Rascal Flatts Concert

Our 9th anniversary is coming up this week, so to celebrate we got tickets to see Rascal Flatts last night. It was awesome. Our last concert was two years ago, so it was fun to get out to another one.

Sam in front of the entrance.

Some nerdy guy in front of the entrance.

I was going to try to start a mosh pit, but then I saw this sign. Oh well.

This is the view we had from our seats. They weren't too bad.

At least we didn't have to sit in the general lawn area like these people. The spots there are first come first serve. It was crazy how many people were packed back there.

Before we went to our seats, we got a couple of bottles of water at the low low price of $4 each. They said they had to take the lids off as part of the event center's policy. I guess they take the lids so that people don't throw the bottles. Why would someone go to a concert and possibly throw a bottle at the stage?

Well, if Cledus T. Judd is the warm up act, you might throw something at him. If they hadn't taken the lid off my bottle, I would have thrown mine. The dumb thing about him (well, one of them) was there was no band backing him, so he was singing karoke to his own songs. Luckily, he only sang three songs.

After Cledus was Darius Rucker. Hootie!!! I really liked his set. I love me some Hootie and the Blowfish. He sang some songs from his country album, and he threw in a couple songs from Cracked Rear View, which was good for everyone around us because if he didn't I was planning on standing up and yelling for Hootie to come back. I like his country stuff too, it was pretty good.

Rascal Flatts was pretty fun to watch. They did some songs with their whole band, then midway through they brought out the piano and did some more laid back stuff. They brought a little girl on stage and the guy (whose name I do not know) sang "My Wish" to her. They were really good. I enjoyed it.

For their encore, they brought Hootie out! They sang "Only Wanna Be With You" together, which was the coolest part of the show. Go Hootie!!! They sang a couple of Rascal Flatts songs together too. We had a pretty good time. It's fun doing stuff like that.

Kindergarten Graduate

Andi graduated from Kindergarten last Friday. Woo hoo! Only twelve more years of school to go! And the another for or five. And then another four. Woo hoo!

There she is up on the stage with her diploma. How exciting!

Here she is with Mrs. Owen. On Saturday she was saying "I miss Mrs. Owen." I think Sam and I both pointed out that she usually doesn't see Mrs. Owen on Saturday.

Next year, Dylan will be in Kindergarten and Andi in First Grade. That may cut down Sam's stress level considerably.

So It Begins...

Andi came home from school the other day with a big picture one of her friends made for her in art class. There was a smaller piece of paper glued to the center of the picture with a phone number scrawled on it. Andi said "My friend Tawnee wrote her phone number down. She wants me to call her." Hmmm, ok.

I helped her dial the phone and told her to ask for Tawnee. They started talking and Andi headed up to her room so she could talk in private. I even got a pretty good icy glare when I dared to enter the room and take this picture. It's like she's been practicing for this moment for a while.So, this is how the whole "daughter dominates the phone" thing starts. I look forward to not being able to use the phone for years to come.

NBA Finals Preview

It's time for the NBA Finals! Woo hoo! Here's my breakdown of the matchups and my prediction for who is going to win.

Center

Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum
Ok, Dwight Howard is good. Andrew Bynum is not good. Howard dresses up like Superman and is an athletic freak of nature. Bynum wears Superman underoos.
Dwight has a cool name. Who doesn't like the name Dwight? I love it. I think it's because of Dwight on "The Office". I'm thinking of renaming Peyton Dwight just for fun. Andrew, not so cool. He can't really go by Bynum either, because that just sounds like a word from Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary.
Advantage: Orlando

Forward

They used to be cavemen. Now they are Forwards.

Unfrozen Caveman Forwards!
I don't know, this one is a toss up. I think it's the people with HDTVs that lose this matchup.
Advantage: Standard Definition


Not As Ugly Forwards

Lamar Odom vs Rashard Lewis
Lewis is 6'10" and is hitting three pointers like nobody's business. Lamar Odom likes moonlit walks on the beach and recreational marijuana use. Always vote against the hippies!
Advantage: Orlando

Guard

Kobe is better than anyone the Magic can throw at him. If they actually pick people up and throw them at him, he may be in trouble, otherwise the Lakers are in pretty good shape at guard.
Advantage: Lakers

Bench

Adam Morrison is on the Lakers bench. Though he hardly ever plays, his good looks and enthusiasm will provide a much needed spark during timeouts.
Advantage: Lakers.

