2 Baby Bumble Bees

Wii Are Family

2008-06-05T21:42:00.002-05:00

We got a Wii!! Yippee!!!

It was a late Brian birthday/late Mother's Day/early Father's Day present for the whole family. Brian is playing Tiger Woods as Wii speak. He and Landon played Mario Kart this evening and Landon had so much fun. Daddy did, too, of course. I can't wait to get the Wii Fit, but even without it, some of the games have you working up a sweat. I really enjoyed the boxing game, myself. I needed a little break and some water afterwards, but I kicked some arse!!

I'll post some pics of Landon and Daddy racing later. Right now I need to go buy an insurance policy for that thing!!!

Growing So Fast, And They Can't Slow Down

2008-06-01T21:53:00.002-05:00

Landon and I had gone to Target on Mother's Day to pick up a few last minute items before the big get-together at the house. We were talking in the car about things and I see him in the rearview looking at his hand. I watched for a minute while he studied it carefully. I didn't want to interrupt whatever it was that was coming together in his head so I waited for him to speak. A few seconds later he said in such excitement, enough to break my concentration on what he might be doing that I tapped the brakes (just in case, you know), "Mom, look! I am growing so fast!"

"I see that, but you need to slow down", pleadingly.

"But, I can't, Mom. I can't slow down."

And there you have it - the secret to life. From a three-almost-four-year-old. We can't slow it down, no matter how hard we try. All we can do is try to enjoy the time we have for as long as we have it. Stop and smell the roses. I feel a little hypocritical about all of this, because I know that I am always, always, always in a hurry. I am going to do my best to chill a little and relax. They're only little for so long!

And speaking of growing...they're moving up, too!

Kylie is making the move from the Kittens(1-2's) to the Dolphins(2-3's). She'll be in the big girl class and start the potty training phase. No more bibs or sippy cups! She's ready to put on her big girl panties, but Momma's not so much!

Landon is leaving behind daycare for pre-K. No more nap time and more of a regular classroom setting. He is sooooo excited because his new classroom has a robot, a guitar and a computer! My baby's not a baby anymore! One more year and it will be REAL KINDERGARTEN!!!!!

What am I gonna do? We've already decided that I can't slow it down. Any suggestions?

So....How's It Goin'?

2008-06-01T21:41:00.002-05:00

Almost a month, I know, but not quite. At least I don't have a zero next to May!

May has been jam packed with fun and excitement! And boy, am I whooped!

Instead of trying to ask my brain to recall the past 4 weeks, I will share my blessings right now:

1. Everyone is well in my house and sleeping soundly.
2. The only rain in the forecast is on Friday, so work should be a breeze this week, until Friday anyway!
3. I had a girls' day out today with some friends and saw Sex and the City. Good movie, BTW.
4. Mom is back from vacation
5. Cheri had a beutiful baby girl this week. Welcome baby Kohen, can't wait to meet you.
6. I know I have many, many things to be thankful for - and I think that's the biggest blessing!

I will get pics and etc. up later this week.

Rescue 911

2008-05-06T07:38:00.002-05:00

Kylie had been sick with a fever since Thursday the 24th, and Brian was home with her on Wednesday the 30th. I started not feeling well about mid-morning. Kind of achy and I could tell I was getting a fever. It hurt my upper back when I inhaled, but I wasn't congested at all. The day went on and I got to feeling worse.

I barely made it home after picking up Landon from school. I had just walked in the door and Brian went upstairs to take care of a work phone call. I felt nauseated and went to the bathroom. Landon was so sweet. He was rubbing my back and holding my hair and talking so sweetly. Meanwhile, Kylie was trying to get her hands into the toilet water! Finally, I gave up on the puking and just sat there on the floor. After a few minutes I realized I couldn't feel or move my legs and my hands were getting numb.

Brian finally came downstairs and checked on me. I don't know how many times I had to tell him that I couldn't move before he finally believed me. He helped me up and moved me to the couch. I was scared and crying and in pain. My eyes burned, probably from the fever, and it hurt to breathe.

He was on the phone with my mom to see if she could come watch the kids while he took me to the clinic and apparently I passed out. I don't remember any of that, so I have to take his word for it. At that point, he called 911 and summoned an ambulance. I remember him hitting my leg and I came to. It felt like I had been out for a while, even though he says it was only for less than a minute. The paramedics came in with their gurney and I was basically hysterical. my fever was in the 103-104+ range and I was hyperventilating, making the pain worse, and probably causing more numbness. They loaded me up and took me to Huguley to get checked out.

The overall consensus was that I had a viral infection since there was no one place that hurt, except my back which they didn't really address. They attributed the numbness to lack of oxygen from hyperventilation. At the hospital, my BP was 170/120. Weird thing was that all of this time I wasn't getting enough oxygen, not once did they give me any through a mask. Looking back now, this strikes me as odd.

I am better now after fighting the fever for a few days. I remember seeing my kids during all of theses events and being scared for them. Landon is a little scared of police officers because they carry guns and apparently one of the kids at school told him that policemen kill people and left it at that. What are parents telling their kids and letting them watch on TV???? All I could think was he was seeing his mom being taken away by men in uniform and in trucks with sirens and I couldn't tell him everything was really okay. Brian and my mom reassured him and I know he'll be okay, but it wasn't me. We have talked about it and he seems to understand that the men in uniform are here to help and they were taking care of mommy.

Sleeping Handsome (It Can't Be Beauty For A Boy, Can It?)

