Rain, rain, come and stay!

It's raining like crazy today! Rain outside always makes me ready for a good nap... but I'm happy it's raining today because all of our new plants in the backyard are in ecstasy right now. I'm really busy here at work today with several new hires and half of the management team's travel itineraries! I really love days like this. All of my favorite music on my iPod in the background, my pretty flowers from my sweetie to celebrate our 14th anniversary last week. Life is good.

My sweet husband spent the better part of this past weekend outside in the Texas August sun landscaping our backyard. I swear there is no limit to his talent! The work he finished up yesterday is on par with a professional landscaper! Of course Hayden and Brandon were on hand to help. Hayden had fun using the shovel and helping Dad shovel in the mulch. Heidi was just happy everyone was outside with her.

Man! What about Michael Phelps!?!

Hayden was quite excited this morning as he started his last week with Kids R Kids. I told him to make sure that he behaves himself, or else Ms. Sylvia will be glad he's gone instead of missing him. She told me she was really going to miss Hayden. He tries so hard to crack her up, and usually succeeds.

Julia and Hayden's letters came over the weekend to announce their teachers for the year. All summer long, Julia has wished for Ms. Lubojosky, and it was granted! I called her Saturday night while she was in San Francisco to tell her, and she was elated. She's also excited about starting Drama Kids again. She really thrives there.

Hayden's teacher will be Ms. Wienken, who Ms. Lubojosky tells me is a good friend of hers, and a really good teacher. She has taught third and fourth grade for a number of years, which I think is going to be good for Hayden. Mike and I were talking about how the teachers aren't going to know what hit them. Hurricane Hayden is getting ready to make landfall! He will be starting Fall Ball again with West Sugar Land Little League this August, and Dad will coach hopefully.

Thursday is a big day. It's the official Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Day! Third grade will be on Friday, but we're going to miss it because our girl will still be gone. I've just about finished gathering all of their supplies, and now that I know both teachers name, I can label everything. Does anyone else remember how exciting is was to have a brand new box of crayons? New scissors, new glue, a new ruler, new shoes, a cool new lunchbox? Sigh....

So funny. This morning on the way to school, Hayden and I were talking about the big, exciting things coming up and a little voice says "What about me?" I think Brandon is going to have a very hard time once Hayden leaves Kids R Kids. Poor kiddo, his RSV has flared up again and he's been on the nebulizer all weekend. One of the common results is that he loses his voice! He started losing it last night, and this morning it was barely a squeak. It was so pitifully cute this morning as I was calling up to him to come down to breakfast and I hear "Good morning Mommy" in this squeaky voice!

So that coupled with no Julia means our house is REALLY quiet! I spoke to her briefly this morning and she's having lots of fun. Dad (Jim) says she and cousin Brooke are inseparable. Yesterday they apparently "saw the city" and Julia says it's beautiful. Today they were planning to go swimming. That kid is going to be exhausted by the time she gets home on Saturday.

Thank goodness it's Friday - I think...

Friday, payday... these are good things unless you're anxious about your firstborn being put in a steel tube and hurtling through the air without you later on in the day.

Julia leaves with her grandparents for San Francisco today. And she's so very excited and not even the least bit homesick yet. She had fun with Uncle James and Aunt Mandy and fun also with Aunt Chelle this week. She played with her friends Kate and Erin and went to Chuck E Cheese and an indoor bounce playground. With Chelle, she had a manicure and a pedicure, baked brownies, watched movies and went to Incredible Pizza.

I miss her. It's so oddly quiet at our house in the evenings, even though we still have 2 and 5 year old boys running around! I will get to see her for a little bit today since Mike's dad is bringing her over to have lunch with us. My mother and a good friend of mine is joining as well. Several people have suggested that I see her off at the airport this evening, but given that I'd be in hysterics, I don't think that's such a good idea. I'll be counting the days until I have all of my chicks in my nest again.

Missing my girl...

Julia left yesterday for 12 days, and Mommy's not handling it well...

She's going to spend a couple of days with her Godparents, James and Mandy, and then it's two more fun days with Aunt Chelle. I think Michelle said they're getting manicures, so she'll be all over that! And then Friday, my firstborn will board a plane with Grandma and Grandpa Masters and fly to San Francisco and stay until next Saturday!

She was SO excited, she could barely contain herself. She came to work with me Monday morning until Mandy picked her up at lunchtime. She is so much like my mother sometimes, she just has the easiest time talking to people. Some of my co-workers would come by and talk to her and she would just talk as though they were the best of friends. She really impressed Bernice (my boss) who hadn't really seen her in a while. Bernice said she was "effervescent" and had a quality about her. Bernice said she might be "discovered" in California. I would not be shocked one bit.

So yes, like the big blubbering baby I am when it comes to my kids, I cried when they drove away. It was very quiet last night at our house.

Tomorrow my sweet husband and I are celebrating 14 years of wedded bliss! So far, we're planning to have lunch together. And... I think that's it? Fine with me. I'm fortunate to spend 365 lucky days with the best person I've ever known, so I don't need wine, roses or jewelry to remind me of it.

Not only are we proud of being married 14 years and still fairly nuts about each other, but we're also celebrating our 20th year of togetherness. We met at good old Sam Rayburn high school where I had to stalk him for a couple of months, starting in August of 1988 (summer band!) before he finally got the guts to ask me to homecoming. Good grief, I gave him every signal in the book, I always thought guys looked for and acted upon them. I guess that just means my man is unique. I sure am glad I'm patient.

