This Ain't My First Rodeo

Last week was Spring Break,  and before we headed to Oklahoma, the kids and I visited the Texas Star Rodeo.  I grew up going to Rodeos and this was my first one since I was a child.  But this was my kid's first rodeo....and we had a blast.

For all our non-Texas friends, here is our list of 'must-do's' while at the Rodeo.......

 check out the events 

- so it was a Tuesday morning, and all they had were the girls 

showing their horses in sparkly-shirts....my kids still liked it.

check out a funny event 

like these adorable pigs racing to get an oreo.

 pet a deer?

huh?

only in Texas y'all.

 Scare your 2-year old while petting the deer, so that he doesn't want anything to do with the animals.

 ride a tractor.

backwards.

we showed him the right way........

 eat some yummy (and expensive) carnival food.

like a ginormous corny dog.

 and the requisite funnel cake.

 take the kids on some crazy carnival rides.

unlimited ride wristband half-off.

yee-haw!!!

 make sure you capture those great expressions......

 and require your kids to do some sibling-bonding while on the rides together....

 or maybe not.

 see the rodeo through the eyes of your 2-year old.

 capture those smiles....

 and fearful faces.....

especially this one......

Dinner Theater Part II

Our own little entertainer is back at it again......

Brief Scare

Oh how happy I am to see you all reading my blog - no really- so very happy.  I want to shout it from the rooftops:

My Blog is back! My Blog is back!!

Let me tell you the sob story....

On the loooonnnnnnggggg drive home from Oklahoma on Saturday, I was reading all my favorite blogs on my nifty iPhone when I noticed I was signed in as "rebecca" on my business account.  So I log out and try to log back in as "Becca" when I get notification from Google that "unusual activity has been detected on your account".  I was asked to provide my mobile number to get a password verification texted to me - hmmmmmmmm - I hemmed and hawed over it, but it was from Google and looked legit, so I did it.

It worked and I was logged in as me and happily reading more blogs as we traveled south.

Until I went back to my blog and it was G-O-N-E.

"This blog can not be found and the address is not available.  It is possible it has been deleted.  If this is your blog and you did not delete it, please click here."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So I clicked there - "Please read our terms of service to see if you have violated anything to deem it necessary to delete your blog.  If not, please report it to us by clicking here."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So I clicked there and it brings me to a help forum.  Basically, there is no number to call and you have to dig through tons of forums to find any kind of help - there is a process to report your blog as not being "spam" and Blogger will review it to see if it will "give"it back to you.  But there is NO ONE to talk to!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In the meantime, I walked around with a knot in my stomach.  I was so worried that 2 years of personal stories had been wiped away in one sweep.

and before you ask, no, I had not ever backed it up.  shame on me.

So, with a lot of praying and a great friend of a friend who works at Blogger- my beloved blog is back.

First thing I did?  Backed it up.  

And I advise you to do it RIGHT NOW.  Here are the directions, courtesy of Miss MiMi:

Okay, so go to your Dashoboard and then click on the Settings tab.
The very top has three links; Import Blog, Export Blog, and Delete Blog.
Click Export Blog and it will ask you if you want to download and save. Say yes.
Then it is saved as a hard copy to your hard drive. If you want to back it up onto a SEPARATE blog, then you just click Export Blog and save.
Start a NEW blog and go to Settings tab and click Import Blog. It will ask you which one and you'll select the same one you just Exported.
Now, be CAREFUL because Export Blog is RIGHT NEXT to DELETE blog. DON'T HIT DELETE! lol

THANKS MIMI!!!

So I never did find out why it was removed - if the text message thing was legit or not - all I can say is that the same thing happened to LOTS of others this weekend (as seen in the Blogger Help Forum).  

I will be certain to be backing it up on a regular basis - I never want to feel that helpless again.  

And I am definitely looking into one of the "blog book" programs - have any of you tried it?  What do you recommend?

So glad to be back.........

Oklahoma Here We Come!!

We are headed to Oklahoma for the last few days of Spring Break- plenty of hiking, fishing, canoeing, reading, game playing, and....wait for it....QUIET!!!

no tvs, internet, cell phone reception...I'm going to try hard not to go through too bad of withdrawals.....

but how can you with this to look at?

See you all real soon!

Happy Birthday Texas

Last week, Texas celebrated it's 175th birthday ~ the 175th Anniversary of Texas Independence.  And we Texans are SO darn proud of our heritage, that we are gonna celebrate it all year long!!!

Seriously.

Every month, all over the state, something grand is planned.

