I am a survivor!

Wow, this week was rough. Ok, this week was awfully rough. I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be easy for any of us. My girls would have to get used to waking up early and being away from the comfort of their home, Bram and Greta would have to get used to me and not having their mama. I had expected the worst. And I got the worst.



For three days all Baby Greta did was cry, scratch that, SCREAM unless I was standing up rockin' back and forth. She's a moose! (My back, neck, and feet killed me every night this week. Thank the Lord for Burt's Bees peppermint foot lotion and a hubby that loves me and rubs my back when I get cranky.) AND she didn't eat, anything at all, from 7 am til 3 pm. No bottle. No baby food. Nothing. Poor baby. I know she had to be starving all day, but she just had a really hard time adjusting to me. Mama would come home and Baby Greta would take a bottle from her, which I think is just crazy because Mama has the real stuff!



Bram turned from the sweet, loving little guy into this runnin' and screamin', toy throwin' wild man. I had never, in the two years I've cared for Bram, seen him misbehave. I know he's a toddler and he's supposed to see how far he can push the limits, and boy did he. I am thankful that he didn't break a window or someone's nose. He can seriously throw that hard, and he throws EVERYTHING. Big, chunky wooden toys, books, cars, glasses full of banana shake. I can say that he was a terror, but it is completely understandable, because it's a big change from having Mama all day everyday to having to share your house and toys with two other kids and no Mama. I know he'll be back to his sweet lil self soon.

I knew that it would be hard for my girls to wake up early, not have their beds for their naps, and most of all for Kadence to share and Karlie not to be jealous of me holding Greta. Kadence had her moments, but for the most part she was pretty wellbehaved. She only bit Bram once and although she left deep teethmarks, it didn't bruise. I thought we were over the biting stage, but Kadence HATES sharing toys and Bram swiped one of her toys and before I could stop her, she got a good taste of him. She would not take a nap, which I totally expected. She's never been good at sleeping anywhere other than her bed (or mine). The hardest part was that she'd fall asleep in the car on the way home and whether I tried to keep her asleep and put her in her bed or wake her up before we pulled in the driveway, all she would do is scream for 30 minutes after we got home. Poor girl needed some rest, but just wouldn't give up. Bribes with money for the icecream man, telling her she could watch tv in my bed, even her favorite snack wouldn't stop the crying. She just cried, and screamed, and cried, and screamed until she decided that it was enough and then she was fine.

My sweet little Karlie was the best one of all! I thought that she would cry all day, and want to be stuck to my hip, but surprisingly she loved it. She loved all the different toys and books and especially the Bumbo. Neither of my girls had one, but Karlie sure loved it! She would spend almost the entire day climbing in and out of it. The rest of the day she'd spend giving me big, slobbery kisses. ♥

One good thing about being so exhausted at the end of the day is that I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow. Gone are the days of not being able to sleep!

I am really going to enjoy the weekend at home with nothing to do....expect the laundry that's piled up all week, and cleaning the playroom because I just let the girls destroy it everyday after we got home, and start on some assignments for school. Ok, maybe not so enjoyable!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I just want to scream. Or puke. Or throw a fit. Or curl up in a ball in the corner and cry. Today is Sunday. That means tomorrow is a new week. That means ALOT of changes, and my daughters do not adjust well to changes.

Next week I'm going to start nannying again, which is a YAY! because I LOVE the family, but it's an UGH! because it means I have to be out the door at 6:45 AM. Yes, 6:45 AM with the girls, their bag, breakfast and lunch for us, and Rob's clothes have to be ironed and ready for him, and I AM FREAKING OUT....to say the least. I can handle being up that early when I'm able to lounge around in my pj's til lunchtime. But now, I actually have to look like a live human being when I leave the house. Luckily, it's not a job. I know I can show up with my hair all a mess and it'll be ok.

