Eli's Big Announcement!

The Babies are HERE!!

     I am SO excited to announce that the long awaited twin girls are finally here!  My sister-in-law went into labor last night and they had to do an early c-section.  Both girls are doing great and are BEAUTIFUL!  (Of course, I'm not biased at all...)

Here is Sweet Mallory

And Sweet Lauren

And Eli holding Mallory.  He was a very proud cousin!

Be still my heart

I just need to say that I LOVE THIS KID!!

Time is flying around here!

     I can't believe it is already November!  It seems like it was just September and now October is already over and gone.  We have been working on a lot of projects around here....and we are ready to be finished!  I have to brag on my very hardworking husband for a minute.  He has been working SO hard on the new house and still finding time to play with Eli when he comes home at night.  Hopefully, we will be moving over Thanksgiving.  I can't wait!  (Well, I dread the actual moving part, but I can't wait to be in the new house)  Here is one of my favorite pictures of Clint and Eli playing out at the new house.

     On another, more exciting note, my twin nieces are scheduled to arrive Monday!  I am beyond excited for them to finally be here.  We are praying for a safe delivery for Momma and babies and for healthy babies who don't need to stay in the NICU.  We thought they were making an early arrival last night, but all was quiet after a visit to the hospital!  Babies have a way of making you feel so dumb some times!  :) 
     And finally, Eli had a lot of fun being Superman last weekend.  He wore his costume to a birthday party, to our church's fall festival, and then cried to put it back on after bath.  So, he also wore it until bedtime!

Modern Mom stuff

     You know what just boggles my mind?  The fact that there are people out there who choose to use cloth diapers!  For real?!  No freakin thank you!  I do not for the life of me understand why you would want to deal with pants, covers, liners, pockets and whatever else comes with this whole "new" style of diapering when you can slap on a disposable diaper and be done with it.  I think changing dirty diapers is gross enough without having to rinse said dirty diaper in the toilet first and then wash it.  I honestly do not see what the big deal is about cloth diapers.  I say "Thank You" to the inventor of disposable diapers!  I don't care if they are expensive and imperfect and sometimes leaky.  I will continue to be a fan.
    And I am now done with my rant...continue on with your day!

The things kids say

     I want to share something E said that cracked us up but first I feel the need to write some sort of disclaimer, so here it is.
     *Disclaimer:  E got off to a not so great (aka REALLY bad) start in the church nursery due to some serious separation anxiety when he was really little.  So, the nursery is the whole basis for this conversation although a 2 year old obviously doesn't explain it the way adults do....which makes it funny.*
     Now that that's done let's get on to the conversation.  We were riding down the road on the way home and we passed our church.
E:  "I don't like church."
Me:  "Aww, E don't say that.  That makes me sad!  Why don't you like church?"
E:  "Cause I don't like church."
Clint:  "What don't you like about church?"  (We were thinking he would say nursery or sitting still and quiet, etc)
E:  Silence....
Me:  "What part of church do you not like?"
E:  "The inside."
Well, I guess that settles that huh?!

Can I go back please

    So, I know we got home from our beach trip 2 weeks ago, but I am just now taking the time to post some of my pictures.  Life gets so busy sometimes, but then you don't even really know what you've been doing!  Frustrating!  Anyway, I am super excited to report that I officially have a lifelong (or at least until he becomes a teenager and thinks I'm too uncool to be seen with) beach buddy!  E has been to the beach tons of times, but this time he LOVED it.  He woke up asking to go to the beach every morning.  I am thrilled to finally have someone in my family who loves the surf and sand as much as I do.  Clint isn't too keen on the whole sand getting everywhere part of the beach, but E and I don't care.  We had so much fun on this short little getaway!  E has already been asking when we can go back.  I promised him that I will try to plan another trip for us soon.

A mushy puddle

     Every night E and I have a bedtime routine that we follow.  He gets his bath, brushes his teeth, and then we lay down and read stories.  E has become a great procrastinator when it comes to bedtime so there is usually a request for something to drink or another hug from Daddy after the books are read.  Tonight I was laying beside him waiting for him to fall asleep and this little voice says "Momma?"  "What baby?" I ask.  There was a long pause like he was deciding what to ask for tonight and then he said "I love you."  Be still my heart!  I turned into a big old puddle of mush right there.  I am SO thankful God blessed me with my sweet boy!

Home Sweet 2nd Home

     Tomorrow we are heading out for a short trip to our 2nd home...the beach!  I always get so excited to go no matter what season or how short of a trip we are taking.  I absolutely LOVE going this time of year.  Everyone is back in school, the snow birds haven't arrived yet, and the beach is deserted.  It's perfect!  Plus, I always find some killer deals on summer clothes for E.  Who can pass up clothes that cost $2.00...not me!  So, we will be enjoying some beach time, some shopping time, some good food at our favorite places, and some family time this weekend.  I can't wait!
     *On a side note, we are seriously having a cold snap down here in the South!  I mean, for real people!  It was 50 degrees this morning.....50 degrees in September!  This just doesn't happen.  We have 70 degree nights and 95 degree days until October around here.  It was 96 degrees last Thursday and the highs this past weekend were in the 60's!  In fact, we set a record low temperature this morning.  It broke the previous record that was set back in 1896!  See, I told you this NEVER happens down here!*
     Ok, enough weather talk.  I've got to finish packing so I can go get some sand between my toes!

Cupcake Central

     Last week we had Open House for our K-3 and K-4 classes.  We decided to make cupcakes that went along with all of our classroom themes this year.  They turned out pretty cute!  We had Thing 1 and Thing 2 for our Dr. Seuss room, Ice Cream Cone cupcakes for our Candyland room, and Marshmallow monster cupcakes for our Silly Monster room.  I think we did pretty good on these considering none of us can really bake!

Dictionary according to E

Here are a few definitions I thought I would share with you.  These are, of course, according to E.

Y'am:  (contraction)  Combination of yes and m'am.  *Not to be confused with the vegetable.*
      Used in a sentence:  Momma:  "Do you want something to drink?"
                                     E:  "Y'am."

No:  (adverb)  The positive answer to a question.
     Used in a sentence:  Momma:  "I said N.O. (spelled out), no!"
                                    E:  "N.O. (also spelled out), yes!"  *As Daddy snickers in the background...*

Buckle Out:  (verb)  To unbuckle or unlatch something, specifically a carseat.
      Used in a sentence:  E:  "Gran, buckle me out!"  *Said from the backseat where he was securely stuck in   his carseat against his will.*

     I wonder if I should write the people at Webster's and let them know they are missing a few definitions in their dictionary?

