Trying to Figure Things Out?

We are in the final phases of our cross country move and we are trying to figure out how we are going to get the three of us, a small dog and two cats across country without my sanity completely leaving me. We have made the drive before in about 2 .5 days... but know that this time there will be more stops simply due to having the animals, plus Carson is older and not apt to sit for long periods of time.

One plan is that we would rent a second vehicle and and tow my small (way too small for the three of us and all the animals to travel that length of time in) SUV. This is the option we are currently looking at. We are planning on taking all the animals to the vet prior to leaving and getting some mild tranquilizers for them... maybe it should be for me .. anyway I digress. If any of you all in bloggerland have ever made such a move, can you please leave me a comment and tell me what you did.

Another plan is to rent another vehicle and drive both of them and trade off with the cats in one vehicle and the dog in another... again they would be tranquilized. The company will be paying for all travel expenses, but I would still like to keep the expense down. Plus I get sleepy after a couple hours of driving.

We even looked at renting an RV and using that... and towing my car... but that was so ridiculously costly that one didn't last long.

The biggest thing is that I do not like driving long distances.... sure I have done it before, but I am having hyperventilating episodes just thinking about being locked in a small vehicle with a five year old , hubby, two howling cats, and one little doxie for 1800 miles!

I am sure that we will work things out, and I am not really that anxious... only mildly so. But if you have suggestions.... I would love to hear them.

Yummmm EGGROLLS!

I don't know about you, but we LOVE egg rolls.... I found a recipe on another blog that is so simple and so delicious! We liked the recipe so much that I have made them three times in the past two weeks. The first batch I made when Wayne was home and he loved them as much as I did. Then I made a triple batch for a party on Memorial Day. Tonight I made a batch specifically to freeze.

The recipe is really easy and takes about 30 minutes start to finish.

You will need a package of egg roll wrappers (found in the refrigerated section of the produce dept) I have tried two different brands... I prefer the Melissa brand over the other one...these seem to have more flour on them and make them easier to separate and glue together. I can't remember what the brand name was.

A bag of Cole Slaw mix. I get the one with the carrots and the red cabbage. I don't like cooked red cabbage because it turns funky colors, so I try to pull most of it out.

1 bunch of scallions or green onions. I slice these really thin and use quite a bit of the greens as well.

Bean Sprouts...my family doesn't like bean sprouts so we don't use them.

3Tb of Soy Sauce... I just add this to taste... I never measure.

Any meat that you want to add. We LOVE shrimp. I just quickly cook about 12 md shrimp with a little butter and garlic and then chop very fine. We have also made chicken, and I stir fry one breast and chop finely as well.

Cook meat first and remove from heat and chop. In a large skillet heat a couple tsp of canola oil and cook the green onions and the coleslaw mix for about 4-6 minutes. This will cook down a bit. At this point add the soy sauce and continue cooking until the liquid cooks off. Add the cooked meat. Scoop a couple TBS of the mix and roll according to the directions on the back of the egg roll wrap package.

Heat (in a deep fry pan,wok or a fry daddy) a couple of inches of Canola Oil to 375 degrees. I used vegetable oil the first time, and it was too greasy for my taste. Be careful, these will splatter grease if the inside liquid seeps out. It only takes a minute or so and these are done. Drain well on paper towels. I am freezing this last batch and will let you know how well they freeze and reheat.

On Memorial Day I made a triple recipe of these, but used won ton wrappers instead so they were bite sized. It took a long time, but made 120 bite sized egg rolls and there wasn't a single one left.

I know they really don't seem very healthy as they are fried, but I know what is going into these... I know there is no MSG, and my son loves these as well! I dip them in soy sauce as well as duck sauce. To reheat, I nuke for about 25 secs and then crisp in the toaster oven for about 3-5 minutes @300 degrees.

For other good recipes check out Kami's Cooking blog (where this one originated) on the left as well as Squillen's Cooking blog (She just posted her eggroll recipe today)... there are some awesome recipes there.

We Have a HOUSE!!!!

