Santa Anxiety

There is no man more frightening than Santa Claus. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!

Alana is an old pro. She loves Santa. Ava, on the other hand, finds him to be the scariest thing she's ever seen.

Santa and I are the only ones who found it necessary to look at the camera. Ava was too terrified, and Alana was looking at David.

This picture was so not worth the $14, but I'm still glad I got it, because my kids are growing at breakneck speed.

My favorite kind of Santa photo is the free kind. I haven't seen Santa at Walmart this year, that's why we went to the mall.

Ava was too small to care who was holding her last year, and Santa gave Alana candy, so she posed for a picture. They've grown way too much since last year!

Alana was scared of Santa when she was one, just like Ava.

But once I got in the picture she was fine. Still apprehensive about the scary guy in the red suit, but not crying.

Alana's first Christmas, and she got her picture taken with possibly the grouchiest Santa ever. At least this pic was free too!

Nothing scary about this chubby Santa! Alana was so cute when she was a baby, now she's all grown and thinks she needs her own ipod and to wear makeup. She's only four!



























Next year Ava will probably still be afraid of Santa, but maybe she'll come around. After all, who could hate someone who brings them so many presents? Alana certainly loves him, but she has lots of toys to prove his existence already.

I'm Not Ready for Some Football

Pre-season football has officially started.

As I type the Cowboys are playing the Bengals and David is on the couch, yelling at the TV and wearing a 10 year old Emmitt Smith jersey. He is hyped. He's been waiting all day for Sunday night. He seriously just yelled Yay for football!

Football isn't something that's taken lightly around our house. David is not a fair weather fan. Not even a little. He never misses a game. He is beyond dedicated. The only room in our house without some type of Cowboys paraphernalia is the bathroom. Stupid compromise. Making me have Cowboys salt & pepper shakers.

When the game comes on you can bet he will be watching and wearing something blue in support of the love of his life, the Dallas Cowboys. Even last night, when Emmitt Smith was inducted into the football hall of fame, he tuned in wearing his jersey that he has owned for longer than he has known me. He might've even cried. But you didn't hear that from me.

David immerses himself during football games. He yells at the TV incessantly. How bout them Cowboys? Son of a b*tch Kitna! We got it back! Pick! Jesus Kitna. Roy Williams sucks! Way to go Jason Garrett, call another draw. Come on Columbo!  Boom! TC baby, TC. Nice! He used to lose his voice after every game, but he has learned to yell a little better the past few years. I'm curious to know what his blood pressure is when the game is close. He is literally on the edge of his seat.

He makes deals with the devil just for that victory. And if God forbid they lose, he is depressed the next 24 hours. His loyalty to the Cowboys is so well known at his work that his co-workers and customers all give him crap about last nights loss. His phone will have 20 unread text messages just from people he knows talking crap about football, win or lose.

Thanksgiving is dedicated to football because the Cowboys play every year. Every year for nine years I've been a football widow during that 3 1/2 hours that he spends in the living room at my dad's house yelling at the TV. If we eat dinner during the game he doesn't get his plate until a commercial. We once jokingly told him that he couldn't eat in the living room and he was going to go back to the TV empty handed. He picks football over food.

Then there's the "we". He considers himself an honorary part of the team. He is included in any statement regarding the Cowboys. We just signed Dez Bryant. We are playing the Saints on Thanksgiving. We need to get a first down right here. We need to cut that guy.

My kids are little fans. From birth they have been dressed in fan apparel. They will like the Cowboys whether they want to or not. Alana repeats everything David yells at the TV. Because of this his language has been significantly cleaned up. Ava just claps along.

Even I'm not immune to the festivities. Through spousal peer pressure I usually end up wearing some type of Cowboys shirt. I'm not happy about it, but I do it. I've attended no less than five professional football games, two of them in Dallas. I can't say they weren't fun or that I didn't want the Cowboys to win. If they lose I have to drive home with a depressed husband and get heckled by fans of the opposing team. Then we hear that Had a bad day song and he gets even more depressed.

Win or lose, you can bet David will always be a Cowboy fan. And the rest of us are just along for the ride.

Texas Stadium - 2005

The obligatory stadium tour. How could he pass up an opportunity to go on the field?

Alana was a Cowboy fan before she even left the hospital.

Alana was less than a week old when she watched her first football game.

Sometimes I'm forced to watch football in public while David yells at the TV.

Alana was ready to cheer on the Cowboys. She looks excited right?

Ava is ready to watch her first football game with us. You can watch football crossed eyed right?

Sometimes I even attend football games with my superfan husband. Just cause its his birthday.

Why I sometimes hate baby showers

I went to a baby shower yesterday.
The lady is more of an "acquaintance" than a friend. Not that I don't like her, but she's like ten years older than me and I don't know her that great. She was one of David's co-workers so it was more like I was attending as my husband.  A female version of David who is there to deliver a present and eat mediocre cake.

Its not that I "hate" baby showers. I just don't always like them.

