BatNick

When I got home last night, Nick was walking around with a Batman cape & mask on. I asked him, "Nicholas, are you Batman?" And, he answered me, "No, I'm BatNick!"

So funny!

I asked Sammy if he had told him the name "BatNick" before & he said he hadn't. He's got a great imagination!

Sydney

If this is not the cutest picture, I don't know what is!
(Thanks, Aunt Jon!)

I Love Hand-Me-Downs!

Thank goodness for great friends & used clothes!! My friend, Dixie, has been so wonderful about passing on her boys' clothes to Samuel. Sometimes, I can't even keep up with all the clothes she hands down to us. (I am NOT complaining, though!!) So, when the weather started changing here & cooler days were on the horizon, I realized I better start thinking about getting warmer clothes out for the kiddos. Nicholas will always be set, since he gets all of Samuel's old clothes. However, I was bummed because I couldn't find anything for Sydney or Samuel. Until... I found a couple of large bags the other night FULL of boys winter clothing in size 5T!!! Thank you, Dixie!! You saved me!!

Sydney, however, is a whole different story. She & I will be making some trips to Target soon...

Girls' Weekend

Here are some group shots of our fun weekend in the TX hill country!

This first picture was taken on our first morning. We were headed to Round Top, TX for their Antiques Fair.

Erin (Middle Sister) ~ Mary (Mom) ~ Amberly ~ Jonetta (Oldest Sister)

On Saturday, we went to Wimberley. Their Market Days were HUGE & so much fun!! Our Aunt Diana joined us for this shopping trip.


On Sunday, we traveled to Spicewood for our treetop adventure. Here we are, waiting for the fun to begin:

I'm so lucky to have such a fun family! My mom & sisters are great & I really enjoyed my time with them!

Thanks Mom, Jonetta & Erin! I love you all!

Purple Undies

Samuel has a favorite pair of underwear. (Is that normal?) He always wants to wear the same pair of purple Batman underwear. Now, before you worry about him, it's not a pretty, girly purple. It's a "Batman purple"! :) Very manly!

Anyway... he wants to wear these same undies every day. Therefore, I wash them almost every day. Yesterday, he asked to wear them, but they were in the dirty clothes basket. So, I promised him that I would wash them & he could wear them the next day. Well... I did wash a load of clothes, but I apparently failed to include the purple Batman underwear. This morning, he asked for them again & I told him to go dig through the freshly laundered clothes in the dryer. When he didn't find them, I told him they must be in the bottom of the laundry basket & that I would wash them in the next load.

So, of course, when we got home from the grocery store this afternoon, he asked again if his Batman undies were clean. I explained that I had not had time to start another load, but I would do it as soon as I could.

Samuel gave me an exasperated sigh & said, "Mom, just tell me what to do & I'll wash them." And, he did!! He proceeded to open the washing machine, take the dirty clothes out of the basket & one by one, throw them into the washer.

I love it!! Help has finally arrived! And, his name is Samuel!

Terrific Two!

I wanted to post some pictures of Nick's 2nd birthday party, but got to thinking about my very first post on this blog... a picture from Nick's 1st birthday party. Has it really been a year already? I am so excited for my kids to grow & learn new things & experience new adventures... but, it's also very hard to realize that as each minute passes, they are closer to being independent young adults. You always hear how fast time flies, but this cliche has never held as much meaning as it does after you have kids. I love this stage where my kids are presently at & I really don't want to change a thing right now! We have so much fun during the day... they love their preschool... and the twins are getting along better & better each day. It would be great if we could stay in this moment forever. But, I also know how much I would be missing in years to come. Like more great birthday parties...

So, I'll cherish these moments while they're here & try my best to make our time together full of laughter & love!

And, I'll post pictures that will keep the memories fresh!

Nick had a train themed 2nd birthday. Our friend, Becky, made his darling & delicious train cake! (Thank you, Becky!)


Ava, Mackenzie & Sydney in the bouncy house


Nick is trying to escape from his girlfriends, Jenna & Elise


(Continued on the next post...)

Terrific Two! (Cont'd)

We couldn't get a picture of the cake with a lit candle, because he would blow it out immediately after it was lit. (We tried 3 times!) So, we settled on this picture:

And, finally, his new train table was the hit of the party when rain ruined our outdoor activities:

Nicholas got boots from Mimi & Papa, but decided they looked better on him without pants! Whatever makes him happy...

(By the way, that is our dog's tail sticking out from under the train table. After looking at the picture again, I realized that looked a bit odd if you didn't know what it was.)

