life in the livable forest

February 2011 Update

2011-08-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

David and the kids with a homemade rocket launcher

at a Children's Museum

at Blue's school St. Valentine's Day party

January 2011 Update

2011-08-09T14:22:00.002-05:00

indoor playgrounds are great when its too cold outside

but this is Texas, so its not like the cold ever lasts too long

celebrating Blue's 5th birthday with friends

my poor super slim kid could fly away!

show week at The Little Gym

I'm pretty sure this was not part of the routine

practicing for Spring t-ball

winter/spring gym class

even got in some practice time while visiting Mami Mirta

December 2010 Update

2011-08-09T13:37:00.005-05:00

Pink celebrating her 3rd birthday with friends

photoshoot for a Christmas card photo

can't you just feel the cooperation?

a rare photo of me and David (please excuse my hair... this was during my hair loss

our beautiful Christmas tree

Santa came!

Wow! Two photos in one month!

November 2010 Update

2011-08-04T14:34:00.003-05:00

Really, the main thing you need to know about November 2010 is that we took a family vacation to Walt Disney World. It was awesome!!!

October 2010 Update

2011-08-03T14:30:00.005-05:00

Do I dare?

2011-08-03T14:02:00.004-05:00

Do I dare to start this up again? Its a given that I will not be consistent. But a girl can dream, right? Blue starts kindergarten full-time this month and Pink will be in pre-school two days a week. So maybe I can fit you in somewhere??

Either way, I'm going to do some a photo updates for each of the missed months. Enjoy!

FYI - It may take me a bit to do each month/post. I'm thinking one month a day for 10 days... but lets say 14 days just to be on the safe side.

Long time no see

2010-10-12T21:56:00.006-05:00

So much going on.... Its been busy the last several weeks. Some disappointing things, but mostly good things.

Soccer is still in full swing. We have practice once a week and a game every Saturday morning. David is doing an awesome job as coach; he hasn't lost a player yet! (sorry, inside joke!) Blue enjoys soccer and has made some friends, but he still gets upset with the whole "kids aren't sharing the soccer ball" deal. All week long we tell him "share", "be nice to your friends", "no stealing", etc. But then on Saturday mornings, we want him to do the complete opposite... poor Blue, how confusing!

Pink is still very much enjoying her dance classes. She pretty much asks about them every day and doesn't understand why she can't go more often.

*sorry for the bad photo... I have to take them from outside of the dance room

The weather has been awesome lately. We're not melting in horrible heat anymore and we've been enjoying it as much as possible. I'll post pictures about this soon. :)

One more

2010-09-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

The last book we ordered from the Scholastic Book Fair came in yesterday. Blue was just beside himself with this one. :)

Book Fair Books

2010-09-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

Blue was super excited to bring some book fair books home today. I ordered him another one about planets but they didn't have any copies left. Hopefully he'll get it soon. Oh, and obviously the "Goldilicious" book is for Pink. :)

Soccer season has started!

2010-09-14T22:10:00.005-05:00

This is Blue's 4th soccer season and he is super excited. What's even better is that David is coaching. We were a bit unsure at first with how Blue would handle David being his coach, but its been awesome so far.

After the first practice last week, we were driving home and Blue suddenly said "Daddy, thank you for being my coach." It was the sweetest, most sincere compliment ever! David and I were both so touched when he said that. Blue may sometimes make me want to tear my hair out, but he is just the most loving little boy. There isn't a mean bone in his whole little body.

Long day

2010-09-10T21:28:00.001-05:00

Sooooo tired! My day started off at 6am getting Blue to school, ran errands from then until we had to head to the Med Center for my doctors appt., rushed back home to get Blue, got some things done around the house, had our first soccer practice of the season (David is coaching so we had to coordinate all the kids, hand out uniforms, etc.) and finally a family dinner out and wrestling the kids to bed. Where's my bed?!?

Sent from my iPhone

Book Fair

2010-09-08T16:18:00.000-05:00

It made me so happy to see this in Blue's school folder today. I loved book fairs when I was young. :)

Rainy weather tip

2010-09-07T16:34:00.004-05:00

Ok, just a quick rainy weather tip for all you parents out there...

