how have i not posted about this?

my friend? my friend alana?

how in the world have i not posted about our meeting?

but first let me give you a history. alana? yeah, she's my first ever commenter who i didn't know. she gave me a big head about myself. i'm like, "who is alana? what is a kiss, a hug, and a squeeze? why is she visiting my blog?"

and then, i noticed she started commenting on a regular basis. and so i decided to head on over to her little neck of the woods. and i was SO loving her little abode.

she is real. she is honest. she is encouraging. she has LOADS of friends.

go ahead. head on over there. look at all of them. i'll wait.

see? lots and lots of people love her. and i am one of them. so when i heard she was coming to my neck of the woods, i politely invited her over for tea.

or maybe i YELLED WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF CAPS that SHE BETTER COME PLAY WITH MY KIDS AND ME AT A MALL WHERE WE CAN EAT FAST FOOD AND PLAY.

remembering that she has kids of her own, i'm sure she was thrilled to play with kids on her vacation. without her kids. and you know my venue of choice. malls. with play areas. for my children to release loads and loads of energy.

so, we decided to meet. and you know what's weird? i wasn't nervous. at all. we decided on a time. i saw her standing by the play area and i knew it was her. weird seeing that i had never met her. and we showed up. we hugged. like old friends hug. she met big h and the goo. and, of course, felt as though she knew them. so we talked. well, in between me telling big h not to lay on top of goo and both of us making sure we knew where pink blankie was at all times. she also felt as though she had met pink blankie. crazy. weird. fun. guess that's the thing about blogs.

then, we headed to lunch. and headed out for some shopping. and to be honest, i think it was nice for her not to have to corral anyone. but my kids totally took to her. we finally parted ways. i hugged her tight. again, like old friends do. my kiddos said their goodbyes. and we headed back to where our car was parked. i let big h and the goo play in a little toy store for a little while.

when i realized that goo had had an accident. and let's just say not a #1 accident.

so i texted my new friend (whose cell phone number i now had and she probably wished i didn't) and told her we might see each other again after all.

and my new friend? that i just met? texted me with "i'm in children's place. what size does she wear? and i'll bring it to wherever you are."

i know.

so we met at children's place to score goo some really inexpensive stuff.

and seriously. it was like i had run into an old friend at the mall. except this old friend lives MILES away.

i'm so glad we're pals. and i'm POSITIVE she would tell you i'm just as much a delight as my blog. :) and humble.

why does big h make these faces?

amy franklin, what do you think of her dress? see how great she looks? can we please hang out again soon so i can give this back? or i'm pretty sure i'll keep it forever. :)

here we are. aren't we cute?

sure do love you, alana. come back any time.

life as a snake

...is what this past week has been like.

i mean, not the slither-around-the-floor part of being a snake. because really, that would be gross.

but the shedding of the skin. although, now that i think about it, that's pretty gross too.

(fyi: i almost posted a link to snake shedding. until i actually looked at the link. and i got sick to my stomach. so i opted against it. you're welcome.)

obviously, i've been a real peach.

i've definitely racked up enough CVS frequent shopper points to win some form of cosmetic or pharmaceutical product.

what between the soothing aloe, the spray-on aloe, the banana boat solarcaine, the bactine spray, the neosporin ointment combined with the big a%$ bandage.

and guess who's applying this stuff to the places i can't reach?

mmmm...good times.

marriage builder. that's what i like to call it. not sure what he likes to call it.

annoying, maybe? getting old, probably.

so i've done my best to NOT wear anything black or dark-colored. because the white flakes aren't becoming. and today while we were at a (close) friend's house, i actually found myself borrowing her pasta spoon, just so i could really get after my shoulder blades. and she didn't even bat an eye. i almost asked her to scratch. i mean, we're close. but we're not family.

have i mentioned what a peach i've been?

and even now, i'm scooting from left to right in my chair trying not to wake up buz with my moaning and "ahhs."

mental note for future reference: one and a half hours at a sunny florida pool with not quite enough sunscreen = at least a week of total discomfort.

and have i mentioned that this week is the last week of swimming lessons for both of my children? and goo's swimming lessons? are mommy-and-me. yeah. me. in the same swimsuit. in the sun. i feel like i must look like a lifeguard from an eighties movie. with the white triangle plastered to my nose. chic. nice. clearly, i'm the envy of all the other moms (and nannies).

tomorrow is celebration day. and (shhhh...), i think daddy might surprise my kiddos and leave work for about an hour and a half to come watch. not holding my breath because he was at work late today and has a lot on his plate these days. but it will be a wonderful surprise if it does happen.

