Wordless Wednesday: This Cake is Iced with Awesome

A few weeks back the Hubs celebrated a birthday.  I happened to order his cake on a day that Camdyn earned double stars for her behavior at school.  Her reward was that she got to pick out Daddy's cake.  We sifted through the book of options at the bakery and then she chose this:

Two days later the Baker snickered as she handed me the cake, and then said "That is the best cake I've ever frosted." 

What daddy wouldn't be over the moon happy about a unicorn cake?

He surely was.  He loved that unicorn cake because our little girl loved that unicorn cake.

This is one of the simple joys of raising children. 

MisCELLaneous Monday - Where am I???

Where have I been?  What day is it?  What's my name?  How did I get here?  Yes, yes, I ask myself these questions often.  Life is a whirlwind.  Lovin' it and surviving it!   

So, it's time to post some CELL phone photos in this MisCELLaneous post as well as a few deets on what I was doing last week, when I wasn't here.  Here we go!

Last Saturday, we decided to convert Chloe's crib in to a toddler bed.  I was hella reluctant about this.  This is my second go-round here...I know better than to be EXCITED about this milestone.  I know that it inevitably means she'll get out of bed whenever she wants to, I know it will mean procrastinating bedtime and bedtime struggles at some point in the future.  But, the child needs to be able to get out of bed to use the potty, so in an effort to complete her potty training we converted her crib.  So far so good.  She has yet to get out of bed by herself in the middle of the night (which by the way, was supposed to be the point of converting her crib).  She is still sleeping well and still asks to go to bed at night.  But, I'm not declaring victory.  I know that this will be short lived.  ::Le Sigh::

I've purchased numerous items on etsy; headbands, knitted hats, tutus, hair band holders, leotards, but this is my biggest etsy purchase.  I purchased a dining room table from Modern Rust on etsy.  This farmhouse style table is made from reclaimed wood (I love you mother earth) and was made to order in 6 weeks and delivered from Virgina to Florida quickly.  Yes, it looks like someone put a picnic table in my living room, but that will change soon.  I am very pleased with the table and with the fact that the pink playhouse is no longer in my dining room.  Now, I just need to finish this naked room.

On Friday, I took the day off of work.  I attended an event at Camdyn's school in the morning, and then met up with Liz for some shopping, lunching, and a pedicure that didn't turn out like I visioned.  It was relaxing and the company was fantastic, but the polish on my big toes has this white ghosting across it.  I'm miffed enough about it to post photos of my "spoon toe" or "potato toe" as the hubs likes to call them on the interwebs.  Really, my big toes are so round...like perfect circles.  It's weird.  I guess I'll have to go back so they can fix it.

These were delivered on Friday and made me forget all about the botched pedicure.  I hear this show is fantastic, and I can not wait to take Camdyn to her first concert.  Of course, I paid way too much money for tickets to this sold out show, but I don't have buyer's remorse over it at all...this something we are looking forward to!

On Friday night, we packed the suitcases and loaded the kids in the car and took them to Orlando for a weekend get-away.  Our hotel room was upgraded...we ended up with 2 beds, 2 baths, and a loft style game room.  This was more space than we needed, but we weren't complaining.  It ended up raining the entire time we were there, so we spent a lot of time at the hotel, and the space really came in handy.  The girls enjoyed playing upstairs and watching movies in their room. 

On Saturday night, we met up with LeeAnn and Rylie and attended the Arabian Nights Dinner Show attraction.  The girls, all 3 of them, were so well behaved.  We ended up having front row seats and an unobstructed view of the action.  The dinner was a smidgen above average, but the show was fantastic.  When I asked Camdyn what her favorite part of the show was she said, "I don't have one.  I loved all of it!" 

Because of the rain, we cut our trip short and came home earlier on Sunday than we had planned.  My house looked like a bomb went off in it, so I set to cleaning.  While I was mopping floors, I caught the hubs doing this...completely on his own accord.  Reason #652 why I love this man. 

**note that the playhouse is not going to be permanently located there and the big brown box contains a new chandelier that needs to be hung
I hope y'all are having a great Monday!! 

