As Promised

Round 1

House Photos

The kitchen

It started off a dark redish-burgundyish color

Ceiling included

I knew the shade of green I wanted

Stole it from my sister 

And have had it in my 2 previous houses 

The ceilings in this entire house are a cream color

Not white

But it fits

So I had them painted the cream in here as well

But it blended too much with the green

So we changed the ceilings in here and the half bath

to white

Not sold on it

But nothing I can do about it now

I love the granite counter tops

But my favorite part is

The 2 windows behind the sink

Such gorgeous views

And the good part is there are already some iron plant hangers mounted

So as soon as it cools off

I will hang some

I figured it was useless to even attempt to keep something alive over the last month

This is the window behind the kitchen table 

It makes me feel like I am in a tree house

From the side and back of the house-

the kitchen is actually the 2nd level

Thanks to the basement

So you get to see the middle of trees

Instead of just the trunks

Better view of that window

I am going to have to get Allison to do a valance

I feel like it needs something to draw the eye up

This kitchen just screams country house to me

So I have become obsessed with 

ROOSTERS

Never in my wildest dream

would I have like a rooster

Go Figure

The boys have taken to eating at the counter

These fun stools help

(sorry sideways picture)

We have 2 sets of bar stools

But we needed counter height

Picked these up at Target

I am almost 34 29 years old

and still shop at Target for furniture

PROUDLY

I have worked for many years at Pottery Barn

Trust me-the exact same stool there is no better

and more than double the price

Views from the deck right off the kitchen

We put our picnic table on the other porch

But I may move it 

(when I get some outdoor seating for that side)

The half bath used to be a scary orange color

We did get that painted before the contractor ran off

And on that...

Dee reminded me I had not updated the status

We paid him only what we owed him

Mark handled the situation

I only have one photo of the family room

Because to picture more 

I would have to clean it

The mantel and space above remain empty

I have NO idea what to put there

This paneling that I HATE
is really throwing me off
Ideas?
Anyone?
The curtains need to be changed
That is on the list of things to buy
There is a wall of shelves with a desk
4 windows
And double glass doors that go to the back yard

I miss having an open floor plan
It is not good for entertaining
But we don't know anyone, so it works out
I love cooking in the new kitchen
But it is a bit harder to keep an eye on the boys
Can't leave the 2 big ones alone for a split second
Or someone is bruised or scratched

More pictures to come
But send the decorating ideas my way
Please

Get Your Kicks

On

While Mark went exploring in Las Vegas this weekend

The boys and I went exploring OKC

I did not realize how close we are to Route 66

The ol' Mother road is so close to us

In fact,

the next major street over from the one we live off of

I thought the boys might enjoy being on a section of road

where Lighting McQueen drove

Yeah, 

Not so much

They did not quite get the relation

But that's ok

I did

Our first stop

Just a few miles down the way

A little store called POPS

That is floor to ceiling pops

as in 

SODA POPS

I thought this was going to be a little bit more of a gift shop

And I was wanting a Route 66 sign for the boys bathroom

But it is actually just a gas station and diner

Cute though

Connor was more intrigued with the 30+ motorcyclist hanging out in the  parking lot

We did manage to find a hat for our Pops

and some drinks to try

Remember these

Should have got some to send to Casey

Here's another cute one

We did not buy this kind

Places like this remind me of my dad (pops)

I think he gave me my love for exploring

and learning about places

Even though it's just a stupid gas station

I can now say 

been there, done that

I drove on the little Oklahoma section of the Route 66

Had a sod-e pop to prove it

(And yes, that's sod-e not soda pop)

You gotta say it the right way

So here's our 6 pack and the Pops hat we got for my dad

So dad if your reading this

SURPRISE

couple of examples of what we got

In my research I found Route 66 park in OKC

Suppose to be one of the biggest parks in the city

We left the gas station with that as our destination

Apparently I did not read the map very well

It's a good thing I'm cute

Seriously totally misread the directions on this one

So we went with plan B

A park down the street that we had not been to yet

And do you notice anything?

That's right....

OTHER KIDS!!!

See they do exist in OK

My boys still found the dirt more fun

We didn't stay long

I had used up most of our time driving around looking for

the other park

It was getting hot

And close to lunch time

And Christian was tired

(my poor baby is covered in a rash and ran a fever most of last week)

Saturday night I did some more research 

and studied the map a bit closer

so we could find this park Sunday morning

So off we went

We drove and drove

The highway was getting less and less crowded

Pretty soon we were the only car

Then the exits were further and further apart

Since I am not a believer in texting or surfing the net

while driving

I kept saying next exit I will pull over

and look it up

Then I would see a road/exit name that looked familiar

OK one more exit I would tell myself

Then the road ended

It is suppose to be on a lake

Hadn't seen any water

Or people driving by pulling boats

Once the highway ended 

I made my way around a bit

Heart pounding slightly in my chest

I hate being lost

Finally a sign!!!

