Baseballs-n-Babydolls

A change is coming....

2010-10-16T23:12:00.001-07:00

This blog will be changing soon.. stay tuned !

After the rain.......

2009-09-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

We finally saw the sun.. well for about a day at least, so while the dude was at a friend's house, the diva and I made the most of that day and went and shot these for a friend. I told her the diva liked.. no loved horses and to suprise us and this ADORABLE little set is what she came up with. The diva could not have been more excited to put on her cowgirl duds, hat and boots and to get to take her beloved Snowflake was a bonus .. here are a few peeks from the shoot ....

I know I have said before the diva has a thing with horses.. it seems.. over time, this thing has manifested into a full blown love affair! We did not know these horses... me being the ~~scardy cat~~ hesitant one, was not sure how to approach them (well I "knew" I just was not sure what they would do). The diva on the other hand, walked right up to the fence, watched the horses.. called out softly "it is ok little boy, c'mere", and over they came. She waited till they came close...

and then began to pet them as if she had known them all her her 3 years of life! They seemed to like it also :)

'course then we get too friendly....

But again, I cannot tell you how adorable this set is, Gillian is a fantastic designer and we were so honored to be able to work with her!

But all good things come to and end and apparently this does too, the diva was all too done with the jeans and was ready to get her "boots a walkin' " and get on to lunch..

Hope everyone has a fantastic week, we "should" be busy here, but all that will be depending on the rain Gods and if they care to shower us again this week. The weather men could probably not show up for work and just replay last weeks forcasts if what they say is true, and if it is true, well we may just invest in a boat or a jet ski to take to and from work/school :)

Rainy Days and Mondays Always get me down...

2009-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain...that is ALL it has done here since Friday morning. And when I mean "all it has done"
I mean ALL it has done... non-stop. Now don't get me wrong, I like a little rain, love to hear it on the roof, LOVE to listen to it when I am going to bed.. or have nothing to do...

But, I do have some things to do... I mean c'mon.. no one can do nothing for 4 days straight!! Or I guess they can.. as we have.. I am not a big "get out in the rain and get soaked" fan so we stayed at home to "weather" out the storm (which is winning by the way..)

So I am kind of down, it is raining.. and it is Monday.. so that song by the Carpenter's popped into my head this morning (yes I know.. to admit I actually know that song is embarrassing). And I tried to think of a way to get out of the "four day rain funk" I was in. So the diva decided she wanted to go outside and play so there we went as 4 days inside does NOT make a happy diva!!

And funny enough.. my mood brightened :)

Cause there is nothing that makes me smile more then the diva in her rain boots and horsey rain coat...

Splashing in puddles...

Trying to get me wet as I got close to take these...

As if it were every day that you got to go outside in your pj's (since your rain coat is big enough to cover them), and boots and splash till you are soaked...

and run in puddles..

and splash some more.....

making me laugh the whole time :)

We have been busy. I hate to say, I figured with school starting I would have more time to blog but the reverse has happened, which stinks.. as I love to blog and read blogs.. so I am going to TRY to be better about coming and posting. But don't hold me to it people.. I am human ya know!

But to recap.. we started baseball again.. and we changed our names. We are know the Longhorns- yes that is right, just like the University of Texas Longhorns (well actually, to be honest, I think we are better as our uniforms are WAYYY cooler then theirs are.. and the dude's catcher's mask is wayy cooler too)

Not at ALL psyched about white baseball pants though... so if anyone out there has a sure-fire way to get those dirt stains out.. post here and I might actually send you a prize (yes I am that desperate..lol)

The diva started a tot-dance class this week too.. not sure what to make of it except she looks C*U*T*E!!!

She is just liking being able to jump and hop (which probably means she needs to be in gymnastics) but since she looks so darn cute I may just leave her in this one for a while.

She will start horse riding lessons again probably in October which she is very excited about.

She got a new horsie room which is pretty much now done so stay tuned for some pics of that :)

But for now lets all just dance and sing together "rain, rain, go away.. come again another day.."

Back to School!!!!

2009-08-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

This week we went back to school. Back to getting up early (yes I know we probably should have been doing that for a while now).. back to going to bed early (had we been doing this then getting up probably would not have been so hard), back to books, back to all that we do to prepare our little accoutants and future presidents for the real world out there :)

As a former teacher and lover of school. I loved this week.. and the week before! All the prep, getting new school supplies, new books.. seeing my friends, meeting my teacher.. who would be in my class this year? OHH I would stay up almost as late as the night Santa came waiting for the class lists to be posted!!

I guess you could say I was not in the norm ;)

But I did love school.. still do, and I loved teaching. I hope and wish.. that both my kids will love and appreciate school like I did, cause after all, when it is all said and done, you can't go back.. then you have a real job...lol

The Dude started 1st grade.. I cannot believe Kindergarten is done and we have moved onto now the feeling that we have "been there, done that". We are not the "babies of the school". We don't need our moms to walk us into class (which just FYI, I did in fact walk him into class that first day, took pictures, sniffled as I exclaimed how "my baby was getting so big now!", and did all that embarassing stuff I have waited to do since my mom did it to me. Hey sorry dude, it is a right of passage and I will NOT be denied!

Course, some of us were just so happy cause we got a "real desk" this year!!

But you know what my little dude,
There will come a day when even these pictures won't be taken. When that backpack won't look so big on you.. when you will be driving yourself to school and all I will get is a "bye mom" as you go off for your first day.

