Five things I just need to LAUGH about!

1.  The other day Mike was trying to get Sammy dressed after a bath.  Sammy was running around being a toot, so Mike said, "Sammy, get over here or I'm going to give you a wedgie!"  "NO, Daddy, I don't want to be that guy."  "What guy?"  "The wedgie, Daddy.  I don't want to be that guy."  Wait, there's a wedgie guy?  I don't want to be him either.

2.  I was making lunch for Sammy the other day, and I needed to heat it up.  Sammy said, "Mommy, are you going to put that in the hotter?"  What's a hotter, you ask?  The microwave, silly - it makes things hot!

3.  When my parents took care of Sammy and Sophia last night, PappaTony thought it might be a good idea to teach Sammy the Pants on the Ground song.  Today he actually pulled his pants down and starting dancing and singing "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground."  Mike looks at me.  No honey, I didn't teach him that. 

4.  We were at our friends Michele and Rich's tonight for dinner.  Michele is going to fly up to Chicago soon to visit her parents, and her mom called to ask if she would pack a frozen turkey in her luggage.  Seriously?  You want her to fly a frozen turkey from Texas to Chicago?  What about when it melts, and there's salmonella mixed in with everyone's clothes?  Are you kidding me?

5.  When I go through the drive through at the bank, my son yells from the backseat, "Mommy, I want french fries and chicken nuggets."  I think we eat fast food too often . . .

Howl at the Moon!

Mike took me on a date tonight to Howl at the Moon!  Have you been there?  It's a dueling piano bar located in downtown Houston.  They are a chain - we've been to the one in San Antonio on the riverwalk before, but never to this one.  It's definitely a different atmosphere than San Antonio - less tourists, no bachelorette parties to speak of, and a bit more of a neighborhood bar feel - almost like Cheers, where everyone knows your name, but no one there knew it.

Either way, we had a good time.  One of Mike's coworkers, Jill, had won a happy hour party there, with free drinks and appetizers for all, so of course we had to go - hello, free alcohol!

My parents took care of the kiddos, they did great and both were asleep by the time we got home.  Thanks, Meemar and PappaTony!

Since having children, we have not really been regulars on the bar scene, if you will.  I had forgotten about what used to be the bane of my existence - the bathroom attendant.  You know what I'm talking about - that person with all the beauty products in the bathroom who follows you around trying to squirt soap in your hand and give you paper towels.  Don't get me wrong, I know everyone has to make a living somehow, but surely there's something better that person could do than stalk me with stinky perfume! 

I absolutely hate bathroom attendants, and this one was no exception.  She had a knack for scratching her neck (sure sign of a crackhead), and though I tried to ignore her she would stand right behind me and put paper towels right in front of me every time I finished washing my hands.  It was almost enough for me to want to NOT wash my hands, but at the end of the day, you have to be clean! 

I think she figured out I wasn't going to tip her, because hello, she was stalking ME!  So then she started being even more obnoxious.  Now, normally I would tip her at the end of the night, not every time I had to go to the bathroom, but when she started being rude, I wasn't tipping anymore.  Unfortunately for me it seemed like I had to go to the bathroom every five minutes.  Don't you hate that - when you break the seal?  Another memory from days gone by.

After we left Howl at the Moon, we were starving, and Mike took me to dinner at Saltgrass.  We split a steak, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and a tasty slice of chocolate cake.  My parents had given us a $60 gift certificate as part of our Christmas present, and wouldn't you know it our bill ended up being $60.97!  Don't you love it when life works out like that?



PS - We also split a hangover the next morning . . . I hate it when THAT happens, too!

Five things I just need to rant about

1.  I'm really tired of people taking themselves too seriously.  Life is a collection of moments, and every moment has a choice - you can choose to laugh or to cry.  I personally am choosing to laugh.  You should try it some time - it's good for your heart!

2.  What is up with the preschool craziness in Katy?  Your child is not going to be a permanent loser if they did not get into the 'right' preschool.  They could probably sit in the backyard and eat crayons with the dog all day, and they'd still be fine.  Again, don't take yourself too seriously!

3.  You cannot put lipstick on a pig and call it a lady.  If you did something, own up to it, and don't get mad because someone called you on it and you dislike what you did.  It's your mistake, own it, and move on - for everyone's sake.

4.  Don't text while driving.  Don't even look at your crackberry while driving.  I did this the other day, and my 3 year old said, "Mommy, stop it.  Put both hands on the wheel."  See, I am raising him right - he knows a thing or two!

5.  Don't get mad at me while I'm parking.  I drive a Dodge quad cab truck, and I can't help it that every time I try to park it somehow morphs into a 10 point turn.  I'm doing the best I can, and I'm sorry you're in a hurry, but I am focusing!  Plus, my son sees you yelling at the window and says, "Mommy, we should pray for them."  That's pretty sad, people.  Besides, I enjoy backing into parking spaces because every time I finally finish (30 minutes later) and put the truck in park, I've trained Sammy to immediately say "Mommy ROCKS!" and I really enjoy getting to hear that!

Yep, my kid did it . . .

Yesterday I took Sophia to the pediatrician for her 9 month checkup.  I was worried that there would be vaccinations involved, but I was not even half as worried as her big brother was.  As soon as we walked into the appointment, he immediately began assaulting the nurses with questions like, "Is it going to be one shot, or two?  I want my sister to only get one shot."

The nurses thought he was pretty cute, but I was embarrassed by his fixation on shots.  Plus, when Dr. Nelms began to listen to Sophia's heart and lungs, Sammy shared, "My heart's been kind of hurting.  I think it means I need to throw up."  He has quite the fixation on throwing up lately, too.  I think that's because several weeks ago he threw a fit when it was time to go to bed, and he ended up getting so upset that he did throw up.  Now he's obsessed with it.

Sophia's growing well - she now weighs 17 lbs and is 27 inches long.  She's in the 22% for weight - I find that laughable because she seems like such a chunk to me - if she's in the bottom quarter, I wonder what the top percentile looks like . . .

