O Canada, O Canada

Well, we are off to Canada for a week! Woo Hoo....I am so excited to be leaving this stinking Texas heat! My parents are already in Canada waiting on us to arrive...my step-mom is from Canada, so they are taking us to see where she grew up.

Anyhow, I am so ready to leave, and have a week with my wonderful husband and Booga Boo! No work, just play! So you will have to forgive me if I don't post while I'm gone, but I can assure you I will have a long one when we get home!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week next week!

much love~
Alicia

Just another Monday Night...

Sorry....a little delay there for me, but I completely forgot to post this, and I found it comical, at least it will be for those of you who don't live with us!

This past Monday was just another Monday night, or so I thought!

Sunday after church Caroline wanted to play with Avery, so she called, and Avery was on her way to her Gigi's (grandma's) so Amy said that they could play on Monday when they both got home from school. As soon as I get to school to pick Boog up, she starts asking about playing with Avery. So she calls on the way home and gets the voicemail, leaves her message and then proceeds to pout. Next she tries her hardest to convince me to stop on the way home at Avery's (just so everyone knows, she lives next door!) so she can see if they are home.

I tell you this child never gives up! Once she has something in her head, that's it, she is determined to make it happen!

Once I get her home, without stopping at Avery's, and after she has yelled and cried, I give her a snack and tell her to go play. She wants to call again! I said no, which brings on more yelling and tears, which result in a pop on the hiney and some time in the corner for yelling at me.

I start on dinner, and let me tell you this child can eat! She is always starving, and she eats everything. I swear I have the healthiest 5 year old eater around. Back to dinner, so I get it started and the phone rings....it's Avery. Thank God! But oh no, I hear tears, and then I hear her say "but your mommy said we could play today", I think.....great.....what do I do now? Caroline then comes to tell me that she can't play, and that Avery hung up on her. More tears!

I try my best to console her, which just isn't working. And then she starts demanding dinner that she is hungry......again more yelling at me and crying. So we go for round 2 of the pop and corner routine.

Finally dinner is finished, and I am just about to give her her plate when the phone rings again. Avery. She wants to talk to me. Apparently, Caroline was so upset during the 1st call from Avery, that she never heard her say, my mommy says you can come play. She wants to know where Caroline is! UGGGHHHH! So I tell her she can go play for 2 hours. It's 6:30. I want her home in time to bathe her and put her to bed by 9, even though she usually goes to bed at 8:30, I am going to give her an extra 30 minutes since this afternoon has been so traumatic for her.

Oh, and by the way, she now refuses to eat her dinner.

When its time to go pick her up, they start asking if Caroline can spend the night. We tell them no, that I am up earlier than Amy is in the morning, and that since Amy has to go to work too, she won't have time to drop Caroline off at school. Our brilliant 5 years olds then say, well then can we sleep at Alicia's house? Amy & I roll our eyes and say sure why not? We give them the rules: as soon as we get home its bath time, then teeth brushing time, then straight to bed. No playing, no movies, just plain old sleep. They both agree.

Off we go. We get scrubbed, brushed, and dressed for bed, get them down, and take a relaxing breath. Whhheeeewwwww. The door opens. Avery has tears running down her face. So does Caroline. Avery wants to go home and sleep with her mommy. Caroline is devastated. Tab is sitting on the couch laughing.

Now my first thought is that I wish I had something handy to throw at him. I get Avery in the car, and leave Caroline wailing at home with Tab...revenge can be so sweet! I get home, she is still crying, I lay down with her and rub her back. She sobs, and sobs. I finally leave.

I get a large glass of wine and call it a night!

No more Monday's like that please.

Hope you have all enjoyed my dreadful day.

Much love-
Alicia

Puppies

We recently had chihuahua puppies...or our dog Shimmer did! Any way we were feeding them last night and having some play time with them so I thought I would share some pictures of them....they are so cute! And even though I love them, I want them to hurry and get old enough to go to their new homes so we can get our new blood hound puppy! We are so excited and can't wait!

