Halloween

What fun is Halloween if you don't dress up and have fun with it right? Right. It's also fun to eat your kid's candy because they're either too small or you don't want your kids to have that much candy. I use both so I get more candy. Bad parent? Never. Forward thinking. Helps my kids sensitive teeth be cavity free, no upset stomachs, not as much fighting about who has the most candy, etc...Here are some pictures from our fun night of Trick Or Treating!!!


I need to warn the women folk who will be reading this blog. Pray before you see the pictures below because I am dead sexy in my costume.

















Some of my fellow trick-o-treaters

Spider-Max and ??????

Jack's goal is to be as big as that pumpkin.

Family picture. Mom? What are you going to be?????

Let the fun begin!

Tonight at dinner

Tonight at dinner Sarah and I were discussing her poison ivy. As we talked about how she got it, how it spread, what she read online, etc...the boys were listening to us. Max chimed in that it looks like a spider bite he saw in a book that Thomas and Jennifer(neighbors) have. Then he said, "Mom. I hope it's not leopardseal. You need to pray about that." Sarah and I both laughed. So please pray that Sarah doesn't have leopardseal, which is commonly known as leprosy.

Saturday

My parents bought the boys a really cool swing set. I need help getting it from Siloam to Springdale. I just need some muscle. I'll reward you with pizza or some type of food and drink. Please let me know asap if you can help.

New Job

I wanted to let everyone know that I have accepted a new job at JB Hunt as a freight broker and I start Oct. 1. I also wanted to thank everyone for their prayers, advice, and friendship. We're all real excited that I'll be back to day hours, make more money, and be able to be a father and husband again.

I also want to say thanks to my mother for watching the kids for us on Mondays and Wednesdays. I know Grant really enjoys his time with Memaw and Whizzy, her dog.

Hopefully I'll be really good at this and be able to make a good sized commission check so we can get out of debt even quicker.

Random Events

I wanted to share some random things that I have heard from my children. Let's start with tonight.

After reading the Bible to Max and Grant, also known as #1 and #2, #1 made an interesting comment. We just read about the 10 plagues God sent to free the Egyptians. Max was really into it and thought God really showed who He was by doing all those things to the bad king. We talked a little bit more and then Max said, "You know what else I think I might have done to that bad king Dad?" I said, "Nope. What?" "I would have hit him with my elbow and a karate chop." I asked why and Max said, "Just because he's bad." I nodded my head and we prayed.

About a week or so ago Grant and I were talking about nothing in particular when he suddenly pulls his shirt up. This is not uncommon as the boys and I enjoy being scarecely or naked. Sadly, Sarah has put it in the boys heads that it is wrong or bad to be naked in the house. I strongly disagree but have slowed my nakedness in order to set a good example. Let's get back to Grant. He pulls up and his shirt, slaps his stomach a few times and says, "Dad. When my belly gets really big and sticks really far out then I'll be fat." Of course this is said in Grant's gruff and tough voice. I shook my head and agreed with what he said. After that Grant said, "When that happens I'll punch my stomach and tell my belly get back in there, get back in there. I told Grant I had tried that and it doesn't work so he's better off not getting fat. I'm not sure he believed me but he shook his head and we went on about our business.

Good Times

Life is always exciting around the house. One of the boys always seems to do or say something that makes you laugh and I thank God for that. We need something to laugh about around here.

The other day Grant found my wedding ring on the table and brought it to me. When he brought it to me he said, "Dad. Look what I found. Gold!" then he proceeded to the ring to me. I don't remember what he was watching, but it had something to do with digging and finding treasures. I think maybe Clifford, but I can't really remember. I just laughed and thanked him.

Tonight while Max and I were getting ready for church he looked at me with a weird face. I asked what the weird face was for.
He said, "Dad. Did you cut your face or somethin'?" I said, "No. Why?" Max said, "You have this big red spot on your face and it's bleeding." It was a zit. I explained to Max what they were and he just shrugged his shoulders then we left for church.

For those of you who didn't or don't go to the Grove missed a good sermon tonight. I attached the link so you can listen to it. Matt Fries spoke tonight and it was really good.

Any Ideas?

As many of you know I switched routes so I could increase my studies and get my CAD certification sooner than later. In doing so I am working nearly as many hours as I was and I am losing $300-$400 a month. I have thinking of ways to regain that money without having to hire a baby-sitter to watch the boys. My idea is to a paper delivery guy. I don't want to do this at all because it is 7 days a week and if I get sick or take a vacation then I have to find someone to cover my route. This past Monday I went and talked to a guy at the Morning News about getting a route. He has one coming available which pays around $800 a month plus a $250 bonus if I don't get a whole lot of complaints. He also told me they have an assistant manager for the paper couriers which works from 11:00pm-3:00am but only pays $9.00/hr. and works 3-5 week. I'm leaning toward the paper route since it generates more money but I'm open to any suggestions.

