GAME DAY!

Here are some highlights from our tailgate party. The weather looked questionable, but it held off for the whole day. I had a realization on game day (again) that I'm getting old! I asked the commander during the game if he wanted me to pick up some seat cushions for the rest of the season and he looked at me funny. Well, I'll be carrying my seat cushion like all the other elderly folks for the next game and I'll bet he'll wish he had said yes.

(click on mosiac for better view)


In front of Old Main before heading to the game.


Riley wanted "pot corns" as soon as we got in the stadium so he wasn't going to put that down and pose for another forced picture. Anyway, that might make him miss the helicopter flying by which was more fascinating than the football players.





What do you get when you cross a roaming Razorback mascot and a toddler?
Answer: A bored toddler in a forced photo...but he wasn't scared this time!


What do you get when you cross a Razorback mascot on a scooter and a toddler?
Answer: Instant BEST FRIENDS!!!

SLAP


ME SOME


SKIN!!

GO HOGS....KEEP PRACTICING!

6 mos (24 1/2 weeks)

I have A picture of my baby belly the first time around.
Ok, maybe there are 2 or 3, but not many so I decided to take more this time around.
But.. I'm just now getting around to it.

By two more weeks, the baby will be close to a foot long and weigh near 2 lbs. He can open or close his eyes and react to light. The chest muscles are practicing the motions for breathing on his own.

His parents need some serious help in the name department!!

(BTW, I have never noticed how crooked those wall hangings are... they're straight now :) )

GOO' MORNIN..

Riley has never climbed out of his bed...EVER.
If I was in the kitchen getting things ready for the day he would yell MAAAAAMAAAAAA, I WANNA GEEEET UP OR MAAAAAMAAAAA, WHAT YOU DOIN?
He just stayed in there until we would greet him in the morning and get him up.
Well, when he became potty trained I told him he could get out of bed to use the potty if he got right back in. He still doesn't get out of bed to use the potty, but he will get up and greet us in the morning.
IT's always the same scene.
He stumbles in the room where ever I am and says "Goo' Mornin', Mornin Mama" with his eyes barely opened.
This is posted because I started my day at 3am for no good apparent reason.

Now I guess I have to put those towels up that have almost made it to the right place.

Say it isn't so....

Why is the closest TCBY 46.93 miles away and the next closest is 63.3 miles away?
I pondered opening my own franchise close to the UA campus, but I don't think the commander would be up for being the manager (or my free labor) and I would probably eat all the profits so I have had to settle for second best.
It's an adequate substitute, but it's definately not the same.



In the mean time, my dreams of TCBY have been interrupted by this very vocal super hero who has found an interesting cape.

Sesame Street Live

We went with Dustin, Becca, Sam and Sofia to see Sesame Street Live on Saturday.
It was pretty cool seeing the characters, but I think Riley was a little star struck at first.



There were traditional sesame street songs mixed in with some hip hop and rumba.
Cookie Monster sang C is for cookie and everyone participated in the alphabet song..not once, not twice...but THREE times!


The second half involved some participation and dancing from the kids.


Dear Elmo and Friends,
Would you please come entertain our kids every weekend?
Thank you.



Mimi was our babysitter when Riley was a baby. She came over to watch Riley and play this morning. Then we went to eat lunch at Olive Garden.

Hardwiring Excellence

Just when I thought the words "burn out" would describe me at work, I attended a "team building" or leadership conference to gain some motivation or inspiration. I would call the event a success (at least for me). It was held at the Naturals Ball Field and included a base ball theme. I'll admit that I was less than thrilled when I settled in with my coworkers to learn we had to move to our respective color coded "teams" based on the color of your name tag, but I met a new friend from another facility and left with the impression that my leaders truly want to be the best at providing love and compassion to not only patients, but their employees. They did not focus on the financials, but rather on improving our services though compassion which will in turn drive the financials.
This video was one of several shown to us. I found this one to be inspirational.



Blinkx Video: The Simple Truth of Service

Posted using ShareThis

story time with Riley

Listen to him read Brown Bear, Brown Bear...

He is really into books right now and thinks the teacher at the end looks like his DoDo.

the ghost light book

Alison needs

I took this idea from Lindsay's blog by typing "Alison needs" into google. I got a good laugh!

1. Alison needs to learn how to pose in pictures (laughing)
2. Alison needs a new job (laughing harder)
3. Alison needs to argue something like this: heat exchangers are not required. (it really said this! on the floor laughing at this one)
4. Alison needs a nap badly (i think they are talking about me)
5. Alison needs to learn what a "not-so-long" post really is.
6. Alison needs to get serious about school if she wants to do better than C's (funny)
7. Alison needs a team of committed people to pray for her and her ministry (probably very true)
8. Although putting gravel on the driveway would have been enough for us and Dustin, it doesn't work for Alison's needs.(cause the tool woman wants better than gravel :) )
9.Alison needs to come out of the kitchen from time to time (my stomach muscles are hurting from this one...definately not the tool woman)
10.Alison needs to eat a good meal (yep, it said that too...read it commander ;) )

50 odd things

I don't usually do these things, but what the heck.
Feel free to copy to your blog (your own answers of course :) )

50 ODD Things about you! Learn 50 things about your friends, and let them learn 50 things about you!

1) Favorite hobby?
shopping and being around water (pool, lake etc)

2) Have you ever had a boy hair cut?
Of course

3) Are you coordinated?
Nope, got laughed at in aerobics. Tend to trip and fall quite often. I even passed the trait to the toddler.


