Proud as a Peacock

Wyoming Vacation

2011-08-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

A Howling Good Weekend!

2011-07-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

At Great Wolf Lodge! Good gracious... this has been in my drafts box for ages... Don't even have the energy to post a real post... just pics...

Carter Chance loved to howl like the wolves!

Ready for Story Time at the Clock Tower.

Sweet Wittle Wolfie

My Big Guy Wolf

Clock Tower

Nothing better than "room service."

Glimpse of water park from lobby...

Other part of park - Connor's favorite place.

The grand fire place!

Everyone enjoying story time in the lobby at the Clock Tower.

Carter Chance didn't know what to think about the talking characters...

Why The Heck...

2011-06-06T14:01:00.002-05:00

...Does my blog have 39 followers?

Manic, Multi-Tasking, Mentor Mom

2011-05-13T15:56:00.002-05:00

Today is Friday the 13th...

All.
Day.
Long.

Actually, it started yesterday with Caleb getting stung by a bee (for the first, and hopefully ONLY time), and our hot water heater crapping out on us.

So then comes today - the actual Friday the 13th. And, once I type this out and someone reads it, I'm sure it will be totally ridiculous that I even felt overwhelmed, but... you get the point.

Here is my day, so far:

6:45 - Sink bath. I can handle cold water in increments, so I bathed myself in sections via the sink rather than showering in ice pellets.
7:00 - Wake the Grumpy Bear. (1st-grader)

7:15 - Feed him, his 4 year old brother, and the bottomless pit (the almost 2 year old)

7:45 - Hugs and kisses bye to GB

8:00 - Upstairs to get younger 2 ready for Mom's Day Out. Youngest doesn't usually go, but needs to due to babysitting arrangements being different and my need to be at Field Day with GB

8:45 - Rush little ones to MDO so I can get to Field Day. Get to school, realize I signed up for snack today and don't have any.

9:00 - Rush to grocery store to grab a healthy snack for 12.

9:15 - Drop off snack

9:30 - Sign in at GB's school, go find him on the field. Giggle at him hula-hooping like he's been doing it for years. (No idea where he learned THAT!) Follow him around station to station, enjoying the feeling of "Yeah, we so did the right thing by moving him here." Text back and forth with my teachers and my coordinator - working from Field Day.

11:30 - Sign out and head to MDO to pick up little ones.

11:45 - Drive through the golden arches to give my children high fat nutrition

12:10 - Get home, scarf burger, realize I cannot sign in to my work email. Text Coordinator to get conference call information.

12:30 - Begin conference call. Take littlest one to his bed for nap. Begin skype with Coordinator to discuss conference call in progress. Help middle one turn on Wii. Take notes on conference call, skype. Text with a teacher, pull up reports for her, email her instructions on how to create same report that I attached via email. Take notes on conference call, skype. Answer garage door as plumbers show up to deal with dead hot water heater. Take more notes, skype. Text teacher to see if she got email. Check on sleeping Littlest One. Take notes, skpe. Check on plumbers. Text another teacher about incorrect assessment results. Take notes. Email mom and text babysitter about abnormal arrangements for tomorrow so that the Mr. and I can scoot out of town for a Ranger's Game. Take notes, skype. Take Middle One upstairs to lay him down. Come back downstairs to close out conference call. It was not a happy one, by the way.

2:45 - Discuss plumber's thoughts/ideas with the Mr.

3:00 - Tell Middle One he is going to be EARLY tonight because he is still not asleep.

3:15 - Welcome home the completely UNgrumpy GB who had the best day EVER at school! :)

3:20 - Send GB and Middle One to take care of dogs' food and water. Chase ground squirrel just for fun.

3:30 - Decide to bore you with my life.

3:40 - Hear Littlest One waking up.

3:45 - Signing off.

I Should Be Working...

2011-04-19T11:18:00.004-05:00

But, guess what? Um... I'm not. I'm sitting in the quiet of my shared office while everyone else is out hustling and bustling. Yesterday was the first time in weeks that I haven't been a wad of worry over the upcoming culmination of my time as a TSR! Mentor. I think that it probably has something to do with the weekend that led to yesterday's letting go of some of that worry. ::shrugs:: I spent the weekend in New Braunfels at the T Bar M Resort on a Women's Retreat with some amazing women from my church.

I have to begin by being very honest... I wasn't looking forward to this retreat the week leading up to it. I was thinking of all of the things I needed to be doing - should be doing - and thinking how I was just taking time away from my kids and my to-do list(s). However, knowing the check had already cleared for my retreat payment, I packed my things. We headed down to the resort Friday. It was nice and cool when we got there, and the facility is just beautiful. We enjoyed a good message and some great music in the cool night air. We sat by a fire and enjoyed s'mores. It was good. But little did I know what was to come...

Saturday we had a great message, and I think I've quoted Jill 100 times already saying, "If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy!" Amen to that. After some quiet time, some Low Ropes Exercises that were PHENOMENAL and lunch, we broke up into pairs and groups to go do our own thing. I went shopping with a few friends - even though I said I would NOT and that I would NOT spend any money! I did. And I'm actually wearing one of my new shirts today. : \ We made it back in time for the High Ropes activities that, like shopping, I said I would NOT participate in. Well, I participated... a little. I refused The Screamer, but I screamed and cheered for my brave friends while I kept my coward feet on the ground. I wanted so much to move on and do the Zip Line! Woo-hooo! However, to get to the fun part, you have to do a not-so-fun part... a scary part... a hard part... I almost said no because of that, but decided that sometimes you have to make it through the "rough parts" to enjoy "the ride." So I did... almost in tears from the height and breathing as if I were in labor, I climbed to the top of a telephone pole, crossed a tight rope, and made it to "the ride." I heard cheers and encouragement from my friends below, and THAT is what got me through the "rough part." And then, during "the ride," I was the one screaming! But screaming "Wooooooo-hoooooooooo!" and giggling and loving what I had conquered. Thank you, God, for the ride.

After that, a few of us - thinking we were still in our teens (or just dumb) decided to play a little sand volleyball. Oh, we had a grand time - eating sand as we dove for the ball like it was the high school state championship. How our arms stung when we (would actually) hit and volley the ball. But the giggles, the outright guffaws, the high-fives, and the "Stayin' Alive" cheers made the grit, grime, and groans so worth it! Then we moved on to worship, dinner, dancing (yes, we are Baptist!), and then...

The Tree House. Sorry... can't go there. What is said in the Tree House STAYS in the Tree House! ;) Right, Girls? Even if it was delirious 1 a.m. conversation!

Waking up Sunday was hard. It HURT. I. Am. Old. Blah. However, we went and had breakfast, had some Focus Time, and then Communion Service. It was so touching. I shared the Body of Christ with my mom as she served me the Blood - shed for me. And after that, my life took a turn. I awkwardly interrupted some friends talking - didn't know what to do - stood there like a doof - and finally left. I had to convince myself to only walk, as I wanted to RUN AWAY because I felt so dumb. But walk I did until I came to a beautiful, wooden swing in the trees where I sat and sobbed. I haven't been able to cry in SO LONG. And I so needed that.

And then... the part that I think of the most... was a certain someone coming to me to share part of herself with me. It's was heart-breaking and heart-warming all at the same time. And I now feel a connection to this person that I don't think I can even lose. (At least, I hope I will never lose.) It was just so funny to find out that for years now we have had the same thoughts about SO MANY THINGS in life - and even about each other! Just astounding, really.

This weekend was just what I needed... and then some. I am so thankful for every ache, bruise, bug bite, secret, tear, giggle, hug, and friend I experienced this weekend. Thank you, Lord!

Oh, and...

Seriously?

Do what?

Really?

I'm just sayin'...

A Month In To The New Year...

2011-01-30T16:26:00.005-06:00

So many things are new...

So many things the still the same...

Since I dropped of the face of the blogging planet, so many things have happened in my life. I ended up going back to work. It's a new experience as I am now an Early Childhood Teacher Mentor for the University of Texas Houston. Still a little the same as I am still a "teacher," and I'm still in the classroom. The best part is - I love this job. I truly do. But - before I get on a soapbox about how great, wonderful, important, etc. this job is... I'll just go ahead and let you know that it's over in May. The lovely state of the budget has led to the axing of the grant that funds this job (and the support of SO MANY children who NEED this). So, as of May 31st, I'll be unemployed.

My job has definitely kept me busy. It's brought a lovely person to our family (Ms. Tina) who cares for my kids during the day. She is beautiful, sweet, and loves my kids. She's been beyond a blessing to our family! My job even took me to the beach for a week! Not that I got to see much of it as I was freezing my fanny off in the hotel conference rooms learning so much about my job. But there was one nice lunch break that was warm and cozy, and I enjoyed it very much:

I have a new walker and talker in my life. I'm enjoying the "newness of life" through my 3rd Chance. The "Uh-oh," "wight" (light), "wee" (tree), "go-ggie" (doggy), pretending to blow his nose, washing his own tummy... the list could go on and on. While it's the same things that are seen and done every day - living it as something new through him brings a certain appreciation to the little things.

Then there's the biggest newness. A newness that I just don't like. I often wonder if I've taken the time to allow this newness to really sink in and be a part of the life I live from here on out. I want to ignore this newness. But the truth is... I can't.

The newness is living without my Nanny. She passed away after a 52 hour illness. She was 2 months shy of being 92. I held her hand through much of that illness. I talked to her and stroked her soft, wrinkled, beautiful skin. I always loved her soft skin. I held her hand and whispered in her ear that we would be ok and that we love her so much. I held her hand and told her she could go to heaven if she wanted to. I held her hand when she took her last breath and moved on to her heavenly home. I held her hand and cried. Cried for my selfish soul who knew life without her cantankerous, wonderful, loving self would be so new and so hard. And it is. I miss her more than I talk about or let on to. I miss her for my kids. My middle child often asks if my heart is still sad because of Nanny. And I honestly answer that yes - it is. I know that one day I will get to give her a big hug again and that I'll get to hold her soft, hard-worked hand. But, until then, a new part of my life includes a sad place in my heart for one of the most incredible women I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

So many new things... and oh how I wish a few were still the same.

::sigh::

2011-01-17T16:08:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been *#&^$&%# months since I last made an entry. Stupid going back to work... I miss blogging.

Experimenting in the Kitchen!

2010-08-16T20:27:00.006-05:00

Our Fredericksburg trip was rather fruitful! We came home with a peck of peaches (plus a small box full thrown in for good measure), and we had high hopes for our fuzzy friends! Bill was determined that we were going to make ourselves some jam - not just any jam, but jalapeno-peach jam. We LOVE spicy-sweet jam poured over a block of cream cheese paired with crackers or chips. Yummy.

So - we decided to give it a go! Here is our purdy peck o' peaches:

And here they are peeled, pared, and prepped for puree! I think the one smack-dab in the middle is smiling! :)

Then the peaches were introduced to some spicy friends! And a splash of zing...

After all the mixing and mingling in the blender and getting sugar-coated in the sauce pan, they needed to be separated and put in a nice bath!

After their bath, they were left alone to settle a little...

We still had some jalapeno-peach goodness in the blender, but not quite enough to fill the remainder of our jars... so we thought a new friend might liven the party. Meet red pepper!

This group got a little messy and required separation, bath, and settling time, as well...

How did it turn out you ask? Well, we had to wait a full 24 hours before we could introduce the jalapeno-red pepper-peach jam to our good friend cream cheese. And, after waiting that long with watering mouths and enormous amounts of anticipation, I didn't get any snapshots of their meeting. As a matter of fact, their party was a fairly quick one as they got along so incredibly well they became one and left the scene on a flying carpet of crunchy goodness that took them to a place where we believe heaven was tasted for a short period of time.

All Over Again...

2010-08-15T19:18:00.005-05:00

While Bill and I actually celebrated our 13th anniversary on the 2nd of this month, we weren't able to really do anything together until this past weekend. We are so blessed in having all of the kids' grandparents living in the same town, and the two sets that were available were kind enough to take our three precious Cs for the weekend so Bill and I could get away. And get away I needed to do! Life has been chaotic and stressful lately, and getting away to do a whole lot of nothing was high on my list!

We went to our old standby - Fredericksburg. An easy 2+ hour trip with lots of shops and wineries; it's always a good time. But this time, I didn't even want to do that! I wanted to relax. And, unfortunately, relaxing is VERY difficult for me to do. Very. Difficult. I can't seem to just be still - physically or mentally. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who knew how to help me relax! (Even though he was stressing me out with the surprise of what he had planned to help me relax!!)

I found this adorable little lodge called Angels Lodge Above the Creek. (I didn't even want to do the usual Bed & Breakfast! I wanted a big, fat, fluffy, cozy bed and a pool!) We booked ourselves a room, and off we went! As I mentioned, Bill told me that he had a surprise planned for us for Saturday. While I have to admit that I DID have an idea that it may include a message, I had no idea what all he had put together! We went to a little hole-in-the-wall day spa called Tranquil Pastures Day Spa, and - together the entire time - we got facials, quasi-pedicures, hot tub time, sauna time, lunch, champagne & roses body wrap, and a full hour message.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

We enjoyed mimosas throughout the morning, and the lunch was incredible! A Greek-type salad, pan-seared tilapia that I ate every bite of (you're going O.O right now if you know me!), pasta, and a yogurt parfait. Oh - it was amazing. The whole day - simply amazing! We laughed at how silly we looked - especially when we couldn't move our face because of the "beneficial mask." We talked about our lives - where we started, where we are now, and where we'd like to go. We enjoyed one another... immensely.

Afterward, we oozed out of the spa and headed back to the lodge where we took a dip in the nice salt water pool. Perfect in 103* heat! Then we got cleaned up and headed down to the main street for a little window shopping and dinner at our favorite grill. Dinner, however, was interrupted when we found Fromage du Monde. We couldn't help ourselves - we HAD to get a cheese plate to share! It was AWESOME!
Then we happily visited Water 2 Wine next door - our first visit, but (already) not our last! We found the most amazing wines there! Let's just say we ended up with the 10% discount! ;) I loved the White Cranberry Pinot Gris.

And I loved spending time with my best friend and the love of my life even more!

And... we FINALLY made it to Bejas Grill - our FAVORITE place to eat in Fredericksburg! We got started on the prickly pear margarita, triple sampler, and quesadillas far too quickly, and I failed to snap pics. I know how disappointed you are, but I assure you they were all picture-worthy! (Especially the very pretty pink prickly pear margarita!) But, I did snap a quick pic of the two of us before we left... not that it really looks that much different from the one before!

As for Sunday, we got out of the Lodge quicker than we anticipated, and the peach stands weren't open yet. Alas, Wild Seed Farms was open! We had never been there before. (That seems to be the theme of this F-burg trip!) I am so glad we stopped in for a visit! It was so beautiful! My thumbs are far from green, but I love to look at flowers and plants and dream about what my yard could look like if only... We walked around and enjoyed the plants, the flowers, the pottery, the critters (including a cat with one ear, a spider the size of my hand, and a butterfly house!), and the goodies that WSF makes and sells. It was a really nice way to spend a sunny summer Sunday morning.
This hibiscus was the size of my head!

By this time, the peach stands had opened, and we picked up a peck of peaches. (I love saying that! LOL!) *Check the next blog entry for what we plan on doing with said peaches. As we were making our way back through town toward home, I noticed Bill slowing down... hmmmm... what was he doing? I should've known... looking for Fromage du Monde again - this time for lunch! So we stopped in (after a quick run into W2W where they recognized us from the night before O.O) and ordered lunch. Bill went all out - a grilled cheese panini with turkey! I guess it makes sense to get a grilled cheese sammy in a cheese shoppe, no? Well, I hesitated, but couldn't resist trying the Hill Country Peach Salad. Oh. My. Gah. Baby spinach, toasted almonds, grilled peaches, feta cheese, rose petals, and a peach-strawberry vinaigrette. Wow is really the only word that came to mind... with... each... bite! And while we made memories that will last a lifetime and ate wonderful morsels that will forever be a part of our waistline, my heart is the part that is ultimately touched the most. As we settled down for a quiet, childless slumber our second night, Bill wrapped his arms around me and, just before drifting off to dreamland whispered, "Thanks for letting me fall in love with you all over again." My heart skipped a beat as I realized - in my absence of a reply - that indeed I had allowed that very thing to happen. And in allowing him to fall for me again, I tumbled head over heels once more myself.

Perfectly Anxious

2010-08-07T10:57:00.004-05:00

missing
a perfectly
good day because
she's sure that
she should be
anxious about
something.

*By Brian Andreas (I swear, even though he has NO IDEA who I am, he had me in mind when he wrote this!)
*Found in "Some Kind of Ride"

Lunch On A Stick

2010-08-06T17:39:00.003-05:00

Not that one would normally cheer for food on a stick, but when you're at the end of the summer and desperate to make it through one. more. lunch... you do what you have to do! And, for some reason, placing eatable items on a skewer somehow transforms it into something that is interesting, tasty, and craved by the likes of a 6 and 3 year old. Goal accomplished.

