February 28, 2008

Heartbroken

I have struggled all week with whether to share this information through my blog. Because I know that many of the readers of our family's site are praying individuals, I decided to share what is on my heart.

Brandon and I have some great friends, Nathan and Ashley, that we have known for the past 5 years. Brandon and Nathan worked together in Texas and then again in Arkansas. Ashley and I shared the joy of our first pregnancies and the new baby thing with each other. We spent countless hours together in TX and then again in AR because of the long hours that our husbands worked. Moving away from them was, and still is, hard. We have been through so much together.

Ashley was expecting their third baby, a little boy, this week. On Sunday night she went into labor and went to the hospital. Upon arrival it was determined that the precious baby had already been to be with our Lord. The hurt that this family is enduring is unbelievable. Two beautiful little girls are asking hard questions and one mom and dad feel so broken.

Brandon and I went to be with them on Monday, and tomorrow we will travel to the funeral service for their little angel. I have not even let myself think about what that will entail, but I know that it will possibly be one of the hardest things I will ever live through.

If you are reading this and feel lead to pray for this family, please do. While they feel absolutely confident that Jesus is rocking their Baby Carter in heaven tonight, the pain is still very real. I know that they will appreciate all of our prayers.

February 24, 2008

Randomness

Jamie tagged me to tell you seven random things about myself. This was actually harder than I thought. I had to think on it for a few days and I am still not sure that I came up with seven things that you will actually find interesting.

I should remind you that these are random things about me, not necessarily interesting things.

1. I eat raw spaghetti noodles when I am stressed or nervous. I love the way they feel in my teeth. I even have my boys enjoying it. Brandon thinks we are all crazy, but it really does calm my nerves.

2. I have always wanted to be certified to teach some fun fitness class. During several phases of my life I have checked into the certification process and never followed through on it. I am seriously thinking of going to the training to teach Zumba in April. Have any of you been to a class of Zumba? It looks like such fun and there is nothing like that offered around here.

3. I don't blow my nose. I mean, I will go to great lengths to avoid doing it. It just grosses me out. I can't stand to hear or see other people do it either. Not only is that random, it's weird. I can admit that!

4. I got my degree in Marketing, but I always dreamed of being a lawyer. I always thought it would be so cool to be some hard nosed attorney in the body of a petite female. I really got the fever again after being on the jury of a child molestion case with a female prosecuting attorney . It was so awesome to watch her chew him up on the stand. And she was so feminine and cute about it...it shocked us all (especially Mr. Molester).

5. I have the best memory of anyone I know. I can remember conversations, what someone was wearing, where I was standing, very detailed information of things that happened years ago. I guess it's my long term memory that is good because I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I can recall vividly events from when I was a child.

6. I am a weirdo when it comes to smells. I have an overly sensitive sniffer and I get grossed out really easily by smells. On the other hand, I love pleasant smelling things and will breathe all of it in that I can. I smell scents all the time that remind me (see #5) of events or people in my life.

7. I can shoot skeet. If my dad is reading this (not a chance) he is totally laughing out loud. So maybe in the matter of keeping this blog 100% honest, I should say that I took lessons when I was in high school (not on my own willingness to participate, but on my dad's urging that men are looking for well-rounded wives!!!) I, at least, know the rules and how to load, hold and shoot a gun. AND remarkably enough I have actually hit a few targets in my time. My dad and I have discussed shooting again sometime soon. I think we are both avoiding this event because the amount of frustration that we will each feel toward one another will be remarkable! I will definitely share some pics of this occurence shall it ever happen.

Hope you enjoyed! I AM pretty random, I guess!

Chantel, Kelli, Raegan...want to play??

More S'mores, please





One night after dinner, Z requested that we have roasted marshmallows for "assert." We built a little fire in our outdoor firepit, bent some coat hangers and roasted away. The boys loved it! Neither Brandon or I like to eat them, but our boys loved them. They especially loved the makeshift s'mores that we made with Nilla Wafers.

