Happy Halloween!

From Jessie, Woody, and Buzz!

It's Been A Week...

So, we had a first in our family last week.

Until Mr. Carlos came along, the worst we'd been through was some ear infections and allergies (the seasonal kind), and I've always been quite humbled and thankful for that.

Carlos needed some minor day surgery for a little problem that was noticed after he was born.

 (Just a little side note, even minor surgery is MAJOR surgery to a mommy.)

So, I'm not going into details...

and mostly just jotting all this down

1.)because I've got some really cute pictures

2.)Hubs is watching what we are hoping will be the last game of the World Series, and when I watched the game Saturday, the Rangers lost big time.

(and I haven't really gotten over the whole rain delay debacle of last week)

and I've already read the news and stalked my blogs.

(another little side note...in the middle of the page...Hubs is so wound up about the game tonight that he's cracking me up...he's like Ace excited on steroids and sporting brown hair!  I have so much to look forward to!!)

OK, back on track.

We farmed out the big kids, got up early, and were off on the dreaded adventure.

We've learned a lot of new things about pediatric surgery.

1. Children's Hospital is very good at what they do.

2. They make hospital gowns really small...

and they still involve mooning everyone around you :)

 3. 4 month old little boys have NO CLUE what hospital gowns and beds mean :(

In true Carlos fashion, he woke up a happy and talking!

He even flirted with the nurses and showed of all of his kicking skills!

The parts I dreaded most were handing him over, and the time after surgery when we weren't going to be with him...

Oh, how my prayers were answered.

Hubs was able to snuggle him to sleep before the Anesthesiologist arrived, and was able to hand him off to the circulating nurse, who snuggled him up and carried him back to the OR sound asleep.

After waiting, for what seemed like forever, and talking to the Dr., we were taken back to Post-op and he was brought back to us still asleep...an even bigger blessing when we heard other kids coming out screaming.

He actually, despite our best efforts, slept for about an hour after we got him back.

We couldn't go home until he was awake enough to eat and not get sick.

Thankfully, we have a professional sleepy nurser :)

Here he is after getting everything disconnected...

 Still sporting the sleepy eyes.

I'd like to report that recovery was a breeze,

but it was no fun.

I will, happily, report that he did, finally, get his very own Rangers shirt as a consolation prize!

He loves the Rangers!

So, while I don't ever want to have to go through something like this again, my heart has been reminded over and over again that we could have it so much worse.

Ace and I took him for his first Post Op visit this afternoon...

 and are happy to report that all is well!!

Go Rangers!

Oh, and one more pic, just for Gram...

who love her baby feet!

4 Months...

Carlos, today you were 4 months old!

You are big and happy!

and very bald!

You are holding up your head very well.
You've rolled over twice (belly to back), but are very sneaky about it.
Both times you wait til I'm distracted.
You have started "talking" to us...
especially when you are tired or getting hungry,
if we talk to you, you answer.
It is very cute!
You can laugh and "cackle" too.
We learned how to do a "back carry" with our wrap...

At first, it made Ace nervous, but it works great on days that you want to help me clean house!
You are also in the midst of your first ever Ranger's Postseason.
You are enjoying spending time in your Jumperoo watching the game.
This is how excited you were the night they won the ALCS championship...

(love those chubby hands!)
In your defense...it was LATE!
And, we had a busy day.
You were SUPPOSED to go to your first Rangers game...but we won't go there tonight.

Ok,
I have no clue how much you weigh, but we'll find out tomorrow.
You are wearing size 2 diapers,
3-6 month clothes
6-9 month footy PJ's
(you are super long, and don't like to feel constricted).

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.
Don't feel like talking about it right now,
but your are going to do great.

We love you so much!

(and here is your ACE shot)

You two are going to have so much fun growing up together!

Moving Right Along...

So, I'm not much of one to rant on the blog-o-sphere.

It's been bugging that I left last week on such a frustrated note.

So, I'm back to let everyone know all is well now.

