HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET SON!

Today you are 3 years old. It seems like only yesterday I was in the hospital holding you in my arms for the very first time. You have grown into such a smart, articulate and handsome boy with such a joyful personality. You have my sense of humor and my short temper. You have your dad's good looks and charm. You are also your own person with such a great imagination. Your dad and I love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow, learn and become the great man you are destined to be. You make us proud.

September 29th, 2005 "First Time, Ever I Saw Your Face"

Today You Are 3!!!!

You have grown so much!!!

The Sleeping Habits of Children

Nap Time is my favorite part of the day. This is the time I get to do what I want to do in peace and quiet. I go in to check on my sleeping babies and this is what I see. They are such funny sleepers.

Lane looks as though he is hiding from the bogey man, while Teddy is his look out.

Riley is sleeping side ways and sucking on her two middle fingers.

Dream my little angels and stay dreaming for about 2-3 hours....Please!!!

FIre! Fire! Call 911!

Does a hurricane spark stupidity in people? Seriously, there have been two incidents in the past two weeks that have made me think that the answer is Yes. Mind you, I live in a suburban neighborhood in Cypress, Texas. You know, where the houses have maybe 6 feet between them and a wooden fence designating whose property is whose. Typical suburbs.

My neighbor gets the genius idea that he is going to burn the tree limbs, leaves and pine needles that fell in his yard, from the hurricane, in his back yard. Yes, I said burn. He piles his debris with brown leaves on bottom, then tree limbs and then green leaves and other things on top. He then proceeds to light it on fire in his back yard. Really? This sounded like a good idea at the time? Wow! The neighbors, who all are lacking electricity and who have their windows open because it is a nice, cool, windy day, are all in a panic because the black smoke from Smokey the Bear's camp fire is now blowing into their houses. They were about to call 911 when someone decided to investigate where the smoke is coming from. One neighbor goes into the back yard of Smokey the Bear and sees what he has done and says, "What the hell!?!?!" Smokey's eyes were big as saucers as he stuttered through, "I'm Sorry". No harm no foul, This Time. Thank goodness. We won't soon let him live it down but we did let him live.

The next genius, identity unknown, in our neighborhood decided that he would make a pile of broken fence pieces and burn them in the empty field behind our houses. (Side Note: I am going to place my bet that this person is a man because I don't know any woman who would even have the thought in her head to burn anything to get rid of it. We would just put it by the curb on trash day.) He obviously didn't notice that the field was completely covered by brown, dead, dry grass. He lit his pile of wood and to his surprise, I am sure, the field caught on fire and spread. I wasn't aware of any of this until my friendly neighbor came over and asked me if someone was burning trash behind my house. I said that I had no idea. She said that there was a lot of smoke coming from the field behind me and asked if I could see the field from my yard. I told her to come on back because since Ike hit we had a panoramic view of that field from our back door. When we went outside and saw the field it was amazing. It was like the California wild fires, on a much smaller scale of course. There were fire fighters out there along with some neighbors with water hoses trying to put out the flames. It got a little too close for comfort to my house and scary that if my neighbor hadn't told me what was going on I would have not known until it was too late. The good thing was that they put it out quickly and nothing was damaged. This time.

To the two geniuses we have living among us, please use your brain next time. Think to yourself, "Should I be doing this?" And if there is any doubt in your thick skull then don't do it. Remember, you do not live on a farm you live in the suburbs and we have trash pick up on Wednesday and Saturday. We will let it slide this time and chalk it up to a slip in judgment but next time I will make you a "Stupid" sign and you will be required to wear it.

I am taking this picture while standing on my broken fence. See the black circle.

Black circle a little closer.

This is how close it was. I am now standing in my back yard. Scary!

BANOS?

Well I am wondering if I will ever be able to set foot back into my favorite Mexican food restaurant. Del Pueblo, I love you and please forgive me!!!!!

I had the bright idea that Sunday afternoon, while Craig was doing yard work, that I would take the kids and go to Del Pueblo for some lunch. My neighbors had ordered Del Pueblo the past couple of nights for dinner so I was starting to crave it. The chips, green sauce and salsa are amazing. No exaggeration, the best I have ever had. I asked Craig for the 10th time if he would like to join us and he declines but doesn't hesitate to put his order in with me before I go. I pack up the little Weasels and head out. We get there and get a table within eye shot of the arcade. Lane is already asking if he can go and play. I make him eat his lunch first and then let him go. I feel comfortable because from the table I can keep an eye on him. Riley is being such a good girl. She is just sitting in her carrier, being quiet and watching everything. Life is good.

