Time....Where Did You Go?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I was just reading a fellow blogger's entry about her son turning 2 in a few weeks. As she was poetically waxing about this monumental feat, all I could think was NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Though I post a "Happy Birthday Baby" entry every month to commemorate Grayson's "new" age it is always tinged a tad with bittersweet sentiment for me. Heck, I used to cry every Friday because he was turning a week older. When did that stop? I thought for sure I would still be doing it his sophomore year of high school. Don't get me wrong, I want to see Gray grow and change and develop into the kick-ass kid (and man - gasp!) I know he is destined to be, I just HATE that it is happening so incredibly, ridiculously fast.
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Since day one (literally), I have always heeded the advice of others: "Enjoy every day, they grow up so fast." I thought if I took the time to truly marinate in every moment, every milestone then I wouldn't be so sad to see them replaced with new moments, new milestones.

WRONG!

I have realized that moms (or is it just me?) live in a world replete with contradictions: YAY! Grayson's rolling over! Or YAY! He's eating peas! Wait, what? Grayson's rolling over and eating peas? You mean he's chomping down on real food? What happened to cuddling on the couch with a boob?

Arrgghh! It's exhausting being so inexplicably torn between two emotions flanked on either side of the spectrum.

Time flies by. My emotions stand still. And this mommy needs a nap from both.

P.S. Grayson, could you just stay little for a while longer? Please? With a cherry on top?

Hair Today......Gone Forever

S.....I.....G.....H! Sorry I have been gone for a couple of days. My son got a hair cut from his Daddy (no, not with my permission) on Saturday, while I was at the spa...and I've just been kinda "blah" ever since. You would've thought I was 6 months pregnant by the way my emotions got the best of me! I cried for a good while, then just sat with my arms crossed, in a kind of "huff", and I think I even put on some kind of pouty lip. After about half an hour of this, I decided it wasn't going to grow back, so I might as well just put my big girl panties on and deal with it. I know, I know...it WAS a little out of control and a bit funny looking , too. When your little angel's coif is referred to as "troll doll hair", it kind of puts things in to perspective.

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The hubs and I had discussed giving him a trim...ME GIVING HIM A TRIM...I just didn't think it needed to be done so soon. I was gonna wait a couple of more years..er, weeks, I mean. ;)

So....spa you say? Why yes, I do say! The aforementioned hubs was up to some good by surprising me with a late Christmas present. I was minding my business, probably blogging, one glorious afternoon. When much to my astonishment, there was a knock at the door. Now, we NEVER get visitors at the honeycomb hideout, so I was a little leery going to the door. But, when my eyes peeped through the peep hole and saw little brown shorts and a package (no, not a package IN the brown shorts, that came out wrong) my heart started to race! Woo hoo..."I'm getting something, I'm getting something" my body started doing some kind of jig while unlocking the dead bolt.

As I autographed the handheld, my heart started beating a little faster. I kindly said "thank you" to the UP's man and started ripping through the cardboard. Now, you may ask, "Missy, how did you know it was for you?" Well, I just had a feelin'. So as I quickly glanced at the sender's address, just to make sure, I saw the words...are you ready for this, people? SPAWISH.COM. What? What's a "spawish"? Ohhhh, duh....Spa Wish! Mani's, pedi's, and rubs...oh my! I started doing the jig again.

So, now for the best part.

A week and a half went by, and though my body longed for a "spa day", I just didn't have the time. I had put the gift certificate in a place for safe keeping (next to the computer) so every time I payed bills or checked my email it would just stare at me. "I don't have time for you. Maybe in March I will use you for a little "birthday primping"", I said. It just rolled it's little gift certificate eyes and huffed "whatever".

Yadda Yadda.... so, Kev got the flu, we went to my parents, came home, walked in the door completely exhausted, and this is what I found:

A card, on top of the bar, that read,

To: My beautiful wife and the mother of my son
From: The man of your dreams

Missy,

" A day of beauty & relaxation awaits you...
start your day off right with breakfast - you have a long day & you'll need your strength!
1. Be in Frisco by 10am for your hair appt w/ the young, blond Jessica.
2. Make sure you get to downtown McKinney for the best part!
You're 3 1/2 hours of relaxation is at Essence of Eve Day Spa at 1pm.
You'll want to get there early so they can wine & dine you!

