Rena+Brandon=love&2boys

Posh Camping

2011-03-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

I love Airstreams! I mean my whole Blog name centers around it! Maybe it started with the I LOVE LUCY episode I saw as a kid The Long, Long Trailer! Although I think they actually had an Argosy not an Airstream. But the novelty is still there. During my stint as a personal shopper for Ralph Lauren, he did his first retro interior design of an Airstream. I was hooked. Of course it's that polish job that makes these babies SHINE!

Courtesy of: Classic Driver

I admit when my husband and I started dating I was so far from an expert camper. I could only recall camping a couple of times in my life...unless you count Youth Camp with our church and most real campers discount that immediately! One time was in a cabin with my family at age 10(disaster that end in a hotel after one night) and the other was tent camping with friends right after high school.(dont ask how that went). But the above picture is truly what I have in mind when I think about camping in an Airstream. It's like wearing the coolest Vintage Chanel Suit ever made or one of Jackie O's Oleg Cassini gowns. Timeless. Classic. Never goes out of style.

Spring fling

2011-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Bradford, Valentine's 2006
Hello Snow/Ice Days of Feb! Glad to see you. We LOVE February. It is really the last full month of winter, the month my darling husband was born and the home of Sweetheart's Day! (also it is the month before my birthday so that makes is special all by itself) Spread some love, give someone a hug and have a great month of Feb!

So long farewell...

2011-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well color me a New Year! Before my oldest child was born, my husband and I, living in a four bedroom house had two guet rooms. And yes we did actualy use them! Mostly after parties....or our friends with kids when they would come thru town. So when deciding which room to convert to a nursery "My Room" was the one that went by the wayside. My beautiful white room with the antique wrought iron bed (that is still leaning against the wall in the garage) with the flower ribbon hand painted around the top 1/3 of the walls. The guest room my husband claimed still stands with the denim duvet, leather cornice board above the windows, his cowboy boots leaning against the wall and his bazillion dollar saddle that CANNOT be stored in the garage with said bed. The chocolate brown walls and blue ceiling actualy look better than they may sound. But there comes a time when all things change baby! So here is my color inspiration...taken from Habitually Chic Color My World Blog that I love to dearly!

Jamie Drake

David Hicks, 1954

Gucci Spring Summer 2011

Unknown

David Cafiero via Lonny magazine

Kelly Wearstler

This last one is my FAV!! So in case you were wondering what is in store for Spring this year...COLOR BABY!! Just you wait to see what I do next....And what is leaning against my garage wall....

Dear Blog...

2011-01-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hi there Dearest Blog, I miss you! I hope you are not too lonely right now. I have been so covered up that you have fallen to the bottom of the list. There is a ton going on right now....the holidays flew by, our anniversary was great, Nanny passed away and that has been and still is hard for all of us, Britt and Paul are married and that was the most beuatiful beach wedding EVER! All in all, life is grand. So here's to keeping up with the Bloggin'.....

That time of year....

2010-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

I will have to take a moment here and give accolades to my husband's photog skills...cause he's got them! Although every now and then I hit the nail on the head and luck into a good shot. As my luck would have it, it's usually a pic of him. (Yay Me) So I did it again here...in my opinion. And the lighting outside certainly played a major role, then again it is hard to take a bad pic when the subject is so strikingly handsome.
We did our Christmas Card pics at the barn in Southlake this year. We always have fun. There is not much too serious about our camera time. Except Brandon trying to not laugh in just about every pic I take! You can see that here if you look. He is trying hard to not burst out laughing at me.

Anyway on point....this is one of my favorite times of year. Not that there any times of year I truly dislike. I have a hard time fitting in ALL the things I want to do with the kids and for the kids. I realize that the most important thing is being together, being at peace and loving one another. There will always be another year to decorate the Gingerbread Houses, there are plenty of lights to drive around and see, there are tons of cookies in our future to decorate, Santa will always be there waiting for us to take our pic with him and they will NEVER run out of toys for me to buy. So this year I am sitting back relaxing, enjoying the season, looking forward to new traditions, not worrying about what we did not get to do. Most of all I look forward to sitting down and reading the story of Baby Jesus in Luke tomorrow night and telling Bradford about his Christmas Day Christening when he was 6 weeks old. (And of course we will make Santa's cookies) For now
Good Night to all and to all a new year...

king of the world

2010-12-07T19:28:00.001-08:00

Top of Turkey Mountain

2010-11-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

What are you thankful for? Why of course family, friends, Jesus, the cross, health, stabilty...But what about the other side of the coin? As I reflect on my life journey, I do not regret the poor decisions I have made, the heartache, the trials, the other side of the coin. I am a whole, complete person that has traveled roads that I know were not designed for me in a perfect world but I live in this world. A world of mistakes, pain and sin. As a parent I want to save my children from anything painful. Yet I know that through fire comes character, strength and faith. I could not dream of a better life, better family, husband, children than I am blessed with today. All this brings me back to being thankful for lessons learned, the heartache, the trails and the rocks in my road of life. I live by the motto: Put it in 4 Wheel drive and keep going! See you at the top.

I have nothing to say

2010-11-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well how about that! I have not had time to blog lately and I really miss it. Here I am with both boys watching a movie, munching on carmel popcorn balls and I have time to blog....Yet I have no idea what I want to blog about....Do what?? Yep....

This may be one of my most random posts EVER.

Today was the last day of T-Ball. Glad for the break since today was so cold. We will all miss it though. I will miss wathcing Bradford learn more about the sport and seeing him get excited about something new. Daddy will miss assistant coaching...I will miss watching him do that too...Berkeley will miss playing with Izzy. Bradford will miss seeing his teammates and having quite the cheering section. Everytime he was up to bat, he would turn around to make sure his entourage was watching. When I say entourage I am referring to the two sets of grandparents and any various number of aunts. It never failed that he always had more followers than any other team member. It kind of reminded me of Dana who told her family they were only allowed to buy her children 1 gift for Christmas and Birthdays. No showing up with box on top of box. Good thing there is no such rule in t-ball: No showing up with person on top of person to see you play. What if it was like graduating from A&M and you could only invite 5 people from you whole life to see you graduate. Heck I have more sisters than that! Limits just don't run in our family. Everything is always over the top, filled to the brim, good to the last drop, bring a friend and stay awhile...

We had a ball at Bradford's bowling party on Wed. He had lots of great friends there to play and he was on cloud 9 all day. I still can not believe he is 5. It seems like yesterday we were getting up at the crack of dawn to head up to the hospital. I remember how excited Daddy was to be a daddy. He still amazes me daily what a fantastic father he is. I mean I always knew he would be great but he actually far exceeds my expectations. But then again he far exceeds my expectation of an amazing husband too.

Berkeley is just about the cutest little two year old I know. He just makes you smile the second you meet him. I am thankful daily that God saw fit for Berk to join our family. What a joy.

Well that is the end of the voices in my head on the chilly, fall eveing...Enjoy the season of thanks and giving...

What stream do you live in?

2010-11-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

I am proud to say I dont swim in the mainsream of life. I march to my own wild caught Alaskan Salmon stream! So when I read Mommypotamus today I had to laugh. Outloud. So yes I know many mainstreamers think I am crazy. Even my own family thinks the same at times. I don't mind. Although some things I do believe in, I admit to not follow religiously because I am subject to fear at times on whether or not I may be wrong. But this is my list of things that mainstreamers find funny/odd/crazy/etc... about me:

1. A neo-natal nurse shot cucumber soup out of her nose at my friend's baby shower when I admitted our babies slept with us!
2. I do not believe in pacifiers past the newborn stage. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard and express themselves--especially a crying baby!
3. I avoid the pesticide/herbicide aisle at all stores...I actually hold my breath if I have to walk past one.
4. I believe the best way to teach children to respect others is to treat them with respect not demand it from them.
5. I dont give my kids ANY caffinated drinks. I am surprised daily at the sheer volume of people that disagree with this one.
6. On my oldest child's 1st birthday I was worried that too much icing on his first cake would give him a tummy ache since he had never had sugar! I still hear complaints about that birthday cake....
7. I too plan vacations around making sure I can get to Sid's in Taos--a health food store.
8. All about extened breastfeeding. Even used it to make babies cereal. Doesn't your cream of wheat taste better when made with milk instead of water?
9. I know fish is great for you...but only fresh water fish. I dont eat anything farm raised. The thought of it creeps me out!
10. I dont eat veggies or fruit out of a can. I dont freeze anythhing more than a couple days and never pork--freezing only slows the aging process. It does not stop it. (some things direct from the processor that are vaccumm packed are different)

I am really not so different in my own head...

How do you know?

2010-10-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

Yes I am the proud mommy/mom/mother/mama of not 1 but 2 boys! How do I know? Let me count the ways....

1. Not only are there rocks in my dryer, there is sand and dead worms.
2. You know all the ways to make crashing noises with your mouth and there are like 82 ways!
3. NOTHING is safe! EVERYTHING will be used in a bathroom experiment. Amazing what happens when you mix toothpaste, $100+ a bottle parfum, hairgel, baby lotion, deodorant and a tampon..
4. "Fire is a magnet" is an understatment....fire, fireplace, firepit, magnifying glass, matches, wood, oven, gas stove, charcoal, ANYTHING that can cause fire is a thing of beauty.
5. They completely undress to go to the bathroom. And don't re-dress when finished using the bathroom.
6. You hear yourself saying, "Where are your underwear? Please go put them back on. We have company."
7. You hear things like, " Mom, I don't need a shower. I washed off in the fountain."
8. You say things like, "Please don't eat that." or "Stop drinking that." And THAT is usually something like PlayDough water.
9. You know exaclty what PlayDough water is!
10. You have matchbox cars in your make-up bag, Thomas the train in your handbag and Legos in your tote bag.
11. You have given up keeping that Ralph Lauren $200 a roll wallpaper in your kitched pristene. Now you just plan to replace it before you sell your house.
12. You no longer blink when a 2 year old asks you if you have a penis.
13. And when asked by a 4 year old "Mom if you dont have a penis then how does your tee-tee come out?" you actually have an answer...
14. You pray every day that yours is not the child that says the infamous line in Kindergarten Cop: Boys have penis' and girls have vaginas!!!

Confessions from this working Mom

2010-10-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some women love doing laudry. Some women love cleaning their house until it shines. Some women love yard work. Some women love cooking. Some women love_____. Fill in the blank with whatever you want. The great thing is we can all love different things and it does not make any of us right or wrong. It makes us all different and requires us to respect those differences and similarities because if we can not accept each other as we are then we have a host of other issues to deal with--more than just a dusty bookcase. So I happen to fall into the non-laudry, non-house cleaning loving group. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a clean house and a great house keeper and I LOVE that my amazing husband finds laudry relaxing. (I know that is so crazy, right?) I just dont enjoy doing it, but I will and I do. And I gladly take any and all help I can get with it!

I am the kind of person that an entire day home with my kids, would find me on the floor playing puzzles or trains or whatever they wanted, a;ways cooking and squeezing in blogging. Not really focusing on other domesticated things that need my attention. My career changes have recently gotten in the way of me being much of a blogger lately, too.

The thing about my life as a part-time stay at home/part time working mom, was that I always seemed to be running around chaotic. As much as I tried to set specific hours or days would work, I continually found myself racing from preschool drop-off, to the office, to a client meeting to, back to pick-up by 2pm and sometimes back to the office. Or on days that we did not have school, I would try and plan the entire day making sure the boys had naps. Which meant I was either going into the office early and trying to be home by lunch or leaving right after lunch and coming home by dinner. Either way I was always running. And the boys well they never knew when I was coming or going which yeilded to some super clingy days.

Oddly now that I am working full time and leaving early but comming home early most days too, they know exaclty where I am and when I am coming home. And SURPRISE: everyone is actually more relaxed with this. It seems like my new found stable schedule has rubbed off on the boys. Who knew? Looking back I kind of think I was failing miserably at trying to do it all. Nothing got 100% of me; not work, not Brandon, not the boys! And not even myself. So here is to consistancey. Historically I have only been consistant about that fact that I was always busy, well and that I was never consistant. Does that make sense? I seem to be getting more done these days...so far we have organzied the garage, taken MULTIPLE loads to donate, organized the attic, rented storage unit, sorted Berks "too small" clothes, reorganized his closet and drawers, and planned Bradford's 5th Birthday Events!!! So more to come....(And this is not getting spell checked...

My 100th Post

2010-09-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Not to be confused with my 100th blog written...because there are about 30 unpublished posts in my draft box. My brain works on overtime but sometimes those thoughts are not publish worthy. Trust me. Unless you are a licensed therapist, you dont even want to open that bag of worms. So what is on my mind these days? Oh so much. But after a marathon reading session that ended at 2:15 this morning of Eat, Pray, Love, I am strongly strectching the brain muscles this morning. I am letting things go, relaxing the "Adaptaion" voices that talk back and forth, out of turn, rudely interrupting one another.

