two in fourteen months

HELLOOO....

2011-04-26T09:04:00.002-05:00

it has been a long time...a very very long time...

i am not promising an actual post in the next day or so but i will be back before summer starts.

last summer was so crazy and off the wall and i wish i would have documented my summer with the three "bels" before forgetting all the crazy stories my friends laughed at and thanked God they were not me after hearing.

see you soon!!

should be working out but going to jump on my soap box instead...

2009-10-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

if jeff reads this title he will think this entry is about MY rant, outcry, opinion or disgust with the health care problem/political debate...it is not.

while feeding mari i do what i usually do and check face"crack", i mean facebook to see what is the latest in status updates because what else is there to do with a baby attached to a boob.

a young mother herself has moved from the ftw area to a east coast location and in her new location notices that there are not as many young mothers like herself. now her wording may have been where the negative comments began, however, she was merely pointing out the growing trend in young unwed mothers. sorry people, but it is TRUE and statistics show it follows demographics, religious beliefs and some areas of our country see more...young girls are not as concerned about unprotected sex as they once were and there is not as much fear of being a young mother.....

in my own experience i am the oldest daughter of a young mother (single most of my growing up years), the sister of one very young mother, the sister of a semi-young mother and my own best friend entered parenthood just out of high school. * i personally choose to wait until my later years to become a parent but i made many a hard choices in my younger years to emotionally and physically support sister and be there for my friend.

for me, i wanted to graduate college, i was the first from my mother's side of the family to do so. i also, watched the hardships my mother endured as a young single mother and how it reflected on mine and my sisters childhood. i wanted to do things differently....i wanted the "all american family". i wanted to be able to financially support myself and know i would never look to someone else for my next meal or to pay my rent.

so for me, i graduated college, worked several jobs and supported myself through this experience. i almost married at a young age and often reflect on where i would be if i had done so. i would not be who i am today, nor do i believe i would be in that marriage. so many experiences during my 20's have made me who i am today....i am not as cold hearted, angry or judgemental as i was in my younger years. i looked for and found a love i had never known with my husband. i travelled and established some financial security....BUT it is because of the hard years i withstood as a child that encouraged this choice.

i have seen many young mothers work hard and love their children through those years while still trying to find themselves. and i have seen some fail and continue to as they never grew up enough to put their children first.

i believe whether it is a religious belief, personal experience or the fear of STD's we need to talk to our young people about unprotected sex. as the mother of three girls i certainly want to raise three strong, educated young women who will think before they act. i don't yet know the best way to achieve this.....but, i believe a strong relationship with both jeff and i is the first step. i also believe there is no reason for teenagers to be grown ups....

my point is most young parents truly love their children and could not image life without them. but, it is okay to admit being a young parent is tough and at times extremely difficult. not that parenting at 34 is easy but i believe i have different advantages with my age. it is up to us to encourage young people to achieve financial and emotional security before making choices that can lead to young parenthood. YOUNG PEOPLE....ENJOY LIFE, FIND YOURSELF, BUILD FINANCIAL SECURITY ...YOU HAVE A LIFETIME TO START A FAMILY!

*my best friend stood strong as a young mother, one of the only to finish her senior year of high school, go to prom and walk across the stage at 7 months pregnant. she choose to work hard to support herself and son instead of entering a bad marriage. she waited and found her prince charming. at that time it was more common for girls to quit school vs being seen at school pregnant. she is also the mother of two toddlers now with a teenage son, i believe she would be the first to say those early years were difficult and that she is very grateful to be able to stay home to raise her children. and that parenting is totally different when you older, more financially stable and wiser but she would not trade any of it for her son.

personal disclaimer......i was drunk while posting this............not really, but if i offended you please tell yourself it was the bottle of wine i had for breakfast...........not really, but if it makes you feel better i am crazy.............well, that is yet to be completely true, only slightly and it depends on the amount of coffee, chocolate and alcohol flowing through my blood.

the best day of my life...

2009-10-08T12:53:00.003-05:00

i wanted to post this on october 5th but like always i did not make it on time. Izabel Jean just turned three...i can not believe three years have come and gone so fast. well, really 3 and 3/4 years because i count being pregnant part of our bonding time. i always knew i wanted to have children and many of them. being the "perfect mother" has been my lifetime goal (trust me, i know i am not close to perfect but i strive to be).

2004 was a busy year, first, jeff asked me to be his wifey, then the wedding, then in november i had my third and final surgery for cervical cancer. it was a scary time, one doctor told us stage two, close to three but in the end the oncologist said it was early stage two. going into surgery that day in november we did not know if all the girly parts would have to be removed or not....i was so worried. while i most defiantly did not want the cancer anymore i was mourning the perhaps loss of having our own children. luckily all was taken care of and i kept my girly parts.

2005....i drowned my sadness in almost not being able to have children and worrying that maybe we still may never be able to get pregnant in exercise. i became obsessed....i was even "fibbing" to jeff about my work hours because i was spending three hours (at least) a day at the gym or running. yes, i had the second best body of my life** in october i had my first miscarriage after actively trying to get pregnant since my surgery, it was not so devastating being as i didn't even know i was pregnant yet. then on december 25th i miss carried for the 2nd time. this time i was devastated, i was 7 weeks along and knew i was pregnant.

2006....somehow after two years of trying and two miscarriages in three months we conceived izzy. at this point i was seeing a high risk doctor and after many test discovered my body does not produce enough folic acid. those first 12 weeks i worried so much about this baby growing in my womb. i would leave my spin class as soon as my heart rate went up past 138...i held my breathe with each and every cramp. which were just my uterus stretching to accommodate this baby. so at 8 weeks when jeff and i heard our "it's" heartbeat for the first time i cried and continued to do so for the next four weeks. (my poor husband) at 13 weeks we started to tell our closest friends and on mother's day we told the grandmas. at 20 weeks i was not concerned if we were having a girl or a boy....i just wanted to know all the baby's organs and limbs were there. however, once i knew we were having a daughter i was elated. at that moment we knew you would be izzy jean. (at the time using elizabeth instead of izabel).

of course my due date came and went and i forced jeff to walk several very slow miles each night in hopes of izzy's arrival. i also ate lots of jalapenos....yeah none of those old wise tales work. my labor started on october 4th, after tracking the contractions for 5 hours we headed to the hospital with contractions every 5 minutes. after the routine checks we were sent home with pain meds because with each contraction i thought she would pop out of my spine. at 5:30 that next morning my water broke and off we went back to the hospital, five days after my due date. labor was tough...okay that is putting it mildly, it was miserable. this close to 8lb baby (as my doctor thought) was sunnyside up and all my labor was in my back. *** after almost 4 hours of pushing, a nurse straddling me and jeff a shade of very white (though i have to say he was an amazing birth partner all three times) our first daughter was born at 9lb 4oz and 22" long. because of her size izzy needed a bottle of formula to stabilize her sugar count and my exhaustion from 4 hours of hard labor jeff was the first to hold her.

flash forward 3 years and here we are with three girls and yet, every time i look at izzy i know she will always hold a special place in our hearts. she changed our lives, our marriage and our began our family. happy birthday izabel jean....mommy and daddy love you bunches!

**first was five years earlier during my last year in college.....i was broke and ate beans and tuna fish and ran 40 miles a week.

***two out of three of the girls were like this....annie was by far the easiest birth because she was in the canal correctly without help from the ole doc.

i stand corrected..

2009-09-28T07:13:00.003-05:00

well, after my last post i received a message full of knowledge on hypothyroidism (thank you sherry)....and i must apologize for my uneducated post. it is actually hyperthyroidism that i have tested positive for, which makes more senses....hyper meaning "active". so, really my thyroid test shows that i should be losing more weight than i am. based on this i am turning a new page....i will share with you exactly what i eat this week. (yes, really interesting stuff on this blog)

we are prepping the house for izzy's third birthday. amazing how the idea of a few people coming over makes me FREAK out about my home. i spent last thursday working on the garage. i would love to have a garage where everything has a place and labels to remind us where everything belongs. if possible i could totally be OCD.....i bought a new label maker last week and i am holding myself back because i want to label everything! i have started with the girls closet. as i have stated before i have given up most of my personal spending in exchange for help with our mountains of laundry. which is great and all, however, i am beginning to find my OCD ways beginning to creep in. Dolce "household helper" does not always put the girls clothes up correctly; the pjs are mixed with the daily wear and even more offensive the hung clothing is not hung in order. like i assume everyone would do, sleeveless shirts to cap sleeve to short sleeve to short sleeve collared to 3/4 length to long sleeve t-shirts to long sleeve collared and of course, from white to dark. so every week i go behind her and rearrange what has been put up incorrectly. i have decided once i finish the labels this week i need to explain my system to her and hope for the best. i feel like such a nut case, that i am considering taking on my mountains of laundry myself again! plus, i kinda would like to spend the $$ on ME again!!**

back to the garage....i realized my husband keeps lots of things. and i know i tend to be a "throw awayier" while i threw away only the things i thought he truly did not need, he spent some time yesterday going back through the stuff i bagged up. after watching the show hoarders i have new growing fears of clutter. (mother, if you are reading please stop now) as a child my mother always had stacks and piles...the kitchen counter would have a pile of mail and papers, the dining room table the same, corners were stacked with books, the garage always had boxes in it. i think my extreme throw it all away and if you need it again buy a new one comes from this...the corner counter in our kitchen becomes a catch all for the daily stuff, cell phones, pens, wallets, etc and every night i look at it and i visualize our kitchen counters growing up and my heart starts pounding really fast....so if you are a trash digger, try our trash cans because you can probably find some good treasures.

so back to my point, we spent the weekend working in the yard. izzy and i pulled lots of weeds and raked and raked and raked. jeff moved rocks, created new flower beds (now just to fill our flower beds) and worked on the massive leaf piles we acquire. for me i miss the gardens we had at our old house. after visiting with the 86 year old neighbor we had in arlington heights this past week i studied our old house and realized i missed it so much or at least the beautiful colors we had everywhere and my gorgeous kitchen. speaking of....still no start to the kitchen here. i have hopes for the new year.......

well, off i go....time to make izzy's lunch and get her ready for daddy to drive her across town to school. wish me luck, i am planning to run this morning with both annie and mari...

have a great monday!!

**i have a friend who is extreme OCD....i hear her panty and bathroom are labelled. i need to go and study her set up. i will take pictures and share with you the beauty of a label maker!

2009-09-25T22:04:00.003-05:00

so, i have three blogs started as drafts....something came up, or rather someone needed me and i had to move on. i may post them together as a short story :)

in the last week both izzy and annie have had some kind of virus resulting in coughing after being in bed, leading to vomit (usually in the form of curdled milk), then a screaming toddler, sheets to change, bathing of some sort and finally fingers crossed back to sleep for a bit. in one night i got up 9 times to find water cups, binkies and pass out kisses, plus feed mari around 4am. needless to say, i am still worn out from these few nights of sleep loss. a little cat nap in the afternoon, not likely, it seems the past few weeks i have been going nonstop and my dvr'ed shows are backing up.

i had a routine doctor's appointment last week to make sure my 5 year commitment to no more babies was all good...i mentioned to my doc that i am working out, starving myself and not getting anywhere with the weight loss. he suggested we test for hyper-thyroidism. WELL, i received a call from the nurse yesterday and it seems i am actually have HYPO-thyroidism. WTF....

today i ran just over 3 miles with mari after dropping her older sisters off at school. i was kinda impressed with myself. i guess my time on the elliptical really does do something! i am training for the white rock 1/2 marathon in december. i seriously doubt that i will be able to run the entire 13.1 miles by then but i will be happy to crawl across the finish line if i must.

so not the best "photo" of annie, but this is how she returned two saturdays ago from hanging out at the shop with daddy. it was raining so she had on her froggy boots, no pants and apparently found a marker. i am so afraid my child will be covered in tattoos one day because she loves to write all over her body!!

izzy being the greatest big sister ever....mari now looks at her and starts laughing. at four months old she knows when her sisters are in school and not around. today mari and i were away from the girls for 9 hours and once her sisters woke from their naps she was ecstatic.

mari loves the hotsling....i never used one with the older girls but hey, this mommy needs both my hands 24/7 and if you want to donate yours, i will take them. since she spends so much time in the sling while we are out and about she fusses to be put in her cocoon while at home. this is mari and i while cooking dinner....notice the thumb, yes, she is a thumb sucker. she pulls the binkie out to put the thumb in.

after baths last night "sister cat" was so tired she put herself to bed while sitting in the chair. after wrestling annie around on the floor to brush her teeth i turned around and found my sweet baby out for the night. again notice the thumb in her mouth.....maybe i do want one more baby............

Are my teeth brushed???

2009-09-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

so, it is 10:30 in the morning and i am sitting here with a cup of coffee, maybe my fourth from my morning pot and i run my tongue over my teeth....start to think, have i brushed my teeth yet? umm, i did get out of bed and proceed to the bathroom for those first thing in the morning needs and and well, what happened...oh, yeah, izzy started squeaking "annie is awake" and to keep izzy from waking mari who was still sleeping i rushed from the bathroom. from there the morning has started, change annie's diaper, make izzy go potty, start my COFFEE, check my email via phone, updated on "crackbook" on the little life box known as my iphone (i don't know why this is a part of my morning other than my addition to knowing what other people and some being people i have not seen in 15 years or more are doing.), pour cups of milk, create some kind of breakfast for the girls....then mari wakes up.

anyhoo, it is now 10:35 and i realize i have not brushed my teeth yet!

as you can tell Maribel Codi was born June 1st and since my life has been even more upside down. she (mari) is a breeze of a baby. since being two weeks old i can count on both hands how many times she has truly been upset outside of riding in her car seat. she is a mini izzy, it almost freaks me out. i had her in an outfit yesterday that was izzy's (annie was never able to wear it due to her fluffier stature) and took a picture of mari so i can compare it to one of izzy at the same age. at 3 1/2 months old mari is smiling, cooing, holding her toys and rolling over (one direction).,...i think she will be catching up to her sisters in no time. i am trying desperately to hold on to every second because well, she is our last baby. i say that but if jeff were to ask me about another one in a few years i may say okay...but for now she is our last baby!

izzy adjusted very quickly, actually she is quite the little mother hen to both her little sisters. annie took about 6 weeks to adjust and really is only okay because jeff spends lots of one on one time with her. they are the best of buds....

we are staying pretty busy these days, the girls (izzy and annie) are in preschool, izzy three days and annie two days a week. we have little gym on tuesdays, of which, the girls are in separate classes now, so we are there for two hours....thursday is our stay home day. and by 11:00 i don't know what to do next. we have made the beds, meaning we have jumped on the beds, played in the playroom, meaning dumped all the toys all over the floor, colored pictures, meaning annie has tattooed herself again, and there is no going outside because it is raining again. no complaints from me on the rain, however, fort worth needs more indoor activities for kiddos. i hear in houston they have these places, where they have indoor playgrounds including bounce houses and jungle gyms with a food court that serves more than corn dogs and popcorn.

so, that is a quick rundown of what has been going on here for the past four months. you ask...why did i blog today?? well, part of me has been needing to communicate with adults, part of me is overflowing with sarcasm and smart aleck remarks i am unable to actually say to my children and husband (who is doing well, i think, by the time we are both done with our days we are so exhausted i am not sure we have had a decent conversation in months) and my friend tracie and her blog adventures of a domestic diva received a call from the oprah show. i mean seriously....that is awesome! in the end of the conversation they each realized she did not fit the subject of the show but they CALLED....so who knows maybe david letterman or the ellen show will find me!!

and for some good news....

2009-05-25T08:46:00.002-05:00

no, no baby yet....she is officially making it through the holiday weekend. which means i will be in labor before my hair appointment on thursday! i will keep my fingers crossed for a quick pedicure tomorrow....

friday marked a wonderful day for our family! i started the process several months ago of looking for a nanny to help with the girls and well, with everything else around here so i can be more productive during the daylight hours. and secretly, i am needing some time to push my body back into rocking bikini shape, ok, i doubt bikini shape is in the near future, but atleast back to a point where i feel good about myself. i am also extremely nervous about bringing home baby #3....as any nursing mom knows, it can be full time job in itself, so how would i be able to not neglect my two older girls without parking them in front of the tv all day long?

so, in my hunt for the perfect nanny, one who speaks a second language, teaches swimming, cpr trained, creative and patient.....you know that person i feel would make up for all my short comings, i received the news i so badly needed. my mnl, aka the girls' babci, is retiring 6 months early. she has chosen to leave her job in administration at cook children's hospital where she has been employed for the past 20 years to become the #1 caretaker of our family. as is she spends her weekends here raking, pulling weeds, walking with the girls, playing in the mud, and cleaning up after the girls. we are also still working on a much needed office at the shop and she will be in charge of controlling the guys (and they think i am tough). i am sure in the next three months the flower bed in front of our house will be completed along with much landscaping at the shop. i am sure izzy will finally be potty trained and new baby will not feel like she is the third child in 3 years. dinner will be made every night and to jeff's liking a few of those days by his mom. i am positive annie is not going to pack her bags and leave me.....AND fandango our neglected pup will again be walked daily! babci will take the girls swimming and to little gym and once she gets adjusted to taking them out i am sure many adventures are in the future. i imagine exploring trips to the nature center, river, etc will fill the girls summer. as you can tell i believe things are finally looking up here in my hectic world and i am not nearly as nervous about bringing baby #3 home! (husband, don't think this means i am giving up my cleaning ladies or the laundry girl, i will be glad to cut out some of my starbucks runs first....)

well, i must go enjoy the last day of the four day weekend, not that i won't answer the phone when it rings, but there is something about having jeff and cade around all day that just makes life more better for myself, izzy and annie!

no baby, a fire and more....

2009-05-22T09:23:00.002-05:00

to start with as previously posted my girls love george....annie (18 months old) is sitting on the floor right now belly laughing at the episode playing now. george is carrying a sneezing hudley (doorman's wiener dog) around sniffing for a lost cat in the wall....and for some reason she thinks it is hilarious!

so, no baby yet...again, last tuesday at my weekly appointment my doctor proudly tells me "not much change". while i probably don't need the details of how much my cervix has dilated or how effaced i am....i do wish he would give me an induction date. easy, i would think, "if you have not gone into labor naturally, by ??? we will go in for the induction". however, like i said before, he will probably give me one days notice....oy! life at 38 1/2 weeks pregnant is GREAT! my feet and ankles swell up like an elephant's by 3pm and sleeping is not much of an option. by the time i can get comfortable, i usually have to use the bathroom, and/or roll over because my hip is throbbing. oh, and not to mention all the weight i did not put on in the first 33 weeks is now here. i am trying to claim it as water retention, but secretly i wonder if it is the "stress" snacking i have been doing. now i am at a dilemma, while i would like for baby to come TODAY it is the beginning of a four day weekend and as jeff pointed out this means the "b" team will be working at the hospital, so baby #3 please wait until tuesday or and if you are waiting that long, than maybe make it past next thursday, i have a much needed hair appointment.

annie, aka, bruiser, no we do not beat our child, she acquires the bruises, scraps and booboo's all by herself. my one of a kind child must finally realize that this watermelon growing from her mommy's belly is going to interfere with her life. as i said before, she loves her dada and she adores her babci.....she is one of them, so when she acts out towards me in front of them, they are surprised. i don't mean just throwing fits for me, she tries to bite me...anywhere, on the face, leg, arm; she hits me in the face and her new one was to head butt me. while at the park the other day (which is quite an undertaking in my condition) she wanted the dog leash while climbing on the playground. my not always so stable on her feet child was giving me a heart attack. it is one thing for her to fall off the second level steps with both hands free but how would i feel if she fell because i allowed her to drag around the dog leash, so being the responsible parent i removed it from the situation (her dad and babci would have just let her play with it i am sure and this has alot to do with her preference for them). annie stood below the spot where i hung the leash and cried, or rather screamed for 10 minutes. after 10 minutes, i decided she should sit on the park bench in time out....when i went to pick her up, she throw her head backwards and then forward landing square with my forehead. i casually set her on the ground and counted to like 300...all the while she is still screaming and izzy is just staring at us! so at this point i pick her up holding her arms against her body and we make our way back to the truck. needless to say we may not take another trip to the park before baby comes....

tuesday night after my doctor's appointment i returned home to the girls playing in the backyard with babci. first, i put on a pot of water to boil for pasta and then headed to the back of the house to change my clothes. walking back through the house, i by-passed the kitchen and went outside to say "hi" to everyone. not only are the girls and babci out back but so are cade and two of his buddies. (okay..i had to rewind this episode of george to see if annie would react the same way again...and YES, she thinks it is hilarious) so after talking to my mnl and the girls for a bit i hear a loud beeping sound. at first, no reaction from me, then it became louder and i turned to my mnl and asked her what it could be....her calm response, "sounds like a smoke detector". OH, SHIT!!!! i run up to the house and look inside, seeing THREE feet of black smoke bellowing out of the kitchen i am afraid to round the corner. all i can think is that whole wall must be on fire.......as i look around the corner i see a 2 to 3 foot fire on the stove. not just a few flames, but a full flaming fire! i grab some water...and roll it down the counter (hey, you always read, watch and hear what to really do but forget in the moment) mnl comes running into the kitchen at this point and shouts grab the baking soda and miraculously it instantly puts out the fire. REMEMBER ALWAYS PUT BAKING SODA ON A BURNING FIRE after HOURS of clean up. i mopped the floors 7 times in the next 24 hours....most of the soot is gone. i still see some here and there but the cleaning ladies will dust those spots. the whole wall did not catch on fire, i believe only because the previous homeowners did a really awful remodel on the kitchen and between the ugly Formica counters and backsplash to the really poor paint job on the cabinets they may have saved the wall i am going to take out once our remodel begins. however, the sides of the cabinets are scorched and the vent hood is partially melted. oh, well.....oh, and you ask what started the fire???? the plastic sandwich shaped container on the glasstop stove top that housed my $10 flower sandwich cutter from WS i use for the girls. needless to say at this moment i would rather spend the $10 to replace it vs. the ?$$$ to start the kitchen remodel. my mnl however did stay until the girls were walking down the hall for bed...i believe she thought i might harm them if left alone! (anyone have the statics on how many kitchen fires start from this type of stove top???)

really great news to come soon........

a good belly shot for you.....

i love george....

2009-05-13T09:45:00.003-05:00

oh, boy, do i love george.....he is entertaining, funny and most of all adorably cute! sadly, i am speaking of curious george and not george clooney. my kiddos are addicted to the little fur ball. the best 30 minutes of my day is the 30 minutes they spend watching their daily episode. both girls can watch the same 30 minutes twenty times in a row if i let them (and believe me i have had days where we came close to a dozen times). i don't necessarily think this is a bad habit, at least george can be educational and he is always using his little monkey head to problem solve. what is crazy to me is there is not another show they watch that truly captures their attention....not mickey mouse, not cailou, not backyardigans (thank goodness, don't really understand why they have such "cultural" names), nor the wiggles, etc. because sid the science kid comes on after george, they have started watching this one too. i enjoy a lil' sid because i am re-learning all sorts of scientific things, like how we use simple machines everyday, for example, a pulley, a lever, and so on. izzy and annie actually experiment with a pulley on the back porch, so my point is not all tv is bad, especially for this over worked, and extremely tired mom.

annie totally acts like george and may even resemble him a bit...

i had my second of the fun doctor's appointments yesterday. i almost dread the whole last four weeks except i wonder every week how much closer we are to baby's arrival. well, not much change was the answer i received yesterday. i laughed out loud last week when feeling around on my belly my super awesome, and extremely brilliant doctor says, feels like she is around 6lbs, ok, dude you do remember before izzy was born you said it looks like an almost 8 pounder and she came out at 22 inches and 9lb 6 oz with a very difficult labor and we induced annie 10 days early to control her size (a much easier labor at 8lb 10oz and 20inches), not to mention at my last sonogram nearly 10 weeks ago baby #3 measured at just over 5lbs.....so, i am wondering where his thoughts were after making such a comment. maybe it was that jeff went with me and it threw our whole appointment off being that i already told dear doc that more than likely it would be just him, the nurse and me in labor seeing as jeff has been in new orleans. i think the site of jeff may have brought him much joy! point being, no baby yet and no induction date as of yet with 2 1/2 weeks to go.

so, for the bathroom that is still a total gutted disaster, jeff brought home a child size toilet. since it is the girls' bathroom why not install one just their size....and then came the brilliant idea to use a photo of the toilet in the new yellow book ad. here are a few shots from the photo shoot....for more information on how to have your very own child size toilet, send me a message and i will tell how how easy it is to have installed!

for my mother....

