Blair's Third

Friday I left Aiden at daycare and went to the beach. David, Stephanie and Wednesday were there, along with Jenn, Billy and Micah. It was nice to get a few social moments without having to chase and entertain a toddler. I haven't had any sun since last summer, so I thought I would go 30 minutes without sunscreen. (I know, I know, cancer...) I know for a fact that I can burn after just an hour on the beach, so I didn't want to go that long. Unfortunately, I didn't pay close attention to the time and forgot to apply sunscreen until I'd been out for 45 minutes. Let's just say I'm a little itchy today.

That night, we went up to the Kemah Boardwalk for dinner. We thought we'd walk around for a while, then have dinner. BIG mistake. Not only is it the first month of nice weather, but it was also spring break. The boardwalk was PACKED. We had to park really far away and walk over. Then we decided to eat first, since there was obvious a huge wait at each restaurant. Our wait was an hour long. And we had to stick around to hear our name get called. After we sat down, it took forever for the server to take our order. Then it took even longer for the actual food to come out. Our salads didn't come out until after our food did. We just sent them back.

By this point, it was 8:45. An hour past Aiden's bedtime. He was cranky. Which meant I had little time to socialize, making ME cranky. I was happy to make it out of there. Oh and we never got to walk the boardwalk.

Aiden and I headed up to the Ramby's to help set up for Blair's third birthday party Saturday morning. Travis had to work, but he met us when he was off around noon. Aiden had absolutely no interest in his lunch once he saw Blair. I let him try out the bounce house before he had to lay down for his nap.

I have had Aiden on the probiotics for a couple months now. They help, but sadly have not gotten rid of his painful poos. He still has frequent bleeders and subsequent crying. That happened during nap time this Saturday and woke the birthday boy up. Thankfully, Blair didn't seem to be cranky for his party, but the threat was constantly lurking in the back of my head.

Aiden went back to sleep after I changed his diaper and I was able to help set up for the party. It was a cute construction theme (dirt cake, construction hat and tool belt party favor, etc) and there was lots of yummy food. The bounce house was a hit. Wednesday came before the party started so she was able to get a few jumps in before the party started. The kids went NUTS over that thing. And I'm not ashamed to say I may have gone a little nuts in it too. After the big kids got worn out, I went in with Aiden, Blair and Luke.

Seriously, if I could afford to buy one of those I would. Too bad this one is only for kids under 10. =( I had a blast jumping in that thing. I couldn't stop laughing whenever I got in there. Everyone probably thought I was going crazy.

I was a little distraught after we left the party. We left around 6:30 because Aiden was really worn out. The problem was he wouldn't stop playing. He just kept going and going, like the Energizer Bunny. (Side note: I don't recall those commercials being so funny.) When we were on the car ride home, I was trying to figure out what to do with Aiden. Usually when he's worn out and cranky like that it's bed time. That was not the case here. I settled for an evening lounging on the couch watching Toy Story. Since he'd been eating all afternoon, he wasn't hungry for dinner. Instead, I set some snacks on the coffee table and let him pick at will until bedtime.

This is one of the days I left my camera at home. I took a hundred photos with Chris and Alexa's camera, so hopefully I'll be able to steal a few of those to slap up here for you.

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

David, Stephanie and Wednesday made it in town in time for St. Patrick's Day this year. Then we called the Ramby's over to help us celebrate. I made corned beef and cabbage for the third year in a row. I made crap-ton this year. I did the meat and onions in the Crock Pot throughout the day, then added it to a pot on the stove in the evening, along with potatoes, carrots, celery and cabbage. There were LOTS of leftovers.

Since I didn't think the kiddos would be huge fans of the Irish meal, I made chicken nuggets, fries and corn for them. Aiden and Blair got a head start on their dinner before Wednesday arrived. Next year I'll have to find clear cups so they can have green milk!

Stylish in green, with GIANT green beers (in the mugs from Oktoberfest):



The Ramby girls enjoying the weather:

The sipping section (Aiden can't get up on the couch without a stool or help from an adult):

I miss these guys:

For dessert, I made my mom's St. Patty's Day ice cream. This recipe's not for the young ones:

Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream (best vanilla ice cream ever), topped with green Creme de Menthe and crumbled chocolate cookies (in this case, I used Girl Scout Thin Mints). It was divine.

