Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Make Your Mama Proud? Edition

My Bear is a mess. He's a clown. But I pray this isn't a glimpse of my future with him. Rebel without a cause? Rock 'n Roll is here to stay?
Those are magnets on his ears.

Elvis Has Left the Building?

This afternoon I received a text from Big D: I couldn't find Elvis.

What that meant was Elvis was not in Graceland. He was unprotected from the baddies out to get him. He was without food. I figured we'd walk in and he'd be waiting at the door for us.

Nope. There was no hide nor hair of him. I began to wonder if he jetted off to Las Vegas for a show. Or was he headed for Blue Hawaii? Then my thoughts took a darker turn.

What if Cleo had him disposed? Would Ty do her dirty work for her?

Right as we were all beginning to panic, Lamb found him. Behind the washer! I would have taken a picture, but, um, gross. It's pretty dirty back there. Definitely The Ghetto of the house. Before I could check for myself, I had to ask Lamb if he was still alive and unharmed. Luckily, the answer to both was yes.

After making us panic so, he gave a big stretch and sauntered out (once the washer was moved out of his way). Silly kitty. We led him to his food where he lived up to his name with a powerful attack of his meal. It wasn't a fried peanut butter & banana sandwich but it probably tasted like it to him!

Our Unexpected Surprise

Big D is a big ole softie. Sure, he might claim the pets annoy him. He might declare that he wouldn't miss them if they were gone. But, deep down, he loves them. They entertain him when he's bored. They love on him when he's lonely.

During the course of our twenty years together, we've had numerous pets. And, all but one, were sweet gifts from him. Saturday, he did it again. We were out doing errands, which included grocery shopping for the animals. On weekends, animal control has animals for adoption on display. There was an adorable black kitten who was really selling herself to Big D. Following him around, climbing up the cage to grab his attention, meowing to him. She wanted to come home with him. As we were walking back to the car, he said that after our errands, he wanted to come back to see about her. Uh, what? Seriously? Ok!

Cleo is supposed to be Lamb's pet. Sadly, I am the only person she's nice to all the time. I am her big, soft, squishy pillow. It always makes Lamb sad. I tell Lamb that it's her daddy's fault. Oh, and her brother's too. It's little comfort.

So, we do go back. And the little black kitten is still there. While we were waiting for the adoption volunteers, another couple asked to hold our kitten. Big D was disappointed. If it was meant to be, they'll put her up, I told us. In the meantime, Big D was looking at the other kittens. He found this gray one who was slightly older and already neutered. By the time the couple had put down our black kitten, Big D had changed his mind. I loved the little baby but I was also ok with getting an older one & having the peace of mind of it already being fixed.

So we did it. We crazy kids came home with a new pet. The kids were flabbergasted. They never in a million years thought we'd come home with a new family member.They begged their daddy to not rough-house with this one. They want him to be their cuddle bug. He's a wily one. Right now he's more interested in exploring and hiding from the big guy than cuddling. He's also interested in PEOPLE food. I've never had a cat who wanted what we eat. He about attacked Bear for his poptart. We gave him some of his food to appease him. Don't worry, he won't always eat on Bear's lap.It was a rough first night. First, we had to name him. That was difficult (cough, cough, Bear who would only agree to Julius which none of us liked). We went from Spartacus to Marc Antony to Caesar (homage to Cleo) to Bob (as in Bob Cat) to Buddy to his final name: Elvis. You know, because he looks a tad lion-like and the lion is king of the jungle. We are from Memphis and Elvis is the king of rock 'n roll.

It was also difficult because he was terrified of Ty. Ty was wanting to teach him the rules. Elvis wanted Cleo to love him. Cleo wanted No.Part.Of.This.Beast.

Elvis has now accepted Ty, somewhat. He'll consent to touching noses, but he still won't cuddle nor play.For Elvis's protection (& because he isn't 100% trained) he sleeps in the kids' bathroom at night. We call it Graceland. Saturday, he was perfect. Last night? Not so much. We were wondering if he could meow before Sunday night. He's a strong, loud little thing. Sure can't tell it by looking at him.
Cleo? Well, sadly, we haven't seen too much of her. This has pretty much been her look since we came home Saturday. Elvis just wants to be her friend. She lets him know in no uncertain terms that he needs to back off her. She's a diva. She might come around.In ten years or so.

