Peoples, Places and Things

Lorelle's Birthday Cake

2010-09-03T13:58:00.011-05:00

Lorelle's 7th birthday is on Sunday. My sister is being TOTALLY AWESOME and making her birthday cake this year. I have requested some "in the process of making" pictures and the lovely thing that she is (and I say this with all the sarcasm possible....I LOVE YOU) sent me these....

Fridays are GOOD!!!

2010-02-26T09:07:00.002-06:00

I think I have one more reason to LOVE Fridays.....BREAKFAST TACOS!!! Every Friday morning now....and they are GOOD!!!! Mmm mmm, love me some bean& cheese. The only down side, leaves me wanting more Sat - Thur!

A Brand New Time

2010-02-25T10:05:00.002-06:00

Life has definitely changed around our household! I have started work with a new company. And surprise of all surprises...I have a normal person's working day! This is the first time in almost 8 years that I've worked a regular daytime schedule. It's a little bit strange I have to say! But I do enjoy not being completely exhausted. It's still a long day though. I'm up by 6 and spend the first hour of my day getting myself and the kids ready (it's always a bit of a rush!). Then once we all get home again it's rushing to get dinner cooked, bathes taken, stories read and off to bed. But we're adjusting and trying to make the most of what little time we do have during the week. Lorelle has been a doll and really stepped up with helping around the house. She's taking on all kinds of chores and responsibilities - and it's mostly unasked. She has just decided in her precious head that this is what she needs to do to help out and it's great! Lorelle is okay with Mommy having a new job, she doesn't miss me quite as much. But then she's busy with school for a good part of the day. Tyler on the other hand is having a really tough time. He's used to Mommy pretty much always being around and now suddenly I'm away from him for about 11 hours a day. And that's tough on a little guy!

2010-01-11T11:12:00.007-06:00

On Saturday night we decided to go out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. Lorelle decided that this would be a perfect excuse for her to be"FANCY". So Lorelle went through her closet and then I had to go through my makeup drawer and jewelry boxes. Since she was getting "FANCY", Tyler had to join in on the fun. I will say it's kinda funny how different Tyler and Lorelle interpret "FANCY". It was all very cute and fun! I also played around with some color settings on my camera.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T21:38:00.016-06:00

For Christmas 2009 we traveled up to Arkansas to be with Clint's family at his mother's house. We had a great, enjoyable time!

1) Lorelle and Tyler in their Christmas Puppy Jammies

2) Lorelle got a visit from both Santa and the Tooth Fairy on Christmas Eve

3) The kids first White Christmas

4) Lorelle with Karl and in the background hiding is Goldie (Grandma's sister) and Great-Grandma Hazel Peoples

5) Tyler patiently waiting in anticipation

6) Lori and Karl - love this picture!

7) Tyler posing for someone else I guess with his Toy Story puzzle

8) Lorelle specifically asked Daddy for some weights because she was "to be fit and be in shape."

9) Mema (Joyce) sure seems excited about her gift!

10) I wish the camera had clicked about a second earlier. Ron just took a bite of a Sour Patch kid and that Sour really got him, now he's just to the sweet gummie part! boo!

11) Not only does Grandma make quilts, but occassionally she gets 'em as gifts.

12) Wait, what? Is Clint playing with a doll?!?!?!

13) Our Family, December 25, 2009

14) Uncle Jason cuddling a sleepy-boy Tyler

15) I think this is just a great picture of these cousins: Kolby Peoples and Preston Ary

Darnall Family Christmas

2010-01-04T21:10:00.014-06:00

On December 19th The Peoples and Allred families got together with Momma D and Pop D for a Family Christmas Celebration. As usual the kids: Logan, Lorelle, Tyler and Mckayla are always excited to get together and play. And then you throw in a bunch of gifts for everyone and it turns into a GREAT time! So here are the pictures:

1) Logan and Lorelle - Lorelle's like "see how much I'm loved!"

2) Mckayla, Relley, Tyler - "We weren't doing anything"
3) Me and Mckayla - she was originally smiling, but as soon as the picture took, someone called her name and she got this face, so now it just makes it look like I scare the crap outta her - I promise I don't!!!

4) Pawpaw and Tyler

5) I think Mckayla likes her Diamond Castle Barbie

6) Logan "might" be excited about her Littlest Pet Shop pets, but I just can't tell!!!

7) Pawpaw spilled his drink - we all saw it....it DID happen!

8) Tyler LOVES his "quilt" from Mawmaw. I cannot get him to call it an afghan....it's a QUILT!

9) I don't know why Charly's excited that a Lion is eating her hand, but she is!

10) Lorelle loving her Reindeer Rubber Ducky (p.s. Lorelle LOVES her most special and best Aunt Charly!)

11) This was the first gift that Tyler opened. It is a Toy Story book/Doodlepad. He would have just been happy receiving this and nothing else. He was upset because we MADE him put it down and open other gifts. But this was go-to toy the whole night. Thank-you Aunt Charly and family!

2010-01-02T16:09:00.007-06:00

The last week of school before Christmas vacation the kids and I stayed busy with several activities. Lorelle had an Around The World Fashion Show, Tyler had a Christmas Party, Lorelle performed at Dance Class and then Lorelle had a Christmas Party. So here are several pictures that were taken right before the holidays.

