In Case You Were Wondering...

If I were black, I would do my hair like this:

I saw a girl with braids like this today and I thought it was so pretty.

I Love This Kid (Part 3)

Chase is a one of a kind kid. It is hard to describe him to those who haven't spent time with him. He has a very definite personality. He is cranky and cuddly. He is happy and angry. He is brash and shy. But he is ALL of these things ALL THE TIME.

Chase loves to run. Everywhere-- but especially outside. If he is running, he is happy.

He has an adorable smile. (Much like his dad, he doesn't care for pictures, so I went through 4 months of pictures looking for a recent one of him smiling-- I settled for this one).

He thrives on the chaos that is our house-- most days. He falls right in line with the rest of us-- singing, yelling, and dancing around the house. He is a climber and trouble maker.

But the kid has a temper. Even as a baby, if I gave him a cracker and he did not want a cracker, he would hold it up, scowl at me and slowly crush the cracker in his chubby hand. Like a villain in a Bond movie. If I offer him a toy and he doesn't want that toy, he has to take the toy and throw it as hard as possible. Its ridiculous. And unfortunately, hilarious. A family friend once said- "He is the only kid I know who can scowl while eating a cupcake."He is the baby of the family and thus, spoiled by all of us. He has found that he has very little reason to ever speak. Its enough to raise his hand and "summon" a particular snack or book or toy. And that always seems to work. If you pick the wrong snack or book or toy, he literally turns his nose up at it. As a result, he is almost two and has a very limited vocabulary.

I have been accused of vilifying Chase. However, once he is tucked into bed each night, Lance and I swap Chase stories and laugh our heads off at the kid. We love him so much and are so grateful (most days) that we were pretty much commanded to have Chase. He definitely completes our family.

A "Cool" Father's Day

Remember my "gripe" post about Mother's Day? We spent a small fortune on our relatively new air conditioner just before Mother's Day. I jokingly implied that I received air conditioning for Mother's Day.

Well, although Lance was out of town for Father's Day, we still sought to find him the perfect present-- something that said, "You are the best Dad in the world, we love you so much". As it turns out, he received this:Yes-- another air conditioning bill that well exceeded the one thousand dollar mark. Ouch. It was an expensive gift-- but nothing but the best for Lance!

Actually, I was able to go visit Lance in Houston for Father's Day and we also got him some edited versions of movies he's been wanting to see for a while. (The Hangover and Due Date-- both hilarious and perfectly edited).

I am known for getting people "fun" gifts that, while slightly entertaining, are fairly impractical. For example, last year I gave Lance a pair of HD sunglasses and last Christmas, I bought Steven a ghost meter and a ghost hunting guide to NYC. In short, I am kind of a terrible gift giver. I have way too much fun in the AS SEEN ON TV store at the mall. I love receiving gifts that are fun and unexpected. I am just now learning that not everyone feels the same way.

So, to keep up the tradition, we also bought Lance an Aluma-wallet for Father's Day. The commercial boasts that it is indestructible and can survive being run over by a car. I can now tell you from first-hand experience that this is not true. The "indestructible aluma-wallet" died a painful death in a Houston driveway minutes after it was opened.

Grandes Pendientes

I have expressed my passion for giant earrings previously on this blog. I am never fully dressed and ready for the day until I am wearing a pair of ridiculously, unnecessarily large earrings. I love them. They bring a little "glam" to my jeans and t-shirt wardrobe.

My mom and I were on the annual birthday shopping trip last week when we ran into an accessory clearance sale. I found a plethora of HUGE earrings and I couldn't help myself.

That night at a "girlfriend dinner celebration", my friends did not hesitate to let me know that my recent purchases pushed the limits-- even for me. As they were mocking me, they noticed that on the wall of the Mexican restaurant was a portrait of a dark haired girl with ridiculously large earrings. They took a picture and every time I look at it, it cracks me up.


I have awesome friends. I value sincerity and humor above most other personality traits-- and so I love having people in my life who can be blunt and honest and make me laugh at myself (and at them in return) until my stomach hurts.