Danny Kaye's B-day

That's right! Danny Kaye had another birthday. He turned 12, this means that he is now officially a part of young mens. He's been hanging out with their scout group since there isn't enough boys to have separate groups, but he wasn't allowed to attend the activities that were done with the girls. He had a glow in the dark theme pool party on Friday to celebrate. According to the boys that attended, I really knew how to throw a party. I think it was my favorite b-day party so far. Clean up went fast. Getting the boys interested in games wasn't hard, since pool games aren't construed as babyish even by teenage standards. The time went fast and the kids could be as noisy as they wanted. I didn't have to worry about oversized boys getting rambunctious and breaking things in my house. and given the heat in August it was an awesome time to have a night party at the pool. Danny Kaye chose to have a big cookie instead of a cake. I had them put two fencing swords crossing in the middle and we did sparkler candles. It was as much fun lighting them as him blowing them out, lol. He received the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday. It was really special. Big Red conferred the priesthood upon him and his young mens president, primary teacher, bishop, Uncle J, and scout leader all stood in as well. His dad and abuelita made it there to share in the experience and Aunt E, Little T, and Music Man, Little Red and I made up the rest of the cramped room. He was blessed with knowledge and wisdom several times, so afterwards his scout master said he couldn't wait for him to show him some of this wisdom in scouts, lol. It really was a special day for Danny Kaye. And I can't wait for the second sunday of September b/c I'll have two sons serving the sacrament! What a cool feeling for this Mom! Below are some pics from the b-day bash

Tickets

Okay I know this blog is supposed to be about blessings but this one is about a trial. I'm hoping it turns into a blessing, but right now I'm just FURIOUS! I got a speeding ticket today. Which no big deal. I haven't had a speeding ticket in over 5 years I believe and I have been very happy about that. Today though, fate didn't smile on me. I was trying to make it to pick up my boys at a descent time. I was already late from running errands for my Mom and Dad in Galveston. (My Dad is laid up in the hospital again recovering from a new surgery). So I was already late and I was speeding. So when the police man pulled me over I didn't have a problem with it. I was ready to accept my dues. Take drivers ed. to get it removed. ya da ya da, no problemo. However, he hits me with the news that he had clocked me at 95 miles an hour! OKAY FIRST OF ALL, I would NEVER and I mean NEVER drive that fast with Lil Red in the car which he was. And SECOND, I had the cruise control on so I know for sure that I was doing only 80. And come to think of it if I go over 80 in the Saturn I don't feel very in control of my vehicle so I may go 85 to get around someone but NEVER NEVER would I go 95 EVER! I tried to calmly and respectfully explain this the police officer but of course he didn't think he was capable of error. "you can take it before the judge", was all I got. So I am! I probably would have fought it anyway. But that's the only way that is left to me since what he says I was doing is more than 20 miles over the speed limit. I should say that while the posted speed limit is 65 that if you do 65 you get run over or cause an accident. Anyways this was my rant today that I needed to let off steam, so I'm counting my blessing that I have this outlet for my emotions since I couldn't exactly take a bopper bat to the policeman's head, because even though it wouldn't hurt him, it might be construed as intent to do harm. Sigh! What I wouldn't get to see him in a room full of junior high kids with dodge balls.
;)

Poll answer

It was pointed out to me that I never said what my boys did for me for Mother's Day. So the answer is they were good all day! That's right no fighting, no squabling. Helping when asked and not complaining. It really was a great mother's day. Isaac gave me a homemade card. So there you go, one of the best Mother's Day ever!

Trial of the Opossums

It's a new Chevy Chase movie that I'm working on. LOL. Just kidding. It's the latest of a series of trials that we've been struggling to overcome as a family. However, the situations that have resulted have definitely reminded me of a comedy movie.