4) What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic?
Strawberry-lime.


5)Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
no


6) What do you think of hot dogs?
turkey dogs are just as good (with mustard and relish)and sometimes, on rare occasions add chili


7) Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night

8) What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Diet coke

9) Can you do push ups?
maybe one or two


10) Can you do a chin up?
no. who even wants to try? please blog it if you do :)


11)What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
my new bracelet


12) Do you like blue cheese?
Gross. No.


13) Ever been in a car wreck?
fender benders


14) Do you have ADD?
self diagnosed


15) What's one trait that you hate about yourself?
Don't hate, but sometimes think i need to do everything


16) Middle name?
Alison

17) Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
--I like shopping trips.

--I could have gone another day

--I overpaid on make up



18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday
I can only name three? Bracelets, dress, shoes


19)Name 3 things you regularly drink
diet coke, diet cherry lime aid, milk


20) Current worry?
none


21) Current hate right now?
none-why is this thing negative?


23) How did you bring in the New Year?
dick clarked it....one night i don't make plans.

24) Where would you like to be right now?
i'm content at home

25) Name three people who will complete this?
???

26) Do you own slippers?
nope


27) What shirt are you wearing?
dress


28) Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
No, 600ct sheets


31) Would you be a pirate?
ummm, no. why would i be?


32) What songs do you sing in the shower?
none


33) Favorite girl's name?
gracen...no one take it.


34) Favorite boy's name?
well, isn't that the lingering question!?


35) What's in your pocket?
Nothing.


36) Last thing that made you laugh?
friends-- laughing at things we used to do and Riley looking out the window yelling "boys come inside" boys=ross's friends

37) Best bed sheets as a child?
bed sheets don't stick out with me. i had a reeces pieces sleeping bag that was pretty cool.


38) Worst injury you've ever had?
hit a door handle

39) Do you love where you live?
sure

40) How many TVs do you have in your house?
3--not enough.

41) Who is your loudest friend?
i must not have very loud friends.

43) Does someone have a crush on you?
I hope so:)


46) What is your favorite candy?
do i have to limit to one?? gummies of any kind, skittles, and m&ms


47) Favorite Sports Team?
Razorbacks (duh)

48) What song do you want played at your funeral?
seriously, why is this so melancholic? (is that a word?)...i don't know. just make it fun and don't stare over me. I don't like to be stared at now. :)

49) What were you doing 12 AM last night?
sleeping

50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
it's time to go home.

ready, set, shop

Here we are with eyes barely open ready to go! This is the only picture we stopped to take the whole weekend.
According to Riley, "Mama in dallas, She went to da store"

Could you keep up? We'll lets see (not in chronilogical order) I proved in the car that I could not list them anywhere close to being in order...
Sam Moon
Home store
Luggage and gift store
DSW shoes
Bed, Bath, Beyond
Target
Nine West
Stop for Mani/Pedi
Dinner-Houston's


Sat 9-5
Nordstrom
Neiman Marcus
Macy's
Anthropologie
XXI
Free People
Aveda
Bare Minerals (I converted!)
Gap Body
Victoria Secret
Club Monoco
TCBY (twice)
Orange Cup
You still with me? We're not done yet
Cheese Cake factory
Mimi
Sweet Factory
Pottery Barn
Z Gallery
Restoration Hardware
Froggie's

SUCESSFUL TRIP!
I'm going to sit down. My legs are hurting.

On another note...
GET WELL DAD!!!!

Girls, Shopping, Food, Fun

I'm in Dallas with TW and Solar for a weekend filled with shopping, eating, and laughing. We are realizing that we are getting OLD! Its been fun reminiscing about our early Dallas days.

Tool Woman likes.....


Tool Woman Doesn't like..(oooohhh, gross)

I did a little research and was not surprised to find that this product doesn't work. HMM. Stinky feet and liver toxins are here to stay for now.
Better blog posts to come..

Birthday Fiesta

We had a Birthday Fiesta for Ross's b'day tonight. It was complete with home made salsa and brownies.
Confession: (the commander's b'day was Friday so it gave me an excuse to throw together a last minute fiesta for supper). It wasn't exactly a planned fiesta, but I just so happened to have the napkins, the stuff to fix tacos, and well, since we have to eat supper why not have a fiesta for three. Plus, it gave Riley and I an excuse to fix brownies (the commander doesn't like them) so we ate his part of the birthday brownies. He's been out of town for two weeks for summer training so he was pretty tired (and so was I), but it turned out pretty good.

