All About Alli

Happy 4th!

2010-07-05T19:14:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July! It was a fun day for the kids...started out at my aunt's house with a cookout and fireworks (shhh...don't tell the city!).

Joshua was NOT a fan of the sparklers. This was the only time he held one and it was only for a few nanoseconds. Just enough time for me to get a picture.

Sammi on the other hand, was a huge fan of the sparklers.

We headed to my mother-in-law and father-in-law's house to watch fireworks. They live just a few blocks away from the location where a huge display was taking place. So nice to not fight traffic and parking...instead we watched it from their front yard. My father-in-law made some yummy mango banana adult drinks.

Self-portrait of me and my rug rats while lying down to watch the fireworks. Hence my hair going straight up.

Jason and Sammi watching the fireworks. We had the best seat in the house!

I'm not sure what I enjoyed most...the fireworks or watching the excitement and wonderment in my children's eyes. I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th!

Father's Day Camping

2010-07-04T09:15:00.002-05:00

This year for Father's Day, I asked Jason how he wanted to spend it. Last year was spent traveling home from a reunion for his fraternity, so this year I felt he should decide what to do. His choice was camping. I really expected him to say that he wanted to golf, but he golfs every weekend, so how would that be special? :)

We headed to Purtis Creek State Park, which is about 2 hrs away. It is a small park that Jason has been wanting to try out for awhile. We spent the weekend fishing, relaxing outside, and watching S & J catch bugs in their new bug catcher-thingy. Sorry, can't think of a better name.

Sorry, these pictures are out of order...Blogger is not my friend today.

My 3 favorite people...getting ready to fish.

S showing the bug she caught. Hard to see it.

Am I the only one with a 4 year old that has to be silly in every picture?

Shocked there is a picture of me, and I look horrible! But hey, we are camping. Makeup and hair products are not top priority. But after looking at this picture, I think I need to change my priorities! Yikes, can you say "frizzy hair"?

Here is Sammi pouting. She had a major freak-out moment with a little bug that was on her. Jason tried to get it off her and she freaked out even more. We asked her to sit down to calm down and contain herself. Isn't nature fun?

Happy Father's Day, Jason! You teach me so much from your patience and fun disposition. There is a reason I call you "Fun Daddy" and I love you for it.

New Flippy Floppies!

2010-06-24T21:50:00.004-05:00

I got new flippy floppies, courtesy of Amy at My Day-to-Day Life. And wow do I love them! I participated in the 2nd Annual Bloggy Flip Flop Exchange. My friend Becca over at The Texas Darlings put together this BFFE last year and it was so much fun that I HAD to do it again. It's pretty simple, we are paired up with someone else, send 'em a pair of flip flops along with something fun that is from their state.

I came home from work today and had a friend and her son come over for a quick play-date. When I answered the door when they got here, I saw a package on the porch addressed to me. Little 'ol me! I knew exactly what it was and almost pushed my dear friend aside so that I could tear into it and discover MY treat! I swear, it doesn't get much better than opening a gift in the mail. My awesome gift was a pair of hot pink flip flops that I think are adorable! I also received a star-shaped tray that I LOVE and will us a lot. Thank you, Amy! I love them both!

On a side note, I am hoping this will help jump start me into blogging again. I can't believe that the last time I blogged was November....shame on me! I probably don't even have any readers anymore. :( So for any of you that actually read this, PLEASE leave me a comment so that will give me the extra encouragement to blog again and again. Thanks!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T22:33:00.002-06:00

Yea, I know, I haven't blogged in like, a super-de-duper long time. I have a few posts that I have started but not finished. Maybe this long weekend I will actually finish them and post 'em!

As I lay here watching "Love Actually" with a really full belly and catching up on blogs I follow, I came across one that I just had to post. It's from a Friend Makin' Monday. I know, duh, it's Thursday. But I don't read blogs daily like I used to. I am still extremely bitter that the company that gives me a paycheck actually had the nerve to put up a firewall. How dare they cut into my blog time! For you out there thinking I read them while on company time, you are sooooo wrong. I only read them while on a break. Wow, I'm really a liar, aren't I?

Better late than never, but this week's FMM was about Thanksgiving. Here 'goes:

1. Turkey or ham? Whatever is being served! But, if I truly had to be forced to pick, it would be ham.
2. Favorite side dish? Green bean casserole. Why do we wait for the holidays to make this scrumptious super-healthy dish?
3. Favorite dessert? Must I pick just one? So unfair. My grandmother's pecan pie. I miss her.
4. Black Friday: Are you going or not? Hell to the no! I'd rather sleep than wait in line to fight over a really well priced gadget or toy.
5. If so, what's top on your list? Well, if I WAS to go, it would be any of the TV's on sale.
6. Going out of town or staying close to home? Staying close to home. Thankfully all of our family lives fairly close, so no road trips for us!
7. Hosting or helping? Helping! Helping eat, that is. :) I actually DID help today at my mother-in-law's. I felt I should earn my keep so I could eat as much as I wanted and not feel guilty. Ha!
8. Name one family tradition at Thanksgiving. Eat a lot of food! Sadly, we really don't have a tradition. Wait, I just thought of one...we watch the Dallas Cowboys play. I do have my kids talk about what they are thankful for and call all of our family that morning.
9. What do you do after dinner? Sit around watching a football game, all moaning about how full we are and how we shouldn't have had that 4th or 5th helping.
10. What are you most thankful for this year? That's easy: being employed! After getting laid off last year, it feels good to be working. Thankful for my amazing kids that give me so many reasons to make me smile and laugh.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did.

Long Time No Blog

2009-09-28T21:37:00.003-05:00

Anyone missed me out here in Bloggy Land? Whether you did or not, I have missed it! Here is why I have not been able to blog lately: the firewall in my office was put back up. I know what your first thought is: She blogged at work? Why yes, yes I did.

I won't bore you with the details of my job in the wonderful world of recruiting, but let's just say that I don't always have a full 8 hours of things to do at work. So I fill part of my days with reading the blogs I follow, blog myself, check Facebook (a lot!), personal email, US Magazine...well, you get the point. It is a far cry my my supreme busy days at Pfizer when I had days I worked through lunch and I most always brought work home to do at night. I just remind myself daily that I am grateful to be employed.

But noooooooooooo, my company had to get smart and put up a firewall. I know, how dare them! How dare them cut into MY internet browsing. Oh wait, they are the ones that pay me, right? Ok, whatever. I have tried to read blogs on my iPhone and it just isn't the same. I am constantly making the screen smaller and bigger, then scrolling up, down, right, left. It sucks. I want to read the blogs at night, but I have to be up at 4:30 am, so all I can think about after my kids are in bed is to get as much done around the house and get the kid's stuff ready for the next day in a hour. Then I get maybe 30 minutes to lie in bed and watch TV...which by the way is my most favorite thing to do when the house is quiet. So I have to choose...TV? Blogs? TV? Blogs? Sorry, TV has been winning these past 2 weeks.

For all of my loyal readers (ha!), please keep checking in from time to time to see if I posted anything. I'm not gone forever! And PLEASE leave me comments. They are music to my ears. Er, eyes. Music to my eyes? That doesn't sound right. You know what I mean, I love them and they keep me wanting to blog!

I need to close now. It is almost 10:00 and I need to get my rear in bed and watch just wee bit TV before I need to close my eyes!

Lesson Learned

2009-09-15T08:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday after work was just like any ordinary day. Got on the DART, rode to Union Station, got on the TRE with some time to spare. It was empty when I got on and found a spot that is my favorite place to sit. 2 seats side by side, with a third one against the wall. I use that to put my purse and bag and a place to prop my feet up to read. My time on the train is MY time. I am rarely interrupted, I am listening to my music while either reading or playing a game on my phone. Sometimes I nap. I cherish this time because I can just "be". Those of you with kids know what I mean.

I am listening to my music, sending a text to Jason, when a tall large man with strange old-fashioned glasses on, asked if he could sit by me. My first response in my head was "really? This train isn't even half way full. There are plenty of seats to sit alone". I think I even looked behind me as if to show with my eyes that there were other seats. But you know me, I don't say what I think and I said "um, sure". He sits, and I noticed he had a bag of items in an orange plastic mesh bag. It looked exactly like those bags that hold firewood that you buy at the grocery store that sit outside in the front. I thought it was odd, but hey, I'm on the train. I see a lot of odd things.

One thing on the train and airplanes that everyone knows, if you have ear buds in or have your nose in a book, you leave them alone. Not this man. I heard him talking but didn't know it was to me because I was listening to my music. I took an ear bud out and said "excuse me? I didn't hear what you said". He started asking me lots of questions about how to load music on my iPhone, where he can get one, does he need a computer for it, how much do the songs cost, etc. After I answered all of his questions I put my ear bud back in and continued to read. I think he said something to me again but I didn't look to see if he was talking to me or someone else. I just wanted to read my book. The same thing happened again. I was starting to get annoyed. I wanted to move seats, but did not want to be rude. So I thought I would act like I was getting off at the next stop, then walk to another part of the train to sit elsewhere. I just really wasn't in the mood for idle chit chat. I talk all day at work, I like silence.

I don't remember what started the next time he talked to me, but he later started quizzing me again about my phone, the cost, the carrier. I thought "what's with this man? It's not as if cell phones are new" As I answered his questions, I heard him say a word that I didn't catch earlier. Incarcerated. I let it go and listened to him some more, not wanting to be rude. I then just asked him, "have you never owned a cell phone?" and he said "no, I told you before, I was incarcerated and just got out of prison". Now before you freak out and think "Alli, why didn't you get the hell out of there?", hear me out. I then felt just horrible for thinking all of the things I did about this man I didn't know. I clearly judged him. Then it all came together about the bag with his belongings, the glasses, the clothes he was wearing. Again, I felt horrible.

I then let my guard down and listened to him some more. He was very well spoken and talked about his past, why he was in prison (was in Huntsville for drugs), and what his goals and plans are. He had my ear and I just listened intently to his story. This was a man that was in jail for 10 years, got out and went back to where he felt safe: his old friends. Fell into the same habits and problems, then went back to jail. This time, state prison for 7 years. I asked him questions I was curious about. He told me about how they do nothing to reform them and prepare them for the real world when they got out. How crooked the Warden and Chaplains are. Here he was in his early 40's, dropped off in Dallas with $50 and a handful of condoms. Really. He said the most they were told about was safe sex (hence the condoms) and were given pamphlets about other resources. That is what the state of TX gives when they are released. Isn't that sad?

He talked about how he had been sober for 5 years, how it is easier to get drugs in prison than on the streets (awful!), and what he did for himself to prepare for the real world. It was heart breaking, yet inspiring to hear about what all he did for himself. Not relying on other's to initiate it for him. I told him to surround himself with supportive people and those that only want good for him. He then said "that's why I asked to sit by you". My heart just dropped. I tried to not show the shock in my face. I was just speechless. I then said "I am glad you did". After more talking, my stop was coming up and I told him how much I enjoyed our talk, wished him the best of luck, and told him he CAN succeed...my version of a pep talk to someone I barely knew, but I truly wanted him to do well. I wanted to just hug him. Instead, we shook hands. He said "It was a pleasure speaking to you, Miss Allison".

When I got to my car, I just sat there and cried. Cried for how I judged a man before knowing him. Cried for what he said to me about why he chose to sit by me, and how at first I was annoyed to not get to sit alone. How selfish of me. How judgemental of me. I learned a good lesson and was reminded to take the time to see the good in others. It's there. I will never forget my talk and lesson I learned with L. W. I hope I never forget him.

Friend Makin Monday...or Tuesday!

2009-09-08T08:06:00.005-05:00

With yesterday being Labor Day, I didn't even turn on my computer! Really. Well, I did check my email and Facebook on my phone. Does that count? I was busy yesterday taking my kids to the park, then to a friend's house for the kids to play in the sprinkler. They had so much fun and it just wore them out. BUT, when we went home I immediately cooked dinner, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, did 2 more loads of laundry, helped Sammi with a school project, got both of them bathed, then finished my night with ironing clothes. Am I trying to sound like a martyr? Yes! After what should have been relaxing, it wasn't. I guess I could blame myself for not just letting it go for 1 more day and just relax. But I have a hard time relaxing in my house when things need to be done.

Ok, enough of my rambling! Yesterday was Friend Makin Monday and I missed it! So today I am just going to do it, even if it's Tuesday. So here to go, today's topic: Favorite Things About Fall.

Fall is my most favorite season. Being in Texas, I can't wait for fall season to get here so there is an end to the heat! Here are my favorite things:

1. Changing of the leaves! One of my dream vacations is to go to the New England states and drive around the countryside, looking at the beautiful trees with the leaves changing colors. Ooh, and stay in those cute Country Inns or a Bed & Breakfast.
2. Fall Decorations! I love getting out my wreath, a lot like this one, to hang on my door. It makes me smile when I see it. My favorite are the red leaves.

3. Cool, crisp air! I love, love, love opening the windows in the house to air it out and feel the cool air.

4. Sweatshirts! Love sweatshirts. Love 'em.

5. Football season! Mainly my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. I know some of you hate them because 1. you hate Jerry Jones or 2. you don't live in TX and you hate hearing them called America's Team. I grew up with die-hard Cowboy fans, I married one, so I am one. I enjoy having friends over for the games and an excuse to make lots of appetizers that are not healthy and eat 'em up.

6. Halloween! The best is seeing your kids dressed up and going with friends to have our kids trick or treat together. Then we get to come home with tired kids, put them to bed, then I go through their candy and pick out my favorite that I just know they won't like. he he, I know, that is really mean. But in my defense, I learned that from my parents. I know they did that!

7. Thanksgiving! This picture isn't of my family (but they look nice, don't they?) but it shows what is great about Thanksgiving: the family sitting at the table, having a great meal (why do we make certain foods just on Thanksgiving??), and talking about what we are thankful for. AND, our meal is planned around the Cowboy game. Yep. We either eat before so we are done by the time the game starts, or we eat when it was over. It's just the way it is in mine and my in-law's family.

8. Samantha's birthday! I love planning birthday parties. I enjoy making invitations and just can't wait to figure out what the theme will be so I can make the invitations around it.

I have no idea why I used an ! after each item. Maybe it's because I just love fall and it makes me excited!

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-08-31T15:51:00.007-05:00

I have been kind of off on Friend Makin' Monday lately and I'm trying to pick back up on it. Amber will be hosting FMM for awhile. I love reading her blog, which you can find here.

Today's topic is 20 Questions. Should be pretty easy, right? These are not your normal questions, which makes it more fun!

1. Do you cook every night?
I wish my answer was yes. With Jason traveling more and more, I have been finding myself throwing together dinner for a 3 yr old that is super picky, a 6 yr old, and me. Which usually ends up with all of us eating something very different. It is on my mind a lot and I am trying to be better at it.

2. What kind of laundry detergent do you use & why?
Purex High Efficiency. We have to use the HE for our washer and Purex is the cheapest. But it smells good and that is all I really care about.

3. Do you do laundry every day or loads at a time?
Loads at a time. Usually on Saturday morning. If we are away for the weekend, then it stacks up and I end up doing it Sunday evening and then catching up after work throughout the week. Yuck.

4. How often do you eat out per week?
For lunch, 1-2 times. I am using that as my treat since I am eating in more. For dinner, probably 2-3 times. For crazy weeks, add 1 or 2 to the number. :)

5. Where do you usually eat out?
Chick Fil A, Sonic, or McDonalds (do they put kiddie crack in their Happy Meals?) for the kids. Me, anywhere.

6. What is your favorite retail store?
Target!!!

7. What's your favorite thing to drink?
Coke...from Sonic, please!

8. Do you take vitamins? What kind?
No and I really need to. I get so overwhelmed in the vitamin aisle and have no clue on what to get. Can someone PLEASE leave me a comment on what to get?

9. What percentage of the household chores to you do?
100...ha! Some days it feels like that. I honestly would say 95%. I am an enabler and one of those "oh, I'll just do it myself" instead of just asking for help. I know, I know, I need to work on that.

10. Do your children do chores? {Or will they, did they, etc}
Another thing I need to get better at. Sammi (age 6) helps set the table and put her clothes away that have been folded. I make both pick up toys and put away as well as put their clothes in the laundry hamper. They clean their own rooms, although I end up having to help Josh (age 3).

11. Do you go to church?
Yes. This summer has been crazy with weekend trips here and there so we have missed several Sundays.

12. Do you have a housework schedule?
Sort of. During the week it is just trying to keep my head above water by picking up here and there, doing dishes from dinner, etc. I do the big cleaning on Saturday so I can rest on Sunday. It doesn't always work that well, but that is what I aim for.

13. Do you keep a working budget?
No, and I wish we did. Again, any suggestions on how to help when I am the saver and he is the spender? We have been married 10 yrs so this could be a tough one to deal with and change.

14. What do you do at night as a family?
During the week it is dinner, homework, playing, baths, read, bed time. When it is bath time, whoever bathes the kids, the other dries and puts on pj's. Each picks out one book and I read one, Jason reads the other. When it is time for bed, we trade off taking one kid to bed while the other takes the other one to bed.

15. How do you prepare yourself for a new week?
I like to get all of my laundry and cleaning done on Saturday so I can rest on Sunday and get ready. But I prepare by doing the same thing each night: get the kids bags ready, make Sammi's lunch, etc.

16. What do your mornings look like?
Mine is pretty easy...all I worry about is ME! That is just about the only thing in my life that is all me. I am out the door by 5:30 am. Jason gets the kids up, gets them dressed, gives them breakfast, helps brush their teeth, then takes them to school. Since I started working in Dallas, our mornings have been reversed and I am pretty sure he has a new found appreciation for crazy mornings!

17. What time do you get up in the mornings?
5 am. I know, yuck.

18. What time do you go to bed at night?
I need to be asleep by 10 or 10:30. The nights that go to 11:00 make for slow mornings.

19. How do you manage all of the paperwork that floods into your household? {bills, school work, magazines, ads, etc}
Oh Lordy, I seem to have stacks of "stuff" all over the house. The kitchen bar, the kitchen table...Jason doesn't like it, but at least it is nice and orderly in stacks, right? Then I go through them every week. But I go through Sammi's backpack as soon as I get home from work to see what needs to be done, signed, returned, etc.

20. How do you keep your household organized? {calendars, charts, etc}
I have a family calendar on our fridge that is just for the week. You can add each family member to have their own row for the week. It is helpful!

Ok, I was honest. Now it's your turn!

Grandmother, You Will Always Be In My Heart

2009-08-31T13:33:00.000-05:00

For 34 wonderful years, I had my amazing Grandmother in my life. How lucky was I? On Sunday, August 23rd, she passed away peacefully. Jeannette Johnson was 96. Yep, 96. And she lived a great, healthy (not a single surgery!) long life until Alzheimer's stripped that away. Thankfully we have modern medicine that helped prolong the inevitable. But it was still hard. For the past 4 years we have been slowly saying goodbye.

I was blessed to spend time in the hospital with her before she died. She didn't know who I was or understand what I was saying, but I did. I just held her hand, touched her soft face, told her how much I loved her and what an amazing grandmother she was to me. She didn't talk or make facial expressions, but when I said my last goodbye I kissed her cheek and gave the longest hug possible, she tilted her head toward me and lifted up the shoulder I was resting my head on. I will never forget that.

Things I will forever remember about her: making an entire batch of banana pudding (my favorite) for me. No one else. And she told me I didn't have to share either. Having tea parties with me and Meredith with Kool-Aid to drink. Having candy in her purse for me during the many musicals, plays, operas, and symphonies she and my Granddad took us to...I think she strategically gave them to me in the middle to wake me up. Teaching me how to cross-stitch. Her amazing cooking (she didn't know how to boil water when she got married). Her smile that lit up a room. Seeing the way she looked at my Granddad so lovingly, even after 65 years of marriage. Hearing her sing in church. Lying in bed with me until I finally fell asleep for my nap.

I could go on and on. I know that no one lives forever. I know that everyone dies. But it is still not easy to let go. What gives me a smile is knowing she is in heaven dancing with my Granddad.

Paying It Forward

2009-08-25T10:40:00.000-05:00

Other than getting many hugs and kisses from my kids after work, I cannot think of anything better than seeing a box on my front porch addressed to ME. Not some golf item for Jason from eBay that seems to come weekly. No, a box for ME!

I barely put down my purse before ripping into this bad boy. When I opened it up, I saw this:

I love, love, love cute tissue paper. I do. I'm the one that saves it from a birthday party or just from any gift bag because I love them so much. I loved the bright colors.

Then after I smoothed out the tissue paper to save and re gift (don't be surprised if you see this in your gift bag!), I took out these goodies:

Some of my most favorite things! Clorox wipes (a must to have under every sink in my house), a Sonic gift card (I can get many 'o happy hour drinks with this!), Burt's Bees lip balm, and big hair clips for my massive, thick hair.

