When all is quiet in the kitchen....

Let me preface this by saying yes, I know this was probably a bad idea in the first place, and yes, I do normally watch my daughter much more closely when she is playing with paints...however, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures!

Addison has been sick since yesterday afternoon. A trip to the doctor with 103 fever confirmed a left ear infection and viral pharyngitis. So needless to say, she has been absolutely MISERABLE with a sore throat, fever, ear ache, you get the picture. So today, I knew I would be having to spend most of my time with Addison, who didn't want me to put her down most of the morning.

You know how it is when you're sick...you just want mom to hold you for a while!

Anyway, I decided to give Emily some lee-way (my first mistake) and let her play with finger paints at the kitchen table with very little supervision so that I could focus on making Addison comfortable. We had fun cutting out shapes from kitchen sponges to use in the paints. I very carefully placed newspaper down and then cut open a paper bag so that Emily could use the paints on that. I decided to take off Emily's shirt...a very smart decision on my part...JUST IN CASE she accidentally :) got any on herself. After ensuring that she understood the ground rules:

1. do not eat the paint

2. the paint does not belong on the table

3. the paint does not belong in our hair

4. the paint does not belong on our bodies

5. the paint does not belong ANYWHERE else but the paper

I went into another room to put Addison down for a nap.

Apparently, I should have explained rules 1 through 5 more clearly.

"Caught in the act"

"What was rule number 3 again?"

"Look at me mom!!"

Needless to say, it was hilarious, she looks like a very miniature version of The Incredible Hulk, or Hulkette in this case. And oh yes, this was ALL in her hair as well. Luckily, mom was smart enough to choose the finger paints, which are easily washable, instead of any other kind (God bless you Crayola!!)

True story!

This cracks me up. Today, Emily took a nap for what seemed like HOURS. Normally, I wouldn't wake a sleeping child, but I just wanted to go in and check on her, because seriously, she slept from 1:30pm until almost 5pm this afternoon! So I go in, and this is what I find:

Yes, my friends, those are her socks...on her hands. Not sure when this happened during the nap, but rest assured, she had nice and toasty fingers to keep her warm!!! :)

Happy Mother's Day...2 days late!

I just wanted to wish all the amazing mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day!!! Really, any woman who has voluntarily changed a diaper, dried a teary eye, fed a hungry baby, held a sick child or played with a toddler for HOURS on end counts in my book as a mother. What a special day to lift up those women around us who do so much for us!



My mother is one of the most amazing people I know. She is so strong and courageous, and has been such a role model of strength to me with all that she has been through in her life. She is a proud survivor of breast cancer (going on 6 years!!) and has amazed me with how she took it all in stride...I know I wouldn't have handled it the way she did. When I was in high school, our family was dealt some hefty blows that ended in my parent's divorce, some serious financial troubles, and us having to move out of my childhood home. My mom, after staying at home with my brother and I for about 14 years, picked herself up, dusted herself off, and started her own business. It was a struggle for a LONG time for her, I'm sure there are things that she has yet to tell me about those years...but the entire time, she never stopped letting us be kids and do the things that kids need to do. She never gave up, although I'm sure there were plenty of times that she wanted to, and she was ALWAYS there to love and support us, through the good and the bad times.

I'm happy to say that she has been incredibly blessed beyond belief after those years of struggle and hardship. She is now married to an awesome man who I'm proud to call my step-father, and has 4 grandchildren to keep her busy. She is just an amazing woman, mother, friend, grandmother..and I am SO proud of her!! I love you, mom! Happy Mother's Day!!! Anne

My mom...

More toddler fun

We have hit another milestone, folks. Yes, in just the last few days, there is a simple, familiar, two word phrase that has found its way into our household via Emily. That little phrase that all toddlers start to use at one point or another...that phrase that at times is charming, and at other times, makes you want to rip your hair out at the roots.

It is...

"Why, mommy?"

Sometimes there is no "mommy" at the end of the "why". Sometimes it is just "Why" over and over and over and over and over and over and ov...ok, you get the point.

It is the true beginning of verbal curiosity in a toddler's world. When they really start wanting to know what is going on around them. Ok, truthfully, there are times that I think Emily just likes to hear herself say it over and over again, but that is beside the point. I'm afraid I have created a monster here in my attempts to be the kind of mom who wants her kids to ask ANY question they want to, and to question EVERYTHING. After hearing her start to ask "why", I told her I was so proud of her for asking "why", and that she should wonder "why", because that is how we learn. She apparently agreed with me.

Yeah, way to go mom.


I always wondered what kind of mother I would be when we got to this stage of toddlerhood. Would I be the type to explain as best I could with long answers after the "why" was uttered? Would I be the type who just tried to give short answers in the hope that the "why" would just go away? Or would I be the type who tried to ignore the "why", pretend I didn't hear it, hoping against all hope that if Emily heard herself say the "why" enough, that she would get tired of it.

