fair weather shoes

my whole life i have loved flip flops. my whole adult life i have loved high heels. you rarely catch me wearing anything but flops and heels and you never catch me wearing socks.

that was the old me. ohio is not conducive to my flip flop, heel wearing ways.

so, for christmas i left my two loves and got these more practical (but super cute) shoes:


everyone has to have uggs, right? at least in ohio.....



my heels have been replaced by flats with a textured bottom....

now, i need to get several more pairs!

naughty or nice

We had a nice family night out at the Greene earlier this week.....we took pics with Santa, shopped a little and at the Cheesecake Factory (we even kept our phones in our pockets during dinner).

D is always a little uneasy about taking pics with holiday characters, he's totally against parents making screaming kids sit on a strangers lap for a pic. Last year H did with Santa and the Easter Bunny, but we still didn't know how he'd take it now that he is on the move. So I promised him if H wasn't into it, we'd just leave.

All that being said - we had the best experience!

They had a great little set up so that kids could play with toys while they were waiting (H loved the Radio Flyer plane) and the line moved really quickly. The minute he saw Santa he tried to run to him, but luckily I caught his jacket so he didn't jump in on someone else's photo.

Every new experience with H I am so amazed at how lucky we are! He is such a social little guy with so much personality. He makes my heart swell.

He was completly amazed with Mr. Clause and actually kept trying to go back after the pic.

lil' traveler

i just figured it up and my lil' traveler has flown 18,956 miles since he's been born (many more in momma's tummy!).

he is a good traveler and usually provides some inflight entertainment to those lucky enough to sit by him. usually we have a connecting flight, so he can run around in between flights.

we head out to california on Christmas Eve......this 4 hour & 40 minute continuous flight may be a bit of a challenge now that he's walking! hope everyone is in the holiday spirit!

this is my heart

jealous blogger

things have been a little slow at work this week, so i took the time to catch up on some of my friends blogs. i must say that i am a bit jealous! they do such a good job of chronicling what is going on with their family.

one thing i LOVE is diana's monthly update on her baby boy. how cool would it be for huston to read one day. i'm setting a reminder on my blackberry now to do this every month.

there are so many things i want to do better. doug accused me the other day of being lazier than when he met me. i've always been one to be able to do it all and it kinda stung. i now feel the challenge to start stepping it up a notch. this includes working with huston on words, reading, etc; cleaning..ick; blogging; reading books; and i still want to find a church we like. i feel my new years resolutions coming on!

fall in love for the right reasons

three years ago i signed up for eharmony. i was new to dallas, all the holiday parties were approaching and i decided to give it a shot. it started out as pure entertainment. i would spend an hour or so each night looking at the matches for fun. pretty quickly i decided that this kind of thing was not for me.

i went home for thanksgiving and while i was at my deda's i checked my email. i had a new match and for some reason this one stuck with me. i went ahead and responded to it and i'm sure you guessed the rest. it was doug.

matched nov 23 * first date feb 2 * engaged june 14 * married july 7

it was a whirlwind, but i think everyone knew we were a "match" right away.

this one's for D

D always tells me that i only blog about H now and he's probably right. but who can compete with that cute little boy - am i right?

i figure today of all days, i will do a special shout out to my hunee. even though i may not like where it takes us, i am proud of him for being an air force guy. the obvious sacrifices (moving, deployments, etc) in addition to the less thought off...no decision on career, time commitment, etc is a lot to take on. he joined right after high school and planned on it only being for 4 years. now he's been in 14. but all of this he does for the job security, our future (medical and retirement check)....for me and huston. and for his country.

love you babe and am proud of you everyday.

too cool for school

huston has been going to daycare for about two weeks now. he had a hard time when i left at first, but seems to be getting better. i learned to time it right before they do breakfast (smart momma). it is so amazing how fast he is learning. he walks up the little stairs to the sink and pushes up his sleeves and gives his hands to the teacher to wash. Then he picks up the bib and tries to put it on. and then, yes, he walks to the little table and sits down and waits for his food. he would NEVER do this at home! it's amazing what these teachers can get them to do! i think there is some truth to that crowd mentality thing - he sees the other kids doing it, so he does it too! maybe i need to have another then to make my life easier......