I know it will be rough for the first few weeks, because Karlie will have to get used to napping in her Pack n Play, Kadence will have to learn to be nice and share with Bram all over again, Bram will have to learn the same, and Greta....oh baby Greta is going to have to learn to take a bottle from me. I've babysat them a few times this summer and it all went great....until Karlie was tired and wanted to nurse, and Greta refused her bottle, and Kadence had to go potty, and Bram was throwing toys at the babies all at the same time. Somehow though, it all worked out and I left with my sanity intact, Karlie wasn't a total crab, Kadence hadn't bitten anyone, Greta didn't starve, and Bram didn't break any noses...or windows :)

It will be good though. Kadence needs to have some interaction with a child her age, and since Mom is a brainy college instructor and Dad is just plain brainy, Bram is a great influence for Kadence, because his parents have spent alot of time on learning activities with him. I know she'll learn alot from him and vice versa. Bram loves Karlie and Karlie loves the attention. I hope that by having a new playmate, she might not be so clingy to me and will venture to the other side of the room on her own. And sweet little Greta. Still too little to really do much, but maybe being around a tiny baby will help me get over this TERRIBLE case of baby fever I've had lately. Oh yes, and the extra cash won't be bad.

Please pray for me. Please pray for God to give me a little bit more patience than most days. Please pray that I am able to give all of the kids the love and attention that they all deserve.

Maybe what I'm most nervous about is that I won't be in the comfort of my home. I won't be able to wash last night's dirty dishes while the girls are napping, or pay bills, or go shopping whenever I want, or bake, or (I will admit) check Facebook every 5 minutes ;) Maybe I am scared of change.

I Have Really Caught The Fever

I love babies. I really really really love babies. I love pregnant women. I loved being pregnant (well, with Kadence. NOT with Karlie). I love the way babies smell, even when they've got crusty spitup under their chin or a stinky diaper. I love baby feet. I love delicious baby rolls. I just love everything about babies.

So just when Robert and I have discussed and decided on whether or not we'll be expanding our family, one of my friends has to bring a beautiful new baby into this world, and it just makes me sick. Baby fever. I want another baby so bad right now I can barely keep myself away from Rob. (TMI? Maybe.)

BUT this isn't what Rob and I decided. We decided that two is it for us. We love our girls. He loves being the man of the house. He loves having to take care of all of his big chicken girls. We've decided that another baby (right now anyway) would really stretch our budget to the limit. And thinking about the future and how stressed out moms look when their chasing their brood of children through the aisles at the store, or running after a stray child at the zoo, and how expensive it is to go anywhere and do anything, we are both happy with the nice even number 2. And to be selfish, I want sleep. I can count on one hand the number of good night's of sleep I've had in the past 3 years. And I want to be able to go out on dates with Rob again. Another boob addicted baby who's motto is "death by bottle" would totally send us back to the beginning and make this all a dream again.

I've always dreamed of a huge family and I want Robert to have a son to play football with and take fishing. I think it would be good for the girls to have a little brother to look out for them and kick butt when boys are mean to them. BUT Rob has taught Kadence how to throw already and she loves going fishing with him. She kills bugs with her fingers, loves to get help him work outside, and is already an avid sports fan. Kadence and Karlie are already bestfriends and I know they'll stick up for eachother...so do we really need another kid?

The biggest reason I don't want more kids is become I am scared to death about having another c-section. Karlie's emergency c-section was the most terrible thing ever. It was so scary. The recovery sucked and I didn't even have a newborn to take care of. My midwives have already told me they're ready for a VBAC, but I know that there's still a chance of something going wrong and that really worries me. C-sections suck. On the other hand, I was not satisfied with Kadence's birth and Karlie's was just traumatic, so I really want to have a good memory of childbirth and maybe if we have another child then I'll be able to have a homebirth and be satisfied. BUT maybe not.

Now I'm all undecided now all over again. I guess only time will tell...

Happy Homecoming Anniversary Karlie!

