Life Is Just So Daily

New Year's Eve....

2012-01-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well, New Year's Eve was a big day for us.
I won't expand on that, but let's just say it was a great day, and marks the start of a new adventure.

That night, we went out to eat with our dear friends, James & Jess.
We ate at Culpepper Steakhouse. I had the lobster {not the fried lobster tail that is a regular on the menu, but rather a more traditional take on the lobster tail} & it was wonderful. The whole meal was wonderful!
Until the hostess made a flub of a mistake, but I won't harp on that just now. In reality it didn't take away from the taste of the food, which again, was wonderful.
:)

After that....we adults headed home....where we found R1 & Gage still awake & awaiting our return! R1's grandmother watched the boys (including Gage) while we dined out. After dinner, we all reconvened at The Casa de Lainey-Paney for some Mexican Train dominos. It was great fun!

I can't believe we all got dressed up, looked so cute, and I didn't even take any pictures! Ugh!!!

Alas, I snapped pictures of these two who zonked out on the couches...

2011 brought us Mom's cancer treatments & healing. It brought us blessings in disguise. It brought us a new hospital with new coworkers, and a lot of change. It brought us Kindergarten and new friends. It brought us hope and new opportunities.
We have big hopes & dreams for 2012, so pray for us.
:)

Just For Fun...

2012-01-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, I never claimed to be the smartest person...ever.

So, some of my mommy-friends suggested that for fun, you let your kiddo take a bath with glow sticks. I, for some reason, imagined them cutting open the glow sticks & pouring the glow stuff in the water, and it just being a big mess.
Ummmmm....no.
You just crack/bend the sticks to get them to start glowing, and turn off the bathroom light. Oh, Gage thought it was soooo much fun. And for $1 for a tube of several of the glowsticks---it's cost-effective fun!

Christmas Day 2011....

2012-01-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Did we NOT have the cutest cookies for Christmas!? I dare say we did! Thanks, Jess!!!! You rock.

And was Hubby not super-cute & festive? Of course he was. {Thanks for the tie, Darnin!}

The Casa de Lainey-Paney was mighty full that day....And we all got mighty full on the tons of food we had! Including the Holiday Aristocrat:

Pics from our day...

Gage & R1 had fun on their scooters... {Not that they would even consider stopping for a picture...}

Fun with family...and fun with friends. Before we knew it, the day was over.
...and New Year's was just around the corner!

Christmas Eve...& Christmas Morning

2012-01-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

We drove home from Mom's on Christmas Eve day/early evening. We had cooking to do to get ready for Christmas Day.

We let Gage open one gift on Christmas Eve, and he chose to open his gift from Memaw & Poppa.

...and of course, then Hubby & I had to open a gift a piece too! {Can't let him have all the fun, now can we!?} Hubby got me a new purse that I wanted, and I got him an advent calendar.

After Gage's bath, we set out our cookies for Santa...

...and tucked this little guy into bed...

Guess what?
He couldn't sleep.
He was BESIDE HIMSELF that Mommy & Daddy were still up. He just KNEW that Santa was going to skip him if we didn't get our hineys to bed!

Luckily....we made it to bed in time, and Santa totally delivered!

{Why, yes, that is a SQUIRREL on Hubby's stocking!}

Gage on Christmas morning...

Gage gave Daddy a "Dad" ornament, and they were hanging it on the tree together.

Gage was very excited to get an iPod Touch for Christmas. Wooohoooo!

It was a great Christmas morning.

....and then we had to get ready for company!

Christmas #1: Darnin & PawPaw's

2012-01-25T03:42:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas at Darnin & Pawpaw's just prior to Christmas. It was great!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

And Darnin & PawPaw filled them up there!

Gage thought he wasn't going to get ANY gifts. It seemed like everyone else got a gift from under the tree except him.... {though, I can assure you---his gifts were coming!}

See?

Now, I must take this opportunity to once again mention: PawPaw's Grab Bags. Twice a year, PawPaw makes us girls "Grab Bags." They are AWE.SOME!!!! Really---it's all kinds of little thoughtful gifts or clever things he's picked up here, there, & yonder. They are soooooo much fun!

And yet, the guys are always a bit left out. This year, Darnin did bags for the guys. Oh, and did I mention that each couple got their grab bag goodies in matching bags from Thirty-one? They are soooooo awesome too, and that's a gift in itself! {seriously, I love the bags. They match, they're durable, they're cute...I really COULD go on & on!}

Pics of the guys...

Hubby got "A Jelly of the Every-Other-Month Club" year supply!

Oh, it was so fun....

Us gals....

...and just for fun (or are you trying to tell me something???) I got this super fun wine. {No, I won't be opening it or drinking it because the bottle is too much fun to keep around! ....until Gage can read it or knows what it says!!! It reads "Crazy Bitch" and it's bottled by "Two Hoes". Love it!}

It's no big secret that we always joke about PawPaw hitting it out of the park with regard to gift giving and these grab bags. On the other hand, Hubby & I always joke about this old SNL skit about "The Two A-holes." At the end of the skit, the wife A-hole tells the husband A-hole that for Christmas she wants a beach & a donkey. Some things just strike you as funny & stick with you. As does the beach & donkey comment for our house.... And what should appear at the bottom of my grab ba????

A beach! And a donkey!

Hubby's reaction...

The beach is a little glass box with sand & seashells. The donkey is a little donkey figurine. These items are destined to be future holiday decor each & every year!

We all got comfy slipper sock house-shoes....

It was great fun, and our last Christmas in that house. Darnin & PawPaw sold their house, and moved just after Christmas to a different house in the same town. I'll have to post about that soon, but in the meantime, I've only blogged up until the day of Christmas Eve!

I still have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and NY's Eve to cover! I'm sooooo behind.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Celebration #1....

2012-01-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

First we celebrated Christmas at Darnin & PawPaw's House.
We arrived the night before the big festivities, and PawPaw & Gage got the party started with a jam session. I just have to mention: this child of mine has got some rhythm. He needs to be in music lessons or choir of some kind. He's got rhythm & harmony, and all of those special music skills.

And then the jam session got larger! Who doesn't want to jam???

Even Ranger came upstairs for the jam session...

Darnin got Gage a new Llama Llama book. Gage loved it!

She also got him the above llamas...or alpacas...or whatever they are.

Several of us played Catch Phrase in the kitchen, and these two sacked out in the living room....

:)

Pre-Christmas....

2012-01-21T14:52:00.001-08:00

I have some pre-Christmas photos to share.
Yes, that's right. I'm so behind in blogging that I have pre-Christmas to post about.
I hope & pray that I get caught up soon!!!!

Some pre-holiday decorations....

Pics of Gage enjoying hot chocolate & making his Christmas wish list for Santa.

The highlights of the list: A tank, "A real one"; An AK47, an iphone 4, & his #1 gift request: A Mega-Shark-Ship.
Needless to say, he didn't get everything on his list.

What else happened before Christmas???
Darnin came in for a visit, and served as a surprise reader for Gage's class! I don't have any pictures of Darnin actually reading to the class, but I have pictures from her visiting us, reading with Gage, and making crafts with him.
:)

...okay, so these are all of the pre-holiday photos. Hopefully I'll get more posts done soon!

Traversing Tahoe-Town

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well....out here in Tahoe-Town, the bridge that pretty much connects this land to the rest of the world was shut down. 18-wheeler incident. Spilled fuel. All the glorious details that contribute to a lengthy & winding commute through this city, which I lovingly call: Tahoe-Town.

My commute this morning took 2.5 hours.
UGH!

The up-sides:
*XM radio Back-Spin station so that I could crank it up & belt out lyrics to Beastie Boys, Tupac, others...
*I was protected from unknowingly becoming a part of the collision or fuel spill...

The down-sides:
*2.5 hours in a car in the windy FM roads with no convenient stopping locations that have a bathroom! Hello! Bumper-to-bumper traffic on a two lane country road when you sooooo have to pee? It's horrible. That's why I had to crank up the old school rap & sing at the top of my lungs: to distract myself.
*having a whole big bowl of this super yummy fruit salad in my car for a party today at work, and NO SPOON. Yes, I considered eating up all the fruit salad & taking nothing to the party. Alas, I had no spoon, and I was unable to follow through with my selfish desire.
*simply having a 2.5 hour commute.
*being on the edge of my seat every time I pushed on the brake because the teeny-bopper behind me was so distracted on her way to high school. She was distracted by her friend in the passenger seat...her cell phone...the radio. You name it! She seemed utterly surprised every time I stopped. {Did I mention that we were in bumper-to-bumper stop-&-go traffic? My use of the brake should not have been surprising, yet it seemed to be. Repeatedly.} I was fairly certain that she was going to rear-end me. Luckily it never happened.

I was so frustrated at one point that I just almost called in.
...or quit over the phone.
But then I thought: but, I won't be able to get home (or anywhere else!) in any sort of timely manner, so I should just stay here in traffic...and slowly make my way to work.

And so---I survived this morning's traffic.
...barely.

Pics from my phone camera...

2012-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

....in keeping with last night's theme of "random but funny pictures on my camera," let me present a future closed head (or open...) injury waiting to happen:

{Keep it up, guys. Job security for me. I'll see you guys in the ICU.}

...I'm just identifying my future patients...one photo at a time.

Do You See What I See?

2012-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

So, I took these pictures a WHILE ago...as in: over a year ago.

Do you see what I see?
Yes, it's a casket in a church parking lot.
I freaking kid you not.

{Hi, ummm....I think somebody forgot something.}

Gage's advice....on diamonds.

2012-01-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

So...yesterday morning I was talking with Gage in my bathroom as I was getting ready for work.
Mommy: "Gage, which earrings should I wear: these (gold), or these (little hoops with diamonds & emeralds)?"
Gage: "Are those diamonds?"
Mommy: "Yes."
Gage: "Are those greeeeeen diamonds?"
Mommy: "No. Those are emeralds."
Gage: "Wear those!!!!"
Mommy: "Okay. I like them too."
Gage: "Mommy, If you get to choose with diamonds, you should always choose with diamonds."