I know, it doesn't look like much, but they were THRILLED! And THEY ATE!

I give you... LUNCH KABOBS!

*Please excuse the attire. No - it wasn't a black tie affair, I was serving lunch kabobs to two very busy "super spies!"

This Is The Day!

2010-08-05T07:29:00.002-05:00

This is the day!

This is the day!

That the Lord has made!

That the Lord has made!

I will rejoice!

I will rejoice!

And be glad in it!

And be glad in it!

That little chorus, based on Psalm 118:24, has been in my brain since I put it on my pillow to rest last night. Even after waking several times last night to very frightful and disturbing dreams, I would sing that in my head to push the ugliness out and welcome sweet slumber back in. Upon opening my eyes this morning, that was the first thought I had. And then I realized...

This IS the day that the Lord has made. Not unlike any other, but this day (in my life) holds a lot of possible change.

As many of you know, I am having to resign my position as Stay At Home Mom in exchange for a position that pays a little better. When Bill first approached me with this, I was crushed. The thought of leaving my children - especially the newest model - hurt my heart. Squeezed it so much that it leaked out of my eyes in the form of warm, salty tears. A LOT of warm, salty tears. Anyway, after a summer full of three kids, I got to thinking that maybe this back-to-work thing might not be so terrible! ;) Not even that thought, however, made me excited about entering the realm of the classroom. ::sigh::

Then... one of my dearest friends called me with a job she figured I wouldn't be interested in - because it was really more than I wanted. I have to say, it was the first time I felt a twinge of excitement about going back to working world. And I still feel that excitement. I want this job. And, today, I interview for it. I'm filled with nervous excitement... after all, I haven't interviewed for a job in 10 YEARS! (Oh, sheesh, I'm starting to shake at that thought... ) But so many have been praying for me, encouraging me, and supporting me that I think I can do this.

And then there's this morning... my sweet Carter Chance woke at 6:30. He needed a diaper change, a little of mommy's milk, and some cuddle time. He got all of those things and, in my arms with his cheek against mine, he began to breathe the sweet breaths of sleep once more. I kissed his cheek and stroked his oh-so-soft hands and arms... and then I thought, "This is what makes me love my unpaid position the most. This time that I can never ever get back once it is gone." And - for the first time - I was sad at having to interview today. It's hard to want two very different things so very much. But I do.

However, I know the best thing for our family right now is for me to have a paying job. And this job really seems to be the best of both worlds for me. I feel it is an answered prayer (to Bill's prayers, particularly *tee-hee*). I guess we'll see what the actual answer to the prayer is in the next couple of days. Right now, I need to go get ready for my interview!

Psalm 118:24 ~ This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We've Come A LONG Way, Baby!

2010-08-02T16:14:00.002-05:00

We were just "kids" on the day we said, "I do." But we were kids in absolute LOVE! Nothing - our being in college, only working part time, having no money, being so young - NOTHING could keep us from walking down that isle to become husband and wife. A fire burned in the middle of our chest that no man could put out. That fire will burn eternally within both of us, and no matter where we go or what we do, that fire of love will keep us warm.

We were so quick to fall in love. We met in the drive-thru of a bank where we (reluctantly) worked together. Four months later, we were engaged. Eleven months later, we were married. And, here we are... 13 years later. While things have changed so much, I know they are all for the BEST. We've come from our 1 bedroom apartment with $5 garage sale avocado green couches to a home we designed and built for our family. We've gone from part-time jobs to full-time careers. And, most importantly, we have gone from "you and me" to US. We are a blessed and happy family of five. Without the love we share, there's no way we could be the family we are today. Just imagining that the two of us - falling in love so many years ago - turned into an amazing journey to parenthood that would include the three most amazing and beautiful boys I have ever seen! Blessed... we are truly blessed.

I thank God every day for you, my love... my best friend. I pray for your happiness and well-being. I pray for our love to continue to burn within and for it to never, ever be extinguished.

13 - considered a lucky number - has become so much more than luck. It's become 13 years of bliss and blessings. I look forward to the next "lucky" set of years ahead.

August 2, 1997 - I married my best friend.

Leila's Latest

2010-07-16T08:20:00.000-05:00

J: Here am I! Send me!

Getting the Word Out

2010-07-08T09:56:00.002-05:00

While I could probably spew a ton of venom in how I feel about this situation, I feel Leila - in all of her amazing grace - says it perfectly. And I'm not about to muddy it with my sinful nature and thoughts.

Please, if you can, spread the word. Help a family honor their lost loved one - a man who fought for our protection, safety, and right to call ourselves Americans.

And here's Leila's blog:

Writing for J.

The Fallen Deserve Honor!

2010-07-06T13:30:00.004-05:00

The grave of fallen soldier? Unfortunately - YES - this is the grave of SPC Jason Dean Hunt who lost his life 11/5/09 in the Ft. Hood Shootings.

8 months later, his widow chooses to honor him this way. His family continues to beg and plead to have a headstone placed here for them to visit and bring flowers. So far, EVERYTHING they have brought (flowers, pictures, etc.) have been "discarded" (thrown away) because there is no vase/headstone - thanks to his widow. What a shame.JD has a family that continues to love and miss him daily. They long for a place of rest for him that shows honor to the man and soldier he was. They long for a place to visit where they can lay flowers and photos to help their hearts to heal. They long for a marker - a way to tell others where his body is buried so they may find him, sit with him, and be still. We all know JD is not there - he is in a much more beautiful place than we can fathom until we see him there. But, for now, for those left behind to mourn the loss of a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend... for now the need - no, they DESERVE to see honor brought to this soldier's grave because he was, indeed, a man of honor.

God bless you, Leila, and the rest of your family for not only having to live with the tragic loss of JD, but for having to fight so hard for the right to mourn him peacefully and respectfully.

I Have a ONE Year Old! ... for the 3rd time...

2010-06-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

And man, oh MAN is it bitter-sweet! While it is so much fun seeing all of the things my Carter Chance can do and loving the smiles, babbles, and cuddles I am getting from my "chunky dunker," it's hard to realize that he's not that tiny baby I gave birth to a year ago... and... the toughest realization... that these are my last "firsts." It's so hard to give up and let go of this time in my life. I never knew I would love being a mommy so much that I would want to do it again, and again, and again...

At any rate, we had a lovely family get-together after church on Sunday to celebrate the 3rd ONE year old in my life. And it was a lot of fun! Good food, good family, and great memories.

Another great Nana creation: The 1 cake!
Mommy helped blow out the candles on Carter Chance's personal cake:
Carter Chance decided he needed to do a taste test before serving his guests:
How he spent most of the party: cloth diapie and cupcake hat!
Not sure about this taking steps thing... crawling is so much easier AND faster!

Eight Months of Making Me Smile!

2010-02-01T15:55:00.003-06:00

And so many more smiles to come!

Starting Out a New Year With Amazing Memories!

2010-01-01T20:07:00.003-06:00

Our holidays were spent in the most magical, happiest place on Earth. And, if I have to spell it out for you, well, you're obviously not among the land of the living!!!

If necessary, here's a hint:

It was amazing!!! I must admit, however, that I was a little upset when Bill first suggested we spend Christmas there. But, after thinking about our boys and how much they would love every minute of being there, how could I NOT want to spend Christmas there? Yes, we were away from family, and it kind of put a kink into Christmas gatherings... but I think we made it work well. And, I have to say, the grandparents were wonderful and understanding about it all.

Walking into Magic Kingdom on Christmas morning was breath taking! The Christmas decorations are more than you could ever imagine, and the castle... well... it's just... magical! Caleb and Connor were awe-struck, and seeing them experience it all was one of the best memories I'll ever have.

We had fun taking a ride in the tea cups! I always say I was sitting in a tea cup with a couple of little sugar lumps! ;)

Experiencing the Earthquake at Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory at Downtown Disney. Eight scoops of ice cream, eight toppings of your choice, bananas, whipped cream, and cherries. Oh my aching stomach!

Character lunch at The Crystal Palace. We had lunch with Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, and OF COURSE... TIGGER!!! (We had to trick Connor into getting close enough to take a picture!)
We really did so many amazing, fun, exciting, spectacular things... I could make a blog four miles long about it, and the pictures would probably overload blogspot as a whole. So, I'll keep it simple, and I'll keep it sweet. The memories mean more to me than any stranger who actually takes time to read the blogging of a SAHM, and they'll be in my heart and head forever... or at least until absolute dementia sets in... But I do have to say... Thanks, Bill, for making me step out of the Christmas box and giving our kids a gift they'll treasure forever in their hearts!

Stop Blogging? Yeah... Right... When Pigs Fly!

2009-12-20T12:37:00.002-06:00

Well, the "piggy flu" hasn't stopped me, but WOW has it ever slowed me down! Granted, the things I'm including in this blog happened LONG before I began my oinking adventure, I kept putting them off and putting them off... and, eventually, the pigs flew over this peacock, landed HARD, and put everything on my to-do list on a screeeeeeeeeeching hault! So, to quickly wrap up what has gone on, I've created a few smilebox slideshows to show what's been going on - during WELL times!

IT SNOWED IN SAN ANGELO!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Caleb turned SIX!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And my kids are just stinkin' cute!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bad Blogger! Bad, Bad Blogger!!

2009-11-29T19:12:00.002-06:00

The backs of my hands are flaming red because I scolded myself for not blogging in quite a while... Note to self: next time scold AFTER typing out the apologetic blog!

*sigh* Let's see... since my last blog there's been so much take place, so I'll just do a quick highlight of some events.

*Caleb had his Thanksgiving Feast at school - complete with an entire village made by the kindergarten class to represent the first Thanksgiving. Very cool. And - probably THE most important part - Caleb got to do the Turkey Tango... an adorable dance only done by Kindergartners at Sierra Vista.

*We went to our friends' house after story time where the kids were treated to fruit turkeys (Alyson rocks the planet), lots of play time, and making/eating turkey cookies - a sure-fire way to make sure naps are taken. Or not. I'm just sayin...

*I turned 34. We celebrated at my favorite restaurant. Enough said about that.

*Thanksgiving at Nanny's. The absolute BEST dressing she's made in years! And - my boys pretended to put on make-up at Nanny's vanity... just as I used to do. <3

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T16:18:00.003-06:00

To be terribly honest, this day has always been a day that really just came and went for me. I would notice all of the additional flags along the business fronts as I drove through town, but that was really the extent of it. And now, I'm embarrassed to admit that. Last week - November 5th, 2009 - 13 men and women were shot and killed at Fort Hood. Like so many others, I was angered and saddened to see and hear about these events.

Then... my heart was broken. I found out a dear friend's brother was at Fort Hood and could not be reached during this day. I saw her posts on Facebook - could hear the fear in her status updates as she asked if anyone had heard anything. I followed the news and her updates through the day. That evening, I sent her a text to see what she had heard. A wave of thankfulness came upon me as her returning text read, "He's not on the deceased list. *I think*"

Unfortunately, as I was rushing to get Caleb to school the next morning, I saw my phone... and the 2 texts that awaited me. I didn't even have to read them. I knew. I just knew. Begrudgingly, I clicked on them and saw that they were from two fellow friends informing me that my friend Leila had indeed lost her beloved brother Jason Dean Hunt. My heart broke right then and there for her, and I cried the rest of the drive to Caleb's school - trying to explain to an almost six year old why I was crying.

In the past week I have gone through so many emotions - sadness as I cry for what Leila's going through... being reminded of her pain each time I see her on t.v. and the pictures of Jason that are shown over and over. Anger has been a big part of my feelings as well - why did this have to happen?! Helplessness - because I just can't do enough to let Leila know she's so important to me and that I just really want to be there for her.

I am going to Oklahoma this weekend to attend her brother's funeral because it is all I know to do to offer as much support as I possibly can. All I can continue to do is pray for Leila and her family in this time of great pain and sadness. And I do pray. I pray God grants them peace in all of this and reveals to them His plan for their lives in honoring and remembering Jason.

And, from this Veteran's Day on, I vow to be more aware and conscious of our troops and the amazing job they do - both abroad and AT HOME - to keep each and every one of us as safe as they possibly can.

Thank you, Jason Dean Hunt, for your service and dedication to our country. And thank you, Leila Hunt Willingham, for sharing your brother with us and the amazing love that has been and will always be between you. He would have chosen you each and every day to be his beautiful big sister.

Happy Birthday, Connor!

2009-11-01T07:17:00.003-06:00

What an absolutely amazing time Connor had turning three! That's right... THREE!!! We had a back yard carnival to celebrate this milestone - complete with cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs, a trampoline decorated in carousel fashion, and a CLOWN!! It was so much fun - even the adults enjoyed themselves!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-11-01T07:16:00.003-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

$20 Worth of Pics...

2009-10-20T19:11:00.002-05:00

My friend Alyson and I took our kiddos to a local pumpkin patch this morning to snap some pics and let them play in the pumpkins. As I drove up, Alyson came up to me and told me about a make-shift sign as you walk up to the patch. It read:

"Pictures for customers only. $20 minimum." o.O

Um... excuse me? Seriously? We were quite annoyed with this rule of the patch! This is not the case with the one at Caleb's school. However, since we were already all unloaded, we decided to go ahead and let the boys go around and play and see all of the decorations they had around. As we saw how cute the decor was, we really wanted some pictures! We contemplated buying things - wondering if we spent $20 collectively that we would both be able to snap pics! Alyson eventually grabbed a basket and threw some honey and pecans in there and let John Curtis pick a little pumpkin. I started pricing some pumpkins and told the gentleman that I'd need some honey, as well. I kid you not, the minute he saw us take out the cameras, he watched like a hawk! It was kind of amusing... I wondered if he'd try to take my camera away since I hadn't forked over my Andrew Jackson yet. I started putting some decorative pumpkins and gourds in a basket, and he quickly came and said, "Let me take that for you!" (dollar signs in his eyes). Finally, we'd had our fill of the patch and picture posing, so we went to check out. My total: $19.89. Ooooops. ;o) At any rate, if you round up, here are my $20 worth of Pumpkin Patch Pictures! (And, no, there are none of Carter Chance - he was napping happily in the stroller!)

Connor trying to move this Cinderella pumpkin:

"If I only had a brain!" Loved this scarecrow!

"Mom! What's dis?!"

Couldn't believe the pose and grin from this kid! He's usually impossible!

Cheeeeeese!

Oh!!! We went to Caleb's Kindergarten Open House this evening. It was so cool to see all the amazing things he's been working on. The very coolest thing was the Weather Center. I've heard Caleb talk about the Weather Center a LOT. He took us straight to it - told us all about it... seeming so proud. One of his teachers came up to talk to us, and I was telling her about Caleb's adoration of that particular center when she informed me that Caleb was the reason that center was there! He came up with it! He had started gathering things (maps, a pointer, a phone, etc.) and pretending to be a weather man. Due to his interest, the teachers gathered other things and created an entire center dedicated to weather. I think that is awesome!

My Sweet Punkins

2009-10-17T22:30:00.003-05:00

Crazy as I may be, I decided to try to grab a few quick pics of my sweet little guys in the pumpkin patch after picking Caleb and Connor up from school on Friday afternoon. Yeah - after school - when we should be going home for snack and nap time! Crazy? Yeah - that's me! However, I think I got a couple of good shots!
Well, I guess not ALL of the pictures were great... I still think it's cute!

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood!

2009-10-11T11:32:00.003-05:00

This is what Daddy says when feeding Carter Chance! Yep... feeding... as in cereal, sweet potatoes, a big boy in a high chair... and Mommy crying on the inside. I don't know why, but it's killllllling me to see this baby growing up. Fast, too fast... he's just growing too fast.

But let me tell ya... Carter Chance loves him some cereal and sweet taters!! He has been BY FAR the easiest of our three children to feed for the first time. Like a baby bird, he sat there focused on the food at hand, mouth WIDE open. And smile... oh my gosh that baby was smiling for the sweet taters! Bitter-sweet as it may be for this mommy who feels like her baby is growing too fast and just not needing her as much any more, it was a lot of fun seeing him embark on his newest adventure.

Weekend of Travel

2009-10-07T17:10:00.003-05:00

Our weekend was supposed to consist of both Canton Trade Days AND the Texas State Fair. The weather, however, changed our plans. We did make the Canton Trade Days - made it to Canton Friday night to stay with our friends Greg and Nan. We stayed with them in their new cabin and woke up to attempt Trade Days. It. Was. HUGE. I keep saying it's like Disney World - you simply cannot see it all in one day! We found several things we would have liked to have brought home with us, but - in the end - the only purchases we made were that of food. You know the kind... greasy, fried, and all-together unhealthy yet uber tasty! We spent Saturday in Canton. Nan and I swatted at mosquitos on the back porch while the boys napped. We enjoyed the rain as it rolled in... and stayed. After a quick BBQ dinner, we headed to Plano to stay with Bill's sister and family. Our plans included going to the State Fair Sunday morning, but the very cool, rainy weather kept us indoors. I don't think the kids minded at all - they really enjoyed some play time in their pj's all morning long. It was a good time. Finally, after a quick trip to Kohl's, we headed home. It was fast and furious, but it was a good weekend... and good practice for the kids in having to be in the car for long, long periods of time! (More on THAT later!)

