Happy Birthday, Aunt Sandy

I racked my brain for the perfect birthday gift for you... high thread count sheets, a top with "nice hand," something made entirely of high end dark chocolate?

Then, I realized that the perfect gift is something you can enjoy time and time again- never getting tired of it. So, this is something I never get tired of. This little girl cracks me up! Don't get me wrong: she is still kicking my ass, but she is the sunshine of my life! Here is a little ray for you to enjoy on your special day.



I love you, I love you, I love you!
I hope you have a fantastic birthday!
xoxoxoxoxoxox!!!!!

Renee, Alan, Campbell, & Stratton

Halloween rocks

I am a huge fan of Halloween! I always have been... I love all of it: Dressing up, decorating the house, going to haunted houses, trick or treaters, and of course the candy. So, even though I did nothing but bitch about being pregnant during the hottest summer on record, how perfect was it for me to have a baby right smack dab in the middle of October? I'll tell you: absolutely perfect! This poor child will have more Halloween themed birthdays than you can shake a stick at. With some TX-OU football themed parties sprinkled in as well...

Stratton may have only been two weeks old, but that did not stop us from dressing him up for his first Halloween experience. No, it is not cruel! It is cool! Campbell and I struggled for weeks over what The Bean would be. We had no idea how big he would be, if he would comply with wearing a hat, if he would have an opinion about his costume, or... say... if he had an aversion to the color yellow. Thankfully, he is a good and cooperative baby. Campbell threatened to use her Fairy Witch powers on him and turn him into a toad if he misbehaved... lucky for us he was on his best behavior.

Top Banana

Mmmmm chocolate

Practicing for the big day

Peace Out from Campbell's Baby Brother

Hello World!
They call me Stratton Alister Codina. I arrived Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 2:15p tipping the scale at 7 lbs 6 oz.

Please don't tell my sister that I've already hacked into her blog...

Much love from the smallest Codina in town!

Peace out from Campbell's baby brother,
Stratton

Almost GO-TIME

The Cake!

Alan successfully made it through his 40th birthday!

He didn't turn "evil," but he was pretty darn close to invisible. I knew it was a good party when he actually asked how the party ended...
Jagermeister, Red Bull, great friends, and an 8 1/2 month pregnant wife to drive you home! What more could a guy ask for?





With that under our belt, we are under a week and counting!
And, I am pleased to report that I am almost ready...

Here is my remaining To-Do List:

1. Clean the house one more time
2. Pack the Bean's bag
3. Pack my bag
4. Buy some bottles. I don't know why this one is such a struggle for me. I just don't know which freaking bottles to buy. I go to Target, I stare at the bottles, I put some in my basket and then I take them out... I know, you've heard the stories... I suck at breast feeding... just pick some bottles already. I will, I will! That is why it is on the list.
5. Get my hair done- simply must be done. Cannot have 1/2 roots documenting the day of the Bean's debut.
   
6. Mani / pedi deluxe spa appointment on Wednesday
7. Nice dinner with Alan and Campbell on Wednesday night
8. Thursday- Have a baby!

Seems like this thing is in the bag, if you ask me. Yeah, right.

I'll have someone, post some pics of the Bean as soon as possible. As I recall, Hootie has successfully hacked in a couple of times to Campbell's House....

Here are some pics to tide you over.
Peace out from Campbell's House!
xoxo
Campbell's Mom

4D sonogram

Who needs 4D sonograms when modern technology can actually PREDICT what your babies will look like?!

Funny what a little "nesting" will drop into your lap.

I found this lovely blast from the past this morning. This handsome lad would be about ten by now... that is how old the picture is... at least!

Don't you just love the Elvis hair? Very fitting for a Vegas vacation baby. (I am talking about the kid's hair!, not mine!! Although, I am not sure what I have going on either!)

Sadly, his "sister" must have been lost in one of our moves. Maybe Lady Luck will drop her in my lap one day, too. I do remember she had blonde (?) curly (?) hair AND a five o'clock shadow!
Ah, good times!

Peace out from Campbell's House!
xoxoxo,
CAMPBELL'S MOM (Thank goodness!)

