Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my WONDERFUL Dad and Happy Father's Day to my WONDERFUL husband! I love you both so much, and there are two little munchkins that love you dearly too. To my dad, our Papa C., we missed you on Sunday, but do realize you're a bit busy right now :) You were well thought of on your special day, and we hope to get together soon.

Well, it took me a while to dig back through my archives of photos...I have so many! These are a few of my favorites, so enjoy them, and know that you are loved, respected, and appreciated ever so much!

four generations

And, off they went to the ball game. It was the Astros vs. the Rangers, so we had fans rooting for both sides. The game was their Father's Day celebration, which was pretty special for all of the guys.

The girls stayed home with Carson, rented a movie, and had a glass of wine :)

And, before it was all over, I managed to snap a family photo. We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed everyone's company. It was nice just to hang out and visit, and I know that Rob enjoyed the game with his dad and Papa.

we don't just bake cookies, plant seeds, and smile...

I promise. I am behind on blog posting (really behind), so I just thought I'd let you in on a few secrets.

One: Emma was up ALL night this past Friday night with diarrhea. We didn't get a wink of sleep, and I am certain that due to the stench of the smell, we will never be invited back to my sister's house. Emma looked at us both at 4 am and said, "Can I stay up?" I busted out laughing, and after the night that we had experienced, Rob and I both had a hard time getting our laughter under control.

Two: I almost had a wreck on Monday morning, on the way to take Emma to VBS. While merging onto the interstate, the cars in front of me suddenly stopped. My breaks work. Trust me. They really, really do. I was shaking afterwards, and Emma kept asking me, "did we wreck?" "NO Emma, we did not."

Three: I was late to pick Emma up from VBS that same afternoon. Yes, I was that mom.

Four: Carson has a horrible diaper rash. We used the new Pampers Dry Max diaper for the first time about 10 days ago, and let's just say that I will never use them again. He has chemical burn on his bottom because of them, and no, they have not been recalled. I have used A&D, Desitin, Boudreax's Lotrimin AF, Cortaid, Lansinoh, Baby Powder, Breastmilk, Aveeno Diaper Rash Cream, Aquaphor, and a whole other laundry list of products to get rid of it. No results. After a trip to the pedi Tuesday morning for his 4 month check up, the doc let me know that his skin is sort of "scarred" (not permanently) from the reaction. Sort of like how your skin is pink after a blister heals. I was told to moisturize and wait. I am so good at waiting. So good.

Five:

I had a fight with the baby pool and the baby pool won. I promised Emma that after she woke up from her nap that we would get the baby pool out. It hasn't been out yet this year. She woke at 3:30, so I had exactly 30 minutes to find the pool and fill it up before Carson's 4:00 feeding. We found the pool, but it unbeknownst to me, it had a hole in it. So, what's a good mother to do?

I promised her y'all.

So, after the 4:00 feeding, I loaded the kids up and headed to wal-mart. I pulled up to the garden center, just to see if they had a baby pool. I'm not a fan of unloading two kids in the scorching heat, just to get back in the car unsuccessfully. An older man, who was a wal-mart employee, agreed to help me.

I chose the BIGGEST baby pool they had, because everything's bigger in Texas, right? You know, the one with the built in slide? They had yellow and blue, and Miss Emma chose yellow. My car was still running. I was about 5 or 10 feet away, choosing the pool, etc. They took my cash, paid for the pool for me, and I was impressed! We were all still in the car, which was a monumental success :) If only I had know what was to come...

Well, I thought my car was BIG, but not BIG enough for the pool, so Mr. wal-mart grabbed some twine, and we began tying it to the roof of my car. I could tell that he wasn't doing a very good job, but I am sure that he was thinking that I was just a young, dumb girl, and since he wouldn't let me have the twine (I asked), I just let him have at it.

We literally made it out of the wal-mart parking lot and just onto the main boulevard when....CRASH.

The pool slid off of my roof and onto the main thoroughfare. It was thrilling...

So, there I was, on the side of the road, with two kids in car seats, sweating my *** off, with a ginormous yellow pool in the middle of the road. The twine obviously didn't hold, and in order for me to get back to wal-mart, I would have to drive quite a way and do a u-turn at one of the boulevard breaks in the road.

That was out of the question. So, I attempted to hold the pool out the window, with my hand. Do you have the visual yet?

That didn't work either. The wind blew it away, so I went chasing the pool again.

Tying it back onto the roof of my car was not an option either. The twine had broken into several pieces.

I called Rob. I was praying that he was close to home. He wasn't~still at the office.

By now, I had completely sweated through my nursing bra. lovely. I was ready to sit on the side of the road and cry. Really, I was.

It was just about time for Carson to eat...again, Emma was running her mouth non-stop, and Carson was fussing. I was ready to leave the pool on the side of the road and head home.

About that time, a man in a huge truck passed by us, going the other way. He turned around and offered to take the pool to my house. We were so grateful! I helped him load it into the back of his truck, and away we went.

He delivered the pool safely to our house, so "man with the big truck," if you are reading, THANK YOU!

