Birthday Party Procrastination

Generally, I'm on top of the game. I have birthday parties scheduled a month in advance with an awesome list of to do's and games and even a menu planned way ahead of party day. Then, I spend the week or two before the party preparing the games, buying all the necessary trinkets and candies and food items, packing gift bags, etc.

This time, not so much. I'm feeling similar to a chicken with it's head chopped off.

It started when I refused to pick a date for the party. I knew that it had to be somewhere around his birthday, but was more than willing to wait until mid-March if I had to. I am beginning to strongly dislike chaos. But, Jose pushed me to pick a day, so finally, I called the church and asked if tomorrow today was available to use the fellowship hall (we have a large family...and when you add in friends, there is no way everyone would fit in our house. Isa's last birthday had over 50 attendees. Seriously...).

The same day that I reserved the hall, I put up a facebook invite and sent out messages to the invited. Then, I did nothing.

On Wednesday, Teo's actual birthday, Jose struck up the conversation in the car on the way home and asked what the plan was..."What plan?" was my reply. I asked if we could just have people come, eat lunch with us, do the cake and ice cream, open gifts and leave. He told me that I was being lazy.

What games do 2-year-olds play? I don't remember adding games into Isa's parties until at least three. So, in his darling attempt to help, he suggested musical chairs. I retorted that Teo couldn't even get INTO the chairs...so, we agreed to disagree for the time being.

Last night, Jose took Teo to the store and bought the food we needed and didn't already have stocked. Chili dogs, hot dogs, chili, PB&Js, chips, and soda.

Tonight, I finally gave in and agreed to go to the party store, only to find out that their hours Monday - Friday are 9 AM to 5 PM. Seriously? Urg. So, we ended up shopping in a nearby plaza and getting the things for gift bags. And after dropping the kids off to my mom and enjoying a nice dinner just the two of us, we returned home to watch a stupid movie and pack treat bags. Fifty treat bags. Then, when the movie ended, Jose took his place in the kitchen (hehe) and I began to be artsy fartsy. I made a mask for crafts and used my printer to make copies (something that I was extremely grateful for because for Isa's 4th birthday, I hand-drew about 30 monster masks), then painted the board for a game of Pin The Tail.

The craft and the game are on the table, waiting to be taken to the church tomorrow later today after we sleep. Jose has made the PB&Js and is finishing up the cake (photos will come after the party). When we wake up, he will make the rest of the lunch and I am going to beg to run to get a quick haircut. We also need to run somewhere to buy our son his birthday gift (which I have no idea what to buy) and then, we will go to the church and set up everything and just wait for the party to begin.

But for now, I need to write my list of things to do tomorrow, in detail, or else I am sure I will forget:

• Call mom to get hole punch
• Take scissors
• Take crayon box
• Grab yarn
• Take goodie bags, board, tails, mask copies
• Buy gift
• Get haircut (I hope)
• Take all the food
• Grab camera and extra batteries
• Buy forks (everywhere we go, they are sold out of disposable forks...weird!)
• Grab scotch tape
• Buy candles (where do these things go after each birthday?!)
• Pack Isa's stuff (she's going to a slumber party straight from the birthday party)
• Go to church
• Blow up balloons
• Set up games and craft table
• Wait
• Eat
• Have fun
• Spoil my son
• Play games
• Cake
• Open gifts
• Go home and nap

Later ya'll. I need to crash!

My Little Sucker-Upper

When you have a Teo, you need nothing else.

Yesterday, we babysat Miss Kirra (she turned one this week!). Within two minutes of walking in the door and realizing that her mom was going to leave her here, she began to throw a fit. In effort to calm her down, her mommy brought out the little container where she stored her puffs. Miss Kirra was obviously distraught and in her arm flailing, knocked the entire container to the floor, puffs and all. However, have no fear, within ten minutes of knocking them to the floor, the puffs were all gone. Teo ate them. One by one from the floor.

Today, the kids decided to color and do crafts, thus bringing out Isa's craft stuff (a bag and a container full of markers, crayons, stencils, paints, glue, paper, stickers, etc.). They were being fairly quiet so I didn't think much of it. Until Teo puts his hand out to show me his newest "snack"...the watercolor pebbles that he had turned into paint with his saliva. His hands and face were covered with watercolor paint. (Thanks Jill for buying a ton of watercolors, leaving them here, and ensuring that they were nontoxic.)

Two Years Ago

On February 23rd, 2009, around 5:55 PM, I was blessed to bring my one and only son into the world. Happy birthday, Mateo Jose.

I love you.

Flood.

When it rains, it pours. When it pours, it floods. That's basically where my life has gone....flooded.

I can't even put things together enough to write a coherant blog post...there is so much going on in my mind...so, to spare you all, I'm not even going to try.

Here's just an idea of what I will be explaining in detail at some point of time in the future:

• My dad called, but I didn't accept the call. I need to write him a letter.
• My sister-in-law called and we are going to help her out. We need to re-arrange some things in the house.
• Isa woke up this morning with a 102.7 fever and then threw up. She will be home with me tomorrow.
• Our sleep patterns have been shot to hell this weekend. Friday night, we went to sleep at 2 AM. I got woken up at 5 AM by a phone call requiring me to leave. I returned home and went back to sleep around 11 AM and I slept until about 2 PM. Last night, we didn't fall asleep until 4 AM and woke up around 8 AM, but went back to sleep until about 10 AM when Isa finally woke up. We returned to take a nap around 1 PM and slept until about 5 PM. Now, it's 11 PM and I know I need to go to bed. But my brain seems to think differently.
• My son broke a wine glass that I painted for heARTworks, now, I need to redo it. It pretty much rocked too.
• My home needs some loving attention. The dust on my mantel is high enough that you cannot see the original wood color (mostly thanks to all the sanding that Jose did to the house in January). The laundry pile that needs folded is large enough that an elephant would be scared. The craft room's mess could hide small vehicle. Ugh. I need a maid.

I'm pretty sure that I jinxed myself last week when I stated that I really want a boring life. When I can think straight, I'll fill in some missing pieces...if you pray, please just shoot out some little prayers for our little family. Thank you.

Confessions of a Real Life Mommy #7, 8, 9, & 10

#7. Isa has a drawer under her bed that is broken. Instead of fixing it, we just emptied it, pushed it in, and told her not to use it.

#8. Teo would rather wear his potty seat around his head than use it. I'd rather not fight with him about it until he starts using it, so it's a common accessory.

#9. The first thing we taught our kids once they could walk was to throw their own diapers away. It just makes sense.

#10. I don't think that either of my kids has worn matching socks in over 4 months. See Confession #3 for more info.

Prisoner In Teo's Room

Sometimes, plans that are not well thought out backfire. Sometimes, I fail to create well thought out plans. Today, one of those backfired.

Teo's door knob to his door fell off. The screw came out. But it was right when he began his nightly battle against sleep, so it worked out well because he would slam his door in anger, and then be unable to escape to play. (We have never once closed the door, but wait for him to close it himself.)

We have strategically placed the knob in the linen closet so that we can then open the door from the hallway once he falls asleep. And, Isa even knows where the knob is and how to use it to open the door.

There have been a couple of instances when we have had other children over to play and the door gets closed, but it's always been a quick fix and the benefits have been greater than the downfalls...until today.

This morning, while getting the kids ready, I went into Teo's room to grab a diaper and his pants. Isa followed me in, talking about socks or something. Then Teo came in also. I told him to lay down to change his diaper, but he didn't want to, so he yelled, "NO!" and turned around and slammed the door...

...with the only three people in the house in the room with no doorknob...

...with no cell phone...

...with no tools or utensils or toys that I could use to maneuver through the door mechanism to open it...

...with Isa freaking out that we would be locked in the room until Daddy came home around 4 PM.

However, mama didn't go to college for nothing. I learned a little something, even if it was just a little extra problem solving skills. I was able to remove the doorknob of Teo's closet and use it to open the door, with the help of Isa pulling the door open from the bottom since it opens inwards into the room.

Within moments we were free! Whew. I was scared that the three of us would be trapped in the bedroom for eight hours with no food, no coffee, and no bathroom...and that I would have ended up in a padded room with a straight jacket.

What Sucks Worse?

My poor baby boy, sleeping in my arms while we are in the car...

This is a little game we like to play...what sucks worse? So...here we go...

What sucks worse than your kid puking?
Your kid puking in public.

What sucks worse than your kid puking in public?
Your kid puking in a nice fancy restaurant.

What sucks worse than your kid puking in a nice fancy restaurant?
Your kid puking in a nice fancy restaurant after you ordered but before your food arrived and when you are hungry.

