Bunny Love

We spent time at my parents farm this past weekend- and these are a few shots with "Jiffy" the peanut butter colored bunny- and baking Nestles Toll House cookies- YUMMAY! The kids had a great time and I think we've gotten them in the swing of spending time with Nana and Pop Pop- just in time for A&M football to start next weekend. We're super excited- and I cant wait to see my A&M friends! This should be a fun season. At least we're down one mortgage and things are going to start smoothing out really soon. I'm also looking forward to the next few months with the kids. They seem to be chatting up a storm and really enjoying the extra attention they get from saying such cute stuff! Here is a pic of Nana, Jiffy and Brooke too-

Memories of "Clique-ville"

Its hard for me to deny how much of an outsider I felt like when I lived up North. I know I talk about living up there frequently- but this week kind of brought up some memories from years ago- and how living there was both the best of times and the worst of times. Firstly- this post's comments section!!! (I don't think I even remembered how much I hated the "Bitchy-bitches" up there- until now!) I seriously have NEVER had problems making friends- and I had a serious problem up there. This post on Gawker really puts it into perspective. Women were so clique-ish and self centered- money-focused (I was a flight attendant with no degree & no $$ at the time- so I measured a "zero" on their scale of possible acquaintances!) The only people who even made an impression on me were ones who WERE NOT FROM THERE! I can honestly say I lived there almost 5 years and only keep in touch with ONE person from there now. No one I worked with up there even lives there anymore. Its a hard city to live in- one that will chew you up and spit you out if you aren't paying attention! I'm pretty sure the reason I had to make it back to the South ASAP was for my own sanity!! Another reason was to finish my education. Lastly- I had to meet my Darlin Mississippi man! Who says you cant play-then get back to where you feel comfortable and accepted? NYC might as well be another planet to me now.

And for my 100th post- a little Aristotle

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”

Kiddos Packing Care Packages for the Soldiers in Iraq

The Kiddos LOVED packing the care packages for the soldiers over in Iraq. Bryce's little fingers had to be pryed off of the matchbox cars- and we had to explain to him that there were other children that would love to have these toys. Brooke eyed the "goldfish" and almost crushed one of the bags she was so excited. It was a good day- we all felt great to do something fun together and to make others happy by letting them know we appreciate what they are doing! I'd like to plug a website that I'm going to challenge you to donate to- Read his entries and pass on a note of encouragement if you can- or maybe a care package? He's a good Ag! - and thats Good Bull!

Trash Truck Irony

CIMG8944, originally uploaded by amydell.

Check out this shot- I took it this morning when the recycle truck came around to pick up the trash in the neighborhood. The house on the side of the truck is OURS!!-- the ironic thing??-- We dont recycle... :)

Wiggles Mania!

CIMG8711, originally uploaded by amydell.

Well- Wiggles mania has hit Houston! We had a great time taking the babies to see them this afternoon. As you can see from the picture- we were so close to them that they could practically sweat on us! There were only a few melt downs- and one that cost Bill 15$ (The flashy Wiggles red car plastic thingy- that Bryce HAD to have-- :() but all in all- it was a good time. Bill was upset they weren't selling beer! lol-- at a CHILDRENS concert-- Helloo??? The house has not closed yet- we are waiting to hear back from the buyers mortgage company- once they approve his funding- we are able to move forward and march to a closing. If everything goes well- then this should happen next week?? Good times--

It was the "lacerated S" George!!!

OMG- all of the attornies we know will love this-

Some things I dont miss about NYC

Apparently-- some men (from my experience--a lot of men) up north- dont have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to manners- This is as funny as it is scary! I think I dated this guy when I lived there? ;)~

"Milk and Sugar"

Seersucker--Does it get much more Southern? This past weekend- my eldest female cousin got married. Thats where this pic was taken. How lucky am I to have found such a handsome man? :) I'm hoping to get back to the posting with some regularity now! ;) We got an offer on our house- and its going through the inspection process now. -- They want to close by Aug 15th- isnt that fantastic? ;) I cant wait to have this off of our plates! Hope everyone is having a happy summer!