2008-04-16T15:57:00.006-05:00

Landon actually went to bed on his own last night. It was 9:00 - but he went to sleep on his own. He was at the top of the stairs telling me he couldn't turn the tv off so I went up to see what the problem was and he was really trying to turn the tv off. (I just knew it couldn't be that, you know.) I turned the tv off and tucked him into his sleeping bag on the floor. I was rubbing his back and was gonna stay until he drifted off and then, you know what he told me????? Well, Ill tell you what he told me. He said, "I want you to go downstairs." What?!?! I was speechless. How dare he? At first, I told him no because I thought he told me that HE wanted to go downstairs.

Boy, was I wrong. So, I kissed him and tucked him in and went downstairs, pouting all the way. I peeked in on him later, before I went to bed, and he had moved his pillow, blanket and puppy and was sound asleep in his bed!

I was so proud and sad. My little boy isn't much of a little boy anymore. He's already making grand plans for his birthday party - Batman and Mickey Mouse, no less. He's telling me all of his friends that can come and that "Cade can't come because his mom doesn't want to do it", whatever that means. There's no telling how that conversation went. Anyhow, he wants to go to Mickey Mouse's house and Max & Ruby's, too. I told him he could go to Mickey's house when he is 5. At the very least that gives me some motivation to get this 5th birthday Disney trip planned, 'cause you know he ain't gonna forget!!!

Here's another cute Landon story, as told by Grandma:
Sunday morning he wanted to brush his teeth, so I let him. But the last time he was here, he was brushing his teeth and saw that I had a small mirror in my toothbrush cup, the one that you can look at your teeth with (like the dentist has) and he asked me what it was for, so I told him. While he was brushing his teeth, he took the little mirror and was trying to brush his teeth and look at them at the same time, and he said "Grandma, you are wrong, you can't look at your teeth and brush them, too". The way his hands were trying to work at the same time, was so funny, so he put down his toothbrush and tried to look at his teeth with the mirror and turned around and looked at me with his face all scrunched up like he does and said "Yuck". I had to laugh at him. He is so funny.
Thanks for the story, Mom!

For all of you who really know Landon, you know that this photo is a rarity. I don't think I have seen him fall asleep on the couch, during daylight hours, since before he could walk.

Digging Up Bones

2008-04-16T14:25:00.002-05:00

We had a blast in Round Rock last-last (remember that I'm way behind?) weekend for Carter's birthday party.

We decided to make a weekend out of it and drove down on Friday evening. The drive down wasn't the most enjoyable ride I've ever taken, but who can blame them? We tried letting them watch DVD's on Brian's laptop, since Landon broke the portable ("I didn't did anything" is the story he's sticking to). Come to find out, to play DVD's on WMP or anything else you have to have some kind of decoder. Just another way to rip us off is what I think. The cheapest one we found was $14.99. Of course the WiFi hotspots along the way were helpful, but you have to activate the darn decoder and they don't tell you not to put the hyphens in the number even though that's the way they sent it to you in the first place! So, needless to say, we didn't get it to work until after we arrived in Round Rock.
Landon and Tyler had a great time and they slept so well in the same room (thanks for the cot, Cheri!). I just knew that was going to be a disaster. What do I know anyway? I think the trick was getting them so tired they didn't have a choice but to rest. No fussing or complaining from Kylie, either. She even slept through having her crib (thanks for the pack-n-play, Cheri!) moved 2 nights in a row.

Saturday morning we got up and all the boys went to Tyler's game. Landon was just enamored with Tyler. He followed him around all weekend like a little puppy. It was so adorable. (Sorry, Tyler! One little brother is enough for now, huh? He just thinks your the coolest!) Courtney went to prepare for the party and me and Kylie went to do some shopping. A little later it was party time! Landon had so much fun digging up bones and holes in the sand, climbing "mountains" and catching bugs (crickets) in the creek. Kylie watched for a while and then it was time for her and her baby to get in on the action. She found a shovel and went to town. Of course, her baby was in the middle of it all. Except for when Brian was helping her use the digger(?). The she slipped and fell face first into the handles of that thing and it was over until....PIZZA!!! She put away 2 whole slices of pizza and my crust. And, for the little girl with the longest hair that will never keep it up in the ponytail holders, she kept those sunglasses on ALL DAY! I couldn't believe it either.

After the party, the kids went home to nap with the boys and me and Courtney made a quick trip to the outlet mall and to a cute little boutique in town. We decided to stay in and grill fajitas instead of going out to dinner and the kids had a great time playing in the backyard. Sunday morning, we had to make the highly anticipated trip to Rudy's for breakfast and headed home. We were all beat and very tired, but we had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

P.S. This is what the boys do during naptime!

My Super-Man

2008-04-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

It's a bird. It's a plane. No - it's Super Landon!

Grammy found the Superman capes that Mawmaw made for the boys when they were little and gave it to Landon on a trip to the park a few weeks back. He had so much fun zooming around the playground. It still has Brian's name faintly legible in Sharpie marker on the hem. Isn't that amazing?

It's so fun to think that Brian was doing that when he was Landon's age. Working at the Daily Planet and spinning in telephone booths and everything. Thank goodness this Superman hasn't run into Lois Lane yet! Watch out, ladies, he's gonna be a heartbreaker!

Playing Ketchup

2008-04-16T13:50:00.002-05:00

Dear Courtney and Cheri (and everyone else out there),

Please accept my sincerest heartfelt apologies for being WAYYYYYYY behind in my posting. I know I suck at this. I don't know how I can make it up to you, but I'll try. I won't bore you with sad excuses like how I am so busy at work and the kids are crazy and I have to cook dinner and do I have any clean underwear and I WANT NEMO FRUIT SNACKS and I don't wanna take a bath I want a shower and no I want a bath and I want chicken nuggets but only if we have ketchup, my God, do we have enough ketchup!?!?!? Nope, I have no excuses. I will be catching up on my posting in the next couple days and I hope you can forgive me.

