When Dad's away...

So my dad is on a golf retreat.  And it's James' late week.  So that means Kendall, Raegan and myself invaded mom's house.  Let me tell you - there isn't much I like more than spending the night at my mom's.  There is just something about hanging out in the floor with my girls while my mama and I laugh and joke (and laugh at Kendall doing crazy stuff like wearing my heels with her footy pajamas on).  There was a time in my life when I never would have dreamed that I'd be this content on a Friday night to just hang out with those dear to my heart.  Granted, we did eat Jason's Deli which kicks it up like 5 notches.

Kendall and I have our first birthday party tomorrow for a kid in her class.  I'm a little nervous because I won't know anyone there, but I'm really excited for Kendall to be able to hang with some school friends.  She has blossomed so much already this school year because she's going four days a week as opposed to last year when she went only 2 days.  It absolutely amazes me to be driving down the road and have her point out letters or to hear what she learned in chapel or to hear about who stayed on green and who got on red.

Raegan's cold seems to have cleared up, which makes me really happy.  It's pitiful to see your babies not feeling well, especially this little.  She was talking up a storm earlier tonight.  She likes playing patty cake with her feet...she sort of semi laughs when we "throw em in the pan".  Children's laughter makes the world go round, I think.

New obsession, snot, punkins

I have a new obsession.  Facebook had this nifty idea of creating pages for each county for yard sales.  Originally I thought this would just show where/when yard sales would be held in Durham.  Nope - now I realize it's actually a yard sale ON Facebook.  Sorta like Craig's List, but constantly updating in my little stream on the right.

I am OBSESSED with checking this page.  Even though I've been to all of one yardsale in my entire life.  I have to check it every time I check my Facebook (which is sadly way too many times a day). 

This obsession wouldn't be so bad if there was actually something worthwhile posted.  But, nope, Durham's page is the same postings "bumped" over and over and over again.  Ever since I joined the group last week, one lady has been trying to sell a complete bedding set decorated with lighthouses, one lady has been trying to sell 4 pair of toddler shoes and 1 pair of adult shoes and one lady has been trying to sell a sectional sofa.  I'm most intrigued by the sofa.  Or, more specifically, by the exorbitant $800 price tag on this monstrosity.  She originally wanted like $840 for it, but she's slashed to her rock bottom price of $800, with financing available.  Because nothing reels in potential yard sale purchasers like financing options.

In other news, Raegan has her first little cold.  She's sneezing, coughing and snotty.  I've taken the blue bulb to her nose no less than 12 times in the last 2 days.  She thoroughly enjoys it.  Not.

We have also officially decorated with my very favorite harvest vegetable - pumpkins.  I've got a truly beautiful blown glass one on my kitchen table (oh Pier One, how I love thee) and 5 on the porch with my mums (aka only plant besides a fern I can keep alive).  Kendall and I are also going to the pumpkin patch on a field trip next week, so I'm hoping to score a couple more.  I'm a stem girl when pumpkin picking.  I love pumpkins with the stems still attached, perhaps with a little curve at the top.

Wonder if I could find any on the Facebook yard sale site?

Week in review

While I was on a maternity leave, I had a temp fill in for me.  A very efficient temp.  Named Ryan.  He was super cool and we shared the exact same sense of humor, so working with him was a breeze.  Especially since he was there for 4 weeks when I got back.  And he kept doing my job during those 4 weeks.  So this past week, he was gone and there was nothing to do.  Usually this first week of the month is super busy for me.  Not so much when Ryan the whiz kid does all of your work before his last day.  So the week had been pretty laid back at work.  I've enjoyed multiple Salted Caramel Mocha Fraps, made sure my NetFlix queue was exactly how I wanted it and ordered a 720 pack of wipes for 12 bucks.

James and I were supposed to have a super romantic date night yesterday at Sullivan's.  We have a gift certificate and were going to go check them out while they are running their special menu for breast cancer awareness (because steak and breast cancer go hand in hand - duh).  However, he didn't get off until 9.  I was po'd.  Until he redeemed himself with a sushi picnic and a semi frozen diet coke.  My man knows me, that's for sure.

Tonight my girls and I have enjoyed a laid back evening at home.  Kendall and I made homemade pizza.  Well, homemade for the Mason family - a Pillsbury roll out crust, cheese and pepperoni.  It was delish.  Then we baked homemade (boxed) funfetti cupcakes and decorated them (and smashed them in each others faces...fun!)  Now we're watching Beverly Hills Chiwawa (however you spell that).  Raegan enjoyed a nice bottle, bath, rocking and singing and she's snoozing away.