And I know I will wish for these days again... for that chance to walk you into class.. for you to still think that it was more fun to stay home with me then to go.. for you to let me snap pics of you in your new clothes.. new backpacks on your first days.

I marvel in how each day... you chance and grow before my eyes.. how it seems just yesterday how I used to sit and look at my own students and imagine you walking into class like they did.. what you would look like when you got that big, how you would be..... and now that time is here.. each year, I say goodbye to you on that first day.. and give you a kiss as I kiss away another year of childhood.

But know that as sure as the sun shines on your golden locks as you walk towards your bright future.. you will always be my little boy, and I will always love you and be proud of you in everything you do!!

And I just feel sorry for whomever gets these two when they start!!!!

Cause I am not sure our school system will ever be the same ;)

Fourth of July fun :)

2009-07-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

** warning TONS of pictures alert **

ok with that being said, and following in my ~~always~~ just a smidge late style.. here are some pics from our 4th.

We spent the holidays here, in town. I would go out on a limb and say we had a "staycation" but I digress I cannot since we really did not "go" anywhere (and I don't think the qualifications of the above said mean STAY at home)..
But stay-go- whatever, we did have a good time :)

Since the Thunder Monkeys got the 3rd off (who knew they allowed off days in softball!!) we were able to hit our hometown to watch the show.......

the diva and her "take a picture of me" pose ...

the dude's smashing new shoes .....

The dude and some buds...

The diva and the girls...

GO USA!!!!

My shots.....
They shot the fireworks over the High School Football Stadium so we got great seats across the highway :)

Hope everyone had a great 4th :)

A man boy of many faces....

2009-07-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Baby Fever....

2009-06-25T22:44:00.001-07:00

I had the priviledge today of not only getting together with probably my oldest (and NO not in the essance of age mind you more like long-standing relationships) and bestest friend and her brand spanking new son L, but I got to photograph them too!

Nothing delights me more then babies... well ok, maybe next to chocolate, a trip to Bennihanna's, a pedicure...
BUT.. I LOVE babies.. love them love them!
And I love good friends who have babies- cause it means I can hold them and not feel weird about it (hey you try holding some random ladies baby and see how weird you feel!)

Melissa and I have been friends since 2nd grade, when I moved here and she loaned me a pencil (yes, I came to a new school without a pencil my first day.. gasp!) We walked home together, played every day together, had sleepovers, told secrets, played softball together, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.. heck we even taught at the same school! Yes she was THAT friend, the kind you want to have, the kind you want your kid to have.. the kind that... no matter where you are, or how long it has been, you know each other like a book and you can pick up like you saw each other yesterday- yes.. we're good like that ;)
We even have kids the same age.. GIRLS in fact.. so it could be a tradition in the making.. hehe

So to be able to capture any moment as precious as that of her new son, was a great honor to me..
Now, mind you, this was my first baby session but all in all I think it went pretty well :)
Here are a few sneaks of mommy and son and some on his own :)

A week in review

2009-06-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I am always a tad behind (hey... that is just how I roll people.. at least it gets done eventually), I felt it was best since THIS week is half over to just do a "week in review" of LAST week. ** There will not be a week in review of this week as we have done not much of anything cept sit inside and swelter!!

But last week was exciting.. busy.. and even came with a few milestones :)

The dude spent the week at baseball camp (sorry no pics..I mainly did a drop off and pick up thing here as there were a ton of kids and the dude was not wanting to be photographed for this (** although I did get a few sneaky ones). In amongst the week (and weekend before) he lost his first tooth and then 2 days later lost his second! Imagine the tooth fairies delight to get to come to our house twice in 3 days (especially since the tooth fairy is known for NEVER carrying cash and relying on her debit card for all her purchases)..

But no need to worry your pearly whites over it, the tooth fairy came through for the dude and now has made mental notes to keep small cash ~~on hand~~ hidden for those treasures. And the dude got good lesson in adding up change :)

In amongst baseball camp, the dude also got to to to sleepover church camp. He was just beside himself with excitement as apparently there is nothing better to him then being away from home with the comforts of travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc, an impending swim test to ensure deep end swimming, and the use of a trash bag to return all the muddy/crusty clothes. The dude also loves to hang out with his soccer buddies, most of which went along to the camp.

So with the dude gone, the diva and I set out to find entertainment fit only for true high class women...

We did not have to look very far....

The dad provided us with enough for the rest of the summer (literally as he plays every Friday) in the form of an ever gripping game of ~~we are to old to play baseball anymore so we will play this instead~~ softball.

Now don't take that wife of the year prize away yet. I love the dad, and one thing I have always loved about him was his ability to play ball... baseball or softball.

Just not sure I am in love with the team name "Thunder Monkeys". Course what more could a high class woman like myself want in her husband's team name...

complete with camo jersies.... the dad was even sweet enough to get matching ones for the diva, dude and myself....

How lucky am I!!!

Course the diva has not yet mastered the fine art of graciously declining, and flat out said NO when asked if she wanted to wear her shirt...

She prefers western wear with her mother's name instead... hey at least I got a bow in her hair (or hair clip..)which as you see below came with a price...

And we practiced feeding the animals (or at least it kind of looks that way.. in reality it was the dad asking for one)

Then we ventured over to the dad's parents house for some well needed swimming...

And as I went to use the restroom (INSIDE) apparently the diva decided she did not need a restroom...(*photo compliments of the dad)

Too bad she was not wearing her Thunder Monkey jersey... would have made the picture complete...