My Prediction

They'll win in 6 games. Why? Kobe is my age. I've got to cheer for the old guy. You never know, it could be his last Finals before he starts going downhill. Plus I cheered for the Magic when they were in the Finals back in 1995. They got swept by the Rockets. I cried myself to sleep on my pile of Magic shirts while wearing my Magic hat and asked my Shaq and Penny poster "Why?" Never again.

Traitor

I feel so betrayed. I thought that I had taught my kids better than this. It just shows you that no matter how hard you try to teach your kids something, they still make their own decisions.

This morning my son was wearing this:



Even though we live near Dallas, I still refuse to cheer for them. It's a matter of principle. The Cowboys and 49ers were bitter rivals in the mid 90's, and I couldn't stand the Cowboys, and that still holds true. I tried to explain that to my kids, but they apparently don't listen. :(

Why does he have this shirt? Sam's friend Heather gave it to us because her son outgrew it. <sarcasm>Thanks, Heather.</sarcasm>

Oh, and if you like the Cowboys and are going to tell me the 49ers stink, let me ask you this: What year did the Cowboys last win a playoff game? 1997? The 49ers won one in 2002. Ha!

Finally!

Can it be? A new post! Don't get too excited...it's gonna be short. I was so excited, I just had to share. Our baby will be 18 months old in 4 days, which means big news around our house.

First, it means Soni gets to start going to the nursery at church. This is the first time that Cameron and I have sent a kid to nursery without anticipating the arrival of another child, so it's big news all in itself-but that's not the only reason for our excitement.

Next, once Soni finishes cutting her canines, (soon, hopefully) we will be officially done teething. Considering Cameron and I have been going through intermittent bouts of teething for something like 7 years...this will be a nice change of pace.

And last but not least...18 months old means (following the tradition of Andi) that my baby finally has enough hair to do something with! Both my girls have sported mullets due to the fact that they were both born with so much more hair in the back, and I didn't have the heart to trim it. But alas, the time has finally come where our patience has been rewarded, and Soni's diligence has paid off. Without further ado, here is what Soni looked like yesterday (before she rubbed macaroni in her hair, that is):









Personally, my favorite thing is that the bows are bigger than the pigtails, but hey, it's a start.

Helping

Peyton is at that stage where he likes to help do things. Sometimes his helping is really sweet and actually helpful, like when he helps Soni walk down the stairs.



Then there are times when his helping isn't really helpful. The other day, he decided he wanted to clean, so he went and got a bottle of OxiClean® Laundry Stain Remover and started spraying it all over the walls. Unfortunately, the bottle says "Do not use on painted surfaces". Oh well, at least he didn't decide to clean the carpets with bleach.

Easter

I am just now getting around to posting pictures of the kids on Easter morning. Oops.

Here are all the kids with their cousin Krew, who was here with Uncle Brandon and Aunt Diedre. Brandon and Diedre are like the coolest people ever! You guys rock!

Soni is looking all grown up.

Peyton's been doing this posing thing for pictures lately. At least he's not at the "I'm not sure how to smile" stage...

...like this guy is. He actually kept the sport coat and tie on the whole time.

Here's Andi. She was pretty excited about her dress because it was pink.

Hey look, pictures

Here are some pictures from Peyton's birthday:

Dylan looks over Peyton's shoulder in amazement. "It's a pillow. It's a book. It's Cars. I'm going to steal it!"

Ok, he didn't get just Cars stuff, he just did a good job posing in this picture.

It's the birthday boy "Peylon" and his groovy cake.

Andi refused to eat her dinner because her tummy ached. As she was leaving the table she said "I think cake and ice cream will make my tummy better." Yeah, look how well that worked out for her.

"Mmmm cake.

Happy birthday, Peyton!

Happy Birthday Peyton

Our little man turns three today. Holy cow, time flies when it's not your first kid. Now that he's three, I can start charging him a quarter for every diaper change. He got birthday money, so I know he has some cash.