Happy New Year (a week late)!!

Pathetic really, isn't it?  I was alerted by Julie Jo to the fact that I haven't posted since SEPTEMBER!  That is COMPLETELY ridiculous!  To my readers (all 2 of you), I apologize.  To myself, I apologize for not keeping an up-to-date record of things.  "2010 shall be different!" she exclaimed.

At least I'll try to make it different.  Here's hoping.

SO....what to update on?  Christmas?  It was AMAZING!!!  We finally got a white Christmas ("just like the ones I used to know") and boy was it white!  14 inches of snow blowing all over the city with people stuck everywhere!  My poor mom got caught behind a city bus that was stuck in the snow for over an hour...it took her 2 1/2 hours to get from her job at the mall to our house.  That trip usually only takes 15-20 minutes.  On a bad day.  Unfortunately, 4-wheel drive does you no good when the people in front of you don't move, as she found out!  Here are some lover-ly snowy pictures:

The view from our front door on Christmas Eve

A view from our kitchen window into our backyard

 

The front of our house...notice the 3 1/2 foot drift in the front!

Some action shots of the boy (his very first snow angel!!!)

This was as involved as Hadley got...when you can barely walk on solid ground...ice & snow does not scream excitement to you!

We NEVER get to make snowmen!  There's never enough snow in our humble metropolis!

Daddy got to taste the snow

Our snow drift was so deep in our front yard that we STILL have about 6 inches in places...and that was 2 weeks ago!  Of course, with the temperature at about 12 degrees right now, it's not going anywhere anytime soon!  Brrrrrr!!!!!

We did our usual 800 Christmases (exaggeration?  Why yes it is!), except half of them were after New Year's due to the blizzard of "aught-nine".  Christmas at Pappy & Nana's was its usual chaotic self...especially since 6 of the 7 cousins were there staying at the same time!  6 kids under the age of 9?  Good times!  It really was lots of fun...full of Mario Kart, peppermint mocha creamer in our coffee and so much ham and brisket you could feed 100 people for 3 days!

That last bit was because Grandma Hughes (Johnny's grandma) celebrated her 80th birthday with a surprise party at the fairgrounds, followed up by some caroling around town on a trailer full of hay!  SO much fun (but Hadley and I had to relegate ourselves to the truck after about 20 minutes).

The cousins (note how Madison's & Hadley's PJs match...not planned)

(From top to bottom:  Hadley, Madison, Brianna, Hannah, Sam & J.J.)

 

 

Sadly, Cousin Halle was missing...she was sick so she and Aunt Carisa had to stay home so the rest of us would not catch whatever it was she had.  :(

The gift that made Nana cry

Hadley's new baby doll (one of them...she now has FOUR!)

 Christmas Eve was spent at our house (obviously...since it was not fit for man nor beast outside) and our church did something it NEVER does...canceled the Christmas Eve service, so we ate our traditional spaghetti and meatballs and watched A Christmas Story (after J.J. was in bed...he's not quite ready for that humor!).  We made cookies for Santa...I don't care.  I believed in Santa and I loved it.  He doesn't get NEARLY the credit for our kids' presents as he did for mine (we think if we bought the big stuff, we should get the credit for it!), but he does do stockings and a few unwrapped trinkets under the tree.  Now, some people actually buy pictures (JPEGs) of Santa kneeling and photoshop it into a picture of their tree...I don't think we'll go that far.  It's one thing to believe something based on hearsay...it's a totally different thing to believe it based on photographical (it's a word....I think!) "evidence".  But we have fun and "Santa" was good to us...I got a Shark Pocket Steam Mop!  It's amazing!  It cleans the floor with nothing but steam!  No chemicals...and it's sanitized!  The thing is a miracle-worker!  But my most favorite gift was one I got to pick out (after solving a puzzle 'Santa' stuck in my stocking):  a Nikon D3000!!!  I have wanted a fancy-shmancy DSLR camera for so long I can't even remember.  And now I have one!  So look out, web!  I'm packin' heat and I ain't a-feared to use it!

Pioneer Woman...look out!

Okay...so that would require me to update more often than once a quarter...maybe I should aim a little lower for now.

Pics from Christmas morn (some VERY early...like 1 am):

Santa's deposit 

NEVER be afraid to pull a toy out of the attic and regift it to a sibling!

Swordplay with Daddy

Mom will LOOOOVE me for this one.

She's gettin' pretty good at that...

Got to love the dinosaur from Fisher-Price.  Is anyone else TERRIFIED of the giant one?!?!?  I vetoed it vehemently!

New favorite shoes

OH the cuteness hurts me!

