While she's not locking Mommy out of the house, Abby can be downright adorable. :) Here are some photos I took of my little girl yesterday.
Note to self: Hide a house key somewhere in our yard. Why, you ask? Because Abby did something this morning that I didn't know she knew how to do: lock me out of the house. Yep, my 22-month-old daughter locked me out. Locked me out without a cell phone, without shoes, and worse: without make-up. Darn Clean-Up-House Mondays where I don't get too dressed up. But I diverse.
I was in the garage putting back in her car seat (that Matt had forgotten to put in last night, so technically I could blame this entire brouhaha on him... :) ) while Miss Abby Mae sat peacefully on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. After a couple of minutes, I gave up my attempts at clipping the latch on the metal hook, so I went to open the door to the garage so I could get back inside. I went to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. No biggie. Must be jammed, I thought. I turned again. Nothing. Oh boy. Panic didn't set in. Yet. I tried again. I turned and turned and turned that darn knob, but it was futile. Crap. I felt my body temperature beginning to rise suddenly. The realization that I had absolutely no way of getting into our house suddenly hit me. No hidden key. No open window. No daughter who would politely unlock the lock for me. Believe me, I tried that. Abby, unlock the door for Mommy didn't exactly compute with my 22-month-old. Nope. Mickey Mouse was on. And how could I compete with him? He's way cooler than Panicking-Ever-So-More-As-Each-Moment-Passes Mommy.
I spotted a nail on the shelf next to the door. I tried to jiggle it around the keyhole. Did you know that if you try to open a locked door with a nail that the success rate is ZERO? Yep, I figured you knew that. Same goes for a bobby pin. Yep, I tried that too. OK, you can stop laughing now. Anyhoo, thank goodness for the neighbors behind us. Their back door was open, so I ran to the alley and called out to Pam who was nice enough to let me borrow her iPhone. After a two-minute lesson on how to dial on the darn thing (seriously, could it be any more complicated to dial a freakin' number?!), I called Matt. He, in turn, called a locksmith who said it would be 45 minutes to get to our house. For those of you who have kids, envision how much damage he/she could do in that long time span. Holy cow. 45 minutes? No thank you. So, they recommended calling 911. Duh. Guess I should've thought of that sooner.
The entire time I ran from Pam's house to our front yard, I pictured what all Abby could be up to inside our house. Had she climbed onto our dining chairs, onto the table and was swinging on the chandelier? Had she gotten bored with Mickey Mouse, picked up our family Bible and started ripping pages out? Had she turned to HBO and was watching something she shouldn't watch until she's 25? Yikes! All of these visions floated through my head as I ran to peek in the front window by the door. I anxiously peered into the window. What did I see? Something awful? Something dreaful? Nope. There was sweet, innocent little Abby, sitting on the couch watching Mickey. She turned toward me, standing outside like a fool, with a dumbfounded look on her face, as though to say: Mom, what are you doing out there all by yourself? Come in here and watch TV with me. Goofy's dancing, and you're totally missing it!
About that time as I'm talking to Matt on the phone, I hear sirens. Loud sirens. Fire truck sirens. You've got to be kidding me, I thought. When I told Matt what I heard in the distance, he couldn't stop laughing. Why was I so naive to think that Officer Joe would show up, have a magical key, open the door, and all would be well? Oy.
Sure enough, a giant fire truck turned the corner and parked in front of our house, complete with four firemen. By this point, I am so embarrassed I have turned about the same color as the fire truck. Abby has come to the front window to see what all the commotion is about. And I'm praying that no neighbors come out to see what's going on. Fire? Pipe Bomb?? Cougar trapped in your bathroom?!?! Nope, sorry, just a dumb ol' mom locked out of her house. How disappointing!
