Sunday, September 30, 2007

Oh Yes We Did!

The State Fair of Texas - Installment 1

We are now approaching the State Fair of Texas. This is the view from the freeway. The Ferris wheel is actually moving. Get excited! (Not that I would get on that thing.)


This is Big Tex. He waves his hand and talks.


This is the Cotton Bowl. It is a football field that houses the Red River Shootout between t.u. (University of Texas) and Oklahoma every year during the fair. On Saturday, Prairie View A&M and Grambling State were playing. I really wanted to sneak in to the halftime show.


Fletcher's Corny Dogs. This is the real deal.


Trying not to let the heat steal the joy of our battered and fried hot dogs. Thank God for Dr. Pepper.


The Chevrolet Main Stage. Notice that the stage is decorated with Chevys. Only in Texas.


They looked ready to roll off at any moment. Leave it to me to have vain imaginations about that.


The boys...now men. I don't know how they kept from having a heat stroke. Seriously.


Look closely. He's down on bended knee. This song, in my opinion, was the highlight of the concert. It was so worth going!


They sang all our favorites and some classic Motown hits.



We ran into Cassi and her family and they took a picture for us. I love that we are in front of the Hans Mueller Sausage tent.


We had never been so hot in our lives. Here Curt is splashing some water on our little guy who was a CHAMP that day.


The world's biggest ceiling fan? It was very effective, to the glory of God.


I thought this was mildly amusing.


We got to see one of the marching bands and drill team march into the stadium. Have I mentioned before that halftime is the only reason I watch football?


There's more to come later!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Big Tex Welcomes a 90's Classic

How am I just now finding out that Boys II Men is playing at the State Fair tomorrow? Could I be any more excited? We'll see if Curtis will let us go. We do have their greatest hits CD. Children of the 90's, you know you would love to see them for free with state fair admission! Fletcher's Cornydogs and Motown Philly? How could you pass that up?

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Man, Oh Man!

TAG! You ARE IT!
Sunni tagged me for this:

The Game of Tag about your MAN

1. Who is your man? Curtis Wayne
2. How long have you been together? We fell in love 7 years ago and have been married for 5.
3. How long did you date? We dated for 10 months before we got engaged. We were engaged for 14 months, which I do not recommend. What can I say? We were dating long distance and he wanted to get a ring on my finger quick.
4. How old is your man? 26
5. Who eats more? I think Curtis eats more, but he is way more likely to order a salad for his meal at a restaurant than I am. It's quite embarrassing when the server brings our food and tries to give me the salad. When I correct him and say, "No, I had the chicken fried steak," it's just a wrong. Don't be fooled because Curtis often orders double cheeseburgers or sometimes extra fries at fast food joints.
6. Who said "I love you" first? Curtis made me be the one to say it first, although he slipped up and almost said it in a phone message once. He had never said "I love you" to any other girl except for some lame chick in jr. high who doesn't really count. So sweet!
7. Who is taller? He is one inch taller than me, but I usually look taller because I wear heels. He doesn't care though.
8. Who sings better? He does. I love it when he makes up funny songs with the guitar.
9. Who is smarter? Hmmmm. In the realm of theology and ministry? Curtis. In your classic academic areas, I definitely cared much more about that than he did. His sister is brilliant, so who knows what he would have achieved in school if he had cared about what he was learning.
10. Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. Curtis is the most even-tempered person I know.
11. Who does the laundry? Generally, he does his own and I do mine and Jackson's.
12. Who takes out the garbage? Curtis Wayne.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. When we moved in I was 8 months pregnant and getting up 5 times in the night to use the restroom. That side of the bed was the closest to it.
14. Who pays the bills? Curtis, only because one of us HAS TO and I freak out every time I look at a bank statement. He wishes he didn't have to.
15. Who is better with the computer? I type faster but he is amazing at all the Mac programs and graphics stuff.
16. Who mows the lawn? Thank You, Lord, it's Curt. I hope to make it off the face of this green earth without ever having mowed it.
17. Who cooks dinner? I present Curtis with the Lean Cuisine choices so that he can pick which one he wants, and then I warm it up. When we eat real food, I cook it unless it's tacos. Curtis makes great tacos.
18. Who drives when you are together? Usually Curtis. Sometimes I can get Curt to put Jackson in his car seat if I volunteer to drive. I get so tired of wrestling my child in there!
19. Who pays when you go out? Whoever is not wrangling the boy at the moment the check arrives.
20. Who is most stubborn? I would love to know the Lord's answer to this. I think it's a tie.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Probably me since I am a more sensitive person.
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine, but Curt isn't with me very often when I go home to see them. It's hard for ministers to travel on weekends. We love that when we see his family (who lives 7 hours away), we often spend more than a couple of days with them.
23. Who kissed who first? It was both of us at the same time. We had just had a snowball fight in his front yard.
24. Who asked who out? We were set up by friends and then our dating relationship occurred within a summer-long internship program. I guess it was him because he kept asking me to run errands with him during the mission trip we were working. So our first "dates" were to the Super Walmart. We went to the bowling alley for our first real date. And that is where I beat him and he regretted ever taking me there.
25. Who proposed? He proposed to me in a park on a beautiful Friday afternoon in April 2001.
26. Who is more sensitive? I affectionately refer to my husband as Stonehenge, so that would be me.
27. Who has more friends? Me.
28. Who has more siblings? We each have a younger sister.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Curtis, and he looks real good in them. I love you, Hubs!

