Bye Bye Pap-Pie!!!

After many unsuccessful attempts to get rid of the one year old's pacifier aka Pap-pie, which is the beloved name she gave it, we have achieved success. I used to always wonder why people would allow kids who were 2 and 3 years old to walk around with a pacifier, now I know.

Pa-pie was truly a life saver, for both of us. It was like it had magical powers. This thing could stop any tantrum and make any sized bo-bo all better instantly. Any time she was fighting sleep, just give it to her and after a couple of suckles she would nearly be in a coma.

My six year old used her "paci" for a couple of months, mostly when she was teething and then she was done. So imagine my surprise to have another child who is so attached to her pacifier that she would even pass up a meal if she had to make a choice. Also the six year old would only use this new pink vanilla scented paci that was over $5 each at the time. That's the price of a two pack for other brands.

Well this time we are officially done because I threw all of them in the trash, so there would be no temptation to give in. She has asked for Pa-pie a couple of times, but she is easily distracted with 2 Skittles. She is on her way to big girl status...if we could just master the potty.

Enjoy these candid shots of the good times with Pap-pie...

At the Christmas parade...

In the carseat...

At the soccer game...

In the toy room...

Grandma turns 65 and Pap-pie was there...

Halloween festival at the Fellowship...

On the back deck...

Me and Pap-pie playing the bongos at Bongos in Downtown Disney...

Pap-pie on the "It's a small world" ride at Disney...

Me and Pap-pie at the seawall in Galveston...

First day home from the hospital. A nap in the beanbag with Sissy and Pap-pie is perfect.

First real bath and Pap-pie was there.

Situation Critical...

How did we come to this? One day we were sitting on the couch hand in hand, or should I say finger to keyboard and the next thing I know, the momentary bliss was gone. I got an ugly message that said files were being dumped and warning messages started flashing before my eyes.

Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!! My laptop died and I feel like my right arm is missing. Gosh! When did we become a society that can't function without certain electronics? Better yet, when did I become that person? It's not like we don't have a desktop to take up the slack, but I have gotten so used to curling up in any given location in the house, with the laptop. @%@%^@%@$!#$$$^*!^Q*(%(!$(!%% That's me trying not to scream, I am losing it without lappie. Yes I just made that up.

As one of my husband's fellow techies looked it over, he asked did I drop it, because there is damage to the hard drive. My instant response was of course not. Then later that night I remembered seeing two little feet using it as a step stool to get on the couch one day. I know. I know, why was it on the floor to begin with? That's another story.

Back to electronics...Last week my cell phone, smart-phone by societies standards, lost it's charge. Well I didn't know where it was and I spent a whole day looking for it. Usually if I misplace it I will just call it from the house phone and problem solved. Not this day. After an all day search, I found it was under a piece of paper right on the breezeway table. What happened to the days of the big, clunky car phones with the cord? I would never lose that.

Am I becoming the angry blogger? No I just gotta shake off a few minor mishaps. In the meantime, remember be nice, praise God, and while you are at it ask him to keep my sanity intact and may the cost of repair be affordable. Have a good day.

OMG! OMG!

I received an email today from Amazon.com about some toys that were on sale, so as I get to the website to browse, I blindly typed in my own name. Wait, wait, wait! Let me explain why. I do this at google.com every once in a while to make sure the info about the blog and the book are still in the top few listings. Anyway, for today, I guess this odd-habit has paid off.

Well evidently the Publishers listed the info prior to sharing the word with me, so when I saw the book information listed I almost threw the one year old off my lap. Hold on!Don't call CPS yet, because I quickly came to my senses. She is safe. Then I put her down because the excitement continued.

I am also listed at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Target's websites. I will keep you posted for the others to come. It is only available for pre-order, but the point is my message is out there. Thank you one and all for your support. Thank you Lord!

http://www.amazon.com/Micahs-Baby-Brother-Ursula-Boudreaux/dp/1606045997/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231437001&sr=1-1

http://www.target.com/dp/1606045997/sr=1-1/qid=1231435304/ref=sr_1_1/186-1582867-0830735?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Aursula%20wade%20boudreaux&page=1

http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=ursula+wade+boudreaux

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?type=1&catalogId=10001&simple=1&defaultSearchView=List&keyword=micah%27s+baby+brother&LogData=%5Bsearch%3A+158%2Cparse%3A+163%5D&searchData=%7BproductId%3Anull%2Csku%3Anull%2Ctype%3A1%2Csort%3Anull%2CcurrPage%3A1%2CresultsPerPage%3A25%2CsimpleSearch%3Atrue%2Cnavigation%3A5185%2CmoreValue%3Anull%2CcoverView%3Afalse%2Curl%3Arpp%3D25%26view%3D2%26type%3D1%26nav%3D5185%26simple%3Dtrue%26book_search%3Dmicah%2527s%2Bbaby%2Bbrother%2Cterms%3A%7Bbook_search%3Dmicah%27s+baby+brother%7D%7D&storeId=13551&sku=1606045997&ddkey=http:SearchResults

Resolution Smessolution

So it's a new year and resolutions are flying through the air. Some people can make a resolution and follow it through to the end, while others of us break them almost as soon as we utter the words. Me? Well I decided to make a small obtainable goal for each day, that way there is no disappointment on anybody's part.

Once I achieve the first goal, of course there is a list of possibilities to draw from so that I can keep moving forward. This morning I decided to do a little cleaning up around the blog. I am still new to this technology(old school), but I am learning. I also made some contacts for the book, to give it more attention prior to the release.

Wow! February 10th is right around the corner and the book will be available. I won't say I am in disbelief, because God can do anything, but I am still in awe. I have had copies in my possession for almost two months now, but I can't wait for the day that I walk into a bookstore and see it sitting on the shelf.