weekend o' fun

now that i am a working woman again, i do love my weekends. this one started out a little bumpy. i wanted a girls night so badly and could not round up any girls. even though we are settling into ohio pretty well (we've been here a year now already!), i do miss my girls. as you get older, you just don't find friends like the ones you went to college with.

saturday morning, i felt mopey for a bit and then doug and i chatted and basically i came to realize that those days may be gone - but i can still find fun in other ways. i went and got ready and took H to another pumpkin patch and corn maze and we had a great afternoon. here is a pic of us on the hayride, we don't get many pics together because i'm always behind the camera but some people offered to take it:



sunday we took a nice nap and then doug took me and the boy to the cheesecake factory! this was very important because pumpkin cheesecake is here! i do love fall!!

it's a great pumpkin, huston jones!

we had a great time at young's jersey dairy farm yesterday. first we played in the kiddie corral - there were slides, a corn box (much like a sandbox) and john deere trikes.

then we let H loose amongst the pumpkins! the pictures tell the story......

















oh wait, i see one!


















might need some help picking it up......

halloween treats

how fun is this?

i know what i'm taking to my next halloween party!























Ingredients

1 package (16.5 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough

1 container (8 oz.) frozen light whipped topping, thawed

1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag

48 (about 1 teaspoon) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

24 (about 1 tablespoon) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups. Place one square of cookie dough into each cup.

BAKE for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. With tip of butter knife, remove cookie cups from muffin pan. Arrange on serving platter.

FILL plastic bag with whipped topping; seal. Cut ½-inch from corner of bag. Squeeze bag lightly to pipe whipped topping on top of cookie cup to form ghost shape. Position two mini morsels as eyes and one regular size morsel as a mouth on each ghost. Serve immediately or store refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

i just love this picture

my little boy. he is changing so much and is learning new things everyday. he makes his momma so proud!

mr. mom

i think this picture says it all.

when i was approached about my new job, it was 2 days til H's birthday. i did the actual interview on the morning of his 1st birthday and got the job offer two days later. they needed me to start asap (because of my awesomeness), no problem right? wellllllll, doug had already schedule two weeks of leave to just hang with the family.

somehow he got thrown into being mr. mom for two weeks straight.

when all was said and done, i think it turned out to be a blessing. each day i watched doug and huston become closer and closer. as doug learned how to do all the little things all day, huston started going to him more and more. doug got to see all the cute funny things huston does all day.

i worked the full day and come home and just want to relax. doug worked his butt off all day and was ready to pass H off the minute i walked in the door. i think a little role reversal made us both appreciate each other more too. i think all couples should do this for a few days!

ohhhh and on top of all of that, we got a puppy the weekend before i started too. (a whole other story!)

doug is mr. mom and is fabulous at it!

bad blogger, bad blogger!

i'm losing it. it being the ability to do it all. where did my supermom powers go? right out the window!

i have gone from being at home mom to huston and wife to doug, to full time HRIS analyst mom, uppercase living demonstrator, part time student, MOPS publicity chair....and somewhere in there i fit time for doug! i have not found time to fit time in for blogging though. bad blogger.

don't get me wrong, i love all that i do individually, but i think combined doug things it is too much! those that have known me for years know that i flourish when under pressure.....which is why i am addicted to sticky notes and my blackberry.

i have to say i feel better though. i was feeling a tad lazy staying at home all day with H. we had a great time, but some days i never had any adult interaction and all i did was wipe stains up off my clothes, wipe H's nose and feed him.

i'll get into a routine soon right? RIGHT!

look who's turning ONE!

my baby is turning one.

although it went entirely too fast, the last twelve months have been the best in my life. there is nothing like being a momma!

to celebrate, i have decide to chronicle his life by month:

1 MONTH - Coming into the world a whopping 7lbs 5 oz, Huston Dean David surprised us all (he was supposed to be 9-10lbs). He learned how to nurse and how to melt our hearts. At one month, he also moved 1,000 miles across the country on a 4 day road trip. Before we left, he went to his first A's baseball game when they visited the Rangers.

2 MONTHS - Rolled over all of the way. Pretty impressive for a two month old. Started sleeping through the night occasionally.