You deserve this baby,
I love you!"
~Kevin

My heart did somersaults! I looked at Kev with his little flu-face and saw a smirk. He was proud of himself for pulling off such a romantic gesture and I for him! Even though he was on his death bed, he still planned a whole afternoon for me to get pampered. Awe honey! He really is an amazing man and I love him so much!! I am So incredibly lucky to have him as my husband. I mean, come on...what man would go to such lengths as trying to find out who colors your hair and THEN booking an appt with them on a busy Saturday?
I'll tell you who! Kevin Neal Richards, that's who!

So, now you know why I can't stay mad at him for cutting off the Al Sharpton-esque tuft! I'm getting used to it, although he does look even MORE like his Daddy now!

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Happy Birthday Baby!

Our little man is growing up so fast! Here's some of the things he's doing these days:

~He drove his first car! see previous post
~He's rolling all over the place and trying ever so hard to crawl.
~He's making "Mmm Mmmm" noises when eating his cereal.
~He tried green beans for the first time....didn't like them! We'll try again next month.
~He's practicing drinking water out of a sippy cup and doing pretty good.
~He weighs 16.4 lbs and is wearing 6-9 months....boobie milk does a body good!
~Loves to pet Bentley and pull on her ears, nose, eyes, etc....
~He's nursing 5-6 times a day.
~He loves his toys and loves to put them in his mouth.
~He LOVES his big boy car seat.
~Still no teeth, but drooling like a faucet.
~He can stick half his foot in his mouth....hope this doesn't become a habit like his Mama! :)
~He laughs and smiles when we're acting silly!
~Likes to help Mama with laundry!

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1 week old shhhhh....baby's sleeping!

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5 months old woohoo....this is fun, Mom!

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These next pictures wouldn't have been possible without our wonderful cousins at Wulf Outdoors.....thank you Mayo's for Grayson's 1st camo outfit! Ummmm....."gettir done"...or something like that!


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Hey Papi, next time you go hunting, can I come?

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Here a Germ, There a Germ, Everywhere a Germ Germ....

After Thursday nights Spawn Fest at the Cheesecake Factory and my friend's sweet baby girl getting pink eye, I decided enough was enough. Grayson, Kevin, and I would go live in a bubble somewhere that accepted dogs, too. But THEN, Kevin came home from work Friday night with some kind of germatic cough so he's not invited anymore. I sent him off to Care Now and he came back with a Zpack and some codine cough syrup. Sometime during the night our air conditioner was "turned down magically" to 60*! I woke up with icicles on my eyelashes and turned over to find my beloved husband sweating like a 8 month preggo in July! I sent his butt to the couch and Saturday morning he woke up with 102* temp. I sent him back to the doctor and quickly packed up everything I owned and headed east to my parents. I got a call later from him saying that he had the flu....THE FLU!!!! Augh! So being the germaphobe mom that I am, I pulled over on the side of the road and sanitized my little boys hands and face with my antibacterial wipes that are oh so handy (Grayson just looked at me with this little blank stare...probably wonderin'..."what the heck, lady?!")

Ten hours later (not really...they live close to Kaufman, so like, 45 min), we arrived at Nana and Pawpaw's house. Sigh....finally, out in the country where we could breathe in some fresh air and not worry about contagious attackers looking to jump down our throats.

I love, love, LOVE going to my parents house! I call it "Hotel Moody" because the sheets are like a 1000 threadcount and gourmet meals are at your fingertips. They live in a place where you can leave your back door unlocked and your windows open. You can even watch the sun come up from their back porch. Most houses don't even have fences in their back yards...can you imagine? You can wear jeans on the golf course and head over to DQ for a blizzard whenever you want.

So early Sat afternoon, we went to eat at a little hole-in-the-wall mexican food joint(aren't those the best?) and then stopped by a resale shop where we found some great bargain toys for Grayson. Nana bought him a shiny red car to ride and I bought him a sesame street walker to go explorin' in. We were so excited to get back to try out our new gems! Pawpaw grilled burgers for dinner and then we went on an expedition around the block.
Check out Grayson in his new car! How does he know to put his hands on the wheel?

