We'll Always Have New Orleans.....The Grand Finale

We had about a half of a day to explore New Orleans. We decided to check out the Audubon Aquarium. (We figured there wouldn't be any naked street performers in there.)

Mac hangin' with the Piranhas. Piranhas are creepy because they don't swim around. They just kind of hang in one spot very still just waiting for some unsuspecting piece of meat to drop in.

Mac and the kids got to pet the Stingrays. I'm not sure if Holland's hand actually touched water. We had to practically pull Grey out of the water, he was so into it.

Only in New Orleans do you find an exhibit of Drunken Fish (Pacu).

Petting the Baby Nurse Sharks

We had lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe. It was just like Houston's Hard Rock in that took 2 hours to get our food! Papa and Mac are on their 4th round of Iced Tea and still no food. Holland is so hungry, she's eating the lemons from the teas.

Mac gave this Silver-Painted Street Performer a dollar to take a picture. Then the Silver Guy tried to offer Holland a sucker. Thank goodness she ran and hid behind one of us. We taught her not take candy from strangers and they don't get any stranger than this guy!

Looking out over The Mississippi River...Holland, Me, and a monkey we picked up in the French Quarter.

We'll Always Have New Orleans.....Part 2

The Electric Slide,

Like riding a bike....you never forget.

We'll Always Have New Orleans.....Part 1

Well, he's married off. my oldest brother, Chris and his bride, Suzy got hitched this past Monday. She was beautiful, and he was most handsome. The Davis 4 arrived early Sunday afternoon, and we met up with Ran and Papa, my other brother, Hank and his fiancee (yes, there's another wedding in 30 days). We explored a little of New Orleans and then Monday we attended the wedding. It was aboard a Carnival cruise ship. We boarded the ship, explored a little, and then went to the wedding and reception. Then the newlyweds and some of the wedding party sailed off to sun, sand and a week of relaxation. And the rest of the wedding party (us) got off the boat and sailed back to work, school, and domestic duties. sigh. It was hard to disembark after seeing how much fun the cruise ship was. I had to physically restrain Grey from going down the pool's slide in his wedding clothes. And I know I saw Mac eyeing the mini golf course.

Mac, Chris (the groom), Holland, Me, Grey

Chris, Mom (aka Ran), Hank, Me

Pop, Banny, Chris, Hank, Me

SUZY and CHRIS NORWOOD

The Mustangs, Post Game Wrap-Up

Well, we finished the soccer season. I'd like to say we finished it strong and on top, but well, we didn't. But Grey had a lot of fun and definitely got better as the season progressed. He didn't miss a game or practice and I'm proud of him following through on that commitment. I'm tired of making the drive to the fields, but nonetheless, proud of the commitment thing.
Last week's game bestowed a new title on Mac. He was coach for that game. Our coach was called in to work at the last minute and asked Mac to fill in. He did a great job, the players, not so much. It was the first game where Grey didn't score any goals. I think he was so busy trying to be Mac's assistant coach that he couldn't focus on his job of actually playing the game. They got spanked (and elbowed a lot), plain and simple.
Today's game was once again with the Cardinals. (the Lifegroup shootout) We played hard with Grey scoring 2 goals, but alas, it was not enough to overcome the very talented Cardinals. We lost 4-2. Sigh....guess we'll be bringing breakfast tacos again..... Mac's coaching debut.

That's my boy!

It's Coming....

That's right, basketball season is coming. And I have said it a million times, basketball is Grey's favorite sport. ( I believe some of you were saying it with me just then.)
So, in preparation for the season we have put up the new adjustable goal. It goes from 8 to 10 feet. And let me just say, putting that thing together was no easy task. I noticed that when we mentioned that we going to put it together, friends who have similar basketball goals were suddenly busy that afternoon. I can clearly see why. I truly believe Mac and I should receive some sort of associates degree in engineering or some sort of marriage medal because:
A. We put it together correctly....or close enough that it won't fall and maim someone.
B. We put it together in complete harmony. I mean we are 2 business majors putting mechanical thingys together, and we got along famously. That has to count for something.
Now, I must go practice 'cause we have challenged the Canadiens around the corner to a "no mercy" game of "HORSE".

Thank you to my model, Holland for helping showcase the basketball goal.

A Surprise Party....For Me?

