Yee-Haw!

My dear friend Joyce's son is a junior at The University of Texas at Austin. Although I informed her that "you can't win them all" with your children and their college decisions, he does seem to be making lemonade out of lemons while he's at such a second-rate school (just kidding, Joyce :-)).

This year he's been asked to join an elite group at t.u. called "The Cowboys." They're the guys dressed in a hat and chaps on the sideline with the canon that's blasted after each touchdown. So, even though this isn't my news to share, I'm excited for Nate and I'm excited for Joyce, too. So, here are a few pics at Nate's induction ceremony into the Cowboys.



Here is Nate with the rest of the Cowboys.


Here is my pal Joyce with Nate and Dick. Aren't they cute? Do they look infinitely proud, or what?

Ainsley Turns Four

OK, so I realize it's been more than two months since Ainsley actually turned four, but I just got
the electronic versions of her four-year picture session and wanted to share it. No commentary...just enjoy!

A Field Trip to the Dining Hall

Due to the age of the kids (3-6) in Ainsley's class, they typically eat lunch in their classroom, with the food brought to them. The children are responsible for setting the table and cleaning up after themselves and each other, and they serve all the food family style.

Today the students got a special treat and took a "field trip" to the campus Dining Hall. They got a "backstage" tour of the kitchen where the food is prepared.


Notice Ainsley in her pink Disney Princesses shirt and chef's hat. Her fabulous teacher, Mrs. Hinson, is herding the kids through the kitchen.

The children also got to eat in the Dining Hall, a rare privilege and one Ainsley was obviously pretty excited about.


I'm not sure why Ainsley is holding up her empty taco shell. Perhaps she wanted to make sure it was photographed for posterity.

All of the children seemed to thoroughly enjoy the tour and especially loved meeting the chefs who prepare the wonderful food they eat every day. The director of the Montessori program, my good friend Nur Mangalji, had the children write "thank you letters" in the form of pictures to the Dining Hall staff after their trip. The kids put together the most beautiful pictures. I love all the school does to show the importance of every person on campus - from the teachers to the Dining Hall staff.


You can see how excited Ainsley and her buddy Gabe (to the right in the striped shirt) are. As for her pal Sean (front, center), perhaps he was growing tired of the paparazzi!

Happy Anniversary To Me, Happy Anniversary To Me...

Today Derek and I are celebrating nine years of marriage. I won't say nine solid years of bliss, because you wouldn't believe me anyway! But, after nine years it's amazing to me how far we've come...


Jeez, look how young (and skinny) we are...

Why do I feel like Journey's "After All These Years" should start playing?

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Those of who you know me well know that I'm incredibly Type-A and a tad OCD about a few things. So, last weekend I took the girls to have the photos taken for our Christmas Cards. Yes, I know. It's barely past Halloween, but these things must be done in time to order the cards, address and stamp the envelopes and put them in the mail before the holidays completely pass me by.

So, I got the girls matching sweaters (yes, I know they'll hate it when they're older, but for now, Ainsley was all over it) and we headed off to Target.

They both did a great job, and the cards should be ready by November 17. With any luck I'll have them addressed and ready to mail before Thanksgiving. Yea, me!


The girls' individual shots. I feel like breaking into a refrain of ♫"Sisters...sisters...Never were there such devoted sisters!" ♫


OK, so you can't see Ainsley's face in this one, but I LOVE the way Addison is looking at her. She LOVES her big sister.


Ainsley pretty much wouldn't let go of Addy at this point. So sweet.


I think this pose is almost mandatory. Too bad Addison looks like she lost her hand in the war...

DWI and the Bexar County Sheriff's Department

We live in a fairly rural area where everyone's lot is at least .50 acres or more. However, the street we live on is apparently the Autobahn the way people drive on it. We also live on a fairly large curve in the street, so it's been a (somewhat) secret fear of mine that someone was going to drive their car into my front yard and into Ainsley's bedroom.

Crazy, right?

Well, last night it nearly happened.

Some drunk and helmet-less motorcyclist crashed into my neighbor's rock and stone mailbox, pulverizing it. The impact then flipped him into my front yard.

I was sitting in my office when it happened, so I heard the impact and the sound of metal scraping asphalt. Derek and I went to check it out and found him lying in the bar ditch. We called 911 and tried to cover him with blankets to keep him warm.

He was so drunk that he insisted on getting up. We certainly didn't help him get up, but I wasn't about to try to stop him, either. He walked around (with a gaping and profusely-bleeding head wound) looking at his bike until EMS and the cops showed up.

Derek and I were asked to make a statement for the cops, which we did.

I really do hope he's OK, but I also hope he's learned a really big lesson about driving drunk and wearing a helmet.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess and a ladybug...

So, Ainsley decided she wanted to be a princess for Halloween. And not just ANY princess, but the grand pooh-ba of all princesses - Cinderella. So, we got the dress, a magic wand and the requisite headband (OK, so it's the wrong color - don't TELL her). And, off we go to trick-or-treat. We had the discussion about the clickity-clackity princess shoes, and I vetoed them in favor of not wanting to stop every two feet when they fell off or started hurting her feet. Crisis averted!


Here is Miss Ainsley, AKA Cinderella, with her cousins, Carter (something from Star Wars) and Sawyer (Spiderman).

Outfitting an 8-month old is a totally different story. If you've ever bought a Halloween costume for a baby while living in the State of Texas, then you know what I'm going to say. Costume manufacturers must either live in Siberia or assume that every part of the world actually has a "Fall" season, because every baby costume is made out of heavy cotton or wool and is stuffed...heavily (I should ask my friend Datra, who owns several Halloween outlet stores in the Houston area, why this is...).

So, imagine my pleasure when I found this! It's a cape, so there is no footie-pajama-looking sauna of a costume that I have to cram my already mass-heat-producing baby into to go walk a few blocks to get her sister candy. Thank you, Jesus!



Notice the skin actually showing. And, Daddy would like to point out that he was the one who had to go out at the last minute and find the black onesie to complete the ladybug costume. It's true...they don't make much in black for 8-month-old kids. Alas, he found an Astros onesie that fit the bill. Thank you, Daddy.

OK, so there were still fuzzy, heavily-stuffed ladybug slippers (who knew ladybugs had fuzzy red feet?), which lasted all of two minutes since my Jolly Green Giant of a baby had feet too big to fit into them (fits 6-12 month olds, does it?). And, the little mittens that came with the costume didn't last long either. Ah, well.


All the cousins. Aren't they cute?

So, here are the cousins right before we left my in-laws' house to go trick-or-treating. We have Lorynn (a fairy) now joining the crew as well. Can I just mention that she is only two months younger than Addison but makes my child look like an Oakland Raiders' half-back when they sit next to each other? I promise we're not overfeeding her. Really.

Ainsley got more candy than any five children should get, so - of course - Daddy and I have been, ahem, helping her with it. She doesn't like chocolate all that much, anyway.

Ainsley was VERY worried about how Addison was going to get candy when "...she can't say 'trick-or-treat,' Daddy." Daddy tried to explain that Ainsley could say it for her. "She has to say it, or she can't have any candy."

Well, OK, then. Them's the rules, I suppose.