Game ON

Miss Madison does not fool around when it comes to playing the Wii and NO ONE can touch, talk or take the Wii-mote without paying some sort of price. She's getting pretty good at baseball :) Too funny!

She won't even let you get close enough to wipe the chocolate kissess of her face! It's all business!

New Toy

Love working for a gadget geek :) My boss will buy the newest, latest, greatest everything and I normally end up getting the left overs! SO, my new latest hand me down? A 3rd monitor and it's a touch screen! It's from the kitchen in his house - and it was one of 6 if that tells you anything! LOL! I'm so pumped! I can officially run China from my desk :)

The Joy's of Parenting...A 2 Year Old!

Ahhhh, the joys (and pains - mostly pains) of parenting a 2 year old! Those of you who have been through this or are currently going through this will just laugh or smirk. Those of you who know Chip and I well will probably shake your head in satisfaction that "revenge" has come so early :)

First, Madison is over 3 feet tall. This may not sound like much but trust me, I stand 5'4" on a good day and at this rate, she will be out ranking me in height by the time she's 5! Second, why is it that ALL 2 year olds talk and look at you as if you are an idiot!?! What happens when they start to walk and even better yet, talk that makes them think that they now know everything!?!?

Seriously, I'm not sure how people restrain :) It's an effort.

For example, I go to pick up my little darling at school and it's raining. Hard. Needless to say, I forgot the princess' umbrella. I'm parked in the first spot at the school and my doors are unlocked.
We are standing at the glass doors looking to leave and Madison says "Mommy look it's raining and it's dark!"
Me: "I Know Sweetie - let's hurry to the car"
Madison: "Mommy - where is the umbrella?"
Me: "I forgot it honey, I'm sorry. The car is right up front and Mommy will run" (In 4 inch heels)
Madison: "Ok - hurry"

I cover my precious angel's head with a jacket (Oh yeah, I'm wearing WHITE FYI) and make a mad dash for the car - praying I don't break an ankle in these heels. I open the door and get her in safely and fairly dry! I'm impressed!
While standing out in the rain, completely soaked in totally see through clothes and mascara running down my face that would put Gene Simmons to shame, Madison proceeds to tell me that the water dripping off my long hair is getting her "wet" and for me to close the door.
At this point, there is no saving me. I finish buckling her in and walk around to my side of the car and get in.

As I'm squeezing out the water of my hair and clothes and trying to salvage what's left of my make up, Madison proceeds to tell me that she's wet, and cold and that I didn't bring an umbrella. You don't say!?!? I stopped for a moment debating if strapping your child to the hood of the car is legal in Texas - that would show her wet! :)
I quickly snapped back to reality and drove home wondering how I was going to get the little darling from my car to the house without a drop of rain on her precious skin. I quickly thought to call Chip to meet us outside with an umbrella - Nice going mom! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself as I see Chip waiting for us. He rushes out to the car, umbrella in hand and quickly gets Madison safely (and dry) from the car to the house.

I rush to the garage and I'm soaked. I look like I just jumped in a pool with all my clothes on. Chip is nice enough to bring me a towel. I take off my wet clothes in the garage (yes the door is shut people - let's keep it clean!) and head inside. The final kicker?!?! After all my sacrifice...Madison looks at me and says "Mommy! Daddy brought an umbrella and didn't get Madison wet!" "Good job Daddy!"
YES - GOOD JOB DADDY! I growled under my breath.

Let there be light!!!

My parents gave us their old under cabinet lighting since they replaced theirs :) Chippers put it up last night - looks pretty good huh! I like it! Looks much better in the dark - and when my counters are clean!

Denise and I took a little "me" time and went to get our toes done last night! Was a fun break from the norm! We are even going to see Eclipse this weekend!!! So fun! Look at me! 2 social events in 1 week! I'm baaaaaaaaaack :) Watch out Chippers!!! LOL

Happy Birthday Chippers!

Man o Man - Hard to believe it's been over 11 years that I've been celebrating Chippers birthday :) He's gettin' OLD!!! LOL
Thank you again for everyone who made it out to his final party on Saturday! He's a big boy now so I don't think I'll be doing big blow outs for him anymore!!! He had a good run!
We had a great time! We all went bowling at 300 Houston. We kept having issues with our original lane and the place was packed so we got moved to our own PRIVATE VIP Lane and that's when the fun really started! Mostly everyone bowled close too, or over 100 each game so really, we did good! Happy Birthday Babe - I love you! xoxo

Crocs :)

I've never really been a huge fan of Crocs. They are cute but not really my thing - I'm more a high heel type of girl :) Maddie's school requested that she get Crocs while potty training so in case there is an accident, the shoes are easy to clean. So, off to the mall we went this weekend and got Maddie her first pair of Crocs! Goodie for me - she LOVES them! I of course, wanted Pink.....it came down to a burnt orange color or red. I'm glad we got the red :) Anyway, she put a Nemo, Thomas the train, a bling'd out turtle and a Mickey Mouse on them for decorations - who knew!?!? Only Maddie can make Crocs cute!!! LOL

Happy 4th of July

So, even though it's been a total down pour in rain for the past 6 days straight..and counting it didn't stop Miss Maddie and I from having some 4th of July fun - out in the rain!!!