in other news, it's my parents' anniversary. they have been married FORTY-TWO YEARS. good grief. and they're still friends. and do stuff together. and enjoy doing stuff together. crazy. thanks, ace and nance for setting a good example of commitment.

after two sessions of two-week swim lessons, we are done for the summer. and big h has informed me that he will be enrolling in diver school. not diving school. diver school. apparently, there is a HUGE difference. oh, and only boys are allowed. "girls have to enroll in mermaid school."

got it.

i think that's it. i'll be back soon to report on the status of my skin. edge of your seats stuff. riveting.

i'm back. kind of.

i guess technically life resumes normal tomorrow. when daddy goes to work. and we start the week over.

and i'll be honest. this post is going to be way boring. because honestly, i want to watch dateline with buz.

tuesday, i woke up at my parents' house and got ready for the airport. on the plane there, i read an entire book. i know. i still can't believe it myself.

arrived in orlando, and this is what came to pick me up.

we ate some lunch and headed to the hotel.

our hotel. yeah. i know.

view out of our room

a different view outside our room

again. different view.

then, we decided to head out to universal studios. we weren't actually going to go to the park, so we just walked around city walk. nothing to write home about. (apparently, it's orlando's hottest spot for entertainment. but really, what do we know? we like to be in our jammies at ten.) plus, it was hot. and you know how buz and i are with heat.

my sweet spouse outside universal studios

then, we went to a little "mixer" for the conference he was attending. (i hesitate using the word mixer. because i promise we didn't get t-shirts out of the deal, and we weren't surrounded by teenagers. don't deny it -- you're going to use the word mixer once you read this.)

after the "mixer," we headed outside to enjoy the seventy-degree weather. and talk. a lot. about each other. and no one under the age of four.

wednesday was a day of working out, going to the pool, taking a nap or three, going back to the pool, heading to downtown disney, and heading out for dinner.

daddy with buz. big h is so fascinated by the picture.

thursday was what i like to refer to as Sunburn Fiasco '08.

seriously. i should have known better. worked out in the morning. headed to the pool. applied sunscreen. and then began to devour my spicy chicken nachos. totally unaware of the rays of sunlight attaching themselves to my body. that's what happens when i get in front of a plate of chips, processed cheese, and jalapenos.

when all of the sudden, i felt some heat. coming from my legs. and i'm pretty sure i saw steam coming off of them. and the color? there's a reason they refer to people who get sunburns as lobsters. oh my.

scene of the crime.

we were headed to the beach that afternoon when buz got off from his conference. so i went and took a shower. and texted buz that we *might* need to stop at the supermarket for some aloe. or something.

the understatement that was.

we headed out to cocoa beach.

our first stop = world famous ron jon surf shop. to buy souvenirs. and for me to apply my first of an infinite number of rounds of aloe.

and then we headed to the beach. and for a time, i totally forgot about my sunburn.

this is why.

i know. and i get to be married to him.

and then we headed out to dinner on the beach. literally. the restaurant was on the beach.

and it was at this point that i remembered "oh right. i have a sunburn. and it's about to suck the life out of my spouse and me and our fun." (for the record, i think that sums up buz's view as well.)

darn those UV rays.

but this was outside our car on the way home. there was hope.

we went back to the hotel and i laid on my back feeling that my body was on fire. kind of ruined the mood.

and friday was day of departure. oh how i wish i could've flown home without upper undergarments. (sorry for any men reading this.)

it was a WONDERFUL trip. just being with buz was bliss.

and this is what we came home to.

guess Camp Nana 2008 was a success?

Camp Nana

so i'm at my parents' house kickin' it with my dad. well, actually if you knew my dad, you would laugh at that. because really...my dad doesn't actually kick it so much. he's more the reserved type.

he's packing for a trip. while my mom is at my house. it's 1045 at night, and i've got nervous energy. tonight was a tough night. i put goo to bed. and then after i finished reading stories to big h, we talked about how i would be leaving for a couple of days.

and he started crying. a lot. which i did NOT expect.

sure, i expected it when buz left. but me? not so much. caught me so off guard. so i did the only thing that came to my mind. first, we talked to Jesus. and then, i printed off a picture of me. i know. i've got vanity issues. at first he hung it on the wall. and then he decided that he would rather sleep with it.

i'm serious.

so right now, he is asleep with a picture of the two of us. cute. sad. makes me sad just thinking about it.

but he's going to be #1 camper at Camp Nana.

and i'm going to be at a pool with sunglasses and a book. with my spouse. in florida.

and did you check out the pictures above? i mean, could Nana be any more ready for this week? i hope and pray she has a wonderful time with her grandchildren.

let's take a brief moment to pray for sweet nana. that she'll have a wonderful time with her grandchildren.

ok. i feel much better.

and now i'm off.

know how to really appreciate dad?