Yes! We finally have a house.... which is a GOOD thing... I tend to worry a little about things like that... but God knew what we needed and when and as always He has provided! Now I have not physically seen this house, but Wayne knows what I like, and it, he assures me is right up my alley. The only drawback to the house is that it doesn't have big trees. It is on a cul-de-sac and the school is two blocks away. Wayne will be riding the train into D.C. It is only 1.5 miles to the train station. So he will be a "real"commuter. Time wise it will be about an hour to ride the train, but he is currently only 30 miles from work now and it takes him an hour to an hour and a half to get to work now... plus it is costing well over 500.00 a month just in gas. The train will be less than half that amount, and will cut some time off his commute.

Here is the descriptive listing: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, finished basement w/media room, bar, over sized master suite (20 X 25), deep walk-in closets in other 3 bedrooms (13 x 15), upstairs sitting and laundry rooms, large eat-in kitchen, 3rd car garage was converted to additional living space (used as office or playroom), huge deck with enclosure and fenced backyard, 3 car driveway. .

This is way more house than we have ever had, but the price is right, and we have plenty of room for out of town visitors. Heck they could move in an we would never know it. Wayne said that the basement is 2/3 finished and rest is unfinished storage... so that makes it nice. I am not looking forward to cleaning this.... I can barely keep ahead of the house we are in now.
This is the Master Bedroom and is visible as the room right over the garage. The movers are coming the week of June 23rd. and we hope to be in the house by the first of July. We have promised Carson another trip to D.C. to see the fireworks on the National Mall.

We already have our first visitors scheduled for August. Wayne's cousin Pam and her Hubby will be down for a coin show. We are looking forward to having lots of visitors over the years to come.

Yes I Am Older But....

As my younger and more attractive darling spouse pointed out yes I am much older than her, I just turned 53 yesterday to be exact. I will say this about being 9 years older than Kari I have 7 more years to go to hit the next big milestone for me which is 60, she only has 6 years to go to hit the BIG 50.

What a party that will be - I have 6 years to plan it - anyone want to help?

Birthday Fun!

Yesterday was Wayne's fifty something or other birthday... I won't tell you how old he really is... but he is much, much, much OLDER than me. Anyway... he came home for Carson's graduation and the holiday weekend. He was supposed to fly out last night the 27th. About 5:00 pm he gets a call from American Airlines that his flights from Amarillo to Dallas have been cancelled. So he calls them back and not only his Amarillo to Dallas flight, but the flight from Dallas to Washington D.C. was cancelled as well. The flight to D.C. originated in Austin, Texas and pretty much anything going into or out of DFW last night was cancelled.

So we got to celebrate Wayne's birthday again...spur of the moment kinda thing. We decided to head out to the BIG TEXAN... a huge tourist type place. Very well known if you are driving I-40 for it Free 72 oz steak , if you eat it with all the trimmings in one hour. They also give you a free dinner on the date of your actual birthday. So we headed out and sidled up for some grub...Carson's dinner came with a free cowboy hat, so he was set. The wait staff is all dressed in western wear, the waiter for table behind us had on a gun belt and toy gun. Carson was fascinated with him and every time he walked by he asked if he was going to shoot him with his shooter. At one point I had to take Carson with me to restroom for a behavior talk, and as we walked down the row of chairs out of the dining room he exclaimed rather loudly "is that man gonna shoot me for not minding you"? Several people laughed out loud and I had trouble holding the snicker back myself. I explained that he was in trouble for not listening to mommy, and that the man wasn't gonna shoot him. Maybe that is what I need though... a man with a gun... sure did straighten his attitude right up.

Here are some pictures... I used my new little point and shoot. They did pretty good for the lighting.

Carson with the cowboy hat eating ice cream.

We spent some time in the arcade, where Carson proved to be a pretty decent shot.

Of course YOU HAVE to take pictures in the giant Rocking chair....

Out side there are several cheesy photo opportunities this one cracked me up... because Carson is too short to reach the hole for his face.

