A Whole Lotta Nothing......Kind Of

Yall.  I've been totally MIA.  Been at my friend Holly's house, nursing her back to health after surgery.  She's doing well and things are looking up!

Got a few random pics for you.  Lots more to come.

Sprinkles La Jolla......been open for one year......we randomly visited on their 1 year anniversary.

Guess who was there?

Candace Nelson.  Sprinkles guru and all around dessert extraordinaire.

This created quite a stir.  I didn't get a picture of her.  But, she's in there.

Such a dainty flower.  Emily Post would be proud.

I referenced Emily Post recently and someone didn't know who I was talking about. 

Impulsive Addict?  Was that you?

Jack and Lainey attended an Angry Bird party recently.  I won't show you all the pictures because I plan on copying the entire party for Jack in April.

Aint no shame in my game.

My sweet friend, Katherine, from LSU sent the fam a King Cake recently.

King Cake is an old Mardi Gras tradition.  It's a delicious old tradition.

I never cared for it until just recently, when every calorie counted.  Why did I not eat more of it in college when I was getting all that exercise, walking to and from the bars?

Jack loves King Cake most.  He got the baby for the 2nd year in a row.

What is the baby, you ask?

Click here.

Want to know my latest fantastic purchase?

Got this cardboard playhouse for $10 from Walgreens.  The kids have painted and colored and adapted it to their own.  We moved it outside and it's been a total hit.

Regular $35.  Love it!

Moving out of the Davidge house Tuesday morning.

Back to our crazy life.

Not that life here isn't crazy.

Off to the harbor soon to look for sting rays, sea lions and other sea life.  Then, down to the beach for some photos of the kids for Mike, deployed to Afghanistan.  Hope he loves them.

I'm also planning several visits for friends here and then a couple of trips, too.  Britney and fam are coming in for Spring Break.  We're going to have a blast!

Yall up to anything exciting?  Back soon!

Scoop + A Controversial Message That Not Everyone Will Agree With

A sweet dog named Cali has learned to wiggle herself into our iron fence.  She visited us twice over the weekend.  The kids now think she's adoptable.

No chance.  She has a collar and a family who loves her.  Hard for little ones to understand.

Lainey and I went to the Just Hatched studio on Friday for a photo shoot.  Pics coming soon!

She swiped the lollipop on her way out.  Yum.

I had a martini for the first time in forever Friday night.  Even yummier.

Cali's second visit.  She sure is cute.  Labra-doodle.

Look at how big Finn is!  She didn't think Cali was so cute.

"Wook, Mom.  Der friends.  Wet's keep Cali!"

Our little basketball star scored the game winning point in overtime on Saturday.

He doesn't stand out as much as he did last year because he's not allowed to take 3 point shots and is involved in plays and more of a strategy to the game as compared to his previous season.

So, it was fun to see him get some of the glory this game.

I absolutely loved the mailboxes on this post. 

I didn't have the time to search high and low for candle sticks like the tutorial suggested, so we had to brainstorm.  Carter helped me.

The final product........Davidge kids' Valentine holders.

Easy peasy lettering.

Created both families' boxes at the same time.  I'll take a pic of ours and our Valentine mantle soon enough.

Mailbox stems were created from tiny soda cans.

It worked!  Carter suggested toilet paper rolls, but we didn't think we'd be able to come up with 7 at a moment's notice.  So, I suggested this method.  Happy it turned out so well.

Love the art for this season!

While visiting Holly and kids, I showed Ainsley how to paint with pudding.

(Can you tell I miss babies?  No rational mother of one would do this for fun.)

She did more eating and less painting.

Seriously the easiest baby ever.  Love her.

OK, and now for a little controversy.

This article is getting a lot of attention along with tons of moms chanting "Totally agree!" on Facebook.

And, I don't agree with it.

And, I'm kind of resentful of it.  I don't like the message and it's not just because I am one of "those moms" who does "Carpe diem" each day.

I'm here to tell you that it DOES go fast.  I turned around the other day and realized that my oldest will be 12 this year and my youngest will be 5.  Five, people.  It breaks my heart.

I'm proud to "Carpe diem" each day because I think that is what our children deserve.  This by no means suggest that our lives are perfect or even all that pretty most of the time.  But, my kids and my husband and my family and my friends and my life gets 100% out of me nearly every day.  Life is so short.  And, parenting is a tough, exhausting job, but it's one that I cherish. 

