When does 8+8 not equal 16?

AJ: Mom, can Hunter and I got to Sally's house?

Mom: Not right now.

AJ: Come on, mom, we can take ourselves.

Mom: Not right now. 

AJ: But Hunter and I are both 8, 8+8=16, which means we're old enough to drive when we are together. 

Mom: Nice try buster. 

Mom to Self: I better go hide the car keys. 

Hell Hounds

Behold the hounds from Hell.

Remember watching the Lost Boys back in the day. It took many many years to look at Keifer and not see fangs. Or look at rice and not see maggots. Or to think of hell hounds in any other way that those snarly nasty mangy freaky K9s. 

Well, let lose the demons because the hounds from hell reside in Acampo! 

Molly didn't quite cut it with us. When I said she was her

e to stay, well.... just to stay over like an extended slumber party. She's gone. She ate her poop. I mean devoured it. One night while my dad and grandma were visiting, Molly's little gut decided it needed to purge. This night gave diarhea of the mouth a whole new meaning to me. No one likes to wake up at 2am to the not so sweet mouth of re-gurged turd. 

So 2 am, we're scrubbing carpet, gagging, freezing with patio doors wide open and th

e ceiling fans on, and Mike get his diarhea of the mouth (not really turd 

mouth, but potty mouth). "you effen B" "You piece of Shhhhheeeet" (only I'm cleaning up his words for this post) "you worthless no good B"... Well, you get what I'm saying. Me, I'm laughing so hard wondering what my dad and grandma are thinking is going on, and how I could let him speak to me that way. 

So the next weekend, Molly goes bye-bye in my boss' car for a trip far far away. Brave of me to hand off yuck mouth to the man who does my reviews and evaluates my raises. I did come clean, and let him know what the issue was, so I did cover my arse. Any whooo, he loves her to pieces. He scoops poop more than we did, most likely. They're so happy together.

So back to the hell hounds, like it could get worse. 

Well, Mike was ready for a new lab. His fool wife actually believed 2 is easier than 1, 

because it will have playmate. Sierra will be happy because she's too old to deal with an annoying puppy. Boy am I lame. 

Double the annoying puppy attacks on Sierra. They tag team attack her while she is resting. 

Double the poop to scoop (which luckly neither has acquired the hankering to munch).

Double the expense.

Double the destruction to the home. 

Double Trouble!!!

I swear, Austin and Hunter in K9 form. Wonder twins 

activate.. "in form of amazingly annoying, psychotic, destructive puppy" "in form of amazingly annoying, psychotic, destructive puppy twin". 

Although to the boys' defense, they are not annoying, just psychotic and destructive. Oh and the go potty in the toilets, not on the lawns (well #2 anyways). 

We picked up Buddy the day after Thanksgiving. He's the blond demon. He was born 9/30. Shasta came home at 6 and a 1/2 weeks the Sunday before Christmas. Such a little dink. Buddy thought she was a squeaky toy until she bot back. She's so EEEEvile. She kicks his and Sierra's butt in 3 seconds flat. Hunter adores Shasta and Buddy is Austin's yellow shadow. Every boy should have a dog. And every mom should drink heavily (or at least invest in Miss Clairol for the multiple dyes to cover the new greys).

But isn't life more fun with twins boys, and puppies?

Never a dull moment. 

Happy valentines. 

Eeek! Look at those Jacks!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

From my little Jack-O-Lanterns to yours.

The Courage to Love and Whip in October

Halloween is a coming, and I'm flippin' freakin out! I love Halloween! I finally nagged Mike enough that he took the Halloween decorations out of the attic "now will you shut-up about it already?" Nope, so sorry to say that I won't. Because now I'm complaining that all of the Halloween decorations fit in one box. I need more, I tell you, more! I think I will be doing a little patriotic spending this week to help boost the economy (and my Halloween spirit). 

This year I have a Boba Fett and an Indiana Jones in residence. Actually, right now just an Indiana Jones in training. We normally order our costumes online, but Indy's hat held up the delivery date. So yesterday we went to Ooga-Booga and found an Indy hat and whip combo. I cancelled the online order for the hat and whip (saving $20.00 - yippee more to help get my Halloween decoration fix) and the order for the rest was shipped today. I usually plan to get costumes early enough that the boys have plenty of rips and holes in their costumes come Halloween. Actually, Hunter still wears costumes from Halloweens past all through out the year. We love costumes. 

Now back to Indy. Or really back to Indy's bull whip. Mini-Jones has whipped everyone and everything in this house, garage, yard, store...... It's made out of some plastic earth destroying material that really keeps it from hurting when it makes contact with it's victims. It's really pretty good. Problem is, Mini-Jones is getting better. Evil child. I love it. He's been running around the house with his Indy hat and whip, and even slept with them last night. Sierra is the only one spared from the whippings. 

Soooo, what did Hunter sleep with? A rubber chicken. Yes, a plucked, rubber, funky chicken. He loves that chicken. I think it had feathers before Austin whipped them all out one by one, but Mike assures me that it was naked and funky from the start. 

Austin lost his first tooth, FINALLY.  He's had his 4 front teeth lose for over a year. Finally one fell out in his sleep last night. Maybe he accidentally whipped it out. He's so stoked to get some cash from the Tooth Fairy. I told him to hang the whip up for the night or she may be too scared to approach. He didn't buy it and told me she wasn't a chicken like me. Then proceeded to compare me with the naked funky rubber chicken, which offended Hunter more than me.