Even when it comes to my own baby shower, I'm not always on board. I had to be talked into having a baby shower with Ava. I ended up being glad I had one, since everyone was obedient and bought me stuff off of my registry.

I know they're supposed to be a celebration of the new baby blah blah blah. But if I don't know the person that well chances are I'm probably not even going to see the baby when its born. I didn't even know what this lady was going to name her baby until the end of the shower when I finally asked her.

If I'm not going to the hospital to visit said baby when its born then I don't know if I really want to go to the baby shower.

And then there's the food. Call me a food snob, but I would never have store bought potato salad at any party I'm hosting. Just in general, I don't usually do convenience food. I may use refrigerated pie crust sometimes, but I always make my own potato salad. And when it comes to cake, I'm kind of picky. Ok, really picky. Really, really picky. I picked at my cake and didn't eat the nasty frosting while everyone else raved about how good it was. I can't help it if I'm such a good cook that I don't like mediocre cake. Don't be jealous.

I'm also not always a fan of baby shower games. They can be corny. One wrong move and you find yourself measuring/being measured with a roll of toilet paper. Or giving your clothes pin to someone you don't know because you said the word baby. Or smelling different bowls of baby food to properly identify what they contain. Of course I am now the reigning champion of this game. I got four out of five right. No one but me correctly guessed that four and five were macaroni & cheese and chicken noodle soup. The smell of those are permanently embedded in my brain. And I have a baby which gives me an advantage.

Then when it comes time to open presents I find that it can be kind of awkward. Does anyone else get uncomfortable opening presents in front of an audience? And then that audience oohs and aahs over everything, and whether or not you think its cute you still have to be gracious. Note to everyone: I hate gender neutral clothing, but don't tell my mother-in-law.

Its just as awkward watching someone else open presents. You just agree with the audience when the consensus is that whatever is being held up is cute. And someone takes notes on who gave who what item so that thank you notes can be issued. I have never sent out a thank you note in my life. I intend to, but I'm lazy and I'd rather be doing anything in the world but that.

I begrudgingly attend baby showers, whether they are for me or someone else. And I eat the food, whether its crappy and store bought or delicious and homemade like at my shower for Ava. Lucky for me my sister also has high standards for baby shower food. And she hates gross cake too. And I might enjoy it a little bit, or a lot depending on who its for. But I still hate opening presents in front of 30 people.

Now for your viewing pleasure, pictures of me at both of my baby showers. Ignore my fatness, I'm pregnant.

My baby shower with Alana. I kicked myself after for not taking a picture where I was really paying attention and didn't look like an idiot. There's just like 50 pictures of us opening presents.

See what I mean? Another picture opening presents. The same ones as the last pic. But you get a good view of my gut in this one.

My shower for Ava. Alana was less than cooperative when I wanted a picture.

I'm surprised my face isn't bright red. I was so hot all day that day. Stupid summer. Alana is still not cooperating.

This is what it takes to get Alana to cooperate. Take a picture with Aunt Dole. Don't be too jealous of my non-swollen ankles, that's just how I roll. Chicken legs till the day I deliver. No cankles for me. 

You may have also noticed that I'm wearing the same shirt in all of these pictures, even though they were taken three years apart. What can I say, I really like it. Its my baby shower shirt. I'll probably wear it again with my next baby. Unless I find something cuter.

Hand-me-down guess who - Special Double Edition

In honor of my 200th post this edition of hand-me-down guess who will feature two outfits.

I will probably run out of hand-me-down outfits in this size range soon though.

I am finding that my taste in baby clothes is drastically different with Ava than with Alana. I like brighter, bolder colors. No pastels. Yuck. And I'm all about the one piece outfit. Not necessarily a onesie or dress, something in between. But if its one piece, that's great. Less effort, still cute.

So if I ever have a third daughter these clothes will be nowhere in sight. Third babies have all the luck.

David says we won't have a third girl though. Next time I'm making a boy. Yeah right.

So without further ado, here are my lovely ladies.

Happy Mother's Day!

Or as my nephew would say, "Happy Mudder's Day!"

In honor of this Mother's Day I'd like to take a stroll down memory lane, to Mother's Days past. Well, at least the ones since I've been a mother.

2007
Me and Alana
She must've just watched Zoolander cause I don't know what kind of face she is making

2008 - Me and Alana. Another Zoolander face

2009 - Me and Alana and Ava in the oven. I was officially a mom to one and a half children.

The grand finale: 2010! I have two hot ladies and they make me so happy! They are lucky they're so cute. I think I'll keep them.

Vacation envy

I guess I shouldn't be jealous that the Shermans and my parents are going to Disneyland without me tomorrow. I did just go in February.

And my dad sometimes drives me crazy on vacation with his chronic cheapness. How many boiled chicken sandwiches should one person have to eat?

But family vacations are fun. The good and the bad and the ugly. Memories are made. Good times are had. Boiled chicken sandwiches are eaten.

Makes me think of the last real vacation my entire family went on.

That's me on the right with the awesome hat on. Don't be jealous. You can get one too. Just go to Walmart in 1998. Melissa had one too. Hers was also awesome. I know you're also jealous of my dad's cowboys hat. 