The Beach

Y'all we had the best weekend and I'm going share bits-n-pieces with you, but I'm going to let LeeAnn do most of the storytelling. 

You see this week we are out of our normal pattern, Camdyn is out of pre-school and going to horse camp 3 days this week, we have Gramma coming to town on Friday, and I'm just trying to tread the water and keep my stuff together. 

So, I'll share a few photos with you, and then hop on over to LeeAnn's blog and read about how our time together went down. 

I'm trying to re-develop an appreciation for the snapshot, so here we go! 

Saturday morning, we met LeeAnn and her adorable family at the #1 beach in the country.  The morning looked a lot like this:





Camdyn's best friend and her family happened to make a morning out of the beach too.  And we were glad to hang out with them, they brought 2 umbrellas and thereby doubled the amount of shade we had to sit under.  Here Camdyn & her Bestie play in the sand.


Bryce was all about the snacks.  He filled up on blueberries and then promptly fell asleep on LeeAnn's lap...for over an hour.  She got to relax, snuggle her baby, and listen to the sounds of the waves lapping the shore.  Talk about heaven on earth!


Then, Chloe Belle and I took turns taking pictures of each other.  Here's my shot.


And here's hers.  No, I didn't take it of myself, I was trying to move her little fingers off of the lens and she pushed the button. 


OMG - I'm a lucky lady :)


Becky took this shot of me and Chloe together - Love.



After morning crept in to early afternoon, LeeAnn & her family headed to the hotel for naps, and we headed home for the same.  Then, they came over for dinner and play time.  When I opened the door, the first thing we noticed was that we had dressed Rylie & Chloe in the same exact shirt, and of course since my girls usually coordinate, Camdyn was wearing a similar shirt from the same Gymboree line.  How funny...and it made for a really cute picture!  Notice that Chloe has my point n shoot...


And then the evening was over and we bid our friends farewell.  I was kind of bummed that I never got a photo with LeeAnn...but then I loaded the photos on my computer (including 100+ pictures that Chloe took with her fingers covering the lens) and discovered this:


Chloe took it while we were taking pictures of them.  Not the best shot, but her fingers were out of the way!  It's a keeper.

We had a fabulous time with our friends, and we can't wait to get together with them again soon.  Now, head on over to LeeAnn's blog and read in detail about our time at the beach and see some super cute photos!

On Independence Day

Now the Lord is the Spirit,

and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

There is freedom.

~2 Corinthians 3:17

We spent the majority of the day on the 4th of July recuperating from an awesome mini-vacation to Atlanta.  I did laundry and cleaned up a bit and we played with the kids, all the while the Hubs and I himmed and hawwed about how we wanted to spend our evening. 

We had several options; The first was to meet friends at the beach for fireworks, we've never watched the fireworks from the beach so this seemed enticing.  Although, then we deal with the parking issues, the crowds, the sand, the issue getting off of the key and home, so it would be a late night.  The second option was to watch the fireworks from the Marina like we usually do.  It's a good display, parking is not bad, and the kids could get to bed at a decent hour (since it was a school night and all).  The final option, was to skip the fireworks, watch them on TV, and enjoy an evening at home with the family.

Around 4:30 we decided to not decide and instead we would carry out our tradition of eating dinner at our favorite family friendly, locally owned Italian restaurant.  We've eaten here many 4th of July's so off we went.

This is the kind of place where the owner immediately brings two plates of hot buttered noodles for the kids the moment you sit down.

But he doesn't charge you for them.  It's the kind of place where it's okay if the kids get a little loud, and the older people there actually comment on how cute they are and how well behaved they are even though they aren't whisper quiet.

It's a 4th of July meal of noodles, pizza, and lemonade that is quickly becoming as much a 4th of July tradition as the fireworks themselves.

As we left the restaurant we noticed that the storm clouds were rolling in.  Black thunderous clouds coming in from the east that were beginning to drop speckles of rain on our evening.  We decided to head to the beach anyway and we would just see what happens. 

