Talking to Santa

The other day I needed to get some last minute Christmas shopping done (still not 100% done!). I left the boys with my Mom and said I needed to go talk to Santa about some things. I didn't give it a second thought.

Boy - Do kids take you literally! Last night we were in the van riding home from dinner and Braylon matter-of-factly said, "Mom, the other day when you were talking to Santa and I was at Granny's, I hurt my knee." It took me a while to figure out what the heck he was talking about then I remembered that we had told him about the Santa conference. Good to know he believes I have a direct line of communication with the jolly fellow. Come to think of it, Braylon HAS been a little doll the last several weeks.... Hmmmmmm...... Wonder how January is going to go without this incentive.

Marital Concerns

As you can see by the picture to the right, Braylon played the part of Joseph in the children's musical this past weekend at church. The 4 and 5 year olds were only on stage for two songs at the end for the manger scene, but they all thought they were big stuff to get to participate with the "big kids."

A darling little girl named Elise played the part of Mary - see picture. Elise and Braylon got along just fine and played their parts well. We had even talked Braylon into putting his arm around Elise while they walked up on the stage. It was sooooo cute!

At rehearsal during the second run-through, the kids were getting tired and "antsy." Braylon forgot to put his arm around Elise at first. That solicited the response from Elise, "He doesn't hold me like he used to!" We all got a big laugh from that! Mary and Joseph with marriage problems! It was so cute!!

Election

The Grinch wins the popular vote, but the electoral college has it's concerns...

Ear Boogers

Here's a cute Blaine story for you....

This weekend Braylon and I were at church a lot rehearsing and performing a children's musical - "The Mystery of the Manger." That left Daddy and Blaine at home for hours on end. Brandon says that Blaine was a big helper and they had a good time hanging out and doing chores.

At one moment when they were alone, Brandon was cleaning his ears out using peroxide. Blaine sat nearby and watched the process. After a few minutes, Brandon used a q-tip to remove excess peroxide and gunk. Blaine leaned over, peering into his ear and said, "Daddy! Do you have ear boogers in there?"

He came up with that idea all on his own... Cutie pie!

Movie Review: Pirates of the Carribean DVD

Movie Review: Pirates of the Carribean At World's End DVDStarring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush
Rated: PG-13

This is the third and final installment of the Pirates trilogy. The second Pirates movie left a cliffhanger moment where Jack Sparrow (Depp) is lost at sea in the belly of a giant sea creature. The third movie is the story of how his crew saves him and then how a team of misfit and oddly teamed pirates fight against the plight of the authorities for the rights to sail the open sea freely and without oppression.

Becky's rating: C-

My rating hurts my heart almost as much as the movie did! I was a big fan of Pirates 1 and 2 only to have much disappointment come my way with Pirates 3. The storyline was rushed and complicated. Many times you had to really concentrate to even "get" what was going on. There were a few parts toward the beginning that Brandon and I thought were just plain stupid - like when Jack is on the beach with the crabs or when Jack sees a lot of other Jacks on the Black Pearl and elsewhere. The part that was hardest to accept was the ending. I will not ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen this, but it doesn't end with Disney's classic "formula." As much as we all hate to admit it, we crave the formula where the good guys save the day and wins the girl. Don't go into this movie with high hopes of that is all I will say...One positive note, Brandon and I agree that Geoffrey Rush steals the show in this one. An A+ rating for his reprisal of Captain Barbosa!

Bottom line: Worth seeing so that you can see how the trilogy ends, but sad, very sad... Boo, hoo....I expected more...

Brotherly Love

Last night, Granny joined our family for dinner at the mall. We had a quick dinner, then off to see Santa and give him our lists of toys we wanted (thankfully their lists are considerably short!)

After that, the boys rode the Christmas train in the mall. They were both laughing and having a grand 'ol time. After several rotations, Braylon wanted off. Instead of saying, "I'm ready to get off," he started crying. Well, what a cute sight it was when Blaine stands up in the covered train, shuffles over to his brother and starts to hug him during the train ride. They stayed like that for at least one full rotation. It was so darling... Couldn't ask for more in brotherly love. I don't even want to know whether or not Blaine was just trying to bone crush him - In my mind it was a sweet gesture of kindness and love.

Sometimes they act better than I could expect or hope for!

The Reason

As I'm standing in the aisles of Target last night, attempting to find the perfect gift for my smallest child I look around and see toys strewn out all over the floor, consumers bustling to get around other consumers, children eyeing toys with greedy sparkles in their faces, workers trying their darndest to keep things in order... A thought occurred to me. It wasn't a thought I haven't had before. Just one that comes and goes at any given moment, usually when I'm in a spot of pressure or inconvenience. What is the REASON for this?

Here's the reason as I see it: We don't give gifts because it's better to give than receive. That's a nice notion, but it misses the mark a little bit. We give BECAUSE WE HAVE received. We have received into this world a gift greater than any earthly gift - the gift of a Savior. This time a year we celebrate that gift by remembering our loved ones with earthly gifts. That's also a nice notion. But wouldn't it be nicer yet to share the gift as it was originally intended? To share one another in love and peace? To remember that without Jesus, our lives would be one futile attempt of selfishness from start to finish only to end with eternity separated from God?

Find a loved one and remind them of the reason for Christmas - That CHRIST came to us as a gift. A free gift that we don't earn or deserve. That cannot be exchanged or refunded by anything greater. That does not come with stipulations or conditions, only a life-long bumper to bumper extended warranty.

Up and In

Is that the opposite of Down and Out? Well, I'm 100% better nonetheless! My sickness lasted a little longer than my last blog indicated, but I'm feeling better and even braved a plate of nachos for dinner. Ok, I ate only about half of it, but I was so hungry from 3 days of not eating! Whew! It's good to be back!

Down and Out

I got hit hard yesterday with the 24 hour flu - Is there such thing??? My fever was 103.4 last night and I felt worse than rotten - achy, chilly, feverish. Today I'm 90% better with only a lingering headache and a few other minor complaints. Weird. Let's hope the worse is past...

No Prunes for Blaine

Some of you are aware that Blaine had a little tummy bug this week. I've had several people make cute comments that he had too many prunes (see 12/3 blog).

But, I must set the record straight. None of us have actually eaten those prunes yet - The box remains unopened in the pantry. Poor little Blaine just had a tummy bug... Three sets of pjs and two sets of sheets later, he's feeling much better!

It IS a Wonderful Life

Looks like hands down "It's a Wonderful Life" will win the movie survey. I guess we all need to watch that with our respective families this season!

"Merry Christmas you old savings and loan building! Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!!! Merry Christmas!!!!"

Sorry, got caught up in the moment...

Prunes

Last night at the grocery store, Braylon spied prunes on the shelf and asked to get some. I agreed and we proceeded to shop. When we checked out, Braylon spied the prunes again. He told the checkout person, "We're going to eat prunes tonight. They make you poop!" Thankfully, I covered his mouth just in time to muffle the "poop." The woman smiled, knowing what he had said.... She probably has kids....

Tag, I'm It

Ok, I don't really know EXACTLY how to do this, but here it goes. I got tagged by ANNA (link to journalistsjournal.blogspot.com on the right side of this page).

The rules are: List who tagged you, list 7 random or weird things about yourself, then tag someone.

7 THINGS:

1) As a child, I nearly severed 2 toes while walking barefoot in a lake. The docs were able to sew them back on and I have scars that go almost all the way around them.

2) I also tore out my tonsils with a plastic baseball bat. (Don't ask.) The docs were able to sew those back in, too, but only to have them removed later in childhood because they were always getting infected due to enlarged scar tissue.

