Sunday, December 18, 2011

Love.....in a burnt waffle

Once in a while, the kids entertain themselves in the morning since they typically wake up before chickens. Brady has started climbing on the couch with the iPad.

I am truly grateful for those mornings because he usually climbs into bed with me and I, in my groggy sleep-induced coma, pull him into bed not realizing that I've just invited a sweaty little wiggle worm into bed with me.

So, on those mornings when Kennedy and Brady wake up at the same time -- she can turn on the TV and Chris and I get a few more minutes of sleep, which seems to more and more precious this time of year.

On a particular morning last weekend, Kennedy tip-toed into our room and was quietly sniffling as if something had upset her. This isn't out of the ordinary since the kids are getting along SO WELL these days. (insert sarcastic tone here). So when I asked what was wrong, she quickly mumbled some words that sounded more like a high pitched animal was squealing. After she finally calmed down, she said she broke a plate. A plate?! I didn't hear a plate fall and break. She further explained that she tried to make us waffles in the microwave. Then, the smell hit me. Burnt plastic.

Afraid there might have been a fire in the house, I leapt out of bed and ran into the kitchen. No fire. Just a horrific smell. And this......


This is what it looked like from the bottom. Yikes.


What we finally learned was that Kennedy had turned the waffles on HIGH for FIVE minutes. She had also poured cereal with milk and gotten both of us string cheese. How on earth could we possibly be upset over something minor (burnt plate and really, really awful smell) when she had done something so selfless? She gives of herself constantly. And wholly. It's the most wonderful trait my sweet girl has.

Oh -- and that smell? It lasted for three days. The whole family smelled like we had survived a house fire. :)

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Driving

Driving lessons start early in our family. :) Brady had a blast steering the wheel. He did a pretty good job! Impressive...... for a 3-year-old. :)


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Monday, November 21, 2011

Snaggle

Snaggle-tooth pancake for my sweet snaggle-tooth little girl. :)


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Friday, November 18, 2011

Front tooth = two hour ordeal

It took two hours.... lots of tears... three paper towels soaked by slobber and a little blood.... and several pep talks -- BUT her fifth tooth (and first tooth on the top row) finally came out. And SHE pulled it herself!!!


This time, she wouldn't let me touch it. I tried a few times, but she kept having a panic attack. So I told her we should wait and let it get looser. The she'd cry. She reeeeeeeeally wanted it to come out. So then she'd wiggle it. We went round and round for TWO hours. But when it finally came out, her face lit up in sheer pride of doing it herself.

Mama was super proud, too.

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Slurping Spaghetti Night!!

I had a wild idea up my sleeve tonight. And what an awesome dinner it turned out to be! Slurping Spaghetti night at the LaPierre house....officially a new tradition.


The kids literally dug right in as soon as I put their plates down. It was AWESOME.



The only rule? All spaghetti noodles must be slurped. Messes allowed. :)


Mom and dad got in the action a little bit --- but photos of the kids were WAY cuter. :)


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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Halloween 2011

It's not Halloween without some crazy outfit or costume. This year, I threw on this hysterical mohawk (courtesy of Mr. Orman, Susie's sweet daddy). We have this running joke about my hair.


Of course Chris decided to try it on, too. HAHAHAAA!


Deanna, her sister-in-law Amber, and the girls came over for trick or treating fun. Our wigs are fabulous!


And the house looked fun, too! A little "caution" tape to give it a crime scene feel.





And WHAT is Halloween without a trip down to Aunt Susie and Uncle Ford's house?


The kids collected 9 pounds of candy. NINE POUNDS!? We threw out half of it. Funny how the candy we used to eat as kids seems so gross now. I used to love sweet tarts and sour candies. Blech!!! It's a good thing the kids' bags of candy weren't full of chocolate!!

My little dragon and the vampire princess had a great time!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


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Hahahahahaaaaaa!!!!!!

SNEEZE! :)


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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cousins!

What a great little evening with my kids and my nieces. I say "little evening" cause it was less than an hour! My sweet sister went on her first date night since the birth of her FIRST child. Bless her heart. When she was in Little Rock, she didn't trust anyone to keep Lauren. (I don't blame her...). And then Catherine came along about six months ago.

So Aunt Jen decided it was time for a date! (I was not taking "no" for an answer).

Corn dogs, Capri Sun drinks, skittles and The Lion King. What more could they ask for? :)

Looking forward to many more date nights.


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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Kennedy's First Concert

I knew she was extremely excited about going to the Taylor Swift concert when I found a note when I was in her room. ((Speak Now is the name of her tour))


See, I wasn't so sure she wanted to go when we gave her the tickets for her birthday this summer. Her reaction was honestly kind of disappointing. I thought she would jump up and down, scream with that high-pitched sound I know she's very capable of.