 Elmo blows kisses

I got THREE copies of that Sugarland CD and two of Diana Krall.  I guess after 4 years of asking for Diana, people took the hint!

Now we just need to clean out the garage so you have a place to USE that beloved Dremel!

The puzzle

Since we forced my mom to come straight to our house on Christmas, she had a few gifts still at her house so after we played in the snow, she ran home in her 4WD and grabbed them and came back and spent the night again...got to love Grandma sleep-overs!  And what little boy doesn't LOVE a castle!  Especially one where the dragon eats the knights!!!

New Year's Eve is our usual get-together time w/ Carisa and Matthew because it's her birthday and we always hang out and pop champagne poppers outside at midnight and play board games and laugh at the ridiculousness that comes out of Matthew's mouth whilst playing those games.  Two years ago we all laughed so hard that he got a nosebleed!  And Carisa's mom had the only remedy for removing it from the couch cushion:  Dawn dish detergent!

Does anybody remember "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?  How they used Windex for everything?  That's how Carisa's mom is with Dawn.  No matter what the situation, Dawn to the rescue!

"What do you mean he don't eat no meat?!?!?  That's okay...I make lamb."

Wait...where was I?  Oh yeah...New Year's Eve with the Hungerfords.

We didn't do it this year.  Instead, we had a 30th birthday party for Carisa on Dec. 30 with all of her friends and family.  Lots of fun...lots of kids, but lots of fun!  After that, we were too tired to try another night, so we stayed home and my friend Lauren came over and we played Pass the Popcorn...best. game. ever.  Except the 2nd game that comes with it.  The first game you are given clues and you have to guess the movie based on a quote, the cast, the characters or the story.  SO FUN!  The second game makes you "look like a third-grade girl", according to my dear hubby.  You have actors on cards and you have to try and match them with other actors based on movies they've been in together (kind of a one-degree of Kevin Bacon type of thing)....but as soon as you start playing, you go into sheltered hermit-phase and completely forget any and all movies any actor has ever been in!  It's ridiculous!  But still so fun to watch everyone else feel like a total moron.  :)

Only 2 more Christmases left to discuss:  Grami & Grandpa Mike's and Christmas in Cordell (Sounds like a cheesy Hallmark or Lifetime movie, doesn't it?)

Grami & Grandpa Mike's was supposed to happen on the 26th, but when it took us an HOUR to go 3 miles, we decided to wait until roads were a little more clear and there were less abandoned cars and trucks on the road.  So we went on New Year's Day.  And we were SPOILED!  I got money, scrapbook stuff, an Ott Light and other cool stuff.  The kids got pillows and clothes and toys and you name it!  Johnny got a compound miter saw and a table to put it on...and then they said they are going to build us a swing-set in the backyard!  Not just the metal ones of yore (ca. 1980)...no, no.  One of the big, custom-made wooden ones!  Helloooooo nurse!  Needless to say we were blown away by their generosity.  And to top it off, we got to play Super Mario for the Wii and eat at Red Robin for dinner!  Can't beat it!!!

Oh!  Grami makes adorable clothes now...hello, Sassy!  There's a matching skirt to go with that, FYI

 And a matching purse.

 New kid-camera!  He LOVES it!

Riding Daddy's shoulders because he's TERRIFIED by the 4-lb. rat terrier, L.B.

Daddy's new saw

The Lifetime Movie started off with us meeting everyone at a buffet to eat lunch and then heading to Meme's house where we arrived just in time to watch the Cotton Bowl where our beloved Cowboys were playing Ole Miss.  Yeah...Poke Choke in effect again.  So sad.  Maybe next year.  With a new 27-year-old QB and no returning receivers or running backs to speak of.  Oh well.

Anyway, after watching the disappointment, we headed to Meme's church to take some family pictures (which will be posted as soon as I receive ours from cousin Brandon, the famous photographer).  Then we went home.

That's it...that's our holiday season in a nutshell!  Or in a really long post that nobody will read.  Oh well.  At least I have it all down for posterity! 

Mommy's birthday surprise

Oooo! 3 posts in 2 days! Must be a record!

So Monday was my 3(ahem!) birthday. Honestly this year was the first year I actually had to think about how old I was going to be. So sad.

Anyway.....Monday was my birthday and to celebrate, Johnny let me go out to the Cheesecake Factory w/ some friends (and my mommy) while he stayed home with the kids. It was lots of fun and I got to eat some YUMMY food and delicious cheesecake. This has become a tradition ever since the Factory graced our humble town with its presence.