I look over to notice that Lane has climbed up on a bar stool to see into the "claw game". The claw game is that annoying game that you put a dollar in and try to grab a stuffed animal with a mechanical claw. It is a total rip-off and so gets on my nerves. He was watching a little girl play and win a toy. I noticed that he wasn't standing but squatting in a weird position. When I looked closer I noticed the puddle of urine he was squatting above. I thought to my self, "Nice!" I also at the exact same time remembered that I had removed the "just in case" clothes from the diaper bag not 1 hour earlier. Again, "Nice!", was the thought in my head. Now I am standing in the middle of both kids trying to figure out what to do. I can't leave my daughter alone but I don't want my son to walk through the restaurant spreading pee all over. What To Do!? As I stand there with a perplexed look on my face a sweet family that was sitting right behind me says, "We will watch her if you want to take care of your son." I said, "Thank you" and headed to the arcade. I grab Lane by both arms and carry him to our table. I then proceed to wipe him down with wet wipes as best I can. Now my thoughts are the chair he was sitting in, well more peeing in than sitting. There are no towels or napkins in site. I let the waitstaff know that I needed some towels. They just smiled and said no problem. Before I could get my crap together they had already mopped and put a "Caution Wet Floor" sign out. It should have said, "Caution Wet On Floor". I scoop up my kids and Craig's meal and headed out to the car. When I get to the car I strip Lane of his urine soaked pants, under pants and shoes because what's the point in wearing shoes if you are not wearing any underpants. Needless to say, Lane had to ride home commando with no one the wiser. Good Times!!!!!

Please forgive me Del Pueblo. Maybe we will just order in from you for a while. Well, until this thing has blown over and I don't people are starring and pointing and calling me the Pee Mom.

P.O.E.T.S.

(Written: Friday, September 19th, 2008)

Piss On Everything Tomorrow's Saturday

It is nice to get back to a semi-normal routine. School will hopefully be back in full swing on Monday. I can't tell you how I am looking forward to that. Don't get me wrong I love my, almost 3 year old, son but man is he a hand full. He is a typical 3 year old boy, causing chaos, destruction and a trail of dirt where ever he goes. It's exhausting! I am sure I will someday look back on these days and miss them. Not Today!!!

I have enjoyed catching up on some of my favorite blogs. These include Lula at Lulaville who is so funny, witty and an all around cool girl. She keeps me informed of new music. She takes me back in time to the days of childhood. She even introduced me to crack, I mean the Twilight saga. I think that if we were neighbors we would be bestest friends.

I also love to read about the life of Angela at the painted house. She has more energy than anyone I have ever known. She makes me want to take a nap after just reading what she does on a daily basis. She has overcome so many things and all with a great sense of style and a sense of humor. If there was a real live Super Woman I think my money would be that it is Angela. "Faster than a speeding bullet, able to clear tall buildings in a single bound", and all that stuff.

Then how can you forget about Melissa at Stretchmarks. This girl has got to be one of the funniest people I have never met. Her writing skills are amazing and her stories will literally have you rolling on the floor, peeing your pants they are so funny. She really should be her own sitcom. She is obviously a much loved friend to many and a "real" person. She loves her southern cuisine and her Big Sexy Hairspray. Who doesn't! She is also not ashamed in letting you in on the world of I.B.S. She leaves you thinking, "Funny but so true".

Lots 'O Love to You Ladies!! Keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are all so inspiring and have really made me love this great big world of blogging. Check them out. There links are on my side bar.

Take A Hike Ike

(Written: Thursday, September 18th, 2008)

Well, we survived the horrible visit of hurricane Ike. I have lived in Houston all of my life and have been through hurricanes before but this was the first one that I have been through where I am the adult in charge. It is not fun to be the one in charge of making sure your family pulls through a hurricane safe and sound. Pretty much I just sat on the couch with my arms wrapped around my legs and watched out the window as the outside world was blown around by 90 mile per hour winds. I did finally go to bed with a sense of, "What happens will happen and I have no control over it". I went to sleep and woke many times to assess the damage through the window. I looked out the back door and the back and side fences was gone. I thought, "Well, we needed a new one anyway". I looked out the front to see a tree down in my neighbors front yard and thought, " Well, at least it didn't hit their house, as far as I can see". When morning arrived we were all safe and sound and no damage to the house. We were extremely lucky. We had no electricity and this lasted for 2 1/2 days. Seriously, we all take electricity for granted and it is the greatest invention ever!!!! Thank you Ben Franklin!! Our neighborhood, which is full of tall trees, looked as though a bomb had gone off. Tree limbs, leaves and in some places entire trees were covering the streets and yards throughout. It was a sight.

