Christmas #1....that's right there's more!

 

Emrie and her snow boots

Emrie and Aiden going for a walk

We started celebrating Christmas this past Saturday.  We met Brian's parents at his sister and brother-in-law's house (The Hills) at noon.  With our two kiddos and their three, there was never a dull moment. Aiden got all kinds of cool stuff including a 3-D puzzle, a model car and an engine to assemble.  He was really excited!  He's very good at putting stuff together and has far surpassed the challenge of Legos so I'm hopeful this stuff will keep him entertained for a while.





Aiden and his engine

Emrie had a blast.  Last year, at almost 6 months old, she wasnt really sure what to do with all the presents and paper.  This year she had it all figured out.  She tore through the paper and opened boxes with the best of them.  She got a Little Tykes car from Grandma and Pawpaw.  Once she gets in, we can't convince her to get out.  In fact, Aiden pushed her around and around and around the trail...she wouldnt get out...so she just eventually fell asleep at the wheel.  She also got a pair of snow boots for our trip to Colorado.  Bless her little heart - she had to put them on right away and wear them the rest of the day. 

My little bow head

This past Sunday a clipped a bow in Emrie's hair for a picture with Santa.  Up until that day, she has never ever let me put anything in her hair.  She will wear a hat in the summer but no bows or headbands.  So, I was totally surprised that she didn't immediately pull it out.  I was even more surprised that she now wants to wear it all the time! It drives Brian crazy!  This morning she looked so cute...she had on little overalls with a white t-shirt and her big hot pink bow in her hair.  Brian was like "Take that out. She doesn't need to wear that to school."  I told him he should take it out himself...which he did...which sent Emrie into a tantrum.  The next thing I know he's tossing me the bow and shouting "PUT IT BACK!   PUT IT BACK!"  I did and all was right again in Emrie's world.  I guess I should tell Santa to add hair bows to Emrie's list. 

A new morning ritual?

Every morning Brian and I get up around 5:45 to get ready for work.  Emrie is typically up by 6 and then Aiden at 6:30.  In the past, Aiden would put cartoons on the living room as he scrambled around getting his stuff together for school but neither he nor Emrie ever really watched them...until this morning.  I handed Emrie her morning milk as usual.  She grabbed it and her baby, climbed up on the couch, pulled the covers over her feet  and proceded to watch Mickey Mouse.  Now, granted this only lasted about 5 minutes but was 5 extra minutes I had to get dressed.  And, it was just cute that I had to take a picture.

I know...I know...it's a bad habit to start so early but I'm not really worried.  My little Emrie is very much the outdoors type.  She loves playing outside every chance she gets so 5 minutes with Mickey in the morning isn't really going to hurt.  Is it?!

Recap from the weekend - Sunday

Early Sunday morning the much anticipated rain came barrelling through College Station.  There's something about a thunderstorm that make sleep so much better.  It definitely has a positive effect on my little family.  It was the first morning in forever that everyone slept late and I mean like 10am late.  I felt a little guilty about missing church but I think God understands. 

Once everyone was up, I decided it would be a good day to grab a picture with Santa.  It took some bribery to convince Aiden that he had to do it too so that Emrie would do it, so after a promise of McDonald's off to the mall we went.  We stood in line for about 30 minutes which really wasn't too bad.  It gave Emrie a chance to see the other kids sit on Santa's lap and warm up to the idea.  Everytime the elves would open the gate, Emrie would take off running for Santa and we'd have to pull her back and tell her to wait her turn. 

Finally, it was our turn!  The gate open and Aiden took his spot right next to Santa.  Emrie shot through the gate as normal, got all the way up to Santa when she turned around and started running back to me.  I picked her up and walked over to Santa.  That's when she put the death grip on my neck and started balling.  She was having none of the chubby guy in the red suit...rosey cheeks or not.  So, no picture with Santa this year : (

I did manage to drop her over the railing behind Santa's workshop and snap this picture before the not so nice elves chased us off. 

Recap from the weekend - Saturday

Despite the forecast, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day.  It was kind of overcast but a very comfortable 72 degrees and zero wind.  It was perfect weather to rake leaves.  As you can see from the pictures, the kids had other plans.  Emrie attempted to help but that only lasted a few seconds before both she and Aiden decided to make the leaf pile they're hangout.   