Midland

David, Stephanie and Wednesday are moving to Midland. =( That equates to REALLY FAR AWAY. It was nice having them in New Orleans, even if it was only for six months. We were able to visit them once, as we could make that drive within one day and still have time to do something that same day.

Alas, they must go where the jobs are and for the moment, that is Midland, Texas. It is very near to where they lived when they were in Texas last. David got a job working on a platform. It is not his ideal job, but it IS a job. At the moment, people can't be picky about such things. Sadly, David will have to live on site. Stephanie and Wednesday will be able to visit him there (not overnight, since David will have roommates) and he will be able to stay with them once a month, but that is it. Once David can afford to buy his own trailer, the girls will be able to stay the night whenever they want.

Today is Stephanie's last day at her job. David has been staying home full time with Wednesday for a year now. They didn't want to shock Wednesday by placing her into daycare with strangers after spending half her life at home with her dad. So Stephanie is going to be home full time with Wednesday again (silver lining)! They begin the move this weekend. It will be a slow process, over the course of a month, since moving is such an expensive thing. Plus, they still have to find a place for the girls to live in Midland. It worked out perfectly though, as the lease with their current apartment is up at the end of August.

Change is in the air for the Phillips family!

The Rest of Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday morning we had to get up a little earlier than hoped because Aiden was ready to GET UP. We lounged around the apartment until Aiden was up from his first nap, then we headed out for lunch on the French Quarter. Travis and I really wanted to go to Pat O'Brien's on the water, but turns out it is closed to the general public. Now they are only available for reserved parties. Instead, we walked across the street to Bubba Gumps (yummy shrimp!), the place I went to a couple years ago when my dad and Alex took a train to New Orleans. Travis and I got Hurricanes (one of the few things on our To Do in NOLA Checklist).

It was raining, but we decided to walk down to the flea market anyway. That's when we passed the oil protest on the street. There was lots of art on the street for sale by the artist. I picked up a feather mask for my sister as a thank you gift for taking care of Callaway while we were gone. There were so many funny people trying do things for tips on the sidewalk. There were a couple of kids tap dancing Stomp-style, complete with cardboard boxes for drums. Oh and instead of real tap shoes, they had Coke cans smashed to the bottom of their shoes.

Then there was this guy...

The Onlookers (the streets were packed with tourists)

After our walk, we headed back home so both kids could take a nap. We spent the evening watching episodes of True Blood and then searching funny videos on YouTube. David and Stephanie have a pretty cool setup. They have their Xbox set so they can surf the web (with a few limitations), so we were able to sit in the comfort of their living room and watch the videos on their flat screen.

Wednesday's seat (she borrowed it from Aiden)

Monday, Stephanie had to work again. She was gone before we got up in the morning. We slowly got up and packed up our stuff. A friend of mine just happened to be visiting family, two hours from NOLA and was going to pass through New Orleans on her way to Florida. Since we were unable to meet up when we were in Illinois a couple weeks ago, Jamie and her son Bryce stopped by the apartment on their way through. It was nice to catch up for a few minutes before they had to get back on the road. Kids grow too fast.

Soon thereafter, we got on the road. On the way out of town, we stopped at the mall Stephanie works at for lunch and to say goodbye to her.

We were home around 7pm. I stayed home to give Aiden a couple of minutes to crawl around before laying him down for the night. Travis went to Galveston to buy groceries and pick up Callaway. I spent the rest of the evening cleaning up after the cats, unpacking and doing laundry. I am yet to get a good, full-night's rest so I am BEAT. I plan on making it an early evening!

A Day in NOLA

Travis and I made the decision to drive to New Orleans after work on Friday. It is a 6-hour drive for us, which put us in at around midnight. I wasn't all that excited about staying up late for a drive, but it seemed like the best idea since Aiden would be sleeping for most of it. Another plus is we had two full days to hang with David and Stephanie!

Unfortunately, Stephanie had to work Saturday. We got up slowly that morning and headed out after Aiden woke from his morning nap. We drove up and down Magazine street and St. Charles, which are lined with lots of little shops and restaurants. We chose a local PoBoy place that looked super cute.

