Rodeo Re-Cap

A couple weekends ago we took the kids down to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. We had a blast - the rodeo is a tradition in Houston. In years past we would find ourselves going about 6-7 times to the rodeo and the concerts...now we end up only going once or twice usually! My how times change! LOL

The kids had such a great time - we got to play games, eat junk food, watch cute little pigs race, ride rides, and get up close and personal with the animals - and their cousins were there the same day so we got to catch up with them & play, too which was great!

This guy in particular was a ham - ya think he wanted me to be sure to get his good side, or what???

My animal lover gets as close as he possible can to the animals...we usually have to pull him off them b/c he's hugging them!

Emma gets a little braver each year, but she is much more cautious of the animals! This little guy appeared cute & harmless to her! :)

The bunny rabbits, though she loved and would have let them out of their cages if we'd have let her!

They got to plant seeds, grow veggies, sell them at the farmers market, & take their earnings to the store to shop - this was a cool stop we hadn't seen in years past, but will surely check out from now on!

And the carousel is always a must, too - I still love carousels so much! Last year Aaron was still a little small even for the carousel - this year, though he rode it like a pro!

Emma's favorite ride, which was also her favorite last year...the tea cups!! (Can you find my little man screaming in the background with daddy - he wanted to ride so badly with her. Next year big guy!!)

And...of course, you don't go to a carnival without eating junk food...BBQ, Cotton Candy, Caramel Apples, Fried Anything...we had space fries for the first time - they were yummy!

The choices were endless...and made for tough decisions!! I went with a pulled pork sandwich!

And my favorite...

Roasted Corn on the Cob!!! YUM!! This was my treat as we were heading home!!!

Ferris Wheels are iconic when it comes to carousels - you can see them from far far away, letting you know that there is fun going on!!! Like a beacon calling you in!

The sites alone at a carnival are awesome - especially at night when everything lights up!!!

It was so much fun, as always, but this year Aaron was a little older and able to do a few more things with Emma. He was still too short for any of the rides except the carousel - but next year he'll be hopping on all the rides with his big sister I think!

(And on a totally separate note - I think of this b/c there are a lot of pics in this post - do you see the frames and drop shadows around my pics? I can see it in Firefox, but not in Google Chrome or Internet Explorer - so I am just curious as to what browser you use and what you see!!)

If you're ever in the Houston area during the February - March time you should definitely put aside a day to visit the HLSR - it's always such a good time!

Soupy Monday Morning

Usually at this point in my drive (yes I snapped a quick pic driving in - I just wanted you to see what I saw...errr, didn't see) I see my office building towering over me. This morning this was my view, though! Nothing!!! If you're in the Houston or surrounding areas be careful driving this morning!

A Rainy Weekend

It's raining, It's pouring...and it's been pouring for days!! The clouds have been our view for days...

Now those clouds are dropping down the rain on us!!

I know we need the rain, but after several days in a row it's just gloomy...

We've had a full past few days, though - starting Thursday night. We went out for an easy dinner night & ended up trading in my car! I loved my car - I drove a Dodge Charger. Sporty & roomy & fun! But I knew we needed something with a little more room and I figured the best time was when my car was still worth something so I could get a decent trade in. We've been looking online for weeks and talking about what we wanted to get & Thursday after we ate we decided to just drive through a few dealerships to browse. Browsing turned to buying - isn't that the way it always is?? We just came upon a deal too good to pass up - I guess the salesman knew he wasn't going to have many others come out in the rain like we did so he didn't want to lose the sale - which was good for us!

We got an Expedition - fully loaded - with all the bells and whistles except 4WD (which I don't need) - and I love it!!! I figured this will be the last new car I get for a while b/c the next one will be Michael's so I got just what I wanted! Navigation system, back up camera, entertainment system, power 3rd row seats, power doors, leather, wood grain, and Microsoft sync so I can link it up to my phone and we're in business!! Did I mention that I love it??? Can ya tell! It's funny - I had a mustang, bought a jeep, then went to another car with my Charger, and am now back to an SUV - guess car buying is cyclical! LOL

Yesterday we celebrated Michael's dad's birthday and the cousins all got to get together and play! They had a lot of fun & I think they all wore one another out - mine were crashed in the car within five minutes of leaving!!

They taught their Uncle Chris how to do puzzles...

and helped their grandpa blow out candles...think they are all eyeing that cookie cake, or what???

and  posed for us to take pictures...

