The Low-Down on Lincoln & Levi

DESTIN!

2011-05-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hey guys, we just got back from Destin & had a terrific time. It was such a sweet time of making memories with just the 4 of us. This post has a lot of pictures, so here we go.
This was just before they walked out onto the beach. Levi had never seen the beach before.

So happy.
The entire first 10 minutes of Lincoln being out in the ocean, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Filled with joy. It was hilarious. And also kinda embarrassing.

Taking it all in.

This is what Levi looked like while Ben had Lincoln out in the boat. So sad.
And finally, he got his chance to go with Dad.

Mom and the boys.

Water fight.
Highlight of Lincoln's day.
the boys having lunch with the lobster, AKA Ben.
Kite-flying.

I can't believe there's only about 9 days of school left. I nearly have a first grader! Unbelievable how fast this year went by. He has loved every minute of it, & Levi has loved his preschool that will end next week. I'm sad to see another year go by, but am so excited for the summer. We've got lots of fun things planned. Busy busy busy!
xoxo

A few events and pictures...

2011-04-19T17:57:00.008-06:00

Hi guys! I haven't updated in a while, mainly because I've been such a slacker with taking pictures. Oh, how I wish I was better. Ben's great with the Flip video, but frankly, I don't enjoy uploading those & posting videos on my blog. Not sure why, but I much rather prefer pictures.

The last few weeks have flown by! Seriously, where does the time go? Between soccer practices, games, volunteering at the school, our Y-time, & going to visit Ben's parents & grandmother, I just can't seem to have time slow down.

Levi had his Spring Program last week at the Y, but unfortunately Ben was out of town. So it was just the 3 of us, & Lincoln was really excited for his little brother to have his first "concert", ha! As the class was coming down the aisle, Levi went into hysterics, screaming "Mama! I have a wunny nose! Get my wunny nose!" He absolutely hates it when his nose is running, & he demands that someone wipe it clean. So evidently, his nose started running right before the class walked down the aisle up to the stage, & he went crrraaaaazzzaaayy. As he was standing on stage & refusing to sing or perform, Lincoln said to me, "Oh no Mom! Brother has stage fright! I need to teach him how to be on stage." Of course you do.
Here's Levi getting ready to go up on stage.

And here's big brother, playing his DS, awaiting Levi's performance.

Then the breakdown with his sweet teacher, Ms. Toni.

Total loss.

Annoyance at being on stage:

I mean....

Then yesterday, we dyed & decorated Easter eggs. So much fun! We always have a really great time doing that as a family. Here are some photos:

Hello Smiley Joe. Holy squinty eyes.

The cutest.

The Three Musketeers:

What a fun day of decorating we had. Have y'all made some good Easter traditions? It's awesome to tell Lincoln about the Easter story & see his eyes light up when he hears of the stone being rolled away, & nothing left in there but Jesus's clothes. Eyes of wonder, eyes of joy.
Happy Easter to you,

Camping Trip Spring Break 2011

2011-03-24T16:18:00.022-06:00

We went to Fall Creek Falls for Spring Break this year. We were planning on staying for 2 nights & three days. Instead, we stayed for one night & 2 days. We didn't bring enough food, equipment, or supplies. FAIL. This was our second time camping, so you would think we would have our routine somewhat set. Ah, think again, my friends. We went grocery shopping the night before we left & we did it hastily & distractedly. Way too much junk food & not enough healthy stuff. Bleh. We already have a master check-list made for next time, complete with griddle, stove top, dutch oven & steaks. We're so excited for all the yummy food we will make at our next camping trip! All that to say, we still had an awesome time. We hiked through the falls, had a wonderful family picnic, skipped rocks in the creek, walked over rickety bridges countless times (what an adventure that was for the boys!), told ghost stories around the campfire, roasted marshmallows, & all laid in our tent together talking about our day. The boys had such a great time, we were sad to leave! We would have loved to stay there another night. But not to worry, we're already planning our next trip. Soon, very soon.
Here are tons of pictures documenting our trip.

Nekked camper:

Happy Spring Break,

Gorilla Mystery Reader

2011-02-10T08:32:00.007-06:00

Ben went to Lincoln's class yesterday as the Mystery Reader. He had the idea of wearing a huge gorilla costume, & then reading a couple books about gorillas. When he walked into the classroom, there were a few shrieks from a couple girls, but the rest of the class was amazed & so excited! When Ben said hello to the kids, Lincoln said, "Hey! My dad talks like that!" Then, when Ben was reading to the kids, Lincoln looked down at Ben's shoes & said, "Whoa! My dad has shoes just like that!" He still didn't put it together. Then when the big reveal happened, Lincoln screamed, "Daddy!"
Hilarious. Ben said that it was such a fun day, & that Lincoln will remember that for a long time. And when dinner time rolled around & we all did HIGH/LOW, Daddy the Gorilla was definitely Lincoln's high.
Here are some photos for your enjoyment:

until next time,

Happy Birthday Levi! 3 Years Old!

2011-01-29T08:28:00.023-06:00

Hooray from the highest! My camera is finally fixed & I've gone a little crazy the past few days taking pictures of the family because I've been without it for so long. Thank goodness I got it fixed before Levi's birthday yesterday, and I was able to document his celebration & party. My in-laws are in town (yay!!!) & they have been such a huge help. I'll put it on record right now. I have the best in-laws in the universe. So yesterday Levi woke up to his first present, the Mobigo. My parents got it for him, & he loves it. Here are a few pictures of that. And PS, why was all that blue & underlined? Me no likey.

Here's Levi waking up Sherry, his MeMaw, on his birthday morning. He was sooo excited to tell her that he is now 3!

So proud of his new game:
And of course, Lincoln has to show him how to play it.
Levi & I:

And this is what happens when 2 brothers get together with a sled when there's no more snow on the ground. The sled comes indoors, & they pull each other around on it. And also down the flight of stairs. Awesome.
Here are some other random shots throughout the day of Levi opening up more presents & just having fun before his birthday party.
Happy boy.
Playing with MeMaw with all of his new Hot Wheels tracks:
Then that evening, we had his birthday party at McDonald's. It was awesome for so many different reasons, the first one being that each child was well-confined inside the building & things were done for us. All the parents loved just hanging out & visiting while the kids were chaotic & insane. Job well done!
Can't forget Lightnin' McQueen:
LOVED his birthday crown!
I just want y'all to look at this picture right quick. This sweet girl is Ainsley, & we are in her parents' community group at church. Lincoln & Ainsley are big buddies, & when I told them to turn around for a picture, Linc's arm went right around her shoulder. Then he came up to me & whispered, "Gentleman, right?" I nearly died. Then I cried. We have been working so much this past year on respecting girls, always putting them first, never harming a girl, always sticking up for them, always protecting them, & always giving them compliments on their hair, dresses, & shoes (this is a taught-thing, I am sure of it, & I would be doing all girls out there a grave disservice if I wasn't teaching my boys to do this). This quick moment in time when he put his arm around Ainsley was such a vivid picture I will forever hold in my mind as a moment of such innocence, & really wanting to be a gentleman to his sweet friend.
Here's Lincoln with his friends Palmer & Anderson. The sweet girl Palmer is Levi's "girlfriend"...ha! Love that.

Corralling the herd into eating.
When we got back from the party, we had Levi open up all his presents. Lincoln was so excited for him to open up the one he got for his little brother. He had told us last week that he wanted to give Levi a boom-box just like the one he has on his night stand that he listens to music to when he goes to bed each night. So he was overjoyed when we told him that we had gotten one for Levi, & that Lincoln got to give it to him for his special gift. Linc was standing right there when Levi opened it up, & the pride on his face when Levi saw it...ohmygoodness, it was priceless. (Sorry that Levi looks a little stoned here)

And here's Lincoln, telling Levi all about the boom-box.

Happy Birthday, sweet L-Train. You are my rough-and-tumble wrestler, my independent spirit, my laughter when I'm stressed, and my singer of the good-night songs. My heart is thankful that you are mine. Love you bub.

xoxo

Chicken Stroganoff

2011-01-16T20:40:00.002-06:00

Hi guys! I usually don't post any recipes on here, mostly because I like to keep it mainly about pictures, holidays, & fun things we do with the kiddos. But because our camera is on the fritz (sigh, boohoo, gasp), I thought I would share a quick recipe with you because it kicks ass, plain & simple.

Chicken Stroganoff:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 T. butter, diced
.7-oz. package Italian salad dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
8-oz. package cream cheese, cubed

Place chicken, butter & dressing mix in a slow cooker; toss to mix well. Cover and cook on low setting for 5-6 hours. Stir in soup & cream cheese. Cover; turn setting to high & cook for 30 minutes, until heated through. Serve over egg noodles.
Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas Belated!

2011-01-06T06:47:00.004-06:00

Well. You're looking at the only Christmas photo we have for 2010. Our camera broke (it is 5 1/2 years old, so it's ancient in the technology world) the week before Christmas & I nearly cried my eyes out. So here is our family Christmas photo...at least we have this one! I'll give you a brief recap of our holiday: Drove to St. Louis, spent a fun few days with Ben's family, came back home, Lincoln got all 4 top teeth pulled (we have an even cuter 5 year-old, btw), Ben worked a lock-in on NYE while I stayed home with the boys & was in the bed by 10:30pm, & then school resumed. I'm so glad to be back in our daily routine. Happy New Year to everyone! How was everyone's Christmas?
xoxo

Texas Thanksgiving (Warning: Longest Post Ever)

2010-12-04T22:02:00.050-06:00

Hi guys! Happy Belated Thanksgiving post. We were in Texas visiting my parents over the holiday, & we ended up staying for 10 days because Ben had a work thingy in downtown Dallas at the Ritz...I know, swanky, right? So we had an extra few days to spend with my mom & dad, & it was really fun. We also went to the Great Wolf Lodge, which was UNREAL. I mean, if you have kids, go there at some point. For those of you who do not know what the lodge is, it's a huge (and I do mean huge) indoor water park. For all ages. There's also an outdoor water park which is just as good, but obviously in November, that wasn't an option. We stayed in a Kid Kamper room, which had a little separate bedroom for the boys which had bunk beds & their own TV. They thought they had died and gone to heaven. It was so much fun! This post has lots of pictures, so get ready! Let's boogie: Here's my beautiful cousin Jaime & my sweet niece Tatum. Tatum stuck to Jaime like glue the entire time, playing with make-up. It was really sweet.

Mimi, Papa, Linc & Levi:

Levi getting so excited:

Our family made a superhero movie over our break. It involved the "Super Cissell Brothers" (Lincoln & Levi) & the "Magical Morrises" (my sister's girls: Lucy & Tatum) This picture is everyone watching the movie on our laptop. I'll be posting that little gem later. Be on the lookout because it is hilarious.

Look at all those pretty girls!

Piano playin':
I love this picture of Levi & my mom. The way he is looking up at her is darling.

Jaime & Char-Char.

Mom & Lincoln:

Aunt Kathi & Jaime:

Levi & my dad playing soccer on Thanksgiving Day.

Sweet face.

This was the first year that we've had an actual Kids Table at our Thanksgiving meal. The kids have usually been so small, that we set them a plate at the big table, & they play a while, then graze a while, etc. But this year was different. They were all pretty much old enough to have their own table & sit there & eat their entire meal without getting up & wanting to play constantly. And shock of all shocks!--nobody needed a high chair! Incredible.

We exchanged gifts with Aunt Kathi & Jaime. They got all the kids wallets with money in them. It was hysterical watching Levi open up his wallet & see the actual bill inside. This was his reaction.
Voila!
Ben & Levi watching football after the meal.

This was one of our very many Pictionary games that we played while we were there. Jaime brought her new beau, Jake, & he's the one in the vest drawing. So much fun.