But instead, we got a lackluster reaction. More of a... "Oh, ok thanks."


I explained what a concert was, but still - a blank look on her face.


Fast forward nearly two months..... and she's talking about the concert with her friends, planning her outfit, listening to her Taylor CD regularly. And just a few hours before the big event.... I found this:




Now THAT is the kind of excitement I was hoping for. Her best friend came with us, so it was girls night out.



We (somewhat) patiently stood in two separate lines to get their souvenir t-shirts in the right style, color, and the minute they had those shirts in their hands, they threw them on over their perfectly-styled outfits. Who cares, right? IT'S TAYLOR SWIIIIIIIIFT! I can't remember how many times I heard them scream that. :) 

Just when I get bogged down in the daily routine, something happens that makes me fall in love with my daughter all over again. This.Was.That.Night. She stood in her chair the ENTIRE concert and sand EVERY word to EVERY song. She was so happy. And you couldn't wipe the smile off my face either.




Summer 2011

I have so much to catch up on from the summer. I cannot believe how fast time flies!! It was a crazy, busy, fun-filled summer and now Christmas is just two months away! First, birthdays for my sweet babies!

We celebrated Brady's birthday with an outdoor park party with a train theme. To say that my sweet son loves trains would be a huge understatement. He LOOOOOOOVES trains. Every time we see one on the tracks, he yells: "Momeeeeeeeee! It's a traaaaaaaaaaain! Choo choo! All aboard!"
We played in the water park, slid on all the slides, had snacks, opened presents (the overwhelming hit was the "Mater" bubble blower from Aunt Dee). Do you see that face? My child loves trains.... AND Cars. :)
 ...and of course -- CAKE! Isn't this an adorable cake? Scratch that. Isn't this an ABSOLUTELY adorable little boy and his adorable cake? ;)

 I just can't believe that he's already three. As a two year old, he has been the most loving, snugly, adoring little boy. (Side note: Since he's almost 3 1/2 now, I will say that those sweet tendencies are being taken over by rambunctious and rough behaviors. More on that later).
Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Boy!
 And then there's this sweetie pie. Wow... 7 years old. SEVEN!? How is it possible that seven years have passed? I blinked and she started second grade this year. I think her birthday this summer was just what she wanted:
Girly.
Skating.
Friends.
Pink & purple.
Perfect.



We spent an afternoon "practicing" for her skating party because she wanted to be able to go around the rink without any fear. I don't blame her. I thought I was 13 again putting those skates back on. WRONG. I immediately fell flat on my butt and COULD.NOT.GET.UP. I little teenage kid had to help me. 
Thankfully -- since it was just me and Kennedy practicing, she wasn't embarrassed by me. But she did laugh hysterically. I laughed, too. 
I looked like an idiot. 

On PARTY day, however, we were both prepared. Her closest friends from school, summer camp, and the neighborhood came to her party. And you know Kennedy doesn't shy away from attention. She enjoyed being in the spotlight.

Even her sweet cousin Lauren (assisted by Nina and Aunt Tracy) joined in on the skating fun! Thankfully, they live in Louisiana now, so we'll be able to see them more often. Yay!!
And it's not a birthday party until we sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl! Cake, pizza, party favors and more skating. 
What an awesome day she had.


 Even Aunt Susie came to skate! I am so grateful that Kennedy doesn't get embarrassed by me (or my friends)... YET. I know it's coming, but I'm enjoying being able to act silly until then. 
 
 The big gift for her? Her new BIKE! Purple, of course. Her sweet daddy went with her and picked it out with her. 
I think he had just as much fun as she did.

And THIS picture -- I'm just throwing in for fun... cause it was the BEST picture of the summer. My with my niece on my shoulders. Kennedy on her Aunt Kelly's shoulders. We had an AWESOME time with our Maine family this summer. :)


Thursday, October 20, 2011

103 pairs of shoes

103 pairs of shoes. That's how many Kennedy and I collected for our annual Birthday Project.

I am so proud of her for *finally* embracing the idea to include a charity/community project with our birthdays. I think having me collect shoes with her helped. I also think spending time with The Hub's Family Serve project helped her realize that there REALLY are people who don't have homes, clothes, shoes, food, etc.

(I think she thought I was making it up...)


Rather than mail these shoes, we decided to put them to good use in our own community. On Thanksgiving weekend, The Hub hosts a meal for the homeless and we are giving to let them pick out some shoes.

I hope it goes smoothly... she is such a sensitive soul and I truly hope Kennedy can be filled with joy giving to others through all her hard work.

