Castaway Bay.....

Greg had a PGA type week of golf planned, so on Friday we decided to stay in Sandusky and take the kids to an indoor water park. The kids and I arrived first, checked in and headed to dinner. On the way to dinner...we saw Snoopy. Maverick high fived him, and was in awe. Greg arrived and we had dinner. Then it was water time. Now if you know me, you know I HATE bathing suits. I mean..why can't the 40's style suits come back? I mean..I could rock those. Big time. I got on my suit..got the kids ready and we headed down. Maverick was a little timid at first, but he warmed up quickly and became the fish we know and love. Madison was a fish as soon as we walked through the door! Madison and I went on a raft ride, that I have to admit was pretty fun. We swam, bounced around from the pool area, to the wave pool, and to the spa. Maddye asked if we could go on the tube sides. I, being the super cool mom I am...said yes. I'm claustrophobic. The tubes were kinda small and dark. I wasn't sure I could breathe. It was the longest 10 seconds of my life..then it happened. I saw light...and uncrossed my legs. Stupid mistake. My bathing suit was forced so far up where the sun don't shine..that I literally had to stop moving to yank it out. At that moment...I realized that the poor young lifeguard saw the V. I'm pretty sure I've scarred him for life. I did the eye closed, head shake as I was doing the walk of shame out of the pool. The young lifeguard then informed me..."it's ok..it happens all the time" OMG. He did see the V. Poor kid..he will never be the same. I told Maddye I would wait at the bottom for her and watch her come down. I'm a raft tube slide kind of gal..no more V shots for this girl.  I had to inform Greg of the unfortunate V incident...just in case it ended up on youtube. Because that would be my luck. Greg thought it was hilarious and was sorry he missed it. Jerk! We decided to try to get Maverick over his fear of the giant bucket that dumps water, so Maddye and I were squatting down by him watching the bucket. Just as it was dumping Greg grabs me, and trys his hardest to push me under. Well this girl works out. I fought him..ya know because I wasn't already soaking wet or anything..well...I ended up with a pulled groin muscle. Really WTF. First a V shot...now a sore V!?!?! Seriously.
The kids had fun..and thankfully my V has recovered. I'm just hoping the security cameras are not zoomed in on the turquoise tube slide.

Who he'd be today...

     If he wasn't adopted. It's one of those questions that really makes me stumble for words. The answer..very simply..I. Don't. Know.
    What I do know is our adoption specialist doctor said in the condition Maverick was brought home in..he wouldn't have survived the baby house. Those words were the most heartbreaking words I have ever heard, and still to this day they make me cry. Thankfully, God had other plans for our son.
    What I do know is the scared little boy who didn't know how to be a little boy is now a crazy, loud, lovable, talkative, funny ball of energy. His little body can't contain his huge personality. ..which I have to say I love. Speaking of love..when Maverick says "Mommy...I love you" or when he calls out "Maddye Bee" I fall in love with him all over again. 
     When you adopt there is always the huge "unknown" and the "what ifs"...the very things that kept me up at night when we first brought him home. The truth is Maverick has taught me what unconditional love really is. With Madison, it was easy. A tiny six pound baby was put in my arms, and she trusted me and knew me from minute one. With Maverick, we met a scared 7 month old who wasn't loved. Who didn't know how to be held. Who didn't know there was a Mommy and Daddy out there to comfort him. He had to learn all of that...at 16 months. He did. He learned Mommy comforts him..and Daddy tells him "it's ok". He learned to trust and love us. I don't know the moment it happened but I do know the miracle of life isn't just when a baby is born...it's every single day of your life. 

        So I don't know who he'd be today if he wasn't adopted by us. What I do know is he is loved like crazy..every second of every day.

Holy missing blogger.

I'm pretty sure I'm on the fail blog list. I think about blogging. I think about what I could blog while I run. Only if I would actually write the post. My life is freaking nutzo..as I'm sure you will understand once you read this post. 


-Maverick is 3. Nuff said. He is too smart for his own good..and mine. 
-Maverick is 50% little shit and 50% cute little angel.
-Maverick is giving me gray hair and mini heart attacks..daily.
-Maverick is a daredevil, he has no fear. 
-Maverick is a charmer- his new favorite word is "Please" "Please" ..how can I say no?
-Maverick is totally my son- he uses "amazeballs" and "whhhat" daily. (hehehe)
-Maverick is a giggler, there are times he laughs at himself that crack me up. 
-Maverick is a crazy gross eater. I'm talking chew food, spit it out, and then eat it. 
-Maverick is testing every limit I have.
-Maverick is winning. 


-Madison is 12. NUFF SAID.
-Madison is turning into a typical teenager. Fast.
-Madison is 50% sweet girl and 50% crazy teen.
-Madison is giving me gray hair. 
-Madison is in love with One Direction. It's all I hear about.
-Madison is about to get braces- joy.
-Madison is the main reason Maverick whines.
-Madison is the funniest 12 year old I know. 
-Madison is not domestic. At all. She's hoping to be rich and have a maid.
-Madison is testing every limit I have.
-Madison is winning. 


-Greg is 47. Acts 50.
-Greg is focused on golf and the grass. (the lawn...not "grass") 
-Greg is looking forward to being focused on hunting season. Poor deer.
-Greg is giving me gray hair.
-Greg is hating on "amazeballs"
-Greg is hoping to fulfill the "50 shades of grey" for me.
-Greg is failing. (I'm literally laughing out loud with this one. He'll kill me!)
-Greg is finally done with our entertainment center. Only took 5+ years!
-Greg is madly in love with me....can you blame him?
-Greg is trying to test a limit or two here and there.
-Greg is so not winning.