...Yes, baby. Mommy ALWAYS wants to choose with diamonds !!!
:)

The D's 2nd Annual Christmas Party

2012-01-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

How much fun are the D's Annual Christmas Parties?
A Ton of Fun!
That's how much fun!

We missed several of our neighborhood couples this year, though. Kids get sick, and holiday calendars fill up, and babysitters can be hard to come by at the holiday season. So, for those that missed the party, just know that we missed you guys too!

The Lovely Hostess & Host: Annabeth & Trey

Some of our group....

...there's always Karaoke.

We have the MOST fun with the white elephant gifts! {This year, we took Snooki & The Situation ornaments as one gift, and some super cheap cologne as the other gift.}

This year, the pecker-mug really made me laugh. The Santa-themed banana hammock was also pretty funny. I came home with leopard print lingerie. Wooohooo! {clearly, we've got some sick friends, right? Whatever! We all love it!}

We have a lot of fun at the D's Christmas Party...

...what? what's that over there?

Awkward Friendly Photo! (And hey---check out Santa in the background. He clearly knows what's up.)

...things just get crazy...

How does the party end?
With Patrick & Amanda serving up breakfast! It's happened now 2 years in a row, so that makes it tradition, right? {We all love it, so please, please, please let it be tradition!}

The Tooth Fairy Rides Again!

2012-01-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

When Gage lost his first tooth....

...he was TERRIFIED to fall asleep with the thought of some magical creature sneaking into his room while we all slept & reaching under his pillow. Gage wanted NO PART of that.

...but, last night, while in the bathtub, Gage lost his 2nd tooth!
And last night, he fell asleep clutching his little tooth fairy pillow. It was precious!

Here's a pic from this morning...

(We can talk about the hat & his current obsession with his appearance & trends later...)

FYI: the going rate for a tooth around the Casa de Lainey-Paney is $5. I don't think I got $5 total for ALL of my teeth when they fell out!

Black Friday, 2011 !!!!!!

2012-01-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

I have one photo from Black Friday, 2011:

I was flying solo.
Needless to say, I missed my mamasita.
:(

Thanksgiving Day, 2011

2012-01-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

Pics from our Thanksgiving Day....

It was good Thanksgiving Day!

...unless you were the turkey.

Thanksgiving Day Prep!

2012-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

This year, we celebrated on the actual Thanksgiving holiday with Hubby's mom & stepdad, and our dear neighbors & their parents. We all thought: why not take two smaller celebrations & merge them to one larger one? Worked out beautifully! We brought the turkey, eggs, and cranberry sauce, and they provided everything else! I'd say we made it out on the easier side of the work, especially when you see that at our house---we each took a dish! Hubby did the turkey, I helped Gage with the eggs, and I made the cranberry sauce (despite the MASSIVE amounts of stirring that the cranberry sauce required...stirring is so not my favorite).

So, soon, I'll post pics from the day... For now, I leave you with the prep-work!
:)

Some November Fun: Thanks to the Peppards!

2012-01-03T18:54:00.001-08:00

Thanks, Bob & Lindy for sharing the lake house with us! We had SO.MUCH.RELAXING.FUN!

Oh, it was just what we all needed, I think.
Hubby & I enjoyed the drive down to Lake Tyler, and met up with family & their friends at Bob & Lindy's lake house.

This is the man with the BEST toys!

The lake house was sooooo fun! {Isn't that right, Mom?}

...and it was sooooo relaxing! {What? A weekend without kids---relaxing? Of course!}

How inviting is this porch? Who DOESN'T want to just laze about??

There are so many treasures there...just unexpected things about every corner. I'd love to show you more of the whole thing, but I'm going to refrain. Just know that it was a much needed break, and it was MUCH APPRECIATED!
{But, Bob...I read the sign. I'd say you owe me some boating & fishing! I had plenty of relaxing, but the boating & fishing can wait until Summer. That's clearly my excuse for why I'll need to come back. I'm just sayin'....}

I miss blogging, and I blame HP!

2011-12-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

...well, and this full time job of mine, but that's beating a dead horse at this point.

Anyhow....
I have had such MASSIVE problems with my current HP notebook. I never should have bought an HP G-series. Never.
My last HP was AWESOME. {HP Pavilion}
I should have known there were problems with this one when I didn't care for the way the mouse buttons felt to my little thumbs. {I'm just sayin....}

So, my complaint about this G series HP notebook: you fire it up, and less than 3 minutes into things, everything just freezes. It's doing the same thing in safe mode. It's doing the same thing even after it was wiped clean & restored to the factory settings. UGH!

Then you call the 1800-HP-INVENT number and they want to trouble-shoot everything under the sun. "Yes, Ding-dong, I tried restarting it." "Yes, I know for a fact that it's not overheating because it's not ON long enough to overheat."

So, he has me perform some hard drive test.
"Yeah, turn it on and hit F2 repeatedly...."
"Ok, now turn it off."
"Now turn it on & hit escape repeatedly..."

Guess what: "It appears that your hard drive is faulty and we will need to replace the hard drive. We will mail you a new hard drive."
STEP ON THE BRAKES, PAL!!!!

I'm sorry. Are you f*cking stupid? I clearly haven't made my wants and needs transparent enough for you: when I said "Where will HP authorize me to take this laptop for evaluation & repair?" that's what I meant. WHERE WILL YOU FIX THIS? WHAT LOCAL OUTLET IS AVAILABLE TO ME AS THE CONSUMER?
This ya-hoo has gone on & on about my only two HP options: they can mail me a hard-drive that I can replace myself (because yeah, I know how to do that...) or mail me a box in which I can return my laptop & they will fix it for me.
Awesome---because that's what I want to do, wait on you guys to MAIL ME A BOX, so that I can fill it & mail it back to you...and be without my computer for even longer.

HP----your warranty program SUCKS. My computer is less than a year old.

You can fix this one. That's fine. But my next one won't be an HP. I'm just sayin'....

****************************
Oh crap. I just googled "HP warranty sucks" and ALL KINDS of stuff came up! One person wrote that they mailed their laptop to HP & HP claimed to never get it, and another wrote that HP promised to return it in 3-5 days, and they didn't & returned it a few days after the warranty expired.

...I'm going to get them to send me a hard drive!
And this is the LAST HP I will ever buy.
Ever.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

November....or at least parts of it.

2011-12-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well, my laptop crapped out. Got a virus. Got something. It would only operate in 'safe-mode.' So, I had to get the photos off there & then have it wiped clean. But, ladies & gentlemen: I'm back.

I've got sooooo much to catch up on!!!!

Let's start with this:

Now, I believe that this might be photo evidence of the difference between boys & girls....but then again, I have no daughter to compare to, so perhaps it is not. Just look at the state of those papers! Is it sooooo hard to just put them in your folder every.single.day? On the whole, Gage puts his papers in his folder, but at least once a week papers just get shoved in the backpack & come home all crumpled like that.
{Now, Gagie, if that's the worst thing you ever bring home from school, you're golden!}

What else???
Oh! I have to show you my little pilgrim!!!!!
The Kindergarteners at Gage's school had a little Thanksgiving Program for us parents. So cute.

Daddy & I both got to attend, but then we had to go to work...hence the scrubs.

They also had college week at Gage's school with a different theme every day....
What do you want to be when you grow up? {This actually put Gage into a panic...he's not sure what he wants to be. He felt a lot of pressure to pick something & get it right...and bless his little heart, he just wasn't sure. I had to assure him that here in Kindergarten he was not actually choosing his life's profession; he could pick something & then not grow up to be that & it would be okay.}
So again, what do you want to be when you grow up: "An Army Dude."

On another day, you wear green & jeans because going to college puts more "green" in your jeans!

And then, you get to pick a college or university & wear a hat for that school and then wear a shirt for that college or university. Gage asked about the different schools that Mommy & Daddy went to, and ultimately he chose SMU {daddy, are you so proud!?}.

Hat day...

Shirt day.... (and yes, he had to wear the hat again...)

{And a big ol' Texas-sized "Thank ya" to Professor W for pickin' those up for us! (and if you could read the above sentence with a hearty Southern accent, that would be great.)}

Outside of Gage's classroom, I always love to see his work.
Imagine my surprise when I read about myself on his "I am thankful..." assignment.

Now, when I first read it, I thought I read, "she is thankful for AIDS."
I thought, "WHAT THE F***????"
Um....yeah, let's take a closer look:

"Ads." As in, "coupons."
Awesome.
If you really know me, this is HILARIOUS.

Also in November, Gage got to be the "Star Student" for the week. He was sooo looking forward to it, because when you are the star student, you also get to be the teacher's helper for a week. Guess what Gage learned: being the helper sucks! Teachers do a lot of hard work & he's officially excluded that as a future career. He also now knows exactly which of his classmates pick up after themselves & which ones do not. The only highlight of being the helper: you get to use the pencil sharpener.

Gage's Star Student Poster {and yes, being the 'Proud Momma,' I am going to show it whole & then all the various parts... He only gets to be the star student in Kindergarten ONCE!}

So, my next post will be about Thanksgiving. With that, I will leave you with Gage's drawing of a turkey:

Bacon Donuts.

2011-12-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hubby, you should be so proud of me.
I tried something new today.

On the other hand---surely I could have tried something a bit healthier than a BACON DONUT!
{who comes up with this crazy stuff anyway!?}

Needless to say, I was in the minority & did NOT like it.
I don't like my meat sweet.
Bacon should be salty.
I don't drag it through syrup on its way to my mouth, and I don't want it atop a donut. Yucky.
I don't even like honey ham!
Meat should be salty, and donuts should be sweet.
I'm just saying.

...but at least I tried it.

Sex with Herman Cain? Ewwwww!

2011-12-02T09:20:00.001-08:00

December 1: World AIDS Day.

2011-12-01T01:53:00.000-08:00

Today is December 1st, World AIDS Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween....2011

2011-11-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it's no secret that my family likes Halloween. Around here, we all love it!

