Ha!

Brian pantsed Ben the other night and Ben said "NOT COOL!!" Could Ben be any funnier?

My Maggie

We lost our little chihuahua Maggie on Tuesday evening...not sure what happened, but we are still trying to figure it out. Brian was amazing, which is good b/c I fell apart. So here's a little tribute to Maggie...

Maggie, Magpie, Mags, Maggie Shillingburg (when she has peed on the bath mat for the 100th time). We got Maggie shortly after we got married. She was almost seven. She was my first real pet I think. Of course, I'd already pawned off a kitten to my parents but I don't think that counts. Maggie would play with ear plugs, popping them all over the place and chasing them. She loved "people" food and would follow Ben around when he had a snack. If there was a plate of food on the coffee/end tables, she would guard it until it was gone. She loved the pepperonis Brian would give her when we had pizza.


She was our Prissy girl. She sat with her paws crossed and she had quite the little walk. We could tell it was her by the way her feet sounded on the floors. She snored like a grown man. She shed enough fur to make another chihuahua. She loved having a heating pad under her bed during the winter. She barked like crazy. The doorbell would send her into a frenzy. She loved our families and has spent much time in their laps.


And she burrowed...man, could that dog burrow. Give her a blanket, and she'd have the perfect spot in a matter of minutes. This is also how she has gotten stepped/sat on numerous times. She used to sleep with me every night and I remember staying in a weird position or not moving too much b/c I didn't want to disturb her.

I miss her so much.

Potty Training Update

Ok, I'm getting discouraged. I keep putting him in clean underwear and cleaning up the accidents. I don't get upset or punish him. But he just doesn't tell us before he pees. And he hasn't gone #2 since yesterday morning. Is he just not ready? Are we pushing him? I know it's only been 24 hours, but I'm thinking we may need to wait a few more weeks. If you are a mom who has done this, PLEASE give me some advice...or encouragement...or tell me to suck it up and keep going.

Four Words

Potty training....I've said four words today, over and over and over and over: Pee, Poop, Potty, Spiderman. Brian and I decided this weekend was going to be the hard-core, stay at home, put him on the potty every five minutes weekend. So far he's gone through 7 pairs of underwear and left three large spots on carpet/floor. He's doing fairly well on the #1 part. He gets candy corn when he's successful at that. I bought him a Spiderman toy as his big reward for #2. He wants it so bad. Fingers crossed that he'll be playing with his new toy by tomorrow morning. :)

Spring is here!!!

My husband has added another flowerbed to the front yard. He's so great with things like that. I'm so thankful that he's such a "do-it-yourself" guy.

I found this online...thought it was hilarious.

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF

1. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
2. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
3. Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
4. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
5. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
6. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
7. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
8. Practice making fax and modem noises.
9. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
10. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
11. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
12. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
13. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
14. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
15. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
16. Staple pages in the middle of the page.
17. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
18. Honk and wave to strangers.
19. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
20. TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
21. type only in lowercase.
22. dont use any punctuation either
23. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
24. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
    "DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
    "What?"
    "Never mind, it's gone now."
25. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
26. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
27. Ask people what gender they are.
28. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
29. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
30. Sing along at the opera.
31. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
32. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

The Little Things

I get excited about the little things in life...like NEW SHELVES in my laundry room! I have a tiny laundry room and the only shelf is about 6 1/2 feet high. As you know, it is hard for my 5'1 self to get anything off of something that high. It all ended up on the dryer, which drove Brian crazy. So he and his dad put up some very simple shelves that made me very happy.

Still here....

For the three people who actually read this blog, we are still here and doing great. This week was insane, but Brian survived the TAKS test and so did his students. My work is crazy, as usual...I am even more thankful for the group of ladies that I work with. And Ben is spending some quality time today and tomorrow with Mimi and Papa. Here are some pictures when we had some Mexican food take-out. Ben LOVES rice and chips...balanced meal, right? He calls it "ice" and spills it EVERYWHERE! It's a good thing he's so cute. :)

Spider Man...

I mentioned before that Ben loves Spider Man...Brian bought him some new shoes today and Ben was beside himself. He was happy just carrying the box around but when he found out he got to wear them, I thought he was going to explode with excitement. It's the little things I guess. I'm not really into the whole cartoon shoes, clothes, bedding, etc. But know I understand why I see so many little boys wearing that stuff...b/c they are so darn cute when they ask for it. Oh, and the shoes light up. Life is good!

Papa and Cliffy...and Grammy too

As Ben gets older, I think my dad and brother, Cliff, have more and more fun with him. Ben is really into Batman, Spiderman, etc. He's also really into rough-housing...yes I said rough-housing. Ben got to play on the fort with Papa and "help" pick up some branches. Mom spoiled us with home cooked meals...fried venison, Mrs. Emily's gumbo, biscuits and gravy. DELICIOUS! I am so thankful for my family. When I turn onto Hilltop Street I can't help but smile...it will always feel like "coming home."