Kudos Ladies!

     I just have to say kudos to all of our teachers at work.  They have been getting their classrooms ready for kindergarten to start and they have done such a great job!  I am so proud of how much effort they have all put into making their rooms look so good.  I took a few snapshots of a few of the rooms the other day because I liked them so much.  I still need to take more pictures because some of the rooms weren't quite finished.

We have a Dr. Seuss Room

A Silly Monsters Room

A Noah's Ark Theme

And, An Animal Theme

     I still need to take pictures of our Candyland Room and our Sesame Street Room.  I just love it when fall gets here and we get to put up new stuff!

Out of Practice

     Know what stinks?  Being out of practice on something you used to be able to do well.  I sat down at the piano today and I am really really out of practice.  I used to play really well and over the years I haven't taken the time I should have to keep up with playing.  Oh, I still sit down every now and then and play around on it with all my fun songs, but I rarely pull out a book and read any music.  I must make it a goal to start sitting down and practicing more often.  I don't want to completely forget what I worked hard for 9 years to learn.  Ugh!  Sometimes my lack of discipline is so frustrating!

     So, I was kind of having a blah day today for no apparent reason really.  My morning went fine before I left the house.  As I was driving to work this song came on the radio and all of a sudden I felt really old.  I mean, I know I'm not old but I know that I'm not as young and I used to be either.  It has never really bothered me until today.  It just hit me like a ton of bricks, seriously.  I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as it dawned on me that I'm really getting older.  So, I've just been mopey all morning.  As I was working on the newsletter we send out every month at work I was looking for a Bible verse to use.  I came across this verse (on my calendar of all places) and it really hit home.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  Psalm 56:10

I have heard this verse dozens of times, but it hit home today for some reason.  Apparently, God wanted me to remember that it's not my age that matters, it's the condition of my heart.  If I let my heart become discouraged by the things I'm not anymore (younger, skinny!!) then I can't see all the things I am (a wife to a great husband, a momma to an amazing little boy).  So, I'm thankful that my God takes time to show me just what I need to see when I need to see it.  I'm thankful that He isn't too big or too busy to love on us everyday, even when we are having a pity party!

100 Degree Heat + Ice Cream = Smiles

     He makes me smile! 

The best way to eat ice cream...

10 Years!

     Today is our 10th wedding anniversary!  10 years is a long time people!  I am so very blessed to have such an amazing husband.  When I look back over the past 10 years it seems like a short time, but a long time too.  So much has happened since we got married and we have both grown so much.  I am proud of the people we have become and I am looking forward to the people we will be in the future.  I'm thankful that God gave me a Christian husband who is all the things I wanted in a husband and so much more.  He is a good provider for our family, an amazing daddy to E, a smart decision maker, someone who stands up for what he feels is right, an outgoing balance to my shyness, my accomplice in lots of crazy things, my very best friend, and the person I plan on growing old with (which may come sooner rather than later if these gray hairs don't slow down!).  So, Happy 10th Anniversary to my sweetheart!  I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring!

Spider Webs

     Suppose a family sold their house and moved into a small 2 bedroom house while building a new house.  And suppose this small house didn't have a bathtub in which this family could bathe their toddler...it only had a shower.  This family would, of course, be forced to come up with an alternate bathtub solution (aka...a rubbermaid storage tub)  Of course since this "bathtub" isn't designed to hold water everyday it would eventually develop a leak.  Now let's pretend that the husband of this family fixed the leaky tub with some kind of white gooey stuff designed to stop leaks (not in rubbermaid tubs of course).  He would tell his wife to warn their son not to touch the white stuff while in the bathtub.  But, what if his wife thought it was better not to draw attention to said patch job and tempt her child.  She would decide to distract him with bath toys instead.  And, because the wife happened to have a splinter in her finger she would turn her back on the tub to look for a needle in the drawer.  While she was looking for the needle she would hear her child playing some kind of game where he kept saying "spider webs, spider webs, spider webs."  When the wife turned around to see what this spider web game was she would, I imagine, discover that her child was covered in long stringy white goo from head to toe (or hands to rear end to legs).  I can imagine that the husband would not find it funny at all when the wife called for help after she figured out that these "spider webs" don't wash off with water.  And he would probably find it even less funny when he had to get out a can of WD-40 to help get this mess off of his child.  *Disclaimer:  The child was quickly scrubbed down with soap and water after being sprayed with this concoction!*  Or so I am told....I mean, this story is definitely not about my own family....who would do such a crazy thing?  The wife would just wish there had been time to grab a camera so everyone else could see what a funny sight this was.

My resignation notice

     Wow!  I'm all of about a month into the terrible 2's and I'm ready to give my resignation notice to somebody....anybody!  I feel like a really lousy mom by the end of the day a lot of days.  I know that this is just a phase and that E is testing his boundaries to see how much he can get away with.  But, oh my gosh, this is hard!  Yesterday was such a bad day that I finally called it a day and went home at 1:00.  Thank goodness I am blessed with a job that allows me to run away sometimes!  The final straw was when E wet his pants while sitting in my lap and caused me to look like I also wet my pants.  Fun times!  (I admit, it's kind of funny now but it wasn't after the day I had yesterday).

     So, if anybody out there in blog land actually reads this please pray for me as I parent my 2 year old!  Pray for me to have wisdom to know when and how to discipline.  Pray for me to have patience to remember each day that this really is a phase that will pass and one that has to happen to help E grow up.  Also, please pray that I will remember to be thankful even on bad days.  Thankful that I have this precious little boy to love every day no matter what kind of day we end up having!

A whole bunch of nothing

     I think I am in the middle of a mid-summer slump.  It's too hot to do anything really fun outside unless it involves being in the water.  Work has been very hectic because we are in the middle of vacation season so at least one person has been off every day this month.  E and I are both a little under the weather with some type of summer cold which makes the humidity around here even worse.  So, I guess I will just post a bunch of random thoughts since I can't make my brain work enough to come up with anything clever, or funny, or remotely interesting.

* We will FINALLY begin actual construction on our new house this week if all goes well and the weather cooperates.  I am beyond excited to get this project started!!  I cannot wait!

