Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Time













There is something about a 2 year old and Christmas, it just bring warmth to your heart and music to you ears (no matter how tired you are). HG was more than loved this year and is still singing Jingle Bells.
Thank you so much to all of our friends and family this year who have been part of our family. We are headed for an exciting day in Sulphur Springs and then to the cabin in Batesville. I'll post Christmas in Irving as soon as I get some pictures, it was lovely too.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas




Merry Christmas to all. We hope each and everyone of you have the happiest of Holidays and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

We've been busy bees around here preparing for all the activities. Tonight is one of our favorites during the Holidays, the Gaylord. HG will be in awe with all the decorations and the ICE exhibit. So fun! Tomorrow we start with an annual Christmas Tea followed by a Christmas brunch with the Bells, presents and Mass. I'm sure it will be a nice day, lets hope HG survives with out a nap.

Chris finished storage, we are all packed for a week and the gifts are ready to be delivered. We sent half the gifts home with Poppy to make Christmas morning easier since hoping to be on the road by 9. Lucky for my dad, Kendall and Collins will be there to help. I get a pass this year since I'll be bring the best gift of all, HG.


PS It is time to recycle all of those new year resolutions once again! :)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Quick update

Not much to report right now.



  • HG and I made the long trip home and it seemed much longer than going out there. But we both made it. In one piece I should mention.

  • TONS of laundry, a dirty house and two massive storage units to clean.

  • Yes, we are once again working on our silly storage units. Whoever thought living out of storage for 2 years (will probably be longer) didn't think far into the future. Wow, that place is a work out. I only helped for two hours and my body hurts so so so so so bad. I have dinner, advil and a cold beer waiting on Chris.

  • Christmas shopping on our end is finished, Chris has to pick up a few things tomorrow or Thursday. Thank goodness, 1709/Keller Parkway was a nightmare today.

  • We're having a play date with Dee and the kids tomorrow so super excited about that. Will probably do a park since it is so nice here.

  • I have a UTI which is absolutely no fun. I need to lay off caffeine and I know I can't do bubble baths so not sure why I did.
  • Poppy flies back from Los Angeles tomorrow evening so we'll surprise him at baggage claim. Poor guys, it has been raining cats and dogs the entire time they have been out there. The Coastal Highway is even closed. So much for a sunny, warm vacation!
  • We're heading to Bass Pro Santa and the Gaylord ICE this week as well. Can't wait!!
  • It is hard to believe that Christmas is just a few days away with the warm weather. Luckily, we're heading to the cabin and will enjoy highs in the 40's through out the week.

Have a good week!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Heading home.....

As we pack our bags for the long journey home, it feels as if we just arrived. Our week out here has been pretty enjoyable but we wish Chris would have had more time off. BUT..it is an opening and long hours are expected for about 6 weeks. HG and I spent a lot of it trying to find entertainment for HG. She has asked a few times to go home and play with her toys. Our hotel room is full of toys. We are heading out a little before Chris so that we can arrive in DFW by the time his flight does on Sunday. Daddy got a new Ipad. HG is sold. She loves angry birds and the lion (not sure if it is really a lion). I love it. It was many laughs and great family time. Still trying to decide on a laptop or Ipad.
No month is complete without a trip to CEC (yuk!). We struck gold by being one of three families there and spent nearly 3 hours playing and eating while it was an icy mixture outside.



Silly faces
Uncle John and Miss Kendall's Christmas tree. We are beyond excited about seeing them Christmas afternoon but only wish we could spend more than a day with them. :(

This says it all. These are located all over the hotel parking lot. Cars are being broken into all over Fayetteville including one car being stolen from the parking lot where Aspen Creek is located. Yes, they took the whole car. And right here at the Holidays. People are just terrible. We have been taking everything out of my car, even tiny toys and pencils. Not worth the risk.

My afternoon snack. Yum right? Look closely. See that black hair? It was thick and greasy. I had been licking away prior to that. Yuk.

Making a dress out of this napkin so she can "dress up" to go to Walmart. Oh sweetie, Walmart doesn't deserve the dress up treatment.

After much begging from HG for mommy to make a silly face. I hadn't done this face in many, many years.

Showing her personality


We hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy your Christmas family time. I have so many friends that are doing Christmas this weekend with one family and then the other next weekend. They switch off each year. That way everyone is able to make it and not rushing around on Christmas. Luckily, we are still pretty flexible since living in DFW. I do miss Christmas with all my cousins each year and I hate not seeing them but it works well in the long run.




Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Fayetteville



























HG and I ventured across the south to the Atlantic ocean to come visit Chris. I wasn't too happy about driving (even though it was my idea) but upon arrival, I am. The airport here as been a nightmare. Flights canceled, friends put on taxis for hours only to arrive to other airports and not have a seat on a flight, no car rentals, no luggage. I'm sure there are a few other things I am leaving out but those are the ones that stuck out from friend. Like I said, I was in shock when I arrived in this town I had never heard of. I came in around 7, in the misty rain on the eastern part of town only to drive through areas that I was personally scared to even pump gas. I just knew something was going to go wrong and we would be stranded in this scary place. We maneuvered our way to the Hotel and found it to be quite satisfying upon pulling up. We noticed photographers clicking away at a wedding, ladies dressed in their Sunday best for a dinner party and a basketball team gearing up for a game. Everything sparkled and reminded me of a nice resort. The smell, the grounds, the welcoming committee, the amount of people present, even our room. We're able to park not too park from our room, on the same level and use our room key to gain access. This is perfect for bringing in bags and groceries that we might need. Our room is large with a king bed, lounge area, big roll away bed for HG, dresser, two night stands, a desk area, fridge, microwave, closet and then a separate bathroom. The bathroom could be a little larger but we aren't spending much time in there. HG has tons of toys, her new ride "Suzy", and large coloring books scattered all over the place. House keeping comes in daily to tidy things up and exchange our items. Usually when staying long term at a hotel, they come in about one a week. I am very thankful they come each day here as HG enjoys making a mess. I actually clean the room up before the housekeeper arrives so she can do her job easier. The only down fall of the hotel is that it is old even though updated. Being old means thin wall, loud air conditioning and we are also next to the ice and coke machines. It it loud at all hours.

On Sunday, Chris was off so we slept in and then ventured out for a bit. The temperature here has been quite cold so we fought with HG to wear a jacket. I was determined to find save areas, nicer areas and things for HG and I to do. I guess we just had to go west. Lunch at Jason's Deli, strolls around the mall, driving through neighborhoods (good and bad), evening nap, dinner at OTB (yucky still!) and an early bedtime gave Chris the rest he needed. While driving around, we found many shops and things to do. We also drove up the the Military Base and was shocked at the enormous size. I expected it to be much smaller. The base is about to add 35,000 more people including two really high ranking Generals. Aspen Creek will hopefully benefit from all the families on the base.

Along with Fort Bragg (Military base), Fayetteville also is the home to Pope Air force Base. When around, you see all these brave men and women and you can't help but he thankful for each and everyone of them. I can't say I have ever been in a town where their presence was so strong. Everywhere you look, you see men and women in uniform. They are this town.

Monday rolled along and was quite the busy day. Chris had to head in before lunch since it was opening day and we did the laundry. Wow, the laundry. We shout have found the closest laundry facility but once again I wasn't familiar with the area and a lot of it scared me. There are two washers for a large conference hotel and two dryers but only one is working. These aren't large washers either. They are your typical top loading washers and they just washer a little faster and dry a little slower. After many hours of trips back and forth between our room and the washer/dyer, lots of clothes hanging to dry an many quarters, we were finished. A quick nap and we were off to Aspen Creek for dinner. It was their opening night and it was great to be part of it. While we should have ordered something we can't get in Irving, we dined on traditional AC food. Just makes us have to enjoy dinner up there again before we leave. :) Shrimp and grits I hear are a must. I am encouraging a Green Chile Mac and Cheese for our store. YUM - O! Chris closed the building down with the MP here, hung out for a bit and then came in around 2. Much to his surprise, I was still up. I think they were having a dance party above us, his trainers in the other tower were out on their balconies (in the freezing weather) and I was watching TLC. Then he started snoring...I saw the clock hit 4:30 and that is the last I remember.

Today came much sooner than I would have liked. The sun shines right in our room and into HG's face. She started to stir around 8 but made it until 9 or 9:30. She got a good 12 hours and then climbed in bed with us for milk and a cat nap. Then it was Dora, Diego and the Backyardigans time. She was up dancing to "we did it" before I had even washed my face. Girl loves that dance! We dropped Chris off at work and headed to a jumping gym place. HG was thrilled and in the best mood. After a few hours of running and jumping, she was exhausted and said she couldn't do it anymore. Ha, that is a first! A massive sausage hot dog, a bottle of water and some milk put her right to sleep. Right to sleep for 3 hours. I do believe we'll visit the jumping place again tomorrow. :) While she napped, I strolled the mall for Chris his Christmas. I know what he wants. I know what we are getting him even if it isn't my favorite idea but..He wants it. Has for a while. Anyways, I strolled the stores looking for stuff he needed. We are trying to rid the junk we have so I didn't want to buy him "stuff" just for him to have it. I picked up two shirts that he needed and a top for myself and a SUPER cheap pair of jeans. I sure hope they fit as I didn't try them on. A quick stop by CVS and Aspen Creek, we are back in the hotel relaxing. I headed up some dinner, colored a little with HG and put on Bob the Builder. I think we'll have an early night but I said that last night as well.