We arrived just in time to witness a mass exodus as hundreds (not exaggerating here) of beach goers were heading for their vehicles and leaving the lot.  Parking was not a problem.  We parked and waited.  Lightning came, Thunder boomed, and heavy sheets of rain pelted our window.  The girls watched Dora for half and hour and then got our of their car seats and began to play in the rear of Hubs' SUV.  We saw our friends, who were waiting it out in their truck, they were soaked head to toe, enjoying a brew at their tailgate, and making the most of their time together.

Half an hour later the sheets of rain turned to a drizzle.  We put our suits on in the truck and headed out to the beach.  The beach was nearly empty.  We got a spot for our towels right on the boundary line for the fireworks.  We put down our things and headed to the water.

**The rest of these photos were taken by my girlfriend Becky with her iphone.  I am so grateful she took some photos.  Given the rain and the unpredictable weather I did not bring my DSLR to the beach.  I did edit these photos in LR **

The view was surreal.  A giant, full arch rainbow stretched before us, and water so warm it was soothing against the cold intermittent mist of rain. 

The children did not mind.  Here Camdyn plays with her best friend and her little brother. 

Chloe Belle was giddy about the beach.

And before we knew it the sun was setting.  The kids got out of the water to dry off before the main event.

I had a hard time figuring out which was more spectacular, the sunset or the fireworks...
 

Then, we sat together as a family and enjoyed the most terrific display of fireworks I have ever seen.  They were literally right above our heads.  This was Chloe Belle's first fireworks and she kept saying "OH MY GOSH!" 

After the fireworks were over, we stayed on the beach for 45 minutes while the kids played with glow sticks and had a snack.  It ended up taking us 30 minutes to drive off of the key, and another 20 to get home.  The kids were in bed by 11:30 and extremely tired the next day.

But it was worth it a 100x over.  The image of that rainbow, the sunset, and the children's faces, and the camaraderie with friends will make this 4th of July one of the best we've ever had.

I say...It becomes tradition.

The Father's Day That Wasn't

It's odd having Father's Day and not spending it with the Hubs.  It's a Sunday, like any other Sunday, we went to church, and to Target, we fingerpainted, baked cupcakes, went to the park and swam in the pool...I took a moment here and there to text Hubs photos of the girls...it is Father's Day afterall, but it just didn't quite feel like it. 

Although, we didn't get to spoil him with breakfast in bed, or give him bear hugs in appreciation, I hope he knows just how much we adore him.  If I had to pick one quality about him as a Dad that I appreciate the most, it's this:

He is present. 

Present in the little moments like showing the girls hermit crabs in a bucket at the beach.  He is home just doing the the daily thing with us far more often than he's not.  He knows that the impact that we have on these two little lives will be our greatest accomplishment in life.  He makes us his priority. 

So, I'll write in his card tomorrow, and put the last few touches on his gift, and we'll celebrate soon. 

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, my Husband, and all the worthy Dads out there who enjoy the gift of children. 

Wordless Wednesday - When Dads Grow Up

Well I'm a grown man but as strong as I am,

sometimes its hard to believe,

How one little girl with little blonde curls,

Can totally terrify me.

If you were to ask my wife would just laugh,

She'd say, "I know all about men,

And how tough little boys grow up to be Dads

They turn into be babies again."

Well I know one day I'll give you away,

And I'm gonna stand there and smile.
But when I get home and I'm all alone,
Well I'll sit in your room for a while.

Well I didn't cry when Old Yeller died,

At least not in front of my friends.
But when tough little boys grow up to be dads
They turn into be babies again.
~Tough Little Boys by Gary Allen

Okay, so now will you put the lid down?

I think we all have a short-list of irksome spousal habits.  The ones at the top of my list are opening cabinets, cupboards, and doors and forgetting to shut them.  This usually results in me either hitting my head on an open cupboard, or simply having to shut it to do what I need to do.  If you open it, then shut it already.  It's terribly annoying and sometimes painful.  And, I suppose piggy backing on that would be the whole leaving the toilet seat up thing....a similar breed of annoyance only filthier. 

