ALPHABET SOUP

A Little Potty Humor

2009-05-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I told Zachary that I would take him to Inflatable Wonderland when he was potty-trained. (I am sure he was just barely 3 at the time, but as you can see, I was already to the point of throwing bribes to the wind.) Though he had been to other "jumpy jumpy" places around town, as we like to call them for the sake of simplicity, Inflatable Wonderland was going to be that special place that would only be entered upon his successful completion of this very important developmental milestone. It didn't work very well as an incentive, however. Instead of enticing Zachary to actually do SOMETHING to BECOME potty-trained, he simply reminded me, every time we passed it in the mall, that someday he would go there when he was potty-trained. And, each time, approximately 5 seconds later, his mind would already be on something OTHER than being potty-trained. Eventually, as the months came and went with very little progress in that department, I decided in MY mind that we would probably NEVER be going to Inflatable Wonderland. "Woe is me," I'd think to myself. "I guess I'll have the first child to enter college in a Pull-Up."

Then comes the end of my long, sad story. Miracles do happen! Just recently, Zachary, literally, woke up one day COMPLETELY POTTY-TRAINED!!! After all those months and years of madness spent trying to get him to this same end, he did exactly what his pediatrician told me he'd do: He did it when HE was ready!

I am still counting the days since this miracle took place, but now I'm sure that it's the real deal. Zachary is 100% potty-trained! Not one single accident since Day 1, and we're well into the double digits. So, amid my joyous dancing and singing of the Hallelujah Chorus, one of the first things Zachary said to me was, "Now we can go to the jumpy jumpy place at the mall because I'm potty-trained!" Of course, he didn't forget. And I assured him that, YES, we would be going there very soon.

There was just one little dilemma: I didn't know what to do about Ashley. I wanted this trip to Inflatable Wonderland to be a really special reward for Zachary, but how could I leave her out? After all, she has been way ahead of him in terms of potty-training progress until, well, April 14th, to be exact. (Which, by the way, will probably now remain burned in my memory as one of the best days of my life...the day I became a believer.) Ashley is not far behind. I just didn't think it would be right to let her come, too, on the account of being almost potty-trained. However, with her birthday coming up, I thought Zachary might not mind too much if his sister got to join him for that reason. Of course, I hadn't said anything about this to Zachary. But somehow he just knew...

Last week, Grandma came over after work to go out for ice cream with us. One of the first things she said to Zachary was, "Zachary, I heard you're potty-trained! Are you going to go to the jumpy jumpy place at the mall now?!?" Ashley was standing there in the living room with us and her face lit up with excitement. "I want to go to the jumpy jumpy place at the mall!!!" Zachary turned to her and said, in complete seriousness, "No, Ashley. You have to stay with Grandma, because you're not potty-trained. Only I get to go to the jumpy jumpy place at the mall because I am potty-trained." And as if to add insult to injury, Zachary added, "Happy birthday to you, Ashley!"

Ouch!

"Easter Beagle Eggs"

2009-04-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

It was fun getting ready for Easter today. For some reason, Zachary and Ashley weren't interested in watching, "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" this year as they have every year (and not necessarily only at Easter time) since Zachary was about a year old. Instead they watched "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown"...TWICE. Crazy kids... After dinner, we dyed eggs..."Easter Beagle Eggs" as they have come to be affectionately termed. But have no fear, we didn't waffle them. We didn't toast them. We didn't fry them, and we didn't turn them into egg soup. We BOILED them!!! ;)

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T11:46:00.001-07:00

Today, I took Zachary and Ashley to our neighborhood-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt...which wasn't actually in our neighborhood, but whatever. This is the first egg hunt they've been to that wasn't really Mom-sponsored, and they had a great time! Ashley loved the Easter Bunny the most (she wanted to know where he was at all times), and she was a pro at raking in the eggs. Zachary wasn't as interested in the bunny, neither was he as hard-pressed to gather up as many eggs as he could find, which is OK. I just didn't want him to be upset after they let the other kids back out for another run at 'em. Both Zachary and Ashley were so cute to watch, though I spent more of my time with Ashley, since the egg hunt for the under-3 crowd was in a different spot than the rest. Zachary was just excited to be with so many other kids and on a playground at the same time. Fun!

Go Fish!

2009-04-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of Goldfish, but my kids seem to like them. Then we discovered new Flavor-Blasted Goldfish, and boy are those tasty! So, the last time I saw them on sale at Target, I decided we should try out several of the different flavors. My pantry is stocked with 3 packages, only one of which was opened. The other day, Ashley brought me an unopened (green) package of Ranch-flavored Goldfish and wanted some for a snack. Not wanting to have 3 opened packages at one time, I went in search of the already-opened package which was nowhere to be found.

Me: "Chris, did you finish off the Mozzarella Goldfish?"
Chris: "No. Did YOU finish off the Mozzarella Goldfish?!"
Me: "No. I just wondered why they're missing all of a sudden if nobody has eaten them."

Ashley was sitting at the table when Chris, strangely inspired, opened the trash can and pulled out the half-full (golden-colored) package of Mozzarella Goldfish.

Chris: "You mean THESE?!"
Ashley: "NOOOOOO! I WANT GREEN!"

Hmmmm....I just WONDER how THOSE got THERE!?

That's Some Powerful Juice!

2009-04-07T21:18:00.001-07:00

Did you know that one of the amazing yet lesser known benefits of drinking Sunny Delight is that it helps you swim and surf? No? Neither did I! That is, until tonight. Zachary brought this to my attention. Wow!

"What I Meant to Say..."

2009-04-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, during Family Home Evening, Chris read the kids a story about a little boy who was going off to school for the first time and was so excited about learning. Just as the boy in the story was asked to do by his teacher, Chris asked Zachary to say his name and something about himself. Zachary said, "My name's Zachary, and I like blocks and shapes. I like circles, I like triangles, and I EVEN LOVE SQUIRRELS!" Ooops, I think that came out a little wrong! And I think Zachary knew it, because he was laughing as hard as the rest of us.

Not Quite the "Trip" I Wanted to Take

2009-04-04T21:12:00.001-07:00

I was so annoyed today when I went to turn on General Conference and found that absolutely NOTHING was playing on the channel we were supposed to be tuning into. For as long as we've lived in this house, we have always watched Conference on cable channel 77 at home in our living room. However, even as good as it got, we often experienced problems here or there. For example, we'd catch the morning session, but in the afternoon, this no-name channel would air a baseball game instead. That was pretty annoying in and of itself, but today I was REALLY ticked off. The screen was SOLID BLUE and they couldn't air Conference?! Come on! So, not having a lot of other last-minute options, I was grateful that we do have internet and can tune in online. The problem with that was that I couldn't actually watch it without the audio totally breaking up. So, we (or rather I--Chris was laying on the floor, sick, and probably didn't catch much besides his zzZZ's) listened while watching something crazy like sound waves dancing on the computer screen in front of me. Colorful stars and bands of "sound" moving in time with the speakers' words and voice inflections or something crazy like that. After awhile, I couldn't handle any more of it, so I got on Facebook and tried to work Sudoku puzzles in the meantime. Yeah, that was a little distracting, but so was the crappy mood I was in already. And so here lies the end of my rant.

Mommy's Little Helper vs. Mommy's Little Helps-Himself

2009-04-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

This morning, I awoke to hear the following conversation between my kids, who were cheerfully discussing the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they wanted for breakfast:

Zachary: "Ashley, bring me a chair so I can get the bread from on top of the refrigerator."
Ashley: "I don't think so. Mommy can help."
Zachary: "Then I'm going to climb on the treadmill and then on the counter so I can get it."
Ashley: "No. Mommy can help."

And that's about the point when I got up, walked into the kitchen and calmly suggested, "Yes, Mommy can help."

Bad Karma Strikes and I Claim My Place in the Family Infirmary

2009-04-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I exposed my sick child to other people and their children today, so I guess I deserve to claim my spot in the family infirmary now. After all, what goes around comes around, right? I have had quite the headache for the past several hours now and am feeling pretty sick at my stomach, too. After watching Zachary throw up all day, though, is it any wonder why???

Poor Zachary has not been able to keep anything down all day. After cancelling our lunch plans, Zachary was very sad when I told him we'd be staying home instead of riding the Zilker Park train as planned. After each episode he had of throwing up, I'd say it again, "I promise we'll go next week when you're feeling better!" But that did not ease his troubled little heart. At one point, while sitting on the floor next to the toilet, he offered this impassioned plea: "Mommy, I have tried EVERYTHING I can think of, but the sickness is just not going away!" Who likes to see a kid have to work so hard, and despite all his efforts, feel like he has failed? Not me. I know there will definitely be times where I have to put my foot down and keep him home when he is sick, but I didn't feel like this HAD to be one of those times. He wanted to go so badly, and he was even wearing his little train conductor's hat and bandana and looked so cute, I figured we could give it a shot. I packed up an extra shirt and towels just in case and we headed down to the park, but not before Zachary eagerly offered a prayer that he would not throw up and have to miss the train.

After arriving at the park, we bought our train tickets but had a little time to play at the park before its departure. Zachary was all over that park and seemed to be happy despite not feeling well. We played so much that we almost MISSED our train. We boarded right as the conductor yelled, "All aboard!" and took off in a matter of seconds. We were lucky that we made it. That was close! It was a beautiful day outside, but the wind was blowing pretty hard, so I spent half the time shielding my eyes and mouth from the flying dirt and grit, but the kids enjoyed themselves. Zachary was sad, though, that we didn't see Woody this time (a man who hangs out along the route playing his guitar and harmonica.) Apparently, Woody was a significant part of what made the train so fun the first time and the reason why Ashley insisted on bringing their harmonica (though I made her leave it in the car.) We played a little more in the park before Zachary found a spot atop one of the slides and laid down. I told him, at that point, that we needed to go home so he could rest. We managed to get through our outing just before Zachary's stomach began acting up again. On the way home, I tried to supervise his next episode while driving along the toll road. I came prepared, though, and he was covered in a towel and the car was spared. He looked pretty bad at that point, so I asked him, "Do I need to take you to the doctor?" He replied (weakly), "Don't be so rude!"

We made it home and Zachary rested all afternoon while I worried about what more serious ailment he could possibly have than the innocuous 24-hour stomach bug that Ashley had over the weekend. I was looking up appendicitis when a friend suggested that a way to tell if a kid has that is to straighten out his leg and push firmly on his heel as though I'm trying to push his leg into his pelvis. Does that not sound HORRIBLE?! At the time, Zachary was sleeping, so I waited until he woke up to inflict more pain on him. First, I asked him if he felt better (he said "yes") and asked him if his stomach hurt, while I pressed lightly on it (he said "no") and then I straightened his leg and inflicted the torture, which only resulted in Zachary throwing up all the water he had drunk over the 2 hours prior. He was holding NOTHING down. I hate to see anyone so sick.

Chris got home around 5:30 and after a few minutes, I went and lied down to see if I could shake the headache that had crept in over the course of the afternoon. He was so good to watch the kids while I ended up sleeping all evening. I didn't feel much better when I got up a few hours later, but maybe this will pass by the morning. Worse than taking care of sick kids (or husbands) is caring for them when you are also feeling yucky. So, with that, I'm going to sign off and get myself ready for bed and pray that this is gone when I wake up.

Mindbender

2009-04-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

If it looks like barf and it smells like barf, I have no trouble identifying it as barf. But if it doesn't LOOK like barf, and it doesn't smell like ANYTHING, but your kids says it IS barf...do you believe your kid and treat him like he's sick? I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that one.

This morning, Zachary seemed to be feeling fine, but a short while later, I found him hugging the toilet and saying that he already barfed 3 times: once in the bathroom, once in the living room and once on himself. First of all, I had to go LOOKING for it, and when I did, it just looked like water and I cleaned it up. Despite myself, I went ahead and sniffed at the clear wet spot on his shirt and was puzzled that it smelled just like water.

We had plans today to meet a friend downtown for lunch. We were just going to meet at McDonald's since that's what is most kid-friendly and she works nearby. I figured I'd take advantage of an opportunity and take the kids to ride on the train at Zilker Park, which is just down the road from where we were meeting, afterward. As long as the "barf" episode was an isolated one, I figured we could let it slide (no pun intended) and continue on our way. I bathed the kids, asking Zachary every few minutes if he felt alright and if he still wanted to go on our outing. He seemed fine and said he did. I dressed Ashley first and then went back and got him. His face looked a little pale, but I dressed him and told him to go put on his shoes. That's when Episode 2 occurred. I witnessed it with my own eyes, so I called my friend, cancelled our lunch plans and told the kids we had to stay home today. Of course, by THAT point, Zachary seems like himself again and is sorely disappointed about having to miss the train.

So there's my dilemma: If I hadn't already called my friend to cancel, I might have kept those plans, too, but I guess it's better that we not get our friend sick or risk Episode 3 occurring in a public eating establishment. On the other hand, I'm going against my better judgment and am taking the kids to ride the train anyway. I'll pack an extra shirt and a towel in the diaper bag, and what's the worst that could happen? Guess we'll find out...or, hopefully, we WON'T. Am I terrible?

Welcome to the Family!

2009-04-01T21:09:00.001-07:00

This morning, at 9 a.m. to be exact, some unfamiliar music started playing from my cell phone/alarm clock on the nightstand beside my bed. I received a text message from my brother, Steven, with the news that "It's a girl!" He and his wife, Amanda, had their ultrasound today and found out that they, too, are having a girl this summer...due approx. 3 weeks after ours. I am very excited for them (this is their first--not that I wouldn't be excited if they *hint* had a second or a third...) and I had a hunch it would be a girl. After all, their 2 cats and 1 dog are all "boys" and there needed to be a little balance in their family, in my opinion. I can just see her now, with her wrapped around her daddy's (and mommy's) little finger. She will make a beautiful addition to their family, and they will be great parents, I'm sure.

I sent a message back immediately to brag at just how intuitive I am that I KNEW it would be a girl...with an added note that it is a good thing, because Steven and Amanda's favorite colors are purple and more purple. It is tough to find cute clothes for a baby boy in purple...or ANY baby boy clothes in purple for that matter. They'd have to shop at the TCU store, and every piece of attire would have the wrong "monogram" on it or else a picture of a horny toad. Not a pretty picture, but I digress... It will be so much easier to shop for their little girl, so I sure hope that this news is 100% accurate. :) On the other hand, I guess I should feel bad that they will have a hard time dressing her in a Batman costume for Halloween... Maybe she will be the only little girl out there who insists on wearing a Batman costume with her mother to the grocery store. I shouldn't limit my new niece already by needless gender stereotyping. I'll have to get right on it and start thinking of some ideas for incorporating Batman into her early childhood. Perhaps Grandma can make her a quilt comprised of blocks of purple pansies amid a field in blocks in the dark hues of Gotham City. (Sidenote to Grandma: Please leave out the Joker, because if he gives ME the creeps, imagine traumatizing your poor granddaughter from the time she is born...or by the time she turns 5 and actually receives this quilt. I'm just teasing, Mom! You know I love you and appreciate the hard work you are doing on Zachary's quilt even as I type this. heh heh)

Anyway, so you can see that I am already finding joy in my new niece. I tried to explain to Zachary and Ashley today that they are going to have a new cousin and that her name will be Leah. Ashley seemed excited too: "A new cousin for me-a!?"

Welcome to the family, Baby Leah, and congratulations to Steven and Amanda!

Does My Blog Need an Extreme Makeover?

2009-04-01T21:03:00.001-07:00

I'm looking at this blog and am reminded that I am not a designer. I originally chose the colors because they were bright and the design because it worked. My blog does look different than most others I have seen, but is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does it make you want to throw up? Be honest. I can take some constructive criticism and would welcome any design talent you may have to offer.

I Can See How She Might Be a Little Confused...

2009-03-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

My dad has developed an interest in woodworking and also likes whimsical characters, so I think that's why my mom bought this statuette for him last Christmas. Right now, it sits on a small table in their living room for all to see. Ashley (age 2 1/2) saw it one day and asked, "Whistle?" My mom corrected her and said, "That's a flute!" And with all the innocence of a little child, Ashley asked, "Heavenly Father plays the flute?!"

*Not that it changes the point of the story, but I found out today that this is NOT an exact replica of the statue on display in my parents' home. The one they have is definitely more stylish...as stylish as a gnome statue can be, anyway.*

Sugar and Spice

2009-03-29T21:35:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened in the past couple of months that is certainly worthy of a blog-posting or two...or maybe even a dozen...or two, but as anyone who has been checking my blog can tell, I have been AWOL for some time now. So, if you miss reading my blog (Mom, I know you do), I'm going to see if I can get back into the swing of things. Having posted three whole times in all of 2009, I can easily match that pretty effortlessly. I'll start with the most important of all.

I am now 23 weeks into this pregnancy and all is going very well, and the official word is that we are having another girl! I am excited and happy that Ashley will have a sister somewhat close to her in age. I'm not sure if Zachary is still insisting that it's a boy, but he was for awhile. I think he's finally starting to understand a little better. Today he said, "Mommy's going to have a baby in FOUR MONTHS! But first, it's Ashley's birthday. Then it's going to be MY birthday, and then vacation." And he's right. I told him that after he didn't quite understand how long four months was going to be. He said, "I can count to 4! One...two...three...four!" And maybe he wondered why the baby didn't just magically appear? I think he knows better, but delayed gratification is not the gift of most 4 year-olds, now is it?

Aside from the fact that I'm in no hurry for this baby to show up before her time, I think I have just about everything ready so she can come home. On New Year's Day, Chris disassembled the crib in the kids' room and set it up again in our bedroom, alongside the rocking chair and other stuff I set up to make the sleepless nights to come as comfortable as possible. As I polished the crib, I couldn't help but feel so excited to be welcoming another baby. That's when it occurred to me that I hadn't even wondered if I would be able to love a third as much as my first or second. This baby was very much hoped for, as much as the others and I am thrilled that all is going so well.