Not sure about the rest of the week. We are thinking about Wilmington or a little town called Pinehurst. It is on the backside of Fort Bragg and apparently pretty nice. There will be a musuem visit, jumping gym again, finish shopping for Chris, a little snow, a trip back home sometime and lots of Christmas songs. HG is going through the phase where she sees anything neat on tv or at the store and asks if she can have it for Christmas.


We are missing our friends, family and MDO while visiting out here and can't wait to see them. My dad and Ryan are in the process of driving from Dallas to California so keep them in your prayers. It is a long drive but luckily good weather so far. Also, a dear friend finally got pregnant after years of trying only to miscarry on Monday. My heart breaks for them as they were beyond excited as well as everyone else for them. Prayers were being said for them by people who didn't know them and had only heard about their struggles. Going through a miscarriage is never fully understood until you yourself have been through one. There are no words that can ease the pain but prayers for strength and peace can go a long way.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Baby it's cold out there

All bundled for the rain, wind and cooler temps
HG's new ride "Suzy" for being so good on the 19 hours in the car over the last few days.


Waving to the camera (sorry no flash on my cell phone).
We are here in North Carolina and spent the day with Chris. Tomorrow is the big opening so wish them luck. I'll try and post more pictures tomorrow. My laptop is acting up but it is like 10 years old!


Friday, December 10, 2010

Half way & 5 States


Well, we are officially half way there or at least I'm hoping it is half way there. We covered Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and landed in Alabama. HG did marvelous today in the car, I almost wondered if my child was really back there. She slept the first part of the trip and then the last 4 hours, we stopped often. We both drank entire too much water so we had to stop every 5 minutes it seemed. We decided to stop in Birmingham, Alabama as I am somewhat familiar to the area, have family friends just north of here in case something went wrong and Hoover is such a nice area. I guess could could stay we are staying in Hoover but it is really Birmingham's nice area. I forgot how pretty this area is.

Tomorrow, we are taking our time on the last leg of the trip and stopping where we find the urge to. Chris has another role play tomorrow night so it'll be a late night for him. Luckily, they are closed on Sunday preparing for the big opening on Monday which I'm sure HG and I will participate in. She is really missing daddy's work as she calls it. She loves to eat there. Loves to see daddy at work.


We missed Kristen's surprise 30th tonight and sure hope everyone had a great time. Wait, what am I talking about? I KNOW that group and I know they did.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

On the road again....

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is making music with my friends.......
We don't stay still very long. HG I left today headed to North Carolina.
Along the way....
HG decided Bella girl needed a bath. HG smells like a wet dog dipped in baby shampoo and Bella like a baby.Happy Birthday Kristen! We love you dearly!
Happy Birthday Aunt Tonia!! We miss you, love you and will see you soon.


We split a pizza with Auntie Collins.
Tomorrow we'll travel through here, here and here. We hope to surprise a few people a long the way.
Today started early with a sleepy little girl who couldn't sleep last night. Our alarm went off at 7. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it out of bed. The highlights.
  • Breakfast, trash day, last minute things in car.
  • Post office
  • HG at school by 9
  • Wells Fargo
  • Chase Bank
  • CVS
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart
  • Ran by apt to pay water bill at office
  • XC's house
  • Car wash
  • EECU in Hurst
  • Target in Hurst
  • Walmart again in Irving
  • Aspen Creek
  • HG's school to feed teachers, drop off gifts and pick up HG
  • Walgreens again
  • Sonic for lunch

ALL BY NOON! Can I get a holy cow? I was burning rubber.

We went and had cupcakes and a play date with Uncle Ryan once we were finished and made it to Texarkana. The road construction in Greenville really upsets me so a 3 hour trip always turns into much longer. It was totally worth the stop. Many laughs tonight, the best pizza around and a warm familiar house to sleep in. HG was screaming so loud when she heard the door open and in came Poppy and then Auntie Collins and Bella. She was beyond thrilled. :)


Uncle Ryan







We said good bye to Uncle Ryan this afternoon before he makes the long drive to the West coast. I find it amusing that he is driving to the West Coast and I to the East Coast. We'll have the Southern states covered between the two.