* Speaking of weather, did I mention that it is HOT?  It has been seriously hot and very very very humid all summer around here.  I honestly think that everyone who lives somewhere other than in the South should come spend a few days down here before they complain about the humidity elsewhere.  I walked outside yesterday morning and I was only outside for about 10 minutes before my whole entire shirt was soaking wet.  And it was even overcast and a little breezy!  So stinkin' humid!  Ugh!

*  My brother & sister-in-law are having twin girls!  Let the shopping begin!  I can't wait to buy adorable outfits for these babies.  The makers of boy's clothes should really step it up in the cute department.  Not every shirt need to reference a rock star, sports, or trouble.  Can you clothing designers out there please come up with some new ideas for boys?!  I tried to find some new stuff for E today and I found nothing I wanted to waste money on.

*  I should really have my child's feet measured more often.  I took him to have his feet measured today and he measured a 9 x-wide.  His current shoes are an 8 x-wide!  Oops!!  Sorry for cramming your feet in those tiny shoes for so long kiddo!  I feel like a terrible mom.  No wonder he told my mom that his "shoes had outgrown his feet" the other day!  Must have been his way of saying wake up Momma, my shoes are too dang small!

*  A sweet college friend of mine is in the hospital awaiting the arrival of her 3rd baby.  Her last baby was born at 30 weeks and she has been on bedrest for the past 4 months with this pregnancy.  (I would lose my mind!!)  She made it to 35 weeks before her water broke this time thanks to strictly following her complete bedrest orders.  Pray for a safe delivery for her and baby Logan and pray that he is healthy!

*  I am itching to take a road trip.  I think as soon as school starts this fall I am going to make Clint go somewhere for a few days.  The beach is pretty close and sounds like the perfect destination to me.  Late August through early October is my absolute favorite time to head to the beach.  It is deserted, the weather is still warm, and the water is about 85 or 90 degrees which is perfect for swimming.  There aren't any lines anywhere.  Yep, that settles it, we are heading to the beach in a few more weeks.

   Ok, I have rambled enough.  Hope everyone enjoys the few remaining hours of the weekend.  I think I may go catch a quick nap while E is napping.

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to Youuuuuu!

     I would like to say Happy Birthday to my super awesome, really great, wonderful husband!  We celebrated by going to work (it was necessary..other people were already on vacation), eating ice cream cake from DQ (the manager gave me a FREE ice cream cake...seriously, I bought one and he gave me another one!), and then going out for dinner tonight.  It was a nice day.  *Disclaimer...we did not eat 2 whole ice cream cakes by ourselves.  We shared them with all 52 of our school age kiddos and lots of our employees.  Just wanted to clarify that!*  Anyway, Happy Birthday Clint!  I'm so thankful that I'm the one you celebrate all your birthdays with!

So, what's the deal?

     So, there is something that has been bothering me and that I really don't understand.  Well, it's not so much that I don't understand as it is that they just really bug me.  Maybe someone out there can give me some input on this topic.  First thing is this...what is the deal with moms these days being so anti everything that has to do with the way we were raised back in the day?  There are moms who are anti sugar, anti chocolate, anti tv, anti jarred baby food, anti vaccinations, anti spanking...you get the picture.  It really annoys me sometimes that I actually pay a little bit of attention to opinions out there and start over analyzing my parenting style.  Here's the deal, I know that my parents weren't perfect and that all the parents from years ago weren't perfect, but take just a minute to look at the behavior of children today versus the behavior of children years ago.  I can say from first hand experience that children (most children) are not taught to behave these days!  I firmly believe that the reason for this is that there are no consequences for poor behavior now.  I'm NOT saying that you should always spank your child when he/she doesn't behave, but I'm not saying I'm against spanking either.  Let me give you an example of the lack of consequences.  At work, when we finally get to the point that we have to call a parent about their child's behavior, 9 times out of 10 they don't do anything to help!  They usually act more annoyed than anything that we had to call.  Our hands are tied as to what we can do to help children behave.  We are limited to time out...that's it.  So, it is up to parents to help us, which they usually fail to do.  So, back to my original point....why do parents think it is ok for kids to act like this? 
     Now, to my next point (gripe...whatever you want to call it)....why are so many parents so anti everything else?  What is wrong with a little sugar in moderation?  Or a little chocolate in moderation?  Or, television sometimes?  I'm NOT a bad mother if I choose to allow my kid to be a kid and enjoy a popsicle in the summer or watch a pointless cartoon that doesn't teach him anything other than how to laugh!  One of E's very favorite cartoons is Tom & Jerry and I am thrilled!  He doesn't have to count in another language or find hidden shapes or anything else...he can just watch the show.  News flash....it is not someone else's job to teach your child what they should know (that includes cartoons).  If you leave it up to their friends or teachers or friends' parents then your child is going to learn what OTHER people want him to know and it won't necessarily line up with what you believe.  My child is very smart and it's not because we avoid sugar, chocolate, tv, spanking, or jarred baby food when he was little!  It is because we spend time reading, learning, singing, and playing.  Oh, and I hate vaccines also, but I know that the benefits of them outweigh the cons so we had him vaccinated.  We use a great pediatrician and we discussed our concerns with him beforehand and settled on vaccines that we felt comfortable with.  Why would anyone want to risk their child's health? 
     Ok whew!  That was long I know, but I feel much better getting that off my chest!  Thanks for listening...er, I mean reading!

It's so logical

     On the way to work this morning I happened to see 4 puppies that someone had thrown out on the side of the road.  I am a total sucker for stray animals and I somehow spot any stray that is sitting near a road.  I had to use a LOT of restraint this morning to keep from stopping and attempting to load these 4 dogs up in my car.  Anyway, when I saw the puppies I immediately told E about them because he was in the car with me.  This is how our conversation went...

Me:  "Awwww, E!  Somebody threw 4 puppy dogs out on the side of the road!  I wish we could pick them up."
E:  "We CAN pick them up Momma, we have strong muscles!"
Me:  "I know our muscles are strong, but we can't stop and get them right now."
E:  "We stop Momma and we scoop them out of the ditch with our big hands!"
Me:  "I know we could, but maybe a nice person will come by and give them a good home since we can't today."

     He was so sweet and just did not understand why we couldn't stop and get those puppies.  Maybe E  will take after his Momma and Daddy when it comes to being a sucker for strays.  Sweet boy!!

