Stinky "Happos"

Braxton stayed the weekend with us. I love going to his school to pick him up and I got to do it last Friday. He was so cute when he saw me, he smiled and jumped up and ran over to me. I picked him up and told him that I was excited to see him. I told him that I had a surprise for him. He asked what it was. I told him that we were going to the pet store to buy a frog and a fish for his new fish tank that I put in his bedroom. He was pretty excited to go so we grabbed his stuff and off we went.

He picked out a frog and 2 fish. I thought he might pick out a crab but he did not like them at all. He was unpumped on them to say the least! All weekend he was telling me that he was going to get the frog out of his fish tank just once and that it would not hurt the frog. He would just get it out once and then put it right back on the bush. I kept telling him that he was never to get the frog out because it would hurt the frog. He was a good boy and never actually tried to get the frog out. He was very interested in feeding his new pets. He wanted to feed them lots of times a day so I had to keep reminding him that fish only eat breakfast. I put the fish tank on a low shelf in his room so he can sit on him knees and look right in. He really loves it. When Joelynn got home he took her in and had her see his new pets. I asked him what his frog's name was. He told me Froggie.

You are probably wondering what the deal is with the name of today's blog... maybe even wondering if there is a typo in there... nope. The title of today's blog comes from a story Braxton was telling me on the way to the airport to pick up Joelynn. We were driving down the freeway and he started talking about "happos" I thought he was talking about apples or something. I suddenly started worrying about my lunch box that was on the floor back there with him. He then told me that "happos are stinky." That furthered by thought that I had left an apple in my lunch box and it had gone bad or something.

I asked him if he was talking about hippos and he said yes. He said that there was a stinky hippo behind the gate (we were driving next to a wall on the freeway) and that he could go and get it and get in the car. I asked him what color the happo was and he told me that it was orange. I asked him if he wanted the stinky happo in the car and he said that it would have to ride in the trunk because it is too stinky.

I was laughing so hard at his story. He thought it was funny, too and was laughing. We had a good ride to the airport. Then when Joelynn got in the car, I had him tell her about the happos. Now there was a happo in the airport but he was not going on a plane. He just lived at the airport. Joelynn and I were laughing at his new story.

It is so fun to listen to his stories and his creativity. He was so serious talking about the stinky happo and then when I was laughing he thought it was fuuny, too. It was the cutest thing ever.

Someone must be telling him that he is growing up because he spent the weekend telling Jake and Petie that they were growing up and so was he. He also told Joelynn and I that we were growing up, too. It is so cute how he talks to the dogs. He grabs their faces and tells them they are cute. I just can't get enough of him.

Bones Heal and Chicks Dig Scars!

Joelynn and I went to the shooting range yesterday. It seems that Sunday mornings are the days to go! It was practically a ghost town. It was perfect.

Joelynn had talked me into shooting the Beretta that I had been looking at. It is a 22 with the longest barrel in the whole store (seems like). It is black with dark blue accents. It has a good weight and feels awesome in my hand. We took it directly to the range to give it a whirl. I have never shot a 22 before but I was excited.

I love it! It does not have any kick back and I can aim really well with it - the gun store dude said this would be an awesome target practice gun because of the long barrel. He was totally right. I also felt a lot less intimidated by it. I was able to keep my one eye open while I was shooting it. I am not sure if I have posted before about my inability to keep an eye open when shooting the 9 mm guns. I aim with one eye and then get so scared that both eyes close when I actually shoot it.

Anyway, both Joelynn and I are in love with this gun. I was shooting it and suddenly I felt a bullet go down my shirt. Sometimes the bullets go flying in weird directions as you are shooting. I could not have done this amazing trick if I had tried. Anyway, the bullet goes down my shirt and into my bra. Seriously, it just flew right in there. Well, as soon as that happened I knew exactly where it was because it started burning the heck out of my skin. At the time I did not know it was burning, I thought it was cutting me. I was trying to get it out and every time I moved, it burned me more. I was flipping out. I finally got it out and looked at my burn - yep right there on the range... Again, thank goodness it was a ghost town :)

I did not realize that the bullets get so hot. I am probably going to have a scar from it. When I got home, I took a closer look in the mirror and sure enough, there is a pretty crazy little burn. Thank goodness our family motto is "Bones Heal and Chicks Dig Scars!" I am bad to the bone!

Good Times!

Today is my favorite day of a travel week!! Joelynn is coming home tonight. YAHOO!

We get to hang out with Braxton for a couple of hours on Saturday. We are going to help him finish planting his garden. He is going to grow strawberries and carrots. I asked him what he liked to eat so we could grow it. He said that he likes strawberries. Then I kept asking him what he liked to eat and he went on to say he liked yogurt and fruit snacks. Joelynn and I laughed. Then we asked him if he liked carrots and he said he did so we'll help him grow those too. He likes to dig in the dirt and then see the plants as they are growing. He has been helping me with the indoor garden since I planted it several weeks ago. When he comes over to the house on the weekends, he runs over to see how big the plants have gotten and to see if they are hungry. He loves to water them. He is delicate with the plants and he takes such good care of them it is awesome.