I am SO proud of her. :)

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Grandma Faye

She is 86 years old... and for the past 30 years, life has been tough. Just when her and grandpa were getting ready to enjoy retirement -- life was turned upside down. Both of them were shot... Grandpa in the face.... Grandma in the neck and arm. It was a horrible experience for our family.

The injuries to my grandpa would eventually lead to his death, but it took 15 years for him to succumb to them. He was never the same after the shooting and grandma, after recovering from her injuries, would spend the next 15 years taking care of him.

Taking care of one of my kids when they're sick for a few days is exhausting. So I cannot fathom spending 15 years doing that.

After his death, she eventually moved into a patio home and spent her days visiting with neighbors, going to church functions, and trying to make the most of her time. She even dated a couple of men. But after her favorite guy, her dancing partner, passed away -- Grandma started to slip into a dark place. Soon, her health began to slip... Alzheimer's set in... she began to lose weight... And it seemed as though her time of true joy was coming to an end.

On a routine doctor's visit about a month ago, she casually mentioned to her doctor a knot in her chest that had been bugging her. Breast cancer.

Cancer has NEVER been a part of our family history, so we were all quite shocked. Unfortunately, chemotherapy or radiation are not an option for her because of her frailty. She is taking a drug that is supposed to slow the growth of the lemon-size tumor, but that's all that can be done.

PET scan results are due back this week to show exactly where the cancer has spread. We haven't been given a timeline, but no matter if it's next were or next year -- I hate to see her suffer..AGAIN. Her doctor says this will not be an easy road and she will likely not die peacefully in her sleep. For a woman who has been in emotional pain for the last three decades, I truly wish..PRAY.. that this would not be difficult for her.


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Friday, September 23, 2011

Missing Roscoe

Who knew.... that after a year without my Roscoe, I would still get emotional about him.

TWICE this week, I've shed a little tear when he came up in conversation.

I miss my buddy......



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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Lunch date

EVERY day, Kennedy begs me to come have lunch with her.

Every.Day.

I try to go every other week. Granted, I work from home. But I still work. And inevitably when I leave the house is when my clients want (translation = urgently NEED) something.

Today, I was able to sneak away, pick up her favorite Quiznos sandwich, and meet her in the lunchroom for a midday date.


It was perfect. :)

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Missing Daddy

Chris says he's "the mean daddy" who never has the kids run to him after they get in trouble. Well, yes - he is the "discipliner" of the house, but I like it that way.

(OF COURSE a mama doesn't want to punish her kids. I, however, do have a temper from time to time... )

But back to daddy...

So when either of the kids run to him with excitement, it truly melts his heart. He LOVES it.

So with Chris out of town this week in New York, they have been asking for him regularly. And today, when I picked up my sweet Brady, he looked at me and this is exactly how it went.

B: "Mommeeeeeeeeeee! You pick me up and not daddy?" (puzzled look on his face)

Me: "Hi Brady... yes, that's right. Daddy will be home tomorrow."

B: "Oh. Ok."

And when I looked at his behavior sheet for today, the notes from the afternoon teacher said... "Cried for daddy." When I asked her what happened, she told me that when he woke up from his nap, he cried wanting his daddy.

Okay, see Chris? Your son ADORES you..... always. :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

I am so happy my sister moved home.

Wait. Scratch that.

I am ecstatic my sister has moved home!!

I still don't think "ecstatic" is a strong enough word. We haven't lived in the same town since 1995, which was my last year of high school. We just missed each other during our days at Tech. And then we both began a moving extravaganza that took me to Maine, Boston, and Dallas and Tracy to Texarkana, and several cities in Arkansas.

Now, my sweet baby sister is home. And that means lots of snuggles for my sweet nieces....



....including slobbery kisses with Catherine....



...and play dates with Lauren.



My sister, brother, and I didn't grow up around cousins. My mom is an only child and all daddy's family was in Florida.

So I am so happy to see that we are (almost) all in Shreveport again. Tim, who just started grad school this year at Ole Miss, won't be home for a while.....if ever. But maybe in a few years, after he's married and has a kid or two -- the big sisters can start our persuasion campaign. :)


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Sunday, September 11, 2011

9 - 11 - 2011

Neither of my angels were born yet. Chris and I were living in Dallas. I was working as a news producer at Texas Cable News, getting ready for the newscast that afternoon.

I will never forget seeing the coverage of the terrorist attacks from September 11. How could I possibly forget when I stayed in the control room for 16 hours producing news coverage that day?

It's the "Pearl Harbor" of my generation.

And yet my sweet son, who would be born 7 years after the attack, came home from school with this artwork on Friday.


Such sweet innocence.

Never. Forget.

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Silly Muffins

Sometimes, you just gotta make some silly muffins on a Saturday morning. :)


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Friday, September 9, 2011

Football Day at Legacy

2nd grade!! Isn't she a cutie???


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