Happy New Year

The six year old has been promising all week that she would be up to see the new year roll in, and true to her word she is up and about. She is full of giggles and watching fireworks out of our bedroom window.

I poured some sparkling grape juice that my husband thoughtfully picked up for us, and put it in a fancy glass for her and her dad. She said, No Thank you! I will pass." After I laughed hysterically I explained that it was not wine and then she reluctantly tried it. She loved it of course. Then she said, "I'll have some more, but can you put it in a kid's cup." She was truly in rare form.

I pray that the new year brings prosperity in all areas of your lives... God Bless!

In Memory of...

Sunday night as I was just starting to relax from previous days, I got a phone call that I didn't expect...my best friend (and cousin) lost her dad. I couldn't believe any of what I was hearing, it was surreal.

I packed up again, out of a suitcase that hadn't been unloaded, and on Monday morning I was back on the road to Victoria. A road trip alone gives you so much time to think and reflect on life. Even though the circumstances were grim, the time alone gave me an opportunity to be thankful for all the blessings God has bestowed on my life this year.

As I sat with my cousin, we reminisced on some of the times with her dad, and fought back the tears as we looked at his brand new slippers still next to the Christmas tree. It is a painful time, but she is clearly able to laugh and remember the good times they shared.

Why blog about this? Take this opportunity to find some understanding about what confuses you. Call that friend that you have been too busy to get in touch with. FOLLOW that dream that still seems elusive. Let us all stop waiting until life gives us a blow and we have to "react" instead of having a plan all along. I admit, I am guilty of all of the above, but we have to start somewhere.

If you have 30 seconds today, whisper a little prayer for my friend, then pray that God gives you guidance for your own dreams. Have a blessed day.

We will miss you David.

Merry Christmas

Christmas was absolutely wonderful. Even though we have previously sworn off the worldwind traveling through 2-3 cities, 5-6 houses, and days in the car, we did it again this year. We had Christmas with our family of four on Christmas Eve. The girls have been sleeping in since the start of winter break, but this morning they were up and ready to go by 8:00 a.m.

As much as I have been trying to keep the one year old away from the tree and the gifts to no avail, I couldn't get her to open presents this morning when I placed them in front of her. Then I remembered the box she wanted in to the most was the build-a-bear (puppy) that her sister made for her, and that was just the spark she needed to get going. It was a great start to the holidays.

Then we headed to Houston to see the girls paternal great grandmas(2), Grandma, cousins, aunts and uncle...and god-brother and sister. We spent one night there and after more toys, clothes and money, we hit the road to Victoria.

After that we came back home on Saturday evening in time to get rest and go to church on Sunday morning, which brought it all home. It was such a great time.

I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas.

A day with the kids!

Sometimes I just feel like sharing how much the Lord has blessed me. Right now I should be laying out clothes for tomorrow but I am listening to children who are giddy about the approaching holiday and running around the house. Even the one year old knows that something big is approaching. She keeps pushing the button on the stocking that plays Jingle Bells and rocks side to side.

Not much to say tonight except Thank you Lord...

You can always go home...

So a week or two ago I went to my hometown(Victoria) for the weekend. It was truly what I needed. I got to see so many people that I hadn't seen in a while and it was cool.

For starters, on Saturday morning I went to do a little networking with an old friend from high school and I found that I was very proud of her and the accomplishments that has brought to the town. It was a great start to the rest of the day.

After that I went home to pick up my daughters, so we could go to my God-daughter's birthday party at the skating rink. Little did I know, I was about to be in for a big surprise. My one year old who has never skated in her life, had the biggest fit I have ever seen. Why? Simply because she wanted to skate. Forseeing this in advance, I did have my six year old's adjustable skates with me, but she wanted to go out to the middle of the skating rink with no help.

Just let her go, Right? Well her well-prepared mommy grabbed the skates without the wheel locks so she kept falling down. This didn't stop her, she kept on crying "Skate, mama, skate!" To make matters worse, they cleared the floor for skate races so she couldn't go out at all. She was so upset that she wouldn't even come back to the table for pizza. She loves pizza! After she tried to convince all of our friends to take her to the floor, her dad was finally able to calm her down by taking her over to the video games.

Next we went home to grab coats, blankets, grandparents, and chairs to head downtown to the night parade. It was awesome and the kids had a blast. I ate from the moment I got there, almost until the time we left. Nachos, soda, fries, hot chocolate, cheese cake squares...it was all so yummy and after all it was my first time going. All of my family has been at least one other time, so I felt like I needed to catch up.

Sunday we went to my childhood church for service and a book signing. It was awesome! The pastor blessed the book and encouraged the church family to embrace the book which they did. I was so amazed with the outpouring of love and support. It was inspiring.

Later that day we stopped by my brother's house to invade his grapefruit and pecan trees. My husband was literally up in the tree, trying to grab large fruit from the top. He squeezes them to make fresh juice.

After a series of goodbyes and squeezes on my little nephew we hit the road, arriving shortly after nightfall. It was a great weekend.

Oh What a Night !

Is there a rule somewhere that limits the number of times you can officially say, "This was the best night of my life!" Although there have been many many many wonderful moments in my life, this one was good too.

So when we last left off I was on a class field trip in very cold weather with the six year old. The next day I did make it to an appointment to get my hair done for the event. What event? The pre-release party for my children's book, of course. I know, you all saw that coming but I just had to say it again.

So many family members and friends came out to share their well wishes and show their love for me and my accomplishment. I am just so thankful to know so many great people. My cup runneth over (again and again)!

My pastor blessed the book, followed by an 8 year old praise dancer, kind words were expressed by a few friends, and my dad, plus a reading of the book, as well as lots of door prizes. It was wonderful. I will be back with pictures...