Funny Story (well not funny haha but more funny ironic).......

Well we are sitting in the Texas heat with out electricity for 1 1/2 days and my mom calls to let me know that they have electricity. She tells us to pack up and come stay with her. Let me tell you, she doesn't have to ask us twice. I packed every one's stuff in record time and we were in the Weasel Wagon before you could turn around, headed for Pearland. This seemed odd to me since we were much further away from the coast then she was but "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" is what I always say. We arrive to her air conditioned, television blasting abode and it seemed like paradise. We wallowed in the lap of luxury all day and even took a nap with covers piled on top of us. It was awesome. We finally wound down for the night. Kids got their baths and were put to bed. Craig and I settled into the upstairs living area to watch some television. Right when we were about to get comfortable, "BOOM", no lights. The electricity went out and did not come back on. I started thinking that this was some sort of punishment for being too comfortable when others had lost everything. We decided to go to bed and maybe it would come back in the morning. Morning came and no electricity. The miracle though was the cold front that came. The weather outside was awesome. It was about 70 degrees and the wind was blowing. We could open the windows and be most comfortable. We decided to head back to our house to do some more clean up and clear out our fridge, since by now the food was most likely rank. When we got home the block parties were still in full swing. Everyone was outside, kids playing, adults gossiping, it was a blast. A Reliant Energy truck drove down our street and then turned around to leave. We all screamed and waved and the poor Reliant guy shouted out his window, " Sorry, wrong street". We all hoped he was kidding but he kept going and didn't return. We all agreed that next time they come down our street we would make a human chain and block them in until our electricity was back on. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I was sitting out front with everyone chatting it up when I saw something strange. I exclaimed, "Is that a light on on that porch and that porch and that one too?!?!?" It was! I looked back at my house and the light was on in my garage. "We have electricity!", I yelled at the top of my lungs. It was awesome. You would have thought we had all won the lottery with the celebration that was happening in the middle of the street. It wasn't long before everyone cleared out and was now inside enjoying the luxury of electricity. Needless to say we all slept well that night.

We are all trying to get back to our normal lives. Some of our friends and family still do not have electricity. I have offered many people to stay with us but everyone wants to stay put and ride it out with the hopes that soon the electricity will be back up and running. The good thing is the weather is still nice so sleeping with the windows open is still comfortable, according to them. The offer is still open. My thoughts and prayers are still with all the people who had it way worse than we did. There were a lot of people who's since of "back to normal" is a long time away.

Back Fence...Gone!

Side Fence......Gone!

Ode to the Outlet Mall

Well we have a new outlet mall in out midst and it happens to be down the road from me. I have mixed feelings about outlet malls. I always have these expectations when I go. I imagine walking into the Gap outlet and everything is going to be half the price in the store but not the case. I go into the Gap Kids outlet store and the prices don't seem to be that different. I see signs that say 20% and 30% off but the tags read the regular price. I mean isn't that just a sale and not even a good one at that. I would love to know what they mean when they say "Outlet". I really don't feel like I am saving that much money. I have the feeling that the people who setup these "outlet malls" are thinking that just by putting that on the sign that it will draw a bigger crowd. I think it is more marketing then it is anything else.

