Madagascar

"Da-da-dadada-da-da-circus, da-da-dadada-da-da-afro-circus, afro-circus, afro, polka dot, polka dot, polka dot afro!" We are going to be singing this for a while...

Baby Q

I mentioned in my last post that two of my very best friends were having second boys... Pretty soon we are going to have an entire football team! wink... Oh Ashley... I am so excited for you! It seems like yesterday we were welcoming Noah into the world. That perfect little boy with a head full of gorgeous, dark brown hair. I remember getting the call and running out into the yard screaming at Bill as he was mowing that baby Kerr was here! I am pretty sure I scared him to death! It is incredible how much our lives have been changed in just 3 years and in just a few short weeks you are going to have a family of 4! I cannot wait to meet him.

When it comes to party planning... it doesn't get much better than Aunt Colie (Nicole Smith Designs). For this very special Baby-Q, we started with our very own inspiration board to get the juices flowing. I love all of the special touches Nicole designed from water bottle labels, to placecards, to the Kerr glass jars. The color scheme was just beautiful and everything was perfectly set in Amelia's new home. I still have kitchen envy. We served baby burgers (sliders whose aroma filled the room), potato salad, and mini pecan pie bites from Alisa's kitchen that were to die for.

A Sweet Supper

Did I mention before how thrilled I am to be a part of such an amazing supper club with an incredible group of friends? We break it up into 2 month segments which means you are only responsible for hosting once a year... that my friends is totally doable and way less intimidating if you ask me. Unless of course you have to follow the Robbins... wink...

Allison's Birthday

Having a birthday around the Christmas holiday, you almost always celebrate after the fact. One of these days we are all going to be in town and we are going to celebrate Allison's birthday on her actual day of birth. Promise. Just because you share your birthday with the most important birthday of all.. it doesn't mean that you shouldn't get the birthday celebration that you deserve. Because Mob's definitely deserves to be celebrated. A true and genuine friend that is always there. That continues to make the effort time and time again. She is someone everyone wants to be friends with and has a sense of humor second to none! The kind that hits you in the face a few minutes after. Seriously... girl has me in tears by the end of the evening... each and every time. Laughter is good for the soul. Allison, or Mobs as we all call her... is good for the soul...

Santa's Lap

We took these three monkeys to the mall to see Santa...

Celebrating Ashley

Are you tired of reading all of these posts from the past? My New Year's resolution was to go back to earlier times when posts were more timely, but in order to get there.. I must finish out 2010, so I am truly sorry for the delay, Ashley... but Happy Birthday all over again!

The girls gathered after the true November event to celebrate another year of birth at Brio in the City Center. The food was incredible I must say and we had such a great evening.

Supper Club

I always wanted to be a part of a Supper Club... I remember thinking my parents were a part of some really cool group and when I was a "grown-up" I wanted to gain this elite status. I have officially become a grown-up! And I could not be more excited about being a part of such an incredible group of couples. Our very own supper club. I absolutely LOVE this group! We had our first dinner forever ago... that is just how far behind on blogging I am, but it was a blast. We had a babysitter that took over the kids so that the adults could engage in grown-up conversation. It was the perfect setup and I cannot wait until our next dinner. I was enjoying myself so much that I completely forgot to take pictures... yes, you heard me correctly. I got one of Sayler and Greg and an end-of-the-night shot of Meredith and Liam on the motorcycle - none of which capture the evening. I promise to do better next time. Robbin's, Mraz's, Clarke's, Conner's, Riley's and Kerr's.... thanks for being such fabulous friends and we look forward to many more amazing evenings with you!

Robbin's Fall Festival

The Robbin's put on one incredible Halloween Party Fall Festival. Let's just call it what it was... a total Fall Festival complete with onsite Taco truck for a made-to-order meal, party tables, bounce house, playground, photography setup, balloon clown, pumpkin patch, craft section, and the list continues. It was the very best Halloween party I have ever attended! We had a blast!

Zoo Boo and Parade

This year we decided to attempt to brave the masses at Zoo Boo to spend a day with the animals and practice "trick-o-treating" before the real deal on Halloween. Honestly, it wasn't all that crowded. Pumpkin painting and Halloween activities was a bit of a loose term, but we still had a wonderful time. I am pretty certain that Noah and Liam didn't know the difference.

Happy Birthday Amelia

We picked the perfect group for our small birthday dinners. Not only because we are all good friends and enjoy spending an evening together over food and wine, but because our birthdays seem to be perfectly spaced throughout the year. Other than Ashley and I who messed up the system with back to back birthdays... the timing works out pretty wonderful. And yes, I am so behind on blogging that I am posting last months activities in this month, but I am working on it! promise. September is Amelia's month and we met up at City Center for dinner at Flora and Muse. (M'Lee was there... should have brought out camera earlier and we missed Jackie and Sue Ellen!)

Colorado Vacation

Way back in September, we took time to slow down and breathe in some cooler, fresher air in mountains of Colorado. From the moment we stepped off the plane and felt the crisp breeze through our hair, we all three felt alive. It was that burst of frisky energy that comes with the season's first cool front. That weather that perks you up and makes your cheeks pink. Beautiful. Perfect weather.

A Toast to Alisa

Happy Birthday to a best friend. The life of the party. A genuine friend. Beautiful inside and out.

