And Home...

We decided that since we would be driving through New Orleans area on the way home we would stop and see Marie Levou's grave and the church she was married in...Well, that didn't work...It was Mardi Gras..they had the French Quarter blocked off from car traffic by cops..well that didnt' stop my husband..hee hee hee..he got stopped and when he was asked for his permit, he told the cop he didn't know we needed one..they let us go...sooooo we are driving down these TINY one way streets in the french quarter looking for a church and graveyard that was supposed to be there..NOT..we did find the church, and there was no where for us to park unless we wanted to park about 5 blocks away and walk with the kids...NOT...so we tried to find the cemetery..the first address we found was wrong and the second showed it being right in the middle of that same area...we gave up and headed on home...(after we got home we pulled it up on google earth and found it no where near where we were, so we could have made it..oh well..that's another trip)....Shane's mom told about this store called Candyland (we saw the sign on the way there) and said we had to stop, it was an old fashioned candy store and ice cream parlor...we found it and took the kids..it was neat..they did have some of the older candy, but the kids weren't that impressed..lol...they just don't get it..I did expect the ice cream to be homemade ice cream...NOT !!! It was Blue Bell, made right here in Texas..ha ha ha..oh well, the kids LOVED it and we bought ourselves a few more hours of happy kiddos...Loaded up and headed on into Texas..Finally made it home around 4:30, an almost 11 drive with all the stops...I did enjoy seeing different states and spending time with the family, but I have learned that there really is no place like Texas...you hear it all the time, but are definitely unique onto ourselves !!!

Today I took the kids to pick up brat from the kennel we left her at..it's the same one we always use, they are family friends and one actually grew up with Tammy's husband...They always take great care of her and they have a huge open yard for her to run in, plus her own house (you have seen the pics)...well they had issues this time..not sure if it was the storm that came through or what, but they don't feel comfortable watching her anymore...she did try to dig out, which they don't care about (it's a dog kennel, not the first time), but then she started climbing...YUP, climbing !!! They have wrought iron across the front of each "little yard" and she was using the middle cross member to try and boost herself up and over....well then they had to add chicken wire across that so she couldn't use it..so she used the side fence between the houses instead..it's a wooden fence and she would use that middle cross bar to try and boost herself over the fence....this was AFTER they had to put a "D" ring through the latch bcuz she figured out how they latch and unlatch the gate...They said she would watch them each night and keep trying it til she got it...so as much as they love having her they dont' feel comfortable watching her anymore...they said they would feel sooo bad if she got out and disappeared or got hit on the road..and I know they would...so if we every plan on going anywhere again we need to find a concrete bunker to leave her in...lol...seriously, not sure what we are gonna do.....oh well, she's da Brat...and this just proves she too damn smart for her own good (or ours)..so right now she is moping around the house..i am not sure if she is made we dropped her off there or just exhausted from trying to scale a 6' fence...

Either way it was a very good trip...We spent some time with the other Benge Family and now I am actually liking my BIL a little (he did have some part in bringing that little cutie into the world), but we aren't gonna tell him I like him any, he might fall down...lol....

Touring

When they took baby Beau home we went "explorin"...cousin Tammy and family rent a house out here and LOVE to vacation here so we thought we would check it out..It was a nasty, yucky day with a storm getting ready to blow in, but we wanted to see what we could before it got here...we found a fort at one end that was on the opposite side of the civil war as the other fort..we didn't go in bcuz it was $8.00 and we knew the storm was gonna blow in and it would be a waste of time...we stopped at a little public road side area to get the kids out and let them see the ocean...We didn't get off into the sand bcuz it was muddy, but they got to see it...We picked up a shell for Keira's treasure box..
Did I explain what that was?
I made a tupperware box for Keira to collect treasures in..every place we stopped we would pick something up and put it in the box, that way she had reminders of all the places she went...we wrote down in a journal in it what she got and where...there wasn't alot this time around, but it's something I wanted to start bcuz hopefully we will be taking more family trips like this..
Anyway, back to the story..
We headed to the other side of the island to see if we could find the house that Tammy rents..no such luck and we headed home...We stopped at Shannon and Kellie's to visit, but the storm had come in and it was  BAD..so bad that Shane was having a hard time seeing the road to drive..so we made the decision that he would just run in and get our stuff and hug everyone for all of us..i didn't want to get the kids out in that mess and we wanted to head back to the hotel before it got really bad...So we didnt' get one last hug from the family and little "squeaker", but Shane did...we headed to the hotel and it was kinda scary..the road had started flooding and it was pretty hard to see anything..if we didn't have the gps, we would've had no idea where we were going..we made it and had a pretty bad dinner in the hotel lobby/lounge/bar area...at least the kids ate and Shane and I got to have an ice cold beer..lol..Up to the room to play, pack and get some sleep for the drive home...ahhhhhh a whirlwind day

