Adios 2009

Sometimes it's almost scary to think that the year 2010 is here. I guess I think about the last 10 years, and then the next 10 years and I wonder where I will be with my career, my kids will be 16 and 14 (Holy *&^%)......and I will be 40. Crazy. Right now I need to focus on this coming year and all the things I want to do, change, etc. I am very lucky. I have these two brilliant children, they are having trouble controlling the VOLUME OF THEIR voices recently, but I think that has a lot to do with being in school and having 20 other kids around to vie for the teacher's attention.

Christmas 2009 was good, the mom and the dad didn't get much, but that is okay, b/c it's mostly about the kids. And they had so much fun. They got just what they wanted and were thrilled, it was so cute to see their faces. Even Buttons the dog got all the way hooked up by Santa. It even almost snowed a little bit. I so miss snow, here in SW MO, we just don't see snow like the old days.

My New Year's Resolution is to get into great shape, drop a few pounds and be more positive. I know that sounds funny but I really think it's something that most people should strive for; life throws curves and it's hard to stay positive sometimes but I am going to give it my best shot. Also, I want to not stress over the things (and people) that I simply can't change. Being the first born, type A, etc. etc. I seem to fall into the 'control' category, if I feel something is out of my control I kinda lose my cookies, so here is to straight up CHILLING out.

Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year......p.s. I will NOT change my wicked sense of humor and amazing wit......ha!

Baby, it is COLD outside.........

It was downright cold this morning when we all woke up! The kids, bless their hearts, want to have snow so deperately and so the few flurries we had were SO exciting to them. Unlike all our friends that live up north, we don't get to see snow much at all here, so even flurries are exciting! Dan, Dalton and I got our H1N1 vaccines this a.m., Dalton had the shot and we had the mist. Yuck, I hated it. No more mist for me, shots only. It has made me feel weird and I don't like that. Dalton was so brave, I was proud of him.

I have to go to the dr. today for my check-up. I have severe white coat syndrome, which is weird since I love the medical world, google surgeries and wish I had gone to med school myself. When it comes to ME though, uh I'd rather pass on getting jabbed and nabbed. And I HATE getting weighed. HATE IT.

My goal is to try a detox diet for 4 weeks, and see how that makes me feel. Fresh fruit, veggies mostly is what I need to aspire to. That won't be easy, b/c although I eat mostly very healthy, I have trouble getting fruits and veggies in :(

I have started back on a very regular exercise regime. This time around, I am doing longer cardio intervals with less resistance and doing weights with lots of reps and low weight. I need to tone, NOT build biceps Tina Turner.

The other thing is water. I have a love and hate relationship with water. I KNOW it's the best thing for me, and sometimes I crave it, but there is this other beverage that makes my heart palpitate, his name is Diet Cherry DP, and he "looks like a cool drink of water, but he's candy coated misery."

I know the holiday season is a hard time to be health conscience, but I think I am up to the challenge!!!

Sit back and be happy...........

I am at work today. Taking a little break from the ty cards I was writing to committee members, and since NO ONE is working in this whole building (the day after Thanksgiving) but me and some girls here, it's quiet to say the least. My phone rang three times, Dan 2 times and the wrong number once, so I thought I would jump on and write a few things down.

Life can be so stressful; we get caught up in buying all this stuff for Christmas, and keeping up with the next guy and I just don't think we (including myself at the top of this list), just sit back and think about how lucky we are. I am truly blessed. I have two amazingly smart, healthy, wonderful, beautiful children, a husband who adores me, and would do anything for his family, and my extended family too, whom I love very much. I also have friends that are TRUE friends. They aren't about appearances, they are loyal, dependable and wonderful all the way around.

Last but not least, I have God. I know he is there, but sometimes when life gets to be too much, I seem to forget he also loves me, is loyal, dependable and wonderful all the way around.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for all these people in my life who make me a better person, and a God who has compassion and love for all of us and who sacrificed the most precious thing, his Son for all of us.

Here is to a Happy, healthy holiday to you all. May you sit back and be happy.......................

Toe-tally unexpected

Tatum was getting dressed for gymnastics the other day and didn't have her shoes or socks on, she opened the door and the massive door sliced her second toe on her right foot very badly, I thought the toe nail was off, it was black almost immediately and I though for sure the toe was broken. She bled all over the place and I picked her up and ran out to the car with her and over to pediatric urgent care. 3.5 hours later the radiologist FINALLY got around to reading the x-ray and she had no breaks; Dan took her by mcdonald's (she was starving), and home. I really thought the worst part would be the cleaning of the toe, bandaging it, and all of that. But she was such a trooper, she stuck her foot in the water and was really great about it all. I stayed home with her on Monday, I was just worried about it, she didn't wear a shoe for 3 days and today wore flip flops!

The one thing that is great is that since she had to sit around so much, it gave her ample time to write Santa Claus numerous letters......for her and on behalf of her little brother.

She wants a nintendo DS, and she is adament about that......along with 10 other things, at least.

Dalton would love a Castle Gray Skull and something else and lizard man, and a 'rideable cow'

I tried to explain that Santa doesn't bring everything, I even told Tatum that the DS is pretty expensive and she smiled and said 'THAT IS the GREAT thing, you don't have to worry about it, Santa will take care of it"

Uh huh. Same thing with the Castle Gray Skull, which hasn't been made since 1987, alas not to worry mom, Santa has some pretty crafty elves on his team and they can make "anything mommy, ANYTHING"

Uh huh. Shhhhewwww, I am glad Santa has all these connections and knows how to get the best stuff around.


P.S. I tried to take a picture of the toe, but she told me absolutely NOT, I would NOT take a picture of her toe, so do NOT even try. I don't like to be threatened and she meant business so no pictures were taken, but let's just say it wasn't pretty.

There's a New Moon tonight

I did this with Lord of the Rings; I knew that for 4 consecutive years, in December, a new Lord of the Rings movie would come out. It was exciting. Now, I would NEVER compare Tolkien to The Twilight Series author Stephanie Meyer, but move over Harry Potter, the vampires are in TOWN.

It's addicting. Sure, the fan base it mostly female, and I will admit that the romance crap out there, lovey dovey...kissy huggy movies are not my top pick. BUT....mix some hot vampires, a few werewolves in there and you have a recipe for success. It's hard to not get caught up in the poor girl in love with a vampire who struggles to protect her, whilst also trying desperately NOT to kill her...then he leaves her....she is hollow....clings to new guy friend (werewolf---and hot), then werewolf falls for her, and OH MY WORD she finds herself in a bloodsucking hairy love triangle. SIGN.ME.UP.

Movie #2 (New Moon) opens tomorrow night. I sure hope there are some tickets left for the weekend because I have seen the trailer several times and SQQUUUEEALLLLL....I am pumped.

Back, from a long absense

It has been far too long since I have posted on our blog. No great excuses, just that I am so busy I do not know which end is up....

Everyone seems to be doing well in the House of Rice. Wait! Well, I guess anyone who reads this already knows this, but Dan got a new job with Jack Henry, an awesome company with their home office here. He is now 'corporate consel' it's exciting. He now wears jeans every day to work, had better hours and makes more $$$.....pretty cool all the way around.

We are also coaching, and I say that term loosely, Dalton's indoor soccer team. 5 girls and 3 boys, 3 & 4 years, old, it's a riot, although Dalton seems to not be that into it. I have no idea why, he is bigger stronger and faster than all of them, but unless he is playing goalie, he's not happy.

My brain is fried, and tired. This week beat me up and tossed me around, so I am MORE than happy to welcome the weekend!

The only thing that is freaking me out is Christmas. I love it, the decor, the food, the festivities, etc. what I do not like is the stress of some parts of it, but for whatever reason, I do not feel like it is 6 weeks away, and lo and behold it IS. I have NO idea what to do for the kids, NO idea.
I will figure something out, I always do.

Happy weekend to everyone.

Oh crap, was that today?

One of my co-workers sent forwarded me an email that I just laughed so hard that I can't get it out of my mind. It's a picture of two dinosaurs on the shore and Noah and his ARK have sailed on into the distance, and the caption from one of the dinosaurs is: "Oh crap, was that today?"

It is PERFECT. It is my life in fact. Okay, for one thing, I have to brag and say with everything going on, I rarely forget anything BIG....knock on wood. That said, I have several 'oh crap that was today' moments.

I awoke to the sound of Tatum in the bathroom. She is 6 now, and well, she likes to take a nice hot shower in the morning----this child has been up at the crack of dawn since the very beginning. SO I hear her talking to her daddy in there saying that today WAS in fact 'wear your school shirt day' and her shirt was red with white letters, but she couldn't bring herself to wear her black long sleeve shirt underneath it! AHA! I jumped up and walked in and said,

"I BOUGHT YOU A NEW long sleeve white shirt on Sunday!!" I so rocked for remembering that one. :)


This morning I took Dalton to get his flu shot. But I did NOT say anything about it. NO need to fret for an entire hour before it happens. So we pull up and he says very happily, "OH MOMMY, do I have an ear infection? Strep throat? Fever?"

I said no, he just kept on walking happily with me. Then we get in and fill out the information, and he goes nicely over to the nurse, whom I happen to know too. She asks him his name, and how old he is:

"Dalton Patrick Rice, and I just turned 4"

She says which arm, and then asks to see his strong mucscles. HE SMILED and said "SURE!!"