On another note several of you asked if Carson was real upset, or how he took the loss of his trampoline. He took it rather well, I think I am more upset than he is because it bought me a lot of time to get stuff done when he was occupied. We have discussed replacing it once we get moved... depending on the liability issues in the area we live in.

Ode to a Trampoline!

For Carson's fifth birthday we got him a trampoline. One with the padded poles and the net enclosure. Carson would spend many an afternoon on the trampoline, jumping and running, and basically just enjoying being a kid. He loved to put all of his soccer balls, and basketballs on the trampoline and jump with them. With the upcoming move we were trying to determine whether it would be something we would move or give away

Setting the up the trampoline last Fall
Complete and Carson jumping away!

About 10 this morning, Carson wanted to jump... so he goes out and runs back into the house really fast, exclaiming rather excitedly that someone took his trampoline! Wayne goes out back, and sure enough it's gone. Last nights storm took the trampoline out of the yard and blew it over a 6 foot fence and across a field and into the neighbors yard about 100 yards away. We had to clean up parts of the trampoline all morning long... there were springs and poles and nets, and mats... strewn all across the field and into the yard across the street. Thank God, it did not damage anyones house or property. It had to have been lifted straight up out of the backyard, and right over the fence....Not a mark on the fence or the house. From the way the poles were bent... it must have rolled... I imagine it was a sight to see. I wonder if we had been home if we would have heard it. We got home after dark last night, and no reason to go out back.

Close up of the mangled mess!

See the piles of poles.... there were several, I got tired of carrying them all to the same spot.. so I made several.

Kinda hard to see, but this is across the field, looking at the neighbors house in the next block where the trampoline ended up. I guess we don't need to worry about moving it now...

Family Photos 2008

My entire family is in town for the holiday weekend. It is also going to be that last time we will all be together as a family until at least Christmas. We decided that we needed to get a family portrait done seeing how the last one taken was in 1998. We have increased in numbers by four, with the birth of Hunter, Hannah, Carson and Peyton.

Originally we planned on hiring a photographer to get some nice outdoor shots. However, with it being the holiday weekend, it was near impossible to hire a professional. So we decided to wing it. We had a friend of the family come over and use my camera. We had planned for an outdoor shoot, but the weather did not cooperate, right as everyone gets set for the picture, the skies open up and it pours.... the hardest rain we have seen in Amarillo in months. So we move the shoot indoors. It is always a challenge to get pictures done with a few people... we were trying to manipulate 15! It was interesting to say the least. I think we did manage to get a few good shots. The rain finally let up, and we moved outside again. There is something about the colors after a rain, and the sun was just setting behind the clouds...really got some good pics! There are some shadows on a few faces that need to be photoshopped, but here are some rough pics.

This one has the entire family... all 17 of us!

All four of us kids with our spouses and children

Just the grandkids. They all had those Life is Good T-shirts on.

My sister Wendy, her hubby Richard and kids Hayden, Hannah and Hunter

My brother Brad, his wife Paige and their son Peyton

My sister Holly, her husband Mike and their sons Zach (oldest) and Will.

Finally Wayne, myself and Carson. This one needs some serious photoshopping! Too many wrinkles.

We Have A Date...

We finally have a date for the move to Virginia. We are trying to get the movers here the week of June 23rd. It will take them about 2 days to pack the house and load the truck. We figure to pull out of Amarillo by the 26-27 and make the long drive to Virginia. A few details still need to be worked out... such as a HOUSE... kinda a biggie... but we think we have determined that we are going to live in the Stafford/Fredericksburg area. This is about 45 miles south of DC and just south of Quantico. We have found a house that Wayne is going to look at on Wednesday in Stafford. There are several reasons for this. Wayne can ride the train into DC for a whole lot less that driving...with gas so outrageous, the train is an option that seems a good fit. Also time in the commute should be a little less. We have also found that we can get way more house for the money in this area. The schools are great, and the area is only an hour from family in Richmond and DC... plus three hours to Virginia Beach isn't bad either. We will let everyone know exactly where and when, when it is all finalised with the movers etc.

Graduation Pics!