When it was time to leave, Sammy was really excited about getting to push the elevator buttons.  I asked him to push the button for Level 1, which he did, but then he pushed Level 2 as well.  No big deal, except then he decided he wanted to push the telephone button.  I honestly didn't think that button worked in elevators, but I'm here to tell you that it does. 

The phone immediately dialed out, and I started to panic.  I'm here to tell you that there is no Call Cancel button on the elevators in the 2nd Professional Building at Christus St. Catherine, because god knows I was looking.  By the time the doors opened on the 2nd floor, the call had already been answered, and an electronic voice was announcing, "Elevator #2 is out of service, Christus St. Catherine, Professional Building 2."  Over and over again. 

Several people got on the elevator, and all of them wanted to know what was going on.  One of the ladies kept saying, "Why does it think it's stuck?  It's not stuck."  She tried in vain to cancel the call as well, and kept asking why it was doing that.  I know my face was bright red, and she was getting more and more demanding about why it was happening.  Finally, I just said, "look, my son pushed the button.  Hopefully they'll figure out it's not stuck, but it's really not a big deal, ok?" 

Everyone else in the elevator laughed, but Angry Woman glared at Sammy.  Oh please, I hope you have a 3 year old son one day . . .

When we got to the car, Sammy said, "Mommy, that lady was mad . . . "  Yes she was, baby, but let's move on . . . we've got more important things to conquer, like lunch!



What's the most embarrassing thing your child has done in a public place?

Thankful for Friends

I had a rough weekend this past week.  Mike was gone hunting, I was all alone with both my children, and I was going through some personal stuff. 

I just want to say how thankful I am for my friends.  They called me to check on me, listened to me cry, and offered to help me.  And I wanted to especially say thank you to my future sister in law, Trish.  Trish not only called to check on me, but she got me out of the house, went to lunch with me and her good friends, Kelley and Monica.  I had good food, good beer, and good cameraderie with all three of those women.

It's such a blessing to find women who've been there and done that with what you are going through.  Those three women have all walked in my shoes before, and they knew exactly how to console me.  And it got even better from there. 

That night, although I couldn't bring myself to leave the house again, Trish, Kelley, and another great woman, Cheryl, came over with their girls to keep me company.  Plus, Trish came with her "traveling bar."  Trish's traveling bar is two baskets that she stole borrowed from Kroger's.  I love those baskets . . . wherever they show up, fun is sure to follow!

Thank you to my friends, and thank you to Trish - you never cease to amaze me!

Don't touch the VINO!

Sophia is getting to be such a big girl!  I'm totally making a bet here, but I bet she'll be walking within the next month or so!  She really likes to pull up right now.  Her favorite thing to pull up on is me, but she also has many other pieces she likes to pull up on . . . including this . . .

Mama's wine fridge!

 Hey sweetie, Mama likes wine, too . . . maybe in a couple of years, ok baby?

Towels . . . Who needs 'em?

Technically since this occured at the Y it should probably go in my workout blog, but I know some of my loyal followers are just dying to hear this story, so whatever.  I had about 5 minutes left to go in a workout today when I realized I'd left my towel at home.  Not my workout towel, but a big towel - to take a shower with.

Ordinarily I'd just go home to take a shower, but today I was planning to meet some of our playgroup friends at the park afterwards.  And I didn't want to show up being the sweaty workout girl.  Who looks like she doesn't work out.  If I looked like my friend Phyllis, it'd be ok to be the sweaty workout girl.  No one would think I was faking it.  Right now they would think I just didn't feel like taking a shower for the past few days.  Maybe in a few more months . . .

Anyway, suffice it to say, no way I wasn't taking a shower.  I started to wonder if maybe there was a towel service I wasn't aware of.  So I popped my head into the Wellness Center director's office.  She felt bad for me, said they didn't have a towel service, and shared with me that she had used paper towels in the past when she left her towel at home.  I asked if I could buy a towel, but the only thing they had was a tiny workout towel for sale.  Plus, I'd left my wallet in the car.  No way I was going back for it.  Needing a shower or not.

I was pretty much out of options.  And if paper towels are good enough for the Wellness Center director, then by God they are good enough for me.  I waltzed into the locker room, whistling and praying no one was around.  Unfortunately, a swim class had just gotten out, and the locker room was teaming.  All the showers were full, and there was no way I was going to start pulling paper towels out of the dispenser.  Despite the fact that I was going to actually use paper towels, I didn't want anyone to know that I was going to use them.  Luckily, on the top of the paper towel dispenser was a fresh pack of paper towels.  You know what they look like - all stacked nice and neat and wrapped in brown kraft paper. 

I grabbed them and stuffed the whole package in my bag.  Then I zipped up the bag.  Again, I didn't want anyone to know!  My last problem was waiting for a shower.  There are two kinds of showers at the Y.  One has a single curtain - you go right into the shower.  Several of those were free.  The other has two curtains.  The first one takes you to a dressing area, and the second goes into the shower.  I had to wait for a two curtain shower.

Luckily the two curtain shower next to the wall came available.  After I had waited for five minutes by the shower area looking like a stalker weirdo.  I grabbed a chair and dragged it into there, and jumped into the shower.  I love the showers at the Y.  No one is dragging their dinosaurs into the bathroom and talking to me through the glass door.  No one is pulling up on the shower door and screaming at me.  Yes, I could get a foot fungus from the floor in there, but it's still peaceful.  Plus I really like the rose smelling foam soap in there.  I bring my own shampoo, but I like the soap at the Y.

So after the shower, it was time to put my towel paper towels to work.  I squeezed as much water as possible out of my hair, and then went to work with the paper towels.  I started with the shoulders, and worked my way down.  Gravity, right?  After it was over, I had a huge wad of wet paper towels in my hands.  And I was pretty dry.  But I have to say, paper towels just don't enhance the shower experience, you know what I mean?

