Friday Fhoto Finish Fiesta

"Mommy - Mommy take-a my picture - my dinosaurs"

Mommy zooms in - "ok say cheese little buddy......"

"No Mommy! - Take-a picture JUST-a my dinosuars" 

(I seem to be raising little wanna be Italians around here)

Mommy - "Ohhhhh"

I Heart Faces

I do Heart this face 

http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/2008/01/week-7-kids.html

A Little Light Reading

Not Me Monday

UPDATE!!!!!! :) 

This is NOT a much nicer Not Me to read. :) 

I am NOT going to send you to a great blog with the intention of sending you to a great website!!!!!! Go to www.ourdandelionwishes.com

Click on her sidebar to the Fishfulthinking Thinking link - be sure and go to HolleeAnn's site first and then go to the fishfulthinking because she gets an awesome amazing opportunity if she gets enough hits. 

Then seriously - do NOT go check out this AMAZING website - I love the thought of building optimism in kids - so right up my alley. 

No I am NOT going to go ahead and remind you to set up your Girls Night Out to celebrate cold and flu season! 

No on to the original depressing Not Me's :) 

I am NOT going to talk about having to put our 12 year old lab Logan to sleep. 

I am NOT going to tell you that I bought Logan for the Best Daddy for our first Valentines Day together. 

I did NOT cry the hardest when we told the Little Buddy to say good bye to him because Daddy was going to take him to the doctor and the Little Buddy put his arm around him and said, "I lub dis big dog - yeah - I lub dis Logan."

Having a good Tuesday here - will do a Tuesday post soon! 

Holly 

I Heart the Spotted Box!

So way back when the I Heart Bowheads blog was born - I actually did make and occasionally sell - well - bows. I found this awesome amazing thing called The Spotted Box. I stopped making and selling bows (three kids - really no time) BUT every month I make and send off 60 bows to the box for two reasons - always looking for readers - you know me and Uncle Kracker - we want those followers - AND because I get a box - every month!!!!!!!!!!! The box is filled with great stuff as you will see below.....

I got so many cute things in this months box  that I could not possibly blog them all - here are a few standouts in my mind. :) 

How adorable is this Raspberry Lollipop ( not a great pictures - sorry? from Simply Heaven Lollipop Shoppe? 

This is the nicest stationary from T and Little S Designs - the card says "Time Passes....friendship stays right where it's put!" 

I know exactly who I am sending this one too!

This is the BEST playdough EVER - I nearly died it smelled so good. It is from Sublime Playdough and I gave it to the Little Buddy one day while the girls were at school - he would not let it go! 

Know what this is? A beanbag! It is going straight into an Easter Basket (as is the above lollipop). It is from Thought of Ewe and came with a nice little shpiel about how great beanbags are and all the stuff you can do with them! 

Check out these cute earrings (once again - sorry for the photography - did it with my phone) BUT these are ALL for the Mommy! I am wearing them to church tomorrow!

 Thanks Silver Huggers! 

I think I saw that this one was the Best of the Box - it is a Chenille Chef Play Food sample - a little ice cream cone! (Once again - going in an Easter Basket) AND I will be shopping with her as well. Did I mention that you get tons and tons of gift certificates and coupons also? Ooops - should have mentioned that up front - I love shopping online after I get my box. :) I tell my hubby that I am doing my part to support the other Mom Vendors. 

AND - last but not least - I Heart Bowheads so how excited am I going to be to put the Noodle in this fabulous black and white polka dotted bow from Polkatotboutique? You know me - VERY excited. :) 

Go check out The Spotted Box! I am telling you - it is like Christmas once a month! :) 

Friday Fhoto Finish Fiesta - Fiesty Flu Season!

