80 Years with Papaw

Today, Halloween day, is my Papaw's 80th birthday. Yesterday, we all made the drive to Bartlesville to wish him a happy birthday. All the kids were there, most of the parents were there, and of course the birthday boy was there!

Angela brought the German Chocolate Cake. Mamaw made her famous apple pie. Needless to say...there were enough desserts. Yummy! I helped out by donating some money for Papaw to go on his next fishing trip to Canada. Angela bought him a nice warm jacket to replace the one he has worn for 40 years:

I took a second to take a picture with my Papaw in his favorite chair. Everyone knows this is "his chair". If he is being nice, or eating in the kitchen, you can sneak a few minutes in it. I can remember many a time when I would sit in his lap in this chair. All good memories. Please excuse my unusally looking large arm and tiny head. I don't think I really look like this. I think it is just the way I am positioned in the picture. I sure hope so, because I think I look a touch odd.

Many of Papaw's great grandchildren were there yesterday too. Not all of them, because he has more, but most of them were there. Even Charlie made an appearance. Charlie is my cousin Stephan's baby that now lives in OKC with her Momma, Kristina. Stephan is still deployed overseas with the US Marine Corps. Charlie, Owen, Will, Emma, and Ava attempted to take a picture with their Mamaw and Papaw. It went awesome as you can tell.....


Happy 80th birthday Papaw! I love you very much:)

A Day in Pre-K

So it was time to brush up on my days of the week, months of the year, colors, shapes, and letters...so off to Pre-K I went with Will today! Not really, although sometimes (on my tired days) I do feel a little rusty. Twice a year Will's teacher (who also won Teacher of the Year that morning) invites all parents to come and spend a day with their student. The next opportunity will be in March when Daddy will get to go. Today was my day though. Will was so pumped Momma was coming with him. He even sang me a song in the car again this morning that he thought we would sing today. We didn't sing that one, so I guess he will have to teach me more. The morning started off with singing, more singing, and calendar time. We then moved onto pumpkin creating. Here was Will with his first activity of the day. He worked really hard on that one and the finished product is already hanging on our fridge:)

He was into "hanging beside" his friends for a spell and then he would remember I was there, find me out in the classroom, and sit right on top of me or in my lap. I will take that for as long as I can. I don't think at 17 he will want to sit in my lap anymore, and that will be a sad day for me. He was always as close as he could get to me while working. See:

No really, I am not complaining. That is precious to me even though at some points my feet were falling asleep because all 33 pounds of him were resting on my toes!

Next up...more working on projects. He made another pumpkin, a sticker sheet of fall fun things, and a necklace (a special gift for someone that actually was not me).

When he was done with all of his projects his teacher allowed him to play/draw/write on the Smart Board. That thing was so cool and totally made me wish I would have had one when I taught 2nd grade. Will loved it. There was a line about 10 deep of kids that wanted their chance to play on it too. Will got up there and drew I "think" a dinosaur? He showed off the whole class how well he can write his name though! Way to go Will!

Mason (Will's best friend) and Will enjoy their class and their time together every day. Today they were at the Science station looking at pumpkins and pumpkin skin with a magnifying glass. They were also being boys and seeing what other things they could make huge. Funny boys:)

Last but not least it was snack time. The class read a story about a pumpkin (that was the theme for today if you couldn't tell) and Mrs. Snow gave the boys and girls the activity to make their own square pumpkin with graham crackers, orange icing, and sprinkles. This was a huge hit with all 20 students as you can imagine. I think that was the quickest thing any of them did, just so they could partake in the eating of their pumpkin!

Will had a great time with me and showing me all he does in his day everyday. Now I know why he loves going to school so much. It really was fun, entertaining, busy, loud, and exciting. I can only imagine what a 5 year old thinks of it!

