:: just cause ::

So I am going back to my past on this post.  Found a cool Christian song today with a little twist on it.  I love Casting Crowns and they do great songs but this video had a twist to it with visual affects.  I am not the best Christian anymore in the past yes when I was in grade school and highschool I was cause I went to a Christian school.  Not so much now. But after putting Hunter in a Lutheran Preschool for the purpose of location for me and family he has been talking so much about God and death that I feel like I need to make a step back or try to.  Alot of my issues has to deal with the school I went to and how much I took it to heart and how it affected my marriage and where I am today that I am a little gun shy to jump back into it all.  Not gonna lie.  But I still listen to the music how could I not I worked at a bible store and grew up in a private school.  So will see what happens baby steps for me for sure. :)  Enjoy. 

:: my little chess master ::

My Buddy is 5 and he knows how to play chess!  How does he know?  He just learned, I think a week ago, on my mom's Kindle.  He has tried to figure it all out a couple months ago on the computer but it didn't click now he gets it.  He is really good.  He knows the names of the pieces and he knows which way they go.  He amazes me.  He can only beat my mom's Kindle so far. Gramps beat him today and it was a big deal to him I came to my mom's after work and he was so upset that he got beat but it sounded like a great game.  I told Larry a couple days ago he knew how to play chess and if we should get him his own chess game but Larry wasn't sure.  So far it has all been on computer and Kindles.  I think Larry was still unsure Hunter knew how to play. So tonight Larry found a website where he can play chess with Hunter long distance and it was game on.  Hunter was so excited.  We even skyped with Larry but didn't do the video feed at the same time we will try that next time.  I think Larry was very impressed with Buddy.  The game lasted over an hour and Buddy took Larry's Queen first and it was game on. There was alot of silence on Larry's end I could tell he was trying to win and trying to figure out how to.  Larry told Hunter that Hunter did moves he didn't even see coming.  In the end Buddy lost but it was a good time and he wasn't upset about the loss.  I am just so amazed how smart my Buddy is and that he picked up chess so fast.  I think this is just what Hunter and Larry needed since Larry is away and Hunter only likes to Facetime with him sometimes this is a way they can interact while Larry is away for more then 5 minutes. Good bounding time I think God is trying to show us something. :)  So I have a little chess master in my house he might not win but he will give you a run for your money and he is only 5, crazy!

:: the joys of motherhood ::

This sweet, innocent little girl got my stomach bug early, early this am.  I had the stomach bug at the beginning of the week and passed on my sickness to my youngest whomp.  She woke me up twice early this am after midnight to puking in her bed and the last vomit made it in the toilet.  Lovely.  She kept me up all morning and she got to do this for the first time...

She got to sleep on my bedroom floor! This was her very first time and she did well but the animals did not.  The cats love her and wanted to sleep by her but Misha loves her more and would not let them sleep by her so she would bark at them when they got near.  Remember this is probaby about 3 am now after she finally fell asleep and I am so amazed we didn't wake up Hunter with the puking and crying.  This picture was taken when I should have been getting up and the time Grace is usually up cause she is a early riser.  I had to call in sick cause of her puking but after she slept in and her brother didn't and she was bouncing on our couch I realized she had been cured and I couldn't stay home with 2 healthy kiddos when I knew we were short staffed at work so I took them to my mom's and went to work.  Now she has a fever tonight so I am hoping we do not have round 2 tonight.  But last time Grace had the 24 hour bug Hunter and my mom were the only one's that didn't get it so crossing my fingers that happens this year! 

The joys of motherhood is getting hardly any sleep after 1 am but knowing that you were there for your kiddos and even though you are dead tired at the end of the day you try your best to get tylenol in them and get them to bed at a desent hour just in case you got to do it again and hope your other whomps do not get it too!