3 MONTHS - Could sit up (supported). First Halloween (he was a monkey).

4 MONTHS - Started laughing out loud. The cutest sound ever. Got a full-time, at home momma when I was laid off. Tasted pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

5 MONTHS - Had his first solid food meal, oatmeal. Went to Oklahoma for Christmas Eve.

6 MONTHS - First time at the movies. First plane ride, we went to California to meeat all of Doug's family. He loved all the attention! Started holding his bottle by himself, FREEDOM for me!

7 MONTHS - Went to his first beach when we visited our friends the Sampsons in S. Carolina. Got his first two teeth (ouch for momma, they were discovered when he bit my nose!) Stood up for the first time and learned to crawl, a cute little army crawl....I haven't sat down since.

8 MONTHS - Got another tooth. First haircut. Officially off nursing and on formula.

9 MONTHS - Got three more teeth. Started walking. Started dancing when he heard music.

10 MONTHS - Started giving momma raspberries. First time in the swimming pool, he's a little fishie.

11 MONTHS - Starting to lose interest in formula, so is eating HUGE amounts of food. Walking everywhere, into everything!

12 MONTHS - Another year of growing up too fast to come!

what the blog?

i have been a blogger slacker lately. and it's not that i have nothing to say. it's that i have finally hit that point that others talk about when they say they have no time. i used to be able to juggle so much....what happened? oh ya. probably the fact that i decided to start two businesses, take an online class, become publicity chair for my moms group and wrangle a walking 11 month old around all day. sounded good at the time though :)

but i found a solution, less time on FB and bloggin. boo. i'll get back to my superwoman ways again soon.

until then......here are some of our happenings!

planning H's FIRST birthday party!

becoming addicted to uppercase living

barnes and noble storytime is my favorite thing ever

OH is as hot as TX

did i mention H is walking?

it's baseball season in our house

i need outdoor furniture

more to come later. xo

D is for Dad

This Father's Day is the beginning of many new traditions.

I have been blessed with such a wonderful Daddy, that it is an extra blessing to have married one as well.

Every time I see H's face light up when Doug walks into a room or laugh at him being silly, my heart just swells. I love my baby boy so much and seeing him and D together makes me love them both even more.

I was so impressed this Father's Day. After many days of me hounding him about what he wanted to do, all D would give me was "pancakes". Well, of course that wouldn't fly. We ended up getting him his iPhone that he's been dying for (even though he teases me about being in love with my Blackberry). But for the actual day of, he would not give me any ideas....this is hard for me to not throw a big bash for those of you that know me well. He doesn't even like cards - because you just throw them away.

Once I thought on it, I really like the idea of making Father's Day just family time. We will start off with the requested pancakes. He'll find a Starbucks mug that you can write on. Since he doesn't like cards, each year H will write something new on it. Then family day at the pool maybe. For dinner we are having steaks and salad. Once H goes to bed, we'll have a beer and then I'm going to sleep in the spare room to give him the bed ALL TO HIMSELF.

Happy Dads Day D!

Uppercase Living

I just had my first Uppercase Living Open House. Not very many people showed up but it got me even more excited about selling it! The more I see the products the more I think of ALL the things I can do with it....which loosely translates to I will spend everything I make on it :) Seriously, I am making some commission, but I get so much free stuff with each show too!

If you haven't had a chance yet, check it out: http://walljewelry.uppercaseliving.net

my new treasure

www.etsy.com is so fun!

full blown momma

at my MOPS group, i committed to being the membership/publicity chair and am excited about it. it will be a great way to meet new people and to get to use my party planning and event skills :) there are some great moms in the group and i think we can really have fun in the upcoming year.

i'll also be doing the newsletter, which i can't wait to get started! we aren't having regular membership meetings until august, so i have lots of time to get ready and come up with some fun ideas!!

baby talk

this week i went through the air force training and got certified to become a family child care provider in my home. i initially got into it so that i could continue to stay home with huston, but make a little money.

the hard part was that i had to LEAVE huston to take the training :) luckily my awesome neighbor, amy, watched him for me and he had a ball playing with her two year old. but during this week, he got his 5th tooth and started letting go of things while he was standing! even more proof that i need to be home with him so i don't miss these things....

surprisingly, during the certification process, i found that i do have a love for early childhood development. i always suspected i should have gotten into teaching, but after spending the time on the modules and learning all the guidance and obedience information, i think i have a new passion.

