Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts

Thursday, April 22, 2010

18 tidbits about my 18 year old

In honor of Chandler's 18th birthday, I have compiled a list of 18 things I want to always remember about him and his childhood. These are just but a few of the funny, neat or just plain silly things he has done over the years. Like the time he sneezed on a brand newborn Hunter or when I caught him drinking his prescription bubble gum flavored antibiotic with a crazy straw as if it were no big deal... I sure hope the internet stays put, since I don't wanna forget all this. I am getting old, ya know!?

1. The first morning I woke up at home with my new baby Chandler, I couldn't find him. He was under the covers next to my feet. Not sure how he got down there. We had been nursing and sleeping, or so I thought... I have since perfected the art of co-sleeping, either with my hubby or my kiddos.

2. I was gonna name him Chandler Mackensie- regardless of gender. I picked his first name from a magazine article about a guitar player named Chandler who went by Chan. This same guitar player is now in the band Blues Traveler. I later saw the name in a book, The Prince of Tides. This time it was a little girl named Chandler and I knew then that my baby would be named Chandler.

3. Chandler has always been a big boy. I would often get scolded by nosy people for giving him binkies and bottles when he was so big. People thought he was closer to 4 when he was really only 2. He weighed 50 pounds when he was 2!

4. His first word was BEAST, he was about 10 months old. At the time his favorite movie was Beauty and the Beast. He used to take his binky out, say BEAST and then stick it back in.

5. Barney the big purple dinosaur was hugely popular when Chandler was little. He started out crawling like a baboon with his butt in the air and when he finally learned to walk, he would walk like Barney. Or in other words- stomp around like a dinosaur.

6. Chandler has always been a master at making messes. He was always getting into trouble with ooey gooey substances. Once, he tried to cram oatmeal in the VCR. He also cracked eggs on the TV, which made a nice little scramble on the wood grain. Other favorites- smearing butter on the kitchen floor and more than once emptying an entire container of baby powder. So not fun to clean.

7. He used to love to walk with me and his aunts to our grandma's house. Once there he would put on her slippers and get into her chair where he would feast on peanuts and homemade chocolate chip cookies. This snack would be accompanied by a Diet Coke, with a straw. When she passed away, he asked for her slippers- and he got them.

8. Chan is my kiddo of quirky Halloween costumes. A few of my favorites: Hamburglar and one year he was a Rastafarian, complete with dreads and dark brown skin. I am not sure what I mixed together to make him "black" but it was pretty dang cute.

9. Chandler is super duper crazy smart. He has taken the gifted talented test at school EVERY year since 2nd grade and every year he fails on purpose. He doesn't want to be grouped with the gifted kids and he most certainly doesn't want to have to do more homework than absolutely necessary.

10. He has been in 4 spelling bees, from 2nd to 6th grades. He won 3 of them at the school level and then immediately bombed at the district level. Two words that I remember him messing up on- neighborhood and fauna. Weird what we remember as moms huh?

11. Chandler was afraid of big in ground swimming pools for years and years and it wasn't until after he was 10 or so that he would leave the steps or side of the pool even though he towered above the top of the water. Funny thing is, now he spends more time in our pool than any of us.

12. He LOVES ketchup! More than any other edible substance on Earth. Like, it's a freakin' tragedy if we are out of ketchup. I gifted him with a basket of 18 different varieties for his birthday. He'll eat it on everything from burgers to egg rolls to pizza.

13. He once broke my sister Kelli's cat's pelvis by closing it in a drawer. It only cost $200 bucks to stick a balloon up the cat's butt to fix it....

14. He used to love to color so much. He had a special name for the crayons and to this day I can't figure out the connection. He called them gobies. So cute!

15. He has good taste in friends! He has about 6 close friends who are REDHEADS! It's gotta have something to do with his mom being a redhead. Ok, maybe they're drawn to his red beard. I am hoping for redheaded grandchildren!

