Wordless Wednesday

I know it's Wordless Wednesday but I must tell you all of this story. There are two children on my lap. If you look closely, Colton is up near my chest; you can see his arms poking out just a bit. And Courtnie is snuggled up behind him. The night was super stormy and our babies do not like storms. So they crawled in my lap while I rocked/patted them to sleep. Once they were asleep Jason took them to bed. There were more blankets, loveys and pillows on my lap than ever before! It was so worth the extra snuggling time with my babies. I do love a rainy night!!

Boys will be Boys, Part 2

Need I say more? These two can find mud anywhere and nothing will stop them from getting into it. I wish I had grabbed the camera when Colton walked up to the house with his hands out saying "what? what?" They weren't in trouble but he sure thought he was going to be. Question though, if he thinks he's going to be in trouble, why play in the mud? Needless to say the shoes have to sit on the porch and dry off so THEY can clean them.

And then there's this:

We had originally thought Cameron had poison ivy because Cameron likes to find poison ivy. He gets this ALL THE TIME! Jason has even walked him out in the field behind our house to show him what it looks like and where it is exactly. Yet, he still manages to find it. This time was a bit different though; it's poison oak! Something new for a change!! Last night we were talking and Jason asked him if he was going to go back there again and Cameron scoffed at him and said "yeah!" Let me also say, this poison oak (and the numerous times he's had poison ivy) doesn't stop there where the pictures are taken. It is literally all over his body! His face and eyes were so swollen, he literally brought tears to my eyes when he woke up. Anyhow, I'll close this with words from his dear younger brother.... "Cameron is poisoned!"

Spring HAS Sprung!

My friend, Tamara, and I took the kids to the park this afternoon. She has a little boy near Colton's age and her baby girl is the other baby we have at Academy Kids and is also Olivia's best friend. If you could see these two girls together, you'd see how much they ADORE each other! And the boys have just as much fun too. (I digressed..... really bad too.....) We headed to the park for some much-needed Vitamin D and playtime outdoors. The boys fed the ducks, rode scooters, played in the sand, climbed on the playground equipment and did it all over again (and again and again). They had so much fun! I love park time!! The girls had fun too. They weren't sure about the wind at times but loved being outside and seeing new things. They look so different up close and green! And playing at the park in company of good friends makes the outing that much more special. Thank you Tamara, Travis and Abby for joining us!

Cleaning Must Go On!

On Monday, also known as cleaning day around our house, I set goals for myself to get done that day. I had just put Olivia down for a nap and Colton djust started a movie. My time frame to get the kitchen done isn't very big and that is probably the one area that HAS to get done. I'm on the final stage of cleaning the kitchen - mopping the floors. Little did I know that I had run out of my mopping pads the last time I mopped. I honestly do not remember taking the last one out of the box or throwing the box away but apparently this was the case. So what's a girl to do? I don't have much time as it is but my clock is winding down before I hear a whimper or a "Mommy!" I quickly grabbed my Lysol spray stepped on top of two of my cleaning towels (yes, I'm OCD like that. We have nice towels and cleaning towels, for very different purposes obviously!) and got busy. I will admit, I almost busted a few times but thankfully there was always a counter nearby to catch my fall. And yes, I did accomplish this task before I was being called by a wee one =)

200th Blog

In honor of my 200th blog, I wanted this huge, stellar blog. I didn't bake 200 cookies, I didn't sing "Happy 200th Blog Birthday", I'm not graduating to a new level in the blogging world, I have just simply written 200 blogs. To commemorate this occasion, Jason and I wrote 200 Gautreaux Rules. Enjoy!