Rain, kids, and umbrellas do not mix. You cannot properly maneuver in the rain, muchless get kids in and out of car seats with an umbrella. Its too hard to manage, everyone ends up getting more wet, and it just never works well. Oh, and with multiple kids, an umbrella, backpack, nap mats, lunch bags, etc. you can't safely hold your kids hands in the parking lot.

So, please get your kids rain jackets with hoods. Let's save us all a headache now, so I don't have to deal with the mean mom that hit my van hard with her car door while trying to manage two umbrellas and buckling her child in their car seat and then looked at me like I did something wrong. (say that last line really fast!)

Thank you.
(rant over)

Another sewing project

2010-09-05T15:27:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was the first LSU football game of the season, and I suddenly realized at like 4pm that I never made Pink a dress from the fabric I bought last Fall. So, a mere 3 hours later (including numerous interruptions from both children) I had a cute little dress for Pink. I even remembered that she had the perfect bow already.

I do have to say that the fabric I had for the straps is absolutely horrible to work with! Its some sort of polyester that is seen a lot on basketball shorts. I had the iron on super high heat with steam and I could not get it to stay folded. It was very frustrating!

Pink's MDO Teacher Meet & Greet

2010-09-02T15:11:00.004-05:00

Pink had her MDO Teacher Meet & Greet today. She was a bit apprehensive when she met her teachers. They are sisters from Louisiana and super loud (and fun!). Blue had one of them 2 years ago and still thinks she's awesome, so I think Pink will warm up to them in no time at all. Pink did make herself at home as soon as she saw the tray of crayons, so school will quickly become one of her favorite places... as long as every activity has to do with coloring. :)

pink paper + brown crayon = her favorite colors!

I know you can only see the back... but isn't her outfit adorable? I was so glad to find this little dress. Its trendy but doesn't make her look older than her 2 years. I actually have a blog post in my drafts about this and will get to it soon.

The little things

2010-09-01T16:08:00.004-05:00

I don't always have good days. I've been known to chase my child in circles around a grocery cart just to get her in it, totally forget half the things on my shopping list (we have salsa but no chips, cones but no ice cream, pasta but no sauce), and spill a whole cup of coffee on myself while driving. And let's not forget those nearly 4 weeks I spent in the hospital during the months of May and June 2010.

Sometimes I have to revel in the little things that make me smile and make it all worth it. :)

-Blue has come home so happy from school this week. He has had all greens for behavior at school. (YAY!) He says his teachers are really nice, loves what I send for lunch, and has fun stories for me about fish and octopus' "something cups" (suction cups) on their arms! :D
-Pink was just coloring today and purposely wrote the letter A! Wow! She's not even 3!
-My kiddos may sometimes make me want to pull out my hair, but they make me melt when they unexpectedly tell me they love me or tell each other they are best friends and hug. ♥
-The kids and I picked up some BC cut and bake cookies yesterday. David pulled them out last night wanting to make them with the kids. That's why Pink is always telling him "you're a good daddy!"
-I've been emailing David some ideas on things I want to do, classes I want to take and he ALWAYS replies "that's great! put it on the calendar".

Nap Mat - completed

2010-08-28T11:41:00.003-05:00

*these photos are just from my camera phone
**child-size pillow and pillow case I made are not pictured

Dance class

2010-08-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

Almost a full week since me last blog. Sorry! We had family visiting and I didn't get a ton of free time to devote to a post.

Pink started her dance class this past Monday and she LOVED it! She was super brave and barely made a sound about being in the room on her own. The bag Grandma got her was a big hit and she loved wearing her ballerina outfit. :) She's been talking non-stop about the class for days and can't wait to go back.

Lost

2010-08-21T22:58:00.003-05:00

I don't lose things. It drives me CRAZY when something is missing. I only lost 1 pacifier between both kids (I'm convinced it was at Outback Steakhouse), I searched for months for a stupid ball popper ball in our Paris apartment (I think it melted under a radiator), and I've never lost one of Pink's hair bows. So, you can imagine how crazy I am going over Pink's missing Leapster right now. I've looked EVERYWHERE in our house and am pulling my hair out! Grrr!

Update - Sunday, August 22nd 8:45pm
The Leapster has been found... in the kids bathroom, behind the door???? Yeah, I don't know...

