Catch up....

Geez...we have been SOOOO busy since my last post. I can't really remember with what, but trust me...it's been CRAZY around here!!
Tyler is now a 5th grader (well, he will be when school starts in Aug.) and my first born girl will be going to pre-school. I've tried and tried to talk her into staying home with me but she will NOT hear of it. I think I'm going to be emotional the first day of school.
The month of May also brought the 9 year anniversary of Daddy's wreck. I just can't believe that it's been 9 years since I've heard his voice or felt his hugs. People always say that it gets "easier" and "better" but it seems each year just gets harder and harder.
Putzie and Charley Pink are both doing basketball and baseball/tball this summer. Charley also has gymnastics and swim lessons....see, I told you it's been busy!!! In May I also FINALLY got a mini-van. YEAH!!! It's a 2006 Honda Odyssey and I can't even begin to tell you what a difference it's made with traveling and such. I don't know how we ever made it without one!
My Pa-Pa died in June and my mother was in a pretty serious motorcycle wreck. She fractured her pelvis in 4 places, broke her collarbone, fractured her ankle and had 3 stitches under her chin. Not a good month for my family!
The month of July has brought Thunder Youth Basketball camp and football (a first) for Putz. I can't wait for that to get started and see how he does!!! I'll post a couple of pics from the last few months. Of course there are funny stories that need to be told but I'm tired tonight so I'll save that for another time!!!

Charley did GREAT at soccer and always wanted a "scary" hair-do so she could "scare the boys away." Hope she keeps this in mind until she is 32. HA!


My gorgeous girls at my Pa-Pa's funeral!


Tyler after running the OKC Memorial Marathon...I was so proud of him!

A great teacher gift!

Scentsy is a GREAT gift idea for a teacher!! Who doesn't like their classroom to smell yummy instead of like 22 sweaty kids?!? For those of you who have never heard of Scentsy, it is a WICKLESS candle. Since there is no fire or flame it is safe for schools, daycares, nursing homes and assisted living homes. A low wattage bulb heats the wax to melting. There is no way that it can burn anyone or anything either! Each little wax square will last for 14 hours (I usually burn mine longer though). When you are ready for a new scent, you just pour the wax out and wipe with a paper towel!! They work GREAT for a night-light and I love, love, love the plugins for bathrooms!! And just look at this cute warmer for the teacher(s) in your life!!



For more information or any questions feel free to email me at:jessicacarson1@yahoo.com OR
You can visit my website here

Childhood Cancer

I give in memory of Miss Tuesday Whitt. Her family is friends with my sister. And they are amazing. Go check out this blog and see for yourself!!!

My Hoot Owls

So, Kelly's Korner is hosting a "show us your collection" bloghop this week!! I have started collecting hoot owls...I know, it's a weird thing to collect but here is why.....My Daddy could hoot like an owl (it was a down deep in his throat hoot that I've never been able to duplicate, HA!!). When he'd be out hunting with his nephews, he'd start hooting and they would find their way to him. When my son just started crawling and walking and would try to get into things, my Daddy would hoot and Tyler would stop what he was doing and haul butt to get to his "Boppa". When Daddy would come to visit us, instead of knocking on the door, he'd go to the window and hoot!!! Tyler's face would LIGHT UP and he'd go running to the door (he knew who would be on the other side waiting for him!!). May will be 9 years since Daddy died and he has sent us several "signs" via owls since his passing. I know not everyone believes in that and to be honest with you, I don't know if I would believe in it if I hadn't experienced it for myself several times!! The first of these signs came just a few weeks after he had died. We were sitting in my living room and heard an owl hooting right outside (we had NEVER heard one before this day and never did again after that!!). My mom heard one on Thanksgiving one year (Thanksgiving was our BIG, special holiday spent with my Daddy's side of the family). A screech owl even dive bombed my sweet husband one night while he was out testing with some co-workers....they all cracked up but Kirby about had a heart attack. Kirby came home telling me and I was about to pee my pants laughing.....Daddy was SUCH a prankster in life and I'm glad that is being carried on, LOL!!!! The most recent sign was on my son's 10th birthday. Kirby was driving him to school and they saw an owl. It brought a huge smile to Tyler's face, knowing that his beloved Poppa was thinking of him on his big day. Now, here are a few of my favorite owls.

This one opens up and we keep spare change in him!


These are some of my bigger owls.





