Let me have a moment...

I'm still wishy-washy on the baby name topic.  So today I start thinking I am settled on a name... and instead of just being content I decide to Google it.  (Hindsight=dumb.)

Everything I read is making me more annoyed with the world... I still like the name, but intentional "creative" spellings and odd reviews from gals with the name are putting a bad taste in my mouth.  Oh, and how many people I have now learned about that use it as a dog's name.  I realize I can't let the pet name trend ruin it for me, but come on!  I needed something to encourage me, not muddy the waters.  From now on I will avoid Google on big decisions.  :)

And another thing.

Who makes up the meanings for names anyway?  Some I can completely understand how their name actually holds a meaning.  Especially when you see the same "definition" in every place you look.  And then there is the "one in fifty" definitions- in fifty sources you find the same general information except for that one here and there that throws in a new interpretation.  This name I think I like has one of those... which I normally would balk at and move on because the meaning seems basically made up.  But I like this one.  And it may be the only thing that keeps it in high standing with me today (after having read all the nonsense google thought I wanted to read).  

.enduring; happy and upbeat.

But seriously, I think I might just make up my own answers when my kids come home from school with the assignment to find out what their name means, because I'm pretty sure somebody at that random google result website just did it.

Featuring AGGRESSIVE from "The Passive-Aggressive Mother"

It's been a weird day.  Both of my boys took naps THIS MORNING, at the SAME TIME.  That is so rare.  So I wasted a ton of time trying to figure out something really productive I could do and settled on 1) making cookies & 2) sweep and mop the floors.  Then this afternoon we got a short but giant rain storm.  It was pouring buckets for just 10-20 minutes and then it cleared right up.  I had to run a couple of errands but we waited until the rain had died down.  We drove past a group of kids tubing down the gutter.  No joke!  I wish I had my camera.  The gutter was WAY full and it was out into the street almost 10 feet and the kids were just playing with their inner tubes.  I tried to get out there and live it up like a kid, but Marshall said he'd rather stay inside than go jump in puddles.  Darn.  I guess I'll convince him next time.  You'd think this would make for a heavenly day.  I thought so too.  But the last couple hours have been a jumble of weird emotions that only find their way out every once in a while.

Well, we got home and I decided we better check out the damages to my humble garden that consists of spaghetti squash, serrano peppers and tomatoes.  I have three pepper plants, but only one has produced any fruit and its been tiny.  Well, I noticed that the producing plant looked like the rain knocked all of the leaves off and then I saw them.

These three giant caterpillars ate all the leaves off my ONLY PRODUCING PLANT!  My voice was on the verge of screaming as I was calling them "stupid bugs" and telling them they are not welcome in my garden.  Apparently my suffering garden broke this camel's back.  I was so furious.  I exclaimed, "I'm gonna go inside and get my camera so I can take a picture of the little jerks!"  Marshall thought they were really interesting creatures but also didn't like that they had eaten the plants we've worked so hard on.  

Then I looked over to my squash and saw the critters I'd been suspecting for a couple weeks now...

SQUASH BUGS!

They're kinda hard to see, but a small fraction of them were clustered on that dead leaf.  I started cutting off all the leaves they were camping out on (to avoid the "torrential flooding" of the garden) and set them on the cement.  Then I realized I didn't want to squash all the bugs with my shoes, so I grabbed a shovel and let them have it.  Soon I can hear my dear oldest child,
"We are killing all these freakin' little jerks!"
  And then I turn around to find Tyler behind me with his own little shovel smashing what's left of all the little garden eaters.  

So here I sit, confessing my wrong doings.  I taught my son those naughty little words.  And I'm sorry.  Especially if he ever utters them in your presence.

My brain is broken!

I have totally been slacking when it comes to downloading/editing/organizing my pictures lately. I had left a few really cute pics on my camera so I could quickly show them off and today my card got full so I was deleting some old pics and confused some new ones with the old ones. Ugh! I am so mad. I can't believe my all the sleepers in my house didn't wake up when I reacted to the aggrevating realization. I'm so ticked right now I can't even tell you. My stomach is in knots over it. MY BRAIN IS BROKEN! At this late/early hour I can't remember examples of some of the other dumb things I've done... but this picture thing is not the only one. I had some of the sweetest pictures of Marshall and Tyler napping together and I deleted them... all but this one. UUUGGGGGHHHHH!

On a more positive note: At least I am back to taking pictures. I slacked in that area too. More positives: Tyler's halloween costume came and he is officially the cutest elephant in the history of the world. AND I got everything together for Marshall's cowboy costume and he is the cutest cowboy in the history of cowboys!
My stomach still feels sick.

Packing boxes as furniture... looks good at our house.

Maybe if I put my feelings out into the universe something good will come of it. We have yet to close on our house and it is starting to drive me crazy. Every couple of days it is the same story..."We've got everything in they asked for. We're just waiting for the paper work to come through so we can sign." And each morning I get a call from a very frustrated loan officer "...they seem to have made up some need to see this or that or the other thing..." It is starting to drive me crazy. So now that my pantry and food storage is packed up and the fridge is slowly emptying (I refuse to go to the store until we move) we will be found eating at everyone else's house until the blessed day comes. Oh yeah, we're not holding our breaths either.

Next to pack, the bathroom essentials.