Life is good.

New commitment

So I really want to start blogging on a more consistent basis.  Life is going by at warp speed and I can barely remember my name, much less what happened a week ago.  I want a record of my family's life.  I read on another blog that the mom prints out a copy of the blog each year so that in 10 years she can look back and read about this particular season of her life.  So I think I'm going to have that as my goal.

I've been back at work for a month now.  The first week was bad - I cried and missed my babies.  Now, I'm back in a groove of sorts, but not sure I want to be a working mom.  James and I are revisiting the idea of me being a stay at home mom in January.  Why January?  Because we've already booked a trip to Disney in December and we need mama's salary to help get us there.  We would have one VERY disappointed little girl if that trip doesn't happen.  Plus, for once in my life - I actually want to pray about something for longer than 10 minutes to see what God wants for us.

Sometimes it's hectic getting off work, picking up the babies and getting home - dinner, cleaning up, dishes, baths, play time, Hooked on Phonics, dirty diapers, spit up, hiccups, stealing smooches from my man.  But I really love it.  I love the chaos that having another baby has brought to our life.  I love that we have a shoe basket on the stairs because we're too lazy to take them upstairs.  I love that there is a tricycle and sidewalk chalk on my front porch.  I love that there are pacifiers in the most random places.  I love that there was a CandyLand game on my side table for a week.  I love that Kendall was upset this morning because I had finally folded up the blanket that we used Saturday night for our downstairs sleepover.  I love that at the end of the day, when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet I'm tired.  It's a good tired.  An accomplished tired.

Kendall's favorite new thing is for us to speak to her with a fake English accent and call her Princess Harriet.  It's a game that I made up one morning when she didn't want to get out of bed and it's stuck.  She likes to go outside and ring the doorbell and have me let her in like Princess Harriet is our guest.

I love being a mother.

At times like these...

Yesterday was both an exciting day and a scary day for our family.  We had our follow-up ultrasound (because the baby was laying in a weird position last time and the tech couldn't get all of the measurements that she needed).  We got to see some really sweet shots of our sweet GIRL (yep - still a girl) and even got to come home with some 4D pictures (didn't get any of those with Kendall).  The tech was able to get all of the measurements that she needed and then I met with the doctor.

It turns out that the baby's head is measuring very small - somewhere around the 4th percentile while her other measurements are around the 40-60th percentiles.  The doctor tried to make me feel better, but is concerned enough to be sending us for a Level II ultrasound at Duke tomorrow morning.

I'm a wreck.

It's times like these that I realize how much more work God has to do in me.  I would love to say that I've handled the situation with faith and calm, but really yesterday found me standing in my kitchen raising my voice at my faithful and calm husband because he is so faithful and calm and I'm so...not.  I wish I could say that I didn't hop right on the internet (which is what the doctor told me NOT to do), but I did and now I've scared myself senseless.  I wish I could say that whatever God shows us tomorrow, I'm okay with because I know it's His plan, but I'm just a mommy who wants a healthy baby and I'm afraid and confused and I feel like that hot dog I ate in the mountains must have somehow hurt my child...okay, that's pushing it, but I am filled with guilt that if something is wrong that it's my fault.

Granted, everything could be fine and I could be borrowing trouble and making myself sick over nothing.  But how do you ever get to the point where you can patiently wait on something like this without worrying?  I would think that after nearly 10 years with Jesus, I'd have this thing down.  But I don't.

Here's what I do know - I am blessed beyond measure.  I have the love and support of so many people that it makes my head spin.  I know that there are literally hundreds of people praying for my sweet girl and I know that God hears all of those prayers and that He will prepare and equip us for whatever tomorrow holds.  He loves my daughter far more than even I do and He has a plan, not only for me but for her.

So in the midst of fear and worry and a hurting heart, there is also hope knowing that God's showing me something in all this...even if I can't see it right now.

Happy New Year

2010 flew by.  I really think time has started going much faster since Kendall was born.  It always flew by, but now it's like crazy super warp speed or something.