As far as a name goes, I have told this story many times already, but I once promised Chris that he could name our second daughter. I came up with Ashley's name (Ashley Rebecca) sometime before I was even pregnant with her. I asked Chris how he liked that name, and my recollection was that he agreed that he also liked it. By the time that we found out that we were expecting our first little girl, he claimed he never said he liked the name I had my heart completely set upon at that point. Reluctantly, I tried to come up with other names, but his ideas and mine were about as different as night and day. There was one name that he really liked, but I just couldn't take my mind off of Ashley Rebecca. It wasn't until the day Ashley was born that Chris finally relented and said that we could give her the name that I loved. And in that moment, I promised him that if we ever had another daughter, we could give her the name that he loved. So, I am keeping my promise to him and we will name our baby Katherine Elizabeth. I know Chris plans to call her Katherine. I'm a little undecided, as I think it's a little too formal for our family, but at the same time, I can't really think of a nickname that I'd prefer. For the sake of family unity, I might just have to call her Katherine, too...

So, that's a little update on our baby girl! We are still due around July 26, but due to the fact that Chris is registered to start the Bar Exam on July 28, we're hoping to have her up to a week before. July 20th would probably be the earliest, but that sounds pretty good to me!

To Say That I Was Sufficiently Warned...

2009-01-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

I was trying to think of what to make for dinner tonight, and I admit I was being awfully slothful about it. Chris was taking a snooze on the couch, and the kids, who really should have been starving, were happily playing together in their room. I felt no pressure.

A little while later, I managed to get the kids to emerge from their room and I began probing them for some easy dinner ideas since, clearly, nobody seemed to really care WHAT I made. I asked the kids if they would like corndogs. The only problem with corndogs, or so I thought, was that Ashley will only eat the breading part. And on a day like today, if all she wants to eat is corndog breading, well, so be it.

Zachary piped up, "I want to eat a frozen corndog!"

Well, I have heard this a number of times before, and I have always been opposed to the idea. I'd kind of think that CPS might rightfully be called if I knowingly fed my kids frozen meals without preheating them first. I would never do such a thing, because I do *try* to be a good mother...even on my lazy days (like today.)

I speak only for myself when I say that I was doing what any lazy mother ought to be doing and was checking out Facebook instead of making dinner for my family at 7pm. So, it was no surprise when I heard my kids scrounging around in the kitchen for something to eat. I wasn't going to be on the computer for much longer, and kids in the kitchen (at least at MY house) always warrants an inspection and a quick one. That was going to put a hasty end to checking out my friends' status updates.

Just a few minutes earlier, the kids had been asking for Pillsbury Toaster Strudels for dinner...or in Ashley's own words, "Toaster Noodles." I had rejected that proposal, so when I heard the opening of refrigerator/freezer doors in the other room, I figured they might just be helping themselves to those anyway...or maybe they were after the tub of Cool Whip in the fridge. I knew it wasn't the parmesan cheese they were getting into, because I recently placed that on the list of "Foods That Are No Longer Welcome In My House" after the fourth container (in about 6 months' time) was emptied onto the table and eaten fingerful by fingerful. I wouldn't have been surprised if they were munching on chocolate chip cookies. After all, there was a tray of those sitting out unattended on top of the stove. But no...

What should I find when I emerged from my momentary Facebook stupor but Ashley with a corndog in each hand, frozen ones of course, with polk-a-dot-sized pieces of breading missing from each of them. In the kitchen, Zachary sat at the table with 3 frozen corndogs in front of him--two of them already half-eaten and the third one mostly unscathed. After initially being grossed-out, I wrestled the corndogs away and popped them all into the microwave and, voila!, "It's what's for dinner."

So today wasn't a stellar day for me in the balanced meal department. In my own defense, however, this is definitely not typical, so please don't call CPS. (After giving it some thought, I really wasn't very lazy today, either, because I got a lot of cleaning done.) You win some, and you lose some. But just where my kids get their crazy appetites, I think I will never know!

Ring in the New Year!

2009-01-05T22:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all! I haven't really been setting goals, have you? I like to think (or, perhaps, pretend) that I set mini-goals throughout the year so the New Year doesn't prompt me to get serious about goal-setting. If you have set goals, good for you! I would love to hear about them.

As for me, instead of listing my goals for the New Year, I have decided to compile a different sort of list:

12 Months of Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2009:

January: I am soooo enjoying having Chris off school for winter break! He doesn't have to return to classes until the day after Martin Luther King Day, so I'm lovin' that!

February: Hmmmm... OK, here's one: Chris will, of course, be BACK in school (that brings other untold blessings, like getting more of my own computer time back...ha ha) BUT he will only have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes. How nice is that?! I intend to enjoy his easier schedule along with him.

March: This will be the month of finding out fun stuff, I think. If not, then the fun stuff will have already been found out and I'll be celebrating the knowing. Also, Spring Break! Maybe we'll make some fun plans for that.

April: There's always something to look forward to in April...nice spring weather, and Easter falls on the 12th. Also, I look forward to listening to prophets and apostles speak in the Church's semiannual General Conference at the beginning of the month.

May: Ashley turns 3, and I am so excited about that! Aside from celebrating her birthday (which I always enjoy), it means that she can start taking gymnastics and swimming lessons just like Zachary has gotten to do for the past year or so. She will no longer have to be the spectator. AND HOW COULD I POSSIBLY FORGET ABOUT GRADUATION?????? I keep forgetting that Chris will not be in school forever. He'll finish his finals around the 15th and officially graduate on the 23rd!

June: Zachary turns 5! June will mark the beginning of summer and that's always fun. Grandma will finish working so we can hang out more with her. Swimming lessons will probably start in June and, for the first time, both of my kids will get to take them.

July: Summer fun continues and the month culminates in some very important and exciting events. Chris takes the Bar Exam from July 28-30, which means that (presuming all goes well) our *new addition* will be born sometime the week before. We could just end with that, but I guess we'll probably celebrate my birthday, which falls on the 31st. With Chris having finished the Bar by then, we'll all have reason to party.

August: Chris can take this entire month off, but we haven't set any firm plans yet. Having a new baby at home, this will be especially nice if he can be around. Also, if we haven't done so already, we will probably be replacing my car with something bigger and more accommodating...or else I'll have no choice but to be sit at home and just take it easy until that happens. Call me crazy, but that sort of sounds nice to me, actually.

September: Chris will have started his new job by now! We are so thankful he was able to get the job he had been hoping for and that it's with a great place here in Austin. I hope that he will enjoy it (after all, that's the biggest reason he went back to school in the first place) and that we'll be able to count on it providing us with steady and stable employment and, oh yeah, something better than student benefits!

October: Fall finally kicks in, I guess, and that means cooler weather. Once again, General Conference takes place at the beginning of the month. Chris' birthday is on the 18th, and preparations for the holiday season can begin. Hopefully by then, I'll be getting more sleep at night!

November: Our anniversary falls on the 9th and Chris won't be getting ready for finals! Instead, he will find out this month that he (cross your fingers!) passed the Bar. And for that, among other things, we will be giving much thanks.

December: "Christmas time is here...Happiness and cheer..." I love enjoying the Christmas season with my family and friends. It's a busy month that gets stressful at times, but it is ultimately a season of peace, joy and unity as we celebrate the birth of Christ and give gifts to Him and to each other. Sharing this season with a new baby in our home will be one of the greatest gifts of all.

I hope that you, too, will enjoy many blessings throughout 2009. Happy New Year!

Dear Friends and Family...

2009-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that you were still reading my blog while I have been off on some deserted (imaginary) island neglecting it! For the first time in months (or since the last time I posted...however long ago that was), I have come to visit the blog of my youth. I have aged slightly since the last time I visited, so this is bringing back some fond memories.

I also discovered that some of you have posted comments that I was not aware of. Seems like I used to have comments sent automatically to my email inbox, but for some reason, that has not been happening. So, if you felt snubbed by my lack of acknowledgement, I do apologize and assure you that it was nothing personal.

Finally, I have a bit of sad news to share. Our second computer (the one with all of our pictures stored therein) had to be disassembled and removed to make space for our old bed in the computer room. Why would we want a bed in the computer room, you ask? So that Chris can simply lie down to sleep once he has finished his gaming raids at all hours of the night. ;) Just kidding. The real reason is that we finally did get all of our new bedroom furniture, including a nice new king-sized bed (so we never have to sleep within arm's reach of each other again--Woohoo! just kidding) but we did not want to part with our old bed, either. Someday we hope to have a guest bedroom and will need a bed for our guests to sleep on. So, the moral of the story is that I am currently unable to post any pictures on this blog unless they come from our main computer. I might be able to expend a little effort to figure out how I can start dumping the pictures from my memory card onto that computer, but seeing as Chris is enjoying a well-deserved break from school right now, I might have to wait on that.

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year's holidays. We did, indeed, enjoy ours and are doing well. We love getting to have Chris/Daddy/whoever that man is ;) at home for 3 weeks, so we are taking advantage of our time together (relatively-speaking since he does need a rest.) I have more thoughts to share with you but will wait until another time, since it's 2:12 a.m. and, darn it, I have to get up before noon tomorrow. ;)

Thank you all for your love and friendship and for continuing to look at my blog even though I've been lame in not posting. I'm still glad that there are people like you who stop by to read it. I hope to write more in 2009--because this is going to be a very exciting year with much to blog about!

Happy New Year, y'all!

My Kids Converse About Christmas Clothing

2008-12-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

Last night, after enjoying a meal with their grandparents, my kids wanted to go back to their house. But it was late, so I was taking them straight home to go to bed. I told them that we would see Grandma and Grandpa another day. In fact, I told them, we would see them at church on Sunday since they would be attending Zachary's first Primary program.

Ashley responded, "O-kay, I wear my pwincess dwess! O-kay Mommy?"

I told her that her that, yes, she could certainly wear her princess dress (which actually is her Christmas dress from Grandma--not some sort of Disney get-up) and that Grandma would think she looked beautiful.

Zachary replied, "And I will wear my Christmas shoot!" (That would be his Christmas SUIT.) Unexpectedly, he continued. "And I will bring my guns and shoot all the bad police guys at church."

Ashley, knowing exactly what her brother would be wearing, said, "No, Zachary, you be a PWINCE!"

Jesus is my Autopilot?

2008-11-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

After ignoring Ashley's pleas for me to put on It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, I reluctantly accepted the fact that my nap on the couch was over. I might as well let her watch it since continuing to endure her climbing all over me was not the better option. So, I put the DVD in the player and went into the kitchen to check on some brownies that were in the oven. I washed some raspberries and returned to my spot on the couch. Zachary and I were enjoying the raspberries when the DVD stopped on the menu screen. Both kids began a little chant for me to go start the movie for them. My mouth was a little full at the time, but I told Zachary to go press "play"...only it sounded more like, "Pless play!" They thought I had said, "Let's pray," and before I knew what was going on, both kids bowed their heads, folded their arms, and began, "Dear Heav'y Fodder...Jesus Cwist...Amen!"

See? They ARE learning!

Silly Mommy, Clips are for Kids!

2008-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

(Zachary decided to experiment with his sister's hair last week. I pulled out 18 of these tiny clips, and you can see there are only about 6 in the front. I can't believe she let him do that to her!)

Meet My Kids: "Crash and Burn" and "Sick and Twisted"

2008-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

We had quite an eventful weekend at our house, and since I have been neglecting my blog again, I figured you all (all 2 of you?) would want to read about it. I don't have any pictures this time, but maybe that's why I'm not putting it off like I usually do. So here goes!

Chris spent all of Saturday at school putting in his hours for Law Review after discovering, Friday night, that his project deadline was this weekend and not next weekend. Fortunately (fortunately?) the kids and I were all suffering from colds last week, so we didn't have any plans we were intent on keeping. Though Zachary and Ashley didn't seem to be lacking in energy, I certainly was, so spending the day at home and recuperating was fine by me. I really don't know what I did all day other than try to keep up with them, do a little cleaning around the house, and, in general, move at a snail's pace.

I had no idea when Chris was planning on getting home, but as the day grew longer, I was feeling a little better and was itching to get out of the house. I decided to make a trip to Target to pick up a couple of things. I just needed to summon my inner Executive Director in charge of Ever Accomplishing Anything to get my body moving...and I needed to feed the kids dinner. So, I put a pot of water on the stove with plans for something quick, easy, and gourmet: good ol' mac & cheese. Well, I disappeared for a few minutes to check some email or do something else equally necessary, and in those few short minutes I was neglecting my children, Ashley decides to advance her education in the field of What Happens When I Touch the Hot Stove? This was the first time either of my kids had ever had a burn (Zachary was more of a scholar in the field of Testing the Effects of Gravity on Various Parts of the Body as you might recall.)

Having been inexperienced in childhood burns up to this point, I went in search of my trusty little book full of helpful advice and written by our very own pediatrician, Toddler 411. That might as well be the doctor's name, since all of her expert medical advice is contained therein. It sure comes in handy when I don't really want to pay for an after-hours call or actually have to make an unnecessary appointment. During this time, Zachary was being a great big brother and announced, "Hold on, Ashley, I'm going to go find out about burns! Zachary to the rescue!!!" He was in the computer room, so I half expected him to google it. After leafing through the book, I still wasn't sure what I needed to do. She had burned just her fingertip (perhaps 4 fingertips, but only one was obvious.) The skin was red with a layer on top that appeared a powdery white. (Toddler 411, p. 346: [Third degree] burns may look white.) Was this a third degree burn?!? I was almost convinced it was...but only because it was my kid and I had to be a little paranoid because of that.

Remembering that the doctor's office had recently extended its hours, I made the call. It was closed after all, and I was instructed to either call 911 (if it were a real emergency) or call the nurses at the hospital and pay a $12 surcharge. No way I'm going to pay $12 bucks to talk to a nurse! Those people should be happy to have someone like me to entertain them with my (OCCASIONAL) motherly cluelessness! That is why it's great to have a nurse in the family. I called my sister in Boston to find out if Ashley was going to need a skin graft, or if perhaps she was going to succumb to this macaroni & cheese burn. It took awhile to get a response after being put on hold for what seemed like forever. It was so exciting--like talking to a real nurse! (Insert big smiley face here just for you, Wendy!) My sister had to first consult the internet and then my cousin who works in radiology (both experts in the field of stove-top stuff, I'm sure.) It was nice just to have the moral support on their end, but my sister finally recommended that I just pay the $12 to be told that, no, Ashley did not need to be rushed to the ER where the charges for talking to triage nurses skyrockets from $12 to about $112.

I can see the ridiculousness of my plight now, but it seemed serious at the time. I watched Ashley practically begging me to amputate the burned appendage to ease the pain. Oddly, she was slapping the effected hand with the other. She wanted the pain to go away that badly. I did run the finger under some cool water for about 5 seconds until I decided she didn't like that. My sister convinced me to get a backbone and get that finger back under the cold water. I was glad I took her advice, because it seemed like some relief came the second time around. While she might not be as experienced in critical pediatric finger burns, she is a great cardiac nurse and, over the phone, mind you, single-handedly saved me from having my very own little heart attack. How can I ever repay her? (Feel free to humor me by sending suggestions to my comment box.)

After Ashley had had enough of the cold water, she was still pretty upset. Somewhere between touching the stove and this point in the story, she had also managed to trip over my leg and fall on her face...on the wood floor. Hence the name: Crash and Burn. Blood was coming from some inconspicuous part of her mouth, as I learned only after cleaning up a previously unidentified spot in the bathroom. She'd had a hard night. I held her in my arms and rocked her until she fell asleep and I could no longer leave to go to Target.

Around 8:30, Chris finally got home. Ashley was so fast asleep, I noticed, that she had rolled off of the bed and onto the floor and went right back to sleep. I took the opportunity to take Zachary out for some special one-on-one time with me at Target. What is so special about that, you ask? For one, it occurred when he normally should have been in bed. For two, I made up my mind that I was going to let him walk instead of ride in the basket, and for three, I wasn't going to yell at him for touching things. I was going to let him just enjoy being a kid with a fun mom instead of a grouchy one this time. (In my defense, I think I AM a fun mom usually, but shopping with kids?... Need I say more?) For, like, the ONE thing I really needed to get (which, by the way, I didn't end up buying), we stayed until closing time. He got to peruse the toy aisles almost to his little heart's content. When I was ready to move on and he didn't follow, I didn't have a cow. I stayed fairly nearby so I could hear him when he called out for me, "Mommmmmmy, I'm lost!" This happened quite a few times, so I figured as long as I was within earshot, it was time for him to learn how it feels to be separated from me in a store. All kids need to experience that once or twice before they can genuinely appreciate not being lost.

After our shopping adventure was over, we made a late-night run to Sonic on the way home. That was at Zachary's request, and I knew that, to him, it would mean the difference between a fun time with mom and a truly special time with mom. There are so many things that make this special for him: 1) getting to push the call button, 2) getting to sit in the front seat with me, 3) getting to order just what he wanted (a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blast this time), and 4) getting to throw our trash away all by himself like a big boy. Seriously, he jumped at the chance to do that for me. That aside, Zachary really is a special boy, and I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with him that night.

Fast forward to Sunday. Except for oversleeping by about 45 minutes, everything seemed completely normal. Thanks to Chris who always gets the kids ready for church, we actually still made it there on time. The kids were even a little better-behaved in Sacrament Meeting than they most often are. They didn't really fight over snacks or get upset about who had which book. (The key, I learned, is just to forget to pack any at all.) Afterward, they went to their classes and I went to Sunday School. Halfway through, Zachary's Primary teacher came and told me that Zachary was not acting like himself. He wanted her to hold him during Sharing Time, and he was crying a little and saying his ear hurt. He didn't want to leave Primary, so I sat with his class and held him on my lap. Otherwise, he really didn't want to participate. When it was time to go to his class, I gave him the option of coming with me to Young Womens or going by himself to class. He ended up choosing his own class, but there was a period of musical classes where Zachary went to Chris, who brought him to me, and back to Sunbeams when he got sick of YW after about 2 minutes.

As we were driving home, it occurred to me that I could take Zachary in to see the doctor that same day instead of waiting until Monday morning. He was really looking miserable, and after having been out late the night before, he was also sleepy. I called and we got an appointment for 2:00. I had to wake him when it was time to leave, and he was not happy about me taking him to the doctor. I packed him into his carseat along with a blanket and his favorite stuffed bunny for comfort. About halfway there, he started throwing up in the backseat. I might have been pulled over for wreckless driving, but I had a pretty good explanation ready just in case. Luckily, it wasn't "bad"...well, not nearly as bad as it could have been anyway. We made it to the doctor's office and I got one of my "green" grocery bags out of the trunk and put his blanket in it. So handy! I left the bag there so he could use it if he needed to on the way back. (He did.)

