Let's Call Her Imelda Marcos

My daughter is Imelda Marcos incarnate.  Seriously!  I had no idea how much she loves shoes, and I honestly didn't think the primping would start so early!

Today we were at Target, and I decided to get Sophia a new pair of shoes.  She has several pairs of shoes which have been hand me downs from my BFF Amanda's beautiful daughter, Bailey, and they are all super cute, but this was to be her very first pair of "real" shoes that were all her own.  Plus, she's moving into a size 4 - poor girl, she has the Gant feet - and I neecded to get new shoes for the larger size as well.

Before she started walking, I didn't really worry about shoes, but now that she's all over the place, she needed some.  Plus, she deserved them!

Here they are - aren't they cute??

After I tried them on her feet, I took them off to put them back into the box and place them in the shopping cart.  And she immediately began screaming.  I asked her if she wanted her dink (drink), and she shook her head violently and begin to kick her bare feet.  I then asked, incredulously, "You want me to put the shoes back on?"  And she changed the scream to a whine.  Seriously?  She's 13 months old and she's already a shoe queen?

I quickly placed the shoes back on her feet.  And she immediately stopped whining.  She leaned over in the cart seat to see the shoes and smiled, sitting back.  She leaned over one more time, flexed her feet, smiled in satisfaction, and then sighed happily, placing her hands in her lap.  Apparently, she liked the shoes . . .

So, let's call her Imelda Marcos.  You know, she who owns over 3,000 pairs of shoes.  OK, Sophia doesn't have 3,000 pairs yet.  But maybe over the course of her lifetime.  Especially if her shoe addiction has surfaced at such a young age . . .

Happy 4th Birthday, Sammy!

Happy 4th birthday to Samuel Arnold Chase - my firstborn, my only son, and one of the best joys in my life!  I still remember when we found out we were pregnant with you - we were so excited - you were the best adventure of our lives.  When you were born, after 26-1/2 hours of labor, it was love - from the very first moment. 

You have such a lively personality, and it has been a joy to spend so much time with you as you grow up.  I can't believe that this will be our last year together before you start kindergarten.  Who will you be some day?  Some days you tell me that when you grow up, you'd like to be a baby doctor, to help babies, just like Dr. Nelms.  Some days, you tell me that when you grow up, you want to live in a house right next to the railroad tracks, so you can see all the trains go by.  And some days, you tell me that when you get big, you want to be a fireman.

Sammy, no matter what you become some day, I am already proud of you - and I always will be.  I love you, son.  Happy Birthday to my little man!

My Babies are Growing Up

My babies are growing up, and I'm not sure I'm ok with that yet.  Don't get me wrong, I want them to grow up, but at the same time, I want them to be my babies for just a little bit longer.  Yesterday, we celebrated Sammy's 4th birthday with many of our friends and family.  And at the same time, Sophia decided it would be a good day to start walking.



I know, she's 13 months now, and it's probably about time, right?  However, Sophia beginning to walk also brings about another change in our lives.  It's time for her to wean.  Yes, I've nursed my daughter until now.  And I am so proud of that accomplishment, and I'm so proud of what a sweet baby girl she is.  But weaning is tough. 

Not only physically - trust me, there's some pain associated with it for me, since it's an abrupt weaning, instead of a gradual one.  But also emotionally.  And I didn't expect that.  I always thought that when I was done nursing Sophia, I would be so glad.  Sophia is our last baby, and for the last five years, I've either been pregnant, nursing, weaning, or trying to get pregnant.  So I thought the day that I weaned Sophia would be a happy one.  And it is.  Partially.  It's also sad. 

Do I have empty womb syndrome?  Maybe.  Or maybe I'm just sad to acknowledge that the baby years of my life are now over.  I'm sure that could change, but given our current frame of mind, we really look forward to seeing our kids grow up and become young adults.  And they're not even in school yet!