And last, but certainly not the least, are pictures of my dad with all the grandkids. A serious one....
and you can't NOT do a silly one!
And now for our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. (I told y'all this would be lots of pictures!)
We happened to go during the least crowded week of the entire year. Literally, there were 22 lifeguards & only 16 guests there at one point. When we walked up to the first water slide, the lifeguard at the very top saw us & said, "Hey! Y'all are the first ones up here today!" Holy crap. Usually the lines are at least 40 minutes or longer. So needless to say, we got our money's worth. We must have gone down those slides a hundred times. The boys loved every minute of it, & it is definitely a trip we will take again as they get older. Hope you enjoy these pics.
When we first arrived, we all just looked out the window & couldn't believe that we basically had the place to ourselves! The boys were in awe.
The lobby. It was decorated so cute for the kids & for Christmas.

I don't know that I've ever seen Levi this excited about something. He had just seen his Kid Kamper bunk beds, & he climbed up to the top bunk & just screamed out loud. He was so happy to have his own 'room'.
Linc getting all suited up to go to the water park.
I don't know what we were talking about here, but it's funny how we're both so animated.

Ha. Notice the tongue sticking out from concentration.
AAAHHH! Joy.
Just taking a break from the water.
This was the boys' favorite thing. That huge bucket up there would pour down every 20 minutes or so FULL of gallons upon gallons of water. We all stood underneath it. The force was incredible. And they laughed and laughed.

The wave pool.
And..the end of our day, all tired out & having a snack.
We had a super time over Thankgiving & our family time at the Great Wolf Lodge was really sweet. Hope y'alls holiday was great too.
Until next time.

Halloween 2010!

2010-11-01T13:12:00.040-06:00

Whew, it was a very busy past week & weekend for our family! We had Levi's Trunk or Treat at preschool, Ben's parents came in town (yay!!!) and then Halloween. We had such a great time, & I managed to get some amazing pictures of the family. Mike & Sherry were so great to come here & be with us over Halloween & to help us hand out candy to the kids, while Ben & I took the boys trick or treating. We had our annual neighborhood block party in the afternoon, our friends the Schnecks came over to our house & joined in the festivities, & then we all went trick or treating. So fun!

Levi getting ready to wear his costume to school for his Trunk or Treat Party. He had the best time this day.

He thought he could fly:

Ben walking Levi into school:

Here's Levi coming out of the classroom with his classmates in the afternoon for the Trunk or Treat!

Smiley-Joe:

One of the trunks displayed:

Checking out his loot:

The whole class:

Here he is concentrating so hard on looking at MeMaw's pictures that she had just taken of them in their costumes. So focused!

Introducing....HEATBLAST! (for those of you who do not have boys, Heatblast is a character from the popular TV show "Ben10")

Batman & Mommy:

Family Halloween photo:

Here the kids are at our neighborhood block party. We grilled out, looked at all the cute costumes, & got ready to go trick or treating.

And here's Lincoln eating with some of the neighborhood kids:

And here's Lincoln holding baby Claire, looking so proud to have that job all to himself!

Here's some shots of trick-or-treating. Lincoln, Levi, & Liam are all dispersed throughout these next few:

And last, but certainly not the least, I just couldn't resist taking this great picture of Levi & Ben, trick or treating together. I just love this one:

I hope everyone had a great Halloween, just like we did!
xoxo

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Things I Love

2010-10-21T17:39:00.007-06:00

Louis Vuitton...such a classic. I will love LV until the end of time.

Leopard ballet flats.

Quelques Fluer. The perfume I have worn since I was 18 years old. Smells so good & I get so many compliments when I wear it.

And last, but certainly not the least...these Frye riding boots make me melt. I wear my black riding boots all the time, but I'm needing a great pair of brown. And these are unreal. Giddyup.

Whatcha lovin' lately?

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Field Day!

2010-10-21T10:48:00.002-06:00

I volunteered at Field Day this morning, & it was awesome. Lincoln had a blast, & it was so much fun seeing all those smiling faces having such a great time. Here are some photos of the morning:

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Hello Hawaii!

2010-10-20T13:02:00.002-06:00

Hawaii Five-0, that is. Love this show because it doesn't stress me out, it doesn't make me tense, it's funny, has great sets (it being in Hawaii and all), & oh yeah, let's not forget about this one:

Make me swoon, Alex O'Laughlin. Oh dear.
Hawaii Five-Hottie.

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Fall Break Camping Trip

2010-10-19T13:58:00.017-06:00

It has been Fall Break here this past weekend, so we packed up everyone & went camping! We went to Henry Horton State Park, & had the best time. Our weekend consisted of setting up camp, a great hike where we explored cool caves, spending time down at the creek where we "re-directed" the river, hot dogs & baked beans over the fire, roasting marshmallows & enjoying S'Mores, a night-time spooky hike with our glow sticks, & then ghost stories & watching stars in our tent before we fell asleep. It was such a sweet time with the boys, we loved every minute of it. Even though I slept like crap. Complete crap.

Here are some pictures of our time. Leaving for the trip:

Ben preparing to put up our 8-person tent. HUGE. Ben could fully stand inside it. He's 6'3".

And...the tent is up.

Let the roasting begin! And PS-look at my new pink chair. Since I'm the only girl in my family, I deserve it, I think.

Levi is ready for our spooky hike with his breaker glow stick.

Linc trying to break his:

We are already planning our next camping adventure! Hope everyone else had a great fall break. Talk to ya,

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The Bear Card and the First Day of School!

2010-08-20T11:55:00.013-06:00

Wow, it's been more than a month since I've updated this thing. Oopsies.
Lots to discuss here & many pictures & videos to post. Today was Lincoln's first day of Kindergarten at Trinity Elementary. He was so super excited to go & meet his classmates. I was excited too, until something inside me snapped this morning at breakfast & I started crying. It hit me like a freight train, & that train has continued racing over me at random points during my day. I have been a crying mess. A friend of mine at the Y came up to me & asked the simple question of, "How did it go this morning?" Tears. Good grief. But alll that to say, Lincoln had a great first day & he can't wait to go back.
Here are some photos of our morning:

Here is a quick video of my first morning breakdown. No lie, we were talking about something so non-significant while Ben was filming, & there I went.

And here is sweet precious Levi getting so sad when he has to say goodbye to his big brother. What did this do to me? Yup, you guessed it. I'm such a crybaby.

Here's Lincoln walking into his classroom for the first time:

All in all, Lincoln had a wonderful time at his first day. I've been praying over him this summer that he would make good choices while in his class, & that God would provide him with some sweet friends. I will continue praying this throughout the year.

In other news, Ben's parents sent Ben a birthday card last week. It's a card that makes noise, & it was a bear in the woods scaring someone. Lincoln thought it was hilarious; Levi thought it was terrifying. Ben took video of Lincoln trying to scare Levi. What ensued was all-out hysterics from Levi. I have never seen him run so fast from something. It was sheer panic. We had one friend watch it, & jokingly claim that he was going to call DCS. OK, OK, it's a little over the top. Half of me wanted to cry with Levi, but the other half thought it was a little funny. I just can't decide. You decide. And please, God in Heaven, don't call DCS.

I've had ENOUGH of this summer heat. The fall decor is coming out soon, just so I can get a change of pace here. No more 90 degree weather! Terrible.
Bring on the Fall!
xoxo

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Did somebody order a White Trash straight-up? Oh yeah, we did.

2010-07-06T12:23:00.026-06:00

Did everybody have a good July 4th? We sure did. We had Ben's sister, Tara, & her family in town for the weekend. For the festivities, we had a neighborhood bike parade for the kids, pool time, yummy food, & of course, fireworks at the end of the night. The first half of this post are pictures from the parade. The second half is what we like to call our "White Trash Tennessee 4th". You got a little preview of this frenzy in the above picture. Sexy, isn't it. I'll warn you before those pictures come across your screen. A warning is the least of what you'll need after you see those photos. Be thinking hard liquor.
Let's skedaddle:

Levi in the race car, about to enter the parade.

All the kids at the starting line of the parade. Lincoln on his scooter, Clara & Wyatt in the orange off-roader, & Levi in the race car.

Mom & Levi:

Here's Aunt Tara, Uncle Cliff, Wyatt & Clara:

Here we are, having our July 4th Dinner. Brisket, baked beans, & coleslaw. Yum! Then for dessert, cupcakes & pie. Love it.

Here's Ben's invention of filling up water balloons. This little contraption allows 6 people to blow up water balloons at the same time. Genius, I tell you. Genius!

Here's sweet Levi getting in on the water balloon action. This was before all the shirts were taken off.

Here's Ben getting Wyatt over the head. Yesss. Action shot.

Can you really get any more All-American than this? I don't think so. (see Nascar race car in the background)

What you are about to see is not pretty. I'm not gonna lie to you all. This means that the following pictures will be totally redneck, shirts will be off, bellies will be bared, fireworks will be thrown, & all that's missing are a few Nat Lite cans strewn about our front yard.

Here's Mr. White Trash himself. Why is he outside without a shirt on, while lighting fireworks? Your guess is as good as mine. He was also talking in a backwoods-country accent the entire night. Hot.

Here's Cliff. He had a shirt on, until he realized that he was the only male in the group that was wearing one.

Annnnd, the shirt comes off.

Notice the boxers sticking up out of the shorts. I can't decide if this is funny or just plain obnoxious. Discuss.

So there it is, our July 4th Celebration with our family. As you can see, we had such a great time, we laughed HARD much of the time, & enjoyed every minute. It was hilarious, joyful, & full of celebration.
More next time,
xoxo

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Summer Fun.

2010-06-27T18:43:00.008-06:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything new! Well, put on your glasses folks because there's several pictures of the boys having fun. I rarely have the time to pull out the camera to start snapping photos, but tonight as we were all on the front porch, I was able to get some really good ones of the boys. And it is so indicative of their personalities. Let's get shakin'...

The past couple weeks, Levi has been wanting to wear swimming goggles all the time. He just puts them on & starts running. He runs more than any child I know.

Just chillin' in the goggs.

Look at them teeth!

He even wrestles with them on, but before he pounced on Lincoln, he muttered to himself, "hold on...lemme just...there!" And that was him moving the goggles up on his head so he could fully see & concentrate forcing his entire body weight upon Lincoln's back. Hence the tears from Lincoln...

"Dooood...you OK?"

Darlin'.

Bros.

Now here is what happened tonight. We put on the sprinkler & Lincoln ran right into, without missing a beat. Levi, on the other hand, was cautious & when he did finally strip down to his skivvies, he thought long & hard about it. Then once the water hit him, he screamed bloody murder & couldn't figure out how to get back to the front porch where it was dry. Check these out. PURE TERROR.

"Seriously. This is not fun."

"No, really...seriously."

And here we go, Mr. Linc-Man. Quite the opposite of cautious. Lincoln is a do-er, where as Levi is more of a watcher. PURE JOY.

And here's the sweetest boy of all.

til next time...

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Welcome the 2 new additions to our family!

2010-06-05T19:29:00.003-06:00

Hi guys! Long time no talk.
Lincoln has been wanting to get a pet fish the past few months, & so yesterday was the big day. We had been discussing different names, colors, & genders, so by the time we got to the fish store, he pretty much knew what he wanted. I couldn't very well get Lincoln a fish without getting Levi one, so each boy got his own fish. We decided on one blue fish (Lincoln's) & one pink/orange fish (Levi's). Lincoln decided on the name MANGO for his; Levi wanted KIWI for his. Here the sweet fish are...

MANGO:

KIWI:

And these next 2 photos are just a reveal of what I get to see every day in my every day life. I'm in love with this boy...is he not totally looking like a boy & not a toddler anymore?? I feel like his baby fat is falling off him crazy fast. I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

And here we are in the helmet stage...he wants to wear his helmet all the time...eating, sitting watching TV, in the car, shopping, etc. I can't get enough of this kid.

I hope y'all are all feelin' the love like I am this summer. I'm loving the pool, swimming, getting sun, & laughing my head off at my boys...
Until next time,

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Summer has started!

