Happy Halloween!!!

The original costume (as worn to his school party last Friday)...

Little Aggie Football Player




The last-minute, we're still mad about the Aggies blowing it AGAIN costume...i.e. LAST YEAR'S lion costume (as worn to his MDO party today)... {Hey, since we spent $30-$40 on this last year and he wore it for a whopping 10 mintues, we figured we ought to try to get our money's worth!}


Yeah, it's a little, I mean A LOT too small...check out those legs sticking out the bottom...And his head is a little too big now too and he could barely see out of the hole. Of course it's too small, it's a 6-12 month and this child wears 24M/2T!


We're over it now, so we were PLANNING on going to the Trunk or Treat on Boston Avenue with him dressed as an Aggie Football Player...Notice I said PLANNING. Little guy just hasn't been himself the last couple days and has developed this nasty cough. We're taking him to the doc in the morning, so just in case it's something contagious, we didn't want to take him out where all the kiddos were.

Next year Mommy promises to get a little more creative. Daddy wants him to be a shotgun shell. Am I surprised??? No.

Close But No Cigars...Again

Well folks, this was a heartbreaking weekend in sports for me and probably a lot of other people out there. First, the Rangers lost the World Series. Second, the Aggies {once again} blew a big lead and lost to a team they should not have lost to. Then, there's the Cowboys....

Let's start with the Rangers. I grew up a HUGE Rangers fan. It was one of our family's "things", and defniitely one of me and my dad's things we like to do together. My dad's company had season tickets 4 rows behind the plate AND {the best part was that} they were held in my dad's desk, SO we got to go A LOT. I remember going to lots of games at the old Arlington Stadium, including the last one, the first game at the new Ballpark in Arlington, LOTS of games when Nolan Ryan was pitching, including his last, Season Ticketholder's Day where we got to run the bases, etc., the Allstar Workout and Home Run Derby {my dad wasn't at the top of the ladder, so someone else got the actual Allstar Game tickets}, and LOTS of other games. There was the crazy man that sold hot dogs... "HHOOOTTT DDOOOGGSSS...then that goofy grin." There was the old man with tambourine/drum... he did that for YEARS but I haven't seen him the last several games I've gone to! I remember talking to Cal Ripkin, Jr. during the Home Run Derby in 1995. This was the same Home Run Derby that a beer got spilt all over me by the {overly enthusiastic} gentleman behind us when he thought he was within reach of a foul ball. We were also at the stadium during the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase through L.A. Everyone was out in the concession area watching it on the TV's. I always get a hot dog and a Lemon Chill. I used to be able to quote the line-up, their stats, etc. I can't say I can do that now; however, I have learned who most of the current players are. I usually still try to go to a game or two every year with my dad. Having not lived in Dallas since I was 18, I haven't kept up too much, other than the post season. I am still a BIG Rangers fan though. Isn't everyone always a fan of their hometown team?? As frustrating as they are, I am still a Cowboys fan too... you can add them to the loss list this week too. Ridiculous.

Wow, I sound a little bitter. The Rangers had an INCREDIBLE season and the post season was SO MUCH FUN. Game 6 of the World Series was probably the most nerve-wracking game I have ever watched. Unfortunately, it did not end up the Rangers favor, but oh well. The Cards certainly earned itby forcing 7 games. It's just disappointing to come SO CLOSE {on several occasions} and not be able to seal the deal. Some day, the Rangers will get that FIRST World Series title. I'm definitely proud of them and their great season. It didn't start off looking like they'd earn the American League pennant two years in a row, but they did!

Game 1 of the ALCS Championship against Detroit (They WON this one after two rain delays totalling over 2 hours!)






