Not Much Going On...

...But I thought I would just check in to say Hi. I really don't have much to report except that we have had quite a bit of unexpected rain. It started last night...the weatherman had just said there was a 10% chance of rain tomorrow (which means today) so then we shot off the TV and went to bed. The second we lay our head down, it started pouring rain for about 30 minutes. Then this morning I woke up to major thunderstorms about 6:00 am that lasted a couple of hours. Then this evening it started again. It was still almost 100 degrees today. Hot AND muggy...nice!

Spent the evening decluttering for the cleaning lady tomorrow. That's always fun. But Ash is getting MUCH better at just doing it when she is told rather than fighting us every step of the way. It's quite nice. It's a big change from the days when I would tell her to clean her room and her reply was "the cleaning lady will do it". That was so horrifying to me! We had a major "talk" about that...this was probably 1 1/2 years ago.

Anyway, that's about it for tonight! Oh, hey Kevin...why haven't you come to get your haircut?

Sleep Tight!

Happy Monday

I sure hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was pretty good. I got a bunch of laundry done on Saturday and straightened up a bit. Went grocery shopping. I ended up watching Nicki and Gannon for about 5 hours so their Mom and Dad could ride the motorcycle...their 1st babysitter backed out at the last minute. Ashleigh enjoyed them being here. Then we played poker that evening. Brian and I came out ahead by about $7-$8, so that's good.

I didn't leave the house at all on Sunday, which was kind of nice. Both girls took a nap at the same time and slept for like 3 hours...perfect opportunity for me to indulge in a little nappie, so I did. While we were napping, Brian rode down to his Mom's for a little while on his motorcycle. Me and the girls don't go down there much anymore because whenever I ask Brian if he wants us to go with him to visit, he says he would rather take his motorcycle. It's a good way for him to get a ride in and visit his Mom at the same time.

I've been planning Ashleigh's 5th birthday party. We're going to have it at Leapin' Lizards. It's an indoor bounce house place that has a 4-story playscape, giant slides, etc. Looks like it should be a good time for the kids. They even have a little arcade area. I'll keep you posted how it goes. I still need to make goodie bags for the guests and let them know which "theme" we want. Ashleigh keeps changing her mind. Her 1st intuition was "Princess" but she had that last year so I was trying to show her some of the other ones. Then she wanted "Hello Kitty", then "butterflies", then, well, you get the picture. I just want it to be perfect for her, and I'm sure she'll be happy with anything as long as she gets a goodie bag. The girl lives for goodie bags. When she makes up a song, it always has "goodie bags" in it. Too funny!

Ashleigh went over to Nicki and Gannon's house today. She had a great time and of course got McDonald's for lunch. I have a feeling Cathy spoils her a tad, but that's okay. I'm glad they got to spend some time together before school starts. Speaking of which, I saw on the sign at the elementary school today that "Meet the Teacher" night is August 21st. I'm nervous to find out which teacher she gets. I only had 1 recommendation for a teacher and that was to NOT get one of them (I won't mention names). So I decided to let fate take over and not request 1 teacher over another. What is meant to be, will be. I pray that she gets the right teacher to help her flourish and grow as a student. Ash will barely be 5 when school starts (her birthday is the 11th and school starts the 25th) so I worry about her keeping up at the same level as the other kids. I am sooo glad we sent her to pre-K, however, we will not hesitate to hold her back in Kindergarten if it is warranted. I pray that it isn't.

Addy has cut 2 more teeth yesterday or today for a total of 5 now. She's a tooth making machine! They don't seem to bother her too bad. More drool, a little bit more fussiness, but hardly noticeable. That's my good girl. I have an observation/comparison between my 2 girls: When Ash was a baby and it was nap/bed time, she would say to herself, "Oh, I'm in my bed, I need to go to sleep now". Addy says to herself, "Why am I in my bed? I must cry for a while to let them know I am in here by myself". Very interesting the personality differences in these 2 girls. I love both of their unique personalities very much!

Well, it's 8:50 and I better go give Ash a bath...she definitely played hard today. Sleep Tight!