With two kids, I'm awoken nearly every night.  Most nights I don't have to get out of bed, but I wake, and toss and turn, and peer at the video monitor while I assess whether or not Chloe Belle will fall back asleep.  And, it's also not uncommon for Camdyn to wander down the stairs in the wee morning hours and crawl in to bed with us.  Of course, before we allow this we instruct her to use the potty, which she does.

Last night, this was our scenario:
A little voice moans from our bedroom door.  "Camdyn, go potty."  She flicks on the bathroom light and I hear her rustling around in my bathroom and then suddenly a little voice cries out, "Momma.  I need help.  Momma.  I fell in the potty and I'm all wet."  Hubs groans and turns over, I get out of bed to assess the situation.  Sure enough, the seat is in the upright position, and Cam's nightgown is soaked with toilet water.  Ugh.  For, the love, it's 6 am.  So, I instruct her to sit tight while I trudge upstairs to find her new bed clothes.  When, I return she is sleeping on the bathmat in front of our shower.  I re-dress her and we both climb in to bed....for 15 minutes of peace before the alarm begins signaling the start of a Monday morning. 

As the Hubs and I did our dance around each other in the bathroom I asked him...."So, you think you can manage to put the seat down before we lose another kid in the toilet?"  Hubs, "Girls, so demanding.....I suppose."  Cause, I tell you what, the next time the potty swallows a little girl, he'll be cleaning it up.

Happy Monday, Y'all!

When it's Over, it's OVER...But Not Really

In the past week, we received two separate autograph requests for the Hubs to sign.  This comes with the territory when you play a sport professionally.  There was a day when the Hubs got paid to sign baseball cards.  He would sit at our kitchen table with a representative from Topps or Bowman looking over his shoulder as witness while he personally endorsed a series of 500 cards. 

However, come September it will have been 10 years since he threw his first and last major league pitch.  Come June it will be 4 years since he "retired" from the sport altogether, at the ripe old age of 29.  These autograph requests are not being mailed to the baseball field, he's not receiving them at the clubhouse, he's getting them at HOME. 

We moved twice in 2010 (one move was to a rental house with no public record of our occupancy and the 2nd move was to our forever home) and still these cards find us.  Creepy?  A little.  Harmless?  Probably.  Invasion of our privacy?  Perhaps. 

The Hubs has always been less than thrilled to acquiesce to these requests.  A few years ago, I would prompt him "Just sign it. It might be the last request you ever get."  He refused.  Now, I kinda get it.  If he signs these cards and sends them back in their prepaid envelopes then the sender will know that is our valid address... and that's not okay.

In addition to the whole privacy issue, these requests bring back bittersweet memories of a sport that he loves but they also surface a hole in our lives where baseball once was.  A hole, that we've been filling over the last four years with a "normal" family life.

That first year of retirement was rough to say the least.  We were a new family with a 14 month old baby, when Hubs decided he wanted to end his career on his own terms.  He didn't want to be a minor-league lifer.  His shoulder wasn't bouncing back after his surgery.  His velocity wasn't ever going to be what it once was, and he wasn't getting any younger.  He wanted to be with his family.  He knew it was time to go in a new direction and I supported that.  However, this meant BIG change. Not only did he have to find employment that did not involve a curve ball or slider for the first time in his adult life, but we also had to adjust to being together all year round.

The old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true.  Being together six months out of the year, and then apart for six months was all we knew.  That was our normal.  Suddenly, we were together every single day for an entire year.  The intensity of  - I'm going to love and dote on you while you are here.  I'm going to soak up every second I have with you because I know you are leaving - kinda vanished.  We lost the - I missed you so much - passion.  We had to learn how to live together FOR-EV-ER.  I know that sounds kinda ridiculous but it really was a big adjustment.  And then there was the whole "What will I do for work now?" thing.

Luckily ex-baseball players make really awesome salesmen, and Hubs found his niche.  The competition factor that motivated him since his days of little league really comes in handy in sales.  Our conversations at the dinner table no longer revolve around ERA, BP, and Appearances, but Percent to Margin , Kicker Checks, and Quotas instead. 

