The Intimidator

So, a little word of advice...If Abbie ever asks you what you are afraid of, you should lie.

She will arm herself with your little confession, and trust me, she will use it to intimidate you at just the right time. Proof??

Exhibit A:
She once got out of me my insane fear of sharks. I'll just say that Shark Week was pure hell at Chez Billingsley once Abbie discovered it was on the tube.

Exhibit B:
Through some impressive research, she has learned that her Gigi is afraid of snakes. So, she will routinely pretend to be a snake and then mock my Mother for her fear. She's requested a couple of stuffed snakes to have at the house... I think we can all guess why. And the crowning moment in her cruelty...check out the cake she made for my Mother's birthday:


Just another day livin' with The Intimidator and Being Billingsley...

A Brush with Greatness

Well guess who we had dinner with last night? I'll give you a couple of clues...

• He had 7 career no hitters
• Played in 27 MLB seasons
• One of the best-know pitchers of our time

Mr. Nolan Ryan!!!!!!!!!!
(Or as he calls himself, "Nolan Riiiine")

Sidebar...

Anyone who knows me is aware of my strong stance against baseball, but it wasn't always that way. I used to love it!

However, the MLB Strike of 1994 officially ended that love affair with America's past-time. I can still get fired up when I think about it, so let's not spend anymore time on it.

...sidebar over.

OK, so maybe we didn't break bread together but we saw him at the restaurant. Of course, my husband chatted him up, and the man really is a saint. He was extraordinarily nice and looks only slightly changed since I last saw him on the mound in Arlington.

I think the capper for the evening was when my dear sweet Abigail said to the man, "Bonsoir" and walked away... I guess she wasn't as impressed as James and I were.

I wonder if Nolan went home and blogged about HIS brush with greatness? After all, he got to witness... Just another day Being Billingsley!

Look who's fabulous!!!

We recently had Lila's one year portrait done by our favorite portrait artist!

Lynyia also did Lila's very first photo shoot, and she has done ALL of Abbie's portraits.
She's pretty amazing!!

Here are just a few of our favorites...

Just another day Being Billingsley...

What this week has taught me...

As a parent, I have learned that I really must love EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of raising my children. Even the most overwhelming & frustrating moments when...

• she throws herself to the floor to commit with a full heart to an Oscar winning performance of "Small Child Big Fit."
• she throws her dinner on the floor, wall, ceiling and me because she's finished with her meal and can think of no other way to communicate that.
• she pours her milk on the carpet to see how it will "smell."
• she spits carrots/spinach/green beans/anything that stains all of the front of her shirt and mine.

All of this because, in the blink of an eye, my...


Turned into...


And, before I know it, she will only come home on weekends to do her laundry and connect with her old friends from high school.

She is growing up so fast, and I love her so much!

Just another day in the first week of school trying not to cry and Being Billingsley...

Well, it was a huge success!

Abbie had a great time her first day of school. She learned a lot of useful things...

1. "When you draw a person, you should make sure he has a neck."
2. "It is probably better if I don't get married in Kindergarten and wait 'til college."
3. "My teacher has a baby boy. He should meet my little sister."
4. "If you eat a cupcake at school for a friends birthday, you shouldn't come home and eat one." (A lesson I don't understand at all, and who is teaching her this crap! I plan to write a strongly worded letter.)
5. "The playground is STUPID hot, and I really mean STUPID. It's not smart!"

She had a great time, and it was fun to listen to her little pearls of wisdom all night long.

She's still having trouble understanding she cannot maintain her sorority house schedule now that she's a school girl. At Chez Billingsley, our kids have always had relatively late bedtimes (9:00-10:00P) because we liked our kiddos to sleep in late (8:30-9:00A...sometimes later).

So, she thinks we can keep that up, but she's learning 6:00 comes very early each morning. Other than that, she's doing great!

Thank you to all of my wonderful friend who called and checked in with me all day. I am so proud to call you all my friends! I'm gonna make it through this!

Just another day Being Billingsley...

Well, today is the big day!

We took Abs to school bright and early, and as you can see, Abbie just did not want to go. Doesn't she look sad here?

She walked right in despite the fact that the weight of her backpack nearly caused her to fall backwards...

She sat right down and got to work on her morning project. James and I giggled because she is at a table FULL of boys. I can't wait to hear the stories that were told at that table today!


I cannot believe my baby is now big enough to go to school. I remember taking her to her first day of Mother's Day Out like it was yesterday...

First Day of the 2's Class!

First Day of 3's Class!

First Day of pre-K!

AND, OUR FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!

I am so proud of you Abbie, and I know you will do great today! I hope you will always know that it's your Dad's fault you are at school. I just wanted to keep you here with me always. There's no need for book learnin' as far as I'm concerned.

Just another day rulin' the school and Being Billingsley...

Wonderland a.k.a. Dallas!

Abbie and I took a trip this weekend to visit very good friends and to celebrate her last weekend as a preschooler! We had a phenomenal time with Cheryl and little M!

We journeyed to the Alice in Wonderland Adventure at a resort in the big D. This place was ridiculous! There were stations all over the atrium that illustrated a section of the story with a piece of artwork created by artists from all over the world.

My favorite was the Gryphon. It was made of balloons! Can you see how big this thing is? Look at the people in the upper left corner to get an idea.

Also very cool, was the caterpillar perched on the mushrooms. The artist created this with "chainsaw and styrofoam." Also huge! Look how convincingly wasted the little insect looks!


Check out this stack of tea cups and tea pots along with the little girl who was doing her best impression of an unimpressed model.

In addition to the crazy displays, many of the characters were wondering around the premises. We met...

The Queen of Hearts who made the girls curtsy for this picture. They were also required to say "Your Majesty."


The hookah smoking Caterpillar.


The Mad Hatter. I feel pretty sure this guy really was nuts! And, notice the Cheshire Cat is in the background!


And then, there's this GIANT flower. He was on stilts and seemed to be about 10 feet tall. He was my favorite, and probably because he made the kids very nervous.

M did not go near him, and Abs was very cautious. I, on the other hand, was very brave. I shook his hand and everything. He was a creepy thing. Check out that close-up!


What a wonderful weekend we had! Thanks Cheryl and M for being such perfect hostesses. Go ahead and pencil us in for the 2 million pounds of sculpted ice adventure in the winter! I can't wait!

Just another day in Wonderland and Being Billingsley...