But we did swim.. or the diva and dad swam, I sat and ~~said a silent prayer that my sweet adorable daughter was not turning into a mini dude complete with urinating outside~~ took pictures...

of jumping with fish

jumping without fish

and practicing for the shamu show...

now you see where the diva gets her ~~attitude~~ red hair from :)

and it was also high time for some new... GOOD pics of the diva since she turned 3 on the 10th (birthday pics to come.. just so many I am trying to get them done). So we headed over to one of my favorite spots for a little mini session :)

hard to believe she can look that sweet?

This is one of my favs... DEFINATELY more her "look" like she has something

brewing in that head of hers (and all that brewing is making her hair swirl)

Saturday came with the dude coming home tanned, tired and frankly not all that happy to be home. I guess having to eat something besides pizza and snacks and going to bed at a decent hour are not all that high on his list of things to do this summer... (hey I could give him a swim test though... and a few others...)

But his mood quickly changed after a nap and the finding of a certain magic ticket which awaited him.....

As we I set forth on uncharted territory...

That of a teen sensation concert....

Behold (as the AHHHHH music sounds in the background) The Jonas Brothers World Tour...

Now, don't get me wrong.. I have done the concert thing.. even the crazed teen sensation concert thing.. I WAS that girl who cried when Joey Joe from NKOTB sang "Please.... don't go girl" (don't even ask who they are if you don't know.. I am not in the mood to feel any more older then I did Saturday night)

But I have never been the OLD person at the crazy teen sensation concert...

Or apparently the OLD person with the camera ....

But they were good I will admit. And they are good kids who have good morals and make good choices. They actually play and sing.. one of which plays pretty much everything and sings (I think he is Nick?) gasp, I know.. sorry, I mean to remember his name. And it was fun night, even complete with the hysterically crying girl that brought back such fond memories for me (to bad I can't find that old "Joey Joe's future wife" shirt.. that would fit right along there with my "wife of a Thunder Monkey one"

And who knows.. maybe next time they come, I may actually be able to sing one of their songs ;)

A Father's Day Friend or Foe

2009-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day I decided I would be nice and do the yardwork. I figured really, how hard could it be, not like dusting in nooks and crannies or cleaning the toilet of a 6 year old boy right?

So I let the dad know that part of his gift would be a week of no yard duty- he was hesistant at first due to my last altercation with the headge trimmers which resulted in one of our front bushes looking like Mr. T. But I assured him that I would be good this time.

So he showed me how to work the weed eater, edger, and mower.. explained to me how to stay in a straight line.... how to ease into the blade while edging..... etc. I was pumped, I mean it sounded just like coloring and tracing.. stay in the lines.. careful around the corners...

And it was a gorgeous almost 100 degree day outside and I was ready to work on that non-existant tan I have, so I got my yard clothes on and headed out for a day of being "wife of the year"....

He forgot to tell me the weed eater is mean....

More like brutal, and abusive.. that thing HURTS! Never was I informed of the SHARP pieces of flying debris that would immediately come back at my legs....

Nor was I told it probably is not a good idea to just plow over grass which has pieces of wood chips in it.....

But, in the end, I got it done.... and have a nice ~~sunburn~~ tan to prove it. And the dad was rewarded with a yard already done for once... I hope he is happy....

Cause it won't ever happen again :)

Happy Father's Day (yes I know this post is late... sorry that is just how I roll) to the best hubby and daddy I know!

Stay tuned as I will soon be posting our "week in review" from last week as it was a pretty busy one :)

GIVEAWAY!!

2009-06-22T19:10:00.001-07:00

SQUEELLLL, you know how I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some giveaways!!
Well this has to be one of my favs so far, and what makes it even cooler it is one of my bestest friends, Tracy who is doing it!! (wait, does that mean I cannot enter?..)
Well, regardless, I still wanna give her a shout out cause this is about the coolest thing I have seen lately!

How many of our kiddos complain that the seatbelt rubs their neck? I know mine do! And the little covers you can buy at BRU aren't all that "cute" so Tracy has started making these ADORABLE seat belt covers and she is giving a PAIR away on her blog!! So GET OVER to her blog and read about them NOW!!

** sorry, cutie pie Brayden is NOT included ** :)

30 Day Me.....

2009-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

I never post on myself... really... I mean, most times, it is me... posting.. but about my kids...I mean, after all, they are my life ;)

But 30 days ago (well maybe more like 45 or so if you count weekends) I embarked on a journey with a few IRL friends and some blogger friends to "shred" our bodies of the baby weight, the "mommy I need you NOW every minute of the day so you cannot possibly have ANY time to yourself" weight, the "we have baseball Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, soccer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, horse riding Wednesdays, karate Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we pretty much call McDonalds our second home" weight, the "photo session Monday - edit pictures Monday night, photo session Tuesday- edit pics Tuesday night (insert rest of week).. the.. ok I think you get the picture.

I lead a busy life, I love my busy life, but it is busy.. and "Me time".. whether it is a trip to the nail salon, hair salon, even the grocery store is usually not done unless done with a child (usually the diva) in tow. Soooo, working out was a thing of the past... well until I read Big Mama 's post where she had faithfully decided to start this workout. I love Big Mama, read her blog faithfully, so do most of my IRL friends. So we all decided we would do this with her... I mean after all, how hard could it be?

