3:38

I've been working hard during the week and playing hard on the weekends. Every night when I get home from work, I am mentally and physically EXHAUSTED. So, I've been going to bed around 9:00pm, reading a little, and then usually falling asleep by 10pm, no problem. Sawing logs. Sleeping deep.

But, for the last 2 days, I have bolted upright, as if I've missed my 5am alarm, only to look at the clock and find that it is 3:38 in the morning. TWO DAYS IN A ROW! 3:38. Not 3:37 one day and 3:39 the next. 3:38 both days.

Do you think I should play the daily 3?

Weird.

This Man

Eight years ago today, I married this man.

This man who still makes me laugh (much more often than he makes me yell), even though he flips me off in almost every photo I take of him.

This man who bought me fall flowers today, to decorate the dinner table as we ate the yummy steak he grilled.

This man who can make a black russian with 3 stripes.

This man who takes pride in his lawn and LOVES his tractor.

This man who LOVES St. Patrick's Day and his Irish heritage.

This man who LOVES to fish.

This man who LOVES to bowl.

This man who LOVES his kids. And whose kids absolutely ADORE him.

And most importantly, this man who still LOVES me after all these years.

I love you Kev!

Happy Anniversary...

My Nuts

Owen has recently gone on a nature gathering kick.

We went to the Homecoming parade on Friday and he found pine cones. He scooped a bunch into his shirt and brought them home. He was very excited about this pine cone haul.

Then we went to my nephew's birthday party on Saturday and he discovered acorns. As we were leaving, he scooped a bunch into his shirt (a very handy carrying-nature-things apparatus, apparently). I looked back at him strapped into his car seat with his lap full of acorns.

"Hey Owen, what do you have there in your lap?" I inquired.

With a proud beaming grin on his face he replied, "My NUTS!"

Oh, you know I couldn't contain myself.

I told you, that kid cracks me up.

Drunk Pumpkins

The Victory and the Bonus

Much to my dismay, Jordyn is not a joiner.

When I was in school, I joined EVERYTHING.

Not only did I join everything, I was the captain, editor, president, officer, whatever of everything.

Jordyn's first year of middle school came and went with out her so much as joining the Art Club.

I told her that this year, her second year of middle school, she had to join two sports and two clubs. However neither of those has come to fruition.

She reluctantly agreed to try out for basketball (hello, she's 5'6" at 12 years old, people!) but when try-outs actually came around, she called me from the school in tears that she just didn't want to do it, what if she embarrassed herself, and besides she doesn't even LIKE basketball!!! Of course, I went and picked her up instead of forcing her to go through that trauma.

Cross Country? No thanks, she doesn't like to run.
Volleyball? Nope, the ball hurts her arms.
Cheerleading? No way, THAT'S for the "plastics". Huh?

So, yesterday Jordyn comes home from school and tells me that she has been elected to Student Council as her homeroom's class representative. (At least that's what she thinks it is, she's not 100% sure if it's Student Council or something else, she'll have to double check when she goes to school today).

WHAT? No Way!! She JOINED something?!?!

So, I asked her, "Do you mean to tell me that you raised your hand as a volunteer to be elected?"

"Yep!" She responded with a proud smile upon her face.

***THIS, people, is the victory.***

"Well how many other people wanted to do it?" I inquired.

"Eight. I got 5 votes and everybody else got 2 or 3 votes."

***This, folks, is the bonus.***

I'm so proud of her.

I'm retired from prayers

So Liam, my ultra good bestest in the whole wide world bed time prayer pray-er has retired. Last night, as I was tucking the boys (who share a room) into bed, I asked Liam if he wanted to say the good night prayers. His reply? Nah, I'm retired from prayers.

Nice.

How does a SEVEN YEAR OLD retire from prayers?!?

So, Owen piped up and said that HE would say the prayers. And wouldn't ya know? His prayers are the exact same ultra good bestest in the whole wide world bed time prayers, too. His prayers are a verbatim carbon copy of the famous retired pray-er Liam's bed time prayers. Owen has had over a year of listening and learning and copying to rely upon.

Dear Jesus, thank you for our moms and dads and for our brothers and sisters and for everybody that we love. And I pray that Liam has a good Pokemon dream and that I have a good Thomas dream. Amen.

Amen, brotha-man, amen.