Ok ... before you say it... I know it is ONLY preschool graduation... I think I have 175 pictures that I took that night...I am a little on the obsessive side.... I know. Seriously the boy is in for it when he graduates from high school. I really hate to think what will happen when he graduates from college.

Something interesting.... we were looking at school websites for pre-enrolling Carson in kindergarten next year. The enrollment form stated that they are now enrolling the kindergarten class of 2021..... TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT! 2021... that seemed so far into the future... but is really just around the corner. Of course it was really only yesterday that I graduated from high school... in 19something or other!

Graduation Day is Here

Tonight at 7:00pm CST our amazing Carson will be graduating with his class from St. Stephens Pre-K program. Kari and I will be there along with other family members, and friends. When Carson started with St. Stephens he was only 6 months old and his graduation from Pre-K was so far off we never even thought of that day. In February when we went through all those malicious accusations we never thought that Carson would be able to graduate. We, including Carson survived and are looking forward to him attending the ceremonies this evening. Check back tomorrow to see pictures of the boy at graduation.

Does Jesus Live in the Dirt Momma?

We have talked quite a bit lately about where God and Jesus live. I have tried to answer in a way that would make sense to a five year old. We have talked about how he loves Jesus and that Jesus loves him so much, He wants to live in our hearts and keep us company all the time.

With the recent passing of our family dog, we are dealing with all sorts of questions that I never had to deal with before. When Ginger died, my dad buried her at their house, and he showed both Carson and I where it was. As parents we have fallen back on some old cliches for some of the questions. One such question is where is Ginger going to live now? I, without really thinking told him that she is living with Jesus now just like Garth. Garth is our black lab that was put down about three years ago. Carson is a VERY literal child. He was taking a bath later that night and asked if Jesus lived in the dirt, since Ginger was buried in the dirt. I had to think for a minute...and said that Jesus lived everywhere.. so I guess He is in the dirt too! The very next question was "does Ginger live in my heart like Jesus"? I answered that she will always be with us in our memories. Sometimes the questions are harder than I make them out to be, because Carson accepts quite readily anything that we tell him honestly. I have found when we try to get too technical with things... we complicate something that he can grasp readily if we keep it simple.

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Matthew 11:25 NIV

Hopefully... Words can heal.....

I can't sleep.... too much running through my mind ....I started this blog several months ago on a dare.. never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would become such a big part of my life. I blog pretty much daily... I like to share tidbits of my life with others, but the main reason was to keep Wayne updated in a different way about what is going on in our lives while he is living apart from us. I usually post random things that happen throughout our day, and even what I am scrapbooking at the time. I have shared way more here in this media than I have ever done in a face to face friendly relationships.
Unfortunately, some postings on my blog have caused hurt to other people. That was never my intention. I realized that the written word, like the spoken can not be thrown around without thought. Having so recently myself, been attacked by the written word, I should have known better. My heart breaks thinking that friends that I love were hurt by the thoughts that were posted on my blog. I tend to over think many things and I should have thought through before I typed. The posts were pulled, but not before damage was done. That I can not repair, but I can ask and pray for forgiveness. I know that some will read this and just simply choose to ignore, some will read and wonder what the heck is that about. All that needs to be said is that I hope and pray that the ones that I hurt read this and know I am truly sorry.

A Very Sad Day at the George Household

Ginger (1991-2008) and Petey

We lost a special member of the family today, Ginger my 17 year old dachschund died today. I originally bought her as a gift for my Father for Father's day, but it was obvious from the very beginning that she was going to be my dog. When she was a puppy she had a habit of running on three legs... she would lift one of her back legs and scamper around, it was quite comical at times. You could tell her to put her foot down and she would do it. She was also known to eat objects that dogs are not normally supposed to ingest. She had two surgeries on her stomach to remove foreign things that she had eaten. She had had two litters of puppies, that produced my brothers dog and my other dog Petey.

She was diagnosed about a month ago with cancerous tumors that were inoperable. We knew we only had a matter of time left with her, but knowing doesn't alleviate the hurt of losing her. She will be missed tremendously.