"let" him be out of town on father's day. (for the record, there is a long story behind the whole "let" him be gone. but i'm not going into right now because it involves me not being a very nice wife. and typically i don't prefer publicizing that on the internet. i like to keep you thinking i'm a sweet, nurturing, ever-so-thoughtful spouse.)

that's how you appreciate him.

so dad left early this morning for florida (where i will join him on tuesday). he has a conference tomorrow and part of tuesday. so he went early.

and let me tell you how yesterday went with all the "hey buddy, daddy's gotta go out of town for a couple of days."

praise Jesus my husband doesn't travel often.

because big h? couldn't take it.

and neither could i.

(oh, and Jesus? please let's not use this for a teachable moment, ok? thanks.)

so we missed church this morning. something we haven't done in i don't know how long. sad. and at 830, it was looking like it was going to be a long day. but we headed off to starbucks and had pastries and drinks. for the record, goo had milk, so we'll see how the night goes.

came home and played and played some more. had lunch and had rest time. well, goo and i had rest time. big h had quiet time. there's a difference, you know. and big h is the first to explain it to you.

woke up and decided to hit a mall to return something. and get smoothies.

we did that and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

came home. had dinner. took baths. nighty night to goo. eight hundred and sixty-seven stories later, and it was nighty night for big h.

see how boring this all sounds? yeah. i know.

know why?

guess who was missing?

buz.

seriously. this guy is the rock of this house. the glue that holds us together. our foundation. our support. (hold on. let me think of how many more home depot analogies i can think of. darn. none.)

it was so quiet around here. and not the leisurely sunday afternoon relaxing kind of quiet. the boring kind of quiet.

i built a fort. let's be honest. it was a crappy fort.

i told a couple of stories. bless my heart. they will never compare to dad's hour long ones FULL of imagination and audience participation.

we didn't play outside. because frankly, i am not as good at hide and seek as the big guy.

bottom line. there was a warm and cozy spirit missing from this house. today. on father's day. and we couldn't be more thankful for that guy that makes us three so happy.

and so now i'm going to go sit in my bed, drink a dr pepper and sulk while longing for my sweet spouse. i mean, i won't be sulking NEARLY as much as big h. that kid's got it down to a science. but i will sulk if only for a little while.

because tuesday, i get to be with him. alone. just the two of us.

happy father's day, buz. i love you so much. and so big h and the goo.



(oh, and big h wants me to tell you he wants the eric geotrax train from you when you get home. i mean, he misses you and all, but he also wants his new toy.)

oh big h

my heart is overflowing with pride today.

today was your "celebration day," which means the last day of your four-day-a-week for two weeks swim class. i got to go (without goo) and watch you "perform."

big h, how you've overcome so many things in your little life.

you were ten and a half months before you learned to crawl.

but you walked at eleven. show off.

you waited until you were a little over three-and-a-half until you were potty trained.

but you were potty trained in three days. show off.

you didn't speak until you were three.

but once you started, you have never, i repeat NEVER stopped.

i could listen to you all day long. wait...i DO listen to you all day long.

two years ago, you only sat on the steps of a swimming pool. last year, you swam with your instructor, with your head completely above water. oh, and you announced to the instructor EVERY DAY that you would NOT be going "deep under water, thankyouverymuch."

today, you did it. you went under water. "yots" of times. of course, there were plenty of kids who were like little fish, and the instructors couldn't keep their heads above water. but that's neither here nor there.

but today, you, big h, were brave. you set an example for me. "be strong and brave, because God is with me." and so you quote.

i love you with all of my being. thank you for creating for me one of my best days as a mother. i tip my hat to you, sir.

quick question...why are you making that weird face?

maggie mermaid. or you like to say, "you're not a mermaid. you don't have a tail." you've always been an outside-the-box thinker.

seriously. i could eat you with a spoon.

some of my random thoughts from the day

we had a long day today.

actually, yesterday was a long day as well. for other reasons. two little reasons under the age of four and a half that made me want to "call in sick."

didn't happen. but i can't say i treated the day with a positive attitude and a go get 'em spirit.

i'm not proud of myself.

anyhoo...there are some things that have been swirling in my head that i didn't want to forget (as this is my little scrapbook of sorts).