Circus Fun

I found out that the circus was going to be in town for a few days so I thought I would take boog, seeing as I didn't go with her when she went last year. So I get all excited, and then realize it is her weekend to be at her daddy's....Dang it! So I call him and ask him if he wouldn't mind if I got her back a little early on Sunday so I could take her. No problem he tells me. Then he asks if he can go...sure why not? So we start making the plans, and Tab has to work so he won't be able to go, so I'm a little sad about that. Well, Caroline's dad has a new girlfriend, and he wants me to meet her before Caroline does...which has always been our agreement, but the kicker here is that she is 18. Yes, you read that right......18! Huh? You have got to be kidding me here, I'm supposed to be okay with this? I don't think so. First off all, let me tell you, I could care less who he dates, and I even got along with the last one, but I am not okay with him dating someone almost 11 years younger than him, and only 12 years older than Caroline! Yikes! So I tell him how I feel about this, which he already knew what I would say, and to make a long story short, she is coming to the circus.


Caroline Hula-Hooping before it started















I am worried about the age, but I will get over it, as long as my rules for Caroline are followed. After all, I can't keep him from dating her, or bringing her around Caroline, so I have to try to make the best of it. I'm sure she is a sweet girl, but not old enough to handle the strains of a kid. Well it turns out, she can't go with us, and Caroline did meet her the day before. I being the vocal person that I am let her dad know that I'm disappointed in the whole thing. So I eventually get to talk to the girlfriend, so at least that's something.


But, back to the point, Boog loved the circus!!!!! She had so much fun, and to see the look of awe on her face, made everything in my world right again! There is no joy like seeing that look in your child's face, the way they light up, their eyes sparkle with the excitement, and the smile is as genuine as they come! God, I love being a mommy! Thanks for that blessing!


Caroline with a Circus Star!

I'm Slacking!

fIt's been a busy few weeks so, I have gotten behind! Two weeks ago, Caroline and her cousins had a church music camp, and then they got to do their little musical in church on Sunday morning. Let me tell you, God was moving in Caroline! At least that's the way I prefer to think of her dancing all over the place! Anyhow, you fellow moms know that you get a little embarrassed when your child is acting up, especially when the other moms start looking at you like you can't control your kid! So as I'm sitting in church, and getting glared at by the other moms, I am trying to let Caroline know that I am not pleased. She could care less! She is up there just singing and dancing her little heart out! So the sweet victory for me was after church was over, there were several of the elderly women who came to tell me how much they enjoyed her enthusiasm! Can you believe that?!?!? Ha Ha other mommies, they liked my crazy kid better.....that's what they get for glaring at me! Here are a few of the pics...they are pretty dark, the lighting in church isn't so great!

Caroline

Cousins: Dillon & Blake

Smoking....ugghhhh!!!!

Well, I decided a month ago that I was going to quit smoking, after 15 years of the nasty habit! Good for me! I have done really well I must say, only a few minor slip-ups. I have to admit, its not quite as daunting as I thought it would be to not have my cigarettes. Of course, there are the many times I would really like one! By the way, I quit "cold turkey". No patch, no gum. But on those rare moments when I am dying to have one, the gum might be useful.

But my infinitely smart husband made a point to me when I decided to quit that just really made sense. He said out of a pack (20 cigarettes) how many do you really enjoy? He said that was what made him decide to quit 4 years ago. I thought about this, and my final conclusion was about 6, give or take a few depending on the day. His point was that the remaining cigarettes were just because, there was no point in them, you are just smoking them to smoke them.

So, for anyone out there who smokes and wants to quit....ask yourself how many cigarettes in each pack that you smoke, do you REALLY enjoy? I promise, it will make you think differently about it!

Much Love~
Alicia

Morning Frustrations

I know all parents have frustrating mornings with their kids, but I'm telling you, my child makes it her goal to make me want to scream. Each morning its something new. This morning we had several battles. First up, she wants to go potty in my bathroom, not hers. Not that this is necessarily a big deal, but I am in the tub, with the door locked. Otherwise, she would be trying to take a bath with me because she loves bath time. So I tell her no, she needs to use her own bathroom. She screams through the door that if she can't use mine, then I am going to cause her to potty on herself. Are you kidding me? I tell in her the most calm voice that I can muster, that if she even dares to do that, that she will not have ANY privileges for the day, and that she will get a pop, and corner time. This child is so stubborn. After we finally get this situation resolved, and there were no accidents, we get ready.