The Naval Museum

Woke up the next day and headed out..we found a Cracker Barrel for breakfast (yup that's #2) and then headed over to their house...Shannon suggested we leave our firearms there bcuz we didn't want to leave them in the hotel and CAN'T carry them on base (we didn't want to spend the vacation in federal prison), and then headed to the Naval museum..Now I am not a fan of air museums, war museums, plane museums (see a theme here?), but I have to say I was impressed !!! It was pretty cool..i didn't understand most of what I saw, but it was still pretty cool..they had lots of cockpits for the kids to climb into and play with the buttons and switches (even Shane had a good time with all the buttons and switches)...It was Beau's first trip out in the "real world" and I think it's pretty cool they did it with us...I remember those days with Keira, we were so nervous taking her anywhere, now it's like we flip a coin to decide if we feel like going...ha ha ha...anyway..the museum was really cool and the kids had a blast !!! Austin kept trying to get the things to take off..he would get in them and yell "take off..take off"...nope, didn't work...Keira was torn between climbing into everything AND watching to see when Beau woke up...she would sit and watch the blanket to see if he kicked it...she would walk with Uncle Shannon and hold onto the stroller (she does that with when it's just me and both of them)I had to keep calling her off of it bcuz she will walk holding on the handle and sometimes pull you one way or the other and if you aren't used to it, it can be kinda irritating..lol...Uncle Shannon was a good sport about it though...After the museum they were kind (brave?) enough to take us out to a seafood restaurant...Pretty good for a first outing...I was nervous taking Keira to a parade in PaPa's front yard...lol...It was a cool restaurant on the "island" part of Pensacola....The food was good (at least everyone else's...they screwed mine up, but who's shocked about that?? ha ha ha), and of course in true baby fashion Beau woke up right before Kellie's food got there and wanted to eat...ahhh mother hood...years of being covered in goo and never eating a warm meal...lol..she did great, and afterwards I got to hug the baby while she ate (remember they screwed up a CLUB SANDWICH and I had to wait for another one)..then his Daddy got done and I got eat...it was a typical meal with an infant..play pass the baby til everyone gets a chance to eat...After ward they headed home and we headed for a tour of the island...

A Visitin' We Will Go

We left early Friday morning to head to Pensacola to meet the newest member of our family..Beau Xavier Benge, our nephew/cousin...we have been planning this for awhile, but I wasn't allowed to really post anything bcuz Shane didn't want people to know that we weren't at home..anyway...we left around 4:30 Friday morning and headed out...I was hoping to just move the kids from bed to the car..no such luck..Austin did sit up after having his diaper changed and point to his bed and say "Momma, big boy pillow, bed"..lol..poor thing..we get them into the car and head out...he does fall back asleep for about 20 minutes but Keira wakes him up singing some song..oh well..we stop at 7:30 for some breakfast at the first (of many) Cracker Barrels and get 'em dressed and head on in...All I can is rude, rude, rude !!! Not a very friendly place..oh well the kids got their pancakes (mainly mine and Shane's), Shane got his coke and I got to stand up for a few minutes..lol...we loaded back up and headed out again.....we crossed the Atchafalaya River Basin...that was a long arse bridge...It just kept going and going and going, but it was pretty cool...We did stop in Mississippi to let the kids run for a few minutes...we saw the road side park and pulled in..come to find out it was the "welcome to Mississippi" travel site and it was huge !!! They were having a Mardi Gras party, they are building a new Nasa building right next to it, there is a lunar lander there and ti was lots of fun....The kids got to get lots of beads and Keira and I even danced in a parade..She even found another card on her scavenger hunt...Oh forgot to tell you about that...I printed up some index cards with pictures of things she might see along the way for a scavenger hunt...and when she found them we would right on the back of the card where she found them and the date...it was great !!! She loved it and rode most of the way there and back with her cards in her hand...anyway, one of the cards was a lady holding an umbrella and in the parade they were dancing with umbrellas..After a good 20 minutes of running we loaded back up and headed out again, once again hoping they would nap...NOPE..oh well..we get into the Pensacola around 2:30 and head straight for the hotel..unpack and try to get the kids down again (see a theme here?)...no such luck, so we head over to see Mr. Beau (and of course his parents)...he was asleep and Austin fell asleep on the way over there..hee hee hee...so we just laid in him the bed in Beau's room and let "the boys sleep it off"....Keira ran around the yard and abused poor Mollie (their dog)..she's not used to such a rambunctious 5 year old and Keira isn't used to a small dog that can't keep up...Beau decided to get up and have some dinner and I made Austin get up...we spent about an hour over there and decided to call it an early night..grab a bite and head back to the hotel for some sleep...We actually found a Whataburger around the corner from our hotel...got the kid's some dinner and fought with them to get settled...oh well...The next day was looking hopeful..

On this slide show I have the pics from the drive there and back..I didn't feel like separating them..

There's a party when we are involved!!! We pulled over at a roadside park in Mississippi to let the kids stretch... Come to find out, it's a NASA center that they are building next to it... Pretty cool!! They had a real lunar landing ship that held 13 astronauts in it.. The really cool part? It's mardi gras, so that means there's a party going on!! Lol... There was dancing and music and Keira marched in the little parade.. Austin got covered in beads from the little old ladies!! What's funny is one of Keira's scavenger hunt cards was a last holding an umbrella, well all the ladies in the parade had umbrellas!!!

We are about halfway to our destination and have come to one conclusion...Lousianna is a crap hole!!! (and full of rude people)

Sent from my iPhone

Traveling is such hard work!!! You gotta feel sorry for the little guy, he can't even lay down... At least when we traveled when I was a kid I could kinda stretch out (if my sister would let me!!! Hahahha)

Someone's got it figured out

Austin, GO TO SLEEP !!!

We are having a heck of time getting Austin to sleep for nap time or at night..now that he can get up, he's constantly up !!! During nap time today I consistently had to go into his room and get toys out of his bed..i finally started removing them from his room and setting them on the living room table..He walked out one time with his tool box and I told him to put the tool box on the table and go to bed...so he walks out a few minutes later with his bull dozer and says "table"...OMG !!! Yes, to answer the question you are asking, he won and didn't nap..after 2 1/2 hours i just couldn't battle him anymore...

The only thing that didn't come out of his bed was the coloring book and colors !!!

When Good Desserts Go Bad...

For Valentine's Day Keira wanted to cook her Daddy a dinner..So we did that on Sunday night instead of trying to fit it in after school on Tuesday..it was pretty good...she made the salad all by herself, she mixed the mashed taters and she completely mixed the cake...which leads me to the title...The theory was good, but the result...well, I was told "it's good, tastes pretty good, just reminds me of cornbread"...HA HA HA !!! Shane loves yellow cake, so we made one from scratch...got the recipe from the same website I got that AWESOME chocolate cake from for last weekend..followed the directions perfectly, and yet....I did mess up the frosting...I wanted to see what happened when I made the buttercream with heavy whipping cream, that was wrong...then bcuz Shane loves Bananas Foster I decided to make a Bananas Fosters topping for it..We made the yellow cake, and I sprayed it with sugar water to make it extra moist, then after letting it cool I made a yummy home made whipped cream for the middle layer, BUT bcuz Keira had to get to bed soon we had to finish frosting it before it hardened right...so the minute she started frosting the top layer it all squished out the side !!!! LOL !!!! Then my idea was to buttercream the top and add the cooked bananas to it and let it drizzle down the side...

See the theory is there and it could be very good...I am not giving up on this one..

We also made Keira a little heart cake that she got to decorate and eat..

Austin's MDO Valentines.

I made these for Austin's class today..not exactly how I wanted them to turn out, but still pretty cool !!! Of course Keira had to tell me they were much cooler than the ones I made for her..BRAT

"You make life more colorful ! Austin B."

I know now I should have cut the pieces bigger and they would have been a little brighter..oh well, the kids will still love to color with them..

How Does She Sucker Me Into This??

I wanted to do something different for Keira for Valentine's day..I didn't want her to buy a box of valentines and just write her name on them..especially since they didn't make mailboxes or anything..they had to bring the valentines in today for the teachers to put into groups or whatever..totally NOT what we did in the "old days", and I have severe OCD issues and can't just do anything simple..lol...Well I thought this would be simple...WRONG !! I whipped out my Cricut books and looked and thought of doing a cute Minnie Mouse holding something, so i showed them to Keira, did she like that idea ? YES !! She loved it, but she didn't want Minnie..I said how about Goofy? (I'm done goofing around, be my valentine)..nope..she chose one of Mickey and Minnie...okay, sure..So I start cutting the pieces out, well bcuz it's a full size one I can only cut it at 1 1/4 inches so all the pieces are proportionate (don't ask me why if the whole thing is about 3 inches tall i didn't make the machine), well that makes little bitty pieces..LOTS of little bitty pieces..there were 6 different colors and about 10 different cuts (some of the keys have two parts on them, but they need to be different colors)..I really started to wonder what I got myself into....well yesterday when I sat down to start assemble them I stopped for about 10 minutes and kick myself in the arse..literally kicked myself for 10 minutes straight !!! Each one, yes EACH ONE took between 10 and 15 minutes to glue together..that doesn't include the background I put them on which was two more cuts and two more pieces of paper !!! OMG !!!! I got roped into this one...lol...Oh well..she loves them and I think they turned out great...I put a glow stick on them bcuz I am tired of throwing away candy from all these different things, so I decided to be that parent and send a glow stick....

Of course I thought of the writing on it AFTER they were glued so I had to write around Mickey's tail..oh well..now i want you to look at Minnie's eyes...do you know what a pain that was?? LOL !!!

Stay tuned for Austin's..I am doing those this weekend...Damn, maybe I need some medication...

And We Lost Another One....

That's right..we lost another tooth !!! The tooth fairy only left one gold dollar this time...5 of them was for the first one..she's so excited...she put the gold dollar with her other ones..she's not sure what she is saving up for, but she's saving....lol...what a long weekend

Are you ready for some football??

Yup, it's Superbowl time...gone are the days of our big parties with lots of food and beer..Here are the days of teaching our kids about football and gambling..yup, I sure did..lol...Austin picked the "blue" team and when I asked Keira who she liked, she said the "white" team...I said great, let's make a bet....I told her if her teams wins I will pay her a nickel, if my team wins she will have to pay me a nickel..she said she didn't want to give up her nickel, but when faced with the chance she might WIN a nickel, well it was on..lol...They did pretty good, Austin made it through the first quarter before we had to put Wonder Pets on in our room and Keira made it almost to halftime before she left to go color in her room..she did poke her head out and ask if her team was winning a couple of times and she made it out for halftime..popcorn and Madonna...she liked her, told her Daddy and I that she was gonna be just like that lady when she grew up...we tried very politely to explain to her why she wasnt..lol...oh well !! It was great, check out the video of Keira watching the game..

Happy 40th !!

After CeC we headed to my Aunt and Uncle's house to help them celebrate 40 years together !!! It was a very small affair, just us family, but I don't think it could have been better...Tammy made a yummy lasagna for dinner and I made a homemade chocolate cake I found on Pinterest...yes, you heard me right...homemade, not a box in site..with homemade buttercream frosting AND homemade ganache...OMG...it was really good, the only problem is...I can never make a box cake again..lol...everyone says you really can't tell the difference, OH YES YOU CAN !!!! Tammy and I collaborated on a present for them..We collected pics from the last 40 years, narrowed it WAY down (come on 40 years, there were ALOT to choose from...lol) and I made a little collage for them to hang on the wall...we added a poem I wrote (well partially, I took one I found with some good ideas and changed it around and added my own stuff) and some really cute stickers...She found them some beautiful sterling silver "heart lock" and "key" keychains and had them engraved with the date...The kids did what the kids always do..run around, make a lot of noise and play HARD..ha ha ha...Austin was tuckered out, he didn't have nap at all that day, then 2 hours at CeC and THEN all those hours keeping up and giving the girls what for..ssccheeewwww....

It was a great time, good food, lots of laughs, lots of hugs and a little wine...lol...

I took a lot of pics so i am just inserting a slideshow..if you want to see them larger, just click on the slide and it will take you to my online photo album and you can see them better...

Chuck E Cheese

This past Saturday we went to Chuck E Cheese's for a double birthday party for some of our friends (okay their kids, but you get the point..lol)..It was INSANE !!! This is definetly NOT the old CeC !! I remember we had a seperate room where the rat would come out every once in a while and do a show..not here..it was one big square room AND they do all the parties at the same time..sooooo all the food comes out at the same, the live Rat comes out and does a very sad little dance and then walks around to each kid for pictures...so you have 12 parties all at once all in rows at these tables, all with kids trying to eat and scream and parents trying to walk back and forth to take care of kids and stepping on each other....There is NO WAY I will ever do that you guys, so you don't have to worry...lol (unless I get the look from Keira)..But the kids had a GREAT time (which is all that really matters anyway)

Keira and Kiara (yes, you are reading that right) playing Skee ball..

 

 

 This is the little girl that she hooked up with at Austin's party and then came to her birthday party..they are sooo much alike, it's hilarious..They haven't seen each other in months and it was like nothing has changed..Kids..

A HELICOPTER RIDE ?!?!? Yes it is

 They had a helicopter ride where you peddle it like a bike and it goes up, well Austin's feet weren't long enough so he thought you just sat there...until Daddy peddled it with his hands...OHHHH

A horsey ride !! This one got the biggest smile of all !!!

He LOVED this ride

Sorry about the pics, I took them on my phone..We didn't want to try and carry the camera AND chase Keira AND carry Austin AND play games...

TuTu Crafty

So Keira came home from church last week with a note that says it was football week next week, wear your jerseys and girls wear your tutus....well that was a bad, bad note...Keira has tutus, but would those be okay?? NNNOOOOOOO, I decided that I was gonna make her one, can't be that hard right? I have seen it done, I will just grab some tulle and try and make her one...bad, bad, bad idea...We go to Hobby Lobby and ALL tulle is on sale..50% off !!! OMG !!! Okay, grab some, get the elastic for the waist, a sewing kit and head home with a plan...About an hour and half later I have a tutu !! Well that was easy, I should make the girls one for Valentine's Day, well the ribbon IS ON SALE TOO !!! Keira wants to start wearing bows, I was gonna make her just a bow for Valentine's Day, why not a new tutu AND a new bow...Well Abby would like one too, wait, can't make a tutu and bow for Keira and not make Abby a bow too....see where this is going and WHY it was a bad, bad, bad note ?? So now I am up to 3 tutus and 5 bows !!! (I HAD to make practice bows before doing the actual Valentine bows..gawd)..check 'em out..

This was our first attempt last week, it was a little big...lol..sweet thing still wore it to school

These are a much better size..lol

Every morning when we do our hair I have to take a pic so she can see what it looks like...this isn't the best pic of the bow, but trust me..it looked really good til I got her to school..then after that, who knows

The Valentine's bow

Hanging in the kitchen while I was working on them...

Not the best pic bcuz the girls were too busy dancing

 

 

 See how smart I was..I KNEW better than to take Abby her's WITHOUT bringing Keira's...lol

Are you ready for some football???

Don't you just LOVE the boots?? She is wearing a Houston Texans jersey after all...lol