Not that there haven't been other challenges this past week, but that I got over it.

All is well...mostly.

While ranting on and on and on, I just barely glazed over a very significant event in our family...

Ace is 5 years old!!

I can hardly believe that it I've had my "joy boy" for that long!

Love, love, love the kid.

So, instead of searching the photo archives and getting all sentimental, I'll give you a list of the funniest things Ace has said this week.
And, I use the term "said" loosely...
These are things that Ace has yelled loudly in his deep, burly, "outside" voice.
1.) for previous mentioned bday lunch he wanted "free" tacos and curly fries
2.) at our old faithful Sunday lunch locale he ran in to grab a table and yells back at me "I'll just have my usinal mom!
Usinal...as in 1 letter off of urinal...and pronounced just the same.
3.) on his bday morning he busted out crying in the car..."what's wrong?" I ask...
(in a babbling, snotty, snorty run on sentence) "everybody tells me when I'm 5 I got to go to Bug's school...and mommy YOU DID NOT DRESS ME RIGHT FOR SCHOOL TODAY!!"
He eventually calmed down when I explained that he got to finish Wee School first.
4.) after attending the Ranger game, he ran in to tell me all about it...
"MOM, NELLY HIT A BOMBDIGGITY GRAND SLAM HOME RUN, AND I JUST COULDN'T STOP YELLING!"
5.) on our way to Academy Saturday night, after the Rangers won the ALCS, Ace could not quit talking about how excited he was that our Rangers are headed to the "World Serious"!

And for those of you who still need a little sentimental walk down picture memory lane...
visit this post.

Update...

Well, to end this day, I thought I'd jot down...for all of posterity, of course how my day proceeded to get worse.

First, I forgot to mention dear Libby (our dog) puking in my car on the way to the groomer.

Note to self:

Self...If Libby is ever not crazy in the car, 

not trying 100 times to get in your lap, 

drink your beverage...

if she's just sitting at you, staring at you funny...

PULL OVER AND KICK HER OUT OF THE CAR...

SHE'S GONNA BLOW!

Second, my dear BIL offered up the use of his old iPhone until I can procure a more permanent alternative.

He, via Hubs, sent me over to his house with specific alarm-bypassing-instructions, and specifics of phone location in the office.

I called Hubs on our home phone to double check my memory of the pass code to the alarm (information I would normally store IN MY PHONE, but oh...wait! IT'S DEAD!

He doesn't answer.

I toss around in my brain waiting until said BIL is home.

I have no idea when that will be.

I go to his house.

Open the garage door with my handy presets in the car.

Open the back door,

punch in the code...

SET OFF THE ALARM.

Note to self...

Self: if you're 1 number off, it won't work.

I will say now that I'm thankful that BIL still has a land line.

One problem...Hubs still won't answer his phone.

It's the only phone number I know in my brain.

(because, once again, everyone's number is IN MY PHONE, THAT IS DEAD!)

Alarm is going off,

kids are freaked out in the car,

I have 3 phones in my hand. 2 don't work. 1 that only works if you know what number to dial.

I'm now officially waiting on the cops to show up and haul me away.

Thankfully, I played with the land line and figured out, by the grace of God, there were preset numbers stored in the phone.

Called FIL, who called BIL, who called me on his own house phone, 

alarm disarmed.

I will now never for get the alarm code to BIL's house.

I will also NEVER try to enter said house again unless it's owners are home.

THE END...

i hope.

RAIN, RANGERS AND THE RANT THAT GOES ON AND ON...

Where do I start??

Ever have one of those weeks where you just...

you just want to throw up your arms and scream REALLY?!?!

So, it all started with rain.

We've needed it BAD.

If you're not from around these parts,

Google the national drought map...

the whole state is covered in deep dark red.

My yard has cracks Hubs can stick his whole foot in.

My back porch looks like it's floating.

Everything is brown...

we really need some rain.

So, then there's the Rangers.

my former favorite MLB team

Ahem...the team we love and support.

