For Boston, For Boston, and Pink Slips

After the babies were safe in the arms of Grandma & Pawpaw, Jared and I set off for a weekend away. We don't do this often at all ( by choice,) but it was definalety needed and enjoyed. We had planned several events over the last few months and they all just so happened to be on the same weekend. How convienient!

On Friday night we went to Stubbs to see The Dropkick Murphy's. Undoubtedly the best concert I have ever been to (other than New Kids On The Block in 6th grade.) For those of you not into Irish Punk, try it, you'll like it! Imagine a bunch of loud mouthed Irish Bostonians with bagpipes, banjos, accordians, whistles etc. playing for a couple thousand rowdy Austinites. UNBELIEVABLE!

I am by no means a photographer (wish I was,) but I thought these pictures turned out sort of neat. They definately captured the movement of the crowd.

This is a picture that I took on Friday of my beautiful niece. It was "western day" at school, and she adorned herself with the cutest boots and a pink cowgirl hat! I heard she was one of the prettiest Cowgirls in kindergarten.

OH, SATURDAY! What a day! After staying the night in Greune, we met our dear friends Adam, Jeff & Kimberly (we missed you, Cory.....) at the San Antonio Speedway! For those PINKS All Out fans, WOW! For those of you who don't watch Pinks, it is a show about car racing for pink slips. The motto of the show is, "Lose the race, lose your ride." A group of guys go around the country holding these races and airing them on the SPEED channel. Please do not confuse this with Nascar. Two totally different events.

The races began at 9AM and when we left at 9PM, they were still running strong. You talk about an ALL DAY AFFAIR! 22,000 people, the mullets deluxe, the dust, the ringing in your ears, the fumes, it was awesome! The crowd was rowdy, but that made it fun. I hate to admit it, but Kimberly and I almost got ourselves into a tiff with a guy who thought he was a photographer and thought that he built every car that raced that day. Our argument was that we paid to see races, not him.) Neither one of us are haters, but we don't like to be messed with either. That's what I love about our friendship, we take really good care of each other.

When security is lacking and people have free run of the place. It all breaks loose.

This was actually a guy that I grew up with who now lives in Beaumont. He races his dad's car. Small world.....

This car was driven (and won it's heat) by Jared's coworker, and the uncle of my old friend. Even smaller world.....

Can't remember, (possibly a '92 Camaro) with a jet engine. They ran it twice. It made the track in 6 seconds. Talk about power.

It was an awesome and eventful weekend, but very crowded. As much fun as we had, I was glad to finally see my Babies and to get home.

My Week In A Playpen

Hello Friends! It's been a while. Busy, busy, busy. It's sad that midnight seems, lately, to be the best time to write, but that's alright (as long as it doesn't become a habit.)

We enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing weekend with Jared's parents recently as they came down for a few days. They were kind enough to bear with us while our house was practically empty. We have been in the process of some renovations around the house, so it was nice to take a break and just visit for a few days (even if that meant without appliances and furniture.) The kids enjoyed seeing them, as it had been a while due to schedule conflicts and sickness. They are both doing really well and seemed to enjoy a weekend with the Babies.

On Saturday afternoon, we loaded up and headed out to Georgetown to San Gabriel Park. What a peaceful place. It had been some time since we had been out there, but it was still just as serene and beautiful. Hayden was all about trying new things on the playscapes and enjoyed seeing how fast he could run to get away from us! He ran, and ran, and ran. I wonder where he got inspiration to do such a thing.....

While we were there, the sun was just starting to think about setting, so I thought it would be an opportune time to do a little photography. The mellow light through the trees cast some amazing shadows, so I TRIED to capture some different things. I didn't get to many dirty looks, and I tried to be discrete about it, but I just began shooting at any subject that got in my merry way. Here is one that I really liked a lot. As we passed by this gigantic tree right on the river bank, I noticed a lady sitting at its base covered in an Indian blanket. As we passed, she flashed us a sweet smile and went about her thinking as she turned back to gaze at the river. All I could think about and wonder was what she was pondering, and what was it that made her choose that spot to relax and daydream. She looked so comfortable. I wish I could have gotten more of her in the picture, but I didn't want to be "all up in the business."

OK, on to the title of this entry. After several years of putting it on the back burner,we finally gave in and decided to redo our floors. After five years of dogs, 2.5 years of children and much adored company every weekend, our carpet finally had had enough (and frankly, we had to.) Do we keep calling the carpet cleaners? Do we buy large rugs to hide it? How about just taking care of it once and for all (I know, mob mentality.) I wanted to do some before and after pictures, but the floors were just so embarrassing that I didn't even want to look at the pictures while posting.

