Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

Here's a picture of the little princess. She looks so sweet her little pink princess/ballerina outfit.

Brock hasn't decided on a costume. I don't think he is much of a "Halloween kid". He has never shown much interest in dressing up. However, the prospect of getting a bagful of candy is a very strong motivator.

JJ and I attended a costume party over the weekend. I didn't get any good pictures so I have asked the hosts to email me the photos they took. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Homecoming Mum

I forgot to post the pictures of Brock with his Homecoming Date, Katie.

The flower corsage they are wearing are called "mums." There is a silk chrysanthemum flower in the center and lots of ribbon attached. The ribbons have their names spelled out in stickers. The girls pin the mums to their shirts. The boys have a garter so they can wear it on their arm. The ribbons have little bells attached so you can hear them as they walk around.

This is a true southern tradition, although I hear that they are starting to make their way north and west.

Little blessings

Sometimes I think we are given little moment of clarity. Moments when you are able to look back and see what is right and good.

JJ and I were talking today about getting a new puppy. A dog for the dog. Parker, our Jack Russell Terrier needs a buddy, someone to chase squirrels with, someone to sniff around the house and find every possible crumb on the floor. And hopefully, someone that will tire out Parker. Our logic had a tragic flaw. You should never make a decision like that when the baby is at day care and the dog is outside running free. That isn't reality...

Tonight, I sat on the floor with Havanna so we could have some tummy time. Of course, Parker sees that as an opportunity to bring me a toy so we could play Fetch-Tug-of-War. (That is when you have to wrestle the toy from him and then throw it so he can bring it back to wrestle again.)

Havanna and I had a few breaks from Parker's games. He found a cricket in the house that entertained him until he killed it. (Note to JJ: there's a dead cricket that needs to go in the trash. :-P) As I sat and tried to feed Havanna with one hand and keep Parker away from her with the other, I realized what a BAD idea it was to think about bringing another puppy home right now because THIS is reality.

We've hit that time of the year when it gets chilly at night. I think it's in the 40s right now. Brrr. It feels kinda nice though. I pulled out a pair of sweats that I haven't worn since Winter. I found $20 bucks in the pocket. Sweet! I love it when that happens.

Changes in Life

Did anyone else hear that very loud sucking sound Tuesday night? It happened about 8:00 pm. Well, if you did and you wanted to figure out the source of the noise...it was me. The sound was the huge quantity of money being sucked from our bank accounts.


For some unknown reason, I went to Target Tuesday night...alone. No Lovie, no kids. I strolled around through every department (and this was a Super Target!) I was only there for diapers but somehow managed to come home with over $200 worth of stuff. Then I went to Best Buy to get a DVD burner. We've been taking home videos and need a way to get them off the computer and on a DVD. See, very justifiable purchases.

Today was one of those days where you just feel the need to make a change in your life, no matter how small. I made about a change that resulted in a new look for Mommy.
What do you think? Pretty cute huh? Where is an airbrush artist when you need one to get rid of that little pimple on the end of my nose??










Upcoming events in the Parker household:
Homecoming - Big B's first Texas homecoming. He's got a date and a mum. Photos to come...
Lovie's trip to San Diego - Before starting the new job, a quick trip to visit his family and his recently reconciled brothers.

Hope everyone is enjoying our fall weather!!

Pea Soup

We woke up this morning with a thick layer of fog. I thought the house and the neighborhood looked cool so we took some pictures.

Is Fear a Factor?

Warning. This might be a little gross.

Parker, the wonder dog has had the WORST breath lately. It smells like he has been eating Parker Poo Sandwiches. I am sure those are a delicacy in the dog world, but they are not well-received here. We've tried getting special "breath freshening" treats but they didn't make a dent.

So last night, we were sitting in the living room and I was doing my usual job of "poking and proding" at the dog and I noticed he had something stuck between his teeth. With a little help from JJ holding Parker still, I look closer and get out the biggest chunk of stinky smelly who-knows-what out of this big gap in his teeth.

I have no idea how long this junk was in his mouth. Amazingly, now his breath is starting to improve.

JJ asked me if I would have eaten the smelly stuff glob of dog stink for $100,000. No way. He claims that he would. Brock said he would eat it for $100. (Kids. sheesh.) The thought of it all is still making me queasy. I settled on $1 million.

So until someone is willing to pony up a cool million, I will have to stick with the satisfaction that Parker's breath has improved. As a reward for being good during his dental torture, I got him a new squeaker toy. He's running around the house with it now.

Having Patience...not sure where I found it.

I really do believe things happen for a reason. Really. It's a matter of having enough patience to reflect back and see the reason. Maybe I am eternally optimistic but here I am, writing a little piece that proves the point.

JJ went and met with another school district this morning and got hired in to a great position. He is a supervisor responsible for training and menu development. He isn't assigned to a specific school but will work with each school throughout the year. It's basically the job that the other school district promised him but couldn't deliver. When the whole drama boiled up, I kept hoping that there was a reason for all of this mess...and there was!

I am bursting with pride and happiness for my hubby. Congratulations Lovie!!

On a totally unrelated topic... you know those commercials for Dove deoderent where they tell you how it will make your armpits look and feel better? It really works!! I don't think it works as quickly as they claim but it I am noticing that mine look so much better than before. I am a Dove convert.

Drama in Parkerville

This weekend Havanna and I went to San Antonio for my best friend's wedding. It was an adventure to travel alone with the baby, but I survived with only one notable moment of panic. My friend's dad dropped the little one and me at the airport and drove off. I reach in my pocket for my driver's license...and no license!! I assume that it is sitting on the passenger seat of the car...as I watch it drive away.

Right about now, I'm about 2 milliseconds away from a full-blown panic. I start to call my friend's daughter's cell phone when I find the license in my other pocket. Deep sigh. Roll eyes at myself for coming so close to panic.

What is about going to the airport that makes you so paranoid about forgetting something?

On Saturday after Big Brother's football game, Havanna shared with us her latest trick...a good ol' fashioned belly laugh! I got it on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzp9SrWWg6A

For those of you that haven't heard the FULL story, you'll have to call him yourself. There is way too much to type. The short story is that JJ is changing jobs. He left our local school district and is speaking with the neighboring districts this week. For now, he's enjoying a few days off from work and the absolutely awesome weather.

We are both very glad that the whole situation is over so that we can stop thinking/talking/stressing about it all. It really stinks that he was forced to resign. I am hoping that there is something better in the works...that would at least make this all make sense.

Later,

Marci