Lainey's Lettuce Party

About a month ago, Lainey went to visit her friend Grace's grandmother's house. We call her Nanu. Lainey was instantly in love with the house and especially the pool in the backyard. She immediately started planning a celebration to be had at Nanu's house. It would include a menu of lettuce, hamburgers and grilled cheeses for the kids.

Nanu (Debbie Burns) was incredibly kind and indulged Lainey with a real-life party. It was called Lainey's Lettuce Party. We had lettuce, grilled cheeses and wraps for the moms. Four friends and their moms came to the party. We left our little children with sitters so we could focus on the bigs and actually visit with each other.


The top picture is Abby and Lainey. Just moments before Lainey had a complete meltdown because Abby got a float out of the water before she could get to it. I am glad the drama was over something so big.

The Lettuce Party girls: Lainey, Lily, Abby and Grace.


Here are the moms! Don't we look excited to not be in the pool carting around all the children?

Thank you Nanu for being so kind to my daughter. She loved every second (minus the float incident) of the party. Thank you for opening your home for us to enjoy a swim, a delicious lunch and even better company. We love you.

Snapshot of this morning

Did I mention that Rhody loves baseball? My Dad got Rhody's Rangers jersey that he loves and got his name and the#10 put on it. It is perfect now. (Michael Young is #10) Kyle got him that batting helmet. He almost has as much gear as I have for my triathlon. Please, if you are ever in the neighborhood and want to play ball, just call us.

Lainey found my iPod today and listened to my running mix for quite a while. She has some interesting moves. She said she learned them from So You Think You Can Dance. She is on the Hot Tamale Train!!!


My boys love Lawn Guys. They will watch them for a whole 20 minutes. I wish it took them longer to do our lawn. Last time I got my hair and makeup done while our lawn was getting cut! Bo pushes and drags this lawn mower up and down our street.

My First Fall

Well, it had to happen. I fell off my bike this morning. I guess I should say I fell "with" my bike this morning, thanks to my clips. It sounds more dramatic then it really was. I was turning into my alley and my tire slipped off the pavement. I fell to the left. I am not so good at clipping out on the left--and definitely couldn't do it quickly! The good news is that it was literally the best situation for a fall. I fell into a "hill" of grass on my left. I maybe had to fall a foot or two before hitting a hill of grass-not pavement!

I successfully had my first fall. No bruises or scrapes to prove it. But still a decent fall.

Nothing much

So there was this perfect "blog" moment this morning--and I missed it. The boys were outside playing in the sprinklers. Lainey came outside to see what all the fuss was about and quickly decided to get on her swimsuit because no decent girl would play in her clothes! She also got a suit for rhody and a towel that everyone could share. She just can't help herself--she has to take care of things for everyone. (Hang on, we are not to the blog moment yet.) Lainey and Rhody got on their suits and then some how Bo ended up in just a diaper and then (not surprisingly) naked. He can take off a diaper faster than any kid. Lainey was walking around with an umbrella, Rhody was riding a purple tricycle and Bo was in the rear pushing his lawn mower. Would have made an awesome pic. Can't you just picture it? However, my camera is in Kyle's car. (honey, can you bring it in when you come home?) The moment isn't so great without the picture of Bo's round, white booty walking down the street pushing a lawnmower.

On a different note. I signed up for Facebook. I don't know exactly what it is but I have a lot of friends--and isn't that the point? One girl got me confused with my best friend from high school Missy James. I don't know how that happened. Seriously, I like blogging better.

Let's Go to the movies

Last night, Sarah and I took the girls to see Kit Kittredge--the American Girl Doll movie. The girls brought their new dolls that they got for their 5th birthdays (from grandparents!). Lainey is dressed like her doll--Annie Beth. We were supposed to go to Northpark at 5:45 pm to see the movie but. . . I checked the internet yesterday afternoon and there was no showing! I called and talked to the manager of AMC Northpark to let him know how disappointed I was that just a few days ago the computer listed the movie at 5:45 for Wednesday. I actually asked him to show it anyway--as a matter of principle. You might be shocked, but he didn't agree. So we went to a later movie at Firewheel. Sweet Abby fell asleep on the way home!

Lainey wanted you all to know her favorite part of the movie was when Kit and her friends were hiding from the book lady. Now if that isn't a great teaser, I don't know what else will get you to that movie.

I am definitely treasuring every minute with Lainey before she goes to Kindergarten. I enjoyed the whole thing!

Good Imagination

Every night before Lainey goes to bed, we go over our best and worst part of the day (highs and lows). She has to make sure she hears from me and Kyle before she will go to bed. Tonight, Lainey said she wanted to whisper her "high" in my ear and then I could tell daddy--who was 2 ft from us on her bed. She leaned up and said her "high" was that her daughter, Eliza who is seventeen, did a great job on her triathlon today. She jumped, ran, and swimmed (lainey's words) really well in her triathlon. She said that her daughter learned how to do all of that from her (Lainey). She likes to play "family" a lot but those babies she used to take care of have grown up really fast.