Then she looked at me as he sat on my lap and picked out his candy and I nodded to just DO THIS THING!!! Wow, she said, you are brave and she stuck him. He didn't even flinch. He sat there, everyone roared with applause (okay people clapped), and the nurse announced he was probably the bravest boy she had ever seen.

Dalton is NOT a humble child, he knows quite well he is cute and brave, he moonlights as a super hero for crying out loud!!!

Well after that he chats non-stop

"I KNOW I was brave, it still was a shot though, mommy, did you see it? I rea--yee big one, and I was so good, so good. Mommy can I have pancakes and eggies? I know how we make chocolate milk, we take milk and put brown sugar in it, and shake it as hard as we can, that's how mommy...mommy, do you like shots? Mommy, did you cry when you had a shot? Mommy can we call Tatum and tell her I had a shot and didn't cry at ALL? Mommy can I have pancakes and eggies? (insert that one 4 times).

What a kid.

Sick? I'm not sick....I am NOT SICK.

I am sick. I have this weird thing about me, it's the I-don't-get-sick-like-the-rest-of-you-people,,,,thing. It's totally cocky, and well guess what, I GUESS I DO GET SICK, B/C THIS WEEK has been HORRIBLE. It started last week with Tatum getting strep and bronchitis, then it just got worse. Going out didn't help either on Saturday, but once again, I laugh in the general DI-REC-TION of sick ahahahaha......the last laugh was on me this time. Cuz I got SICK.

No, I don't have the swine, penguin, dog, parrot or beta flu. This thing started as the tightness in your chest, then the horrible nasty cough, headache, eye aches, sinus aches, body aches, that sent me to the Dr., to determine that I had a severe sinus infection, two ear infection (what the?), and bronchitis. She kept temping me, and although my temperature was a lowly 97.7, she couldn't believe it, and also that I was walking upright and making conversation. She said it was my youth (I almost french kissed her for saying that).....kidding,,,,,,and the fact that I was in good shape (arguable at this point), that had prevented me from basically being in the hospital.

That was Tuesday. I had just come off a LONG day after a BIG event on Monday, and off I went to Walgreens. A LOT of $$$ later, my bag was filled with generic this and antibiotic that......HOLY CROW, I was thinking, I am going to end up like Michael Jackson, or River Phoenix, or WORSE....Heath Ledger, if I take all this stuff. But I took what I was supposed to,,,and then I coughed. And felt worse.

Wednesday....no better, Dalton has strep throat now (but somehow feels just FINE), so I awake to quite a sight. Dan has LEFT ME ALONE WITH THIS MAD SCIENTIST,,,aka DALTON. Dan headed off early to work and took Tatum with him, leaving Disaster Patrick Rice, (also the love of my life), alone to 'HELP' his mama. Or so those were his instructions when last his father left him. Here is what I do know:

1.) He knew 'mommy is sick' so take care of her. So, he sprang into action.

A.) He went to the play room, quickly took off all his clothes (General Hospital?), and put on his doctor's jacket. Then quickly grabbed his dr. kit, he had a sick patient for crying out LOUD!! --Very sick I might add.

2.) I awake to him rolling me over on my back (college) hee hee....and strandling me.

"MOMMY, YOU ARE GOING TO BE ALL BETTER SOON....BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE SOME SHOTS, OPEN YOUR MOUTH."

I just did what he said, I was THAT tired and worn out to fight him. He shot me here and thumped me there, and pushed me and pulled me, I felt like Maverick in Top Gun during round one of flight school.

Somehow the attack stopped, he mumbled that I needed to go to the hospital straight away, and that 'This looks really bad.' Then Dr. Dalton got bored and moved on to the next thing. Which was the game Battleship...ALL OVER ME AND MY bed. I got up, dazed and hazed and coughing up actual parts of what I swear HAD to be part of my lungs, and we got dressed and played to the best of my ability.

Convincing him of a nap was not easy, but I fell asleep before him in his bed and he finally did get a bit of a nap. That was a long night!!!! I am still coughing, it's getting OLD FAST, but okay I am humbled to the fact that I too can get this sick. I might just even start taking those vitamins a little bit more regularly. Because I have found that NOT having a voice makes it really hard to yell at your kids like you should :) Ha! Thank goodness it is Friday. A word to the wise, wash your hands and lysol the crap out of everything you have, you do NOT want what I just had.

Here are some pictures of Dalton from school. It's like, are you kidding me? What a pimp!

The Workout

I have been working out religiously for the past 3 years or so. I am not bragging, but I always considered myself an athlete, or athletic, strong, etc. And just take a look at some high school pictures of me and I AM BIG. BIG MUSCLES,,,not attractive really.

Fast forward a few years, (does one even COUNT college?) HA!! And before I knew it, I was 23 and pregnant. I gained 76 pounds with Tatum, and then 53 pounds with Dalton; point being that's rough on the body. I handled the recovery okay, lost most of the weight over time, but now at the Dirty 30, I can see that I am working TEN times harder at looking good, and maybe it's old age just catching up with me. Today I did 30 minutes of HARD resistance on the elliptical, 20 minutes spinning, then lifted with a trainer. It felt good, but it was hard work. I like a challenge. My challenge is to look better than I have in my whole life, or at least be in the best shape possible. I have some work to do, but I am dedicated.

I am also realistic, I don't always WANT to be, but the bottom line is I am NOT Heidi Klum, gorgeous and 6 feet tall. Just wasn't in the genetics. So I have to work with what I have, embrace the curves (and there are MANY of them), and be okay with this one and only body I have.

I fell victim to society's views on beauty and a lot of us girls have at one point, but I realized a LONG time ago, no one thinks Ashly and Mary Kate Olsen look anything but hungry and tired, and that's just not the way to live.

More importantly, I have a daughter that I want to raise to have a healthy self image, and THAT is the most important thing to me. Oh, I also want her to know that Brunettes DO have more fun,,,just ask her mama :)

Happy Friday!

Superman's Birthday Party

What a great weekend we had! The weather was amazing, and Dalton had the best birthday party ever! We had it at The Discovery Center downtown, and I was very impressed. There was a little room (perfect size) with two long tables and little chairs and plenty of space to put napkins, plates, etc. out for the kiddos. Of course we started off with pizza and juice and then dug into the Superman cake....

Thank you to everyone who came and had fun with us! And thanks so much for the great gifts, we have great friends and family, and so generous!!

I have MANY other great pictures on facebook, if you would like to take a look!!!

Our Angel turns 4

At exactly 8:32 a.m. this morning, my sweet Dalton Patrick turned 4 years old. I can NOT believe it. Time has gone by so fast. I remember every detail. The moment I saw him, how BIG he was, how perfect he was, how sweet he was. He attacked me immediately and started nursing, and as I had fallen in love with Tatum at first sight, I fell in love with him, and as I sit here today, my eyes are filled with tears of love for my angels, but also I have some tears of sadness. I don't think it is a coincidence that Dalton was born (2 weeks early) on the anniversary of my father's death. My dad died August 27th, 1994, and Dalton was born August 27th, 2005.
A day of sadness but also now a day of happiness.

His big party is this weekend, and he can not wait!

Happy Birthday my sweet angel baby.....

So much going on.....

I watched this cool movie the other night "Taken" with Liam Neeson.....WOW, it was good. The problem is, I haven't been able to stop thinking how great I would have been in the CIA....oh yes, that is right...running around kicking butt, shooting stuff, wearing crazy clothes to lure in the bad guys.....shooting more stuff, using my kung fu moves to ax someone.....alas I am a fundraiser....not NEARLY as much action, but oh well.

Moving on, Tatum starts 1st grade tomorrow, AND SHE IS SO EXCITED. We met her teacher today and she is all ready to go. One problem, she has her dress picked out and tomorrow is PE day, well screw that, she is just bringing her shoes to change into, a lady doesn't get a 1st day at 1st grade but once, and she is going to be all glammed out. We brought the teacher some flowers (I know, what a kiss up) and then I also bought tons of glue sticks, I guess they never have enough. But tomorrow, we will bring all our supplies and start our new experience. She talked and talked on the way over today about how great it will be to have music, and technology, and art again. I am so proud of her and how much she LOVES school.

Dalton. He will be 4 a week from tomorrow. Doesn't seem possible. His Super Hero party will be at the Discovery Center and he will be dressed at SuperMan, he can NOT wait. Every night before bed he just giggles to himself with anticipation.

I have been running and working out quite a bit, but to my total horror, I haven't lost any weight. I just want to look like a STUD, so I am still working on it.

Happy HUMP day.......

Am I dreaming this?

Wasn't there a tv show in the 80's or 90's called THIRTY SOMETHING????!!!!! I was just sitting here and laughing to myself after some dancing that we did the other night with friends and how even though I still 'BROUGHT IT' eh hem......that it HUUURT much more the next day than I ever remembered hurting after busting a move.

Shawty got LOW.

Anyway, I will probably have to google this now, this "Thirty Something" but I don't think I am making it up.

I might even have to google 'Alf' to see if that is just a horrible memory or if I made that one up too.

