Father's Day 2009

We spent this Father's Day with BBQ and pool fun! We are trying to take advantage of our pool as much as possible since we will be moving soon.....our house is currently on the market. Here are a couple of fun videos of our little fish.

I swear I did not fall of the face of the earth....really...

WOW. I have not posted since Christmastime!!! A lot has happened since then. I turned the big 3-5! But, did not get to celebrate because Maddie came down with the flu.:( In March, we took a vacation to Disney World....LOVED it and can't wait to go back! Maddie turned 8. My grandmother (my mom's mom) passed away...we buried her on Maddie's birthday...very difficult day for me...was happy and sad at the same time. April: Easter, Jim turns 39 and holding, Rockwall TEA party, Maddie earned her purple belt in Taekwondo, and we list our house in preparation for a move to Rockwall. May...not sure what happened...it blasted by with Maci's 1st dance recital, Maddie's Flippers and Dazzlers recital, end of year stuff, the fleas cracked my wrist and now...I have a 3rd grader!! I HAVE A 3RD GRADER. Seriously, I do...and it's crazy. Am I that old already...oh yeah, I told you how old I turned this year. Here are some Spring pics to catch everyone up...bring it on Summer!

Now here comes camp, VBS, more camp, golf lessons, horseback riding lessons, Schlitterbahn, Hawaiian Falls, Tybee Island, pool parties, sleep overs....whew! When does school start again? I'll sleep then I guess.

Breakfast with Santa

We made our annual trek to Cedar Hill for the Breakfast with Santa event at the home of our dear friends. It is always so much fun, tons of great breakfast foods, Santa coming thru the woods to see the children; then, calling each child by name as they eagerly wait their special gift picked out by mom (ahem, I mean Santa). Afterwards, Santa takes the kids on a hay ride through the neighborhood. It is such a wonderful time and we have been going there since Maddie was an infant.

We have been there when our girls hated Santa. Later, they thought he was cool but they took their gifts and ran like Forest Gump. This was Maci's year to embrace Santa for a change - one of Maddie's last years to "believe" I think....the pictures of this day were wonderful. You know, one of those "Mom" days when all stars are in alignment and you get all the "best" shots....

WELL, GET OVER IT.....my memory stick corrupted on me and I lost ALL my pictures!!!! Unfortunately, I lost Maddie's class party and pictures dating back to October because my computer was down and I had not downloaded anything in forever. In fact, I lost many pictures on my laptop from a hard drive crash that I was still grieving....and then, THIS!!!! ARGHHH!!

I guess what gives me peace about this situation, is that the family's house we went to, well, their home burned to the ground a few years back. This is only the 2nd year in their new home. Can you even imagine all the things they must have lost - baby albums, family heirlooms, pictures, video, etc...things that no amount of money will ever be able to replace. So, I guess memories from the last few months...I can deal with that.....

Merry Christmas everyone.....

Our newest addition....

I must admit - I am not really a "cat lover" - I have always had dogs and my mother detested cats so much that it kind of rubbed off on me I guess. But, when I went to pick Maddie up from school last week, the Librarian had 3 little kitties she was giving away. Maddie has been wanting a kitty for a long time - so, I decided - why not?

This poor little kitty - named "Blackberry" - is literally being carried from one end of the house to the other, over and over again by Maddie and Maci - he probably wishes I had just left him in the Library!!! But, I must say, he has really grown on me...

Maci Turns 3!!!

I can't believe my "baby" is now 3 YEARS OLD!!! This year we decided not to do a party and instead, have a "family party" as Maddie keeps referring to it....we went to the Great Wolf Lodge for the weekend. Let me say, they are making a killing there....from MagicQuests, a waterpark, arcade, kids only salon, other crafts and such - oh, and when you are completely beaten down tired, they even have a bedtime story by the gigantic fireplace that all the kids come down in their pajamas to hear. We then retire to our suite that includes a private bunk bed retreat for the kiddos - to include a flat-screen TV for them to watch, play games, etc...



So, all of this sounds good, however, in reality it includes over-stimulation to create little monsters out of your once sweet darlings. Anyone remember the old horror film that came out years ago - that evil toddler, Chuckie....well, you get the picture of the weekend......And, Maddie woke us all up on Sunday at 5:30 AM!!!!!!! Anyone who knows me well, can tell you that I am NOT a morning person - for that matter, I am not really a night person - I guess I am more of a good middle of the day kind of gal...



So, we return home promptly after checkout on Sunday...oh, and did I mention how uncomfortable the beds were???? Not only did we get up early, but we couldn't sleep because the beds were just terrible. With the kind of sticker shock that the Great Wolf Lodge comes with, our beds should have rocked us to sleep, popped a Benadryl in our mouths and sang a lullaby!!!