Life didn't used to be this way...
When Gage was little, he HATED Halloween. He HATED Trick-or-treating.
Now, we all LOVE Halloween!

Hubby loves having pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins.
While he was out of town on a business trip, Gage & I were put in charge of beefing up the outdoor Halloween decor. That was a task we could handle!!!

Clearly, we got Hubby a few pumpkins....

We also hit the costume aisle at Walmart where Gage had fun trying on some scary masks...

We texted those pics to Daddy, trying to startle him! Oh, the fun of little boys.

Ultimately, he decided to be an Army Commando, & nothing all THAT scary. Thank goodness! I'm not sure I'm ready for my baby to transition into scary. I'm just now making peace with all the camo & toy guns everywhere!

We had a neighborhood Halloween Party at the playground, and sadly we almost missed it. Mommy forgot about it, but luckily, Annabeth texted us & we were able to hit the party for about 30 minutes of fun with a few of his friends.
Gage being goofy & having fun at the Halloween gathering...

And then....Monday, Halloween was upon us. After work, and after dinner, our little soldier got dressed & was READY for Halloween!

The Casa de Lainey-Paney for Halloween, and our Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns...

It was a lot of fun. I stayed at home & passed out candy. I missed going about with Gage, so about 2/3 of the way through, Hubby switched places with me, and I got to take Gage around a bit.

Sadly, I didn't snap any pictures of the bats I had flying across the garage & front windows, or the scary graveyard scene that we put together in the front flowerbed. Gage picked out all kinds of creepy fencing, and headstones, and skulls & such. Such boy-type-scary stuff. He LOVES it all.

Can't wait to do it again next year...and next year, I'll take more pictures!

The Lost Tooth

2011-11-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

Well, these pics are a bit overdue.
Just after Gage's 6th birthday, he lost his first tooth.
It was wiggly & loose for a few days. One morning, he woke up, took a bath, and then when he came into my bathroom after his bath, I realized as he was talking to me that his little smile was different! The tooth was gone! I told him that his tooth was gone, and he was both excited & panicky. Where was the tooth!? We found it in the sheets of the bed. It fell out in the middle of the night. How lucky are we that we found it, and how lucky are we that it was very un-traumatic?? Very!

We were all set for go w/ the Tooth Fairy...
...until the night came.

Gage is not keen on any super hero, or fairytale character, or even Santa breaking into our home in the middle of the night, and he took particular dislike to the Tooth Fairy when he learned that not only does she come into your home while you sleep, but she comes into your room, and she reaches under your pillow... Yeah, that's about as far as that story went! He was out. Forget it. Didn't matter in that moment if she left him a brick of gold, or made all of his dreams come true. He wanted no part of that action.

And so....we used his cute little Tooth Fairy pillow, and hung it on his little corkboard.

...and miraculously, in the middle of the night, the Tooth Fairy must have come! He got 5 gold $1 coins in that itty-bitty-pillow pocket!
He came into our room in the middle of the night to share his excitement.
:)

(Sorry for the poor quality pictures: I took them with my iphone. Sorry for the delay in posting, but (1) I JUST NOW uploaded pics from my iphone, for the first time ever, and (2) CLEARLY I'm behind in blogging.)

Sniff*Sniff.....I'm Sick.

2011-11-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

UGH!

I'm sick.
I missed work on Friday.
I missed the opening of the Omni Hotel, where I was supposed to get to see family and look at some beautiful photography.
I missed the whole weekend!

I thought I had a cold.
Maybe I did.
Last week...
...but today, when I couldn't take it any longer, I went to an Urgent Care Clinic "in town."

I have bronchitis...

...and sinusitis.

I've been an icky yucky snot bucket.

But----today, I got a steroid shot, and had a breathing treatment at the urgent care center, and I feel so.much.better. I could run a marathon right now! {Okay, maybe I'm not feeling quite THAT well...but I am feeling much better.} The down side: I will probably wake up tomorrow feeling crummy again. {Boohoo!} We'll have to wait & see. For now, I'm sick, but energetic.

Know what else I am?
Sick of tv.
Sick of movies.
I've watched: Juno, The Change Up, Couples Retreat, Horrible Bosses, Judy Moody & The Not Bummer Summer (with Gage), Arthur...and I think that's it. TV shows? Too many to list. And, I've napped a ton, but seem to be wide awake *& coughing* in the middle of the night. Good times. At the urgent care clinic, they offered to give me something for cough that would help me sleep....Damn that codeine allergy!

And now comes the time where I have to 'kick my shouts out' to my hubby: Thank you for making me grilled cheese sandwiches, and thanks for making the loaded baked potato soup, and thanks for going to pick up my medicine "in town" when I didn't have the patience to wait for it. Thanks for getting me vegetables, and pears, and bananas, and the good OJ. Most of all, thanks for my cherub tomatoes. {You know, it's the little things...}

Summer 2011; I used to be hot.

2011-11-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

So, we haven't spent much time on the boat lately.... Well, since 4th of July weekend, actually.

Wanna see why?
Here's the lake.

Oh, and here's the other side.

Right at the marina, there's still water. There's still actually quite a bit of water in the lake as a whole, but there are trees growing out there, and sticking up out of the lake, and it's just....too low.

And now, it's time to winterize the boat & pull it out of the water.
Summer 2011 sure was a hot one...

He's so cool & I'm so lucky.

2011-11-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

I get to be his mom.
I'm so lucky.

The Pin Up Girl....

2011-11-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen.
I am the mother to a son.
He was BOUND to want to put the picture of a pretty girl on his wall.
So, let me tell you the story...

You know those trashy-tabloidy-magazines that they sell by the check out at the grocery store? I have a total weakness for those! {Yes, I want to know whose ass looks horrible in a swimsuit! Yes, I want the secret pictures of Jessica Simpson's baby bump! Inquiring minds want to know! I want to know! ....I'm a total sucker for that sh*t. It's my guilty pleasure.}

Anyway....

Gage saw one of my trashy-tabloidy-magazines lying around. He started telling me that sometimes he & R1 (neighbor kid) look at the boating catalogs and my magazines to see the pretty girls.

{My mental note: WHAT!? ALREADY!? I thought I had time. I thought this stuff wouldn't happen for a few more years. And, I thought your father would be here for this stuff! (He happened to be out of town at the time) On the other hand, it's amusing, and I was honored that he shared his secret boy stuff with me.}

So, I asked him who was the prettiest?
He grabbed the magazine, and flipped a few pages. You know who he said was the prettiest???

That's Suri Cruise.

What did he do with the picture?

Like I mentioned: it's on his wall.

Texas State Fair 2011

2011-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we went to the Texas State Fair.
I LOVE the Texas State Fair!

I have to say though, the older I get, the worse those spinny rides are. Hubby agrees. Next year, we will definitely get Gage to invite a little friend! He needs a friend to ride those spinny rides with him.

We had fun though.
So, here are some pictures!

This is Big Tex. Every year, he's erected in Fair Park where we have our fair, and he welcomes folks. "Howdy, folks! I'm Big Tex." It's awesome. He's freaky weird looking, but in a totally awesome way.
:)
We heard someone (not likely a Texan) come into the fair and say, "Oh look! A big cowboy!" It was so neat to me. It made me think: wow, I've grown up with Big Tex. He's an annual staple for me, but she was seeing him for the first time, and I just wondered what she thought. {Yeah...um....I stopped myself from asking her, though you all know that I wanted to...}

After that, it was off to the Midway to ride the rides!

They have you buy coupons for the rides. That way, they take the whole 'it-actually-cost-$5-per-person-to-ride-this-ride' out of it. You just buy the coupons & pay the designated # of coupons to ride, and then suddenly you realize you just spent $50 (or more!) on 5 rides.

Ugh! It's a super-spinny ride!

Gage loved the slide....

Gage won his first prize at the little carnival game section. He was so proud of himself! It took several tries....but, he was so proud of himself in the end.

{Oh, we took Gage for a haircut in the morning before we headed out to the fair. He opted for blue hair gel. Check it out. And the scrape on his face? Yeah, he fell on his school trip to the pumpkin patch. Poor kiddo.}

Gage took turns taking Mommy & Daddy on different rides. Daddy went with Gage into this one particular fun house.

At the end, wouldn't you know it: bubbles! Gage loved it.

While I was patiently waiting outside the fun house, I started to really look at the attraction, and I noticed some....ummm.....well, just creepiness!

First: the creepy-ass clown. Check it out.

And then----tell me, how appropriate is THIS scenario?

Ewwwwwwww!!!!

Gage was excited about going on a spinny roller coaster. It's a roller coaster, and it spins!? A total dream ride if you're a kiddo.

Poor Daddy. He was sooooo sick after that ride!
:(
....and it was time to go!!!!

Gage had a blast, and I'm glad we went. Next year, like I wrote earlier, he'll get to take a friend!

Kindergarten Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

2011-11-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

All of the kiddos in Gage's grade got to go on a school field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. They all wore matching jack-o-lantern shirts.

So, naturally the morning-of, I needed to snap a picture of my baby who just won't stop.growing.up!
But, what happened?
He posed, and posed, and posed.
"Take another one, Mommy."
Yes---on occasion, he wants to model for me.
And, I eat it up!

Sadly to report, Gage fell at the pumpkin patch & scraped up his face. Luckily, a classmate's Mommy there is a nurse and she took care of him. He said that she was so nice to him.
:)

Happy Anniversary!!!

2011-11-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

So, I've been married for 8 years....

Way back when....

Our engagement....
Damon proposed in Aruba.

funny story about that...we were walking on the beach, and we just kept walking, and walking...and walking. I was ready to go back, but he kept us going along the beach. Later he told me that he was going over what he was going to say in his head, but kept getting it wrong, so he just kept walking & going over it again & again. Finally, he stopped & got down on one knee. Just as he started the proposal, a party barge docked & started blaring "The Electric Slide" sooooooooooo loud. I could barely hear his words over the music. Anyway.... that was our proposal.

And here were our engagement announcement postcards....

After that....engagement pics...