Welcome baby Price!

DSC00671, originally uploaded by amydell.

A Note to Price:

Dear Price-

We've waited a long time for your mommy and daddy to have you- and you are FINALLY here! Welcome to the world- and to Houston! It's hot- (you picked the hottest time of the year to join us)- and also the most fun time of the year to have a birthday party! Your mama did so well today- and we're all really proud of her- she is a trooper! Take it easy on her okay? Don't stay up too late at night and cry until unbearable hours of the morning. Be sure and come and visit often- Brooke and Bryce want to teach you how to beat the hell outa TU -- just like daddy taught them- ASAP- :) (Whoop!)--

Welcome, welcome little one- we love you!

Auntie Amydell~

Happy Birthday- USA!!

4th, originally uploaded by amydell.

There's nothing like a two year old- and fireworks!! The 'ewwss' and 'ahhhh's'-- adorable!!

I explained to Brooke (on the way over to the private nature preserve we watched fireworks at) that we were going to "celebrate the "birthday" of the United States!" and that we were going to see "lights in the sky" as part of the celebration. She thought about this- got a huge grin on her face and promptly replied- "BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!"-- which, in essence- IS a birthday to a two year old I guess.

After we arrived there- we set up our chairs and settled in for a delightful display of fireworks that not only lit up the beach immediately in front of us- (the Hilton had a fireworks show for their guests) but we could also see shows going on as far as we could see down the beach. It was wonderful! The babies loved it- and kept saying "MORE, MORE" and "MAS!!, MAS" , "Again" and "Ewwwww, SPARKLES!" This has certainly been a great trip for us- and the kiddos are having a great time here in Destin. Who would have known that they would be such a joy to travel with? I get the assurance that they are okay- and taken care of- and plenty of family to watch out for them when my eyes wander away for a minute or I "need" to grab another glass of wine or a beer! ;) I can’t ever remember having this much fun on a vacation. I also can’t remember a time when I felt more patriotic. It's been wonderful- and I'm thankful for the people who are in Iraq- fighting for my right to enjoy this holiday with my family. HAPPY 4th!

Terrible Two's

CIMG8161, originally uploaded by amydell.

It's impossible to tell you all just how bad she's been lately- This was taken right after a crying fit- before we spent our day taking them to the zoo and to Chic-fillet. Hmmm.. something is wrong here-- the harder we try- the harder she makes it on us.

How Nice to Be Southern!

So, there they were- after drinking my morning coffe and sauntering to my mailbox still in my pajamas- I peered in and there they sat!! Beautiful paper, beautiful handwriting, addressed lovingly with the name that I've adopted with marriage-- "Mrs. Amydell Beardshall" and "Mrs. Beardshall"- how lovely and wonderful! And I thought- "How nice to be Southern!" These notes of 'Thanks' made every second of work and preparation- worth the effort! Rarely do I get the attention of such notes, so when I do receive them- I cherish them! They contained such nuggets of love as "... we were all happy and delighted guests!", "I enjoyed every minute of my stay" and "I have never seen such attention to detail and I loved it all." -- My mother made me this way! I must confess- Southern women aren't just born Southern- we're bred. I've often felt that etiquette and adoration shown to people that provide enjoyment for me is of the utmost importance. I absolutely love, love, love to entertain- but find that people rarely return the favor. In days past- people would meet for lavish or simple - lovingly prepared dinners and parties- as a part of their social engagement calendars. No internet- no phone-- letters and correspondence were their method of exchange, giving them something to look forward to outside of slopping the hogs and weeding the garden. It was seen as a mode of entertainment before the "tonight show" and Nintendo. How Delightful it must have been to just sit on the front porch after supper- with a glass of iced tea and chat about the neighborhood or the state of the Union. I often think I was born at the wrong time- (barring the necessity of central air and heat) It was more genteel and certainly more fussy. I like that. I LIKE spending time to entertain my friends and family- who am I without them? I putter and primp in preparation for my next feast, I crave the conversations of the evening under candle light and good wine. I am here to please and pamper you, for without you, I am not happy. So thank YOU- for those notes of 'Thanks"- they made my day- they might have even made my year! I'm off to write a couple of my own now with fresh thoughts of appreciation on my pen!