Unfortunately James had to work on New Year's Eve...until 2 a.m.  What is it about these rich folks that they feel they can't celebrate major holidays inside their 10,000 square foot, million dollar homes?  No - they'd rather be stressing my poor hubs out at the country club.  Actually, he never, never, EVER complains...he's one of the few people that I can honestly say loves his job.  And I usually don't complain about it (anymore), but dag - can a girl kiss her husband on NYE?  Anyway - Kendall and I had a most excellent time having game night with family and close friends.  We hosted my parents and grandmother (Ronnie's mom), Rena Bena (who has become a fast family friend in the last few months) and my BFF Melissa, Dean, Courtney, and Alex.  It was honestly one of the best nights of 2010, which is fitting as the year came to a close.  We played Apples to Apples (best. game. ever) and Loaded Questions (not as fun as when we played on Thanksgiving...you've gotta have people willing to say some crazy stuff to make it funny).  Then we watched the ball drop and I sat here shaking my head and the "artists" on Dick Clark's NYE show.  I guess I'm old because they just made my forehead wrinkle up more than usual...I didn't even bob my head.

Kendall and I got in the bed way late, but I was up pretty early to get things ready for my sweet girl's princess birthday party.  I was raised to have small, intimate family parties and so far that's what we've done with Kendall.  Only 10 people total.  I find that I'm able to splurge more on the party supplies when it's a smaller number and she doesn't get overwhelmed.  I decked out the kitchen in purple - Princess Tiana plates and napkins, purple forks and cups, loads of confetti, princess wands, necklaces, rings with bling, etc.  My sister in law brought tiaras for all of us girls to wear, too.  I did finger foods that turned out really cute - cream cheese/strawberry jam sandwiches cut out into cute shapes, fruit kabob "wands" with a pink yogurt dip, popcorn (Kendall's favorite), pink lemonade, etc.  Then I sat out little dishes of all sorts of candy in purple and green to match the decor.  Truly - I embraced what teeny weeny bit of creativity I have and it turned out really great.

Kendall got a bike from Mommy and Daddy and because it was 60 degrees, we were able to go ride some.  We finished up the day by taking her to see the Yogi Bear movie and to eat at the "peanut place" aka Lone Star.  It was a perfect, perfect day.

It still amazes me that I've been a parent for 3 years.  James, too...he said that very thing about 10 times on her birthday.  She is such a joy...I am so grateful that God chose me to be her mom.  She actually left for the mountains with my parents on Sunday and I know I'm supposed to enjoy "me" time when she's not here, but I don't like it.  I'd rather be with her, no doubt about it.  James and I are headed to the mountains tomorrow after work and I'll be so glad to kiss her sweet lips.

I don't suck at posting on purpose...

...it just seems to work out that way.  Life has been pretty busy lately.  Some fun stuff, some not so fun stuff.  Recaps:

- Kendall is fabulous - she tries my patience and gets her fair share of discipline (like last night when she thought it would be a good idea to throw a water bottle at my head after I asked her to put it down), but she's smart, funny, loving, curious and extremely cool to be around on most days.  She's doing 1/2 days of preschool twice a week at Grove Park and we love it.  I do find it odd that Mrs. Denise says she's one of the quiet students...she must save it all up for when she comes home or something because quiet she ain't. 

- James is enjoying the beginning of a slower winter season.  His business is always extremely busy during the summer and it slows way down in the winter and he's able to enjoy some time off.  As evidenced by his boy's getaway this weekend with his BFF (wait - do men say BFF?) in Charlotte, checking out the Bobcats and the Panthers.  I miss him when he's gone, but he is always so gracious about allowing me my girl's time that it's only fair that I return the favor.

- Work has calmed down now that the coworker that was on maternity leave has returned.  I almost kissed homegirl's feet when she came back because work has not been fun for Jennifer while she's been gone.  But I gained valuable knowledge and experience so it really was a good situation.  Plus, she and I are now solid work friends and I definitely needed another one...they are scarce for me at Quintiles for some reason.  Perhaps my charm just isn't welcome there??

- I'm enjoying couponing this holiday season.  I've caught some great retail deals and have done a large portion of my Christmas shopping online (with free shipping of course) using coupon codes that I've found.  It's been way less stressful to shop from my couch, that's for sure.

- I'm really looking foward to Thanksgiving this coming week.  I love Christmas for obvious reasons, but Thanksgiving is a fun, relaxing holiday.  We'll celebrate at mom's like usual...Kendall and I go over early on Thursday and look at the sale papers and drink coffee (well, Kendall doesn't do either of these, but you get the idea) and cook and just enjoy being together.  James has to work during the day, so we won't eat until dinner time.  Then Friday I'll say that I'm going to go shopping, but I won't.  Then Saturday - Monday, we're going to the beach with James' parents which will be very fun, too.