August 2, 2008 was probably one of the happiest days of my life. That was the day that Karlie FINALLY got to come home from the hospital. She was still so tiny, barely weighed 5 pounds, and eventhough I knew I would take wonderful care of her, I was scared to death. Scared to sleep, scared to take my eyes off of her, scared that she'd stop breathing.....just plain scared. I didn't sleep for the first week. I just had to watch her breath every moment, eventhough I knew she had been breathing on her own for over six weeks. I wouldn't change the sleepless nights though....okay well maybe I would change the sleepless nights we're having NOW. Ugh, I am so exhausted from waking up every 3-4 hours. I definitely need to do some sleep training with Karlie, but it's just so easy to nurse her or rock her back to sleep.

So anyway, today we celebrated Karlie's homecoming anniversary by having fun at the Kemah Boardwalk. We started out with dinner at Saltgrass and I ate so much that I was sure I couldn't get on a rollercoaster. After a few kiddie rides, Rob and I left the girls to ride with my mom and we went to have some fun. It's been sooooooooooooo long since I've ridden a rollercoaster and I LOVE rollercoasters! I felt like such a kid again! I am very proud to say that on the Boardwalk Bullet (a VERY loud and rough wooden coaster) Rob and I held our hands in the air the entire time....I have bruises all over my hips and legs to prove it. Ouch! It was soooo fun.

Now, Rob, my dad, my mom, and Kadence are out fishing, Karlie's crashed out, Julie's in California, and Emily's outside on the phone WITH A BOY! WHAT?! She's still supposed to be my Emmy-Who Tiny Baby...not talking on the phone to a hairy legged boy! I'm left in the quiet to think and I'm starting to think way too much. I can't believe how fast my baby sisters have grown up. It makes me realize how fast my babies are growing and it freaks me out! I love my babies being babies, and I'm so not ready for them to start backtalking and liking boys, so I'm just going to have to enjoy them a little extra tomorrow. ♥

What do I want to be when I grow up?

This is a question I think about ALL the time.

When I was little I went throught the normal phases of wanting to be a doctor, an astronaut, a teacher, but my senior year I was clueless. I loved the time I spent at NASA at an aerospace engineering camp, I had fun at a Society of Women Engineers camp at A&M, but I couldn't really see myself doing that for the rest of my life.

I remember one time close to the end of my senior year, my dad asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I answered "I want to be a mom." I was single. I was 18. I hadn't graduated highschool yet. I'm sure my dad was like "WTF?!?!" But it was the truth. I didn't see why I should spend money going to college if I didn't really plan on using a degree. I wanted to be like my mom was when I was growing up. She was always home with me. ALWAYS. I remember pretending to be sick when I was in kindergarten so I could stay home and watch tv in my parents bed all day, because I knew that's what my mom would let me do. She'd pick me up from school and there would be a snack waiting for me on the table at home. Now that I'm thinking about it, ALWAYS is a little lie. She did go to work at the library when I was in second grade and after school I'd walk to the babysitters house, who was a family friend, and I would get so sick because I missed my mom so badly. She quit not long after :) Enough of memory lane.

I knew that I couldn't just live in Stratford and work at Express Lane forever waiting for the man of my dreams to sweep me off my feet. I loved being on the yearbook staff,, taking pics and designing pages, and I loved my graphic design class, fiddling around with Photoshop and Illustrator...so why not go to school for graphic design? I'm not going to go into how much I loathe Westwood now that Rob and I have almost $50K in school debt and a crap degree. If I hadn't gone to college, then I wouldn't have met Rob. I think that's the point I was trying to get to. Wow, I've really strayed from what I thought about at first.

Back on track. I am a mom. And I love it. I love staying home with my girls. I love not having to wake up and rush to work every morning. I am so glad that my girls do not have to go to a daycare where they're 1 of a dozen boogery babies that doesn't get alot of love and attention. But I'm thinking into the future now. When both girls are in school, what will I do all day? Yeah it might be fun to be able to sit around the house watching tv and eating Twinkies all day, but that would get old fast. I could work from the house, as a customer service rep. for one of the millions companies out there, but they are so strict on their work schedules and there is no flexibility for a sick child or time off to go to a school program. I could go back to work at Nu Prints or TJ Maxx. Uh....NO! Wait, I'll be a teacher! I love kids. I'm good with kids. I'll have holidays off to spend with the girls, most of the summer....yes, that's a good idea! Did I just figure out what I want to be when I grow up? I'm only almost 25....

A Party Girl gets married and I survive a 600 mile drive.

Part of me thinks it's kind of sad that I still refer to my bestfriends from highschool as The Party Girls. I mean, c'mon, we graduated 6 years ago, grow up already. But we were so awesome. So cool. (Or so we thought!) Glued at the hips. Best friends. And our legend will live on forever. (Atleast that's what we think!)

Anyway, this past weekend I drove, as crazy as it is to drive 600 miles on-way with my two car hating daughters, to the Panhandle to attend Alicia's wedding and visit friends and family.

Our visit started at Tiffany and Michael's house with Alicia and 7 bottle of wine. (Don't worry, we didn't finish all of them *winks*) It's been atleast 3 years since Tiffany, Alicia, and I have been together, but time hasn't changed a thing. The conversation and laughter just flowed, and if the girls had been asleep, we would have gone Matthew McConaughey hunting!

Then it was off to Dumas to see Wes and Dusty, hang out with the three D's (Daven, Dakota, and Dayton), and eat some of Aunt Vickie's delicious cookin'! More playtime, Doggie Days, the parade...wow it was action packed!

Then it was back to Amarillo for the wedding, and what a beautiful wedding it was.


Alicia so beautiful in her gorgeous gown. Delicious chicken fried steak catered by The Stockyard, yummy cake, good ole Texas country music, and yes - they even sang the A & M Fight song. You read that right, it was hilarious! But definitely something I'll remember always. I must add that the slideshow of her and Cody's pictures before the dancin' starting made me bawl like a big baby. It brought back some great memories. I am so happy that I was able to attend her wedding.

Of course, my girls wake up at the buttcrack of dawn, so the next morning we left for Dumas...again...to go to church with Wes and then to Mamaw and Papaw's house in Stratford. I had planned on staying in Stratford for atleast 3 days to spend time with more friends and hang out with Wes more, but the girls had been dragged around in the car for 4 days and they were exhausted. I was too! Kadence cried herself to sleep for Dada the last two nights, neither of them had a real nap or a good night's sleep. Kadence peeing on the carpet, Karlie pooping on the carpet....and then pooping on it again didn't help matters either. So the next morning we packed it up and drove home. I cried on the drive home because I really wanted to spend more time with my friends that I haven't seen in soooo long, I wanted to hang out with Wes because I miss him soooo much, but I knew it wouldn't be any fun for the girls. After our 12 hour drive home, Kadence bursted with excitement. Rob helped unload the car and played with the girls while I had some me time, then the girls crashed. Karlie curled up with her blankie in her crib and didn't let out a peep all night, Kadence didn't throw a fit to sleep in my bed like she usually does. She crawled into her bed and was out in just a few minutes. Aaahhhhh, time to relax....or sort the laundry....

Happy Birthday Karlie

My sweet little Karlie,

I cannot believe that you're already 1 year old. The past year was a whirlwind and it seems to have just flown by. Your birth is still fresh in my mind, and I praise God for how far you've come everyday. You are truly a miracle baby, my miracle baby.

Your first six months of life were the toughest six months of mine. There were some days that I didn't think I could get out of bed. Some days I just wanted to cry all day. Some days I felt so helpless that I hated myself. But one thought about you and how strong you were was enough to get me going. You are still a fighter and you give me strength everyday.

Watching you grow from the tiny 1 pound, 14 ounces you were at birth, impressing the doctors with your health every step of the way, the many long days and nights in the NICU, feeling forever stuck to that breastpump that I have happily retired, to bringing you home scared to sleep because I didn't want to take my eyes off of you, life in our house has changed dramatically. I love the way you smile at me in the middle of the night while bouncing in your crib with an insane amount of energy. I love the way you watch Kadence's every move, so ready to get up and take on the world on your own. I love the way you scream "Dada dada dada!" out of excitement when he walks into the room (we'll work on the Mama later) I love your screechy cry. I love everything that is Karlie.