We're back

After a longer than normal journey home we made it back. The trip must have been especially tiring on the boys because Grant slept until 9:00, Max until 10:15 and I put Jack down for his nap at 8:00(he's still sleeping). It was a weird morning but they quickly adjusted to being at home. They are currently outside playing with our neighbors, Jennifer and Thomas, and some of their cousins.

We had an exciting trip and enjoyed ourselves. One of the fun things we did was go to an REI garage sale. REI is an outdoor store similar to but better than Lewis and Clark. I bought a pair of Merrell's and a pair of Keen's for a total of $30.00. Both are slightly worn but in excellent condition.

Friday

Drinks were provided by Max.















He just missed the ball, but his form is great.















This is our hole.















He has a great back swing.















Posing for the camera.

Thursday

After work on Thursday the boys and I went to Sonic for our root beer floats.

Redneck Thoughts

This might be the greatest month of nedneck calendar I have ever seen. Even though most of you won't admit, there is a part of you that envies, desires and hopes that the inner redneck comes out one day. I once watched a special on Jeff Foxworthy who said a lot of his material comes from fans who share their stories with him. If you have any redneck confessions it is ok to leave them here. I will not judge you, in fact we will treat this like an altar call. Everyone bow your heads and close your eyes. If you have a redneck confession just raise your hand. Thank you. I see you in the back. I see yours too. Thank you. Thank you. Now, let's pray.

Dear God, help us to accept the inner redneck inside of us and help us to not judge others who freely exercise their inner redneck. Amen.

If you lived this one out then you are my new hero. I asked David Davis if this is how their next child came about but he said it wasn't. I'm hoping that either John and Big Al or Micah and Lester(Elizabeth Hale) experienced this.


















This one isn't funny, but true.





















Who didn't do this when you were growing up?

Oak Plaza Barber Shop

Today was a big day for me as a father. I finally convinced Max to get his hair cut with me at the Barber shop. He was awesome. He was very nervous the entire time but he sat still and did just as the barber instructed. The only regret I have is not having the barber use higher number guards. I forgot their guards are shorter than all other guards.

His hair looks good and we're both still dead sexy!

What do you want for breakfast?

I heard Sarah ask Max this question the other morning. Max's reply was classic.

He said, "Mmmm...I'll take Oreo's or fruit snacks." Sarah told him he couldn't eat those because they were not real breakfast options. Who made her the queen of breakfast?

What do you want to be when you get older?

Does anyone remember asking their parents or a loved that question? Max asks me that question but with a twist. He wants me to be a Power Ranger with him and Grant. So his question goes like this, "Dad. Which Power Ranger do you want to be when you grow up?" I always answer green because he wants to be the Red ranger (along with Grant), the blue ranger is a girl, so I choose green.

I didn't really think about it until the other day. Does Max not think I'm grown up? Am I too much of a kid and not enough of a parental force in his life? I didn't really give it much thought after a few minutes. He obviously thinks I am the coolest cat in the world and he wants me to save the world with him. That's an awesome compliment if you ask me.

Poker Earnings

After a hard day of delivering the Purple Promise in Harrison I came home and did what every good poker pal dad would do; I took Max and Grant to see Shrek with my poker winnings from the previous morning. The big boys and I went to the malt to watch Shrek and it was great. We had cokes, candy and a really excited little boy behind us. As soon the lights went down he started saying, "Where's Shrek? Dad! Where's Shrek? Shrek!!! I see Shrek!" which actually made the movie a little more fun for me. The boys didn't seem to mind his excitement either. I was a little concerned that we would miss part of the movie because one or both of the boys would need to take a pee break, but that didn't happen. I encouraged them to drink their cokes slowly. All in all it was a great day for us. The poker pals were benevolent again by allowing me to take my boys to a movie. Thanks for folding all of your winning hands.

Prayer

If you ever want to be amazed while praying, try praying with a kid. I love to hear my kids pray and listen to the big/wild things they pray for. Tonight Max prayed that God would heal Lil P, aka Parker Kelley, and that he would never get sick again. He also prayed that God would kill all of the bad people in the world and stop making them. He asked God to make the bad people so sick that they would never get well again and die immediately.

