Some more snapshots...

Finally, I uploaded more of the gazillions of pictures I have on my camera! My computer is extremely slow and the torture of uploading pictures makes me cringe at the thought of sitting here waiting for it. YUCK!


This is little Alexa at the Diamond Backs Game :)


Tyler hitting balls in the batting cages~He LOVES the batting cages at Chase Field



Momma & Lexa~ Waiting for Tyler to get done with his Balls..it took forEVER!

Worth the wait

So many of you already know that we have been going through a LONG LENGTHY procedure with our lawyers and our mortgage company to come to an agreement on our loan modification. I finally received the news yesterday with all the details on the loan mods & we have decided to sign the papers and proceed. This has been an ongoing deal since March & no part of it has been easy, but we are thankful that it is all done.

They managed to put us into a Principle & Interest loan (which before we only had interest only) and our interest rates are somewhat unbeleivable. The payment has been reduced by 47% from when we purchased the house in November of 2006. Which is also a great thing since our income has reduced by about 60% since the time we purchased.

Now comes the hard part, the mortgage is still slightly more then we are comfortable with, but we will not be greedy, so now we need to buckle down and get rid of all the extra's that we don't need so we can be very comfortable. After all that we have been through, I think it will be much easier then we think. I'm looking forward to simplicity again. When you think about it...we are all so spoiled in our way of living...getting back to basic necessities is not only good for the bank account but also enriches the soul. For this, I am excited.

Thankful Thursday

I am so Thankful that I have a GREAT Sister-in-Law, Whitney. She is the baby of my SIL's but she is amazing! She will help us by babysitting our kids when Ty & I want to get away for a weekend and we always enjoy our time alone to the fullest because we know our kids are safe with her. She has so much patience with the kids & they love her SO much! Thanks Whit for always being a great sitter and giving ty & I opportunities to get away together, we both really appreciate you for that!

20 Things you may not know about me...

OK, so I've been tagged in this crazy '20' things run around. I figured I would jump in and do it so I can say "I DID IT". Here goes:


The 20 things you may NOT know about me:

1) I have a slight case of OCD when it comes to folding bath towels

2) I (until recently) used to mop my floors (all 2900sf of my tile) every single day for about 7 years straight.

3) I am a hair product whore! (LOL)

4) I am afraid of getting old

5) I often feel like the outkast in my side of my family

6) I was so excited when new kids on the block came out with a new song last year!! (this tells you my exact age)

7) Consider myself to be obsessed with my scale

8) Ed Hardy is my favorite designer, but I can't ever seem to afford his stuff

9) I am addicted to bargain shopping & sales

10) Sometimes I feel that I sell my kids short of a terrific mother because I am such an over acheiver and I don't always stop to smell the roses...Today. Instead, I regret it tomarrow.

11) I went to Juvy when I was 15 for wrecking my moms car

12) Unless my house is on fire or my kids are very ill, I will never leave the house without make up on

13) I like shiny chrome wheels on all our trucks

14) I LOVE LOVE LOVE TATTOOS!! I can't wait for ty to get his full arm sleeve :)

15) My dreams are to retire and travel the world with Ty

16) MY very favorite singers are: Eminem, Tupac, Toby Keith, Pink & Kid Rock (don't Judge)

17) At times, I worry about money until I want to throw up

18) On average, I get 5 hrs of "ME" time to myself a week. I recently made the decision that I am going to put myself back on my list and I vow NOT to feel guilty about it.

19) My favorite splurge is a heath & butterfinger blizzard at Dairy Queen followed (YES, FOLLOWED) by Orange chicken & chow mein from Panda Express. Mmm :)

20) If I could change one thing in my house it would be to get rid of all the damn stainless steel appliances I have and replace them with something that doesn't show 50 million fingerprints, scratches and smudges! Mother's worst nightmare HAS GOT to be owning stainless steel ANYTHING with 4 children & 1 husband! I happen to be VERY clean and make NO smudges!!! (must simply be because I CLEAN IT!)

Thankful Thursday

OK OK..so we're a little trashed in this picture...but it's the only one of about 80 that I can find of all of us together. ITS VEGAS....THIS EXPLAINS IT ALL!!! This very well might be the night Ty & Billy Ditched me & Robin..LOL. Seriously!


For my Thankful Thursday insert this week, I choose to dedicate it to our 2 great friends. We have some of the best friends you could ever meet, while some say that their friends are the best, ours really are. Billy and Robin have been friends of ours since 2000. The way we met was a bit weird, but I look back now and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to see that strange character (billy) looking at me through my back door. LOL (Only Robin Understands this) We happened to move right next door to them & quickly became the best of friends.