This is five out of six of us at the Grand Canyon. Don't know where Nathan is. Probably annoying someone else or being dangled over the edge. That's me on the left, with the awesome sandals you can't see very well. I'm holding my cheap-as-can-be souvenirs. Postcards. Had to ration out my money. Tell you all about it here. And Melissa is now wearing her awesome 1998 Walmart hat. I like Nicole's red shirt/orange shorts color combo. You gotta love the 90's.

This is me at Excalibur in Las Vegas. Someone should've told me parting my hair in the middle looked stupid. Hindsight is 20/20. I've got my awesome sandals on again. Maybe I should mention that brown leather sandals were all the rage at this point in time. Doc Martens were the best but substitutes were accepted and everyone had them. And your eyes do not deceive you. I'm wearing an anklet. This picture makes me appreciate my flat iron even more.











I do love Disneyland and vacations and I'm grateful for everyone that I get to go on. I hope there are lots more in the future.

Hand-me-down guess who part 2

A couple of sweet watermelon babies. Which is which?

Hand-me-down guess who

Just got out some of Alana's old clothes for Ava to wear. She had sooo many clothes when she was a baby its ridiculous. Some of them I still like and some of them I wonder what the heck I was thinking when I bought it.

Can you guess who's who? To me its obvious. Everyday Ava looks more and more different than Alana. She is her own cute little person. And she was fortunate enough to not get her daddy's forehead.

One awesome pic!

Here you go Krystal, memories that you thought were safely secure in your mind. After you commented earlier I was racking my brain trying to think of what your dress looked like so I dug around some and with minimal effort I found this picture. Look at it this way, it could be worse, you could've done your hair like Melissa's!

Babies of Christmas past & present

Alana - 2006 Chubby and grouchy

Alana - 2007 My favorite christmas dress ever!

Alana - 2008 Too busy looking at the presents to take a picture

Alana - 2006                                                

Ava - 2009

Yesterday I put Ava in an old Christmas outfit of Alana's. Of course I had to take a picture to compare. The older Ava gets the less she looks like Alana (plus she's lucky enough to not have her daddy's forehead like her sister). I'm so glad to have Ava for Christmas this year. Babies only get one first Christmas and I want to make it special. Alana's first Christmas was definitely memorable. David went crazy buying stuff because he was so excited to have her.

Buying presents was definitely different with 2 girls to buy for. David actually had to control himself a little bit more. The presents aren't piled up to the ceiling like with Alana's first Christmas. He didn't buy four "Babies 1st Christmas" ornaments. We actually waited too long to buy Ava an ornament and I had to make her one. At least hers is personalized!

I'm just really grateful to have both of my ladies this Christmas and happy that we are able to get them lots of presents. Alana is growing up too fast and she's finally able to open her own presents without help from us. Ava is probably just going to try and eat the wrapping paper because that's how she rolls - she eats whatever she can put in her mouth! I know we'll have lots of fun and eat too much (probably just me) and make lots of memories.

My littlest lady

Tomorrow Ava will be 3 months old! She is definitely growing up so fast and before I know it she won't be a little cuddly chubby baby anymore. She is already rolling over and she holds her head up and smiles so much. I think she has grand plans to sit on her own and crawl soon so she can keep up with her big sister.

She is such a mellow and sweet baby. She loves to be held but shes equally content just laying on her playmat on the floor and looking at her reflection and the toys dangling above her head. She already has super secret thigh rolls that are only visible when she doesn't have her diaper on and now her thighs are getting chubbier and she has a cute little double chin. She is so pretty and so chubby! I like to kiss her chubby little neck and her plump little cheeks. She has such  super long eyelashes and shiny black hair that sticks up just enough in the back. She is definitely going to look like her big sister when she gets older but she has a very different personality.

Having Ava made our family feel much more complete but at the same time it made me really want a 3rd baby. They are so small and sweet when they are born and your heart is just filled with so much love for this little person you just met. Labor with Ava was really easy and before I knew it I had my second little lady. My Dr. induced me the day after my due date and I was super grateful since it was August and it was really hot! Despite the summer heat I really love being pregnant. Call me crazy but I think its exciting and fun just waiting to meet your little one and picking out cute little clothes for them to wear. Plus its the one time in your life to don't have to worry about having a flat stomach!

36 weeks pregnant with ava

right after she was born - slimy but still cute!

holding my newest lady right after she was born

me, ava and david

alana meeting her little sister for the first time

1 day old with her cute hat the nurses made

ready to go home from the hospital - she had scrawny little legs

one week old

one month old

2 months old

almost 3 months old

My favorite things about Ava are:

  *her easy going sweet nature

  *her chubby cheeks and thighs
  *her long eyelashes and big dark eyes
  *her cute little voice when she "talks"
  *her obsession with staring at the ceiling fan
  *the way she waves her arms and legs like a crazy woman when shes on the floor
   *her sweet smile
   *everything!

She is the sweetest baby ever and I'm so happy to have her!