At that point, Abby had run to the window and had started to get upset. She knew that something wasn't right and didn't understand why Mommy wasn't coming inside, and I tried to reassure her through the glass. Luckily, the fire truck was pretty cool, so she stared and pointed at it for a bit. After several LONG minutes, I saw the back door open, and the firemen were inside. Hip Hip Hooray!! One fireman disputed my self-proclaimed title of Unfit Mother Of The Year. This happens all the time, he assured me. Oh, Thank God. Another fireman suggested I hide a key in our yard. We'd been thinking about that for months now, I told him. I think I'll be doing that this afternoon.
The firemen said their goodbyes, drove away, and I was suddenly exhausted. I think my adrenaline had been running for quite some time. Before naptime, Abby told me she wanted to watch "Boo Doo-uh" (Boots and Dora), and I quickly obliged. Heck, after all that happened, I figured she deserved it (even though she was the one who started this whole thing, she was trapped inside for a long time.) Luckily I don't think it was too traumatizing for her. The instant Dora came on the TV, she was fine. I tell ya, that Dora can fix any problem she might have! :)
Five lessons I learned from this ordeal:
1. Never underestimate your child's abilities. Oh man. At the rate she's going, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow she took the keys to my car and went on a little joyride around the block.
2. Hide a house key in case of emergencies such as this one. Duh. Wish I would've done this a tad sooner.
3. Know your neighbors. Thank you Keith and Pam for helping a sister out!
4. If you have stairs, ALWAYS keep the gate at the bottom of the stairs closed. Thank goodness I had the gate up. If I hadn't, I would have been petrified! Also, I am so grateful I had put up the scissors I had on the table during our "Art Time" this morning. All joking aside, it could have been a lot worse.
5. On another serious note, stash some eyeliner and lip gloss somewhere in your yard in case you ever get locked out. You never know when firemen will show up and you need to look somewhat decent. :)
I can't wait to read The Allen American later this week to see if we made The Police Report. How exciting. If we do, and you want an autographed copy, let me know and I'll send you one. :)
Ah, the joys of parenthood. Kids sure do keep us on our toes (or on the front porch, as the case may be!) don't they??
1. Es el momento de celebrar! Good news: Our Dora is not leaving us. Can you hear me breathing a sigh of relief? Ah! Turns out Nickelodeon got a lot of flak from its release of The New Dora's silhouette, and got an earful from mothers just like yours truly. So, a couple of days ago, they released the actual picture of The New Dora. And, most importantly, they stated that the current, good ol' Dora isn't going anywhere. Turns out this New Dora is aimed for girls ages 5-8, and will be some sort of doll girls can interact with online. Whew. I was worried there for a bit. This New Dora is actually kind of cute. Not nearly as sexy as that silhouette made her out to be, right? I mean, after all, what did Nick expect? Anyhoo, I thought this worthy of an update blog. 
2. I am childless for the next four days! Do not get me wrong. I love my daughter. I would take a bullet for that girl. Honest. But how glorious it has been for Matt and me to have alone time. We actually went to On The Border last night and sat at the bar and had a merry ol' time. Just the two of us. No sippy cups. No picking up crayons that fall to the floor. Just barstools, adult beverages, and no responsibility! Hallelujah!! I slept until 8:30 this morning, watched TV in bed until 10:30, and I barely knew what to do with myself! I actually left the house at 2:30. Unheard of for a stay-at-home mom of a toddler. We are ALWAYS at home between 1:00 and 4:00 for nap time. Not today!! Instead, she is being royally spoiled in Longview with her four grandparents, her great-grandma (MoMo as Abby calls her) and her Baboo (Uncle Chris).
3. The reason I am childless is because we are going out to Lubbock to see our BFFs Kathy and Cary. Stinky, brown Lubbock, here we come!!
4. I got to see my Sister Tenner (Emily) and my favorite nephew Clark this afternoon. It was a fix I desperately needed!! Clark must love me because he majorly spit up on me. Ah, the joys of being an aunt! :) Clark, you owe me $20 in case that stain doesn't come out of my shirt, by the way.