If you have never been owned by a doxie, you are really missing something. You are owned, you don't own them. They are notorious cover stealers, as well as heart stealers. They are extremely loyal and suffer from big dog syndrome.... you know little dogs who don't know that they are actually little dogs. They think that they are the biggest dogs on the block. Ginger was my bed partner long before Wayne and I got married, and she was able to steal his heart as well.

The last couple of years have been rough on her, she was nearly blind, and almost deaf, she was no longer a nice red colored doxie but she was grizzled with mostly grey. When I took her to the vet recently, she said that she had a lot of spunk left in her, and that we should enjoy the time at we had left.

It breaks my heart to see Petey running around looking for her, I don't know who will miss her more, him or us... I think we will both miss her tremendously.

We are going to miss you old girl!

Old New Hampshire Friends

I headed to NH on Friday to pay my parents grave a long overdue visit. The last time I was there was in April 2002 to bury my mom who passed away in December 2001. It was a long overdue visit and I sat there for a while cried, talked and realized that the 2 evergreen bushes my mom had planted years ago needed some trimming. My older son, Peter who lives in the same town was suppose to be maintaining the bushes had kind of let them get carried away. No problem I borrowed some tools and took care of them myself. Also raked away a ton of leaves that got caught underneath the overgrown bushes. The I went to Lulls Farm, a local NH fruit / veggie / flower farm just up the road bought some red and white geraniums and planted them. Mom would of turned 88 this coming Monday.

After taking care of the cemetary plot I decided that it was time to look up a few old and close friends who I also had not seen in at least 6 years and who although we talked on the phone or via e-mail ocassionally it is always better to see them in person. First up was my good friend, Billy. Billy and I were on the Milford NH Fire Department together back in the 80's and 90's and we have a special bond of being firefighting brothers. He was also the best man in our wedding. So as I drove by his house he was out on his lawn tractor mowing his large yard, with his back to the road I drove up behind him and as he looked over his shoulder he could not believe that I was there. We talked for about an hour and then he needed to finish and I had others to see.

The I drove over to Hollis, NH and stopped at the local gas station that is still operated by the same guy. His sons and I attended high school together and a couple of them also served with me on the Hollis Fire Department. I ran into a good friend at the garage, Chip. Chip and I talked for quite a while and he said that he would call Kristen and Greg (husband and wife) and maybe the 4 of us could do dinner. Later in the afternoon, Chip called and said that dinner was going to be at Shorty's at 7:30. Well we all get there and the laughter and fun begins and it was a total blast. Kristen, and I were EMT's on the Hollis Fire Department and we had shared many a call together and relived some of them tonight. Chip was also on the Hollis Fire Department, and use to be Kristens boy friend. Kristen, also reminded me about my alledged lumber stealing incident (goes back to fall of 1990 or 1991) - it's a whole story in itself and I thanked her for reminding me. Long story short, it was good to see these friends of mine, to share some so so Mexican (NH idea of Mexican) food, and more than anything to laugh and listen to stories you have heard before 1,000 times but like fine wine they always get better. Kristen and Chip came to the conclusion that I have been missed and that the heck with moving to Virginia, I'm wanted back in NH - so Kari don't get to comfortable in Virginia - just kidding.

On Sunday it is back to Virginia, and then on Wednesday I leave for Texas and to a special guys Pre-K graduation.

Kristen, Chip, Greg, and Billy - thanks for the time we shared today and now that I'm only 500 miles away instead of 1,600 let's get together more often.

WE WON!

Whoo Hoo!... Carson's first soccer game of the season was this morning. They played a team that kicked us last year, so I will admit that I was slightly concerned that they would beat us today. The final score was 8 -3, they sure did give us a run for our money... and the kids had an absolute BLAST! What a difference a year makes... it is amazing, all the kids were focused on the game, we had no butterfly chases, or flower picking parties. Just a ton of fun! The other team really was a tough opponent, and it was so nice to see all the kids having such a good time playing together.

I will warn you now... I can almost guarantee that I will bore you to death with soccer pictures before the season is over.

It's SOCCER Time!

