Saturday of 1sts

Frank-o was invited to his first birthday party for a classmate from his preschool. It was at Gymboree Play and Music . Ball, tunnels, monkey bars, bean bags, music, slides, parachutes...a terrific party for early toddlers. He had a fantastic time at his very first invited-by-a-playmate birthday party...




(click to enlarge)

Because I take with issue with bringing siblings to birthday parties that they were not invited to, my MIL offered to keep Buck-a-roo for me (seeing as Daddy Buck was working). Then she decided she would take him to the movies; sweet, right? Except, he has never been to the movie theatre; it was his first time! {sniff.sniff..} They saw Hotel for Dogs and he talked about it all afternoon. Don't think I would let his first trip to the movie theatre go undocumented by a picture. I qucikly snapped this pic as Frank-o and I drove away.

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow...

random photo challenge 4.0

This week's Saturday morning random photo challenge is...

November 2007

44th picture

It is a picture of Frank-o and I saying "hello" to a rather large reindeer as we were at Breakfast with Santa sponsored by my hospital.

Hop on over to 4 Little Men and Girly Twins to join in the Saturday morning fun...

Flashback Friday

Yes, this is Frank-o a year ago. Yes, he is sitting in a trash can that contains our dogs' food. Yes, his mouth is chock full of dog food. No, he does not have a look of dislike on his face because yes, he likes the dog food. Yes, his name is Frank-o; not MIKEY!




Why post this picture of Frank-o from one year ago eating dog food? So glad you asked. Well, a.) it's Flashback Friday and b.) Frank-o's not over the fixation.

I thought he was over it. He should be over it. He's 2 1/2 and should not be putting foreign objects into his mouth. He came to me yesterday and 'fessed up to eating ALL of Remington's dog foodI caught him eating dog food again this week. He said, "Look Mommy, Remtin's food in my teef"! {excellent} {does that mean you don't need dinner?} {man, your breath is kickin'}

Favorite Things Friday

1. Blog carnivals....I am lovin' me some blog carnivals. For pete's sake (who is Pete anyway?) I am now participating in like 7 or 8 weekly carnivals. I am pondering the idea that it is now time for me to start/begin/create/initiate my very own blog carnival creation?!? Any ideas? Why on earth would you all share your ideas with me, for me to then steal them, and pretend like I came up with the ingenius idea all on my own!?!
2. My housekeeper....Oh how I love thee, let me count the many, many, endless ways! Every other Thursday, the smell of pine-sol as I enter the house after work...she is one terrific gal!
3. My new gym....that I joined this week, along with my new workout routine, my renewal to getting fit, eating healthier, and shedding some unwanted pounds.
4. Twitter....a friend of mine this week said it best! Twitter is for those that were never in a sorority/fraternity, but secretly wanted to be {what? me? never?} Come on Tiff and Court, where on you on this one?

Check out more Favorite Things Friday entires here...

Memory Lane Wednesday

I am delving in to one more weekly blog carnival; think this makes like 7 now that I participate in. Participating in blog carnivals on certain days of the week, for me, give signifigance and importance to what might otherwise be, just a regular, 'ole day. The new one is Memory Lane Wednesday and it is hosted by Michelle at Circle of Life.

The instructions for this week are to post a picture that you have taken this week, describe the picture and then it, too, will become a memory.

This was an easy "pic" for me....this snapshot is one that I took (hence the reason that it seems as though as I am never present for these memorable moments) of the boys, Daddy Buck and I during our bedtime gametime ritual. After baths, we play one game, read one book, then off to bed for the boys. This night (and most nights for that matter, because it is nearly impossible to find a game that 2 & 3 year olds can play) we played our favorite, Diego 1 2 3. In the sense of photography, this is not an excellent picture...poor lighting, poor focus, poor position; but I liked it nonetheless and now it is a wonderful memory.

Wordless Wednesday

funny things

Wanna here something funny, or at the least, really cool?

One of the posts from this blog about our family is gonna be featured here in a book in print. The book is about the funny things that our kids do.

{Woo Hoo!! Can I get a Woot, Woot? Who let the dogs out? Hoo, Hoo, Hoo, Hoo!! Throw your hand in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care!!}

Check it out and get 'em while they're hot!!

Hopefully, I will get a "Laughter LIves Tuesday" post up tonight. For now, I am off to work...

rough start to Monday morning

0600: Frank-o's 10-pound pee-soaked pull-up burst in the middle of my king-size quilt soaking 4 layers of king-size linens.