For Lorelle's Around the World Fashion Show she selected Japan and MawMaw was wonderful enough to dress her up in all her memorabilia from Japan. Lorelle even got to have a sleepover ON a school night at MawMaw's house so that she could get ready. I think she was almost more excited about the sleepover than the fashion show.

Tyler's is part of a Mother's Day Out pre-school 2 days a week and at their Christmas Party they exchanged books as gifts. He was very happy with his Gingerbread Boy book.

And then for Lorelle's dance class she danced to 2 Christmas Songs. The Ballet song was Santa Claus is Coming To Town and the Tap number was Winter Wonderland. And she LOVES her teacher Miss Lindsey

Then on Friday, Lorelle had her Christmas Party at school. Tyler loves it when he gets to go to Lorelle's classroom, especially now that all the kids in her class know his name and they include him in their stuff and love to show him around. One of her best friends in school is Chloe. Lorelle has the BEST teacher, Ms. Burris. And she LOVES her. She actually cried when I took her home about 20 minutes early, before school got out because she wasn't going to see Ms. Burris for 2 and 1/2 weeks.

Sleepover

2009-12-12T11:54:00.011-06:00

Lorelle had a sleepover guest last night. We love it when Avery is able to come over and spend time at our house. Since Lorelle is in school and the girls don't get to spend as much time together as they did last year, I don't have to plan alot of activities because they'll just entertain themselves. Last night they were Cheerleaders.

Lorelle was a DCC (Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader)

Avery whooped it up for Marshall University! Needless to say it was very loud in the house.

After a YUMMY dinner of roasted chicken, potatoes, stuffing and greenbeans we all settled in for the movie 'Horton Hears A Who'. It was very cute. I hadn't seen it before. The kids were tired enough by the end of the movie it wasn't long til they were crashed.

This morning consisted of baths and breakfasts.

And then we decided to make some Christmas cookies - some more YUMMY stuff! All in all I think we've had a successful sleepover.

Buda Winterfest Parade/Performance

2009-12-05T18:19:00.011-06:00

Lorelle is taking a dance class in Buda, a town just north of us. She is in a tap, ballet and gymnastics combo class and she just LOVES it. And besides being a little biased - she honestly is one of the best in her class! :-)

This Winterfest performance was the second they've had. Lorelle was able to do 2 dances because she started out in a Friday night class where they learned a ballet dance to "Where Are You Christmas" by Faith Hill from The Grinch.

Then we moved her to a Thursday night class recently and she learned "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". But first, she was able to take part of the parade. While I was standing with her at the trailer/float, they told us since they didn't have alot of people on the floats, Tyler and I could ride along. So Tyler was very excited that he got to be a part of it. So we made sure to wave at Clint (though he didn't see us cause he was on the wrong side) and at MawMaw and Pawpaw. And we were very excited that Sheila showed up for the dance performance even though Avery wasn't with her. And of course to end the morning, we couldn't help but stop and say hi to Santa and Mrs. Claus! :-) Mrs. Claus was very very neat and very into her part! :-)

Christmas Decorating

2009-12-05T18:11:00.004-06:00

So last year I kinda dropped the ball a little on decorating for Christmas. I think I got the tree out about 2 days before Christmas. So this year I knew I needed to get on the ball. So I was able to get the tree out the first week of December this year - YAY!!! I ended up doing it while Lorelle was at school, but she was alright with it because she's been hoping that when she got home from school the house would be decorated. So Tyler helped me and then Lorelle got to do a couple of things once she did get home.

Summer's Coming

2009-04-24T14:16:00.010-05:00

Summer's coming back to Texas! The other day it was in the 90s so the kids decided they wanted to play in the sprinkler. Lorelle has just been waiting for when she could wear her new bathing suit that the Easter Bunny got her. Lorelle loves getting wet in the sprinkler. Tyler pretty much avoids the water, but loved wearing his new Lightning McQueen shorts and his McQueen crocs.

Wild Things

2009-04-08T15:42:00.007-05:00

I LOVE baby birds! I remember living in Missouri (ages 6-9), walking home from school one day and finding a bird nest with Robin eggs. I thought they were sooo cool. And then in Virginia we had a couple of baby birds that I kept an eye on until they hatched. Same thing in California and my folks house here in Texas. Well last year, a momma bird (I believe she is a Sparrow) decided to build a next on our back porch next to the porch light. At first I didn't know what the heck was going on. I had opened the door one night either to let Titan out or in, I had stepped on the back porch and something almost dive bombed my head. That was when I first saw the nest. The next morning I went out and climbed the ladder that was outside and peaked in, sure enough...baby eggs. I told Clint and Lorelle about 'em. And made sure to always very carefully go outside and to try to not disturb Momma. When you walk outside she flies away very quickly, but never too far. Usually to rest in the tree that is sticking out of our concrete back porch, a patio chair or the closest tree across the yard. It was only right before the babies hatched that she got used to me enough to stay in the nest and not fly away. But I try to respect her and go outside as little as possible if I know she is there.

Titan also got used to her. He would bark at other birds that tried to come close to the porch. It's amazing what animals will do for each other. I did not think after Momma had her babies last year and when they flew the nest that it would ever be used again. Now, I don't know that it is the same Momma - but it's the same kind of bird with the exact same patterns so in my mind it's Momma. I was so excited to see her back this year. And this year I got pictures!!! I don't know how I didn't manage to get any last year.