We decided to go with laminate wood floors in the hallway, the living and dining rooms, and tile in the bathrooms, entry and kitchen. It looks like brand new house! Jared did such a wonderful job picking out the colors! He is quite the decorator!

I have found out a ot about myself the last few days.....

The installers were supposed to be here on Monday, but due to inclement weather (for an inside job?,) they came on Tuesday. I thought I would be prepared to contain the kiddos, but I failed. Movies and snacks only go so far. The installers trapped us in one room while they tore up each corner room all at one time and worked their way towards us. There was literally NO WAY OUT! Now, I love spending time with my children more than anything in this world, but WOW! I felt like I was in a playpen with other children, covered up to my neck with toys, everybody needing to go potty all at once, and slobber with no rag to clean it up! I believe that at one point, every toy that the kids own was off the shelf and on the floor. We had watched every single movie that we own, read almost every book on the shelf, and made up silly songs about everything we could think of. Have you ever been totally and completely OUT OF IDEAS? Go outside, you say; there was no way to the door! Since the fridge was on the back porch (white trash, I know,) no way to get drinks (which we ran out of fairly early,) I just kept saying , "five more minutes, guys!" I know this will come back to haunt me later!

On Tuesday, Hayden's good buddy, Cade, came to play! This actually helped a ton because it occupied Hayden immensely. Cade seemed excited not to have to pick up when it was time to go home. I know he was probably wondering what he had gotten himself into by coming to Hayden's house to play. THANK GOD FOR CADE! We love you, Good Buddy!

I am by no means complaining. I truly enjoyed every minute of being in my "playpen." It just confirms for me that I

A: Don't do well in small spaces

B: Don't do well with any two kids crying at once

C: Can truly look back and laugh at almost any situation

D: Can always find somthing to use as a cleanup rag

E: Will do ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHNG, to keep my Babies happy and contented

Tonight, as we were trapped, Jared made his way through with dinner! How sweet! As we all sat in Hayden's trashed room eating take out and watching Elmo for the sixty-fifth time today, Jared began to complain about being squashed. I just gave him the "Don't even start" glare. As we sat there on top of each other, I just looked at the three of them and thought how if I was ever confined to that "playpen" again, they were definately the three I would want to be confined with.

Good Night.

Several New Favorites

I'm not sure what it is that is making my tastes change so much lately, but pomegranate is the new flavor! Anything with a trace of pom in it is awesome to me! I love the fruit, the smell, the flavor, all of it. Now I am anxious to see what else I can find that has pomegranate embedded in it. If you haven't tried one, you should! At this time, many stores are out of the actual fruit itself due to the odd weather in harvesting areas. Hopefully, they will make a comeback soon.

About a month ago, I found a recipe for open faced Reubens in an Irish cookbook. Being as I had never had one and am not a fan of deli meat, I though Iwould venture out and give it a try anyway. You know, confuse the old tast buds for a change. Jared and I have eaten Reubens every week since. There are many variations to this sandwich, but we have finally come up with the one that tastes the best (we think.) Rye bread with swiss cheese and corned beef (as much as you want) toasted at 450 for 6 minutes. When finished, top it with cole slaw and Russian dressing (you can use Thousand Island or a mixture of mayo & brown mustard.) The combination of these flavors is unbelievable together. They blend very well! They are fun to eat because they are messy and VERY filling. Not the healthiest sandwich, so enjoy! Nothing beats a good ole PB&J, though.....

Here are a few pictures of the kids from this past week.

(Hayden is ALL boy, even at two years old!)

I hope everyone has a eventful and exciting weekend. See you all soon.

Does Anyone Have As Much Fun As We Do?

As I was choosing what pictures to add to this post, I began to think about how fast my Babies are growing up! If I am only good at one thing, it would be taking in every moment. I was given this advice years ago, and I have tried to instill it in myself as well as others.

The Babies and I traveled to my parents house last weekend to visit with my Uncle who journeyed up from the coast. It was wonderful to see him and to hear his amazing stories and views on raising kids. There are so many facets to child rearing that are sometimes confusing; but listening to him, it all seems so simple. He was and is not a perfect parent, as none of us are, but I think after visiting with him, raising his children years ago, is helping him now in his daily life and struggles. I tried to take what all he said and apply it to my life now, as a parent. This was not at all meant to be a sappy entry, but I have had that on my heart for the last week or so. Thanks for enduring!