With all that said, I am starting a new path. (I do this occasionally.) I gave up meat last week. Not just red meat this time but pork and chicken. I ended on quite a high note mind you--with Paul (soon to be Uncle Paul) breaking in the new Green Egg on some of the best Backyard BBQ ribs EVER! Fish is still on the menu for now. Not going straight vegan. I might go into a coma if I had to give up dairy. Besides with soy/tofu NOT on my list of edible I need my cheese and eggs. I really have no major reason I can give you for this new path this time. It was not because of my Animal Science class tour of the Meat Science Lab at A&M this time. It was not because I had to use a bell scraper on a pig carcass this time. It was not because I had to watch video of cow being processed this time. It was not because I had a front row seat to the actual sausage making steps this time. It was not a dire step to get my weight to under 110 this time. (Not looking for that number any more) It was not to prove any kind of humane point this time.

It is just because I decided to do it. And oddly I don't even think about it, no craving, no "I wish", no crabby mood. I am sure it won't last forever-the no meat thing not the no crabby mood part. Just giving it a try. We will see...

Anyway, lots more new things going on in the Arnold House with my career shift. More on that later. We are adjusting better than I thought we would. And of course the new paycheck doesn't hurt. I can say that after all these years and all that Zanex I am getting pretty good at flying "drug-free"! Guess laying down those control issues that you never really had control of anyway has it's perks!

Where did my baby go?

2010-09-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone says little girls are so fun because you can dress them up like a baby doll. No one tells you that you can do the same thing with baby boys! And boy oh boy did I. Have you seen all the photos of my boys in smocking and bubble suits? What about the velvet overalls at Christmas? Or Bradford's red silk Christmas shortalls he wore when he met Santa(see below). Nothing is sweeter than a toddler in knee socks. I always say they have their whole life to dress like a grandpa or a Frat Daddy! Why do it at 9 months? I remember one day Brandon came home and I showed off some pictures I had taken of Bradford. After viewing all of them Brandon noted the many different outfits Bradford was wering in all the pics. He asked, "Did you play dress up with him?" Of course!

With all that said Bradford has drawn a line in the sand. He is NOT wearing anything that remotely looks like a baby? "Mom I don't want to wear that one anymore. You can give it to Berk." If I am not careful he may even give up his preppy look too soon for me too.

The icing on the cake was when he showed up at his first T-Ball practice this week in a striped Polo t-shirt and Gap shorts. In NO uncertain terms we WILL be buying basketball shorts, "daddy socks" (the no show athletic socks Dad wears to the gym) and "work-out" shirts. All per my 4-almost 5 year old! No fancy clothes please for practice anymore. It all started with his hair last year. "Mom this is how I want my hair cut..." Next it will be "Mom this is where I want to go to college..."

blubber blubber

2010-09-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

I logged onto a friend's blog for an update on her miscarriage grief tonight. Then after clicking on blog after blog link, I now can hardly see from all the tears. I know I know, Brandon reminds me frequently I should not watch the news because it makes me so sad. Well I am thinking the same goes for sad blogs. Actually my sweet husband just checked on me again and said to please stop reading those. But you know when you understand someone's grief so profoundly you feel like you owe it to them to support them even if only by "listening" to them spill their hearts out via blogging. So if ever you need a friend to lend an ear sometimes blogging can the best answer we have to offer. I believe the only way to grieve a loss like this is to Grieve Outloud. Every face of loss also has a face of hope. Many prayers and hugs to you all tonight...Love,

All in the Family

2010-08-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello there from the mountain house. We are loving the 58 degree weather in the higher altitude. The entire Arnold clan has converged in Angel Fire. Half of our crew has spent the last 3 days golfing and the rest of us have spent our days napping, hammick swinging and shopping. I am sure you can guess to which group I belong. Yesterday was our first Taos trip of the week. If you ever find yourself in the area let me just highly recommend you pit stop with the kiddos at Twirl Toystore. They boast the best toys around and I agree! In addition, they have outdoor instruments the kids can play, a treehouse, outdoor climbing gym, art studio and plenty of organized activities. Currently we are debating if we are going back for Sunday's Ice Cream Social and visit to The Harwood for a free art class or Saturday for the parade.

Then on another note, we are thrilled to find out Larry Joe Taylor is hosting the Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights with Jason Boland, LJT himself, Josh Abbott, Roger Creager and so many many more.

As you can tell we have plenty to do and so little time to do it! For now I am headed to town for Yoga all by myself!

Sisterly Love

2010-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I have a pretty amazing husband. He can fix practically anything. Even if he doesn't know how he will try. He repaired the sprayer at the top of the dishwasher last year. He has replaced both top and bottom burners in the oven. After much tinkering on the 11 year old lawn mower he did give in and buy a new one. Now he is wondering why he didn't do that 3 years ago! Sometimes you do not realize something has ended its useful life until you get a new one.

That same dishwasher he worked on last year is at it again. Mind you this thing is not even 4 years old. We bought as part of our kitchen remodel before Bradford's 1st birthday party. Remember that insanity I embarked on 2 weeks prior to the party? This would also be the dishwasher that Brandon picked. I wanted the Bosch and he was pushing for the Kitchen Aid. When we debated the two he won just like the washer/dryer where he was gunning for the Maytag. He tends to argue "performance/durability" better than I argue "eye appeal/brand loyalty"!

Back to the dishwasher that has given us more problems in 4 years than the old one gave us in 7+, it went out Friday night. Completely. After googling possible culprits, we quickly determined this was beyond our pay scale. Come Monday we are calling a repair guy or going to Lowes for that Bosch.

Meanwhile, the whole point of this blog is talk about my weekend full of hand washing the dishes. I did not grow up with an automatic dishwasher. Neither of my parents did either nor did my grandparents have one at their homes. When you get a handful of competitive sisters together to wash dishes EVERY night you can always bet on some kitchen drama. I mean there are rules to dish washing! First of all it's a given it has to be done every night. So the person that gets in there first to run the dish water gets to be the "Washer". While on the surface this may like look the lesser of the jobs, believe me it's the better. The "Rinser" has to rinse and dry and put away! How do you like them apples? Although there is one trump card Rinser has. That is you can send anything back to the wash sink claiming it is not clean enough. (Careful to not abuse this or Mom does get called) As a Washer who takes much pride it this job nothing will infuriate you more. To which the competiveness may lead to some cattiness which then could cause a little too much soap to be left on the dishes as they are passed to the rinse sink. In case you are unaware of dishwashing protocol please note: there is also a proper order in which dishes must be washed. Glasses, plastic ware, bowls, plates, silverware, knives, cooking utensils and THEN pans.

Poor Brandon. Even after 14 years around my family he still has more to learn. The one thing he did instinctively know was to claim himself "Washer" and a little too fast for my taste. After the first few items hit my rinse water with way too much soap I got my own dishcloth and politely took the dishes from him and squeezed clean water over them into his sink before I allowed them into my near perfect, clean and clear water. I think I almost tasted blood inside my mouth as I pushed my big sister voice deep down and refrained from enlightening him on his erroneous washing ways. I mean really, silverware first?

I can say it was about 3/4 of the way thru the whole experience before I passed my first dish back because there was still something on it. I turned around as I actually did laugh to myself. I know it was an evil big sister smile on my face!
Later in day he asked, "Did ya'll hand wash dishes all the time when you were growing up?"
Uhh yes!

May I VS Gimme!!

2010-08-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

I am starting to think my zest for manners is backfiring on my kids. While I am teaching them to use their manners, use their words, hold the door or introduce themselves to new people, it's my kids that end up more often than not being the socially awkward ones. I go back to a day when Bradford, not quite 3 invited a guest at our house to watch TV with him. She refused to acknowledge him and turned her head away. He walked around the chair so he could see her face and repeated himself. Again she turned away and again he walked around to the other side repeating himself. After the 3rd or 4th time he told her she needed to look at him and listen to his words. Where had he heard that? During the whole exchange the mother never prompted the girl to respond. Hearing the situation from another room, I came to assist him. Here we are 2 years later and he introduces himself tonight to a boy his age, who just stares at him and does not say anything in return. Bradford does not get why others his age, even several years older "Don't use their manners!" I wonder the same thing. But I guess the more I ponder this dilemma it is impossible to teach what you do not know. Who would have thought that etiquette would truly go out of style or become a lost art form? Have no fear! At age 6 both my boys will be registered for The Fort Worth Club's Etiquette Class! Awkward as they may be perceived by some this mama is not throwing in the towel that easily.

Dead Dad's Club

2010-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

I made my way to The Mama Mary Show by way of Ooph! Well on Friday, but my weekend was pretty busy, so Mama Mary has remained at the bottom of my computer since then. (Yes I am one of those that NEVER shuts down my computer) Today when I had some surfing time I opened her blog and the words flashed in NEON at me. For those of you not in THE CLUB she is referring to you may not have noticed the words. And if you had you probably wouldn't click on them for fear something bad would happen!

I, of course clicked. What did I have to loose? At this exact moment in time I am saddened to say I would need to use both hands and a foot to count how many friends I have who would do the same. Without hesitation. I love that Mama Mary uses the infamous Grey's line as her opening header:

“There’s a Dead Dad’s Club and you’re not in it ‘til you’re in it…..I’m sorry you had to join the club.”

Dr. Christina Yang – “Grey’s Anatomy”

More so I love that Mama Mary has written a compilation book of stories from other Club Members. Crazy thing is this is something that I have been thinking about doing myself. I have talked at length with my sweet friend Victoria, also 20 veteran in this Club about this book idea. Mary is still shopping for a publisher so once this book hits the press; I will have a couple on hand. Not that I want any more members in our Club, but truth is Life is Inevitable!

Past, Present and Pictures

2010-08-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Last week was a whirlwind. Helped my sweet friend Kelli with her fundraiser for China, greatness at the office, and walked down memory lane with about 35-40 of my closest friends from high school and their significant others! I have been photographed on the "Red Carpet", photographed in the Stockyards, photographed while sweating, laughing and pouting. I even cropped myself out of some pictures. It is no coincidence this post will contain NO photos!
I can say personally last week was a success. There are some things in life I over-commit to and I still need to polish the art of saying "No Thanks." Although ALL event of last week were top priorities and I would do them again and again! Speaking of: We will be doing The Ultimate Girls Night Out again in the future. You are going to LOVE the next movie. I promise.
Our reunion event on Saturday made me kind of nostalgic for old friendships. In the last 4 days I have traded emails with two of my favorite Jr High and High School friends. Some things in life are just too good to leave in the past. As we usually realize too late or on a sad note: Life is short! Live it, Love it and Enjoy it!

Beach Trip

2010-07-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Circa: Feb 2010

I am hosting our book club next month so I picked Beach Trip by Cathy Holton as our book. Boy-oh-boy what a pick. What a book! While I am not 20+ years out of college yet, I am almost 20 years out of high school. So this book still rang loudly in my ears...maybe inside the hollows of my brain too! A couple of the main takeaways were "Would we be friends today if we had not know each other so well when we were growing up?" and "How well do we really know people? Even our BEST FRIENDS? What do we keep even from them?"

I remember telling my friend Lysh a few years ago that we were destined to always be friends because we knew too much about one another to be enemies! Keep em close right? One night last year she, my husband and I were at dinner and afterwards, my husband comment he was surprised at how well she really knew me! All that from some off-handed comment about me in high school?? Great. No matter how hard I try to stay hidden and not wear my heart/personality/inner-most-thoughts on my sleeve, I seemed to be failing at that one! (Blogging helps, right?) I am telling you I am a deep dark person that none of you truly knows you just don’t know it!

Back on point, as of today I got to talk via emails with another of my favorite high school friends. Oh man, this girl and I passed more notes in A&P Class than I can count. And YIKES the topics were slightly, in a 17 year old way scandalous! Let me tell you catching up with her has made me absolutely giddy all day today. I have made some amazing adult friends in my life, although nothing can replace those girls that slumber partied with you, TP-ed houses with you(who's mom's drove you to TP houses), who oogled boys with you, fought with you, refuse to speak to you for months, stole clothes from you or vise versa, who threw up in your car before your own kids did, and made you who you are today!

So happy 20th Amy! See you tomorrow night and here's to my 20th next year! I know you all will be there with me. Love ya!

Lesson Learned

2010-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

A Mom

A Wife

Antiques Dealer

Child Psychologist

Restore an historic home

Make it on "This Old House"

Clothing Designer

Handbag Designer

Interior Designer

An Athlete

Real Estate Developer

Lawyer

Stock Broker

Yoga Instructor

Commercial Real Estate Broker

Author

Artist

Travel the country in an Airstream

Live on a Ranch--even though the country scares me...