Also while I was out taking pictures, I noticed a "rock" sitting on top of a patio chair...turns out it wasn't...it was a cute little toad! Mister Lizard was out on the rain gutter too, but by the time I got around the getting his picture apparently I'd taken too long to acknowledge him so he left.

But here are my wild things! Including the WILDEST of them all!!!!

The Best Family

2009-04-08T15:10:00.009-05:00

Can I just say that I have the best family EVER!!! I have LOVED getting to hang out with my family lately. We have had a bunch of fun!

Mini Me turns into Mini DCC

2009-04-08T14:07:00.022-05:00

She's only 5 years old and already her dreams are coming true! A couple years ago Lorelle began watching Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team with me. She LOVED it! She knew the girls by name and would try to copy the dances and everytime we drive through Dallas she wants to stop and see them. Well on March 28th, she became one...well for a day anyway! My sister (wonderful woman that she is) informed me of a DCC Clinic and performance with the San Antonio Rampage (minor league hockey). After looking into it I decided to go ahead and sign Lorelle up and invited Logan to join us. I was bummed that both Lorelle's friend AVery and her cousin Mckayla were too young because I think all would've enjoyed it. So the Friday night before the kids and I headed down to San Antonio to spend the night. We had to be at the clinic at 8:15 and there was NO WAY I was going to get up early enough to make that 1 hour drive in the AM. I figured everyone would enjoy it more if we played friday night (the kids in the room with toys, the adults with the Settlers/Seafarers of Catan) and then only had a 15 minute drive in the morning. The girls were soooo adorable and so excited. Unfortunately my sister was not able to join us due to other commitments. But she told me to take ALOT of pictures. Not wanting to disappoint, when Casey pulled the pictures off my camera after the clinic there were like 160. And that was AFTER I'd deleted the really bad/fuzzy ones. For the performance in the evening at the game, my parents and Tyler joined us. (There I only took like 80 pictures!)

The cheerleaders were so good with the kids. Many times I caught Logan and Lorelle just gazing adoringly up at them.

During the registration while they were getting all the kids in their groups, Lorelle's group played Duck, Duck, Goose. Poor Miss Lorelle fell. Well, I shouldn't really say "poor" because then she got to sit in the middle cuddled up with a cheerleader! Meanwhile, Logan was schmoozing with another cheerleader.

The girls were so cute learning their dance. Lorelle pretty much got every move, but she didn't make 'em in time to the beat. (It was a litle fast for their age) But they sure were trying! The hard part was as a parent, I had to sit behind glass windows so alot of the pictures are a bit fuzzy.

After the clinic the parents were able to come out and take pictures. The girls got t-shirts for the performance and the cheerleaders signed the back of 'em. So I got a bunch of individual pictures. They were also provided with an 8x10 glossy with autographs of the Performance Group. The girls were so cute at the actual performance. First, look in the picture above. All the other children are facing the parents. Notice Lorelle and Logan - they're not facing us. It took a second to set 'em straight.

There were 2 cheerleaders posted, one on each corner. Leave it to our girls to look at the one furthest away for directions! I video taped the performance with my digital camera and even got a little wave during the performance. Again, since it was a hockey game and we wer in the stands, we were sitting behind plexiglass so the pictures aren't perfectly clear. But we were sitting in the first row. The poor girls were so exhausted by the start of the hockey game. Both laid their heads down during the first period, I know for sure that Lorelle even took a little nap. I on the other hand did not.

You might be surprised to know this, but I LOVE being at live hockey games!!! Don't care for 'em on tv, but love 'em live! There so much excitement. Tyler got real into it also. I think he liked all the movement and sounds. And to top it off, The Rampage won!!!! Before the start, I didn't know how long we would stay with the little kids...well, us adults made 'em suck it up when they were ready to leave! We were having too much fun. We were 5 rows away from the ice and right next to the Rampage penalty box - perfect seats. And to get to our seats, you had to go through the "Spurs and Saddles Club" area...which is FANCY for a stadium! Mom and I were joking that this experience has ruined any other games that we might go to where we are in the carpeted area with private bathrooms! haha All in all we had a FABULOUS time! And Lorelle tells me everyday (and most people she sees) that when she grows up she is going to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader!

Tyler's 3!!!

2009-04-08T12:13:00.009-05:00

Yes, I can't believe it...my baby boy is 3!!! (Yeah whatever, I know I'm a month late - deal with it!) We had a very fun birthday - though it was a bit rushed. I got home from West Virginia on Friday, March 6th, his actual birthday. And wonderful airlines that they are....got us delayed for several hours. (Equipment failure...makes ya feel safe huh!) So instead of getting home at 4pm so we could have a birthday dinner. I got home after 9pm. And then we had his birthday part on Saturday evening.

His theme was Thomas the Train (Sometime referred to as Thomas the Tank Engine). I was going to choose something else, but Clint found this AMAZING gift online and got a smokin' deal. It's a Thomas that toddlers can actually ride on a set of tracks!!! To say the least, it was THE hit of the party! Tyler would drag me out to the driveway where it was set up all day and night long just so he could ride...even abandoning his party and guests.