16. One of his favorite things to do with his grandpa was "ghost hunting". My dad would drive him around at night to all the areas in town that had long winding roads or little to no street lights and they would "hunt for ghosts".

17. He has not acclimated to driving as well as he would like to. Case in point- he recently drove my van to pick Hunter up from a friend's house and he hit a brick mailbox with my bumper. He used black nail polish, black craft paint and an old pair of boxer shorts to repair the damage. He was genuinely shocked when we figured it out.

18. He gets panicky when he's sick or super sun burnt. His one cure all-to walk around buck naked. That crazy kid has surprised more than one person walking around in the buff....

And one to grow on- He told us today that he wants to be an astronaut. This child of mine who vomited when he got a hair on his toothbrush, and when he smelled a bad fart, and when he saw the dog eat a poopy diaper. This same kid who is not too thrilled with roller coasters wants to be an ASTRONAUT?!

Oh brother....

On my Chan-Man

I have been wanting to sit down and blog about Chandler for quite some time, but haven't really had a ton of time to devote to the kind of post I wanted to do. I am determined to get this finished before dawn... Way back in March, Chandler celebrated his 18th birthday. Which, is a huge milestone for so many reasons: he is legally considered an adult now, he can vote, he's old enough to work at Target (score), etc etc. But, the biggest milestone for me personally was that I never imagined I could raise a kid, let alone get one to adulthood. And yes, I know he is barely an adult.

I am not sure how many of you guys that read this know that Chandler has a different father, whom he has never met and that I met his step-dad Jon (who is HIS DAD, regardless of genetics) when he was almost 3. Yes, I was a "single" mom although I did live with my sisters and my parents. I was responsible for his care as much as I physically, emotionally, and financially could- whenever I could. I mainly relied on backup from my sisters because I didn't want my parents to think I couldn't handle a kid, my kid. You see, I had only been 17 for a few short months whenever I got pregnant. I was a statistic- an unwed, pregnant teenager. I was also nearly 16 weeks along before I even found out I was expecting. I strongly suspected it, but was in massive denial and didn't really know where or whom to turn to. It wasn't until I finished up a session at Summer school that I had a few of my friends drive me to a free clinic in Dallas. I pretty much knew I was pregnant, I just needed confirmation. As if the sore breasts, nausea, and terrible exhaustion weren't a big enough clue. So silly, but I remember giving a fake name in case the nurse at the clinic decided to tattle on me. Once I found out I kept it between me, my sisters, and my friends who took me to the clinic. I had always known that I wasn't meant to be your typical young adult, I had felt it since I was a little girl. I just didn't know what my future held- but I was about to find out, quick! I managed to keep my secret for a few weeks and it wasn't until a huge fight with my mom did the cat jump out of the bag. I was terrified of what my dad would say/think. Instead, I think for the first time in several years a light seemed to shine on our family. Little did I know what joy, hope, and happiness he would bring to all of us. Which is what brings me to this post- Chandler's 18th birthday is such a huge milestone because he came into this world 2 weeks after I turned 18. I could go on and on about my life thus far with the Chanster, but I won't. Simply put, yes there were and will continue to be hard days. But, for every hard moment there have been a thousand more awesome ones. I will say that I was headed down the wrong path, doing all kinds of foolish crap and I 100% believe that Chandler saved my life and came into this world when I and my family needed it most. He is such a cool, awesome, smart, funny, quirky kid and I am alot proud and truly honored that he picked me to be his mommy.

gettin' his hair did


me (19) and Chan (1)


Senior night at his school (back in October)


me and Chan and Cam on his 18th birthday (sorta blurry)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

My kind of day!

