VOTE THURSDAY!!

Just got word that "A Razorback Can Survive", co-written by my brother, Eric, has made the Top 3 in The Buzz's contest. If you have a chance, please vote Thursday from 6am to Noon by voting online at www.1037thebuzz.com or www.hogtuneschallenge.com AND by calling the show at (501) 433-1037. Fan voting counts 50% in deciding the winner, so please tell all your friends.

Oma's 90th Birthday Party

The guest of honor, Elisabeth (Lisel) Corey
A picture of Oma as a young woman, part of her birthday video
Lemon birthday cake, the girls' first taste of sugar since their birthday cake. Needless to say, they loved it.
Wonderful buffet. The girls enjoyed the melon & pineapple.

Our social butterfly became everyone's best friend, posing with Oma's friend, Ann
Daddy dancing with Geneva, the child LOVES music
Daddy with Lexa
Geneva & Lexa's grandmothers trying to keep them still for a picture...good luck
Granny (Patrick's mom) with her cute granddaughters
Patrick's nephew, Ethan, chowing down
Oma with her grandsons, Corey & Patrick

We were honored to attend Oma's (Patrick's grandmother) 90th birthday party on Sunday. What a special occasion for our family. Oma ("grandmother" in German) is such a strong, faithful woman. She was a war bride, marrying a serviceman in WWII & moving to America knowing no English, leaving her family & friends behind. I remember meeting her for the first time in 1999; Patrick had warned me she was the matriarch of the family & that if she didn't approve of me, that was the end of our relationship! Luckily, she approved & stated one of the happiest days of her life was the day of our wedding. I think her party on Sunday was also right up there! She had a great turnout of friends & family that love her dearly.

Football Season Has Arrived

Thanks to the arrival of Razorback football, Mommy & Daddy had their first date night since I believe our July anniversary. What perfect weather & although our seats have not improved in 4 years, I am happy to report the grasshoppers were absent Saturday night (for those of you who don't know, I have an abnormal fear of GIANT grasshoppers which swarm our seats because we are so close to the lights). The girls stayed with the babysitter but showed their Razorback support by wearing their new dresses. They were happy to see Pop for a brief visit before the game (even though we had to wake Geneva up from her nap; she is half asleep in her picture).

Razorback Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG1898Owhus

My brother, Eric, who owns an ad agency in Little Rock, co-wrote this song for a radio contest. It is already a web sensation. So cool! He is so creative! I can't wait for the game tomorrow! (clink link above)

TITLE: A RAZORBACK CAN SURVIVE

LYRICS: DONNIE MATTHEWS & ERIC LANCASTER VOCALS: TODD FITZGERALD

Kickoffʼs a-cominʼ and the hopes are high

The Arkansas River, sheʼs a flowinʼ by

Leaves are fallinʼ and the heat is down

And the Razorback Fever is a goinʼ round

We love cheering for the Hogs, you see

Got the craziest fans in the SEC

Iʼve got a Razorback flag on my 4-wheel drive

And a Razorback can survive

Razorbacks can survive

We can call the Hogs all day long

Love to tailgate from dusk till dawn

We take on Alabama and Ole Miss too

Then down to Little Rock to beat LSU

We put a hog on the helmet cause weʼre fans of swine

And a Razorback can survive

Razorbacks can survive

Cause you canʼt beat the Hogs

and you know we got it won

We can run the ball, or play olʼ Shotgun

Cause we hate the Rebs, and we hate ʻBam

If you donʼt love the Hogs, then donʼt come around

We come from the southern Arkansas pines

And the Ozark Mountains and the Delta skies

Itʼs Wooo Pig Sooie across the goal line

And a Razorback can survive

Razorbacks can survive

We lost a good friend, the voice of the Hogs

He called you by your name; we called him Paul

Heʼd get us fired up when we scored a TD

Like Stoerner to Lucas to beat Tennessee

Ah, he's a legend round here, I'm not gonna lie

Sends chills up my spine to hear him say "Oh, my"