Here's to Sophia - I'm so proud of you for walking, baby girl!  And here's to me - for making it 13 months providing the best nutrition to my sweet girl.  And here's to me as well, for being able to let go of the baby years, and move on to the toddler phase.  In the meantime, say a prayer for me - I'm feeling a bit sad, but I'm happy and hopeful for the future as well!

Just How Talented Is She?

She is my mother-in-law . . . Mike's mom, Rita.  And I know I've said it before here and here, but seriously, Rita needs some applause!  She is talented!  Rita makes beautiful cakes - apparently she took some Wilton classes many years ago, but her talent just improves year after year!  Literally!  She has been making cakes for as long as I've known her - almost 9 years this July - and each year it just gets better and better!

Some of the first cakes I saw of Rita's were my niece and nephew's birthday cakes.  I've also seen a few she did for various showers.  But by far, my favorite cakes of hers have been for my children's birthdays.  I know, I'm a bit prejudiced - but seriously, can you blame me?

For Sammy's First Birthday, we had a Dinosaur party!  I purchased several Wilton cake molds and Rita did the rest!

Note the mini dinosaur molds in the middle!  One of them was Sammy's personal cake!

Sammy's 2nd birthday had a farm theme!  I found these cake ideas on Family Fun, and once again, Rita did the rest!

Both cakes are made with round cake molds, and the rest is part candy, part imagination!

This cake was for Sammys 3rd birthday, which was a Thomas the Train theme.

This one was awesome!  Yes, that is a 3D train, made of cake and icing!

More detail!

Sammy loved Thomas!  He tried to take a bite off his funnel!

Sophia's 1st Birthday had a bug theme!  I found the cake ideas on Family Fun again, but it is Rita's personal touch and flair that really make them so wonderful!  This was Sophia's personal cake!

Beautiful butterflies and a big ladybug for all!

Sammy's 4th birthday was a pirate theme.  I found the cake idea on, you guessed it, Family Fun, but Rita read some reviews and found out the the cake idea from Family Fun wasn't stable and actually collapsed a lot.  So, she changed it up and made it her own.  The end result . . .

FABULOUS, as usual!! 

Can I also just comment on Rita's dedication?  Believe it or not, Sammy's pirate cake was the second one that she made . . . the first one collapsed at home, so she quickly made a second one, and prayed it would make it to Katy on their drive to the party!  It sure did, and the result was beautiful! 

I know Rita's going to kill me for saying this, but I think perhaps I should come up with a big challenge for her next year . . . I'm thinking, perhaps, a fairy castle?  A life-size Transformer?  Just kidding, Gigi - the kids would love it even if it was a simple sheet cake, but I love to see your talent!  Thanks for being such a willing cakery for my crazy ideas!

Oh, and can I mention again that several of my friends have tried to hire her for their children's birthdays?  I'm really thinking a cakery might be a great second career . . . hint, hint!

Gar, Matey!

Happy (Early) 4th Birthday to my handsome son, Samuel Arnold Chase!  Today was the first year that you have been more excited than anything about your birthday, and we've spent the last few months planning a wonderful party just for you!

It all started with our pirate theme - you've been begging for a pirate party all year long, and here it is!

These were your invites - I mailed them in a "treasure map" bag, and the pic was from Halloween this year.

Next we ordered some supplies . . .

An inflatable water slide, and  . . .

an awesome Pirate Ship water table!

The water table was definitely the hit of the party, but you loved the water slide, too!  Mommy really thought there would be more of a splash area at the bottom, but we inflated and filled another pool as well right before everyone got there, so all was well!

Overall, it was a beautiful day - most of your friends and family were in attendance, and Gigi made a beautiful pirate cake for you . . .

Can I just say again how extremely talented Gigi is?

Happy Birthday, Sammy!  I cannot believe what a wonderful little boy you are - every day you amaze me with your beautiful spirit, and your sweet nature - I love you so much, Sammy-Bear!

You look super sweet with fake nose-rings and eye-patches, by the way!

Did I mention how much we love you?

