It's Snowing in Texas

While it may be the end of November and we've worn long sleeves maybe 4 times, the Christmas episodes Thomas DVD that we checked out from the library has our minds covered in snow!

Not only that, but our very own Island of Sodor found itself under a blanket of snow courtesy this guy's "avalanche!"

Who's that stuck in the snow? And it appears the tracks are blocked. 

We will need someone to rescue the engines. "Harold the Helicopter, pride of the skies..."

And if Harold can't manage solo, Orange Daddy Copter was standing by for rescue assistance. This Daddy Copter is not to be confused with the other 5 Daddy Copters, hence the first name "Orange."

I also had a good belly laugh when I grabbed The Sheriff out of the bathtub the other night and he chattered, "Bitter cold! Bitter cold!" Thanks Thomas for that fun phrase too!

Baby Loves to Run

A few weekends ago we went out for a morning walk, Momma donning whatever fit comfortably and The Sheriff, of course, dressed as he claims, "an LSU Tiger!" from head to toe.  I didn't get past the driveway before running back in to grab the camera in hopes of capturing the day's blessings.

I need days like this and pictures like these to remind me to cherish where he is right now, at almost 2.5, at almost going to be a big brother, as the first born.

He's got a quirky way of holding up his arms when he walks around wearing long sleeves.

There is more depth in his eyes than anyone I've known. 

He grabs onto a concept, like being a triceratops as taught by Daddy, and makes it too cute for words. 

While he looks so much like his Daddy, I know this child has genes from my side of the family.

Nothing has to be chasing him. He doesn't have to have a goal; there doesn't have to be a ball in sight.

Baby, ahem growing toddler boy, loves to run!

24 Weeks and Counting

If you haven't noticed, posting about being pregnant isn't really my "thing." Sometimes I wonder if deep down I refrain becauseI know the struggle to get pregnant and another weekly update is not what the blogging world needs. Of course I don't mean to offend. On the other hand, I do wish I did weekly updates (for my pregnancy with W for that matter as well) in order to have a comparison of feelings, weight gain, cravings, etc. Pregnancy is such a blessing, so why not celebrate it!

For the past 24 weeks, it's just been natural and a part of life. The first trimester reared its sneaky I'll-make-you-oh-so-tired-and-queasy head, and a few weeks into the second trimester brought relief. Here we are, ready to enter into the third trimester, and this is what's been happening. Before we get there, let's review:

Due: March 8

Actual Arrival: Sometime in the week preceding March 8 as we will have another C-section. (Well, considering all goes normal)

Gender: We'll all find out early March!

Guesses: Momma thinks it's a boy; daddy thinks a girl. The Sheriff? He changes his mind daily.

I'm not a huge fan of my own belly pics, but people like these sorts of things, so I grabbed the camera to snap a couple before heading out for my appointment. You can tell I'm such a rookie at these things by J's advice, "So, next time you take selfies, take the strap off!" Noted. 

Pregnancy Highlights of Late:

*We've begun the moving furniture around (and out!) process to prepare for Baby's nursery. And this process? Makes me giddy!

*Speaking of a new nursery, a certain Big Brother's old nursery is in a slow conversion to a toddler's room. J and I have the discussion nightly about transitioning to a new bed. Sometimes the conversation reoccurs because I've forgotten what we decided. Mostly, I just can't decide if we should move a perfectly content in a crib toddler into a larger bed. And if we do, should we go toddler sized bed or move ahead to a full? It seems silly to go to a toddler bed if we are transitioning because it's not larger than a crib. Why move him then? 

Here's where you put your two cents in, readers. Please and thank you. 

*Big Brother is growing into his role and showing a bit more interest.  I'll give him his own post later this week. 

*I'm pregnant, and that's a beautiful, God-sent highlight in itself! 

Candy Apple Turkeys Meet Park Play Date -- Hey That's Pin-tastic!

When I saw our very own link-up hostess, AP's Candy Apple Turkeys, the wheels started turning for planning a play date to craft these gobblers.  We snuck it in just in time before the busy holiday week begins and also just in time for a Thanksgiving themed link-up.