Just 2 weeks ago, while at Sissy's 4th grade field trip, we were a part of the celebrating too.

Every year at Sissy's school, the 4th grade goes on the "Amazing Alamo" field trip  - they get a private charter bus ("with a bathroom Mom!!") that takes them down to San Antonio for the day.  They visit the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Alamo, and then the watch the IMAX movie "The Price of Freedom" (about what?  You guessed it- the Alamo!).  This field trip is a rite of passage for these kiddos and they look forward to it for years.

What is particularly exciting for me is that when I was in 4th grade, we did the exact same field trip (minus the movie - no IMAX in the 80"s....we toured Mrs. Barid's Bread factory instead).  So I jumped on the chance to be a chaperone.

So you all 'Remember the Alamo' right?  no?  Oh that's right, I'm talking to non-Texans.  So short version, The Alamo is a Spanish Mission built in what is now San Antonio, Texas.  In March of 1836, a small group of Texans defended the Alamo against Mexico and were defeated.  Because of this loss, Texans came together and won their independence against Mexico a month later under the leadership of Sam Houston.  175 years ago to be exact......

so how impressed are you that I knew all that by heart?

don't laugh at me.

every young Texan knows their Texas history....especially the history of the Alamo.

and did you know that Texas has had 6 different sovereignties leading us?  No?  Let me name them for ya:  Spain, France, Mexico, Confederate States of America, Republic of Texas, and the United States of America.

ya, I knew all those by heart too.

love me some Texas history - they don't call me a Texas girl for nothing!!

Dinner Theater

Ya'll know that our only form of entertainment these days is the Baby.  He keeps up in stitches at the dinner table.....

For weeks we had to work on "momma" - I know he knew who I was all along....just wanted to make me go bonkers trying to get him to point me out.....

And he is always ready to show his signs.....

These were from a few weeks ago and in just that short time, he has started using more & more words.  "Wa-Wa", "Cheer-o's" & "fish" are some of his favorites!

We are just loving this stage - and you can tell that this Bubba never tires from all the attention.

These are my Confessions...

Wow- lots of posts from me this week huh?  In between painting 2 rooms, taking care of a sick girl, learning shapes with the Bubba Boy, and trying to fit in some runs, when....when have I had anytime to write??  I don't know...but here I go again.  
I have quietly been reading these Confessional posts for the past few weeks, thinking very snootily to myself- "I don't have anything to confess".......until this week......
So, here are my confessions.......
I Confess....that I had a roller coaster of a week with tons of ups & downs and I took it out on my dear sweet blogging friends when I didn't have but 2 comments on a funny post.....
but
you guys lifted me up and put me back on earth at the same time.  I am in it (meaning the blog) for ME - no whiny about comments anymore!!
I Confess...that the last four remaining boxes of girl scout cookies are yelling at me.  
Becca......come and eat us....we taste so good.
but they really don't.  I am so over gs cookies - they have been in my house since the first week of January and I am sick of them.  Those damn thin mints don't even taste good anymore.
sick sick sick
and I have this warped sense that the faster I eat them, the quicker they will go away.
I need Matt to hide them from me....and muffle out their voices.....
I Confess...that I am the only Gleek in the neighborhood.  When I post on The Facebook (cuz that's what big daddy Mark calls it) about the latest episode,  the comments I get back are from afar.  
And when I send out the massive text to all my IRL friends to see if anyone wants to go to the Glee sing along tonight - get get nothing - weird looks - shaking heads in dismay.....
But that's ok - I found 2 friends who are kinda on the fence and are going to go with me tonight.  
But I think they will think twice about that decision when I show up dressed as Emma Pillsbury.  

I Confess...that I never enter any giveaways on your blogs b/c I frankly never win.  WHOA.  Hold the cart.  I won not once 
but
wait for it....
TWICE THIS WEEK!!!!!  
Mammarazzi gave me a sweet necklace for St. Paddy's Day
AND
I just found out that I won a $40 gc to CSN from Miss Jennifer Katherine herself!!!  
Wow - the moral of the story?
Throw yourself a pity party and see what gifts come your way!!!  Woo-Hoo!!
I Confess...I have spent WAYYYYYYYY too much time on the computer this week - researching a girls weekend in Austin in May, searching for curtain ideas for the living room, looking at summer camp options for the kids, determining what our summer plans will be (to travel or stay home?)....
enough....
you get the picture....
that's why this post has to be short......
gotta get outside and enjoy the sunshine with the Bubba Bear 
Anyone up for a run??  Gotta work off those cookies......