Telecon From HELL

I had a conference call earlier today and it was disastrous on my end! I had tested my mute button with Brian before it started. Well, after being on mute for a few minutes it got all fuzzy and all I heard was dead air. I thought it was the conference call telephone system because it’s one of those with a call in number and when you get on, the computer introduces you. So I called back in and they are all talking like nothing happened. That’s when I realized it was my phone. So of course the darn phone introduced me AGAIN. So then I use the mute button on the handset instead of the base…same damn thing happened. So I had to call in AGAIN!!! They probably thought I was crazy! Then someone’s cell phone rang loud…they probably thought it was me, the crazy lady. Then Brian came in to pick up a package he needed and as soon as he left Addy started crying because she wanted him to stay…keep in mind, I can’t use my mute button…so I had to close the office doors on her…I could still hear her, so I had to just put the phone down and go put her to bed. Then the unthinkable (WARNING, TMI coming up!!!)…I had to go #2 sooooooo bad! Like painfully bad!!! I did what I could (i.e. letting air out, shifting my position, etc) but it had to come out. I just knew if I left the phone in the office while I went, someone would ask me a question or they would talk about the site I needed info on, so I took the phone with me praying it would not make the “explosion” sound, because keep in mind, I can't use the mute button or I'll get disconnected!! I got so lucky there, it was nice and silent…until my bladder decided it needed to be emptied too…I couldn't stop it. I just know you can visualize me wrapping a hand towel around the mouth piece! Oh well, hopefully they thought it was someone else! Yeah, right, I'm sure they knew it was crazy lady. Also, someone’s dog was barking really loud in the background…they probably thought that was me too. Oy Vey!! Yes, high ranking Air Force personnel were on this call. Oh, to top it off, toward the end of the call, someone dismissed himself and the telephone system said "so and so has left the meeting". So not only did it introduce me each time, yes, it announced that I'm an idiot!!

It's 10:35 and I finally finished working about 20 minutes ago. I have to meet a deadline tomorrow, but I also have to go get my stitches out. Busy, busy today!

I better get to bed! Sleep Tight!

Hey Peeps

I really don't have much to report today but thought I would check in. I've just been real busy with work, doctor's appointments, and staying cool. As both of my sisters have reported, it is like 250 degrees outside and it is a bit challenging to stay cool. To be honest, the heat does get to you after a while, but I do handle it much better than my sisters.

I rescheduled Ashleigh's appointment with the ENT from today until next Thursday. Both Brian and I were just too busy to take her. I know, bad parents. This is still from her ear drum rupture from last summer...it is not completely repaired, but as long as it shows improvement, she won't have to have surgery. If he sees that it's not getting better before it is healed, he will want to patch it. But so far so good and her hearing tests have steadily improved as well. Geesh, we're over a year dealing with this one! I pray Addy doesn't require as many trips to the ER as Ash has!

Went to Circle S tonight with the sisters and their families...12 of us. We're a growing group and the Harris' nephew, Tyler, is in town. I am quite full at the moment!

Ashleigh and her cousins, Peyton and Sydney, went to PopPop's today for a day of swimming and playing with some other kids. They had a GREAT time and PopPop even got Ash to eat a hot dog. That in itself is a miracle. I've never had luck getting her to eat a hot dog. The girl is just not much of a meat eater unless it is in chicken nugget or hamburger form.

Man, I always think a thousand things to blog about during the day, but I always draw a blank when I sit down at the computer. What's up with that?

I think Addy will be crawling soon...she gets up on those knees now. She needs a little more strength to hold up that "hefty" body and then that girl will be on the move.

Oh something funny...We were watching Big Brother on the DVR when we got back from dinner and when Steven got evicted Ash came up to me crying saying, "I don't want to watch Big Brother anymore" and I said "Why Ash?" and she said "because they are making Steven leave". That girl is so emotional sometimes and I thought it was so cute that she got sad for him. I don't know where she gets that from!

For all of you travelers out there...my sister Rae Carol has started her own travel agency. She'll be doing it on the side until her client base grows large enough to do it full time. She has always had a passion for planning trips, getting cheap fares, etc. So please, if you are traveling anywhere, please give her a shout, it doesn't cost you anything in most cases and she's really good at it! Good luck, RC!!

Man, Hurricane Dolly is still going strong and it's been on land all day. It looks like we won't see any rain from her. Surprise, surprise!

Addy Update

I didn't want to worry anyone since I told you we had to take Addy to the Pediatric Cardiologist, so I'm giving you an update. She had an echocardiogram this morning and it showed that her VSD (hole) is still there, but it has gotten smaller. She had another smaller one in another wall of her heart at birth, but it has completely disappeared. So this is all good news. The VSD is still presenting itself as a slight murmur but there is nothing to worry about. We don't have to go back for another echo for another 2 years and she shouldn't have any problems. I truly appreciate your concern for our daughter and I am just so thankful that she is a healthy baby!

Other than that, I stopped and bought lunch on the way home for the doctor. RC was nice enough to watch Ash while Addy and I went to the doctor, so I wanted to buy her and her clan lunch. We had Taco Casa...YumYum! Then worked the rest of the afternoon in a very busy and frantic way.