(this one was taken on the porch of the building where we got married)

And, I lived in downtown Dallas when we met, and then we got a loft together downtown...so we had our engagement pics taken downtown.

And...we had wedding showers! (I felt like a total spazz being the center of attention & opening gifts. The attention part wasn't so bad, but I get completely freaked out about opening gifts in front of others....but, I have to say that having wedding showers & a baby shower has really helped w/ that whole fear thing. It's not so bad anymore, but I was completely freaked out at my first wedding shower!)

Of course, there was a bachelorette party....which included me being spanked by a random (& might I point out: older) man...

And lots of alcohol consumption...(who??? me????)

And...me, at the end of the night, modeling lingerie...over my clothes.

[there were also body shots off Mike Modano's chest...but I believe HUBBY destroyed those... Hey, Hubby...I still married YOU!]

And then...November 7th came.
It was a rainy, cold day.
I started the day @ Methodist Hospital checking on my Papa, and wouldn't you know it---I show up for a visit b/c I just knew they wouldn't let him out for my wedding. Well, I was wrong! Shortly after I got there, the doc came in & d/c'd him. Woohoo!

It was a busy day. I am sure I was a bitch...I don't remember. In fact, I don't ever remember telling Megan to get sugar b/c I was apparently certain that the caterer would forget. So, she says that I sent her to the store for sugar, and since I was not clear about cubes or granulated....I don't know, maybe she brought both.

I had to run back to the loft for something...and I remember that the last non-wedding song that I heard that day was "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith. Random memory, I know...

Before I knew it, it was dark...and wedding time. We were married on a Friday night at the Scottish Rite Cathedral downtown...(& like I said, it was rainy)

My dad walked me down the stairs, into the ballroom, & down the aisle...

We were married in the center of the ballroom with the guests & bridal party all around us. It was different, but perfect for us.

Mr. & Mrs.....

My fabulous super huge wedding cake...made by my mother!

I had fun & funky black feathers everywhere! In my hair, in my bouquet, on the cake, & in the floral arrangements...

I was sooooooooo tired by the end. And my hubby whisked me away! (Honestly, it was cold & wet. He ran down those stairs carrying me, and I was so afraid that he was going to drop me!)

...and then it was over.

We stayed that night @ the Adolphus downtown. We were so hungry...and the restaurant there was closed. Room Service was closed...or it was going to take a long time...something. I can't remember, but we ended up calling Mark (the best man) & he went to Whataburger for us. We ate Whataburger & crashed. Fun, huh?

:)

And now, it's been 8 years.
Happy Anniversary, Hubby!

So Much Eyelash....

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Conversation with my son:
Gage: "Mommy! There's this teacher, next door to Ms.P (his teacher), and I don't know her name, but she's so pretty."
Mommy: "Is it Ms.A?" (a teacher who is just as cute as she can be, and she's been out on maternity leave.)
Gage: "I don't know, but Mommy! She has so much eyelash, that she can hardly blink. She has to blink slooooow like this"
...and then of course he showed me a slow blink...
Gage: "Mommy! She's so pretty!"

It's so cute & funny the things he notices.

To my future daughter in law: my son WILL notice the small things. He will notice when you change your nailpolish color. He will notice if you wear mascara. Blink slowly. Apparently he likes that.
:)

FYI: I'm in St. Louis. Go RANGERS!!!

2011-10-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I'm in St. Louis. I'm the lone Ranger in a sea of Cardinals fans.

Tell you guys all about it later....
Hubby & Gage, Miss You Guys!!!!

Mamasita Update!!!

2011-10-21T03:36:00.000-07:00

Guess who's done?
My mamasita!

She didn't get to complete or finish out 12 sessions of chemo because it was just too hard on her body. That was the physician's call; not mom's. She still has some residual effects from the chemo, but we were venturing into territory where the side effects she was experiencing were the very rare ones, and may leave her permanently disabled or worse. So, it was decided that she would get no more after her oncologist conferred with other specialists, other oncologists, and neurologists.

So....that's that.

She's now had her follow up CT: clean & clear!
and the best news of all: She's had her follow up colonoscopy & it was perfect! No cancer, no polyps, no signs of cancer....Zero, Zip, Nada!
Hallelujah!!!!!!

I feel like it is done.
It's finished.
The residual is there...
But, it just feels like this is coming to a close, you know?

And she's looking soooo cute!

It's a birthday party! Gage: 6 years old.

2011-10-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

Gage had his party to celebrate turning 6.
It was great!

Who looked the best at Gage's party?
My Mamasita! {Y'all----really. How AMAZING does my mom look? She's like a human Betty Boop!}

(and yes, there is a Mamasita update coming soon. Promise! Needless to say, she's looking FABULOUS!)

Me & my 6 year old son....

My baby bowling...

More pics from the party...

The kiddos bowled for the first hour of the party. My goodness, it was so busy there bowling. With 20+ kids---I assure you, it was crazy. But----Gage LOVED it. He had so much fun!

After bowling, it was off to the party room for pizza, cake, & gifts.

After all that, the kiddos get gift cards for the arcade. This was Gage's FAVORITE part. He loves the arcade.

Trystan decided to ride the bull. It was pretty fun for him.

The party was great. Gage had a WONDERFUL time, and he got to have fun with his neighborhood friends and some of his friends from school, and his cousins. He was very happy about all of that.
I wish that we had a picture of all 3 of us together, though! We just failed to snap one.
:(

Happy Birthday, Sweet-Sweet-Sweet Boy! Mommy & Daddy love you beyond measure.
xoxoxoxox

Six.
I still can't believe it.

Happy Birthday, Baby! 9/23/2011

2011-10-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Our baby is 6.
Six years old.
I can just hardly believe it.

Gage chose a "Camo Bowling Party." Hmmmm.... Luckily, Shenaniganz offered the bowling, and Etsy offered custom camo bowling invites. Awesome.

Gage, on his actual birthday, after school, opening his gift from Mommy & Daddy!

The party prep...
These were the little favor bag goodies...

...and the little favor bags.

I worked on the little favor bags during the day when Gage was at school, and I was so lucky that I got to go to school and have lunch with him on his birthday. Yay! It was so cute and fun.

More party prep with Jessica, Cookie Extraordinaire!

And here's hubby...pretending that the cookies were horrible.
FYI: they were NOT horrible; they were delicious!

It was a good night.
Darnin & Aunt Tiffany & Trystan came in for the night.
The Nelsons came over for dinner too.
It was a good night.
:)

October 15th: Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

2011-10-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Missing you, Masyn.
Thinking of you today.
...I visited your tree...
We had our candle lighting ceremony,
& it always catches me off guard
the wave of sadness that comes over me...
...and I just wish it were different.
I'm so sorry.

San Diego Trip! Part 4 (Legoland)

2011-10-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

So, after the zoo, after Coronado Island, we went up to Carlsbad & checked into a resort out there at Legoland. Let me just tell you---having your own private entrance into the theme park---AWESOME! On the other hand---"ocean view" is a bit of a stretch if you ask me. The ocean is so far away from Carlsbad that I couldn't tell if I was looking at a far off mountain range or the ocean. I'm just sayin'.... Booking a few Texans into this room with the up-sale of an "ocean view" is crappy. But, whatever...the private entrance made up for it.

How much fun is this!?

Gage liked the log ride so much that he made each of us ride it. I could be mistaken, but I think that Gage made Daddy ride it twice.

Some fun posing...

Daddy & Gage played a fun racing game: police against the bank robbers, and firemen against the flames.
Needless to say, this dynamic duo won the race!

Gage got his little Lego Driver's License, and he was an AWESOME driver! He was so careful to stay on his side of the street, and stop at all the red stop lights. I was sooooo proud!

We had SUCH a great time at Legoland.
SUCH a great time.

I already can't WAIT to go back!

San Diego Trip: Part 3, Coronado Island

2011-10-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our San Diego trip included a visit to Coronado Island.

This is significant because it was a first for Gage.
Gage's first time to feel the ocean.
My baby was 5 years old before he saw the ocean & put his little toes in it. To say he loved it is such an understatement.

San Diego Trip! Part II {The Zoo!}

2011-10-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Friday morning, after checking out all of the ships, we headed to the zoo.

I have so many great zoo pictures. Oh my goodness, it's going to be hard to pick for this blog posting. Really, the zoo has soooo many animals, and we just love it there. So, here we go. I'll try...

Last time I went to the San Diego Zoo, the elephants were my favorite. This time---it was definitely the Polar Bear. He was playing with an empty water bottle right there in front of us. It was so fun to watch him. I loved it!

Name this snout...

If you guessed a hippo, you are correct.

Gage got his face painted like a white tiger. It was so cute! {for about 15 seconds}

{Parenting tip for those with kids younger than mine: do not let them paint your child's lips when they get their face painted. Why? they will lick it. It will taste bad. They will start to spit & drool. It will run down their chin & mess up the paint job. They will realize this & then begin to cry because their white tiger paint job is messed up. You will go into panic mode trying to get your kid not to cry and further mess up the white tiger paint job that your child just sat patiently to get. It becomes very akin to the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" type tale.}
In the end, the mini-crisis was short lived, but if we had it to do over again, we would have SKIPPED the face painting.

Moving on....

This Mouse House was pretty cool!

And here's the recipe {...you know, because I cook & all}.

Other zoo pics...

We got to watch them release a pretty pissed off Audrey the Porcupine back into her habitat & feed her treats. Audrey likes sweet potatoes.

It was such a fun-filled visit to the zoo!
We weren't even out of the zoo parking lot before we turned to the backseat & saw this....

...sweet boy! He was so tired...

San Diego Trip! Part I

2011-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Back in September, we took a trip to San Diego, and went to Coronado Island, & Legoland, & the San Diego Zoo. It was also Navy Fleet Week, so that was a lot of fun for Gage. It was a great trip!

Daddy had to go to California & Mexico for business. Gage & I flew out on a Thursday after work. Daddy picked us up at the airport, we got a rental car, and headed to eat dinner.