I'm so excited to celebrate your 1st Birthday and am even more excited about how much love and happiness the future holds.

Love,
Mama

Birthday Party = Success!

Yay for a fabulous 1st birthday party! Karlie was so adorable in her Minnie Mouse costume, the cake was super delicious and pretty awesome looking (thanks to my amazing hubby!), lots of friends and family. Perfect.

The Birthday Girl




Singing "Happy Birthday"
She LOVED the attention!



Just had to get one in of big sis :)

Playing in her new pool.

Thanks Nana and Papa!

Finding a New Family

For the past year, I have loved staying at home with the girls. I love being able to see every move they make, every milestone they reach, and lounge around in our pj's til noon. But now I feel like it's time to start helping pay some bills. Mostly I just want to be able to buy something for Rob and not have to use his money. What's his is ours, and what's mine is well....I don't have "mine."

I do not want a 9-5 and leave the girls. I really want to open a home daycare. We made a few home improvements, I invested in some preschool-y decor and storage bins, and filled out all of the paperwork to become registered with the state, but after numerous phonecalls, I'm left with no children coming to our home. I know we live in a lower income community and most families either qualify for CCDS or mom stays home, but I really thought after 4 months of advertising, I'd be able to have it up and running.

So yesterday, I had an interview with a family that is looking for a nanny for their 3 children - two daughters: Loralee 12 months, Emalee 27 months, and Aiden their 6-year-old son. And the best part is that they'd let me bring the girls. They are an awesome family, christian, full of love, respectful children. Kadence and Karlie both had a blast playing with the girls. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside seeing them all interacting together. Kadence and Emily running from room to room with Karlie and Loralie crawling right on their heels. I felt a connection with them within the first 5 minutes of meeting them.

The downfall? They live 32 miles from us. I should say, 32 miles north of us, which means I'd have to fight traffic thru downtown and on the northside to get their house. I'd have to leave our house at 7:45 AM and wouldn't get home til 7 PM. That would be ok if it was just me, but I don't want to do that to the girls. Karlie HATES the car. She screams bloody murder at the sight of her carseat.

Last night, they asked me if I could start on Monday and I immediately agreed. But the looooooooong drive home with two cranky girls made me rethink my decision. I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about the family all night. How nice they are. How they deserve a good nanny that can stay long-term. I'm not that nanny. I honestly can't see myself driving 64 miles roundtrip 5 days a week. So this morning, I made the call. Mom was completely understanding and said that she and Dad discussed that last night. I explained that I don't want to make a committment to them knowing that in two months I will be sick of driving everyday. I don't want them miss out on another great nanny that can commit to them right now. The phonecall ended with Mom asking if she could call me if she ever needed a last minute sitter and for playdates and of course I agreed.

About 10 minutes later, my phone rang and it was Mom. She said that she would really like to break the ties with their current sitter today because it's not a good environment for her children, and that they would like me to come to their house for the next few weeks until they find a more long-term nanny.

I'm excited! Kadence and Karlie will get to socialize with kids their age, I'll make a little money, and I know that I won't be letting them down in the end. I am a little weary though. When I was nannying for Bram, I completely fell in love with him. Can I say that about a toddler? I miss seeing him everyday, and I know that these lil kids will have me wrapped around their sticky, chubby fingers in no time.

I'm a Mean Mommy

Surpringly enough, no, Kadence didn't call me that...yet. It was Karlie. I tortured her today, well pierced her ears today.

My in-laws pierced Kadence's ears when she was 3 months, and my niece's when she was 2 months. I trust them over a 16-year-old with a piercing gun at the mall. They sterilize everything from the earrings to the towel they hold incase she's a bleeder.

As loving and careful as they are, I will never forget the look on her face when they were holding her down. She wanted me so bad. She didn't understand what was happening. Then she ate a popsicle and now everything is peachy. She's crawling around the house playing with all her toys.