Now normally the first thing out of her mouth when she gets out of bed is ,"I'm hungry". So she usually eats pronto. She didn't want anything this morning. Odd, but okay. So I give her my usual 5 minutes till we leave warning, and she comes in wanting breakfast! We have been having discussions recently about how she has to ask for things way before we leave, or we won't have time to eat, make a drink, or get whatever comfort item of the day that she may want. So again, I use my calm voice and tell her that she can have apples and bananas in the car. "NO!", she tells me, she wants cereal in a bowl with milk. I try to explain for the 50th time that she has to tell me in plenty of time to eat it instead of 5 minutes before we leave, that we don't have enough time for her to sit down and have a bowl of cereal. She is completely irate. No calming her down. I finally just tell her that if she wants to act like this, then she can just go without breakfast. She changes her tune and says fine, she'll just eat her cereal in a baggie with no milk.

I'm telling you I was so frustrated. We head out the door and she then starts in about wanting to play with a friend after school. I'm already thinking, "crap! I don't want to fight about this too". So I tell her if she is invited, she can play. But of course, I should have read her mind and known that she had already been invited the previous day to play with said friend. Silly me. I told her to have her mommy call me today at work and I could make sure, that made her mad. Somehow, she eventually stopped talking about it, and we continue on to school. When we get there, I can not get her to let go of me. Now if any of you know my child, yes she loves me very much and is mommy's girl, but she doesn't cry when I leave her or beg me to stay. Today she does.

I know my child, and although she can be very pig headed, I know she must not be feeling well. I'll have to wait and see what the day brings to my little ball of fire. She is not herself. Please don't be sick!

"Boog" Does NOT Stand for Boogers!

Let me give a little clarification for everyone.

Over the years so many people have asked me why I call my daughter Boog. "Does it mean she has a lot of boogers?" "Why do you call your kid boogers?"

It has nothing to do with the infamous child obsession of boogers.

Starting when she was a baby, and I'm talking about 6 months or so, she has had a love for music. At the time, I had a very dear friend who we spent tons of time with. She and I always jammed in the car. Mostly, we were huge country fanatics, but she also loved punk, and she turned me onto it. We always noticed when the fun music came on, that Caroline would start to smile, kick her legs, and wave her arms. She also would make tons of happy noises. We always said to her things like, "are you boogieing"? So at some point, and I'm not sure which one of us actually started it, we started to call her Boogie Boo. Over time it was shortened to Boog, and sometimes I call her Booga Boo.

Hopefully that answers any of your questions about the name Boog.

Much Love-
Alicia

A New Year....2008

So, I will start with saying that this year has been truly wonderful so far. I will attempt to catch everyone up with what's gone on so far!

Caroline of course started dance, which was super fun at first, then just dreadful! I will never know how my parents put up with it for 16 years! All the time, money and running to and from is completely exhausting. But the end result was pretty darn cute if I do say so myself! The sad part for me is that I always wanted mom and Miss Sandra to be there to see when my daughter had her 1st recital. I know they were sitting there together, watching, laughing, and talking about how much she reminds them of me, and that brings a small smile to my heart! They would have loved to see Caroline go through this journey, and so would many of our other dear friends and family. So I am going to post some pictures of her year in dance.































Baby Making. It seems so simple, but yet can be so hard. We decided we wanted to add to our family, and knew that it would be a challenging road. Unfortunately, my husband can't have kids, so we have to go down the infertility road. So rough. The first try didn't work, and we are waiting for our second try in August. I will keep everyone posted as we go through these trials and tribulations.

I also, sadly, but truly, had my 30th birthday. Now I know to those of you who are older than me, this seems really silly to be upset about, but for me it was the realization that I am no longer 20 something. 30 is not old, nor is it some doomed number. It was just a little hard to swallow.

Tab and I shared our 1 year anniversary! What a great thing! We have such a strong love and beautiful friendship, that I feel blessed to have found him! We both look forward to many, many great years together!

I also had the joy of having my best friend's 3 kiddos for the 4th of July weekend, while she and her hubby were off playing in Mexico! Really I'm not mad at them, just a little jealous! But, it was such a joy for them to be here and for them to spend some quality time with Caroline. They all miss each other so much! We played, and partied, did fireworks, swam, had ice cream, and made lots of memories together!