The wedding area on the grounds of Mill Creek (where Greg & Nan's cabin is located).
Just lovin' on my blue-eyed baby boy.

FUNNEL CAKE!!! *Thank goodness we got on in Canton since we were jipped on the tasty fried foods of the Texas State Fair!

Kid-sized corn dogs! Mmmmm...

And, of course, Dippin' Dots.

Carter Chance

2009-10-01T22:19:00.003-05:00

Thank you for making these last four months some of the happiest I've ever known. I love you more and more every single day, My Love. I look forward to waking up to your drooly smile each and every morning. I am truly blessed.

Time Passes Quickly...

2009-09-12T09:45:00.004-05:00

You blink, and it's gone. Time. A precious commodity that, once you lose, you can never gain back. You think it passes quickly. Then you have a child. It speeds up. Then you have another child, and it seems someone is pushing your foot down harder on the gas pedal of life. The next thing you know, you're three precious blessings in, and it's as if you're the star of the Daytona 500 (or whatever the name of that race is!), and you're going so fast that life is a blur. Seems as if only yesterday I was holding my baby Caleb for the first time. Scared, excited, amazed at being a mom to that sweet little one. Then came Connor... and now, Carter Chance is with us - and he's already 3 1/2 months old! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?! Three children really do (in my opinion) take much more in time requirements than 2 ever did. And it's so funny that I always dreamed of having one child, yet here I am with three - and loving it. So... while this thing called time - AND LIFE - have sped by, I've enjoyed summer with my guys, sent my oldest off to Kindergarten, moved my middle child up to his new MDO class, and took my baby for his 3 month pics. *gigantic sigh* I had better leave off here - with a few pics, of course, because as I sit typing time is a-flyin'...

My trio of rock stars:

Ready for their first day of school:

Happy to be a Kindergartener:

Ready for Ms. "Jemifuh's" class:
(and I know it looks as if I drugged him to get him to school, but he was in mid-blink!)

And my sweet Carter Chance @ 3 whole months:

A blessing, indeed:

How Do We Celebrate Rain in West Texas?

2009-07-19T15:53:00.004-05:00

By stripping down to your undies and doing the Rain Dance of Praise, of course! (AKA: puddle jumping!)

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-19T15:44:00.002-05:00

As is tradition, we celebrated at a family friend's lake house in Blackwell. We werre surrounded with good friends, good food, great fireworks, lots of fun, and true appreciation for those who have and continue to make July 4th the special day that it is!

The Arrival of Baby C

2009-06-17T16:44:00.004-05:00

And Baby C has a name, too!

Carter Chance came into our family on June 1st at 10:26 a.m. weighing 7lbs. 14oz and a whopping 21 in long! (No wonder it felt like his feet were in my lungs and throat... they WERE!!)

We arrived at the hospital at 6a.m. after NO SLEEP due to severe heartburn and some awesome thunderstorms! I got hooked up to pitocin at about 7:30. My doc broke my water about 8:45, and the contractions that I was already having got pretty strong. At that point, I was at a 2 and about 70-80% effaced. They kept asking if I wanted stadol or my epi, and I said no. (I have heard icky things about stadol, and I have no idea why I wanted to wait for the epi!) Finally, the contractions did get very strong, and they felt different than with C&C - these were so intense and almost a sharp pain. So I got the epi about 9:30, I guess. My mom, bless her heart, was so hungry. (This was about 10:00.) I told her to go get something to eat because it wasn't like we were going to have the baby in the next 15-20 mins! She did. I was laying on my left side to "numb it up" and was to turn to my right side after about 15 minutes. I started feeling really strong contractions again, but only on the right side. So Bill helped me turn over. When I did, the monitor lost the baby's heartbeat. We tried to find it ourselves, but couldn't so the nurse came in and fiddled with the monitor. She couldn't find his heartbeat, and I saw a flash of concern on her face. She kicked everyone out (besides Bill), slapped on a glove, and checked me. The look on her face was PRICELESS... She said, "THAT'S why we can't find the heartbeat! He's coming out NOW!" So Bill called my mom while the nurse had me go ahead and give a couple of pushes. They called my doc over, though I think they didn't expect him to get there in time because a team of nurses came in. Mom finally showed up just about the time the doc came zooming in. Up my legs went, 3 pushes, and out he was! The easiest delivery by far.

Carter is adorable. Connor wasn't sure what to think at first, but now he can't stop kissing him. Caleb is so smitten that he doesn't like for ANYONE else to hold him. He wants him all of the tme. It's cute. I'm sure it will be cute but rough once we get home. At any rate, I'll take it because my big boys LOVE their little brother. And, I think I kinda like him a little bit myself!

Glen Rose Getaway

2009-05-10T16:31:00.002-05:00

We took a nice weekend trip to Glen Rose - our last "vacation" before having Baby C. We figured once he gets here we won't be able to do our usual week-long trip to San Antonio. Just too much. Plus, we really wanted to go to Fossil Rim Ranch and Dinosaur World, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect the weekend we were there. I'm sure it wouldn't have been the same if we waited until summer time. We had a great time - Fossil Rim Ranch was more than amazing, Dinosaur World was fun, and we enjoyed some relaxing time in the indoor HEATED pool at the hotel. THAT was the very thing this very pregnant lady needed! Ahhhhhh...

*don't worry - the slide show does NOT include any pregnant pool pics!! ;o)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Easter 2009

2009-05-10T16:06:00.004-05:00

Yes, I realize how late this is, and I'm sorry... I'm doing good just to keep up with making sure my family is dressed, fed, and where they need to be lately! Ease up, already, will you? I'm trying here! A pregnant mom can only do so much! Have you SEEN my ankles lately? Well... neither have I...

Ooops... sorry. Didn't mean to go off on one of my lovely third trimester rampages... I'll try to stick to the topic at hand... Easter.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a blessed one this year - as they are every year, I believe. But this year was bigger and better when it comes to the family department. We had an Easter get-together at our house on Saturday evening - complete with an egg hunt for Caleb, Connor, Aidan, Annaliese, and Trevor. Everyone brought something yummy, and every side of the family seemed to be there. It was hectic, tiring, and wonderful all at the same time. While our family is definitely a mixed blessing... it is, indeed, a blessing.

The cousins post hunt:
Caleb showing off his loot:

Connor and his big find:

Me and my favorite Easter Bunny!

Can you guess who has the prize egg???

My handsome boys on Easter morning:

For the Love of Pete...

2009-05-10T16:05:00.002-05:00

I've got some catching up to do!

Maybe I can do that while the rest of the house is snoozing!

T-Ball!!

2009-04-04T21:17:00.005-05:00

Where to begin...

I guess, first and foremost, I am in shock that my Caleb is old enough to play the sport! I mean - he was a baby just yesterday!

Second has to be pride. I am so proud of him. When I watch him practice and play and see how into it he is and how well (I think) he does... I overflow with pride. And then it grows even more as he comes home and "teaches" Connor the ins and outs of t-ball.

Today was Caleb's official first game. He played short stop. He's got the "ready position" down to a science! He can hit the ball well, and he even knows to run to first base first! He plays for the Cubs, he's #6, he's the most handsome little t-baller, and he's good, too! And, NO, none of those statements are dripping with any sort of bias what-so-ever!!!

Here's where it all began:

And here's how far we've come:

Caleb playing short stop:

Caleb in "ready position":

Up to bat:

At third, and ready to run home:

A snow cone treat after the game:

Caleb and his favorite coach:

Reliving the game...

And what would t-ball be without the support of a #1 fan?

Child Stars!!!

2009-03-31T19:37:00.007-05:00

Well, in a Mommy's mind, this constitutes stardom... a local commercial about our local annual Children's Fair. How did my kiddos get into a commercial for a Children's Fair, you ask? Well, I would LIKE to say that it's by good looks and amazing personalities, but they truth is... we know people in "high places." ;o) Truth be told, Nana is on the committee that puts on the fair, and they were all told to bring their kids or grand kids - if they wanted - to be in the commercial. So - of course we had to give it a go! It took about 2 hours to film what is a one minute commercial, but the experience was really just a lot of fun!

The whole group in the opening of the commercial:

Connor quickly figured out the perks of being a child actor... endless animal crackers and Capri Sun!

Caleb plotting with his side-kick cousin on how the confetti egg crack down was to go.

1-2-3, CRACK THE EGGS!!

Connor's trying to understand what is wrong with these eggs... the ones Mommy cooks NEVER have this come out!

Can you please tell me what's wrong with these eggs?

Caleb decided that the ASU football player who let him crack on egg on his head must be his new found BFF... he kept coming up to me and Nana saying, "Mom! Can you come take a picture of me with The Guy?" Creepy enough, I think The Guy looks like he could be Caleb's big brother!

Connor and Tater's part in the commercial... bowling with The Guy. (Caleb's part was biting into a corn dog, but I didn't get a picture.)

Water balloon yo-yo's to close things down... THAT'S A WRAP!

Connor, really didn't understand what it was all about, must have at least enjoyed himself! Over and over he has said, "Mommy, I'm so excited to go to duh 'mercial!'" We've decided Nana needs to stay on that committee for sure! And I think she's got the same plans... with an added one: Caleb playing "Smiley the Clown" in next year's "mercial!"

Wonderful Wednesdays

2009-03-25T16:03:00.002-05:00

Wednesday has become a day I cherish. It has become a day that I look forward to. It has become a day that I hope will be remembered lovingly for 2 people throughout the rest of our lives... Caleb and myself. I know it will always be special to me... I can only hope the same for him, as well.

The funny thing is - we don't really do anything that "special." I pick him up early from school on Wednesdays. Well, not necessarily early - he just doesn't stay for lunch and Stay & Play. We use the time from 11:45 - 1:30 (when Connor gets out of his "school") to spend time together by having lunch, running an errand or two, window shopping, whatever we want to do. Usually, he picks where we have lunch, and we usually end up at McDonalds (insert vomiting smiley here), Quiznos, or his recent favorite - Subway.

Today, however, he wanted to go to Olive Garden. (Ok, so maybe I kind of suggested it heavily, but he still wanted to go once it was suggested!) Anyway... today I sat there in total and complete awe. I sat there full of pride. I sat there in love. Across from me was the most handsome date ever. The darkest brown hair; the most beautiful hazel-green eyes; the most polite little gentleman... *sigh* I could see people at other tables admiring my date - as they should've been, and my heart swelled even more with pride. We had lunch and visited. I love hearing what's on his mind. It's so interesting to me. He's growing up far too fast.

Like I said... we don't do anything "special," but the time we do have together on Wednesdays is and always will be special to me. I wish Wonderful Wednesdays would last forever...

I Heart Powdered Donuts

2009-03-19T10:22:00.002-05:00

What a Lucky Day!

2009-03-18T17:07:00.004-05:00

St. Patrick's Day... a day for wearing of the green and luck to be had by all. Normally, I don't buy into that junk AT ALL, but this was one good St. Patty's Day! We started off the day getting dressed in our finest of green and heading to the clinic for a 3D pic of Baby C. (No, we don't have a name decided on as of yet, but we DO know he has to start with C like Caleb... according, of course, to Big Brother Caleb!) So, we (myself, Bill, Caleb, Connor, and Mom) piled into the tiny u/s room and the peeking began. Caleb immediately saw the baby on the screen and thought it was too cool (which, of course, it WAS!). Connor, on the other hand, probably wondered why we were all so in awe of the sepia-toned blob floating around on the screen. He did, however, provide his usual nice gesture of coming up to me (after we were all trying to tell him we were looking at Baby Brother), and he lovingly patted my left breast and said, "Hi! Hi, Baby!!"

As soon as the tech turned on the machine we realized... we have a thumb-sucker on our hands. This will be a first. You could literally see the little lips wrapped around that tiny thumb, and he was sucking away! The tech really poked and prodded as he was in a difficult position for viewing. Must have caused C a little stress because the hiccups started... and didn't stop through the whole u/s. It was cool... I would feel it; you could see my stomach move; then you would see C's whole body jerk on screen with the hiccup.

After the u/s, I took Caleb to Daddy's office and Granny's office for a little soliciting. Yep, we are officially fundraising for the first time. And, let me tell you, Caleb is Mr. Salesman! He practiced his little spiel (even practicing how to say White Chocolate Macadamia without getting it all jumbled), and he had it down in time to sell! That boy sold him some cookie dough! And - he wanted to do it all on his own, and he. shooed. me. away. After making $240 worth of sales, we went to lunch with Daddy.

Then we came home for some play time before nap. Caleb helped make a lucky clover snack so that it could bake while they worked hard outside with sidewalk paint.

After all their hard work (and double the baking time than suggested), my two Lucky Charms sat down to a snack of cinnamon-sugar green clover and milk - outside, of course! Cheers!

Then it was Mommy's favorite time of the day... NAP TIME!! ;o) They were exhausted, and full, and had good naps. Mommy was a VERY LUCKY LADY!!! We wrapped up our lucky day with an entertaining evening of tee ball practice, home for a little more outdoor play, and then... oh my gosh!! A leprechaun came and left two little bowl-fulls of gold for the boys to snack on before bath/bed time! (aka: Tropical Pineapple Jell-O. And, can I just say... that is some goooood jello! Especially when you hide in the corner of the kitchen and cover yours with Reddi-Whip!)

More Adventure? Twice in ONE Week? WOW!!!

2009-03-08T16:29:00.005-05:00

Granted, I figure most SAHM'S do this on a regular basis, I'm rather proud of myself for getting out with the kids and having some adventure with them - TWICE IN ONE WEEK! Especially at almost 7 months pregnant... and feeling 9 months pregnant. But that's is a-whole-nother blog!

Anyway... on Thursday, I took the boys to Sonic (I was craving a Vanilla Cream Diet Coke), and they got to get a Whacky Pack (I opted for a large tots with cheese!), and then we headed to a picnic table along the Concho River. I took some stale bread along, hoping to find some hungry ducks. (However, we usually end up feeding lots of hungry turtles and even a few *ick* nutrea!) After having our nutritious and healthy serving of fast food grease, we walked across the bridge to where we saw a few ducks. For some reason, they weren't really interested in our bread. I was a tad offended until I figured out why they were so apprehensive... Grackles. Those mean, ugly, black birds that look like the flew straight out of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Said grackles literally "took position" in the trees along the river. Once they saw us toss a few bread chunks into the water, they literally started DIVE-BOMBING the ducks! Pecking the tops of their sweet little heads, making them swim to safety, and snatching the bread right out of the water. Luckily, we didn't have a ton of bread - I was feeling guilty! Like we were causing these poor ducks to be abused even though we just wanted to fill their bellies with a little Sarah Lee...

Once we ran out of bread, we walked along the river to the Visitor's Center. It really is a beautiful place. The winding steps and bridges that take you up, over, and all around the waterfalls are so much fun. The boys just loved it. They had to stop and observe each and every waterfall and, of course, try to touch it... at least a little bit. After spending time there, we continued our walk to the next bridge where we crossed over and played at Kid's Kingdom for a while. It was a great, exhausting time which resulted in naps for all. (And the first pink, sun-kissed cheeks of the year!)

Attempting to feed the ducks... while a large turtle watched and sunned.

Welcome to the Visitor's Center!!

Checking out the lower water falls...

Connor found one he could reach...

Taking a break to watch together...

And, of course, riding one of the many artistic sheep found around our town.

Thanks for the Adventure!

2009-03-04T15:56:00.004-06:00

Adventure... that's what life's all about, right?

Well, for my boys, yesterday was definitely about adventure. I took them to Civic League Park - a little park nestled between a local high school and the Concho River where, as a child, I remember picnicking, hanging out with Mom & Dad, and always... ALWAYS feeling a sense of adventure while there! A tiny sliver of water runs (well, used to run) through there on it's way to the actual river, and there are 4 different stone bridges that cross it. There are large trees that make the place feel hidden from the outside world and, somehow, a wee bit magical - especially when you're wee yourself! However, I could still feel a spark of "magic" (albeit nostalgia) tingle inside as I walked behind my two loves... observing them on their adventure...

Caleb loved pointing out things he saw along the way...

I actually made them stop and pose for me, and it's now a picture I will treasure forever!

Caleb making his ascent... Connor remaining cautious...

Caleb: PROUD of his ascent!

Connor choosing to remain in the safety of the trees...