We were lucky to have a ton of friends and family join us for the event, even Clint's mother who lives in Arkansas was in town. Tyler LOVES having his cousins, both the girls and the boys around.

His uncles enjoying playing with his new bright red tractor.

He got a BEAUTIFUL quilt from MawMaw! And of course all the other cool boy toys you could think of: cars, trains, construction trucks, baseball hats, Handy Manny, CARS.

Because I didn't get home when expected, I didn't have the time I needed to make the perfect cake. Tyler still got a Thomas cake, but it's definitely "goofy" looking. But Tyler knew what it was and was very excited about it so I guess that's all that matters!

And he may have made a little bit of a mess eating his cake!

West Virginia

2009-04-08T11:25:00.012-05:00

Alright...I have alot of lost time to make up for. So I will start back in March with my trip to West Virginia. I was originally going to visit my great-grandfather, Papa Sayre for what was probably going to be the last time, but unfortunately he passed away 2 days before I left. But, what worked out was that I was able to be out there for his funeral. As he was such a wonderful part of our lives, I was humbled to represent my side of the family there and share a letter that my grandmother (his daughter) had written. He was a wonderful man who shared anything and everything with everyone, family or not. I remember that when we would go visit, even if he couldn't buy you a present he would just take something off his shelves and give it to you because he didn't want you to walk away empty handed! And I remember he used to keep Ding-Dongs and Diet Riet in his fridge for a snack. But one of the best things was his front porch swing! You could just sit for hours on that thing and never once get bored. He is the reason I have a swing on my front porch. And everytime I sit on it I think of Papa Sayre. One thing I had to make sure of, I HAD to eat at a Bob Evans while in West Virginia. That is where Papa Sayre always took us to eat.

It was kind of a bittersweet moment to be eating at Bob Evans without Papa Sayre, but don't worry, I was not alone! I was able to eat with my two WONDERFUL aunts: Aunt Alicia and Aunt Carolyn. These are my Dad's sisters. While I was in WV, my Aunt Alicia was gracious enough to open her home to me so I was able to spend most of my time with her. My twin Uncles: Ed and Earl live just 2 houses away so I was able to visit with them quite a bit. Alicia and the twins are related through my Dad's mother, Beulah. Aunt Carolyn is my dad's sister from his father, Walter. I guess Alicia and Carolyn hadn't seen each other since they were teenagers so for them it was interesting to meet again after all these years. At the dinner was also my cousin Melinda and her family. I always though Melinda was the coolest person, you know....I was a little kid and she was this cool teenager and later college-age person, so hip and trendy! And I thought she had the coolest name! So it was very neat to visit.

While on my trip I wanted to do some other fun/site-seeing things. So one day Alicia, Ed and Earl took me to see the Marshall University Memorial. If you've seen the movie (We Are Marshall) or maybe you just know the events - a plane crash that killed most of the Marshall Football team, coaches, crew members and others that occurred in the 1970's. So we went to the crash site where they have a memorial, the memorial fountain on campus and the cemetery. In the movie I don't think you get an accurate idea of how close the crash site is to the airport...we are driving down this road and on the left is the turn for the airport. Not even a mile down is a 2nd left and that is where you turn to get to the site. For me I think that is the saddest part, that they were so close.

After buying up some Marshall University gear, Alicia took us out to a wonderful old-style Pharmacy and Soda Shop: Griffith & Feil Pharmacy. Good food, good atmosphere, good service, GREAT COMPANY! I even got free post cards, which my sister loves me for because I give them to her for her collection.

Another afternoon, I was able to have lunch with my Uncle Ed. That was very nice - I was able ask questions, hear stories and learn more about my Dad's side of the family. Not to mention just being able to have lunch with my Uncle who is awesome!

I felt very loved while I was out there! And though part of the reason I was there was kind of sad, I was so glad I was able to make it. I hadn't been back to WV since I was 15 years old, and let me tell you, it hadn't changed....from Big Boy right down to the Pink Elephant it was the same as I remembered!!! And a speacial Thank-You to my family in West Virginia for making Wonderful Memories!!! XOXOXO

Things about Me (I was tagged! Thanks Jenni!)

2009-02-11T01:07:00.004-06:00

Things about Me:

8 Favorite TV Shows

FRIENDS
What Not To Wear
How I Met Your Mother
Priviledged
Scrubs
Whose Line Is It Anyway
Rita Rocks
The Bachelor

8 Things I did yesterday:

Slept In
Laundry
Watched Nanny 911
Took a Nap with Tyler
Made dinner
Gave Titan a bath
Work
Watched Cartoons with Tyler

8 Things I look forward to

getting to sleep
every weekend
Tyler's birthday in March
going to the gym to lose weight
finishing Clint's quilt
getting new bedroom furniture
getting Netflix in the mail
going on Vacation

8 Favorite Restaurants:

Herbert's Taco Hut
BJ's bistro and microbrewery
Cafe on the Square
Chili's
Mamacita's
Kobe Sushi and Steakhouse
Olive Garden
Rob's Cancun Fajita Hut

8 Things on my wish-list

someone to do my hair and makeup everyday (besides me!)
a bigger house with more storage closets
vacation to Hawaii
my sister living closer
eat ice cream and not gain weight
a soundproof room to read a book and not be interrupted
a house that never got dirty
healthy well adjusted children throught-out their lives