Johnny had me call him when we left the restaurant, so I knew he had something up his sleeve. I also knew it was 8:30 and my 3 1/2 year old was still awake, so it had to be cute. We pulled in the driveway and a little silhouette flung the curtain open in the living room window, peering out to see if Mommy was really home. We walked in and this is what greeted me:




And the reason I needed to call when we left the restaurant? This:


I had told Johnny I wanted a cookie cake, so he made me one himself! He was so proud and rightfully so! It's really good! Yeah, that's dark chocolate icing. He piped it on himself. What a guy!

Here's me and J.J. w/ the card he gave me:



And here's 2 of my friends who blessed me by coming to dinner with me (Thanks, Lauren and Laura!):



All in all...good birthday! Oh...and then last night I got to eat Olive Garden! Did I mention my hubby is going for the Husband of the Year award? :) I think he's got it in the bag!

What I learned from Little Einsteins this morning

I learned that this exists in Chihuahua, Mexico:

Can anyone hear me?

Is there anybody still left that would even care if I updated my blog? Sheesh...I can't believe the last time I updated was the day before Hadley's birthday (not counting my post that I started in May and never finished that I just posted today). I'm sure anyone who actually reads this has long given up on me and the only way they would even know is if they have Google Reader and it tells them I updated. Oh yeah...and facebook. Can't forget that time sucker!

So here's what has happened since the last time I updated (and most people who care to read this probably already know all this, so this is really just for my own personal diary-esque enjoyment):

• Hadley turned one (obviously). Pics of the bash to follow.

• We went on our annual trip to Colorado. Vacation + kids does NOT = relaxing time. We realized that if we want to relax, we're going to have to schedule 2 vacations: one with the kids and one without! But we still had fun. J.J. went fishing at the lake, I scraped the bottom of Mom's Jeep on some big rocks on a mountain pass (par for the course) and we watched LOTS of hummingbirds swarm our feeder. (Go check out the pics on facebook)
• I camped out at the Floyd Center (my old SNU b-ball camp stomping grounds) to try and get J.J. transferred into Bethany for Pre-K next year. That's right...camped. Literally. With a tent. I probably didn't need to, because once I got there only about 10 more people showed up that night (the night before) and a handful showed up EARLY the next morning, but I had lots of fun! Melissa Scott & Lauren D. came and hung out with me and played Skip-Bo and kept me company. Plus, I made some new friends and reconnected with some friends from high school that I had only talked to on facebook a couple times. Fingers crossed, we were #26 in line for Pre-K, so I think we'll be okay, since they usually take 40 or 50 transfers! (Sorry no pics...Channel 5 news got all the footage anyone would EVER need to see of me in my pj's after 3 hours of sleep in a tent!)
  
• J.J. started back at Sonlight Preschool at our church. His new teachers are wonderful! Mrs. Jina is amazing! We love her (and it doesn't hurt that she's a Poke fan!) and are very excited for what J.J.'s going to learn this year!
• OSU was ranked #7 going into their first game!!!! And we beat Georgia in our home opener, unarguably our biggest season opener ever! And OU lost! To BYU! So we went up to #5! And they dropped out of the top ten!
  
• OSU lost their 2nd game. To Houston. Because we couldn't play defense. At all. Now we're ranked #17. Today we play Rice. Any bets whether we'll pull this one off? We're only supposed to win by 14. Uh-oh. (EDIT: We did win...but not because we played well. 41-24 is NOT a good score against Rice, the worst team in their league)

Here's some pics!

Opening her present from Grami & Grandpa Mike over July 4th weekend

Crummy face after her birthday cupcake at church

Hi, birthday girl!



The other two 'H' girls, Hazel & cousin Halle

Getting ready to sing to the big girl

Dig in, baby girl!

Mmmmm...cake!

J.J. making his placemat at 'Meet the Teacher Day' for Sonlight Preschool

Best buds, J.J. & Will North, just like their mommies


I wanted a picture w/ him and his new teachers, Mrs. Paula and Mrs. Jina. He wasn't so happy the first time....then we took this picture:
I think he's happy now...what do YOU think? :)


What? I can't hear you! I have a banana in my ear! I swear that was not my intent when I took this one!

Walking to the classroom on the first day of school

An old pro at putting the backpack in the basket

Putting his monkey in the tree. It only comes down if he misbehaves.

He's really not trying to make a statement about Mia's conversational topic! There were 2 or 3 kids screaming all at the same time right then!

Bye, Mom!

Nooooooooo!

My baby girl is turning 1. Tomorrow (or depending on when you read this, since I'm typing it at 11:34 pm, today).

I can't take how fast life is flying by! Wasn't I just in the hospital having her? When did we have Christmas??? It seems like a week ago I was sick of people complaining about the cold...now they're all complaining about the heat! Life really is TOO short!

