Texas Adventures II: Old Friends and a Good Samaritan

While we were in Texas visiting my sister, I was able to arrange a playdate with Kim and the littlest peanut! Kim suggested a fabulous park in the middle of the city. It was perfect, and the girls had a great time. The park had a neat playground with a "big girl" slide. I tried to dissuade Eveley from the slide but she was having none of that. She went straight for it, plopped down, and flew to the bottom.









The park also had a great sprinkler play area. Thank goodness! It was very hot!






It was so nice to be able to see Kim and Kate. We had a delicious lunch and then I got to go tour the Peanuts' new abode. That was tons of fun! I love looking at houses, and this one is simply gorgeous.

On our last evening, we took Eveley to get some yummy ice cream and play outside at a park. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied with keeping up with her and the stroller that I left my wallet on a park bench. I did not realize this until we were back at Kate's apartment. She raced back to the park, but the wallet was not there. By this time, it was after 9:00 and my flight left the next morning at 10. I had nothing -- no driver's license, no cash, no credit cards, no checkbook. Everything important was in that wallet, including a generous gift card to Cold Stone that a friend had just given me!!

I immediately called Bob to cancel my credit card and checks and then called the airport to see what on earth I was supposed to do. They told me to bring any identifying information that I could and arrive early. I would have to go through extra security measures but was told that I would likely be able to board.

So, I got there early with my identifying information: my bottle of prescribed prenatal vitamins and my badge from the MOPS conference. Literally, that was all I had! I also tried to show off my monogrammed bag, as if that was an identifying piece of information.... Oh well, it couldn't hurt, I thought. They frisked me and Eveley. She was pretty confused with the whole procedure but maintained her calm. We were finally allowed to board and had no other issues getting home. What a relief!

The next day, I got a phone call from a police detective who informed me that some man had turned in my wallet. He went through the list of its contents. I suppressed the desire to ask if the Cold Stone gift card was there. But after he finished, I realized that everything was accounted for! Yippee! It is in the process of being mailed back to me, but I am so thankful for this honest man. I will get his information from the detective and thank him personally.



Hopefully, this will not be my last visit to Texas. But next time, we're driving!

Texas Adventures

As I mentioned, Eveley and I just got back from an 8-day trip to Texas to visit my sister Kate who moved there last year. We had not seen her since Christmas and missed her terribly!

Kate (or, Katie as I know her. She became "Kate" when she went to college!) works in the youth ministry at a large church near the Houston area. She's all grown up! I am six years older than her, but we are very close. I would not have believed we would have ever been good friends when we were growing up. She totally got on my nerves! She was my "designated double-dater" which meant I had to take her along if I wanted to go out with a boy at the age of 16. She said terribly embarassing things and saw me get my "first kiss". She ran straight and told my parents which resulted in a month long grounding for me! I am laughing at all of these stories now, but at the time, they were not funny!

I love Kate (and my other 3 siblings), and she is a perfect aunt.







Robbie called her "Tatie" and Eveley labeled her "Mimi" this week. It's so cute. She still asks for Mimi when she wakes up in the morning.





In another moment of delusion, I flew by myself with Eveley to Kate's college graduation 2 weeks after Eveley was born. Some people never learn...


The last half of this trip was planned to allow me to attend a MOPS Convention in Dallas with some girlfriends.



We had a fabulous time!

Eveley stayed with Kate for 3 days. This was the longest I have ever been apart from her. But Eveley had a terrific time. She enjoyed a pedicure, yummy snacks, and lots of playground time. And, we can't forget, she befriended the dog.

Eveley found this dog in the back of Kate's closet. It was an old gift from an old boyfriend. Kate just knew it would come in handy one day, and it did!





I returned late Saturday night. When Eveley woke up Sunday morning and saw me, she gave the biggest, cutest smile I've ever seen! Then she layed on me for a long time. I missed that little stinker!

To Fly or Not To Fly

That is a question I should have asked 9 days ago!


Eveley and I just returned from an 8 day trip to Texas. When I was planning this trip, I mistakenly believed that I was Superwoman.