As we were walking back toward the car, I could tell from Caleb's puffed out chest and head held high that he was enjoying and proud of the adventure he had been on. I grabbed his hand, and I asked him, "So... is this a great place for adventures, or what?!" He inhaled deeply, and exhaled with an agreeing, "Yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh...." We continued to meander toward the coolness of the car - finding the last of the few budding flowers and cracked pecans left behind by scampering squirrels, and... just as we reached our destination, Caleb said, "Mom, thanks for taking us on such a great adventure today! Can we come back and do it again? This is my favorite place!" Connor just echoed his brother's thoughts with, "Thanks, Mom!" And I, filled with both pride and memories of young and old, said, "Of course, we can, Baby. And our adventures will be even greater next time."

Cowboy(s) UP!!

2009-03-03T15:21:00.003-06:00

If you've known me since the dawn of time (well, MY time, that is), you KNOW how utterly bizarre it is to see my kiddos in boots and jeans... and ME in boots and jeans? Well, that's unheard of... until this year, anyway... But this isn't about me. It's about how two of the most handsome boys in the world can go from rock star to cowboy in 8 seconds... and make it look goooood! :o)

Not long ago, we took the boys to a local "Western store" in search of jeans that would actually fit. Caleb has issues of small waist and mile long legs while Connor just has small issues. Period. As we say... "Him's littles." Anyway... while at this particular shoppe, Caleb found (and fell in love with) some black boots that were electric blue from the ankle up. He went on and on about how cool they were. And, for some reason, his daddy is a sucker for making him look like a handome cowboy, so he caved and bought the boots for Ca-Bug. And a pair of black Wranglers... And a new blue plaid shirt to match the boots. And a new shirt for Con-bon. And some Wranglers for that little wrangler, too! Oh... and, of course, a cowboy hat for Littles. (Caleb already has a black one thanks to Auntie J and Uncle Tink.) Also, I had bought Connor a pair of the tiniest boots you've ever seen a week before this shopping extravaganza. We had to buy them - once he tried them on, he didn't want to take them off! He likes them because the heels "click!"

So, of course, here are the pictures of (what I believe) to be the two most handsome little cowboys know to West Texas. And, NO, I am NOT biased!! :o)

Caleb's so put together... Connor, well, he's got more of the "drug store cowboy" thing going on!

Caleb at the petting zoo before the rodeo.
Connor-Bonnor... the only kind of animal he really cared to "pet" while we were there!
They SO enjoyed the rodeo! Especially Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey!

Ahhh... the family pic... including Bill calling Connor as he's running off to find the next point of interest!

FYI

2009-02-18T16:10:00.002-06:00

Nope, I haven't:

fallen off the planet
joined the circus
taken off with the pool boy to a tropical paradise... we don't even HAVE a pool!
been permanently placed in a nice, gray, padded room (although I'm sure many of you think that is a must!)

I'm just dealing with some junk right now that has (unfortunately) taken a big chunk out of my heart and life, and I'm trying to get myself all put back together. Bear with me, and hopefully I will be boring you with blogs in no time.

Thanks.

A Multitude of Christmases

2008-12-30T19:08:00.003-06:00

Back when I was a little girl, Christmas included going to Nanny & PaPa's house on Christmas Eve to open our gifts, going to look at lights, going home to open ONE gift... then Christmas morning, all the Santa goodies, lunch at Nanny & PaPa's, and hanging out and playing with cousins. Wow... I thought THAT was a lot! My how times have changed!!

This year, Christmas began at my Auntie J's house where there were about 3 times more people than house to hold them, a ridiculously delicious turkey made by my cousin who is going to culinary school, and lots of re-introducing yourself to people because there were "newbies" and those you haven't seen in so long you couldn't remember their name... After that, several of us went to our Christmas Eve candle light service. It was beautiful as always, but this year - sharing it with Caleb for the first time - it was amazingly beautiful! (Even though he stared at the lit candle with saucer-sized eyes because this was the first time he had ever held something on fire!) After service was over, we went home to bake cookies and get things ready for Santa to make his big visit. This year was an absolute BLAST - both boys have a good understanding of Santa and wonder and excitement that it brings... to say they were excited is an understatement!

Getting ready for Santa:
HE ACTUALLY CAME!
Sportin' the Cowboy attire:
Connor's favorite gift:
Caleb's favorite gift:

After our Christmas morning, we went to Nanny's for lunch - the usual phenomenal turkey and dressing! *OH the dressing!!* We visited for a while, and then nap time called us all! Once nap was over, we went to my mom and dad's house (Granny & PaPa's) to have Christmas with them. The boys were excited to get a Cowboy's picnic table! Of course they ate dinner at it!

We had a day to rest, and then we started up again on Saturday... breakfast at Bill's dad and step-mom's house (Grandpa & Nana's), then gifts, watching the 6 cousins play, lunch of fajitas, and home for more napping!

The next evening was Christmas at Bill's mom and step-dad's house (Grandma & D-pop's) where we had a couple of different soups, breads, and other snacks before opening gifts and watching those same 6 cousins play yet again! (If you don't understand that scenario, you don't know my family very well! ;o)

At any rate... Christmas was full of hustle and bustle, filled with yummy foods, overflowing with great gifts, and surrounded by family.

Luckily, we know who to thank for all of these wonderful blessings, and we stopped several time to make sure to thank Him! If it weren't for that magical night when our Savior was born, we wouldn't be able to experience a blessing one... much less the multitude we are showered with each and every day.

Sea World Trip... One Last Birthday Hurrah!

2008-12-23T15:30:00.006-06:00

Well, it all started with our vacation back in May. We bought 2 day passes to Sea World thinking we would do the shows/rides one day and the warter park the next. We ended up liking our resort so much that we stayed there - a LOT - and we had 3 left over tickets to Sea World... that expire 12/31. For the last month or so, Caleb has been talking incessantly about going to Sea World. So, we decided that would be his birthday present! (Besides, who in their right mind could let 3 tickets sit in a glove compartment and expire? Ha! Not is THIS economy!!) While is was tiring, I'm glad we went... lots of fun was had by all!

Santa swimming in the aquarium after the fish feeding:

Caleb being very brave this trip and feeding the dolphins... even though they were freakishly aggressive this time!

Getting ready for Polar Express 4D! It was coooool!!! So cool, in fact, that it SNOWED!!

Entrance into the park... it was "snowing!"

Bill & Caleb enjoying the Shamu Express... not sure who had more fun!

Happy Birthday, Caleb Jay!

2008-12-18T10:56:00.003-06:00

I can't believe you've been a part of my life for 5 years now. I've been blessed beyond measure to have you as my son, my first born, my "best good friend." I can't imagine life without you - your smile, your silly sense of humor, your sensitivity, your beautiful hazel eyes, your freaky 6th sense, your scream-laugh thing that drives me absolutely bananas, and most of all your love. I watched you yesterday... having such a hard time believing that you. are. FIVE. I watched every smile, every frown, every goofy look you made, and I thanked God so many times that you're in my life. Thank you for blessing me richly every day. (Even when I seem to not be very happy with you...) And thanks for telling me every day that I'm your "best mom." I hope you truly believe that!

I hope your day was magical yesterday and that your 5th birthday always brings fond memories and warmth to your heart.

I love you,
Mommy

Caleb's 5th Birthday Party... It was DINOmite!!!!!

2008-12-16T15:15:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Cookies & Milk with Santa

2008-12-13T11:08:00.003-06:00

One of our favorite events of the year came today - Cookies & Milk with Santa at Shannon Hospital (to benefit the Children's' Miracle Network). For $5 per child, we go up to the hospital (where Bill works), watch Santa fly in on AirMed1, have milk and cookies in a room with Santa, and then the boys get to spend some quality time on his lap for pictures and a little talk about what they would like for Christmas. This is our 5th Cookies & Milk we've attended, and it's a tradition we will keep as long as they have it!

I was a little concerned about Connor. He's been VERY apprehensive about Santa and the whole sitting in the lap part this season. He keeps telling us, "Santa good guy." However, when we ask if he's going to sit in his lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas, he usually fusses and says, "NO! I no wike him!" Well, I think this helped things quite a bit... on the way to the room where cookies and milk are served, Santa stopped to say hi to Connor and give him a candy cane.

That, I think, led to him being quite anxious and excited to go see the big man in red! We were number 8 in line to see him, and while we were having our sugary snacks Connor kept saying, "I see Santa! I see Santa!" - telling us he was ready right then. We tried to explain that we had to wait until they called our number - number 8. So, he sat there a minute, and then he began calling out VERY loudly, "NUMBUH EIIIIIIIIIGHT! NUMBUH EIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!" He decided he'd just call out our number for us so that it would be our turn! And, when it was, I was SOOOO proud... he walked right up to him and hopped in his lap.

They had a good conversation - the three of them - about what would be nice for Christmas...

They even posed nicely for a picture.

And, when all was said and done, Caleb ever so gently yanked on Santa's beard... just to make sure it was real... and it WAS!!!

A Cold, Drizzly Day... How SWEET!!!

2008-12-09T20:47:00.005-06:00

The weather outside was frightful! Well, as frightful as it really gets in West Texas. It was VERY cold (that = 30 something), and it was drizzling. Yes, we would have loved for it to turn into the white fluffy stuff, but that's a very rare occurrence around here. At any rate, it was definitely a stay inside kind of day. Luckily, I bought a fancy-schmancy Gingerbread House Kit! I didn't mention it to the boys until it was time to build. They were SO excited! And, I have to admit, I was, too! ;o)

I pulled two chairs up to the island - one on each side. I had them assemble the pieces as I "glued" them together with icing. *That stuff is crazy-sticky!* Then I used the spackle, er, I mean icing and lined the edges of the house and did some scallops on the roof (following the indentations on the gingerbread, of course). The candy was ready in individual bowls, and I set them in front of the boys. With wide eyes they stared at the house. I told them to get started decorating, and it's like they couldn't believe I was going to let them handle that much candy and icing and sugary stuff! So off they went - decorating, getting oooey-gooey, and giggling. I loved the giggling. And I kept hearing, "Look, Mommy! Look what I did!" Of course, one side of the island sounded like, "Wook, Mommy, WOOK!!" They did a fantastic job - even though they did sneak a few pieces of candy here and there.

I have to brag on myself, though... just a little. I actually just let them do it. I didn't try to control where or how they arranged the colorful candy creations. I let them enjoy the process, and I have to say that I definitely enjoy the product much more knowing THEY did it with their own ideas and imaginations!

Afterward, they got to munch on big marshmallows - green Christmas trees and pink (?) stars. For some reason, that seemed more acceptable than candy bagged in a kit from Wal-Mart that was goodness knows how old! ;o) *Of course, I took the opportunity to check Caleb's patterning skills before he stuffed his cheeks with those fluffy snacks!*

Get ready:

Get set:

GO!!!

So proud of their work:

Caleb reading his pattern:

An "Award?" For ME? Thanks, Jill!!!

2008-12-07T18:04:00.006-06:00

According to my friend Jill, I'm a Red Hot Smokin' Blogger... or something like that! Anyway, she gave me this award via her blog:

The translation for this award states:

This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I am excited and surprised to see this - I still have a hard time believing anyone actually READS my blog - much less think of it as deserving of any time of "award!" Thanks, Jill! I love ya, Girlie!! I enjoy reading your blog - reliving the (evil giggle) JOYS of building! Things are looking amazing, by the way! *smooches*

Here are the 8 I pass the award on to:

Sophie Sue and John Curtis, Too!
Alyson is a great friend, and her kids are great friends of my friends. It's fun to share our blog stories - there are sometimes some uncanny similarities!
A Carousel of Thoughts
Diane is "Nana" to my sweet boys, and it's a lot of fun to read the blogs she writes after spending time with them... always interesting to see them from another's point of view! (Even if a Nana's POV can be a little jaded! Tee hee!!!)
AprilMay
Holy cow... she just makes me stinkin' LAUGH!
Bring the Rain
Although not a personal friend of mine, her strength and faith amaze me.
monkeyturtle
I love the nicknames for her kiddos - and that she NEVER steers away from them! Besides, I just think she's a cool chick!
These 12 Acres
I like reading a blog that sounds bery much like a feel... trying to keep up but sometimes just can't! Love ya, Jenni!
La Dolce Vita
I love reliving the precious first teaching moments through the short out-takes of my SIL!
Stephenson Six
It's a secret as to why I like this one!!! *Mwah-ha-ha-ha* Dana understands!!!

Ok, Girls... pass it on!!!

Caleb's First Field Trip - Concho Christmas Tree Farm!

2008-12-06T09:18:00.010-06:00

Caleb's first field trip with his preschool was a lot of fun! ABSOLUTELY FREEZING, but a lot of fun! It was the longest field trip I'd ever witnessed - lasting from (bus leaving) at 9:15 until 12:20... oh, and allow me to mention that his school is over at 11:45! Oh well - totally worth it!

They had so many activities to participate in while we were there! They split them into three groups - Elves, Snowmen, and Reindeer. The groups rotated around the farm to do various activities:

Pledge of Allegiance - we began at the center of the farm (in front of the cute yellow farm house) where a couple of children helped raise the flag so that we could start our day with the pledge. Very cool.

Dress the Farmer - the kids dressed a "farmer" made from a cross of 2x4's in a bucket of cement with a burlap sack noggin. They had to make an outfit from various clothes in some tubs and then vote on which farmer they liked the best.

Plant a Tree - the farmer took them and explained the planting process; planting a seedling at that time. He also explained about a nocturnal intruder "Mr. Porcupine" who was killing some trees.

Hay Ride - they got to ride around the farm and ring strands of jingle bells along the way.

Feed the Animals - they got to hand feed llamas and alpacas.

Story Time - one of the farmers read about a Christmas tree to kids who were sitting on a pile of hay.

Decorate a Christmas Tree - while the owner of the farm explained the Christian meaning of the Christmas tree, the children got to decorate a live tree just their size.

S'MORES!!! - They got to roast marshmallows around the campfire and make some yummy-to-your-tummy s'mores. What a sweet ending to our time at the Concho Christmas Tree Farm!!

Hanging of the Green... and Red, and Gold, and...

2008-12-03T16:29:00.005-06:00

We had a great time decorating the Christmas tree this year! It actually went very quickly with two little helper elves bringing branches and hanging ornaments! The boys did GREAT - not one ornament broken or one hook stuck in a finger! :o) They were so proud of how their tree looked all decorated and lit. It was fun to see them so excited! They got a surprise after their bath... matching red and green footed jammies! (Caleb has worn his almost daily since he got them; dressing only when we have to leave the house! He even runs straight up the stairs when we get home to put them back on!!! I've never seen a kid love footed jammies so much! Is there a support group for his kind?)

Caleb filling in bare spots by using the ladder - "Only on the first step, Caleb!"

BUSTED! Are you going further than the first step, Caleb? Mmmmm-hmmmm...

Stopping to give Mommy some "Cheeky Wuv." Muh!

Daddy doing his thing - putting the finishing touch of twinkle on the top!

Proud of their new matching jammies!!

Warmin' up by the fire before turning in for the night. Sweet dreams, my loves!!

Catching Up...

2008-12-03T16:08:00.004-06:00

The Monday of Fall Break a dear friend and myself took our brood of 5 kids to Abilene to go to the zoo and Chuck E. Cheese. And, yes, this was their "bribe" so that we could shop a while! ;o)

Feeding the giraffes:

Chasing his namesake:
Connor saw Santa walking down the mall:
Connor rode this one over and over and over...

Here are pics from Thanksgiving - not many - we were all too busy stuffing our faces!! :o)

Friday Night Fun

2008-11-22T09:52:00.002-06:00

Friday night. It's becoming our thing. And I like it. Although Caleb is under the weather, he had a good couple hours of energy and feel-good time. And we took advantage of it! The boys were playing in the floor where it looked like Geoffrey Giraffe had thrown up the entire contents of Toys R Us. I was cleaning up from our meal of homemade chicken and dumplings (my first attempt - not too bad). *Caleb ate 2 helpings!!!* It was then Bill got the urge for some tunes. Since we have Dish Network, we have Sirius radio on the TV, which can then be pumped throughout the house thanks to Bill's big boy toys of speakers and sound zones to cover each room. *rolling eyes* Anyway - he found a 90's station. My heart is fluttering this morning as I think about it again. I never realized how much I LOVED THE MUSIC OF THE 90'S!!!! The memories that flood back from just the first few notes or the guitar riff in the middle of the song... *sigh* Luckily, the boys thought the music was pretty cool, and they danced. And they danced, and they danced, and they DANCED!!! And Bill and me... we giggled. We moaned sighs of "Yes!" when a new song would start. We bobbed our heads in sync to Beck's "Loser." At one point, I was in the kitchen preparing some dessert when I was swept up by my crazy husband, and we were suddenly dancing to a familiar tune. And, if memory serves, it wasn't really a song for couples to dance together to... But - who cares - we were in our kitchen dancing away. Wow. It was a good time.

