When Momma's away.....

the boy(s) will _______________!!!!
{hhhmmmm}

:: be completely potty-trained and free from "Mr. Smarty-Pants" mouth(Frank-o)

:: have eaten a well-balanced meal consisting of at least three of the major food groups (Buck-a-roo)

:: have sold the house (Daddy Buck)


Ok, Ok, Ok.....wishful thinking!!

I will fill-in-the-blank the latter part of next week, because Sunday morning around 0930, I am boarding a plane headed for the City of Brotherly Love. That's right, I'm off to Philadelphia, PA for four days to attend the International Conference on Pediatric Sedation at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) sponsored by the The Society for Pediatric Sedation.

This is a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and, amidst such tough economic times, to be fully sponsored for the entire trip is incredible. It is however, bittersweet. Why, you ask??

It is A.) the very first-time ever ever that I have left my boys overnight with their Dad. Not purposeful....it's just happened that way. And, I'm certainly not implying that he's not capable....it's just factual. And, B.) in case you haven't noticed the Blinkie atop the right sidebar, I will be leaving town on Frank-o's 3rd birthday {sniff.sniff.} Yes! He is turning 3. Yes! He doesn't understand the meaning of your "real" birthday. Yes! He will only recognize it's his birthday when we throw him a birthday party next weekend. BUT, I'm his momma and it's my baby's birthday and these two details combined make it a trying moment in time for me.

Mind you, it might actually be refreshing to sleep the entire night without being jarred awake by a toddler-sized foot digging into my ribs. It could possibly be relaxing to be free from the constant bickering of two boyswillbeboys boys. And just maybe it could be rejuvenating to soak in a jacuzzi tub and watch the overhead plasma screen TV for as long as my little heart desires without the ohsosweetcries of "Mommy, I need you!!".

Truth be told....Daddy Buck, Buck-a-roo, and Frank-o,
I will miss you all immensely and anxiously await my arrival back to Louisiana and back to my three boys!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears

OH MY!

That's right....yesterday we ventured to the zoo. My MIL (Mam) tagged along for the fun.

Small bummer as we got there and discovered that the big cats, a.k.a. lions and tigers, display was closed due to renovations. To hold true to the title of this post....we did, at least, see a bear...a Louisiana Black Bear to be exact.

Frank-o would have stared endlessly into each and every cage for 10 solid minutes if time, patience, and energy would have allowed. He likes to wait and see if each animal will perform their respective talents/skills/behaviors.

Buck-a-roo was most interested in the real, species names listed on the plaques in front of each exhibit, as if he knew what each name meant and would be able to recall them a mere 20 seconds later. He did, however, learn how to spell zoo; "Z-O-O spells ZOO" was recited no less than 52 times yesterday!

Our zoo has a terrific Children's Petting Zoo. I agreed to shimmy into the Mole Hole for underground viewing with the boys while Daddy Buck would enter the goat feeding/petting area. Trust me when I tell you that I got the raw end of that deal.

Here's a collage of the animals that we most enjoyed. 22 VFC bonus points if you click the photo collage to enlarge and then comment on my post-production of each still-life animal picture in the collage.

Most of all we enjoyed the terrific spring-like weather and wonderful family togetherness outdoors. We purchased a one-year household membership to the zoo, so I see many more zoo-days in our near future.

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On a side note.....I have received several emails, post comments, and Twitter messages from readers regarding my Fit-It Friday post. I shoot with a Canon Rebel xsi and do all post-production through Picasa3, which is free and downloadable via Google. On that particular picture, I sharpened the edges drastically, saturated the color significantly, and increased the fill light somewhat, as well as cropped and re-angled the picture. Hope this helps :)

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I am off to make a grocery list and will, most probably, delay my actual grocery shopping until tomorrow after work. It is far too gorgeous outdoors today to be grocery shopping and I am put out seeing a my first-ever coupon clipping Sunday yielded only $2.75 worth of usable coupons for our family. UGH!!

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...

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?!?

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"

like father, like son! like mother, like son?

Buck-a-roo is the spitting image of his dad...from his eating habits, demeanor, likes/dislikes, and as of today, haircut!! He hopped into the barbers chair this afternoon and said, "Mr. Jerry, shave it like my dad's!"




And there you have it. That's as close to shaved as I will allow a 3 y/o's hair to be. {Gotta love the red & green Christmas candy choker}




This kid, on the other hand, is much more like me....eats anything that doesn't eat him first and would sport long locks of hair to run his fingers through, if only his dad (fine by me) would approve.





