"The Incident"

The air was crisp as Autumn was making her exit and the sharp, cold wind welcomed in Winter.

Our tummies were full of turkey and stuffing and our hearts full of love from the memories of family and laughter from the Thanksgiving weekend.

It was that time of year. THE time of year. The time of year where you actually do stop and smell the Poinsettias. The time of year where songs of Snowmen, Reindeers, and Silent Night's fill your car, your home, your shopping experience.

There are moments where you can't help but stop mid stride and smile. You're bundled up, steam from your hot cocoa tickles your nose, and the sights of decorated streets, decorated cars, decorated stores, decorated homes....it's Christmas time!

It's supposed to be a time of happiness and excitement. That's why when "The Incident" occurred in our home...oh my...let me just share with you.

Like most people - I love Christmas! It's time to celebrate the Birth of Jesus, time to celebrate with family and time to reflect on the many blessings in one's life.

I was at home one afternoon trying to figure out how a smoothie machine ended up in the office/playroom floor. How did it get there?



Of course - I was watching a "Top Chef" marathon...oops...I mean - doing laundry. And time somehow passed more quickly than I had realized and suddenly the laundry looked like this.

It had molded itself into the laundry basket. {Ok- so maybe the laundry had been sitting in the basket for a few hours...or days...or maybe a week...}

I laughed off the laundry and couldn't help but thinking about the excitement in the air. Even the disaster of the homemade Christmas wreath couldn't get me down.


Oh how, I loved the decorated Christmas tree and all of his tenants.

Who doesn't love perfect glass ornaments



or dog's keeping watch of the all gifts



or glittery tassels



or Odes to my Alma Mater



or Sweet Little Angels.



The stocking that were hung by the chimney with care and the Angels that kept them company....all these things scream Christmas!




But then it happened....all of a sudden I hear my sweet Isabelle cry out. And then..."The Incident"....

She's surrounded.



Isabelle tries to escape



She realizes she has to fight back and takes one down.


Her big brother decides to come in and investigate what happened.



But it's too late - the authorities had already been called.


Even the Cavalry showed up.



Iz was pretty upset but the Pope showed up and told her to have faith that the truth would come out.



The attack on the Nutcracker put the wooden world in an uproar. "The Incident" was taken to the United Nations.

Since it was such short notice only Korea and Mexico could make it.



Ireland and Germany and Russia showed up - but they weren't taking things too seriously.


Germany brought beer and bratwurst....guess he thought it was a party.

Luckily - we had a witness. A very important witness.

Santa saw the whole thing and came to the conclusion that Iz was not at fault.

Whew! What a close call. If she had been found guilty...it would have been a sad, sad day if Isabelle received a lump of coal for her first Christmas.

Please sign my petition..

...to the Elders of the Dictionary.

I'd like to take the word "just" out of the English language.

According to dictionary.com - here's what they say the word means:

adjective

1.	guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness: We hope to be just in our understanding of such difficult situations.

2.	done or made according to principle; equitable; proper: a just reply.

3.	based on right; rightful; lawful: a just claim.

4.	in keeping with truth or fact; true; correct: a just analysis.

5.	given or awarded rightly; deserved, as a sentence, punishment, or reward: a just penalty.

6.	in accordance with standards or requirements; proper or right: just proportions.

7.	(esp. in Biblical use) righteous.

8.	actual, real, or genuine.

–adverb

9.	within a brief preceding time; but a moment before: The sun just came out.

10.	exactly or precisely: This is just what I mean.

11.	by a narrow margin; barely: The arrow just missed the mark.

12.	only or merely: He was just a clerk until he became ambitious.

13.	actually; really; positively: The weather is just glorious.

Ok - so here's my problem with the word. Pretty much every definition defines (is that a double positive??) just as some type of truth - precise - real - or - or actual.

Lately, I'm finding those definitions to be laughably wrong.

Example #1: My incidence with the worst cable company known on the planet - let's call them Thyme Warmer (T.W)....

Lady from T.W. - I'm sorry Ma'am, but it looks like you'll have to have a technician come out to your home to fix the problem.

Me: But this will be the 3rd technician in 4 days. Why didn't they fix it right the first time around?

T.W. - I can't answer that. But, will you be at home tomorrow for a technician?

Me: Yes - I'm a full time mother.

