on monday i went to the library and picked up 3 books. they were a bunch of short stories. charlaine harris had some "sookie stories" in each one so i thought i would get them and read all the stories. um, i returned them today, after reading all of them. some of the stories were, well, not so great. some made me want to just skip ahead, and some made me want more. more from those authors. i don't usually care for short stories. well, i take that back...i like them if they are done right. there were a few that reminded me of something i would have wrote in high school. B-O-R-I-N-G! i love to read, but i'm not so great on the writing part. in fact, in my creative writing class that i took (the teacher ended up running off with a student a few years later...or so the story goes) and had to write a children's story. i wrote about a ghost chicken. a rooster to be exact. and he saves his little girl (the girl that owned him...not another chicken) from a fire. yeah, um, she didn't like it. i had words like "vegetarian" in there. she didn't think it would be "age appropriate". whatever.


authors i want to read*...
laurell k hamilton, stephenie meyer**, rachel caine, vickie taylor, toni kelner, patricia briggs, and carrie vaughn.

the books i read were Bite, Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, and Many Bloody Returns. bite didn't have a particular theme. well except vampires and werewolves. W&B was that and christmas, and MBR was that and birthdays. they were definitely worth reading.



*i don't think anyone really cares what authors i plan on reading...this list i more for me. i forget like nobodies business. so if i have them here on my blog, i can at least look them up!
**well, stephenie meyer didn't actually write any of the short stories in the books i read, but she has been well recommended.

josh

my josh is 5 now. it just doesn't seem possible that my babies are all growing up so fast. what can i tell you about my boy?

he's a big boy. bigger than most of the other kids his age. in fact, he's as big as some 1st graders...and he's just a pre-k kid.

he was my smallest baby. he was 8lbs 2 oz. my doctor induced me 2 weeks early so that he wouldn't be too big. he and alex are the only kids i didn't have major bleeding issues with.

he loves cars, trucks, and tractors. he can play by himself for hours as long as he has some of them to play with. he makes all the different noises, and i even hear him talking in voices for the people in them.

he has one heck of an imagination.

he is so smart...he's the only one so far to know his letters this young. not that the other kids aren't smart too, but he's the only one that was that interested in them. it amazed me when he was picking out letters off of signs and asking me what words they made.

he has the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes. it makes it so hard to say "no" to him!

he used to have a special blankie and suck his first 2 fingers on his left hand. i think he was 2 or 3 before we were able to get him to stop sucking his fingers. when his blankie "disappeared", he stopped sucking his fingers.

he and zack are best buddies. they play with each other all the time. i hope that they stay this close as they grow up.

he idolizes his big brother. he loves being with the big boys.

his favorite color is blue. like his eyes. and his room. and his sheets. and his towel.

he loves that he has chickens. he is so proud of how cool they look, and that they are going to lay green or blue eggs.

he's the only one of my kids to lose a fingernail...so far. it was one of the most disgusting experiences of my life.

his teacher loves to tell us what a great kid he is. how well behaved and quiet he is in class.

he still crawls into be with me at night. in fact he doesn't sleep in his own room. he sleeps on the floor in my room...until he crawls in mine while i'm sleeping. he's the only one that isn't always ready to spend the night somewhere. don't get me wrong, he loves to spend the night...but there are still days/nights that he will tell whoever to take him home, he's tired and wants to sit on his mom's lap.

he is so excited about going to school with the big kids next year. and making friends. he's excited about t-ball too. and that his daddy is going to be his coach.

5 is a big year, but i think he's going to handle it well. i love this kid like crazy! he's handsome, smart, funny, and talented. how i got blessed with a kid like him, i'll never know!

hey all! i have been a holy terror lately. i blame it on my addiction to reading. no, i do have a problem. i am addressing it. i figure that i only have 3 more books to read in the series and i should be good for a while...well not really, but i'm thinking it anyway.

i have been trying to de-stress. watching the chickens in my yard is a lot like watching fish in a fish-tank. it can be quite relaxing. and entertaining. actually the chickens are much more entertaining than the fish...unless you have piranhas or something. maybe the chickens are more like the turtles in the tank than the fish. they look so cute and sweet...then BAM!! crazy psycho killers!

yes, i do find that entertaining.

i can't wait to see these guys in action in the spring and summer. i wonder if i will actually see them eat stuff like mice and lizards. if i can teach them to get moles...that would be so cool. and profitable. i could start my own "mole removal" business. and it would be totally green! how cool would that be!

i am sitting here watching "space buddies" with the kids. they like it. me, not so much. well, it's a kid movie for sure. talking dogs are not normally my thing.

josh is turning 5 tomorrow. he's so excited. i am too...i guess. this year, out of my 5 kids, i will have one that is 13, one that's 10, and one that's 5. those are some pretty big years to me. alex is going to be a teenager, haley's in double digits, and josh is going to start school. then there's grace and zack.

i am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book. sad, i know. it should be here today, or tomorrow, or the next day. i sure hope it's today. that way i can read it and be all happy and ready to celebrate josh's 5th. otherwise i may end up being crazy mom, jonesing for my next fix.

i know, i know. i need help.

my V-day

well, we finished up with the kids games and then we took them to my step-mom. we dropped them off, and i went home to get ready...








then we headed down town to the Millennium Hotel.












for my niece's gymnastics meet.











that's what the hubby and i did. watched her do her "thing". then we went upstairs (wink wink)













for dinner. they have a revolving restaurant at the top. the food was spectacular! then it was off to home. he had to get up early (6am) for work.