Like not Love

I seem to mostly post about Tatum and Dalton; to the four people who ever read this, I am sure you don't mind too much, since you probably think they are cool little people like I do. Tatum has been such a big girl lately. We did have an incident last week. She has been asking to wear dresses to school, she is fixing her hair, and wearing her wedge flip flops, (because they are closer to heels then anything she has)......and it's all over a boy. Named Eric. That's all we know. Oh, and she wrote on the dry erase board "I love Eric....." we told her no, she only loved her family, she liked her friend. So she changed it to "I like Eric." Much better. I am in the process of doing a background check on him. Little bugger was born, appr. 2003, hasn't dated much, still lives at home, can ride a bike without training wheels, and has almost mastered shoe string tying......interesting. *By the way, I am kidding about everything except his name :)

Deep Thoughts........

Dalton is quite a little man. He is very smart and very funny. He has been called impish by so many people. His imagination (along with Tatum's).....I am in awe of, not to mention his tireless energy. So after school the other day I took him to get take out. As we waited for our food, he sat up on the high bar stools and put his little face in his hands. I asked him what he was thinking about and the conversation went like this......................

L: kiss kiss kiss.... "What are you thinking about little D?"

D: "Well, it's a secret."

L: "But I am your best friend."

D: nothing.....

L: I cleared my throat and made a funny face...."Mama is your best friend you can tell me a secret."

D: Well, ok. Tell me, if Superman and Batman are both good guys, and they can both fly, then why IN THE WORLD, does batman have to wear a mask and superman doesn't.

L: Well, knock me off the stool and call me spanky, that is a GREAT QUESTION.

L: "Honey, I will have to really think about it, that is a great question."

D: "I know, Grant and Sylas and Ethan want to know too" (there are the cool kids in the sunshine class).

The unanswered questions hovered over us until the chef showed us how he made Dalton's brick oven pizza, and the 'inequality of super heroes question' seemed to be forgotten, for now anyway.

What a wonderful place to be. A place in your head, where you are truly concentrating on Batman and Superman's differences. Awesome.

By the way, he is a great date, never ends up paying for anything, but he knows how to have a great time. And he loves older women, lucky for me :)

25 things about me, you probably could care less about......

I know that I am on an island BY myself when it comes to one thing: I do not LOVE summer. It seems that saying that around here is about as dangerous as putting an Obama sticker on your car in rural Arkansas. But it is what it is. I have never been a sun worshipping chick, probably because I usually have darker skin year round then most people I know, a bonus. But at the end of the day, I just don't seem to fit in with the hot sweaty summer lovin crowd. Don't get me wrong I love nice weather, but the four+ months of nasty hot MO weather with bugs and flies and mosquitos, yuck yuck yuck.

I crave fall weather. I just love it. It seems like the air is cleaner somehow. I have no idea why I felt the need to rant on about that, except I keep getting these '25 things about Me' emails from my friends, and I thought I would post mine. Here is goes:

1.) I gained 76 pounds when I was pregnant with Tatum and 53 with Dalton. Girl you HUGE.
2.) I am terrified of revolving doors and staircases that are very long. Both of which I have fallen in or on and it hurt. Badly.
3.) When I was little my grandpa told us the coolest stories,,,,and I also thought my grandparents were rich because they ALWAYS had the strawberry pop tarts with the frosting.
4.) I used to be so bummed that I didn't have blue eyes and blonde hair. I am totally okay with it now that I am older, I accept myself the way I am.
5.) I don't like chocolate, and I LOVE to cook.
6.) I could eat sushi every day.
7.) I am fiercly loyal to my family and friends.
8.) I. LOVE. THE UFC.
9.) If I could still have my family just like it is, I would have gone to medical school. Who googles surgeries at the Mayo Clinic in their down time?
10.) Trust me, I know just about every lyric to every song. Ever. And I will sing it to you, just ask me.
11.) I want a tattoo, but I don't have one.
12.) I had a pet chicken growing up named Gwen that I used to bring in the house and hold in a dish towel like a baby. I have pictures to prove it.
13.) I was on a Children's TV show called Romper Room.
14.) When I was 5 I had incephalitis, and for all practical purposes should have not made it, but I did, and I am so grateful for that.
15.) At my 8th grade birthday party, I had my first kiss with my boyfriend named Billy. This isn't interesting except my parents saw the whole thing, and I was traumatized for a long time.
*Billy ran home that night. Literally ran all the way home.
16.) I want bigger boobs, they left after kids never to be seen again.
17.) I can't roller skate. I can roller blade but not the old fashioned kind, they scare me.
18.) I was PLATINUM blonde the summer of 1999.
19.) I think..I know I can be intimidating to people sometimes.
20.) If someone has the hook up, it's usually me.
21.) I still want my mom to be proud of me.
22.) I have really flat feet but they are still cute.
23.) If I know you, I know when your birthday is, I have it memorized.
24.) Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper is the most amazing product of 2009.
25.) I will take a scary movie over romantic comedies any day of the week.

I look at this list and think, who really cares? Why did I write this? Oh well, now you know how weird I really am :)

Thriller.....

Look, I am not going to blog about WHAT AN AMAZING MAN Michael Jackson was, because unless you live under a large rock, in the last 15 years this guy has gone wiggidy wiggidy whack. He named his kids prince this and prince that, etc. BUT, you can not ignore his musical/artistic genius from the early days at least. I mean ABC,,,it's easy as 123,,,,it's simple as Do Re Me, ABC,,,123...baby you and ME GIRL!!!!!

I wasn't even born yet....and then came THRILLER. It was amazing. Don't you remember that video? Michael was still black, and actually a good looking guy, it was such a scary video to a girl that is 4!!!!!! But like a moth to the flame I was hooked!! Now my brother won't admit it, but when it came on he ran behind the couch and hid, (*sidebar, just ask my mom, he did this also when the wicked witch of the west was on Wizard of Oz,,,,,YES YOU DID MATT...hahahahaha!!). Anyway, the album was amazing. I knew every word to all the songs. I performed them, which if you know me at ALL, you are not surprised one bit by this. I remember that album cover, yes kids,,, we actually had massive record albums back then. Michael was in all white with this tiger with him and it was so cool. I had this little blue record player in my room, it was the BOMB!!!

The King of Pop died yesterday, again this is not a tribute or anything to him personally, but his music did make an incredible impact. From the Jackson 5 days to Black or White in the early 90's....... I loved his music!!

Not to change the subject TOO much, but Buttons Rice got her nails did, and got sorta 'bejeweled' today. She had her kennel cough vaccination, and then they did shampoo, nails, trimming, etc. She looked "OH SNAP" cute......I will post a picture of her.

Also see the picture of Dalton in his Margaritaville shirt, he knows every word to that song....but he thinks it's called "Livin on Sponge Cake."

*Sidenote* In honor of MJ's passing, I think I might do a little tribute concert/dance off for the gals in the office---really take them through MJ's best 70's 80's and 90's hits!!!!!!

Varmint

You know, we live in Ozark, MO. We don't live on a farm, or out in the sticks,...a river doesn't 'run through it' in the back yard, etc. etc. So I guess I am perplexed that the Rice family seems to be haunted by 'varmints.'

Please recall the opossum war of winter 2009......I am still not sure who won that one, that thing is probably eating dog food and hiding in flower pots and terrorizing some other poor family in Nixa or something.

Okay, on with the story. So we have a 'mole' problem. Not unsual I know, but this morning kind of sent me over. 'Mole' keeps digging up all over the sides of the landscaping. A friend suggested juicy fruit gum, so there I was the other night as neighbors drove by, just chewing up gum and sticking it down in the ground....seemed to work over there too, until..... 'Mole' decided to just switch gears and tear up another part of the front yard.

This morning I am getting things in the car and Dalton follows me out and I stand shocked just looking at the "ENORMOUS" mounds of dirt that 'Mole' has left....

Lindsay: "THIS IS OUT OF HAND,,,,,,,,stupid mole, I can't believe this thing, ugh, they are sooo gross too, yuck, I'm going to get you MOLE....

Dalton: (gritting teeth, talking in Hulk talk)...."YEAH MOLE.......you are making my mommy very mad, and so probably I will go buy a buggie shooter gun (yup that is what he said)....and I will take care of this!"

Dalton: "Mommy, does the walmart have buggie shooter guns?"

Lindsay: "I don't think so honey, why don't we just kill it with juicy fruit gum.." (dumb thing to say)

Dalton: "Gum kills things?"

Lindsay: (crap) No, not at all, but I think in this case maybe, blah blah blah.....

Dalton: "I will ask daddy for a buggie shooter gun."

Close curtain.........

It takes a Man to be a Father

Father's Day will always be a bittersweet day for me. It's been almost 15 years ago that I lost my dad. I don't talk a lot about it, especially to people I don't know very well, because I guess I am a pretty private person about my emotions, especially ones that cut pretty deep. But I was with my dad when he passed away, he had gone for a run and then a quick swim and then he collapsed, I will not go into much more detail, it's pretty tough to hear, but I knew he was gone. I called 911, mom was in there with me, we sent my brother across the street for help (I am glad he didn't really see all of that), but by the time the paramedics got there it was too late. We followed the ambulance to the hospital, and family and friends started to show up. The doctor came out and told us he did not survive, and my life changed forever in an instant.

In one instant, I was a young girl (15), that loved volleyball, and my family and friends, and my church, and (whatever boyfriend I had at the time), and my dog Lucy, and school, and all kinds of things----and the next I was fatherless. I remember that first night coming home, and going to my room and curling up in a ball and hoping the pain that was tearing through me wasn't real......but it was real. I woke up every morning for I don't know how many years, and my first thought was "he is still alive, that was a dream." But then after just seconds the reality would set in.

