Lowering the Crib...Again

Tonight my husband lowered the crib for the third, and final, time. It doesn't go any lower than this...

The guys were all excited to get to use some power tools...

And they quickly got right to work!

There you have it, folks! We've answered the age-old question: "How low can ya' go?"

Tidbits

What Does the Monkey Say?

One of the toddler's favorite things is his monkey that he sleeps with every night and drags around the house with his other lovey, Bear-Bear, all day (except when Mommy sneaks them off to the "bath"...aka, the washing machine). But Monkey serves another purpose outside of favorite lovey #2...

When my son was little, he used to ham. it. up. for the camera.

But not anymore.

So, I have a new way to get that precious smile that I love oh so much. I just ask, "What does Monkey say?" To which he always replies, "E! E! E!" It's in the middle of the E's that I've learned to snap the camera...

The Letter 'A'

I have been working with little man on the letters in his name. Well, we started off with 'A.' I decided it would be a good idea to put an 'A' in one of the cup holders in his car seat, and that way we could talk about all the words that start with 'A' while he was trapped sitting in the car.

Soon enough, he got it! As soon as we would get in the car, he would pick up the letter 'A' and announce, "A!!"

It made my mommy heart happy. :)

Except...

Now he thinks that every single letter is the letter 'A.' We've tried to move on to 'N.' He just won't have it. Every time I ask, "What letter is this?" I get the same stinkin' answer. Oh well. It's cute. :)

A Different Attitude

I know you're probably laughing at me (you should be), but I'm going to really try to have a different attitude about this semester of grad school. It is--after all--my last, except for my thesis. I'm going to try really hard to get swept up in the autumnal, pencil-sharpening, crisp air, fresh-start attitude that school brings with it. I'm going to soak it up, because I know that I will miss it. All I've ever known is school; I've never been without it.

So, I'm going to stop thinking/stressing/worrying/complaining about the bajillion things on my plate, and (I'm good at this in the kitchen, at least) I'm going to ENJOY the bajillion things on my plate! :)

Nostalgia and Insanity

Nostalgia and insanity. I feel I've been swinging between the two lately. As a mom, I've learned to take everything one day at a time and to try to never let anything be that big of a deal. Clearly, if you know me, I'm failing miserably at both of these things. But I'm trying, people, I'm trying. :)

This pretty much sums up the situation:

Why am I teetering on the brink of insanity?

Well (jury duty, grad school, thesis writing, mommyhood, job aside), the toddler has been uuuper-super-duper clingy lately. Like, whoa.

We're talking, I can be playing with him in the playroom for twenty minutes, and I get up to change the laundry to the dryer, and he will start screaming hysterically. We're talking he doesn't like to be in the highchair because it's simply too far away from Mommy. Every morning, we walk with two of my friends and their babies, and every morning we let the kiddos play for thirty minutes or so afterward. Nope. He won't have it. If one of the other toddlers gets too close to me, he goes. to. pieces.

I'm just about ready to rip my hair out.

But, I know this--like the rest of my very limited parenting experience tells me--is just a phase. (Oh Lord, please let it just be a phase.)

This morning after our walk, we met some friends at The Painted Pig to make Grandparent's Day gifts.

This is how that went (in case you haven't already guessed):

Being ready to rip your hair out by eleven is never a good sign. In fact, it's a sign that a verrrrry looooong day is headed your way.

But enough complaining about that. It's a phase. It's a phase. It's a phase.

I'd like to end on a positive note. So, why am I nostalgic?

Here's why:

Yes, that is my son's new backpack for mother's day out.

I know it's silly, because it's just one day a week, but I am seriously getting teary-eyed just thinking about it (also, I'm getting fearful of the phone call that my son simply will not stop crying, and I need to pick him up, and of course I cannot get what precious little money I have back).

I know I'm going to get more work done. I know it's going to be good for him (duh, did you read the first part of this post??). I know that it's the first step in the MDO, Pre-school, (sniffle, sniffle) HALF-DAY Kindergarten road.

But still.

It makes me sad that he has a little backpack, and that I'm going to pack his little lunch, and that I really, really am going to miss him alllllll day long.