The next morning, we woke up & this was our view from the balcony of the hotel room:

We headed out the door to check out the ships!
{First up: USS Midway, for history, check out www.midwaysailor.com}

{Star of India; for history, check out http://www.sdmaritime.org/star-of-india/}

Gage & I actually wanted to see the sights in one of these...

...from here...

But, it wasn't meant to be. They weren't yet open, and they only seat two people...and we weren't super familiar with California car seat laws to see if it was even legal....Lord knows it probably wasn't super safe, but it looked like fun!

One thing that was awesome that morning: we met a Military Police soldier/cop guy with the K-9 unit. All of Gage's things wrapped up into one profession! I didn't even know that was a job, but it is, and Gage was in AWE.

After that---we were off to the zoo!
That concludes part I of the San Diego Trip.
I'll have to post the zoo pics another time.
:)

Where the F*CK is my TIARA????

2011-10-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Series of texts from today, between me & J:

J: "How's Gage?"
{why? because he's been running fever for 3 days now, and it's my turn to stay home w/ him while he's sick this time.}
Me: "Still has fever. Dr.appointment tomorrow. We both have cabin fever and a vet appt in about 20 minutes to see what's up with the dog's ass. A day in the life of a suburban pricess I tell ya...."
J: "It could be worse; the dog cld have fever and something be wrong with Gage's ass!"

She's so right.

This & That, Slacker-Ella-Style.

2011-09-30T14:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, so....things I need to blog about:

Going to San Diego & Coronado Island....the zoo...and Legoland....

My baby turning SIX! SIX YEARS OLD! I can hardly believe it. And I need to blog about his party.

Gage losing his first TOOTH!...& the Tooth Fairy coming...

Yes, I need to.
I've been busy.
...and tired.
Forgive me.

Hello, Camo.

2011-09-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

So, I've mentioned previously how busy I was....painting CAMO.
Here's the finished product.
And yes, I hate camo, and the child loves it.
Whatever. It's his room.
And I don't intend to repaint it for 10 years...or more.
I'm just saying....

(if you are wondering what's hanging down between the beds---it's a camo netting straight from the army/navy store. Gage loves it.)

His name...that's been in his nursery since before he was born, and then in his rooms ever since...

And the room is only complete with his little handprint...because right now, he's 5, and it's perfect.

Neeless to say, he loves it.

Pretty soon....

2011-09-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon, we'll be getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy.
I just know it.
Yesterday, I saw one of Gage's bottom front teeth pointing straight at me. As in, straight forward, rather than pointing up.
Ohmygoodness! It was soooooo freaky!
His little gums there are so swollen & he said that the area is tender.
He was all excited about it yesterday. Not ready to pull it out or anything, but excited.

This morning: he is NOT excited and he began FREAKING OUT on the way to school about the prospect of the tooth actually coming out. He's convinced that ALL of his teeth will fall out and he won't be able to eat anything: most specifically, Rice Krispie Treats. I assured him that when the teeth fall out, 'Big Boy Teeth' grown in their place. I showed him my teeth, and promised that all my baby teeth fell out, and God gave me 'Grown Up Teeth' so that I can chew.

He left for school unconvinced.

Regardless, I think that when the actual even happens, he'll be excited. I told Hubby that we better hit the ATM!

Of course going through this with our son made me think about losing my own teeth as a child. I had a tooth fairy pillow that I just loved. It was shaped like a little bonnet. It was white with red flowers on it. I still have it in a box in my closet.
:)
Once upon a time, I lost a tooth in Houston when I was visiting my Aunt Nell & Uncle Mac. I dropped the tooth down the sink and lost it. Well, that's a bit of an understatment...I lost the tooth and I LOST.IT. I was crying & throwing a fit until my uncle took apart all of the plumbing under the sink and got my tooth. {What a GREAT uncle, right???} And then----I left the tooth under my pillow and you know what? She left me more money than if I'd lost the tooth at home! I was just convinced that kids in Houston routinely got more $$ for their teeth. I was ready to move to Houston!

Which brings me to a question: How much is the tooth fairy doling out these days for kiddie teeth???

Happy Birthday, Tiff!

2011-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello, Shiny New Car!

2011-09-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

I got a new car.
It's shiny, and new, and I love it.

:)
(and yes, it looks like that, without the European plates & amazing backdrop.)

2, 4, 6, & 8.

2011-09-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Sept.6th.
It's the 6 year anniversary since Riley's death.
He was 2 years, 2 months, & 4 days old on the day that he died.
Right now, he would be 8 years old.
Eight.

I have no doubt that he would still have blonde hair, only made brighter each Summer by the sun.

I have no doubt that he would be just as sweet as he was when he was little. Such a curious little spirit with a sweet and cuddly soul.

I'm sure he's finally seen the ocean, and I'm sure he loves it...

I know that many readers know Riley's story, his short little life and the tragic way he died. For those that don't know, he died in a hot car. He got outside during a family naptime, and accidentally locked himself in the car in the driveway.

Over the last 6 years, there's been a lot of grief over his death, but there has also been some healing. In particular, my sister just recently made her first public appearance at a press conference to tell Riley's story and discuss the dangers relating to child safety while in and around cars. I am so very proud of her. I was so worried that this would unstitch some healed wounds, and on a certain level, I'm sure it did. In the end---she was poised and able to speak about his short life, his death, and raise awareness about this issue. I truly can't say how proud of her we all were, and seeing the clips on the news was just wonderful. It's not wonderful that she had to be there, had to tell the story, or that the situation happened---but it makes us feel productive toward change in education about the dangers. If you can find a sliver of progress in this arena, it makes the grief and the details about his death just a little more bearable...as if talking about it may make a difference and possibly save the life of another child out there in this world, whose parents may not have thought about this little detail or that little detail...

like these:
---locking your car doors, even if your car is in the garage or driveway.
---power seats that move even when your car is not turned on. They've caused child deaths already from strangulation/suffocation. Who knew??? I certainly didn't until I started researching all this after Riley's death. Do your power seats move even when your car isn't on? Another reason to lock those car doors.
---teach your older children to tell an adult when/if they see a child alone in a car! This is one of the hardest details about Riley's death: some older children saw him in the car in the driveway, alone & crying. They didn't tell anyone. They didn't tell anyone because they didn't know that it was dangerous. They didn't realize that a short while later, he would fall asleep from the heat and exhaustion, and die.

Riley,
Oh, sweet boy. I would give just about anything for one more hug, one more time to hear your little voice calling me "Nana," one more sniff of your sweaty little boy head after playing hard, and one more kiss on those little busy, dimpled hands of yours. Your short life taught me so much. You have no idea how much you taught me. Your absence has taught me to appreciate even the most mischevious moments in my child, and to treasure our memories....to MAKE more memories.

You probably already know this about your Nana, but I'm a bit of a nut with the camera. You are part of the reason for that. When we lost you, we lost your future and all that you would become. We had all of you that we would ever get, and no more. I just wanted more, and somehow believed that if I had just taken more pictures I would somehow get to keep you longer. Memories fade and memories fail. And so I go on, snapping away picture after picture of my own son, secretly terrified that something could happen to him and I'd lose the memory of the moment. It's silly, I know. I challenge myself at times to put the camera down and just be wholly present in the moment: to taste it, to smell it, to hear it, and to feel it. It's hard for me. I've held on tightly to the thought that pictures would keep all my memories for me, and it's just not true. So, that's a little something that I'm working on.

You'd be 8 now. EIGHT. My goodness! Oh, the things you'd be doing. You'd be reading and writing and riding a bike. You'd be wrapped up in a love/hate relationship with Trystan, I just know it. You'd fight over this toy or that gadget...whose turn is it to pick a tv show...typical brother stuff. But you'd love him. You'd definitely be two very active peas in a pod!

I miss you, sweet boy.
...and we're trying to make a difference.

Watch over me daily, and help me live the kind of life that will get me to where you are.
xoxo,
Nana

Savoring the small things....

2011-08-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

Today was quite a day....for me.
Gage seemed to do just fine.
Me? I cried more than I expected to.
Really.

I truly didn't expect to cry.
Wedding day: thought I'd cry. I didn't.
Gage's birth: thought I'd cry. I didn't.
First day of Kindergarten: thought I wouldn't cry. I did.

The crying began on Sunday, when I sat in the living room, sharpening Gage's #2 pencils. You know---the required #2 pencils. They do not come sharpened, so I had to sharpen them. My mind just started thinking about his little hands, holding those pencils that I sharpened for him, and writing letters, and building words, and then I was crying. He's just growing up so fast.

Monday morning came. I was fine.
Gage told me on Sunday night that he wanted bacon & pancakes for breakfast. What Baby wants, Baby gets. So, there I was at 6am about to cook up this big ol' breakfast. For those of you who really know me----this is a monumental task that I was ready & willing to do for this child. He woke up, and his tummy was "yuck." This coming from the kid who previously told me that he was NOT going to school. When I assured him that he was & that I was going to bring him to school on August 22nd, just like all of the other boys & girls, he promptly informed me, "Well, I won't get out of the car." {I thought to myself: Great. I'm going to be THAT mother who uses her foot to slide the wee-one out of the car and then peeeeeeels out of the school parking lot, letting the door slam as I go. That's my future.} Anyhow...my initial reaction to his "tummy is yuck" comment was to think: Oh, here we go. He's going to pull that 'I'm sick, I can't go to school routine.' And then I thought a bit more about it, and I truly believe that it was just nerves. He was nervous! He refused to eat anything for breakfast, & so there it was: I was THAT mother who sent her kid to school with no breakfast. {...if you haven't noticed, THAT mother's a real f*ck up.}

Gage agreed to drink some chocolate milk for me.
He took his vitamins & took a bath.

He was ready to go & so was I.
...or so I thought.

Pictures from our morning...

And then we left for school.
I teared up driving down our street, but I didn't really cry.

We drive to the school. I park the car. We get out. We get the backpack, the lunchbox, the water bottle, the supplies, and the camera. Gage agreed to let me take a picture of him at his desk. I was consciously aware of the fact that his agreement with this will not last for years to come. As long as I can still get away with it, I'm going to.

