Pie Jesu

Well, happy Monday everyone! You'll be pleased to know all is well in laptop land. We had to completely wipe the hard drive and I am now starting from scratch, but thankfully it only cost us time and $15 for a little gizmo to plug my hard drive into so I could transfer it's contents.

So yesterday we had a nice day. We went to church - and I have to say the more we go to this particular church, the more I like it. The preacher is doing a series called "I Run" that deals with the journey one takes when "running" with Christ. It is very interesting, and most definitely something I need to hear. He has a wonderful way of teaching that I find refreshing and easy to embrace.

I was sitting in the sanctuary with Hubby and for no real reason the thought popped in my head "I love this church". It caught me off guard - I had never really thought of this church in a love it/hate it sense; honestly I have just been impressed by our faithfulness at going, and nothing in particular prompted the thought. It did however, prompt Hubby and I to discuss officially joining though, so I guess it served it's purpose.

One of the greatest things about going to the church, for me, is what Kiddo gets out of it. I simply cannot think of anything in the world more endearing than seeing my sweet little boy talk about Jesus. And when we go to church, that is his topic of discussion for the rest of the day! Now Kiddo doesn't say a whole lot that is recognizable just yet, but man does he talk up a storm! Every other word out of his mouth yesterday was "Jesus".

He and I were playing out on the deck in the back and Kiddo was telling me something about "pushing the rock away". He kept saying it over and over, kind of in sing-song fashion, and after would push out his arms and go "shhhhhhhh". The only thing I could figure was that he was telling me about the stone rolling away from the tomb. He would say it and pause and look at me like he wanted me to help him with the story. Not knowing for sure what he was talking about, and also not knowing exactly what they did in Sunday school with him, I replied "and was Jesus there?" He looked at me with these wide eyes, a twinkle and a grin and just as clear as day said...

"Jesus is ALIVE!!!"

Oh wow! I was blown away.

Kiddo has also recently discovered stories. Mommy, tell me story about ____. Mommy tell me story about cars. Mommy tell me story about Lightning McQueen. All day with this. And I never have to really tell an elaborate story. As long as it has "once upon a time, there was ____ " and "and they all lived happily ever after, The End" it doesn't really matter what's in between. He's happy with a one liner most of the time; thank goodness, 'cuz I suck at telling stories!

But -

While we were out on the deck talking about Jesus, Kiddo asked me "Mommy, tell me story about Jesus".

whoa. um. oh my.

What do I say?

I mean, I know he doesn't care what the story is, but that's one story you don't just pull out of the air. I don't want to confuse him, because I know that sometimes little things he hears that can be so insignificant at the time stick in that little sticky, photographic memory of his and eventually work themselves to the surface to come out and bite me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I choked. The pressure was too much. I tried to rope in Hubby and he was no help at all. "I haven't thought about all that in 15 years. I would have to collect my thoughts." oy vey!

So I tried to find a readily available resource. My mom gave me a set of Bible Story books that were mine when I was a child; I thought surely they would have something simple I could refer to. Have you ever seen these things? My gracious I think I have the original 50's publication! They are not so great a resource for a two year old. Even I had a hard time following them. But we sat together anyway, Kiddo and I, and looked at the pictures.

By the way, as a child I thought this image of Eve (I believe by artist Harry Anderson) was the most beautiful I'd ever seen. I read a few things and it seemed to satisfy his curiosity for the moment until he discovered a dinosaur book in his cubby and then the moment had passed. I suppose it is time for me to find something for him that tells the story in a way he can understand. Anyone have suggestions for a good book or resource for something like that?

It's a good problem to have, I know.

Until,

D :)

More Coffee Please

It's a pretty good bet that my day is not going to go well when I get up and my practically brand new laptop boots up to nothing more than a black screen.

Yup. Good Morning Dawn! Congratulations, you are the lucky recipient of a crashed computer. Please put your entire life on hold while you sit on the phone with Toshiba Support and discover after a good three days or so that there is nothing we can do about your stupid computer!

