Our Routan Baby

From my friend Liza's blog we found a baby maker....since we don't have a name she's currently Crack Baby. :)

Do you think she'll look like this?

Confession

So, I have a confession.

I watched a video on You Tube. I was moved by it. Then I realized that the Lord has been good to us financially this year in spite of a hard economy so I could really give all the gifts I've been starting to mentally think of AND still give to others this Christmas. Later, I realized that's pretty selfish of me. What if I gave the money we have planned to give AND took MORE out of the gifts we were planning to give to people that don't really NEED anything? I'm not saying gifts are bad...in fact I think its appropriate to show appreciation and love with small tokens or gifts from time to time. 450 billion though is just flat sick....really sick.

So, I'm joining the conspiracy. I dare you to join me.

In fact I dare you to not just figure out how to give, but to really cut back on the gifts you are giving to give more. I'll even go out on the limb and say if everyone one of you actually does this (and you won't, admit it)...we'll still be giving more gifts than people need. It's a sickness and I want to be healed this Christmas, do you?

If you dare:

Monumental Dentist trip....

Clearly the Crack Team takes our teeth seriously. Of course we would never eat Easter egg dye to see if it would stain our teeth like it does eggs. (It does, which is why we think all those boxes say parental supervision suggested).

After getting married we did the whole Dr. shuffle where we tried to align the Dr.'s we'd be attending. Chris was quick to X my dentist from the list. Something about him being tall, dark, handsome, with bleached teeth...and from Kingwood that made him unfit to have his hands in my mouth. So, we went with Chris's dentist. In fairness they are 3 minutes from our house (mine was 30ish), they let you watch TV, and they are pretty quick with the routine stuff. So, for the past 2.5 years we've faithfully gone to his dentist each 6 months for our appointments at the same time. We usually celebrate our clean bill of health by promptly eating out afterwards. I have no cavities...not even one....so I figure we might as well enjoy getting the post clean slime feeling gone as quick as possible.

Anyway, yesterday was a monumental dentist trip for the Crack team. Noooo...I didn't get a cavity! It was our last one together...by next time we'll have a baby in the family. While we might be nuts enough to eat Easter egg dye, we know LOTS better than using our babysitting fund for his and her dental appointments. Soooooo, I'll have my on Monday and Chris's on Tuesday. I almost choked up while doing the fluoride treatment. I'm sure there are many more things that will be changing come March 20th but I just had to post about our dentist trip. I realized how many things I like doing with Chris...even getting my teeth flossed. Goodbye Duo Dental trips...don't worry we finished off with a meal at Jason's Deli complete with the free ice cream and topped with Chocolate Syrup.

Matthew...up close!

So here's the post I've been holding out on for entirely too long:

Almost 2 months ago when I was in the midst of some of the worst morning sickness of this pregnancy Chris and I were also teaching our Gateway U class. Each Thursday was carefully maneuvered around having my best energy and strongest stomach for the two hours we'd be teaching. Amazingly I got through. During one of the weeks of the class, I share a story that is too long for this post but includes my thoughts on Matthew McConaughey. I thought he was precious in How to Loose A Guy in 10 Days. Then one of my younger cousins thought Chris reminded her of Matt. Anyway, long story short, I shared my Matthew story in our class which was literally 2 -3 minutes of a 2 hour class.

About a week after that story, one of the girls in our class emailed me. Our class did not know we were pregnant. Since we teach a dating class it didn't seem like a necessary announcement. She had scored some tickets to Texas Monthly Talks through her company and asked if I wanted to go with her. The guest speaker...Matthew McConaughey. So, in the middle of being a horribly sick pregnant woman, I thought what better way to get my mind off the pukes...and I accepted.

She and I went down town and got there a little, ok 1 hour, early for good seats and literally were the first in line. We ended up getting in the front row, middle seats, less than 5 feet away from Matty. It was a fun interview. He's a great talker, has a sweet Texas drawl, and knew how to keep us laughing. I was so impressed with his interview and even more impressed that I made it the ENTIRE afternoon without getting sick. I'm attaching the pictures that were taken with my camera phone. They are blurry and not well done BUT show you how close we were for a fun interview.

Note to self: Make sure future classes know I like peach salsa, shoes, and paper in case anyone else has some hook-ups they'd like to share!!! Thanks Claudia for a super fun memory!

Our Bambina

As promised here are some of the pictures from our ultra sound. My favorite is her precious little foot. The first shot is a profile of her head and her hand is near her lips. In the second picture you can see her thumb (whiteish) in her mouth for a little thumb sucking. The last is the foot...which I am feeling kick many times a day. It's soooo precious to have a picture to imagine what I am feeling is those tiny little feet. Isn't she beautiful?!

More Halloween....

Lots of updates today. I finally downloaded the pictures of my Future Soccer Mom costume. The soccer ball on my belly is actually painted on my belly...I cut a hole in the shirt and painted our little girl (which at the time we had no idea of the gender!). So, you can see a little baby bump, my soccer ball painting, orange slices, team flag, and...completed with a proud Mom pin that has Chris's soccer picture from High School.

We went to Chris's work party and I got to see lots of people play him....deal or no deal! Kids were so cute with the game! Then we headed to a couple of other parties and Chris even won a "Most Creative" costume award at one of them! Such a fun Halloween!!

Really - It's a....

No more tricks, this time we know. I've been anxiously awaiting Chris to scan in our pictures but decided I could wait no more.