And in the meantime . . . does your sister, Sophia, have a boyfriend?  I think his name is Harrison - you might want to check into that . . . make sure he's keeping it real . . .

Oh, and did I mention how much we love our friends and family?  Many thanks to my BFF, Amanda, who kept me sane . . . Mike's parents, Rita and Bob, who brought the awesome cake and brought our nieces and nephew as well . . . my parents, who brought my grandmother from Oklahoma and many chairs, as well as helping us with logistics, and my aunt and uncle, Linda and Tim, who noticed we needed more chairs and actually drove home (ok, a mile and half) to get them to help us out in the middle of the party!  We love everyone!  And, Happy Birthday Sammy!

Immersion

Are you fully "immersed" into Christ?  I am . . . and not only once, but twice!  I was first baptized via full immersion when I was 12 years old.  My Baptizer was my Missionettes leader, Lisa Smotts.  I loved her so much - Lisa was a Godly woman.  She was married, had one daughter, worked fulltime, and sang like an angel.  I looked up to her so much when I was a girl, and I really appreciate the beautiful life she demonstrated to myself and all of my friends at such an impressionable age.  I am thankful for the beautiful gift of such a God-loving woman - I first met Lisa when I was about 8 years old.  She worked full time for Southwestern Bell, and gave her entire life to God and to her family.  I cannot place into words what an awesome woman Lisa Smotts was - she stood by her man, and raised her daughter in the fullness of God's light.  And I cannot tell you what a beautiful witness she was to me and to many of my girlfriends in church that I grew up with.

I remember looking up to Lisa so much.  We lost touch after awhile, and many years later, after a long battle with cancer, Lisa passed away.  She left a beautiful legacy to all of us - she never lost her faith in God, and her love for her family.  Today, I am in touch with Lisa's daughter, Christina, on Facebook.  It is so wonderful to me to see the way that Christina has matured and grown up.  I know that God, and her wonderful mom, Lisa, are looking out for Christina, and shining on her life today.  I cannot express how much I am thankful for the wonderful role model and woman of God that Lisa was to me.

In keeping with that, my husband decided that he would like to be fully immersed into Christ as well, however he wanted us both to share in the experience together.  At first, I honestly did not want to.  In my humble opinion, I had been baptized at age 12 by Lisa, and I didn't want to discredit that experience in any way at all.  However, I wanted to support Mike as well.  After much prayer and consideration, this Tuesday, May 18th, Mike and I were both baptized by our pastor, Darren Walter, at Current in Katy, Texas.  It was a beautiful experience, made even more special by the witness provided by my parents, and my paternal grandmother. 

Have you been baptized by immersion?  Are you excited about your decision? I know we both were . . .

It's the Last Year of My 20's . . .

It's the last year of my 20's . . . yes people, you heard that right.  Today was my birthday, and I turned 29.  I cannot believe it - it seems like just yesterday that I was turning 21, Mike proposed to me, and we spent all night at the square in San Marcos.  Here we are, 8 years later - an almost 4 year old son, a 1 year old daughter, and we spent all night at my brother's house swimming . . . boy, how life changes!

And what a wonderful change it is!  Had you asked me 8 years ago where I would be today, it would be a completely different story - I would have been the youngest female CEO of The Hartford, living somewhere in the Northeast and wearing power suits.  Instead, I'm living in Katy, organizing a playgroup, and wearing sweats.  Or, a T-shirt and shorts most days.  Other days I put on my bathing suit!  Do I regret it?  Never!  We are having the time of our lives, and I am so grateful for the direction God has taken for us!

So, where does that leave me in the next year or so . . . I have to be honest and say that since I was 22 years old, it has been a dream of mine to run a marathon before I turned 30.  Looks like it's time for that dream to come true . . . almost!  My awesome sister-in-law, Trish, her best friend Kelley, our friends Cheryl and Monica, and anyone else we can recruit, will be running a half-marathon this January 2011.  Yes, we are running the Aramco Half Marathon on Sunday, January 30, 2011.  And if you mean anything to any of us, you better be there at the finish line, cheering us on!  OK, it's not the marathon dream - but it's halfway there, and that's better than nothing.  Maybe when I turn 40 I'll do a full.  In the meantime, I'm proud of myself!