Well, we did cap it off nicely though with MiMi and Papa and Uncle Rich (who was in town due to Hurricane IKE - glad to report that his home has little to no damage...but it was a treat to see him). We ate BBQ and had a Baskin and Robbins ice-cream cake and watched Maci play with her new things....



Happy Birthday Maci Lyn!!!

The Tale of 2 Pools.....

It goes to show you....that even if you have a fabulous pool with a deep end and diving board, kids just need a back yard and a blowup pool for a good time....


Here is Maddie at her Mimi and Papa's house:



Moral of this story, save your money and time and make a trip to Wally World.

The End.

The REAL Labor Day.....

Just for fun, I'm playing along with my friend Jennifer Liane Hunt.....

How long were your labors?

Kid #1: Watched the episode of Bold and the Beautiful, ate a PB&J and then a WHOOOOOSH sound - yep, my water broke. To this day, I still believe that Jim finished his enchiladas and margarita at Ojedas in downtown Dallas. It took him FOREVER to come get me in Sachse to head to Big Baylor. The entire staff at Mom's office listened on speaker phone until Jim arrived. Thank you Environmental Protection Agency - you timed my contractions perfectly!!!! However, Maddie had Jim's shoulders and head, so after 12 hours of labor, and 2 hours of pushing, she was delivered by C-section at 2:11 in the morning (ironically, my b-day is February 11th!)

Kid #2: Planned C-section, no labor - full make-up and hair until the guy with the epidural came in and freaked me out....so much for good pictures....

Where did you deliver?

Baylor Dallas (not my favorite)
Medical City Dallas (this hospital rocks!)

Who delivered?
Dr. Charles Brodsky (performed my emergency c-section in the middle of the night!)
Dr. Michelle Heintges (awesome and played some rockin' music during my c-section!)

I forgot that I had pictures on the camera.....

I reached for the camera tonight to take a picture of Maddie's poor face (she fell off the monkey bars today at school), and when I did, I realized I had not downloaded some cute pictures from Dolfin Swim School and Maddie earning her orange belt in karate....

So, here are a few - including Maddie's busted lip and scratched up face....:(

Farewell Summer 2008.....

Hi everyone - I just wanted to post a quick post and let you all know that I am alive - it has been a wild and crazy summer with being co-director for my church's VBS, 2 trips to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, 2 trips thru Austin, a week in Savannah at the beach with my family, 2 sets of swim lessons, a case of Crypto for Maci (unrelated to the swim lesson pools but directly connected to a waterpark that is named after a certain state located in the Pacific), Maddie beginning Taekwondo and already going to an orange belt....oh, and somewhere in there I have managed to sell some real estate!!!

Maddie started a new school this year - so, that has been a bit stressful for her - however, I think she will end up really liking it. Of course, on the 2nd day of school she tried out a couple of karate moves on her teacher, so as you can imagine, that didn't go off too well. She promptly ended up sitting in the Headmaster's office!! While in his office, she confessed everything bad she had done to her sister in the last 2 weeks.

Maci will start MDO at our church in a couple of weeks....but, meanwhile, she has begun taking dance lessons (ballet, tap and tumble). She is really enjoying it I think - they tell me that she is a "fearless tumbler" - not quite sure if this is a good thing....????? At least we are experienced with orthapedics (Maddie had 2 broken wrists by the time she was 3)....

Hope to have more pics and stories to post soon....for now, Farewell Summer 2008!!!:)

GAS LEAK!!!! YIKES!!!!

It has been crazy since my last post - after finishing up swim lessons, it was then time to get the girls ready for our trip to Savannah, GA. I will post about our trip (we just got home today) later once I download the pictures. Well, on Monday (last week) - Jim and I thought we smelled gas outside. We have a outdoor fireplace and built-in grill that run on gas....so we call Atmos Energy - and, wow - they were here in 10 minutes!!! That emergency number is highly efficient I must say!! The worker took a look around and sure enough - we have a leak ---- somewhere....!!! Mandatory shut-down at the Garland White House....UGH!!! However, we are TRULY blessed that nothing happened. In fact, we smelled gas (we thought) on the 4th - and this was a day we had 40 of our closest friends and family over for a cookout/pool party - YIKES!!!!!

So, we are set to leave for Savannah on Wednesday and now we are without gas - meaning no hotwater (no dishwasher, washer, baths, etc.). Also, no cooking...all meals out if they can't be done in a microwave (I of course didn't mind that part much...)

