A Good Week

Hello friends!

These sweet people have been out hanging out here in Tejas with us. We have really enjoyed having Mom and Bob around. A has been sick with a fever and a cough and it's nice to have a live in nurse. My mom was a nurse a million years ago(well not a million, but you get the idea;). She was a physician recruiter for the hospital until last June and decided to retire early to spend more time with her husband and us!

We have frequented all the thrift stores we can locate within a 75 mile radius. And we found these great sconces and I just used the plates I already had. I think this looks a 100 times better!BEFORE
AFTER:I found this print at Goodwill for $8.00 and we re-framed it at Hobby Lobby for around $38! I LOVE it!!We have hit up the dog park and that made the puppies happy AND Anderson too! This weekend we have been enjoying some nice temperatures. Today it was 80 degrees. I have a friend, who lives in Idaho...I know you hate hearing that Lauryn, I'm sure it's freezing where you are! ;)

See you soon with more pictures!

P.T. Take 3=Success

Hello friends!

We have had a pretty good day. Anderson had 2 accidents and I cried over them. I truly take this stuff way too personally.... But I think that the 3 day potty training was a pretty good success if you look at the big picture.(this picture cracks me up, his underwear says "what an adventure"-ha!)A is now telling us(pretty much) when he has to pee-pee. Pooping is another story! ;) Let's just say we are "working" our way to the bathroom. But, hey, it's a step in the right direction, eh?! Tomorrow, we are venturing out(a little) but the potty chair is going to travel with us.
Anderson has totally been bombarded with animal prizes for potty sessions and is acting a little spoiled right now, but that's okay. He's had a tough week. I have too.

Thank you very much to all you who have listened/read/sympathized with us AND a big thank you to Adam, Brandi B, Tara R., Laura H. and my mom who did a lot of encouraging me! You guys ROCK!

P.T. Take 2

Hello friends!

Our day has been good! I'm still watching A like a hawk to make sure when I know he is pee-peeing or the other. He had a BREAKTHROUGH last night and we were so excited! I put him on the potty and he figured out how to make himself pee-pee(it was amazing to watch it click with him). I know you are thinking that is sad that it's amazing...but it was! He did it several more times before bed last night and he woke up DRY! And nope, we didn't put a diaper on him!

Today, he has started to go in his underwear and then realized and said "uh-oh" and we'd run to the potty for him to finish. But, I suspect that he is holding #2...ugh...lovely! Still trying to figure out how to make him do that one!

Hopefully, tomorrow night he will be totally potty trained!

P.T. Take 1

Hello friends

I am so super tired. We have started day 1 of the 3 day potty training method. We have already gone through 10 pairs of underwear just this morning alone. I have been following Anderson around watching him like a hawk trying to make sure he doesn't pee-pee in his pants or worse. We did have one success this morning, he backed off into a corner and I swooped in and we RAN to the potty. He poo-pooed in the potty...which was actually an accident, because it really just fell in. Too graphic? Sorry...this is my life lately. :)But, we did the BIGGEST potty dance you've ever seen and I even gave him a hershey's kiss for going in the potty!

He's got to get it sometime...right??!

A More Clear View

Hello friends!

Wanted to share with you, Anderson-the window washer!




See you soon!

Some re-decorating

Hello friends!

No matter how hard I seem to try, I cannot be satisfied with our living room. The ceilings are high and we've never had that before. But, don't want to overwhelm the space either. We found this mirror at Kirkland's last year and moved over our couch. Now, I'm trying to find some wall candle sconces to go on either sides of it. Or maybe some wall light sconces...not too sure yet.Then, our bedroom. I love our bedroom furniture, but the head board has always been so high up that I didn't feel I could put much above it. I don't like to clutter up things. But we found this little piece of iron work (Gami, I know you would be proud;) and I thought it fit. I need opinions, do I need to hang it higher or lower, or is it just right? Don't mind the sleeping baby boy and dog. Oh wait a minute, I couldn't resist one sweet sleeping picture!:)And we found this sweet lamp again at Kirkland's and it matched A's room perfectly!! And...it was on major sale- $12.00!!!############################
Did you know that David Nelson from The Ozzie and Harriet Show died this week? So sad. I used to love that show when I was a kid. It would come on Nick at Nite and I would watch every episode! ha! I don't know why I loved it, probably for the same reason I loved Leave it to Beaver. It just had a good family atmosphere feel to it.

It is time...I need your help!

Hello friends!

It's time to....do the potty dance! Do I have the song in your head yet?;) With everything, I have to get myself ready. I have to get geared up for the task at hand. I've always been that way, having to talk myself into things. I guess I'm bullheaded and nobody can talk me into things until I'm ready and I think Anderson's ready too. But, I think he's ready!

I need LOTS of tips on how you did it. Whether it was 50 years ago or just last week. I need all the moral support I can get. I keep telling myself, "you were a teacher, you can do this". But, I've never taught anyone how to use the potty ever before! ha!

Please leave me comments with lots of instructions!!

Happy Birthday Adam!

Happy 33rd Birthday to my love, Adam! He is the love of my life and I would follow him anywhere! He is the most phenomenal husband and father.