Camera Critters #31

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Honeymoon Edition

Big D and I couldn't go on our honeymoon to Panama City Beach, Fl. until a year and a ½ after the wedding ceremony. This was the age before digital cameras. When what you took is what you got. There was no telling how the picture would turn out.

Here is a prime example. We were young and had no clue about picture taking. We wanted the ocean behind us so we set the camera on a tripod and posed. Who knew that the light behind us would create such darkness? Obviously NOT us. I was so sad to see this picture.

Of course, I never learn a lesson the first time.Now we are a little more knowledgeable about photography and we live in the wonderful world of Photoshop. I'm still learning but I'm bound and determined to make this a good shot. I've been able to clean up both pictures some. Look at how thin Big D used to be! Look at his pin rolled acid washed jeans with the lovely holes. And why am I so much more dressed up than him? I remember we were going out to eat at Capt'n Anderson's. Did he not bring some nice clothes? Good grief. ;)

Tag! I'm It!

Forgetfulone and Texas Tanya both tagged me for a Six by Three Meme. Or, in my case, a Six by Two meme. ;)

Six Things I Value
1. God
2. My family and friends
3. Children
4. Chocolate
5. Air conditioning
6. Having enough

Six Things I Don’t Support
1. TAKS testing
2. Bad manners
3. Hogging the right lane at a stop light if you don't plan on turning right ;)
4. Beans in chili
5. Mean People
6. Destroying our children's (especially our girls') self image

Is That a Light I See?

It's dim, but it's there!

Big D and I are fixing to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary in December. Of those 19 years, Big D has worked nights for about 13 of them. He's had varying degrees of hours but all of them at night. When the kids were younger, it wasn't a hardship. We just had a different lifestyle.

Once I started working and Lamb went to intermediate school, it became torture for Big D. He's a family man. He'd rather spend time with us than anyone else. It kills him to only see us for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. It bothers him to not be able to help Bear with baseball, miss his games, & not help coach. He hates not going to parent night to meet Lamb's teachers. I think. I might be lying on that one. I know it kills me having to go alone.

But all of that is about to change in the near future. Big D is training for a position that WILL be daytime hours. He's thrilled! It's darkest before the dawn however. Right now, his hours will be noon to ten for a couple of months. That means we won't see him At.All. Well, I will but the kids won't.

My life will have to be readjusted. Remember me whining about having to wake up early? I'm a tad ashamed to admit that I haven't had to do that yet. My hubby who loves me so has been waking up to take Lamb to school then going back to bed when he comes home. I know, I know, I am spoiled loved. When the new hours start, my free ride stops. We also have to readjust ortho, dentist, & doctor visits. And the t.v. But that's probably a good thing.

The biggest thing to adjust is Lamb. She now gets out of school an hour before we do. I am blessed with my friends. I have a great one (Anonymous Lisa) who picks up Lamb when she gets her son and then drops her off at my school when she picks up her other son. Score! She is so good to Lamb. One day Lamb thought she had play practice. It was canceled. So Lamb sat outside for an hour waiting until I could fetch her. I was upset that she was outside that long and because I missed a baby shower of my ex partner-in-crime. Lisa made it clear that Lamb should call her next time it happened. She didn't mind going back for her. It is such a weight off my mind to know I have people I can count on to help us out.

Of course, the biggest thrill for me? (besides having Big D at home with us) Baseball practice. Big D should be home in time. Woot! Come on daytime hours! We've missed you!

Ty & Me - Camera Critters #30

We always knew when we moved into a house that we'd get a dog. I wanted a small companion dog. Big D wanted a big dog. He won for the protection factor. I admitted that a big dog would make me feel safer while alone at night. He researched and researched. Finally decided that a Belgian Malinois would be the dog for us. And, as luck would have it, there was a year old rescued dog not too far from us. After an application process & home visit, we were approved. That weekend, we drove to Tyler, Texas to bring our new family member home.

