Grumpy Old Men 3

What a fun day at the Baysinger house! Around 10:30 am we decided we should venture to the pool for the first time this year. After about 30 minutes of packing every toy we own into the pool bag, changing the baby, feeding the baby, changing the baby again and sunscreening everyone except the baby (he's not 6 months old yet) - we finally made it out the door. The water was freezing so we ended up spending more time preparing for the trip than we actually spent AT the pool. Oh well - good first effort.

At 1pm we headed out to the slushy stand to meet up with some friends. One of the friends, Sharon, was an online buddy only - until today! I felt like we were meeting for the first time after some torrid internet affair. Ha! :) I officially love her to pieces. Anyway - the slushy stand wasn't open yet, so we ventured over to McDonald's. Apparently the three elderly gentlemen in our area weren't so happy to be surrounded by 11 children because at one point one of the men seriously yelled LOUDLY at the children to quiet them down. I was in the restroom changing the baby when it happened, and I heard it from there! When I came out, it was clear from the look on every mom's face that we were leaving - right then. We didn't realize Warner Brothers was filming Grumpy Old Men III today in the Andover McDonald's. The kids really weren't being THAT bad. Who could possibly yell at these sweet little cherubs:After leaving McDonald's, we went to Walnut Valley Country Store and picked up some tomato plants. Marcus and I simply HAD to own a Topsy Turvy after seeing the infomercial. It came last week and we hadn't gotten a plant for it yet. Mason wanted to plant a tomato plant, too, and here he is with both. Dig those overalls and the hat!

Gimme That Burrito

Our sweet baby Max, whom I affectionately refer to as "Chubzy Ubzy" (anyone remember the Little Rascals?) is about to eat us out of house and home. This is one hungry kiddo. I started him on rice cereal about a week ago, but that ain't cuttin' it. I swear he lunged after Marcus today and tried to wrestle a burrito out of his hands! Today was Max's first experience with baby food. I started with squash and he loved it! He kept opening his little mouth SO wide after swallowing each bite hoping for another spoonful - it was sooo cute. Here is a pic my sweet little chubzy with a "squash face":

Blogging Mom

Q. How do you know when you've officially become an obsessed blogging mom?
A. When you spot the dog licking the baby, and instead of making him stop, you hope he keeps licking until you find the camera! (For the record, Max was loving it and giggling like crazy!)

Men & Barbque

I've read this in a few places, but it always cracks me up. Since this is the weekend of the barbecue, I thought it was timely.

When a man volunteers to BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the
necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging
beside the grill.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning.
He thanks her and asks if she will bring him another drink while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(10) Everyone PRAISES and THANKS THE MAN for his cooking efforts.

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off.’ And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women!!

The God of Lightning

Awhile back I mentioned that I'm the proud parent of a true strong-willed child. I thought I'd share a couple of glimpses into our life confirming the fact.

After Mason had misbehaved for the umpteenth time one day...
Me: Mason - it's not only about obeying your parents because we tell you to, but it's about doing what God wants you to do.
Mason: Good thing it's cloudy outside. God can't see me today.

Me: Mason, you didn't ask permission to drink that pop. Remember - you're not just disobeying me. You need to do what God wants you to do.
Mason: (steps outside and looks to the sky) You gonna boss me about this pop?
Marcus (to Mason): Did she mention that God is in charge of LIGHTNING?

And Now...The Rest Of The Story

We're back from the ACM Award Show in Las Vegas. Blake did NOT run off with either Martina McBride or Carrie Underpants Underwood. We did NOT win the jackpot. I did NOT stay behind to pursue a career as a showgirl. We DID have a great trip. We DID get to see lots of super famous people. We ARE happy to be back home with our awesome kiddos.

I hate to bore everyone with too many details, but there is just so much to report! We were provided a fancy schmancy suite at the new Palazzo hotel - sister hotel of the Venetian. It was amazing...other than the fact that two people got stuck in the elevator on the 28th floor and Blake witnessed the fight between the EMS people and the hotel people as they blamed each other for not being able to get the stuck pair out! I don't know when they finally retrieved those poor folks - last I saw, the EMT's had a wheelchair and some oxygen tanks as they waited.