I quickly dressed and then shoved all the wet towels into the trash can.  The cleaning lady looked at me a little strange when I was walking out of the shower area with all of them, but who knows, I could have been drying the floor, right? 

I considered keeping the rest of the paper towels, just in case I forgot my own towel again, but in the end I decided it was shameful enough that I had to dry off with paper towels - I wasn't going to get caught stealing from the Y on the same day.  Instead, I have put a towel into my truck, so it's always there when I need it.  Now let's hope I can remember to bring it inside the building.

My friend Phyllis says next time I can just shower at her house, since it's so close.  But you know what?  Those paper towels really helped exfoliate my skin.  Maybe all the hot salons in town will start offering it as the next great service . . .

Mommy, where are you going?

Mike's been hunting all weekend, and it's been a rough time for me.  I love my children, but two kids all day long can be a bit . . . grating if you know what I mean.  So when Mike finally came home on Sunday, I was ready to run! 

Back in November my mom gave me a gift certificate for a deluxe manicure and pedicure.  I'd already decided that was where I was going.  But, how do you explain to your 3 year old that you need a break? 

Sammy was upset about me leaving, and he said, in his whiny voice, "But Mommy, where are you going?"  I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I REALLY needed a break, and I said, "I don't know honey, maybe off a bridge or something."  Sammy looked at me strangely and then ran upstairs to play with his trains. 

I really enjoyed my mani/pedi, and I definitely appreciated the break.  But I missed my kiddos, too.  And when I walked in the door, Sammy ran immediately to me and gave me a hug.  He was so happy, and he said, "Mommy, I'm so glad you came back!  Did you have fun off the bridge?"

Blank stare.  What?  Oh yeah, I said I was going to go off a bridge.  Wow - they are so literal!  "Yes, honey.  I had fun off the bridge!"  "Mommy, were your friends there?"  "No, baby, no one else was off the bridge."  Just me. 

My Mommy Has . . .

OK, I have been holding this story in due to shame, but since I have nothing to blog about today, I will erase my embarassment and just move forward.

The other day, Mike was taking a shower with Sammy.  Sammy looked at Mike, pointed to his chest area, and said "Daddy, what is this?"  Mike looked, and Sammy was pointing right at his nipple.  So Mike answers, "That's your nipple."  "My nipple, Daddy?"  "Yes."

"Daddy, Mommy has big nipples." 

OK, don't laugh.  Yes, we all know that I am . . . ahem . . . well-endowed, but hey - you get what you pay for, and in addition, I am nursing a baby right now.  And beyond that, I don't think Sammy was referring to me nipples, per se, but to my entire chest region.

Mike artfully tries to change the subject.  But Sammy says "Daddy, are those for feeding Sophia?"  Mike sees a window of hope and answers yes.  "Daddy, can I feed Sophia?"  "No, Sammy, only Mommy."  "OK, Daddy."

Several minutes later . . . Sammy gets out of the shower, looks in the mirror and announces triumphantly, "I have little nipples, and Mommy has BIG nipples." 

Great.  You know, they say once your child notices a difference between you and them, that it's time to make sure they don't see you changing anymore.  I've been trying to do that for awhile now, ever since he saw my princess crown tattoo and announced it was a Happy Birthday cake.  Not sure what more I can do, since we all know Sophia's gotta' eat!

Sammy hasn't mentioned my "nipples" since that night.  Hopefully he doesn't decide that a good time to bring them up again is during Sunday School or anything . . .

Pants on the Ground

The other day, my friend Tanya shared with us that she saw on a weird science show that people who eat their boogers are actually healthier than others because in the process of eating their own snot they build up immunities.  All these years, I thought Sammy was so healthy because he was breastfed for 15 months, but no - it's because he can't stop picking his nose. 

In recent pop culture, there has been a phenomenon known as Pants on the Ground.  I had no idea what it was, but I heard references to it all over Facebook, and even on the Fox News Channel.  I was even talking to my father the other day and he brought it up.  Finally, I said, "Dad, what is this pants on the ground stuff?"  It's embarrassing to admit, but it was my 57 year old father who clued me in to the Pants on the Ground Phenomenon. 

That is so sad.  I am so knee deep in boogers and Barney that I have to learn about pop culture from my dad.



In honor of Pants on the Ground, and also in honor of my son's obsession with his boogers, I thought I would create a new song just for Sammy!

Finger up the nose,
finger up the nose,
picking your boogers with your finger up the nose.
With your big old grin
and your sippy cup in hand,
picking your boogers with your finger up the nose.

A Comedy of Errors

My day has been an absolute comedy of errors.  It's so bad, I'm just going to share it, and hope someone can find some humor in it.

We woke up early this morning so I planned to go to the Y before going to our friend Tanya's house for a snowman playdate.  It's 70 degrees outside, so I dressed Sammy in pants and flip flops, the usual Texas winter clothing.  When we got to the Y, he insisted on opening the door himself, and ended up swiping the door down the side of his foot and cutting it.

From the way he responded, you might think he must have amputated his foot, but it was just a little scratch.  He immediately threw himself on the ground in front of the door, so no one could come in the door, and no one could get out the door.  I was stuck standing there, helpless, holding Sophia, her diaper bag, and my gym bag.  Some kind soul held the door open while I dragged him through, and I had finally gotten him calmed down when he noticed the blood.  Crisis NOT averted.

I sat him on the bench, and was trying to calm him down by telling him I'd get him a bandaid.  He didn't want a bandaid, but there was no way I was sending him into ChildWatch with blood spurting everywhere.  Finally I just put the bandaid on him.  Again, you'd think I'd whopped him upside the head with a baseball bat from his reaction.  Everyone who walked in the door was giving me the "you are a bad parent" look, and all I could do was try not to laugh. 

Finally, my high school friend Annecca took Sophia into the baby room, and I tried to get Sammy into his classroom.  He continued his fit in there.  Eventually one of the teachers took Sammy and told me if they couldn't get him to calm down in 15 minutes they'd come get me.