I got a call from my friend, Joy saying that her and my friend, Jamie were heading to my side of town to go to the outlet mall and to see if I wanted to join. I say my side of town because most of my friends from high school live on the south side of town (i.e. Pearland, Friendswood, Sagemont, League City, etc.). I don't miss an opportunity to hang with my girlfriends so I loaded up the Weasel wagon and headed to the outlet mall. The outlet mall is not what I consider a mall. My definition of a mall is a large structure that contains many stores and is connected by air conditioned hall ways. This place is more of a super large, open concept strip center. When I say open concept I mean no roof and no a/c. Needless to say it was hot unless you were in a store. Have I ever mentioned how HOT and HUMID it is in Texas? Well it felt today like it was 200 degrees. I had both Riley and Lane in tow. Joy brought her too cutie pie kids, Chase and Carson. Jamie brought her adorable son Jackson. We were loaded down with kids. They were having a good time running ahead of us and chasing each other. I asked Joy, "Do you think that some people look at us and we become their reason for birth control?" She said, "Absolutely!". We went into Gymboree and thank goodness they have a television with some sort of kids show on. That kept their attention for a while so we could shop. Whoever you are at Gymboree that thought of that little gem, you are a genius!!!! After subjecting our wild ones to many, many stores we decided to treat them to a cookie and a Cherry Icee. Another genius on my list of geniuses is the inventor of the Cherry Icee. It's cool, refreshing and oh so sweet. After what seemed like an eternity in line, the guy finally got to us. I ordered a chocolate chip cookie with M&Ms and 2 small Cherry Icees. We all decided that we would take the kids into the air conditioned food court to eat their cookies. Plus Riley was fusing because she had been patiently waiting for her bottle. I sat Lane in a chair with his cookie and Icee. He was so excited about the cookie but not so much enthusiasm for the Icee. I got Riley all settled and started feeding Riley her bottle. It wasn't 30 seconds into it that Lane squealed. He had dropped 75% of his cookie on the floor. Of course he did! He was acting like a money and climbing all over his chair. I was not about to let the 10 second rule go into effect in this germ infested outlet mall food court. I told him that I may possibly get him another one but that for now he would have to wait and eat the banana I brought. He pouted a little bit but got over it a lot quicker then I thought he would. After we were all done we went in a few more shops. I got Lane a pair of cool shoes from Stride Rite for school. He calls them his football shoes. I have no idea where he came up with that. Daddy I am most positive. I never mentioned the cookie and neither did he. I did however treat him with $5.00 worth of rides they have in the middle isle of the walkway. He loved it!!!

Seriously, how many times is too much, "Lane look at Mommy! Lane look at Mommy!" I finally just give up and take the dang picture.

Lane the bull rider!!!

This time I get a smile but still not looking at the camera!

We were exhausted by the time it was time to part ways. It had been a day of fun, many trips to the potty, many stores, many threats to behave or no cookie, much sweat and good times with my girlfriends. Overall it was worth it. Joy and Jamie, Thanks for coming and hanging out with us. It was fun!

Just A Little Something To Make You Smile

I thought that I would post a few pictures of the kids. I know that most of the people who read my blog are family members and they love them some kiddo pics. So here ya go.......Enjoy!

Riley - Isn't she so beautiful!!!!

Lane - What a great smile he has!!!

Riley - Showing off her 2 little tiny teeth!!

Lane loves to pretend cook with Mommy!!

Oh Where Oh Where Have The Weasels Gone

If you are wondering if we have been kidnapped by aliens or on a trip around the world. Well I hate to disappoint you. We have been here in Texas being washed away by parcipitation. Yes, it is again raining. Oh how I love rainy days....NOT! It is a week out from school starting and instead of doing fun stuff we are staying indoors frying our brains with television. Oh well, they're young they will bounce back. We did however go to Ruckus Room (a bounce house type of thing) yesterday. This was because I promised Lane that after I drug him and Riley out into the rain to go to Target and buy my book, that we could do something fun. Yes, I dragged my kids out into the rain for a book. My blogger friend at Lulaville got me hooked on this "Twilight" saga and now I can't put it down. There are 4 books in the series. It starts with "Twilight", then "New Moon", then "Eclipse" and ends with "Breaking Dawn". I am hooked! I can't put them down. I am only half way through "New Moon" but it has only been 2 days. Poor Craig came into the bedroom last night after the kids were in bed and said, "Can we just talk for a moment?". I thought he was trying to start an intervention but he wasn't. He just wanted to talk and spend some time with me since I have had my head in these books for 24 hours straight. Poor guy!!! Don't worry Honey I love still love you!!! So if you haven't heard from me in a while you know that I have not packed up my family and moved to Mexico, I am just mentally in Forks (the place the book is set in) with my imaginary boyfriend, Edward (one of the main characters).

Wii the People

I got a phone call tonight from my sister-in-law, Chelsae. She was telling me about her weekend and how Nolan's 4th birthday party went. (Sorry Nolan for not being able to come. I hope you had fun and we love you very much.) We were in mid conversation when my brother-in-law, Jeremy chimes in.

Jer: "Did she tell you what I did?"

Me: "No, and do I want to know?"

Jer: "Well I was playing to Wii and I was playing bowling. I was all into it and about to make a 3-10 split (now this I am not sure he actually said since I couldn't remember the bowling lingo he spouted off) when the controller flew out of my hand."

Me: "What!?!?!"

Jer: "Yeah, it flew right into the just recently paid off, 50" flat screen television and cracked it"

Me: "What a dork!"

Jer: "Can you believe it?"

Me: "No but Yes!"