Jon and I celebrated our birthday (yes, we were both born on February 28th) on Saturday by doing a few of the things we enjoy. I slept in until NOON! Meanwhile, Jon went to work and afterwards took the kids to the BMX track for some practice. While they were gone I piddled around the house (cleaning and Facebook-ing) and took the longest bath ever. It felt great! And as an added bonus- no one walked in while I was in there because no one was home but me! We had planned to have dinner and see a movie, but the movie we wanted to see (The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke) was only playing in Dallas and at Grapevine Mills. Chan was babysitting and we felt it would be best if we ate and came straight home. Honestly, that's more our style anyway seeing as we outgrew club hopping a long time ago. Some people may find us boring, but that's just who we are. Dinner out and adult conversation are luxuries and really I am too tired to do much more. We went to one of our favorite places: P F Changs and had some yummy food- super spicy Dali chicken, shrimp with candied walnuts, lettuce wraps, and chicken fried rice. Yum! I had to un-button my pants on the way home, lovely. So worth it though. Even though it was super low key, we had fun. We both forgot to get cards and decided against cake, seeing as we were way too full. But, we made a promise to each other to get cards asap and that tomorrow evening we will have cake. Not uncommon for Jon to forget, but very unlike me, I have been slightly distracted... I do want to thank EVERYONE for the awesome birthday wishes via phone, text, cards, and Facebook. I really am blessed to have such great family and friends. And, before I log off for the night I wanted to share our fortunes, they seemed very fitting considering our recent news this past week. For some reason the waiter gave us three cookies even though it was just me and Jon. I of course took it to mean I should eat two of them, one for me and one for the baby.

Jon's fortune: Your eyes will soon be opened to a world full of beauty, charm and adventure. And on the back was one word: GIRL.

My two fortunes: #1- A single kind word can keep one warm for years and #2- You will receive a surprising gift very soon.

Happy Birthday to me and Jon 2/28/2009

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Little Mr. Hayden!

Yesterday was Hayden's actual birthday and I never was able to post, I was either super busy or driving. And, I did do one for his party 2 weeks ago. But, my kids ask me often, did you blog today? Was it about me? So, while I am waiting for Jon to come and pick me up from our hotel I wanted to take a second to tell my baby HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you Hayden! I couldn't ask for a better "caboose" to complete our family. I am so lucky to have such a funny, sweet, laid back little guy. I can't believe he is already 7!! It sometimes seems as if he was just born and other times it seems as if he's been here forever. I remember every moment of the day he was born as if it were yesterday. Anyway, just wanted to tell my baby boy Happy Birthday! Love ya bud!

Hayden, on a sugar high. He looks crazed! We stopped at Texas Roadhouse for his birthday dinner last night and he got the biggest brownie sundae ever!


Hayden and his BFF Pedro


Cute, cute, cute! I love this kid more than words could ever express!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

BMX birthday

Even though he isn't quite 7, we went ahead and celebrated Hayden's birthday yesterday. Of course we had it at the local BMX track. We did it early since we will be in Oklahoma for the BMX Grand Nationals (biggest race of the year) on his actual birthday. And, after weeks of warm weather, it just had to turn cold and windy just in time for the party. It was the kind of cold that seems to go right through you. It almost seems difficult to think straight when you are out in that crazy wind. But, we survived. We had to park two SUV's in front of the food/cake/present table to stay warm and so nothing would blow away. Most of the kids divided their time between the bounce house and the race track, as did some of the adults. That was the only way to stay warm. We managed to have a decent time in spite of the wind and for sure Hayden had a blast. I had a hard time getting him to get dressed today, he was in pj's most of the day playing with his new toys. I want to thank those that came to join Hayden on his special day. We sent out 25 invitations and not a single kid from his class came, which is disappointing. But, what can you do? Because of the crazy wind and supervising the festivities, I didn't get very many pictures. I am posting the important ones: Hayden, presents, cake and me trying out the track for the very first time.


awesome cake, it was sooo good



Hayden and one of his new presents



funny present, we are gonna have a blast with this one



me on the gate, I was scared...



me, riding the track. My butt is huge! If I continue to ride on the track maybe I can shrink it?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Chloe, Chloe, Chloe

So far since I have had my blog I have tried to do a nice post for family birthdays. I did one for Chloe's early birthday party but not her actual birthday. We were in Utah, and then school started etc, etc. I reminded her that I did one for her party, (see the awesomeness here) but she said she wanted one with BABY photos. I do feel bad, it has been 3 months since her birthday. So, I got my scanner dusted off and scanned lots of baby pics.

