Santa is watching..

While I can get away with it, I have taken to telling the boys "Santa is watching right now.." anytime they have started acting up these last few weeks.. apparently, Riley feels that Santa is fair game.. the last couple days, if Troy or I don't agree with him on something, Riley looks up, bats his sweet little eyelashes & says in a soft voice, "when I talk to Santa, I am going to make sure he puts you on the naughty list.. sorry, but you'll get nothing for Christmas this year".. {sigh}.. that kid has beaten us at our own game..

It's a Wonderful Life..

I was wrapping presents tonight, using some jingle bells on the packages.. when Taggert heard the bells ringing, he said "Mama, did you know- everytime a bell rings, an angel gets another wing?"... yes, baby, that's exactly right.. ; )

Saturday

First thing Saturday morning the phone rings.. "what are you guys doing?".. "trying to make the kids believe we are still asleep" we respond..
it turned out Carol didn't have to go to work for the day, and we needed to take full advantage of a rare Saturday with her.. Poor Troy stayed home & studied, while the boys & I loaded up in the Sippel van for our free day.. Free was our theme & we did our best to stay on track..
First up was a visit to the Austin Capital Building.. The boys did a great job of paying attention on the tour (free), with Riley even stopping to ask the tour guide a question about the renovations..
Next we stopped at Whole Foods for a little wine tasting (they use teeny tiny cups) & some snacks.. a quick bite to eat on the lawn of UT campus (what a gorgeous day) & it was off to the LBJ Presidential Library (free).. Steve's bit of trivia was that there are only 12 presidential libraries currently, with 2 of them in Texas.. who knew? (a wealth of knowledge, isn't he?).. we could have spent a lot more time there, but the boys (pretty much just my boys) were reaching their time limit of quiet voices & no running, so it was time to head back north..
By the time we got home Troy was ready to put his books down.. we all loaded up & headed to Salado, for the annual Christmas Stroll (free).. what a picture perfect little town.. the boys enjoyed the carolers dressed in costumes & the fact that we spotted Santa, driving a big, red Ford no less!
On the way home for the night we stopped at the Georgetown square for dinner, the Heisman announcement.. all the boys loved playing video games & pool while the grown ups enjoyed a quiet dinner.. no one can say we don't make the most of our days!

the last to know..

Troy & I had a meeting for work this morning in downtown Austin, beginning at 8:00 am.. It's pretty rare when we both have to be that far away from home that early, but when it occurs, we take the little trail over to Carol's house & ask if she can adopt our children for the morning, getting them to school after we leave.. God Bless Carol, she always helps out when we are in need..
We left Round Rock at 6:15 am, which meant I had to get moving at 5:00 am to get everyone ready, out the door & deposited on Carol's doorstep on time.. knowing this, I still stayed up until after 1:00 am reading Angels & Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code. why didn't I know these books were soo good?.. I remember all the media hype, prior to the TDVC movie, and I can't for the life of me remember why I didn't read it back then.. perhaps there is a small part of me that resists things that get all the hype, which makes me the last to know how great these books are..
now that I'm finally with the program, if it weren't almost 11:00 pm as I've finished it, I would run over to Carol's to borrow TDVC next.. of course, it would mean I'd stay up reading again until I fell asleep with the book on my face.. I suppose I'll save my late night reading for tomorrow night.. sweet dreams! : )

What I'm thankful for...

Sneak Peek...

If you click on the link to Tina's blog to the right, >>>
you can get the first look at some of our photos..
I love the pictures of us laughing, but I'm embarrassed tell any of you what started it.. ahh.. the joys of being a mommy of little boys...

picture day... aghhh...