Somehow we survived. Each holiday was hard, here we were this normal, happy family and now the Man of our house was gone. My poor mom was only 37 when my dad died, 37!!!! I still don't know how she did what she did and got through all of the shock and horror of it all, the responsibility must have been overwhelming.

We weren't alone though. We had great friends, and people from our church that were supportive, and most importantly we had my grandparents and my Aunt Karen and Uncle Drew. They did SO much especially those first few years, we would not have made it without them. And what about all their pain? They had just lost a son and brother in law too.......

Time does heal. I never blamed God for what happened, he didn't make it happen. He does allow life to happen and with life comes death. I know that my dad was a good man, and that he is in a place where there is no pain, and no worries. Selfishly though, I still miss him and I also miss that he never got to meet my little angels Tatum and Dalton, he didn't get to see me graduate and marry Dan, and sometimes I just want to sit down and tell him what has gone on in my life, I hope he would be proud of me.

I don't seem to have the nightmares anymore, but occasionally I am pleased to say that my dad visits me in my dreams, and we usually have a nice chat and go for a walk. Maybe it's my conscience helping make some kind of contact, either way, I always feel better after those dreams.

Dalton was born two weeks early on the anniversary of my Dad's death, which I think is another very interesting coincidence. A day of sadness turned to a day of happy celebration for a new life.

The sun does come out again, eventually.............

We are all very lucky when my mom met Jerry and they have been together for 12 years now. He has been a great step dad to both Matt and me, and has loved our family like his own from the beginning. We will be forever grateful for that.

And last but CERTAINLY not least, to Dan who has been such an incredible father and daddy from that first night back at the ghetto hospital in STL when we found out we were expecting Tatum. He was calm, although I know he was nervous as &^%$, he was supportive, and excited, and has been the most unselfish and loving daddy in the world. He has two little people that worship the ground he walks on, and two little people who are so lucky to have him for their daddy.

I know this is a long post. And it's not funny and light like my usual posts are. Fathers are so important. I miss mine everyday.

Here's to all the dads out there.....keep up the good, hard work.

A stream of unconscious banter........

I am the dirty 30, and this has/ is continuing to be the year I update myself, or I try anyway. Getting in the best shape of my.......life, well I know I am not 18, but I have really stepped it up on working out. I still look at my tush in the mirror and I am certain it will never be where I want it to be, but I'm not perfect. Leading me to the giggle vest I had earlier when I was reading my friend Nancy's blog today about McDonald's breakfast burritos----they are seriously an addictive drug to me. I blame McDonald's for making the most amazingly scrumptious little burrito that has my brain playing a tug of war constantly.....

Bad Fat Lindsay: "DO IT! That burrito is so delicious and you KNOW you won't be able to function without it...." Do it, get the burrito you crazy woman and then run more later...

Good Lindsay: "Just eat some Special K, or maybe a fiber one bar, it's easier, and you won't feel guilty for it....

Lately I am about at a two burrito a week mark, but the wind could change and I could be there every morning, it's just something I am having to work through right now, and I would appreciate your support...

Speaking of funny chunky things, I absolutely lose it when I hear the hippo from Madagascar 2 sing "I like em chunky, I like em plumpy" AND especially when he looks at the Gloria (the female hippo) and says, in a deep african voice "GIRL, YOU HUGE"

Dalton thinks it's even funnier to say that to his mama, except it comes out "GULL, you HUGE"

I have just had the best time reading through my friends blogs. My friend Maggie rivals me in the wit department, and I laughed until I cried reading her blog.....we have several friends who are adopting children from all over, and that is exciting to read about, friends that love the same food as I do, etc. etc. I think blogs are great....now on to twitter.

Am I missing something? I don't think I have the time to add another form of communication: phone, text, email, facebook, blog....I think I might pass on the twitter thing.

Dinner tonight: I need to make something good, but I don't have any ideas. Dan gets home tonight, the poor guy has been on a plane every week this month, and he is coming back from Minneapolis tonight, looking forward to that. I should probably shut up now and get back to work!!!!!!

Come and get it bad boy....

Only the people I work with know about this yet, but today I got the call from Dalton's school that there had been an 'unfortunate slapping.' The teacher explained that Dalton had been minding his own business in the 'house keeping' area, when 'another child' (little $%@&), slapped my baby across the face.

Then came the call. I asked to talk to him and he came to the phone.

Me: R u okay honey?

Dalton: No, this boy in my c'yass (remember Dalton can't say his L's very well yet) s'yapped me.

Me: I'm sorry, what did you say to him?

Dalton: (Silence)

Me: What did you say honey?

D: (Nothing)

Me: hello? Teacher gets back on the phone, kinda giggles, and tells me he said some funny things.

Later I found out that he had not hit this kid back but instead "booty thhhwacked him" a couple times to teach him a lesson.

I guess if you have met Dalton this will not come as a surprise, but just picture it for a second. I hope I don't have to end up paying for "this other child's" therapy or something.

The monkies are running the zoo

I just want to start by saying, all the single parents out there should be knighted or given free passes to mcdonald's forever, or something spectacular. I think of all the moms (and dads) in the military and how hard that must be to have all the responsibility of parenting the kids. That is why I am lucky that Dan and I both are a pretty good team with T & D. BUT this week, he is in LA for work and mama be doing this thing solo!!!!!!!!

Last night:

I pick up free pizza from my buddy (thanks Chad) and the kids and I head home. Tatum falls asleep in the car, she is TOTALLY out, and Dalton is reaching across and messing with her and then laughing because she is so tired she isn't responding to him being a stinker. I tell him 5 times to stop. He finally does and takes his shoes off and puts his toes up on the window....awesome, at least he is being quiet.
We get home, wake Tatum up, she is unhappy and claims she is car sick AND hungry. I put the pizza on plates and ask what would everyone like to watch. Tatum wants Hannah Montana, Dalton wants Agent Oso, so they compromise and watch VH1 (isn't that funny)?

I decide that after a long day, I need to get in a quick workout, so I jump on the elliptical machine and get going. 14 minutes in, I hear this:

"OH YUUUUUUCKKKKK..... BAD GIIIIRRRRLLLL BUTTTTONSSSS!!!!! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY,,,,get IN HERE!"

I jump off and run in and here is what had happened: Tatum and Dalton were so into the Beyonce video that they left their table of pizza post to get a closer look at the new Halo video, in that short 4 minutes, Buttons had reached her hot dog body up and grabbed a giant piece of Tatum's pizza, pulled it down to the ground and had eaten most of it. By the time I ran in and we were all looking at her, she was on her back with the last of the pizza by her face trying to stuff a couple more ounces in.....what a fat kid thing to do. Nom nom nom nom nom nom. I picked her up and she looked at me like oh crap, and I spanked her a couple times.

Tatum got a new slice of pizza, Dalton had two big pieces and a PB & J sandwich, and I returned to working out.

32 minutes into working out, I am cognitively aware that Dalton is in the room and talking, maybe to me or maybe to the hulk or batman, I am not sure. But although I am reading my book somehow I do make out the "I guess I am a dog now"

I look over and he has shoved his entire body into Button's crate. WHAAAAT???

I get off the elliptical machine.

"Dalton!!" (He bumps his head inside the crate).

"Yes mommy?"

"What are you DOING in there?"

"I am a doggie now."

"It's stinky and gross, let's get you out." I can't get him out, he is stuck. I say you are too big, you are kinda stuck.

D: "Okay I guess I will just have to seep here tonight, I won't yike it, but I will just seep here."

We finally got him out. I finished working out. And then proceeded to clean the Nastiest dog poop I have ever seen in my life. I guess when you are 6 pounds of bad news and you eat a 2 pound piece of pizza, it's bound to mess with you.

Dalton couldn't sleep, so he called out for me about 11:00 and I went in there, got him back to sleep, and then he got upset about 11:30 again, so I went in and laid down with him until about 2:30 and finally got back into my bed.

Stay tuned to hear more exciting stories from tonight's adventures.

Dalton, Buttons and maybe Tatum.....

Where in the WORLD are..... my sunglasses? Where is mama's name badge? Where is Brother Bear the movie? Where is Toy Story the movie? WHERE is the remote control? WHY is batman in the refrigerator? Why are there scarves tied together and hanging from the bannister upstairs? Dalton did you just pee outside, again? No we don't have any more cheetos....I can't go get more it's night time and you are in your pajamas. Fine, Dalton you can wear your batsuit to the store. No Tatum you can't eat all those goldfish crackers before dinner. Cereal isn't dinner even though that is what dad just had. Dalton, don't say boobies, and don't say big fat mama, and Dalton stop thanking God for Santa Clause in your prayers, especially in June. No we can't watch frosty the snowman, it's weird to do that in the summer.

And although that is probably a typical HOUR in our lives........they are precious and sweet and smart and the most wonderful babies in the world.

* The above comments are true. They have not been altered in any way.