Friday Field Trip

Brain Gym took a field trip to the airport on Friday. Z does not go to school on that day, but we joined up with his classmates so we wouldn't miss the fun. It turned out to be a VERY cold morning, but the kids loved seeing the jet take off, the aiplanes and fuel truck up close, and sitting in the helicoptor.

Waiting to watch the take off

Listening to Corban's daddy tell us about the big airplanes

The co-pilots exiting for their departure...that is one little guy who was a bit big for his britches!

My little one is not in this picture because he had some serious flying to do with his Jackpaw.

February 19, 2008

We're ghetto like that...


Z asked after leaving an establishment where people had been smoking, "Who smoked up in there?"

Z said to Daddy, "Remember back in the day when we lived in LR..."

Any other questions, Snoop?

Which brings me to another funny person in my life...

Once while staying in a hotel, my parents noticed that there was quite a fan invasion of the place. Wondering who the famous guest was, they asked a person on the elevator about the commotion. The person explained that Snoop was staying there. My dad commented to Kaye later, "I can't believe that cartoon dog has such a following."

People, it's true. I couldn't make this stuff up!

February 18, 2008

Love Letter

This is a letter that my sister found that I had written her about my boyfriend at the time. As you will see, falling in love with my husband was a gradual thing! I am not sure what year this was written, but I think it was maybe around 2nd or 3rd grade...and yes, I was already looking forward to a movie date.

Although, it's clearly marked "PRIVITE", I wanted to share it with you.

The Big Dance

The Father/Daughter Dance was a couple of weekends ago. I wanted to share some pictures of two of our favorite attendees. They both looked like dolls.

Emma came down to show me how beautiful she looked and asked me if I wanted to take some pictures of her.:)

Katie danced with her daddy for a bit and then told him, "You just stand there and watch me dance." You have no idea how many times I wish I had the nerve to say that exact thing to my date!! She does look like she is cutting up a rug! That's her best buddy, Conoly with her. They double dated.


I asked Brandon if he was getting a little sad that he wouldn't ever get to go to this dance. He assured me that he would be just fine. Oh Man!

February 17, 2008

V Day Recap

Z helped me wrap T's gift. I was so proud that he wrote his brother's name by himself. The last 2 letters are on the back b/c we ran out of room.

Mama knows the power of some new shoes so that is what the boys got for Valentine's Day. Z got real cleats...you wouldn't believe how much faster he can run in them!

T got his very own boots so that he doesn't have to stumble around in ours anymore. He was very excited about them...the plastic faux snake skin didn't bother him a bit. Sorry about the balloon in his face, but I gave up trying to get a good shot.

This is from Z's party at school. He decorated a cupcake and then devoured it!

These are the bouquets of flowers that the kids made for their moms. It is most definitely the best bouquet I have ever received!

After Z's party, we were off to T's. The little one loved his party. He ate everything they put on his plate.

I love seeing all the toddlers in this table. They just look adorable hanging there.

These are balloons that Daddy brought home for the boys--proof that it does NOT pay to wait until the last minute on V day.

My limited spanish tells me that this says something like, "I want you." Not really what I would think is appropriate for my 18 month old.

I must share these with you. I made them for Z's school. Let me say, I was so proud of how they turned out, but 2 words for you: TIME CONSUMING!!


Hope your day was fun! I should tell you that I got 2 dozen pink tulips from my husband. (No picture to share of those b/c I have them shoved in a tea glass...apparently the vases are in storage.) While my bouquet from Z was my favorite, the tulips ran a close second.

February 14, 2008

Happy Heart Day!





February 13, 2008

Pockets full

T has gotten where he wants to have something in his pocket at all times. Everytime I do laundry, I find another random item in my washing machine. If he is wearing something without pockets he will put his treasures in his shirt or down his pants. Brandon said that he found a miniature four wheeler in his shirt when changing him the other day. I found this when I went to change his diaper the yesterday...