Lovely Tina, who first took pictures of the boys & me as a surprise for Troy at Father's Day, has started her little photography business.. with her three sons, she speaks fluent boy, and mine respond very well to her.. so, when we decided we wanted to do family portrait, she was our first choice..
Did I mention this was the first family portrait we've ever done all together?.. somehow we've just never gotten around to it.. of course, you would think because of this, I would have been a little more prepared... but no, instead, I spent the morning reading the love story of www.thepioneerwoman.com (my new favorite website).. I've even made a couple of her recipes so far, and my personal cowboy has loved them..
anywho, by 2 o'clock, it was time to start thinking about what we would all wear.. that is, to meet Tina at 4..... I know, right?... I scooted up to Old Navy. that store has never failed me, and I was able to find something for everyone.. I ran home, jumped in the shower, instructing each boy to put on a pair of jeans & their new shirt..
Dad, check.. Taggert, check.. and then there was Riley.. He wears a uniform shirt & khaki pants to school everyday.. It's just started to get cooler around here, so he's even been fine in shorts most days.. so it's now, 30 minutes before we are to meet Ms. Tina, that we learn Riley is no longer a 4T.. and the one pair of 5T jeans I found in his room had a hole in the knee..
ah, hand-me-downs..
It's now 20 minutes before we are to meet Tina & I have wet hair and am not dressed.. I race upstairs.. yep, loads of 4T & 6T jeans.. perhaps he has skipped a size?.. I run downstairs & toss a 6T pair to Troy, then back into my bedroom to get dressed.. No dice..
Still with wet hair- 15 minutes to go- I run back upstairs & think, just maybe, we overlooked a 5T pair the last time we went through Taggert's clothes.. Closet? no.. Drawers under the bed? nope.. finally in the last drawer of his dresser- one pair.. and no holes!
Back downstairs, jeans in Troy's hands, hairdryer on full blast.. nothing like a ticking clock, stress, a hot hairdryer & your family standing right outside your door ready to go..
Regardless, we still pulled in at the same time as Tina.. she worked her magic, kept my boys giggling & in no time we were done.. I can't wait to see the finished product, especially after all that craziness!

A creative reward system..

I have to hand it to the teachers at Taggert's school... for many reasons, really.. but tonight, for their method of rewarding the students.. at dinner Taggert was telling us how excited he was that tomorrow was Friday (that makes two of us sweetie).. he said the principal had been watching the 2nd graders at his school & decided they deserved something special for their good behavior.. two groups were formed and a vote was taken.. on one side, they voted for a no-homework pass.. Taggert didn't like this idea because he says he loves homework.. (I'll need to keep that little nugget handy..)
He went with the 2nd group, and that's the group that won... the big treat you ask?.... It's three-fold... 1) they get to take off their shoes for the entire day (Taggert placed heavy emphasis on entire)... 2) they get to write in pen.. and 3) they get to eat their lunch in the classroom versus the cafeteria..
nicely done.. creative & free, yet the kiddos still feel like they are getting something extra special..

It's Diego-thirty!...

Tonight we went to a party at Gattiland for Taggert's football team.. while I'm on the topic, what is the draw of skee ball?... why am I willing to almost throw out an arm playing this game?.. anywho- we really had a great team this season, and an even greater coach.. Riley kept trying to be a part of the team activities, and Coach Randy did a lovely job making sure he felt included..

When we got home, it was time for showers & brushing teeth.. I was in the kitchen cleaning up when I heard the most abrupt, high-pitched squeal from upstairs.. the squeal was followed by a thunder of footsteps coming down the stairs, and a little nekkid boy jumping into my arms.. just guess what Riley found in the back of his toothbrush drawer?...
it was his most favorite, not real, Diego watch.. Riley stays pretty happy, but this was pure, primitive joy.. you can see from a previous post below what this watch means in our house.. ; )

Halloween 2008..

I'm cleaning out my camera tonight, so this picture is a little late.. but here's hoping you & yours had a great Halloween, and only got the best kind of candy!

This does not look good...

Four grown men...

... a giant sling shot.... a bucket of water balloons..

...moving targets.... nope, this does not look good at all...

Good meals..

