Take Me Out To The Ballgame..or just take me out.

Yes, it is 2:30am. No, I can't really explain it. I just feel kind of anxious for no real reason...that I am aware of. So here I am, blogging away. Any typos, weird sentences or things that just don't make sense can be blamed on the time.

Thursday proved to be a very stressful day. It was a "mono day" for me, which means I was EXHAUSTED all day long. By exhausted, I don't mean just sleepy, I am talking barely able to stand up. It was my second "mono day" in a row..which is rare, so naturally the kids were climbing the walls, literally. Not to mention the wonderful ear infections I have been battling for a week now as a secondary result to mono. The penicillin doesn't seem to be doing much this time around. According to the doc. as long as I have mono. (which no one seems to know how long that will be) I am very prone to ear infections, strep throat and pneumonia. Rock on.
wah wah, poor me, o.k. I'm done. Back to the original story.

Ben also had a crazy day at work, actually, a crazy week, and by the time he got home on Thursday, we were both done for.

So...first stop, Qdoba! My new-found favorite restaurant here in the Springs. It was wonderful not to have to worry about dinner. Just getting a full stomach with great food boosted our spirits.

Then, it was off to the ballgame. The timing could not have been better. Ben gets free tickets from his company, so it is even more enjoyable because we didn't have to pay for it. Parking was even free. We didn't have cash on us, and the kind lady monitoring the parking told us to just drive on through. She just said not to tell anyone (and here I am blogging about it). hehehe

It was so fun to sit there and watch some good ol', Sky Sox, All-American Baseball. They are a triple A league, so they are amazing to watch. My favorite thing to do is to watch the MPH sign to see how fast the ball was pitched. These guys are amazing! How would it be to be able to throw that fast. Wow.

At one point in the game, one of the players slammed the ball into the crowd on accident. It went zooming over our heads and tagged a poor guy that didn't even see it coming. It hit him right in the head and dropped him to the ground. We saw him after the game as he was awaiting his ride to the hospital. I sure hope he is o.k.

So, after a great dinner and some baseball, our spirits were boosted and we came home relaxed and ready to tackle one more day. Thank you baseball and thank you Cintas.




I got these pictures with my cell phone. I am pretty excited that they turned out so well.
Ben, Mary and Sam (with his eyes closed) sitting in our seats. We had great seats by the way.


Mary and I. Yes, that is a cold sore scab on my lip. Yes, it is also another result of mono. It is my third so far in a month and 1/2. Bring on the herpes!


Sammy Boy taking notes. I can't wait for him to be old enough to play T-Ball. And no, I don't know why I always get awkward shots of peoples bums.


The kiddos, living the American past-time.


"The Licorice Man." It was all I could do to restrain myself from attacking the poor soul and stealing every red vine he had hanging out of that big bag. See my last post if you are wondering what the heck I am talking about. Lucky for him, I had a purse full of licorice. It is my emergency stash.


The People.


The Game.



Yes, regardless of what EVERYONE seems to tell me, Mary does know how to smile (as does Sam) and she does it quite often (as does Sam). She is actually a very happy and fun-loving child (as is Sam). SHE IS SHY PEOPLE (as is Sam)...BACK OFF!


So there you have it. And to continue with all All-American theme, we are going to have a big ol' picnic (complete with lots of potato salad) tomorrow, provided by Ben's company, followed by a Barbecue with "the good neighbors" tomorrow evening. Yippee! Bring on the red meat. Another great weekend in the making, hallelujah!

Five Obsessions Tag

So, my great friend Shaina tagged me in her last post. Although I am still bitter about not winning her recipe book, I will do the tag. ;)
I am supposed to list 5 obsessions of mine and then tag 5 more people to do the same. hhhmmmmm

Let see here, I am totally doing this off the top of my head.

Obsession #1 A clean house (clutter free)
I CAN'T STAND clutter. So I guess you could call that an obsession. I am constantly picking up clutter all day long. Toys, clothes, papers, keys, ect. Some people tell me to just let the house get messy and clean it all up at the end of the day. Believe me, I wish I could do that, I really do, but I can't. I would completely loose my mind. When the house is clean and clutter free, I feel like I could fly!