Baseball and Pops

We had a nice slow and fun Saturday today. We went swimming, the boys took long naps (could be why they aren't wanting to go to sleep tonight) and then one of Bo's favorite girls came over to stay for a while--Mary Elizabeth Bone (aka Ghee Ghee).

My Dad promised Rhody that he would come over to play baseball after Rhody took a nap. Well, around 5:00 Rhody asked where Poppy was? I was hoping he would forget but when it comes to baseball--he doesn't forget. When it comes to flushing the toilet or the letters in the alphabet--he does forget. Rhody and Pops took turns hitting and pitching. Rhody could care less about the heat or the bugs--he loved every second. Well, until I got the real baseball for them to play catch. Rhody got nailed 3 times and then told Pops he could take the real ball back to his house!

Bo and Ghee Ghee are seen here parking and looking at an iPhone. Add that one to the rehearsal dinner video. I guess that would only be appropriate if they actually marry each other. What do I do with all these cute pics of them if they choose someone else?

Fun times at the pool!

Today we went to Royal Oaks with the Gittemeiers! Kelly, Callie, Molly and her friend Zach were all there to dote on the kids and allow me to visit and eat and just sit! Thank you so much. Rhody loves playing with Big Zach (he is 6'8''--he is big) and Lainey loves all the Gittemeier girls. Bo loves ice cream. I love the Gittemeier family--all of them. They are my "go to" family or example family. I often think, "what would Kelly do" in all kinds of parenting and marital situations. Thanks for caring about me for about 13 years now!

Technology is so cool. Molly took this pic with her iPhone, emailed it to me and now it is on our blog. I get that there is some technology a lot more sophisticated than this. . . (I still don't even understand how a fax machine works or even remote controls or cordless phones. . . ) but I think we are being pretty tech savvy.

Thank you for loving on my kids today. (I know Callie will read this and relay it to her fam!)

It is just like riding a bike

Early this morning, I went on my first bike ride using my new bike shoes and clips. My sweet Bible study girls were praying for me not to make such a huge idiot of myself this morning. I never even practiced until the actual ride. I did not fall!!! I did have to warn some bikers who cam e up behind me at a light that they might not want to be right behind the amateur in case I had some trouble. But I clipped in and made it through the light. Thanks to Nancy, Lee Ann and Helen who made the early morning ride much more fun! You girls are awesome!

Here are the shoes that I got. See the red part, that is the cleat (i think) that clips into the petal. Lainey asked if she could not smile on this one--just be the model.



This is my new pedal. My shoe clicks right into these. You have to sort of twist your foot to get it out of the pedal. For those of us who have never had anything to do with cycling, you might not have even seen one of these before--like me! I can't say that I felt a whole lot faster just yet. But I am sure I am and that I will be doing the Tour de France any day now!

Friends and Injuries

Today Rhody finally got to play with Brandon Beller--one of his most favorite people. He has been planning this play date for a while. He really always wants someone to play baseball with him--I guess Mommy doesn't cut it most of the time. The only trouble is that Brandon wanted to play "knights" and Rhody still wanted to play baseball. Life is about compromise so we played swords, then hide n go seek, then baseball. All along the big boys were so sweet to include the littlest tagalong. Bo just wants to do everything they do. I can see problems in the future with this!



Right when we went outside, I was hitting the plastic ball with the plastic bat and just nailed Rhody right square in the face. I am going to include a picture that doesn't quite do it justice. You can actually see the imprint of the plastic "laces" from the ball on his cheek. Yet again, I am mommy of the year. Could explain why he wants someone else to play ball with.

McDonald's pick up

We picked up our kids this afternoon at McDonald's in Sulphur Springs! That is our usual drop-off/pick-up location when our kids spend the weekend with their grandparents. I have included some pics to document our time at the golden arches.

The kids got an ice cream cone and we got to catch up on some of the details of the weekend.

It is Diddy Daddy's birthday today! Happy Birthday--We love you!

Gobby and Lainey found this Rangers jersey/shirt this weekend. Evidently, he never took it off the rest of the weekend. Remember, he used to wear a Mickey Mouse hat everyday? This might be his new "uniform." Stay tuned. Rhody got to watch a lot of baseball while with his Diddy Daddy. Michael Young is still his favorite player.


Lainey got to bake cupcakes with Gobby! She made some for Diddy Daddy and saved a few for aunt Haley. I am not sure if Haley will actually get the cupcake or not. It is the thought that counts, right?

Kyle and I are so grateful for Gobby and Diddy Daddy! We love that we get to have a weekend to go to movies, get projects done, go to restaurants without kids meals and a mess, sleep in, take our time, etc. We enjoyed our weekend so much. However, we love even more that our kids get to spend time with their wonderful grandparents in their house. They don't get to see them as often as we would like, so those weekends there are so special. They are creating such fun memories for the kids. Lainey and Rhody couldn't wait to be dropped off (without Mommy and Daddy!) to go to Texarkana! Thank you Dennis and Sherry and Casey.

iPods, running, movies, etc.

