You Think I'm Fruity, Don't You?

Today, the kids and I went Kawaii's to get some Hawaiian shaved ice to celebrate my birthday. It was a REALLY hot day out, so this was the perfect way for us to cool down. We just recently discovered how much we love Kawaii's! (Have any of my local friends ever been there, and if so, why did nobody tell me about this before? It is becoming one of my favorite summer hangouts!) Anyway, as were enjoying our mix of cherry and grape, Zachary looked down and said, "It's turning your toenails red!" I couldn't tell if he was serious, but I got a good laugh out of it. :)

Ten Things I Am Celebrating Today

1. The 30th anniversary of The Cheesecake Factory! Thanks to my awesome VT companion and friend, Stephanie, who passed along the news, the kids and I made a trip across town to enjoy lunch and cheesecake at $1.50 a slice. Ashley, of course, had Strawberry, I had my usual White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, and Zachary chose the Snickers. We braved the masses and the kids were incredibly good for me. I felt like Supermom afterwards. I love celebrating with my wonderful kids!

2. The arrival of my new "nephew", Garrison Elvis Christensen. This is the son of my good friend and former roommate, Jean. I talked to her just a little while ago, and everyone is doing well. Garrison weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and is 20" long.

3. My birthday...is tomorrow. I feel like I've been celebrating all week (and half of last week.) I love my birthdays, even though I never feel like I've gotten any older. My dad is coming to take me and the kids out tomorrow night to celebrate. My mom took us out to lunch last week (because she's in Boston visiting my sister for 2 weeks) and I'm sure we will celebrate with Chris when he gets home this weekend. In between all of that, I have enjoyed and appreciated all the birthday wishes and cards from family and friends. Thank you!

4. I found my driver's license! I went to the bank to cash a check today and couldn't find it anywhere. I finally left and went home to search for it there, still to no avail. I was positive I had it this weekend while I was out doing some shopping, so I called a few places I have been since then--also with no luck. I kept searching, and finally I decided to say a little prayer that I would know where to look for it. I got up and looked at the bag I always take swimming, and I was SO SURE that it wasn't in there. I don't remember the last time we went swimming, but I know it was over a week ago and I never leave my license in there. With a look of "Whatever, I know you're not in there!", I unzipped the inside pocket, and sure enough... That's why I am also celebrating...

5. Answers to my prayers!!! And the fact that I don't have to go get a new license made ASAP. Seeing as I need that license next month for my trip to Southern California, I was very worried that I wouldn't be able to get a new one sent to me in time. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

6. Did I mention I'm going to California?! Wooohooo! I am really excited! This was an unexpected trip, as I had no plans to do any leisure travel while Chris is still in school, but the stars all seemed to line up just right and we were able to get a great deal on our tickets. The kids and I will be staying with Jean, whom I haven't seen since she was a bridesmaid at my wedding reception almost 7 years ago. It has been a crazy 7 years that have taken us on quite a rollercoaster, but our friendship is stronger than ever and I'm excited to meet her husband, Dustin, and her 2 kids, 4 year-old Faith and little Garrison, for the first time. This will also be her first time to meet Zachary and Ashley in person. (By the way, for many who are reading this, YES, I feel INCREDIBLY GUILTY that I won't be seeing you this time around, but hopefully someday I will!)

7. Chris will be back home in about 24 hours. He has spent half of last week and all of this week in Dallas doing work-related things, and do I miss him! I will be happy to have him come home tomorrow night. I also know a couple of kids that can't wait to see their Daddy!

8. A friend who called me up out of the blue just to find some time to hang out. She is also my faithful partner in my church calling, and she is GREAT!--another answer to a prayer. Along with her, I'm celebrating all of my dear friends who are a wonderful example to me and whom I love! I am so thankful for all of you!

9. My family...every last one of you...reading this blog or not. I can't go without mentioning how much I love you all and am grateful for all you do for me and my little family. There are too many things to mention, but each one of you is deeply appreciated!

10. My faith, which has been strengthened these past few weeks in various ways, through various people. I am gratefully indebted!

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Blog Gone?

I know there is no need to apologize for not posting anything for awhile, but I am going to anyway. It is not for lack of things to write about or for lack of wanting. I will be back again soon, I hope. It sure doesn't help that our other computer appears to be on the blink and that's where our photo software is located and all of my pictures are stored. That only makes this more frustrating. I hope everybody is having a great summer. I miss you all!

Superbug

I got the call back from the doctor's office this morning, and Ashley's culture came back positive for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.) It is a skin infection that is caused by a type of staph bacteria that has become resistant to many types of antibiotics similar to penicillin. It's pretty serious stuff actually, so we were very fortunate to catch this when we did. Had this gone on for awhile without treatment, the infection could have become much more serious. Because the test results take several days to come back, doctors will prescribe MRSA-fighting antibiotics if they suspect it, and that's exactly what ours did. So, Ashley just has to continue taking the same stuff this week and hopefully that will completely take care of the infection. I am so thankful that she seems to be feeling better this week and that the sore on her foot looks like it is healing.