And, I'm good with that now.  It turns out that he's a far better provider in Sales than he ever was in baseball.
It turns out that having him at home all year round is a huge blessing.  It turns out that our little girls get to have Daddy tuck them in every night.  It turns out that baseball will always be a huge part of our past, but it's not our future.  It turns out that baseball doesn't last forever (for most of us), and when it's over, it just might be the best thing that ever happened. 

So, I will stow these autograph requests away, I'll think back fondly on our baseball days, and I'll smile...for we are blessed.

The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7-8

So You're Saying There's A Chance

My to-do list is about 100 items long.  It's overwhelming, really, but I try to tackle it one thing a week.  Last week my item of importance was sifting through and organizing the five bins of baby clothes (size 0-12 months) that I have stored.  On Tuesday night, I got to work. 

I made a pile of "keeper" clothes that have sentimental value; the Girls' homecoming outfits, first Xmas dresses, dresses worn for photos, and Easter dresses.  I got together a box of Gymboree and fancy label stuff that I'll be loaning to a friend.  I prepared a giant bag of clothes to give to a teacher at the school who is expecting her first girl.  As I was throwing the last few outfits in the 2nd of two giant garbage bags to donate to Mothers Helping Mothers, the Hubs (who had been diligently watching the organization process from the comforts of the bed) said:

Him:  Are you sure you want to do that?
Me:  Do what?
Him:  Give it away?
Me:  What?  The clothes?  Yeah.
Him:  But, ALL OF IT?  Don't you want to keep some of it?  We'll be left with nothing.
Me:  But, we're done.
Him:  ::silence::
Me:   ::finishes packing up the last bag and brushes teeth::
Him:  ::silence::
Me:  The way I figure it...Chloe only wore a handful of the clothes we stored that were Cam's, so IF we have another girl we'll buy her new, or we'll borrow from Liz, or we'll have Laura send us all of her stuff since she is done for sure.
Him:  ::nods::
Me:  And, if we have a boy, it doesn't matter anyway
Him:  Alright.
Me:  And, it's all IFs anyway
Him:  For now...
Me:  So, You're saying there's a chance
Him:  There's always a chance....

And somewhere in the heart of the MidWest Gramma just smiled :)

I Love Cake More than any Sane Person Should

At this very moment I'm enjoying the dry desert of Las Vegas.  I'm enjoying the fact that my hair looks fabulous and is perfectly straight and that never happens to me back home.  I'm enjoying the company of my oldest and dearest childhood friend and no doubt laughing over diet coke and high school memories. 

While I'm busy doing all of that and taking photos and creating memories to share, enjoy this little ditty.  This was originally written as a guest post for LeeAnn over The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too!  enons ago.

I'll miss you while I'm gone!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I like Cake.


Maybe I didn’t emphasize it enough. I mean, I REALLY LIKE cake. I like all baked goods, really, except for scones, which just aren’t sweet enough for me, and therefore don’t really belong in the baked good category. I have a serious sweet tooth, but not in a Swedish Fish/JuJuBe kinda way, but in a delectable, soft, chewy, fresh, and sweet kinda way.

That piece of knowledge about me is essential to this story.

It’s December, we are at a birthday party for a girl in my 4 year old’s class. It is held at one of those gyms for kids with balance beams, rings, a trampoline, and giant mats for tumbling. The kids have a blast. The Hubs spends the majority of the time with Chloe who is 9 months old and crawling, and I spend time chasing around our 4 year old and the birthday girl with the camera.

It’s cake time, everyone’s favorite part of a birthday party, right? So, Hubs goes in to the cake room to help Cam get situated at the table with her friends and I hang in the waiting area with Chloe, who refuses to be held and only wants to crawl around the filthy carpet. So, there I sit with her, trying to keep her from chewing people’s shoes, and picking yuckos off the carpet and putting them in her mouth. Before, I know it, cake time is over, they are passing out balloons and the party is over. So, Hubs being the gentleman he is and knowing me like the back of his hand, offers to grab me a slice of cake “for the road.”