A Great Weekend

2009-02-11T00:43:00.002-06:00

I had a GREAT weekend! My best friend, Heather that I have known since 7th grade, flew in from Virginia. We have not seen each other since her wedding in November of 2006. We only had Friday, Saturday and Sunday to hang out before she flew back home on Monday. We decided since she flew into San Antonio we'd go check out the Alamo and the Riverwalk. And since my sister and her family live in San Antonio we invited them to join us. So, after the kids and I picked up Heather from the airport, we picked up Charly and Mckayla and met Casey at a local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Logan didn't join us because she was in school! :-( Charly has been telling me about this place and their nachos for about a year now so we figured it's be a good time to try 'em. And yes, they were very good. After lunch, Casey went back to work and I dropped off Charly and Mckayla who went to pick up Logan. Then we headed downtown to the Alamo and got to wander around. After our time downtown, Charly and Casey made us a yummy pancake breakfast. Once we got home, we were all ready for bed. And luckily, Saturday morning everyone felt like sleeping in. Once we finally got up and going we decided to grab lunch at Herberts Taco Hut. Another reason I LOVE Heather so much! You see...Herbert's is this little 'hole in the wall' Taco Hut that many of my family can't believe I actually like. So I was going to be good and not take Heather there again. (She went when she was out here for my wedding in 2002.) But, Heather was the one saying: "Hey...do you remember that little mexican restaurant you took us too. I was wondering if we could go there again." So um, yeah! haha. After lunch we went to Mom's place so Heather could see the parents AND the puppies. Saturday evening my parents talked us into going to one of their church socials, a bbq dinner and dance. I figured if we went than they'd babysit afterwards and we'd get to go out. So we went and had fun with the family, the kids LOVED dancing with everyone. Well, that is until Tyler fell asleep on my Dad's lap and those two didn't get to dance anymore. After shipping off the kids to the grandparents, Heather and I went out dancing at Midnight Rodeo in Austin. Some nice adult time where we got to catch up some more. Clint got home from out of town early Sunday morning so he and Heather were at least able to see each other for a couple hours. In fact, they got sucked into watching America's Next Top Model marathon on the Oxygen channel while I was taking my nap before work! (Suckers!) It was sad to see Heather leave on Monday morning, but I guess at some point we all have to get back to real life. But it was nice having a break, if only for a quick weekend.

Good Night

2009-02-05T04:36:00.003-06:00

My sister and I have always been accused of talking out loud while we sleep. Especially if we are sleeping in the same room. Well, tonight while Lorelle was sleeping in my bed she spouted out: "...it's called Kyle Tx, Homestead Rd." The funniest part was that she said it in a very condescending tone, like excuse me...why are you wasting my time! Amazing how kids can make you laugh even when they're sleeping.

Tyler went to sleep early tonight. I think he was crashed out by 9:30. Which is quite amazing for either of my kids. Due to my schedule, they usually go to bed quite a bit later. The only problem being that he was wide awake by 4:30 this morning. Well...maybe he'll take an early nap late this morning while I'm trying to sleep.

Bonjour!

2009-02-02T22:39:00.002-06:00

I have 2 FABULOUS nieces! Somewhere along the way, my oldest niece Logan has developed a passion for Paris. Because of this, I have tried to find some great Paris/Eiffel Tower gifts. Well, last weekend before heading down to San Antonio I had to stop at Target (yeah...i just HAD too!). While I was heading to the register I saw out of the corner of my eye an Eiffel Tower. I found that it was a cute cute t-shirt. So I quickly grabbed one in Logan's size knowing that she would LOVE it! I love being able to buy cute things for my girls!!! They are the best!

Tea Party

2009-01-29T22:39:00.004-06:00

Miss Lorelle is ALWAYS begging to have a tea party ever since my sister gave her a beautiful ceramic tea set for her birthday a couple years ago. So tonight, after being a little bit upset since her Daddy has gone out of town again today she asked to have a tea party. So I being the AWESOME Mom that I am (not humble....AWESOME!) set it up for her. She had little bunny shaped peanut butter and honey sandwhiches and pink gatorade tea. Invited was her "sister" Rose.... Yes that's right, I said "sister". Lorelle has decided that it's time for her to have a sister. And since Mommy has denied her that, she has created her own - as seen in the picture. Last night she wantd to take "sister" with her out to dinner. But she didn't want to just hold her, she wanted to put her in a bag. She didn't have any purses big enough and her backpacks were too big. Finally I found the perfect item...a real baby front pack. I got it all cinched so it was small enough around her body and sure enough, she wore it the whole time. In the truck, walking, at the table, it was quite adorable. At least I know that if I ever lose my mind and have another child I will have bunches of help.