I can tell you that I've tried all three of these tacts, but the "why" still exists. Below is an actual conversation I had with Emily today on the way to a doctor's appointment:

Emily: "Mommy, are we going to see my doctor?"

Mommy:"No, honey, we are going to see mommy's doctor"

...here it comes...

Emily: "Why?"

Mommy: "Because mommy needs to go see the doctor today"

Emily: "Why?"

Mommy: "Well, the doctor needs to check to make sure that I'm not sick"

Emily: "Why?"

Mommy: "Because that's what doctors do, they make sure we are not sick, and if we are sick, they try to fix us. When we take you to see Dr. Coleman, he is making sure you aren't getting sick. Do you remember when Addison went to see Dr. Coleman? That was to make sure she wasn't getting sick, either"----this was tact number one: try the long winded answer

Emily: "Why?"

At this point, I have run out of good answers for the "why". So I try distraction:

Mommy: "Emily, what do you want to have for lunch after mommy's doctor appointment?"

Emily: "Grilled cheese sandwich"

Mommy: "Don't you want to go to Chick-Fil-A?"

Emily: "Why?"

...I'm getting caught in the trap again...

Mommy: "Because Chick-Fil-A is yummy and I told you if you were a good girl at the doctor's office, we would go there for lunch"

Emily: "Why?"

Ok, do you see now? As happy as I am that she wants the answers to EVERYTHING, there are times when the "why" has over stayed its welcome. Today was just ONE example!

Dolphins and Whales!!!

Mommy, Emily and Addison in front of the Sea World fountain


Shamu time!!!!


We decided to brave the crowds and join in the fun at Sea World of San Antonio this past Sunday. For any of you who have taken a toddler to an exciting place such as Sea World, an amusement park, or anywhere else that has the potential for ice cream and other tasty treats, you know that telling them about the destination too early in advance is pure torture for them.








Fortunately for us, Emily was the BEST kid ever and did not put up a fight when we told her we were going to church first, THEN coming back home, THEN eating lunch, THEN getting back into the van, and FINALLY, THEN going to Sea World. She even caught a little cat nap on the way (for about 10 minutes), which was shocking considering how excited she was.








Our Sea World is such a great place for families and kids. If you have never been to Sea World and you live here, I highly recommend getting to it soon. The animals are amazing, the shows are outstanding, and it is right here in our back yard!





At one point during our visit, Brian told Emily we were going to go to the Shamu show, and she said in total seriousness, "That is awesome!" It was priceless. Addison probably couldn't have cared less about where we were, but she enjoyed people watching and relaxing in the stroller. By the end of the afternoon, we were happy and EXHAUSTED!
This is the face of a totally satisfied Sea World customer

Allie, our lovable pooch

After all the blogging I've done so far about our family, I realized this morning that I have been leaving out a very important... albeit furry... member who deserves a little space of her own. This is Allie, our 5 year old mutt that we picked up from the Humane Society before we had kids. She is kind of our "first baby", and seeing as how she survived in spite of ourselves (we can barely keep plants alive), we figured we were probably safe in deciding to have children.

She is a WONDERFUL family dog, Emily and Addison both adore her, and Allie puts up with all the hitting, pulling, tugging, and hugging that a canine should have to put up with, and never lets out a mean growl or bares her teeth! In fact, we are pretty certain that Addison's first official word is her own version of Allie. Over the last week, whenever Allie comes into view, Addison squeals in delight, crawls quickly toward her and says "Ada, Ada" over and over again.

Allie rarely barks, only when someone unexpected comes to the door, and is ALWAYS ready for sitting on your lap...literally. She does have the odd quirk here and there, such as only eating when the mood strikes her, she will sometimes go a few days without touching her food. When she does decide that she will dine, she takes only a few kibbles in her mouth, walks about 3 feet away from her bowl, and then drops them on the floor and eats them ONE AT A TIME.

If you look at the pics, most of them are of her in various sleeping states. Well...you would be tired, too, if you were constantly being harrassed by a toddler. And although he will NEVER admit it, Brian loves this dog (as you can see by the picture of them snuggling and sleeping). I have to say, however, that Allie is truly a momma's dog. She follows me everywhere, has to be in the same room as me NO MATTER WHAT.

Well, I guess that's enough about Allie, we love her, and hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about a usually forgotten member of the family! Anne

The big "32"

I always laughed at people who said that after a certain age, you start forgetting how old you actually are....until this year. Yes, I hit the big "32" this past weekend on April 20. It's funny, there have been times when I really did have to sit and THINK about how old I was going to be turning! Oh, well....

We had a great time visiting Rockabye Nana (aka, my mom) in Houston and Emily had a fun filled weekend of feeding turtles, going to the park, playing in the baby pool, and just causing general chaos around Kingwood. Here are the highlights, enjoy!! Anne