All I want for Christmas is....

my one front tooth! And cars, and Transformers, and ...

Congrats Reilly on losing your first top tooth! That's 3 down and lots more to go.

Pre Christmas Chaos

I remember when we used to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. I remember when Fall and all its glory lasted longer than 2 weeks. Sheesh people slow down! I started construction on my Winter Wonderland this weekend and am still working on it. I feel like I'm making more of a mess than any progress. I feel like we are way behind because we don't have our outside lights up. But I've got to remember it's not even December! So rather than stress about the gifts not bought or the garland in the box, I'll slow down a bit. My kids don't care if the candles aren't red or green. They want to just turn the tree on. And so do I.
Thanks again to all who read this and helped out with our Christmas decor renewal last year. As most know, the stuff we accumulated over the years blew away in a tornado 2 years back. But thanks to my generous friends, family and State Farm, we were able to re Christmasfy the Cann casa. But no ornament or knick knack that I bought means as much as the ones my friends and family gave to me. Thanks a lot and Merry Christmastime!!

Happy B-day Girls!

This week marks a few birthdays of some of my favorite ladies. My momma turns a year younger today. Happy birthday momma! I wish you tons o' happiness always. We celebrated with the honorable cake and ice cream and lots of crazy grand kids running around. A grandma's favorite way to spend and afternoon I'm sure.
My girl buddy Chris turned a year younger yesterday. We got to celebrate on friday with a surprise trip to the Texas Stampede Rodeo. It was the first ever for my fellow yankee and I think it was a good one. I bet when she was a high haired, leg warmer wearing teenager in Spring Lake New Jersey, she'd never thought one day she'd be sporting a cowboy hat. You've come a long way girl and we're glad you did!! Let's also give a shout out to another Chris. Chris Daughtry rocked us into the night post rodeo. He's come a long way since American Idol. And I'm glad he did!

Race Weekend Winnings

Most know that Tim and Reilly have a strong love for all things Nascar. As long as Tim has lived in Texas he's been collecting Jeff Gordon crap-I mean stuff. Then came his little protege in 2001 with the birth of Reilly. He has memorized the names and numbers of drivers since he could talk. But a few years ago when he started to get a mind of his own, Reilly declared he was a Jimmie Johnson #48 fan. That was fine with Tim because he loves Lowes and because the two are team mates. The race was two weekends ago and the two garbed themselves up in their favorite teams overpriced clothing and accessories and were off again for the bi-annual event. Reilly is 6 and this was his 4th race! They had a blast and the bonus was that Jimmie won his 3rd in a row. Yesterdays race made it his 4th. I would have loved to have seen Reilly's face when his man won. Tim said everyone was looking at Reilly as he jumped around and pumped his arms. I'm sure they were happy to see the absolute joy in the little Nascar fan's face. A bonus to race weekend was a autograph and visit with cutie Kasey Kane of the Dodge car. I'm told that he's taking over the Budweiser car next year. Good times for the Cann boys for sure.

Halloween in VA

Though it isn't my favorite holiday by a long shot, I did enjoy Halloween this year. Started off with a fun party for the big kids with love muffin and I stepping out of the forest as Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf. It was fun to dress up and made me remember how great Hallowen used to be as a kid. We were also treated to a weinie roast at the Mosby's 100 year old house in "town". They live on a couple of acres and had a bonfire and about 10 first grade boys and their families running around it. It was topped off with a hayride by them through the VA cemetary and onto the community center for a high school sponsored haunted house. Reilly did pretty good although he was a little white when he got out. That was a pretty cool small town night and I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't a little "tired" from the night before.
Megan had a cute trick or treat parade through "town" during school on Tuesday. We even got some decent candy from the ghetto Diamond grocery store. She was only one of 2 Cinderellas but by far the cutest I must say. Cinderella is blonde people! Reilly was a haunted skeleton. In the end as we trick or treated around our neighborhood he was just a kid in black and gray gauzy robe. Lame. No masks next year for sure. But they got lots o' candy and mommy will be glad when it's gone!

Shameless Plug

He still ain't smoking! I never speak of it but I think it's safe to say now; Tim has officially kicked smoking out of his life. There have been moments where I thought for sure Tim was going to jump in the truck for some Marlboros. How about when the Eagles gave up a win in the last few seconds against the Bears? Curses were strewn from his mouth but no smoke in sight. How about when his painters didn't paint the top of a fence only the sides. Still no smokey smokey. Parties? Bars (McKinney Tavern the true test)? No stinkie smokes and 2 minute trips outside to grab a "butt". It's actually a change for me too. He smells different. I feel like I'm kissing some other man!
But all jokes aside, I'm proud of the love muffin. Thanks Zero Smoke and Howard Stern for recommending it. Thanks Reilly and Megan for putting up with daddy's slight grumpiness. Thanks Tim for taking of yourself like you take care of us!

Close Call

Just a few days after our trip to "Clinton Country" a huge storm hit the area. A tree fell onto the deck where we all relaxed with a cold one just days before. Glad everyone is alright.

