the haps

I have recently been nagged for not blogging. I've been doin stuff. July was an eventful month. We had visits from Uncle Cody and Uncle Tim, we went to Alabama Adventure a lot, we sold our car, Braden got a class date for OTS, and we worked on a lot of home improvement projects. Actually, I guess the last one is debatable. If you ask me, I've been working on home improvement projects. If you ask Braden he might say I've been spending time and money and asking him to nail this or build that so that our house can be even more colorful (=tacky) and full of even more crap that we have to move and store. Take for instance the day I called him from the store asking if he cared what fabric I use to reupholster the kitchen chairs. These were his exact words, "NO. Do whatever you want". But upon seeing the lovely said purchased fabric, his eyes rolled all over his eye sockets and I will not quote his exact words at that moment. Mostly because I do not remember them. But I do vividly recall the cold feeling in my heart. Then a few days later I decided that Lila must be removed from our room. She's a sleep ruiner, plain and simple. So I embark on the journey of converting the guest room into her room. Again, a thoughtfully placed call to the husband:

"Braden, I'm kicking Lila out. She's moving to the guest room. I'm at Wal-Mart looking at paint. Do you care if I paint her room?"

"Why? We're moving"

"In a year"

"So it's unacceptable for our infant to sleep in a room with white walls for a year?"

"YES! EXACTLY!LoveyouhaveagooddayatworktalktoyoulaterBye!"

"What color?"

"I'll surprise you!"

Bet he has never been surprised with "glittery sequins" before. I bet he hopes he never will again either. Fat chance of that though because it's a magnificent color that I happen to have extra of. It's an energetic purple and all the girls in the house feel happy. I totally feel like the hero saving my daughter from the boredom of such a lame room for an entire year of her life. Also I've been doing lots of smaller stuff like re-doing fabulous garage sale items. Bottom line- I'm having a ball. Braden is counting down days until training. Which is easier thanks to a paper chain that arrived in the mail handmade by nieces and nephews with love.

We'll just say for the purposes of protecting ourselves from creepy online stalkers (since I really am currently in the process of privitizing our blog in the next day- this date is what I was waiting on) that he goes to Officer Training at Maxwell Air Force Base, which is only about an hour and a half away sometime next year. So he will go there for 13 weeks, I will chill with the girls here (and likely cry my face off- but will probably spend lots of time in the glittery sequin room for a burst of joy)then we will go to Panama City for about a year, then on to one of the 5 places that Air Battle Managers go (Germany, Japan, Alaska, Oklahoma City, and Georgia...and those are in order of ranked preference). He was certainly disheartened at the continued wait time as he his SO anxious to get on with it. But at least he gets all the free sodas he can handle at his current job. So every thing's golden with us. Except for yesterday he got a shard of metal lodged in his eyeball at work and today he had to go get it ground out along with the rust from the metal. I felt so sad for him I ate two bowls of ice cream. Now we both feel better.

We sold Braden's dear Maxi. It was a lot more dear when his old dirt bag employer paid the payment. The sale was so dramatic for Anabelle. Her crying may have made us a couple more benjamin's though. She still asks about it most days and tells people first thing when we see them that "someone stold our Maxima car". I tell her every time, "No, Anabelle, we SOLD our Maxima car". You can take a girl out of Colton but you can't take the Colton out of the blood unfortunately. So I'm rolling in a Graco double stroller these days. I'm doing my part for the earth, our bank account, my saddlebags, and the girls are well hydrated, tanned, and can totally distinguish between a lizard and a salamander.

A few more days until Lila's Urology appointment. Meanwhile she covers every square foot of our house, fuzzy boa and toilet paper trailing, (her two favorite sources of entertainment) looking for crumbs and scraps to chew on. Thus her nickname "the bottomfeeder".

Back to my projects before Braden gets home. With his eye in such delicate condition I have to save him from all that rolling around his eyes want to do when I announce my next project (and then give him instructions on how he is to help).



God gave us a rainbow of colors. I feel that those colors should be celebrated. Worn. Splashed on walls. Used on nails. Tried on hair. Etc; Is that so wrong?