{More pics to come... they are still on my parents' camera.}

Aggies, I'm not even going to waste my breath {or fingers in this case}. I'm SO OVER this complete breakdown in the 2nd half. I want a coach that plays to win, NOT plays conservatively just to hold on. Hello, obviously that isn't working! I still remember a game up in Norman, OK when Bob Stoops had no shame in running the score up on us 77-0. Ouch. He was playing to WIN, and win BIG! We have one of the most talented teams we've had in a long time, and yet we've become the laughing stock of the NCAA. The first line of the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper article pretty much summed it up, "No. 16 Texas A&M fell apart in the second half. Again." Here's to getting our butt whooped next year in the SEC {which I definitely have mixed feelings about too}! That's all I'm going to say about that. It's so frustrating that Carson didn't even wear his Aggie football outfit to the Halloween Carnival at church OR to his MDO Halloween party today. I busted out his lion costume from LAST year. Yes, it's a size 6-12 month and about 6 inches too short, but we didn't want to listen to anyone's crap. He may wear it tonight just because it's comfortable. Wow, there I go again sounding a little bitter.

Lastly, the Cowboys. Well, I should have known that if it came down to relying on the Cowboys to be the team to give me one win over the weekend, that was NOT a good thing. Hey, at least the Texans won and are first in their division. Hmmm... I think I might start rooting for them too. At least they seem to win a game here or there...

Make Ya Smile Monday!

I FINALLY have a recent picture with my little man!!! I'm always the one taking the pictures and forget to ask people to take one of me with Carson... {either that or I'm still in PJ's and have on no makeup...not pretty}.

Where the Big Kids Play...

A few weeks ago when I was up in Dallas by myself, Andrew took Carson to his cousin Clayton's birthday party. It was at a big, jump place in Katy... I'm pretty sure he had a blast!!!










A little birdie also told me Carson had TWO pieces of pizza and cake! To say the least, he was POOPED and crashed that night!!!

More Creations...

A couple more recent applique creations....

Baby Owl for a Baby Girl (Chi Omega shout out!)






A little Dallas Cowboys (in navy houndstooth) for my cousin's baby...






The FUN part...FINALLY sending everything!!!


I bought a ton if fun fabrics on clearance at Fabric.com, so I am SO excited to try some new things. Up next {hopefully}, a turkey!!!

Fun to a 15-Month Old...

Carson LOVES to push stuff, as evidenced by what kept him occupied for quite some time last night...








Check out those curls!










And big, plastic bowls...

Sneak Peak!

I had fun making this one! It's in the mail now for a special little girl...

Only Here...

Just had to laugh about this one...

How could you not love where you live when you can buy a truck and get a free DEER FEEDER?!?! Okay, this was in Silsbee, not Nederland, but Silsbee is our neighbor just to the north. And I thought that it was cool that you could buy deer corn at the grocery store...

Here's a link to the commercial if you don't believe me. CLICK HERE.

15 Months!!!

Our world is pretty similar to last month, but there have been a few new fun things I would like to share about our FIFTEEN month old! He certainly is keeping us more on our feet than ever and is really into exploring and climbing on EVERYTHING.

-He's still not really saying any words, BUT a couple nights ago he did point to a drawing of a boxer on the front of the bag of dog treats and said "Daw"... to us, he was clearly saying "Dog." We were SO excited!!! He did it a couple times. He must really like that drawing of a dog. He's done it several times since that night. He also points to the sky all the time and will say "Ba" (i.e. bird), but he also does this for balls, baby, i.e. LOTS of "b" words. This was something different and SO clear to us! YAY Carson!!!

-Sunday he mimicked his first animal noise, a monkey. We were cracking up at him going "oh, oh, oh"... SO funny to see that sweet little mouth making that "O" sounds... it reminds me of Tim Taylor on Home Improvement. Now, when he puts his hands up to his armpits, THAT will be hilarious. Yesterday he mimicked a cow and said "moo." I used to have to do it first, but now I can ask him what a monkey or cow says and sometimes he'll make the sound on his own. I'll try to get a video when I can.

-He knows "TOUCHDOWN!" and makes the correct hand signal. We're proud. :-)

-He LOVES his wagon and can climb in all by himself. He LOVES going to the playground and climbing on the jungle gym. He just likes climbing. He climbed on top of his music table and was standing up on it. He does this with his 4-wheeler too. Think he might be a little daredevil??? (I hope not TOO much.)

