Lubbock

I love Lubbock. I can't help it, I do. I also realize what a funny little place it is too. It is quirky in it's conservative West Texas ways and as I get older some of the "Lubbockness" makes me laugh.

Last weekend my nieces were in town and my parents took them and Carley to Prairie Dog town. What is Prairie Dog town, you might ask? It is this natural habitat where hundreds of prairie dogs live. I hadn't been there in at least 15 years so it was funny to go back. Only in Lubbock, only in Lubbock...


Here are some pictures of the PD town adventure.

I realize many of you bloggers don't know, but my blogger question is: What is your favorite thing about Lubbock or what makes you laugh about Lubbock the most?

My week in a sentence.

Carley pooped on the floor of Mardel.

Potty training is a funny little game and that point went to little Miss Nelson. Overall she is doing great on the potty training front. She is doing it herself, which is what everyone told me would make my life easier by just letting go, and man, they were right. She still wears diapers to bed, to daycare, and, now, pull ups running errands thanks to the introductory sentence on the post.

Ah, the glamorous life of a mother of a two year old. Here are some pictures of Carley in her Minnie Mouse panties and a tutu.

Anger and Rage......

.....that sums me up today. We found out this morning that someone got a hold of Cody's credit card number and decided to do some online shopping over the weekend. There are so many annoying things about credit card fraud/theft, but the main one for me right now is the head ache of getting it fixed. First of all, both Cody and I have our credit cards, so they had to get the number off of a receipt somewhere or out of the mail. We don't save our passwords or log ins on our computer so it can't be that and we don't do credit card stuff online except at home. We know they only have the number because everything they ordered was online and didn't require the 3 digit number on the back of the card. Secondly, the first thing they did with the card was set up their own pornography website and then do some ordering of filthy movies online. The only good thing about this was I was able to call blockbuster and get the mailing address of the movies. I also was able to call a couple of other charges they made and confirm the same mailing address so I could track them down. I had to spend the morning canceling our cards and all of the things that are automatically charged to our card. I also had to fill our a police report. I do think the detective's office was impressed that I already had an address for the scum bag though. Gosh, I am just so angry about this. It feel so violated. The good news is we caught them quickly and they were not able to buy too much stuff because they didn't have enough of our information. Also, it was good that we were able to fill out a police report about the pornography stuff ourselves because Cody is a city employee and I am an educator. If anything shady went on, it was on record that it wasn't us. It is just scary what this world is coming to. So, go check your statements and make sure you are safe.

I need a nap...

The Olympics

It is crazy to me that it is 08/08/08 and time for the Olympics again. I get all hyped for Opening Ceremonies each year and then when they start I get bored with all the countries. I feel like deep down I am an Olympic slacker even though, I really do love the Olympics.

So this is my blogger questions: What type of Olympics Fan are you?

A. Gold Medal fan - You watch as much as possible and watch even the events that aren't popular. You know all the Olympians and have predictions on who wins what. You even DVR Olympic events you might miss. You sing loud every time the anthem is played.

B. Silver Medal fan - You are into several sports and keep up with them. You may not watch them every time they are on, but you are aware of the ranking each time on more than one sport.

C. Bronze Medal fan - You have your favorite sport or you favorite one or two athletes and you always watch and keep up with them.

D. Aluminum Foil fan - You watch the final events of one or two sports and going into it, you may only have barely heard of one of the athletes.

E. Silly Putty fan- you watch no final events but watch the medal ceremonies so you can see the American flag and still get a tear each time the anthem is played even though you do not know the sports.

F. Rhythmic Ribbon fan - When will the Olympics be over so good television will come on again.

Disclaimer - the types of fans were created quickly by Ashley and mean no insult to any type of fan or to rhythmic ribbons themselves.

So what kind of fan are you? :) Be honest!

Back to Work

Yep, the time has come and I am a working momma again. Man, that brings so many thoughts, emotions, worries, joys, and craziness to my mind. I just have to say that this has been a really unique summer for us. Carley is growing and changing all the time. She is so smart, so sweet, and so funny. She is the light of our lives and we are thankful for her blessing.

My mom had her today and then Cody will be with her tomorrow and Friday. Monday she goes back to Granny's and she is so excited. She has missed her friends. I know that the excitement will wear off in a day or two and she will miss me. We have been best buds over the summer and totally joined at the hip. I will miss her terribly.

The pros and cons of working are really no list at all. The con side is being away from your kid, and that out weighs a list of pros a mile long. It is a choice that can drive you crazy and make you worry about small and big things all day long. I can't say enough how significant this one item on the con side of my list is. However, in order to cheer myself up, I am going to make a list of some of the pros:

1. Sonic drinks for one
2. Uninterrupted conversations
3. listening to Kidd in the mornings
4. Being awake and alert when Carley wakes up instead of grumpy and out of it
5. schedule
6. money
7. the look on her face when I pick her up and knowing she misses me
8. not getting tired or annoyed
9. excuses to shower
10. driving in the car in silence (a.k.a alone time)

I can't believe the 2008-2009 school year has started. Happy School year everyone and don't forget to sharpen your pencils.

