Pay It Forward Challenge

So, I haven't been doing much with this blog lately. I haven't been promoting it or even really writing much. I am going to extend the Pay It Forward Challenge. Hopefully, in the next week I will be able to spend some more time promoting this site. So, just leave a comment with your favorite color if you are interested in participating.

Pay It Forward Challenge

The other day I received a much anticipated package from Sherri over at My Life in the Fishbowl. I had entered her Pay It Forward Challenge and the goodies had arrived. I opened the box to find a beautiful photo album and notepad, a much needed emery board, hand gel, and the gold prize of it all, a Starbucks gift card! I was so excited and thankful that she put so much time and energy into planning such a wonderful gift box. Now, it's my turn to Pay It Forward. If you would like to enter the challenge, please leave a comment below stating what your favorite color is. I will close the entry on June 9th, so that gives you one week to leave me a comment. I will randomly pick a few entries to win the Pay It Forward Challenge.

What We've Been Up To

Sorry, I've been away for a while.

I've been working on my professional writing career: publishing articles, working on a short story (possible novel) project. The word novel scares me, but I really feel that if I expand on the short story it could possibly make an excellent book. We'll see.

At home, we've been trying to complete the vegetable garden and we completed some other small landscaping stuff. Mostly just planting flowers and bulbs.

The boys have been busy and have been growing. Max went for his first cruise on his riding car, Sam played in water, and they played choo-choo train together. Enjoy the pics!

Carnival Fun

Every year the carnival comes to our small town. Sam was finally big enough to go on some of the rides. We weren't sure if he would like them or not. So, on Friday night, we only bought him a few tickets. He found two rides that he really liked and rode them each twice. Then, the big storm came and we had to go home.

We went back on Saturday. We opted for the wristband, this time. This gave him unlimited rides. He still liked the racing cars and the train, but he also ventured onto a dinosaur (or dragon) mini roller-coaster. He loved it!

Now, we have to wait until next year to have fun at the carnival again.

This was Sam's favorite car. He picked it (almost) everytime.

Sam had to pick a different car this time because the other one was full. I love the way he turned the steering wheel!

Sam liked to chill on the choo-choo train. I think he was blowing me a kiss!

Sam waits for the dinosaur ride to start.


He even does the infamous hands-up on the roller coaster.

Max was there, too. He enjoyed watching Sam on the rides. Hopefully, he will be big enough next year and will enjoy the carnival just as much!

Fun Arts and Crafts

Sam loves dinosaurs, as most of you are aware!

Well, this morning we had some beautiful weather and Sam wanted to paint. I brought our construction paper and paints outside to the picnic table. Sam painted several beautiful pictures.

What I ended up with was four large sheets of construction paper. Paint smeared and splattered all over the pages. Even though he had identified some of his drawings as race cars and Baby Max, they didn't really resemble anything.

So, what did I do with his creations? I drew dinosaur pictures on them, cut them out, and put them together to make a dinosaur mobile.

Here are the before and after pictures. We just hung his new dinosaur mobile in his room. He is very proud of his creation.

A Very Big Accomplishment

This morning, I captured one of Baby Max's first successful attempts at pulling up all by himself. He gets in position and pulls his feet under his booty.


He's up! Both feet are on the floor and he's standing!



Ooh, he's down. He didn't stay up for long and now he's mad at falling. I'm sure he'll try again, though.



He looks a little amazed at everything that just occured.

And he claps for his big accomplishment. Good job, Max!

A Morning

6:17 a.m. - Sam and Max wake up. Where's the caffeine?

6:33 a.m. - I hear Sam rummaging through kitchen drawers. Haven't I asked him a thousand times to stay out of the kitchen?

6:34 a.m. - Sam runs out of the kitchen with containers of craft paint. "I paint!" he exclaims.

6:34.15 a.m. - I think, "Oh, crap. Where in the world did he find that paint?"

6:35 a.m. - I find a piece of construction paper and a paint brush to give to Sam so he can paint. What time is it again?

6:39 a.m. - Max is crying. What's wrong? He found himself in the bathroom all alone again. Why is the one room that he has no business going into the only room he wants to be in?

6:42 a.m. - I discover that Sam has painted his body - Warrior Style. Should I call him Braveheart? What time is it again?

