"Happy Birthday" ~ New Kids on the Block

Yesterday was CC's birthday. It was a crazy day for me and I didn't get to celebrate him in all the ways I had planned so we will just have to carry the birthday fun out through the week.
Now that he works for The Mouse each year on their birthday Micky comes sits on his desk with a cupcake and candle. I begged him to have someone take a picture of it for me. Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?
Happy Birthday love!
(and yes it is a gift to have the New Kids sing your birthday song!)

Results of a photoshop class I'm taking

Mamma Mia! ~ ABBA

Last night I went with some awesome dynamo chiquititas to go see the touring production of Mamma Mia . We had so much fun together. We had 2nd row seats and could watch the musicians in the pit. The best part however was just laughing, dancing and having fun with great friends at a great musical.

Thanks for an awesome night!!

"Manic Monday" ~ The Bangles

Allow me to take you on a tour of my morning:

I wake up this morning rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as my sweet husband descends down the stairs. It's 8am but my children have been up for at least an hour or more. As you can see there is no concept of sleeping in during summer vacation at my house. I sit up to greet the morning when I hear my husband's footsteps slow down and stop midway down the stairs. The sound of his footsteps are replaced by the slow repetitive chant of "no No NO NOOOO". I roll my eyes and climb out of bed to see my eldest cowering behind the banister and my youngest in tears with his little hand being firmly, yet lovingly head by CC. Once concluding they are alive and seemingly well I further survey the situation to see in the middle of my living room, on my beige carpet, the remnants of a bottle of Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Let me add that it was a near FULL bottle of Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Red Raspberries. Chipotle. Sauce. Carpet. Not only is my carpet sitting unwillingly under a pile of red goo it was my favorite sauce and the bottle is empty. Oh, and the room is beginning to take on a chipolte aroma. I now know why Scentsy doesn't make the scent Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. After wet vac, resolve, hot water and what I believe to be the silent prayers of my sons the carpet came clean. Although I make no promise if you ever sleep on the floor you won't have dreams of chipotle.

I decided to let bygones be bygones and take the kids to the library.
Why? Why?! Why?! Why?!
Am I a glutton for punishment? - Quite possibly.

The oldest roams around the library never picking up a book but determining that they all look "boring". The middle one waits ever so patiently on an over sized bean bag chair for the eldest to find a book and read to her. This, while I chase the little one from puzzle - to book - to computer - to rooms he shouldn't go to. It then seems as though they might possibly settle down and read a book together so I can have 5 lovely minutes to look at the books I so adore. I quietly leave the room and within minutes the little one is banging on the glass doors and the other two, only a foot away, are oblivious to his banging and screaming. A talent the rest of the library staff apparently does not have as they give me the "you re the worst mom in the world" stare.

Fine! I'll take the youngest with me to look at books. That seems like a compromise right? WRONG. The youngest deems the dewy decimal system obsolete and decides to enforce his own system on the library. His system consists of freeing the books from their vile imprisonment on the shelves and offering them liberation on the floors of the library. And, were that not enough, it is to be done with a loud exclamation of freedom as each book gains liberty.

I relent and go to gather the other two. As we come towards them the older one looks at me bewildered and asks with sincere amazement "how did he get out there"? I have no words. None.

I gather my lovely blessings up and go to make a quick stop at the grocery store. Why must I continue to delude myself with the idea that any stop at any store with three children could dare use the adjective "quick"? Why must I lie to myself?
What was intended to be a quick stop for a handful of things turns into a cart filled with pizza rolls and wheat crackers and things I no longer care to pay attention to. For all I know there could be cat food, bottles of wine and lighter fluid I gave up caring about 30 mins ago.
Just when I see the light at the end of the tunnel, when the promise of home and relaxation seem within my grasp the little one decides that a hot Texas day is the perfect time to protest car seats. With the car loaded and the promise of an AC home waiting for me, I am forced to wrangle my littlest blessing into a restraining seat. It is then I begin to wonder 'could not this restraining device be adapted for in home use?'

That was my morning.

Since then we made and cleaned up pizza rolls. Did you know they squish into toddler hair almost with the same staining power as Raspberry Chipotle sauce? Did you further know that using Resolve and hot water on a toddlers head is frowned upon?

Followed by nap.

I took that time to veg out for an hour. I just sat on the couch and stared. I may have blacked out for some time I'm not totally sure. I distinctly remember cuddling up in the fetal position rocking and sucking my thumb while humming 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game". That's pretty normal though right? Right?