So, here's to nostalgia and insanity. Two emotions that probably are not too far separated for most mothers out there. :)



Video: Daddy's Scooter

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I wish I could take credit for this a-ma-zing casserole, but my friend Christi gave me this recipe (I tweaked just a few things, because I used more meat than the original recipe). If you make this for dinner, you will be oh so glad that you did! I haven't made a main dish this good in a long time! And it was super easy to prepare!

You will need:

• 1 1/2 lb. of chicken tenderloins
• 1/2 cup of wing sauce
• 2 lb. bag of frozen, southern-style hash browns
• 1 cup of ranch dressing
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of celery soup
• 1 1/2 cups of crushed corn flakes
• 6 tbsp. of butter, melted
• salt

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 dish.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together chicken tenders and wing sauce.
3. In a large bowl, stir together hash browns, ranch dressing, soup, and cheese. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Spoon potato mixture into dish. Place chicken tenders on top, drizzling remaining wing sauce over chicken.
5. Stir together corn flakes and melted butter. Sprinkle over casserole.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Craving Fall and Football

In the midst of this scorching southern summer, I find myself craving fall and all that comes with it! Fall is my favorite season because of football (and Halloween, and fall decorations, and cooler weather, and pretty hiking, and my favorite holiday Thanksgiving)!

Football is practically a religion in my family. Every single Saturday, we drive over to my parents house and dine on cheesedip, hotdogs, and beer for twelve straight hours. Yes, it is a season of pudginess. But it's so worth it. My favorite teams?

The Razorbacks...

The Baylor Bears...

And the LSU Tigers (calm down, people, I'm from Louisiana)...

My list of most-despised teams? Ohio State--never have I ever, ever, ever hated a team more. Yuck. I cannot even talk about it. Ew. Second, Texas A&M for obvious reasons--they're Baylor's #1 rival. They're pretty stupid. I almost feel sorry for them. And finally, Tennessee. Yucky, ew, disgusting. Hate, hate, hate Tennessee football. I love to see all three of these teams lose each and every time. :)

Come on, football season, get here already!!



Pudlumps Turns 18!

Yesterday was my brother's eighteenth birthday. We all went out to Kobe's to celebrate the big occasion!

[Side note: We all call my brother "Pudlumps." This is short for "Puddle of big, fat, hairy, ugly lumps." My sister and I named him that probably a decade ago. The name stuck.]

So, happy 18th birthday, little bro! I love you to bits and pieces!

Also, on another side note, we are teaching the toddler "TOUCHDOWN!!" for when the Razorbacks score a million touchdowns this season! He's pretty good at it, right!?

Wedding Fun

On Saturday, one of my best friends got married! The wedding, which took place at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, was beautiful. It looked like something out of Father of the Bride. And Kacie looked stunning!

The first night we got in, we went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. I had never been before, but I'd heard amazing things. Well, it did not disappoint! The food was so good!

Then, that night was the bachelorette party!

The next day, we went to the bridesmaids' luncheon at Brio. The food was delish! I had a wedge salad and the brick chicken. Then, we had cakeballs for dessert. Yum!

Right after the luncheon, we went to--I kid you not!--a pampering party. Now this is my kind of party! We painted our nails, ate scrumptious food, and got professional massages. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven!!

After a lovely rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that evening, it was officially buckle-down time! We stayed up late that night planning all the last-minute details, and then the wedding madness began!

The church was so breathtakingly beautiful, that I had to snap a few shots before the ceremony.



The wedding was so sweet. While the ceremony was just perfect, I will take away the most precious memory from before the wedding. The pastor had just come in to pray over Kacie, and we all held hands and bowed our heads. But during the prayer, I looked up and watched my sweet friend. I thought about our friendship, and her relationship with her (now) husband, and all of our memories together. And her face was priceless. There was so much hope and excitement. Her lips were quivering and she had tears in her eyes. She looked exactly like a bride should look: a little nervous, stunningly gorgeous, and absolutely brimming with love. It was truly one of the sweetest things I've ever seen in my entire life.

