Monday, December 13, 2010

For the LOVE of Gabba

It is funny how over the course of 14 years of children, TV programs come and go. Our older two kids loved the Teletubbies and Barney. Jena was over the moon for Dora. And Miles was mad about Max and Ruby. We were clueless about all of the new childrens shows on the tube when Wyatt came into our lives. One day, Jeff happened to turn the TV on to Yo Gabba Gabba. And that is all it took. Wyatt was sucked in. And before we knew it, so was the rest of our family.

Most of the time when we mention Yo Gabba Gabba to friends, they look at us like we are crazy. But there are a few friends with younger kids that are crazed for Gabba too. Gabba is like a cult. Once you start watching, you are hooked and you gravitate toward other Gabba lovers! And the thing about Gabba lovers is that they share the love.

We have been the lucky recipients of some great Gabba love. My girlfriend Shauna (yep, you got it - friends since Kinder. boo-ya!) sent Wyatt a BOX FULL of Gabba clothes that her son Grey had outgrown.

(Grey in one of his fab homemade Gabba shirts.)


Grey is the original Gabba fan. He was watching the show before there was merchandise and his awesome momma was making him homemade Gabba clothes.

(Grey hangin' out on the cover of People with DJ Lance and Jack Black.)


It is pretty safe to say that Wyatt has worn Gabba shirts non-stop for the last few months. The hand me downs from Grey have become his only acceptable clothing. We are so thankful that Shauna thought of us when sending such a special care package.

Then last week I was fretting about the fact that Yo Gabba Gabba Live was coming to our city and we opted not to pay the $50 per ticket to see the show. (Really, 2 weeks before Christmas you are gonna charge that crazy amount to attend a children's show?!?! Gah!)

I saw on facebook that my friend Sharon was also feeling the same frustration about the cost of the show. I commented on her status that we were in the same boat and went about my business of trying not to be bummed that Wyatt wasn't going to get to see the show.

And then out of the blue on Friday night, I got a call from Sharon that she had scored 4 FREE tickets to the show and they invited me and Wyatt to join them.

(Sharon and Daniel sportin' their rad DJ Lance glasses!)


OMG!! I thought I was gonna D.I.E. No way! Get out of town!

(Me and the happy boy just waitin' for the show to start!)


So Sharon and her sweet boy Daniel came over and picked us up and we were on our way.
Wyatt was thrilled. From the moment we walked into the performance center, he was busting with excitement!

(All smiles for these two awesome kids.)


As every character came on the stage, he was screaming their names! He danced and sang along and had the very very best time ever.

(There's a Party in MY City!)


What an incredibly kind thing for Sharon to do for our boy. He hasn't stopped talking about it all weekend. He has been wearing his DJ Lance paper glasses every single day. (Thank goodness I went back into the arena and picked up 4 more pairs from the floor.)

Thank you Shauna and Sharon for showing our boy so much Gabba love. We are so thankful for you both.

(Carr 5 rockin' it out DJ Lance style!)


Showing kindness to the people around you is such a gift. I just hope that I can do something nice for someone that crosses my path and make them feel as special as you have made us feel.
Really.

Friday, November 26, 2010

We All Make Choices



I choose to be thakful.
Who needs a stinkin' 'N' anyhow?

I Think I Get It Now


Seems like one of my holiday traditions is to have hurt feelings. I always manage to feel bad because we invite and invite and invite our family to spend the holidays with us and we always end up alone.

I understand that it can be hard to travel during the holidays. I understand that work and other obligations come first. (how could anyone/anything possibly come before our perfect family? ha!) We are normally chained to this area because JC is on call, so that means staying close to home.



For years JC has been telling me that it will all be okay because we are creating our own family traditions. JC hugs me and loves me and reassures me that when these kids grow up they will WANT to come home and be with us.

Yesterday after OUR family Thanksgiving dinner, I asked JC to take a picture of me and the kids. Without me knowing, he was clicking away while we were trying to get all set-up. What a beautiful surprise to find these pictures on the camera this morning.

I think I might get it now.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Looking Forward - Looking Backward

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with all of our family around the table. The china, the goblets, the food, but most of all...OUR family.

Sure, someone will probably be upset about something. I am sure some of the food will be cold before it gets to the table. I've already been to the store 2 times to shop for ingredients, and realize now that I've forgotten the rolls both times.

And still, I am so excited.
I am so thankful.

2003. (Shirts optional.)

