A good Sunday!

It has seemed that for the last... well ... forever... all we have done is travel travel travel to either Lufkin or to Houston and this weekend, we STAYED HOME! What a wonderful thing! We didn't have to rush home on Friday... finish packing... get Joey fed and bathed and into his jam jams... and then loaded up in the car.. "did you remember to pack...?", load the dog, load the dog food... "Do we need to stop and get gas?" and then head off South or East only to arrive at 10:00 at night and then have an AWAKE toddler that we need to entertain for a couple of hours so that he finally crashes. :) Only to race back home again on Sunday to start the week all over again.

So... this weekend, we stayed home.












Oh yeah... the adorable hat in the picture above was knitted by my dear friend Amber of Ric Rac Baby... www.ricracbaby.com

It was wonderful. Although I do confess to LOVING being in Lufkin and in Houston because it usually means I get to sleep in, take naps and drink good wine. But, this weekend, I got to get my nails and toes done (sans baby) and then we had some great friends over for dinner. They brought their kids and it was such fun. There were six kids and six adults and the kids all played so well together and the husbands all played well together (ha!) and of course... us wives had a blast. And I even found out that one of them is a sorority sister...how crazy is THAT?

But we had great steaks, good wine and well... it's just so nice to have some new friends up here. For me, I am such a social creature that to not have friends... well, it's just foreign to me. Jason is fine with it... he loves his friends but he is really rather solitary... he enjoys people too... and enjoys getting together but it's not central to his being... you know? For me, it's essential... and I can't explain why that is to him. He doesn't understand. (men are from mars, women from venus). But, I just had such a great night and everyone left fairly early because of the kids... and shoot, I was in bed by 9:30. :)

Last weekend, I realized that I have pictures of Joey (d'uh), I have pictures of Joey and I... Jason and Joey... Jason and I... but none of the three of us, professionally taken. So, my friend Meg had some pictures in her signature on the Nest... and I asked her who had taken them. As luck would have it, Melissa Goldberg, had an opening today (Sunday) up in historic Grapevine and the timing (and lighting) could not have been better!













We were up and out the door by 7:30 am and headed to Grapevine to the railroad depot and they had just started to decorate for Christmas and it was perfect. It was cool but not too cold, light but not overly bright and Joe was in perfect spirits. As luck would also have it, I think that Melissa has a genius eye... she found some of the neatest spots for us to take pictures... and then we let Joe down to just be Joe and she captured his little mischevious comedian self doing what he does best... entertain.

There were wagons and train tracks, pumpkins and big wrapped presents. We laid in the grass, climbed under the wagon, cajoled, played and even tried bribery. :-} It was so much fun and I cannot WAIT to see the final product.

Afterwards... it was like 9:30 and we were all the way up in Grapevine... (which is about an hour away from our house)... what do we do now? We went to Bass Pro Shop... d'uh! ;) We wandered there and hoped to catch a glimpse of their Santa but he didn't arrive til Noon and so we looked at fish and a bunch of animals that used to be of the living persuasion... and I even got out of there without spending too much. ;)

We decided to go over to Grapevine mills and got inside when we decided that we just really weren't in a shopping mode... so we got a picture of Joey with Santa (there was no line) and we did a little bit of shopping and then loaded back up and headed for some lunch and then home.

We even had the chance to all take a nap... yay!... played, ate some dinner and now, little bits is asleep and we are going to watch some 24. :)

The only thing that was missing today was that I had hoped to get to church... we really need to find a church "home" here ... but we have to stay put long enough to enjoy them. One of these days... life will settle down. HA!

I think the best part of today was just that we got the chance to be a family.. do whatever we wanted and the "race" stopped for just a few minutes. :) Now, it starts back up again because it's Thanksgiving week, of course... but for now... I get to enjoy ... us. :)

Crazy... I'm all full... no more room at the inn....

So.. I realize that it has been way too long since I have written anything. I just haven't had the time.. and when I have had the time, well, I am working so ... I don't have the time. :-D

Life has been full with Jason fishing, Jason hunting, Halloween, Joey getting "Hand foot and mouth disease", a new nephew, a girls trip in Galveston, heading to lufkin to see said nephew and me getting sick, and then Joey getting sick again.... eegads. I think that "Calgon Take me away" commercial needs to come and knock on my door.

Can you even BELIEVE that Christmas is like six weeks away? How did that happen? Before we know it, it will be 2009 and we'll have a whole list of new resolutions to work on and break. :-D

Where do YOU want to be in 2009? I need to think on it and I'll get back to you! Promise! :)

I leave you with some Joey cuteness... cause what post would be complete without it?

awhhh... thanks Susan!