:: bummed ::

Some evenings I get bummed.  I get bummed about how life turned out.  How things are for my little family of four and sometimes I wished it would not be how it is and that we all could just stay together under the same rough for years and years and not have it the way it is cause it sucks.  But I have to be the strong one and make sure that we all get through it and survive it cause this is where we are at and this is where we are at in our life but it would be nice to be like everyone else and have us under one roof 24/7 like everyone else but we aren't.  We have jobs and that is what is important.  We are paying bills and paying off debt and hopefully we do not need to do it this way for very much longer.  We have done it for over 3 years and I was done a long time ago but you gotta do what you gotta do to make everyone happy and keep our way of livestyle going so we keep doing what we are doing where we are at.  It bums me and then I buck up and remember that I need to be large and in charge and make it do-able for us and but on a smile on my face and tickle my children and go through the weeks that we wait for what we all want to be all together.  And to be thankful that we made it through drama and we are all still together.  Larry calls me boss now and I love that!  In the past I was a doormat and to be called boss now means alot because I am in charge of so much in the last couple of years and I have grown up so much and I am not taking crap like I used to. I have opened my eyes and taken charge of who I am and I love being the Boss and love that I can be dependent on I just wish that I could win the lottery so all of us could be together like eveyone else and not have to deal with what we do and be apart so much it bums me and then I realize at least we have each other and that is something I really should be thankful for. :)

:: my new fav TJ product ::

Yesterday after the whomps and I visited my dad and brought him Father's day ice cream after dinner we went to my favorite place ever...Trader Joe's!  Why do I love TJ's?  It has great produce, great frozen food, great wine selection that is cheap, great kiddo food, great everything!  And all their product is Paraben free and I think their dog treats are made in the USA and not China.  I am a big Paraben free girl, why?  Cause Pareben's have been banned in England and if they are banned in one huge country there must be a reason for it.  Paraben's has been a big contributor to breast cancer so if you have a history of any family having breast cancer you might try to prevent yourself and your daughters from getting it and check out how to keep yourself Paraben free.  I do not have any breast cancer history but if it will help me and Grace later in life I am so for it.  Let me know if you want to know more about Paraben's and why to stay away from it I am all about helping out a friend.  And the reason that I try my best to buy only dog stuff from USA is because alot of China's dog food and treats have been recalled because of how they make it.  But back to my new favorite TJ product can you find it in this picture of my not so great looking kitchen sink???  It is the...

 ...new hand soap I got!  I love hand soap and I have so many I love but I thought I would try this one!  I love the smell and I thought it would match my half curtain and it does!  It makes my lovely green fake tile counter look a little bit brighter don't you think :)  And it made doing the dishes so much easier tonight. 

Doesn't it look so pretty!? :)

:: Lee's Farm Strawberry Festival ::

I love Groupon's and Living social deals!  Alot of the hockey games we went to this year were Groupon's but today I used a Living social deal.  It ended today and it was getting half of of rides at Lee's Farm in Tualatin.  I have never been there and I found some of the kid's birthday money (I think it was Grace's) in a place where I put their money they get to buy toys with.  I think I just missed it and forgot it but I thought at first I would save it for vacation times but then thought today would be a perfect day for it!  When the kids and I went to the Tulip Festival with my mom, Wayne, and Leslea and her man I didn't let my kids on any of the rides and games that cost money cause I didn't bring any at the time.  So I was ready for them today and we went all out!  My Living Social paid for everything they did except ride ponies but we used Grace's birthday money for that and to get a snack but everything else was from the deal!  I so scored on this one!

The kids first ever pony ride!  They loved it!  Grace really wants a horse now!  When her pony, Buster, started moving she said he was wiggly with a little laugh and big grin.  I had to walk next to her and Buster just for her security she is sometimes gun shy about things she isn't sure of.  Buddy did awesome he sat on his I can't remember the name but he was all grins about being on his pony.

 There were SO many tractors there!  And the cool part was kids good climb all of them!  Buddy tried out everyone!  He was in his element he was checking out all the gears and gadgets if he could he would have turned one on!

 This big pillow is what we called it scared the life out of me I thought for sure my kids would fly right off and roll off the side but they didn't!  Grace got serious air each time!  I almost went on but when I was going to they were done.  The cool part about this farm is you give the attendants at each fun area tickets and they will let you play as long as you want but once you are done you are done.  The ponies were timed so you paid for your ride and were done everything else you were free to play as long as you liked.  I loved that!

 I made Grace pose for this picture I wanted you to see how big she is or how big the tractor was? ")

 Buddy is in the stripped shorts and white shirt.  He had a blast but their feet got hot and we had to put their shoes back on.  This is where I lost Grace on this cause her feet and shoes got sand on them and she was done with this fun activity.  Look at her free air on this jump!  Seriously doing this by yourself and making sure both kids didn't fall of the side was nerve raking but it was worth it!