Recap from the weekend - Friday

Friday evening I had my office Christmas party.  It was really a lot of fun to get together with my friends from work outside the office.  It was also great to see everyone's spouses and families.  5 years ago when I started having this party Melissa was the only one with grade school kids.  This year there were 4 babies between the ages of 9 months and 2 years.  It was absolutely awesome.  Aiden (10), who used to play with Melissa's daughters (now 11, 12, 15 and 19), spent his evening being chased by the two younger ones.  He said he hated it but as he ran around the house with them in tow he always had a big smile on his face. 

Emrie spent her evening looking at the 9 month old baby.  She was in awe of sweet little Ellie especially when mama tried to hold her : )  And, much to Brian's disapproval, Emrie also spent a large amount of time shuffling through the house holding her boyfriend, Addix's hand.  His mom used to baby sit Emrie for me so they go way back...at least 17 months! 

As the evening started to come to an end and the other kids pooped out, Emrie and Aiden spent some quality brother and sister time together out on the patio with Chet the dog.  It was truly a good night!

Catching the Christmas Spirit...

Yesterday, my extremely brave sister-in-law, Kimberly, invited about a dozen kids to her house to make gingerbread houses!  Aiden was super pumped about it.  Emrie, on the other hand, seemed much more excited about the prospect of eating candy verses putting it on a house.  Regardless, they both made a couple great looking gingerbread houses.  I took pictures as proof because once we got them home they both decided to taste a little of each house! 

It's actually really good!

This morning I was in a hurry trying to throw something together for lunch.  I grabbed a can of tuna, some crackers, grapes and carrots.  I meant to grab the cherry tomatoes instead of the grapes but it was early and they kind of look the same.  So, I just put together a makeshift tuna salad - complete with mayo, carrots and grapes.  I can't lie.  It is really good.  There's something about the sweet, salty and crunchy that works well together.  Now I'm not saying its the best thing I've ever eaten but I highly recommend you try it...at least once.

No pictures.  Sorry.  I ate it all!

Radio MASH Recap



The Women of MASH



The week following Thanksgiving was a crazy one.  Our 29 Annual Radio MASH Toy Drive started that next Wednesday and ran all the way through Sunday.  It was our biggest MASH ever and as a result we also had the greatest number of toy orders to fill - 6122 to be exact.  We had expanded this year's event to cover Caldwell, Snook, Somerville, Hearne, Franklin and Navasota. 



Trying out some of the toys



This was my 7th Radio MASH.  I still remember my first time...I was doing the night shift on KORA from 6pm-Midnight so my shifts at the MASH compound corresponded to that.  I was out there til Midnight each night and that first year I'm pretty sure it snowed on me!  The years following I experienced all sorts of weather - rain, sleet, snow but this year was the first time I ever wore shorts to Radio MASH.  That's right, I was talking about Christmas while standing outside getting a mild sunburn, wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.  CRAZY! 



Carolyn the red nosed reindeer



This was also the first year that I was actually worried that we were not going to reach our goal.  In years past, by Sunday afternoon we were pretty much finished.  This year, when I left the MASH compound at 8pm we were still more than 200 toys short of reaching our goal.  Aiden and I had cleaned out his toy box of toys he didn't play with anymore and made two additional shopping trips to Target to find things for the older boys and girls - I was tapped out financially and emotionally.  It broke my heart to think that there would be some children who may not have a single present to open on Christmas morning but what could I do? 



jumping for joy at MASH



I could do one more break on the radio...one more plea to others to bring just one toy.  That could be all we needed to make the difference.  AND, it worked!  My message was heard.  In fact, we received a facebook post from a listener who said she heard me and she sent my message to hundreds of people on facebook.  Within the hour, cars were rolling through the MASH compound and we were back in business.  I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

So, despite the not so Christmassy weather the wonderful peeps in the Brazos Valley came through again.  Because of their generous donations, we were able to fill over 6,200 toy orders.  And, trust me, no toy went to waste.  Every year there are parents who show up at MASH begging for any little toy we can spare for their child.  We were able take care of the children on our initial list and all of those last minute orders too. 

Me and Randy Rogers at MASH!

It's experiences like this that remind me just how blessed I am...how blessed we all are...Thank you, God!  For with You, all things are possible.

Still trying to play catch up...