BUT, I don't want my blog entry about my baby turning 1 to be muddled with cranky negativity! I will rejoice in the fact that I have a one-year-old daughter who is healthy and precious and silly and adorable and teeny and WONDERFUL!!!

She's just so much fun all the time! From her little crinkled up nose-sniffs (a trait inherent in all baby girls, I think) to her shaking her head and smiling because Mommy is silly to her patting Daddy's tummy to say 'please' in sign language instead of her own...I can't get enough! I don't want her to get bigger or older. I want her to stay this way forever! I wouldn't even mind the diapers!

I know, I know...there are so many wonderful things to look forward to in her future. But I just LOVE the stage she's at right now. It's hard to think it will end soon.

On that note, I say:

Happy Birthday, sweet Hadley! You are more precious to me than I could ever express to you in words. You make me smile with just the flicker of your eyebrow, the smack of your toothless gums! I love you so much, my tiny daughter!

SO Far Behind!

Oh my. I just found this post I started a bit ago...in MAY! Ridiculous. So...since I'm about to type a new post, I'll put this one up and then start another one in a bit (translation: once the kids are down for their naps). Enjoy.


How many times have I wanted to sit down and update this blog? TOO MANY! But something always pulls me away: a crying daughter who pooped in her diaper and woke herself up, a son who refuses to poop on the potty so we've now resorted to bribes and taking things away ("Bear Bear" is now in potty "time-out" until the poop goes in the bowl), laundry--oh, so much laundry, facebook Farm Town (pathetic, isn't it?)...the list continues.

One thing that always keeps me from updating is that I think of something I want to blog about but I don't have the pictures uploaded to the hard drive, so I then have to go dig out the camera, find the right memory card, upload the pictures and then wait. And wait...and wait....and wait. The waiting comes from me not uploading pictures enough so I have hundreds that take forever to upload. By the time they are done, I've moved on to something else and totally forget what I was going to blog about in the first place! SHEESH!!

All that said, I'll just start with the things I remember. Like what J.J. just said to me on his third time out of bed from naptime, while sitting on the potty:

Mommy: "Are you trying to poop?"
J.J.: "Yep! I gotta get Bear Bear back!"

TOO cute!!! (FYI, Bear Bear is still in time out)

What else? I'm out of the stupid boot now. Otherwise known as the loveliest way to accent how short and thick my legs are. Seriously, if you ever want to make your legs look as non-long and non-skinny as you can, where an air-cast on one leg while you wear gaucho pants. Beeeee-YOOO-teee-ful! I'm sure Stacey What's-Her-Face on "What Not To Wear" is recommending that to everyone on the show to replace their oversized tie-dye t-shirts and paisley ties.


J.J. and his buddy Luca


Talking to Mr. Bear


Riding the merry-go-round

One day, in April, we were getting ready to go to Nana & Pappy's house for the weekend and this buzzed me and the kids in the living room:



Letting the little guy go

Time with friends

This past weekend (which extended into Monday) was such a blessing! Let's start with Friday:

I helped lead worship at Faith Bible's women's retreat. What refreshment! It has been SO long since I've gotten to do anything musical and throw in that I got to sing with my friend Julie Jo...well...it was WONDERFUL! I miss her (which is ridiculous because we live 20 minutes away from each other!) and I really miss singing (not much chance for that when you're taking care of kiddos every Sunday and Wednesday).

Later that night, my friend Lauren came over to hang out. I honestly don't even remember what we did...I think we caught up on Chuck episodes and watched other random stuff. It doesn't matter. Any time Lauren comes over it's fun!

Saturday, I got to sing some more with Julie at Faith. Then I hightailed it home so we could get the young-uns ready to go to the Medieval Fair in Norman! Yes, folks...we partook in the nerdiest fair in the land. Because that's who we are and that's what we do! :) I made the comment about how the state fair brings out all the 'carnies' and 'w.t.' people from the woodwork. Well, the Medieval Fair brings out all the 'D&D' and sci-fi lovers from the woodwork.

AND it's an excuse to wear a costume! "But Heather", you say, "I don't have any medieval-type costumes!" Doesn't matter! Do you have fairy wings? Strap 'em on! Tights? Pull those puppies up to your navel and wear some wrestling shoes over them. Girls, put on a bikini top and some billowy pants. You've just achieved "gypsy" status! Men, throw on the aforementioned tights and wrestling shoes and a burlap sack over the top and you've got yourself a bona fide peasant/knave/ye olde costume! Priceless! Seriously, anything mythological counts at this place, whether it's from the days of yore, yesteryear, the colonial period, ancient Greece...whatever! Put it on and you fit right in!

