WWTKW - Kiss & Tell??

It's Wednesday and time for another We Want To Know Wednesday with my IRL friends, Seriously Shawn & Impulsive Addict and a few iFriends, Mamarazzi & Janette.

WWTKW is a great distraction from what you should be doing on Wednesday - for me, as I am in Illinois for a few weeks and not at home, WWTKW doesn't take me away from much more than swimming, playing cards with the kids, reading, playing with Bubba, eating, oh you get the drift.......

Anyways, I need to get back into the bloggy world after a wonderful week off at the beach, so WWTKW is a great way to do that.

IA asked a few fun questions this week, so here we go:

{1} What was the last thing you searched for online?
I feel like I search for things online constantly.  With my MacBook and iPhone always so close, the world is literally at your fingertips.  Yesterday alone I searched for cute baby shower favor ideas, wedding reception song ideas, New York City hotel reviews, and the creamy jalapano dip dressing (Cuz I can't go 5 weeks with out my beloved Chuy's).
But last night, as the kids and I started our "Countdown to the Last Harry Potter Movie Marathon", I looked up an actor on IMDB to see if he had been in anything else - he hadn't.  random much?

{2} If we visit your home state, what is one thing we MUST do before leaving?
Well, it fairly obvious that I am from Texas - ahem, the best state in the US.  And there are so many must do's in Texas, the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Hill Country, hanging out on South Congress in downtown Austin, or NASA in Houston.  Hmmm......but what MUST you do?
Have some amazing BBQ - many states claim to have the "best" BBQ, but nothing tops the smoky tang of Texas BBQ - that's beef y'all.  And no one smokes it better.  Trust me.

{3} What do you think pharmaceutical companies should invent a pill for that isn't on the market yet?
Many of you know that I worked for a major pharmaceutical company for over 13 years, so I saw up close & personal the amount of work it takes to get a product to market - for every 1000 compounds that get discovered/created, maybe one or two actually make it to market.
So, forgive me for taking a serious approach to this question, but I want to see more products that stop, slow, or completely reverse heart disease.  Heart Disease is the number one killer. Number One.  We need to eliminate it.

{4} When was your first kiss?  Was it good or bad?
6th grade.  With a boy I thought was that cats meow - can't even remember his name and quite honestly, can't even remember the kiss.  it was that memorable.
My first kiss that knocked my socks off?  My first kiss with my sweet honey - I'll never forget that moment - nuff said.

{5} What is your guilty pleasure tv show that you can not miss?
I have always enjoyed the Real Housewives shows, but the RH of New Jersey took it to a new level and this season does not disappoint.  Why is Melissa & Joe so mean to Teresa?  Where do they come up with all that $$$? Is Teresa really that much of a nimwit?  It's total trash but it makes me laugh at the over-the-top superficiality.  And I dig it.

Thanks for the fun questions ladies.

And if I can ask one last favor - I am currently working on a new blog about family travel, which features family trips, tips, and great ideas submitted by the experts in traveling with family - you!! I would love for you to take a moment and check it out, become a follower, come back often, and if you are so lead, submit a story or two of your favorite vacation?

R We There Yet Mom?

And, if you are a facebooker, Like our page to get updates on new travel posts.

Lastly, if you did the Twitter, follow us:

Thanks!  Happy Wednesday!!

Flippy Flops All Over the Country

Hi friends - we are back from the beach. boo.

Florida beaches are simply put.....amazing.

white sands, blue-green water, cool breezes....it was wonderful.

and the only thing that made it better is the endless supply of flip flops that I was able to get covered in sand. I jest.....

But it is great to have an endless supply of flip flops to get covered in sand. no?

And thanks to the 3rd Anunal Bloggy Flip Flop Exchange, many great ladies across the USA (42 to be exact) had a new pair of flip flops to get sand on and play around in.

Take a few moments and check out all the fun flip flops & amazing care packages that were sent last week.

It really is pretty cool how perfect strangers can brighten each others day with a little bit of happiness in the mail!  Thanks everyone for participating. Please make sure you link up & show off those flips!!!

Ahhhh...the Beach

Just a quick post to let you "see" what I've been looking at all day this past week.....

ok- back to the beach...catch up with ya next week......

Happy Two-Two!!

Bubba celebrated number 2 with a "choo-choo" party!

We have this fantastic train in a local park that was ideal for this train-obsessed 2 -year old!

running as soon as he heard, "let's go ride the train!"

 we were able to reserve a ride just for him & his friends!

yet, for some reason, when we got closer, he was a little unsure of going for a ride??

situation averted, he calmed down, we loaded up and were off!

 so hard to get a bunch of 2 year olds to stand still for a picture....

but we did get a nice family shot!

 bubba got some fun gifts

 and then we bought out every momma's worse nightmare.....

bright blue frosting cupcakes.....

 eh, it wiped off......

Happy Two-Two Little Man!!

R We There Yet Mom? dot com

I had a little idea a few months ago.

I was spending a ton of time researching ideas on what to do this summer with the family.  While there is a lot of great stuff out there, it all seemed a little dry.  I wanted to hear personal experiences, see pictures, and hear great ideas from people who had actually been there - and experienced it all first-hand.

I never quite found what I was looking for.

so....

I created it.