So where did I leave off?  Oh yes, Thanksgiving!  We ran the turkey trot and then spent the day with my family in Brenham.  And, despite starting my morning with a 3 mile run, my urge to be healthy stopped when I pulled my chair up to the table.  Our Thanksgiving feast was a unique one to say the least.  My brother, Brandon, was protesting turkey.  He said he ate so much last year that he just couldn't do it again so he baked a roast.  It was pretty amazing.  My dad, ever the traditionalist, opted to bake some turkey wings and dressing.  My mom was in charge of the all the sides and then I did appetizers and desserts.  Oh and Brian thought it would be a good idea to make some chili...so, I of course picked up some tamales!  Like I said, it was a unique feast at our house.  We all ate way too much, took a much deserved nap and then watched football! 

Then it was on to Black Friday Shopping...which actually started on Thursday.  And while I don't necessarily approve of it starting on Thanksgiving night, I was totally in line at some of my favorite stores ready to SHOP!!!

I started at Bealls at 8pm, Target at 9pm, Toys R Us at 10, and then wrapped it up at Macy's at Midnight!  Say what you want to about the crazy crowds...I got some great deals and almost completely finished my Christmas shopping!

Lots and lots of updates (since Thanksgiving)

Thanksgiving morning we got up extra early to run the Turkey Trot.  I use the term run very loosely.  Regardless, we were in the parking lot of Scott and White Clinic with about 1000 other trotter at 7am.  Last year Emrie and I did the Family Friendly 1 Mile Walk while Brian and Aiden did the 5k.  This year it was my turn.  So as Brian and Emrie prepared for the 1 mile, Aiden and I shot out of the starting gate to do the 5k.  My friend from work, Jon Buchanan, was there.  He actually won the Turkey Trott a couple years back so Aiden thought it would be more fun to run with Jon then me. So when I say we shot out of the starting gate what I really mean is Aiden shot out trying to keep up with Jon and I was left trailing behind trying to catch up with them.  I finally caught up with Aiden around mile 2.  He was tired and said he legs hurt so he wanted to walk.  We walked about half a mile and then I convinced him we should jog/run the last leg of the 5k and then sprint across the finish line.  He seemed on board but after jogging a few steps, he said he needed to walk again because his legs were too sore to run.  As we began closing in on the last quarter mile, we were going down hill and could almost see the finish line, Aiden looked at me and said with a big goofy grin "so long sucker" and took off!  Now I know why they call it the Turkey Trot!  That little turkey was setting me up so that he could beat me across the finish line.  Well, I was not about to let that happen so I sprinted after him mustering what little energy I had left and willed my legs to hustle.  RUN BRANDIE RUN!  Aiden ended up crossing the finish line a 10th of a second before me!   

This was our second year to do the Turkey Trot and I think we're going to make it a family tradition.  Not only was it fun but I don't feel nearly as guilty for eating all the turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and green bean casserole and corn and pie and ice cream after running a little over 3 miles that same morning. 

Emrie's first time playing in the leaves

Trying to figure out the purpose of sitting in a leaf pile. 

Sunday was such a pretty day (until the cold front blew in).  Brian and I spent much of the early afternoon outside playing with Emrie in the leaves.  It was her first time to experience a leaf pile and she wasnt really sure what do with them.  So, I jumped in and showed her.  After a couple of minutes she was in full leaf tossing mode! 



Playing peek-a-boo from behind the tree



Aiden and his new friend

Aiden and Will bonding...

Yesterday I picked Aiden up from school and he hung out at work with me for the last couple hours for a couple of hours.  I had promised him we'd go see the new Twilight movie after work if he got all of his homework done which he did and very quickly so then he was bored.  "There's nothing for me to do."  After about the 20th time of hearing him say that I sat him down in front of a computer where he and Will looked at Legos for the last 30 minutes of the day.  Will is a 6'5" college student.  Scary enough...Aiden looks a whole lot  like a mini-Will.  Anyway the two of them bonded over Lego gumball machines.  Nice.

For those of you who have not yet seen the final edition of the Twilight Saga I will not be a spoiler but if memory serves me correctly the movie strayed a little from the book especially at the end.  I don't remember them all dying at the end...oops! 

I know...I know...it's been FOREVER!

Behind bars...for the first time

What can I say?  Life get's in the way : )

So, what's been going on since I last blogged?  A bunch. 

Emrie and Aiden on the hay tractor

Poor Emrie has been sick.  First, she started with a crazy rash all over her body.  I took her to the doctor and he said it was probably tied to some kind of virus she had...except that she hadn't really had a virus that I was aware of.  If she was sick - I totally missed.  Anyway, a week and a half later, we're back at the doctor because the rash still hasn't gotten any better.  If anything, it's gotten worse.  This time we left with a prescription for a steroid cream and detailed instructions on how to grease her up twice a day.  She was so lubed up she stuck to her pj's and the parts that weren't covered stuck to her sheets.  Sticky or not, it worked and her rash got better. 