T.W. - Oh ok. Then there shouldn't be a problem - since you just stay at home.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there lady. Use your words and don't use that type of language with me. JUST stay at home? Please, sister. I probably do more in my first few hours of the day than you do sitting at your desk in a week. I don't JUST stay at home. I'm a seeker of good deals, a personal shopper, a healer, a fitness enthusiast that pounds the pavement while you sit in front of your teleprompter, a financier, a chef, a hero...all these things require me to leave my house to go to the store, the bank, the doctor, etc. So - there's no truth in that JUST.

Example #2: Random person who hears Isabelle sneeze and cough.

Random person: Is she sick?

Me: Yes - she's fighting a cold.

Random person: Oh - that's nothing. It's JUST a cold.

WHACK! That's me as I hit him/her with my 40 lb diaper bag. JUST a cold. Ok - I get it. Kids get sick. And I know how incredibly blessed I am for Iz to have something minor like a cold rather than something more serious. But to a mom - any mom - a cold means - late nights, possible fevers, coughs that sound so painful it makes my heart hurt, eyes that are so tired it forces tears from mine, worries of the JUST a cold turning into something worse. So - another JUST wrong...

Example #3: A person I'm meeting at 3:00 PM shows up at 3:45 PM.

Me: Hey - you're 45 minutes late.

Late person: Yeah. Have you been here long?

Me: Yes. I got here at 3PM.

Late person: Ok... I'm JUST a little late

Hold on second. {breathe, breathe, breathe} JUST a little late? You know the kind of lengths moms have to go to get anywhere on time?? I try my absolute best to be on time or early to things. I'm still getting the hang of it but I know that when someone is waiting on me - I don't like keeping them. For me to get on time probably means I took a 2 minute shower, didn't dry my hair, threw on whatever onesie was clean for Iz, drove 80 in school zone and ran red lights. So - JUST a little bit late. W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R....

So - please sign my petition. I'll let the Dictionary people know that we need this word out or the definition needs to be redone. It can't be too hard - its JUST word....

Turkeys and werewolves and Raiders...OH MY!

What a weekend! Thanksgiving weekend was jam packed, full of fun, full of laughter, and I was full of food. I am well on my way to gaining the average 7lbs of holiday weight....(oh no - I hope not...)

Turkey day. Whew. I am tired and full just thinking about it. The day started off at Abuela and Abuelo's house where we had Thanksgiving lunch at 1pm. I wish someone would have told me that I had to eat 6 hours later...but alas...I knew I had dinner that night but yet I felt the need to eat like I was storing up for a long winter season of hibernation. If stuffing was a drug - Craig's mom would be my dealer - flippin' awesome stuff.

I headed to my parent's house where my sister's and I would be making dinner. My parents, nephew and brother in law were at the Cowboy's game - so we made dinner for the entire family. 12 adults, 6 kids, 1 dog and a partridge in a pear tree. Of course I was full from lunch still but yet felt the need to taste test everything - from the ham, to the rolls, to the stuffing, to the casseroles, to the potatoes....by 7:30pm - dinner time - I was soooo full.

BUT YET...I still made a plate. I wasn't about to be rude and NOT eat. Even though we were celebrating an American holiday - we had egg rolls and flan - had to throw in some Asian....

Friday I had an emotional affair.

Craig knew about it and pretty much told me I should be arrested for drooling over a 17 year old. I told him that it didn't count since the 17 year old was a werewolf. If one dog year is equal to 7 human years - Jacob is actually 119 years old.

My sisters and I went to see "New Moon." I took pictures, made my "Team Jacob" sign, had a beer and sat back to watch the greatness of vegetarian vampires, teen angst, and shirtless werewolves.

Jacob gives new meaning to "Hot Dog"... Yes. He. Does....

Saturday was Tech football. Decked out in our Red and Black - we were prepared to slaughter the Baylor Bears. Unfortunately - it was a nail biter. Fortunately - we won! My friend Lisa and her husband sat behind my entire family - and there was a bunch of us. When my sisters and I get together - we can be a tad bit obnoxious - I should have warned her. But at least the game was full of suspense to veer her attention from my sister falling out of her seat, nieces playing musical laps, and over laughter at everything and anything!

What a weekend! I've learned something now that I've my first official big holiday with a kid...the holidays just mean so much more. There's deeper meaning to what I'm thankful for. Time with my family is much more precious. Making memories during the holidays means engraving every detail into my mind so that I never forget a second of it.