Right before Taggert was born, everyone offered to make us meals & bring them by in the first few days we were home.. We politely declined each offer, confident we could do it all on our own.. Millions of people do it everyday, right?.. In fact, while I was pregnant with Taggert a woman gave birth in a hurricane, while stuck in a tree.. My Dad often pointed out that she was fine, so how hard could this be?..
I'll never forget the first day after that first, long, sleepless night home with baby Taggert waking up to eat every 30 minutes.. Troy & I had no plan, no system, and we were both up every time Taggert cried (did I mention it was every 30 minutes??).. we were a couple of keystone cops- bumping into each other, ripping diapers & almost breaking the Diaper Genie.. The next day I called my Mother in tears.. we were beyond exhausted & starving.. it's as if we forgot how to cook, even where in our house to look for food.. a couple of hours later the doorbell rang, and my Mother walked in with one of everything from Boston Market.. we ripped into the containers like rabid bears..
Fast forward to Riley's birth.. 3 years older & a little wiser, our friends Ed & Laura offered to bring dinner our first night home.. Taggert was staying with my parents those first few days to give us time to get situated.. I quickly accepted their kind offer.. once again, all of our focus had been on feeding & caring for our newest cherub, so we were starved by the time Ed & Laura arrived.. I still remember the meal- homemade chicken pot pie, salad and a pitcher of margaritas.. They were barely out the door before we were relaxing over that wonderful meal.. Troy laughs that my fond memories of that meal have more to do with the margaritas (my first adult beverage in 9 months!) than the chicken pot pie..
Well, here we are today.. Jamie & Joel have brought little Deegan into this world, and now it is our turn to deliver a hot meal.. Ed & Laura still had the recipe, so I thought I would make them the dinner we enjoyed so much.. I've never made it myself, so I did a test run tonight..
... I'm not a baker, but it turned out pretty nicely, in my opinion...

... and judging from what is left, my family seemed to enjoy it as well.. Hopefully Jamie & Joel will enjoy it Wednesday as much as we did..

Introducing Deegan Mac..

Congratulations to Jamie & Joel on their new addition, Deegan Mac.. Their lives will never be the same- lucky them.. looking at that peaceful face, wrapped in the hospital standard-issue blanket & cap, almost makes me want another.. Many blessings to the Bandley family..

Where has the time gone?...

..in more ways than one... my precious little Riley loves wearing his Diego watch.. it's not an actual watch, but simply a piece of yellow plastic shaped like a watch, with a picture of Diego on it.. when we ask him what time it is, he has often said "Diego-thirty".. he has been undaunted when someone (especially his older brother) has pointed out it is not a real watch..
he wears his watch every day & night.. in the shower, to school & in bed.. he only takes it off to play flag football, when one of us will hold it for him..
this week, he lost his little Diego watch at football practice.. I came home from being out of town for a couple of days, and Troy shared this news with a sad look on his face..
knowing that his next watch will most likely be an actual watch, I think we felt as if it marked one of those signs Riley getting a little older..

out of the mouths of precious kiddos..

After school Taggert & Riley were playing with Taelyn outside.. they were running all over the driveway & in the garage, and having lots of little discussions.. I was reading & not really paying attention, so I didn't catch anything they were saying..
a little later Taggert talked back & I asked him to go inside.. at which point, Riley turned to Taelyn & said "so.. Daddy's out of town.." turns out, they were playing house- Taggert was Daddy, Taelyn was Mommy & Riley told me he was the "older son".. I had to laugh at how quickly Riley was able to improvise..

What was that?...

I'm sitting next to Troy just now when a commercial for the new season for Dancing With The Stars comes on, showing the new roster of dancers.. Excitedly he says, "hey, it's going to be a good season!".. what?!?

The first day of school..

Today was Taggert's first day of 2nd grade, with Riley beginning a new preschool year at Primrose... Everyone was up early this morning, with Taggert bouncing around & singing some song about being a second grader.. when I picked him up & asked how it went on the first day, he said "awesome".. I'm grateful that they still get excited about going to school.. let's hope it lasts..

Last day before school starts...

We wanted to find a way to celebrate the last day of summer vacation.. Carol & I had read about Hey Cupcake in Austin, a cute little airstream trailer parked on South Congress that only serves cupcakes.. it sounded like the perfect place for little celebrations..
so, after I was done with work, we gathered the troops & headed south.. as you can see from the photo, we were met with a "sold out" sign when we got there.. which left us with some upset little boys..
Luckily, just down the street from Hey Cupcake, is another Austin original, Amy's Ice Cream.. We activated Plan B, and started telling the boys that cupcakes are overrated (so they wouldn't get too upset about it).. Everyone got their choice (how about dark chocolate with gummy bears??) & we took a stroll up Congress... this lasted about 4 minutes until a crazy rainstorm hit.. you would think this would be bad, but with 5 little boys eating ice cream in the Texas heat, a little water comes in handy for all those sticky faces & fingers..

It's finally open...

It seems so long ago when many of the families on our street and around the block were attending evening school board meetings in our Teravista t-shirts, united in getting a new elementary built in our neighborhood.. Two years later, it's finally ready to open, just in time for Taggert's 2nd grade year.. it's so exciting to see the hard work pay off with the opening of Teravista Elementary..
On Friday night we went up to the school to meet his new teacher & drop off his school supplies.. what a special surprise to find Taggert's friend (and sometime "girlfriend" since kindergarten) Hannah will be in his class again this year.. not sure if I'm ready for the love notes again so soon..
I'm excited that all of us are involved with the school once again- this time as active committee chairs on the PTA. no doubt we will make it a special year for our kiddos..

Nate the Great!

Happy birthday Nathan Sippel! So hard to believe you are TEN YEARS OLD! I'm really going to need the kiddos on this street to stop growing up so fast!!

A sick day...

I worked from home today to stay with my little guys & their upset tummies.. with just the three of us here, I noticed a couple of consistent traits throughout the day..
Taggert is my little pleaser.. to keep them busy while I worked, I asked them to draw me some pictures.. Riley drew whatever he wanted, no matter what I asked for.. but Taggert wanted to draw exactly what he thought I might want, asking clarifying questions to be sure.. he's been that way since he was very small.. he has an independent spirit, but always checks to make sure it's acceptable..
And then there's Riley.. my little loverboy... Taggert is right on the bubble where extra hugs & kisses may be just a little too much.. but not Riley.. anytime any two people are hugging in our house, Riley shouts out "group hug!" and comes running over at full steam, as if he might be missing out.. then he squeezes with all his might, not letting go until he gets a kiss.. and pleaser Taggert reluctantly holds on until Riley feels he's gotten enough hugs..
there's no doubt these little traits won't last, but until then I'll try and soak up every moment..

Olympics..

Does anyone else's face hurt from watching too much Olympic coverage?.. if I sit down for too long to watch the games, after a while, I notice my face hurting from clenching my jaw as if some how my being more focused will help the athletes.. thank you Michael Phelps for winning your final race last night so I was at least able to sleep easily.. watching the Olympics is stressful!!.. ha ; )

Taggert wasn't feeling well...

.... after dinner tonight, and thought he might have to throw up.. so I sat him on the couch with a glass of water and a bucket.. when I went back in the living room to check on him a little while later, I found him like this....

guess he's feeling a little better..

Saturday..

no bugs in this pool, except for the little snuggle bugs we brought with us
Adyson showing us her new school shoes
caught in the act: Riley helping Austin escape to the golf course
Our plan Saturday was to get up & head to the neighborhood pool... unfortunately, the pool has been invaded by some crazy parasites & has been shut down for massive chlorinating.. Luckily, Jamie & Joel called to invite us to their pool (with no parasites).. Joel took some awesome pictures of the kiddos with his underwater camera which I'll post when he sends them..

After lounging around the pool for awhile, Mike & Mandy had us over for dinner.. the boys hit golf balls at dusk while the girls sat on the back porch and sang at the top of our lungs to 80's songs from Mike's ipod... my apologies to anyone who might have heard us.. clearly, we aren't professionals.. ; )

this week....

...was too long... I spent 5 days downtown, helping with a convention for work.. Troy left for El Paso Wednesday morning, and I was back that afternoon (thank you Carol for closing the small parenting gap for us!).. The boys joined me at my hotel downtown one night for dinner & a movie as we all cuddled up in the bed.. Riley has said before he would like to live in a hotel, so this worked out well for him.. by Thursday night everyone was back home & settled in.. looking forward to a quiet weekend..

Love to share..

I love to share neat things I come across.. a friend I haven't talked to in a while sent this to me the other day, and I just got around to watching it.. being the cynic that I am, I checked it out, and it looks like it's legitimate... for sure, it's a compelling story, but also a touching video to share with a friend you haven't talked to in awhile..

The rest of the weekend..

the kiddos enjoying Jungle Java
the boys earning their keep at the Jungle Java
using the hot tub jets & pool noodles as giant water guns
enjoying the 104 degree heat in style
serious focus during Guitar Hero
intense game of bolo golf

We stayed on the run this weekend.. Saturday morning after the sleepover, we loaded up with the Sippels and introduced Jackson & Jordan to the Jungle Java.. they, too were quickly sucked in- running around sweaty & red-faced. After they left, we headed over the Joel & Jamie's to enjoy their beautiful pool & great cooking (new favorite grilled meat: tri-tip).. a couple of folks ended up in the pool unexpectedly which means someone had to buy a new camera for someone else this morning, but all was good..

Sunday meant errands for me (including a stop at the nail salon with Mandy) while the boys hung out by the pool, then over to Mike & Mandy's for even more good food, a serious Guitar Hero contest & a not so serious game of bolo golf.. we are all just going to have to go back to work to relax! here's hoping your weekend was equally rewarding!

Friday night..

Trying new appetizers & cocktails with the neighbors (Carol's jalapenos go from hottest to pure fire..) & a slumber party with the boys & our God children.. we've been so busy lately, this was the perfect end to a busy month..

Look what I found when I checked on Riley tonight.. I guess we know who he's supporting..

Busy Weekend..

This weekend was busy for everyone in our household... the boys explored Zilker park & kayaked all over Lake Travis with the Sippel boys, and worked together to mow the lawn. I spent the weekend in Houston at a leadership training retreat (www.wayfo.com). Sunday night we all piled up in the bed for bedtime stories and a slumber party.. it's hard to get any sleep with two little rambunctious boys in the bed, but worth it for the cuddles..

Home again...

The blue bowl has returned home safely from its vacation in Canada, although this time it was filled with all sorts of goodies.. Thank you Sippels, that was very thoughtful.. but I'm sure part of it was to ward off any future retaliation..... ; )

Those Sippels are at it again...

It appears the Sippels had some left over blue bowl pieces from the last bowl-napping.. now they are just taunting me..... you can see the rest of the story on Carol's blog.. nice touch leaving a piece at the Canada shore.. ; )

Great Wolf vacation..

While Troy & I were in Vegas, Taggert & Riley were having their own special vacation with Nanny & Papa at the Great Wolf Lodge. With an indoor waterpark, story hour & a room like a log cabin, I'm sure the boys would say they had more fun than we did.
Thank you Nanny & Papa for taking such good care of our babies while we were gone!

Vegas baby...

We're back from 5 days in Vegas, and all I can say is that I need a vacation.. 5 days & nights, 2 shows, fancy dinners, massages, the Eiffel tower, a gondola ride, our walking tour of most of the casinos on the strip, Rum Jungle and hours & hours of table games & slots.. oh, and of course the impromptu concert Terrie & I had at the Mandalay Bay.. (we're famous in Japan.....)
sleep is really overrated..
We were so glad to spend the time with our dearest friends from Oregon, Ethan & Terrie.. we just don't get enough chances to see them..