After the wedding, we headed over the Colonial Country Club of Fort Worth for the reception. All I can say is: great music, great food, great fun!

The Anti-Snuggle Gene

The Anti-Snuggle Gene, or ASG.

I've got it. I'm a carrier. I guess I inherited it from some relative way down the line, but yep, I greatly dislike snuggling.

It's sad, right!?

Let me tell you, before my husband and I even knew where we would be living, we went to Sears and bought a king-sized bed.

It's never been much of an issue, though. I will cuddle with my hubby when we watch a movie (er...twice a year, maybe?), and occasionally when my husband hits the snooze button at four a.m., I will snuggle him for a couple of minutes.

But, I'm afraid I've passed the gene on.

To my son.

Dangit.

I see pictures on Facebook of my friends snuggled up in bed with their toddlers, and I think, 'There is no chance on Earth that little mister would snuggle with me!' If I go to hug him, he will only let me nuzzle him for about .2 seconds. Then it's, Okay, Mom, that's enough.

Hopefully, I will not pass on ASG to my other children! Because now I really, really want to snuggle my 23 pound ball of energy, tantrums, messiness, and joy! :)

What A Day

What a day I've had.....and it's only lunchtime. Super.

Today started off with me taking the little one to the pediatric dermatology specialist! Finally, the head honcho himself! And we got some awesome answers about his chin. Hopefully, in the near future, I can go grocery shopping/for a walk/to the mall/leave my freaking house without someone stopping me and saying, "What's wrong with his chin!?"

My answer: "What's wrong with your face?" Smash.

Yeah. I wouldn't do that. But I want to every. single. time.

After the doctor, I ran by Walgreen's to drop off the scripts for his new meds. They said they would be ready in an hour and a half. (Liars.)

So, I had time to go pick up my bridesmaid's dress from the alterations place.

In case you're wondering, running into an alterations place that has no AC when it's 103 outside with a screaming 13 month old and carrying a pair of heels is not fun. As in, it's torture/hell/a nightmare. Then, being put in a microscopic dressing room while your son is grabbing all over the dress and stepping all over it while you're trying desperately to shove it on is also not fun. THEN, buying the dress twice (once, because the people told me I needed an insanely huge size, and then again for when it was obvious that the dress had to be completely remade into a much, much, much smaller size) is not fun.

We went back to Walgreen's. They didn't have one of the meds, and he's on record for being allergic to a medicine that is in the same family as his new antibiotic. Kill me. 103 heat. Screaming in the back seat. Bear-Bear is in the wash because he is covered in poop/pee/vomit/other nastiness, thus making it impossible for my sweet toddler to fall asleep. I leave Walgreen's too tired to be furious. Empty-handed. Feeling like this morning was all for nothing with the doctor.

Then, the worst thing of all is that one of my close friends lost her precious son this weekend. And this crushes my heart into a million pieces. I have been devastated for her. Can't stop thinking about her. Can't stop crying. I'm just breaking for her. And I found out the memorial service is on Friday. When I'll be in Texas for one of my best friend's weddings.

Needless to say, today has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And thank you for reading my rants and raves. And yes, you can offer up a prayer that I will regain my sanity soon. ;)

Hilarious Mom Moment

Our playroom at home also serves as my office. (As in, my desk is shoved in one corner with my diploma on the wall.) This is perfect because it allows me to get some work done while the toddler plays.

Today, I was working, and the big dude came and stuck his arm under the desk and pulled out some cords.

"No, no!" I said, pulling them out of his hands. "No, no! If you touch those again, I am going to pop your hand."

He pulled back. He looked at me. And, as I'm sure you've guessed, lunged for the cords. Oh, my sweet child and his blatant disobedience.

Same routine.

He went away, and came back two minutes later. Once again, he stretched under the desk and grabbed at the cords.

"No, no! Momma said 'no, no!'" Two pops on the hand this time, and harder than the first two times. I had my finger wagging in his face.

Silence.

His lips got really small. He clenched his fists tightly and got a look of anger on his little face.

Then, just as I thought he was going to cry, he stuck one finger right into my face and shouted, "NO! NO!"

Come on. It was impossible not to laugh. :)