We lived next to Billy and Robin for 5 years & we were together every single day & if we werent together, robin and I were on the phone together. Our ritual was sitting out by our fence every night for 15 minutes...which that 15 minutes always turned in to 2 hours. Some nights we would even sneak into bed because we would stay outside SO LONG our hubby's used to get mad at us :) When we decided we were going to sell & move, the hardest part about moving was leaving them. I will never forget that tearful goodbye we all had on the tractor in billy's backyard, not very often have I ever seen ty or billy cry..this is when you know you really love someone. (ofcorse me & robin were blubbering babies the entire day) Once we moved, they moved too.

How often is it that you meet someone or a couple, where the husbands are as close of friends as the women are? Not very often. Robin & I have a relationship that is so different then many of the close friendships I have had in the past. We laugh together, vacation together, shop together, cry together, argue with each other and have just long endless coversations on the phone about simply nothing at all. We have leant shoulers to one another & have depended on the loving words of each other that only that of a best friend could give you. I swear that next to Ty, Robin is truly the only other person in this world that really understands ME & she gets how complicated I can be & doesn't judge me by this.

Billy happens to be one of the most generous men I have ever met, he would give a person anything he had to give them if they needed it or asked for it...even if it was something he needed himself. Generosity like his doesn't come along very often, this is something you don't see in our times anymore. Even with 100+ miles in between us now, we still have a great friendship with these two and if anything, the distance has made it more treasured when we are together.

Robin: even though our time together has been limited & our phone conversations have been decreased, you and billy are still 2 of my very best friends & you could never be replaced!! Please don't kill me for the picture!!!! LOL

Tyler's Funny Bone

Tyler & Ty's Conversation about the Funny Bone:


Tyler: Dad, where is the funny bone?

Ty: It's right here (as he shows him)

Tyler: as he's looking at his elbow says, "why do they call it the funny bone"?

Ty: I don't know

Tyler: as he is punching his elbow with the other hand says " OUCH, Well that's STUPID, because it sure aint funny when ya hit it!"

LOL!! Some of the things he says are so funny :)

Thankful Thursday

I'm Running on 4 hours of sleep, very irritable & annoyed however, I can still find oodles of things to be thankful for. Which I would think.. if I had a clear rested mind, I should be thankful for that, right?

~I'm thankful for the big paycheck I will receive once I complete the house from hell

(3days and counting)

~I'm thankful today will be my friday (if I get done with the house from hell)

~I'm even more thankful next week I am taking 5 days off to enjoy my time at the lake on the

boat.

~I'm thankful tomarrow I am getting my hair done, I'm starting to get the ghetto roots here.

~I'm thankful I have finally been able to shed 5 of the 10 pounds I have been needing to lose.

~I'm thankful my kids are still sleeping and I can sip my coffee and type this in blissful

harmonic peace.

~I'm thankful my oven has a self cleaner to clean all the butter I spilled on the bottom

this weekend. Not good!

~I'm thankful I am able to put little kyla in soccer again this year, I love to watch her play

she is truly in her element out there & she makes me very proud!

~I'm thankful they make a new drink now called "Drank" so maybe I can drink it before soccer

games so I am not the loud obnoxious soccer mom I tend to be

~I'm thankful I have such dedicated employees to help me get through this week of hell,

they work harder then any other girls I have ever hired.

~And most of all, I'm thankful our mortgage company was able to modify our loan for us, we

thought this day would never come & we are so releived that it has all worked in our favor.

,

Trading Tuesday

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

This is a super easy version of Pancakes that my kids happen to love. They are big fans of PB & Banana samiches, so you can imagine they devour these pancakes smothered in syrup. I made this for them on the First day of school..YAY!...Another score for super mom!!

I use regular pancake batter & jazz it up

~Desired pancake mix made according to directions

~1/2 cup of sugar

~2 bananas, smashed up

~1/4 cup of peanut butter

~Mix all the ingredients in the pancake batter and wah-lah..it's done.

As if there isn't enough sugar with syrup added on, I also will use powdered sugar & peanut butter chips (chocolate chips are also yummy mixed inside with the peanut butter)

I guess you gotta have the liking for this sort of thing...:)

olate

First Day of School

Lexa is screaming at me to not take a pictur of her :) My lovely sweet child!