I checked on Sophia, then collapsed, gratefully, into the silence and serenity of my iPod and the elliptical trainer.  With 3 minutes left to go in my workout, Annecca showed up with the white board.  The white board strikes fear into the heart of many a mother at the Y.  When your child needs you (aka they've been screaming for over 15 minutes), they write your name on the white board and walk around with it.  Every time I see the white board I cringe, hoping and praying it's not my little angel causing a ruckus, and it never has been.  Until today.

I just knew it would be Sammy, but turns out it was Sophia.  She was being her usual drama queen self in the baby room - insisting on being held.  Normally it's not a big deal for them, but there were so many babies in there at that time that they couldn't do it.  I was totally sweaty and stinky - didn't even have a chance to change.  After collecting Sophia, I asked them to bring Sammy out, and here comes drama king . . .

He walks out barefoot, hobbling and limping on his "injury."  AKA his scrape.  Ridiculous.  He refused to wear a shoe on the injured foot, and made me carry him to the truck.  There I am in the parking lot at the Y, carrying an almost 4 year old, an 8 month old, a diaper bag, and my gym bag.  Sweating like a pig.  Are you kidding me? 

Everyone kept stopping to ask if I needed help.  No thanks - I can make an ass of myself all on my own.  And halfway there the bandaid fell off, so Sammy begins to scream that I am walking too fast and making his foot hurt again.  Arrgghhh!!!

I forgot the best part about Sammy coming out of Childwatch at the Y.  They had been painting, and Miss Bridget told me Sammy decided to paint his fingernails with the blue paint.  So his fingertips are all blue.  As is both nostrils and the end of his nose.  Pick your nose much, kiddo?

I almost called Tanya to tell her we weren't coming, but I figured the day couldn't get much worse, so why not give it a try.  Except for the fact that I stunk.  Plus I needed to change.  I was wearing a sports bra, so while sitting at the stoplight at 99 and Westheimer Parkway I took my shirt off, and reached into Sophia's diaper bag to grab a baby wipe.  I was wiping my arm pits with it when I looked over and noticed the garbage truck next to me with the garbage men checking me out.  How 'bout them apples?

Needless to say I hit the gas as soon as the light turned green.  I finished changing in Tanya's front yard.  Hopefully her neighbors don't think I'm homeless. 

So there you have it, folks.  Sammy's injury has continued to proliferate.  He is still hobbling around like an invalid, and he refuses to get in the bathtub and take a bath.  Sammy, I love you honey, but you look like a weirdo and you stink.  Real nice, kiddo.  Good thing we're going to the park in the morning . . .

Oh No . . . I'm BORING!

I was reading a friend's blog the other day, and she was saying that most SAHM's blogs are boring and that the only person who ever reads them is their mom and their husband's mom.  By that definition, my blog must be boring.  EXCEPT, I have a faithful reader in Terre Haute, Indiana who reads my random musings every morning!  Only thing is, she never comments on them . . .

I must confess, I've been in a funk lately.  I don't really want to share any long drawn out details, but suffice it to say, I'm ticked.  I've got a lot on my mind, it keeps running through there, and it irritates the fire out of me every time I think about it.  I'm trying to channel the anger through my workouts, but in the process I am getting completely sore!

I've also been eating baked goods.  Which is not a good combination with working out, but I guess one cancels out the other, right?  I had a cake at my house from home group last Thursday.  I made the cake, iced it, and Sammy put tons of sprinkles on it.  Looks disgusting, but I love sprinkles.  And frosting.  And cake.  We had about half the cake left, and in my funk of anger I think I ate the whole thing myself. 

Come Monday, I was out of cake.  And I was even angrier.  When Mike got home that night, he walked in the door with two big cookies.  I'm talking BIG - they had about a 6 inch diameter.  I said, "How sweet, you brought me cookies?"  He says, "Well I knew you were having a bad day, and I figured it was because you ran out of cake.  So, I brought you cookies instead and hoped they might help."

He brought me cookies?  I was having a bad day because I ran out of cake?  Seriously - how does Mike know me so well?  I'm glad I married him, because otherwise I might have to prosecute him for stalking me . . .

Save the Drama for your Mama!

Unfortunately, she is!  Sophia has continued her drama queen streak, although I really think she may be getting another tooth.  She hasn't slept well in about 3 days, and today I noticed her putting her pappy in her mouth, clamping down, and then ripping it out.  Thank god it's the pappy and not me!

We went to our friend Lisa and her son Michael's home today and played with playdough and our friends!  I'm still working on counting down from 5 to help Sammy control his temper.  He has quite a big one.  Imagine that - he comes from a long line of hot-headed Italians!  Today was his 2nd day in a row to skip a nap.  I'm thinking he might be trying to completely eliminate his naps.  I really don't like that idea, because lord knows I need my nap somedays, but I suppose it's bound to happen some day.

The best part about Sammy skipping naps?  This morning he woke up at 9 am.  Do you know how amazing that is?  Normally at 6:30 am he's pulling open the blinds and announcing triumphantly, "It's a sunny day, Mommy!"  One of these days, when he is a teenager and trying to sleep until noon, I'm going to rip open his blinds, jump on his bed, and scream about what a sunny day it is!

Birthdays!

Sammy's friend Tegan turned 4 today!  We went to an awesome birthday party at Westwood Gymnastics.  Sammy had a great time, and really all of the children in attendance loved it.  I even bounced Sophia on the trampoline for a bit!

Sammy in the pit!  He had a blast!

It got me thinking about plans for my children's birthdays.  I'm thinking that we'll do a crawfish boil for Sophia, and I'm really considering having Sammy's party at Westwood.  We've been to birthdays at Pump It Up, The Little Gym, skating rinks, and many home parties, and so far Westwood has been the most interactive.

Speaking of birthdays, it is shocking to me that my pretty lady is almost 9 months old already!  She has been pulling up on everything in sight - me, chairs, toys, Kona!  I can't believe she will be walking soon.  It seems like just yesterday that she was born.  I really need to get going on her scrapbook!