If there is one thing that Carson really loves to do, it is play soccer. This is his third season, we debated letting him play this season before we move, in case we have to move before the season is over. This season his best friend Caden is getting to play also. There is something about little boys and the thrill of kicking a ball down field. At practice tonight Caden and Carson ran and ran and ran some more...

The first season that Carson played last spring, they did not win one single game. The team was comprised of 4 yr olds who had never played any sort of organized sport before. I got such a kick watching the kids all intent on the game until a butterfly flew by... or a dandelion was spotted. The little girls holding hands and running together, and dropping everything to smell a flower. This is such a fun age to watch. He played soccer again last fall, and they won 6 out of 8 games. A major improvement! We are looking forward to a fun filled season, whether they win or lose, I know that the kids will have a blast doing it!

Some Pages From my Crop

Finally got a few pictures of some of the pages I got done on Saturday. I had planned on staying until midnight, but seeing how my hubby surprised me for Mother's Day I figured I would surprise hubby and I left about 9:15. I was able to get 12 pages done! This is huge for me because I am lucky if I get 3-4 done in a 12 hour period. I am way too anal about matting all pictures etc. But I did something Saturday that I never have before... I used CTMH's paper pack Magic Moments for about 8 of those pages. They are all pre-printed with the matts etc... so easy! I used this paper pack for some pictures of our mini vacation from last summer. Mainly from the Dallas World Aquarium. There was a lot of pinks in this pack, but they worked with the aquarium pictures quite well.

This was just a sampling... and of course I still need to journal and embellish... but the hard stuff is done!

I also was able to get a four page layout done from the Fort Worth Zoo. I had originally intended to use the CTMH paper pack Expedition, but the colors were off.. and the paper I did use just made the pictures pop. I used a tru fit folio so this will be a flip page when all assembled.I did not embellish anything... I always do that at home... Or I would never use all the stuff I already have... I would be constantly buying new stuff to do it there.

Happy Mother's Day One Day Later!

First let me say that I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day spent with their families. Carson and I had planned on a quiet day just the two of us, but there were other plans that I was unaware of. I had been looking forward to Saturday for months... I had an all day crop to attend and I had made arrangements for Carson to spend some time with my Mom and Dad, and my sisters family. I was going to pick him up at 3pm and go and pick up the sitter I had hired for the rest of the evening. Her mother was scrapbooking with us and she was just going to pick up Macy when it was over. My day was PLANNED! I was enjoying some much needed Mommy time. Carson was dropped off with my sister, I was busy working on a project at the crop and Wayne calls me. Now when he, who is supposed to be in Virginia, asks me how late I am going to be out, I start to question him as to what he is up to. Just so you know he is always up to something! He convinces me that he is not up to anything and just making conversation. About 45 minutes later I look up and Carson is walking into the crop room, my very first thought is I forgot something, and Wendy is bringing him by for it. So I ask "did Aunt Wendy bring you by".... and He just grins as big as all get out and said nope..."MY DADDY DID" Sure enough Wayne walks in right behind him.Now just so you know... I questioned Wayne several times during the week, because he gives away little clues as to his plans... and I have been able to read him for years. He really had finally convinced me he wasn't coming home, so I was VERY surprised to see him. He had to do a lot of finagling to get this to all work out. He called my sister and mom and dad. He cancelled the sitter, he traded in frequent flyer miles, and he made arrangements to work out of home on Monday. While this was a very short trip, it was one that both Carson and I needed. Oh and I did get a cool new little camera for my purse... yea... so I feel I really raked it in this Mother's Day.

Much Needed MOMMY Time!

I am getting a wonderful treat today, as I am at an all day crop. Since Wayne left in February, I have not had more than a couple of hours by myself.....It has been Carson and I pretty much 24/7... I desperately need time off...We all need breaks once in a while and I am going to take full advantage of this much needed mommy time! Hopefully I will get a lot accomplished and will be able to post some of my layouts when I am back on Sunday.

Pooh.... Then and Now!