We wound the evening down with some fall leaf pastries that I made: leaf-shaped pie crusts stuffed with butterscotch morsels and orange/cinnamon flavored pecans... baked to a golden brown and sprinkled with green, red, and yellow sugar to look like fall leaves. You know - the big, beautiful ones we don't really see in our neck of the woods! We all chugged our glasses of milk and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. We definitely had ourselves some Friday night FUN!!

That's about the time Caleb's coughing, sneezing, and stuffiness returned with a a vengeance.
:o(

Caleb's Preschool Pics

2008-11-19T19:57:00.002-06:00

And I thhink they turned out fabulous!!!

Turkey in Disguise!

2008-11-12T16:13:00.003-06:00

Caleb brought home a "project" that we were to do together called Turkey in Disguise. We were supposed to disguise our turkey so that it wouldn't get eaten for Thanksgiving Dinner... well, we disguised ours, alright. And I think rather fittingly!!

We Had a Wonderful Weekend!

2008-11-11T19:24:00.004-06:00

The funny part is - the weekend didn't turn out as planned, but it turned out GREAT!

Connor and I stopped off Friday before picking Caleb up from school to grab some movies. Friday evening came around, and I got the boys showered and into some comfy jammies (football jammies, of course!). We came back down stairs and I popped some popcorn for the boys and put in Nim's Island. (Caleb LOVES that movie!) They were clean, comfy, had their OWN bowls of popcorn, and were ready...

While Connor made it through about 8 1/2 minutes of the movie, Caleb was glued to the big screen from beginning to end. Bill and I relaxed in our love seat while Connor entertained himself at the workbench - snacking on a popcorn or two every now and again. I started wanting something sweet, so my sweetie made homemade Mexican Wedding Cookies for me!! I sooooo love him!

I wish I could say we all got to sleep in Saturday morning, but that wasn't the case. We did get to cuddle in bed with Connor for a little while (to keep him quiet) until he started begging for "break-set." We all ate breakfast and got dressed and remembered the Veteran's Day Parade was downtown at 11:00. We had plenty of time, and the weather was fantastic, so we headed downtown. I was embarrassed when I realized that my kiddos had actually never attended a parade before!

I'm so glad we went!! They. Loved. It.

The boys standing in awe as they watched our men and women in uniform parade in front of us.

Caleb playing his "instrument." He LOVED the bands!!

Only in Texas do you have saddled longhorns as the finale!!
We had a great time at our Veteran's Day Parade!

Sunday was great, too. We had a great sermon, enjoyed a fabulous lunch - just the four of us, had some nice nap time, and just enjoyed one another's company. *Big sigh* What a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Connor-Bonnor!

2008-11-01T12:23:00.011-05:00

It's official.

My baby is two.

While I'm sad that my baby is two, I'm elated at the fun we had celebrating his becoming the "big boy" that he is! We had a wonderful time at his froggy birthday party! I've told so many that it was the most relaxed, laid back, enjoyable birthday party I've ever given!!!

The weather couldn't have been more perfect on the afternoon of November 1st, 2008. We set up the deck with tables and chairs and waited for the fun to happen. Pizza showed up, and then guests started arriving shortly after. Granny, Pa Pa, and Nanny were the first to arrive with more than 2 dozen balloons in tow. Connor was in awe at all of the "boons!"

The first (and dare I say BEST) gift of Connor's birthday was some one-on-one time with Nanny - my grandmother. They were lost in conversation when I took full advantage of the zoom lens to capture their special time together.

The froggy cake was uber cute! It was made by Connor's Nana - a tradition, basically, that started with Caleb's 2nd birthday. She's made all of the birthday cakes since. Thanks, Nana!

Connor loved the cake - thought it was cute! He'd even point and giggle at it. However, once the cutting of the cake began, he was ready to dig in and had had enough with the photo ops. At this point, he was just looking at me like, "Can I eat cake already, Mommy?"

In between eating pizza and cake, the kiddos just ran and played - enjoying time spent on the "trampotine" and the play set. The back yard was filled with the sounds of happy giggles. And, in the middle of it all, was my smiling 2 year old. It was so much fun to see him enjoying his big day. My heart was filled with joy for him.

Opening gifts was fun, too. He loved yanking the tissue out of the bags to see what treasures he could find. The funniest thing was after he opened the jeans from Nanny, he would NOT put them down for anything! I tried to take them so that he could open another gift only to get, "No! Jeans! My jeans!" And he would go on with a one-handed opening technique that seemed to work rather well for him!

*sigh* What a magical day.

I love my new 2 year old.

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-01T12:22:00.005-05:00

Halloween for the Peacock family is busy. Fun, but busy. Our "routine" is to start at my Nanny's house where Mom and Dad meet us to see the boys in all their cuteness. We usually grab a totally non-nutritional dinner (this year: Chick-fil-A) and scarf it down before the trick-or-treating commences. Mom and Dad then walk them across the street to two of Nanny's neighbors' homes to show them off.

Once we finish our fun at Nanny's, we head to church for Trunk or Treat. It's always fun to see our church family dressed up and oohing and ahhhing over the kids. (Grandma was there handing out candy, too... I think they got a handful at her trunk rather than a couple of pieces!)

Caleb and his friend Sophie
Connor wasn't sure what to think of the "life size pumpkin man."
After Trunk or Treat, we head a few blocks over to Bill's dad and step-mom's house. We usually hang out there a while, let the boys have a treat, and let them hand out candy to the first of the trick-or-treaters to start ringing the bell. In years past, we have left Grandpa and Nana's house to go to Bill's mom and step-dad's house to do the same - hang out, have a treat, and hand out candy. However, we had hung out with Grandma and D-Pop the previous night at her work's fall festival, so we headed home - especially because my aunt and uncle had called and wanted to see the boys. After visiting with Auntie J and Uncle Tinker for a bit, we realized it was still early and our neighborhood was crawling with trick-or-treaters! (This is our first Halloween where we've been home early enough to still see t-o-ters out! So, we busted out the double stroller and headed out for our own trick-or-treating. While walking to the first house, I realized Caleb had never done this before as he asked, "We just walk up to their house and knock on the door and ask for candy?" It was cute. And, believe me, it did NOT take long for them to get the hang of it! As a matter of fact, Mr. Froggy didn't want to LEAVE a house after getting his treats! He would stand there and literally STARE at them like, "I see more candy in your bowl. Quit holding out on me." It was a great night full of fun and treats - no tricks to be had by any of us! *WHEW*

First Illness of the Season...

2008-10-26T14:57:00.002-05:00

And I'M the one who is ILL!!!

It all started with a little crawl in my throat on Friday. I chose to ignore it and try to will it away as I met the girls for a great lunch at Cheddars. Shortly after, it was time to pick up the munchkins and get them down for a nap ASAP so that I could have them up, ready to go, drive through someplace for some sort of anti-nutritious meal, and drop them at the church by 5:15. We were working a Fall Festival that night at San Jacinto. Well, as the boys napped, I noticed myself trying to clear the crawl out of my throat more and more often. "Noooooo..." I was thinking to myself. Well, fast forward to 8:30 that night... Bill and I had worked the "Giant Slide" outside, and the air had gotten rather cool. My throat was really starting to hurt. However, I chose (again) to ignore it all and go out to a late dinner with other grown ups. Hey - that doesn't happen very often - you'd ignore feeling like absolute crap, too, if you were me! BUT... by the time we had dinner, got the boys, and got home it was 10:00, and my throat felt like I had been swallowing fire for 3 tickets each while little witches and ghouls watched. OUCH! It hurt so terribly, I couldn't sleep. all. night. long. Saturday was a looooooooong day of laying in the chair, on the couch, the bed, where ever I felt like it. The kids were good to me. (All 3 of them! ;o)) Not too much whining and fighting. Matter of fact, Caleb told me, "Mom, you sound really bad. I think you have a seal in your throat!" (I can only imagine he got this from his last bought of croup when I said he was "barking like a seal.") Today has also consisted of quite a bit of laying around. I've got to get over this. The week starts anew tomorrow, and it doesn't slow down for a sick mommy.

*Big Sigh*

Fall Has Flung!

2008-10-16T15:37:00.008-05:00

We always say "Spring Has Sprung!"... but you never hear "Fall Has Flung!" At any rate, fall arrived this weekend! That just excited me so much! Crisp, cool weather... smelling wood burning in the distance... chai tea lattes... cute hoodies... and JEANS! I love jeans!

We woke Saturday morning to cloudy, cool, kind misty weather. The kind that tells you it's ok to let go of summer because changes are around the corner. Bill has been working on the boys' playset in the backyard. Since it was so cool out that morning (and the boys HAD to be outside with Daddy), Bill lit the chiminea for the first time. Ahhhh... the warmth... the smell. Yes, fall... you are here. The boys would run and play and then come get cozy by the fire before running off to help daddy hammer and screw planks together to create the already loved playset.

So far, the week has been full of pumpkins, too! Pumpkin patch here, pumpkin patch there, everywhere a pumpkin patch. And do you think the kids tire of it? Of course not!! I took the boys one day after school - very convenient since the patch is AT their school! They were wearing the shirts that I made with a girls' group a couple of Sundays ago. While the shirts are cute and get lots of comments... they are going to be the death of me. Thank goodness I will not have to continue to be ever-so-careful in laundering the beloved pumpkin shirts - with anything else. (That could be its own blog all together. *rolling eyes*)

Fall has also brought the blessing of RAIN! It was wonderful to cuddle up with my boys and listen and watch and smell the rain. When you live in a place where rain is a hot commodity, you learn to appreciate every drop that God allows to fall. Connor particularly enjoyed staring out the window while the wet stuff quenched the thirst of our new grass.

And, of course, fall brings out the new clothes. You know, the ones you've been eye-balling in your closet, but it's just not quite cool enough to wear? IT IS NOW COOL ENOUGH!!! Caleb and Connor were SOOO excited to sport their jeans and their Halloween shirts. (Caleb so much so that he's wearing the shirt for the second day in a row... thankfully, we have no place to go!)

After all of this, you can tell how much we love the fall. I don't know how you feel about it - you may not like cool weather and chai tea. If fall is not your favorite, just do your best to smile -

Warmer weather will be here before you know it!

A Man After My Own Heart...

2008-10-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

Like he didn't already have it! SHEESH!!

The first Sunday of every month the girls from my Sunday School class get together for some "us" time. Normally we meet up at a little place called Baker Street and have sandwiches, coffee, dessert, etc. This meeting, however, we planned a little craft time where we were going to make Halloween shirts. We were excited to see how these would turn out!

At lunch earlier that day, Bill and his step dad were talking about how dove season is almost up, and they have not had a chance to go hunting much at all. Daryl (step dad) asked if he wanted to go that afternoon. Bill promptly looked at me and asked, "You have your girls thing tonight, right?" "Well, yeah..." I replied slowly. "But... I don't have to go... I... know you haven't... hunted in a while..."

"No. No-no." Bill interrupted. "You need to go do your girls thing. Not a problem."

Point 1 - Bill.

Fast forward to later that afternoon... I was giving hugs and kisses good-bye, and I happened to throw in, "You guys really need to clean up your toys while Mommy's gone. The house is a mess." (In one ear and out the other...)

We had such a great time dying our shirts, the sinks at church, they dryer at church, and our fingers orange! I looked at my watch and *GASP* it was 8:40!! I really wanted to see my babies before they went to bed. So I grabbed my wet shirts out of the newly orange dryer and headed home. It was quiet when I walked in. All 3 boys were already upstairs for the evening. I got upstairs to find my 3 guys watching Sid the Science Kid in my bed. Two of the guys were bathed and ready for bed!!!

Points 2 and 3 - Bill.

I ran back downstairs to shut down for the evening and - what's this?! I can see the floor! I hadn't noticed before, but I can see the floors of the Living Room AND the Play Room!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Points 4 and 5 (two whole rooms!) - Bill.

I went upstairs with such joy in my heart. I snuggled with my loves, read to the two youngest ones, tucked them into bed and sighed a sigh of utter contentment. Ooooh! Then it began to thunder, lightning, and even RAIN! It couldn't get better than that! I told Bill how much I appreciated and loved him for what he'd done. What he DOES DO. My heart was happy as I drifted off to dreamland...

And it didn't end there! I got up this morning and went to get my yummy coffee creamer out of the fridge... 2 lunches packed and ready for school.

Points 6 an 7 - Bill.

He's a winner.

Saturday - All Things Round

2008-10-04T13:12:00.005-05:00

As you well know, I'm all too excited that we now have grass for the boys to play on in the backyard. We actually have grass on one side in the front now, too! YAY!! And grass brings toys...

This morning, however, started out with pancakes. Mounds of round pancakes. Hence the beginning of our Round Saturday. After breakfast, Bill got started on the first backyard toy - the trampoline. More roundness. It's a different kind of trampoline. No springs to fall through... Instead, it had fiberglass rods underneath that allow it to bounce. Interesting... Anyway... it took several trips around and around and around the thing to get the rods in, the poles in, and net up.

Who's toy is this again? Just curious...

Since the trampoline's been put up, we've been in circles - inside, outside, inside, outside... today's making me dizzy...

Wonder what's 'round the corner for this evening?

Curse You, Blogspot!!!!

2008-10-02T18:40:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to edit my grass post for an unacceptable amount of time... by simply putting line breaks between some statements...

WHY, BLOGSPOT, WILL YOU NOT ALLOW THE EDITS TO STICK?!!?

WE HAVE GRASS!!!!

2008-10-02T17:01:00.013-05:00

FINALLY!!!!!

It's been a long time coming... lots of "being patient" while the sprinkler system got put in - there's so much in that story that I promise not to bore you to death with that. Anyway... I'm just so excited my kiddos now have GRASS to play on rather than dirt piles and rocks. (YES - I'm fully aware that they may prefer the latter, but I've pumped this up so much that they are just as excited!)

Now we can get to work on their playset that has been sitting in our garage in 5 boxes since the end of August/first of September? Memory fails... did I blog about that most crazy trip to get the kids' playset?

Now we can put the trampoline up.

Now my dogs have grass to lay on and, yes, poop on.

Now...maybe...just maybe I won't have to sweep and mop soooooo often because of dirt constantly being tracked in by 2 kids, 3 dogs, and a husband.

You didn't seriously think I tracked dirt in, did you?!

Before: palates have arrived!

Caleb checking out the new "green welcome mats"Pookey, Aubbey, & PJ like it a LOT!

One more palate left... yes, there will still be dirt... grass costs money, ya know!

Stinkin' Alyson! She Tagged Me...

2008-10-01T14:14:00.004-05:00

Thanks a LOT, Alyson (said all sing-songy and whiny, of course!)
She stinkin' tagged me, and I'll feel ever-so-guilty if I don't oblige...

First post a pic of you and your kids:
I cannot BELIEVE this is the only recent picture I have of myself with my kids... this will be changed soon - I. Hope.

1. How many children do you have? Two

2. What are their ages? Caleb is 4 going on 14 and will be 5 going on 15 in December. Connor is 1... for 30 more days. :o(

3. What time do you start your day? I wake when Bill's alarm goes off @ 6:00. Then I waller (what a great Texas term) until 7 when he's done primping (good thing he doesn't read my blog!), and then I get in the shower... it's go time from there! I like to be out of the shower, dressed, and semi-ready to go by the time the boys are up (7:30ish).

4. What do you eat for breakfast? Does 1/2 to 1 cup of decaf coffee with Splenda and Toffee Nut creamer count as breakfast?

5. Do your kids watch TV? Ugh. I don't even want to answer this question... of course they do!! I'm a crappy mom and my kids veg out 12 hours a day in front of the boob tube! Ok... perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but sometimes I think that way. Really, though, I don't guess they watch a whole lot. Connor like Curious George, and Caleb hearts Sid the Science Kid. Both PBS programs, so I guess I'm not rotting their brain too terribly, right? RIGHT?! Actually, Caleb's surprising me with his new found "scientific knowledge" from STSK. Plus - oooh, get this - there's this great part on EVER episode where Sid and his mom are heading to preschool, and he sings this little rap-thing: "I love my mom!...uh-huh... My mom is cool!...uh-huh... But now it's time... for having fun at school." Ok. As long as Caleb learns that mantra, he can watch it as much as he wants!!!!

6. What are their favorite activities? OUTSIDE!!! They love playing outside! And I can't imagine how much fun it will be when we actually have grass and their play set up! For now, they are loving the dirt piles (top soil) in the back yard...full of adventure, treasures, and excitement... actually, they may hate grass and a playset. They also love dress up. They have several costumes, and it's fun to see them act out what ever garb they're decked out in. But the new found fave is the Black and Decker Work Bench - courtesy of mom's guilt after her far-too-long vacation!