My friend, Liz threw me a surprise birthday party Friday night. Now, normally I don't like to be the center of attention. I like to think of myself as an intricate part of the peanut gallery. But I have to confess, I really enjoyed the spotlight....allright, I downright loved it. I had so much fun, and not only did my friends take the time and effort (it's not always easy finding childcare on a Friday night) to come but they brought me gifts, the really good kind, like gift cards to my favorite places and jewelry and candles. Plus, they only put 9 candles on the cake. I tell you what, I was so touched. I am blessed with such great friends and husband, too!

Halloween 2007

This Halloween, I decided to go as "Single Mother of 3". Below are my 3 children; Elvis, Rocky, and Red.

We began our Halloween at our church's Fall Festival. We wised up this year and got there early and Holland rode the train and horses before there was a huge line. Nobody wanted a scene like last year. However, Grey was not so fortunate with the bungee thingy. When he first got in line, it was still daylight. We left him in line with his friends and periodically checked on him. He finally made it to the front of the line and loved every bit of it, all 2 minutes of it.

Mac didn't just wear the Elvis costume, he became Elvis. Before we even got to the Festival, he was waving and pointing at people. I finally had to put the child lock on the truck windows because he kept yelling out Elvis phrases at pedestrians and any other unsuspecting bystanders in his path.

Here he is with our pastor, Bruce Frank.

We found a little Elvis in the BBQ line. I don't know the kid's real name, but he became "Little E" to us.

Here's Elvis almost carted off to jail. Fortunately, these Humble police officers are friends. They recognized that it was just Mac and no breathalizer test would be necessary.

I'll Let The Picture Speak For Itself

Well, at least we'll get our money out of them...the costumes, that is.

AWANA Costume Night

Rocky Balboa and Little Red Riding Hood
The times they are a changin'. Halloween costumes aren't just for October 31st anymore. There are weekend events coming up and costume contests. Holland will wear hers for her costume parade at Pre-K, and Grey will get to wear his at school for his costume parade. Does anyone here over the age of 20 ever remember getting to wear a costume to school? Of course, our costumes would have been ripped to shreds by 3rd period, because, let's face it, they were cheap. A piece of decorated vinyl with little vinyl strings that tied behind your back with your pants and tennis shoes clearly visible. Who knew Princess Leia wore Keds? And the plastic mask that blocked vital airways while you mumbled out trick or treat and you quickly shoved it on top of your head after you got your candy and you hoped the string would hold for just one more house. And then to top it off, quite literally, you had to wear your winter jacket over the whole ensemble, unzipping at each house and flashing your costume to the candy-givers because back then, Halloween was cold. Yeah, times have changed, can't say I'm too broken up over it.

Willy the Clown Pumpkin

I told myself this would be the year we actually make jack-o-lanterns. You know, the whole carving, cleaning out the guts, making the eyes, putting the candle in, etc. I figured if Jon and Kate plus 8 (TLC Mon. nights @ 9) could do it, I had no excuse. But when it gets down to it, Holland had no interest in getting all messy. This is the child that eats donuts with a fork so her hands don't get donut debris all over them. So I found a way for her to decorate...I'm sorry..accessorize her pumpkin without any mess.

Sickness Has Its Privileges

When my friend, Liz came to pick up her girls from their weekend visit to the Davis establishment, she peeked in on Grey and asked him how he was doing. He said he didn't like the pain in his throat, and then he said, " But I like the service."
No school, TV, Nintendo DS, a new movie, food served on a tray, laid out on our bed with his favorite blankets....hmmmm maybe strep throat isn't so bad....

Weekend Getaway For 2, Only, Not Us

Well, my friend, Liz and her husband had a weekend getaway. Their 2 girls, Hope and Faith stayed with us. Hope and Grey are friends, and Holland and Faith are inseparable. They all got along and being 7 and 4 years old, they are pretty self-sufficient. But honestly, if I had a doubt about not wanting more Davis offspring, it has vanished. I was always counting when we went out making sure everyone was still with us and not in the path of oncoming traffic. Your whole parenting strategy has to change.

On Saturday, the Davis 6 (as I will refer to this weekend's cast) went to Grey's soccer game, the game we were pretty pumped up about. The coaches and a couple of our friend's kids from our lifegroup were on the opposing team. I like to call this game, The Lifegroup Shootout. It was exciting. There was plenty of mud, even some blood and lots of sweat. Grey scored 2 goals and the Mustangs had the lead for awhile, but the Cardinals came back and tied it. And then the Cardinals scored the buzzer game-winning goal. I tell you what when you are on the losing side of that scenario, you kind of stand there and look at each other and say, "Did that just happen?" I reached down for a pretzel, looked up and not only was the game over, but we had lost.