• goo likes meat loaf from boston market. i know.
• big h started a tumbling class today. he did it last summer and LOVED it, so we decided it would be our one "thing" for the summer. other than the second mortgage swim lessons, of course. and let me tell you, big h freaking ROCKS at gymnastics. say what you will about me being a bragging mom. i'm ok with that. he freaking rocks. he loves it. and is great at it.
• the place where he takes this gymnastics class? it's not air-conditioned. *deep breath* seriously. it's not air-conditioned. one whole side of the building has those garage door type doors that she opens. but oh dear. goo and i might be in over our heads. speaking of goo's sweet little head. it was as wet as when she's done with her bath. she was a sight. (so was i.)
• what about baseball, you might ask? yeah, not so much. "we" still go because we're teaching big h about "stick-to-it-ive-ness." (did i make up that word? maybe. i won't take credit for it if i didn't. but i sure as heck won't acknowledge its misspelling. oh how i love a correctly spelled word.) but he goes. he has a good attitude. he doesn't pitch a fit about it. he's nice to the players. but the dirt? much more interesting than the ball. so much so that he actually got pegged in the head because he wasn't paying any attention. poor guy. no head trauma, though.
• kelly called and left a message on my voicemail that it was snowing where she lives. seriously. i mean, i'm having to buy new face soap because of the oil on my skin from the HEAT. the ninety-seven degree heat. i know boomama says she doesn't like to talk about the heat. but i'm here to tell you -- i don't mind. it's texas. it's blistering hot here. and i will talk about it a LOT these next couple of months. oh yes i will.
• have i mentioned that i am going on vacation with JUST BUZ one week from today? i haven't? well, i'm going on vacation with JUST BUZ in one week. to florida. i know. where it's hot. but hot with a pool and no activities other than an occasional chapter in a book. i can handle that. not a beach. i wish. i'm just tagging along while he's at a conference. so big h and the goo are going to camp nana. and thanks to cute sunni over at the flying mum, i've put together little gift bags for each day we're gone. buz leaves sunday morning, and i leave tuesday morning. and we both come back friday night. four gift bags for each of them. and i only spent a total of twenty-four dollars. i'm so frugal.
• went to target with big h and the goo. to buy fathers' day cards. here are the fathers we're celebrating around here: my dad. my husband. and my father-in-law. and without giving away any secrets or anything, the total of my bill for JUST CARDS was twenty-four dollars and eighty-six cents!!!!! are you freaking kidding me? is it wrong to take them back and make cards for these men? and since my dad RARELY reads my blog, anyone got anyone ideas for a fathers' day gift for a dad who is retired, has too much stuff, and doesn't golf or have an ipod?
• the two swimsuits that i ordered came in the mail today. oh dear God. just one more reason i love winter so much. will be returning one of them. and the cute cover up that i ordered kind of makes up for the actual suit itself.
• after bath time the other night, i i took big h to old navy. i wanted it to be a special little trip for the two of us. out late. just mama and boy. we went to buy him a swim suit. there is a pet smart next to the old navy. when we came out of old navy with swim suit in hand, big h looked over at pet smart and said, "before we go home, can we run in and get a pet?" uh huh. and then after that, we'll stop at the saab dealer and pick up a little something for mama. bless his heart.
• we went to the pool this past weekend. just to get our feet wet. (sorry. bad joke.) just to let big h show off. and his idea of "going under" is well, a little different than my idea. i'm just sayin'. but honestly, the day was a great time. i had one minor concern. that goo wouldn't keep her ear plugs in. she doesn't keep 'em in in the bathtub. what made me think she would at the pool? my kids? champs. both of them kept them in and had a great time. big h has even asked to go back. this is huge, people.
• goo wears a size FIVE diaper and a size three in clothes now. good grief. hoss.
• right now, goo likes blueberries, yogos, cherry icees at target, and shoes. attagirl. oh, and she is MADLY in love with big h. madly. and she gives the world's tightest hug. i'm serious.
• right now, big h likes frito chili pie without the chili, rash guards (aka swim shirts) for the pool, and word world. and goo? adores the girl. i pity the first guy to take goo on a date. between buz and big h? he won't stand a chance.
• right now, dad likes khaki pants, coke with lime, and the nba finals, even though he despises the lakers.
• right now, i like dr. pepper (shocker), denim skirts with t-shirts, the feet of both of my children, and nap time.

and that is all for tonight.

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trying something different. wasn't down with the dorky hallmark music. frankly, i'm lazy these days to post a bunch of pictures.

summer 2008 -- week 1

i'd like to start off by posting an excerpt from the email buz sent me this morning. i think this should accurately describe our first week of summer.