Our visit to Clinton Country

Our friends the Babins, moved from McKinney recently to Mountain Home, Arkansas. Reilly went to T-K with Tripp, and Isabelle and Megan are just a few months apart. We thought it would be fun to spread some Texas lovin' to our relocated friends this past weekend.
We left friday morning and just seven sunny hours later we were in the picturesque Ozark mountains. Tim was looking forward to fly fishing for the first time. I was looking forward to shopping and hanging out while our kids all kept each other entertained. Their home is beautiful and the view was amazing. I wouldn't even mind doing the dishes by hand if I could look out to endless trees and mountains while doing it as Michelle can. Camping would be obsolete for me if I could enjoy a fire with family and friends then head inside for a refreshment or the facilities like they can. Awesomeness. But they had me at "the closest mall or Target is 2 hours away!". I'll keep my VA but so look forward to spending some more time with the Babins up in Ark.
But on a side note...
We had some unwanted excitement while on the trip when little Megan walked just a few yards into the woods next to their house. When she tried to walk out she got caught in some twigs, leaves and worst yet- a bees nest. As they quickly attacked her, my momma instinct kicked in. I ran in an swooped her up as I brushed off the bees. (I hadn't run like that since gym class)No mom wants to ever hear their kid yell like that. But she was a trooper and I'm so proud of her for being brave. In the end she had 16 bee stings. I've had 3 my entire 34 years and in one shot my 3 year old had 16. Luckily she wasn't allergic to them and she bounced back after a nap, Benedryl, Motrin, baking soda paste and lots of Lanacaine. Thanks Michelle for your amazingly stocked "go-to cabinet". Plus Megs got a new Webkinz kitty for the pain and suffering. You know we'd give our kids the moon if it would make them feel better.

Binkie Fairy Visits Van Alstyne!

Megan was a cute baby but a loud one who was all over the place and wanted to eat every hour. God bless the day when we slipped a sweet little pink binkie in her little pink mouth and she was quiet! But that was 3 years ago and it's not so cute for a three year old to whine for the dang thing when she grows stressful or tired. I, like I do everything, have put off the whole withdrawl thing because I've been scared of the consequences. But she's the only one in her preschool class that uses one and I'm tired of pulling it out of her mouth. I'm tired of the muffled words and automatic search for it when things aren't going well. So it was time and the time was Friday night.
I figured we had all weekend to suffer through the agonizing over it before school on Tuesday. We talked it up all week, alerted all the family and asked for prayers (more for us). Friday afternoon we decorated a gift bag with glitter and stickers. We had to be sure that the Binkie Fairy could see the bag in the night. With some chants of "You Can Do It" by the three of us, she reluctantly put her last binkie in the bag for the "Fairy". We put it on the chair on the front porch and was sure to leave the light on for her/him.
She went to bed with great pride in her accomplishment. She was even encouraged by Reilly who gave her one of his cars (Tony Stewart, Yuk)because he was "proud of her". Sweetie. She slept with it instead of the cute pink binkie. She was surprised in the morning with a new tea set and stuffed monkey in the bag where her binkie once was. And that was it.
No more diapers, binkies, cribs and highchairs for us. Am I sad? Maybe a little but I have so much more to look forward to with our two cuties. Hopefully I won't be pulling out tongue piercings someday!!

Plano Balloon Festivas

Well we did the balloon festival this year after skipping it last year for Octoberfest in Addison. I think we're going to switch off every other year. The balloon thing is great for the kids and close to home. But it's kind of a beating with the heat and lack of much to do other than look at the balloons. Don't get me wrong, it's really incredible to see them all but I can't do that every year. I wouldn't appreciate it enough I think if I did. Octoberfest has lots of carny rides, great German food and goodies. But of course the main goodies there is the beer! The kids can catch some dancing dog shows, chicken dancing and the Himalaya while mom and dad smile on with beers in hand and a shrinking wallet. But alas, you can't get the beautiful pics that I got while at yuppy Germany in Addison. The look in Meggie's eyes while the giant Energizer bunny glows in the night is truly pr

iceless.

Catch-up

Well I thought I was in full swing again with this blog thing but alas, I'm lazy. Let me catch up real quick so I don't feel like I'm years behind as I am on my scrapbooks...
Meggie loves school and hasn't shed a tear since she's gone. She can even sing a mean ditty about the Monkey's falling out of bed. I love my tuesdays of freedom. However they go by FAST! I have managed to cross out a few things off the "list". The PaintMor website is still the most dreaded and daunting thing lingering. LoveMuffin is laying on the guilt on that one.
Speaking of LoveMuffin, he has for the past 5 days quit smoking!!! Yeah! I think this it. He's doing really well and hasn't taken out his urges on us and I would call that a minor success. I'm really proud of him because I'm sure it's really hard after smoking for 18 years. I have to say that I was skeptical since he is using "accupressure" to quit. He heard about it on Howard Stern. Enough said. But it's two magnets that he wears for a few hours a day (at home) on the top of his ear. Sounds pretty hokey but it's working for him and that's all I care about. Go Tim!
I hosted the 2nd annual Bunco Bowl a few weeks ago. Fun with the girlies again. Loved having our newest bunco baby in attendance, Catherine. She's just one of the girls already! We ended up with no bunco box so we did our new favorite backup game, Left Center Right. I love it! Way to go Narci and Joni for their big $25 pots.