After that the phone was passed back to Chelsae,

Chelsae: "I was so upset."

Me: "Understandably! You know something always happens when you pay something off"

Chelsae: "Yeah, but Jeremy and I had just had this conversation about the safety strap on the controller. He said that he didn't like wearing it, I guess he thought it was uncool"

Me: "How cool is he now?! Hahahahahahaha!!!

I pre-warned Jeremy that by telling me this story it would for sure be posted on my blog. I don't lie!!!!

This is a public service announcement.....Please use the safety straps that come with your Wii system because it's all fun and games until someone (and by someone I mean your paid-off, 50" flat screen television) gets hurt.

Me, Myself and I

I stole this from my blogger friend at Stretch Marks (aka Melissa Lee). It's okay she stole it from someone else and said I could. I normally blog about my family and friends but today it is all about me.

I AM........ addicted to sugar. I love me some sweets. I love everything about them. Any kind of candy, cake, pie, donut, ice cream and cookie. Why is this and is there a support group for sugar addicts? Maybe I can start one and call it SAA (Sugar Addicts Anonymous). You can find a meeting in your area by just following the trail of candy bar wrappers.

I WANT...... to live in Austin, Texas. Every time I visit this place I leave saying to myself that I want to live here. This past trip to Austin I came back and told my husband that I want to live in Austin and whatever it takes to do that then I am willing to do it. He is on board.

I HAVE......crooked pinkie fingers. My mother has them and I inherited them. I checked both of my children and they do not have them. Lucky for them.

I WISH I COULD.....have one more day with my brother. I would introduce him to his niece, for whom he never met. I would let him and Lane play catch together in the back yard. I would watch him and Craig have a beer while watching the kids run and play. I would hug him and kiss him and tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me. I would also ask him why he decided to leave us.

I HATE......to hear about the suffering that people have to endure everyday. I have had to stop watching the news.

I FEAR.......rats, mice and sharks. I know, what a weird mix of animals. I know that I fear rats & mice from a childhood incident. We lived in a new neighborhood where there was a lot of housing construction around. Next to our house was an empty lot that was being cleared so a house could be built. This caused us to get field mice in our house. One morning I went into the pantry to get some cereal. When I pulled the box of cereal down a mouse jumped on me and ran down my nightgown. Ever since then I have been deathly afraid of mice. Can you blame me? Well my fear of sharks comes from a little known movie called "Jaws". Seriously, doesn't this movie freak everyone out? To this day will not swim in the ocean.

I HEAR.......the story in a song. When I listen to music I listen to the words so intently that I can hear the story in it. This is why some of my favorite songs mean so much to me.

I SEARCH......for my talent. I think that everyone has a talent. The one thing they are good at. Some people sing, some dance, some draw, some cook, some play a sport but me, I am still looking. I will let you know as soon as I know.

I DON'T THINK.......clowns are funny. They are more scary then funny. I don't think I like them.

I REGRET....... not getting a college degree. I think that I am smart enough but I was and still am lacking the motivation.

I LOVE......my life. My husband and my kids have made my life better then I ever thought it could be. I never knew that I had this much love in me until they came along.

I ACHE FOR.......a vacation away from the good ole state of Texas. I need Hawaii or Jamaica or Costa Rica, just somewhere tropical that serves drinks with umbrellas, beach side. I want to watch the sunset and sunrise with my husband. I want us to take a nap in the middle of the day, alone. I want to swim and sunbath all day.

I ALWAYS CRY......when my husband cries. This is a rare thing and I always poke fun at him and tell him he is dead inside when he doesn't cry over things I do. He says I cry enough for both of us. I just tell him "I'm a girl, we cry!"

I AM NOT......a good speller. My husband makes fun of me all the time for pulling out my Webster's New Pocket Dictionary. Spell check is my life saver.

I DANCE.....when a good song comes on. Mostly if the song is hip-hop or rap. Also if I am alone or just with my kids cause I know they won't tell and they think it's funny. I will also dance if I am with a group of friends at a club (rare these days) and usually many drinks are involved.

I SING.....with every song on the radio. I can't help it. Something just comes over me and I feel that I must sing every word to every song I hear. Sometimes I don't even know all the words. When I do know all the words then look out, I will belt it out as loud as I can. This makes me happy.

I NEVER......want to skydive. I don't get why people want to do it and pay big money to do it. My luck my shoot would never open or I would just throw-up all over myself. Either way it wouldn't be pretty.

