We Bleed Maroon

I love this video! And I love the fact that I figured out how to post it.

Poop in the tub

I wish to everything that is holy that I was making this up...

Caden played HARD with his Purple Bomber car this afternoon & he smelled like a 100% little boy. I mistakenly said to Stan, "He really needs a bath tonight" and here he comes running.

"BATH!!! BATH!!!" and he's pointing to the bathroom & dancing in circles. This kid seriously loves bathtime.

So I get up & he goes and gets Stan and we make it a family affair. Midway through the bath, we start smelling something rank. The kid's got the toots & we're laughing and gagging at the same time. I decide that it's time to get him outta there before he does something REALLY gross.

As we're picking up the toys, I'm chanting, "Don't poop. Don't poop. Don't poop." Well what does he do? He squats down and starts grunting. Stan's fiddling in the office at this point. I'm screaming. Caden's pooping.

I pick him up & get him wrapped in the towel. He sees how hysterical I am and begins crying. I quickly calm him down & tell him he didn't do anything wrong, Mommy's just...well I don't know what I said at that point, but he calms down.

I get him into his room & on his dresser - thankfully he's still very clean. I have never gotten a diaper on that kid as fast as I did tonight. Stan's trying to leave to go get something to eat & I said, "You're leaving NOW?? While there's poop floating in the tub?" He got the hint & went to clean it up. Here comes part II.

Stan is very strong in so many things, but smells get him every time. As he's cleaning up the tub, he becomes physically ill. I immediately feel super guilty for making him do this & I'm trying to talk to him through the door, while trying to keep Caden out of the bathroom.

Caden is clean and hopefully not emotionally scarred from this trauma. Stan recovered well enough to go to McDonalds for dinner. And I'm kicking myself for letting a potty training golden opportunity slide right by. The potty was RIGHT there! All I had to do was pick him up & put him on it.

I WISH I was making this up...

HELP!!

Can anyone help me?

I've signed on to YouTube to get videos uploaded to my blog, but I can't 'add' my blog! ARRGGH!

I select blogger as my 'type'. I then enter my email & password - the same ones I use for blogger, right?

It then pops up something about this being 'forbidden'

Please help!!!

Day at the Museum

Yesteday we went to the Museum of Fine Art in Houston. It was supposed to be a "Mom & Me" adventure - me & my mom - but when I dropped Caden off at school, he fussed because he just knew we were going to be doing something fun. So I picked him up from his breakfast table, went back home to pack his bag, and then all 3 of us drove to Houston.

I'm glad we took Caden. He had so much fun looking at the pictures - there was even one of a bullfight & he stood in front of it and yelled, "COWS!" for a few minutes. Luckily there were several other groups of kids there who were making kid noises as well.

He also enjoyed running around & then sitting on the padded benches. I wish I had taken my camera; I turned around one time to see him sprawled out on the bench, on his elbows with his feet crossed & a cheshire-cat grin. He was soooo super cute! As soon as I stepped towards him, he jumped down & took off running, giggling the whole way. Like I said, I'm glad there were other kids there disrupting the quietness!

My glorious mother then took me to Pappasito's. I LOVE Pappasito's! While we were waiting for a table, I saw Stan's former supervisor who still works at the Houston office. We said our hellos & I looked at my mother and said, "I bet he calls Stan". Sure enough, 30 minutes later I get a call from Stan & the first words out of his mouth are, "So - how's Pappasito's?" Our waitress was so cute; she told us we were the happiest table she'd had all day. My mom retorted that as long as the redhead's happy, everybody's happy. And he was since I moved his high chair so he could be between his mama & his nana.

A really fun day with 2 of my favorite people.

It was a love affair...

Some of you may know that our washing machine went kaput last week. We tried to fix it, but it was no use. After 11 years of faithful service, it went to that appliance heaven in the sky.

We bought another one - shiny & new - installed it & it's working perfectly.

Now the problem is...the dryer.