**please note the fact that Buck-a-roo is using a knife and a fork to cut his waffle all by himself. he was most proud and insisted that I photograph his efforts. please do not note that fact that my child is eating a waffle (or having a little waffle with his massive amounts of syrup) for dinner

I will leave you tonight with an "Out of the Mouths" courtesy of Frank-o...

Following dinner (bar-be-qued sausage and Pringles for Frank-o, if you must know), Buck-a-roo and Frank-o were wrestling, a little too much post-eating. Frank-o apparently belched/hiccupped/vomited? in his mouth (I know that's gross, right) and said "Mom, I tooted in my mouth!" That kid, that kid!!

what are we THANKful for...

Daddy Buck and Princess are THANKful the for privelege to live and raise our children with the many freedoms afforded to us in this great country; the men/woman that fight unselfishly for those freedoms on a daily basis; two miracle children that we are able to watch grow, laugh, talk, and cry everyday; for a successful career in what is currently a struggling industry and a rewarding career in what is a sometimes an emotionally trying field; for the necessities and luxuries that these careers provide for our family; a terrific extended family that our boys are able to experience on a regular basis; and for God that has provided all of this for us.

Buck-a-roo is THANKFUL for his little brother; anything chocolate, i.e. Oreos, chocolate milk, Hershey's kisses; Popeye's Fried Chicken; his two closest friends, Jack and Drew; his namesakes and all his family

Frank-o is THANKful for his older brother; long locks of hair to run his fingers through; stuffed animals galore; his many blankets/"covers"; soymilk; pizza; his namesakes and all his family

We are blessed!!


Now for a little fun....take this Thanksgiving Quiz and test your turkey history. I scored 6.

Happy THANKSgiving! JLHC Vaughn

I will finish my THANKSgiving post today with a video clip (compiled by my dear co-worker, Felipe) that depicts just how blessed our family is....

a lazy, restful, uneventful weekend...I THINK NOT!!

**UPDATE: The mystery pumpkin is a vampire sucking on a woman's neck. Kudos to Kristan at Cover Family Chaos for the correct guess.

Alternately titled: Let's see how many planned events we can cram into a weekend!!


Friday night, Daddy Buck and I went to a Halloween costume party hosted by our friends at Monistere Maddness. Buck-a-roo and Frank-o had a babysitter and they were thrilled about that {sniff, sniff}.

We went the homemade costume route. What can you make from these items (four brown bath towels, heavy duty aluminum foil, safety pins):



{drumroll please}





Here's the final product. Not exactly figure-flattering!!




Saturday morning, the boys had a birthday party for their close friend from across the street. The party was a pirate-themed party at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. It was a terrific birthday party!!

Check out his birthday cake -- YUMMO!!




My MIL picked the boys up from the birthday party so I could meet my girlfriends for the LSU football game. The only good thing I can say about the game is that I was in good company. Let's not speak of how my team got stomped on by the Bulldogs from Georgia. It was a beautiful day for football in Tiger Stadium.


My friends from work and myself watching LSU try to pull it out in Death Valley.


College Football Did You Know: When the guy in the red cap is on the field during the game, the television broadcast of the game is taking a commercial break. Play resumes when the televised commercial is over and Mr. Red Cap returns to the sidelines. You learn something new everyday.




Saturday night, we went across the street to the neighbors house for grilled hamburgers, sausage, hot dogs and the annual pumpkin carving.


Buck-a-roo was really into pumpkin carving this year and immediately chose his pattern for his pumpkin for ME to carve. Not too difficult, not too simple either He fell in love with it because of the "hanging-upside-down spider". The very dangling, "hanging-upside-down" spider that Frank-o ripped off this afternoon.


After spending 1 hour carving Buck-a-roo's masterpiece, here's the less difficult, less intricate complexity super-creative masterpiece that I carved for Frank-o.

He's the only kid with a 360 degree pumpkin design!!

75 "Vaughn Family Chaos Bonus Points" for the first person to comment with the correct description of this pumpkin's carving:




Today (Sunday) we went to our neighborhood fall festival. Playground fun, games, chili-cheese nachos, and candy!!



We do not know this child...I just thought he was far too cute not to photograph.




Just before heading indoors this evening for baths and bedtime...this flew overhead.

The man flying this ultra-light airplane actually gave my kids a "Dukes of Hazard" toot of the horn as they waved to him!!





In store this week: Trick-or-Treat Trail at my hospital on Monday, Fall Festival at school on Wednesday, ENT appointment for Buck-a-roo on Friday, Trick-or-Treating on Friday night, LSU vs. Tulane on Saturday


We had another excellent, exhilarating, exhausting Fall weekend!!


G'nite zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!