I'm pretty sure that's how it's going to go. I am preparing by letting the cordless phone charge up right now. *sigh*

HELP!
D :(

She Cries

Hello everyone. You all probably think I have forgotten about you. I haven't. We are just kind of busy right now. Hubby is getting ready for his upcoming motorcycle trip, Kiddo is getting over his head injuries and being a bit more "2" than normal, and I am working on some photo shoots, stressing over Hubby's trip and generally PMSing - not a good combination for me.

Today just hasn't been all that great. One good thing - I did get to have lunch with my dear friend K - which was nice. We don't get to see each other too terribly often and it was good to meet up during her busy day and gab for a bit. I have to say Kiddo was a perfect angel through lunch. He sat quietly in a booster seat and ate his food and we heard nary a peep out of him.

The rest of my afternoon, well let's just say Kiddo made up for his angelic table manners in all forms of heinous behavior. We ran a few errands and he whined and fussed and wanted everything he saw in the store. It was tolerable, but by the time we got home he was in full on fit mode. Then once the fit was over he wanted me out side with him at all times; right next to him, but not necessarily playing with him or engaging him in any way. He kept fussing for me to blow bubbles and when I did, he would sit there picking at the dirt and not paying attention. But if I stopped blowing bubbles (for the dog since she was the only one enjoying them) he would scream. I finally got tired of being bossed around so I went in the house. In retaliation, Kiddo picked my loan tomato off my little tomato plant. It was the ONLY one! Since starting my garden adventure, I have had only two growing, both about the diameter of a quarter; and I was so proud of them. Last week when I watched NKs, NKson picked one of them. He didn't know any better; he only wanted to ask me what it was so I really couldn't get mad (even though deep down I was). But when Kiddo picked the last one today I was furious.

I cried.

And cried.

Why can't I have just this one thing? Am I being selfish here? I just wanted to grow something. I wanted something all to myself that wasn't necessarily baby approved or proofed and didn't require a whole lot more than just a little loving water and fertilizer. I just wanted to bond with nature and grow something that could possibly end up on our table and nourish my family.

I know, I am hormonal.

But come on - the day was toast.

So then Hubby comes home and he's stressed because he's got so much to do for this trip and now he's taken on side work and he needed to get that done and it all just piles up on both of us. We snapped at each other all night.

Dinner was a disaster. The hamburger patties shrunk to laughable proportions. I didn't have any TOMATO for the burgers (oh the irony). The tater-tots wouldn't cook right. *sigh*

Anyway, I haven't forgotten about my sweet bloggy friends. I am just in a funk. Hopefully I'll snap out of it in a day or two.

Love to you all,
D :)

A Quickie...

This website makes me laugh out loud! Especially this entry. Check it out!

More later,
D :)

Pretty Crash

My poor Boogie Man. This has not been his week. He has hit his head, HARD at least 4 times in the past 5 days, and he's getting over a double ear infection.

The ear infections came at the beginning of last week, but the head trauma started last Thursday. I was watching the NKs for a couple of hours while my neighbor took in a much needed shopping trip to get an outfit for a weekend wedding. So all 3 of the little kiddos were in and out of my house, playing with toys and climbing on the play scape in the back yard. My neighbor's son is almost 4 and is going through a "love" stage. He loves everybody! He tells you he loves you and he gives out bear hugs galore! The boys, NKson and Kiddo were out in the back yard and I was standing in the back doorway talking to NKdaughter in my living room. I heard a thud come from outside and my son started screaming. Apparently, NKson tried to give Kiddo a bear hug ('cuz he loves him and all) and they fell over backwards, Kiddo getting the squish end of the deal. They had been standing at the foot of the deck, and Kiddo fell backwards on to a couple of round stepping stones that lead to the play scape. Poor guy got a big knot on his head and a burn/bruise on his back. After a couple of minutes he was fine though and for the rest of the day told people that NKson "squished him"! Later that afternoon, Kiddo was swinging with Hubby and for some reason lept head first out of the swing and face planted in the gravel.

