Oak Cliff

So-- my husband and kids and I went to an art/craft show that my sister was 'showing' at in Dallas. Before we arrived, my husband was crying HUNGER. If he does not get to eat- he starts to act like a 6 month old. He had already started to dig into the girls snacks.

Once we found where we needed to go- we stopped at a Rib place across the street- it was called 'Off the Bone'-- small place that served ribs, chicken and brisket. Looked good, was clean and only had outside seating-- UNFORTUNATELY they did not open for an hour. Since that place was closed we started driving straight which was into Oak Cliff. All I can say is --- we would have hit the jackpot if we were needing some liquor! There was a liquor store -not on every corner BUT about every 10 feet on each side of the road. If you needed gas- you were out of luck. If you needed a gallon of milk from 7-11- you were out of luck. If you needed Happy Meal- you were out of luck. If you needed a 40 ounce--- you were in the RIGHT PLACE.

Needless to say- after the craft show- which was nice (we actually found a lady that might know someone that can paint Lexi's mural in her room)-- we went across the street and ate at 'Off the Bone'!!!! Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

End of School

The end of the school year is nearing. I must order end of school year presents for teachers. I have so many to order. 2 groups of 2, 1 speech teacher, and the bus driver & the assistant bus driver! So many people that have an affect in Lexi's life that I must thank!

The great news is that I think Lexi is being invited back to Primrose next year! That makes me so happy because she has learned so much and has made friends.

The boys graduate on June4th! The ceremony is June5th! We shall see what their future brings!

Beans and BBQ

Our first Annual 'Beans & BBQ' event was a huge success! We had around 40 people turn out for this event and everyone had a great time. We ordered food from 'Rudys' and it was delicious and it was just enough to feed 40 people. We ordered food for 25! The Lime / Strawberry Margarita machine was also a huge success. It was funny because you could tell that whoever was drinking Strawberry was a bit more tipsy than those that drank lime.

Our last guest left at around 330am! These was an old school / family friend of Ricks. I am very thankful that we did not get any complaints from the neighbors- seeing how our houses are backed up to one another and most probably go to bed at 9pm. The smokers and most of the men hung out in the back- so it got loud- especially w Rick talking.

As I was trying to fall asleep w a huge headache I began to realize why I should not drink. After falling asleep w a wet rag on my head around 4am--the GIA alarm went off at 6AM!!!!!!!!!! She had apparently threw up, but after I threw a clean sheet over her old sheet (I know this is bad), turned on Cinderella, got her a sippy cup- she went back down until around 730am.

Rick was great! He woke up around 7AM and started cleaning!

Easter 2009

Easter was Great!!!!

Thankfully we all woke up at around 715am (well, not Gia- we had to wake her up and we had to drag the boys out of bed). We got ready-- the girls were so cute in their Easter dresses and cowboy boots. Around 805 we headed to church - thankfully it is across the street and around the corner! Luckily Lexi and Gia were able to stay in the same classroom/playroom. The Sunday school classrooms were closed. Lexi absolutely LOVED being in Gia's classroom- Gia still panicked at the fact that we LEFT her. Thankfully the teacher held her and walked around with her.

After service we went to an Irish Pub for breakfast--- I would have rather gone to Mimi's Cafe but I had a feeling that it would be crowded. The pub was a bit expensive, but they served a lot of food and they were not crowded so if the girls were bad- it was not so embarressing.

The Easter Bunny dropped off baskets and chocolate bunnies while we were at church! The basket had lots of chocolate, goldfish, new pj's, coloring books and some jellybeans!

Before dinner, Jenna and Jeremy hid eggs for the girls and then played outside with them. They had a lot of fun playing w chalk and playing hop scotch. For dinner we cooked a ham-- it was not so delicious. It was from the pig we had butchered and it ended up more like pork chops. The sides were awesome- mashed potatos, sweet potatos, and mac and cheese!

After dinner, I played outside w the girls and let them jump in puddles. Too much fun- for them!

All and all it was a great Easter.

Lexi Turns 4!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lexi turns 4 years old today!!!!!!! She has grown into such a BIG GIRL!!!! Her personality is one of a TRUE 4 yr olds! Cute, funny, sassy, and a bit BAD at times!

Lexi has turned into a smart little puppy. She knows how to spell her name and write her name (first name), she has now started to draw people, name letters and etc... Yesterday I gave her two sheets where she could trace her last name-- later she wrote on a separate piece of paper 'FACI'!!!! She came so close.

We celebrated her birthday party at Build a Bear. It was fantastic! I would definetely do it again. The kids were great- they picked out an animal and an outfit that fit their personality wonderfully.

Today we plan on going to Peter Piper's Pizza up the street w the family to have Lexi's 4th Birthday Dinner. Fun times :-)

Did you know

That when a pig is STRESSED OUT they will have an immediate heart attack or fake a heart attack? We saw this a couple of times in Houston--- I only saw fake heart attacks or panic attacks. This would normally happen as they were being led to Market.

Well- Ricky's pig almost won-- He was sent to the 'left' where only 13 or 14 pigs were sent out of 30 (if not more). Unfortunately he did not win but at least he got this close- this was the best he has ever done w his pig.

Rick and I did awesome w our lack of shopping in Houston. There were so many PRETTY things that were begging me to buy them--- a beautiful purse w lots of bling, a really cute shirt/ dress (way too expensive $40), and an awesome pair of boots that were not expensive at all. I handled myself well. Rick was also strong--- he did not have his mommy pack his suitcase so he accidentally left his boots, western shirts and hat. He struggled and wore his swish swish suit both days. We were suckered into buying the girls a long sucker and I bought one of my daycare kids a bday present (it was only $10).

Houston was nice-- I would like to go back next year or the year after- but this time go to the rodeo and maybe a concert. Lexi is ready-- but Gia needs a little more time.

So We Thought We Booked Our Hotel Where We Normally Book It

Around 930pm after trying to find a place that was not overly packed due to St Patty's Day to eat--- we pulled into the standard Scottish Inns and Suites only to find out that we were not booked for a room! For the first time-- Rick had gone through Hotels.com to book our room for Houston- we normally have the teacher book it so we can get a good room rate. This year was different- so we proceeded to do it ourselves. Come to find out- we booked it at Scottish Inns - which was 40 miles from where we needed to be! UG a LUG LUG.

We called hotels.com - found another hotel (a nicer hotel for not much more)- but we were stuck w paying for the first night at the hotel that was 40 miles away :-(

Once we got to our hotel- I was sort of thankful for the mistake--- It was much bigger- it had a full kitchen, a big bathroom and best of all- we could walk to the arena! How wonderful! We did not have to pay for parking and we did not have to fight for a parking spot!