Go ahead...LOL

Okay, so I'm going to tell this story at my own expense.  Just because, well...it's just so darn funny!!

So, anyway, yesterday after MOPS I was leaving the church to head to the post office.  I had turned out of the parking lot to go the back way, and Sharon called and asked if I wanted to meet her at Geno's for lunch.  So, I quickly decided to head that direction.

Granted, I have lived in Greenwood for 15 years now, but sometimes I still get a little turned around:)  I got a little confused trying to figure out how to get back out to Center street. I thought I was just going to go down one block and then turn back left and be back on my way.  Well, I came up to a very short "gravel road" that seemd to lead back onto Denver.  I could see the creek rushing by (it was pouring rain yesterday) and thought, yep, this going to take me right out by LaFiesta.  So, I drive down the little gravel road and end up on another road.

I immediatly thought, wow, this is a really nice new road.  Then I noticed it seemed to be a bit narrow, and I started to get a little nervous.  Then I looked out the window and saw a picnic table and trash can, and it dawned on me...I'M DRIVING ON THE WALKING TRAIL!!!!!!  OMG!!! 

Seriously, I'm driving my big honking Suburban down the WALKING TRAIL!!!  So, I decide I've got to turn around immediately.  But, the path is really narrow, and the ground is REALLY wet, so wet I'm afraid that if I get off the trail I'm going to sink down in mud and get stuck.  (I can imagine that call to 911,  "Um, I was driving down the walking trail, and I seem to have gotten stuck").  Serously!!

So, I decide all I can do is just keep driving and come out on the other end (where ever that may be).  So, I make it almost all the way to LaFiesta (on the walking trail) and get to the end of the path....and there are these yellow posts blocking the exit!!!!!  WHAT!!!!!!

Now I really start to panic.  I'm afraid that by now a cop or some other good citizen has seen me on the path and has called me in.  I finally decide I've just got to figure out how to turn around.  So, after a whole lot of maneuvering (A LOT) I finally got turned around.  Then, I take another scenic cruise down the walking path back to where I started.

Can you even believe it??? It's really SO embarressing, but it makes for such a good laugh I decided I've just got to share it.  Maybe someday my kids will get a big kick out of their geographically challenged momma!!

Just for fun I drove back over to the fateful spot where I made the mistake about the "gravel road" yesterday.  I took a pic to try to make this whole thing more understandable:)  LOL!!!

January Update

I'm SO behind!  It's time for a "January update".  It has been a crazy busy few weeks, nothing major has happened, but lots of little things that I don't want to forget!!

We had a Beginnings staff "reunion" and it was SO wonderful!!  I have missed these girls SO much since the birth center closed.  It was like a second home for me and the boys for so many years.

 A group shot of "the girls".   Anita Rissler, Renee Wing, Mary Lynn Holland, me, Anita Deaver, Karen Vearrier, Mamie Jones, and Amanda Dawson.

 I LOVE this woman!!  Anita is one of those people that made an impression on me that I will NEVER forget.  She taught me so much about nursing, the natural birthing process, and how to display grace under fire.  She is an AMAZING woman and I miss her SO much!  We sat down and started talking and it was like I had just seen her yesterday.  Friends like that are few and far between and I am so thankful that I have Anita's friendship!

 One night we decided to "chance it" and try to go out to eat with Beau.  We are starting to try to venture out a little bit with him again:)  This night we went to Chick-fil-A (starting small) and he did GREAT!  So good that we decided to go to Goody's also.  Here are my guys!  I love them so!

 One morning Beau woke up with CRAZY hair!!

 I finished my 2011 blog book!!  I had it printed and am in love!!  It looks so good and I'm so glad to have it in my hands!  It ended up being 349 pages!!  This is the back.

 The front!  Just FYI because several people have asked, it is a hardback, with 349 pages, and it cost $140.  I had it made at blog2print.com.  If anyone decides to order one, please let me refer you!  You can earn credit from their site when you refer friends:)

 Blake and Evan both got their report cards and they both had straight A's!!  I'm SO very proud of both of them!  There was an awards assembly at East Hills and Blake received an award for 2nd place in math on his team.  I'm very proud of Blake for staying competitive in a large group of kids that accel in academics.

Here is Blake getting his award from Mrs. Cumbie.

This past Saturday morning the boys wanted breakfast so I decided to try out a couple of Pinterest recipes I had pinned.  We made cinnamon sugar crescents and homemade donuts.  SO yummy!!

The boys helped with the donuts.  Not particularly good for you, but SO SO good!!

We were running some errands on Saturday afternoon and Blake had given Beau a "gucker" from Yeagers.  Not 2 minutes later I turned around and found him sound to sleep with his sucker still in his mouth:)

Saturday night was the "New Year New You' Cotillion event.  I took Blake and then he took me to dinner afterwards.  I really enjoyed my time with just Blake.  I was very proud of him for asking someone (I won't talk about who in case it would embarress him:)  to dance at Cotillion.  He is getting very brave!  Afterwards I told him he was taking me out.  So, he decided where we were going.  We went to Red Lobster (my favorite).  He was such a gentleman.  He opened doors for me, asked for our table, and even paid the bill.  We had a really nice time!

~Blake and I~

On Monday the boys were out of school, so dad took Blake and Evan to the shooting range.  Blake is going to be on the trap team at school this year, so he is getting some practice in early.  Evan is also loving the chance to shoot!

Mom called and invited Beau and I to go eat lunch and to visit GaGa.  It was a big risk, but we decided to brave Rolando's with Beau.  I am SO happy to say that he was GREAT!!!  He sat in his seat and ate a whole plate of rice.  We were by the window so he could stand by the window and see out.  I truly was amazing and so thrilled with how well it went!!