1. Make your bed daily.
2. If you poo, you must courtesy flush AND courtesy spray.
3. No lying.
4. No stealing.
5. TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS! {from Dad}
6. Push in your chair.
7. There are two trash cans - trash and recycle. Throw your crap away correctly. If it stinks, take it out. If it's full, take it out.
8. If you want your laundry washed, dried and folded for you - turn it right side out.
9. Get out of and do not play in my garage!
10. M-A-T-U-R-I-T-Y
11. Flush the toilet.
12. You know you are about to throw up. Get up and TRY to aim for the trashcan.
13. If it's dark outside, go back to sleep.
14. No whining.
15. It's your room, your possessions and your mess. It's my house, keep it clean.
16. Are you hurt or are you injured?
17. Brush your teeth. You have to.
18. After you do, please don't leave chunks of toothpaste or your scattered spit on the counter or in the sink.
19. If you do, clean it up.
20. And please don't wipe your toothpaste mouth on my shower curtain.
21. No more candy.
22. No pouting.
23. Do not hit your sister.
24. It doesn't matter which seat you have in the car, we'll all arrive at the same time.
25. It doesn't matter which seat you have at the table, Mom and Dad will choose their favorite to sit by. (Just kidding!)
26. Don't talk back.
27. No farting at the dinner table.
28. Or burping.
29. And must we all fight about who gets to say the prayer? Sometimes one person can say it and sometimes we can all say it. Yes, our food may be cold by the time we get done. We've been doing it for years, do you see us complaining?
30. We know you don't like those veggies; eat them anyway.
31. PICK UP YOUR SHOES!
32. Do not come out of your shower and show us your nakedness. We're all getting too old for that.
33. Mom and Dad do not enjoy you using our toothbrushes. Get your own!
34. If the toilet paper roll is empty, replace it.
35. Remember, the roll should go OVER.
36. Colton, that isn't food, take it out of your mouth.
37. Do not answer the door when Mom and Dad are away.
38. Our bed is not okay for you to sleep in. And stop going to your Daddy's side just because he's too lazy to take you back to bed.
39. Look both ways before crossing the street.
40. I don't care that you didn't make that mess, clean it up.
41. Take your medicine. You know too well that when you don't, you get sick. Learn this.
42. Don't get a new cup, you already have one sitting right there.
43. Rinse your dishes off.
44. Your food and drinks stay in the kitchen.
45. You forgot your homework at home? I'm sorry, you better bring home an A at the end of the six weeks.
46. Do not be stingy.
47. Do not roll your eyes.
48. If it's nap time, you better stay quiet.
49. And if you're in our room during nap time, you better have something very important to say.
50. If it's broken, throw it away.
51. No more soda.
52. It's bedtime, get there.
53. Courtnie, no makeup.
54. Do not ride your bike through the grass.
55. Balls are to be thrown OUTSIDE. Even if Dad says you can play with him, do not. Let him get in trouble.
56. Never put anything into the wall sockets.
57. Do not slam doors.
58. Feed Cinda.
59. And Speedy and Spidey.
60. Say 'please' and 'thank you'.
61. Yes, you have to read.
62. DO NOT RUN ON THE COUCH!
63. Chew with your mouth closed.
64. Be kind to your siblings. They are your BEST friends.
65. Cameron, do not chew gum!
66. Please shut the drawers to your dresser.
67. Stop asking your grandparents for money.
68. I'm sorry that you had a bad dream, sorry that your arm hurts, sorry that you can't go to sleep and sorry the light post outside is too bright tonight. Stay in your bed.
69. Pray without ceasing.
70. Do something nice for someone else DAILY.
71. Do not be boastful.
72. You know dinner is ready, set the table.
73. If the remote is in someone else's hand, do not take it away from them.
74. If there is something you want to wear and it's in the dirty clothes basket, leave it there.
75. Do not make people wait on you.
76. If you want to keep your cellphone, answer it when we call you.
77. Be appreciative.
78. If you don't want something anymore, don't give it to your younger brother to save yourself a trip to the trash.
79. Turn the TV down.
80. And your iPods!
81. Get your homework done. We will be glad to help you, not do it for you.
82. Do not envy.
83. If I don't like your outfit, I have the right to veto it. Go change please!
84. Give me your best smile in the first picture, and I won't make you sit through 20 more trying to get the best shot.
85. Shoes on or socks off!
86. If you CHOOSE to wrestle, you might get hurt. Please don't come crying to me expecting the other person to be in trouble.
87. Go play outside!
88. Do not touch or play behind my curtains. I understand they are tempting to use as the perfect hiding spot. Please hide somewhere else.
89. Drinks.... two hands.
90. No pointing at other people.
91. No staring.
92. While in a restaurant, stay in your chair.
93. No phones at the dinner table.
94. Please don't say "yeah".
95. We neatly scrape the butter off the top. We do not stab the butter or make big holes. We also do not leave crumbs in the butter.
96. Don't blame other people for things, especially when you do not know for sure.
97. No toys on the coffee table.
98. We have a bathroom boys, must we go outside?
99. Keep your closet doors shut.
100. Do not, under any circumstance, ever touch Mom's pillow. Never.

And because 200 rules is just ALOT and I can't think of anymore, how about 100 blessings we've learned from our rules:

