Cameron needs his head examined.....

Cameron's car is 10 years old and has a billion miles on it but it's paid for and we love that about it. However, with the high mileage comes repairs and it's inevitable that a newer car is in our not so distance future. There's a list of several cars and SUVs and trucks that I think would be great for Cameron to get as his next vehicle. This is what Cameron thinks would be great to get.....

Seriously?? Out of ALL of the cars out there, THAT is the one he wants????? What? You don't know what kind of car that is? Don't worry, neither did I! It's an HHR and Chevrolet makes them. It looks like something out of a Dick Tracy movie. We would look like we belong to some organized crime, mafia group and would have to pack heat if we drove around in that. He might as well have said he wanted a minivan. Neither of them are at the top of my list. Correction: they aren’t even on my list.

He claims that he likes this car because it gets great gas mileage and this has become very important to him lately. Me? Not so much. I like my gas guzzling SUV just fine. In fact, I think we need a bigger one….with a 3rd row. If he wants a full efficient car, I think he should just cut holes in the bottom of his Jeep and kick it Fred Flintstone style.

Perhaps we need a vehicle with a 3rd row......

Thankfully, we don't travel with our dogs very often.

When did my kid become easier to take care of than my dogs???

When I didn't have to drive to Lampasas "on the way" to Dallas to drop her off at the ranch with my in-laws so I wouldn't have to spend $150 boarding her at Dog Boys.

Note: For those of you who are geographically challenged, Lampasas is NOT on the way to Dallas. It's about a 2 hour detour in the opposite direction. Two extra hours of nonstop Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer in a very small, confined space......

Good Times

Saturday night we went to Jasper's in the Domain with Tara, Steve, Mimi and Will to celebrate Steve's birthday. Good food, good drinks, good friends...it doesn't get much better than that!

When Mimi sent us the pictures from the evening, she was kind enough to point out how gracefully we are aging. If I didn't agree with her, I wouldn't be posting these pictures for comparison. Further proof that Oil of Olay firming night cream ROCKS! But back to the pictures. Here's one of all of us on our night out before Tara and Steve moved to DC.

Before 30....young and free

After 30...with a few kids...

And these little treasures are brought to you by two bottles of 14 Hands wine and whatever Steve was drinking. Wish I could remember what face we were trying to make and why.....

Tara and I had issues getting past all the laughing.....

20 weeks and growing

My sister is expecting a baby on July 29th and today they found out if they are giving me a niece or a nephew! I always thought they would have all boys...so did she for that matter. Rough and tough and messy little boys for my little sister who is a girly girl and likes things neat, clean and perfect. Makes sense right? I am also convinced that her children will be the little hellions and mine will not. I know I completely and 100% deserve them and she does not, but life's just funny like that. And I'm not going to lie, I think it would be highly entertaining to watch her with a rebellious child when she was the perfect one growing up that NEVER (or rarely) got in trouble and simply did not do the things I did. The thoughts never even crossed her mind. But the jury is still out on that...what we do know is.....

It's a GIRL!!!!

And here is quite possibly the cutest pregnant person I have ever seen! And I must admit, it didn't hit me until Sarah sent me these pictures that my little sister is HAVING A BABY! She told me she was pregnant before Christmas and 17 weeks later it finally hit me that she was in fact pregnant! My little sister people! I just recently accepted the fact that she was old enough to get married 4 years ago! At least I have four more months to let this reality sink in. Until then, I'll just be high on excitement and buy something (or lots of somethings) pink!

17 weeks

19 weeks

Go Ahead. ID Me and Make My Day! Or not....

The other night Cameron sounded like he had been smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 50+ years. The coughing was out of control. So being the good, little wife that I am (and maybe I was slightly motivated by how annoying that cough was every two seconds) I went to Walgreens for some Robitussin CF and as a bonus to curing my husband's cough for 6 hours and a good nights sleep, got the pleasure of this conversation......

Julie: Placing the cough medicine (and a few other essentials...Burt's
Bees Lip Shimmer and cherry Chapstick) at the register, "Hello."

Cashier: Scanning the cough medicine, "You are over 18, right?"

Julie: Puzzled by the question and its relevance, "Uh....yeah." A few seconds later light bulb moment: oh yeah, kids these days like to get drunk off of cough syrup. Crazy kids. What will they think of next? I'm sure Sheridan will be first in line with a few ideas of her own. Proceed with swiping my debit card and completing the transaction.

Cashier: "Just be glad I don't ID this late at night."