What sucks worse than your kid puking in a nice fancy restaurant after you ordered but before your food arrived and when you are hungry?
You kid puking when all the above is true but when you are dining with others and are paying so you leave the rest of your party inside so that you can sit in your car holding your sick kid, hungry but slightly appalled at the thought of food after witnessing a scene similar to the exorcist, waiting for everyone to eat.

Yea. Thats what I am doing....

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My Son....My Personal Pain in the Butt

See this lil' guy...? He has been my personal pain in the butt since before he was born. And he has definately set it as his personal standard...

When I was pregnant, I had gestational diabetes. When they induced me about two weeks early, I figured it would be cake. I mean, seriously, I had my daughter without any pain meds, so the second one is easier, right? Wrong. This kid's mission has been to be a booger in my behind.

I demanded an epidural after just a few hours of being in labor. I attributed it to being exhausted from the rough pregnancy. However, it was more than that. His entire labor was more than that [but that's a different story for a different day]. When he finally was ready to grace this world with his presence, the first words I remember out of my petite Asian doctor's mouth was, "Oh! He's sunny side up!"

In real people terms, that means that he decided to be born face up instead of the normal face down. So what's the big deal? That means that the back of his skull rubbed down each and every one of my vertibrae as he traveled the birth canal. Fun.

So, now, he continues to hold his standard of pain-in-the-buttness high. Today is a perfect example.

This is a photo taken by our amazing neighbor, Deanna.

This afternoon, we had a playdate...about five or so other kids came to join Teo in lunch, playing and just having fun. After about ten complaints of Teo hitting them, one other boy requested to play the wii. No problem. I had him choose a game to play and I turned on the tv and the wii. Hit eject. Grinding noise, but nothing comes out. Hit eject again. Still nothing. So, I try to insert the disk for the game he wanted to play...but it won't go in. I look closer. I disconnect the wii and hold it upside down.

Out falls about five coins.

I shake it. Out comes about three more.

So, I hook it back up but there is still something blocking the disk from ejecting, so I wait for my husband to come home. He takes it apart and lo and behold, about four more coins.

That was more than enough of a pain in the buttness for me today. But, obviously not for Mateo...

So, around nine, Jose puts him to bed. Of course, I didn't expect him to sleep, but he was quiet, so I left him to do his own thing and wear down. Then, I heard plastic, like a grocery bag rustling...so I snuck upstairs to see what he was doing. There he stood in the mess that he had created.

He had pulled all the toilet paper that he could reach out of our stockpile. He also pulled out everything else he could grab. And shredded about two rolls of toilet paper that were strung across the hallway.

I put him back into bed. Cleaned the hall. And haven't heard him moving around since...hopefully.

He is lucky that he is so darn cute...

Co-Sleeping with Mr. Jibber Jabber

I have never been an advocate for or against co-sleeping. When it was necessary for me to get two hours of sleep with newborns, I co-slept. For my son, what that meant was that every night since birth for at least three months, I slept on my back with him laying on my chest until he eventually figured it out. Actually, until we figured it out, meaning a way to "trick" him into sleeping, which resulted in many nights of him sleeping in a car seat. Don't judge me. I had a LOT to deal with at that time.

Anyways, the carseat thing was a means to begin the process of self-soothing and allowing him to sleep on his own. As soon as he was sleeping flat on a mattress insead of in the carseat, he was moved to his crib in his own room. (Isa slept in her crib in our living room from the time we brought her home. We had a 1 bedroom apartment, so the living room became her oasis.) I do not think there is need to keep my kids in the room with me while I sleep. I also do not judge those who do. I know myself to know that I would fret and freak out about every peep and squeak made when they are next to me, so as soon as they are sleeping well on their own, they are in a separate room.

With both kids, we switched them from cribs to toddler beds early on. Isa was probably 2 or so when we made the switch. Teo was barely one. He loved going into Isa's room to lay (and play and jump and fall off of) her toddler bed, so when her feet began to hang off the edge and we got her a twin bed, we saw no reason to wait to make the switch. And, I believe it was a good choice. He adjusted well and he adjusted quickly. His room was already very baby proofed, and in case you didn't notice, Teo is twice the size of a kid his age (then and now). So the change to a toddler bed last spring was a success.

