Crystal Beach Mardi Gras 09

TCEA...Playing with tools

Farewell to Alaska Malawi

Yesterday was a sad day...Alaska Malawi, my parent's dog brought from Africa in 2000, escaped from my parent's upstairs deck in Crystal Beach, and made it to the highway, where he met his death.

My children will miss him terribly, however, my parents I'm sure are devastated. He was the subject of several children's books written by my mother, whose proceeds were sent to support the orphanages in Malawi, Africa.

This image is just our tribute to him.

Job Security

I went to the dentist twice in the last two weeks...once for a chipped molar (probably due to chewing all that ICE!) and the other time to fill two cavities.

My dentist has been my dentist for a long time...and each time I go and spend TONS of money on dental work, I marvel at what he has at his checkout counter.

This week I decided to snap a picture with my camera phone. I have removed identifying information to protect the innocent!

928 Clara - Post Ike

Lot cleared of debris....ready to rebuild...maybe someday...

Wow...I'm Gonna Be Famous!!

Blogging about all the antics my kids (and my husband) go through for the last two years has really been rewarding...the kids love going back and re-experiencing all the good things... and some of the bad things we've experienced over these two years that Itsashambles has been in existance.

However....a couple of weeks ago, I submitted two of my videos...Coco Climbs the Ladder, and Dad's Version of Mom's Birthday to KHOU in Houston, to potentially be played on air as part of Great Day Houston....(both of these videos are posted on this site)

And lo and behold, both of them were selected. Tonight, I'm attending the taping of that show, and may be interviewed by Sam Malone...(big deal in Houston, not so much anywhere else I don't think).

So, in essence, my kids, my family and myself...live on...through the power of video, and the power of community. It's been a great experience!

The Polar Bear Club

What happens to children when they grow up at the beach? They become immune to water temperature. That's my theory anyway!! 

And now that Hurricane Ike has taken away each weekend trip to 

the beach, one's gotta make due...with the water one can find...and with the outside temperature around 60 degrees, you can imagine how COLD the water is. 

In this first picture you can see the personality and conviction in regards to what they're about to do. Chase is ready and willing, and Ashlynn is willing if Chase is, and Connor SAYS he's willing....but is he really??

And Kylee's face shows it all...the ANGUISH of jumping in the FREEZING water!

Precocious? You decide!

This video was taken during a family gathering this past Christmas. Have fun watching....and hopefully commenting!

Tyler...We Miss YOU!!

DSC_0078
Originally uploaded by nibbuccms.

Almost everyone was in one place this weekend, except our hard working Tyler, who was busily waiting tables and earning money.

This pic will have to stand for the Christmas picture this year, and as you can probably tell by the look on some of our faces, by the time this picture had been taken, several of us were really tired...Chase and Kiki to name a few!

Tyler, usually we try to Photoshop you in, but unfortunately, i don't think I have a recent picture...(get the hint??) Come by more often!!

It's SNOWING!

I love blogging with my mobile phone...especially since I've really deemed myself a "multimedia blogger"...I'd much rather tell the story I have to tell in pictures and videos. Aren't pictures worth a 1000 words??

Today, I posted two images from my mobile phone on my way to different schools as part of my job. I noted the temperature each and every trip...and there were quite a few of them today.

6:30 AM - 39 degrees

8:30 AM - 34 degrees

10:15 AM - 36 degrees

11:30 AM - 37 degrees where it stayed for quite a long time...

4:30 PM - I went outside to go home with Ashlynn in tow, and she began screaming..."it's SNOWING!!!" over and over and over.

As we got in the car, and took the picture of the flakes on the windshield, we talked about the fact that the temperature was not cold enough to make the snow stay...and that we would need the numbers on the thermometer to be at least 32 degrees...

All the way home as the temperature gauge in the car would decrease a degree,  ( we started at 41 degrees from sitting in the parking lot which was not an accurate read) Ashlynn would let out a little whoop and holler. When we drove up into the driveway it hovered at 34.