While we were inside waiting in line to place our order, guess who gets up from a table and walks out. Tim Robbins. Holy cow! I never get to see celebrities! And this one was just having lunch at the same place as us. Apparently he was in town to host a fundraiser. I saw him and just stood there trying to figure out what to do. I really wanted to point him out to Travis and David, but since we were only 10 feet from the guy, I thought it might be a little obvious and I did anything. And the last thing I want to do is annoy a celebrity. I really don't want to be that person. You know, the one who freaks out when they see someone famous. Well, I just did it internally.

I slapped David on the arm (he was closest) and whispered, "isn't that somebody famous?" I just could not think of what his name was. He was with a younger guy, waved goodbye to the guy running the cash register and walked out. The second he was out the door, I ran over to Travis. He went to the window, but couldn't see where he went. Then Tim Robbins drove away in his SUV and David and I saw him again. Travis is yet to believe us.

After lunch, we headed over to Audobon Park. It was absolutely breathtaking.


There is a rookery island in the middle of the park that was filled with birds. We saw anhingas, cormorants, geese and lots and lots of heron (and also lots of turtles). There was a giant tree hanging over the water that was covered in White Heron.

After the walk, we had to stop at the swings for the kiddos.

That evening we hung out at their apartment, which is a really cute loft-like place that they have filled with modern decor. Stephanie spent all day working, then came home to make us dinner. It felt so wrong! But we appreciated the homemade pizza a bunch. We chatted the evening away and their neighbor even came over for a while.

More photos to come!

Collision Update

Several months ago I blogged about my cousin and friends getting into car accidents (separately). Time has passed and everyone is still in the healing process.

I am happy to announce that my cousin Chris came home from the hospital yesterday!! He is talking and can walk with the aid of a walker. He didn't have any broken bones. Months of lying unconscious and not moving at all can take a toll on ones musculature. Chris is doing occupational, physical and speech therapies to help get all his functions back to normal. While it is under sad circumstances, I'm sure my aunt is glad to have her son back under her roof. He still needs help with all the day to day tasks, so he will be staying with his parents until he can go back to living on his own. Chris has made leaps and strides in his recovery in the past couple of months. I'm so happy to hear he is doing well!!

Wednesday seems to be fully healed since the accident with Becky. She only had a few bumps and bruises, so she didn't have far to go. Becky on the other hand is still deep in the healing process. I think she has made it through the hardest part of her recovery by finishing the surgery portion. Now her bones have to mend and she can begin her physical therapy. She is currently staying with family here in Texas since she has limited time to bear weight on any of her extremities.

Continue the improvement guys! You've done so great!!

Ladybug

Where has my little Wednesday gone?!?!

Damn Accidents

Two people I know have been in really bad car accidents recently. About a week ago, my cousin Chris, from Illinois, was driving his old Mustang to work when something must have gone wrong because he randomly swerved into oncoming traffic like he was attempting a U-turn at high speeds. He clipped a Ford F-150, ran off into a ditch and hit a telephone pole. He was lucky enough to not break any bones, but the bumpy ride resulted in severe brain trauma. He has been unconscious since the accident. He started having seizures, which I guess is common with this kind of brain injury. There are three bleeds on his brain, one of which is on his brain stem. They put him on anti-seizure meds and he has since been weaned from them. Now we just need him to wake up!

The other accident happened yesterday morning. Our friend David's mom was driving his 1-year-old daughter Wednesday to visit her husband in Texas (they live in Colorado). She attempted to pass a semi, but there was a car coming from the other direction. They had a head on collision going 65-70 miles per hour. The two people in the other car died. Wednesday was lucky and only has severe bruising from her restraints and from the contents of the car hitting her in the head. Becky, David's mom, has two broken legs, a broken arm and broken back. They have already done surgery on her arm and they are expecting as many as eight more surgeries before she will recover. The story was in the local paper.

Please keep my friends and family in your thoughts. They have a rough road ahead of them.

Videos of the Birthday Party

Just a couple videos from Wednesday's birthday party:

Good times, eating tissue paper.

Wednesday: Opening gifts from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Chocolate cake is easier to see than white cake. =D

Wednesday Having Her Cake from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Wednesday!

It was the weekend of Wednesday. David and Stephanie got in Friday night and we went grocery shopping while we waited for Travis to get off of work. Prego me was starving after all that shopping, so we stopped by Wild Wings on the way home for a "snack". The plan was to go out to dinner with David's parents and pass Wednesday off to them for the night. Unfortunately, they did not get in until late, so Stephanie only got the decorating done that night. I get tired at 9pm, so I went to bed at 10:15 when they left to drop Wednesday off with Grams and Gramps.

We all got up at a decent time Saturday morning to bake cupcakes and run a few more errands before the party. I laid in bed for an hour, not wanting to get up, so when I finally did I regretted it. I waited way too long to eat, so after my first few bites of breakfast I was sitting at the toilet again. I'm not sure if it was just the low blood sugar, or a combination of that with my oatmeal and orange juice with WAY too much pulp in it. Not quite the loveliest of textures. Although I would prefer that to come back up than something more substantial.

I disappeared into the bedroom (in the middle of a conversation with Stephanie) and made Travis get me a bowl of Cheerios. I needed something crunchy after all that. The nausea didn't last much longer than it took me to eat that bowl of cereal, thankfully.

The party began around 3pm when the birthday girl arrived. She was wearing an outfit that Travis and I had bought for her, complete with Bear Bottom tights.

We spent the first few hours chatting while Travis grilled the burgers and hot dogs. Stephanie had picked a variety of foods that were very easy to serve, which meant minimal time in the kitchen. I always get crazy making food for parties. It was a nice change to actually hang out without the stress of running back and forth to the kitchen.

After dinner, Wednesday started opening the gifts. That girl had a great time tearing her way through all the tissue paper in the bags. She seemed especially drawn to this shiny present. After so many times of removing and reapplying, the bow lost it's stickiness and appeal. She proceeded to knock the box down and climb on top. Because that's what shiny boxes are for!

Here she is again, climbing the box after it was opened. Mom even gave her a little ride, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

By the end of opening the gifts, there was tissue paper everywhere. Wednesday must have tasted at least half of them.

The best part was yet to come - CAKE TIME! David demanded chocolate cake with chocolate icing, so it was very easy to see where the cake made it's way onto Wednesday and the surrounding areas. I've been finding icing in the most random spots since that party. In places that can't even be blamed on good ole Wednesday. As you can see, she obviously enjoyed partaking in a little cake eating.

I had to jet off for a couple hours to go to another friend's going away party. Sveta, a Russian from work, moved to Alabama yesterday. Why Alabama, you ask? School. I think that might be the only thing that would draw a person to that state, besides family.

The majority of the guests left the party while I was gone. The younger crowd stuck around to party until the later hours of the evening. Prego Nikki even managed to stay up until past midnight. I worked past the exhaustion, so when it was time for me to lay down I had trouble closing my eyes. Even though I was seriously tired. Stephanie went to bed early, since Grams and Gramps took Wednesday for the night again. She was looking forward to using her childless time to catch up on some Z's. David stayed up for a while, but also went to bed well before I did.

Wednesday made out good. I didn't get to see the truck after they packed it full of her goodies, but I can imagine it was a tight fit. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Wednesday's big day!

Weekend Photos

I kept forgetting to load what few pictures I did take this weekend, so here they are!

Blair stares on as Wednesday drinks her milk from a sippy cup. We met Stephanie and David for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Saturday night we were hanging out in the living room when I realized that Wednesday seemed to be slowly be disappearing behind David. Lo and behold! She was being eaten by the couch!

Not Much To Tell

I have absolutely nothing exciting to report today. Friday I went up to Chris and Alexa's to help assemble some of their new Ikea cabinets. There are so many that I barely feel like I made a dent! After two hours of working, I went with Alexa to pick up Blair from daycare. I've never been before and I'm listed as an emergency contact, so it was nice to see where the place was and how things work. It always cracks me up seeing all those babies together. Crazy kids.

Travis and I kept the evening easy since we were so busy all week. Saturday morning, Travis' alarm went off like normal and he left for work. About 20 minutes later he was pulling back into the driveway. I assumed he had forgotten something and would probably run in and out in a hurry, so when I didn't hear the door open for several minutes I wondered if I had imagined his truck coming back. Finally, he came in and back to the bedroom. He had the day off!