Infected

Ashley has been suffering from a nasty cold for several days now and has had a mild rash on her face to go along with it. For the past 2 days, she has been unusually fussy, and last night, I caught her touching her hands to her ears and immediately I began to be paranoid that she might have an ear infection. Since Zachary has only had one ear infection so far and Ashley hasn't had one at all yet, I'm always afraid that if my kids had one, I would miss it.

My mom suggested I might take Ashley to the doctor to have her checked out, but I'm always hesitant. I hate the thought of spending money on an unnecessary doctor visit when there is really nothing that can be done. But, of course, I don't hate that any more than I hate having to watch my kids suffer. Sometimes it is better to go ahead and make the call or take them in even if only for a little peace of mind.

We were at Zachary's swimming lesson yesterday and Ashley was very cranky, and while I normally take her to the park and push her on the swings during that half-hour, today she wasn't enjoying it like she normally does. We went to sit in the air-conditioned car for the remainder of the lesson, and she looked and was acting just miserable. I decided I'd better make the call.

Just as I was dialing the number to the office, I noticed something about Ashley's foot. A couple of weeks ago, she got sores on each of her feet from wearing water socks all day at Schlitterbahn. The tags inside the water socks rubbed the skin off, creating some painful-looking sores, but both seemed to be healing just fine, or so I thought. It was right then that I noticed that one of the sores had developed a slight bit of an infection. One more thing to ask about, I thought, but I was sure that it was no big deal. If it weren't for Ashley being sick, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I certainly wouldn't have given it a second thought if it was on MY foot.

I finally called, and as I thought, there was no reason to bring her in over this cold and rash, but for the foot, she had to be seen. I thought that was sort of ironic. Here she's had this horrible cold and is MISERABLE and I need to take her in for the FOOT!?? Totally unexpected.

We went to the appointment, and the nurse had to hold Ashley's foot still so the doctor could puncture the skin with a needle and squeeze out some liquid to take a culture for testing. Of course, you can imagine how well Ashley liked that. She was on my lap and I really had to restrain her to keep her from hurling herself out the door. After it was over, the doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics that she has to be on for the next 10 days, and that's just until they know what sort of bacteria it is. We will know in 3 days, and presumably they will give her another prescription for something to fight the specific strain causing the infection. While we were there, I had the doctor check her ears, and she said both looked good. Whew!

I thanked the doctor as she was about to leave. Neither she nor I expected what happened next. Ashley, too, said, "Dankooo!" It was a proud moment for me that my daughter would thank the doctor after causing her so much pain. Of course, she could have just been mimicking me, but she said it with such sincerity. Maybe she really was just thankful that the doctor was going to leave her alone. I don't know, but she was so cute about it. Later, in the car, she kept saying, "Bye doctors!" over and over again. She seems to be doing better and has been resting, but we'll see how cooperative she is when she starts those antibiotics in the morning!

Re-Naming the Rubik's Cube

Did you know that the Rubik's Cube is being re-named? Zachary was just looking at the picture of WALL-E that I posted on my blog a couple of days ago, and this is the name he is giving it: The Color Roller Upside-Down Upside-Up Ball Dice. Catchy, isn't it?

Out at the Old Ball Game

The law firm where Chris worked the first half of this summer hosted a family day at the Dell Diamond where our minor league team, the Round Rock Express, played against the Memphis Reds on June 13. It was our first time to take the kids to a game, and it was also my first time to see the Express play. It was very nice to get to meet Chris' colleagues (also for the first time.) What a great group of people he got to work with!

Lucky for all of us, it was a breezy summer night, otherwise, it would have been pretty hot. On the downside of that, the wind was blowing pretty hard, so food and plates and cups were flying. The kids were getting restless, so we visited the playscape which was conveniently located inside the ballpark on the lower level. Zachary and Ashley didn't mind that the place was crawling with kids and quickly lost sight of me. (I see how they are!)

We really didn't get to see much of the game, but we did visit quite a bit with the other families there. Probably the most memorable part of the night for me was when Ashley, who was being ornery and trying to run away from our party, heard the organ suddenly start playing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and she stopped dead in her tracks to go through all the motions. Everyone who was watching her got a kick out of that. In the end, the home team won, so that made for a great ending to an already fun night!

WALL-E

We just got back from seeing WALL-E, so I thought I'd add my review along with those of other movies we have seen recently. I'll bluntly give this one a thumbs-down but add a note here that I didn't get to see the show in its entirety. (I saw just a little more than the first hour.) We forgot to take Ashley's blankie, and we were seated right next to the stairs (the ones with red glowing lights on them) and those were quite a distraction for her. I could tell within the first few minutes of the opening scene that this wouldn't hold her interest, and I suspected that it would also be difficult for me to get into it. Try as I might, I found myself a little bored throughout, as it lacked humor as well as a good dialog. I mean, really, the 2 main characters (WALL-E and Eve) are robots, so what more can be expected? They communicated without words.