And here are some pics from the last week I'll leave you with:
Adorable hat I picked up from the dollar bin at Target. I heart Target.
Front yard fun
She was very concerned with the poop on the sidewalk!
Is this an I'm-Up-To-Something look or what??
Abby's friend Ava from down the street came over the other morning to play. She showed up in a Texas cheerleading outfit. Oh, the horrors! So, I quickly put on Abby's Tech one. (Nope, she doesn't own an A&M one. I think I would have to somehow sneak it into the house past Tech-Is-Better-Than-Everything Matt). Ah, a Red Raider helping a Longhorn. Would never happen in real life.
Here's a super cute shot I took of Miss Ava. What a doll!!
Also last week, I ventured out to meet the newest member of the Stone family, Miss Emma. And what a cutie she is!
And here's her adorable big sis Harper. Is this girl not model material?
She insisted of being photographed with her baby doll. I love this pic.
I'm all in a tizzy. Or as Dora would put it, estoy en un frenesÃ!! And I feel like I have a good reason why. Last week, I saw on the news where Dora The Explorer was getting a makeover. No big deal, I thought. She could use a longer shirt. Lord knows I don't always enjoy seeing her little belly day after day, and, let's be honest, those two stray hairs on top of her head need to be plucked. No big deal. Boy, was I wrong. Here is current Dora, the Dora Abby and I, and millions of other kids have grown to love...
...and here's the new, updated version Nickelodeon revealed last week. They will only give the public this silhouette, but as you can see, she's thinner, has longer hair, had lost the shorts and taken up a super-short mini skirt, and, well, has grown up. And I'm not happy about it. Not one bit. Especially when I asked Abby who that was in the picture below. She looked at it, waited three seconds, and then replied, "Mommy!" Argh. Albeit flattering, it was not exactly the answer I was hoping for.
I have grown to love chunky, non-matching, kind-of-dorky-but-hip-in-a-strange-way Dora. She's the kind of girl I could be friends with. I could sit by her on the bus, call her to double check Spanish homework, ride bikes with. Heck, she's the All-American-Mexican girl next door. :) This new Dora seems like the kind of girl straight out of the movie Mean Girls. You know, the girl who sits at that lunch table, surrounded by cheerleaders and football players, thinking of ways to humiliate girls like the old Dora. Know what I mean? Oh, woe is me!
Sure, last year parents were up in arms because Strawberry Shortcake got a hip, new makeover. Well, I don't give a hoot about Strawberry Shortcake. I give a hoot about Dora. And she seems to be growing up waaaaaaay too fast for me.
I can just see the changes now:
And here's how I imagine Backpack's new segment will go:
Hola! I'm Backpack. Dora needs you to help find her lip gloss. Is this her lip gloss? No! That's her High School Musical 3 DVD. Is this her lip gloss? No! That's her Midol. Is this her lip gloss? No! That's the Grey Goose she stole from her mami and papi's liquor cabinet. Is this her lip gloss? No! That's her thong. Is this her lip gloss? No! That's her brochure for Planned Parenthood.
Yeesh. Are we ready for this new Dora?? All kidding aside, I'll give it a chance. But if my soon-to-be-two-year-old starts asking to grow her hair out long and drink a Slim Fast or two to slim down a bit, I think I'm going to go loco.
Some of you know that Matt had minor surgery on Friday to remove a cyst that has been causing him pain on his lower back for months. I accompanied him to surgery bright and early Friday morning (6:30, to be exact), and man, I never realized how H-O-T he looks in a surgical gown and cap! Watch out ladies! (I love you, babe, if you're reading this!) :) Anyway, he was quite the trooper. Once I was able to see him after surgery, he was totally out of it. Here's how our conversation went after he was in recovery and was finally coming out of the anesthesia:
Now to the pictures from the last several days:
My newest favorite picture of Abby
Oh my gosh! Stop the presses! A picture of me and Abby! 
A true Southern gal: Playing in the backyard with no pants on. That's how we roll with Texas weather.