-I am 34. I act 25. 
-I am focused on family, work, working out, running, the house, drinking (a little!)
-I am training for a 1/2 marathon. 13.1 baby!
-I am loving "amazeballs" and the other random words that drive Greg nuts.
-I am going to see Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw on Sunday. 
-I am going to be thinking about being in a Tim & Kenny sandwich the entire time.
-I am addicted to hummus.
-I am almost to my running goal for July- 50 miles.
-I am so glad I finally got my second tattoo.
-I am bumming because the summer is flying by.
-I am realizing how much I miss blogging.
-I am still waiting for my orange camaro convertible.
-I am testing every single limit Greg has.
-I am so winning...and he is madly in love with me. I'm a lucky gal.


This is just the tip of the iceberg. The House of Stone is nutzo!

Carpe Diem

A few days ago I was asked about my "carpe diem" outlook. I then realized it was noticeable. I honestly thought my change was slight and it wouldn't be noticed. Wrong. Let me explain. For years I've put things off. Some important, and some rather small in the grand scheme of things. I've had two major eye openers in the last year; my brother's heart attack last fall, and my sister's stroke in March. So, damn right, I'm seizing the day.
Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, and forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason, if you get a chance take it, if it changes your life let it. Nobody said it would be easy..they just promised it would be worth it.
I'm treating this as a early midlife crisis. The tattoo that I've wanted to get on my shoulder since I was 21...I'm getting. The people who mean the world to me, will know it. The past is no longer relevant. I'm living for today.
With no regrets.

Oh....he was meant to be ours.

I do believe this picture says it all. This little boy was so meant to be our son. 

Trains, trains and more trains.

Maverick loves trains. Really anything with wheels, but lately a little more trains than anything else. Before we even met Maverick one of Greg's guys asked if we wanted "Geotrax" for Maverick. I said sure...and packed it all away without really looking at it. I decided the other day to get some out- because the living room that is already full of freaking toys needed a few more. Much to my surprise there were trains. So I grabbed some trains, tracks and ran upstairs. I didn't know how to turn it on. Nope, I'm not even kidding. I put batteries in it, and pressed the button...nothing. Ten minutes pass with me fiddling with anything that can be fiddled with. Nothing. I google it. OMG I am so ashamed to admit I had to google how to use my 2 year old's toy. I realize there is an RV type remote. I run down stairs, grab one, and put batteries in it. I thought I was the hero. Until that didn't work either. I sit there for 20 minutes with Maverick looking at me like ummmmm does this move mama?? Greg asked if he should call the person we got it from. I said...Hell no! I will look like a total moron if you have to ask how to turn the thing on! Finally it hits me...I have the wrong remote. So I run back down stairs, get the right remote, switch out the batteries...and again think I'm the hero. Until all it does is makes sounds. Still no train movement. If you ever wondered how Forrest Gump felt everyday, this is it. I was clueless. I googled. I still couldn't work the damn thing. I hit toy rock bottom.  I sat there for 5 minutes just making the train sound..which Maverick loved by the way..until something I did caused the train to move! I have NO idea what I did..but now we have a working train.
I know girl toys. Barbie clothes on, Barbie clothes off. Repeat. That's a breeze. These boy toys are going to kill me....

Truths..

Truth: I hate waking up at 6am. I HATE it. Maddye has to be on the bus before I normally get up. I can't snooze. I can't delay. I hate that damn bus.

Truth: Maddye hates waking up at 6am. Maybe more than I hate it. She just masks her anger better than I do.

Truth: Maddye is loving her new school. We're pretty proud of her, and we're hoping for a great 5th grade experience.

Truth: Maddye, Maverick and I are NOT morning people. Mornings are not amusing. Mornings are not fun.

Truth: Greg is a morning person. There are days I want to strangle him. There are days it takes everything I have in me not to snap and say "shut it!". Greg is only chatty in the morning I swear. I do believe that he knows it drives me mad, and he's trying to make me snap. The silly man thought we would become morning people....not gonna happen.

Truth: We have bees. Not a few bees. I'm talking full colony of freaking bees taking up residency in the wall of our fireplace. They are able to get in through the fireplace. We've tried to use spray, we've even used heavy duty concentrate insecticide. The only thing we've accomplished is turning our patio into a bee battle ground. There are dead bees everywhere...yet we still see them flying in and out, and getting into our house. I vote for a professional. Where the hell is the Bug-Busters when you need him?

Truth: If I owned a pest control company I would call it "Bug-Busters"...who you gonna call....Bug Busters. Oh I can see it now.

Truth: Maverick might be smarter than me. This kid really amazes me. He is saying EVERYTHING, and is just too smart for his own good.

Truth: We recently came home from vacation to maggots in our sink. There is nothing better than a big fat maggot welcoming you home to reality. It was so gross. Apparently a fly thought it was a great idea to lay eggs in our garbage disposal. Note to self: put the stopper in, and bleach in the sink!

Truth: Things that I think about happen. Now before you chalk me up to another loon, listen! The penis in the garbage disposal thing, and now a murder at Put-In-Bay. No..I did not think about killing anyone, but while we were there I thought holy shit if someone wanted to bad bad things- they might just get away with it..especially on Middle Bass Island. I'm just saying. I was wrong....the person who did the killing did get caught. But....still my thoughts happen a few weeks later. Weird.

Truth: For those of you that are local- Middle Bass Island is one creepy place. If someone wanted to film a horror movie Middle Bass Island is the place to go. I have no idea how someone could live there!! We did find out that there were a couple of college kids from Kazakhstan working at a restaurant for the summer there. (One of the two restaurants on the island...just sayin) . I told Greg over and over...."I don't belong here".

Truth: I hate waking up at 6am...did I mention that already?