Michelle, Gabriel, Gracie, Me, Lexi & Caroline

Gabriel, Lexi & Caroline at the Fireworks

Gracie & Caroline at the 4th Celebration

Tab & Gracie at the 4th Celebration

Lexi, Me & Gracie at the 4th Celebration

The Parents at the 4th Celebration

Lexi & Caroline cooling off

Gabriel & Caroline eating ice cream

Avery, Gabriel & Caroline eating ice cream

Lexi made a sour face because of her Icee

The Gang

Avery & Gabriel eating ice cream

Sparklers at our house

Completely tuckered out!

Fall/Winter 2007

This time of year brings on all kinds of emotions for me. From September through December, I am an emotional basket case! There are so many things going on that I have happiness, excitement, sorrow, dread, and many more emotions just waiting to burst out of me. Starting with September, we have my best friends son's birthday, my dad & stepmom's anniversary, my stepmoms birthday (Mary Lou: you may see me refer to her as ML), Labor Day, and of course West Fest! All of which are good times! Also, one of my mother's dearest friends in the entire world passed on in September, and that always makes me heavy hearted. Miss Sandra was not only dear to my mom, but to me also, and I miss her just about as much as I miss my mom!

Then you have October, where, besides my sister Tracy & nephew Dillon have birthdays, nothing big really happens other than the creative holiday of ghouls & goblins, which around our house is a treat! We have a lot of fun with Halloween, have lots of little traditions, and lots of good laughs!

Tab & I on Halloween

Avery & Caroline carving pumpkins

November is another thing altogether. I despise November. I should love it, because it is a time to celebrate thankfulness, and although I have so many things (especially in November) to be thankful for, sometimes I just can't knock my gloom. I'll start with the wonderful things in November, my daddy's birthday, my dear friend Sarah's birthday, Caroline's birthday, and Thanksgiving. Now the yucky part of November would be that my mom passed away in November 2001. And not only did that happen, but she was buried on her birthday, which was November 16th. So that then makes me have 2 really sad and lonely days. Although I have sooooo much I am thankful for, I miss her terribly, and wish everyday that she could be here to meet my husband and Caroline. Caroline would have tickled her pink!

December is a time for family, friends, and celebrating the birth of Christ! And presents too! My family loves Christmas, and I have taken over doing all the little holiday things my mother used to do with us, along with adding some new traditions to the mix! We have a Christmas baking party the Saturday before Christmas, where a bunch of the girls get together and make lots of goodies for the big day, while consuming multiple bottles of our favorite wines! This usually turns into quite a fun and belly laughing day for us! And so far, all the food has been perfectly edible!

Caroline & Shimmer

The car that Santa brought her

Caroline trying to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader on Christmas Day!

Summer 2007

Okay, so like I said, I would backtrack to 2007 to fill you in on all that happened. We got married in April, then I had a family crisis in Vancouver, Washington, so my parents and I went up there for a little over a month; that was from May to June. When we came back in June I flew with my 2 precious nieces home to Texas, and we left the next morning for the beach! Let me tell you we had a blast. The whole Family, and I mean WHOLE family rented a beach house for the week. Nothin' but sand, sun & surf for us!

Then we got home and the next week was Independence Day! So we had cookouts, and fireworks, and fun for all! Then I had to say goodbye to my nieces and send them back to Washington....I will miss them so much until the next time we get to visit. The rest of the summer, Caroline and I played around just about everyday, and I worked on getting my business up and going.

That is really about it for our summer last year, it was more eventful than this post sounds, but way too heartbreaking to go into. Lets just say that while we were home last summer, we had a blast, and wonderful times with our family and friends!

My niece Juanita

Nephews Blake & Dillon

Juanita in Washington

Caroline & Juanita at the beach

Tab & my daddy playing chess

Caroline

Much Love-
Alicia

I'll start at the beginning

So....I figured I would start at the beginning, and work my way up to right now. First off, I married my honey a little over a year ago, and my life is perfect.......for us! We have so much happiness and love in our house, and so much fun too! Caroline is such a lucky girl, she has the best step-dad ever (and yes, Steven even thinks so too!) So I will start with a wedding picture.





There have been many great times in the last year, and here are a few pictures to highlight them.

me & my best friend ever...Michelle

Caroline trying to ride without training wheels

Caroline's 1st day of Pre-K

Halloween

That's it for this post! I will post more from this years (2008) journey's!

Much love,
Alicia