2010-05-14T12:14:00.009-06:00

Hi friends!
I know I haven't updated in several days; sorry about all the delay. I know there are people & family from out of town who read this blog, so I will update you on the flood front. Nashville had a terrible flood. Durrrr. Fortunately, our home was not harmed in any way due to all the water. Unfortunately, there are thousands of families who are in a much different place. So many houses have been destroyed & have severe water damage. Watching the news coverage every day is sad in many many ways. We are thankful for God's provision during this horrible disaster, & also praying for God's provision to be laid upon other families who are dealing with life-changing circumstances.

In other news, our summer officially started the day after the flood. Lincoln's school was damaged severely, so they cancelled school for the rest of the year. This was very upsetting (on many different levels). It was hard telling Lincoln that he would not go back to school & see his friends. He didn't quite understand it, & still doesn't really. Secondly, he didn't get to say good-bye to any of his great buddies, & there was really no closure there. Again, not much understanding in his sweet little head. And thirdly, I was expecting 2 more weeks of school for him, & had not even begun to wrap my head around the concept of SUMMER, i.e. planning, scheduling, arranging VBS weeks, filling our days with events, etc. So this threw me for a huge loop, to say the very least. But hey, it is what it is.

Thankfully, we had a huge party with all of his pre-K friends this past week at a classmate's house, & the kids had a ball. Then yesterday, we had their "End of the Year Pre-K Show". This was a huge deal, as there was a big slide show, we got all of his school projects, & we saw what they had been working on this semester. I cried a lot during that. A lot. Let's just leave it at that & be dunzo.
Lincoln has been working on a lot of scripture memory verses, & he has done awesome. Yesterday we heard the entire class recite verse after verse, sing song after song, & act out the story of David & Goliath. It was a really sweet time, seeing what the Lord has done in those little hearts. So thankful.

Here are some pictures of our day:

Levi waiting for his big brother to come onstage:

Lincoln waiting side stage for their big entrance:

Walking in with his music teacher, Ms. Laura:

Lincoln on his "team" The Philistines.

Singing one of their many songs:

This is Lincoln walking up for his "solo." He had to say, "9 feet 9 inches tall! That's impossible!" Precious.

The Philistines pointing & laughing at the Israelites.

So excited about the songs...

Hi Mom!

Sword fighting with balloon swords...what a dream.

Lincoln & I having cookies & lemonade in the fellowship hall after the show.

Ben & I are leaving for Las Vegas next week for a full week of sun, fun, reading out by the pool, jet-skiing, shows, & relaxing. We are soooo excited!!
Hope you guys have a fun beginning to your summer.
Talk to ya.

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spoke too soon...

2010-05-06T18:07:00.002-06:00

...that's what I did. Spoke too soon & I jinxed the whole thing.
I walked down the stairs this afternoon during 'Lincoln Time' (Lincoln's time to play by himself, watch TV, read books, do crafts, etc.) to find him sucking his left thumb. His right thumb is currently in the T-Guard. We thought he was a one-thumb-sucking-man. But apparently we were gravely mistaken. I sat down on the couch next to a very guilty look. I asked him point blank..."Lincoln, are you sucking your other thumb?" He said to me questioningly, "No?..." I saw the moisture on his thumb so I knew this was a lie. Before I could even get the words out, he said to me, "YES! OK, yes. I am sucking my other thumb. I'm sorry." I said, "I need to go get the other T-Guard so both of your thumbs can be tied in." He said, "Oh shucks!!....(another moment's thought)...OK go get it, Momma." The second T-Guard went on without fail or complaint. What's happening here?! He wants to quit so badly, but we're going at a snail's place, I tell you. SNAIL'S. PACE.
Last week he said, "Momma, we're gonna kick this bad habit...we really are!" Precious, but I'm not sure how true. I'm still optimistic because I know he really wants to quit, but I'm looking ahead to an orthodontic appliance. Just sayin', come on.
Here's to another couple weeks of not sucking either thumb & to him truly "kickin' that bad habit"!!
until our next dentist appointment,

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So you're wondering what's happening...?

2010-04-22T19:55:00.002-06:00

The T-Guard is working. In a huge way. It's working big-time. Hallelujiah.

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T-Guard

2010-04-17T18:12:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Aunt Tara, we are trying out the new T-Guard for Lincoln's thumb-sucking habit. Hopefully he will break this bad habit within the next 2 weeks. We know he will already have to have a mouthpiece to correct his bite...we are just hoping that the habit is broken by the time his permanent teeth come in. This looks promising. It is so sweet to talk about this with Lincoln because he is so hopeful too. He desperately wants to not suck his thumb; it is all done subconsciously. I will catch him in the act & remind him to not do it. He will pull out his thumb & say, "Oh man! I didn't even know I was doing it!" He wants to please Dr. Snodgrass so badly. He just loves his dentist & wants to go in there for his next visit, thumb-sucking-free. We are praying that this transition is an easy one. I sucked my thumb until I was 9 years old. I have a feeling that not even the T-Guard can break this one, but I am hopeful still. Lincoln asked for the T-Guard tonight & said, "I hope this works!" What a heart he has. His heart makes my heart warm.

Praying for a night of no thumb-sucking.
T-Guarding-it,

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St. Louis Spring Break

2010-04-10T18:54:00.028-06:00

This past week was Williamson County's Spring Break, & our family went to St. Louis. We stayed with Ben's parents, & trotted around the city doing all of the fun family things. And let me tell you, St. Louis has some truly amazing children's places to visit, tour, play, explore, create, etc. The boys had such a blast, & so did Ben and I. We did a big outing every day, & we even got to go out on a date with free child care! That was very nice.

Here is our big day at the St. Louis Zoo. Such a great time...

Here's Lincoln at the entrance of the zoo.

Here is the petting zoo. Oh, what a story we have here. Lincoln has never really been afraid of much. At any point in his life thus far, his fright scale has weighed extremely low. Levi, on the other hand, is terrified of so many things. Whether it be dogs, cats, horses, mascots, anything in costume, any headdress or mask, whatever...makes him go crazy. So upon entering, you can imagine the difference of our sons' reactions.
Lincoln ran straight for the bucket of brushes and then immediately walked up to a donkey & started petting and brushing. And talking, cooing, & cuddling. He was so sweet. Levi, on the other hand, wouldn't even walk into the zoo without being held by Ben. Ben would get within 4 feet of a donkey, and Levi would thrash into hysterics. Here is Lincoln, so happy and at-ease.

And here is poor Levi. He didn't know what to do, except stand there and scream. He was scared to even turn around.

Here he is hiding behind Ben's legs, trying to escape the donkeys.

This was funny. Here are 2 donkeys sniffing Ben's butt. Actually, they were trying to get at the map of the zoo that was in his back pocket. I think they were trying to find an exit.

Here's my dollbaby looking at the sea otters. This was a much better situation because of the huge wall of glass between him and the animals.

Silly boys!

Here we are, inside the big monkey house. Levi LOVED watching the monkeys swinging from branch to branch! He talked about it all afternoon.

About to head into the Snake House. I stayed outside during that tour!

Stopping for lunch.

About to begin the train ride that goes all around the zoo. What a cool thing, right? The boys were in heaven!

After the zoo, we drove through downtown St. Louis and stopped at the famous Arch. We walked up the stairs, & played on the lawn directly underneath the Arch. We had so much fun. Here's Levi being silly.

Right at the base of the arch:

Trying to get a good picture of the three of us, but Levi had other ideas. If I remember correctly, he was sticking out his belly & singing, "I have a fat tummy!" Hilar.

Laughter.

Here we are visiting the Museum of Transportation. Sherry & Mike went with us for this trip, & we had a ball. Here's Mr. Conductor! The boys had to take turns wearing the hat throughout the day.

They had a precious craft table set up right outside the Visitor Center. The boys each made a sailboat. The weather that day was perfect. And Lincoln looks drunk.

Just hangin'.

PawPaw & L-Train:

"I've been workin' on the railroad all the live-long day..."

Family.

MeMaw and Levi:

Mr. Conductor having a thought-provoking & introspective moment while on the train:

ALL ABOARD!

Daddy & Son.

PawPaw and Levi. If you haven't noticed, Danny the Duck made his presence known for the entire vacay. We cannot go anywhere without him coming along. Poor Danny was so dirty by the end of each day.

So excited to be wearing the conductor's hat.

We also had an afternoon of plane flying. Sherry & Mike live on a beautiful lot that looks out in the woods in their backyard, with a big hill. Lincoln flew his airplane all over the backyard with Mike. Here he is trying to fix a few things.

Another day we spent at the City Museum. Two words: amazing place. It's unbelievable for kids, in every way possible. We did, however, find out Levi's first phobia. Black midgets. I'm not kidding & I know it sounds absurd but here's the story. There was a really cute choo-choo train that went all around the inside of the museum & the conductor was a black midget. He was super duper nice, amazing with the kids, etc. Lincoln had no problem with him except to say, "Hey! You're little!" (totally mortifying). So Lincoln rode the first time around without Levi. Then the next time, Levi said he wanted to ride too. So Ben walked him up to the gate to enter. When the midget got out of the train to stand up & open the gate, Levi screamed bloody murder & lost all control. It was like he was frantically panicked. That pretty much describes his demeanor. He ran for Ben's arms, & didn't stop screaming & crying until Ben walked him out of the entire area. Whaaaa?!? We thought maybe it was the train that was possibly scaring him for some reason (some of the train ride went through some dark places, so we thought maybe he was afraid of the dark). So we tried again. Ben walked him back up the train & right when the conductor came up to let him in, it happened all over again. We were so embarrassed! Actually, I was mortified; Ben was laughing. Really, what can ya do? It was, how shall I put this, embarrassingly humiliatingly funny?..? Does that make sense? So needless to say, Levi didn't end up riding the train. Here he is in the moment:

And Lincoln...calm, cool, & collected.

Just having fun at the City Museum:

Wheee!

Now I'm going to show you Levi's 2 new faces. Here's the first one. I like to call this one, "Hurry the hell up."

And here's Face #2. This one is coined, "Get off my skate ramp, fool."

Lincoln having so much fun in the ball pit.

Dad & Lincoln at the outdoor playground.

Levi thought he was such a big boy for getting to climb all around with Dad at the 'big-boy' area.

And here we have the very end of our tour of the City Museum. We were about to endure a 'circus' show inside the museum, & when Ben & I looked at the kids in this moment, we looked at each other & said, "Yup. Time to go." We knew the boys were headed for a meltdown very soon. Look at Lincoln's face. He's so pissed. HA!

So there was our trip, in a heavy-laden picture post. We had such an incredible time there and I hope that the boys remember it for a long time to come.
Can you believe that summer is on its way? Whew.
Ta-Ta, friends,

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EASTER 2010, among other things...

2010-04-03T18:31:00.018-06:00

Happy Easter everybody! We had an Easter Egg Hunt last weekend at Lincoln's school, which turned out to be so much fun for the boys. And for us. We saw all of Linc's friends, & Levi really got to enjoy the fun of searching for eggs. I am using the term "searching" loosely here, as you will see from the pictures. Not much hunting or searching going on, but a lot of fun was had. There was face painting, egg-hunting, chocolate-eating, games, you name it, we did it. Here are some pics.

Levi & me:

(as you can see, most of the eggs are just laying around on the top of the grass...)

Honestly, Levi would have been perfectly content had there not been any eggs, & just the cars.

Showing off his face-painting:

Ben checking his email...what a multi-tasker.

Linc hunting for eggs.

Here's Easter Eve. We wrote a letter for the Easter Bunny, & then left him carrots & lettuce. Here is Lincoln telling me what the letter should say.

Mom & Lincoln:

Easter Morning, when the boys came downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had eaten & written back to them. It also gave them clues as to where their Easter Baskets were hidden in the house.

That hungry rabbit...

Lincoln's basket was up in the playroom:

And this is Levi on his way into the dining room bathroom where his basket was. Such an excited little boy:

Levi playing with his new frog grabber:

Checking out the goodies:

Then off to church we went! Everyone got dressed up...Lincoln even wore a tie! Look at this handsome man:

And let's not forget this heartbreaker in his button-down:

2 of the cutest boys in town right here:

And oh yeah, one more thing that is totally unrelated in every way possible. I have updated our back patio into a very relaxing atmosphere. Umbrella, lights & a boston fern. Favorite things...

