New Year's Resolution #2

Unplug at work....get more done!  Check and Check!!  Not one email in my inbox, emails that need to be kept filed away.  Productivity, I am hot on your trail!  An incoming email will no longer take precedence over what I am already doing because I don't know it is there until I check for it...when I have actually completed whatever it is that I am working on.  If it's an emergency, call me or stop by...don't email me!  It's nice to only check my email at 8AM, 1PM and 4:30PM...so much time to get things done UNINTERRUPTED.  I turned off all notifications on my phone too!

12 Days of Facebook

I am deactivating my Facebook account for 2012...my New Year's Resolution and hypothesis that I am not going to be missing anything by doing so.  I am going to spend the time I spent on Facebook ACTUALLY connecting with my friends and being present when they are right in front of me instead.

iPad for Christmas

I am a bit alarmed at the number of "iPads for Christmas" I have heard for a child...a child under the age of 5 at that!  Seriously, $600 on a Christmas present for a toddler.  Ok...those big swingset things, tree houses, huge doll houses...well, anything from Pottery Barn!  I guess it's not that out of the ordinary for some people but it is for me.  I realize that some people are just using their toddler as an excuse to get an iPad for it's "educational" purposes and books.

Even if you do have $600 to spend on your toddler this Christmas, let me advocate for an iTouch instead. I "throw" my iTouch in my purse.  I would never "throw" an iPad in my purse.  Trevor has dropped my iTouch in the street...it got a mild response but nothing compared to how I would feel when that iPad hit the floor.  I don't know about your toddler but mine would watch Thomas and Friends or Yo Gabba Gabba on a postage stamp if it meant he got to watch a video, so selling the screen size doesn't fly.

A good friend once advised to NEVER get the on board entertainment system in your vehicle.  Her daughter would just want a video every single time she got in the car...and who wants to do that?  Also, when on vacation...do you really want to sit in the car in your PJ's so that your little darling can zone out to Dora in the morning.  The whole point of baby crack is so that you can actually shower or have a minute to yourself.  You can't do that if your kid is watching a video in the hotel parking lot.  The iTouch props nicely between the headrest and the seatback...you just need one of those grippy covers on it and leather seats help but...you get the idea!

If I really tried to convince myself that it would be so great to have award winning, color illustrated, portable and eco friendly books with me all the times....I would get a Kindle Fire for Trevor.  The sustainability thing is an attractive incentive.  But, what about growing up...going to the library?  Having that book return deadline to spur on your passion for getting through a book and being responsible to bring it back...and they are FREE!  How else can you spend an afternoon with your kid doing something totally free and walk out the door with something to show for it?

If you already bought your toddler an iPad for Christmas...that is really cool because the iPad is truly VERY COOL (not even being snarky here!).  The Monster At the End Of This Book APP is really fun, totally worth $3.99.  But, if you are like me and have an iTouch that you share with your little munchkin...that APP is available for you micro screen peeps!

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE!

We had such a great time with our familiar friends.  It was just like any other concert...you are so excited when they play one of your favorite songs..."I Love Bugs!"  Click HERE for more pics.

Fandango...year 4!

I am REALLY blessed to have such great and creative friends! Click HERE for Fandango 2011 pictures.

Gabrielle Giffords

I was inspired by her when I met her in Washington, DC...inspired doesn't even come close to how I feel about her today.  http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD55153303/gabby-giffords--mark-kelly-courage-and-hope

October Photos

Click HERE for photos from the SMU Homecoming Parade and Halloween!

The Eagles

Darren and I both grew up with parents that listened to and loved the Eagles.  Take It Easy is just an "easy" song to sing and remember all the words.  Part of Darren's bedtime routine is singing a few songs (mine is books).  Anyone who knows Darren knows that he is always singing!  Trevor started to ask for the "Corner of Arizona" song a few months ago.  It makes sense, Arizona is a place of much value in this house and a song about it is even better!  Trevor has an ear for music and his Mom's knack of remembering the words to songs.  He also LOVES to play the drums, thanks to Aunt Crystal...we don't mind if he plays these drums either!  Enjoy some "standin' on the corner in Winslow, AZ"...he is such a fine site to see!

Rangers World Series!