3) I fell into the fountains at the mall while doing cartwheels on the side. My sisters were supposed to be watching me. They weren't really watching me...

4) I have played the violin for 20 years and love, love, love using that talent to praise God and teach others.

5) I am very sensitive to other people's issues and can cry at the drop of a hat when thinking about other people. About myself, I rarely ever cry, even under insurmountable pressure, stress or heartache.

6) I enjoy doing recreational physical activity (not that I get the chance very often). I have skied, rock climbed, repelled, canoed, worked a high and low ropes course, horseback ridden and hiked. These activities appeal to me a great deal and a perfect vacation would include all or some of them. I would love to go white water rafting someday, but ONLY when the kids are much older would I allow them to go. (My Eagle Scout husband does not like the above mentioned list near as much!!!)

7) I like to view myself as naturally a positive/optimistic person. I definitely look at life as the "glass is half full." I believe that God has given me the tools I need to be effective in my line of work, but has protected my heart against cynicism or negativity.

That's it - I tag MOLLY. (Link to the right of this page.)

Spanish Inquisition

Papaw to Braylon: "We won't be at dinner tonight, we're going out of town."
Braylon: "Where are you going?"
Papaw: "New Mexico."
Braylon: "Will you talk Spanish while you're there?"

Hot Chocolate Has It

Sorry Egg Nog, no one likes you....

A Granny Story

A story WRITTEN by Granny B.

After I had picked up both boys and had them together in the car, I told them what we were going to do.......shop first, then meet everyone at Luby's for a birthday party.As we drove to DollarTree, I again gave both boys some instructions about how we were going to shop......stay together, shop for two items each, look for something "suitable" for a grandmother gift, etc.

We got just inside the store when Braylon suddenly called a halt......put his hands on his hips (somewhat like I've seen his mother and his grandmother do!!!) and in a voice somewhat like the above-mentioned females, say "Granny, we HAVE to look on the toy aisle FIRST! THEN we can look for a granny gift!" (Priorities have to be established!!) It didn't take either boy very long to locate two items each---after I decreed we would NOT buy the swords. Then....in a "typical male fashion" we made our way to the next aisle and the VERY FIRST ITEM THEY LAID THEIR EYES ON was their choice for the grandmother birthday gifts! (Thankfully, they didn't spy a plumber's helper first!!)

In a split second, they were on their way to the cash register to pay out.....their goal complete!!! I had to bribe them into making a minor detour thru the candy aisle to look for the chocolate turtles to add to the flower pots and to grab two small gift bags---of course, that's where they spied the packages of cotton candy and what grandma could resist their pleas when they had been so good!!!

You would have been proud of both of them---they actually stuck with me, didn't put up too much resistance about the swords, and cooperated every step of the trip!! It was also cute to see them carry in the two little bags--they were "proud as peacocks" to have selected their own flowers and candy for the two grandmas!!!Every now and then, we get a "glimpse" of civilization from two lively, noisy, messy....but highly loveable little boys!!! It made a sweet birthday memory for this grandma!!...and perhaps one the boys will remember, too!

Giving Thanks

Last week the nation remembered to be thankful for the creation of our union to this land and it's original inhabitants. Hopefully, the majority of people celebrating the great holiday extended that thankfulness to current events and situations. I cannot make an exhaustive list of what I'm thankful for. Will never happen. I would never get done with my list...

In that thought, I AM thankful for being together with my family on that special day - Watching my kids play with Grampy (who has been living away for 13+ months) - Seeing extended family that I so rarely get to enjoy - Resting at home after traveling and watching the snow fall down like rain - Pulling the Christmas decorations out and seeing the excitement in the boy's eyes as we went through the items that will remind us of another great holiday.

The more I think of all the things for which I'm thankful, the shorter my list of complaints or aggravations gets. It's kinda funny how it works that way, huh?

Great Game Ideas

For the game lover in all of us ~ My sister started a blog with GREAT GAME IDEAS! Below is the link. Save it to your favorites for that event where you need a good idea or for family fun nights!

greatgameideas.blogspot.com

The Last Word

Game review: The Last Word

We played this on Thanksgiving Day. It's a game for up to 8 players that revolves around your ability to ramble on any given subject. The gist is that there are two decks of cards: Subject cards and Letter cards. You flip over a letter card and try to talk about your subject that starts with the letter on the Letter card. There is a timer and whoever is the last person who said something applicable when the timer goes off gets to move his man. This continues for X rounds until the winner reaches the end of the board with his man.

Becky's rating: B+

I thought it was really clever and something different. I didn't win, so it doesn't get an A! HA! Just kidding - The game is really good for junior high and above age group, I would think. Any younger and it would probably be too hard. It definitely got my mind a working!

Not A Firefighter

Braylon came into the kitchen while I was preparing dinner tonight, visibly upset and near tears. Out of the complete blue he says, "Mom, I don't want to be a firefighter when I grow up!"

I responded with, "Ok, you don't have to." And that was that... Problem solved.

Now don't ask me where in the world he came up with that notion, but he's ruling out that line of work early...

Smoked

It's how you feel when your 7 year old nephew beats you at Sequence - AND YOU DIDN'T LET HIM WIN!

King of Crabs

No, the above title line doesn't refer to Brandon's state of mind or demeanor, despite it being crunch time in his PT program. (Although, probably not far from the truth!)

Last night some friends of ours invited us to dinner - We had king crabs that our friend had picked up fresh from Alaska this week when he was there. Brandon and I had never eaten crabs before so this was an adventure. We had fun using kitchen shears to cut through the outer shells and, of course, had even more fun in conversation.

A good time was had by all!

Jr. Music Minister

As anyone who knows Braylon will attest, Braylon LOVES singing. He especially loves putting on a microphone pack (AKA any type of string that is long enough to stretch from his waistband to his ear held on with Mommy's hair clips to the back of his shirt) and singing his heart out in the mirror. About 90% of the time he chooses praise and worship ditties.

Last night, he was doing this - Nothing new or noteworthy - But then he started to give inspirational encouragement to his "audience" in between sections in his song. I won't do the situation much justice here, but let me give you a small picture of what he was saying:

The song was "We Fall Down." In between lines of "We cry holy, holy, holy..." he would say things like, "It doesn't matter what you sing - Just sing it from your heart! Holy, holy, holy.... Sing it to Jesus, it doesn't matter... It doesn't matter....Holy, holy, holy.... He's listening.... Just sing it.... Holy, holy, holy..."

This went on for about 20 verses of "We Fall Down." Brandon and I were trying our hardest not to giggle so that we wouldn't discourage him. He never ceases to come up with something that is just plain hilarious! Not to mention the fact of how sweet it was and probably how wide Jesus Himself was smiling....

Faith in Practice

"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God." ~ 1 Timothy 5:3-4

While in my regular Bible reading, I came across this passage. It reminds me of my father, who has given up 13 months of his life (and counting) to relocate and care for his elderly mother. The last year has been filled with hard decisions and probably a lot of second-guessing of "Am I doing the right thing?" The bottom line: It is pleasing to God.

We can all pray for such an opportunity when our faith can be put to practice.

Shadow Spray

Several nights this week have caused a stir in the Hamilton household due to 4 year old Braylon throwing fits in his bed while he is supposed to be going to sleep. My kids have always been top notch sleepers, so I just couldn't figure it out. I asked him over and over and all he came up to tell me was inconsistent reasons like, "my pillow isn't right," or, "I'm scared of Blaine."

Last night at Granny's house, Granny asked Braylon why he was having trouble sleeping this week. Braylon said that there were scary shadows in his room. Granny knew just what to do ~ She went to her laundry room and pulled out some special Shadow Spray. It's not to be confused with Monster Spray - That's green. Shadow Spray is distinctly yellow in color. It doesn't make the shadows go away, but it turns mean shadows into nice shadows.

