nana & papa!!

i had my camera out on friday afternoon after shooting the craziesss ;)) so when my parents arrived i snapped a few pics of them too!  <3 

friday afternoon craziesss..

i spend all day every day working from home taking care of babies.  and while i always love my job sometimes there are days when youre reminded exactly why u chose to do this in the first place.. on friday afternoon these craziessss served as that reminder. =) 

they are both random and crazyyy.. so much going on in these pics!

thats korbies cowboy hat.  gracie wore it all over the house on friday afternoon! 

and those are kennedys leg warmers!  haha!  he wore them all over the house on friday afternoon. =)

 i realized recently that i am 4 yrs 2 months and 9 days older than lance.  and korb is 4 yrs 2 months and 12 days older than grace.  that is pretttyyy close!   i hope they can create a bond that will last them a life time and be there for each other forever! they have their moments but i think theyve got a good start on that! 

..playing in the floor prompted a mini photoshoot.  LOL.  

i love them!

a surprise visit!!

my parents are in town for a visit!  ..well, actually my dad is taking a cont ed class for his hospice position at the hospital today in bedford.  which is hardly 'in town' BUT they are in the metroplex and im excited to see them!  think i have them talked into staying the night and going out to dinner instead of heading back after the class. somehow they havent seen kenners since october.  that seems crazy.  she has grown and changed SO much during this school year.  lovin on my parents sure does make me in a great mood!  ahhhhh. family!!  <3

other than that we have NADA planned for the weekend.  ; )  i'll let you know how that turns out!

a little he said/she said..

it has been so long since ive written down something funny korbie said to me.. and theres something worth writing almost every single day.  the conversations get longer and more intriguing but in the end i laugh and he looks at me like im crazy.  then i rush off to tell his dad. every. single. time.  lol.

so the other day we were out of lunchables.  thats what i pack for korb almost daily in his lunch box.  a lunchable.  a fruit.  a veggie.  and a gatorade [or lemonade].  i like routine. ;) and im pretty sure that most moms worry about their kids lunch being different than everyone elses.. i think thats common.  so i pack a lunchable [almost] every day.   eliminates the worry factor.  so the other day we were out of lunchables.  i packed him a hot dog [in a bun].  some green olives [which he loves]. some pringles. a banana.  some cheese. and a chocolate cake ball for a surprise!  kinda random but i thought he would be excited about a little change..  that night while he was taking a bath i asked him about his lunch.  and the conversation went something like this.

mommy:  so.... notice anything different about your lunch today at school?
korbie:  yes!  and it was great!! thank you!
mommy:  what did you have?
korbie:  a sandwich?
mommy:  no...
korbie:  a cake ball!!!
mommy:  yes!  what else?
korbie:  [annoyed]  ...ummm lets see.  chips.  i remember that because sam yelled across the room 'LOOK KORB I HAVE CHIPS TOO!'
mommy:  so chips and cake.
korbie:  yep!  thanks mom youre the best!
lots more... can you think of anything else?  here's a hint.. was it ___?  this goes on for a looong time.
mommy:  ...there was a hot dog. and olives.  and...
korbie:  oh yea!!!  and a banana and some cheese that i DO NOT like btw..
mommy:  lol. ok.  note to self.  what did everyone else at your table have for lunch?
korbie:  [completely annoyed.] mom.  are you serious?  it took us 10 mins to remember what i had for lunch.. you really think i know what anyone else had?????

touche little friend!  touche.  =))


he also asked me earlier this week while we were watching the Mavs ring ceremony [finalllly got their rings!].. he said, 'mom why is shawn marions tan still so great in the middle of the winter?' HA!

love that little guy. and a random pic that has nothing to do with the post.. just cause i love it. =))

sometimes he makes pouting look so cute. =)

its going to be one of those weeks..