6:55 a.m. - Sam is done painting and I can take the Wet Paint sign down. However, he refuses to allow me to clean the paint off of his belly.

7:33 a.m. - I finally convince him to take a bath. He successfully wipes all paint from his belly and chest. Somehow, though, he managed to get streaks of red paint down his back. Was Max helping him paint? How in the world?

7:47 a.m. - Sam finally emerges from the bath. Squeaky clean, but I can only get him dressed in underwear.

8:22 a.m. - I attempt to lay Max down for his morning nap.

8:31 a.m. - "BABABABA" I hear coming from Max's room. I enter his room and gently remind him that he is supposed to be sleeping.

8:46 a.m. - "BABABABA" I hear coming from Max's room. I again enter and a little less gently remind him that he is supposed to be sleeping.

8:54 a.m. - It finally sounds quiet in Max's room. CRASH!! What in the heck was that?

8:54.42 a.m. - I enter Sam's room to discover that he has dumped all of his Mr. Potato Head pieces on the floor, but there is now no Sam in the room. Where is he? CRASH!!

8:55.27 a.m. - I follow the noise back to the living room. He has now dumped all of his Army guys on the floor. Great, I have a dumper and runner on my hands this morning. What time is it again?

9:10 a.m. - I try to start some writing. "I draw." Sam says as he grabs my ink pen and notepad and runs off. ARRGH!! "Bring my pen back!", but all I hear are soft giggles as he runs to his room to hide.

9:16 a.m. - I finally get my pen back.

9:22 a.m. - Is that water running? What the heck is going on now? I follow the sound to the bathroom and discover that Sam has climbed into the tub on his own and the water is running. His soaking wet underwear is lying on the floor. Apparently, he climbed into the tub before he remembered to undress. "No, no, no! You may not help yourself to a bath all alone."

9:23 a.m. - Sam screams through the torture of being removed from the tub.

9:25 a.m. - Once again, I am able to get him dressed in underwear only. Less laundry, I think to myself.

9:33 a.m. -"I want something eat." We shop in the pantry and he finally decides on a cereal bar.

9:47 a.m. - Time to wake up Max. He is mad about being woke up. Well, maybe he shouldn't have messed around so much before finally going to sleep.

9:48 a.m. - I carry Max into the living room and glance at my other son. He has cereal bar spread all over his face and there are crumbs all over the floor. I put Max down, thus making him cry, so I can address the mess.

9:51 a.m. - Sam is clean. Where is Max? In the bathroom again.

9:53 a.m. - I set the boys up in Sam's room to play together. Quiet.

10:02 a.m. - What time is it? Where's the caffeine? Is it too early for a drink?

10:04 a.m. - The boys are still playing. I decide to try writing again.

10:23 a.m. - "Mom-mom, where Baby Max go?" What? What do you mean, where did he go? "I don't know, Sam, where did Max go?" "He under bed!" he screams as he runs off. Okay, thanks for the update.

10:27 a.m. - Is it too early for lunch and naps?

10:34 a.m. - I search for Max. He laughs when I pull the bed ruffle up and responds to peek-a-boo. I pick him up and give him a big hug. He rubs his eyes, must still be tired from his non-nap this morning.

10:40 a.m. - We walk the house, Max is fussing. I start to get lunch ready.

10:50 a.m. - We eat.

11:09 a.m. - I lay Max down once again.

11:16 a.m. - I tell Sam that he will get ready for nap soon. "Set timer" he reminds me. He loves doing things while the timer is going. I set the timer for 5 minutes.

11:21 a.m. - BRRNNNG!!!! Timer goes off. I tell Sam to turn the TV off and go potty. He obediently complies.

11:24 a.m. - Sam is in bed. We say a prayer and read a story.

11:27 a.m. - I leave Sam's room and hear "BABABABA" coming from Max's room again. You have got to be kidding me. Why won't he take his naps today?

11:32 a.m. - I remind Max that it is nap time. He laughs at me.

11:34 a.m. - I make myself lunch and start writing.

11:46 a.m. - "BABABABA" I ignore him.

11:57 a.m. - "BABABABA" I again remind him that he is supposed to be sleeping. He laughs at me...again.

12:12 p.m. - "BABABABA" again.

12:31 p.m. - Quiet from Max's room, finally. Maybe I can take a shower.