Cooked Enchiladas for dinner. They turned out pretty good. It's one of the few things that Ashleigh will eat that I make.

I had Brian check out my stitches (7 of them) tonight to make sure everything looked okay because they are a little sore. And Ash said the funniest thing, "Mommy has spiders on her back". We tried to explain to her that they are stitches like she has had before, but the girl has such a spider phobia, she wouldn't go near them. Too funny!

That's all I've got tonight folks, Sleep Tight!

Another Weekend Gone

Saturday started out in Grapevine meeting Kandice for Ashleigh's 5-year old pictures and Addy's 6-month old pictures. We met at the Botanical Gardens in Grapevine. I had never been there before but it is so beautiful. I'm always so anxious to see the pictures, but I know I must be patient. They always turn out really good because Kandice is just an awesome photographer! It'll be at least 2 weeks before I can view and share these pictures. The girls behaved pretty well. Ash is at this age where she just wants to smile cheesey and be silly. And of course she was paranoid about the spider webs, even though there wasn't any. We started at 9:00 and it was already so very hot. They had a water fountain that Ash wanted to visit every 3.5 minutes. Addy smiled nicely and sat up pretty good. I was paranoid that she would fall, cry, and thus ruin the rest of her pictures, but all was good. I would like to go back out when we have more time to just look around.

I took a pretty good nap after we got back while Brian was on a service call in Bedford. He was on-call this weekend and worked a good chunk of the weekend, especially today. 5 hours this morning in NRH and another 2 hours this afternoon in Arlington. Anyway, Saturday night we went to IHOP with the Harris'. We're such the party animals. Brian was craving breakfast for dinner. After that we went to The York's for a last minute decision game of poker. Thank goodness Brian won last hand so we broke pretty much even.

Today was rather uneventful. Like I said earlier, Brian worked most of the day. Well, I had to work too. I probably worked for about 5-6 hours. I have a deadline for tomorrow morning, so I had to finish a procurement package for Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. I should have finished Friday, but the 2 doctor's appointments put me a little behind.

Of course, Big Brother was on tonight. Here are a few random observations so far for the beginning of the season: Jessie likes himself WAY too much; Jessie has WAY too many muscles; I was glad to see Brian go last week - he thought he was so smart and had the house under his control; One word - Renny - I don't quite know what to say about her - very eccentric, loud, obnoxious, but seems like she can be sweet and compassionate - but talks about her adult son WAY too much; So far I do like Ollie, Dan, Keesha, and 1 or 2 others that I don't know their names yet; There are some feisty house guests this season, it should be good! Stay Tuned.

Tomorrow I have to take Addy to the Pediatric Cardiologist. I think most of you know, but just in case you don't, Addy was born with a Ventricular Septal Defect or VSD. It's not an uncommon birth defect and we are fortunate that Addy's is very slight. It was found by her Pediatrician while we were in the hospital when he heard a murmur. It is literally her blood "swooshing" through a hole in her heart which is located in the wall between 2 chambers. They said it should repair itself by the age of 3 and if it doesn't, it should not cause her any trouble whatsoever or affect her lifestyle in any way. Tomorrow she will have an echocardiogram (sonogram of the heart) to see if the hole has gotten smaller. When the Doctor was 1st telling us about her condition, it was so overwhelming and scary. My 10 hour old baby has a hole in her heart?!?! But we have been reassured it is not a big deal and she will be fine. They better be telling me the truth, because I HAVE to hold on to that.

Look below at a post I did this morning showing off my beautiful niece, Brittany. She is a Senior this year...Boo-Hoo!! I can't believe she will be going off to college in a year!

Lizzy wants me to pet her so bad, so I guess I better go give her some love. Have a GREAT week! Sleep Tight!

Brittany

So I've told you I want to be a Photographer when I grow up. My niece, Brittany is a Senior in High School this year so she needs senior pictures. She is having the "official" cap and gown, etc taken through the school, but we thought we might be able to save the Harris' a few bucks by trying to take the fun ones our self. We did our 1st session on Friday and here are just 3 of the 86 pictures I took. I may need to re-edit a few, somehow I cut her head off at the top without realizing. Our next shoot will be outdoors at either the Grapevine Botanical Gardens or the Little Chapel in the Woods at TWU.

Let me know what you think of these.







Have a GREAT Sunday!