Good luck Ryan!! We love you dearly and will miss you terribly. Don't worry about the condo, Hg will keep it in tip top shape. :)





HG will miss her Uncle Ryan dearly and doesn't quite understand that next week, there won't be a play date. Or the next or the next. Thank goodness for Skype. It'll break my heart when she cries because we can't go skate or touch the water or sneak quarters for CEC. Luckily for HG, we are working with Poppy and Auntie CaCa for a trip out there in March. Ryan's graduate program works little differently than traditional semesters. He's first series is 10 weeks and begins shortly after the new year. LA and San Diego, you better prepare yourself for Miss HG.






Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tiresome Tuesday




I just poured a glass of wine. A glass of wine that I might actually be too worn out to drink. That is a first for me. I love some wine after a long day. I did however accomplish a lot.



  • The day started off running behind. My alarm went off at 7 and I reset it to 8. We leave by 8:40. HG was having breakfast on the road. Such a bad mom.


  • Gathered money from a few moms during drop off.

  • Walgreen's for a couple of gift cards and to order some motion sickness medicine in case we need it for HG.


  • Walmart, Target and then Oil Change. They wanted to charge $5 per air filter to change them for me. whatever people. Target had a ton of kids shopping for Christmas. nightmare. SO crowded.


  • Home to start laundry, finish Christmas cards, gather Ryan's Christmas gift, work on moms group Christmas cards, pack HG and lunch.


  • Car wash to try and clean up all the popcorn. I stopped up two vacuums. whoops. It was still in my car.


  • Picked up HG, spoke to the teachers for a bit, gathered more money, let the kids play on the play ground.


  • Off to Ryan's Condo to hang out and see Poppy. We hung out for a few hours. Ryan has finals this week so we snuck out and took some laundry. HG cried all the way to Wendy's. Don't worry, real chicken nuggets and they changed their fries. I'll do a post later on that.

  • Traffic on the way home because duh, it is 5. What silly person makes that drive. Thank goodness for $1 menu at Wendy's. :)


  • Post office. Bank. Back to car wash to pick up popcorn with hand and mush it so it could be vacuumed. It is clean. I'm sure it will smell for days. Or months.


  • Cleaned out car only to drop it in the living room. ugh.
  • Photobucket

    HG's cards to our HEB mom's group
    Fed HG dinner. I managed to eat too. Yes, we just had Wendy's at 5, so what. Washed Ryan's clothes. Gave HG a bath. Colored, read a book, cleaned the kitchen, unpacked the bags from the weekend, finished ALL the gifts except picking up Teacher's gift cards and Chris. Put HG in bed, in my bed watching TV. I was much too tired to fight. I think C's call at 2 to chat because he couldn't sleep threw me for a loop. I didn't catch up.

  • Like I said earlier, I just poured a glass of wine I hope I finish. Tomorrow will be here before we know it and is full of stuff. 3 banks, Ryan's in Dallas (30 + mins there), XC's house, finish packing, load the car, presents for school, order food, pack C's extra items, Walgreen's again, Post office again....I HOPE that is all that is on my list. :) I also just checked on HG and she is wearing her Dorothy shoes, in bed, watching tv. lovely.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Two day trip back home

We're home. We're exhausted or at least I am. I just popped some Pamprin (do you remember that stuff? I was so excited when I saw it at the store!) and hoping for a solid 8 hours of sleep.


Texarkana was great as always. I didn't get to see a lot of friends but Brooke came out for a glass of wine on Friday. It was fun catching up. We just ate, ate, ate and ate like always. On the way home, we stopped in Sulphur Springs for a visit with Grandma, Aunt Jan, Laura and the boys. I must say that HG loves her cousins, she just smiled and wanted to follow them around. Matt got her doing "we did it" and she was going to town in the hallway of the hospital. HG brought pictures, soups, gold fish and magazines to "fix my grandma" but I forgot the Dora band aides. Bad Momma. Everyone seemed to be doing good. Laura was dressed too cute as always. We left early Christmas presents for them, a bubble blower and a huge bubble gun. Another stop at Uncle Ryan's on the way home, we are in bed and I even think I manged to scrub all the red permanent marker off HG's hands. Yep, she wanted red finger nails.

Tomorrow, we won't get any rest either. HG has MDO, I will be up there collecting money for teacher gifts, oil change, tires rotated, cleaning out the entire bag of popcorn HG poured out in the car, laundry, packing for 10 days, finishing up all the school gifts, our Christmas card exchange with a mom's group and then heading to see Uncle Ryan tomorrow afternoon. I have a to do list, I just can't find it under all my crap.

I'll post pictures tomorrow. :)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

HG wants a puppy
















I'm afriad that Bella girl is the only dog that will put up with her constantly in her face.