Then I made some Enchilada casserole, a double batch of Zucchini bread. Now I sit here updating my blog while I just now hear the little one do his thud thud thud down the stairs no doubt hunting me down to further grace me with the joys of motherhood.

"Summer in the City" ~ Joe Cocker

School is out. Summer is here. Texas is hot.
It's only been a week but it has reminded me I need to be much more organized. Here's the problem. I have a pre-teen, a blind girl, and a rambuncious toddler, none of them like the same things. One wants to go bowling - the other two aren't as into bowling One wants to go shopping and go out to eat - now I could easily talk them into going out to eat daily it's not exactly in the budget and let's not forget she wants to go shopping before eating (have I raised her right or what?!) The other one wants to tear up my house, somehow he seems to win out more often than the other two. Thank heavens for pools! We try to go in the morning come home to a nice lunch and then we have what I call "quiet time". Quiet time means reading for the older one, music for the middle one, and nap for the little one. If all the stars and planets are perfectly aligned they ALL eventually fall asleep. That is when I put on my ballet slippers and tutu and dance around the house in silent leaps of joy. Well, in my mind I do. In my mind I look REALLY hot in a tutu too.
I tried to talk the kids into going to Sea World but none of them wanted to. What is up with that?! So, I'm going to try the water park with them. I am certain the oldest will love it, I am sure the middle will be done with it in 20mins, and I'm positive I will end up chasing the toddler around places he shouldn't be. I know... you envy my life.
CC finally got a pick up. It was a long time coming. The final straw came when he decided to let me use his car since I would just be in town doing my VTing while he took the van to work. Well, about half way there the car jugged and lugged and started smoking. I ran 2 stop signs at 20mph (the max the car would go) to die in front of my friends house (thanks Heather) where it stayed until the donation company came and hauled it off to be made into a planter or something. Now we have a black pick-up that is a great date night ride.
I spent last Saturday at Austin Photo Expo taking class after class from some amazing photographers. I felt so lucky to get to sit in on a class by John Isaac it was inspiring. Will Crockett and Kirk Tuck were among my other favorites. It was a great day and I could have spent hours just absorbing their information.
I am in the preplanning phase with "The Girls" for our beach trip. This year it seems we are going to a TX beach. I'm not really sure which one yet since time is a factor but it will be great. Although, I have to admit I am a little sad about not getting back to my NW beaches this year. I crave them. CC and I were looking just the other day at real estate out there. We will be back home eventually. I am sure of it.
I also got tickets to go see Mama Mia and Wicked with "The Texas Girls". I am so excited for it. I am going to take Em to a matinee of Mama Mia because she totally loves the music and loves going to musicals. I am seriously considering season tickets for next year.
The garden is bursting! We have already picked some zucchini and okra. We have watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes and tons of herbs just growing like crazy. I need to teach Coop that tomato and melon plants are not ball plants he can pick and play ball with.

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Ain't No Sunshine ~ Kris Allen

Let's not pretend I am going to do a catch up post. Let's instead just start from this point and go forward. Never look back only forward. I have some pictures I'll throw up soon. I have been trying to get the kids pictures taken for the last month but something is always coming up. I'm working on it. School ends this week and then we are stuck in Texas for the summer. Have I mentioned I hate Texas in the summer? I do. I am determined however to suck as much joy out of it as is physically possible. We will see. I'm dubbing it the summer of fun. If I live up to that I will have accomplished something. Everyone cross your fingers and toes for final grades. It looks like Bennett may have accomplished his goal of all As and Bs.
Yes, I realize my song choice has nothing to do with this blog post but it's Kris Allen and I think he's great and it has to do with sunshine...kinda.

"Peter Cottontail" ~ Chumski

Happy Easter my Peeps!

Easter at our house is a weekend long event. We do Easter Baskets and candy on Saturday. It works for us because I just had a hard time making sense of chocolate and prizes and the Ressurection. I decided that the Easter Bunny could visit us on Saturday so that we could concentrate on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday. Not only that it makes getting through church much easier if the kids aren't jacked up on sugar!

My favorite FAVORITE tradition is the bunny ear pictures. Really this is my favorite thing and I look forward to it all week long.
BUNNY EARS!


Even my husband has learned to love the bunny pictures. Okay... maybe not love but he doesn't fight it so I like to interpert it as love. Isn't he just the cutest bunny?


If that weren't enough. We also decided to celebrate Cooper's birthday this weekend. His birthday was actually Thursday which you can see from the post below but we waited until the weekend for presents and cake. He didn't mind.