I tag Kay and Amber because we were all serving together that amazing summer when the Lord introduced me to the love of my life.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Things That Benefit My Mental Health

1) My relationship with Jesus. This is far, far above the others.
2) Friday dates with my best friend and husband, Mr. Curtis Jones. And anytime I get to laugh really hard with him. Curt has the best laugh in the world when he's really tickled. I anticipate hearing it tomorrow night during the season premiere of The Office.
3) Frequent visits with family. Seeing where I came from. Remembering who I am.
4) Talking on the phone with my mom at least twice a day.
5) Sneaking into Jackson's room late at night with the only other person on earth who knows what it's like to be his parent. We're always so tempted to wake him up and play with him...because after a few hours of peace, we miss him!
6) Doing fun things with friends, sometimes with, sometimes without children present.
7) Shopping in a beautiful store, regardless of whether I actually buy anything.
8) Pear and buttered popcorn Jelly Bellys. (I know, you don't have to tell me.)
9) My step aerobics class. I have to give props to my teacher because she has been doing an awesome job and we have lots of new regulars. Way to go!
10) An outfit that I at least feel cute in.
11) Finding the perfect gift for someone.
12) Sunday afternoon naps. This is high priority, people.
13) Hot tea in the morning and at 3 p.m.
14) My house being in order and the lawn being mowed.
15) A monthly catharsis. Usually about day Day 26.
16) Good worship music in my car.
17) Fresh highlights.
18) Sunshine when it's been rainy. Rain clouds when it's been dry.
19) Knowing I'm loved. I think about how much I love my child and then consider that God, in His perfect love, feels even more for me than that. Wow. (He does for you, too.)
20) This was added to my list just this morning. Spiced hazelnut croissants from Williams-Sonoma. They taste as though the Lord Jesus baked them Himself. Give Him all the glory.

And finally, these pictures greatly benefit my mental health. If Jackson could articulate it, he would probably tell you that pouring water over his head during bathtime benefits his mental health.











Monday, September 24, 2007

Hot Air Balloon Festival

This weekend we went to the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival. This is something I've wanted to do since we moved here, but for some reason we've missed it every year. It did not disappoint! Daniel and Amy, I thought about you guys the whole time. We miss you!

This is exactly why I wanted us to have a Suburban. Heath, Janelle, and Ella piled in with us.


Bring on round 1 of the corndogs. This was only a warm up for the State Fair.


Jackson wore us out with his desire to work the room. Or rather, play the field.


There was a flyover by some special planes, but my camera wouldn't capture it. It did capture this, which I love.




Janelle and Ella. AKA Janella.


Not so sure what to think about the clown.


She painted a rocket for my boy.








Notice that Target's balloon is flying high above the rest.






Just trying to get a little shade here.






BEHOLD, THE BALLOONS! Jackson was so excited when we climbed the big hill and saw everything from above. This was after he did a little dance for us.


This was the coolest part. They would count down and all light up at the same time. Awesome!


The one picture that's missing is the one of the two Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who were there. I would have felt really weird taking their picture. I am totally obsessed with their reality show on CMT. I have a weakness for "making the team" shows (like Making the Band several years ago) and since this one is set in my town, I cannot stop watching it! I prefer to record it and watch it when my wonderful husband is not sitting next to me.