So for the past couple of months we've known we had an opossum crawling around up in the roof area. "How did you know it was an opossum", you ask. Elmentary, my dear Watson. We had already caught one about 6 months ago and relocated it and my brother had seen one last November in our backyard.Also, my husband has been working on the siding and had found one of their nests in the eaves. However, he thought he had sealed everything up very well. So you can imagine his irritation when at about 10pm and on into the wee hours of the morning we started to hear scurring feet above us. So over the last week it has gotten bad and sometimes we would smell really bad smells. Like a skunk. We put a trap out and some food in it, but we weren't catching the varmit. So one morning at 2am I said "I hate it and I'm going to shoot all the walls up, I can't stand this anymore! We aren't getting any sleep!" . Of course I didn't really but I think that started putting ideas in my sweet Big Red's head. Because he had already tried to locate it by going up into the attic with a flash light and a pellet gun but had had no luck. So the next night at 1am. He gets up and the next thing I know he has a ladder and a hand saw and starts sawing a hole in the ceiling. So after he makes this hole, my brave crazy husband puts his head through it to look around. and this hole is only big enough for his head and to stick a hand up there with the flash light. and I think to myself, "he's going to scream and fall down and the Opossum is going to be stuck to the back of his head, He's crazy! this is totally a Chevy Chase movie." Well it didn't happen. He came down still angry because he could see the mess the critter was making but no critter. He was so angry he was going to throw a raid bomb up there. But I told him we shouldn't take such a chance of it poisoning us and Lil Red and my sister and her family who were staying with us while they searched for an apartment. So the whole day, I'm worrying that that crazy varmit is going to come falling down through that hole because I can hear it in there. And I know it would be just my luck to come out of the shower and see this thing scurrying across the floor. But nope no sign of the little varmit. I even had dreams about him that night of the critter showing his face in the hole and my husband taking a pot shot at it, but my husband had assured me that that was only a dream. However, the next night at approx. 3am my husband woke me saying he needed my help. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and had work gloves on and the cage in the other. I followed him into the bathroom stumbling as I went to see another hole in the bottom of the bathroom wall. And to my amazement he was pulling out a momma and 5 baby Opossums! And it stank. I went and grabbed baking soda for him to sprinkle in and around the hole after he vacumed. It smelled just like vomit. It was awful! Apparently he was inspired last night to get a mirror and use it to look down inside the wall and was able to see the Mom and the babies. He thinks they had been trapped in there for a while. The only way he could get them out was to cut the hole in the wall. We called animal control to come get them. But by the time he came out the Mom had died from the heat. I feel bad about that because we didn't mean to kill her. We just didn't know that the heat would kill her I mean after all she had lived in the hot attic all that time. So the saga of the Opossums has come to an end. Hopefully the critters got taken far enough away that they won't come back and exercise a vendetta later. I just have to say that we immediately said prayers of gratitude after we had cleaned up the mess and went back to bed to try and get some peaceful sleep. I know Big Red's inspiration was an answer to our prayers. Above are the pics of the now plugged holes and Oppossum family.

Beach pics

4th of July Pictures

4th and Week with the Older Boys

I was so excited to have DK and MM home for 10 days. Even though are plans to Dallas got scratched we still had fun. On monday we went to the movies with TISO and saw "The Incredible Hulk" . Can you believe that Little Red slept through that one. LOL! He's going to be like his Dad and say "yeah right! Like that would happen" when he sees action movies. On Tuesday we took it easy and stayed at home. Big Red let them download a game called Maple Story and they had a lot of fun with it. MM insisted on creating me a game player. But they couldn't stop playing long enough for me to have a chance to play, lol. Then Wednesday we went to the beach with Miss A. and her two boys. We had so much fun despite the sand. I always forget how much sand there is. It was funny b/c Miss A. and I started talking on the drive and weren't really watching for the park we were looking for and next thing we knew we were in Free Port! But the beach is better there anyways :) The older boys worked on making sand castles and drew big words in the sand and did some jumping in the waves. Lil Red squinted his eyes against the wind and felt the sand between his toes for the first time ;)


On Thursday we had lunch with Grandmommy and Granddaddy. And then late that evening we headed to Grandma and Grandpa W's. Friday we went tubing up by Canyon Lake with Aunt and Uncle San Antonio while Lil Red stayed and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. According to Grandma, Grandpa just took over taking care of him like it had been just yesterday that they'd had an infant. Meanwhile on the river, Big Red was shooting all of us with a Gatorade filled water gun. Yuck! My hair smelled like grape kool aid! As we were jumping into our tubes and feeling the freezing water...I couldn't help but think that those people that jump in the Alaskan water in the hole in the ice have to be short a couple of brain cells. I was thinking the same thing about myself as I fellt the freezing water bite my bum, lol! We went around the short loop twice and left just as the big crowds were getting there. We went out to eat at this great hole in the wall Mexican/American restraunt. Where DK proceeded to eat his huge enchilada plate and then clean anything off of anyone elses plate that was left. When that boy gets hungry, he sure can eat! Saturday we played cards with Aunt and Uncle SA and then Aunt SA and I made yummy Strawberry pies. Then right before they left the boys and I played hide and go seek with them. But it was so hot that half way through the game Uncle SA came up with the idea that instead of making for base that if you were found you were it. Which was much easier on us adults, lol. Then in the last two rounds we separated into two teams. Uncle SA and MM were on one team and the rest of us on the other. In these two rounds, you had to find everyone that was hiding before the game was over. Our team did pretty good but M.M and Uncle S. A. were hidden so good that we kept walking by them. Uncle SA was on the ground with a bunch of brush thrown over him. I guess it was his military training kicking in there. lol. Not for me though, I couldn't stand the idea of the possible snake or scorpian getting the upper hand on me! After they left for home, Big Red, Grandma, and I took MM and DK to downtown Bastrop on the river to see the fireworks. They were wonderful. Despite our stiff legs from sitting on the ground so long, they were worth it.

Sunday we made it to church for sacrament and then went home to chill out for awhile before heading home to bring the boys back to their Dad. It was totally a fun and fabulous week and the boys were even super well behaved including Lil Red.