Sufficed to say, Braylon went to sleep in about 2.2 seconds last night as peaceful as a lark....

Eating Healthy

On the way home from school the other day, Braylon asked if we could have strawberry cake after dinner. Knowing that I had a cake mix in the pantry at home, I told him that could probably be arranged.

After dinner and baths, I overheard Braylon talking to his Daddy while I put icing on the cake. Braylon asked if Daddy wanted any strawberry cake, to which Brandon responded, "No thanks. I'm trying to eat healthy."

Braylon quickly responded with, "I'm not trying to eat healthy, Dad - I'm trying to eat strawberry cake."

Thankful

Last night around the dinner table we got into a conversation about what we're all thankful for (brought on by a discussion of the Thanksgiving holiday). Braylon, Daddy and Mommy were listing many different things that we are each thankful for while Blaine sat quietly listening. After several minutes, I turned to Blaine and asked, "And what are you thankful for, Blaine?" Of course, the first thing out of this mouth was, "food." Then Braylon turns to him and says, "What else, Blaine." Blaine thought a moment, pointed to his chest and said, "Blaine!"

Brandon laughed and said, "Yep. He's your kid alright!"

Coughing Remedy

I have been suffering from my usual seasonal allergies the past week or so. With me, allergy problems manifest one of two ways. Either I get a killer sinus headache with face congestion or I get the coughs. You know the coughs I mean - The wake you in the night nearly throwing up coughs.

So recently when I read in a parent's magazine this cough remedy I said in my mind to try it the next time I cough in the night. Here is is: Tried and true. Worked for me:

Apply Vick's Vapo Rub liberally on the bottom of your feet and put on socks. I also put Vick's on my chest and back for added measure. Took about 10 minutes and I was back in bed snoozing as usual.

Early Bird

Ever since the time change, little Blaine hasn't gotten it into his head that he should still sleep until 7 a.m. His little bio-rhythms are skewed. Today he woke up at 5:45 a.m. just singing happily in his bed. By the time his Daddy got him out of bed at 6 a.m. he was full speed ahead and ready to roll for the day. Ahhh.... If we could all wake up with that much stamina! God bless him! (Grampy, I do believe he inherited this from you!)

Movie Review: Spiderman III DVD

First I have to say, that it took us 6 months to actually see this movie, although we tried two times to see this in the theaters to no avail! Both times we went to the theater, the movie had already left (both first run and dollar movies). Grrrr.... But, alas, we saw it this weekend. Here's my review:

Spiderman III - Rated PG13
Starring: Tobey Macguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church

Story line: The third in the Spiderman series, this film picks up with Spiderman 2 leaves off. Mary Jane knows that Peter Parker is Spidey, but so does his friend/nemesis Harry. Harry thinks that Peter killed his father and plots revenge off and on during most of the movie. Peter suffers from a puffed-up ego from all his Spiderman accolades and fails to give his girlfriend, MJ, enough time or attention. Peter and MJ go through spats and make ups all while Spiderman faces 4 bad guys - Yes, I said 4! Good always wins, but I won't spoil the details for you.

Becky's rating: A-

This seemed like the longest of all the movies, probably because of all the loose ends to tie together and the fact that they felt they needed 4 villains! In the previous two movies, Spidey has only faced 1 villain in each of the films, so having 4 to contend with took serious time. I feel that even though I enjoyed the storyline, the filmmakers were trying to pack in too much story in a short amount of time. They would have done better to remove at least 1 villain since they really didn't have time to develop any of them except one, that has been building up for all three movies. I also thought they needed to take out the cheesy song montage with Peter Parker dancing in and out of clothing stores and the stupid part where he embarrasses MJ at the jazz club. Those two parts left me scratching my head, saying, "WHY?" But, all in all, the film completed the story line that started back in 2002. All's well that ends well....

Bottom line: Go see it - But see #1 and #2 first because otherwise you'll be completely lost.

Fall Back

I remember thinking that the "fall back" time change was the coolest thing ever. I would usually make an event of it - Movies and snacks until at least 1 a.m. - I mean, I could sleep in until right before church started and still feel refreshed. Tricking Father Time....

And then I became a parent. Apparantly, 4 and 2 year olds don't get the concept of Daylight Savings Time or otherwise. Last night I let the kids stay up what would have been an hour past their normal bedtime in hope that we could at least delay our getting up by a little bit. The boys usually get up around 7 a.m., so I was hoping we could push to the new 6:30 a.m. by keeping them up.

But Blaine didn't the memo I guess. He must have sensed a change in the barometric pressure (ok, lame guess) because he was up at the new 4 a.m. ready to roll for the day. I was less than thrilled because I tried my old trick of staying up late...

Guess I'll never learn....

Music & Lyrics II

Correct: "For your goodness.... "
Braylon: "For your feelings..."

You could not convince him otherwise, either!

Happy Halloween!

May you remember on this day that the real trick is the way of life this world offers and the real treat is the sweetness of life through Christ!

But we can have fun, too! Enjoy your evening and be safe!

Unanswered Prayers

Just like the Garth Brooks song, I thank God for unanswered prayers.

In the car the other day, I hear this from Braylon:

"Dear God, please make me into a monster. Amen."

OOPS!

If I sent you a Blockbuster coupon, there is a good chance it won't be honored at your local Blockbuster. Apparantly those were for a certain area I guess.... Not all of the stores will honor it... SORRY!!!! I had my hopes up, too!

Music and Lyrics

Anyone who has spent any small amount of time with Braylon, age 4, knows that he LOVES to sing music - Mostly praise and worship songs. I've rarely seen him at home without his self-made microphone pack in place with a plastic microphone, singing his heart out in the mirror. We've now had to move him into the spare bedroom and shut the door while he "practices" because he's too loud for the rest of us to tolerate.

What's funny is that sometimes, if you really listen to what he's singing, he gets the words all wrong. They are usually close, but here are a couple that I thought were funny, with the correct wording listed first.

Correct: "God is good. He's so good....."
Braylon: "God is good. He smells good...."

Correct: "And in His presence all our fear is washed away."
Braylon: "And our presents and all our fear is washed away."

Now you KNOW God has a great sense of humor and just has to be smiling down on that!

Open the Floodgates

Everyday when I pick up Braylon from school and usually again over dinner conversation I ask Braylon how his day at school was. A typical conversation is the following:

Mom: "How was your day?"
Braylon: "Ok."
Mom: "What did you do?"
Braylon: "Played."
Mom: "Did you sing songs? Color? Play games?"
Braylon: "Yes."
Mom: What songs did you sing?"
Braylon: "I don't remember."

Every parent has probably ran into this conversation even with the most talkative children. Well, last night, the floodgates opened up! Blaine was in bed already and Braylon came up with a creative way to stall - CHAT! He started telling us details about everything he could think of at school, from his favorite teachers, to the things he liked to do. He enlightened us to the fact that even if someone isn't his friend, he still tries to be their friend. (That warmed our hearts...) He also noted that one reason he gets into trouble during nap time is that his cot was recently moved to be closer to his friends. Hmmm..... Anyway, we spent about 10-15 minutes just listening to him talk and talk and talk. He even asked Daddy some cute questions about his school.

Ok, now we KNOW this was a stall strategy for bedtime. We aren't too naive to see that. But as Brandon eloquently said last night after Braylon dozed off, if he tries that tactic again.... it will work every time.

Roughing It

This weekend was good in many senses, pretty rough in others. Brandon is in considerable pain as he recovers from his knee surgery. He has been pushing himself over the weekend, trying to act as though he's back to normal, when really he needs to slow down. But he's in medical school and does not want to get further behind, so he pushes forward... He's been a trooper. I've tried to pick up extra slack for him as he recovers...

The kids and I tried to stay out of his hair as much as possible this weekend to let Daddy study for his mid-terms that are coming up this month. I had to get a little creative with things to do - We had a picnic in the park for lunch on Saturday. I battled a willful Blaine at the library. I ran errands with them in tow partly just to be out of the house.

That's about it for us this weekend ~ Fake it to make it! This too shall pass!

An Important Safety Note

KitchenOilFire.wmv

Parental Concerns

My sons and I were watching Dora the Explorer the other day, when Braylon asked an important question. "How old is Dora?" he asked. I said I didn't know, probably around 8 I would think. Right? Anyone disagree?

That got me thinking ~ Her parents let her go all over the world exploring in sometimes dangerous terrain and with wild animals. Her cousin Diego even more so. I mean, taking along a baby jaguar with you?!? Talk about wild and unpredictable animals! And what about Max and Emmy of Dragon Tales? Their mom leaves them alone so long in the playroom they take off to another world nearly everyday and mom never notices...She never even comes in there with them.

I think someone needs to let these parents know the seriousness of leaving a child unattended for long periods. Especially in the jungles of Mexico or in the wildness of Dragonland. I think I'll write them a strongly worded letter. "Dear Mr. and Mrs. The Explorer...."

The Big Day (part 2)

Brandon's surgery went well yesterday. We got to the surgical center at 6:35 a.m. and were back home by 11 a.m. All in all, a fairly fast process considering it was knee surgery.

The doctor said that the ACL was repaired and scar tissue removed, but that the lateral meniscus did not need to be repaired because it had healed successfully on it's own. Talk about God having His hand in this!

Brandon has been at home resting. So far he isn't milking it too bad yet. I'm happy to help him - He's been a good patient so far...

Where Are You?

I forgot to mention in my last blog that after a long day of being good, I was bragging on the phone to the boy's Granny. I said something to the effect of, "They both were so good all day. They listened and were very good boys." I was saying this, in part, so they would hear me bragging about their good behavior. I then heard Braylon yelling in the direction of the sky, "Santa??? Where are you????"

Sorehead Trade Days

I took the boys to a nearby town (Stanton) for the quarterly Old Sorehead Trade Days on Saturday. Brandon needed to study for a series of mid-terms and I thought it would be nice for us to get out of the house. We called up a friend of mine and ventured out with 4 kids in tow. Thankfully, all 4 kids were very well behaved and easy to manage the entire time.

The kids enjoyed seeing their Nana who was there selling peanut brittle with her church. Nana gave each of the 3 "older" kids, including Blaine, $1 to splurge on whatever they wanted. Of course, my kids wanted cotton candy which was a major bribe point for me the rest of the day.

The highlight of the morning for the boys was getting to touch a hog nose snake and a giant turtle. They just thought that was the coolest part. They also enjoyed listening to "seasoned" ladies sing hymns and old country songs.

A fun time was had by all!

A Walk on the Wild Side

Picture this: A nice, typical family (Mom, Dad, 2 young sons) start off on a nice walk to have quality family time together. Ahhh.... I can just see the young ones saying, "Yes, please," when asked if they would like to go on a walk around the block. Dad even gets out the bicycle from the backyard, dusts it off and helps junior get on it. Teaches him how to drive it in circles. About one house down, the littlest boy indicates he needs a wardrobe change due to filling his belly at dinner. Mom and kid go back inside while junior is still turning circles in the street with Dad. Ok, new start. Junior is running far ahead of everyone on his bike, making Mom very nervous. She constantly reminds, "Stop at the corner!" of course, in a very loving and gentle way. Little boy decides to ride on Dad's shoulders, slowing Dad's pace even more than usual. Mom decides to catch up to junior to insure he follows through with the gentle reminder of, "Stop at the corner!" Mom starts saying this about every 30 seconds just so he won't forget.

Half way around the block, junior is doing excellent and listening to every command. He falls a few times, nothing big. Junior is getting good at catching himself and jumping off the bike fast. Mom realizes one street over that we left his helmet at home. Oops. We keep going. Dad is getting sore from carrying little boy. Mom is now running close behind junior because we are on a busy street and there is not a sidewalk. Mom is paranoid. Dad notes this in a loving way. We switch kids because Dad is too sore to carry little guy anymore. Mom lets little man walk on his own. Mom discovers why Dad carried him. Little boy likes to nature walk. That means he picks up every piece of nature to examine it closely as he eventually takes one step here, one step there. Junior and Dad are light years ahead. Mom picks up little boy against his wishes. Little boy states he needs another wardrobe change. We are far from home. Mom says, "AGAIN?" Not so loving or gentle this time. Mom catches up within ear shot of Dad and notifies him of the situation. Dad says, "Go back! We'll be behind you!" Junior falls hard. Cries a lot. Dad wipes him off and makes him ride home. Little boy insists on being held by Mom in a way that doesn't squish his pants to his body. This tires Mom. She puts him down. Nature walking again. Mom caves and carries little boy all the way home in this uncomfortable position. Mom needs to rest half way home. Little boy nature walks again. Little boy eats rocks. Mom pushes through and makes it home.

At home, Mom applies icy hot while Dad lectures that we aren't going on a walk again without the stroller. Mom agrees. The kids say they had a lot of fun.... Mom and Dad go to bed early.

Behavior Bulletin

You know, I've noticed that parents in general are sometimes quick to point out their children's shortcomings (whether to the child or to others...). Sometimes we forget to praise when we should and focus on behavior needing improvement rather than behavior we find acceptable already. Just some free advice from a parent who's learning: Hug your child at least twice a day. Find SOMETHING to praise your child for everyday, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Look for ways to say "yes" instead of always defaulting to "no." Say, "I love you," too much instead of too little. And never underestimate the fun of The Tickle Monster!

Okay, back to the subject at hand. Braylon has been very well behaved at school since September 25 when he got his last note. This is not the longest stretch of good behavior we've had at school (not by a long shot), but its notable. No negative notes from teachers. School work that has been done according to directions. And yesterday Braylon's Director of Preschool met him at the door on the way out to make a special point to praise his behavior during nap time. This was a proud Momma... And a thankful one to have assurance that he's at a very good preschool where he not only learns his lessons, he is instructed in a loving, Christian environment that helps mold his spiritual knowledge along with mental and physical aspects.

Good Job, Daddy!

This last Sunday, Brandon stayed home from church to care for Blaine, who was suffering from double ear infections. (Yes, a new infection, AGAIN!) At one moment during the three hours they spent together, Blaine walked in on Brandon using the restroom. Blaine got an excited look on his face and said, "Good job, Daddy!!!" Brandon just thought that was the funniest thing!

By the way, we are about 70% potty trained! (Blaine, that is. Brandon has been potty trained for years...) Good job, Blaine!

The Big Day....That Wasn't

For anyone who did not hear, Brandon's surgery was postponed. We got there at 7:30 a.m., waited forever for his turn to come up. Then waited some more as he was prepped for the day surgery. After about 3 hours, we were waiting for Brandon to be wheeled away when the anaesthesiologist gave him the red light. According to the doc, Brandon's blood work was not within the normal range and he felt uncomfortable doing an "elective" surgery while Brandon was in that "condition." Brandon will get retested on Monday and either do the surgery on next Thursday, or see his regular doctor for more testing.

Brandon was disappointed, to put it mildly. He'd fasted, missed his class, prepared with his professors to be out for 2 days, arranged his schedule to be there early that morning and planned on recovery time and then Boom! - No surgery.

It took a while for Brandon to get over the initial shock, but I think we finally agreed that God's provisions are always perfect and while we can be disappointed, we must be thankful that God is in control of this situation, just like everything else. My mind keeps thinking that God may have been protecting Brandon against an unforeseen complication. You just never know and we have to trust that God knows best...

The Big Day

Tomorrow is Brandon's long-awaited and anticipated knee surgery. We are both ready to have this behind us!! I know it will be a long recovery after tomorrow, but at least step 1 is out of the way. I'll be somewhere in 4 months - We might as well be somewhere with a healed and recovered knee. That's how long I'm anticipating recovery since he'll be in PT for about that long afterwards. Fun stuff...

It'll probably be a few days before I make the blogging airways again... I get to play nurse maid and babysitter this weekend. Have a great week!

One Small Step...

One Small Step for Blaine's potty training - One Giant Leap for Hamilton-kind.

I swear that kid is potty training himself!!! Cause I know I'm not working up near the sweat I did with Braylon...

As we are getting closer to no diaper days for our family, it makes me think about all the blessings thus far in the Hamilton household. To name very few: Two safe deliveries, two healthy newborns, two strapping, active boys. No major problems along the way...

I am also thankful to be entering a new stage in upcoming months/years where we can do more things as a family without having to lug baby "equipment." I think a family camping trip is in order when the weather accomodates...

Mom's Overture

Got this from my aunt - Think it's worth posting for all you Mom's out there.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzZJO3ZRNCo

Still Seeing

Braylon was good at school on Wednesday... Jury is still out on the new form of punishment. Need to try it out a few more times... For inquiring parents...

Blaine = Chucky

Ok, maybe not THAT severe, but..... Last night we came home from spending time at Granny's house and it was a race to get the kids dressed, teeth brushed, pottied, and medicined up before an early bedtime (Braylon is still under loss of privilege). I was helping Braylon get changed when I hear Blaine in the kitchen tinkering around in the dish washer. Ok, no this is not ok, but I didn't remember there being anything dangerous or breakable in it (mostly because it's nearly empty). Next thing I know, Blaine is on the sofa with me and is scratching me on my forehead with something sharp... I look at his innocent, little hand only to see a pear knife firm within in his grip! That little devil was either trying to give me a hair cut or get my attention for something! Talk about fast moving to get it away from him... EEK! I now sleep with one eye open...

And We Saw

Strike out. Braylon was bad again on Tuesday... Early to bed again last night. We'll see how he did today... Perhaps he'll get it after a few days of this....

We'll Just See....

Every now and again Braylon has a really bad day at school. And when he has a bad day, it's bad for everyone... Such was life yesterday. I got a note from his teacher listing his offenses for the day. Pretty naughty stuff. In the past, he's received spankings if he gets a bad note and there was a time where for a few months he behaved at school to avoid getting spankings at home... I'm afraid those days are nearly behind us. I think it's time to get a bit more creative with our discipline. SO, I thought of what means the most to him in the evenings and I took away that privilege.

For Braylon, getting to stay up 30 minutes later than his brother at night is a big deal. That means it's the only 30 minutes where he can watch a "big boy" movie that we don't allow Blaine to watch. Or he can soak up Mommy/Daddy time without having to compete for the spotlight. Last night, Braylon was sternly lectured and put to bed at 8:15 with his brother, much to his disappointment.

After a while of letting them fall asleep, I did my usual "rounds." Braylon was in that stage in between sleep and awake where he barely had anything of reason to say. I leaned towards him, kissed his head and whispered, "I just want you to start behaving at school, ok?" He groggily said, "We'll just see if I CAN be good, Momma, ok?" With that he rolled over and off to sleep and I giggled quietly as I crept out of the room.

Movie Review: We Are Marshall DVD

We Are Marshall starring Matthew Macconaughey and Matthew Fox

Story premise: This is a true story about the 1971 Marshall University football season. In November 1970, the chartered plane carrying the entire football team, coaching staff and many booster club leaders crashed into the woods during the landing, killing all aboard. This loss of 75 people in a small community left the town to grieve. Lead by one of the two surviving team members, the student body lobbies for the football program to go forward despite great emotional loss and physical obstacles facing them in the next season.

Becky's rating: B+

Anyone who knows me knows that I love true stories on film. It really doesn't matter the subject. Even football. There probably wasn't enough football action to satisfy my husband's taste in this drama, but there was just enough to keep the story moving. The story covers the angle of the true event from several different perspectives, giving the film dimension. Drawback: I don't understand why it is rated PG when there is enough cursing to warrant a PG-13 rating. Matthew Macconaughey gives a stellar performance - Enough to warrant praise and critical acclaim for this role. However, I can't figure out why he spoke out of the side of his mouth the entire movie. To me, it was distracting. But a notable performance, nonetheless. There were definite moments in this film that pulled on my heartstrings... It is a perfect movie for a couple to watch in that it has enough manly football mixed with emotional drama to keep it interesting.

Bottom line: If you like true stories, this one won't disappoint.

Smartie Pants

Braylon has really taken off learning this school year ~ He continues to amaze us with what he knows. Makes me think that these precious early years are rapidly approaching their end.

Over the last week we discovered that Braylon can: write his name very well, recite the Pledge of Allegiance word for word, follow simple directions on school work assignments, name the days of the week in the correct order and solve simple math equations (like, 3 + 4, etc). I am confident that just 4 weeks ago when preschool started he was not able to do these things. It just shows how malleable kids are when they are young! (And reminds me of the importance of good parenting!!!)

Just had to brag!

No More Basketball

October 4 is the "big" day. Brandon will have his surgery and we can start putting this frustrating basketball incident behind us after 4 months of pain and rehab! I've forbidden basketball at our house - At least for the next year or so until I can forget all the "hoops" we've had to jump through dealing with this injury (not to mention the expenses!). It was cute because the other day Braylon saw Brandon throwing a small ball through the basketball goal outside and he said, "MOM!!! Dad's playing basketball! Oh no!!!" We had a good laugh about it....

Brandon's Knee

The verdict is in - Brandon will have surgery to fix his knee. (We already knew this, but today it was 100% confirmed.) It will be to repair his ACL and lateral meniscus. The surgeon notes that it will be mostly orthoscopic (yes, I'm aware that's misspelled), but will require one small incision as well.

We should know in the next day or two when it will be scheduled. I'm sooooo ready to have this behind us!

Oh No! ~Gasp~

That was my response when I realized that Blaine had left his "lovie" (a small quilted piece of material that has been washed so much that the royal blue coloring has faded to light blue) at school yesterday. For anyone who really knows Blaine, you know that this was a major oversight! He never leaves home without it...Nor does he hardly set it down and definitely he doesn't let it out of his sight. It has been a major battle to get him to even turn it over to be washed every so often after he drags it through all sorts of mud, dirt and germs. (Most of the time we have to trick him to wash it!)

Anyway, I just KNEW I wasn't getting any sleep last night.... But kids will always surprise you, especially when you think you have them all figured out.

My strategy was simple. I told him, "Blaine, I'm sorry but we left lovie at school. We'll have to get him tomorrow. Until then, here's a Bob blanket." I was prepared for the fiercest of battles. Had on my full armor and everything. But, Blaine looked at the "sub" lovie, put the Bob character to his face and said, "Ok, Momma." Straight to sleep for us all! No battles in the a.m. on the way to school....

Ahhhh..... Days of lovies seem very numbered at this point....

Personality Test

I ran across a personality test of Brandon's last night that I myself have also taken before. It tests for one of four categories that interprets your main personality type. Of course, Brandon and I both fell into the GOLD category (in case you are familiar with the COLORs testing). That means that we both value rules, tradition and justice, etc.

I tried to find that test to put on my blog. I was unsuccessful. However, I did run across one personality test that I found very interesting.... Take it and see what you think. Interested in your feedback.

http://shapetest.com/

I've never seen one quite like this before....

Blaine's Party

Blaine actually turned 2 on the 1st and his actual day was celebrated with family at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza (ICK!). Since that day fell on a holiday weekend, however, we opted to post-pone his party until a week later.

Blaine had a lot of fun at his Veggie Tales themed party! We invited his church friends, most of which are Braylon's age or babies. BUT he didn't care - He had fun especially eating his cake and opening presents. The kids enjoyed playing at the fenced-in park and the weather was perfect with a cool breeze. He got lots of Diego toys, his new favorite.

With my "baby" now being a full-fledged, card-carrying toddler, I am at a loss for words... Next will be potty training and preschool. WHAT happened to my baby Blaine????

Well Again, Well Again

Jiggity jig jig!!!

Dare I say it out loud??? Kids and husband back at 100% - Now just waiting the proverbial incubation period to insure I don't come down with the Hamilton plague after caring for all these boys!

The Sickness Saga Continues

I've often noted that our family (mostly the kids) tends to get sick more often that your average family. Perhaps it just seems that way from my perspective, who knows? I do know that I probably have helped build a west wing and horse stable onto my pediatrician's ranch house...

Blaine cleared up his cold/croup/ear infection over the weekend only to greet Brandon at the threshold of getting a nasty sinus infection. He went to the doc and got a basket full of meds and is on his way to getting better. Now it's Braylon's turn - He is running a good fever and coughing something fierce. Doc says, bad cold. (And I'm here to agree - BAD cold).

Ok people - With a house full of sickies, Mommy has somehow avoided it as of press time. Let's all chant me on to stay well so I can care for these pitiful Hamilton men...

Promise to blog with interesting things coming to a computer near you soon....

Movie Review: Facing the Giants DVD

We watched this movie for the second time this week. Had to write a review for the 2 people who may not have seen it.

Facing the Giants: DVD Rated PG
Starring: A Cast of Unknowns

The story line is a small, Christian academy with a losing football record adopts a new philosophy to honor God in all aspects of life. Great things follow.

Becky's Grade: A

Here's the deal. The acting is less than steller. You will not see anyone nominated for anything in this film, trust me. The story line is very simple. No big surprises. BUT - And this is a big BUT - this movie has quickly become one of my favorites. It is one of the best "feel good" movies I've ever seen. It does not hide behind covering the truth behind politically correctness. It just puts it out there, like it or not. And the best part for me: It's a true story!

Bottom line: Buy this and watch it over and over!

Sick Baby Blues

I have been so bad about blogging this week - Truthfully we don't have a lot going on noteworthy... Brandon started his fall semester. Was 20 minutes late to his first day of orientation and got the class rolling with the reason he was late to PT school was that he was in PT for his knee. Braylon started his first day of preschool today. He acted like it was no big deal - I mean after all, he's the big man on campus. He's in the 4 year old preschool class, not the 3 year old preschool class. He hardly wanted me to walk in with him today, much less touch him as I said goodbye. Mr. Independent! Blaine has been very sick this week - His usual. Ear infection, cold, with a side of croup. I wanted to ask the doc if he had anything else in his bag of diagnosis that we could exchange that for because I have had plenty of those things already this year. Ahhh.... If we can survive the ear infection years, we'll be A-OK!

Play Nice!

Granny, Blaine and Mommy were sitting at the breakfast table on Saturday. (Daddy and Braylon had gone to assist Papaw in getting the camper from Lubbock.) We were talking about various topics when Granny mentioned that sippy cups seem to migrate from the Davis house to the Hamilton house and don't find their way home. When Mommy disagreed, a friendly banter of where are the missing cups launched. After just a few seconds back and forth in this discussion, Blaine cut in and said, "Play nice!"

Laughter ended the banter and we still don't know where the cups are....

It's School Time

Today Brandon and I attended the parent's orientation for Braylon's preschool. This is his second year in the same program, so the information was not new to us. We sat through it and then afterwards wanted Braylon's new teacher to have our faces with Braylon's, so we went to the classroom to officially meet her. Braylon was standing at her desk - the rest of the kids were all sitting and eating their snacks. It appeared to me that he was entertaining the class to some degree. Braylon's teacher smiled warmly and said, "He's going to be such a helper in class this year."

Certainly a good way to earn bonus points with us!

I Like It!

Last night at the supper table, we were all sitting and chatting, having a good time. Towards the end of the meal, Brandon, Blaine and I lingered while Braylon rode off into the living room to color. Brandon started whistling children's songs while Blaine guessed what they were. It quickly became a game to Blaine, who would intently stare at Brandon's lips while he thought of the song. He was right nearly every time, too! After a dozen songs or so, Blaine stared at his Daddy with a very serious face and announced, "I like it!" That bought a series of laughter around the table.

Who Do You Ask?

Coming from a busy VBS week, our family took a "rest" over the weekend and we did very little of significance. Mostly just hung out and played. During one such moment on Sunday, the kids were watching their favorite show, "Dora the Explorer." I imagine most readers have seen this show, but in case you haven't, it's a cartoon that centers around a girl and her friends who explore the world. She runs through a series of questions during the show to mold kid's memory and thinking skills. Some questions are same in every episode, some are different.

We had a cute moment while watching. Dora asked, "Who do you ask when you don't know which way to go?" Blaine triumphantly said, "MAP!" (Which is the correct answer for the show.) Without missing a beat and in all seriousness, Braylon told Dora, "God!"

Out of the mouths of babes....

Movie Review: Evan Almighty

A bit delayed, but here it is:

Evan Almighty Rated PG; Starring Steve Carel and Morgan Freeman

This is a follow-up movie to the wildly successful Bruce Almighty from a few years ago. Steve Carel reprises his role as Evan Baxter, the one-time news anchor rival in the originial movie. In the beginning of the film, Evan Baxter leaves the field of journalism to pursue politics and quickly is elected as a United States Congressman. Soon after taking office, Evan is visited by God Himself, again cleverly played by Morgan Freeman. God has a big task for Evan and instructs him to build an ark, like Noah did before him, much to the dismay of his family and fellow Congressmen. Evan reluctantly obeys.

Becky's Grade: B

One of my very favorite movies is Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey. This movie paled in comparison to that, so it's best not to compare them. The movie takes few twists and turns and you are left wanting to experience something deeper. However, the positive message of the movie overrode the simplicity of it. I enjoyed a positive, God-focused message in this cynical movie world. I left the movie looking for "opportunities." (If you see the movie, you'll get that.) And finally, I must say that the movie is good family movie - I would let my 4 year old watch this when it comes out on video. I imagine he'll enjoy seeing the animals and some of the slap-stick humor. I do not remember any curse words or overtly inappropriate jokes.

Bottom line: Rent it and watch it with your family with confidence.

Vacation Bible School

Last night marked the last night of our church's VBS and, boy, are we happy about that! The theme was Transformers - The kids had a blast. Blaine even got to participate a little bit after Mommy was done with her part each night and could devote to escorting him around.

I volunteered as the craft leader for the 4 and 5 year olds. I'm not usually a "crafty" person, but it was just up my alley because I got to tell a story before we put the crafts together and the crafts were simple.

Brandon volunteered as a crew leader also for the 4 and 5 year olds. Now THAT was funny to watch! During one moment of frustration, he grabbed a little boy off the slide after he told him several times to get off of it and said, "I am not afraid to spank another man's kid." Boy, that got him in line quick! Then he told the kids that if they took their hands out of the loops of the rope that was used to guide them from one station to the next, he would put it around their necks instead. The kids knew he was kidding, of course, and soaked up the male attention.