We lug the kids, the diaper bag, my camera, and the balloon out to the truck and we get the girls in and we drive off. I look at Hubs and notice that he isn’t holding my cake. I look at the dashboard. Nope, no cake sitting on the dashboard. So I say to him, “Where’s my cake?” He looks at me with that “Oh crap” look that just signals that he screwed up and…I know. I know exactly what is coming ::gulp:: “I left it outside.”::crickets::

Now, I pause to describe myself a little further. I’m passive aggressive. I do not like confrontation, I am really hard to anger (although my 4 year old has figured out exactly how to accomplish that) and I have patience as long as the Nile. That said, this was my reaction:

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LEFT IT OUTSIDE?” Hubs: “I think I forgot it on the bumper.” Me: “Well, it’s gone now….oh, I really wanted some cake.” In my head I’m thinking this, “You frickin’ idiot. How can you not remember a simple piece of cake? Every day I tote two kids around, lunch bags, diaper bags, toys, and crap, and rarely do I ever forget something. You had one kid and a piece of cake in your hand. How does that happen?” BUT, I would never say that, because it’s not my style.

So, I say, “It’s just cake.” But, inside, I’m fuming. And, I get silent. You know I’m mad when I can’t say a single thing. And, Hubs knew it, because as we merged on to I-75 he started apologizing for forgetting the cake, and then went in to a long narrative about how the cake wasn’t that great anyway. It was a nice effort on his part, but I really wanted that cake and I. Was. Furious.

So, we drive. We drive six miles down the freeway and merge on to city streets and we pull up to a stoplight. Something catches my eye. It’s a car load of teen-agers next to us, and one of them has their arm sticking out of the window. What is that they are doing? Taking a picture with an iphone? Of my bumper? OMG! The CAKE!

The kids are taking a picture of my lonely piece of cake sitting on my bumper
and they are probably posting it to their Facebook pages at this very moment
with a caption that says:

“Look at these schmucks driving around with cake on their car”

No way. So, I pull the car into a gas station, the Hubs jumps out, he retrieves the cake and brings it back in to the car and says, “There’s your cake! See I didn’t lose it, it was right where I said it was!”

Later that night, after the girls were in bed, I debated eating that cake. It had traveled down the freeway at 70 mph. It was exposed to exhaust, bugs, and unknown airborne particles of what-not. But, that cake wanted me. That cake held on to my bumper for dear life, and that cake was my destiny.

So, I ate it. It was damn good.

And, that’s how much I LOVE CAKE.

In Eight Years...

It’s been eight years since we traded I-do’s. Since we stood hand in hand, nervously waiting to exchange rings. It’s been eight years since we ate cake in our hotel room and danced the night away….it’s been eight years.


On one hand I am surprised at all that has changed in those eight years…

We moved 2000 miles away from our families and all we took with us was a trunk full of clothes
You changed jobs, from the Reds to the Orioles
We bought our first house and made it our home
I began working full-time
We traveled a lot, for baseball, and to visit both of our families
I started a new job
In April 2005, I flew to Virginia to announce to you in person that we were going to be a Family
We welcomed Camdyn into our world
I became a Stay-at-Home Mom
We spent the following summer in Canada trying to live as Canadians do
When we got home I went back to work
You spent the spring playing ball in Mexico
Camdyn went to daycare for the first time and I found out what it is like to be a single parent for the first time
You came home and retired from baseball
You found a new job and we began adjusting to life without baseball
In July 2008 we found out that we would be adding to our family
In March we welcomed Chloe into our family
We lost Great Grandpa
We lost your Momma
I began to work part-time
We sold our first house and moved in to a rental
We almost lost my Dad
We bought our forever-house

It’s life. It’s the mundane and the extraordinary. It’s the curve and the fastball, the ups and downs. It’s everything that life should be.

In eight years, the things that haven’t changed….