So, if you are ever in Dallas at the time of this festival, you have to go! Especially if you have kids or if you like to take pictures. Or even if you just like corndogs. I will never miss another one.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Fall? Hello? Are You Out There?

This is absolutely the cruelest time of the year for Texans (and everyone else in the South). Every store is filled with cute sweaters and fall colors, and people on TV have obviously progressed into the next season, but day in and day out we still have heat and humidity. All you Houstonians, please don't think I've lost my mind. I know that when I moved to North Texas I lost my license to even say the word humidity in your presence. When I go home I feel like I'm fighting for breaths. And that's on top of fighting my ever livin', ever lovin', big, big hair.

On Thursday, Sunni and Janelle and I had a playdate with the babies at the Galleria. It was glorious. The indoor playground was not at all busy and Ava, Ella, and Jackson had a lot of fun. They even let us do some shopping after they played. I love, love, love getting to be there when the girls get a new outfit. And it is a good time for toddler girls' fashion. I can't say the same for boys. All of us moms found some great things at Old Navy, where they had tops for like $4. I have been in the market for a vest and I finally found the perfect one. The Moore women have been known to rock many a vest in their lifetime, although it has been quite a while since my last vest purchase. Possibly 1994. I think I bought a denim one for my first day of high school. I wore a blue denim vest with a white body suit and khaki shorts. Why all of our dads let us out of the house wearing those skin-tight body suits beats me.

So do I even need to mention how tired I am of my capri pants and flip flops? Feeling summer fashion rebellion in my spirit, I wore some new wide leg jeans that I recently acquired at Express to our mall playdate. (Thank you, BooMama, for getting me on the right track.) They are very long and require a high heel, so I wore my wonderfully fashionable, horribly painful boots from last year. I looked down and said, "Feet, your break is over. It's time to get back in shape!" The boots and jeans made their fall debut. I was thankful to have Jackson with me because pushing the stroller gave me a little extra support and balance while I re-trained myself to walk on stilts.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am willing and eager to put my feet through this kind of trauma. For starters, wearing a crazy-high heel forces you to have great posture. In other words, it makes you stand up straight and suck it all in naturally. I'm also a firm believer that walking in difficult shoes burns more calories than walking in regular shoes. You get tired quicker, so doesn't that make sense? The sides of my thighs were burning a little by the time I left the mall and I was well pleased.

I did, however, live to regret the timing of my foot conditioning/training. Last night I had to wear my cowboy boots to the Big Tex square dance. My feet were not at all happy about the two-a-days workout. I think I asked a little too much of them. Hopefully in a few weeks they will be so well conditioned that and I can rock stilettos in the morning and ropers in the evening without blinking an eye. Or cursing my shoes.


Sensible shoe choices for moms everywhere.


Friday, September 21, 2007

Fine Foods of Toddlerhood

A few days ago I made (heated up in the oven) fish sticks for Jackson's lunch for the first time. My mom is always joking about ridiculous things that should go in our baby books, so I sent her a text saying that I would have to stick some pictures of this momentous occasion in there. Let me tell you that my son loves food. There's really nothing he won't eat. That was until the fish sticks.

Here he is sitting down for some fine cuisine from the bounty of the sea. I took the first bite to show him how yummy the fish sticks would be.


Ooh! I love to dip things!


Open wide!


Hmmmmmmm...


I dont' know, Mom.


Ewwwww...


I thought perhaps the camera was distracting my son from the joy of his fish sticks, so I put it down. I sat next to him and searched the Web for the perfect costume for him for Fall Festival. (I ordered a really cute one. I can't wait!) Minutes later I noticed that all the fish sticks were gone. Then I got a clue and looked in the high chair seat. You guessed it - they were all stuffed down in there.

I would not be deterred. I broke the fish sticks into small pieces for his convenience. Then he pretended to pick up a piece between his fingers, put his fingers to his mouth, and said "Yummy!" And then he smiled and clapped for himself. Maybe I should put that in the baby book.

My Girls



Janelle, Emily, Amanda, Vonda, Mandy, Hailee, and me
after our college ministry's Big Tex Square Dance tonight.
They helped us sweep all the hay off the floor and
entertain the babies. What would we do without them?!?!
We love you, girls!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Got Germs?