Braylon asked if we were going to Bible class again after his daytime school. I said, "Not until next year!!!" And I said it with a smile....

Daddy's Home

Brandon got home this weekend and, boy, are we all glad to have him home! The kids almost don't know how to take him in, they missed him so bad. Braylon asked him, "Dad, when do you have to go back to Lubbock?" This almost broke our hearts to hear it, but Brandon proudly said, "Not for a looooong time!"

No, Braylon...

Yesterday in the parked car, Braylon saw me looking at an Enfamil coupon I am planning to give a friend. He sincerely asked me, "Mom, are you going to get another baby?" I said, "No Braylon...I like the two I have already..."

A Wife's Prayer

Dear Lord,

I pray for wisdom to understand my man, love to forgive him, and patience for his moods. Because, Lord, if I pray for strength, I'll beat him to death.

AMEN

Blaine

I want to take a minute and write something about Blaine. Braylon is my out-going, funny child who struggles with the concept of a stranger. He is also lovable and empathetic, when the situation is appropriate. I look back at my blog to date and I spend a lot of time writing about Braylon and his antics. However, Blaine is just as much of a presence in our house as anyone.

Blaine, 23 months, has such a loving nature and will sit in your lap anytime you are sitting. He wants to love on you all the time and always wants you to "hold me." Sometimes he will pretend to hit or bite you so that he can lean over and kiss you. And he doesn't like to see anyone upset or crying - He talks a lot about, "He's sad...She's sad..."

This morning, I had to wake the boys up because they were both snoozing in and we needed to leave. I woke Blaine up first and he groggily got ready with me. When his big brother woke up, Blaine slowly walked to over him, still in a tired stupor, and gave him tight a morning hug. This touched my heart in a sweet way...

Follow the Leader

While on our last venture to Lubbock (hopefully for a good while) Braylon was sitting in his seat watching his DVD. Out of the blue, he asked me, "Mom, is God following us?" Trying not to be too deep, but still wanting to teach him a spiritual foundation, I simply said, "No, God is the leader and we follow Him." Braylon quickly spied the car ahead of us, pointed and said, "Is that God right there?"

Green Eggs and Ham

My dad says I needed to post this ~ Here it is, Dad:

Saturday evening we were at Granny's house to let the kids play a bit. We ended up staying for dinner and after seeing a picture of himself on St. Patrick's Day, Braylon wanted Granny to fix green eggs and ham like she had done on that day. While Granny was cooking, I decided it would be fun to read the Dr. Suess book with the same title. Braylon loves that book - He could listen to it all day if he could talk someone into reading it. His mommy likes to get into it and act out the characters, being as silly as possible while convincing him that the main character does NOT like green eggs and ham. Well, immediately after reading the book, we paraded into the kitchen. Granny had applesauce on the table already and Braylon was most happy to eat it. He looked at me and said, "I WILL eat my applesauce with my brother. I WILL eat my applesauce with my mother!" Of course, we got a good laugh from him...

Stormy Night

The Hamilton clan did not have a restful evening, I'm afraid to say. There was a strong storm system that seemed to hover over Midland for several hours last night. Complete with cracking thunder and frequently flashing lightening, it was a doozy! Of course, paranoid Mommy kept checking the weather channel for possible tornado alerts until the wee hours of the morning. The electricity went out three times and clocks had to get reset each time. Blaine, the light sleeper, kept waking up crying out for Mommy until he was reassured.

And then there was Braylon, who slept like a log the entire night - I'm sure he didn't even notice it had rained!

Happy August Ya'll

Is it just me, or has 2007 flown by so far? Perhaps I'm getting older and this is a true sign - the years are just whizzing by!!!

Countdown

Okay everybody, 10 more days! Help me count them down until Brandon is done with Gross Anatomy!

Opera Mom

While driving to Lubbock for the weekend this past Friday, the kids entertained themselves with the usual - DVD player with Dora the Explorer et al in the back. Our stereo in the van quit working a few weeks ago, so I've been letting the kids watch their movies for the two hour trek while I drive. Well, for whatever reason the DVD player battery ran out early this time and we found ourselves with 30 minutes of time to kill. That's a long time with two little ones in the car if you don't have another adult to help pick up dropped toys every 5 minutes. SO, we all started singing songs and being otherwise silly with each other. After several minutes, I decided to teach them what opera sounds like ~ They both thought that was really funny and loads of giggles came from the back. After a little bit, though, Blaine had heard enough opera. Well, Mommy wasn't quite done with "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera and was finishing up despite Blaine's efforts to get me to quit. After several seconds of this, Braylon takes Blaine's hand and forcefully says, "Blaine! Mommy HAS to sing opera! Let her SING!"

Of course, that was it! I couldn't sing opera anymore amongst my own laughter. (Just as well - I wasn't doing Andrew Lloyd Weber any justice!)

Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Rain

This week was particularly stressful for me. Brandon's been gone for 9 weeks and being a single mother and traveling a lot is just now really getting to me. The house was a mess, the kids put on their best efforts to test my patience, work was busy, you know...the full meal deal.

But during my regular Bible reading, God put a passage in front of me that I had to read over and over because I just couldn't believe how relevant it was to me at that exact time I needed to hear it. It was an amazing passage in Luke 12 talking about how God doesn't want us to worry because he already has all the details taken care of. Wow!

Singing My Baby to Sleep

The last three nights the boys have had a hard time winding down for bed. I've had to open a can of Mean Mommie to get them to settle in a timely manner. Last night I had already given them one warning. Sure enough, not many minutes rolled by before I heard what I was sure was forbidden talking between the beds going on in there. I rushed in, ready to swat, only to hear Blaine singing his ABCs to his baby doll while he was trying to go to sleep. Braylon was quietly reading a book. It was an endearing scene that my temper almost made me miss out on witnessing.

Penalty point for Mommy, but lesson learned.

Movie Review: Skeleton Key DVD

I didn't intend to write another movie review until I saw another film in the theater. BUT.... Just had to. This is a good movie!

Skeleton Key PG-13: Starring Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands

Setting: New Orleans surrounding swamplands. Kate Hudson plays a twenty-something nurse/personal aid who feels lead to take care of elderly people in their final days in part to take away guilt she feels for missing her own father's death. She finds it lucrative to take a job for a private individual who's husband recently had a stroke. While she starts caring for her patient, she realizes there are secrets kept in the house that are not normal. She believes her patient is trying to communicate something to her, but she is unable to decipher what. While snooping in the attic one day following strange sounds, she finds a room full of voodoo paraphernalia and goes on a mission to find out what happened in this house and what really happened to her patient.

Becky's rating: Solid A

The story line is easy to follow, yet gives enough for you to ponder. There were several times I had to shield my eyes because the suspense was nearly unbearable. (The mark of a truly scary movie!) Of course Kate Hudson is just lovely and certainly convincing in her role as she pries for the truth behind the mystery. Gena Rowlands is just disturbed - Or at least you believe she is. There is a remarkable twist ending that I doubt anyone will guess, even the most cynical movie goer. I felt like this movie was scary enough to satisfy my need for all things that go "bump" in the night, yet was not gory at all.

Bottom line: If you can swallow big suspense, go rent this film!

Movie Review: 1408

Earlier this month I did something I haven't done in what seems like FOREVER - I went to see a movie in the theater. For one reason or another, Brandon and I just haven't made it to many movies this year. Here's my take on the film.

1408 - Starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson

John Cusack plays a writer who instead of writing moving novels for which he has talent, he writes virtually unsuccessful non-fiction books that attempt to de-bunk the existence of ghosts/unexplained phenomenons. Following an anonymous lead, John's character works hard to check himself into Rm 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel, which is managed by Samuel L. Jackson's character. Shortly after check in to the "evil" room, the room comes alive and John Cusack attempts to get out.