And here are some of the smaller ones. Some have been purchased at Indian Reservations in New Mexico, some have been given to me as gifts and several I have purchased myself (and although Kirby teases me that instead of being the crazy cat lady that I am going to be the crazy owl lady, it's the one thing he NEVER gets mad at me for buying!!!).


And here are 3 of my favorites....the lime green one, I bought at Hotel Albuquerque wile attending our neighbors wedding. My Momma bought me the small jeweled one and I just bought the large jeweled one last week. They both open up which I think is so cool!!!




So, there you have it. My owls and why I collect them!!!

What we've been up too....

I know, I know....it's been WAY to long. I should probably give up on this blogging thing since I'm SO not good at it!! First of all, my home computer quit just before Thanksgiving. ALL.MY.PICTURES.....GONE!!! I have to take it to a computer store and see if they can get the pics off of it for me. Then, I need to figure something else out in case this ever happens to me again. But the GREAT news is.....I WON an HP Touchsmart from blogher!!!!! I never win ANYTHING but of all the things I could have won, I can't tell you how happy I am that THIS is what it was!!!



On to other things.....we had a GREAT Thanksgiving (my sister and her family decided to come at the last minute and it was awesome having family here.)and Christmas. Kirby even put Charley's trampoline together in the great Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009(that almost kept us from making it home for Christmas!!). The day before Christmas Eve, we went to Pauls Valley with Kirby. He had to go down for work and the hotel had an indoor pool and we thought it would be fun to let the kids swim. They DID have fun swimming but the next day (Christmas Eve), I looked out the window and saw the nasty weather and told Kirby that we better get going. It took us 3 hours to drive 71 miles. As soon as we got inside and settled, we saw that they had closed all the interstates in OK....we BARELY made it home!!!! Kirby was determined that Charley would have her trampoline on Christmas morning.....and here it is!!!



He was out in the dark, freezing cold and blowing snow putting this together BY HIMSELF!! He said that he just kept telling himself that my Daddy would have done the same thing and it felt like he had Daddy out there helping him!! And, he's right....Daddy would have done that for any one of his grandkids!!! I think Kirby earned the Daddy of the Year award for it!!! Tyler has been busy playing basketball, riding bulls and giving his teachers a hard time.....yes, I said riding bulls!!! I NEVER thought I'd let my kid do it but he wanted to try so bad!! I was so, so, so proud of him for it!!! He has rode twice and says he wants to ride again but he has had games on the bullriding nights. Maybe this summer he can make some more!! Here is a pic of my Coca-Cola cowboy and some videos of him riding!!!



And because I think this one is just so dang cute!! The 2 little ones rode sheep and the 2 big ones rode bulls. They are all cousins and Jimmy Joe (the one in yellow) is 8th in the world in junior steer riding!!



The video's won't process so I'll try to figure something else out. He got stomped when he fell off the 2nd one. It tore his jeans and got the back of his hand and the back of his thigh. He had a pretty nasty cut and bruise on his leg!! Charley even did the mutton bustin' but she has decided that she is DONE riding "sheet" and that she'll just chase them from now on!!!The two older kids also have turned another year older since my last post...where does the time go?!? For months, Charley would tell anyone that listened that she wanted a picture of herself on her cake!! A few day before her birthday, she changed her mind though. She decided that she wanted "a pink cake with purple frosting, pink polka dots, a red smiley face, flowers, blueberries, strawberries and a train" on it. Thank goodness for my husbands creativity and steady hand!! I think it turned out great and Charley said, "Nank you Daddy....it's just perfect."



We let the professionals decorate Tyler's cake...he wanted bullriding on his!!!



Here's a couple of funny stories.....Charley is having a hard time with remembering to flush the toilet. This is especially gross when she poops. So the other day, Tyler had a friend over and he goes in the bathroom. I hear "Grooooosssss" and knew what had happened. So I tell Charley that the next time she poops and doesn't flush that I am going to spank her and that is gross and she had better start flushing. She immediately starts crying and says....."But, I was saving Tyler a surprise."!!! Yep, I couldn't hold it in, I laughed out loud!!! Then the other day I was doing an exercise video that has A LOT of up and down in it. I had gotten down on the floor and then it was time to get back up and it was taking me a little bit. Charley looks at me and says, "Up, Momma. Get back up." Well, shoot sister....give me a minute I just got down here!!! Ohhh...and we can't forget the day that she comes to me and says, "Momma, I put Ruby to bed so we can have some peace and quiet."

Here is what Ruby has been up to:




CLIMBING!!! This one just may be the death of me!!!

Now, after the LONGEST post ever....I think I'm done for now!!!