Obsession #2 Interior Design
My house doesn't look like it...yet, but I love dreaming up my dream house and my dream furniture and my dream paint jobs in the kids rooms and my dream decor, ect. I have a notebook full of my ideas as well as pages and pages on Microsoft word full of pictures and different styles of decor. I have the house and decor all planned out, and it is adorable and so classic and nice looking. I am slowly collecting a rug here and a lamp there, a shelf here and a picture there. I am saving for the dining set and the couches and all the accent chairs. Waiting to own the home where we will paint the kids rooms and the house super cute. It will all come in time, but it is so fun to plan and look forward to.

Obsession #3 Working out, especially running.
I LOVE to run. It has been a truly difficult summer as far as not having enough blood or energy to run. I miss it terribly. There is nothing better to me than waking up in the early hours when the air is still crisp and blasting out a good 5 mile run. It is so wonderful. Training for a marathon is also so rewarding and so addicting. I love pushing the limits when it comes to physical stuff. Running truly is a deep obsession of mine. I can't get enough of it. Aside from running, I like any form of working out. Hiking, swimming, elliptical, sports, ect. I just love the feeling of working my body and feeling fit.

Obsession #4
Holidays. I LOVE HOLIDAYS! I am definitely obsessed with them. I love decorating for them, partying during them and going all out. It is so much fun to me, especially with kids who soak it all up. I am slowly collecting decorations for each and every holiday. I can't wait to get into Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the winter Birthdays. Yippee! Yes, I am obsessed with Holidays.

Obsession #5 I am having a hard time deciding between licorice or a good book. I guess I will cheat and do both. I read and eat licorice at the same time anyway, so it works.

Lately, I can't seem to get enough licorice. It is so weird. There is absolutely no explanation. I eat licorice all day, and when I run out, my body goes nuts! I think about it all the time, and I just have to have it. We finally caved and bought the 5 pound bucket of red vines at Sam's Club yesterday. No twizzlers...blah! I hope it lasts through the next few days...seriously! Too weird. At least, it is a low cal. craving.

Good book...I am always hunting down a good book, especially a good series. Once I start, I can't stop. I will read a series in a crazy amount of time and then be so sad once it is over. I really am obsessed with reading.

So there you have it. In no particular order. I am obsessed.

I don't know who to tag. I guess I will tag Jeni Hogman, Deanna Poulsen, Darringtons, Hardy's and Jessica and Juliet Belnap.

oops, that is six. Oh well.

Embrace the Mullet

The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. Widely panned as a lowbrow and unappealing hairstyle, and facetiously referred to as "business in the front, party in the back..."

A.K.A.

Becky's new hairstyle.

Alas, I am accepting the horrid truth that I have been pushing aside for the past month. I have a mullet. I have been deceiving myself by telling myself that it was just "shorter on the sides," and that I really don't look THAT white trash. I have tried numerous approaches to hide my wretched due. Some attempts have been better than others.
But as fate would have it, I am stuck with the mullet. The dang lady with the poofy hair, the high heels, the long red fingernails with fake diamonds in the middle, the loud music and the leopard print hair cape, was apparently thinking something I was not when she put those scissors to my hair.

What I said: I am here for a trim. Nothing drastic, nothing new, just a trim. I am very happy with my hair style and I just need it spruced up a bit.

What she interpreted it as: She must not like this hair style, I sure don't! How boring. She needs more body on top. She looks tired. She has weird sunburn lines. She smells like the gym. I bet she has 15 kids and lives in a tent. White trash all the way. Perfect candidate for a mullet. Lets do it.

She grabbed the top 1/2 of my hair and literally cut inches off. She didn't even attempt to blend it with the rest of my hair. In fact, she didn't even touch the rest of my hair. I am not kidding! She whacked off 1/2 my hair, ratted it to the point of no return, put a gallon of hairspray all over me and sent me on my way saying, "now you will have some serious body, you are going to love it!"