A Very Welcome Visit

This weekend my lifelong friend (well, for about 20 years) came to visit me from Kentucky. We had a blast! Lots of food, talking, laughs, football, and fun. The football was disappointing on many levels though. Sad, sad day for Oklahoma Sooner fans:( Anyway....we make the drive to Norman, drop off the boys, and walk to the stadium. All day they talked about rain but here it was almost 7 at night and still no rain. JUST as we finally got our tickets (made some money from buying and selling) the rain started to fall in buckets. We're talking rain, hail, lightening, thunder, wind...the whole thing minus a tornado. The game was delayed 30 minutes. We decided to wait it out. The game was delayed another 30 minutes. We decided to stay. All very hungry. By this time it was after 8pm and still no dinner for anyone. The rain continued, the hail began again and the game was delayed another 30 minutes. For those of you that are counting, that is now an 8:30 kick off time, in the cold wind and rain. We all voted to call it quits. Here are some shots of us before the game and while waiting:

Of course we had to take a picture of Andrea by the homecoming banner of the Kentucky Derby horse. She demanded it:)

Lets move onto the water drama. We all decided to walk home after we realized the game was going to be much later, colder, and wetter than we all liked. The problem with this decision is we had no car and Steven's parents house was a mile away. We called his dad who came and picked us up only about 1/2 mile away. Thank God for our poncho's because even with those things I was the most wet I have ever been in my life while wearing clothes. My shoes literally had to be dumped upside down to pour the water out when I took them off. Oh well, memories!

We had such a fun time and loved being able to see each other. It doesn't happen very often so when it does, we really cherish our time together!

Pumpkin Patch Tuesday

Most of the time, during this time of year, we do the pumpkin patch on a weekend. Since Daddy is working every weekend from now until mid November, I decided to do the patch one night after dinner. After a yummy dinner of pasta, we headed out to the patch. This isn't the one we normally go to because that one was too far of a drive for a school night. This patch is thrown by a local church here in Broken Arrow. We pass it going to Will's school everyday and Will always comments on the pumpkins. Last night he actually got to go. I was impressed. There were several little things for the kids to do, and it wasn't a total rip off financially like a lot of pumpkin patches are. Of course, the boys had to ride/drive/climb on the tractors. Owen really enjoyed this part!

I think Owen thought he was really driving this thing. He was even making the sounds:) Boys will be boys! I reminded Will of the song by Jason Aldean "Big Green Tractor" while he was sitting on it. He didn't make the correlation. Or at least didn't seem to think it was as funny as Momma thought.

Next, we moved on to climbing on the pumpkins. They tried and failed at climbing on all the big ones. Once they both got frustrated enough to not do that anymore, they moved to pumpkins that were more their size.


Before we left we let each of them pick out the pumpkin of their choice. Will attempted to pick up a big one, so Owen had to follow his lead. He tried and worked those muscles as much as he could. This is a picture of the boys displaying their mighty muscles:)

If you are looking for a good pumpkin patch to take your families to this year you might want to try this one out. It is at 101st and Elm in Broken Arrow at a local Methodist church. The boys seemed to really enjoy it!

Will's Fall Festival

Last night we went to Will's school for the annual Fall Festival/Carnival. All the kiddos had fun, but we as parents thought it was sort of lame. There was virtually nothing for little siblings to do. Owen just pretty much walked around and ate all night (fine with him I am sure). Even Will didn't do too many things. The one thing he did want was a balloon animal. We get in line (35 minutes before closing) and the balloon maker says he is not doing anymore animals tonight. Maybe his fingers hurt, but COME ON! There was a line 10 kids deep. I felt sorry for him. After that it was all downhill for the boys. Will was ready to go home, he was worried because it was getting dark, his legs started to have pains, he was sleepy.....on and on. Owen, on the other hand, was all hyped up, all full of energy, and not slowing down one bit! The boys did get to enjoy spending some fun time with their friends Addison and Mason though. They always love to see them!

Will did get to bounce in a few rides. There were around 3 or 4 inflatables outside that the kids could play in. Here is a shot after he got off his first "ride".

It was a lot of waiting in line so that part wasn't very fun for them. They did get to spend some time with Daddy though and they always cherish that since he is not home much during the week:)

And yes, that was just sucker number one for Owen for the night!!!

Bass Pro Night

Tonight the family went to Bass Pro to spend some of Daddy's birthday money. This was already the 2nd trip Steven had taken to BP to attempt to spend some of his gift card money. He still only walked away with using only 1 of his 5 cards. We have come to the conclusion that if he truly wants to spend some quality time finding that hunting and fishing stuff he will have to go without these tag along's:


You can't get much done while chasing these 2 around the store. At one point Will had taken off towards fishing (where Daddy was) and Owen was trotting closer and closer to the waterfall. I didn't know who to chase???