Overall, he had a fun birthday party & we are thankful for his friends that were able to help him celebrate. I'm looking forward to another fun year!

Mini Darth Vader

Nicholas loves to wear this Darth Vader mask that changes his voice to sound like the Star Wars character. He likes it so much, he took it away from his Daddy, who actually bought it for himself. Imagine that...



Sydney, on the other hand, is scared to death of this mask! I don't think it's the actual mask that scares her, but the voice that comes out of it. She runs fast when she starts hearing that heavy breathing that Darth Vader is famous for. Even when it's on Nick. Silly girl.

I have a feeling Halloween might be a little tough for her sensitive little self this year.

Cowboy Climber

We were at a birthday party the other day at this really cool kids play area that has a rock climbing wall. Several people, including the employees, told Samuel that he wouldn't be able to climb the wall in cowboy boots, but Samuel was determined to prove them all wrong!

He's on his way...


Going higher & higher...


He did it!


After he rang the bell hanging from the ceiling, he proudly kicked his way back down to the floor & did it all over again... several times!

First Day of Pre-Kindergarten

I FINALLY downloaded my pictures off my camera, so I'll have lots to post about...

Like the twins' first day of Pre-Kindergarten at Arapaho Road Baptist. They really like their teacher, Mrs. Mezzell. She's wonderful!

Going Short

Well, I cut my hair off! It was pretty long, by my standards. And, it's now gone. My friend, Becky, kept Nicholas for me last Thursday while I went for my first cut. (That's right... I said "first cut"!) The stylist did a great job & gave me a really cute cut with flippy hair & all. However, I absolutely could not recreate the look she gave me! I just plain couldn't do it. And, if I can't do it when I have lots of time to try, then I sure can't do it when I'm in a hurry... which I usually am. So, after messing with it all weekend long, I gave the stylist a call back & told her I needed help. She was very sweet & told me to come in whenever I could & she would give me a "no fuss do"! YEA!! So, back I went with a cute magazine picture. "That's what I want", I said. She looked at me as if I was crazy & wanted to make sure that I really wanted to go shorter. "Absolutely!"

And, I love it! It's so much easier!

Sammy once saw pictures of me with really short hair. (Probably in college.) And, he used to call me "Amboyly". Although, I didn't go that short this time, I'm betting that was his first thought when he saw me walk out of the salon. It took a little while, but last night, he finally said, "It's cute." I'll take that!

Obsessed!

Lately, Nicholas has become obsessed with one particular movie... The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl. He demands to watch it atleast once a day, every day! There are times when I tell him that Shark Boy & Lava Girl have gone to bed, so that I don't have to "fight" with him because I won't turn it on again. It's just easier that way. I don't understand this obsession. He's only two! This movie was obviously targeted for older kids & therefore, should be more appealing to that age range. The twins first saw it after their 4th birthday, when we rented it at Blockbuster & really liked it. It was cleverly done (and cheap!), so I bought it for them. And, now, Sydney & Samuel don't even watch it anymore. But, Nick is glued to the screen whenever it's on. Not Sesame Street... not Blue's Clues... not The Backyardigans... not Clifford... only Shark Boy & Lava Girl! I'm really sick of those two characters!

When the twins were younger, they had an obsession with Finding Nemo. Sydney used to ask constatnly for "Memo". And, I always had to fast forward through the first part of Nemo, when the shark attacks Marlin's home & eats his wife & kids. Sydney & Samuel hated the beginning! They wouldn't watch it at all! Who can blame them? That is pretty scary for toddlers. However, I didn't think that obsession was too strange. I mean, it was a cartoon & it did appeal to small kids. The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, however, has me perplexed.

Or, maybe he just takes after his Daddy, who can watch the same movie over & over & over. And, who has a passion for Robert Rodriguez films. Yep, that's gotta be it!

Girls' Weekend

I am so excited about this weekend! Exactly one week from today, I will literally be flying through the treetops in the Texas Hill Country. But, I'll get to that in a minute...

My 2 sisters & I are meeting at my mom's house in Bastrop for a long-awaited girls' weekend. My sister, Jonetta, turned 40 this summer & for her gift, her husband gave her a plane ticket to Texas. (She lives in Atlanta.) So, we planned a fun weekend for all four of us girls!