I RARELY........ look in the mirror and like what I see. People, including my husband, will give me a compliment about the way I look and I smile and say thank you. Inside I am thinking, "Oh they are just being nice".

I CRY WHEN I WATCH.....Hope Floats. You know the movie with Sandra Bullock, where her husband has an affair with her best friend and she finds out on national television. I cry from beginning to end every time I watch it. Especially the part when the husband comes back to ask Sandra for a divorce and the little girl thinks her daddy came back to get her. Rips my heart out. I have watched this movie probably 50 times and still cry.

I AM NOT ALWAYS......as truthful with people as I would like to be. Sometimes it is to spare someones feelings. I feel I am doing them a favor and I do appreciate it when people do it for me. Other times it is to cover my own a$$. If I do something wrong or that I am embarrassed about I will lie like nobodies business to get out of it. I think it might be human nature. Survival of the fittest or something like that.

I HATE THAT....my brother died at such a young age (23 years old). He will never have a wife, a family of his own or know his niece or nephew. He had so many things left to do in his life. I hate that!

I'M CONFUSED ABOUT.......religion, politics, the human mind, the legal system and many more things that I just can't think of right now.

I NEED......to loose 58 lbs. to be healthier for my family and myself. This would also make looking in the mirror and at pictures of myself a lot easier.

I SHOULD......end this whirl wind of information that I am throwing at you. You are probably thinking, "Hey Heather, T.M.I. (too much information)".

I hope this was helpful as well as informative.

Now We Are Off To The Lions Den

Wake -up call is again at 6:30 am for our next leg of the race. We are now heading to Austin to stay with our friend Holly. She is a dear friend that I have known since middle school. She has 3 kids, Jackson, Abigail and William. Jackson and Abi are 5 year old twins (or at least they will be next Thursday). William is 1 month younger than Lane and Will be 3 in October. We are so excited to see them because they are fun to hang out with and William and Lane get along so well.

We packed the car with all of the stuff we originally brought and now have added some souvenirs from Sea World. If we keep accumulating stuff one of these kids is going to have to ride on the roof of the Weasel wagon. I wish I had taken a picture of our car packed to the max. It was just a miracle that it all fit. Well maybe just pure talent that I could fit it. If I do say so myself. We call Holly to get the directions. We are all set now. All I need is a Starbucks and I can kick it into high gear. We are going along just great but not a Starbucks in sight. Seriously, what does San Antonio have against Starbucks? Okay never mind, we found one. We get our coffees and we are now back "on the road again". I don't know what it is but when I am on a road trip, and still awake, that song gets stuck in my head.

We start looking for the exit that Holly told us to take. Neither Chasity nor I see this exit 281. Then we notice that 1604 North has all the sudden become 1604 South. What in the world has just happened? We are both flabbergasted. We call Holly to find out what happened and now how do we get to her. She tells us that we have passed it long ago and now we will be traveling a new route. Where is a GPS when you need one? We finally get turned around and are on the right track. When we finally arrive and are happy to get out of the car. Holly and the kids are there to greet us with sandwiches, chips and drinks. Gotta love that Holly.

We decide to take a rest from the car for a while and let the kids play. They all get along so well. After our rest we all pile in 2 cars and head to The Hollows Beach Club. This place is fabulous. It is up on the side of a hill amongst an awesome neighborhood and marina. The beach club is what they call the pool area. The pool was nice and refreshing and it had a restaurant with waiters to serve you pool side. This is the life.

Chasity, Kylar (hiding) and Holly

Lane and Will were wearing matching bathing suits. (Which was not planned.) They played so well together and even got into a little trouble together. We were calling them Frick and Frack. We all had a great time relaxing, soaking in the awesome view and just letting the Austin winds blow through our hair. It was exactly what we needed. We headed back to the house for baths and bedtime. We had all the kids in an assembly line for the tub. We had Frick and Frack in one tub and the girls in another. When everyone was bathed and in bed Holly and I snuck off to pick up some snacks for our boat trip the next day and wine for the night. When we returned everyone was asleep. We opened the wine and the back door and started going back in time. We talked about the old times and everyone we knew back then. We laughed, maybe a little too loud because a few neighbors' lights started coming on. We wound down about midnight. It was fun and a much needed little trip back to the old days when we weren't known as mom but as Heather & Holly. It was fun.