Zachary was so upset about having to go to the doctor. He isn't always that resistant, but this time he was especially so. While we waited to go back, he was crying and pleading with me to take him home. "But, Mommy, I want to go home. I'm scaaaaaared!" On and on with that one for a minute. Seeing that it wasn't working, he changed his tactics. "I want to go hoooooooome. This place is BORING!!!!" On and on that went for another minute. I couldn't keep myself from laughing. When that didn't work, either, he tried to tell me that the office was closed so we had to leave. (I'm afraid my boy is getting pretty good at manipulation.) Alternating between tears and wails about being scared or bored, Zachary reluctantly followed when the nurse took us back to a room. We waited and waited. We waited until we BOTH fell asleep. After almost an hour, Zachary was finally seen by the PNP. Sure enough, he has a bad ear infection. Luckily, this is only his second ear infection (and Ashley hasn't yet had one.) So, yes, I really AM lucky and so are they.

I took Zachary home so he could sleep while I went back out to fill his prescription. When I returned, Chris woke him to give him his first dose. That's always torture...for parents and kid alike. It took forever to get the medicine in him, and no more than a few minutes later, he threw it up all over his bed. Ugh. Time to start a load of laundry. Time for Chris to take a shower because a little barf touched his foot. :) While all this was going on, Zachary burst into laughter and repeatedly announced, "Barfing on my bed is FUNNY! Barfing on my bed is FUNNY!" Hence the name: Sick and Twisted. Delirium, you think?

After soaking in a warm bath for awhile and put in fresh pajamas, he slept the entire rest of the day. He slept until 4 a.m. and then woke me just for a drink of water. He seemed to be feeling better and is happier today. After a huge struggle, I got him to take his medicine. The next 10 days of this will be so fun! :)

Happy Monday! (If you aren't happy it's Monday, just be happy for me, because I'm glad this weekend is over!!!)

Disowned!

2008-10-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

Four months after she visited from Boston, I am just now posting pictures of the great times we had while Wendy was here. Such a loser, I know! Anyway, here they are!

Wendy flew into Austin on Father's Day (June 15th.) Since that was just a week after Zachary's 4th birthday, I decided we had to have a celebration that included her. Here's a picture of the birthday boy--happy about the cool Lightning McQueen cake his dad made for him and even more so because his "Chia" came for a visit.

Ready, Set, Play!

There were just a few mandatory things that Wendy really had to do while she was back in Austin. One of those included a trip to Rudy's for the "Worst BBQ in Texas."

Schlitterbahn Waterpark was another mandatory stop. The kids and I went down with Grandma, Wendy, and her friend, Yi Jeng, to New Braunfels for a day of fun in the sun. We got there right about when the park opened and found the perfect spot to stake our claim on picnic tables--right by a nice new kiddie area that was put in since the last time we visited. I was happy to notice that along with these and other improvements, the park, in general, was looking significantly cleaner, and it was not nearly as crowded as it has been on other past trips. We got to go on lots of rides and didn't have to wait in lines much. Grandma, Wendy, and Yi Jeng were a huge help with Zachary and Ashley, and the kids loved hanging out with them, too. Ashley went on a couple major tube rides (White Water and Cliffhanger) just to say she did. :) She pretty much spent the rest of her time in the kiddie areas. We took Zachary on just about everything, and even though some of the rides were a little scary for him, it was fun that he would brave them all for us. (I got some pictures with some disposable water cameras we bought, but there was no way I was taking my digital camera near the water, so you will just have to imagine the fun we had.)

Time to (Watch Them) Make the Doughnuts!

Zachary loves to see how our favorite foods are made, and since I hadn't gotten any pictures the first time we visited Krispy Kreme, we took Wendy along for our second trip. Wendy suggested we conduct a taste test to see who makes the better Boston Cream doughnut: Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin Donuts. I'm pretty sure I remember Dunkin Donuts winning that one.

Halfway through the week, we drove to Houston. My mom had agreed to keep Zachary and Ashley's cousins (Scott and Karen's kids) while their parents went to San Francisco for Scott's business trip and a vacation. That had been pre-arranged before Wendy had her vacation time approved, so she had booked a return flight to Boston from Houston. I was either going to go down, too, or get cheated out of half of my time with my sister. Unacceptable! So why not make the trip a bit more fun?

I had always wanted to visit the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX where they make the "Best Ice Cream in the Country." I sort felt like I needed to do that at least once before I die. We were born and raised in Texas (on Blue Bell ice cream!) and yet we had never been. It was time for us to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. For a small fee, we got some complimentary paper hats and got to see how our favorite ice cream is made.

Blue Bell's Top Five Selling Flavors:
5) Cookies & Cream,
4) Dutch Chocolate
3) The Great Divide (half Dutch Chocolate, half Mexican Vanilla),
2) Buttered Pecan,
1) Homemade Vanilla

None of the above are my favorite flavors...and just so I don't keep you wondering:

Robin's (Current) Top Five Blue Bell Flavors:
5) Peppermint,
4) Banana Split,
3) Chocolate Almond Marshmallow,
2) Banana Pudding,
1) Chocolate Brownie Overload.

The best part of all came after the tour when we got to enjoy some of the "fruits" of their labors. The tour included a generous scoop of delicious Blue Bell ice cream in their nostalgic ice cream shop. Yum!

After a day or so in Houston, it was time for Wendy to go home. We were sad for her to have to leave, but Zachary and Ashley enjoyed hanging out with their cousins for several days before we, too, went home.

Playing the Victim

2008-10-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the opportunity to be a witness in a mock trial presentation for Chris' Trial Advocacy class. For this assignment, Chris and his partner were assigned to be the "prosecution" and two of their classmates were assigned to be the "defense" in an obviously fictional purse-snatching/robbery case. Both sides had to plan out and present their opening statements to the court, directly examine and cross-examine witnesses, re-direct, and then end with their closing arguments. There were four witnesses (2 for each side) and one judge (played by a real attorney from the County Prosecutor's office.)

My role in this case was that of the 28 year-old victim. Luckily, all I had to do was familiarize myself with the details of the case that pertained to me--the actual crime itself and my statements and involvement with the police. (Chris had given this info to me a few days prior for review.) Following the opening statements, I was called as the State's first witness. I have to admit that it was pretty fun, even though I was a little worried at first that I might goof up and say something that Chris would not like me to say. We had a good laugh earlier about what some of those things might be, but I can no longer remember what they are. And to save him from potential embarrassment, I suggested that he tell noone that I was his wife should I accidentally commit such a blunder. :) Chris had assured me beforehand that I would do just fine. Of course, I wasn't so sure I believed him. Then again, this is a pass/fail class, so he didn't have much to worry about, either, selecting his stay-at-home wife to play the key witness while the rest were 3rd year law students who had all done this before. Hey, at least I used to like watching Court TV! :)

Anyway, I felt pretty confident on the stand while Chris was directing me, but it was a little harder to maintain that same level of confidence upon cross-examination. The other team, I have to say, was really on top of their game as well. I tried my best and just hoped that I was saying all the right things. I was glad when the defense "rested" and Chris stood up to finish me off before I was officially dismissed. One by one, the other witnesses took the stand and I got to enjoy the rest of the show from the sidelines. The State's other witness was the police officer who had handled my case, and the defense's witnesses included the defendant and his girlfriend (both of whom just happened to be played by men--it was pretty funny.)

In the end, both sides did really well, including all of the witnesses. The judge concluded by giving feedback to both teams, but a little to my dismay neither was declared the winner. (That's just the way they were doing it for this class.) It was pretty cool, though, for me to get to see Chris take the floor and demonstrate his courtroom skills-in-training. I thought he did a great job! And as he later said, this will probably be my first AND last time to witness him in this kind of action. Yeah, I guess they probably don't like for lawyers to bring their families to court with them in real life...none of this "Bring Your Kids To Work" in that sense anyway. :) Oh well, then...I guess it was fun while it lasted!

Way to go, Chris!

A Lot Of Catching Up To Do!

2008-10-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you have been waiting anxiously for me to get back on the wagon and start posting about the many adventures we've had this summer. I have gotten so far behind, but I still would love to share pictures and stories for as many as I can remember. We made a lot of great memories this summer, and now we are glad to be enjoying a new season. There is so much to look forward to. Hope you are all well and enjoying a bounty of blessings. And I will sign out now since I have a bushelful of blogs to get started on!

Happy Birthday, Christopher!

2008-10-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Chris' birthday. Lucky for him, he also had a lot of studying to do AND it was the weekend of Stake Conference. Not a terribly fun way to spend one's birthday, I would say, so the least I could do was to *let him* stay home with the kids while I attended the adult session of Conference on Saturday night by myself. Happy birthday to you, Chris! Next year will undoubtedly be better. :)

I tried to make his birthday a little special anyway by making him a yummy breakfast on Saturday morning. Breakfast burritos are, according to Chris, a "Texas thing" that he really likes but I never make. (The sausage, potato, egg, and cheese filling turned out great and there was enough leftover that he also ate some for his birthday dinner ALONE.) In the afternoon, we took the kids out to a local pumpkin patch to enjoy some pre-Halloween festivities and we let them choose their very first pumpkins for carving.

We had our actual celebration with Chris last night, and my mom and dad joined us for that. He requested that I make a roast for his birthday dinner. I hadn't made a roast in years probably. To my surprise, his birthday dinner was probably the best meal I have made all year! So, I told him that, once a year, for his birthday, I will make him a roast. :) More likely: How many times can I make roast without burning him out on that, too? For dessert, I made Chris' favorite double-layer triple chocolate cake which we ate with vanilla ice cream. That's EXACTLY how he likes it, so I was happy to oblige. While I was making the cake earlier in the afternoon, Zachary exclaimed, "Thank you, Mommy, for making the best chocolate cake EVER!" Isn't he the best KID ever?!

After Chris opened his presents, we ate that yummy cake and ice cream and enjoyed some fine entertainment that was the highlight of the evening. Enjoy!

"Happy Birthday to Daddy!"

The encore:

Quick Change

2008-08-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ashley has surprised us by learning a new trick. Last night, when I went in to make sure the kids' CD player was turned off before we went to bed, I discovered a peculiar present left on the floor. No, not THAT kind of present. Well, not exactly anyway. There, in the middle of the floor, was her (slightly wet) diaper...just sitting there waiting to be disposed of properly. Expecting to find her pants-less in the crib with wet sheets, I was merely annoyed by Ashley's initiative. But to find that she had removed her wet diaper and then REPLACED her pants all by herself while staying DRY...well, I couldn't have been more proud of this "first" for her. And, now, I guess she's mastered this new skill overnight because I made the same discovery this morning. Funny girl! (Let's just hope that she likes the dirty ones enough to keep them on!)

Counting Down to Candy

2008-08-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Zachary (tonight, and completely out of nowhere): "Maybe next time it will be Halloween behind the church!?" (hope, hope, hope)

Ahh, the Trunk or Treat. It's the most wonderful time of the year...for some, apparently.

Pimp My Ride (and Take Off That Packing Tape While You're at it!)

2008-08-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, two months ago, the power window broke on the driver's side of my car. Being that this was the second time this has happened within one 356-day period, I have to thank the lovely service people at my local Ford dealership for their excellent workmanship the last time I had said window replaced. Unless there is something about power windows that require that they be used excessively to avoid disrepair, I cannot imagine why I am going through this again.

Never fear! "MacGyver Dad" to the rescue! At least this happened immediately after I took my dad out for a Father's Day lunch, so he felt compelled to help me find a temporary fix for the problem. (Actually, he would have done it no matter what. That's how nice he is!) He added some shiny new "bling" in the form of a few swatches of clear packing tape, and, voila! The window has stayed up just like that for the past two months.

Unfortunately, due to our busy summer schedule, I couldn't find a convenient time to "go green" and just live without my car, but I DID stretch our dollars a little further by putting off the repair. *AND* I now have a trusty do-it-yourself solution for broken power windows! If it weren't for a couple other recent motor quirks (imaginary, I am told), I bet that tape would have stuck for at least another month.

Thanks, "MacGyver Dad" for sparing me from having to replace this window again until at least next August!

Note to Service Department: Next August is a joke. See if you can really fix it this time, will ya? Oh, and would you mind removing the tape? I hear it is no longer in style. Thanks.

Golden Boy

2008-08-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

I love watching the Olympics! I look forward to the next Games before the current ones are even over...and that, I'm afraid, is going to be happening too soon for my liking. I really get bitten by the Olympic bug. Like so many others whose blog posts I have read recently, I feel so proud to be an American during this time, but I also appreciate the national pride that ALL of the participants (the athletes, their families, the coaches, the spectators, the vendors who sell roasted scorpions on a stick...everyone, really) must feel when representing their countries during the Olympic Games.

I've been letting Zachary sneak out of his room after bedtime to watch some of my favorite Olympic competitions with me. The swimming, diving and gymnastics are at the top of my list during the Summer Games. Just now, as I went and found Zachary already perched in position and ready to watch, he motioned to the TV screen (as if to excuse himself for not officially having permission to be out of bed) and, with excitement, he announced, "Look, it's Michael Phillips [sic] ...and he is winning 600 golden medals!" Yeah, it sort of seems that way, doesn't it?

Oh, I love that Zachary, too, loves the Olympics already!

Remembering Ryan

2008-08-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

Today commemorated the 6th anniversary of the day Chris and I said goodbye to our son, Ryan Jacob, whom we lost when I was 4 months pregnant. For many people, four months does not seem significant, but personally knowing this loss would give one a much different perspective as it has given me. The day that Ryan was born, the day that I held him for the first and last time on earth, will never be forgotten. The experience of becoming a mother to a child I will never raise in this lifetime has changed me in ways that I cannot begin to fully comprehend. After six years, I can truly say that I am at peace concerning him, but as I write this, I am reminded of how much I love and miss him. Ryan will always be a part of our family, and we do love him and cherish the hope we have of being reunited with him again someday.

Last night, I pulled out the video of an ultrasound that was taken 2 weeks before we learned our baby had died. We haven't watched this video in years, and I wanted to see him and to know that Chris, too, has not forgotten. As we were watching our son, a sense of familiarity returned but I was surprised at how much bigger he was than I had remembered. Toward the end of the video, there was a comedy of errors when I realized that we were actually watching a video of Zachary's ultrasound. Oops. :) I quickly found the right video, kept in a special box with the only tangible things we have to remind us of our little angel, and made Chris watch it with me all over again. We were up late anyway, so as it turned out, we ended up watching the right baby at the right time: 1:10 a.m., the actual time of Ryan's birth on August, 12, 2002. Leaving the hospital that following day without our baby was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but time has brought healing and his memory is sweet. I know that, one day, I will hold him again in Heaven.

Around this time each year, as I remember Ryan, I try to find some special way in which to honor him. It is important to me that I let his life, as brief as it was yet eternal, help me to become a better person. I have often felt that the loss of my son can enable me to feel greater compassion toward others, particularly those who experience difficult losses of their own. I will not share the details, but I am grateful to have recently had an opportunity to fulfill this desire of mine in a way that has, in turn, also brought greater peace and healing into my own life. Though I did not exactly plan for this to happen the way that it did, nor did I intend for it to be my gift to Ryan--or even myself--this year, this was something even more purposeful than anything I might have planned. It has reminded me that it is greater to love than to be loved.

"How very softly you tiptoed into our world. Almost silently. Only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your tiny footprints have left upon our hearts!"

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

2008-07-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

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.

The Potty-Training Solution for the Techno-Savvy Toddler?

2008-06-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

So, we came back from Houston the other night, and out of the blue, Zachary asks me for an iPod. JUST BARELY FOUR YEARS OLD AND HE ALREADY WANTS AN iPOD! His older cousins (who are 7 and 8) have them, and for some reason, Zachary has now decided that he needs one, too. I guess I have now been officially welcomed into the world of "But, Mommmmm, Everyone Else Has One!" Sad day. I really thought I could make history or something by being the first parent to avoid this. Shucks!

Well, this request just happens to come at a time when I'm already feeling quite desperate to get Zachary potty-trained. I have made the mistake of carelessly throwing bribes to the wind for months now in the event that one might actually work as an incentive. (Yes, horrible parenting skills, I know.) Yet I STILL have had absolutely no luck so far with any of them. Let's see... I have tried bribing him with a bicycle. (In my self-defense, every kid needs to learn to ride a bike at some point and he's at the perfect age for starting that, too, right?) Unfortunately, Zachary hasn't much interest in bikes yet and I don't think he even remembers the offer. I have promised to take him to Inflatable Wonderland at the mall, and now EVERY SINGLE TIME we walk past it, he looks over and announces cheerfully, "That's where I go when I'm potty-trained!" and then he merrily goes on with his little life without giving any further thought to what he might do to actually BECOME potty-trained. I'm puzzled by this. I guess he thinks it is just magically going to happen. Well, let me just pull this magic wand out...

And now, because the words "maybe when you're potty-trained" come out much too quickly and without a whole lot of thought these days (shame on me), I have now foolishly gone and suggested that MAYBE he can get an iPod when that blessed day comes. Eek! I know I REALLY shouldn't have done this, because I'm not about to buy an iPod for a 4 year-old. I didn't exactly *promise* him one, but he hasn't forgotten about it and I don't think he's going to this time. Tonight, when I got back from running an errand, I was talking to Zachary about where I'd been and what I was doing there, etc., and he says, "Mommy, kneel down so I can tell you somefing." I kneeled down and he whispered in my ear, "Maybe I am potty-trained and you will get me an iPod tomorrow!"

I don't think I have anything to worry about for now, because it's still going to take awhile for this whole process to take place, but I still feel bad that I have unintentionally gotten his hopes up like this. How do I fix this mess I've gotten myself into? What is a mother to do?

Behold the iPooped!

Kung Fu Panda

2008-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have been in Houston since last Thursday, hence the reason I have not been blogging as much as usual, but I thought I would do a quick post before I go home tonight.

Yesterday, I took Zachary and my 8 year-old nephew, Bryon, to see Kung Fu Panda. It was an act of charity, I thought, since you (don't actually) know how I love going to the movies. ;) I hadn't seen the previews for this one, therefore I had no reason to get excited about it. But what do you do when you are cooped up inside a house with 6 kids ages 8 and under BESIDES think about undergoing sterilization? You get out of the house as fast as you possibly can! Almost anything else could potentially be more exciting than sitting in a house full of kids with NO ELECTRICITY (read: NO A/C!) in Houston in the summertime. That's another story for another day, I guess. My poor mom suffered through that alone but at least I got 2 of the kids off her hands for a few hours. And today, I'm reciprocating by watching the boys and the 2 little girls so she can take my older nieces and grandma to see this movie which I gave rave reviews.

