Megan & Emmie

Below are a few pictures of Megan and Emmie. Emmie is the new puppy of a family friend. When we were in SA, Meme & Poppy took Meg over to the Koppes' house to meet Emmie. Meg fell in love with her. Poor Emmie - I bet she hadn't been handled like that her whole life. I hope she won't be afraid of children for the rest of her life.

Updated Toddler's Creed

I came across this today and it's more fitting for Meg's new outlook on life.

The Toddler’s Creed
If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.
I am toddler!

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday, Darla and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch in Cleburne. It was about a 25 minute drive from Mansfield, but it was worth the drive. The girls and Lawson had so much fun. There was a three story tree house, a semi-petting zoo (the animals were in a fence, but if they came close enough you could pet them), a hay ride, and face & pumpkin painting (although we didn't do any of that).

I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't have any melt downs from the children because none of them had taken a nap. I know that Megan had a blast. I'm glad that Darla and the kids were able to come with us.

After the pumpkin patch, we went back to their house for a quick dinner, then I took Megan over to Boompaw & Nawnaw's house to spend the night. With Jarrad out of town, this means that I was all alone last night :) I actually slept in this morning until the dogs woke me up around 10. Truth be told, I let them out and then went back to sleep for another hour. I feel so rested.

So much fun!!!

Sorry for the sideways video :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fright Fest

Friday night, we went to Fright Fest at Six Flags in Arlington. Every year the company I work for hosts a Halloween party for the employee's children. It's usually held at the office, where the employees decorate offices and then the children come through to "Trick or Treat" in the office.

This year, my company decided to take the party to Six Flags for Fright Fest. Meg had never been to Six Flags before, so it was a real treat. We arrived around 6:30 and found our way back to the pavilion where dinner was being served. Of course, this was after we rode the giant carousel that is the first thing you see when you walk in to Six Flags (picture on left).

After dinner, it was off to the area of the park that is for the little kids. I wasn't sure how she was going to do with rides because of her traumatic experience at the State Fair, but she loved it. Some rides, she rode alone and others I had to ride with her. I think she had a blast.

The picture on the right is the last picture I took of the night. You can't tell, but she has HUGE circles under her eyes, her lips are chapped, and she's cold (couldn't get her to wear a hat). So, we had a drink, rode one last ride and headed home. She was such a big girl all night. She never ran off, which was a bit of a shock to me. I thought for sure that I would be chasing my three year old around the park.

She's growing so fast

Meg & Daddy

Meg sure loves her daddy!!!

This picture was taken through the door of the mule while we were at the ranch.

downloaded pics

There's nothing like downloading pictures from a camera and being pleasantly surprised. It's like the old days of finding a roll of film and not knowing what's on it until you get the roll back from being developed.

I hadn't used my small digital camera since Labor Day weekend and was surprised to find the following cute pictures. Meg loves being at the ranch and being outside. We had to fill feeders while we were there, so we spent a lot of time out on the mule. I had tried to talk her into staying at the house with me so we could lay down to take a nap, but she wouldn't have that. If her daddy was going out on the mule, then we were too. The picture below explains why I wanted her to stay at the house and nap.

We had been out tooling around on the ranch for probably about 1 hour before she fell asleep. She actually crawled up into the seat herself and laid down while Jarrad and I were filling the feeder (I was opening the corn and he was pouring it into the feeder).

Right before this, we had taken the dogs swimming in one of the tanks at the ranch. As soon as Dixie saw the tank, she was off the mule and in the water. I've never seen a dog that loves to swim as much as she does. Her and Ace are both great swimmers, although Ace is always trying to swim on top of Dixie. Sometimes I worry that he's going to drown her or hurt her. But, she always swims away from him some how.

Wordless Wednesday

Pictures as promised!

The children's coloring book at Jim's has a straw topper cow face that children can put on the straw of their drink. So, when they're drinking, it looks like they have a cow head. This is a picture of her. She had so much fun drinking out of the straw - she was a giggle box :)

This is a picture of Meg & Layton...Meg's future husband ;) They had a blast swimming in the bubble pool. They make the perfect pair - Meg in her goofy goggles and Layton in the pink floaties.

What a wonderful weekend

Meg and I have been in San Antonio since Friday. We arrived around lunch time Friday and leave tomorrow around the same time. We've had an amazing weekend.