I used to be VERY active, I played pretty much every sport, cheered, and was very into softball... all the way through college even. I love a challenge and love competition. Then, I had kids.. and as we all know, with kids comes weight. I used to be blessed with a high metabolism... I guess.. maybe part of that was the amount of exercise I did also. Regardless, the minute I had the diva, my stellar metabolism left the building.. only problem was, it did not take my stellar ability to out eat anyone (rememeber I love a challenge)with it.

So throughout my "conceiving, carrying, and cuddling" baby years, I have tried NUMEROUS, diets, fads, workout dvd's, I have bought a few jogging strollers in a vast attempt to start to like to run, I have had gym memberships, had workout buddies, workout clothes, even buying clothes a size to small didn't motivate me enough to stick with any one thing.

I crave routine.... I need to know that in the AM, I will wake up, have coffee, check email, feed kids (if awake).. if not, continue to check emails until kids wake, then feed, clean up, workout, then do our many errands for the day.... I was really never able to do this cause I could not find anyone.. or anything that could fit into my schedule and that I LIKED enough to stick with (sorry work out buddies). See that is my other problem, as much as I love a routine, I also need some variance (make sense?)... I cannot workout to the SAME video with the SAME lady, SAME music, moves, etc for 6 weeks straight... UGHH YUCK.. nor could I run as in Texas.. it is just too hot and I cannot take a 8 month hiatas from exercise so I can run when it is healthy to be outside. The gym offers me little here as there are 2.. small ones, neither of which offer a daycare.

So when I researched the shred, I found that Jillian had broken this up into 3 levels.. each having 3 circuits you do: in each circuit you do 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs- so that times 3 plus a warm up and cool down totals 20 minutes! HUH? I was psyched, surely I could handle.. and stick with, something for 30 days for 20 minutes a day..

So I decided I would work out during the week and then save weekends for rest and relaxation with the understanding that R and R meant the above and not, rootbeers and reeces cups :)

Week 1, check, 2 check, 3 check.. by week 5 I was ready for level 3. Each level was great, by the time I would be like URGHH.. it would time to move on to cardio, or abs.. or the next circuit. The time FLEW by each day... I can honestly say this is the best workout video I have owned!!

Did I lose all the weight I wanted to? Bwahh, no, but I have lost 18 pounds and was not afraid to get on the scale to see. My clothes are looser, my arms are firmer, my appetitie is smaller.. and I just FEEL better. I WANTED to do this every day, I looked forward to it, I was mad if I didn't get to do it in the AM as planned BUT.. if I didn't, I made the effort to later in the afternoon.

ok now don't get the idea in your head that I am a superstar, I whined at night about being sore, I was grouchy some days, and for 20 minutes, I ignored my kids (well ok not totally but I refused to get drinks, snacks, help with whatever unless it was NEEDED - by my definition not the kids).... but for some reason, Jillian made me feel like if I did NOT do this, I would feel guilty about it. She was harsh, she was mean, she said mean things on the TV.. I sometimes felt like she might come THROUGH the TV and get me! But I love her and I know see why she is on The Biggest Loser- she may be mean, but she does get results.

So to sum up this VERY ~~lenghty~~ informative post, I would strongly encourage anyone who is looking for a good workout, to go buy this DVD. You can purchase it here or at Target. All you need is a pair of hand weights (or you could use one of your children if they are of appropriate weight). But if you stick with it, I promise you will see results.

Now as for me, I completed my last day... day 30 of the shred a few hours ago but I will continue to do this each week as I feel like right now it is giving me good results and I am still exhausted with level 3 so I think a few more weeks are in order.. plus I am not done losing weight either :)

But I am really just happy that in the last 30-45 days, I have established some "Me Time".. and it is healthy time. I now know I have time to workout each day and that my kids can survive 20 minutes without me. They know this too and they are also seeing me doing something healthy for myself.

So celebrate with me today then shred with me on Monday!!

Happy Birthday Freckle Face Strawberry!

2009-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday My Freckle Face Strawberry,

I remember the day I had you, how you looked just like your brother, how I was NOT sure what I would do with a "girl".... how you took all of about 2 minutes to have everyone wrapped around your little finger :) You came early (or course)- I should have known then you had your own agenda ;)

How much FUN it is (or was) to dress you (now you seem to have your own style). I remember being in denial about the color of your hair, there was NO way I would have a red head :) But now, if your hair changed I would be so sad as that is who you are.. you are my little red head (complete with temper) :)

I remember how sad and excited I was when you turned one, how I swore I would not let the years fly by.. you would always be my baby if I had anything to do with it! But how excited I was as you were turning into this little person right before my eyes, someone who I would cease to exist without.

I love how curious you are,

How funny you can be, how much you have taught me about myself (like messes like this are ok..lol)

I love your smile, it lights up a room, your laugh is contagious, and your voice... lets just say it is

very hard to stay mad at you...

I love the fact that when you are asleep, I can still see the baby in you (and pray I always will)

I thank God every day that he blessed me with you,

to keep me on my toes :)

to melt my heart...

to remind me how precious girls are...

But also to remind me of how in every little girl.. is a little of her mom :)

Happy Birthday my sweet little girl, for 3 years you have blessed my life and there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for you. I pray that your life will be all that you want it to be, that you will always know and love God, that your life will be filled with whatever it is your heart desires, but that no matter where you go or what you do, that your mom is always here for you!

I love you!

Mommy

Giveaway!!!