Hairstyling

2009-01-28T00:45:00.002-06:00

My dear sister has a certain wish...to have a boy that she can give a mohawk too. I DO have a boy, but I've never been one for the mohawk look. Usually the only time Tyler has one is when he has spent the night at his Aunt Charly's house. And the pictures they take are very adorable. He always has the biggest smile. Well tonight while Clint was taking a bath, Tyler started playing with his wet hair, giving his dad a mohawk. Then of course he wanted one himself. Since I was feeling indulgent I went his hair, added some gel and worked up a great "Do". As you can see, he was happy with it. (P.S. I was kind and took Clint out of the picture)

Kids Make You Laugh

2009-01-27T05:39:00.003-06:00

Lorelle cracks me up! She talks ALL the time. I am so not exaggerating...ALL THE TIME!!! Even when no one else is listening, there she is talking out loud. While I was cooking dinner, Clint and I were trying to talk about our days. He had stuff going on with work and I had run errands and gotten my nails done with Lorelle. But we could hardly concentrate on what the other was saying because Lorelle was in there just chatting up a storm. We had asked her several times to be quiet. Finally Clint jsut looked at her and said: "Lorelle, will you EVER shut up?" She stopped, looked up at him and responded: "Ummmm, about a minute after I stop talking."

SERIOUSLY!!!! How funny is that! Clint and I completely busted up laughing. It was hysterical. How in the world do they come up with these things. And of course we knew it made complete logical sense and I think that's why I was so great. Of course while we're laughing Lorelle is just looking at us like we are crazy. Oh well, I guess we all have our moments!

Then later that night, Tyler had his own episode. You see, Lorelle is totally in The Justice League. She loves to stay up until 10 to watch it on BOOM network. Well, Tyler of course has been sucked in. So his new thing is to run around the house yelling "Da Da Duh" in the superhero pose with one hand on the hip and one fist in the air. He has also learned how to strike a pose as if he's starting to run - you know the one, twisted torse, one knee up and bent, both elbows cocked. So again, Clint and I are talking and Tyler starts to interrupt, yelling "Da Da Duh". He strikes his "run-away" pose and right as he starts to take off, Clint grabs his back elbow and totally takes him off his feet. He was completely shocked, like hey...what the heck happened. The only thing I could think of was watching a cartoon where a character is running and suddenly there is no more ground.

How I wish I could have had a video camera today!

Home

2009-01-24T00:43:00.003-06:00

I am home!!! It is so good to be home! I cannot wait to crawl into my comfy bed with my fleece sheets tonight. And I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. I figure the kids will be so happy to be playing with all their toys they won't bother me until at least 930 or 10 AM.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

2009-01-22T01:18:00.003-06:00

Once again it is raining. I do not believe that Arizona is a dry, arid desert. Every time that I have been in Arizona, it has rained. And I'm not talking about a light drizzle....not I'm talking about RAIN!

Phoenix

2009-01-20T20:18:00.003-06:00

This week has been a little slow. We are out in Phoenix right now. We came out for the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Az. Clint and I had a good time out there on Saturday and Sunday. While I was not too interested in the actual auction occurring, it was still amazing to see what kind of money people are willing to spend on cars. I did enjoy walking around all the tents and looking at the cars: 1920 and 30 models are so smooth, 1970 Corvettes, a sunrise red Lambourghini Diablo. Those of course making me wish I had that kind of money! Besides that, there were alot of vendors with some pretty cool stuff like paintings, jewelry, brass sculptures. Pretty much anything you could think of. I don't know if it's something that we will ever come to again but at least I can now say "Been there, Done that!"

While we were at the auction, the kids stayed home with their cousins, Erin and Kolby. Lorelle and Erin are the only 2 girls on this side of the family so it is something very special for them to get together. They just adore each other! Erin is 18 so there is a 13 year age gap, but Erin does not mind at all that Lorelle just wants to follow her around and be where she is. Kolby is fantastic with the kids too, something you might not expect from a 14 year old boy. Tyler LOVES being around all the males. Ron and Clint come from the exact same mold, look alike, act alike, dress alike. So Tyler thinks it's just cool that he's there wearing his baseball hat, t-shirt and jeans just like the big boys.

I have been able to connect to work at night so I have not had to take any vacation. And with it being Mountain Time, I get off work at 5AM so I am able to get a little extra sleep during the day which is very nice. I might get spoiled out here and decide to move it! haha

And through it all, there has been plenty of time to visit with family, which is always enjoyable. Like I said earlier, Clint and Ron are so much alike, it's kind of funny because Lana (my sister-in-law) and I are so much alike people have often thought that we are sisters. So us girls and guys have had a good time going back and forth with each other!

Davidson Canyon

2009-01-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

Once again, I have made it back to the beginning of the earth! Or at least the beginning as my Dad is known to have told tall tales about. This location is Davidson Canyon in Arizona. Clint, myself and the kids headed out to Phoenix this weekend to spend a week. Clint had originally planned to come to hang out with his brother for the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction and it evolved into a family vacation. Luckily for me, my work can travel as long as I have internet and a phone available. The kids were fantastic on the drive out. They didn't get a lot of sleep Wednesday night, which turned out to be a good thing because they slept a bunch during the ride on Thursday. I made sure to pack Lorelle's Tinkerbell backpack with Barbies, Tinkerbell dolls, My Little Ponies, Magnetic Paper Dolls and a couple of books. Tyler's Cars backpack is packed with his Disney Cars, tractors, farm animals and a couple of books. After dinner the kids became a little restless so we watched Barbie The Island Princess and we started Cars, but the kids feel asleep not even 20 minutes into it. In Arizona, we passed by Davidson Canyon. I have travelled this stretch of road more times than I can count and always keep an eye out for the small little road sign indicating this location. Though most people would probably not ever notice it, I have heard about Davidson Canyon my whole life. My Dad theorizes that this was the beginning of the Earth. And though I rolled my eyes while hearing all the stories before, I can't wait until I can start telling my kids about my Dad's theory.

