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!