Stress=Road Rage

Today hasn't been so great. I had a rough night last night (I was feeling sorry for myself, which lead to crying and being a big dumb baby), and the worst part I was being kinda mean too. I should have been grounded for at least a week! Bad me, no sushi for a week :)

Really I think it had more to do with stress. I think I do put a lot of pressure on myself with the assumption that since I am superwoman I can do it all, master it all, and be 100% all of the time. Well, I can't and I am tired. That is why, after much thought, Dan and I are quitting our jobs to become full time pirates. We can boat school the kids, it'll be perfect. A couple great doo rags and we will be on our way.

Okay, so we can't be pirates, but one thing I have to do is try to control the road rage. I just WANT to know ONE THING....WHY WHY WHY do people drive like THEY DO??!! Driving is important, you have to PAY ATTENTION. So, that means NO you don't go 30 miles over the speed limit BUT U DON'T GO 30 miles UNDER IT EITHER. It's dangerous. If I am merging onto the highway, and your %*&% is in the right lane and there are no cars in the left lane. GET OVER MAN...just GET....OVER.....

I feel so much better, now that I got that off my chest. I may not even honk the horn at anyone tonight driving home.

We Need a Costco

Listen, Walmart has great deals, I know that. You can't beat the rollback prices going on up in there. Chicken breasts on sale....your favorite dishwashing liquid.....skips for the kids, YES YES YES!!!! But I need a change of scenery. Last Sunday I was shopping and I started noticing some of my fellow shoppers and their "fashion choices." Hey, I usually look pretty casual and even a little rough for me when I am at walmart, but there were some folks there that were downright SCARY looking. I walked by two guys in the baking isle that smelled like weed (perhaps they needed a snack).......but really the highlight is when the weather gets warm and the ladies break out the ultra tight ultra short shorts. Big mamas....YIKES!!! Listen, I am not trying to be mean, I am not Sarah Jessica either, but perhaps I need a change of venue. THIS IS WHERE COSTCO comes in. Have you ever been? It's like Sam's but even better. They have it all. I love it.

I am excited for summer and to try out some new recipes. I have always loved to cook, but the last couple years, I am really really enjoying it. It's so fun to come up with new things. I really like to cook for friends too, so come on over and let's eat!!!

One more funny thing to add. Saturday morning Dan and I are sleeping and Tatum is up blarrrrrrrring the Phantom of the Opera from her room, so I guess we weren't REALLY sleeping if I can remember that, but anyway. This goes on for about 30 minutes (so keep that in mind while you are picturing this), I open my eyes to see Dalton is full Batman costume standing inches from us just starring at us while the MUSIC of THE NIGHT is playing even louder now. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a little shock, I thought how did he get all this on? Then again, he is a super hero, don't ask don't tell.

Tomorrow Dan is going on a fishing trip with my brother and my cousin Alex, just the boys. So it will just be me and cheech and chong. I think we might go to Silver Dollar City, we have season passes. Then it's telethon weekend so I will work most of Sunday doing that and then Dan leaves for the entire week. I think he is going to Canada and then to LA for work....

Have a great weekend!!!

Taco Bell

Imagine if someone asked you where you wanted to go to dinner and the FIRST thing that popped in your head was "Taco Bell." It was just the kids and me last night and so I thought it would be good to grab something quick. But when you are 6 and 3, going INSIDE the "lunch place" (which is what they call every restaurant) is really the ringer. Now cheech and chong weren't exactly on the BEST behavior right at the Taco Bell deciding moment. There was a finger that got bitten, a water bottle was tipped over and so there were wet eyes and some serious threats from mom to 'TURN THIS CAR AROUND AND GO HOOOME'

So there was a five minute stretch of 'good' and we parked and went inside. Well, immediately the kids were overtaken by that fantastic bouquet of smells that hits your nose. The meat and cheese, and sauce, OH MY!!! They went over to a booth as I ordered. Dalton stood up and eh hem, LOUDLY said, "HEY MOMMY, PROBABLY I WILL HAVE A REAL-YEE BIG SPRITE, OKAY?

OKAY Dalton SIT DOWN.

They get their soft tacos and cinnamon twists.

Tatum: "I really like these tacos, they are so yummy. I take a big bite and I go YUUUUUUMMMM (that was too loud, so I shhh her) she makes a face at me, I say don't be disrespectful, she says I'm not, I just like to joke with you,,,, Sorry kid, I wrote the book on this stuff, you can't fool me. She then looks lovingly at me and says, "I really love your shirt mommy, it's so pretty"

I say, OH THANK YOU I GOT IT ON SALE, etc. etc. etc. she is already looking around poking Dalton she could care less.

Tatum: 100
Mommy: 0

They finish and D man is COVERED in sugar and cinnamon. How can you NOT love the Taco Bell.

Patience is a virtue.........

At Least I ADMIT IT. I have NO Problem admiting my MANY faults. (Trust me, I know some people that are pretty darn perfect, just ask them). If you know me at all, you know I suffer from a mild case of OCD. I say mild, because in all seriousness, I don't wash my hands 155 times a day, etc. But there are some things that I have to have. I want my house to be clean. And if you have a problem with it then FINE!!!! I can be irrational about it, and I know it. It just makes me feel better. It all comes down to a control issue. I like control. I am MUCH better in many ways than I used to be, and I am so medicated I can barely walk-------hahahahahaha. I'm kidding okay?

Alright, so what's the point in all this crap right? For one thing, I HONESTLY LOVE/HATE technology, which most of us do I think. But for the last few nights I haven't been able to upload Tatum's pictures from her party, mostly because I think my 3 year old computer is SOOOOOOO outdated, blah blah blah. Anyway, I have said some things I am ashamed of to Mr. Computer. Like WHAT IS GOING ON HERE YOU STUPID THING??? WHY IS THIS TAKING SOOOO LONG????? I just got a letter from AARP!!!!!!! Your SCREEN IS ALWAYS SMEARED AND GROSS!!! Then I just turn it off, ha. That'll teach the stupid computer :)

Dog.

Buttons is adorable, as you can tell if you have seen her. She is cute, she runs all over, her little body is so long that when she walks, her butt kinda goes to one side. It's funny. She loves to fetch, she loves to play.....AND SHE ALSO LOOOOVVVESSS VICTORIA'S SECRET PANTIES......THE NICE ONES. No cotton ones, ONLY THE BEST FOR THE WIENER DOG. What might you ask? How can this be? Victoria's secret doesn't even MAKE under pants small enough right??!!! Let me explain: Buttons has been going into the laundry room, taking the clean underwear and chewing a hole through them so they fall apart.

8 PAIRS SO FAR. IT'S NOT FUNNY, AND SHE HAS BEEN SPANKED AND GROUNDED, BUT SHE STILL DOES IT.

Then there is the potty training. Someone PLEASE help me with this. She is at MAYBE 50%...maybe. And when she is outside, does she follow directions?? NO! I have told her time and time again, do NOT go in the street, it's dangerous, there are cars and big dogs, etc. out there. oooo Buttons, Buttons, it's a Wild World. She still does it.

We still adore her. She is SO good with the kids. She sleeps part of the night every night with Tatum. She lets me rap and make her dance to my rapping while T & D howl with laughter. She never bites, growls ( unless there is a stranger at the door), or anything like that. She is very calm, so we are lucky in most ways. But she owes me 8 pairs of underwear.

Tatum's last day of Kindergarten was yesterday. HOW IS THAT Possible?? She is such a big girl. She brought home her journal that they kept all year, and WOW, what amazing changes she has made. You couldn't read her entries well in the beginning, but at the end they are so great. In fact, I am certain she can speak and write better than people that work in my building. As I have posted before she is obsessed with musicals, especially Phantom of the Opera. The child goes to sleep every night with the score playing LOUDLY in her room. Ok. I love it too, but we are REALLY taking "The Music of the Night" to another level,,,,hello kitty stereo and all.

Enough for now.

Tatum turned 6.....

So, my little diva turned 6. She has loved horses since she was 2, and so I had to come up with SOMETHING that would be great. Enter the miniature horses and tons of friends and family. We decorated our clubhouse and it was awesome. Two mini ponies, and pizza and cake, tons of gifts and you have a VERY happy 6 year old. Mama was tired, but it was worth it. I have to say I feel pretty proud to have pulled it off, and ALSO that the weather wasn't bad. This time of year it could be raining at any time of the day. See the pics.

Tatum's last day of kindergarten is tomorrow. I really can't believe it. WHERE does the time go? She is incredibly smart and funny, (of course), and is just the coolest little person ever.

Now Dalton. Dude. He has the 'Edward from Twilight hair' going for him. The "HEY LADIES" thing going for him and he also is 3. So that means he is WILD. But he and his mom are going to have a "date" in the next week of so, SO he is excited.

I have to admit that I am re-reading the Twilight Series again. I don't know why, except I guess it turns out I am a 17 year old girl. See my facebook page, my friend Dave photoshoped my face into the 2009 New Moon promo, and it's hysterical. I feel so cute :)

Work is steady. Dan is going to be out of town MOST of June so that will be interesting.

Things I should be proud of, or ashamed of:

Tatum had her last meeting tonight for her Girl Scout Daisy Group. Look, I am busy and I can't be Betty Crocker all the time, but I try. One of the things that Tatum was supposed to learn was the girl scout law. All the girls have been learning this all year. And, well, I forgot okay? So last night Dan and I gave her the "college cram session" on the law and all be &^%$ if she didn't learn that thing inside and out in an hour. Tonight she smoked everyone on it. SO proud.

