Oh grey!

Oh grey nail polish, I thought I was done with you!  But in Essie's new fall line you are more of a greige...and I dig that!  You TOTALLY redeemed yourself!

"Miss Fancy Pants" by Essie

I also picked up a Essie's "Skirting the Issue".  Such a pretty burgundy color.  Perfect for fall and perfect for this Aggie!

"Skirting the Issue" by Essie

Check out Essie's full fall line, Stylenomics, here!

Nudge! Nudge, baby bird!

Today was Cooper's first day of school.  Ok, so it's the "Young Toddlers" class and it's only 2 days a week but still!  It was...intense!

I got up this morning super early so he could have the "perfect" lunch packed in his cute little lunch box.

I made sure he was in a super cute outfit because, hey, even if he turned out to be a total terror, at least he might win his teachers over with his dashing looks!

(Of course, we had to get some front yard "bishing" in before school!)

We got to the school and everything seemed fine.  He one of the first kiddos there and immediately got distracted when the teacher let him go wash his hands and play in the sink.  Anyone who knows Cooper knows his affinity for "agua"!  So I decided to take the lead and make my exit.  I kissed him on the top of his head and snuck out.

I was so proud of myself all morning, thinking of my sweet little boy up at school, NOT CRYING, and doing something extraordinary like writing his name or learning to add and subtract.  Well, as it turns out, the not crying part would have been the extraordinary thing.

I walked into the classroom after lunch, and there he was...slumped over in his chair, binky in his mouth and lovey in his hand....sobbing.  Ouch.  I walked up to him and he reached out to me and between sobs told me "Mama, bye bye.  BYE BYE!"  It still hadn't sunk in yet so I asked the teacher about his day.  She told me that he didn't cry like this all day.  He was "quiet" during music class and didn't  cry most of the time outside.  Double ouch.

My friend Taryn told me it wan't like the "weeping" kind of sadness you felt when your baby first goes to school, more like the "nauseating" kind. She was so right. I had a knot in my stomach this afternoon so big you would have thought I just dropped him off at college.

I know it's for the best. I know that part of helping him grow is letting him struggle a bit.  I also know that he will get used to it and learn to love it.  But, man!!!  This mama bird got a little taste of why they call this the "hardest job in the world" today!

Football Widow

To all of my fellow football widows...

The time of year when your husband shuts down to the world and there is constantly football on from Thursday night college to NFL Mondays is rapidly approaching.  Ahhhh, football season.  I would be ok if I only had to watch my teams (Aggies, Cowboys and my new addition the Miami Dolphins!... J-Train!), but sadly this isn't the case.  When your husband stays up to watch a 10pm kickoff after he's followed all the games from the East coast to the West coast you know you have a problem.  Thank God A&M didn't move to the Pac-10!

This will be the 9th football season Kyle and I have spent together so at this point I consider myself a seasoned veteran football widow.  I've learned a few things and have come along way from my days of whining and tallying hours spent on football.  You see, after I embraced the passion, things started looking up around here.  The way I see it, season football tickets equate to season tickets to off-Broadway musicals.  Five months of football on TV equates to all the "junk TV" and Terms of Endearment you can possibly watch all spring long.

AND, when your husband comes home with this just in time for the new football season (How convenient...):

You don't get mad.  In fact, you smile imagining all of the wonderful gifts he surely is about to shower you with for no reason.  And no, I am not scared to remedy this situation on my own.  Be afraid, Kyle. Be very afraid! 

[Not a] Bad Hair Day

How do boys always get the best eyelashes and the best hair?! Cooper certainly takes the cake in the hair department.  Here is a pic of his sweet lettuce after running around sweating in the 150% humidity here in Houston.

So. Not. Fair.

I'm sure that if I ever have a little girl her hair will look nothing like this. [Sigh.]

"Bish"!

I've blogged before about how Cooper loves to do all things "boy".  (He May Look LIke His Mama)  His latest craze is anything and everything to do with fishing, which he calls "BISH"!  He has been walking around the house with his fly reel for the past week or so, letting out line and reeling it in.  He used to have his own rod that his Papa gave him, but Daddy accidentally ran it over in the driveway one night!  It was just about the highlight of his life when his Daddy took him to the new fishing store last weekend!

Here he is, "bishing" around the house!

There are multiple generations of men on both sides of the family who I'm sure are taking credit right now for Cooper's love of fishing.  But, for the record, Cooper caught his first fish with his Mama!  Here we are in Jackson when I was 5 months pregnant with Cooper and with our trophy trout!

More Funnies

Added one to the journal tonight...

Without fail, every time we take Cooper out of the bath he tells us that he is "WET"!  Just in case we forget to give him a towel?  Ha!

Confessions...

A friend from A&M has the cutest blog, Stories of a Stay at Home Mom, and she has a weekly posting for her "Wednesday Confessional".  It makes me smile every time I read it and and it's just so...refreshing!  I love Mom friends who tell it like it is!