I was smitten in 1998 and I am still smitten in 2011!
Elizabeth Barrett Browning best summed up how I feel in How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight.
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's most quiet need by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use.
In my old griefs, and with childhood faith.
I love thee with a love I seem to lose with my lost saints.
I love thee with the breadth and smiles, tears of all my life!
and if God choose, I shall love thee better after death.

Snowy Day and Cupcakes

Hello friends!

We are having a lazy day at home. We are also experiencing our first snowfall of the winter and it's beautiful. The temperature is 34 and I wish it would stick to the ground, but...at least it's snowing!Anderson wanted to go outside in the snowflakes. I made him put on layers and he reminded me so much of the whiny little brother from "A Christmas Story" Ha!!!Doesn't he look like a Texas cowboy in his little boots and a vest?!When did A get to be half as tall as Adam? Seriously. I can't believe he's going to be 3 in April. How did this happen so fast?!

I made cupcakes. So, when the boys and I came in from the cold, we had a treat. :) I think both of them REALLY enjoyed them! ;)Thank you for asking and caring about A's foot. It has not hurt again. The doctor never could figure out what it was....it was so strange! I hope it was just a fluke.

A Hospital Story

Hello friends!

Anderson woke up Tuesday morning with his right foot hurting and it continued to bother him through the day. Finally at the point when he was shrieking in pain with it hurting, I picked him up and went straight to the doctors office. A thinks Dr. King can fix anything and I do too. She referred us here to Cook Children's Hospital.to get x-rays of his foot and some blood drawn to rule out anything like cancer. When she told me this...my eyes filled up with tears and I prayed all the way there.

Seriously, this children's hospital was the NICEST hospital and most cheerful looking place I have ever been. But, it was also the saddest place ever too because of the sick kiddos. A and I sat beside this 9 year old girl while waiting for his blood test. She had cancer at 9 years old....I prayed for her and the other children there that are having to deal with some terrible issues at such a young age. Anderson's test came back FINE(praise the LORD)!!! I still am so bothered and sad for these sweet children and their families. Will you pray for them and for their families to have strength?

Just wished I could do more for the children's hospitals like Cook's and St. Jude. I did find where you can donate money to them online here. I think that's a good. start.

A Stockyard Story

Hello friends!So, every night A wants me to tell him some kind of story. Usually, it's a story about what we have done that day. Sometimes fun things that we have done in the past (like Disney World, etc.). And all I do is tell him what we saw and did during our outing...so I'm gonna tell you this story like I would him.First we went to Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant ( I wouldn't tell him that, but this is to help you out too;) It was SUPER good! It's been there since 1935 and has beautiful fountains and a HUGE courtyard. The whole restaurant seats 1400 people!We then headed over to Billy Bob's (The World's Largest Honkey Tonk...I wouldn't tell him that either) although, I did tell him we were going " jooking"haha...I'm sure he'll mention it to his teachers at church. ;) Lovely....

I know I've posted on Billy Bob's before, but we just think it's a neat place. And yes, it still reminds me of "Urban Cowboy".They even had balloons out cause it was New Years Eve. And no, we didn't have our toddler out at Billy Bob's on New Years Eve night...it was during the day. Ha!After Anderson decided not to dance anymore, in fact he told me "Momma, I not do the balloon dance anymore" we left and walked over to the stockyards.

They actually have real live rodeos on Friday and Saturday nights in Ft. Worth and as we were walking by we smelt this AWFUL smell and saw some black mesh was put up.Adam and his dad hoisted Anderson up and he saw this!And one of the bulls was very MAD. Well, I guess in general, that all bulls are mad. They aren't bred to be sweet.

Then we saw some ponies that walk in a circle and Anderson just HAD TO RIDE! I never like these kinds of things. In fact, I feel plain ole' sorry for the ponies. BUT, A sure loved riding on his first real horse, "Bullet"...so my feelings for the ponies welfare, just went out the window. And pretending the drive the Stockyards Car with steer horns on the front...haha!Finally, Anderson seeing that ever elusive "horse swimming" as he put it. We NEVER saw what he was talking about, so I had to find some videos on you tube with horse diving from the 1930's. Oh well...whatever works.

And as I tell Anderson at the end of all his bedtime stories...and we all lived happily ever after! :)

Happy New Year

Hello friends!

We have survived the awful, terrible and dreaded stomach flu...all 3 of us. I haven't been that sick since I was 10!Luckily, Adam's parents were here and could take care of Anderson while Adam and I had a date in bed....No, not like that. ;)We were just so sick that we literally could not get up out of the bed! Poor Anderson is just now (hopefully) getting back on track.

But, we eventually got out of the bed and got to go to Anderson's favorite place, Cabela's! (A and Gami)I'm pretty sure that he will be horrified when he finds out one day HOW all those animals got there!(Adam, A and Pappy) We headed over to the IKEA in Frisco.Have you ever been to an IKEA? It is the coolest place to shop! It's super cheap and super cool too! Check out these 1970's egg chairs...is that what they are called? They even have a free daycare that you can drop your kids off in...not that we would ever do that, but the option was there. It's a wonderland for kids and adults too! ;)And I found the kitchen of my dreams. I LOVE the color of this kitchen(can you see the blue walls?) and the sink and LOVE the white bead board looking cabinets. Delightful!

See you soon with a Stockyard Story!