Then on Sunday night Hubby was working on the computer and Kiddo decided to sit in the chair next to him. He stood up in the chair and was leaning over with his hands on the table on top of a couple of papers. Well, as you can guess the papers slipped out from under him and his forehead came crashing down on to the table. After hitting the table, he fell out of the chair and landed head first on the floor. Oh the Goose Egg on his forehead! Oh the Screaming!

Then Monday afternoon he was running around and tripped running into the kitchen from the dining room. He face-planted into the refrigerator, jamming a magnetic letter right into the goose egg he acquired the night before. That hit was much harder to recover from.

So needless to say, between the ear infections and multiple blows to the head, he has had a nightly dose of pain reliever for about a week now. Of course, the side effect of that is nasty poos which have led to an amazingly obnoxious diaper rash. *sigh* My poor boy.

Please say a prayer for him. He needs a few accident free days! Please say a prayer for me that this is not a sign of how his childhood is going to go. I know Hubby was accident prone (actually to hear the inlaws tell it, it was sister-in-law who was the accident prone one), but I seriously am not equipped to deal with my sweet baby getting hurt so often. It breaks my heart.

Moms of boys, unite! Point me to the padded room!
Until,
D :)

(Don't) Love Me Just Leave Me Alone

Did I ever tell you about the time I had a stalker? Really? Well, pull up a chair!

No, it's not really that interesting. I guess it's just been on my mind lately, for some weird reason. Anyway, I was in college, and it all started one morning when I was sitting in the campus cafe with a couple of friends and roommates, watching them eat some of the overpriced, oh-so-good-for-you food. One of my friends pointed out to me that there was a guy watching me from across the room. Well, being young and silly I was actually flattered, but didn't make any moves or indication that I noticed or was interested. I figured if he really was staring at me, and he really was interested, he would approach me. A couple of people from my table left and then later when the rest of us were set to go, I glanced his direction only to find him gone. Later that evening, one of my roommates told me that when she walked by his table she saw that he was drawing a portrait of me. She said it was pretty accurate. Aww!

Fast forward a few weeks and I just happened to go with my friend to eat at a local restaurant that one of our roommates worked at. We were enjoying a nice meal and conversation, when I noticed this guy staring at me from a couple of booths over. He looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I had seen him before. Such is the case rather often when you are surrounded by so many of the same "strangers" every day in a small college town. Anyway, our roommate came over after a while and told me that the guy staring was actually a friend of one of the managers (I think that's how it went - he knew somebody there) and he was wondering if he could have my number. He seemed harmless enough, so I said yes. Well, soon enough he called me and I agreed to go out with him. I think we had a grand total of two dates and I pretty much lost interest. There wasn't any one thing that made me back off - he seemed a bit too needy, but it wasn't that big of a deal; he just really wasn't my type. Things got busy in school (it was concert season) and with rehearsals and all the extra things I was required to do I just didn't have time for him. I don't remember him being terribly disappointed or anything.

Eventually spring break rolled around and I went home to my parent's house for the week. One morning I walked out to my car to find someone had delivered one dozen dead roses to me. He had signed the card, but left no other message. I found out later that his uncle worked for law enforcement and this guy had him run my license plate to find out my parents address. He drove himself to their house, over an hour away from the school.

Every so often I would get reports from my roommate about how he was all depressed and messed up since we quit dating, but other than being a bit creeped out by the roses I really didn't think much of it.