It has been a much needed break from our busy schedules.

Friday night, I went to dinner with three of my girlfriends from childhood (and high school). We met at El Jarro (of course). It was so amazing to catch up with the girls. It's definitely something we need to make a habit of. I miss the girls from SA so much.

After girls' night out, Jamie dropped me off at my parents and I went over to Ruth & Taylor's house. This was around mid-night. Keep in mind, that my parents had Megan, so I was a little excited about my new found freedom. I visited with Ruth, Beth & Steff until 2. I'm glad I made the visit because I found out that Steff was pregnant :) I'm so excited for her and Tim. After leaving Ruth's house, I headed over to Paduka & Grace's house to see the bride & groom one last time before they got married. I hung out over there for about an hour and then came back home. I was so tired on Saturday that I took a nap before noon. I love that my parents watched Meg so I could do that...not sure I would have survived Saturday night if I hadn't.

Saturday afternoon/night, we went to Grace & Paduka's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding. They actually got married in the same church that my parents got married in 36 years ago. After the ceremony, we went to the reception. It was a great party. Meg had a blast dancing.

Sunday we had some breakfast at Jim's, then went to Costco. Never fails...when in SA, we always have to make a trip to Costco - mom and dad are addicted to that place. Later this afternoon, the Middletons and Ruth & Taylor came over for an early dinner. The kids had a blast playing together. Maddie, Meg and Layton swam in the bubble pool and the adults visited. I'm so glad Jamie & Lath are back in town - I have missed her so much!

We leave to go back to Mansfield tomorrow - sad to go, but we miss Jarrad. I'm sure he misses us too.

This is a picture of Megan from her 3rd birthday - I love this picture so much! I can't believe how big she is - it seems like just yesterday, Jarrad and I found out we were having a baby!

This is magical...

Meg's new phrase. Everything is "magical". She said the time she spent with Tanner and Colton over the weekend was "magical". Avery's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese..."magical". Playing with Marissa at school today..."magical".

The funniest thing about this new phrase is that she told me all of the above on the way to Little Gym tonight. She's such a nut.

We leave for San Antonio tomorrow to see Poppy & Meme. I'm sure our trip will be "magical". When I told her today that we were going to SA on an airplane...she told me she wanted to ride on the orange & blue airplane. It still amazes me the things she remembers and the things I take for granted. After all, she's going to get to ride on an orange & blue airplane because we're flying Southwest.

Blogging may be non-existent over the weekend, but I will be sure to update next week with plenty of pictures (and stories I'm sure).

Wordless Wednesday

Five Things That I Will Never Wear Again!

I've been tagged by Darla...so, here you have it

1. Parachute pants
2. Units or Multiple outfits (does anyone even remember what I'm talking about?)
3. Hyper color t-shirts
4. Colored mascara
5. Reebok high-tops (untied)

I do have to say that as I think back on some of the things I wore, I can only say that I'm thankful that fashion is always changing. Can you imagine if Parachute pants were still in?!?

Thanks for "tagging me" Darla

I'm not tired...

...always the last words out of her mouth before she falls asleep. This picture was taken yesterday after we left the fair. We had just pulled out of the parking lot. I was actually surprised that she didn't fall asleep in the stroller - guess there was just too much to see and do.

The bracelet on her arm is a safe kids arm band - on the inside, I had written her name, my name and my phone number in case we some how were separated. Luckily it never came to that, but I like the idea. I'm thankful that Meg was a good girl and didn't run off. I think the crowds scared her a little (that's a good thing).

Texas State Fair

Today, we took Megan to the fair in Dallas. We had such a great time with her. First thing we did was went to the petting zoo. We had to leave dad outside because of his asthma, but Meg had a blast anyway. As we were walking in, I was digging in through my bag to grab some money to buy some food for the animals, and a very sweet gentleman gave Meg a red solo cup full of food. We spent about 30 minutes in the petting zoo, feeding the animals and petting them if they got close enough to the fences. When I had decided that Jarrad had waited long enough for us, we got out of there...surprisingly without a struggle.