So after more than 35 minutes of driving

We found it

A cute park

Another thing to cross off my list

But nothing special for that crazy drive

We did walk around and feed the ducks some cheerios

Until these guys got stingy

And started chasing us

My stroller could not go fast enough

We must have looked like fools running from those damn ducks

I wish I could have photographed that

We played the rest of the afternoon

I did doze on the couch a bit

Kind of sad when your just laying there

And then you hear

"mommy wake up"

My weekend ended like this

And because I did not pick it up

My Monday started just like this too

OH WELL

What are playrooms for

RIGHT??

Connor Lou

Rulz the School

Well maybe not yet

But I know it won't be long

Before he is the leader of the pre-k kids

He was ready for the first day

Not so much about excitement or something new

But I think he craves activity

And being on his own some

And routine

(He totally gets that from me)

We, of course, took the first day photos

Showing his 4

He picked out all his things

his clothes, which are always a bit scary to me

(I feel you CoCo)

And his backpack-Star Wars

(don't know where that comes from, we have never watched it)

And his lucnhbox-SpiderMan

which we don't get to use since we are on half days

And all his supplies

which are actually for the classroom, not him personally

Try explaining that to a 4 year old

Colton could not be left out

Thank goodness his backpack is nearly empty

It's as big as he is

The first day the parents walked the kids in

We stayed for a couple of songs and then were asked to leave

No worries from my boy

He told me I did not have to go in with  him

"I remember where my room is"

Nice-but I'm still going

I watched him walk in and go straight to playing

I smiled that big proud smile

I was not sad or over emotional

When the parents were being swooshed out

I saw others shedding tears

and thought "weaklings"

just kidding

Sort of

Some of the kids were throwing fits

Not my boy 

But that afternoon as I sat in the carpool lane

40 minutes before school gets out

Cause that's when these freaks of moms with nothing better to do

start lining up

And I watched him walk out of the building in a straight line

with his class

And that huge bag on his back

And the little baby face with red cheeks from playing on the playground

And tired eyes from no nap

I realized how far we had come

Even though it is only pre-k

It is definitely weird seeing him at the elementary school

This is a big deal

My baby, my first born

Is doing stuff all by himself

Extra sad to me since he is talking about moving

He wants his own house 

With his own living room

With his own TV

Yeah, his words folks

So it's been 5 days of school

Don't know what they are doing

Now I realize I am getting my information from a 4 year old

But they haven't done any letters yet

Or writing or reading

They haven't "even used my school supplies yet"

Is this what public school gets you?

I am finally getting Colton and Christian to rest some

OK, twice, but it's a start

The bad part is I have to wake them up to leave for carpool

But it's better than nothing

And we still get a decent bedtime

So maybe we can adjust after all

My middle name is Autumn

Always hated it growing up

Not so bad now

But I think it is a pretty unusual name

Connor has 2 Autumn's in his class

It's about that time....

Let's see how today goes

Mother Nature

AT.HER.BEST.

Yesterday's morning was perfect

Pure Perfection

A gorgeous shining sun

A cool breeze

70 degrees

My kind of morning

So we headed to the zoo before school

Heavenly

While it only got up to 85 yesterday

It was still very warm

20 degrees cooler than the last month

So I am not complaining

But the morning

aaahhh, love

So could fall be knocking?

Not yet,

It is due to be back up in the 90's tomorrow

But it was refreshing to be out

Good for the soul

Not just the weather

But to see so many other moms and toddlers

And a few dads, too

There is life in OKC

I heart fall

The spring like temperatures in the beginning

The cool, crisp air

The gorgeous colors

I am ready!

I will not bore you with more animal pictures

But I must say the playground at the OKC zoo

is worth the cost of our membership

We had not ventured over to it in our previous visits

But we will never miss it again

(this photo is only about 1/4 of it)

I wish I could have run through it more

But baby in the arms and all...

We did go check on Big Mamma, the gorilla

she was sitting in the same spot

Looking sad and unloved

So I tried to make a friend yesterday

Not sure if I feel like a schoolgirl or someone in the dating scene

But I for sure feel like a dumbass

There was a mom in the playground with 3 kids the same age

She was sitting on the bench holding the baby

So Christian and I moved in next to her

I asked her about the baby, the big boys

Where she lived

Told her about Connor's school

How we just moved here

I tried to introduce my boys to her boys

I felt like I was dropping all kinds of lines

With no bite

Do you ask for digits?

Invite them over?

How does this work??

Randomness:

Had the dining room carpet cleaned yesterday afternoon

Not just cleaned 

but the PURT process

That's pet urine removal treatment from chem dry

Oh yeah, 6 weeks into this place 

And the dogs have turned that room into a piss pot

I don't know if they (one of them really) are mad 

Or marking territory

The previous owners did have dogs also

When the guy showed up 

He told me he had been here before

We have been blaming this one

Every time we would find a mess

He would run away with his tail tucked between his legs

literally!