P-A-I-N-F-U-L

I don't have much to say tonight except that Dr. Cook hurt me today, he hurt me bad! I had that "pea" sized cyst removed from my back today. Well, it ended up being "lima bean" sized. Apparently, since the skin on our backs is naturally tough, cysts grow down into the tissue. Opposed to like your face where it grows out because the skin is soft and flexible. So the "pea" we felt was just the tip of it. He gave me 4 lidacaine shots to numb it which hurt like a mother f&%$ing b&%$h. But then the deeper he got, the more I was feeling it. He said "I know I'm hurting you because I see your toes curling"...THEN STOP!!! This went on for like 30 minutes. The sensation I had was like a pair of tweezers pinching chunks of skin off over and over. He still wanted to remove my mole on my belly and I about wimped out on that one, but he assured me it wouldn't hurt like the back did. He was right, just one lidacaine shot (very painful) and the rest I didn't feel. But to top it all off, since it was considered in-office surgery, my co-payment doesn't apply, it has to go toward my deductible. And since they couldn't predict how much the insurance company would pay, I had to pay the whole thing up front...$400. Give me a break! Thank goodness I have left over hydrocodone from my c-section for situations just like this. He said take Advil or Aleve...Yeah, right, that'll work. Anyway, back there next Friday to have the stitches removed. I have no idea how many there are and Brian won't remove the bandage yet to look. He said he will on Sunday.

Anyway, Sleep Tight!

So Sleepy

I did not sleep well last night and by 5:00 am I gave up and just laid there in bed. Needless to say, I am quite sleepy today and am ready to hit the hay. One problem...I haven't watched Big Brother yet...Brian is watching Scare Tactics (and yes, most of you will know how fitting that it that Brian LOVES that show!!) and he won't let me watch BB yet. Bummer, I guess I'll be up a while because I won't be able to sleep knowing I have BB DVR'd without watching it. I couldn't watch it live because I was at Wal-Mart doing some grocery shopping while Ash was at Vacation Bible School. After dropping her off, we went to Texas Pit BBQ with the Harris'. Brittany even went! She only spends time with us when she's hungry. Too funny!

Speaking of Brittany, she is watching Ash a couple days a week until Band Camp starts on August 1s (I think). She started today and they made puppets, played basketball (for a short while cuz it was too hot), and played doctor with Britti being the patient. PeyPey was there too because they were both supposed to go to Dad's but Dad got sick and was throwing up. Brittany will watch Ash and Addy after she gets done with Fitness Camp while I go to the doctor to get a pea sized cyst removed from my back. If I'm fine after that little procedure, I will stop be Leapin' Lizards to see if it is suitable for Ashleigh's birthday party on August 9th. My baby will be 5 on the 11th. I can't even believe it.

Lawn guy came today...I love the way the lawn looks after a fresh cut!

The cleaning lady comes tomorrow, thank goodness because I don't even want to put Addy on the floor in it's current condition.

Oh, I finally get to watch BB, that's my cue to end for tonight. But 1st, here are a few pictures.

This one is funny because Shasta LOVES Addy and vice versa and despite my best efforts, they are always on the blanket together.




These are my favorite pictures that I took:

Sleep Tight!

Doctors, Bible School, & Such

Wow, it doesn't seem like it's been 4 days since I posted last, but I guess sometimes living life just gets in the way. We've been pretty busy over the weekend and today. On Saturday I went shopping to pick out some dresses for the girls for their photo shoot next weekend. Jessica was nice enough to come with me and her husband, Jeremy, was even nicer to watch not only his 2 kids, but my 2 kids also. I anticipated us only being gone like 3 hours at the most but we were gone like 5 1/2 hours. I couldn't believe it. We were just having no luck. We started at TJ Maxx hoping to find some cute Polo dresses...found some cute stuff for Addy but nothing for photos. Then to lunch. Then to Children's Place...bought Ash an outfit (the one in the new slideshow), but nothing for photos. Then to Bath and Body Works to re-stock the soap for the house. Then to Dillard's...bought Addy a couple of dresses, but nothing for photos. Then to Macy's...score!! I haven't been to Macy's in ages and figured I wouldn't be able to afford anything there, but they were having a really good sale! I decided to go with all white sundresses...they are not identicle, but just different enough to make the photos perfect....I hope! Addy's was $14 and Ash's was $11. And the dresses at Dillard's were like $10 and $12. I bought Polo and Nike at TJ Maxx for $10-$15. In fact, one of the Polo dresses I bought at TJM was $15, and we saw the EXACT same one at Dillard's for $35. Just crazy! I had never been to TJM before, so I'm glad Jessica suggested it, I really liked it! Unfortunately, we learned that Polo doesn't make clothes for girls in Ash's size range anymore.