The boys sure love Bass Pro (really all 3 boys). I have to admit, I don't mind it too much. On the other hand, I enjoyed it a whole heck of a lot more when Starbucks was inside. That's what got me through the whole Bass Pro adventure. Now that Starbucks is gone, my trips are a little more sad and lonely! The boys love all to do at BP though. Fishing, bears, shooting, boats, ducks, tents, elevators...the list goes on and on. Here are a few shots I took of the boys enjoying their 2 favorite things....the big bear and the big fish.

This picture of Will cracks me up because he looks like he has huge ears in it:) I guess he does, but they are still the cutest ears in the whole world!!!!!!!!!!

Football and Park Sunday

Sunday nights bring flag football to the Kueny household. Most nights the boys and I do not get to go with Daddy to his games because they are too late. Tonight's game was a 3:45 game so we were able to attend with Daddy. To say the boys loved it and enjoyed themselves is a major understatement. To even keep them in the stands for 20 minutes was quite an accomplishment for me because all they wanted to do, and I mean ALL, was to play on the field with Daddy.


It is not the best picture because for how super cool my phone still is, I can not seem to figure out how to zoom in for pictures. No one can. It makes me think my phone doesn't do it. Anyways, Will and Owen looked pretty stinkin' adorable on that huge field and them being so little still:)

Once they got their fill of me telling them they couldn't be on the field while the Daddy's played, we moved on over to the park. This park is built for kids 5-12 years old. It says it right there on the sign. Owen didn't care. He doesn't realize he is only 2. He thinks he is 5, like brother. Sometimes a good thing, sometimes a bad thing. The slide was the big hit tonight. Owen took a few spills down but still seemed to look like this at the end!!

The boys enjoyed themselves to no end. Steven didn't limp or crawl off the field from injuring himself. A good night all around....except for Steven lost:(

2 More Men in My Life

Let's face it ladies and gentlemen....I am surrounded by men in my life. I have 2 boys, my aunt has 2 boys, my cousin has 2 boys, my other cousin has 1 boy, and now my sister in law birthed 2 twin boys on Tuesday. I don't want to leave out my girls. I do have a few (very small amount) of nieces thrown in there too somewhere:)

Of course, I had to make the trek down to OKC to see the newest additions to the Kueny family. Anderson and Oliver Kueny. Ohhh, I was in love. The first time I placed them both in my arms I was shocked by what little heat warmers they were. So snug and tight and warm wrapped up in their little cacoons of blankets. Such sweet little gurgles and sounds and smacking and stretching and crying they did. It took me back to the baby days. I love babies, but not so much the work that goes into taking care of them. So, this was the perfect set up for me. Make the trek to OKC, visit for a few hours and go all gaga over them, and then head out!

So without further ado....let me introduce Anderson and Oliver. I believe I am correct (although I could be totally wrong) but I THINK Anderson is the one yawning:) and Oliver is the one just being sweet and posing for his Aunt Jackie. Rachel and Denise tell me they look completely different but from an outsider looking in right now they look pretty much the same to me:)

I snapped another shot of them laying together on Momma's bed. It was just so sweet. Anderson was waiting patiently to eat, while brother was all wrapped up and fighting sleep since he just finished indulging in milk. Anderson was getting fussy and tired of waiting and started to cry. Once I placed Oliver right down beside him (and gave him a Soothie) he stopped crying. Just so remarkable the bond between twins. It was precious and I am officially in love with 2 more men in my life!!!!

Happy Birthday Steven!

Every October 5th that rolls around is my hunnies birthday. 33 this year. He told me he wanted me to take him to the store to buy some velcro shoes and elastic waisted pants this year. That's what he wanted:) All kidding aside, all he wanted were gift cards to Bass Pro so he could buy fishing things. Okay, maybe he is getting old!

