Camping Trip...well, kind of

The girls wanted to tent camp outside...and since I am such a novist at outdoor camping, I was all in, with both feet! Here they are, out in the wilderness, far away from the cabin, sleeping under the stars, listening to crickets and coyotes.

They had a blast...both girls slept all night in their tent...

Well, ok, so, I was a little chicken about letting them sleep outside, and I was IN NO WAY going to sleep out there with them. So, T-bone and I had a strategy....we would wait until they fell asleep (on our back porch, in a tent, no less) and then, we would move them and the tent, into the living room. Lexie is a lot like me, adventurous, but not exactly a lover of sleeping outdoors with bugs and lizards....SO, they finished their tent camping adventure (after 10 minutes of being outside) in the living room, inside the tent.

All in all, it was a fun camping trip! Totally MY STYLE!

Happy Easter

Easter is my FAVORITE holiday....

Our Lord is Risen!

I once was going to move to Denver, but it was snowing when I was there on Easter Sunday, that was a deal breaker for me. I like the green grass, the pastel clothing and sunny blue skies, it is such a sweet and whimsical holiday to me...

On Saturday, the girls wanted to go swimming (insane, I know) just after the Egg Hunt in our subdivision. The initial shock of the water temperature made them suck in their tummies through their spines and out the back of them. I thought, huh, if that is what it takes to have a flat stomach, I am going to become a Winter Olympic Medalist in Swimming...haha

Our Friends are HERE, yippee!

We are already making Jackson and Narci feel welcome by invading their room and having story time in their bed. We really LOVE our friends. Bella even tried to camp out on the guest bedroom floor, complete with nap mat and snuggle bear. Oh, the adventures to come.....

Best Shot Monday

Our friends over at This Southern Belle gave us a wonderful suggestion.... In an effort to rid ourselves of the "Monkeys" in Bella's ears, we should take our free loading ear monkey to the ZOO. Along the way, we visited the butterfly garden and Bella got to hold a few butterflies. It was AWESOME!
It was very exciting to leave that darn Monkey there....

Only, this little bugger finagled his way into Lexie's ear on our way out...
We are headed to the Doctor today...She carries banana's that lure the monkeys out of little girls ears, so we have heard!

In addition to all the animal capturing we have been doing in our ears....Bella was kind of tired of her brown eyes and traded them for pink one's. Yep, pink eye in both eyes, so we are going to have to come up with a place to trade her pink eyes back for her beautiful brown one's....

Click on the picture below to view more Best Shots!

child labor?

The girls are fascinated with my sewing studio. Every day, they come in and either pin something, ask to sew something or want to cut up something. Bella asked me for her own sewing machine since I am ALWAYS using mine (she says)...

Bella decided that she wanted me to make her some HI-5 style jeans (you know the show don't you? It is on Discovery Kids)...anyhow, they are her "hip hop" jeans. I really think they turned out cute. She was insistent that I make these for her, so she could wear them to school the next morning....It is usually a battle to get her to wear some of the things that I have made. I keep telling her that she has her own "personal" designer, just like Hannah Montana does....It doesn't fly with her, she thinks she is a much bigger star than that old Disney diva. LOL! (a good imagination is healthy)

One of the "helpers" usually pricks their own finger, so I tell them..."you aren't a good seamstress unless you prick your finger". Hey, I can make that rule, I stick myself all the time, once I even sewed over my own finger nail! I must be a DANG gooooooood designer for that one...haha-

Have a nice weekend Y'All!,

Best Shot Monday

"Over-looked"
I was lying on the sidewalk and the girls were looking over my camera. I was using my 50mm 1.8f lens, so I couldn't fit them completely in the pic, which I like, it gives the shot a little whimsical feel.
It was a BEAUTIFUL day.


"Peek-A-Boo"
Looking for the camera, I got a secret shot of Lexie!

Thank-FULL-ness

I am thankful for the following:

To T-Bone for proving that white men CAN jump. I am thankful that these girls have THAT Dad, how blessed they are.....

That this girl is SO sweet, even when she is being a DIVA. She gives me a reason to smile everyday, she reminds me how smart I USED TO BE, and I am reminded to slow down. Bella does things in Bella time, and even if it isn't in sync with my watch, somehow, her time is always right!

For this girl, she challenges me to be a better Mom, to let loose and live a little, and she reminds me how much fun life is when you laugh and run in circles. I look into Lexie's AWESOME blue eyes and see my Mom, which makes me so happy!

Finally, I am thankful for some awesome writers out there, who are undoubtedly funny, witty, honest and who sometimes read my blog (which is political, but hey, what is the point of talking if nobody is listening, uh, well, that is my life at home, so, my blog is where people can actually HEAR me when I speak)....
So, here are the latest recipients of Sassy-ness: Congratulations!

I.Wright - She has some great blog post titles, she makes me laugh until I need a potty break. She shows food in her braces, hence, making fun of herself (what a woman) and finally, honestly, humbly, I am hoping this award seals the deal on a lifelong blogship between us.....here, have a scone to go with your award....and, sign here X_____________________________.

Momisodes - She has a great sense of humor, laughs at herself, tells it like it is, and has obstacles in life like the rest of us, only she handles it with a teaspoon of grace and a cup of humor. I like her, she cool like dat.

GinaJam - Because she is a notably talented scrapbooker/teacher/artist. She has a great eye for photography, she is a patient Mom (which I admire immensely) and she has the BEST smile and laugh.