Look at my pretty girl and her handsome daddy!

All in all, great day, and we decorated some of the leftover sugar cookies from last night!  Mike even made one of his own!

Very artistic if I do say so myself!

It's a Mikey bobblehead!

Sammy thought it was funny to hold one under his chin, so he had to do it as well!

Love our family!  Love all the fun we have together!

Friends Rock!

Tonight our great friends Amanda and Ethan came over with their little ones, Grayson and Bailey!  We love hanging out with them - had the best time!

Mike made an awesome marinade and injected chicken leg quarters with it, we had baked potatos, Amanda brought a salad, and we had stuffed jalapenos as well.  The food was great, and we also made sugar cookies and let the kiddos decorate them.  Talk about a mess!

What can we say - at least the mess was contained!

We even gave them "knives" (aka cheese spreaders) to put frosting on them!

Sophia sat at the picnic table like a big girl - she loved it!

This was Bailey's cookie - I put the mouth on it.  We decided it looked like the gingerbread man from Shrek. "Not the gumdrops!"

Frosting!

After the sugar fest, Amanda and I went upstairs with the kids while the guys watched the Colts pummel the Ravens and talked handguns.  I made Amanda look through my scrapbooks - she was gracious enough to act like she liked them! 

Sammy, Bailey and Grayson became over fascinated with Sammy's kitchen.  It has a feature which they think is really cool.  Me - not so much.  It is a little container that you fill up with water and place in the freezer part of the refrigerator, and then it has a spigot so you can fill up your cup, just like a real kitchen!  Sounds fun in theory, but in practice, there's water all over the playroom floor.  Good thing it's just water! 

Really?

After Mike got home on Wednesday, I drove up to JC Penney quickly to get our pictures from our session this month.  Let me just say, I'm so glad that I got that beautiful black and white of Sophia in the 20 x 24 size.  It was completely worth the money.  The picture is awesome, and a shameless form of child worship.

I left Mike at home with the kids, and when I got back I asked him how Sophia did.  He said she was fussing a bit while he was trying to get dinner going, so he put some of her puffs on the floor.  Wait a minute, you did what?  Yeah, he said he put puffs on the floor, and she crawled around on the floor and ate them. 

I stopped and just looked at him.  He says, what?  And I'm like, you fed our daughter like a dog?  You let her crawl around on the floor and eat puffs on the floor like a dog?  Really? 

Men . . . His excuse - she liked it.  Please . . .

Kona the Wonder Dog

Kona, our German Shepherd, is a wonder dog!  I've always felt this, but I'm just now really seeing it.  He is such a loveable, huggable member of our family.

I got Kona for Mike as a birthday present in 2004.  He was the tiniest little puppy - we picked him out, brought him home, and immediately bathed him.  I still remember the first night - he whined all night long!  Kona didn't like being on the floor in our room. 

Kona's first night at our house in San Antonio!

We got Kona to try to help calm down our black lab, Bobo.  That didn't work too well - Bobo taught Kona how to dig, and Kona taught Bobo how to eat the fence.  Kona was named for the coffee bean out of Hawaii.  Coffee is black and tan, depending on how much creamer you use, and Kona is a black and tan German Shepherd, hence . . . KONA!

In October of 2007, we almost lost Kona.  It was almost time to go to bed, and we had let Kona out at Westwood Shores to go to the bathroom.  When Mike opened the door to call him back inside, he didn't come, which was strange.  Mike set out in the truck to look for him, and we still couldn't find him.  All of the sudden, Mike looked across the field in front of Westwood Shores, and saw cars begin to slow down and stop on FM 356, a major road that ran about 500 yards from the house. 

Mike looked closer and saw Kona trying to come to him, however he had been badly hurt, and was hardly able to walk as he had been hit by a car.  Mike sprinted across the field and carried Kona back to the house.  Kona weighs about 80 pounds, so this was no small feat!  It was almost 10:30 at night, Sammy was about 19 months old and was already in bed for the night, and I was taking a bath and had just washed my hair.  I jumped out of the tub, quickly dressed, loaded Sammy in the car, and then Mike and I carried Kona to the back of our Jeep. 

We drove over an hour to get to the closest animal hospital in Conroe.  When we got there, they immediately took Kona back to work on him.  We kept asking if Kona had broken his leg, and finally they advised us that they were trying to keep him alive through the night, and then they'd worry about his leg.  When we left the animal hospital, we were unsure if Kona would live.  It was one of the hardest goodbyes we'd ever had to say.

Kona made it through the night, and the next day we took him in to a veterinarian in Huntsville.  The vet advised us that the nerves in Kona's right front leg had snapped, that they would probably not be able to regenerate, and we should consider amputation as soon as possible.  We decided to wait and have the specialists at Texas A&M look at Kona before we made any final decisions.

At A&M, they advised to give Kona about 3 months, and that his nerves would probably regenerate.  The next three months were tough, having to see Kona in his disabled state, but A&M was right.  One day in about January, I looked up and he was walking.  The next week, he was running, and today, you'd hardly know he had any issues with his leg at all.

I'm so glad we didn't give up on Kona - he's never given up on us.  Kona will be 7 years old in October of this year.  He is calm, loving, gentle, and most of all, protective of our family.

It seems like wherever Sophia is, Kona is right there.  He lets her do anything she wants to him, and she loves to touch his fur and giggle!  He gives most of the same privileges to Sammy, but is not as lenient when Sammy plays rough.

The other day, one of the little boys in our playgroup walked into my bedroom where Kona was sleeping.  Kona jumped up to greet him, and scared him so much!  The little boy came running down the hallway, screaming "A moose, there's a moose!"

Kona, you big moose, we love you!  Thanks for being our loyal friend and puppy!

Drama Queen!

Sophia has turned into quite the Drama Queen!  Here in the last week or so, she has been throwing her head back and screaming her head off when she doesn't get her way.  It would actually be pretty funny if it wasn't so sad and dramatic.