the best part of all of this is that i get to use my new skills on huston as well.

i don't plan on having a houseful, but am going to get a child huston's age or a little older and an infant.

i'm pretty excited!

lets wipe this week out....

it's tuesday and i am already sick of this week.

it is possibly my last week alone with my son, as i am soon to be watching other kids in our home. i have loved this time with him so much, but we need to make the dough. he will have a blast with the other kids, but i'll lose some of my special time with him.

that being said, he is finally turning into the kid i see other parents with. he has been an angel up to this point, just laid back and sweet and cuddly. now he's starting to test his limits and throw fits and slap and all the other things that i thought i was so lucky to not have. i guess it was just delayed. maybe it's just a phase? hey, a girl can dream.

i also found out some very sad news and am still learning how to deal with it.

please let wed-sat make up for the beginning of this week.

Where is the Stork?

I watched the cutest little 2 year old for the last two days. He is our neighbors' son and we really like the family.

First off, let me say...if Madi had a twin...this could be her brother!















Now back to my point, Huston needs a little brother or sister! He had so much fun playing with Aiden and he didn't get fussy once. Which just proves my belief that he's only fussy when he gets bored. He's the only kid I know who would rather be in the car running errands than at home playing.

They definitely took some time getting used to each other, but H just laughed at everything Aiden did and followed him around. It was so cute!

So, Mr. Stork, when are you coming to my house?

no job is a good job

i decided to give up on finding a "real" job. i've applied to 120ish jobs since november with no real prospects. a very bad time for HR folks to find work!! plus i can't bear to think of dropping H off for someone else to watch. so, i've decided to get creative.

i'm going to go through the FCC (Family Child Care) program that the base offers and start watching a few tots out of my home. H will love to have playmates and it wouldn't hurt to make some extra money! plus i'll learn all the things i should be doing with my own kiddo ;)

i have also started working as an independent demponstrator for uppercase living. they have some awesome decorating items and it will be a fun way to meet people and keep up on decorating trends. http://walljewelry.uppercaseliving.net - check it out.

what a weekend

H got his first haircut. he was a little shaggy around the ears. we took him to chilis to celebrate and he tried to pick up a 14 month old girl. he already likes the cougars.

we got cabin fever because we got rained in.

i bought a new printer and it caused me to rearrange the whole living room.

we ordered our favorite chinese and it did not disappoint.

zito pitched another awesome game.

doug did about 13 loads of laundry.

at one point on saturday doug and i were sitting on the couch, H was eating snacks and i just thought - i love my life.

molly, if you are listening

i miss you so much! i found your pic today and i have to say if i ever have a dog again, it can never be as sweet as you! xoxox

home invasion

this is the time of year that the jones household changes. you can feel it in the air. around this time, not only do flowers pop up. we are also invaded. and this is the culprit:















baseball is in the air.

i like to give doug a hard time about it, but i actually am learning to enjoy his passion (within reason). it's fun to all dress up in our gear and watch a game together. it's a great way to get us all in the same room and have some family time. i'm even starting to learn who is who, who plays what, who has dumb haircuts, and who looks good in their uniform.

that being said...rooting for a winning team is MUCH more fun than a losing one. keep it up A's and Giants!

spring fling

i always say i want another boy.

but things like this make me want a dark haired little girl with curls and a dimple like hustons :)

These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside.....

Okay - I am seriously wondering if I should write a novel! The last few nights I have had some crazy drama/suspense dreams...full stories. Not even people I know. Is that how stories come to authors???

on a side note, gotta love Heart

jack of all trades

i've been applying for jobs like crazy. i kinda got into it, thinking about getting to dress up again, have adult conversations, big fat paychecks. for a short bit. then yesterday i had the best day with huston and realized i cannot give up this priceless time with him.

so begins my journey to find "work at home" opportunities. i have already been approached by all the scammers and selling gigs - they latched on the minute i got laid off.

so i decided to get creative. at one of my moms groups they were reaching out for someone to help watch their animals while they were on vacation. i can do that! so, i started a FB page called "Sit!" and we'll see how it goes. i have two lined up already.

i also was visiting with a neighbor who watches children in her home. there is a big demand, because the base child care can't handle them all. so i'm going to a briefing on that this week. (nothing crazy just one or two kiddos) huston will love having some playmates too - he gets so excited when he's around little ones.