You might have heard that they're marching their way through the playoffs.

May even return to the World Series.

You might even remember this post in which the Ranger's had a big impact on our family.

OK. So even though Hubs got a new TV, he's always wished he could have been at one of the playoff games.  He LOVES the Rangers.

Insert the most wonderful wife in the world...

We bought playoff tickets.

Not great ones, but we even got 4, so the whole family could have some fun.

We've been cutting corners and saving all week.

What's the point of all of this, you may ask??

Well, Saturday it started raining.

Good rain.

Not just some sprinkles...

RAIN.

The Saturday playoff game has several rain delays, but Rangers won.

We start getting a little nervous...supposed to rain Sunday too.

Sunday morning we watch the radar.

NO RAIN OVER ARLINGTON!!

Woohoo!

We go to church,

we eat a quick lunch,

we go treat the kids to new Josh Hamilton shirts and hats,

we head home to change and leave...

Hubs wants to watch batting practice and let the kids try to get a ball.

Halfway home, 

GAME POSTPONED TIL MONDAY.

NO, big, I say...

I'll find somebody to work for me.

(Hubs had the day off and the kids didn't have school)

But, NOOO.

The Rangers moved their game to a day that everybody in our area, evidently, wanted to have a c-section.

REALLY?!?!

I wish I could put here that I took this all well,

that I didn't act a little like a brat...

but, dang it, I really wanted to go to the game.

I was too big and pregnant to go in the spring,

and it's been too hot to take a newborn until recently.

Games are fun.

It's the playoffs!

I took a step back and remembered the guy at WOF this year that talked about how we don't have control over what happens to us, but we do have control of how we respond.

Failed that BIG TIME!

Now, if all of that wasn't enough, work was super busy...and long.

I got many txts and pics of all the ballpark fun.

The game went into extra innings.

As I finally get in my car and turn the radio on, headed out to get real food for dinner, Nelson Cruz goes and hits a walk-off-grand-slam-home-run.

The crowd goes wild.

THE CROWD THAT MY HUSBAND, KIDS AND BROTHER-IN-LAW WERE IN!

(Not bitter at all here, people!)

So, in a nutshell, yesterday SUCKED.

Today, a new day, ACE's 5th bday, the day I took off to spend with him, 

it just gets better.

 Took Ace to Jack in the Box for lunch.

All he wanted in the world for lunch was 3 tacos and curly fries.

I decide to take a pic and send it to Hubs.

It's no Rangers game to rub in his face, but the curly fries were good!

But wait! Where's my phone?

Not in my bag, not in the car seat, not in the car.

I am very sad to report that my iPhone is dead.

Found on the side of the country road right by my house.

Cute pink case with tire treads on it.

I'm afraid to even ask what's next.

Never mind...

the writing of this post was just interrupted to assist ACE with a personal bathroom issue...

as I walked in, he has the metal part of the TP holder in his hand.

it fell off the cabinet, I'm sure by accident.

GREAT.

Fall Fun...

We've been doing our best to enjoy fall!

Ace's school had a field trip to a pumpkin patch last week and Carlos and I decided to tag along.

I ended up really wishing Bug could have come along...

we had a great time, and I was able to snap some cute pics of the boys!

 I'm wishing I could take Carlos' smile from this one...

 and Ace's smile from this one...

 and make a perfect picture!

Oh well, I guess that's part of life :)

Carlos spent most of his day snuggled up and well behaved.

We also got to feed the animals...

I was a little worried about this part because Hubs had to work,

and last year it took him a while to get Ace warmed up to the idea of letting strange farm creatures eat out of his hands.

But, he was a champion goat feeder!

 He even fed the longhorns!

 and, before it was over, had me feeding them...

those rectangular pupils still freak me out!

We ended our trip with a picnic lunch and pumpkin picking.

Ace informed me on the way that he was in search of a 

"firty pound punkin"

He found a great pumpkin and also picked one up for Bug too!