First Day of Pre-K

2010-08-19T14:39:00.001-05:00

Blue had a great first day of school. It was hard getting him up so early, 6:00 am, and he complained about it still being dark out, but he was in high spirits. When we got to his school he finally understood the whole uniform thing and yelled "look! they look just like me!!"

running up to the school

He was a bit sad when we left him... or maybe it was just me. David made me leave the classroom doorway. I would have stayed a lot longer if possible.

slowing down as he got closer to his class

Pre-K Teacher Meet & Greet

2010-08-17T15:10:00.006-05:00

This morning was Blue's Pre-K Teacher Meet & Greet. We've been talking about "big boy school" all summer, so Blue was really excited about seeing his room.

We spent a good 30 minutes in the room checking out all the different little stations and talking to the teachers and other students. Then we headed across the hall to the Pre-K religion classroom. He'll be going to that class every day to learn all about Jesus, prayer, and Mass. I think this is going to be a great class for Blue. He'll also go to Music class, Spanish class, Art class, and Library. Within his class with his teacher, they'll be going over Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Centers. Isn't that crazy?? I can't imagine my little baby doing so many grown up things. BUT I think he's going to LOVE it! I can't wait until he tells me all the cool things that they are working on. :)

that's Blue's room on the left and the Religion classroom on the right

Curlz!

2010-08-16T23:44:00.003-05:00

My littlest got a haircut this past Saturday. She's been badly in need of a cut all summer and I found a place just girly enough for her. The walls were pink, there was glitter everywhere, and teeny.bopper music blaring from the speakers. :)

Pink ran in as soon as the she saw the "pink Barbie car" (a pink limo) outside and soon had a glittery star tattoo on her hand and carrying around a case of nail polish. Unfortunately, when she got in the chair, she became a bit apprehensive and wouldn't let any of us out of her sight. Yes, David and Blue were also there. Blue didn't care too much for all the pink furniture, but he got a robot tattoo on his hand and watched Finding Nemo on a flatscreen while he waited.

Pink's haircut came out awesome. I had the lady even out the length and then put in some long layers. Her hair is very much naturally curly and I knew the layers would help the curls. She looks absolutely adorable. :)

First restaurant shout out

2010-08-14T10:16:00.004-05:00

Pink had another awesome potty training day yesterday. She had an accident early in the morning before our playdate, but it was in the bathroom and because she couldn't get her underwear off fast enough. She stayed dry the rest of the day.

She also used a public restroom at a restaurant for the first time and we had the whole "Daddy! I peed in the potty!!!!" shout out so all the restaurant patrons could hear. Totally embarrassing for us, but who wouldn't understand her excitement?? :)

Here are my favorite people taking a walk by the lake after dinner.

Don't you just love seeing Pink reach for Blue's arm? They really are super sweet together when they want to be. Here's another loving moment between all the sibling "fighting".

Potty Training update

2010-08-12T23:03:00.002-05:00

Pink had a great day today. NO accidents! YAY!

I know we are no where close to being there, but we're having a good start. I think she's going to have it down pretty well by the time MDO starts in September and definitely by November when we go to Walt Disney World. Now I just have to get back into the habit of carrying extra clothes whenever we go out, just in case.

Annoyed

2010-08-12T10:05:00.002-05:00

blah, blah, blah, blah
yadda, yadda, yadda

I have some complaints to put out there, but don't really want to. Don't worry, it has absolutely nothing to do with my family or anyone who may read this blog. I'm annoyed and I do wish I could share, but I better not just in case....

Potty Training, day 3

2010-08-11T10:25:00.006-05:00

Well, we're on day 3 of potty training Pink. I've tried a couple of other times throughout the summer, but with me out of commission for most of June and July I'm just getting to a point where I can really work with her.

I'm not ashamed to say that day 1 was a disaster! She had 4 accidents throughout the day and never once was productive on the potty. Two of her accidents were in the bathroom right in front of the potty, so I think she was at least thinking in the right direction. One of her other accidents was when she was outside playing with the little girl across the street, so she was embarrassed about that.

Day 2 went tons better. She used the potty in the morning and then went grocery shopping and took a nap with no accidents. She did have an accident after she woke up from her nap, but I personally think she was half asleep and was attempting to make it to the bathroom.

Today (day 3), she hasn't had any accidents. Earlier she told me she had to go and went on her own. (yay!!!!) She even pulled down her pants and underwear by herself. Soooo, I think she's finally starting to get the whole concept! From what she told me, I think she felt it coming and held it until she was sitting on the potty!!!!