These are some cute kiddos!!

Today we're staying close to home...we were going to grill, but it's so yucky outside we're cooking indoors - Michael fixed up his yummy ribs and they are in the oven for later tonight. I got some shrimp all ready to be steamed and some yummy side fixing ready, too...mushrooms and onions for toppings are simmering on the stove. Aaron is taking a nap now & Emma is quiet, playing Barbies in her room - I think this might be the perfect setting for mommy & daddy to get cozy on the couch, listen to the rain, and get control of the tv with a  movie for while!!

Hope you're all having a great weekend, too!!

iPhone View of our Weekend

We had such a full weekend - seems like it went by in a whirlwind. Don't they usually, though?? Friday was my wonderful mommy's birthday!!! So we celebrated her birthday Friday. Saturday morning Michael worked so the kids & I did a few errands & then that afternoon we had a crawfish boil with Michael's brother & his family and Jamie's sister & her family. This was our first boil of the season & it was so yummy!! Sunday morning we went to church, then visited the nursery to get some plants for the garden, then it was play time - we spent the rest of the day at the carnival!  The weather all weekend was so great and made for a great day playing!

I have more pics from the weekend on my camera, but until I get them uploaded here is a view through my iPhone!

You can tell by the smiling faces all the fun we had this weekend. The one lazy pic (top right) is Sunday morning before church - Aaron was watching cartoons on the TV, Emma was watching Netflix on the Kindle, & Daddy was still snoozing! I hated to disturb the cuteness, but we had to get up and get moving!!

I hope you all had a great weekend, too - here's to a great week ahead as well!!!

Aaron's 2yr Rocking Chair Pics

Every year on their birthday I put the kids in this rocking chair - it was my Grannie's rocking chair and when I was pregnant with Emma she gave it to me! It's the one piece of furniture I'm sure I'll have all the while my babies are growing up so it's a great place to measure how much they grow - plus it means a lot to us b/c my Grannie gave it to us!

I hope that in another year or so Aaron will look at the camera more for me! Right now he has more important things to look at than the business end of mommy's camera! Like books and his choo choo trains!

I love looking back at these pictures - Emma has 5 now! It's amazing to look at how much she changes in just 12 month's time from year to year! This was Aaron's 1st Rocking Chair picture - what a difference a year makes!

Aaron's Birthday Party Pics

We had such a great time Saturday for Aaron's birthday party! We didn't do anything elaborate, but it was still lots of fun! Big thanks to everyone that came out to play & celebrate Aaron turning two years old! He got so many great presents - he has LOTS of new trains now, new cars, new clothes, and a Thomas the Train backpack that he loves! He's been asking me, "Tickets Please!" all day today! LOL!! 

I was having such a great time myself I didn't get a lot of pictures...okay, I admit it - I like to play the games, too! I just can't help myself - ha ha! 

(click the pictures to advance through them all)

My BABY turned 2 Yesterday!

I cannot believe it's been two whole years since we became a foursome! 

 This beautiful, tiny little boy is now a toddler - that makes tear up just thinking about it!

I don't know what I would do without this handsome little man in my life!

He is such a blessing to our family and I have proof that he is a blessing to his sister even if she says he takes her stuff (she takes his, too! LOL)...

I hope my babies always have this much love for one another!

Both my babies are actually home sick today...I hope they are on the end of whatever they have been fighting for a couple days - especially b/c Aaron's birthday party is tomorrow and I want him to have a blast tomorrow!

WE LOVE YOU AARON!

DADDY, MOMMY, & EMMA!!!

Tribute to Single Moms

I love my babies & am so proud of how good they are...most of the time, hee hee! They aren't too hard to handle in public or on my own, but sometimes when I have them out on my own I really appreciate my hubby & I think about single moms doing it on their own all the time. Especially single moms of multiples! Today I had a couple adventures on my own with the kids that made me so thankful for what good kids they are & think about other moms that are on their own all the time.

I met my niece early this morning and was planning to leave from there to go to Michael's work to pick him up, but when I got to the parking lot & tried to leave my car wouldn't start. After a while and some help from a few nice strangers we got it going again...by that time Michael had already left work to come rescue us, so he was able to just follow us home. I was glad my niece was there and I wasn't just stranded on my own with my babies - that could be a scary situation. It could've been a bad situation in so many ways & thankfully it wasn't.