7. Do you get a break during the day for some you time? Thankfully, yes I do. Usually from 2-4. Connor naps daily. Caleb naps on school days and then reads/watches STSK (thank goodness for DVR!) on Tues/Thurs. During that glorious time, I'm usually on the computer or cleaning. Wait... cleaning doesn't count as "me" time, does it? Dang it!!! I gotta stop that!

8. How do you end your day? 8:30 - the race is on... kids in the shower or bath, Bill and I tag-teaming it as each one gets finished up... we read to them - usually individually - say prayers and head off to dream land. Bill and I are so stinkin' "old" the we usually head for the blessed bed ASAP. We usually watch a movie or catch up on CSI Miami, Grey's, or ER, and then we watch the back of our eyelids for as long as possible.

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip? ENJOY EVERY MOMENT YOU CAN!!! They grow up sooooo fast, and all of a sudden you realize they aren't your babies any more. Cherish the very precious moments you have each and every day. Oh - and laugh! If not, you may lose your mind. And, of course, pray. *But, um, don't pray for patience... 'cause, um... well, you know.* ;o)

Now I get to tag...
Kelsy
Tina
April
Jenni
Dana
Diane

Ooooo... that's a bunch of people who are gonna be mad at me!!! *insert devil smiley here*

There's No Place Like Home!

2008-09-30T16:16:00.003-05:00

Our homecoming from Cali was magical! I haven't had a chance to stop and really post about it until now. Caleb & Connor were trying to "hide" behind some chairs at the airport so that they could jump out and say "SURPRISE!" with their sign that they made.

The only thing was, I think they literally went into a state of shock when they saw us! They stood up to try to yell their surprises, but they just stared... O.O Bless their hearts. Perhaps they had forgotten what we looked like and were trying to figure out if it was really us. I don't know. But the 4 of us just stared at one another. And then, as if a referee blew a whistle to start a game, we all ran to one another to hug! Once Caleb got a hold of me - he did. not. let. go. For hours he did not let go. As a matter of fact, he had to touch me (in one way or another) the rest of the day until he fell asleep that night. I had to reach back into the back seat to hold his hand on the way home from the airport! Every few seconds he would mutter, "I love you, Mom." "I missed you, Mommy." "I'm glad you came home to see me, Mom." Over and over... and this actually went on for several days. We have just enjoyed being together as a family again so, so much. While I don't EVER want to be away from my kids that long - ever again - the overwhelming emotion of such a homecoming was so magical that I wouldn't mind feeling that again... and again... and again.

The Breakdown of the Cali Vacay

2008-09-21T15:04:00.009-05:00

Well, well... where do I begin... I had such high hopes of blogging on a regular basis this month and - here it is - basically the end of the month, and I've yet to make an entry. Don't get me wrong, I've tried to several times... nothin. But now I have something great to share - our CALIFORNIA VACATION! Woo-hoo!!!! Disclaimer: this vacation was for Bill & Carey. Caleb & Connor stayed home with the grandparents. *THANK YOU, GRANDPARENTS!!*

We started out in beeeyooootiful Laguna where we went to a little place called Aliso Beach and walked up and down the beach - getting a little more wet than we had anticipated! We enjoyed listening to the sound of the waves, looking at little sea creatures in a tide pool, and feeling the sand between our toes.

We had dinner at a Japanese place called Yamato when Royce (Bill's brother) drove up from San Diego. He shared his sushi with Bill while I simply stayed true to my fried rice!

Then we moved on to Newport Beach and hung out on Balboa Island for a while. It was really nice! We did the beach thing again and found a treasure's worth of shells for Caleb to marvel at. We've enjoyed checking them out since we've been home! Watching the waves crash under the pier was pretty cool!

Our time in the beach area came to a close and we headed for Palm Desert. I told Bill I couldn't believe we were leaving home (where there were unusually cool, rainy days) to go to the stinkin' desert where it was 110 degrees!!! IT. WAS. HOT. Oh - and there was a freaky-weird sand storm just as we hit the edge of town... made me think of the movie The Mummy. Ca-reepy!

Once we were there, we checked out the downtown area of El Paseo, went to the outlet malls of Cabazon, went to the Living Desert - oh my GOSH was it ever HOT! We also drove back to the LA area where my dear friend Nissy lives. She took us on our own personal tour of Hollywood, Burbank, Beverly Hills, etc. Her husband works for Fox Studios and creates amazing sets for Prison Break. He took us on a personal tour of "his" set and explained all of the things that he does. It was so cool! Bill LOVED it!! Then we went to dinner with them and 3 of their 5 kids. I think that was the absolute best part of the whole trip! *Love and miss you Nissy!!! Thanks for everything!*

We drove to Anaheim a couple of days after that and went to Disney and California Adventure. That's when we officially felt horribly guilty for not having the kids with us. However, we noticed soooo many parents sitting next to a stroller with a too-young-for-rides kid, and we noticed how bored, tired, and frustrated they looked while (obviously) waiting on the other parent to finish a ride with the sibling(s). We talked about how that would so NOT be fun, and Connor would have been miserable. Basically - we tried to make ourselves feel better!!

Let's see... that takes us to Temecula. We went there because Bill had a meeting there for work to get his update credits for his licensing. The meeting was short - I took the time to get a pedi and check out the mall. Afterward, we went to Old Town in Temecula. Kind of like a California version of Fredericksburg. We had fun.

Finally... Friday... our SECOND Friday of the vacation. So far, I've made it sound as if Bill & I had nothing but a grand time of gallivanting around like a couple of newlyweds. Truth be told, we were both down in the dumps from missing our kids, and we tried EVERY DAY to get airfare home... but we just couldn't do it... it would've cost more than our original trip. :o( Anyway - Friday came and we just hung around the resort - did laundry, read by the pool, packed up. Never had I been so excited to do laundry and pack a suitcase in all my life!!!

And then... *BIG SIGH*... Saturday. Glorious Saturday! The best day of vacation - the day we got to come home to our kids!

One Peacock I Am Proud to Have Known...

2008-08-26T20:16:00.003-05:00

Naomi Robinson Peacock

It was a pleasure to have you as a grandmother the last 12 years of my life.

It was a pleasure to have you as my children's "Great Gram," as well.

My you rest peacefully in Jesus' loving arms.

We love you.

What Makes It OK To Forget... and to forgive...

2008-08-24T17:58:00.012-05:00

I had a hard couple of days after my last post. I thank all of you who sent emails, called me on the phone, or simply thought of/prayed for me.

I really don't have a whole lot of words I want to put down to explain all that I'm feeling right now. But I do have pictures. *I know - there's a shocker!*

But the reason I'm sharing these pictures is to show you (and mainly myself) that I have two GREAT reasons to "forget" a painful memory, even if only for a day. And, most of all, I know it's ok to forgive myself so that I can continue to enjoy the miracles I do have.

Enjoying the miraculous rain!

They found a West Texas waterfall!

CHEEEEEEEESE!!!

He LOVES playing in the rain!

Simply sweet...

Simply amazing...

I've done something unforgivable to my child...

2008-08-20T21:54:00.002-05:00

...and I can't even apologize to the one I've wronged.

I just came online to check on someone that I'm worried about, and I noticed I had a blog comment on myspace. I was confused because I don't post blogs there any more - just on this blogspot page. Well, it was from a sweet IG friend sending me her condolences on my miscarriage...

That blog was written a year ago yesterday.

Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of losing my baby, and I completely let it slip by! I can't stop crying right now!!!! THAT BABY IS NOT FORGOTTEN!!! I just want to scream:

I'M SORRY! I LOVE YOU! I DIDN'T MEAN TO NOT THINK OF YOU YESTERDAY! I THINK OF YOU ALL OF THE TIME! I ALWAYS WANTED YOU!! I'M JUST SO SORRY.
I'm so sorry...

Please, lost love of mine... if you can hear the cries of my heart, forgive me.

Shhhh! I can't hear the quiet!

2008-08-16T08:55:00.003-05:00

Quiet.

What's that again? I can't remember, yet it's all around me right now. I'm. All. Alone. This is the first time in the new house that I've been all by myself! Part of me wants to bust out the megaphone from high school and do a cheer. Part of me wants to cry!

It all started last night. Bill and I headed to the Colts Baseball game (only 3 games left, and we still have too many tickets!). Connor was going to be dropped by Grandma's house - for everyone's sanity - and we were going to take Caleb with us. WELL... once he found out Connor was getting to play at Grandma's, he wasn't having a night at the ballpark with Mommy and Daddy. Sooo... off we went. Childless.

The game was ok - we actually won - so yay.

Anyway - back to the quiet. It was such a quiet night... no "Boys, let's get in the bath!" *giggling and running down the hall sans clothes* "Boys, let's get your jammies on!" *more giggling and running down the hall with towels flying behind like a cape* "Boys, brush your teeth!" *giggling and shrieking - this time with jammies on* "Boys, it's time for bed!" *giggling comes to a screeching halt*

There was no Caleb coming in 15 minutes after we go to bed because he "just needs to tell us something."

There was no crying or cooing through a monitor.

Nothing.

Quiet.

Now for the part that I'm seriously missing... There was no "Mommyyy... Mommyyyyy" this morning coming through the monitor inviting me to my morning peek-a-boo game with Connor between the crib rails and "turtle-frog" (his lovie). There was no Caleb trying to sneak down the stairs to surprise me when he gets up. No, "HI, BOO-BOO!"

Nothing.

Quiet.

Bill's even gone with a friend to fill deer feeders on their lease. So I don't even have to hear the dialogue of a ridiculous old movie and Bill quoting it!

Nothing.

Quiet.

It's so loud.

So, What's Your Story?

2008-08-11T09:10:00.007-05:00

It was much needed... It was well deserved... It was so much fun... And now...

I AM EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!

When did having so much FUN become so tiring? Oh yeah... when I went and got OLD. Ok, ok... I'm not "old," but I feel like it! Here's what kicked my hiney...

I went to Dallas (Plano, to be exact) to meet up with my very best and dearest friend Amy. She lives in Oklahoma (don't worry - I'm constantly trying to get her back to Texas!), and the only half-way point that made sense was Dallas. We went ahead and made it Plano because Bill was going there for a golf tourney and to stay with his sister for the weekend. He dropped me off at our very swanky, funky, and uber cool destination - the NYLO hotel. It's ultra modern and contemporary. Totally NOT kid friendly. Get my drift? NO KIDS ALLOWED. Friday night was pretty easy going - it basically included us visiting, laughing until our eyes were tear-filled, and just enjoying our time together. I don't think we've had alone time to just visit since before we had children! *GASP!* And she's got a 7 1/2 year old! So, um, it's been a while!

Our grand plans to sleep in since we had no children for the weekend were completely and totally foiled as we both woke around 7. Try as we might... sleeping in just wasn't going to happen! Stinkin' internal mommy clock... grrrrrr...

So, we lazily got ready - without changing a diaper, preparing breakfast, separating bickering children - and we went and had the breakfast of champions: Krispy Kreme and Starbucks! Yeah, BABY!!!! After "fueling up" we headed for some shopping at the outlet mall. We found Amy a super cute dress to wear to her husband's 20 year class reunion... the rest of our shopping? Yep.

You guessed it... for the kids. *rolling eyes*

We feasted on lettuce wraps at Pei Wei then continued our shopping at Kohl's. If you know me, you know I. Heart. Kohl's. It's a rule that I must go to one when we are out of town since we don't have one at home. We enjoyed our shopping time, and when we went out to the car we made an important decision: Time to remove the T tops and cruise. You have to understand... this dates back to a certain perfect day about 12 years ago when we were driving around in her not-yet-husband's '78 Trans Am with the T tops off, the music loud, and the sun on our faces. We basically relived that day. And, to top it off, "My Sharona" was on the radio. It couldn't have been more perfect for us - and the dorks that we are!

After our cruising session, we had dinner at Macaroni Grill where our waiter sang to us an Italian prayer and gave us tiramisu on the house - complete with flowers for both of us. We had him tell us about himself, and it was just so interesting! We decided right then and there that the rest of the evening was going to include getting people to "tell us their story." So - we now had a mission. After some dorky pics and getting back to the room for some grooming, we went to The Loft down in the lobby. Kind of an oxymoron, no? Anyway - it's a funky place that includes an outside area with lounge chairs, a pool with a wall of fire behind it, and a hill with "mattresses" for lounging on. We got a foo-foo drink - a Cosmopolitan to be exact - and staked our claim. We laid under the stars (the 4 you can see in the middle of Plano), sipped our drink, and talked. It was the best time. Then the DJ came over to talk to us. We asked him his story - very interesting. Then the 2 officers working the place came by - we asked them their stories - even more interesting! One of them shared the name Carey with me! After doing this throughout the night, Amy and I realized - if you just shut up and let people talk, their stories can be amazing! Where people come from, what their families are like, what they do for a living, what they WANT to do for a living... all very, very interesting stuff.

Amy and I ended up staying up until after 3 in the morning just talking about life in general. Sometimes reminiscing; sometimes talking about the present; sometimes talking about what we want in the future. And, sometimes, just enjoying one another's company in the silence. Doesn't matter what we say, where we are, what we're doing... Amy and I are forever a part of one another's lives, and sometimes we just have to take the time to enjoy a little part of our lives together - at the same time - so that our stories are a little more fun and include one another. Again, we woke early - that's just what mommies do. But this time I was sad... because I knew it was the morning I had to hug my friend good bye - and not know the next time I would get to hug her hello. But it's ok because she's always in my heart - no matter where I am or what I'm doing. She's my Amy.

Now then... I've bored you with mine... So, what's your story?

The Address Fiasco CONTINUES!

2008-08-04T15:00:00.003-05:00

Seriously!!!

When the prospect of changing our street name came up, I thought for sure it would be impossible to get it done. I figured I HAD to give it a shot since we were having problem after problem with our address. That's when I got in contact with a very nice woman in the City Planning Department. She was more than cordial and, after taking a drive out here on her lunch, agreed that the street name definitely needed to be changed. That's when London Court was brought up. It was fine with me, and I called Bill to pass on the information. He said almost instantly, "What about Peacock Court?" Silence. "Seriously! Ask her. Call her back and ask her." After what seemed like an eternity of banter about the possibility, I called her back - for the simple fact that I could say I ASKED. As I assumed she would, she turned it down. But - hey - I ASKED!

Friday my phone rang, and it was the very pleasant woman from the City. "We're sending out the change notice, and it won't be London Court after all. We've decided on Peacock Circle." Much like the phone call with Bill - SILENCE. Then, "Um. What?" "That's right. Peacock Circle. I mentioned it to my superior when turning in the requisition, and he loved it!" Alrighty then. So - Saturday - on our 11th Anniversary - we get the notice that our street name (where our dream house now stands) will bear our name. Personally, I was embarrassed as all get out. Bill. Loved. It. We joked and laughed about it. How could we NOT?! Bill tells me, "Well, at least our kids will have no problem learning their address!" "Yeah," I retort, "and their teachers will all think they are LYING!" Chuckle, chuckle, snort, snort.

Monday the phone rings yet again with Miss Pleasant on the end of the line. "We have a little problem." Silence. (sound familiar?) "Someone has raised complaint with the name Peacock Circle." *Allow me to take a moment to remind you that WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THIS CUL-DE-SAC!* "Ok, I said. I really can't believe Shawn (our one-day-neighbor) complained... we talked to him about it... he seemed ok..." "It wasn't Shawn," replied Miss P. "Oh. Ok. Well, thanks for calling."

Now here's the kicker... I really didn't WANT the street name to be Peacock Circle. It was - well - rather embarrassing. BUT... now that I know someone fussed about the name of a street that they don't even LIVE ON (the notice was sent to a few on Ashford DRIVE, as well)... that just chaps my hiney something fierce! Don't people have better things to do with their time than call the city to complain about a street name they don't live on? SIGH... whatever...

So - back to London Court it is... which I actually LIKE better. BUT - It will forever in our hearts be 605 PEACOCK CIRCLE... THE PLACE OF OUR DREAMS!

Home Sweet Home - The Pics!

2008-07-30T09:24:00.001-05:00

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-30T08:29:00.005-05:00

It's official. We. Are. HOME. And, in all actuality, we've been home since July 16th. It's been a mess of a thing, this move, but well worth it now that we're here!

The movers came on the morning of the 16th - we had gotten the boys up, we had scarfed some breakfast, gotten dressed... it was moving day! The movers loaded us up - took quite a bit longer than they expected (which was a good thing). As we pulled up, the carpet was just being finished on the stairs, so the movers got a 15 minute break. Amazingly, everything got moved in (well all of the things the movers were moving) without major problems/damage. I, as usual, was expecting the worst! This is all good news, RIGHT? Right. Ready for the bad? Here it comes... just 2 words... and those of you from Texas (or the South, respectively, will understand)...

No. A/C.