All of these goodies came from my friend from college (go TJC Apaches!), Angie at Just Shy Of A Y. She really pays attention to what I love! But you too can have gifts, for no apparent reason just for me passing this contest to all of you!

Here are the rules...

1) Be one of the first THREE bloggers to comment on this post.
2) You then agree to share your snail mail address with ME so I can send you a small gift handmade/purchased by ME!
3) When you receive your gift, you then blog about this game & link back to my blog in that post.
4) And most importantly, you ALSO AGREE to pay it forward and send a small gift to the 3 people who comment on your blog post.

Yep, it's that simple! So what are you doing?? Leave me a comment! Besides, you know how much I love comments!

I Can Only Take So Much...

2009-08-23T18:45:00.007-05:00

What an eventful weekend and day for my precious 6 year old! First she informs me a few weeks ago that she wants her ears pierced. Jason and I had talked about it when she was a baby after having friends and family ask if we were going to pierce them then. We agreed to wait and do it when she is ready. Just a year ago she was telling me emphatically that no way would she EVER put holes in her ears and how that would hurt too much. I told her that if she never wanted that done that that would be fine.

Flash forward to just 2 weeks ago. My how her mind-set changed. She was probing me with lots of questions about how it is done, if it hurts, how long it hurts, etc. She made sure that I knew how much she wanted it done and how she would take care of them when I explained that you have to clean them 2 times a day for 4-6 weeks. Personally, I think she had some friends at school with earrings and she wanted to be like them. Wow, that is just how I was at her age!

We waited to talk with daddy about it after he came home from a 2 week business trip. Off we went to the mall yesterday to get it done. She was so excited! Jason decided at the last minute that he wasn't going because he wouldn't be able to deal with seeing her in pain if she cried or freaked out. So he stayed home with Joshua and I went with my sister-in-law that was in town and her 4 kids.

Here she is getting ready and oh-so-excited. I could tell she was getting nervous because she was so quiet. For her, that's a big deal. :)

She even had a cheering section. Here is my wonderful sister-in-law, Julie, and 3 of her kids. They were so sweet with Sammi, telling her how brave she was.

Marking the points on her ears.

Ready...aim...fire!

Oh. Wait. This was not what I expected! Silent tears. I felt horrible! I felt removed from the situation, being behind my camera. Then I snapped out of it to console her. My poor baby.

Isn't this the saddest picture you have seen? But wait! Look at her cute earrings.

A few hours later and the shock has worn off. I couldn't tell if it really hurt or if it was the sound of the guns going off at the same time. I know I didn't like the sound when I got mine done when I was 10.

She must have looked at herself in the mirror umpteen times. It was cute. Then the focus moved from new holes in her ears to getting ready for her first day in the First Grade! She was so excited to see her friends again, but honestly, I think she was more excited to wear her special outfit she picked out to wear on her first day. Admit it, she looks so cute. Biased? Yes!

Had to get Joshua in the picture. My oh my does this boy need his hair cut! But to his defense, it is unruly when he first gets up in the morning. Trust me, there is a head underneath that massive amount of curly hair.

Her new, very own desk! She loved having her name on it. I like the look on the face of the kid next to her. He doesn't look as happy to be there as Sammi is. If she is anything like me, she is just chomping at the bit to tear into her box of new school supplies!

What a couple of days for me...I need a break! First the ears getting pierced and her looking more grown up, then moving up a grade. I should have thought better and spaced them further apart, a mommy can only take growing up "stuff" in small increments!

Camping in the Ozarks

2009-08-18T09:16:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago Sammi spent the week with Jason's sister Julie and her family in Arkansas. They were going to be camping the following weekend, then we would be picking her up. After Jason had been gone for work for 2 weeks I thought we needed some family time together. So we packed up my dad's travel trailer and off we went to meet up with them at Devil's Den State Park.

What appeared to be a good idea at the time turned out to be more of a headache. Jason was originally coming home Thursday night and then turning around the following Tuesday to to back to Vail. That changed to him coming home Friday afternoon and then leaving Monday morning. But we still went! Granted, we didn't leave our house until after 10:00 pm. But we still went! Hauling a trailer what should have been 6 hours turned into 8! Really. Thankfully, Joshua slept well, but I felt guilty for sleeping even after Jason urged me too. By the time we got there, unhooked the trailer, got it set up and to sleep it was 5 am! I quickly went to sleep as did Joshua. Jason? Nope. He ended up checking out the fishing holes. I think I got about 2.5 hours of sleep. Sammi, Jason's dad, and Julie's family were already there and sleeping soundly. Around 8:00 each of the 5 kids trickled over to our campsite. We were in a great area where the kids could walk or bike to each of our trailers.

We found out quickly that Joshua is ready for his own big-boy bike. That kid was barely off of his cousin's bike the entire weekend. Excuse the small pictures, I took them with my phone since my camera is getting fixed as I type this.

After breakfast, we headed out on a trail with another friend of Julie's with their kids. They have 5 kids. It was 6 adults and 11 kids ages 19 months to 7. Yikes! But they did great. We came to a cave that the men went in with several of the kids. Mine were not really wanting to go that far in so they came back out. It was really far in and they were gone for about 30 minutes. It felt like much longer. I tried with Josh, but it was really narrow in the beginning which I would have needed to carry him. The ground was slippery and I just saw it turning into a disaster.

Here is Joshua and his cousin Easton. Not sure why he has his hands over his ears, but this was the best I could get!

All 11 kids outside the cave. I felt pretty puny with my 2 kids against Julie's 4 and Emily's 5. :)

Joshua and Carter. See what his shirt says? "Lock up your daughters". A guy from Belgium saw it on the trail and asked to take a picture of it.

Sammi and her best bud, Carter. They love each other so much, I just love them having cousins their age!

Don't they look like a newer version of The Little Rascals? Joshua, Easton, and my precious niece Noel.

A cool Salamander Julie found. After I took this it went back into the hole in a flash. It scared the poop out of me! Not really, I was poop-free, but I really scared me. I had visions of it jumping out at me, covering my face, and me running around like a mad woman trying to get it off my face. Have I seen too many movies with cats and squirrels doing that? YES!

Jason and his dad took all of the kids fishing later that night. I didn't get any good pictures of it. I can't freaking wait to get my camera back! Argh. A few caught some fish, but not as many as they had hoped. I'm sure them screaming and throwing rocks in the river didn't help.

On Sunday before we left we took the kids to the pool. As usual, they had a ball!

We had an amazing, quick camping trip with our family. But is it really considered camping with the luxury of sleeping in a bed with A/C? I love camping in tents, but not when it is in the 100's outside and 2 other kids to deal with! By the time we got home it was almost 9:00 pm...but it was worth it!

For Those That Find Dora Annoying

2009-08-13T08:11:00.003-05:00

Don't get me wrong, Dora has been a favorite of both of my kid's cartoon-watching lives. We have had umpteen (yes, I insist that is a word) Dora toys, Dora movies that were on repeat at times, Dora bath toys, Dora games, you get the idea.

But as a parent, is it just me that finds Dora to be a tad bit annoying? Her whiny voice certainly doesn't help. I'd like to blame her for Joshua's constant whining. I mean, he watches her more than any other show so it's a learned behavior, right? Her haircut is ugly, her shirt doesn't fit, and her only friends seem to be animals that can be equally annoying.

I LOVE Dora when I am cooking dinner because she keeps Joshua occupied, happy, and out of the kitchen. Oh that makes me think of another thing I don't like about that show: where are her parents? She is just left alone all day to roam the world (planet, sometimes) with talking animals and going into scary forests. What's up with that? Don't her parents know what kind of scary world we live in with evil predators lurking? Sheesh, someone needs to call the CPA and report them. I have gotten evil glares if I have snuck out of the INDOOR playground at McDonald's get myself another refill of my drug of choice: coca cola. And Dora's parents have no clue where she is. Ever. Maybe it's her annoying voice that is making her poor mom want her out of the house and out of her hair all day. Just a hunch.

This ranting of our bilingual friend, Dora the Explorer, brings me to why I started this post. Check out Wendy Aaron's blog. She has a guest poster, Lulu & Moxley, and it is freaking hilarious. I found myself nodding from agreeing to so many other things about Dora that are annoying and odd.

Even if you have not watched an entire show of Dora, please read. You will laugh out loud. I know, I could have just shortened those last 3 words with LOL, but that really annoys me too.

Mommy/Daughter Day

2009-08-05T08:29:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I have written anything. My normal routine has been thrown into a tailspin these past 2 weeks. What started to be a week long business trip for Jason turned into 2. I really think this has been the longest we have been apart. While he is gone, I need to have help from friends and family with dropping off the kids at school in the morning. I am SO grateful to have our parents live within a hour from us. My mom has stayed with us here and there to help out, my dad has come over my house bright and early before 6 am, and the kids have spent a few nights at my mother-in-law's so she can take them in some mornings. I pick them up after work, it is just the mornings I need help with since I leave my house at 5:30 most mornings. Yes, that is early!

Soooooo, most nights I have not had the luxury to just relax after the kids go to bed or fiddle around on the computer. And work has been nutty, so no down time to blog during the day.

BUT, I had a great idea a few weeks ago to surprise Sammi with what I call "Mommy & Sammi Day". We have done this in the past and that is all she has been asking me recently, "mommy, when can we have a just-us day?". Great idea! Her school had a Christmas in July party that she wanted me desperately to attend. My previous job was really close to home, so I was able to attend pretty much every party, even in the middle of the day. Not so much when I work 45 miles away in Dallas. I decided I would take that day off and surprise her at the party, then go out just the two of us for the day. I made up an excuse that I had a doctor's appointment and couldn't make it. I felt bad for lying, but I had to come up with something because I was actually home in the morning when she woke up. I loved the look on her face when she saw me come in her classroom that morning. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it.

She is fascinated with me riding the train to work everyday, so I thought we would ride the train into Dallas. Not 5 minutes into the ride, she was asking me "how much longer?". Really? Sheesh.

Here she is waiting for the train to arrive. She was so excited. Oh, and the hat she decorated at school.

We walked around the downtown area, went into the old red courthouse, then ventured to another building to eat. Here she is playing with the water fountain. About 2 seconds after I took this, I was scolded by security that I cannot take a picture. My arguing self said "why? I don't see any signs saying not to do that" ah-hem, in my nicest voice, that is! She said there wasn't any signs but the owner doesn't like pictures to be taken. Really? Doesn't that seem a bit much or is it just me?

Eating lunch together...she insisted I sit on the same side of the table with her. I loved it, as I know there will come a time that she doesn't even want to be at the same table with me. :)

View of Dallas from the 40th floor of some building. We were going to go to the top of Reunion Tower, but the observation decks are still closed for renovations. I wasn't willing to shell out the dough for us to eat at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant just to see the view from there.

We did a whole bunch of more walking around, going into shops, and just talking. It was great, just the two of us, no interruptions. She got a doll that is like a Webkin where you do things with it online. Here she is on the train back with her. She took the clothes off and giggled when she saw it had boobs. Oh my.

When we got back to our area, Sammi wasn't quite ready to go back to reality and pick up Joshua. So we took a detour to Marble Slab and had ice cream together. mmm...it was good!

I cherish these moments with her. I know it won't always be this way, so I will enjoy it while I can! My goal is to do this with her every other month, even if it's just a few hours together on the weekends. My little girl is growing and I don't ever want to look back with regret that I didn't spend more time with her, one on one. I remember having those times with my mom and they were priceless.

I love you, Sammi-girl! I am glad God gave me YOU!

Flip Flop Exchange

2009-07-23T14:09:00.002-05:00

How many times have you participated in one of those gift exchanges where you were promised recipes, kitchen towels, etc and never received a gosh darn thing? Yea, me too. But my great friend Rebecca hosted a bloggy flip flop exchange. I LOVE flip flops (no telling how many I own) and thought I'd give this one a try. The neat thing about this exchange is that we were to send along with the flip flops a special item from our state. I was sooooo excited when I checked my mailbox after a long day at work and saw a package...just for me!

Not only did I get a cute pair of flip flops, I got an oven mit (can never have too many!), and a delicious chocolate bar. All from Seattle! My kids were crowding me as I tore into my package to retrieve my goodies. Thankfully only Sammi wanted a bite of my chocolate (Josh isn't a sweets eater) and I actually shared A LITTLE with her. Really, just a teeny bit. Call me selfish, but I don't get much to just myself anymore!

If my friend hosts another exchange and I post about it here, trust me, you should participate. It was fun!

A Sort Of Camping Trip

2009-07-20T18:36:00.006-05:00

This post is a few weeks late. I have been meaning to load pictures up from the long weekend over the 4th of July, but when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is to get back on the computer. But I know each and every one of you have been dying (ha!) to read about my trip with Jason and the rug rats, so here you go!

When I found out that I had Friday before the 4th off, I told Jason that we needed to do something fun with the kids. Jason came up with the idea to leave Thursday night and go camping with the kids. My dad has an awesome travel trailer that is pretty new and rarely used. In fact, we have used it more than he has! So after quickly packing after work on Thursday, we headed off to the wild blue yonder (aka: Cedar Hill State Park). We didn't go far, but no matter where you are that isn't home, it feels far away.

When we got in late that night, Jason hooked up the trailer and we found out quickly that the electricity box we were plugged into wasn't good. It kept blowing it's fuse and it was super hot that day/night. When the a/c quit working, it got hot inside quickly. In fact, it was cooler outside! While Jason tried to get maintenance to come help out (it was after 10 pm and they were closed) and work on it himself, I put the kids in the car with the a/c on and had them sleep there until it was fixed. My worry-wart daughter wouldn't sleep until all was right with the world. Long story short, Jason took the chance and moved the trailer to another location, hoping and praying it wasn't reserved for someone else and they would come in the middle of the night knocking on our door to move. Thank goodness, it wasn't! Needless to say, we went to bed late that night, but grateful for working a/c!

The next morning I took the kids and our dog, Lucy, for a walk and we found a playground for them to play on. Even at 8 am, we were sweating from the heat. We headed back and I took the kids to the grocery store. Jason grilled outside for lunch. We scratched the plans for an outdoor picnic and opted for the cool, bug less indoors. Why do kids freak out with tiny bugs? Ugh, I lost my patience with that.

While Joshua took a 4 hour nap (yes, 4 hours!), Sammi laid down for some quiet time. She ended up playing games on my iPhone for quite awhile. I watched a movie on Jason's laptop and Jason went fishing. So much for the great outdoors!

Joshua woke up in the greatest mood! Whew.

We then met Jason where he was fishing off a covered dock. Thank goodness for some shade. We really picked the wrong days to go "camping" in 100+ degree weather.

I have no idea what they are doing here. Oh yea, they were singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" I love hearing him sing.

My cutie patootie.

Awe, they really DO love each other! Well, most of the time.

There was this cool crane (is that even a crane? I'm guessing) watching us fish the entire time. After we left, he walked over to where we were to stake his claim. The kids loved watching him.

More fishing...

Minus the heat and staying indoors most of the time, we had a great time just being together. We left Saturday morning on the 4th to spend the day swimming at my dad's. Next time we are going in the fall!!

Friend Makin' Monday - Vacation Edition

2009-07-20T11:55:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday! Jolanthe at No Ordinary Moments is hosting today's FMM, which is all about vacations. I was excited to see the topic because who doesn't love a good vacation? I grew up going someplace EVERY summer. We drove to Colorado most summers, which I loved. One summer my dad changed things up and we went to Disney World. What a great trip that was! My dad loved to drive and my mom loved to stop at historical markers or just neat places along the way. I cherish the memories or our annual summer vacations.

Today's task:

This task has two parts . You can do either one or both ~ it's up to you!

1. Tell us about the best {or worst} vacation that you've ever taken.

2. Tell us FIVE places/vacations that you would like to take at some point your life. It doesn't have to be next year...maybe it's the vacation of a lifetime or somewhere you just dream of going years from now.

I have a lot of great vacations I have been on. I honestly can't think of a bad one, although I am sure my parents might disagree. :) But the one that comes to mind that tops my list of great vacations is when Jason and I went to Boston and Cape Cod. It was right before we started our family, and I just look back at that as our last "care free" trip before kids came along. I don't have a picture of us there, as that was before every picture was digital. I did find this picture online that looked like so much of what we saw. We started out in Boston and Jason showed me around. He was stationed outside of Boston for 3 years when he was in the Army and I heard so many stories, so I really wanted to see what all he had been talking about for so long. The first night we asked the dude at the car rental place for a recommendation of a great bar. We were driving on the street to find it and I told Jason that I couldn't find the place called "Clocks". He started laughing and said we were looking for "Clarks". Oh yea, most Bostonians don't enunciate the "r". He drove me to his old Army base which was neat. Then we spent several days out in Cape Cod. Beautiful! I highly recommend going out there. So serene.

Top 5 Places I Would Like To Visit:

1. Anyplace in Europe. I have been to England, Wales, Scotland, but I would love to go to Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, The Netherlands...just take me anywhere in that continent!

2. Australia. I regret us not going out there when we had friends that lived there for a few years. But they were there when we were poor newlyweds. :)

3. Napa Valley. Wine. Enough said.

4. Alaska. I saw a show about traveling through Alaska and they showed these travel trains with glass ceilings so you can see the amazing trees and mountains. Ever since I saw that, I have been dying to go.

5. Puerto Rico. Several of my friends have gone there and told me how amazing it is. From the pictures I have seen, I want to go there myself!

So what is on your wish list?

Fun Game of Tag!

2009-07-15T08:16:00.006-05:00

Who didn't love the game of tag as a kid? I certainly loved it. Any old made up game that we came up with out of boredom after church while waiting for our parents to stop gabbing so we can go home or waiting for the school bus. Looking back, some of those games were just odd. I chalk it up to just plain old boredom and being a kid.

But in the adult world, the new game of tag is on this here bloggy land. And I love it. I was tagged by my dear friend Becca at The Texas Darlings. It is a Photo Tag game and you have to pick the 6th photo in the 6th folder from your photos file then explain about the photo.

This picture was taken in August 2005. Sammi and I went to the Ft. Worth Zoo for the day. I was pregnant and took off a day from work to hang out with her, just the two of us. It was scorching hot and I definitely picked the wrong day to go to the zoo. But I promised her, so off we went. I even packed our picnic basket to have a picnic inside the zoo. I scratched that plan and we ate inside the air conditioned car instead. I love looking at her in this picture. She is just so well accessorized with her matching bow, visor on backwards (not sure why she did that), sunglasses, and her polished toe nails. So like a tom boy with a hint of girly. You can see on her face how hot she was by how red it is. To this day, she still talks about the picnic we had in the car. I love that she remembers it as being fun for her.

Now tag 5 friends:

Allison at All Things A

Jennifer at Stuff About Jennifer

Amy at The Bryant House

Marcia at The Hensley Happenings

Angie at Just Shy of a "Y"

Ok, now I really need to get back to work!

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-07-13T09:25:00.006-05:00

I love Mondays because it means I get an excuse to blog about something AND I am given the topic for which to blog about. Woo-Hoo! Today's is perfect because I have a lot on my mind and this is giving me a reason to think about something else.

Today's Friend Makin' Monday topic is My Favorite Things. I love this! Who can't think of at least 5-10 things that they just love? It can be a person, place, thing...just anything that is your favorite. I did this several months ago in a different post, so I had to come up with things that I didn't already mention. And I came up with such a huge list that I had to whittle it down. I guess I have a lot of things I love!

In no particular order, 10 of My Favorite Things:

iPhone. How did I live my life before this hand-held goodness was invented? I just can't say enough about how amazing this phone is.

Burt's Bees chap stick. I love this chap stick. Love, love, love it.

Almonds. I am now addicted to these. I just discovered them (call me a late-bloomer, I don't care) last month to eat alone and I can't get enough! I feel good eating a handful (or two or three or four) of these and not thinking that they will make my rear get any bigger. Trust me, it doesn't need any help!

Chi flat iron. I have naturally curly hair and tried various ways to straighten my hair over the years and never had any luck. Enter the Chi. Even on slightly humid days it stays straight. My original one broke late on a Sunday (I dropped it and the heating plate was broke loose) and I rushed out to Target to get another one. They were sold out so I thought I would try another brand. I was almost in tears the next day when it wouldn't straighten my hair. Needless to say, I went to a beauty supply store that night to get a Chi. I didn't care what it would cost, I would have paid whatever they asked just to have one again. I love it that much.

Chuy's restaurant. Not to steal a phrase from Rachel Ray, but this place is Yum-O to me. Have you had the creamy jalapeno dressing to dip your chips in? If not, then you must do it if you are ever at this place...that is if you are in the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, or Houston Texas area. :)

Clorox wipes. They are under every sink in my house. I love having them to do a quick wipe down of a counter top, faucet, toilet, etc.

Hair clips. This isn't the exact one I use, but I have them in my purse, bag, car, nightstand, etc because I use one daily. I have long hair and hate having it on my neck when it is hot outside. So being in TX, it is a must for me.

Movies! I love going to the movie theater. I can also go alone, I have no problem with that at all. I just love seeing movies on the BIG screen.