On Friday, we'll be visiting Round Top, TX for their Antiques Fair. (Sure wish I had lots of money for this!) On Saturday, we're heading to Wimberley, TX for their Market Days. (Lots & lots of walking...) Then, on Sunday, we are driving over to Spicewood, TX to do some "flying"! I had seen an article in one of my Texas Highways magazines about this new recreational activity & knew instantly that this was something I wanted to try. It's called zip line canopy tours & basically, there are cables strung throughout the tops of trees that you hang from & "fly" from tree to tree. We have reservations at Cypress Valley Canopy Tours in Spicewood to experience this adventure. I can't wait! I know my mom & one of my sisters is very excited about this... I'm not so sure about my middle sister. She may decide to leave early on Sunday & skip this adventure altogether. But, I am pumped! I think it will be so fun & a wonderful memory. Hopefully, we'll get some good pictures to share when I return.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Here are some pictures of our girls' weekend last year:

Visiting a beautiful, historic home in Bastrop

Eating lunch at a tea room

Sunday morning church

Cars & Football

While walking into Wal-Mart the other night, this little remote control car zoomed in front of my feet. I looked up to notice the night security guard was the one controlling it. I guess he had to do something to keep him awake! Anyway, it got me to thinking about something that happened back in college when I was living at home with my parents...

There were a few "punk" boys that lived in our neighborhood. (Well, that's what I thought of them anyway.) One day, they were out driving a remote control car in the middle of the street. I was pulling out of my driveway & heading towards this group of boys & their little car. But, instead of controlling their car out of the street, they decided to push their luck with me. They kept swerving the little car in & out in front of my car. I had slowed way down to give them time to move it, but they continued to "tease" me. And, of course, they were all laughing, thinking it was so funny that they could swerve their car around my tires since I was basically crawling at this point. (I could have walked faster than I was driving!) After a few seconds of this immature behavior, I decided to step on my accelerator & let fate take over. And, yes, I crushed that little remote control car with my tires!! I remember looking in the rearview mirror at their horrified faces & laughing by myself in my car! They looked shocked! It was great! And, I didn't feel bad AT ALL about it... and I still don't!

Last night was Wylie's homecoming, so we decided to attend the Wylie vs. Berkner football game. It was a beautiful night for a game... not too hot, not too cold. However, Wylie got demolished! It was pathetic & embarrassing! At one point, the score was 50 to 14. We left at the beginning of the 4th quarter & as we were walking to our car, Wylie made another touchdown. So, I guess the score changed to 50 to 21. And, I saw in today's paper, that the final score ended up being 50 to 33. So, I guess they stepped it up there at the end... just not enough to make a difference. Those Berkner Rams were really great last night!

But, my very favorite part of last night was watching the homecoming court walk onto the field & listening to the announcer tell about each nominee. I heard phrases like "faithful Christian", "devout Christian", "active in his/her church youth group" and "member of -- church". I thought it was great that these young kids were not afraid to profess their faith in Christ in front of all their peers & thousands of others who attended the game. They just told their entire school & several members of their community what they believe, where their faith lies, who they worship & that they follow certain moral guidelines & standards. Others will now watch them to see what they do & how they handle certain situations. They will be held accountable for their actions because others now know that Jesus is their Savior. That's a big responsibility for these kids & I think they are wonderful for being so bold!

I'm Irritated!

It really irritates me when I think I am done with my shower, I turn off the water & step out into a fresh towel... only to then remember that I have forgotten to wash something on my body! Maybe I forgot to shampoo my hair or wash my face or elsewhere... So, I end up hanging up my now wet & slightly used towel, turning the shower water back on & stepping back into the shower stall. I am wet all over again & frustrated about the whole situation! That happened to me this morning. After shaving my legs, I thought I was done. So, I rinsed off completely, turned off the hot water, stepped out onto our new bath mat & enveloped myself in a clean, comfy towel. It's at that point that I realized I wasn't entirely washed! ARGHHHH!!! Back into the shower I go. Such a pain & highly irritating!

I'm stealing an idea from my friend, Rachel's, post about why people do stupid things. She talks about drivers who swerve over from an exit lane at the last minute, as if they hadn't realized before that point that their lane was going to exit! It got me to thinking about one of my driving pet peeves. It really bothers me when people change lanes & cross a solid line. It's like they just can't wait the few feet that the solid line will end. They HAVE to cross now or else!! It bugs the heck out of me! Especially when I'm obeying the law & I wait to exit or change lanes until the solid line ends. And, of course, by that time, 20 cars behind me have decided to cross over the solid line & exit way ahead of me. I hate that! Do they think this law doesn't apply to them? And, believe me, it is a valid law! I've taken defensive driving enough to know that!!