Obsessive Book Nerd Post:

I just finished Breaking Dawn. It was so good. Has anyone out there finished it or is anyone reading it. I am dying to discuss. Let me know and we can email or talk about it.

People, you need to read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. That is all I am going to say.

Sand Volleyball at Sonic

We had a class party at Sonic where we ate and played sand volleyball. Really, the kids played in the sand, the boys played volleyball, and the girls talked. It was so fun.

We are truly blessed by our church family and the friendships that are in it!
In the pictures are the Dickeys, the Haynes, the Carrascos, the Gattis's, the Rodgers, the Duttons, the Simpsons, the Watkins, and the Nelsons

FLAIR!!!!!!

This seriously is the most fun! Flair is application on Facebook and so many people are doing it. It is so fun to make your flair board. LITERALLY I have spent hours perfecting my flair and then I find a new one I want to add.

Thanks to Leah J, Alyssa O, Kristen O, Melody M, Angie C, Amy B, Cara C, and the many other Facebookers who have sent me flair. It has been a blast to exchange it with you guys!

Personally I love my flair and those who know me really well will know why I picked almost each button!

Which is your favorite?

What I read this week:

Change of Heart - By Jodi Picoult - This was shared by Kristen O and Alyssa O. It is SO good. I really love her books. They are all mysteries in a way with a twist. This is the story of a guy who is on death row for allegedly murdering a cop and his daughter. He sees on the news that the other daughter of this family needs a heart transplant and he wants to donate his heart too her, but obviously the court and the mom of the family have lots of emotions about this. There is also an interesting twist on religion in this book as well. I give it 5 stars. It is a real page turner and thinker. :)

The Shack - By William Young. This was loaned to me by Allyson W and recommended by several of you bloggers. The subtitle of this book is "Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity". This is a short book (only 250 small pages) and it truly is a must read. Without giving too much away, it is basically about a man who God invites to spend a weekend with him at a shack where a great tragedy happened to the man's family. This book really blessed me. Even though it was fiction, I felt like it showed a lot of insight into God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Please take the time to read this book. It is outstanding and I know it will bless you like it blessed me.


On a COMPLETELY different page, Breaking Dawn, the 4th book in the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer is coming out in one week! I am so excited to find out how this story ends. I know so many of you out there are fans of this series like I am and although I should be embarrassed about my obsession to this love triangle (those of you who have read it know why it is embarrassing to talk about), but truthfully this series is SO captivating, innovative, and compelling, I am not ashamed to admit that this series is one of the best fiction series I have read.


So here are my questions blogger:

1. Do you think I am crazy for reading two books in a week?
2. Have you read any of these books?
3. Have you prereserved a copy of Breaking Dawn?
4. Did The Shack change the way you look at things?
5. What are you reading?

Here are some of my favorite quotes about reading:

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read.” ^{- Mark Twain}
“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” ^{- Mason Cooley}
“Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.” ^{- Joseph Addison}
“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” ^{- Abraham Lincoln}
“It is not true we have only one life to love, if we can read, we can live as many lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.” ^{- S.I. Hayakawa}
“Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.” ^{- Angela Carter}

Carley's Big Girl Room

Carley has been in a big girl bed for a few weeks now and so we have been working on the room. Cody did it all. I simply griped, criticized, and gave unwanted advice! :)

Here's how it all went down. When we spent the week at Alyssa's, Carley slept on Lauren's trundle matress and I slept on Lauren's bed. Carley spent the week adjusting and doing so well. On the way back to Lubbock Cody mentioned that we were going to put Carley in a big bed in a couple of weeks, since she had already done it for a week, why not go ahead and do it, so we came back and bought the matresses. Here was the killer for me, I have always heard not to focus on your child's firsts, but their lasts as well. I didn't know the night before we went to Alyssa's was her last night in a crib. I didn't treasure the rocking or the little face with wild hair waiting for me in her crib the next morning. Her first night in her big bed, Carley just laid down and went to sleep, no tears at all. I, on the other hand, cried like a baby.

I am so thankful that it has been such an easy transition for her and us. We have had a few nights of crying when she was trying to fall asleep, two missed naps, but overall, I am SO thankful that we did the transition at Alyssa's. It was perfect.

Anyway, her room went from a light green nursery to a bright big girl room with stripes and a chair rail. I think Cody did a great job on it. Here are some pictures of the process.

green to yellow

Can you believe that he just free handed the stripes? No tape or anything. My husband is seriously too talented.

There are about 100 stripes in the room in 4 different Disney Colors: Pretty as Princess Pink, Cinderella Ball Gown Blue, Tinkerbell Green, and Rumbly Tumbly Orange. The yellow is Tiger's Tummy.