Six: Emma's legs are covered in "boo-boos." She has fallen so many times this past week, that I am pretty sure it looks like we beat her. They were so bad that I even made her wear pants one day. Yes it was hot, but I wanted her legs to at least have a chance at healing :) The photo to accompany this post was supposed to be a photo of her band aid covered legs. She refused the photo, and I let her win. I had enough battles to fight this week. So instead of the photo, just use your imagination...

Seven: Our ac broke this week. Enough said.

Eight: Carson got his four month shots this week too, which led to crying, fever, diarrhea (yes him too), and general crabbiness.

Nine: I took Emma to the pediatrician yesterday. She was still sick with her "potty business." That makes two trips to the pedi in the last four days. She is on medicine for giardia...some sort of parasite. Disgusting, I am sure.

These stories are true. I promise. And if you need a recount of the stories, just ask Emma. I promise that she will tell you all about it.

So, cheers to the weekend. I am pretty sure that the weekend holds some sort of alcoholic beverage for me. And, I am hoping that next week brings fewer "bottom-half" issues for my children...

it was a meet and greet

Well, for Carson, anyway. After the visit with Aunt Lindy, we made our way to spend the day with some very special people. Carson got to meet Papa for the very first time.

He got to meet Grandmother too.

Clearly, he was bright-eyed for the big adventure.

He keeps his hands folded together constantly. I think he's so sweet.

While Carson was greeting everyone, Miss Emma swam.

She swam with Kendall, whom she calls "Candle," with a thick, southern draw.

And, she swam with Austin too. They are her cousins, and she thinks they are just fabulous.

Aunt Gail attempted to help with the slide.

Although, the coaxing didn't work, so she convinced her daddy to slide with her. Rob was wearing borrowed swim trunks that were way too small, which made the situation, all the more funnier. I was just praying that they made it into the water and not onto the concrete.

They made it into the water, but trust me when I tell you that a full-grown man pulls a little girl much farther under the water than she would if she went alone. The photo is proof, but try explaining that to Miss Emma.

She swam some more, but was so done with the slide.

And, I think her daddy was done too.

I'm a Barbie Girl

Although, it looks like a bomb went off in Barbie World...

Wouldn't you agree?

I brought these home from my mom and dad's this past weekend. They were both my and my sisters' Barbies. They were in storage, and with Mom and Dad's impending move, they needed a new home.

From what I can remember, Mom still had most all of it. Of course, I could have told you that :)

Their hair was matted, complete with dead flies. Their bodies were molded, and each of them had received somewhat of a new hairdo. I presume that this was courtesy of the "little sisters." They were headless, legless, and everything else less.

I soaked them all upside down, in a tub full of liquid fabric softener. This was their "conditioning" treatment. Yes, I googled "how to wash a barbie's hair," and this was the standard protocol.

I am sure that Rob was thrilled to have about 30 naked Barbies in the kitchen. I am also sure that he was beginning to think that I had lost it for sure this time.

In an attempt to complete this project without Emma's knowledge, I tried to keep most everything down in the kitchen sink.

She busted me in the process by getting on her tippy-toes and peering over the counter and down into the sink filled with barbie legs, arms, and heads. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes, and said with such worry, "oh my Mommy, oh my."

So many memories were stirred up in the process. This was always my favorite outfit-the classic wedding dress and matching tux.

And, this is what I always used for her wedding bouquet. It was still in tact.

I found Barbie's tv, which would now be flat screen.

And, Barbie's dog...

Now, meet my very favorite Barbie. She was the "mom" to "The Heart Family." The set came with her, the dad, and a set of twin babies~a girl and a boy. She used to have long hair too, but I think those "little sisters" got a hold of her too. The baby boy is missing, I think he was Jack's lunch one late afternoon. So sad.

They all got the "upside down fabric softener conditioning treatment," followed by a good brushing. After that, I threw them all into my washing machine on the sanitary cycle. Y'all know how I am about germs. Germs and black mold...they were just covered. My sanitary cycle gets so hot that I was worried that they would all come out "face-less." But, they didn't :)

Then, I put them all back together. Some needed legs. Others needed heads, and then they all got a hair cut. The "little sisters" left some of the barbies with half long hair, half short, so after twenty years, a haircut was a must. Emma helped, and this is what they looked like after a pretty good cleaning...

Much improved, right? I washed all of the Barbie clothes too, and after Emma was in bed one night, I dressed them all. I'll admit that it was so much fun.

I am pretty sure that the top row of Barbies were mine. The six or eight on the far right hold a lot of memories for me, all the way down to their faces and clothes. As for the bottom row, I am not so sure, so "little sisters," you can stake your claim. I could tell that quite a few of the bottom row Barbies were ballerinas, gymnasts, cow girls, flight attendants, veterinarians, etc. None of which were mine.

Emma has enjoyed her loot. Thankfully so, it was a lot of hard work. I brought home my Barbie Doll Dream House too. Although, Rob and I were joking that we should rename it the Barbie Doll Ghetto House. Suffice it to say, it needs a remodel.

If your mom has your Barbies, go get them before they ruin. I promise you, you won't regret it.