And I guess I should make sure that both of our girls wear a shirt.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Tat's Outta the Bag

A few weeks ago, Heather and Christy came to town to help me celebrate my big 4-0. Somehow, things took a turn for the crazy (no surprise), and we ended up at the tattoo parlour. Although I've been dreaming about my family tattoo for sometime, I wasn't planning to get new ink right now. Well, you know how it is when you are in a tattoo parlour with your bff's - you gotta get the ink!

So I did.



And I love it.


The kids all think it is pretty neat-o. Ella cried when she saw it because she thinks it is so beautiful. Jeff gave me his thumbs up too.

The tattoo guy thought I was crazy for putting the letters upside down. But this is how I want it because it is for me to see. Tatt guy also didn't see a need for the hearts. But they represent the pieces of my heart that broke when those babies didn't make it.

When I wear my watch, you can't even really see it. And I'm okay with that, because it is just for me.


Jeff, Kathy, Angel Baby, Sam
Ella, Jena, Miles, Angel Baby
W
yatt,
Angel Baby

Plenty of room for more babies.

Plenty of room for grandkids.

You could say that I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve.

Monday, November 22, 2010

1,000 Words

I am thankful for the love that these five kids share. Everyday so thankful.



We have been SO blessed.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Halloween

Our kids had two costumes this year.

Because we are cool that way.

No, not really.

Because we needed a costume for a party and I had to do something fast and cheap.

(glo-family in light so that you can see the kids)


I had to bribe them to be the glo-family. It was a huge success. And after all of the bribing and begging, they won a costume contest and all really thought it was cool!

(glo-family in pitch dark so you can see the costumes)


Then for real live Halloween, we had three mummies, Carrie and a zombie soccer player.


(i'll never get tired of this)


The friends all gathered in our yard to set out for a big night of trick-or-treating.


(capturing this many candy hungry kids is close to a miracle)


As always, we had the annual candy swap after trick-or-treating. The candy was flying!


(louder than the stock market floor)


Once again, another great Halloween!

And only 24 days til we get our Christmas tree!! yahoo!!!

ns4fb today

Today's 'not suitable for facebook' status:

Having a serious discussion with a friend the other day. He said 'if we were actually living like we are pretending to live, our life would be really great.'

Big thoughts. Very big thoughts.

Friday, October 22, 2010

These Hands

All of my life, I have watched my momma work like a dog. She is getting close to 70, and still mows her 3 acres all by herself. When I was a kid, my brother and I would watch her work on our car if it was busted, tend to the animals, fix the things that were broken around the house, bust her hump in my grandparents garden and still manage to get dressed and ready for church/work on time. I have never heard my momma say that she cannot do something. Now that I think about it, it must be a Lockhart woman gene because my granny and my aunts are the very same way. If there is work to be done, they make it happen.

This morning, I took Sam to the bus stop around 6:20am and I noticed that the car seemed funny. Then I took Ella to her bus stop at 7:15am and something still didn't seem right. Jena and Miles normally walk to school with our neighbors, but since it was raining, I decided I would drive them all this morning. We loaded into the car, and something was still not right. So I had Jena get out and check for me, and sure enough, I had a flat front tire. Now I know that you are wondering how in the world I didn't notice it before. It was dark. And raining. And I was in a big fat rush. So I called our super duper good friend Ruth and she came and drove the younger kids so I could figure out what to do.

I found the air pump and decided that I would try to put air in the tire and take it to get it fixed. Well, naturally, when I tried to attached the compressor hose, the stem fell off. (geez.)

So I got out the big jack and pumped up the car. I started to take off the lug nuts when I remembered that you have to untighten them when the car isn't jacked up. So I had to let the car back down. (grrr...)

While I am working on the car, Wyatt is busy in the garage getting all of the tools out of the toolbox for me. It was about time for him to go to school, so I called our good friend Angee (Happy Birthday Angee) and asked her if Wyatt could ride with her. I am so thankful that she was able to come and take him for me. (whew)

After about 45 minutes, some tears and a small fit, I was finally able to get all of the lug nuts loose and the car jacked back up. Thank God Ruth and Angee were here to lift me up and cheer me through it. And that they don't judge me for acting so darn childish. (are tear streaks through grease on the face sexy?)