Incase your wondering, they are in uniform..this is why he looks like the Fonze



Well the first day of school went great! Paige had an awesome day in Highschool, she's the big FRESHMAN this year. Ohhh, how those days were so carefree for me. According to the school, if they bust their butt and get all their required college classes done...by junior year most of the kids who want scholarships have them waiting. SOOO, we have bribed Paige with a new car! HeHe. Hopefully that will do the trick!

Kyla's day went great after she found the "right" classroom. YEP, she was in the WRONG homeroom class all morning! LOL. Poor kyky. She was pretty embarrassed, the worst part is I am the one who told her that was her homeroom class!!! She made sure to tell me how WRONG I was!!! :)

The twins loved their first day of school. Alexa told me all about her teacher and how her teacher has an EX boyfriend (she's like 90 yrs old) and how she is single now and loving it. ???? Raised eyebrow here.
Tyler has no stories of his teacher, YET. They will come, he is just takin' it all in. He analizes everyone & everything. Right now he is hung up on why he keeps wishing on shooting stars & he's not getting his golf cart. Hmmm? Guess I better quit telling him the wishes will come true. Hopefully he won't ask Santa

Thankful Thursday

After watching the story & reunion of the 2 US journalists who were sent to prison in North Korea, while in tears over their very intimate & long overdue reuinion with their family, I was so thankful at that moment to be an American living here in the United States. One can only imagine what those 2 woman were feeling, how scared they were and wondering if they were ever going to see their family again soon. I'm thankful that I live here in the US where I have rights & freedom.

Though some would argue, I'm thankful we don't live under a comunistic government. We have the right to fair trial, right to lawyers who will defend us and the best one of all...The Right to Have RIGHTS.

Trading Tuesday

Hmm..in wondering what to post for this weeks recipe my mind drew a complete blank!

I cook every single day, things my family loves, and I am at a complete loss as what to share with you today. OH, and you guessed it, I have NO picture! She who takes pictures of meals she makes, has never prepared a meal for my family (Miss B..lol). In my house I couldn't snap the pictures quick enough before all the little 8 hands would be attacking the plate! lol.

I thought I would just share my favorite drink....Anything with liquor! hehe..no but really..Here goes:

Since I like tequila & margaritas, but I don't like how my belly feels after all the acids I tried this drink a year ago and it's one of my favorites. Very strong, but very simple.

Wussies need not try it. :) Ya only need one, or two or three...

Patron Silver, chilled(throw the cuervo in the trash..YUCK)
1 oz limeade (simply limeade is the best)


I know, Its more like a shot..but its good for those who cant stand the acid from gritas. It's my favorite.

Say it aint so..

Is it possible that I have finally reached my breaking point?

ME, the one who can go forever like the Energizer Bunny, finally throwing up my hands saying screw it?! I think so.

I love my family, dearly, but sometimes they make me so angry! I have created dependent monsters. I feel like at times (not all the time, just alot of times)all I ever do is cater to people who could do for themselves and along the way..I have nothing left to give myself. BECAUSE...if I don't do it for them, they won't do it for themselves. I must get over the feeling if being a "lousy mother" if make my family pitch in more.

So, I forget to pay a bill yesterday..(A very important Bill) I knew I had to pay it, I had the money to pay it, I even already deducted it from my checkbook; but I forgot to call it in. Oopps. This morning I tried calling in & guess what?? They are closed till monday..guess what that means?? It will be 2 days late.
I tell ty this morning and he gets upset with me...so upset that he is still talking about it THREE HOURS later! Mind you, I already know I screwed up...but here's my beef:

HE who wants NO part in the bills, HE who doesn't ever help with any of the budgeting, banking or any of it has the nerve to get mad at me?? HELLO?? I'm only human here..I make mistakes and I would love the help ( I actually need the help) I have asked him to take this part over for me many times, he never does.

My children take me for granted. I have done everything for them & made them so dependent on ME to take care of things. My last couple of mornings have consisted of waking to the previous nights dishes; why in the hell I still have dishes in the morning beats me! There are 5 other people in this house, you'de think one of them would spring up & do the dishes for me. NOPE..I woke to them TWO days in a row.

I do everyone's laundry, I put away everyone's laundry, I do 98% of all the cleaning, I take care of all the animals, all the grocery shopping, banking, bills, driving my kids to & from school/friends houses & I put in over a 40 hr work week by the time I do all my work things for the business. I think I'm just ready to hand over the torch, whether my family is ready for it or not.

I'm certain every mom has felt this way before...atleast I hope they have :)