Happy Birthday..

Happy Birthday Troy!.. I won't say how old you are (41), but there's no doubt you are still a kid at heart.. thanks for ensuring I will always be the young one in the house!!.. since you don't read this blog, maybe others will read it & tell you happy birthday.. ha ha, love you!

Troy & Steve (aka Bowl-napper) Super Bowl 2007 (aka night of the first bowl-napping)

Once again, there's been a BOWL-napping!..

Here we sit in Texas, wistfully staring across the lawn as we patiently await the return of our next door neighbors, the Sippels.. We tend to their lawn, take out their trash, collect their mail & lovingly watch over their home, as they enjoy their two week vacation on the Canada shore...
and how do they repay such love, you ask?... by filling their blog with taunting photos of my beautiful blue bowl!..

I give you, the evidence...

Exhibit A: what is he doing?.. blowing it a kiss??

Exhibit B: what's that hiding behind that Yankee coffee??...

Exhibit C: is that a rotten banana in my bowl??

There are many other photos (you can find them on Carol's blog)... I've barely recovered from the first Bowl-napping (the night of Super Bowl 2007) and the ransom note & bogus broken bowl pieces I kept finding for weeks after the fact.. and here they go & take my bowl into a whole other country!!.... Stephen Sippel!.. you just wait mister!

Settling in...

You know your friends from Buffalo, New York are settling in nicely in the south, when transporting beer down the street in your shorts seems like a good idea.. I'm just sayin'... ;)

We miss you Sippels!! We can't wait for you to make it back from your Canadian vacation.. The street is not the same without you!!

Faux part II...

After little boy tears & a trembling chin, I suspected there would be no way we could get Taggert to wear his hair in a fauxhawk again.. We didn't want to push him to do it, but we wanted him to feel confident enough to not let these other kiddos influence him.
This morning we talked about it again, and then he didn't say anything for awhile..... right before Troy left for San Antonio, Taggert asked him to fix his hair... they fixed it with only a slight spike in the middle & then Troy left for the day..
I told Taggert how great his hair looked & how proud I was of him for not letting those other kids get to him (part of me wanted to mention how their parents must have been raised in a barn to have kids with such bad manners, but I refrained)... we were headed out the door when Taggert stopped & said, "can you make it bigger?".. success!! we ran into the bathroom, I grabbed a bunch of mousse & got it as high as I could. what a great way to start the day.. it's so crazy, because he's only 7... there's no doubt these little speedbumps will only get bigger as he gets older.. now where did I put that owner's manual?....

Taggert & his fauxhawk..

Taggert had been talking about wanting a fauxhawk for awhile.. Troy was against it, but I finally convinced him that it would be fine, just for the summer.. this weekend Troy took the boys to get haircuts, and Taggert came strutting in the house with his new hairdo afterwards..
It was mighty cute.. and this morning, he jumped out of bed, got dressed & ran into our bathroom so I could fix his hair.. a little mousse, a lot of hairspray & a blowdryer helped us get it just "so"..
I had to sell spirit wear at the Teravista Elementary ribbon cutting tonight, so Troy picked up the boys from school. When he got Taggert, his hair was flat, and he was asking to wear a hat when the went to eat.. apparently, a couple of the kids at camp had teased him for his new hairdo- calling him a "dork", an "idiot", saying it was too big or too small.. one kid even punched him while making fun of his hair.. for my tenderhearted 2nd grader, this was a bit much..
When I got home, Troy & I tried to convince him that what these kids said didn't matter, that they were just jealous & that their parents hadn't taught them good manners.. but heck, we've all been there at one time or another, and no matter what your parents said, it still stung.. it's just crazy how much more it stings you when it's your own little one.. I'm going to have to learn to toughen up if I'm going to try and master this Mom stuff..
I think he's done with the fauxhawk.. if I can get him to wear it again, I'll be sure to take some pictures- it's too precious for words..

If you have some time to kill...

