Of Chona, Angry Birds and Pranksters...

I've been lone rangerin' it around here this week.  It's fine.  I'm a little rusty since we've been spoiled this winter by a largely at home, Daddy-o, but I still got it.  

With the help of Angry Birds in the morning, of course.  Believe me, you don't want to see what this mug would look like without a little primp time, and Angry Birds delivers that time to me like a champ.

I don't know if ideas like "giving old work portfolios" come like light bulbs to all the Grandpa's of the world, or if our own Grandpa Hooky is just a genius at being a Grand Dad... {Kidding, Dad!  It's totally the latter} -- but seriously, you would have thought that handing blank notebook paper in a folio to my kids was like asking them to write instructions for saving the world.  

They kind of just nod somberly and then busy themselves bringing to life, with their tiny fingers, things like: maps to treasure, the people in their lives with giant toothy grins on their faces (no joke, usually 48 teeth strung across a smile like a pearl necklace), and elaborate plans as to how to avoid "Chona" who is apparently THEE worst villain of all time, ever.  

Chona is a fictional character made up by my three stooges and he is Baaaad news.  You can't even kill him with fire or freeze power or a katana or guns or a bow & arrow.  It's gonna take the "three bravest brothers and their helpers, Nixson & Ashton" to take this guy down.  And don't worry that I looked up the word, katana, because I thought they were just talking smack, and turns out a katana is a curved, single-edged sword. And now you know.

My boys have enlisted the help of a few key neighbor boys to keep an eye out for Chona and then dismember him if they ever come in contact with him.  Nixson is even building a hideout in his backyard so he can keep out of sight but stay vigilant.  This is serious business, you guys.  So the notebooks have become the holy grail for the planning of Chona's inevitable destruction at the hands of the gang of 3, 4 & 5 year-olds around these parts.

And man, I love it.

I also love this.

Because there are few things more rad than a boy and his dog...

But also, there is this...

And of course the fact that the two oldest hooligans pants-ed me this morning.  It came so far outta left field that my reaction time was tortoise-like.  But seriously, WHERE did they learn such a trick and also HOW is it they are so far above the bell curve of pranks and shenanigans at such young ages?

Heaven Help Me!

Blammo.

I'll keep you updated on the fight against evil 'round here.

Happy Weekend to us all...

Expo Excitement...

My Mom has this love/hate relationship with family photos... "Bless her heart".  :)

Seriously, she gets anxiety when one of her little loves in the form of grand babies are not featured in her latest family photo hanging on her walls.  So she expressed her deep desire for an updated one to my sis and I while we were in St. George. 

Well, then our lady of action found out that ALL her family would be at the Western Hunting Expo this past weekend and the gal got a bee in her bonnet and made it happen.  In record time.  With little to no planning since my brother was going berserk at the prospect of having to actually leave the expo and pose with a smile on his face for approximately five minutes.  #photohater

I'm sure they'll be darling... not perfect, but completely reflective of the phase we're all currently in, which is, "The wild and crazy pack of little kids who are too busy going to really stop and say cheese" phase.  It's a goodie.  And it literally took us fifteen minutes to shoot all the individual families, all grand kids, the grandparents and the whole darn fam-damily.

And I got thinking while I looked around at all my people.. Yep, we're a little white trash.  Yep, we like our boys dirty and out in the wild.  Yep, my Dad gets emotional every time he sees a beautiful bull elk or a monster deer.  I could go on with our strange idiosyncrasies, but hey... we have people on this planet who want to talk to us, listen to us and love us.  And that's pretty freakin' lucky despite our many flaws.  I guess I'm tryin' to say, call your mom, call your dad, call your brotha & sista.  We have a killer network.  And seeing the cousins in action?

Awesome.

Cue the family candid pictures now...

The new Muzzy World Record Bull Elk harvested by the gal in the middle with the dudes on the ends.

Congrats, Carrie!

Robin of the Hood

Aim Small - Miss Small, Gents.

Shenanigans

Ace's beloved cheetah.

{He couldn't find a tiger}

My crew.  And proof that my heart beats outside of my chest.

I mean, look at them!  I rounded the corner and I was almost floored by this scene.

#sappymamaheart

Cookies the size of their faces.

That's what you get when you smile in the pictures and you don't wander off at the expo.

#briberyforthewin

Hotel Holiday...

We had a stay-cation this weekend.