Becky's rating: C+ to B-

I will not ruin the ending for anyone who wants to see this. It is not a bad movie and I would recommend renting it if you're interested in that kind of movie. However, I felt that after the first 45 minutes, the story started getting unbelievable and lost the "suspense" element. John Cusack was entertaining, as usual. Good performance. Samuel L. Jackson has basically one scene in the entire movie, but was convincing. I wouldn't have gone in that room after what he said! The one thing about the movie that had me scratching my head when I left was simple. I didn't get the WHY that I was looking for. WHY was the room evil? What was the first event that happened to make it a cess pool for violence? WHY, WHY, WHY?

Bottom line: Not a must-see, but not a waste of time, either.

Soduku Queen I Am Not

During the training from earlier this week I confirmed something. I simply am not intelligent enough to master the art of Sudoku. I'm probably not even spelling it right. It took me from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. to solve ONE EASY puzzle. And that was at the assistance of someone who had the key and could "grade" my puzzle during the training breaks. But ultimately I am ok with this revelation. I am not sure who invented this or why people feel compelled to count how many 2s are in a row - Not my cup of tea! Blessings to you Sudoku fans out there - I'll keep my computer Jeopardy or online Majong, thank you very much!

Granny, Here I Come!

I picked Blaine up from school yesterday and instead of going to pick up his "Bubba" from his school, I doubled back and headed towards my mother's house. Braylon was already at his Granny's because she had been keeping him after a doctor's appointment. I got distracted by the phone, so a few minutes down the road I was pleasantly surprised to hear, "Granny, here I come!" It's hard to convey the correct tone Blaine was using as he said this. Think in your head from your childhood days of playing Hide and Seek and saying, "Ready or not - Here I come!" Blaine repeated this several times and I just sat there, completely amazed that this kid knew that the road we were taking from downtown would lead to Granny's house. He's a smartie! (And a sweetie!)

Random Kid Moment #3

Last fall Braylon had surgery to remove his tonsils, adanoids and to have tubes put in his ears. Naturally, I had to wake him up in the wee hours of the morning to take him for his day surgery. When I crept in his room to wake him, his eyes peeped groggily open and said, "But I'm not done yet." How often have we all thought this as our alarms wake us for work!

Trippin'

Everyone few years it seems I do something really embarrassing. Since it takes a lot to truly embarrass me, this is saying something. There was the time that I fell into the fountains at the mall and got drenched in water while onlookers laughed. Then a time when I botched lines of a skit on stage in front of hundreds of teenagers and left the stage. It's been a while since I can remember being embarrassed. So I guess I was due.

Yesterday at work I attended an all day training on "Officer Saftey." There were about 40 some odd officers in attendance and I thought the class was very interesting. At the end, the instructor asked us all to complete a course evaluation sheet and drop it at the front of the classroom. The training had been held in a college lecture hall. You know the kind - The class had about 4 tiers on 4 different levels in decending fashion. I was sitting on the top level during the training. Well, anyway, I had already completed my evaluation during the last segment and was anxious to pick up my boys from school early. As I stood up, the first to do so of all the officers, and started walking down the steps, my boot caught on one of the steps wrong and I went sailing down the steps, twisting in air, and landed on my knees.

Thankfully, the only thing damaged was my pride.

Meet the Hamiltons

Brandon - Age 20-10 if you ask him. Studying to be a Physical Therapist. Takes daily vitamins and is Hitler about others in the home taking supplements. He likes to sleep in sub-artic weather, or at least that's how the temperature gauge reads. We'd never know if we had ghosts.

Becky - Age unmentioned. Probation Officer who is tough on crime and soft on sappy Hallmark movies. Loves Super Nanny. Disciplines her children with the "naughty corner" while speaking in a Brittish accent.

Braylon - Age 4, or 6 if you believe what he says. Enjoys coloring dinosaurs and discipling his little brother. Destined to be a choir director or music minister someday. Makes up songs about inappropriate body parts at the dinner table. Is known by all students, teachers, AND parents in his preschool. Hmmmm....

Blaine - Age 1. Favorite question, "Whhhyyy????" Favorite word, "No!" Favorite phrase, "HELP ME!" The current love of his life (other than bo-bo and blankie) - his baby doll. Loves giving kisses after creating a boo-boo. Likes answering Dora's questions.

Friends

"I thank my God everytime I remember you." Philippeans 1:3

God has placed specific people in our lives to grow us, encourage us, bless us, humble us and love us. He does nothing without purpose. Each person that I call "friend" is for a unique purpose in my life, and I in theirs. I have enjoyed all the friendships forged over the years and am thankful for each one for different reasons.

Random Kid Moment #2

My mother just reminded me of this jewel of a moment:

About a month ago my sister and her two kids were in town to visit Granny & Grampy. We always have a good (and exhausting) time while they're here. One afternoon, Grampy took the kids in the backyard to play. Braylon (4) is obsessed with knowing how old everyone is, which can sometimes provide for awkward situations in public. However, this time he asked my 6 year old nephew how old he was. My nephew answered, "I'm six and three quarters." Confused, but always quick-witted, Braylon quipped back with, "Well, I'm four and ten dollars!"

Be sure to watch for this in Reader's Digest!

Love and Marriage

I attended my sister's wedding last weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony, simple yet elegant. My sister looked gorgeous, made me get a little weepy, which is uncharacteristic for me (Okay, okay truth is I'm a big softy, but just don't want you to know it). She had asked me to play my violin for the ceremony and I did so with joy ~ A fun time was had by all and the two families seemed very natural in merging with one another, despite never having met each other before.

All of this got me to thinking, I am so thankful that God graced me with a strong, Christian husband. Now, we could write a whole blog on Brandon's imperfections (and two blogs for mine, too, for that matter!), but there are things about him that I wouldn't trade for the world. Like his goofy sense of humor and his ability to bring out my silliness. Or his commitment to spiritual growth and daily Bible reading. Or how about the fact that his boys adore him and want to be just like him?

After 8 years of marriage, I feel like it's only just begun....

Bible Trivia

Here is a fun Bible trivia website:

http://www.crossdaily.com/trivia/

Random Kid Moment #1

I've decided to write about various kid moments from our household from time to time as they pop into my head. I've got two beautiful little boys who look a lot alike, yet could not be more different. They are full of funny happenings that I will share ~

Several weeks back Braylon (4) was singing at the top of his lungs, as is the norm at our house, and playing his little guitar. If this kid isn't talking, he's singing. That's just something we've learned to accept with him. Anyway, he was particularly loud and it was grating on his mommy's nerves, so I said in a loud voice, "Braylon, please sing quieter." Braylon looked at me in full sincerity and without missing a beat and replied, "But Mommmm, I'm just praising Jesus!"

Then there was the time that Blaine (1) and I left swimming lessons to go change in the bathroom a couple weeks ago. I changed him first, then changed myself. I let him flush the oversized handicapped toilet while I dressed so he could entertain himself. I was watching him closely and had to remind him not to touch the potty, just the handle. After I was done changing, I was digging for a key that had fallen to the bottom of my bag. After several minutes of looking, I located the key only to look up to find little Blaine up to his chest in the toliet, still flushing away and laughing.

Aren't kids something?

Church Website

Check out my church's website at http://www.fanninbaptist.org/Start.php

There are lots of cool links and you can hear archieved sermons from our down to earth pastor.

My First Try

Ok, at the advice of a good friend I will try this blog thing. I enjoy reading a couple of my friend's blogs, so what the hey? Hope you enjoy...