A little boy in "Big Church"

     E has been going to "big church" with us for a few months now.  He does really great a being quiet and pretty still.  Last Sunday we were standing up singing and Clint happened to look back at E and catch this sight.  It was so funny that he had to sneak his phone out and snap a picture.  I know it's blurry, but it still cracks me up!

The Good Ole Days

     I came across a really cool website today and I had to share it because, well, I like it.  It's called  Dear Photograph and it is so neat.  Basically, you take a photo of an old photo in the same basic setting it was in originally and then you write a "Dear Photograph" caption.  Check it out!  I loved it, even though one of the pictures reminded me of my grandparents and I am now a big crying mess.  Regardless, it's cool!

Back to Reality

     Whew!  This past week and a half has been a little crazy and I feel like I have fallen off the face of the earth.  After all the Father's Day celebrations were over we decided that we needed to get out of town for a few days.  E was going to the beach with Clint's parents so we took advantage of that and booked a very last minute cruise.  We left Thursday and got back home today.  It was fun and relaxing, but we were both SO glad to see our sweet boy today!  I did what is quite possibly the worst picture taking ever and only took 4 pictures the whole trip.  Yep, 4!  Sad!  Still, it was a good trip and I'm glad we were able to take a last minute escape.
     On another note, we came home to find that our sweet boy caught Hand, Foot & Mouth disease somewhere and has been dealing with blisters everywhere.  Poor thing!  His little mouth and feet look terrible.  How random that your mouth, hands, and feet can all be affected by the same thing.  There are some strange things out there!  Even though he is sick he was so so so glad to see us!  He gave us the best hugs ever.  There is absolutely no place like your own home sweet home for sure!!

Happy Father's Day

     I am so blessed to have a great Dad, a great Father-in-law, and a wonderful husband who is an incredible Daddy.  So, Happy Father's Day to the special dads in my life!

My own Dad

My Father-in-law

And, one extra special dad...who is one sweet little boy's Daddy

Look Who's 2!

     This past Saturday was E's 2nd birthday!  We had a small birthday party with just family and it was really nice.  I even managed to not get all emotional over the fact that my baby is growing up...score 1 for Momma!  Anyway, here are some pictures from E's special day.  *Disclaimer:  I did a TERRIBLE job of taking pictures!  I got 1 blurry family photo and pretty much nothing else!*

 The birthday cake.  Don't laugh at it!  I did the best I could!

E blowing out his candle

For some reason my child decided to eat his cake like this...no fork necessary!

And, the one picture I got of people!  Here is Clint, E, and Clint' grandmother Mamaw Hope

So, that's the birthday party in a nutshell.  It was fun even though I didn't document very much of it in pictures.  My sweet boy also had his 2 year old check-up on Monday.  E was 37" tall and weighed 36 lbs.  He was > 95% in everything which is where he has been his whole life.  (He was bigger than all the other babies in the nursery at birth, even though he came 3 weeks early.)  I'm proud of my sweet, healthy, perfect little boy! 

A perfect good-bye

     Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to a memorial service to say good-bye to the sweet grandfather of one of my longtime friends.  This was the most appropriate memorial services I have ever attended.  It was a little sad because it was a good-bye, but at the same time it perfectly honored who Mr. Matt was as a father, grandfather, and friend.  He was the kind of person that was so funny all the time, loved everybody, loved to eat, and that everybody loved back.  He always insisted that he didn't want a sad funeral, but a celebration that he was in heaven seeing his wife and all his friends that beat him there.  So, after Mr. Matt died his family took time to plan the perfect way to honor him. (He donated his body to science so there was no traditional funeral.)  My friend called me and told me that they were planning a red shirt spaghetti supper in honor of Mr. Matt.  Sounds weird, I know, but it was perfect!  Mr. Matt LOVED to eat.  And he especially loved spaghetti.  He was a business man who wore suits to work, but he always kept a red shirt in his car in case he ever had the chance to eat spaghetti.  That's how much he liked spaghetti!  So, all his grandchildren flew in to town this past week and yesterday all his friends and family had a red shirt spaghetti supper for Mr. Matt.  After we ate, different people shared stories about him...most of which were funny of course.  It was a very sweet time and I am so glad I was able to attend. 

Success!!!

     Did you notice my blog's new look?  I just spent well over an hour trying to find a new look for my blog and I finally found one that works!  Of course, all this shows how non-tech savvy I am.  I hate trying to figure out all the html computer junk.  BUT, I did it and got rid of that hideous purple striped background.  Go me!  (Yes, I know I am way too excited over this but please let me have my moment of victory!)  Now, if I can just be as successful at making E's birthday cake tomorrow...

A much needed break

     Sometimes I feel like I can't be a good mom, a good wife, and a good worker all at the same time.  There are a lot of days I feel like I just barely keep everything going by doing the bare minimum because that's all I have time to do.  I've been in some kind of slump lately where all the mom/wife/employer juggling is getting to me more than usual.  So, over Memorial weekend I had a come to Jesus meeting with myself and decided to get some perspective in my life.  I decided to take this entire week off of work and spend it at home with my sweet baby boy (who will turn 2 THIS Saturday by the way).  I called this week "Operation Potty Train" because I wrote off diapers during the day and am making E wear nothing but real underwear.  But, honestly, I think this week is something I needed to do for a long time.  I have been extremely snappy with my husband, my co-workers, and even with E sometimes and I hate that!  So, I am enjoying my much needed break from work and from taking care of other people's children and I am taking care of my child.  It has been just us...no errands to run...no running up to work for a little while....no last minute thrown together suppers.  We now have a clean house, clean laundry, clean sheets on our beds, and I have actually cooked real food for our family to eat!  I even made a practice birthday cake before making E's real cake for his party Saturday.  (FYI it was a very good thing I practiced first!  The cake did NOT look good....at all.)

     So, I hope everyone is enjoying their week as much as I am.  Work will still be there on Monday, but my little boy won't be 1 anymore after this week.  And I'm glad I took time to love on him a little more before he grows up any more!

I LOVE this kid!

I just need to say that I really really LOVE THIS KID!

  Who wouldn't love a boy that can smile for the camera...

Or a boy who can accessorize!  Notice the hat, sunglasses, and mustache...

I am so thankful to have my sweet boy!