Chloe-
I love you to the moon and back. You are my special baby girl. I never thought in a million years I would be blessed with such a sweet, talented, beautiful little girl. Me and you are a team in this crazy houseful of stinky boys. Love ya baby doll! Happy Be-LATE-ed birthday!

First official portrait 7-25-97


Fresh and new Chloe with Mommy and Daddy (dob 7-24-97)


Mommy, Chloe, and Aunt Sarah (8 days old)


Chloe Halloween 1997


Chloe and Nana's dog (she used to ride him like a horse)


Chloe Christmas 1999


Chloe in 2000 with one of Aunt Kelli's kittens


after gymnastics class in 2001


gymnastics team photo (Hot Shots 2001-2002)


Aunt Amy and Chloe getting her hair did. She would always make Amy corn-row her hair


Kindergarten picture 2002


Chloe and Hayden showing their muscles 2004


Chloe 2nd grade


Chloe 5th grade

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

2010: a party planner's dream

I love to throw parties, showers, dinners, etc. And, I usually go overboard. But, I am afraid I can't wrap my little brain around all that needs to be celebrated in 2010. I seriously need to start rolling pennies or selling plasma so I can afford all these parties. Or get a loan and open a party planning business. Except, that wouldn't make much sense if I was the client AND the hired help now would it? Here's the official LIST of all the awesomeness coming in 2010:

Jon turns 40!
Chan turns 18!
My lil' sis Amy turns 30!
My parent's 50th wedding anniversary!
My mom turns 70!
My big bro Ken turns 50!
Chandler graduates from high school, did you hear me? HIGH SCHOOL!!!

See what I mean? That's a lot of cake and punch! I am starting to plan in my head already. 2009 is gonna be busy too, just not as much. Hunter turns 13, my dad turns 70 as well, and my sister's husband Bryce turns 30. Whew, I may go see if McDonald's is hiring. Ok, maybe Chick-Fil-A, they are closed Sundays and they have infinitely better food.

P.S. family, please let me know if I have forgotten anything, and if I forgot YOU, I apologize.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Dear Blog and Congrats on 400 Posts Giveaway!!!

Oh my goodness, what a crazy year in the world of blogging!! Not only is it 1 YEAR ago today that I started my blog, but I just happened to hit 400 POSTS today! That is alot of blogging. WOW! It has been a ton of fun. I have met lots of cool chicks who also blog, taken lots of fun pics, and have had fun pretending to be a "writer". I have also had my share of drama, like days when no one comments, BOO! Or, when pictures won't load or the internet goes down. But, it has been a blast! I have especially had fun changing headers almost as often as I change my undies, only kidding. I have really enjoyed my blog and hope those of you that read it have enjoyed it as well. I can't even imagine what it would be like without logging in each day to post or read my comments! Anyway, I'll shut up and now and announce what my giveaway is to celebrate my "blog birthday"!!

I found these adorable candles, I have mentioned them on here before. They are a brand called For Everybody Candles and these are especially fitting: Tiny Temptations in Cherry Chip and Happy Birthday Vanilla. To be entered in my drawing, just add your name in comments as MANY TIMES as you want. I'll have my handsome hubby pick two numbers and voila, we will have two winners. I am giving away 1 candle to 2 lucky winners, and sorry but no you can't select the kind you want. If, however the two chosen winners want different scents, then the problem will have solved itself! So, comment away. You have until next Wednesday, September 3rd. Good luck!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Nifty Fifties Birthday!