Yep, that's right... all moved in to our new home, and it literally felt like the pit of Hell - as far as heat goes, of course! So, after much contemplating, we made the decision to spend one more night in the Mayfair house. We made a pallet in the living room floor for Caleb, set up Connor's pack-n-play, and threw an old mattress in the living room floor to "have a camp out" with Caleb. We tried to make it fun for him - because it was pretty miserable for us! And here's the kicker on this topic... Grandma had taken Caleb to the movies so that we could work on moving that evening, and when they finished with the movie, he said, "Grandma, I think I'm gonna cry." "Why?" she asked, "Are you ok?" "Oh, yeah, Grandma. I'm fine. It's HAPPY tears that I want to cry." "Really? Why happy tears?" "'Cause we're going to sleep in our NEW HOUSE tonight!" At that point, her heart sank because she knew that wasn't going to happen. Thankfully, in our exhaustion, we were able to make it fun enough having a "slumber party" that he didn't mind a bit.

Back to the house... We were able to get the a/c fixed and officially move in (sleeping included) on the 17th. YAY!!!!

Now let me tell you about this address fiasco... Our new one: 605 Ashford Ct. Did you get that COURT on the end? Well, most people DON'T! Including utility companies, technicians, delivery personnel, you name it. There is a 605 Ashford DRIVE a stone's throw away, and the confusion has been more than a pain for the Peacock household! We almost didn't get electricity because they saw that 605 Ashford had service already - so why go set up a new box and start service? Luckily, my extremely with-it and on-top-of-things husband got the job done! Go, B! Same thing with cable... they argued with me that we had had service for 2 years - wouldn't listen when I told them the house was only 1 week old! *rolling eyes* The hits just keep on coming... especially with the electric company! We got 3 bills in 2 days... 1 for the last month on Mayfair, which is fine and expected - except for the $250 termination fee! We didn't terminate - we transferred! Then the 2nd bill... for a reading between 20,000kw and 22,000kw... kind of hard to get a reading like that from a BRAND NEW BOX! Funny thing... they read and billed us for Ashford DRIVE. Then the final one - billed for the correct address but for the wrong price/kwH. *rolling eyes* It's been ridiculous... especially the "nice" lady who basically told Bill he was lying and trying to get out of paying his bill! WHAT?!?!?! *sigh* It's all neither here nor there now since he finally talked to someone who would shut up long enough to listen. And, as for the name of the street - I've gotten it changed (after it goes through City Council), and our 2nd new address will be 605 London Ct. Hopefully, that will help!

Well, that's all for now... I've gotta run... our jacuzzi tub just arrived! (Yep, we've had a big hole in the bathroom just waiting.) However, I'll leave you with pictures of 605 Ashford...er...I mean London Ct!

7 Years and 2 Kids...

2008-07-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

That's what I'm packing up in preparation for The Move.

And let me tell you... no matter what I get done, I feel like I've accomplished nothing. Nada. Zip... zilch... zero.

Could it be because as I'm packing Connor's closet I come across a bag full of cards... cards from Caleb's and Connor's baby showers. I can't help but read a few... just a few... ok, all of them - and cry. Tears of joy remembered and felt all over again. How amazing those times were - getting ready to welcome them to our family.

Could it be because as I'm packing drawers of STUFF I come across pictures of when we first moved in here. Pictures of our first Christmas here. Pictures of my babies when they were brought home. And, yes - of course this included some more tears!

Granted, there are no decorations in my living room. My china cabinet is empty. My cupboards are empty. My "pantry" is half empty. I've boycotted cooking for the next week and packed all pots, pans, and bake ware. There are 6 huge boxes sitting by the garage door, yet I feel like I've accomplished nothing. Why? I wonder...

I haven't moved in sooooo long. I forgot how moving really is. It is tiring. It is annoying. It is frustrating. It is tiring. It is difficult. It is no fun. Did I mention it's tiring? Exhausting, really. So far, all it has done is made me painfully aware of how organized I'm NOT and remind me how badly I wish I was!

Oh - and get this... movers are scheduled to be here bright and early Wednesday morning, and as of now, our new house isn't even completed!! Yep - you read right. No carpet. No tub. Back door has to be fixed where someone decided they wanted in really badly so they kicked it in, breaking the entire jam. Needless to say, we are crossing our fingers to get a certificate of occupancy by Wednesday so we can have electricity and gas turned on! Oh - this process... it's a crazy one!

Well, I guess I'd better get back to it... I'm no where near getting through these 7 years... maybe only 2 years of the way through. And I certainly haven't bundled all of what my 2 kids have added... I think that's more than the 7 years worth of stuff - FOR SURE!!!

Our July 4th Fun!

2008-07-05T16:01:00.001-05:00

It Happened! It Really Happened!!!

2008-07-01T12:58:00.003-05:00

What is IT, you ask? If you have to ask that question, we haven't talked in about 6 months! IT = we got a contract on our house!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! *insert goofy grinning smiley here*

It has been a tough couple - few weeks at the Peacock house. Stress, worry, and tension have been at an all time high. Then, this past Friday night, we went out with our good neighbor-friends for therapy night. They spent all of dinner reassuring us that it was going to be ok (much like everyone else in our lives - thank you all). I have to admit, by the end of the night, when we picked the kids up from church, I had a little better outlook and felt just a tiny bit more positive. Then we got home. 10:00 p.m. There was a message. It was from a couple who had looked at the house twice during the week, and they wanted to come for a third look the next morning. WHAT?! Bill and I had gotten to where we didn't say anything when someone wanted to look at the house. It used to be, "Maybe this is the one, Babe," or "I gotta good feeling this time." This time: nothing. We went about our night time routine (an hour and a half late), got the kiddos in bed, and went to bed ourselves. Apparently, both of our insides were stewing with "what ifs" and "maybes" because neither one of us slept. Matter of fact, we watched TV from 2 -4 a.m. Still, nothing was said about "it." No "maybe, Baby's." No nothin'.

Saturday arrived, as did the family of 4 who liked our house enough to want to see it for the 3rd time. Bill is great. He's just such a people person... he can talk to anyone. I love that about him. Even when a potential buyer is the new upper management of the "opposing" hospital in town! Caleb didn't know - nor care - who they were. All he knows is he's got his little heart set on his "new room!" So, as we're walking them to the door in closing of their 3rd visit, Caleb asks (not quietly), "Do they like it, Mommy? Are they gonna buy it?" All I could do was grin at his innocence and sincere curiosity. "I don't know, Baby. We'll see." Well, I guess they did and they are! About an hour later they called with the good news. About an hour after that their realtor called to get our information. This took it out of the surreal nook I had placed it in and spread it all out on the real table. At this point, Bill and could do nothing more than hug. Hug tightly. Hug so that our bodies could speak without words saying, "We're gonna be ok." We went on about our Saturday - Lowe's, lunch at DQ (yuck!), and Home Depot. We got THE call while at Home Depot that there was a contract, and it was ready for US. Needless to say, we zipped over to the office and signed that bad boy!!! (Even though I had a teeny tiny issue with one thing, I did just as my brilliant husband instructed: Shut up and sign.

And there you have it. It REALLY happened!! Even though (on my part, at least) just about all hope had faded, and I just knew God was answering this prayer with a NO, it happened. You know that whole thing about "Oh Ye of little faith?" Well, here I am... raising my hand, fessing up to that one - yet being blessed like I was faithful the entire time. *hanging head in shame*

Sun Drained Thoughts

2008-06-26T16:38:00.002-05:00

*SIGH*

I'm tired... I realize that's really not anything new with me lately, but (finally) it's not from stress and tears! (Oh - those things are still around, but not all-consuming!) I have to say a BIG thank you to my dear friend Julie who has helped me immensely this last week! (She probably doesn't even realize it.) I think we have been together pretty constantly the last 3 days - library, park, kiddie pool in my back yard, rec camp pool at the lake, etc. Every now and again, I bore her with my woes, but she just listens and encourages. She's probably wishing I would stop the whining, but she's just so there for me! I just love her! She and her husband Dan even did the sweetest of sweet things the other night - they surprisingly showed up with a PERFECT gift for me (and I guess Bill, too - if I have to share)!! Just sitting there baking in the sun today with Ju-jee (as Connor lovingly calls her), I realize that through all of the tough "stuff" I've been in the midst of lately, I have great friends. Sometimes I get upset by the fact that I don't have a phone book list in my cell phone that's a mile long with friends' names... but I now completely understand - in my completely drained state of being - that it is DEFINITELY quality, NOT quantity!

This One Will Get Me Through Today...

2008-06-25T09:12:00.003-05:00

...and hopefully tomorrow...and the next day...and the next...

Jeremiah 29:11

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.' "

Yawn

2008-06-23T15:18:00.001-05:00

It's strange how tired stress and tears can make you, isn't it?

Calm My Anxious Heart

2008-06-22T15:55:00.005-05:00

That's the title of the new book I'm reading. And, OH how I hope it does just that! My poor little thumper needs some calmin' - lemme tell ya! So, so much going on... sometimes I can't believe I'm a "grown up." *rolls eyes with a sigh*

But you know what? We ALL need some calm in our hearts, don't we? I'm thinking a lot today after some much-needed time with God this morning... I am soooo not the only one in this world who struggles, stresses, slips, slides, and sobs. I remembered that so well this morning as I stood in the hallway at church - just outside the sanctuary near the bathroom - crying with my dear friend because we both feel so overwhelmed with life right now that we don't know where to turn. And I got to thinking... we've turned to just the right place(s). First and foremost - we are doing our very best to turn to God... we are in the right place to get right, if you know what I mean. Second of all, we are turning to one another. While she told me of her woes, tears just streamed down my face - as they are beginning to do again as I type - for my friend. My dear, dear friend who wants nothing more in this world than to serve and help anyone and everyone she possibly can. Unfortunately, in the midst of all of her West Texas hospitality, she forgets to help herself. I hurt for her right now because I just love her. And I want her to be happy - because she brings so much joy to those who know her that it's only fair that she be allowed some, too! And I got to thinking about her even more this afternoon as I (try to) read my book... it must know my friend, because it talks about her. And God knows her, too... for she is talked about in His Word. If you know her, you'll agree that Proverbs 31: 10-31 paint a perfect picture of my friend. I think that verses 29-31 fit her like a glove:

"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to

be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her works bring her praise at

the city gate.

I love you, Jill-Jill!!

Just When I Need To Write...

2008-06-20T14:27:00.002-05:00

I don't! Figures, right? I need to spew things like crazy, yet I let it simmer inside like a pasta pot ready to explode! WHY?!?! I don't know... My body is weary with worry... Bill and I have an all-you-can-eat platter that's full of life's drama, and it seems we keep going back to the serving line for just a little more. In the midst of it all, though, we just want to fast. We don't want to gorge ourselves on extra servings of stress, confusion, worry, and heartache. But, it seems, just when we're not looking, the waiter comes by to fill 'er up one more time. *sigh* While we are sitting at this table full of Earthly food, we want nothing more than to feed from God's nourishment. We need his Vita-packed energy and joy right now to get us through some things that are breaking every part of our tired bodies down. Here's my cup, Lord... it's a little dirty, and there's some left-overs I can't seem to scrub completely clean, but fill it up with You, Lord. Fill my cup, and let it overflow...

I have to say thank you to a beautiful friend who reminded me of these precious words that were of tear-jerking comfort at this time:

"Hear my cry, Oh God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the Earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61: 1-2

Let Me Bore Ya w/ My Vacay Pics!

2008-05-23T17:13:00.001-05:00

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THIS BLESSING!

2008-05-17T15:44:00.005-05:00

Did I Mention I Was Behind?

2008-05-17T10:41:00.009-05:00

Uh - yeah, I think I did... and that was 16 days ago... AND I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK ON HERE SINCE! One would think that my NOT being on here regurgitating my life story and giving play-by-play accounts of sand table play (and sand-eating) would allow for me to do some serious "catching up" and getting things "in order." I got 2 words for ya. Yeah. Right.

But that's ok - we're truckin' along, making the most out of every day God blesses us with. No, I STILL don't have our house fliers done. No, I STILL don't have the For Sale By Owner sign in the yard. No, I STILL don't have the house on-line ready to sell, sell, sell. No, I STILL don't have my paint colors picked out for the new house (a.k.a. The Compound). I could go on and on, but frankly I would end up embarrassed at all of the "No, I STILL don't's."

However, I HAVE witnessed Caleb draw the most marvelous pictures and try and try and try (and just about perfect) writing his name. I HAVE swelled with pride every morning, night, and sometimes in between as my boys hug and kiss one another like they've been apart for days. I HAVE enjoyed morning coffee and muffins with my Aunties. I HAVE blown bubbles and watched as Connor chases them down calling, "Bo-boos! Bo-boos!" I HAVE watched with ridiculous amounts of pride as my 2 children were THE ONLY 2 who listened and enjoyed the story at the library during story time. I could go on and on, but frankly I would probably bore you to death with all of the "I HAVE'S."

And here we are today - preparing for VACATION!!! Caleb is beyond over-the-moon excited as he knows he will be in the presence of Shamu tomorrow. He's already talking about how he's going to feed the dolphins, let the water bucket dump water on his head, ride the water slides, build sand castles, etc. We are all so excited - like it's 4 kids ready for vacation rather than a mommy, a daddy, and their children. But, isn't that how it should be?! I hope so... 'cause it is!

Now then - if you don't want to be bored outta your gourd with vacation pictures - stay away for a while! Because I'm sure I'll make you ill with slide after slide of my babies (and their parents) loving life!

Here are some selected scenes from this month so far...

<--- ARRRRR, Matey!!! Caleb was enjoying dress-up time and sailing the seas in his pirate ship.

<--- Chef Bon-Bon eating breakfast and getting into brother's chef outfit. He put it on, looked at me, and said, "CHEESE!" Gee... get you pic taken much?

<--- Caleb singing "You Are My Sunshine" during the Tea Party @ his school.

<--- Mom & Me on our annual Day Before Mother's Day trip to Fredericksburg.

I'm Soooo Behind!!!

2008-05-01T11:14:00.009-05:00

In everything, it seems, lately. I can't get this done; I can't get that done... but know one thing - what I AM doing is enjoying my boys to the fullest extent. I have so much to do and worry about, yet here I sit... in my porch swing on a MARVELOUS Spring/Summer morning in West Texas... I hear birds chirping, wind rustling the leaves, and Caleb - dear Caleb - belting out, "OH I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KIIIIING!" as he and Connor get crunchy in the sand table. (What an AWESOME $15 that has been!!) Here's a pic of the fun they had on Earth Day playing in the sand:

This is just a glorious time of year - and our little Peacock family is enjoying it as much as possible! Bill and Caleb play football every evening in the back yard. Connor climbs to the top of the playhouse like a pro (and gives me heart failure while doing so)! Sometimes we go for walks - sometimes all the way up to the "new house." Sometimes, we go for a picnic. Flying kites or playing at the park are also on the menu some nights. I just never in my wildest imagination dreamed life would be like this. It's so much better than I ever thought it would be!! Here are a few pics from our picnic night at the lake:

All the while, we are working on selling our house while the new one is getting close to completion. We are growing frustrated and worried, and we are continuing to try to trust that God will take care of it all in His time. It's scary at this point, but all we can do is have faith. In the mean time, we will accept any prayers you have for us!! :o) The kids are working so hard to get well and stay well. We're so ready for them to put this season of sickness behind us. We've had some scary times with illness this year. I'm ready for that to be a part of our past, as well. I hope to keep up a little better and fill this blog with happy memories of my little family that overwhelms me with blessings every single day.

Plants and Popsicles

2008-04-16T15:39:00.012-05:00

Ahhhh Springtime! I've already posted about how much fun Springtime can be - especially with Caleb! He's constantly pointing out flowers, buds on the trees, and (of course) BUTTERFLIES! He's been "studying" butterflies in Mrs. Thompson's class at Sierra Vista - including fun activities, books, and even a butterfly habitat. *One had come out of its chrysalis when I picked him up from school today!* I'm so proud of everything he's doing, seeing, and exploring at school!

Ok... back to the plants and popsicles! The weather has just been marvelous, and we really are trying to make the best of it. Yesterday Caleb and I planted small pots of chives, oregano, basil, zinnia, and strawberries. He loved pouring the water on the sod pods, watching them swell as they sucked in the moisture, counting the seeds, and covering them with the dirt. He helped me find the right pot by matching the beginning letter to the sound he heard when I would tell him what we were planting. So fun and amazing to see his little brain at work! I love it!

<---- Getting those seeds planted.

Having fun outside ------->

Once that was done, it was refreshment time! Plus, Connor had finished up with naptime and was ready to be a part of the fun. So I brought out the popsicles! Caleb went right for it, mmmm-ing and slurrrrping and telling me over and over how good it was. Connor wasn't quite sure what to think! He's already apprehensive about really cold things - not a big fan of ice cream, if you can believe that! He would stick his tongue to it, give a smile and a shiver, and try it again. He finally sat down to really work it over, BUT... it started dripping cold drops on his feet. *taking a break to giggle* He held his foot up at me and started whining, "Momma...momma!" not sure what to do about this cold stickiness attacking his tootsies! That pretty much did him in for the cold treat. He handed it over to me (awww, shucks) and went off to slap at leaves that were waving in the wind.