I've registered at KatyFit.com, and I'll be training starting from mid-July on.  I suppose in conjunction with this marathon goal, I can say that in the next year before I turn 30, I'll probably lose about 20 lbs.  Which would fulfill another age 30 dream of mine.  I've had two kids in the last five years, and while I've been proud of how I look, I can't wait to get fully in shape while I'm training for the Aramco Half.  Can we say "hottie"???  Just teasing!

This year should be interesting . . . I'm running the Aramco Half, it's Sammy's last year before he starts kindergarten, and it's the last year of my twenties . . . I don't think it gets better than this, people!

Princess Princess

Hello, my name is Sophia!  I'm 12 months old, and quite the handful!

Yes, I'm that cute!

Can you believe it?

I know, I can't either!

I'm almost walking, my favorite word is 'duck' - and I mean, my FAVORITE word.  Everything is a duck.  Dogs, birds, cats, ducks . . . they're all ducks!  And I'm such a cute little duckling, myself . . . How can you resist? 

Yes, honey - it's a duck!  No, really, we all call him Kona, but you can call him duck as long as you want to!  Love you, Princess!

It's Getting Hot in Here!

Wow, I cannot believe the weather was in the 90's today!  What happened to the cool breezes we were experiencing just a few days ago?  I guess I'd better get used to it - we're in for a long hot summer - just like always!

What's the best way to beat the heat?  Play in the pool, of course!

Can you believe I bought this pool for $4.99?  Shocking, I know!

I love this pic - they're looking at each other and you can see the love, trust and sibling bond there . . .

Yes, we both fit in here - without all of our toys, of course!

Can we live without a real pool for the next few years?  Of course - but we're sure going to spend a lot of time filling this one up!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends, my mom, and my wonderful mother-in-law!  I'm so glad each and every one of you are a part of our lives!

We spend Saturday at the Houston Zoo with Mike's parents.  The kids had a blast - thank you so much for coming to visit, Gigi and GoPaw!

Such a sweet pic!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Sophia doesn't like men very much, but she sure does love her GoPaw!

Look at my sweet kids - they really make it all worth it!

On Sunday, after church, we spent the day at my mom's house with lots of family and some dear friends.  I'm not sure how it happened, but apparently the only picture I took while at my mom's house was of my brother Aaron wearing a watermelon on his head . . . I have a video, too - but I love him too much to post it!

Yep, you did that.  But honestly, if you hadn't done it, I was about to do it.  So, kudos to you!

Overall, such a beautiful weekend!  Again, Happy Mother's Day to all!

Kid Sports

While I'm on the subject of crazies . . . I've always heard stories of crazy people at children's sport games, and I honestly haven't understood it.  But I do now . . .

As you know, Sammy is playing T-Ball.  3 year old T-Ball.  For the YMCA.  Their motto is "Work Hard.  Play Hard.  Pray Hard."  And through our fall soccer season, and most of our spring T-Ball season, I've seen that motto in action.  Until now.

Today, we played a team which will remain nameless.  It was our second time to play this team, and the kids are really sweet, and most of the parents are as well.  Except the head coach.  I thought he was a bit off the first time we played this team, but now, he's really gone too far.

This coach picks up every single player from the bench and carries them to the tee.  He places them on the ground, then perfectly arranges their feet, and places the bat in their hands.  Then he places the bat up on their shoulders and walks off.  And each child hits the ball into the outfield, beyond second base.  In three year old T-Ball.

Let's talk about their fielding game.  Anyone who's seen three year old T-Ball knows that it pretty much looks like herding cats.  In other words - total chaos.  The ball is hit off the tee (after SEVERAL swings), and lands somewhere close to where the pitcher's mound should be.  And every child, from the pitcher, to the third baseman, to even the first baseman, runs for the ball.  Sometimes they all pile on top of the ball.  And even wrestle around with the ball, until nature (or the coach) decides who should throw the ball to first base. 