First thing on his list? Go back to bed. I am in the middle of reading the Twilight series and am completely addicted to it. Even though I was happy to have Travis for TWO WHOLE DAYS this week, I was thankful to have a little more time with my reading. I seriously think I have a problem. I have to force myself to put the book down so I don't spend my entire day just reading. I am on the third book and the forth is in the mail from Overstock.com. Seriously - right now I want to stop typing and go read that book. Must wait...

We spent the rest of the day running errands... grocery shopping, a stop at Petco, a few moments at the bookstore. I still need to put everything in the checkbook. Ugh. I had plans to go up to a friend's house that I don't see very often for a little get together, girls only. Travis went as Quagmire to a bar in Houston for a Halloween costume party with Sara and JR.

Speaking of Halloween, check out a few of the Halloween costumes my friends are using for their kids this year.

Logan, the Golfer

Complete with knickers.

Wednesday, the Monkey

Sunday, I did nothing except go out for Vietnamese food for lunch and then read my day away. Travis made himself useful around our house and our friends'. He put the the gutter downspouts that were still knocked off from Ike and he took care of some paint cans that needed to be properly disposed of. Then he went over to Chris and Shannon's house to help Chris hang new cabinets. Everyone is getting new cabinets! I really want some to put around our stove, but that will have to fall somewhere after rewiring the house and putting tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. NEVER ENDING.

9.5 months ago...

David and Stephanie recently visited David's brother and sister-in-law Jenn in New Mexico. While they were there, Wednesday had a great photo shoot with Jenn (owner of Jenn Phillips Photography). I love the clothes they put this child in!

9.5 months old

**Happy Birthday Brenda!!!**

Wednesday's 1st Halloween

Guess what Wednesday is going to be for Halloween.

LOL! David always calls her monkey, so it is only fitting that she be dressed as one for trick or treating. TOO CUTE.

Post-Worm Trauma

On the way home from work yesterday I decided to stop by the gas station. I like to be prepared for possible hurricane evacuations. I pull out onto the main street behind a police truck. And what do I see? po-LICE written on the back of the truck. I had worms on the brain! Even as I was leaving the gas station (thank you Randall's card for $3.05/gal!) I was quick to notice the bait and tackle stores that line the bay. Ugh! I was finally starting to feel about normal as I pulled into my driveway.

Just in time to check my cabinets for more worms! Sure enough, I found another worm hanging out in the bottom of a bag of chocolate covered peanuts that I bought in bulk from the grocery store. I'm thinking its going to be a little while before I can look at trail mix the same way...

I started this post off today hoping to mention a few things from David and Stephanie's last Sunday in town, but I kept thinking of the worms. Anyhoo, we had another lazy day, lounging around the house. There were pro-football games on TV and Stephanie was craving wings, so the guys grabbed a case of beer and some Wing Stop. Chris was out of town on a flight, so Alexa and Blair came over to hang out too. Stephanie threw some pj's on Wednesday so she could crawl around without getting rug burn, but I think it ended up being more of a hinderance. She was sliding around everywhere. Look at this concentration:

I decided to make a fruit pizza, something that my mom used to make every summer when I was a kid. When we made it for 4th of July, we focused on fruits that were red and blue. Brings back the happy memories of my young childhood. =) The "pizza" was delicious - we at the whole thing in one day! It was so pretty, Alexa recommended taking a photo. Great idea!

Blair and Wednesday

Saturday was a lazy day. We were all a little hungover from staying out so late the night before. Travis originally thought he had to work all day, but they ended up letting everyone off at 3:30pm. The rest of us sat on our butts and watched TV and a movie (Singles). David took a nap at some point. Wednesday took several.

We made plans for that evening to go up to Chris and Alexa's. The boys all went wake boarding on Chris' boat and the ladies hung out while the babies played together. I have to tell you that was the sweetest thing I've ever seen! Blair is two months Wednesday's junior, but they got along very well. Blair is just beginning to sit up so they were able to interact easily. It was funny because Blair would get distracted by a toy, but then notice Wednesday again. She was so interested in him and I think they each really liked the other ones clothes.

Blair looks totally taken aback by this small child invading his space.

Again, put into a trance by the red-eye reducing light on my camera. Wednesday had just finished her baby biscuit, hence the food face.