People, this is the sweet nectar of life! Enjoying the sunny days, soft breezes, giggles of children, and sticky popsicle drips... this is what we are here for! Thank you, God, for blessing me with MY LIFE!

Oh. My. Legs.

2008-04-12T09:16:00.002-05:00

Ok... here's the new workout for fab calves and thighs...
I think I'm gonna make a workout video, patent it, and become rich!!!

Take your kids to an older park with nothing but equipment that would probably be condemmed if actually looked at closely. (You know, because it's the "old" metal stuff that WE used to play on!) Place your kid on one end of the METAL SEE-SAW and yourself and baby on the other end...

Now, with all of your might, JUMP to get your much-heavier-than-the-munchkin-on-the-other-end self up in the air and your child down to Earth.

Repeat.

After several repititions, realize that you're going to regret this BIG TIME in the morning, BUT... keep doing it because both your baby and your "big kid" are giggling like crazy and loving every minute in the sunshine with you - their Mommy.

Wake up the next morning and realize - Oh. My. Legs. THEY HURT LIKE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!!!

Holy crap am I out of shape.

I think we need to go it again!

Spring Has Sprung... And so has Springtime Weather!

2008-04-10T15:07:00.007-05:00

Oh my goodness! SPRING IS HERE! Caleb is so excited - he just keeps talking about the plants, the flowers, the caterpillars... Thank you, Mrs. Thompson!! We've been blessed with some beautiful weather! We've enjoyed playing outside with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, playing ball, going for evening walks, going to the park, flying kites - you name it. It's been awesome!

I guess after going back and searching for pics to post about our Springtime fun, I no longer feel so "bad" for being tardy in posting a new blog! *Big Grin* We've been doing what we're supposed to be doing - enjoying one another and having fun as a family. Disclaimer: the two pics of Caleb were actually taken by Granny who took the boys to the park. She just had better pics than I did! ;oD

Now for the REAL Springtime weather... we were rudely stirred from slumber at midnight to the terrifying sound of tornado sirens blaring away!! I know, I know... they don't mean a big, fat twister complete with the Wicked Witch of the West is going to suck us up and send us to Oz, but they still scare the h-e-double hockey sticks outta me! We got Caleb as cozy as possible in our "safe room" (aka laundry room) while Bill and I paced between the TV, weather.com on the laptop, and the patio door. Yes - we let Connor sleep through it all... I figure it's easy to snatch a baby up out of a crib, but not so easy to do the same to a 43 pound pre-schooler! We got some good-sized hail, and completely lost our "for sale" sign outside. (I still say that's God's way of telling us it's time for a new realtor, but that's an entirely different blog!) Luckily, the storm passed rather quickly and we were able to go back to sleep. Still had me shook up for a while. Nothin' scarier than West Texas weather sometimes...

I Rememeber When Spring Break Used to Be Just THAT... a BREAK!!

2008-03-23T14:50:00.016-05:00

My, my how things have changed! I remember back in the day when Spring Break was so exciting, so coveted, soooo longed for!! It was a time of care free play and enjoying the changing weather - knowing summer was just around the corner. Now, *sigh* it's a time of entertaining my boys to ensure they aren't "bored," cleaning the house, trying to sell the house, feeding everyone 3 times a day, and just doing everything I do! There's no real "BREAK" for a mommy - not even of the Spring variety. I did take advantage of Nana for a day and a half - she kept the kids while a worked on the house... hmmm... still not really a break, is it? Oh well... However, before I dove into the house and all that encompasses that, the kids and I enjoyed a great day outside! We had a storm coming, so I made sure we enjoyed outside as long as possible before it was no longer an option. We had so much fun doing sidewalk chalk - it was unbelievable! Connor really got into it as well! And Caleb - WELL! - he was writing his name, drawing rain clouds, and drawing our family members. I really am proud to see how wonderfully he's coming along with his name and drawings - especially since he does NOT like sitting and coloring/writing much!

Brothers playing together!

<---Caleb showing off his drawing of "Mommy & Caleb"

Connor just enjoying being outside----->

<-----Here's our finished art project!

And here's Connor's cute chalk-covered hiney!---->

And now here we are - Easter afternoon... after church, Easter Goodies, lunch with family at my house, and all of my boys taking their naps... I'm telling the world wide web about my life! Hope this Easter finds everyone blessed and full of new life!

UGH! I Feel Soooo Out of the Loop!

2008-03-19T21:47:00.013-05:00

Ok, so I'm a slacker. I haven't posted anything since the 2nd of March. I'd say I'm a little behind. So what's new. I'm behind in my cleaning; behind in packing; behind in bible study; behind in life it seems... I feel like a dog - perpetually chasing it's tail... running, running, running, yet never reaching the "goal!"

Illness just really took its toll on our household. Connor first... then me... then Caleb... and it wasn't your average 24-48 hour bug. We're talking a week (or two) of feeling like warmed over death and running fever that could fry an egg. We finally *knock on wood* seemed to have shaken it. *cough*cough* Did I mention I'm feeling congested in my chest - again?! ANYWAY...

We did have a great weekend, and I wanted to share. We went to San Antonio (Bill had a Met Life meeting) and stayed at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. Um... VERY COOL! There was a great playground with lots of sand, s'mores night down at the fire pit by the Ramblin' River... Way too bad we only had one night there! (But that's OK - because as I type this Bill is making our reservations there for vacay this year!!! *thumbs up*).

After that we moved on to Georgetown to visit with our beloved friends Greg and Nan... our "adopted parents" as they like to say! Caleb loves going there - he gets to drive around in a golf cart and gets tons of attention! While we were there we went on an adventure to Inner Space Caverns. I wasn't sure how Caleb was going to handle going to a gi-normous hole in the ground... he surprised me, though. He did well - except for the reminder every now and again, "Mommy!! Hold my hand!!!!" By the time we made it back to the cavern entrance, Caleb thought he was a regular spelunker! On Sunday, before returning home, we made our way to a park that Bill described as "God's Country" - and I have to say - I agree. Coming from an almost desert area of Texas, being surrounded by trees, green, and water! There was a little fishing, a little playing, and a lot of wearing out of two boys just in time to get in the car for our 3 hour trip back home...

And back home we are... back into the every day stress of trying to build a house, sell a house, and just take care of a household (including 2 kids) on a 24-hour basis. But, you know what? This is my life. And I'm blessed. And I'm thankful. And I am so glad God gave me THIS life. I just hope He's as glad as I am!

I Wanna Be A Cow-boy, Ba-by!!

2008-03-02T13:08:00.010-06:00

That's right - it's that time of year - time to break out the cowpoke duds...the rodeo is here! And there's not another cowpoke that I like to see all dudded up than my Caleb! (Connor's not quite old enough for the duds...)

This year was bittersweet... Caleb is old enough to go out and enjoy some of the rides and games - FUN! However, I've been sooooo sick (flu?) that it was quite the struggle to go out there and be 100% for him. And, what's worse, Caleb started feeling bad Friday morning, so we had to leave the rodeo early that night. Now, as I type this, he's in bed sleeping off a fever and horrible cough. I haven't seen Caleb this sick in quite some time, and it's really breaking my heart. I can't seem to do anything to make him feel better, and I hate feeling like I'm failing him! So, like a ba-zillion other worried moms, we'll be calling the doc first thing in the morning to try to get him in. *sigh*

However, I was lucky enough to snap a few fun pics during Thursday evening's rodeo performance. Caleb and Connor had a great time in our box seats. They were able to see all of the action up close and get down and run around a bit, so it was the best of both worlds.

The rodeo announcer came up to Caleb and was asking him a few questions - one being, "Do you like girls?" My poor baby turned so red!! He was so embarrassed that he walked away from the microphone and came and wrapped his arms around me, "MOMMA!" Connor experienced something new - and fell in love with a blue, sweet, fluffy wonder known as cotton candy! YUMMY! He also enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with PaPa's cowboy hat - he had to, it's not like he had his own like Caleb! It was quite the fun time at the 76th Annual San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo... I only hope we're all well next year so we can really enjoy it!!!

Weekend Wear-out!!!

2008-02-26T14:22:00.007-06:00

So this weekend totally kicked my butt! We went to Plano for my nephew's 4th birthday. Caleb and Aidan are like long-lost brothers, basically... they are amazing to watch together and love every minute they have together. So... here's how it went...

Left around lunch Friday afternoon so we could get there in time for dinner with the Burkles. We all know traffic in a big city can be the opposite of fun, right? Well this was down right RIDICULOUS! It started out 30 miles before Weatherford... complete standstill. Seriously?? Yep - seriously. And - it gets better... we had to endure that 3 times before even hitting "big city traffic!" Mind you, the little delay along I20 ensured that we made it to downtown Dallas - as if on cue - at the stroke of 5:30 on a FRIDAY!!! I just want to make sure you can feel the J-O-Y in this post!!!! Oh - and did I mention we had not stopped the entire way for a potty break?!?!?!?

Ahhhh... Saturday... the day of the BIG party! Wait - let me back it up to about 5:30 a.m. when Connor (bless his little heart) woke up to realize he hadn't the foggiest clue where he was and proceeded to get up and run from his pallet in the floor, screaming bloody murder because he was so freaked out! *Can you say INSTANTLY WIDE AWAKE?* Poor baby... come lay with Mommy and go back night-night... yeah. Right. 20 minutes into that idea and I feel *poke*poke* in my eye with the sound of the behind-the-paci giggle. *SIGH* I decided to go ahead and get up since I knew we had to get 4 adults and 4 children up, dressed, fed, and ready to head to a party by 10:00. I head to the shower only to realize I forgot my razor!!!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!! (Now, those of you who know me - and I mean know me - know that Carey doesn't skip a day of shaving. Stubble is NOT my friend!!! So, off to Albertson's I went at 6:45 a.m. complete with my Pucker Up jammies with lip prints all over them! Hey - a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Fast forward to 10ish - we did pretty well getting us all spit-shined and ready for a party at Pump It Up! And it was fun - once I played my Mean Mommy card and made Caleb get into those bouncy things! He didn't want to - no way, no how. I gave him the choice: Bouncy Obstacle Course or Time Out for the rest of the party. Surely you can guess what he chose. And so glad he did! He had so much fun (and is still telling me so today)! After the party, we went back for naps - for everyone, and then the grandparents came over to watch Aidan open his gifts. (Caleb has already made plans for HIS OWN birthday... he wants to make sure he gets a fighter jet just like Aidan's!) Moving on to dinner - we went out for my MIL's birthday to a great Italian restaurant where we seriously committed the sin of gluttony! Before making it back "home" for the night, we just HAD to stop by and see where MIL and FIL were staying - a swanky little joint called the NYLO... all I can say is COOOOOOOL!

Sunday - alas, Sunday!!! Time to head home, which I am grateful for because my children DO NOT sleep well away from home! You guessed it - Connor was up sleep-screaming at 5:30 again this morning. :o( Poor baby... Anyway - the drive home wasn't so bad - we stopped off at the Smokestack Restaurant in Thurber (pop. 5), and it was good eatin'! Once we were home, I think we all walked in, SIGHED, and melted into our comfort zone...

I guess I must be old... 'cause I sure do like my own bed a whole lot! Hmmm... wasn't it the ever-intelligent Dorothy who proclaimed, "There's no place like home"? ...Amen, Sister!

I LIVE For Days Like These!

2008-02-20T15:28:00.000-06:00

It's only February, but it already feels like mid-late Spring! (Especially with the WIND!) It's crazy! But it sure is nice when you have 2 great Joys who love to play outside! We had the best time yesterday - playing on the playground - getting dirty, pretending to eat rocks, swinging, sliding, you name it...

I absolutely love how my boys love one another. It amazes me every single day. Connor just looks on at Caleb with such admiration, curiousity (what's he gonna do next to make me laugh?), wonder, and down right affection! They love to hug one another and kiss one another... and it makes up for them loving to annoy one another! ;o)

I just enjoyed watching my two C's play together yesterday... THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! I couldn't help but think that over and over to myself... Playing outside with my boys - watching them learn about everything around them and one another. Oh, they make my heart swell with love to where it just physically hurts sometimes! I'm sad to see how quickly they are growing up right before my wide-open eyes. And, at the same time, I'm so proud and ecstatic to see who and what they are growing up to be. Blessed doesn't begin to describe the way I feel when it comes to my Joys!

What a Difference a Week Makes!

2008-02-11T15:55:00.000-06:00

Saturday was such a tremendous high! Sunday... not so much. The day started out great - we were even on time to Sunday School! Woo-hoo! Well, to say things weren't right when we picked Connor up in the nursery would be an understatement. He was sprawled out asleep on a nursery worker - covering her like a warm blanket. And when I say warm, I mean WARM - like an electric blanket or something! By the time we got home his fever was 104.2!! We were able to keep it around 102 with a cool bath and Motrin/Tylenol until his doctor's appointment the next day. While at the doc's, his temp registered at a whopping 104.5!!! He ended up having to undergo blood work where they found his white cell count to be at 20,000 (should be around 12k). They called us back in later that afternoon for one mean antibiotic shot because the blood work didn't show if it was for sure bacterial or viral. He was one sick baby throughout the week. Luckily, the shot (plus the oral antibiotic) seem to have helped.

Ahhh... Valentine's... the joy. I'm sorry, but I've never been a big fan of the day, myself. I think we should show our love each and every day - not wait and shower the love of our life with red and pink on one day Hallmark tells us to. Enough of my disdaid... I have found a new love (if you will) for the holiday in that Caleb and I had fun making Valentines (and a HUGE mess) together in preparation for his party at school. I also got all Susie Homemaker the morning of the 14th - I free-handed heart shaped cookies and baked them while my boys enjoyed their breakfast and some nice Backyardigan's tunes on the iPod. I even DECORATED THEM! *GASP!* I know!!!! But it was all worth it - Caleb, a.k.a. "King of Hearts," had a great Valentine's Day! And isn't that all that matters?

We did get to spend a little more quality time at the park - before the cold, nasty weather reared it's ugly head! This was Connor's first time at Kid's Kingdom. Once again, he was in love with the slide! I knew it was time to go when he lunged too hard to go down the slide and almost did a face plant in the wood chips. Not to mention it was 2:30, and I had some t-i-r-e-d babies on my hand! But it was worth it - we really had a great time together!

The week almost ended kind of rough... had some things happen that really hurt my feelings. I was really hurt by a fellow church member, and that made it even a little more painful. I'm having to pray and let go... unfortunately, my human nature tends to remind me every now and again that my heart still hurts... But it's going to be ok. Thankfully, we had some nice weather this afternoon (Sunday), and Bill, Caleb, and Connor and I took some time to cruise around the new palace. I took my bible and a permanent marker and put some meaningful verses throughout some of the rooms. Still have some more to do... Anyway - that wraps up another week of the life of the Peacock family! Looking forward to what next week has in store...

These are the BEST times!

2008-02-10T16:17:00.000-06:00

Although only February, the air whispered of Spring to come. The skies were blue, the winds were calm, and a feeling of (forgive the cheese) HAPPY just rested within!

We woke early-ish to get breakfast and cleaning done - the house was to be shown between 10-11. By 9:45 we were heading out the door. Perfect. We do an errand or two, and then we seemed to be warped into Family Zone - even though the scenery seemed to look just like the places we see every day... you could see it, feel it... we were in Family Zone! We took a drive to the State Park to show Caleb the bison that reside out there. He was less than impressed because, of course, he just wanted to get out and ruuuuuun. *sigh* It just wasn't an option because we were on a 30 minute "drive pass." Awww... nuts. We did a drive-by lunch at our house on our way to the Mall for the Chocolate Festival Kid's Area. Caleb got to indulge in a few chocolate munchies that gave him the extra bounce that he needed... yeah, right! He enjoyed it, none the less!

Next! We went to the park... had to... Caleb had to run that chocolate off, by golly! It was such an amazingly beautiful day! Caleb and Connor enjoyed themselves soooo much! Connor is so darn funny - just wants to do whatever Brother is doing. And he has no fear! That baby would just dive - I'm serious! - DIVE down the slides... no worries... wouldn't it be nice to live life that way?! *SUPER SIGH*

After much fun at the park, we headed up to Chateau Peacock to see the most recent progress. (Yes, we DO go every day - we can't help ourselves!) We actually hoisted Caleb up to the 2nd floor this time around, and he got to see where his "new room" is going to be. Excited does not encompass the feelings pouring out of him - and me, for that matter. I love the thoughts and images I have of watching my children grow up in that house. The house Bill and I built together. There's no warmer, fuzzier feeling...

Thank you, God, for a glorious day with the ones I love most - my family!