Blake got to see Lennox Lewis as he walked through our hotel casino. I was so jealous. That's what I get for shopping instead of gambling. Wait a minute...

The Awards Show was amazing. Our seats were pretty good - especially since they were free! I could see the shiny part of Dr. Phil's head perfectly from where I was sitting. It's so different to be there vs seeing it on TV. The room was so much smaller than it appears televised. They must pan it in such a way to make it appear huge, because in reality it isn't very big. Lots of people were trying to buy our tickets. I swear, Blake had a number in mind and I would have been watching the show from the room if someone would have had enough cash.

The after party was a lot of fun, too. There was tons of food and Dr. Pepper (sponsor), so I was in 7th Heaven. I bet I drank a six pack of Diet DP that night. It was in a smaller room than the televised event, though larger than last year's room, so the potential for elbow rubbing wasn't what we were promised. *pout* We did wander up to the stage and were able to get very close to several superstars. It was great. I am sad to report that we didn't really "meet" anyone famous. My best friend from back home did text me from the airport as they were leaving. She had run in to the 90's group McBride and the Ride. She was so ecstatic, as she's a true country music fan and knew exactly who they were. Somehow I bet they were as pleased as she was.

One of my favorite parts of the trip occurred in the last 15 minutes of our final flight. There were two guys sitting behind us who appeared to be in their late 20's. Their conversation had been prime for eavesdropping the entire trip, but it was the following two exchanges that were deemed blog worthy:

After noticing irrigation fields out his window...
Guy #1: Dude - look out the window...crop circles! Seriously - freakin' crop circles. Freakin' crop circles!

After long, whispered discussion about the nudity found on international beaches...
Guy #2: It's just not that big of a deal overseas. There's such a stigmata on that type of thing here.
Blake: How did I get these weird holes in my hands?
Me: Ouch - my side hurts.

As we got off the plane, I couldn't help but strike up conversation with them. Turns out they are engineers with AT&T. They're here to "make it all happen" with AT&T's U-Verse. Pierced, tattooed computer gurus. They looked more like mechanics from Pimp My Ride!

Great trip - great memories.

Home Sweet Home

We're home from the ACM Award Show trip, but let me tell you - we are changed people. Where do I start! How about with the most exciting stuff! The award show was simply amazing. We had great seats. Blake and I were sitting between Dr. Phil and his wife (my side) and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (Blake's side) who weren't up for any awards this year - so sad. Most of you probably don't know this, but Blake dabbles in writing country music lyrics. He had written out one of his songs, and passed it over to Tim McGraw during the show. He loved it! He said that he's going to call Blake about recording it, and even gave us the phone numbers to his "people" to set up a date! I about died. I was mad at him for bothering Tim McGraw at first, but after everything unfolded, I was ecstatic. I didn't say much to Dr. Phil. I was honestly too starstruck. He's a very big man. After the Award Show we wandered over to the after party. Can you say amazing! We were sitting with our friends, but then Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman ended up at our table, too. Blake has issues with Keith Urban (outspoken Democrat) and they ended up almost going to blows over a few key issues. What a nightmare. He DID, however, get a chance to remind Martina McBride about the time she was waitressing in the cat suit. She pulled him up on stage and they told the story to the whole crowd. Everyone was cracking up, and I was just a tad jealous, I must say. That's when I really could have used Dr. Phil. After the party we went back to the hotel, and on a whim I put a quarter in a slot machine. Would you believe I hit the Wheel of Fortune Jackpot! It had built up to just over $75,000 and I swear every light, bell and whistle in that casino went off! Security had to come over and make me fill out a bunch of paperwork. THEN - I guess I must have really been making a scene because the talent recruiter for one of the Vegas shows came over and asked me if I'd like to audition to be one of their showgirls! He was probably just trying to get a piece of my winnings, so I told him I wouldn't be interested but it was an honor just to be asked.

I can't think of any other stories to make up, so that's it for now. I'll post the real story after I get some rest and do my laundry.