Randilyn has been working really hard to get a job this week. I am really proud of her. She had an interview and is just waiting to see the results but she feels good about it. She has also been working really hard on her Spring cleaning at her house. She has gone through almost all of the rooms at her house this week. She is really happy about the whole thing.

I have not talked to Gage this week other than just a text asking if he is doing good. He said he is so that is good.

This weekend we are getting ready for the chick gun class on Monday night. We are going to the shooting range again to practice before the class. I want to try out a 22 Beretta. We are going to see if the gun range rents out 22's.

Happy Easter

Today is Easter. It has been a great day. Braxton stayed the night and woke up today to some awesome presents that the Easter Bunny brought. He was pretty excited. He got some yard tools. He helped us last night finish putting the bark in the flower beds. He was so cute helping us to shovel bark into the wheel barrow. Then Joelynn would let him ride on top of the bark in the wheel barrow and he would help her to dump it out. He also like to pretend that the watering can is a gas can and that he is responsible to keep everything filled with gas. That goes for the things that need gas and the things and people that don't need gas. He went around today while everyone was eating their Easter lunch filling them up with gas. He is so funny!

We had 13 people here for lunch including us. Joelynn is a great cook so people feel excited to get to eat her sweet sweet cooking. I call it sweet nectar! She made boneless pork ribs with her secret bbq sauce, spinach salad, bbq'd asparagus and rolls. Joelynn's mom brought her famous potato salad and Randilyn and Mitch brought Marie Calendar's pies for dessert. YUMMY. We ate like kings. I sent everyone home with leftovers. They were pumped.

I was super glad to see my mom and my brother. They both looked good. That makes me happy. 

We decided to boycott candy for this holiday so everyone got other things instead from the Easter Bunny. Our moms (and their husbands) and my brother got exercise stuff. The kids got socks and undies. Gage also got an iron and an ironing board. Randilyn got a cookbook. Hopefully everyone liked their gifts.

It has been a great day all around.

To Wii or Not to Wii?

I brought my Wii in to the office this week for a team building activity with the management team. We played the surgery game I got and then also played the sports game. We busted it out for the agents to play when they make sales or do other reward worthy things.

It has been so fun. I have played more than my fair share this week. I love having it here. It would be so awesome to have a department Wii. Everyone is having fun with it.

I am sure we have lost some efficiency with it but gained a great morale. Everyone has been cheering each other on.

I even learned about a training part of the sports game that I had never known about - did I mention that it is my game system. Yeah, I am kind of dumb.

The training games teach you how to play the regular sports games better. I can't wait to take it home and learn how to play the tennis game better. I am not sure how to aim my Mii. I'll learn that and then when I play again, I'll really kick some butt.

I beat Shep at golf today. It was 11 to 26. All of the other games, I have been beat at. It has still been a ton of fun, though.

My Favorite Day of a Travel Week

Today is my favorite day of a travel week for Joelynn. It is the day she comes home. I am so excited. For some reason I thought she was coming home on Friday this week. Last night, I signed on to the Delta site to check the time she was going to arrive on Friday so I could count down the time until she would be home. I usually start counting down around my 2nd favorite day of a travel week (2 days before she comes home). I was surprised I had lost track of her schedule this week.

I got the laundry room finished last night except for the sink. I moved all of the sheets downstairs and am using the laundry cabinet for the laundry that is waiting to be done. I know... insane idea. I moved the laundry basket into the guest room. I thought that might be a nice little addition so that if people are staying over, they have a place to keep their laundry.

The dogs had me up 3 times in the night to go out. They are totally shaking me down for treats. Jake has my number for sure. He barks once while he is outside so then I tell him to come in. He just looks at me until I tell him that I'll give him a treat. Last night, on the 3rd time, I told him I'd give him a treat but it was not going to be a good one. He didn't seem to mind. Instead of giving him a whole piece of chicken jerky, I split one into thirds and each of the dogs had one and I put the last piece back. They were cool about it. Then Jake went to bed on the couch and Petie jumped in bed with me. He uses his stairs when he wants to but mostly he makes me pick him up and put him in the bed. He has my number, too. I am a push over for the dogs.

Jake has a hair appointment tomorrow. I am happy about that. I always love him more when his hair is short. His long hair gives me the heebie-jeebies. It is like cotton and I hate to touch it. When he gets his hair done he looks like a little boy. It is darling. I need to clip Petie's nails, too. That is a 2 person job so maybe Joelynn and I will do it this weekend. Gage is a sissy and will not help because Petie bites him. Petie hates getting his manicures. We feed him scrambled eggs so he won't bite us when we do it. He still growls and shows his teeth but he holds back as long as the eggs don't run out.

We are going to the gun range this weekend again. We need to decide what kind of gun we like best so we can be prepared for our chick gun class on the 20th of April. I just found out that you are supposed to keep both eyes open when you are shooting. I have been aiming with one eye closed and then closing both eyes to shoot. I know I am a sissy. I will get used to it and be able to keep them open, hopefully soon. It is just so scary for me. I am totally intimidated by guns.

Braxton is going to come over for a couple of hours on Saturday. We are not going to have him stay over this weekend. We need some time by ourselves. We can't not see him though so we will just do a couple of hours. He is so perfect and fun to hang out with.