Good morning! Well, the kids are in Texarkana this weekend with Kyle's parents. Yippee! The kids are having so much fun with Gobby and Diddy Daddy plus Mommy and Daddy get all kinds of stuff done here (and a movie or two!). Actually, we went to see Get Smart last night. We really enjoyed it and we sat on the same row as Ross Perot!!! Kyle was totally star struck. He sort of stalked him out to the concession stand. Ross is looking pretty good. Unfortunately, he tripped going up the stairs to his seat--don't worry he bounced right back up. It was fun to see him and know that even the super rich people with theaters in their own home still go to the mall to see a movie!

I just finished my long run this morning--6 miles! (for those of you who just tuned in to our lives, I am training for a triathlon and that is why I got up early even with kids away and ran in this awful heat! more on the triathlon another day) The fun thing about having a blog is that now while I am running, I think about what I could post on the blog. I don't always run alone but Kelli Davenport ended up not being able to go with me this morning. Sad she wasn't there but seriously, she is one of the best runners I know and I am not sure I could hang with her for six miles! Next time Kelli! Back to my random thoughts during my run. Have you ever run with the sun on your back so that you see your shadow running in front of you? Well, that is what it was like for me this morning. I made two observations: 1) my backside (bottom, if you will) looked unusually large compared to the rest of my body which I am convinced was totally an optical illusion and I will now put it in the back of my mind and forget that I ever even witnessed such a sight and 2) my pony tail looked like a horse's mane. I also thought it resembled the blonde pony tail of that cute 16 year old girl who made into the finals of the 1500 meter in the Olympic trials. I was exactly like her except that her hair isn't triple processed, she is literally 20 years younger than me and she could kick my tail in any sort of foot race--but other than that we are totally similar. (She didn't make the team--look for her in 4 years)

If you are looking for a few new songs to add to your playlist, here are a few fun ones to run to.
I am not sure of the exact title of these songs!!!

Pocket Full of Sunshine--Natasha Beddingfield (sp?)
Shake it! This is totally a throw back to the 80's!! so fun! Miley Cyrus' brother is in the band.
Since You've Been Gone--Kelly Clarkson (it is on my iPod 3 different times)
4 Minutes to save the world (?) -- Madonna and Justin Timberlake (who doesn't like madonna)

I am always looking for new songs to add to my playlist too! Gotta be upbeat.

Have a great day!

What happened to "go with the flow Bo?"

First, Let me say "WELCOME!" to all of you new visitors--specifically those who came from Rob & Haley's blog. My sweet sister-in-law actually introduced my blog for me! I wasn't quite ready to "go public" but here goes . . . I probably needed a kick-start anyway.

We affectionately nick-named my youngest "go with the flow Bo" or "slow Bo"--I get that serious counseling will be in his future because of this but he is the third! Anyway, those days are long gone. He is wild and crazy and adorable. He is also at that age where it is impossible to get him to pose for a picture. He only wants to take the picture with Mommy's nice digital camera. So for every shot you ever see of Bo, there are three out of focus pictures of plants, the pavement or the sky that need to be deleted off of iPhoto. See the above photo of the kids to see how most photo sessions go.

At least, Lainey and Rhody are usually happy to have their picture taken. Here they are on the 4th of July. We went to the LH parade and then left before going to the carnival. Literally, all of the kids (rob and haley's as well) said it was just too darn hot! We ended up swimming at nana's instead!

I thought this picture of angelic Bo is just so. . .ironic? (Can a picture be ironic?--Alanis would definitely say yes.) This is Bo in daddy's white T shirt and fairy wings, holding a baby doll. He wanted all of this on and then went to find a baby doll. It quickly came off when Rhody came outside with a ball and bat.

I have all kinds of ideas for this blog. Who knows if all of them will come to fruition? I always love to hear from you. Happy Blogging. (wait--are you blogging because you are visiting blogs or am I blogging because I am posting on the blog? these are the kind of questions that I am willing to find the answers to and then share them with you. )

Take me out to the ball game. . .

Rhody and Lainey went to their first Texas Ranger's baseball game a few weeks ago. They loved it! Thanks to Paul Gittemeier--they had some awesome seats right behind the dug out. Poppy went with them. Rhody loves the Rangers now and carries his glove, bat and ball with him at all times. His favorite is Michael Young--#10. We spend most of time playing baseball around here! Thanks Paul.

Here goes nothing. . .

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now. Isn't that what cool people do? Well, I am going to start to blog anyway. This is really for us and our family to keep up with the goings on and the funny details of our daily life with three kids. Really, who else is going to read it? But everyone is welcome! I am going to need a lot of help from my brothers to figure out the actual blogging process.