However, when we made the change, we also implemented the use of a baby gate in his doorway during naptime and night night time. He never climbs it or kicks it down (although he definately could if he just thought about it). The gate was not just to keep him in his room, but to protect him from the nearby stairs and from the dangerous small toys in the neighboring bedroom and more. But, since then, he has mastered going up and down the stairs, he has grown knowledgeable on where sissy's room is and where mommy and daddy's room is. And Isa has began to take it as her task to release him from his gated prison. So, as soon as he was awake, the gate came down, whether mommy or daddy knew or not. (I am sure this is a secret agreement amongst them, as their early morning routine includes playing quietly in Isa's bedroom, watching a video and eating whatever Isa has gotten for their breakfast, whether Mommy or Daddy are awake or not.) So, in the past week, the gate has slowly but surely become an option, not a necessity.

Last night, around 3:30 AM, I was waken from a deep sleep by wiggling and a tiny voice just talking and talking next to me in my bed. I have no idea what baby talk jibberish was being said, nor am I sure what all the movement was about. I have no clue how long he had been there. But, there he was, my lil' Teo...chatting away, wiggling to his hearts content, sandwiched between Jose and I in our bed. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Mom and Dad were not listening nor paying attention. That we were deep asleep. So, slowly, as I began to wake up, I talked softly with him and we spent about 15 minutes of chitter chatter, before I tried to awake Daddy to return Teo to his bed. I love his words. As I'm trying to shake Jose, all I hear is "DaDa. Nigh Nigh. BaBa. DADA!"

I am sure that this too will run its course and there will be a point where I get frustrated by this (I know this for a fact because the five year old little girl that we find in our bed causes me literal backaches with how she takes over the mattress), but right now, it makes me smile.

This Evening...

...I got to go out to dinner with my family, and although my kids had moments of acting horrible, I enjoyed it.
...Teo put his pants on all by himself and although they were backwards, he was so proud and it was so cute. I enjoyed it.
...my husband took initiative to take me out sans kids, and although it didn't go as planned, I enjoyed it.
...Jose and I went to Starbucks and he enjoyed his coffee and we had a real discussion about real things. I enjoyed it.
...we went shopping after coffee and although we spent too much, we bought 3 wii games, including Just Dance 2 (which ROCKS!) and clothes for the kids. My favorites: matching skeleton hoodies that will be worn year round, no worries! I enjoyed it.
...we walked and held hands in the cold. I enjoyed it.
...we returned home to see Isa asleep in Jamie's arms and realized (again) that blood doesn't make a family. I enjoyed it.
...although he was playing his shoot 'em up game, Jose changed disks and we Just Danced for over an hour! I laughed a lot and I enjoyed it.
...Jose went to bed and I stayed up alone to paint a mummy for our youth group. I got time to think and do something relaxing that I love. I enjoyed it.

Today was a good day. :)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Saves the Day

My day was long and mentally tiring. It was great. I loved it. The conversations, the thoughts. I really had a great day. But it made me tired. So, I listened to Ingred Michaelson on the ride home. LOUD. Enough said.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a very rambunctious duo. It should have been my warning for the night.

In the next hour, I stripped my son down to his diaper because he likes to play with the chocolate syrup, started a load of laundry because his chocolate covered clothes transferred mess to my clothes when he decided to jump on me, had to deal with a million mini freakout tantrums, got my coupon binders ran over by a high chair, pulled a Suduku book out of the toilet, got headbutted in the face, had kids jumping all over me, and much more!
So, finally, I submitted to powers stronger than me and permitted the tv to turn on. Within seconds, both kids were silent, sitting on the couch, entranced by Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was pretty awesome.

I'm not sure if I should be joyous or sad that they are so enamored by that movie... I love it. I love that they love it. They would rather watch musicals and things like that than stupid cartoons like Spongebob. But still, they do love the tv and that is kinda a bummer.

Often I wonder what other families do about tv and movie rules. Is there an amount of time set per day? How do you keep track? Is it a reward kinda thing? Hmmm....

My unintentional week.

This week, intentional time has been few and far between. Actually, anything intentional has possibly flewn out the window. Since the start of the week, we have been nothing but schedule changes, inconsistancies, and floops. What? You don't know what a floop is? Me either. It just sounds about right.

Monday's major event was registering Isa for school. She is official. Kindergarten starts in a couple weeks. Teachers are Ms. Smith and Sra. Frabel. We have a teacher conference next week to meet the teacher. I have already met Sra. Frabel and am not her largest fan, but maybe she will show me that she's a better teacher than my first impression. She's the one who evaluated Isa for early admission.