Ashleigh started Vacation Bible School yesterday evening. It goes through Thursday from 6:00 through 8:30 in the evening. I didn't expect it at all but she cried when I dropped her off. When we showed up and were getting out of the car she said "I'm sad that you won't stay with me" and "I'm nervous that you're making me stay". I'm not sure what triggered it, because even on the 1st day of pre-K she didn't cry and she's really been outgoing lately. But in the end, she was fine and the teacher said she didn't cry after I left. AND she had a good time! So all was good. And today, there was no problem at all. Peyton and Sydney are also going to VBS but they are all in different classes since it goes by age.

After we got home this evening, we were watching "The Mole" and the contestants were having to bungee jump and Brian said "I would never bungee jump". Ashleigh said "I'll bungee jump with you Daddy, and you won't get a boo-boo, but you will get dizzy but then you won't be dizzy anymore and I'm a little nervous but we will be okay, Mommy is that bungee far away?" It's so funny to hear her "think" out loud. Also she has been saying things "dissapooint" her lately, but it comes out as "stusapoint" or something like that.

Both girls had their check ups today with Dr. Benzick. They both did really good. Ashleigh is 61 pounds (99%), 45 inches (93%), and perfectly healthy. Addy is 19.4 pounds (96%), 27.5 inches (96%), and head is 18 inches (99%). This compares with Ashleigh at 6 months at 20 pounds, 27 1/4 inches, and head was 17 1/4. So they are pretty even. He was very pleased with Addy's development thus far and happy with her 3 healthy looking teeth...yes, another one broke through the other day on the top. I raised a concern that a few people on separate occasions have brought to my attention that she won't look at them. she ca be right in front of you but she looks to the side, even if you keep turning her towards you. He said he's not worried about that because at the 9 month check up is when he asks about making eye contact. As were talking about it, she was intently focused on my watch, so he said it is completely normal if she isn't interested in making eye contact. I did get sad when Addy was getting her 3 shots because Ashleigh got real sad and was tearing up and upset that her sister was getting hurt. Ash has a lot of empathy and can be a very caring little girl.

My goodness, it's 11:00 already, I must go to bed. But 1st I'd like to wish my friend, Meredith, a VERY Happy Birthday today! I hope your day was GREAT today!

These photos are a couple of my favorites that I took, let me know what you think! Sleep Tight.

p.s. I tried uploading the photos but got an error 1, 674 times...I give up for now!

Happy 6 Months Birthday Addy

It is just so hard to believe that my Baby Girl is 6 months old today. If I thought time flew prior to her birth, it is ridiculously flying now! I'm trying hard to enjoy every moment and I feel I'm doing the best I possibly can with the time that is given to me. It's so hard to be a working parent. I know a lot of you know this. I am incredibly blessed to be able to work at home and care for my children. However, I do think my girls are a bit deprived of quality interaction with other people and children. In other words, they are bored. It's a double-edged sword to be honest....on one hand they're home with me, but bored. On the other hand, they could be away from me but spending quality time in a formal setting with a quality curriculum...grrr, the pros and cons. In any event, Addy has her 6-month check up on Monday and Ash has her 5-year checkup at the same time...should be interesting!

Thank You to RC today for picking up Ashleigh to go to the grocery store with her, to Pop-Pop's house, and to MeMe's house. It gave her something to do and she loves spending time with her Auntie Rae and Sydney. And it gave her something to do today. Peyton will be here tomorrow for her regularly scheduled Friday visit while Ally works at our A/C office. Mom wants to meet for lunch after she goes to kidney clinic...we'll see how my morning goes with work. I'm all caught up with my monthly reports, but I'm waiting for 2 people to complete theirs so I can review them.

On to the sweetness that is the Dallas Cowboys and their biggest fan! RC happened to see the picture Kevin stole from me sitting on their dresser and she stole it back and brought it to me. I later found out that Kevin was bringing it in from his car and was going to put it in his sock drawer, but accidentally left it out. You have to get up pretty early to ultimately beat us girls!! I'll give you a little background...Kevin has always been a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I could swear that Steve was a Cowboys fan when we met and for a period of time after that. Then all of a sudden he was a Steelers' fan too and denied ever being a Cowboys fan. What is up with these Texas born and bred boys that are Steelers' fans?!?! It just disgusts me! Anyway, here is the proof that Steve was/is a Cowboys fan...



Do you need a closer look?



Not close enough? How about this?



That's right...Super Bowl Champs!! Admit it Steve!! There is no more denying, it's time to face the facts! Don't be afraid, Kevin will still love you! hehehe, I LOVE it!