Not so with this team.  Every player stands perfectly still in their spot.  They do not move, unless the ball comes exactly in their direction.  And they are placed perfectly in their spot by their coach, who pulls printed off field assignments out of his back pocket and rotates them each inning.  Yes, the three year old T-Ball coach has field assignments.  Are you kidding me?

The first time we played this time, my husband jokingly said that they must have had secret tryouts.  Now, I know that they did.  And I also know that they must practice every day.  Because none of the three year olds on our team play like that.

Now, don't get me wrong - perfectly placing each batter, printed field assignments, yada yada yada - all that is funny.  And it's good discipline.  But, these kids are three.  And let's talk about how really crazy this coach is.  Every other team that we've played, the games have lasted two innings.  But this coach insists on continuing to play until we've played at least one hour.  Which means our kids are playing for three innings.  One inning might not make a big difference to you or me, but to a three year old, it's an eternity.  These poor kids are exhausted.  They're crying, they're laying on the ground, and it's really sad.  Even his own team's players are exhausted.  They just don't have the attention span to make it beyond two innings.

And as for his teamwork and sportsmanship skills . . . when our team was up to bat in the second inning, the coach's son fielded the ball, and then threw it at our player who was running to first base.  Now, don't get me wrong, kids are kids, and they will do stuff like that.  However, instead of having his player apologize to the little boy who got beamed in the shoulder with the ball . . . he picked up his son, carried him to our player who was now being consoled on first base, took his son's mitt in his hand, and tagged our player, stating "No, you tag him with your glove."  Then he placed his son on the ground and stalked off.  No direction of an apology, no questioning whether our player was ok, nothing.  All game face.  Are you kidding me?

This is behavior that I would expect in a 12 year old Little League game.  Not a three year old YMCA T-Ball game.  I wonder how it feels to be a parent on this coach's team.  And I wonder if I would have the courage to speak up if I was.  What is this coach teaching our kids about teamwork and sportsmanship?  I'm really not sure, and that concerns me. 

Meanwhile . . . want to see Sammy hit a home run?  Or at least a run to first base anyway?

The Pancho Peach

This is a story that's been a long time coming, but I can't keep it a secret any longer!  About a month ago, we were going to the Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy for a friend in our playgroup's birthday.  We arrived a few minutes earlier than our friends.  I had brought along a large play gym for Sophia, and set it up with a blanket underneath so she could crawl around and cruise along it at the park.

We hadn't been there more than a few seconds when a woman walked up to us.  She was wearing a large mexican pancho, the kind you can buy in any border town.  It was white with black stripes.  She was pushing a Graco travel system stroller, holding a baby not more than 5 months old, with a little boy about 3 years old sitting in an infant carseat in the stroller.  Yes, the 3 year old was in the infant carseat. 

Pancho Mama says "Where did you get that?" I respond, "at a garage sale, it was like $15." And she says, "Can I buy it from you?" Blank stare. "Um, well I'm using it right now." "I know, but can I buy it from you, because I need something like that." "Well, I think I might be using it for a little while longer." "OK." Pancho Mama strolls off, pushing the stroller with the little boy now walking beside her.

More of our friends show up at the park, and Pancho Mama strolls up again, stands right by us, and laughs when everyone else laughs. Quite weird, but no big deal. Pancho Mama strolls off.

Someone takes out bubbles. Pancho Mama runs up, pushing the stroller. Stands right by us. Laughs when everyone else laughs. Pancho Mama strolls off.

I take out sidewalk chalk. Pancho Mama runs up, pushing the stroller. Stands right by us. Laughs when everyone else laughs. Pancho Mama strolls off.

We light the candles on the birthday cake. Pancho Mama runs up, pushing the stroller. Stands right by us. Sings when everyone else sings. Pancho Mama strolls off.