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned on this blog that I have some tendencies toward hypochondria. I don't know why I developed this trait. Maybe it was the attention I got as a child when I was continually sick with legitimate illnesses like strep throat, mono, and the ever-present childhood stomach bug. My parents are very nurturing, so maybe I liked being nurtured when I was sick. Who can know?

In my adulthood I've also become somewhat of a germophobe. My natural inclination is to wash my hands 30 times a day and I have to remind myself that this is not normal. When I have to touch raw chicken you can multiply that number by two. Now that I'm a mother I continually battle the desire to disinfect everything that my child has touched or will touch. Jackson got to play on the indoor playground at Chick-fil-a for the first time a few weeks ago and I said to Curt, "It would be so great if I could just give Jackson some latex gloves to wear while he climbed around in there." He stared at me blankly. It just looked so germy in there. But who am I to spoil my child's fun because there might be some cold germs lurking?

He did in fact get a cold that resulted in all three of us being sick. Jackson and I are free of it, but Curt's cold is still hanging around. Last night at 11:30 he dug the humidifier out of Jackson's closet. In case you'd like to visualize this feat, Jackson's closet is very narrow and tiny. It is filled with baby gear piled up at least as tall as me. That would be five feet, eight inches. Some of my girlfriends have seen it and I'm sure they will testify that this is true. If you open the closet door you are risking a baby jumper, portable high chair, Boppy pillow, and a box full of Johnson and Johnson baby soap bottles jumping out at you.

What got me thinking about my germophobia was a little episode I had last night. Sunni hosted bunco at her house and we had the best time. She is such a natural hostess and is very easy-going about everything. We were treated to fried chicken from Babe's, homemade mashed potatoes, creamed corn, biscuits, and Paula Deen's sticky butter cake. Wow. My favorite detail of the party was these little napkins that said, "If I keel over in Walmart, drag my body to Neiman's." Love it.

Upon arrival, we of course asked where sweet little Ava was. Sunni said that she was in a room with Xavier, who was taking it easy because he'd had a stomach ache for two days. (Just an ache.) Due to my exaggerated fear of contracting a stomach virus, I began sweating and my pulse began to race. Within minutes I started experiencing nausea. I kid you not! Was I sick? Absolutely not! I say all this to make fun of myself because I am probably the most ridiculous person I know. If it were not for the interference of Jesus Christ in my life, I would have to live in some kind of institution. Or I might never leave my home. I am that kind of person.

Thankfully, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Thank you, Romans 8:28. Because I was a little "under the weather," I didn't exactly play my best. Yours truly won the bunco prize for most losses. So thank you Sunni for a wonderful night of bunco. And thank you Xavi for helping me underachieve to the point of winning a new serving dish for candy corns. I absolutely adore it. And Sunni, I appreciate that you are the type of friend who would indeed drag my body to Neiman's, or at least Super Target, if I ever keel over in Walmart.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Air Jackson

I had already been awake for a couple of hours before I remembered what today was. I drove past a building with the flags at half-mast and then I realized it was September 11. It's strange that this day could even pretend to be normal. I had a good cry with Oprah this afternoon while she interviewed some of the children of 9/11. Deena Burnett was there with her three girls. What a gracious, beautiful family. I've thought a lot about what I wanted to say about this day, but I haven't come up with anything worth writing. I wish it had never happened. That's all. But please do not miss this story on Nancy's Monablog. Wow.

I'm going to completely change gears now. I feel compelled to discuss my son's unexplainable obsession with his Crocs. Now, his mother wouldn't be caught dead in Crocs. No offense. I know how much people love them. I had been seeing some toddlers in them and they were just so ugly, they were cute. The shoes, not the toddlers. Then my friend Melissa sent some to Jackson and they were a couple sizes too big. Jackson loved playing with them so much that his granny and I bought him some in his current size. Well, his granny made the purchase while I supervised. Since then he has basically not taken them off his feet. If he's not wearing them and he happens to see them laying somewhere, he eagerly brings them to me and whines "Mommy! Mommy!" Then he plops down on the ground and holds his foot up in the air. Today he found both pairs - the ones that fit and the ones that will fit in a couple months - and he could not, would not understand why he couldn't wear both of them at the same time!

Here are some pics for the grandmas. This was the night he got his first basketball goal. I really whined about it because it's both big and ugly, and let me just tell you how bad I need another big and ugly toddler toy in my house. Wouldn't you know, he LOVES it. He is his father's child. Behold, Air Jackson.