So, we approach the school, which to me suddenly looks HUGE. My baby? He suddenly looks SO.SMALL. Like the school is going to somehow lose him. It's going to gobble him up.

We get to the door.
Super-Energetic-Greeter-Guy is at the door. He's probably a teacher or coach or something. I dunno. I'm new here. He's wearing a badge {not that I read it because hey, we've clearly identified me as THAT mother} and a school shirt, so he must belong, right?
"Hey man! Are you super excited about starting school!?!" (you could practically see him fighting back the urge to pull some air guitar moves.)
Gage:
{that above space: intentionally left blank. fill it with silence.}
Now addressing me, "What? Isn't he excited?"
Me: "Not as excited as you are."

And then we moved right along into the building.
And that's when it happened. My sweet & savory moment. This huge moment that just HIT me, and it was so sweet, and so subtle, and I just want to remember it forever.

We entered this hallway, where I swear the walls were five times taller than my child. We found ourselves in a sea of shiny white sneakers. Gage switched his lunchbox from his right hand to his left, and he reached for my hand. He was quiet, and looking ahead, but he reached for me. He suddenly seemed so small and vulnerable in this huge elementary school, and he reached for me. He needed me. And in a split second, I looked down at that little hand in mine, and I thought back to the day he was born: he had little-old-man-hands. He wasn't born with those fat fingers. Those little dents that go in at the knuckles on baby hands? No. Not him. He had these long, skinny, old man wrinkly hands, and they were just Gage. Just perfect. So tiny, and yet, so perfectly formed. And now his hands are so much bigger and just so different...so....'little boy.' But, he took my hand, and he led me down the hall directly to his classroom. He knew where he was supposed to go, and when we got there, he let go of my hand. He opened his locker and got right to work unloading supplies, putting away his lunch and finding his seat.

Gage & his teacher, Ms.P

He allowed a photo.
He allowed a hug.
He did not allow a kiss.
None of that matters because the best part of my day was when he reached for my hand, and I was there. I just want to savor every moment of it.
After our 'goodbye,' I walked down the hall out of the building. I walked to my car which was hard to find though mascara & tears. I was suddenly overwhelmed myself with these emotions that I didn't expect to have. I was just in awe of this small hand-holding moment, when I knew that Gage needed me to help him navigate the unfamiliar, he trusted me, and I was wholly present in that moment to soak it all in. I am just so appreciative of this memory.

Gagie, I love you beyond measure.
xoxo,
Mommy

Already?

2011-08-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

This little boy starts kindergarten tomorrow.
I can't believe it.
Wish us all luck.

4th of July, Part 6.

2011-08-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

After all these posts, you are probably thinking that 4th of July was like the holiday that wouldn't end, right??? Well, lucky us because it really was a long, fun-filled weekend!

We went out on the boat 4th of July night, and took Chris with us.
The down side? The marina was COMPLETELY out of gas!
We didn't take gas with us because we thought we'd be able to fill up the boat at the marina. Stupid, stupid, stupid! So, I drive to the gas station to buy a gas tank & some gas. It was almost $15 for a gas tank that wouldn't hold $15 worth of gas! Ummm....no thanks.

So, we just had to limit our lake-touring-tube-pulling fun.
There was a little tubing, a lot of swimming, and the night ended with fireworks. I'd say it was a hit!

Pics from the afternoon & evening....

And now....pictures of fireworks.
I have to say, the pics are not nearly as good as the real thing, but for some reason---I can't help myself. I take pictures of them....

And THAT was the end of 4th of July 2011.

4th of July, Part 5.

2011-08-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

..................................................................
After the golf cart parade, we were invited to celebrate our friend Trey's birthday at his house. Little 4th of July baby! Ok...well, he's a grown man, but once upon a time he was a 4th of July baby!

My goodness, it was hot, but so much fun!!!

Trey & his beautiful wife, Annabeth...

Other pics from the party...

Oh, it was a good time!
After the party, we went home & rested up for the evening....

4th of July Weekend, Continued! (Part 4)

2011-08-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Why, yes, this post is LONG overdue!

Every year, since Gage was a baby, we've gone to the little parade at the in-law's neighborhood. It's a celebratory golf cart parade for 4th of July. This year, Hubby's nephew, Chris joined us, along with Memaw & PaPa. Gage loves it because it means he always gets a bunch of candy. Good times.

It's always a fun time. Gage loves it.
Afterward, we went to Memaw's & Gage had fun playing with Chris & Memaw's dog, Happy.

It was a fun morning!

So ready....

2011-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

...Ok, I've been a bad, bad, blogger!
Let me tell you: we are in the midst of painting Gage's room CAMO. It's labor-intensive & I'm a man down. That's right. Hubby's got tendonitis which means he is no help w/ regard to the task HE started.

I forgive him though.

I'm just READY for it to be DONE.

In the meantime, I am counting down the days until our vacation (ok, long weekend) HERE....

and here....

and here....

and here...

I need a vacation!!!!!
I'm just sayin'....

AND, ANOTHER THING!

2011-08-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Since I've recently posted about kid toy manufacturers:
"Now with 250 pieces!"
Sh*t like that printed on a box: Not so much of a selling point to THIS Little Mama. You print that on a package, and my brain deciphers it as "250 little things that you will probably step on, have to pick up yourself, and 1/2 of them will be lost in the first week, only to be found one at a time over the next 10 years" (& sometimes the abbreviated version of "You'll be picking this sh*t up for years").

I'm just sayin'....

And I also happen to believe that Legos should be made of metal, so that I can just run a hefty magnet over the carpet & general baseboard area of the playroom to gather them.
Just an idea....
...of course, then the mean little metal corners flying accross the room to the magnet...well, that's probably gonna hurt someone {me!} and I'd likely insist on a product recall...

What I think: Not that you care.

2011-08-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here's an email that I got from Fisher Price:

Voluntary Recall Information
Dear Fisher-Price Parents & Grandparents,

As a valued member of our email program, we’re contacting you directly with important information you may need to know. We’re voluntarily recalling the Little People® Builders Load ’n Go Wagon, in cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. We need to modify the wagon’s handle because children may be injured if they fall on it.

The affected wagon has a yellow handle and a Little People Builders decal on the side. You’ll find the product number – P8977 – on the underside of the wagon.

Your child’s safety is our top priority. Because of our ongoing commitment to listening to consumer feedback and evaluating all of our products, we determined this corrective action was necessary.

If you have this product in your home, please stop using it and go to www.service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp for assistance from our Consumer Relations Team and detailed information about how to order a free repair kit, or call Fisher-Price at 1-800-432-5437, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., E.T.

We’re committed to working hard to earn your continued support.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Fisher-Price

* * * * * * *

Now, the part I particularly feel drawn to comment on: "because children may be injured if they fall on it." Really? You recall it because of that?
Gage has a rake designed for kid-use. I can assure you, we'd all get injured if we fell on it.
I commend Fisher Price in general for making toys that are attractive to kids: the annoying bright colors, brigt lights, blaring songs/sounds/noise that they make... And I commend their commitment to child safety.
I just happen to think that at times, things like product recalls because kids can fall on the item and that may hurt...well, I think it's kind of silly. Kids are going to fall.

The number one thing that's marketed to children & hurts like hell when you fall on them, step on them, swallow them, or are unfortunate enough to have thrown at you:

Jacks.
To the best of my knowledge, those little f*ckers haven't been recalled.

I'm just sayin'....

Good Morning, Carol & Carol.

2011-08-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Carol & Carol (coworkers at my old job, who I miss sooooo much!). They scolded me for not posting a picture of the shoes. I will do that. I've just been soooo busy!

So anyway....this morning, I'm "kickin' my shouts out" to my old morning crew: HEEEEEEEY!

When I googled the phrase "Good Morning Carol," the above picture came up. So Carols---Good Morning. This Bug's For You!

:)

4th of July Weekend...Part Three

2011-08-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

We didn't boat EVERY day. We mixed it up a bit, but with this Texas heat, we had to incorporate water into the daily activities of the little ones. So, there was a lot of slippin' & slidin'. The boys had a BLAST!

And water in my weekend? Yes, I'll have mine frozen in a margarita. ...as I 'help' Jessica decorate holiday cookies. Needless to say, when she opens her own bakery some day, I will NOT earn the position of a job in the kitchen area.

If you can't tell by the photo---I was already tired.

4th of July Weekend....part Two.

2011-08-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning called for more boating, right?
Boating requires a trip to the Bass Pro Shop, right?
{Ok, maybe not, but I LOVE the Bass Pro Shop so I try to work a trip in whenever I can. It's very odd that I would love that place....but I do. I love it.}

And clearly, the little ones love the place too.

If you haven't been to the Bass Pro Shop out here, they have this outdoor sandy area where the kids can play. I love that place too. Hubby doesn't have a lot of patience out there. It's sandy, it's hot, and it's not fun for him. But, that's okay. These guys LOVED it.

After that---tubing on the new tube.

Until the sun went down....

And then we headed home.
The fun photo?
Mommy's wind-blown boat hair.
AAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHH!

{Yes, I am a fearless woman to post that picture on the internet. I don't care. I am who I am.}

So, that was 4th of July Weekend, Part Two. I'm telling you---we packed a LOT of fun into one holiday weekend. I still have so much more to blog about! And with blogging, I'm about a month behind. Ugh.... I'll catch up, I promise. I promise!

Happy Birthday To Me! {Late}

2011-08-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes, for my birthday, I got an AMAZING Nikon camera that I LOVE. (thank you, Hubby!)
Know what else I got?
Some Jimmy Choo Shoes from my Mamasita & PawPaw!
Yaaaay me!

They are black & strappy & super cute!
Know where I wore them?

To the doctor's office with Mamasita.
To see.... Mom's Oncologist, Dr.W.

And on 8/9, I will be going with Mom to ring "THE" bell. The Celebratory Bell. The End-of-Chemo-Bell.
Yaaaaay!

:)
All good things.

4th of July Weekend...Well, the Friday Before...