Emrie and grandpa...just not feeling it

Next, she got that little stomach bug that was going around.  We actually went to a birthday party at the corn maze in Snook and she pooped 3 times while we were there.  And when I say pooped, I mean certifiable blow outs!  As you can see from the pictures, she was not feeling it.  Add a little congestion and cough to the stomach bug and by the end of the day I'm walking around with baby vomit in my hair and down my back. Ahhh...a mother's job is never done. 

Ready to go back to Big School

And, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Emrie starts running a pretty high fever.  I took her back to the doctor and this time she has an ear infection!  BLESS HER HEART!  She was still recovering from the virus so the doctor gave her some meds that would not upset her stomach; however, one of the nice side effects from the meds she did prescribe is that Emrie's poop is a nice dark maroon color.  I decided to spare you the picture.  Anyway...for all you Aggies who claim to bleed maroon, I think Emrie has got you beat!

Aiden had a runny nose but other than that has been pretty healthy.  Brian was also sick for a while.  I'm not sure if it was just a bad cold or the flu but it put him out of commission for several days.  He's finally feeling better - thank God!  It's tough being a single parent with two sick kids - a 16 month old and a 37 year old! 

Other than that life has been good.  Busy but good!  I'm totally excited about Thanksgiving.  My family can definitely use a nice long weekend.  I'm still debating the whole black Friday shopping.  It used to be my thing.  I loved the thrill of camping out and barging through the doors of my favorite stores in the wee hours of the morning; however, now that the stores are open on Thanksgiving eve, some of the thrill is gone. 

I'll have more on Thanksgiving and the day after for you tomorrow!  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Emrie's Own Space

Those of you who have small children will totally get this.  As I was taking inventory of my home over the weekend, I realized that Emrie and all of her stuff had taken over the living room.  It seemed that pretty much every toy she had was in the middle of the floor.  We had even pushed the coffee table and any other stray pieces of furniture up against the fireplace to better accommodate her.  So, yesterday as I was pleasantly anticipating the cold front and the possibility of actually having a fire in the fireplace, I decided to makes some changes.  We have an open floor plan - our kitchen, dining and living area are all open to one another so the move was relatively easy.  We pushed the dining table against the wall (leaving 3 chairs for me, Brian and Aiden) and then dedicated the rest of the space to Emrie and her stuff.  It actually worked out pretty well AND Emrie seems to really like her new space.  I know I like having some of mine back!

Banana are good...and fun...and a mouthful

Emrie loves bananas.  This morning she absolutely had to have one. She doesn't want it cut up into bite size pieces or even completely peeled.  So, I peel it about halfway and then she likes to hold the whole banana and eat it all by herself.  She eats it so fast I really have to be careful because if I'm not paying attention she just keeps eating...peel and all!  When she gets down to about the last quarter, she normally stuffs the rest of the banana in her mouth.  As you can see from the pictures - its a mouthful.  What a little monkey!

Another 4 years?

I'd rather face the zombie apocalypse...

I found this on the internet and thought it was worth posting.

5 Truths You CANNOT Disagree With:

1.  You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2.  What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 

3.  The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4.  You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5.  When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. 


ENOUGH SAID. 

Our Nashville Trip - Day 2 continued...

It didn't take long before the big night was upon us! 



The red carpet



Before the show

We were just a couple of hours from the start of the CMA's and I was still trying to get ready.  Granted I wasn't going to be on the red carpet but still how many chances do I get to really get dressed up and go out on the town?  The answer:  Pretty much never.  Oh sure, I had a life before baby but those days are long gone.  So, I took full advantage of this opportunity.  I opted for an understated black dress with a V back and leopard print shoes with black and gold accessories.  Brian wore...well, exactly what I packed for him, jeans, long sleeve pearl snap shirt and a navy sports coat with his boots.  I have to be honest, he looked G-O-O-D! 





Zac Brown doin their thing

We got there about an hour before everything started.  That was plenty of time to catch a few country music stars on the red carpet and get to our seats.  Speaking of the red carpet, it's much smaller than I thought it would be and the stars are only on it for a split second before heading inside.  Our seats were on the first row of the balcony to the right of the stage.  Now keep in mind the Bridgestone is HUGE so while our seats were great we were still a pretty good distance from the action (see pics).  Because of the location of our seats we could see the front of the stage as well as behind it.  That was the really cool part.  We could see all the singers taking their places and getting ready to perform.  During the TV commercial breaks, they showed video clips of past CMA's.  And then they'd count it down...in 5-4-3-2-1 and we're live. 