It all came to a head several weeks later when I ran into him at the local WalMart. Unbeknownst to me he was working there. I was shopping with a friend, and she left me to go to a different department and while I was looking at something in the CD section. He came up behind me. When I turned around he was standing there, all 6' 6" of him, towering over me crying and screaming, "What did I do?!? Why don't you like me?!?! You are the one; we are supposed to be together! What did I do?!?". He was screaming and coming closer and closer to me, backing me into a hidden corner of the back of the electronics department. There was no way I could get around him, and just as he started to reach out for me, someone (honestly I can't remember if it was my friend or someone else) came up and momentarily diverted his attention. It was just enough for me to squeeze past him and my friend and I made a hasty exit.

Thankfully, I never saw or heard from him again.

Until,
D :)

In the Red

Just trying out my hair some more. Since I have done so many self portraits with the blond, I thought I would see how well the red photographs. I think I really like it!

It makes my eyes really stand out. If I am wearing blue, they look really blue. Otherwise they look extremely green. However, I do pretty much have to wear makeup every day now or I look ghastly pale. That's ok though.

Your thoughts?

Until,

D :)

A Boy Needs A Bike

Oh Boy.

I think I am in trouble.

And the obsession begins....

Until,

D :)

Everything Reminds Me of You

More from the Google searches...

"I just hate having a supermodel sister" - darn, you must be deprived. I mean with all the perks that come with knowing someone famous, wow, those busy nights of yours must be awful.

"Child ate glass shards, what to do" - well my friend, I am sorry. You could call poison control and let them laugh at you, you could read my blog entry here, or you could go to the ER. I recommend the third choice, just to be safe.

"Mr. Brilliant Spanish" - ahh, so you've encountered Mr. Brilliant too?! You know he also knows French!

"Very Strange Shy" - yes sir, you have come to the right place!

"Funny Moments in Black Churches" - umm, huh?

"Migraine salt craving" - ok, not sure about this one. When I was pg I did crave salt, and I did have migraines, but I am not sure they were connected. Hope you found what you were looking for.

And now for the worst one yet,

"Gigantic pregnant women"

um, well...

hmmm.....seriously?

What exactly is Google trying to say by directing that inquiry here? I wasn't gigantic, was I?

Was I??!?

I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Was I gigantic?

Hmm?? Pardon?? Well, was I?!?

I didn't think so. Google got it wrong I guess. ;)

Have a good weekend!

Until,

D :)

Good Day

Yesterday was a good day. I don't know how it happened. I managed to get some work done, and play a lot with Kiddo, and do laundry, vacuum and clean the kitchen, and it all kind of fell into place. Kiddo wasn't whining and crying for attention, I felt no frustration when trying to get something accomplished - because I was getting things accomplished. I think part of it was that I decided to tend to Kiddo and his needs as soon as he had them, instead of my usual putting him off until I completed whatever task I was working on. It made him much happier - I guess he didn't feel like he was competing for my attention.

We sat in the warm sun and blew bubbles, and we laughed belly laughs at the dog as she chased the bubbles around the yard. I sat in the deck chair and soaked up the much needed warmth the sun provided. I closed my eyes and listened to the laughter and the birds and the rustling leaves. We put together alphabet puzzles and played cars, and I was able to fold some laundry while Kiddo took a much needed shower after the bubble fiesta. I completed client orders and answered emails and even potentially picked up two more photo shoots.

And - the TV never got turned on. (a bloody miracle in this house!)

By the time Hubby got home we were both in a good, pleasant mood; smoothed over from the relaxing, warm day. Normally by the time he gets home I am a frazzled mess and practically toss Kiddo at him kicking and screaming. Hmmm, I guess that's partly why Hubby hides, ur umm, hangs out in the garage so much!

I wish more days were like that; easy going yet productive. So often I feel as if I have fought all day and accomplished nothing; that Kiddo fusses and screams and wears me thin.

Yesterday was a good day.