So, yeah, I loved Kung Fu Panda! I loved the animation, the story, the music, the characters...EVERYTHING! I know this may sound a little weird, but seeing this movie made me actually want to go visit China--such an interesting culture! The boys both enjoyed the movie as well, but there were some darker scenes that I thought might be a little scary for the younger age group. Overall, it was a great movie that I highly recommend.

My Husband's Hidden Talent

2008-06-16T21:28:00.001-07:00

For anyone wondering if I was making up all that stuff about Chris liking to bake, I have to brag on him just a little bit. Chris is a man of many talents, but here is one that many people do not know about. He is the designated cake decorator in our family. I didn't know about this before we got married, so I like to think of it as a nice bonus. I am amazed at some of the things my husband can do that most guys don't typically do. In this case, it's a skill that many women can't do well (unless your name happens to be Alison and you happen to also be my neighbor, and then that's another story!) I would love to learn the fine art of cake decorating, but I will be the first to admit that I simply do not have any artistic ability whatsoever. Chris, on the other hand, just watched his mom decorate cakes over the years and picked it up just like that. Go figure!

Here is the (belated) birthday cake he made for Zachary yesterday so we could celebrate again with my sister who is visiting from Boston this week.

I was most impressed with the Elmo cake he made for Zachary's 2nd birthday:

And he asked me to add a shot of the monkey and giraffe cakes he made for Zachary's first birthday (we did a party with a jungle theme.)

I have to keep getting on Chris' case because he hasn't made one of his special cakes for Ashley, but to his defense, her birthday falls right before finals, and I guess those are kind of important. But, Chris, if you are reading this, I am helping her keep track and she knows you owe her big! ;)

Happy Mother's Day! (er... Father's Day!)

2008-06-15T11:58:00.001-07:00

What exactly do you get the man who so thoughtfully (oh, and generously!) upgraded the family computer right in time for Mother's Day? Well, look no further!

HA HA HA HA HA. (It's going to be a little while before I can stop laughing.)

Actually, while you just THINK this was my version of payback, let me just say that it wasn't anything like that. Chris really does like to bake (when he has the time, of course) and had his eye on one of these not long ago. Since I got a sweet deal on this baby, I think he'll love it even more. Stay tuned!

Happy Father's Day to my talented and loving husband!

Chocoholics Anonymous, Here We Come!

2008-06-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

You may remember an incident that happened a couple of months ago in which I caught Zachary in the act of filching hot fudge from the bottle with his finger. If only it was an isolated incident! Now we have TWO children who have been caught countless times consuming chocolate conspicuously from containers. Perhaps this pattern is beginning to pose a problem? (Aaaaaaagh! I know... Enough with the alliteration already!)

So, last week, I found Zachary seated at the kitchen table with one of his squiggly straws inserted into the hot fudge container, and he was just merrily sucking away like...like perhaps this was premeditated! Aside from his ingeniousness to use the straw on his second attempt, having previously learned his lesson the hard way while trying his original method of manual extraction, a squiggly straw wasn't exactly the most brilliant choice of tools. I didn't think to tell him that using a squiggly straw to suck hot fudge from the container was certainly doing the deed in a roundabout way. Personally, I would have opted for just a plain ol' straight straw, or I might have just skipped the straw altogether, but that's just me and I'm NOT the one here with a problem. He seemed to have been somewhat successful, as I do remember his face bearing plenty of hard evidence, but the fudge had only filled the straw halfway. I guess I saved him from several more minutes of some serious sucking!

This week, on Wednesday, the kids and I spent the afternoon swimming with Grandma at her neighborhood pool. Afterwards, we went back to the house and enjoyed some frozen yogurt. Then, she and I ventured back into the living room to visit some more. As I recall, Zachary was playing nearby while Ashley disappeared and later emerged as such:

The Hershey's syrup had been left on the counter, and leave it to Ashley to get her hands on that! After allowing her ample opportunity to ingest it for awhile longer while I snapped a few shots for the sake of sharing, I retrieved the bottle from her and set it aside and, apparently, forgot all about it. I didn't even realize it had been forgotten until the next day when my mom told me that my dad had found the bottle EMPTY in the other room and had asked about it. Suddenly, Mom solved the problem that had been puzzling me since the night before: Why was Zachary awake until ONE A.M.??? Now we know: Caffeine consumption from the chocolate syrup, of course!

Showtime!

2008-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Zachary's final day of gymnastics. His class performed their "show" so we could see the skills they have been working on over the past few months. Zachary has enjoyed making some new friends and has looked forward to Little Gym every week! I am glad that he has had the opportunity to try something new, and I have really seen him grow more confident in himself.

Zachary was too scared to go on the "big" balance beam in the fall, but he has gained courage and rose to the occasion last Friday. He also mastered the "table top" part of his floor exercise. And I don't think I even KNEW that he could hang upside down on the bars the way he did, but I think this is my favorite picture! After the show, each of the kids in the class received a gold medal. Zachary is our little champion, and we are so proud of him!

It was hard for Ashley to not be able to participate in gymnastics with her brother, as she got to see him having so much fun and all she could do was watch. The class for her age group requires parents to participate, and Zachary cannot be left to his own devices, that's for sure. :) I tried to make the time go by much easier for Ashley by taking her to the pet store nearby to look at the animals, and she did love that! Next year will be a fun year for Ashley, because she'll get to start participating in activities that she sees Zachary enjoying now. She seems very determined to have her day. Based on her agility and strength and the competitive spirit I have seen in her from such a young age, I look forward to watching Ashley have these opportunities, too. She's really going to show her big brother how it's done. Watch out, here she comes!

Identity Crisis

2008-06-11T10:35:00.001-07:00

As I am sure you have probably noticed by now, I have changed my blog title AGAIN. I can't seem to find a blogging identity that seems to really fit, but this seems to be it for now. And, not to disappoint you or anything, but it may change again if I think of something else I like better. For now, though, Alphabet Soup seems to work for a few reasons.

Some people may not immediately realize that A & Z are my kids. We didn't intentionally choose their names so they could be a set of "bookends", but I liked the idea when a friend pointed that out to me. Now we just have to come up with 24 other names that start with all the other letters. JUST KIDDING. Even if we don't end up with more children, at least I've got the beginning and the end covered.

Another reason for the new title is this: When I was a junior in high school, there were four of us with the same oft-mispronounced last name: my brother, my sister, my dad's cousin's daughter, and I. Lo and behold, we all attended an awards assembly at the end of the year, and our last name was pronounced 4 different ways and probably by the same person. I distinctly remember telling my sister later, "When I get married, I want to marry a Smith or a Brown. *BUT, WATCH!* I will marry someone with a Polish last name." The Polish, I thought, were notorious for using just about every letter of the alphabet in their names. And the heavens heard me say that and shook with laughter. Sufficiently humbled, I finally met and married Chris almost 10 years later. I know, I should have hyphenated, shouldn't I?

Finally, with 2 young children at home (one of which is highly obsessed with letters and numbers and is now passing that along to the other), we hear A LOT of the ABC Song going on at our house. Zachary even does his own improv version that goes something like this:

So, yes, Alphabet Soup. For now.

Four Wonderful Years

2008-06-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

A to Z

2008-06-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

A- Attached or Single: Attached
B- Best friend: Always a true friend.
C- Cake or Pie: Pie
D- Day of choice: Friday
E- Essential item: Contact lenses, because I never leave home without them.
F- Favorite Color: I like bright colors...all of them.
G- Gummy bears or worms: Bears
H- Hometown: Austin, TX
I- Indulgence: Ice cream sundaes
J- January or July: July
K- Kids: Zachary (4) and Ashley (2)
L- Life is incomplete without: Family and Friends
M- Marriage Date: November 9, 2001
N- Number of siblings: 4
O- Oranges or Apples: A nice, ripe, juicy orange.
P- Phobias or fears: heights, losing someone I love.
Q- Quotes: "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." -David O. McKay
R- Reason to smile: A happy, healthy family.
S- Season of choice: Whichever one comes next. (So, if it's winter, I would rather it be spring. If it's summer, I'd rather it be fall, and so on.) Actually, I like all the seasons. Right now, I love that it's summer.
T- Tag 3 times: Heidi, Wendy, Alison, and anyone else who wants to do it.
U- Unknown fact about me: I have never broken a bone, unless you count the time I chipped the end off of my left elbow back in college. In any case, it's not there anymore and I have no idea where it went!
V- Very favorite store: I don't have one favorite. I shop a lot at Target/Super Target and H-E-B Plus, though, and I like those just fine.
W- Worst habit: Staying up late. Whether you agree that this is my worst habit of all time or not, I figure it's a good one to put on here, right? :)
X- X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food: Blue Bell ice cream
Z- Zodiac Sign: Leo

The Wonderful World of Make Believe (Only in Real Life!)

2008-05-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today, we took the kids to see Horton Hears a Who at the dollar theater, and I was totally impressed! I wasn't expecting that outcome for a lot of reasons. First of all, I am not a Dr. Seuss fan. Chris grew up with those stories being favorites, and I guess I just didn't. I've never been able to get very much into that whimsical, nonsensical Land of Make Believe stuff. I didn't really enjoy The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or The Cat in the Hat, so when Chris suggested we go today, I was all about going just for the experience of taking the kids and doing something fun together as a family, though I wasn't at all excited about seeing the film itself. Second, I usually think of Jim Carrey and Carol Burnett and cringe. To be fair, I guess it could just be some of their ROLES that I find obnoxious and not them. My other hesitation came from the thought of taking a 2 and a 3 year-old to the movies again. I've done that only once before (last fall, with my parents) and it didn't end very well. I missed quite a bit of Ratatouille (which, I suppose, I really didn't feel I missed) and ended up dealing with an unhappy child outside. I warned Chris ahead of time that if Ashley started having one of her fits, I would be leaving, taking the car, and going to do the grocery shopping and would pick him and Zachary up after the show ended. I was fully expecting that to happen...if I were living in Real Life.

Well, it turns out I really enjoyed the movie! I think it was the best of all the Dr. Seuss films made so far, and I didn't find myself wishing it would hurry up and end even once. And that says a lot coming from someone who almost would rather stay home and clean house than go to a movie these days. I feel so unproductive when I go to a movie unless it's one I really want to see, and I am probably the last person who knows what movies are coming out, so I generally have no thoughts about any of them. Me and the movies--probably a blog topic for another day. But this was a great experience that actually made me MORE interested in going back more frequently to the movies, even with the kids. Loved it!

Most of all, I was shocked and amazed that Ashley was a DOLL and I got to stay in the theater for the whole movie!!! We made sure to take her blankie (oh, the power of that blankie!) and she sat in my lap almost the entire time and just let me cuddle her for nearly 2 hours. There wasn't a single moment of distress for either of us. (Can somebody please pinch me?!) I love, love, LOVE that she was so easy today! That, to me, was like living in a fantasy world!

New Look

2008-05-31T00:52:00.000-07:00

Are you blinded by my new blog background and colors? So sorry. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I just got sick of the old one. I really like this background, but because it's so bright (which is WHY I like it), it is hard to find coordinating colors that show up and do not add to the extreme brightness.

When Playtime Gets A Little Twisted

2008-05-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

Zachary and Ashley are having a heyday with some new toys they acquired yesterday for their birthdays courtesy of Aunt Steven and Uncle Amanda. (Don't ask me why, but I always mix their names up like that!) Anyway, Ashley got a new cradle for her dolly and Zachary got a set of power tools for his "workshop". (I think he thinks he will actually be building something with these tools, and today when I asked him what he plans to build, he said he's going to build a car. I think this is great since we could use a bigger car to haul more of our stuff around.)

Zachary and Ashley are like 2 peas in a pod sometimes...the best of friends, usually. And today they were playing so nicely together and sharing their toys so well. Occasionally, Ashley would get mildly irritated that Zachary had the screwdriver she wanted or that he was pounding the plastic nails into the plastic wood all wrong. So, instead of listening to her not-so-mild tantrums about Zachary taking HER tools away from her (She's 2--EVERYTHING is hers), I made Ashley his "Assistant Tool Girl." And there was peace in the land. (For some reason, giving Ashley a title always seems to make life so much easier. Previously, she informed me that "Queen" would be a good one.) It is safe to say that both kids love the tools. And a little later, when I broke out the new dolly accessories and put together the cradle, Zachary was suddenly fond of dolls, too! Imagine that!

So, for quite awhile, my 2 children played harmoniously together with the dolly, then the tools, and then they pulled out the doctor's kit. Not that my kids have scared me yet while playing doctor or anything, but I was curious to listen in while they examined the dolly. Her diagnosis was a broken leg. Ouch. I asked Zachary how the dolly got the broken leg, half-expecting him to concoct some unlikely story about the dolly's mother dropping the dolly after her bath, but he was simply unsure of how it happened. (Yeah right! Try telling THAT to the ER nurse.) So anyway, Zachary requested that I be there to assist with the fixing of the broken leg. All it takes, he said, is an "Owie-Aid" and the "Plunger". (That would be a Band-Aid and the syringe thingy used to give shots.) And, voila, the baby is all better and is resting comfortably again in her new cradle.

What compassionate children I have who would so lovingly care for their wounded playmate that way, I think to myself...and then, suddenly, Zachary pulls out his electric saw and declares, "AND HERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL TOOLS TO SCARE HER!"

OK, now you guys are scaring ME!

Little bundle of joy...
...feeling much better!

And here's my boy:
Is it just me, or is he holding that saw just like a shotgun?

Hundreds of Little Doughnuts Go Floating By

2008-05-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray for outings with mom! It seems like it's been forever since I've attempted a fun outing with Zachary and Ashley, on a weekday, just the 3 of us, for no other reason than I wanted to take them to experience something new and different. Can you guess what our fun activity was for the day? A visit to our local Krispy Kreme doughnut shop! And it was a hit! The kids loved watching the doughnut "boats" go floating by. Watching the doughnuts was apparently much more fun than picking out our assortment to take home. Afterwards, the kids each got a free doughnut fresh off the assembly line, and I don't think they NEEDED that extra bit of sugary excitement, but that was still very cool. I'm sure they will ask to go back sometime.

By the way, I'm not a big fan of the Krispy Kreme brand. I much prefer Dunkin Donuts, and I've still never been much of a doughnut fan to begin with. I just like that we could go and enjoy this little sideshow. Thanks to Zachary's recent discovery and love of Food Network's Unwrapped, we are really into seeing how things are made. I'm thinking that our next stop will be that little creamery down in Brenham when Aunt Wendy comes to visit next month. (What do you think, Chia? I mean, we'll be on our way to Houston anyway. I can't believe we have grown up in this area and have never had a tour of the Blue Bell Creamery!)

Our Trip to San Antonio

2008-05-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a week and a half since we returned from our mini-vacation to San Antonio, but I finally have the pictures ready to post. We really had a lot of fun together even if we didn't travel far from home. It was so nice to just get away for a few days as a family.

Day 1: Remembering the Alamo and Discovering Hemisfair Park

Yeah, I remember the Alamo. Been there, done that a few times. But I have 2 kids now (native Texans even!) who had never been. Oh, they couldn't have cared a whole lot less, but I've got proof that we took them to see a little piece of Texas history.

On the other hand, I've lived here for how many years without seeing Hemisfair Park?! I'd actually never heard of it until just before this trip. It turns out that Hemisfair Park was the site of the 1968 World's Fair. The LDS Church had an exhibit there and my grandmother sang with a group at the Fair. It was such a nice evening to take a walk in the park, and there was also a pretty cool playscape for the kids.

Day 2: Taking Our Monkeys Back to the Zoo

It had been about 6 years since Chris and I last went to the San Antonio Zoo. It's really nothing spectacular compared to some other zoos we've visited, but we always love seeing the animals without worrying that the kids are acting like animals, too. :)

Day 3: Cascade Caverns: A Little Hole-in-the-Wall Kind of Place

Caves are a great place to take the kids, as long as you can leave them down there if they start throwing a tantrum or something. OK, well maybe not, but we thought we'd check this out since Chris is into cave exploration and we haven't been to Carlsbad yet. This one was not so exciting for us, but it was OK and Zachary seemed to think it was pretty cool. Ashley, on the other hand,...maybe not so much.

I'm finally beginning to see the light!

Day 4: SeaWorld: Save the Whale Show For Somebody Else!

We ended our vacation with a trip to see Shamu. We had season passes a few years ago, and unfortunately the shows today are all still the same as they were back then. We were going mostly for the kids, though, since Zachary wasn't quite 2 the last time we went, and Ashley had been only 4 weeks old. Zachary had a blast riding the Shamu Express rollercoaster. Ashley's favorite ride was the moving conveyor belt at Penguin Encounters. Forget the penguins. Just give her a ride on the conveyor belt and she's happy. Make her sit through 30 seconds of "Believe", though, and you won't be! :D Save the day by retrieving favorite blankie from the car and everyone lives happily ever after.

Drama A La Mode

2008-05-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

My little brother, Steven, and his wife, Amanda, came into town today for the 3-day Memorial Day weekend. It was sort of a surprise to me, since I just found out last night that they were coming. So when family gets together, that's always an excuse to eat in, eat out, eat, eat, eat... Of course, it's not until we're inside of a restaurant and I'm struggling to get my kids to sit down and be pleasant that I am reminded that it's probably time I learn my lesson and keep my children away from restaurants as much as possible (the feisty girl-child anyway.) But it's just so hard when you want to share their cuteness (such cuteness) with the relatives who miss out on that regularly as well as the rest of the general public.

As dinner was winding down, Ashley's patience was winding down a little faster, so I took her outside to wait for everyone else to follow behind us. She was running up and down the sidewalks, giggling and enjoying the fresh air as I sat and watched her from a bench nearby. A few minutes later, the inevitable happened and she fell right on her face and ended up with a huge knot on her forehead...the kind that scares every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, stranger. (I had to reassure the man standing outside the restaurant that, no, she wasn't born with a purple golf ball protruding from her head.) After my dad went back for a bag of ice to apply to the battle wound (I can call it that since just about everything's a battle with a 2 year-old these days), we decided that a screaming, wailing child doesn't do much for welcoming diners looking for a way to relax on a warm and breezy Saturday night. Ahhh, the joys of motherhood!