Love,
Me/MO/Mom/Momma/Mommy/Mommmmmmm-yyyyyyyyy-my-movie's-oooooooooooverrrrrrrrrr

She's SO Not A Morning Person

2008-04-04T09:17:00.003-05:00

We have a long road ahead.

Our sweet baby girl was CRANKY this morning. This is probably the 3rd or 4th time in the past week-and-a-half that she has screamed all morning while we get her ready, on the way to school and before breakfast.

She has not been sleeping well for the past few nights, which we think may be attributed to hatching some new chompers. At odd times during the wee hours, she will start crying/screaming and shortly after, quiets and goes back to sleep. The times that we have gone in to her room in an attempt to console her, she refuses. In addition to these fits, she had been extremely attached to a lovey of some sort. Luckily for us, for now anyways, she just wants a baby doll or stuffed animal AND a blanket. It doesn't have to be one toy or blanket in particular, just A blanket and A toy, and of course her cup. For a while now, we have realized that she finds comfort in her cup, like other kids have with a pacifier, etc. She must have her cup at all times, or, at the very least, know where it is. So we schlep to school with 2 kids, a cup, a stuffed animal, a blanket, backpack and bag, and any other paraphernalia Landon must take for show-and-tell. I tell you, I feel like a pack mule most days!

This morning was particularly rough. We were trying to get everything situated and packed so that we can just grab the kids on the way out of town and not have to go back to the house. We did a lot of the prep work last night - packing clothes, last-minute laundry, snacks, portable high-chair, etc. So we expected this morning to go a little more smoothly. Boy, were we wrong! Landon was up and about after a little coaxing and reminding him that today was, indeed, Friday. Finally, it was donut day AND the day we go to Tyler's house. He wasn't hard to get going after that. He just wanted to take all of his belongings to Tyler's house. After some reassurance that Tyler had toys and puzzles at his house, he finally conceded, mostly. Kylie was stirring so I went in and stroked her hair and spoke softly, hoping to rouse her gently. NO SUCH LUCK! When Brian picked her up, she started the wailing. He got her dressed in an amazingly short amount of time, considering, and came downstairs to join me and Landon in the piles of stuff to take on the trip. I tried holding her to calm her, but to no avail. Finally, I decided to lay her on the floor on Landon's Spiderman pillow. Landon, being the sweetest big brother ever, lay down next to her on the cool tile floor and started singing to her. 99.9% of the time, if he sings to her, she'll calm down. Today, we saw the other 0.01% It was time to go, so we picked her up and loaded her in the truck. She calmed down while we were in line at the donut shop and was fine after that. Hot and cold, that one!

I can't imagine what it's gonna be like when she's a teenager. Why did I even put that thought into my head? Here's to more sleepless nights!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2008-03-15T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today has been a wonderful day! We woke up to a gorgeous spring day in Texas. The trees are blooming and the grass is getting green again. Not a cloud in our beautiful blue sky. God Bless Texas!

After we got up this morning, had breakfast and got dressed me and Kylie hit the streets. We had to make a stop at Payless to make an exchange before her 10 o'clock class. This girl loves shoes! Sorry, honey! She wanted to try them all on and sat down put them on herself as best she could and commented "pretty". We finally agreed on two pair...one just isn't enough!

After the shoe binge, we headed over to the Little Gym for Kylie's class. SHE LOVED IT! She spent most of the 45 minutes on the balance beam. I was spotting her, of course, and the beam was only inches from the ground, but she did great. Since she did so well, we decided to sign her up for the rest of the semester. She'll do one class a week until the end of May and we'll see what's going on after that.

Landon's group was next. Since he is a big boy, he gets to do his class all by himself. Since he is the shy one of the two, we thought this might be a problem because this was an entire group of strangers. He took to it like a fish to water. They do something similar to this on Thursdays at his school, they call it Stretch-n-Grow. He looks forward to that day every week. Kylie isn't ole enough yet to be involved in the class at school, so until then I think we'll do the Little Gym. We're not sure we're gonna enroll Landon, but he already wants to go back. Besides, at 8:15 this evening, he was already out. Might be good for all of us, for him to get a little extra exercise on the weekends :o)

I went to a baby shower this afternoon for one of Landon's former teachers. She also babysits for us in a pinch. Now that she's having a baby, we'll be needing a new sitter. She is one of the sweetest girls I know and I hate her because she is one of those cute, always put together, and glowing, pregnant women. Don't you hate them too? Just kidding...we love you Miss Lauren!

After a speedy trip to the grocery store, I headed home. We weeded through some of the kids baby toys for the neighborhood yard sale next month and then went outside to play before we started dinner. We made hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and after dinner the kids had a bath and went to bed. They were pretty worn out. Maybe they'll let us sleep in a little tomorrow? Nah, I doubt that's gonna happen!

Long Time, No See

2008-03-13T21:06:00.005-05:00

A quick update on the bees:

Kylie is quite the talker.

Favorite Words:
Wossy(horsey)
Assat?!?!(What's that?)
Monny(Barney)
Ball - perfectly clear!
Lan-nin(Landon, in her best sing-songy voice)
Done
and last, but certainly not least....
MINE!!!!

Favorite songs:

E-I-E-I-O (she sings this randomly at dinner, kind of under her breath)
Itchy Bitchy Pider (The Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Monny (The Barney Song, "I Love You, You Love Me")

She and Landon will fight over virtually everything. The other child may have never shown any interest in a particular toy/cup/sock, etc., but let one of them pick it up and you know all hell has broken loose! Kylie is a shrieker, too. When she is happy/sad/excited/angry she shrieks. And it's the ear-piercing, only-dogs-should-be-able-hear-this kind of noise.

