Ya know what's fun?  Going back in your xanga history to the same day 2 years ago...and then just poking around from there...some things have changed, some haven't...and it's all good. 

Today we are taking a trip to the frog store.  Jason had gotten a frog habitat for Christmas this year from some friends of ours...couldn't order the frogs then, 'cause they wouldn't ship them in freezing weather.  Well, now that we can, they don't seem to have any in stock, EVER.  So...we're going to see what we can find at the Tye-Dyed Iguana.  Such a cool store...they specialize in snakes, lizards, turtles, spiders (shudder)...no birdies or fluffy cutie animals for them.  Jason, of course, LOVES it.  I'm just hoping that we don't have to buy a whole new elaborate set up, just cause we can't find the easy to maintain leopard frog. 

Shot off fireworks in our back yard last night...makes it more fun when you're one of the illegal fireworks states and every shot off is wondering if the police are going to come with this one.  Adds that extra little level of stress.  But we only had 5 fountains left over from our yearly blow-up at my mom and dad's in Missouri.  There we usually spend (as a total family) close to $500.  just blowing stuff up for purties.  And usually a wonderful memory making event.  This year, however, as my son put it, was the worst day of his life.  Starts out with it being kinda of a rainy/spitty kind of day.  No big deal, we are fireworks die-hards.  But it does put a slight damper on the kids moods.  My brother then comes with a cooler full of giant beer.  Not good.  Firm believer in fireworks and beer not mixing...which is really funny when you drive down south and you see big warehouses  "BUY YOUR FIREWORKS AND BEER HERE...GAS NEXT DOOR".  Very comforting.  ANYWAY, So Bro starts drinking, which makes hubby and sis' boyfriend start up (can't do it alone, I guess)...we start shooting off bottle rockets off of the porch...can't really fly well 'cause it's raining, so we're having to pretty much throw them.  So then bro (I think I've told ya'll about my family before...well educated, but true redneck to the core) jumps off of the porch runs about 15 feet away and dares the guys to shoot him with the bottle rockets.  WELL, my hubby used to play this game all the time growing up...so he did.  With 48 of 'em.  Wasn't very smart...as they say, it's all fun and games 'til someone loses an eye...don't worry, he didn't...though he did lose a little flesh from his back. So, later, when it finally gets all dark, we're having to set up our boomers table from the dirt road and the fountain table in front of this huge hedge separating the road from the house.  We are all set up in the rain with various umbrellas, vinyl table cloths, tarps, etc...prepared to watch the show.  All went well at first...then I think as more beer was ingested, the more STUPID they got.  Now, sometimes those boomers (artillery shells) do accidentally explode in their containers, or may have a short fuse, or you may accidentally put it fuse down...then you run like HELL to get out of there, 'cause it's a pretty big and hot explosion.  We saw alot of accidents that night.  Jess and Aaron (my nephew) were in charge of the fountains...they'd light and run like the dickens to get out...well, the final straw came when my *&*)#$ brother tossed an artillery shell over the hedge (can we say dumbass?) and it came down about 10 feet away from the kids.  They didn't get hurt, but it was enough of a scare to make me turn into mama bear and go over to the hedge and tell them to wrap it up, we're done now...those weren't my exact words, I honestly can't remember exactly what I said....Adren told me later I scared the crap out of everybody shooting the fireworks, and they ALL stopped right then!!!  Ya don't mess with a mama's babies.  Or nephew.  Just stupid.  I think it helps, cause everyone at home calls me Ms. Hallmark Sunshine.  I don't get upset very often...so when I DO explode, they know it's quite serious.  My sis, on the other hand is very free with her words/feelings/emotional mess...so the guys never did come back in that night, 'til we had all gone to bed...go figure.  Were the big, bad men afraid of us ittie bittie women?  Yup, and they should have been...Jason was a wreck, Jess and Aaron were ticked off, 'cause they had to stop lighting fireworks early, and everyone else was just plain angry 'cause they were wet for drunk fireworks.  Not to mention the money wasted on stupidity. 

So Tuesday night and last night were nice and quiet affairs...pulic display at Horner Park, in Lebanon, and our back yard last night.  Very nice. 

I'll post again tomorrow...I've got to feed my children...ya'll have a great day!!!