In a nutshell, and $2500 later.....we have the NUMEROUS leaks fixed and are very fortunate indeed. The gas was turned on, finally, on Thursday!

Well, fast forward to today......I am in Savannah with the girls - packing to leave on a lunch-time flight - when I get the call from Jim - WE HAVE A GAS LEAK! What the.....??!!! The plumber comes out only to find that Atmos Energy's technician had incorrectly turned on the gas - so, there was so much gas leaking out that the ENTIRE STREET was in danger of what they call a "flash fire". OMG!!!!!!!!! In fact, the plumber said it is the "worst leak he has seen in a while". So, he corrected Atmos Energy's work and we were asked to report the negligence...

We are counting our blessings right now - just a tiny little spark could have ignited our entire street! Whew.....moral of this story - if it smells like gas, it probably is.....:)

Dolfin Swim School ROCKS!!!!

This swim school is absolutely AMAZING - if you have not heard of it - go to their website, http://www.dolfinswimschool.com/ and take a looky-lu... The classes are held at private pools in the University Park and Preston Hollow neighborhoods - it is a trek for us - but, well worth the drive - and money!!! But, we do live and breathe swim school for those 2 weeks!

One thing that I think is SUPER important for kiddos is to learn to be strong swimmers. This school does that. The teacher/student ratio is great - one of the first things they teach the kids is how to roll over and "rest" if ever in trouble. Also, they will do a drill where the children have to come in long sleeves and long pants and "fall" in the pool. This is to help with the disorientation that can happen when you fall into a body of water when not expecting it - and, having to swim with heavy clothes and shoes on as well.

I can't say enough about this school - Maddie (at age 4) went from being terrified of the water and getting her face wet to diving for a rock at the bottom of the pool in 2 weeks!!!

This summer was Maci's first swim lessons - she did great too!!! At age 2 she is now able to "motorboat" the pool and swim to the bottom to pick up her rock!! The video shows her doing her "kangaroo jumps"...so cute!

Doctor anyone?

I just have to share this website I came across that I am loving. It is a place where you can look up a doctor and see patient feedback as to their office staff, bedside manner, helpfulness, etc.

It is www.ratemds.com. While on this topic - who are your favorite doctors?

Here are mine:

Dr. Michelle Heintges (OBGYN)

Dr. Jerald Michaelson (Dermatologist)

Dr. John Porter (Pediatrician)

Dr. Dennis Kay (Opthamologist)

Momma horses don't have 3 holes!

Who knew?

Birds, bees, horses???

This morning, we went over to a friend's house in our old neighborhood for a playdate. Most of the kiddos are around 3 with younger siblings...this is actually Maci's playgroup, but she can't go during the year b/c she is in MDO on Wednesdays - and Momma is not giving that one up!!

So, we are driving on Sachse Road and see the horses - stupid me makes the comment, "Hey, look at the horses....". Maddie peeks out the window - I think she will just comment on how pretty they are, can we ride one, feed one, etc. - but, instead, she asks me:

"How do baby horses come out?". (WHAT!!!!!?????????? )

So, I say to her, "well they are in their tummies like Mommies have their babies". Case closed, right?

Maddie: "Do they cut them out or do they come out of a hole?"

Me: "Well, depends - possibly either way...."

Maddie: "Where is the hole?"

Me: "On their bottom..."

Maddie: "How do they pee?"

Me: "They have another hole for that."

Maddie: "How do they poop?"

Me: "There is another hole for that."

Maddie: "So momma horses have 3 holes?"

Me: "Yes." (of course I know where this is headed...)

Maddie: "Momma, how many holes do you have?"

Me: "(Ahem) 3"

Maddie: How many holes does Daddy have?

Me: "(AHEM) 2"

Maddie: "Hmmmmm. Are we almost to Kimberly's?"

Maybe not Grand Cayman but still fun....

I am sad to report, that we did not get our long awaited vacation to Grand Cayman afterall:( Jim and I had planned to meet my sister and her girlfriend there but as we looked at the weather reports, there was a HUGE tropical depression in that area dumping TONS of rain. I don't know about you, but the last place in the world I want to be during tropical weather is on a flat island - YIKES!!!

So, we started damage control plans.....first, we were going to just road trip to Florida's Emerald Coast (Destin area) - but, then that plan got tanked - long story - won't bore you with the details. In the end, my sister and I have decided that we will all try and go somewhere at the end of summer - maybe Mexico or Hawaii - somewhere tropical for sure....