Kylie is also a bit rough-and-tumble. She is injured more than any kid I know. She cartwheels down the stairs and shakes it off with a look like "Wow, can I do that again?". This week alone, she has 1.)flipped herself out of her chair, 2.)gotten a black eye from Daddy as he tried to catch her from falling off the swing because she let go in mid-air, 3.)fallen completely off the swing and got a taste of some grass, 4.)fell on her hands and knees onto the concrete and didn't spill a drop of milk in the process, and probably countless other incidents I know nothing about. Don't get me wrong, she's not clumsy, quite the contrary really. She is a risk-taker. She acts and then thinks about the consequences later. Landon couldn't be more different. They make the perfect team. Landon as the sly, calculating mastermind of the plan, and Kylie the fearless operative. I can just see it now.

**********************************************************

Oh, Landon! Sweet, loving, gentle Landon.....well, sometimes!

This boy is about to drive us crazy. This must be payback for skipping the terrible-twos. He is so afraid to miss something that he flat-out refuses to go to bed. Once he's asleep, there's no waking him, but getting there is quite tiresome and very frustrating. I know that him actually being over-tired exaggerates everything, but the constant excuses are wearing thin. Potty, water, chocolate milk-no-white milk-no-water, I need my puppy, I wanna watch a movie, I want my daddy, no, i want my mommy, I gotta go potty, I need to go poop. Aaaaaacccckkkk!!!!!!! I'm about to pull out my hair, one strand at a time! So after all is said and done, and done again, he finally gives in about 8:30. Poor kid, I know he's tired.

Besides the whole sleeping situation, Landon is doing very well in school. He has been on green all week. He is writing his name, and almost all of the letters are legible. Landon memorizes a new Bible verse every week, and enjoys his time in Chapel on Wednesdays. And the boy looks forward to Fridays. For those that don't know, Friday is Donut Day at our house. If Landon is on green all week, he gets donuts for breakfast on Fridays. A side-effect of this routine is that he is learning the days of the week.

I have signed both kids up for a trial class at the Little Gym on Saturday morning. Kylie is in the Beast class and Landon is a Funny Bug. We'll see how they do and if they like it and go from there. I think it might be something fun for them to look forward to and to burn off some energy. I'll keep you posted and hopefully, i get some good pics of that.

Brian is busy at work and, frankly, so am I. Summertime is coming and that just means we get really busy. I do prefer being busy over being bored any day.

Boy, that was alot of work!

2008-02-25T21:31:00.004-06:00

This weekend we decided to bite the bullet and get the kids a swingset. We knew it was going to be a tedious job, but I had no idea!

We picked up the boxes from Wal-Mart on Friday night. When we got home, we unloaded the 2 boxes to see what we were working with. After reading the reviews (all excellent, by the way) they all suggested the same thing: sort and label all of the wood pieces before you begin. And were we ever glad we took their advice! Starting with wooden part "A" we had wood parts all the way to "AQ"!!! Some letters only had one piece while others had 15. It's funny that the manufacturer didn't label any of the wood, but they did label every individual bag of nuts/bolts/screws/etc. with the description and size.

We called Dad and Carol on Sunday morning to see if they wanted to help. We could not be more grateful that they came right away. After about 8 full hours of assembly, we were complete and Landon was in heaven.

I don't know why we waited so long, but we're sure glad we finally did it!

Here are some pics of our progress:

In the beginning....

Slow and Steady wins the race....

Measure twice and drill once...

Safety First...

Sweet Victory!!! (Finally)

Mom, I'm Sorry...

2008-02-22T20:50:00.003-06:00

...for never leaving you alone, in peace, when you were in the bathroom.

Yes, it is happening to me. These days I can't do anything, and I mean anything, without a very inquisitive little detective on my case. Normally it goes a little something like this...

"Mommy, what are you doing in there?"

"I'm going to the potty. I'll be out in a minute."

"Why you taking so long? 'Cuz you're a girl?"

"No, not because I'm a girl. ~~Do you know how long it takes your daddy in here?~~ Everybody has to go potty and sometimes it takes a little longer. I'll be out in a minute."

"Five minutes? And then I can watch a movie?"

"Yes, Landon, I'll be out in five minutes and then you can watch a movie."

"Okay, Mommy! I love you so so much."

Now, I know, that last part makes it all better. This week alone, he waits and helps me get the toilet paper I need and when the door is closed (and locked, mind you) I can see ten little fingers in desperate search of me. Just this morning while we were getting ready and I was putting on my makeup, he asks "Mommy, why you put that stuff all over you?" To which I answer, "Because that's what Mommies do." He agreed and moved on.

So Mom, please accept the most heartfelt apology I can muster. I'm sure you can appreciate those moments now, but I understand how frustrated you were all those years when you "never had anything of your own!"

I love you, Mom! Wholer than the world!

In Other News...

2008-02-15T21:35:00.002-06:00

Kylie had her 18 month checkup on Wednesday. She is 23lbs 3oz. and 32" tall. 80th percentile for height and 40th for weight - long and lean! Everything looks good and he is impressed with her language skills. Dr. Hampton has assigned Landon to be her speech therapist, since they tend to learn words better from their peers. Our goel is 200 words/phrases by her 2nd birthday. At this rate, we should have that done next week!

For those who didn't know, at her checkup with the urologist in November, the VUR has completely righted itself. YIPPEE! We will have another ultrasound in December to keep a check on it.

Love and Trickery

2008-02-15T21:15:00.003-06:00

Our little boy is a sly one! It appears he has learned to work the system. I knew it would happen, but I want to believe he will always have that innocence.

