Budman

Over 9 years ago Brian and I decided we needed a dog. We got our first puppy, Buddy. It was love at first sight and we let him sleep with us, carried him around, dressed him in sweaters, and treated him like a child. Even though he got put on the back burner when Peyton was born, he still loved us and jumped for joy when we walked through the door. He adjusted well and Peyton called him her brother and hounded us until we let him sleep in her room. When Landree gets upset or in trouble she calls and cries for him and calls herself, "Buddy's Girl."

On Wednesday we said good-bye to a member of our family- the Budman. During this week of thanks we are thankful for all the many blessings God has given us including over 9 years of faithful companionship of our dog.

For our girls he was a playmate

A constant shadow always in the background keeping watch

The guardian and Hoover of all crumbs

A two year old's Best Friend

During the last year and a half I have been home and spent everyday with Buddy. We knew this day would come but as I type this, I am still unprepared to look down and not see him at my feet.

Please Forgive Me

Those of you who have sent me emails and I have not responded- please be patient with me. Since Monday night, I have tea dyed 24 t-shirts, cut fringe on the bottom and both sleeves of 22 of them, put pony beads on every few strips (they got farther between the more I did- especially at 3:30 this or maybe yesterday morning), got home at 10 tonight from a church meeting knowing that I still had to make Cocoa Krispy Turkeys (I'll show you a pic later) for Landree's class, and cut and bead two more shirts since one got painted wrong and one has mysteriously disappeared. Tomorrow I have a PTA meeting in the morning then work at the school book fair for the afternoon and tomorrow night design and make a crystal shirt with the local high school's mascot for the silent auction on Friday. Friday I am spending the entire day at Peyton's school to help with the Rennaisance Fair and get them ready for the Big Pow-Wow. Brian took the day off to help some. So it should be a fun and exhausting day. I might be asleep by supper on Friday and then Saturday I need to evaluate my time management skills and scrub the "sucker" and "newbie" off my head. So all of you that are waiting for me to respond- look for me Saturday.

HE DID IT!!!!

Today is one of my proudest days ever. Brian ran the San Antonio Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon- 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 19 seconds. Brian left the house this morning at 5:20. The girls and I left at 6:20 and it was 38 degrees. I talked to Brian a few times and knew he was cold and anxious. The girls and I met up with our friend Gerald whose wife Kentonine was running the race also. We waited at the 2 Mile Marker and we finally caught our first glimpse.

After hearing, "Go Daddy Go," he saw us.

USAA did a lottery and sponsored some employees and paid their marathon fees and gave them a shirt. Can you tell he likes attention?

We hurried up and went to the 8 mile marker and then did potty breaks and Gerald got a snack. We then realized he had picked up his pace and almost missed him- you can see the 8 mile marker in the background.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures of him ever. How does a man who has run 8 miles look this good? Even after all this, the daddy he is came out and he was waving to Landree.

After we saw Kentonine race by, we hoofed it to the finish line. And I mean hoofed it because at one point we were running. We saw Brian less than one hundred feet from the finish line here.

We then began the search to find him. Gerald kept Landree and Peyton and I went to find him. I of course was so excited that I literally cried all the way to him. Bless is heart he was tired and cold. He walked around with the metal blankets they were passing out. Peyton kept calling it his cape.

Here are our two runners.

Brian started his weight loss story August of 2007 and today was maybe not his final chapter but one of the last ones.

And for the first time ever since I became a Mom, I had a camera in my hands for almost 3 hours with my children and never took a picture of them. Today was all about Daddy.

Today and Tomorrow

This is where we spent part of today.

And this is where we will spend tomorrow.

We'll be freezing our hineys off in 34 degree weather. UGH!!! It was literally 86 degrees here yesterday- what happened. Grandma- don't you love that picture- thought of you as soon as I pulled it up.

I'll try to post more words tomorrow but we have a thing at church tomorrow evening so I'll work on it.

A Day of Waiting

Today has been about waiting. We got up early this morning, ate breakfast, got everyone dressed, packed 4 lunches and the four of us were standing in line to vote a little before seven. Luckily, it was at school so we just walked up there. Unluckily, they didn't open at 7 like they were supposed to and didn't start letting people in until 7:20. I walked Peyton to class and came back to wait again. We finally got out of there at 8:10. I got Landree to school and then rushed back to Peyton's school.