2009-06-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Eh-hem.. no not me.. I wish.. unfortunately.. I am not creative nor can I make/paint/sew/design anything... wish I could...

But I do know some FABULOUS people who can ;)...if you know me.. or have seen the diva and the dude (well the dude when he was younger..) then you have seen my kiddos outifitted in some of the most adorable clothing, jewelery, bows (not the dude.. GASP!) hats.. you name it.. I bet someone made it for us.

Even "I" get in on the action sometimes :) Beki is one of my FAVORITE jewelery designers.. she has made me anything and everything I can think of all of which I cherish. I am going to snap some pics of some of the trinkets she has made me in the past and post here later. But you can also see her stuff on her blogby clicking the link above. She is having a giveaway for one of her AWESOME hand-stamped necklaces and all you have to do is post a comment. Let me tell you, I have been oogling over one of these for some time now but never have any extra $$ anymore nor am I decided on what I want it to say (and don't have the $$ to get ALL the saying I want stamped). So if you have a minute, and would love to have a chance to win a OOAK treasure of your own.. go to Beki's blog and leave a comment :)

Karate kid Dude

2009-06-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ok so I did promise pics of the dude so here they are.. but in my defense.. the dude is wayy to busy to stop and pose for pictures anymore.. so I now have to "master" the art of taking pictures of him in his many played sports. Here are a few snaps from karate the other day. They were testing for the next level belt.... which for the dude would be yellow.

For the dude to stand still is AMAZING! Oh and the dude's club is called "The Little Dragons" this is the class for kids ages 4-7. After 7, they go into basic training. The dude himself is not to fond of the "little" part of the name and would prefer just dragons.. or mighty dragons...or.. well ok I am sure you get the point.

and a bow to the instructor.. Mrs. B (or ma'am)

guarding stance...

some punches..

so now I start to think it would be "fun" to get some mirror shots ;)

switching sides...

The BIG moment... the YELLOW Belt!! Way to go!!!

Yea for the dude!!!!

Natural

2009-05-26T19:55:00.001-07:00

Iknow.. I can admit it now.. I have an obsession with posting pics of the diva...

I am not sure why I even like this one... but to me, this is her in her most "natural state"... hair a mess... dirty..lol.. typical, what in the world do you want now" look.. :)

I do promise to post pics of the dude soon :)

A New Friend

2009-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Me....

And my....

Shaaaa-dow ;)

The Diva and the Blustery Day....

2009-05-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

Hmmm.... think it was a little windy out today?

A Weather Question.....

2009-05-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix a diva and her dude.....

+ a room FULL of toys...

you get a mini tornado!

which packs a powerful punch...

Leaving destruction and carnage everywhere... as you can see.. not even Spiderman survived..

"it" even managed to swipe through the diva's vanity (but shockingly did NOT disturb the horsies) ;)

Oh well, off to clean up now :)

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

2009-05-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting these... they were too funny ;)

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

The diva says "Howdy".. she's too busy to wave (yes, we start 'em young down here) ;)

Fashion-ista

2009-05-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Seriously folks... I have NO clue where she gets her fashion sense from.....

or apparently her eating habits ;)

Riding in cars with horses with the diva

2009-04-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows the diva knows her real love is for horses. It started with My Little Ponies, and has now festered into full blown mustangs, bay horses, stallions, jalopenos (palomenos) and so on. She eats with horse utensils (well ok maybe she would if I could find them.. so far it is just te kids meal cup from On the Border), she wears horse clothing, she sleeps in horse pj's, and at last count, she had around 20 stuffed horses.. ALL of which have some sort of food name, and ALL of which reside in her bed.

So after talking it over with the dad, we decided letting her "start" some horse lessons would be ok.. after all, she probably would not want to actually "ride" these great big beautiful creatures, they are a LOT different then her stuffed bedmates. So I called up a local (that would be a plus living down South.. the local = lots) horse ranch and found Mrs. Trisha, a rodeo barrel racer who also teaches lessons.. and will start as young as the diva.

"She may not want to ride them", I say hesitantly, "and remember, she is almost 3 so her attention span ~~thus far~~ is not all that long."

"It is fine, bring her over, we have lots of kids start off slow and then get more into it as lessons progress. Lets just see what she wants to do."

Ok sure, we shall see...

So we got dressed in our jeans and boots,

drove on over....

and

Meet Mrs. Trisha and Lillie (our new best friends). As you can see, the diva had NO issues whatsoever with attention, timidness, or anything having to do with horses. She listened to Mrs. Trisha as she went over how to brush the horsie, how to always let the horsie know where you are (so the horsie does not kick you), how to hold the reins, how to get the horsie to walk, stop, and turn..

Then we were introduced to Philly, a younger horse who I swear (except I don't) thinks she is a dog. No.. really.. a dog.. I personally think her name should be Cruella DeVille (hence the black/white mane hooves etc), but Philly suits her and everyone else just fine so I will keep my names to myself. She is MY favorite horse out there as she really does have the personality of a dog- she licks your face (no.. she did not lick mine) she plays fetch, tug o war, and she is just the friendliest horse I have ever met. The diva hit it off with her right away!

Along with her dog-like characteristics, Philly apparently likes Gatorade...

the grape kind best...

and did not care if a diva was attached to it or not...