What a great weekend!

Paige, Levi and Iz

Love the trees at Abuela's!

Taking in some fiber...

Me and Iz

One of my favorite pictures to date!

Round 2...

Isabelle and cousin Kara - she's 4 months older...Iz loves her :-)

I had a picture of her smiling at my Dad - but her giving him the stink eye is so much better!

Iz and her Titas - my favorite girls!!

My cousin/more like a sister, Jill and Kara-bear

At "New Moon"...yes I took pics

Sis Candice and Jacob's she-wolf

DIY "Team Jacob" sign

Bro-in law, Maddie and Garrett

Who needs werewolves when I got a hottie like him :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our sweetest little turkey would like to say Happy Thanksgiving!

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

5 months old!

A very special little bug turned 5 months old on the 19th!

This was a big month for Isabelle!

First birthday party

First baby shower. She showed off her voice and her Abs of Steel work out to all the ladies.

First time trying fruits. Her favorites - bananas then apples then peaches. Pears made something unmentionable come out of her southern regions - so we don't give that to her anymore.

First time being sick. Ugh - what a crappy time that was. First fever, first time in a baby gurney, first time getting blood drawn that wasn't a heel stick. Yuck - crappy time.

First Halloween. First time watching Sesame Street.

Whoo - what a big month!

She kicks her feet with excitement when she is really happy or really, really, really mad. She is in love with her Jumperoo and the bee that comes with it.

She reaches out for everything which I think is so sweet. She puts her little pudgy hands on both sides of your face or puts her hands on the puppies and pets them...then tries to put them in her mouth.

She can sit up with a little help and topples over after a minute or so.

She rolls every which way. She's best from tummy to back but is quickly mastering back to tummy. Which has meant many close calls on the bed and changing table....

Isabelle loves to talk but hasn't quite mastered the inside voice. So - at the store, at home, at church - if she's going to talk - her volume button is set to 10 and there's no way of turning it down. And she's really good at whining. Really, really good - the has the best little sad face and then you go over to her....and she's happy as a clam (what does that expression even mean...)

She isn't a fan of her pacifier anymore. Which would be great if she wasn't using her thumb.

She loves songs, loves T.V. (especially Top Chef, Glee, Grey's Anatomy...wait...that's me...)

Her favorite things in this order are:
1. The bumper on the her crib. She hugs it at night.
2. Daddy
3. Daisy - dog sister
4. Keiser - dog brother
5. Bee from the Jumperoo
6. Bath time
7. Chewing on her hands and feet
8. Whining
9. Getting thrown in the air
10. Mommy or T.V. - it's a toss up...

I'm working really hard to get to at least #6....

I love you, Bug! You're growing up so fast!

Messy face but at least she's not crying

Abs of Steel work out...I think she'll be sitting up on her own very, very soon

Me and Bug

Me; Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

Who's the fairest of them all?

Mirror: Not you my dear, get new clothes. You're better off in just your robe.

That's what I heard from my mirror on Friday. What you don't have a talking mirror? Go to SkyMall - they have everything there - and go get one.

A big night on Friday. My best friend from junior high celebrated her 30th birthday. So that meant my first night out to the bar with my husband. I wanted to look hot. Smokin' hot. I wanted to wow his mind and remember once upon a time that I was a hot piece of a$$.

I wanted to feel sexy. I wanted to walk into the bar with my head up high, my bubbies defying gravity, hair flowing because it was finally washed and dried and styled...styled with product and not with spit up...

The quest for the smokin' hot me began on Wednesday. I surveyed the closet and realized that it was slim pickins in the walk in closet. I had a mixture of maternity clothes - so they were too big, size 1 jeans from my skinnier, pre-baby days - so those were too small, but I had a couple of jeans that I had stretched to fit my post baby body - so those were just right.

I tried on the jeans - a pair I had purchased right after I had Iz. I bought them a little smaller than normal since I was positive I would lose the baby weight. Well - luckily I did lose the weight but the jeans looked different. Hmm...what was it?

They fit great - like a glove. What was it though? Something was wrong. They were boot cut cute and sat a little higher up than normal - those low cut, hip hugging, torture devices they call jeans - are no longer my friend since I birthed a babe.

I took a look in the mirror and realized....