Here's to many more of those.
Until,
D :)

Life's A Great Big Mystery Show

As with most 2 year olds, Kiddo has a problem with using napkins and tissues. I have been working with him lately - especially on tissues. We are an allergy family so boogers are part of daily life. He knows that when he needs a tissue he should ask me. Unfortunately, I am still the victim of the sly nose rub on the shoulder and the mouth rub on the arm; and Kiddo still wipes his hands on his shirt. *sigh* I am hoping some of my constant nagging is sinking in.

So, we are in the kitchen yesterday. Kiddo comes up behind me and gives me a sweet hug. He pulls away, and as I walk away I hear...

Kiddo: ahhhhh, Moooooommmyyyy, tissue!

Me: You need a tissue Baby?

Kiddo: tissue Mommy, yucky!!!!

Me: (I grab a tissue)Honey, I don't see any boogies - did you sneeze?

Kiddo: No Mommy, tissue on pants! (and, umm...he's pointing at my bottom)

Me: (twisting around in a dog-chasing-it's-tail sort of way)Tissue on pants? What are you taking about?

Kiddo: Yucky Mommy! Tissue on pants! Boogie!!!

- and here is where I run my hand along my back side, only to pull up the biggest, stickiest, nastiest booger I have ever had the misfortune of holding in my hand.

agggggggkkkkkK!

You're welcome!
D :)

Maybe It Was Memphis

Something is in the air. Maybe it's my new red hairs. Maybe it's the changing seasons. Maybe it's that my last nerve is finally fried and has whithered up and fallen away. Maybe I am just sensing that things are about to change. I don't know what it is.

Kiddo's annoying habits are at an all time peak. I hear the words "Stop It" yelled at me far more than I would like in any given day, and it seems as if he has lost the ability to request anything without yelling or whining or screaming his "request" in a very demanding way. Lately I have been getting to the point where I don't even hear his nice requests (though few and far between) because I am so bent on tuning out the negative stuff. I am this close to yelling at just about any moment. I hate being this way.

I asked Hubby last night if I am neglectful to Kiddo. The answer I got was closely related to "far from it". Kiddo still has a hard time with me leaving him. I still have to sneak out of the house if I am going somewhere by myself. I know, I really shouldn't do that, but the couple of times we tried announcing my departure, all heck broke loose and poor Hubby had to endure the endless screaming fit that resulted. Yesterday, as we pulled into the parking space at our church, Kiddo welled up and started crying because he knew where we were and that we were going to leave him in the nursery. He loves the nursery. He has a ton of fun there. Yet, it still took us talking to him for 10 minutes, peeling him off of me as he kicked and screamed, practically tossing him in the room and running away as fast as we could before he calmed down. It shouldn't be that way.

But in all that, I still think there is a difference in him being attached to me and my inability to play with him as much as he wants. Playing with him is so difficult right now. He wants me there, sitting on the floor with his trains or cars or whatever, but I am not allowed to touch them. I must watch and get excited when they crash and repeat every thing Kiddo says, but I cannot actually be involved in the action. It. Is. Boring. I'm sorry; for a minute or two it is cute to watch him, but then the list of things I could be doing starts running through my head and I find myself getting ancy. There are things I need to do, and if he's not going to let me play, then what is the point. But oh the consequences of leaving him to play by himself - yikes! The screams of "Mooommmmmmmyyyyyy, come here, come here!" Sometimes I can't take it. I know I should have more activities for him, but honestly - I can spend a good amount of time setting up something like paints or a craft or whatnot and he will get all excited and then spend 2 minutes on it before running off to do something else. The time spent is never worth the effort and I'm not really sure he gets much out of it.

Thankfully summer is almost here and in a couple of weeks the water park will be open. That is where you will find us most days. Too bad I can't take my laptop there. But, it may be a good opportunity for me to get some much needed reading in. I have got to figure out a way to exercise my brain cells again. Ahh, I am starting to feel better now just thinking of the library trips to come! Ahhhhhhh!!!