also came across a selling gig that is less common than others....checking it out.

in the meantime, DOUG, you need to take me somewhere i can get dressed up and have adult conversation now and again.....

home is where you make it.

so, ohio is our home (away from home) for the next 3 1/2 years.

big changes in the jones household. doug's deployment got cancelled. this is good news. but the planner in me is screaming! we had made several plans to move to a smaller place, visit family, etc while he was gone. good news is we have him safe at home with us now though :)

everything has been on hold while we waited on him to come back from his deployment...so now we can actually settle in to our new "home". i can start doing the decorating projects i've been eyeing, we can start making friends, and plan to attend things without the "will we be here" mentality.

now of course nothing is in stone. doug finds out if he makes MSgt on May 27th and that could change everything...........

welcome conner!

alanna and cory had their precious baby boy!















03-25-10
5lbs 13oz
19 inches

huston can't wait to play with his new BFF!

Happy Birthday Doug!

Tomorrow is my hunee's birthday. He'll be a whopping 31. He thinks it is old, but since I'll be turning 35 this year, I really can't sympathize. I'm the one who has a uterus with a clicking clock, who has to have a rigid 5 step cleansing/toning/moisturizing/lifting/revitalizing process on my face each evening, who gains weight when I LOOK at Reese's cups, who is already forgetting things, and who is usually exhausted and ready for bed by 10pm.

Men have it easy, they look good with salt and pepper hair, wrinkles make them distinguished, IF they gain weight with age - it's all in the midsection and isn't flabby, they can make babies til they are 80, and they seems to have endless energy.

OK - off my ramblings.........what I meant to say was, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUG! I love you very much and am so glad you picked me to grow old with! Of course, if you read above, I got the much better deal :)

I hope you have a fabulous day (in your head since you have to work) and we'll celebrate with a fancy night out when you get off....you know, probably Red Robin, a baby smearing food all over himself and the table, probably a waitress that is in a rush and won't refill our drinks and no place to park - BUT YOU'LL BE WITH ME!! hee hee

XOXOX
your Roo

family matters

we've been in a bit of a slump lately. the season change always does that to me. doug's work is beating him down. we left a place where we had so many friends and family to a new place that just isn't as comfortable, and we still aren't settled in.

but the last few weeks have proven that family does matter. we had a visit from my dad and mom over Easter. H loved all the attention and it was so nice to have them for a visit. we celebrated dad and doug's birthdays and had huston's first Easter.

a few days later we went to california and spent some time with doug's mom and dad (nelson's), his dad and marie (jones'), hit up san francisco, went to an oakland A's game, and had a get together at gramps. huston couldn't get enough lovin' from everyone and i could see doug relax a little and enjoy being "home".

here are a few pics:

give me some sugar

huston had a grandma visit....you know what that means!

things i want to do while in oklahoma.....

• eat at teds (homemade tortillas, queso, yum)
• long chats full of laughs with each of my girls
• take huston to the tree farm
• perfect margaritas and all of our favorite apps with alanna at pearls
• go to an OU game
• get all of deda's great-grandkids together for a picture
• drink a beer at hudsons with alanda for old times’ sake
• go to the state fair

beach baby, beach baby

while visiting our friends in south carolina, we took the opportunity to take huston to his first beach. i wasn't too sure about what he would think of it...i think the pics will show - he LOVED it. i sat him down to unpack his toys and he took off - crawling, getting into everyone's bags, eating sand - and he had a ball. i think he is going to share our love of water!










and.....he's out

he's on the move!

the video i'm about to share has changed my life forever!




huston is on the move!

a few days ago i looked down and my baby boy was down my by feet. he's been rolling around for awhile, but this would have been a straight shot. i looked at doug and said "i think he just crawled over here" doug assured me that there was no way.

so, we baited him with his favorite object - the remote. sure enough, he did his little army crawl right to it!

now it is a constant battle to keep him away from our shoes, his diaper bag and the DVDs. no more sitting him down and getting things done i guess!!

however, i have to say i am so proud - this is his biggest milestone yet! and he's only 6 months old.....

time for some cheese, please!

ok, i try not to get to cheesy with my posts but i read something pretty interesting that i'd like to share.