The dumbest of our dumb ideas

     So, last week Clint and I had another one of our famous hairbrained ideas.  This particular idea was one of our more expensive and least successful ones.  It seems like we are always coming up with dumb ideas that make us laugh when we look back on them.  Some of our crazy ideas have included.....an 11 pm trip to the store to buy a carbon monoxide detector because we both had headaches are were certain it must be due to carbon monoxide in our house.  Newly purchased detector malfunctioned and wouldn't stop alarming after the test button got stuck which led to a late night session of whittling away plastic so the darn thing would stop beeping.  Oh!  How about the time Clint bought an air soft gun to use on a whiny cat that would not shut up (no, we did NOT use it on the cat) but tested it out on his own leg first and ended up with a gigantic bruise on his inner thigh which led to him only using said air soft gun for target practice.  Did I mention that the target was set up above our mantle and all the shots went straight through the target and into the wall?!  What, you want to hear about another one?  Ok, what about the time we decided we could sheetrock our bathroom addition on our own and I started laughing so hard at my own lack of upper body strength that I nearly dropped a whole piece of sheetrock on Clint's head.  (We finally called in some help so we didn't end up getting a divorce over sheetrock).  Or, the time Clint was trying to see if it was possible to connect our laptop to our overhead projector and dropped the laptop from an 8' ladder instead of running a cord down to a normal non-8-foot height.  Yeah...these are the kind of good ideas we have!

     Anyway, back to the current great idea.  We live in the South where it is hot, humid, and full of mosquitoes in the summer.  E is very allergic to mosquitoes and ends up with huge spots whenever he gets bitten....which happens all the time even with bug spray on.  So, we decided to buy a mosquito magnet because it would definitely help our mosquito problem.  Well, after almost $400 we have caught a grand total of ......1 mosquito!  That's it!!  Needless to say, this useless contraption is going back to the store this weekend!  I think this escapade will move to the top of our bad idea list.

Censored!

     So, last night we were just hanging out around the house with the TV on in the background.  Usually Dora or Diego or Mickey Mouse is on, but we were sick of all that yesterday.  Clint found "How to lose a guy in 10 days" on tbs or some channel and we had that on.  Now, I don't consider this movie to be a bad movie, but lately I have been more aware of what is being said or done on television because of E.  So, the movie was on and the kissing in the bathroom part came on (if you haven't seen the movie, it doesn't show anything; it just hints at what's going to happen).  All of a sudden E looked up and said "She's getting sugar Momma!"  Wow!  He really sees and hears what goes on even when I don't think he is watching!  Yikes!!  Ok, so now I need to be really careful of what we are watching even if it's just for background noise.  Soooo, I guess we will go back to Nick Jr. or the Disney Channel.  Pretty much every other show (including commercials now) have language and sex talk on them.  We have already stopped watching movies with lots of language in them, but we are obviously going to have to do better since there are little ears and eyes around now!

Rules of Life

Here are some funny things I've learned over the past few days.  I will call them my Rules of Life.

 

* When your mom complains about it taking her forever to type a text message, don't just assume it is due to her lack of texting experience.  Take a few minutes and check her phone out for her.  My parents are like most other middle aged parents...they learn enough technology to function (emailing, basic cell phones, and internet) but they don't go overboard with things like text and smart phones.  So, when my mom finally got text added to her phone I just assumed it took her forever to type a message because she hasn't practiced enough.  Well, last night I tried to send a message from her phone for her and it was ridiculous!  Every word I typed changed into some crazy combination of letters that made no sense.  So, I started investigating and low and behold I found out that her phone was set to Portuguese predictive text!  Yep, it was translating every word she tried to type into Portuguese!  My poor mom!  No wonder she was frustrated!!  So, take time to help your technologically challenged parents out.

* A seemingly harmless object, like a Thomas the Train whistle for instance, can still wreak lots of havoc.  In fact that same whistle, when thrown from a carseat at just the right angle will puncture a can of Dr. Pepper and send a explosive spray of soda all over the interior of your vehicle.  Who knew?!

* Just because you get a degree in college doesn't mean you will use said degree for your real life job.  Want proof?  I have a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design.  Today at work I made up 23 batches of lime jello to be used in a jello tug of war tomorrow.  I'm completely pumped about the tug of war, but it has nothing at all to do with Interior Design.  Just saying...

Hopefully these little tidbits of information I've learned recently can help someone else out.  By the way, I will  definitely have to give a report on how the jello games turn out!

Stuck in a rut

     I have been MIA lately because work has been so crazy busy!  Like I mentioned in my last post, we own a daycare.  We bought the business from Clint's parents back in 2008 when they got ready to retire.  It has been such a HUGE blessing to love going to work every day.  The business was opened in 1986 and different additions and new buildings were built over the years.  We started remodeling the center area by area right after we bought it.  Our next to last project was to remodel the gym.  We Clint decided that we should remodel the gym at the last minute (aka 2 weeks before summer started)!  So, we have been painting like crazy people for the past week and a half.  Summer is our busiest time of the whole year because all of our school age kiddos are out of school and with us all day.  So, it was imperative that the gym project be finished by tomorrow!  Yep, the insanity all begins in the morning.  It will be hectic, but fun...it always is!  I will have to post some before and after photos of our project to show off our hard work.

     Anyway, back to the original reason for this post.  I think I'm stuck in a rut.  I always come up with ideas of things I want to do, but I never get around to doing them.  It's SO frustrating!  So, last week I decided that I'm tired of just having ideas.  I decided that I'm going to start DOING things.  I wanted some cute canvases painted to go in one of the halls at work, so I went out and bought 6 of them.  Although I am not artistic in the least I put my mind to it and rounded up some help and we got to painting.  They look so so cute!  I am beyond amazed that I actually managed to pull off one of my ideas!  I will have to post pictures of those too because they are just too cute not to.  We picked a Bible verse to go on each canvas and then we did each one in a different design.  I am so proud of them!

     Since I had some success with my canvas idea I have decided to break out of another rut.  I'm going to attempt to break out of my cooking rut.  Clint and I have been married almost 10 years and I'm not any better at cooking now than I was then.  That's just sad!  So, I'm going to start using recipes...easy ones that don't have crazy ingredients in them.  My goal is to try at least 2 or 3 new recipes a week.  If we like them I will add them to my cookbook and use them again.  If not, then on to the next recipe.  I don't want E to grow up with a mom that is a bad cook!  My mom was (is) an awesome cook.  Everybody loves her food!  I want to be a good cooking momma too!  Wish me luck as I start breaking out of some of my ruts! 