..one of those 'i cannot believe its only tuesday..' weeks. ugh.  the weather has been GREAT!  but its cloudy today and its supposed to rain rain rain.  its no secret that im not a fan of cold winter months so im very very thankful for these 60 & 70 degree days that break it up.  but rainy bad weather weeks also mean that when everyone who leaves the house for school or work gets home they dont want to leave again.  so im guessing that besides my trip to the grocery store i will not leave the house until the sun comes out again this  weekend.  that make the week seem realllllly realllly long.  

in other news.. i captured this pic this morning.  maggie and miley forgetting to pretend that they do not like each other. =)  or maybe its just a case of love the one youre with.. but either way THIS is why i wanted a puppy.  to keep maggie company while everyone else is busy working!  love. 

kennedy PROMISED to let me take some pics of her today.. for a blogpost like the cap gun fun post from yesterday.  gotta hold her to that for sure!  until then..

cap gun fun.

our weekend in review..

'we have no big plans except...' famous last words of a jammi-kp weekend.  so our 'no big plans' weekend went something like this.  friday night, after THE HAIRCUT,  we had dinner at mannys in uptown with some friends of ours.  they had invited us to see led zeppelin 2 at the house of blues in dallas.  what a cool show!  afterwards we ended up at ghostbar for a little while.  it was my first trip up that infamous elevator [in dallas..not the og of course ;)]  and it was tons of fun!  thanks greg and shannon!  cant wait for another date night!

the kids had a sleep over at a friends.. korb and his buddy grant were back at our house around 9AM.  we spent the morning being super lazy and listening to the kids play.  i love that he is getting big enough to play with out constant supervision.  yet i hate that he is growing up so fast.  ugh.

saturday afternoon we had a late lunch at fuzzy's taco shop with the kiddos.  kennedy was not interested in being photographed for our [almost] weekly check-in at fuzzys.. but she did take these random pics of korbie and i being silly after we had finished out fabulous lunch!  lol.

then we loaded up everyones clubs and headed over to top golf in allen to meet some friends for a few hours.  everyone had a blast.. despite it being a bit chilly outside.  we hung out until korb could not hang out anyyyyy more!

then kp and i got dressed and set out for fort worth.  we were invited to a birthday party for THE Rick Reagan ;))  we had a blast!  we havent seen Rick and his lovely lady in years.  it was so nice to catch up.  and lucky strike bowling alley is a super cool place to hang out with a group of friends!  we stayed up way late catching up and reminiscing.  great fun!

and then you guessed it.  we were L A Z Y on sunday.  laaaazzzzzyyyyyy.   this weekend we really have nothing planned.  ;))  we'll see how that turns out... 

and the verdict is..

compromise! =)) his bangs are WAY shorter than they have EVER been.  which is a big deal for me =( but it gives him an idea of what it would be like above his eyes.. i dont hate it and he says he loves it.   BUT he did ask me this morning how long it will take to grow out enough to put it behind his ear again. =)  mission accomplished!!  i dont think he will be asking for a haircut like daddys again anytime soon! 

to cut or not to cut..

that is the question.  im sure there will be mixed opinions about this little post [if anyone is reading..that is. ;)]  and im even a bit reluctant to write it but ultimately.. its only my opinion that counts - right?  lol.

i love korbs hair.  i love that its different than every other little boy we know.  i love that its a topic of conversation.  i love the way it looks.  i love that its so him.

he wants it to look like daddys. he has been asking since the school year began to cut it really short.  i, of course, hate the idea.

this week on tuesday he and another child got into trouble in school for 'trimming' their hair.  it happens.. kennedy did the same thing when she was his age.  its very common.  he did a really good job.  ; )  its not even noticeable.  on thursday he got sticky tack in his bangs.  it was just like gum.. i combed it out.  it happens.  kennedy has gotten gum stuck in her hair before when she was his age.  its very common.  ; )

daddy thinks he is 'crying out that he is done with it'.. i say no one asked us what wanted our hair to look like when we were 5!  his sister definitely never had a choice!  ..until she could fix it herself we did not value her opinion of what it should look like and im pretty sure THAT happened about 6 months ago.  she's 12.  

anyway kp and i have been discussing cutting it shorter for awhile now.. NOT as short as daddys but definitely different than it is now.. im not sure why im having such a hard time with it.  i mean.. 

'its just hair.' 

'he's 5.' 

'he'll be adorable no matter how long his hair is.'