So, I held the tears back from my eyelashes that were stuck together with hairspray, gave her a $2.00 tip and totally felt ripped off (she should have paid me $2.00 for not sobbing in the chair) , and avoided the mirror at all costs on the drive home.

For the past few weeks, I have just given up. I have worn the back of my hair in ponytails and put the front hair in clips. Sometimes I don't even do my hair at all. What is the point.

While camping this weekend, Mike made the comment: "Just embrace the mullet Becky." We all had a good laugh. But I have decided that is what I will do. After all, it isn't every day I get to look like white trash (I hope) I might as well enjoy it.
I have decided to attempt to do the impossible and tame the while beast on my head.

The only way to fix this hair cut, is to cut my hair incredibly short...not an option for me. So, I will wait out the storm. I will do my best to curl the long hair and hide the short. And I will NEVER go back to leopard lady again!!!!





This is what happens when I try to clip it back. My hair on top is even too short for a clip. Blah!

Strike one.


Last week, I took Sam in for a "trim." We went to a different salon. I told the girl, who looked like she was 10 yrs old and was shaking all over,..."nothing drastic. A one up the sides and then blend it up. A finger cut on top. I like it long enough on top to be able to comb at least a little."

Piece of cake right. WRONG.

20 minutes later, Sam's hair was looking more like a shedding porcupine than a cute little boy cut. 1/2 his hair looked like one of those bowl cuts from the 80's and the other 1/2 was looking like a flat top!

She stopped and looked at Sam with his hair like that, smiled and said, "Good job Sam, you did great. All done!"

My jaw almost hit the ground. Was she seriously thinking of letting us walk out of the hair salon like that. Was she at all thinking about the customers waiting in line who would see this horrible cut. Did she ever want another customer again in her life!

In an effort to save this girl and to save her career in hair cutting, which I learned was about one month long up to that point, I said, "you know, his hair grows really fast, and it is hot outside. Why don't you just buzz it all the way up."

So again, I pay her the tip, feeling totally ripped off, and take my poor son out to the car. Good thing he could care less right now.

Does no one understand the word "TRIM!"



Strike Two.

So, two days ago Ben calls around, finds a good deal, and we walk into the doors of yet another salon.

He tells the lady exactly what he wants. A one on the sides, then blend it up and a finger cut on top. He even used his fingers to show her exactly how long he wanted it.

The lady with strong liquor on her breath and a cute chubby face begins cutting his hair. I spend the next 15 min. trying to figure out why they decorated the hair place with a sail boat theme, and attempt to keep the kids out of everything.

Ben finally is finished, and we get in the car. It was then that he turns to me and says, "what do you think?"
I looked at his hair for the first time since the cut and again, my jaw almost hits the floor. It looks like Mary and Sam had just cut his hair! Seriously, the top of his head looked like ocean waves rolling in nice straight lines. One side was longer than the other and she totally missed some longer hairs.

Ben ended up going back yesterday and had a different lady fix the mess. It now looks like nice smooth watersking water on top, instead of the raging ocean.
At least one hair cut this month was salvageable.

Strike Three.

To add to the drama, earlier this week, I went to throw something away and found some nice, long, locks of blonde hair in the garbage. I found Mary and she confessed to chopping her hair. We all got horrible hair cuts this month, so why not her too? She now has a patch of hair on her head about 3 inches long. Nice.
No, I am not going to take her in to get it fixed. I think she looks better now then she might if I take her somewhere.

Anyone know a place that sells wigs?

Toilet vs. Boy

This week we are jumping into the world of potty training once more. Today is Day #1.
This is a point in my children's lives that I dread.
The running to the toiled at the most awkward moments, the "accidents" that seem to happen only in the car or the store, the endless loads of laundry, and the worst part: checking the toilet and forcing myself to cheer and make a complete idiot out of myslef upon finding a big poop in there.
I am determined to get Sam potty trained by the end of this week, but I am sure, he and his bowels have their own agenda in mind.
I have a new tatic this time, we will see how it goes. Wish us all luck!


The reward


The distraction.


The "magic juice."


The "cool tractor pants."


The next few days.

Three Gerbils and a Bike?

When we were in Idaho for the reunion, Tyler and Jessica introduced us to the wonderful world of gerbils. They thought they had two girls, but one of them ended up having babies..twice! So, unless you know something we don't, they really had a boy and a girl...and lots and lots of babies.

Obviously, they have a ton of gerbils and were more than willing to let us bring three of them home. Mary and Sam love them, and I think they are pretty cute myself. They are clean, they don't bite, they don't smell, they are easy to take care of, and they can entertain themselves by running in a little wheel for long amounts of time....perfect!

The only trick was getting them through the 10-12 hour drive home. They did well in the car, but there was a point in the trip where one gerbil got out and ran across the dvd player the kids were watching. It was pretty funny. I am sure it was quite comical watching us catch the thing too.

We are pretty sure all three gerbils are girls. Cross your fingers! I would tell you their names, but they seem to change every day. One day they were Diamond, Loveheart and Holly. Now they are Bingo, Fingo and Mango. Who knows what they will be tomorrow. We are keeping them in Mr. Toad's (may he rest in peace) big tank. IT is just the right size. They have provided a lot of entertainment for us here in our home already, and we really like them! Thanks Tyler and Jessica. We owe you one.



They are so cute!


We also got another fun toy this month. Actually, I did. Go me.
I got a bike! I am so proud of it, and I love it! I named it "pink lightening" in honor of my beloved childhood bike. It sits in the garage right next to Ben's new bike. They have become good friends. They even got to be next to eachother on the bike rack for the drive to Idaho. I think Ben's bike has a crush on mine. It must be the bell. It is so cute.

I have only ridden it once (in Idaho) and it killed my buns! I think I was bruised for a week. I sure don't remember that hurting so much as a kid. Good ol' banana seats, little did we know how great they really were.

So, we will add some padding, and I will be good to go. I love riding my bike! I even have a helmet that I finally learned how to put on the right way. (that is a story for another day, once Ben can tell it without busting a gut)

We just need to add a little seat for Sam, get rid of Mary's training wheels, and my dream of fun family bike rides will come true. aaahhhh.

Three gerbils and a bike...wonder what next month will bring?




Yeah, I know. Who takes a picture in their garage. I was going to get on the bike, put my helmet on, ring my bell, and get a really fun picture. Due to being in a rush and no energy, the garage was as far as we got. Oh well, at least the dog didn't get out, the kids stayed in the house, and the picture was taken in record time. Just ignore the ghetto, disgusting mattress in the background. Does anyone want it? We will pay you to get rid of it for us.


One more pict. of the gerbils, just for kicks.

A Camping We Will Go!

We decided to brave the dark clouds looming over the mountains, and go camping this weekend. I am so glad we did! The weather was perfect. Not too hot, and almost a little chilly. We didn't even get poured on. My fears were in vain. We went with Mike, Mel and Tyler, and we went to our favorite spot. I am wondering if we should start calling it the Maynard/Fortin summer home. ;)
We had a great and relaxing time. We love hanging around the fire and talking with our wonderful friends. We always come away from being with them feeling better than when we got there. They are such great people. The kids play so hard and get filthy. They love it and always get sad when it is time to pack up and head home.
We all came home happy and rejuvenated. Of course, we are already planning our next trip. Camping can get very addicting!



The kids playing in the camper. This is their own little magical world. They love it in there!


Behold...the incredible mushroom.



Good friends!


Another bear hunt. A.K.A. A fun nature walk.


Check out the HUGE lump on Sam's forehead. The picture doesn't really show how big the thing is. He was bitten by something. Hopefully it wasn't something too poisonous. The lump seems to get bigger every day.


After our camping trip, we rushed home and Ben bathed the kids while I took off for a good, hard work-out at the gym. (I work out on my "non-mono" days, as I call them. They are basically the days mono isn't killing me and I have somewhat of normal energy, I use them to the fullest.) I rushed home, we unpacked, cleaned the car and headed off to see Katie again. We had a yummy dinner with her family and her in-laws.
We had such a great time! Mary played the Wii for her first time and rocked the house at bowling. Ben, Landon, Katie and I got our groove on with the Dancing With The Stars Game. We ended up staying until 10:30pm. It was so refreshing and fun to spend some good quality time with Katie and her family again. I miss her already. The next time I see her, we will be shopping it up on Black Friday. Yahoo!

BFF

So, did the title of this post make you groan, want to puke, and send the word "tween" screaming through your head. It almost killed me to type it, but alas, is it true..I have a BFF, so why not blog about it.

My best friend in the whole world, Katie, is here in the Springs hangin' out with the in-laws (who helped us get the lovely home we are in), and I got to spend almost an entire day with her. We spent the day at the zoo, and it was a lot of fun. I love the zoo here!

Katie and I met in 1st grade and have been friends ever since. Distance does nothing to taint the solid friendship we have. It only makes me miss her that much more. Her last year has been about as great as our last two months, so our hearts can understand eachother in a few ways. We have shed many tears together, but we have also been able to strengthen eachother. Isn't that what friends are for?

We had a great day today at the zoo. Aside from some rain here and there, the weather was nice and cool and perfect for mid-August. I was so happy! I am not a fan of the heat. The kids behaved extremely well, and Katie and I had some serious catching up to do. Sam LOVED every single animal we saw, and Mary got her cotton candy fix, so it was a day well spent. Katie and I still aren't finished catching up though, so we will be getting together for dinner on Saturday. Not to mention that she will be here over Thanksgiving, and I now have a BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING COMPANION!!!! Yippee!!! I seriously can't wait. I love Black Friday, and with Katie, it is going to rock our socks. The countdown is on, and my list has started already.

So, here are some pictures from the zoo. And no, I don't know why I happen to look like a cabbage patch kid in the past numerous pictures I have posted lately. I haven't gained any weight (I got on the scale tonight to make sure) but my face seems to look huge! I hate that...it makes me all sorts of paranoid.

Enough said....here we are, and here is the zoo. The end.


The kids are being owls. Mary's hand is her beak.


Sorry to the lady whose bum is in the picture. oops The kids sure look cute though.





In two years, Mary and Ella will be the same age that Katie and I were when we met. Crazy!


Best buddies.


Sam had so much fun, and then totally crashed at the end. It was really cute.

Swimsuit Edition

O.K.
These are the last of the family photos from our trip...I think. There may be some coming from the guys shooting trip. I make our blog into a book every year, so I really like to document it all. I have family members sending me pictures from the trip, because our camera wasn't working, so when they send them to me, I post them.

This is my brother Tyler wearing my dad's old swimsuit from when he was a teen. He put this on very late one night and had us laughing so hard we were rolling. I had tears streaming down my face from laughter.

My brother and his wife Juliet were already in bed when Tyler put this on, so he knocked on their room door, struck a pose, and waited for them to open the door. Even though they were tired, the cameras came out and they joined us in the laughter.

The swimsuit is complete with a belt around the waist and a zipper up the front. Oh man, too hilarious!

Thanks Tyler.





For some seriously hilarious pictures, check out www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com
My family and I spent some time on this website laughing our heads off.
Here are just some of my favorites from the website. There were too many to post them all. I am chuckling right now as I post these.

Bigger Pictures from Belnap Reunion

O.K. I found a way to make these pictures bigger. So here are some better pictures from the Belnap Reunion. Oh man, just posting these makes me miss everyone already. We had so much fun!


Mary's first time on skates.



In order from oldest to youngest, left to right. Ryan, me, Tyler, Devin and Kelsey.


Our growing family.


The Belnap Bunch.


The piniata, it was a crack up! (no pun intended)


Getting into the famous "Belnap Rootbeer." If you can drink the stuff, you truly are a Belnap...and you will smell like yeast for the next few days.


Sam loved the Jungle Room at the Bounce House.





Sam and Mary both LOVED the slides. Ben and I had a great time on them too.



Mom, Kelsey and I

We put Mary on this thing and Ben jumped onto it. She flew into the air, did a double flip and landed on her face. Once we found out she was o.k. we all laughed until we couldn't breathe anymore. Poor kid.


I love these people with all my heart.