Madison's growing up and it was really ready for Chip and I to get on board....we are famous for wanting to keep her a baby FOREVER :) Anyway, we finally bucked up and got her a BIG GIRL room with her very own BIG GIRL bed. We made the nursery her play room and so far, she's doing great! She's sleeping in her bed, potty training, brushing her teeth, no bottles, playing in her play room, dressing herself - full steam ahead! It's like she went to bed 2 and woke up 10! Good for Chip and I, I think it's just going to take us a minute to get used to the fact that our baby is gone :(

Gio Turns 3!

So Maddie went to her first birthday party :) She has 3 boyfriends at school - one of them is Giovianni "Gio". He was turning 3 and was celebrating at Chick-Fil-A. His parents are really lovely and live down the street from us - it was sweet of them to include Madison in a family event! It's a good thing my daughter knows Spanish! I need subtitles! All in all, it was fun and the little love birds got to spend some time together. It was all smiles and hugs till the giant COW came out - suddenly the party was cut short on Madison's end!

Can you believe it?!?! Check out the picture of my niece! She's starting HS next year - so hard to believe she was just learning to walk when I moved here! So beautiful!

Swim Lessons

So, Madison is taking her 3rd swim lessons since she was born - hopefully, this time, she will learn a bit more. 1 cause she's older and 2, I've heard, that Houston Swim School is like baby boot camp for swimming!

For the few of you who know my daughter well, you are doing the same thing I did..."Ok, we will see how this goes but you can not MAKE Madison do ANYTHING she doesn't want too and if you upset her, well then, your on your own!"

So it's a 2 week class, every day. We have accomplished, and I do mean accomplished 3 days thus far. Day 1 - eh, was about 50/50. She wasn't overly thrilled but she made it through - no damage done. Day 2 - A breeze! The kid was a super star! Acted like she ran the pool, knew what was up and I was the idiot!! Day 3 - Total melt down!! What happened to yesterday!?!? You ruled the pool - day 3 you would of thought they were secretly holding them under water when I wasn't looking! Literally, trying to crawl out of the pool - it was not so pretty. So, today, we are on day 4 - I'm hoping, praying for a repeat of Day 2 or else I'm gonna have 1 cranky toddler on my hands who isn't forgiving and doesn't forget! If we actually make it through the full 2 weeks with Madison being some what cheerful and not hurting someone, I'll be impressed! Fingers crossed! I actually managed to catch some "calm" moments on camera while I could....

Graduation!!!

So, Maddie had a graduation too! She graduated from her Super Beasts class at The Little Gym!

and after......

New Front Yard

Before.......

My boss made us take the Meyers Briggs Personality Test :) Totally blew my cover at work! LOL Now they all know what a screwed up little individual I am :) It's pretty spot on though! Check it out! Those who know me well, will laugh the whole way through this :)

I am an ESFJ = Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging. Just to know, I scored as high as you can get in the “feeling” category!

Guardians of birthdays, holidays and celebrations, ESFJ’s are generous entertainers. They enjoy and joyfully observe traditions and are liberal in giving, especially where custom prescribes.

All else being equal, ESFJ’s enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest. ESFJ’s as do most, bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority. They willingly provide service and expect the same from others.

ESFJ’s are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They by nature wear their hearts on their sleeves often exuding warmth and bonhomie, but not infrequently boiling over with the vexation of their souls. Some ESFJ’s channel these vibrant emotions into moving dramatic performances on stage and screen.

Strong, contradictory forces consume the ESFJ. Their sense of right and wrong wrestles with an overwhelming rescuing, mothering drive. An ESFJ at odds with self is a remarkable sight. When a decision must be made, especially one involving conflict, there ensues an in-house wrestling match between the aforementioned black-and-white values and the nemesis of discord. The contender pits self against self, once firmly deciding with the Right, then switching to Prudence to forestall hostilities, countered by unswerving Values, ad exhaustium, winner take all.

