Sunday, March 29, 2009

I'm swappin' ....

I just signed up for this swap:







It looks to be a ton of fun!!

Pictures and lots of blog posting coming up from this weekend!! It was crazy busy, but a ton 'o fun!!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Tuesdays at the Table

TuesdaysAtTheTable">

I thought I would join in on this fun ~ always looking for good recipes to try!!

The recipe I am posting was completely found on a fluke! It is SO yummy and is a great meal for a potluck or if you are having a lot of people over to the house!!

FIESTA CHICKEN
Ingredients:

1 pkg. (15 ounces) refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Chunky Salsa
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 pkg. (24 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn
2 cans (9.75 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. 

Let the pie crusts stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or until they're easy to handle.

Stir the salsa, soup, sour cream, cheese, corn, chicken and beans in a large bowl. Spoon the chicken mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Unfold the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Lay the crusts side-by-side so that they overlap by about 3 inches in the center. Press the seam to seal. Roll the pie crust into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Place the pie crust over the chicken mixture. Trim the excess crust from the edge. Cut several slits in the crust.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.


I serve mine with sour cream and there is NEVER any left over!!  It's so good!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

My heart is swelling ....

I am SO PROUD of this little girl right here ..... no, she's not freaking out, that's what they call in the cheer world "a facial" -- right after this, she blew a kiss to the judges.  I muted out the picture b/c (a) I don't have permission from the moms of the other girls in the picture to post it and (b) I don't need some freak showing up at the gym!!

Anyway - the girls were perfect.  ABSOLUTELY perfect.  I have no voice from screaming.... and I'm exhausted from driving several hours today to make it home -- only to come home to a smashed up TV in my husband's truck.  Seems like one little 4 yr old got ahold of some Lysol and decided to spray it into the tv in their playroom....when he turned it on, it caught on fire.  I sooooooooo not even making that up.   Big Daddy was alerted by Wild Child QUICKLY and it scared him so bad, that I'm pretty sure he'll never do it again.  I sure hope not.  GOOD LORD!



Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ahhhh ... SO BUSY!!

Life has gotten SO incredibly busy over the past week -- between school, work (did I mention that I have a FT job and I'm helping Big Daddy with his business, plus HE has FT job and we have 2 kids, one that may soon require me to be medicated ... I digress).  Thank goodness I'm doing a Bible Study ... it's my time during the week I can 'take it down' a notch and spend some time freely with women that I truly adore.


One of those women??  Yeah, she's hosting a giveaway for her 100th post ~ head on over to 
Shawn's site and leave her some lovin' .... she's truly got an awesome giveaway!

Have a great Thursday!!  

PS ~ I think I've decided on the PERFECT party favor for my girls .... will post pictures NEXT week since I know some of the fabulous ladies that are coming read my blog!!  

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Totally Random Tuesday

Yeah ... I made it up, but I think it's going to stick.  We'll see ...



-- I need some good recipes to cook for dinner.  Chick-fil-A is gettin' old .... You are NOT delusional, you just read what I wrote .. .I eat it A LOT. I'm serious --- the cute little college dude finally quit calling me ma'am and said "See ya later" .. yeah, he will.  Whatevs.

-- Princess Kiki told me she needed a paramedic on Sunday.  I slammed on my brakes and said "WHAT?!?!  WHY?!?!" and she said "Because my toes look disgusting, Mommy ~ can we go to that same place we went last time and maybe can I get a flower on my big toe?" .... I laughed, seriously, OUT LOUD, and said "PEDDDDDICCCUUURRRREEEE honey - you mean a pedicure" and to that she said 'Whattttteeeevvvverrrrrr' ... she's 6, but we enjoy "Girl Time" with pedis.

-- I was totally busted by a friend today while I was driving.  My phone rang and I heard 'Quit texting while your driving!!  I SEE YOU!' and I said "WHERE ARE YOU!?!?!?!" ....  in my defense, I was starting to roll after sitting at a red light and was reading status updates on Facebook.  She caught me as I was putting my phone DOWN ...... seriously, for real.  I mean it.  It was funny though .... I can not/will not text/drive at the same time and I am borderline going to get a blue tooth ....it's just so much safer.

-- Anyone got any ideas for a cute party favor for my upcoming SPRING THEMED brunch?  I'm having a few girls over for some brunch and my theme is BRIGHT, SPRING COLORS!!  I have watermelon colored chargers, cornflower blue napkins and LOTS OF GLITTERY butterflies .. it's going to be ADORABLE.  I CAN NOT let these girls leave without a little something??  Please post your ideas!! 