Sigh - Cold and Flu season is still here and Strep Throat is in my house - again - my poor Ladybug - two weeks to the day after surgery - 8 hours to the minute after being cleared at the pediatric surgeons - has STREP THROAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I am going to go ahead and talk for just a sec here about our bloggy party! It all started when my best friend and I were lamenting cold and flu season - we have 6 children between the two of us and we share our daily trials and tribulations via long phone calls daily. We decided that when we survived this cold and flu season and the puking, snotting, fever running of our children ages 7,6,4,4,2, and 6 months - that we would go out to a Mommy dinner after March 1st - eat good food and raise a glass of wine to the joy of impending spring. 

Now - I have a bloggy BFF - she lives in Montana but I feel like I know her through her blog and she and I email back and forth - she has 4 of her own and poor thing - she has had a worse cold and flu season than I have I think! Anyway - Heidi - talked to her BFF and is planning a similar dinner out! 

Thus the bloggy party was born - we want to urge all you Mommy's out there to plan a dinner out with a girl friend - take pictures - have fun - and post about it! I am going to post the code for the button at some point - I think we should even do a giveaway for the most creative post or something (Heidi - what do you think?) Anyway - start planning my friends! More details coming!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Hi Lo Thursday

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and for a chance to win $100.

Hi/Lo Thursday 

Highs

Pooping

Lows

Pooping!

Yes folks - I am talking about pooping - one on antibiotics - one just came off of tylenol with codeine - yes - we are talking about pooping in our house this week - a lot - it has been a High and a Low 

A High!!!!! 

Heidi and I are working up an awesome bloggy carnival - more details to come but I will give you a little hint. :) 

A High and a Low

Master swim this morning - ouch - I have done basically nothing the last two weeks except for take care of sick kids and eat so my body said - hey now slow down wait a minute lady - what are you doing?

A High

The Ladybug back at school post surgery!!!!! 

A Low 

The Noodle back on breathing treatments - sigh - oh well at least they are working! 

Hi hello to all of you! A BIG High is my bloggy friends!!!!!!!!!!! 

Wordy Wordless Wednesday

(If you want the words - go read THIS article:) 

Not Me Monday!

We did not have an ear infection come and live in an ear in this house this week! 

We did not have to start doing breathing treatments for the Noodle again this week! 

I was not just bragging (to a very good friend who loves me even when I brag) that we have had a pretty good cold and flu season and I credit that to my refusal to go to indoor play places and the fact that I try to stick to organic whole foods. 

This would not be considered a jinx - right? 

I do not secretly hate the month of February because of cold and flu season. 

I am NOT going out to eat on March 1st with my best friend (who has 3 boys under the age of 6) to celebrate the fact that we survived February. 

I did NOT tell my bloggy bff Heidi about this event and now she is NOT going to go out with one of her best friends and dump - I mean - leave their 8 children at home with the Daddy's to go and celebrate the same event! 

We are NOT talking about making some kind of bloggy carnival out of it. :)  

I do NOT highly recommend setting this up for yourself. It is  certainly NOT important to have survival goals. 

I am not becoming almost as big of a preservative nut as I am a germaphobe. 

My husband does NOT ever worry that I might be losing my mind. :) 

Now to top all of that off about how healthy we eat.........

There Is No WAY that I 

ate Buffalo Chicken Tenders with ranch dressing and drank not one but TWO margaritas at Studio Movie Grill last night with the BD and LOVED every single second of it......

Not ME!!!! 

Friday Fhoto Finish Fiesta and Friday Freebie - Phew!

Check out the Freaky Funny tongue on the Fiesty Pug in her Fancy Faux Fur (actually down but come on - I gotta stick with the alliteration) coat! 

Then head over to one of my very favorite BFF bloggy buddies - Heidi - and enter to win her Friday Freebie. I loved taking the Love Language survey. Very interesting! 

I not outta my bed Mommy

Yes - this is our Brother Bear "hiding". You no see me Mommy. I not outta my bed Mommy. I all done seepin' Mommy. No Mommy - don't putta me in my bed yet!" 

I say - "Nice try Buddy". He grins and says to himself - "yeah nice try" and walks back into his room. 