Of course, not sure I can fault her, I mean, her mama is the original Drama Queen!  I am so proud of my sweet girl.  She is pulling up on her own, using sign language - she knows thirsty and more!  And, she is getting quite the verbal vocabulary!  She knows how to say Dada, Bubba, and Mama, all in context! 

Princess Sophia!

By the way, do you know all the different things a slinky can be used for?  Try living with Sammy for a day . . . a slinky can be a snout for an elephant, a monkey's tail, an accordian . . . anything you want it to be!

Monkey Tail!  Bounce, Bounce!

Don't you love how much fun they are!  I wish I had their imagination and their zest!

Note to Self . . .

I'm making pot roast in the electric pressure cooker tonight for dinner.  I had planned to make it in the slow cooker, which takes about 6 hours, but I forgot to set it up before I went to the Y this morning.  Then I planned to make it in the oven, which takes 3 hours, but I took a nap with the kids this afternoon and ended up missing that time window as well.

Which leaves me with the pressure cooker.  I've never made pot roast in the pressure cooker before, so this should be a fun experiment . . . I have to say, it smells delicious, and Mike wasn't home yet when it was done, so I switched the cooker to slow cook, and turned the release valve from pressure to steam.  However, I had my face right over the valve, and the steam blew up into my eye.  Nice . . .

I can still see out of it, but my eye is pretty irritated . . . Note to self - get your face out of the way when you release the pressure!

Showers of Blessings!

Today we held a baby shower for Michele, one of the members of my mom's group.  It is her 3rd child - her first is 16, her son is 2, and now she will have another daughter.  We had it at my house, and my best friend Amanda helped a ton - she made most of the food!  All I did was pick up the cake and throw a bag of chicken nuggets in the oven. 

Sammy had a tough time sharing his toys - AGAIN!  Sometimes he does really great, and other times it is a struggle . . . today was one of those days.  I feel bad for him because I know it's hard to have everyone invade your space, but at the same time he has trouble sharing toys at other people's houses as well.  We are trying the "Your turn for 2 minutes" idea, but at the end of 2 minutes, he still wants to keep playing with the toy, and ends up yelling and screaming.  It can get quite embarrassing, but at the same time, I know that he needs to learn to share, and to stop throwing the tantrums!

Amanda and I put together a diaper cake for Michele - I love making them.  They are so cute, make an awesome centerpiece, and the recipient usually loves them!

I would normally bake a cake, but I needed a shortcut, since the shower was held on a Monday, and Mondays are usually pretty bad for me!  So, we had the cutest cake ever - hard to believe I told the baker what I wanted over the telephone!

Overall, a great day - we had lots of fun at the party, and Michele got lots of diapers and some super cute outfits for her new baby girl.  We can't wait to meet Baby Kyndal!

Has it really been that long?

Today I talked to my great friend Amy on the phone for quite a while!  I really miss her, but she moved back up to her hometown in Indiana . . . even though it's been almost 3 years since I last saw her, she can still finish my sentences, and completely gets the craziness that is me.  Amy even lets me prattle on about crazy, random happenings - and has the courtesy to act like it's the funniest thing ever!  I really miss her - it is strange to think that we've known each other almost a decade now.

I spent quite a while getting ready for a diaper shower I'm holding at my house tomorrow.  Mike helped me make a diaper cake, and Sammy and I talked about how he needed to share his toys with his friends.  I'm holding my breath that will happen - but don't worry, I won't turn blue!

I wanted to share a sweet moment from Friday . . . our playgroup went to the Heritage Park nursing home for our monthly playdate there.  This was our fourth month, and I think we've finally gotten the hang of how to keep the kids and the residents happy and interacting. 

Mr. Joe and Sammy

Mr. Joe was one of the first residents we met when we started going to Heritage Park.  He is such a sweet man - loves both Sammy and Sophia.  We are truly blessed to call him our friend!

A Sweet Treat!

I got to go on a date with my husband tonight!  What a great treat - to be quite honest I believe it was the third (yes, I said third) date we've had since our daughter was born 8 months ago.  I know, that's sad.  Our first date we had sushi and then wine with friends.  It lasted about two and half hours, then we had to go home because Sophia was crying so much!  Our second date was last month, when we went to Mike's work Christmas party.  And our third date was tonight.

My parents came over at about 6 pm to watch Sammy and Sophia.  Sammy was very excited to spend time with Meemar and PappaTony, plus they brought him Chick-Fil-A, which everyone knows you can't go wrong with!  Sophia was in a great mood, despite that fact that Mike and I had to take turns holding her while we were getting ready.

Nothing can top that feeling of freedom you get when you walk out the door . . . except maybe seeing their sweet smiles when you get back!  But really, we were excited to have some alone time together.  We went to the Alamo Drafthouse to watch The Blindside, with Sandra Bullock.  Wonderful movie, and amazingly it is a true story!  There really is a Leann Touhy out there, who took a chance on Big Mike and changed his life (and her family's) forever. 

We had burgers for dinner and shared a bucket of Miller Lite, and then we called to check on the kids.  They were doing great, and Sophia was already asleep at 9 pm!  How 'bout them apples?  We headed over to the Villagio to have martinis at The Mercury Bar, but when we got there, a sign was posted on the door stating they were closed that night due to a maintenance issue.  Given the freezing temperatures the night before, I'm thinking perhaps one of their pipes may have burst, but we'll never know.

We walked across the street to The Public House, instead.  Have you been there?  It's great - lots of beers on tap, the bartender makes a mean chocolate martini, and suprisingly enough it is NON-SMOKING inside!  Yes, you heard me right - you can go to a bar, with lots of beers on tap, and not suffer through second-hand smoke.  I might be going there more often!

We enjoyed our child free night, but it was so sweet that Sammy waited up for us!  He was almost asleep on the couch with PappaTony when we walked through the door - full of stories about watching The Water Horse, playing playdough with Meemar, and many other adventures, and my sweet princess stayed asleep until 6 am the following morning. 