Anyway, here is some Monday morning YouTube abuse to start your week,
A little Deana Carter, Strawberry Wine

And Ms. Pam Tillis, Maybe it Was Memphis (PLEASE don't watch the stupid SIMS video - it was the only recording of the song I could find).

Until,
D :)

Kiss the Flame

I know what you're thinking. Dawn likes her blond hair; she'll never change it. She's a big Chicken!

Well, maybe you are right. I am a big chicken. And for some unknown reason I carry a lot of "who I am" in my hair. I know, it's just hair - it'll grow back; it can be fixed; nothing is ever permanent - I've heard it all before. Besides, my hair is not that great anyway; it can be lifeless, it's fine and thin. But it's my hair and for some reason I really like it.

But it's time for a change.

Say it with me now - Dear Lord, please allow the box of cheap-o hair dye to do it's job properly. And Lord, though I won't ask for you to make me like the color I am about to apply, I do ask that you would use your amazing powers for this frivolous thing and make sure I don't end up with orange or purple hair. Lord, I know you have much bigger and more important things on your plate, but oh boy I don't know if I can take orange hair. Ok, scratch that, I am ashamed I even asked you. I know you won't give me anything I can't handle so I will faithfully trust that whatever is about to happen - well, it will eventually turn out all right. Amen.

Oh mercy! Well, there's not much I can do about it now. What's done is done.

Ok, why does Kiddo keep saying "Mommy Black hairs!"? Black? Does it look black to you????!?

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man.....

Ok rinsing it out was an experience in of itself. First off, it was PURPLE, and secondly, I rinsed for ever and the color just kept coming. Holy moly!

But, at least now I can say....

I AIN'T NO CHICKEN! :)

Personally, I think it looks pretty good! What do you think?

Until,

D :)

You Love Me, You Really...

Ok, well, Karrie loves me anyway! ;) My dear cyber-friend (and fellow August '04 mommy) has so graciously nominated my Project 365 blog for a Blogger's Choice Award! I am so incredibly flattered and stunned because, well, I don't think I've ever been nominated for anything. Well, except for senior year of high school when my friend Jae nominated me for homecoming queen, and when it was read over the morning announcements I heard several people in my classroom say out loud, "who's that?". I think I got one vote. Ok, 2; bet you can guess who's they were. Yup, I was a popular one, I tell you!



Anyway, if you are feeling so kind and gracious, please humor me (and feed my starving ego) and vote. It only takes a minute, and if you have a bit longer than that, feel free to vote for your other favs (I punched the button for my darlings like One Weird Mother (Karrie), Little Foodies, Oh The Joys and Pioneer Woman to name a few). And, if you have even more time, feel free to nominate your favorites as well (or nominate yourself if you dare!). If you let me know who you nominated (or if you are nominated) I will hop over and vote for them (or you) as well. Did any of that make sense?!? Well, you know what I mean. :D

Thank you Karrie! You made my day!
Until,
D :)

In Pictures

(opening with an Artsy-Fartsy shot) :)


Well, how was your weekend? We had a wonderful time! It was COLD with a capital "C", and on Saturday we got lots and lots of sleet and some hail and a teeny, tiny bit of what looked like snow! Can - you - believe - it?!? We had some accumulation on the back porch and in the yard - I'll try to post some pics later. I can't believe it is actually April - this weather is totally throwing me off.

Anyway, to continue with my last post, I took Kiddo back out for more pictures Friday afternoon. This round was much better - mainly because there were other kids about for him to look at and laugh with. I actually got some smiles! Yay!

Here is "The Thinker". I just love the furrowed brow (or maybe he was squinting? ;) ).

Again, still not the best look, but at least he was looking up!

There's my sweet baby's smile! I think he was laughing at some other kids and I caught him. Hey, I'll take what I can get!

After that shoot, I had Hubby meet us out in another location close to the inlaw's property for some shots of Kiddo and I together. It was, um, well, interesting - as it took longer for Hubby to figure out my camera that it would have if I had just set up a tripod and shot it myself. But, I'm glad we got what we did anyway.