Roomba. I love this thing! I can program it to go off and vacuum my floors when I gone during the day. I love coming home to vacuumed floors. It scared my 3 year old at first, but now he thinks it is cool to watch go all over the house. And I love that it finds it's dock when the battery is low to get a recharge.

Cokes from Sonic. What do they put in there to make them so good? Is it the large straw? Is it the crushed ice? Do they put drugs in there to make them so addictive? Whatever it is, I love them. But they do not help me in my quest to not drink Coke so much! I really don't drink them a ton, just more than I should. So when I am craving one, it does not help me to pass a Sonic!

That was fun. Cue the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music...so what are YOUR favorite things? Are any on my list yours too?

Heavy Heart

2009-07-10T13:15:00.005-05:00

Oh where to start, where to start...Joshua had a check up this morning with his Cardiologist. Next month will mark his 2 year anniversary of his open heart surgery to build a wall between the top two chambers of his heart that he was born without. The absolute worst day of my life. Since then his doctor has been monitoring his Pulmonary Valve. It has an "obstruction", which basically means it is more narrow than it should be. The leaflets are also thicker than they should be, which means they do not open all the way. The leaflets work like a one-way door which keeps the blood going forward to go to the lungs instead of backwards, back to the right atrium. Sorry if this is getting too technical. There is a 50-50 chance this will need to be corrected by going in and opening up the valve.

So, this entire time I have thought that that is the only issue we are having to deal with an monitor. Oh yea, his Superior Vena Cava does not connect to the top of the right atrium like it should. It connects at the bottom. Bottom line: it does it's job. That's all I care about. It's just "wired" different. But I found out this morning that the blood coming out of the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery is swirling around in the "fork" of that area, causing it to enlarge. If it continues to enlarge, that artery can push on his trachea, harboring his breathing. It might not ever enlarge anymore, but it could and we have to watch him to see if he is coughing more, clearning his throat, or wheezing more than normal. It isn't like it could happen overnight and he can't breathe (whew!), it would be a progression. At the time I didn't want to find out what the course of action would be to correct it SHOULD this happen. But now after talking about it, I kinda want to know.

Here is a diagram of the heart that might help show better what I am talking about. Let me tell you, I have been spurting out cardiology info for the last 3 years that I never thought I would ever utter. I remembered the basic way the heart worked, but not the intricate details we didn't learn in school way back when.

I am not bogging myself with worrying since that does nothing at all. I'm just praying that it will just stay the way it is and not get worse. I know this is in God's hands, not mine. Sometimes as a mommy, it is hard to let go of control over my child's life.

I am just reminding myself that it could always be worse and this is not a life or death situation. But this is my reality. I was just taken back from this. I also feel like we fix one thing, then find out there is something else. I don't want him to go through another surgery. No matter how big or small the surgery is, it is scary to have your child under anesthesia.

Sorry for the lengthy post...some of this is therapeutic for me. It was hard for me when I was reading more about his heart problems when it was first discovered (he was 2 weeks old) because all of the information says that whatever the problem with the heart, it is due to improper development in the first 8 weeks of fetal growth. Some can be genetic, but most is just a mystery as to why it does not develop correctly. I dealt with guilt over that...since I was the one carrying him, I felt like I had done something wrong. I know that isn't sensible now, but that is how I felt.

On a good note for me (!), Joshua did great with the EKG, and echocardiogram. The echo requires him to lie down and be still, sometimes on his back, sometimes on the side. This time, both. He was really tired this morning for some reason, so I think that helped to mine and the tech's benefit. :) He was very still and watched a movie. It still amazes me what they can see through his chest and into his heart, all by sound waves. Crazy.

What I am asking from my friends and family (you, dear loyal reader!) is to please include Joshua in your prayers. My prayers are for his pulmonary arteries to not enlarge any further. My wish is for him to not endure another surgery.

Thanks to many of you for being there and continuing to be there for me thoughout this. I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

Fun Giveaway

2009-07-09T08:46:00.002-05:00

That got your attention, right? Who doesn't like giveaways? Especially cool, neat, unique giveaways? If you like them, then go over to Christie's blog, Pop Rocks For Breakfast and check out what she is giving away for her 200th post. Trust me, she has great things there! She is also a great writer and I enjoy reading her blogs. Besides, when would I ever lead you astray? :)

4th of July

2009-07-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Belated 4th of July! I was way too exhausted on Sunday to make a post about our day. We celebrated the day by swimming at my dad's, eating and eating and eating, and shooting off fireworks. Oh, did I mention eating? I'm not sure who had more fun swimming, my kids or myself. It was incredibly hot...I know, July in Texas and it's hot?? Crazy! :) I did not want to get out, it felt great.

Can you see in this picture what Sammi has done? There is a hole at the end of this float that she is sticking out of. She managed to get her bowl of watermelon on there and even included her cup of juice. So prepared for her relaxation in the pool. That's my girl!

It was so hot that even Lucy used her smarts and laid directly in front of the fan. I wish I thought to get on the other side to get a picture of her face.

When Joshua went down for a much needed nap, Sammi broke out her Polly Pockets and played for a bit.

After a goooood dinner of bbq, we went back outside to shoot off fireworks. I love that my dad lives outside the city limits so we can do our own. Jason was like a little kid with all of his arsenal of fireworks.

Here is my dad, Joshua, Sammi, Lucy, my Aunt Susan, and Uncle Ron sitting to watch Jason and our friend Todd shoot off the MANY fireworks they bought.

This is what happens when you tell a 3 year old "no". How dare my dad tell him no! What was he thinking?? :)
Ah, there, he is happy again.

He was not scared of the fireworks. In fact, he loved them. But he would just say "that's too woud (loud)"

This picture is of Sammi and Josh on my dad's balcony that faces East. We are able to see all of the shows around Ft. Worth from there. It's great!

Here are a couple of videos of the kids watching the fireworks. I loved hearing Joshua shout out the colors of each firework. According to him, each color is his favorite.

I hope you all had a safe and fun 4th. I also hope you took the time to remember why we celebrate that day...our freedom. Many times we take for granted what others around the world envy. We have our soldiers both past and present to thank for what we continue to have. If you know any who have served in the military or currently are serving, please tell them THANK YOU.

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-07-06T08:06:00.007-05:00

Happy Monday! I had an amazing, fun-filled 3 day weekend that I will post later today. I am exhausted, but it was well worth it.

Today's topic for Friend Makin' Monday is...
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Tell us about your BFF...where did you meet, was it BFF at first sight, how long have you been friends, etc. What makes him/her your BFF...what is it about this person that makes him/her so special to you?
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For the rules, if you are new or need to be reminded of them, go here.
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My BFF is Casey and has been for 23 years! I met her in the middle of the school year in 1986 when I was in 6th grade and she was placed in my class when she moved from Dallas to Forney. We didn't hit it off immediately, but very soon we were inseparable. We went through adolescence together, then even stayed best friends in High School when I was in the drill team and she played drums in the band. Most thought that would separate us, nope. When we were able to drive, we were at each other's home daily. I loved her parents. Their house was the kind that I didn't have to knock on the door, I just could come on in. Same with my house...if I was home and Casey wasn't there too, she would ask me where she was. We got into trouble together too. I remember one summer she was grounded and we actually wrote letters to each other. She couldn't talk on the phone, and back then there were no email or text messaging! One weekend we were bored and we snuck out of my house (I lived near the town square) and dressed in black we put soap in the fountain at the park by the town square. It was off of the main road that everyone passed. We hid in the bushes when cars drove by and then we took turns running up to the fountain to quickly put soap in it. There was so much soap suds spilling out of it for days and days. I loved hearing people talk about it and wonder who did it.
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We went to different colleges, but still remained close. Still wrote letters to each other until the world of email came. We visited each other some weekends at each other's school, tried to come home to Forney the same weekends. We planned what concerts we would go to together in the summers. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I traveled to Florida for her wedding on the beach...the most beautiful wedding ever!
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I think back of all of the memories I have with her, and there are many. We have been with each other through our first crush, first love, first heartbreak, weddings, miscarriages, births of our children, deaths in our families. There are things she knows about me that no one else does. I think of myself as her #1 fan...I was there screaming and yelling as she walked across the stage to get her PhD in Veterinary Medicine and I brag non-stop about how she has her dream job working for the CDC in Atlanta dealing with food-borne viruses with two PhD's under her belt. I'm so proud of her. I only wish we lived in the same state! We might go a few weeks without talking, but when we do it is as if no time has passed.

Before Casey reads this and freaks out with the picture I posted of us, I must state for the record that this was taken at her baby shower I threw and she was 8 months pregnant.

I have so many great, amazing friends. But having a friend for 23 years and counting is amazing to me and a testament to what true friendship is. I can't imagine my life without this wonderful, giving, intelligent person! Love you, Casey!

Ask, And You Shall Receive

2009-06-30T08:26:00.003-05:00

From my post yesterday about the 4th of July, I mentioned that I usually make baked potato casserole when asked to bring a side dish. I was pleasantly surprised to see the requests to post the recipe. I don't know why I didn't think to include it in the first place! I'll blame it on being tired and not thinking clearly. Yes, that is my excuse.

*drum roll* After much curiosity and anticipation, I bring you....Baked Potato Casserole! It's the easiest freaking dish you can throw together, er, make.

Ingredients*
cooked and cubed potatoes
butter
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
bacon bits
chives
salt
pepper

Mix together all of the above ingredients in a crock pot, warm, serve! You can do this in a large dish in the microwave or oven, too. *For the ingredients, the amount you need for each is all dependent on how much you want to make. I just keep adding and adding until I think it is the right amount. Salt and pepper to taste. You can also not add certain ingredients you don't like. I don't like chives, so I put them on the side for others to sprinkle on if they want.

What I like about this recipe is you can make as little or big as you need. And it makes great left overs. True, it isn't the most healthy, but you can substitute with low fat sour cream and low fat cheddar cheese.

That's all folks! Enjoy and let me know if you make it!

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-06-29T09:53:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday! I have to keep telling myself that because right now I am not feeling very happy. No specific reason, other than I am sore from head to toe from various house projects over the weekend and hand-washing my car last night. Does that mean I am out of shape? Probably. I know I am. But this is just another reminder how out of shape I am. I slept horribly for some reason. Nothing on my mind, I just tossed and turned all night. Argh.

I was looking forward to find out what the topic for Friend Makin' Monday was going to be, and I was excited to find out! If this is the first time you have heard me mention FMM, go here to find out more about it.

Today's topic: 4th of July! Woo-hoo! First thing I think of when it gets closer to the 4th of July: a 4 day work week! But seriously, it also reminds me to thank and remember the soldiers that are fighting and did fight to preserve our freedom. We are lucky as hell to have them do what I think is the toughest job that many of us (me included!) are too scared to do. So for any current or previous soldiers that might be reading this...THANK YOU!!!

What are you doing this July 4th?
No huge plans this year, just going to my dad's for the day to swim, cook out, watch fireworks from his balcony (has a great view), and maybe shoot off our own fireworks.

What is your favorite dish to pass when attending a 4th of July party or summer barbecue?
My dad always smokes a brisket, so if he asks me to bring a side, I make baked potato casserole. Super easy and I make it in a crock pot.

Do you have any July 4th traditions?
We have a family reunion for my mom's side that always falls on a weekend around the 4th. It all started after all of my cousins were married (7 of us) and we all could not make it to my grandparent's for Christmas each year. My granddad loved having all of us together like when we were kids, but knew it was too hard to always make it due to in-law families to see. So he came up with the idea for us to always get together around the 4th of July. This year it is the weekend after the 4th.

Share your favorite July 4th pictures.
I was not able to find each year in my files, but I found several of my favorite.

2004 - Sammi did NOT like the fireworks this year. In fact, when it was dark and we did big fireworks, she screamed so loud that Jason and I took turns being with her inside my dad's house. She was ok with the sparklers, but still a little leary.

2005 - We try to get a picture of Sammi with her cousins each year. These are my sister's kids. Aren't they cute?

2007 - Joshua and Sammi swimming at my dad's. I love that he has a beach-entry in his pool. A great place for a tot to sit in the water.

2008 - I love this picture. I used another one that was taken then for our Christmas card last year.

That's all I got! I can't wait to read what other's in Blog Land do for their 4th. Happy 4th of July!!

Daddy's Day

2009-06-22T08:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday marked Jason's 7th Father's Day. Over the weekend I heard friends talk about what they got their husband's for Father's Day. It ranged from big to small. Then I checked the blogs that I follow last night and I read about some really creative, neat things that was done for their dad's or husbands. We had plans to be in Tyler for his fraternity reunion (post to follow this week), so I was not sure how to plan Father's Day since I did not know when we would be home. But that is no excuse for me not getting him a gift from me! I feel absolutely terrible!

He was in NM and most of West TX all of last week so you would have thought I would have had plenty of time to have the kids make him something, right? Wrong! I had full intentions to have them make our annual stepping stone with their footprints, but I never got around to it. Lazy after work? Yes!

Thankfully, the kid's daycare is not as lazy as I am and had them make things for their dad. Joshua's class had Doughnuts with Dad on Friday, but Jason was driving back from NM and missed it. I didn't have the heart to tell him about it either, it would have crushed him. He did make him a t-shirt in class that was adorable with his hands all over it and said "Hands Down, The Best Dad". He loved it. Sammi made him a great card.

I am just typing this post and hating myself with every keystroke. Why didn't I finish the photo book I was making him online? Why didn't I at least get him a new golf hat? Or a set of his favorite golf balls? Or new cologne? Something!! I honestly don't have an answer, other than I was lazy, I guess. Thankfully I have a husband with no expectations, but still, he had to notice I didn't get him anything.

What I did do when we finally got home yesterday at 5:00 pm is dash off to the grocery store with the kids and left him alone to watch more of the US Open alone. I rushed back and cooked him one of his favorite meals that I never make and even got his favorite ice cream. I was trying!! As he was finishing watching the Open, I kept the kids quiet (or tried my best to!) so he could fully watch it. That was really all he said he wanted to do that day is watch the US Open. So it was my mission to let him!

He thanked me a lot for cooking for him. But I still felt bad that he didn't have a present to open from me. I did get him cards, but that isn't enough. My plan this week is to finally finish the photo book. I have already sorted through all of the kids pictures and picked a lot of just him with the kids. Now I need to place them in the order I want them and add the wording. That is the part that I got stuck on. No more excuses, it is time to finish it!

Ok, I feel better for getting that out there and it is in writing, so there is no going back on my word! Now I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures of Jason with our kids.

TV Obsession

2009-06-18T10:50:00.002-05:00

I admit it. I am addicted to TV. At least I can admit it. When we were out of TV and internet service for a week and had to rely on local channels (oh, the horror!), I really didn't think I could make it. Not only was I concerned about the shows I would miss on cable channels, but I like to go to sleep with the TV on at night. Jason, my handy husband with years of tele-comm experience in the Army and civilian world, was able to hook up something so that we could have basic channels in the living room. That was helpful so we could watch the news, but not much else.

I was home with Jason for 2 days when he had to be taken to the ER from what found out were kidney stones. Yuck. Let me just say that if you don't watch soap operas or much game shows, you are out of luck on much else. Oh, or if you can understand spanish, there are those lovely shows on Telemundo.

You know you have an obsession when your husband kindly tells you "it's ok honey, you WILL survive a week without watching your shows". We didn't even have internet so I could watch anything there. So this was an eye-opening experience. I learned that I COULD do other things after the kids went to bed than watch TV. I learned that I COULD go to sleep in complete silence and darkness.

But now that I have my TV and internet back, my addiction has come forward full-force. We were out of town for the weekend, but then when we got back, it was back to normal for me and my beloved TV. After work, all I could think about was what shows I could catch up on. But then to my horror, again, I discovered that we were not hooked up with a DVR box. Just a regular box. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I normally record shows while the kids are up and playing so that I can watch them when they are in bed. That is my time to relax and I love it. But never fear, I called Verizon and ordered a DVR box. Whew!

During the summer season when most of my shows that I regularly watch are on hiatus, I have been loving the fact that The Real Housewives of New Jersey was on. Do any of you watch that? Man, this season has been good! I have watched all of the other cities around the country, and I think this has been the best one yet. Maybe it is because of crazy, drama-filled Danielle.

Any who, it sounds like I really need to get a life, doesn't it? So what are your favorite TV shows you are currently watching?

Let me know if you watch that show too...it has been fun "talking" about it with my friends on Facebook.

Want New Flip Flops?

2009-06-16T12:13:00.002-05:00

If you love flip flops as much as I do, you need to go to my friend Rebecca's blog. She is hosting a Flip Flop Exchange! Go there to find out what the steps are to participate. Looks easy and fun...and who can say no to the chance to get another pair of flip flops? Or as I like to call them, flippie floppies.

Have fun!

This Is My Confession...

2009-06-15T08:43:00.004-05:00

It's Monday, so you know what that means! That's right, it is Friend Makin Monday. Today's topic is Confessions. It's time to spill your guts and tell about things we have been keeping to ourselves and have always wanted to say. I'm such an open book, so it took me some time and reading other lists of confessions to come up with mine. Click here for the rules.

1. I have been known to put on a movie for my kids so that I can watch my shows on TV uninterrupted. Selfish? Yes. I usually do this when Jason is out of town. Probably because I know it is selfish and wrong! But we all need our alone time, right?

2. Sometimes I feel really guilty for enjoying working away from home.

3. I give Jason a hard time when he buys yet another baseball hat or golf visor, yet I order things online and have them shipped to my office so he doesn't know.

4. I think daily about my extra weight I need to lose, yet I do things to sabotage my goal by drinking Coke or eating sweets.

5. There have been times that I have ignored a stinky diaper in hopes that my husband will notice and change the diaper himself. It has worked several times in my favor!

6. I'm not great at giving my kids regular baths. I have friends that bathe their kids everyday and I don't know how they do it! Yes, they get a few baths a week, but not as much as they should since I am lazy!

7. I hate to be interrupted when I am in the zone on the computer. Whether it be downloading pictures, checking Facebook, or just surfing the net.

8. I am horrible at making sure my kids have a good dinner each night. Thank goodness their daycare serves such nutritous meals with every food group in there! But in my defense, their desserts after "dinner" are almost always fruit. Hey, I try!

9. I completely plagarized my senior research paper. I got an A on it and to this day I feel totally guilty about it.

I know after I post this I will think of more things to confess! So what is your confession?

No Internet, No TV, No Fun

2009-06-10T10:35:00.002-05:00

Yes, you read that right. We do not have TV or internet at home. I am writing this at work...it is safe to say I have not been productive at work today. I was at home Monday and Tuesday with a sick husband (kidney stones!), so I have been checking all of the sites I have been sad to miss since last Thursday. I know, I really need to let it go, get some work done so I can truly earn my paycheck. But I have hated not being able to read the blogs I follow, check Facebook, heck check my own email!

Jason sent me a text last Thursday that after 6 months of frustration with our current TV/internet provider, he cancelled it. I almost passed out after reading it. I immediately called him to find out why he would just cancel it like that. I thought he would have at least cancelled it on the day we were having the new "stuff" installed. After he explained why and talked me through my panic attack, I understood. We have had 8 different techs come to our house in the 6 short months we had this service to fix problems we had over and over. It was so frustrating.

We are having a new company install their "stuff" tomorrow, but it has been a long week with just basic TV to entertain me. Yes, it is sad that I am that addicted to TV. I am the first one to admit that. I go to bed with the TV on, and I was really worried I would have a hard time going to sleep in silence. Nope, no problems yet! I knew I had an addiction to deal with when Jason had to tell me things like "it will be ok", "you will survive", "it's only a week". I know, pathetic!

So for my friends with blogs that I follow, I will be checking them today and I promise I will leave you comments. You know how I am with leaving comments! :)

Ok, I really need to get back to work.

I'm Banning Tap Water

2009-06-03T09:52:00.005-05:00

Thanks to you all who commented on yesterday's post about my Ticked Off Tuesday. For you who didn't, shame on you! Don't you know me well enough by now to know how much I love, no, feed off comments left for me to read? Really, they are what keep me going and wanting to post. Call it needing attention, but it is what it is. I LOVE COMMENTS!! So comment all you like. Heck, leave several comments on the same post. Just make me feel loved.

After picking up my kids yesterday, I met Jason at a friend's house. My kids played with their kid, the men played Rock Band, and Jenn and I just sat on the couch talking. That is until she felt the need to abandon me and play too. Kidding, Jennifer! But it was just what I needed to decompress after my day. And it really wasn't that bad of a day. Little things were just rubbing me wrong that normally wouldn't. Oh well, we are all allowed days like that here and there, aren't we? If not, I hereby grant us all permission to have them.