I leave you with a picture of Sweet Ms. Delilah .... and Princess Kiki's toes that are in dire need of a paramedic ....

Monday, March 16, 2009

Not Me Monday

Totally late, but still worth it:



Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did NOT sit and watch "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" this morning while my kids were getting ready for school -- nor did I crack up laughing out loud when Carlton started dancing.

I did NOT answer the door last night at 8:15 to find my neighbor delivering my son back to his rightful home ... after following them into their house when they were coming home from walking their dogs -- then proceed to go and play in their son's room until they discovered him.

I did NOT eat an entire bag of Lay's Salt 'n Vinegar potato chips ... with an ice cold Coke.

I did NOT buy a GIRLS size XL shirt b/c it was totally adorable for our upcoming cheer competitions .... it will NOT look GREAT on the GIRLS (for those of you that read my '5 fave body parts - you'll totally get this)....

I did NOT laugh when Wild Child's teacher told me he tried to choke the class hamster, but not before announcing 'SLEEPY TIME' to the hamster.

I did NOT become a Great Aunt today .. I am too young .. but that's what you get for marrying someone a gagillion years older than you.

I did NOT take a 4 hr nap after singing at 2 church services Sunday morning for our youth.

I did NOT almost need a tank of oxygen after singing "Shout It Out" and jumping for 2min32 seconds (Because that's what the song SAYS to do!!)

I did NOT secretly wish I was a stay-at-home mama for the past few days ....

That's it ~ I hope you enjoyed all the things I did NOT do this weekend .. nope, not ME!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

An award that I can't post the picture b/c I have a MAC and I don't know how to do it!!

OK -- Shawn tagged me with the Honest Scrap award. I have the picture but don't know how to get it on here and honestly, it's making me crazy b/c I can normally figure anything out when it comes to stuff like that ..... but anyway, I'm sure she'll hack into my blog and do it herself b/c she's cool like that .... hint hint!

This is Shawn~ Ok, I have hacked in and here it is. I have also added it to your side bar, move it where you want it. Now you can finally add the other award I gave you weeks ago.

Have a great Monday Sweetie!



The requirements are:

Share 10 things about yourself
Share the award with others

1. I ate cream cheese filled French Toast today for the first time ever at Mimi's Cafe. I promise you a band of angels came down and I could hear them singing -- SWEET JESUS, it was GOOD!

2. I am a pretty decent singer, but I won't sing with my husband b/c he can tell me I suck and then I will cry.

3. I waitressed when I was 21 until about 24 .... at Hooter's. It was the only place that didn't require me to 'carry' the tray on my shoulder. NOW, before anyone gets judgemental and all that mess (I'm only saying that b/c SOMEONE at my church found out I worked there a LONG time ago and got all in a tizzy about it) ~ I made excellent money there and was NEVER ever put in precarious situations. I worked in a city where that was really the only restaurant and we were always busy. There were the SAME people that were always in there and it was probably one of my favorite jobs I had. I was able to land one of the BEST jobs I ever had while working there. I had been married and my ex-husband left me for another woman, as well as $35,000 worth of medical school debt. Instead of crying a river and filing bankruptcy, I decided to get a 2nd job waitressing and pay off the debt -- and I did just that. It took me 22 mths, but I worked my butt off and have excellent credit to date b/c of it.

4. I used to try too hard to please everyone - it's not possible. Now if you like me, you like me, if you don't, well that's ok too. It took me a LONG time to get over that, but life is so much easier when you take that position!

5. I have been known to send gifts anonymously ~ it is my love language (Big Daddy still does not believe there is such a thing)! It thrills me to no end when my girlfriends call and immediately know it's me. I absolutely LOVE gift giving - even small stuff.

6. I rode my daughter's bike the other day ... just because. She got a real kick out of it.

7. I can break it down, drop it like it's hot, what have you ... I LOVE to dance.

8. I drove my husband's truck recently and came back to report that it could jump curbs at McDonald's but then asked him to please not ask me how I know that.

9. I love, love, love my girlfriends ..... they make me laugh so hard that I almost tinkle.

10. Finally, I have the coolest husband ever ... no really, I do.

I will come back and pass out the award once I figure out how to get the dang picture on my site!!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Confession ....