1. Mistakes happen.
2. We aren’t perfect.
3. We all sin.
4. Standing in the corner is not fun.
5. And neither is any form of punishment.
6. Poo happens.
7. Sometimes we lose friendships because of bad choices.
8. Forgiveness is a vital part of relationships.
9. Compromise works!
10. Dad will take the light bulbs out when you leave the lights on.
11. Your laundry may not get washed!
12. Sometimes, the girls may fall in the toilet.
13. We get grouchy when we don’t get our required amount of sleep.
14. And the days are better when we do.
15. Mom and Dad tune out when we whine.
16. And they get really upset when you pout.
17. People in this house are stingy with their blankets.
18. The kids now clean their own bathroom!
19. Trips to the ER are no fun for anyone.
20. Irritating your sister sometimes means she’ll get angry with you.
21. Arguing about particular seats at the table or in the car usually ends up with everyone in trouble.
22. Bad manners will get you in trouble, regardless of who’s around.
23. Mom and Dad WILL make you eat that veggie!
24. If you leave things around the house after bedtime, Mom picks them up and makes you do chores to get them back.
25. It’s really funny when you show your nakedness after a shower!
26. Mom and Dad really do not like it when we use their toothbrush.
27. If the kids go to Dad in the middle of the night, he lets us in the bed.
28. If you go to Mom’s side of the bed, she pretends to be asleep.
29. Money does not grow on trees.
30. The world does not revolve around one person.
31. An adult’s voice gets really loud when you get near the street!
32. Messes always have to get cleaned up.
33. When you don’t take your medicine, you do get sick.
34. It’s really not that big of deal to use two cups, but it does require Mom to do more dishes.
35. When you don’t rinse the dishes off, the food is harder to get off after its sat there for a couple of hours.
36. Mom and Dad are not okay with anything less than an A. (Unless of course you’ve given 100%.)
37. Never interrupt Mom and Dad during nap time, they get grouchy.
38. Makeup is fun to play with!
39. Balls thrown inside do cause tragedies.
40. Mom will grab the camera to snap pictures of tragedies.
41. She also snaps pictures of the kids when they are pouting.
42. Inserting keys into the wall sockets actually does electrocute you!
43. Slamming doors may cause Dad to take the doors off the hinges.
44. Cinda swims her head into the tank when she doesn’t get fed.
45. Speedy and Spidey bite!
46. Reading can be fun!!
47. Prayer works miracles.
48. It feels so good to do nice things for others.
49. Complaining about dinner makes Mom go on strike. This means NO DINNER.
50. Sometimes those strange outfits are worth wearing, if only to get the shocked reaction out of strangers.
51. And sometimes your “moment” in the store will not make me leave, you can just be embarrassed when everyone stares at you.
52. Dropping heavy objects on the stove cracks it.
53. Wearing socks outside creates holes.
54. Boys will wear holy socks.
55. And holy underwear.
56. Wrestling is fun, so long as you aren’t the one getting hurt.
57. It’s fun for Mom to watch and for Dad to wrestle too.
58. We love the outdoors!
59. Drinking with one hand causes spills, which Mom doesn’t like.
60. Pointing at other people embarrasses your parents.
61. Mom gags when the butter has been stabbed.
62. Climbing and jumping off high places in/on the house is fun. It also scares Mom.
63. Bandaids are very important to have handy.
64. No toilet paper in the bathroom can be tragic.
65. Cold water in the shower is miserable.
66. Painted walls chip when in contact with flying objects.
67. Mom has learned boys just need to pee outside sometimes.
68. Cleaning is accomplished faster when we all chip in.
69. On buffet night, its first come, first serve.
70. Your favorite movies and CDs scratch when they aren’t put up correctly.
71. Timeouts don’t start until you stop crying.
72. If you fight in the car, Mom pulls over and asks you to get out until you’re ready to be kind.
73. Sometimes Courtnie still doesn’t care if the weather is cold, cuteness is far more important.
74. The kids can do nothing fun until their chores are done.
75. Gum in the hair is bad. Very bad.
76. Boys think black eyes, scars or any other battle wound is totally cool.
77. Batting your eyes at Daddy really works.
78. Mom and Dad will rock the kids if we ask nicely.
79. Mom will make you go to school on time, even if you’re not ready.
80. If you undo your seat belt, the car stops.
81. Do not hang from the towel rack in the bathroom, it snaps.
82. Don’t hang from the stocking holder on the mantel, it cracks the tile.
83. While sitting on the bar stool, it’s a really bad idea to lean back.
84. Head injuries BLEED.
85. Washing machines overflow when too full.
86. Yanking clothes off the hanger causes them to break.
87. Putting a basket by the backdoor for shoes was a great idea!
88. Inquisitive children don’t really mean to break things; they’re simply trying to figure out how they work. Sometimes we just can’t put them back together or fix them.
89. Four years olds can do some serious damage to toilets.
90. Everyone should know a little bit about plumbing.
91. Flames near towels are a bad combination.
92. Being dishonest gets you in more trouble. Fess up!
93. Shelves should definitely be bolted to the walls.
94. Toys break and sometimes Mom and Dad can’t repair them.
95. A really cute smile goes a long way!
96. Family game nights are fun for everyone.
97. That which belongs to Mom and Dad, also belongs to the children (so they think).
98. If you leave it out, someone else may grab it.
99. Money washed in the laundry becomes property of the person doing the laundry. Sorry for your bad luck.
100. It’s all fun and games…. until someone gets hurt.