Then tonight the kids &I went to meet Hello Kitty & we were in the midst of a million kiddos and parents (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration) & standing in line for a while to get our faces painted & meet Hello Kitty. Emma was so good staying in line like a big while I kept Aaron entertained. After a while he was happy to be entertained watching home movies on my phone while we waited on Emma to finish getting her face painted. So, like I said they didn't give me a hard time and I was so proud of them for that, but it also made me think about all those single moms out there doing it every single day - and sometimes with kids that don't always listen. We did have a great time, though and Emma & Aaron loved meeting Hello Kitty! They gave lots of big hugs, especially Aaron! It was really too cute!

The third thing today that made me think about it was bath time. Bath time isn't usually an issue - Michael & I have our routine of duties that make this a smooth routine. Tonight, though I had to rush and pull them both out at the same time, rush them dripping and soapy into the shower, & clean out the tub all at the same time. Why? Well, let's just say Aaron couldn't wait to get out of the tub to potty! EEeeeewwww! Yes - needless to say while they were hanging out in the shower I was bleaching the tub! LOL!

So, to all the single moms out there, my niece being one of them, I have you in my thoughts and I know heaven has special angels up there watching out for you. 

(In case you're wondering, tonight is softball so that's where Michael was during Hello Kitty and bath time tonight!)

I also have to share this picture of my girl - we went shopping for some color to put in the flower beds yesterday - it was so pretty outside & she was riding around with her daddy helping him pick them out! She was looking way too cool!!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

And my son doesn't wanna take a nap!! I've been trying to get Aaron down for a nap for over half an hour now - he's gonna give in any minute, I just know it! We have a birthday party this afternoon and then the kids are playing next door while Michael and I have a date night, so he really needs a good nap so he won't be a little toot during all that. He usually isn't really, but he's been kinda congested this week so he isn't his usual perky self still.

Emma is working on a birthday card for this afternoon and a few other little crafty projects - perfect idea for this rainy day! My rainy day ideas weren't as fun - they included laundry, cleaning floors, cleaning the kitchen and putting this yumminess together for lunch today!

Okay - so maybe that last part was kinda fun - I don't consider cooking a chore really. I did get to sit down to crochet some. I finished Emma's scarf I'd been working on yesterday and she loved it. She wore it to school yesterday, too.

I was rather proud of it and thought it turned out very pretty! I'm also working on another one for my niece's little girl. I thought I'd had it finished then ran out of yarn, so I actually undid all the stitches made with the entire blue skein and did a smaller stitch instead so I'll be able to complete it without having to run out to the store in this yucky weather!

I'm really missing the beautiful skies we had last weekend!

It was so gorgeous outside and though I know we need the rain when it comes it tends to bring on a bit of cabin fever, too! It was pretty awesome this morning, though laying in bed and listening to it rain so hard outside around 5am! Best snuggling weather!! Tomorrow the sun should peek back out some, though and maybe a little Monday, too which would be great b/c I'm off Monday!

Here's to a long weekend - hope you all have a great one! Stay Dry!!

My name is going to be on a building!

Our company is building a new office building - it's set to be complete in 2013. Our current building is 31 stories tall & the new one is going to be the same height. They will be side by side with the current parking garage in between them & a covered air-conditioned breeze way connecting them - that will be nice b/c currently to walk to our other building we have to get outside and walk over a bridge, which is fine if the weather is nice, but if it's raining or scorching heat it isn't too pleasant.

The big building we're in now is called Lake Robins Tower, usually referred to simply as the Tower, though. The new building I believe is going to be called Woodloch Tower - it may be referred to later as the New Tower - who knows. But there have been references made calling them the Twin Towers, which is both cool and rather unnerving at the same time. We are all still excited about the new building, though. It's going to have it's own cafe & gym, like the current Tower has as well and the first ten stories will be another parking garage with 21 floors of offices above.

So, how is my name going to be on the building? Well, there is a beam that has been put out in our lobby and we all had the opportunity to write our name on it if we wanted - heck, I don't know that I'll ever have another opportunity to see my name on a building, so I think it's pretty cool! I've been here going on 12 years now and would love to be able to retire from here one day, so I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon!!

So, while maybe no one will ever actually "see" my name on the side of a building, I'll know it's there! And I think that's pretty cool!