I am starting a new rule for me: only drink bottled water. Want to know why only bottled as opposed to tap? Because I am getting surrounded by pregnant friends! I swear it's in the water and I don't need to drink it because I am quite content with my two loving rug rats. Everywhere I turn I have someone else telling me they are pregnant. I love news like that. It is an amazing blessing. And there are several friends that are now pregnant that I have been praying for. Friends that have had miscarriages but are now in their 2nd and 3rd trimester with healthy babies, friends that have struggled with infertility and are now pregnant. Some I am still praying for and know that God will soon bless them.

My friend Rebecca has a 2 week old baby boy, Ian. She has a great blog that she has been updating with the joys (ha!) of having a newborn. Reading about the sleepless nights, learning what cry means what, nursing, fussy evenings, etc makes me remember the worst part of having a baby. Thankfully, it doesn't last long. Although when you are a walking zombie from the lack of sleep, it feels endless. But the quiet times when you are loving on the baby, when they are scrunched up in a ball lying on your shoulder, watching them sleep, and just the way newborns smell makes me miss mine when they were babies.

Call me crazy, but I also loved being pregnant. Nausea, heartburn, charlie horses, and swollen legs aside, I loved having a growing baby in my belly. I loved rubbing my belly, resting my hands on top of my huge belly when I was sitting, having Jason's hand on my belly to feel the kicks, him talking to the baby through my belly, not having to deal with wearing belts or having body image issues...I miss all of that! I even loved having people touch my belly. I have friends that hated it, not me.

That's it, I'm done typing. Now my friends, leave me a comment to make me feel loved!

Ticked Off Tuesday

2009-06-02T11:12:00.005-05:00

Why am I ticked off? I truly don't know. And that is what is bothering me. I woke up just annoyed and mad this morning....and it has gotten progressively worse.

Maybe it is the fact that I was awakened by thunder at 4 am? Then I remembered that Jason left out some power tools from working on our fence that our horrible neighbor dogs have destroyed. So outside I went in the dark to get them. I was annoyed that I had to be the one to drag in HIS tools. But me being the one to get them was my fault...I didn't want to wake him up.

Maybe it is the fact that I have a coworker that seems to think I am a complete moron who needs to be mothered and told how to do my job?

Maybe it is the fact that my husband has been suffering with a case of male-PMS since Sunday?

Maybe it is the fact that I am just flat-out sleepy?

Maybe it is the fact that our darn money tree in our yard doesn't seem to be sprouting dollar bills?

Anywho, I try to be a positive person who always finds the bright side. So I had to step back and figure out what was irking me so much!

I feel better just typing this out...thanks for "listening"!

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-06-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

It's Friend Makin' Monday again! Go here for the rules.

Here is today's task: share as few or as many everyday, little tips that you use to make your lives easier. You know- all those special tricks you might have to cook, clean, raise kids, work in the yard, and on and on! Have fun and I can't wait to learn some new stuff from you all!

1. I keep a basket of all things to do with diaper changing (diapers, powder, cream, etc) in my living room so that we don't have to go back to my son's bedroom every time he needs a change.

2. I keep another covered basket in my living room to put my kid's dirty clothes. So many times we end up changing the kids clothes in the morning or evening and the kids know to put their clothes there so I don't have to!

3. There is YET another basket in our living room to toss in the toys that make their way into that room at the end of the day. On the weekend when I am cleaning, I then have the kids go through it and take out what belongs in their room. Can you tell I like baskets?

3. If any of you are into ironing before hanging up the clothes, I iron while sitting down on my couch or bed and use that time to catch up on shows on my DVR. I know, many friends make fun of me for ironing most of my clothes, but it is also a huge time saver in the morning when getting ready for work and your clothes are ready to put on!

4. To drink a lot of water throughout the day (I am awful about this at home!) I keep a large, clear reusable BPA free water bottle at my desk. That way it is a constant reminder to keep drinking my water. It is about 24 oz, maybe more, so my goal is to drink 2 to 3 before leaving at the end of the day.

I don't think I have lots of great ideas, but am always looking for ways to improve ways to make my life easier. Does anyone have a good tip for what to do with all of the school work and art that comes home everyday? I like to keep it all then go through it later to decide what to keep and what to toss. But my problem is when we come through the laundry room and kitchen, the first room we hit is the dining room where all of this gets tossed. Then when it is time to eat dinner, I just scoop it up in a pile and place it on my kitchen bar. I just don't have a good system for all of this to keep it nice and organized as soon as we walk in the door. Suggestions! Please!

Samantha, The Graduate

2009-05-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

Yet another milestone has passed in the Cantrell Family...Samantha's graduation from Kindergarten. I know I will say this many more times in my life, but where did the time go? I am working on a Father's Day photo book for Jason and went through her baby and toddler pictures to put in it. Some days it feels like it was just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms, changing her diaper (don't miss that!), rocking her to sleep. Then some days it seems so long ago. I just hope I don't forget the little things about her that make me smile, the amazing adult-like things that come out of her mouth, and her overall sense of amazing generosity and caring. I have plenty of scrapbooks with her pictures, but I don't want to forget the small, tender moments. I am thankful daily that God had little 'ol me be the mom to this amazing person.

Since her graduation was at 8:30 this morning, I got to sleep in until 6:30! I felt like I slept until noon compared to my usual 5 am wake up call. Sammi was so excited to get all dressed up for her big day.

Here she is getting her diploma from her great teacher, Mrs. Blevins.

I have not had time, nor the patience, to edit this pic to get out the red eye. Some days I am just lazy. :)

The proud parents...I actually don't like this picture of me, I should know better than to lean like this. It puts on like 50 extra pounds on me in pictures!

Ah...now this is better. Gosh, I love this girl!

My dad came too. Sammi loves her granddad!

My mom and Sammi. I love this picture of them.

Her teacher, Mrs. Blevins. She the sweetest, fun, most patient teacher!

Sammi's friend Austin. Isn't he cute? I personally love his red hair.

Check back in 12 more years for her High School graduation pictures! :)

Annual River Trip

2009-05-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

Every Memorial Weekend, since 2005, Jason and I go down to Gruene, TX with other friends. Our goal for the weekend: relax, have fun, and put on our bartender hat to try new drinks.

This year we had 19 people in one house. Yep, 19 people. I knew all of them minus 6 newbies. My amazing friend Jennifer found a great house that comfortably slept all of us. Seriously, we all had our own bed and room! All were couples and 3 singletons. The backyard was amazing and it was right on the Guadalupe River. For those that have floated the river, our dock was about a mile from the end where you get off at the bridge.

Here is Jason and Todd fishing off the dock. They caught some fish, but nothing to keep.
Most of us got there Thursday, but all of us were there by Friday. That night we played a lot of drinking games. Yes, most of us are in our 30's and still enjoy playing drinking games. Come on, you know you want to if you are child-less for the weekend!

Here are most of the ladies floating. The water level was super low, so we did not float the majority of the river. We conned the guys to drag us upstream in canoes to a rapid (that we would have had to walk down due to the low water level) where we let go and floated down to our dock. It was so relaxing!

A view of the river from our backyard.

Superman Tim swinging into the river. We built a swing from a tree in the backyard. It attracted a lot of people floating by to use it.

Several of our group just chilling by our dock.

Sadly, I didn't get a good picture of Jason and I.

Awe, there is my sexy man. Isn't he so cute?

Jared in Jason's raft and Rayna. Isn't that a cool float? It was comfy just to sit in.

There is Jason, aka Tarzan. I lost count how many times he swung into the river.

I like this one the most. I myself, did not partake. One, I can be a wimp. Two, the water was too low and knowing me I would have been the one to get hurt.

Todd swung and actually landed on the float!

Jason made a great fire for us one of the nights. At one point I drug the comfy float to sit in by fire. I could have slept there!

Here are some videos I took of Jason swinging into the river.

It was an amazing weekend filled with great friends, lots of laughs, and great food. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-05-18T08:33:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, so what does that mean?? It's Friend Makin' Monday! Go to Kasey's blog and check it out. She is so stinkin' cute and I wish I could copy her background. I love this and have met some great people over in Bloggy Land.

Here are today's questions to answer:

You wouldn't be caught dead where?: Easy...a nudist colony!

Do you have any hidden talents?: Not sure I call this a talent, but I can move my eyebrows up and down separately. It is funny to see other people try it because most cannot do each one individually. I know you just tried it after reading this. :)

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at: directions (don't be hatin'!) and making people laugh

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at: keeping my kitchen bar clear of clutter and singing

Have you ever won a trophy?: Yes! Lots of 'em in sports when I was a young'un.

Name one thing not many people know about you: Gosh, I am an open book so this is a tough one. OH! Maybe that as talkative as I am, I used to be almost completely mute in school when I was young. My mom had to coach me into even saying Good Morning to my teacher when I got to school. I didn't even like to say "here" when it was roll call. I know, shocking if you know me now.

Name your earliest memory: being at the first house I lived in and looking out the back door to see my sister playing.

What was your favorite musical group in jr. high?: INXS and the start of my love for U2

What was something the worst roommate you ever had did?: Oh gosh, way too many things to list. Maybe my first roommate in college that listened to my phone conversations. Seriously, she did. She insisted on having our own phones in the tiny dorm room. Now I know why! Then it would have to be at UNT in my apartment when Jane Doe (I am respecting her privacy :) ) and her sister that lived with us intermittently got in a huge fight because Jane Doe insisted on mothering her sister. She came home drunk and Jane Doe just was tired of it or was jealous of the fact that her sister had a life (sorry, I'm still bitter over her) and they came in my room yelling and screaming. I tried to be the referee and then one of them shoved the other into my shelf which had a special porcelain figurine from my deceased Grandmother and it broke. I was just beside myself with anger, hurt, frustration, etc. Needless to say, I did not want to live with them when our lease was up!

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?: An architect

What was your worst dating experience?: Other than the horrible blind date that my friend set me up on with her cousin (just awful), it would have to be my Senior year in high school. A guy I knew from school that was a year ahead of me was home from college over Christmas break. We were always great friends and I had a crush on him. He told my friend Keith that he wanted to go out with me. I was floored. We went out and there was ZERO chemistry. I mean ZERO. We were definitely better off as friends. He brought me home and kissed me. ZERO sparks. Fast forward to the end of our Christmas break and back at school...come to find out there were two friends in my class that had a "friends with benefits" relationship with said date-man. They found out about me going out with him and were not too happy. One threatened to "beat me up". Yeah, so high school cliche'. They confronted me in the hall and started to interrogate me about it. I finally just said "look, it is obvious you both are mad that he bought me dinner, which it is clear he has never done for you" They were both speechless. That is probably the only time I ever had a good comeback like that.

If you were about to die what would your last meal be?: A toss up between my husband's grilled steak or my mom's fried chicken.

Who is the most important person in you life?: Other than my husband and kids, it would be my mom and sister. I can't imagine my life without them.

If your house was on fire what 3 things would you grab on your way out?: My daughter, my son, and my scrapbooks! I don't even say my husband because I know he will get out first. :)

Fun Times

2009-05-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

I started this post last Sunday and am just now getting around to actually doing it!

Sammi's soccer team had an end of season party at yummy Bosses Pizza in Keller. I love that place! It is a good thing they don't deliver so I don't order from them so much on my lazy, I-don't-feel-like-cooking nights. She has played indoor and outdoor with these girls since last fall and we just love the parents and the coaches. Aren't they cute with their trophies?

My proud soccer player. She is now on a mission to get more trophies than her daddy has...good luck, he has boxes and boxes of golf trophies from the many tournaments.

Josh took this picture of himself. I just had to throw it in.

Saturday, our lovely U-Verse that we fight with weekly was completely out. Even the internet. I was not a happy camper, but it was good to not have the TV on so much. But after awhile the kids were restless and fighting with each other. They tried to play with their Leapsters, but both had dead batteries and we didn't have enough to replace them. I remembered their Aunt Julie gave them the console to play Leapster games through the TV a year ago. Score! It kept them busy for awhile. Notice the pj's? It was definitely in the afternoon when this was taken. :)

Since I have returned to work, I feel like our nights are rushed and a blur of cooking dinner, cleaning afterwards, bath, reading, etc that I don't really get to spend quality time with my kids. My sister, who is the smartest ever, told me to just make a point to play a game with them several nights a week. Duh! Why didn't I think of that? So this night Sammi picked Pretty Pretty Princess to play. It was the first time I let go of my control-freakness and let him play alone. And guess what? The little stinker won!

Isn't he so cute with his jewels and camo pj's? Gotta give him something to make him still feel like a man.

Here he is showing off his big ring. He was so happy that he won.

And here Sammi is trying to take back the crown. It almost broke.

Sunday was a GORGEOUS day! I took advantage of that and took the kids down the street to the park. There is a great jogging trail that we go on first so Sammi has a good place to ride her bike. She still isn't wanting to take off the training wheels and try to ride without them. I personally think the training wheels make it harder for them to ride, but what do I know?

That's all folks! Jason and I are leaving tonight for our annual trip to Gruene with other friends and cannot wait for relaxation and fun with our friends. We will be back Monday, so you can bet that I'll be posting pics from the trip later. Have a great Memorial Weekend!

My Son, The Biter

2009-05-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is the face of an angel, isn't it? Looking at his angelic face, happy smile, and beautiful curls makes me just smile. It makes me think "this beautiful boy could not possibly ever do anything mean to someone else".

Boy am I wrong! I got a lovely call from Joshua's school this morning. Not a call us mommy's like to get. I was advised that Joshua bit another kid. For no reason. Not over a toy that they both wanted or anything that would spark a kid to bite someone. I'm not saying biting is right, but one would think that something would need to happen to make a kid be so upset to bite someone else.

I was speechless and embarrassed when the teacher told me. I kept thinking "not my kid!". He has definitely hit his sister. I think he bit her a long time ago, but only once that I am aware of. I have heard of kids with biting problems getting kicked out of their school, so that was also running around in my thoughts. The teacher I spoke to was there and saw the whole thing happen. She said he just reached over at his friend and bit him on the arm. I couldn't even bring myself to find out if he drew blood. I was literally speechless. A first for me. I finally mustered up some words and told her how sorry I was, I appreciated her letting me know, and how embarrassed I was. She was so nice and told me that it happens to many kids. But not my angel!

After we talked, I promptly called Jason to let him know. I can't type what he said, as he wasn't as speechless as I was. :) Then I emailed my mom to see if she had any advice...she sent me something online about biting. I now have new reading material for my train ride home.

If anyone has had their child (or know someone that has) bite, let me know how you handled it. I might seem like I am over-reacting, but I really want to nip this immediately so it doesn't happen again. I don't' want to be known at Harvest Christian as "the mom with the son who bites", thank you very much.

Relaxing, Fishing, and Tulips

2009-05-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

I know, this is late, but I had to post pics of my kids fishing with Jason on Mother's Day. There was a kid fishing tournament in our area that Jason was going to take them to. We thought it was on Mother's Day, but we found out the day before that it was actually on Saturday! Whoops! So Jason still took them, just to a different place. They were so excited to go, and I was too! I was going to be ALONE for a little bit. Wow! We started the day with Jason cooking a yummy breakfast and then let me lay in bed for the morning, just dozing off and on while he kept the kids busy. Loved it.

Off they went after lunch to go fishing. Josh kept saying that he was going to "catch a BIG fish!". I made sure that Jason took the camera and get some pictures. He knows how I want to capture everything with them, even if I am not there. Bless him.

As you can see from these pictures, the fish were not big, but that didn't matter to them! They had a ball. I was alone for a whole 2 hours. It felt weird at first. As much as I looked forward to being alone, I felt guilty and terrible to not have my kids with me on Mother's Day. That's me, always second-guessing myself and my actions. But they had a great time with just Daddy and they really needed it after he was out of town for work for 7 days.

I love this angle of Jason taking the picture with his hand stretched out to show the fish. I wonder if the kids didn't want to hold it?

My beautiful babies. *sniff sniff* What's left of them being a baby.

Joshua took this picture. Not bad!

Proud of their catch. Joshua's smile looks a little strained and his hair was such a mess on that muggy day.

My two handsome boys. Gosh, my husband is sexy. Ah-hem. Sorry about that.

I got great homemade gifts and cards from the kids that they made at school. Those are the best, better than jewelry! Jason grilled steak (my favorite!) for dinner and brought me some tulips. I love, love, love tulips and I love, love, love that he remembers that. It was a great, relaxing day for all of us. I teared up when I was kissing them at night before bedtime and telling them how lucky I am to be their mom. It was a great day and I am a blessed momma!

I took this video of Joshua singing his ABC's. I just had to get this on video to hear him. Love his precious voice. But I HATE hearing my voice!

I hope everyone had a blessed Mother's Day!

Family Fun Weekend

2009-05-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

This is a week old, but I just had to post these pics about our fun weekend at my sister's last weekend. Every year, we go to her house in Georgetown for their annual Poppy Festival. It is also a combined birthday celebration for all of the April and May birthdays. We have several, starting with my stepbrother, JC's on the 17th, my brother-in-law, Greg's on the 18th, mine on the 23rd, then my mom's on May 1st.

We were going to start the day on Saturday with the parade, but my niece Kate had a horrible rash/hives that started on Friday and her lips were bigger than Angelina Jolie's. But they looked good! Poor thing was so self-conscious about it...her legs and body were covered. Meredith took her to the doctor, then we all headed to Will's t-ball game.
Lito bought the kids some candy and Josh picked a BLUE ring pop. Guess I didn't really need to tell you the color it was. :) Nic and Lita (my mom). Josh took this picture. My camera is now never safe from his clutches when I bring it out. He screams when I take it from him. Lovely. He took this one too, which is really good! My Sammi is such a cutie-patootie, if I must say so myself!
Saturday night we relaxed outside, which was beautiful! The kids played and played outside and Greg and Meredith made fajitas. She even went to Chuy's the day before to get some of my beloved Creamy Jalapeno Dressing and their great chips. I think I ate enough of that to be a meal! Hey, it was for my birthday so the calories don't count...right??

Sunday morning I went with my step dad, Johnnie and Greg to the famous place of yellow donuts that are by far the best I have ever had. Round Rock Donuts. If you are ever in that town, you MUST, and I mean MUST get some! We waited in a super long line to get them and they were so worth it. There is always a line, so prepare yourself!

After stuffing ourselves with doughnuts, we went to the downtown square in Georgetown for the Poppy Festival. It is filled with all kinds of vendors. I think I always come home with great homemade soaps and candles. My favorite!

We had to get a picture of the kids by the poppies. Josh kept calling it a Puppy Festibal. Cute. There was a bee flying by, hence Sammi looking like she is on the verge of big screams and tears. Imagine hearing me talking through my teeth "just ignore the bee and smile!" Yeah, talking like that will make anyone smile! We started in the kid area filled with bounce houses and slides. This is my nephew Nic. Great action shot!

Nic and my sister, Meredith. Sammi on the velcro wall. We had Greg, who is 6' 7" be in charge of throwing them up on it since they couldn't jump high enough. Yep, he got them really high up there!
See the bow my mean sister put on Josh's head? He wouldn't let her take his picture and I don't blame him. But I have to say, he really did look like a girl with the curly hair and bow. :) Jason will be so happy knowing I put this on my blog. Ha!
Unfortunately, we had to eventually go home. The kids cried and didn't want to leave. When we got home and Josh woke up, he said "awe! I want to go to Nic and Will's house!" I'm so glad they love their cousins so much. Thanks Meredith for inviting a house full and being a great host!

Great Weekend, Thanks Jennifer!

2009-05-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

I have had the best, most productive weekend yet! Let me start by saying that I have one of the greatest friends ever! I will explain why later in this post...

Jason has been out of town for work since Friday morning, so Friday night I went to see "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" with 3 of my friends. His dad watched the kids for me which was a win-win for both of us....he LOVES his grand kids and is there in a moments notice when you need him. I know, I'm lucky!

I was already real tired (I think my brain knows when it's Friday after work is over) and we saw it at 9:45. It was an ok movie. Definitely a renter. But there was one part in the movie that was little too slow for me for it being after 10:00 pm. I was still, it was dark, perfect scenario to fall asleep. Which I did. I woke up and then went back to sleep. I must have really been tired! I saw my friend, Leisha, look at me couple of times and laugh that I was sleeping. I slept during the part of present girlfriends, then woke up to see the future girlfriend part. Matthew McConaughey is easy on the eyes with his short hair cut and clean-shaven face, but not enough for this tired girl!

When I got home after midnight, my father-in-law was sound asleep and my kids were asleep in my bed. They looked so precious sleeping there. It is a big treat to sleep in my bed and watch TV. I carried them to their beds and then not long later I was dreaming sweet dreams.

Saturday morning we had Sammi's soccer game in the mid-morning. The whole time it looked like it was about to pour, but not a drop came down. All I could think about was what all I wanted to do when I got home: laundry, clean the house, etc. When the were eating lunch and I was vacuuming out my car, my friend Jennifer called to see what I was doing. I told her about my amazing plans (ha!) and she said her son Aidan (he is 4) wanted to play with Sammi and Josh. Long story short, she told me to bring the kids over for the rest of the day and stay the night so I can be alone. Can you believe that? What a great, thoughtful friend! Normally I have to be talked into something like that, but it didn't take long this time! I told her that it would be best to have Josh take a nap first so she didn't have to deal with a whiny, fussy kid the rest of the day. So after his nap, off we went! After I dropped them off, I ran some errands. The kind you want to do ALONE. It was great! I made a bunch of stops. Much faster with it just being me and not having to deal with getting two kids in and out of their car seats.