Banned Books & Pumpkin Seeds

I just got on the computer a little while ago & saw the following blurb on Yahoo! News:

"Hit List: The 25 Hottest Banned Books"

So, I clicked on the link, expecting to find a list of books that were foul or immoral or bordering on illegal. Instead, what I found was a list of books that are considered "classics". I have read or watched the movie versions of several of these so-called "banned" books and most of them were required reading during my school years! Since when did we start banning classic literature?? It seems so crazy!

The first book listed on this list is the Harry Potter series. I have read the first book in that series & have watched all of the movies. And, I can't wait to read them to my children someday! The fact that they banned this series, however, doesn't surprise me, since there was so much irrational controversy surrounding its release. But, the second book listed is To Kill a Mockingbird. Are you kidding me?!?! According to the article, To Kill a Mockingbird has "been denounced for so-called racial slurs and profanity, and banished from school library shelves". This was quite a shock to me! This book was required reading in my school & I LOVED it! After I read the book, my Dad & I rented the old movie and I loved it, too. (In fact, my Dad always wanted to call me "Scout", but I wasn't crazy about the nickname. He sure did try, though!)

Here is my list of books from the "banned books" list that I have either read or watched in a movie version:

* The Outsiders (watched in my senior English class)
* Lord of the Flies (required reading in school)
* Of Mice and Men (required reading in school)
* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (required reading in school)
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (required reading in school)
* Carrie (watched the TV version at home)
* Flowers for Algernon (required reading at school)
* American Psycho (watched at home & can understand why it's banned... WEIRD!)

If they are banning these classics from our libraries, I wonder what books would be considered "classic literature" nowadays?

Last night, Sammy & I went to Wal-Mart for a late shopping trip. Mom & Dad were at home with the sleeping kiddos, so we had the opportunity to go shopping together... alone! I forgot how fun it was to browse the aisles without kids! And, browse we did! While getting some tortilla chips, I ran across a package of roasted pumpkin seeds. I love pumpkin seeds & was so excited! I'm sure these have always been out on the shelves, but I never had the chance to look so closely at all the varieties of nuts & seeds available. One of my favorite things about carving a pumpkin is digging all the seeds out & roasting them in the oven. I sprinkle a little garlic, a little salt & whatever else looks good at the time & roast 'em up. DELICIOUS!! I can't wait to do it again this year.

Here is a great recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds:

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

So Long Nursery...

We've been a part of our church's nursery class for 4 1/2 years now. And, sadly, last night was the last time we'll ever have a child in the Richardson East nursery. Nicholas will turn 2 on Saturday, so he will move up to the 2-year-old class on Sunday morning. It's hard to grasp that I will not be having any more babies. And, even harder to grasp that my "baby" is now TWO!! How did that happen so fast?

So... so long nursery. You've been good to us & we'll definitely miss you!

Moving Music

I love to listen to music! Always have. Music can take me back to my junior high days, such as when I hear Vanilla Ice sing "Ice, Ice Baby".
Wow... does that bring back some awkward memories! And, anytime I hear a Selena song, I'm instantly back in Kingsville. I can vividly remember the moment one of my best friends in high school, Ruthie, ran into our homeroom class to tell me that Selena had been shot in Corpus Christi, just an hour away from where we stood. Ruthie was a big Tejano music fan and sang in a mariachi band in South Texas. (In fact, she surprised me by singing a few songs with the mariachi band that Sammy & I had at our wedding reception. She was great!) She had followed Selena's career and was truly saddened by her death. (So was my Dad, by the way.)
Selena had an awesome voice and was on her way to becoming quite a star. Her death was a senseless tragedy.

One of my newly discovered passions is downloading songs from iTunes. Sammy & I splurge on a $15 iTunes card from Target every once in a while & then we get to split that amount between us. We each get to download about 7 songs. It's so much fun!