This morning we were able to find out the gender of our little Bambino and in fact it's a bambina. We're having a G*I*R*L!!!!!! I screamed sooooooo many times today and each scream was met with a kick from our sweetie. At least we know two things: 1. She hears. 2. She is already being exposed to the fact her mommy is very expressive!

Actually though, it appears she's be a little expressive herself. In our lengthy ultrasound this morning she was in non-stop activity. She was kicking, punching, thumb sucking, yawning, twisting, and even showed us a #1 finger....of course that has to be because she heard the news of my screaming from Saturday night and understands that Red Raiders could be #1 !!!! With all that activity she spread her legs plenty of times for the nurse and Dr. to really be certain she is a girl. It was fabulous to see soooo much activity and character. We've got a DVD and some pictures and just have to get both of them on to the computer so that soon we can add them here!

Chris's very logical next step is for us to start naming her. My very "Karen" next step was to suggest that Chris take the day off so we could go shopping!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, at least I can dream and be balanced to reality by the man I love and after all, we can go shopping tomorrow :). We don't have even one name picked so while I am sure it won't be Laverne, we've got lots of name throwing around to do before we've checked off Chris's next step. We'll keep you posted....

I just gotta post!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a hard day at the Crack House. For those non-Texas folks today was the day that University of Texas (#1 in nation) headed to Lubbock, Texas to face off Texas Tech (#6 in nation). The problem is that both teams were undefeated and Chris loves the Horns while I graduated from Tech and love the Red Raiders.

We started our day by heading downtown for a ALS walk. It was an awesome way to walk off some energy, be in denial of the pending game, and ultimately help an awesome cause, defeating ALS. Of course we couldn't be in total denial of the game so Chris wore his UT garb while I proudly and more courageously had my red and black on. Hey - I know what you're thinking...but it was more courageous as we live in Longhorn land after all. Luckily there are some other Tech fans and some OU fans in town that cheered me on.

Anyway, I just had to post because as you all know by now Tech pulled off a shocking win in the last second against Texas. I am trying to hold my excitement to a fair minimum for the sake of my husband so I thought I'd post here....did you see it? Did you see Graham Harrell? Did you see the random Donald Trump message to Mike Leech...who would have thought they could be friends. I'd be surprised if Leech owns a single suit. It was an awesome game. I couldn't be more happy for Tech to have such a huge win with the entire nation watching. After years of seeing the same football program we saw tonight it was THRILLING to see it all click for them and a win to be had. I'll be cheering that Tech goes all the way this year....I can't think of a better way for Baby Craxton to enter the world...with TEXAS TECH holding the National Championship. But, I won't get too far ahead of myself. For tonight I'll end with two simple words....two words that I've said uncountable times in the past 8 years. Two words that rarely meant anything to most people across the nation....but two words that got some serious attention tonight....

Gun's up!

Trick or treat...

It's been a long time since I've updated our blog, I know. I have a post from September that I've been wanting to catch up on which has bottle necked the posting. Anyway, I'm jumping ahead and one day

I'll go back.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Here's a sneak peak of our day even though it's only morning so far:

Creep Cakes - Chris wanted something spidery to take to work so we did Creep Cake Spiders. I hope they are yummy. I'm still a little hesitate to indulge in that much sweet stuff but I did eat a few legs (pretzels dipped in chocolate!).

Deal or No Deal - Chris was SUPER creative this year and came up with his own costume idea so all I had to do was help pull it together. He's Howie and Deal or No Deal! Each tin has a prize ranging from A Rock (Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) all the way up to a $25 Movie Theater Gift Card. People can "play him" for prizes all day long! I hope he has as fun at work as we did making the costume!

I'll be heading up to his office later this afternoon for a little party in my own costume but will have to send pictures later...both because I haven't made it yet AND because I can't take a picture of myself. Stay tuned...

Hope you get some good candy!

It's a....

BABY!

Our Dr. took a sneak peek at our 16 week appointment yesterday to see if she could do an early gender read but our modest little one kept the private parts behind the placenta at all times.

We were able to see that our peanut has grown into a real baby! The picture is a little blurry but the head is on the right side and round near the top right of the picture. The curved dotted thing that goes left from the head is the back bone.

We'll know the gender and have some clearer pictures in about 3-4 weeks!

Blog Tag

I got tagged!!! Thank you Laura for the tag, now it's my turn to share the fun.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you ( Laura Wootan, also Smile House, also Laura Kay Wootan - they are all soooo good might as well link them all!)
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random thoughts about yourself.
4. Tag six or so people at the end of your blog.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Random thoughts about me:
1. I love peach salsa
2. I'm totally what Laura calls a "blog stalker"
3. My Wii Fit age is currently 25
4. I wish I had more of a green thumb
5. I love creating things
6. When Chris cuddles me in the morning before work it doesn't matter what side of the bed I get out of. It's a great day.

Here's who I'm tagging and....YOU'RE IT!!!!!!!!!

Angie Bare (bestie friend and a gal I love to dream big with)
Sarah George (bestie friend and my "sister"....if only I was in the same league)
Shannon Boyer (BFF since 4th grade, our matron of honor, and new Mommy!)
Jenn Turner (friend and someone who always makes me laugh)
Kristin Burkhart (friend and the next Martha Stewart)
Courtney Ortiz (friend and a true "giver")

Have fun and happy tagging :)

Date Night - at last!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it seems strange that a Date Night would be a big deal for 2 married people, with 2 incomes, and no kids. However, because of the sickness I've battled, it's literally been months since we've gotten out for a "date." For as long as we've know each other we've never gone this long without a night out. So needless to say, it's a very big deal. All week I was hopeful that we could go out on Friday. At our Dr. appointment last week my Dr. really believed I would start feeling better. All things considered...this was a much better week. I only threw up 1 time for 4 of the last 7 days. Even though some people cringe at the thought, I've been pretty thrilled.