She's fine. But I'm not. I feel so terrible! Why did we decide to pierce her ears? She didn't ask us to. Was it selfish of us? Mean? Abuse? Right now, I'm thinking it is all the bad stuff, because her tears are still fresh in my memory. Then I think about Kadence, and how she cried when she lost an earring a few months ago, and how excited she gets when we go buy new ones. She loves her earrings, but part of me is now thinking that I should have let them choose to pierce their ears when they're old enough.

But all little girls have them, right? That's what I think, and then I think, "If everyone was jumping off a cliff, would I do it, too?" Maybe in a few years, when she's excited about buying new earrings I won't feel so bad. As for now, I'm just going to feel terrible, and enjoy her unconditional love.

Happy Mother's Day

Karlie woke up at 5 this morning and I was blinded by an unusually bright light beside my bed. A new digital picture frame showing off my two beautiful babies! I couldn't enjoy it then, because my eyes just don't work before the sun's up, but DH did so good this year. I'm always surprised when he buys me a present. Whether it's a new charm hidden in the fridge, or my favorite candy and bubblebath waiting for me in the tub, he's great. But what I really really REALLY wanted I didn't get. I just wanted him to cook and clean. I shouldn't complain though, he did do half of what I wanted. He cooked and it was delicious! He's a fabulous chef, but a super messy one. I always have to go hose down the kitchen when he's finished in there and today was no different. Thank you my love.

The best part of my present was the handmade card he gave me, complete with chicken scratch from both of the girls. He's very artistic, but he rarely does anything for me. He drew a pretty flower and wrote in a fancy script and that made my day. Now he'll never be able to buy me a card from the store again! And extra points for the delivery; when Kadence handed it to me she sang, "Happy Birthday Mother Day, Mommy!"

My day would have been perfect had I gotten to see my Mommy. I love her so much, and miss her just as much. I'll get to see her next Sunday for Karlie's party and I can't wait!

Part of me is sad today. I've been thinking about a few of my friends and their angel babies. I want to tell them something, but I don't know what the right thing to say is. I know there isn't a right thing to say, but I'm so good at saying the completely wrong thing that part of me thinks I should just keep my mouth shut. So to you my friends, with tears flowing, here's a poem I found.

A Mother's Day Wish From Heaven

Dear Mr. Hallmark,

I am writing to you from heaven, and though it must appear

A rather strange idea, I see everything from here.

I just popped in to visit your stores to find a card

A card of love for my mother, as this day for her is hard.

There must be some mistake I thought, every card you could imagine,

Except I could not find a card, from one who lives in heaven.

She is still a mother too, no matter where I reside

I had to leave, she understands, but oh the tears she's cried.

I thought that if I wrote you, that you would come to know

that though I live in heaven now, I still love my mother so.

She talks with me, and dreams with me; we still share laughter too,

Memories are our way of speaking now, would you see what you could do?

My mother carries me in her heart, her tears she hides from sight.

She writes poems to honor me, sometimes far into the night.

She plants flowers in my garden, there my living memory dwells.

She writes to other grieving parents, trying to ease their pain as well.

So you see Mr. Hallmark, though I no longer live on earth

I must find a way, to remind her of her wondrous worth.

She needs to be honored, and remembered too

Just as the children of earth will do.

Thank you Mr. Hallmark, I know you'll do your best

I have done all I can do; to you I'll leave the rest.

Find a way to tell her, how much she means to me

Until I can do it for myself, when she joins me in eternity.

JODY SEILHEIMER

Where in the world is Minnie Mouse?