OK, I'll admit it. Part of the reason I give WALL-E a thumbs down is because I simply do not enjoy futuristic movies. They take me back to the childhood torture of enduring the likes of Tron and Star Wars with all its sequels and pre-sequels. (Seeing Tron in the theater for my 7th birthday remains a long-lasting bad memory for me.) Watching Ashley entertain herself by climbing up and down the stairs reminded me of the tactics I tried to make the time pass by more quickly during shows that I wasn't enjoying. My tactic during Tron was to try to fall asleep, so is it any wonder why I am notoriously known for sleeping through movies? Let's just say that I trained myself early and it has taken several years to reverse that habit. While I didn't fall asleep through WALL-E, I also didn't mind having to take Ashley out and miss the second half. I guess I could have missed out on a nap, though.

I hope that everyone else who sees this movie will like it more than I did. Chris says that he enjoyed it, but he also appeared bored everytime I looked over at him. We won't be running out to add this one to our collection.

Freedom Can Mean A Lot of Things

Happy 4th of July! How I wish I felt that a little more sincerely, but I'm sure you'll forgive me for being trite just this once. Well, in case you need an excuse to sit in that chair a little longer, here is a post about what we did today to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy here in this country.

We spent the day relaxing in the comfort of our own home, something I am truly grateful to have. (But actually, if you want the honest truth, we were just being lazy. Hey, freedom is the freedom to act or not act, right?) So, I think I slept in until about noon, letting Chris get up with the kids. I think that falls under the category of women's rights, doesn't it? Later, we thought about seeing a movie and agreed that the only one out that the kids might like that we haven't already seen is Wall-E. We decided to go see that, but as we were walking out the door, it became clear to us that Ashley really needed a nap instead. Going out as a family was a nice thought, however short-lived it was. I really am thankful for that freedom, too...to be able to come and go as I choose. When it was about a quarter til eight, we thought we'd pull ourselves together and head over to the park to watch the fireworks, figuring that the Fourth of July might be anticlimactic if we spent the whole day at home and missed fireworks. I don't know why we would think that, but having the liberty to think for ourselves is another truly wonderful blessing I enjoy.

The hour-long wait before the fireworks began seemed to take three hours because the kids still haven't learned how to sit still for any stretch of time and do as they are told. My bad. I forgot that kids have freedoms, too. Just like at church, the kids went after the snacks as soon as we found a parking spot on the hard ground. (It was all we could muster to get ourselves out of the house, so we didn't think to bring chairs or a blanket to sit on.) After the excitement of eating Ritz crackers and Cars Teddy Grahams by the handfuls wore off, Ashley wanted demanded to leave, and she stormed off more than once with a mental note that said, "Follow me and see if I care." Again, in case you aren't following, we are talking about independence here. Zachary wanted to exercise his freedom of speech by providing a non-stop commentary to everything that was going on around us complete with additional ear-splitting sound effects. Hey, at least we were outdoors and nobody seemed to care but us.

Just as we were really starting to lose our patience with the kids, a nice lady behind us offered and gave the kids each a glow-in-the-dark bracelet. It was really a random act of kindness for which I was thankful, but unfortunately it had the unintended effect of stirring up an argument between the kids. Zachary thought that one was for him. Ashley let him know otherwise in no uncertain terms. Chris and I became referees for the next 15 minutes or so until the children found a common ground by separating the ends of their bracelets and turning them into weapons of war. (Right to bear arms?) Better that they should be allies in that case. Ashley thought it was funny to try and intubate me with hers, and Zachary swung his around wildly in the faces of strangers. Perhaps by divine intervention, a whole gang of Bikers Against Child Abuse came and sat down beside us. I was getting darn close to losing it with the kids, but the thought of one of those burly bikers coming after me for spanking my kids in public...just wasn't worth it. (I'm not sure parents have that freedom in this country anymore, do we?)

The fireworks started and couldn't have ended fast enough. The lesson I learned tonight is that freedom has another meaning, especially when we're thinking in terms of a kid's point of view. Maybe next year we will remember that and solemnly swear to stay home with them. There's certainly nothing unconstitutional about that!

Happy Fourth of July, y'all.


Wearing our red, white, and blue.

More Than Just Your Friendly Neighborhood Bunny

Yesterday morning, while I was getting into the car to take Zachary to an early dentist appointment, I spotted a cottontail bunny sitting near the overgrown cactus that covers the power box between our yard and our neighbors' yard. I tried to show Zachary, but the bunny was easily hidden in its surroundings. That is, until it began to vigorously scratch behind its ear. Zachary watched it closely until I started the car and then announced that the bunny was hopping away. As I pulled further down the driveway and into the street, I saw the bunny again on the other side of the box and pointed it out again. Suddenly, Zachary exclaimed, "Hey, Mommy! That bunny's not scratching his ears or eyes! He's HIDING EGGS!!!"

It's not just the cute things that 4 year-olds say that make me smile--it's that they actually BELIEVE what they are saying. Thanks, Zachary, for brightening my day.