We are in St. Louis right now for Spring Break. I'll post again when we return with a ton more pictures of our adventures. We've had such a great time so far!
Happy Easter,

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Hiking & Happy Easter! ok, a little early...

2010-03-14T14:06:00.011-06:00

We've had a great weekend, have you guys?! Even though it's been crummy weather outside, we've spent time with the neighbors, at the toy store, spending time as a family, & today we had our first Easter Egg Decorating Day. But before we get to those fun pictures, let's talk hiking. Last weekend, the boys & Ben went hiking in our backyard. Lincoln thinks he has to wear camoflauge clothes whenever he goes hiking, so Ben had to wear them, too. Levi doesn't have any camo yet, so he opted out. Here are some cute shots of them. And, might I add, that Ben created an entire treasure hunt for all the kids in the neighborhood where the treasure was a pot of candy at the top of the hill. Can I just say how joyful those kids were when they laid their eyes on that candy? Oh, it's the simple things.

And then here are some pictures from decorating the easter eggs. I don't know how many of you do this every year, but it is stressful with small children! Definitely use a dropcloth of some sort, & be prepared for big messes. But lots of fun! Levi was so sad that he couldn't fully participate because he is just still too small. He wanted to do everything by himself, & we had to help him with everything. He was not a happy camper! But towards the end, he started to have a really good time.

Levi was looking up at Ben here. What a heartbreaker huh?

I told Levi to "smile & say cheese!" This is what I got:

"Gimme some eggs, woman!"

Me trying to explain to Levi why he can't crawl on top of the island & dip his egg into every single bowl of dye. Reasoning with a 2-year old. It's so fun.

And I gotta tell you, I probably had the most fun of all because I got to decorate some eggs all girly & frilly! I went a little crazy with the flowers, the lettering, etc. But don't they look cute!??

I'm not sure what I'm saying to Levi here, but I sure do look excited to be saying it.

Look at Levi's face in this picture. Hilarious. Can you see the stressed look on my face, as I'm trying to corral Lincoln's egg into the bowl? I swear, those bowls must have come close to falling off the island at least a dozen times. There's gotta be an easier way. Someone invent something already.

And here are the finished products!

We had a fantastic weekend. Talk to y'all soon.
until next time,

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Happy Birthday Linc...the Big Number 5!

2010-03-07T07:51:00.021-06:00

Well, it has been a whirlwind of a week! Lincoln turned 5 years old on Tuesday, and yesterday was his big blow-out birthday party. This will be a post that is very heavy-laden with pictures. I hope you enjoy them!
He woke up on his birthday morning & the first thing we did was open a present, of course. He had been wanting a pillow pet for months. He had seen the infomercial so many times that when he opened up the pillow pet, he said to me, "Look Mom! It's simple. You just take the velcro off...and wow! It changes into a full-size pillow!" Thank you, Pillow Pet Representative.

Here are the photos of the birthday morning:

The previous night, Lincoln & I had a special afternoon of making cupcakes together. I didn't get any shots of that, but I wish I had. It was a really sweet time.
So on his birthday, we took the cupcakes into school so he could celebrate his special day with all of his classmates. He had a really fun day. That night, we had a Family Fun Night, per Lincoln's request. We had pizza, & then we all went upstairs to cuddle & watch "Where the Wild Things Are". It was so great.
Here are some photos of the boys enjoying the cupcakes:

My parents came into town on Thursday for the birthday weekend. Here are some shots of the visit, Lincoln opening up their presents, & Levi opening up one of his own, too.

My poor dad ended up putting Transformers together and putting Legos together a good part of the day. He got a crash course in toy assembly! Here he is with one of Lincoln's new Transformers:

Here my dad is reading to Levi. He must have read 10 books to him that afternoon. Levi absolutely loved it.

Yesterday we had his party at Glow Galaxy. We invited all of his great buddies & we all had a big time. Lincoln got his very own tye-dye shirt, his own crown, & a big Transformers cake that was the highlight of the afternoon!

Me and Ben before the festivities:

And Levi was all smiles too. He was super excited for brother's party:

Here is Papa & Levi playing basketball together.

Mimi & Levi:

If this isn't a man on a mission, I don't know what is!

The whole party gang:

one more...

The birthday boy walking into his party room:

Eating cake, enjoying friends...

Of course, the biggest & most important part of the party was Lincoln opening up his presents. Isn't 5 years old the most perfect age for this? They're just so excited to give, & for the recipient to receive their gift, & to show their like & affection. I loved watching the sweet kids give their presents to Lincoln, being so proud of what they had picked out for him, & sit & watch Linc open it up. They wanted to show him everything about the present. It was almost like they were receiving it too. It was precious.

This is after Lincoln opened up Sydney's present. They gave each other a big bear hug. So cute.

Levi wanted to know what it felt like to sit in the king's chair.

One of Linc's best friends, sweet Emmachelle.

Mom & I. I swear I'm not pregnant. It's just a bad angle from the shirt. Promise.

We had an awesome weekend celebrating Lincoln. I teared up when we were singing Happy Birthday to him. I can't believe it's been 5 years. Our time with him has been matchless & full of joy. Each year brings with it more happiness, more laughter, & more of his sweet personality shining through. At the party, he leaned over & whispered in my ear, "Mom, you're the prettiest girl in the world." My cup runneth over, little buddy.

Happy Birthday with many more to come...
xoxo

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cute brothers

2010-02-17T17:39:00.004-06:00

Just 2 brothers having a good time on the computer together:

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Awww, SNAP.

2010-02-11T15:50:00.005-06:00

Oh no I di-n't. Sorry I've been absent the past few weeks on recapping my thoughts on Idol. To be honest, I don't think I'm up for it all this season. Cripes! Blast! I know, say it ain't so. But when it comes to taking care of the boys, the cooking, the laundry, & of course Jack & Kate...well, things just take priority. And Jack & Kate will always take priority. Lost now being on Tuesday nights kinda messes up my mojo. And we won't even speak of Wednesday nights because Ben & I tend to laugh our faces off every single episode of Modern Family. Then there's Miss Cougar. Let's not even speak of her. And by the time Thursday rolls around, I'm over it. SOOOO...all that to say (I'm so very sorry, Melissa!), there won't be many posts about American Idol this season! I don't even really know how many people read them, but if there are just a few or if there are thousands (ha, what a gas gas gas) my apologies are extended to you during your time of grief in reading this news.
But fret not, friends. I'll still be posting pictures of the family, my ridiculous thoughts on celebrities & what's happening in pop culture, & the like.

Speaking of celebs, let's talk right quick about John Mayer. I used to be a fan when his first album came out way back when. But his recent shenanigans have just gone waaaay over the line. Not even close to the line at all, really. Does anyone out in Hollywood Schmollywood have an extremely tight muzzle they can cap over John's mouth so he'll quit talking about private things that nobody (and I truly mean NOBODY) wants to hear about? I was embarrassed just reading about it. Good grief, Johnny. There is such a thing as discretion. Oh yeah, and class. Neither of which you have. BOOM.

Seacrest, OUT.

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Happy 2nd Birthday Levi!

2010-02-01T13:03:00.009-06:00

Last Thursday, January 28, 2010 was Levi's 2nd birthday. We spent the evening celebrating him at Chuck E. Cheese with just our family. It was a fun night filled with laughter, pizza, cake, & games. Here are some photos chronicling our night. I didn't get any pictures of us singing Happy Birthday or him blowing out his candles because Ben was video-ing & I was making sure nobody caught on fire. Safety first.

Get this bib off of me so I can open some presents!

Here he is opening up one of his presents.

Wait for it...

ANNNNNND...pure excitement!

And the excitement lives on...!!

Our night was really fun & special. I can't believe my baby's 2!

In other Cissell news, Ben & I have officially become elders. And when I say elders, I do not mean the church-goin-kind. I mean the old & wrinkly kind...with Ben-Gay, creaks in our neck & back, & using our walkers-kind. The kind of old couple who sit around during the night hours & work on puzzles. Literally. We just finished a Key West puzzle, which was cool because we got married in Key West. We were able to match up all the pieces of the places we went 9 years ago. It was great. So when the kids go to bed, we watch old episodes of Worst Week & The Office on netflix, laugh out loud at the shows & each other, & do our puzzle(s). It's been really fun. Here are some pics of the finished Key West puzzle.

Ben holding up the last piece to commemorate our achievement:

And putting in the last piece.

Voila!

I'll be back here tomorrow night to put the smack-down on Idol. Happy Monday!

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Paging Doogie Howser, MD

2010-01-27T19:04:00.006-06:00

Doogie Howser is in the Hiz-ouse tonight. We're holding auditions in Dallas. Way to go, Lone Star. Let's go dancin'!

Julie Kevelighan: She does not give Dallas a good name. She sings "Black Velvet" the first time, then as if that wasn't bad enough, she sings another 2 songs to top it off. Why, oh why, when contestants get the initial NO from the judges, do they think they can reverse their decision by singing another song? Take note, future contestants, this is something you just do not do. Ever. Oh, and then! She tries to sing another song for Ryan when she leaves the audition room. Poor Ryan claims he can't do anything for her outside that judging room. The answer ends there. She blames her horrible audition on the fact that she didn't take a deep breath before she sang. Yes Julie, that's it. Your breathing.

Lloyd Vixen Sexy Thomas: Yup, I sure enough said that just now. He sings "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder. I thought he would be better than he actually was. He didn't wow me that much, but he could hold a tune.

Doogie & Simon are having a couple of tiffs. What's happening.

Kimberly Carver: She sings an original song, & she is amazing. Brilliant. Simon says he doesn't see anything current or anything original. Doogie strongly disagrees. Does someone have a crush on another? Hhmmmm...
I actually think Simon is threatened by Doogie b/c he's sort of taking the reigns while he guest judges. He's the one who is narrating, who is asking what each judge thinks, & he's running the show! Way to go Doogie.

Barney and Friends-S&M-Girl: I think I speak for all of us when I say what in the world is going on here? She says her dream is to let people know that Barney kids grow up. Yes, grow up to be dirty. Eek. Everyone gives her a YES, so she gets through. Wait, so did she get through b/c she was a Barney girl, or because she was good? I'm not certain. What I am certain of, however, is that it had something to do with leather, thigh-highs & a whip. Good grief.

Dave Pittman: Dave has a Tourette Syndrome, but it doesn't affect him when he's singing. How awesome is that?!!!! What a cool thing that he gets through & his family is so happy. Hip Hip Hooray for Dave.

Joe Jonas is the guest judge for the second day of auditions. Dallas is his hometown, so he's excited to be here.

Todrick Hall: Out of all the auditions, I think I like this guy the best. Of the best. The fact that he writes an original song about the audition process & all the judges is pretty cute. He gets through. I'm sincerely happy for Todrick.

Maegan Wright: She's from Richardson, Texas. She might be the first country singer to get through this season. She sings Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love" & does great with it. She gets a golden ticket. And hot damn!!-her family is so happy for her that it makes me happy too.

Vanessa Johnson: Miss Optimist has entered the room. I don't know if she's ever been in a bad mood. Whoa, it's way too much. She sings "At Last" by Etta James. She starts in one key & the next note is in a completely different key. I don't think I can do this much longer. Simon says his nightmares look like what she sounds like. Here's Ben's quote: "That sounds like pictures of Hell I've seen." Heh, LMAO.

Christian Spears: Diagnosed with leukemia at 4 years old. She seems like a really sweet girl. She sings an Etta James song, too. She's only 16, so she's pretty good for her age. It's a little too dramatic for my taste, but she can hold her own. All the judges give her a yes, except for Randy who gives her "a billion percent yes." Damn you, Dawg. A billion percent!!???? Must we go through this every time?

Aren't y'all proud of me for blogging tonight? It's a first this season, woot woot.