0700: i drop the boys off at preschool, only to find that I have forgotten their nap mats for the week and must return home to get them. at least I am able to quell the 3 year-old freak out before it happens by pacifying him with a promise to return with the nap mats within the hour while he is off learning his new Bible verse for Monday morning.

0800: on my return to preschool to drop off forgotten nap mats, i scraped the bumper of a parked vehicle that belonged to anther parent scurrying into daycare to drop off her child as she was already late for work. here's the best part, the vehicle is brand-spaning new, temporary license plate in window :)

1000: headed to check-out with my massive shopping cart full of groceries in Wal-Mart as an elderly lady begins to seize and goes unresponsive in the produce section. for heaven sakes, I am a nurse and cannot keep going as if I don't know what is happening. i proceed to give the unresponsive lady CPR until the paramedics arrive.

it's not even 1100am people?!?

"Not Me!" Monday

• I DID NOT fight back tears and beg Daddy Buck to allow me to withdraw and leave with my tail between my legs when he and I went to the pistol range this week.

• I DID NOT have exponentially way too much fun on date night, if you know what I mean {sshhh!}!!

• I DID NOT finally decide it was time for Frank-o to begin wearing underwear and become more diligent at potty-training on Saturday morning and Frank-o DID NOT wear the underwear for exactly 2 minutes and 20 seconds before he pee-ed in them amidst standing in the middle of his carpeted bedroom dead center of his Tonka trucks play area rug.

head on over to MckMama's blog to join in all the brutally honest fun!!

i Heart faces

It is week 3 for i Y faces weekly photo contest.



This week's theme is....joy!



Here's my entry...







Hope this week's entry goes as well as last week.

Mosaic Monday

Once again, it's Monday and time for Mosaic Monday. Head on over to Simple Shutter for the rules and to view other mosaics.

This week's theme.....husbands.




1. Daddy Buck with his most favorite person in the whole wide world!!

2. Daddy Buck and his #2 and #3 fav people in the whole wide world.

Ok, Ok...so I know that his head is cropped off, but it was somewhat intentional, so that I could crop into the picture the fact that Daddy Buck will do just about anything and his boys will "monkey see, monkey do" just about anything that he does. Please do note that we live in the deep south and this picture of my boys in their shorts and leather boots was taken in the dog-days of summer with at least 120% humidity.

3. Daddy Buck with the person that gives my a run for my money for being the #1 fav...his Uncle Tim. Don't they look alike??

4. Daddy Buck speaking to an auditorium full of 200+ Pre-K4 to 2nd graders for a Veteran's Day program at his mother's elementary school. You will not find a more loyal, patriotic, passionate American citizen that role models the importance of patriotism to others daily.

5. After patriotism, Daddy Buck's next greatest characteristic is...a love for life, all life. I'm telling you, the man can't even stand to see a plant go without water. This is a picture of him admiring the marine life of the shark tank at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.

6. I am not one to write sappy, tear-jerker posts on my blog; I prefer to keep it more light-hearted and humorous (how's that working for me?), so I won't start now. But, what I will say is that Daddy Buck is definitely a man that has devoted his life to improving the lives of others. He did exactly that when he entered the military in 1993 and continues to do that by working tirelessly for our family day in and day out.

the ridiculously, insanely, overwhelmingly LONG post

I haven't posted since Wednesday...busy days, busier evenings, long nights! Buckle your seatbelts and hold on tight, this is gonna be a doozy of a post...


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Allow me to preface the paragraph that follows, by saying, that Daddy Buck and I had the day off (well, I was on-call) together on Thursday...


I was raised in the deep south in the great state of Louisiana in a family that worshiped the outdoors. From sports, to fishing, to hunting, and everything in between. My grandfather, father, brother, and husband are avid hunters. From deer, to turkey, to ducks, to doves, to elk, and everything in between. With this upbringing, it's hard to believe that I had never fired a gun. Not a rifle, not a shotgun, not a pistol, or anything in between. That is until this past Thursday! My dad has tried for years to teach me, take me, coerce me...if not for the sport of it, at least for self defense and personal safety. Daddy Buck finally won the battle and I agreed to go to the indoor pistol range and finally "bite the bullet", if you will.








Here's what I have to say about it...I did it (after tearing up and almost backing out), I was decent at it (fired 6 shots from 20 feet and hit the target ALL 6 times), I was NOT a huge fan of it.





Daddy Buck, on the other hand...recreational hunter with a military hunter background, need I say more?




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After the pistol range, lunch, and grocery shopping, we got the boys so that we could enjoy the outdoors and our spring-like temperatures before Daddy Buck and I left for "date night".


