Can everyone please keep their bodily fluids TO THEMSELVES!

I didn't think this was asking too much but apparently in my house on Saturday, it was and I'm still recovering. Here's a recap of the unfortunate chain of events that led me to drink several glasses of wine. In the middle of the afternoon. But it was white and according to my friend Sara, that's acceptable.

Disaster #1: I walked into the living room and the dogs were investigating something on the floor which turned out to be Sheridan's dirty diaper. I know, there are so many thoughts and questions racing through your brain right now just as they were in mine that moment. First and foremost, where was Sheridan? Oh, not to worry. She's over there SITTING ON THE CHAIR. With nothing separating her poopy butt from the cushion and shit (literally) all over her hands. And everyone says "oh, that's a good sign for potty training that she took her diaper off because she doesn't want to be dirty." No, no. A good sign would be telling me that you have to go BEFORE you go. Not after the fact by smearing poop all over the house.

Disaster #2: After cleaning up that lovely mess I made us lunch. Shortly after I had Sheridan all taken care of and was starting to make something for myself, I turned around in the kitchen to find a pile of throw up on the floor courtesy of Brodie (one of our dogs). Cleaned that up and dogs were banned to the backyard.

Disaster #3: Fast forward to after lunch and in an attempt to continue the potty training that's going so well at daycare, I took Sheridan to the bathroom. I knew she'd have to go, she just ate and drank. I was convinced this was going to be the 3rd time she would actually go at home for us and I could give her a sticker. They also tell me at daycare that they don't stay in the bathroom with Sheridan the whole time (sometimes it takes awhile), she just sits there and reads books and doesn't get up. And I'm just going to say right now, that's complete bullshit. I was in there the majority of the time and I only left for a few seconds to go do something but all it took was a few seconds for Sheridan to only get a little bit of pee in the actual potty and the rest ALL OVER THE FLOOR. I swear I haven't used my mop this much all year.

You might be wondering, where was Cameron during all of this fun? Yeah, he was in College Station for the football game which was part of a boys weekend with some of his fraternity brothers. Of course. And how do I feel about potty training after such a successful weekend? I think it was a hell of a lot easier to train the dogs and I'm seriously considering sending Sheridan to college in diapers.

A family affair

This past weekend Sarah and Cal came into town with Savannah and we practically lived at my parent's house so I could hold that sweet baby girl as much as humanly possible. I didn't get to see Sheridan's reaction the first time she met her cousin (because I was at work) but Sarah was able to capture the moment on video as Sheridan gave Savannah a kiss. Sheridan pretty much went about her business as usual and was not phased by the presence of Savannah until one time when she noticed my mom holding Savannah. She quickly ran over to her saying "Mimi, Mimi"(which she has recently started calling my mom) and was trying to climb on her for a piggy back ride to ensure that she was still her Mimi. Perhaps we need to start working on sharing. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Getting ready for a piggy back ride (yes, these are very popular in our house)

Savannah smiles a lot now and especially during her baths

This weekend brought by many visitors to see the new baby but I was lousy at taking pictures of everyone. When Nan and Gerry came by, Sarah and I ran a quick errand to Babies r' Us and Target. Thus no picture. The Scott's came over on Saturday evening and the guys congregated in the kitchen with some beer while the rest of us fought over holding Savannah. I was busy fighting for my turn, thus not many pictures except when I took a brief timeout for a beer.Sunday we went back to my country roots to Gatesville, Texas for the Sheridan family reunion. This is my maternal grandfather's side of the family and my memories in this town are my revised version (minus the whole adultery thing and unfortunately, Harry Connick, Jr.) of the movie Hope Floats. Small town, big 4th of July celebrations and chasing fireflies in the park, my great-grandmother's house with the front porch swing and pedestal bathtubs and vegetable garden in the backyard, and huge, home cooked meals where fat/calories/grease were of no concern. I still need to reference the family tree every year because there are SO MANY OF THEM and it's hard to remember who belongs to who, especially when the "kids" (like my sister and I) are having kids! The reunions are bittersweet now because while it's great to see everyone, it also reminds me of those that aren't with us anymore and their presence is greatly missed.

My mom's cousin also has a daughter named Sheridan and every year I try to get a picture of them together. However, my Sheridan was less than cooperative and this is the best one I got.

And I held Savannah more
Until her mom wanted a turn
This picture makes me smile even though it also makes me feel old.
I'm a dork and was very pleased when my little family was all matchy-matchy because it will make for a great scrapbook page!
I'm sure Sheridan was thinking something along the lines of "Really? You want me to be still AND look at the camera AND smile? I think you're asking entirely too much of me."
Love. This. Face. And I can't make a trip to Gatesville without a visit to my grandfather's resting place. I don't think I can formulate into words the overwhelming feelings that come over me when I think of everything my daughter's name means to me because of this amazing man, who I miss dearly.

School days are back

As usual, I am behind on posting events when they actually happen, but this really shouldn't be a surprise anymore. The first day of preschool was several weeks ago and I think we are finally settled into our new routine. I usually have us out the door within a reasonable timeframe to get to school on time (or close enough). Sheridan goes to Council Oak Preschool three days a week and my mom graciously picks her up and keeps her those afternoons. But really, we didn't have to twist her arm too much to agree to that arrangement.

