I Saw Him In Different Eyes Today...

These are my boys. You know that Austin (my bonus son on the left) was diagnosed with Aspergers about 3 years ago, which has always, even before the diagnosis made him extra unique. Well this blog post is all about him. When I say "bonus" son I mean stepson but step makes it sound like I am a wicked step mom and I am so not. Hello! Did you see the B-Day cake I made him? :) I try! Once I had Dalton, Austin and I's bond became different. You can say it wont change but it does! Austin will never remember me NOT being there because I entered his life when he was about 2.5 years old. However I know that he knows my love for the two of them is totally different, and I don't feel bad about that because he has a mom and a grandma that love and spoil him rotten plus we never leave him out when were all together. Heck he probably gets annoyed that we do everything together and he just wants to watch TV and play on the computer :) I will be the first to admit I razz Austin, I pick on him and talk in ways as more of a friend most times to Austin because well, to be honest he has enough parental figures. (this is mainly what changed about our relationship when I had my own son) I try to make him rough and tough like Bubba! Nicknames are: Sally, Sally Jane, Austin Bieber, etc. He loves when Dad cusses or tells a not so kid appropriate joke and to be honest we love when he is cracking up. He just needs to know when he can and cant talk like that..ie: school.

(newsubject)So Austin for months now has refused to cut his hair. I understand its the style but seriously. So the nicknames there are: rat palace, mop head etc. :) All in good fun, we don't make him cry or anything. His hair is super thick, wavy and super coarse. Not the typical Jonas Brothers type hair do that he might be aiming for. He has also grown an interest in "fancy clothes" as in button up shirts etc...............OK getting to my point. Today when we got home, before Renee came to pick Austin up we decided to play ball in the front yard. A sport that Dalton cant get enough of besides being outside. I grabbed my camera and asked the boys to pose by the tree so I could get some new brother pictures. As I went back over them I couldn't help but notice Austin. Can they really grow up that fast? Mature that quick? Is he getting a defined jawline or is that my eyes playing tricks? Not to mention that HIS hair looked abnormally good today. I kept asking him what he did different. Of course, he had no clue :) Look at his eyes, his stud like pose..he is so GQ! I had to show my Mom and sister and I am obviously posting them here(with a really long ramble.) I have to bring to your attention the first photo. This is 100% typical of my boys. Austin looking down or away from the camera looking so unenthuised and Dalton cheesing it all up..sometimes too much :) However, the next few shots of Austin...WOW! Maybe its just me but if he looks this handsome at TEN years old what does 18 bring us?? I love you Ausman! Thank you for playing outside with Bubba. He loves you more than any little brother could ever love a big brother.
(below) This one is by far my favorite..it shows both sides of each boy. Personalities and traits. Love you buddies!

Underwear Taliban Recruiter

Doing laundry with my almost 4 year old...........PRICELESS! PS: you cant tell me that you don't think "underwear taliban recruiter" when you look at this picture! I mean come on, legs crossed and head tilted, not to mention his HAT! Good lord, I was laughing so hard I could hardly take the picture. ORRRRRRRRRR maybe I was laughing so hard due to the fact that he said he was "A" Woody...as in the character on his underoos not what you were thinking dummy :)

An Attempted Surprise

OK everyone knows that I can not keep a surprise for very long. If Russ and I buy each other gifts for a birthday, Christmas etc....we eventually just cant hold in the excitement and end up "surprising" the other right away. Well, Candie hates this about me. Why? Because Kurt does the same thing! It's funny really!
So last week I aimed for the perfect surprise..(remember I am making myself better) ALLLLL WEEEEKKK long I had to hold in the surprise that we would be waking up early Saturday morning and heading to Topeka, KS to see my niece Stacia play in a fast pitch softball tournament and of course we would really be surprising my sis-in-law because she would never expect us to show up to an event an hour away.
So let me set the scene...
Saturday 730am...Family is showered and entirely dressed. Ready to go! I'm telling ya I didn't even sleep the night before because of excitement and the fact that I really kept my promise to myself about the surprise issue annnnnnd I knew how tickled sis would be.
8am-Heading out the door.............I get a text from an insider that Sis isn't going to the games. WTF...WTH...Are you freaking kidding me? I HAD TO CALL HER! Right then and there my surprise was over :(
830am...On the road to Topeka, Sis was also in route. :) I was determined to A. See the beautiful Lake Shawnee complex that I had seen on the web. B. My sister in law and niece C. Enjoy the fall weather for sure.
We watched two games, ate at Chili's (fought sister for the bill..she WON!) Then headed home...

But not before stopping off at JoyLand...JoyLand is the haven for JUNK and that means the heaven for Russ. This was different, I did not partake and neither did my kids. Nope, we stayed locked in the truck while the one eyed or cross eyed (does it really make a difference) carny junkies whom worked there stared and glared at us. It was awful. I had the nervous, panic poops times ten! I text Candie just so that my phone would ping to that location in any type scenario. I am not kidding the outside of the building played carnival music and had clowns, the porcelain-plastic kind on the roof. It wasn't the good carnival music either, if there is such a thing it was the horror movie kind like do-do-do-doot..dilly-dilly-dilliling-do-do-doot...yeah that kind. :) PS: You should hear me typing this I really do a good horror carny tune.