I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving!

Hilton Head Vacay

I have to thank my fabulous husband for introducing me to my favorite place on earth.  He first took me to Hilton Head back when we were dating and I fell in love with it then and we've been blessed to be able to go back every year since.  This year, my parents were able to join us, which was a super big deal because I can't remember the last time we've had a full week family vacation.  We headed down on a Saturday (6 hour drive...worst part of HH).  We rented bikes, which is like the thing to do down there.  The first bike ride almost killed me because we were riding to a restaurant and we really didn't know where it was and ended up going like 6 miles and I'm WAY out of shape.  While we were there we enjoyed the beach, the pool, more biking, Harbour Town, golf (for the men folk), shopping, lots of yummy food, and rest.  Meg ended up surprising us by coming down for a few days and it was so great to be laughing and relaxing with everyone.  I can't wait until next time!

Kendall had the absolute time of her life - she loved the petting zoo, the beach, the dance off she had with another little girl at the outlet mall (Kendall dominated of course), and uninteruppted time with her family.  Every single day since we got back, she's asked "What was your favorite part of Hilton Head".  She always says her favorite part was the beach, animals and pool.

We came from vacation and jumped right back into our busy, busy lives, but we love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

Best Soup Ever

I randomly stumbled upon a cool new blog that just so happened to have the BEST soup recipe.  Made it tonight and it a) tasted fabulous, b) had comfort food appeal and c) made a ton so I won't have to cook tomorrow night.  

The blog is here http://www.momadvice.com/blog/

 And here's the recipe:

Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup



2 tablespoons olive oil


2 garlic cloves, minced


2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)


8 cups chicken broth


1 pound chicken herb tortellini or tortellini of your choice (I used the refrigerated kind, but you can also use the dried pasta)


9 ounces spinach, chopped roughly


1/4 cup basil pesto






In a large pot, saute the garlic in the olive oil. After a minute or so, add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and then add in your tortellini. Cook tortellini as directed on package. In the last minute of cooking time, mix in your roughly chopped spinach and stir in the 1/4 cup of basil pesto. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top. Side Note: When reheating, feel free to add some additional chicken broth to thin the soup, as the tortellini will absorb the liquid!

The Great Outdoors

Before this weekend, I definitely considered myself a beach only type of gal.  The mountains are cool every once in a while and I could be coerced into going to the lake if necessary.  However, I just got back from a 3 night-4 day camping trip at Kerr Lake and it was wonderful.  Peaceful and beautiful and just plain wonderful.  We went with the majority of our crew (one of our families couldn't come because of a sick little one) and we boated and played in the dirt and chased frogs and killed ants and admired the stars and made "shnores" and soaked up the sun.  It was a great weekend full of lots of memories.

We've got a short work week and then we head off to Hilton Head for a week.  I am extremely excited.  My favorite place on earth!

I'm an Auntie!!!

I'm pretty sure I've blogged about all of my parents and sisters and brothers on here before, so I'm going to skip right to the good news without the family tree lesson - I'M AN AUNTIE!!!  My oldest sister, Lexie, gave birth at 7:38pm to a 7 pound 13 ounce baby girl Reese-Anne Elizabeth Johnson!!  I'm so, so, so happy for Lexie and her husband, Brett.  I'll be heading down to Florida to meet the newest addition next Friday!  Yay for babies!!!

It's official

I have the coupon bug.  I was pretty excited after  my deals from last week's trips to CVS and Harris Teeter, but today I got my first freebies.  CVS has their Right Guard on sale buy one, get one free and I had a buy one, get one free coupon which meant that I got 2 Right Guard deodorants for James for FREE!!!  I was so excited I nearly skipped out the door.  I can't believe that I threw away coupons before now.  All it took was a little organization and a few faithful coupon friends (Melissa, Southern Savers) OO HOO!

In other (more serious) news, my sister Lexie (my Donnie dad and step-mom's oldest) is being induced tonight with her first baby.  Please pray for Lexie, her husband Brett and the baby, Reece-Ann, if you get a chance.  She's nervous (and rightly so) and excited and terrified and ready and not ready - all those things that you feel before you get ready to have a baby.  Thanks!!

