My big reveal!

Conversations with Joel

Lately, Joel will ask me to stop talking to him because he is dreaming about Legos. Today he expounded on this a little more for me.

First, he dreams about Legos
Then, he thinks about Legos
Then, he talks to his brain( his "sweetie-pie mom brain", if you want to be specific) about Legos (No, I don't know why his brain is a mom brain.)

Then, he plays with Legos
(when they haven't been taken away due to disobedience)

So, first of all, I can't believe that I didn't mention the name of the salon who did my hair. I want to give lots of credit and thanks to JEAN-PHILIPPE SALON for the great job they did! I have been able to style it myself, too, which makes it even more exciting to me.

And now on to other news ... Evan went skating for the first time on Saturday! He went to a skating birthday party for one of the friends in his class. I wasn't sure how he would do, since he had never been before, but he really surprised me. I could tell he was nervous and a little scared, but instead of refusing to try (like he often does), he gave it a try and kept trying. He was doing really well by the time we left. I think he may have found a new activity to pursue with his dad. (Not me, because my tailbone still hurts and I have never been able to skate.)

Yep, he's a little nervous at the beginning

There are many shots of him like this. He was skating, but also watching the video game behind me.

He doesn't need the wall anymore!

This is the farthest away from the wall that he got. He didn't make the whole lap, but this was pretty good, I thought.

He also got his face painted as part of the party festivities.
(He is sad that the Chargers lost, by the way. He will be pulling for the Colts since the Jets beat the Chargers. He will also be pulling for the Saints, since he wanted Dallas to win. I obviously need to teach him more about football and who to root for.)

Drumroll, please ...

It's the new hairdo!!!

And here are some more shots so that you can see more details. I have to admit, there are more highlights in the hair than I realized. It does help you to see all of the layers better, though.

Our segment of the show was pre-empted by a presidential address on the earthquake in Haiti. The tail end of it aired live, but the entire segment is supposed to be re-broadcast at some point. I will try to get a clip of it when/if that happens.

Another segment was pre-empted as well, before ours, and that guest was Anita Renfroe. I heard them call "Anita" to stage and saw her leave the room. I started asking people if that was Anita Renfroe, but it was crowded so I don't think people had seen her. Anyway, they showed "The Mom Song" as part of her intro. I was waiting for her when she came back, and immediately began chatting her up. I told her I'm a huge fan and she asked my name. We chatted a little more, and then it was time for us to part ways. I can't believe that I didn't use the camera that was right there to get a picture with her!!! It was fun, anyway, though.

After I left the studio, I drove to another new part of Dallas for me, to meet a friend for lunch. I was there quite early, so I used some birthday money to treat myself to a manicure. (I know that should have been done before the tv appearance, but the focus wasn't really on my hands.) Then my friend, Jenn, showed up and we had a fantabulous lunch at Freebird's! It was great getting to talk to her and enjoy the yummy burrito.

My pampering day ended then, and I headed back home in time to pick up the boys. They don't seem to have noticed anything different about me today, so I guess that is a good thing. The outside may have gotten some extra attention lately, but they just see their mom. And that's just fine with me.

I feel pretty ... oh, so pretty!

Especially when I am getting my 4-year-old ready for church and he asks in a sweet little voice, "Mommy, why did you make yourself pretty today?" Ahhhh ... children have a way of humbling us, don't they.

I was thinking it was time for a haircut so that we could finally get family portraits done. I bought a box of color to do my hair myself, but didn't get the cut yet. Then I got an e-mail about a great opportunity. Without knowing all of the details, I signed up. All I needed to know was that I was getting a free hair cut/color which the designer would decide for me and then I would be committed to modeling the new 'do next Thursday morning. I went in yesterday to the (fanciest-I've-ever-been-to) salon and the owner did my consultation. He told me what he wanted to do and asked if I would be available early Thursday morning. I said hesitantly, "How early?" He answered (somewhat apologetically, it seemed), "You need to be here at 6:30, 7 at the latest. We need time to do your hair and make-up and then go to the studio." So at this point I realize that I have agreed to go on a tv show to show my before/after. (They already took the before pictures, and they are worse than I hope I normally leave the house looking. It's a good thing i don't embarrass easily.) Some people would freak out, but I find it kind of exciting. And I get a free service - TWICE! I still don't know what channel it will be on, or what time, but I will let you know when I do. I hope to find out today when I go back for the cut/color. I also need to find out if I will have to buy a new outfit for my "appearance". So, I will keep you updated, and hopefully I will have good news to report after today's appointment!

Happy New Year!

We had plans to have some friends over to celebrate the New Year, but we are all sick. The boys and I have been sick since our trip, but Steve just got sick, so we decided that someone is probably contagious. Since one of our guests works with sick babies, we thought it best to quarantine ourselves. (Okay, really we let her make the call.) So, my plans for making chex mix and fudge with the boys, cleaning for our guests, and playing games all day went out the window.

We started out the morning with some baked French toast and a little sparkling juice. There were party hats and blowers set out on the table for breakfast, too. I really should think these things out more, though. I should only give the blowers out when I want them blown. Because if they are out, they will get blown ... loudly. And it will hurt the adults' ears - a lot.





Anyway, after breakfast, Evan and I played a couple of games of Connect Four and watched a bit of the Rose Parade. Then he played a lot on the Wii with the rest of us joining in occasionally. Then we watched the Gator Bowl. Steve and Joel were doing their own thing during the bowl game. I fell asleep toward the end of the game (but did see that the 'Noles won!) and then all of the guys were playing on the Wii again.

I am not a traditional New Years Day food kind of cook, but today I tried something new. I made a crockpot version of black-eyed pea soup. It smelled so good cooking all day, and it tasted great, too. What a great soup for a chilly, lazy day like today! We had cooked cabbage and cornbread to go with it. I always loved my mom's cabbage, but I don't know how to make it like she did. This was my first attempt and it wasn't like hers. It was edible, though. Overall, I would declare the dinner a success. (You don't have to don't ask the boys for their opinion, though. They would probably just talk about the gingerbread house that they ate after they endured the other food.)

So, it was a pretty good day anyway, even if it didn't go according to my plans. I am getting more used to things not going according to my plan. I think that means I am growing a little. I hope that trend continues into the new year. This is my prayer, taken from Paul's words to the Ephesians:

No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16 - The Message)