2009-05-10T13:15:00.002-05:00

as most know, my mother and i have not always had the closest relationship. for the most part i believe now a days we have found a way to get along for the greater good....her relationship with my girls. i just have to remind myself often that my life is my choice and that she lived hers to her best and it works for me....

anyhoo, being that it is mother's day and my husband (who went to bed at almost 3am due to his addiction to the internet) got up with annie and left izzy and me to cuddle until 9am now has the girls out back with his mom entertaining them while i prepare an early dinner. you ask, "why are you cooking on mother's day and 37 wks pregnant?"...well, i truly love to be in the kitchen, especially without interruptions. nothing fancy coming out of here today, a simple prawn/clam boil with sun-dried tomato pasta and from scratch strawberry shortcake. and i wish i could find the time to cook like this every weekend! so, here i am playing on the computer and i finally pull up my mother's blog. yes, she has started a blog too...she may even update hers more than i do these days. and there for the world to see is an entry about me....i am sure she could fill it full of my "quirks" and "stubborn mind sets" but this one was nice, well, more than that, it was exactly what this mommy needed to read on mother's day. so, i will share it with you........thanks mom, for seeing ME, the ME i became from all the good and bad....just remember the downfalls were what made me the stronger, more determined person i am today!

I've always known my daughter was a grownup...
I've just spent the past hour rereading Oldest Daughter's earlier blogs and have been blown away yet again. You see, she's a grownup, an adult, a self sufficient wife and mother and aunt and sister and niece and business owner. If I sound surprised about that, I'm really not. It's just that I sometimes loose focus on it.I read about her sometime concerns about not being the best mother and shake my head because I think she's a damn good mother (Nearly Perfect Grandson says I shouldn't cuss because I sound dorkey doing it. Perhaps I just need to practice more...). I read the occasional comment about hanging off the cliff and have to stop short. I get reminded that just because she acts completely in control and unwavering, that she, too, has doubts and fears.We've not always had the best relationship (translate to: it's been buried six feet under several times, but always resurrected). Some of it's been my fault and some of it's been hers. I tend to think there have been other hands in there, too, but they've been minor roles. I think it's ironic that I don't have a relationship at all with my mother and I'm HER oldest. (But then have to remind myself that MY mother is completely nuts and my daughter's mother is only partially nuts).I just know she got her good parenting skills, her common sense approach to raising her children, somewhere else than from me. I did the best I could with what I had, but most days it was woefully inadequate. When you grow up being a victim, it takes a multitude of "overs" before you can climb out of that victim pit in which you tend to stay buried. (Maybe because it's safe? Well we're not going there because it doesn't matter what the psychobabble crap is...you eventually climb out because you want out).I've seen her smoothly pull off the most wonderful entertaining events, she's an excellent cook, has fantastic decorating style, a good, strong, stable and loving marriage, organized, hard-working. Now before I give the impression that she's a candidate for sainthood, I'll stop. The point I've been heading to is none of these things are what made me realize that she is an adult. It was something totally different for me.About two years ago, I was at her house hanging out with 6-month-old Izzy Doodle when Amy came in the room and sat down with us. As she reached for her daughter, I saw her hands. My stomach flip flopped and I had to just sit and breath for a moment. I was looking at adult hands! Not the smooth, character-free hands of a child, teen or young adult, but the hands of a woman. Hands that had their own tales to tell. I knew (head knowledge) that my daughter was a grown-up but when I saw her hands I knew (heart knowledge) that my daughter was a grown-up. And she had done it, for the most part, without me.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS.....EVEN ON YOUR BAD DAY YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE, THIS I KNOW FOR CERTAIN. WE ARE ALL INFLUENCED BY THE MOTHER WHO ENDURED BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS TO RAISE US!

i heart my iphone...

2009-04-21T09:12:00.002-05:00

so, for my birthday present to myself, or rather from my husband, (does he know my birthday past yet???) i bought an iphone. i have been debating it for a long time~ a) no insurance available, remember annie just dropped my phone in the bathtub with a sweet giggle, b) do i need another reason not to pay attention to the road while driving, if you read shauna glenn's blog you know this can be dangerous and costly, c) am i really the person who NEEDS anything other than starbucks, d) for that same $200 i could buy myself quite the day at a spa.

the pros....a) i work on the go all the time and well, the iphone sure would make that easier, b) i can keep up with my weight watchers with the touch of an application (really there are thousands), c) could my fascination with checking my facebook account be any more dangerous behind the wheel than my watching CNN on my vu?, d) finally, a day at the spa while extremely pregnant may not be worth $200.

so, i bought my iphone and i use it constantly. i never charged my phone in the bedroom because well sometimes people think calling for emergency service at 3 am is a good idea...or i get the "i did not expect you to answer, i just need to have a leaky hose bib looked at sometime this week" call at midnight. but, i can not separate myself from it....i may miss an email, or a text, or even better i may miss a new comment on facebook, so now my iphone charges right next to my pillow. it even has this nice cricket chirp that i use for my morning alarm. now i have not actually plugged my phone into itunes and downloaded anything yet...but this is only because i need to create a new account due to cade taking mine over and adding several hundred songs, i guess you call today's rap music...i prefer to call it &%$#. but, i have figured out how to write myself notes with the service schedule and then email it to the guys, i love that when someone sends you a phone # you can tap it and call without having to write the numbers down first, i love the rolling text conversations, and mostly i love having all my favorite websites bookmarked for quick access.

well, since i am probably the last person with an iphone, this is boring you.....

if you are a facebook person and happen to have noticed my mother's "crazy" comments lately, she had a foot bone reconstruction surgery last week and well, my guess she is loving her "happy" pills. i apologize for her now.....

speaking of, i would also like to thank my youngest sister for setting up her facebook account and navigating mother to my blog. these were my only two sources of venting....i don't think i have it in me to spill my feelings knowing someone will be reading them and in turn have her feelings hurt. i may need to guest blog on a fellow blogger's page....

my bedroom, bathroom and nursery have finally been painted. as many of you know....i am a color person, white/cream walls do not work well for me. i did not realize how much i disliked the taupey color on the walls in those three rooms until they were painted. now i am working on the nursery....sadly, i am not making decisions quickly and am beginning to worry about time running out before the bedding is completed and a cradle in the room. we finally picked out a name, probably won't announce until baby girl #3 is here, i will tell you it was not my first pick, however, i like knowing it is jeff's favorite.

i will post pictures of the changes to the backyard soon.....my husband saw his vision for the 1/2 acre i never did, kinda like the vision i have for my kitchen that he does not!

WANTED: super human powers...

2009-04-01T12:03:00.003-05:00

so, obviously i have not done so well in the blogging department. while i could come up with a dozen or more excuses i really don't have a great one. mainly, i despise coming to the office to blog. i walk in sit down and see the mail, the bills to be paid, the vendor invoices, the long list of people not paying us, etc and my head wants to explode, therefore, i know the only blog coming from my fingers would be an ugly one. not just ugly but down right debbie downer jumps off the trinity river bridge on I-30 somewhere between pappasito's and botanic gardens.

my husband (can i still call him that after we have been living in separate cities and lives for the majority of the past seven months) is on his way home some time this weekend. i am sure it is only for a few days and only because his brother is coming in town and maybe because he wants to trim the trees and build a chicken coup, however, i will tell myself it is because he misses cuddling at night (dude, don't get upset when i use the entire king size bed for just me, i have become accustom to this), wants to celebrate my 34th birthday and wonders just how big my belly is these days. HA, HA......
things have been a little rough around here, i have been more depressed due to husband's lack of presence and my feeling all alone with the girls and pregnant. not that jeff is one of those guys who keeps up with a pregnancy and all the changes, most of the time he totally forgets the bun is in the oven until he see me and then i see the confused look on his face....uh, how did she get pregnant again......did i know this??? but, it is a lonely world when the only person to feel this creature, i mean wonderful baby girl, kicking, moving, hiccuping is my 2 1/2 year old. who is obsessed with "her baby" in my tummy, especially when cade's friends around; kinda hard to explain to her mommy does not like to "show" the boys "your baby". anyhoo, i have been in a dump....last week i could not stop crying for days, i really was on the verge of calling the doctor to ask for some type of hormone control!

last tuesday went something like this...
we headed out to central market for our weekly buys, rolled through the store quickly grabbing what we needed all the while opening every package for bribes trying to keep the girls still. we grabbed lunch, headed outside, parked the grocery cart, i struggled with both girls back into the store to snag a high chair, quickly shoved without swallowing half a turkey sandwich down while trying to keep some of their food on the table, moved on to the playground, realizing izzy had poo poo, thought about the fight that would follow if i took both from playground, decided playing in poo for five minutes would be okay, received text from cade about lunch money (still has not learned how to give me notice), tried to make a game out of heading to the parking lot to go home for naps.....WHEN THE WORLD ENDED!
izzy was doing great, walking like a big girl, singing, looking at birds when she tripped over the parking bumper hitting the pavement with a skid. as she screams (she has some lungs) i quickly push the shopping cart up to my bumper to keep annie from riding down the hill and into james avery, pick izzy up blood coming out of several places (her chin, lip and nose) try to console her now remembering she also had poo pants, then remember to look over my shoulder because annie was not strapped in for the quick trip across the parking lot to she her throwing all the groceries out of the bags onto the sidewalk. oh, my phone is ringing, of course, my head is wondering which service calls i am missing because kenny was not booked yet for the week. first things first, izzy will not die from crying and bleeding, but annie may hurt herself falling out of cart, so i buckle annie in, change izzy's diaper while giving her bag of frozen edamame to hold on her mouth (phone rings again and again). at this point i am picking food up off the ground and throwing it into the back of my truck and finally look at my phone. (first thought was i will kill jeff if he is calling me over and over to ask me a random question) unfortunately, it was one of our guys, the one who was picking up french doors for the nursery that were to be installed the next day. he has now called me four times during my breakdown.....i now receive a text from jeff, "what, french doors, where" (remember jeff is in new orleans) and i have gone from verge of tears to being so angry i might explode. baby #3 is worked up because my blood pressure is up and i hurl the turkey sandwich next to the yogurt that burst on the pavement as i shut the door to my truck and begin to cry!
i call our guy back and inform him of how he has just sent me over the edge (may have used a few choice words and he and i have not spoken since) and that yes, the french door, that i have not told my husband about yet, can indeed go to the shop until the morning and to never call me repeatedly unless he is on the same job as my husband who has just fallen from a twenty foot ladder! i send jeff the following message, "for the nursery i am doing ALL BY MYSELF" and cry all the way to nw ftw. i never really stopped crying that day until around 9:30 once i ate half a pint of ben and jerry's...everything but the kitchen sink and found my way to bed.
almost forgot, during the whole episode in the parking lot....a dozen people walked past me and stared, a dozen people walked than ran past me while gawking. for future reference, i do appreciate when you offer to load my groceries and explain how many years ago you were doing the same all alone and can "remember" how it is.....the thing is you only offer when me and my children are laughing and singing a song while we do it, you never offer when i can REALLY use the extra hand. so if you see a mom in the position i was last week, PLEASE stop and offer a hand, even to entertain the one left in the cart while the mom tries to determine if the bleeder needs stitches.

on a different note, i am better this week, i can almost see the end to when jeff will be home for a few days. cade deserves a big high five for missing only one question on the 8th grade reading taks test. (i will take some credit too) really, i thought we would be retesting all summer to get to nineth grade, however, math is next week.

i have given up cursing....i realized the other day, before jeff, i would not say the "f" word for money and now it comes out way to freely. (once girls are in bed or i am outside) i realized i have a problem when i dropped a few "f" bombs walking down the hall thinking every one was asleep on the other side of the house to walk past the office and see one of cade's friends on the computer and his jaw on the floor. after apologizing i came to grips that i have a problem....so i am doing my best to control my tongue. not to mention, izzy is a sponge soaking up everything. she has been asking me for days if i got my i-phone yet??? really, she picked up my repeated comment about an i-phone over the last 6 months and connected it!

well, i have officially lost the girls nap time and must now jungle them and everything else again. oh, i am in the search for a nanny....someone to take on some of this so i can work better hours and find some time for ME. i have been referred some great websites but will also take any other suggestions! i was slapped in the face with the fact i really am not super human!

24 hours pain free...

2009-03-03T06:15:00.002-06:00

so, either i should have blogged about my back pain earlier or spent several hours in the backyard picking up rocks with the girls because since Sunday I have been pain free. I do know stating this here and now will be like voodoo and the pin will be put back into the little doll, i just hope it is the right side and not the left again.

yesterday was mine and annie's run around day while izzy was in school. we accomplished quite a bit...however, when i returned home jeff had six pallets of grass here to be laid in the back. it really is difficult to express through a photo the dramatic changes but i will give you a few before and after once the sod is finished today. i think he is in panic mood now that new orleans is calling again. i am beginning to feel for myself, as jeff reminded me yesterday;y he is leaving me with even more responsibility...izzy, annie, baby #3 (still no name), five baby chicks (who seem to eat & drink more than izzy & annie), new sod to be watered and of course, his beloved pup and cat. wow, all this and my usual day to day responsibilities...............

i have acquired one trait from jeff over the years that i will admit too, it is the need to read and reread dozens of reviews before making a purchase. i am sure my rambling blogs about which car to buy last year are not far from your mind...i have been looking for a reasonable, hard working, not to big steam cleaner for our area rugs. between the dog, my husband (who does not see the "no shoes in the house signs", the girls and my bad habit of letting them eat/drink wherever and cade (remember he is fourteen) my rugs look awful and i doubt i can convince jeff that i need them cleaned professionally for the third time this year, so after weeks of debate and reading i believe i made a quality purchase. i will rate my new bissell once it comes out of the box.

well, i guess i should quit procrastinating turning on the light and hopping on my elliptical machine...it has begun to speak to me in my sleep. "you will regret not using me the past few months after you pop out yet another baby"......"you know i can tone those thighs again"...."swimsuit season is oh, so close", "get your lazy ass out of bed and ride me".......

a few weeks is too long....

2009-03-01T12:25:00.002-06:00

so, i swear don't give up on me....i will get back in the habit of blogging, it just has been tough lately. not that i am at a loss for words, but that they usually are not very nice! and most of the time i do not sit down to enjoy time on the computer (except my addition to word challenge) until the girls are in bed and well, at 27 weeks pregnant, i am usually whooped and headed to bed myself. that is after the 30 minutes of picking up toys, straightening up the kitchen, folding laundry, etc.

i will start with the sad...i put my dear cat to sleep 1 1/2 weeks ago. she was MY first baby, even though her sister was actually my cat and she was inherited when i moved back to ftw from lubbock 13 years ago. kitkat was the more tender aka skittish of the two and for most of her 14 years she slept every night next to me on my pillow. while she did not get enough attention the past few years, she was always there when i went to bed. sadly, it was a hard choice to make, i am not sure she was even really sick just losing her ability to find the cat box. first, the vet suggested re-training her...so, she spent 10 days locked in our bathroom with all her own stuff and it worked for a few days then it was back to urinating next to the box and occasionally when she got out on my rugs in the kitchen. i just could not handle myself, the girls and even jeff or cade stepping in cold cat urine anymore and made the very difficult choice. on the funny side, when i picked cade up from school on friday i told him we needed to pick her up and i think he almost died when i tried to convince him she had been stuffed. however, once the backyard is more complete we will give her a proper burial. until then she is going to sit in the middle of the kitchen table....ok, not really, but her box of ashes (i did not know it is against the law to bury your pets without cremation...makes sense, i guess, i would not want the neighbors dogs to try and dig her back up) does get moved around because it creeps cade out and i get tired of jeff's "jokes".

as a younger, i have a huge chip on my shoulder, don't necessarily believe in love gal, i boycotted valentine's day. i really was a tough cookie to crack....just ask jeff. however, i do believe i may have drained him of all him over the top affection breaking the hard shell that surrounded my "feelings". anyhoo, my big protest to the whole commercialized holiday called valentine's day was to wear black as if i mourned the whole relationship thing. now, well, while i don't hold my breathe for something over the top, i do look forward to the extra sweet hug and kiss i receive on that day. this year we went to a mardi gras ball in dallas. it was too much fun, not to mention staying in dallas and sleeping until my body woke me up. jeff and i danced it up for the first hour and then i lost my "umph" waiting in linefor over an hour to have my cards read. and really, the only thing she said that made me wonder if there was something to this hoax was "did i work for myself" and "did i feel overwhelmed by it".....damn maybe it was just a really good guess!

since then we have begun some of the much needed projects around here. the girls'/cade's bathroom has been torn apart. it is nothing but studs and concrete....which means i need to start putting together the pieces. the backyard, as taken on a total transformation...jeff has been working on moving dirt and rocks for the past five days. of course, all the neighbors have their eyes on what is going on...one has not spoken a word to us and yesterday jeff had to explain to another what he was doing. we had heard that the overgrown mess out back was one of the reasons our house sat on the market so long and of course, the sad outdated room one would call a kitchen, however, as with our old house we are beginning the makeover. stay tuned for before and after pictures....

other than all of the above, i am beginning to think maybe three pregnancies in three and half years was a little too much for my body. the sciatic nerve down my left side is really giving me trouble. i find myself unable to move from one position to the next....i have been stress eating more lately therefore, have already hit my weight max. luckily jeff will return to new orleans this next week and i will return to eating cereal for dinner.

well, i guess i should get dressed, brush my teeth and head out back to help move rocks while the girls nap. i finally downloaded all our new pictures and will post some this afternoon!

random thought...

2009-02-20T15:14:00.001-06:00

i changed my daily starbucks order....it is now $3.22....i figure, my bnl can tell my husbank how much i am now saving a year, vs. how much i spend!

all in a day's work....

2009-02-20T14:28:00.002-06:00

first....i finally beat my bnl's score in word challenge on facebook. total random thought, but i can not quit thinking about it or the fact he has logged in while in hawaii on vacation to try and beat me again! jeff is like enough with the stupid game on facebook...but, this might mean my brain is not all mush and just maybe i still have a pretty damn good iq.

so reading shauna glen's blog today...she played a game, grab nearest book, turn to page 79 and in comment box enter line 13. okay, sure i will play....nearest book, baby 411 (i thought maybe annie broke her wrist the other day and it is sitting on end table), page 79, line 13......oh, no way, this is can not be right...count again, and again...shit, that is what it says.......
"is my milk drying up?"
so for all of you who don't know, me and my breastfeeding is a private matter self (no judgement to those who can and are more free with it, really). i end up with a booby sentence.....

i must congratulate cade on finally figuring out that a 30 minute shower in the morning, thus making himself late, thus making me and the girls late for whatever we have going on that day is not the best way to start the day! however, my new complaint is his inability to tell me he needs lunch money more than 30 minutes prior to lunch time....hint, hint, kid, i am usually across town at this time and unable to make it. i would think the day before when his account is almost at zero he might think to send me a text from school..."hey, almost out of money..HELP!" and i will make sure to tape a check to the garage door so we don't have this problem. i could always check his account online but i am too busy playing on facebook as you may know by now!
so today....it went something like this...(all in text while in school)
cade: "need lunch money"
me: "i am in burleson, 45 minutes away"
cade: "dang"
me: "what time is lunch over"
cade" "105"
this one does not make sense to me...however, i am in line at arby's about to pick the girls up a ham sandwich so i figure i will grab him something and be a few minutes late. then it clicks..
me: "not what time it starts, how long is lunch"
cade: "nvm...won't make it"
me: "on my way, passing downtown, have food already"
me: "passing northside" me thinking...i am being nice with the update
cade: "---------------" this is his lack of response...i figure, great, paying attention in school
me: "almost there, meet me in office, i look like hell"
so i rush in the doors...office is full of put together middle school moms....i am in my yoga pants (from yesterday), black t-shirt, and pink one on top, ponytail from shower two days ago, no make-up except the bit that has crusted under my eyes from my minor screaming, crying breakdown a few hours prior to this moment. i look around, no cade, but another mother ask me how far along i am....oh, 61/2 or 7 months i don't know really, third baby in three years. as you can imagine the look on her face (wtf it is not that wild....ok, it is a bit crazy, but i am determined to make it) still no cade......awe, cade's friend chris, "hey, chris would you mind taking this to lunch with you for cade?" "sure, mrs. longspaugh (one of the polite ones), but i think he had chicken express, maybe his mom just brought it up here?"
here is me...about to blow a gasket.....i mean, i felt like my head would explode, my heart is pounding, i am thinking, i blew up on jeff today, i blew up on the accountant's helper, and then the accountant himself and now....i am just going to lay down in the middle of this office, curl up in a fetal position and give up.
"oh, thanks chris, would you like arby's for lunch, it even has an order of cheese stix" UUUHHH, sure......"oh, and tell cade he is grounded and will have a list of chores to do all weekend".

so, there it is...i usually tell the kid, sorry, should have told me earlier, yesterday, or two days ago, but instead knowing i have been on a rampage this morning, i thought i would be nice (i was already paying for the girls lunch when i asked for his) and the little shit, played the double text game and asked his mother for food also. i did just receive a text saying it was not fair that he is grounded...my response, "DO NOT ERASE A SINGLE TEXT, I WILL GET MOMO TO GET A COPY OF THEM FROM ATT, YOU KNOW BETTER!" of course, he does not know that you can not get copies of text messages, but the threat worked...he admitted to the double texting and i will now have a mowed yard, clean cat boxes, dog doodoo free yard, dishes done, and x box free weekend!

i did have more pleasant things to blog about...but like i said, it has been a rough one and i might even smell more than the dog who has missed her last two grooming appointments.

off to find a shower and chocolate.........tonight...pictures and happy thoughts!

we are still in our pjs...

2009-02-10T10:08:00.006-06:00

so, i am sitting on the back porch with my most loved laptop watching the girls play in a sandbox filled with rain water and sand. I guess it is just natural for my girls to act like longspaugh boys and i figure since their dad allows them to run around in the mud barefoot i better not be the "bad" guy and confine them to the indoors when a mess is in the works. this is why they make bathtubs right???

speaking of bathtubs...as some know our jack and jill bathroom between the girls room and cade's has been out of commission for the past year due to tile falling off the walls. well, it looks like jeff finally has time to oversee the rehab or makeover of said space and i can not find the pb catalog with the photo a bathroom i want to replicate. well, mostly...i have some ideas of my own to add to it. jeff is wanting a picture, something concrete to see and i can not give it to him. this bathroom has been in the catalog for years and has now been replaced. i tried reminding him i or "we" totally designed our kitchen in the last house from ideas i kept stored in the files of my overstuffed brain. give it another week or two and him having to give the girls all their baths because i can no longer reach over the edge of the circle, yes circle, bathtub in our bath and demolation will begin.

for my bitching of the week....it goes to all you really shitty drivers out there! yesterday must have been if you drive like shit and think you make all the rules of the road follow me around ftw driving day. it started with an eighteen wheeler deciding on a green light to make a left turn across three lanes without notice just as i am coming up in the middle lane doing 40mph. i tried to give him a friendly "hey, i am coming up behind you and will have to lay on my brakes hard to stop if you continue while possibly giving my toddlers whiplash honk" which he ignored and therefore, i followed with the "hey, ASSHOLE, you just broke the fucking law while endangering my family lay on the horn". and of course, not even a second glance from him or apologetic wave. next i am leaving my favorite cm to find that someone left their cart to roll across the parking lot coming to a halt against the back of my suv. again, thanks ASSHOLE! i will usually park away from the crowds and walk the few extra steps so i don't have to get upset with the jerk who parks so close to my door i can not put my child in her carseat without pulling out first or the jerk who thinks the paint of his/her vehicle would look lovely on mine does not ruin my day or cause me to react with a note on their windshield. as i am pushing the first cart to the cart holder which is three feet away (another parking trick of mine is to park close to the cart return so i can buckle kiddos in and then return my cart) a too skinny bitch in another suv backs up down the aisle right past me and my 13mo old at a quick rate to snatch the spot 15 places behind her. ok seriously, does that 30 yards hurt you to walk, does it really add more than 45 more seconds to your day??? then i notice she is also talking on her cell phone and putting on lipstick while doing this and it took all i had to walk away and not let her know just what i thought of her driving. i would have but i now fear that i will open my mouth to some inconsiderate person in public and then have them pull up behind me at izzy's school. or that she/he will be a parent in one of the girls classes next year...thus, making things very uncomfortable, not to mention the same parent would probably be on the board of the preschool and somehow my kiddos registration forms would end up "lost in the shuffle, oops, sorry try again next year".

on the brighter side my dear husband is home for hopefully the next month. this being said since jan. 15th the guy has driven somewhere around 4k miles. first, with his guys trip to terlingua, then within 2 days he left for n.o. only to drive back in the middle of the night to be home in time for our super bowl gathering, then left the following day to finish the job in fort stockton. once back from there i thought we were going to have a break but the following day while driving home from little gym/yoga jeff tells me he is in south dallas and headed back to n.o.....ok, seriously i was beginning to worry. not that we both have not worked alot of hours over the years. ** but, there is a difference in driving 8 to 10 hours a day like this plus jumping right into a job once there or home just seems like a slow suicide. it does look like jeff is home until mid march or so....and hopefully some where in that time he will rest.