Wednesday has just learned how to give kisses (which actually consists of open mouth touching your cheek). She was attempting to give Blair a kiss, but she was too far away to reach. When Stephanie scooted her closer I'm pretty sure Blair was saying, "Look Wednesday, you're cute and all, but I just don't think this age difference is going to work out for us."

After playtime, we went to the lake for dinner at a bar and restaurant that serves the best wood stove pizza in the area (according to us anyways). I sat in the back of Alexa's car with the kiddos. It is amazing how quickly babies quiet down with a car ride. I need to remember that...

The guys took the boat directly to the restaurant. They were running a little late, so we helped ourselves to some "pizza chips", or as Papa John's calls it, "cheesy bread". Delicious. Wednesday looked smashing in my sunglasses. Don't you think?

Before our plates came, Kai headed off for the night, which meant there was an open seat in the boat. Stephanie wanted to experience life on the lake, so she went home in the boat with the boys. Alexa and I took the babies back to her house. Wednesday and I played while Blair got a bath. They both really seemed to enjoy a Baby Einstein video that Alexa put in (another item I need to bank in my memory). Stephanie had a relaxing ride back with the guys. That area is so beautiful - the houses are huge on the water! I remember how amazed I was the first time I went out there in Kai's boat.

We were all exhausted still from staying up late the night before, so we went straight home after everyone got back and the boat was in the garage. I think my head hit the pillow at 10:42pm and I didn't wake up until 9 the next morning. It was some much needed rest. I just can't keep going like I used to. And I'm only 26!

Beach Babies

The Saturday after David and Stephanie arrived we had a whole day to play. First we stopped for Vietnamese food and then ran up to the mall to exchange a dress I had bought for Wednesday. It turns out she already had that one (matches the hat she's wearing in the first photo below)! It's okay though because we found another one that is super cute (brown with multi-color polka dots) with matching Bear Bottom tights. Travis bought himself a couple hats and then we headed to Target. We needed to find Wednesday a swimsuit for her first trip to the beach. After running the errands, we stopped at the house to change into beachwear. Chris and Alexa were already planning to take Blair to the beach, so it was perfect timing! Wednesday and Blair had their first beach experience together.

Bikini clad baby

Daddy covered her with sand and she was so enthralled with it. We were waiting for her to put it in her mouth, but that moment, thankfully, never came.


Blair and Wednesday meet. On the beach!


I don't know what it is, but there is just something extra sexy about my husband holding a baby. ; )


Post-beach bath for Wedders

It was a nice, laid back day to catch up with David and Stephanie and the life of Wednesday. I wish we had more time like this. And we may have more soon! They are coming back to town this weekend because David will be making a stop at one of his business locations near here. AND THEN they are suppose to come back on the weekend of the 20th for David's birthday. Weehoo! It's the month of Davwedanie!

Wednesday's Muvee

Courtesy of Stephanie

Oh, and you need to check out Blair's latest video on Alexa's blog.

Farewell, Sveta (til August)

I haven't been to a smoky bar in so long, I had forgotten how much my eyeballs hate it. I have chronic dry eyes (Rachel is rolling her eyes right now). It usually only bothers me when I sleep, and especially when I first wake up from sleeping. I use special gel eye drops that are supposed to last longer than regular, but I think its all bunk. It does help, at least. But THIS morning, I woke up with a horrendous case of red eye. I swear to you I could hear my eyes scraping on the back of my eyelids when I opened them. They were THAT dry. Eh, my eyes are bothering me just thinking about it.

Last night, we skipped working out to have dinner with Chris and Shannon at a Vietnamese place near where we live. That food is awesome. They seem to have attempted to update their menu a little since the last time we were there. Instead of serving chips and salsa prior to the meal, like they do at Mexican restaurants, they served rice cakes and some sort of a creamy salsa. As strange as it sounds, it was actually pretty good. The food was great, the service was horrible. We are all convinced our server was stoned. Listen to me! I sound like an old man already.

Anyhoo, after dinner we went straight to the smoky bar where a friend from my work was having a temporarily-going-away party. Sveta is from Russia and is currently here on a work visa. She got accepted to graduate school and now needs a student visa. But in order to do this, she has to go back to her homeland to apply. What?! They are making her fly all the way back to Russia ($2000 plane tickets, by the way) so she can trade out the piece of paper that states she can live here? Crazy. It's all crazy. I'm sure someone, somewhere has a reason for this. But I don't know what it is. Anyways, she has allotted herself two months to apply and receive the visa. Hopefully she gets it in that amount of time, because I don't know what she'll do otherwise. AND I don't know what I'll do for my coffee breaks while she's gone.