Nothing was too hard for me! So, I could fly with a 17-month-old seated on my lap being 30 weeks pregnant, right?

Well, sadly I have realized that there are a few things too hard for me. This was one of them.

Our trip began last Sunday. Someone (Superwoman) booked us on a flight that didn't leave until 5:30 pm, connected in Atlanta with a 2-hour layover, and then continued with a 2-hour flight to our Texas destination, arriving around 11:00 pm.

We sat on the tarmac in Atlanta for 45 minutes and were seated next to some unfriendly and obviously childless people. Oh, and did I mention my back is broken and my belly is large?

Hmmm... I am journalling all of this information in case I am ever tempted to do this again.

The return trip was much better. On our first flight, we sat next to Santa Claus who worked for Billy Graham (seriously). He was very kind and helpful with Eveley.


On our second flight, the stewardesses felt sorry for me and bumped us up to First Class. Eveley and I had our own seats and it was fabulous. She was still a little stinker but a kind lady handed me a packet of mini-M&Ms. She was one of many angels I encountered on the return trip!!


This little princess.... a stinker??? Surely not!

I must say we had a fabulous trip and made many many memories! I will post about them later. Right now, I am plum tuckered out!!

Storm Upgrade

Tropical Storm Eveley has been upgraded to a Category 5.

Our little tornado has gained strength and confidence over the past few weeks and is getting the best of us.

Around 8:30 this morning, I fixed Eveley a bowl of oatmeal and went to call her into the kitchen. The phone rang, and I rushed into the kitchen to answer it. I assumed it was my mom calling to chat. Well, it was the judge I work for needing to have a lengthy conversation about a case we are working on. I knew Eveley was watching Mickey Mouse and assumed she was fine. So I brought my laptop into the kitchen to finish the conversation. When I got off the phone (about 15 minutes later), I walked into the living room to find this:







After cleanup:

New Season = New Shoes

The weather is changing and, in our neck of the woods, it's been just perfect. Beautiful, sunny days and nice, comfortable temperatures. I love this time of year. But, along with the changing temperatures, comes the change in wardrobe. As a mom, you not only have to stress about your seasonal style but have to make sure your children have all the right-sized clothes for this time of year.

That is a huge task! The older the children get, the smaller the baby-shower stash is. And now I'm actually having to go out and shop for Eveley's full fall wardrobe. Girls are much more difficult. There are shoes, tights, bloomers, hairbows, coats, hats! Aaahh!

Eveley has outgrown every pair of shoes. Her little toes just hang over her sandals right now. So I purchased her first addition to the fall wardrobe - new shoes! They are a little big right now but fit pretty well with a pair of socks. She loves them and immediately wanted to wear them around the house.





Outfitting a boy was much easier. Just some jeans, khakis, a few rugby shirts, and a pair of dress and play shoes, and he was set. I do remember buying Robbie his first pair of "big boy" shoes. He too wanted to wear them around the house (but that was all he wanted to wear)! I couldn't even get the tag removed first!




(Had to make Robbie a grass skirt with my scrapbook program!)

He would have preferred to wear his "milkin' boots" everywhere he went!



What is it about my kids and wearing pants!!

Help Wanted!

The time has come. Eveley is growing up, and I'm afraid she's getting bored with me!

I remember clearly when Robbie hit this mark too. He no longer was interested in squeaky and crinkly toys or chewing on things. He had matured beyond his toy stash. So, I took him to the store and got him several "older toys." We bought a big dump truck, tool bench, and a safari jeep that made all sorts of animal sounds.

Eveley appears to be feeling the same way. And I am having a hard time finding the right toys for her. I organized the playroom this week and separated out all of the "baby" toys to save for baby #3. Eveley loves books and that has been my saving grace. We can read books all day long. She has puzzles and magnets that she enjoys too. But I need her to have a few toys to help her play independently. And the other requirement -- they can't take up too much room. I can't turn my entire house into a daycare!

So, Eveley has resorted to finding her own play gyms throughout the house. She is a true monkey!

(This is why we can no longer leave a chair pushed away from the table.)



When I called her out, she blew me a kiss.