Back at my parents' house, we were supposed to be gathering for dessert while I spent the next half hour or so consoling Ashley and looking for any sign of a more serious injury. (She wanted Mommy and not Grandma. You know there's something wrong when that happens!) I had Chris look up "concussion" for me...just in case I couldn't remember what the signs and symptoms might be since I have never had a concussion myself. Lethargy, dizziness, confusion, irritability...all typical characteristics of normal 2 year-olds who run around all day making themselves dazed, confused, tired and temperamental. Oh, but the unconsciousness and vomiting are also the tell-tale signs which we've managed to avoid, so it's all good. We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

After giving us a nice little scare, Ashley seems to be doing fine now. There's nothing a little cake and ice cream (and Dora fruit snacks, apparently) cannot cure. Content in her crib now with her favorite blankie, she is drifting off to sleep while her nocturnal brother lurks quietly nearby and life is (almost) peaceful again.

Raw Deal

2008-05-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

A man knocks (loudly) on your front door and then, claiming to live across the street [you haven't seen him once in the 6 1/2 years you have lived in your house], says he is there to ~~disregard HOA rules~~ sell frozen steaks door-to-door. He offers to sell you a carton of 47 vacuum-packed steaks for $125, a steal, he says, at little more than $2/steak. [It's actually closer to $3/steak, but nevermind his inability to do simple math.] You're tempted, but...

Which of the following is a good reason to say no?

A. Your freezer holds little more than the ice maker, a package of corn dogs, and the requisite gallon or 2 of ice cream.
B. Your husband is a full-time student, i.e. unemployed for the better part of 3 full years. Every dime spent = a dime to be paid back later...with interest.
C. For health and dietary reasons, consumption of massive quantities of red meat by yourself or spouse is not advised.
D. Your children proclaim themselves to be vegetarians (with the exception of corn dogs and the occasional bite of a fast food chicken nugget or hamburger.)
E. You have not purchased 47 steaks in your entire lifetime, let alone in one afternoon.
F. You spent the equivalent of 635 of his steaks on essential car repairs this same afternoon.
G. All of the above.

My guess is as good as yours. After 2 excuses and 3 "no, thank you's," this guy FINALLY (but reluctantly) gets the hint, but not before throwing in a glare for free as he walks away. Some people...

What Part of "NO"...?

2008-05-07T16:11:00.001-07:00

Zachary: "Mommy, can we play the shadow game?" (Shadows Over Camelot = fairly complicated adult game with an excess of small pieces.)
Me: "No, Zachary."
Zachary: (jubilantly) "Okay!!!"
Me: "Um, that was a no."
Zachary: "But THAT was a YES!"

A Berry Happy Birthday To You!

2008-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Ashley's 2nd birthday with our family here in town. First, we took the kids to Ready, Set, Play, which ended up being a lot of fun. It was something special for Ashley's big day, and we were not disappointed.

At first, Ashley was afraid to play in anything. I took her up to the top of this big, soft slide, and she did NOT want to go! She was kicking and trying to get away, but I knew (because I'm the mom) that if she just tried it, she would like it.

It took a couple times, but after that, she wanted to go over and over again, taking various family members with her at first. (She still did not want to go down alone.)

By the end, she was climbing up to the top all by herself and dodging the older kids that did not seem to pay any attention to her. She is a tough girl!

Afterwards, we came back home and had hot dogs for lunch. Uncle Matt came to join us, and Grandma and Grandpa brought a big bouquet of balloons for Ashley. I did some simple decorations, and while in the middle of putting up some streamers, Zachary asked me what I was doing. When I told him I was decorating, Ashley started saying, "I dec'ate! I dec'ate!" She was really into the colorful crepe paper.

After lunch, we tried to get Ashley to open her birthday presents, but I had a feeling it wouldn't go as planned. A present was handed to her, and she looked at it, and then, instead of opening it, she laid her little head down on it. It was past naptime, and by her own choice, she took a break from the party to rest up for the remainder of the festivities. The rest of us played Taboo and Bananagrams during the intermission. After an hour or so, we got Ashley up and expedited the eating of the cake (angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream) and she did finally open her presents.

Since one of her favorite things these days is Strawberry Shortcake, that was sort of the "theme" for her party, I guess you could say. (I really didn't exactly plan anything until a day or 2 before.) Anyway, almost everything she got had Strawberry Shortcake on it.

My brother, Matt, is 23 and thought the excess of strawberry-scented gifts was some sort of joke. He made me laugh so hard yesterday that I literally cried. One day, maybe he will get married and have kids and then he will know why parents would do such a thing for their kids. (OK, I admit...Grandma and I were 100% responsible for the explosion of fruitiness that rocked our house yesterday.) It was a blast!

2 Many Things 2 Love About My 2 Year-Old!

2008-05-01T20:43:00.001-07:00

I love her natural curls. God knows I have a hard time doing my own hair but I can (sort of) handle a bow.

I love how persistent she is when she wants something. At times that can make her a real challenge, but underneath it all, I admire that quality in her.

I love that she loves animals, even though they also seem to scare her to death.

I love that she sometimes pushes aside her dolls and girly stuff in favor of rolling cars and trucks around on her hands and knees.

I love that she'll bring her socks and shoes to me out of the blue when she has decided it's time to go somewhere.

I love how she'll get a full bottle of juice out of the refrigerator and try, with all her might, to carry it through the house until she find me so she can ask for some "ap-ple joosh."

I love how bedtime has never been a battle with her...at least it hasn't been one yet.

I love how she says, "Mommy, I 'tuck! I 'tuck, Mommy!" when she realizes she can't get out of her crib. Yes, that's the point I'm trying to make. :)

I love the way she (almost) always does what I ask her to do or at least flat-out tells me "nope!" She never really ignores me when I'm talking to her, because that soooo annoys me.

I love when she sometimes scolds Zachary for not minding me. :)

I love that she LOVES broccoli...and often finishes it before touching anything else on her plate.

I love when she spontaneously blurts out "Happy!" and how she only does that whenever she really means it.

I love how she eagerly nods her head while asking for something...as if she knows that somehow it'll make me say "yes!"

I love how she is always happy to see me in the morning.

I love that she gives "kisses" by clicking her tongue next to my cheek.

I love that she laughs so hard when I cross my eyes at her. She acts like that's the funniest thing she has ever seen.

I love when she puts on a pair of glasses upside-down and thinks she is impersonating Grandma.

I love when I catch her singing along with or mimicking the characters on the shows that she's never too bored to watch over and over again.

I love that she still takes her nap every day. (Zachary gave his up before 2.)

I love how she adores her big brother. I hope that never changes.

I love how she brings her blankie into the bathroom while I'm fixing my hair just to be close to me.

I love how she waves and tells me "byyye!" before shutting herself in the bathroom closet and then gets scared and needs me to let back her out...only to repeat about every 30 seconds.

I love the way she makes herself "pre-tty!" by applying Daddy's deodorant to her cheekbones. HA!

Happy Birthday 2 You, Ashley!

2008-05-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

Kids at Play

2008-04-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Double Trouble

2008-04-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love the way little children (particularly 3 year-olds) pick up expressions from adults and then turn around and try to use them to express their own emotions. They often come out sounding more comical than anything else. For example, last year Zachary picked up the phrase "Give me a break!" Only when something happened that made him just a little mad, he'd exclaim, "Gimme anudder break!" Well, yesterday, he and Ashley were in the kitchen eating at the table and I was in the other room working on something for a moment. I could tell that something Ashley was doing was bothering her brother immensely. Suddenly, in a heated tone of voice, Zachary tried to stop her behavior and yelled out, "ASHLEY! GIVE ME ANUDDER SISTER!" I'm not quite sure what he meant by that, but somehow I don't believe that having TWO sisters would have made the situation any easier to deal with. Not for me anyway!

Playgroup Politics

2008-04-18T20:02:00.001-07:00

I am SOOOO not into this! That is why, more than a year and a half ago, the kids and I quit going to our weekly playgroup and haven't really joined one since. It is great to get together to let the kids play and learn their social skills and just have a good time. That is the most important thing and the overall point of having a playgroup, is it not? It is a perk when the moms can become friends, too, and can be a support system for each other, but the high pressure stuff is just not worth it to me.

I sometimes have a tendency to question myself and the decisions I make (are they really for the best?), and quite honestly, I give people the benefit of the doubt more often than I probably should because I want to see the good in others. Over the past several years, though, I have come to terms with the fact that I am a pretty good judge of character, and, overall, I really haven't made many truly bad decisions in my life, so I need not doubt myself. When I began to feel like the playgroup thing we were doing wasn't in our best interest, I decided that I had to be consistent for the sake of my kids and either keep going regularly despite my misgivings or we needed to stop going altogether so we could make room for something better, and you know which one I chose. Luckily, neither of my kids was at the age where they were formulating solid friendships yet. For pete sake, Ashley wasn't even eating solid foods yet, and Zachary still wanted to do exactly the opposite of what the other kids were doing. The names of these "friends" really didn't register with him as being of any importance, so I took that as a cue that it wasn't going to devastate him. It never did, and I have never regretted the decision, either.

It just so happened that we ran into one of those other playgroup moms and her kids today while we were out playing. She saw me across the way and waved to me, and I didn't even recognize her at first. We hadn't even had the chance to get to know each other very well before the kids and I stopped going, but, ironically, the last time we saw them was at her son's birthday party. She came over and sat down next to me while the kids played together, and it was more than a little awkward at first. I mean, what do you say in that situation? Well, I'm not living in the past and wasn't holding any grudges, so I just tried to make friendly conversation with her and avoided the topic of the playgroup altogether until she finally brought it up herself. And if ever I questioned whether I had made the right decision way back when, I certainly don't anymore. It was no coincidence, but still I was somewhat surprised to learn, that just about every mom in the group had fallen away one-by-one after I left...and for many of the same reasons I had. It was one of those moments of supreme validation. It is nice to know that my radars work just fine, and it is equally nice to know that we could have a good time with our old friends today without the politics of playgroups getting in the way.

Ohhhhh, Fudddddge!

2008-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Is it selfish or neglectful of me to disappear for, say, an hour to go take a shower and do my hair while my kids watch cartoons? (I mean, they've been properly fed, bathed--with fruity-scented bubbles and everything, plenty of playtime included--and dressed before this point, so it's not like I don't at least TRY to put their needs ahead of my own. Oh, and trust me, they're not crying when I make them watch cartoons or play with their toys, either.) Just wondering if I am the only person for whom it takes THAT LONG to get ready for the day. I'm really not one of those people who can chop it all off or just wash-n-go. Believe me, I wish I was!

That being said, I admit that occasionally (like pretty often) things happen while I'm in the bathroom blowdrying my hair. If I wasn't keen enough to expect it now, I'd be unaware of my children's escapades until the blowdryer was turned off and I could hear again. Most of the time, these things happen in the kitchen, very often with Zachary and Ashley sandwiched between the refrigerator and the refrigerator door. Those little rascals! You would think I never feed them! (Of course, I think they do it as much to satisfy their curiosity about things I don't normally let them have--like lime juice, for example--as they do it to get into the good stuff.)

Today, I detected such a silence that made me suspicious. Before I could even get up to go check on them, Ashley wandered into the bathroom to find me, being followed by her whimpering big brother. I was prepared with kisses for any "owies" but then I heard him say that he was "stuck." That can be kind of a scary thought, right? Well, as it turned out, Zachary had raided the fridge and was helping himself to a treat when his finger got stuck...in the bottle of hot fudge. Very distressing indeed!

Stuck?

Stuck?!

STUCCCK!!!

Ahhhhhhhh! Sweet release.

Idle Threats That Work

2008-04-09T13:08:00.001-07:00

Today I went and got my hair cut, and because they go everywhere I go, my kids came along for the fun of it. Luckily, the man who cuts my hair doesn't mind the little tag-alongs, as he owns his own little shop and has a few things for them to play with. (It also helps that it only takes 10 minutes to cut my hair.) Zachary was content playing with the wooden blocks today and was busy building letters out of them when it was time to leave. I asked him to help me put them away, and just as I expected, he didn't begin to help. After my failed second and third attempts to gain his cooperation, he still continued to play. Suddenly, a light went off and I knew exactly how to change this behavior! Zachary HATES getting his hair cut like no other, so you know how the rest of the story goes, don't you? And it worked! At the mere MENTIONING of the word haircut, Zachary burst into "obedient" mode and we were out of there in no time!

Breakfast of Beauties

2008-04-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the 70's and 80's when Wheaties, using star athletes in their advertising and on their packaging, claimed to be the "Breakfast of Champions"? Well, if you ask Zachary what he ate this morning, he might lead you to believe that I've been experimentally serving up my own special formula for the "Breakfast of Beauties": chocolate chip waffles, strawberries, and "cold cream." Let me assure you that it really was whipped cream! I promise I don't believe in reducing wrinkles or preserving that deliciously smooth and soft baby skin by shortening the life span of little children. However, occasionally serving up a fun breakfast may be one way to maintain one's youthfulness.

Having a Chocolate Craving?

2008-04-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

My friend, Heidi, requested this recipe that I recently told her about. I made these tasty treats for Chris on our 6th anniversary. They were so good I should have NOT made them!

Symphony Brownies
2 brownie mixes
3 Symphony chocolate bars (1/2 lb. size) with toffee and almonds

Prepare brownie mixes (separately) as directed and pour one into a 9x13 pan. Unwrap those 3 Symphony bars and lay them across the top of the first mix and then pour the second mix on top. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it's off to school I go!

2008-04-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today, I registered Zachary for Pre-K! I am not sure what he thinks about all of this now. School seemed an awful lot more exciting until he actually went. :) (If that was the case, it'll be a loooooong 20 years or so depending on what he wants to do in life.) While I filled out all the paperwork, he got to go on a tour of the school with the principal and a little girl who will be in Kindergarten next year. He went eagerly, so at least that was a good sign. Of course, Ashley was not happy to be left behind. She got to eat fruit snacks while she waited with me and then decided to color all over her hands with a ball-point pen...and then threw a tantrum when she was not allowed to continue scribbling on herself. So, she stomped off, because, well, I'm not the "cool" mom who would let her do that. Of course, the feeling was a little bit mutual as I was thinking that I wished SHE could be the one to go to school next year. Power struggles between a Leo and a Taurus = fun times! Oh well, Zachary will probably love school, and I'm sure Ashley will find that life as an "only" child for a few hours each day will have its benefits, too. I can't wait!

Our "Egg-Sighting" Easter

2008-03-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

(Actually, our Easter was pretty low-key. What's exciting is that I really am posting this before the Fourth of July!!!)

Saturday night, the kids dyed Easter eggs with Chris. For the second year in a row, I made the mistake of forgetting about the eggs until it was already close to bedtime, but maybe I will try harder to remember earlier next year. The Easter Bunny procrastinated as well, so at least she and I were on the same page. (Didn't you know that the Easter Bunny is actually a she? In our house, mythical gift-bearing creatures are always female by default.)

Since she needed an afternoon nap, the Easter Bunny brought baskets of goodies in the evening after suppertime. She is very smart to do that since she knows little kids are prone to ruining not just their appetites but lots of other things as well if they find their candy beforehand and get too wired on sugar. Instead of keeping with conventional Easter Bunny traditions, she left baskets on the front porch while nobody was looking before hopping back down the Bunny Trail. Sneaky, isn't she? After finding their baskets, the kids hunted for plastic eggs hidden throughout the house.

(By the way, the kids and I actually spotted the Easter Bunny--or one of her helpers--earlier in the week in the yard across the street, so Zachary and Ashley got a sneak-peak of her looking for places to hide Easter eggs. They thought that was GREAT!)

Below, you can see how much trouble I was having getting a good picture of both kids in their Easter Sunday attire. After church and before lunch is probably not the best time for a photo shoot, but I tried!

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Hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Space Invaders

2008-03-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, Zachary and Ashley found a very entertaining use for my closet. (Come over and see for yourself if you must.) And what's more fun than playing in a closet? Playing in a clean one, of course! (Much too dangerous otherwise.) Just couldn't let all those smiles get away.

Love You Forever (and don't you EVEN try to stop me!)

2008-03-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

From birth to the Terrible Twos, through grade school and the formidable teenage years, during young adulthood and finally on up to the attempted escape to married life, this book shows you, step by step, how to become a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool Stalker Mom.

The main character in this story is your typical, Suburban-driving, let's-have-your-friends-over-for-milk-and-cookies kind of mom. Each night, no matter how many poopy diapers she'd had to change; no matter how badly her toddler trashed the bathroom she'd just spent 2 hours cleaning; no matter how many times she had to call her boy in for supper; and no matter how many times she found mold spores growing on dirty dishes in his room, she still loved him more than you can imagine, and she never, ever used excessive force. Even though there were days when he drove her crazy and those when she felt like she lived in a zoo (or wanted to sell him to one), their nights always culminated in her singing the same sweet love song:

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be."

But the more you read, the more you'll realize that this is one persistent lady. When her son packs up and tries to leave home, she takes to driving madly across town with a ladder strapped to the roof of her SUV and zip ties and duct tape on the seat beside her just in case (oh, and his mended pants and a casserole dish of his favorite chicken and dumplings), and she climbs through her grown son's window to rock the nearly 200-lb. sleeping man in the very same way.

Isn't this the kind of mother all women aspire to be? I know I do. And that's why I love this book! (And you think I'm kidding...)

Can you feel the love tonight?

2008-03-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day, my sweet sister, Wendy, sent me 4 boxes of these little gems.

I think it's safe to say, "WENDY, IT'S YOUR FAULT I'M FAT!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and you better be glad you're in Boston, or else I'd come sit on you." :D

How's that for hello?

Me Encanta la Musica de Plaza Sesamo!

2008-03-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since the 6th grade, I wanted to learn Spanish. I enjoyed all the classes I took from 8th grade on up through 3rd-year in college. At one point, though sadly no longer, I considered myself pretty proficient. I dreamed that one day my kids would also learn Spanish and that maybe they could become fluent in it even though I never was.

Several years ago, I found this cute CD that I thought I'd use to introduce my kids to Spanish. It worked wonders at keeping Zachary calm and happy in the car during the frequent trips we made to Houston his first year. And the tunes are catchy enough that I actually ~~didn't mind~~ enjoyed listening to the whole thing TWICE on each stretch of the trip. Now that Ashley is into all things Elmo, she loves listening to this in the car or when I put her down for a nap. (Both kids request it nightly, actually.)

