New Moon!

Allison, Patty and I decided to be spontaneous and crazy and go to the first showing of New Moon at midnight. We were pumped! We arrived early and checked out several theaters in search of good seats. All screens but one were showing New Moon. Once seated, we sat and waited with much anticipation. I was afraid the teenage girls would be squealing and noisy, but the place was quiet all through the movie. Even Patty and I, the grandma Twilight fans, managed to keep our squeals in check.

It was close to 3:00am when we left the theater. It was beginning to rain, I was driving in an area I'm not too familiar with, and got lost. I have a sense of direction so I stayed pointed the right way and finally saw a landmark I recognized. Were we nervous being lost at 3:00am? Not at all. We were laughing so hard at ourselves. Got to bed at 4:00am and knew our grandchildren would be proud of our midnight adventure. All three of us had a ball!

Sophia's 3rd Birthday Party

The Lion King birthday party for Sophia was a roaring success. The cake was an absolute work of art. I don't know how Allison's friend was able to make icing to look just like a mane and the face to look like real fur. It takes a talent I don't have. I've considered taking a cake decorating course so that I could make cakes for the grandchildren, but never got around to it. I guess I knew I'd fail. There's not an artistic bone in my body.

Sophia looked a little uncomfortable when we all sang to her. This birthday party stuff at age 3 is still pretty new. But she finally smiled and blew out her candles.

She was clearly Uncle Ron's girl today. She'd been saying for weeks that her uncle Ron was coming to her party.

There's evidence of Memaw's homemade chocolate ice cream on her shirt. That's also evidence of a great time.

Look at that shy expression. She's the center of attention and doesn't quite know how to handle it. She'll catch on.

The kids were encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the party and enjoy them another day. Allison really fixed up for the occasion. I asked what she was (this was a kids' party after all) and she said "a pretty, pretty princess". Well, she was wearing a tiara.

I thought she looked great but would look a lot better if she'd added a little more makeup. Something was missing.

While the kids feasted from Lion King plates, the women got to feast our eyes on Edward from Twilight. Naughty girls.

OK, I'm a perv. I admit it. I have a granddaughter older than Edward. But I'm not dead.

Pretty Baylee as Dorothy enjoying birthday cake. It was a perfect day with brisket tacos, dips and chips, lots of sweets and presents and fun. All for our perfect Sophia!

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

Our pretty little Sophia is 3 years old today. She has grown so much over the past year and her vocabulary has grown with her. She is so funny and sweet and we love to hear her talk.
She really enjoyed her first tea party with Baylee and Memaw. She felt so big being able to pour her tea herself.

Without a doubt, this is the face of an angel, even though it might look very similar to a lion cub.

This was taken over a year ago and it's obvious that she is losing some of that baby face. But at age 3, there's still enough baby face to melt my heart.

Happy birthday, Sophia. Tomorrow we will celebrate your birthday in style. Memaw is bringing the ice cream and cookies for her little princess. I love you sweet girl!

Hunting Season & Slumber Parties Begin!

Oh, the fun has begun! There is nothing like being free of a routine for the weekend. No dishes, no cooking, no cleaning. While we may not do the town, Patty and I have fun doing nothing. As I write this, she is in bed reading. It's not about entertaining each other. It's about being routine-free as I mentioned.Robin took the camera with him to the deer lease so I'm using an older camera. Please disregard the date. I don't know how to change it. As you can see from these pictures, we went shopping for shoes. BOGO can either be fun or it can be funny. Since we didn't see anything we like we made it funny. Patty can actually get her feet into the children's shoes and here she's modeling a sweet pair of saddle oxfords.

I decided a pair of boots might really look good with my capris. I'm sure I've started a new trend.

These darling shoes are not only too cute but also very warm. You just feel like you are walking on a cloud with all the fuzzy detail. These are a must for the smart dresser.

Robin thought it would be sweet and funny to give Patty and I our own Snuggie. He knows we spend a lot of time with books and this stylish blanket will keep us toasty warm.

Patty is saying, "Yea for our team!". The box even showed how practical and comfortable this Snuggie can be on a flight. When we pack, our Snuggie is going with us!

More to come tomorrow. We aren't through yet!

A Date With Sophia

We had so much fun today as we had lunch and birthday shopping with Sophia. Since she will turn 3 this Saturday it was her first time to be a part of the annual birthday outings with Memaw and Papa. All three of us were over the moon!

Sophia was so adorable as we looked through the selection of dolls. Each one produced the sweetest "ohhhhh" from her lips. She fell in love with all of them. After going down all the aisles with girl toys she finally decided she wanted a double doll and stroller set and a diaper bag full of bottles and diapers.

Sophia is a big fan of Lion King and just squealed when she saw this lion cub. It was obvious that the cub was going home with her.

Sophia is posing with her new dolls and strollers after also picking out a little surprise for her brother and sister.

This was a special experience just seeing the joy on her face and the excitement in her voice. The fun isn't over yet because we will celebrate her birthday Sunday with a party at her house. She is having very special guests. She wanted to invite "God, Jesus, Uncle Ron, and babies" to the party. Looks like we'll all be in good company.

Halloween Cuties, Never Scary

I got to see three of my grandchildren all decked out for Halloween since I went to Allison's and passed out candy while she took the kids out. Needless to say, the pictures are self-explanatory. Cute!

While Jude and Baylee were all caught up in the occasion, Sophia sat herself down and proceeded to eat from her pumpkin sack. She savored every bite. Once a year being this indulgent won't hurt.

The Morning After

Baylee and Sophia wanted funny face pancakes for breakfast this morning. I can count on the younger grandchildren wanting pancakes while Candice and Camryn want fried potatoes and eggs. I'm no artist but the kids always make me feel like one when I serve their pancakes. They are a joy!

Tea Party

We had a fun tea party this weekend. It wasn't a political tea party, but one where we did girl stuff. Baylee and Sophia helped me mix the cake batter. Each girl had fun adding an ingredient. They lined the muffin tin with baking cups and soon our cupcakes were cooling. We decorated them with Halloween sprinkles and candy corn.

Sophia got the hang of the art of frosting. This smart girl would take a bite, then frost, then take another bite.

Baylee enjoyed using the sprinkles but her favorite was making cats out of candy corn.

Of course we had to have a picture of our pinkies sticking out.

Papa even joined in on the fun. We had to keep refilling our tiny tea pot with apple juice to keep our four tiny cups full. The girls loved being able to pour their own "tea".

A sweet hug while wearing their tutus. I had to laugh when Baylee said, "We're wearing our tiaras and we are three princesses and Papa is our servant." Girls learn the ropes awfully young.

Up, Up and Away

Like everyone else, I'm appalled by the recent balloon drama and the stupidity of some people. The whole world was watching and praying while a sick individual played with our heart strings. When that balloon finally came down and touched ground, I whispered a prayer of thanks like everyone else. Then when the boy was found hiding I thought he needed to learn a lesson he'd never forget. As the day drew on, I changed my mind and saw him again as a helpless victim. A victim of his parents. How sad is that?

My first indication that this horrible incident was a hoax was when the family began appearing on all the news shows. They were on Larry King the very evening of that fateful day when the balloon drifted across Colorado. The same day. As a mother, I would still be too much of a basket case to appear anywhere. I'd be wanting my privacy so I could come to grips with the reality that my hours of sheer terror had ended on a very, very happy note. I know the media wanted interviews while the emotions were raw, but I don't understand how the parents could be up to it.

On another news show the next morning the boy was asked if he heard his parents and officials calling his name. He said yes. His dad asks, "You did?", followed by his mom asking, "You did?" Isn't that a question they would have asked a hundred times the day before if this had been a true life-threatening event? They were only asking it the next day? I would have demanded to know the moment the boy emerged from the attic hideaway.