AP's instructions are pretty clear. We just swapped out the spice drops for fruit slices (the candy of course, not the good-for-you stuff!) and cut each "slice" into three pieces.

You can tell AP has done this a few times in her crafty childhood. As you can tell from the picture above, a few of us moms demolished a few circus peanuts and a handful of toothpicks to get our birds standing. What you can't see is how many toothpicks I broke off inside of the apple as well!

In other lessons learned, I discovered how addicting fruit slices can be! I've been taking off one at a time this week so that W wouldn't realize they were gone!

The weather was gorgeous for this park play date, and we had a great time seeing little personalities emerge as the kids (and mommas!) indulged in some crafting fun.

Gum drop happy L shows off his turkey!

And M was our little hard worker adding touches of her own.

 That's one proud Momma!

 Such a sweet smile (and gum drop lover!)

This might be my favorite picture from the day!

 And I couldn't resist ditching the jacket for a couple of pictures of my little turkey in the shirt my mom made for our celebrations. We are so spoiled by her talents and grandmother love!

Happy Monday y'all! May your Thanksgiving Day preparations/travel be stress free!

Stomach Bug Arsenal

I'm not one to keep the house stocked for sickies of the stomach bug variety. Before The Sheriff, if J or I were plagued by such belly sorrows, the other would simply grab whatever was needed at the store and all was taken care of.

This week taught me that perhaps there are a few items I should keep handy for those times. We don't have family here to watch W for a few minutes while I grab the bland food needed for the week. J isn't able to just run home from work to quickly stock the pantry. My choices are then to take W with me and expose him to more nasty germs via grocery cart or wait until J gets home and head out after dinner leaving a sick toddler who wants his momma. It's nothing against Daddy; when I'm sick I want my mom and I'm a grown woman!

There are a few items I can and should keep on hand just in case:

Those "oyster crackers?' Perfect for a snack-happy but sick wee bit. 

Add:

Gatorade

bananas

novel shaped pasta,

(the not pictured) apples, 

white bread, 

pretzels, 

Pedialyte

And know that survival is possible. I'm not talking about non-stop vomiting type of bug. Obviously, there won't be much eating going on then. 

But most of these items I can keep in the pantry for sick days, minus the white bread. I can't remember the last time I had that in house, but I can tell you how much I love it! Those processed carbs do not mess around with my sandwich cravings. 

And just when I thought I might be at my wit's end with toddler's tummy troubles, a spark of post decaf green tea creativity hit, and I surprised myself with a bland breakfast masterpiece. 

Do you have any other sick staples to add to the list?

Just Another Face

I'm blogging tonight for a late post with Andie's Celebrity Doppelganger link-up. I've seen several of these floating around the blogosphere before and many revealing a doppelganger given by a website after plugging in a picture of yourself.


What I like about Andie's link-up is the idea that other people have told you that you look like this person, and mine, like Andie's is a celebrity that's been mentioned more than once in reference to my own looks.  The whole thing makes me feel a bit uncomfortable and rather vain. I mean, these are celebrities and most of the time absolutely stunning. And I look like this person?

J has always told me he thinks I look like this person. Years ago my dad as well as the librarian at the high school where I was teaching (Hi Krystal!) told me I looked like this actress, they didn't know the name, in the movie Lost in Translation.

So with nothing further

This is the best I could find, and sometimes I see a resemblance, but mostly I feel ridiculously flattered that a few people have mentioned a connection. I should have grabbed a picture from the movie! 

Thanks for a fun link-up Andie! 

Christmas Shopping NOW and then AGAIN this weekend!

I spent this past weekend in North LA with these two handsome fellas.

Upon our return Sunday my mind (and my planner) were racing with to-do's between now and Christmas, gift shopping being one of them. Another item to check off the list? Visit New Orleans Moms Blog bright and early Monday morning to start shopping and enter great giveaways, and here I am Monday evening still checking it out. I can't believe how many great offerings are featured. Even if you don't have shopping, be sure to enter the giveaways. From adorable personalized elf shirts to gifts for expecting moms, to pet gifts, they've got you covered!