Ways to Get Wet

It is Hot. Houston Hot. This means we are in the water alot. And we are always looking for ways to cool off and get wet! Luckily there is a close by splash pad and we tagged along with Ashley and M'Lee to check it out! The kids had so much fun running through the shooting water.

Monkey Bizness

I wasn't sure what to expect when Ashley asked us to join her and Noah at Monkey Bizness, but when we walked into the room after forking up a mere $5 (for the two of us to play), and saw the ultimate bounce house world, I knew we were in for a really fun morning.

Enjoying Dinner

Going out for dinner can be a challenge with little boys on the move, but with all the new action at the Houston City Center - dinner is enjoyable once again! We met up with the Kerr family and Alisa at Ruggles Green, sat outside to enjoy the evening, and let the boys run wild in the center grass/turf. There was no worry of a mess since we were outside and the little boys had a ball!

Piggies and Paws Playdate

For May's playdate, I wanted to come up with something fun and different. When I heard that one of the moms in Liam's class was a Piggies and Paws artist, I knew it would make the perfect get together. Father's Day is just around the corner and Piggies and Paws offers hundreds of options to turn your child's fingers and toes into a masterpiece!

Would you like Sprinkles?

After receiving and responding to many of your questions ranging from work to diapers to birthdays to photos I have finally decided to act on a new blog project I have been kicking around. Please bare with me while I take on this new challenge and work to turn this blog into an adventure that I hope you will all want to take with me. Stay tuned.

As for today, let's discuss the "Mommy Brain" which can be translated into "I have totally lost my mind," "I think I am going crazy," "How am I supposed to take on one more thing and keep everything straight" or sometimes just the excuse to get out of something!

Ever let your child play with your keys and shut the door just in time to hear the beep beep? And then bounced around like a frantic monkey trying to get them to press the 'other' button so you did not have to break a window? Or maybe you took the locking mania to another level like yours truly and in an effort to keep the boogie man out while you are at home by yourself with a little one for the first time. Maybe you too locked yourself outside of the house while peering inside at your son from a nearby window with the constable waiting on your sister-in-law who lives across town to come to your rescue. Tip: Make sure someone within a 5 mile radius has a spare key to your home and your car! Victim of mommy brain. And I know... You would NEVER lock your kid in the car or God forbid the house because you are super mommy, but neither would I.

Last weekend another mommy fell victim to the effects of the mommy brain. While trying to get the house clean, setting up the perfect play spot with all the right toys, filling the cooler with drinks and juice, setting out an array of appetizers for all age groups, grocery shopping, and in true Martha Steward fashion baking sugar cookies for decorating... she lost her car keys. How in the world could you lose your keys? Not like you had a million things going on at once. This is when we have to stick together as moms because no one else truly gets it. Because not only were there a million tasks to juggle there was also a time clock ticking in the background. Ticking for nap, ticking for daycare, ticking for shopping... for cookies in the oven... for the playdate to begin and who knows what other ticking clocks were going off in her personal and professional life.

So, after a car rescue and pickup the crew began to show up and just like the perfect mom everything was right on time and ready for a playful afternoon.

SA Zoo

I am starting to feel the commenting love... Absolutely makes my day!


I am a little behind on blog posting, but stay with me because the posts are coming!


On Sunday, after a visit with Shamu and all of his sea water friends, we decided that we could not leave San Antonio without paying a visit to all our favorite land animal friends at the zoo.

Vacation with Shamu

I would like to start out this blog with a thank you to all my blog commenter's. It's been 2 months of comments! Even if most of the thank yous are owed to my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law and precious Kim, I am truly grateful. Because writing to yourself or into this black hole of blogging without feedback can sometimes be scary. What did you think? Agree? Totally off-base? Are you still reading? Am I the only idiot out there that thinks that way? I wonder what you must think about me. About my family. My friends. My photographs. My thoughts are being poured into blog titles and filed away by a date timestamp... lost into the world of blogging. So thank you for reading, the very small few of you and for leaving your thoughts. Thanks mommy, because even though you post anonymously you knew that it meant enough to me to figure out this crazy technology blogging world and post a comment anyway you know how!

And without further adieu... Shamu!

Rodeo Kids

Bill and I have lived in Houston for a while now and we have been lucky enough to attend the rodeo and concerts at least once a season if not more. We always have a great time. Our absolute favorite is to watch the 5 year olds Mutton Bust and it is on the list for Liam for certain! The bull riding is a close second as it is so intense to watch and the crowd goes wild for those who manage to hang on the entire 8 seconds. This year we got to watch Amazing Race's Cord McCoy ride which was an extra treat. And I cannot watch the girls ride barrels without reminiscing about my very own barrel racing experience. I completed the race without falling off and red floppy bow in tact. I always had adventures with Lauren Holmes and I did learn a few things that day:

1. Walking a horse near an open door arena means "Go" to the horse

2. Yelling "Whoa" to a horse only works if you are not digging your heels into their sides holding on for dear life. This only encourages the horse to go faster.

3. Always wear your number while in the arena or the announcer might dis-qualify you whether you are in the race or not

4. Always wear a floppy bow so that Billy and Charla can identify you. They need to contemplate how in the hell they are going to explain this one to your parents.

5. And last, but not least don't agree to walk a stubborn horse unless you are a much more experienced rider! Love you Lauren!