Well, Jim I and I did something that many of our friends have done tons of times with their family - but we never have - we decided to take the girls on a vacation - just the 4 of us!!! It is not that we haven't traveled with all in tow - however, we are usually accompanied by MiMi and Papa or Pop and Grandmomma - never just US ....we feel so GROWN UP now - we survived our first family vacation all alone - imagine that - AND, wanna know where we went....Austin for one night and then Schlitterbaun for two!!!!

First we went to the Austin Childrens Museum which was FANTASTIC - they have a pretend Austin City Limits stage where the kids can pretend they are famous musicians - they can dress up, do the stage lights, pick the songs and see themselves on the monitor. As you can see - my kids aren't shy....

Then the next day we toured the Capitol - Maddie actually requested to tour it - isn't that amazing!!!!!! So, how do we turn that down.....

Later that day, we went shopping in San Marcos and zipped on down to our Featured Destination - Schlitterbaun. The #1 Waterpark in the WORLD for 10 years in a row - Grand Cayman can't top that baby.....well, maybe it can but let's not dwell on that.... The kids (and us) had a blast. So much so, that we have booked another trip there in August!!!! We stayed at the resort located at Schlitterbaun - so, it was SUPER convenient with young kiddos - especially one still in diapers. There was so much for tots to do as well - I had no idea - Maci has zero fear and went down all the slides with the speed of lightning - the crazier the landing, the more she loved it!!! Her favorite slide was the "octopus" - she can't say hamburger but she can sure tell you about the "octopus"!!!!

Maddie and Jim rode every single ride out there I think - she is a dare-devil too!!! Which she so did not get from me. My sweet little 7 year old went on the Master Blaster (the best watercoaster in the world apparently) and LOVED it - she took me the next day and I actually liked it - even though I was white as a ghost boarding it - she took great pleasure in my fear (too much I think???).

Grand Cayman Baby!!!

Yep - that's right. Jim and I are heading for Grand Cayman on May 31st for 7 days!!!!! We have a 2 bedroom condo on the beach, so my sister and her girlfriend are coming too. I can't wait!! It has been a LOOOoooong time since we went on a "real" vacation (you know, all adults and no kids). Of course I am a bit stressed thinking about leaving them for so long - Maddie will do fine - she is used to spending tons of time with her grandparents - she quite frankly - prefers it. Maci on the other hand has not spent that much time away from me (she will be 3 in September) and is a momma's girl. Which I totally LOVE, but trying to leave her for this length of time, will not be easy or her (or ME!).

I hope all of you moms out there had a great Mother's Day yesterday.....Mine was great. Maddie performed in the Children's Musical, "Rock Solid" (both services) and then afterwards we went to one of my favorite restaurants - Kyoto - love the hibachi grill places. It was Maci's first time there and it kinda freaked her out at first - but, once she started seeing the food dumped on her plate, her attitude quickly changed. I have never seen a 2 year old little girl eat so much in my life!!! She was dancing while she ate (that is how you can tell if she is really enjoying her meal!). Maddie was wowed at the "volcano" the guy made as well as fried rice shaped in a heart - he even made it beat. Very cool!

Afterwards, I tucked Maci in for a nap, and Jim took Maddie for a swim in our pool. So what did Momma opt to do........well, SHOP (of course!). I met my mother at Firewheel Mall and we had a great time together.

I promise I will post more regularly!!!!!

Maddie's 7th Birthday

It is hard to believe that Maddie is already 7 YEARS OLD!!! In some ways it seems like only yesterday that we were eagerly awaiting her birth - and on the other hand, it was a lifetime ago! This year, we decided to do a scavenger hunt birthday party for her. This was quite the undertaking for the anti-creative soul that I am!!! But, I don't know about everyone else, but it seems like they are charging more and more to host birthday parties "off location" these days. I mean come on - why should it cost $250 - $300 to have a birthday party somewhere.

So, I decided we would do this party at home. I bought little wooden treasure chests that my dad spray painted purple (thank you Dad!), that the kids decorated with stickers, and gem stickers and I had a Bible verse that we pasted inside.

Once the kids were finished with this, we divided them up into 2 teams. Each team had a digital camera and would have to find the clue but also do an activity for a picture. I hired youth from our church to run the hunt (and do the craft) - they would have things like - "I have keys but they don't unlock the door . . ."KEYBOARD. "I made Snow White fall fast asleep" . . .APPLE.

Well, it ended up that they looked for the clues which led them to the final Treasure Chest and then they filled up the mini chests that they had decorated earlier - IT WAS A FABULOUS PARTY!!



Now, let's rewind - Me and Maddie had spent the night in the ER - she started having breathing problems during her soccer game the day before - it later escalated into major abdominal pains. So, after a battery of tests thru the night and the diagnosis of Maddie needing to poop and maybe has exercise induced asthma - we returned home at 4 AM!!!