2011-07-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was a loooong weekend.
On the Friday night before, we went out on the boat with J,J,R&R.
:)

{Now, I promise you (especially you, Mom) that it was NOT as dark in real-life as it appears in these pictures. No, we would not be swimming off the back of the boat at night, in the dark, on a holiday weekend. Remember---the camera is new. I'm still figuring out how to work things. The camera came with this thing called an 'Owners Manual'....but it's really long, and I've been reeeeaally busy, mmmmkay?}

And how did our evening end?
With fireworks, of course.

...if you've never been on the water to see fireworks....well, I'd put it on your bucket list. It's something to do at least once in your life. Maybe it's overrated for some. Not for me. The bright lights in the sky reflecting off the water....it's wonderful. Just wonderful. I love fireworks to begin with, so to see the fireworks and their reflection on the water is just like TWICE the show. It's great.

And some day, I want to see fireworks over the Hudson River.
It may be bigger and better in my mind than it is in reality, but I'd like to be the judge of that.

How To Eat A Cupcake, by: Little Boy, B.

2011-07-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

The following series of pictures
really needs no narrative.

Happy Birthday, Baby R!

2011-07-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....lots of birthdays for little ones.
What can I say? Our lives are rich with the blessings of friendship!

So, Little R {aka: R2} turned TWO!

He loves Mickey Mouse {"MowMow"...or "MawMaw"....I can hear him say it in my head, but I have no idea how to translate that into the typed word}.

I will happily share some pics of our friends & pics from the party.

Tough Boy, T:

Gage, being super-fly.

Sweet Boy, B!

H, looking super cool in his towel. {I LOVE those hoodie towels!}

E, saying "cheeeeeeeese!"

Baby J!

And NOW, FINALLY, pictures of the birthday boy!

Other pics from the pool party....

The kiddos enjoyed cupcakes & Capri Suns. YUM!

It was a great time!
Happy Birthday, R2!

My Snowdrop Baby....

2011-07-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Little Snowdrop
The world may never notice
If a Snowdrop doesn't bloom,
Or even pause to wonder
If the petals fall too soon.
But every life that ever forms,
Or ever comes to be,
Touches the world in some small way
For all eternity.
The little one we long for
Was swiftly here and gone.
But the love that was then planted
Is a light that still shines on.
And though our arms are empty,
Our hearts know what to do.
Every beating of our hearts
Says of our love for you.
~ Author Unknown

Today's my Miss-You-Masyn day.
I don't need a special day to miss all that Masyn would have been. It's just, an anniversary. A date. You know it's coming, and then it's here. You go about your day trying to put it in the back of your mind, but you write down the date, and you know what it means. You can't stop your mind from travelling back in time, and remembering every moment.

Now, while I hate to taint anything relating to Masyn, I feel the need to complain today.
A male coworker entered work today, and announced that his wife is pregnant.
And then he began to b*tch about it.
Really?
And to refer to this child as "The Nuva-Ring Baby" and somewhere in the midst of his bitch-fest he said, "I don't want another baby."
I was rather shocked by my own reaction.
I said nothing.
My eyes did not well up with tears.
Rather, my face {probably red} began to just burn. I felt like I was on fire. I just wanted to scream and tell him that he doesn't deserve a baby!
....and yet, somehow, the next thing that came over me was this weird awareness and self-advice that I wasn't expecting... "This isn't about me. This has nothing to do with me. He has no idea what today is. Getting mad won't bring my baby back." I have no idea how many times I mentally repeated that to myself while I just stared at the computer screen with my back to the gathered "congratulatory" crowd. Finally I snapped to, and got back to work.

I kept busy all day and just avoided the anniversary part of the day. And here I sit, now, blogging about all this. Why? Because I feel compelled to. I feel compelled to somehow acknowledge the day because deep down I feel guilty for my real feelings this year: I just wanted today to come & go. Come & pass quickly. And I feel guilty about that. I know that it's probably a healthy part of the grieving process. I know that it likely means progress in that arena of my life. But, it feels like it should be wrong.

Mom Update!

2011-07-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

.............Yes, it's been a while.

But guess what?
We've reached the end.
That's right.
It's really a mixed blessing.
Why?
Well, because Mom didn't get all of her chemos in. They just stopped her treatment. She can't have any more.
See why it's mixed?
On the one hand----WooHoo! We're done. We can move on. She doesn't have to go through this any longer! I'll get my mom back. PawPaw will get his wife back, and hey---she's already getting her hair back!

On the other hand---they stopped her treatment.
They STOPPED her treatment.
That's just....frightening.

Why did they stop her treatment?
Well, remember way back when I mentioned this freaky-deaky-ultra-rare genetic marker that made her hypersensitive to the 5-Fu? Well...that's still there. But that's not the stopper this time. She's now having signs of toxicity to what I call the 'booster' drug that goes with the 5-Fu.

They don't want to keep going with treatment because they don't want the cancer treatment to kill her or leave her disabled.

At this point, she may very well be cancer free. We don't know. We won't know unless it comes back. Did the chemo work? Did going through chemo do its job and decrease mom's chances of having a recurrence? God, we hope so. We don't know, and won't know with any degree of certainty, but we hope so.

Will the signs of toxicity to this booster drug go away? We've asked this question. We asked this at the last oncologist appointment when I was with Mom. "It may get worse before it gets better." Um, yeah, it has. But----maybe this is as bad as its going to get. Or is it? What does "worse" look like? What makes all this go away, other than time? We don't know.

There are so many questions. There are so many unknowns. It's frustrating. It's very easy to take it out on the oncologist & direct your anger and frustration at them, but I just remind myself of a few things: (1) My mom has got some freaky-deaky-ass genes...she's stood on the banks of uncharted territory where few have gone before her w/ regard to all of her "complications" on this journey, and (2)they are just doctors. Doctors. They did not design the human body, nor has any human being totally mastered it. Technology & science can only tell us so much. We are learning more about the human body every day. It was designed by God, not man. We are doing our best to understand it.

So, in the end, I am grateful that this is the end of it. Just grateful. I'm frightened by what it may mean for the future, but any recurrence is not certain. What's that phrase about not worrying about tomorrow? Not borrowing trouble? Clearly those cliches didn't stick with me. I'm somewhat of a worrier.

So, I'm trying to focus on the positive. She's done. She doesn't have to do this any more. She's not going to feel sick all the time. She's going to have more energy. She's fabulous, and she's mine, and I'm getting her back.
:)

Busy Weekend, Party #2: Happy Birthday, B!

2011-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Courtney's daughter, B, had a birthday party on the same day at the same time as Aubri, so we hit the first 1/2 of Aubri's party, and then headed to B's party to catch the last bit of her party.

We did all this, and then I had to be at work at 4! It was a busy day!

Pics from B's birthday...

The cake was rainbow inside. It looked so amazing! Way to go, Courtney.
:)

SOMEONE fell asleep in the car on the way from party #1 to party #2, and was not in the partying spirit at B's birthday....

B's party was at a local gymnastics gym, so the kids had a lot of fun!

We weren't there very long, but we were certainly glad we got to go!

Party Pics...

2011-07-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

One weekend, we had a super-busy birthday party weekend. Gage had two parties to attend, back-to-back, and then I had to be at work at 4. It was a whirlwind!

So, party #1: Happy Birthday, Aubri!

It was at Pump It Up in Dallas, and it was SOOOOO good to see my Dallas Mommy Friends.
:)

Mommy Loves a CLEAN Boy...

2011-07-06T18:54:00.001-07:00

He's growing up...So very fast...

Houston, We've Had Another One!

2011-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, pardon the blurry pics, but I didn't want to get TOO close, so I was trying to zoom in from far away. EWWWWWW! And, yes, that's a black widow.

Thank you Hubby for coming to the rescue!

Been to a Dove Chocolate Party?

2011-07-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have.

Courtney, our neighbor, hosted a Dove Chocolate Party. YUM!
Some pics from the party....

We drank THESE:

(Some kind of oreo martini, and they were FABULOUS!)

So, if you get invited to one, go. Drink the oreo martinis.
I'm just sayin'....

Firestone Folly

2011-07-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

Just keep this in mind as you read the following story:

syn·thet·ic
adj.
1. Relating to, involving, or of the nature of synthesis.
2. Chemistry Produced by synthesis, especially not of natural origin.
3. a. Not natural or genuine; artificial or contrived: "counterfeit rhetoric that flourishes when passions are synthetic" (George F. Will).
b. Prepared or made artificially: synthetic leather. See Synonyms at artificial.
4. Linguistics Relating to or being a language, such as Latin or Russian, that uses inflectional affixes to express syntactic relationships.
5. Logic & Philosophy Relating to or being a proposition that attributes to a subject a predicate not inherent in the subject and that does not result in a contradiction if negated.

So, on Saturday, I took my car to Firestone for an oil change.
I was taking some initiative...tending to something that I've for years mentally categorized as 'man work.'

Well, of course, little ol' me ends up being the talk of Firestone that day {and probaby for several days after}....

FSM = Firestone Man.

Conversation at the Firestone:
FSM: "Is that a 2.5 or 3.0?"
Me: "A 2.5 or 3.0 WHAT?"
FSM: "Engine."
Me: "It's silver."
FSM: "Not the car, the engine."
Me: "Yeah, it's silver." {Because hello---my car's not silver. It's more of a gun-metal gray. I bet you call khaki things "brown" too, don't you? Stupid man.}
FSM: "I'll just go take a look."
Me: I said nothing, but mentally I'm thinking, 'I already flippin' told you it's silver.'
Anyhow...the whole 2.5 or 3.0 has to do with size or something.

FSM: "Have you been here before?"
Me: "I haven't. Maybe my car has, but I haven't."
FSM---he starts looking it up in the computer. My name of course turns up nothing, but my husband's name pops up with something. He's waiting for the screen to load...

FSM: "Now, on the oil change do you want the...blah blah blah....or full synthetic?"
Me: "I don't want the synthetic. I want real oil."
FSM: "What?"
Me: "Synthetic sounds fake. I want REAL oil."
He laughed.
Me: "Really. I don't want synthetic hair, or synthetic food, or synthetic leather. It's all fake."