Who knows? Maybe my kids will speak Spanish someday...just hopefully without furry monster accents! If you love Sesame Street (in English or Spanish--the songs are mixed) you ~~might~~ will definitely want to check this out!

[My favorite track? No Me Gusta (I Don't Like It)]

Food Fights and Rave Reviews

2008-03-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have had enough of the mealtime protests that have been going on lately at our house. I know I am mostly to blame, but with all the candy-ridden holidays we've celebrated between Halloween and Easter, the sugar levels in this house are enough to put us at risk for developing sudden-onset diabetes. If sugar could spontaneously combust, my kids would be close to being carmelized. From the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to bed, I hear this sporadic chirping throughout the day:

A: "Treat...Mah-mee!" Uh-huh! uh-huh! Treat! Peez? Treat!"
Z: "Please, Mommy, I wanna treat!"
A: "TREAT! MO' TREAT!"

Is it any wonder why actual FOOD doesn't sound so good anymore? (If they eat the candy, then at least I won't, but that doesn't mean it comes in a steady stream.) So when it comes to dinnertime, I know I'm supposed to let them eat whatever we're having, but occasionally I'll fix them something else just so I won't have to hear the complaints. I've decided to try again to make a concerted effort to do things the right way.

I made chicken fajitas for dinner last night, even though I know very well that my kids won't touch chicken (or any meat, really.) I got an unexpected response to the rice and beans, though:

Ashley: "Mmmmmmmm! Mummy!"
Zachary: "This is deeeeelicious!"

(And a few minutes later, after second helpings):

Zachary: "Oh, Mommy and Daddy...You're our best friends!"

Well, then! Beans and rice it is...

..every night until you grow up and leave home.

Spouse vs. Spouse Tag

2008-03-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

How did you meet your spouse? Chris was the choir director in our single's ward (church) and his friend, who was the accompanist, introduced me to Chris one Sunday and jokingly said, "You can only be friends with Chris if you join choir." I'm still not exactly sure how my brain registered that. I can't sing, and I don't like being up in front of people. Choir wasn't really my thing, so I thought Chris wouldn't be either. But the same day, just a couple hours later, we crossed paths again in the hall. I guess you could say I got a second chance glance. In that short moment, there was something I can't explain that attracted me to him and I ended up at choir practice the next day. My interest in him was a well-kept secret. He hadn't even realized, when he asked me out 2 months later, that I was even interested in him, because all I did was go to choir and sing really bad! :)

Where did you go on your first date? He took me to dinner at Houston's (a nice steakhouse in Austin) and to see the movie, Remember the Titans. That dinner was the first and last time I think I have ever seen him eat salad (trying to make a good, lasting impression, I'm sure.) It was also on our first date that he told me he would never have a dog. (My parents had always promised me that I could have a dog when I got married.) I chose the right!!! :)

How long have you been together? Our first date was Oct. 20, 2000 (two days after his birthday.) We were married on November 9, 2001. We've been together almost 7 1/2 years.

Who eats more? Chris has a bigger appetite but more selective taste. I like more of a variety of things but actually eat less.

Who said I love you first? Christopher did, but I suspected something was up when he invited me to go house-hunting with him. We picked out our first house together before he told me, "I love you." How strange is that?! He signed a contract for the house and then admitted that night that he intended the house to be ours.

Who sings better? No question. He does for sure.

Who is smarter? Chris is incredibly smart, and I had the good sense to marry him. :)

Who does the laundry? I do, but he occasionally helps fold or put it away.

Who does the dishes? I do.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.

Who pays the bills? Chris does.

Who mows the lawn? Chris does all the lawn work, but it bothers his allergies, so someday he will pass that off on somebody else (just not me!)

Who cooks dinner? I cook almost all family meals. He's a great sport about cooking for himself when our schedules don't line up.

Who drives when you are together? I do a lot of the driving when we go places as a family, but he always drives when it's just the 2 of us.

Who is more stubborn? We are both stubborn in different ways and about different things. He's silently stubborn and I'm a Leo. (Enough said.)

Who is the first to admit when they’re wrong? I readily admit when I'm wrong. Chris readily admits when I'm wrong. Problem is, he is never wrong...or so he thinks. :)

Whose parents do you see the most? My parents live 15 minutes away, and Chris' parents live 15 hours away.

Who kissed who first? Chris claims I did. I guess that's why there was a 2nd date, and a 3rd... :D

Who proposed? Chris did. We had already picked out the ring and the house. I'd met his parents; he'd received permission from my parents. So, it wasn't a big surprise. We were in the midst of planning the wedding and on our way to pick out our announcements (the weekend of my 25th birthday) when he casually passed the ring box, wrapped in birthday paper, to me in the car like it was my present. I was so mad at him for that! (Who combines their birthday and anniversary so they only get one gift? Not me.) So, we had a pretty lousy time picking out our announcements, and I just wanted him to take me home afterwards, but he started driving the wrong direction. He made me go with him to Zilker Gardens, and I thought it a little strange that a guy would take his backpack with him to a botanical garden, but I was blind-sided because I was mad at him. Then, at my favorite spot overlooking the rose garden, he opened his backpack and started handing me some little birthday gifts and tried again to just toss the wrapped up ring box at me like it really was no big deal, just my birthday present. By then, though, I realized what was happening, but when I opened the ring box, the ring wasn't even in there. He had completely set the whole thing up (getting the rise out of me) to throw me off, and after we both got a good laugh, he got down on his knee and officially asked me to marry him and presented the ring. (And, of course, I wasn't mad at him after that.) It was a very memorable birthday for me--one of my favorites.

Who has more friends? I do. Neither of us is especially outgoing, but Chris is less so than I am.

Who has more siblings? Chris has 2 and I have 4.

Who wears the pants in the family? Chris does, but I'm the belt that holds those pants up.

Tag! Your turn!

What's Cookin'?

2008-03-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a very easy recipe that I like to make each year to eat with our traditional Easter feast. My grandmother first introduced it to me when I was a kid, and I have tweaked it just a little to make it more festive for Easter.

Watergate Salad

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, in juice, undrained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP
1 cup JET-PUFFED miniature marshmallows*

*I like using the FunMallows flavored miniature marshmallows, because they make this dessert look like colorful Easter eggs hidden in grass. For this reason, you could probably also add a little shredded coconut if you like.

COMBINE marshmallows, dry pudding mix, pineapple and pecans in large bowl until well blended.

ADD whipped topping; stir until well blended. Cover.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings (1/2 cup each)

Pardon my French, but this site rocks!

2008-03-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

I love music. Among my favorite types is classical, but I'm not stellar at remembering composers' names or which music was written by each. It didn't occur to me until a couple nights ago (as I was trying to figure out the origin of a particular piece that was stuck in my head) how hard it is to satisfy that annoying need-to-know when it comes to classical music, mainly because a lot of it is purely instrumental. I started humming the melody and wondered how I could possibly get Google to translate that into the information I was looking for. I thought I would never figure it out and it was going to just bug me until I finally did. Don't you just hate that? I do.

And then I had an idea. I tried to think of everything I associated with this snippet of music. My gut instinct was that it came from Romeo and Juliet (a scene from a movie flashed in my head with two lovers running in slow motion toward each other), but based on my complete lack of interest in Shakespearean literature, I figured that I'd never seen Romeo and Juliet, or if I had, I had probably slept through it. I dismissed the thought but felt that I was headed in the right direction. I typed in "greatest classical love songs" and pulled up playlist.com where you can search and listen to music clips. I listened to several clips before I hit on another clue. I'd just finished listening to Tchaikovsky's music from Swan Lake. That wasn't it, but I felt like I was getting closer. The style seemed to fit, as I usually hear this music played on strings. What song was this??? It was driving me nuts. Then I came up with another clue: I was pretty sure that I'd heard this music used in Bugs Bunny cartoons when I was a kid. Hmmm... I set that aside while I opened a few of the sites that were pulled up on Google, and I found this site: kickassclassical.com. And, wouldn't you know it, Bugs Bunny's name was right there on the main page.

I love this site! It's like the closest thing to Cliff Notes for classical music, I think, only it's way better. Broken down by composer, this site offers previews of some of classical music's most famous composers and their most celebrated works and even makes them interesting by including some fun trivia about their music...like where you might hear them in the movies or which companies have used these songs in their advertising just to name a couple. "Kickass Classical features Classical Music's Top 100 Greatest Hits based on their exposure in today's pop culture." There's a ton of cool information and a handy little link to iTunes so you can download the music to your computer or the iPod Shuffle that the Easter Bunny might be bringing you or whatever. Very cool!

So, after playing around for awhile, it was back to business. Finally, I'd gotten far enough down the page to Tchaikovsky when, Cha-ching! I found my answer! Wouldn't you know, the music in question most certainly was (ta-da!): Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture! "Picture 'two lovers running toward each other in slow motion,'" {SMILE}

Guess they don't need to go to the trouble to rename their domain. No false advertising here.

Never Say Never

2008-03-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

For nearly 4 years, I have succeeded at holding a perfect record for keeping my kids out of the ER, and I intended to keep that perfect record..FOR-EV-ER. That is, until this past Monday when I lost control of a slippery wet little boy and sent him, face-first, onto the bathroom tile. Now, my record is nothing more than a shattered dream. If only I had... If I would have just... If I had never...

Wrapped in a towel after finishing his bath, I picked up Zachary to carry him into his room to get dressed for the day. Yes, his little legs work perfectly fine and he is very capable of walking the 10 feet between the bathtub and his bedroom, but he LIKES for me to carry him. And he likes to have a look at himself in the mirror, all wrapped up in his towel and swaddled in his mother's arms. This is something that will not last forever, so that being said, it is a part of our normal routine.

It is all sort of blur now, but I recall that, just as I began to turn toward the mirror, I started losing my grip on Zachary, which grip I could not recover. Slipping...slipping... And then, SPLAT. I watched helplessly as Zachary fell flat on his face. Thoughts racing through my head, I pick him up off the floor to assess the damage. My worst fear was that he might have broken teeth, and I was very thankful that he didn't. I noticed that his chest and stomach were red where they smacked the floor, but after seeing that everything else was OK, I noticed a little blood coming from beneath his chin. I took one look and knew right away that he was going to need stitches. It was off to the ER we went.

Luckily, Zachary was fine, and though he didn't want to have to go to the hospital (who does?), he was remarkably calm and handled the situation very well. I was happy that the waiting room had been virtually empty so we didn't have to wait very long to be taken back for him to be treated. Of course, the doctor and nurse did have to strap Zachary to a board and wrap him up like a mummy so he would stay still for them, but once they cleaned out his wound and glued it shut, we were on our way with an armful of stickers and a stuffed animal souvenir.

I've now realized how unrealistically high my expectations were, so I've decided to modify my goal just a little. Instead of "never having to take my kids to the ER," my new goal will be: "Never having to take my kids to the ER for SOMETHING THAT WAS MY FAULT!"

Dressing Up and Dressing Down--Fashion Faux Pas When Your Mama Dresses You Funny

2008-03-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Whenever I buy new clothes or shoes for the kids, I usually try to buy things big so they won't outgrow them too quickly. I like to think that I am stretching our dollars further that way, and I just figure that all budget-conscious parents do the same.

So, I recently bought these cute shoes for Ashley, who has been wearing a size 5 for quite some time now. Knowing that she's bound to outgrow them any day now, I opt not to buy these new shoes in a size 6 but in a size 7. She should be able to wear these at least through the summer, I'm guessing. I made the mistake of showing them to her when I got home, and already displaying signs of a shoe fetish, she demands I let her wear them immediately. I slip them on her feet, and yes, she looks and walks like she's got on a pair of mommy's shoes, but because they have a nice little strap to hold her feet in, she shuffles around in them a bit but the shoes don't fall off. Well, because they have this floral pattern on them in colors she hasn't before worn, I went in search for a couple of outfits to match making a mental note to buy some that will not only fit her now but that she will be able to wear for as long as she can wear the shoes. I was successful in my search, or so I thought.

This morning, for church, I put Ashley in one of these new outfits, thinking she'll be so happy to get to wear her pretty new shoes. She is happy enough to also let me put on the new outfit as well. (Sometimes we have power struggles over her fashion sense vs. mine.) The clothes are big, but not too big. Except the little skirt, I discover. Yes, the skirt's too big, but we're going to be late, so I grab a safety pin and pin it at the waist. Voila! Works like magic. She's dressed, she's happy, and we're off to church.

The kids behaved during Sacrament, even if they did get restless and needed to be taken out near the end. There were no issues while dropping Ashley off at Nursery, and Zachary, as always, went willingly to Primary. The next 2 hours go by smoothly and I'm feeling so pleased that I had such a great day even though I had to do this all while Chris was out of town. That's a feat in and of itself, since he helps me so much with the kids on Sunday mornings. After classes were over, I picked up the kids and started heading toward the car but stopped to chat with someone for a moment. The next thing I know, Ashley is walking down the hall in a shirt and a diaper. OK, so she is not quite 2, but I am still as easily embarrassed by this as if it were my own skirt that is missing. I scramble to put it back on without making it obvious that my daughter has just lost her bottoms. Meanwhile, I'm blocking the hall, so I hurry to move out of the way just as Ashley's Nursery leader's husband comes walking by and announces, "Oh yeah, she was just pulling that thing off ALL DAY!"

Oh, to be 2 and to drop your clothes wherever you like without a care in the world. Someday, she'll have nightmares about this sort of thing just like I do.

OCD Wannabe

2008-03-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, I discovered that our closet really IS a walk-in closet, or at least now I know it CAN be. Of course, I had to go on an archeological dig to find it, but now it's so clean I could live in it if I had to! I thought I would take the time to share ten of the most random things that I found hidden among 6 1/2 years worth of "collectibles":

1 unopened letter containing a vehicle registration sticker which expired in 2003 (Oops!)
1 pair of men's tap shoes (I told Chris that if he made me keep them, I better see him tap!)
1 name tag w/pin from the Sealing Room (his), presumably from our wedding day
1 fortune that reads: "New financial resources will soon become available to you." (Ahem!)
1 pair of blue gym shorts with the gray felt initials "RS" ironed on (mine from 6th grade, and, yes, clean!)
1 post-surgical xray film
1 petticoat (never worn)
1 original piece of poetry (a priceless heirloom to be handed down to all of our posterity) written by Chris' mom about the kind of wife he was supposed to marry. Here's my favorite line: "Five foot eight, or six, or two, She'll stand much taller next to you." HA!
1 book, entitled "The Portable Therapist: Wise and Inspiring Answers to the Questions People in Therapy Ask Most..." (never read--think I'll add that to my shelf now!)

AND

1 very informative packet: "HOW TO ORGANIZE A CLOSET"

Future Spelling Bee Champ

2008-03-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Zachary successfully learned how to spell his full name! That's pretty amazing, if you ask me, since people have always reassured me that he would probably figure it out by the time he hit the 5th grade. What should we work on next? Algebra?

Sick, but still sweet

2008-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Little Zachary is sick today, although he doesn't even seem to notice. He's slept most of the afternoon away which was the first sign I noticed. This kid doesn't nap...EVER. He has a fever of almost 102. I couldn't get an accurate reading, though, because he was getting upset that I was even trying to do that without apparent reason. He wouldn't keep the thermometer under his tongue, so I tried taking it under his arm, but he said, "My arm's fine." It's sort of scary when you know your kid is sick and he insists he isn't even though his cheeks are flushed with fever and his eyes are glassy. Makes me worry that he's just going to peacefully go to sleep and not wake up. (Yes, I'm feeling a bit paranoid.) So, I press lightly on his throat and ask if that hurts, since strep is going around. I ask if his ears hurt or his tummy. "No" to all of those things. "Are you tired?" There's one I'm sure he'll say "yes" to. But, no. He's totally well...except he isn't. He didn't drink his juice or eat his snack earlier, so I just tried to offer it to him again, "No thank you, Mommy." I bring his pillow and blanket, and his stuffed bunny is always welcome. "Do you want to watch something?" "Clifford's Pets, o' course." No matter that this is the 3rd (or is it the 4th?) time I've started this movie today and he's fallen asleep in it. And? He wants his Mommy to come sit with him.

No Paycheck Necessary

2008-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

To the cutest, sweetest, most wonderful bosses I've ever had (or likely ever will): I love my job so much that I will do this one for free. You pay me in smiles, and I am filthy rich!

"Next up on the beam..."

2008-01-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the Beef

2008-01-29T13:19:00.001-08:00

Zachary: "Look, Mommy, what I'm eating! It's helfy for me!"

By the way, in case you can't tell, that's a huge wad of leftover lasagna noodles, cold, rubberized and straight out of the fridge. And just look at that smile across his face! The lasagna I spent 2 hours making the night before? He took one bite, said "Mommy, that's grrrrrrEAT!" And then he wouldn't touch another bite.

I think I'll take an early retirement from home-cooked meals. And would you like fries with that?!

Revelation

2008-01-17T07:40:00.001-08:00

This morning, two hours earlier than my kids normally get up, I awoke to the sounds of Zachary sobbing in his room. I dragged myself out of bed and went to go check on him and asked if he'd had a bad dream, to which he just said, "I neeeeeed wooo!" I gave him a hug to comfort him, and then guess who should also start "crying". It was a pathetic little fake cry, because Ashley has to do everything that Zachary does. So, I got her out of her crib to offer some "fake" comfort to her (just kidding!) and then everyone was fine again. Suddenly, in a moment of sheer enlightenment, Zachary looked at Ashley, the two of them sitting happily side-by-side with their legs dangling over the side of the bed, and he exclaimed, "Hey! We're KIDS!!!" With that epiphany, my world is suddenly starting to make more sense to me!

(And, content with that simple explanation for why I had to sacrifice TWO FULL HOURS of sleep, I sent the kids on a hunt to find all of their warm, fuzzy blankets and then asked them to pile them all on top of me until I couldn't see (or breathe) anymore. It worked! I got another minute or two of much-needed sleep.)

Happy Valentine's Day Already (!?!)

2007-12-31T11:40:00.001-08:00

The stores are already stocking pink and red hearts, so I thought I'd get ahead of myself, too! Or maybe that's just a pathetic way to usher in my Christmas and New Year's posts almost a month late.