-He must watch Shooter eat (i.e. not chew) because he loves to just shove the entire Nilla Wafer in his mouth. He LOVES Nilla Wafers. He opens the pantry and grabs the box out.

-He suddenly HATES brushing his teeth. Anyone have any tips here? I can't stand to not brush them, but it is a FIGHT each time and I feel like I barely even get in there.

-He still LOVES to read! He will go pick up a book and bring it to one of us and then crawl up in our lap. So sweet.

-He LOVES going to school. He doesn't even look back.

-He's got 12 teeth and working on the canines now. It has been the WORST of all the teething so far. He literally winces in pain when trying to eat. The drool is pretty much a constant stream running out of this mouth. He soaks ENTIRE shirts. Poor thing. The kid has NEVER wanted a Popsicle, until now....

How sad does he look? And check out that drool on his shirt. I've been having to keep a bib on him all day so he doesn't soak his shirts.


-He still gives the best hugs.

-He's highly allergic to mosquitoes like his mommy. Poor kid's arms are so swollen right now from getting eaten up this weekend.

-He's started knocking on everything and finds it hilarious, especially in the bath tub.

-He's not too sure about unknown situations where there is a lot of people. Kind of freaks him out.

-He MUST stay on his routine. He does NOT function well when he doesn't.

-The kid's hair is WILD. Yes, I brush water through it every morning in attempt to "style" it (i.e. just keep it somewhat in place in a little boy hairstyle) and then finish it off with a little hairspray. No shame here.

Bed head...


As usual, these photoshoots with the monkey aren't too successful anymore...
Note: Notice the difference in his hair in the pic above and the ones below...






Carson - we LOVE you BUNCHES!!! You always put a smile on our faces and are our greatest JOY!!!

W.O.W.

How do I even begin to describe the weekend I just had?!?!?


This past weekend I "went fishing" at the Holy Family Retreat Center in Beaumont serving on an ACTS team with 39 of my Sisters in Christ. We welcomed 41 new ladies into our family. WOW! That about sums it up...

We spent the weekend in fellowship, prayer, song, reflection, sharing, etc. We don't share details of the weekend because, as we describe it, it's like a Christmas present. If you already knew what was in the box, it would spoil the surprise. What I can say is that the Holy Spirit was alive and kickin'! The Spirit was at work in so many women's lives, both retreatants and team members. It is SO amazing to be able to witness so many "ah ha" moments and transformations. Burdens were lifted and hearts were opened. I truly believe that each person makes their retreat when they are supposed to. That was evident by how a certain talk touched someone's life, a certain connection with a Sister was made, etc. I feel the same way about this team. Many ladies haven't had their name drawn in the past, but had it drawn for this team. This was the first time I put my name in. I missed the deadline the last go round, but it turned out that with my work schedule, Andrew's 30th birthday party, Carson's 1st birthday party, etc., this was much better timing. I also instantly connected to several ladies that I truly feel were placed in my life.

"For We Walk by Faith, Not By Sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

This was the theme for the weekend. How easy is it to get caught up in life and worry about things that are truly out of our control? Pretty easy. Our theme was such a great reminder that we must rely on our faith, not the things we can see/touch/think we can control, etc.

This ministry has been such a blessing for our parish and has had a tremendous impact on our community. I am so thankful to have been a part of it and look forward to serving again in the future.

Make Ya Smile Monday - Farm Time

We all enjoyed a glorious weekend at the farm. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of me with a deer. I only saw one. Andrew thinks it has to do with the moon. I did see armadillos, a coyote, racoons, and lots of squirrels while I was sitting 20' up in a tree. The Aggies won! The Rangers won! The food was delicious. It was perfect, except that we couldn't stay longer.

Carson went on LOTS of wagon rides! He loves his Cousin/Godfather Jeremy!!!










How precious!!! I LOVE that smile!!!








Checkin' himself out in Jeremy's sunglasses...


He loves Cousin Jamie too!!!