Frick (aka Lane) & Frack (aka Will)

Riley lounging in a poolside chair
Kylar playing in the fountains
Holly & Will
Lane and his popsicle

Riley asleep in her poolside lounge chair

The next morning we got up and fed the kids. We packed our bags for the boat. Holly and John have a boat that is docked at The Hollows on Lake Travis. This would be Lane's and Riley's first ride on a boat. I think it might have been Kylar's too. They were so excited. We also brought the tube so they could take rides. I wasn't sure if Lane would do it but boy was I wrong. I couldn't get him out of it. I was so proud of my little boy. Riley fussed a little at the beginning when she had to wear a life vest but I gave her a pacifier and she just sat back and chilled out. She even at one point took a nap. That girl will sleep anywhere.

Kids and Holly on the boat
Heidi, Me & Riley sporting her most fashionable life vest

Kylar, Lane & Jackson

Kylar & Lane tubing

Chasity, Kylar & Heidi

Me, Riley, Lane, Will & Kylar

I think Lane was getting a little homesick because he turned to me at one point and said "Can we eat lunch and then go home and see Daddy?". What a cutie!

When we were all done boating and living the life of leisure we headed back to the Lion's Den. We packed and headed back home. We had a great vacation and what an adventure for 2 moms and 4 kids.

Watch Out Shamu....Cause The Weasels Are Coming To Visit!

Friday morning started at 6:30 am for me. I had to take a shower and get packed so that we would be ready to leave. We wanted to be at Sea World as soon as the gates opened. When you are taking 3 kids under the age of 5 anywhere, there is a lot of packing and preplanning. Riley was staying with Nana and Mema while me, Lane, Nolan, Chelsae, Heidi, Kylar and Chasity headed to the home of Shamu. We got packed and dressed and headed out. We got to Sea World just when it opened at 10am. We were a little shocked at how many people were already there. I guess we kinda thought we were the only ones with this grand idea to go on a Friday and get there early.

Let me tell you that within the first 10 minutes of being in the park I was already sweating like a pig. Texas heat will kill you....no lie! Our first stop, after the bathroom, was to the Shamu Express. It is a small kids roller coaster. They all loved it once we got on. They were a little confused on why we had to wait in line so long. I just told them to get used to it because obviously, someone told everyone in Texas our plan to go to the park Friday and get there early. We have a "mole" amongst us.

Kylar & Heidi

Nolan & Chelsae

The Shamu Express

We decided that our next stop on this fun train would be SHAMU! We headed 30 miles to the other side of the park to see the Shamu show "Believe". It was awesome! I just can't get over the fact that this is these peoples job. To hang out with whales. What a cool job to have. The kids were speechless the entire time. Not one peep was made from any of the 3 kids during the whole show. Amazing!

Nolan & Chelsae at Believe

Chasity, Heidi & Kylar

Me & Lane

All Lane could say was "WOW!"

We stopped to check out the flamingos or as Nolan said "Hedder come and see the pink mingos". Too cute! If you haven't noticed from the pictures, Kylar is a girly girl. She loves the camera and loves to pose. Isn't she adorable!

Lane, Nolan, Kylar and Heidi (up top)

After we watched Shamu consume arms full of fish we decided that we were a little hungry too. On the way we stopped to get the kids swords. Now who's brilliant idea was this......Chelsae. The kids loved them but I think that we may or may not have maimed a few innocent by standards along the way. We headed to the eatery to get some over priced kids meals, but hey it's all worth it since it came in a Shamu lunch box.

Nolan & Lane with swords

Kylar, Nolan & Lane with swords....Scary!!

$85.00 later we took a stroll to somewhere they had a/c. Have I mentioned how hot it was. I think the thermometer read 150 degrees or at least it felt like it. Chelsae said that the Anheuiser Busch brewery on site gives adults 2 free beers. That was all I had to hear and I took off. I don't even think that I noticed until we got there that our kids had fallen asleep. Fine with me since the brewery had a/c, tables and chairs, and did I mention 2 free beers........YIPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Nolan & Lane are out cold

Poor Lane. He's gonna have a sore neck when he wakes up.

This is where I stopped taking pictures. It was too hot to think and I from this point on couldn't remember to take a picture. After mama had her beers we headed to the penguin exhibit. This was my favorite, well other then the free beers. It was so awesome to see the penguins swimming and the way they have the exhibit is so awesome. They have a moving sidewalk that you get on and it takes you for a ride passed the glass exhibit where there have to be 100+ penguins of all different kinds swimming and waddling around. Plus the whole place had a/c.