Now usually I find it completely flattering when someone asks for my ID and I have to contain myself from tackling them with kisses. But dear readers, this was NOT one of those times! The cocky, threatening, unbelieving tone in his voice made me pretty sure that it wasn't meant as a compliment (not even a backhanded one) and few thoughts crossed my mind:

1. Why is he still talking about IDs? Let it go already.
2. Apparently I'm not the "young one" if he thinks 8:30pm is late. Maybe his boss should let him off early so he doesn't miss curfew.
3. Hmmm....or maybe that Oil of Olay firming night cream really is working! Excellent.

And this response almost came flying out of my mouth:
"Kid, I could buy a case of beer to chase this cough medicine down with if I wanted to, so go ahead, ask for my ID. I double dog dare you."

Fortunately for him though, he caught me at the right time of the month where I'm not completely possessed by the devil and have a little control over my actions and what I say and I let him have his moment. Because apparently he needed it and well, I'm just a giving person. No, we all know better than that. That's not why. I was worried Cameron might have coughed up a lung and I had to get home quickly......right after I dropped off Sheridan's swing at Tara's mom's house and visited for an hour.

Sheridan's 2 year portraits

Ok, so maybe they're more like her 26 month portraits instead of exactly right on at 24 months. But hey, I'm getting better! True to form, Sheridan was quite challenging during this session and wore us ALL out! Let me paint you a little picture of why we were exhausted. Allison's behind the camera, I'm right next to her acting like a fool (dancing, jumping up and down, singing, etc.) trying to get Sheridan to look at the camera and smile, and my mom is chasing Sheridan around the studio and bringing her back to the backdrop. Repeat these steps 87 times and that's a shoot with my kid. Good times. Now you know why I felt like I could divulge in a little pizza Friday night....I EARNED IT! But true to form, Allison captured so many amazing images! I was excited that I got to edit the portrait session and put to practice my Photoshop skills. :) To see all of the images from the session, you can use the following access information:

http://www.fpphoto.com/
Click on 'Client Login'
Event: Sheridan - 2 year
Password: sherbear

A milkshake a day...

...keeps the doctor away?!?! This would be my mom's justification when she wants to have a milkshake and not feel guilty about it. She claims it's her calcium. Not unnecessary calories but necessary calcium to keep her bones strong and osteoporosis away. Interesting. This might explain where I get my justification skills from. It's genetic. But that's not what this post is about. What is it about you wonder? Why I am rambling on about milkshakes? Well because. Months of a low carb diet will do that to a person! Make you go crazy. Where thoughts of sweets and chocolate consume your every thought and almost make you believe your mom's justification for having a milkshake isn't so crazy after all. The 111 grams of carbs in a delicious cookies n' cream milkshake from Chick-fil-a are in fact 111 grams of calcium that are absolutely necessary for strong bones. But I just couldn't bring myself to give in. So instead, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of some pizza tonight! Turns out I'm a nicer person when I've had my daily dose of carbs!

Cameron uncensored

Even though this is my blog and my signature phrase is "it's all about me"....sometimes it's a little bit about Cameron. Sometimes. A little bit. I saw this questionnaire on another blog and thought it might be interesting to see what Cameron's answers would be. So we had a little Q&A session last night after I got home from bible study while he read his Bronco manual and watched some horribly intense and unenjoyable movie (my opinion).

Julie: "How long have you been married?" 3 years (thinking to himself, why is she asking me this? Is this a trick question?)

"What's your dream job?" No job.

"What's your dream car?" Jeep.
Julie: Are you talking about a jeep jeep? (thinking to myself you drive a Jeep now)
Cameron: Yes. To drive to the lake.

"What's your claim to fame?" Streaking. (No, he's NOT kidding. This was a regular occurrence at his college fraternity parties. I'm so proud.)

"What do you like to do?" What? You know what I like to do.
Julie: just answer the question.
Cameron: Sail. Tinker. Fix up old things. Yard work.

"What's your biggest fear?" Losing a close family member prematurely.

"What animal best describes you?" (looking around the living room at our two dogs laying on the couch and floor) A lab.
Julie: Why?
Cameron: Because they're all laying around, doing nothing with occasional bursts of energy.

"If you could live in any era which one would it be? 1800s. 1700s. No, 1800s. Actually I think it was the 1700s. Whichever era there were pirates.
Julie: Why?
Cameron: Because there was lots of sailing back then.

"What's a goal for 2008?" Better health.
Julie: How's that going so far? (knowing that I pay attention and he's been doing really well)
Cameron: I haven't smoked a cigarette since my birthday.
Julie: And I'm very proud of you!