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"Thanks Pawpaw, I was thirsty!"

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"Look Momma, no hands!"

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So Cool!

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I wish Daddy wasn't sick

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Thanks Nana, you're the best!

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Our little man was pooped after the burgers...he slept all night. What is it about Nana's house? I sleep better, too. Maybe it's because I know when I wake up I'm getting homeade waffles, eggs, and bacon....so spoiled!
It was another gorgeous day outside on Sunday so we decided to go around the block again.

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Grayson loves this thing...he cried when we took him out! So we let him try his walker and he started cruisin'. My parents floors are all tile and wood so this made Mr. Chubby Legs scoot all over the place.

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Now, it's Monday and Daddy is still sick. I guess we'll just HAVE to stay another night.....darn!

Venting a Latte

So....I had to work last night and I would just like to say:

Restaurants are not a natural habitat for children. Dining establishments should never be mistaken for day cares. I don't care where it is- white tablecloth and crystal wine glasses or plastic boothed buffets- no one wants to see or hear your crotchlings running races in the aisles as servers carrying beverage trays of SCALDING HOT white chocolate caramel lattes and Godiva cheesecake dodge them.

I appreciate you want family time. I'm a mom, too. However, learning begins at home. Suck it up, get your face out of that plate of chicken and biscuits and tie your howler monkey's tail to the chair. If those avocado egg rolls are that important, get them to go and spare us your spawn.

If it cries, screams, howls, or begs for attention, that should be YOUR clue that you have failed as a parent. Go back two spaces and start over in teaching your child to sit down, shut up, and behave in public. You should NOT shove video games or action figures in their faces. And I would think twice, maybe even three times, about asking your sweet, stressed out server for yet another refill of strawberry lemonade....what is that, like 5 glasses now? We, as Cheesecake Factory employees, are NOT here to chase down your little rug rats and surely did not leave our little angels at home so that we could run our heiny's off to get your little hell spawn more maraschino cherries! It is in your best interest to leave us the fattest tip imaginable- Gratuity Added Or Not- we deserve it.

Furthermore, no child, no matter the age, should be expected to sit through a two hour family reunion drunk-fest with drinks, appetizers, meals, desserts, AND coffee for 15 people. You suck. Get a babysitter.

And finally, you do not need to be running around with small children at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night. Go home. You can return your ungrateful Christmas gifts Saturday. The mall opens at 10 A.M.!

Fingers Were So Five Minutes Ago.....

Last month I blogged about Grayson's obsession with his hands. Well, this week he's found a new wiggly body part to love (no, not THAT one...Yet). As his Mommy and as a girl who doesn't get the fascination, I am DREADING that day!
I'm talking about his toes, people! He can't keep his hands or his mouth off his feet. Check him out on the changing table!

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Our little bubba is DEFINITELY a "boy's boy"! He's trying so very hard to crawl but his chubby lil legs just keep going backwards instead of forwards. A "scoot", if you will. A backwards scoot, but nonetheless, a scoot. He is already making little forts to scoot under. In less than 3 minutes he back scooted ten feet! Check out his fort!

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No, we didn't put him there...I promise. He just somehow gets himself into these little pickles. Here's a clip of him "scootin".....he gets VERY excited and lets out little grunts and squeals. It's so funny watching him!

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Looks like it won't be much longer till he's off gettin into things! I foresee a very tired Momma in 2008!

SCRUM-DIDLY-UM-TIOUS!!

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As I sit here being oh so stuffed from engorging on my delish New Year's Day feast, I must say it was truly "scrumdidlyumtious". I made all the fixin's "Moody Style". We had mom's famous meatloaf, cabbage for "$ money $", black eyed peas (no, not out of a can) for "good luck", johnny cake, and homemade garlic mashed taters. Mmm mmm! In my family, we put the johnny cake on the plate (corn bread), then a heaping spoonful of black eyes on top, and a dollop of chow chow (I just mix sweet relish with a little hot chopped cherry peppers). YUM-O! Kevin licked his plate clean and even had seconds! He told me he doesn't eat cabbage, but he sure did today! Maybe he wants a lot of $$ in '08 or else he wants to blow me out of the house....he IS a boy and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, they like passing gas. Anyhoo, I must give myself props because it was nothing short of FAB-U-LOUS....and I made it all myself. No help from Mama this year.