Monday also marked the end to our first 12 week series of 24/7 Dad. It was bittersweet. There were three guys who completed the course and through it all, we all grew fairly close. Now, to know that we will not be meeting once a week, was hard. But it was wonderful to hear them give their thoughts and opinions of how the class has affected their lives.

Tuesday was one of my days home with the kids. They simply drove me crazy. It was a very hot and muggy day. And with our lack of central air, it was difficult to keep the house cool enough for us not to go insane. The kids got the vibe, I'm sure, because they were extra nerve wrecking with their arguements and misbehavings. I survived. Barely. And when Jose got home, he helped Isa clean her room.

The agreement was if she cleaned her room, we could go to Chuck E. Cheese. I believe Jose saw the need for Chuck E. Cheese to calm my nerves and to cool us all down, so he cleaned with her to make it happen. We skipped the church softball game (which was their first win) and met my sister at Chuck E. Cheese, for a night of fun, food and cool air. When we returned home, both kids easily went to bed and my wits were restored.

Tuesday also marked the day when the neighbor, John, came knocking on my door, asking if we knew anyone who could use a couch, free. I had just taken Teo out of the bath, so I was slightly distracted by his naked butt running around the foyer as I spoke to John, so I just told him I'd check around. When I texted Jose, he reminded me that WE need a new couch. So, I went next door and asked if we could have it. By the end of the day, we got a new couch and a new recliner for our living room. The old chair returned to its lair in the basement and the couch is in the dining room waiting for a new home.

Wednesday was another work day. Meetings, meetings, meetings was the jist of it. Good meetings though. During the few moments that I was home, I recieved another knock at the door which led to the neighbor giving us a cabinet thing (like for an entry area), a chalk board, a large glass mirror, and a built in bar area (for the basement). Last night, we got it all downstairs and I believe I sweated about ten pounds of water off.

Today (Thursday) has also been very random.  The kids woke me up kinda early, so after breakfast, I allowed cartoons and play. Teo did basically every single thing he could have to get in trouble. Every time he was sent to timeout, he was giggling. So, by 9:45, he was sent up for a nap (usually, he goes down at 10). Now, at 11:45, he is still awake. Screaming. Throwing things. He is simply fighting sleep and his desire for independence and stubborn struggle has worn me down. I went up to calm him down about a half hour ago, and he ended up sitting in bed, giving milk from his sippy cup to each of his stuffed friends in his bed. Afterwards, he would lick them. (I have NO idea!) I have gotten to the point where it is now a battle of willpower, so I will not give in and let him out of his room without a nap. He is so tired. When I was up there, he kept rubbing his eyes, laying down and relaxing for a split second before he realized he was at ease, then tensing back up and starting to scream and cry again. The silence is lasting a little longer and longer each time now, so soon, he will be asleep, I hope.

Isa and I have dentist appointments at 2 PM. McKenzie and Scott with be babysitting Teo here for the short amount of time that we will be gone. I pray that he becomes a normal kid by then. I'll let you know...

Don't tell my legs, my achy breaky legs...

...that, deep down, secretly, I enjoyed the run that I took this morning with Merri and Jason. It wasn't much, but was killer to me. One way, I'm estimating between half a mile to a full mile. That means going and coming back we ran (I cheated and did some walking, but not much) between a mile or two. Wow. Ugh. I haven't ran like that since college, so over five years...I know I'm going to feel it in the morning. Ha! But, if possible, I will do it again next week. Maybe even twice. Lol. Here I am, overweight and a smoker, trying to run. I continuously told Merri that I A) was going to die and B) hated her. Obviously I didn't die and really, I love her. It was the burning in my legs talking, I swear.

After that, we went swimming. It was an awesome way to cool off and, although I didn't do much like laps, it was fun to have all the kids in there, splashing and playing away. Then, did a lot of just hanging around while Jason had a dentist appointment. Ate lunch, put the little ones down for nap (Teo sleeps in Thadius' big boy bed when he needs a nap there; it's so cute!) and once Jason got back, we went to the zoo for another hour or so of walking.

In all honesty, the part that was the worst was the sweltering heat. When I called time and temp around five, it was 91 degrees out. Uck.

Now, we are just hanging out in the storm. Jose's watching some Asian man cooking on PBS and Teo is in bed. Isa's spending the night at her friend Nessa's house.