A little backstory: Landon's class uses a color chart to monitor the kids behavior - purple is excellent, green is good, yellow is not so good, red is a trip to the principal's office and black is "whoa mama"! When Landon is on purple or green he gets to watch a cartoon after dinner, yellow or worse and no movie. For this miniature movie critic, no movie means the end of the world as he knows it. On Wednesday, I got to school a little late to pick them up. Landon was waiting in the office and not his classroom, so I couldn't check his "report card". As soon as he saw me, he proudly proclaimed for everyone to hear that he was on purple. This usually happens about once a week, so I had no reason to doubt him. I gave hugs and kisses and praised him for good behavior. Boy was I wrong!

Fast forward a little to yesterday evening. I got home very shortly before Brian and the kids. When they walked in, Landon ran to me to tell me he was on green. I was so proud and then...dun..dun..DUN!!!! Brian whips out a note from the teacher dated Wednesday's date. On it was a long note telling us about why Landon was on yellow. Needless to say, we had a little mom-to-Landon coversation about lying!!! I hated to do it, but I had to tell him he couldn't watch a movie last night, even though he was on green. He was heartbroken. I was devastated.

It gets better....

Last night after not getting to watch a movie, he fell asleep in our bed. This is nothing new. We move him to his bed when it's time for us to hit the hay and there is usually no problem. About 10:00 last night, he tiptoes into our room and tries to get back in our bed. I immediately took him back and tucked him in. Not 5 minutes later, he was back. I asked him what the problem was and he told me there were spiders in his bed. Well, of course there are spiders! He has Spiderman sheets. He stayed in our bed all night, until dun..dun..DUN!!!! Apparently, the same second that the alarm went off, he shot out of our bed and ran to get in his. This is a second-hand account, because I was still sleeping. I woke up and asked where he went and Brian said he went to his room. This was very strange because he never wants to go to bed on his own. After about 3 minutes in the shower, I figured it out. I got dressed and went to his room to get him up and after he opened his eyes and sat up on his knees, he immediately looked under his pillow. I innocently asked what he was looking for, and he replied that he was looking for his prize. You got it, he thought that if he was in his bed when it was really time for him to wake up, the Sleep Fairy would leave him a treat. WRONG!!

All I gotta say is "I'm onto you brother!"

Grandma's Hands - This is beautiful!

2008-02-07T07:40:00.000-06:00

This was emailed to me by my friend Cassie and it was too beautiful not to share...

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK.

She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story: 'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the wor ld that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

True Love

2008-02-05T13:51:00.000-06:00

OK, so I remembered a little something from last week to share.

So you remember I injured my back a little last Sunday. Well, Monday evening I went to bed early enough for Landon to actually tuck ME in. While I was trying to get comfortable, I was oohing and aahing alot and he asked what was wrong. Brian explained that I hurt my back and that I didn't feel good. I could tell he was a little nervous. He didn't want to get near me so I told him that I was gonna be ok and that I just needed a hug and a kwiss. After he gave me some snuggles and tucked me in, he told me that since he wasn't sick anymore and I was , that I could have his sick bucket!

It gets better, if you can imagine...
The next night, I crawled into bed shortly after he had. This was pre-Sleep Fairy. Anyhow, after much moaning and groaning I leaned over to give him a kiss and to tell him "sweet dreams" he rolled over and whispered something that I couldn't make out. I didn't even realize he was awake. I asked him to repeat and I still couldn't get it. I told him to say it louder so that I could hear him and very sweetly he said "I pray you at school". For clarification I asked him if he said that he prayed for me at school. He agreed. Then I asked him if he knew how much I loved him, to which he replied, "wholer than the world".

There are tears in my eyes now, just recounting this story. I never truly realized how much you could love another human being until Landon and Kylie came along. I knew I would love my children but I never knew how much they would change me. I remember sitting in Kylie's room rocking her while she slept. She was only a few months old at the time. My mom came in to check on us and I was crying. She asked what was wrong and I told her that at that very moment I understood how much she loved me and my sister and brother. I think that was one of the most honest, and life-changing, moments of my life.

I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and our children, and for our families and friends who, if we didn't have to lean on, I might be in the padded room next to Britney. I feel so very sorry for her, that she doesn't have the same kind of support system. I wish nothing but the best for her and pray that she gets the help she needs to be there for her own children.

The Sleep Fairy is REAL!!

2008-02-05T10:44:00.001-06:00

Well, kind of.

First of all...SUCCESS!! Landon has slept in his bed for 2 nights in a row now. I went in to get him up this morning and before I even turned on the lights, I walked past the foot of his bed, dropped his small gift so he didn't see me do it and went to snuggle him awake. He rolled over, opened his eyes and before doing anything else, he said "I need something special". I asked why and he told me that he slept all night in his bed. Lo and behold, the Sleep Fairy left him a little treat (a deck of Frankenstein cards leftover from Halloween). He was so excited and couldn't wait to play games with his friends at school. Now, I need to hit the Target dollar spot and Michaels, too. I can't wait until Kylie is old enough to use this. Hopefully, Landon won't spoil the surprise for her. You know he'll find me out by then, for sure!

Now to the Sleep Fairy being real. I received an anonymous comment on my previous post about the Sleep Fairy, and it turns out that genius parents have been using the Sleep Fairy to help get their kids to sleep faster and all by themselves for years! Who knew? I just thought that I had made her up on a hope and a prayer that he would buy it. Apparently, there are books and CD's and websites dedicated to the Sleep Fairy. I came across alot of information about how to use the Sleep Fairy and some pretty funny parenting tactics, too. Listen to this, some brilliant parent told their kids that boys and girls that don't listen get sent to Listening School. Are you kidding me? I may have to try that one!

Anyone got any other out-there parenting ideas?