Here's to knowing that your children can survive an evening without Mom and Dad (but secretly praying that they won't - because it means you're special!) . . . and here's to having family in town so you can have a much-needed date night - thanks Meemar and PappaTony!

That's a BAD Cheez-It!

Over Christmas, Mike learned how to make a new recipe called Firecrackers.  It is FABULOUS!

Firecrackers

• 1 box of saltines
• 1-1/3 cup vegetable oil
• package of ranch dressing mix
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Arrange the saltines or other crackers in an airtight sealable bowl.  Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the crackers.  Place the lid on top, then turn over several times.  Turn every 15 minutes for approximately 2 hours. 

These things are HOT, but they are great - really open up the sinuses!  We made them for Christmas at my mom's, and Mike decided to make them again the other day just to have them at home.  I ate some last night, and I guess I must have left a Cheez-It in the chair (we like to make ours with saltines and Cheez-Its).

Mike and Sammy were up early this morning, and all of the sudden, Sammy came running over to Mike, wiping his tongue and saying, "Daddy, that was a bad Cheez-it!  I don't like that Cheez-It!  I want a good Cheez-It!  That was a BAD Cheez-It!"  Ooooops - I guess he found a leftover Cheez-It somewhere and popped it into his mouth!

Two things - A - YUCK!  Whose kid eats food they find on the floor or in random chairs?  Apparently, mine does.  And B - I hope he learned a lesson here - just because it looks like it might be good, doesn't always mean it IS good.  You need to look beyond the exterior to see what's really there - 9 times out of 10, it's probably a BAD Cheez-It!

Had any Bad Cheez-Its lately?

A Break In, and a Lesson Learned . . .

We had quite a scare at our house today . . . I left a bit earlier than usual from the house to take the children to Inflatable Zone.  I had been out of the house for about an hour when Mike called.  Apparently the back door of our house had been opened and the house alarm went off.  Mike was checking to see where I was, and he immediately asked the alarm company to send the police. 

I loaded up the kids again - Sammy was very good about the fact that he needed to leave when we had just gotten there - he obediently loaded up in the car again, and we headed back to our house.  When we pulled up, there were 8 cop cars parked in the front, as well as an animal control unit.  I had put Kona in the master bathroom before we left, and being the guard dog that he is, he was absolutely vicious!

The gate to the backyard had been found open, and the backdoor was found wide open as well.  The police needed to clear the house, and they also wanted me to get the dog out, rather than sending in animal control.  Sammy and Sophia stayed in the heated truck, and I headed into the danger zone . . . I could hear Kona's barking from the middle of the front yard - whoever tried to get into the house probably was scared!  The police cleared the house far enough for me to enter the hallway and head for the master, and when I went into the room Kona's barking increased even more. 

When I opened the bathroom door, he crouched down like he was about to spring onto me, and his teeth were bared in a growl.  As soon as he saw me, I said, "Kona!" and he ran to me and buried his head in my lap.  Poor Kona - he was being so brave, trying to protect our house!  Kona and I retreated to the front yard again, and allowed the police to finish clearing the rest of the house. 

After they finished, it was determined that there were no signs of forced entry at the back door, and nothing was amiss in the home.  However, I locked the back door right before we left, and with the gate being open and the door open wide as well, I was pretty concerned.  We had our house on the market for almost a year prior to moving back from the Huntsville area.  During that time, it was listed with 3 different realtors.  Each time, we got the key back, but who knows who all had access to the lockbox during that time, and perhaps someone made a copy and held onto it.

I truly believe that someone used a key, opened our back door, and then retreated when the alarm went off.  Thank goodness we were not at home, and thank goodness I remembered to set the alarm when we left!  I'm also glad Kona was in the house - he was quite the hero!
All in all, when we moved back, we probably should have had the locks changed immediately, but we were so focused on getting the house ready for Sophia's arrival that it just slipped our minds.  Not anymore!  I called B&B Locksmith and they sent a technician over right away.  $120 later, we had new locks, 7 new keys, and another little nugget of information that seriously irritates the fire out of me . . .

When we purchased the home from the builder, they told us by using a specific type of key they had changed all the locks in the house to only be able to be opened by our key, instead of the master keys that the builder, contractors, and subcontractors all had access to.  However, the locksmith informed me that only Quikset locks work like that, and ours were not Quikset.  Apparently, our home was still able to be opened by all of the master keys.  Doesn't that make you feel safe?

So . . . lesson learned - when you buy a house, or move into a house, do yourself a favor - spend a little over $100 and gain some peace of mind that no one else has access to your home.  Your family needs that, and so do you!

Hold On a Second . . .

Have you ever wondered where your children learn their quirks from?  Look around, I bet they're learning them from you!  Sammy has a ton of Sammy-isms . . . little things he does or says . . . and most of them came directly from my mouth.

Last Sunday we headed over to Walmart after church.  When we pulled in the parking lot, he said, "Can we get that new DVD, Twilight?  We need to get Twilight."  Where did he learn that?  He's heard me asking Mike for that DVD since mid-November, and most especially he's heard me talking to my girlfriends about how much I wanted to buy it. 

Recently he's been dramatically saying (like a valley girl), "OH.  MY.  GOSH.  Look at that  . . . "  I really don't know where he picked that one up from, but I hope it wasn't me!

Tonight we were eating dinner, and he was telling me how he was going to take a really big bite of food, but then he says, "But not yet.  I'm about to pee in my pants.  Hold on a second, I'm gonna' go potty."  Who says that?  Yep, me.  Guilty as charged. 

This just further reinforces my use of euphemisms and other words for all the bad words I'd like to use.  For example, things "irritate the fire out of me."  And I say "donkey" instead of another word most of us know.  And instead of the requisite "WTF," I always whip out a handy "Are you kidding me?"  That one is actually pretty funny when Sammy uses it!  My good friend Tara that I used to teach with taught me many of her euphemisms . . . I miss getting to hear them every day!