I understand that the author's main objective was to encourage the reader to accept that parenting is a tough job and that not every day will be easy.  But, in a way, I think this might enable parents to give less than what their children are deserving of.

Does that make sense?

Oh, and I WILL be one of those old ladies in the grocery store saying, 

 "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Because it does.

Movies and Books

The Descendants is good.  Clooney is fantastic in this unbelievable tale of wondering just how much more this guy can take from life.  Loved it.  Not all roses and butterflies.....so be prepared.......it's a unique movie.

This one had my head spinning.  I'm still trying to put all of the pieces together.  Great acting and a beautifully made movie.......but I need to see it about 12 more times to follow the entire plot.

That being said, I wish I had seen The Artist instead.  Lots of awards at the Golden Globes.  Looks like fun.

This looks awesome.

Any others I'm missing?  I didn't see New Year's Eve.  Looked like Valentine's Day re-written into a new holiday script. Yes?  I did love Valentine's Day.  But, not sure I need to see it translated.

On to books......

I'm currently in love with Jonathan Franzen. 

Have yall read Freedom?

Same guy.

Caroline gave me 3 of his books for Christmas last year.  Loved Freedom. Couldn't get through Strong Motion.  Loving The Corrections.  I'll give Strong Motion another try after loving the other 2.  Might have just been my mood at the time.

Any favorites lately that I need to read?

I've seen this trailer and it's made me want to read the book.  I don't often do that.....but the story looks quite interesting.

Sometimes I think there's not enough time in one's life for all the books that should be read.

Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Reason #2514 That I Love Having A Blog

I purposely put Jack in this outfit for a Disneyland day recently, remembering this visit in 2006.

Where Carter wore the very same.

Jack, 2012:

And stood next to his dorky parents and fat baby brother with plaid pants and Mickey ears.

Carter, 2006:

Wasn't he the yummiest baby ever?

I told him once that he was my biggest baby......which is no small feat for a middle child......to gain any title in life.......so he's never forgotten it.

8 pounds, 12 ounces.

He reminds Carter and Lainey often.

Why am I skinnier here with a 5 month old in my arms than I am today? 

Diet starts Tuesday!

One of my favorites......

Blogging can be a real pain in the ass.

It takes a lot of time and a lot of patience and it's not always fun.  Sometimes it feels like a job.  But, every now and then, things line up and it's awesome to see where life has taken us.

To see it all unfold.

Since that first trip to Disney with both boys, we've moved from Denver to KC to San Diego and added a kiddo.  Lots can happen in 6 years, folks.

Cheers to blogging!

Dance, Take 2 & Why We Are Done Having Babies

Remember when Lainey started ballet last year?  It didn't last long.  If you remember, the instructor was considering teaching out of her home, but decided it wasn't a good fit for her family.

I'm almost positive it wasn't because The Starnes and McNamara girls were signed up.

Almost positive.

Regardless, we're giving it another try.

This time, at a formal studio with lots of structure and rules and expenses.

In fact, we will spend more this year on ballet and tap than I did on my first car.

True story.

But, how cute is this?

This child was put on the earth to dance and twirl and be Lainey.

I love it.  I love to see her face light up.

I did not like, however, managing kids while trying to figure out how this whole operation works.  Measurements, recitals, dance tights, tap shoes, ballet shoes, leotards, costumes, etc, etc.

Too much.

So, I shall be finding alternative arrangements for the boys moving forward.

Here are Lainey's costumes.

Mary Poppins for ballet and Wonderful World for tap.

They are so over the top cute.

These two goons are a sight to see.

Allison and I didn't know what to do.  They are such a mess.

I will be shocked if they are anywhere near each other on stage come recital time.

So, why are we done having children?

Because if we were to have a 4th and she turn out a girl, we'd be in the poor house.

We're pretty close already.

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Kids are out of school Friday and Monday.

Carter is off to Disneyland with friends and we're staying put to celebrate Rylee's 5th birthday.  Angry Bird style.  I'm not entirely sure what an Angry Bird is, but I will figure it out tomorrow.

Up early and off to La Jolla in the morning. 

Night!