I'm so glad its going so well now. I told her earlier that if she continues this way, she'll be all ready to wear underwear to MDO. She was so excited to hear this! And I'm super excited about not having to buy diapers EVER AGAIN!!! :)

UPDATE 5 hours later:
I was sick of staying in the house, so we headed out to have lunch at McDonald's, drop off some clothes and toys at Goodwill, and buy some coordinating fabric for Blue's nap mat cover. Pink told me she had to go potty at McD's but didn't do anything, then she told me the same thing at Joann Fabrics and actually did go! YAY!!!!

Sharing, yes or no?

2010-08-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

Last week I took Pink to a gym near our house to try out one of their dance classes. The class is really suppose to be for 3 & 4 year olds, but fortunately the ladies at the gym know us and they approved Pink for this class. The big deal with this class is that its not "parent & me". Parents cannot be in the dance room or gym with the kids. We can watch through the large windows, but the girls are pretty much on their own. I personally thought Pink was up for it, so I thought she could at least try it out.

In the end, Pink had a great time. She was a bit jealous of some of the ballerina outfits the other girls were wearing and she wasn't too keen on staying in the dance room without me, but she did great in the gym. We signed her up for next semester and I've already bought her some of those ballerina outfits, ordered her ballet shoes, my sister is sending tap shoes, and my MIL ordered her a super cute personalized dance bag.

The dance class is in the evening before David gets home from work, so I have to take Blue with me. I thought he would go crazy having to sit for an hour this past week, so I packed him a bag of toys, books, and snacks and hoped for the best. He honestly did a great job! He was happy with the Color Wonder book and markers I packed and loved that there was a bag of his favorite graham crackers.

Unfortunately, there was a little 1 year old there who was happy with those crackers too... Blue came to me at one point and told me "the baby is trying to steal my snack!" Blue wasn't mad or upset, but he seemed really unsure of what to do. I immediately spotted the little boy's mom and loudly said "he must be hungry, but you can't let him have any unless his mom says its ok." The boy's mom did hear me, turned around, and said "oh yeah, he can have some."

Ugh! Seriously, I didn't bring a snack for all the kids there. I didn't know this family and it was unfair that Blue had to share his snack. Fortunately, Blue was an angel about the whole situation, shared his snack, and never once complained. I, on the other hand, was fuming. I would have never let my kids eat from a strange kid's snack, and now Blue was exposed to this strange drooly kid's germs. He even followed Blue around for the remainder of the hour and at one point was chewing on his markers! Great!

Did I do the right thing in letting Blue share? I'm suppose to encourage sharing and all, but I sure wasn't happy about it in this situation. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it in the future.

Draft Posts Published 2

2010-08-07T14:27:00.002-05:00

One more draft post published:

May 3, 2010 - Signs of Summer

Blue's Nap Mat

2010-08-06T14:19:00.003-05:00

I finally received Blue's nap mat fabric, so I should hopefully be working on it this next week. Stay tuned for more photos! :)

Sent from my iPhone

Can't sleep again

2010-08-03T00:17:00.001-05:00

It's now two nights in a row that I seem to have too much on my mind and can't sleep.

- I have a ton to clean up tomorrow for a playdate Wednesday
- my body is itchy
- I hope Pink likes the dance class we signed up for today
- I can't forget to sign Blue up for soccer next week
- school cannot start soon enough
- cheap vinyl from the local craft store does not work with my digital cutter and it made me waste my whole day today (crap!)
- I'm still itchy
- I really need to get back into photography... right?
- WDW dining plan online reservation site SUCKS!
- Blue needs new socks
- should I cut my hair?
- how in the world am I going to pull off this crazy space/rocket mural/collage I have planned for Blue's room... I have no creativity... What was I thinking??
- even more itchy!
- must go leotard, tap shoe, and ballet shoe shopping ASAP. Oh, and a cute dance bag too. Or maybe make one?
- where the heck is that rocket fabric I ordered online?? I still need to work on Blue's nap mat
- ugh! I need some decent sleep!!!

G'Night

Sent from my iPhone

Draft Posts Published

2010-08-02T22:53:00.002-05:00

April 24, 2010 - Disney World is BOOKED!

May 13, 2010 - Double Edged Sword

May 16, 2010 - Recycling, or how our 4 year old made us feel guilty

...more to come!

