley.

(Of course, the first couple days are just getting the vases ready. We green them for hours. That part isn't so fun. It's wet, cold, and messy with whatever they put on the greens to preserve them. I should mention we work in a shop that's about 48 degrees on a warm day. Have to keep it cold so the flowers stay fresh longer.)

 Love roses when they are in bunches like this. This was only 75 roses.
(We went through hundreds of roses.)

 

Love these white roses. Can't remember the name of them right now cause of a brain cramp (which happens too often!), but they are something like Vendella. I had these at my wedding. They look so creamy. They remind me of white dinner mints. And they do smell yummy!

 Part of the shop filled with flowers. And this wasn't all of it. Another section was to the right of me but I didn't take a picture. And another shipment was coming later.

I don't think people really realize how many flowers shops go through during holidays. It's insane!

 A birthday arrangement I had to do in between roses.

 6's. Or half dozens. Whatever you want to call them. I did so many of these.

 I have a love affair with these flowers. Love Gerbera Daisies!!!! Made up 18 of these in under an hour.

12's or Dozens. I did a bunch of these, too.

 I miss working at the flower shop at times. Holidays are crazy but are fun at times as well. I miss the smell of just walking into the shop. It smells ever so good! When I come home from my neighbors shop, Jared says I smell so good and that he even misses that! (How cute is that! Seriously!) So it's nice that I can help every now and then for holidays and get my flower fix. And sometimes a wedding here and there working from home. There is something so magical about flowers. I am always is awe of their beauty.

What the shop looks like after a hard days work. Boxes and boxes of floral arrangements to be delivered. My neighbor makes up arrangements and sells to different markets from local, all the way up to Wyoming. It's a very busy little shop. And it's right down the lane from my house.

It's nice to only take one minute to get to work.

My Good Boy

Hunter got a desk from our cute neighbor (Mr. Blaine Perry) last summer. He was so excited. Hunt's favorite thing to do is play school. So to add a desk along with his papers and such was a dream for him. I've let him have that desk out in the living room since we got it (I know I'm a push over. No comments please.). He sits in that thing every day! Playing school, doing homework, and such. Last night I finally told him we need to move that out. He either needs to clean his room and put it in there, or it's going into the basement until he does. Guess what he did?! He cleaned his room! And not just an area of about 2 feet by 2 feet, he cleaned almost the whole thing. He was so excited. I couldn't even get him to eat dinner. He'd tell me, "Nope, I've got to clean. This is so fun!" Seriously, where did this come from? Usually it's his brothers that do all the cleaning while he makes up excuses why he can't. All he ate for dinner was a small piece of chicken and some milk.

He was so excited to move his desk in there. And then do his homework on top of it! We'd lost his homework all week (that's what happens when mom is working and they have to be in charge of their stuff). But luckily we found it. He sat at his desk and did the two whole packets while singing! He loved it! And then filled out all his Valentine's for school. He was in the best mood. It was so cute to watch. Hope this thought of "cleaning is fun" continues. It sure made my night.