The diva asks every day when we can go back. We have had two lesson and in two, the diva can now tell you every part of the riding gear, what each brush is used for, can get Lilly to walk and stop, and not only plays with Philly, but has the unheard of (or at least to the people who know these horses) relationship with a foal named Dublin (whom I will post more on later).

And I am not sure WHAT she had in her pocket but apparently Philly wanted some :)

*I just like her look...

To say she has a passion for horses would be an understatment :)

Course goes along with being a diva.. her passion would have to be something expensive!

A lesson with 12

2009-04-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a big day for Stellan. For those of you who don't know Stellan, you can read about him here . Stellan's mom asked everyone to pray for Stellan and to wear orange to support him.

So we wore orange that day and after talking it over with the dude... he thought it would be neat if the team wore orange wrist bands to show support for his new little friend. He even wanted to dedicate the game to Stellan and had the team sign a ball for him. I couldn't have been more proud of him!

Luckily I used to date the son of the lady who owns the local sporting goods store, and luckily the home team's colors do NOT contain orange... so she had plenty of orange wrist bands and quickly screen printed an S on each one for us!

But I wanted to share a few pics with you. I was humbled and awed by the response I got from our team. These boys are mostly 7.. some 8.. some 6 and yet as I was explaing Stellan's story to them, they ALL immediately took the bands without me ever getting to the part where I would "ask" them if they would support Stellan and pray for him.. they all WANTED to do this for him.. and they have never met him!

They all have brothers or sisters and pretty much ALL of them asked me at some point about Stellan's siblngs.. if they were ok, did they miss him? and talked about how they would feel if this were their little brother or sister.

I was blown away!

They dedicated the game to him, we prayed before the game that God would see to it that someday.. Stellan would play ball like they do. They played hard, and won.. with several of the boys hitting home runs and telling me "that was for Stellan"...

did I mention I was blown away?

You see, I would be the first one to tell you that my kids are getting to grow up in a GREAT city. One full of GOOD kids, parents who really take an interest in their kids and what they do and how they act and treat people (you know.. like we were all raised). But I will also be the first one to tell you that our society lends itself to more pop culture ideals and that a lot of times... religion, and who we should be giving respect to every day, gets put on the backburner for things like Nintendo DS gaming, Jonas Brothers concerts on our Ipod, or IM-ing friends that we just saw less then an hour ago.

NOT to say those things are bad.. they aren't, I will be the first one to admit that MY son will be going to the Jonas Brothers concert (and I am just as excited about it as he is as I LOVE them.. hehe), I own an Itouch and use it all the time, and the dude has a DS (and I wish I had one).. but it has been said time and time again that we live in a society of instant gratification and finding a balance is hard to do....

So it was refreshing to see these boys.. rally around someone whom they have never met, and to give praise and ask God to keep him safe.

The gameball that night went to Stellan, the boys all had to agree that by giving it to Stellan, that meant no one that night would get one as each game there is only one to give. There was not a single mumor of disagreement. It was signed and will be sent to Stellan. I think the boys rose beautifully to the occassion and I for one thanked God at that very moment, for letting these 12 boys remind us all of what is really important.

And if this is how our future will behave and react to things outside their control.. then I think our future looks pretty awesome!

At the Hop (hop hop)

2009-04-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, the dude's school had what will probably now be an annual "sock hop"- yes this years PTO.. PTV.. PTA.. whatever it is they call themselves went above and beyond with this idea and I have to say this was a LOT of fun and a HUGE success! I myself did not plan on attending this event as the dude had a scheduled baseball game the same evening.. pretty much at the same time, but the sock hop Gods looked down upon us and opened the flood gates so that we could all attend (the dude's prayers had been answered as he REALLY wanted to go).

SOOO we doned our bobby socks (baby) and put on our old blue jeans.............there's a band playing down at the.. whoops sorry, got carried away there ;)

HAHA, anyway, here are a few pics from the event, I wish I had gotten more, but it was just too hard to carry the camera around, manuvering around all the "boppers" AND keep up with the diva. So I reluctantly put it away and focused on more important things -like coke floats, popcorn, and who could blow the biggest bubble (which I would have won had the diva not stuck her finger in mine thinking she would be funny.. plus I think the other kid got 2 pieces which as anyone knows.. gives WAY more elastaction for bigger bubble potential.. you know.. BBP)

;)

But here are some of the dude...

The dude's dance partner...

The diva needing to be in on the action ....

The dude and the dude's roll model, Cool Man H.. I seriously have taken cool pointers from this kid. He played on the dude's baseball team and the diva was (and honestly still is) pretty smitten with him.

So naturally, this pic would come next :)

I am kind of suprised she did not want to stand NEXT to him though.... :)

Better (a week) late then never

2009-04-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well I figure a week late is better then never right? Somehow, Easter kind of slipped by me this year... I did not buy my kids cute matching Easter clothes this year (well ok, the cute matching clothes I bought them last year still fit), I did not load up my kids baskets with tons of sugar, in fact, there was very little candy in them.. and none left after only a week in our house. I did not buy eggs, hard boil them, buy egg coloring..and then send the dude off to hang out with friends while R played cards (ahem.. meaning the Easter bunny could not come till the dude ad R got home either), I did not remember to get carrots so instead, the bunny feasted on some grapes and blueberries as he left our home. I also did not get any goodies for plastic eggs so hurriedly found some stickers and scavenged through the change jar to secure coins and a few dollars for the egg hunt the next day (hey.. it all goes back into the jar anyway right?).....