2009-01-16T00:03:00.002-06:00

While I have been sick, Lorelle has been the biggest help and has tried to take care of me as much as possible. On Wednesday morning, after I had been up most of the night, and before I needed to head to the doctor, she woke up and made breakfast for herself, Tyler and myself. Usually making breakfast for herself and Tyler consists of dry cereal in a plastic bowl. This time she decided to up it a notch. She toasted eggos AND provided frosted flakes. And not only did she make me breakfast, but I got breakfast in bed. She brought me her Dora plate with the eggo and the frosted flakes (yes...cereal on a plate, that was new for me!).

She has also enjoyed helping me with my eye drops. You see, Tyler was kind enough to catch Pink Eye and share it with both Lorelle and now myself. I just can't give myself eye drops. To put something into my eye is just unnatural. So Lorelle has decided that since I gave her and Tyler eye drops, she will give them to me. And she is very good about getting them into the right spot.

Tyler on the other hand, while I have been sick, has been very good about making messes, but then that's what he does when I'm well too. I think it's a boy thing - let's just get into EVERYTHING!!! For a couple days while I was pretty much bedridden, Tyler had found 2 packages of red hot cinnamons, opened them and spread them all over the living room, foyer and dinning room. Even Titan (the dog) was like "No way! I'm not eating those things!" Luckily the vacuum does not care about the flavor of items.

An Officer and A Gentleman

2009-01-08T03:18:00.002-06:00

I watched An Officer and A Gentleman, with Richard Gere, tonight. It was alright. At least now I can say that I've officially seen it. But I must say, I think I will stick with FRIENDS The One With The Chicken Pox if I want to see a man in a naval uniform sweep a girl off her feet!

Just The Girls

2009-01-07T02:48:00.002-06:00

I got a chance to hang out with Lorelle and my niece Logan on Saturday for a couple hours. They had spent the night at my parents house while Tyler and my little niece Mckayla were having a sleepover at my sister's house. After I picked up the girls from my parents we stopped at Target to buy some stuff and I could not pass up some cute outfits. The girls decided they wanted twin outfits. After we took some pictures, Lorelle was picked up by her little friend, Avery for a sleepoever at Avery's house. I then took Logan home to San Anotonio. I got to hang out with my sister and have a YUMMY dinner. Though I must say, I did not get a warm welcome from Tyler. As soon as he saw me he was like "UHHHH" pointed to the door and said "GO". I was just a tad hurt! I was expecting something more like "MOM!" And a great big hug...crazy mom what was I thinking!

A Start To The New Year

2009-01-01T21:10:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!!!!! Welcome 2009. I think today has pretty much summed up what our up coming year will be like. Clint left for out of town again today. The kids were a little bummed so I took them out to dinner today. Lorelle is on a big kick about loving ribs so we went to Texas Roadhouse. Mmmm - so good! She decided since we were going on a "Mommy/Daughter/Son Date" so we had to get dressed up. She has a sparkly red dress-up dress that she LOVES to wear. And she got some new dangly earrings to match which she thinks are so cool because they ting whenever she moves. And she decided since she was all dressed up that I would need to dress up too. So I wore a red sparkly shirt that I bought for a Christmas party and my new red high heels....LOVE THEM!! Now we're just chillin'. I've been watching the What I Like About You marathon on the N.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T05:12:00.004-06:00

What a season this was. I had all kinds of aspirations of getting Christmas out and ready right after Thanksgiving - because I love all the magic that comes with the decorations. I remember very fondly helping my mom and dad decorating for Christmas. With Mom it was all the little knick-knacks. With Dad, he and I were in charge of getting out the tree and straightening the branches and putting on the lights before anything could be hung on it.

Unfortunately this year, I didn't get a chance to get out the tree until the week of Christmas. With Clint traveling, there just always seems to be so many other things that I get busy with. But we did have some decorations out around the house. And I was able to bake quite a bit. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I baked more than loaves of homemade Pumpkin bread than I remember. I also made a couple apple pies, pumpkin pies and even a cherry pie. And while I didn't get a chance to have the kids make and decorate sugar cookies, we did make chocolate chip cookies for Santa. I guess some is better than none! I have really started to enjoy making pies. My sister definitely makes the prettier pies, but I have started to embelish my crusts a little bit, this time with a cut out of an evergreen tree with snowflakes surrounding it. We get a tad whimsical in our family!

On the 19th I had my first grown up adult work party. Well, at least the first one that I went to. I haven't gone to any for Unisys. But since the company that Clint is working for is a very small one, we had to make an appearance. I was able to go shopping and buy a very cute red sparkly shirt and red heels. LOVE THEM!!! And while the party was what we in our family like to call "Mandatory Fun" it was still nice to out as adults. The kids stay the night with my parents.