First coupon trip

A few of my favorite blog friends have gotten my curiosity up about this whole couponing thing.  So I decided to give it a try.  I've got my binder all organized and I buy two papers every Sunday and have others giving me the coupons they don't want.  Yesterday I went for my first Harris Teeter Super Doubles and also hit up CVS for some deals that I couldn't pass up.  I spent about $20 for about $70 worth of stuff, so I think I did pretty well for my first time.  Considering the fact that I didn't even have a Harris Teeter VIC card until yesterday, I was fairly proud of myself.  And boy did that Warm Delights taste so much better since it was only 40 cent!

Gearing up for a full weekend.  My first camping trip since I was like 5 with the Cross Culture youth tomorrow night.  I'm excited and not excited at the same time.  I'm probably the least adventurous person on the face of the earth, so critters, extreme heat and campfires don't really do it for me.  But the company will be top notch and for that I'm excited!  Then Saturday night is my brother's birthday dinner at Fujisan - any chance to eat Japanese is fab to me.  Then Sunday is church and the Sheryl Crow concert with my sister.  I can safely say that 2010 has been the year of concerts for me.  Love it.

Surprise Getaway = WIN!

lI'm not really given to grand romantic displays.  James and I definitely have a spark, but we're that goofy couple that giggles our way through most moments (romantic ones included).  So when I got the wild hair to plan a surprise getaway for my love, I surprised even myself.  It ended up being FABULOUS!  I highly, highly, highly recommend Fiddler's Roost cabins in Galax, VA to any couple that wants to get away for some one on one time. 

We got there Sunday after church and checked in and relaxed and then dinner was delivered  by the owners that evening...they set up the table in our cabin with fresh flowers and candles and delivered a delicious meal.  We slept like babies with the windows opened listening to the rain and enjoying 60 degree breezes.  We woke up to homemade breakfast (again delivered by the owners).  It was just all around fabulous.  James was very surprised and I'm still walking around smiling like a newlywed.  We will definitely be going back.

Reasons I love James Edward Mason, Jr.

Since we're not technically celebrating our 6 year anniversary (been together 8, however) until tomorrow, I have a little time to list some reasons why James is God's perfect man for me...in case next week he totally ticks me off and I need a reminder.

1.  He is sincere - he says what he means and means what he says.  He's not given to exaggeration and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if he says it will happen - it will happen.  If he says he's feeling a certain way, that's exactly how he feels.  This quality is not one that I realized was necessary in a husband until I met James. 

2.  He is a much better daddy than I am mommy.  And I'm okay with it.  He's fun and funny and quick on his feet and knows just when to throw out something random to occupy Kendall when she's about to freak out.  He's always at doctor's appointments, he gets her to eat her vegetables, he doesn't complain when he comes home late from work and she's fallen asleep in our bed.  Seeing them together absolutely melts my heart and I love him 100 times more now that I've seen him as a daddy than I did before Kendall was born.

3.  He deals with my chaos.  Let's face it - I'm a busy woman.  I'm a wife, mother, employee, student, active church member...we are always on the go and he never, ever complains.  Even when he's worked a 12 hour shift at work and I tell him at the last minute that he's also signed up to do something for the church.  Or when I'm sitting in the middle of every piece of clothing in our closet because I've decided that right-this-very-minute would be the most appropriate time to organize it.  Or when I have a complete meltdown because I've had a bad day at work.

4.  He lets me have girlfriends.  Now, this may seem like a given.  And I think it should be.  But, the relationship (aka train wreck) that I was in before I met James didn't allow for girlfriends.  Or any other type of relationship, come to think of it, but that's beside the point.  James not only encourages me to spend time with my besties, but he downright loves them too. 

5.  He loves my family.  It's not every day that you see a family that is as tight as ours...I'm like BFFs with my mom, dad and Meg.  And James joins right on in. 

6.  He came with the best inlaws on the planet.  I love them with my whole heart.

7.  He tolerates me when I worry about what our biracial family "status" might mean for whatever arbitrary thing I'm focused on.  Like, lately it's that I'm worried that if we move to Morrisville, there won't be enough minority children around Kendall and she'll think she's weird.  Or if we ever need to go to say, the back woods of Alabama, will we get run out of the town?  He always patiently listens to these incoherant ramblings and then changes the subject.

8.  He is insanely funny...if you don't know him well, you probably don't realize it because he is a little shy when it comes to letting loose around folks.  But he makes me laugh until I cry at least once a week.

9.  He lets me run a ceiling fan even though he is 100% convinced that it makes his nose stuffy.

10.  He gets me flowers at appropriate occasions like anniversaries and he never forgets to get Kendall a little flower of her own.  Today it was beautiful Lilys for me and an itty-bitty orchid for Kendall.

I could list 5,389,299 more reasons why this man gives me butterflies, but my fingers are tired.  All I know is that the past 8 years that we've been together have been fabulous and I can't wait for the next 108.

Time to face the music

So I have these heart palpitations and while having them checked out fully, I was referred to a cardiologist.  I went back to him today for a follow up and while my heart is fine, he lit into me about my weight.  First let me say that he was a super funny guy and he and I really hit it off, so while what he said sounds harsh, it wasn't mean spirited at all.  Basically he said I'm fat.  Which I already know...no shocker there.  But he also said that while I am in good health now, he doesn't want to see me in 30 years for a bypass operation because I didn't take his advice and do something about what is an obvious weight problem.  Point taken, Dr. Buchanan.  I've got to get my head on straight to make some changes in my overall lifestyle that will result in my being a healthier me.  I don't know that I will necessisarily do some sort of "organized" diet, but I am going to make changes that I can hopefully keep.  Pray for me - 30 years of bad eating habits won't be easy to fix.

In more lighthearted news, James and I celebrate 6 years this weekend and I've got a little something up my sleeve :-)

I think it's Facebook's fault...

...that I don't post on my blog more often.  It's so easy to just write a little blurb that tells everyone what's going on and I just forget to write on here.

Let's see - since I last wrote:

•  we had an fabulous vacation in Wilminton with James' parents.  It was my first trip there, but definitely won't be the last.  Such a nice area.  We watched the most amazing fireworks show I've ever seen from our balcony, ate lots of ice cream and took naps every day.  James was there for the whole trip, which made me super happy.

• Kendall is potty trained.  Sounds crazy to me to have a potty trained child, but she's been (day time) accident free for days and days.  She still wears a pull up to bed, but most mornings it's dry.  Now what to spend that diaper money on??  Lots of people would say "it's time for another baby" and I would agree.  We're going to start trying for Mason 2.0 very soon.  If you ask my husband, he'll tell you I've been the hold up all along - I think he was ready over a year ago.

There really hasn't been a whole lot else going on.  Church is good.  Work drove me crazy last week, but it's mostly good.  School is good.  Life is good :-)

Summer Fun

We've been having so much fun enjoying summer that I've forgotten to blog anything about it! 

Let's see - there has been a beach trip, which was fabulous.  We went down with my parents and ended up spending time with not only family, but some of our best friends, too.  Kendall love, love, LOVED the beach.  The water, the sand, the critters, the shells - all of it.  And I was very proud of myself that I didn't get sunburned!  Well, okay - there were two strips on my shoulders that I neglected the first day, but that's really good for me!

It was a bittersweet trip because Ronnie wrapped up his beach ministry for a while, at least.  Last year at this time, I really thought they were going to move there permanently, but I think God had other plans for them.  Isn't He cool like that? 

I've also turned the big 3-0 since my last post and I must say I still feel a solid 24.  Age ain't nothin but a number, right?

We've enjoyed lots of time outside - blowing bubbles, taking walks, going to the pool.  I was even blessed with the special experience of finding a tick on myself for the first time in those aforementioned 30 years.  Those that know me well know that I FREAK OUT about pretty much everything and this was no exception.  Ticks have ALWAYS wigged me out, combined with the fact that someone in James' extended family actually died from a tick bite and you have one insanely freaked out mama.

Looks like Kendall will be taking some dance classes this summer.  We checked out a recital of a dance school in Raleigh on Friday night and I was way impressed with the whole thing - it was all very classy and age appropriate as far as the costumes and the dances - really a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other dance school performances I've seen in recent years.  You probably don't know this about me - but I danced for years and years and years growing up - competed and the whole nine, so of course I would LOVE it if Kendall took to dancing.  We'll see - I will not be that mom that forces my kid to do something she doesn't enjoy, but Kendall was mesmerized for the entire 3 hour show and she loved Little Gym (and this is half the price of Little Gym which makes me really happy) so we'll give it a whirl.

I think that's about all for now.  How is your summer going?