now that i am a "stay at home mom & wife" i have become a little less motivated than i was when i worked in a corporate environment. i gave it my all for an employer that really didn't care about me.....i should be giving my new J-O-B it all right? well i haven't.

here are a few things i am really going to work on.

drop everything and welcome doug home with a kiss every day

spend more time on learning activities with huston

do at least one house project a day (besides washing bottles and picking up toys)

reach out to an old friend once week....i have the time now

let doug share about his day before i hand him huston and run to brush my teeth :)

huston and i have a great time all day long, but i need that break from him so bad when daddy comes home, that sometimes i forget that doug needs a break from work too. i guess between the two, have the MUCH better deal!

doug if you read this - hold me to it!

loves,
roo

knock that cookie out of my hand!

today is the day that i say goodbye to a new friend....sugar. i would like to blame my new "fluffy" appearance on baby weight, but i can't because i was actually about 15lbs down after having huston.

i know the culprit....sugar. i have never been a sweets person before. but some hormone in me switched when i was pregnant and now i LOVE IT! i eat desert after every meal and sometimes a snack too. i love reeses big cups. they are my weakness. don't even get me started on dr. pepper. and muffins, we eat a lot of muffins in this house. and Grandma peanut butter big cookies.

but, i have to say goodbye. i'm not prepared to buy all new clothes and i am outgrowing mine......

family funday

we decided that once a month we are going to designate a day "family funday" and go do all the things we say we want to do....road trip, movie, new restaurant, something fun for huston, etc.

this month we are going to go see Alice in Wonderland, have a yummy lunch and doug is going to be nice to me all day (he doesn't know that yet, i just added it in). this one is super important because i have to consume enough dr pepper and sweets to make me sick and never want to go back....we are officially getting healthy starting monday!

coming soon to a city near you.....

huston dean david jones

Tour Dates:
June 2010 - Oklahoma
(Chandler/Edmond/Shawnee)

July/August 2010 - California
(San Francisco/Tracy)

September 2010 - Oklahoma & Texas
(Chandler/Edmond/Shawnee/Dallas)

with doug deploying and me not working, huston and i talked and we decided to go "on tour" and see family and friends. we are going to drive to oklahoma early june and stay for a few weeks. once it starts hitting the high temps, we are flying to sunny california and avoid the hot months!

since his 1ST birthday lands mid-august, we'll probably celebrate in cali and then come back to oklahoma to celebrate there too....nothing wrong with have multiple birthday parties :)

then, spend a few more weeks in oklahoma, a week or so in texas and then head back to ohio so we can welcome daddy home!!

all the dates are loose right now, but wanted to let everyone know....he books fast so if you have a special request, let us know soon :)

hugs,
lisa

my boy is 6 months old....

huston had his 6 month check up and he decided to win the doctor over with his charm. he giggled and cooed and jumped at her so much she could quit laughing during the visit. she said he was her favorite patient of the day :)

everything is looking great....he weighs in at a whopping 18 pounds, but that is right where he should be on the chart (although my shoulder and back are starting to disagree!) he's about 60th percentile in height.

he is definately his daddy's son...his poor little head circumference is in the 99th percentile. maybe i shouldn't have used the word "little".

now, he is officially being taken off the boob, and is starting his fruits and veggies. so far he's had rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, applesauce and bananas. and, drumroll.....he holds his own bottle (FREEDOM for momma!)

he is learning more and more everyday and i am just loving watching him figure it all out~

pure heaven

The Cheesecake Factory's Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake™

Moist layers of Red Velvet Cake and our Original Cheesecake covered with our special Cheesecake Factory cream cheese frosting.

(you HAVE to eat it, it's for a good cause)

25¢ from the sale of each slice will be donated to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

it doesn't get any better than this.....

huston has found that sticking out his tongue is endless entertainment. he sticks it out all day long. but nothing is as funny as when momma sticks hers out too.....

my life at 36

10 things i want to do by 36

road trips to boston, nyc, chicago & dc

read 10 good books

organize my craft closet

actually start doing crafts again

make baby jones #2 (officially trying now)

see doug do an improv act (with an audience)

scrapbook our portraits

take a cooking class

become debt free (minus our vehicles)

congratulate doug on MSgt and shirt so we can get a better base ;)

if you are wondering why 36 (it does seem like an odd number), the list was originally 35, but with doug deploying i lose 6 months...plus it gives me a little longer - so maybe i'll get them all done.

will keep you posted!

what's wrong with this picture?