I brought home dinner for me and got laundry folded and ironed while I watched two movies. I even stripped all 4 of our car seats and washed them. Not ever a chance that we won't need to be in at least one of them for several hours for them to be washed and air dried. They look brand new now! I watched "My Best Friend's Wedding" with Dane Cook (love him!!) and then "Marley and Me". Yes, I cried. But not as much as I thought I would. I normally cry in sad movies. There were two parts in particular that I remember tearing up. Both because they personally happened to me. Don't worry, I won't tell you what it was so I won't give any of it away in case you haven't seen it. But if you haven't, definitely watch it!

Went to bed after midnight watching some movie on TV that I can't even remember, but the greatest part? I got to wake up when I wanted to! I woke up at 8:30, not exactly how late I wanted to sleep in, but it's amazing the difference in how you feel when YOU wake up on YOUR own. I laid in bed, watched TV, then got up and rented a carpet cleaner. I wanted to take full advantage of not having the kids here and our carpet has been in desperate need to be cleaned. My friend, Kristi, introduced me to the world of renting carpet cleaners. True, you have to do it yourself, but it is SO much cheaper! With the shampoo I bought, it only cost $45 to have it for 24 hours. Before I picked up my kids today, I was able to clean the carpet in my dining room, living room, hallway, and Sammi's room.

My kids had a great time at Aidan's house. Jennifer said that Josh got up real early (not surprising) and woke up Aidan and Sammi. So I picked them up around noon and Josh fell asleep in the car before we got home. Right now, Sammi is having quiet time with a movie, Josh is napping. It is great! Then we are going to see "Monsters Vs. Aliens" with Jennifer and Aidan tonight. They are so excited about it. I can't tell you how many times this weekend I have had to tell them that we will see it after Josh's nap today.

Don't I just have the greatest friend to take my kids for the night? It was so weird being in my own house ALONE. This morning was the strangest, getting to wake up on my own. It was just me and Lucy (my dog) in my bed all night. I loved it! I miss Jason, but it is soooo nice to stretch out in my bed.

This was a really long post! Sorry. It has been so productive this weekend, and it's now 1:30 on Sunday...still plenty of time to get more done and relax tonight.

I hope you all had just as great of a weekend! Thanks Jennifer, you are the best!!!

Bluebonnets

2009-04-29T07:58:00.000-05:00

**WARNING**

Lots of pictures on this post!

I have a great friend who takes incredible pictures come with us to take pictures of my kids in the bluebonnets. It amazes me how some just have an "eye" for good angles, lighting, etc. True, a really good camera makes a big difference, but it isn't just that. And from these pictures, you will know what I am talking about. The photographer's son, Aidan, is in a few pics. He and Joshua are two peas in a pod and play/fight together a lot. Thank you, Dustin, for taking these! You are truly talented!

Now for the hard part: picking out my favorites to enlarge and print!

Tag, I'm It!

2009-04-28T15:51:00.001-05:00

Can I just say that I love the game Tag? I love more than anything these that first started over email where you answered a huge list of things that varied from you favorite drink to if you prefer hugs or kisses. I then did them on myspace, now I do them on Facebook (love FB WAY better!). And now in the world of blogging. Not sure why I love it so much...does it mean I like talking about myself? Gosh, I hope that really isn't it! Do I love it because it is a distraction from what I am trying to avoid doing like work, laundry, etc? Anyways, I was tagged by Rebecca and am gladly accepting.

1. What is my current obsession?
Reading other blogs and Facebook. Nuff said, right?

2. Which item of clothing do I wear most?
Right now that would be my cropped jeans. Love them. They push in my gut without giving me muffin-top, which is a huge feat in itself. Don't be surprised if you see several pictures of me in them. When I am not at work, I am probably wearing them.

3. What's for dinner?
Today is not the day to ask that question. It is soccer practice night which equals throwing together anything fast enough for the kids to eat before bed. Usually PB&J. But, Jason is taking them to practice and I have a hankering to swing by Boston Market and bring something home so that we actually have something from each major food group.

4. What am I listening to?
American Idol...I started this at work and had to finish it at home.

5. Say something about the person who tagged me...
Where do I begin? Rebecca can put Martha Stewart to shame! She is the most crafty, creative person I know. Her brain is always on the go and thinking of fun things to do with her kids, it really is inspiring. She missed her calling as a teacher or running her own field trip company. I know the second one doesn't exist (or does it?) but she should do that for a living! Love her. So glad I met her through my previous job.

6. Favorite vacation spot?
Love love love the mountains! Colorado is my favorite, by far. I can think of other great places I have had a vacation like Cape Cod, Hawaii, Cabo, NYC, Seattle, DC. But I have to say, my heart is in the mountains. My dream is to retire in the mountains with Jason.

7. What am I reading right now?
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben. I am a HUGE Coben fan and have read almost all of his books. His grab me from the first few pages. The kind of book that I can't put down, will stay up late to read, I even think of sneaking to the restroom at work to read a few pages...I have not done that, but the thought has crossed my mind! I don't because I don't want people wondering why I am in the bathroom so long. Eeeww!

8. Guilty pleasure?
Watching TV, probably reality TV, ALONE while in my pj's in my comfy bed. Wait, that's not a guilty pleasure, that is a dream! *tapping head* guilty pleasure, guilty pleasure...oh yes! Some trashy reality TV like Rock of Love (admit it, you have watched it at least once!), The Hills, Real Housewives. If I had to pick a food that is a guilty pleasure, that would be Jack in the Box tacos. I don't even want to know the fat grams in those suckers, but man! They taste o' so good!

9. First Spring thing to do?
Clean out the closets. Toss aside clothes that don't fit the kids anymore and my clothes that I don't wear. Then take them to Goodwill. Feels great to purge!

10. What do I look forward to?
Our annual trip to the Guadalupe River with several ADULT couples for Memorial weekend. It is what we do each year (just in case you didn't catch the "annual" reference) by renting a house with other couples in Gruene or New Braunfels. It is Thursday through Monday and our kids have a great time with their grandparents while Mom and Dad have their fun. It is so relaxing where we go....can't wait!

Now I am tagging:

Angie
Jodi
Marcia
Meredith
Allison

That was fun!

Monday Rain Madness

2009-04-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

I love the rain. Love to drive in it. Love to sit on the porch and watch it. Love the smell of it. Love the sound of it. Love what it does to my yard and flowers.

But I don't like walking in it on my way to work.

Since taking my new job in Dallas, I thought of a good way to save on gas and miles on my car: ride the train to work. My office is just a few blocks from the Mockingbird Station. I took it for the first time last week and loved it. I loved having the solitude while reading. I loved avoiding a possible traffic jam. I do have to leave my house earlier in the morning and I get home later at night, but the pros outweigh the cons. My plan is to take it a few days a week. My drive round trip each day is 80 miles. That adds up fast. A full tank does not last a full week. True, gas is a lot cheaper now, but money is money when it comes to saving it.

So last night I planned ahead since I was planning on getting up earlier today to ride the train in. My main reason to ride the train this morning was to keep reading a great book my sister loaned me. I LOVE books by Harlan Coben. If you like suspense novels, I highly recommend any he has written. Any who, I was so proud of myself last night as I went to bed at how much I did the night before so that my early morning would leave little to do to get ready.

As I was starting to get out of the car at the train station at 5:50 am (yes, am!) I heard the DJ mention rain in the forecast. No time was mentioned, so I took my umbrella with me. Thank goodness I did because half way through my ride I saw it was pouring rain outside. I got a little wet waiting to get on my connecting train in Dallas, but thankfully I was able to get on an earlier train. But when I got off at my spot, it was coming down in sheets. Wait, more like coming in at a 45 degree angle. The kind of rain that proves pointless to be holding an umbrella. I called my mom that works sort of in the area to see if she just so happened to decide to go to work really early. Nope, she was just leaving her house. Oh well, off to walk in the rain I go.

Thankfully, I had pulled my hair up, but by the time I got to my office building, my pants were soaked from above the knee and down. My hair and shirt was dry. A lot of items in my bag got wet from the water falling off my umbrella. The entire time I am walking across the parking lots, I am thinking "you should have checked the weather last night like you always do!". I get in the office lobby and you can hear water squishing out of my shoes. And I love these shoes that I have not had very long. Thank goodness I wore black pants because you could not tell they were wet. But I was at my desk all morning with cold legs and cold feet. No space heater. Just had to let my body, pants, and shoes dry naturally. I took my shoes off to help them dry quicker, but when I put them back on to go somewhere, I can feel the water in them and my feet and hose get wet all over again. My toes look like raisins and prunes. My hair is just as limp as it can get.

I keep telling myself that this is probably better than driving in the rain and taking the chance to either be involved in a car accident or have to sit in traffic because of another car accident. We all know that people drive horribly in the rain!

Lesson learned when I want to ride the train and it is raining: bring my beloved Chi to work so I can touch up my hair and wear other pants so what I have to wear all day at work are not half wet all day!

5 Senses

2009-04-27T08:36:00.000-05:00

It is Friend Makin' Monday again! To find out what it is all about, click here. Since discovering it through my friend Rebecca, I have come to love checking Kasey's blog every Monday to find out what the topic is. I know, I have not always been that faithful, but I try to do it every Monday, depending how busy I am at work so I can squeeze it in between calls.

Today it is about our 5 senses. We are to list 4 things we love, and one thing we dislike, for each category.

Smell
1. Bread, cookies, or cakes baking in the oven.
2. Babies after a bath.
3. Fresh cut grass or the rain.
4. Jason wearing my favorite cologne.
Dislike:1. Fish!

Touch

1. My kid's soft skin.
2. My husband's hand when he reaches out to hold mine.
3. Clean sheets.
4. The top of my kids head...I love to rub their hair!
Dislike: 1. My hands dirty or sticky...yuck!

Sound
1. Jason saying "I love you, Alli"
2. My kids laughing when they are playing together.
3. Rain or a thunderstorm...the best!
4. Songs that bring me back to a memory as a child.
Dislike:1. My kids crying because they are hurt.

Taste (I can only list 4?)
1. Salsa, queso, and chips from my favorite mexican restaurant.
2. Blue Bell Pralines and Cream ice cream.
3. My mom's fried chicken.
4. Fudge-covered brownies
Dislike:1. Seafood, meat loaf, potato salad. Sorry, I couldn't keep it at just one. :)

Sight
1. My kids big smile when they see me after work.
2. My husband cleaning. Really!
3. Mountains. Too bad I live in TX and don't get to see them everyday. :(
4. The scale showing pounds lost!
Dislike:1. People in despair.

So there ya go! Please comment and let me know yours!

Oh, and after the morning I had in the rain today, I would like to add that the TOUCH of cold, wet pants on my legs is not a great feeling!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-19T11:39:00.001-05:00

This is a week late...it was a crazy week. Tried to get over a double ear infection and sinus infection. That was not fun! All I can say is, thank goodness for modern medicine! If you are ever offered to have a steroid shot versus the pills, take the shot! It clears you up so much faster.

Any who, we had a fantastic weekend at my mom's for Easter weekend with Meredith and her family. I am so glad that my kids have cousins their age that they truly love to be around. I pray that they are always so close. Sammi and Kate are like best friends. It is fun to stand back and watch/listen to them play.

My stepbrother Andy was there as well with his son Shaun. He is 2 and so cute! We had to take advantage of him being there and get a group shot of my mom and stepdad with their grandkids. Only one grandchild was missing, who lives in San Marcos.

Friday night, Meredith and her husband spent the evening out with friends, so I came with a project for the kids. They were to make cupcakes that looked like Easter baskets. It wasn't as much of a hit as I had hoped, but they made a few.

Will with his creation. I cut the sour patch ropes too short. They were to be the handles and I was so irritated that I did that! Oh well, they still tasted good!

Josh pretty much just ate the icing. Just what a 3 yr old needs: more sugar!
Saturday we all went out for breakfast, then came home to have the kids dye eggs. They had a lot of fun doing that. I love seeing what creations they come up with.

After lunch we had the kids hunt Easter eggs. We knew it would be rainy on Sunday, so we told the kids that the Easter bunny watches the weather too. Jason was the official basket holder for Joshua and helping him move along with finding more eggs.

My mom and stepdad get Cascarones for the kids every year. We find confetti in every nook and cranny for days. Here, Joshua snuck up and got Uncle Greg.

All of the cousins together before leaving for church. I was so sick that weekend that I stayed home to sleep. Yep, I was that sick that I even missed Easter Sunday at church!

...and of course we have to get in a silly picture.
Other than being sick, we all had so much fun being with each other and watching the kids play together.

Friend Makin' Monday

2009-04-13T08:15:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, so that means it is time for Friend Makin' Monday! A fun way to meet other bloggers out there. Check out Kasey's blog for the rules. Today, Kasey asked us to share the best advice we have received.

I am sure if I sat and thought about all of the advice I have received over the years, I could come up with many. But the first one that came to mind is from someone I used to work with. When I was about to get married back in 1999 (so long ago!), my colleague Linda told me this: When I am married and have kids, make it a point to have a date night with Jason AT LEAST once a month, or more. AND, we could not talk about the kids. At the time, not having kids, I thought that seemed like an easy task. Boy was I wrong when we did have kids!

I was almost 24 when I got married, which seems so young now that I look back. Jason was 26. We had Samantha after being married for 3 1/2 years. After she came along, I was able to see and understand what Linda meant. It is so easy to have our children be the center of our life, which is fine and expected, but we have a marriage that is like a garden. It needs to be watered, fertilized, and weeded. It cannot be ignored or it will slowly die and the weeds will overtake the garden. When Julie lived in TX, we had it set on the calendar with her and my mother-in-law to watch each other's kids. Julie had my kids the first weekend of each month (we could pick Fri or Sat), she had my kids the 3rd weekend of every month, and my mother-in-law had all of our kids the last weekend of the month. AND, we had the kids overnight. So we were guaranteed 2 date nights a month. It was great! Some nights we went out with friends, some we made elaborate plans for just us, sometimes it was just dinner and then back home. Since we had so many nights to just us, we got creative and came up with all kinds of things we never did. Once we played Bingo. Even though I walked out smelling like I smoked cigarettes all night (I don't smoke, those places are so smoky!), I came out winning $750! Not kidding, I won that much on my first try. Movies, bowling, sports bars to play trivia, coffee houses...we tried all kinds of things. It was great and got us to reconnect as a couple.

Now that Julie doesn't live in TX, we have had to really make it a point to go out. Luckily, all of our parents live within a 1 hr radius from us, so we have them to watch our kids or a few set dear friends that we trust. If you don't have family near you, reach out to find a good trusted babysitter to pay. I know, that cuts into budgets, but for the sake of your marriage, it is worth it! Add it to the family budget. You and your husband will thank me for it!

On another note, I will try to post pictures from our great weekend at my mom's for Easter. I was sick the entire time with horrible sinus headaches and allergies. I even missed church! That is how horrible I felt, missing church on Easter Sunday of all days! Check back tomorrow for that post.

Game of Tag

2009-04-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jason's cousins Jodi & Marcia and his sister Julie, I started this blog and just love reading other's as well. I love being able to keep up with other friend's this way (other than my other addiction, Facebook) and read other people's blogs, even if I don't know them.

Today my friend Rebecca (former colleague at Pfizer that I just adore!) tagged me in a neat game to do and pass on. I am easily distracted and love doing these anyways, so I was immediately game for it!

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
*Easter weekend at my mom's with my sister and her family
*Getting pre-sale U2 tickets next week
*Seeing the pictures of my kids in the bluebonnets from yesterday that my talented friend took
*Learning and doing more at my new job
*Going to my sister's the end of this month
*Finishing the book New Moon
*Catching up on TV shows I have on my DVR
*Another scrapbook retreat in November...I know, that is so far away!

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
*Had lunch with my new team and our CEO
*Took my kids to have their pictures taken in the bluebonnets
*Had a wonderful, quick, nutritous meal from McDonald's for dinner (one of those nights!)
*Gave my kids a bath
*Read books to my kids
*Listened to Samantha read a book (love it!)
*Ironed my kids clothes (yes, I iron their clothes before they are hung up)
*Gave Jason a big, long hug that he really seemed to need after a rough day

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
*Play the guitar
*Take a European vacation with Jason
*Eat whatever I want without gaining weight
*Buy a bigger house
*See Meredith and Julie more often
*Take a leap and start my own invitation/stationery business
*Sing! I am so envious when I watch American Idol. I can't carry a tune to save my life.
*Give jobs and money to my friends that are unemployed

8 Shows I Am Currently Watching:
*Grey’s Anatomy
*Brothers & Sisters
*American Idol
*Desperate Housewives
*Real Housewives (whatever city is on at that season)
*Private Practice
*Rock of Love (don't judge! And yes, I watch it after my kids are asleep)
*The Hills
*Dancing With the Stars

8 People I Am Tagging in this Game - YOU’RE IT!:
*Julie (I want this to get you to start blogging again!)
*Meredith
*Jodi
*Marcia
*Amy
*Emily
*Allison
*Angie

Please don't dissapoint me and do this...it is fun! Thanks for tagging me, Rebecca!

Spring Break in Arkansas

2009-04-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

I found my camera cord, so I finally was able to upload my pictures! This is a late post about our trip to Arkansas for Spring Break. Jason's sister Julie, and my amazing friend and second sister, moved there with her family from Virginia. We are so glad they are closer! It only took 6 hours to get there...much better than a 19 hour drive to VA! Jason couldn't get off work, so it was just me and the kids on a fun road trip through OK and AR. They did great in the car for that long.

The first night we took the kids (6!) to Chuck E. Cheese. Gosh, going on a weekday is so much better than the weekends! Not many people there, so it made it so easy to keep up with everyone. I love this picture of Sammi and Carter. They are only 1 year apart and are best buds.

Playing outside...the weather was amazing the whole time we were there! I didn't pack well, as I brought mainly cold weather clothes. They played outside so much and had a blast together.

Easton, who is 4, is ALL boy. There isn't a ball from any sport that kid can't master.

Beautiful Noel is 2 and is the family princess. She is only seen without a bow on her head when she is sleeping. Seriously. I did get a picture of her without one at the park, but I promised Julie not to publish it. :)

Joshua and Easton love to play together, but they love to fight over toys too. Their temperament is the exact same. So Julie gave Easton some alone time and had Joshua and Noel play with puzzles for awhile. It was really the first time they both played together! It was amazing to see how different he was around Noel. Much more calm!

Everyone tackling Carter.

My precious, handsome, gentle Aiden. He is 6 and the sweetest boy I know!

Love this picture of Julie hugging Carter.

Sammi showing Noel how to log roll down the hill. Noel came up and imitated Sammi doing it, even covering her eyes. It was precious!

Can't you just hear them saying "cheeeeeese!!"?

The morning we left to go home, I wanted to sight see on the way back, so we stopped in Devil's Den State Park. It was in the mountains and you had to drive up and down a really, really windy road. I love just pulling off the road and stopping at places to see. It was really pretty and ended up being a semi-cold day. The trees and mountains were gorgeous!
This is Joshua's first official picture! I was a nervous wreck that he would drop the camera, but he did a great job!
My favorite of them...

We had such a great time seeing them and can't wait to go again soon!

10 Things That Bug Me

2009-04-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

Kasey over at ALL THAT IS GOOD has a neat concept every Monday that is called "Friend Makin Mondays". It is about learning more about others out in the blog world and it is so fun! I started with 5 and ended with 10. I know, that doesn't look very good for me. At first I had very few, then as the day progressed, I kept thinking of more. Let me know if you agree with any of these...

1. Smacking while eating. Ugh, that just makes me not want to eat. Did their parents not teach them to eat with their mouth closed? For me, it isn't seeing the food, it is the sound.

2. Not saying thank you when someone holds a door open for you or, better yet, when someone does NOT hold the door open for you. I understand there is the time that they didn't know you were behind them, but you know when THEY know you are there behind them. I have been known to say to people that didn't say thank you, "you're welcome!". Come on people, it is so easy to say. Say it with me...THANK....YOU. Now wasn't that so easy?

3. Misuse of their/there/they're and your/you're. I have WAY too many friends that do that and it just gets under my skin.

4. Constant negativity. Now don't get me wrong, we all have days here and there where we are just flat-out not having a good day. I get that. But those that no matter what is going on in their life, good or bad, they complain and are constantly pointing out the negative. You can always find the bright side to things! I have some dear friends and family where every time you call them and ask how they are doing, they start it with "well....." You know where that is going. Try finding the positive!