 Another tractor.  If you look close Hunter's eyebrows are pointed and he does that when he is seriously thinking about something. 

We had a blast and the weather was awesome!  I got fried on my shoulders, neck, and back I put sunscreen on my face and my children and now I am a lobster.  I haven't been this burned in a long time.  But it was worth it and was a fun morning and I would totally go back next year :)

:: summer learning ::

Hunter loves anything about American flags and wants to know so much about the world and where we live in I think he really got inspired at the end of school.  He was being taught something he enjoyed and then school was done.  So I am going to continue his and Grace's learning into the next 3 months of summer vacation.  I have never done this with my kids but we are going to start! This month we are going to begin with Geography!  When Larry and I went on a date a couple weeks ago we went into Barnes and Nobles and we both had the idea to look at World books for Buddy but hadn't told each other what we were thinking we just know our Buddy.  We found two good ones (they are the last 2 in the pic below) but we didn't buy them because we were killing time to go to a movie.  So today I had a me day and they were still there at the bookstore!  My mom knows dude is wanting to learn so she got him the first book but it is for 3-6 graders but this morning my whomps did the first page it was about floor plans in a person's house.  They had a great time with where they put the furniture that they had colored and I cut out.  Grace is going to be in on all of this too she just soaks up what Hunter learns.  Not sure yet what the next 2 months subject will be but it should be fun or we might just do all Geography this summer and I am excited to take them places and learn with them.  One of my favorite classes at PSU was Geography and I think it is because I don't know much about it. 

I think Buddy is going to love his new books!  I really like the A to Z book it is so plain and simple that he is going to soak it up like a sponge!

:: country music speaks to me ::

I usually listen to a variety of music but I can't seem to stop listening to country music lately!  I don't know what my deal is. Maybe cause the songs are about love and life and when you don't have the one you love with you 24/7 country music seems to be more real cause they are more lovey dovey.  I have no clue but here is one I love to turn up loud...

and this one is just a feel good song...

So there you go some music to enjoy this lovely, warm weekend.  :)

:: sitting on the couch ::

 Tonight I was sitting on the couch with my whompers before they went to bed and they were watching their last cartoon and I just watched them and looked at them in Ah and thought wow. I am so amazed that God gave me these little people to be their mama and I can't believe how big they have gotten!  Do you want to learn a little bit about them?

 My Hunter...

From birth we have called him Buddy.  I think I was the first one that called him that (I could be wrong) and the name has stuck from there.  His Aunt Lindsey called him Hunter Bear when he was a baby and I still call him that sometimes.  He is so smart it is crazy.  He can count to 100, he can add, he can mutiply, he can read, he can remember so much it is crazy.  His new thing is soaking in all he can about the US and the world.  One of his favorite cartoons is Wild Kratts and he learns so much about animals and soaks it in.  He loves computer games and we try to make it learning games and he soaks up anything he learns from it.  He loves hockey and loves to skate and wants to be a hockey player.  He in the last couple of months shows no fear to other kids and introduces himself and wants to know the other kids name and how old they are.  He is so tall for his age and he is this gentle giant. He will make sure his sister is taken care of in any new situation for her.  He will color my favorite color and his sister's favorite color in any school project before his favorite color.  He is always thinking of me and in his sister in all he does, no lie.  I think his favorite person in his life is his Papa cause his Papa shows him new and exciting things   Don't get me wrong Grace and I come first in his life because we are with him always but his Papa just has this spot that only Papa can fill.  Hunter is very sensative like me and can get hurt so easily but can give the best snuggles when he knows he has done wrong.  He is too smart for his age and so sensative that he gives the best when it comes to loves and you know when you are important in his life because he gives you the best smiles and he can wrap you up in a snuggle with his little bony legs and body like no other.  :)  He makes me laugh cause he is my firstborn and I learn how to be a mom from him.

My Grace...