Much Ado about Nothing

     This week has been absolutely crazy at work....and it's only Tuesday!  A vicious stomach virus + employees on vacation + kiddos going bonkers because summer is almost here = a very busy but completely unproductive week.  So, in the midst of all the madness at work my mind has been running ninety miles an hour.  I know you would just love to hear some of my random thoughts so I'll share them with you.  Please try to contain your excitement!  Heehee...

* Why does every body want a tip these days?  I can understand giving your waitress or waiter a tip.  That's the norm, it's expected.  And, I give my hairdresser a tip.  Again, maybe that's just because I feel like it's what you should do (plus, I really like her.  She's so nice!).  But, the tip jars sitting on every single counter just drive me nuts!  Am I the only one who feels like you shouldn't be tipped to do your job?  After all, you are being paid to do it!  Call me rude, but I don't throw a tip in the tip jar.  I'm protesting (quietly).   Can you imagine the looks I would get at the end of the day if my employees (FYI, we run a daycare) asked the parents for a tip when they picked up their children?  It wouldn't go over well I assure you!

*  Why do people who have insurance get billed at a higher rate than people without insurance?  Quite frankly, I don't think that's fair at all!  We are already paying out the wazoo for health insurance every month and then the doctors bill us more....that just doesn't seem right.  For instance, when E was born I was billed $26,000!  The insurance company then wrote off something like $22,000 of that as unbillable.  Why not just bill us all the same and lower our insurance costs?

*  Speaking of insurance...we got a letter in the mail a few weeks ago that said E's insurance would go from $166 per month to $80 per month when he turns 2!  Woohoo!  Thank you God for little blessings like that!

*  I love getting good things in the mail.  I've always been so excited when I get a card or package or even a new magazine.  I have some pictures from Shutterfly coming any day now AND E's birthday party invitations should be here in a day or two also!  Yay for fun mail.

*  And, last but probably the most exciting of all....we are about to get started building our new house!  The plans are almost finished, the dirt guy is headed our way in the next week, and the dry season of summer is here (bad for plants, great for building houses).  I am so very excited to get this thing moving!  Want to see a picture of what our house will look like?  Well, I will show you one anyway....  Here it is, give or take a few minor details.

     And that's the end of my pointless, rambling post for today.  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Answers (and Twins!)

     Don't you just love it when God answers your prayers with a Yes?  Just like a kid, I love to get yes answers to things I've been praying about.  I especially love it when He not only says "yes" but shows me how capable he is of going above and beyond what I asked for.  Today we found out that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting twins!  I am so so excited because I have been praying that God would bless them with a baby.  They have been trying to get pregnant for about a year and a half, so this is fantastic news.  It's just so amazing to see how much our Heavenly Father loves us!  This past January our family took a trip to the mountains.  While we were there my mom bought a Christmas ornament that has a place for every family member's name on there.  She bought one with an extra spot because she had faith that God was going to bless my brother and his wife with a baby.  She even told my sister-in-law that she was preparing to squeeze 2 names on that one spot because she was praying for twins!  Let me tell you one thing, when my mom prays for you, get ready because the woman has a direct line!  I am so thankful and blessed beyond measure to have a mom that loves her children enough to pray for us.  And I am so thankful that I have a Savior who loves me enough to hear my prayers and answer them with so much more than I even asked for.  Years ago I saw a quote in a Guidepost magazine and I cut it out.  It hung on my mirror in college and then on my refrigerator after I got married.  It said, "Ask for what you want but be willing to take what God gives you.  It may be better than what you asked for."  That has been so true for me over the years and I am so thankful!

Sun, Surf and Sand

     Here are some pictures of one of my favorite guys enjoying the beach.  He obviously takes after his Momma because he loves the beach.

E and his cousin Chandler testing out their shades (bet you can't tell that Chandler is a whole year older than E can you?)

Playing in the sand while we wait for our food...a lifesaver!

Ok, just one more...

Sadly, I didn't get a single family photo while we were there.  Oh well!  At least you got to see our cutest family member!

Parenting 101

     Just when I think I've got the whole parenting a toddler thing down pat a new kink is thrown in my plan.  I mean, 2 years is long enough to learn a whole lot about traveling with a child.  We spent last week (6 whole days!) at the beach.  I know without a doubt that I was supposed to live near a beach.  I just can't figure out how to pick up my whole life and move it there yet!  Anyway, we are beach people so E has been a traveling man since he was about 8 weeks old.  I thought I had learned everything I needed to know about traveling with him.  So, when we headed home Sunday I was smart and put him in an overnight diaper for the 4 hour ride.  If those diapers keep him dry ALL night long surely they would hold up for 4 hours, right?  Well, no.  Just so you know a cup of milk, a cup of juice, and a cup of orange drink are too much for the diaper to handle.  We were about an hour away from home and E started fussing and saying "I tee tee, I tee tee" which usually means he pooped.  (Sorry for too much info)  So, we find a Wendy's to stop at so we could grab a quick lunch while we were stopped.  When I got E out of his carseat his clothes were soaked!  I dug some clean clothes and another diaper out of the bag and herded him to the bathroom quickly.  While he was standing in the stall with me he obviously used the bathroom again because he started flooding everywhere...shoes, legs, floor...fun, fun.  To make things even more fun, this Wendy's didn't have a changing table to use.  I had to lay baby wipes on the floor for him to stand on, remove his soaking wet clothes, put him in a diaper while he was standing up (ever tried that one), wipe him down with baby wipes, dress him, and clean his shoes...all while being hunched over in a bathroom stall.  Once he was dry we threw a pillow case in his carseat in an attempt to keep him dry since the seat was wet too, grabbed his chicken nuggets and headed home.  I can now add "Limit liquids while traveling" to my list of how to travel with a child.  

     Even though our trip home was eventful our vacation was so nice!  I was going to post a picture of E chillin' out on the beach, but the uploader won't work for some reason.  I will have to post pictures soon.