5. Parents that ignore the pick up/drop off rules at schools. Every morning when I took Sammi to school, I just got so worked up before even parking my car because I knew I would witness several parents that just ignore the rules. The biggest were the ones that didn't wait in line to drop off their kids. Instead, they would pull into the parking lot and just let them get out there then go to the cross walk. We were told several times with letters sent home and at enrollment to not do that. And the ones that parked in the handicap spots at the front to let them out and drive off. At first I thought that maybe the parents were just running late. I was proven wrong quickly, they were constant repeat offenders.

6. Not commenting when reading my blog! I LOVE reading comments on my blog. I know so many friends that tell me they read it, reference it at times, and yet they never leave me a comment. You know who you are! For those that blog, comments is what keeps us going. We know people are actually reading it! So please, all of you loyal readers, leave me a comment!

7. Wet towels left on the bed or floor. Jason is guilty of this. Thankfully he doesn't do it often, but when he does, it just bugs me!

8. Parents that don't parent their kids. This could be a whole blog in itself. But you know what I mean without going too much into detail. Parents that are completely oblivious to their kids and their lives. You don't have to be a helicopter parent, but talk to them, be aware, pay attention! I still to this day can't get over when the details after the Columbine shootings came out. One of the shooter's parents said they remembered hearing glass breaking and noise in their garage. Why didn't they just walk out there to find out what was going on? They were making bombs! Or you hear about kids talking about getting drunk in their bedroom while their parents are in the other room. How do the parents not know what is going on? I couldn't have my bedroom door closed. At the time I didn't like it, but now as a parent, I understand why. Ok, I'll end this one now, as you can tell, I can go on and on about this.

9. Talking loud in movies. It is just so disruptive and makes it hard to concentrate on the movie. Same when the idiots that forget to put their cell phone on silent AND answer the phone!

10. People that cannot park. Those that either park completely crooked or have the tires on the line. Then the space over can't be parked in unless you drive a compact car. I was guilty of this when I got my new car. I was used to a smaller car. But when I got out of my car, I would either see how bad I parked. I can't be a hypocrite (oh, another thing that bugs me!) so I get back in and straighten up.

Now don't I sound like some whiny complainer? I seriously am not, but you sit and think about all of the things that bug you, you too could come up with a lot!

Traffic Observations

2009-04-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Yea, this is going to be a boring blog to some that never deal with traffic. A little over 8 months ago, I was one of those! Now I realize how completely spoiled, or lucky, to have lived close to my previous job. The only set backs I would have driving to work was a light out at an intersection or I got stuck behind a school bus driving in the back way to work. That was my biggest annoyance, or taking a short cut that had me go by Southlake Carrol High School and I had to drive the school zone limit. So slow! But I didn't like going that way because I would see what cars those kids drove to school that were WAY better than mine and it just flat out ticked me off. I don't care if that Porche was their dad's hand me down, it is still a Porche! Sorry, I digress...

So in my new world of driving to Dallas with some traffic (not a lot at 6 am!), I have observed some things that people do that irks me. *Disclaimer* I am by no means perfect and I am sure I have been guilty of some of these before, so now that I know how annoying they are, I am trying to make a point to not be a hypocrite!

1. Failure to use blinker. Do people forget it is there? It is a great invention that is put in your car for a reason! I can't tell you how many times, and this can happen while not in traffic, that I put my blinker on to change lanes, and a car 2 lanes over wants the same lane I am moving into, yet they don't use their blinker. How am I to know they want to move to the same place I want if they don't tell anyone with the blinker? This can cause car accidents!

2. Don't you all just get annoyed with the person that is trying so hard to get ahead of everyone by zig zagging lanes constantly? Nothing is more thrilling than passing them after they played Leap Frog across the highway and never got ahead. Just be patient! All that effort for nothing. Jason laughs at me and wonders why that annoys me so much. I don't know why either, it just does.

3. Why oh why must you stay in the fast lane after you see car after car that is behind you move to the right to pass you? Do they not see this? Use your rear view mirror once in awhile to see that people are behind you, driving faster than you, and you are holding them up! What cracks me up is when they do move over for you, then move back to the left lane. Um, didn't you take Driver's Ed and know that technically that is the passing lane? Get in the right lane and stay there. It's ok to have people drive faster than you, just leave the fast lanes to them! And don't get me started on the fools that drive UNDER the speed limit on the highway. Dangerous!

4. People that drive in a lane that is clearly marked EXIT ONLY and they take up that lane to the very last minute and get over, usually cutting someone off. Nice move. While us that actually DO need to exit have to wait on you to find a spot to move to.

5. If you see that the exit that is 1/8 miles away and you aren't in the far right lane, don't cut people off and cause near accidents by quickly turning your car to the right so that you don't miss the exit. Really, just go to the next exit and turn around! Or, better yet, don't put on your breaks to slow down to a dangerous speed until you can get over after other cars pass. Someone not paying attention could rear-end you!

Ok, I really feel better for getting these out. Sorry if I sound like some lunatic with severe road rage. I don't, but these things can be avoided! Just remember: you are not the only car on the highway!! Thank goodness for books I have on my iPod to listen to so that I am nice and calm while driving. :) I know most of you, my loyal readers, have experienced most or all of what I just described. Or am I the only one it seems to bother??

Early To Bed, Early To Rise

2009-03-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I have blogged. I had plans to post pics of our spring break trip to Arkansas to visit my sister-in-law and family, but I lost my camera cord and my memory card doesn't fit in our laptop for some reason. So until my cord comes in, no pics!

I have had all kinds of things come to my mind to blog about as I make my long drive to work everyday, but then I get home and it is just insane until I get settled into a good schedule. Instead, I'll just write about my new job, which I L-O-V-E!

My first day started last Wednesday. My amazing, selfless, giving, thoughtful mom came up with the idea to stay with us my first week to shuttle Sammi to and from school while watching Joshua. One, so we can get a handle on what our mornings and nights will be like and two, to save some dinero on daycare. Sounded great to me! Added bonus: home cooked dinner every night! It worked out perfect and the kids had a ball with her. I cried when she went back home. Not as bad as when she left after staying with us the first week after having Sammi, but almost. :) I just really enjoyed seeing her everyday.

My new boss and team mates are amazing. Everyone is just so laid back and nice. Another great thing, I get to wear business casual clothes M-Th and then jeans on Friday. Woo-hoo! I now have a closet full of suits to find a new home. I did like wearing suits, I just didn't like the dry cleaning bill. So now I am slowly buying more casual clothes to wear, I just don't have enough.

The world of insurance is so different than the world of pharmaceuticals. But I love learning something new. I am a recruiter to bring on new insurance agents for a supplemental insurance company. We pretty much corner the market and have little to no competition and there is no cold calling. For those of you that have done recruiting, that is great. I never had to cold call at Pfizer and am thankful I still don't have to do it. But now I am dealing with those that have their insurance license and for those that do not, I have to learn what each state requires so that I know what to tell them to do to obtain it. After my first day, my brain was just swelling and tired from taking in so much information and trying to process everything. I crashed at 9 o'clock that night. I can't remember the last time I went to sleep that early!

I am able to work flex hours and get to work at 7 and leave at 4. For me, driving to Dallas, that is as huge plus. I miss the traffic! Granted, I have to get up at the crack of dawn (5ish) and drive to work in the dark, but it sure beats sitting in traffic while white-knuckling the steering wheel in hopes of getting to work on time. Jason takes the kids to school (a whole new world for him) and I am able to pick them up at 4:45. Plus, I get an extra hour or so with the kids. I didn't get home until 6:40 my first day when I got off work at 5 and then they go to bed at 8. Again, no traffic at 4:00.

My kids are going to a christian academy/daycare that I love. I am just so happy and excited that I found this place. It is real close to our home and I love their structure and curriculum. Today was their first day there and they kept asking when they get to go back. Good sign!

All of this sounds so great and wonderful and like all of the pieces are fitting together. But I do miss several things from being home. #1, the obvious, seeing my kids so much more during the day. #2 Getting to take random cat naps during the day if I need one #3 Not having to put on makeup daily #4 Getting to sleep in until 7 (see a common sleep trend?) #5 Getting to browse online whenever the urge hit me. I had many days that I didn't feel cut out to be a stay at home mom, but I will forever be thankful for the 8 months I was home with my two precious kids.

Ok, I need to wrap this up, 5 AM comes really early and I have to force myself to go to bed by 10. I am used to staying up until 11 or 12. Not anymore! But I am SO blessed to have a wonderful job to get up early in the morning for.

Happy Monday!

New Job, New Memories

2009-03-06T12:12:00.000-06:00

I accepted a new job last Friday! I am just beside myself STILL after a week. I might have to back track a bit, so bear with me.
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Everyone knows that I was laid off from Pfizer last summer. In the beginning, I completely relished my time at him with the kids, cramming in all kinds of things during the week that I always wished I could, but couldn't. Such as story time at the library. I also checked off several big things for me like repainting my kitchen cabinets, replacing the kitchen counter, re tile the kids bathroom, etc. Ok, I didn't do the counter and bathroom, but I had to pick out tile, color of grout, etc. That's a lot of work! :) I organized a lot around my house that had been ignored. Volunteered at Sammi's school. I also was able to help my dad out greatly for 2 months after he had major back surgery. I was so glad I was home to help. It felt great to get things done while being home. But I felt an urgency to complete those things just in case I got a job soon. I mean, I had a great resume...11 years at Pfizer in HR/Recruiting. Who wouldn't hire me?
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Wow, was I in for a rude awakening! Not long after I was laid off, the bottom of the economy seemed to fall out. I was now one in thousands that all had great backgrounds, looking for the same thing. Great. But I had to stay positive and not let it beat me down. I prayed a lot and knew that God would take care of me. He already had with so many other things. But as my mom said, it isn't on MY time table but His. Great reminder.

I was offered a job really early on after being unemployed, then that position was put on hold indefinitely. So back to the job boards I went. I had lots of phone interviews, then they abruptly ended when we talked salary and location. It made no sense to drive to downtown Dallas for half my salary, even to do the same thing I did before. I equated the salaries offered to me to paying for just daycare and gas. Why work if that was all my paycheck would go to? It was hard. Then I felt I had a scarlet letter on my resume. As if employers saw my tenure and at Pfizer as a bad thing or they can't afford me.

I'll be honest with you, I really had my low days where I felt as if my unemployment would never end. I couldn't watch the news anymore. It was filled with bad news daily of the unemployment rate going up, more companies laying off, etc. It just ate at me. After the holidays, it really hit me and I was obsessed with checking my email first thing in the morning to see if I got any hits or updates from Monster/CareerBuilder. Then I would just scour the job boards. It got where I lost my drive and motivation to do anything else. I felt I NEEDED to be looking everyday. My poor kids would say "you are on the computer again?" or Josh would just want to sit in my lap while I was on the computer. I felt awful that it was affecting my kids. I had many times just crying on the phone to my mom, Meredith, and Julie. I felt so helpless. My faith in God was really tested, and that bothered me more than anything else.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I saw a recruiter position online and applied for it in the morning. I got a call that afternoon about it and had a phone interview. He asked what I made at Pfizer, then when I gave him the amount he said "that is in our range". Whew! I always hated that question because it seemed to always end the call. He asked me to come in the next day and interview with him. The interview the next day went great! After talking with him and him telling me about their process, work environment, etc I wanted more than anything to work for their company. It turned into not just needing a job, it turned into WANTING the job. I wanted it so much I could taste it. He called me the following week asking me to come in on Thursday to meet with 3 more people. You bet! Last Thursday I met with the CFO, Dir of Marketing, and Dir of Training. It went really well and I prayed that I was able to impress them. The job was between me and 1 other person by then. At then end of the interview, I was told I would hear something the next day or Monday. All I could do then was pray that it would work out because it was the right fit. He called me the next day and offered me the job! After I got off the phone with him I was jumping up and down, screaming. I even woke up Josh from his nap. Whoops!

I am just thrilled beyond words for this blessing. I not only will be doing what I loved, but I will be a recruiter, which at Pfizer would have been a promotion for me. More money and I get quarterly bonuses for those I screen/interview and end up getting hired. That was a huge surprise for me. The company has continued growth and a great outlook for this year. The only downside is my commute. I will be driving to Dallas in traffic. Yuck. I was so spoiled living so close to where I worked before. But in this job market, I just cannot be picky.

So, there you go. There is my great news!

Night With Old Friends

2009-03-01T16:51:00.000-06:00

Ok so "old" wasn't a great word to describe my friends I saw last night, but I have been friends with them since elementary school and high school. But we did have lots of jokes about how we know we are getting old....one is you know you are getting old when you offer your glasses to someone to help them read the menu. We are only 33/34, but hey, we feel it when it is 10:00 at night and we are tired and ready to go home. But we made it to after midnight!

My great, wonderful friend Amy's birthday was what got us to get out Saturday night. Her amazing husband Stan (I went to HS with him) planned a night out for her birthday and I am so glad he did! We started out the night at a great authentic Mexican restaurant in Deep Ellum called Monica's. I highly recommend it! Several other friends I went to high school with were there, which I loved seeing and catching up with. After that, we went to a bar to see a band, which Stan's cousin plays in. They were great! It was soooooo very cold that night, but absolutely worth getting out in to see my dear friend Amy.

Me and Amy. I think this picture was take 6. Seriously, we were so picky because either I didn't like how I looked (still don't like me here) or Amy didn't like it. Jason was so patient trying and trying for the right one for us. Thanks babe! Amy and I went to HS together, but we didn't hang out in the same groups, but a whole other long story later, we became friends the summer after we graduated. Have been best friends ever since, roommates in college for a year, and she was in my wedding. Love her dearly!

Amy and her man, Stan. Ok I will admit here, I had a crush on Stan my freshman year in HS. He knows this, but I think it's funny years later that my friend married him. And what is even more neat is Amy and Stan NEVER talked or hung out in HS. He was the jock, she was in a completely different crowd than him. Several years after HS, she met him and the rest is marital bliss history.

This picture cracks me up. There was a Latin band that played and the lead guitarist walked the restaurant and played to people, like a mariachi band does. I made sure not to make eye contact so he didn't sing to me or shake his hips at me. But poor Christopher wasn't so lucky. This guy stood there for what felt like forever just playing to him. Christopher was a good sport and just smiled at him. We could read it on his face that he was saying "dude, go away!" I couldn't resist getting a picture of it.

The Forney HS gang at the bar. L to R: (can't remember the first girl's name), Christopher, me, Amy, Jeremy, Stan, and Jay. All of us graduated together, Jeremy was a year behind us and grew up down the street from me. His family and mine did a ton together.

We had so much fun and I'm glad Stan arranged for all of us to get out together for Amy's birthday! Amy, I hope you had a fun night! You are an amazing friend to me and I love you!

Friend Makin' Monday (or Tuesday!)

2009-02-24T13:29:00.001-06:00

Friend Makin' Mondays is a fun new way to get to know other bloggers created by Kasey at http://kaseyhelder.blogspot.com/. My friend Rebecca is the one that found this and passed it on and I love it! I love reading other blogs, even if I don't know them. Today's task is to share 10 of your favorite things. It was hard for me to narrow it down to just 10!

Alli's List of Favorites:

1. My handsome husband and beautiful kids. Most of all, I love watching them play together. I call him "Fun Daddy" because he gets down on the floor and just plays and plays with them,making them laugh until they hurt.

2. U2. Any song at any time brings a smile to my face. I got into them when I was in 7th grade on a summer vacation driving to Colorado with my dad and sister. Haven't stopped listening to them since. I was 7 months pregnant with Joshua at one of their concerts...nothing will keep me from seeing them!
3. Stationery. I can look for hours online or at gift stores just drooling over stationery. I have way too much, but I love it and I love most of all writing letters to friends just to say hi. Nothing beats getting a card in the mail between bills. :)

4. Scrapbooking. My amazing sister-in-law Julie got me into it after I had Samantha and I just love it. Some layouts are great, some not so great. But I have fun going through my pictures and putting them on paper to put in an album. I scrapbook with friends and the laughing and talking we do while working on them is the best! Most of all, I love that I have found a hobby that gives me something to do that preserves our family memories.

5. People magazine. It is my escape from reality. I have had a subscription since high school....I have been subscriber for so long that I get it dirt cheap. Jason knows that when I get it in the mail to just leave me along while I look at every page. And yes, I DO read all of the articles. There are amazing stories about just regular people.

6. Mercedes. I am a car lover. Love all kinds. But I have loved Mercedes for the longest and hope someday to drive one.

7. Margaritas. mmmm.....writing about it is making me want one now! But frozen, no salt, please!

8. Laying in my comfy bed catching up on shows on my DVR....alone! I look forward to 9ish at night to go into my bedroom and just lounge. Sometimes I read, work crossword puzzles, all while the TV is on. Jason knows this is my unwinding time and is respectful of it. I love you honey!

9. Mountains in Colorado. My most favorite place to be. I grew up going there almost every summer with my family. My most favorite time was when I had to be in CO for work and went early so I could mix business with pleasure. I rented a car and drove and drove around in the mountains, stopping in neat towns along the way. Mine and Jason's dream retirement is a cabin in Colorado.

10. God. 'Nuff said.

Are any of your favorites on my list?

Amazing Weekend

2009-02-23T12:22:00.000-06:00

Let me start this post by letting you know in advance that I do not have any pictures posted. I know, me, no pictures posted. We had such an amazing weekend, but I got not a single picture in. I am sick about it!

It started out with Friday night having my amazing sister-in-law, Julie and her family driving in from Arkansas. They just moved there from VA, so this is a MUCH shorter drive than they are used to. They had a get together with old friends, so I got the chance to see my 3 nephews and 1 niece. I had not seen them since August, so I could not wait to give them all a big hug. The kids played so well together and I got to hang out with just Noel. She is now 2 and they moved to VA when she was a newborn. I just don't know her like the rest and I just loved how she loved to snuggle with me! Joshua and Easton (4) played surprisingly well. They are two peas in a pod with head-strong personalities. But they only fought over a toy once the entire weekend. Amazing! Then Sammi, Carter (7), and Aiden (6) played and played non-stop together. It took so long to get them to calm down for bed. I can't count how many times I had to go in and tell them to stop talking. Joshua and Easton were the worst! I think Joshua was just not used to having someone in his room, which he loved. Carter and Sammi slept on the trundle part of her bed together while Aiden slept on Sammi's bed. Easton slept in Joshua's room and Noel was in my room. Six kids under one roof in a 3 bedroom house. I made it work and it worked out perfectly! Jason was out of town so I gave up my bed to Julie and Rudy. I LOVE sleeping on my couch, it is so comfy! Plus, Joshua is an early riser, so he was able to watch cartoons quietly in the living room while everyone kept sleeping. Perfect!

While Julie and her family went to see other family members on Saturday, we went to two of Sammi's soccer game. It was the first outdoor game for the spring season. It was SO cold and windy! The girls were just miserable, mainly complaining about their cold hands. I never thought to bring gloves! Then right after that game was her indoor game. Looks like there will be at least 5 or 6 games of both leagues that will overlap. I'm not too thrilled about that and wouldn't have signed Sammi up for the 2nd winter session of indoor soccer if I had known that. Oh well, you live and you learn! The 3 of us had a great nap/quiet time after those two games. I was whooped! Julie and her family got to our place around bedtime. Then me, Julie, and Rudy stayed up talking for hours and watching home shows on HGTV. I loved getting to just talk with them face to face instead of over the phone, which we are so used to these days.

Saturday night was much better with the kids going to bed. Yea! Sammi got up at 2:45 complaining that she was crowded on the bed. She said Aiden came down in the middle of the night and slept with her and Carter....yep, 3 kids on a twin bed. I thought it was sweet that Aiden wanted to sleep with them.

Sunday morning they all headed out by 8:30 so they could go to their old church when they lived here. We went to our early service too, then I met two friends from school in Dallas for lunch. It was great to get out and have adult conversation! Then that night I watched the Oscars. I stayed up to watch the entire thing and was so glad to see Slumdog Millionaire win Best Picture! But I disagree with the critics, I thought it was a great show!

Julie, I am so glad you stayed with me this weekend and got to see you all! I am still so mad I didn't take pictures, I will do better next time. :)

Daddy Daughter Dance

2009-02-14T10:02:00.001-06:00

Jason and Sammi went to our church's Daddy Daughter Dance on Friday. I'm not sure who was more excited about going, Jason or Sammi? It was so cute to see each of them prepare in their own ways. Sammi was focused on looking like a princess in the perfect dress, finding the right shoes, etc. I can't tell you how many stores we went to to find THE dress she wanted. She is such a daddy's girl that she wanted Jason to help her pick out between 2 she couldn't decide on. Funny girl. Jason was focused on his outfit too, but he did something that totally shocked me. He wanted to get her a corsage. Isn't that sweet? Wait, I'm not saying he isn't sweet, I was just shocked that a corsage for a 6 year old even crossed his mind. He loves to dance and so does Sammi, so I just knew they would have fun. I wish I was a fly on the wall to see them dance together or her with her friends. Kids dancing together cracks me up! I gave Jason my camera with one strict instruction: take plenty of pictures!!