not exactly the most romantic evening...but it was worth getting rid of the kids for the night!

ok, i am re-reading the 5 books i read on sunday and monday. let me tell you, charlaine harris is a fantastic writer. i can really get into her books. i started reading the "sookie stackhouse" series, and i can't wait to read the other 3 books that i haven't read yet. i really to love her style. i grew up reading stephen king and dean kontz, and of course anne rice...but i think i like this series much more. her books are anything but predictable. that is something i have found lacking lately. most of my normal "fave" authors are so, well, predictable. in the first chapter or two, you can pretty much figure out what is going on and who caused it...and how it will be resolved. not so with these stories. (at least not for me) i haven't watched the hbo series "trueblood" but i am looking forward to it...as long as it can compare to the books.


the kids are going to with my step-mom tomorrow night. my dad is leaving today for virginia beach, and so she volunteered to keep the kids for us. so very nice of her. so hubby and i are trying to figure out what to do.

haley is spending the night at the zoo with the girl scouts. she's so excited! i would be too if i was her. seriously, that's my idea of a fantastic night! lucky kid!
she got glasses over the weekend. they look really cute on her. so grown up. uh, too grown up if you ask me. i think i'd rather her be blind.


alex did well in the math competition. he tied for 3 with three of his friends out of the kids from our school. there were several other schools that were represented. he did great. we were so proud of him.

grace started indoor soccer. they lost their first game. they were surprised, but i'm glad. this team deserved to win.

sorry, i had to go outside. the new little girl was telling me about the new gray kitty sleeping in the garage. well, since smoke was where i could see him...and there are no other gray cats around...i had to check it out. hubby was just leaving when i was out there...and had to flag him down to help me because the cat wasn't a cat...


it was a possum. sleeping in an old towel in the trailer for josh's little ride-on tractor. i ended up pushing the trailer out with a shovel, and then tried to get it towards the woods. unfortunately, it woke up when i accidentally dumped it. whoops! and then it looked up at me, snuffled back to the towel, and tried to go back to sleep. i guess i don't cut a very imposing figure! when i pushed it with the shovel, it took off to the woods. i followed it halfway to make sure it made it. it wasn't very big, smaller than smoke.. poor baby. hope it finds a better place than my garage to sleep tonight!

well, i haven't touched the computer in a couple of days.

no my hands aren't broken.


i got the next 5 (that's right) charlaine harris books...and i read them all. all 5, on sunday and monday.


yes, my house is pretty dirty. thanks for asking.


and i think i dropped a couple of pounds. well, when i do a reading marathon like that...well, i forget to eat...and drink...and pay attention to any one or thing.


bad mommy! bad!

i have the next book due to arrive in the next week. (thank you walmart.com) and i can't wait.


i think i may have to read all 5 over again. very slowly this time.

they are like, um, romance type sci-fi type supernatural books.


and yes, the hubby has been reaping the rewards. dirty house and all.




on another subject.

terry's memorial is tonight. my mom picked up a picture of him and i from hubby and my wedding. i was sitting in his lap, and he has this huge smile on his face. he was pretty cute. of course he has his mouth wide open so you can see his tongue piercing. it's going to be a sad night. when i get it back from my mom, i'll post it.


maybe

terry died yesterday. i thought we would have time to come and see him this weekend...

his mom turned 50 this month.

i know he was ready for it. he's been ready for it for a long time. but it still sucks.

he fought MD pretty valiantly for 20+ years. even after the doctors told his parents not to expect him to make it to 18. shows what they know, he was in his 30's.

please pray for his mom, and his sister...and the rest of the family too.

rose!

i am so sorry that rose flack got eliminated last night! she spoke to my inner hippie. i really liked her, and i thought she would have made it farther. (stupid bikini b#$% had to screw it all up!)

on a lighter note, my alex has graduated from D.A.R.E. yesterday. his essay (along with 3 other kids) was picked to be read in front of the assembly. he did a great job on it. he has a way with the written word, let me tell you! he gets that from me. in school, i could b.s. my way through an essay like no-body's business! we (the parents) were all talking after assembly was over, and we were all saying how we hope it sticks with them. the pledges they take, the lessons they have learned. i was really impressed with all the kids essays that were read. they put a lot of thought into them. some of them were more facts (like alex's) and some were more funny ("i don't know why anyone would want to smoke. i don't know about you, but i like my teeth white and my breath not to stink!" was what one of the kids wrote.), but all were very well written and to the point. the deputy they had working with them was great. he will be sadly missed at our school! (he was transferred to another school district) he was funny and the kids all really seemed to like him.

i have 2 new kids now. my days start about an hour earlier now. it is an adjustment...for me more than anyone. the kids are nice enough...but the older one is a bit of a bossy tattletale, and we will need to work on that. the younger one doesn't talk. seriously, he's at the age he should be doing much more than "uh" and pointing. i think it's the pacifier. i don't like those things. josh was my only kid that needed something like that. he had his blanket and his first two fingers on his left hand. when his blanket "disappeared" so did the finger sucking. one of the little ones that i watch has figured out a way of getting out of the walker. you would think after having 5 kids, and watching quite a few, that would have happened to me before. um, no. it hasn't. not until today.

anyway, i am glad american idol is back. i have a few fave's, but i really was surprised rose forgot the words. to much drama i guess. poor girl. i really thought she would go far...hopefully she still does.
good luck kid (if you ever read this!) you have talent and you are likable. i think you could go far.

later taters! i got me some kidlets to round up for naps and lunch!