This one

 would walk around like she owned the place

Then I caught her red handed

BITCH

She still looked at me like 

"wasn't me"

So Frisco has been wrongly accused

I wonder if that is the case for the past 6 years?

Marky Mark is out of town this week

He should be home tonight

But leaves tomorrow for VEGAS

 fantasy football ya know

I have to figure out what to do with the masses for the weekend

Ideas anyone??

If heaven can smell like my babies breath and feet

I better straighten up my act

It's been quiet for way too long

Better check on the boys

Plus that laundry ain't gonna wash itself

Good Friends and Great Parties

Well I survived the drive down to Dallas with a carload of boys

BARELY

We got stuck on I35 for over an hour thanks to a nasty wreck

I made it to the MIL's house just in time to drop the boys off

And head to the airport to pick up Mark

Saturday morning the big boys and I went to the Galleria to meet our besties

Ilan, Castel, and mamma Bethany

I, of course, forgot my camera this weekend

So I only had the camera on my phone

Got a couple pics of the big brothers here 

But was too busy visiting to take photos

Aaghh, look at those loving bros

Ok, so they are probably just fighting

But roll with it folks

 

After our playdate we took attempted to take a rest

Before heading to Ben's 4th birthday party

It was at Infinite Bounds in Plano

where Connor had his party last year

For any of you Dallas dwellers

Best party place EVER!!!

Connor  went home with Ben for a sleepover that night

He is still tired

I guess they were good

Sam (Ben's mamma) said they were

Would you tell if they weren't?

I don't know if I would

That night we went out with friends to celebrate Mark's 40th

And our BFF Amy's 40th

I will share photos from that adventure later

I am going to have to get pictures from Amy

since I am the dummy who forgot the camera

Sunday before we headed back to OKC

We celebrated our nephew Carson's 2nd birthday

Look at that cutie

We did a little swimming 

I now totally understand how/why the kids swim like fish

Casey has mentioned here her little ones are now swimming with no floaties

And Cindy's kids were born with gills

Mine are a little more cautious

And haven't been in a pool since we moved

But 10 minutes in the pool alone with their daddy

My goodness

It was like night and day

They were jumping, going under (on purpose)

and swimming (with their floaties) all over the pool

Nanny had her 5 grandsons over 

My SIL and I decided next year we will drop the 5 boys off

and just go

get in the car and go

HAHAHA

SUCKA!!

5 boys from 5 months to 4 years

Could you imagine if we lived closer

Connor, Colton, Carson, Christian, and Kyle

If Nanny could not handle it

No worries

Christian could watch baby Kyle

I think Carson enjoyed his cake

He dug all the blue icing off

Isn't that the best part of little one's birthday parties

Watching them destroy the cake

And just for fun

My boys

school

Connor's 1st day of school was pretty good. He had a good time. Colton did not sleep...shocker. It will take some major adjusting to get used to our new schedule. He came home very crabby and tired.
today is day 2 of school, Colton is NOT sleeping...shocker!

I am franticly trying to pack up because we are headed to Dallas as soon as I pick up the pre-k boy! Mark is flying in tonight from DC. We have 2 birthday parties to attend for the little ones and celebrating with our friends for Mark's 40th!

If you are thinking about robbing me, just pick up while you're hear please. The house is a freaking mess!!

Thanks
 Hope everyone has a great weekend

Lordy Lordy

Look Who's 

40

This crazy guy

The man of my dreams

The love of my life

My baby daddy

My hubby

Marky-Mark

Happy Birthday Babe!!!

I love you more today than yesterday!

I hope your birthday is wonderful and you get everything you want....

but you better behave in your hotel room!

We celebrated, family style, on Sunday since Mark is traveling this week. He grilled steaks and we sang the ol' HB song to him and had cheesecake. We gave him a power washer (hey got keep the old people active ya know) and some OU crap stuff. 

He is so very lucky that I like older guys. And how fortunate is he to be with a never aging 29-ish year old?! He should really count his blessings.

On a side note...

Went back to Connor's school today to drop off supplies and learn the routine of his new pre-k class at the elementary school. Yesterday we were there for over an hour standing in several lines to get his class assignment. I feel much better about the teacher and aide today. But most of the sweet,snugly stuff is gone that we experienced in preschool last year. I guess that is normal? He is very excited and ready to make new friends so he can go to their house for dinner and play a little bit afterwards. His words, all of it, not mine! I am sad and worried and excited....so many emotions.

He is the afternoon session (they go only half days here for pre-k and k), so it will be quite the adjustment for us all. He usually has quiet time during his new school hours and I will have to adjust the little boys' naps. But we will figure it out., might take a couple of weeks but we'll get there. 

More tomorrow on the big first day!