Seriously, though, it was a good time...Johnny even bought a sword! He has wanted his very own s-word ("I can read, Trebek!") for so long now that I think I may have been more excited that he got one than he was! We got J.J. (who stayed at Grami's house while we braved the wind, blowing grass, elves, heat and sun) his own wooden sword and shield. But Johnny says he needs one too...because right now all J.J. can do with his sword is get into trouble swinging it around at objects in the house. "He really needs someone else to have one too so they can swordfight," Johnny commented. Mmmhmmm...just what I need in the house.

After yon fair, we went back to get J.J. and Johnny dropped me off in Edmond at Pei Wei to eat din din with Julie Jo (woo hoo...3 times in two days!), RacheyB and Jen Reeves. I love hanging out with those girls...it's always so much fun (even if we didn't take our annual "fake laughing" pics).

So, Sunday was busy too (as usual). Church was its usual crazy self. Nothing extroardinarily taxing. That afternoon I got to go to a bridal shower for one of the girls who grew up in our youth group. So fun! Hanging out with precious girls from our church and just being silly. Love it! And then after evening church, Lauren came over again. See? Fun times with friends!

And then to top it all off, last night I got to go eat dinner with fun girls from the 20something class! Dinner at Friday's (pecan-crusted chicken salad? Yes, please!) and then a most ridiculous game of "Loaded Questions" at Lauren's house! SO FUN!

I'd like to thank my husband for making this past weekend possible! He was such a trooper, watching the mini-Hugheses while I went out and played! Thanks, honey! You're amazing! You've more than earned your weekend away! :) Love you!

A bit of a change...

EDIT: Okay...so I found one that I really, really like...and here it is! I know I gave nobody a chance to give me input, but now you can just tell me how cute it is! :)

I'm trying out some new formats...and I've not yet settled on one that satisfies me. I realized that I did need a title change (thanks, Rach!), since I haven't quoted a movie in a post in about a year...I don't think, anyway. Maybe I have. Do TV shows count? Who knows...or really even cares.

SO, I'm going for a new look...a bit more polished...but I'm having trouble finding one that fits my personality or that I even think looks good. Any advice? I've tried a couple sites for layout ideas or codes, but so far I'm not impressed. Help! Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks, friends!

I'll take "Clutziest Moms Ever" for $400, Alex

I've never claimed to be graceful. As Elaine said one time in Seinfeld, "Listen, I don't have grace, I don't want grace, I don't even SAY grace!" (Okay, that part doesn't apply, but you get the point). When I was little my mom used to call me "Grace" any time I did something incredibly clutzy, which was pretty often, looking back. I even picked "Engracia" for my obligatory Spanish name in high school Spanish class.

You want some examples of my lack of grace? One day after preschool I was at my friend Andy's house and we were playing tag. Their house was one of those where you walk in the front door, the living/dining room was on your left, which had a door into the kitchen, which had a door into the family room, which was at the end of the entry way...thus forming a great circle for running. I got a little too excited and misjudged the door from the entryway to the family room and ran full speed into the wall, head first. Hello giant goose egg on my forehead.

A few years later, I was in the tree in our backyard, slipped and fell out...about 10 feet up...landing directly on my back on the ground below. No damage, just had the wind knocked out of me...and one petrified dad who saw the whole thing while he was mowing.

More? I broke my hand in 4th grade playing tag w/ my friend Jenny Robinson. We were using a bar for home base (the grabbing onto kind, not the belly up to kind!) and I reached out, going full speed, and bent my middle finger on my left hand all the way back. I heard it (and felt it, obviously) pop, but didn't realize it was broken until the next day when I looked down and saw a giant lump on the back of my hand. My mom made the orthopedist fashion my cast so I could still play the violin. Sick, I tell ya.

Go on? I was playing tag w/ Jenny again in 7th grade (why did I continue to play this game? I obviously was not cut out to play it without safety gear!). I was trying to get away from her by going inside the restaurant we were eating at and the entryway bricks were about 1/2 inch higher than the cement outside, which made me trip. I went headlong into a gumball machine, slicing my forehead open. I came away from that with 7 stitches in my right eyebrow.

Fast forward a few (okay...14) years to adulthood. You'd think maybe growing up had maybe let me become a little more graceful, but no. When Johnny and I were still living in Stillwater, I was working for a lawyer as his legal secretary. One day I was headed home for lunch and rather than strolling down the admittedly steep stairs that led outside, I decided I would take a flying leap from about the 6th step up. No, this was not on purpose. My foot got caught on the metal edging on one of the steps and I fell, face first, towards the door at the bottom of the staircase. My hands somehow managed to hit the pushbar that opens the door and I landed on my chin on the concrete landing outside. Not only did I need 7 stitches in my chin, but I also bent the fingernails back on both middle fingers (when I hit the door) and cracked (well...the dr. said it wasn't, but it sure felt like it!) my kneecap on the edge of one of the steps. I didn't know what to focus on because everything hurt equally!