Screened popped up, and apparently my car HAD been there before, and of course it showed that my husband got the oil change with full synthetic.
Apparently the synthetic is better for the car, and I just told the guy, "Well, if that's what he got before, let's just do that again."

So, it was his first time to ever hear of anyone referring to the full synthetic oil change as using "fake oil."

So, if you see me driving around town, just know that I'm sittin' there hoping that nobody can tell the difference between the real deal & my "fake oil!"

Kickin' My Shouts Out.

2011-06-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

{Hey, it's just like you're listening to a ghetto-fabulous radio station, circa 1995!}

Anyway... I have some shouts to kick out. I'm just sayin'....

To "The Real Housewives of Wisteria Lane" (a.k.a. the uthah muthahs on my street):

MY LEGS HURT!
MY CALVES HURT SOOOO BAD.
NO, BOOT CAMP WAS *NOT* A GOOD IDEA.
WTF HAPPENED? I FELT FINE YESTERDAY & LAST NIGHT.
TODAY? MY CALF MUSCLES FEEL SORE & TIGHT, AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE HALF AS LONG AS THEY PROBABLY SHOULD BE. WHOSE FREAKIN' IDEA WAS BOOT CAMP?

To Tera, Leslie, & Pam, regarding our GIRLS NIGHT OUT last night:
I was going to google a cool picture or clip art to post with this.
Guess what?
Ever google images for "Girls Night Out"?
Hmph. Not the kind of stuff I intended to post on the blog.
Hey---no wonder some of the guys get nervous when you mention "girls night out." We thought they were sweating the single-parenting for one night. Apparently they've already googled the subject & they are afraid that we gals may re-create some of the raunchy "girls night out" garb that's posted on the web.
Guess what else?
Googling images for "moms getting together" didn't return any better results!
There are some sick & twisted suckers out there. {No, literally, that may have been one of the images that burned my eyeballs when I googled moms getting together. I'm not entirely sure WHAT I was looking at, okay?}

So, for the Campisi's Crew from last night, here is the only clean & relatively related image I could find:

Ladies---I had SOOOOO much fun last night. I didn't get home until 11 because of construction on the highway...but whatever. It was worth it.

Showtime? Yes, Please.

2011-06-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

So, "The Big C" Season 2 comes on tonight.
Yeah, about that....
We cancelled Showtime when Dexter ended last time.
Today, I had to call & add it back.
Why? Because the two shows we wanted were Dexter & The Big C.
I am so excited about this show coming back! Yaaaay!
....now if Dexter would start again, I'd be sooo happy!!!!

Shenaniganz Birthday Party!

2011-06-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Gage's friend and neighbor, R, turned 6!
{Big R & little R are brothers, and so I think I'm going to have to start calling them R1 & R2. I'm just sayin'....}

So, R1 turned 6!
He had a Lazer Tag Party at Shenaniganz. Oh, that place was SO much fun! It's this indoor entertainment area that has bowling, lazer tag, mini-golf, arcade games...food, & fun!

Here are some pics from the party....

The birthday boy & his mommy...

Everyone got to sign a keepsake shirt for the birthday boy...

Gage & H...

Okay, so my pics in the lazer tag room didn't turn out so well. It's all dark and filled with bright paint that illuminates under these black lights. I swear there was a smoke machine too. It was waaaaay cool for the kids. And I'm sooooo ready to go back & play a round with us adults too. It looked like soooo much fun!

We sang to R1, and the kids all got to decorate their own cupcakes.

Yummy cupcakes...gifts....

"Hmmmm....what shall I open next?"

"THIS!"

After all that, it was off to the arcade games....

It was a great time & a great party.
:)

That's Just Beachy....

2011-06-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

................................................................................................
One night, Hubby made plans to take the neighbors to the lake.
Okay, Okay, he didn't really have to twist any arms to get us all to agree to go!

FINALLY the weather was such that we could venture over to the choppier side of the lake & visit the beachy area.
Yaaaay!

It was a good night.
The boys didn't last nearly as long as we thought they would....but then again, it was a Friday night. It's not like they got to sleep in that morning!
We packed up to go, loaded up, and all three of the boys were asleep in our arms before we got back to the marina.
Sweet boys!

:)

Little E Turns TWO!

2011-06-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our friend & neighbor, E, had his 2nd birthday party recently. Oh, the kids had a blast! It was a Buzz Lightyear Party! Well, Toy Story party. Buzz was the star of the cake...

The kids had a blast in the bounce house!
The birthday boy...

And some friends, catching air in the bounce house...

More party pics, more friends...

Little E even had face painting at his party!

The opening of gifts...oh, it was a whirlwind!
Hit attention span went back and forth. One second he was not interested in gifts at all, and then a second later you couldn't pull him away from one thing to open another gift. Typical 2 year old!

But, his pretty mama helped him so much! She probably never knew that opening gifts at a 2 year old's birthday could be such hard work!

I can tell ya this: little E sat still for cake & ice cream. YUM!

The Real Housewives of Wisteria Lane:

The birthday boy was very VERY tired by the end of his party...

...and he happily snuggled down into his bed as the party was winding down...

About 30 minutes later at the Casa de Lainey-Paney, we had a similar situation!

Clearly, a great time was had by all! Happy birthday, Little E!
:)

Allergies suck.

2011-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I am so tired and so.....allergic. I am going home and going straight to bed. End of story.

Gage's School Musical Program

2011-06-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Gage went to a faith based pre-school program. They go up through Kindergarten. Well, they had an end-of-the-year musical program & Kindergarten graduation. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have a pre-school graduation, as he won't be going there next year for Kindergarten---but they didn't really ask my opinion, now did they?

...in related news, I was also disappointed in our seats. The church sanctuary was SO full! We actually got to the church early, found Gage's class meeting room & we were the first to arrive. So, when some other parents got there, they just kind of dropped their kids off & ran to get great seats. We looked up, and we were in charge of 5 kids who were literally bouncing off the walls! Needless to say, when the teachers arrived, we split. Sadly, it was too late, and little 5 foot me was sitting near the back of the sanctuary. BOOOOOO!

Oh well...
Still, my child stood on a stage, and smiled, and sang, and they even sang & signed a song. Turns out, my kiddo loves sign language...and that's something I was so surprised by. He never once mentioned signing, learning sign language...nothing! Ugh! Boys!!! I tell ya---there were some days (okay, most days) when he'd come home from school... "Gage, what did you guys do today?"... "I don't know...stuff." or "I can't remember." "Gage, who did you sit by at lunch?" "I can't remember."
It's amazing he's learning, given the fact that he can't remember squat about his school day. I'm just sayin'...
From what I hear, it's a boy thing.

Anyhow---pics from the night....

Gage & Daddy before the program:

Gage & Mommy before the program {please, disregard the peppermint in his mouth}:

Singing his little heart out:

Afterward, they had a little reception for the Kindergarten grads, and all the little ones. Gage's teacher had some special little journals that the children kept all year long, and they made a photo album for each student. It was so great! He had such thoughtful teachers. I loved it!

Gage, & his buddy, W. Fast friends in PreK 3, then they were together in PreK 4, and now they'll go to separate schools next year. And once W breaks out of his shell {and by now, when he's around us, he's outta that shell!}, anyway---once he breaks out of that shell, he's got a personality that's larger than life. He's soooo cute!

It was a great night.
:)

But I can't believe that it's Summer-time...I can't believe that he'll be going to Kindergarten in the Fall!
{*sigh*}

Cupcakes!

2011-06-07T07:39:00.001-07:00

We had a celebration in our dept. @ work. Here are some of the cupcakes that I made for Nurse's Week!
:)

I really had a lot of fun making them...
:)

Miss Me, Miss Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me!

2011-06-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, so, yes, I've been MIA from the blogosphere.

I promise to catch up soon!

This past weekend I was in Tyler with Mom. She's got only THREE more treatments left! Yaaaaay!
She should be done in July, and we're gonna have to throw a kick-a$$ party in August!

In other news: Thank you, Hubby, for my early birthday gift! It really helps getting older not suck so much.
:)

TTFN.

What's Down?

2011-05-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

So, last night, I tucked Gage into bed. He's got a green down blanket on his bed. I pulled the blanket up to his chest & he said, "cold-cold-cold!" I said, it will get warm. The outside is cold, but it's a down blanket, so it will get warm soon & keep you warm.
"Mommy, what's down?"
"Well, it means that the inside part of the blanket is stuffed with goose feathers."

About 1/2 a second after I finished my sentence, he KICKED off the blankets & yelled, "OH GAWD! That blanket's filled with DEAD GOOSES!"

I had to promise him that the only part of the goose in the blanket was the down, and that it is VERY clean before it is used to make a blanket. It took him a little while, but in the end, he was okay with it...

Pastries with Parents...

2011-05-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Early in May, Gage's school had a "Pastries with Parents" morning event. I was luckey enough to get to go!

We arrived to the school earlier than expected, and Gage seized the opportunity to play on the playground all by himself! {Note to my parents: THIS was what we fund-raised for. No copiers. Just a newer playground. Wooohoooo!}

We ventured inside...still before the event would begin, and I got to see some of Gage's school work. Oh, it's sooooo cute!
{The bird is happy.}

Pics of Gage & his classmates....

It was a lot of fun, and I'm VERY glad that I go to go!

The First Tomato!

2011-05-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

So, a while back, I was on a kick for wanting a vegetable garden. Hubby thought that maybe I should start with one plant, and see how I do with that. Well, by golly I've got fruit! That's right. I grow things----like a farmer.

I present: The perfect first tomato....

Congratulations, Colin & Melissa!

2011-05-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

....and her name will be McKenna!
How cute is that???

French Toast Casserole! By Popular Demand...

2011-05-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Courtney, for turning my family on to this super-great breakfast.

Here's the recipe, per the requests that I got:

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

It's a Paula Deen recipe. I credit Courtney, but Paula Deen came up with it... Courtney introduced me to it!