While we were there, an amazing thing happened! My son, who is "Captain Independent" (and I'm glad) enjoyed playing with his cousins, as he always does. We were all outside enjoying the nice weather, and jumprope became the "item of the hour." After watching his older cousins jump for a time, I guess he felt he was missing out. Grandpa held one end, and Aunt Brandie held the other end for whoever dared to jump. Well, out of nowhere, here comes Hayden (who had been watching from afar.) Guys, he just jumped in there like he was a professional, Olympian jumproper! Of course he couldn't quite get the rhythm, but for a first timer, he did pretty darn well. I was so proud of him for his coordination, is perseverance, his comfort, and his excitement! You could tell on his face that that he had done something big! What a big boy!

On Valentine's Day, Hayden & Kaylen Rae attended a wonderful Valentine's Party hosted by our neighbor. She runs a daycare next door, and does a fabulous job as well. She has loved the kids since day one, and treats them like her own. Hayden just went on in and made himself at home with the others. He is truly a party animal! Way to break it down with the three and under crowd there Son! Kaylen Rae pretty much slept through the entire event but the others enjoyed walking by her saying, "BEBE, BEBE!" What a wonderful time we all had! Thank you, Tami & Angelica!

We finally were able to enjoy a nice day outside with minimal wind! Hayden had a good time playing with Carli & Sandy, and climbing on his playscape. Kaylen Rae just took in the light breeze and giggled when the Girls would come by and lick her feet. They both are such outside kids and I am so glad! I pray for many more days to come like that one! We can only handle inside so much!

This week I have seen so many wonderful things happen! Hayden had suddenly become interested in the moon, and so we go and look at it every night before bed. His favorite color is green and he can say his ABC's and count to seven (with prompt!) A car is now called a "Hun," I guess because really, it goes, "hun, hun." Oh, sweet innocence! How creative!

It has been amazing to watch Kaylen Rae discover her hands. They have become a BIG part of her life in the last few days and I know she is glad to add them to her "Friend List." She is the happiest baby I have ever seen, and has a beautiful smile! She is loud and squeely, and I love it more than anything!

Tonight as Jared and I sat, exhausted, in the living room sourrounded with toys of every kind (all going off at the same time,) and with two Babies being loud, we just looked at each other and laughed! How different our lives have become. It's definetely worth all the chaos and noise in the world!

"The Invisible Crumb" Has Returned

For those of you who know Hayden even a little bit, you might remember the "Invisible Crumb." From the time he was about fifteen months old until this past summer, he had what we called an "Invisible Crumb" that he carried with him everywhere he went. It would show up at random, for instance when people would try to give him high fives and such. Occasionally he would pull it out of his pocket or out of the air, or from perhaps behind a shelved item at the grocery store. It would usually appear when he sat with us in the living room where he seemed to keep it under a blanket. I guess if he thought he was a bit hungry, he would decide it was time to take a bite.

Tonight, as I lay in the dark with him trying to get him to go to sleep, it miraculously appeared out of nowhere! Now, we haven't seen or heard of it since June (and it is probably stale by now.....) As it was very dark and very quiet, I felt his fingers on my palm as if to take something from me and then I heard him smacking!

I know by know you all are probably thinking I am some sort of wierdo or nutjob, but that is honestly not the case at all. I wish I knew where the "Invisible Crumb" came from, where it goes and how long it will be until it shows up once more. Until then, who knows.....

Hayden's First Trip To The ER

As I was finishing up my daily chores this afternoon, I headed to the bedroom for a moment. Hayden followed in like normal and immedietly climbed on the bed. I have told him time and time again not to jump and not to get close to the edge. Well, both happened at once, in slow motion it seemed. As I turned to look at him, he jumped/slipped off and suddenly became wedged in between the bed and Jared's night table. I lundged for him just in time for him to unwedge himself and fall to the floor. I pulled him out from between the two pieces just in time to see more blood than I have seen in a long time. As a Mommy, your first instinct is to hold them as tight as you can. I carried him in and began trying to think of who to call first. 911 was not an option due to the chaos that arises in the neighborhood. It never occured to me that medical facilities would turn their phones off as early as 4:00 on a weekday.
I was appauled and astonished at this. After making several disappointing calls, I finally got through to a new facility- 25 minutes away. In the meantime, Hayden had gone from crying hysterically to getting pale and quiet to climbing the walls. 30 minutes or so later we arrived, covered in blood, in which the unit clerk was waiting for us and had forms ready. Jared arrived 10 minutes later, still working, because I could not handle all of this alone. Throughout ALL of this Sweet Kaylen Rae, who by this time should be sceaming due to hunger, is just as content and happy as she could be. She remained this way until 7:15 when we got in the car to come home. What an awesome baby! Have you ever tried to catch a greased pig barehanded? Well, this is what it was like! Try containing a toddler who hasn't had a nap, in the ER for nearly three hours. By the end of stay in the waiting room, I think he had made friends with everybody! Mothers, never say never during an emergency. I swore my child would never be barefoot in a public place, nor would use a public restroom... How dirty is my child tonight?! When we finally were called back, it took another 30 minutes or so for the staff to get it together. Once they finally figured things out, it took Jared, myself, two nurses and the doctor to hold down a papoosed two year old. Being the fighter that he is, he still broke free. He screamed and sweated for the entire 2 minutes it took to Thermabond is right eyebrow. Bless his sweet little heart. He was so tired that I don't think he felt pain, just being tied down was bad enough.