We thought Grey was pretty down about the game. And he said he wasn't feeling well. When we got home he said he was feeling dizzy. Turns out he had a temperature of 103. Now am I saying that affected his game? No. Am I inferring that it affected his game? I believe I just might be. Would they have won the game? Nah, I wouldn't say that because the Cardinals are a very good team and the last buzzer goal was nothing short of impressive.

What I didn't realize was that there were some Breakfast Tacos riding on this game. Mac has gotten several phone calls with their Sunday Morning orders, even some people who aren't a part of either team. But don't worry we'll have another Lifegroup Shootout in a couple of weeks.

Sunday, I took all the girls to church, and Mac took Grey to the doctor. Grey has got strep throat. We've managed to have it every October for the past 3 years. Why break tradition now? Hopefully, neither our weekend guests nor Holland will get it. But to keep spirits up, we had Elvis come and entertain the kids, and well, me, too.

Yes, people, this is my life.

Back To My Roots

Well, I figured it was time to get back to my roots, my red hair roots. Somewhere along the line, my red hair with blonde highlights became blonde with the occasional strand of red hair. I've heard your cry, people. You do not prefer me as a blonde.

So Monday I made the appointment for color and a cut while Holland was at Pre-K, because there aren't enough Polly Pockets and Polly Pocket Accessories to keep her occupied for that length of time. Not even the Check Engine Light and strange noises coming from the Expedition engine could stop me from this appointment. (If I had known it was going to cost $400 to fix the truck, that probably would have stopped me.) But my good friend, Sheri, realizing how precious and important a hair appt is, dropped me off. Sheri is good people.

So, Sergio did a nice job of bringing back the red and still giving me some blonde highlights and educating me on the mechanics of an Expedition at the same time. Hey, there is a lot of time to talk when you are foiling the hair. Of course, I follow up the color with a haircut, only, Rebecca, who is the Rosie of all things hair, isn't there, so another stylist, who shall remain nameless, cuts and styles it.

Let me take this moment to expound on Rebecca's magic with scissors and a flat iron. People stop me all the time and tell me they love my haircut. I had one lady stop me in the church parking lot and tell me that my hair always looks perfect. I still have no idea who she was, but I plan on asking her to be my new best friend when I do find out. I also had one person want to take a picture. Now if you had seen my hair the first 32 years of my life, (rock bottom being around the summer of '86) you would understand that this was a feat deemed impossible by many a well-meaning stylist. Until Rebecca came into my life, I thought all those magazine pictures of great hair were just pipe dreams for me, pipe dreams, people.

Current day: Nameless cuts, thins (which goes without saying) and styles my hair. I leave thinking it's the same cut, I mean all she had to do was follow the cut already there, cut along the dotted line if you will. But apparently, she had a different style in mind. I began to notice that I got comments on my hair, but not really compliments. So I began to really look at it. And I noticed that it was even all the way around. Oh, no she didn't. (My hair all one length will begin to resemble a cotton ball shape within a week.) So I need confirmation that my hair was in fact the same length all the way around, right? And Mac is the only one around, so I go into the den, turn on the overhead surgical lights and ask him, IS MY HAIR EVEN? I don't know if it's because I blinded him with the lights or it sounds like a trick question, but he doesn't answer right away. So I answer for him, "It IS even, It's not supposed to be even, it's a bob, for goodness sakes....blah,blah,blah,blah......"

So he says the perfect thing," go back and have them fix it like you want".

Oh, how I love this man.

So I went back yesterday and Rebecca fixed my hair and people she did not charge me one red cent. Rebecca is good people, folks, She is goooooood people. And to prove my point, if you are actually still reading this, I got about 50 ft from the salon, out into the mall, when I ran into a lady I kind of know, you know the kind, you know them, but you can't come up with their name at that moment to save your life, (I have since remembered her name.) and she said to me, I kid you not, "Your hair looks so good."

Yeah, Rebecca is in the will.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It

Holland's dance studio collected toiletry items for a local nursing home. This picture was in The Kingwood Observer and The Tribune. Those are our fine, weekly newspapers. Why we have 2 newspapers that come out only once a week is beyond me, but if it means I get to see Holland twice, I'll read 'em.

I didn't realize that Lifesavers and Werther's Originals were considered toiletries, but what do I know?