I had just minutes before been so proud of all the grapes he had "eaten". He kept asking for more and I commented to Z on how much T was enjoying the grapes.

You can't imagine the mess he had in the bottom of his pajama pants, and he was SO proud of himself.

Party Animals

We had three birthday parties to attend on Saturday. My mom kept T, thanks Mom, during the first two so that I could take Z alone. The third one was for Katie, my niece, so we all attended that one.

I forgot my camera at the first party, but Z assured me it was okay since we had 2 more coming up. I didn't take many pics at either of the other two, but here is what I did get.

Logan's party was so much fun. His grandparents own this wagon and Z loved taking a ride on it. He especially loved sitting in the "driver's" seat.


Katie's cake was super cute. She told everyone that she was having a spiderman party, but she didn't seem too disappointed with her pink decor. One aunt and 2 proud boy cousins did set her up with some pretty cool spiderman gear!

February 8, 2008

Got to see this!

If you are married, you will love this! After both my husband and I being sick with the flu last week, it hits really close to home. Cracking me up!!

Wild about Keno

Last night I was invited to sub in a Keno group. The theme was jungle and the hostesses did a great job carrying the theme out in every aspect of the evening. It was great fun and, as an added bonus, I won a faux mink apron!

The hostesses and Sister

Greeting us at the entry

Two overly excited Keno players

Dining room with cute place settings

Drink table featuring "Cheetah-ritas" and "Aussie Ale"

Yep, it's an actual boar head in the middle of the bar

Our delicious menu

Adorable and delish cookies


LR PAKEENO group...the pressure is on! Not only are they showing us up with their themed nights, they are also taking every opportunity to try to convince me that Texas Keno is better than Arkansas Pakeeno! I'm still not 100% convinced, but the "cheetah-ritas" did much in the persuading process!

Happy Friday

Just wanted to share a smile with you for the weekend...

Z: "Mama, I really love Sponge Bob."
Me: "Ugh, I don't. He is so tacky sometimes."
Z: "He is just a sponge...a walking sponge. Give him a break."

Have a great weekend!

With age comes wisdom


I had lunch with my Granny yesterday. There are very few people that I would rather have lunch with. She is entertaining, full of stories and ADVICE, and most importantly, she won't be around to have lunch with forever! We went to a mexican food place that she picked (surprise!) and it didn't disappoint in being extremely entertaining. I have posted some funny things about Granny before, but I think I should start regular posts sharing Granny's "wisdom" because, really, it just wouldn't be fair to keep it all to myself.

I met Gran at the restaurant where we were to eat. When we appoached the hostess station she asked for our names. Granny's reply, "You mean we'll have to WAIT???" She gave her name, Rita, and the hostess wrote Frida. She quickly corrected the young girl who didn't promptly rewrite the name, and Granny wasn't having that. She spelled Rita twice for her until we all had the name right. Then my grandmother told her, "If ya'll clean some tables we wouldn't have to wait."

Once we were seated, our waiter approached. I am sure he had no idea of the "training" he was about to receive from this 82 year old diner. He asked for our orders and Granny quickly told him that we had no "chips and dip" and that he was suppose to bring those before asking for our orders. Once he fixed this small error, took our orders, Granny and I had plenty of time for talking.

The first topic that we discussed was her closet. She cleaned it out earlier in the week. She was so happy to report that she only got rid of 6 pair of "pedal pushers." All her other stuff, even the stuff she has had for 20 years, is still in great shape AND still in style. Her Alfred Dunner collection, A.D. to those truly in the fashion know, is absolutely timeless and in great condition. No way she is parting with a single piece of it.

Another discussion involved Granny's new piece of furniture. She ordered a new island for her kitchen, which by the way is about a 5x5 room. It came from JCPenney (Penney's) in a crate in a million parts. Granny called a man who lives in her retirement community and offered him $20 to put it together for her. He came over and handed her the instructions to read to him. Apparently, his glaucoma prevents him from seeing small objects. Uh huh, yes, you see where this is going...After 3 hours of the two of them working, they decided to break for the night. He is expected back today to finish the job and will be bringing his SAW!! According to this not-so-handy-man, the parts just don't fit together perfectly like they should. I am a little worried about the finished product, but Gran feels confident that it will be "just right".

