the ridiculously, insanely, overwhelmingly LONG post

I haven't posted since Wednesday...busy days, busier evenings, long nights! Buckle your seatbelts and hold on tight, this is gonna be a doozy of a post...


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Allow me to preface the paragraph that follows, by saying, that Daddy Buck and I had the day off (well, I was on-call) together on Thursday...


I was raised in the deep south in the great state of Louisiana in a family that worshiped the outdoors. From sports, to fishing, to hunting, and everything in between. My grandfather, father, brother, and husband are avid hunters. From deer, to turkey, to ducks, to doves, to elk, and everything in between. With this upbringing, it's hard to believe that I had never fired a gun. Not a rifle, not a shotgun, not a pistol, or anything in between. That is until this past Thursday! My dad has tried for years to teach me, take me, coerce me...if not for the sport of it, at least for self defense and personal safety. Daddy Buck finally won the battle and I agreed to go to the indoor pistol range and finally "bite the bullet", if you will.








Here's what I have to say about it...I did it (after tearing up and almost backing out), I was decent at it (fired 6 shots from 20 feet and hit the target ALL 6 times), I was NOT a huge fan of it.





Daddy Buck, on the other hand...recreational hunter with a military hunter background, need I say more?




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After the pistol range, lunch, and grocery shopping, we got the boys so that we could enjoy the outdoors and our spring-like temperatures before Daddy Buck and I left for "date night".


Frank-o has finally become proficient at riding his bicycle that Santa Claus brought as evidenced in this video clip (pause the music player at the bottom of the page):






And, just for kicks...enjoy a laugh on me at this video clip of my two sweet, lovely, innocent boys attempting to run me over (take note that Frank-o has the hiccups from laughing so hard):






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Daddy Buck and I had "date night" on Thursday...dinner at a nice, quaint, local Italian restaurant and then we met another couple to enjoy the music of an 80s cover band.






Our neighbor snapped this unscripted series of pictures as we were leaving using the continuous picture-taking mode on my camera.






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You didn't think I would overlook my two weekly Friday blog carnivals, now did you?? Better late than never...



Flashback Friday







These pictures are of Frank-o in February 2008 the day of his surgery to have tubes placed in his ears.





Why choose these pictures for Flashback Friday?


Speaking of surgery??



Remember that my boys were scheduled to have surgery (again) this past December and it was cancelled when Frank-o got sick the day of the surgery.....it has been rescheduled for February 12 and has become a wee, tee, nintsy little bit more extensive!! It will be tonsils, adenoids, and tube in ears for BOTH boys. senile, loony, exhausted, teary-eyed, whiny, short-tempered, sick, cranky, hungry, drugged, cramped...are all words that come to mind. Pray people, pray like wildfire!






Favorite Things Friday








1. Our ENT....because, hopefully within the next three to four weeks, she is going to drastically improve the quality of life that exists within our family. Less runny noses, fewer ear infections, better nights' sleep....who could ask for more?



2. My Parents....who came in town this weekend to visit the boys and I while Daddy Buck made a short weekend trip to Mobile, AL to visit his uncle. They are always a blast when they visit. I love them and my boys adore them!!



3. Birthday Cake....today was my nephew's birthday party (more on that to come), so it's fresh in my mind. Bakery fresh in my mind with lots and lots of frosting!




Head on over to The Boren Life for more Favorite Things Friday entries (even though it's Saturday night now)...


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Since I just mentioned my blogging pal, Tiff (The Boren Life), I should also mention that she has bestowed upon me my very first blogging award/honor, Hug Me Hug You!

Though, this "ecru IT" with his "HUGS banner" whigs me out a little....I greatly appreciate the recognition and I will follow through with paying it forward:

This award is given only to those who have said or done things that make an impact as well as provide comfort to others. It is given to those who induce positive emotions in others, while leaving them with the warmth of knowing that they too are special.

Hugs everyone:

1. Trish @ The Blondin Five

2. LeAnna @ Our son....Patrick

3. Amy @ Savage Stories

4. Mandi @ Monistere Maddness


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ARE YOU KIDDING ME???




I am stoked, pumped, fired-up, honored, and downright bedazzled that my boys picture that I entered in this week's Kids' Faces contest at i Heart Faces was featured on their blog.


Check it out here....It seemed to me that the Top 10 winners that were chosen were all taken by professional photographers with the exception of maybe one or two, so I was stunned to even be amongst the "not-so-honorable, accessorized, honorable mention" picks!


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Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Brock, Happy Birthday to you!!

Monday is my nephew's 2nd birthday and as I previously mentioned, we enjoyed his birthday party and CAKE today!!






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Tonight at bedtime....I read, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to my boys. The special detail to this tidbit of information is that, it was my book from when I was little that my mom read to my brother and I complete with three stuffed three bears hand-made by a family friend. My mother brought it to my boys and I this weekend.






Thank you "just plain ole" Maw-Maw!!!


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Out of the mouths--

Frank-o as we are passing Daddy Buck's work en route to church last Sunday morning..."Daddy, there's YOUR school!!"

Buck-a-roo as attempts to explain to me where milk comes from...

B-A-R: "Mommy, do you know that cows make milk from how we potty"
Me: "I didn't know that Buck-a-roo"
B-A-R: "Yep, the farmer pulls their potty-thingie and milk comes out!" "That's where chocolate milk comes from!"
Me: {alrighty then}


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And that, my friends, is the 4+ hour post

"GoodNight"