Somewhere I read that parenting is basically just BS-ing your way through. So true!

Girls will be girls!

2008-02-04T20:05:00.000-06:00

Kylie got her first pedicure this evening and Brian wasn't even mad! That's his little girl, you know.

While Kylie was eating dinner I noticed her toenails needed some trimming. So while she ate, I trimmed her toenails. (You may think this is gross but if you've ever had to get this girl dressed, you'd know that while she's buckled in and distracted with food is the best time to tackle a delicate job such as this.)

After her nails were trimmed and she was finished eating. She got a bath and I started wondering if she'd sit still long enogh to have her toenails painted. Yeah right!

From a distance (and I mean like 10-15 feet) they look great, but up close you'll see how patient she really is. She was so proud of her pretty toes, I had to grab the camera. And before you ask, yes her jammies have dinosaurs on them. Some of Landon's old jammies.

Those feet are so cute!!

Memory loss, chaos and a very long post!

2008-02-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

I hate that this once a week posting is becoming a habit. I will try harder, I promise.

Ummm.........*crickets*

I can't even remember what happened last week to even tell you about it. It's one of those things that I'll probably remember at 3am. All I can say for sure is that it was very busy.

Since I have taken on some additional responsibilities at work, we;ve had to adjust our schedule a little. I get up at 5am and try to get myself dressed before the kids get up. Lately, Landon has been coming into our room at Lord knows what time to "check on us". He ends up sleeping in our bed until morning, at which time he is up at 5am with me. This has to stop. He is so grouchy by the time he gets home from school I can't stand it. So our goal is not to get the kids up until 5:45, right about the time that Brian leaves for work. I get the kids dressed and we head downstairs to gather all the necessary items for breakfast and "pony-tale" (to us old folks that's show-and-tell). After all the bags are packed, I get the kids loaded up and we head to school. They usually arrive about 6:20(on a good day) and 6:30. Then I get a few minutes of peace and quiet before I get to work at 7. Brian is usually responsible for picking up the kids from school, unless his boss calls one of his famous 15 minute meetings that start at 5pm!! Just long enough to make Brian late picking up the kids. I try to leave the shop by 4:30 so i can get home and get dinner ready before they get home at 6:15. By that time, it has been a long day for everyone. Kylie is ready to eat the second she walks in the door and just as ready to go night-night after her last bite. So she's in bed by 6:45. Our goal is to have Landon sleeping by 7:30, but anyone that has a 3-year-old can attest to the fact that when they know you are on a time crunch, the more excuses they make.

This week I had what I think is a brilliant bribe idea: the sleep fairy. Similar to the Tooth Fairy she checks to make sure that little boys and girls are sleeping in their beds and if they sleep in their bed all night long, she will leave a little trinket for them to find in the morning. I tried it for the first time last night and it worked!!! I actually had to go in and wake Landon up this morning. It was bliss!! I actually got myself dressed in peace! I woke him up and he was so excited that the Sleep Fairy left him some planet stickers. We'll see if it works again tonight. All I can say for now is that he's asleep, in his bed, by himself and has been that way for about 15 minutes. Only 15 minutes past bedtime! Yay me!!! I know it won't last forever but it's worth a try.

Whew!!

2008-01-28T14:28:00.000-06:00

It has been almost a week since I last posted and for good reason, too. Things have been crazy, and I mean crazy, at work this last week. We are all adjusting to a newer, and earlier, schedule, which, of course, makes the weekends earlier, too. We get up at 5 and the kids are now getting up between 5:30 and 5:45 AM!!!! so we can be out of the house buy about 6:10. I really think it is harder on us than it is on them, but I can't help but feel sorry for them. This is only about 30 minutes earlier than normal but it feels like years!

Landon seems to be feeling better after his double-shot of gastro-intestinal-something-or-other. He was sick Friday a week ago and was getting better Saturday and really improving by Sunday. He went to school Monday and Tuesday, but an hour after dropping him off on Wednesday he was tossing his cookies again! Brian was home with him on Wednesday and Memaw came to stay with him on Thursday. His poop "isn't very sick anymore" so we're hoping he makes a full recovery this time. You know he can't afford any weight loss! Now he "gets sick" out of convenience. He knows that when he's sick he HAS to stay home and rest or watch movies. So whenever he needs to do something that he doesn't want to, he conveniently doesn't feel good. We're gonna have to start making this staying home sick a little less appealing! I do love staying with him and snuggling on the couch watching "Meet the Robinsons" about 10 times.

Kylie has escaped this bug so far (knock on wood). She is doing great and talking more everyday. The ladies at school have definitely spoiled her. She all but insists that she be held at all times. That's not so bad on the rare occasion, but while you are trying to cook dinner and do laundry and wash dishes, let me tell you, it's borderline impossible.

To top off this week of chaos and destruction, I have hurt my back. It's bad, too. I went to see the doc today and he thinks that it's just muscular and I agree. He did, however, give me three different prescriptions, of which I can only take one while I'm at work. The muscle relaxer and pain meds should only be taken if I'm gonna be at home. He wanted me to be home until Wednesday, but that's out of the question, for sure! I will take them before bed and I hope to wake up a new woman (maybe this time I'll be skinny!).

This Thing Thucks!!!!

2008-01-15T14:38:00.000-06:00

No joke! I have to take it out everytime I need to talk to someone because they can't understand me. I survived my first night with the toaster in my mouth. Not terrible because I didn't have to talk, so I don't mind wearing it at night so much. But I'm on the phone and talking to vendors and customers all day and this really sucks!!! Hopefully, I will only have to wear it for a week and not 10 days or more.