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

I was wearing MOM JEANS! The jeans that are high waisted, make your bottom look like a "W" and add on about 30 years to your life.

So - I tore off the comfy jeans and decided to suck it up and suck it in and wear a pair of low cut (aka - belly hang over), fitted (aka painted on), skinny (aka thigh/calf strangulation) jeans.

I checked out my shirt collections. Hmm...no nursing tanks tonight. Probably shouldn't wear my Tech tshirts. I wanted to show a little sumthin', sumthin' - you know - to make the hubs blush and to help my self esteem. But, alas, nothing fit. The fiasco with the jeans didn't give me many options - the belly hang over didn't allow me to wear anything fitted....
So - I settled with a sweater. Black. A black sweater. Not timeless or classic - B.O.R.I.N.G.

The night arrived and I put on the outfit. Blech. I then vowed I would make my hair look hot. I would find a way to make it look sultry and wavy - the kind of hair that looks like I just rolled out of bed - but rolled out of bed in a sexy way.

Welp - that didn't work. I just made it look greasy with all the product and tangled. So - back to the same hair-did - washed and dried...

My last resort - I'd make my face look hot. I wasn't going to be a brown bag special. Nope - not tonight. I expertly applied my grocery store purchased make up - just because I'm almost 30 doesn't mean I can't sport Jane eye shadow or Bonnie Bell lip gloss. Well - that didn't work - it just looked like I gave myself two black eyes....

So - the traditional eyeliner, mascara and blush with clear lip gloss it was...

I wasn't quite the vision of loveliness I had pictured in my head - but a couple of beers at the bar helped with my confidence :-) By the end of the night - I was pretty sure I was the hottest girl at the bar (the beer goggles helped...a LOT)

Moral of the story: I need a make-over....BAD!

P.S. - enjoy the video!

Me and my closest friends from junior high!!

My turn

Today has been a hard day.

For my fellow pet parents out there - you know the most difficult part of having a pet is knowing when it's time to let that part of your family go.

Today was that day for me.

15 years ago - a dog followed me home as I went for a run. He didn't have any tags and was cute as can be - probably a year old or so.

I brought him home and asked my parents what we should do. We walked around the neighborhood - this new dog in tow - and asked if anyone knew who he belonged to. No one claimed him - so I did...

I decided to name him Baby. He seemed to like the name. I fed him, gave him water, and tried to get him to sleep inside with me. Of course - my mom wasn't having it! No dog would be allowed inside their house. So I did what any normal person would do - I piled on jackets, scarves and gloves - and made a pallet out in my backyard with my new found friend.

I left for college and the dog took over as Baby of the family. By this point - he was sleeping with my parents...in their bed. He was a good dog - would run away any time the door would be left open, he counter surfed for food, peed in the house - all those things that dogs do.

He was diagnosed with Addison's disease a few years later. Most families would put a pet down then - but not my parents. People thought they were crazy for keeping a dog alive who needed 15 pills - a day. But nope, not them, it wasn't his time.

Baby would be the first to greet me, the last to go to bed, he licked away tears, danced when anyone would be excited - he's been through 3 weddings of all his human sisters, been the guardian of all his human grand kids...he gave us his best because we gave him our hearts.

He's led a good life.

So today - when I got the call that my dad was going to the vet because he had lost control of bowels and couldn't walk - I knew then I needed to go with him.

I didn't say anything when I walked into the room with my Dad. I could see it in his eyes that hew knew it was time for us to let him go. My Mom couldn't watch it - so she stayed at home. The vet came in and confirmed our greatest fears - there was nothing more they could do - it was to time let him go.

I made phone calls to family to let them know the hard decision we had to make. Got a call from my Mom that she was on her way - she may not have said it - but she knew it she needed to say goodbye.

He was the final child to leave home for them. I knew that this would be much harder on them than I could ever imagine.

All of their lives - my mom and dad - they've been my strength, my support, held me tight during moments of pain, and dried my tears when my heart overflowed with grief - but today - it was my turn.

My turn to fight back tears and be the voice of reason for them, reassure them that this was the best decision, volunteer to be with Baby til the end if it was too painful for them to watch, hold them tight, wipe away their tears.

Today it was my turn.

In a moment, it was done. He lay there asleep in the arms of my Dad. We sent him to Heaven where all dogs go - because all dogs are good dogs. We loved him as he loved us until his very last breath.

He'll be missed.