Here is my favorite, though Kiddo looks a bit worried or something. Hubby did a great job of framing the shot though. I love the bluebonnets in the foreground - the man is a genius when it comes to composition.



I will write more about our weekend later. I just needed to complete the bluebonnet experience for anyone interested. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!


Until,
D :)

Bluebonnets!!

Here in Texas it is a bit of a tradition to take photos of your family every year in the bluebonnets. I have been trying to get Kiddo to let me take his pic, but being the son of a photographer, he is not to obliging sometimes. Today was no exception. I got these a little while ago, but plan on trying again this afternoon. I thought I would share a couple - cuz he's just so darn cute!!

This is the look I got the entire time. He would not look at me - even for the promise of m&ms!
Then my little cowboy made a break for the road - See this flower, I am done with it! I am so outta here!

Maybe I'll have better luck later. Wouldn't you know it though, he just skinned up his nose - ugh! More editing for me I guess!

Until,

D :)

We Fall Down

Every day I check my statcounter and am amazed at the ways in which people find me. At least twice a day (sometimes up to five or more times) individuals will Google "We cry Holy, Holy, Holy" and find my site. Every. Day.

It is amazing to me that many people are looking for that particular song. Unfortunately, I only referenced it in a post title once, so they don't find what they are looking for. Today I will satisfy the masses. Here is the song. (note: I much prefer a toned down version, but this was the best YouTube selection I could find.)

Kutless, We Fall Down; Album: Strong Tower (2005)


And now the lyrics:

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus

We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus

We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

My Jesus, I love you
I know thou are mine
To thee all the follies of sin I resent
My gracious redeemer
My savior, art thou
If ever I'll love you
My Jesus tis now

So there you have it. I hope you all found what you were looking for. Next time try YouTube. They have many, many versions of this song for your enjoyment!

Until,
D :)

All the Animals

Oh Miss Amanda! I saw that sneaky little entry on the Dyson Slim Vacuum giveaway from 5m4m! I hope you win, but if you don't, I hope I do - then I'll ship it to you on loan if you want! ;)

So, if any of you want in on the contest, you have until Wednesday to sign up. That's right - tomorrow! Hurry, time is running out.

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

In other news, we had a potty breakthrough last night. For some unknown reason, Kiddo decided he wanted to be nekkid. Since it was a bit of a warm night, I allowed him to do so for a while, with the stern warning that if he needed to do something, he better tell me or I was going to put a diaper back on him. So, as it goes, I found him dancing twice and took him to the potty. Then he proceeded to pee all over the floor while mindlessly playing with cars (thankfully it was on the tile, but where is all this liquid coming from?!?). Once we were about ready to go to bed, he came to me and asked to go sit on the potty. I asked him if he needed to T or P and he said P. Hubby and I were thinking, yeah right - but wouldn't you know he did just that?!? I was so excited that he not only knew exactly what he needed to do, but he told me clearly and he told me before he had an accident! woo hoo!! Ahh the things that get mommies excited...

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

So, I totally forgot to do a PMS TOTM last month. Now, normally I like to bake my own PMS sins, but this month Hubby and I had a hankerin' for a store bought goodie. The local grocer, HEB, produces a wonderful Chocolate Creme Cake that will make your toes curl. Just make sure to pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then sit back for a gooey, chocolaty delight! Here's a pic I snapped just before we finished it off...

It really is YUMMY!

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

Today was a day of critters. Thanks to the rain we've had these past couple of weeks, Texas mosquitoes are already out. Gah! I HATE those things! Poor Kiddo looks like he has the chicken pox because his little legs are so chewed up. Even the insect repellents don't work for him. I guess he's just too sweet! ;)

I was headed out back to take a pic of my tomato plants when I came across this little guy.