So since this post is a tribute to hers, here are some of mine (a day late)!!!

• I steal food from my kid. Blue Box Mac n' Cheese? Fruit Bunnies? Goldfish? Yes, please!
• I have Kyle convinced that I don't know how to iron. I'm sorry, but it's $0.99 to launder and press a shirt at the dry cleaner; I can find a better use for my time.
• I truly believe that not eating all of your french fries is the equivalent of not eating any.
• I cried my eyes out the night before I had Cooper...over the dog! I was heartbroken about not being able to take her every morning for our walk. Things are different now but she seems to enjoy the extra food that Cooper "shares" with her and the extra "ball thrower" we now have at the house!
• Cooper LOVES the Swiffer. I actually put a cleaning cloth on for him and praise him when he gets a lot of dog hair. I mean, might as well!

Here is Courtney's most recent post:

Wednesday Confessional

Chapter 5

Last week Charley woke up EARLY and was super fussy. Jay was also really whiny that morning. I knew it was going to be a rough morning, so what did I do? Headed to the gym and dropped the kids at the nursery! I didn't even feel like working out that day, but the thought of having a break from my fussing kids sounded AMAZING! I handed the kids over, left a bottle for Charley, and took off. I spent ten minutes in the locker room just sitting there in silence. God bless those ladies!

We spent a week in Wisconsin and Chicago- without Anthony. We were with my family and they were super helpful of course. But being a single parent is NO JOKE! I am beyond exhausted!

Speaking of, I noticed my milk supply went up 100 jillion percent while we were there. I am 99% sure it was from the ridiculous high fat foods I consumed all week (brats, cheese, cheese, pizza, and cheese). Add that to no exercise and just call me a Holstein!

I had a random man at a Truck Stop tell me Jay was too old for a pacifier. So many insults went flying through my mind, but I just bit my tongue and muttered something like, "Thanks for the advice" under my breath. Really Mr. Trucker???

I ate so few fruits and vegetables this past week that I actually counted the bell peppers and onions in my deep dish pizza part of my veggies for the day. Sad? Very.

I stay up way too late every night. The feeling of freedom after the kids are down far outweighs the lack of sleep. But then I complain I'm tired. Another vicious cycle.

While we were traveling, I didn't want to buy (and then pack) a new package of diapers for Jay. So when we got down to the final TWO diapers to get us through the day, we had a choice- buy a new pack, or hope for the best. Let's just say, my bag was light- we traveled all day (car ride, airplane ride, and another car ride) with two diapers. THANKYOUJESUS for letting that one work out. What a mess that would have been!

Funnies

Kyle's boss once told me about the journal he keeps by his bed.  Every time one of his kids says or does something funny, he writes it down and has done so ever since they were walking and talking.  Now that his kids are older (late elementary or middle school I believe) they love looking through the book and he is still writing!

I thought it was a really great idea so I started my own.  My first entry was from February 2012 when Cooper walked around saying "duck you! duck you!", duck being his favorite word!  Eeek!

At 18 months old, we are definitely having more frequent entries!  This morning's went something like this:

"I was changing your diaper when you squirmed, wiggled away from me and sat up.  I told you that 'kids can't run around with no pants on' and 'look at that naked tush!'  You looked down and in the most adult voice an 18 month old can muster you said, 'Oh no... Oh gosh!'"

Looking forward to sharing more of these "funnies" down the road!

My summer love affair

It's Hatch Chile season!

Last year, Kyle and I ventured to Santa Fe for our first "away from baby" vacation.  I had heard of Hatch chiles before, as our local gourmet grocer has a Hatch Festival every year, but had never understood the appeal.  A chile is a chile is a chile, right?  WRONG!

Towards the end of the summer in Santa Fe, you can't walk outside without the mouth-watering smell of roasting hatch chiles smacking you in the face.  You can get them anywhere form a street roaster to the nicest restaurants in town.  I don't know if it's all of the marketing hype that has sucked me in, or the fact that they just aren't available fresh for more than a few weeks.  But, like a fleeting summer fling, the are hot and sassy and gone by the fall!

When roasted, the skin gets almost buttery.  I like the flavor because it's more of a slow heat, not quite as hot as a jalepeno and more meaty.  Kyle roasted them with onions on the grill last night and served them on top of a burger, smothered in Mexican cheese.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I haven't tried but think they'd be great on pizza, eggs or in pimento cheese!  Here are some more fun recipes from Central Market.  Hatch brownies anyone?

A creature of habit!

I'm not an anxious traveler...once I make it to the airport on time that is! However, I have three distinct in-flight items that I do not enjoy anywhere but on a plane!