'it will grow back.' 

i GET all of that!  

but i love this.. 

i LOVE it! 

we have an appointment this afternoon.. im sure it will still be long by societies standards but i feel like this is the beginning of the end of my long haired baby boy and im more than a little sad.  

staceys getting married!!!

im so excited for my friend stacey. she is getting married to a wonderful man [chris] that we all love very very much!  their story is precious and there is no doubt that they encourage each other to BE BETTER at everything, everyday and thats THE most important thing.  they make a beautiful couple inside and out.  im very happy for them to say the least!!  you can read about my friendship with stacey here if you wanna.. =)

last wednesday she msged me wanting my mailing address.. wedding invites, save the dates, reception invites.. all seemed like reasonable explanations.  i didnt question.  just sent her the info.  on friday this adorable package came in the mail!    

i was genuinely surprised, honored, thrilled, elated, humbled.. i could go on and on and on!  =)  there may be 25 bridesmaids for all i know... [i didnt ask] but im so excited that she would choose me to be in the mix!  

fo shizzle my nizzle!  im all yours stacey wacey!!!  love you!

blogging on the weekends?

..not so much. blogging ABOUT the weekend?  sign me up. =))

on friday afternoon i met kp and a few of his coworkers for the very end of their happy hour.  its nice getting to know the people who make up his day at his new gig.  after seven years with basically the same crew.. its a little awkward to hear him talk about people i really dont know.  it definitely helps to be able to put names and faces [and a bit of personality] with his stories from the j o b.  thanks for including me KP!

friday night, KP made plans for us to see our favorite texas country band. they were playing at the granada theater in dallas.  i had never been there.. and KP hadnt been in years.  LOVE IT!  really a cool place to see a show.  we stayed up WAY WAY WAY too late with our friends gilly, mandie, chris, mark, oscar and charlie hanging out on the tour bus.  its been a long time since we've done that.  even charlie stayed up til 4AM. =)  it was the perfect birthday weekend celebration!  getting home around 5AM and sleeping til noon is THE best way to forget that you just turned 35!

someone next to us was gracious enough to take a pic of our double date foursome.. its fuzzyy and pretty terrible but i would normally just keep it and say thank you.. except that creepy blond in the back ground really bothered me.  so we ask to try one more time.

hahaha!! and there she is again!!  even creeeeepier!  lol. oh well. 

thanks for rocking out charlie and mark.. you are the best!  and thanks to creepy people everywhere for sabotaging cool pics. =))

we had lunch on saturday on a patio at OTB with the little man.  KP posted a ridiculous story on facebook about a piece of gum.  all completely alleged ; ) and then we headed over to the shoffners for football and ufc.  and a little karoake of course.. =)   on sunday we did absolutely. nothing. and it was wonderful!!  KP and the kids were off on monday for MLK day.  i worked way too hard cleaning house.. 

and today its business as usual.  four day weeks are the best tho!  here's to another week of keeping track and blogging as we go instead of playing catch up! 

two bday celebrations down..

..two to go!!  yay!  turning thirty five hasnt been so bad to me yett!

on wednesday night all the family and might was well be family met for dinner at the country club. [palmers party of 4, shoffners party of 4, shoffners party of 2, carters party of 4, mincheys party of 4]   nine adults.  nine children..all under the age of six except for kenners.  THAT is some work.  but we pulled it off with the help of the kids club and the big kid.  she has turned into quite an accomplished babysitter. =))  and i think it was a success!  good food and good conversation!!  my favorites!

on thursday night all the girls left all the guys with the all the kids and headed OUT!  mmmmmm!!  GNO.  we had dinner on the square in mckinney and then a little pub crawling.  it was greatness.  girl time is a must.  i had a blast with twelve lovely ladies!

tonight im going a birthday date with my hubby.  to the grenada in dallas to see charlie robison.  he planned that all by himself.  does he know me or what??

and tomorrow!!  my sister-in-law and i are going to get some new INK!!  unless she chickens out.  lol!  just kidding jenny.  not an options.. i will not let u chicken out!

and then a three day weekend!

day 7! happy birthday to me!

..one full week of blogging!  happy birthday to me!  =))  on my birthday in years passed ive tried to reflect on the year before... 2011 in one word. ugh.  ...ive decided to try to find the silver lining/what i learned from all the icky experiences weve been thru..