From birth I have called her Mouse.  She was so tiny.  Hunter was 8lbs 2 oz and 21 inches long my baby girl was 6 lbs 5 oz and 18 inches long she was smaller then her brother and cousin and so tiny she was a mouse.  She has grown up to this big girl that can talk like a 5 year old and is smarter than her brother was at 3!  Her vocabulary is amazing her coloring is awesome she colors better then her brother!  She can count to 20 and she can do her ABC's and she can write her name and can write whatever you ask her.  It will not be the best and it might be all over the page but she can write her letters and they are either upper or lower case.  She can draw a cats face if you ask her.  She can do Preschool books so well.  She is trying to catch up to her brother in everything she does and I think she will in time.  She has the best smile and she has this 10 year old pose with a shake to her hips that I can't believe she even does!  She loves animals and hates any bugs.  If she could she would have more cats and a horse.  She would ask you to kill any bug she saw just to make her life easier.  She is so stubborn I am not sure what I am going to do when she is a teenager.  This girl also loves her Papa but if I was to say who her favorite was it would be Hunter.  She loves him and even though they are arguing guess who she is happy to tell about what she has done or learned...Hunter is the on she goes to.  She clings to me for everything which I love but in the end it is Hunter's approval she seeks.  She makes me smile cause of her laugh, smile, and excitment for life and she likes my music. 

I love my whompers so much and even though they test me every day just to sit and snuggle on the couch with them and look at their faces as they are watching and learning about zebra's and seeing how they learn and relax makes me love them and appreciate them more everyday.  I love my whomps.

:: big bathroom redo ::

When Larry was home last time he fixed our little bathroom's floor and put in a new toilet.  It was a project that we waited months for to finish.  I think in March at Hunter's birthday Larry had taken out the old toilet that was leaking and pulled up the old floor and wood underneath it that had rotted and we closed the bathroom door put up a sign for no one to use it and left it alone until Larry had time and we had the money to fix it all.  That project got completed last month!  We have a new toilet and new floor!  We had leftover floor so when Larry was home this month he tackled our bathroom!  I was so excited cause I hated the floor from the day we bought the house but we couldn't afford to fix it. 

So here is the before picture of what the tile looked like but Larry started the redo when I was at work and so I told him stop so I could get a before picture!

 And here is the after!   So much nicer flooring in our bathroom!  Now both bathrooms match and they match the carpet and paint color on the wall.  Do you like how Kramer posed for this picture? :)

I gotta jet and get to finishing another project...Hunter's Grade School book I have to finish the Preschool part before I forget all the cool and exciting things!  I ask Hunter the questions in it a couple of weeks ago and I gotta make sure I get it in correctly :)

:: 10,000 points ::

First off I love my kiddos more then life so I hope this post doesn't sound like I don't it isn't meant to be.  I am just showing you that my whomps are not perfect and I am trying to make them better little people as best as I know how :)

The last month that Larry was gone he could hear how the kids were acting grumpy and not listening when he would call when he was away and how much I really don't get to sit down and enjoy being a mom cause they always want something as soon as I sit down with them.  They are great whompers but the last couple of months they have been trying me like no other and when I say no they both question it with the word why everytime and it drives me crazy to have to explain myself all the time.  They also have been at each other more to.  Testing each other is there new thing.  So when Larry was home he got to experience it all with how they are with me and how they are with just him because when he is home he can have them the whole time I am at work if he doesn't have dentist or doctor's appointments and he came up with a plan.  Need to get them in shape and start listening, obeying, and do what they are told.  It is kinda frustrating that he had to lay down the law but he is the alpha dog and I am just glad he got to see what I go through when he is gone and how frustrating it is when you have two littles breaking you down when all you want them to do is listen and obey and not to question everything. 

So now we have a star chart that Larry made that they have to earn 40 points a day each of them for listening, going to bed good, brushing teeth, chores, not wetting the bed (Hunter does on occasion if he gets too much at night to drink), and eating dinner.  They have to earn a total between the two of them of 80,000 points in order to earn an Ipad for both of them to share and we get as a family.  This is big for them because we do not have one, but other family members have them or Kindles.  They love them, but Larry and I have Iphones so we didn't think we needed to have one but if it gets them to learn how to respect me and Larry more and do what they are told then they deserve it!  From what we figured out it will be around November or December when they get one.  Pretty much if it isn't the kids birthday's if they want something that is a toy or game they have to earn it.  Mean I know but they don't need everything they think they need and if they really need it I am not going to buy it unless they earn it that is where we are at in our budgeting mode of life.  Alot of my issues with Grace is she thinks if we go to the store she gets something for her and I don't play that way and I will go through the cash registers with her crying to show her that when I say no I mean it.  It isn't fun but sometimes I have to be smart and show her that something else she wants is more important then the thing she just saw at the store and just go with the flow.  So will see how the star chart goes!  So far I am on night 2 of the doing it and the kids have gone to bed excellent and that was my big issue was having to deal with them and not getting any down time.  So just to give you a heads up Hunter is at 234 and Grace is at 184.  Can you tell who might not have got her stars for going to bed good? :)