I didn't wash my hair today ....

or yesterday ....

I am planning a little ladies luncheon and got sucked into Hostess with the Mostess website .... yikes.

Looked at the clock and realized I was going to be LATE to my meeting .... crap.

Jumped in the shower with my hair pulled on top of my head (I have a LOT of hair and it's THICK .... takes me a long time to blow dry), I looked like I was in a boxing match -- bobbin' and weavin' trying not to get my hair wet. I needed to shave my underarms .... can't find my razor .... look over and it's on Big Daddy's vanity. NOT. HAPPY.

Jump out of the shower and slip and slide all over our newly cleaned/polished travertine floors (done by me a la Cinderella style) Grab said razor and it's actually an old one ... make mental note to apologize to Big Daddy for said accusation that never happened, but it did in my head .. still can not find my razor but I did find one that will do the job.

Throw hair in rollers, keep them in long enough to put my makeup on and take them out. Hair looks ... pretty. freakin'. awesome


I tease it like crazy and put in a headband. 

Got compliments all day -- maybe because I never wear my hair like this -- but maybe I'll start.

Kinda hides the fact I've been up until 2 AM most nights ... having sleep issues and I'm getting about 4 hrs of sleep each night. 


Go Gators, btw.

Anyway, it saved me a good 25 minutes ... anyone else do this?


Below is video from Big Daddy singing the National Anthem at the beginning of the concert here this past weekend ....... he nailed it.  He served in the Navy and is one of those guys that stops military personnel in the airport, shakes their hand and thanks them for their service.  So he takes singing the Anthem very seriously.  We were very proud of him!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

K-K-K-Karma

I asked Big Daddy if he would PRETTY PLEASE move the big blue Rubbermaid tote that was in front of our 3rd bay garage for 3 weeks now.  Almost every day I would ask him to move it.  I can NOT stand anything in front of the garage.  You would not think that to KNOW me, but it's true.  Seeing a garbage can NOT in the garage gives me the shakes.  I could not move 'said' big blue Rubbermaid tote because it was filled with heavy stuff cleaned out of the BIG truck.  It was HEAVY - plus, it was PRINCIPLE - RIGHT LADIES!?!!


So there it sat.

and sat ....

and sat ....

for 3 weeks until Big Daddy got a new Jeep and needed to move his little red truck (the hunting vehicle that we used to throw the leftover wood and junk in when we built out our wall unit ... a MONTH ago that is STILL in the driveway -- but at least it's in THE BACK OF THE TRUCK and not in front of my garage) closer to the front of the house so he could move the BIG Dodge (hello REDNECK .... seriously, you would almost expect the rebel yell call to come out of the horn after turning every corner like on Dukes of Hazzard) up ... blah blah blah.

SO -- Big Daddy comes limping in the house ... covered in blood on his knee and elbow.  I seriously looked at him and "WTF happened to you" -- except F = freak b/c I'm classy like that.

"NOTHING"

"Uhh, I'm not blind - why are you bleeding?"

Joker would not answer me - just heads to the bathroom to tend to his wounds.  I carry on with my massive cleaning .... which is STILL clean thankyouverymuch.

Later in the day, we are getting ready to head out to our friends house (see prev post) and he's in the shower, I'm blow drying my hair.  He is complaining about being hurt.  I say "Dude, seriously, what did you do?"

"I tripped"

"Over what?"

and then I lost it b/c I realized what he was about to say -- I started laughing SO hard ... I am LESS THAN SYMPATHETIC when people fall -- well, at least for the first few minutes - I ALWAYS help them up and ask if they are ok ... but I can not help it.  Character flaw - call it what you will.

"Well, I was carrying the broken sub-woofer (note: HEAVY) and I tripped over that tote and just fell flat in the driveway.  I had nothing to break my fall - actually, I was so stunned I had to lay there for a minute".

Insert CACKLE, LAUGHING, COULD NOT BLOW DRY MY HAIR, laughing so hard ..... 

I did not say "Are you ok, did it hurt, etc etc etc" that a sympathetic wife would say.  Do you know what I said?

"I bet you were thinking "Dang, I should have listened to Natalie" when you hit the ground"

and he said 'Noooo, that's actually not what I was thinking and you can quit laughing b/c you weren't even there"

IN spirit -- Oh yes I was .... 


This is after several days of healing ... looks much worse in person .....