The staff at this facility were somewhat slow, but extremely thourough and the facilities were absolutely spotlessly clean. I was very impressed! Once we were in, he was given rock star treatment by ALL of the staff. I think they must have felt bad for him (not to mention he is so darn cute.....). He recieved stickers, juice, jello, chocolate milk, apple sauce, more stickers and high fives! He walked away with a glued wound and steri-stripes.

At the moment I can see my sweet husband and two beautiful babies asleep in one room. It will remain that way tonight for peace of mind. As much chaos as one afternoon brought, the sight of the three of them sleeping so peacefully is calming to me. If I were to rest now, I know that I would rest peacefully as they three are doing. I guess if this situation taught me anything, it would be that I was not as organized and prepared as I thought. Living where we live, there is nothing remotely close for something of this magnatude. Being his first emergency of this calibur, I felt very lost. Next time, I will have numbers ready and available.


On a positive note, Kaylen Rae sat in her Bumbo chair today for the first time! She absolutely loved it! Does anybody know how long you are supposed to let them sit in it at a time? I think she'd go all day!

Goodnight.

...What A Weekend It Was...

This past weekend was what I considered to be the weekend of a lifetime. I was not so sure that it would be, due to my impending aging process, but it ended up being unbelieveably fabulous and I will not soon forget a single moment of it!

Friday night, the boys had their usual ritual of tinkering with ATV's in the garage and finishing off with some X-Box. In the mean time, Kimberly and I attempted to make Sprinkles Cupcakes. Now, for those of you who have not heard of Sprinkles Cupcakes, now you have and you have no excuse not to try some! These cupcakes have been made famous by a popular cable TV show, and they are packaged in Beverly Hills, CA. A coworker of Kim's bought her a package of the Pumpkin Spice flavor,and I was honored that she wanted to bake than at my house, in my kitchen! Topped with cinnamon and vanilla cream cheese frosting and a Sprinkles signiture dot (which I ate, but still think might have been plastic,) they were the best cupcakes I had ever eaten (notice I said cupcakes; plural!) I am anxious to try them again soon without the signature "dot."

On Saturday, the kiddos and I traveled to my parents house for a day of fun. I was given the memo to arrive and expect the best, but I wasn't sure what that meant exactly. When we arrived, I was given the day's itenerary which included a manicure, a haircut, lunch and a movie, as well as presents and a homeade carrot cake complete with cauliflower and carrot puree (it was excellent;) all of the things that I don't, can't or won't do for myself! I should turn 30 more often! I found out later that Jared was in on the plans, and that is why I couldn't get him come with me. It was such a busy day filled with laughter and memories that will stay with me forever. Thank you all for a wonderful time!

When I arrived home Saturday night, I was greeted by a bouquet of flowers from Gene & Donna (Jared's parents). They are absolutely one of the most beautiful arragements that I have ever recieved. They are still sitting pretty and I am enjoying them emensily. Thank you Gene & Donna!

On Sunday after church, we headed to Georgetown so that Jared could look at some auto parts. My first thought was a pitiful, "What a birthday!" He asked if I cared if we went to Romeo's

for lunch, which happens to be one of my absolute favorite eateries! When we arrived I was TOTALLY surprised by none other than- MY FRIENDS! Kimberly and Jared had planned a get together with several of our closest friends! I was genuinely surprised and obviously oblivious to what was on the works! How clueless am I?! We had a wonderful time over some unbelievable italian food and good conversation! Jared gave me the most beautiful watch that I have ever seen! Thanks, Babe! It's beautiful! Now, I'll always be on time!

Looking back over the weekend, I still get so excited! I get chills when I think about how exciting every moment was. I have been truly blessed in my life with family and friends who I love beyond measure. I am so thankful for all of you and every moment with every one of you is awesome! Thank you all for such a fabulous and exciting weekend! I will never forget my 30th!