:) 

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me Monday

This week I did NOT have a child in a surgery room for an hour. 
I did NOT sit and play Tetris on my iPhone while listening to Casting Crowns the entire time. 
I am NOT so thrilled that it is Monday and all the drama is over! 
I am NOT pretty much at a loss for any other cute Not Me's because my world has pretty much revolved around this whole surgery thing. 
I am NOT going to refer you to this post below because I am NOT so proud of my Ladybug and really want to send you to our big story of the week! 

The Story of a trip to a Hospital

Once Upon A Time....

There was a Brave Little Girl named Grace 

Who had a little problem (turned out to be two little problems) and had to go visit a Pediatric Surgery Center to have it fixed. 

The Little Girl had a Brave Daddy (who likes to play with toys and video games as much as the children) and a Brave Mommy (who is not pictured because she is also the family papparazzi). Notice how sweet and good the Brave Little Girl sat and read her book with her dolly Lucy in the waiting room. 

Did I mention that the Little Girl is also very pretty? (Although this opinion might be somewhat biased by the storyteller.)

  Still....... such a good and sweet little girl. 

Here is the Little Girl after she was given her Giggle Juice. (At this point the Mommy was very tempted to ask if they had any Mommy Giggle juice but refrained from asking said question in case the nurses might find it in poor taste.) 

The Mommy also had to sneak a picture of this after her surgery because - come on - how cute? Look at her little toeS. That was also where they had her iv which she did not even seem to notice. 

This made the Mommy REALLY smile because this was right after surgery. She was in the bed - very groggy. I busted out the comment and she busted out the smile. Surely I don't take too many pictures of them - right? 

In the story there was also a Brave Pediatric Surgeon. He was very smart and very funny and wrote YES on the correct side. We knew that there was a hernia on the right side. We did not know at the time that there was also a hernia on the left side. He looked with his teeny tiny little camera and then had to make a second incision to repair the other side. 

This is the Brave Little Girl leaving the hospital. They really hook you up in there. 

This is the Brave Little Girl saying Good Bye and also saying 

 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

She is home!

Hooray! She is home and doing well. :) They did have to repair both sides and she is sore and tired but we are home!

Pics and post tomorrow - gotta go cuddle now.

THANK YOU for your thoughts and prayers!

Much bloggy love

Holly

Pray for Grace

Anonymity Shnanonimity - This is my Ladybug and her name is Grace. Please say a prayer as we go in for our "Big Cut".  See this post if you are just passing through and are curious about the Big Cut. 

Have a great day - I will be  glad when mine is over!!!!!! :) 

Holly 

Thousand Words Thursday

(Say a prayer for Sister Big tomorrow - 'K?)

Running Away From Home

So - we live in Texas 

we heart Texas BUT when we get even the slightest bit of ice - the whole world shuts down. We missed two days of school this week because of a little ice storm. Now - don't get me wrong - I am not complaining - I have NO idea how to drive on ice and have no business on the roads. This is also not to mention that we LOVE stay at home days around here and spent 3 days in our pj's in front of a fire, just being together. 

By the end of the third day - the girls had been getting a little restless and decided that they were going to run away. Thank you Junie B

for the great idea!

They decided ( my ladybug and my noodle ) to travel to the Elementary School. The reason being - there is food there. 

They proceeded to pack their bag - note one bag. The thinking here being that the Noodle is only 4, smaller, and would therefore get very tired walking to school so the Ladybug would need to do all the heavy lifting. 

Here is what they packed............

Some light reading

A Harmonica so that they could "sit around and sing sad songs...." (their words friends - not mine). I asked why sad songs?

 The Noodle very seriously says,

 "oh we would miss you so Mommy". 

A picture of themselves

(I thought this one was interesting but did not question it at the time - I should.)

and finally

One Nightgown (this was not my proudest moment my friends) - I asked what the thinking here was - they both looked at each other like, "hmmmm maybe should have thought that one through". 

and.....