Here is the day in pics:

This is how I found Teo this morning. Sometime in the middle of the night, he removed his diaper and then went back to sleep in the nude. It's cute now, but I hope he doesn't continue this into his teens. Haha!

Isa and Thadius at the zoo. :)

Teo at the zoo, up close and personal with the donkey. It was cool until the donkey started gnawing on our stroller. Bad donkey. Strollers are not food.

I was watching Teo as he got a cookie box off the table, got a cookie out, and then sat down at the table alone just like a big boy. He looks so tiny though, sitting there eating his cookie. I think this may easily be one of my favorite pix.

Jose, Teo and I went to Golden Corral for dinner after Isa went to a sleepover at Nessa's house. The first picture is classic Teo face. I love it. This is his "baby bird mouth" that I adore. He makes it when he's waiting for you to feed him. So cute. The second pic is just tired baby boy leaning on daddy's arm while eating. Sometimes, it's such a rough life...

And that is all. Good night world. Hope your weekend is stellar! :)

What Better Way to Glimpse My Life...[Part II]

Here is a continuation of the random photos found on my phone. :) Enjoy.

Isa, playing the "ball game" on my iPod.

A sick Teo, after his bath, which had the opposite of a calming effect. He looks so miserable, yet so adorable.

A good friend from church, Sarah. We realized while at a Tastefully Simple party that I needed a pic for my phone as her contact photo, so this is now what pops up when she calls. :)

Heidi leaves a pair of flip flops at our house for when she goes out to smoke. Teo loves to play with those flip flops. I caught him putting them in the crisper drawer...hmm. No wonder we can't ever find them when she's she is looking for them.

For a day or two, Teo had an ucky butt rash. I stayed home with him and let him air his booty out for short periods of time. Snapped this pic and just had to save it! I love that lil' bum! <3

There he goes with Heidi's flip flops again!

I went to WM after a long stint of sending Jose and FREAKED out when I realized that there were no shelves of junk between the aisles! I had to message Jose and ask him what was going on. It seriously was weird!

Got some money from a coworker of Jose's for helping him put together an "ask packet" for sponsorships. I used it to get the long awaited tattoo to add Teo's name to my wrist. The name and the star are his.

At my old job, I would often get bored, so I'd send a pic of me to Jose and the kids to say hi. This is one of those pix.

When we go to Meijer, it's as much of an entertainment thing as it is a shopping thing. Here's Jose and Isa.

We also have fun when we go out to eat. Here is Teo, Isa, and Jose and BDubs. Teo thinks he's a ladies man. Pretty sure he's on the phone with one of his many girlfriends in this pic. My hubs is just plain sexy. And Isa is playing with a toy from a Happy Meal, but Jose constantly laughs at the pic and says it looks like she's holding a turd. Ew.

This is my puppy, who isn't a puppy, and who kinda isn't mine anymore. Her name is Lacie. Short for Larceny. I <3 her so much. It's been six years since I got her and she lives with my mom on their huge country property. She is happy there (and well fed!).

This is what I got paid to do sometimes at the old job. :) It was a nice break from all the other "uck"...

When I saw him doing this, I laughed SO HARD! He is my ornery booger...

Last year, our art teacher came into work wearing a Twinkie costume (I'm hoping it was Halloween week). I was trying to eat her! :) HAHAHA! This is a horrible pic of me btw.

Around Halloween last year, Isa and Teo got these masks from Richards (we love to eat there, like some old fogies!) and they loved them so much. Teo didn't want to take it off! :) Haha!

My silly hubs is a GB fan. That means Teo has to try on somethings at the stores. Here he is modeling a hat. I told Jose "no" to buying it. He does look cute though!

One day, during one of my loooong nights at my old job, Jose sent me pictures of the kids playing. :) I forgot how bald Teo was for a short time...lol!

Another pic that Jose sent me while I was working. This was quite awhile ago....like a full year...Teo grew up so quickly, he didn't stay in his carrying seat for long!

Again, old photo. June of last year. This is my sister's high school graduation. Holding Teo is my stepmom, Linda, and next to her is my dollbaby, Isa. :) I was snuck into the picture too.

And to end the blog for today, here's what our backyard looks like every spring when we have crazy hard rain. :( Sometimes it's even more water than that. Yuck. Good thing is, it dries up pretty quick. Still is yuck though. I wish we could get enough free dirt to fill it up...

So, that's the end for today. What's your favorite pic and why? :)