The Kindergarteners were going to the McNay Museum http://www.mcnayart.org/. You know I was excited since I couldn't go on the last field trip and I was one of the 4 moms able to go to this one. We were told that normally they don't let Kinders in but an exception is made for Roan Forest because they are so usualy well behaved. Well this tells me two things- 1- I knew expectations are high at that school and 2- Kindergarteners probably shouldn't be going to an Art Museum.

I helped load the bus and then joined a caravan of SUVs and Minivans going across town. When I pulled in it reminded me a lot of the Norton Art Gallery back home but about 10 times the size. We got all 8 classes off the buses and split them in half. One group went into the museum and Peyton's group went to eat lunch. We then had an hour to wander around the grounds and wait for our assigned time to enter the museum. As you can imagine an hour of waiting on Museum grounds is a lot to expect from 5-6 year olds. My teacher mode kicked in and within fifteen minutes I had Peyton's hand and a rather rambunctious boys hand.

We finally got the ok and got all lined up and ready for our docents. The wait continued and then we started noticing a lot of people coming out. Well the fire alarms were going off and they couldn't find the source. So the whole museum was evacuated. Half an hour of waiting and they still couldn't find the source so no museum. So again the 5-6 year olds had to wait again. We passed the time with Duck-Duck-Goose until the buses got there. We are hoping to get approval to go back again. So I put a very disappointed daughter who wanted to see Monet and Van Gogh (I know its Kindergarten) back on the bus back to school.

Of course we are all waiting to see who our next leader will be after the polls close. Regardless of your choice, I hope you go vote. I have not told anyone how I voted and haven't asked anyone including my husband and vice-versa. Remember, if you don't vote, you give up the right to complain for four years. In this house, we love to bitch to much to give up that right. So take a chair, drink, snack, ipod, and a book and go exercise your right. You wouldn't want to miss getting to wait would you?

Halloween 2008

So this year my children decided to divert from the normal Disney Halloween and I had to use a little creativity. Peyton wanted to be Ruby the Red Fairy from the Rainbow Fairies Book Series.

Landree wanted to be-

wait for it,

wait for it- Abby Cadabby- I know big surprise. So this meant I could not go buy costumes this year- well they had one for Abby Cadabby but she didn't look right so I had to make one. I got Peyton's dress off Ebay and added a pair of cheap wings. Brian thinks her dress looks like a lounge singers dress.
I found a leotard for Landree and only had to make the tutu and Korker bows for Abby Hair. There was a row of tulle around her neck like Abby's but after 4 hours of my nice hard work and a week of wearing it around the house, Landree decided that it was itchy and didn't want to wear it. So off it came and here is our Abby Cadabby.

Here are some random shots that I like which is code for I couldn't decide which ones to post so I just posted them all.

This is the face of a girl who is tired of Mom taking pictures and ready to go Trick or Treating

So we put a bowl of Candy out and off we went.

Notice the girl's choice of footwear. Peyton wore those blasted Hannah Montana Crocs instead of the red ones- I'm beginning to hate those shoes. Landree picked out Peyton's pink boots. She is being raised in Texas.

At the first house, Peyton proceeded to tell the lady that Landree couldn't eat that candy because she was allergic to it. At another house Landree got to pick her own candy and of course she picked a full sized bag of Peanut MMs. I think I now remember why I didn't go last year. We ended up meeting up with another Peyton in our neighborhood who is almost four and she and her dad joined us for TOT. Landree only refused one house that was awfully scary but other than that she did great. Halfway through Brian remembered why he brought a wagon last year for Landree. We finally made it through the neighborhood and then ran by Jim and Debra's where Landree proceeded to walk right in and plop herself down in Jim's chair, put her thumb in her mouth and watched TV. Brian took the girls in and filled the bowl up with more candy. I walked back in and this is what I found.

Here is what we looked like after we finally told Landree no more Candy but Peyton knew she was getting to stay up a little later so that she could eat some chocolate.

Here was the haul of candy the two girls got- with my commentary

Peyton ended up sleeping in her costume that night. The Great Pumpkin came and took all the unsafe candy and left movies for the girls- didn't you know that the great pumpkin did that for Food Allergy Kids?

I watched my girls all cute and pretty in their costumes as they flitted around. As a mom you can get so caught up in the "magic" of the event. Then something brings you back to reality

Yeah, I know she's going to kill me one day.