•  this one day back in january i crashed the hubbys precious giganto truck in our teeeny tiny drive way.  the next week i parked it on the front curb to avoid that happening again.  we were awakened at 4ish AM by the mckinney pd.  someone had stolen the wheels and tires and left the precious giganto truck on teeny tiny concrete blocks.  ooops.  lesson learned?  im pretty sure i can count the number of times ive driven the truck since!  
• if ever you AND your spouse have a broken foot at the exact same time.. no matter how much it hurts and how ridiculous it seems.. its a great story.  you will look back and laugh!!
• after years of employment with the same company, last may they decided that they didnt need KP or any of his co-workers/friends any longer.  it was a trying and stressful time in our lives for sure.. BUTTTT  we had an amazing 6 months hanging out!  wouldnt change that time in our lives for anything.
• health problems can put you thru an emotional roller coaster!!!  in the end they always seem to work out for the best.
• one saturday in july my family lost someone very special to a terrible accident.  the story is heartbreaking to say the least and the aftermath is even worse.  yet somehow the little angel who survived and her amazing daddy make me smile every single day.  i cannot imagine them anywhere other than right here in my everyday life.  it would no doubt be better for them if mommy was still here.. but i count this time with them as a blessing despite the circumstance. 
• somehow.. in 2011 while i was 34.. my baby girl grewww up!  like night and day.  dont get me wrong.. she still has her moments but im starting to realize that those moments are more about being a girl [ugh] than about being a child.  she will always be a baby to me.. silver lining -- sharing shoes! =))

and i think thats all ive got.  =))  im off to snack time with my little buddy!  

day 6. catch up.. [just a little]

today was a pretty ordinary day around here.. i went grocery shopping before the sun was up.  kennedy and kyle used all the hot water. ;)  korb hummed a random country song that most five year olds have never heard of over breakfast.  the crockpot was brewing up something for dinner long before lunch was served.  little kids blessed my morning with mostly laughter and cheer.  and during blogtime [aka afternoon nap] it seemed that i had nothing worth writing about today. ugh.

and so.. while im not completely committed to playing catch on posts i shouldve written about [only trudging forward and doing better].. there are a few that  -- well, i shouldve written about!  =)) so todays post is backdated to dec 2010.  that seems to be about the time i completely fell off the blog wagon. ha!  check check check it out. red river vacation with the carters!!!  theres lots of pics!!

day 5. its monday.

..its monday.  ugh.  kennedy stayed the night at maddie tuckers last night [side note. did you know that she has at least four other friends named maddie?  glad we decided on kennedy instead of madeline? every. single. day.]  anyway.. korbie slept in our bed because he was 'too scared to be upstairs with out sissy' at his bedtime and i was too lazy to carry him upstairs at our bedtime. miley barely slept at all.  she was completely freaked out by a rainstorm.  so around 1AM she and i moved to the sofa.  ..ya know, so that KP and kp could get some rest. =/  tonight everyone is sleeping in their own space!!   thankfully our sunday was full of naps and laziness or i would be draggggging!

day 4. ..introducing iRemember. =)

ok.  so not only have i failed at blogging.. the fundamental issue is much deeper.  a good blogger [and photographer] takes pics along the way to remember, document and help tell the 'story'.  yea... ive been lacking in that department since my photog business really started to take off.  BUT!!!  i do take pics with my iPhone alll the time!  and so do the kids!  so ive cooked up a cheeeesy title [that im not completely sure i can use but i suppose i can change it if it ever comes up..]  and im going to use the pics to help remember what we were doing all those months.. =))

side story.. i thought of this idea a few months back but never followed thru after downloading and organizing all of our pics.  meanwhile kennedy is completely addicted to instagram.  she [along with her best friends] take pics of EVERYTHING.. from each other to their food.  it really makes me smile!  on christmas day were were at KPs nana's house in grand prairie.  korbie asked if he could play with my phone.  a few minutes later he came running in the house with a 'BEAUTIFUL leaf' just for mommy.  i graciously accepted it from him!  sweet boy [sometimes].  then i told him that he should take a pic of it!  his response,

'ummmm.. i already did. duh.'  haha!  thats my boy!

he also captured this lovely butterfly.. [aka moth] lol. i love it!

SO.. with out further ado [if anyone cares =))]  here's the iRemember jan 2011 and its pretty funny if i do say so myself!