Travis came with to the bar and since we were a little early, we played a few rounds of pool while we waited for everyone to arrive. We only stayed until 10:30 because old man Travis was falling asleep on my shoulder. Then came the dried up raisins I like to call my eyeballs. How can I be so sensitive to AIR? Especially considering that I live in the middle of the most polluted area in the country (darn oil refineries)?

On a totally different topic, check out these freakin' ridiculously cute photos that Stephanie took of Wednesday.

Memorial Day Weekend

It was technically a three-day weekend at my job, but I ended up having to come into work twice. I still managed to fit in lots of David/Stephanie/Wednesday time though. They were supposed to get in on Friday evening, but Stephanie had to work late. They didn't reach Houston until midnight, so they decided to stay the night at David's grandmother's house.

Friday night we stayed in and played Three Man, a dice game, with Sara and JR. Phew, that is a bad game to play if you have anything to do the next day. We were all feeling a little out of it Saturday.

Diaper Boy

Have you ever heard of the song Superman by Soulja Boy?

David and Stephanie got to my house at about 10am Saturday and we made the most of our day. David's mom came with to watch Wednesday at David's grandmother's house and she wanted to go out to lunch at Pappasito's. I was thoroughly disappointed to find out Wednesday would not be staying the weekend with us, so I was 100% up for driving to north Houston to see her. I tell you what, that child is just SO precious. She's turned into quite the chunker, but its a huge improvement from her premie body. =)

We were back that night a little after Travis got home from work. Since we had such a late lunch, we decided to go see a movie before dinner. Travis scarfed down popcorn the whole time, so he didn't have much of an appetite afterwards. We saw the movie Iron Man and it was GREAT. Robert Downey Jr. was awesome as the hero. I recommend it to anyone who likes action films. That's another DVD I'll be adding to our library.

Travis was still working 10-hour days, 7-days a week, so we went up to Houston on Sunday without him. Stephanie had planned a surprise visit to a comic book convention for David. He LOVES Marvel comics (Iron Man was an appropriate film for the weekend!) and this would have been his first comic book convention, had it not been cancelled. I was disappointed and Stephanie was so upset she started to tear up for a minute! We had planned to go shopping at the mall with David's mom after the convention, so we just moved that up in our schedule for the day. They didn't bring Wednesday's big stroller on this trip, instead we stopped and picked up a little umbrella stroller.

Unfortunately, she got sleepy after an hour in the stroller. David ended up carrying her around so she could lay down for her nap. We walked into one of the stores and there was a clothes rod sticking out into the aisle - David accidentally scraped the top of Wednesday's head with it! She screamed bloody murder for a few minutes, but seemed to be alright. She fell asleep again almost immediately. Stephanie decided to file a report in case the scrape worsened. She used to work in retail and knows that there should be clothes hanging off those rods so this sort of thing does not happen. I bought a shirt for Travis from there and some hand soap from Bath and Body Works. Nothing big.

Wednesday woke up when we got back to the house that evening and she was ready for her banana cereal!

I had invited Ariel and Robert over for dinner that night, but they both had to work. JR and Sara still came over and we had a delicious grilled dinner, courtesy of my hard working husband.

After dinner, we taught David how to play Liverpool Rummy, while Stephanie and Wednesday watched Dazed and Confused on TV. We stayed up until 1 in the morning, just like we did the two previous nights. Our friends left the next day at about 10am and I chose to sit on my butt. I caught up on my DVR recordings and watched The Nanny Diaries. That movie was so-so. That afternoon I went into work for a little bit.

Travis sent me a text that morning saying that they were upping their hours to 16 in a day, 7-days a week. !!! This was bad news, mostly because he had stayed up late all weekend and Monday was supposed to be his chance to catch up. I wasn't expecting Travis until 11:30pm, but his supervisor was able to convince their boss to let them off at 8pm. That will be his schedule for the rest of the week. It still sucks, but at least Travis will be able to fit in a full night of sleep!