So, we decided last night we'd go out. Chris came home from work and we took a walk together and then got dressed for dinner. Since we've had such awesome weather here we decided to take the Jeep and with a few things to celebrate Chris for I wanted to go somewhere he'd enjoy. Funny that my not-so-Texas husband picked BBQ from County Line. :)

We left our house and without talking about it Chris took the scenic route. I had this intense realization of deep connection with him...it's exactly what I would have wanted....the less windy, more beautiful route to soak in the sunset and really awesome weather in our open air jeep. He even reached over and rested his hand on my leg and took my hand into his so that we could enjoy this together. We still didn't utter a word and for those moments I was blissfully happy with our "oneness," our knowing what each other loves and doing it without asking, our quiet enjoyment of something while feeling so close, and all of this without saying a word. I know that in 6 months we may not have the jeep and moments like this will be few and far between. I know that silence will be less common. I know that with a new little one we'll have to learn about each other in our new roles as parents and that will require lots of communication, prayer, time, and even fights. In that moment, however, I felt really ready for the next chapter. Not that I have all the answers or that I will do it gracefully - I won't. But, I know we've done these past 2 years and 3 months well. We've learned about each other, we've loved each other well, and we've respected each other. It may be a calm before the storm in a sense but I had this overwhelming peace that we're ready....as ready as you can be for the next chapter of life. It was suddenly more than just a date night for me. It was a milestone I won't soon forget. I'm so proud of Chris and who he is as a man, a boss, a friend, and a husband. I can't imagine becoming a mother with any other man becoming a father next to me.

Gushy stuff aside we soon arrived at County Line had an AWESOME meal. I literally wanted to lick my plate as everything tasted sooooo yummy. I was so thankful to taste each bite and that I wasn't eating soup, spaghetti, melon, or rolls (my survivals the past weeks). I had smoked turkey and smoked ham with a baked potato. Chris had ribs, brisket, and sausage with beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. We even got dessert. I don't normally keep sweet things down so I had a few bites of apple cobbler and homemade ice cream but let Chris eat most of it. And...I made it to bed without throwing up any of it. It was the perfect date night. I don't have pictures for you but I'll keep the picture in my head and in my favorite memories.

I love you, Chris. I'm so proud of you!

The Sn-uke

I promise after this post I'll quit posting about all the "fun" of first trimester pregnancy stuff and get back to things that more of you will care to read. However, no one told me all this stuff and I don't want to be blamed for the same offense....

When I was in High School I remember that my Dad and Brudder thought it was hilarious when they would sneeze and fart at the same time. They'd laugh so hard anytime it happened. I am sure they would be thrilled to know I am disclosing their bodily function bonding stories on our blog but since neither of them seem to be loyal readers and since I could share worse....there is it. The Sn-art (sneeze fart) was a laughable offense in our family. (Laughable for them, offense for my mom and I).

As the weeks roll on in this journey called pregnancy everyone keeps telling me it will get better. I cling to the hope they are right. This week however was as bad as any of them when it comes to barfing and wanting to sleep all day. The only difference is that I'm 12 weeks in now...which means I don't have the energy to care about where I throw up, how I look, or even keeping track of how many times I puke each day to ensure I'm eating and drinking enough. I just throw up. So, one day, out in the front yard for some fresh air, sunshine, and a hello to my neighbors who I really should say Hola! too (they don't speak much English).....it happened. I went to sneeze and I puked. I Sn-uked. I guess my body thought if my mouth was open and I was projecting out that it was fair game to clear out this hour's round of puke. Unlike my Dad and brother, I didn't laugh. And...if the language barrier wasn't enough this moment with the neighbor was a whole new level of awkward. She almost wanted to be compassionate, I think, but ultimately decided to pretend she didn't hear the large gag and splash and acted busy and ultimately went inside. Como se dice "Sorry about that, I'm pregnant and miserable!" en espanol?

I don't have a picture for you....would you even want one? I'll keep my promise...this is the last post on first tri fun....I've got a good one to post if I can figure out how to download pics from my camera phone. Stay tuned :)

Something's cooking

I know I've been BAD, BAD, BAD about blogging the past month...yep a whole month. For those of you who sent the blog love to let me know you missed our posts, wondered what we were up to, and so on....THANKS! It's been encouraging in spite of our month off that people actually care or at least like to read what a mess we are.

The last month has been a long one and while I could have some interesting pictures to post if we really documented it, I'll spare you the visual and just tell you about it. I've thrown up 26 of the last 30 days and on the days I've thrown up, there have only been 3 that I threw up less than 2 times. I had a few record days where I basically threw up all day...that was before the meds. My mom came to town for three days (never take for granted the blessing of a supportive Mom!) to cook bland foods for me and things other than TV dinner for Chris. Chris has scrubbed toilets, cooked every meal (when my mom wasn't here), and loaded and unloaded the dishwasher more times than he should ever have to without my help. Our house is a wreck and each week I surprise myself with the lowered bar of what is acceptable to leave the house wearing. I knew I'd hit an all time low when I went to the grocery store in my pajamas, with chipped toe nail polish, no makeup, barf breath (I puked in the front yard on the way to my car and didn't have the energy to come back in and brush) and hair that had not been washed for three days. I've traded my slavery to shoes and fashion for slavery to survive. And, the most precarious thing of all is that we're actually thrilled about all this.