I'll get my revenge, I spent some of my costume re-purchasing savings today and bought a big skeleton which is laying in Austin's bed right now, waiting for him to go to bed, much to his surprise. Ofcourse it may backfire and the tooth fairy will be putting money under my pillow where little man will sure to be sleeping after the freak out from Grim resting on his pillow. It'll be worth it, though. I can hardly wait for the freak-out scream fest. 

After soccer practice we pull up to the house and Hunter tells me he wishes it was Valentines day every day of the year. Austin, who thinks he is 15, says "well that sucks". And so the argument begins. 

H - Valentine Rocks!

A - Yuck!

H - But Austin, Valentine's is all about love, compassion and courage!

A - Yuck!

Mom - Oh Hunter, you have such a beautiful heart!

A - Yuck!

H - Thanks, mommy, I love you (followed by big mushy kiss)

A - You guys make me want to puke. Where's my whip?

Mom and Hunter take off screaming, in search of a safety zone.

Funny, how we lose the Valentine courage when we see the whip. 

Have a happy, funky chicken, whippin' good Halloween!

One Slammin' Summer - In 23 mins, 17 secs

Well, Spring sprang right on by.  Then summer just poofed it's way on in under a cloud of smoke.  Man, it has been smokey.  It finally cleared, but tonight the CA wild fires smoke oozed it's way back in to the neighborhood.  Endless days of unhealthy air quality.  We even had to escape to Los Angeles to get away from the bad air. Scary! 

Earlier in the summer we headed to San Francisco and hit the Exploratorium.  What a blast!  It was the boys' first trip there, and after a full day of exploring science, I was wiped OUT.  We had so much fun with Papi and Nanny.  Papi was evil and gave the boys stop watches when we arrived.  From then on, I've been screwed!  It started immediately with how fast can we get up to Papi's apartment... by stairs... 11th floor.  Need I say more?  

It continues with how long can I hold my breath under water?  How fast does it take me to ride my bike to the stop sign and back?  How long does it take to get to the grocery store?  Time me on how fast I can tie my shoes.  Mom it took me two minutes and 15 seconds to poop.  (Mom - Did you wipe?  Did you wash your hands?)  

See, even his mask is EVIL

On the same trip, we also went to the Zeum.  Another great SF treat. We made a claymation movie of an Octopus eating a fish.  The boys filmed in a green room, and added backgrounds to their flicks. 

Then we ate some great pizza with a few alien friends.  Funny how we haaaaaadd to get these friends before dinner.  Funny because I don't think I have seen them since we returned home, they just got thrown in a toy box, where they sit craving olives and pizza.

All in all it has been a productive summer.  

1. I got a small promotion, which is great, but I'll reporting to someone new.  I love the new team, but I'm totally sad to be leaving my boss.  He is such the bomb.  
2. I cleaned out a couple closets and the pantry.  
3. I worked, and worked and still working.  
4. I've been reading A LOT.  The Harry Potters.. again; The Sookies..again;  The Fablehavens, 1st timer; The 1st Charlie Bone, 1st timer; Started the Carpe Demon series, on book 2; and lots of magazines - pool side.
5. Lovin' the pool and swimming, almost daily.  When it's too smokey, we stay in.
   
6. Lots of visiting with family and friends.  Here and there.
7. Zoo Camp starts next week.  Science - Mad Lab camp starts a couple weeks after that.  
8. This weekend.. fishing. 
9. Updated blog :)  FINALLY
10. Some teeth lost, some loose.

So, what have you all been up to?  

Hey, Austin!  How long did it take me to update my blog?

Feeling Ducky

It's Spring!  Time for a renaissance of my little silly blog.  Lots of fun has been had.  Lots of life has been lived.  Lots of love has been shared.  Life is ducky!

fall is in the air

It's definately fall in California. I know it, by just looking around me.

Wow, don't blink!

I blinked and summer was over.

I blinked and the 1st day of school was over.

I blinked and the 1st trimester of school was over.

I blinked and I now can order some Yankee Pot Roast at senior citizen discount night at Denny's.

Well, ok, maybe not that last one, but I'm afraid to blink again, that's for sure.

To catch up:

We now have a pool.

1 kid can tie his shoes, the other just likes to be pampered.

Mohawk down, Mohawk back, Mohawk down.

Um, 20th reunion happened.

Getaways galore. Yummy, most awesome french toast EVAH, at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco. mmmmmmm. Melt in your mouth!

Freezer full of Venison.

Austin jams on the guitar. Hunter quit. I plan on the no pressure approach, but he still likes to pick it up and play around the house sometimes.

Austin decided he wanted to climb a rock wall, although he is afraid of heights. About 1/2 way up he looked down, and was not happy. Little dude kept on going, and would not quit until he got to the top. What a guy, to face that fear head on and claim his life. No fear was going to keep him from having fun and trying new things. Austin, I so want to be you when I grow up!

Hunter was still not ready for 2-wheeling, but he made some improvement and then asked to wait a while longer. It's all good. In your time, little man, you will rule the world.

1st grade happening, boys separated for the 1st time. AJ told me that everyday after their lunch recess they say good-bye to eachother (although they play separately) and they tell each other "you're always in my heart". What a way to melt mom's heart, huh?

Halloween is this week, and Hunter still wears last year's costume, just for fun. This year I have Jack Sparrow and Darth Vader in my home for Halloween. We did a Pumpkin Patch field trip with the school. And today we went again, the boys, Mike and I. Gotta love shorts weather at the pumpkin patch.

This week I took Halloween off to play with the boys at their class parties. DeeDee and Charlie will be coming over to trick or treat with us and the Zanotti's. Then this weekend, flying solo to LA to hang with the Stering clan for yet another of Ancient Audrey's birthdays.

Happy Halloween!