And this time, she tried to appease me by offering me some of her fruit loops.

Everytime I turn the corner, she is finding another new place to play. And she loves to find things just her size that make the perfect chair.





So, I am soliciting any advice you have to offer. How have you helped transition your playroom as your children go through the various stages?? We are planning to get her a kitchen set for Christmas (if I can hold out that long)!

On a Lighter Note

I realize that this blog can sometimes be heavy, but I don't want it to be depressing! I have enjoyed blogging and using it to express my emotions and the things I have been thinking about or working through. It's been very therapeutic. And I must thank my lovely friend Kim for exposing me to the wonderful world of blogging!

So, I thought I would take the time today to look back on this crazy week!

First, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong on Friday. I have been having terrible back problems for over 2 weeks. I can hardly walk and just try to scoot through the house. I totally need a cane! That has affected everything. I have to beg Eveley to come to me since I cannot pick her up or chase after her. I have to pick up toys with my toes (which, as some of my closer friends know, is not too difficult for me). I have been in pretty constant pain but can't take anything because of my pregnancy. So, it has been a frustrating week and, I'll admit, I have been a beast!

With that in mind, I had been working all day Friday on a project for work. Eveley had taken a nice, long nap and I was almost finished with the project. I fed Eveley her lunch and settled her down to watch Baby Einstein for a moment while I put on the finishing touches and emailed it to my boss. As I was getting behind my desk to sit down, my ever-growing belly knocked over my freshly filled tall glass of water. It spilled right into my laptop and the screen went blank! To make a long story short, I almost hyperventilated and hurriedly called our IT guys to figure out what to do. They told me to remove a few components, turn it on its side, and let it dry out in front of a fan for a few days. A few days! I don't have a few days! Oh well. Once again, life threw on the brakes, and I was not prepared. So, I took the rest of the day off and turned to another of my 5 million projects that could be done without the laptop.

Sunday afternoon, I had waited long enough. I looked at the computer and prayed! God, you can heal people. So surely you can heal computers. Pleeeeaease heal this computer! I prayed this as I closed my eyes and pushed the power button. Voila! Here I am. The computer is perfect. My work was all saved and recovered. And my blood pressure has returned to normal. Hallelujah!

So, enough of the week's cruddy memories. Here are some of the best!

Eveley has started singing. It's the cutest thing I've ever heard. We have a VeggieTales worship CD that stays in the car. In fact, I bought it for Robbie for Christmas and it has been in the car since then. He loved it and Eveley is obsessed. As soon as we get into the car, she points up front and says "music, music." Yesterday, I noticed that she was actually singing along. The first song is, "Come, Now is the Time to Worship." Eveley only knows one word of the song - come - but that's not bad since it's a very important word in the song. She tries to sing it at the right time but, usually a beat too early or a few beats later, you'll hear her say "Come."

But don't let her sweet singing fool you. She is our little tornado. Thank goodness she is a good sleeper. Because when she is awake, you better be on your toes!

We have a finished basement that houses our exercise equipment, guest bed, toys, and all of the baby storage. There are numerous rubbermaid tubs that are storing all of Eveley and Robbie's baby clothes and gear. On top of those is Eveley's safari bouncy seat. It's being stored awaiting the new baby. Sunday morning, we were getting ready to leave for church. I let Eveley play in the basement with her toys while I was packing her diaper bag upstairs in the kitchen. I called for her to come and she didn't respond. I could hear the toys making noise but could not get her to come to me. I walked down the stairs and could hear the toys but could not find her. Then, I looked up. And there she was -- sitting in her bouncy seat and flicking the jungle animals. I'm telling you. She is a mess! I have no idea how she climbed up there and wiggled her big self into the seat.

Well, to conclude this week's post, I must tell you of a new website I was introduced to. This will definitely provide a good laugh when you've got a little time to experiment. It is www.yearbookyourself.com Here is Bob's 1976 yearbook picture (which, I must add, looks a little like Eveley!)



And my 1980 yearbook picture.



These are hilarious, although they're not much funnier than our original yearbook pictures. (Not going to share those at this time!)