A {not so} Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Sunday morning brought us a little grumpy being in the form of a boy named Ryder. It seemed no matter what was said or done, he was upset. I originally had plans to attend a baby shower in Idaho Falls, but after talking with Chase, we decided that the last few days had been about us and our own agendas, and that was probably the reason for our grumpy Mr. Ryder. So we let the boys pick our Sunday afternoon adventures. After a quick discussion, it was off to McTucker Gravel Ponds for some food, fun, and fishing with Grandpa Chuck and cousins Mason and Tanner.






We didn't catch anything {except for maybe a few hundred rocks inside of the boy's boots}, but it was a day enjoyed by all.

While in the mall the other day I noticed there was one of these...

It's a hurricane simulator for those who haven't figured it out yet. Yep, drop your 75 cents in the slot, and climb in, and it will knock your socks off with winds of up to 80 MPH. Hooray.

Really folks!? We live in IDAHO!!!! We have hurricane-force winds almost every stinkin' day! I am appalled that Idahoans actually waste their money on the above-named contraption, when one can walk outside {for free} and get the same experience.


Case in point...

Hmmmm.....

Good thoughts…I thought they were worth sharing with everyone.

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem.
The world will expect you to accomplish something

BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.
Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping.
They called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault.

So don't whine about your mistakes; learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring
as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes, and listening to you
talk about how cool you thought you were.
So before you save the rain forest

from the parasites of your parent's generation,
try delousing the closet in your own room..

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers,

but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades
and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters.
You don't get summers off and very few employers
are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life.
In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds.
Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Did you know?

Last week {the 29th to be exact} marked 1 year since Noah came home from the NICU. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, I want to share some fun facts about our little peanut...

• He is very much like Linus van Pelt {you know, from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schultz?} He has a favorite blanket, and wherever Noah is, his blanket is sure to be somewhere close by. Remind ya'll of anyone? :) Oh, he also rocks the EMO {backwards mullet} hair like Linus. How awesome is that?
  
• The broom is his nemesis. They "get into it" on a daily basis. Don't let the pictures fool ya, this is a rare occasion where they are getting along. It is very much a love/hate relationship.
  
• He lives for popcorn! Movie nights around here are frequently accompanied by a big bowl of air-popped popcorn, and peanut M&M's. As soon as the air-popper is plugged in, Noah comes a'squawkin!
• Is very strong-willed! We saw that one coming though, from the way he charged through milestones in the NICU.
• Eats ANYTHING! Including {but not limited to} Dirt, crayons, Legos, ??? off the floor, you name it, I've probably found it in his mouth at least once.
• Has a very large vocabulary these days. Some of my favorites are fuh-ba {football}, pop {popcorn}, Ri-duh {Ryder}, buh-duh {brother} and mom!
  
• He is very much a mama's boy :)
  

I can't believe you've been home a year already! You have touched so many peoples lives. You are amazing! I love you Noah River!

Sensory Safari......Part 2

Anyone figured out what is going on yet?

Ummm....ya, Ridge is checking to see if the animals on display are boys or girls. Gotta love Boys raised on a farm... ;)

Sensory Safari

My most favorite boys in the entire universe!

Ridge and I

Noah mauling an African Lioness

Noah thinking mauling a Lion was probably not the best idea

Ridge still a bit hesitant about things.....notice the fumbling with his shirt :)

But it didn't last long

Noahs not a fan of squirrels

Ridge with "Stripes"

Ryder and the brown bear...both boys named this as their favorite exhibit

A warthog....or "pumba" as the boys called it.

Yesterday we took the boys to an exhibit they have temporarily at the American Falls Library. It was absolutely amazing! There were close to a hundred different species of {stuffed, but real!} animals on display! And the best part was they actually encouraged the children to touch EVERYTHING! How awesome is that?! I wish I would have thought to take a picture of one of the many signs that were posted throughout the library, because they were so funny to me. They read, "Please let the children touch the displays!!!" {or something like that}. They had a blast! Noah wasn't sure what to think at first, pretty hesitant to touch anything {kind of surprised me}, but it didn't take too long, and he was climbing/touching/yelling at everything. :)

I'm in love....

Color e-book reader with vibrant 7-inch touch screen; zippy performance; built-in Wi-Fi; Barnes & Noble Nookbook store; 8GB onboard memory, plus microSD expansion slot; built-in Web browser works well; supports PDF, Word, and ePub files; displays images and some video formats; support for audio and MP3 playback.

Blah, blah, blah.....this bad girl rocks! I bought a Nook Color less than a week ago, and have already finished 1 book, and am almost done with another. It is amazing! Plus, I may or may not know a guy, who may or may not have rooted this baby. But presume I did, and presume he did, I could play Angry Birds {don't ask, really...you'll be sorry....}, access and utilize everything a Kindle {another E-reader} has to offer, access the android market {apps}, the list goes on and on.