I guess it's time to post pics and go back to my Twight Series Books. I can't wait for prom :)

Just a Bunch of stuff......

I seriously can't believe it's already May. Where does the time go? Tatum turned 6 last weekend, but the huge bash isn't until this Saturday (please no rain)!!! I have a LOT of work to do on her party, so I need to get focused on that. I need to clean the clubhouse, clean MY house, and do some other things and we should be set to go!

It's been pretty rainy here, and sometimes chilly, so I haven't had the desire to get out and plant much yet, where is the SUN!!!?????? Last Friday and Saturday I had a garage sale, well we had a neighborhood sale, and it went pretty well. Except that it takes a lot of time and energy and I always feel like I open the garage door and suddenly I am in Tijuana... (not what you are thinking!!) more like I am having people bargaining with me. Dude the shirt is $1, but fine yes, take it for 50 cents, it's cool. Well, I realized that after the garage sale, I really had so much more stuff I needed to get rid of but oh well.

Last Saturday night the kids went to G-ma's for the night and Dan and I went to dinner with our friends Katie and Ron, they just moved here from OKC, and we are so excited to have them here! We went to Kai downtown, and then to Bubbles, it was a lot of fun. Of course, we were home at a VERY reasonable time, (old) !!!!

One last thing, Tatum told me the other day that she would like to 'un-invite' these two little boys in her class thank you very much...... I am not really sure what went down, she was pretty coy about the whole thing, but either way I told her we could not un-invite them, this of course did not sit well and there were some grumbles:

"I don't know WHY I even sent them one"

"I don't even think they will BE in my class next year"

"so in so isn't as FAST as I am when we run at recess"

I can't leave Dalton out. His passion is dressing in his spiderman, batman, fireman, policeman, doctor etc. outfits. Last night, he was 'Dr. Dalton' and he had his bag of tricks out. I was of course a VERY sick lady. The rug in the play room also doubles as a patient bed. So I lie down and I am saying, "Dr. Dalton I am so sick, I really really need some help."
He is so serious, checking my blood pressure, listening to my heart, etc. He would say, "ah,,,,good" and " you are better now." Well then I started to make my move, I said Dr. Dalton if I had some kisses I think I would feel so much better. He ignored me until I finally got two or three big juicy ones on the lips. He wiped them off very nonchalant and told me that I was going to need MANY shots, so I needed to "Be brave of this"

I am recovering just fine, and if anyone needs a great doctor I have his number.

7 Year Itch......

Ahhhh, but it feels so good!!! I will be the first to say Happy 7th Anniversary today to my wonderful husband Dan!!!! Yup, 7 years ago today. Honestly, so so so so much has happened in that amount of time. Two of those things are Miss Tatum Brynn (who will be 6 this Saturday!) and Mr. Dalton Patrick who is 3, but is already a lady killer.

Dan and I went to St. Louis this weekend for a quick getaway. It was good, we stayed for FREE!!! Even better, and had fun. The Cardinals were in town, so it was a bit busy in the city, and there was also a Taylor Swift concert (I secretly wanted to go),,,,but it was fun.

Now, we are planning Tatum's big party. Her official birthday is May 2nd, but her school party and her big party won't be until May 8th and 9th. Saturday, May 9th we will have her HORSE PARTY!!! I am having two mini horses brought in, for her and all her buddies and family, some pizza, cake and ice cream,,,doesn't get much better than that! She is excited. I will post pics of that soon.

Here's to a Happy Monday...

What you talkin bout?

Kids are funny. The things that come out of their mouths are truly interesting. They can be hysterical, whiny, creative, truthful, innocent, INSANE, etc. I know I am biased, but my children are really quite intelligent. I know everyone thinks their kids are great, but sometimes I just have to stop and smile and think, "WOW," God has really blessed me with these amazing little souls.

Ok, onto funny things. I just thought I would share some interesting things that have been said by the mouths of the Rice kids.

And if you know Dalton, you know that he still says his y's for his l's....like "I yuv u," uook at this, etc.

D: Are you going to extracise now?

T: Don't tickle my arm picks

D: What did you said?

T: Where are my glubs? (gloves)

T: Thank you God for China

D: I on-yee want to wear my Hulk jammies.....they are the on-yee ones I yike

T: I'm not kidding you this

T: I got my eye on ya,,,,

T: I like this boy in 4th grade, he is sooo nice. I don't know his name.

D: (To his mama) When I grow up, I will kiss you and fall in yuv with you and we can get married
Me: Honey, I am married to Daddy.
D: (A bit irritated) I will kiss Tatum and fall in yuv and get married.
Me: You can't honey, she is your sissy.
D: (ANGRY), FINE WHEN I GROW UP, I WILL KISS GRANDMA, AND FALL IN YUV AND GET MARRIED.
Me: Dude.

There are so many funny things they do and say. They get so big so fast.

Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend! It's Friday! Dan works all weekend prepping for trial next week, so me and the kids are going to Disney On Ice tomorrow!

RIP little bunnies

I am truly raising Venus and Mars. On Sunday afternoon, Tatum and Dalton were outside in the backyard really having quite a time investigating. There were rocks to pick up, dirt to move, etc. so I could tell they were very busy and had a LOT of business to discuss out there. About 45 minutes in, I hear Tatum bellowing "THIS IS JUST SO TERRIBLE,,,,,,,IT'S THE MOST HORRIBLE THING EVER.......(crying ensues).....I came down the stairs and she says, "there are dead animals out there".....Um.....what in the? Just so you can visualize this, Tatum is crying now, and Dalton keeps saying "Can I pick up the dead thing mommy? Please mommy, I want to keep the dead animal" Venus and Mars.

Sure enough it was 7 dead baby rabbits, and when I said that to Dan, Tatum just cried even harder "RABBITS??!!! WHAT HAPPENED MOMMY??!"

Dude, I am not on trial here, I have no idea,,,I say, "I don't know honey, but they will all go to heaven" (but for now, this nice plastic bag I have), she says..

"YOU CAN'T put them in that,,,!"

(Dalton) "Are u reayyee reayyee (really really) sure they are dead mommy?"

Luckily none of this drama is nothing two white powdered donuts can't fix (close curtain).

I had fun last week in New Orleans, I went there with my boss for a convention, but it was good. Not my favorite city by any means, but it was cool to get away. I was sure glad to come home though, a LONG day of travel made me so tired I felt sick. Here are some picks.....

ALSO, (it's been awhile since I posted), our Red Hot Night event was spectacular, I will post pics of this too!!!!

Well, we are all heading to the cabin this weekend with the in-laws, so that will be fun. Hope you all have a very happy Easter (in memory of the seven baby bunnies that Tatum has already forgotten about).

Another one bites the dust......

Jaws the second is dead. He/She died the first day! And the stupid thing cost me $6!!! As it was floating on the top of the fish bowl I looked down and said "YOU WILL NEVER BE JAWS the First!!!!" Stupid blue fish. Jaws the first may not have had that beautiful blue shiny look, but he had the heart of a beta warrior fish, it's just not easy to find these days, a beta fish that truly loves his bowl, and fights for his right to party.

Well, I don't even know if I will get another one for awhile, this has just been too hard. The kids could care less......

It just occured to me that I am listening to Miley Cyrus on my ipod and I am wearing a Twilight shirt too, I guess it turns out I am 15, ha!!!! Whatever I like this song and I like the Twilight series,,,,

We had a good night last night. Our friends Laurie and Eric came over, we had some great food and watched some of Twilight, but we are old and we couldn't even finish the movie, we were all so tired!

I have to run to the mall today and buy some Spanx (sp?) everyone says they are great and I have a big event on Thursday night and I am wearing an awesome dress by Nicole Miller, but it's pretty tight, so I better make sure everything is in the right place :)

OH MY WORD,,, I almost forgot, Tatum's debut performance in Chickin Lickin was a smashing success. Everything I have read has been very positive "Breakthrough performance of the year"
"This young star shows much promise and talent" "The most fun I have had in an elementary gym since the 80's" etc. etc.
She was so cute, her nana made her outfit and she looked about as 'chickeny' as a 5 year old could. See pics

Jaws the Beta Fish 10(ish)06-3-16-09

Well, everyone who knew and loved Beta aka Jaws the beta fish, I would like to announce that he/she has gone on to a better place. I know, I know, it's devastating. Jaws the beta fish was a part of our lives for almost 2.5 years. He lived a good life, had a good bowl, etc. but on Monday, March 16, 2009 Jaws kicked it.

My first reaction was OH NO!!! The kids were really more concerned with seeing "him" upside down dead. Comments like WOW, he REALLY ISSSS dead, and CAN WE HOLD HIM, made me realize that I don't think the kids were really not very horrified about the whole thing.....I will attach a pic. Poor Jaws the beta fish. Maybe lived longer than most of his kind.

Anyway, on a different note, things are going well here. Tatum will be in her play "Chicken Licken" on Thursday night. She is very excited!! Her nana made her a very adorable outfit complete with feathers, yellow tights and orange crocs so that she can portray 'Henny Penny,' will be a lot of fun.

I am busy busy with work. So is Dan. I leave for New Orleans in a week and a half....work related, but will be nice to get out of the office for a few days.