After we moved to OKC, I was mountain biking w/ my friend Rachel and her hubby Nick and hit a rocky part of the track we were riding. I ended up doing a flip over my handlebars and whacked my right hand hard enough on one of the rocks to warrant a trip to the emergency room. I admit the Meyers got to hear some choice words that afternoon. No broken bone, but I sure did cringe every time I shook someone's hand for the next YEAR after that!

Which leads me to my most recent ER visit. Okay...so technically it was the after hours clinic, but it did involve another X-ray! Saturday one of J.J.'s friends from church had a birthday party at "Pump It Up", a local party venue that has lots and lots of inflatables: moon bounces, obstacle courses, slides, etc. This being the first time J.J. had ever been in one of those, he was a little timid and Mommy had to join in the fun to raise his courage. We went down the really big slide quite a few times and the obstacle course once together. Then he decided to tackle the obstacle course by himself. I watched him go over the first two hills and through the little mesh-covered tunnel that led to "Mt. Everest" at the back of the course...a really tall (for a 3 year-old!) slanted wall with blocks and handles to climb up, with a slide at the top that brings you back to the entrance. When we had gone through it together, he got scared and needed help from Mommy to get up. This time he handled it like a pro--a regular Tenzing Norgay on the original Everest! (He's one of the original sherpas...read Into Thin Air and you'll learn all about him.)

Anyway...he scaled that wall in no time and got up to the top and, as I was watching through the mesh wall at the back, I had to run to get to the front to watch him come down the slide. I didn't want him to be scared by me not being there to catch him. Unfortunately, I didn't make it. I was too busy kicking one of the metal anchors that hold the inflatable on the ground! You know how that goes...you're walking (or in my case, running) and you misjudge the spacing next to a large obect like the couch or a table leg and you inevitably kick it with your pinky toe. It hurts like the dickens, you mutter a few not-so-nice words under your breath (or scream them if no kids are around), walk around on your heel for a bit, breathing in and out like you just ran a marathon (because somehow, extra oxygen makes it stop hurting faster) and you're fine.

But not this time. Oh no. I hit that thing full-force! The pain made my head go all swirly. But I would not be kept from my important business of seeing my kid go down the slide. Except he was already down and headed back in for another go-round. Noting that he was fine, I took time to look down at my poor little piggy that cried 'wee wee wee' and was shocked to see that it wasn't bleeding! I thought for sure the pain was indicative of my toenail being forcefully removed from my person. But there was something a little awry...my toenail was still there, but it was no longer facing up like the rest of the toes. No, this soldier had fallen out of formation. My poor little piggy was now rotated 90 degrees so that the toenail was facing out from my foot.

Mmmhmm. That's me, the clutziest mom on earth. I go to a birthday party for a 3 year-old and come decide to have my own little 'fun'. My first thought was that it was dislocated. So I hobbled over to a bench where my friend Nancy was sitting and asked her if she knew how to relocate a toe. I showed her my toe and asked her what I should do. She said, "Pop it back in." WHAT?!?!? Do I look like a doctor? Or a person with the pain tolerance to do that to myself? But I thought, well...that's probably what it needs and it was still numb from the original shock, so if I was going to do it, now was the time. So I steeled myself and grabbed my poor little pig. I pulled it out and tried to move it. It didn't budge! Not even a millimeter!

By this time, a little crowd of moms was forming (okay...2 more moms), and I was getting a little embarassed by the fact that I'm that clutzy, so I tried to just kind of play it off. But the shock and numbness was quickly wearing off and fear, panic and PAIN was setting in. I thought one more time about trying to move my toe back into place and then called Johnny, who was at home with Hadley. I told him what had happened and asked if I should try to move it and his intelligence broke through my fog of humiliation and searing agony. He said, "If it's broken, you don't want to mess with it." Good call, honey.

So, we decided to let J.J. stay at the party (no sense in making him suffer for his mom's ridiculous lack of poise....and balance!) and he rode home w/ our friend Melissa. We headed to the after hours doctor by our house and got an x-ray and a jolt: he said it was broken (all the way through...not just fractured) and would probably require SURGERY to fix it! WHAT?!?!?!?!? Dr. Mumbles (the man was barely audible!), could you repeat that??? I said, "Are you kidding me???" When the dr. left, I looked at Johnny who burst into laughter. Meanwhile, I burst into tears....not from pain, but from utter humiliation! How could I do something so serious by stubbing my toe?!?!?!