Me and the girls went for a short walk tonight to the park so Ashleigh could play a little while Brian worked on his motorcycle. Addy just loves being outside and it really relaxes her. If she is upset, we can go outside and it immediately calms her down.

OMG, Ashleigh just went to the bathroom and she is in there right now saying "my butt hurts and my pee-pee is hot, can I have soda-pop to make it feel better, Mommy come help me". I sure hope she doesn't have a UTI. She drinks a lot of water so I don't know. She does this every so often but I know it's not a UTI because she is always fine the next time she goes potty. Who knows.

Oh, funny thing she did last night that I really need to get on video. She had just gotten out of the bathtub and I was moisturizing her face. And she said "does this lotion make my face pretty?" And I said "of course, it does". Then she said (in a very seductive voice, eyes closed, hands motioning across her hair, and moving her hips around) "how about my body?" It was so funny and I could not stop laughing. Of course now she thinks its funny and shes been saying it all day.

Okie Dokie, I hope you all have a GREAT Friday! Sleep Tight!

Old Photos

I had every intention of blogging last night, but I ended up working until about 9:00 and by the time I finished I had such a migraine. I was in bed by 9:50 and took a hydrocodone. I woke up at 2:30 am because I heard Ashleigh going to the bathroom and I STILL had a migraine. What's up with that? Time to ask my gyno for more Relpax...it is the only thing that touches my migraines and they are related to my cycles. I had a bunch but I couldn't take it during my pregnancy, and now it all expired..grrrr. Luckily when I woke up it was gone for the most part. I could feel it wanting to come back, but I doped up on ibuprofen and it's been kept at bay today, thank goodness! Work has been busy, but I met my deadline and now I'm working on reviewing everyone's monthly reports (Performance Status Reports or PSRs). The Air Force has so many acronyms it's crazy! I guess it's probably any government entity, but I could probably write a whole sentence with just acronyms, ha!

Oh, back to Ash going to the bathroom at 2:30 am...when she opened her bedroom door she paused and then we hear real fast foot steps and then the bathroom door shut. Then when she was done, we hear the bathroom door open, then a pause, then real fast foot steps, then her door shutting. This morning I asked her if she was scared of the dark, and she said "No, I didn't want the cat to bite me". I don't know why she thinks the cat would bite her. If you know Lizzy, you know she is VERY unsocial. She gives new meaning to the term "scaredy cat". Ash has probably never been able to get close enough to her to even pet her. Probably Lizzy has hissed at her a time or two, so maybe that's where her fear is coming from. Lizzy only loves me.

Ash hurt my feelings today...she said "I'm going to find a new Mommy". When I asked her why, she said, "I want a new Mommy because you're mean". I don't know why she thinks I'm mean. I guess because I told her no when she asked for a piece of candy. I tried to explain to her that Mommy tells her no to things that aren't good for her. We don't eat candy right after eating breakfast. She seemed to get it, we'll see. Oh, and she's very anxious to get my diamond ring when I die. Nice.

Addy continues to grow like a weed. Her 6-month checkup is next week, so I'll be curious to see how much she has grown. Ashleigh has her 5-year checkup at the same time. I've been working with Addy on sitting up with the hope she might be able to for her pictures on the 19th. She doesn't really fall over but she is pretty much slumped over more than sitting up. 10 more days to work on it.

Now on to the old pictures. My main purpose of doing this was because Brian found one with Steve wearing a Dallas Cowboys ball cap. Hello, Steve, the alleged Pittsburgh Steelers fan?!?! Once a Cowboy fan, ALWAYS a Cowboy fan!! He's so busted. However, when I was about to start scanning in pictures this evening, the Harris clan came over. Kevin was looking at them and I didn't think anything of it, even though RC warned me that he would destroy it. But he looked at it, put it down, and I figured all was good. Well, after they leave and I'm uploading them to the blog, I realize the one of Steve as the BIG Cowboys fan is missing. Damn that Kevin!! He did something to it. He says he doesn't have it....well, I know that, he hid it somewhere or destroyed it!! Grrr...not happy! Anyway, here are some others.

This is Me and Ally in 1995:



Me, Ally, Brian, and Steve at the Roller Skating rink for one of Brittany's birthday parties:



This is embarrassing of me...my high school graduation party in 1990...look at those earrings & big hair!



Nice bangs, Brian!! Probably around 1997.



Okay, I liked this one of me...they can't all be embarrassing! But look at those poof curtains! This was my room at my Dad's house...probably around 1993.



Oh Kevin, nice shirt! Oh, and that smile is pretty funny too! Oh, and look, you had hair!



I like this one because it shows how big RC's hair was and how cute Brittany was as a kid.