And a Razorback can survive

Razorbacks can survive

Cause you canʼt beat the Hogs

And you know we got it won

We can run the ball, or play olʼ Shotgun

Cause we hate the Rebs, and we hate ʻBam

If you donʼt love the Hogs, then donʼt come around

Weʼre from Des Arc, Mena, and Fairfield Bay

And little towns all around this state

Itʼs Wooo Pig Sooie across the goal line,

And a Razorback can survive

Razorbacks can survive

Razorbacks can survive

Razorbacks can survive

DOUBLE trouble

We are in quite a stage now...the only way I can sum it up is double trouble. The girls are into everything & require 24 hour supervision. They are teaming up against mommy & daddy & are always one step ahead of us. In the past few weeks, we have rearranged the living room once again (is this the 4th time now?) as they have figured out how to jump off the back of the couch, so against the wall it went. Then they figured out how to climb on the couch & take the painting off the wall so like half the furniture in the house, the giant painting in our living room is now gone. This weekend they discovered how to climb on their rocker in the nursery & flip it over...so guess what? The rocker is now out of the nursery & in the attic along with our coffee table & ottoman. Last night they decided to team up & carry the trash can from the nursery into the living room while leaving a trail of dirty diapers, so now the trash can is gone. I swear things were much easier when they were not mobile. It won't be long until they can climb the gates & out of their beds. They really are monkeys! They are talking all the time & are beginning to ID body parts (belly, nose, ear) & point to objects we name. They are so curious & love every minute of life.

Shannon's Wedding

Congratulations to Shannon & Jason

July 24, 2010

The happy couple

The first dance

In honor of Shannon's husband's job, a sports producer for the Razorback Nation
Yummy tropical food

Posing with Daniel & Melissa

The KD sisters--Cassie, Lauren, Mauree, Libby, Me, Shannon, Amanda, Rachel, Jenn, Melissa, Wendi

We had such a fun night catching up with old college friends. Has it really been 8 years since graduation....GASP! Our goal is to plan a yearly reunion now that we are all married...we can't use the wedding excuse anymore.

Where Does the Time Go?

I know it has been a month... I really do have an excuse. We have 2 computers, both of which have been down & out for the past 2 weeks. I can't get over how popular my blog is :) And I only hear from my fans when I'm not posting! So I don't know where to begin. The past month has been super busy. Geneva & Lexa went for their well child check-up on June 28th. The doctor seemed pleased with their progress & couldn't believe how much they had grown. Geneva weighed in at 20 lbs., 28.54 inches, 25th percentile. Lexa weighed in at 24 lbs., 29.13 inches, 75th percentile. Lexa has been walking since she was 11 months old & is now running (and I mean running) as well as walking backwards. Geneva needed her Pop to visit to prompt her to walk. More on that later. We have literally had to re-arrange our living room twice now as they can climb! I turned my back for one minute last week, turned back around, & Lexa was standing on top of the end table next to the lamp just looking at me. She had used the ottoman (which is now in the attic with the rest of our furniture) as a stepping stool. Geneva's favorite trick is to climb into the rocking chair in the nursery & sit in it & rock. Lexa's favorite trick is to crawl behind the furniture & bang the blinds against the window. It will be a miracle if we ever sell this house! The girls are quite the talkers. They chat all the time to each other, beginning to display twin speak. Lexa clearly says "momma, dadda, Pop (again more on that later), bye-bye, quack (for her bathtime duck). Geneva says "momma, dadda, bye-bye, boo (that's her moo for cow although she says that when she sees every animal), hinky (when she is stinky). She also does some sign language, especially when she is hungry (hand to mouth). Geneva still loves to play peek-a-boo even pulling her dress over her head to start a game & will now give "5's". She is still a daddy's girl but loves how momma tickles her. She laughs so hard she turns red. She is still the clown, loves attention & is our official greeter when we go out in public, waving from her stroller. She has 4 teeth. Lexa is still more reserved, likes to play alone, & is still the bookworm. She will flip through her books & laugh randomly. She will pick up her favorite books & bring them to one of us to read. She is still quite the momma's girl. Unfortunately, she is so independent that she is getting quite the temper when she is not in control such as when getting her clothes changed. She has 7 teeth. Their feeding schedule has changed quite a bit... NO MORE FORMULA! Never thought I would see the day. They are on whole milk & can finally drink out of sippy cups. I admit I was a little worried as they love their bottle & we had quite a time transitioning to the cup but they finally did it. They now eat 3 meals a day, no longer eating every 3 hours. They still take a bottle before bed but I think that is fine for now. They love eating finger foods & love to make a huge mess. We have mopped our kitchen floor more this month than in the 6 years we've lived here. Still haven't found anything they won't eat. Their favorite is still bananas & they love all dairy foods--cottage cheese, yogurt, mozzarella cheese. Patrick was out of town the week of the 12th so my Dad (Pop) very graciously agreed to come help out. He stayed 4 nights & helped tremendously. Within 2 hours of arriving, he had taught Lexa to say Pop & taught Geneva to walk. They loved having him here & the extra attention. Lexa will roam around the house now saying (Pop, Pop, Pop). I'll ask her where Pop is & Geneva on cue will say "bye-bye" & wave. Patrick & I go to bed every night completely exhausted as they are full of energy & a full-time job but so thankful for our beautiful blessings.