TheTannerTrio
- This one is solely for the kid, Reagan. I have known her since she was a little tot in Kindermusik. Now, she is this sassy little big sister to her cousin, Claire.
She is a cajun, so we have to stick together, ya know cher?
She is an aggie too, but we will overlook this small flaw.

Love Day Photos

Went out to our favorite little village today to get some Valentine's Day pics for Daddy. We really had a fun morning taking pics, running around the grounds and eating more sugar than should be legal for people under 50 lbs...
Here are some of the shots...

Sweet Fun

The Gazing Ball

Loving my Lollipop

Strike A Pose!

We were in Old Navy today and Bella was walking around in my sunglasses. She was calling herself "FABULOUS". So, Miss Fab-U-Lus and her side kick, Miss-Chevious, struck a pose on the vintage display truck. Of course, the paparazzi was there to capture the action!

Trail Riders

Real cowgirls sleep in their hat and boots! (even if they aren't cowboy boots)

Trail Rides and Rodeo's are HUGE forms of entertainment here in Texas.
So big and important that even the schools engage in the festivities..from dressing in genuine cowboy gear to face painting, country music, a bean bag toss, digging for gold, decorating your own longhorn and even bonafied Mexican breakfast burritos (YUM!). Now, we just need to give them folks a lesson in how to "Salty Dance"!

Homecoming

I came home to these sweet little girls, a dozen beautiful roses, a Welcome Home sign, High School Musical balloon, a handmade painted wooden star embellished with paints and rhinestones and a yummy steak dinner. It was a very nice homecoming....only minus the big Texas style MUM pinned to my dress, and the overrated football game...But, I did make out with the linebacker under the bleachers...I think I might just show him some of my old drill team moves!!!

Photo Moto

I had a down home photo shoot "extravaganza" with the girls. Poor Lexie, even with a high fever, she was a trooper. It gave us something to do and for a moment, made Lexie forget she wasn't feeling so great. I think I have some good shots for my website....Now, countless hours will go into getting them placed and launched onto the site. Wish me a pot of coffee and some luck, please!

The Salty Dance

¿Qué Pasa? ¿Cómo llegaste? Como te fue tu fin de semana hasta el momento?
(How are you? How did you get here? How was your weekend so far?)

Tonight, we are blaring the Salsa y Merengue channel on our television. Bella wants to do the "Salty Dance"....Complete with props and in costume, we are ready for our Salty Dancing, we have beer, the kids have juice, it is a Saturday Night Fiesta.

I am the Gringa Paparazzi...capturing the Cowboy and his dancers having a blast!

Manic Monday

Normally, I call Monday my "Cinderella" day...it is the day that I do the laundry, mop the floors until one could see their reflection in them (even though they are matte, and porcelain), vacuum the carpets with synchronized lines (like Narci does), scrub the royal thrones...you know, "clean the palace".

Today, Manic Monday. I am feeling blue....all over.
You see, I started this cleanse about 3 weeks ago that is supposed to detox your body....and considering the fact that I have poisoned this fleshy contraption, with sugar, alcohol, alcohol that turns into sugar....you know, the story of life in one's 20's?, I have a lot to detox...
Anyhow, the first few weeks were great, as long as I drank a lot of water, I felt fine. Then, the symptoms started, drowsiness, headaches, mild pounding, just enough to annoy me headaches. Then, the "not so loud" headaches started. Now, turn off the lights, don't make a sound, just wanna lay in bed, sucking my thumb, want my mama headaches.
I figured this must mean I am down to the layer of pure alcohol in my body. It feels a lot like my 20's, headaches the morning after....I thought this layer would be fun, since the alcohol is coming out of my body, I might get like the 90 proof party feeling....nope. It is coming out in a way that I cannot blog about.

I have a heightened sense of smell too, it is crazy. I was lying down on the couch and smelled a strong fragrant cinnamon. I could finally smell the candles that are a year old on my mantel. Most people would have to put their noses ON these candles to know they were even scented. Not to mention other scents that I won't mention. I can smell stuff a room away. Tim and the girls must think I am a loon....I say, "I smell sugar cookies"...they are like "WHAT?, I don't smell anything", then, they look at me like I am on crack.
I can't wait to get down to the layer of sugar that I consumed as a kid, I should have a lot of energy and be able to run around in circles for hours....maybe then, I will be able to keep up with Lexie (my little energizer bunny).


Have a skippin', twirlin' good Monday!

Christmas Festivities Photo's

Thank you for spending some time with us Paw Paw. We enjoyed your company.

Aunt Janie, thank you for coming to see us at Christmas and bringing us enough fat grams to force us back on the treadmill. We love your Christmas cookies!!!

Mom's gourmet breakfast, YUM! We enjoyed your cooking and hope to fit back into our jeans by 2008...

Aunt Mel, Uncle Moose and Gabrielle...it was great to spend time with you guys!

Sassy and Honey. Thank you for giving your 3 girls a very special Christmas.

Bella with Rachel and Emily (my extended-family sisters)

Karaoke fun with cousin Victoria...singing HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL tunes.

Mom, the girls and Me.

Gabrielle opening her Christmas gifts. How adorable is my niece?

Cookies for Santa...Reindeer cookies...The girls had a blast making and decorating these with you Nan-E. (I think Tim enjoyed "helping" too)

All of the Christmas festivities were great. Thank you to Ted and Melanie for a fantastic bonfire, to Mom and Kenny for hosting Christmas Eve at their house, and to the rest of our family for celebrating with us.