Hey Big Daddy ~ Edward Cullen called, he would like his skin tone back!

We live in Florida people .. and we are the whitest, palest people I know!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

It's Tuesday ~ already!??!

Holy no posts, Batman ... I can't believe it's already Tuesday and I haven't blogged since Friday! DANG!!  I finally have some followers ... and people reading my blog that are not related to me, so I need to keep it up and exciting!!  Well, here's a weekend wrapup:


Friday night:  Mom's Night Out with a few of my fav-o-rite gals ~ we had the original Bon-qui-qui there and she even came in 'character'.  I learned so many new things ... really. I am going to call them Debi-isms.  She would say something (like "SHUT-TO-THE-UP") and I would say "I'm stealin' that" .. it was SUCH a good time.  Our waitress ... our POOR waitress ... she was just, well, let's just say that when it came time to pay the bill and tip, we had mercy on her and tipped like she was really good.  I'll leave it at that.  I went home and crashed ..... 


Shawn, Debi (Bon-qui-qui) and me -- totally NOT a good angle for me.  BTW, Shawn, when you get tired of that shirt, I've got a space in my closet all ready - K, punkin?



THEN - Saturday night, we went to Shawn's house - Chad and the boys (ie: all the husbands) were going to watch The Lightening game, but we are not really sure where they ended up. We hung out very casually with the kids and ate yummy enchiladas.  Shawn was so sweet to make them "not so spicy" for this weakling .... it really was better for her guest bathroom, ifyaknowwhatI'msayin' .... anyway, we took Delilah and she was perrrrfect.  I love her so much. I did not know you could love an animal like that.  No pictures -- I forgot my camera.

On Sunday, I got up at dark-thirty and went to sing at church.  Course, I was the ONLY soprano, so I was nervous, nervous, nervous - no matter that I've been singing for almost 2 yrs up there, being the only one singing that is singing YOUR PART, uhhhhh, you BETTAH make sure it's right!!    THEN it was off to The Strawberry Festival ~ which was a ton 'o fun.  Chad sang the National Anthem (which I will try to upload b/c he's just THAT good) and then "Lightening Does The Work" and "Yes!" ..... it was awesome - esp when he forgot the words to "LDTW". I have that on video as well.  Thanks to Amber, Brent, Stacey, Craig, Shawn and Chris (+ all their kids) for coming out to support my man.  I know it was hot, but it was worth it, right??

Chad, Morgan (the older daughter he wished he had) and some random dude that used to wrestle with Chad.  I was walking around the corner and was like "CRAP - this is the main stage" and I just waved to all the people.  It was funny. 

Trent Tomlinson and ME 

The Strawberry Queen, her Court, and ME (I look like I could be their MOM)


Jessica Simpson and Me 

Jessica Simpson was really cute -- her legs, holy smokes, I know I'm a chick, but DANG, they are in good shape.  She looked awesome and looking at this picture, I look like a total "MOM" -- I mean, I know I am a Mom, but I do not strive to LOOK like one -- does that make sense?   I think I just need to "shut-to-the-up" now before I offend anyone.  

And because she is just so darn cute ..... here's my weekly picture of Ms. Delilah.  

"Why I can no chew couch, Mama?"

Friday, March 6, 2009

Thank GOD it's Friday!

Shawn from The Trotti Times has tagged me with a confessional challenge, of sorts. This should be fun as I LOVE these sorts of things!