And the shopping doesn't stop there! This Friday through Sunday, one of my favorite blogging duos The Chirping Moms are presenting the first (hopefully annual!) Yellow Friday! You can take a sneak peak of the shops included here. In a few words from Courtney and Julie:


Starting Friday morning, there will be a post, per category, sharing a little bit about each company & how to redeem the deal they are offering. We'll have awesome places to shop for toys, kid's clothes, stocking stuffers, holiday decor & more! Then, we will be adding additional info on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram all weekend. 

Here are just a few of the items I've got my eyes on:

How adorable is this chair from Sweet Seat

Love this pattern from Lil' Loops Belts

This toddler shirt from Messy Kids Designs perfectly captures the season for me

And finally, I've been eyeing these Scripture cards from lil light o'mine for a while. Adorable!

Happy shopping! Don't forget--NOLA Moms NOW and Chirping Moms later!

Hey That's Pin-tastic! Toddler Edition

I pin a good amount of toddler activities and crafts. In fact, the boards that include that category are probably the fullest. This is where I don't understand where Pinterest gets a bad rap. On any given day, I can find something to do, whether creative, active, "school-ish," or just for cuteness sake, with The Sheriff. That, my friends, is lovely.

For a few weeks I focused my efforts on my own crafts and projects, and it was time to get back to some "lesson planning" for a change. It takes time, for me at least, to put a few activities together for W and I to do together that revolve around some sort of theme, and I want to dedicate more of myself to this. Preschool or a MDO program isn't for us just yet, but I also know that kids are such sponges at this age. He's a bright boy (they all are right!) and I want to fulfill that part of my parenting roll that calls me to challenge him and keep him growing and learning.

This week's Hey That's Pin-tastic will be toddler style for me!


All Saints Day sneaks up on me after all of the Halloween hoopla. I wanted to do something with W to start participating in more of our Catholic traditions, but this year I didn't get it together in time to do a more encompassing activity. Instead we talked about a couple of Saints and introduced the concept. Craft time attention span isn't that long after all. This Saints garland pin was my inspiration, but I was pretty sure we wouldn't accomplish that much. Instead, we read about St. Francis and found the animals in the coloring page one day. The next day we focused on St. Joseph which I thought would make a nice introduction to Christmas and colored pictures, talked about carpentry, and did a bit of our own work with tools.

This past week we had lots of fun with the letter H. I've got a board dedicated to letters, admittedly one of my favorite boards; these pins are all linked there.

After reading But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandy Boynton, we made our own hippo puppet. I prepared all of the pieces and W helped me color and glue everything where it needed to be.
Funny how toddlers will do things they don't want to do too when a puppet tells them to do them. We'll see how long that trick works.

I loved this next project. I lied, and I'll link the original pin here. I did the prep work during nap time and made our hippo cutouts. The Sheriff enjoyed pasting, but more so eating, marshmallows to create a mouthful of hippo teeth! 

The H madness didn't stop there! H is of course for Hand so we did some handprints,

 
and practiced writing (one line down, another line down, one line across)

and ended with reading The People House and making our own letter H House inspired here

 Yes, it was complete with working door and our little family inside. Apparently The Sheriff thought Daddy needed a halo of purple hair.

 I'd say we had a Pin-tastic week of fun, and I'm so thankful for the ability to jump on the computer quickly and find some meaningful activities that not only keep a toddler engaged but help him learn more about the world around him. I don't have time to come up with all of these ideas on my own!

November 6

I believe it was Karl Rove (a guy you sometimes just happen to "run into" right Natasha?) who proposed Tuesday night that our county isn't made up of "ask not what your country can do for you..." He continued, and I'm paraphrasing, that we are a country that wants to be great but individuals no longer want to work to make it great. We want the government to do that which is one reason why an Obama led government would win.

I don't think that way. My husband doesn't think that way. My friends and family don't think that way. In fact, if you are reading this, I don't believe you think that way.

Blogging was on my mind this morning and not so much in the what-will-I-post today sense; I was thinking more so about how so many of us post the beauty of our lives with our families. In actuality, in the documenting of our days, we are celebrating. So many bloggers have been criticized for not "keeping it real" and posting about daily trials or the mundane. Jennifer at Life in the Green House recently posted her thoughts about this criticism and I couldn't agree more.

