31 May 2011

Sleeping and Dogs

Sometime while I was pregnant with Tyson we made the ultimate decision to kick Turbo out of our bed. It was tragic and rough and I'm sure there were several tears spilled but it was fabulous. I know the "experts" suggest never allowing a dog into your bed in the first place. But have these experts ever tried sleeping when their oh so cute and cuddly, furry little puppy whines and whimpers and cries all night long until they finally place their oh so cute and cuddly, furry little puppy in their bed and find the whining and whimpering and crying ceases? Yeah, I didn't think so.

So that's how it began. We had Turbo and the easiest way to sleep at night was to allow him into our bed.
And that worked great for about a year. Then this crazy thing happened; well, two crazy things: our little dog became not so little anymore and I became impregnated by my darling husband. Thus Turbo had to leave the bed.

Now this situation has been very merry and bright for quite some time. Then, oh then we added another dog to the family. And I am so not kidding when I say that the only reason Scout is still in this family is because she makes Stuart laugh on a daily basis.

While I was working at the hospital, Stuart got into the habit of letting the dogs sleep in bed with him. Not a huge deal; I mean, I wasn't sleeping in the bed so no harm, no foul. But after I stopped working and joined the land of daytime people, somehow the dogs didn't leave the bed. Well, Turbo did. But Scout...

Not only does she still sleep in the bed, but she sleeps UNDER THE COVERS. She starts by nudging Stuart's legs and worms her way under the covers till she's in. Then she slowly creeps from Stuart's side of the bed to mine. And once she hits my space, she unfurls. Legs and feet stretch out as far and long as she can possibly push them. We end up with something like this:


And I am not lying when I say I wake up all night long kicking her out of the bed. She then repeats the whole darn process so that every morning I wake up with my knees touching my chin and the covers somewhere between gone and not there.

Not wanting to be left out, Turbo decides to join in every once in a blue moon. And we end up with this:




That lump in between? That's me. Definitely not sleeping.

30 May 2011

Memorial Day


I know the end says Happy Veterans Day, but this is just such a touching tribute to all our military.
Thank you for all you do!

27 May 2011

Stay-At-Home vs. Working Parent

I saw this article and just giggled. While I think there are pros and cons to both sides of the working/non working argument, my personal  has been to stay home.


My husband always asks how my day went. And he really wants to know. He’s nice like that. As we slowly push the girls around in the stroller, he shares what went right during his day at the office, and I share funny things the kids said. On bad days we vent stresses and offer support and advice.
But lately I can’t help wondering if when I mention that my day was sort of stressful, he mentally thinks, “Yeah, my days are like that too.” Because I really don’t think that our days have the same sort of stresses.
When you decide to become a stay-at-home parent, you enter into a different realm — one ruled by illogical two-year-old dictators, school schedules, and choosing the correct color yogurt. As much as I can explain this to my husband, I don’t know that I’m getting through. Now I’ve done the next best thing: creating a list of questions that will help him and other office-bound parents gauge how (cough, cough) similar their days are to ours.
  1. When you walked into work this morning and pleasantly greeted your co-worker Jim, was his first reaction to scream “NO! WANT JASON!" followed by an office supply being thrown at you?
  2. Has a colleague ever climbed up on your lap while you were using your computer and slammed the keyboard with both fists until the up arrow no longer worked?
  3. Do you have to lock yourself in the supply closet or bathroom on a regular basis in order to make phone calls?
  4. Did you finish a complete thought at any time during the day?
  5. When you went out to lunch with your fellow workers, did you have to pack a diaper/juice/extra outfit for them? Did you have to wipe their faces? Smile an apology and leave an extra tip for the waiter on their behalf?
  6. When a co-worker needed you for something, did she sit at her desk with her head tilted back toward the ceiling and repeatedly scream “SEAN! SEEEEANNNN! SEAAAAAAN!” until you came to find him?
  7. When you needed a specific colleague, did you search all over for him, only to finally find him giggling in the cabinet under the sink? Did you also find six pairs of your church shoes under there with him?
  8. Have you had to come to an associate’s aid because she fell off her desk after trying to climb on top of it using a rolling chair?
  9. When you reached for the report a co-worker was handing you, did he snatch them away at the last second and scream “MINE!” while shoving you backwards?
  10. Does your colleague lift up her shirt and pick things out of her belly button every time she comes over to ask a question?
  11. While you are using the restroom, do various co-workers come in the stall and ask you to settle a disagreement or open a packet of fruit snacks?
  12. During a board meeting when everyone is present, do you notice a smell and then have to check all your colleagues’ pants to locate it? In fact, at ANY point in your day do you have to deal with another person's feces?
If the answer to most of these questions is no, it’s a safe bet to assume you’re in an office. That said, if your answer to most of these questions is yes, and you know you’re in an office, it’s safe to assume you might need a new job.
Article found here.