My 'room with a view'

CIMG8101, originally uploaded by amydell.

Clearly-(for those of you that know us)- the last 14 mos have been the hardest financially of our married life. The small things- like this view from our library/office window make things a little more tollerable, make me a little more 'willing' to hang on and pray that our other house sells soon! There is a book that I read in college by Forster, that I'll always remember- the opening passage says "Any nook does for me, but it does seem hard that you shouldn't have a view." It reminds me a lot of a saying my mother used to use a lot when I was little (and frequently now, even though I'm grown) "Bloom where you're planted". I love making this home, my own.

Check it out and let me know what you thought of it. Its a free read. ENJOY! Let me know about your 'views', today. :)

You might think I'm cute- but THINK AGAIN!

So- this past Sunday- we took the kiddos to this local place called Lupe Tortillas. It's supposed to be "the kid place" to take small chillens and eat some good grub. (and it IS) for people with children who are not demon spawn! Holy Jesus!! I have NEVER seen TWO, two year olds be as bad as our two were. They RAN across the parking lot to the sand box- where the "parent stadium" is set up- and happily joined three hundred other blonde haired, blue eyed, white kids whose parents were partaking in various libations (from the stadium) and screaming demands to "stop dumping sand down his pants" and "stop kicking the little girl in the eyeballs!" I SWEAR I have NEVER seen that many kids in my life that looked just like mine do! It was worrisome, at best- because I could never seem to get both of them in my "mommy view" before the other ran in the opposite direction. Oh- how I 'love' them being two. 15 mins after we let them loose in the sand pit- we were called to our table- where we 'promptly' wrangled the kids (after my being BIT on the shoulder by Bryce, because I was taking him from "MY sandcox") -- and after navigating the small, seperate rooms of the place- could not find DH- I returned to the deck- and found that he had given up the table we were waiting for and had let Brooke return to her sand dream. UGH! Instead of EATING-- Grrrrrrrrr.... So- I went back in- put us back on the list and demanded that we were GOING to have a meal AT THIS PLACE- and the kids WERE going to behave... (1st bad mistake!) They WHALED all the way in from the box-O-fun and layed on the floor screaming until we started shoving chips in them. They started to calm down a little bit after the found and tore apart every crayola on the table. By this point- the poor wait staff were DONE with us- and the young, childless couple sitting at the table next to us- vowed in a loud whisper NEVER to procreate! (yeah, Good idea!) FINALLY - the food came- and some order was restored as Bryce climbed from the back of my chair (after trying to escape and run free in the eatery) and sat on the "REEEEEEDDDDDDDD" chair you see here. He ate like a champ- colored (with his partially chewed crayons) and basically turned into the angel that I gave birth to. We caught this pic- right after he settled a bit, and Brooke pee'd on my leg. Caviat: ALL I HAD IN THE CAR (because I'm twin mother of the year, was swimmers-- we had NO PULLUPS left!) (are swimmers supposed to be used as every day diapers? because apparently- they arent- they wick away water and let it SEEP through the diaper- because thats what this one did!) Are two year olds supposed to be in public? I dont think mine are supposed to leave my house. I know I cant keep them locked in the house FOREVER- but after this past weekends experience- I dont think we'll be eating in public with them again until they are at least 14!!!! Hey Lupe Tortillas- THANKS for tryin! I hope the waitress enjoys that fat tip I left her! She EARNED it!