The way it feels when you reach for my hand. How you throw an arm around my neck to give me nuggies on the top of my head. Your beautifully crooked, half grin. The way you look at me. Your knack for singing old school hip hop. The way you know what I’m trying to say even when I can’t get the words out. How you look in jeans and a crisp white shirt. Your wonderfully refreshing sense of humor. The way you support me. Your ability to provide for our family.

And, the one thing that belongs in both lists….Our Love. It’s the same, yet changed. It’s as strong as the day we said our vows, but in a million ways it’s different. This love is confident. This love has weathered storms and a bigger chunk of time. It is now not just the love of a couple, but the love of a family. This love doesn’t need gifts or fancy dinners. This love has no material parameters. This love knows that every argument doesn’t carry with it the fear of the end of the relationship. This love has an ease to it. This love is saturated with dedication and commitment and merely sprinkled with romance. This love is better.

So, my dear, Happy Anniversary! And, just as I wrote to you when we started dating, I am writing to you now; The poem that I used to quote when the time and the distance seemed like our greatest hardship. Now, eight years later, I get to wake up next to you everyday and I realize that life might bring tougher times ahead, but it doesn’t matter, because THIS LOVE is far better than what our NEW LOVE was.

“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything.

Love still stands when all else has fallen.”

~Author Unknown

Love You Forever and a Day,
Your “OLD” Cow

We celebrated the Hubs....being Old and all

I decided to kick off this weekend early.  I left the j-o-b early on Thursday and then took Friday off.  My Friday looked pretty much like this:

This collage was made for Simplicity's Photo Class (button on sidebar).  It was my "Shoot Where You Are" assignment

I ran all day long, grocery store, mall, cleaning, prepping dinner.  I didn't sit down.  I didn't even have lunch, which lead me to the conclusion that if I were fortunate enough to be a SAHM I would undoubtedly be 10 lbs slimmer, and my house would be 10x cleaner...but that's only if my kids stayed in school.  If my kids were home with me all day every day then my house would probably be 10x dirtier, and I would be 10 lbs heavier. 

Anyway, Hubs celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday.  So, I spent time on Friday shopping for his big day and wrapping his gifts.  I'm not sure that I blogged about how badly I messed up his Father's Day gift, but I did...he didn't like it at all, and it was promptly returned.  I needed to redeem myself.  I needed to get him a gift that was worthy of keeping.  I decided on 3 things; Workout gear/new socks, etc, because the man wants to lose 20 lbs.  and smelly goods, because he has been out of cologne for a month or two now.  I went with this:

It smells Ah-MAZING!  The next time you are walking through a department store, you have to stop by and take a sniff...I think it even has pheromones in it or something.  Rarrrrr!

And, then for his big gift, I went with this watch:

The 2nd hand doesn't tick, it sweeps, which is pretty darn cool when you see it.

We dropped the girls off for Parent's Night Out at church and then had dinner with friends to celebrate. It was an awesome time.  This was my favorite part:

Oh, and holding a newborn baby at dinner was pretty cool too.  And, made me realize that baby fever is indeed an epidemic and I think I'm infected.  The hubs, however, is impervious to it, he held, and swooned, and didn't become infected....He even started talking about getting "whacked" and I'm not talking, mafia style.  I just don't think I'm ready for that yet.

The Hubs loved all of his gifts, and I've officially denounced my title as the "worst gift giver ever."  We went home and sang the birthday song and put the babies to bed and enjoyed some peace & quiet. 

On Sunday we went to church, had a play date with one of Camdyn's friends from school, and hung at the house all day.  I listened to a ton of football since it was playing from every TV in our house.  Oh, and I played a lot of Memory this weekend too, and surprisingly, I think my memory is actually improving...I nearly beat Camdyn once!

Chloe Belle playing at the park on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 - Look!  She's growing hair all of a sudden!

Happy Monday Y'all!

PS:  I've received several awards lately!   I'm really behind in blogging and the photography class is taking a front seat this month.  Thanks ladies for thinking of me, I truly appreciate the awards, even if I never get around to posting them!  Love ya!