26 May 2011

May 26, 2011





pictures the boys drew for Nana
hand delivered to her flower garden
we miss her so much

21 May 2011

Mustang Island

Last weekend, we loaded up and leaded to Padre Island..and then to Mustang Island for our 1st EVER family "vacation." I know. It's really hard for me wrap my head around the thought that we have never ventured anywhere as a family but that problem was quickly remedied by camping in a tent and eating s'mores and playing at the beach.

Here we are on arrival.

The load.

Me and my SIL M.

The boys and 1/3 of their cousins. :)

Our homes. And a knock-out sunset.

Tucker really had a hard time even keeping his shorts on. What can I say? The boys loves to be unclothed.

Beach!


 Stuart and our BIL J clearing a path. 


 And flying kites.

The girl cousins began making their own site.


 Beyond happy.

Tucker post stitches. He really is pathetic isn't he? 
{Tucker slipped on some rocks and had to get 2 stitches in his left foot. It just so happens that our BIL J is also their pediatrician. And it just so happened that he was carrying a portable operating room in a bag and was able to "fix his foot" in a jiffy.}

Tyson ever so content to play in the sand.

Cousin photo op at the yacht club.

More kite flying before we had to say goodbye. Oh and the guy in the grey shirt is NOT Stuart. It's his almost identical twin, but 4 years older brother. Also known as Grandpa by Tucker.

The end.

20 May 2011

An Anatomy Lesson

Tucker: Do you have a testicle in your head mommy?
Me: Nope. But I have a brain in my head.
Tucker: Do I have a testicle in MY head?
Me: No, you have a brain too.
Tucker: Do I have a testicle?
Me: Yes. You have two of them, remember?
Tucker: Oh yes, yes, yes. Does daddy have a testicle in his head?
Me: {pondering} Yup. ;)

19 May 2011

You Can Not Loose My Love

18 May 2011

Breakfast

Tucker: Mommy, I want some bresfest.
Me: Do you want your new cereal?
Tucker: No. I want chocolate sandwiches.
Me: Um, no. Chocolate sandwiches (s'mores) are only for camping.
Tucker: But I really want one!
Me: I'm sorry buddy, but you can't have a chocolate sandwich for breakfast.
Tucker: Can we go camping?

17 May 2011

A Peek

the cousins

11 May 2011

Days

Today is sweet Luke's 2nd birthday! Please continue to pray as he recovers from surgery.
1 day till Turbo's 7th birthday.
2 days till we go camping with the Doss siblings (and families) at Mustang Island.
15 days till we remember the day Jennifer went to live in Heaven.
16 days till Scout's 3rd birthday.
102 days till Tyson starts Kindergarten!


10 May 2011

A Late Mother's Day Video

My sister shared this with me and I had to pass it along. I think I can empathize with every mom of every child in this video. Enjoy! And Happy Post Mother's Day everyone!


09 May 2011

Some Things That I am Loving

  1. This room {as seen here}

2. These painted rocks {as seen here}


3. This key chain {found here}


4. This craft room {as seen here}


5. This website {found here}


08 May 2011

"M"

To the woman who gave me life


 And to the children that gave me my name


Happy Mother's Day!

07 May 2011

You never know what you'll find on Google

So I was playing around on Google the other day, looking for this and that when I decided to type my name in. No big deal. Most of the articles that popped up were really me or the other Clarissa Doss in Mississippi who sings with her family in her church choir. Just for kicks, I typed in my maiden name and low and beholde, I found this. Now, this story is very interesting on many fronts. 1) I have never met or heard of this author, 2) the odds of him meeting this Clarissa AND spelling my maiden name correctly are slim to none (yet he did), 3) I was named after my Aunt Clara (creepy music playing).

So here's the story: {which you don't have to read but I thought I would include it for the sake of including it}

Not For Love Nor Money
By Micki Peluso 
Thursday, November 13, 2008 

Rated "PG13" by the Author. 

This is a "prompt " story that took firast place in a contest. It concerns wining money but loves prevails.