The ups & downs of life

After the petting zoo, we took Meg to the midway to ride some rides. I rode with her on her first roller coaster ride. It probably wasn't the best ride to take her on because half of the ride was in the dark. She was OK for most of it, but when we got off the ride and she saw her daddy, the water works began. After that, we took her to some more kid friendly rides (or what we thought would be more kid friendly). We asked her if she wanted to ride another ride and she said yes. So, she decided to ride the "buggy cars". It started off well, but again, by the time she got off the ride, she was crying. She decided that she didn't want to ride any more rides, but would ride them "next time, when she was bigger."

Chuck E Cheese

Meg was invited to Avery's fourth birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. She loves the "giant rat". I'm not sure what about him is so appealing, but as soon as we got there, she started asking about him. She's only been to Chuck E Cheese a handful of times, so how she remembers this stuff is beyond me.

I'm convinced that doctors should prescribe a Saturday night at Chuck E Cheese for anyone who asks about birth control. It is complete kid chaos. And, the "prizes" that the tickets you win can be are at best, worth 1 penny. Meg picked out a slinky and it didn't even make it out the door before it was tangled.

After Chuck E Cheese, we went shopping and then to dinner with daddy. Then it was home to watch a movie and off to bed. I love the weekends!

Leave me alone...

Meg's new catch phrase for anything and everything. We're sitting outside on the patio tonight and she keeps going in and out and in and out. Every time she goes in, she's empty handed...every time she comes out, she has more stuff. She's packing up her hummer because she's going to SA (according to her). I just told her, Meg, "Stop bringing stuff outside"...her response...

"LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M GOING TO SA."

It probably reads sweeter than it sounds when it comes out of a three year old's mouth! She says it with a certain tone and it just completely gets under my skin. Short term goal for self: Take the phrase "Leave me alone" out of Meg's vocabulary!

It's such a beautiful night out tonight, a little on the chilly side for me, but still beautiful. I'm thankful that I got a new battery for my laptop...it's allowing me to blog from outside (instead of inside "plugged-in"). So, I'm working on my blog (and some digital scrapbook pages) while Megan plays in her hummer. Jarrad is inside watching "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader".

It should be called the TERRIBLE threes!

I never really had a case of the terrible twos with Megan. I was always thankful that she was a sweet little girl. Tonight I saw a side of Meg that I have never seen before! Her and I had to stop at Target on the way home for a few small items. She was really good in the parking lot and was sweet at first. Before we got to Target, she asked me if we could get her some more gum. I told her as long as she was a good girl, that wasn't a problem. So, she was sitting in the front of the shopping basket and kept standing up. I told her if she stood up one more time, that she was going to have to sit in the kid seat of the buggy. Just to test me, she lifted her bottom off the basket. I immediately picked her up and put her in the kid seat. She screamed and screamed and screamed. I had more than one mother tell me..."I remember those days". She wasn't getting her way, so she kept screaming and then she hit me. I took her gum away and put it back on the shelf. We left target...a very unhappy, gum less Megan. I've decided that we give in too much and I'm not going to tolerate this behavior any more!

I still love her to death, but boy is this going to be a challenge - her and I are so much alike that I have a feeling this is definitely not the last time that we will butt heads!

Poor Bullet

My parents dog had to have surgery yesterday for a severe hematoma of the ear. This is a collection of blood under the skin of the ear flap of a dog. Vigorous head shaking can be the cause. Bullet's ear because VERY puffy, so my parents took him to the vet.

Bullet is back home tonight, but will likely have to sleep outside because it's still "draining".

I told Megan that Bullet had his surgery and he was back home...she was happy to hear about it. When we first told her about his ear, she said "I don't want him to die". She even got teary eyed and a little choked up about it. I've come to the realization that Meg's first experience with death (one that she will be able to talk about and understand) will likely be when Bullet does pass away. I'm not looking forward to that conversation. Such is life though and I know that sooner or later, she'll be faced with situations that aren't always happy.

Bullet - we're glad you ear is better and that you're back home with mom and dad. Meg and I are looking forward to our visit in less than two week.

Or, as it turns out today, in the car. The conversation between myself and Meg went like this...Let me preference this with a little piece of information. When Meg's allergies act up, she gets itchy, watery eyes...

Mommy: Are your eyes bothering you?

Megan: Yes.

Mommy: We'll put eye drops in when we get home.

Megan: No, I need new eyes.

Mommy: What?!?

Megan: I need new eyes...I want blue eyes, like my fadder (father).

I didn't have the heart to tell her that she's stuff with those big, beautiful brown eyes for the rest of her life.

