Me in a nutshell

"Help, help. I'm in a nutshell." Sorry, that line from Austin Powers always pops into my head whenever I hear or say that phrase. Anyway, I saw this saying on a t-shirt at lunch today and must immediately have one:

Born to party.

Forced to work.

I couldn't have said it better myself. And it's tragic really, that I'll never get to fully accomplish what I was so obviously born to do. Actually, my parents might argue that I lived up to that quite well in college and who am I kidding? They'd have a valid point.

Welcoming the rain with open arms

Last night Cameron was the happiest I’ve seen him weeks, months even. It rained for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT at our house and in light of the drought that has existed over just our house when all other areas of Austin/Round Rock get a little bit of rain, I think it was better for him than sex. I even saw him smoking a cigarette before he fell peacefully asleep and had sweet dreams of not having to water the yard for two whole days.

The perfect "hump day"

Last Wednesday I had to take the day off work because we only pay for daycare four days a week since my mom usually watches Sheridan on Wednesdays and she was MIA in Dallas helping Sarah. I'm totally okay with sharing the grandma wealth when it means I get to play stay-at-home mom for the day. Although, I will admit I was a little leary of just how fabulous the day would be since I was still recovering from a.....how shall I say this nicely....slightly challenging weekend. What if she didn't take a nap? I don't think I could have survived another loss of sanity. That well is drying up fast and Cameron has asked that I please ration it. And I'm pretty sure consuming large quantities of wine due to the absence of a nap is a little inappropriate in the middle of the afternoon. So what could I do to wear her out so that she would take a nap? And then a light bulb went off: the Brushy Creek Water Park! I called Kara and Sara (too bad Tara lives in Houston) to see if they would like to join us and surely between three adults we could keep an eye on four kids. Remember, it's a numbers game and I prefer the number three over one.

It always takes Sheridan a little while to warm up to how much fun it is to run around and play in the water with wild abandonment. But she's a smart cookie and once she figures it out, there's NO stopping her!

Go on...play your little heart out.... And why stop playing to get a drink when it's right there in front of you!Ava was the poster child for how you want your toddler to be! She played right next to me the whole time and made my job of watching her very easy. God bless you, Ava! Grace loved the water park and kept her mom busy chasing her around from one end to the otherNatalie was an excellent helper with helping me keep an eye on SheridanAfter playing in the water long enough to hopefully wear out the kids and visualizing naps in our future, we ate our picnic lunches under the treesSara and NatalieAva, Kara, and Grace

After our fun morning at the water park, Sheridan and I went home to change and I loaded up the car with my scrapping stuff and the pack n' play. My friend Amy and her mom scrap every Wednesday during the summer (lucky teachers!) and I was going to try to join them. This was either going to be a very good idea or a very bad idea depending on the nap situation. I think Sheridan must understand how far behind I am on my scrapbooks (just started 2007) and felt sorry for me because SHE TOOK A NAP. A TWO HOUR NAP. And it's days like that, when Sheridan is an absolute angel and I get to enjoy every minute with her, that make it very hard to go back to work the following day. Because I know both are limited.

If you want to see all of the pictures from the water park, look no further than here.

A day on the lake

Several weeks ago our very good friends Courtney and Donald rented a pontoon boat on Lake Travis because they are considering buying a boat. We were more than happy to agree to help with their decision making process and packed up the coolers for a very fun day in the sun! Personally, I think they should definitely buy a pontoon boat because then the boat collection within the group would be complete since we have a sailboat and Heath and Shaunna have a ski boat. The family that plays together, stays together and the hardest decision we'll have to make next summer is which one of these boats to take out for the afternoon!

Someone just couldn't wait until we were in the water to use her floaty

Heath and Courtney

Sara, Natalie and Shaunna
Sheridan "helping" Donald drive the boat
Shaunna and Courtney
I forgot my hat but Shaunna had an extra visor that I borrowed...even though it had a longhorn on it.....hisssssss. The things I'll do to prevent wrinkles!
Floating in Devils Cove

By the end of the day we had one tired little girl

And for my fellow scrappers who will want to preserve their precious memories, you can get the pictures here.

Decision 2008

Forget the Presidential election for a moment. There is an empty spot on my "list" since I gave Brad the boot (Pitt that is) awhile back. And I'm having a hard time deciding which man I'm going to add: Michael Phelps or Aaron Piersol. There is something hot about all those gold medals Michael Phelps has won and Aaron Piersol for the simple fact that he IS hot. Before you make any comments about Michael's ears, let me just say one thing: ABS! Check his out and you'll see that his ears are THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. But either way, one of them is my new boyfriend and I'm terribly sad I won't be seeing them on tv every night now that swimming is over.