At least it wasn't cigarettes or beer

or Big Red

or cupcakes for breakfast...

But it was her very own cup of iced tea... at 7:00 a.m.... "just like Mommy- with a straw and ice"

In my defense, I did water it down a little. And, I take my tea straight up, on the rocks. No sugar for me so no sugar for her.

I know I have issues. Need proof?
As I was pouring the tea into her pink cup over the requested ice cubes I was saying (aloud- to no one), "This way ,there is no cross contamination. We each have our own." And then, as I let her choose a straw out of the straw container (she chose purple, btw... same color as my straw) I thought, "There are worse things than tea in a sippy cup..." and the mental list making began.

Perhaps, I should fore go the college and wedding funds and start saving for all the therapy she is going to need.

Peace out from Campbell's House!
xoxo
Campbell'sMom

Maybe we'll name him Trip

M&M&M
(Mom, Me, and Melva)

I have great women in my life. I have noticed over time that there are not all that many women that I truly like. So, the females I have in my life are special and very dear to me.

Hootie, Colette, Orca, and Jill

My lovely girl friends and family gathered a couple of Sundays ago to shower the Bean and me with love & affection and completely AWESOME presents. This little stinker is going to be a fashion plate just like his big sister! In fact, her Majesty scored some pretty snazzy stuff, too! It truly is a joyful feeling to be surrounded by those I love.

Las Mariposas
(Kay, Mom, Campbell, Sandy, Me, Opal, Hootie, Meg, and Wanda)

We had yummy brunch. (Campbell ate....... waffles: straight up- no butter, no syrup- she's weird. Opal ate her way through an omelet, half of my omlet, and requested another... girl likes eggs!)
And, I saw some suspicious looking champagne flutes full of OJ being enjoyed by some...
Less than two months to go before I can partake again! Alas, I just made up the calories in the delicious cupcakes! I have a feeling this baby weight is going to be a tiny bit harder to get off!

And then it happened. Gifts were loaded into the car- time to go home and put things away. Click, click, click. I was walking out the door of the clubhouse. I pushed the door open with my right hand and... SPLAT. Completely wiped the hell out! Totally. Down to all fours on hands and knees on a pebble sidewalk with an audience of about 8. It was just as lovely as you are imagining.
Headline in my head: ORCA TAKES ANOTHER TUMBLE

Before you even ask- I was/am fine. The Bean is used to it- I am a spazz and we've had a couple of spills and lots of near misses. Let's hope he gets Alan's coordination!

Love to all!

Peace out from Campbell's House
xoxoxo,
Campbell's Mom

Dinner sponsored by the #8

She is getting too smart.
I know you are bored with hearing what an inconsistant and finicky eater Campbell is- trust me, I am just as tired of the meal-time song and dance. Anytime she wants more of anything besides chocolate we all scurry to get said requested "seconds."

This weekend Grita came to town. Opal also came to town. Ptown visitors = overstimulation for both toddlers and not much eating for Campbell...
We ventured out into suburbia for some Mexican food- see for yourself how things went.

Yes, those are chicken strips at a Mexican food restraunt- barely touched I might add...

And, yes, Opal is backwards in the highchair approximately 6 inches from the table.

As Peggy so eloquently puts it: We had our asses handed to us on Saturday!

Later that evening, Her Majesty announced that she wanted chicken for dinner.

Ugh.

Me: Ok, how many pieces of chicken would you like?

Campbell: Ummmmmmmmmmmmm........ eight.

Me: Ok, how about two?

Campbell: No, eight.

So, I heated exactly 2 chicken nuggets....

four freaking times!!!

The kid ate EIGHT chicken nuggets for dinner!!!!

So, she is either:

A. Brilliant and can already multiply

B. She was starving

C. She was teaching me a lesson. Eight means eight, Mom.

Peace out from Campbell's House!

xoxoxo,

Campbell's Mom

She's quick!

She is OFFICIALLY potty-trained, folks!

Big, phat shout-out to Miss Young for all the encouragement and diligence in helping to get us there!