What will tomorrow hold??? It was only 4 years ago...remember??? Will we get to have a SNOW DAY???

http://www.themccubbinfamily.com/gallery2.htm

Baby, it's COLD outside!

Coco the Great

During Thanksgiving vacation, Kylee came bounding into the house..."MOM!! Coco climbed the ladder!!" (remember, she's got Apraxia, so that all came out without many consonants)...My head whipped around, took inventory of Kylee's facial expression to see if there was a kernel of truth to this exclamation...wasn't sure. 

"Great!  Let me know if she does it again," I said as I returned to my task at hand.

A few minutes passed, and this time, Ashlynn came in the back door with a "WHAM". "MOM....MOM!!! Coco really DID climb the ladder!!"

Away we all flew to the back yard with video camera in hand to see with our own eyes, that indeed Coco was doing her own agility training, by climbing the playground ladder over and over.

Who knew that our sweet, chew happy one year old black lab could keep up with the kids...all the way up the ladder!! 

There's a few things that Coco does that drives me nuts...(like shedding and chewing everything)...but her willingness to play with the kids makes up for that 10 fold.

OK....so if we open the front door, the first thing Coco does is run away....but what's more important anyway? Staying in the house? OR CLIMBING THE LADDER???

cute!

Too Cute!

Sent from my AT&T Windows Mobile phone.

Layni's Texas History Video

Out of the Mouths of 8 year olds....

Walker Station is having the Second Annual Movie Under the Stars Night in two weeks, and boy is Ashlynn excited....she told me all the way home what was going to be happening...

"And Mom, we need to bring blankets and chairs like last year, but I don't think we need to bring food because there's going to be a CONFESSION STAND." 

Laugh out loud...belly laugh from me.... :)

I wonder what Walker Station will sell at their confession stand....

Let there be PAINT!

I'm so excited! New paint! ...which means no more kid dirtied walls!

Chew, Chewing,Chewed

OK...it's been a long time since I've had a chewer like Coco. She's been mighty particular up until now...it started with her stealing whatever was on the counter that smelled like food, resembled food, or was food, and her treasure off the counter goes right outside, is ripped, torn, and the edible part devoured. The backyard sometimes resembles a neglected roadside ditch....peices of paper, dishes and cans strewn about carelessly. The neighbors really must think the kids have a problem with littering. Yes, they are very impulsive and sometimes lazy, but at least I can reason with them about where they discard their trash.

Other times when the kitchen is clean, and there's nothing to be stolen, electrical cords satisfy her stealing and chewing needs. Not electrical cords plugged into the wall, mind you, but those expensive, sometimes irreplaceable cords that go to things like the Wii controllers, or your hastily discarded cell phone charger....

Last night, as I was just finishing putting kids to bed and was completing my light extinguishing circuit, I discovered her new passion, as my feet collided with the hard plastic Barbie body parts on the stairs. However, I didn't find  whole body parts, but hard, sharp plastic pieces that resembled a chewed and discarded wad of gum....many wads of gum...many sharp wads of gum left lovingly on the top three stairs leading to the bedrooms. From experience, I can tell you that chewed Barbie legs and my bare feet created just enough rucus to make several kids come scampering out of there just created cocoons.

I know Labs are infamous for food obsessions...and so I kind of deal with her impulsivity when it comes to sweet cornbread and butter. However, I'm kind of at a loss as to how to keep her from scattering pencil parts, black electrical "doggie licorice", and now Barbie body parts about the house.

I would say that I've looked it up on the Internet, Hey Wait!! Maybe the skunk remedies will do!!.. Seriously, if you've got a suggestion or two...toss it my way before all the Barbies end up with one less limb (or worse).

New Five Photo Story- Need Your Help

If you all are out there....I challenge you to post to my newest contribution to the 5 picture story group on Flickr.

You do have to register with Flickr to post, but if you use Yahoo, you already have an account, if if you don't, getting one is not that difficult.

And as a last resort, will you do it for me...please??

http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/discuss/72157608175616091/

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