The next thing that boggled my mind was the father saying they called 911 after making two other calls. If my child was in danger I'd grab the phone and punch in those numbers before I took another breath. I wondered then, too, if this was real or staged.

Finally, what are the parents teaching their children? That it's ok to lie? That it's ok to stick taxpayers with thousands of dollars worth of emergency personnel and equipment to get your name before the public? Maybe it's ok to cry wolf when you are one.

Notice I have not used the family's name here. I think the ego manics have gotten plenty of mileage out of their publicity stunt. When the investigation is over, I have a good feeling that the parents will be taken up, up and away. They should enjoy that experience. They will remain in the public eye for awhile longer.

GNO Diva Fun!

The Texas Divas raised a few eyebrows tonight! I knew we would be loud and reckless so I was relieved that we were seated at a table in the very back. Near an exit door for a fast getaway. Perhaps it's a well known fact that a bunch of women will be rowdy and need to be as far away from the other customers as possible.

We discussed plans to have a slumber party for the February birthdays and the two in our bunch who will turn 60 around that time. Patty is one of those and I can't remember who the second one was. :) We tossed around ideas like getting adjoining rooms at a hotel or going to my mother's so she can be part of the fun. Whatever is decided, it will be a blast. Location won't matter.

We also discussed weightier matters too: Our weight. I mentioned my rapid weight gain and wondered if I had a fast growing tumor inside of me. Then everyone admitted they thought they suffered from the same malady. We are now nicknamed the Texas Tumors. OK, you had to be there. Everything is funny when we're together.

And speaking of weight, we all devoured fried pies filled with cherry, peach, apricot and apple. Of course there was a generous scoop of ice cream served with them. Yes, we rolled out of the restaurant. But our taste buds were rejoicing even if our tumors were acting up.

This is the part of the evening when it really got crazy. We are sitting on a sofa in the bathroom. It's such a nicely decorated and clean bathroom that we felt it warranted pictures.

As others entered the bathroom we were met with strange stares as we're all posing and the camera is snapping away. One woman was kind enough to smile at our playfulness instead of backing quickly into a stall and locking it.

Here's my beautiful sister in the beautiful bathroom. We highly recommend a visit to this place.

And here, beautiful Allison is getting a sample of the complimentary mouth wash in the beautiful bathroom. We were so impressed. We're proud to say we sat there.

It's always so liberating to laugh and visit that it's hard to wait another month to enjoy it all over again. I love this group of women!

Happy Birthday, Clayton!

It's always a blessing to celebrate another year that God has lovingly given to us. Happy birthday to my son-in-law Clayton, the man who makes my daughter beam and my grandchildren smile. With all the love that surrounds him today, there is no doubt that his birthday will be memorable.

Have a great one, Clayton!

Gone - But Never Forgotten

Thinking of him on his birthday. Looking forward to sharing it with him again someday.

Always in my heart.

First Slumber Party of 2009

We got to begin the slumber party fun a month earlier since Robin took advantage of bow season which started in October. Rifle season begins in November so we were happy to get this head start.

Patty and I went out for Mexican food, then decided to take a look at BOGO. Wouldn't you know, the store we aimed for was smack in the middle of the new Cowboy stadium with the Aggies and Razorbacks arriving for game time. I took the wrong turn a couple of times and almost ended up paying $50 for parking. Of course we burst into squeals of laughter. And yes, you had to be there to appreciate the humor. Then, after all that trouble, BOGO had nothing that caught our interest.

We got back home and quickly changed into pajamas. It was raining and cooler than usual so pajamas just seemed like the right thing to do. We made a pot of cinnamon hazelnut coffee and settled in front of the movie Twilight. It was so enjoyable since we'd both read the book and have plans to get with other friends and family so see New Moon next month. We also watched a comedy ventriloquist, and ended the night with good books.

Note to Sissy: Yes, I love the plaid top you gave me. It's been in all the recent pictures. Thanks!