The list goes on and on and on.... I always said I would be the kind of person that had many careers--I was NOT going to do just one thing! I can say I have been a raging success at this goal. I love what I do now. But there is always more to check off my bucket list. You see the things I choose to do are things I LOVE--not just jobs. Now I also have said many other crazy things in my life that thank God, I failed miserably. Life is a journey and a constant learning lesson. Some lessons are more painful than others, like...

1) You won’t always be there EVERY time your baby falls--literally or figuratively. You can’t kiss everything and make it all better every single time. There will be times that your kids will get hurt. And it WILL break your heart. Great thing is no one takes away your mommy-card.

2) You teach people how to treat you! I learned this one a long time ago thankfully. You allow or don’t allow for people to walk all over you. It's your choice. You learn to set boundaries and these boundaries are mostly in equal proportion to your own self-respect. Recently I have realized that we teach people how to treat us in EVERY relationship we have from childhood on.... I have been teaching my son this lesson with his little brother. If he wants his brother to respect his toys he has to teach him that. We have had our fair share of pushing and "MINE" goings on but ultimately do unto others as we would have them do unto us in really a GOLDEN RULE!

3) My all time hardest lesson in life is you will walk it till you learn it! Courtesy of an Oprah show in college, I heard a lady talk about women that always seem to gravitate towards the same type of guy. You hear them say "Every guy I date is always the same" when in reality you are the one that is the same. And until you learn the lesson God has for you, YES you will continue to make the same mistake over and over again. So listen up: no matter if it’s the same brand of guy wearing different jeans or the same type boss or same kind of friend, THE SAME SITUATION EVERYTIME rest assured you can kick it! It is not everyone else. It is YOU. So dig deep, figure out what you need to learn here and then you can move on with life and life more abundantly!! Trust me, life is full of lessons. We can learn them now and we get to learn new ones. Personally I would rather get to learn lots of life lessons instead of sticking too long on the same one.

As you can see above, I have lots of other things to accomplish in life too...

Give me an "R"

2010-07-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

When you start off a new friendship courtesy of a hardcore work out at 5:30 in the morning, three days a week, with no make-up, sweating up a storm, you get real close real quick! Follow that up with extra time at Starbucks chatting. Then thanks to a nice little injury all that comes to a sreeching halt after 10 months, and you realize a little too late, you miss your friend! Thank God for husbands that let us sneak out of the house late at night. I told Brandon this morning I had forgotten how much fun I had all those mornings for so long. Here's too making room for R time anytime!

Dont let your babies grow up...

2010-07-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

July 2009, just look at them! So cute! Can't wait to see how big they get next year....

Lying, Babies and Fireworks

2010-07-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

Bradford learned about not lying at Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago. He is pretty much an honest kid so it was something that we had not really focused much on to date. But now we are going to have to get a little deeper into it. If you say something like, "I'm going to get you" when you are about to tickle him he asks, "Are you lying?" If you say it's time to take your bath, he answers, "Are you lying?" And on and on.... I am now working on MANNERS: it is impolite to ask someone if they are lying!

Anyway, Berkeley came running through the house yesterday yelling "Daddy's home" when he really wasn't. I explained it wasn't Daddy and he answered, "I not lying!"

Oh Geez!

Well we are getting into a quasi-rhythm for the summer. Then again school will start by the time we have it all down pat. Berkeley decided he is NOT sleeping in his baby bed any more. Much to this mommy's dismay. I was hoping to hold out to Christmas. For no reason other than I just did not want to admit he is not a baby anymore! He is very quick to correct me any time I call him my baby, that he is a Big Boy. But I can call Bradford a baby...according to Berkeley! After a weekend in Salado with our friends who are expecting, Bradford keeps asking when we are going to get a new baby too. Oh and a play kitchen?

Oh Geez again!

And yes that was my child you may have seen watching fireworks wearing sound proofing ear thingys. He isn't a fan of loud noises. So the BOOM scared him. He loved the colors, especially from the inside of my car. While one is scared of the noise, the other can sleep through it! Brandon had to carry Bradford to the car when it was over because at some point he had fallen asleep on the blanket even with the loud BOOM! Fun memories!

there are NO divng boards in Robot land

2010-06-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

pat pat pat....now raise one finger...pat pat pat with four fingers....pat pat pat... raise up the thumb, pat pat pat...only three fingers left...pat pat pat....pat pat pat...shhh shhh...mommy's here....two fingers left....shhhh...pat pat pat slowly slowly pat pat...shhhh...no more patting...he pops his head up...shhhh...mommy is still here go night-night....pat pat pat...crawl out of room...

Thank GOD every night is like that. It reminds me of the office--no not the show on NBC...take a little time off and you pay for it later..the boys spent last week with BEBE and Boss(Brandon's parents) and it will take us at least as long as they were gone to get back in the rhythum. It did not help they just came home yesterday afternoon, an hour after we did and we were gone again tonight, leaving them with THE AMAZING KARA. (We had a party @ my in-laws best friends new BAZILLION dollar house--A real cant miss...And Brandon's best friend for 9 years old thru college--which I left him there enjoying Memory Lane)

KARA: the BEST gal in the world: They are both in love with her. For the first time in over a year, no one went to sleep for her, so I came home at 11:00pm, to 2 boys still awake(mind you the latest my two boys HAVE EVER stayed up except for New Years Eve this year...oh. correction, one was awake after sleeping for an hour...which left me to pat pat pat one to sleep and to help the other finish the roboot factory made out of Legos. (Because who can sleep with an incomplete Lego Robot Factory???) In my zeal to hit the hay, I tried to put a piece in the most convientent place calling it a diving board--"we can finish the swimming pool in the morning..." His answer: "Oh Mom, there are NO diving boards in Robot Land--it makes the robots go bleazzzkkkkk!!!" I should so know that...But after 2 COSMOS I apparently need to retire my Lego card for the night...

Sounds like everyone is asleep... so I'm off to never never land... thank God! and no spell check tonight...

fast as a jack rabbit!

2010-06-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well I have almost made it thru the better part f June without blogging! I have 4 or 5 blogs started that have never been completed. The boys are growing and runnng. I seem to be losing the race to stay caught up. Seen my dust lately? Not the dust as in "eat my dust" because I am so fast but the "oh crap I forgot to dust that bookshelf before you came to visit!"

Bradford starts golf lessons this week. Berk's language explosion continues to amaze us! He talks so plainly for a 2 year old. His latest thing is to cross his arms and say "I so mad!!" He gets this from big brother who says is frequently, in response to Berk demo-ing his Legos. All in all they are getting along pretty well.

Daddy is teaching Bradford to cook. To which I leave the room bc it stresses me out a little that he is too young and will get hurt. But he can make grilled cheese, his own toaster waffle, peanut butter sandwiches and even mix up his own batch of cookies. It's the stove stuff that worries me. The rest I am totally fine with...

So I have confessed before about my organzation and cooking distractions that I prefer over actually cleaning! And here I go again...last weekend I put the food back in the quasi-pantry that was built in our house. I had rearranged the entire kitchen 2 years ago. And every morning since my husband, sister, mother, basically everyone visiting has continued to go to the wrong cab for a plate/coffee mug/can of soup etc etc etc... Well it struck again and all is right with the world for my hubby now. But since then I have drawn up plans to actually demo the existing pantry and expand into the garage and build a real live walk in pantry! This will surely make my life easier! So look out slegde hammer here I come. And no electrical is in the way this time. Elfa here I come...

So this is a record typing session and I am not even spell checking because if I dont hit post now this will be saved for all eternity like all the others from this month...

Learning to Breath

2010-05-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Below is my blog post from www.DestinyInBloom.com today....I am always so honored when they publish something I have poured my heart into...

When life gives you lemons make lemonade. If He brings you to it, He will bring you thru it. God does not give you more than you can handle …

I have always wondered if these sayings were true. What made God think I could deal with all that He’d put on me? As the story goes I was the product of two rebellious people head over heels in ‘love’ … But I was very young when I remember my mother and father arguing in front of me. I recall crying and reaching out to my mom. At some point he left. It makes me wonder if life was like a scene out of MTV’s “16 & Pregnant”. (I have to admit while home in bed with the flu recently I was introduced to that show. Can we say DRAMA!!) My mom was living in an apartment on her own, with a new baby and a job at the ripe old age of 18.

Over the next year she found church, God and a nice young man. That man fell in love with me – and looking at my own absolutely adorable almost 2 year old child, I have to ask, who wouldn’t fall in love with such sweetness toddling around all the time? And he fell in love with my sweet mom. The next year they were married. My new Parents. At this point my biological father was no longer around. I always knew where I really came from. I knew my new dad was not my real dad, but he was MY dad. I was special he would say because I was chosen. The word Step was never used in our house! My childhood was stable, pretty normal, nurturing, focused on education, church, discipline and loving those around me. The next year I had a baby sister, then 5 years later, another sister, and almost 2 years later another sister and almost 2 more years later …

I was 10 sitting at the kitchen table eating eggs when my mom said, ”Guess what? We’re going to have another baby.” I dropped my fork & rolled my eyes in that way all pre-teen girls know how to do so well. “Really?!”

Right after Christmas that year, my mom asked if I had any interest in meeting my biological dad. I was curious so I said yes. She told me to write a letter to him and she would mail it. Until this point there hadn’t been any communication with him or his family in years. I decided to write the letter and at the beginning of March 1984, he came to the house and met me and my family. My real dad, the dad of my heart, chose to stay in the house on the couch during this reunion. Someone snapped photos of this day. Over the years the only photo I remember seeing was the one of my dad sitting on the couch, watching TV, & eating some vanilla wafers. The picture is still stuck in my mind. There was such deep sadness on his face which later caused me much guilt. I felt that I had betrayed him somehow. Two weeks later he threw me an amazing 11th birthday party. It was my first big slumber party, my new cousins and new step-sisters I had just met through my biological dad were invited to join my friends and sisters and me! I still remember how much fun we had that night.
But just 10 days later on a Monday night I woke to hearing my mom screaming my name. I jumped out of bed, ran into her room. I kind of expected my parents to be arguing … something they had done a lot of since the whole meeting the biological dad thing had come up … But instead I saw my pregnant mom standing over my dad doing CPR. She yelled at me to call an ambulance. Mind you, this was prior to 911. I sat there staring at the phone for what seemed like hours but was in reality only seconds. She called out and asked me what I was doing. I said desperately, “I don’t know what to dial!” She had me switch places with her. It was then, standing over my dad I saw him breathe his last breath. I lost part of my own breath that day.

Fast forward a few years. My biological father, George was in and out of my life, promising things and delivering more brokenness to my sad little heart. By age 18 he was out of my life for ‘good’ and this time by my own decision. Several years later my new boyfriend (soon to be husband) encouraged me to reach out, offer forgiveness, and show him a heart of love. And I did. Wholeheartedly I did. And for several years it worked. But my father’s tormented soul was always catching up with him no matter where he was or what he did. There were always collect calls requesting I bail him out of jail, hospital calls begging me to come visit because he was ‘sure’ he was dying. The emotional rollercoaster was exhausting.

He called a month or so after my oldest was born in 2005. This was the most sober he had sounded in years. He wanted to just talk. Very guarded, I chatted with him for about 15 minutes. He asked if I was pregnant yet. I simply answered, “No.” As a brand new mommy I felt the sudden urge to protect this tiny being curled up in my arms while I spoke to this stranger that shared DNA with us. I told myself I had not lied because I was not currently pregnant. I struggled with not telling him he was finally a grandfather for a long time. I prayed and prayed about that, justifying myself to God until I finally realized HE was not judging me. I got one more jail call after that. Then NOTHING. Until the call came 4 weeks before my youngest was born, Spring of 2008. For years I had been waiting for the call telling me my father had died. Sometimes I wonder what that says about me as a person. This was not that call.

He had been admitted to Harris downtown after he was found unconscious on a sidewalk. Once they found out who he was they began tracing his next of kin. Somehow my name was it. My uncle met me down there. They wanted me to sign him over to a mental hospital. Later I found out he had been institutionalize when I was younger … explaining at least one of his disappearing acts. I knew that I could not walk away. I could not turn my back on him in this moment. I agreed to take over conservatorship of his care. Then they asked if I wanted to see him. I walked down that long hall, praying for strength the whole way. I walked in alone and saw this shell of a man I barely recognized. Gone was the sleek hair, the tan face, the eyes that mirrored my own and that charming smile. Instead lying in that bed was a small, frail, grey haired, aged older than his days, dying man. I could not make myself wake him. I spent a few minutes watching him and I left. He never knew I was there. That was the last time I saw my father. Once he was sober and all drugs out of his system, he was deemed well enough to sign himself out. I did not hear anything else for months.

Then that last hospital call begging me to come visit again. I didn’t go. Begging me to bring the children he now knew I had to meet him. I didn’t take them. I was overcome with that same raging sense of protection for my children that screamed inside me, “He will NOT hurt or manipulate my children.”
I needed to let go. I felt like I was suffocating. I prayed for peace for him and for myself. I prayed for his forgiveness and for my ability to forgive ALL of it. Then I sat down and wrote him a long letter telling him I really did forgive him, I truly felt that God had a purpose for his life and I felt like that it was to know that no matter what we do, where we are God is always there for us. I told him I did love him, I understood he had done all he could for me, I appreciated our times together when I was younger and I would raise his grandsons to be strong men he would be proud of and again, that I loved him and had no hard feelings against him for the past. I knew that I am who I am today because he was my father. I included photos of the boys and myself.

At his funeral the next month, I was sad for his death, sad that his life had been so difficult, sad that my grief was not as profound as when the dad of my heart had died 25 years earlier. Then I realized I had been grieving the loss of my “Real Father” since I was a baby and now I could let go. I could let go because I had found an even more REAL FATHER, in Jesus Christ. A Real Father who takes all that pain away, all that guilt away and makes me whole.
And now I can breathe a little deeper …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFvf2B0sMLs&feature=player_embedded

Bittersweet

2010-05-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're having fun. That's NO lie! We go to the BEST Preschool EVER! They let Berk start in January even thought he was a couple months younger than the rest of his class. But he would cry after we dropped off Bradford every day during the fall because he wanted to go to school too. It was the sweetest, saddest thing you've seen. He was so excited to wear his little baby backpack and go to school, well at least after the second week. Compass Preschool has been the best place for both of my boys. We can't wait for next year!

2008 First Day

2009 First Day

Like Father, Like Son, Like Son

2010-05-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Look! Over Yonder! Can you see it? No? Well you must not be looking hard enough because it is right in front on your face!

We have reached a new level of Boyhood at the Arnold House. I have a sneaking suspicion it has been here all along, hiding in the shadows...

My sweet baby boy that I thought I could count on to always hang with Mommy, looking all cute and yummy snuggly, CLEAN has turned 2 and would rather run with Daddy and Big Brother getting dirty, sweaty, wild and carefree. Welcome to the world of constant mud holes, sand gritty hardwood floors, backyard peeing (and the occasional peeing in the wrong places), rough and tumble wrestling, ALL THINGS BOY!!

We have made a few House Rules that are stressed above all others. Number 1: You always ask an adult before going out the garage or front doors. (back door is ok) Number 2: No naked people at the dinner/lunch/breakfast table! (yes we had to make a rule about this one)

The best example I can give of the difference between boys and girls: I knocked over Berkeley's new bottle of bubbles accidently today. The girl I am expected him to cry over spilled bubbles. Nope! He jumped in the puddle and started laughing as it splashed everywhere....All boy I tell ya. Hang on tight it is going to be a fun ride I can already tell. And I am loving every muddy twist and turn so far.

It's all in the ball

2010-05-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Golf is such a lovely sport--they say. I don't play, much to my Man's dismay. I mean we are talking about a family that has played the game for multiple generations. A grandfather that was truly a Pro, ran the country club, a father that has played courses in countries I have yet to visit and an uncle that plays 6 days a week all yield to much golfing in the genes at my house!

There are golf balls hiding in the yard, under the bed, in the ball tote, the toy box, the bath tub, under the couch, just about everywhere! Golf balls from St Andrews, Jamaica, Polo Ralph Lauren....

Things I have learned about golf balls

1. When they are put into the tailpipe of an Acura TL they shoot right out when the car is started

2. If they don’t shoot out you can park on a hill with the rear of the car angled down hill and they will roll out

3. They cause major plumbing issues when flushed down the toilet

4. Number 3 makes for a very frustrated Daddy

5. The lawn mower can scalp a golf ball pretty well

6. They will drive a daddy crazy when you drop them inside the little square holes on the side tails of a truck

7. They also drive a daddy crazy when they are inside the wheel well of a truck

8. They float in a sink full of soapy green Kando water

9. They are not good on the Kitchen Garbage Disposal

10. Even when you hide them in your secret pouch on your golf bag someone under the age of 5 will find them!
Dear Daddy,
I thought I should tell you a few things...Actually they like everything hiding in your golf bag regardless that you gave them your old bag full of clubs. And I do throw away all those golf tees I find around the house. Because you CAN have too many. But they haven’t found your Scotty Cameron hiding place yet. Promise, I'm not telling them! Love, Mommy

I HATE Shots

2010-05-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do get my kids immunized. So get that out of the way...Debate amonst yourselves!
Let me tell you my least favorite part is when they are so so so so fussy the rest of the day. It is hard to not get worn out by it, yet I know he has to feel worse than I can understand. That helps me dig deep on the patience. But man oh man, is it going to end anytime tonight? I have been in his rom to love on him three times so far....we shall see how long this takes...

So that is always the harsh end to a great weekend of festive birthdayness! The dreaded shots. Bradford gave him a pep talk going in to the pedis office. He credited the fact that Berk didn't even cry when he got it to his talking to Berk about it all.

I had a full weekend of "All Berkeley" just for me. It kind of felt like it was my birthday. Brandon and Bradford spent the whole weekend camping out near PK with all the Compass Crew. They had a great time. Brandon was reminded of a dear friends words to hug your kids now and enjoy these times bc when they hit about 9-10 they dont want to hang out with Dad anymore. By the end of the trip Bradford actually told Brandon he had replaced me as Bradfor's favorite person ever!

All in all, May Day brought lots of good things to th Arnold house. And one whiney, fussy, now 2 year old has finally gone to sleep! And a goodnght to you, too.

Showing the world your undies!

2010-04-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am so honored and excited!! I was nominated for an Honest Blog award by Amber with Beyond Postpartum! She has an amazing blog shedding light into some very dark places for those with Postpartum. So I thought I would risk some exposure here, since I am usually so modest (ha), and answer back with my own list of 10 Random Things about me!!

1. I am a crazy list maker and if I do something NOT on my list, I add it to my list JUST so I can scratch it off!
2. My favorite color is RED. I like pink and I can be sweet and cute. But I LOVE RED and all the sassiness that comes with it!
3. I actually have to suppress the urge to shutter when people blow out the candles on their brthday cake. All I think of s everyone else now eating that cake you just blew your spit all over. Hence the cupcakes I serve at my kids b-day parties...they only blow on their own cake!!
4. Before I had postpartum depression I didn't even know how to spell it, nor that it was only 1 word!
5. I am addicted to Target! I think they dump some kind of gas into the HVAC system so that you get high in there to the point you have to and get a weekly FIX or you will go into withdrawl.
6. I love cheese. on anything. as a meal all by itself. on everything.
7. My dirty little secret that has been only recently exposed is I HATE coffee. So much so even the smell made me sick when preggers with my youngest. My adorable hubby took his high dollar fancy schmancy grinder maker pot to the garage to make his coffee in an attempt to help my constant vomitting...It's still there....
8. I have given up Diet Dr Pepper AGAIN...
9. My biggest fear is falling (which is not uncommon for me) and showing everyone what is under my skirt!
10. If I could come back and start my life over there is really not much I would change except to be nicer to a couple people.

And I am not spell checking this post today bc for some reason spellck is gone from my page! So enjoy this errors and all.

So I wanted to pass along the following as Nominated for Truely Great Honest Blogs!! Check out these amazing ladies and read what they have to say...

I think to much!

Adventures in Baby Wearing

American Family

The Belgexans

The D word

2010-04-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

"As the dear panteth toward the water, so my soul longeth after thee. You alone are my heart's desire, To you alone does my spirit yield... "
This was one of the songs that played over and over in my head.
In those darkest moments, when even our faith is so far removed from our bodies, there is that lone thread that keeps us tied to sanity, to reality, to the world around us...just barely sometimes, but still just enough.
It was so different for me than they described it. It wasn't that I did not bond right away. I did. More than I have ever bonded to anything or anyone in my entire life. So much so I cut everyone else off. My husband did everything, more than any other man I think could possibly do! He was patient, loving, caring, gentle. He was nurturing. He was my ~~ROCK~~. He was my life preserver yet I continued to drown.
I did not even know I was drowning all the while a dark abyss had swallowed every ounce of my being. It was so dark I couldn't tell where I was. The black water surrounding me had taken over my senses. I could not breathe, my air had been sucked right out of my body. I could not see, my eyes were flooded by the tears of my soul. I could not talk. I was screaming inside my head but nothing was coming out of my mouth. I could not reach out and touch. My hands were floating around me lifeless. Looking back now some of it is so blurred it is hard to recall when it started and when it ended. There is no way to point to a date on a calendar.
Depression. It is such an ugly word. It does not matter what other words you put before the D word. They are all ugly together or standing alone. Because when you in the midst of any of them all you feel is ALONE. Depression on its own runs in my family. I have suffered from it before, the broken hearted kind. This was so different. This was in a class all its own.
I was overjoyed with my baby. This baby was the only thing that brought me any joy during this time. It was the rest of the world I shut out. Everyone around me no longer mattered. I went into robot mode, going thru the motions that were necessary to keep them at bay. “Them” being everyone else in my life! My husband included. God bless him! He cooked for me to eat. He would bring me water to make me drink. He drove me everywhere the first several months. He stayed by me. Even when I did not want him to.
Mother love us
Mother loves us
Mother feed us
Mother feeds us
Mother teach us
Mother teaches us
I cried. So much. The silent cry where tears just stream. There was no other emotion on my face. I could wipe the tears away and no one would notice a change in my demeanor. I would sit up in my bed at night, holding my sleeping baby, with my husband sleeping next to me and just cry.
I would sit in the glider and we would rock. I would hum most days because I could not find the energy to sing the words. Somehow I prayed silently in my head. Certain passages would run thru my mind from my childhood. Most of them in the form of a song we used to sing.

Fear Not...For I am with you says the Lord.
I have redeemed you; I have called you by name..

Some days I did not even know my own name.
I wanted to spend every waking moment with my baby. I did not want to share him. I did not want someone else to rock him, feed him, and care for him. I wanted to do it. I was consumed with it. I used nursing him as an excuse to lock myself in my room or the nursery. I had a new mom friend ask me later how long it took to nurse a newborn in the beginning. I wasn't sure how to answer because I was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to take an hour!

Child you are mine...
Whose line is that?
I don’t think that was supposed to be mine...

THANK God we are not all called to give our children over to God like Samuel. Or are we?
One by one God began to pry my fingers away from the death grip I spiritually had on my child. I was sucking the life right out of him in order to stay alive myself.
When you walk thru the water I will be there

And thru the flame

Fear Not!
What was I doing? This child was not sent here to be my Savior. That child had already come and gone. And was Risen again. This child was given to me as a gift to teach, love and to yes give back to God.
It is so painful to just throw the light on when we are in that sickening, drowning darkness. Yet when the light is turned on too slowly we don’t see anything changing. And sometimes God just says,

"Let there be Light!"
And there just is.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Light in the darkness.

The night turns into day.
Your mercies are new every morning.
Life is restored. Love is renewed.
In an instant I found myself floating on top of the water. My eyes closed, arms outstretched on either side, my body relaxed, bobbing along and the sun was shining again. The darkenss was gone and I did not have to sit up to realize that the shore was so close.
Looking back on my postpartum depression, I can understand how so many new moms and dads do not realize what is going on with themselves or their wife. The women experiencing it personally are so lost in it they have no idea where they are. Those around them don’t always know what to say or do or even how to pray. They begin to feel lost as well. It can be a tornado sucking everyone around into its vortex. Once you come out the other side you have been changed. Life does go back to normal just your definition of normal is forever altered. I can't tell you what causes post partum depression or how to stop it. I can tell you that if you have it there is hope. There is life after the big D! There is light and it is GOOD. Sometimes you may not know you are in the darkness until the light is restored. Rest assured those around you know—even if they don’t know what to call it, they are trying to help. Listen and let them!

I was recently reminded that the lessons of life are meant to be learned, accepted and welcomed not scrutinized, dismissed and disregarded as irrelevant. I have accepted this specific journey as an extra warrior patch that makes me who I am, that has taught me to be sensitive to the fragile journey of others.

Snot me

2010-04-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

I must admit I was that snot nosed teenager that could not stand it when babies had runny noses, or spit up all over me or had a diaper explosion or drooled on me. NOTE: emphasis was the "on me" part. Second admission for the day, I have actually had the snot photo shopped out of a photo of my son! But only once!!

Let me introduce myself: I am Rena Arnold and I no longer care about any of these things. Call me a mom now I guess. A mom of boys no less...Maybe it started with my oldest who seems to have allergies that won’t quit, with a runny nose that would constitute a marathon if I were to chase after it all the time....Maybe it was due to my youngest son's bout with Acid Reflux that gave me the pleasure of cleaning up spit up for 9 long months. Constantly!! So much so it tainted my nostrils, so much that I smelled it everywhere I went. I was crazy about it. Changing everyone's clothes several times a day. Always wearing a cute monogrammed burp cloth. Going insane may be an understatement! I was beyond obsessed with getting rid of the smell. Then one day it stopped. Or I stopped worrying about it. Not sure which came first. But now I don’t care. I can clean up ANYTHING without flinching...well almost anything...
Now I don’t worry about the snot showing in the pic if the rest of the photo is still good. I am not freaking out if there is a little mashed banana in my hair if I see you at Target...Now I am not talking about a whole banana! But you get my drift. Enjoy life, love your kids even if they need a double dip bath, and love your husband when he takes the kids to school with Nutella still on their face! Because at the end of every day the snot really does not fall into the category of stuff that matters...

Tackle Tuesdays

2010-04-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well here we are in a new month! And the clock is ticking away. Berkeley's Birthday is in less than a month. And I must admit: I have no idea what I am doing yet!!! YIKES! All I know is that my sister is coming home from Arizona for the summer and I am on cloud NINE right now.

As usual I could not come up with a good April Fools joke. It always scares me that it might come true if I pretend like that. And the emphasis being on joke, no one really plays a good, sweet, kind of April Fools. Wait I think that is because the emphasis is suppose to be on FOOL! Hmmm...That was a revelation! You know sometimes I think my life is the joke. Anyone else looking in would be dumbfounded at the craziness we live in, but I am proud of it! I love what we have, who we are, where we live and all the things we do together!

First Tuesday of the month is my opportunity to look at everything going on this month & make sure I have all my bases covered. (even though I usually don’t have them all covered, it makes me feel better to look) Why not Monday? Because Mondays by definition are busy and the boys are not in preschool on Mondays. So Tuesdays it is. We have a practice camping trip before the real one the 1st of May for Bradford and Brandon. Get our name in for Museum Camp this summer. This may actually be the #1 thing of the month and if it is the ONLY thing I accomplish I am fine with that! Oh, wait rewind to Berk's b-day party! 2 Things!!!! I have a conference in the middle of the month I am going to with some very lovely ladies. And then...well I know there is more...I just can't think of it all right now. Good thing I am using today to get organized...Oh I do have a very special trip to the Container Store coming up in my VERY NEAR future! So nothing earth shattering today...here's to little sisters, here's to babies growing up, and here's to my AMAZING life!

Bradford-isms

2010-03-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

"I tee-teed thru my pants." This does not mean he tee-teed in his pants. He actually wanted to see if he could shoot his pee thru his pants.

"Mom I don't eat oranges. Why did you not know that?" Sorry kid it's hard to keep up with what you eat and don't eat each day. Maybe you could make me a list each morning telling me what is in and what is out!

During a discussion about Bradford and his daddy camping in the backyard, Bradford said, "Hey I could wear my bear costume (which is from halloween 2008 and about 3 inches too short) and then jump out of the tent and scare Daddy bc he will think there is a real bear in the backyard!"

The all time favorite: "Mother, Father will you please call me son?" This went on for a week with Bradford calling me Mother and Brandon Father. It was quite entertaining and caused many confused looks at Target! Guess it was better than his stage where he called me Rena for about a month. So glad that is over.

Don't ever let 'em see you sweat! Just go with the flow man!

Coming out with my hands up!

2010-03-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm surrounded by clothes as I sit on the floor of my youngest son's room. All so cute, so yummy!! Full of memories and fun times. I'm the mom that dresses my babies in smocking, embroidered bubble suits and footie’s, and in baby blue sear sucker. Many of my friends with boys say "I love that outfit but Oh, my husband would die if I dressed my son in that!" and they wag around their babies dressed like frat daddies! (No offense here girls!) I only have about a year and then my own husband draws the line by age 3! No more monogramming on the front! I'm trying to pack up all this sweetness in a Rubbermaid tote and it's killing me!
So I'm taking a break and blogging. What would you do?
First, I went thru it all and pulled out things I knew were too small then
some things like the white linen sailor romper I put back saying I bet
he can wear that one more time! And let's not forget the adorable
plaid suit that was really too short but when he wore his Ugg boots
with it you could not tell....or so I told myself until my 4 yr old told me his brother's pants were too short!
So I decided to go see what gems were stored in the attic saved from
big brother. With the contents of 2 1/2 totes I am now prepared to
pack away even more than I was when I started this adventure!! But
NEWS FLASH: my almost 2 year old has 12 pair of pjs so if you were
thinking of buying him some please DONT! Thnx. (PS this is after getting rid of all the 18-24 months and only keeping the 2T) So now that I'm ready to pack some more baby stuff away, how do I finally make myself get it out if the house all together??? That will be for another day all together...Great, Brandon just washed 2 more pair of jammies…We are up to 14!!

So here we are....

2010-03-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

June 1996: Sitting by a camp fire looking up at thousands of stars in Yosemite National Park, I started thinking I could so fall in love with this guy! Not sure if I was ready for that or not. And honestly it was over a year and half before I ever spoke those words out loud.
March 18, 1998: I will never forget these words, " You have made me the happiest person in the world. And I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy! I Love You. Will you marry me?"

So there we were, young, in love and completely confused about how to make one another happy. What a path we had to travel. But the journey has been amazing, surreal, an experience I would do all over again to learn the lesson and live this life. When you learn to stop depending on another person to MAKE you happy, you find true unity. Then you discover what two shall become one actually means. Everything in my life has led me to this life we live. And live to the fullest, we do! We joke sometimes about Holy Cow, what if we had a baby in our 20's! Let me tell you we had a lot of growing up to do but even more so we had a lot of getting to know one another to do. The great thing is neither of us sees ourselves as a "Grown up" and we look forward every day to what else we need to learn...Looking forward to the next decade or two and what life has to teach us, together.

Fall 2004

Open letter to the Mom at the Park

2010-03-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom at the Park,
I wonder at times why I am the only mom actually IN the sandbox while you are playing with your iPhone way over there on the bench. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone too. But why am I carrying on a conversation with your child that you are completley oblivious to? Why do you not bring your own sandbox toys to the park with the BIGGEST sand box in the county? Honestly, we do not mind sharing our toys--My 4 year old told you that like 3-4 times! If you are going to have a fit, yelling at your 3 year old over and over to put our toys down, then
A) Bring your own toys
or
B) Don't drop your kid off in the sand box!
And please explain to me why your child can not play with our sand toys? I assure you I stay home when my children have the plague. Half the time you are yelling at them to share, so when another child is willing to share, you yell for them to not play with what is being shared with them. Really, in case you dont know, sitting in a sandbox watching other kids play with dump trucks, shovels and other things while you play on your phone is quite boring for your child. You might as well stay at home. At least there he could learn his ABC's via Big Bird or something...

Sincerley,
The Mom IN the sandbox
(the lady that your child is covering with sand)

Yeah Me!

2010-03-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Yeah me! It's almost my birthday! It’s almost spring. It's almost full on sandal weather. I feel so good. It's like a drug to me. The euphoria of spring always makes me happy, practically giddy! Time for a pedicure, time to get my hair done and wear a smile plastered to my face every day!! Ahh! Plans in the works with co-workers for Wed night, family on Thursday, and girlfriends this Friday, next Friday and again the week after and The Sisters somewherre in there....

Good things always happen on my birthday. My 1st kiss with my adoring hubby three years before we got married: on my birthday! Proposed to: on my birthday! And my birthday during Spring Break is like a constant vacation in honor of my birthday. So in case you can not tell I am only slightly narcissistic enough to truly believe it is all about me! So here is to guilt-free cupcakes, a bottle of wine and a great day! I love March!

gotta do it!

2010-02-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

This month was way to short. I have not blogged in 18 days. I have celebrated a girlfriend's birthday, a husbands birthday twice, helped with a pre-school Valentine party, raced out of town ahead of a snowstorm as big as Texas, created an impromptu Valentine in the mountains for my boys, enjoyed a relaxing ski trip with the family, in bed with the flu, worked my real job, had my blog posted on Destiny In Bloom, and helped my cupcake girl Heather prepare for Baby Alexa coming in 3 days...So Maybe March will be slower--Who am I kidding? Nanny's birthday is in 2 days, Alexa will be born the next day, Arts Council Board Meeting, then the Oscar Red Carpet Party to celebrate my other cupcake girlfriend's belated b-day, new client to start working on(YEAH!), M-I-L's bday, Spring Break, MY BIRTHDAY, TMR with friends, emcee for Nana Pudding and on and on....Oh please do not think I am complaining because far be it. I am LOVIN' it. So here's to another Funtastic Month! Celebrate life and friends...Love ya,

what day is it?

2010-02-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

where am I?
It's been one of those days. Barely got showered. Today was boot camp so skipping was NOT an option. I did get dressed after that but never once picked up a hairbrush. Toothbrush, yes! Choosing to skip the clothing battle with my 4 year old I loaded him up for Hobby Lobby/Target run wearing sleeveless at 39 degrees.
So there I am in the Target parking lot after Hobby Lobby which I won't even begin to describe.....Rag-a-muffin mop of hair that I was sporting, no make-up, too cloudy to wear sunglasses to hide the sleepy eye bags, one child in plaid flannel paints that are a smidge too short but you can't tell with his little Uggs and a mismatched shirt, other child in a sleeveless pull-over argyle sweater--with his arms tucked inside since you know, he's COLD. And I saw her...That mom that is ALWAYS so put together with all her children dressed to a tee. Mind you they are all old enough to dress themselves and to understand what 30 degree temps are! I so did not want to talk to her today, answer her questions about why my 4 year old was not wearing a coat. Didn't I know there is a snow storm in the forecast tonight? I could feel her curious eyes observe my frazzled state and she had not even seen me yet. I will admit I did it! I took a detour thru the parking lot so I would completely miss her. Although I am betting with my luck today she saw me AND is reading this. That was my day today. I am hoping bedtime makes it's appearance about 6:30!! If I had the nerve I would take a pic of myself and post it for Wordless Wednesday and you all would understand without me having to even write this post.....

.

Whee...Swinging thru life...

2010-02-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

I LOVE when their little one word sentences start stringing together together. I love when they want you to hold them just for 1 second then they run off again...Everything about mommyhood rocks my world. I love that my kids are the most adorable EVER and no one can tell me otherwise. That's how it should be.

I love their imagination and creativity. I love that they absorb everything around them. And I strive to make all of that innocent and sweet and right. And I LOVE a child's honesty. Love your day today...because I am loving mine! Don't let it fly by too fast....

Ham bone

2010-02-01T05:11:00.000-08:00

HAM BONE: Always hamming it up! My kids for sure.

I have no enlighting story for you today. No big adventures....Nothing earth shattering....But boy do I love my life! Seriously, I am in the lead for the cutest boys EVER, I am certain. And man oh man, I have an amazing husband. Quite sweet actually. Bradford orchestrated a family concert last night. Dad played the guitar, Bradford played the bongos and sang. He was very "Type A" with his organization of it all...who sat where, what you sat in, then he brought his nite lamp from his room to shine on himself and his Dad while they performed. Can we say spotlight? And yes the questioning has begun already...A new American Idol Season and "When do we get to go there and watch them sing Mom?" I feel a trip in my near future...He has been asking to go to American Idol for almost 2 years now! Berkeley was creating chaos everywhere he went during the concert, not wanting to sit where his big brother told him...hmmm I see other things in my future too....

Wordless Wednesday!!

2010-01-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

2010-01-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Top 10 WAYS TO BEAT BOREDOM

I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom ~Thomas Carlyle
So my blogher friend Connie Weiss of The Young and Relentless has inspired me to blog my TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT BOREDOM!

Reading her recent blog really got me thinking about the CRAZY things I have done to stave off boredom...which in my case translates to how to avoid cleaning the house....So here goes..

10. Talk hubby into organizing the garage! Gets the focus off the house

9. Rearrange the living room (code for move everything in the family room to the living room and everything from the living room to the family room)

8. Go Shopping really for anything!! When you are out of the house, you don’t notice what needs to be cleaned.

7. Start a new construction job around the house. Right now I am thinking about installing new flooring in my closet. How does a cedar floor sound? Researching it now to see if it's possible to do and not get splinters in my feet. Or build a playhouse for the backyard....

6. Take everything out of the pantry and move it where the dishes are and load all the dishes into the pantry. This one is not my husbands’ fav--3 years later he is still complaining. Sorry babe!

5. Elfa a closet. This is so fun. One closet left! Who notices when the house needs to be clean when your closets are sooo organized! Honestly.

4. Whip out Grady Spears A Cowboy in the Kitchen and make Stacked Pheasant Enchiladas in Salsa Verde. This recipe is an all day affair because you have two other recipes to make that are used in this recipe! But man-on-man talk about delish! You can substitute chicken for pheasant by the way.

3. Plan a road trip. We are the King and Queen of spur of the moment road trips. To my fellow Texans: Buy the Backroads of Texas Map. AWE-some! This puts cleaning house out of your mind for at least 6-8 hours

2. Can I say sand box? Because after an afternoon lounging in a sand box while two boys cover you from head to toe, along with themselves, that is sure to end in a bath for them, an early bedtime bc they are pooped and a long bath for me...what more relaxation could there be?

1. Just pack up head to the in-laws for the day and let the cleaning lady come! That is the BEST distraction of all. And seems to be the most successful.

So here's to avoiding boredom, finding time for projects and clean houses!
NOTE: All the above are true and accurate accounts of past or present incidents in our house....

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity. ~R. I. Fitzhenry

School is cool

2010-01-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

Well New Year means new theme. Not that I know what last year’s theme was. I don't know what last year was from any angle. A blur maybe. Berkeley started pre-school yesterday. Only 2 days a week but enough to give him something social. Bradford was a year older before he started actual pre-school but he also had a schedule full of TCU music classes, swim lessons and My Gym. Compass Pre-school gives Berk all that in one place. Because driving around for all that and Bradford to school is a bit much for me right now.

Berk has reached his mommy attachment phase lately. To the point that I actually pulled out the Baby Bjorn the other day for him to get in while I vacuumed! I had loaned out my Hotsling so he was pretty strapped in tight. So tough time for us to start school. He was sad. All my friends tell me they get better. But compared to Bradford who walked into class and never looked back and still rarely even says bye before he is in class playing, this is a major adjustment. I had Brandon pick him up early so he could nap at home which was a good move I think. We will do the same thing on Thursday then try for all day next week.

So this year I think I have decided to make The Year of Organization! So here's to trying...

The year of the PROJECT

2010-01-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

1999 the year of the yard!

2000 the year of us!

2001 the year of the guest bath

2002 the year of the family room and stained concrete floors!

2003 the year of hard wood

2004 the year of paint indoors and out

2005 the year of the baby

2006 the year of the kitchen remodel

2007 the year of just spending money aimlessly

2008 the year of the new baby and the Master Bath!

2009 the year of chaos

And now for 2010? The year of change! Ditching the red walls in the family room, no more Green Hall, leaving the Bermuda for St Augustine, new lighting and the list goes on...
Personally, this is the year for me to tip-toe out of my shell. Who am I kidding? More like tear the door open and race down the street. I am making more time for each of my boys ONE-ON-ONE, making girlfriend time a higher priority than the past few years and I WILL STRIVE TO COMPLETE WHAT I STARTED IN 2009!

Motherhood has truly taken more time than I anticipated. In my easy-breezy, pre-children style thinking; motherhood would be one more thing that fit right into all my "To-Do's". I did not expect that this girl who historically had time for everyone could ever hit overload. And when I did my girlfriend time was the first to go. I figured they all knew I loved them and they understood life takes more time than someone put on a TIMEX. (or Omega or...)

So here I am doing the dance of balance and back-burnering something else. (Watching my 4 year old vacuum with the little hand vac and having a ball doing it!) But girlfriends here we come. Watch out 2010!

Make no mistake, I always make time for my baby sisters!

Merry Merry

2009-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Mr Grinch, You are not stealing my Christmas! Scream!!!!! "Iiiieeeyyyyaaa!!!" So much fun we can't even contain ourselves. This time of year is one of my favorites. On equal playing field are Valentines and my birthday, oh and the boys birthdays too. The lights, the decorations, Christmas Eve candle light service, the thrill of thinking about someone and what would make them happy, put a smile on their face, buying or making that special something, the sound of tons of paper tearing, crumbling...I LOVE it! All of it! I am the kid in the candy store this time of year. Bradford asked me the other day why the Grinch tried to steal Christmas. My answer: because he was sad and lonely and did not understand how much joy Christmas time can bring. He answered with "He had his dog so why was he still lonely?" This was a great opportunity for me to explain to him compassion, love and the power of giving. At this age children are so excited to learn and soak in everything we have to offer. I hope my kids soak up all that the Christmas Season means and how special it is to GIVE of ourselves to others! Even to the Grinches out there--You know who you are and we still love ya!

2009-12-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

Kudos to you BLOGhers that find time for your blogs during the holidays. Since Thanksgiving I have been lagging. But here is a survey I got from Confessions of a Working Mother aka My Hero! My answers are in what else but RED!! Tell me yours!

1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
NO! Santa does not wrap! Mommy wraps and Santa displays very nicely!

2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...
Eve is family time just us! We hang out together, cook, go to Christmas Eve service, drive by and look at lights then go home and read the story of Baby Jesus. Brandon and I always did this even before kids. But Christmas day is all about the Presents!!
3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year?
Our Christmas Eve routine is our tradition! That is about it. Everything seems to change some each year.

4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?
SO WHITE!! Except for this baby tree I let my 4 year make the call on and how about it, I have colored lights for the first time in my adult life. But they are growing on me!

5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?
We used to. But we haven't lately. I think my hubby is holding out for me to hire someone to do that! Maybe next year. Our son was pretty disappointed we did not have a blow up manger scene!

To catch a run-away

2009-12-13T05:46:00.000-08:00

I used to love the drive to Waco. It meant a chance to get away. Ever since the summer I moved there to get away--maybe more like run away. That was where I could always go and leave the stress and heartbreak of my life behind.

These past three years have been me running away again. Dreading that drive to Waco or anywhere south. Avoiding it when possible, until yesterday...

Just within view of the Lacy Lakeview exit I start to feel it. Each time it surprises because I have spent so much time convincing myself I have dealt with it and it won’t get me this time...So here we go again....This time is different. The tears have not come yet. So far it is just the lump. I decide to think about the fun times at the lake when we were little instead of what Meyers Exit means.

By the time I hit the exit for George's I actually have a smile on my face. The Circle where the Elite Cafe was and that Mexican food place to the right.

By New Road I am full of cheerful, fun memories of all the joy that Waco was for me before Jodi died.

The damn broke as I caught glimpse of the Hewitt exit. But this time was different. Tears of relief were replacing the old tears of grief! What a refreshing feeling to understand finally what it feels like to deal with loss, to move on, to celebrate life instead of mourn loss.

This grainy photo is the last picture taken of Jodi. She was in the background reaching for the bouquet at my baby sister's wedding 5 days before she died. The last day our whole family saw her. So while it is out of focus, it is beautiful to me.

The world will be as One

2009-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Imagine. Give Peace a chance! I think the Beatles said it best. Sometimes the holiday season gives us stress, anxiety and all around bad moods wrapped in shiny paper with a beautiful bow on top. Anyone out there know what I mean? Well this year is a new year. So let's try a NEW concept. Be the peacekeeper and make it your daily choice to find the joy in this whole season. Make it your Advent Calendar plan this year. Each day you move closer to Christmas, focus on one thing that brings you joy. They say it only takes 21 days of doing the exact same thing to create a habit. So Christmas morning you should have this one down pat! "Oh Let's Stick to it! Ev'rybody's talking about it!" That makes your New Year all the more Joyful and Peaceful. Imagine...

Dumb Luck

2009-11-29T19:25:00.000-08:00

...is sometimes the best kind! I love when I literally stumble onto something! Dont know how I missed this program option, I've had it all along--like 4 years. But look what I can do. I will need a 25th hour in my day to play with this some more. Not all these photos are great--but the kids sure is. Some are my new favs of little Berk but I am enjoying just knowing I put this together!

slurpp!

2009-11-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

Hurry! Don't let my Mom see me! I can hear him sucking this juice box as fast as he can. And that is because I have usually been pretty cautious on what I give the kids. And juice is limited to some degree. What you don't see is this was his second box, with cupcakes to follow! But it was Big Brother's birthday party and he was just so excited to be running with the big kids. The baby of the family ALWAYS grows up so much faster...much to this Mommy's dismay.

Rock my world!

2009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

I read a post on one of my favorite blogs http://www.destinyinbloom.com/ yesterday. The guest writer was talking about re-connecting on facebook with high school friends. You could have pasted my name and picture at the bottom of her post! It was so familiar. I spent over 10 years basically hiding in the shadows from all those I went to school with. Mostly because as she put it "I am not that girl any more!" I am the one that grew up with you but I am so much more than I was back then. And thank GOD! I am still the same in some ways mind you, but I have conquered so much, found my place in my own life, my world--not the world, just my world. And I love it. Check out their website.

Welcome to motherhood

2009-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

4th Birthday

3rd Birthday

2nd Birthday

1st Birthday

Birthday!

Bradford, Brandon's grandmother's maiden name.

Max, my Father-in-law's middle name.

Bradford Max, my first born son.

He amazes me everyday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-i8aJ2Jhyw

Everyone gave us a hard time for not finding out what we were having. Then we kept our baby names a secret. The whole pregnancy was all about me. Brandon doted over me, took such wonderful care of me. It was the best pregnancy ever. He was the perfect husband and daddy-to-be. I LOVE surprises. We both do. And I also wanted Brandon to have that one moment where he could be the one to announce to everyone what we had. After 9 months, it was all about Brandon and what he was announcing. He was so excited about that! Watching this video makes me smile every time! As far as the baby's name, I think pregnant women should reserve the right to change their mind all the way to the last second! So don't monogram anything for me until the baby is here, in case I change my mind on the name. Like I did with Berkeley....while pushing, I switched to my beloved Berkeley...but that is a post for another time...HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADFORD MAX ARNOLD! You have made me a mommy!

Cooking out of the BOX

2009-11-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

So for the first time in my adult life I am actually making a cake from a box! No, not from scratch with organic, whole wheat flour. I see you rolling your eyes at me. I hear your moaning and groaning from Bradford's first birthday party!
But remember I made up for it with the Celebrity jumbo petifores with fondant icing that next year. And last year we did Cupcake Cottage.
This year I decided to go back to making them myself!
After much blog-reading, web-searching and asking an older lady lots of questions on the cake aisle of Target, I did it! I made a damn boxed cake! It was not without much doctoring!
1. I used milk instead of water
2. I added an extra egg for a total of 4
3. I added a packet of vanilla instant pudding mix and 1t of pure vanilla extract
4. Real melted butter in place of the oil!
5. But I did make real butter cream frosting. I added some sour cream to it to cut the overly sweetness.

So all in all, my "Semi-Homemade" style cupcakes turned out pretty good! Of course the mess is worth just going back to Cupcake Cottage next year!

Tip Jukie

2009-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dont forget about Tip Junkies 12 days of Giveaways! Starting Nov 9th! Check it out everyday and comment to be entered into a drawing for free stuff!!

Christmas Sanity

2009-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

7 Weeks and counting....

How many of you stress about spending time with family during the holidays? (I can get that.) How many of stress about the gift giving, the "having" to shop for "just the right thing"? (I don't get that :)) How many of you stress about how much money you spend during the holidays? (Everyone gets that!!) How about keeping it positive this year. How about some Christmas Sanity with that Cheer!!

How??

Well start with remembering to:

1. Take a deep breathe and let it all out slowly! Find the joy in giving, leave the stress behind.

2. Make a list of who you have to buy for. Slim it down to the closest ones and make it personal!

3. Set a dollar amount you can live with! Get something that makes someone smile.

4. Be realistic about your time commitments. Make it about quality time this year, not quantity!

5. Remember that Christmas is about family. Cherish your time with those closest to you!

Attitude! That's what it is, so have the right one. Enjoy

Jingle Bells

2009-10-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

Both photos are from Details & Dragonflies Warehouse in Fort Worth.

Well it's so close I can almost smell it, taste it, touch it! What? CHRISTMAS! Ahh. The kid in me gets all excited. Bubbling over excited. I would buy a present for every person I have ever met, if my husband would not pass out over the credit card bill! The wrapping, the bowing(I am anti-giftbag), the lists and organization of it all. And I start early every year. Not because I want to get it out of the way. I admit I continue to shop for little things all the way up to the week before. But that is only because I love it. All big stuff is bought by Thanksgiving so I can start the WRAPPING! I am doing a White Christmas this year. All white wrapping paper and powder blue bows. It will be gorgeous!

Anyway enough of that. On to the shopping:

Drum Roll, Please....

#1 Fav is Dallas Market Sample Sale. Nov 6-8 10-7 F&S and 10-5 on Sun. Amazing toys, kids clothes, and so so much more. Free to get in, long lines so get there early!

#2 We have talked about before: Details and Dragonflies Warehouse Sales Nov 12-14 and 19-21st. 10-5pm 2221 W Broadway Ft Worth

#3 Learning Express in Southlake next to Central Market. Day after Thanksgiving 6am! Big SALE! Plus free coffee and donuts.

#4 http://www.etsy.com/ Gotta check it out! AMAZING hand made gifts.

#5 Anthropology! Hands Down my Favorite Chain store. Make that my ONLY chain store!

#6 THE BEST Christmas Photo Cards are http://www.tinyprints.com/ You can upload your own pics!

#7 Stocking Stuffer Lovers check out Penny Lane in Colleyville. They have the most unique collections of ornaments, great baby Sussies, & fabulous selections of gifts.

#8 Owls Nest has more unique toys than anyone. And they do the best real gift wrapping of anyone. If you have never been, stop by for playtime. They have plenty of toys out for kids to "TRY OUT".

Lastly, let's do our part in keeping our friends and neighbors in business. Support LOCAL Boutiques and shops! Buy Unique! We all win.

We did it and we'll do it again

2009-10-25T04:28:00.000-07:00

Well after 4 years, lots of encouraging, months of planning, 1/2 an anxiety attack--maybe a full one, many tears later, we, my sweet adorable, loving husband and I went on a trip. ALONE. No kids. No dog. Nothing but ourselves. We remembered why we took almost 7 years to have kids. We like each other. We have fun together. We love traveling. We talk. A lot. NO interruptions. We laugh so much together. Traveling is our thing! We just forgot about it over the last few years.

So new page in life: We are now the parents that can leave our boys and go away and come home refreshed and ready for life again. Who knew this was a great way to refuel your energy? Oh I guess all those other parents that do it ALL THE TIME. So while we were late to the party, this is one we will not miss for years to come.

We had the most amazing time. I would rank it up there with honeymoon in Hawaii and Valentine's in Paris! It was an all around amazing trip. The Northeast has wonderful food to offer and we tried it all. Lobster is my new all time FAV food. I knew I liked it before but having it there does not compare to anything Texas has to offer. Sorry Trulucks! I found some new cities to add to my fun list. Portland is almost as weird as Austin--in the good way. Food was so fresh, everything was organic and an Irish Pub in the middle. Who doesn't like that? Portsmouth was better shopping than, I dare say, Chicago! I could do that again. In a second. Conway, NH and Jackson NH are two ski towns on the list to take the boys to when they are older! And Harvard is just as prestigious as you would imagine.

So for my fellow separation anxious mom's out there, you can do it. I now understand why my friends said your kids will be better for it! And YES, we are already planning where to go next. Any ideas???

It's a GIRL!

2009-10-14T05:04:00.000-07:00

MOM-TINIS, ANYONE?

Or at least it is going to be in March. And NO I am not talking about me! I am talking about my dear sweet Heather Lou. This is the girl who said since high school she was going to Vegas to get married. Then she, the last of the girls to get married, had an over the top wedding. Food to die for, beautiful princess gown just all round beautiful!

This is also the girl who did not think she would ever have kids because she did not think she was motherly! So of course we all know she will also be an over-the-top, amazing mom!

The best secret in the world for me to keep from that day in August, was about this sweet baby girl! I picked the restaurant because girlfriend intuition had given me a feeling. Mi Cocina is where I told another good friend of mine I was pregnant with Berkeley. So on a whim it seemed like the right restaurant.

And I, the mother of two adorable dirt loving, rock throwing, stick waving, frog hunting BOYS, get to throw the best over the top GIRL baby shower. Even if there is no pink! Help from two of my favorite websites will be key to making this the biggest success! http://www.hostesswiththemostess.com/ and of course www.tinyprints.com

PS: Photos are straight from Hostess With The Mostess.

Lucky Lucky Me

2009-10-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Watch me! Mom, did you see me? That was the BIGGEST jump EVER!

"Charlie, I'm not feeling lucky, I AM lucky!" (quote from Lola)

Reality Bites. I want to raise two boys that are strong, confident, healthy and compassionate. Sometimes this comes at a cost. That means what I want is not always going to happen! ARG! I really wanted to dress the boys for Halloween as a fireman and Dalmatian. Cute, huh? But Bradford made his mind up himself on what he wanted. He is a glow in the dark skeleton. And not because it is scary or anything. We received our first order of Scholastic books we ordered and have been reading the one about your body. So he is a pro on the pupil of your eye, your kidneys and THE BRAIN! So for him the skeleton is pretty cool. He will show you on his costume where his femur is!

So no matchey matchey costumes this year unless I can think of a link between a skeleton and Nemo.

Bradford amazes me everyday with his excitement for life. There are days where he wants us to stay home and hang out together but more than anything he loves school, his teachers and his friends. So when I don't have control of everything and he makes his own decisions sometimes, I have to remember he is becoming exactly what I want him to be: HIMSELF!

"Don't you have something to say to your sister?"

2009-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

I can already hear the phone ringing...one of my sisters is calling to say, "I can NOT believe you posted that picture!" None of us is looking at the camera. We are all laughing so hard at Bradford hiding behind us. We were trying to get a good shot of just the girls. He was crawling at the ripe old age of 7 months and we could only contain him for about 15 seconds before he was back in the shot! My poor husband, the photog for the day had all of us there at 7am for the best light! WHATEVER! As you can see I had the worst hair of everyone...

Poor Dee was so sick. She is white as a ghost!

Hair does not matter, time of day does not matter, this shot is one of my absolute favorites. Because it shows us like we really are. Always laughing, except when we are arguing. And even when we are arguing! Always together except when we are apart. And even when we are apart. Always there for one another no matter what!

We pretend we don't know when to keep our mouth shut, when to not triangle another sister in, when to respect boundaries. We do know how to love each other til it hurts! We would literally lay down everything in the world for one another.

You may not like what I have to say but you are going to hear it anyway, because I am your sister!!

And I said so.

I'll give you a piece of gum!

I love you, and you, and you, and you, and you too!

Screw Scheduling Sex!

2009-09-25T05:53:00.001-07:00

"Hey Mom, I got my eye on you..."

May I pee in peace, please? Mommy will be with you in a moment. Give mommy a time out please. I want to take a shower by myself this time! No thanks, I don't need any extra toys in the shower with me. Are the kids in bed?? Do you think they are asleep yet???

I think there is a country song that says something like I don't mind being alone but I don't like being lonely...

So I have resorted to defining my life by a country song. Hmmm....

Screw Scheduling Sex! (Pun intended) You can always fit that in. I never knew I would actually need to schedule my own quiet time. I love being with my kids & Husband and I miss them when I am not with them. But THANK GOD someone out there invented PEDICURES!! Because my self-attempt at painting my left foot did not lend to getting my right foot painted.

Shh! Let's all play the quiet game....for a couple days????

I am complete

2009-09-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

First day of Preschool 2009. What's next? College? I still remember when he was a tiny baby that I wanted to sit and watch sleep.

Brandon and I were having breakfast at Snooty Pig the summer of 2005, on a Sunday morning. Our usual, please. This was back when they still had the tree scene on that small wall. We were sitting at that 2 top table. I remember because I always liked that table; like you were out in a garden or something. Kind of goofy I know. Anyway, being all emotional like you are when you are

5 months pregnant, we were talking about how excited we were for our new little baby coming. I was telling Brandon how I always knew I wanted to be a mom. (Granted I always said I would adopt my kids after they were potty-trained!) But I never knew how much I wanted to be a mom until that moment, crying in Snooty Pig with our favorite waitress Deb, patting me on the back. She didn't even know what I was crying about. It did not matter. That moment changed my life. This what I was meant to be!

I have loved every minute of it. Pregnancy, yes even looking back all the morning sickness with Berkeley was worth it! How is this for a line? I would have thrown up all day for 9 months for that kid! Thankful, yes, it was only 4 months.

Although, I will say after Berk's 1st birthday I was ready to wean and truly have my body back. While I am not ready to say our family in complete, I am ready to say I am complete.

Join us as we walk for Bradford's 4th Birthday and help another couple create a family! November 14, 2009. http://www.walktoadopt.com/

Humpty Dumpty we all fall down

2009-09-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to title this yet. "Call it what it is: Grief" or "The difference between Postpartum and Just Depression" or maybe "The elephant in the room sucked out all my air"!

Here we are again. September 16th. Three years ago I walked out of Bradford's room after putting him to bed. I had heard the phone ring but knew Brandon would answer it. So when I got into the living room he told me to sit down. He didn't have to! There was no sugar-coating. But like all horrific things in my life the truth of what has just happened is always the last thing to come to mind! When my aunt had to tell my sisters and myself our dad died, I was stunned. I actually thought when she said I have some bad news, something had happened to someone else. No matter that I had just seem him wheeled out on a stretcher to the ambulance 30 minutes prior!

Back to Sept 16. Then he said "Jodi is dead." My mind automatically went to a friend of ours. Then he said, "No, Rena. Your cousin Jodi." I fell apart. Like Humpty Dumpty, I still have not been completely put back together again.

2007 rolled around and I was 3 months after having a miscarriage and already 6 weeks pregnant with Berkeley. So I chalked my grief at the time up to postpartum! 2008 I was 4 months post delivery, so postpartum again, right? Nope! 2009 and I am still grieving. Combine tomorrow with next week is Mema's birthday. The first birthday since she passed away in January. I have felt tears ready at a nano-seconds notice for a week. My therapist says simply notice what you are feeling. Then you can deal with it. So here I go...

She was 5 foot tall and barely 100 pounds. Strawberry red hair and she was a force! Don't dare reckon with her! She lived life fully. She had three beautiful daughters. It is easy to forget some days that she is gone. It's harder to remember some days that she is not here. We were polar opposites in some ways and exactly alike in others. We were each others arch rival at times and sweet friends at others. She taught me to live in the present every day. Don't worry about tomorrow because yes even at 30 tomorrow may never come. She survived being a premature baby at just over 7 months or so, in 1975. Pretty unheard of back then. She survived her car going off a bridge when she blacked with her oldest two girls in the car with her in her mid-twenties. She survived a faulty defibrillator! But she did not survive that white suburban that decided to run a stop sign.

I am thankful that my constant memory of her is riding on the back of that motorcycle, a sunny day, her red hair flowing behind her, smile on her face, loving life, so care-free. I am thankful that some day I will make it through the town of Waco and past the Lacy Lakeview exit without tears and tightening of my chest. I am thankful I will some day make it through the month of September without feeling like I will fall apart. I am thankful she was my cousin. I am thankful I had the privilege to learn from her. Lastly, I am thankful for all those childhood memories that will carry me through my tears. And maybe, just maybe someday I can ride on the back of a motorcycle again.

Revive Africa Fundraiser

2009-09-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Join us for Ladies Night Out and Support a Cause!
This Thursday 7PM!

Revive Africa needs your help and you need a night out! So let's all win together. Click on the invite above or go to www.southlakemoms.com

See you there...

Do people in hell eat s'mores?

2009-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

What does Ricky say to Lucy? Ahyayi! So we are reading in the children's bible story book about Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days and nights being tempted by the devil....Actually since I am never really sure how age appropriate certain topics are for a 3 year old, I avoid reading how Cain killed able! I mean getting over David "slaying" Goliath took weeks of "Why was that giant so mean?" "If he had used his manners would David have still thrown the rocks at him?" And yes I substituted slaying for killing. So back to last night: Question #1 was "Mom what's a Devil?" Not sure exactly how to answer, I called my mom. Not home. Called her cell. Pops answered. And Bradford thinks Pops (Richard) knows EVERYTHING! And of course he does have a great response. When all else fails, take it back to the beginning. The Devil was an angel in Heaven that did not want to follow God's rules. Great opening line. I can take it from there. Except that Aunt Brittany was over and she decides to throw out her two cents with He lives in Hell with lots of fire and that is where the bad people go. Oh boy! So she goes home and am left with all the questions like where do people in hell sleep? And what do they eat? I bet they can make s'mores with the fire. Mom do you think the devil eats s'mores? Is it bedtime yet?

TOP 8 MOMMY TIPS

2009-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to the Grand Re-Opening of The Owl's Nest Saturday. They had a blast. I enjoyed some interesting parent/child dynamics watching. In particular, one dad and his son who was about 2, really got me thinking. Yes, we as parents are totally responsible for these little human beings. But please do not mistake that to mean we are totally in control of our children. They are individuals with their own likes, dislikes, interests, talents and hobbies completely exclusive of us! My boys played with everything; the puppet curtain, the medieval castle, the rocking horse, the kitchen! The little 2 year old boy wanted to play with the kitchen too. His dad kept taking him away from the play kitchen, telling him to come play with the trucks, next time it was come play with balls, then come play with the horses. Anything to keep him from playing with the kitchen! Really? Nothing is going to happen to your 2 year old because he wants to play with a toy kitchen! I promise. He won't lose his 2 year old man card! Then he just about lost it when the little boy picked up a princess puppet! JUST LET THEM PLAY!!

So here are my TOP 8 Mommy Tips that are for Dads too!

1. It's OK if they wear their shoes on the wrong feet! At least they are putting them on themselves and it is one less thing you need to do to get out the door!!

2. Kids do not know the difference between gender specific toys! Only the parents do. Men are chefs, teachers and nurses. Women are doctors, engineers and truck drivers. And none of this was determined by the toys they played with at 2 years old! Good grief, look at me, I played with Spider Man and I turned out pretty prissy!