Aren't they a cute couple?

Right before I took this picture, she said "wait". As I waited, she pulled her hair to the side. I have never seen her do this!

Sammi's friends dancing....not sure if she took this picture?

I love this picture! A friend sent it to me and I can't seem to enlarge it. I have a picture of Jason doing the same thing with Sammi when she was 1 at a friend's wedding. Love it!

Jason is known to be the first one on the dance floor. This time, he said Sammi was the one pulling him onto the dance floor. He has met his match!

The night was fun and I am so glad that they went. Sammi has been talking about it ever since, and so has Jason. I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day with your special someone!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2009-02-03T09:04:00.001-06:00

I know we say this every year our children have a birthday, but really, where does the time go? I feel like it was just yesterday I was anxiously waiting to go to the hospital to deliver him. I was to be induced because it had been over 2 weeks of being dilated to a 3 and 75% effaced. That coupled with having Group B Strep, my doctor wanted me to be at the hospital with plenty of time to get all of my antibiotics in. Fine by me! Then at 6 am as we are heading out the door to go to the hospital, they called that there were not enough beds for me so I had to hold on until they called me to go. They didn't know when that would be. What??? My sister and her family got up at the crack of dawn to be at our house before 6 am so she could go to the hospital with us while her husband, Greg, stayed with Sammi and their kids at our house. Instead we waited several hours while my mom and Meredith tried to keep my mind off things. I kept thinking, where would they put me if I was seriously in labor?

Several hours later they finally called me to go to the hospital. I will spare you the boring delivery details....but after 6 pm Joshua Barton arrived! I was so relieved to finally get to see his pretty face (ok, as pretty as newborns can be) and meet this creature I grew and carried around for over 9 months.

I love this picture Meredith took of him. She is so talented.

First birthday. He was not one of those kids that dove into the cake and got it everywhere. Nope, he freaked out and wanted nothing to do with it. I even tried to put some icing in his mouth so he would know how sweet it was. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Maybe it was the hat that I made him wear that was making him so angry?

Second birthday. Please ignore my horrible attempt at decorating a cake. Gosh, I wish I didn't have any pictures of that hideous mound of cake and icing.

Now THIS is what I call an amazing cake! My friends Jennifer and Dustin made it. Isn't it incredible? All I told them was a train cake. I didn't care what it looked like. I was not expecting this! It was sooooooo yummy too.

In the last year especially, I have learned more about boys than I ever thought I could. At least for mine, they will make a road or track out of anything for their cars or trains to ride on. Sand being poured over their head and into their mouth is fun! Hands in the pants is a must. Jumping from everything and onto everything is not a big deal anymore. Tools are cool! You MUST imitate the sound of a plane, train, race car, etc several times a day. Boys DO want to be just like their daddy's. Claiming that the toot we just heard was theirs. They like to be tough and never sit still, but love to snuggle with their mommy when they are tired. Only having a sister, I have found myself telling Jason about something that Joshua did with a sound of shock in my voice. 99% of the time Jason's response is "It's ok, that's just what boys do". I am getting more and more used to that and just love being the mommy to my precious son.

Random January Pics

2009-01-27T12:31:00.000-06:00

Today has been all a-buzz about the icy weather and people staying home from work/school. I remember when I was working how much I hoped for ice so that I could stay home with the kids. It was like a day of hooky and full of fun things to do. Not today! Samantha's school did not close for the day, so today is just like any other day for all of us. The only thing different for me is I have found myself piddling around doing random things instead of my normal day things: laundry, cleaning, job hunting. So I guess I have that to say today has been different.

I leave you with random pictures from this month.

Rub a dub dub, two kids in a tub. I was trying to make their hair look funny, but it just wasn't working. Don't you love Sammi smiling REALLY hard? Look at those neck muscles!

Last Monday I watched my friend Jennifer's son, Aidan. He and Josh love to play together. They usually play really loud, so when I noticed just a few minutes of silence, that made me curious and worried at the same time. I snuck up on them in Sammi's room playing with her tea set. Isn't that so cute?

Here the kids are at Pump It Up...gotta love that place!

Sammi doing her favorite thing at the moment...playing on the computer. Please ignore my messy desk.

Joshua doing his favorite thing....watching daddy work on whatever it is at the time. This time it was his brakes. Joshua does not like loud noises, hence the hands over his ears. He was probably saying "it's too woud daddy, it's too woud!"

Playing in the leaves...

No, I did not strategically place the leaves in her hair. She came out of the pile looking like that.

I love this picture. We were at my mom and stepdad's and Joshua went out with his Lito to take the recycling bin back to the house. He loves to help!

If you have ice in your area, stay home and stay warm!

Bye Bye Babies

2009-01-22T10:39:00.000-06:00

These past two weeks I have been working on taking apart Joshua's room to redecorate into a race car theme, which he is obsessed with. He is now that proud owner of a race car bed. When I was a kid, I was a tom boy and wanted the big, red race car bed. Just like Ricky Schroeder had on the show "Silver Spoons". I was not a happy kid when my parents didn't agree with me on what I "had to have" in my bedroom.

Anyways, as I was taking down the crib (yes, he is almost 3 and was still in his crib. No judging!), I was untying the knots on the bumper pads (yes, they were still there. I didn't want him to bump his precious head in the middle of the night!) and right then I started having flashbacks. I realized that I had delicately tied those knots onto the crib over 6 years ago. When I was pregnant with Samantha, the doctor was not 100% sure it was a girl, so we got unisex baby bedding. Then when I had Joshua, I kept the same bedding. I loved it, my mom spent WAY too much on it as a gift, and just couldn't part with it. Those memories of 6 years flooded my brain. As I was putting the bedding up, Sammi came in the room and saw the crib taken apart and commented on how excited she was that Joshua is getting a big-boy room. Right then, the tears started flowing. My very concerned daughter immediately asked me why I was crying. Goodness, she wouldn't understand why her mom was a bumbling idiot full of tears when I told her the reason?! I told her anyways and she just stared back at me with a blank face.

Jason and I have had many discussions about if we will have any more kids, and we decided long ago that we are far blessed with the two we have and will not have anymore. So putting up the baby furniture to sell has been sad for me, even though I am 150% sure I do not want anymore kids. It is just the baby things that I will miss....rocking a baby to sleep, carrying a baby in my beloved Baby Bjorn (why couldn't I be the one to invent that goldmine?), baby lotion, and all of the loot that goes with babies. What I won't miss: sleepless nights!

The day after my crying debacle, I received this email from my mom. The timing was eerie. I cannot relate since my kids are not fully grown, but I can to a lot. If you have kids, please read this...you will be glad you did!

Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, have all grown obsolete . Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.

Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with astern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2.

When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself.Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did” Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night.
I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't,what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

Now, aren't you glad you read that?

Bad Coke Addiction

2009-01-20T11:49:00.001-06:00

I should have put a better title because I am sure you all thought, "Is she talking about drugs?" No, my addiction to Coca Cola. I just never call it that.

I am trying REALLY, REALLY hard to kick my nasty habit. It isn't a huge habit, but a 1 coke a day habit. One coke too many. I am trying to work on losing the weight I gained (8 pounds!) over the holidays and I still have more than just those 8. I am constantly thinking about my food intake, what I'm eating, how much, etc. I don't always eat horrible food, but I realized it is what I am drinking.

Since I have been home everday after being laid off in June, I have found that I drink a coke everyday! And what gets me is that when I was at Pfizer, we had free vending machines. Even then I did not have a coke everyday. Weird. I never bought it to have at home because I knew I would drink it more than I should and I only drank it when I would eat out. But I can actually blame something on Jason: he made the switch from Dr. Pepper to Coke. Thanks Jason! Ever since then it has been a downward spiral into a nasty addiction. I didn't have any at home for over a week, but then I found myself sneaking sips of Jason's carbinated beverage of choice. If he was out, I would send him a text to bring home a coke for me. Pathetic. Just pathetic!

I told him last night when I was on my way to the store that I was no longer buying cokes, so if he wanted one, he would have to buy one here and there himself and try not to bring it inside the house. Isn't that awful that I have sunk to the level that I have to ban my own husband from bringing one in the house? I do not have an addictive personality at all, but I sure do when it comes to my beloved coke!

So if any of you are my true friends and you are with me, please tell me to say no to coke if I reach for one or try to order one. I know it isn't your job to keep me from this, but I need help! :)

My Anniversary Getaway

2009-01-20T09:42:00.000-06:00

On January 9th, Jason and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I am still in shock that I have been married 10 years. Where did the time go? I feel blessed, honored, humbled, elated, and so many other emotions that I have spent 10 years with Jason as a married couple. I look back to when we got married and we were just babies! Although I did not think that I was at the time. :) I think about all we have been through together and I just amazes me. Marriage is not easy and I am not the one to make you think that everyday is just bliss. It is my #1 job that has to be maintained daily or it can just crumble. The good days way out weigh the bad. I have learned so much about myself, good and bad. These 10 years have been an incredible journey with such an amazing, thoughtful, incredibly smart, and funny man.

We had planned to go back to Banff, Canada to where we went for our honeymoon. But as the planning started to take place, both of us started getting word about our jobs not being secure anymore so we backed off. It's a good thing we did! So instead, we went to our favorite, quiet place in the woods for 3 nights. Jason found this private lake in East TX that we visited last year for our 9 year anniversary. It has only a few cabins and this place is for couples only, completely geared for romantic weekends. No phone or internet (unless you have a techie husband like me who has hookups that can break into any secure line) but there is TV, DVD, stereo, and surround sound. The cabins are new and all have a fully stocked kitchen, grill, etc. I came with 5 movies in hand. Really, I did. I love to watch movies and rarely get to. I also came with books and puzzles. I was ready to relax and do what I love with the man I love. The lake is stocked with fish, so Jason was in heaven. He came with all of his fishing gear in hand. You would have thought he was about to be in a tournament with all that he brought. But he ended up catching 20-25 fish. Really! He threw them all back and said most were really small, but I am excited with a small one too. It's fun to catch anything!

Here is a picture of the cabin from the dock on the lake.

And here is my fisherman. He froze his tushy the entire weekend, but loved it. Weather doesn't stop that man, especially when he is golfing. Several scolded Jason when he said he fished all weekend. Let me preface by saying he fished when I watched a movie he did not like and at night. I also joined him several times.

I love this picture I took. I am surrounded by amazing photographers in my family, I am not one of them. So I prided myself with this one I took.

Jason with one of his catch. Isn't he so cute? He didn't want me to take a picture of it because he kept telling me "it isn't that big". Whatever, it's a catch!

Jason getting the hook out of this catfish. He was telling me how you have to wear Kevlar gloves because the fins and gills will cut you. It even cut through the glove! This hook was a tough one to get out. I'm a tom-boy at heart, but this even made me squirm. I think an eye was damaged. Sorry little fishy!

....and me hanging out with him on the dock while he fished. Yep, I got bored and was dying to finish my book.

This was my 2nd favorite place to be in the cabin. It was ccccccooooold that weekend!

And this was my #1 favorite place to be. Check it out, a hot tub and rocking chairs, both screened in, facing the lake. Beautiful! Yep, that's my glass of wine sitting on the table. I sat and sat and sat there rocking while reading. The hot tub was amazingly relaxing. See the theme? Relaxing!!

View from the porch. Gorgeous.

Since it was just the two of us, I was not able to get a good picture of just us. I tried and tried, but none were good. It was a great weekend, just us. Thank you Jason for choosing me to spend your life with. The past 10 years has been a fun ride and I look forward to 10 more!

Little Stinker

2009-01-16T22:41:00.001-06:00

I just have to write about an experience with Joshua today before I forget the details...

I went to my dad's today to help him out around the house (he had back surgery) and naturally, had my two rug rats with me. I was upstairs in his study when I heard Josh behind me, calling from the bathroom. He was in a real fiesty mood today, so I thought he was wanting to play peek-a-boo or something like that. I got up to go see him and found the door to be locked. No big deal, I thought. It is a Jack and Jill bathroom, so I went to the other door to see him. Nope, that door was locked too. In the most calm voice I could conjure up, I said "Joshua honey, please open the door". And here is what happened:

J: I can't dooooo it!
A: Sure you can sweetie, just unlock the door the way that you locked it.
J: No mommy, it not working.
A: Buddy, try again, just the same way you locked the door.

(silence)

J: Uh, I can't doooo it!
A: Josh, I'm serious. You need to unlock the door.
J: (jiggling the door knob, over and over)
A: Josh, don't move the entire door knob, just the part in the middle of it that you turn to the right (yea, I know, how many 2 year olds know their left from their right?). You can do it!
J: Uh, I caaaaaan't dooooo itttttt!!!!

(silence)

A: Joshua Barton Cantrell, you CAN do it, you have to try!

(silence)

(small muffling cries from Joshua)

A: I'm sorry sweetie, I don't mean to yell. Mommy is just trying REALLY hard to try and get you to unlock the door. Hold on.....SAAAAAMMMMMMIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!
S: What mom?!
A: Can you come here please? I need you to talk to Joshua through the door to keep him calm while I go get Grandad.

(lots of funny babbling between Sammi and Josh)

In the meantime, my dad comes to the rescue with keys to the door. Duh, each door had one over the trim. Sheesh, why didn't I think to put my hand up there to feel for one? :) Well, let's just say that after both my dad and I tried the key, we both had no luck. Lots of curse words flying, me telling S & J to not listen to what Granddad or mommy is saying (yeah right), me talking my dad out of NOT calling 911....really, my dad wanted to call 911 to see what they have to say. My response to my dad: call a locksmith! I love my dad, he is a smart man, but he wasn't his sharpest at this moment.

My dad calls a locksmith, she is telling him how to use the key to unlock the door. Talk about feeling like a complete and utter moron. I wanted to grab the phone out of his hands and shout at the woman "we know how to use a f&^%$ing key! It's not working! Why else would we be calling you to come over?" But I refrained...of course, I had to set an example for my kids. Ha! I kept thinking "why isn't this key working?" So I calmly kept talking to Joshua while I tried to not jab the thing into the tiniest hole and try to feel around as best as I could with it and finally, I was able to turn it to the unlock position.

All of this happened over a span of 30 minutes. I even put my head on the floor so I could see him in the bathroom. Poor thing was just sitting there crying. At one point he even cried for Jason saying "I want daaaaadddddyyyyyy". Yea, me too! I also had to calm Sammi down at one point. She kept saying "Oh, he has to get out, he has to get out! What are we going to do?"

So after all of this, if you have a door knob with a turn-thingy (it's late, I'm tired, I can't think of what it is called) and the key to unlock it is a REALLY small screw-driver-like-key, get rid of it and get one where you just push it in there and it pops it unlocked. Yes, we have that and actually had to do it when Sammi was young and it unlocked in a matter of 2 seconds.

Ok, that's my drama for the day. It wore me out! Boys.

Build A Bear Day

2009-01-06T13:07:00.000-06:00

Part of my kids Christmas presents from their Lito and Lita (my mom and step dad) was a trip to Build A Bear Workshop. It was a complete surprise until right before we left, and you should have seen their excitement when they found out where they were going. Getting my kids to pick an animal to stuff and stick with it was the toughest part. That really tested my patience. :)

Here, Sammi is putting the heart in her turtle she picked out.

Next is to "clean" the animal. She did this with such motherly care!

Josh really wanted to help stuff his monkey, but as you can see, he did not like the noise.

After Daddy did most of the cleaning, Josh finally jumped in to help.

Ok, I take it back. Sammi picking out an outfit for her turtle tested my patience more than anything. She went from wanting it to wear a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit, to a doctor, to a princess, and don't get me started on the mix and match section (shown below). There were so many choices! She finally settled on a cute pink and black dress and pink shoes.

Next, we named the animal and typed up their birth certificate. Josh picked Munkie (Jason was the one behind the catchy spelling) and Sammi picked Sparkles.

Josh was not in the mood for his picture to be taken. Instead, Lito had to squeeze him to stay still and we got a belly shot.

I love this picture!

Meredith and her kids with their animals. Kate picked a puppy named Blackie, Nic picked a bear named Tuck, and Will picked a Longhorn named Rex.
Meredith, the great photographer that she is took this picture. I was actually having "talk" with Joshua about minding me and not running from me while we were outside. So I guess you could say he was in trouble. But it was still a good picture. :)
After everyone built their animal, we went to an amazing pizza place that I wish was near me! Sammi and her cousin Kate....they are two peas in a pod.

Me and my brother-in-law Greg.

Jason and Greg. Jason is starting to smile with his lips closed for some reason. Guess he is trying a new look??

Me and my honey.

My mom and amazing step dad.

Meredith and my mom.

Josh is a coke-addict. He really is! We had to bribe him to be good so that he could have one. It worked!

Whew, that was a lot of pictures! It was a fun day with my family!

Sad Day At The Mailbox

2009-01-05T16:59:00.001-06:00

Last Friday, I happily walked (yes, happily. Don't you walk happily?) to the mailbox. I opened up the mailbox, grabbed the stack of mail, and as I walked back to the house I quickly thumbed through it all. Bills. Check. Credit card offers. Check. Mailers. Check. I went back through it, thinking I must have missed something. Nope, I didn't. Then it hit me....the days of getting Christmas cards are over! AAHHH!!! I didn't realize how much I enjoyed checking the mail during the holidays because of them until they came to a halt. I loved getting a few stragglers even after Christmas (I am sure some of you got mine after Christmas!).

So I went in to go through all of the wonderful Christmas cards we received. I love getting them. Love getting new pictures of friends and family's kids, family newsletters, and just knowing someone thought of us during the holiday season. Each year I have the same dilemma: what do I do with them? The thought of throwing them away makes me sick to my stomach. But where would I keep them? And if I kept them, the pile would just get so huge year after year.

I decided to spread them out and take a picture of them before I tossed them in the trash. I did this last Friday, the same day I pretty much cried over no more Christmas cards. And do you want to know where they are? Stacked on the bar in my kitchen. I just can't let them go just yet. Maybe seeing the stack makes me feel loved and somewhat popular? :)

To you that sent me a Christmas card this year: Thank you! You now know how much I truly treasure them and even agonize what to do with them after the holidays.

Five Christmases

2008-12-29T12:06:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the movie "Four Christmases"? If you have not, I highly recommend seeing it for many great laughs. I mention this movie because my life at Christmastime is very similar. Only thankfully, I do not have to do all of the family gatherings in one day. I am blessed be able to spread it through the week of Christmas. Sometimes it is over a span of two weeks, depending on every one's schedules. As stressful as it can be trying to remember the days, times, what to bring, gifts, etc, I love it. Love getting a chance to have the family together. Love the great food (my waistline does not!). Love playing with my nieces and nephews. Love watching my kids play with their cousins. Love catching up with family members.

Due to the high volume of Christmas gatherings, this post will be long. I will try my best to whittle down as much as possible the pictures.

Gray Family

This is with my mother-in-law's side of the family. For many reasons, this year was much smaller. But we all still had a great time and the kids played and played. So much that I felt like my kids were not even there! This picture does not show Joshua....he just was not in the mood to have his picture taken. I'll just leave it at that. I love my 2 year old! :)

Cantrell Family

The next family gathering was with my father-in-law's side of the family. Julie (my sister-in-law) and her family could not make it down from VA this year, so it was just my two kids. It was so strange not having 6 kids running around the house. But Jason's cousins Amber and Troy made up for that and played so much with them. Thank you both for doing that!

Sammi and Josh with their great-grandfather (Poppie)

Troy (Jason's cousin), Haley (Troy's fiance, Amber (Jason's cousin), Jason, and me. After seeing this picture, I am never wearing that unflattering sweater again!

Mauk Family

Every Christmas Eve, we spend the evening at my mother-in-law's house. Again, without Julie and her family, it was strange just having my two kids there instead of 6. In the past we always wore our pj's, but the past couple of years not everyone did. But I kept my kids in them. It makes it much easier to take them straight to bed after a long night.

TJ (Jason's step-brother), Kelsey (TJ's girlfriend), and Travis (Jason's step-brother)

Joshua giving his Grandmommy (Jason's mom) a kiss.
Great-Grandmommy (Jason's grandmother), me, and Jason. I love his Grandmother! She is an amazing woman that makes me feel like her own granddaughter.

Jones/Rodriguez Family

First, I have to say how lucky I am that my parents, who are divorced, get along so well! We combined my dad and mom's Christmas gatherings and spent the day at my dad's house. It was so nice and as always, the cousins played and played.

I love this picture! My mom gave the kids these huge stockings filled with everything they love. She has always been great when it comes to filling stockings with great things for each person.
Ahhh, my second favorite picture. You can't have a day go by without a 2 year old crying because he didn't get his way. A constant in my house right now, but I love looking at this picture. It makes me laugh! You can see Jason on the side trying to get him to stop. Ha!

The cousins with their reindeer hats. Notice someone missing? That seems to be a trend doesn't it?