That's because we have something cooking....this picture was taken a month ago but you'll get the drift....

Garden update - Week 3

Ok so we are technically in Week 4 of gardening but since I didn't get last week's pictures up and haven't taken this week's pictures yet, I thought I'd get caught up.

Since we're in a drought and well on the way to a record 3rd ever hottest year in Austin (by how many days we're over 100 degrees) there is no chance of over watering. I just water every day. Somehow they're still surviving.

Everything is getting bigger! The pumpkin plant (first picture) is nearly taking over it's part in the garden. The edamame (soy bean - 2nd picture) is tall and lanky and looking green. The third picture is our corn which sometimes looks like weeds. We have to be careful what we're pulling out. The fourth is our little cantaloupe plant. I'd almost be worried but I can cheat because it's week 4 and I already know that somehow this week those melon plants have nearly doubled in size!!!

Take me out to the ball game...

For almost as long as I can remember I've been going to baseball games. Some of that is because my Grandpa, Dad, and brother love baseball and we lived in Houston, home to the Astros. But the other some of that is because my Uncle Gary is a Major League umpire and always got us great tickets when he was in town to call a game.

Side disclaimer, he's not technically my Uncle. His wife, Cheri, was my mom's college roommate and were so close that when we were younger my parents wanted us to call them Aunt Cheri and Uncle Gary because they were more dear than the Mr. and Mrs. most non-family members were called. Also, the picture of Gary is not from the game we saw but a good action shot!

Anyway, since I don't live in Houston anymore it's been harder to get to the games. In fact, since Chris and I have been married we had not gone even once. Harder to believe still was that Chris had really only been to one other Major League game in his life. Considering I've been to probably over 100 in my life, this streak just had to end. So, Gary was in Houston this past weekend and we made the trip!

We went to the Saturday evening game against the Cubs. It was an AWESOME game. The Astros won 4 -1. Cameron, Gary's oldest son, came too. He just graduated from High school which completely freaks me out because I vividly remember holding him when he was just a baby. He was adorable and tiny and now he towers over me and has a deep man voice.

Some super fun things went down in my favor....let me set this up. First, the attendance roster of our crew included my dad, Chris, Brudder, His wife (Kari), Cameron, and me. Kari thinks the Crack Team is crazy and always says she will try to let loose around us. Cameron just didn't know what he was getting into and was maybe a little shy or overwhelmed. Anyway, here's the recap of Crack Team does Major Leagues:

1. Game is about to start. Umpires do a brief meeting at home plate. Recalling my childhood of calling out to Uncle Gary and waving like a fool I ask "Does Gary still do the Salute/Wave I see you at the beginning of the game?"

Cameron: (laughs) He wouldn't wave

Kari: And...he probably can't see us.

Me: (standing up, waving, and screaming like a fool) GARY!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!! GOOO UMPIRES.

Gary: (from the field - the salute/wave I see you...)

Kari & Cameron: (mouths open in disbelief)

2. 5th Inning Chic-fil-a promotional Chicken dance and t-shirt throw. Around this time I've danced to every song, clapped and chanted with each prompting and had some good old fashioned ball game peanuts. Some of our crew thought we were settling in. I was convinced we had just gotten started. So down the aisle comes the chic-fil-a cow and some intern with a bag of shirts.

Cameron: (with no intention of doing it) Awwww - we could have gotten a shirt.

Me: Oh...we'll totally get one when they come back up the aisle.

Kari: You are too funny. (And in disbelief we'd catch a shirt)

Me: (stands up to do chicken dance, sees the cow mascot coming) WHOOOO HOOO!!! YEAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! (more screaming and waving like a fool)

Intern: (looks over, feels sure I've earned a shirt, digs frantically in her sponsor covered satchel and throws the shirt)

Me: (reach over the heads of my sitting family and grabs the shirt) WHOOO HOOO!!!

Kari & Cameron: (mouths open in disbelief)

3. 7th inning stretch. They play the normal "Take me out to the Ball game" which I of course sing at the top of my lungs. This time the family did stand up and partake...I'll give them that. Then immediately following that song, they played "Deep in the Heart of Texas" which I also sang all three verses of at the top of my lungs and even did the hand motions I learned in elementary school. Texas born, Texas proud....it still freaks my husband out.

Kari & Cameron: (mouths open in disbelief)

(Chris too this time)

4. Post game. We're waiting outside the player/umpire exit with a group of hopeful fans. Apparently they think that players will stop their car after a long game and sign autographs for the mob. What are they thinking? Well one actually did, he must be a rookie. Anyway, he pulls his Bentley over and starts signing autographs. I get right up in there and hand him my free chic-fil-a shirt. Why not? He asks for a pen so I shout to the hopeful kids and groupies "I need a pen" and someone passed one right up. Too bad Cameron was in the locker room with his dad and Kari was picking up pizza or they would be:

Kari & Cameron: (mouths open in disbelief)

5. Gary comes out. When I was younger, I would run up screaming to Uncle Gary after the game. Because he was also younger then fans would often follow my lead and ask "Who are you?" hopeful he was an Astro. It was priceless. This time however, I ran up to him screaming and he hugged me as usual but the hopeful fans didn't bat an eye. Guess they knew by this point that I was crazy and Gary wasn't an Astro.

Needless to say we had a great time. Chris enjoyed the great seats and watching the umpires....he's never considered their role so carefully before. Go 'Stros! We love Gary!!!!