**i do think the days when i would bartend at night not getting home to 3 or 4am to turn around and be at the ftw library by 9am were a whole lot easier than my now days of motherhood and answering the phone all day. i truly believe nothing is more tiring than mothering small children...rewarding but extremely body/brain draining.

and here it is.....wrapped up with a bow in a child's tale.

2009-02-09T13:38:00.004-06:00

i do not usually post things of this nature and most of the time delete emails without reading them if it appears to be a story such as the one that follows. however, my mnl sent this so i was intrigued to read it....with a little chuckle in my throat and milk warming up in the back of my suv i decided to post this one for YOU!

THE TALE OF THE LITTLE RED HEN --

Who will help me plant my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the cow.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Not I," said the pig.

"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. She planted her crop, and the wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.

"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck..

"Out of my classification," said the pig.

"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.

"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose. "

Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. At last it came time to bake the bread.

"Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.

"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.

"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.

She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share.

But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)

"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)

"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)

The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities..

Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy." "But I earned the bread," said the little red hen. "Exactly," said Barack the farmer. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.."

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free.

And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.

Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared..so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

EPILOGUE

Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs. Hillary got $8 million for hers. That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years repeatedly testified, under oath, that t hey couldn't remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARN YARD OR WHAT!?!

she did not choose me....

2009-01-28T08:32:00.005-06:00

to start some random thoughts....

i go to starbucks every morning monday thru friday...if cade is running late, and therefore izzy is running late for school or little gym, i still go wait in the drive thru. i can not imagine making it through the day without my cup of joe. i can picture my bnl adding up the tally now...that is 3.73 a day times five times how many weeks of school a year. i figure i have really not been able to drink in the past three years, i don't smoke, or carry any other bad habits. my shopping habit is focused on the girls because well, why would i buy my larger self a bunch of clothes. i have not really started any remodeling projects in the new house. and i work a lot of hours...without much of a "personal" pay so i DESERVE my addiction to starbucks. i guess the downside is annie is now wanting to have a milk box like her big sister. luckily, i am able to fool her by pretending to poor my coffee into her "milk cup" and she is falling for it!

i only like really crisp apples..if it does not crunch but gives just the slightest bit of mush in the bite i want to spit it out. sadly, the last few apples i have cut have given into the mush.

when jeff leaves with the laptop i am totally lost. yesterday we stayed in all day waiting for the ice storm. jeff gave the guys the day off (may have had something to do with him staying up on the computer till almost 3am the night before). we did have one of our guys 360 two years back and hit an overpass......so that is the official reason. i literally spent 4 hours or more on the computer yesterday while the girls napped or played. i am addicted to the word challenge game on facebook. it was a real accomplishment to get into the top three than finally last week i hit the number one spot only to be bumped down by my bnl in less than two days and i know he has not been playing this game like i have...jeff is leaving for new orleans today and probably taking the laptop so i must use it until he leaves, meaning no food or diaper changes for the girls. i must insist we get another lap top...i mean the computer in the office is for work, right?

my youngest child will eat for an hour if her high chair is parked in the living room especially at breakfast. she loves mickey mouse and handy manny.....i am sure i will receive a comment or two about how i am teaching her bad eating habits but whatever it gives me a moment to wake up and have quiet thoughts or like today write on my blog.

so, the girls have been battling colds. monday morning we rushed them to their doctor for a "nose swap" to ensure they did not have rsv, a severe virus with breathing problems, coughing and just plain ole misery. we were exposed twice last week by two different people so the chances were high. luckily, the prognosis was negative.....however, they do have a bonafide cold. last night annie woke up around 10 with a little hacking and once i picked her up she began the gag mechanism that results in vomit. jeff had
jumped up from the chair and met me half way to catch in his 6ft 4in hands the results of the gag....thank goodness because i have a very weak stomach and would have turned around with the gag reflex myself. once we had annie calmed down and cleaned up i tried to sit down on the couch to cuddle her. she started waling.....and squirming....which is very normal for her, however, once i put her down she ran, yes ran, to jeff and let him pick her up. she curled up in his arms and was asleep in minutes. i could not even concentrate on nip tuck after this....i know i have complained in the past because i have had to do everything for izzy, she always wants mommy, but to actually have one of my babies choose to go to dad over me....i did not know it would hurt so much. now, don't get me wrong i always knew it hurt jeff for izzy to need me for everything but hey, i do provide the hands on care 24 hours a day, i figured it was just natural. so, i eventually picked her up and put her in bed. part of me wonders if this is because i have been putting her to bed awake and letting her cry it out. can she really think i don't love her as much as "fun" dad??? is it because i ignore atleast half her fits....daddy always takes her mind off what made her so mad to begin with???? i can't help but think i need to nurture her more because obviously her nature is to run to her dad. well, it was a long night with izzy waking repeatedly with a fever and needing milk (i could not imagine drinking milk with a fever) and annie coughing herself into a crying fit...i am going to put my feet up and enjoy the last few moments i get to share with my lap top!

25 random things about me.....

2009-01-27T14:54:00.003-06:00

if you are a facebook person you know this "note"....it is fun to read and learn random things about everyone.

1. I must turn the toiletpaper roll the correct direction...paper over the top not under. I have done it in other people's houses and in public restrooms.
2. I finished college...it took everything I had for 6 long years but I did it and have never used my degree.
3. I dream of a Master's degree...in what? Changes everytime I want to commit. Once I know...I will complete it.
4. I don't have very many close girlfriends, however, I love the ones that continue to put up with me and my over opinionated ways.
5. I am extremely grateful for my husband and all his hard work to create the business we run together. While it is stressful, it does give us each some freedom.
6. I love going to the movies. Anything except sci-fi and horror. I used to go EVERY sunday until I had children, now I am starting to go every other week.
7. I have an addiction to tv....I dvr way too many shows and get too caught up in the story lines.
8. I have always been a reader. I love books, Harlan Coben is a favorite.
9. I can not stop watching the Food Network. I dvr shows and never recreate any of the recipes. 10. I was in the restaurant business for almost a decade. Everything from waiting, menu setting, party planning, bartending and General Manager of one of Fort Worth's best.
11. Referring to #10 I want to one day open a small cozy breakfast/lunch place, one with a small daily changing menu and a place moms gather during school hours.
12. I love yoga, not the slow let me breathe and think too much stuff, but the hot room, sweat dripping off my chin and elbows full inversion classes.
13. When I run, I am a better person inside and out. It calms my nerves and gives me a place to turn to when I am lost.
14. I have been let down so many times in my life by those I love. It is why I tend to be stand offish.
15. I am not very close with my family, however, am learning how to accept and move forward. I do love and treasure the one I married into.
16. Coffee is what keeps me going...I can not survive without it. We were in Europe for 13 days before I found coffee. They drink shots of espresso, not venti drips.
17. FOOD< FOOD< FOOD...I talk about what we should have had, or what we will eat next. Especially sushi, I could eat it five times a week.
18. I love having my nephew live with us. I have made so many choices since he was born that revolved around his well-being. I am proud of how much he has changed in the past year.
19. I am one of those freaks who enjoys being pregnant. I don't complain about it, but try to push myself to do more with each one.
20. I always wanted children...lots of them. I have a hard time separating myself from our girls!21. I have been in "love" with my husband since 2nd grade. I may have even stalked him at one time. At our wedding my mother brought out class photos from elementary school where I had written all over them I would be Mrs. Jeff Longspaugh.
22. I never regret my life, only look for ways to make it better. I have a strong will and want more than what I grew up with and not just a financial safety net.
23. I enjoy red wine, not just enjoy I love to drink it. One glass will calm the roughest of days.
24. I love to bake....I will always volunteer to bring the dessert. I even bake with my two year old.
25. I am often cranky because my house is a wreck. I prefer it clean and orderly but know this is
near to impossible with a husband, 14yr old, 2 yr old and 1 yr old, not to mention the pets.

no one gets a freebie.....

2009-01-27T09:56:00.002-06:00

so, i don't know how funny this is but i thought i would share the conversation that occurred here today....

"cade, time to get up for school, i am actually 15 minutes late on waking you up so hurry."

"whhhaaatttt....josh and everyone else are skipping today" eyes not open, head still turned into his pillow and growling about the light being on.

"josh and who"

"idk, josh and everybody"

"so really, josh is skipping school and you want to stay home and play xbox live with him ALL DAY LONG"

"aaahhhhh, just go, i will get up"

and he did get up twenty minutes later and of course was five minutes late for school. i don't get it, how does this almost 14 year old think he should be able to skip school because it will ice later here. as far as i am concerned if the school is open you are going. especially to math which is third period...i fight you to get up and go to tutoring because you don't want to study for your math test and your teacher is extremely kind in letting you make the grade up in tutoring. (though she did ask him the other day how much his new shoes cost.....still feeling a little uncomfortable with this one. maybe because according to cade and his friends his shoes are the best in all the school. my response, it is a good thing i made you do extra chores to earn the money for them, huh.)

so we will see what the weather does and maybe i will pick him up after lunch. but, i have to say it makes me extremely happy to make him miserable. ok, that sounds awful....i mean to say, i like ruining his over indulged, spoiled rotten attitude he tends to carry.

oh, and while i am on the subject. the next time he says something about jeff having to help him with the dishes i think his "big brother" jeff is going to blow up! i mean really please let me know if i am asking to much from him for daily chores.....dishes (unloaded and loaded), clean cat box (while i am preggos), straighten up room, pick underwear up out of bathroom and take out the trash. for the first time in his short life he does earn a weekly allowance and does not worry about the finances of the household. I WOULD THINK THE KID WOULD BE A BIT MORE GRATEFUL.

well, that is all i have to bitch about today...enjoy your stay at home day, especially if it is in the quiet while your kiddos had to go to school!

i found a time machine...

2009-01-21T11:34:00.003-06:00

so, that may be a little misleading for a title but it really is a time machine. nye when everyone spent the night here my children were introduced to the magic of a sound machine. there was one in every room with children sleeping peacefully. annie slept through the night without her usual 4am wake up call. the very next week i stopped by brookstone and purchased my own baby sound machine. it has been in the girls room ever since....working mini (or really maxi) miracles. izzy started last week putting herself to bed in her room, actually wanting to go in there and go to sleep alone. she now naps in there (unless i make her go in our room because her and annie's nap are totally not in sync). the amazing part, is for the first time in her just over two years of age she lays down and does not cry for someone to go nite nite with her, she does not cry while tossing and turning, actually she may not even toss and turn anymore. but most importantly she stays in her bed all night long without even a whimper. i still put the gate up in the hall way in case she were to try and walk around in the night (i mainly do this because jeff and cade forget it is there and face plant every once in a while, kinda like i do over their shoes in the living room). as for annie, like i said if she wakes in the night she finds her own binki and goes back to sleep. the machine has also given me the confidence to put her down awake and let her go to sleep on her own too. i started last thursday at bed time and she cried for off and on for about twenty minutes, then the next night it was only five minutes and since it is only as i walk out of the room. as my courage builds daily, i put her down for her nap today like this and it was 15 minutes of crying off and on but she did it!
so, why do i call it a time machine of sorts...because i am not rocking annie for thirty minutes per nap and again at bedtime. the way i figure it i now have 1 1/2 extra hours of precious time a day which adds up to 10.5 hours a week and approx. 42 hours a month. catch my drift, i can use that time to read a book, blog, veg out in front of biggest loser or actually work, fold laundry and clean up after dinner.
on another note, we left the girls home with cade and his friend last friday night to go to dinner. annie was asleep before we left and izzy had just laid down....i had no guilt over asking a babci or momo to come over and sit for hours in the quiet house and we totally did not panic. cade's friend watches his almost 3 year old sister all the time so i felt he could assist cade if a problem were to arise. i also notified the neighbor that we would be gone just in case a purple golf cart full of girls were to show up looking to "hang out". it worked so well, that i plan to do it again sometime this weekend while jeff is gone for dinner and a movie with any of my girlfriends that do not have plans with their hubbies.
so, other than my work continuing to pile up next to the mountains of laundry that never seem complete, i am finally feeling good! i went to my dr appt yesterday and i am up to 7lb for this pregnancy and starting to panic. (damn that trip to the grocery store) so, i will be trying to get up early a few days a week to work out on my fancy collecting dust elliptical in my bedroom plus walk the loop and hit yoga or weights a few times a week. as motivation i asked jeff today if we could go to clearwater, florida for my birthday weekend in april. while i don't mind being preggos in a swimsuit (no, i am not one with the guts to wear a bikini) i do mind if my legs look the surface of mars.

comfort comes in small packages....

2009-01-15T12:24:00.002-06:00

so, i just received a call from my lovely ccr at my not so local chevy dealership regarding my suv i took back in this past tuesday. it appears they figured out the window shocks are not staying on because there is an issue with the balls welded to the body of the truck.....DID I NOT SUGGEST THIS THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT IT IN! being this is not a problem that regularly occurs gm is shipping two 1/2" balls to the dealership which will take 3 to 5 business days from yesterday (not realizing that the mama with the brain so full of everything actually figured out that meant my truck was not dealt with on tueday but rather wednesday). i am not a sexist person but have to say, men outside of the grocery store do treat women differently. i deal with it everyday being that i help run a plumbing company...most contractors until they get to know me do not like it when they must talk to me not the "plumber".
anyhoo, ccr's next question, "are you comfortable in what we gave you to drive or would you like to bring it back and pick up your truck only to return it next tuesday?" HUMMMMM...let me think about this one.....do i want to lug my girls back to the dealership unstrap them, unstrap, bolt, anchor and all the jazz their carseats to move them back into my truck to re strap, bolt and anchor them in and then know i must do it again in four days??? NO DAMN WAY! i would need to be heavily medicated to think this is an okay solution. i did run the whole scenario past my ccr before confirming to him i would rather not and the buick enclave is a very nice vehicle for the time being.
so, speaking of the buick, we looked at them last year at the auto show and really liked the interior. the front end is a bit weird but it has grown on me in the past two days. however, the price was running closer to my larger suv and in the end we made a different choice. oh, if looking for a new car it was very helpful to attend the auto shop.....you really can do every thing except drive the car while there which helped in the dealership hop. but, i must say i LOVE the way this small suv drives...it drives like the lexus i had as a rental a few years back....it is quick, sharp, and tight (if these adjectives make sense to you...) i like it a whole lot more than the acadia. now don't get me wrong, i would not trade my truck for anything, not the lexus 470 we drove for two day or the mercedes r350 i drove for three day but if i did not think at the time one day (and soon than i thought) i would need to be able to access three carseats, i might have been persuaded to go for the 19 miles a gallon city driving buick. oh, wow, that jsut hit me i will have three car seats to unstrap, bolt and anchor if i must move them after june 1st. i may need to invest in a winery.......
on to other news....i am freaking out over the whole mess in connection to Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary! i am not saying i am totally clean on having always filed my taxes correctly...there is some lenience on how persons claiming tips have to file. however, i am not being chosen for such a high cabinet job! really, he did not have anyone telling him he had to pay 34K in taxes while working for the IMN (International Monetary Fund, had to look that one up). not to mention, as a lot of people do, he did not pay taxes on his household help and tried to claim the over night camp one of his kids attended was child care. seems to me this should all raise a big fat red flag to the senate confirmation team!
and now that it is all over the news...i would like to see president-elect obama's birth certificate myself. not sure why it matters but hey, if someone out there is questioning it, then just produce it and move forth on protecting our country. UNLESS there is a reason not too....i am just saying.
well, the girls are at my mother's today, and i went by the grocery store on my way back, however, i have not unload the almost $500 i spent (i have to shop more than once every two months, it gives me a heart attack) from the back of my oh, so cozy rental and jump on some of the paperwork stacking up in my open file, on the fax machine and in the guys turn in slot....damn i have a lot to do....

oh, you want a perfect survey from me, FAT CHANCE....

2009-01-11T09:11:00.008-06:00

so, while i have refrained from one of my bitchfest...i can not help it today, i have some things to get off my chest
to start i do really love my new suv truck...it is just over 6 months old now and well, i am sad on the days i don't drive anywhere. i religiously check all the "stats" that come with new vehicles and yada, yada....however, (you knew that was coming right) the back hatch window has a bad habit of popping off the shock arm, ok, so now i understand why maybe it is hard to understand what i am saying, the shock actually pops of the part that is welded to the body of the truck, therefore, the glass coming slamming down on my head. i must note, i am pretty good at controlling my "words" around our girls, i don't want my 2 year old going to preschool dropping "f" bombs, but i have let a few slip when this happens. it is hard not too...i honestly feel around on the top of my head for blood because there is this wet sensation that occurs after it hits me. after this happened three days in a row (why do i keep using the window you say, i guess i fear over using the automatic door when i am running around with the open and close two dozen times in an hour). so i made an appointment at our friendly chevrolet dealership to have the problem rectified. now i am a bit of a pain the in ass...i want a car, i do not have time to sit in the lobby with everyone else and wait hour upon hour. not to mention the two hell uns i tote around with me everyday. anyhoo, i called to make the appt over a week in advance (plenty of time for them to arrange a car for me) and while they had my truck i wanted the gps jeff gave me for christmas hard wired through the dashboard. all the cords make me crazy....too much stuff in my way for the random i need my tweezers right this second digging i do while driving. and then the genius in me thought, "hey, the carseats will be in the rental, so i should have them clean my truck too".
first, we arrived to the dealership and after showing one guy what the issue was with the back window, i finally meet my "customer care representative". by this point i have the stroller out of the back, annie strapped in (kinda, only part of it fits around her cubby little body) and one of the two carseats removed. which with all the anchors, straps and tightening you do to get them totally secure, it is a total pain in my ass to remove them. and my new ccr comes up to me to let me know there is a problem....conversation went something like this....
"mrs. longspaugh, i am afraid we have a problem, we are out of cars and enterprise across the street says it will be 2 to 3 hours till they have one"
***blood starting to peculate....i am pushing stroller back and forth, asking izzy to stand still and silence my phone which has just begun to ring repeatedly.
"well, this is why i made my appt. over a week ago so this would not happen (again)"
"yes, well the ice storm yesterday wiped everyone out"
"oh, the small storm that hit dallas harder because i drove to and from weatherford yesterday twice to drop off and pick up my girls and never really say a problem or accident"
"well, so we can reschedule or you can wait in the lobby till a car is available"
"well, see this does not work for me...(breathing, or rather trying to) i drove 40 minutes out here, unpacked my truck, unloaded my children, arranged my day and now you want me to either wait in the lobby without snacks and milk for my girls or pack every thing back up and try again another day......i don't think so....(and this is where the bitch in me finally came out) YOU my ccr should have looked at your appt for the day when you arrived at 7am and double checked that i have a car available as i explained to you on the phone that this is an ordeal for me. you need to go back and find me something, this is not an acceptable solution. i hate to say this but we did buy three trucks from your dealership in the past 12 months.".....
and there is was....my ace in the deck....the one that made jeff say "no you did not"....but, yes i did!
next thing i know our salesman...young guy who bales hay on the side, looks as if my children scare the shit out of him,, all the while pretending to think they are cute; comes over with keys to a 2009 acadia.....at this point i do feel like i played the bitch card but don't really regret it.
so i proceed to put both carseats into my loaner as i explain to my sales rep i really did not want to have to be such a bitch....it is not in my blood (ha, ha, ha, jeff spits his coffee right now, that is if by chance he reads my blog)
so, two days later i pick up my truck......first, i realize the detail guys did not clean under the back seat (the main reason i wanted it cleaned) and i know i told my ccr this is what i really needed. second, the following day when i went to turn on my gps it would not turn on, and finally, i am in the parking lot at central market, i pop the window in the back to grab my cart cover and WHAM i am hit in the back of the head by my fucking window! i yell a couple "f" bombs while trying to smile because izzy is looking at me through the window and think....i am calling my ccr right now and giving him a few strong words.
so, i am driving my truck, my two children, and my busy ass self back to weatherford this tuesday to try again.......

oh, i almost forgot, while jeff is putting everything back into my truck last week and i am trying to pay my ticket (cleaning and gps not included in warranty) my lovely ccr approaches me to explain about the survey i will receive in the mail.....and "if you do not mark completely satisfied to every question it is considered an "f" or failing grade against him, therefore, if i have a problem please discuss it with him". (his words exactly) needless to say i reminded him of that damn survey when i called from the central market parking lot........

a little sap before your morning coffee....

2009-01-06T22:59:00.004-06:00

CAUTION: if you are easy to tears or hormonal (as i tend to be most days) please move forward and do not read the following blog........

so, tonight after what started as a "rough evening" around our house....having a really hard time with the whole almost 14 life dealt me a bad deck attitude/smart mouth/ i know more than you...tude we have floating around here! my new reaction i have decided is going to be "go to your room, no x-box, you may watch cnn only and stay away from me because you are on my NERVES"! however, i ended the night by meeting a few girlfriends at the movies. and what else do we ladies like to watch...but the sappiest, how hard can i cry in public movies ever, which bring me to the following.

dear fandango,

i watched a movie tonite that reminded me of you my sweet pup. as you are coming up on 10 years old let me flaunt my love for you to the few (and probably just my bnl because he wonders how crazy i really am) readers of my blog. you came into my life with my husband...he picked you from the litter and he is the one whom credit goes to for your wonderful training. i remember the day i pulled into the driveway in azle to be greeted by this "big" jumping licking dog and with sarcasms asked jeffie if you would eat my cats seeing as i was planning on moving into the house. from the beginning you amazed me with your sweet nature...i even began taking you to the nature center for my runs. your love of food became very evident when we discovered you had eaten 3/4 of a chocolate cake made with real heavy duty chocolate....luckily you survived it. then came the first mishap, a pair of beautiful heels i bought for a wedding, only to be worn once since you seemed to love the taste of the right one. from there you became my guardian when i moved to northside and the house with losy locks. i truly believe the thought of you being behind the door kept me safe and many a knockers away. you captured my heart when your daddy left for a four day weekend in las vegas leaving you behind with me....until the 3 am emergency room trip i made because you had been eating trash (not all in my care) and had a stomach the size of three watermelons. after that weekend you stayed with me while jeff went to alaska for three weeks and then to florida for two months. during this time i loved every minute we spent walking/running the trinity river, cuddling in my bed, and of course hanging out on the front porch (my northside neighbors also enjoyed this). i believe 40% of the reason i followed jeff to florida was because i missed you so......

we had six amazing years just the three of us, and a lot of the time just the two of us.....for every mile we walked along the trinity i have thrown 15 sticks to match. you accepted izzy when she was born and would not leave my side the last few weeks when i was preggos. you have graciously let annie pull your tail and try to climb on top of you. you have caused many emergency doctor visits with your "eating" habits, which includes the toaster you chewed up for a few crumbs (remember you lost that $600 crown on your front tooth doing this), and your habit for baby formula drove me crazy especially when i would rush in the door needing a bottle for a screaming izzy only to find the empty can on the floor.

now i could go on and on about all our moments together but i mostly want you to know every car ride whether 10 min or 10 hours with you hanging out in the front seat, every hike through dinosaur valley, every stick i have thrown, every treat you had to do numerous tricks for i will always treasure. your doggie smile lights up my worst days. if there has been one person there for me consistently over the past 8 years it has been you...when i am happy and when i am sad.

i promise to spend more time with you...walk you most days (even if it is just a quick loop around the golf course), throw a stick, rub your ears, and stop to pet you while whispering in your ear what a wonderful dog you are to me. i will make more of an effort to let you up on my side of the bed when you have been pushed of jeff's. you fandango are more than just some dog to me, you have been my best friend and the day you leave us will be the toughest yet.

i love you sweet pup.......

quiet start to the new year...