And for fun, here's Halloween picture of us during one of our high school football games in '89. I just love this picture. Happy Anniversary Honey!! (he's gonna kill me for this...)

Uh Oh! I'm Getting Creative!

So it took a few bad words during the process, but I've managed to add "cuteness" to my blog page. The one thing that's making me nearly homicidal is the fact that I can't add figure out how to add the comments element at the end of each post - one of the things I wanted the most! (If anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, please let me know.)

Big news this morning. Julia is going to San Francisco the week after next with her Grandma and Grandpa to spend a week with cousins Brooke and Bradley! We haven't told her yet, so when you hear the inevitable sonic boom, it's either Julia's excitement over her upcoming trip, or Hayden's rage over not getting to go along....

51 Things About The Masters

I asked Dawn for permission before I stole her idea.

Here are a few things you may or may not know about us....

1. We love everything Disney!
2. Julia is in Drama Kids - and loves it.
3. Mike likes to go shopping. He's a keeper.
4. All of my kids bring their plates to the kitchen counter after they are finished eating.
5. Brandon is our only toddler that ever tried to escape from his crib.
6. Hayden is only 5, but reads at a third grade level.
7. All of my babies had a full head of black hair when they were born. I love hairy babies!
8. Mike sent me an email the other day just to say he loves me.
9. We have been together for 20 years and married 14 years this month.
10. Our dog, Heidi, stays in the house and in her spot while we are gone during the day. She's a good dog.
11. Julia learned to swim without floaties this summer and can jump from the diving board and swim to the side by herself.
12. Hayden only jumped off of the diving board once. He's all done now.
13. Brandon jumped off over and over, and unlike the other two, never hesitated his first time.
14. My favorite groups are Keane and The Shins. Mike likes Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, and The Shins.
15. The kids love Star Wars, just like Daddy.
16. Brandon loves his new shoes.
17. The boys are upstairs playing really good together right now. That might change before the end of this post.
18. Julia is sitting beside me reading her "American Girl" magazine.
19. My goddaughter, Kate, just turned 9 years old.
20. Mike and I are conservatives!
21. I like my job. My 5 year anniversary at Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land is tomorrow!
22. Daddy and the boys are now playing "Down, Set, Hut!", where they try to push him over.
23. Daddy almost doesn't have to "let them win" anymore. They're getting pretty good!
24. I've already started working on my Christmas cards.
25. I love my iPod!
26. Mike and I watched "John Adams" on DVD and we both highly recommend it.
27. Brandon is funny. He's cute, too.
28. My mother is the top salesperson at her company.
29. The church we were married in turned 100 years old the year of our wedding.
30. Mike and I are the only couple still married out of all of his college friends.
31. I love foreign accents. Especially Scottish.....
32. Brandon just came to sit next to me.
33. Julia will be 9 years old in November. Wow....
34. Michael likes to watch "The Ultimate Trailer Show". It's just trailers for upcoming movies.
35. We loved the "Harry Potter" book series.
36. I think Mike gets cuter the older he gets.
37. Mike made dinner. Chicken and spinach ravioli with alfredo sauce. Mmmmm...
38. We got remarried by Elvis in Las Vegas for our 10th Wedding Anniversary.
39. Hayden has gorgeous eyes.
40. Samantha, our cat, is 17 years old.
41. Julia likes to play dress up. Yesterday she dressed up her baby brother, too.
42. Ask Julia about the Dixie Chicks, and she'll tell you they hate America.
43. Mike can't wait for football season. I love him enough to try and follow the season with him this year.
44. Julia and Hayden love Metallica.
45. I like to take pictures. If I ever went back to school, it would probably be for photography.
46. Rosie O'Donnell gets on my nerves.
47. My sister Michelle teaches at my old high school, Sam Rayburn.
48. Mike is a manager at Memorial Hermann's Wellness Center, and his staff are all women.
49. We're glad we only have to potty train one more child!
50. Just like I predicted, the boys aren't playing so good anymore....
51. I have an awesome husband and fantastic kids. I'm blessed!

Julia's Summer Talent Show

Julia's last week of summer at Walker Station's Extended Day Program is next week. Today, I was fortunate enough to get to see the talent show they put on for all of the parents.

First up was a group dance of the "Cha Cha Slide". Here's a sample for you:

The video of her comedic routine was much too long and would not load, but she and another girl did a stand up skit with some very G-rated jokes. Cute.

After the show, she was happy to show me some of her artwork.

Don't watch "Fear Itself"!

I did something really stupid last night. I was in bed, flipping channels, and came across "Fear Itself" on NBC (not cable!) at 9:30.

Look, I'm a chicken when it comes to scary movies, so I kept telling myself to change the channel, but I couldn't. I had to see what happened next. And it was CREEPY! This guy was possessed and he was so scary. He's the same guy who ate kids in that awful "Pan's Labrynth" movie that Mike dragged me to last year!

So I had to go check on the kids once it was over and I turned on every light up the stairs. Upon returning to bed, I had to jump into bed from 4 feet away because of that age old fear of the "monster under the bed" grabbing my feet!

Mike thought this was particularly amusing.

Everyone seemed happy it was Friday this morning except for Brandon. He was very cranky that today wasn't his Splash Day and was determined to make everyone else just as cranky.

I hope you all have a great weekend! My mother and Troy are taking the kids overnight Saturday so Mike and I have DATE NITE!!!!