Trevor loves watching baseball and Darren doesn't have cable so we watched the World Series together!

SMU Homecoming Parade, year 3!

Stroller Mama

So, when you have to wait until you are 36 and watch everyone you know have a child before you...you learn a lot just by watching others.  If you are like me, you also get an obsession for some things.  "If I could only have a child of my own" is kind of depressing to think about, everyday.  How about just obsessing about the THINGS that you would have IF you had a child, that seemed more fun.  Diaper Bags and Strollers, those were my coveted vices!  The diaper bag was Kate Spade, of course.  But, I did a lot of research on strollers, a lot!  I couldn't justify the cost of the Bugaboo to Darren for sure...but also, it wasn't easy to travel with so it was a problem for me too.  Did I mention the $800 price tag!  We settled on Maxi Cosi for car seats and our stroller and I was really happy with them and their customer service.  But, when it came to traveling, it was a full sized stroller and was hard to fly with.  More research....I found an umbrella Stroller Kooper by Joovy.  Their company headquarters right here in Dallas-awesome, easy enough to fold and small enough you could get through security and gate check it- awesome, and it was actually functional and comfortable when we got where were were going- awesome!  We love our Joovy and it has gone to CA, CO, the State Fair, the Arboretum, the Aquarium and Grandma-mas!

It is crazy that we have 3 strollers, each for different purposes.  Consumerism at it's best.  (Did I mention we have 5 different IPods in this family).  Being a runner, something that truly brings me zen and joy...it is hard to find time to run being a single parent.  On my "off" days from Trevor, I take advantage of the freedom to go for a long run.  But, I kept saying "I would go running today, but I have Trevor".  We went through a long process with another stroller company....I won't go into it, with our first jogging stroller.  Loved the concept, hated the stroller.  The only stroller that seemed fit for a true runner was the BOB and that one costs $450.  That seemed excessive.

But, I kept wanting to go for a run...outside.  I could go to the gym and put Trevor in the kids club and run on the treadmill but that is a lose, lose for both of us...not fun!  Us both getting to be outside would be so much nicer.  I got on Craig's List earlier this week to see if any BOB's were out there (there never are).  But, then...I saw a post by the main Joovy office which is in Deep Elum in Dallas.  *Warehouse Sale*  by appointment only and they had jogging strollers for $99.  I called and ran down during my lunch.  They weren't quite sure about one of the wheels but I said I would try it out, he would only take $50 for it.  Sure enough it pulled to the right, so hard that it was difficult to keep it on the trail.  I emailed the guy who sold it to me and he apologized that he should have checked it out more before it got advertised.  He felt so bad that I came down that he said he had a brand new, in the box stroller that he would sell me for the original $99 advertised (so, $50 more dollars but what I had originally planned to spend for a floor model for a NEW one).  Sign me up!  Talk about great customer service.  Check out our new Joovy 360 Jogging stroller!

I haven't had a chance to really run with it yet because I have been so sick, but we did go for a long walk today and I can honestly say that I LOVE it!  I would love to be able to just go running and leave Trevor home while I did it.  That is just not going to happen during the week.  If you have ever been on a bike trail and see kids in jogging strollers you will agree, they NEVER look unhappy.  Trevor loves going "running" and being in the stroller, even at 2 1/2.  He does tell me to go faster, which is kind of funny...a new kind of motivation.

Get it! Rangers!

We will always love our Papa!

Poetry in Nature

Our guide, Julie, read this poem which was written by a woman who had run the river with ARR.  It really is a perfect reflection on the experience.  One of the great surprises of the trip was enjoying the readings and poetry about the Canyon that our guides shared with us.  There were some not so flattering stories about Powell but the style of his writings from the late 1800's is amazing.  Just the attempt to describe the Canyon and the river in mere words is amazing.

Back to Civilization

So, I’m back in the city

And my friends all exclaim,

“So, you had a good time…

well, you look ‘in pain’

“Your lips are cracked,

and your hair’s like straw!

“Your legs are bruised,

and your knees are raw!

“Your nails are broken,

you’ve gained weight,

“How can you say

that your trip was great?

“Your sunburn’s peeling…

it sure is a “beaut’

“It looks like you’re wearing

a camouflage suit!