1) What is your blogger name? Natalie
2) When is your birthday? October 16, 1975
3)How long have you been blogging? My first blog post was in May or June 2007
4) Who tagged you? Shawn
5) Tell me your 5 most favorite body parts. My eyes, my long fingers, my legs that after 3 mths of walking 4 miles/day are FINALLY getting calf muscles, my boo-tay (because it was the ONLY thing going for me in high school!) and b/c I'm going to keep it VERY real, my chest .. b/c I paid a LOT of money for these girls!
6) What do you wish most for your birthday? To be able to actually get together with all of my girlfriends and celebrate - I missed doing that last year!
7) What color are your nails right now? A beautiful pink/white french manicure. ... my nails are ALWAYS like that.
8) Any depressing thoughts lately? Other than trying NOT to look at how much money we've lost in retirement and savings accounts ..... I try not to think depressing!
9)What's your next 1 month's plan? To continue thriving at church, and GET MY HOUSE UNDER CONTROL!!
10) At what age did you have your first crush? Steven Nash - 5th Grade .... I wonder if he's on Facebook!
11) Did you attend any school reunion after you graduated till now? Yes, and it was hilarious. See, I was a dork in highschool. I was tall and skinny ...I sang in the chorus and performed with our show choir. I had not yet 'filled out' -- I went to my 10 yr reunion and it was a blast .... but clicks were still clicks and no one seemed to change much, except for the boys -- they either got better or worse!
12) Have you ever passed gas in public and pretended you didn't smell anything? No, as far as my husband is concerned, the ability for me to pass gas was surgically removed .....
13) Are you a clean freak? I wish I was ... I actually waived my white flag of defeat the other day b/c I'm thinking of getting a maid ... FT job, running a business w/my husband, being a mommy, AND being the best girlfriend a friend could ask for is taking it's toll on my house!
14) Which era do you wish you were born in? I like the 40s a lot - mostly for the style, but this era is pretty cool too.
15) Are you a vegetarian? Ummmm no, that is grounds for divorce.
16) How many pillows do you sleep with at night? 3
17) Are you a light sleeper or an I-don't-care-if-there's-a-bomb-here sleeper? light sleeper for the most part .. but if I take 2 Advil PM and drink a glass of wine, that is a DIFFERENT story!
18) Do you secretly wear comfortable Granny panties when you man is not around? AB-SO-LUTE-LY not .... I do not own a pr of Granny Panties (sorry Mom and Dad and Harold and Mary if you're reading this!) .... I even wore maternity thongs (Yes! There is such a thing!)
19) What is your ultimate dream job? wedding planner .... HANDS DOWN!
20) What is your hubby does that annoys you the most? Leave stuff on the floor in the bathroom and STEP OVER stuff that is on the floor that SHOULDN'T BE! HELLO - PICK IT UP!!
21) What is your dream car? one without a car payment! No, really, prob the $120,000 Lexus sedan but it would come with a sign that says "No Children Allowed" .... 
22) Do you easily wake up in the morning? yes .....
23) Do you like hairy men? Ummmm, no. I do not. Chad is considered a 'bear' in the gay community (NOW LISTEN ~ before y'all get all uptight and freaked out -- we do not condone the gay lifestyle, however, we LOVE them b/c that is what God wants us to do (I'm being serious here .. not jokey-funny) ...... however, we have a few friends that live this lifestyle and we do not judge them, but we love them and that's all I am saying about that -- but this is how we found out about Chad's bear status.) I googled Chad's name once after an incident that happened in Greely, CO ... and this website came up that listed "Celebrity Bears" and I'm thinking "What in the world is a celebrity bear?" -- basically, it's what gay men call Big, Burly, Hairy men ... *cough* .... so Chad called one of his friends that leads this lifestyle and asked him about it and he said "Yep, you are considered a bear" ... and it's funny and I never let him forget it. Chad does get the waxy-waxy ... thanks to me who set him up an appointment for a massage with an extra ... WAX! OOOOOOH I got in trouble for that!
24) How about a man with a gotee? Yes --love a goatee
25) Which one would you prefer, a 2 hour spa massage, 2 hour Thai massage or a 2 hour foot massage? A massage in general would be great, but a 2 hr spa massage would be awesome!
26) Have you ever wished you had a different name than your real name? I hated my name growing up ... really. I wanted to be called everything BUT Natalie. I tried Nikki, Nicole (my middle name) -- so now everyone just calls me Nat and I really like my name b/c I don't hear it all that often - still!
27) What is the most extreme sport you have ever done? 4 wheeling in a jeep with a HARNESS on ... in the mtns of Tennessee. I also swam with sting rays once, but I got so scared I climbed up a guy's back and literally walked on water back to the boat.
28) Do you prefer traveling in Europe or Asia?I haven't been to either but I would have to say Europe.
29) What is your favorite food? Chick-fil-A ... or Mexican .. either one suits me fine.
30) What is your most embarrassing moment while out on a date? I ALWAYS sit on my foot. ALWAYS. Well, one time, I was at dinner with a boyfriend once and we were eating in a Mexican restuarant! When we got up to leave, my foot was asleep, but I didn't realize it. I stepped down to walk -- wearing WEDGE SANDALS -- and my entire foot buckled underneath me. I collapsed in the restaurant and he turned and looked at me -- telling me "GET UP! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" .... I was laughing so hard b/c I was EMBARRASSED and that joker walked to the front of the restaurant to wait on me - I guess b/c I was laughing, he didn't think I was hurt. I finally said "DUDE (not really, but I'm not putting his real name on her), I think I broke my foot!" and he came back and helped me up ...but did not CARRY ME like I deserved! Anyway, I did not break my foot, but I did fracture my bone. It got SO huge and swollen..... it was gross.