In other news, Joe Jonas was a big fat huge torrential BORE. Zzzzzzz.....did something just happen, or was that my snoring that woke me up from my REM sleep cycle? Eek, it was like watching paint dry. I'm not a fan of the JoBros.

See y'all next week in Colorado.
seeyas.

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Los Angeles, Baby

2010-01-26T19:18:00.013-06:00

Good Evening Readers! First things first: for some reason, I cannot seem to find the time to blog about Wednesday's American Idol. I can never get the time slot to sit down, watch it, & then blog about it. Woopsie-Daisies. I'll try harder this week, but am still not making any promises. Don't hate me for the honesty.

Let's get 'er dun. Tee-hee. We're in Los Angeles tonight, so let's see what kind of talent they have. Avril Lavigne is a guest judge tonight, & there are no words to say about her devil-headed hoodie. Oh wait, I have a few words for that. Burn that hoodie after this taping. It's terrible & should never be worn again. By anyone. But other than the hoodie, I tend to really like her songs.

Neil Goldstein: His goal is to touch the soul of others. Don't you dare touch my soul, Neil. He kept on making a weird noise with his mouth after every phrase he said, & he also started profusely sweating. It's terribly excruciating watching this. He threatens the judges by saying, "I'm NOT going anywhere!"

Jim Ranger: This worship pastor seems pretty good. I like his bluesy voice. Avril, this is not "Let me tell you how it is on the road-American-Idol"...this is a gig in which you JUDGE. That's it. Nothing more than judging someone on their ability to sing. Why is she telling him about traveling, having a wife & 3 kids, & the like? Stick with the script, Miss Lavigne. She says no. However, he gets through...yay.

Damien-Martial-Arts-Guy: I really can't even believe I am blogging about this wack-job. He is terrible. He sings a Righteous Brothers song, & it sounds like hell. Righteous hell.

Mary Powers: She sings a Pat Benetar song and she sounds great. I like that her voice sounds like she drinks & smokes a lot...really hoarse & like it's about to go out. She gets through with everyone's YES.

AJ Mendoza: He brags about Adam Lambert giving him a thumbs-up regarding his vocal skills. He thinks he has made it in before he even walks in the door. I'm thinking he's going to kick some serious ass, but I am grossly mistaken. It's horrid, & the noises that escapes his mouth are like guttural, monster noises. Avril gives him an "Absolutely not!" which makes me like her more. He doesn't get through, thank the Lord.

Katy Perry is the guest host for this portion of American Idol. Heart.

Austin Fullmer : He claims that he doesn't think there's anyone who doesn't want to touch him on stage. Well, my hand is raised Austin, & I'm rebuking that claim. No way, no how. He sings a Cheap Trick song & it's like watching an off-off-off-off-Broadway musical. Simon asked if he could just clean water, which I almost peed my pants.

Andrew Garcia: He's a dad & knows he doesn't want his kids to grow up being in a gang. Andrew's dad gets way emotional & starts bawling during the interview. He's very proud of his son, which is touching. He sings a Maroon Five song, & I want to kiss this man. Not for his looks, but for his voice. Unreal. He gets through with everyone's YESes. Woot woot Andrew!!

Tasha Layton: A personal assistant by day (which, BTW, is my worst nightmare of a job), and a minister by night. Whaa? Go figure. I never would have thought that voice would've come out of that person! She's so good y'all. Everybody loves her.

Jason Green: Jason says he's going to get a golden ticket because he believes in magic. Really, Jason.?...Magic? Then why don't you use your magic & tell me if you're a boy or a girl. Because the lines are so muddied from where I'm sitting here on my couch. I'm not quite sure where to begin with this one. He sings "I Touch Myself", surprise surprise. He even gets down on his knees, so help me. Between the hair flipping, pointing to Kara, asking Simon to get on the ground to join him...ANNNND I'm done. Can't go on.

Chris Golightly: I don't really love Chris's voice, but I do love his last name. Golightly!!! Awesome. He's a little too musical theater for my taste, but he can certainly hold a tune. I like him even more when I find out he's been living in more than 25 foster homes. It's sad & causes pain, so I like him even more. Sidenote: what's happening with Katy & Kara? Keep it behind the camera, girls. Let's not be catty.

Tomorrow night is Dallas, y'all! Since I'm from there, don't even be thinking I won't be here to blog about it. I'm a Dallas girl at heart, for those of you who don't know. So I'll be rooting for the girls with big hair, big boobs, big jewelry, & big voices. Holla!

See you tomorrow night. No, really. I promise this time.

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The Windy City

2010-01-19T19:34:00.004-06:00

We can feel the love in Chicago, can't we???? Whew!! It's a crazy world out there, America!

We're in the heart of the midwest tonight, America. And what have we done to royally piss of Chi-Town??? I don't know, but something is amiss. BIG TIME. Dum, da-dum-dum. Is it terrible for me to say I'm DUNZO with the term "YES WE CAN"? I'm done with it, Obama. Done with it like done with having kids. That done. I ain't playin'. Ugh. Words can't describe how done I am. DUN.

Let's get our boots boogey-in...Shania!!! I love me some Shania. No, I"m not lying. I love Shania Twain, in a big way. She's a guest judge tonight. Yay!!!

Kaitlyn: 19-years old, kid of a recent divorce, blah blah blah. Ugh. She sings "Syrup & Honey" by Duffy. And she spanks it. I mean really spanks it. I liked it. Gets through.

Amy Lang: I'm not kidding, she's a girl who reminds me of a girl I went to Belmont with. Hysterical, cute, talented, ....until she hits the ground. We don't think it's funny when we think you went into a coma, Amy. She just took it to a whole other level. Not cool, Amy. She caught everyone off-guard with her hitting-the-ground-gig. Oh, it did not stand out. Needless to say, she doesn't get through.

Charity: from Little Rock, Arkansas. Whoa, Charity! You just killed it. Kilt it. You're THROUGH. yay! You're awesome.

Traffic-Violation-Angela-Martin: She sings a Mary J. Blige's song, & is super good. She's been dealt a hevty trash bin, & she needs a break. Everyone says YES, & she's through! Hell yes. Woop.

Alana Halbert: I love it that Shania tells her to start lower. Way to go, finally someone telling someone where to go & what to do. But sadly, that wasn't enough for poor Alana. Ugh, she was terrible. It never did any good.

John Park: Broadway -Bound. Ben hates this voice. I can go either way. I love musical theater & I love pop/rock. I like him.

Paige: She kicked ass. Potential. Only with Randy's OK, does she get through.

See you tomorrow night!
xoxo

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Boston, Boobs, & Beckham

2010-01-12T17:30:00.023-06:00

Here we go, homies! Did y'all miss me? Tee-hee, don't answer that just yet.

Wow, we've got quite a new year set before us regarding American Idol. Paula leaves & takes her pills with her, Kara stays (which was kinda surprising to me), Randy continues getting bigger, Ellen joins in on the fun, & Simon announces yesterday that this year will be his last on American Idol. What the...who the...what's happening around here? Ying is yang, black is white, fat is skinny, Jon is Kate, Jon leaves the Eight, & this is Simon's last year...WHAAA?! How can this be? I'm positive I'm not the only fan who thinks that once Big S leaves, the entire train will derail into hell. But aren't we all in need of some newness around here? I mean, come on people, 9 years...!?? The gig must be getting old for him. He claims he wants to devote more time to his TV show that he created called The X Factor. A show in which contestants audition for the big prize of getting a record deal. Man. That sounds like such a creative & never-been-done-before idea. Run with that, Simon. It's going to break barriers!

And Ellen, let me just say my piece about her right quick. I love Ellen. I love her talk show, but I think she's ill-equipped to be a judge. There. I said it. In the words of my husband Ben, "Stick with what works, Ellen. Do your comedy routine & your talk show. Don't bust in on American Idol & think you know what you're doing." Well-played, husband. Well-played.

So let's move it people, onto the good stuff. Dim the lights...Victoria Beckham guest judges this week, & that's why I titled this post with the words 'boobs' in it. Cuz she's always showing hers. But tonight she's not. Go figure. What's she doing? I'm not sure...talk about a crazy universe. She's there to just spice it up. If you got that, then yay! you know what's goin' on.

Muffin Top: Our first contestant is clearly the one who is paid to come in & act out the one-who-can't-sing-and-is-over-the-top-dramatic. Muffin Top is terrible & gets NO'd by everyone.

Mattie Curtis: #9 of 12 kids. This 16-year old comes in & sings Leonard Cohen. It reminds me of a choir-voice. I don't dig it. All the judges did, so she gets through.

Holla!-Womanizer: Done. I'm not doing it.

Jennifer Hirsh: WTF? The Wicked Witch is Dead? What a song to choose, & I love it. It's a happy day for me to hear that.

(sidenote: Beckham needs powder big time)

Amadeo Diriccoo: I'm not sure what he's singing or what the hell the words are, but he's got a huge voice that's good! And his Italian family dinners make me like him even more. Can I come to one of those? He gets through with everyone's YESES. Even including Randy's "200%". Seriously, Dawg, are we doing this again this year? I can't handle anything more than 100%.

Derek: Very spiritual, long-haired blonde. He says he started "gradgitating" to music. Is that a nod to 'gravitating' & 'graduating'? I think so, Derek. Learn your grammar, & then we can talk. I've never seen anything like Derek. It's like something went wrong with the record player...in all seriousness. Zero. But get some Clearasil on the way out...Did I go too far?

Luke Shaffer: This is the first guy who I'm in love with this season. Yep, you can mark it in your books. Loved him, he gets through. Durr.

Serial-Killer-Andrew: This guy reminds me of Jeffrey Dahmer. I'm not even kidding, go check out truetv.com. The similarities are striking. He's actually got a voice that can stay on tune, but he's too scary for words. Kara's kicking a&& and taking names. After all that drama, Simon gives him a YES. I love that man. Simon, not Serial K. I got the feeling from this contestant that Kara is trying to take the place of Paula, what with her edgy banter with Simon. Ick.

Ashley Rodriguez: First things first: HER TEETH ARE BEAUTIFUL. She's so pretty! She kinds reminds me of Rosario Dawson, which I consider a good thing. She gets through with a resounding YES. Woopee!!

Tyler Grady/Tree Climber: Who climbs trees at that age? I've heard of tree-climbers at age 8, but not 19. He sings "Let's Get It On" & it's good. But his voice is kinda the 'dime-a-dozen' in Nashville. Just go down to 2nd Avenue & view for yourself. There's probably about 10 of those Tylers around downtown. Bleh. He gets 4 yeses, with Kara & Boobie Beckham giving him a double yes. They were goo-goo over him.

Lisa Olivero: With the way she was building herself up to be, you would have thought she would be amazing. Amazing she was NOT. It was like death. Slowly.

Katie Stevens: Holy crappers. She's UH-MAZING. And only 16 years old, Whoa!! I like this girl.

Tricky-Boy-in-Green: So many tricks I can't even count! He's tailor-made for Rascal Flatts. He tries to be mean, but he just can't be. He's way too nice & has to be nice to everyone. Kara gives him a yes for his loveliness. Simon & Vicky give him a yes too. Will 'Vicky' stick? I don't know, only time will tell.

Justin Williams: This guy had cancer 7 years ago & beat it. He sings a Buble song, & is OK. He's cute, so it's good. He's got pretty eyes, so he's great. He gets through.

Bosa Mora: Nigeria-born boy who has a shining light. Bosa has a very pure voice & gets through. The one thing his mom said after she heard the news? "God is good. And I am grateful." Indeed.

Leah Laurentii: Sings "Blue Skies" & her voice is sex-ay. I hope she gets through to the next round after this one. She's so emotional though...she nearly started crying before she started singing. Dry 'em up honey. You've got a lot of singin' to do before you let those waterworks over the dam.

OK, that's it for this week. This week has made something very clear to me. This may seem like a duh-moment for some of you, but for me, this was a huge thing. There are a lot of CRAZIES out there in this world. Ummm....wait, what? Yes, stating the obvious here. But there's more crazy people than sane people. I really think so.
And there's a lot of crazies that feel the need to spread their crazy all over the rest of us sane ones. This I don't like. Does it make us more sane or more crazy? Hell, who am I to judge.