On the 20th we celebrate our extended family Christmas at my parents house. Lukily Mom and Dad were running late because Mom forgot to turn on the oven in the morning to cook the turkey so I did have time to finish the pies and wrap presents. Clint had gotten into town just a couple days before and he decided Saturday morning that he would come to the grocery store with me - well we ended up spending too much time shopping that I almost didn't have enough time to finish everything else. We had a good time opening gifts with everyone. I was very satisfied with what I was able to find....travel games for Mom and Dad for their new travel trailer. A fish store gift certificate for Casey so that he can indulge in his new past time - salt water fish tank. Cake/Frosting books for my ever creative sister. A bath Ariel Barbie for my little princess Mckayla and a couture fashion Paris canvas for my "mini-me" Logan! :-) I really enjoy shopping for my nieces - their such girls that it's soooo much fun for me.

Christmas at our house was equally enjoyable. I was able to take 2 days off work so I had a total of 5 days to "relax". Christmas Eve Lorelle and I made cookies for Santa and set them out with his chocolate milk. We read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, the letters they had gotten from Santa (via my mom) and made sure to flash the lights before going to bed so that Santa would know the kids were asleep and he could come to our house. Luckily I wasn't up too late wrapping presents. I had wrapped all the gifts from Clint and I the night before. The only ones left to wrap were from Santa - because I had special wrapping paper that had picture of Santa on it to indicate those were the ones from him.

I believe Lorelle came to wake me up around 6:30 or 7:00 AM on Christmas morning....she was promptly told it was WAY to early to be awake yet. She finally convinced Clint and I to get out of bed around 8:15, but it was a struggle for us to get Tyler up. And I noticed so I went to go get Tyler that Lorelle had already dug into her stocking - oh well! The kids had quite and amazing Christmast - we may have gone a little overboard. Because Clint was traveling he asked me to take care of the shopping. And I did most of it, only waiting to buy a couple big things for the kids and jammies until he got back into town. Well then after he and I went together then he decided to go AGAIN. So they pretty much ended up with 3 Christmases! Oh well, if we can't spoil 'em at Christmas when can we?!?!? Among everything, Tyler got a Lightening McQueen and Mack set from CARS and a Thomas the Train train set. Lorelle got a Barbie Mermadia bath water park and her specifically requested "the Barbie Diamond Castle Barbie with the pink and orange dress". And of course a TON of clothes for both. Clint bought himself tools and I got him some blue ray dvds. I asked and got a bread maker - yes it may seem weird, but I've wanted one for years. And then a couple cds - Theory of a Dead Man, Papa Roach and Hinder.

For Christmas Day we had Clint's brother Karl and my Mom and Dad over. Mom wasn't feeling too well because of her untimely stay in the hospital at the beginning of the week so she chilled with Clint and Karl watching movies while I made dinner. Dad help set the table and then clean up - he's so good at picking a turkey! Then Dad and I helped both the kids learn how the skate on their new roller skates. Lorelle has been asking for skates for about a year and I knew I couldn't get her a pair without Tyler wanting them. And since both of them loved ice-skating for Logan's birthday in November, I knew they would enjoy the skates. And then did. Though when Lorelle came in the house she complained of her bum hurting from falling down. But all in all we had a very wonderful Christmas! Though I think the best part for me was the next several days of just laying around doing NOTHING!!! I hope everyone's Christmas was just as wonderful and magical!

Gangsters and Models

2008-12-17T14:33:00.005-06:00

Tyler finally perked up a little bit yesterday evening and decided to play. I was unpacking Clint's suitcase and he decided to have a little fashion show. Lorelle came in the room and decided to join him. She has been perfecting her pose.

Sickness and Health

2008-12-15T22:08:00.002-06:00

There seems to be alot more sickness going around than health these days at our house. The kids and I had colds a few weeks ago. Then Tyler came down sick on Friday night while Lorelle was at her friend's house. I figured I'd dope him up on medicine and see how he was on Saturday. Well, his fever just never went away all through the weekend (because of course it had to happen when the doctor's office is closed) and he continued coughing, sneezing, running nose - - all that fun stuff that mothers just love. Since Lorelle pretty much spent the whole weekend away from the house, either with her friend Avery or with her Grandparents and Aunt's family, Tyler and I were able to just chill in bed and take it easy. So Monday morning after I got off work I went ahead and stayed up so I could call the doctor's office as soon as they opened and got both the kids in for appointments. (Lorelle woke up with a sore throat.) The doctor said Lorelle's is just in the cold stage, but poor Tyler has the beginnings on pnemonia. They seemed pretty surprise that I caught it so early. But for me, knowing that he had a constant fever that never seemed to break since Saturday, I knew something was wrong. So after having to deal with a couple different pharmacies I was able to get his antibiotics. Thank goodness for my Dad!!! He knew I needed him! He called in the evening when I was trying to figure out if I should really take the kids back out in the 32 degree weather or wait until tomorrow, yet knowing that Tyler really needed to get started on his medication tonight. So he called to see what was going on with me and offered to come babysit the kids while I ran to the store. What a lifesaver!!!!! I do have to say there is one good thing about the whole day...unlike my sister's kids, mine get sick when Dad comes into town...not when he leaves town! HAHA :-)

New To The Game

2008-12-15T08:42:00.000-06:00

I know...I'm a little bit slow to the game. What can I say...my life is pretty much the same old routine week in and out so I never feel like I have much to say. But with this holiday season, I find we have been doing quite a bit more and I can't just depend on my sister to always mention what has been going on. (Even though she does a great job of it!) Once upon a time I used to journal daily so hopefully getting into the habit of making mundane days sound exciting won't be too hard.