10 Things That You May Not Know About America

We love America!  Happy  birthday, Ol' Gal! 237 years.  To celebrate, I thought we would celebrate by listing 10 things that you may not know about America.

10.  There is this statue in Blue Earth, MN.

 

9. In NY, the penalty for jumping off a building is death.  

        Thanks for clearing that up, NY!

8. In Cali, no vehicle without a driver may go faster than 60MPH.

7. Minnesota and Kansas had a regular battle for the World's Largest Ball of Twine.  Kansas won but recently the ball is turning into something different.  More oblong and less round.  Either way, is there nothing else to do in these 2 towns?

 

6. The geographical center of the US is Lebanon, KS.

5. America has over 250,000 rivers.

4. There are 6 states with no mountains.  Can you name them?

    Answer at the bottom.

3.The tallest mountain in the world is located in Hawaii.  Mauna Kea is over 32,000 feet from the sea floor to its peak.  Mount Everest in Nepal is the tallest above sea level. But Mauna Kea takes the prize overall!

2. Income tax was est after 1812 to pay off the national debt and discontinued in 1817 and reestablished after the Civil War to again pay off the war debt.  It has never been discontinued nor have we payed off the debt.  I think we must try another way!

1. Boulder, CO owns its own glacier.  The only American town to do so.

Fun facts!  Did you learn something?  Did you guess the correct answers for #4?   Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Nebraska, and North Dakota.  There is no clear definition for a mountain so this answer is subjective to people living in each state.  But we all know a mountain when we see one, right?

 

 

DOUBLE DIGITS! Oh My!

The alarm clock blares at 4:30 am.  She reaches over, hits it, and rests back for a minute.  Then, she turns on her side and struggles to sit up.  Her belly is screaming at her.  Her back is aching and she is tired.  All of a sudden, she realizes why she is awake so early.  She is going to have her first baby.  She turns and pokes her husband and says, "Let's go!  We have a baby to meet!"  He groans and slowly sits up.  When the reality sets in, he, too, gets super excited.  They hop out of bed, get dressed, and brush their teeth.  While he is packing the car, she fixes her hair and puts on make-up.  They exit the house with 1 final look.  They know when they come home, life as they know it will no longer exist.  They will be a family of 3!

Fast forward.....4 kids, 2 states, 3 houses, 1 dog, and 10 years later.  That baby turns 10!  One whole decade!  WOW!  Here are some pics that show part of the celebration......

We took her to Outback

Steak is her favorite food!

She was embarrassed by the singing!

Off on our mommy/daughter adventure!

"What a HUGE Bed!"

The view here is amazing but alas it was raining!

Being silly!

Not too old to snuggle with Mom!

The sign I made her that says 10 ten different ways!

We decorated our own wrapping paper!

Her sister made this!

I made this card!  Isn't it pretty?

The whole family!

Her new kangaroo skin glove for big girls!

She loves the Redskins!  She wants an RGIII poster!

Big girl jewelry!

She only got a cupcake but a surprise party is on tomorrow!

Happy Birthday!

Today, my sweet son turns six.
The time flies by so quick.


He's grown into a boy so thoughtful and sweet
A boy whom you would like to meet.

Golden hair, blue eyes and chubby cheeks
With him I have been in love for 312 weeks.


He came early into the world.
Not crying and a head full of curls.

He loves Jesus with all of his heart
I am glad that He has been with him from the start.

So join me in celebrating Summie's life today.
He will melt your heart in every way!

Today is My Birthday

Yep! Shameless way to get comments on my blog but today is my birthday! I turned 38 and I am happy about that! I look and feel better than I ever have! I like where I am spiritually and in my maturity level. I love sharing a birthday with George Washington. He was an amazing president and we could use more like him. He cared more about the state of our union than he did for himself or the office. So what did I do today? First, I cuddled with my children and hubby in bed this morning. I assigned school work to the older ones and then took a shower. My hubby came home with my free Starbucks skinny caramel latte. I got it for being a member of their coffee club. Then, we picked up our littlest guy from preschool and went to a local sub place called Firehouse Subs. I got a free sub for my birthday. Then, we went to the library and got some books for school. We stayed there for a while and enjoyed the quiet while all 6 of us read a book. Next came nap time! Just Dance 3 on the XBox 360 with Kinect followed that. I got the dance video for my birthday! We, then, dropped our kids off at church for AWANA and then went to Moe's where I ate again for FREE!!!! I love free stuff! Today, may be the best birthday I have ever had! Great weather and great food!!! I will have to run lots and lots over the next few days! Hope your day was as good as mine! My present comes in the mail tomorrow! Can't wait to see what it is!

What a 7YO birthday party looks like

The Princess wanted breakfast in bed so she got it!

In MY bed with her peeps-in-waiting

Waiting for bacon that is!