The very first toy that I bought Carson was before he was even born. I fell in love with Pooh, the baby one, and I knew that he was going to be Carson's crib friend. I have many pictures of Carson and Pooh, but most were before digital. I found this one of Pooh and Carson along with Carson's other favorite thing.... his bankey. Carson was so in love with Pooh that I was really concerned for a while about him losing Pooh... so I bought a spare. Pooh went on trips with us to visit his cousins in El Paso and to the grocery store and to Mother's Day Out. Pooh had a place of honor and was very very loved. Fortunately, Pooh never got lost.

In the past year or so Carson and Pooh grew apart, and Pooh had to sleep in the wagon with the other stuffed animals. I guess little boys do outgrow somethings and he would tell me that Pooh was for babies, not big boys. He said he still loved Pooh, but he didn't need Pooh to go to sleep at night. Bankey is another story. Bankey has NEVER slept without Carson and I do have a slight worry of bankey going away to college with Carson, but that is another story.

When Wayne moved ahead of us to Virginia, Carson seemed to need a little extra attention at night. One night I discovered that Pooh has regained his place of honor, keeping Carson company at night while he dreams. I personally am glad to see him there, and you can tell Pooh is a little worn, a little dirty. But he is still Carson's best friend.

A Very Special Lady!

Today Carson and I ran to the mall to get a few errands done (Bath and Body Works had Wallflowers on sale, but don't tell Wayne). We planned on going in and eating a quick bite at Chik Fil A. When we walked in the first person I see is Carson's birth mother and her husband. We walk over and talk for a few minutes, getting caught up on things. Wayne and I run into them quite a bit, but Carson is usually not with us. Fortunately today he was. After we got our food, we went out and sat in the food court and I asked Carson if he knew who that Special Lady was. He said, is she the one who grew me in her tummy cause yours was broken? I said yes. He went on to ask if I ever had a baby in my tummy, and a couple other questions that pertained to the subject of adoption. I was impressed by the fact that he completely understood who she was and how special she is to us. While we were eating, I was thinking how cool would it be to get a picture of Carson and his birth mother, so I checked back where we saw them, but they were gone. I was a little disappointed, but prayed we would see them again, and she would be agreeable to a picture. We hadn't gone ten feet after my quick prayer... and there they were coming around the corner. I asked if I could snap a quick picture, and she said sure. (Wayne if you are reading this.... this is a HUGE hint for Mother's Day). I only had my camera phone with me..... I did not have my digital SLR, which is a little too big to schlep all over the mall. It really would have been nice to have a small inexpensive point and shoot camera... Like the Nikon Cool Pics... or something along those lines. But I digress, today Carson was able to put a face to the Special Lady. As soon as I have her permission to post the picture I will (talk about spitting image). She gave us a gift like no other, and this Mother's Day I want to honor her as my son's birth mother.

These Boots Were Made for Walkin!

Carson had a pair of hand me down boots from my nephew that he wore when he was about two. He wore them occasionally but never really seemed to like wearing them. A couple of months ago, we were invited to a couple of birthday parties, and they were both cowboy themed birthday parties. I found a pair of cowboy boots at Payless Shoes and convinced Carson to try them on. He loved them! We now wear our cowboy boots with everything. My favorite "look" is the shorts, t-shirt, and cowboy boot look. It is oh sooo very West Texanish and very Carson! Now I can't get the boots off of the boy! I expect that this will become a huge fashion trend in Virginia once we get there. You can all say you knew Carson before he was such a trend setter.