NEW ENTRY!  First...we are not moving to Oklahoma.  THANK THE LORD.  Sorry all you Oklahomians, but no thank you.  We did go down there the end of May, it's not too bad where we'd go.  Tornadoes tend to skirt the town, not hit too bad there.  One guy we talked to said they liked to sit on their back porches for fun and watch them go by in the spring.  Um, he was serious.  This is a sport, apparently, in Oklahoma.  Good times.  SO here is what is going on so far.  We have decided to keep OK in our pocket for now (he would start mid-August) and see what happens to his current contract.  What he's doing now, the contract is supposed to expire in Sept. with them finding out mid-July.  We're WAY hoping it gets renewed.  Now, if it does NOT, then he will re-locate down to OK, and just commute every weekend to here until the end of next school year.  That not only gives the kids a little more time here, but now he has time to look for a house in a neighborhood we like, and a school district we can handle, AND a house with a tornado shelter (which, surprisingly, is hard to find there).  It was just WAY to stressful trying to do it all in 2 months...did I mention he left for Oman today, too, by the way?  So I would have had to move us down there, find a house, sell this house, all the fun moving things there are to do when you move civilian, all by my little lonesome.  I was freaking out.  Oh, plus my summer camp.  Just a little hectic.  So everyone keep your prayer hands on, and pray that his contract gets renewed, 'cause I WANNA STAY HERE!!!!!    

But yeah, my honey's in Oman.  Sigh.  That's so incredibly far away.  We've never been apart for longer than 2 weeks, which is incredible considering he was in the military for 9 years.  This stint is for 6 weeks or maybe longer if they don't get the stuff done.  Thank goodness Oman is supposed to be a safe country.  We can't even talk every day to each other.  Usually when he's TDY he calls like 2 or 3 times a day...drives me a little nuts, really, but I'd miss it if he didn't.  Now, we MIGHT get an e-mail...which of course, won't be the same for the kids...sometimes a Dad's voice is all ya need.  We did send him with some nice going away gifts...the kids each made him a scrapbook...Jess of course, got all sentimental...and Jason wrote his own stuff, to include 6 year old spelling....(I luv to hold yur han Dad), and we made him a special pillowcase...wrote on it in fabric paint, sweet dreams, good night dad, I love you dad...well, needless to say, we made him bawl.  It was beautiful.    Nothin' like making a grown man cry to make me turn on the waterworks myself.    Which of course, made Jess cry, and Jason even got misty too!  Pathetic, just pathetic...

My summer camp is underway, as well.  SO MUCH FUN.  I made a new week last week..."Around the World" ...we celebrated different cultures all week...let's see, we had African on Monday, Tuesday was Polynesian, Wednesday was Mexican, Thursday Oriental, and Friday was American.  (Pioneers, native Americans, cowboys, etc...).  So bummed out on Friday...I had the coolest idea to paint a whole bunch of rocks gold, scatter them out in this rocky area next to camp, explain all about the gold rush, and have the kids go out and try to find as much gold as they could.  Well, it wound up raining all day.  Bye bye gold!!!   Though I imagine all weekend, kids in the park were running up to mom and dad and showing them their found treasures!!! 

Kids are doing good.  Jess wound up getting all A's and 1 B (in gym class...) and Jason passed to first grade!!!! Woohoo!!!  Still worried about the ADD on him, but we'll see how that goes when he gets in a grade that actually has some challenge to it.  I don't want to jump any guns on this...and no, I don't want to turn a blind eye to my son's problems, either...I do want to give him a chance.  I found my daughters kindergarten report card when I was packing for moving.  It was exactly the same.  "needs work on impulse control" "needs to learn to control talking" etc., etc.  And she's always been an A student...'cept for 4th grade and the hag teacher.  So what's a mom to do?  I guess sit back, keep my eyes and ears and mind wide open and wait and see. 

I think that's pretty good for an update...hey, anybody wanna buy a 1999 Ford Mustang Convertible?  Going to be selling it soon and using money paid for a minivan!!!!  How practical and mommish...sheesh. 

Gonna spend my after kids go to bed time tomorrow night checking on all my old buddies...hope they all remember me!!!!

Get ready to groan...

The Fourth of July weekend was coming up, and the nursery school teacher took the opportunity to tell her class about patriotism. "We live in a great country," she said. "One of the things we should be happy is that, in this country, we are all free." One little boy came walking up to her from the back of the room. He stood with his hands on his hips and said. . . .
"I'm not free. I'm four."