It's been cranky lately, not drying stuff that it was supposed to be drying, not paying any attention to our heating preference, just drying everything on super hot, and now it's putting off a burning smell.

It's obvious to me. The washing machine was the wife. When she died, the dryer could no longer make it without her. He didn't like the new girl, and he is now on his last legs.

Stan made the executive decision that, before the entire house burned down around a fluffy, snuggly load of clothes, we should replace it, which we did tonight.

So now the dryer is once again side by side with his mate of 11 years in the garage, awaiting the funeral that is - Big Stuff Pick-up Day.

God & Football

Does anyone else get the image of God as a football player in that song "Everlasting God"?

I do.

The lyric, "You're the defender of the WEAK" sounds like "defender of the WEEK".

I can just hear the announcer:

"And now, introducing the defender of the week, with more tackles, interceptions, and pass-breakups than anyone else - GOD the Almighty!!!!!"

I hear the crowd cheering as God runs out with His hands up and then starts jumping in place like the regular football players do to get geared up for the game.

Seriously, does anyone else get that mental picture?

Only me

I have really enjoyed my summer so far: sleeping in, playing in the park, catching up on my reading. Well, now I am in Huntsville this week for my "Teaching American History" academy. Everything's going great, but it's been an interesting week. After 6 weeks of "playing" a stay-at-home mom, I'm thrust straight back into my real life - that of a teacher mom. The conversations & discourse have been great & I'm learning a lot, but the brain 'gear shift' has taken some getting used to.

On to the thing that could ONLY happen to me.

I stepped out of a presentation this morning - on purpose - because the man was going on and on about something that everybody in the room was already familiar with. I decided to take a break. I go to the bathroom, take care of things, & I am pulling up my britches when I feel a disconcerting wetness on my leg. Oh no. There's water on the floor. And now there's water on my britches. I stand there in horror for a moment before I begin the positive self-talk. "It's gonna be OK. It's just water" I tell myself. Then the other - negative - voice pipes up, "but it's right next to a TOILET!!! Nothing good ever comes out of a toilet!!!"

Right before I hit hyperventilating-nervous-breakdown mode, I straighten up & walk out with my head held high. I go wash my hands & then grab some paper towels to try to slough off the excess. Right then I see a hand dryer. Oh bless the automatic hand dryer!! I go over - and thank goodness I'm wearing gaucho pants - and pull the leg of my pants up & run them under the hand dryer. Nothing was indecent, but I must've looked funny with my leg propped against the wall, holding the bottom of my pants, and waving them side-to-side and up & down in order to keep the motion sensor on. I got dried off and put lotion on & then walked back into my room.

Moral of the story? Don't text your husband or pass notes when you're supposed to be paying attention to a presentation.

God will get you.

Quality time

Our anniversary was AMAZING!! When Grandpa arrived at 4 to pick the boy up, Caden shot out of the house and ran full-throttle to get to him. He ran so fast that he fell in the street right at Grandpa's feet. What's scary is that he got up & reached for Grandpa & never cried. That child's pain threshold is VERY high!

Grandpa took off about 4:30 and then the quality time began. Stan gave me my present & we got ready to go out to dinner. Oxford Street was our choice. It was where we went on our 1st date & also where we ate on our wedding night. The food was delicious & the atmosphere was very romantic.

We returned home for a nice night alone. I did get a little teary when I walked past Caden's room & his automatic nightlight was on. I made sure there were no cats in there & then I shut the door. Later on I heard some very loud caterwalling; apparently Mr. Bailey (my 18 lb. cat) missed him & was standing outside his door crying.

We got up on Saturday morning & went to eat at Madden's in downtown. This is definitely on my top 5 restaurant list. Oh my goodness, the atmosphere is great - rustic & fancy at the same time, the service was phenomenal, & the food was delicious. For a tony restaurant, the breakfast prices are great. I highly recommend.

Stan then took me to Barnes & Noble. He NEVER does this! I can spend hours in a bookstore & that's why he'll never take me. I guess he felt safe b/c we were after one particular book; there was no need to browse.