OH, I did save Buttons life the other day. You know, typical day in the life of a mom. I was getting ready for work and this silly goofy little puppy decides to steal a ponytail holder and then choke on it; well naturally I sat there watching her like 'hair ball?' not so much. I had NO idea what to do, so I pick her 5 pound little body up, and see something in her mouth and pound her back a few times and out pops this ponytail holder. DUDE. She is fine, but nothing like adding a little spice to the morning.

Hope you all have a great St. Pat's Day!!!

And the Oscar goes to..........

Friday when Tatum got home she had some information in her backpack about the Kindergarten play that is coming up, I saw that she had a role in it and I thought well, that is cute, I am sure that many kids will all be dressed as this character running around, but NO!!! Miss Tatum is one of only 7 in all the kindergarten classes to have a lead role!! And what a role it is,,,,,,the part of 'Henney Penny' in the play 'Chicken Licken' goes to Tatum!! Her music teacher told me she was very talented (of course) and I am sure it is that partnered with some SERIOUSLY great stage presence that just sent her over the top!! Honestly, I just think it's so precious, it's my baby girl's first school program. Of course pictures will be posted when said night occurs.

Save the Best for Last

WOOOOOW........

What a week. It's been busy and hectic, but it's over now. My event (well, I say that, but it's not just MY event) but one of the many things I am working on was VERY successful, I had a great weekend with my best friend Maggie and her family. They drove down from Des Moines and we had such an awesome weekend. Thank you Dan and Chad for realizing that sometimes girls just need some time together to 'hang out'

Here are some pics from the weekend. The kids had fun, the big kids had fun and I am just SO lucky to have the best friends in the world. I will post more later, but here are some pictures.

Once Upon a Time.......

Well, it's here. The last day of my twenty something decade. A friend told me the other day that she never had a problem with the 0's....like 30 or 40 or 50, she said it was like a brand new start...I have been talking about turning 30 for awhile now, and NOW that it is upon me, it's kinda weird. I just actually sat here and thought about the last 10 years, and what amazing things have happened, all the challenges, the good times and bad times. 10 years ago right now, I was a sophomore in college, and that's about all I need to SHARE, b/c those were some WILD DAYS!!! I met Dan when I was 21, but we were just good looking co-workers at The Olive Garden at that time!! We started dating when we were 22 (which is funny, because now I look at the younger kids I know who are about that age or OLDER and I think...they are WAY too young to be serious!) ha... I was just a pup myself, but I sure got lucky with my boy.

I mean when I look back at it, we started dating in August, I BOUGHT A DRESS IN OCTOBER,, (what the?) and didn't get engaged until December. Wow, mom that was pretty awesome of you to go along with all that!!! Then we got married that NEXT April...what a whirlwind. Dan and I moved to St. Louis that summer the end of July, I started a job at Yellow Book USA (which has forever scared me), and Dan started law school at SLU.

Hmmm, then two weeks into my training in the arm pit of the USA (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) sorry, it is. I love Des Moines, but Cedar Rapids just STANKS. I noticed that I felt HORRIBLE. Kidney infection? Bladder infection? What was the deal. SO I called my dr. back home and got some meds. They just didn't seem to help. When I finally got back to STL, Dan and I made an executive decision to drive straight into the ghetto and find the scariest hospital known to man, where I sat shivering on a cold hard table, preparing for certain death when our very unfriendly Indian dr. informs us "Congratulations, you are going to be parents" and turns around and walks out.

We went home that night (3 a.m.) and just sat in bed. Wow. Life can really be interesting. I have a bad job, you are in school and we are going to have a baby. Fast forward 8.5 months, and 76 pounds later..Yup that's right; big mama gained 76 pounds, I DO NOT advise that, and Tatum Brynn was born. She was our angel baby!!

Ok, so then we moved to Columbia, MO when Tatum was 2 months old, Dan transferred to MU Law School, and I got a GREAT job with the American Heart Association. We had our adventures there for two years, and moved back to Springfield after he graduated so he could take the job with the firm he is at now. Not too long after that Mr. Dalton Patrick was born!!

So much more has happened, new friends, jobs, Buttons Rice, etc. The kids are 5 and 3 now, and getting bigger by the minute.

I know this was a long post, but I guess I needed to just re-cap some of the big things that have happened for me in the past several years. So here is to the 20's........you have been wonderful and stressful and crazy. Just another chapter in what I hope is a very long books of stories.

What a weekend!

Well it's Sunday night and it's about time to put the kids in bed and get ready for another fun week of work! Um, that was me being sarcastic. But no really, I have a lot of things coming up at work the next couple of weeks and I am actually pretty excited about it. ALSO, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION....I TURN....ok,,,,just say it out loud Lindsay...30,,,,,in less than two weeks. I really can't believe it, but you know what? I am excited. My best friend is coming to see me, I have an event coming up, and life is pretty good.



This weekend has been great too. Friday I took off and went to Tatum's Valentine's Day party at her school and helped out. Good thing too, one other mom and myself were the only ones there and they kept me pretty busy passing things out and making sure all the kindergarteners had a fun time. Ta and I left after that, went to the store and then she helped me (uh, right), clean the house and make dinner. It was a good day and a fun night. Saturday we were up early and played around, then met some friends for Incredible Pizza for lunch so that Tatum could exchange valentine gifts with her "boyfriend" I use that term loosely at age 5. Then we met g-ma and gpa Rice and they took the kids for the night (THANK YOU!!!)



Dan and I proceeded to steam clean all the carpet areas (thank you neighbors Andy and Angela for letting us borrow your AWESOME steam cleaner) and then ordered sushi in for the night and watched movies.



Today has been good. Tonight I made dinner and homemade cupcakes, and we are just chilling out. Nothing too exciting. I am going to post some pictures of Tatum's 'father/daughter dance' last Thursday night. She had SOOO much fun. I can't believe she is so big.



On another note, my Fabulous friend Bevin from LA wants me to come visit this summer, so she and I are trying to figure out a way to see each other which is very exciting for me!!!



I hope everyone is having a great weekend...stay tuned for more crazy RICE adventures.

Igga Ma Jigga Ma Doo

I know I talk a lot about my kids. I think I have a bit of a gift of 're-telling' the stories that I post, but trust me my friends, they are all true. There is no way, even my creative mind could come up with all the hysterical things that come out of my kids' mouths.

So, the older they get the more in tune they are to their surroundings, but at 5 and 3, they honestly say what is on their mind, make observations that are completely innocent that-- usually are pretty accurate and funny.

This morning as I was dropping Tatum off, she and I were doing our usual morning banter of "you are a silly head that lives in the zoo and eats rocks" for example, just made up stuff. I said Tatum,,'you are a igga ma jigga ma doo' and you match the color too (again, just trying to rhyme and be funny), she stops and says 'what color is that' I said, 'uh yellow?' Then she turns to me and says 'Mama, you have browner skin than some people'

I acutally said, (good bronzer)......, she didn't get it so I just said, oh honey we all have different shades of skin. She said, OH like Barrack Obama.

I said, yup you got it.

The point is, kids are so funny, their thought processes. And they really are innocent, and I just wish we could keep them that way as long as possible.

Tonight is the Father/Daughter Valentine Dance and Tatum and Dan are going OUT ON THE TOWN!!! Or, up the street to Ozark West Elementary. Dalton and I are going to have a FUN night together too! We may even go to WALMART! So how do you like them apples?

I must do work now.

Tatum and Bobby McGee

Like most families, we have our routines. In the morning the boys leave early for work and school and the girls take a little more time to get going. With the addition of Buttons Rice, it's 3 girls hanging out in the mornings now. Usually Tatum kinda hangs out in my bathroom with me, while I do the hair, make-up thing. Today she brought her guitar in and serenaded me the WHOLE TIME. I don't have a picture (dang it), but just picture this:

She is laying on her back with her legs up on the door, just strumming away, which made me think of a little acoustic action, with one exception, she was singing Beyonce's 'All the Single Ladies' I didn't dare laugh, but it wasn't easy. I kept saying WOW, Tatum that is really beautiful, etc. etc. She then announced that she would like to play a guitar when she is a 'mom' and also she wants to make dinner. What? Be my guest!!! She is so funny.

Buttons........is getting a little bit sneaky. Things are happening in our house and getting moved and disappearing and then re-appearing. Her favorite thing to do is take items like socks, shirts, you name it and hide them under one of the beds. Of course since she is so tiny, she can crawl under just about everything. She also knows in the morning when it's almost time for us to go, I get her crate out, turn on The Backyardigans or Dora the Explorer and get a puppy pad out for her....she usually runs very fast up the stairs.

A Time for Change

What a week so far! The weather here in southwest Missouri is looking brighter and a little warmer for the next few days, so that is great news! Maybe we can get out and do some hiking around at The Nature Center this weekend, the kids love that! There is a lot going on with us (what's new?)!!! But I like it that way, eventually it would be great to not work AS much, but I get bored very easily. Plus, I would just clean the ba juu juu out of my house all the time and that's just weird after awhile.

I think I have decided that I am going to start going back to school for my MBA, not sure when I will start and there are some interesting options I am looking into, but I really want to go places in my career and in today's world, if you don't have at least a Master's degree,,,well, good luck.
It's exciting, but nerve wracking too.

We found out my best buddy Maggie and her family are coming to visit us the weekend of Feb. 28th (MY birthday weekend)!! So that is going to be an awesome gift just to see them. Her little ones are getting big so fast, and it's about time we had some time together!! Boy do WE have stories from back in the day. We had many many fun adventures together.