Getting Ready for Work - Commuter Style

This mornings commute was a little slower than normal due to not 1 but 2 accidents on the route that I take. The 2 accidents were about 5 miles apart, 1 was at the approach to the multilane I-95, I-495, and I-395 interchange. The other was at the on I-395 near Seminary Road. Thus this mornings commute I had the time to look around and I had the opportunity to visually see first hand a woman, a woman driver no less, in the car by herself getting ready for work. Now I'm not talking about applying mascara, or any other form of makeup, and no I'm not talking about her getting dressed while driving. Although it would not surprise me to see that at some point. I'm talking about this driver doing her hair. She must have been running really late this morning because the first thing I saw were these HUGE plastic rollers all throughout her hair. They weren't hard to notice see she was also driving a convertible and the top was down, and NO she wasn't a blonde. As the commute progressed and our vehicles would peridocally pass each others I could notice progress on her doing her hair a la commuter style. I did not see any curling irons (guess with the HUGE rollers) a curling iron is not needed. The last time she passed me as I was about ready to exit she had about half of them out. Eventually I had to exit and I'm not sure where she was headed to but I will admit that it did provide a great bit of chuckles not only for me but for other drivers. I wonder what tonight's ride home will offer up to keep me chuckling.

What is it about Little Boys and Mud Puddles???

A couple of weeks ago I posted about how much Carson loves to play in the dirt, and how he prayed to Jesus, thanking Him for dirt to play in. I don't know what kind of strange magnetic force calls to little boys compelling them to run through any mud puddle that they come across. It can be the only puddle in a parking lot, or a small drainage ditch. This boy has never met a mud puddle he didn't love.

Carson seems to be inexplicably drawn to water, whether it be a bird bath, fountain, water hose (don't get me started on this one), sprinkler, anything. You name it he WILL find it. With Spring comes the need to water grass and such, and since the common areas of our development are still under construction, there is a lot of dirt, and when water is added... of course we have mud.

Cut to this morning, I was watching my nephew, and Carson was playing outside. It was a beautiful morning, a slight chill to the air, but nothing... I repeat NOTHING will keep the boy from the alluring call of a distant mud puddle. I peek outside and the boy is practically knee deep in mud, and soaking wet. Does he like being dirty? Not really, he will actually wash his hands constantly if he gets something on them. But mud does not seem to bother him at all. I remember as a child loving the feel of warm mud squishing between my toes...perhaps that is what draws him. I convince him, after I snap a few pictures of course, to come to the garage and strip down and get in the bath. He reluctantly agrees and washes up a little at the water spigot... this is the result after washing up.

Vocabulary Lessons..... Carson Style

This is the dictionary of words very common in Carson's vocabulary. He had a significant speech delay and while we are beyond that, many pronunciations are not quite right. Language development is progressing, but sometimes he still struggles for the right word to convey his thoughts.

speed lemon n. meaning to drive the speed allowable by law.

juicy hill adj. n. A water filled pustule that forms under the skin when skin is irritated.

eye bobs n. The place where mommy puts her contact lenses.

1,2,3's Lunchables... when Carson was little we got some lunchables and I counted the meat and crackers etc. He has called them this ever since.

Bite You's. When Carson was 18 months or so, he developed a fear of the ceiling vents in his bedroom. To this day he is constantly looking up anywhere we go to see how many there are. He is no longer really afraid of them, but he counts them wherever we are.

Dumpter n. Anything can hold water and be dumped out. The best dumpter is the one at Splash... you know the dump tank.

Coppee n. Mommy drinks coppee every morning.

Just so you know.... we do correct his language mistakes, often times the word just sticks..and it becomes part of our vocabulary as well. 1,2,3's is a prime example.

Just Playin' Around

Tonight, Carson and I had the privilege of attending a good friends surprise graduation party. Of course I took the camera, and I took some pictures of the boy and all the kiddos rolling down the hill. My very favorite time of day to take pictures is in the evening when the shadows are longer and the sunlight is golden. It really intensifies the colors and it isn't as harsh.Carson is such a poser!I really like the pictures where I catch him a little off guard.

Like this one below.

Carson sitting in the field ... he was looking for ladybugs, and butterflies. I am sure I will have to give him a dose of zrytec tonight.

Having a ball rolling down the hill

Christian and Carson... two sweet boys!

Red Dye Update... scroll down

I started a post yesterday and left it in draft mode.. so it posted below the picture thread... scroll down for the update!

Posting a random picture or three or four ;).

I was going through some pictures for a friend and ran across a bunch of pictures of the boy in his younger days. Kinda makes me sad....

All of these are about 12 months to two years of age.....The first one is of my niece and Carson