"What's your guiltiest pleasure?" Drinking too much.
Julie: A guilty pleasure is something you don't want people to know you enjoy.
Cameron: Right. Drinking too much. Final answer.
Julie: Alright. But everybody knows you enjoy drinking too much.
Cameron: Yes, but I never get to anymore.
Julie: And it's a tragedy. Really.

"What do you love about me?" (Long pause.) What was the question?
Julie: What do you love about me?
Cameron: What is this for?
Julie: Material for my blog.
Cameron: Seriously?
Julie: Yes.
Cameron: (Huffing and puffing and sighing.) I thought it was for your bible study or something like that.
Julie: No. This has nothing to do with bible. So answer the question. What do you love about me and remember tens of people are going to read your answer.
Cameron: There's lots of things.
Julie: Aww, that's sweet. But really. What do you love about me?
Cameron: You're a really good mom.
Julie: Aww. What would your answer have been before we had Sheridan? (obviously still fishing for more compliments)
Cameron: Everything.
Julie: Good answer honey. Thanks for playing. Now I'll let you get back to your horrible movie. By the way, do you mind if I post this on my blog?
Cameron: Whatever you want.

And that's why I love that man....because he knows what's good for him!

You'll never guess who's throwing a temper tantrum????

No, not me. I prefer the silent treatment if I don't get my way. And it wasn't Cameron. I've actually never known him NOT to get his way so I can't really say what his reaction would be to something so foreign. So that leaves Sheridan as the guilty party. She certainly seems to enjoy throwing herself on the floor just about all the time. It's fabulous. Really.

I can't remember what inspired this particular tantrum...does she really need a reason? No, of course not. Don't be silly. Hmmm. No one seems to be paying attention.
Guess I'll get up and move on to something else.
Don't take any pictures of me at my finest!
I'm an angel...really!
I can "help" start the dishwasher but I don't like the settings you use so let me turn the knob 47 times and surprise youI can get something out of the fridge for you...like a BEER. But wait, here's my milk. I'm good.Or I can turn on the charm and remind you how cute I am

HH January Monthly Dinner

Our HH February monthly dinner is tonight so I figured I better post the pictures from January's dinner. I have a been waiting for Heidi to send me the pictures she took (because I only have two) and that is my perfectly good explanation as to why I've been waiting so long to publish this post. For our January dinner we took advantage of Ladies Night at the Melting Pot and enjoyed catching up with each other while we cooked our food for three hours. Here's a little recap of our table talk that evening:

Heidi: Heidi is allergic to nature. Seriously. Good thing her daughter's birthday party was that weekend in their backyard. With a petting zoo.

Debbie: Debbie has decided to try Eharmony. Pretty much everyone at the table knew someone who met their spouse online so we were all very excited for Debbie! We tasked her with bringing the application to our next monthly dinner so we can help her fill it out. Based upon her experience, Kate might be next. We also decided the Melting Pot would not make for a good first date place because if you didn't like the person, tough. You're stuck with them for at least 3 hours.

Kate: Kate has one rule. If a restaurant offers something flambéed or tableside, she must order it. We hit the jackpot that evening with the Flaming Turtle chocolate. It was flambéed tableside. It doesn't get much better than that people.

Mimi: Mimi is going green and dry. No, she's not pregnant. She's just decided to stop drinking for awhile. Good thing to implement when you're living with your in-laws and probably need it most. Good luck with that Meems!

Me: I was happy I was out of the house, across town and missed Pukefest 2008. Sheridan is a smart girl to know that I just can't handle that.

Shelly: Shelly does not drive a car with a Barack Obama bumper sticker. She also mastered the art of 'search and rescue' with the special utensil they provided us during the main entree portion of our meal. Apparently, we are easily amused because we thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread and probably yelled 'search and rescue' fifty times when we lost our food in the fondue pots.

Kate, Shelly, Mimi, Heidi, me and Debbie

Kate's in heaven with our flambéed tableside dessert choice

Happy Valentine's Day

Because one picture is never enough when they are this cute and cooperative....

Wonder where she learned to stand like this?? Usually it's accompanied with her hands on her hips.

"I cannot be bothered with photos when Dora is on TV" "Fine, I'll look at the camera. But just this ONE time."
"And here's your smile Mom"
"That's all I've got. I'm done with you."

"Seriously. Done. With. You."

Where's my boarding pass?

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

**I'm sensing a pattern with the wine but I'm alright with that.**

One of these days I'll get it right....

