Monday Carter Edition #66~Countdown

Monday Carter would like to share a little something with you. In just t-w-o very short days...
That would be not today, not tomorrow, but the next day, she will be turning FIVE!!! She is excited, I am in denial, we are all ready to party and the countdown is on!

Lesson from the Prairie~The One With the Country Girls

I'm a sucker for a good episode of Little House on the Prairie. Growing up it was one of my favorite shows and Kim, Clint and I could often be found "playing" Little House. It was perfect after all, I would be the oldest sister Mary, Kim would be the middle sister Laura, and Clint made the perfect Baby Carrie (with a bonnet and skirt you would have never known he was a boy). My dads recliner was transformed into a covered wagon and off we would go!

So lately my afternoons have gotten a whole lot better because the Hallmark channel is now airing Little House on the Prairie re-runs daily. For Carter's "rest time" we watch an episode (okay usually we watch two) and she is loving it as much as I do! It is a little embarrassing to admit but I usually shed a tear or two by the end because, let's face it, there is nothing quite as endearing as a sweet family of five facing the trials of farm life while sharing a log cabin!

The other day we were watching an episode called "Country Girls". The Ingalls family is pretty new to Walnut Grove and it is Laura and Mary's first day of school. They meet the infamous Nelly Olsen (which let's face it we all have a little Nelly in us) who snubs her nose at them every chance she gets and says (in a disgusted tone) "Country Girls." Ma and Pa, being the good parents they are, suggest the girls kill her with kindness. Which is all fine and good until Ma has a run in with Nellie's mother Mrs. Olsen. Let's just say that is is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE episodes and I insist you watch the highlights (it's not too long, and you may want to pause the music player at the bottom before watching)...

But, if you don't have time at least watch the 30 second version...

As a kid I wanted to be just like Laura and Mary...but I find as an adult I want nothing more than to be just like Ma. Because, while I would be the first to admit I've had my "Nellie moments", I also have a bit of country girl in me too (the proof is in the picture)...

Maybe I can get Carter to start calling me Ma...we'll have to work on that!

Eat Your Heart Out Westlake

Nine years ago my dad was the head football coach at Westwood High School in Round Rock, Texas. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, the kind that is just perfect for football. They were the underdogs and no one gave them much of a chance against their cross town rivals Austin Westlake. But that Saturday was one of the magical ones where David beats Goliath and my dad and his team came out on top. I like to think that it is one of those games that, when my dad looks back on his coaching career one day, will stand out as a highlight (photo of our family after Westwood defeated Westlake 2001)...











Fast forward to this past Friday night. Our whole crew was in town to cheer on my dad as he faced Austin Westlake again. We did what we do best and grabbed a little BBQ before the game...











I also snagged a few photos of Emerson with Mimi and Papa because we didn't have one yet...








It was all going great...











Until Papa pinched her...









Just kidding, of course he wouldn't do that!! She's just kinda' a momma's girl and isn't crazy about other peoples arms sometimes, which we all found pretty funny...




After dinner it was on to the game. My dad was leading a new team, but the Abilene Cooper Cougars were still the underdogs and Westlake wasn't giving them the time of day. It was their loss (no pun intended) because my dad and the Coogs came out on top (35 to 28) and he once again defeated the powerhouse that has been Austin Westlake!




Let's just say this mom of two can still get pretty into a football game. I am a coach's daughter after all and I can't remember the last time I screamed as loud as I did when they pulled off a half back pass which put them in scoring position to win the game (that was for you dad, aren't you impressed I know what a half back pass is?!).

So after the big win we grabbed a couple of photos, one of the whole Family...




and one to re-create the photo of our smaller "crew" from the previous win nine years ago (of course Emme was a welcome addition) we're all just a bit older and wiser...





Carter also found her own way to celebrate the big win...





And in true four year old fashion once was certainly not enough...




She begged her Uncles to throw her higher and higher...





And being the good guys they are they happily obliged...





It was a great night. I love to see my dad happy, proud, and satisfied. No one deserves it more than he does.

Back Porch Sittin'

We rolled into Abilene last week right along with a cold front!! That's right, the temperatures dropped from the rather uncomfortable 100 degree mark to the upper 70's and we were loving it! Over the next couple of days there was a lot of back porch sittin' going on!




We were all enjoying the weather, and each other (me and my sweet girls)...





And Pops even made it home for a visit during lunch (hanging out with Carter and Emerson)...






He and Emme had a little more chill time...






and then my mom managed to attach this pom pom to her wrist...




she wasn't quite sure what to think when she couldn't get it off...





We all thought it was pretty hilarious!






She was a good sport though, and after a little baby food from Roxi...





We did our best to grab a family photo (although something else seems to have caught the girls attention)!




That evening we headed out for a little Friday night football...it was a big win for the COOGS, more on that tomorrow!

Extra, Extra, Read All About It...

Emme's on the move and we're gonna' shout it!!




Actually, it's kinda' old news because Emerson has officially been crawling for a couple of weeks now.





She is quite the little ranger doing the army crawl everywhere she goes.



She is into everything and is a pretty mischevious little munchkin'.




She is best known for closing the door of any room she is in,




which can make getting in to retrieve her pretty difficult.



She is kinda' crazy about the little door stop things that go "boing", and will do just about anything to get her little hands on one!



She is pretty proud of her latest accomplishment,





and so are we.




Way to go sweet little Emme,




it's a whole new world out there!

Monday Carter Edition #65~Slip n' Slide

Nothing screams summer like a Slip n' Slide. Monday Carter had her very first experience with one this afternoon and she was loving it...

She was riding on her knees until I may or may not have taken a ride on the Ariel express in my work out clothes to show her exactly how it was done. Fun for all, Happy Monday!!

My dad's a pretty smart guy.

I was hanging out with one of my favorite people this morning, who also just happens to be my sister which is pretty convenient. While we were visiting she mentioned that when she was first thinking about starting her business (which is booming) she called my dad up for a little advice. She then shared the thing he told her that meant the most which was this...
That hit me like a ton of bricks. You see, while I'm sure that this quote is spot on for business women like my sister and definitely applies to my dad's arena of high school football, I couldn't help but quickly feel like it was meant for me too.

While I don't get to take cool trips to San Francisco for chic business conferences like my sister...or Coach a bunch of smelly high school boys like my dad (pretty sure I wouldn't want that job!) I am plenty busy with my own sweet babies right here at home.

My job may be a little (okay a lot) less glamorous, but it is my job. It is what I spend all my time doing and what I pour my heart and soul into. Sure, I have other things that I dabble in or like to devote some of myself to here and there, but if you were to do a pie chart of my life time spent "mothering" my kids would definitely be the biggest piece. I love it, really I do, but it isn't always the most glamorous of occupations. There isn't always a lot of "credit" being handed out, and the results may not be clearly seen for another 20+ years or so. And, honestly speaking, let me just admit I sometimes long for a pat on the back, an atta' girl, or heck while I'm dreaming even a paycheck!

But when my sister shared my dad's quote I realized something...none of that really matters. Like most things in life our family is a team effort. The more time I spend contributing and the less time I spend looking for credit the better off we'll be. Which means that if I forget about being "noticed" and "recognized" for my efforts the sky is the limit!

I'm thinking this may be my new favorite quote and it just happens to come from one of my favorite people. Thanks dad, you're a pretty smart guy.