R We There Yet Mom? features YOUR experiences, YOUR pictures, YOUR trips.  The majority of our content will be by our readers, so we can share the travel love throughout the blog-o-sphere.

When you are looking for your next travel destination, come to us.

When you need a new game to play in the car, come to us.

Or if you love travel as much as I do, come often and pick up on some awesome traveling ideas, products, and fun!!  Once we get going, I hope to feature fun contests and give-aways.

Be one of your first Followers: www.rwethereyetmom.com

Become our Facebook Friend

Catch all our Tweets

Submit your stories and we will feature YOU!!

I am a Gleek

Trotty Mouth

Fat-Bottomed Girl

Sue Sylvester

New Directions

Forget You

Born This Way

R U a Gleek?

I am.  

I. love. this. show. to. pieces.

Performances like this make me giggle:

And ones like this make me tear up in pride:

I started watching the show from the beginning. I have a thing for musicals and this show was the closest thing to it.  At first, I just watched it for the singing - and last year, the story line was ok.  But this year - man they have done such a good job with the stories - celebrating our differences &  acceptance at such young ages - it has been my favorite show to watch this year.

And I am proud to call myself a gleek.  I have every Glee cd and no, not the iTunes version.  I have Season One.  I have Season Two.  I have the Glee Board Game.  I almost bought the Glee Sing It Wii game (but the reviews were terrible).  I went to a Glee Sing-a-long at the local movie drafthouse with a fellow gleek.  And I bought this really crappy book "The Unofficial A to Z Glee Guide" that made me feel like I was a 13-year-old reading a teeny bob magazine.

My girlfriend just went to a Glee Live show and I. am. insanely. jealous.

Lastly, I was in my high school glee club, but it was NOTHING like Glee.  It was pretty pitiful actually, but we thought we rocked....

not a thing like The New Directions.  not one bit.  and I bet you can't pick me......

However, if you are looking for a fun show to watch over the summer, this is it.  It does have a lot of adult content, so be warned - I watch it first and then, Sis & I watch all the dances - but it is so sweet and funny and will make you grin from ear to ear....

maybe you can become a gleek right along with me.

I Was There Part 2

I couldn't do it - I tried to narrow down all the pictures, but with a baby as cute as Bubba, there was just too much that happened this past year that I couldn't leave out.

So, let me show you a few more of the things I was there for in his second year of life.....

he wasn't too crazy about Santa....

 but didn't seem to mind the candy cane Santa gave him....

 and his hair...oh dear!

 I didn't cut it for months....fearing his curls and his adorable babyness would all fade as soon as we did....

 yup, he turned into my little man as soon as those curls were cut.

 Bubba is a much better eater than my other two - but extremely determined to eat the food on his own without any help from us.

So what if he makes a huge mess at each meal?

 at least he's eating his peas!

 And Bubba spent a lot of time in his strollers.

Between the older two's school, soccer, & momma's running, this was his home away from home.

 And for the most part, he accepted it...as long as you had a few snacks and an iPhone with Pixars shorts handy.....

 Because of all his "stroller experience", we were able to easily transfer him to this over Spring Break.

 We were also there when his fascination with trains began.  Brody has an incredible collection of Thomas the Train and GeoTrax that he has been setting up for Bubba to play with.  And we have the train that "visits" us behind our house daily.  He was born to love trains.

 and he does....

  He is the source of endless smiles and pulling of heartstrings for this momma.......

when he's rockin.....

or on the verge of fussing......

 or full blown cries

I love this boy with all my heart.

thank God I have been there for all of it.

I Was There

I can hardly believe it has been another year......

My sweet Bubba boy turned two in May and it went by so quickly I didn't have a chance to sit and reflect on the occasion.

Until I went through the past year's pictures and I realized how much he had experienced in this short year.

Like walking......

 this little guy tried over and over to walk...ending up on his head most of the time.  and then one weekend at the lake.......

 he did it!  and he was so proud.....

 and spent the whole summer perfecting that walking......

Bubba didn't care much for the pool....

 but he LOVED playing in the water.....

and who wouldn't love taking a bath in the sink, splashing all that water around?

 well, most of the time, he liked water, except when it would "jump" up and do this!

 Bubba is a very curious boy.  Loves to get into any little nook & crany he can fit into, like my cabinet.

 or my drawers......

 he really loved this cabinet for a few months....

 even found a place at the lake to crawl into.....

 one thing this momma can't stand.....Bubba is NOT a cuddler and the older he got, the worse it became.

sorry Grandma.....

 This year, Bubba experienced many "firsts"

first time on a ferry....

 first time on a beach...

 first time trick-or-treating...

didn't he make an adorable vampire?

 and he certainly loved his first sucker....

 but didn't quite enjoy his first time in the snow...

 one thing became increasingly apparent this year:

bubba idolizes his older brother...

 wants to always be hanging out with him, even wanting to be a part of his Cub Scout meetings, much to Brody's chagrin.

but I know it's the start of an incredible relationship.....

 Adding Bubba to our lives has completely changed our family dynamics and we couldn't be happier.  He brings so much laughter and smiles to our house - we have had so much fun seeing him grow up this year.  And I was there, seeing every smile, experiencing every challenge (cause 1 years olds are!) and receiving every hug (when I could get them).

and this is only the first half of the year...

more to come....