No need to be perfect

2010-08-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

I've gotten into the bad habit of writing blog posts and then saving them as drafts. I never seem to get around to finishing them or publishing them. Someone pointed out this past weekend that blogs don't need to be perfect (Thanks Sarah!), so I hope to finish them up today and tomorrow and will post soon.

In the meantime, here's a glimpse at the bow holder I made for my new niece. It came out so cute, I may have to redo the one in Pink's room. :)

Recycling, or how our 4 year old made us feel guilty

2010-05-16T16:23:00.004-05:00

*one of many blogs sitting as a draft for months

Halfway through this past spring semester, Blue started bringing home his applesauce cup in his lunch box. When I asked him why, he told me that his teacher let him wash it out in the sink and bring it home so we could "cycle" it. Uh... that's great and all, but we don't recycle at home. When I explained this to him, he got very upset and started lecturing me on recycling. I listened intently, thanked him, sent him upstairs, and promptly threw away the applesauce cup in the trash.

This went on for several weeks until David heard about it. He and Blue decided I wasn't listening enough, and made plans to start recycling. So... now we have bins in our garage and the kids LOVE taking them to the drop off center every weekend.

I know this is all a good thing... I'm proud of Blue... Its not hard to collect and divide all the items... but... I'm the type of person who LOVES throwing things away. Throwing things away makes me feel like I am de-cluttering things, clearing things out, and yay! I feel like I accomplished something. Cleaning trash and placing it neatly in recycling containers is just not the same thing.

Double edged sword

2010-05-13T13:19:00.000-05:00

*one of many blogs sitting as a draft for months

Now that we finally have our first Disney World family vacation booked, I'm getting really excited about my kids getting older and the future. They are getting to a point where we can have family discussions; still at a preschool level, but that's better right? Pink does not seem to be into potty training at all right now, but I know its going to happen soon and then we won't have any diapers in the house (whoop!). Blue definitely still has his 4-year-old moments (aka tantrums), but he is also more logical at times and we can reason with him more.

With all that said, I have to admit that I am also missing their baby days recently. Our playgroup has had a lot of new members with babies join recently and it makes me a bit nostalgic. My little ones won't ever be babies again... the crib really is going to stay in the attic. I even passed Pink's baby headbands to my sister and her new baby girl. How sad!! :(

I guess every good really does come with bad....

Have you met my best friend?

2010-05-12T13:07:00.004-05:00

I received a Barnes and Noble Nook eReader this past Christmas and I can honestly say that it is my most favorite piece of technology to date. I can buy just about any ebook through Barnes and Noble (its honestly a little too fast and easy!) and I can get ebooks through our county library. Its easy, convenient, and I couldn't live without it! :)

Signs of summer

2010-05-03T13:20:00.001-05:00

*one of many blogs sitting as a draft for months

Disney World is BOOKED!

2010-04-24T14:17:00.002-05:00

*one of many blogs sitting as a draft for months

November 2010 here we come!!!!

Bluebonnets 2010

2010-04-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

This was our 3rd year doing Bluebonnet photos. Its a tradition in southern Texas and I'm more than happy to keep it alive. Luckily, we were able to find some decent patches within an hour of our home and didn't have have to do a 3 hour trek to Chapel Hill, Cuero, or Brenham.

Pink the model

2010-04-13T15:27:00.001-05:00

I was asked to take some photos for a friend starting off her shop on Etsy and Pink was asked to model some of the super cute hair accessories. We both had a really great time, and I discovered once again how "girly" my baby can be.

She loved wearing all of the pretty things in her hair and posed just beautifully!

The new playset

2010-04-09T14:36:00.006-05:00

Words cannot begin to describe how happy the kids were when they saw their new playset!

Just home from MDO and running out to see the playset before the guys even finished cleaning up.

I'm really glad we added to glider to the package. It was a huge hit and provided many giggles!

Andrew loved the rockwall (which he calls "wock wall"... HA!), but its going to take a little time for him to get it. His fear of height didn't let him do it on the first try.

Thank you's are long overdue

2010-04-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

I know I told all of you guys about the playgroup we joined last year. But I just quickly want to reiterate on how happy I am with our little group of friends right now. It seems like every week something fun is happening. The kids love seeing their friends and even hosting events at our house. On mornings where I would usually stay in pj's all day, we grab a bag of snacks and head off somewhere fun with our friends. We always have a great time and always laugh a lot. I think this group is doing a great job of keeping me sane on days I might normally want to throw in the towel, let the TV babysit the kids, and count down the hours until David got home from work.