The day that ended with a bubble bath and glass of wine

Last week Cameron left on Thursday for a business trip to Montreal and I got to try my hand at flying solo. I have since developed a whole new respect for single parents and truly believe they deserve a medal. Or a day at the spa. Once a week. Not only is there someone else to help with Sheridan but there are things that seem to just take care of themselves when Cameron is home and I simply don't have to think about them. They just get done like magic and it's a beautiful thing. Like feeding the dogs, taking out the trash, watering the plants, etc. I managed to maintain all of these things and Sheridan's well being in Cameron's absence but I might have lost my sanity along the way a few dozen times or so. The first time and certainly not the last was on Saturday morning. Sheridan and I were at a birthday party for Gracie at Pump It Up when I checked my voicemail to hear a message from Cameron informing me that instead of getting into Austin at two something that afternoon, he was in "travel hell" and would not be getting home until eleven something that evening. I guarantee you that the feeling I experienced in that moment is probably very similar to that of being run over by a bus. And then it backs up and runs over you again finishing you off. Since we were in public and I am not two years old, I had to withhold the complete meltdown that so desperately wanted to be unleashed. Instead, I took the mature approach and immediately called my parents for backup. They invited us over for dinner and I was so relieved because I liked the odds much better of 3 on 1 rather than 1 on 1. It's not difficult math.

Taking a short pause from all the jumping to pose for a picture

The birthday girl Gracie

Gracie's brother, Luke Before we went to their house, we ran a few errands and then went home for Sheridan to take a nap. One would think that hours of jumping around in and on inflatable structures would insure an afternoon nap. But not so much. And there went my sanity out the window once again. I was beginning to think that there was a mix-up at the hospital and instead of being sent home with the correct child we were sent home with the Energizer bunny. My mother assured me there was no mix-up and we did in fact get the right child because pay back is hell. "Apparently" I didn't take naps either and since they were enjoying this a little too much, we went over there sooner rather than later. (That'll teach them to gloat!) After dinner we let Sheridan run around my parent's backyard and play in her little pool to hopefully exert some of her endless amounts of energy. I know, hard to believe this sweet face could be so difficult
"Hmmm....what should I terrorize next? Mom is always a good target but I'm kind of bored with that." Sheridan loved the idea of the sprinkler but this was about as close as she would get to it
I am pleased to report that Sheridan fell asleep within 15 minutes of being put to bed. And trust me, that is a huge accomplishment because the two nights prior she was awake until 10:45ish playing in her crib. (Note: There are no toys in there and she goes to bed no later than 8:30 people.) All it took was constant entertainment all day long to finally wear her ass out. And mine. Cameron got home shortly after midnight and I was so excited that he was home I almost tackled him when he walked in the door. Except, oh right.....I WAS ASLEEP TOO. As CFO of our household, I'm pretty sure there will be a travel freeze implemented until Sheridan is in college.

Summer party in Cove

Every year Tara's dad, Ralph, throws a big summer party and practically the entire town of Copperas Cove is there. Her dad and Becky live on some land (not sure the actual size but it's a wide open space for sure) and they have the best backyard EVER! Going to their house is almost like going on a mini vacation. There's a pool to relax by/play in, her dad's incredible cooking to enjoy and be spoiled with, and endless amounts of beer! They also added a few features to their backyard which definitely complete it's resort status, a waterfall into the pool and an outdoor bar. Not a kitchen. Don't make the mistake of calling it an outdoor kitchen because IT IS A BAR. This year there was another reason to celebrate because it was Ralph's 60th birthday and celebrate we did into the wee hours of the morning!

Mimi and I took a break from the sun to spend some time inside with Miss FinleyIsn't she a cutie!Becky had everyone sing Ralph a special song about being old and wearing diapers. It was pretty funnyHe was a good sportSinging their hearts outMimi is expecting a little boy in December and this was the first time I got to see her baby bumpI realized as I was working on this post that I don't have any pictures of Tara! I'm not sure how that happened but it might have had something to do with the fact that she had a little one to take care of and I didn't. I was livin' it UP!

How do you spend your Saturdays?

Me? Oh, just chasing my child around the house like it's a game in order to get her to smile for the camera. She's fast and all over the place! WEARS. ME. OUT.

Bet you can't guess what I just drank?

Glued to the tv
"Haven't you gotten enough pictures yet mom?"
"Last one lady, better make it good"
Sheridan loves to play outside so she goes to the door and says 'open'

My last day with sweet Savannah

By Saturday Sarah was feeling so much better. Not only had Savannah spent the evening in the nursery allowing her and Cal to actually get some sleep BUT she was able to take a shower that morning, put on make-up, and fix her hair. I hated leaving that day but it helped that I had my precious daughter (and husband!) to go home to.

Aren't they sweet when they are sleeping?

Monopolizing as much time with Savannah as I can

Savannah had her eyes opened for quite awhile allowing us ample time to snap a million pics
I think Savannah definitely has her mommy's nose

Family of 3