Evan is playing basketball at the boys and girls club this year.  This is our first year to not play Upward, and so far it has been great!  Evan is on a team with a lot of the boys from his football team and they have become good friends.  He is really enjoying playing competitvely.  He has done great!  The first game he scored 4 out of their 10 points and the second game he scored 6 of out their 12 points.  They lost the first game and won the second.  I don't know much about basketball, but even I can tell that this year he just "gets it".  It's like watching a different kid play and I am loving it!

I need a whole post to even start to describe all the feelings I have in my head about the Scogin's moving, but I can't go there just yet.  So, instead I'll just talk about how cute these 2 are!!  We were headed out of the ROC to go the nursery and Beau reached over and grabbed Whitney's hand.  They held hands all the way to the preschool building.  SO stinkin' cute!!  I don't know what Beau is going to do without his Nee Nee.

I took this before MDO yesterday.  Just a sweet pic of my big boy.  He has moved up to the 2 year old class this semester.  So far, it's going pretty good.  A couple of melt downs and one trip back to see Mrs. Pat for naptime, but otherwise he is adjusting well.  I'm so glad to see Beau growing and changing!!

So, there is our January so far in a nut shell.  My goal is to stay caught up from here on out!!!

Blake's new room!!!

Blake has been in the same twin bed since he was three.  He has been really cramped for a while, but he has never complained about it.  We decided that it was time for a change!  So, he got new mattresses and bedding for Christmas!  That meant a room overhaul for Blake.

Here is a pic of his room on Christmas morning.  Bless his heart, he still had the baby blue walls that we had painted before we moved in the house when he was two:)

 We decided on a khaki/grey color for 3 walls and a dark blue on one wall.  Here is a pic of the chaos of painting...

 I always get a little overwhelmed at about this point.  When everything is everywhere and you can't even step without hitting something.  I'm glad Travis takes charge on projects like this!  He and Blake painted and I just did Beau crowd control.

 We rearranged the furniture to make room for the bigger bed.  Here comes the full sized mattresses!!

 The bed came from my GaGa and Dessa's house in ElDorado.  It has a lot of sentimental value and Blake loves it.  It has shelves in the headboard and he loves that he has some "cubbies" to keep stuff in.

 Blake also decided he was ready to get his fish tank back up and running.  He saved some money to get some new fish and supplies and got everything ready.  I am really proud of him for taking on that project and doing it all himself.  He did all of the set up himself this time!

 The new room.  The walls are still naked.  We have a plan for a project with some canvases but just haven't had time to finish it yet.  There is a whole bedroom suit that matches the bed that we will probably incorporate one piece at a time.  Just got to make sure it will fit...

 Blake is a collector.  He likes to display all of his collections.  So, this was a really good opportunity to re-evaluate all of his "displays" and decide what was most important right now.  He narrowed it down SO much and now only the most important things to him right now are on his shelves.  He did it all himself, and when you are 12, I think that is really important.  I am proud of him for choosing some special treasures and displaying them very neatly. 

So, now we have an almost teenager room.  When I walk in his room it just doesn't seem quite right.  It seems like such a big kid room, and I can't believe that my baby fits in there.  But, he loves it and is very proud of it and that makes me very happy!

Christmas Day-Part 2

We headed over to Nonnie and Poppy's for breakfast and presents.  Apparently we were WAY too busy eating to take any pictures of the food.  But it was SO, SO good!  Mom made Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, sausage balls, and party pizzas.  So yummy!

This was a pic of before we started.  Beau was pretty excited!!

 He ripped through his presents like I couldn't believe.  I hadn't really worried about the number of presents Beau had because on his birthday he wasn't all that interested in opening.  Boy has that changed!!  He tried to open everyone's presents!!

 Evan and his Keurig machine.  He loved it so much he had to hug and kiss it:)  Crazy boy!  He really loves coffee and loves mom and dad's machine, so I decided...why not.

 This was so sweet.  Evan wrapped up one of his old dump trucks for Beau.  Beau opened it and loved it!

 Mom got Georgia a "Big Baby".  I had a Madame Alexander doll when I was little that I called Big Baby.  Mom found Georgia one on eBay.  But, hers accidentally turned out to be a small version of Big Baby so we were calling Georgia's doll "Little Baby". 

 Travis and his annual "Christmas Vacation" ornament.  This is #3 of the series.  Some of our favorite ornaments!!

 Blake got new full size mattresses from Nonnie and Poppy!  He was SO excited.  He also got new bedding from us.  He got a room makeover the day of Christmas.  A separate post coming soon!

 I love this picture of Blake and Evan helping Beau unwrap his table and chairs that he got from Nonnie and Poppy.  I am hoping this present helps Beau to sit still and do "something" for a few minutes at a time:)

 Travis and Kyle both got Apple TV's from Nonnie and Poppy.  Fun fun!!

 Travis and I had agreed not to get each other gifts, but I decided to surprise him and get him a new phone.  He has been SO patient and he absolutely wouldn't buy it for himself, so now he has the new 4S.  He deserved it!

 Amy also got a new iPhone.  We had a very Apple Christmas:)

I love this picture.  I think everyone except Dad and Amy are in it:)

 Nonnie and Georgia checking out a present.

 Ev with his Cousin Eddie hat!

 Nonnie and Georgia checking out Little Baby.

 Kyle and his Georgia!

We had such a great Christmas morning!  By about 11:00 we were all exhausted.  So, we loaded up and headed home for a nap.  Travis actually put up Evan's new basketball goal and put together Beau's new table and chairs first.  It felt good to get that stuff done!  We all took a nap and then headed back over to Nonnie and Poppy's to watch our annual viewing of Christmas Vacation:)  A good day!!