I'm sure I won't be so giddy when "the toots" start poppin' off!;)

I cannot believe it is 2008! Where did the last year go? I remember, like it was yesterday, looking at that little pee stick, thinking...."this time next year I will be a momma!" WOW!! And now my little fruit is rolling around on the floor making motorcycle noises! I swear he will be crawling by Valentine's Day...he's already semi-sitting up.

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve! After work....yes, I had to serve cheesecake and spirits to the cheerful drunks of Frisco till 9 o'clock... we headed over to my BFF's house for some fajitas and champagne. So six adults, Me, Kev, Michelle and Jeff, Our friend Lisa and her husband Adam and sweet daughter Grace (oh, and one more in the oven) who just moved down from Durant, OK...yea! We're so glad they're here) and Grayson and lil' Grace brought in the new year together. The food was SO good and the drinks...well, the drinks just weren't THAT important this year. Kev and I brought 2 bottles of champagne and there was a bottle of wine and some beer....but, we left with the 2 bottles of champagne and I think there was about 4 oz of wine drank. We had SO much fun just hanging out together and watching the kids roll around, walk, and squeal. Definitely different from past holiday celebrations, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Our 1st Christmas as a family was absolutely priceless! We started off the week at my Mom & Dad's on Friday and stayed till Sunday. My aunt, uncle, cousins, and Grannie were there, too. The food was out of this world. Bravo Mama! Paula Dean & Martha couldn't have done better! She really is the best. We always have fun little games to play with prizes ( that's the best part...there's always prizes, even for the losers (she calls it the "specials"). This year we split up into teams and got a bag of random stuff and had to dress up one team member as Santa using only what was in the bag. Dad, Kev, Kaitlyn (she's 5, so I think this was an unfair advantage for the other teams...but I'm not saying anything) and I were on a team...Dad, being our Santa. Let's just say... we got the "I'm Special" ribbon. It was so sad!
We ate some more and played Christmas pictionary, bingo, and then Santa came! He brought Grayson a big boy car seat! Woo hoo! It's the Cadillac of car seats, too. It's a Britax with all the bells and whistles....he's riding in style now.
Thanks Santa! So, after 2 full days of the Moody's, we headed home for a hot minute. I had to serve the masses again Sunday night.
After work, I headed home to do the laundry, repack, and then we were off to the Richard's. Christmas Eve was awesome! We had chili and cornbread and so many desserts..my MIL is a wonderful cook! After coffee and cakes we made our way over to the Christmas tree to open presents. My SIL's and I put on our santa hats and passed out the gifts like good little elves (it's a tradition). Unlike the crazy hoopla at the Moody's, the Richard's go around the room one by one and open gifts. It's fun to see what everyone is getting, but I think when the grandbabies are older it's gonna be much harder to keep their heinytails still long enough to see what the elders are opening.

I must say, Grayson made out like a bandit! He got a big boy high chair and a tool bench, an Up Up Elmo, lots of pj's, and a Fisherprice CD player. We stayed two nights with them, had lunch at Blue Mesa on Wed, and then back to Allen, Texas. Ahhhh....home sweet home! I took all the Christmas decor down Wed night because we decided to move his crib into the dining room. Yes, our little honey comb hideout is a ONE bedroom apartment and Mr. Grayson has been resting his precious head in our bedroom since the day we brought him home. So I decided it was high time for a change. Our lease is up in Feb so, it won't be much longer till he has his own quarters.

So, I guess to sum it all up...this past year was AMAZING! My family has gone through some hardships over the past couple of years....but, then Grayson came along and turned our lemons into lemonade. We are so incredibly blessed to have each other and have our health, our jobs, and our faith. I love my family so much and just want to wish them all a very happy and healthy 2008!