                      “NOT FOR LOVE NOR MONEY”

            It was her silent affirmations that kept her from going completely insane. Clarrisa threw in a few ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘I Ams’ to quell her trembling body. There was nothing she hated more than funerals .A dozen showers would not get remove the smell of perfumed flowers blended with the odor of death that permeated her clothing and hair. And she had yet to begin to grieve.
Great Aunt Clara had passed away a week ago today -- a feisty, eccentric ninety-year-old woman who wore floppy straw hats in summer and colorful felt hats in winter.  She had been a handsome, woman, yet she never married. “Can’t find a man who can put up with me,” she often said.  This was probably true as she was a strong woman who could not tolerate weakness in people, nor did she “suffer fools gladly.”
            Clarissa, her namesake, had spent summers with her, along with her cousin Sebastian. They were the same age, but Clarissa considerd him a nerd, for they had nothing in common.  He was always tripping over his own feet and stumbling over his words. He drove Clarissa crazy.
            “Be nice to Bastian,” Great Aunt Clara chided.  “Some day you may see him in a different light.”
            “I‘d rather not see him at all,” Clarissa replied.  Sebastian set her teeth on edge.
Great Aunt Clara just smiled that elusive, mysterious smile of hers, which spoke volumes, none of which her great-niece grasped.
            As in many families, a rift grew between Great Aunt Clara and her niece, Clarissa’s mother, which put an abrupt halt to summer vacations. Clarissa wrote to her from time to time as she grew up. She was an only child and writing to her beloved great aunt was a catharsis for a lonely young girl. She kept the lettters from her wise old aunt in a special ribboned box, topped by a small, floppy straw hat.
            Clarissa was certainly not expecting to find an attorney knocking on her door a few days after the sparsely attended funeral. 
            “Clarissa Chisholm, I presume?” he asked, as she let him into her studio apartment. 
            “Yes. What can I do for you?”
            “Ah Miss, it is,” I am happy to announce, “what I can do for you.”
Clarissa thought he looked like a butler right out of an English gothic novel. 
            “I think it best if you sit down, Clarissa, as what I have to say may come as somewhat of a shock.”
            Clarissa sat.
            “It seems, my dear that your great aunt Clara had quite a legacy and she saw fit to leave a large part of it to you.” 
            “To me?  Why?  I havn’t seen my aunt since I was in my teens, except at her funeral. And what could she possibly have to leave me other than some old jewelry that I really would treasure?”
            “Oh that too, but much more. I am happy to inform you that your great aunt has left you five million dollars.”
            Clarissa fainted.
            When she came to, the elderly attorney was fanning her with a magazine and atempting to force a sip of water between her pale lips.  Clarissa sputtered and sat up.
            “Okay, say that again and I will not faint this time. I hope.”
            The attorney repeated his littany and while Clarissa did not faint, she did sink into the pillows of her over-stuffed sofa and sighed. “This is just a dream.”
            “No,” the lawyer insisted.  “It is quite true , but there is one stipulation.”
            “I knew it!  Always a catch.  I have to join a nunnery, right?”
            “No, no, my dear, nothing so dreadful as that. You have to marry your second cousin, Sebastian Logan, within one year to receive your inheritance.” He wiped his face with a white pristine hankerchief, as if this was as taxing for him as it was for Clarissa.
            “Sebastian! I haven’t seen him since he was a nerdy kid and we never got along then.”
            “That is the stipulation, Miss. I suggest, if I may, that you reaquaint yourself with this young man. A lot of money is at stake. I took the liberty of getting his address, and phone number. I added his e-mail address as well.” The attorney was sweating freely now. “Sometimes it is easier to write someone to renew former ties.”
            “What torture!” Clarissa said, tosssing a throw pillow across the room. She stood up and went to the   refrigerator to get the poor lawyer some iced tea, muttering to herself all the way. “Five million dollars to marry a dork I detested. What a cruel joke Great Aunt Clara played on me. I thought she loved me.”
            “I know nothing of the circumstances,” the attorney said, gratefully gulping the cold drink. “These are the terms and they are ironclad. I will leave you the documents and when you have proof of marriage to this nerd, er, Sebastian, call me and your inheritance will be released. Goodbye, my dear,” he said, handing her his business card,”and good luck to you. Sometimes nerds grow up to be . . . well, less nerdy.”
            Sure, thought Clarissa, words of wisdom spoken by a nerdy attorney. Later, as she sipped a cheap chianti red wine, she said out loud ,” Wow! What am I going to do?”
Like Scarlett O’Hara, she decided to worry about it tomorrow.
Clarissa waited a few days and then e-mailed Sebastian. She was surprised at his prompt reply.  No mention was made of the five million dollars.  Sebastian explained that he had been in Europe at the time of Great Aunt Clara’s funeral.  As they chatted back and forth over the internet, she learned that he had become, basically, a “rocket scientist.” for a major medical research company. His articles were documented in prominent scientific archives and journals.  Still a nerd, Clarissa thought, but at least a successful one. They decided after weeks of e-mailing, to meet for dinner.
            Clarissa dressed in a sultry black low-cut, short dress, not so much to entice Sebastian, but to show off her ginger-haired, green-eyed beauty.  She was unprepared for the suave, tall, incredibly handsome man in the Calvin Klein navy blue suit.  Surely this could not be the nerdy Sebastian standing inside her door.
            “Clarissa.”  He smiled and Clarisssa melted from the beauty of it. “It is so nice to see you again. You have grown into a lovely woman.”
            “Thank you. You have changed quite a bit as well.”
            He led her to his Rolls Royce and drove them to a charming restaurant overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. 
“Did an attorney by any chance contact you concerning our Great Aunt Clara?” she asked, after finishing lobster bisque too scrumptious to describe.
“Yes Clarissa, the same day he visited you.  Quite a dilemna we have, no?” His warm brown eyes, no longer framed by the tortoise-shelled glasses of his youth, watched her with a quizzical stare.
“So you know the stipulations, then?”
“Certainly. I was also offered five million dollars if I married you. Not likely to happen.”
Clarissa bristled at his remark. “Well we do have a year to catch up with each other.” Surely this hunk of a man could not be her annoying cousin.
“So we do, and since I was adopted, our blood lines are compatible. But I earn enough to keep myself happy and I would never marry for money.”
“Neither would I,” Clarissa added. “But where would our money go?”
“To a good charity, I presume. I can live with that. Now, Clarissa, as much as I have enjoyed your company, I must take you home now. I have an early meeting tomorrow.”
“No neeed to take me home.  I am going to enjoy the ambience for a while and indulge in an after dinner apertif.  Please do not let me detain you.” Her voice was cool, her words clipped, as she dismissed him.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not. Go now. We can do this again sometime.”
“Perhaps,” he said, and giving her a five million dollar smile, left her to her own devices.
Clarissa’s head reeled from the week’s events. Five million dollars if she married a former nerd, who had tranformed into a handsome Prince Charming, who showed no feelings or interest in her on a romantic level.  What would Scarlett O’Hara do?  Clarissa had no idea, but she did have one whole year to claim a fortune. And a man she found she desired.  It struck her with with startling honesty that the man seemed more desirable than the money.  Clarissa shivered as a chill swept over her. Great Aunt Clara’s spirit seemed to brush over her and she was sure she heard a long contented sigh.