I didn't get many decent pictures on the first day of school because well, newsflash. SHERIDAN DOES NOT POSE FOR PICTURES. However, here are some from after our shopping trip for a backpack. (Note to self: do not wait until the DAY BEFORE school starts to look for a toddler sized backpack.) There are just a few problems with our final selection:

1) it's BIGGER THAN SHE IS. On the positive side, I think it should last her through high school. It even came with a cell phone holder. In fact, ALL backpacks apparently come with one now. Who knew? Not me.

2) She doesn't quite understand the concept of BACKpack

"Maybe it's supposed to be a sled"
The only picture from the first day of school. I'm putting in my request now that she is always this excited about school! And when she needs reminding, I'll show her this pictures and just forget to mention the fact that I was chasing her around the house like a crazy person to get her to smile.

Four years

Today is a very significant day. Not only is it an important day in our country's history that we will never forget, it is also the day that Cameron and I began our life together as husband and wife four years ago. And looking back on that day, the only thing I'd do differently is my hair. I would still pick a wedding at home versus the destination wedding we debated over, I would still use all of the same vendors, I would still go with the same color scheme, I would still wear the same wedding dress, but most importantly, I would still marry the same man all over again. Marriage isn't always a fairytale, sometimes it requires work. Some days A LOT OF WORK. But no one makes me want to work harder than this man. I love the life that we have built together and am so proud of how far we've come since we started out on this journey through life together. Happy Anniversary babe! Here's to many, many more!

Reunited and it feels so good....

Yesterday Liz and Gene were in town so we rallied the troops and had dinner at Mr. Gatti's. I feel sorry for the people that had to clean up after us because with nine kids you can only imagine the mess we made! Sheridan was so excited to see Liz and Gene and she gave them the biggest, longest hugs. She knew she had to make up for lost time.

Giving Gene kisses

All smiles

I've always referred to Luke as Sheridan's boyfriend and here he is showing what a sweet boyfriend he will be by sharing his peaches with Sheridan. I wonder if this counts as their first date?

As always, the kids pile on Liz

Sheridan does some acrobatics and loves every minute of it

Gene always knows how to make her happy!

"Hmm...I wonder if I could go home with them" Liz and Gene, it was so good to see you! Come back soon!

Good times in San Diego

Why I haven't I updated my blog in weeks? Have I been under a rock? A little bit. But I've also been in San Diego. And Houston (another post to come on that another day). It was decided at Heath and Shaunna's wedding that a trip to SD was in order. So Cameron, Heath, Shaunna, and I went on Labor Day weekend to visit Frank and Shelly. We pretty much ate and drank our way through the weekend but we had the best time and packed a lot into just a few days. I only took 150 pictures so here are some of the highlights.

Saturday we went to La Jolla and had lunch at the top of George's, which has the most amazing view. See for yourself....Heath and Cameron

Shelly, me, and Shaunna

We made a quick stop at Mount Soledad which overlooks the entire city.

Then it was off to a Padres game at Petco Park

And no baseball game is complete without a hot dog and cotton candy

The boys: Heath, Frank, and Cameron

Frank and Cameron having a little fun in the Padres shop On Sunday we met some of Shaunna's friends at a Mexican restaurant in Del Mar. We were literally there for 5 1/2 hours eating, drinking, talking, drinking, talking, and drinking. Shelly and I escaped for a little while and went shopping at the boutiques.
After our long lunch, we walked down to the beach and Heath and Cameron shared a moment. Silly boys.

The following events might have been influenced by the amounts of alcohol that can be consumed during a 5 1/2 hour lunch. Frank decided to go swimming in the ocean even though we left our bathing suits in the car. Details. Why is he bleeding on his forehead? He got into a fight with the bottom of the ocean floor while diving into a wave. The ocean floor won but it did not phase him at all, he diligently worked on recruiting Shaunna to go body surfing in the ocean.Should I stay or should go????
See how fun it can be?
She decided to go
We made them sit in the back on the way home.
On Sunday night we ate dinner at Blue Coral which is quite possibly the best restaurant EVER and I'm not just saying that because Frank's brother is the General Manager. It was delicious and I'm pretty sure it's what food in heaven will taste like at every meal! We stuffed ourselves with calamari, sushi rolls, and oysters for appetizers and had everything from steak to lobster to pulled pork to sea scallops for entrees between the six of us. We ended the evening sharing three desserts and finishing our wine out on the patio around the fire pit. And by sharing desserts I mean, Shelly and I pretty much claimed the chocolate molten cake and devoured it without letting anyone else have more than one bite.


On Monday morning before we had to be at the airport we squeezed in a stop at In-n-Out for lunch and went over to Coronado Island to see the most beautiful beach in San Diego. Thank you Frank and Shelly for your generous hospitality and such a great time! We can't wait to see you again in November when we can reciprocate the same for you in Austin! Maybe Frank the Tank will come with you and we can have some "we don't touch people we don't know" moments! If you want to see all 150 pictures, then set aside an hour and click here. And if you can't find me again for awhile, I might have moved to San Diego.