Garden update - Week 2

We've made it through week 1 and some stuff is actually growing! We needed to do some weeding in these shots and we still have a long hot summer to grow...I mean go before we have eatables but when your thumbs are black like ours, we have to celebrate the baby steps!

The picture of the seeded stuff is melons....if you'd like some, let me know. We won't be able to fit all of these in our garden.

Bill-paying Blues

Surely you can imagine where I am going with this....

It's that time of the month where receipts are accounted for, bills are paid, and we see where I've gone over budget this month - usually clothes, gifts, or house stuff. It's not my favorite thing we do together at the Crack house but it has to be done.

This month, Chris decided to make it a little better. He pulled out his day of the week 'stashes he got as a birthday gift for his sister and put one on. Once I snapped a shot or two he demanded I sport the 'stash too. Needless to say, for those 10 minutes we weren't so concerned with balancing the books or double checking each receipt!

Next time you are in the midst of bill-paying blues, reach for a 'stash.

Crack's Black Thumb Organics

I can't imagine a better thing for two insanely busy people who kill everything in their yard (grass too!) to do than plant a huge garden in their back yard. We're those people and yes, we just planted a garden.

We've been planning on it for as long as we've been married. Recently we even started composting both to save on waste and to get some rich and FREE compost for our garden we'd have some day.

Well, we should have known that two sets of landscape-minded parents (visiting for the weekend) would take one look at the over grown weed garden and let our "Someday we'll have a veggie garden" dream become today's reality. My Dad and Sally pulled up our black weed blocker plastic. Chris and Dad rolled the boulders to under our Japanese Pear Tree. Then Chris and Sally took turns tiling the soil only to find out we actually had a really ideal soil set up.

So, Sunday it was off to Natural Gardener for some plants and seeds. We choose two healthy pumpkin plants with the hope of free Jack O' Lanterns this Fall, Sweet Corn seed, Melon seed, Cucumber seed, and Soy Bean seed. We got everything planted in the garden except the Cucumber as it can't be too close to the melon or the melon becomes bitter. We are seeding those (I say that like a professional but really am just repeating carefully the instructions from our friendly sales girl at the nursery) in separate containers so if you are in Austin and want a cucumber plant, I can give you one in a few weeks. Or if somethings don't make it in our garden, I can add the cucumbers.

We've heard it's a hot year and the battle with the squirrels is in full action. We had our own battle with them when our beautiful peaches were eaten by the rascals. Not to mention we've got many family to be intimidated by! Chris's Uncle Dave is a REAL Organic Farmer and his beautiful farm, Roots and Fruits, is perfectly kept and provides an amazing harvest each year. Chris's Dad and Ann have a veggie garden with tomatoes and other fresh salad veggies. Sally has a beautiful landscaped yard with flowers and plants. Chris's 93 yr old. Grandma does the flowers for her community. My parents have a Myers Lemon tree and also many plants and flowers. My Grannie Frannie has always grown all kinds of things well. With generations of green thumbs ahead you'd think we'd overcome our killing spree. What gives?

I will attach a few pictures. For those who bleed red and black, I can not even discuss the third picture. It was a gift from Chris's mom and while it makes me want to barf I also love that something longhorn related is scary to birds and squirrels and for now is a deterrent for the food sake. But, I am not happy about the Texas spirit behind that blasted gnome. And, for those worried about our watering, that is not why we have black thumbs. It's a redo of an old pic of me which I will also post. My mom loved that picture so we thought she should have an update...only I am not in a dress or near as cute. Love you, Mom!

Anyway, our first attempt could be a total flop but we're going to give it our best fight. With any luck we can have the long term goal of "Someday opening a neighborhood veggie market" I think I have a name for our "farm" that is all too fitting....Crack's Black Thumb Organics. Then again, if our parents will come to town again, they'll have us selling veggies on the driveway in a snap. I'll be posting updates of the garden from time to time...pray for the Crack Team garden and our black thumbs!

I heart Drama Queens!!

For much of my life I hated it when my parents would tell me how dramatic I was. I felt as though by saying I was dramatic it allowed them and others to discount my emotional reaction to whatever was happening and those emotions were real - even if slightly...ok ok...extremely higher or lower than others. Then one day I decided to embrace my drama tendencies as part of my God given gift set. After all, if Chris was married to a normal girl (whatever that is anyway) going to the movies would be boring. I scream, cry, and typically let most people in the theater know my reaction to all key moments. Or, if my parents had a normal girl (whatever that is anyway) they'd have a female version of my brudder. We like to say he is meat and potatoes and I am KING RANCH CHICKEN...spicy! Or, if you readers had a normal girl (whatever that is anyway) I would give some boring recap of the CNN headlines in a totally organized and brush-under-the rug perfect life. I've promised before and here it is again, It's always an adventure with the Crack Team and by adventure I mean messy, dramatic, and all that comes with that.

SO.....

"You spot it, you got it"

Lately I've been exposed to kiddos of my friends who are headed down the same path I was...drama. I'd love to call them my proteges but that is both presumptuous and let's be honest, a true Drama Queen needs no help. So for now we'll call them Drama Princesses. I have become fond of a few said princesses! Sophia Bare, Angie's daughter, is one of them. I love her and know she is a future DQueen because:

1. She tells great stories with dramatic emphasis

2. She has great facial expressions

3. She doesn't initially like change or ideas that are not her own

4. She loves pink and pretty things

5. She is sensitive

And that's to name a few....