That's all I got right now. Gotta save some verbage for next time!

The season of firsts

Well Meggie did it. She completed her first day of school yesterday and loved it. The WEE (Weekday Early Education)School here in Van Alstyne is about the only place to go. Luckily I signed her up early a few months ago and relished the notion of two days a week with no little stinkers. The only problem is I feel this enormous pressure to accomplish the things I said I could do without kids. The list is endless but can only be squeezed into the next 9 months and only 1 day a week. I gotta work the other day Megan has school -bummer. So I wrote out a list(I'm big on that) and filled it with closets to clean, a website to do, pictures to organize etc. Butlooking back I left out a few things that are important as well. How about the uninterrupted lunches with friends, extra long workouts, shops with breakables at every aisle? Those are important too!! I want to watch HGTV all day and eat a bag of pretzels for lunch. I want to clean the house and have it stay that way for over an hour! But in the end I know exactly what I'll do. I'll keep peeking at the clock wondering when I can pick up the two cutest things and my biggest accomplishments from school.

Back to School-Blahs

I thought I'd be loving this back to school thing. The house stays clean longer and Reilly is having a blast. But on the other hand I have a little girl at my heals needing to have some Polly Pocket time and wanting apple juice every 30 minutes. Reilly is playing with all his friends again but I have to get up early every day. I have a chance to blog again but that is after (or in this case during)bath time and after homework. Plus I kinda miss the big guy. Reilly is someone I can actually have a conversation with even if its mostly about Nascar. I guess I just gotta get into the swing of things again and we'll be good to go. In the meanwhile I'll just enjoy the little extra alone time and remember that these early years with my babies go by way too fast.

I'm back on the blog bandwagon!

Okay so we started out with a bang that quickly turned to fizzle. I, like I am known to do, put off updating my blog until it was beyond repair. This is what I did in school (why I never finished college), what I do for tickets (that's why my license was suspended once) and what I do with gas in my car (why I run out on occasion). But alas I am blessed with a non procrastinator hubby and persistant friends. I'm back on the blog and promise, for as long as I can tolerate it, I will blog! Why not right? I have a pretty awesome life that I would love to share with family and friends. But my vow is to not refer someone to my blog rather than share some one-on-one time with a loved one. I'm a big fan of conversation with my mouth, rather than the tips of my fingers.
So let's start out this new school year for both me and my kids with a clean slate. I will make lunches and do homework the night before. I will take the clothes out of the washer before they start stinking and I will figure what's for dinner before 5:00. I will not procrastinate and I will blog! Back with more later-promise.

Oh how our Friday nights have changed...

Now I've been a parent now for 6 years. Long gone are the Friday nights of post work parties that end at 2 a.m. still in my business casual. Sheesh I can hardly make it past nine with a bra on. These days we usually have Friday family movie night at the Cann casa. This is our early attempt to start a tradition that'll keep the kiddos close during our hurried lives at least once a week. It involves watching something that'll keep Reilly and Megan still long enough for Tim and I to relax with a cold one (or two). This past friday though, we ventured out for "Family time at Van Alstyne High." Early in the week we were sent a little note about "Pack the House Night" for a Pilot Point vs. Van Alstyne basketball game. We thought this would be fun and Reilly was excited about it. In addition to packing the house it was also crazy hat night. How fun right? I secretly was happy that we would blend in with the "packed house" and I could wear my new hat (peer pressure purchase)from Galveston.
The high school was all of 3 minutes and 2 stop lights away from our house. This was good because it was pouring and cold and 8 o'clock at night. It's a pretty new school with lots o'room to grow on. We paid the nine bucks to get in and off we went to the top of the stand during the last few minutes of the girls game. Pretty great ending and lots of school spirit. Tim and I looked at each other and laughed. Didn't have much of that at our schools. There were kids of all ages there and every one of them had on Panther wear. It was a sea of blue and white shirts with some fuzzy Seuss hats amid the cowboy Stetsons. I wasn't feeling too good about my funky hat anymore. I fit in more with what looked like the entire senior class than I did on the ma and pa side. Reilly wanted to run around on the practice court and eat over priced snacks. Megan was just fascinated by the Pilot Point Bearcat. I don't know what a bearcat is or where Pilot Point is but Megan liked him. She kept yelling, "Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty!" She's cute so it wasn't annoying.
All in all it was a nice night. I'm glad we went. I very rarly head north into "town" so it was good for us to schmooz with the other town folk. God did I just write town folk.
The town may be different from McKinney, or Cinnaminson New Jersey but I like it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else on a Friday night.

Monday 1/15/07

Boy is it cold and icy. Stuck in the house; don't want to drive. Too many idiots on the road. Hangin with the fam. Neener got back from houston yesterday. She's givin the kids a bath(its been 3 days). My fault, I'm lazy. Spent the weekend with the kids, watcheing tv, playing, crying.

I tried to quit smoking, bad decision especially with neener leaving for three days. Needless to say, the stress prevailed and i started back up(it was ony two days)

Probably spend the rest of the day hangin with the fam.