THEN we headed home. At 4pm we got in the door and relaxed, watched some boring football and then headed to the Bards for UFC fights. Some other great peeps joined us and the laughter was on. The kids played outside in the cold and dark until they couldn't play anymore. We headed home before the main fight because today we have plans at 9:30am sharp. (nope I cant tell you what we are doing because its a SURPRISE and so far I have done a pretty damn good job at this one)

Randoms On My Mind (after all this is my journal)

So I have been in semi-hiding kind of, or maybe I have just learned where to put my thoughts and how to think twice..then twice again before I say anything about anyone or anything..make sense? Hope so! Rumors are that I am glowing. I'm not preggers but I am happy. I am happy to be moving right along in this crazy carnival type atmosphere we call LIFE!

So here are a few of my positives in life right now:
FRIENDS...I used to think that if I wasn't included into the group of 10+ girls all going to the football game on Friday night that I would most likely die! Now turning 29 next month...I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoy my very FEW friends. It took me forever to get here believe me. Sometimes I still struggle a bit but for the most part I am content :)

MONEY: The number one destroyer to any marriage or mind for that matter. Money is getting better..Russ and I are learning and growing. We have majorly large goals for ourselves in the very near future, that most have no idea about. Again it took US a long time to get here. Hello world! Whatcha got?

HEALTH: Oh the mystery, semi-hypochondriac, unhealthy woman I have been. Almost 29 and I find that I am Peri-menopause. Google it if you need to. Bottom line is this. I'm too damn young! I have high testosterone! Low estrogen and progesterone. In other words...MAD COW DISEASE! :) OK, I am literally cracking up...laughing at myself. I was contemplating a way to phrase too much man hormones and not enough woman hormones and well MAD COW! Sounds good to me. Regardless I found a phenomenal OBGYN yesterday and she is gonna fix me right up.

LOVE: My favorite..the mushy stuff bring it on. The cards, flowers, jewelry, hugs and smooches. I love being loved! (A snippet) Dalton and I at Starbucks this morning, I am kissing on him as he is being really sweet, and he turns to me and says "Mommy, quit sugaring on me!" So I just kissed him even more. I can honestly say that in the last 7 years I have felt the LOVE.

So from the mouth of someone highly respected, intelligent and noble..in other words MY MOUTH :)

If you don't have FRIENDS, MONEY, HEALTH and LOVE you don't have shit! Better go see somebody about it :)

PS: If in anyway your not satisfied with your life and you think its somebody else's fault, that's where your totally wrong and nobody but you can fix that. So get to work cause what if tomorrow never comes?

Catching Up Part ONE

The Bards and Woods do breakfast for Austin's 10th Bday. Then later we did dinner...campfire...burgers and ....Amberly's TEXAS style corn on the cobb. Nuff said! Bottom line it was pure fun from morning to night with all of us again :)

Catching Up Part TWO

Saturday Sept. 11th...I was totally wierded out when attempting my first character cake project. I figured my first one might be Blue's clues or Spiderman....not a Freddy Krueger cake! However for my "bonus" son's 10th bday, anything was everything! I was sure as hell making a great attempt at the stepmom of the year award if there ever was one....

PS: I need a cake tote thingy!

Photos with Photoscape Editing Website

Oldies...but Goodies

Found these pictures on a old camera SD card of my sisters. Just had to share them. The first picture was a month after I met Russ. It was our FIRST Thanksgiving. Ian and Russ
Ian, Russ and Ryan

Ashley on some Xmas morning I am sure! Good lord, like pink?

Ashley and Ryan

Labor Day Weekend-Fall Weather Tease

This is a great beginning photo right? Kind of tells ya what the weekend held for a boy and his mom...alone for most of it while Daddy played 3 hours away with Aunt Sister in a ball tournament. I simply asked to try the tutu on Dalton not for him to play the part of a girl so well! lol! Oh well he is his father and I happen blame that on most of his behavior-isms. With Russ being gone and Kurt working Dalton and I got to spend some time with the Dearing girls. We went to Santa-Calgon (sp) days in Independence on Saturday morn. then on Sunday morning we got to jump on the trampoline. The weather was gorgeous. Baby Kenley obviously was enjoying it. She is getting so big so fast. She is such an easy, happy baby.

While tutu material shopping Dalton says "turn around mommy, look!" When I turned and saw him I just cracked up. This is so typical of him. We are aware we have a class clown on our hands. Look at his arms...he then says "So..what ya think?" too darn funny
I know the boots don't go with shorts but try telling him that yourself!!

Just some candid shots with the camera before we headed to my sisters for Sissy's 2nd bday party.

For some reason I really love the picture below :)

Oh, and I love his face in this one. So....GQ!

OUR BOOTS!

Kenley, Bird and Bubs at the festival. Thank goodness for strollers!

10 Year Comparison

TOP picture is Prom Night 2000, I was actually a candidate (600+students in my class) for Prom Queen but didn't get picked. It was still quite the honor to be nominated.

BOTTOM picture is my only full body shot I have from Reunion night. Yes, I took a pic of myself and sent it to my friends and family that never see me all dressed up. Not bad for ten years later, a mom of one, who's almost 30 and no time on my hands right? 20 year I will be a MILF!