But I did manage to get 2 years out of some well priced clothes and that rarely happens. I did save myself a few sugar highs this week (and maybe a cavity or 2 later). I did salvage the hard boiled egg dilema as the diva and I spent some time that weekend with my sister, her fiancee, and my mom, and colored eggs over there (thanks to the fact that my mom boiled enough eggs for an army).... which was fun for the diva and I. And the dude had fun with his friends and R managed to come away a few dollars ahead after the card game was over (or so he tells me). I did discover that the Easter bunny can survive without carrots (but will make sure to have those on hand next year). And I did see that even without all the fancy doings, you can still enjoy yourself... after all, Easter is not about the cute clothes you wear on Sunday, the sugar highs, the dying of eggs, what the bunny eats or what is in the eggs, it is a day to celebrate that Jesus has risen... and that we DID!

hehe.. and I did take this picture of my sister's dog, Scout with the diva's favorite horse... the diva did not think this was funny at all!

My mom's doggie.. Barkleigh

the egg dying process...

taught very well by Aunt Ashley to the diva

the diva giving it a go...

some finished products...

sigh.. I also discovered I have a LOT to learn about indoor photography where there is no natural light (and me being the stubborn one refusing to use auto or the flash)... so please excuse my sub-par attempt with the above... :)

Soccer Dude

2009-04-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

Normally our Saturdays are spent on the soccer field, then the baseball field. The dude is VERY busy this time of year.. which is how he likes it (and the fast food places around town LOVE it as it makes it almost impossible for me to actually cook anymore). But here are some pics from the other days game...

guess you can pretty much figure out what our team name is huh? (heh-heh.. arghhh!!)

does he score??? I will let you be the judge ;)

the dude and this kiddo went at it the whole game.. gesh!

ok I am off to make lunches and edit more pics!

Lollipops, trees and divas (oh MY!)

2009-04-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pics from the other day's session with the diva. Course diva was not complaing too much since she got to have her choice of lollipops :)

Then she decided she wanted to climb this tree. So me, being the wonderful, mother-of-the-year I am, hoisted her above my head right into this little "nook" and said "DON'T MOVE!"

But then she started feeling more at home (I have always thought she was part monkey.. even though in this pic.. she said she was riding a horse)

My sweet girl :)

More diva pics soon- she had the best day ever (for her) the other day and I am excited for you to see.. but first I am gonna post some of the dude playing one of the many sports (we had a busy last 2 weekends playing baseball and soccer) and our Easter weekend! I just need about a week to edit.. ughhh

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! These were from this summer actually ( I know.. cheater..lol) but the diva got the chance to model this for Debbie of sugarbelle chic designs. And I couldn't resist sharing these with you :)

and this last one cause this is TRUE diva in action..

Signs of Spring!

2009-04-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

So even with all this CRAZY weather, the bluebonnets have bloomed beautifully. I have been waiting patiently to get some pics and when this adorable set from Beverly arrived I knew it was time. So the diva and I headed out to snap some pics on this 80 degree day (another sign of spring)

We went to a new spot that was just PACKED with ladybugs. I just adore ladybugs and snatched up everyone I could find to let them stroll along my hands, arms.. etc. The diva.. she wanted NO part in this. She is not into bugs or dirt I might add and informed me that the "baby-bugs" could go away. But I could not help snap a few pics of them on the bluebonnets.

And one of the diva when she was younger... when she in fact DID like "baby-bugs"...

Then we shot some pics. Beverly actually sent us 2 sets, the other I will post some pics of later after I edit. The weather was gorgeous, the flowers were gorgeous, so here are a few of my favs :)

Sigh, then LOOK at this.. I found these today as I was editing the new ones... these were taken not last season but the season before.. diva was going on 1 (whereas now she is going on 3).. :(

diva then...

diva now...

oh and whatcha think of diva's new "do"... I am sure you had noticed in a few pics already but these were her first real "shots" since the big "cut". I myself miss the bows and now just have to look at the HUGE assortment scattered about the house (yes, I am a BIG BOW ADDICT.. or BBA) and wish .. wait for when I can use them again... if she lets me..

Yee-Haw!

2009-04-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

So Friday we started our day off bright and early just like the "real" cowboys do. We loaded up the buckarros and headed over to the school for "rodeo day". The kids had been working ALL week studying about Texas, cowboys, and all things western. We (the parents) were asked to supply goldfish, pretzels, and some other edible items for "trail mix", old socks for horses (I had no idea horses needed socks.. but ok..), the dude (my new name for B) had to research all the facts about Texas, and he had to dress the part of a cowboy (which was fine with the diva since she loves all things cowboy and horse...someone forgot to tell the diva she was NOT invited to the rodeo though)

So here are the horses in their corrals... (the diva was a tad dissappointed there were no REAL horses in the corral)

I thought they were cute (in a Rudoloph the rednosed reindeer sort of way).

Now Rodeo Day consisted of a modge-podge of games.. the first requirement of the day was to cheer vigorously for your team... check ;)

The first game was one where the object was to dip your soup ladel into the bucket (which contained water).. and run DOWN a hill

trying NOT to spill water... (oops)

and deposit what is left of your water into another bucket...

I would love to show you a pic of the water that was IN the bucket at the end but it would not have shown up... good thing we have been in some need of rain here, the ground was ever so thankful ;)

Now.. every GOOD cowboy should be able to quicky dress in pants 3 sizes to big and run out to the corral.. to fend off those "Ky-otes" quicky

The dude watching his team....

