$25,000

Hottie wants to enter Little Man in a beauty contest. Yes, you read that right. The DADDY wants to enter the baby in the contest.

He calls me up at work one day and tells me that he's found this web site and we could enter in a picture of Cole and win a lot of money if he wins the grand prize. $25,000.

I'm thinking someone told him about the site or someone he knows has entered in their child as well and that's why he wants to do it. Nope, that's not why he wants to enter.

Everyone keeps telling him, the way that people do when they see a picture, "wow, what a cute baby!", "that baby is so pretty", "he sure is going to get lots of girls when he gets older!" So, Hottie, hearing all this, goes online, finds a beauty contest and now wants to enter Little Man into the contest.

Now, don't forget, that Hottie also knows that Little Man looks just like him.

Did I mention the grand prize is $25,000?

Chillin

He's a picture of Little Man chillin' in his swing.

Rain

I used to hate the rain. That was when I drove my little silver Saturn with the moonroof from hell. Every time it rained, it was like a waterfall flowing through the leak and gushing all over the driver's seat and the rear seat. If I saw clouds in the sky, I dreaded it and would say quick prayers to God that he wouldn't do that to me. I would call home en route and say, "Please open the garage, I need to park in it!" My car would stink of mildew for days until the moisture had dried up.

But now it's as if those years have washed away with the very rain that I dreaded. My new car doesn't leak, so I'm now fully able to enjoy what Mother Nature brings.

In Texas, you can smell the rain before it arrives. The heavy moisture hangs in the air, thickens it, and spreads its dew along the grass and the trees. And then the rain comes. Huge gushes of it. And the ground is so dry, rivers flow, lakes form over roads, and the occasional idiot is stranded with a drowned car because he tried to drive over it.

On days like this, I like to stay in and watch Mother Nature as she reminds us that we're merely humans. Uncapable of the majesty, the sheer force, that she can exert to make her point.

And then I look at my son. Every detail perfect, down to the last fingertip. Majestic.

Dawdle

I almost always forget that English is not Hottie's first language. Sometimes, I'll get reminded of that fact when I'm least suspecting it as in the case below.

My phone at work rang.
Me: Hello? (Not the way I answer the phone at work, but you get the point.)

Hottie: You won't believe what those fuckers said to me!

Me: Who?

Hottie: Those assholes said that I dawdle! I don't fucking dawdle! I work my ass off around here.

Hottie was ranting at full speed when I caught his last sentence.

Me: Uh, babe?

Hottie: I can't believe they fucking said that! I'm one of the hardest workers on this entire team!

Me: Babe, uh, what do you think that dawdling means?

There was a long pause.

Hottie: Well, what do you think it means?

Me: You know. To pussy-foot around, to take your time with something, drag your feet, you know, dawdle.

An even longer pause.

Hottie: Oh. Well, I do do that.

Giddy-Up!

Grannie got this little horse for my nephew and now that he's out grown it, its gone to Little Man. What do you think? Does he look ready to ride off into the sunset?

Beau Games

Most mornings Beau follows me around the house while I'm getting ready for work. He'll inevitably walk in front of me, almost cause me to trip and I'll yell, "Beau! Get out of my way!"

But there are quite a few games that we also like to play with Beau. Mostly for our own amusement. This morning was no exception.

Beau sits right outside of the door of our bathroom while I'm putting on my makeup and blow drying my hair. Sometimes he lies within inches of my feet, and I have to be careful not to step on him. We haven't been able to play this morning game in quite a while because Hottie and Little Man are usually sleeping. This morning, however, everyone was up and the boys were chilling on the bed while I was blow drying my hair.

Beau came and sat by the door of the bathroom and stared at me. I could hear the boys chattering in the master bedroom. I moved the hairdryer over my hair and looked at Beau out of the corner of my eye.

Suddenly, I jerked and aimed the blow dryer right at Beau's face and lunged at him. He turned, moving his little legs so fast that his body was trying to move while his butt was still sitting along the wall! He took off running across the bedroom and turned and barked at the hairdryer.

Hottie and I died laughing. Little Man sat and looked big-eyed around the room, uncertain what was so funny.

I was still laughing moments later when I went back to blow drying my hair, and Beau came trotting back up to sit in his spot again. Mind you, I'm standing there in my underwear because I haven't dressed yet when I call to Hottie, "Watch this! I'm going to do it again!"

Confirming that Beau is still sitting there, I turned and lunged at him again.

He took off running. And my foot caught on a towel on the floor, my head slammed into the bathroom door, and my knee and elbow caught my fall on the floor.

Beau turned around in the middle of the bedroom and looked at me like, what the hell are you doing on the floor in your underwear?

I don't know who laughed harder - me or Hottie.

Halloween

Okay, I know that Halloween is quite a ways off, but I've already ordered Little Man's Halloween costume and had to share it with everyone. Check it out at here:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534964&parentCategoryId=90179&categoryId=90185&subCategoryId=90198

He's going to be so adorable!