3. Kids really need to go to bed BEFORE their parents. Mommy and Daddy need quiet time!! PLEASE

4. Proper nutrient and naps cure almost ALL bad behavior! (a sugar laden cereal bar and a 15 min nap in the car do not suffice)

5. Teach your 1 year old to put his clothes in the hamper. Have it accessible and they will think it is fun! And they will continue to do it when they are 3, 4, 12.....And you wont be hollering, "put your clothes in the hamper...."

6. It is OK to day "NO" to your child!

7. Teach your sons to wipe the rim of the toilet, close the lid, and flush from the very beginning! Then wash hands of course.

8. Let your babies feed themselves as soon as they show an interest in it. Don't worry you can always bathe them again.

Well that's all I have for you. I thought I would make it to 10 but we are going to go with 8! Sounds like a great number to me. And you all may already know all this anyway. I am the late bloomer....

We miss Miss Kara

2009-08-28T05:24:00.001-07:00

Miss Kara came into our lives as such a sweet burst of fresh air! She loved our boys as much as possible without actually being their mommy I think. She played, danced and sang, read, painted and built towers. She conquered naptime in no time! They LOVE her! We love her. She is now off starting down that infamous path known as College. In California no less, to study Broadcast Journalism. And some day we figure she will be doing the news on CNN and the boys will tell their buddies "She was my nanny!" So we are through shedding our tears and Bradford has not mentioned for the last couple days, "I really really miss Miss Kara." We are looking forward to her coming home for Thanksgiving.....

Berkeley with Attitude

2009-08-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

He is growing up more every day! He takes toys from his brother and runs away, looking over his shoulder to see if Bradford is chasing him. Then he just laughs and laughs. I love that sound. Being the oldest, I know that feeling Bradford has "Awh Man, not again" then "Mom, Berkeley keeps taking my Legos, trains, puzzle pieces, etc....." He is talking non-stop now. Everyday is a new word. I love this phase. He has no idea what potty training is at this age but he see his brother in the bathroom so he wants to join. He wants to sit on the toilet. So I set him up there and he just grins then wants down to run off and play! Bradford has always been on the go from the day he was born. Busy, busy. Berkeley likes to come and sit in my lap and lay his head on my shoulder. Just out of the blue he will stop what he is doing to snuggle with me. Bradford will stop for a quick kiss or hug and he is on the go. I rocked Berk the other night in his room before bed. He just laid there on my chest so still while I sang quietly to him. We could have stayed there all night. I love that feeling. I know it won't be long when he is so busy that he wont want me to rock him anymore. So right now I am loving it all up as much as I can!

Project Vacation...

2009-08-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have thought of every place you can think of...quick weekend in Mexico, drive to Memphis for a longer weekend, just stay in Dallas at the Ritz, Hawaii(where I was gong to lump it with a real estate conference--not really fair to Brandon I decided), now we are planning a 7 day trip through the Northeast to see the leaves. Just finished booking everything... I feel my heart race, slightly palpitating, little beads of sweat(and I don't really sweat much) on my forehead...Focus on breathing. Panic attack you ask? Maybe. Just the thought of going away and leaving the boys for a WHOLE WEEK! Control Freak? Maybe.

Bradford's first night away from both of us happened on Brandon's watch when Bradford was 26 months. I was in Islamorada for a conference, having a great time. 6 months preggers with Berkeley, hanging out at the pool in a bikini! Love the looks you get. Somewhere between OMG!! and WOW! The OMG looks mostly came from the senior citizen water aerobics class going on at this swanky resort in the pool I decided to use for my pregnancy sunbathing "me time". Later I head into the room to get ready for dinner. Call home to chat with Brandon and Bradford, only to find out Brandon had sent my baby off on his own into the world to brave bedtime without us! "Rena when the new baby gets here you are going to need some help sometime. So why not let Bradford get used to staying the night somewhere else now." I can not believe he waited for me to leave town and did it without me! "Otherwise it NEVER would have happened"! And he was so right. I seriously thought I could do it all! I did not need help. I had it under control. Hum there's that work again!

Fast forward 18 months later and we are trying to get away on a trip ALONE. Who knew it would be so hard. We started out at the beginning of the summer planning. Here we are at the End of Summer, planning a trip for the fall. Our FIRST trip away alone since Bradford was born Nov 2005!! At least we have made progress this summer. Berk was 13 months when he spent his first night away from home. He has already gone from a one night sleep over to a two nighter! And Bradford has stayed away 3 days straight. He keeps telling me he is ready to stay the night for 4 nights! Now don't get me wrong, the boys have loving, totally capable grandparents. And the boys love going to their house. But this MOM suffers from SEPARATION ANXIETY! Seriously!!

But nothing like going cold turkey. Withdrawal? I am sure there will be some. But at least I will have my sweet hubby for cuddle time! And he is looking forward to not sharing Momma for a week....

Details and Dragonflies

2009-08-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone asks, "Where did you find that?" Well girls here it is. One of my deepest darkest secret shopping spots!! Details and Dragonflies Warehouse Sale, the Worth Waiting for event of the Summer. And what a place to shop. Everything in there is A-MAZING! And quite a deal on prices. Let me tell you. Last Summer, there was an awesome distressed leather sofa for $1,500.00 that ran for no less than $3,500 anywhere else. But not looking for something that high on the price scale? Hand Painted canvas pillows $27.50! Clearance Items are 40% off the first weekend and 50% off the second weekend! Christmas is around the corner....Start shopping now...You have to see it to believe everything in there and the prices, well you wont believe those even when you see them...

Please come by and see our new finds at the
August Warehouse Sale
it is just around the corner....

817-926-3997
2221 West Broadway
Fort Worth, TX 76102

August 20th, 21st, 22nd
And again the following weekend
August 27th, 28th & 29th
Thursday - Saturday
10:00 - 5:00 daily

All dogs go to heaven

2009-08-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, I really really want Brandi to come back from Heaven." Bradford said the other day. Thus began a journey down memory lane...I was never much of a dog fan prior to meeting Brandi and Brandon. Over 13 ago when we met, Brandon had this amazing dog that never really liked his other "girl" friends. Mike can attest to this! But she warmed up to me right off the bat, and I to her. I think I fell in love with that dog before I did Brandon. She was our party entertainment after we got married. Before we could afford much furniture she would race round and round the front living and dining rooms making everyone laugh! Heather used to do anything she could to get Brandi going! She was the life of the party. I think I liked her so much because she was so much like a cat. She was well groomed, did not bark, did not smell like your typical big dog smell and did not drool! So after 14 years, last fall she went to Heaven. I knew Bradford did not really get it because he has said "When Poppy (the new dog--will talk about her later) goes to Heaven I want to get a ZEBRA!" And on Thursday, Bran was at a meeting and Bradford asked where dad was, did he go to Heaven? And he wants Brandi to come out of the computer and play with him.

In Comes Poppy, our replacement, about two weeks later. She is still growing on me ten months later. She falls into all the reasons why I used to not like dogs. BARKING, shedding, needs lots of baths...We rescued her from a Foster Home for Border Collies. She is 4 and well trained. She is very gentle with the boys. But she still is not Brandi. I hate to admit it but I am with Bradford and wish Brandi could come back from Heaven. I suggested we get another Basenji but Brandi was Brandon's second Basenji so I think he wanted to try out another breed. He loves Poppy to death and so do the boys. I know that we won't be getting a ZEBRA when Poppy goes to Heaven. But maybe another Basenji?? Just hope Bradford does not start asking for Paw-Paw to come back from Heaven....

Rebekah Denice

2009-08-04T13:03:00.001-07:00

That's my sister! Rebekah Denice. She has arrived in Tucson, her new home for the next two years. She spent all day today unpacking and getting organized. We already miss her. Brandon lovingly told her last night she will be home in time to see Bradford start Kindergarten in 2011! I think that caused a tear or two. While we miss her immencely, our pride for her clearly wins! She will have her degree in Biology when she finishes there. I asked her what she would do next with that, business and Spanish? Med School? Her response: We shall see...Career Student I say. That's OK. I know my boys will not know what to do when Bek-Bek isn't over here all the time any more, at least I have 4 other sisters who will have to fill in the gap for now. I think I may miss her even more than the boys...Love ya baby sis!

Buy-Gones

2009-07-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Fallen Petals have turned into a pretty Pink Hanger. A hot pink hangar at that! Not Haute but definitely HOT....Some great shoes, cute T-shirts to wear with your favorite jeans and accessories galore. Owned by Ashley Boatwright, not sure if she is related or married to the Boatwrights we all know, everything in the store in on a Pink Hanger. She is located in the Village at Colleyville. It is a very laid back and relaxed feeling with still a hint of Perfect Petals gone by. If you are in need of a fun outfit with shoes you won't see on every other gal at burgers and bock night, you have found your store. She also sells home furnishings but I did not venture into the back half of the store. I only went as far as the shoes and fitting room....

Station House, an all time classic, has taken over RSVP also at the Village. If you did not know any different you may not notice the changes except that it is more open feeling. The extensive selection is easier to see here than their old location.

Speaking of invitations and other paper goods, my heart stopped for a few seconds when my sister called me from in front of Penny Lane saying they were closed! Fear Not! They just relocated North less than a mile. Thank goodness. No, not open yet but it should not be much longer. You can always find great gifts here. This is where I found the Ice Cream Cone shaped invitations I sent out at Berkeley's Ice Cream Social for his 1st birthday. They also have some of the best baby gifts without having to hit Neiman's for a Swankie Blankie! Now let's go stimulate some economy gals!

SLOW DOWN and Let's Shop

2009-07-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

I felt it coming Tuesday...slowww moving, head kind of echoed, throat hurt when I swallowed. By that night I ached all over. Brandon took the boys to his parents Wedensday to play so I could rest. I felt bed sores coming on I slept so much. Yet I think another nap is in the near future. The boys dont really understand the "Mommy's Sick, let her sleep" routine yet. They want my attention anyway. And why shouldn't they? That is how it is! They stayed at Boss and Bebe's until Friday. Everyone was ready to be home as much as I wanted them to be home. First time I have been sick in a year, so when it hits it hits HARD! I guess if you dont slow down, your body makes you.

Well my new favorite website to surf is www.Blurb.com. With a husband that has a hard drive full of amazing photos, I am lookng forward to getting on there and playing. Another FAV item is a blog my friend Amy has. She owned Perfect Petal in Colleyville and now has branched into on-line selling. She has that one AMAZING gift you need for a special girlfriend. Check her out: http://www.elementsofdesignbyamy.blogspot.com/

I am not your typical mall shopper! And YES, I have started Christmas shopping already. I spend all year looking for that special something and Amy has some great ones. I have read a lot about www.ETSY.com lately too. But I have not yet bought...so stay posted. Best advice I have for early shopping: Post-it note it and keep a running list of who you have to buy for and what you have already bought. Then update this all year long...Happy Shopping...

Tin Can Gypsies

2009-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

What in the world are Tin Can Gypsies? Well when I started this blog, I named it bma2rda because my husband and son had the initials of bma, 2 of them and then me: rda. We are now bma3, with our younger son. Rather than change the 2 to a 3, I decided to go another route all together. Brandon and I have had 2 Airstream Trailers we took camping with some friends of ours. We all affectionately called our Airstreams "Toasters" since they reseamble an old-fashioned toaster. One couple has a pop-up that has been nicknamed the "poptart"--to go along with the Toasters...Anyway, when we were traveleing in our caravan on a trip to East Texas one time, my husband said we looked like Tin Can Gypsies going down the road...We should make some t-shirts...hence the name...We are currently Toaster-less but in the market for one that will hold a pack-n-play comfortably!

Dont you make my brown eyes blue!

2009-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Who's Who?

2009-07-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Fnding Free Time again and a Password

2009-07-18T13:33:00.001-07:00

Well, this has been a long long time coming. Between having another baby and forgetting my log-in and password(due to mommy mush-brain), my blogging has been severely hampered!! Here we are two years after starting this blog, having inspired several of my girlfriends to start one, trying to condense what all has transpired for our family. Short and Sweet. We are now BMA3. Berkeley Murrell was born May 1, 2008. He is a doll--just as amazing as his big brother, Bradford Max(3 1/2 yrs old)! Pics to come...Brandon's Real Estate Business has been doing very well. In spite of the "economy" he is closing deals. That ROCKS! Commercial Real Estate is starting to slow down, lending to my little free time.

Berkeley and Bradford

2008-08-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well Bradford is a wonderful Big Brother. He wants to share his toys with Berk. Hopefully that wont change anytime soon. He introduces his brother to everyone and gives him a kiss when he does. It is the cutest thing EVER!!

Hay Bales

2007-09-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Farm on Labor Day

2007-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Bradford and friends

2007-08-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Train Tracks

2007-08-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

2007-08-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

train spotter

2007-08-23T19:36:00.000-07:00