Thank you FRIENDS!!!

Easter Bunny

2010-04-01T14:37:00.004-05:00

We took the kiddos last weekend to take bunny Easter photos. We didn't want the cheesy mall bunny photo and KNEW Pink would totally meltdown if we forced her to sit in anyone's lap. We heard about a local photographer offering live bunny photos at a local children's boutique and signed up.

I can't say that I was impressed with the photographer... she was OK. Honestly, I think I could have done a better job had I had her equipment. She wasn't real personable with the kids and already seemed stressed out (though she was only an hour into her day!). Either way, it was cheap and the kids enjoyed the bunnies.

Sorry... again!

2010-04-01T14:32:00.002-05:00

Nope. I didn't make good on my last post. I haven't posted anything since November... almost 5 months and nothing.

Well, that's about to change. I WILL post more. Even if its to write reviews on the books I'm reading or to post some photos. I need this outlet and I need to take advantage of the internet.

Stay tuned...

The Realization

2009-11-08T15:08:00.002-06:00

I'm not anti-blogging, I'm really not. David asked me today what's going on, why I haven't been on here lately. Honestly, I blame a lot of factors: I don't have the time, my laptop has been acting up, I'm not sure what to write about, etc. However, something hit me recently that I think is the true culprit.

I started this blog about a month after Pink was born. I was adjusting to having a 2 year old and a 1 month old newborn. It was wintertime and we were home bound a lot. We were no longer active in a playgroup and the few friends I had were not in my situation, so they couldn't appreciate how much I did need people. I think in my situation, it was actually worse for me to stay home by myself all the time. I needed to get out more and I needed more friendly faces. So, I started this blog as an outlet.

In the past year, I have joined a playgroup and I have found a great group of ladies that I can spend time with. I'm really happy with this group and I hope that we can continue what we have. So, subconsciously I haven't needed this outlet as much anymore.

This realization makes me really sad. I enjoy blogging and I don't want to shut this site down. I have to make an effort to write more. I WANT to make an effort to write more. I hope I can improve my frequency of writing in the next 2 months and finish the year off right!

July Update

2009-09-24T23:54:00.016-05:00

I'm baaaaack!!!
Where do I begin??? Gosh, its been forever!

I last left off around the Fourth of July. We actually did our own thing for the 4th. We were invited to a couple of events with friends, but we stayed around our area for fireworks. The following weekend, we went south to my nieces' 3rd birthday party, came home and then the kids and I did the same trip again days later with my mom and my aunt, who was visiting from NY. It was a fun little trip and the kids enjoyed playing with cousins.

Blue and his cousin

The rest of July was spent at home trying to entertain ourselves and going out on small outings.

Pink being her cute self coloring

at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

We also went to LA the last weekend of July to visit my college roommate and her wonderful family. She and her husband are Pink's Godparents and we are their children's Godparents so we LOVE seeing them as much as possible.

Oh, and July was my best sewing month. :) I made Pink a nap mat for school!!! Its not perfect in any way, but it serves its purpose, I'm proud, and she loves it.

I'll be back again soon to tell you all about August... it was a doozy!

The one where I apologize profusely

2009-09-12T15:11:00.003-05:00

I know.... I should be sick of apologizing and I AM!

Unfortunately for my blog, the summer just got away from me. August became super busy with family visits and some mini-vacations. Things are starting to get back on track now, though. The kids went back to school this past week and I'm slowly getting us back into a routine.

I have a goal of coming up with a catch-up post with photos by tomorrow night, so be on the lookout!

Its been forever...

2009-07-18T23:47:00.003-05:00

I know! Or least it feels that way. Things haven't been that crazy over here, but... I don't know. Blogging just hasn't been a high priority recently.

We've celebrated the 4th, headed south to my nieces' 3rd birthday, hosted my Aunt from the north, gone back south for more family time, and had lots of hairy times with the kids at playdates in between.

I'm not really sure what's going on with Pink. She's become a nut. She doesn't listen to anything, she purposelessly doesn't listen, she makes a mess of everything... I loooove this little girl so much, but she drives me crazy just the same!

I'll try to work on a better post tomorrow. Good night!