I just got home from a long afternoon of searching for birthday party decorations for Karlie's 1st birthday party. Yay, right? No. I am so disappointed! She loves the hot dog song on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so we want to have a Minnie Mouse party. She's going to wear Kadence's Minnie Mouse costume from two Halloween's ago. The costume is red, and Minnie's new look on the show is pink. I knew I'd be faced with a challenge finding matching invites and decorations, but I thought for sure I could find some stickers or posters with the classic Minnie look and create something from them. No. No. No. Not only did I not find anything with Minnie in her red dress, the only Minnie I found at all was invites. Everything else is Mickey. Or Mickey and Minnie. Or Mickey and Donald. Or Donald by himself. Or Goofy by himself. No balloons with Minnie. No Napkins. No plates. No goodie bags. Poor Minnie. She used to be so popular, and now she's nowhere to be found.
Anyhow, here's what I came up with for the invites. Now I gotta get started on a few decorations!

Fashion Advice From a 2-Year-Old

If you're not sure what to wear this summer,

try digging into the bottom of your dresser drawers.

Ok, I admit. I haven't cleaned out her clothes in over a year.

But in my defense, now that she's in panties her shorts still fit!

Last year's dress? Now it's a mini and so fabulous.

Last year's shorts? Super daisy duke-like.

And don't forget accessories! Your babydoll's headband and white gloves to match Minnie.

Hey, atleast she's wearing both and not trying to be like Michael Jackson!

How could I put up pictures of #1 without showing off my uber cute #2?

Aren't you jealous of her eyelashes?

BACK TO THE REAL WORLD

Ah, my first blog. Seems like everyone blogs these days, so I thought I'd give it a try. I won't be giving up my journal hidden in my panties drawer anytime soon, but this might be fun.

Should I introduce myself first? I grew up in "The Land of Nothing." That's the Texas panhandle. My graduating class had 26 kids in it. The closest mall was 80 miles. When I got an MIP, my grandparents heard it on the police scanner and called my parents before I got home. We dragged Main Street every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the top speed of 20 mph or else the 1 cop would ticket you in a heartbeat. I can't complain too much though. I miss my small town life sometimes. No traffic. The tellers at the bank know your name and look up your account before you get to the counter. When something bad happens, all your friends show up before you call them. So after I graduated highschool in two-thousand-nevermind, I moved to Fort Worth and met the man that still gives me butterflies when we kiss. Now I'm living it up in San Antonio. The food. The nightlife. The culture. I love it here. I live just outside of the city, so I can still see the stars at night. I have two lovely, well-behaved daughters (HA!). #1 is a two-and-a-half-year-old smarty pants that loves to be outside and oh-so adventurous. She's a Daddy's Girl for sure, but when she tells me "Love you more than the world Momma" it just makes my day. #2 is my miracle baby, which is a story for another day. She's 11 months, and just the sweetest little thing ever. She has a toothless grin that goes from ear to ear, eyelashes longer than mine, and just melts my heart every moment of the day. DH works hard so that I can stay at home with my monkeys.


Today has been rough so far. DH went back to work today after 5 days of vacation. 5 funfilled days at the coast, fishing, flying kites, being lazy, catching up on laundry, and tackling the neverending "to-do list." But now, the carefree days are over. It's 4:35 in the afternoon, I haven't eaten all day, #2's been napping for about an hour and #1 just fell asleep in her panties in my bed. (I really hope she doesn't have an accident!) So rather than attacking that pile of dirty dishes in the sink or organizing the playroom, I'm going to sit on my bum and watch the end of Oprah.

Oh, Oprah. You just love controversy, and I admit today's episode is pretty interesting. Madeleine McCann's parents are discussing the search for their daughter. Hmmmm.....they wouldn't have to be searching for their daughter if they wouldn't have left their children alone, right? I just can't wrap my mind around why they would leave their kids in the hotel room to go have dinner, even if they were only 130 yards away. 130 yards? I don't even walk across the street to check the mail when my girls are napping. Maybe I should read all of the evidence before I come to a conclusion, but I say their guilty. Guilty of neglect. I think their other 2 children should be taken away from them. But who am I to pass judgement? I'll just love on my lil monkeys even more after watching this garbage.

Now it's 5. Time to start dinner. Take out is sounding really good right now, but those bolillos, zucchini, and mushrooms are gonna go bad if I don't use them today. Ah, joy. More dirty dishes!