Well, the Christmas season came in a flurry...not of snow, of course, as the weather in Texas was warm and blessedly bearable...the kind of weather I'd like to experience year-round. Instead, the whole month of December raced by and is now pretty much a blur to me, because despite my greatest efforts to get everything done early so we could relax and just enjoy the spirit of the season, there were inevitably the things that didn't get done early enough and plenty of last-minute things that I decided to tackle to make it that much more...BUSY!

"Dear Santa, I've been a very good boy this year. Please bring me a...toy." Seriously. Can you please be a little bit more specific? If only everyone were so easy to please...

I did accomplish a great deal before Dec. 1. That was a goal I had decided to set sometime back in the summer, as I was already beginning to think about my favorite time of year. I found and bought what I thought would be the "perfect" Santa gift for Zachary back in August (which, by the way, didn't turn out to be so perfect when it didn't work on Christmas morning and had to be exchanged the next day), and I guess that is when it became clear to me that I wanted to knock out my shopping *and* shipping before the real rush would begin sometime in October/November. So, for family and friends whose kids had late-November birthdays, they got their birthday gifts and Christmas gifts at the same time. If there is one thing I have learned I absolutely dread for no apparent reason, it is the post office. I don't know what it is about the post office that causes me to have such a horrible aversion to it, because there really is no reason I should hate it as much as I do. But anyway, I was proud of myself for getting so much of my shipping out of the way before December. So proud of myself that, what little was left, I completely lost all momentum and put it off until I was pushing the Christmas priority mail deadline. That part was awful. But that little side-note was not the entire Christmas season, so while I still recover from all the craziness, I have to say that we did have a nice Christmas.

While Chris was preparing for finals, the kids and I took advantage of many opportunities to look at Christmas lights. Sometime around Dec. 5, the kids and I went with Grandma to see the lights in Spicewood, a neighborhood that always had great Christmas lights when I was growing up. It is always neat to be able to take my kids to see some of the places that I enjoyed visiting when I was younger. We had such a great time. Zachary kept shouting, "I see more Christmas lights! I see more Christmas lights! I CAN'T WAIT!" And I don't even think the ones he'd seen at that point were all that spectacular, but that is what I love about 3 year-olds. They are so full of joy and enthusiasm for the little things in life. Ashley is old enough to enjoy the lights but still too young to really verbalize it, but we could tell she was feeding off of Zachary's excitement. On our way home that night, I managed to get talked into taking a detour just so we could see a few more lights in our own neighborhood. I asked Zachary, "Did you have fun tonight?" to which he replied, "Best Christmas EVER!!!"

Chris' parents came from Nebraska to spend Christmas with us at our house. I was feeling excited because this would be the first time they'd come to our house for Christmas. It was pretty low-key and Chris' mom helped out a lot with cooking. Our Christmas Day food, from the traditional breakfast crepes to the turkey dinner, was all very, very good. I'd wrapped all the gifts early in the month, so all I really had to do on Christmas Eve, after the kids were asleep, was fill the stockings. I always loved the fact that my parents made the stockings a lot of fun to open, so I tried to do the same. It was fun to watch the kids open their presents. Ashley would open one of hers and seemingly decide that one was all she needed to occupy herself for the remainder of the time, but every time Zachary opened another present, she rushed to be by his side, ready to take it from him as though it was all for her. Despite how that sounds, it was all pretty cute. I noticed that Zachary was also pretty delighted by her gifts, so it's all good. We enjoyed getting to spend the holidays at home this year.

Zachary takes a break from the holiday crepe-making festivities to sample the filling.

What a nice big brother! Zachary shares a taste of the goods with his little sister.

My, what big socks you have!

Don't we have the perfect "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree?

Not the first time a fire truck has shown up to our house...

Santa showed up the day after Christmas to swap out the "perfect" present that wouldn't work with a different one that Zachary liked even better.

After Chris' parents left, the day after Christmas, we spent the rest of the week with my family here. All of my brothers were here at one time or another, so we spent a lot of time at my parents' house or going out to eat with them. We celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa at our house also later in the week. My brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Kathryn, joined us as well. My mom brought with her some pizzas from Double Dave's and we had a very relaxing time of it.

The excitement is building...

My daughter, uh,...Elmo. Oh, wait! My daughter is the one BEHIND Elmo...but in front of Grandma.

My brother, Matt, realizing his dream of playing plastic CDs on an Elmo CD player is finally coming true.

New Year's was also very relaxing. I hate to let it pass without any sort of celebration, so I invited my parents over once again and decided to do a lot of cooking. I had a couple new recipes that I wanted to try including a Taco Meatball Ring and these little cheesecake cups that use Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies as the crust with a cherry topping. Mom also brought some homemade macaroni and cheese, and we just had a TON of food. Isn't that, alone, worth celebrating?

So, those were our holidays. Oh yeah, and my grandma came up from Houston and we got to spend some time with her before she and my mom traveled to Boston to visit my sister and cousin. They got back on Thursday and so I took the kids over to my parents' house yesterday to see her once more before she went home today.

It's nice to be settled into the New Year and spending a little more time with Chris before he starts classes again on Monday. Truthfully, I hadn't gotten to spend as much quality time with him as I had hoped to, due to having so much company in town or things that have come up with my church calling, not to mention he received his reading assignments last week and has had to go to work on those during my last week of vacation with him. But we did take the kids out to lunch on Wednesday after Zachary's gymnastics class and then to the Austin Children's Museum, which they seemed to enjoy.

So, another New Year and another new semester come Monday. Time flies when you're having fun!

Thanksgiving Memories

2007-11-24T22:37:00.001-08:00

For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday in Houston with all of our extended family. My earliest Thanksgiving memories, in fact, are of all of us gathering at my grandmother's house. As most of my mother's four siblings and their families lived in the general vicinity of Grandma's House when I was young, the house was always busy and filled with everything: smells of rolls baking in the oven, sounds of the Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade being televised in the living room, and visions of the dining room filled with all of the traditional Turkey Day delicacies. Grandma was always hiding in the kitchen, handling the intricate Thanksgiving details and making sure that everything was in order before the meal began. Aunts and uncles arrived, bringing with them pies and casserole dishes and cousins to play with. The card table was set up for the children in the living room. And somehow, we all managed to fit somewhere.

My favorite parts of the Thanksgiving Day meal have included Grandma's stuffing, made famous by Pepperidge Farms (thanks, guys!), mashed potatoes and gravy (is it ever possible to eat enough of those?), the turkey (dark meat, please) and, of course, my all-time favorite: PIES! And from my recollection, the pies were always plentiful. Everyone seemed to have a different favorite, so that generally meant we had to have at least a dozen (though that could possibly be an exaggeration) of the usual: chocolate, coconut cream, banana cream, apple, pumpkin, cherry, mince meat (who brought THAT?!) and duplicates to make sure that nobody got shafted after the first go-round. Pie was, is, and always will be a reason to celebrate. I am thankful for pie.

Ashley, thoroughly thankful, enjoying her coconut cream pie.

As the years passed, families moved away and so not everyone was able to make it to Thankgiving each year, but we were always able to be there. I don't remember EVER missing the traditional Thanksgiving at Grandma's until I went off to college, and those were the days I sorely missed it. But some things were always constant: sleeping at Grandma's House, watching that Thanksgiving Day parade while anticipating the Parade of Pies, and eating leftovers for days on end.

Times changed and families moved around some more, bringing some back to join us again, and we eventually grew too big for Grandma's House. I don't remember when the torch was passed (it was probably while I was in college) but the annual Thanksgiving Day celebration was hosted by my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Bruce for a number of years. As was customary, everyone contributed in some way or another, and the meals were always wonderful and the company, grand. My first Thanksgiving with Chris was spent in their home, and I, of course, have memories of what that was like at first. HA HA Chris has certainly grown to be a part of this large, wonderful extended family. The memories have only grown sweeter.

I am thankful for my Grandma and all those years that I enjoyed Thanksgiving at her house. I will always remember seeing her cook for days on end so that we could enjoy the best meal of the year. I will always feel a little ashamed that I wasn't as excited about helping with the dishes afterward, but I was young and didn't understand why the girls were always chosen to do that while the boys always got to run off and play. (I STILL have a problem with gender stereotyping, but now that I'm older, I can understand a little better. I wouldn't trust the boys to do a very good job of the dishes, either, Grandma.) I always felt sadness on the trip back home, because I knew that it was going to be awhile before I'd see her again and experience the togetherness that Thanksgiving always was in my eyes. (I think I also felt sadness because we always listened to my dad's tapes of Kenny Rogers on the way back and my memory of "Lady" is that it is just one of those sad-sounding songs.)

I am thankful for the Carlings and the Thanksgivings I have spent at their house. Now that I am an adult, I can sympathize and appreciate just how much they had to do to make their house ready for nearly 30 people. They borrowed tables and chairs from the church just so everyone had a place to sit. The food disappeared a lot faster at their house, because we were all grown up with grown-up appetites. Many of those years, Chris and I had to head home right after dinner, so there wasn't a lot of hanging around to help with the clean-up or getting to unwind after the meal was over by ringing in the Christmas season with the annual showing of Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. (I don't remember if that's the name of the show or not. I just remember the little song about razzleberry dressing.) The memories of those years were different, but one memory has and always will pass the test of time. I remember being grateful to have been there, with all of the family that could make it, and I will forever be grateful that I had a place to go, where I was surrounded by people that loved me and welcomed me into their home to share a celebration of thanks.

As we have all grown up and many have started families of their own, the sheer number of people has now made it necessary to start new traditions. This year was the first year that I can remember Thanksgiving being celebrated in the home where I grew up. Admittedly, I was skeptical that the celebration would be as enjoyable. How could it be, with so many important people missing? I figured it would be an adjustment I would have to make. "Grandma" no longer means MY grandmother, but it is Zachary and Ashley's grandma. I have gotten used to hearing her be called that over the past 3 years, but at our "first" Thanksgiving, that just seems a little strange. I couldn't help but think of MY "Grandma" sharing her first Thanksgiving dinner without us. I wondered if she was sad and missed us. Maybe she was relieved that the production had to be scaled down. I don't know, but I know that I missed those Thanksgivings from the olden days.

I am thankful that our Thanksgiving Day feast was celebrated with most of us in attendance. Even my Aunt Kathy joined us from Tennessee. My sister, Wendy, was the only one missing from our branch of the family tree this year. I talked with her on the phone a week or two beforehand and got my hopes up when I learned that she actually had been contemplating whether or not to fly home from Boston for the occasion. (Seeing as she is still in orientation for her new job, she had several days off in a row because the hospital where she works didn't want to pay holiday pay to someone new who had to work alongside someone else that also had to be paid for the holiday.) I wished that there was a way that she could have come. I was even willing to help pay for her ticket (a meager amount), but for some unknown reason, she didn't want to pay $500 for a ticket. I don't understand cheapskates. (JUST KIDDING!!!!) My point was that I WISHED she could have come. In my mind, I had this whole grand surprise worked out so that she could come and stay at our house and waltz in the front door of my parents' house on Thanksgiving Day and just get the party started. That really would have been something else. Sadly, it just didn't work out that way, but at least we did get to talk to her by phone while putting the last dishes in the oven.

Before the meal began, my dad decided that we'd go around and each tell something that we're thankful for. Yes, this is a tradition in most families, but I think it was the first time we'd ever done it. Don't know why that is, but we did it this time. I can remember what just about everybody said they were thankful for, but the most memorable part of the experience was when everyone would start out, "I'm thankful for..." and afterward, Zachary would end with an exuberant, "AMEN!" It was terribly cute, and I was very proud that he already recognizes the association of prayer with expressions of gratitude.

My brother, Matt, thankful he would be earning his college degree in just a few more weeks.

Having Thanksgiving at "home" (my home away from home) had a different feel to it, but it was a nice, warm and cozy feeling. We sat at our own tables, rather than those long folding ones borrowed from the church that almost make you feel like you're at a ward activity instead of a family gathering. While those were necessity in the past, it was nice to be able to sit around our family's table and enjoy a feast without the feeling of cattle prods poking you from behind. The food was all excellent, and Ashley sampled the stuffing ahead of time to let us know it was safe to eat. She really enjoyed that!

My little turkey, stuffing herself.

After a wonderful meal, Chris settled down for an afternoon snooze. My brother, Scott, always being the prankster, decided to lead his 8 year-old son, Bryon, in aiming tiny paper balls toward Chris' open mouth. I don't think any ever made it in, and I don't think that Chris would even know about it without seeing pictures. What would Thanksgiving be without family?

Bear in the Big Blue Chair

Order in the Court!

2007-11-16T21:00:00.001-08:00

Due to our camera still undergoing repairs, which results in a total lack of evidence that tonight actually took place, this case is dismissed!

"OBJECTION!" (I can hear you saying...)

Okay, okay...here's the update some of you may have been waiting for. Tonight, Chris and I attended the Intellectual Property Law Association's annual judges dinner in the Capital Ballroom of the Stephen F. Austin International Hotel. This was a dinner attended by mostly local IP attorneys, who paid a pretty penny for their dinner, and the 4 members of UT's IP Moot Court Team and their guests (lucky us, us poor folk got to eat for free.) There were also a few judges that were there to be honored and appreciated.

I have to start out by telling you how handsome Chris looked in his "lawyer costume" tonight. (sigh) I know I am partial, but he is just so cute! I wish I could get my hair chopped at Supercuts for next-to-nothing and look so adorable. Ain't happenin'! And I lamented to him, on our drive back home, about how easy it would be to dress myself if I were a man. Men have to make nowhere near the painstaking efforts to look good as we women do, and the choices are between A and B...it's really as simple as that...for men. Not so for the ladies. Oh well.

I really like my new suit. I'm glad I don't have a picture of myself wearing it to post here, because I might change my mind after seeing myself from your point of view. It was a little awkward wearing it at first, I admit. I sort of felt like a man, but luckily, I was wearing some nice heels and accessories that helped me escape that feeling before long. It took us over an hour to drive downtown to the hotel, and by the time we arrived, I'd long forgotten that moment of awkwardness.

Because we arrived just in time to check in (we had to dodge some basketball game-goers on our way into downtown), there wasn't a lot of time for mingling, which was really a blessing since neither Chris nor I really knew anyone there at that point. He did run into a guy from a firm that interviewed him today, and we were introduced. Throughout the evening, I met 2 other men from the same firm, and they were all very nice. From what I saw, I think I would be really happy if they wanted to hire him. (I get a little protective of him, so I was pleased that these seemed like good people that he'd be happy working with.) I hope we get some good news soon.

The dinner, itself, was really nice. It was served buffet-style, though, which, in my opinion, makes things a little LESS nice usually, but it was fine. The food selections were excellent and included beef, chicken and salmon as well as 2 kinds of potatoes, a vegetable medley of carrots, squash and asparagus, green salad and a variety of bread and cheeses. For dessert, there was a beautiful array of cheesecake and pie choices. Chris had a plain cheesecake and I had some sort of lemon cream pie that was delicious.

While we were finishing up with dinner, the ILPA president made a little speech and presented each of the judges with a gift, a coffeetable book on Texas courthouses. "Gee, just...what..I, um, always...wanted.." No, I'm sure they really liked it. Then, the keynote address followed and was delivered by a cool judge guy. I don't mean to say that his address was boring in any way, because I could follow along enough to know that the guy had a pretty good sense of humor, but for someone like me who isn't in the field, the whole thing reminded me of a cartoon my mom once clipped for me about what humans say to dogs and what dogs hear:

Human: "Ginger, you naughty dog! You go outside right now, Ginger! If I have to tell you one more time, Ginger, to..."

Dog: "Ginger, blah blah blah! Blah blah blah blah blah, Ginger! Blah blah blah, Ginger, blah blah!"

You get the drift. HOWEVER, I WAS doing my best to pay attention and I really was trying to get something out of this. At one point, I did get distracted and began trying, without making it obvious, of course, to check out what the other ladies were wearing so I could have a better idea for next time. Suddenly, Chris sort of spun around in his chair with this huge smile on his face. I thought the man must have commented on something we had been laughing about earlier. (On the way to the hotel, I jokingly asked Chris for some one-liners I could use in case anyone confused me for someone who had a clue. He gave me some line about tort reform that I can't even remember now, but...it was pretty funny, but I guess you'd have to have been there.) I asked Chris about that later, and he said that, no, he was just checking to make sure I wasn't asleep! (And he checked on me several times.) I thought it was cute how concerned he was about that, but I assured him that I would never do that to him and explained that even as incomprehensible as the speech was at times, I was more concerned about whether or not I seemed out-of-place. He was very confident that I did NOT seem out-of-place. What a sweet compliment? I thought so anyway.

After the keynote address, the meeting was adjourned. Before leaving, Chris introduced me to him teammates. Again, another very nice bunch of people. All in all, we had a wonderful night out together.

Business Nonsense

2007-11-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today I bought myself a suit. That's right, I bought a suit...as in a PANTSUIT. For myself. And I suppose you might be wondering WHY I would do this?!? Me, too. I mean, I am wondering the same thing myself.

There's a dinner on Friday night, and Chris is taking me. A fancy dinner, honoring federal court judges, and we're invited, and I'm a little nervous. Why? The mingling part, mostly. I'm just not good at mingling. I suppose that at 31 years of age, it could still benefit me to learn. Aside from my fear of being talked to, I'm also a little nervous because the dress code is business attire. I'm afraid I will be on trial or something. "Yes, Your Honor, this is the first suit I've ever owned, and I did pick it out myself." You see, I wear my business attire 7 days a week. With the exception of Three Hour Church on Sunday, business attire for me means jeans and t-shirts. After all, mine is a dirty business. Yes, even dirtier than that of a room full of lawyers.

I didn't google "women's business attire" right away, because I do have SOME sense of what "business attire" means. And I know that I don't own anything that belongs in this category, whatsoever. But I was sure there would be some details in fine print that I'd do well to learn before a sentence is handed down to me on Friday night. Sure enough, I was unaware of the statutes of business attire. If you are interested, just google it and you will see. Needless to say, this dinner feels slightly threatening to me.

I have never had anyone or anything in my life try harder to change my own personal sense of style (or non-style, as the case may be) than the mere act of Chris going to law school. More education started out as a nice idea and very well may still be one, but somewhere, somehow, someone forgot to inform ME that I, too, would be expected to adhere, at least on occasion, to a strict dress code (even stricter than the shorts-must-come-down-to-my-kneecap ordinance at BYU) so as to avoid looking the part of the frumpy housewife-who-let-herself-go next to my husband, the million bucks. (By the way, the term "million bucks" refers to the million bucks SPENT to transform a person from one who sits comfortably to one who waits, UN-comfortably, to rush home and hang up those expensive clothes that must look brand new each time they are worn...or else.) So, in order to be seen with a million bucks, I can't look like 50 cents. But we have no more million bucks, because we spent that all on HIS suits (which, until he has officially earned his diploma, passed his multiple Bar exams--those are different exams, not the same one multiple times, just to be clear here--and is employed full-time IN THE LEGAL FIELD AS A LAWYER, I affectionately call them his "lawyer costumes.") The million bucks is spent. We haven't a penny of it left, so we had to take out loans just to pay his tuition. His parents had to cash out their retirement so he could buy his books and so that his family (peons that we are) wouldn't starve over the course of 3 years.

So, today I went to JC Penney and found me a pantsuit (a black one) on sale for $79.99 + tax. It was marked down from a million bucks, so I don't know if that'll count as perjury when I wear it in the presence of the court or not. That price didn't include a shirt, which I was almost tempted to bypass (I'm learning to be frugal, eh?), but since I've never maxed out a credit card to date, I figured it's better to be safe than sorry and just went ahead and charged me a shirt on it. Even though it wasn't explicitly stated in the hitherto unmentioned dress code for wives whose husbands will one day be forced to keep up appearances in the likes of a TRILLION bucks, shirts are probably required. Since I wasn't sure which colors are acceptable and which ones are not, I went with plain ol' vanilla--white. For fear of being mistaken for a man, I went with the dressed-up white shirt with the clear, sparkly rhinestone buttons. I may be kicked out of this dinner for being a little too flamboyant in my dress, but it was a risk I felt was worth taking. I just hope that Chris isn't charged as my accomplice.

So, I modeled my orange jumpsuit, er, I mean black pantsuit for my parents who both ruled in my favor. Then, I drove home to face the judgment seat of the man that will be putting his own neck on the line if my fashion sense is deemed a failure. His judgment is usually the harshest of all, and his verdict surprised me: Not Guilty! So at least HE is convinced that I can pass muster on Friday night. I hope nobody is fooled by the cover-up and tries to actually talk business with me, because it'll be off to the slammer I go.

Happiness is...

2007-11-10T13:53:00.001-08:00

...discovering that your 18 month-old daughter LOVES steamed broccoli...
...so much that she would want to eat it chilled and straight out of the fridge...
...and watching her devour it by the handful, like it's candy...
...while listening to her "rave" about how good it is, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"
...and just being thankful she didn't inherit her father's gene for broccoliphobia.

Those Moments That Take Your Breath Away

2007-11-08T22:15:00.001-08:00

I had one of those moments just the other day. As I was getting ready to take Zachary to gymnastics, I told the kids to wait by the front door while I gathered up a few last-minute things. I heard the front door open and told the kids to shut it and just went back to what I was doing. I figured that, even if they didn't mind (why, oh, why do I use the word "if" in this sentence?!), they wouldn't get very far. After all, we have a fairly large front porch, and Zachary's NEVER in a hurry to go anywhere. Ashley is still learning to maneuver steps, blah blah blah, so I thought nothing of it.

A minute later, I came to my senses when I realized that I couldn't see any part of either kid. I heard a dog barking outside, and I vaguely remember hearing a mixture of giggles and chattering going on back and forth between the kids. Though dogs don't usually bother me, having one loose around my babies (who are much too dang friendly toward strangers or strange animals sometimes) makes me very nervous.

Nothing prepared me for the heart attack I almost had when I finally spotted my 3- and 1-year old ACROSS THE STREET staring right at me with looks on their faces as if to say, "Oh, HI MOM! We were just going on a little trip to the park! How nice of you to join us!"

They're always up to something these days. I turn my back for just a minute, and I never know what I'm going to find. Double trouble, I tell ya...

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2007-11-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, our house was attacked...literally. While we were all still sound asleep and hugging our cozy little blankets, some elementary school boys decided that their early-morning wait for the school bus needed a bit more excitement. Here's how it all unfolded:

Semi-conscious around 7 a.m., I thought I heard the doorbell ring, but because it was so early in the morning and there would be no reasonable explanation, I wasn't sure if I had imagined it or not. I nudged Chris out of bed to check on things and wasn't surprised when he came back and said that nobody was there. Well, after getting all cozy again, the doorbell very audibly rang a second time a short while later. Once again, Chris got up to answer the door. I caught only bits and pieces of the conversation that ensued between Chris and a woman whose voice was unfamiliar. It had something to do with a boy, a bus stop, a rock, and our window. Someone would be contacting us about it later in the day. Fabulous.

When Chris came back, he confirmed that our window had, indeed, been broken. The kid who was responsible for breaking it lived just across the street and one house over. How lame are we? We didn't even know that a kid lived there, nor did we know this kid's parents. We live in a fairly quiet neighborhood where people apparently don't like to come out of their houses let alone talk to each other. OK, maybe that's just US, but anyway, we're getting to know these neighbors a little better now.

Last night, while Chris was putting his new license plates on his car, this boy and his dad came over. I wasn't outside at the time, so I don't know what words were exchanged, but I'm sure they were friendly ones, because we couldn't have cared less that our window was broken. I guess we just had a lot of faith that the right thing would be done. Sure enough, the kid brought with him a handwritten letter that read:

"dear house 2718,

My name is J.... T..... . I'm sorry about throwing a rock at your window. You see my old friend C... threw a rock at your house but that one did not hit your window. Then I wanted to see how far I could throw a rock. And then it hit your window but I did not mean to hit your window. So I am really sorry. So I promise if you want me to do any work for you I will do it. And again I am really really sorry for hitting your window. And I will never ever touch a rock ever again.

to house 2718
from J.... T....."

I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the kid. Just imagining the panic-stricken look on his face when he saw the window break takes me back to lessons I had to learn in my own childhood. Chris said the boy looked to be about 7 or 8 maybe. I thought it was really nice of him to offer, in his letter, to do work for us, and while I can think of plenty of work that needs done around here, I'm sure that little J.... is learning a valuable lesson from his parents right now, so, of course, I won't take him up on his offer. His parents are taking care of fixing the window and are more concerned about it than we are, really. It is nice to know that we live among respectable people who would make sure that the damage was repaired promptly and who would also expect their child to take responsibility for his actions and do whatever he could to right his wrong. I think that is really admirable of them, and I will remember this when my own kids get into mischief someday. Meanwhile, it's not so bad, because now we know who these people are, and heaven forbid their identities be cemented as "the parents of the kid that broke your window." I think I'll have to remember to take some cookies over one of these days...

Polka Party -- Polkin' Around in West, TX...

2007-11-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Am I really dancing out here in the middle of nowhere? No, but I am moving really, REALLY slow. This month, I walked a whopping 35 miles. This trip is going to take longer than I estimated. This brings my total mileage to 105 miles. Just 1,842 more to go. Boy, am I feeling a little out of shape!

Facts about West, TX:

Population: approx. 2,695

History: Located just north of Waco, West was founded in 1882 after the completion of the Katy Railroad and became a successful railroad town. The surrounding farms still produce an abundance of wheat, maize, corn and cotton. Along with settlers from the East came Czech and German immigrants who found the surrounding fertile land to be similar to what they were familiar with back home. The town was named after Mr. Thomas West. West served as postmaster while opening the first general store and who later became a successful businessman.

Unofficial Nicknames from the History Book:
"Czech Heritage Capital of Texas",
"Home of the Official Kolache of the Texas Legislature"
"Home of Scott Podsednik of the Chicago White Sox"
"Home of Westfest"

West Today: Downtown West is most known for its Czech bakeries, gift shops and antique stores. Some of the oldtimers still can be heard speaking Czech. There's not much more to tell you about West.

Attractions in West and the Waco Area:
Westfest Polka Festival
Baylor University
Armstrong Browning Library
Bosque River Stage
Cameron Park
Cameron Park Zoo
Dr. Pepper Museum
The Earle-Harrison House and Gardens on Fifth Street
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Texas Sports Hall of Fame

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my virtual visit to West. See you next month in who knows where!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Kelly! I hope you had a wonderful day. :)

Lawyer Jokes

2007-11-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Last night, as we were about to go to sleep, Chris and I got to talking about this summer job search that is seriously stressing him out. Why must we stress out about a summer job at the beginning of November, you ask? Because we must. Until he has a summer job, Chris has apparently decided that he will stop smiling, and that's no laughing matter. I can't help but feel sad and discouraged for him, too. He's doing really well in school and has certainly put a ton of effort into this hunt so far without much luck. Honestly, I don't have any doubts that he will find something that is right for him and for our family, but in the meantime, why can't he just be my old smiley Chris? I miss him.

I can't seem to offer much more than the usual reassurance that I love him and know that he will find something. I tell him that these places that have interviewed him but not given him offers don't know what a mistake they are making. He is such a hard worker and is very dedicated. Some future employer will be very happy with Chris. Until he finds those people, though, I'm afraid I'm just losing air.

So, just before we went to sleep, in one last feeble attempt to cheer him up, I asked if I could hire him. He looked at me like I'm nuts or something. "No, seriously, I need an IP lawyer. Can I hire you?" Smiling, I expected to hear my old Chris come back with something witty. "No, because you can't pay me anything."

Anyone have some money I can borrow? I think I'm going to need to hire a lawyer.

Pond Springs Elementary Fall Festival

2007-11-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual Fall Festival put on by the Pond Springs Elementary PTA. Since Grandma has been the much-loved office lady at Pond Springs for about a dozen years now, the kids and I always go to support her and her school by participating in all the fun activities they have set up. Today was no exception.

However, there was a slight glitch in the plans this time. Our family was among four that were assigned to clean our ward meetinghouse today. It turned out that Chris had to be in Tulsa for a school competition, and since re-scheduling our cleaning assignment by switching with another family was really not quite feasible (after all, next weekend is our anniversary and Chris' semester really will only be getting busier from here on out...not to mention the holiday season is fast approaching), I decided I'd better just go and represent my family this weekend. I had a feeling that I would be pretty useless if I had to drag the kids along, so Grandma graciously offered to babysit at 9 a.m. so that I could get to the church early and get the cleaning out of the way before we'd missed too much of the school carnival. Thank you, Mom, and thank you for everything else you did while I was gone. You folded my laundry, you fed the kids and got them dressed and ready to go, and you cleaned up around my kitchen. Who knows what else you did... Thank you!

The Fall Festival this year was just as great as it always has been. The big difference was that Ashley came along this time. We missed going last year because we were out of town, so this year was actually Ashley's first time to go. She must have been having a great time, because she wanted to go everywhere and she wanted to see and do everything, and she wanted to do this ALL BY HERSELF. She is Little Miss Independent, that's for sure. And that's putting it quite nicely. It was a challenge to keep her from running off. Anyway, both Ashley and Zachary loved playing the games and taking part in the fun activities.

Here is Ashley at the ever-popular Lollipop Grab. There's nothing like starting the day off by giving candy to a baby.

Way to show some school spirit, Mom! We always enjoy the fun carnival food in the school cafeteria.

I love the expression on Zachary's face in this next picture. Don't worry, Zachary, that horse is going nowhere.

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The object of this "Egg Toss" game was to throw the stuffed chickens and try to land them back into the egg. Apparently, somebody is NOT smarter than a 5th grader!

The Duck Pond is always a favorite with the kids. But why is it that they always want to run off with the ducks?

The kids got to go up into this fire truck and take a look around. One of the firefighters let Zachary try on some protective gear and see what other equipment is transported on the truck. He then asked Zachary if he had any questions. All Zachary wanted to know was when he could have a ride. I love how little kids are never too embarrassed to come straight out and ask for what they really want.

One petting zoo plus a dozen or so kids equals CHAOS! I could have gotten some great footage of the kids holding rabbits, feeding goats, or chasing chickens, but I wanted to make sure that no animals were harmed in the process. At one point, I saw Zachary trying to lift this gigantic rabbit, practically by its neck, before the poor thing wriggled itself free and hopped away. Another adult carefully helped him hold one of the smaller bunnies.

I thought this was a sweet picture of the 3 bunnies guarding the baby chick. Either that, or they were all ganging up on it and planning to have it for lunch.

Ashley was so funny when she interacted with the animals. She'd get just BARELY close enough to touch one, but as soon as she made contact, she'd run away as fast as she could, squealing with delight. Here she is, not looking QUITE as happy. I think she had her mind set on going someplace at the time.

It doesn't look like it in the picture, but I swear this goose was almost as big as Zachary!

Isn't this baby goat just adorable?

Awwwww....

Ashley enjoyed the Moonwalk for about 5 seconds before I had to rescue her.

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Our last stop of the day was at the Dino Dig, because, after all, kids love playing in the dirt, don't they?

I think the problem was that Ashley wanted to play in the REAL dirt...in the playground on the opposite side of the parking lot. This is what I believe led to Tantrum #17 (I didn't keep track. It could have been #41.) It was officially naptime at that point, so it was time to call it quits.

Thank you, Grandma, for another fun-filled Fall Festival. You are a real trooper to put yourself through all that for our benefit. You really are Super Grandma!

Halloween

2007-11-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty good Halloween here at our house. I didn't get to take many pictures, because our camera INCONVENIENTLY decided to stop working, so I will just re-cap our day's events:

Zachary had his gymnastics class in the morning. All the kids were told to come in costume, but since I didn't think Zachary would be very comfortable moving around in his chef's outfit, I had to come up with a suitable alternative. Luckily, Zachary has this cute baseball shirt that, when worn with his gray sweat pants, looks like an actual baseball uniform. It worked out so perfectly that Zachary decided that he was going to wear it trick-or-treaing, too.

After class ended, we stopped by Papa Murphy's on our way home to pick up lunch. They were selling these cute take-and-bake jack-o-lantern pizzas for Halloween, and I thought the kids would get a kick out of them.

Grandma came over after work and helped entertain the kids while I picked up around the house. (Thanks, Grandma!) Then, we got the kids ready for trick-or-treating and headed out to hit the neighbors up for some candy.

Halfway down the street from our house, Ashley, whose nap was interrupted earlier in the day and was already getting sleepy, spotted a red, two-seater wagon identical to the one we have. She persisted in trying to get into that wagon, so I went home and got ours and we took the kids around in it. The kids loved it, and they loved trick-or-treating. It was fun to watch their reactions to every little thing. Zachary proudly went around telling everyone, "Hey! I'm a baseball shirt!" I thought it was funny the way he identified himself like that. Ashley, dressed up as Tigger, got a lot of attention, too. Everyone thought she looked adorable. She was definitely on a mission, though. Even though she might have been tired, she marched right up to each house (with me by the hand, of course) and went through the motions as best she could, taking her cues from Zachary before leaving quite satisfied with her pumpkin bucket just a little fuller.

I think Zachary and Ashley both enjoyed seeing the other children dressed up, but they were especially fond of the little dog that was dressed up as a devil. A little while later, Grandma spotted Grandpa's car pulling up to our house, so we took him with us on one last street which ended up being the home stretch. Chris was home when we arrived, and he and Zachary enjoyed passing out candy to the other trick-or-treaters while Grandma and I tried out a new recipe for some apple turnovers that we all later enjoyed with vanilla ice cream. It was a fun night, even though it was also very tiring.

Speechless

2007-11-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

If a picture is really worth a thousand words, right now I am speechless. I just got my camera back from Best Buy on Monday after it underwent repairs due to an unfortunate accident that was my fault. I actually rejoiced the day I got the news that it was fixed and ready to be picked up, and I vowed to myself that I would be more careful from now on. Well, it worked long enough to take a few practice pictures, but then, just as I wanted to take some shots of the kids heading out the door for trick-or-treating on Halloween night, it began acting possessed. I turned on the camera, and the lens zoomed in and out a couple of times before, ultimately, the thing shut itself off. Needless to say, I was not amused with this "trick". So, back to Best Buy we went yesterday. I sure hope it can be fixed for real this time...

I just love free stuff!

2007-11-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

As soon as I quit working to be a stay-at-home mom, I began signing up to do online surveys. I really don't remember what was going through my mind at the time. Boredom? Probably not. I probably just got an invitation sent to me by email and decided to go ahead and sign up. Perhaps my interest was sparked by the few times in the past where I have been rewarded for sharing my opinions. For example, once my sister and I both got invited to be in a focus group to help a local radio station decide what kinds of music the public wanted to hear. We spent an evening at a downtown hotel listening to bits and pieces of popular songs and were each given $50 cash for our time. I know those opportunities are few and far between, but I honestly do enjoy taking surveys (as long as they're not too long and I don't have to listen to someone asking me the questions in monotone.) And I ESPECIALLY like taking part if there is something in it for me.

And lo and behold, the free stuff has come! Today it was free diapers for me to try out on one of my kids. Not just one or two diapers, but *34* free diapers! Woooohooooo! Too bad I just ran out yesterday to stock up on those, but those can surely wait. I'll gladly test out this product, answer a little questionnaire, and sit back and smile because I just saved us $15!

Yes, a lot of the surveys I have taken over the past few years have had to do with infant hygiene, but I have also been the proud recipient of other fun things. Let's see... There was a free box of cereal not too long ago. Before that, 3 free jars of pasta sauce, free baby wipes, free shampoo, and free ice cream. That ice cream survey was probably the most exciting. The package showed up unexpectedly on my front porch one day with directions on the box to "Keep Frozen." I had no idea what I was opening up at the time, so as you can imagine, I was a little bit nervous. To my great surprise, inside was a pint of ice cream packed on dry ice with a plastic pouch containing instructions and a $10 bill. "Eat this ice cream and take our survey and have fun spending this money"...is pretty much what it said. That one was a lot of fun. And there are other free things that I know I'm forgetting, not to mention all the survey points I've redeemed for cash and gift cards.

Don't you just love getting free stuff? I would love to hear about the free stuff that you have received.

Reflections

2007-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

The other day, as I was browsing through my picture files, I came across some photos of Zachary as an infant. Enter Zachary:

Me: "Look, Zachary! That's you when you were a little baby!"
Zachary: (sadly) "Oh, I miss him!"