Let's meet again, same time same place next week.
xoxo

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What are you lookin' at?

2010-01-02T15:32:00.002-06:00

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Happy New Year, Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T13:16:00.007-06:00

Last night was the first night in all of the time I've known Ben (that is 10 years) that he has had New Year's Eve off. When he used to be in AudioA, there was always a NYE show, no matter what. And since he has been working at Rocketown, there has always been some sort of show or teen program that he has had to work. But not this year. He had off & it was glorious. We stayed home, ordered in dinner, played games with the boys, & watched Inglourious Basterds. And we actually stayed up to watch the ball drop. It was a very sweet welcome to 2010.
Today is a day full of taking down the Christmas tree, some serious cleaning around our home, & enjoying our time together as a family.
Here are some photos:

Lincoln spent the entire day in his Transformers slippers that he got for Christmas:

And showing off his Transformers walkie-talkies. Can you tell that he's in a Transformer phase? Sheesh.

Ben watched Lightning McQueen with the boys & got some good rest time in.

And the boys cuddling together on the couch. It's been a very peaceful day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T21:26:00.008-06:00

We were in McKinney, Texas visiting my family over Christmas. It was a very long drive, but the boys did amazing. It was smooth sailing the entire way. We had a wonderful time seeing the cousins, my sister & her family, & my parents. Here are some photos of our holiday. They are in no specific order.

Ben, Linc, & Tatum playing together:

Levi got a Lightning McQueen couch, & Charlotte got a princess one. Tatum liked sitting in hers though.

Charlotte & Levi:

Levi playing with his favorite fire truck.

Lincoln opening up his big Transformers gift from Santa:

The food that the kids left for Santa Claus:

This was the best photo we could get with all 5 kids.

Tatum, Lincoln, & Mimi:

Lincoln & Mimi:

Santa Levi:

Awwww...family pic. Notice Ben is wearing a T-shirt & I'm wearing a tank top. On December 23. Seriously.

My Boys.

Visiting the trains display at Northpark Mall.

Cousin Lucy.

Hope y'all have a Happy New Year! Ben & the boys & I are staying in for New Year's Eve, having a lowkey evening. May your new year be full of joy.
xoxo

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Happy Halloween....wait, seriously?

2009-12-01T22:14:00.005-06:00

Y'all, I know, I've been terribly remiss about updating this blog. We've officially been without internet access for the past 3 weeks until TONIGHT. I've just about gone bonkers. So here are some Halloween photos of the kids that should have been posted a month ago. Enjoy!

Introducing...Bumblebee the Transformer!!

And what a sweet little pup...

Lindsay, Liam, & Jon came over for our Annual Broadgate cook-out in our neighborhood, & then we all went trick-or-treating. This is Liam the Monkey laughing with Lincoln.

We had a great Halloween, & we also had a wonderful Thanksgiving, although our camera didn't even make it out of our car while we were in St. Louis. We gotta get better at this taking-pictures-thing.

Merry Christmas everybody, & I'll be posting again soon! The internet is back in our house. Hallelujiah!
Reunited and it feels so good....

Fa-la-la-la-la,

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Camping, Stitches, & Gentry's Farm

2009-10-25T14:51:00.020-06:00

I realize it's been a while since my last post! I apologize for my delay, but we've had a pretty busy past few weeks. We had our very first camping trip in our backyard, complete with a firepit & roasting s'mores. Then, we had our first ER trip with Lincoln. He ran into the kitchen island corner & had to get 4 stitches.

And today we made our annual trip to Gentry's Farm. I went there to hopefully get some good pictures of the family together. This proved to be simply a far-fetched dream only my mind could see. It's so frustrating trying to take pictures of kids who won't cooperate! But pretty soon, the frustration lent itself to laughter, & then we fell into the ease of what we might call 'punchy'. So none of our pictures are framers; however, they will make me smile for years to come.

I'll narrate for you. Here we go. Let's start with the camping trip. I'm using 'camping' loosely, as Lincoln wanted to come back into his warm, cozy bed approximately 15 minutes after they were in the tent. But the time we spent outside with the neighbors & by the fire was really fun.

Here's Lincoln so proud of Ben putting up the tent:

He thought he was pretty cool for having his own place in the tent.

Here's some of the neighborhood kids:

Later in the evening preparing to roast s'mores:

Yummy:

Three cozy boys hunkered down in the tent.

Last Wednesday, Mike & Sherry were in town to visit. They bought the boys a dinosaur Lincoln named Butch. Butch can growl, get mad & spit water at you, & he even has motion sensory thingies where he senses if someone is there. If nobody touches him for a while, he starts snoring. If you pet Butch nicely, he purrs & laughs. Lincoln looves Butch. He was in the kitchen laughing his head off at Butch's tricks. He was enjoying it so much that he spun around, jumped, & ran smack into our granite island corner. What ensued was hysterical screaming, lots of blood, & a trip to the ER. 4 stitches later, & he was fine.

Meet Butch:

Upon return from the hospital. The first thing he wanted to play with? Why, Butch, of course.

We went to Gentry's Farm today.

Here are sweet brothers before we left the house.

Mom & L-Train:

Sweet Levi playing in the corn buckets:

I love this little booger.

Linc having fun swingin on the tire swing:

Dad & Levi playing in the corn:

Here's a sequence of pictures that might make you laugh. Nothing went right:

Forget it:

But here is the funniest sequence. All I wanted was a simple picture of the three of us. It doesn't sound that hard, does it? Hmmm. Take a look:

Then I got a really great one of Levi & Ben walking through the corn maze:

Me & Levi:

We've had a wonderful Fall season so far, & it's not even Halloween yet! Be prepared to see Bumblebee the Transformer & a puppy dog. They're two cuties, don't you fret.

Until next time, friends...

Baby Rinks

2009-10-06T21:54:00.005-06:00

Today was a special day in the Cissell household. Back in the summer, Lincoln had a very fun day with Miss Mandi at the McKay's Mill Pool. At that time, Mandi had a baby in her belly by the name of Baby Rinks. Lincoln had a great time in the pool playing with Miss Mandi & talking about Baby Rinks in her belly.

Well, Baby Rinks was born about a month ago. When we dropped Lincoln off at school this morning, we told him that Rinks & Miss Mandi were coming by our house later that afternoon. He was very excited. So fast forward to this afternoon...he couldn't wait for our visitors.

When they finally arrived, he wanted to hold Baby Rinks in his arms & play with him. Here are some photos of their time together:

Here Linc is looking at Mandi, making sure that he is holding Baby Rinks the correct way:

Look how proud he is of Baby Rinks...

So sweet...

We had a great time visiting with our friends. And it was extra special that Lincoln got to take part in holding Rinks & playing with him. And might I add...Rinks never made a peep the entire time he was over at our house. He never cried when Linc held him & "tickled him", never made a sound when Levi screamed in his face & threw a stuffed animal at him (all in love, I promise) & never even seemed to mind the utter chaos that my sons caused in our living room. Yay for laid-back babies! He's such a champ!

Hope y'all are having a good fall season. We certainly are!

Until next time...

First Day of School

2009-08-24T12:10:00.006-06:00

Today was Lincoln's first day of Pre-K at Walker Memorial. He's now going 4 days a week & he couldn't be more excited. He woke up this morning all ready to go.

We took pictures before we left, out on the porch, walking in, & settling into the classroom. Here are a few:

Here he is showing off his Bumblebee Backpack. He is very proud of this:

And here is his paper airplane that Ben made for him this morning. He thought it was the coolest.

Dad & the boys. Look at Ben's bedhead. Ha.

Walking into school. This is the 4th year he's gone to Walker!

Even sweet Levi had to take part in all the classroom action:

Lincoln looking at his classroom & at all the toys:

And here he is giving his BFF Emmachelle a morning hug:

So here's hoping that his day went well. Yay for school!

xoxo

Texas Trip

2009-08-05T15:04:00.008-06:00

The boys & I went to Texas a few weeks ago to visit my mom & dad (Mimi & Papa). When people ask what we did, I truly say, "not much...just hung out." I'm serious. We left the house one time, only to go to the Wiggles Play Center. Every single day while we were there, we hung out by my parent's pool, swam, listened to music, enjoyed great food & wine (thanks Mama!) & spent great quality time together. The boys loved it. And so did I...it was fantastic.

One especially perfect thing that happened while we were there was that Lincoln had his very first fishing trip with Papa. My dad took him out in his golf cart to the "lake" (AKA the pond near Hole 5 on the golf course) where he taught Linc to put the worm on the hook, cast the line, & wait for the bite. Here they are leaving for their trip:

And sure enough...Lincoln caught his very own fish! Here he is so proud of his catch:

And here's Linc watching the fish flail on the ground...he was very concerned.

Here are some other pictures of the kids during our stay that were really sweet times:

Yummy watermelon with Papa:

Here's Levi showing off his doctor's glasses that he wanted to wear all the time. He sees me wear my sunglasses on top of my head so often, that he believes that is how a person wears glasses all the time! Hilar.

Mimi & the boys enjoying lemon halves. I know, totally random. But my mom was cooking & had an extra lemon. Lincoln said he wanted to try some, & he ended up loving it. Then he played with the rinds, & here we are. Enjoying the lemon halves as head phones.

I can't believe school starts in just 2 short weeks. Linc will be in a pre-K program 4 days a week. I can't believe it! He's going to love it. He has been missing his classmates like crazy this summer.

Talk to y'all soon,

A Terribly Cute Lincoln Conversation

2009-07-24T13:13:00.003-06:00

BACK STORY: Last night as the boys were bathing, I was sitting on the couch watching TV. I then heard Levi struggling, coughing...and I knew he was caught up in the water. I raced into the bathroom, & literally slid (think sliding into home-plate) all the way into the bathroom & directly into the side of the tub, to catch him in time. I was able to catch Levi on his side before he was under the water, thankfully. In sliding across the floor, however, both my knees slammed directly into the edge of the tub. This hurt my knees so badly that I cried for the next 10 minutes. Both boys at this point were beside themselves. Levi was screaming (mainly b/c I was moaning & rocking back & forth...ya know when things just hurt like fire & you don't know what else to do??...and you find yourself doing repetitive movements?...), & Lincoln was crying. This conversation ensued:

Me: "Oh my gosh, this hurts so bad."

Linc: "Momma, are your legs broken? What's happening? What's wrong?"

Me: (moaning) "Oohhhh, I can't think straight..."

Linc: "Oh no. MOM. I think we need to go to the hospital. You need to go see Dr. Lightning McQueen. He will put a band-aid on it & you will feel all better."

Me: "That sounds like a great idea."

Linc: "Then we will come home, & I will tuck you in your bed. I will crawl up in the bed with you & we will eat waffles. Wait, no--waffles are too sticky. We will eat bananas. Wait, no--bananas make my poop hard. I've got it! We will eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches together & we will cuddle. And you will have a band-aid on your boo-boos. And you will be all better by the morning time. OK, Momma? Is that a great idea?"

Me: (laughing) "Yep, that sounds fantastic."

Linc: "What a great plan."

Have a good weekend!

Disclaimer: My story kinda made it sound like the couch was way far away from the bathroom. It's literally just around the corner. I don't put my kids in the tub & then go for a run or anything. Just sayin.

More pics of our park day...

2009-07-18T19:30:00.006-06:00

"Sweet Baby Liam" (as Lincoln likes to call the nearly 18 month-old...)

Levi sliding down the slide.

One-handed on the handle-bars!

Scared.

Excited. And kinda scared too.

Daddy & Baby. Are they twins or what?

Awww...
Handsome 4 1/2-year-old...

What a sweetie-pie (Lincoln's term of endearment for Levi):

Going through the tunnel.

I hope your Saturday was just as fun & joyful as ours was.

xoxo

If you need a reminder of what pure delight is...

2009-07-18T18:49:00.006-06:00

then let me bring you up to speed.