After that, we went to the paint store, came home, and began moving everything out of our master closet so Stan could repaint it. That took several hours. That evening we went to Blockbuster & rented movies - something else that we never do. Neither of us had seen Facing the Giants & it was nice being able to watch it - kid-free - with no interruptions.

Sunday morning we only had to get ourselves ready for church. It was weird not going into the nursery! We even got to share our 'story' in Sunday school.

It was an absolutely perfect anniversary weekend.

Heebie Jeebies

I understand the need for the word verification service on our blogs, but they still cause my BP to rise. I can't always make them out & I've even got a couple wrong in the past. Not only were the letters wavy, they also had cracked lines running through them - kind of like a faux finish.

It takes me back to 4th grade when I needed glasses & felt dumb because I couldn't see.

Anyway, just a glimpse into my mind at 2 in the morning when I should be asleep.

11 Years

Today is our 11th anniversary!

I am so happy that I am with a man who can still make me weak in the knees after 11 years together.

I've seen this on a few other blogs & thought I would try it.

Here's 10 things I love about Stan the Man:

1. He knows how to calm me down when I let the stress of everything get to me. I can be pretty high strung at times and his level-headedness is the calm port in the storm.

2. He loves me in spite of all of my faults. And they are many.

3. He is a 100% involved Daddy – none of that "I'm the disciplinarian and the mom raises the kids". No - he's all hands-on & he enjoys being a daddy; it's not a burden. I have to fight him to hold Caden when he's sick or hurt.

4. He lets me take naps on Sundays for as long as I want. Enough said.

5. He is in charge. Again, enough said.

6. He thinks I’m funny. All of the quirks that would make other people question my ability to live without assistance make him laugh.

7. He knows softball is a sport and enjoys watching it. When he tells people about watching the Women's College World Series & they scrunch up their noses and say, "Girls? Softball?" That's when I know I've got a keeper. (Know what I'm saying Nora?)

8. He pays the bills & keeps track of all of our finances. It's not my ministry & I'm not good at it. He actually WANTS to do it & I love that!

9. He washes and takes care of my car. He checks the air & tread on my tires. He changes the oil. He does everything.

10. He cooks! The man makes the best lasagna I've ever had. What he can do with a spice rack is phenomenal. I cook more than I used to, but he still can run circles around me in the kitchen.

I can honestly say that today is the best anniversary we've ever had. I'm looking forward to saying that every year.

2 firsts!!!

This actually happened last Friday but I forgot to post about it at that time.
Dumpster Diving



I was on my way to get something for lunch when I spotted this little diamond just sitting by the curb. I slowed down, gazed longingly at it, and then went on about my business. I made it to the end of the street before I felt conviction hit. Caden must have this car. Now, some of you may know this about me. I haven't been able to get over the fact that I never had a foot-pedal car when I was a child. I asked politely, begged, cried, and pouted - to no avail. My parents held firm and my dream was not to be.

Until Friday July 6, 2007. That is when my dream became a reality.

I turned my little Corrolla around right on my street and sped (30 miles an hour, mind you) back to the toy wonderland. I stopped by the curb. I got out, held my breath, and peeked at the front door. It looked like nobody was home. I inspected the purple bomber. Yes, I had already named it. It looked good.

I looked at the front door again thinking I should probably go up and ask if I could take the beautiful piece of plastic off of their front yard. But I was too nervous. What if they said no? What if they looked at me with pity? This is hard for me to admit, but I'm kind of a snob when it comes to stuff like that. I'm trying - for finances' sake to get over this - but I did feel funny taking something off of the curb.

Nobody was around, it was quiet, so I grabbed it, shoved it into my front seat, scrambled in after it, and sped the rest of the way to my house. I gleefully got it out & put it on my front porch, partially hidden from the street. I danced - literally danced - back to my car, clapping my hands & giggling.