Let me say, this part was far more fun than the Rules part. I should have done 200 of those but since I had already put in far more hours working on the rules, they are staying. BTW, I did sing Happy 200th Post Birthday to myself =)

Spring has SPRUNG

....or has it?

Friday's temperature was a high of 74. Saturdays tempertature (also the first day of Spring) was a low of 32. Sunday morning SNOW! We measured near the backdoor and had 7 inches of snow; this was NOT the highest point of the snow either! Tuesday's forcast is 73 degrees. Only in Texas....

Frontier Flight Museum

If you have never made your way to the Frontier Flight Museum at Dallas Lovefield, you need to! I can't believe I have lived here all my life and have NEVER been here. It was amazing! I must admit, we were all hesitant to get too excited after our adventures on Wednesday but when we got there and noticed how few people were there and much there was to see and do, we all let our joy overflow!

They have every kind of flight exhibits from the first planes to the modern day planes, hot air balloons, space shuttles, war aircraft, the kinds of seats in each item, the clothes the pilots wore, bullets and missiles. I wasn't sure how Courtnie would appreciate this museum, but even she likes it. They also have an interactive area for the kids to play, push buttons, climb and explore.

After we toured the Museum, we headed out and found a spot to watch the planes depart and arrive. The kids loved this! Even as an adult, I still find this amazing.

It's really hard for me to pick just a few pictures. You'll have to look at them on our photo album. Here are a few I just HAD to post. BTW, it's not my fault Cameron is in so few pictures. He has become so uncooperative with my picture taking!

Courtnie found a stage and just HAD to show us her moves!
We ended the night with dinner at Primos. Here is Colton bribing the girls with money to seat us faster. He's holding up our number and the money and flashing his most adorable smile. It worked too! He got her number!! How do you like them apples?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This St. Patrick's Day proved to be anything but LUCKY for us! Our original plans were to head to the Ft. Worth Zoo. Little did we know it is the biggest, most busiest day for this zoo, more police are stationed throughout the zoo and it takes hours just to find a parking place. Thankfully, we heard all this on the news and decided against the Zoo.

We did however think it would be a great day to head to the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History. Once again, we didn't anticipate the traffic headed towards the Ft. Worth Zoo. We sat in this for a bit before my mom decided to take a short cut through the city. Luckily, we stumbled upon Chipotle for lunch - a first-time treat for my mom and kids. They loved it! Afterwards we headed to the Museum. Lucky for us, there was a 45 minute wait just to get in and waits for each exhibit! Can you believe our luck on this lucky day?!

So we headed towards home... on our way, we decided to stop by Dallas Heritage Village. We get there just in time for them to close in 45 minutes. Our luck just keeps getting better! Did you know that when you get there just before they close, you don't have to pay? That was nice! We quickly made our way through the Village, snapped a few pictures and headed home with the intent to take the kids to the park. At this point, the kids have been in the car almost all day long.

We call the men and tell them to meet us at the house; we were grabbing dinner and going to the park. Did you know EVERYONE else would be at the exact park we wanted to play at? Change of plans yet again! We grabbed dinner and ice cream, found a park that wasn't overly crowded and let the kids run and play. As I was sitting back watching them play, I realized they were playing frisbee and climbing rocks in a nearby pond, neither of which are the PARK. lol. They were having fun though! I guess anything is more fun than being cooped-up in the car jabbing your siblings because their arm crossed the line, or their breathing was too loud, or their cough was too close to your space. Gotta love 'em!

It sounds like a rotten day, and it was in it's own way, but the kids were understandable and cooperative, which made the day a bit more tolerable. They were very well behaved too!

That hot popcorn was calling Colton's name. Unfortunately they were closed for the day.

Courtnie in the old school house. She was very excited... she read one page of their book!

The Saloon proved to be troublesome for Cameron, we had escort him out!

Going Bonkers

Going Bonkers.... the perfect place to keep us from going bonkers at home! lol. This place is amazing and is like a small piece of heaven for children. We LOVED it! We were there for more than two hours and not one kiddo was ready to leave (we had to bribe them with McD's for lunch). I cannot even begin to describe it other than saying it's like a real life Chutes and Ladders game! There are so many levels and different ways to climb/slide down or crawl/climb up. There are trampoline type things inside, a zip-line, so much entertainment. I'd love to crawl in myself when it isn't Spring Break and filled with children. I'm afraid I might start to panic. But these kids did not and they LOVED it. This is definitely a must for this summer!

Boys will be Boys!

This is Cameron and his buddy. They were headed out for an air-soft war with some neighbor kids. These kids had serious plans and were fully padded (and armed). They did have alot of fun though!!
And this is how Colton dressed to go play outside. Surely, nobody messes with my baby when he looks like this! If they do, I'm certain he puts them in their place. fast.