“So, you had a good time…

well, you ‘tell me’

“You look like you just came

through World War Three!”

“Listen,my friend said, carefully,

and I will tell you what this all means to me.”

“My bruises will fade,

and my bones will heal”

“My skin will be soft

underneath the peel”

“My hair will recover, and so will my lips”

“And I’ll get those 10 pounds off my hips”

“But the memories I’ve stored,

will not fade away”

“They will be with me,

to my dying day”

“The whitewater thrills,

and the red canyon walls”

“The Indian ruins,

and pure waterfalls”

“The fun with new friends,

and boatman tall tales:

“Boatman great cooking

and whitewater wails”

“Yes, the memories I’ve made will

not fade away”

“They will be with me,

to my dying day.”

DC Annonymous

Day 12- I enjoyed my very last Diet Coke in Marble Canyon, AZ with some frybread on September 11, 2011. I really do think there should be a support group for DC addicts.  It's a true addiction and only cold turkey will work.  I did not give up caffeine, just DC.  Thank God I live in Texas and there is Ice Tea everywhere you go.

Trevor & his shadow playing BB

I don't get out my camera enough, period. I need to capture more moments, before they are gone.
Click HERE for more photos from September.

Mission Impossible

I know that I have said that Elmo is a marketing gold mine, but apparently the"diamond" approach to finding Elmo bedding makes it virtually impossible to redo Trevor's room in Elmo (which was his choice).  Sesame Street bedding is so "rare" and unavailable that I almost can't even believe it.  Now, I am on a mission which means this will occupy my time and frustrate me to no end.  You can't even buy Elmo fabric.  This is insane, people...it's Elmo! 

Mommy

Being a mother is the single most important job I will ever have. Don't bungle it, don't take it for granted, don't take it too seriously....how about- do your very best, enjoy every single moment and have fun!  Don't is no longer in my vocabulary.

365 Days

It's kind of hard to fathom...but, a year ago, I was living in a residence hall apartment.  I was so devastated, lost, incredibly sad, sleepless and depressed.  Just the relief of living closer to my friends and work made things so much easier and I didn't cry all day in my office anymore.  I had a HUGE moment tonight as I looked around my apartment to see just how far I have come.  I really shouldn't be so hard on myself.  One day, sooner than I think, I will be able to recall how things were from 2009-2010 but those emotions won't be able to sneak up and hi-jack me anymore.

I know that I don't want to live in an apartment forever (one more year, only, please!) but, I really am doing so much better.  Enjoy the present, live in the now...because Now is actually really great.

Trevor & Sophie in our McElvaney, Freshman Residence Hall home

Watch Out David Beckham!

The look of determination and focus on his little face really cracks me up!

Ranger Fan

I think we have created a lifetime Ranger fan...of all the crazy things that have happened in the past few years, I didn't really think about Trevor loving the Texas Rangers!

Pre School "Art" Work...

I am not sentimental, not about material things.  I am sure that it is a result of losing everything I "owned" every time I went from one parent to another parent or our house burning down when I was 7, etc.  Some people live in the same house, their whole lives with boxes of Barbie's and toys in the attic.  I can remember having lots of Barbies, every Smurf, and a whole Strawberry Shortcake village at some point in my life.  It's not that I did without, I just didn't keep things very long.

What to do with Pre-School Art work from Trevor??  Some of it is downright unrecognizable as "art"...but, what do most people think of Jackson Pollock??  I am thinking that I will just take a photo of each peice of "art" and create a scrapbook...and then throw them in the trash.  Mother of the Year or really great idea?

The New Dallas

#1, this actor always catches my attention because cousin Phil gets mistaken for him in Scottsdale.
But, I saw this promo for it and wondered if the marketing folks for the New Dallas anticipated that...yes, it would make me want to watch...but, only because I really LIKED Brokeback Mountain. Someone is going to make fun of this, I am sure of it!

ps. Cousin Phil is better looking

Go Rangers

Absolutely, without question, my favorite moments with Trevor are bound to be all about baseball :)  Thanks Aunt Cickle for inviting us!

7 more to go

Rangers v Amazing Mets on Friday and Rangers v Marlins next Sunday....just 7 more.  10 games didn't seem like such a tough goal on opening day.  Where does all the time go.  Hopefully, there's only one October and I can catch up in the fall.