1. Neon green Wrigley's gum (like my mom used to give me so my ears wouldn't hurt)
2. National Geographic - I have no interest unless I'm flying, then, I can't put it down.
3. Ginger Ale - I never intend to order this but somehow whenever the stewardess comes by that's what comes out of my mouth. What?!

Any other strange in-flight rituals out there?

Fly the friendly skies

Tomorrow I am headed out of town for a friend’s wedding.  Alone.  While I will miss my boys terribly, I find myself laughing at the things that I am getting the most excited about.

1. I don’t have to watch Yo Gabba Gabba ad nauseam on the plane.  In fact, I get to read the book that I started 3 months ago.  Good book? Bad book? Who cares?! 
2. I am taking 1 suitcase. 1!!!
3. There is no fear of forgetting some gadget that will prevent my sleeping through the night.
4.  I will not have to plan my eating / showering / LIFE around nap time.
5. I don’t have to worry about someone else’s poop.  (For all of you non-Mommas out there, this is a big deal when you are traveling.  Well, actually it’s a big deal all the time!  Who would have thought?!)

Hope these two behave while the cat's away!

For the birds

I have been on the hunt for some art for a couple of walls in my dining room lately.  I’ve noticed a lot of places are carrying framed vintage botanical and bird prints and I love the look. (Ballard, Restoration Hardware, BHG)

I will admit I’m not the craftiest person out there.  I can’t draw, or paint, or sculpt but I’m damn good with a pair of scissors!  Plus, I have zero time and zero patience for tasks that can’t be accomplished in 30 minutes or less…unless they involve food, um, or wine.

I bought this vintage book of Audubon bird prints and went to work.  A few frames and matting from Michael’s later and Voila! 

Quick update for the dining room on a dime!  I think these would also be great in a kitchen or breakfast nook with white washed or grey frames.

Roomie Reunion

What do you get when you put together 5 former college roommates, 4 babies, a 3 day lake trip and 2 condos? 1 really crazy weekend filled with diaper talks, laughing, crying, no sleep and wayyyyyy to many margaritas!

I’ve been friends with this group of girls for 10 years since meeting at brand new Kappa pledges at Texas A&M.  No matter how much time has passed, when we get together we still act like brand new Kappa pledges at Texas A&M.  Oh the shenanigans! 


Here’s a recap of the weekend from my friend Chelsea’s blog:



The Life We Love

First Annual IKPi Family Vacay

This weekend we took our first family trip! We went to Lake Conroe outside of Houston and met up with my college BFFs for the first annual "IKPi Family Vacation." 

The seven of us have been friends for TEN years now (!), and last summer sitting on the porch of Natalie's aunt's lake house, we decided it was high time for an annual family get together. 

We chose the first weekend of August as the official weekend and decided each year that's when it was, whoever could come would come. Otherwise it just gets too hard to coordinate schedules! This year Jill and Liz's families weren't able to make it, but everyone else was there. 

Nine adults. Four babies. Two smallish condos. Lots of diapers, pack & plays, baby monitors and margaritas! Ample time spent rehashing old stories, rocking babies, LAUGHING, feeding babies, watching the Olympics and playing with babies. 

There was a game of golf played by the guys and a game of 42 that went late into the night. There were baby bottles, half drank water bottles, the occasional empty beer bottle... wet pool towels, and singing, squeaking baby toys as far as the eye could see. What can I say? It's just the stage of life we're at.

The only thing lacking were space for all of our GEAR and sleep! Four babies on four different schedules make sleeping a little tricky. 

"Oh! It's you again."

Reunited and it feels so good!!!

Natalie and David brought a baby pool.

And the community pool was also frequented.

It goes without saying that Erin and I acted like.... well Erin and I.

Like we were going to show up without the horse heads! And thank goodness we didn't, otherwise how would we have posed with this amazing wolf statue?

 Morning walk

Feeding the ducks

"Giving kisses"

We were there from Thursday until Sunday. Each night after all the babies went to sleep we would eat dinner and talk and laugh, and try to remember to keep our voices down and David would blend margaritas outside on the patio so we didn't wake the sleeping babies. 

"Foiled again" was the caption I believe we thought up for this one. Ha.

Terrifying flying roaches.

And then there was that...

We tried our best to get a picture of all the babies together in their Aggie gear...

And that resulted in four of us clapping and dancing and making fools

 of ourselves singing "Oooh baby, baby... ooooh baby, baby" in unison (which we later realized may not be the most child friendly song we could have chosen).

And this is how the babies responded.

Their faces say it all. 

SKEPTICAL/ AMUSED/TERRIFIED/MOM YOU'RE CRAZY

 "How you doin?"

Later that night we tried to take a "good group pic" with the adults, and somehow- we had basically the same result.

 Guess it's true what they say about apples and trees. Funny how that works!

What a fun, fun, FUN weekend! I am so blessed to have such a great group of friends that has stuck together. I love these people dearly!

We missed you Jill and Liz!!!!!