:: mama got a van ::

I am so excited I finally got my new van!  I have been waiting and paying off debt for it for almost a year!  I know mini van's get a bad rap but when you have a jeep and and a small car you need something to haul your kids, their friends, and go camping with out getting frustrated with no space in your car for all the stuff you need.  So we decided to get a mini van since we cannot afford a SUV they are too expensive and the gas would kill us.  We are doing so good with our debt and we still have some and we have been so smart with our spending that we made sure that this big purchase was the right one and we didn't get tempted with going over our budget at the car dealership and we succeeded!  I got a 2011 Chrystler Town and Country minivan.  I was going to get a Honda Odyssey but the rental van I had when my car can dented was this the Chrystler I loved it and it just happened to be the minivan we got.  I love it and Grace finally warmed up to it she didn't like it cause it wasn't white and the rental van was white and she knew I wanted a white van and it is charcoal gray.  The best part of buying this van was when the car dealership showed Larry and I our seperate credit scores!  We were up to 498 and 490!  This is amazing cause we were probably in the 200's when before Hunter was born!  I think in total we have paid off over $40,000 dollars in the last 3 years or we are closed to it.  Embarrasing to say but just know Larry and I are alot smarter now and hope to continue to be.  So I love my van and yes it is another debt but it is a do-able debt and it is something we needed to get and the kids love it! 

Larry and I went to a movie!  I think we haven't been to one just the two of us since Hunter was born.  Sad, but true.  We saw Snow White and the Huntsman.  It was good but I kept thinking Larry thought it was cheesy in certain parts so I didn't think it was as good as it could be but he said it was fine and I agreed with him.  It was good to go out with him and do more then have dinner.  We stayed out late but it was fun.

I got so much done this weekend!  It helps that Larry was here to get some things checked off my list!  I still have alot more projects to get done but I finally ordered new blinds for my kitchen window!  They are going to be ones that cover half the window and I am going to have the blinds on the bottom and the sunlight shining through the top.  Lucy has ruined my last 3 blinds by sticking her head threw them and making a hole on the side.  She will not be able to do that with these new ones! 

The whompers are good.  They have been at each other's throats lately and Grace hasn't taken a nap all weekend expect when she gets in the car but she is a grump either way.  Gotta figure out what to do there.  Hunter did great at skating and his new friend David is so into talking to him it is so cool!  I looked into getting Grace dancing lessons at Hunter's skating rink but she said no she wants to be a ballerina so I tried.  I am still going to get her signed up at the OC down the street. 

I didn't take any pictures of us this week I gotta get my camera out!  :)

:: larry is home ::

Ok, so I am not gonna lie my life is much easier when Larry is home.  Cause I can share him with the whomps and he makes life so much more exciting for me and the kids.  It is so much easier to have two parents taking care of kids instead of doing it yourself.  No lie.  I have been able to take Misha and go for a walk around the Oregon City Highschool track just her and me, and I have been able to sleep in a little bit and not take the whomps to daycare or my mom's, which is a big deal cause they are hard to get out the door dressed and with all their stuff that makes them happy for that day.  Projects get done that I can't do. We get to go on a date and I get to spend some adult time and not be a mommy 24/7.  I am happier and I feel more complete when he is home.  So it bums me out that he has to go back a day earlier because his work wants him to.  We just got him on Monday and we haven't got our fill of him yet.  :(  So not cool but we got to do what we got to do to keep ourselves afloat for our kids and our family.  It just bites.  I love that Larry is home.

:: multnomah falls and the fish hatchery

After such a productive day for me yesterday it was hard for me to get into cleaning the house today when I woke up.  So the kiddos and I did what I was planning on doing last weekend and go to Multnomah Falls!  I tried to go last Sunday and we did our errands and I got the kids a drive thru lunch meal and we were on our way down the highway and Grace spilt her milk on her and she was done.  She hates to get wet and she got her blue blanket wet and she was a wreck and wanted to go home so we did.  So today we went to the Falls!  Here is my crazy whompers in the front of the first falls. 