Added to my hot baseball girl collection, in honor of my Papa...Bud Man, Cub Fan!  Yep, I look THIS hot in it too!

Peaches & Honey

Every time I spend time with Carrie and Ben Christie, I think "I should spend more time with Carrie & Ben Christie"!  It's a good thing that my "what's in the pantry?" attitude to having guests over for dinner turned into this wonderful dessert. They certainly deserve something this special.  I just wish I could say that it was more than kismet that it all came together :) Peaches from my Costco hunny, honey from Aunt Jenn, a little direction from Martha and voila...amazing dessert!

PS. Trevor has been unusually shy around people lately, clingy and whiny...it's not fun for either of us.  But, tonight he almost immediately took Ben by the hand to play in his room.  Well, maybe it's just Ben's great way with kids but it was a fun site to see.  He said "Daddy's and Mommy's, watch this!" to get our attention while we were eating dinner.  As if to say that all men were Daddy's and women Mommy's, maybe?  Hopefully not because he is desperate to have a Daddy around more often. I can beat myself up for days over this one...but, I won't...I hope!

6 days of separation from Facebook

Friday, June 10th-

"I really need to be productive this weekend"  Step #1, give up Facebook!  Step #2, get hopped up on Asthma inhalers (more on that later) and then stay up until 4:00AM moving your entire house around.  Good Start!

FB is valuable and I missed my friends.  I am happy to be back and glad I did it!

My week without Facebook- Projects Completed!

• Rearranged the Living Room and Trevor's Room 
• Flea Market Find found it's place in my new living room set up
• Window Box and perennial flowers planted
• Printed, framed and finally hung pictures
• Light fixture added to the living room, bye-bye IKEA Lamps...I love IKEA but those lamps looked cheap!
• Train Table fixed (Gorilla Glue is AMAZING)
• Curtains hung
• Sewing projects...finally
• Alittle bit of knitting
• Vanity Fair read cover to cover
• Got myself a Kindle...There are only a few good things that come out of having to share custody, I actually have "down" time and I live next to the pool, so I am going to start to use it for more than watching A Few Good Men or 6th Sense for the millionth time on TV!
• Tested out my bikini from Brazil...I now know how a country has a waxing named after it!

Updates I would have posted:

• Everyone should have a Starbucks Name....just don't wear your nametag when you use it. #strangelooksfromthebarista
• "Good Morning" nice maintenance guy at my apartment complex...."good morning, your name is Kerensa"... freaked out a little until I realized I was wearing my nametag!  #notacreeper
• Put candy on your desk and get responses like, "these aren't as good as Twizzlers, I don't like these" and maybe think your head might explode...it's free candy, people!
• After about 2 bars, Trevor says "this is money, money mama"...low and behold it is a song about money...how does he know that?  I have never heard this song before!  #thingsyoumisswithsharedcustody
• Characterized as a "celery" body type by the ladies of Skinny Bitch..."tend to live on caffeine and cigarettes"  How about caffeine and caffeine??  

Mrs. Woods

Went to a birthday party at Little Gym last night. Trevor spent most of the time "shooting baskets" but got the hang of jumping to a bar, hanging like a monkey and then letting go for a big "drop". He is not really that social (he can't be exactly like me!), he plays in the vicinity of other kids. He's not antisocial, maybe it is just a result of him being an only child with divorced parents so he is used to just being the center of our attention (and...Man, do we give it to him).

This is with the exception of Sophie! They just play right next to each other like 2 peas in a pod. They didn't need to take turns because they just do everything together, at the same time. Sophie is a little more adventurous than Trevor so she would jet off to do something else and Trevor would beckon her like an overbearing boyfriend "Sophie, Sophie"...as if to say, "come back here, you can't leave me". hmmm, we might have to work on how Trevor treats women!

We ARE overbearing parents, God forbid that he ever get hurt while one of us is (or even worse, caught NOT) watching. I know this isn't good for him. I am working on it. Darren has it worse than I do. He is so very protective of Trevor and doesn't have the same desensitizing amount of time that I spend with Trevor where he physically can't be my only focus. I let him watch Yo Gabba Gabba so that I can put on make up if we are running late in the morning. It's a necessary evil, even though we had decided that Trevor wouldn't watch television. But, that was when we were co-parenting and had support for each other at home. The only way that I can be a sane mother is to feel like I can do most things and that I don't have to do it all, even if I am by myself.