My girlfriend Debra and I are standing next to each other, and another friend Julia is sitting across the table. Pancho Mama runs up, and says to Debra, "Are you guys a moms group?" I look around, see Sammy on the slide, and run over, abandoning Debra to be accosted by Pancho Mama. Meanwhile, I slyly look back - you see, Pancho Mama has already randomly tried to buy something from me, and is acting quite weird. I'm not dealing with that - I can smell crazy from a mile away now, and I'm done with that!

I asked Debra to share with me the details of her conversation with Pancho Mama . . . Here's her side of the story!

Pancho Mama -  Hey are you guys a mom's group

Debra - Yes, we are

Pancho Mama -  Like mom's international?

Debra - No, like meetup.com (thinking there is no harm here b/c there are several katy area groups on there)

Pancho Mama -  Oh like what is your group name?

Debra - (starting to kinda panic in what to do/say) so I say really super fast katygroup

Pancho Mama - oh ok, are your dues high?

Debra -  not really? are you in a mom's group?

Pancho Mama - Good, I was in mom's international, but the dues were so high and all my friends moved away and now it is just me.

Debra - Oh, I am sorry.

Pancho Mama - That's ok. I just really need to find a new mom's group.

Debra - Yea, that's cool.

Meanwhile . . . Our friend Julia is watching the entire conversation.  She's witnessed me escape, she's witnessed Debra's dagger eyes to me, and she's witnessed Debra squirm now.  I think she's guilty by association - what do you think?

So, Pancho Mama remains but a memory for a while.  However, this past Friday, almost a month and a half since the last appearance of Pancho Mama, she showed up again.  We went to the same park, this time for my children's birthday playdate.  We hadn't been there longer than 30 minutes when Pancho Mama showed up again.  This time in a peach colored polo shirt.  No pancho.  But due to alliteration, she will henceforth be known as the Pancho Peach.

The Pancho Peach hung around our group the entire time she was there.  When anyone tried to engage her in conversation, she told us about her former mom's group.  She also would randomly walk up to people in the park and stand very close to them.  It's all a bit strange, and I'm not quite sure how to respond.  On the one hand, one of the reasons why our playgroup exists is to provide a support group for stay-at-home moms, as we all know what a tough road it can be sometimes.  However, on the other hand, the behavior is strange, and I'm pretty much done with wacko people. 

What do you think?  Where do we go from here?  What if the Pancho Peach arrives at that park again?  How do we handle this - help the Pancho Peach learn some social skills?  Or move on?

Thanks to Debra, my guest blogger for the day!  :)  Also, share comments of other park weirdos!  I'd love to know we're not the only ones with park stalkers!

The Queen Bee

Mike and the kids gave me my mother's day present early.  Two days early, to be exact.  Perhaps because I asked for it, or perhaps because they were so excited!  I was excited, too . . . sort of.

For Christmas this past year, my gift was a Pandora clasp bracelet.  Ever since, I can count on receiving a Pandora charm to add to my bracelet for pretty much any occasion.  It's always exciting to see what's been picked out, and I enjoy looking over my charms and reminiscing.  So I was a bit taken aback to see this one . . .

The Queen Bee

My first thought was, "The Queen Bee-yotch?"  Really?  And this is supposed to be flattering?

I've done a bit of research, though.  And I've decided that I am quite honored.  You see, the queen bee actually has the most important role in the bee colony.  Most bees live in colonies, and each member of the colony contributes equally for the good of the entire bee society.  But the queen bee is the most important member, as without her, the bee colony collapses.

I feel pretty honored - I think it means I'm important.  And I'm needed.  And loved.  Which are all good things to be.  Happy Mother's Day to me!

Stinker

Who would have known that my daughter would be a stinker, too . . . she's quite the drama queen since she turned one a few weeks ago.  Her new favorite plaything?

Yep, toilet paper.  I thought only dogs did this?  Oh well, she does have a puppy on her shirt!