The big Hunting Expo was in town and my big boys needed to accompany their papa bear to see all there was to see, and Grandma Gail had requested everyone's presence for the fastest family photo shoot in the history of mankind... so we did it.  We took a little hotel holiday and burned up another one of Daddy-o's free night stays.

I was a little hesitant since I always weigh if the effort is worth the output.

But then I get one look at my little mini-wanderlusters and I know...

The answer is yes.  Always.  A resounding yes.

I love this picture because it looks like Ace is contemplating jumping across the Grand Canyon or something equally giant.

And I love this picture because every now and again he still rests like a sleepy newborn.

I heart it every time.

Where is Dax, you ask?

Oh no big thang... he's just swimming the length of the pool like a boss with no floaties.

And feeling pretty darn proud of his little self.

And the whole "hotel course of action" is a no fail...

We let 'em swim 'til their little eyeballs are red and the we bathe 'em, put some Pjs on 'em, toss 'em in a bed and start a show.  Soon the chorus of breathing is deep and steady.

And they wake up the next morning with voracious appetites and energy for days...

And a business plan to sell wood chips... which brings all the girls to the yard?

His business was boomin'.

Yep... My name is Amber, and I'll be schleppin' to as many more stay-cations as life affords me.

Because we're all one helluva team.  And just watching this bromance is such a privilege.

Weekend in Review & Little Boy Comedy...

This past weekend I left my boys and headed out with my girls (and the littlest lady of the tribe) to the opposite end of the state for our annual home show get away.  It was lovely... 76 degrees lovely!

(I know, I know... mass apologies to the entire east coast for that bit of salt in your gaping wounds)

I missed my little rowdies for sure, but there is something kind of "Balm of Gilead" about hanging with the ladies of your life.

Here are a few of my "Home Show Highlights"...

The reel would have been longer but I was also holding Emeri some of the time and keeping myself from testing out the pools the rest of the time.

It's a good thing there wasn't an outdoor shower at the homes I visited this year, or there would have been some indecent exposure.  No joke, that's kinda all I want in life... a rad pool and an outdoor shower.  Sa-weet.  :)

 Also of note is the fact that my boys went to the Monster Truck jam on Valentine's day.  They loved it.  I've heard several times now which monster trucks are better than others and why and that if I'm a "really good girl" maybe Daddy will take me to see the Monster Trucks.  A girl can only dream.  :)    

And a few candid shots with this week's greatest lines, because we all know I love me some of those...

And this little troop produces the best of the best on the regular...

 This is called "Kael's Kamikaze Breakfast".  He's a wild one.  Every cereal we have at present must be put in his bowl every morning.  Variety is the spice of life for this dude, apparently.

The other day Kael thoughtfully told me...

"Mom I really really want to shoot a buffalo.  I need a tag, right?"

"Yep, Bud... You'll need a tag to be legal."

To which he replied,

"I know how to get a tag, Mom... 

I just need to go to Costco with you and get one off of new pants or a new shirt!"

Dax gave a talk in primary a couple weeks ago.  The day before his oration we practiced, and then he said,  "Am I saying my talk in 'Soccer-ment' or Primary?"

:)

Also, his love for Ninja Turtles continues to abound... he told me last week:

 "My favorite Ninja Turtle is 'Mickey and Jello' or 'Ry-F-L'..."

And for those of you who don't speak fluent Ninja Turtle, let me translate,

Michaelangelo or Rafael are his fave fighter dudes.

And lastly, let me tell you about Ace Face who has said for months and has never been corrected by anyone in this house for obvious reasons, 

"To Infinity... and BE GONE!"

Someone should have taught Buzz Lightyear how to really say it!

I hope he never ever learns the truth.

Cross My Heart...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sometimes it's all I can do not to smother their little cheeks with kisses.

SO, it's only appropriate, eh?

I am not with them this weekend.  RyGar, my main squeeze, has them at the Monster Truck Rally eating stadium nachos and who knows what else.  And if that doesn't spell love in little boy language I don't know what does.  I'm enjoying a weekend with my mama and sister.  The timing isn't great, but the truth is, my sentiments are pretty well known amongst this crowd of mine no matter the day.

Yep, this mama's love for these little faces is pretty "HEARTY"...

Yeah, I went there... its Valentine's Day.  Cut a sappy mama heart some slack.

So, even though I'm not physically with them on this February 14th, I still want to say...

From the "bottom" of my heart...

I love you forever and always.

You little rascals.

And I'm gonna kiss you anytime I want to.
Forever and always...
:)