We all went to Dragon Park this morning, & boy, did we have fun. We met Lindsay & Liam there, & we all had a picnic lunch & played. It was a great time. Here are some photos of our day.

P.S. I have no idea why my font is sometimes underlined or in blue color, but just go with it.

my fantastic firecrackers

2009-07-04T21:28:00.009-06:00

We had a fabulous Fourth of July. Bicycle parade, pool, tacos & fireworks in our front yard. What a way to celebrate the holiday. The boys are snug in their beds. Here are pictures of our day.

Preparing to leave for the parade:

Silly faces:

Me & my firecrackers:

Helmet? Check.

Waiting for the fire truck to start the parade.

Keeping up with all the bike riders.

Levi joined in the fun as well. But he chilled out in the stroller.

Later in the evening, we sat out on our front porch & lit fireworks.

Awesome day. Happy Birthday USA.

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Here's my little butter bean...

2009-07-02T19:34:00.003-06:00

I just want to eat him up.

Happy Smiles,

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the cutest boy that you ever did see...

2009-06-29T21:12:00.003-06:00

joy.

peace.

Isn't he? I know, those of you with boys the same age as mine are thinking 'heck no, mine is cuter'...but really, he's not. Mine's the cutest. There. I said it.

You would've thought this was the first time ever he's been allowed to play in the sprinkler...I tell ya, we have had the best time this summer. Our nights are full of joy, laughter, sprinklers, pools, sun, & neighbors. We're having a great time.
xoxo

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Slacker.

2009-06-17T17:04:00.002-06:00

I know, I know, I've been such a slackerblog. I just made that term right up. I've taken lots of pictures, but haven't uploaded them to the computer yet. Our days this summer so far have been spent with many (and I mean MANY) hours at the Brentwood YMCA (I have made so many new friends there, as has Lincoln...yay!), & at the McKay's Mill Pool. We've gone to birthday parties for kids at the Y, & have had several outings to Target, Toys R Us, & Chick-fil-A. It's been fun. But can I just say that I'm totally over summer? I hate it with a vengeance. This monkey business of it being so humid that my glasses fog up & I'm sweating by the time I get Levi in the carseat is for the birds. I've had several instances where my shower "just didn't take." My zumba teacher, Maggie, uses this phrase when she gets out of the shower, & it's like she never showered at all. You just get hot & start sweating as soon as you get out of the shower. I've had many showers that simply "didn't take" this week. This royally pisses me off beyond measure. Can I get some dry heat please? Just a smidge would be nice. Sheesh.

In other Cissell news, Levi has started saying some words like "baby", "book", "brother" (his term for Linc), "car", & "apple". It's cute watching him try to pronounce things just like his big brother. They wrestle all the time, & as it turns out-we think Levi will be rougher than Lincoln. Which we honestly thought was an impossibility. But whenever we turn around, Levi is chasing after Lincoln, & wrestling him to the ground. It's hilar. They have such an awesome time together, & laugh all the time. Levi wants to read books all the time. He wants a book in his hand at all times. I love this, because I love reading books too.

I'll post pictures soon. Don't hate me.
Ciao for now.

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You need a lover?

2009-06-05T20:01:00.004-06:00

Van Morrison's "I'll Be Your Lover Too" has been my favorite song of all time for the past 20 years of my life. No song has ever eclipsed it for as long as I've remembered. Certain songs have come & gone, but that song has remained at the #1 slot in my life for as long as long is long. I've never been a huge fan of the Twilight series. Any movie involving vampires, wolves, etc. has not been of any interest to me. So when I went on a search of Van's song on projectplaylist.com, all that showed up was a version that Robert Pattinson did. What???? I'm so not a fan of Robert's, but when I heard that he did this song, I had to pull it. It's a pretty cool version that's not at all what Van's is, but nevertheless, he brings a certain vibe that is all his up to the front. This I like about it. But nothing can beat Mr. Morrison's version. Listen to this one, but always go back to the original. It just can't be beat. I think it will be #1 on my list for the next 10 years.

I'll be your lover too.

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the rope swing

2009-05-23T14:50:00.002-06:00

We found this rope swing at a pea-sized church right on the outskirts of McKay's Mill Subdivision. The church is the cutest thing you've ever seen, & they have this amazing rope swing directly outside of it. We took the boys there this morning, & oh my goodness, did we have fun. Here are some photos:

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

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What the?!

2009-05-21T21:07:00.003-06:00

I apologize for my not posting about the Final Results show until now. Maybe I needed this day to really regroup & ask for maybe the one millionth time, "What in the hellfire has happened with America?" My mom has been here for the past 2 days, so we were super excited to watch the finale last night. We both were fairly certain that Adam was going to take the crown. And after seeing Adam perform with KISS & Queen, our expectations were increased still that he would be voted as the next Idol. Granted, neither one of us really loved Adam & his style, but we definitely thought he was the more talented of the contestants by far. Far, far, far...

So when Kris's name was called as the winner, my mom's mouth fell open. My eyes grew as big as Paula's boobies, & we both started muttering things. Then my mom said, "Well, I think that's it. I don't think I can watch American Idol anymore." She shut it down! You're denied, American Idol! Your plan has been foiled! Jan Koerner has officially kicked you off her DVR que. Her whole belief system has been rocked to its very core. Not to mention, she thinks that Simon will quit the show after the results of this season, & let's face it: If Simon ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Kris was possibly the most shocked out of everyone when his name was called by White-Teeth. Stammering something along the lines of, "Uh...um...thank you? I mean, Adam should be here right now..." Way to man up Kris, & be a winner. What's the first thing on the list for Kris as American Idol? Let's get you into Media Training pronto. Do not tarry, do not stop to go pee, do not stop to blow your nose, just go as fast as your side-jaw can carry you.

Let's talk about Bikini Girl! So many things to say about that, right? First off--a great body, I will give her that. And heck, I'll even go so far as to say she had an average voice. But the attitude, whew! She thought she was waaaay better than she was. And Kara! I like her better now because a) she sang her face off in front of that crazy girl; and b) how does she get that kind of body? It was amazing! I wonder if she does Zumba. That took a lot of nerve for her to open up her dress like that. Yay for her.

Norman Gentle? Puh-leeze. Over it. I was done with that lunatic before it started.

The Idol Golden Globe Awards Show? Brain cells...being sucked...right out...of my head...

Well friends, the season is now at a close & my AI blogging days are over for now. Maybe I'll start it up again next season. Hopefully that will happen. To those of you who read & keep up with this blog, thanks! Until next season, you can check back here for more of my amazing opinions on pop culture & pictures of our family.

It's been real. It's been fun. It's been real fun.

I will not buy a Kris Allen album.
xoxo

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Final Performance Show

2009-05-20T06:28:00.002-06:00

Whoa, Holy Chest Hair Adam! What's going on in there? Bleh. And the necklace is so totally OTT.

Ryan tells us that we'll be hearing a song written by Miss Kara. Waiting with bated breath.

Adam goes first & decides to walk out in a trench coat. Cue dry ice. Does Adam have lipstick on? Seriously, I think he does. Nothing surprises me with him at this point. Honestly, I was bored during his performance. zzzzzzzzzzzz....huh?
I've never understood why the contestants do a song they've already done during the year. Anyone got a clue?
Ummm, why is Anthony Hopkins in the audience? Good Lord.

Kris sings "Ain't No Sunshine" again. There's one thing I noticed last week with Kris, but didn't blog about it. So here's my chance. When he sings high notes, his jaw goes to one side ridiculously far. It kinda bugs. But he did awesome on that song, nevertheless. When Kara judges Kris, I feel like she's yelling at me. Am I being reprimanded for not loving every single Kris Allen performance? Paula says he awakens the spirit in all of us. Paula's spirit is awakened by painkillers.

Adam sings again in a suit & tie. It's smooth sailin' with Adam these days. I can sit back & just listen to him go. There's never the chance of him not making a note or forgetting a lyric. This makes me like him. I've just had to embrace the tongue (ew) & get over it b/c dude can sing. Period. Paula stands up & makes a lasso motion. She then says he will be "iconic." Good thing this is the end of the season because she's clearly at the end of her rope.

Kris sings a song on guitar in the round. Sounds pretty good. Randy thought it was light for the room & stage. Paula loved it, but Simon thought he did not make it his own version.

I think something horrible happened backstage to Adam. Upon entering side stage, a paint can tipped over & spilled all over his pants. Poor thing. Is this song written by Kara? Mountains, hurricanes, dreams, boundaries, climbing, a bunch of positive-thinking-phrases. Yikesies. Randy actually said it was a little pitchy...whoa! Say it ain't so.

Kris does his last song. The side-jaw is in FULL effect! He sounds awful, so very pitchy. Hard to believe that he's in the final 2 from that performance. None of the judges really liked it, they all thought it was too high of a key. Agreed.

I think Adam will wear the crown tomorrow night. We shall see in a mere 12 hours.
I'm sorry this post is so scattered...I'm dealing with the boys, breakfast, getting ready, & listening to Handy Manny. Gotta love it.
xoxo

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Okey Dokey, Buh-Bye Gokey.

2009-05-13T19:42:00.003-06:00

This post won't be long. Instead, I'm going to say only a few things that I noticed or that struck me as odd, ridiculous, funny, or awful. Dim the lights...

Jordin Sparks...Ain't no spark anywhere in her vicinity. She sounded like dog poop.
Kris Allen acted like he was God's gift to this Earth during his hometown-whatever-thingy. It was not attractive in any way, shape, or form.
Katy Perry wins the Best Cleavage Award.
I just saw Kevin Bacon in the audience.
I'm even sadder about Danny leaving because I just re-read about his wife dying. That is really tragic.

So we're down to Adam & Kris. I'm now rooting for Adam. He's clearly the more talented contestant. If anyone dares to refute that, then come to my house & I'll punch you in the face. Maybe that will jostle your ears around.

Only one more week!
Shut up & put your money where your mouth is,

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It's Hometown Week, Hoebags!

2009-05-12T18:23:00.004-06:00

This week is Hometown Week for the three contestants. First off, let me just say for the record that Kara looks amazing tonight. It's her hair that looks unbelievable. Wowsa, she just brought sexy back.

So here's the deal. The contestants have to sing twice, one song of their own choosing, & the other song of the crazy nutjobs' choosing (that would be the judges).

Danny kicks off the show with some song I don't know..."Dance Little Sister". OK, this is the second time this has happened between me & Danny. He starts out his songs so incredibly high that it sounds like he's stretching sooo much to get to those high notes. I'm clutching the sides of my laptop, praying to God he doesn't burst a blood vessel in his throat. And yet, he never does. Yay for D! Ewww, he does a weird dance to the judges' table & makes snarly faces at Paula & Simon. But other than that, I think he does good! Simon then decides to shut up the drunk by covering her mouth with his hands. They basically wrestle on live TV, while Danny idly stands by. Not awkward at all. At all.

Randy & Kara choose One Republic's "Apologize" for Kris Allen's song. He plays piano, which I think is smart. Y'all, Kris sounds kick tonight! I don't think I've ever heard him do a song that I like better than this one. Uh-oh, what does this mean? I certainly can't change trains now. It's way too late in the game. I just jumped on Danny's train 2 weeks ago...someone talk me out of this. Kara didn't think he swung it out of the park, Paula thought he had a bum note, & Simon...well, Simon has something stuck up his arse so far that he doesn't know which way is up. He's dissing on everyone tonight. He gets mad at Kara for not liking Kris doing the song that she herself chose for him to do. Follow me? Whew, the judges are going crazy tonight. And I mean crazy in the worst way possible.

Simon chooses Adam to sing "One" by U2. Simon, of course, has to brag that he had a conversation with Bono on Saturday that allowed Adam to sing the song. Would now be a good time to let y'all know that I hate U2? I know, I know, I hear enough lectures from Ben's older brother about this. But enough about me, let's get to Adam's rendition. I think Adam just made up a new song. A completely new song. Is there another band called U2 with a hit song "One" that I don't know about? He didn't stick to the original melody at all, except for the first line. It was all just hugely dramatic for me. He needed a show choir behind him for sure. Kara calls him a strategist, Paula calls him an American Idol, & Simon thought it was brilliant. Durrr.