Ahhh the pressure of Valentine's day. And no, this pressure doesn't stem from stressing out over what to do/get for Cameron but things associated with my TWO YEAR OLD. Last year I didn't bring Valentine's to her daycare because it just didn't dawn on me that I needed to. Fortunately, Liz and Gene saved my butt and had extra Valentine's that they filled out for Sheridan and gave to all of the kids. Thank you, thank you, thank you Liz and Gene! Lesson learned. Even if some of them can't even crawl, bring Valentines. Got it. So this year we have daycare and preschool to think about but no worries, I know what I'm doing. I bought Dora valentine cards and little individually wrapped bags of fruit snacks....because the last thing toddlers need is more sugar and energy! I wrapped them in heart goodie bags. Done. Good to go.

Sheridan's preschool daycare party is today and they had a sign up sheet for parents to bring different items for the kids to decorate cupcakes. I signed up for sprinkles because I saw the cutest ones (hearts, lips, etc. all in one big container) at Walmart a few weeks ago and I wanted to get THOSE. Well, naturally last night when I went back to Walmart to get them, they were out. I knew I should have gotten them the day I saw them but I was thinking to myself, it seems like I just made twenty batches of cupcakes for all of Sheridan's birthday celebrations, we are not making ANYMORE CUPCAKES. I DO NOT NEED THESE SPRINKLES. But now that I DID in fact, need the sprinkles it was in my mind that that was what I wanted. I wouldn't settle for anything less. This is where I went a little OCD about sprinkles and drove around to a couple of different stores looking for these "perfect" sprinkles. Perhaps it was the guilty working mom in me that thought if I brought really cute sprinkles to my kid's party it would make up for the fact that my child spends all day with other people and not me. Maybe it's the hormonal imbalance I'm experiencing due to the time of the month (Cameron's money is on this one). Or perhaps I've just lost my mind. Most likely it's the dangerous combination of all of the above. Yes, I realize Sheridan has NO CLUE that I brought anything much less that it's Valentine's Day and there's a party. I know these are self-inflicted issues and it's all in my mind, hence why I think I've lost it. So I settled for plain jane pink and red sprinkles and got over my issues with a glass of wine while baking more cupcakes.

Fast forward to this morning when I dropped Sheridan off at preschool in her cute Valentine's outfit with her goodie bags for the class. It didn't even bother me that some of the kids had brought homemade, big, beautifully decorated sugar cookies as their treat. I simply don't have time for that. What stopped me dead in my tracks were the gifts for the teachers. CRAP! I FORGOT GIFTS FOR THE TEACHERS!!! Why is there not a book for this stuff?!?! Cliff notes anyone??? I'd even settle for a checklist at this point. Maybe next year I'll remember everything...but probably not. So where's my glass of wine?

If the crown fits....

Sunday we went to Jizelle's princess birthday party. Prince and princess attire was requested so I had an excellent excuse for buying Sheridan her first tiara. My sister gave her the pink tutu for her birthday and I found the sequin shoes at Target. Her princess outfit was complete! I didn't think the tiara would last very long on top of her head because nothing ever does! But much to my surprise she left it alone. I guess all girls (no matter what age) know to channel their inner princess!

Cinderella came to the party and this impressed all of the little girls. Except Sheridan. She could have cared less. Apparently we haven't watched enough Disney princess movies yet for her to be totally infatuated with princesses. Although I'm sure the time is coming in the not so distant future. Which will honestly be a nice change from Dora. But I digress. Here are some pictures from the party. You will not see Sheridan in any of them though. Remember SHE WAS NOT CARING. Sounds more like a DIVA to me than a princess. I might be in trouble. :\ Wonder if there is a princess school I could enroll her in immediately?????

Father/Daughter Dance

The preschool Sheridan goes to had a Father/Daughter dance on Friday night. I must say this dance is a very big deal for these girls. Most of them make a date night out of it and go out to dinner with their dad before the dance and some even get to go out for ice cream afterwards. My friend Sara's little girl, Natalie is very much into princesses these days and her dad, Kenny, took her to the dance. Only Natalie thought she was Cinderella and was going to the ball. Cameron wishes Sheridan had shared the same perspective on the dance as Natalie. Unfortunately, Sheridan thought she was going to the playground and could have cared less about the dancing and well, the fact that other people were even there. She spent her evening climbing on the stage and Cameron spent about 30 minutes chasing her around before he brought her home. Needless to say, Sheridan did NOT get ice cream on the way home. They also didn't get any professional photos taken at the dance so fortunately I took a few before they left the house. At least they looked good!



Here's to hoping that next year will be better.......