 Then I asked a nice lady to take our picture since I don't have alot of me pictures cause I am not a fan of the camera.  She felt bad that she didn't get the whole falls but I was totally fine with it. 

 Then the whomps and I went to the middle bridge and Misha did awesome!  She didn't try to sniff every person on the trail.  Only one small dog came up to her at the beginning and jumped on her face and she wasn't happy about it so she wasn't a fan of any other dog and just let them pass her.  The kids wanted to go farther then the bridge but my nerves were not up for it and told them when Papa is home then we would. 

Here they are looking for fish and they can't go in the water or throw anything in it.  So while I am taking this picture Misha jumps in to drink some water and I can't get her out cause she is drinking like mad.  The sign said nothing goes in the water and here my dog is!  Argh!

 So the only way I could get the whomps happy about not going up the trail passed the bridge at the Falls it to tell them I would take them to see the fishes again!  They were so for that!  We went to the fish hatchery!  They love it there!  We saw Herman the huge 70 year old sturgeon he is still alive and swimming but there was one sturgeon in the pond that I was wondering if it was it didn't move and was on the bottom of the tank.  We took Misha for a walk around the hatchery and she had a blast and now her back leg is limping hopefully it is just old age getting her and she didn't hurt it or maybe it is a dew claw bugging her.  We had a great time today and it was nice to get out of the house for a few hours! 

And yes Grace is wearing shorts with leggings.  She wanted to wear shorts and I said yes if she wore her leggings and she was all for it.  No drama getting her dressed today!  Buddy loves to wear shorts and she is trying to be like him I am pretty sure and that is why she wanted to wear shorts.  :)

:: stanley cup finals ::

It is Stanley Cup Final time in hockey and neither team did we root for to be in the final.  But Hunter and I are hoping LA Kings win cause we like the goailie (Quick) and Grace is wanting the NJ Devils to win.  This is what happened last year.  Hunter and I wanted the same team (Canucks) and Grace choose Boston Bruins and her team won!  Well Game 2 was tonight and once again the Kings won in OT 2-1 the same score and OT in the first game!  Will see if this year the team Buddy and I picked wins! 

Hunter started Basic 1 skating lessons today with a new class from the beginning.  And this is a class for 6-8 year olds and he is only 5 but just as tall as the other kids!  Last month I put him in the end of the last session in Basic 1 in the last 2 classes and he was out of his element cause all the kids were up to speed with new things and he had to keep up with them but he did great he was listening to the teachers and that is big!  He was being challenged instead of being bored in the Snow plow Sam class for kids under 5.  Which I was so glad for!  He needed guidance, to be challenged and to get closer to his goal of putting a hockey stick in his hands; which he so wants to do on the ice arena!  So his new class in Basic 1 was today!  Today with fresh kids that were learning to skate he fit in well with and he had his favorite guy teacher was teaching his class and Hunter did awesome!  He didn't fall as much maybe 7 times instead of what seemed like 20 the last 2 sessions.  He listened to his teachers so much better and when Bill, the teacher he likes, told him to do his favorite thing he learned today and show them all by himself to the other side of the ice he swiffled the whole thing!  And swiffles are not his fav and he did them like a rock star and didn't fall once!  He even made a friend named David at the end!  He never talks to any of the kids and this kid came up to him when the lesson was done and Hunter was getting his gear off and said Hi Hunter!  I love that I put his name on his jersey! So this brave 7 year old came and sat across from us like he wanted to hang out with my Buddy and said Hi Hunter!  Guess what my Buddy was so happy and said Hi and I told him to ask what his name was and we learned it was David and Hunter took it from there!  Hunter wanted to play with him right away and do fun things with him.  I think him and David will be great little buddies in this class cause this is the first time he has talked with a kid in one of his classes!  So excited for him cause David wants to be a Portland Winterhawk too!  My Buddy isn't that social but he is making good strides lately.  :)

And by the way I mowed today!  It makes me feel like shewoman that I did it!  I tackled so many goals to today it is crazy!  House is clean and outdoors looks good!  What am I going to do tomorrow?  Probably more housework and more work outside!  I am going to feel it tomorrow cause the lawn mower gave me my work for my money today it kept dying on me and I texted Larry that if I died at least he knew that it was the mower that killed me.  I felt such an accomplishment when I finished the grass and I had won!  :)