I have to admit, though, that my jaw feels worse when I'm not wearing it. I still can't eat much, yet. What I do eat, I have to wedge between my teeth because I can't open very wide. And chewing, ha!!! Smooshing is more like it. I won't go into the gory details but the softer the food is, the easier it is to eat. I'll be hittin' up the local cafeteria with the blue-hairs before long.

Sufferin' Succotash!!!

2008-01-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

For the past 3 or 4 days, I have been experiencing severe pain in my jaw which has rendered me unable to open my mouth very far and, thus, unable to eat anything of substance. I was sure that my problem was a descending wisdom tooth. Not so, apparently. I called the dentist first thing this morning and he got me in rather quickly. Turns out that my TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is quite inflamed and that is what is causing all of this pain. It even hurts to smile.

Anyhow, the fix is to wear a dental "appliance" and to take some anti-inflammatory/relaxer drugs. Unfortunately, this "appliance" is a small little mouthpiece that fits over my two middle top teeth that keeps me from clenching my teeth together. Sadly, I now have an adorable little lisp. It sucks - BIG TIME! I can hardly understand what I am saying, I don't know how others will understand me. The doc said that since I involuntarily clench my teeth and am usually pretty stressed out, that these were the likely causes. Good news is that I should have fewer headaches now.

I have to wear this cute little device 24/7 for about 7-10 days or until the inflammation has gone down enough to not be painful. Then I will have to wear it while I sleep from now on. Real sexy, huh? I thought you'd think so!

Disney's Desperate Housewives

2008-01-09T19:43:00.000-06:00

I saw this over at The Tanner Trio and I must say "I Love It!".

The Amazing Chocolate Tree

2008-01-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

We took the kids and Grandma to the Dallas Arboretum on Saturday to see "The Amazing Chocolate Tree". It was an event to show where chocolate comes from and how it's made. They had alot of fun activities for the kids, but I was surprised how much fun we had aside from the exhibit. We couldn't have picked a better day to go. It was absolutely beautiful outside. None of us had ever been before and now we plan to go more often. Landon was especially entertained by all the squirrels and Kylie with the blackbirds that were eating everything she threw on the ground. The kids ran and played and were pretty tuckered out by the time we had to leave. We can't wait to go back in the Spring to see everything in bloom!

We rubbed our hands in the hulls of roasted cocoa beans and our hands smelled of chocolate all day. The discarded hulls are used as mulch.

Kylie was determined to pick up every fallen leaf she could find.

Landon's chocolate mustache, after inhaling the free chocolates.

Christmas...Round Three!

2008-01-07T16:14:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little late, but this new year has been busy already!

All of Brian's side of the family was over on Saturday, 12/29, to celebrate Christmas. The kids were especially excited that Tyler and Carter were coming. There were so many gifts, I didn't know if there was going to be enough room to sit and open them, but we managed.

See what I mean about the gifts?!?!?!

Kylie got a great dress from Pam and Jack and I couldn't wait to see her in it.

It's madness!!!!

Landon and Tyler eating cupcakes or brownies, or both!

Kylie is watching all those crazy boys!

Carter riding Landon's motorcycle.

The boys had a great time playing outside, it was a beautiful day.

Most of the family.

I Am Resolute!

2008-01-04T13:44:00.001-06:00

You know, I don't think that I have ever made any serious and concrete resolutions...ever!!! This year is different. In order to amplify the gravity of these resolutions, I thought I would share them with the world. I've heard that you are more likely to keep them if you actually put them in writing so we'll see.

1. Be a Big Loser - I mean this in the sense of dieting and exercise. I would love nothing more than to go on the show and just concentrate on that and nothing else!

2. Scrapbook more - this is something that I like to do for me. Sadly, in the past couple years this hobby has been neglected, but I'll think of it this way, I've just been busy creating memories to put in those scrapbooks.

3. Relax!! Don't get so worked up over the small stuff. Take a deep breath and ask myself "Does it really matter, in the grand scheme and all?"

4. Appreciate my husband more - After reading the awesome book I Was A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, I realize that I don't give him enough credit. Yes, he drives me crazy, but he is a great dad and a wonderful husband. I do wish, however, that when I give up some control and ask him to do something that I mean that I need him to do it now, not at the next commercial break or tomorrow, but I digress!

5. Read more books that don't have anything to do with childcare or parenting - while those are important and insightful, I need romance, I need imagination, I need Calgon to take me away!!

This is just a start and on a small enough scale that I don't feel so overwhelmed. I will need your help, though, to keep me on track, that is!

I hope that everyone had a great New Year's celebration and that this year will be the best ever!

A Random Ranting

2008-01-04T13:30:00.000-06:00

This seems like a great platform for me to vent...so here goes...

how is it that no one understand that when I say tomorrow that I mean the next business day??? I mean, come on, really how hard is that to comprehend?

The only explanation that have is that the way I think is so far above their level of comprehension and they are so mesmerized by the idea that I can think into the future that they can just stare and drool :0)

Kylie the Diva and Landon's New Mittens

2007-12-27T08:45:00.000-06:00

Kylie showed off her new outfit this morning before school. Looks like she's walikng the catwalk, eh? She actually let me do her hair, a little. It will be a mess in less than an hour! Landon was cold yesterday so he asked for some glub-glubs (gloves). I didn't know where his were or if we even had two of them at all. SO I ventured to Old Navy yesterday and found a hat and mittens (on sale, of course!) for him. He was so excited to wear them today that he wanted a picture with his Daddy and his new glub-glubs.

