Disclaimer numero uno: I have been wanting to figure out how to get my pictures from my cell phone to the computer, because I have 20 times more photos on there. Hardly use the camera anymore. So most interesting things that have happened in the last few months - don't have the photos. But I do have some tall tales to tell. Right now our biggest news is that Grandpa is here! The kids are so excited!! (And so are we!)
First of all....stating the obvious...Jesse is like a pint-sized Scott. Sweet little thing. I think he looks so much like Scott. The other day, he was babbling away, and we were wondering if that meant he was going to be a big talker. How interesting would that be....a Scott-a-like who talks!
Since I posted last, we celebrated Lexi's 2nd birthday! This pool was her birthday present from us. I was hoping it would be a fun toy. So far.....not sure if it's a success or not. It's been too hot to swim. I put it on the deck so it would be in the shade, but still haven't used it much. August started out with every day being over 100 degrees, not sure how long that lasted. (I hate it when there's one random 99 degree day that messes up those consecutive days counts.)
Also, we had Ant Invasion 2013 - which turned out to be much shorter and less dramatic than Ant Invasion 2012. Last year, I tried all types of somewhat natural and other types of ways to get rid of them. This year, we went directly for the nuclear option. Probably shortened all of our life spans by several years and increased our chances of cancer humongously, but at least we got rid of the ants. For a while I thought we were safe from all creepy-crawlies for a while since we sprayed Demon (truly, that's what it's called) pesticide spray all over the inside (and outside) of our house. Alas, found a scorpion inside again....which brings on Rant Numero Uno: "IS NOTHING SACRED?"
* Dear sweet Jesse was sleeping on our bed one day. White sheets/evil brown scorpion strolling across the bed. Like it was hard to see him. No! I freaked out. Scott came running. Tried to get the scorpion. Scorpion got in between bed frame and box spring. Scott tried to get him for a while, then gave up. Just walked away. (Ahhhhmm....what?!?) Okay, I guess he's feeling a little jaded about bugs around here. I almost gave up too. (Also feeling jaded.) But we got him. Random conspiracy...the Brummitts have lived here for 20 years and they have zero scorpion issues. Nor do they spray for bugs in their house. What is that all about? (I think we built directly on top of a scorpion colony...or some kind of joint scorpion and ant village.)
Okay, Rant #2 in my "IS NOTHING SACRED?" category:
Lexi....scribbles on everything with everything. (Walls, floors, appliances, doors, etc. with markers, crayons, pencils, pens.) She colored all of the kitchen, dining area, mudroom, and our bedroom with crayon scribbles one day. Another day she scribbled on our bedroom door with crayon that I have never been able to get out, although I've tried everything under the sun. The latest is that Scott had a whole collection of Sharpies, all different colors (WHY?!? I don't know...), that the girls discovered when they were helping him on his belldang (building) one day. Brought them in the house. Lexi colored on our kitchen cabinets. (This about sent me through the roof. Suddenly it seems totally worth it to pay for a few airplane tickets, take her to my mother's.......and worry about getting the return ticket later....much later.)
(Like the pediatrician said....start him with vegetables.)
In other news, I was heading to work the other morning early, had the radio on to listen to the traffic report. "This just in...a high speed chase ended in a crash at 183 North (wow...I'm driving on 183 N), and .....Cameron Road." Wait a minute....that's where I'm at...this was especially random because Cameron Road is rather obscure. But anyway, so I was listening to this on the radio, then about five seconds later, I came up over this little hill, and there it was. Flashing lights as far as the eye could see. At least five motorcycle cops and a million other flashing vehicles. (One thing I am sure of.....I will never, ever, under any circumstances, participate in a high speed chase on a motorcycle.) So since I was one of the first on the scene....traffic was still squeezing by pretty quickly. As I was passing they were pulling a body from one of the three mangled cars in the intersection. Two blocks later I passed an ambulance on the way to the scene. What a way to start the day! Anyway, I'm not actually telling a morbid story here. Heard later on the radio that no one was hurt in the incident. It was three teenagers who stole a car. (This reminds me of a random conversation I had with someone recently. She asked if I thought our kids would be engineers. I kinda stuttered around. I don't entirely have their lives planned (yet). Told her right now my strategy was more like "don't do drugs, kids." Maybe I'll add..."don't steal cars. No high speed chases!") Just for the record, I got the marker off of the kitchen cabinets, but I was still annoyed.
This picture doesn't do it justice, but Jesse has curls!! He's had curls for quite a while, but I thought that hair would fall out and his real hair would start coming in, so I was trying not to get too excited about the curls, but I think the curls are in his real hair. I'm pretty sure the baby hair is gone. He never quite went bald like Summer did. Anyway, who knows what will happen with his hair, but for now it's been fun. I found some defining paste to put in his hair to make the curls look better. (This was my only defense to save them, Scott wanted to trim his hair.)
Other great accomplishments by Lexi.....Scott had been working on his fence around the pasture for a long time. He had all the fenceposts in the back of his truck, and then he was driving around to each spot, taking out a fence post, and then he'd stand on the tailgate of the truck to pound the fencepost into the ground. This whole system was working pretty good for him for a while, and he was working on the fence whenever he got a chance, so one evening, he was heading out to work on his fence for a while. Got into his truck and couldn't find the key. (Usually he leaves it in the ignition.) Anyway, he searched high and low for the key (very long time), and when he was about to give up, he looked in the cassette slot and saw it jammed in there. Ding! Immediately knew that was Lexi's work. Got a screwdriver and pulled it out.
Took this picture and am considering that this is some type of sign from God that it is pointless for me to try to be frugal/do things on my own, etc. I like those slivered almonds on salads. Used to buy them in the produce department in small bags, and they were already toasted/flavored. Anyway, one day they disappeared, and then later, they reappeared, but the flavor I liked was gone. I had always known they were a rip off, but it was okay. So anyway, after the good kind were gone, I thought I'd try to toast my own. So I bought a huge bag of slivered almonds. Burned an entire batch when I was trying to toast them. Oh well, I'm still learning. Started the next batch, looked like they were just about done, pulled them out to test one, and next thing I knew...this. I have no idea how I dropped the pan. Almonds were everywhere. Not just on the floor. The entire giant bag that I had bought to save money and do it myself was ruined. Would have been better off buying a hundred rip off small bags of toasted almonds.
Anyway, I'm wondering if this is boring to read my stories because I'm getting bored of typing.
Tried to get the kids to pose for me.
This is as good as it gets for a family photo for us right now.
My first attempt at a picture of my curtains.
My kitchen curtains. Finally making some progress on some little projects around here. This is as good a photo as I'm going to get during the day with all the light coming in the window.
This is where Scott was on his building this morning. The Brummitt boys are helping him today, and he's very much hoping to finish the trusses today.
(She doesn't like to smile at the camera for me.)