We went to the Houston Children's Museum today with our playgroup.  We had a great time, enjoyed hanging out in the Tot Spot and Kidtropolis.  We had a quick scare when one of our moms thought she had lost her little boy.  I placed my two in another mom's care, and quickly dashed over to the info booth to alert them.  We quickly found Sammy's friend - his mom was so relieved, and I was so glad that I almost cried. 

Keep an eye on your kids - teach them to stay put if they can't find you, teach them your full name and their full name, and be sure when you go ANYWHERE to take advantage of the modern technology we have in digital cameras and cell phone cameras to snap a quick photo of them that morning so you have a visual of their clothes and face to quickly show security personnel in the horrible event that you lose track of them. 

One last tidbit is to teach your child to scream "You are not my mommy.  My mommy is [your full name]" if they are taken by someone they don't know.   Anyone who's smart would ask for ID and your child would get back to you that much quicker.  Another great tip from my girl, Tara!  Stuff happens, even to the best of moms, so make sure you equip yourself and your children.  Sammy knew my full name at age 2, so it's never too early!


Got any interesting child-isms to share?  Have any child safety tips you can offer?

A Busy, Busy Day!

Wow!  We had the busiest day today!  We got up this morning, and I wanted to continue my workout streak, so I asked Sammy if he wanted to go to the Y.  Of course, he said no, but I eventually convinced him to get ready.  I've been taking a backseat to getting Sammy ready in the mornings.  I discovered that he can get himself completely dressed, including his shoes, as long as I loosen the laces for him.  I'm so proud of him, but at the same time, I feel sad - my baby is growing up!

Anyway, back to the Y - I started a blog for my workouts - check it out by clicking here!  I thought it best to keep my workout info in a separate place from our family happenings.  I saw my friend Sarah at the Y this am, and she asked if it was ok if she came to our Katy TOTs playdate.  Of course it was - the more the merrier!

I had barely finished working out and picked up the kiddos and climbed into the car at 9:40 am.  It takes about 15 minutes to get home from the Y, and I was worried because I was thinking our playdate started at 10 am.  I drove home as fast as I legally could, changed my clothes, let Kona out to go the bathroom, and then sat down to feed Sophia before everyone got there.  I looked at the clock and was completely confused because it was 10:05 am.  Where was everyone?

10:10, then 10:15 came, and finally I figured out that the Happy Feet playdate was supposed to start at 10:30 am.  Of course, when I let Kona back into the house, he got dirt all over the floor, so I had to vacuum again before everyone got there, but I got it done, and then at 10:30 all our friends came over! 

We had a Happy Feet playdate.  Everyone brought a new pair of socks to donate to Katy Christian Ministries, and then we watched Happy Feet while the kids played, and I had fish (aka goldfish) for the kids to snack on.  We are starting to do a Playdate for a Cause once a month.  I'm really excited, because I think it's so important for kids to learn how to give back to the less fortunate!

Sammy honestly had a rough time the first part of the playdate - he didn't seem to want to share his toys with any of his friends, and he actually ended up throwing a fit on the floor of Sophia's room.  Turns out, he doesn't want to share his grabber (present from his best friend Grayson), his Cars watch (which is not working and I need to return to Target), and his Lite Brite (that Santa Claus brought for him).  Once those were put away, he did fine, and actually plopped onto the couch with his friends Edson and Greydan to watch the movie!

Edson, Sammy and Greydan watching Happy Feet with Abigail looking on!

After our friends left, Sammy took a nap for the first time in two days, and Mommy was able to grab a nap as well!  I made a homemade meal (without a recipe!), of pulled pork tenderloin with rice and green beans, and Mike seemed to really enjoy it (3 helpings later). 

Right before it was time for her to go to bed, Princess Sophia decided to show us a new trick . . . I helped her to pull up on her FP Stroll Along Walker, and she sure surprised me!  One second I was helping her hold onto the walker, and the next, she was pushing it forward and taking small steps behind it! 

OK, this was posed after the fact, but still - she's holding herself up - even if she's fussing at me!

I am so proud of my baby, but at the same time, I am feeling sad again - my babies are all grown up! Sammy's getting himself ready on his own, and apparently Sophia is ready to start learning how to walk . . . next thing you know, they'll be starting kindergarten!

All in all, a great, exhausting, busy busy day - one of the ones we like here at Chase Place!  By the way, I think Sammy will grow up to be a photographer - he is constantly grabbing my camera and taking pictures . . . . Check out the perspective on this picture he took of his dinosaur!

An Enjoyable Visit

Yesterday we drove to Hallettsville, picked up Mike's parents, and drove out to Edna to see Grandma Chase.  She was in such a great mood, and it was a joy to see her!  The last time we saw Grandma Chase, she seemed very down, and didn't appear to be doing very well.  However, this time she was a real firecracker!

At first, Sammy was a bit unsure of giving her a hug, however as soon as she pulled out the butter cookies, he couldn't get enough of her.  Amazing how sugar can help any situation!  Grandma Chase's roommate is Aunt Betty, who had a stroke several years back.  Aunt Betty has difficulty speaking, and is hard to understand, but she was very sweet and had a wonderful disposition.  Aunt Betty shared her chocolate with Sammy as well.  I think he can't wait to go back and visit!

It was Sophia's first time to see Grandma Chase, and she was in a great mood, despite the fact that she hated being in the car on the way there.  Gigi (Mike's mom) sat in the backseat of the truck with the kids on the way there, and she was a champ at trying to keep Sophia calm.

I got a beautiful shot of Mike, Sophia, Sammy and Grandma Chase!  Wish I would have thought to get GoPaw (Mike's dad) in the picture as well, so we could have had 4 generations!

I'm so glad we went to visit!  Sammy was really excited because Grandma Chase had pictures of him up on her bulletin board.  I think it made him feel very special and loved.  Sammy had no problem offering up hugs to Grandma Chase, Aunt Betty, and other residents we saw on our way out as well.  He's such a sweetheart!  Of course, Princess Sophia was all smiles for everyone also - as usual!