I guess it is true about waiting until they are ready because we went from pull-ups one day to Cinderella panties the next. And, with very little drama and not too many accidents either. I may have mentioned it before, but we think Campbell totally rocks!

However...

To keep me from getting too big for my ever growing britches, yesterday she decided to remind me just exactly who is running things. (Insert major sigh and extended eye-roll)

We are still shopping for the perfect dining room table and chairs. We have seen everything on the www and everything in Austin, Texas that there is to be seen. Including repeated viewings of the same table we spotted on our first trip out shopping... Yet, we still needed one more visit to the aforementioned first table before we could pull the trigger. So off we went- two year old and an accessory teenager in tow (DeeDee came for a visit).

Things were going well enough, and then all of a sudden she flipped! DeeDee keeps referring to the outburst as "Zero to Complete Melt-Down in less than 3 seconds!"

That is fast, even by Opal Standards!!!

After approximately 4 seconds of negotiating with her, the kicking and screaming commenced- on her part, not mine- so I marched her out of the very lovely furniture store. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw DeeDee and Alan standing agog...
Meanwhile, Campbell was screaming / bawling, "My want to shop!!!!" as I forced her to walk out on her own accord. It really was a lovely sight. There were some compassionate mothers shopping and most offered their best "I've been there" sympathy smile.

Regardless, Her Majesty was marched out of the store and put in TIMEOUT right outside the front door for all the world to see. Complete with giant crocodile tears, precious pigtails, and brand new Longhorn Crocs.

She's a doozie!!

Four minutes of time-out sitting on the disgusting sidewalk in the Texas heat is enough to make anyone rethink their behavior. Even a two year old!

At last, she pulled herself together and announced, "My ready to be nice and shop some more!"
Atta girl!

See Hootie:
No spanking required. Warranted? Certainly!
Have I created a monster? Perhaps. Good thing she is cute.

Peace out from Campbell's House,
xoxox
Campbell's Mom

The Freak-Out begins

October sure seems like a long time away when you are thinking about things like:

Yearning for cooler weather... you know those chilly 90 degree days vs the 103 degree days we are enojoying right now

School starting again

Halloween costumes and trick or treating

Autumn colored clothes and trees

Closed toed shoes and boots

Longhorn football

But, as I sat at my desk this morning and began to realize just how many weekends are left between now and October 22, I could feel my heart beginning to beat frantically!
July is practically over. Yes, I know it is only July 9th.... but subtract the weekends that are booked already and I stared at a calendar with exactly ONE weekend free in July.
August does not look much better and September is completely shot.

Holy Moley this baby is going to be here SOON!!! And I am no where near prepared.

At least we have a name for him.
What??? A name you say? One that you are going to share?
Well sort of...

I ask Campbell on a daily basis about her brother's name here is how it went recently

Me: So, what should we call your baby brother

Campbell: Mmmm, I don't know

Me: Oh, come on... what should his name be

Campbell: Mmmm, I tink... White Lovie



Well, there you have it. We shall call him White Lovie! At least for laughs...for a little while. The name is definitely getting jotted down in his baby book and hers, too. Silly girl!

Peace out from Campbell's House!

It's a mister- not a sister for Campbell

Yep, it's official. I am growing a penis. Not one of my very own, per se, but "the bean" has a stem.


I haven't determined who cast the magic penis spell that worked- but I've got a pretty long list of people that wished a boy on me: Peggy, Stephanie, and Colette for starters, and every other friend I have that has a son... even Campbell has been saying it is a "brudder" from the start.


All kidding aside, we are very excited! Even though I have absolutely no clue what to do with boys... We are a family of girls. I know how to shop and cry and play babies and play kitchen and how to pretend and how to play dress up and how to wear high heels and how to catch a boy and how to paint fingernails and braid hair and cry and dance and, you know... how to be girlie!

Looks like I will be taking a crash course in how the other side does it. I am sure it will be quite the adventure! I can't wait to meet him.


Peace out from Campbell's House!
XOXO
Campbell's (and "the bean's") Mom

Here are the Little Prince's debut pictures...

don't be frightened by the anatomy picture- the large extension is a leg!