Danny chooses to sing "You Are So Beautiful". I like the stage set-up for this song; how they're all right beside him, lined up. Midway through, Danny sings his face off. Ohhh, Danny, gimme a one-way ticket. Pronto. I thought it was awesome. All the judges loved it. Even Simon, saying it was a vocal master class. And if I recall correctly, the last time Simon said that was to Miss Melinda Doolittle. And you all know how her voice spanks.

Kris chooses to sing "Heartless" by K-Dub. What I thought would be an ultimate head-on collision, turned out to be UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE. I mean, really...that was my favorite banana-pudding-good. There's really no other way to say it.

Adam sings Aerosmith. The back-up singer sounds bad with Adam's voice. Their voices just don't mesh well. That stuck out to me listening to him. Does Adam's voice remind anyone of Queen? I'm getting a Queen vibe here tonight. Wish I wouldn't be. Randy says that he should be a rock star. I simply don't agree. Is he rock? Or is he broadway rock? I think there lies a big difference there. Simon tells everyone to actually pick up the phone & vote. Thanks Simon, I forgot those difficult rules for this competition. It's so easy to get confused when it comes to a telephone & a number.

I think it's anyone's game at this point. They all did awesome, I think. If I had to choose, I think it will be Danny to go. GASP!! I know, but I think I liked Kris's songs a bit better than Danny's. And we must all be in agreement that Adam will be one of the final 2. If he's not, then I fear that the masses will go hysterical.

Tomorrow night, until then.
heart,

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Fun Picture Day!

2009-05-11T20:57:00.004-06:00

We went to the car museum/warehouse where Ben is selling his classic Minis. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you can visit www.vintageclassicmotorsports.com)
Anyhoo, we were at the museum this afternoon & the boys wanted their own cars to drive. Lincoln hopped on the tractor & Levi got his very own baby beetle. Here we are having a good time:

Have you ever seen a more excited kid than Levi in this picture? I mean...

Here's Ben riding a 3-wheeled bicycle with a basket on the back (which maybe I should be calling it an adult tricycle). Which Levi loved to ride in...

Here's me in the first Mini that has been sold already.

We had a lot of fun just hanging out, laughing so hard it hurt, & being silly. Talk to y'all tomorrow night when we drown in the pool of American Idol.

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Head on Home, Allie. Go back to your original color.

2009-05-06T18:49:00.003-06:00

The group opens up the show with a performance of "School's Out for Summer" & sounded horrible. Everyone sounded terrible. Especially Kris. Ugh, make this week be over, stat.

And the main reason I tuned in tonight was for Paula's performance. Who wants to bet that she's actually singing? She looks really skinny in that outfit, but she's a couple decades too old for that ensemble. I couldn't really focus when she got up on all fours on the high stage. Boobies + Tight-Bustier = Embarrassing. The ending was just all too much for me...her striking a pose while all her dancers started yelling her name, trying to touch her, & asked her if she was coming back next season. Gimme. A. Big. Fat. Break. Not good, P. It's a good thing I'm here to tell you things you just don't know.
PS-What's going on with Paula's cleavage? Something's happening in there & I can't quite figure it out. It closely resembles that of Tori Spelling...

No Doubt performs. I think I may hate Gwen Stefani's voice. Ben has had a crush on her since their first single came out. But I gotta give her props for singing live though. But what's with the push-ups? Did we just change channels & land on a Weight Training class?

The first person to be safe is Kris. Seriously?! I would've bet cold hard cash that he would be the one to go. I don't know why you all read this blog...I've gotten nothing right this season. My sincerest & fake apologies to all parties involved.

Adam gets through to safety. No surprise there.

And YAY! Danny's safe. I was sweatin' it throughout that last light-dim.
Which means Allison is headed home. I think the decision was a good one. Although this means that we have to listen to Kris for another week. Bleh.

Same time, same place next week.
Don't miss it.

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Rock Week

2009-05-05T18:18:00.003-06:00

So it's Rock Week America, & Ryan informs us that the 'American Idol' signs began collapsing on stage, & the contestants had no time for a run-through. Blah blah blah. Already making excuses, & the show hasn't even started.

We're also informed that Paula will be performing on tomorrow night's episode. Oh sheesh, can't wait for that one. And this afternoon, I read that she has finally admitted to being addicted to painkillers. WHAT??!!! She's an addict?! This is breaking news! Words can't describe my disbelief. You mean her banter during each episode with Simon, her near-falling-off-her-chair moments, & her crazy-ranting-TV-slurring-interview last summer were all times in which she was under the influence of drugs? No! Say it ain't so.

So we're down to Kris, Allison, Adam, & Danny. Adam's back! No more Elvis, thank you Jesus. Allison's hair keeps getting redder & redder. She needs to take it down a notch.

Slash is the mentor this week. Ummm...mentor? "...Here's what I'm going to tell all of you...do all the drugs you can...drink boatloads of alcohol...get high every chance you get...remain in decades-long fights with your bandmates...and you're all set!" What sweet mentoring moments. I seriously want to run to Walgreen's down Liberty Pike to get Slash some Frizz-Ease.

Adam opens up the stage with "Whole Lotta Love" by Zeppelin, & once again tries to eat us. Along with it being a whole lotta love, it's also a whole lotta drama, as always. He does kill it, no doubt. Adam is wearing more make-up than I wear. You can tell that it's really effortless for him to sing this style of song. He doesn't seem nervous at all up there. Good for him. It gets really dramatic though, during the guitar solo in the middle. Adam dances to the guitarist, & it's way too dramatic for my liking. The Broadway show tunes & jazz hands are kinda shining through in pieces during this performance. No matter how you slice it, he's still a jazz-hands kind of guy. Heh. Randy thought it was hot, Kara thought he was a "rock god" (whaaa? Maybe a little too far...), Paula thinks he's a whole lotta perfect, & Simon thought it was one of his faves.

Allison goes next & her hair matches her lipstick. She sings "Crybaby" & does OK. However, I feel like every week is the same with her. I think we're getting only one genre from Miss Redhead. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; however, a little variety is not a crime. And every note that comes out of her mouth seems like it's a scream or a yell.

Kris & Danny do a Styx duet. Kris sounds AWFUL. And I meant for that word to be in all-caps. Danny sounds good, but this song isn't his style. Is it just me, or is Kris in a different key? All the notes that are escaping his mouth sound to be incorrect. Two words for everyone: Train. Wreck.

Kris sings "Come Together" & plays guitar. He says he looked over at Slash playing guitar & "almost wanted to pee my pants." I'm all for saying phrases like that on a blog, during a telephone conversation, or in an email. But declaring on national television that you want to pee your pants is quite another issue altogether. I don't like his rendition of this song. It's almost too vanilla. His voice is the opposite of rock. And I'm fairly certain that I heard his voice crack a couple times.

Danny closes out the show with "Dream On", one of Ben's all-time favorite songs. Did y'all know that Aerosmith & Guns'N'Roses was Ben's very first concert? His older brother took him for his birthday. That makes me laugh out loud, thinking of Ben at a Guns'N'Roses concert. Fast forward 3 years from that moment & he's drumming for Audio Adrenaline. But I digress...
This song is so not easy. It's downright difficult & nobody can do it like Steven Tyler. Danny doesn't have the scarves hanging from his microphone & his mouth isn't a mile wide like Steven's. And the last notes were not good. Did anyone feel like he just wanted to scream louder & higher than Adam? No matter what it sounded like? I didn't really love it, but he was a lot better than Kris or Allison. Simon said it was a scene out of Friday the 13th. What a doll.

Adam & Allison do a duet together & Adam comes out with lots of gold necklaces that look like they came right from Claire's in Cool Springs mall. Adam's high notes make me want to pee my pants. See? See how I just did that? Exhibit A.

Adam definitely did the best out of everyone. I know, I'm sad too, y'all. But I'm just being honest. I think Kris will be the one to go.

Let's all look forward to Pain-Killer Positive Paula's performance tomorrow night.
I'm looking forward to a whole lotta sleep soon.
until next time, sluts.

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The Top 5 Already?!?

2009-04-28T18:00:00.006-06:00

Holy Simon, I can't believe we're down to the Top 5 already! Time flies.
Well, I know where Randy was this weekend. He was trotting through the Michael's craft store, buying string & colored jewels to make a friendship necklace. And not just a necklace, no!, he doesn't stop there. He even has a bracelet to match. Crafty.
Paula's wearing a crazy riff-raff tonight.

Seriously. Did the Adam Lambert of old go bye-bye? Is this where we've landed? Stuck in the decade of the 1970's? I'm all for the retro look, but I'm ready for a change. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I am longing for some black nail polish & some shot-gun hair.

Jamie Foxx makes an appearance this week, which I think is super cool.
Let's get our booties shakin':

Kris: Kris looks like he just came home from a long day crunching numbers at the office. If you're going to wear a suit, then WEAR A SUIT. Make it look sexy & hot; don't make it look like you're a CPA during the month of April (I mean, please button the top button & tighten up your tie). He sings "The Way You Look Tonight", one of my faves. Jamie Foxx has fallen in love with Kris & says, "The audience will be blown away & they won't even know it." What? No comprehende. Kris's voice sounds great tonight. I like hearing him sing this style. Very smooth. Nice job, mister. Awesome last note.

Allison: She sings "Someone to Watch Over Me", & quickly proceeds to kick ass all over the place. Wowsa, she's good! Everyone except Simon really loved it. Paula, WTF. "innocent sensibility that was alluring & very tender..." I'm going to blame comments like that on the straight whiskey that is running through your bloodstream.

My SweetBaby: He sings "My Funny Valentine" & sounds like yummy honey in my tummy. Randy & Kara thought it was off & pitchy, Positive Paula thought it was great, & Simon thought it was brilliant. Yay!

Danny: I may have said this before on this blog, but when I hear Danny's voice, it sounds like a chord to me. It's so good that it sounds like there are several notes within one note. He totally kills it. You guys, I think I've just switched gears. After that performance, I am now on Danny's ship. I jumped off Matt's ship halfway through Danny's song. I'm so sorry Mattie, but 'tis true. This break-up will be devastating (obviously to you & not me), but we can no longer carry on this charade when my heart has now fled to D-Boy.

Adam: He sings "Feeling Good". I thought it was grandiose, just like any other week, but it felt like a Screamathon. He gets people chanting his name at the end of his performance, & people go crazy. All the judges loved it. Is this the right competition for Adam? I think not. He's waaaay too dramatic for this AI crowd.

This week is going to be a hard one. Tragically, I believe that this will be Matt's last week. We shall see tomorrow.
Go "blame it on the alcohol",

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One Word Tuesday

2009-04-21T19:07:00.003-06:00

Happy Tuesday Everybody! Two people are going home this week b/c my main squeeze got saved last week. Woop.

I'm calling tonight One Word Tuesday b/c I plan to describe each contestant with one word. But before we do the one-word-thing, I have to express a lot of words before we kick it off. Adam Lambert, where are you? Are you anywhere underneath your Elvis impersonation? I didn't love you before the transformation, but I really don't love you now. Be yourself, dooood. Your look is not fittin'. Go back to where you came from.

Lil'...every week you do a 180 from the week prior. Pick a style & run with it. Quit going from Bree VandeCamp to Mary J. Blige.

Let's kick it:

Lil: KillMe.

Kris Allen: I'm-Workin'-Hard-to-Watch-This.

Danny: LoveHimBigTimeTonight.

Allison: LeatherLady, but her performance was slammin'. (I know, that was more than one word)

Adam: Good?? (Paula, 'visceral response'? dear god.)

MySweetBaby: MeLikey.

Anoop: Dudeforgottoshave--didn'tlikehisperformance. (I know, sorry)

If you want to know my opinion, I think that Lil' will be a goner.
Get your disco on,

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