My Dad boozing it up! This is funny because my Dad doesn't drink...good blackmail photo!



My Dear Mom-Mom West...she hasn't been with us for quite some time now...she LOVED visiting us in Texas from New Jersey, as you can see in her necklace.



My lovely Mom-Mom Wilson with my Mom. She passed away shortly after Ally and I graduated from high school. My Mom is her only child.



I had fun going through old pictures but it was quite a task. I had a big moving box at my Dad's that he made me take and has been sitting in the garage. When Brian was cleaning out the garage this weekend, he brought it in and made me go through it. I could have scanned thousands of pictures. I divided them up between me and my sisters. I'll have to put the "keepers" in photo albums or maybe a photo box.

Sleep Tight!

Fun Fourth

I hope you all had a Very Happy 4th of July! We had a good time doing the usual stuff. We started the day going to a parade in Lake Country. This is a fairly large
subdivision located on Eagle Mountain Lake and their HOA hosts a parade every year. We had never gone before, but Ally was in it for her real estate agency so she wanted to go. She chose a location near the beginning so that we make an easy escape at the end. As it turns out, if you want a lot of candy, the beginning of the parade route in definitely the place to be. While RC held Addy, me, Ash, Brian, and Kevin were picking up the candy...we were exhausted and sweaty by the time the parade got past us! We had more candy than on Halloween! Hmmm, that will secretly have to find itself in the trash can so Ash doesn't drive us crazy wanting some. Here are a few photos from the parade:




Then we were able to chill out a little at home before heading to Dad's for his annual party. If he would have had his way, we would have been there by noon, but we decided 3:00 was early enough being that we would be there until 11:00 when the fireworks are over. Anyway, the party was good, there wasn't too many people there this year which means there was a ton of potato salad left. It doesn't make me happy to make 10 pounds of potato salad just to have 5 pounds left! Oh well. The best part of the party was when Brian tried to get Kevin in the pool after Kevin had sprayed Brian with the hose. They both ended up in the pool, including Brian's brand new Blackberry. Geesh, it's always something! Yes, it's ruined! Here's a photo of them recovering. Brian had him, but Brian's shoes slipped out from under him and he landed right on his butt and Kevin pulled him in...despite Brian's best effort, it was all over:



Here's one of Pop-Pop and his granddaughters:



These are from the fireworks, people must have complained about the sucky fireworks last year, because they were much better this year. Here is the York Family:




Here are the Little Princesses:



Addy seemed to really enjoy the fireworks with her Daddy. The noise didn't seem to bother her too much, we were a couple miles away from them.



Brittany holding Addy with her friend, Justin:



And my favorite picture of all...



I have no idea what that face is about! Is she crying? Is she trying to be silly? Is she going #2? I really don't know!! RC, any ideas? Too funny! I'm sure she'll love me for putting it on here!

Brian went to Bike Night tonight...every 1st Saturday of the month. He went with his sister, Katie. While he was gone, me, The Harris', and the York's went to Joe's on Denton Hwy and then played Poker at my house. When the Harris' weren't bickering, the York's were, and vice versa! Geesh, I can't imagine why we don't play very often anymore. Kevin kept burping stinky burps, Ally and Steve were fighting over peanut M&Ms, then Ally was holding the ding dongs hostage, RC was acting like she was on speed and couldn't sit still, and everyone was irritated at me for taking too long making decisions. Yup, good times! ha!

Hmmm...what's on the schedule for tomorrow? I'm not sure yet, definitely some laundry and I would like to wash my car inside and out. I really should get some work done too, but we'll see.

Enjoy the last day of your weekend! Sleep Tight!

Sore Finger Nails

Oh man, my finger nails are so sore. Most of you know what I've been doing tonight since it's the eve of Independence Day. That means a night filled with cooking potato salad. It wasn't so easy either, both of my thumb nails broke real short and I use them to peel the cooked potatoes (if I use a peeler on cooked potatoes, I lose too much potato). Anyway, because of that it took forever to peel 10 pounds of potatoes...yes 10 pounds! I started cooking the potatoes at 4:00 and I just got finished at 10:45 tonight. Such a pain! But Brian is very proud of his wrapping job...I was just going to foil the bowls, but he insisted on using saran wrap because it is air tight. Well, he used a whole roll and part of another...he has called his wrapping job "flavor-lock". My hubby cracks me up. I hope everyone appreciates the "flavor-lock"!! Yes Jessica, I put some aside for you! :)

Anyway, I am so thankful for the 3-day weekend, it is much needed. Though, I fear I will be working at some point this weekend. I have a project due the 8th and I still have a lot to do. I hate to take the chance of not having it done and I pride myself on not requesting help to finish my work. We'll see what happens.