This is one of Max's crazier prayers, but he's also prayed that God would move us to Africa or Australia so we can tell people about Jesus. I too want to move to Africa while the boys are still young and maybe God is using Max to help us mobilize. I don't know, but I enjoy praying with my boys.

Snakes

I have been seeing a lot of snakes on my route lately and today was no exception. I saw a total of 4 snakes.

The first live snake I saw I ran over, but not intentionally. I was driving on Hwy 170 going north at approximately 60 mph. I saw this black strip in the road and didn't think anything about it. Once I was within 2-3 feet I noticed a head lift into the air but it was too late then. There were cars coming from the other direction and braking wouldn't have done any good either. I looked in my side mirror and saw the snake strike at its mid-body, the part I ran over, and I thought, "That's probably the last time you do that."

The second live snake I saw was on a dirt road called Bidville Road and it had light brown(tan) and darker brown stripes or diamond shapes. It was pretty big and hanging out in the weeds but it was far enough out for me to see. I see things that most people don't because I am a professional driver and I am trained to see what you less than professional drivers can't or don't see. At first I thought the snake was a rattler due to its size and markings, but after googling it at work I realized it wasn't.

The other two snakes were dead in the road. Speaking of dead in the road, why do so many armadillos die on or near a hiway or road? I can't count all of the dead dillos I see in West Fork and Winslow. Do you think people try to kill them with their cars or do you think the dillos are playing dodge car? I don't know, but I would guess I saw at least 10 today.

I pooped in my pants

We are still trying to potty train Grant. He was doing great until our family caught this stomach virus which gave him explosive mook (my fave word for poop) and we made him wear pull-ups until the virus passed.

Now we make him wash off outside with the hose, clean his underwear, bathe himself and he loses toys. This isn't working too well. If you have any ideas, which are legal, let us know.

Dead Pigeon

I added a link which shows how I think the pigeon might look after it struck my truck.

I have killed again! That's right. I'm one bad s.o.b. Today wasn't my fault and I don't feel bad since it was a pigeon. For those of you who don't know I also killed a deer less than a year ago on Devil's Den Road. Don't worry, you can't see the blood anymore.

Some of you might wonder how I killed a pigeon. Was it the force, good driving, excellent hand/eye coordination or a combination of all of these? All of the above would be correct normally, but today it was the wind. I'm going 70 in my Sprinter on 540 returning from West Fork and Winslow. As I'm driving I catch something out of my right eye. It's a pigeon which has been blown sideways and is unable to flap it's wings. The pigeon hit the lower driver side of my window. After the loud thump I look in my driver side mirror to see flowers (not really, feathers) floating in the air. So, if you have thing for pigeons this is not the post for you.

Sarah thinks it's sad but I don't. If anyone knows how to get a picture of a pigeon for this blog let me know.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiting_for_friday/433787093/in/pool-deadpigeon/

BBQ Chicken

I've always thought that I'm raising my kids the right way and tonight Max confirmed it. We cooked ribs and chicken, BBQ style. Is there any other way? Maybe, but I like my BBQ. Max was eating his rib like an animal, maybe a tiger or liger. We talked about how good dinner was and the fun we had making it. I let the boys throw in leaves, sticks, spiders, etc...until the charcoal is ready. While chewing on his rib Max said, "Dad. If we have chicken again. I want BBQ on mine!" then I gave him a high-5. Now I need to him to start drinking sweet tea.

Gotta Go

As most of you know my parenting style is fairly laid back until the kid's stomp on my hot buttons. What are my hot buttons? I don't know. Ask my kids or Sarah if you want to know. What aren't my hot buttons? Peeing in public.

We were going to Wal-Mart on Sunday prior to church to get our final supplies for the Super Bowl party. Sarah went inside to get our goods while the boys and I drove around the parking lot. Max tells me that he has to go real bad. The last time he told me this and I didn't pull over he peed his pants while we were driving home from Colorado. So I asked him how bad did he need to go? He said real bad. I told him we were in a bad spot because there were no bathrooms in the parking lot and I couldn't find a parking and get all of us inside before he peed his pants. What was my solution? I told Max if he really needed to pee then he would have to pee on the tire while we were in the parking lot. Like the champion that he is, Max shrugs his shoulders and gets out of the van. He pulls down his pants and pees on the tire with countless people passing him. Did he care? No. Was he bothered? Not at all. Is he a champion? No doubt. So don't go telling me about how special your kid is until he/she pees in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Super Bowl Sunday and doesn't think a thing about it.