Isn't she lovely?

Rachel went out with her best friend Ashlee for her Birthday last night. They all dressed up and went out to dinner. It's not very often that I get to see her dressed up with her hair and make-up done. I had a lot of fun helping her get ready to go. I was very excited to do her hair up and put a little make-up on. She looked so beautiful.

Our Newest Family Member!

Meet Tater Moreno-Strong! (Moreno is her maiden name)

I have lost my ever-loving mind! I don't know what the hell is happening in this household. Do you know that I don't really like dogs? Or so I thought. They shed, smell, bark, eat, poo, etc. and no matter how many times your kids promise to clean up after them or help out, they don't. I still pick up after them as much as I pick up after the kids. It's ridiculous, but I love them.



Riley is our old man, he is almost 10. I got him for Brian for Valentine's Day right after we were married. Crazy then, and I swore that he was the one and only dog we would have. When he died in 15-20 years we were done! Or so I thought...



Then about 2 years ago, Brady put us on this huge guilt-trip. He was the youngest and Rach and Mas weren't here all of the time, he was lonely. So, we got Blake. He was supposed to be Brady's surrogate brother and friend. And I swore that he would go to college with Brady and we wouldn't get any more pets. Or so I thought...



Then we were at a BBQ at my friend Kelly's house a couple of weeks ago, and we met Tater. She is a doll, such a lover and her parents were thinking about finding her a new home because their lives had become so chaotic with 2 1/2 kids under 2 at home and they felt like Tater wasn't getting the love and attention that she had always received. Well Brian and I fell in love with her and even teased that we were going to put her in our car that night. We didn't that day, but a few days later I met her mommy for a typical McDonalds-weekend-kid-exchange :) and Tater came home to surprise her new adoptive mommy, Rachel.



Rachel had been begging for a dog of her own to love and carry around in her purse, Tate (Tater tot, Tatinator, T-Tot, etc.) has been a perfect addition to our family. She is a typical girl around here, spoiled rotten. Luckily, she came from a wonderful home and is very well behaved, with the exception of the bark, which gets her in a little trouble sometimes.



The Strong Family Zoo is up and running! Please do not show me any other pets, don't invite me to your house if you are trying to get rid of a pet, or tell me about any pets at the humane society needing homes... I am not getting anymore pets. PERIOD!

Wow ! Mason is 16!

I cannot believe that this the same kid I married 10 years ago; he is now taller than I am, has his driver's permit, and is shaving - it is completely and utterly crazy!

Happy 16th Birthday Mason, here is to a great year!

Happy 1st Birthday Jett!

We celebrated my nephew Jett's 1st Birthday last weekend. He is sooo cute. He had a firetruck themed Birthday party and shared it with many family and friends. I can't believe he is already 1 and walking, it seems that he may be the last little one born in our family for a while so I am trying to enjoy it. He has the sweetest little chubby cheeks and not to seem biased, but he looks just like my brother did when he was a baby. Happy 1st Birthday Little Man! May you have a wonderful year of "firsts".

Eat More Chik'in!

We have been so proud of Mason and his new job at Chic Fil A. He is having so much fun and actually got his very first paycheck last week. Until school got out, he was only able to work a couple hours a night and this week is on the schedule for over 20 hours. He is already adding his hours up for how much his next paycheck will be.

Last week, he was asked to dress as the cow for "Kids Night". He was dreading it all day, he wasn't sure what he would do. We kept telling him that he could be anything he wanted, but he wasn't biting. He was not excited. Flash forward 3 hours and he was grinning from ear to ear. He loved it. He said he couldn't stop smiling under that costume. The kids were running to him and were so excited. He was dancing and even played the limbo.

He wouldn't allow us to come have dinner there that night and take pictures, and I thought we would respect his wishes. He promised me that he would get me a picture though.

If you want to see him dancing and doing the limbo, go to facebook and look up Brighton Chic Fil A, the date Mason dressed up is May 25.

It's been awhile...

I haven't blogged for awhile, but my goal for the long weekend is to catch family and friends on what we have been up to.

I thought I would start the weekend off with a pic of my sweet children who are driving me crazy. I love summer for the kids because I remember how much I loved having summer's off. However, I now know why my mom would be crazy most of the time.

2 teenagers and 1 tween are here ALL day long while Brian and I are at work. They don't do much... already making me crazy and they have been out for less than a week. I don't know what they do all day, but I do know that they eat, drink, and lounge around. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt for about 1-2 weeks and then I am going to scream.

I will find them things to do if I have to (and they won't be fun, Kids) if they are in the same place every day when we get home. I can't handle it. So... I love my kids, but I love when they have stuff to do, busy kids are kids who stay out of trouble (in and outside of the home).

Happy Summer Break Everyone! I wish I had the summer off....

Happy Birthday Grandma Kathy!

With Brian's parents living in Florida, we very rarely get to spend Birthdays or holidays with them. This year though, Chuck and Kathy are here visiting us for a few weeks so with Kathy's Birthday on May 1, we were able to celebrate with her. Yes, she was victim to my cake decorating skills....

We had a little pizza party (something she was craving) and spent some good - quality - game playing - family time together. Just the beginning of our wonderful time together.

Happy Birthday Grandma / Mom!

We are glad we got to spend your Birthday with you this year!