Top: The Stem

Bottom: Foot

Top: Profile (facing down)

Middle: "Skeletor" Head and Torso

Bottom: "Skeletor"

Peace Out Cedar Park

We are officially homeless. Backing to renting... even if it is just for ONE day. And, I am just about to get the plug pulled from the computer, literally.

Alan and I are scurrying around like crazy people in preparation for the move-out and immediate move-in, tomorrow. As I type, he is busily disconnecting cables and wires galore. Coiling each one up individually, securing each coil with tape, and labeling it accordingly... I couldn't be prouder! I also don't have a clue how he is going to get it all back together, but that is another story!

As if a double move isn't going to be tough enough to pull off in a single day, we also have a sonogram scheduled for tomorrow. I told you, we ARE crazy! So, if all the stars align correctly tomorrow, we will say farewell to Cedar Park, hello to Leander, get a peak at The Bean's plumbing, and then start the stressful task of thinking of the perfect name. Wish us luck!!

This house has been full of love from day one. And, we are ready to fill the next house up with just as much!

So, for the last time...
Peace out from Campbell's House in Cedar Park!
xoxo

Campbell's Mom

Aunt Hooty is a Hack

Well I am sure you can tell straight away that this is not Renee typing...she is too busy packing for the big move. And if any of you have called me lately and got my voice mail, you know that Renee has my password...well guess what...her code is not that hard to crack HAHAHAHA

So let's see...where to begin....Last weekend Renee & Alan had a pool party to attend. Worked out GREAT for us! We got Campbell for the whole weekend. We had a blast! She is so fun! And quite the comic. It is so obvious that her and Opal love each other soooo much. They just look at each other and smile. And Campbell is so cute, trying to get Opal to do what she wants. She will tell her "Come on Opes". Cracks me up!

So here are some pictures of our fun weekend:


Straight to the sandbox. Yep that is blue sand - Campbell didn't want to get her skirt dirty so it came off immediately. That's how we roll at Grita's house!

She also go to help Papa and Uncle Deuce do some cattle working:


She got in the trailer, pet the cow on the nose then got out. She kept a close eye on Papa to make sure he knew what he was doing though...

I also have a very loving, very annoying, VERY friendly cat at my house. Melvin rescued him out of the tree and he has been there ever since. His name is Bevo...

I'm telling you this cat is strange. Campbell decided he needed some sprinkles??? (Gravel rocks) After all, everything is better with sprinkles, right Renee?

While at Grita's, Campbell and Opal also did a little cooking:

I'm thinking they could be in the next calendar Naked Chefs 2009...What do you think?

I am telling you we had sooo much fun playing with Campbell and letting her do things that her mother would never let her do.

We took her to Wal-Mart. She was walking (okay it was more like gallivanting) through the aisles. She decided she wanted some cheese. We let her pick her own cheese - she chose the two colored string cheese variety. She walked around Wal-Mart eating her cheese. All except the last bite...you see she had to hold it by the wrapper and eat only the part that was exposed. And that last bite just wouldn't cooperate. (I found out later that is the proper way to eat sticky foods, like zone bars for breakfast) Anyway, we were leaving and I said "okay, I guess we are through at Wal-Mart - Campbell do you need anything else?"

She replies: "ummmmm. Ya - a necklace"

I mean she is Renee's child after all!!

I beleive at this point I am supposed to say:
Peace out from Cedar Park
-Hooty

Yin and Yang

YIN

YANG

I LU-HUV watermelon! And it looks like I've found a buddy to eat it with. Alan will have an occasional slice of la sandia- but he tends to furrow his brow at the way I try to power through an entire melon in a single sitting... ok sometimes two sittings. I would like to blame this obsession with watermelons on "the bean" but alas I am watermelon-greedy from way back.

It took great restraint for me not to show my precious baby girl how to spit the seeds like only a true country girl can. We're saving that for next summer!