Here's my sister's salsa recipe that you can't go wrong with:
1 can mexican tomatoes
2 cans regular tomatoes (or home grown tomatoes if you have them)...boil for 15 sec and the skin peels right off (thanks for the tip mom)
2 cans rotel (drained)
1TBSP garlic salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
cilantro to taste
1/2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
salt to taste (i don't add this)

Blend in blender until desired consistency. Add spices and salt.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
*it makes a lot so I usually cut the recipe in half using 1 can mexican tomatoes, 1 can regular tomates, and 1 can rotel.

I added some fresh jalepeno from the garden too.


Voila! Fresh salsa with bottom of the bag chips for a last minute fiesta!

For your viewing pleasure.

Hi there. You reading my blog yet or just staring at that picture of Matt Leinart?


I'm a football fan! Of course it would have nothing to do with this face.
NOOOOOOOOOOO, it has everything to do with watching the ball move up and down the field. Waiting for the thrill of a touch down.


or maybe catching a glimpse of this... but it's mostly the thrill of a good catch leading to a touch down...yep! That's it.

You'll enjoy this...he was born in 1983. Feelin old yet?
Unfortunately, Matt suffered a collar bone injury early last season and was out most of the year, but HE's BACK!
Go Cardinals.

BEAT THE HEAT

IT's HOT!
It's so hot that I can't function at this heat index. I so desperately want the spagetti dinner at the Tontitown Grape Festival, but I'm afraid of the walk to the festival, then the line, then the crowds.

The grape ice cream is tempting though. We'll see.

Camping.

We went "camping" this past weekend in FairField Bay again. The heat sucked the energy right out of me thus killing some brain cells and causing me to forget my camera for some priceless moments!
One of the highlights was getting to feed the LARGE fish at the marina. When I say large, I mean like 8-10lb carp and hundreds of them. I fed them when I was little so it was neat to show Riley. They literally jump out of the water and over each other to get the food. It's a crazy scene. We will have to go back and get pictures next time.
Riley cooked smores for the first time on the campfire.


Then there was boating.

The fast boat ride was enough to relax a tired boy so he did this most of the first ride.

Grandaddy was good to him and kept him in the shade. I wonder how long it took for his arm to grow weary.

Riley found a toy police car and some army men when we got back to "camp". Let me rephase that. Riley found a police car shell (no wheels or internal parts, only the shell of the car). I learned that the poor toys were the objects of 4th of July explosions by preteen boys. It didn't matter to Riley because he carried that car shell all day long and even took it on the boat with him.
So, you can imagine the sadness when I accidently put my arm around him and knocked the police shell into the lake while going on a fast boat ride. First, there was a look of disappointment that started to break my heart. Then the bottom lip just stuck out followed by a chin quiver. Shortly after, we had this..

This reaction caused the fast boat to come to a screeching halt with everyone asking what happened. The good Aunt with great concern in her voice asked if that was his most favorite toy and I had to explain that he just found it minutes before.
It was tragic for him and we spent the rest of the boat ride hearing "i want my police car" OVER and OVER which quickly became tragic for us so we scanned the lake as we rode along looking for it.
It's still out there somewhere...
Thankfully, the good Aunt took care of the little boy by finding a trailer that went with the police shell. Let me rephrase that. She found a trailer with missing wheels and a melted front end that became an adequate substitute for the police shell.
He spent the rest of the afternoon content with his melted trailer so he wheeled it around all over the ground.
Riley didn't want to come with me when it was time to go to our camp because he was having too much fun with the big kids.

When it was finally time to go to sleep, I fluffed my pillow, listened to the cricket sounds, and tried to figure out why in the tarnation the commander thinks I don't like camping.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDADDY

AND HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

Suessical the Musical

We supported the local arts tonight by watching some entertaining kids.
I told Riley before we left that we were going to see Dr. Suess. He was NOT interested in going to the Dr so I had to remind him of one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, Horton Hears a Who, and other Suess related rhymes.
Then and only then was he interested and ready to go.
I thought he knew exactly who he was watching with wide eyes until it was over and he asked to go back and watch Mr. Goose.
After correcting him twice, I gave up and Mr Goose it was!
Because I had my camera and because we were on the square and because the sun was setting just right...I got these pictures to document the night with Mr. Goose.


Let me just add a few more things about the kid making the funny face.
This week he has started playing trucks with "grandpa". We don't have anyone named "grandpa" so this is a new imaginary friend. Grandpa always gets reprimanded for not pulling the trucks fast enough. "PULL, PULL GRANDPA!" I've caught him having conversations with Grandpa several times this week and it cracks me up!
"ALL MY LIFE" seems to be the response to everything.
Me: Riley do you need to go potty
R: All my life..

Do you want to eat?
All my life..
It is usually the response to all questions.

Again, I don't know where this originated from nor does the babysitter, but its quite funny.

He likes to play in the dirtS now (as in more than one dirt) and there is a large dirtS pile by our house.