OHHH we were SOOO close....

Another requirement of the cowboy is to be able to hula.. I mean lasso a steer
Mrs. B shows the kiddos how...

The dude takes his turn...

My favorite buckaroo ;)

The diva finding her own enjoyment since she could find no horsies....

This is the diva's main man.. Mr. K.. he is the coolest kid on the block (he is cooler then me) and of course the cutest!

Miss G, a friend of the dude's ....

When I saw this next picture, it immediately brought a song to my head by Toby Keith, I don't know all the words but the chorus goes... (me in my best shower voice)

"Your gonna miss this,

your gonna want this back."

"Your gonna wish these days,

hadn't gone by so fast...these are some good times...

so take a good luck around-

you may not know this now,

but your gonna miss this"

They spent a lot of time fighting.. the dude way to cool for the diva, the diva not wanting to be

bothered by the dude.. but.. when all the fighting is done, all the coolness is gone, they are the best of friends.

I look back some days and wonder where the day went.. what did I do, and sometimes.. I wish I could have that day back.. to spend more time playing.. more time with them..I feel like I blink and they change , go from the cute, cherub faced baby who keeps you up half the night- to an almost 3 year old with opinions on everything under the sun... to an always on the go boy who spends his days playing with friends or playing ball.

I think the most truthful statement I have heard is "children are a gift from God". I could not agree more as they are the best gift I have ever received :)

Power of Prayers...

2009-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

This little angel is in need of our prayers.. can you pray for him today?
You can check out his site by clicking here

March MATH Madness

2009-03-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we headed down to Austin to compete in the MATH Pentathalon. The dude and a group of friends signed up and have been practicing after school each week since October (yes this along with soccer,karate, baseball... sigh....)Basically the whole "idea" (in case you have no clue) is the kids (aka: pentathletes) compete in a series of 5 games against other pentathletes. The games range in difficulty and are age appropriate.. the Level 1 games are for K and 1st grade while level 2 are for
2nd and 3rd and so on.

The dude and his best bud B with their Math Coach Mrs. Linscomb...

Now let me just get these out of the way.. the diva of course had to have HER picture taken (and then immediately viewed for her approval.. UGHHH...

This handsome young man is my younger brother and the kids Uncle Rick. He met up with us for the weekend since he lives in Austin. The diva just adores him :)

Some of the games....

The actual competition... (which was interesting as they were like the "Math Police".. gesh NO hanging on the rails.. no STANDING on the rails.. "mam, yes you with the camera.. hanging on the rail.. you need to BACK off!" Sooo... I did the best I could with my zoom and no flash..

And I just liked the colors with this one :)

The Pentathletes!!! :)

My Favorite Things....

2009-03-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am normally not a "plugger" but when I was preordering Twilight on Amazon I saw this book titled Twilight: Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer . I figured it was a good buy. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to read, watch movies, then compare the two..lol.. Which I did with Twilight. After seeing the movie hmmm.. maybe 4 times.. I went back and re-read the book again.. found quite a few differences.. then watched the movie again. Anyway.. I had many questions.. as most fellow Twilighters do, about why certain things were added, deleted.. and of course, I just wanted to know everything I could about the movie!

Ths book satisfied my "thirst" for more information. Harwick provides pictures, funny notes, drawings, and real movie quotes about everything from why they picked certain clothing items to why scenes went the way they did, how they chose the actors and more. It is a WAY easy read, it reads more like a diary or comic then a book. And it is packed with trivia and candid info that any twilighter is going to devour!

So if you have a few extra bucks.. I HIGHLY recommend you pick it up! It is tops on my favorite things list!!

Spring Break and Baseball

2009-03-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

We spent the majority of last week at baseball camp. The dude got a dose of Randy's and mine "alma-matter" at the DeSoto High School Baseball Camp. A couple of the boys on dude's team decided to join in the action so away we went.

Coach K....

Some hitting... (which this was kind of funny cause all our boys just "graduated"
from Tball and think themselves "way to cool" for this- funny how even the big guys go back to the basics...)
The dude....

K...

M...

T...

sorry, no diva pics today.. but check back soon.. she has a new hair do and will be showing if off soon ;)

Jumpin' for the Heart

2009-03-05T19:02:00.001-08:00

Longbranch had their annual Jump Rope for Heart last Friday. This holds a special place for us as the dude's Paw-Paw had heart surgery and his Uncle Brian has had 2 open heart surgeries due to a torn aeorta. The faculty and students a Longbranch also take this very seriously raising over 25,000 last year (I think they were 4th in the state!!) and at last count, were well on their way to that again this year. So Holley and I packed up the littles and went in for a fun day of Jumping. Here are a few pics of the event...

Cause there is NO way 5 and 6 year olds could jump ALL day.. they also play games and jump in other ways.. they did some hula hooping- here are the 2 hula masters Cagen and Brock :)

Then of course the littles had to get into the action...

Twilight Birthday

2009-02-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, this blog has been a long time coming.. I have not started one more due to laziness then anything else.

But when I got to work today, and saw what was waiting for me, I figured it was a good time to start ;)

I work with a good friend names Mika. Everyone up there knows she makes the BEST cakeballs. I wait very patiently for mine ;) So imagine my happiness when I got to work and saw this on my desk...

Then I opened the card...

Hehe, ya think she knows I like Twilight ;)

THANK YOU Mika for giving me the bestest gift!!