Mustang Soccer Update

Let me catch you up on the latest Mustang Soccer. 2 weeks ago, the game was cancelled due to a visit from our old familiar friend, torrential rain. Last week against The Cyclones was a tie 3-3, with Grey scoring 2 goals. Then, yesterday we played a double header. First a tie against The Hoosiers 3-3, with Grey scoring 1 goal. The second game against The Badgers was a victory, 7-1 with Grey scoring 6 goals.
But, we are all a little more than excited about next week's game against The Cardinals. Grey's good friend AJ plays on that team and the coaches are in our Lifegroup. I'm not saying we placed any side bets, but there has been some talking smack so we shall see......

I wish I had action shots of Grey, but I get caught up in watching the game and trying to keep Mac in his seat and not yelling, "coast to coast, Grey", and "that's my boy" too loud. Nothing like a proud daddy.

Birthday Bonanza

Well, we gave the options we always give Grey for his birthday. BIG GIFTS or party with friends. I think it's obvious which one I lobbied for. One reason is that these birthday parties get bigger and bigger. Why, Grey went to one a couple of weekends ago where he and 10 other boys rode in a Hummer Limo down to the Astros sold out game. They watched batting practice, the game,and fireworks afterwards. Then they rode the limo home. I just don't have the desire, mental capacity, or financial backing to host a party like that. I'm so glad he got to go because he had a blast, but fortunately he didn't come home with delusions that he was getting a party like that.
He did have a great day on his birthday. He got a new bike. That was really more about restitution, because Mac and I accidentally broke his other bike. ooops. Then he got the ONE GIFT HE WANTED MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, A NINTENDO DS! He already knew he was going to get it, but to actually hold it was one of those special moments. He also got a game for it, a couple of movies, a fishing rod, a junk ball/bat, and some Heelys, (shoes with the wheel in them.) Hopefully, he'll get the hang of it before he busts a hole in the garage wall practicing.
I ate lunch with him at school, and then we went out to eat the next night. All in all a great way to turn 8. At least that's what he thinks and that is what matters!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, GREY!

We Love You!!

I Have A Secret

I have a secret....and it's not pretty. I've been able to hide it for some time, but the guilt is too much. It started the other day when the exterminator came for his routine visit. As he was finishing, he made the remark, "How do you keep your house so neat with kids?"

I respond, " We have a lady who comes and helps me out once a month."

By "lady" I mean Rosie, the 4 ft 9 cleaning goddess and by "helps me out", I mean, I leave a check and a key and get out of her way.

He says,"Well, it looks great."

I can't stand it any longer, I must confess..... I shove, throw, cram, stack, etc everything into the game room closet. I don't organize or label. I mean the Polly Pocket accessories alone would take months to sort through. (I'm glad when the occasional shoe or purse gets sucked up into the vacuum.) I know it drives Mac a little crazy when he see the closet door open and the mountain of toys oozing out like lava. I prefer to just close the closet door and think of it as out of sight = clean.

But today the beast has taken on a life of it's own. I could almost hear it groaning behind the closet door, and then I opened it. Something in my maniacally designed toy stacking structure gave way and almost the entire contents came flooding out. And I knew I could no longer keep this secret. For one thing, I needed help getting it all back in. Now I suppose the next step in this process would be to clean out the closet. That's just what you'd be expecting. But it wasn't the mess that really bothered me, just the secret. And now that everyone knows, I believe I can live, rather contentedly, I must say, with the actual mess for a little while longer. By "little while longer" I mean until the closet door explodes under the weight and pressure of the toys.

All clean!

You just got Boo'd!

Last year, we got "Boo'd" by one of our neighbors. Basically, a friend or neighbor anonymously leaves a bag or bucket of candy with a "you just got boo'd!" sign. The idea is that the neighbor that got boo'd boos someone else, passing on the fun. Naturally, we like to add a little James Bond, 007 feel to our booing. We wait until dark, cruise past the target house (we don't restrict ourselves to just our neighborhood) then we pull over and turn off the truck's lights. Then we go over the mission.
1. Tape note to door
2. Place bucket in front of door.
3. Ring the doorbell.
4. Run!
I have to say that Grey executes it beautifully. We peel out giggling like a bunch of little girls and head for the next house. Hopefully this will not inspire him to a life of crime.

For Kicks and Giggles

This is me, Easter 1975. I was around 16 months old. Mac says it looks like I'm dressed for The Grand Ole Opry.............I think he has a point.

I Was Not Prepared For This

Holland: "I don't want to wear bows."

Me: Hysterical sobs
(picture the Nancy Kerrigan footage, "why..whyyyyy")