Back to the title of this post "Mrs. Woods". No, not THAT one...I am over that chapter in my life and am so happy it's not on TV all the time, anymore. I actually mean the senior Mrs. Woods. More than once, last night, I found myself embarrassed at the attention that Trevor's "talent" brings.  Combine that with the fact that he looks like a mini Brett Favre (minus the scruff) and is the size of a 3 year old and people can't believe it when I say that he is 2.  So, now I say, he was 2 in February....

I think that Trevor is just am amazing mimic-er and both Darren and I enjoy watching him shoot baskets, hit baseballs, catch footballs, kick soccer balls, throw footballs, hit golf balls, dribble basketballs.  Darren has unlimited energy to pay sports with him and he mimics everything that he does.  I can see him imitating his Dad's jump, fad-a-way and he is always encouraged because we say "almost", "close" when he misses.  Missing and hitting it are almost equally as praised.  I admit that just hearing him say "from way downtown" when he backs up away from the basket makes me smile.  I encourage it.  Let's just hope that we stay sane in all of this and that he still loves sports this much when he is good at them.  The dedication that it takes to be truly "good" at a sport almost always kills the love of the sport in a young person.

One of the many reasons I love Tina Fey

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”
-Tina Fey

Despair

Definition of DESPAIR

: to lose all hope or confidence

Synonyms: despond, lose heart
Antonyms: brighten, cheer (up), perk (up)
 
I would like an antonym day, please!

Priorities...

Baseball game #2 is going to have to wait.  I am chosing margarita's, a designated driver and 80's music over baseball.  Getting excited for the Glass Cactus tomorrow night :)  The hard part will be getting up for spinning on Saturday morning.

Baseball

I have a goal of 10 baseball games this season...Opening Day was a good start. I am thinking Friday night for the Royals might be #2. I struggle with over scheduling my weekends and never feeling rested. I will just need to make sure i give myself time for a nap on Saturday!

Trevor's 2 Year Pictures

Trevor's 2 Year Photos HERE

Photography by: Renee (Auntie Rae) Gibson

Opening Day!

It was a glorious day.  Rangers/Red Sox, beautiful weather, free tickets, one of my best besties, good friends to take Trevor and the MOST hilarious stories.  It was AWESOME.  I have a goal of at least 10 games this season.  That would be 10 more than I went to last year (awful)! 

Justin Bieber

More of Trevor's 2 year old photos to come!
As soon as Renee took this one she said "it's his Bieber pose"!
Someone call us an agent!

Aunts!

Trevor has the best Aunts! We loved having Cori visit for Spring Break and she didn't even mind that her party cupcakes were Elmo...Trevor HAD to have them....even thought he won't eat them.
Click HERE for our Cori St. Patty's Day, Baby fest!

Opening Day

I don't think Trevor is quite ready for Opening Day yet...or, maybe I am not quite ready for the production involved in getting 2 year old to and from a Rangers Game!!  But, maybe...just maybe we will go to a Red Sox game :)  I do have memories of baseball from when I was very little.  Cubs games with Noni & Papa, watching Les play baseball, watching my Papa keep score at the games, watching every Cubs game on TV and pulling tickets to see who won some money off the score, watching every beer keg softball tournament my Dad organized and being in Little League baseball (it was too small of a town to have separate teams for girls).  I was a terrible baseball player, I might be a guy's girl but I am not a tomboy.  My Dad's softball leagues were always very social but he was also fiercely competitive and the game mattered to him.

As I look back on my relationships I am reminded of the movie Runaway Bride.  Do I always eat my eggs the way my current partner eats his eggs (or in Darren's case, not at all)?  I guess it is somewhat true.  Adaptability is one of my strengths.  Why is it that as a woman if you adapt yourself in your relationship that it is a weakness?  I need to figure that one out.  But, I haven't been on a mountain bike since I lived with Gordon.  I wore Tom's Boston Celtics t-shirts in High School and I don't even like basketball.  I had a brief moment of thinking that maybe my love of baseball had something to do with Darren's love of baseball.  But, it's not that simple.  I really do love baseball.  I did learn and master keeping score at the games while dating Darren.  It was partly survival.  Getting to the park early to watch batting practice and never leaving, regardless of the score can take some effort for someone as "butterfly" as me.  Keeping score makes EVERY at bat interesting, regardless of the score.  It uses my strategic side and although my creative side is structured and neat it is the perfect kind of creativity for keeping score.  Did you know that there is no ONE way to keep score, unless you are an official scorekeeper??  Just enough creative license to make it your own.  I have my own score book that I take with me to games.  If you really want to start keeping score the ones in the program are very limited and if you have your own book you have all your games in one place.  I once saw a leather bound score book that held every single game that a man had been to up for auction...I would totally buy that!!!

I am really looking forward to teaching Trevor how to keep score.  Maybe he will want a book like the one I saw up for auction?  Or, he will think his Mom is a total dork and love ballet.  Either way, I will love him and love whatever he loves...Runaway Bride, meet Runaway Mom!

Groupon

I think I need to set aside a sub line item in my "entertainment" fund for Groupons.  I have already bought 2 today :)
Tart Bakery- Dallas

How's about some Trevor quotes...

3:25 am- "I want water, mama's bed, I want water, mama's bed" And, so it begins!  Until now it had been an infrequent enough occurrence and usually when he is sick for him to wake up in the night and end up in my bed.  I should have known there would be trouble when he popped up with a crazy smile one morning and said "I wake up in mama's bed" like he had just won the lottery!  His Dad had told me that he had ended up in his bed this weekend so I pulled out the steely resolve this morning and went and got a water before entering his room.  I gave him the water and said, "Trevor, you can have some water and I will rock you a little but then you are sleeping in Trevor's bed"  It totally worked, so I must stick with it. 

Nanny Mom

Becoming a Mom was only one of the many blessings that came with Trevor.  Early in Lauren's career of being a live in Nanny for Trevor, we all sat and watched The Nanny Diaries together.  Laura Linney made me laugh the way that she always just called Scarlet "Nanny".  I quickly adopted the same attitude with a "wink" with Lauren and then she just became "Nanny" to all of us.  I am not certain if Trevor even knows that she has another name!
I became Nanny Mom when Lauren moved out because she never really stopped being Nanny to Trevor even though she had started her real job and I couldn't help myself...I had to mother her too!  Now, I am a Nanny Mom for Lauren and for Luke.  I still can't believe I got to be there for every second of Luke's birth.  Blessed, Blessed, Blessed!

Click HERE for pictures of Luke's debut.

Winter in Dallas

You don't really think about inches of snow when you think about living in the South.  But we did get our fair share of winter weather this year.  Not nearly what other folks around the country endured but 4 days of University Closure do to weather and unsafe driving conditions was unprecedented.  Trevor did not like the snow.  He would just look up at me and say "I carry you, I carry you" which means pick me up.  Cabin Fever would have set in but we decided to brave the roads for the short drive to the mall on the 3rd day.

The play place at the Galleria mall is nuts...but Trevor loves falling in and out of the snake.

And, on the 5th day....we went to Lowes.  Elmo is a very crazy driver!

If it took this long....

It has been 38 years and I have finally accepted that I will live with anything as long as it meant someone wouldn't leave me.  Hmmm, this could have been really useful information a decade ago!  So, next question...why did I leave the one guy who wouldn't have left me?  Right...no self esteem and feeling of not being good enough....so just blow it all up and run so that you don't have to worry about HIM leaving you, too.  Hot mess people, hot mess!

Royal Wedding

It is a bit strange that one of my fondest memories was waking up at 3:00AM and moving to the couch at My Uncle Lawrence & Aunt Neva's house to watch the Royal Wedding.  Yes, those are old names, they were my Dad's Aunt and Uncle.  I spent most of my summers in Western New York, near Niagara Falls with my Dad's parents.  My Grandma would buy me a plane ticket I would spend 2 months going between the old farm house, the cottage on the lake in Canada and every single fun thing to do in the area (Marine Land, Darien Lake).  My Grandma is why I am so spoiled!  I had a chaotic childhood but my summers were consistent and predictable.  Most of my young memories happened in the summer.

I started spending a week of my time with my Aunt and Uncle.  It was different at their house, old and musty, hot tea with sugar cubes, a whole jar of pickles just for me, strawberry festivals, orchards in the back yard, BBQ's and walking out the the street each afternoon to get the mail.  I do remember times where I was "bored", but not much.  I would sit in the ironing room where there was a little TV with an antenna and it always seemed to be the time of year when the Tour de France was on TV.  There were different sets of daily china that I could choose from.  Doing the dishes in the evening was an event and their bathroom smelled like soap. 

They had a tragic loss of their 13 year old daughter, Bonnie Jean, who had been hit by a drunk driver while riding home on her bicycle.  There was one beautiful picture of her in their house, all the others had been put away long before I was born.  The only other picture in the living room was of me.  They paid for me to get portraits done one summer.  I had to sleep in pink, foam hair rollers to curl my hair.  

I slept in her room.  The sheets were crisp and ironed and the pillows were really fluffy.  My grandma told me that her room stayed untouched, the way she left it for a long time.  I would lay in bed and wonder what it looked like when she lived there.  

I still eat dinner on a set of their dishes.  I clean my stove every time I cook on it.  I smile whenever I see a sugar cube.  And, now...I am really looking forward to the royal wedding, so don't call me a dork...it's sentimental!

Just WonderMom and Trevor...

Letting the rest go....  If I don't have anything nice to say....it's not post worthy.  Trevor time tonight, that is worth posting about :)  Kind of lost my way for a few days, not hard to do...slowly...it will get better every day. 

Goin' to the Lodge....

If you've ever been to Great Wolf, you know how that song gets in your head!
Click HERE for more pics


We had a great time starting of the celebration of Trevor's "birth-week" with Grandma-ma. I always feel a little fleeced when I leave the place but he had a great time and as importantly, we didn't just sit in the house the whole time Grandma was here or used her for a free baby sitter to go see a movie! Unfortunately, this time around, Trevor was not interested in the water slides AT ALL. We spent a lot of time in the wading pool on the jet ski's, spraying water. I love how sweet his little face looks when he is all wet. I couldn't bring myself to brave the humidity and water for the Nikon....so, we are back to a bunch of blurry pictures of Trevor being cute...but, still cute!

The Holiday's were busy....a bunch of updates missing!!

The multiple city Christmas Tour:  Arizona from Dec 17-22, Christmas with Nanny and us in Dallas, Colorado from Dec 25-30, New Year's in Dallas, Illinois from Jan 4-8.  Now, when you ask Trevor "what are we doing today?" he says "airplane or airport".  He was quite the expert traveler and I will admit that I took a lot of pleasure in Trevor looking at me and saying "why is that baby crying?" and almost everyone who passed us on their way out of the plane telling me what a wonderful child I had.  I mean, if I were going to feel like the worst mother ever if he went off like a devil in a church like the other kids...I might as well revel in the feeling of being a superior Mom since he was an angel...right?  Ego boost...check!  My favorite time passer on the plane was Trevor standing in my lap, looking at all the "people" (his new word for strangers) and messing up my hair thoroughly, giving me a "aircut" and then saying "that's better" with my hair in my eyes and my mouth!  Clikc HERE for pictures from our adventurous holiday season.

Waiting for the DING!                                                                                                          Fruit Snacks!!

I'm gettin' political here...but I can't help myself

Oh NPR, I am so disappointed in you. I just read the domino effect that was created by your inaccurate/premature reporting of the death of Gabbi Giffords. I know it is the "I want it yesterday" age, but I do trust serious journalists to get things right. It was a rollercoaster for me just trying to wade through the FB posts and tweets and wonder, did she die, is she alive? Imagine how terrible that would be for her family. Tsk, tsk NPR. I have to be tough on you because if it were Fox News I would skewer them and I need to combat becoming an extremist, myself. Liberal extremism isn't any less terrible than Conservative extremism (I just tend to like liberals more and give them a pass). NO free passes. I find it both amazing and dumbfounding that on a daily basis I feel that the best "journalism" is coming from John Stewart...yes, THAT John Stewart, a comedian on Comedy Central. Tim Russert, I miss you, terribly.