Abby with her BeBe and Pops
Here she is at breakfast this morning. I have no words.
Another one of my new favorite pictures. I don't really know why though. As I was sitting in the backyard, I noticed that she and the ball and frisbee were completely color coordinated. Too good of a pic to pass up.
Lastly, I'll leave you with my Sunday School lesson I taught yesterday. (Side note: I really enjoyed teaching yesterday. I felt like "Mrs. Tenner" again. It was kind of exciting.) Also, if any of you Sunday School members happen to be reading this: thanks for not making fun of me for making handouts. At least I didn't give a pop quiz, right?! Anyhoo, I taught a lesson on worrying, and I thought I'd share two of my main points:
1. Worry replaced by Prayer = Trust. Read that a couple of times and let it sink in. Hard to do sometimes, honestly. But that's why it's called FAITH, right?
2. Scripture to remember: Matthew 6:27: Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? In other words, worrying is going to do you absolutely no good. (Unless, of course, you suspect your husband is having an affair with a stranger named Brenda...) Just kidding. :)
Here's to a great week, everyone!
1. What end up being some of my favorite pictures of Abby are those that come completely by surprise. Take yesterday afternoon for example. I had my camera in the front yard to snap pics of Miss Abby as she pushed Pooh around in her stroller. I snapped, snapped away. They were OK pics, fairly generic. Nothing that screamed "Frame me and hang me on the wall!" But sometimes I surprise myself with what I happen to click. Here are two of my new favorite pics below:
I love this pic. I happened to catch Abby looking across the street (I think at our neighbor's black cat), and somehow got a perfect profile shot. Funny thing is, I didn't even have my camera up to my eye. I just held out the camera, clicked the button, and this is what I ended up with (thanks to a little editing, of course.)
Abby then insisted on going to our neighbors' house to say hi to them. Is it as obvious to you as it is to me that they're not at home?! I think she would have sat there all day if I would have let her.
2. I'm hoping our second child is as relaxed and content as our new nephew Clark. He still has yet to cry! Amazing! I've always heard that the second child is completely different from the first, so Jason and Emily may end up with a little hellion next time around!! So, enjoy little Clark now, guys! :)
Kissing cousins
3. I caught Abby getting into this whole Mardi Gras thing a bit too much.... It's cute when they're 21 months, but no so much when they're 21 years old, right? 
4. I'm thinking about hiring out Abby as a maid. She does a spectacular job with the floors. I figure the extra income can't hurt, right? At least until we figure out where to buy those trees that money grows on... 
5. Speaking of extra money, have you seen how much children's shoes cost?? We went to Stride Rite this morning (the Outlet, mind you), and the sandals I wanted for Abby were over $20. Call me crazy, but that's expensive. Or do I just need a reality check? I could get two pairs for the same price at good ol' Target. Gosh, I'm cheap. Ugh.
6. The Terrible Twos are beginning to grace our house. Have they visited yours yet? Abby's newest (and quite overused phrase, frankly) is "No, Mommy!" Sigh. Here's how a conversation might go at our house:
Abby, do you love me? No, Mommy. Abby, do you love Daddy? No, Mommy. Abby, is your name Abby? No, Mommy. Abby, does a cow say moo? No, Mommy. Abby, if you could eat ice cream all day, would you? No, Mommy. Abby, do I look fat in these jeans? No, Mommy. (Well, I guess it can't always be a bad thing to say, right??)
She soooo loves testing the waters. But the funny thing is, after she says "no, no, no" she can flip a switch and say, "I love you, Mommy" and proceed to give me a big hug and a kiss. It melts my heart. Here's hoping that the Terrible Twos go away before she actually turns two!! :)
Here she is with her Baboo (Uncle Chris). They have so much fun together!
7. I'm officially addicted to Girl Scout cookies. I ordered the Tagalongs, you know, the chocolate and peanut butter kind. It's like Heaven in a red box. And I think the box will be empty by sundown. :(