     

Sometimes faith is hard

Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1

     That verse is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  It helps me remember that God always has a plan for us, we just have to have faith and wait on Him to see what it is.  But, sometimes faith is hard.  Sometimes, no a lot of times, I have more questions than answers and I want to fix things myself.  I want things to be fair (in my eyes).  My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are going through a situation right now that really tests all of our faith.  It's a situation that makes me really angry and causes me to have lots of questions.  They have not been able to have children on their own.  About a month after E was born, back in the summer of 2009, they got a call out of the blue to come to the police station to pick up a little boy.  This little boy had been removed from an apartment that was being used as a meth lab.  His father told the police to call my sister-in-law because he had know her family since he was a child.  So, all of a sudden they now had custody of a 20 month old who could only say 4 words, would only eat loaf bread, and carried his sippy cup around as a security blanket.  For the past almost 2 years they have loved this little boy.  The difference in him is absolutely amazing!  You can tell when a child is loved and cared for instead of just left to fend for himself.  Anyway, after about a year his mother was allowed to have supervised visitations.  Then she was allowed to have overnight visitations.  Then weekend visitations.  After some of these visits, strange bruises would show up (in the shape of fingers on his leg) and he would cry and cry when he found out it was time for him to have another visitation.  Then, one day a few months ago (after he had been picked up for his weekend visitation) the DHS worker called and informed my sister-in-law that he had been given back to his mother.  She wasn't told beforehand so she could tell him goodbye or pack his clothes or anything.  There was no court, no drug testings, no home inspection to make sure his mother had what he needed at home....nothing but a phone call.  So, over the past 2 months my brother-in-law and sister-in-law have gotten weekend visitations a few times a month.  Yesterday, they went back to court to get a final ruling on his case.  The judge, of course, ruled in favor of him being placed back with his mother full time with only 2 more visitations and then no more contact.

     This situation makes me so angry.  How can someone decide a child would be better with a mother who has already lost permanent custody of another child because of drugs, can't hold down a job, tested positive for amphetamines in court (yes, that's right), and the list goes on and on?  I know that God has a plan for this little boy, I just wish I could see what it is right now.  I want to see that he is going to be okay.  I want to see that he isn't going to be abused or subjected to all the junk he has already been through.  So, yes, sometimes faith is really hard.  I am anxious to see how this situation turns out.  The Bible promises that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.  I just have to know that this is going to lead to something really good for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

I love you but I hate you

     I have a love hate relationship with springtime.  Say what?  I bet you thought this was going to be some really juicy post about love didn't you?  Ha!  Nope, it's just about the weather (and a windy mishap, but I'll get to that later).  So, back to Spring.  I love it for a lot of reasons like perfect temperatures, new flowers, more sunshine, and no more winter clothes.  It's actually the only time of year down here in the South that you can spend more than 3 minutes outside without breaking a sweat.  But, at the same time I don't like it because I always get so antsy.  I want to change something every single spring.  By now, Clint knows the grumpy wife is coming once the 1st nice week gets here.  I want to buy new furniture.  No, go on vacation.  No, move to the beach.  No, rearrange the whole house.  No....well, you get the picture.  I'm proud to report that I have been pretty successful at controlling the crazy spring lunatic this year.  We are about to start building a new house, I planned a beach vacation for us (NEXT week!!), and we really do need a new coffee table so that's a legit furniture purchase.  This really has no purpose except to say that I have almost survived spring and remained completely sane!
     Ok, now to the windy mishap I mentioned earlier.  Did you know that it is possible to feel like a complete idiot due to a little breeze?  Well, it can happen.  I bet you're thinking skirts or hair or something like that, but you're wrong.  Here's what happened.  The hubs and I were out wasting a little time shopping and we pulled into a parking spot.  We opened the car doors to get out and at that exact moment a gust of wind blew the car doors out of our hands and into the 2 cars next to us.  Yep, we had a car accident and we weren't even moving!  If you ever want to feel crazy try writing a note to the owner of the car you just dented and blame it on the wind.  Ahem, "Dear Car Owner, I am so sorry that the wind made my door jump out of my hand and dent your car, knock your mirror off, and scratch your paint.  I promise I will pay for the damages if you call me at the number below.  Sorry again for the wind!"  Clint was able to fix my car, but we did have to pay for the other vehicles.  Ahhh, springtime.....

Oh boy!

     The Terrible Two's have officially hit our household and I'm not a fan!  I have been noticing over the past several weeks that E has gotten more and more opinionated about what he wants and doesn't want to do.  Last week he started having extreme meltdowns (temper tantrums?) when he didn't get his way.  All I can say is yikes!  I am not looking forward to my sweet little guy turning into a stubborn kid.  All in all E is a really easy child to deal with.  He is usually very well behaved when we go somewhere and he really doesn't act up much at home either.  Maybe I was secretly hoping we would just bypass the terrible two's!  I know, fat chance.  So, if anyone has any advice on how to deal with this stage PLEASE feel free to pass it along!
     On a more cheerful note, we decided to take E to a local reservoir today to see the boats and walk on the pier.  There happened to be a family of ducks there so he got to feed them, which he loved!  Here is a picture of him calling the ducks (aka...scaring the daylights out of them).

And then a picture of my 2 most favorite guys!  (Complete with E's crazy cheesy smile)

3 Little Pigs, and a Backhoe

     Attention everyone!  I have some shocking news to tell you.  You might want to sit down for this!  Apparently, we have all been telling the story of The Three Little Pigs wrong for all these years.  Can you believe it?  Yep, I'm as shocked as you are.  Fortunately, from here on out we can all get our stories straight and tell it the way it really happened.  According to E, here's what really happened with those little pigs.

Big Bad Wolf:  "Little pig, little pig, let me in!"
Little Pig:  "Not by the hair on my chiny chin chin!"  (how do you even spell chiny?)
Big Bad Wolf:  "Then I'll huff!  And I'll puff!  And I'll tear your house down with a backhoe!"
(Repeat for 2 more houses)  The End.

     Now that you know the real story, hope you enjoyed it!