So meticulous

We are going to get white furniture, but I think we will wait until she is closer to not using diapers. Maybe she will get furniture for her 3rd bday in December.

I just love these three hangings.

Happy Birthday, Cody

Today my husband is the big 29! Happy Birthday, Buddy. The picture above may seem so random, but in so many ways, this incorporates Cody's personality so much.

He is truly a helper. It is what his name means and what I would use to describe his passion in life. He LOVES to help others and does it joyfully.

He is patient. He is the kind of patient that puts others at ease around him.

He is gentle. When Carley is throwing a crazy two year old fit, just feeling her Daddy's hand on her back makes me calm down.

He is a team player. The crazy 4th of July parade...not his idea. Giving fireworks to a two year old....not his idea. Most of the things he does....not his idea. But Cody works joyfully and is great at compromising.

Happy Birthday, Cody!

My Blog List

I am trying something new with my blog list and I thought I would blog about it because several of you out there use my list on the right to navigate back and forth between blogs. I didn't want to throw you for a loop.

The way my list works now is it is in order of who last posted. Since there are 76 blogs attached at the right it is too long to click through to see who updated. This way I can see at a glance. The only downfall is those of you who are private will always be at the bottom because it can't determine when you last updated.

There is a way to do it alphabetical by blog name but I am going to try it by order of update for a little while to see what we think.

I welcome feedback.

That darn empty seat

Today Cody made an appointment for Carley and I to head to the tire store to get the valve stem (or something like that) checked on our car. As many of you know, a tire store is not the easiest place to entertain a two year old for an hour........no toys, no tv. Plus it was pouring rain this morning so my original plan to walk to McDonalds or a donut shop wasn't going to work in that eather. So Carley and I walk in (dripping wet because I can never find my umbrella when it rains) and go to the counter. When I walk in I see that the room is full of men. Literally, all men. They are ALL sitting with an empty seat between them. So Carley and I head to the counter to check in and all of that and I start thinking, "One of these nice guys will move next to eachother so I can sit with my daughter and our large diaper bag of toys". After about 3 minutes at the counter I turn around to find a seat and no one had moved. Some of these guys were in their 40s and 50s so I know that at least a couple of them must be fathers and feel my pain. No one gets up. I just stand there looking for a place, when my vocal little girl in pigtails and a princess shirt says, "Mommy, where are we going to sit? I do not see a chair for me and a chair for you." Carley is not a whisperer by any stretch and I know they all heard her. I said I didn't know and did the look around the room again. All the guys were looking every direction but at us so they could avoid my eye contact. Finally she stood in front of me while I sat in a chair. After 30 minutes one of the guys got finished and left and we finally could sit together.

Why can't men sit next to eachother? I get the comfort factor, but when two that are clearly together need to sit together, then they should be man enough to move over. Do they really think that they are going to come across as a homosexual for sitting next to another man in the tire store? Ugh.

Carley at 2 1/2 and Cousin Pictures

4th of July week and the most hilarious parade ever

I have so much to blog about over the past two weeks, but I thought I would do the 4th first because 'tis the season afterall. Cody, Carley, my parents, and I headed up to Keller to spend the week with Alyssa's family. The boys went to NYC for three days and us girls stayed in Keller and swam, played, shopped, ate, and laughed. It was such a fun and crazy week for all of us.

We got to see my friend Shanta and baby Campbell over dinner one night. These are two of my favorite girls and I just loved being with them. It was so great. I nearly tucked Campbell away in my purse and kept her.

I also got to see my dear friends Mark and Clay Rich and their wives Tara and Jessica. They both have bought homes recently and I got to see all the work they had done. I am very thankful for all 4 of these special people in my life and the sweetness of our friendship. It was great.

The funniest part of the week to me was my niece Lauren who organized a "parade" for Carley and Cam to be in. A parade done my a 4 year old and two 2 year olds was precious chaos. My mom helped organize and got the parade going. It was so sweet. I can not tell you in blog world how hilarious it was, but let me just go over the parade order. (It really was a program, but you can't convince a 4 year old of that)

1. Singing of "We Love Our Flag" by all three.
2. Invocation by Carley (The Lord's Prayer)3. Carley rocking the crowd with a performance of "Bingo"

4. Camryn singing the patriotic favorite "Twinkle, Twinkle"
5. Lauren reading a bible story to the crowd

6. Lauren doing a song from VBS
7. All 3 doing "My God is So Big".
8. Throwing candy to the crowd (once again, ALL Lauren's idea and hilarious)
9. "We love Our Flag"

They were so cute.

My mom and dad were great and had sparklers for the girls and mom helped them make a cake. The girls had so much fun decorating it with sprinkles and they were so proud of their work.

Alyssa was such a great hostess. She and Clint couldn't have been more wonderful. My nieces are too precious and so funny. I just loved it.