Today, though, in light of the election, in light of where our country is headed or with what attitude, I choose to think that we highlight the joys and blessings of our lives instead of the dwelling on the negative because we are doing it. We are working hard, whether as working mothers, stay at home mothers, or as wives, daughters, friends, sisters, citizens, for the Red, White, and Blue. And we need to see that; we need to acknowledge it and feel it within our being.

We all know it isn't easy. Each one of us, each one of our family members, makes sacrifices on whatever level to keep going, to keep working, to keep building, and when my children look back upon this blog, I want them to see the successes on our journey. They'll already know that difficulties are a part of life. Unfortunately, life hands us these sometimes without warning and always, it seems, before we are fully prepared.  I want them instead to see memories of striving for what's possible and celebrating achieving it together.

I agree that our country may be on a path of "what are you going to do for me?" but that doesn't mean I'm off the hook. That doesn't mean I think we are better than any other family out there. Our country is just changing.

Where we'll go from here, I can't answer. But as a family we'll continue to live as we believe in work, in play, in prayer.

Moments

I'm trying to notice them more.

Moments.

Moments in my life that sometimes feel like a beautiful dream, like a reality I hoped for as a young girl but wasn't completely sure would be mine. I should have known. I am a firm believer that God places our deepest desires in our hearts for a reason. I think He wants them to be ours and wants us to use our time and talents to achieve them.

I'm not saying all dreams come true. I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater. Never mind that I grew up in South LA and to this day have never set foot on a block of frozen ice wearing a boot with a thin blade on each foot. Then at 15 I thought I'd play Olympic soccer someday. This being the time when Mia Hamm (about age 15) was blowing minds across the world. Yea, for me, it wasn't happening.

I believe God put those dreams there too. After all, competing in gymnastics (my closest run with figure skating) and playing soccer led me through experiences and to people that I needed in my life, moments that shaped me.

My mom, now famous in our little household for dropping off boxes of junk to sort though memories, brought a box of books on her recent trip for us keep for our own children to enjoy one day or sell for far not enough in return at Half Price Books. In that box I found this little gem.

A few weeks ago while flipping through I stumbled upon this page.

Of all of the choices.

And here I am today, a mother. One sweet little boy, a baby watching out for us from Heaven, and another little Cajun Shrimp growing bigger every day all look at me and see a mother.

It's my dream as reality when W hustles across the parking lot to the library holding just three fingers of my hand, looking at for cars, and alerting me when one is anywhere in the vicinity.

I am so blessed that it's my reality that he can sing "You Are My Sunshine" with me in the few moments before he's restless in my arms and would rather fall asleep in the comfort of his bed.

God placed these dreams within me and has given me the grace to fulfill my role. I pray that I may always cherish this blessing, this responsibility, and seek to pattern my own life as Mother after the Blessed Mother.

Halloween's Over and It's Practically Christmas!

Just a few short weeks ago I wrote about how I felt September was creeping by. Looking at my calendar during this first week of November, I'm feeling that the month is practically over. We've got a wedding road trip, holiday visits, flu shots to schedule, baby #2 check up visits, and turkey play dates to create a full plate, not to mention the Thanksgiving activities we'll try to do at home.

We had a quick 48 hours of "Fall" weather a couple of weeks ago, and it was a great reminder of all of the sweet moments this time of the year in all it's busy-ness will hold.

How about these two practicing with the tripod while I ran errands:

And backyard football:

Not to mention adorable grins:

Just as our calendars fill up, may our hearts find themselves full of gratitude for God's blessings this month of November and anticipation of His greatest gift as Christmas draws near.

That's What I Love About Sundays

Happy DST! Too chipper? Yep, I agree. While we didn't get woken up ridiculously early yesterday morning, the day did seem like one of the longest in a while. Let's just thank our lucky stars that it happens on a weekend when two parentals can "enjoy" it.