Stan has been after me to cut his hair for awhile now, and we finally bought the kit 2 weeks ago. Today was the day. He sat on a makeshift stool in the bathroom, told me what number cutter to use, and I went to work. I don't think it turned out half-bad. And the best part is, we spent $20 on the kit and Stan has been spending $20 a month getting his hair cut (every 2 weeks at $10 a pop).

Girl Time!

My best girlfriend from high school and I got to spend yesterday together at the San Marcos Outlet Mall! Oh my goodness - it was so much fun! Everybody needs someone in their life who they can reminisce with about the silly things they did in high school. And reminisce we did, over greasy burgers & onion rings, and strolling around the mall in search of truck pajamas (see post below!).

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Stacey around to tease me about dropping her in a Shy-Anne routine on Kyle Field.

Puppies or Sharks?

I thought when we had a boy, that meant that we wouldn't have the drama over what to wear.

I was wrong.

Caden adores trucks. All things truck. This includes his truck pajamas. He has 2 pairs of pajamas that qualify as 'truck' pajamas. Both of them are in the hamper at this moment.

Enter the meltdown.

I am cleaning the kitchen and I hear Stan reasoning (or trying to reason) with Caden that his truck pajamas were dirty and then he started going through the available options.

Stan - Do you want your skateboard pajamas?

Caden - NO!!!!!

Stan - Do you want your penguin pajamas?

Caden - NO!!!!!

Stan - We're running out of options. All that's left are puppies and sharks.

Caden - Yes!!

Stan - Do you want puppies or sharks?

Caden - Puppy!

What in the world did we talk about before we had kids?

In the still of the night

It is 9:15 and all is quiet at my house. Caden is asleep. And, bless his heart, Stan is too. He's an early owl & he's got an early day planned for tomorrow. Some of you lament the times when your garage is too crowded to park your car in. Well ladies, mine is too crowded to walk in right now. Stan is getting up bright and early tomorrow to work in our garage, lay some more plywood down in the attic, and shove some more stuff up there.

Anyway, I like the quiet nighttime. I seem to hit my 2nd wind about now & I'll do dishes, laundry, plan my menu, all sorts of stuff late at night.

Our garage sale is tentatively set for the first weekend in August (there's a lot of that 'stuff' in the garage right now too). I am excited. I have never been part of a garage sale before. Nope, not even once. Stan & I have either donated stuff or simply set it out on the curb for people to come by & take. We've never put the effort into an honest to goodness garage sale. I'm even thinking about serving refreshments like the fancy-schmancy stores do. Something to encourage browsing, right guys?

So my chores are done. The dishwasher is running. The dryer is humming. And I've got a really good book waiting for me on my couch. Thank goodness Stan is going to let me sleep in. Let's hope he passed the word on to Caden...

A Quiet 4th

We had the biggest plans for our 4th of July.

There was going to be a party.

There was going to be fireworks.

There was even going to be a pony. That's right. A real, honest-to-goodness, live pony.

But the rains came and wouldn't stop. For 3 weeks now, they just won't stop.

So we had to cancel.

Caden will have to wait to get his first pony ride. That may be good for a child. What else can you look forward to when you already got to ride a pony at age 2? The rains may have come for his own good.

So we made alternate plans. Phone calls were made. Food arrangements were set. Emails were sent out, albeit last minute of course.

Then I got sick & couldn't go.

So my dad came over to play with Stan & Caden. They played in the garage. They played in Lowe's. They even went to play with Nana at Wal-Mart. And Caden got to have his first hitting lesson with Stumpy (my dad - long story about the name).

I wish we could've had our big shindig, but it was good nonetheless. Sometimes less is more.

Playing with Rebekah

A friend of mine came into town a few weeks ago & I watched her daughter for a couple of hours while she met with a client. Rebekah & Caden had SO much fun together!!! They didn't fight at all & they had to be together constantly. I was actually surprised at how much I was able to accomplish while she was here: cleaning out my pantry, dishes, laundry, & I even unpacked 2 boxes! Hurray for 2-year-olds who can play together without Mommy!!!!




When R's mommy came back, we had fun eating lunch & watching the kiddoes play some more.