Another new discovery of mine is The Zoe Group. I had heard of them several times before, but had never listened to any of their music. So, one day last spring, I decided to order an album off of their website. I LOVED it!! The music is awesome, the words are powerful & every song stirs my soul. After I ordered that first album, In Christ Alone, I promptly went online again & ordered 2 more CDs. I love all of them. There is not one dull song on there! However, between all 3 albums, there is one song that especially moves me. It's titled, "You Were There" on the In Christ Alone CD. I love, love, love that song! (Or, as my friend, Karen, would say, "I L-O-V-E, love that song!" When she really likes something, you know it because she spells out the word "love".) The lady who sings the solo part, Sheryl Thomas, has the most beautiful, angelic voice. It sounds so pure and truly pretty. The words are incredibly moving. I can't sing it's praises enough! (Ha... pun intended!) One thing I would recommend is visiting their website & clicking on the song for a sample. You will not be disappointed. Well, you'll be disappointed when the sample is over because it just gets better! Recently, this song has meant so much to me and has been some of my best worship experience lately. (However, that might be because I rarely am able to attend a full worship service, thanks to my very clingy & disruptive son! 2 year old Bible Hour... here we come!) Great, great song!! Get the CD... you'll L-O-V-E, love it, too!

Now, I think I'll go search on iTunes for some good Selena music & take a trip down memory lane...

September 11, 2001

After watching the film United 93 the other night, I decided to write my (late) entry about how I experienced 9/11. I've watched both the A&E movie, Flight 93, and now the version that came out in theaters a while back. I haven't seen World Trade Center with Nicolas Cage yet, but plan to someday. Both movies that I did see made me mad all over again about this senseless tragedy! Mad at men that believed they were following God's will by killing thousands of Americans. And, of course, it was terribly sad. As all senseless tragedies are...

On the morning of September 11th, I had been keeping a big secret from my co-workers. We found out we were pregnant sometime near the beginning of August. After our first doctor visit to confirm the pregnancy, we decided to wait to tell anyone until we told our parents first. And, I really wanted to tell my parents in person, which wouldn't be until Labor Day Weekend. So, that's what we did. When we went to Kingsville on that weekend, we told my family. After returning to Dallas, I waited a few days before informing my boss. When I finally did, he was very supportive and understanding. I had been feeling very nauseous those first few weeks, so he was sympathetic to my late arrivals and general slowness in the mornings. He told me he would leave it up to me to let our team know whenever I was ready. So, on the morning of September 11th, after another slow start, I decided I better let them in on the news before they wondered why I'm always dragging myself into work later than usual. I was driving from Richardson to Addison a little before 9 pm when I heard some initial reports on the radio about a plane hitting one of the World Trade Center towers. I immediately called Sammy (who was also still at home) & told him to watch the news. I told him I didn't know what was going on, but that they thought a plane had accidentally crashed into the tower. I didn't hear much more after that, until I got to work that day. I made it my first priority to sit down at my desk & send out a mass e-mail announcement to everyone in my group. And, that's exactly what I did. When I was done, someone told me to come with them to the screening room. Everyone was packed in the tiny theater watching the news unfold on the big screen. Apparently, another plane had hit the second tower on live television and we were starting to realize that this was an intentional attack. So, for a good portion of that morning, we stood in the screening room watching the news coverage of the attacks and quietly sobbing. Publicis had a major office in downtown New York and we knew several employees from there. Obviously, we were worried about their safety. So, after returning to our desks to check on some of our New York co-workers, some of my teammates finally saw the e-mail I had sent that morning. I got a few very monotone & robotic sounding "congratulations", since everyone was in a state of shock. It wasn't until several days later that people would actually be able to show a little more excitement & enthusiasm about my pregnancy. Of course, in hindsight, announcing my big news on that day wasn't a smart decision. It was a terrible, tragic day of mourning. However, I was stubborn & wanted to go ahead with my plan that I had already made.

So, when I remember 9/11/2001, I will always remember that was the day I stubbornly decided to make my big announcement about new life amidst so much death & destruction. I cringe when I realize how selfish that mush have seemed.

The 30s

Last October, Sammy turned the big 3-0! In December, a good friend of ours turned 30. In February, another good friend turned 30 one week before I turned 29. :) Then, again in July & August, two of my closest girlfriends entered their thirties. (August also brought two more milestone birthdays... first, my mom turned 60 & second, my oldest sister turned 40!) I just saw the date today after I posted my previous entry & realized that it's an ex-boyfriend's birthday. And, yep, he is 30 years old today. Exactly two months from today, one of my very best friends will celebrate the beginning of her thirties. And, then, four months after Sammy has rounded the corner into 31, I will be joining this massive group of thirty somethings. (Remember the TV show?)

For some odd reason, I still feel like I'm 21, hip & cool. (Well, actually, I was probably never very hip & cool, but I sure was 21 once!) I feel like I could walk onto a college campus today & fit right in. I know that is absolutely not the case, but I still feel that way. And, even though I'm completely delusional, I really hope that I feel this way for a long, long time!