The Ladyug's Piggy Bank - the thinking here was that the Ladybug was older and therefore would have more money saved by now in case - and I remind you these are their words - there were any "expenses" on the way to the elementary school. :) 

The Noodle did have the presence of mind to pack a fanny pack full of snacks and then ask me if they really had to go to the Elementary School or if they could just pretend to run away and go to the game room instead. I said that I thought that was a good idea and that night we read The Runaway Bunny - just to remember that the Mommy would have a hard time letting them go. :) 

Not Me Monday

Let's see this week I did not......

Actually jump up in my seat when I got the email from Mamarazzi saying she is going to do her favorite things swap again!!!!! I did not LOVE my swap partner last time - Stephanie She also did not heart the stuff that I sent her and write the nicest post HERE
This week I did NOT have to ask my husband what two teams were playing in the Super Bowl - that would be a little out of touch - right? 

I am NOT counting down to the Ladybugs "Big Cut" (her words not mine). It is NOT this Friday and I am in no way nervous. I have not read ALL about Inguinal Hernia's on the internet this week. 

People do not give us the strangest looks when we have to tell them about it. I have not said the words - it is actually a REALLY common pediatric problem - about a million times. 

The Ladybug is not excited about this Friday because there is no way that her Mommy told her that she was going to get presents and that she could be the princess of the house for the weekend. 

I am not THRILLED to be in the Serious Life Blog Directory  and I do NOT completely heart blogging, bloggers and all things bloggy. 

I do NOT have the CUTEST bloggy post in my head (and pictures on my computer) for tomorrow about my two precious girls who did NOT get the idea that running away would be a good adventure. (Thanks a lot Junie B Jones). 

I did NOT immediately think that the running away story would be the PERFECT blog post and I did NOT run downstairs to get my camera to take a picture of the packed backpack right away for just such a purpose. 

I do NOT have children running around like crazy people in pajamas as I work on this post. We do NOT have to be at dance at 10:00. 

I better NOT  go. I am NOT looking forward to reading all of your Not Me's at Naptime! 

:) 

H 

The Countdown to the Big Cut

The Ladybug's surgery is this Friday February 6th. The countdown has begun! Spread the word and the prayer requests please!!!!! 

:) 

Much much much Bloggy Love 

The Mommy 

25 Random Things

I just did this for Facebook - thought it would be a good blog post. :)

25 Random Things about Me! 

1. I am still crazy in love with my husband
2. I can say the alphabet backwards – really fast.
3. The man that speaks to me from my new navigation system in my car is named Lee. He speaks to me in a soothing Australian accent, never feels upset when I go the wrong way, and is very handsome in my head. I do not feel guilty about my relationship with Lee since my husband helped me find just the right accent.
4. My biggest pet peeves are people that are two faced and people that don’t return my phone calls.
5. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I was little until I discovered that I am afraid of deep water!
6. I am afraid of frogs – really afraid of frogs.
7. I did ride horses (English) for a long time. The biggest jump I ever jumped (while riding a horse) was 4’3”.
8. I was in ICU 10 days before my wedding.
9. When I get old – I am totally gonna get a big bow hat like Aretha Franklin.
10. My husband likes to tease me about the way that I talk with my hands.
11. I am basically about to cry because I just asked my hubby to name some random things about me – numbers 12 -16 are his…..
12. I have an Irish Temper.
13. I am a swimming machine. (I really do enjoy Master Swim)
14. I am the Best Mom ever ( have I mentioned that I am still crazy in love with the Best Daddy?)
15. You are – I mean I am defiantly not a morning person.
16. I am a big fan of German wine – particularly Riesling.
17. I have a totally new respect for my Mom now that I am a Mom.
18. I rock at Mario Cart but I still can’t always beat the Best Daddy.
19. The Best Daddy has completely driven all competitive spirit from me. I have quit trying to win. It is impossible and I am happier better person for not trying to beat him anymore.
20. Ich will Deutsch lernen.
21. I might wind up living in Germany and we have big plans of lots of great weekend getaways.
22. A ponytail is my favorite – wait strike that – only hairstyle.
23. I love my Mac. I am a total Mac person now and really love my iPhone.
24. I photograph my children relentlessly.
25. I feel the need to name every car that I own.