Today was Chloe's 11th birthday party! We will be in Utah on her actual birthday, so we had her party today. Technically she's still 10, but we'll pretend otherwise. We did a 50's style sock hop at The Old Town Malt Shop in Burleson. Neat party room, and it was only $65 bucks! We had the whole room to ourselves and it was big. We attempted a hula hoop contest and a bubble gum blowing contest, neither of which worked out. Several of the girls poodle skirts wouldn't stay up and most of the kids there didn't know how to blow a bubble. I kinda feel bad for Chloe, she doesn't have too many girlfriends and having a Summer birthday doesn't help matters. She ended up having 2 other girls her age there. But, we had a good turnout of family and friends and everyone had fun. The biggest hits of the whole party were musical chairs to 50's music and the giant record pinata. And, just shoot me: but I have the most beautiful daughter. She is blossoming into such a beautiful young lady. She is still a little girl though, which was pretty obvious when she made her birthday wish list: brownies, a Wall-E pillow, and a mini indoor trampoline. The trampoline was her favorite gift, even more so than her new cell phone. I must be crazy...

the cake (Sweet Imaginations in Burleson)


opening her loot


Chloe and Taylor (friends since they were babies)


Chloe and Taylor (Pink Ladies)


me and Hayden


Princess Chloe


She is so beautiful


my and my baby girl


me and Chloe, again


me and Hayden


Chloe and the Wall-E pillow, Hayden "helping" open gifts


Tanisha and Garrison (Grayson's mom and brother)


Grayson (Chandler's half brother)


the kiddos at the partay


Taylor, Rachel, and Chloe


Dalton (and his slicked back hair!)


Chloe multitasking (blowing gum and hula hooping)


three generations of Taylor's


P.S. thanks to everyone who helped me. And Vince, you looked awesome!! He was the only other adult besides me to dress up. Of course I forgot to get our picture, duh.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Busy Bee

Hey All!!
I have been busy planning Chloe's birthday party. We are doing a 50's style sock hop. Nothing exciting is going on and I am sure no one wants to see a picture of me shopping. Although, I do have an interesting tidbit. I have been having a hard time finding 50's stuff, especially clothes. I had gone into a party store and stopped at Claire's. No one at either place had heard of sock hops or cat eye glasses. I must be older than I realize?? Anywho... Chloe's birthday is actually on July 24th. Which in the Mormon world, is a major holiday. Pioneer Day, the day the Mormons arrived in Salt Lake City. So, in Utah it's a state holiday. Chloe would like to move there, go figure?

Speaking of Utah... I can't wait to get there. 12 more days. I am just so happy to be able to see my family. I am hoping and praying everything goes off without a hitch. From the planning and the packing to the finances and the looooong drive. I am in desperate need of luggage, a portable auto DVD player, and any ideas to occupy the kids to make the drive as smooth and un-boring as possible. So far I found a way to get some luggage, here. (Nowadays, spending $35 bucks is a breeze. We spent that on ingredients for one dinner!) But, if ANYONE has anything I can borrow or any advice I would be eternally grateful. Cross your fingers that the party, the trip, the baby shower I have planned in August for Amy, and another trip to child support court don't drive me B*A*N*A*N*A*S!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Bowling Party!

Tonight we had Chan's official 16th birthday party. Woo hoo!! And, it was almost a disaster! Downpour, low on gas, traffic, no umbrella, no one in the bakery, no checkbook or debit card... you catch my drift. After getting soaked on our way in the store, I was able to grab a cake, some candles, and plates. Thankfully I was at the same store where my bank has a branch. So, I got some cash and we were on our way. Funny though, it stopped raining and we never needed our new umbrella...grrrr. After a quick pit stop for gas ($25 bucks gave me less than 1/4 tank!!!) we headed to the par-tay! We made it to the bowling alley 15 minutes late and got down to business. Of course I suck at bowling. It didn't help that there were 10 hyper teenagers distracting me. I am very lucky that Chan is a pretty good kid, but his friends are kinda kooky. And, that is putting it mildly. We squeezed in bowling, pizza, and cake in about 2 and a half hours! That's a new record. Anyway, I am off to the tub for a relaxing bubble bath. Here are some pics of our night: