Little Man's Holiday Party

Little Man had his Holiday Party on Friday! Yummy snacks, decorating cookies, singing a song for the parents and a book exchange. Looking forward to Christmas!

Little Man and his buddy W.

Decorating his cookie

nah...more fun to eat the candies!

Time for the book exchange!

The class singing Jingle Bells.

Little Man is on the far left end.

Ms. D had to scoot him in so I could see him and then the little booger wouldn't sing with the class. Funny! He doesn't hesitate to perform in the car or at home...must be stage fright. :)

Charitable Contribution to the American Cancer Society | Get Involved

Charitable Contribution to the American Cancer Society | Get Involved

Every year we give a lot of thought about which charities to donate to. The local SPCA has always been a favorite since we're animal lovers and former pet owners. Children's charities will always hold a special place in our hearts. But after losing 3 loved ones to different forms of cancer over the last couple of years, this is our charity of choice for this year.

In Memory of Grandpa J, Aunt K and Aunt T.

Feel free to click on the link to make your donation today.

There's a Party in my City!

One of Little Man's all time favorite t.v. shows is Nick Jr.'s - Yo Gabba Gabba!

It's a really cool show that has fun characters, songs about trying a little bit of everything at mealtime (Try It You'll Like It), songs about how to play nice with your friends (Don't Bite Your Friends and Keep Your Hands to Yourself) and a dance segment with celebrities (Dancey Dance Time).

Some of the people who have appeared on the show are: Jack Black (actor), Elijah Wood (actor), Sugarland (musical group), and Jack McBrayer (actor) and the Ting Tings (musical group). Some of the special guests at the live shows include: Sarah Silverman, Snoop Dogg and Dinosaur Jr.

Show regulars are: Mark Mothersbaugh originally from the 80's musical group Devo and Biz Markie human beatbox who also appeared in the movie Men In Black 2.

Little Man (2yrs) in his favorite hoodie - Plex!

Little Man (2 yrs) in his DJ Lance Rock hat & glasses

When I heard they were coming to town, I was so excited!!! Bought tickets months ago and got great seats! So Friday it was time to go party! Woo Hoo!

Here are some pics from the event:

Little Man posing with the Muno cutout

before the show

The Husband wearing the DJ Lance Rock

glasses that they were handing out at the door

DJ Lance Rock!

Toodee (Cat Dragon), Foofa (Pink Flower Bubble), Muno (Red Cyclops), Brobee (Little Green One) & Plex (Magic Robot)

Balloons rained down from the ceiling during

Brobee's "Balloons Make Me Happy" song

Dancey Dance Time!

The boy behind Little Man is actually a friend from school that we saw at the show

We had such a great time at the show!

Save the Ta Tas / I Love Boobies

Mammograms save lives

Yes my friends....it was that time of year again. Time for my yearly mammogram.

Woo Hoo! <--- Sarcasm

Yearly mammograms start at age 40 but your Dr. will start doing breast exams when you're 20. It's also important to do breast self-exams.

I've had 2 lumps removed over the years. The first was when I was 21, which was removed and luckily benign (non-cancerous). The second one, I was 39, which the radiologist initially though was cancerous but upon removal and biopsy, it was found to be benign as well. I can't tell you how scared I was on that one. I had to wait 2 weeks before I could have the surgery (had to cut off Little Man's breast feeding cold turkey!) and then wait an additional day to find out the results.

I never thought I'd get breast cancer...doesn't run in my family but after some research, I've found that doesn't mean anything! 80% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

One in every 229 women between the ages of 30 and 40 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the next 10 years. It's the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15 to 54.

Symptoms: a lump or abnormality in the shape or feel of your breast; a generalized swelling of a part of the breast; an irritation or dimpling of the skin on the breast; nipple retraction; redness or scaliness on the nipple or breast skin; or a spontaneous discharge from the nipple (I know, gross!).

If you feel a lump or abnormality, please see a Dr. without delay. 80% of all breast lumps that are biopsied are not cancer, and early diagnosis of breast cancer is the key to survival.

Don't mean to be a downer during the holiday but this is important!

So don't forget to do your monthly self-exam, it could save your life.

Christmas Parade & Lights

Last night The Husband and I took Little Man to the Christmas Parade. I really don't remember what they were like when I was a kid but this one had LOTS of cars decorated with lights, etc and people handing out free stuff (bottles of water, bananas & candy). Little Man liked everything except for when the muscle cars revved their engines...he was covering his ears and saying, "Too loud!". But he got to see Santa Claus, so he was happy.

Here are some highlights:

Elvis walking behind a car and gyrating his hips.

Little Man actually thought he was Metro Man from the animated movie Megamind.

Hee Hee! Now that's funny! Actually I think they have the same hair.

When I told him it was Elvis, he said "Who's Elvis?"

Oh my! We need to get him on YouTube after school today to show him some videos of Elvis.

Santa Claus! The Big Man himself!

Me, Little Man & The Husband

(not bad for taking the pic ourselves!)

After the parade we toured some of the neighborhoods Christmas Light displays on the way home. I love it when a whole street participates! So festive!

View from the entrance of the cul-de-sac.

The best house on the block!

Little Man and I got out of the car to get a closer look.

I thought this was funny as we hardly see snow down here in south Texas.

But it's nice to be optimistic!

Bethlehem's Studio 54

(notice the Disco Glitter Ball)

Waiting for Baby Jesus to dance in wearing the white suit from Saturday Night Fever.

Hmmm, that's not blasphemy is it?! Don't mean to disrespect...it just made me giggle. :D

Holiday Parties to attend so I'll post those pics as I get them!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Stuffed...

This is how I felt after Thanksgiving Dinner.

But it's amazing how quickly you can bounce back after a couple of hours and dive right into a piece of cheesecake...MMMmmmm cheesecake......

The Thanksgiving Holiday was great! Got to see lots of family that we only get to see MAYBE once a year. And although a stomach bug was running rampant in the group...I think everyone had a great visit. Great food (and drink), relaxing and visiting with family...loved it.

I wish I would have taken more pictures but here are a few highlights...

Got to meet Miss C (16 mos)! She's the daughter of The Husbands cousin who lives out in CA. She is such a sweetheart and a huge Yo Gabba Gabba fan!

Miss Independent

Little Man's cousin J came by to play! He was wearing a Batman onesie so Little Man ran upstairs to put on his matching shirt! So cute!

Mmmmm plastic!

Dinner was hosted by Aunt J and Uncle J and they just so happened to have a keyboard. Little Man loves music so he jumped on and started playing. I could see the gears going in The Husbands head so I wouldn't be surprised if Little Man starts piano lessons soon. :D

LL Cool J on keyboard

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Looking forward to Christmas!

Balloon Bad Luck

$10?! Seriously?!

Today Little Man and I were running errands and he was being SO patient. So when we were wrapping it up at the grocery store, I offered to buy him a balloon. When he selected the $10 Giant Turkey Balloon (this thing was BIG), I hesitated...remembering the $20 Elmo Balloon incident of 2009.

$20 Giant Elmo Head Balloon - that was The Husband's purchase. :)

We had just left the Elmo and Friends show, with the $20 Balloon, and just as we snapped Little Man into his car seat, he lets the balloon float out the window. Argh! But at least we made it to the car. I can't tell you how many of those pricey balloons we saw on the ceiling at the show.

But, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt so we paid for the groceries and balloon and headed out to find the car. Well, Little Man thought it would be funny to hit the balloon and bop Mommy in the face! I know! So fun! On the second punch, the ribbon broke loose and the Turkey escaped. You could hear people in the parking lot saying, "Ohhhhhhh Nooooo" as Little Man helplessly watched his Turkey float away.

He asked me to go get it and I explained that there was no way to catch it. So we stood by the car and watched it until we couldn't see it anymore. He was pretty bummed.

This was the conversation on the drive home:

Little Man: "Can Santa Claus fly?"

Me: "Well, his reindeer can fly and they pull his sleigh, so yes, as long as he's in the sleigh he can fly."

Little Man: "Wow! He can fly up above the clouds and get my turkey and bring him to my house".

Me: "Um, well, the Turkey might be long gone by then."

Little Man: "I think he can."

That was pretty much the end of the conversation.

So, at Christmas, if you happen to see Santa flying around with a Turkey Balloon, point him in our direction. :D

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Class Pictures!

Just got our school picture order and thought I'd share! I've also posted older school photos of Little Man....just love seeing how much he's changed in the last 3 years. He's so cute!!!

Group Picture of the 3's class.

Little Man front row center next to his buddy "W".

Our handsome 3yr old

Little Man's picture from his 2's class.

Little Man's first school picture.

18 months old.

Catching up with Little Man....

Here's some pictures that I forgot to post:

Little Man was given a Super Student Award

for Cleaning Up Toys. Yeah!

Leo the Lamb is the class "pet" and gets to go home with one of the kids every weekend and the kids journal about their time with him. Of course you know this is homework for the parents....right? :D

Little Man and Leo strapped into their car seats.

Little Man showing Leo how to make a gun out of Trio Blocks.

It's bedtime! Little Man introducing Leo to the bedtime buddies:

Tigger, Pooh, Llama, Olivia & Wintertime Tigger.

The Husband and Little Man went to the sporting goods store with me to get my gear for swim conditioning class. Once I was ready to check out, I had to go looking for them and this is what they were doing.