We decided that we had enough of the heat so we headed to the Lost Lagoon. This is the water park they have at Sea World. It has a lazy river, a wave pool, twisty slides and a play area for kids with a huge dumping bucket. Lane and Kylar loved the wave pool. We could barely get them to go on anything else. I love the twisty slide that I got to ride on with Heidi. The other kids were too small so they had to stay behind. It was so much fun and a little scary too. You get in a 2 person tube and slide down this pitch black slide and every once in a while you could see some light. It was a blast and so worth the wait. When we were ready to go I understood why they called the place the Lost Lagoon. We rented lockers for our stuff when we arrived and they gave us a key. When I went to open my locker my key was gone. I had lost it in the wave pool. Typical me!!!! Well it only took the entire teenage staff and 20 minutes to finally get it open. The funny thing was every time they sent a new person to help they always asked me, "Lost your key?" Like I did all this for attention or something. We all got dressed and headed to the car. It was a short ride home but long enough for all the kids to fall asleep. We all had a great time and can't wait to do it again next summer.

Are We Crazy Or What?

My friend, Chasity, and I made plans to take our kiddos on a road trip. The plan was to head from Houston to San Antonio on Thursday evening and spend the night with my in-laws. We would wake-up the next morning and head to Sea World. Spend the night Friday night and then Saturday morning head to our friend, Holly's house and come back Sunday. Yes, it does sound like a lot of driving but she and I are tough moms who can handle it........Can't we?

We were a little scared but ready for the challenge. My instructions to her were to pack light. Yeah Right, like that's going to happen with 4 kids and 2 adult women. We did the best to consolidate but ended up with a lot of stuff. I used my super power organizing skills to make it all fit in the Weasel Wagon. It was a challenge but in the end I won.

Now, all we had to do was make it there. I was confident that we would with no problems. I made sure that I drove the last trip we made to my in-laws so that I was sure I knew the way. So off we go!!!!!!

We get about 30 minutes into the trip and Kylar, Chasity's 4 year old daughter, says "Mom, are we there yet?". I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard. I thought that phrase was something that only kids said in the movies. Apparently not, since she proceeded to ask about 30 or 40 more times. Funny the first time but no so funny the other 29 to 39 times. Kylar and Lane also began to argue like brother and sister for another leg of the trip. I heard, "Stop touching me! Mom, Lane is touching me!" to Lane growling at Kylar like a bear and her saying "Mom, Lane is giving me a headache". It was funny at times but other times Chasity and I looked at each other and said "Did you forget the beer?" Yes, this was the first time that Chasity and I had been on a road trip that did not include a cooler of beer. It sure is sad to grow-up.

We finally get to San Antonio around 10:30pm. I am cruising along and we come to the exit that I am suppose to take to get to my in-laws and it is under construction and closed. "WHAT!" This is the only way I know how to get there. I am also very low on gas. Of Course! Just like in every horror movie the car won't start or the girl falls down and can't seem to muster the strength to get up and run when the scary guy is coming. It is typical. Well, Houston highways and San Antonio highways are totally different. In Houston if you get off on the wrong exit you can just go to the next light and turn around. Apparently, in San Antonio they thought we did it wrong. They thought that if you get off at the wrong exit at night with a car full of kids, in a town you are unfamiliar with you should be punished and scared straight. Well we decided to try to make a u-turn and did. But to our surprise it lead us to a dead end feeder road. Wow, how convenient for us. There was a gas station on the corner so we at least could fill up. Lord knows we do not want to run out of gas in this neighborhood. This neighborhood was straight out of the movie, "Boys In The Hood". We saw a sign for free pregnancy tests along with a mural of Jesus and Mary on the side of the building. What a combo!

After driving through the neighborhood for about 20 minutes we finally made it back on to the highway. I now have my in-laws on the phone and asking for directions. They give us the new route and we finally make it to the house. Thank goodness the kids were asleep the whole time we were taking our detour. Can you imagine the questions they would have had?

My in-laws live in Rio Medina which is about 30 minutes outside of San Antonio. They live on some land and there nearest neighbors are down the road. When we showed up it was completely dark and you couldn't really see how secluded we really were. We start unpacking our car and loading up the guest house with all our stuff. As we are doing this I notice that Chasity's 13 year old step-daughter, Heidi, is closing all the blinds on the windows. My in-laws ,who are watching the little ones so we can unpack, inform her that it is not necessary to do that because there is nothing around us. She smiles and stops to unpack her stuff. The next morning I wake up and notice that Heidi has taken 2 pillows off the couch and stuffed them into the window, where mind you there are no blinds, to cover the window. What have we done to these city kids? They don't even feel safe in the country. I guess we gave her a bad impression with the route we took to get there.