And, yes, we are sitting on an outdoor bench cushion inside the kitchen. I figured if eating inside food outdoors is white trash enough for France, then eating watermelon inside on outdoor furniture is white trash enough for Texas! It is too stinking hot outside... I will blame my temperature intoleance on "the bean." And since we're blaming "the bean" I thought it was appropriate to include "the bean" in the YANG shot. (That one is for you, Miss Jaylee!)

Peace out (and about to pop) from Cedar Park,
xoxo
Campbell's Mom

Craig's List virgin no more

Yes, I've heard about Craig's List murders, rapes, robbers, and all the other goons out there. But, I've also heard lots of great things about unloading unwanted furniture on Craig's List. So this morning at 7a, I held my breath and crossed my fingers as I hit the POST button to advertise my dining room furniture for sale. I think I had a mini panic attack while I awaited my confirmation email.

In less than two hours I had a legitimate offer. By lunch I had cash in hand! By 8:00 this evening, the furniture is gone!! That is what I call a successful First Time!

I have to admit that as the buyer's people drove away, I had a tinge of a knot in my stomach and a tear in my eye. Not sure if it was due to the Jed Clampet style packing job or because seeing it go drove home the realization that we will soon be leaving this beautiful house. A house that has been very good to us! A house filled with love and happiness (and a female ghost).

I know the love and happiness will be the easiest things to move... but how do you pack a ghost?

Speaking of packing, better get back to it.
Peace out from Campbell's House!
XOXO

Arghhhh!

First a couple of cuties from a GREAT Mother's Day weekend!

Now onto the matter at hand:

My house is a complete shambles!

There are boxes everywhere. We have small boxes; medium boxes; large boxes; packed, labeled, and taped boxes; partially packed boxes; broken down boxes; waiting to be packed, labeled and taped boxes; boxes in the hallway; boxes in the kitchen; boxes in the bathroom; boxes, Boxes, BOXES!

ARGHHHHHHH!

In addition to all the boxes, there is stuff everywhere. How did we accumulate all these things? And how did I have it all so neatly organized (and more importantly OUT OF MY SIGHT)? It is truly baffling.

My little assistant, is quite confused by the whole process. Maybe Grita is right- I've either ruined her or perfected her! She maneuvers her small little body through the endless maze making her best effort to help Mommy "Keen Up!" She has disappeared on many occasions only to reappear with her pink leopard print broom in hand... Ruined or Perfect? Hard to say, huh?
I am trying to find order in all the chaos. However, I know that in just a few short weeks and the mess will reappear at the new house. Perhaps, I can find some calm and comfort in finding new homes for all our old things.

As for the present: Campbell and Alan are doing their best to help me cope with the tiny panic attacks I have daily. This rainy weekend, Campbell was stuck to her Daddy like glue. Mommy is O-U-T and Daddy is IN! You could see that he was just eating it up with a spoon, too!

Peace Out from Cedar Park!

XOXO,

Campbell's Mom

I've been slacking

There is really no good reason for it. However, I do have lots of excuses...

1. For those of you who are not connected to the Pleasanton, Texas based grapevine, Campbell is going to be a big sister! Woo hoo! We are totally excited! (I am scared to death at the mere thought of it possibly being a boy.... think pink!) The new addition is set to arrive in October.
2. We finally sold our house. And I am in the pre-packing mode.
3. We spent every weekend in April in Pleasanton.
4. Did I mention I am pregnant, already?

Anyway, lots has been going on.

We had a lovely Easter picnic at the ranch. Complete with an Easter egg hunt, cascarones, and lots of yummy food. I do have to say that the annual picnic is much more fun with a cocktail mixed it. Or, maybe it is just me that is more fun with a cocktail mixed in...

Campbell grew up. That is she had a birthday and has started talking non-stop! I wonder where she gets that? We celebrated at the San Antonio Zoo. It was perfect weather and the animals were very cooperative- some a little too cooperative. The monkeys did their best to give the children a sex education lesson. Gross monkeys!I hope you've all been well. And I promise to do better!
I am sure you're all dying to get a look at the ever growing bump. This is a picture of me eating lunch at the zoo.





Peace Out from Campbell's House!
xoxox