The rest of the weekend was spent with me on the couch or in bed with my foot propped up, toes taped to each other and bluish-black skin below them. Got lots of crocheting done w/ my mom and my lovely friend Lauren. Then yesterday I went and saw the incomparable Dr. S, a lovely female podiatrist, who gave me the best news...NO SURGERY REQUIRED! WHEW! She gave me a shot, moved my toe about 2 millimeters back into place and sent me home in a walking air cast. Yes...I'm in a boot. It's the height of fashion, I tell you. And not at all uncomfortable! Ummmm....yeah....that's a big lie. I have to wear a long sock with it and inflate it with a little blue squeezy bulb thingy. One part of my foot is in constant discomfort, whether it's my actual toe that's broken or another part that just feels like a too-tight shoe is rubbing on it all the time. But hey...I could be on crutches or need surgery. So I guess I shouldn't complain. And that percoset she gave me....WOO!!! Good stuff, Mainard! (If this seems a bit weird and WAY too wordy...it's because I took one about an hour ago and my head is a bit spinny and fuzzy!)

And I can still drive. So that's good...nobody has to shuttle me around for 4 or 5 weeks, which is how long I get to wear this lovely device. At least I get to take it off to sleep, shower and drive. Maybe I'll just sleep 10 hours a day, drive around for 4 hours and take REALLY long showers! That will minimize the amount of time I have to wear it, right? :) I know...it's to help me heal.

Well...that ended up being a MUCH longer post than I expected. If you made it all the way through, BRAVO to you! Hope you all are having more luck with your balance than I am! Good night!

What we've been doing

Since I never posted anything about my precious 3 year-old's birthday, I'll do it now!

We had originally planned on having his birthday party on the 24th at church. Invitations were sent, emails sent, church rooms reserved, decorations and juice boxes bought, etc. Then he decided he needed to get sick. With a sinus infection. Oh...and pink eye!

So we had to postpone...and we would have postponed for the next weekend, but Johnny's mom's wedding was planned for that weekend, so...no dice. We had to shoot for the FOLLOWING week...February 4th.

On his actual birthday (Sunday), he was feeling well enough to go out to eat w/ Grandma to celebrate Daddy's birthday at Texas Roadhouse, so we did get to do that. So his birthday didn't go completely unnoticed. Here's a few pics of that day:


Waiting for a table at TR


Grandma brought one of my old toys for him to have!


Daddy's present from Grandma...yes, it says, "Totally Useless History of the World"...that's just the stuff Johnny likes...I don't know.


Gator Golf!!! From Mommy & Daddy


Grami brought some presents and a cake!

SO...then the ice storm of 2009 came...and postponed Grami's wedding for 3 weeks because the entire city of Eureka Springs, AR was shut down, basically! So we got to enjoy a Minnie Mouse party for Cousin Hannah and a High School Musical party for Cousin Madison on that Saturday (the 31st). Nothing like an entire day of birthday festivities, topped off with the WORST dining-out experience EVER! Seriously! We wanted to eat w/ Nana & Pappy that night at Red Lobster but they said it was an hour-and-a-half wait! How is it possible to wait longer than it takes people to eat??? So then we went to Chili's where we were told it was a 15 minute wait...that turned into an hour! Not so fun!

Anyway, the actual birthday extravaganza ended up being the next weekend (Feb. 4th) and it was so much fun! It was a Cars theme...because that's what 3 year-old boys like! "Lighting Queen", as J.J. calls him. We had the movie playing, had a giant Cars tent set up in the room and then had a birthday Grand Prix!!! Instead of describing what that is, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:


J.J. gets help opening a gift from his buddy Sawyer



Hadley's future boyfriend, Ian...who outweighs her by 3 pounds, despite being 5 months younger! Don't you love that they're holding hands?? Not staged...he grabbed it!


The big present from Mommy & Daddy...every kid needs a Big Wheel!


Getting ready to race in the Grand Prix!! (P.S. J.J. wouldn't race...he was too scared by all the cheering. He "chose not to run!")



And they're off!!



Sam North is the champion!!

It was so much fun! Everyone had a great time (even though J.J. was scared). He kept talking about it all day long.

Randomness on a Friday

Howdy, howdy, howdy.

So, as a way to procrastinate doing laundry (I know, what else is new???), I thought I'd update the ol' blog with some random bits of info. this chilly Friday (hello...it was 80 yesterday!). So here we go:

1. I get to go to Cuppies and Joe tonight with Gina!!!! I cannot wait to experience the deliciousness that is the Peanut Butter Solution cupcake! Ahhh, girl time!