So, Sophia's birthday was this past weekend and she was having a Hula Party. The invite was adorable and pink! Of course the perfect cake to compliment a Hula Party is a Hula Barbie Cake. My mom had made me Barbie cakes in my birthday years so I knew she could do one and she was thrilled to be able to pull out the Barbie stuff and make a cake for them.

Saturday morning Mom got up early to start baking the chocolate cake. Bless her heart. I was still pouting in bed from the firecracker episode and she's alone in the kitchen cooking away! Then after the cake was done we left it to cool for a breakfast at Einstien's while the cake cooled. We also wanted to stop by Michael's to see if they had a blonde Barbie. My cake Barbie was brunette so when we realized Sophia's Barbie wouldn't work we wanted to get a blonde cake pick Barbie to make it as close as possible. We luckily found one that seemed cute enough. After a quick hair job (she had Dallas hair that I tamed to a ponytail with a bow) and some earring applications from my scrapbooking pile she was as good as Sophia's only slightly bustier so the bathing suit was a little tight!

Then came the decorating and we all pitched in to help. It was soooo much fun for us to all work on this adorable project for Sweet Drama Princess Sophia. Naturally we couldn't wait to see her face. When the Bare's arrived we had Sophia close her eyes. I led her through the house to the kitchen which is a long walk with closed eyes but she did it like a champ. Then Angie picked her up so she could see over the counter and we said open your eyes. Like a pro she had the perfect face of widened eyes then a smile and finally lots of thoughts of why she loved the cake. It was precious, perfect, and priceless. I only wish I had my camera out at that moment to capture it all. Instead I'll attach the pictures of the cake decorating.... and one that Angie sent me of Sophia blowing out her candles.

Happy Birthday Sophia! We hope you loved your Cake!

Let Freedom Ring and stuff

Sally, Chris's mom planned a trip to Austin for the first days of July to include the 4th! Since she hasn't been here since the wedding, we knew she'd enjoy seeing all the changes we've made to the Crack House. We also were able to coordinate schedules with my parents for them to come up for part of the trip to see Sally.

Sally arrived Thursday night and my parents came up on Friday morning. Friday, Chris agreed to slow smoke a couple of chickens by putting a beer can in them and smoking them up. We also did a pork loin for good measure. We heard of some other folks (Brudder) trying to smoke some brisket but in case they didn't get to see a real 4th of July cook-off I'll attach a picture of our golden smoked birds and the cooking process. Side note about the pictures - Sally, is wearing an apron my dear Grannie Frannie gave me. It classicly reads "Bet your boots, I'm Texan." Since Chris's family always notices our State Pride, I couldn't think of a better way to welcome her to my kitchen. (Thanks again Grannie!) Needless to say hours later, with Chris's careful attention, our Freedom birds (who are hardly the picture of freedom) were super yummy! I also made a big salad, some potatoes, and a yummy fruit cookie dessert. We had a great meal.

We also played Wii. What a hoot! Side story - I've noticed that when it comes to texting, I am a nerd! I have to slowly type out what I am saying. I don't know the little codes like TTYL. I can't punctuate or capitalize the message. The college kids or younger can whip out a text message faster than I can type. I guess it's a sign that I am not on the hippest edge of text messaging. I share this so that I can have the freedom to say that while our mothers are EXCELLENT sports and had hours of fun with our Wii....they are to the Wii remote, like I am to text messaging. Yikes. But, we managed through laughter to play Rabbid Rabbits 2 and Tennis. So fun!

Finally after a long day we were ready for bed. The only problem was that our neighborhood allows fireworks so every few moments there were loud popping noises booming into the sky. This was fine until midnight but shortly after that I was a little annoyed. Is this another sign of not being hip? Maybe. But, later the line was drawn in the sand. I finally drifted off to sleep with a happy full belly and a day of wonderful fellowship with family.

Then it happened. A few hours later that is. I think the clock read 4:30a. Like a drive by shooting, some kids on the street behind us decided it would be cool to set off another round of fireworks all at the same time. Ever seen the movie Jack @ss? In one prank the guys put all these fireworks in a trashcan in their parents master bedroom. After quietly lighting them and leaving you can imagine the expletives, screaming, and hysteria that followed. I must confess that when I first saw the movie (in college with a theater of mostly guys, what the heck?) I thought this was HILARIOUS! I had multiple day dreams of doing the same thing in the middle of the night when my parents start their deep-sleep-snoring orchestra (sorry Mom, I know you think it's just Dad but it's not). I would laugh at myself just imaging it but realized my parents would probably disown me since it wouldn't be the cause for a major motion picture. Anyway, somewhere between the good old Tech days (only a mere 6 years ago) until now it must have lost its humor. As I shot up from bed, scared for my life, I was furious at the least of my emotions. I was thinking of our sleeping parents hoping this wouldn't wake them. Then I had to use the restroom as I almost lost it on myself. Then I started having dreams of blowing air horns outside their windows at 9am. Ugg. Finally, I spent the next hour trying to sleep and wrestling with the unsettling reality that I had gone from laughing at a similar humorous prank to being more like the unforgiving parents. Yikes. I've got to do a prank before the end of the summer to ensure I'm still hip. Beware loved ones...and stay tuned faithful Crack Team Chronicle subscribers.

Happy 4th, Let Freedom Ring, and please use fireworks with others in mind!!!!!!

Dos anos...yeah baby!

For the Spanish challenged out there...Dos anos = 2 years.