I was having a very difficult time getting the spare tire on. It seems that our jack doesn't go high enough. I called my Jeff who is working in Colorado this week, and he was pretty worried. I think he wanted me to stop messing with it. Luckily, after being married 19 years and 8 mos., he knows better than to tell me to stop doing something once I've got my mind set on it. (i think he is pretty darn hot.)

After trying and trying and not knowing how in the world I was going to get that darn tire on, I called Franklin. He is like a brother to me. And he is smart about these kinds of things. He told me to put the old tire back on. Let the jack down. And get some wood to put under the jack. (so thankful for my brutha from another mutha.)

So I did. And sure enough, I was able to get the old tire off, and the spare tire on. (woo hoo)

Waa laa! The new tire is on. It only took me about 2 hours. No blood. Some tears. And lots and lots of grunting. (wow)

Then I had to air the spare up because I let all of the air out of it when I was trying to figure out how to get it on because the jack wasn't high enough. (silly me.)

I can't wait to call my momma and tell her what I did. She is going to be so proud of me. (i love her)

And I am really really proud of my very dirty hands. Maybe I'll keep the grease under my fingernails for the weekend so that I'll have a little reminder that I can accomplish anything. ANYTHING. (feeling strong)

And I am just posting this picture for Jeff. See, I was even being safe and I put blocks in front of the other tires to keep the car from rolling off the driveway. (YAYE ME!!)


*****
Oh, and how 'bout that I finally figured out how to work the timer on the camera too!! YIPPEE!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Perfect Timing

I've been pretty frazzled lately. JC has been traveling a lot. We have been going non-stop. I've been trying not to be grumpy. I've been trying not to be short tempered. I've been trying not to sweat the small stuff. (stoopid dishes.)

And then today, on a blog that I love, came a most timely post that included this passage from Erma Bombeck. Oh Erma, you've hit the nail on the head again.

I needed this today.

No More Oatmeal Kisses — January 29, 1969
Erma Bombeck

A young mother writes: "I know you've written before about the empty-nest syndrome -- that lonely period after the children are grown and gone. Right now, I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and muddy boots. The baby is teething; the boys are fighting. My husband just called and said to eat without him, and I fell off my diet. Lay it on me again, will you?"

OK.

One of these days, you'll shout, "Why don't you kids grow up and act your age!" And they will.

Or, "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do ... and don't slam the door!" And they won't.

You'll straighten up the boys' bedroom neat and tidy -- bumper stickers discarded, bedspread tucked and smooth, toys displayed on the shelves. Hangers in the closet. Animals caged. And you'll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way." And it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say, "Now, there's a meal for company." And you'll eat it alone.

You'll say: "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around. No demolition crews. Silence! Do you hear?" And you'll have it.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti. No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms. No more gates to stumble over at the top of the basement steps. No more clothespins under the sofa. No more playpens to arrange a room around.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent. No more sand on the sheets or Popeye movies in the bathrooms. No more iron-on patches, wet, knotted shoestrings, tight boots, or rubber bands for ponytails.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point on it. No baby sitter for New Year's Eve. Washing only once a week. Seeing a steak that isn't ground. Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap.

No PTA meetings. No car pools. No blaring radios. No one washing her hair at 11 o'clock at night. Having your own roll of Scotch tape.

Think about it. No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library paste. No more sloppy oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairy. No giggles in the dark. No knees to heal, no responsibility.

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?" and the silence echoing, "I did."

Thursday, October 14, 2010

What makes me so LUCKY?


A friend asked me on Monday, WHAT MAKES YOU LUCKY?

I've been thinking about this. A lot.
There are the standard responses. My husband. My kids. My home. My health.
blah blah blah
I feel like people answer that question without gusto. Without full understanding. Without heart.
(cause you know, i know everything and i'm so perfect)
For me, this really is a loaded question.
I know that things could have turned out so so so differently.
I know that the love that I have is nothing short of a miracle.

I AM LUCKY.
I say it everyday.
EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

LUCKY ME!!

I am lucky because I know to make sure our kids know they are loved.

I am lucky because I really appreciate my person, my soul mate, life partner, lover and friend. And I am always thankful - even when i'm not.

I am lucky because I am trying hard to remind myself not to take people for granted.

I am lucky because I KNOW that the dishes don't come before the people.

I am lucky because I try hard to know the value of my friends and to let them know on a regular basis that I APPRECIATE THEM.

I am lucky, because if my life didn't start out the way that it did, I would never never know how lucky I am.

I know it in my heart.

I feel it oozing out of my pores.

I AM LUCKY.