Great job pretty. One week of summer down. And you didn’t really complain that much about it!!! KUDOS Good job planning events. I forgot to ask about the necklaces last night.

i don't mind telling you it's gone well so far. granted, it's been FIVE DAYS and all, but still. five days with no known structure at bay.

we began the week with the first of four straight weeks of swimming.

a brief history of swimming is necessary at this point. three years ago, i honestly don't know what we did with big h during the summer. i think i probably waited until buz got home or we went on the weekends with the rest of the people in our zip code. i don't remember.

two years ago, i was pregnant with goo. and by pregnant, i mean literally about to pop. like thirty-seven weeks pregnant. (side note: i delivered at thirty-eight weeks.) are you getting an idea of HOW pregnant i was? good.

i don't mind telling you, that i looked so cute in my little maternity suit. i know. i'm serious. why? because i was chubby for a reason. there was a life inside my belly. not just several orders of french fries.

so we get there and meet up with our little friends who were doing this little mommy and me class with us. this was a two week, monday through thursday class through the parks and recreation. for $30. no biggie.

let's just say big h sat on the concrete about six feet from the edge of the pool. absolutely no way was he going to actually get in the water. right. because we were there for SWIMMING LESSONS AND ALL. he sat on the concrete and ate teddy grahams snacks packs. nice.

finally, on the thursday of the first week, he sat on the steps of the pool. baby steps. but baby steps that everyone ranted and raved over.

i was not about to sit next to him on the concrete and share his cinnamon-flavored bears. have i mentioned how pregnant i was?

so i got in the water and just enjoyed my buoying. and watched him and shook my head lots and lots of times in frustration. (i was going to say 'in disbelief,' but due to big h's normal personality, this was NOT surprising.)

the first two days of week 2, he stayed in the steps but was actually in the water. and the last TWO DAYS of our TWO WEEK swimming lesson, he got in the water with me and made me pretend i was dory and he was marlin.

good times.

fast forward to last year. when we heard about a really great swim 'school' further south. but it was going to be at weentrab's house, and i thought it would be perfect. a *little* more expensive, but surely it will be worth it.

the first day there was a mix-up, and we were sent to a different house. i thought big h would flip out. this was NOT a mommy and me class, and the instructors get your child out of the car. totally new to us.

big h was a champ. didn't know a soul. but liked the cute, little instructor. when she put him in the car after the lesson, she was so positive and encouraging. i just knew we were going to be fine. but i thought we should be at weentrab's. so the director let us go to her house the following day to finish the rest of the two weeks at her house. big h didn't care for the instructor at all. at. all. so because i must have sounded so pathetic, the director let us go back to the other pool the third day and stay there for the remainder of the two weeks.

whew. i'm tired just writing it.

but as nice as the cute, little instructor was and as courteous as big h was to her, he NEVER went under water. the entire two weeks.

probably should add (for those of you still following along) that big h (and now goo) has tubes. which require ear plugs. which are a pain in the rear. and incredibly dorky looking, if i'm going to be perfectly honest.

we decided that since big h remembered his cute, little instructor from last year freakish, i know), we would do this same 'swim school.' two sessions. and goo and i would do a session together.

which has required us to take out a second mortgage on our house.

fast forward to monday of this week. big h has talked non-stop about being excited about swimming and being a diver with miss courtney (cute little instructor from last year). my expectations were so low you could scrape them up off the ground. turns out miss courtney doesn't get back from her mission trip until next week. ok. we can acclimate. we're easy going like that. a cute girl shows up to get big h and his goggles, towel, and custom ear plugs, made out of 14K gold. she introduces herself as maggie the mermaid, and big h immediately does his REALLY LOUD laugh, saying "you're not a mermaid. you don't have a fin. mama, she's silly."

yep. she's a silly one, that maggie.

and i have gotten nothing but good reports back from both of the instructors. dude goes underwater. holds his breath. jumps off the side. is definitely noticeably scared but age-appropriate. and he gets a dumdum after every lesson. icing on the cake, really.

my man? he's kickin' butt and takin' names, that olympian.

then, we played with four of the franklin five on wednesday, which was awesome. somehow, both of my children had accidents. the kind requiring them to exit the premises donning only the finest from the franklin clothing line.

good times.

had dinner last night with someone rad. always lots of fun.

and now, because i feel like it's just wrong to make you read any more, i'm leaving you with the most recent pictures on the camera that gets carted around in my diaper bag.

and the dorky music? couldn't do anything about it. and this smilebox thing? only way i could post some pictures tonight without having to sit on my hiney for hours on end. so my apologies. but don't deny it. you love the rockin' music. go ahead. turn it up. jam.

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