Recently, I read the youth version of Marley & Me by John Grogan. As I was reading about Marley, so much of it reminded me of Ty those first couple of years.

• We only had Ty a week when get ran out of the house without a leash. We called and called him only to have him ignore us. We'd get close to him and he'd run away. I think I need to mention that this was in June. It's hot in June. Big D took off after him while we wrung our hands at home. After an incredibly long time, a furious Big D came home with a happy-go-lucky dog. Big D chased him all through the neighborhood & by a busy street. Just as Big D decided to give up & head home, Ty's herding instincts kicked in & he herded Big D home.
• He chewed up everything in his path. Everything. That includes mini-blinds.
  
• When Lamb was in 6th grade, it was a rare time that Big D worked days. Intermediate schools start at 9am which is an hour after my school starts. At the time, the only choice we had was for her to ride the bus. Ty could not handle watching her walk down the street by herself. He knew it wasn't right. What's a dog to do when he sees his charge doing something "dangerous"? Why, tear up the blinds & door frame to get to her, of course. So we had to crate him. And, sadly, it was up to Lamb to do the crating. He never gave her any problems.
• When she was in 7th grade, a dear friend of mine with a daughter Lamb's age moved close to us. We had a car pool arrangement so Lamb would not have to ride the bus. Ty had no problem with Lamb getting into a car with someone else. The crate days were over.
• Periodically, Ty would get loose. He's a bad doggie and doesn't come when called. However, we learned that if we opened a car door, he'd come running home & hop in.
• He gets in the garbage. Repeatedly. He also eats kitty litter which completely grosses me out. We had to get Cleo a hooded, private bathroom.
• When we go out of town & he has to be kenneled, he always comes home with a scratched nose. He tries to nose his way out of the crate and he whines for us.
  

Yes, all those memories came flooding back as I read the book. And they are memories, for the most part. After the hurricane, I thought to myself: So glad those days are over. Why, I bet if he got outside now, he'd come right to us when called.

Silly, naive me. Last night, Lamb was coming outside with me and Ty, pretty as he pleases, pushed her out of the way & came barreling out. Down the street he went. I called and called. He ignored me. I opened the car door. He ignored me. Bear went after him and he ran from him. I told Bear to walk away, hoping Ty would try to herd him. He didn't.

He darted across our busy street. Bear with a terrified voice begged him to listen and come to him. Ty kept running. Finally he passed a fence (an actual, honest to goodness fence) with a dog in the backyard. The dog started barking so Ty had to halt and tell him who's the boss. It gave Bear enough time to reach him. With me hot on the trail, Bear grabbed his collar and we got the leash on him.

Yes, I almost could have written that book myself.

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Scary Edition

This isn't quite how I wanted to do my scary post. Unfortunately, my computer with all my pictures and the scanner is under the weather right now. Luckily, I found this gem of a picture stored in my husband's laptop.
Before you start getting all warm and fuzzy seeing my boy show my mom how the Advent Calendar works, I think you should know this picture was taken in MARCH (2001)! Yes, March! I'm ashamed to admit that my decorations were still up. Pretty scary, huh? And, it's a fake picture. My mom was wanting to send some pics to a friend, but she didn't want a whole bunch taken at the same time. So, lucky for her it still looked like Christmas at my home!

47 Days Later

The insurance adjuster FINALLY visited us today . Turns out we need a total new roof. This is just another reminder of how we were graced by God's mercy regarding Hurricane Ike. The adjuster was flabbergasted that we didn't have any inside damage. He saw roofs that were in better condition than ours yet the inside of the home was totally destroyed. We didn't realize our roof was in such horrible shape. We only lost a few shingles. So now I'm worried about rain. We have had some rain and as far as I know, no water damage. :::crossing fingers:::

He only approved half our fence however. There are some boards that are usable (I hate mismatched planks, that's going to drive me buggy.) and we share with 4 other homes. Lovely trying to coordinate with everyone. I miss my fence! I'm a lazy dog owner and this constant taking the dog out is old now.

We still have to wait a few WEEKS for the money. Obviously, there are a lot of claims out here. It's so ugly here. All the broken fences and blue tarps are our view now. But! We have a view!


Maybe a new fence will be our Christmas present! Ty would sure like that!

Listen To Your Grandmother; She Is Wise!

When I had Lamb, my Grandmother told me to be sure to write down everything I wanted to remember. Funny things that were said, sweet moments, anything I didn't want to forget. I nodded my head to her wise advice and had good intentions. Life has a funny way of getting away from you and before you know it, you realize that you didn't write anything down. And your oldest is fourteen years old. Next election, she'll be able to vote!

I was cleaning out a junk drawer this afternoon when I spied an old notepad. I hate throwing those things away because my doodling lists & hastily scrawled notes might come in handy one day. Such as today. While flipping through it, I came across these little gems of Bearisms circa 2004 (age 7) while at Disney. There are things I will never forget about that trip. And there are these 2 items which I clearly forgot about until today. What a fun treat to realize I had the forethought to write them down.

Two things Bear wanted to happen on that trip. One, he wanted a Pluto hat. Two, he wanted to meet Pluto. He found the hat of his dreams and wore it the whole trip. While wearing it, he came up with this observation: "People act weird around me....and I like it!"

While Bear & I were waiting for Lamb & Big D to 'tour the world' at Epcot, a cast member came up to Bear aka Pluto. The CM yelled "Pluto!" and whipped out his autograph book for Bear to sign. Bear signed HIS name. "Cool! Now I have Pluto's real name!" said the CM when Bear returned the book.

Oh yeah, goal #2 for Bear? It happened as well. :)

Camera Critters #29

Before Cleo and Ty, we had these critters!

A dalmatian

and an unhappy Tigger!

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - '90s Edition

Universal Studios circa 1993
I thought I was So.Cool.

*enlarge for maximum effect. Yikes!

Remind Me NOT To Borrow Her Jeans

This weekend, the fam & I ran up to Dallas for a wedding. And, boy, do my legs hurt! We arrived at the chapel about 30 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. As we walked up, we noticed the bride & her maid of honor leaving. Didn't think too much of it.

We were still sitting there waiting twenty minutes after showtime. I briefly wondered if we saw her make her getaway. Fortunately, that was not the case. Twenty five minutes late and the ceremony began. And in five minutes we were on our way to the reception.

Then the whispering began. The reason the wedding started late? The maid of honor didn't have her panties! She wore jeans to the wedding and forgot to pack panties for her dress. Why that matters? Got me. Seems like it'd be more comfortable to be panty-less in a dress than jeans. What do I know though?

So, she & the bride hightailed it to grab her some. Making the bride late for her own wedding! The maid of honor begged the bride not to tell. The bride begged her sister not to tell. Her sister said: "How can I NOT tell this? Sorry."

My grandfather adored the maid of honor. Seems she's the great-great niece of a very famous admiral in WWII. That makes her all right in his book. Wonder what he'd think if he knew she didn't wear panties with her jeans?

Camera Critters #28

A few years ago, before the hurricanes rocked the Florida coast, Coastie Brother's family and my family spent a week together at our mom's timeshare in Navarre Beach, Florida. The kids had a great time together. The adults did too. I love Navarre Beach. I'm sad we can no longer go there. The timeshare was destroyed. And, of course, that would happen just as my best friend growing up moved close to the area. Sigh.

Anyway, one night we all ate at Fudpucker's, a fun hamburger joint in Destin. Not only do they have yummy food but also gators!

The Making of Bear

When he was 3, he finally started really talking. I knew he'd probably need speech therapy. Most of the boys in my family did.

When he was in pre-k, his teacher told me that it was December before he ever talked to her and she could see his personality emerge. He had some seriously cute speech patterns. Girl was gel. Cloud was clown. Adorable. Lamb would translate for him.

When he was in kindergarten, he was still so shy that he wouldn't talk to his teacher. We started noticing that if we couldn't understand what he was saying the first time, he would NOT repeat it. Even if we just didn't hear him. He'd just shut down.