Granddad (my dad) with his grandkids.

Our Christmas

Sammi putting out Santa's milk and cookies. She put out reindeer food (oats and glitter) in the backyard.
I love this picture of Sammi. It is exactly the reaction we had hoped for when she saw her very own Barbie Dreamhouse. After staying up until 2 am that morning putting it together, I had visions of what my poor parents went through when I was a kid. Thanks mom and dad!

All Joshua asked Santa for was Mack from the movie Cars. He barely stopped playing with it to open more presents.
Joshua also got from Santa a tool workbench. I think I saw Jason shed a tear watching him play with all of the tools. :)

What a mess!

Whew! I am tired from typing so much and messing with all of the pictures. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas filled with joy!

A Feel Good Day

2008-12-18T20:43:00.000-06:00

I had a moment of clarity today that I just had to write about.

A few weeks ago I decided that I should start going through my kids toys to make room for what was to come at Christmas. It's amazing to see what all is buried at the bottom of their toy box or stuffed in their closet. So many toys not being used. Some good enough to resell on Craig's List. So I got several big items, cleaned them up, and posted them on Craig's List. A few bites, but no one serious to come and pick it up. Annoying since I marked them cheap! I re posted them again and was griping to Jason about how I don't know why they aren't selling, excellent condition, good price, blah blah blah.

Last night Jason was up at the American Legion (location for military peeps to hang out) to help with something when one of the members was telling him about how they adopted a family this year and no one was giving anything for the family. She goes to explain that it is actually one large family with 3 families combined. Several kids under the age of 3, disabled parents, etc. They were not going to be getting anything for Christmas. That just isn't right and breaks my heart to hear that. Jason came home to tell me about their situation and how we should give to them what I have been trying to sell. Ding ding! What a great idea! I talked to Samantha about what it means to give and how some children aren't as fortunate as she is and might not have any toys for them on Christmas. I teared up just telling her about it. She then went back to her room to get more toys she thought we should give them.

This afternoon I got everything together, went through their toys again and loaded up Jason's truck to deliver all of the toys. They mentioned that clothes were needed too and I have friends that I normally give the hand me downs to. Not this time, I took the bags of clothes as well and we drove it to the Legion after we had Santa pictures tonight. When we came in with all of the bags of toys and clothes, the people there were astonished at how much we brought. Many thank yous were given.

That was the best feeling ever, knowing that we will help make several children smile on Christmas.

Oh, I sold Samantha's play kitchen a few weeks ago and accidentally under priced it. But it was too late, I couldn't go back and delete it or lie to the people that were wanting to purchase it. I mean, I under priced it BIG TIME, by at least $35 less than what I should have asked. I don't know what I was thinking when I typed in the asking price. When the man came to pick it up, I asked if it was going to be used for a Christmas present. He said that his brother lost his wife to cancer a few months ago and they had adopted 6 young foster kids before she was diagnosed last year and how he doesn't have enough money to give all 6 kids a really good gift, but now one 3 year old was. Uh, that sealed it right there. I did the right thing and it doesn't always have to be about money.

I hope all of you get the chance to know what it feels like to help someone else in need. It is a wonderful feeling!

Doughnuts With Santa

2008-12-15T11:48:00.000-06:00

Sammi's school PTA hosted Doughnuts With Santa this year. We went over a week ago and yes, I am just now getting around to posting it. While Jason finished putting more Christmas lights on the house, I took the princess and Tasmanian Devil. Just what TD needed, more sugar! I was going to be so good and not give into the sweet temptation of the sugary goodness and just sit there with the kids while they ate theirs. Well, after the first doughnut that Joshua just ate the top off of, I took a bite of his. That was the beginning of my downward spiral. I ate two AND chocolate milk. It has been over a week and I still feel horrible about giving in too easily. Where is my willpower?
-

Joshua eats just the top, so after eating the top of 4, I would think that equated to 1 full doughnut. Dontcha think? A mom and her kids from Sammi's class sat with us and I told her that Joshua hardly eats anything, but he managed to eat 4, thinking I would get a laugh out of that. No. Not even a chuckle. Then her daughter asked her if she could have another doughnut (this would top it to a whopping 2 for her), to which her mom quickly and sternly replied "no, you do not need so much sugar". So here I sat quietly, after telling her my son ate 4 (I should have told her not the entire thing!) feeling like a horrible mother for allowing my son to eat ALL of that sugar when Mrs. Perfect-Mother-Who-monitors-Her-Children's-Sugar-Intake would only allow 1. I know, I am really hard on myself, but I felt awful! I could just feel her glaring at Joshua who had icing all over his face. He he, I kind of laugh now thinking of what could have been going through her head.
-

Who couldn't tell their son who eats next to nothing "no" when he is devouring his doughnut like this? Clearly not me!

While waiting in a really long line to get their picture taken with Santa, they took a break. I couldn't pass up a photo-op of my son sitting still!
I have no idea why this picture uploaded so small. Joshua chickened out when it came down to sitting on Santa's lap. But who can blame him...click on the picture to enlarge it and look at Santa's face. Where are the glasses? And could he please try to look happy to be there and have a beautiful girl posing for a picture with him? He just flat out looks like a very unhappy Santa with a bad attitude.

Snooty mom and attitude-filled Santa aside, we had fun!

So Tired....

2008-12-14T14:37:00.000-06:00

I was nicely kicked out of my house last night to make room for a guys-only poker night. I packed the kids and headed to my friend Jennifer's house. Her son is between Sammi and Josh in age and they play together amazingly...minus the scuffles over a toy that someone is not ready to share. It is usually my son that is the instigator. :) Anyways, us girls watched some movies while the kids played. I took us all home around 11. Sammi left to go to another room much earlier to go to sleep. I love that in her. When she is ready to go to sleep, she just does it. I'm the same way. She could be watching her favorite movie and when she is tired, she will just close her eyes and drift off to slumber-land.

Anyways, when I got home, 6 guys were left still playing poker. I was pleased to find out that my honey won! I got my second wind and ended up staying up with them until past 2 am! I don't know the first thing about playing poker, but I had fun watching. I wound up being the official cutter of the deck. Hey, it gave me some way to be involved in the game.

My early bird was up at 6:00 am! What the??? That kid did not go to sleep until 11:30 last night and he was the reason why I left Jennifer's house so that he would go to sleep. He never sleeps at their house. He and her son Aidan will play and play. So I managed to eek in about 4 hours of sleep (at best), then we headed to church. First time I almost fell asleep there. We get home and I am seriously a walking zombie. I had flashbacks of how it was having a newborn baby and functioning on very little sleep. You know you are super tired when you give your kids a horrible, thrown together lunch that did not have all major food groups. It was bad. I don't even want to put in writing what I gave them! All I could think about was going to take a nap when Joshua does. I even didn't want to get up off the couch when Sammi asked so nicely for me to get her some strawberries. Pathetic!

So please, dear friends, comment to this post and help make me feel better by telling me you have been in this position: so tired you just don't want to be mommy or anything other than sleeping!

And yes, I am blogging right now instead of napping. :)

Holiday Fun

2008-12-10T10:11:00.000-06:00

I must start this post by saying that Blogger is frustrating me!! The picture upload is not working, so I could not put up all of the pictures. Did I just hear someone cheer and say "Yea!!". How dare you. :) Never you fret, I will keep trying and put them up on another post....they are from Sammi's school event, Doughnuts With Santa.

Last Friday night we headed up to Keller's Holly Days. It was freaking cold and we almost didn't make it. That and the parking was awful! But we got there in the nick of time to see the parade and the kids loved it. Their favorite was not Santa, but the horses with lights on them. A few pooped in front of us and made mine and other kids around us laugh and constantly point at it. Why do kids find poop and talking about it so funny?

Like Jason's gloves? He could not find them and was forced to wear his Craftsman gloves that are meant to wear when working on an engine. But hey, they kept his hands more warm than not wearing anything at all! That reminds me, I should get him some for Christmas.

The kids waving at Santa.

Other than fighting with Joshua to keep his mittens on his hands, it was fun! Sammi pouted on the way back to the car because she did not get to see Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. That and she didn't get to go down the snow hill. The lines were incredibly long and it was way too cold to wait that long. Sorry sweetie!

Day at the Christmas Tree Farm

2008-12-03T10:26:00.001-06:00

My most favorite Christmas tradition is by far going to a tree farm and cutting down our own Christmas tree. I grew up doing this every year, the day after Thanksgiving. Some years other families came with us, some years it was just us. I loved the hunt of it all. Walking and walking until we found just the right tree. The right height. The right girth. When I was young, I made up games to play with other kids that came with us. After my parents divorced, my mom still took my sister and I to get a tree. That was mainly my dad's tradition, but it spoke volumes to us that my mom still continued it for us. My mom has probably over 15 years worth of pictures of the family standing in front of the tree we picked, or of just me and Meredith. I love looking back and looking at the clothes that were in style at the time, my horrible make up and hair that I thought looked good. You know, laughing at ourselves.

When Jason and I were dating and I had my own apartment, even he got into my tradition and went with me to find a tree. Since then we have continued carrying on that beloved tradition.

This is the first year when Sammi was 1 1/2 months old. Gosh, I look really tired and I didn't even do my hair....wow, I don't miss the days of having a newborn!

This is my most favorite picture of Jason with Sammi. She was 2 then.

Ah, here I am HUGE and pregnant with Joshua. I still had 2 months before having him and look how big I was! Sheesh! I love Sammi with pigtails. She was 3.

The next year with Sammi (4) and Joshua (10 months). It must have been warm from the looks of what we were wearing.

That was a fun trip down memory lane! I couldn't find 2003 and 2007. Hmmm....BUT, here is this year's trip. We go to a place in Lindale and just love it. This year they painted several bales of hay. The kids loved it, but Joshua was being his usual self (a toot!) and didn't want to be in the picture. As always, Sammi obliged.

My two favorite men, besides my dad, on the hayride. I love Jason's random "shout outs" to Nascar and his fraternity from over 10 years ago. Joshua was mad that he couldn't ride the big tractor that pulled us.

It was super windy that day. I think this picture was take 5 because my hair kept getting in my face.

A Sammi-sized tree. She really wanted this to put in her bedroom.

Kudos to Jason for volunteering to take pictures of me and the kids. He must have really listened a few months ago when I whined about never being in the pictures because I'm always the one taking them.

No, this is not the tree we bought. Can you imagine having a house big enough for this to fit in?

Now this is more like it. A perfect 10 foot tree, just for us! By the time we found this, the kids were whining about walking so much or getting stickers in their socks.

Jason showing off his master tree cutting skillz.

Dragging the tree to get picked up.

Waiting for the tractor to pick us and the tree up.

They had a small campfire set up. Joshua immediately took to his Alpha Male tendencies to poke at the fire with a stick.

This picture is showing Sammi not being happy that we were telling her it was time to go. Yep, she threw a mini-tantrum.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday season!

Weekend Away From It All!

2008-12-01T18:28:00.000-06:00

I know, this is a week late, but hey it has been a crazy week! The weekend before Thanksgiving, I went on a scrapbook retreat with my two favorite scrap booking buddies to an amazing place in Temple. We left at 1 on Thursday and didn't look back until we had to sadly leave on Sunday.

If you scrapbook, this is the way to do it: go to a place that caters to scrap booking with tables, lighting, food, and a great place to sleep. I go twice a year and it always comes at the most perfect time when I need a good break. This time around proved that theory well again.

My two friends that went already read all or most of the Twilight series books and we were there the day the movie Twilight opened. I have not read them but was game to go see a movie since that event is rare in my life. It was a really good movie! Since we were in Temple, we did not have a crowd to contend with on opening day. In fact, we thought we were stuck in Bizzar-o World because it was like we were sitting in the middle of a day care. There were so many small kids there! Really. One scene was scary for them so we had to deal with crying kids and hearing their parents huff off to take them outside. That was really annoying. But now I am ready to read those books!

I got a lot of pages done (over 35!), laughed a lot with my friends, relaxed, slept in, and ate a ton. All of our meals were cooked for us. I hate trying to figure out what to cook for lunch and dinner so I loved not having to think about that. And the food was good! There was also a goodie table, so we probably ate something once an hour. I got home and my favorite jeans were a tad snug. Ugh!

The bonus for me was coming home to happy kids and a happy husband. Jason had to deal with taking both kids to Sammi's soccer game, which I found out was the one event over the weekend where he thought "I really need Alli here". Hearing that made me smile and laugh inside. BUT, he managed to do laundry AND put them away (this chore seems to fall on my shoulders) and changed the oil in my car. I told him I am going to go away like that more often! I missed them, but I did not miss changing diapers, filling sippy cups, cooking, and cleaning for 3 1/2 days.

Is It In The Water??

2008-11-14T16:33:00.000-06:00

I have been sick in bed this afternoon and am so bored! So my mind wanders and thinks about random things. That is when it hit me: I have so many friends and family pregnant right now! Normally it comes in waves, but not now. I counted 2 family members and 6 friends that are currently pregnant. 3 of them I found out just these past 2 weeks. Exciting news! I know this really doesn't mean much to you, but it does to me and I just had to write about it. That means 8 babies I am now praying about, 8 mommies to check in on, and 8 baby gifts. I love it!

Congratulations to Casey, Jodi, Rebecca, Emily, Karris, Chelsea, Misty and Abby!

Just Call Me Schneider

2008-11-12T18:22:00.000-06:00

Remember Schneider from "One Day At A Time" who was the general fix-it handy man? Well I have been feeling like him a lot lately. I have a list of things I have wanted to do around the house. The sizes of the project range from big (put in french doors and wood flooring) to small (touch up painting here and there, replace some fixtures). Since I have been home, I really want to take full advantage of being home and knock off some items on the list. I have lived in this house for almost 7 years and it frustrates me that some things have taken me this long to do. But my weekends consisted of laundry, cleaning, and playing with the kids. Home improvement was not a priority, yet I would gripe and whine about some of the things anyways. :)

Several things have been knocked off the list or in the process, but I am really proud of this small one. Because I did it ALL BY MYSELF! I was determined to replace the kids bathroom sink faucet myself instead of normally turning it over to Jason. Jason is super-duper handy and it just annoys me sometimes at how he can just tackle something he has never done before and make it seem easy and flawless. Now don't get me wrong, there have been many things he has done that took a lot longer than it should and probably cost more than having a pro do it, but he did it anyways and was proud. Me too.

I read and re-read the instructions on this darn faucet just bound and determined to do it myself. At first while reading it, it seemed really simple. I took everything out from under the sink, knowing I would be crammed under trying to work on it. One thing the instructions left out: how to take out the existing faucet. Yea. It took me a long time, but I did it. Now I won't lie, I did consult Jason once about the freaking drain. What a pain in my rear! I had no clue how all of that was originally connected, sealed, etc. He showed me and then I was good to go. The hardest part was connecting the lever to the drain that raised and lowered it. But I did it and I feel so good about it!

This is the faucet before. Everything else I replaced in their bathroom is brushed nickel. I did that when Sammi is a baby, if that says how long the bathroom sat with a brass faucet.

And here is the new faucet! I found an amazing builders surplus store near us and got this for a steal. I was curious to find out just how good their prices really were. So I went to Home Depot to price the exact faucet. Home Depot price: $100. Builder Surplus price: $50. I'm not kidding. I was floored and the huge price difference!

So there you have it, my sole home improvement project! My kitchen counters are almost done (thank goodness!), which I will post when that happens.

Sammi & Mommy's Day Of Fun

2008-11-10T12:46:00.001-06:00

While Sammi was home all day on her birthday this year, I was at the hospital while my dad underwent 11 hour back & spine surgery. Jason stayed home with the kids and Sammi's birthday fell on a day off from school. My plan was to get home by dinner so that we could at least have a birthday dinner and cake. Didn't happen. My dad didn't get out until after 10 pm from surgery and Jason eased my mind by telling me to stay at the hospital until he was out. My brother in law came up that night from Austin with Sammi's cousins Nic, Will, and Kate. At least she would have fun playing with them that night. I just felt so bad not being home with her on her actual birthday. It must be a woman/mommy thing to wreck ourselves with guilt. But I knew I would feel bad not being at the hospital with my sister and two aunts while my dad underwent the long surgery.

My sister Meredith had a great idea for me to have a day where it was just Sammi and I and do fun things together to make up for not being with her on her birthday. Loved the idea!

So off we went the following Monday for Sammi & Mommy's Day of Fun! I kept calling it that the day before and day of. Sammi loved it. I picked her up from school and we went to Chili's for lunch. One of her favorite places to eat. As you can see, she is drinking some blue slushy drink and giving blue smile. As we were eating she said "I like it just being the two of us" and said that several times throughout the day. It brought tears to my eyes! I realized that we do not do enough alone things with her like she needs.

After lunch we went to Wal Mart to return a duplicate birthday gift as well as cash in a couple of gift cards she got. Those are the best gifts! Letting her pick out her own toys was so much fun to watch. Below she is showing off her new toys....Baby Dr. Barbie, some little poodle in a carrier, and a new dog for her Lil' Luvables. She is really into dogs and their own little carriers. This makes 5 of all different sizes she has.

After shopping we headed to Sweet n' Sassy in Southlake for a manicure. She is a tom boy like I was, but she still loves her girly things. This was her first professional manicure and was hooked! They were so nice to her and treated her like a queen. I really had to help guide her on the nail polish color. She wanted everything from neon green to Big Bird yellow. She settled on a coral color with a flower on her middle finger nail. Not the best finger to put that on. The rest of the day and week when she showed others the flower, she was flipping them off to show it. Yikes!

They gave her glittery purple stars on her cheek...

...got to pick out a lollipop and then let her walk down the runway. That is usually used for birthday parties but we were the only ones in there and let her strut her stuff.

It was as much of a fun day for Mommy as it was for Sammi! I need to do this more often!

Pumpkins & Candy

2008-11-03T16:12:00.001-06:00

October for me is a busy month...Jason's birthday, 10 days later is Sammi's birthday, Sammi's birthday party, pumpkin patch (my fave for pics of the kids), pumpkin carving (my fave event of Halloween), then trick or treating. Needless to say, October has the most pages in my scrapbook than any other month. But I love all of these events! I had to combine two into one post.

First, the pumpkin patch. This year I waited too late and went the day before Halloween. So the pumpkins were not plentiful. My fault. But I still got some good pictures.

I like to get Halloween shirts for them, but I either could not find any for boys or if I found anything, it wasn't cute. I settled for solid black. :)

Luckily they had a bounce house and slide that I could bribe them with over and over. "Just one more picture and you can go in the bounce house" I said that so much that smarty Sammi said "you said that 5 pictures ago". Dang it, I hate it when they learn to count and spell! Just like when Jason spelled "ice cream" to me the other night when it was too close to their bedtime and Sammi said "I know what you spelled. You spelled ice cream and I want some too". Doh!

I was at Michael's last week and came across a Haunted House Cookie kit that Sammi wanted to make with me. My sister and her kids did one and they looked like they had fun doing it. I thought, sure we can do that too! I started reading the instructions first (take a clue men!) and quickly realized that this was not a job for a 6 year old. I made the icing (it came with everything but the water needed) and piped it along the walls and roof to build and found out that this was not going to be easy. You know things aren't going to go well when you start snapping at your kid because the icing was dripping and not thick like it needed to be and the walls were falling as she innocently asked me how it was going. Really Alli, get a grip!

Here is the picture on the box of how it was supposed to look:

And here is what it turned out to be:

One word: UGLY! The consistency of the icing was not meant for detailed work and the black icing it came with was almost non-existent. So just orange and green it was! The kids put on the candy corn and I did the rest. As you can see the green icing was constantly dripping off the eaves and onto part of the house. Nice. The only thing that looked good was the ghost...because it was pre-made and only required a dab of icing to glue it on the house. :) Yes, I am really hard on myself.

Below are the pumpkins Sammi and I carved. The first one Sammi drew on it for me to cut out. You can't see but she put a small scar on the forehead like she has. Cute.

And this one is mine. I had a hard time getting a good picture of it in the dark to really show the cut out. I use the patterns you can buy and have done that for years. I love doing it and the detailed work it requires. It's Dracula with a spooky sky behind him.

Now for Halloween. We go every year to my friend Amy's neighborhood. It's very picturesque with tons of kids and parents walking up and down the sidewalk, in the streets, people decorating their entry ways or garages. So fun. There were more parents than kids, so we were able to keep an eye out on every kid. Whew! We started before it got dark, much to the surprise to several, so they got in a good 2 hours of trick or treating. For some reason, Joshua was clingy the last hour and wanted me to carry him between houses. My arms were sore! Normally he wants down if I hold him, but I think his poor little legs were tired. So I sent Jason back to our car to get the small stroller.

We knew they were done when 3 of them laid down on the front lawn of a house. We got so much candy that it filled an entire plastic grocery sack. Now I am trying to give it to friends and family we see....I don't need to eat it and neither do my hyped-up kids!

It was fun fun fun and we were pooped pooped pooped when we got home!