Frank-o has finally become proficient at riding his bicycle that Santa Claus brought as evidenced in this video clip (pause the music player at the bottom of the page):






And, just for kicks...enjoy a laugh on me at this video clip of my two sweet, lovely, innocent boys attempting to run me over (take note that Frank-o has the hiccups from laughing so hard):






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Daddy Buck and I had "date night" on Thursday...dinner at a nice, quaint, local Italian restaurant and then we met another couple to enjoy the music of an 80s cover band.






Our neighbor snapped this unscripted series of pictures as we were leaving using the continuous picture-taking mode on my camera.






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You didn't think I would overlook my two weekly Friday blog carnivals, now did you?? Better late than never...



Flashback Friday







These pictures are of Frank-o in February 2008 the day of his surgery to have tubes placed in his ears.





Why choose these pictures for Flashback Friday?


Speaking of surgery??



Remember that my boys were scheduled to have surgery (again) this past December and it was cancelled when Frank-o got sick the day of the surgery.....it has been rescheduled for February 12 and has become a wee, tee, nintsy little bit more extensive!! It will be tonsils, adenoids, and tube in ears for BOTH boys. senile, loony, exhausted, teary-eyed, whiny, short-tempered, sick, cranky, hungry, drugged, cramped...are all words that come to mind. Pray people, pray like wildfire!






Favorite Things Friday








1. Our ENT....because, hopefully within the next three to four weeks, she is going to drastically improve the quality of life that exists within our family. Less runny noses, fewer ear infections, better nights' sleep....who could ask for more?



2. My Parents....who came in town this weekend to visit the boys and I while Daddy Buck made a short weekend trip to Mobile, AL to visit his uncle. They are always a blast when they visit. I love them and my boys adore them!!



3. Birthday Cake....today was my nephew's birthday party (more on that to come), so it's fresh in my mind. Bakery fresh in my mind with lots and lots of frosting!




Head on over to The Boren Life for more Favorite Things Friday entries (even though it's Saturday night now)...


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Since I just mentioned my blogging pal, Tiff (The Boren Life), I should also mention that she has bestowed upon me my very first blogging award/honor, Hug Me Hug You!

Though, this "ecru IT" with his "HUGS banner" whigs me out a little....I greatly appreciate the recognition and I will follow through with paying it forward:

This award is given only to those who have said or done things that make an impact as well as provide comfort to others. It is given to those who induce positive emotions in others, while leaving them with the warmth of knowing that they too are special.

Hugs everyone:

1. Trish @ The Blondin Five

2. LeAnna @ Our son....Patrick

3. Amy @ Savage Stories

4. Mandi @ Monistere Maddness


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ARE YOU KIDDING ME???




I am stoked, pumped, fired-up, honored, and downright bedazzled that my boys picture that I entered in this week's Kids' Faces contest at i Heart Faces was featured on their blog.


Check it out here....It seemed to me that the Top 10 winners that were chosen were all taken by professional photographers with the exception of maybe one or two, so I was stunned to even be amongst the "not-so-honorable, accessorized, honorable mention" picks!


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Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Brock, Happy Birthday to you!!

Monday is my nephew's 2nd birthday and as I previously mentioned, we enjoyed his birthday party and CAKE today!!






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Tonight at bedtime....I read, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to my boys. The special detail to this tidbit of information is that, it was my book from when I was little that my mom read to my brother and I complete with three stuffed three bears hand-made by a family friend. My mother brought it to my boys and I this weekend.






Thank you "just plain ole" Maw-Maw!!!


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Out of the mouths--

Frank-o as we are passing Daddy Buck's work en route to church last Sunday morning..."Daddy, there's YOUR school!!"

Buck-a-roo as attempts to explain to me where milk comes from...

B-A-R: "Mommy, do you know that cows make milk from how we potty"
Me: "I didn't know that Buck-a-roo"
B-A-R: "Yep, the farmer pulls their potty-thingie and milk comes out!" "That's where chocolate milk comes from!"
Me: {alrighty then}


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And that, my friends, is the 4+ hour post

"GoodNight"

random photo challenge-Saturday morning

It's time again for the Saturday morning random photo challenge as hosted by 4 Little Men & Girly Twins.

This week....August 2007, picture #30



No real explanation for this picture; just a random snapshot!

I have been somewhat MIA this week...busy, busy, busy. I have a HUGE post that I am preparing; hopefully by the end of the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday (Post Production)

SOOC (straight out of camera):



post production techniques utilized:



just me playing around with "kicking up the color" using some post production techniques as recommended by MckMama in her last photography post.

which one do you like best???