Round Two...Christmas Morning

2007-12-27T08:33:00.000-06:00

The kids got up early, as usual. After changing Kylie's diaper and making sure Landon teed in the potty before he forgot, we headed downstairs. Landon was in awe. I don't think he knew where to start. Kylie immediately went after the one last cookie that Santa couldn't eat. It took her a while to finish it. She was so busy eating that cookie and carrying around Landon's play-dough that she didn't bother with any of the other gifts. Oh well! Grandma was there to witness the chaos. Amanda, Daniel and Nolan came over a little later that morning and we opened MORE gifts and had a Mexican lunch of tamales (YUM!!!), King Ranch Casserole, homemade salsa (Excellent, Daniel!), black bean dip, and Amanda's famous calabacita. Then topped it all off with Brian's rum cake. I don't think it gets much better than that!

Landon loves his Diego Rescue Pack and Telescope

Milk and Cookies

2007-12-24T21:52:00.001-06:00

Landon made special cookies just for Santa and left them out with some milk. I decided it would be a good idea to give Santa a straw so he didn't get milk in his mustache. Landon agreed, and he also couldn't stay out of the decorations, as you can tell by the chocolatey grin!
Kylie was the only one in her class at school this afternoon, so the teacher decided to play dress-up with her and made her Rudolph. Landon borrowed her antlers so he could be a moose while he made Santa's cookies.

My pretty girl in her warm hat.

Christmas...Round One

2007-12-24T21:30:00.001-06:00

And so it begins...

The kids went with Dad, Carol, Amanda, Daniel and Titus to the Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie Saturday evening while Brian and I went to my company Christmas party. We're told that everyone had a great time.

We got up and headed out to Dad's on Sunday morning to spend the day and celebrate Christmas with everyone there. Landon and Kylie had such great time playing with their cousin, Amity. Those big eyes - wow!! The kids played all afternoon, we grazed on all the delicious goodies and watched some football. After Rocky and Brandon showed up, the unwrapping ceremony began. Kylie was a bit of a thief. She wanted everyone's gift but her own. Landon was so excited about his new boots and jammies that he couldn't wait to put them on. Here are some pics of the Owens Christmas.

Zzzzz...(hack! hack!)

2007-12-19T10:20:00.000-06:00

Can I just say that I absolutely HATE being sick?!?!?!? I have had a terrible cough and congestion for nearly a week now. I keep thinking that I should probably go to the doctor, but when would I have time for that? You should have seen me last night...I used one of Brian's BreatheRight strips, loaded up on NyQuil, and slathered myself in VapoRub. I slept rather unfitfully and feeling a little better today. I'll have to do that every night until this goes away, I guess. Luckily, Brian and the kids have steered clear of this bug. I pray that it stays that way!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night('s sleep)!

Distractions

2007-12-17T19:35:00.000-06:00

Well, I survived. I attended my first-ever professional football game. And, of course, they didn't win...I should have known. It is truly a more enjoyable experience to be there, rather than watching it on the tube. No John Madden. 'Nuff said. It was interesting to see all the "behind-the-scenes" stuff, like the guy who controls the commercial breaks with his huge fluorescent orange oven mitts. There is something to sacrifice by sitting in the aisle seats, however,and it's the constant up and down as everyone files in and out of their seats for beer, peanuts and more beer. I have a huge bruise on my hip, which I can only imagine came from the armrest of my child-sized seat as I made one of many trips up and down. There was this guy in front of us about 3 or 4 rows that had a cowbell. I had hoped that someone would pay him to stop clanking that bell.

Tony Romo was having a rough day, and sadly, the media was blaming it on Jessica Simpson being there. I don't know about you, but he wasn't the only one having a rough day. TO missed a couple catches himself. And wasn't Jessica there on Thanksgiving Day when they won? I hate to even admit it, but for a minute I kind of enjoyed watching Da Boys. I got one of the girly pink jerseys that Jessica was wearing because it was too cute, and in return I promised to watch the rest of the season with my darling husband. I didn't promise not to complain, though.

Go Cowboys!

In the beginning...

2007-12-17T13:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, so here's my blog. This was my New Year's resolution last year and the year before that, but like everything else in my life - time is not on my side.

Anyhow, the release of Courtney's blog was the straw that broke the camel's back! I am amazed by her. I don't know how she does it. Raising two boys, running her own business and now a blog!!! You put us all to shame, but we love you anyway! Thanks for the kick in the rear :o) From now on, I will refer to her as WW (Wonder Woman).

Like WW, the goal of my imaginary blog was to keep everyone posted on the kids milestones and achievements and archive them for when the royal subjects are older. To actually put that plan into action is a little daunting, to say the least. That would mean I would actually have to remember details in order to tell everyone else, right? To that I say, I'll do my best. I will ask, however, that if anyone is ever a part of any posts and the play-by-play is a little off kilter, good, bad or ugly, please correct me. I will forever be in your debt. I would like for my kids to have an accurate account of their lives.

So, without further ado...

The holidays are definitely upon us. Our DISH receiver was on the fritz for about a week, so with no TV to occupy us it was shop...wrap...repeat. All but 3 gifts have been purchased and all the rest are wrapped and under the tree. The Little Princess has proceeded to tear all the bows off the gifts and the lower half of the tree has no decoration. Sad, really, but I shouldn't catch her with any more glass ornaments in her mouth. She's like a lioness after a wildebeest for her cubs - snatching her prey when they least expect it. The wrapping paper never had a chance.

Santa came to visit the kids at school this week and pictures were made. Little Princess cried, as I suspected, and Spider Boy looks a little less than thrilled. This is a step-up from the Santa experience at Sundance Square. We waited an hour for Santa to get back from his break because Spidey Boy wanted to see him. We got to the front of the line and Spidey Boy wanted to be as far away from Santa as possible, but still actually "see" him. I put Little Princess on Santa's lap and after she realized I had backed up to get out of the picture, she freaked. Oh well, maybe we'll have better luck next year!

Merry Christmas Y'all!