Oh.. my.. goodness... I read about this website & decided to check it out... and then, time stood still... all I remember is that at one point, I was laughing so hard tears were running down my face...
more importantly, I had never seen this website.. and I know my brother hadn't seen it until I sent it to him... Yet, some of the entries seemed oddly familiar... I'm just saying..
the website is a compilation of emails mothers have sent to their children.. then, their children totally sell them out by submitting them to this site.. and it's one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.. no doubt..
so, if you have time to kill, and there's no one around to see you collapse into ugly, convulsing laughter, check out http://www.postcardsfromyomomma.com/.. you won't regret it.. I'll look forward to looking for your own personal entries on the site... ; )

Here's an example of one of the emails (the first part is written by the person submitting it):

(Backstory: I am the youngest of 4 children, my mother was terrified for me to leave home and live on my own. I finally found a roommate and a place we could afford, this was her answer to my email informing her of our plans. The funny part is, we aren’t immigrants…)

Grumble,,….grumble,…. You don’t know this girl very well….she could leave you stranded with a lease……she could stab you while you sleep…..she could pour boiling hot coffee on you at breakfast…….valley park??? It floods there!!!! There are bugs there!!!!! They don’t rent to immigrants like you!!!!

Everybody's got a job..

On Wednesday night, Taggert, Riley & I went up to the Henson's Jungle Java to help them get ready for the their big grand opening this weekend.. Troy was out of town, so I told the boys we had to do our part to help out our neighbors... They asked "what exactly are you going to be helping with Mama?".. I explained that I would be helping unload supplies & building tables..

Then they asked what specifically they needed to help with.. I explained that there was a giant playscape in the store, and it was their job to make sure everything on the playscape worked well- from the slides, to the treehouse, to the basketball court.. They were excited to know that they would be helping.. by the time we were heading out for the night, their heads were soaking wet & I had to drag them out of there.. It would appear the playscape is working just fine!

If you are in the Round Rock area, check out the local Jungle Java (http://junglejavaplay.com).. There is no doubt it's going to be a popular spot for kiddos.. Congratulations to Nikki & Gregg on their new business!!

Why I like bunko..

Maybe I just have Vegas on the brain, since we are getting ready to go there.. but I think bunko is a lot like craps.. because:

1- it's fast
2- people are rooting for you to win
3- I don't really know the rules
4- it must be done with a cocktail(s)
5- I'm a big winner
6- you can totally win without knowing the rules

Now, I didn't win $400 like I won at craps the first & only time I went to Vegas, but I did win a big prize of glasses & a cocktail cookbook.. I know you're jealous.. ; )

Really looking forward to next month when we include the husbands.. I haven't told Troy what's going to happen, and since he doesn't read this blog, we're safe.. I'll just think of it of one extra chance for me to win something.. cheers!

The 5th of July..

It pretty much wouldn't be a weekend on our street without some sort of activity with the neighbors.. On Saturday, the Huttons hosted a pig roast.. and by pig roast, I mean they bought a complete 70 pound pig, prepped it & smoked it.. Tina reviewed the prepping pictures and, by the fact that she was having trouble keeping her food down, I'm fairly certain I don't need to know what was involved..
Riley & I bounced in the bounce house together, where he warned me that he was not a toy when I tried to bounce him off his feet.. Troy & Taggert learned that they were experts at "bolo golf" (we think that's what it's called).. Steve & Troy plan to build a set tomorrow..
Don't tell anyone, but we let the kids run around on the 7th green.. that kept them occupied until the sprinklers came on.. One more weekend bbq to go..

Fourth of July on Lake LBJ

Best friend since college, Ginger
We don't know these ladies, just loved the their outfits..
Riley & Aunt Ginger
Taggert with Jackson & Jordan on the lake

We started Fourth of July weekend at "Aunt" Ginger & "Uncle" Stephen's lake house in Kingsland... Lots of good food, a poker run on the lake (Troy got a pair of 8's), fireworks & swimming until everyone was wiped out..