In the morning we are going to take the girls to the 4th of July parade in Lake Country. Ally and her other realtor buddies are in the parade and she wants us to go. Ash will enjoy it...mainly because of the candy they throw to the kids. Then I hope to stop somewhere to get a new flag, ours was so shredded it was a disgrace, so we took it down. But I hate not having one up for July 4th, so we will stop and get a new one. Surely Wal-Mart will be open or something. Then we'll head to Dad's for our annual celebration.

Sydney is heading to Washington D.C. tomorrow morning to visit with her Aunt Carrie, Sherry, and cousin Tyler for a few days. She is flying with Sherry but standby with one of my Mom's passes. The flights look pretty good going up, but I'm nervous about her getting home...there are like 18 seats available now but it's still 4 days away. Hopefully they won't get booked so she can fly home with Sherry. Please say a prayer! I hope they all have a good time together. It's going to be weird not having Syd with us on July 4th :( But she is very excited!

Ash spent the night with Sydney last night. It was a last minute decision when Kevin came over to get a haircut and Syd came along. Syd called her Mom and asked if Ash could spend the night and she said sure. So of course they both begged me if it was okay, so I eventually gave in after I made them sweat it out for a little while. Naturally Ash didn't want to come so RC took her with them to run some errands. RC bought her a bra and matching panties...it has the Little Mermaid on it with polka dots. Ash is kind of bra obsessed for some odd reason, she has been wanting one for a while. She's sleeping in them right now. If she only believed me how she'll despise them later in life. OY!!

Here are some more old pictures, these are of Ashleigh that my friend, Alma, took for me.

At Alma's house when she was a little over a year old:

Same day at Alma's, different outfit after a minor diaper explosion:

Also at Alma's when she was about 5-6 months old, I think:

At our Christmas party, she was only 4 months old. The blond is Deena and Alma is in the stripes:

Ash's 1st birthday...look at those pearly whites and those blue eyes (that she had until she was 3 then they turned green overnight!

Oh, it's after midnight, Happy July 4th everyone! Have a safe and fun weekend! Sleep Tight!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Ashleigh had a great time at Nicki and Gannon's house today. Cathy said all 4 kids behaved well and got along just fine. Hmmm...I wonder how honest she was being. She was so brave and took them to McDonald's AND the grocery store! I am impressed. When I had all 4 kids I stayed in and ordered pizza! Well, I guess I had 5 kids because Addy was here too. But still!! I'm glad Ash had fun, they don't get to have play dates very often, so it was nice for her to get out of the house. Oh, and I guess I benefited from the peace and quiet too! ha!

Work was pretty hectic today. Just as I was settling into my "easy" day today, my task manager emailed and asked if I could totally re-do a SOW (statement of work for those of you who don't comprende) that was all screwed up. The girl that was working on it went on vacation and left it in horrible shape - wrong format and version - amongst other problems. I had to start it over from scratch. Oh, and of course in true Air Force fashion, it was due today. Anyway, it all got done and just in the nick of time! Now on to my new project, a whole package due July 8th...with a holiday in there! Oh, and monthly PSRs (project status reports for those of you who don't comprende, ha!) are due in a few days! But I am not complaining...I am so blessed to be able to work at home and care for my children. It's challenging, but I wouldn't change a thing!

Tomorrow is Saginaw Water Park day. I'm glad Ash will get another day out and about. Thank you RC for inviting her along!

So RC started her scrapbook today. I found this out by reading her blog today. I thought she wanted me to help her get started and show her a few things. Apparently I was wrong. What's up with that? I would love to scrap with her, but I guess her and Sydney are going to do it together. My feelings aren't hurt, really. No, really, I'm fine, she doesn't need me to help her. Seriously, it's all good. I'm okay, don't worry about me. hehehe!

Well, to wrap up this evening, I have decided to pull out some old pictures since I have taken any lately. These are from our trip to Germany during Christmas 2002. Oh, and I was about 1 month pregnant with Ashleigh and sooo sick the whole time we were there. This 1st one cracks me up, it was our first time to see the Mercedes smart car.



How beautiful is this?



If I remember right, this is the Olympic Stadium.



We took a horse and carriage ride to one of the castles.



Me at the Christmas market doing a little shopping.



Us with Brian's Mom, Margarete, in front of one of the MANY beautiful backdrops of Germany.



It was a trip we will never forget and it was the last time Brian got to see his Grandmother before she passed away.

Sleep tight!