2. There's no school today because the local school district our preschool goes by is out for parent-teacher conferences. No school = boy at home all day...I think we may go to the mall or the local science museum.

3. My sister-in-law (if you haven't already heard) was followed at our local Wal-mart last Wednesday. She saw a guy on every aisle she was on and then tricked him by pretending she was going down the next aisle but backed up to see him tailing her! Wal-mart was at first doing nothing...every manager that we (me, my sister-in-law, our friend's husband, ladies from my church, the local news channel that did a story on her that you can see here) talked to denied every hearing about it. Now others have come forward and I've heard they've got security guards at every door and the managers are stationed at the front of the store with headsets. I wouldn't know...I'm not giving them my money until they get the situation resolved.

4. I played a really fun game online a bit ago. You try to name as many colors as you can in 5 minutes.

40

5. Johnny's mom got remarried last weekend in Eureka Springs. So now, my kids have Grandpa Mike to spoil them. The only problem? They're moving to Purcell! That's a bit far to babysit at a moment's notice! But she gets to retire at the end of the school year after almost 30 years of teaching. So she will be LOTS happier...we're thrilled for Grami!

6. American Idol...I HATE the new format! I don't know why. Maybe I'll come to appreciate the fact that people have to actually be choosy about who they vote for so they don't vote for ridiculous people like Tatiana Del Toro ("of the bull") or Nick/Norman. But so far, a lot of really talented people who just picked the wrong song are falling through the cracks. There is one saving grace: the judges get to bring back three 'wild cards' back after the first 9 are voted in by America. So maybe some of the girls still have a chance. Because so far, they haven't done so hot! Tis definitely a boy year. Whatever. I'm still mad they didn't put Danny's friend Jamar through and they put Nick/Norman through to the top 36. ASSININE!

7. LOST!!!! I haven't watched this weeks episode yet, but it is SOOOO good this season! Very intriguing! I want to watch 4 hours in a row every week! Plus, we've started up our Lost Watch Party that died out when all of our cowatchers graduated and went off to college. Now we have newbies that won't be going anywhere anytime soon because they work here. Saaaa-WEET!

8. J.J. went in to get his ears rechecked from having an infection 3 weeks ago (the only reason we knew he had one was from his 3-year check-up...he never complains!) and it's not AS bad, but it's still infected and is now in both ears. SUPER!

9. I had a Pampered Chef party at my house on Monday. We had some DELISH pasta w/ sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil....yummy!! Not that I will EVER make that in my life, because the tomatoes alone were $5 for a tiny jar, but at least it was tasty! Now I get free kitchen stuff. Good times.

10. I HATE making up the schedule every quarter for the early childhood department. Every 3 months, I get slapped in the face with the fact that people keep dropping off like flies, making my job that much harder. Every Sunday, I have at least 32 spots to fill. So many people have either decided they just don't want to serve anymore or are too tired from all the other things they do at church that I have anywhere from 1 to 3 time-slots unfilled every Sunday that I have to fill with paid workers. And I don't have enough of them, either! There are now people volunteering to serve twice a month to fill spots that should be filled by people who aren't serving at all. I just wish people would quit complaining and step up. It's once a month. Quit whining. [I would be worried about people getting upset about this post, but A) not enough people from church read this and B) I am so tired of dealing with it that I don't care whose feelings I hurt. If your feelings are hurt, it's probably your conscience being pricked to come serve!]

11. Spring Break is officially Potty Training Week in the Hughes house. Please pray for me! I am not known for my patience and I have a feeling it's going to be a very. long. week. For all of us.

Okay...that's enough procrastinating. I gotta go do something productive. Sorry if this seemed to be a negative post. That's just what's on my mind these days. Love love!

Organizing 101

I bet from the title, you're expecting a lesson in organizing, right? Well, since most of you who read my blog actually know me and know how I SUCK at organizing, it's probably more appropriate to just admit that I NEED some sort of lesson! Anybody wanna come over and learn me somethin'? I'm swimming in piles of laundry and random baby stuff and scrapbooking stuff and TOYS!!!!

I know, I know...there's a simple solution to the piles of laundry: FOLD IT AND PUT IT AWAY!!! But now it's just one more thing that overwhelms me and makes me tired just looking at it. I realize that my laziness has a LOT to do with the problem, but I can't seem to shake it. Selfish, selfish, selfish me.

Well, I'd write more, but I'm actually going to go to bed at a normal hour so maybe I won't be exhausted tomorrow and maybe, just maybe I can get one pile taken care of.