We can barely believe how fast our 2 year anniversary has come up! On one hand we've had so much fun being married that it seems like it was just yesterday. In other ways, we've learned so much about each other in these two years it seems like it's been 100. Either way, we're in it for the long haul.

We decided that we would take turns planning our anniversary trip and this year it was my turn. Whooo Hooo! We had lots planned for the week of our actual anniversary including both families being in town. So, I decided we'd go the last weekend in June.

Saturday morning we got up and had a breakfast at home. Then we drove to San Marcos to the amazing outlet malls. Since traditionally cotton is the gift for second anniversaries, we decided we each buy each other a new pillow for our bed. We didn't want just any pillow though. So, we went to Pottery Barn at the outlet for the super, wonderful, down filled, Egyptian cotton lined pillows. We checked out all of the rows of pillows and even opened some up to feel them. Then we decided we should have a pillow fight in the aisle to see if they were good. But, we decided against it as we didn't want to get kicked out and banned from buying our super, wonderful, down filled, Egyptian cotton lined pillows. Needless to say I've been enjoying the new pillow every night since.

After the shopping stint it was off to New Braunfels. I had booked free night with our points at the Hampton Inn. We checked and and got our stuff settled. Then we headed to a snow cone shop....I LOVE snow cones. Really my favorite snow cone place ever is Bahama Bucks but since those don't seem to be around here, we settled for a Mr. Ice or something like that. Anyone in Austin who wants to be my hero you could open the Lubbock Based (get your guns up) franchise for a few hundred thousand dollars. I'd be a faithful customer.

Anyway, after the non-Bahama snow cone it was off to White Crane Massage. It is a historic home in New Braunfels that they have transformed into a charming day spa. We LOVED the garden. Then once inside the home we loved the peaceful ambiance. We had a couples massage that was FABULOUS! We both thought it was the best massage we'd ever had. It was super relaxing and energizing at the same time. LOVE LOVE LOVE White Crane. We'll go back one day....and we recommend it!

For dinner we went to Myron's Steak House. I had read about this place a few years back in my Tech alumni magazine (get your guns up, again). The owners were Tech grads and it was a top rated steak house. It was quite a splurge for us but REALLY WONDERFUL! The raw seared tuna appetizer was melt-in-your-mouth terrific. Then we got a wedge iceberg lettuce salad with baked onion strips, blue cheese, and a house avocado and tomato vinaigrette dressing. We could have eaten our weight in the salad! We each ordered a fillet and both were the best steak's we've had this year (and we've been to Ruth Chris this year). We got two sides - garlic mashed potatoes and broiled beef steak tomatoes stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese & chives. Both were fabulous but the tomatoes were scrumptious and probably my favorite of the two. Finally they brought us a berry topped cheesecake on the house in honor of our anniversary. After the most fabulous meal ever I had only three very dignified words for my groom who was in much anticipation of the rest of the evening..."roll me out." Seriously, I was stuffed.

On the way out I got to introduce myself to Bill Bean, the owner. We talked Tech (yep, you got it...GET YOUR GUNS UP). Of course that included Bobby Knight, Football, and Kliff Kingsbury. If you watch The Office, I felt much like Andy, in the episode where Jim, Kevin, and he take a client golfing and like a geek he introduces himself as "Andy Stanley, Cornell, Class of 86." But, it's always fun to reminisce.

Sunday morning we got up early for our free breakfast. We heart the Hampton Inn and their free breakfast. Then we were off to Schlitterbahn!!!! We got there at 9:30, parked in the front row, claimed a picnic table, lathered in sunblock, and were in line for the gate opening at 9:55. When the gate opened we ran in pushing past innocent children to be early in line for Dragon's Revenge. We grabbed our tubes and headed up the stairs. The water was FREEZING but if you scream the whole ride for fun (me) it not only warms you up but scares all the kids who are on the fence about that ride and then the line is shorter for you to RIDE AGAIN! Then we headed over the the Blastenhoff side of the park to ride the Best Ride in America for 10 years straight, Blastenhoff. Needless to say, it was TOTALLY AWESOME. And sadly, on this ride my screaming tactic didn't work.

Ok...I could annoyingly write a review for just about every ride we did in the park....but who wants to be super jealous of our fun Sunday at Schlitterbahn? SO, if you are headed to New Braunfels anytime soon, let me know, I'll tell you what you could do with out and which rides you can't skip.

The weekend was a perfect balance of classy relaxing fun and silly acting the fool adventure. So apropos for the Crack Team, wouldn't you say?

Getting what I deserve...

So there we were...husband and wife....tucking in for a night of sleep.

Let me preface this post with a back story. Chris and I have this on-going debate about the best toothpaste. There is one kind that I like but Chris doesn't think it freshens our breath. However, his choice toothpaste, in my opinion doesn't freshen our breath. So, we cycle between his toothpaste and mine. Because we're (really me and Chris just keeps up) dramatic types, we've escalated our difference in toothpaste beyond fresh breath to flat out bad breath. So, when we are on Chris's toothpaste I complain about his bad breath and visa versa.

Ok....so there we were....husband and wife....tucking in for a night of sleep.....with our teeth brushed with CHRIS'S toothpaste. So, as he gently starts to kiss on me, I kick in with my nightly reminder of the bad breath his toothpaste causes. Playfully Chris rolls over to pout and I start to kiss on the back of his neck. Suddenly I realize something still smells.

We both love garlic and garlic DOES NOT love both of us. We're the peeps that carry the garlic smell for hours after eating it. Drat! Our kids have no hope.