From time to time, I will post more on "stuff heard round the house".

Princess Belle

For Meg's birthday this year, Meg received 7 Princess Dresses. When you ask her how many she got, she says "All of them." Seeing as she already had 3 dresses, the grand total of princess dresses is 10. That's 9 more than she can wear at any given time. Most of the dresses she received came with matching shoes and a princess wand. So, added to the 14 pair of princess shoes she already owned, I think it's safe to say that Meg has more pairs of shoes than I do.

Almost every night, she puts one dress on. There are nights when we get to see more than one dress...one before dinner, and one after bath time. Last night and tonight, Meg was Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Here she is dancing and "twirling". What a beautiful princess.

Such a neat freak!

Meg LOVES to clean! I don't know where she gets it from, Jarrad and I are the farthest thing from neat freak. But, for a reason not known to me, my little Princess loves to clean. Last night, I was cleaning off the fridge, dishwasher, microwave and oven...they're stainless, so I actually have to clean them more often than I ever thought about cleaning those appliances. So, while I was cleaning, Meg grabbed a rag and offered to help. Of course, I had to get out my camera to capture the moment. I never want to forget that at one point, Meg was willing to help with chores. I'm sure she will outgrow this willingness.

Meg's new view on life...

TODDLER PROPERTY LAW

1. If I like it, it's mine!
2. If I had it in my hand, it's mine!
3. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine!
4. If I'm building something, all the pieces are mine!
5. If it just looks like mine, it's mine!
6. If I think it's mine, it's mine!

She's slowly learning to share, but hasn't quite grasped the concept yet. Hopefully she'll get better and will slowly abandon the "Toddler Property Law".

Yeah for Saturday!

This week was a busy week for me. I put in two 15+ hour days for work. Mom and dad were in town from Tuesday - Friday...unfortunately for me, I didn't get to see much of them. We had dinner with them on Tuesday night at Outback. Landon was in town also, so he met all of us up there. Dinner was great. It was good to see Landon and my parents.

Wednesday and Thursday night, I had to work late nights. Instead of driving home late, I opted to stay at the Fairmont. Wednesday, I was in bed around mid-night; Thursday night, was much later. I didn't get to bed until 4am! I had a good night though.

Mom and dad were originally going to stay until Saturday, but needed to go back on Friday because dad was invited to go bird hunting by one of his buddies. We'll see them in two weeks, so it's not a big deal...although, Meg thought it was the end of the world.

The Swing vs Meg

Megan had a tough day at school today. When Jarrad picked her up, the day care worker told Jarrad that Meg fell off the swing. Apparently saying that she "fell" off the slide just doesn't quite do it justice. She must have gone flying off the swing, not landing on her feet. She's scratched up on her tummy and a little on her chin. Jarrad said that they told him that she had a mouth full of dirt. I guess it just wasn't Meg's day.



Mom and dad came into town today. Dad has a meeting tomorrow and Thursday, so mom came along for the ride. She's going to watch Meg tomorrow and Thursday while I'm at work. Tonight, we met Landon at Outback for dinner. Back to Megan...she had her first "chair accident" tonight. I don't know how many times I've told her to sit in her chair before she gets hurt...well, tonight was the night. She was standing in her chair and leaning on the table, when the chair slipped out from her. Lucky for her, Jarrad and I have quick reflexes. I caught her by her arm and Jarrad caught her by the butt. Tragedy was adverted - for tonight anyway.

This is a pic of Meg from Sunday when she was playing in the backyard with the water hose and dogs.

Congratulations John & Caty!

Ausley Wray Albert

Born at 11:27 at Mercy Hospital

9/30/2007

6.12 lbs19.5" long

10 Toes

10 Fingers

Happy B-Day Boompaw!

Today was Boompaw's birthday. Last night, we met them for dinner at Babe's in Roanoke. We had a good time. Meg was excited about seeing her Boompaw. The waitress made Luke put a sack on his head and dance like a chicken while we were singing happy birthday to him. He was a great sport. Meg insisted that she wear her hair in goofy pig tails...it was cute. I can't believe my daughter is such a girlie-girl. She sure doesn't get it from me!

I'd like to say congratulations to John & Caty! Ausley Wray Albert arrived on Sunday, September 30. I'll post a picture tomorrow.