For Steven's birthday this year I had to work:( I did take off early and super Nini came over to watch the boys. We got all dressed up...all this means to me is I was not wearing my staple "mom outfit". This would be either a tank top and jeans or a t-shirt and jeans during this October days. We got dressed up and ready to go enjoy one of Steven's favorite pasttimes...the movies. "Moneyball" was our movie of choice. It was good. This movie has got tons of hype and Oscar buzz. It was okay. I guess I would have really loved it if I was a baseball fan. All I could think of during the movie though was how Brad Pitt isn't aging like I would have liked him too:)

Dinner was at Outback. One of Steven's favorites! He enjoyed his favorite foods of wings, sweet tea, sweet yam, salad, and steak. I had to show him how much I loved him with whipping out candles, lighting them, and snapping a picture. He was embarrassed. We had no cake so I had to make due with the next sweetest thing which was his yam.

Amazingly one of my most enjoyable parts of the night was my dinner choice at Outback. They have a new sandwich called the Fillet Foccachio. Holy Cow! I would have shown you the whole thing but before I could think to take a picture I had already eaten half of it. Incredibly Delicious!!!!!!!

Happy birthday to my Steven!

Food, Fun, Family....Fair!

October brings fair month to the state of Oklahoma. Chilly air, weirdly dressed people, fried foods, rides that make you puke...you can't ask for much more for a Friday night:) The boys had a great time and never seemed to wear down even after hour #4! Could it be the sugar, sweet tea, fried foods, or loud sounds and lights all around them? Check all of the above!

The night started out with a Sea Lion Splash Show. Little Owen and his love of animals. He couldn't shut his mouth the whole time. It was just hanging open in awe of the water creatures. He even set still on Daddy's lap for the entire half hour. You know he must be entertained if he is willing to not move for 30 minutes. So cute! Here is our first snapshot of the night before the sea lion show started:

After the show it was time to move on to eating. Isn't that the main reason why most people were there anyways? Forget trying to eat healthy at this place! I think the most healthy thing I saw was an Indian Taco and even then the shell is deep fried. Hey, gotta love the fair! I started us off with a jumbo corndog, 2 regular corndogs for the boys, and a plate of fresh cut and FRIED potato wedges. Alllll frriiieeeedddd......

Steven continued the round of fried foot consumption by being tricked into purchases fried gator on a stick. I should have been looking at the other suckers in the line in front of us because then I would have been able to change his mind about paying $7 for 3 bites of gator on a stick. Needless to say...it tasted like chicken just more chewy and he was still hungry.

Moving on to the next meal. If you are counting, that makes meal number 3! Who doesn't love a gyro? Who doesn't love an $8 rip off gyro at the fair? Steven doesn't! He ate it because he didn't want to waste the money but still didn't even really like it. Poor guy just couldn't catch a break with his food choices!

Just the luck that the table we found to sit at to devour the gyro also had Owen's next favorite activity right in front of us! Basketball! "Shoot" as Owen calls it. Therefore Momma didn't get to really sit and rest because you know who had to be RIGHT THERE to watch and observe the action. He was watching form, style, and skill and learning from the big kids on the court. Daddy eventually finished his meal and joined the boys to watch a little bball action.

Next up, it was time for rides. Another rip off in my opinion but something that must be done when you have 2 children with you:) I guess I am just spoiled to the Kiddie Park in Bartlesville where the rides are only 25 cents a ticket. Not so at the fair. $1 a ticket and there was not a ride that was less than 3 tickets. So, doing the math, for both boys to ride just ONE RIDE it was $6! I know, I know...you only live once right? We might be $100 poorer now from this fair but it was worth it. The kids had a blast, I gained 11 pounds, and Steven even found friends that he knew at the fair to chat it up with. That guy can talk more than any woman:)

No fair would be complete without the boys winning prizes! Fast pitch softball was the winner. They both got to throw the ball and have the man tell them how fast they threw. Owen's didn't even register:) Will's fastest throw was 29 mph. I was proud. Here they are with the expensive (ahem...i mean fun) toys: Look how cute Owen looks. He was so excited to win something! Brother had already gotten something small and now it was his turn. Will was thrilled also as you can tell from the photo.

All in all we had a good time, spend too much money, and ate way too much nasty food. Memories! The thing that ticked me off most about the whole night happened right before bed. Steven steps on the scale and says, "Dang, I lost a pound tonight!" Are you KIDDING me. I hate that man. Just kidding:) Sorta.