So, I realize that Chris must have eaten garlic. The stench is well beyond the toothpaste. It's creeping out his pores and engulfing our bed. Because I haven't eaten garlic I am highly aware of the smell. After teasing Chris about this for a few minutes, I realize I can't take it.

In the dark of our room, I get this brilliant idea. I will put my bath and body works yummy smelling lotion on the back of his neck so I can cuddle him and drift off to sleep with the garlic and toothpaste masked by Pearbeary!!!!

Of course Chris would NEVER consent to this. So, I slowly, carefully, quietly, reach behind me to the bed side table. I feel around for the lotion, quietly pop the cap open, squeeze a little of the lotion to my hand, close the cap, and roll back. I reach up to the back of his neck and quickly rub in the lotion.

Chris: (shooting up) WHAT THE.....?!!

Karen: (laughing) Just a little lotion

Chris: (also laughing) Are you kidding me?

Karen: (now rolling) I just wanted a break from the stench

We lay back down...still in the dark this whole time....and I cuddle in. My arms slip around his waist. My legs fit into the backs of his legs. I nuzzle my nose in with full excitement for the pleasant aroma of Pearberry. I take a deep breath and...........gag! What the heck? I know this smell. It's NOT Pearberry. It's IVAREST, my poison ivy cream. DDDDRRRRAAATTT!!! Peels of laughter ensued, naturally.

It's one of those times in life where I get what I deserve.

A life well lived...

I still have some catching up to do but wanted this post to be live as soon as possible. This past Saturday, June 28th, we lost a friend in a tragic accident. Chris had been in small group with Michael Argall. To say he lived his life well is an understatement. I'll paste below the bio that was written for him.

We're in the midst of grieving, processing, and leaning into the Lord. We know that God doesn't want suffering for us. Somewhere I read that Michael had a post it note on his desk with the scripture from Proverbs 3 - "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding." It's so Michael that in the midst of something hard, he'd be a ray of encouragement.

We ask that you'd pray for his three kids and his girlfriend (soon to be fiance') Cecilia. Also, today is his funeral service. I suspect there will be many people in attendance. Please pray that God be glorified through the service.

Here is the Bio:

Michael Lloyd Argall Biography

Michael Lloyd Argall was called to ride the roads of Heaven on Saturday June 28th, 2008. He left our world doing what he loved, cycling! Michael was born in Spokane , Washington on March 3rd, 1963. He graduated from Crockett High School in Austin TX in 1981. He then joined the US Air Force where he served for 20 years in active and reserve duty. He is a Desert Storm War veteran. In 1988 he joined the Travis County Sheriffs office where he most recently worked as a safety officer for the Corrections Bureau; he was known as the heart of the unit. Everybody at the Sheriffs office knew, loved and respected Michael. He was always cheerful, content and willing to step up when needed. In the past, he was known to minister and pray with the inmates at the Del Valle facility. Michael always participated with the Brown Santa Christmas program and the Texas Police Games where he was a frequent medal winner.

Michael never knew a stranger and loved you before he knew you. He had a unique sense of humor, often smiling or laughing even at his own corny jokes. He found joy and humor in the simplest things in life.

Michael had several great and encompassing loves in his life. First and foremost, he was the loving father to his three children. He was a devoted Christ follower and compassionate servant to the Lord who gave willingly of his time. Michael had an ardent love for cycling, which started in high school. He found his greatest passion as a fitness coach for cycling and running with Rogue Training Systems. He was a very encouraging and inspirational coach to those he trained.

Michael is the oldest of two children and the big brother to Kris Argall. He was a loving and devoted father of three children Sydney (21), Nathan (18) and Daniel (15). He remained close to his ex-wife, Shamayne Argall, and her family and was soon to be engaged to Cecilia Turrin, his long time girlfriend whom he loved dearly. Michael is survived by his Grandmother, Helen Argall, Aunt Dionne and Uncle Gil Kempenich and many cousins. Michael had countless friends whom he touched over the years.

Michael would want us to celebrate his life. He was a loving man and a man of God.

Visitation reception at 6-8 PM on Tuesday July 1st at Cook-Walden Chapel

Please join us as we celebrate his life at 2 PM on Wednesday July 2nd at Gateway Church ( 7104 McNeil Dr Austin , TX 78729 ). There will be private Graveside Services immediately following for family and close friends.

On Saturday July 12th, there will be a Bicycle Ride in memory of Michael details to be posted soon at www.roguerunning.com

To honor Michael, type in his last name at www.mem.com to share your thoughts and experiences with his Family and Friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Helping Hand Home for Children or Mission Possible Austin's Camp Nikos Program.

Happy 50th Aunt Sherri!!

The same weekend we were in Houston for Shannie's Shower, we also were able to celebrate my Aunt Sherri's 50th birthday with my family.

We went to her house and brought food, snacks, and flowers for the festivities. We all wanted to watch the Belmont to see if Big Brown would pull out the Triple Crown but since he came in last place it was good we had other reasons for our PAR-TAY!!!

My parents gave Sherri an Ipod and Kevin, Kari, Chris and I got a car adapter for it. We don't want her going over the hill without the hippest electronic accessories. Kevin and Chris swam in their pool and we all took a shot at riding the clown bike. It was funniest to see Kevin and Chris try because they have such long legs on a little bike. But my mom and I had just as much fun trying to get it going. Chris even figured out how to pop a wheelie...it was AWESOME!

Grandma made strawberry shortcake which just happens to be one of my favorite summertime treats!