I was anxious to see how the day would play out and woke up tired after staying up past my usual bedtime and still in disbelief about LSU's Saturday night in Death Valley loss. My prayer before bed was literally, "It's a football game, God, just a game. Please let me remember that." I wasn't devastated or angry, but it's just one of those things that hangs with you.

W did wake up earlier than usual so we headed to early Mass, and J captured our lastest Sunday morning tradition:

While I finish packing snacks and most likely look for my shoes, the boys head outside for a weekly "Garage Door Pic" capturing The Sheriff before Mass. I'm anxious to see what project J comes up with for putting these all together after a year of pre-Mass moments. (Please excuse our style this morning. We typically try a bit harder for Church days, but sometimes you just have to get out of the door!)

Although late, Mass was actually pleasant and both J and I were able to hear bits and pieces of the readings and homily which is a rare gem. And then we were done. At 8:30.

Sooooo how far away is nap time at this point? W was pleasant all day, so although lacking normal sleep, at least he wasn't a booger.
After a Starbucks trip where Momma had her first red cup of the season and the pumpkin scone I've been craving all week and W had his "Sunday Milk" (thank you Horizon), we returned home to head out in the wagon to watch the turtles and pit-stop at the park. I love to step back and watch W outdoors. Kid is in his element.

After a B.L.A.T lunch and nap time errands for me, I played the pregnancy card and convinced J that we needed Icees while spending more time afternoon tossing a football around with The Sheriff and playing hide and seek. I read somewhere recently (and apologize for not recalling the source) about doing something as a mom every day that makes us feel like a kid and silly again. Throwing the football with J and then hiding from Wyatt was just that. The weather was tolerable outside; I will probably be sore from throwing tomorrow; W's giggles when he finds you are priceless.

And in the meantime? A roast was getting happy in the Crock Pot all day for French Dip sandwiches for dinner. Add that to W learning about and attempting to do jumping jacks after dinner and his adoration of the new shoes I scored at Payless to the point of wearing them proudly until bath time, and my heart, and belly for that matter, are full.

Sometimes, Sundays like these are just what we need.

The Sheriff's 1st Halloween

Sure, W is two, so technically this spooky holiday is his third Halloween; however, this year was clearly the first.

We had a trial run with our Super Why costume a few weekends ago in which bribery may or may not have taken place to get the little guy in. I knew Halloween night would be no different, and when (I quote) "when Daddy gets home" meets a promise of playing a new (FREE!) iPhone game, the stars align just right to prepare a two-year-old with aversions to costumes and accessories for trick-or-treating.

In fact, after just a few minutes of playing, Super Why was ready to take on the neighborhood in his quest for lollipops. Little did he know about all of the chocolate he'd receive as well! I should have filmed him eating a Kit-Kat as it was clearly some sort of record.

Toddler Halloween starts much earlier than dark; in fact, way before dusk. W added blue lips to his look with a blue raspberry dum-dum long before we were even close to leaving home. We ventured out and met up with the rest of our street's toddlers and preschoolers for our trip around the block.

J and I had the world's most observant trick-or-treater on our hands, and we trailed the pack as The Sheriff narrated, "Everyone has costumes." Maybe next year he'll be ready for dressing up without prompting. I was nervous about the walk as he hadn't eaten supper (by choice), and I dreaded the meltdown that was sure to come when I hurried him along instead of giving him the green light to tear into his candy. He was so grown up though! One lollipop to start the trip and a handful of candy just waiting to be devoured was enough to hold him over. We plopped right down outside by Daddy with a bowl of spaghetti when we returned and people-watched the night away with Kit-Kats, M&Ms, and special Halloween pretzels.

He was such a joy to watch, and a few of my favorite moments include:

*the way he actually said "Trick or Treat" as he approached, albeit slowly, houses for candy
*his asking "Where's his stem?" after taking tiny bites of pumpkin pretzels

*his "what on this green earth are you wearing?" look he gave to our favorite neighbor

*ditching the wagon idea and actually walking with him which might have taken forever but made us savor the night through his eyes
*playing Pandora's Halloween station and watching W's dance moves with a glow stick

*Daddy having the camera, making sure to capture a moment like this: