"Moneys"

You know how you start saying a word like your child does instead of the correct way? Well, maybe you can't relate. I realize I should pronounce the word correctly but instead I find myself saying patsy, moneys, and teptool instead of paci, money and stepstool. I limit this to just our conversations in order to spare my husband & friends.

Moving on...Carver has a coin sock whose "face" fell off due to the amount of coins weighing it down. That sparked a fun little project for him & I - to collect all the change around the house, add it to the coin sock & take his first trip into the bank to trade coins for dollars. I still get that nervous excitement waiting for the teller to come back and tell us what magical number we hit. We were somewhere around $50 and of course mommy kept half (is that bad?) and gave Carver his own crisp $20 bill. Do remember, folks, this was all mommy and daddy's change in the first place. $20 is plenty to add to this piggy bank for a 2 1/2 yr old. Not to mention the kid has quite a few big bills already in "Mr. Piggy."

Here's a photographic trip down memory lane......It's always the simplist of things that occupy our days and bring the greatest joy to both of us. I love this child.

For starters, he had to use his shopping cart to transport the coins around the house.

They are heavy afterall! Don't miss out on his Walmart red slippers.
Julie - check out his mouth, wide open as he focuses on the task at-hand. Remind you of anyone?

Wait, mommy, quick pitstop....I noticed a piece of dirt & need to sweep it up, just like you.

No pictures at the bank so the last one is him putting that dirty $20 bill on top of his mouth.

All in a day's work!

Burger Thursdays

Every Thursday Carver gets out of "school" an hour early at lunchtime. We eat lunch together that day instead of me packing his. Thursdays have become Burger Thursdays. Let me tell you - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - the kid loves a burger. So we now have an official day for it.

This past week has been so beautiful here in the lonestar state. Spring is in the air and the sun is shining so warmly. Today was our 2nd picnic of the week - well, most picnics are sandwiches and fruit but today's was a burger. I quickly (uh, you could figure that out for yourself) snapped these pics at his school while we ate today. I love how he is wearing these pants. I did not send him off to school in those. I immediately thought he had an accident at school but nope, Ms. Amy said he just had poor aim when using the potty....thus had to change his outfit since he soaked his jeans. That's my boy. He's getting so big. My heart aches with love for him more every single day. I daydream about our family's future & all to come. I really can't believe I have what I have. I'm so grateful.

Friends in Low Places

Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. It's going to take me a full 7 days to recover this time around. Garth summed it all up for me, "I'm much too young to feel this damn old."

Gilbert & I flew to Vegas on Friday for a 2 night stay centered around seeing the other Chavez - Paul & Sandra, our old and dear friends. Marc & Melissa, our Mexico buddies, drove in from Phoenix to add a little more trouble to the mix. All of us were kid free which left us no other choice but to take full advantage. As the pictures show, we did things a little out of the ordinary with a limo, a little bull riding, and Fremont Street action followed by a delicious dinner. The main reason we booked our trip was b/c we saw Garth Brooks' "coming out of retirement" show at the Wynn on Saturday night. Re-living my past while forging it with the future. Oh, Garth...how I've never forsaken thee. That deep and true voice in an intimate 1,500 seat theatre, all acoustic show. None other than his lovely wife, Trisha Yearwood, surprised everyone and came on stage to sing along w/him as well as a few of her classics. Yep, you guessed it..."She's in Love with the Boy." My favorite part of the show was ALL of it - he talked to the audience the whole time, revealed tidbits of his experiences and influeces throughout his life. Actually sang and played some of his own personal favorites - everything from Elton John to James Taylor. Very impressive, very diverse. He had us guess what his favorite song of his is - and much to my surprise, it was none other than The Dance. Aaah, that song is so good, always will be. Yep, he sang Shameless too. The list goes on. Almost took this Waco girl to my knees.
Unfortunately they were very strict on not allowing cameras or cell phones in the theatre so the only pictures to share from our trip are a little rambunctious. They speak for themselves.
Looks like we're heading back to Vegas for Paul's 40th in December. I need to get a lot of sleep between now and then!

Fremont Street

On an escalator upstairs to country bar?


Fremont Street

Giggly about the limo

Ooooold friends - Gilbert, Paul & Marc (being silly)

Dinner

Already closing my eyes

Sandra, me & Melissa

My hunk & Sandra

Gilbert & I about 12 hours before the night ended!

Our room - Encore at The Wynn

Coming to town.....

Two of my all-time favorite people are coming to town....tomorrow...and the fridge is stocked, food is made, the house is clean, now all I need are these 2 people to hug and love on live in person.

Can't wait to see you, mom & dad!!

Keeping up with Carver

Though the weather around these parts has been either warm with a hint of spring, or too cold to play outside, we've managed to do a little of both. Trips to the mall in the afternoon for "rides" when it's too cold and riding his new John Deere tractor and trike when the sun is out. I will have to video Carver on his tractor because the boy is now a pro at driving it. Just like his mama behind the wheel! Here's a sneak peak at Carver's stressful life.

Tooling around the deck on his tricycle

Mommy's favorite new picture
Gotta love the mall on those chilly afternoons
Kiddie Acres - Austin's best and cheapest way to spend a Wednesday!
Loves riding the horse at Kiddie Acres
Brush those teeth good, boy!
Weekly playdate with his girlfriend, Anneke.

They were not pleased I interrupted them during Dora for this picture.

FAB & CAB

Okay so this post is a bit late, but worthy nonetheless. Can someone say BFF time? Since Julie is thousands of miles away, it's not our norm to have pictures of us with our kids since both becoming mothers. Over their Christmas break, they graced us with their presence. So good to have Julie, CJ & precious Liam under our roof and in sight.
We already look forward to ya'lls next visit when you can stay longer.

Ladies Night

A night to not be forgotten. How comforting it is to have old and *new* (within the last 10 years) friends as close as these. Only problem? Julie is absent. We missed you, Jules.

Happy ladies night to us.
Cheers!