06 May 2011

Sweetness

Wednesday, another one of Stu's cousin joined the elite rank of daddyhood.


Hailey Nicole
May 4, 2011
7 lbs 6 oz
19.5 in

Welcome to the world precious girl!

05 May 2011

Crabs

A couple of weeks ago, one of Stu's Coast Guard buddies sent us some fresh crab {which he probably caught} from Oregon.
 Stu was delighted.
 The boys were very curious.
 One more than the other.
I was just plain hungry.

03 May 2011

SO here's what I have learned

  1. My cousin's surgery went well! Praise God! He's still in ICU recovering and prayers are still very much coveted but at least surgery is over.
  2. We were not the only people "hit" on our street Sunday night. 3 other houses had their vehicles broken into. One house at the very beginning of the street had their truck window smashed out like ours and the owners lunch box stolen (a lunch box? really?), our diagonal cul-de-sac neighbor had their daughter's Leapster stolen but the mean guys were able to get in without smashing anything, and our across-the-cul-de-sac neighbor had $63 stolen from his truck which was unlocked. All of us have filed police reports and our next-door neighbor is still looking at his surveillance system to see if he can recover any information.
  3. I really, really, really don't like the feeling over being invaded. Or the thought that these people were hanging out in my driveway, looking in our cars. It's just violating.
  4. There is a bit of relief knowing that we weren't targeted and there is "safety" in numbers. That and the more evidence we have against these morons, the better chance we have of justice if we catch them.
  5. Stuart, not wanting my van to be "vulnerable," moved things around in the garage so that I can now park in the garage. Hooray!
  6. Oh, and the Chevrolet dealership wants to charge you $350 for a new side window, with an additional $125 if the gasket also needs to be replaced ("which it normally does"). And they can come and repair all this at your house for the low cost of $150! (and NO, we did NOT go this route)

02 May 2011

Mays

2006
 2007
 2008
 2009
 2010

Prayers

Please say a prayer for my cousin, Justin this morning. He's in the ICU in Amarillo due to an MRSA infection in his spine. The infection destroyed his T5 vertebrae and is now attacking his T4. He's in a lot of pain and surgery is scheduled for today.

In other news, Tucker now has a double pink eye infection on top of allergies. His poor little eyes are so matted and he spent a good portion of last night crying because it hurt so bad.

AND Stuart woke up this morning to find his driver's side window smashed and (drum roll please.....)
HIS WALLET WAS STOLEN! The kindly perpetrators used our debit card all over San Antonio until about 4:30 this morning. So I got to wake up to Stuart asking me if I knew if his wallet was inside of not and then his conversation with the bank. Good times! A police report has been filed and thank goodness our neighbor has a security camera mounted on the outside of his house. Hopefully we are able to get a license plate number of something off of that. (He's still not home and I am so anxious to find anything out on the tape).