Friends

More friends & cousin

Cousin

B-A-R-B-I-E

Polly Pockets

Yummy donut cake!

Table centerpiece

Riding my new big girl bike!

Every slumber party must have painted toes

Really, it's MY birthday!

Any guesses on when they went to sleep?

'Fess Up Friday-Confessions of a 7 YO

In honor of my sweet, precious, beautiful daughter's 7th birthday, I will be writing all my(her) confessions from a 7 YO's point of view. Mamarazzi is partying over on her site so go and check her out! So give my Baby Girl some love and read her(my) confessions. She is an amazing kid!!!!!!




1) I confess that I made Mommy sick every day for the first few months I was in her tummy.

2) I confess that Mommy's bladder was my favorite playground.

3) I confess that I couldn't wait to be born so I came 4 weeks early(much to Mommy's relief).

4) I confess that Mommy and Daddy were surprised to hear that I am a girl. I knew it all along!

5) I confess that once Mommy fed me, it was on! I didn't want a bottle or Daddy for that matter. My sister can be the Daddy's girl but as for me, Mommy all the way!

6) I confess that I was a little thing. Mommy says that I only weigh 5 lb 11 oz and can fit in the palm of her hand.

7) I confess that people say I am a mini me of Mommy with blond hair and blue eyes. That is a compliment(for Mommy ;) ).

8) I confess that I love my family, even my 2 brothers and my sister is my best friend. I am so happy God gave me to Mommy and Daddy.

9) I confess that I am almost always happy. I have a twinkle in my eye and a ready smile. Daddy mentioned something about boys and a shotgun. I am not sure what he means by that but he looks awfully serious when he says it.

10) I confess that I love Jesus and He lives in my heart. I know that I am going to Heaven one day and that I have a brother who lives there and is waiting for me.

That is all the confessing I am doing cause now it is party time! I have a few friends coming to sleep over at my house and I need to show off my new dangly earrings. Mommy said that I can't wear them until I am 7 and guess what? Today is the day! My Mommy made me a doughnut cake with pink and blue icing and purple sprinkles just like I wanted. So, gotta run! Happy birthday to me!

Fabulous Friday

She's crafty....I had a little time on Mother's Day for some intense crafting which for me means 30 minutes to myself. I made some cards for my sister in law and my mom and then just some to spare. I liked them all but this one was my fave. It was for my sister in law who turns 34 TODAY!!! Anyway, all the materials were found at our local $ store. The paper came in a pack of about 50 sheets for $1. It is thick, quality stuff! The flower came in a package of 3. This turned out so well that I might just have to do some more really soon.

Mr. Son, Son, Mr. Golden Son....

When I became pregnant with our 1st child, I just knew we were having a boy! I felt certain pressure(self-inflicted) to have a boy since Michael is the last of his line! We are the annoying types that do not find out the sex of the baby! We derive a lot of pleasure from driving the people around us crazy. No one was allowed to buy pink or baby blue! We were startled to hear the words, "It's a girl!" I countered with, "Are you sure?" You could've knocked me over if I weren't already lying down! So the next baby came along, same story! We wanted a boy. BOOM! Another girl! I have to say that I have the sweetest girls to ever walk this planet! But, no boy!

Nine months go by and being that I am as fertile as the Nile River Valley, I got pregnant again. This time we found out! We were having a boy! We showed the ultrasound picture to anyone and everyone who would look! In utero porn, if you will! When he came out, he whimpered a little and then cried and then when they placed him by my head(c-section not some weird Southern tradition), he calmed down and cooed! I was wrapped! In the recovery room, he lay by my side and nursed with perfection. He didn't cry only grunted! He knew and loved his mama! My girls had already gone to the dark side and began to favor their daddy so I was happy to have this little guy!





I grew up in a time when the prevailing school of thought was that boys & girls were not all that different from one another. If you give a boy a doll, he would just as soon play with that as he would a truck or a ball. Hogwash and poppycock! My boy was all boy from the get-go! He loved a ball! He loved his trucks and was fascinated by anything tractor or dirty. He ate bugs off the floor and explored things that my sweet girls would never have thought about! He found areas of my heart that were, as yet, undiscovered! The baby grew and as he did he was full of fat rolls and chubby cheeks!


He has since outgrown the fat rolls and though the cheeks are hanging on, they are slowly fading into a distant memory! He is still holding my heart in his hand! He is a sweet, obedient child! Sure, he has a speech impediment but can read! He can throw and hit a baseball! He captures the hearts of those people who come close enough to breathe in his zest for life and hunger for adventure! 5 years ago today, my chubby cheekers came unexpectedly early into the world! I wouldn't trade 1 moment of his blond haired, blue-eyed childhood for all the vacations in the Caribbean...wait...let me rethink that...No I stand by the original statement!

I love you, Sum! Happy birthday!