Thank you Susan! :)
from Life is Sweet in Kerrville
The way this works is I answer the following questions with single word responses, and pass the award on to 5 other bloggers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Where is your significant other? Hunting
3. Your hair color? Blonde-ish
4. Your mother? Nancy
5. Your father? Bruce
6. Your favorite thing? Kids
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Lakehouse.
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? Writing
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Houston
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? lonely
15. One of your wish list items? Skinny
16. Where you grew up? allover
17. The last thing you did? rocked
18. What are you wearing? Jammies
19. Your T.V.? Noise
20. Your pet? loved
21. Your computer? mac
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? Yes
24. Your car? charcoal
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? target
27. Your Summer? lightening
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? yellow
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

Here are five blogs I love!

The Ingram Gang
Josh and Kati
Toadally Talking
The Davenport House
Melell Photography

I hope you get a chance to look at those blogs. they are great reads. :)

Hand, foot and mouth disease.... Halloween and Hunting

Now there is a bunch of things that just don't go together.

Lets start with Monday of last week... I go and pick up Joey and he is up where they change their diapers... and as I enter the room, I notice that the teacher, Ms. Hill, is taking his temperature. And he's just letting her...???.... so, when they are done, it's 99.6 under arm which means about 100.6... oye!

I get him home and he's snuggly... but okay. I give him some tylenol and he is in bed by 6:30.

The next day, he has no temp, so I take him to school. I had a meeting at nine but fully intended to get him afterwards in case he wasn't feeling well. As I talk to Ms. Hill, she informs me that "hand foot and mouth disease" is going around. WHAT the heck is that? Turns out, that it's highly contagious amongst little ones, especially toddlers and involves little sores in the mouth and what looks like ant bites on their hands. NUTS.

I call the school and he's okay. SOOO, I leave him there. I get there to pick him up and walk in and he is zoned in the corner on one of their toys. I pick him up and he's burning up!

Nuts!

I get him home, give him his tylenol and he wants nothing to eat... he's sleepy and snuggly and grumpy and just plain sick. Nuts.

I take him to the doctor the next day and... as we are sitting there... ant bites pop up on his hands and he is drooling like he's cutting his first tooth. ugh. The doc confirms the hand, foot and mouth disease. Tells me that I can't do anything about it and he can't go back to school until he is at least 24 hours without a fever. SOOOO...

Jason was supposed to leave for Rockport on Thursday night. He now had to leave on Friday after work. I was supposed to do Trunk or Treat for daycare... that couldn't happen. I was supposed to be hosting a group of ladies for a foodie get together and had to cancel that. And... this stay at home mom thing is HARD. And it's just so helpless... He was hurting and there was nothing I could do. :(

Needless to say, today was much better than yesterday though and he slept better and he even ate a tiny bit more. And unfortunately, tonight was halloween... so, I dressed him in his best halloween pajama's and he helped me hand out candy! :) he was so cute... saying BYEEEE to everyone. Jason doesn't believe me, but I assure you... he would say it. Late, but there. Ha!

Jason is almost to Rockport and me... I finally got him to bed in his OWN bed for awhile... and I am *finally* getting some online time. :)

Life is busy, ya know?

You might notice a new link on the right hand side. I have found a cool site called www.coolmompicks.com and they put out a safer toy guide. There are tons of good ideas on there. :)

anyway... Happy Halloween!

Dear Joey...

So, tonight I was giving Sir cranky pants, aka, you... a bath after dinner and I sat there and watched you while you played in the bathwater. Oh how you love taking a bath... you play, make good boy sounds, you splash mommy and anyone within striking range and your infectious giggle just warms my heart.

So, tonight I just watched you for awhile. I looked into your beautiful gray eyes and watched your little pudgy hands and your kissable feet and I thought to myself... "I wonder what things you will see in your lifetime. I wonder what *things* you will touch and where you will walk to. What greatness are you in store for and what average things will you make extraordinary just because they are yours?"

And I know that you know how much you are loved (as evidenced by your mournful cry when I put you to bed that always makes me come back to you). I know that you are secure in your world and you are excited by every new thing that you discover (climbing in a chair anyone?). I hope you know that I fully believe in you and know that you will do whatever it is that you want to do.

My parents have always taught us that we could do anything... and growing up knowing that makes all the difference... how many children out there grow up wondering why their *all* just isn't enough? Those stories break my heart. Every child deserves to be loved. Every child deserves a chance, and unfortunately... some are just born behind the eight ball just because of who they are born to.

Now, I do want to tell you that you will go through hard times. Because those hard times are going to make you into the man you will become. If your daddy hadn't gone through some of his *adventures*.... he would never be the man that you and I love so dearly today. If I hadn't had my own adventures and trials and tribulations... now, how could I teach you that you can make it through? But, please oh please, even through adversity... know that you are believed in and you are loved above all else!

You can do anything you set your mind to Joe... as can be evidenced already by your strong will and your strong desire to overcome even the smallest obstacle.

Your daddy and I love you very very much.

Mommy!