Playing with the Super Soaker guns that you use in the swimming pool.

Of course, Little Man wanted the one that was as big as him. :)

HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A WONDERFUL DAY!!!

Little Mermaid

This was me at swim conditioning class on Monday.

HA HA HA! RIGHT! HA HA HA!

Recently I signed up for a Swim Conditioning class at our local gym. I've tried the Body Pump, PiYo and Pilates classes but thought I'd switch it up. My friend "B" has taken this class and told me how great it was and how it's helped her running because of the cardio aspect of it. SO, I thought I'd give it a shot.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

You can cheat your way through the other classes but when you're in the pool, you can't. And you find out VERY quickly just how out of shape you really are. And I'm SO out of shape!

I loved to swim when I was little but the extent of my swimming these days is chasing Little Man around the pool to make sure he keeps his floaties on, doesn't drink the pool water, doesn't pee or poop in the water and doesn't splash the babies in the face.

So on Sunday, I buy 2 swimsuits, a swimcap and a pair of goggles. I had to look up, How to Put on a Swimcap on YouTube...because I didn't have a clue and you can find anything on there! Very helpful and saved me a ton of embarrassment in the locker room. :D

Monday / First day, 3 women are enrolled (me secretly hoping we're all on the same skill level & glad there were no guys in the class) and I'm the only one there (at first) so I thought, "Cool, personal training on the first day!"

Coach P is great! Here's his bio listed on the club's website:

P was an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 200 Meter Backstroke and World ranked in several events, including the 200 Backstroke and 400 IM. A scholarship graduate of the University of Cincinnati, P has trained under several Olympic coaches throughout his career, notably Frank Busch (2008 Assistant U.S. Olympic Coach) and Jack Nelson (1976 U.S. Olympic Head Coach). P has been involved in all levels of coaching, including Head Age Group Coach, Masters Swim Coach, and Private Instructor. He is currently a member of The Woodlands Masters Swim Team, and has recently competed in Masters Nationals in both The Woodlands and Austin TX.

Wow! So I should be at Olympic level by the end of the month....right?! :D

Um, no.

Coach P - Your first drill is to swim 50 meters freestyle. That's down and back, so I can check your form, etc.

Me - That's like this right? (Me standing there doing my arms like I think I'm supposed to).

Coach P - Yes, that right. (I'm sure he's thinking, "Oh boy, we're starting from scratch with this one".)

So off I go, swimming along, trying to breathe, gulping in water with air and wondering, "how did I get so out of shape?" I was a runner and I've run 2 half marathons (granted its been a few years) how can I be this out of shape?!

I get to the end and Coach P is there waiting.

Coach P - How did that feel? (smiling)

Me - I'm already tired! (not smiling but happy I didn't drown)

Coach P - Are those new googles? I think you've left the plastic film on the lenses.

Me - Oh, yeh...um, here (handing him the plastic and feeling so silly).

Coach P - I bet you can see better now! (smiling)

Me - Well, I was so busy trying to get my stroke right and figure out how to breathe that I wasn't too worried about my vision. (smiling)

Coach P - O.K. Let's do the same thing again.

Me - O.K. (me thinking - If I do the same thing again, I'll sink to the bottom of the pool!)

By my 2nd drill, one of the other girls showed up. She was in great shape! But she's been doing this longer. Coach P asked her to do three 75's and something else I totally didn't understand and off she went. I sat there and watched how she did her breathing to try and figure it out. She made it look so easy!

Later, when Coach P and I were discussing my taking in water, she was so nice and told me how she went through the same thing when she started. That made me feel better!

So we worked on my stroke, my hands, my rolling of the shoulders, my kick, my calves that were cramping...basically everything. But by the end of class, my form was better and I learned how to roll my shoulders better so I'd have my face up out of the water more to get a good breath in.

Coach P even said I have "a natural feel for the water". (Me beaming) And my classmate said, "he never told me that!" (pat, pat, pat <----- me patting myself on the back).

This mermaid is going to kick some butt by the end of the month! :D

(Now where's my heating pad and Motrin?)

And we're done!

I promise, this is the last group of pics and video footage from Halloween. Whew! I am so glad it's over! Now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Woo Hoo!

This is The Husband and I at a costume party Friday night. The theme was Rock Star but singers of all types showed up. My top 3 favorites were Lady Gaga, Slash & The Naked Cowboy (wearing boxers). I was supposed to be Cyndie Lauper and The Husband was "Old School Rapper".

Little Man and his cousins getting ready to go trick or treating.

Darth Vader, Obi Wan, Vampire Girl & Ninja Warrior

Video #1 the kids getting started.

Video #2 Little Man already tired by the end of the block. :D

Thank goodness we didn't end up with a ton of candy!