So, these clues that I came up with were from sleep deprived state in about one hour's time before the party - and it went well - I am so excited!!

Rockstar Maci!!!!

I just have to take a minute to Laugh Out Loud - Maci (2 yrs.) is our "Entertainer". This would be her, standing on her "stage" ~ performing a little number . . .Maddie was and still is a funny child - she can crack you up with some of the things she says - (ahem, me the Sonic girl for starters) - but, she is also this really active child. The moment her eyes pop open, she is on the GO! Creative in a different way, she is more about pretend play, making up her own games, etc.

Maci is a bit more laid back and funny in a different way . . .she will hop on her "stage" with Maddie's Hannah Montana microphone and belt a tune out. Now, typically, one can not make out the words to the songs, but, the tune is a dead give-away. For some reason, my kids speak some strange foreign language until about age 5 . . .I thought Maddie was a slow talker because of her hearing difficulties - nope, don't really think so now - just that foreign language nobody knows! I just had to share these crazy pictures of Maci - these will be saved for her rehearsal dinner one day in the very distant future (I hope)!!

It all started with the Easter Bunny . . .

They look so sweet and innocent, don't they? Well - we survived Easter 2008 . I have been reading other blogs and loving the sweet, peaceful memories made today - am I the only FRANTIC one on this beautiful day??? It all started with the Easter bunny . . . .

Maddie opened her basket first (Maci was still asleep) and loved all of her things - lipsticks, Hannah Montana nightgown, sidewalk chalk and other various things - she then proceeded to look for eggs ~ she is a pro these days, so it didn't take long. The plan was to "re-hide" some of the eggs for Maci so that we could watch her discover them - well, NOOOOOOOOO, that would be too easy. Instead, Maddie woke up Maci, brought her into the living room and gave the basket of the newfound eggs to her (only to rethink that decision later and fight to get them back), and so the chaos began . . .

Then, they did not like their dresses - Maddie did not like the fact that hers was sleeveless and with an "annoying" sweater. "What would people think?" when she went on stage to hear the children's message. What . . . ~ Seriously? Is there that much drama at almost 7 years old? Next, Maci preferred to wear a Christmas dress. She even pulled out 2 to give me a "choice"! Let's just say, it was ugly, but the parents prevailed. Yes! One win to start the day off right . . .

Then it is picture-time - my kids have it so easy - I do not take pictures like the rest of my friends - I wish I did - but, I somehow either don't have a camera, or if I do it is not charged or the disk is full from the most recent holiday, etc . . .some of your kids probably feel like they live with the paparazzi! Mine are going to wonder if there really were cameras back in the day . . .Anyways, to get back to the point of the story - Maddie proceeded to roll in the grass in her Easter finest (to be like Mackie) and Maci began running around like a wild animal - I was sure that she would ruin her nice new outfit. All the while, Mommy is chasing behind in high heels with the camera in hopes of a few shots to document the day.

Finally, off to church we go - but, before we leave I have to meet requests for the snack in the car, juice to drink, can I have a stuffed animal to take, etc., etc, etc. To the point that Maddie told Jim that I am just like the girl at Sonic. Great!

Once we got to the church, things did begin to improve - mostly because there is CHILDCARE of course! Yippee!!!! But, mommy settled down, had a little coffee (wish it was spiked at that point) and settled in for what Easter is really about - kind of makes the insane morning so insignificant, doesn't it?

My first time to get TAGGED . . . .YEEHAW!

Ok - this is fun - never been tagged before . . .I was tagged by my long, lost dear friend Jennifer from high school and here are the rules:

Look up from the computer, look around the room where you're sitting and pick up the closest book. Open the book, turn to page 123, count down to the fifth sentence on that page, and then post the next three sentences.

Well, I am not a huge reader - I think I would like to be but I just don't seem to have the time to devote right now. I probably read 4 books a year - I know that is terrible. But, I am trying to lose some weight - sooooooooo, I have been working out like crazy and using The SOUTH BEACH DIET book as a resource for my food intake . . .

Page 123:

Midmorning Snack
Celery stuffed with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Cheese.

Lunch
Chef's salad (at least 1 oz each ham, turkey, and low-fat cheese on mixed greens)
Olive oil and vinegar to taste or 2 Tbsp low-sugar prepared dressing.

Midafternoon Snack
Up to 10 cherry tomatoes stuffed with 1/2 Cup low-fat cottage cheese.

YUUUMMMMMMMMMY! Kind of makes your mouth water doesn't it? :)

I tag: Simri, Aimee, and Vanessa