He was high-tailing it into the house so I moved him over to the deck railing. Before I had my lens cap off he was across the rail and crawling up the side of the house! Kiddo was screaming "Caterpillar come here, COME HERE!" and patting his leg. It was pretty cute.

Then I sat down again to attempt to photograph my tomato plant, and this "lady" plopped right on my leg. He was not too eager to go - and even when I nudged him off my pants, he flew right back to the same spot. I guess he liked the contrast in color!

Finally though, I was able to get in a shot or two of my plants. I already have two tiny 'maters growing! Kiddo doesn't quite get what's going on yet, but he has really enjoyed helping me water every day. The poor plants are going to drown!

Do you see them? Hopefully the birds will leave them alone.

Well, I am off to bed now. I've been working on this post all day. *yawn* Good nite!

Until,

D :)

Just Because...

For some reason this has been on my mind lately, so I had to go look it up today. In my opinion this is one of the funniest 6 minutes of Frasier EVER!

Enjoy!


More Later,
D :)

I'll Be Seeing You Again

Hello my bloggy friends! It has been a busy weekend, and I am just now getting some quiet computer time to put down my thoughts. My parents left this morning (rather early I must say) and we had so much fun with them. Kiddo absolutely adored his Nana and Big Daddy (thank goodness) and he has been asking for them all day since they left.

Kiddo really took to my parents this time. It was such a relief because in the past he has been so slow to warm to them. Usually by the time they leave he is just starting to get affectionate and it makes for an awfully stressful visit. But this time, he was all a flutter when they came in the door, and instantly adhered to them in the quest to play with every toy he owns. My poor dad had a hard time getting down and back up again off the floor to play "trains" and "cars" and "robot". It was amusing though to see him interacting with Kiddo. It very much brought back memories of my own childhood. The first full day we attempted some shopping (in the pouring rain mind you) and I really thought Kiddo did well, considering how much we made him walk. The second day of shopping was harder, but only because we lost track of time and he was starving. Oh the fits that we witnessed; oh the agony of the Kiddo and those around him! It was not so much fun.

While we were out I was able to finally select some plants for a beginning vegetable garden. I now have 3 varieties of tomato, 2 colors of bell pepper and a butternut squash plant stretching out their achy roots into warm, moist, stinky dirt in large pots in my back yard. I'll keep you posted on my gardening adventures for sure. Kiddo certainly enjoys watering the leafy greens daily.

One of the great things about my parents visiting us is the food. I know, it's a strange thing to say, but the 'rents totally love eating out. I am more than happy to cook for them, but they usually insist we eat out at almost every given opportunity while they visit. Thankfully this time though, my mom didn't bother trying to wake us up at the crack-of-you-know-who to get us to go to breakfast (we REALLY appreciate that Mom, thank you!). Instead, one of the mornings they were here they brought us doughnuts!! Remember the blueberry cake doughnut fiasco of a day? Yeah, well I finally got to indulge in those delights along with some kolaches. (Hubby also indulged me on my birthday) YUM, YUM! While the parents were here we also got to check out a local Mexican food place and do a birthday crab legs celebration at Red Lobster. woo hoo! It takes so little to get me excited I swear.

So, in the next few days I will be detoxing from rich restaurant food with lots of salad greens and water. I already have a chicken thawing for the crock pot. We start round three of our family visit marathon on Thursday when Aunt A and Uncle W join G&H here in town. Poor little Kiddo, he isn't going to know what to do when the fam stops coming to see him for a while. Even today and yesterday he was expecting G&H to walk in at any moment. I guess he's getting used to seeing them pretty often.

I planted some bulbs in the front flower beds today. Our grass is coming in really well now. Maybe sometime in the near future it will actually look like someone cares for our poor little house.

So, I just needed to update you all. I know you've been anxiously waiting! ;) I apologize if this is a bit choppy - Kiddo is intermittently tantruming. Ahh to be 2 years old....

Until,
D :)