After party with mac - n - cheese

After the CMA's we walked around downtown for a while.  We saw Darius Rucker, Big and Rich and Lee Brice going into an after party.  And although we couldn't get into the party, they did walk right by us.  I also snapped a picture of the Eli Young Band crossing the street and heading into a party. 



EYB headed to the after party



The highlight of my CMA after party was the gourmet mac-n-cheese I had for a late night snack.  DELICIOUS! 

Our Trip to Nashville - Day 2

On Thursday, the day of the CMA Awards, Brian and I decided to do some of the touristy stuff like check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Music City's Walk of Fame.  I love classic country music, so I LOVED the Country Music Hall of Fame.  It was so cool to see memorabilia from the good old days (not that I was around for them but I have a great appreciation for the music).  I learned things like Webb Peirce was the first country artist to introduce the steal guitar to country music.  Nice job, Webb.  There was a huge Patsy Cline exhibit.  I love me some Patsy.  I got to see Elvis Presley's gold Cadillac.  It actually has 24 karat gold headlight covers and crushed diamonds in the paint.  Nice but a little eccentric.  There was a huge Streets of Bakersfield section which paid tribute to the late, great Buck Owens.  In honor of one of the greatest movies of all time, El Toro, was also forever memorialized at the CMHoF.  That's right...the mechanical bull used in the movie Urban Cowboy.  And, probably my favorite part, there was clothes...lots and lots of clothes.  There were all types of outfits worn by country music legends such as Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Charlie Pride, George Strait, Hank Jr, Alabama, Reba and more.  There was actually an entire section dedicated to Taylor Swift's attire. 

After the CMHoF we took a stroll down Broadway, listened to some country music while dining on burgers and stopped off at Ernest Tubb's Record Shop before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the night's festivities. 

El Toro

More on the CMA's in a few...

Our trip to Nashville - Day 1

The Allen Band at Puckett's

Tour Guide

The Capital - Ghost Tour

We arrived in Nashville late Wednesday night.  I'm pretty sure Tim McGraw was on our flight but Brian refused to let me sneak into first class for a second look...so, as far as I'm concerned it was Tim McGraw!  We checked into our hotel, bundled up and headed to the downtown area for dinner and some Halloween fun.  At the recommendation of a guy on our flight who was actually from Nashville, we ate dinner at a place called Puckett's.  It was DELICIOUS!  Brian ate what he swears was the best chicken fried steak he's ever had in his life and I had the pulled pork with a side of fried green beans.  It was all super yummy.  Our waiter was dressed like a blind referee.  He was funny - he took our order facing the complete wrong direction and occasionally stumbled into tables and chairs.  He was actually from Texas AND roommates with Ben Danaher and great friends with Ryan Beaver - small world, huh?  After dinner we took the haunted history tour of the downtown area.  It was cool.  We walked all over looking at historical landmarks while getting the ghost stories associated with each.  It was fun but I think we would have enjoyed it a bit more if it hadn't been 30 degrees. 

The Ghost Tour Limo

Picker's Alley - Ghost Tour

Update from the weekend

 

This Sunday we went to a birthday party for my little cousin, Laney.  She was celebrating the big #2!  Emrie had a blast.  There was a bouncy house, barrel train, pinata and pizza!  She bounced and bounced and bounced and only took a break to ride the train or hit the pinata.  As you can tell from the pictures, by the end of the day she was exhausted. 

Not morning people...

This morning Emrie and Aiden were both on the couch awaiting their morning orders to get up and get ready.  Emrie was a little more enthusiastic than Aiden...but not much.  Ahhh my babies!

Staff Infections Take the Title



Jon, Melissa, Me, Will Jayson, Zane - all WINNERS



State Employee Charitable Campaign Fundraiser:  Dodgeball Tournament at TAMU today.  My team the Staff Infections went UNDEFEATED!  That's right...not even penicillin can beat us!  I promised I'd post a few pics of my team.  You can't really see them in the pictures but our individual trophies are wrenches because if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball! 




Will was very confused when he got hit by a ball





Will was doing his best to strike a pose.  Everyone else had their sites set on the team across the court.  I have no idea who I was pointing at but I'm sure they were intimidated.

I gotta send a special shout out to the "band-aids."  They were the best cheerleaders a staff infection could hope for.