I have a big event the day of my birthday, Thursday Feb. 26th, and it is almost SOLD OUT!! So that is exciting. I love to see that people are really having fun at these events.

My baby brother just bought a new Infiniti G35!! I am jealous!! But he deserves it! Matt, I will be expecting many joy rides in the next few months! I told Tatum about Uncle Matt's car and she said she liked it better than any car in the entire universe....uh, you haven't even seen it yet, but OK!!!!

Dan and I are trying to keep each other motivated to work out hard!! He has been getting up in the a.m. and doing about 45-50 minutes of cardio, and then I do it at night. WE are going to be SEXY!!!

I must go, but I do have one more thing. Why. Why why why MUST I insist on wearing the most amazingly cute shoes that KILL MY FEET???? Carrie Bradshaw would be impressed, but my piggies are about to give out on me!

Well, this is all kinda jumbled into one big post of tons of things, but if you know me, then you know that makes perfect sense, my brain works in funny ways.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thursday.

Is the weekend over ALREADY?

It's been a good weekend, Tatum and I had our nails done and we look cute!!! We are watching the superbowl, but it's not really as exciting as it used to be :(

Dalton got some new Iron Man shoes today, not what his mom wanted, but when you are at Payless, and the superhero shoes are yelling at you, it's almost too much to resist. So he got them.

I promised I would post pictures of our crazy opossum, and so I will. I hope you all had a good weekend, I am counting down the days til the next one.

What a week!

It's so funny to me that people in the Ozarks get SOOO crazy when we have a little ice and a LITTLE snow. This week we had a some accumulation, but NOTHING compared to our friends up north, and this only happens maybe once or twice a year at most. But everyone freaks out, drives crazy, etc. It was pretty, but now most of it is melting away. The kids had fun watching the snow on Tuesday night! Tatum has been out of school for three days, so she spent one of those with me (we had a girls day) and she is at Dalton's school today.

I HAVE to post a picture of the opossum. It, he, she whatever it was, was spotted on the top of the garage door opener, how it got there, who knows. In the flower pots and finally on Sunday night at about 11:00, we heard something in the garage. The door was closed so we knew it was in there. After about 30 minutes of looking EVERYWHERE, I had a flashback to a cat we had growing up taking a ride in the engine of my mom's totally awesome 1978 Monte Carlo (might have been older, not sure), and I said, I BET IT'S UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR!!! Sure enough Dan popped the hood and there it sat hissing at us. Dan took a broom and starts hitting it in the head, that just makes it mad and hurts it and it hides down in the engine where we can't get to it. Fast forward about an hour and a half. We gave up and went to bed. The next morning, it was still there, so Dan drove the car to school and then to work and when he got there the opossum was STILL in there. So he called animal control and this tiny little girl shows up and just reaches down and grabs Happy Gilmore by the tail and that was that. She drove him off to a far away place, hopefully NO WHERE NEAR Ozark.

So now we are opossum free. Tatum was concerned he had a brother or a girlfriend, but we reassured her that probably wasn't the case.

I am just ready for the weekend. Aren't we all? No events this weekend, just hanging out. Hope wherever you are, you are staying warm!!!!

I promise to put a picture of the rodent up soon :)

THIS....IS......WAR

I don't even know where to start. This evil little fat opossum just decided to move in to the Rice garage. I don't know how this thing keeps getting in and where it hides, but there it was again last night. I went after it with a broom but I am afraid it's going to turn and attack me. I have already had a couple dreams about this. On the way to work this morning after I dropped off Tatum I had a box in the passenger seat with a bottle in it for work, and as I was driving 'something' was bouncing in there and I thought "HOW DID THIS OPOSSUM GET IN HERE?" I stopped the car, and sat there and flipped the top open only to find a bottle, but that is how paranoid I am.

SO Dan went to Home Depot to get 'death of a opossum' in a bottle but turns out they don't make that, so now I am not sure what we are going to do. This is like the James Bond of opossums. I think of the Mission Impossible music and this ugly thing making a break for it. It ACTUALLY is moving our stuff around. So great, I have a very gutsy, gross opossum who also has OCD and is rearranging things on our shelves outside.

OH! And I forgot when I got home last night, one of my flower pots was SHATTERED on the garage floor. Our little circus freak must have been climbing up pretty high and knocked it over. It was on the very top shelf. It also knocked over the kids' box of sidewalk chalk.

This is war, and I am going to win. Tonight begins operation KILL THIS OPOSSUM. I'm wearing camo and everything. I might even drink a beer and bring out my gun, except I don't have any beer OR a gun. Either way, this OPOSSUM is GOING DOWN.

Unsolved Mysteries

I am a big fan of most of God's creatures, but there is something about opossums that are just gross. Their tails are weird, they hiss, yuck. Last night I had left the garage door open after we got home from work and I went out to get something out of the car and when I opened the door shaggy the homeless opossum casually looks up at me from drinking out of a bowl in the garage; like 'what?' I slam the door, get the chills and tell Dan there is THE BIGGEST opossum in our garage and I think it was about ready to attack. Maybe that is a little dramatic, but it was about 5 times bigger than Buttons!!!!

So the thing runs over to the shelves and Dan (with broom), tries to go over and get 'it' out, but has to pull the car out first, so he crawls through the passenger door (my suggestion) so that the bearlike opossum doesn't attack his legs, etc. Once the car is out, I get a better view of our little friend. He is stuck and he tries to escape but falls and his legs and ugly tail are dangling in the air.

Right about now it hits Dan and he says, "THIS explains everything!"

What?

The last couple of days when Dan got home from work his shoes and boots were moved from the shelf to the garage floor and the bird seed was all over..........so it wasn't Lindsay doing it after all it was the INTRUDER!!!!!!

I also didn't look under my car this morning with a flashlight just in case, if that's what you were asking.

Happy Obama Day!

Mardi Gras--well not quite

I don't have much time, but wanted to post a pic of Dan and I from the weekend. Now don't go getting all jealous my friends, this picture was taken in a small town for an event that we had to WORK. The theme was Mardi Gras and I thought we looked kinda cute.

The work day is almost done!!

Happy MLK Day

History really is an amazing thing, and today our nation celebrates a very powerful leader. Tatum brought home a little flip chart she had made at school honoring Dr. King, and it was really cool to hear her talk about all the things she is learning. Tatum's school is closed today, so she is at The Learning Center with Dalton, mom and dad have to work of course.

This weekend seemed FAR too short. I had an event in Monett, so Dan and I met my mom in Mt. Vernon so she could take the short people back with her and we headed on down to work the event for the night. Got home late, stayed up and watched SNL and (we are not proud of this), made a CPK bbq chicken pizza....

Yesterday we were up early to head down to Joplin for church and then to Grandma's house for lunch. It's always good to see everyone. This time we brought Buttons and she loved it. We got back and did our thing, ate leftover spaghetti and I did facebook stuff when the kids went to bed. I am addicted, it's ridiculous. So far, it's mostly people from high school.

I need to get going, it's a busy Monday already. If you are lucky enough to have the day off, Enjoy it!

Peter Pan

I have had 3 people just today remind me of the fact that I am turning 30 this year. You know, I was saying my knees hurt (almost 30), I'm breaking out (almost 30), my eyes are puffy (almost 30).....that has been the joke around here lately. The cool thing is, everyone I have talked to (women), have said for the most part their 30's were better than their 20's. As long as I look good, and I am healthy then I probably won't wake up on February 26th (30) much different then I did the day before (29).

Back to work for me, we have two events the next two Saturdays, and it's busy around here.

Happy Hump Day

Two for Tuesday

Buttons. I love her. She is funny and so sweet. She thinks that there is another doggie that lives in our closet, interestingly this 'other dog' looks just like her. She is NOT happy that we have another dog in the closet, a.k.a. A MIRROR.

She decided to punish me and poop on the floor of our bedroom. One for Tuesday.

I am just finishing getting ready for work and I hear "OH BUTTONS, THAT IS NOT A GREAT JOB!!! SHE POOPED AGAIN MOMMY!!" Two for Tuesday.

I have a pile of work on my desk that is yelling at me, so I must go for now. Stay Warm!! :)

Post two

Tonight has been a fun night of science 'inspections' or also known as 'experiments.' The kids are having a lot of fun making projects and bringing them in for us to see. Mostly it's Tatum as the creator and Dalton as the deliverer of the items :)

The kids are also obsessed with the movie "The Phantom of the Opera." We have been singing all the songs and they LOVE IT!!!! They must take after their mom's love of all things theatre.

It's my first post on our blog! This will be fun sharing with all our friends what is new in our lives. Things are busy as usual with two kids, a dog, jobs and everything else in between. The holidays were nice, but we are settling back into our schedule. Tatum is in kindergarten at Ozark West Elementary and just got her 2nd progress report on Friday and she is very advanced! She loves to read and write and is such a little artist. Dalton is going great in the Sunshine class here at Cox too. This week Tatum is the 'star student' in her class and she was so excited to take pictures and some of her favorite toys and books to her kindergarten class to share.

Dan is busy at the firm and is teaching another online course at Drury this semester. I too will be doing some teaching at OTC off and on, so that is fun. I am pretty busy at Cox right now. Lots of projects going on.

I hope you are having a good week so far!!