When he was in 1st grade, his teacher asked me if she could have him tested for speech. Finally! I had been begging to have him tested and was told repeatedly it was all developmental. Sure enough, he qualified for articulation.

When he was in 2nd grade, he started emerging around November rather than December. Speech was building his confidence but he was still incredibly shy.

When he was in 3rd grade, his wonderful, adorable, fantastic teacher really brought him out of his shell. Their personalities clicked and she gave him a safe place to be heard and to just be him.

When he was in 4th grade, he once again had that special teacher who understood him and allowed him to be him. I had to stop using the label "incredibly shy" when talking about him. He was still shy, but comfortable enough to relax.

Now it's 5th grade. And I'm talking about Bear. My funny, sweet, adorable, and, yes, shy Bear. Today he had the confidence to get up in front of 240 4th and 5th graders to tell them why they should vote for him to be Student Council Treasurer. Oh, he was nervous. He was anxious. But, he did it. And not only did he succeed in public speaking but I saw him supporting the other candidates. It's hard to do what these 5th graders did.

And the students voting saw something in him. Ladies and Gents, let me introduce to you the 2008-2009 Student Council Treasurer.
BEAR!!! He did it! I could not be more proud. He could not be more proud. I videotaped his speech. I'm not going to post it, but I'd be more than happy to share it. Let me know in the comments. If you are so inclined, you can leave me your email address if I don't have it.

Thank you everyone for all your well wishes, prayers, thoughts, support. They mean the world to us. Ya'll mean the world to me. Thank you.

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - The One Where He'd Killed Me If He Knew

Shhh! Don't tell my son I'm posting this picture! When Bear first discovered baseball, it didn't take him long to realize he wanted Craig Biggio to be his baseball hero. We were so excited back in 2004 to find out that Bear could meet him at the Fan Fest. Unfortunately, Bear woke up feeling awful. His sinus' were kicking his butt. He wanted to go though so we went. After waiting for a long time, it was finally Bear's turn to meet his hero. We paid $5 to have his picture made with him. We just had to laugh when we saw it. Poor Bear!

The one with Adam Everett and another player I could not even name, Bear looks fine. Story of our lives, isn't it?

Meet the Candidate

No, no, not THOSE candidates. Bear decided to throw his hat into the ring. After much consideration, Bear is running for Student Council Treasurer. He has "hired" his campaign manager & writers and started his propaganda.

I was going to get a "Vote for Bear" t-shirt to wear but Bear forbid me. It seems that the boy has a sense of honor. He feels that he has an unfair advantage and doesn't want to use it. If all the other candidates had moms who worked there, he'd be all for me supporting him. However, they don't and he wants me to stay out of it. He won't even let me troll for votes! He got wind that I talked to one of his friends and got a tad bent out of shape. My lips are firmly closed now, but it's so hard!

One of his competition, a new girl, came up to me & told me that she thought it was unfair that Bear was running. When I asked why, she replied that it's because he knows everyone. She then told me that she would have more posters.

We hung up the posters yesterday. I *almost* counted new girl's to make sure Bear had ONE more than she. I refrained. It was hard. His have gotten a HUGE reaction. Principals, teachers, & students are all talking about them.

I think his writers did a fantastic job!

They really fit his personality!

He gives his speech Friday afternoon. The vote will be directly after the speeches.

Believe it or not, he is nervous. There are 4 other students running against him. I think he'll do great. If you remember around 2:15 Friday afternoon, give him a thought for a burst of confidence.

Who knows? I may have an Alex P. Keaton on my hands!

Camera Critters #27 and Lazy

A boy and his dog. This might could have been used for Lazy as well! ;)

This is a lazy roll down the Comal River. We had some excitement, but, overall, it was a lazy ride. And we really need to do it again!

She Thinks She's Funny

I walk into the kitchen to see Lamb crunching. I demand to know what she's eating and tell her if it's M&M's, I'll be very mad. I don't like to share my chocolate.

She looks at me square in the face and says, "Medicine."



Ooohhh, that girl! Whenever I'm eating something I don't want the kids to know about (or share), I tell them that it's medicine. It worked with Chocolate Covered Cherries for the longest time.

Foiled by my own game!