I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, just cut and paste and put on your blog!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Busy....

I have so much blogging catch up to do but I have been tied up doing a
project for work..... But couldn't resist posting this picture of
Delilah, because honestly, is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Fairytale Weekend!

WOW! What a weekend!! First of all .... SHE arrived:


Delilah ~ doesn't she look like one of those fake dogs at Cracker Barrel?  You know what I'm talking about -- the ones that lay in a bed and breathe and stuff and are fake?  Well, she's not and we couldn't be more in love.  I'm serious.  She is an AWESOME dog!!   Thank you to everyone that sent us well wishes and praises on picking such a great breed.  

She has been such a good dog so far.  Yes, I know it's still new, but she has only had 1 accident in the house in 36 hrs ... and it was in her crate.  We are crate training her as I have seen it work for many many people and MANY people recommended we do that.  She doesn't cry TOO much, but I did get up at 5:00 and get her out of her crate to snuggle..... couldn't help it, you would TOO!


Kennedy went to the Strawberry Festival here in town.  It is HUGE and our town takes it VERY VERY seriously.  Here is Kennedy with the Strawberry Queen (guess which one!) and her court.  They were so sweet to Kennedy and no, I don't know if that's real fur ... I'm thinking ..... we live very very close to where strawberries are picked and sent all over the country.  I took my sister and showed her all the strawberry fields and she couldn't believe the amount of people working to pick strawberries.  You can normally do a u-pick, but during strawberry festival, they shut that down.  It's so serious around here, Kennedy has out of school tomorrow for FESTIVAL DAY -- to allow all the kids to go to the festival!! SERIOUSLY!

This -- THIS was the highlight of the weekend!  For those of you living under a rock, that's Taylor Swift with my baby.  She was at the Festival for a concert .... see, with Chad's job, we have a lot of cool perks.  Actually, since Chad was a recording and touring artist for 15 yrs, I've been fortunate enough to meet a LOT of country celebrities (I met Kenny Chesney on our first date!!!).  They have all been wonderful but it's always in an atmosphere where I feel DUMB pulling out my camera.  Well, now that he's working in a different side of 'country', I can go to concerts and just jump in the meet&greet line and have my picture taken and they don't have to know I'm married to their friend. FOR THE RECORD ~ I still buy my ticket to each and every concert. That is a line I REFUSE to cross unless they are offered.  There is still a lot of respect for Chad in the industry ~ which goes both ways (he never assumes) ~ and so he normally almost ALWAYS has an all-access pass backstage at every concert that comes in town.  He was able to take Kennedy with him and walked her backstage to meet Taylor Swift.  
Y'all -- how cute is this picture?  Taylor said "Ok, make a funny face" and this is all Kennedy could think of - she said "Mommy, she was so sweet!"
Chad said she got down eye level with Kennedy and talked to her, asked her about her outfit and told her it was adorable (thanks SHAWN!) ~ she was SO down to earth and just very very sweet to my daughter.  I wasn't there but she called me RIGHT after and I just bawled on the phone b/c I could HEAR the excitement in her voice.   They opted not to stay for the show b/c it was SO cold (seriously .... COLD) but Chad reconnected with her manager - they were great friends when we lived in Nashville, so they made plans for us to attend a future show!  I really don't think Kennedy cared!

For a good laugh, and again, PLEASE do not call any child services or whatever on me ... Cameron wanted his training wheels off and so, well, we did.  His helmet straps broke and his helmet fell off prob 3 sec before I figured out how to get my video back to REC... oh, and he's wearing his Christmas pajama shirt, too short jeans and shoes with no socks .... but whatevah ... like I say, JUST KEEPIN' IT REAL!!  Cameron is screaming b/c he wants Chad to let go of him .. you can see he is grinning ear to ear. He does not know how to steer without his training wheels on .. so he just rode and went wherever the bike took him. This is TOO funny not to share .... I know my sister, Mom and Mother in Law are going to be FREAKIN' ... but don't worry, no one was injured in the making of this video!