2009-01-05T12:29:00.002-06:00

well, i don't have a whole lot to say....maybe just some quick thoughts...
a. i have been sick to my stomach for the past 2 1/2 days...thought it was a bug but then it went away most of yesterday to return with a vengeance around 1am this morning. can't quite shake the feeling that the room is spinning. it may be a preggos thing...but, i am in my 18th week, i should not be sick anymore, right???
b.. cooked lobsters (whole) for the first time nye...and wow, were they amazing! we did a steak and lobster combo for the couples that came over for the evening. should say, if you are thinking of boiling water in stock pots better start them several hours prior to wanting the bubbles to become rapid. ended up putting the pots in the fire outback, may have made them all that much better.
c.. girls are at my mother's so i can work today...but, can't get dear husband out of the office and it is too much work trying to do what i need to on the laptop.
d..heater in the front of the house went out last night, so trying to keep it warm with the fireplace. atleast we were able to sleep on the on the warm side.
e.. cade still can not get out the door in time in the mornings...guess, i have to be a big ole' bitch and make this almost 14yr old go to bed at 9pm! what else am i to do, i already wake him up 30 minutes earlier...
f...why can i not use a garlic press??? i have to hand chop it every time.
g..the winter sure makes me want a cocktail...not a glass of wine (which i will do every now and then), not a cold beer, but a something that warms my throat.
h..annie is sleeping better, finally....i did adjust my schedule which actually now goes along with her natural schedule. down side is it is difficult for me to find the right time to leave the house for running around.
i..i love christmas cards..thank you! and a big thanks to my husband for pushing us all yesterday to get everything put away and the garage cleaned out once and for all!
j.. hooray to me for only gaining 2lb so far this pregnancy! so much better than the first one...
k..our baby blazer is still home...he even got out once and came back to the driveway so jeff could coax him in with food! while we certainly missed him, not sure my really old cats did.
l.. thinking if my husband does not give up the office i might go catch a movie...since i don't have the girls i should do something, right!

i hope to post christmas/nye pictures tonight....

its not his fault it is in the bugaj blood...

2008-12-27T15:23:00.003-06:00

that is my husband i am speaking of....jeff has been home for 7 1/2 days and hoping to count a few more. i had all sorts of fun family packed ideas in mind for the four of us to do while dadda is home. i was thinking a day at the zoo, seeing the ice exhibit at the gaylord, maybe staying the night at the wolf lodge in grapevine, buying new boot for him and izzy, taking a long bike ride on the trinity, etc....i mean does this not all sound like a guy's dream christmas break! well, jeff has done well, and i give him a big high five for getting up with the girls this morning and allowing me to sleep till 8, but even better i got up made the bed and showered before leaving the bedroom. absolutely wonderful! we had a movie date last night, leaving the sleeping girls home with cade and running down the road to the theater. (by the way if looking to see one of the many movies released christmas day, i highly suggest the curious case of benjamin buttons) jeff reminded me this was our first movie since izzy was born together! so, this morning after getting out of the shower he informed me he was rushing out the door to work at the shop. no surprise here, on christmas day he worked in the backyard for 3 hours! there was no lulling on the couch, sneaking a nap in while the girls nod off, at 11am he informs me he has ants in his pants. yesterday was rough with annie's whole nap episode ** so he hung around (with ants in his pants) but the guy acts like a caged tiger when he is coped up in the house....pacing from room to room, stopping to look out the window wondering which one he could escape from, taking a very quick and brisk walk with me pushing me to pick up my steps the whole way and finally at the end of the day he walks through the house tool bag in hand determined to fix something.
i don't blame my husband this problem with not being able to take it easy and relax comes from his mom's side of the family, the bugajs. his grandfather worked every day of his life, even in retirement...jeff's mother works 12 hour days in her yard for fun on sunday (she is well into her sixties), when they vacation they must get up and go all day long. they walk, they explore, they move, move move (plus hate staying in hotels, would rather sleep in the car or in a sleeping bag) our honeymoon was 18 days of pure on the go go traveling....good for the fact we saw a lot of europe but hey everyone wants to lay on the beach every now and then. we took one trip to mexico for our 1st anniversary it almost killed jeff to sit on the beach or by the pool and just soak up the sun for two days. i had to keep pushing the free booze into his veins and even then i would have to stay up with him till almost dawn. chris my bnl is also like this....he does have a desk job so when not working he goes, goes, goes. i tell you it is in the blood, so i can not blame annie because well she has bugaj blood pumpin through her little body. this may even explain why she was walking at 9 1/2 months old and why it is a battle at nap time. in her little mind she has lots of work to get done!
the girls and i headed off to the zoo this morning and took babci along with us....it was like a ghost town, not sure if it was the weather threats or the wind that keep people away but it was super for us. the animals were frisky and if you have not been lately there are four tiger cubs that are incredible to watch.
well, i am off to make cade turn off the x box live and do something productive for the first time in days. i must figure out how to put a timer on that damn thing that shuts it off after so much time each day......

**today was easier...i rocked her for about 10min then laid her down, i think she only cried off and on for about 20 min. of course, she started with that loud shrilling scream that sent cade flying off his chair to rescue her from her mean mommy.

can i do it...i am not sure i am strong enough??

2008-12-26T14:47:00.005-06:00

annie has been screaming in her crib for over an hour now.....while izzy has never had great sleep habits she has at least not given me much trouble at nap and bedtime (except the past week or so). annie however, while she has for the most part slept through the night since being 8 weeks old does fight nap time. she doesn't just fight she protests it by pulling my hair, scratching my face, pinching my arms and neck all the while i am trying to rock her. because of this izzy has been laying down on the couch to nap....which she does very well. i am trying to eliminate the morning nap so annie is even more tired for her afternoon nap but it does not always work. like yesterday she was asleep in three minutes both for a nap and bed but today, well, it took a lot of crying. now i am not one of those parents who run to my child every time she cries, but it really puts me in a foul mood to listen to her screams. funny thing is....i used to let izzy cry it out at night and for months she had to cry for up to an hour several times a week. with her cries i could sit in the hall and watch the timer to the moment i could go in and comfort her. but with annie her cry is different it gets under my skin and crawls up and down my back. it is louder and stronger....
what really sucks is i read "healthy sleep habits, happy child" twice before izzy was born. i was determined to encourage and follow healthy habits for sleep from the get go....but, i was so exhausted with work that i could not stick to the routine. (i worked the day i came home from the hospital) and many times since we have (or i rather) stopped our bad habits and moved her to her room and bed. at annie's age izzy was sleeping in a toddler bed all night in her own room. (i would never dream of taking annie out of the crib) anyhoo....i could go on and on...
my point is to publicly declare my one and only n.y. resolution....get both my children into a sleep routine at nap and bed time. i think i need to start with one and then move on to the other and breaking annie will be harder so i must start there. i am open to any and all comments/suggestions. for the next 3 days i am going to re-read the "master" book of childhood sleep and pump up for my emotional roller coaster to come. tata for now.

merry christmas and all that jazz....

2008-12-25T11:47:00.003-06:00

let's start by saying i hope you and your family are enjoying a merry christmas......we have had a wonderful morning and are now sitting here in front of the tv watching madagascar (oh, this was fun, izzy brought me the movie this morning in the moment before my "small" cup of caffeine had kicked in and i am desperately trying to change diapers, spread cream cheese on bagels and corral the troops. anyhoo, i set the movie down...now fast forward three and half hours to thirty minutes ago when izzy wanted to lay down in her i opened four dozen presents and spent all my energy already state to watch her new movie. aaaugghhh, with all of us, dadda, mommy and babci looking for the movie. all i can think is great where in the hell did i set it down that damn movie....

"no, jeff i know i did not lose it.....i did have it this morning...i will dig through the trash.....why would it be in the closet....yes, i looked in the giant pile of toys taking over the living room"....and so on.

and of course, dadda found it in our bathroom in my sink under a stack of my clothes! oh, well...

so, christmas started last night with my family coming over for dinner and presents. i worked all day on a pot of chili a hundred plus ready to have heartburn and gas the next 24hr people could eat on for a week. and yes, i make a damn good pot of chili! i also threw together mini lemon/cherry cheesecakes and the oreo truffles (i can not get enough of these). so add to all this the tamales, dip and chips i picked up earlier in the day and well, our fridge is overflowing with leftovers. (no comments from anyone about there being nothing to eat in this house, PLEASE) the girls made out like bandits, i think i was successful in picking out gifts that were totally loved and my mother finally got the hint i like gift cards because i received one to williams sonoma this year! once our over tired girls were snoring and in their beds (izzy ours)....i started whipping together the breakfast casserole and laying out santa's bounty. jeff is not so much into the christmas hoop-la i am and therefore did not get my need to unwrap all the food and pots and pans for the new kitchen set. however, i went forth and set up the kitchen for play plus wrapped it because i knew izzy would not touch another present once it was opened. finally, at 2 am i laid down and caught a few minutes of sleep.

fast forward to today and well, all went well.....again jeff is not so into the production of christmas as i am and did not understand why all things have an order. but, i must pat him on the back because he did step in line and proceed with my grand production giving me a little satisfaction for all of the many hours i slaved rehearsing for my, oh i mean our big day. i may not have hit it off with his gifts so much as i did everyone else...same goes for babci....but hey, who can nail them all. (well, me usually, but i will blame this one on the pregnancy hormones:)

santa did leave a special gift for dadda today.....last night when i went into the garage i found baby blazer asleep on a pile of blankets. for the first time in over six months he jumped down and came to see fandango and me. i kept him in the garage because well, he has been wild for a while and may have had bugs....this morning i told jeff santa left something special in the garage....i think jeff has not put him down yet. jeff fed blazer ham from the breakfast table (poor fandango), has been rubbing on him and well, if this cat disappears again for 1/2 a year without showing his face his is just plain dumb. really, makes you wonder....why of all the days did blazer come home on christmas day????

so, anyhoo, before i hit the kitchen prepping the beef tenderloin for our christmas lunch/dinner meal i am going to put my feet up and maybe shut my eyes for a minute. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ENJOY EACH OTHER TODAY....

oh, i am in such a good mood i guess i could go on and announce the sex of baby #3......i am only up 1/2 a pound in 17 weeks so this is good news for me...i vow to be back down that 1/2 by next month. pre-note** the past few days before our sonogram i had some crazy thoughts rolling around in my head....like, "i am sure i felt annie by this point" so i did some research on the Internet and learned little boys are not as active as little girls....uhm, maybe there is a slim chance we are having a son. see i have not had much hope to longspaugh #3 being a boy because well, the first two are girls and i am one of 3 girls while jeff is one of 3 boys...seems like a slam dunk to me. anyhoo.....as i said before my doctor moved offices and with it came a new sono machine, totally amazing, we watched baby ??? play with its feet and open and close it hands. and while i was truly enjoying a very long sono the tech was saving the best for last. it turns out we are having another girl! so there it is....jeff has decided we need give up the plumbing business and open a flower shop. and now i get to start with the whole name game....do we have another "bel"???? or venture off in another direction???? this just may be god's way of protecting the fine residents in lake country of another generation of longspaugh boys or he just may be worn out himself from the first crew, however, i am not naive enough to not think we will have our hands full....they are longspaughs after all!

tis the season to be busy....

2008-12-23T22:02:00.006-06:00

wow, the past week has flown by...jeff is home so i am sitting in the living room, feet up, fire blazing and lights low finally adding pictures to the computer. we had annie's 1st birthday two weekends ago and i can not believe my little sweetheart now turned into hell-en is a year old. i feel like i barely remember each of her magical days.....however, i am not forgetting her new super hero abilities, such as, climbing into the dishwasher, climbing onto the fireplace but never figuring out how to climb off, running hugs, drop to the floor fits, roaring laugh and all around happy personality.

i started baking last wednesday and after (2) batches of chocolate pretzel clusters, peppermint bark, candy cane cookies, (1) batch of holiday biscotti, peanut butter and chocolate biscotti and mini coconut cupcakes and oreo truffles i am baked out. however, i do have a few more things to whip together for the neighbor tins and christmas eve dinner. i completed my shopping last week and everything is wrapped and under the tree. i guess this is not saying a lot since today is the 23rd of december and it is near midnight.

We went to the kids' christmas party today and had so much fun. it was a smaller group this year and not so overwhelming. with eight kiddos running around wearing themselves out time flew by.....we frosted santa cookies (i made the icing, blue (coconut), yellow (lemon), orange (orange), green (mint) and red (vanilla)) and had a gift exchange. i always think i am a great gift buyer; i just have a knack for finding the perfect present. i really enjoy my girlfriends and look forward to time with them. this is very new because well, i just am not usually good at keeping up with friends. not that i am not a good friend and i really care, it is just hard to keep up with anyone other than myself these days.

i finally had my hair done last friday....all i am saying is i will never go 4 1/2 months again without a highlight and trim. it is amazing on how much driving a clean truck and having a fresh hair do can change my attitude towards life. one thing i totally believe is that i am judged by the appearance of my truck. my life may be falling apart and i may be hanging together by a very thin thread but if my truck looks good than no one will notice my hair being 3 inches grown out and not blown dry in over four months. along with all the other helpers i am searching craigs list for...i need someone to come by and blow out my hair twice a week. maybe i just need to win the lottery???

oh, jeff and i went to longspaugh baby #3 on the way ob appt today....and had our first sonogram. WE KNOW THE SEX.....however, i am keeping it to myself until Christmas, hee, hee, hee..

all in all....jeff has been home for four days and oh, so helpful to me....i am busting with holiday spirit and extremely grateful for my two girls and baby on the way. we are lucky to have a thriving business and beautiful home......i wish all of you a merry christmas and happy new year!

my poor second child...

2008-12-08T22:09:00.003-06:00

i was just lying down to bed...yes, before midnight. i did have to rise early today, oh, about 5am to take two of the guys out to the airport for a flight to new orleans. and while i was up in the still of the house thought to myself this is really nice and maybe i should get up early more often. however, the reality of it is i tend to stay up too late working and 5am is just the beginning of my r.e.m. sleep.
so, what brought me leaping out of bed and running back to the office.....poor annie, i realized i bragged on izzy and said nothing about anabel. so....here it goes, i did post a video on facebook today of her laughing because izzy wanted to take her babies for a walk down the street this afternoon and i thought i could not put annie in the stroller because she had been in and out of her carseat since 5:45 this morning (izzy stayed in bed this time and cade moved into our room if she woke up). in my mommy can be clever and crafty mode, i strapped her to the red push car izzy received for christmas last year (two straps for my monkey) and let her drive the car down the street and up the golf course.** i had to video her from my phone because she was so excited that her laugh was making me cry. it was one of those moments where i believe i am a damn good mom and it is not all fluff on the outside.
annie has also been imitating izzy....after bath time izzy like to play peek-a-boo in the closet, you know opening and shutting the door all the while looking for your surprised look each time when she shouts peek-a-boot. annie thinks this is so great and after her diapering and dressing (izzy always says "annie first") she rushes over to the closet to do as her sister did. well, three days ago she must have been playing the game by herself because she shut herself in cade's room and it was probably 5 minutes later before i heard her hollers for help. oh, oh, tonight izzy was peeking around the doorway into her room playing the same game and annie proceeded to get up and again pop her head around the corner waiting for my over excited "oh, you scared mommy...peek-a-boo".

so there it is....i bragged on both my wonderful children and can probably go to bed now since i am beyond tired.

**side note~word on the street is there is a buyer for the golf course, a lake country resident who struck rich in the barnett shale AND that someone else is looking into reopening the clubhouse with an upscale spa theme! i may be really really excited soon. jeff, please add to my christmas list a new set of golf clubs (mine are over 10 years old) and a golf cart....

jeff flew the coop and we are lost....

2008-12-08T21:17:00.002-06:00

so, last thursday the girls and i returned home from little gym and yoga to hear the washer machine running...my first thought, did i finally find someone to do my laundry, iron it and put it away. second thought, seeing as i don't recall meeting this miracle worker (also still looking for the part time chef/food prep) was fandango must be doing it in hopes i can then take her for a walk because i KNOW jeff is not doing the laundry because there has been a stack of his stuff on the counter for the past week waiting to be hung up! however, the ugly truth was jeff was doing his laundry but only because he had decided to head back to new orleans....that day....like in an hour and a half after our return! i believe i was actually mad at him for the short notice a good day or two.
being that i am single "momming" again, my blogs will be a little sparse. i do have a better attitude this time and am trying to keep my chin up. i am finding the more i can laugh with the girls the less i feel like i am hanging by a thread over a 100ft cliff waiting to drop. also, i am putting keeping the house in order a priority (rather than keeping up with my work) and this too is helping me stay sane.
izzy did/said some really some really incredible things today. first, during bath time she was taking a smaller cup and filling a larger cup (no great task at 26mo.) however, while dumping each cup she would count them in order till it filled up then would start again....i am not sure where she is learning how to actually count but i have a feeling it has something to do with all the curious george we watch. second, she has begun to draw circles and calling them circles, while this may be normal my niece was not much into this sort of thing and i recall begging her to practice circles when she was four. third, i brought a black leather chair home from cody's apartment and out of no where the past few days she has been climbing up in it to nap and telling me she wants to "sleep in uncle cody's chair". while this breaks my heart i am so grateful she put two and two together and remembers cody.
i have been spending a lot of time wondering about baby names....if a boy, well, we have several from jeff's side to choose from and if a girl, do i choose another "bel"??? i have one in mind that i love and a middle name that rocks. i am really into names. both girls middle names are relevant to a family member we want to honor...izzy's is jean after jeff's mom and annie's is lee after me and i was named after my aunt gwen, someone who has done so much for me in my short life. she is one of the better influences i have always had and one to remind me the world does not revolve around how i can change others only myself. our new neice is names whitney josephine, whitney because chris proposed on the top of mount whitney (i know, so awesome) and josephine is jeff's grandmother's name. so i have really big shoes to fill......
a huge storm is rolling in and cade is practically sitting on top of me...so i better wrap this up. here is a list of our latest daily presents from babci.
on the 3rd day of christmas: a bunch of hair bows...not five or six more like a dozen and a half different colors.
4th day: two christmas plates, santa napkins and beautiful red place mats (for mommy)
5th day: a couple boxes of animal crackers...you know the really good ones in the circus box (i may have eaten most of at least one box)
6th day: large popcorn bowl, movie and kettle corn for family movie nights (love it!)
7th day: a new magnetic farm puzzle book and card games
8th day: a snowman mug for warm cocoa, glowing santa and milk chocolate santa candies

so as you can tell we are still thinking this is the greatest thing on earth....have a great day and i will be back soon!

oh, and don't forget to send me your christmas cards...they make my day!

a slice of humlbe pie to go with all my bitchfest entries....

2008-12-02T21:37:00.012-06:00

so jeff has been home now for 10 days and 1 1/2 hours give or take a minute or two. and i am loving it....he has slowed down (could be the fact he worked for something like 36 days in a row), i must clarify, jeff slowing down is kinda like me on crack. however, he has been here at the beck and call of both girls and just when i think i am about to curl up in the corner and cry he gallops into the room to save the moment. izzy even told dadda she needed to poopoo and he took her to the potty, brushed her teeth, nite nite diapered her all the while making it the event of a lifetime for her. i make it sound like he is not normally so helpful, he is when he is home....this being the issue. before going to new orleans the work here was coming in like crazy, still is but not quite so hot-n-heavy.....so jeff was leaving by 7am and returning at the end of bath time most night; this does not leave much time for dadda bonding or mommy help. i will admit the first few days were touch-n-go being he was not used to being here and a part of how i keep it all together (even in my own may not make sense to you way) and i was not used to him standing there trying to figure out how to help or be a part of our chaos. by thanksgiving morning we had figured it out and well, my life has been so much easier since.

i better stop before my dear husband's head gets too big......

i will finish by trying to update through photos from all our many challenging yet rewarding days the past few weeks.

here are the girls halloween night. their costumes were kinda all over the place. these tutus were a gift from momo (my mother) along with matching shirts. i found izzy a bodysuit, wand and wings and she became some type of fairy. poor annie was not in the mood to dress up and she just wore here skirt for about 10 minutes!

as i mentioned before thanksgiving was at our house this year and everything worked out wonderfully. jeff and i teamed up without too much fussing at one another and brine the turkey, roasted and for what was our first 23lb bird....we did a damn good job. i informed him maybe in a few years we should do two turkeys and try to fry one.......my whole family (well, those around here) came over and my aunt with the body of a 20 year old brought gluten-free desserts (have to say they weren't too bad, however, i do like her full-throttle chocolate chip cookies better), even all three of my cousins showed up along with one of the girlfriends. i opted for the easy way out and rented the dishes and table clothes, with a little rinse-rinse and re-stacking in crates clean up was a breeze. as usual we played hours of apples to apples and well, lets just say my mother is a good sport because she gets a lot of shit during this time.

jeff had izzy outside helping him cut up firewood and burn some of the brush. she did not get dress until 2:30 and smelt like a boy....no complaints here, i had lots of free time in the kitchen to work some foodnetwork inspired magic. during the crunch time of smashing potatoes and reducing pan drippings for gravy babci and dadda kept annie entertained by the fire in our backyard. by this point izzy fell asleep and stayed that way through dinner but woke up in time for dessert. cade had some type of flu the whole school break....every time i entered his room i was armed with a can of lysol and breathing mask.....all i could think was who would do all i do if i get this crap!

last friday i had a list of things i wanted to do while jeff was home...go to the parade of lights, the gaylord for the ice wonderland, the zoo, christmas card photo and put up our tree and hang the lights. well, after being sidetracked for most of friday we decided to meet the cooks downtown to watch the parade of lights. okay, we decided at 5pm and it started at 6pm......not only did i need to dress the girls in warm clothes, pack the stroller, chairs, snacks and what not; we were also going to stay the night at the worthington and kinda take a ftw vacation night. the girls enjoyed the parade...jackie and i enjoyed waiting two hours for the guys to return to the suite with uno's pizza (jury still out on this one) but the best part was the following day....after dragging dad and his foggy brain out of bed we went to breakfast and walked around a bit, then annie and dadda took a nap in the room while izzy and i walked down to see my aunt at larry north and read a few dozen books at barnes n noble. on our way back up we stopped in and took a swim with owen in the pool. it was a wonderful 18 hours away from home! (fandango did not agree...poor pup!)

babci (jeff's mom) is doing something different this year for the girls and their christmas gift.....she has prewrapped 24 individual gifts for everyday leading up the christmas morning. each one is labeled and ready to be opened on the appropriate day. i hope to find the time to share them all with you as i think this is an awesome way to kick up the excitement in a two year old who may or may not understand what is going on.

on the first day of christmas izzy and annie received new ornaments....beautiful butterflies to go with a new santa and sleigh for mommy and daddy. m-n-l gives us these polish ornaments every year corresponding with a big event we shared.

on the second day of christmas the girls received new scarf, mittens and hats....izzy loved hers so much she went to bed tonight with them on! annie just patiently, or rather as patient as she can be, waited through whole gift thing for her nite nite bottle and crib.

finally, the girls went over to momo's house today for almost 6 hours. my youngest sister is in town this week so the girls had some much needed aunt cari time too. i came home and worked for 4 hours straight...no interruptions or jumping jacks to keep my eyes open, plus i was able to shower too! they had so much fun playing in the leaves and making christmas cards i think the just might have to try it again next week. well, i have now sat here next to the tree in our quiet house and updated both my blog and facebook....nite nite!

all i want for christmas is....

2008-11-26T09:18:00.004-06:00

so, jeff returned home Sunday night....it was very emotional for the girls having not seen their dad in over three weeks. for me, the lap top returned and thus hopefully my ability to release in the form of a blog. in the past few weeks, if by chance, being in the office i felt i could do a little writing for myself, all i could come up with was the negative (by 9pm all i felt was negative). without unleashing my poor poor me...my life can totally suck pity party, i will say it takes a lot to keep up with both girls now 11 months and 26 months plus answer the phone to which keeps the business going, oh, and all the work in the office. i really thought about running away and even began to doubt my parenting abilities.....however, my husband is home now and well, i should have a bit of a break for the next ten days until he leaves again.*
i started christmas shopping last week and in one morning completed about a 1/3 of my list. while izzy was in school annie and i made our way around the shopping center down the street from her school. i also purchased myself a christmas present (that leaves either two small ones for you husband or one big one). as for my christmas list this is what i want....1) world peace, 2) all neglected children tended too, and 3) a decision regarding the overgrown golf course behind our house. OK, for the real self deserving list...1) i really really want those new diamond earrings i have been asking for the past three years (yes, husband please ask your brother for guidance and inside knowledge to any "great" deals on a pair tiffany princess cut studs) 2) a would like to receive a day at the spa to be pampered while YOU keep up with both girls, not calling your mom over to lend a hand and finally 3) a date night for us, nothing fancy (no, i don't need dinner at my favorite restaurant lonesome dove)...just the two us...we could go to the movies and wonder around barnes and noble, just like the days before babies.
thanksgiving will be at our house this year. i had my mother talk to my aunt (only because she can talk in the evenings and well, i look at my phone ringing after 6pm and wish i had a voodoo doll to poke your eyes out with because that is my most crazy, at my wits end time of the day) and explain to her that while i could contain izzy in her house, annie is a different story. i would be "fighting" her all day and well, there would be no way to stay for game night. so, dinner is at our house this year and i am not in the least bit stressed. i plan to set the table tonight and bake anything i decide we can not live without, leaving only the turkey, smashed potatoes, dressing and brussel sprouts for tomorrow.
during my emotional i may not make it days while jeff was gone my wonderful bnl and snl had her baby and i would like to congratulate chris and krista on the birth of whitney josephine. we only wish yall were not in washington and are counting the days until we meet the newest longspaugh girl!
well, i better be off and oh, wash brussell sprouts or something.....happy thanksgiving to everyone and enjoy the time with your family and friends ( even if you need to start the day with a drink to do so...this is what i do when not preggos!) if you are crazy enough to shop on black friday..i wish you all the luck and patience in the world.

oh, if anyone is doing the turkey trot thanksgiving morning look for us...we will be the ones with the monster orange stroller, black lab and babci toting her king charles through the crowd of people. i may even make my husband a thermos of bloody mary!

*i should note that cade was extremely helpful the last week or so...picking up the living room every night, not complaining when i would beg for a five minute shower, and in general just being here to give me some support. however, i do think he was trying to make up for the phone call his math teacher made to me to let me know he eggs on the class clown and she was fed up.

trying to visualize world peace....

2008-11-05T08:57:00.005-06:00

so, the election results are in....i woke up (yes, woke up, i believe i feel asleep somewhere around 9pm) around 10:30ish to see mccain conceding to the race...while i truly wanted to cry all i could do was hope all you obama supporters knew something i did not. don't get me wrong i can see the plus side of the changes he has promised us as a nation, but i also am nervous about some of the other changes.... (jeff is so going to wave his finger at me for actually writing this)
1) i fear for the changes to health care...now, before you go off and judge me, please listen...as you know we own and operate a small plumbing company and if you know anything about health insurance coverage for SBO it is almost non-existent unless you are ready to pay a high premium. for example, our first insurance company did not cover anything unless you were hospitalized which sounded ok because i was most nervous about the day jeff fell off a latter or did something that required a trip to the emergency room. at the time we were both relatively healthy and pretty young. with such insurance availability to sbos maternity coverage is not an option, so we have paid out of our pockets for both girls....ob and hospital; except with annie i forgot to prepay so the hospital filled out some forms and we were given some government assistance, so around 14K for both babies...anyhoo.. we are okay with this, it is part of the choices we made, yes, it would be great if insurance coverage was more affordable, but would i have been able to use my really really incredible ob who did everything in his power to save us from a c-section (which would have been covered) with izzy. (she was upside down, twisted and entirely too large for my body)??? would we have been able to choose this high-risk specialist when it took over two years to get pregnant with izzy after two very emotional miscarriages??? so, as you can see, i don't want to lose my options in health care...i would rather carry around my kate spade, bought in an estate sale bag for a few more years than have to use a doctor unable to access my maternity needs.
2) i also know this....i have worked three jobs at once to start this business with jeff who worked 75hour weeks, i worked 40+ hours while putting myself through college, i have a hard time with government handouts....now listen, i do believe everyone needs a hand from time to time and i am so glad those programs are there, but i have a hard time knowing medicaid is covering the medical cost of a meth addict's children for five years or that a boob job came from the earned income credit. AGAIN, this is not everyone, but these are just a few of the examples i personally know.
3) i worry about the affect this election will have on our sbo taxes....we have worked really hard to get where we are today and last year lost a few options in a sbo bill congress would not renew (whatever being the technical terms). our business has always grown in numbers each year, but with that come additional cost. it would be nice to know if we do more than break even we will not be pushed into a higher tax bracket.
3) i am on board with government help, but where is the line drawn in a government that is too big....i like small government, local government, local choices given to the people of this country. i don't want someone in washington making decisions for me...a small person in the outskirts of fort worth, texas (are you supposed to put the comma there in a sentence). i want to know the officials we elect locally still have a say in the big decisions because what is good in uptown new jersey may not fit us down here in north texas.

i need to stop...because well, some of you may never read my blog again...or i may end up with lots of nasty comments about what an uncaring person i am.....i really do care, i just like to know i must take responsibility for my choices and my choices whether good or bad will effect my life to teach me a lesson. you should learn from the wrong ones and gain knowledge from the good ones to encourage you to always grow as a person. these choices are how we teach our children to be responsible adults one day....ones to strive to work hard and push for the american dream. i did and it was through a lot of hard times.....ask me sometime about why i could not get govt help to fund my college tuition and i will be glad to share my story.

have a great day, i am off to explore new orleans some more and watch the minutes fly by because i return to reality tomorrow.......

**side note** i have found better insurance coverage and the cost is half of what it was but we still do not have any maternity coverage. affordable insurance is out there...you just have to look really hard for it. we pay under $250 a month for our family of four.....and the girls have great coverage.

OBAMA NATION....I AM TRUSTING YOU

in new orleans and loving it!

2008-11-04T18:44:00.002-06:00

so, here i am sitting on a hotel bed fee up, tv on election results having just spent the day riding the street car and wondering around. now don't get me wrong i do miss the girls, but having never left them i totally forgot how wonderful it feels to be me and only me....i ate when i wanted, i pee-ed when i wanted, i did not stop for naps, i did not change diapers, i just have wondered around with my own thoughts not really talking to anyone. yeah, yeah, some people can not stand to be alone or not have someone to talk to all day, but me, well, i enjoy alone time, and actually just realized how much good it does for my soul.
anyhoo, things are really different here in new orleans. being a gal from the right side of the tracks i find myself turning my ring around backwards and clinching my purse. (oh, yeah, i said purse not diaper bag) the hotel jeff is contracted with is in uptown which is near the old money area. the houses are amazing....true southern monster mansion with beautiful wrap aound porches and large greenery. the mccain support signs are in abundance....which surprised me but did put a smile on my face. the mix of people is just that a real m&m bag of cultures....though it seems to weigh on the artsy side. the clothing the locales and they stand out is very urban or very retro. i actually saw a girl with acid washed jeans that were tight rolled!
as for transportation i used my two legs to wander around with and the street car. it runs directly out front of the lobby and goes both directions. i even jumped rails and switched to another trolley line to get to the art house movie theater (tried to watch rachel get married...was kinda relieved when i had to leave early to deal with an unexpected work issue). tomorrow i will wonder down to the french quarter and french market....i heard several people asking the trolley drivers if they were headed to the market which makes me think it is probably something i should check out. i popped into harrah's and spun a few slot machines waiting for my movie to start and enjoyed the freedom of being able to hop hop hop around without two kiddos and a monster suv or stroller.
oh, and most importantly i spent an hour in the hotel gym lifting weights, doing crunches and a bit of cardio.....wow, i should vaction more often.
i have only called to check on the girls once today...i have not wanted to bug my mother or upset izzy by hearing my voice. though my mother says she is doing well....no tears only a couple of "mommy" whimpers.
well, i am going to watch the election results come in and sit on the edge of my seat hoping for a small miracle. jeff should be up soon and maybe we will head out and find some good ole cajuin food!

can you say three under three???

2008-10-31T17:15:00.001-05:00

YES.....it is true i am pregnant again....and no we are not of any kind of religious background, raising a cult, or trying to create our own school. we are just certifiably insane. story goes like this....wanted one more thought about december but hey, apparently i am not so good at math. due date june 6th.....off to trick or treat! have a great halloween :)

halleluha, halleluha.....

2008-10-29T10:11:00.003-05:00

so i apparently can not figure out time....i promised big news in 12 hours, then of course, i realized last night i meant 24 hours, and by the time we got home from the football game and i got the girls to bed i knew i did not have it in me to sit at the computer, so here we are 36 hours after my last posting!
annie slept through the night finally.....either she was truly exhausted (yesterday was a long day) or some higher power was looking out for me. i think i have said it before...but, i am not a cuddler, in my sleep anyway. i prefer to face away from the bed wrapped around a pillow...i do believe it is because i am never alone, never ever alone. i am working on this though, i have a new thought if jeff has to go back to new orleans next week, say around the first of the week i am going to fly out and stay two days sans kiddos. i will beg and plead with one of the grammies to stay here and let me wonder the streets of NO alone with my own thoughts, sleep past 7am, watch cheesy lifetime movies in my underwear (well, maybe not in my underwear) and veg out on restaurant food (but, i must force myself to contain my calorie intake...)! we will see if i can actually do it....
yesterday was one of those days of which i thought i would not make it....it started with forcing cade out the door for morning detention because of his tardies (again). i do feel bad because one of his many tardies was clearly my fault but hey, i can only get angry so many mornings in a row before i just give up. totally off subject, but, i even got him up thirty minutes early today and yet it was another "i am going to strangle you if you do not get out the door this minute moment".
anyhoo....from 8:00 on yesterday i was running....almost literally! but, i guess i really don't have to go through the horrid day with you. however, i did have a moment with annie in the bank where i actually thought about walking out the door and pretending like the girls did not belong to me. in our lack of communication that comes with both jeff and i being really busy, brain-fried and exhausted, i needed a name from him for a cashier's check for the job in new orleans, one he said needed to be overnighted three days ago....as i am trying to contain two children who have been locked in carseats all morning in the bank lobby a brilliant idea hits me. give annie a sucker...she will sit still and wonder where all this yummy gooey stickiness comes from...yeah right, in a matter of moments she was off my lap and trying to race crawl across the lobby with the sucker in her mouth. yes, i know, extremely dangerous... but, i did wonder for a moment if i should not just let her go, so i jump up and go to grab her and she wiggles out of my hands, throws herself on the ground flat and begins to scream, not cry, scream at the top of her lungs with the sucker still in mouth! while part of me wanted to run as fast as i could out the door, i stopped picked her up and told the teller once i got the needed info from my dear husband i would pull through outside. buckling both girls in the monster suv, i literally thought my heartrate would blow up my already overworked brain....may not make sense, but when you are in one of those moments it is hard to determine which is which, your whole body feels like it will burst into a thousand pieces.
so, that is all i will share of my long long day....except my big news.....
oh, shit annie is up from her nap....i guess you will have to wait another few hours!

could it be true?

2008-10-28T00:01:00.002-05:00

tomorrow...or rather some time in the next twelve hours of today.....i have something big to say! bit of a public warning/announcement or rather my final note to you before i turn to medication because i/ we must be out of our freaking minds!

is there a difference in toothpaste or bacon?

2008-10-27T22:44:00.003-05:00

so, i am brushing my teeth and wishing jeff was not out of town with our laptop....i really want to blog, and here i am back in the office on the main computer. it just is not the same....

today was a school day and i am totally amazed at how quickly izzy adapted. she just walks right in now, sits down at the table and let's me kiss her goodbye. and the past two weeks when i return to pick her up her cuddly and binkie are still in her backpack. last friday night after i put annie to bed we made chocolate chip cookies....she loves helping put all the ingredients in my awesome "thanks husband for a can do anything" artisan mixer last year for christmas. ** it was great having a little one on one time with her. while our cookies were baking we played with some of her puzzles and watched a movie. after putting annie down tonight i brought out a new puzzle from her birthday and we played together for thirty minutes. it truly ends my day with a smile to be able to bond with izzy alone sans little sister trying to undo whatever we just put together. (annie and i did have a three hours this morning together without izzy, i do appreciate this time too)

as for annie, she is taking more and more steps every day. like i said before they are two totally different children; annie is constantly on the move. she won't cuddle much, unless it is two in the morning, she wiggles out of your lap, and the thought of sleep interrupting her play time is unbearable. i remember just a few weeks ago my little incredible sleeper would sleep all night long without a peep. well, these past few weeks i am lucky if i don't' go to her twice in one night, tonight i have already been in there three times. i don't know if this is a phase or if she is testing me. i have tried to let her "cry it out" but like i said she is one determined child and it has not worked, only waking everyone in the house up for a good stretch of the night, and damn it i am too tired to do it. so if i can get her to make it until around 4 or 5 am then i will just put her in bed with me...thus, starting all my bad habits over....the ones i swore i would not make with our second child. maybe i should just think her molars are coming in and give her a good dose of tylenol before bed???

i finally convinced jeff to take a trip with us to the mall playground last saturday. not sure he will return, but he did get to see how much energy both girls burn during a short amount of time. annie was enjoying the padded surface and walking to and from each climbing, sliding, crawl through apparatus she could get too. jeff did give me a few "hey, don't be so bossy with other people's children looks" and made the comment when we were leaving it seems like a good place to get into a fist fight with another parent. i just calmly remind the "aren't you much taller than the height cut-off" kids to slow down and watch out for the babies. afterwards we realized it was the last night of the season at burgers-n-bock and headed over to central market for dinner. jeff choked (again) on the price of the small container of pre-cut fruit i bought the girls (maybe he should choke at the cost of his copenhagen habit, atleast the girls fruit is an enrichment to their little bodies). all in all, we had a successful night of dancing, chasing izzy, and relaxing outside before the weather changes...not to mention, daddy had some one on one time with US!

so, i have a few obsessions.....first, is my toothpaste/brushing teeth habit. prior to living with my now husband, i had three toothbrushes i would use every day. i would brush my teeth three times every morning and each time it had to be with a dry toothbrush (yeah, nutty). then jeff introduced me to some stuff called ACT and now i just brush my teeth three times a day with one toothbrush. i could only take the comments on my number of toothbrushes for so long......anyhoo, i found a new toothpaste, or rather two of them; crest pro health, day and night time toothpaste. if you are thinking of trying something new...give it a shot.

finally, for eight years now jeff and i have been battling over the right way to cook bacon.....crispy or limp???? i am a must be crispy person and he is a must feel mushy in my mouth person. he is also determined that more people are like him, however, being in the food industry most of my adult life i think i am correct in saying most people like their bacon crispy. PLEASE COMMENT ME AND GIVE ME YOUR CHOICE...THIS IS ALMOST AS IMPORTANT AS THE ELECTION NEXT TUESDAY.....well, not really, BUT IT MAY SAVE US A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS IN MARRIAGE COUNSELING ONE OF THESE DAYS. oh, and i would like to have hard evidence that i am correct.

oh, and if you have not already done so..... GO VOTE! this election is a make it or break it for us as a country.....so much more so, than eight years ago.

**side note, if you are reading this husband, this year i would really really love a new set of pots and pans. i think mine saw better days around five years ago.

ALL CAPS....I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!

2008-10-22T22:33:00.002-05:00

I USED MY ELIPTICAL MACHINE TODAY! during nap time i actually had time to work out today. maybe jeff being out of town actually frees up my time because yesterday i felt kinda like a stay-at-home mom and just took it easy with the girls all day. granted, i should have finished the laundry from last week but, hey....

so, i burned just over 300 calories today in 30 minutes AND was able to take a shower while the girls were napping.

maybe i actually slept through nap time and had a really productive dream????

when is enough enough????

2008-10-22T10:20:00.002-05:00

jeff left for new orleans and the super high stress job we took on monday. this is just the first of many to come all night long driving trying to manage both work there and here weeks that are to follow. i just hope there is enough money in it to buy me a new pair of diamond earrings.....(hint, hint). once back this weekend he will leave for fort stockton on sunday and probably be there until mid week....

annie is taking her first steps....i am torn about this, on one hand i am so excited for her (and my arm and back from carrying around this 26lb ten month old) but then again it just means she is growing up way faster than izzy did. it is amazing how different there personalities are; izzy always needs to know where you are and annie well she spends all morning playing in the living room with cartoons on not caring if anyone is around. izzy did not watch tv (or rather i did not get a break by turning on the tv until she was over a year old), annie she loves anything animated, some of her favorites are the bee movie, toy story, and curious george. what is even more amazing is she actually gets the humor because she gets so excited or even laughs at the funny parts.

so, on to my point of the day.....who are we really supposed to tip???? for instance, today i went by the dry cleaners to pick up my comforter because last week izzy upchucked on it one night and when the girl put it in the back of my truck she paused in front of my window as if looking for a hand out. i use the drive thru because well, it is just easier! not that i don't lock the girls in the truck to grab a drink inside 7/11 at the entrance of our neighborhood (i would never do this in a shady part of town) but hey one less time that i take the risk of someone saying something to me about leaving my children in the monster suv the better (and i always lock the doors and remote start the truck). anyhoo...should i be tipping these girls at the dry cleaner for bringing my stuff to my truck??? i always forget the coupons, so i end up paying full price.....and what would a tip be; ten percent, twenty?

now don't be going off and judging me a one of those super cheap people....i am a very generous tipper and have been in the service industry since i was in my teens. i know sometimes older people tip our service tech and he is always blown away, but he never expects it. i have gotten in the habit of tipping the carpet cleaner, the dish guy, the guy at the grocery store who helps with all my many bags, the people at the carwash, the cleaning ladies after a thorough cleaning, but should i tip the pest guy that comes by every quarter, what about the mailman (and he sucks by the way, we had a leak in the court forever and while the city was repairing it if the cones were in front of our mail box he would just skip us, not get out of his little vehicle and walk four steps to put it in the box or newspaper delivery person or the fed ex guy. would our trash cans be put in an upright position if i taped an envelope to the lid with a little extra for the trashmen??

another thought on tipping....at starbucks they have tip cups...i usually leave my change because well, it cost me $3.73 every morning to pick up my coffee, izzy's milk and then if we need a sandwich for the day add another $4.95. but, really, how much should i leave to sit in the line that wraps around to the walmart parking lot because if you ever tried to take my two children in and out or their seats to run in and grab our refreshments you would realize it is worth the $1.00 in gas to idle in line!

i will take any thoughts on the tipping subject and helpful hints that you may have.....because well, i just feel like everyone is looking for the extra hand and hey, my pocketbook is trying to be a little tighter these days.

annie is up and well, i think we should head of to target and spend someone else's tip money! plus, i need to break down and put clips on the cabinets around here because annie has figured out how to get into all of them....damn it, i was hoping not to until we put in the new kitchen, kinda like the microwave everyone wants but i won't buy.....

should be working but....

2008-10-13T23:38:00.002-05:00

well, today started out as a great monday and almost turned to shit...and i mean literally. the girls and i had a play date with one of the other girls in izzy's class at the mall playground. this place is great for annie, totally padded and challenging for my little go getter. however, the day progressed as usual until bath time. i walked away from the bathroom for 30 seconds to get towels for the girls and izzy comes running down the hall with a diaper full of SHIT in her hands screaming, "mommy mommy i poopoo-ed". well, she did not just poo; she apparently had a small case of diareaha and is currently running around the house with it balancing in the diaper luckily she had folded in half the correct way so it was kinda hidden. however, she was covered in poo so i had to rinse or rather hand scrub her in the shower before putting her in the bathtub all the while annie is desperately trying to find to play in the poo mess everywhere. once izzy is in the tub i called cade in to sit with the girls while i started the poo covered laundry and cleanup all the while holding in my gag reflex that comes along with such events. at this point i figure "hey what is more shit now" and scoop out the cat box along with picking up the dog doo in the front yard.
so, you can imagine when jeff pulled up in the middle of this i was on the verge of losing it. he jumped in and helped with the bathing and dressed iz while i put annie down. for the first time in a long time, we had both girls down and asleep by 7:30. it is amazing what can get done when they go to sleep on time.
if you are wondering the whole losing weight thing is not working so well. i have not had time to dedicate to working out and apparently slightly starving myself is not going to work. i figure if i can get back to blogging this week, maybe i will fit in working out next week.
oh, if i have not already mentioned it, izzy is going to little gym now and loving every minute of it. i like going and interacting with other moms, it is always nice to hear comments about your kiddos from strangers, well, the nice comments anyways.

i believe i am back....for good

2008-10-12T11:48:00.006-05:00

well, it has been long enough since i blogged.....jeff is actually telling me "too much information" and asking me if i have blogged yet. i barely have time to brush my teeth, my elliptical machine is covered in dust (not really the ladies do clean it) but my trash mag from over a month ago is sitting on top waiting to be read, our pup looks at me everyday like when will you walk me, the girls well, they are surviving by clinging to each other and me i am trekking through my days half in an i must get all this shit done and half a brain numb fog. i did manage to accomplish something in the past few weeks.....i successfully through izzy a 2nd birthday party and well, i must pat myself on the back because i think i did a damn good job (of course, with the help of others).

when i know i am going to throw a party i tend to start at least a month ahead with the planning, including the invite list, menu, decorations, etc. i have been planning her monkey theme party for awhile....actually before i watched tori and dean and saw that they were throwing a monkey party, however, i did get the idea of bringing in a live monkey from the show....jeff immediately squashed that one!

anyhoo with weeks of prep and many last minute hours, we pulled off a successful party.

these are the papier mache monkey heads my mother and i made. in all we made seven of them...i am not sure these pictures do them justice but it was fun to do. i have not papier mached in years so i was very grateful for my mother who happens to dabble in all sorts of artsy fartsy things. the third one apparently did not have enough paper on it because it dried a bit deformed so we just added some bandaids and dedicated it to baby bang bang.

of course i had a bounce house delivered for the festivities. this year i found this one called the "toddler house" and it was so much better than your typical bounce house because it was an open arena of different things to do....the kids had so much fun bouncing, running, sliding and well, whatever they do in bounce houses. not to mention annie had a blast....she thought she had finally been given a room to do her thing that was padded for protection. for being almost 10 months old this child is all over the place. she is actually taking a few steps between land objects every day.

on the left is my m-n-l and on the right is my mother (i know for some reason i call her mother....who knows) but, thanks to them this whole thing came together without my losing my cool. i think they really enjoyed helping and spending the time with the girls. i am not one to usually ask for help, however, i came to the ealization last weekend that it is okay to ask them for help.

we went to a birthday party for a friend down the street not to long ago and she had this amazing cake....a huge wine bottle with cheeses and grapes surrounding it, plus it was so so moist and yummy! well, to find out, the cake was made by her s-n-l who happens to do this sort of thing on the side for fun. izzy's cake was the barrel of monkey toy and absolutely so cute....not to mention moist and yummy. if you are in the need of a special cake anytime soon, please send lety an email...her price is really reasonable too. cakesbylety@yahoo.com ps...let her know i passed along the huge recommendation...i need to more cakes in the next few months! and as for the dad's and friends without kiddos that graciously came to yet another toddlers' birthday party....we provided beer, cowboys game and yummy food. you know the moms are always expected to attend every party, but thanks to our dads that parparticipate too.

after a busy sunday...izzy went to school on monday, by the way she is doing really well and did not even cry last week when we left her. at the end of the day, i brought cookies for her classmates and we sang happy birthday again....izzy has taken on the role of "mother hen" at school and is taking care of the smaller children in her class. she sets the table at lunch and sits at the head of the table to be the leader. she is the leader when they go for walks and makes her teacher a nervous wreck on the playgrounds. i am loving the school and all of its resources and can not wait until annie gets her spot (not just for my sanity, but because i know she will love it).

oh and here is a picture of izzy's first sleep over....our friends needed a sitter last minute and we volunteered to keep there 15 month and 3 1/2 year old for the night. thanks to jeff and his participation all went really well and both of their kiddos slept over an hour later than ours the next morning.

well, better get back to my list of things todo today...laundry, laundry, laundry and starting my notes for my sister's baby shower at the end of the month.

i am back and will be rambling on and on and on again.................

i have not gone anywhere

2008-09-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

i have not forgotten to blog....i just have not been in the mind set to do so. please do not forget about me and my crazy rant here but i need to find a time to sit down with a glass of wine or rather maybe a bottle and tell you the story of our friend cody......i feel i can not move forward until i express what is so heavy on my heart right now.

as i am really really behind from all i have been doing in the past week to deal with this loss, once i am caught up (or at least not drowning) i will share with you my love for this man that touched our family in so many ways.

love y'all and please continue to check on me.....i need to know you are there.

such a difficult time...

2008-09-16T21:46:00.002-05:00

we are having a really difficult and extremely emotional time in our home this week. we lost our family's best friend this past weekend. if you may some how reach us through my blog and have not hear i want to post Cody's memorial information....

Friends and Family~

By now most of you have heard we lost Cody Whitehall Sunday morning. He passed away in his sleep due to complications from sleep apnea.

We will be hosting a memorial for Cody Thursday at Kelly's Cove on Eagle Mountain Lake (the old Porky's) at 6pm. Please come by and celebrate Cody's life with us.

Please forward this message along to anyone you have in your contact list. Also, if anyone has photos to put in a slideshow we would love to use them. You can drop them by our house, please write your name on the back and I will send all pictures back. It will be very causal, no need to dress up....

thank you for all your support during this time.

so many things to say....

2008-09-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

against my better judgement i stayed up till 1:30 last night (or this morning) watching movies with my husband. i think he was watching them...it seemed like he was really into whatever he was perusing on the internet. i think i am just going to run on and on about all the things i have roaming around in my head.
--once i did go to bed last night, i did not sleep well. i can not stand climbing into an unmade bed. there is something about how the sheets lay on your body and the blankets are not pulled tight that makes me kick my legs all night long. not sure why i did not make the bed yesterday, maybe cause the girls and i did not get out of it until 9:30 or that we laid down right after lunch for a 2.5 hour nap. plus, i have not shaved my legs in a couple of days and no matter how deep a sleep i am in if i accidentally rub them against one another it wakes me up with that gut curling feeling like fingernails down a chalkboard.
--annie's hemangioma on her forehead is making me crazy. i just want to take my nail scissors and clip it off. it is barely hanging on which is driving me more nuts. when the whole thing was attached i did not want to mess with it. we finally get into the dermatologist on thursday......*
--friday night has become the night cade has 3 to 4 friends spend the night. not so bad....we like most of his friends and they are pretty good. they may be at the age where we need to lock up or mark the liquor bottles..it can't be long until they start to experiment with tasting.**
--jeff went to new orleans this past week in a 24 hour round trip to look at a job we have been contemplating taking on. in the past, if he did one of these large hotel remodels it was not so bad, i would spend part of the week in whatever city he was in and part of it here working. well, it has been a while since we did one of these jobs.....now we have guys and four other trucks to keep up with, not to mention, someone here in town always getting mad because he is not able to jump at the last second on a "let me tell you about it at the very last moment possible" project. the positives... the hotel is in the french quarter, much better location than the last new orleans jobs and the girls and i can fly out once or twice and do a road trip when cade has a long weekend, this job may send our revenue over a million dollars this year (this my no means we make any where close to that) and it is always good beyond the stress for jeff to challenge himself, he is incredibly smart and thinks everything through so it runs perfectly smooth. the negative.....jeff likes to make the 10 hour drive after working through the night, i am a total wreck worrying about him, he also likes to make the trip driving between 85 and 100 mph, he and i will probably be at each others throats more than normal due to his extremely overloaded schedule and my need of a break from both girls, but mostly i worry he is going to kill himself by the time he is 40 working himself to death. i say this jokingly but i know if i could actually get him in for a check up his blood pressure would be pushing him into an early heart attack.***
--biggest bonus might be that my do-it-yourself husband may let me contract out some of the kitchen remodel (that is probably pushed back to the first of 2009 now). if you don't know jeff, he has a hard time letting someone else do anything he can do. he completed 90% of the labor on the new 3000sf metal building for the shop on boat club himself. he laughed at me when i got a quote to trim the trees in the backyard. by the way, there are over 60 tress back there.....so as for my kitchen, i was told when we bought the house we can do right away and that changed to after boat club is done is probably pushed back to after this new orleans job. i may let him get started in n.o. and then start getting bids....i bet i can get it started while he is gone one week and then he will just have to accept it. (if you read this husband...i would never do that, oh, yeah i do it every time you leave...sorry) honestly, with all the girls b-day parties, cari's baby shower, thanksgiving and christmas, i don't think we could actually tear out the kitchen until the first of the year.
--i lost two more pounds last week....i know it is my diet. while i don't necessarily eat bad food like fast food (except chick fil a and then i usually eat a salad) it is my emotional eating that is killing me. when i am stressed out like most days, i hit starbucks and grab a toffee almond bar. if they would quit selling these i would lose 20lbs easily. then when it is creeping up to midnight and i know i need to work another hour or so, i hit the snack cabinet and munch on cheez-its (don't even like them), an ice cream bar, handful of chex mex or whatever is handy. i have started trying to not eat any complex carbs after 3pm, i need to grab an apple or orange in those late night hours.
--i am going to start training for the dallas white rock 1/2 marathon in december. i will post the weekly workouts and am inviting all my friends to take the challenge with me! i really did feel great last week after running both saturday and monday.....while the elliptical machine is collecting dust in our room because it seems the only time i can get on it is after the girls are in bed and then i have to work, i can take the girls along with me to run.
--well, i have been telling izzy for two hours we are going to go walkie, walkie....so i better do it before it gets too hot!

*i am going to encourage at least one of my children to become a dermatologist because they must be in high demand. it always takes a good month or longer to get into one. this appt. took 6 weeks and that was with me explaining to the receptionist that she is having to wear a bandaid every day because she rubs it and it bleeds.
**future blog....describing all the different personalities of cade's friends. it is amazing how different they are. one of them is actually buying stuff off the interent and relisting it on ebay to make a profit.
***i almost had him in for a check up until the life insurance blood work came back that he is as healthy as can be and in the best condition for his age.

first day of school

2008-09-11T13:35:00.006-05:00

well, as usual things are just nuts around here. it is amazing how i try every week to get caught up and it never happens. i know a big part of it is getting the girls to bed earlier again....they used to be in bed by 7:30 and now it has creeped up closer to 8:30.

please notice the shoes izzy is wearing. they were given to us by our friend with a very "girly" girl... the sandal is super cute and i have been begging her to wear them all summer...now as summer is wrapping up she has decided they are the best shoes ever. izzy will probably try to wear them right through winter.

so, izzy made it through her first day of preschool. at first she was so excited and wanted to wear her backpack and carry her lunchbox. she practically ran to the front door of the church and was such a big girl walking ahead of me all the way. once in her classroom she started out great and began playing with the toys but when i told her annie and i were leaving and would be back after lunch she started to cry. well, as you can imagine her crying started the other four children in the class to cry. i just turned my back and walked out the door because i know deep down she would be okay. i also know deep down that if i did not have annie with me there is no way i would have walked out the door and left my first very sensitive baby alone to cry with a total stranger. once out the door i waited in the hallway to see how long they all cried......next thing i know here comes one helper to the room and then a few minutes later another. my rational side knows three adults can calm down five crying toddlers "eventually" and i left the building.

annie and i headed down the road to my favorite running trail in ftw through the overton woods park and some how i ran 4 miles with her snoozing away. this was a huge step for me as a parent....i left my 23 month old at preschool, the child i have only been apart one night from since birth, my sweet daughter the one that would cry until she vomits when i leave her with someone; i took time for myself, a whole hour to run a path that has brought me many a tranquil meditation miles, i ate lunch at chipotle with only one baby to entertain, and hopped right through many small errands.

when i got there to pick izzy up she stood next to her teacher, ms. mia and just stared at me. she would not come over to me......just stood there and stared at me. this is one of izzy's tricks, she has already learned that it hurts mommy's feelings when she does not acknowledge me when i return to her after one of my very few moments away from her. all in all she survived and so did i.......i think we are both growing up!

this is a picture of our bed the other night after baby up-chuck's late night explosion. there was no way i was going to fight her crib and put another sheet on it that night! and of course, izzy has daddy wrapped around her pinky and can get him to put her in our bed whenever she wants. unfortuneltly i never sleep well with everyone in the bed........

baby bang bang.....oops

2008-09-09T23:06:00.002-05:00

this is annie nick name now a days....she always looks like she just competed in a ufc fight plus izzy really likes to call her "annie, baby bang bang", even to complete strangers stopping to comments on the girls every where we go these days. people tend to walk away looking completely baffled as to whether they should be worried or laugh.
however, i am starting to think we should call her "baby up-chuck" because every other week or so she vomits after being put to bed....as you can imagine you have 8oz of a bottle mixed with what ever was for dinner puddled in her crib with her laying facedown in the middle of it. most of the time she doesn't try to rollover or move herself from the vomit....i can just hear her muffled cry through the monitor. i am one of those that the smell of vomit causes me to vomit....so, i usually call for jeff through the monitor to come remove the sheets while i am taking off her clothes at the same time holding my breathe....washing baby up-chuck down, putting lotion on her to cover up lingering vomit smell and trying to put her back to sleep.
of course, tonite is "baby up-chuck"' night because the girls did not get to bed until 9:30 after nephew's football game and i wanted to workout. so here i am with her laying on my chest asleep wondering if i should lay her down in our bed so i don't have to remake the crib or suck it up and put her it back together. (if you have never put sheets on a crib, you would not know the major task this is....pulling crib away from wall, squeezing mattress around bumper, putting on mattress protector and sheet, squeezing mattress back in, retying bumper and pushing crib back up against wall. easily a 20 minute ordeal....)
so i will try and tell you about izzy's first day tomorrow...i am off to bed!

adding to the list of must haves...

2008-09-09T17:18:00.002-05:00

so, i have decided today to go along with the everything else my husband must cringe and bite his tongue because i am spending our retirement money must haves i need a personal chef. i don't mean someone that comes in every day and prepares three well-balanced nutrient enriched meals; more like someone that comes in once a week and lays out a menu for us. i would expect this person to line out five evenings of meals with instructions on what needs to be done to complete. i could probably even purchase the neccesary groceries...i would be motivated to go shopping with the direction of a professional to what i need to put in my shopping cart. if this magical person could pre-cut and slice all the vegetables, grate the cheeses and will just make dinner preparation like a paint by numbers for me. actually, that is a really good idea, my new personal chef should put color stickers on tupperware to make it really easy for me; something like red for meats, green for veggies, blue for sauces, etc .

i used to love to cook...it has always been one of my passions. i love trying new receipes and even thought about starting my own catering business..nothing to big just high end cocktail parties and fancy birthday gatherings. but, with everything else i have on my daily plate (no pun intended) i just can't wrap my brain around putting together a meal. it is as if i have never cooked before....

breakfast i can handle, eggs for the girls or several different fruits and yogurt, cereal or yogurt shake for me. lunch is usually some pasta with butter and a bit of cheese, boiled veggie, and fruit for the girls (if we are home to eat or it is a turkey sandwich and fruit cup from starbucks if we had chick fil a already that week) and i pick at whatever. but, as you can see it is almost 5:45 and i would rather blog about what we are having for dinner instead of cooking something.

please don't tell dear husband that i am starting the search for the perfect personal chef, to go along with my cleaning ladies who start ironing and putting away the laundry next week, my frequent stops to the carwash because i can't help but feed the girls in suv but can not stand the crumbs everywhere, my obsession with internet shopping, bi-weekly trips for fandango to the groomer, window washer that is going to clean all these really gross windows, and painters that finish my projects because i can only start them but never finish them. and if you do happen to tell him, please remind him i am answering some days 100+ phone calls (not exaggerating, i need to post one day of my calls), making the service schedule, returning emails, sending faxes, working many many late nights, and of course taking care of our two beautiful girls and all this takes a lot out of me.

i am going to post this without rereading it so please forgive me of my typos....i need to change diapers and gather snacks to run out the door for nephew' first football game. i hope to sit down tonight and tell you all about izzy's first day of preschool! i am so proud of her......

didn't get to uncork it yet....

2008-09-05T00:16:00.002-05:00

well, here it is after midnight and i have yet to open that bottle of wine i so talked about.....however, i did make a starbucks run at 9:45. mainly because dear hey, i think i will start the school year off on the right foot nephew told me he needed a poster board for a literature project due tomorrow. of course, i responded with "and you are just now telling me".....comment back, "i thought we had an extra from that project i did last february". auuuggghhh! well, atleast he is sitting across from me on the laptop whipping it out and not saying oh well and taking a failing grade. good luck to me when i try to wake him up tomorrow morning.

i guess i better start payroll now....m-n-l was here with the girls today, but i was suckered into helping with the big shop move.

tomorrow nite i have high hopes for opening that bottle of wine. nephew has two friends staying over and i will probably hit the bed about the time izzy does. i plan to wake up with half a bottle of red wine left on the nightstand and a laptop with a dead battery on saturday.

just wanted to annouce....

2008-09-04T11:38:00.002-05:00

i love Sarah Palin!!! really busy right now.....wonderful m-n-l is here and i am getting caught up. however, i am still fired up over the calmness, yet progressive, compelling and campaign firing up speech sarah palin made last night. she just might have saved the republican party in this election!

look forward to filling your mind with my mindless chatter tonite with a bottle of wine in hand!

i pick my nose in the car....

2008-09-03T15:46:00.006-05:00

okay, not really, i just wanted to get your attention! so maybe i am not as funny as i think i am.

just thought i would share with you our family room only half way through the day...and we were running around all morning!

oh, if anyone reading this is from my myspace page, i have a new addiction...facebook. it just is so much more fun now that i have been slowly figuring out how to use it. look me up if you have a chance.

maybe something funny tomorrow....my m-n-l is off work and going to help me out the next two days....i have high hopes of opening a dusty bottle of wine and putting up my feet tomorrow nite and blogging in a foggy yet happy state of mine.

ps. i got in so much trouble for blogging about my "stress relief plan".....husband believes somethings should remain under the sheets if you know what i mean.

sex is the answer...

2008-08-28T09:49:00.002-05:00

so, this morning i had an email from my girlfriend commenting on my stress issues....

Here it is:

Amy,
Remember I have told you many times the more sex you have the less stress you will feel. This obviously means you and Jeff and not connecting under the sheets enough, turn of the tv and get naked.

So, here i am first thinking did i send a link for my blog to my m-n-l......maybe i should not discuss this any further. but, i can't help but think this could resolve both of our built up tension. however, let me give you a run down of an evening for you....

6:00--get dinner either prepared or picked up and feed family.
7:00--bath girls/do dishes (i tell jeff it is either or, he can choose which one he would rather do)
7:45--start bedtime routine
8:45--hope both girls are now fast asleep
8:45-9:00--pick up toys and straighten up house (or bribe cade to do it for me)
9:00--workout or go to office and work
10:00--shower or continue to work...jeff usually goes to bed
12:00--leave office go to bed.....walk into bedroom find izzy out of her bed and snuggled up with dad (so sweet, don't want to disturb). decide whether i should continue to work, fold laundry or just give up and go to bed.
4:30am---jeff's alarm goes off and he is up and at up

so as you can see unless we find a way to meet up in a seedy motel room during the day...or wake each other up from the few hours of sleep the other gets it is tough to find that special "alone time" in our home. however, i just may have to put some effort into using sex as a stress relief because it may be the most economical solution plus it just might make my husband a bit more happy.

2008-08-27T15:54:00.003-05:00

this is a video i took on the camera last week when we had all that rain and several days of 80 degree weather. it is of the creek in our backyard. i can not believe how fast it gets to going when it really rains. we really must put a fence up between the front half of the backyard and the creek before next spring.

WANTED--simple stress relief...

2008-08-27T15:10:00.004-05:00

so, once again, i have been extremely busy. i actually ran out of clean underpants the other day because i can not keep up with the laundry (yeah, i know i need to check into what the hold up is on my extra laundry help) so i ran around commando all day. we are almost done with the new shop and this has been taking a lot of time from my limited time already, we be moving in this weekend. just getting the permanent power up there has been a total nightmare, then we put off the security guy, well guy, phone guy, pest control guy* so i had to meet all these people in the past three days (usually we both girls in the suv and my brand new dvd player is not working and i can not get replaced until friday. what did parents do before tvs were available in the car???) . i am hoping so very soon i will have more time to sit down and hang out with a glass of wine and my favorite computer. in the meantime here are a few pictures of the girls and there many ways at helping stay sane. (sometimes)

this is how we entertain the girls while preparing dinner. (oh, yeah i have only cooked twice in the past two weeks)annie doing her daily squats

daddy showing annie how to improve her technique!

izzy showing off her new backpack and lunch box for school. she is so excited! i hope this carries over to the first day and that moment she realized mommy is leaving her there.

ps. dear husband has started a blog....we will see if he keeps it up and if he does i will post his link, so you can see how my better half thinks....we are totally different.

pss. i have lost 5lbs but it is not coming off like i hoped for...this may have to do with my diet, i am sure.

**walking through the back metal building the other day i saw dozens of snake skins. not like the ones you would see at the zoo, you know anywhere from 6" to a foot, no these were like 6ft to 8 ft long. while i handled this with just a few skips of the heartbeat, i can only imagine how i would feel if confronted by one of these "bull" snakes. i feel like i would be okay and not freak like i do when confronted by a spider (future blog idea....all my nutty fears) but i am sure while i immediately stop breathing i would probably pee in my pants a little bit, shout something like *&%#$ and run backwards so fast i end up tripping over my own feet.

public warning....again.

2008-08-24T20:29:00.004-05:00

hey moms and probably some of you dads out there i have one that is just itching away inside for me to rant on...let me set the scene for you before i jump on that damn soapbox i love to stand on and wave my finger at all those little people below, you know the ones i am certain i am better than.
so, here is the scene.....pushing double big as a house jogging stroller (for those looking, i personally recommend the bob) out the doors of dillards this afternoon. izzy sitting on the edge as she likes to do with every other person walking past us lunging for her as if i don't know she may fall off any second (by the way she won't and if she doesn't the ground is not that far away) and me carrying baby "oh my goodness how can this child be so heavy" because she has had enough of the stroller for one day. anyhoo, dear nephew is with me but he at this point is too into checking out the all the "wow do your parents know you wore that outfit to the mall where there will most likely be teenage boys looking you up and down" girls to notice my struggle to the monster suv. (off subject, but, thank you for the huge drop in the price of gas, i was beginning to think i might have to drive a prius with a wagon attached to the back of it and furniture straps to tie off my monster stroller to the roof) i start the truck before we get in to start the air....take first baby to the back and whip out my handy dandy box with everything one may need from changing a diaper to mapping out a cross atlantic trip in my boat of a truck in it and begin the diaper change. i have gotten pretty good at this because used to i would have to hit the remote start button again before i finished but now i can complete all pre-travel tasks before the 10 minute remote start shuts off. ok, ok....with izzy bouncing around the seats in the middle and annie screaming and squirming out of the diaper change i notice a white cadillac packed full of young girls sitting there staring me down waiting for my front row spot and my blood starts to rise. ok, annie now safely buckled in, chase izzy down in the back, changer her diaper, wipe cookie from hands and face, find sippy cup full of who knows what, and strap her in and all the while white cadillac is still sitting there waiting for my spot. and i could possibly understand if i was parked outside the gallaria in dallas but i am at ridgmar mall, not exactly the busiest place and this is why i go there. now to folding up monster stroller and loading it, oops forgot to unload bags from underneath, ok, now put stroller in back of suv. walking to the front and damn it both binkies are in the side pockets of stroller....go to back, pull out stroller, find binkies, reload stroller and close door. and all the while there they are still blocking the aisle and staring daggers through me, as if i caused a ripple in their day. at this point i want to walk calmly over to their car, which surely is a parent's car, right.....and let them know the empty spot four spaces over is still empty and right now i think my children and i may watch several episodes of barney in the back of said suv and possibly order pizza because i would love to ruin their day! but i didn't......
and it is not just teenagers who do this, but adults....visiting my not so friendly walmart the last several times and i am amazed at how many people will sit there and wait while i unload 30+ bags into my truck, buckle both girls and put up my buggies. seriously people a few extras is not going to kill you, it may help you hit the recommended 10,000 steps a day. i will have to find a comical way to endure these happenings because they really make me want to straight up freak out on someone and it just might be the friendly starbuck barista who forgets to hand me izzy's vanilla milk box or pours one to many ounces of heavily caloried cream into my coffee.
i am open to suggestions or even the name of a super awesome anger management counselor.

bullfrog or husband...

2008-08-20T23:17:00.004-05:00

you are saying to yourself what....unless you are like me and your husband/wife (sorry krista) is a severe snorer (is that a word) than you know exactly where i am going. sitting in the living room the sound of the bullfrogs outside are so loud i feel as if they are inside the fireplace.echoing of the brick walls and bellowing out trying to fill my very otherwise quiet house. it has been this way for the past few nights, i am sure the cooler, moister and all around better evening air is bringing them out of their little froggie homes for an all night croakfest. i bet there are at least 20 of them in the froggie orchestra being conducted in our backyard. why would this sound make my skin crawl to the point i feel like i should either go in the kitchen and eat my way through anything sweet i can find (oh, yeah, if i really need a sweet something something i will dig my grubby hand into the bag of chocolate chips i stash away for the banana bread i throw together from the rotting bananas i tend to have lying around weekly. totally desperate i know.) or open up a bottle of liquor like the unopened bottle of knob creek sitting about 10 feet away. okay...back to why this noise is making me crazy....wonderful husband has this small but slightly enormous problem with snoring. i will either be in the deepest of sleep to be awaken by his booming snores or watch two extra hours of tv hoping he will soon choke on his own air or rollover on his side which some how miraculously causes the snoring to stop. you ask..why don't you just wake him up and ask him to roll over??? well, my husband sleeps very little and extremely hard. the guy can sleep anywhere, under a tarp in the rain, the garage floor after a christmas party, the sidewalk with ants all around, and even in the front seat of suv after i have parked it in the driveway and gone inside to bed myself. so waking him up to roll over because his snoring is now waking up the girls is near to impossible. most of all, i like it when he actually gets upset or rather mad at me for asking him to roll over. yes, husband i know you can not control your snoring but please feel our pain and understand it is not fair to us to sit up wondering who will be louder tonight the bullfrogs out back or you.
anyhoo, since the sound of the bullfrogs is distracting me from working i mine as well head off to bed and attempt to clock in 6 hours.
seriously, i may have to find a way to post a recording of both the bullfrogs and husband snoring and run a survey as to which one is more annoying because i can not tell. oh, and in case you are wondering izzy snores just as loud as her father and together they can clear the room and send me an annie to the couch for the night!

whew....is it over yet?

2008-08-17T16:13:00.004-05:00

so, the past two days have been just plain nuts. i swear if i could just clone one more of this awesome, almost perfect me, then it sure would help and i might just find some down time. it all started with me staying up thursday night till 2:30 am working, and even though i was working that late i did not get nearly as far along as i needed being jeff has been hogging the office at night so i am a bit behind (goal is to be caught up by tuesday) again! friday morning my special group of mommy friends and our children all under the age of 3 1/2 went to the circus. yes, this person who was not thinking clearly on handling both of my tots with only two arms at the circus being me...almost failed at providing an enjoyable experience for my girls, my friends and their kiddos and many people around me. first, i forgot how hard it is to enter downtown from the north end and find a parking spot easily....if you come off of the west side you can just slide right into a parking garage without really sitting in any of the downtown traffic. after spending 25 minutes looking for a spot, part of that sitting in line to enter one of the garages, i finally gave up and parked on the street (to return and find a parking ticket because my meter had expired) what felt like half a mile away. by this point, the i am going to get down there early and not be the last to show up extra time was blown and now i am jogging down commerce street with a baby on both hips mind you both weighing over 25lbs (this is because i removed my single stroller along with bjorn carrier stashed underneath it from my truck the night before to put my double monster no way would it even fit in the convention center doors stroller in so i could lug both girls around the mall the night before) to make it to the front door by start time. i must have been quite the sight because i had one mommy stop and ask if i wanted to use her stroller and another dad who obviously dropped his wife and kiddos off at the door ask if he could carry one of the girls for me. so i finally make it to the front all 9 other mommys and kiddos are standing there waiting for me and of course, i ruined any chance they had of getting settled in before the lights go out or to get drinks and snacks before the show started. so sitting in our spot i settle in to put annie to sleep, thank goodness for the extreme noise that comes with a circus or i might have been asked to leave with my fussing baby. with annie bouncing on one knee and izzy sitting on the other fifteen minutes into the show i thought this is a huge what the fuck was i thinking mistake to try and come to a place with a million other people by myself and two children under 22 months. annie soon dozed off and izzy settled down into her own seat and we made it until the last 15 minutes when i thought my best choice would be to leave before the crowd and start the five mile trek back to the truck. oh, while being in the stands izzy noticed all the fancy light toys the other kiddos had but did not pursue wanting one of her own....as soon as we started to leave she realized the tables in the lobby had lots of this things....so as you can imagine izzy left with a $20 light up spinning globe toy. yes, i said $20....as the guy and i played tug-a-war over the $20 bill in my hand all i could think was my dad would have laughed in his face and told me "sorry not worth the money kiddo".
from this point on...the weekend is a blurr. we had my sister's rehearsal dinner, oh, yeah she got married this weekend, friday night and the wedding saturday.
after the circus i stopped by the bank to make a deposit, had my truck cleaned and headed home to put the girls down for a nap. with izzy snoozing and annie almost asleep the guys show up for their paychecks. oh, shit, i never finished them the night before or that morning, so i frantically complete payroll while apologizing to them for having to entertain my youngest and shoot the shit with me, the old lady, when they really wanted to enjoy the fact they were off work at 4pm on a friday, the first time in this has happened in months. now i have an hour and a half to put annie down, shower, blow dry my hair, iron the girls clothes (wasn't i supposed to have someone doing the laundry and ironing for me now. note to self check with cleaning crew on why this has not started) and pack up all our stuff to be at dinner by 6:45. ha ha ha.....
moving on to saturday....i decided to take the girls over to dear awesome m-n-l's house so i can go to the nail place on the westside of town that i love, because damn it i deserve a good, no spectacular mani/pedi. but once again, it is not in the cards for me.....i ended up with one of the new gals and she must have been practicing for the mani/pedi part of the olympics (that is an event, right) because this chick tried to have my pedicure done in ten minutes. this is not cool by me, because i truly love having my feet taken care of, i love the feeling of the "nail specialist" using that dentist looking tool and scraping the gunk out from under my toenails, i love the perfect square, yet slightly rounded corner filing of my nails, i love the warm towel with the mint tingly stuff rubbed all over my feet and lower legs, i love the foot and calf massage that comes with all the rest and i love just sitting there with my eyes closed and feeling like i have nothing else i should be doing right then. funny, because my gal, the one competing for the 2012 (wow, that looks so crazy, like something out of a sci-fi movie) olympics, tried to be painting my nails before i was even done reading "stars they are just like us" section in my trash magazine. by this point i realize i have not had the service i needed, no that i would be paying for a shitty pedicure and i called one of the other girls over to handle the situation before i blew up like the volcano i am. but , it is too late, my toe nails are filed down to the skin and in no distinct shape, she doesn't get that i like the pain of having them dig down deep into my cuticles to remove gunk, nor is she worried about the half ass massage, no really more like slight rubbing she gave my feet and legs (kinda like the one your husband gives you when he is watching something on tv, or on ebay but it sounds really good to you). after my small volcanic burst, one of the other gals finishes my pedi and completes my manicure, but all you gals out there know it was ruined for me. oh, and get this when she brings me back my cc and i fill in the tip (i have to tip no matter what maybe not as much but something) the bitchy gal actually scratches it out and tells me she doesn't what my tip! all i can say is fuck you, you ruined my special baby-free pamper myself for 45 minutes morning!
so, anyhow, i am not bitter, i am over it......we had a wonderful time at my little sister's wedding and we wish them the best of happiness and a partnership to last their lifetime. with us and the girls getting in around 11 pm last night you can bet today is a quiet one with lots of napping. so i am off to watch part of whatever olympic event is on right now, maybe open up a miller lite because, well, i deserve one and count down the minutes until izzy, annie or jeff wake up.

a day under 100 degrees...

2008-08-12T09:27:00.005-05:00

here in texas the weather is always a mystery.....some wonderful summers we only have a handful of days over 100 degrees (where is the little degree symbol on a keyboard?) and then some it is just miserable. we are up to something like (22) 100 degree days already this summer. i sure wish we were going up to seattle to visit uncle chris and aunt krista this year. it was so nice wearing pants and sweaters last year when we visited last summer while even the lizards were sweating down here in texas.

anyhoo, yesterday was overcast and a nice humid day in the lower 90's, so the girls and i headed off for the zoo. i actually packed a lunch, snacks and drinks so no need to spend any extra money on junk (plus i am pretty much starving myself this week before my sister's wedding saturday, i hope to live on fiber cereal, myoplex shakes and carrots stix.). of course, with all my planning and packing i did forget one essential thing....my wallet. which may not have been worth driving the 17.5 miles back home to get because i packed everything we should need, except my zoo card, so i either drive home or hunt jeff down and get money from him and then pay for the admission that comes free with my zoo membership, lets just say we made the trek home and then back to the zoo.

one good thing going for us this summer is our tomatoes. i don't know how jeff does it but every year he grows the best vines.....this year we could set up on the cul-de-sac and sell our tomatoes. i could see it now, instead of making a lemonade stand for izzy she gets a tomato stand with four varieties to sell.....my poor children.

while uploading the zoo pictures i found this photo jeff must have snapped of him and annie. i won't share with yall the other photos i found.....lets just say he must have been sipping on the vodka bottle for breakfast that day because there are some really strange, what made him take that picture, shots.

if only i could still.....

2008-08-10T16:30:00.001-05:00

PARTY LIKE A ROCK STAR! we went to a surprise party for a friend/neighbor of ours last night and for the first time in 2 1/2 years i was not pregnant or the dd* therefore i did not sit long without a drink in my hand......lets just say this morning was rough, okay it is almost 4pm and i am still feeling a bit woozy. only one other time since izzy was born have i woken up feeling like this and i told myself never again. the girls were up at 6:30 and i knew jeff was not going to stir so up i went. it did not take long for the motrin i choked down for the thumpiety, thumpiety thumping going on inside my head to come back up along with a little left over alcohol. izzy ate a bowl of cereal in the living room (usually a big no-no) and i fed annie a jar of fruit while laying down on the rug. the girls probably loved mommy's hang-over because all i did for the next two hours until morning nap time is lay on the floor in the middle of the toys and let them crawl, climb and jump all over me.
once annie was down for a nap i put izzy back in bed with me and turned on curious george for the thousandth time and fell fast asleep. jeff must have felt bad for izzy because somewhere in the hazy of my nap i heard him tell me they were going to lowe's....hooray for me! it was not until i shook the fog from my head that i realized he probably took her in her pjs. so anyone that say my daughter out this morning running errands with her dad in her jammies please forgive me and my wt slip up, i forgot i do not drink to get a buzz anymore, i should only drink a few glasses of mommy juice and stick to being the designated driver when we are actually out in the social world because as proven again today this mommy can't hang anymore!

*because the gal with the big ole belly is always volunteered to drive the over indulgers home. while this may not seem so bad, mind you when your body is working double time 247 to be an incubator for unborn child you tend to tire out quickly. however, if you are acting dd for the evening you usually don't leave until the very end because anyone and everyone riding with you want to live it up. i really have experience in this area because while being pregnant for the better half of two years i was dd for 17 functions.....no, i am not shitting you....this included 9 weddings and a slew of open bar parties. lets just say dear husband had it made....and since annie has been born we have only had maybe 3 functions to attend. i guarantee if/when we decide to have another baby the invitations will flood through the door. this is just how it is....

grocery shopping..and the whip it is

2008-08-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

so, this is how pathetic my life can be...here it is friday night and i am in the office working, atleast happy hour in my kitchen was a big hit. i barely made it before the 7:00 cut off time to gulp down a glass of wine and now in the twilight of the evening i have finished my second. ok, i drained the glass an hour ago and secretly have been fighting the urge to have a third piece of pizza.....

the one thing i have yet to do this week or the past three if anyone is counting around here is hit the grocery store. as i stated before we love our new house location and all except i am livid by the lack of decent grocery stores nearby. i can choose from super walmart or albertsons 2 miles southwest both having been built in the early 1900's or the newer super walmart and albertsons 1.3 miles east. while the latter seems a good choice 1) not so happy with albertson selection of meats and produce, lack of cleanness (surely there is enough profit in the grocery business to purchase a power sprayer and clean up the parking lot, there is even a distinct rotting egg smell outside) nor the layout of the store, which to me is very important to the comfort level of pushing two carts through store because i can never get the cart with big seat in front plus infant seat on top. actually i am really impressed with my ability to maneuver two shopping carts with one kiddo in each up and down each aisle around cell-phone talking barbie, bluetooth wearing beehive lady with just a small arm basket yet she is there the whole two hours i am, shopper who obviously does not have a legal driver's license because she/he is always on the wrong side of the aisle going against traffic flow, label reader who stops on every row in the middle of the row to read each and every ingredient on every single item. 2) i am a target devotee...the first time jeff persuaded me to enter the super walmart 1.3 miles from home i wore a big hat, large sunglasses and a moomoo just in case the target we see you trader spies happen to notice me. i will admit if i am thinking the 18.9 trek miles across town to a clean well organized tom thumb or even central market is out of the question this particular walmart is not so bad (however you won't see me buying meat or produce from there).

****so i started this blog several weeks ago and i am here to finish it....i went to walmart again yesterday because i just could not get the umph to drive across town to tom thumb or cm but while i used to think it was not so bad....i truly despise walmart now. i went through 8 big blue shopping carts looking for one with at least one seat belt that worked. i figured izzy is big enough if she wants to walk/ride she doesn't need to be strapped in, however, annie may still need to be buckled up, even though i am sure this little hause could crawl and have no problems. anyhoo, not one of the big carts at either door worked, so i put annie in the seat of a regular one and tell izzy she will have to walk. now she loves to walk when we go to cm but there are so many more things to get into there and with a balloon tied to her arm i can see her even if by chance she escapes my sight for a second. izzy had yet another virus this week and with this one came hives.....i promise we wash our hands and all but this kiddo picks up everything. so half way through the store i am carrying izzy on one hip and pushing a buggie weighing an easy 300lbs. before i left i told the manager my dilemma about the seat belts and he just looked at me like i was a crazy bitch and not appreciating the whole walmart experience set before me. needless to say next grocery trip in oh, roughly three to four weeks will be across town at my friendly tom thumb.

by now you are probably calling me a grocery store snob and i will admit to it. i believe that is the first step to admit you have a problem, but don't count on me changing any time soon. i tend to be a bit of a stubborn set in my ways crazy loon

i was rooting for liza from dallas....

2008-07-30T09:21:00.002-05:00

so i just finished watching the season finale of the next food network star and i am so disappointed. while i liked aaron, i clearly did not think he was the true winner of the show. i was cheering for liza from dallas the whole way. any chicka that can compete in a competition such as this one in $500 heels and designer outfits with just about every hair in place on her perfectly makeup-ed head has got to be my favorite. plus, she prepared my kind of food....stuff that looks and sounds really fancy but seemed simple enough to create. however, in the past few weeks i have been secretly rooting for adam, the underdog. he just had such a great personality and food that made me instantly hungery and his concept for a show was one i would tune dvr. if you saw the last episode, his buffet in las vegas was horrible and thought the judges would have sent him home then and there which makes me believe there is an ulterior motive. but, seriously aaron just does not do anything for me...i doubt i watch his show even once. okay, maybe once just to justify this blog and the huge mistake the fnw just made. i think it was marketing thing, not a talent thing based on how well down home with the nelly's is doing in the ratings. i am not a fan of the nelly's and their shows (because they keep getting more spots)...i think it is mainly because her voice hit me like fingernails down a chalk board.

anyhoo, i was rooting for you liza and maybe this will open another door for you or once fnw realizes there huge mistake they will come here to texas and beg for you to take them back.

okay, so i am watching the today show while izzy goes to sleep....she went to bed really really late last night. i now know better than to let her nap until 6;30 last night. and they showed this reunion in the seventies of two men and their pet lion that was released into the wild of africa. it brought chills to my entire body and a few tears as soon as you see the lion recognize his "parents". here is a link to the video on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zviQ2HLKPDI&feature=related

i hope this works....have a great day. i am off to workout/return phone calls and shower before both girls wake up!

introduction of three things...

2008-07-29T16:14:00.005-05:00

okay, so today i thought....maybe i will take my laptop with me to my hair appointment and see if by chance i can pick up an internet signal.....tada it worked and here i am sending out a blog.

i want to start something new....it will be called "three things" yeah, i know real original, huh. but, each week i will focus on three things that really irk me or truly excite me.

1st--three things comes from one of my favorite talk shows "pugs and kelly"....they did this as the opener to their show daily and i looked forward to being in my monster suv somewhere trying to hear the rant of the day. the sadness is that pugs and kelly have disappeared from live105.3, i mean just disappeared from the airwaves of the metroplex. radio stations do this alot and it would just benefit them to be upfront and tell us the listeners why the shit hit the fan.....now i know here in the past 22 months i have not been as much of a devoted listener but that does not mean i did not enjoy the few chances i actually had to listen. if anyone out there can tell me the real story i would love to hear it.

2nd--what is wrong with jennifer aniston! (warning if you are really a john mayer fan you might skip this section) i mean she has been through a lot in the past few years with her ex husband sacking the crazy blood drinking but incredibly gorgous jolie and then for them to start having more children than a pair of gerbels but really john mayer. the guy is not attractive.....not in the least bit especially with his new hollywood skin and bone skeleton shape. while i have to say his latest music is better than his first few poor me my life sucks hits, i just don't see anything about him that is sexy. i do get the whole i want to date a rock star thing (well not me personally) and i am sure it is a real trip to watch him wooo an audience of thousands and he probably strokes her hair while coooing her to sleep (i may throw up now) but what do they talk about outside of his super ego. maybe they just spend most of their time toked up and have crazy sex! she should dial up vince vaughn and see what he is up too.

3rd--what the fuck is wrong with people....i will never and you can start sending me comments on this one...understand how someone can leave their child in a car for hours and not realize they are missing. for one thing would the silence in your home not make you wonder what they are into and secondly, is it not instinct to know where your child is at all times. i have heard some of the excuses like, "i thought he/she was napping" but then again i would think after so long you might go check on him/her when you don't hear any cries. and why are these people given a slap on the wrist for leaving these poor children in the car to die (i can not even think about what actually happens without feeling nauseous). with 22 children this year already dead from being left in hot cars i would think those people down in austin might be able to come up with a punishment worthy to counter the lost life of an innocent child.r

well, now that i pulled a debbie downer on you.....go watch a little flipping out of tori and dean and get lost in the unrealistic life of others.

thanks, husband

2008-07-28T21:53:00.004-05:00

my super awesome...so off the shit list....husband just added some kinda device (from amazon.com) to the roof that is supposed to enhance our cell phone signal. it has been months since we have not had to run outside for every call or press our heads up to the nearest window. this should make my job answering the phone for clearwater plumbers much easier however, i will be losing all the extra steps on my pedometer.

a shout out to my s-in-l whom we saw last night via web cam at 23 weeks preggos with yet another longspaugh girl in the oven and her super cute belly. here is a picture of the girls room after our painter friend finished their names.......chris, you know girls cost a lot more money right?

oh, and for those of you wondering this pretty much means both brothers have to keep having babies until at least one of them produces a boy to carry on their name. yippie!

not going to cry over spilled milk....

2008-07-28T21:03:00.007-05:00

so we have been out of milk for three days.....yeah, another award for mother and wife of the year headed my way,. i have found so many conveniences with the internet like, blogging to relieve myself of thoughts taking over my limited brain space, online shopping (most of it does get returned, nothing beats actually trying stuff on), online shopping for the girls (love my gap card...lots of discount coupons and free shipping with my "gold card"), amazon exploring (this is like hitting every store in the mall in one stop) oh, and of course, craigslist and ebay (for all your slightly used shopping needs). the one thing i have not found yet is how to grocery shop online....years ago when i was in college there was a website (i have no idea what it was anymore but they had a green and white delivery truck). i don't understand this....there has to be other people other than myself that find finding time to make that weekly/biweekly/monthly depending on schedule shopping trip near to impossible. for me it takes being out of milk and dear sweet husband saying, "we are out of milk again" for me to schedule a trip to the grocery store. this is no small feat because like i have said before*.....i despise the stores near me....it just puts me in a bad mood thinking about it. more than likely i will stop by 7/11 for a quick gallon because i know i have something scheduled for every day this week that will put me near my beloved central market.

this past weekend was dear husbands birthday and i surprised him and and a few of his friends with a box to the horse races at lone star park. we had a wonderful time, that being said, it is crazy how hard i work (like before the cleaning ladies come) to line every thing up for my truly awesome M-in-L. she stayed with both girls on saturday for over eight hours......i am not sure i have ever left izzy for this long except during the birth of her sister and then i was out of the hospital and home in 24 hours. however, she did a wonderful job and we walked in the door to this....

so......once we got to the races i gulped down a miller lite so fast i was embarrassed to look around and see i finished long before any of the other guys in our box did......slowly moving my bone dry cup to the back of the monitor on the table as i waited for the waiter to come by and bring me another one. i slowed down after the second and switched to diet dp for the next two rounds. i forget what it is like to be a part of the real world, you know one, without atleast one baby strapped to my side....one without the need to stop and change a diaper every time i can find a little privacy....one where i can talk to other "adults" and not be interrupted...one where hell it was okay to shout "oh, fuck", when i realized i bet on the right horse but not in the right way to win a small fortune (well, enough to pay for my starbucks habit the next two weeks). so anyways, i felt human again when we returned home and to top it all off we had dinner at my newest fav sushi joint, sushi axiom.

on sunday the girls and i joined jeff on a little road trip to somewhere between rockwall and sulpher springs to pick up a mower of some kind for the tractor we lugged out to granbury a few weeks back to purchase. gotta love craigslist! on the way back we stopped somewhere east of dallas and lake ray hubbard (i know kept up with landmarks..) at chucke cheese to burn off some of izzy's energy from being couped up in the suv all afternoon. now don't get me wrong, i like the fuzzy rat pizza shop as much as the next guy, but it truly trips me out to people watch there. in some ways it is actually a boost to my confidence level.....there are some scary people out there. it also made me realize most of the time in my stressed out, overly scheduled, lack of sleep state i am a pretty good mother, no i am a damn good mother. kuddos to all you out there who don't realize panty lines are not meant to be seen in public (i at least cover mine up when in the world outside of my front curb), thunder thighs are okay, but should also be covered up, the salad bar is not a "diet" with a plate full of lettuce drenched in ranch, non wearing bra lady or lady with racer back tank and regular bra....because of you i am feeling pretty good about my non showering, hairblow drying, three outfits that actually fit, forgot the make up wearing self!!!

*just realized i never posted my blog about grocery stores.....will finish it and get it up so maybe this makes more sense.

how to cure a funk

2008-07-23T10:21:00.007-05:00

so, i have not been blogging as much lately.....i am in a deep funk. yes, i know i have so many things in my life to be happy about and grateful for, but hey some times you just feel a bit blue. without going into a pity party for myself, i am trying reorganize my home and office and make both run more efficiently, plus i am trying to log in at least 45 minutes of extreme exercise a day.*

anyhoo, i am sitting here in my bedroom putting the girls down for a morning nap so we can go take some overly priced studio portraits, you know the ones my husband believes are a true waste of money. he prefers the day to day pictures and i really like to have both, especially during that first year. back to my point, i am watching the second part of the today show, which is hard to watch these days because i really don't like kathy lee gifford.....she just gets on my nerves and is always interrupting hoda....and back to my point again. shirley mclain is on today and trust me i do believe she is a bit of a nut job, but she just said something truly inspiring to me in my current funk.

"you know the saying, seeing is believing, well i believe it is believing is seeing"

and these words just hit me somewhere deep in that place where i finally get it is my attitude towards my daily life that is making it unbearable right now. if i believe in my own ability to change the stress and priorities that consume me each day than i will see the difference in my kiddos, marriage, home and 24 hours a day consuming business. no one else can do this for me......thus i am setting forth with a new attitude today!

here are the girls feeding the ducks last night. i was leaning over their heads trying to capture a frontal view photo just waiting to lose my balance and fall over into the lake and ruin yet another camera!

this picture just made me tear up.....i am so lucky to have this beautiful family!

*okay, i am off to jump on the elliptical for a quick 30 minutes before we need to leave...tonite is the first "family yoga night" . i figure if i can not get out to the studio anymore i will bring the studio here. hopefully no one will complain over my turning off the a/c in the front of the house to raise the temperature to optimal stretching warmth. i actually purchased several power yoga dvds because i am very picky about my yoga trainers and really like to push myself. i will let y'all know which is my favorite and if one of them just plain sucks. (no, cade, you can not spend the night away.....)

and more shit....

2008-07-18T07:05:00.004-05:00

so i have come accustomed to changing many and some days it is over 5 poopy diapers (thank goodness i am not nursing anymore) from the girls and i am picking fandango's dog doo up in the yard most days and i get my blood pumping with the neighbor's little yapper shit, but this is my breaking point! one of my almost 14 year old cats (jeff refers to them as rabbits and i am not sure anyone has ever appreciated them but me) is not making it from the bedroom to the cat box some time during the night. now at first i was not blaming her, but our one male much younger cat who stalks around the house all night just waiting to "play" with one of my much older delicate cats, i have to give him some slack because these days he has been "hangin" outside some where more often than not and we still have little pieces of shit to be stepped in.

by now i should be used to all types of shit, solid firm had too much banana yesterday shit, extremely soft extra foul smelling dark blue shit from blueberries, 60lb or rather probably 70lb black lab shit, smaller firmer dog shit*, and believe it or not i may or may not have to relieve myself every now and then, but this is too much that one little i missed the cat box turd might find my squirrel looking fuzzy furball of a cat a place in line at the bus stop with a one-way-ticket to the farm in the country where the lonely little old lady lives and needs a pet to keep her company. (did anyone else ever get this line from their mother?)

on the positive side (i am trying to do this more) maybe my super intelligent husband can find a a way to recycle all of the shit into fuel for my SUV that takes two swipes of the credit card to fill up these days.

well, i am off, i just watched one of the girls complete her first batch of the day.

*there is defiantly a difference in dog shit based solely on the type of food they are feed.....and i am positive our neighbors are feeding their dogs processed horse meat mixed with bits of recycled plastic and topped off with three year old grains or whatever it is that comes in the $3 bag of dog food.

so really putting myself out there....

2008-07-17T21:16:00.011-05:00

a few pictures of our completed float in the neighborhood parade...pretty damn good work if you ask me especially for first time, last minute float designers.

this is how i found jeff and izzy last friday night when i finally came out of the office around 3am.

so for the first time in several weeks i am actually sitting in bed well before midnight. i dreamt about this all day (especially after reading a friend's blog and living through her toddler free moment she is having. just wait girl, two will change this).....both girls have not been getting enough sleep lately either, therefore it should be really easy for us all to get to bed early. by 7:00 I was one down with one to go and she was watching happy feet in our room surely she will fall asleep soon. *note added later (while I was putting away the toys Izzy decided to get up and check out the commotion therefore not going to bed until late again.)

so, I am a freak about how things are put away....or at least the things I want to be a control freak about. jeff was sitting there talking to me while i started removing all the toys from the should be store extra blankets while being a foot stool ottoman but really is a leather box that stores toys, acts as a stage for izzy's theatrical shows and table top for the bribery snacks i gives the girls so they can watch barney in the living room while preparing dinner and he starts to help. He starts by putting some of the big things in and then says "what about these, why are they out"...opening the door to my explanation of system for putting toys away. i explain, "all the little toys that are not related to bigger toys go in this box, while baby accessories belong in this basket, however, all the parts to each toy must be together, therefore everything looks real inviting in the morning when i open the lid with a big TAADAA for the girls.

but, i am like that with everything, thus the other day i almost lost it when he did not wrap a diaper up with the wipes inside preventing any potty germs from touching the diaper genie in any way. i have this vision in my head of little gross potty germs climbing there way out of the diaper pail and into the girls beds cuddling up with them and the binkies they put in their cute little mouths. however, this one back fired on me because i think the few diapers jeff changes a month he has vowed to himself not to do anymore because i just might freak out on him and his inablity to wrap a diaper like a true pro.

Annie playing...notice cardboard box next to her just waiting for her to pull out all sorts of surprises...this is part of my madness.

mommy's little helper

okay, here it is....it has taken all of the above blog for me to talk myself into what follows...

a couple of weeks ago jeff's brother posted the pictures from our trip to the guadalupe and while i really enjoyed all the special moments caught on camera i choked, started to hyperventilate, and then cry when i saw the few photos of myself. now i know i gained a shit load of unnecessary weight while preggos with izzy. if i am going to do this, i might as well go all the way......i gained 80lbs...yes, i know what the fuck was i thinking. i went from being the hot married gal that religiously went to the gym daily, usually in bike shorts having just completed a spin class, relaxing in a sweat session of power yoga and followed up with an easy 5 mile run on my way home to the whale of a pregnant person. so, point is i still have around 40lbs (the amount most normal women choke on when reached during pregnancy) and 4 sizes to go until i am back to my i feel comfortable in my own skin, bring on the confident six-pack toting lean machine i am accustomed too.

with tears running down my face, my dear sweet husband tells me i can find a good deal on an elliptical for the house "but nothing to cheap, it has to be a good one". prior this moment of self pity on my part he would tell me to use the gym, walk the girls in the overpriced stroller i had to have (even though it is 100 degrees outside), hop on my bike or just plain watch what i eat. he being one of those people that has rarely been 5lbs over his weight of 10 years. he forgets he physically works out all day long every day and can shovel what ever is the fastest thing around to eat down his throat....

so i found a not cheap, but dirt cheap elliptical and we set out last weekend for dallas (why is everything i look for on craigslist in the dallas area? do the good people in ftw never feel the need to sell anything i want) to pick it up. in the past 5 days i have burned almost 3000 calories and this thing is awesome. i can hop on in the evening for a little tori and dean or next foodnetwork star trash tv watching party or in the morning jump on while the girls watch mickey mouse and play together and try to read one of the 8 magazines i receive monthly collecting dust on my night stand.

with that i just might throw up feeling i have right now........i am going to post the inspirational video jeff took during my first voyage as a public commitment to a healthier me or rather the omg amy looks fantastic christmas card i want to take this year. oh, and please no comments on my unmade bed....my really awesome husband (he is so off my shit list these days)took a nap earlier with izzy and i never re-made the bed.

i will post another video in three months and share my progress along with weekly updates.......good luck to me!

pictures finally...

2008-07-14T13:11:00.008-05:00

So, with really awesome camera to replace the one I threw away I have begun to take pictures of the girls again.....now I truly appreciate it more.

This the beginning of our float for our neighborhood parade. My husband is a genius and built the canopy to protect the kiddos from the sun, however, I think he did it more for adding decorations to the top.

Here is Jeff all nice and sweaty taking a look at his hard work. I think he is proud of himself.

Here is sweet Annie being a real trooper after riding around in the float, stopping by the Cook's for muffins and bloody marys, lunch at the Garcias and swimming.........this was right before her almost 2 hour nap to prepare for the fireworks. Thanks to our friends, the Pounds, we had a front row spot for the boat club show not to mention their amazing private show they put on afterwards.

Here is Izzy, this pictures was not actually taken on the fourth....but just look at those pretty eyes and we hope her hair stays this color.

I hope they continue to play together......

Well, I must complete something on my to do list from Jeff while the girls are napping. Hopefully, tonight I can share my new toy with y'all.

new mommy trick...

2008-07-08T20:32:00.007-05:00

so i have started loading the girls up in my almost the size of the mini school bus suv before annie's morning nap time to "make phone calls"......yes, i know that i should not be talking on the phone while driving but what else am i to do with two small children when i have a mile long list of calls to make. i know what some of you are thinking, however, i am betting next week i will see you making the loop around 820 just to complete one task without interruption. and the thought process is.....put annie in the truck to take her smaller morning nap and turn on a movie for izzy, stop by starbucks for a vanilla milk box, stock an extra binki or two to be tossed into the back if one were to fall out of her reach and return a dozen or more calls from the holiday weekend.....i just may be a genius because my plan worked with only a few pull overs to change one poopy diaper, put annie's binki back in and to wipe up izzy's spilled milk. the major draw back... gas is almost $4 a gallon...but hey, i did break in my hands free earpiece!

a big thanks to my brother-in-law for commenting on my blogging. while i am truly enjoying it, i like to hear i can still make other people laugh with my craziness. of course, dear ole husband responds with "i bet chris does like it, he doesn't have to sit on the phone for 45 minutes actually listening to your stories that go on and on wondering how he is going to get you to quit talking". i would rather think he enjoys hearing about our daily adventures (i say adventures because i never know what will happen each day as i roll out of bed....will i answer 20 or 60 calls today, will the girls shit once, twice or three times, will dinner make it to the table or is it a cheese omelet night again, etc.)

i am sitting in the "fake" dark created by pb blackout curtains sipping or rather guzzling my mommy juice waiting for izzy to nod off so i can go watch the season finally of hell's kitchen and follow it up with flipping out. okay if you do not watch this show, i think it is on bravo, please watch just one episode because you will be addicted. this guy is a complete nut job! when jeff and i first watched the show last season we thought there is no way this guy is for real....it has to be scripted, but he was on ellen and now i believe nothing he does is played up for good tv viewing more likely toned down because no one can be this nuerotic.

so, today i failed at winning a slightly used rainbow playset on ebay i have been diligently watching the past 4 days. before i went to bed last night i put post-it notes everywhere, on the coffee maker, fridge door, garage door, tv remote to remind me my item was ending at 11:58 today and i did not forget because i have been kinda, but not really searching that hard for six months to find a playset for the girls. i am one of those people who up and decides i have to find that perfect rug right NOW and sets out in search of it all day long dragging tired, cranky, cookie bribed kiddos in and out of ten storess o you can imagine jeff's not so much jump on board attitude when i decided this week to find the perfect but not some cheap china made crap yard toy, one that will last through all the little longspaughs i want.

anyhoo, i did find a good deal on ebay and in the last two seconds lost it to some bidder who apparently was secretly watching the countdown laughing his/her ass off because i thought i was the only one that found this really awesome deal on 20 miles away. but, hey, i am determined to find one NOW and didn't waste time calling on the ones i found on craigslist. i even told jeff if we can find one this week i will give up our anniversary dinner reservations saturday just to set it up.....i tell you if i set my mind to something.....

well, i am off to bed for a little one on one time with the tv.....sorry jeff maybe tomorrow night.

lesson of the year never leave precious photos on camera....

2008-07-06T21:06:00.005-05:00

well, last week was the hardest week i have had in a while....both girls had a viral infection (meaning antibiotics won't kick it in the ass) of which annie is still fighting, most likely needing to go back to pediatrician tomorrow, i might have lost my office/baby help (partly because i can blow like a volcano that has been dormant for 150 years) and it was a holiday week so payday was a day early. i will finish catching up some of the sleep i am most defiantly deprived of tonite and open a bottle of wine tomorrow for a sit in the dark while the girls fall asleep chat session with myself thus sharing a tale or two of mommy meltdown with you.
the one great thing from last week is my new camera arrived...ok, so it is the replacement to the really awesome camera i bought jeff last father's day. i discovered four days to late i threw that really awesome gift in the trash when we returned from a mini vacation last month. now i am taking full responsibility being i am the one who actually placed the shopping bag with really awesome father's day gift inside the trash can, BUT to my defense when the trucks were unloaded everything went through the front door and into the main living room, so when i found said shopping bag in the garage with empty plastic bottles and west, texas goodie boxes in it i figured it had to be trash......the worst part of it is i came to the realization literally 3 minutes too late. after asking jeff where the camera was because for the second day in a row the girls looked extra cute he replied with an "i don't know, where did you leave it".....so thinking back the last time i remembered seeing camera with two full months of baby can't get that on camera again pictures including new vacation photos not yet downloaded to computer was when we were packing up the vacation house. OH, SHIT..i quickly called my sister who was at my house and she sadly told me the trash man just picked up the trash. she hopped in the truck and chased him down with me frantically freakin, as jeff would say, in her ear. my sister actually pulls in front of the trash man five houses down the street and begs the trash man to wait because i am doing 90 mph to get home and climb through his truck to find my now lost pictures of super adorable girls. through the language barrier he somehow explains to wendy that the truck automatically turns the trash and it is most likely on the bottom of the pile but, he remembers the bag from our trash can (weird, huh) and will look for it when the truck is dumped...of course, i am trying to get her to find out where and what time because i want to be there myself.
anyhoo, after a not so friendly customer service representative at tarrant waste management tells me i am not allowed to rummage through the dump site to try my hardest to find lost camera full of precious once-in-a-lifetime pics i go to the bathroom and throw up. and again, i won't be winning mother of the year, or any other i can keep it together awards, hell i can't even blow dry my hair daily what am i thinking.
so back to only thing keeping me going last week.....i used some of our credit card points and purchased a new camera to replace the really awesome father's day gift i bought jeff last year. without getting into the technicality of it....we could almost think of it as a free camera....a bonus for all my credit card swiping, ha, maybe i will be up for the thrifty mom award (that one is for you, honey....you can pick yourself up off the floor i know it was a far fetch).
so with this replacement camera i will be adding pictures to my blog.
oh, we made it to storytime again last week....15 minutes late but hey it still counts!

see you tomorrow after a glass or two of "mommy juice".

never cut a woman's hair....

2008-06-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

when she is pregnant or nursing.....way to many hormones running through the system to make a good solid decision regarding something a precious as our hair. while i was pregnant with izzy i had really long hair that took years to grow and before the i can't breathe it is so hot outside and i feel like an elephant summer of 2006, i loved my hair. i could do anything with it...i had the perfect amount of layers, not too many, not to short. i could let it air dry and show off a great wave or blow dry it to a soft silky finish or throw it up in a "messy but put together" bun in a second. after telling my hairstyling professional several times to cut it off, he finally cut about 4 inches. this satisfied me for awhile then came the nursing hormones....which i swear are harder to deal with. with 35lbs left to lose of baby weight (i really blew it with my first pregnancy) he actually cut off another 6 inches and my hair now was above my shoulders....for some unknown crazy reason i thought short hair was easier to keep up with, i could throw it in a little pony at the nape of my neck, blow dry it in 5 minutes, leave it curly and bouncy, but none of this was the case, i just felt unattractive, fat and depressed.

fast forward a year and here i am with another baby and my hair is just barely longer than my shoulders. you wonder how come those super duper awesome nail and hair growing prenatal vitamins did not give my head the little extra it needed to grow a bit more than 4 inches, well my friend, my hair has to be "trimmed" every time it is colored (i am paranoid of split ends, i will sit with scissors and cut them myself creating my own look)and those little baby growing vitamins made my roots show every six weeks to the point i looked like i belonged in a brittnay spears video.

point being....i hate my hair! it has way to many layers, is extremely hard to blow dry because of layered cut, doesn't always have the curly waves that can easily air dry and defiantly does not pull back in a messy bun.

i am keeping my fingers crossed the last 35lbs of izzy weight (lost all of annie's already)and my hair grows back out for a omg, did you receive the longspaugh family christmas card, they are so cute and amy, she looks awesome reaction.

with just over 5 months i better be wishing for a small miracle~

was that a compliment?

2008-06-26T20:31:00.000-05:00

so, we made it to storytime on Wednesday....10 minutes late but we made it! izzy loved it.....WE will make it AGAIN! actually, izzy picked up a video so we have to return some time in the next 7 days.....

today we spent 3 very quick but extremely exhausting hours at the community water park down the road. must admit worrying and watching two children under 36" tall is a bit tough especially with so many other ill mannered children attempting at their best to casually, oops did i just knock your baby under the water by attempting to jump over her head, ruin our day. being said i must vent about unruly children.

my friend with me today knows i am quick to let another mother know how rude and disrespectful her prized child is to smaller children playing in the same area, so i was surprised to see her giving a kid almost 2 inches taller than her the don't you ever do that again speech. go girl! my rant.....clearly when you are at places like said water park, chick fil a, central market, etc...if there are smaller children playing the bigger kids should watch out for the smaller set of fingers and toes (and mothers of smaller tots should respect the designed labeled bigger kid equipment), however, i am amazed at the number of moms who turn their backs to the play area to visit with other moms that also have their heads turned away from watching their children. here is my public warning....watch out for me and my small tots because when your runny sneezing dripping nose four year old sits on top of my 11 month old in the clearly marked toddler area, or elementary age smart mouth i don't have to listen to you child thinks it is funny to bounce my just exploring the bouncy bridge toddler off (and i mean bounced her right under the rails and on to the ground), or who says i have to wait for you to get to the bottom of the slide 50lb wet dog looking kid kicks my child in the back shooting her into the deeper water at the end of obvious under 42"water slide, you as the mother of this child better be prepared because i will hunt you down (and i have increasing experience in this area) and embarrass you in front of your non watching,no manner teaching, gossiping, and just plain irresponsible playgroup moms to the point everyone else in say a 20x20 foot area will know your child sucks!

i think jeff paid me a compliment the other day.....my husband does not throw compliments around easily and i am one of those people who needs to hear "good job" every now and then. i often feel like fandango who sits very patiently, shakes both paws, rolls over and does the silent bark for a quarter sized dog biscuit just to hear something uttered i can take as a compliment. i recently had the hall bathroom painted and because it took several coats for a smooth color finish he had to see it before it was finished and let me tell you jeff did not hold back on how much he hated it. as always, i say, just let me finish it......hang the photographs, towels, window covering, etc. then give me the tongue thrashing. last saturday we came home from burgers and bock (great place to take noisy children for a little down time) and i find him standing in the hall bath looking around and low and behold if i did not dream this, he actually states "it looks good", i quickly walk away thinking don't let him counter this with a big ol' BUT.......

after a few days to think about this small but very meaningful exchange, i believe jeff paid me a compliment..........i may not have to roll over, beg and shake for another 6 months, thank you!

keep your shit where it belongs...

2008-06-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

so, we moved last fall to a bigger house in the neighborhood both my husband and i grew up in....we are loving it. i thought it would be hard to leave all the conviences of living right in the thick of fort worth but other than the groceries stores (future blog) i adjusted well. the house we bought was vacant for about 6 months prior our move in......and to my point.

we have nice neighbors and all, nothing like the ones we had before, these so called nice neighbors have three small black yappers. these little yappers had become accustomed to ruling the turf over here......it started with all three charging izzy (at 13 month old) in the driveway any time we walked out the door. now izzy has grown up with our 9 year old black lab and loves dogs but these little fur balls terrified her and being 9 months preggo with a belly the size of 10 watermelons (or so it felt like) i was not much help in quickly coming to her defense. i was shocked that they just let these "adorable" dogs run around without any supervision all day and all NIGHT. talking to others on the street these sweet pups were chasing people on the golf course....not something i have witnessed being as the golf course was closed down.*

the final straw comes one evenng around 10:30 when one of these lovely dogs starts barking at US through the door in our bedroom....these dogs were also in the habit of barking at one of the cats in izzy's window throughout the night, making a very unhappy, extra tired, grouchy, pregnant mother as she was waking up every time. so....jeff gets out of bed walks out the front door, rings their doorbell and explains the problem to the neighbor who cade is sure he is retired from the mafia somewhere. the humor of this is jeff is in pj bottoms, no shirt, bare foot and wearing the nose strip that makes a small dent in his snoring problem.

why today does all begin piss me off again.....because once again when i head out to turn on the sprinkler and pick up fandango's (our black lab) shit i am confronted by much smaller shit EVERYWHERE......their little pains in my ass continue to shit in my yard! i started about a month ago picking up their little turds and putting them in the middle of their driveway hoping the mafia king and family will get the hint. oh, they got the hint all right....now they let them out to shit in our yard after the lights go off here at night. i am not joking, jeff, cade and myself have all looked out the window and seen them seceretly shitting after hours. i am so pissed off by this i may just have to resort to line their sidewalk with flaming brown bags of DOG SHIT ring the doorbell and walking off with a great big smile on my face.

*another tale for another day....our backyard backs up to the golf course and as we are signing the papers hear the course is closing with an unknown date of reopening. aaaughgh....

one more thought for the day....

2008-06-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

does my happiness really revolve around the block that has been missing from izzy's toy for two weeks that the cleaning ladies found today???? i really searched for that damn thing...not to mention the phone that goes to the outside of same said toy that disappeared the day i brought it home to her a month ago miraculously found also by those who make me sane. and for those whom have said to me nothing ever makes you happy.....back at you!

are you wondering if we made storytime?

2008-06-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

Well....i know you have been sitting on the edge of your couch in front of the tv with another rerun of some "i can cook like that" show on food network today just wondering did she make it to storytime.....stay tuned

first, it was the morning from hell and i mean literally. i believe it was some form of punishment handed my way for all my harsh uncaring comments i tend to throw around about whomever may be on my shit list and believe me the list changes daily. i am awaken from my deep sleep by the phone ringing over and over....all i can think is do people with plumbing problems really think i am going to answer at 6:15 in the morning? i rush for the phone and realize it is jeff calling me not a customer freaking out over a small drip from a faucet in a bathroom they never use. i quickly hop on the internet to answer his questions and send off a fax to fix his problem only to hear annie stirring in her sleep. with great hope i mix her a bottle thinking maybe, just maybe, if i put her in my bed with a warm bottle she will sleep for another hour or two......and then just as her bottle is almost drained and she is drifting back to sleep, dear sweet izzy awakes and commences to shout in this thundering, shreeking voice, "annie, annie, annie, annie, annie". obviously i am getting up NOW! from this point on i am answering the phone (why some days does it ring so much before 10am), making breakfast, feeding both girls~no easy task, listening to mickey mouse sing the hot dog dance song knowing it will stick with me throughout the day, attempting to brush my teeth, take that morning aaaaahhhhh pee, straighten up before the cleaning ladies* come and get ready to head off to storytime because today I AM GOING TO MAKE IT!

along with going to storytime i have a list of errands to run (where does that come from anyway, i never have understood why we RUN errands, odd choice of words being as they take all day to complete). first stop pottery barn ( i LOVE me some pb of any kind) to return the curtains for the girls room that i purchased online. i made the selection as i normally do in the evening with a glass of wine or two in my system not wanting to wake the girls up by actually going in their room and measuring the windows, i guess.....so to the point, i have to make all my pbkids returns at the locale pb store because for some reason the people that study the demographics for new locations do not believe us folk in fort worth are worthy enough for a pbkids store. while pregnant with my first baby i actually drove to dallas a dozen times...crazy i know. of course, the oh, looks who's back with yet another return helpful decorative assistant (is that the correct pc title for salesperson?) dawdles through the process while i am trying to keep my kiddos from creating any unexpected purchases. check done with that stop on to the cingular store because i have ruined, broken and completely destroyed yet another phone. now mind you i have studied the local stores and believe without a doubt i found the best one....we are talking helpful, never too busy and always looking to save me a few bucks sales people. i would share this prize location but it may ruin it for me. so...no matter how i try it is impossible to get out of there under an hour and having not spent several hundred dollars.

okay, so you might have guessed by now.....we did not make it to storytime! but, i want you to know i really did try......it was just one of those damn days where nothing goes right. good news though, i have two story hours to try and make tomorrow, but don't tell jeff i am going to drive my super large suv 25 miles each way at almost $4 a gallon just to go to let some stranger read to our children because he will tell you i can stay home and do that myself.

off to the office to attempt and catch up on some work......

why do i always run around freaking as my husband says on cleaning day.....some how i work harder on cleaning day putting all the crap that piles up in every room of the house away. WHY...because i would hate to see what my weekly fee would be if i didn't. and please don't judge me, i can hear it now, "oh, amy is one of those people". my cleaning ladies are what puts some of the sanity back into my life, really, it is one of the few things i feel i truly deserve since i don't technically get a paycheck from our business. no hey i really want those shoes spending allowances coming my way nor a good job this year how about a big fat bonus check....i take it where i can get it and that comes in the form of a crew that attempt to put my house back in order.

addiction in the making......

2008-06-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

i am a new blogger and am afraid it may become an addiction such as myspace was for me a year ago. however, i hope to keep with this new release of nonsense that floats in my head at all hours of the day. cade, my nephew, will gladly appreciate this new outlet. over and over on the way to school i am talking to him from the end of the street* to the school where he jumps out as fast as he can to stop the chit chat in the morning and continuously he says, "you did it again, a another story about nothing."

however, i hope to share some of the crazy happenings that make up my daily life with you and my husband hopes for peace in the evenings. i often long for that adult conversation that does not deal with kiddos or plumbing issues or what is on my to do list tomorrow...not the list i make daily but my husband's list for me which adds to at all hours of the day and night. please leave me your comments and enjoy, i know i have laughed out loud many times in the dark of my daughters' room while they try to "put themselves to sleep" reading other peoples tor id tales of daily happenings.

*it takes the length of the street for me to down as much coffee as humanly possible to rev up the engine.

would oprah wave her finger in my face?

2008-06-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

i find myself constantly wondering if i am not providing enough experiences for the girls. crazy thought, especially since they are only 20 and 6 months old.....you would think! for instance, i have been saying for months, "i need to sign izzy up for little gym" but have not done so. i started thinking it would be a good place for her acrobatic ways, for example, one day when i heard water rushing i found her on top of the toilet tank. i mean literally standing on top of the tank playing with a candle in the window...not such a scary thing except she was only 13 months old and just taking her first steps. so, if you are counting, little gym is the first of my slacken off parenting ways.

secondly, every week i have every intention of making it to one of 7 to 20 story time hours i have posted on my fridge. i started really well and began reading to izzy every day, three books before each nap and three before bed...then came the hey i need you to just go to sleep because mommy has a list of other things to do phase we are still in. i do take credit for her love of books and even now she tries to read them to herself because mommy is too busy. in particular she has one book and on every page we do something, like play peekaboo, clap our hands, tickle each other, or laugh out loud; well she now sits by herself and turns the pages and does it my herself. one part of me thinks wow, izzy is so smart and the side of reality is how awful am i, it only takes two minutes to read together and she loves it. (tomorrow is cleaning day and i am determined to make it to story time...i will let you know if we make it)

The third thing is my lack of interest in play dates....i am just not one of those social people. i don't make friends easily and rarely fit in with a group of girls. i just am so damn opinionated! so how does this effect my 20 month old...well, she only interacts with a few chosen friends and i am still terrified of leaving her in the gym daycare. it is not that i think they will not watch her, it is she has this habit (since birth) of crying until she vomits....and she uses this ability whenever possible. i have to give her credit, she will now stay with a select few people and does anything daddy wants her too, so she is getting better.

maybe all these thoughts occur because i have friends who started their children in music classes @ 8 months old, have done little gym from birth (pretty much), interact in playdates, mops (not sure exactly what this is, but i am on the waiting list), and started "school" by one. (izzy does start in the fall at university christan church) these are also my friends whom prepare dinner daily, find time for girls night out, massages/pedicures and remarkably have lost all their baby weight.

as for Annie, my 6 month old, she has it made....she has izzy to read to her, play with her, and best of all, izzy does all the things she should be doing in little gym on top of her sister.

maybe oprah or my children will ignore my shortcomings....i am just so damn busy with running a company, raising two, yes two kiddos under the age of two, keeping up with a 13 year old nephew who is living here so he does not have to live away from his friends and school, a husband (who is increasingly finding his own way around here, once again from my neglect i am sure), 1 dog and 3 cats. just think we are thinking of another baby sometime next year......i just may be crazy!