As caretakers, ESFJ’s sense danger all around – germs within, the elements without, unscrupulous malefactors, insidious character flaws. The world is a dangerous place, not to be trusted. Not that the ESFJ is paranoid; hyper-vigilant would be more precise and thus they serve excellently as protectors, outstanding in fields such as medical care and elementary education.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was amazing! I was made breakfast of waffles, fruit, mimosa's...you name it! THEN I was showered with tons of hugs and kisses (my fave!) and was able to relax outside and enjoy our new landscaping in the front and back yard!!! Played with Madison, went for a FABULOUS 1 1/2 hour massage that was MUCH needed! Truly, just amazing! It was relaxing and fun - I really couldn't of asked for a better day!

Ahhhh, our new yard :) I'll have to take pictures of the back and post them soon! I'm in love with it! We love all the plants, how it turned out and the sprinkler system is tons of fun!!! We all just want to hang outside now!

Interesting Horoscope Facts

I like horoscopes, not obsessed with them nor do I think they are spot on 100% of the time but they are fun and sometimes insightful. I would say the one about Madison is fairly accurate. The one about Maddie and me; and Chip and Maddie are about 80% accurate. The one about Chip and I as parents I'm not so sure about- could be wrong but I don't think I have any perfection standards with Madison and I think if there is someone who "knows" when soemthing is wrong with her or about to be wrong with her, it's me! :)

About Madison: The saying "Still waters run deep" perfectly describes your Scorpio daughter or son. Calm as she may seem, there's a lot going on beneath the surface. As her parent, you may never learn all about what makes your little Scorpio tick because these children rarely reveal everything. Scorpio children are strong-willed, passionate, and intense, and the need to feel secure drives them to control themselves and others. A strong, durable emotional connection is one of their primary needs, but, perversely, they may test the durability of that connection, often without realizing they are doing so. Your Scorpio child may seem by turns affectionate, aloof, devoted, obsessive, loving, and manipulative. Scorpios have such range and depth of feeling that you may sense that your child is expressing only the top layer of her true feelings -- and that you could understand her a lot better if only she'd let you in on the secret. Scorpio children thrive on the mysteries of life and have a knack for understanding others' motivations. They might love reading suspense stories or watching horror flicks from an early age, and they'll be drawn to complex friendships that really stretch them.It's all too easy for Scorpio children to be drawn into obsessive, vindictive, and controlling behavior, so be sure to teach your child about the importance of forgiveness as well as forging balanced relationships with other people. If you guide her carefully, you can help your Scorpio child develop interests that will benefit the world at large, as she brings her focus, willpower, and determination to bear.

Relationship between Madison & Mommy: Your Scorpio child is more intense and complex than you are, yet somehow, you understand him. For one thing, your differences balance you out: You provide a solid foundation of trust for your little Scorpio, and he makes sure there's a strong emotional connection between you. In fact, he relies on you perhaps more than you realize, as his need for security is very strong but often hidden. Try not to criticize your child too much. He's more sensitive than he wants you to know, and too many nitpicky comments will undermine him. And when little Scorpio gets upset, watch out! Forgiving and forgetting isn't your child's strong point. When his feelings are hurt, he exercises his power from behind the scenes. You're far more cool-headed -- another difference that either balances you out or pushes you apart -- so your little one's passion will mystify you at times.

Relationship between Madison & Daddy: You're a very good parent to your Scorpio child because you understand her emotional depths. Other people might find your child rather intense or complex, but you sense your little one's feelings intuitively and respond to her needs at that level. Plus, you understand that any manipulative or possessive behavior on her part is just a bid for emotional closeness -- a need you share. Of course, your child is a bit deeper than you are by nature, and her urge to explore the darker side of life might sometimes make you uncomfortable. You'd rather stick with what's familiar, so you don't quite get her interest in secrets and mysteries. Still, let her delve into her experiences in the way that comes naturally to her. That's how she'll learn and grow, and she's lucky to have you standing by, willing to offer soothing and protection as needed.

About Chip and I as parents :) The two of you make a no-nonsense parenting team. Not that you can't relax and have fun. You certainly can, when the time is right. But "work before pleasure" is the principle you'll teach your children and model yourselves. You both need to feel secure and will do whatever it takes to ensure that your family is safe and that your children have the best opportunities you can afford. The Cancer parent is a nurturer, sensitive and emotional. You seem to just "know" when your child is ill or injured. Be careful not to be overly sensitive, though. Don't take offense where none was intended. The Virgo parent is all about standards and perfection. You expect a lot from your kids, and generally they will try to rise to the challenge. Try to remember that they are children, and don't set the bar impossibly high.