Belly Laughs

Before the "haircup", Riley and Dada hung out in the backyard. They were blowing bubbles and Dada was cracking Riley up. Russ whistled to get me to come out and watch. This is what I saw and heard:

Thanks for the Haircup

For the 2nd time, Tina and Norah have driven far from home to come to our house so Riley could have his own personal hairstylist in the comfort of his own home. Maybe one day I will tell the story of Riley's "first haircut" (the haircut that didn't happen) when we went to a kid-friendly hair salon. It's much worse than the story of our last trip to the doctor's office.


We'd talked about the haircut so he would be mentally prepared for it. The night before, Dada was leaving Riley's room at bedtime and said, "Are you going to get a haircut?" Riley responded with "Yes......Nonie.....see us." (Yes, I'm getting a haircut when Nonie comes to see us).



Wednesday afternoon I picked Riley up from school and talked it up. He was getting his "haircup." Nonie and Tina arrived, we ate dinner, and moved onto business. Riley was such a big boy! He sat in Dada's lap.....a bit concerned at first, but eventually loosened his grip on Russ's fingers and enjoyed the haircut. This time, with no tears OR lollipops. He looked so handsome and because we'd done it before, I knew those curls were coming back--I was more at ease too!





















Thanks to two of my favorite people who are still taking care of me (and now my family) 20 years later. I love you both.

Easter Sunday

My Sausage!

The 3 of us with Honey and Buzz have been to Rudy's on a Sunday the past month a few times. I don't love bbq, I just like it. It must be that the weather has been perfect for it--cold and/or rainy. It's nice to sit on their porch, with the fire going and the rain coming down outside. A friend told me, "It's comfort food." That must be why Rudy's has been so appealing lately.

We're trying to figure out how much of what to order, so every time we make adjustments based on how much leftovers we have. It's a skill we're developing.

Must haves: brisket, creamed corn, sausage, and a small cole slaw for myself, and sweet tea.

Not always necessary: ribs, turkey, and potato salad.

We discovered a new favorite of Riley's--sausage!!! He'll eat it with or without the "ketchup." Don't panic, it's barbecue sauce. That Rudy's BBQ sauce is pretty spicy, too! The creamed corn is a hit--what idiot wouldn't LOVE that stuff? Mama's cole slaw comes right back out of his mouth.

If you run into us at Rudy's, you'll for sure hear Riley saying, "My saw-sich." He'll say it with an entire mouthful of sausage, with some left in his little paper boat! He needs more--before he runs out!

The Ranch

My father-in-law and brother-in-law bought some land just outside of Lampassas. The Ranch. We're already in love. We've spent 2 weekends out there (and the boys a day off in the middle of the week) cleaning, moving in, cleaning, painting, and cleaning. This weekend a new toilet was installed, Riley rode a tractor for the first time with Uncle Mike, the cable guy came, Riley rode the 4-wheeler with Aunt Robbye, and Robbye and Mike moved in ALL of their goodies. There is so much work to be done, but every trip out there, it just gets better and better.

Today we were amazed by The Bee Tree. We parked, got out, and heard the buzzing. Of course it's a tree not far away from the house, halfway between the back and the front. One can't ignore the constant buzzing. It's pretty incredible, actually.

I cannot wait until the house is ready for us to spend the weekend in. Let the good times begin: riding 4-wheelers, shooting skeet, watching the cows, working on the tractor, getting away from it all, and most of all--hanging out and relaxing with our family.

He Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

Today I drove a tractor for the first time. Yes, really drove it. Forward, backward, lifted and lowered the loader, and tilted the bucket--the whole nine yards! And....Riley wanted to ride it with me. It's one of the few times he's sat still. He loved it (and I did too)!

Hey Cupcake!!!

I finally went to Hey Cupcake yesterday and it was everything I wanted it to be. It is a shiny Airstream Trailer converted into a cupcake stand--topped with a revolving cupcake (pink icing with sprinkles). Hey Cupcake should definitely be on your "List of Things to do in Austin."

The cupcakes were pretty fantastic too. I chose 24 Carrot (carrot cake with cream cheese icing), but running a close 2nd (I'll have that next time) was the Michael Jackson (chocolate cake with cream cheese icing).

I'm ready for another. Maybe I'll see you there.

www.heycupcake.com

(It's on South Congress, not far from Guero's--queso and cupcakes--watchout!)

I'm in Love!!

Yesterday was my first day of Spring Break. I had initially planned to take Riley to school Monday and have lunch with a friend. I felt a little guilty, but was going ahead with the plan. I even considered taking him, driving him to my mother's, etc. Early Monday morning, this friend emailed and said she had to cancel because she was having an unexpected root canal.

It was a great day to stay in--pouring down rain and pretty chilly. He slept in and we hung out in our j.j's most of the day. We watched a few episodes of Backyardigans, of course. He's starting to laugh at the funny things, so that's exciting to watch. He's been singing along for a while now and knowing more and more of the chorus and the last word of the lines. It warms my heart watching these things develop.

We ate blackberries (his first time and he says black bay-yay).
We ate scrambled eggs on toast with cheese.
We read books.

We played cars.
We went out on the back porch a few times ("A-yard Mama.")
We put together puzzles, 6 times each.
We played with "money" (his cash register).
We snuggled.
We loved every minute.

I am so thankful for my friend's dental drama (sorry, Cara). Without it, I would've missed out on this wonderful day with my favorite little man.

Coffee Date

My Babe surprised me by showing up at school on Friday. We had a Chili Cook Off and he almost made it in time to be a guest judge. Instead, he arrived and there were 4 empty crockpots!

After school, we stopped into Starbucks and had a coffee date! It was perfectly cold outside and both of us decided on something cold--whatever. We sat in the cushioned chairs and took it all in. Talking, people watching, and purely enjoying each others company. It meant more to me than he knows.

Strawberry Cream Frappucino for him and an iced Caramel Macchiato for me. D-Lish!!

These also caught my eye.....yes, I'll take 12, please.

Guinea Pig

So I practiced on my sweet baby yesterday after I soaked in some of the wisdom I gained from my class on Saturday.

His blue eyes mixed with the golden cast of the sun look so green I can't believe it.

The Cupcake Academy

I had a photgraphy class today. It was fun and I learned some tricks to make my photos even better! These are some of my favorites from today.


Yes, there really were cupcakes!



This is Mrs. Cupcake (the fabulous, real-life photgrapher. Check her out at www.pinkletoes.com).



See how pretty she is without a camera in front of her face? Notice her perfect cupcake shirt!


I took this great picture of these sisters and I don't even know their names.



My favorite pic of Shelly from today