Warning....overly emotional Momma on the loose

     For some reason I have been extremely emotional this past week.  I really don't know what has triggered this weepy, sentimental mood I'm in.  Two days after E was born I was sitting in my hospital room by myself holding him and just looking at him sleep.  All of a sudden I burst into tears like a crazy, hormonal lunatic!  I was crying because my baby was going to grow up one day and I didn't want him to.  Hello, can you say crazy?!  Anyway, I really haven't had very many of those moments since then...until this week.  Maybe it all started on Sunday when we decided it was time to start breaking the paci habit.  To fill you in a little, my child looks like he's about 3 instead of only 1 1/2.  He's taller than all the kids his age and he talks more than most of the kids his age, so everyone just assumes he's a 3 year old wearing diapers and still sucking a paci.  So, back to Sunday.  We got him all excited about getting rid of his paci by tying it to some balloons and letting it float into the sky.  Clint walked with E to let the balloons go while I took pictures.  I started crying like a baby, all because MY baby was growing up.  The unreasonable crying has just escalated from there!  I cried at supper the other night because we had to fuss at E for something and he turned to me in tears and said "I sowry Momma, I sowry."  Then, a few days ago I changed his diaper and as we were walking up the hall he stopped and said "Hey Momma, I lost my shoe."  Sure enough, his shoe was missing.  Another sign my baby is growing up.  Disclaimer:  I'm seriously not lying when I quote what he says, he really does talk A LOT!
     Anyway, to make a long story post short this has gotten me thinking about how I want E to remember his childhood.  I want him to look back one day and say that he really did have a good childhood.  So, I decided to take an idea my sister-in-law gave me and change it up a little bit.  I decided to write my own rules for how to really love a child.
How to Really Love a Child:
*Teach them to love Jesus * Laugh a lot * Eat together * Pray together * Make mud pies * Splash in the puddles * Let them make a mess * Take time to listen * Sing songs * Let them help you * Don't yell * Look for bugs * Say I Love You every chance you get * Kiss boo boos * Blow bubbles * Teach them to be kind * Play games * Read stories * Love unconditionally * Never miss an opportunity to make a memory *

The stuff no one tells you about

     I have discovered over the past 2 years that there are things about parenting that no one tells you about.  Before you have kids you hear all the ooey gooey mushy stuff about how wonderful children are.  Don't get me wrong, all that stuff is true.  But, people fail to warn you about all the yucky stuff that comes with having children.  Nobody is brave enough to tell you that you will be cleaning barfed up corn dogs out of your rug or washing your sheets a ridiculous number of times because overnight diapers do NOT work well.  Oh, and how about the fact that no matter when or where you sit down to eat your child will always pick that moment to poop!  Nope, I'm pretty darn sure that I was never told that I would need to leave a family dinner to strip my child down and bathe him because of what what in his pants!  Gross, I know.  So, for all of you non parents out there this is your official warning...Parenting is gross!  It is wonderful and absolutely worth it, but it is definitely very yucky at times.  Now to prove that having kids is worth everything you endure, here is a picture of my sweet little man to make you smile!

Praise the Lord!

My child never ceases to amaze me with the things he says.  It makes my heart happy to hear him say something that I didn't even know he was paying attention to (it also makes me really watch what I say!)  E's latest thing is to say "Praise the Lord" which I LOVE!!  It makes me smile no matter how many times I hear it.  So, I'm sharing a video with you....mainly because I like to watch it and smile! 

"Misser Yeezard"

So, like I said in my first post I have an almost 2 year old little boy.  He has the best memory I have ever seen.  I'm not kidding when I say that this kid doesn't forget anything!  The other night the hubby found a lizard outside so he brought it inside for E to see.  I'm not much of a lizard fan, but E loved it!  He squealed like the lizard was the best pet he had ever seen.  When I exiled the lizard to the kitchen window screen it was the end of the world I tell ya.  We had to look at the lizard, talk about why the lizard was leaving, look some more, and even take a bath in the kitchen sink so we could keep an eye on Mr. Lizard.  It took me forever to convince E that Mr. Lizard really needed to go home to his family so he could eat dinner with his little lizard children.  (I know the story is ridiculous, but he's 2 so he bought it).  Well, it was a little chilly that night so the next day poor Mr. Lizard was still in the same spot on the window.  I wasn't sure how to explain that our lizard friend may have gotten a little too cold to make it home for dinner, so I just left the blinds down and pretended that the lizard wasn't there.  Jump ahead to bedtime.  We have not mentioned Mr. Lizard a single time all day mind you.  We read our Bible story and several of E's favorite books.  I was trying to get out of reading Go Dog Go for the 5th time by saying that those dogs at the dog party had to leave that party and go home for dinner (I need a new story, I know).  As soon as I said that, E sat straight up in the bed, started calling for "Misser Yeezard", and ran to the window to find him.  Thank goodness Mr. Lizard got warm enough at some point during the day to crawl off the window screen and head "home" for dinner or breakfast or whatever meal it was!

Never trust online maps...or old plumbing

     Suppose you wanted to surprise your husband with a little getaway.  (Well, surprise isn't really the word since a certain someone has a problem containing her excitement long enough to actually pull off a surprise trip..but moving on.)  Of course, you would decide to get awesome 5th row seats to an NBA game since he loves basketball.  You would also agree that it would be easier to book a hotel right by the stadium so you could walk to the game and save money on parking.  That's sensible, right?  So, you would look and look until you find a hotel that is RIGHT across the street from the stadium.  I mean, the online map would show that you would only have to cross 1 road and you would be there.  You would book the hotel, drop the baby off at the grandparents' house, and hit the road.  But wait, as you follow the directions to the hotel you would notice that you are not right across the street like the map clearly showed.  No, instead you are almost a mile away.  Huh?  But, hey a little 2 mile walk will do you good since of course you have to eat some ballgame food, so you check in anyway.  As you are getting ready for your night on the town you realize that the toilet doesn't seem to be working very well.  So, you would call maintenance and they would come plunge the toilet (two separate times) and assure you that it is working fine and that it is just old plumbing.  So, you would head out to the game and have an amazingly fun time watching your husband talk his way into getting the two of you access into a private practice session before the game, eating lots of game food, and waving every once in a while so you could find yourselves on ESPN when you watched the game you TiVo'ed.  Of course, when you got back to your hotel at midnight you would immediately change into your pjs and become a hotel couch potato.  But, all of a sudden, your husband would come out of the bathroom and inform you that the toilet was now pouring water all over the floor!  And it wouldn't just be a little water...no way... it would be a huge spewing toilet fountain in your bathroom.  So, at 1 in the morning you would grab your things and be led to another room by a hotel employee that probably thinks you have serious stomach issues.  When you open the door to your new room you would discover that it smells like a very large ashtray.  You would, of course, give up and go to bed anyway at this point.  The next morning you would wake up to find that the television in your room doesn't work either.  But, you know you would just have to laugh about it because it really is pretty funny if you think about the whole situation.  And, that's what would happen on your trip if you trusted online maps and old plumbing.