Did I mention that it has a spice rack on one end and a cup towel holder on the other??? Well, at least, that is what it looked like in the "Penney's" catalog- which she had to bust out at one point to show her helper what the finished product was suppose to look like.

I love my time with my grandmother. I looked foward to my lunch date with her and was glad that she was able to rearrange her schedule (you think I am kidding) so that we could meet. When I walked through the door of the restaurant and saw her infamous red shoes sticking out from behind the door frame, a big smile came across my face. I have said it before, but I just hope to be as fun as she is when I am in my eighties.

This entry is dedicated to my cousins in California and aunt in Alaska who I know after reading this are missing one little spunky lady. (BTW, when you are big-time like me, you get to start dedicating your writings to people. It just comes with the territory.)

February 6, 2008

Life with a "Dadgum" 4 Year Old

Z told me today that he loves going to Super One (grocery store) because it is "just right down the lane."

We were out chasing Emma's dog who had gotten loose when Z asked, "Where IS that dadgum dog?"

While I am typing this, T is climbing ALL over Z. (Anyone sitting on the floor is fair game for T to attack.) I just overheard Z say, "Mom, someone is really bugging me!"

We had one of our first truly traumatic disciplinary "situations" this past weekend. There was lying AND biting involved. The wooden spoon was used and what was Z's comment after the fact? "Mommy, next time I lie and bite, you shouldn't spank me so hard!"

Our entire family had to be on Tamaflu last week because Brandon was diagnosed with the flu. The liquid that Z had to take was apparently not very tasty. You cannot even imagine the fit and carrying-on that took place when I attempted to give Z the medicine the first time...all in the presence of my mother-in-law, thank you very much. A few days later, out of the blue, Z asked, "Mama, do you know why I was running from you when you tried to give me that medicine? I was just trying to get my exercise."

I don't mean to sound like a psychotic child abuser, but these past few days have seemed like one "teaching moment" after another. Others are noticing my struggle. The other night in bible study, we were all asked to say if we were in a movie, what movie and why. I was not there so Karen answered for me. She told the group that I would be starring in Mommy Dearest.

She knows me well.

Should I have been offended, because, honestly, I wasn't at all.

February 3, 2008

In Good Hands


Brandon and I both have been pretty sick this past week. We have been under very good care, though. Besides two annoying coughs, I think it is all behind us due to great physician care.

Eight is Great




My nephew, Trace, turned 8 this weekend. It is so hard for me to believe. I can still remember the night my sister's water broke. I couldn't wait to get that little guy in my arms!

He had a fun Cowboy party to celebrate. Z was included in all the big boy things which he thought was awesome. On the way home he said, "Mama, those big boys are CRAZY!" I will have to agree, they were pretty wild. I was just glad our portion of it lasted just a few hours. I don't think anyone in our family would have lasted thru the spend the night part of the festivities.

Our Lil' Gamer




Brandon and I took the boys to watch Emma's basketball game this weekend. We knew she was athletic, but we had no idea what a little gamer she is! She was so fun to watch.

Memory Lane

Saturday while we were in Rockwall working on our rent house, Z and I took a short stroll around our old neighborhood. As I was walking, I was thinking about being pregnant and walking those same sidewalks. I remembered that my pregnant friend and I wrote in some wet concrete one day while we were out exercising. I couldn't recall exactly what and where. Z and I both were delighted to find this.

February 1, 2008

Winner!

101

This is the number cut and pasted from the Random Number Generator that I used. Congrats Mary! (She said in her comment that she is Mary Katherine, like me, so I think it's totally meant to be!!) I have e-mailed her and hope to proceed with designing her tile soon.

I will definitely join the next Bloggy Carnival in the spring. It's been fun! Thanks to all who participated.