6,721 miles. 182 days.

doug got his orders to deploy on may 31st. he is excited to get his hands dirty and work in a *M*A*S*H* tent.....but we will be very sad to share him for 6 months. good news is that three of his good friends will be in the same band as him. this is his second round in kuwait and although i don't think he wants to leave us - i think he is chomping at the bit to go back.

with all the modern technologies....FB, Skype, etc, we will still be able to talk to him all of the time, but huston and i are sure going to miss him! huston is young enough he won't even remember...let's just see how i can handle being a single mom for 6 months ha ha. doug is a lot of help even though i give him a hard time. i could be selfish and say i don't want him to go, but the fact is i am really proud of him.

yesterday at the mall we saw the most disturbing thing. a young couple was walking with their baby and a grown man - probably 50 yrs old - grabbed the guy by the shirt and took the drink from him and threw it all over him and his family, screaming "get out of my sight". at first we thought it was a family dispute, but the girl broke down in tears and came and asked the store to call security. it was then that we found out the man had been upset at the young guy's shirt. it was a band t-shirt....and their name was "Anti-flag".

now i don't know that man's story - for all we know, he had lost someone in a war. but his actions completely go against what is being fought for. that boy has the right to wear whatever shirt he wants. and his family, especially a 3-4 month little girl, doesn't deserve to get doused in soda over it.

i'm not really one to get caught up in politics and i am still not sure that i agree with us sending soliders over, but i am proud that my husband is willing to go without question if that is where they need him. it's one of the many things i love about him.

happy tape, happy me

what a find! i love wrapping presents more than actually buying the present....check out this happy tape. i gotta get me some.....

book learnin'

Huston's Bookshelf

we are really excited about all of the books that huston has been getting. we both want him to love to read as much as we do. since his shelves are filling up fast, we'll keep an updated list to share with those that want it.

all because eight people fell in love.....

this is my favorite wall in our home. it is a collection of pictures of our biological grandparents when they were young and in love.

it is a constant reminder where we came from and and the love that it took. the fact that doug had a copy of his grandparents and is sentimental as i am makes me love him even more....

new look

well...our blog has a new look! doug has never actually posted anything on here, so it's become more of my spot. noodles of my soul if you will. i saw that phrase somewhere once and it stuck with me.

i am mother.....

.....hear me roar.

i went to a MOPS meeting tonight and the speaker really hit home with me. her topic was "are you embracing motherhood?". i thought i was. and then the more she spoke, i realized i was not. every since i have started staying home with huston full time, when people asked what i do, i said full time momma with a little bit of shame. i think i felt like it made me sound lazy. my whole life i have worked so hard, i was beginning to feel worthless not bringing in that big paycheck or flying off to meetings or trainings. listening to this woman, who had a career much like my own, and how her new life is so different than what she had done before but so much more meaningful - i realized how lucky i really am. i love being home with huston and i am the one who gets to watch him learn new things each day. what i never stopped to think about is how being a mom is really my purpose now and that raising a child might be the most important thing i will ever do.

from now on, i will say with pride when someone asks what i do. i am a mother.

what we don't control, controls us

this was the status on one of my friends FB pages today. it is so true. i see so many people struggle and give up on things when they get hard. i've always been known for stating my opinion (maybe too abruptly) when there is something on my mind. i have a such a hard time understanding those that do not try and take control of their life and make it be what they want it to be, or just deal with a situation and think they have no control over it.

the specific status was just a friend reorganizing her closet and was referring to "hoarding" in a joking matter. unfortunately it is a real thing that does control others in a vicious cycle. how can you feel good about the day when you wake up in a house full of piles and piles? then...you don't feel good so you don't want to do anything about it. doug watches the show "hoarders" and it is so sad. eventually the homes become uninhabitable and unsanitary. the people become hermits because they do not want others to see how they live. they go through depression. their heart rate actually goes up at the thought of losing some of their "collections".

this could just be my anxiety talking - i can't sleep if i think a candle is out of place, but this is just a shout out into the web-universe to those that are open to hearing.

this is my favorite thing......