Baby Shower

Robyn's sister, Natalie, is pregnant with a little girl. We expect Finley to make an appearance in late March, so it was time to throw her a shower! The bottom layer was fudge cake and the top was white. The frosting was just regular buttercream tinted pink with the ribbons and bow made of fondant.

15 Seconds of Fame

Took the kids to the Spurs game Saturday night. We were all decked out in our Spurs jerseys and sat all in a row at the game.



In the second quarter, there was music playing and the words "GET LOUD" on the big screen and then they showed me, Lucas, Jacob and Ethan on the jumbo tron! We waived and chair-danced and it was done.



It was over so fast, I didn't get a picture of it, but Jacob was beside himself with excitement. Definitely the coolest thing in the world for a nine-year old! Lucas was in Naughty Boy form for all the pictures. At least he was normal when he was on the big screen!

A rash of rashes...

Update: Sarah's rash turned out to be scabies! After a misdiagnosis by the urgent care doctor two Saturdays ago, her pediatrician saw her last Tuesday and determined her rash was caused by scabies, which are basically like chiggers - microscopic mites that burrow under the skin, itch like crazy, and are transmitted by skin to skin contact (like a hug from a classmate). We're not sure how she got it, but glad that the treatment was a lotion that was applied to her whole body from the neck down and left on overnight. She showered in the morning and went to school. After that, the bumps and itching took about a week to go away. I guess it's very common among school-age children but I had never seen it before.

Ethan's rash turned out to be eczema. Sometimes he wears his winter coat ALL DAY LONG in the class room - or for a few extra hours after recess and I think these were just hot spots from being overheated. They went away almost immediately.



Everyone is much better now. Phew!

Happy Birthday to Me

Came back from Dallas late Sunday night. Mark had left earlier that afternoon for Atlanta, so by the time I got home the babysitter had been there more than 6 hours!

Monday was a blur. Got the kids off to school, then called to get a massage. "Can you be here in 15 minutes?" they asked. Not very relaxing but then I enjoyed a 15-minute whirlpool bath with citrus aromatherapy and a great massage! Sushi for lunch and a little shopping before I had to pick up the kids. Then for dinner, Charisse, Tim, and I took the kids to Aldaco's for a little mexican food and prickly pear margaritas.



Charisse brought these yummy hot fudge buttercream cupcakes!



My favorite gift: a tiny cake fork with a cake on top, from Connie. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's so adorable! I've already had to get on the kids about leaving it alone. Couldn't find it and Lucas showed me that he had put it in the silverware drawer! Then I caught Jacob with it upstairs. Mine, mine, MINE! Grrrrrr.



Is it just me, or are birthday cards getting funnier and funnier?



It was a great day. 39 will be just fine.

Dallas Market

Thursday was set-up day. It took us about 9 hours to build the booth, string the lights, tulle, set up the fixtures and hang all the jewelry. That doesn't even include all the work Jon and Jenn did the night before! But when vendors tell you how great it looks before you're done and then you see it all finished, it makes all the hard work worth it!





From Friday at 8:30 a.m. to Sunday afternoon about 2:00 p.m., all we saw was this booth and whatever was between it and the ladies' room. So busy, but mostly fun. We would eat breakfast at the hotel to fuel up, scavenge for an unappetizing lunch at the concession stand and then go out to a nice dinner every night. We made jewelry back at the hotel after dinner on two of the nights also. I really love working with Jenn, her husband Jon, and Charisse! They make everything so fun and we laughed to the point of tears many times. About what, I have no idea, or I've been sworn to secrecy, but it sure was funny at the time! What happens at Market stays at Market!

What Happens At Preschool...

On the day I started this blog two years ago, Ethan had shouted "Lasso your wiener!" to Cowboy Kevin during Rodeo Day at preschool. Many months later, the director of the preschool was at Walgreens where they were selling funny toddler t-shirts and she saw one that said "What Happens At Preschool Stays At Preschool." Of course, there wasn't one in Ethan's size so I never got the shirt.

Then, on the way to the hotel this weekend, we stopped by a Dallas Walgreens and I saw all these hilarious shirts. Most were for the 12-month crowd but there were a few toddler choices. I got one for Lucas, but it was not any of the following:






And my personal favorite...


I'll save the Lucas shirt for a day when he wears it! To be continued...

I Love Cake

I was at Bath & Body Works this weekend and saw the funniest little hand sanitizers. It was as if they had read my mind! I DO love cake! I DO love shoes! I DO love bling...you get the picture!



Speaking of cake, here's a hilarious post from my favorite blogger. Oh yes, it's about cake. The God of Cake!

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/god-of-cake.html

And based on that post, my friend Charisse made me this fun necklace...how stinkin' cute is that?!



I didn't make any new years resolutions this year. But if I had to make one, it would be for everyone to have their cake and eat it too!

Itchy Scratchy

Sarah started to get this rash on Friday night. Took her to the urgent care pediatric office on Saturday and was told it was contact dermatitis...an allergic reaction from touching something like detergent, plant material, etc...since it was concentrated around her ankles and forearms. Four days later, it's still here and a little worse so off to the regular doctor we go.



And to top it all off, Ethan woke up with bright red hot spots on the insides of his elbows this morning. Will probably take him in too.

Hi, Blog.

Nothing like some comments on your blog to make you write some new stuff for your blog. Thanks friends!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Over Christmas break, I took the kids to visit Ethan's old teacher who now manages a Petland store. We sat in a booth and played with a beagle puppy. So stinkin' cute but really chewy. And a friend of mine that has one now keeps it barricaded in the kitchen while they're away for that very reason. She still eats shoes. So, no dog for us just yet. And it wouldn't be a beagle anyway.

In honor of your birthday, Mom...some cute puppy pictures! Hope you have a great day!

Bee-utiful Cupcakes

Made these for the PTA Bake Sale we had Tuesday night. They were a big hit at the school where our mascot is the Hornet! The bee is totally edible; made with buttercream fondant, black piping gel and sliced almonds for wings. Don't forget to take out the toothpick stinger first!

Naughty Boy #532

Just went to take a shower and when I came out, Naughty Boy had stripped our entire bed to use it as a trampoline.

Date Night

Had a gift card for Ruth's Chris that I received as a Christmas gift in 2009 and still hadn't used. I debated whether to get the stuffed lobster tail/filet combo for $50, but even with just a filet and the gift card our bill was $200. And that didn't include the babysitter! Guess I'm not a cheap date anymore. haha! Mark is not amused.

Lucas' Christmas Program

Lucas' preschool director sent me all these "outtakes" from Christmas program practice. Notice how Lucas is not doing anything he's supposed to in ANY of the pics!

Wow! You guys are terrible singers!


Lemme show you how it's done!


Hey, that was my head!


Are we done yet? I'm tired.


REALLY tired.

New Years Eve!

We celebrated New Years Eve with the Schrecks again. They have four little boys under the age of eight. Kelly and his wife and kids, Charisse and Tim came over too for a dinner of tacos, shrimp tostada bites, rice and beans and lemon meringue pie courtesy of Val. Mark was in his element trying to entertain 10 children all at once.



From L-R...Lucas (in red chair), Sarah and Conner (new bffs), Casey (he did it), Taylin, Mick, Jacob, Ethan, Cole and Colby. I think Mark was asking them who wanted to be the next NAPA Filter Rep.



Happy New Year everyone!