Our neighbor's exact words...

2009-07-06T22:55:00.003-05:00

to David about a week ago were "So, did you grow a green thumb over the winter?" I think that statement in itself sums up what's been going on around here recently.

I'm not really sure what's gotten into us. We've never been outdoorsy, plant people. We're that one odd-ball couple that will admit that we ONLY have grass for the kids. If we didn't have kids, we'd be living in the middle of a large downtown city with absolutely no grass or landscaping to maintain. But here we are in the suburbs because we know its the best place to raise a family.

Maybe that's what's going on... the suburbs are growing on us!

Either way, David's been working non-stop since the weather turned warm to get our grass in tip-top shape. And let me tell you, this is no easy task in our sweltering Houston heat. Luckily our home has an underground sprinkler system that David has properly modified for our ever thickening St. Augustine grass. He also installed two irrigation drip conversion kits into the sprinkler system so that our newly planted container plants are well kept.

So, here's to hoping we don't kill anything before winter!

Torenia (bluewings or wishbone flower)

Torenia and Coleus

Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' (Gold Moneywort) and Periwinkle

more Periwinkle and Salvia waiting to be planted

Fun in the Sun!

2009-06-30T23:54:00.002-05:00

As stated in my earlier post, its been hot as hell in my part of the forest. To stay cool we pulled out the outside water toys one day and went to a friend's pool/splashpad another day for some fun. The kids had a blast and stayed reasonably cool with all the water.

I also learned that my children have really no fears. They had absolutely no problems jumping into all the water head first. At one point I realized that Pink thought she could literally swim and she kept throwing herself underwater. All the other moms with us were amazed because their children weren't even close to being this way even though they were the same age. I'd like to think its something they learned from me, but that just can't be it because I am not like that at all. So, I guess its just another small realization that we're doing something right. With all the craziness and not ever really knowing if what we are doing is going to do some good, its refreshing to see these traits in our children.

Oh, and no, I do not have a photo of Pink underwater. She was there plenty of times, but I was not able to take a photo of it as I was running all over the place like a madwoman trying to save her from drowning!

Just to explain my absense....

2009-06-30T22:49:00.005-05:00

I have some other blogs in mind to let everyone know what's been going on in the last week, but first I have to explain the real reason I haven't been here in a while.

Its HOT. Not just a little hot, where a simple shade and a chilled drink can bring relief. Its been so hot in Houston recently that we've broken records. We're melting here!!!

*What this chart doesn't tell you is that the "feels like" temperature has been MUCH higher.
Like yesterday the actual temperature was 101, but with the humidity it felt like 106!!!!

I know that doesn't really explain why I haven't blogged, but you can imagine that its been difficult getting out of the house in this heat. I certainly haven't been very motivated to get all sweaty and shuffle two kids in and out of their car seats. This means we've been confined inside unless absolutely necessary, which in turn makes the kids cranky, which makes me want to pull my hair out, which then makes me want ~~to turn to alcohol~~ to actually get some sleep. Soooo, with all that said you can understand why I haven't been here in a while.

Pillowcase dress made by me!

2009-06-23T15:26:00.003-05:00

I did it! I didn't think I could do it... especially so quickly.... but it's complete and Pink modeled it for me yesterday so I could get some photos.

I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to successfully make something that Pink can actually wear. I followed 2 online tutorials from 2 different blogs: The Handmade Dress and Freshly Picked. Freshly Picked's tutorial was a lot more detailed, but she made her dress from an actual pillowcase and I didn't want to do that. Otherwise, her tutorial was perfect!

Oh, and how about those curls?! Her haircut couldn't keep 'em down! :)

BIG things

2009-06-21T08:10:00.001-05:00

A couple of BIG things that happened with the kids this past week.

Pink finished out her swim lessons.

Blue got all his stickers and received his Buzz Lightyear toy he worked so hard for.

Pink got her first haircut. Boo hoo hoo! :(

Bobbins and Threads

2009-06-20T17:17:00.007-05:00

Last weekend David helped me out a ton by buying me a new sewing table and then helping me clean out a handful of boxes that had accumulated in my craft room. Yes, some were from our move from over a year ago... I know... SAD! Either way, we got it all cleaned out and organized.

This past week, I've been looking online for some simple sewing tutorials for my first project. I found some really great things, but decided to follow this one for my first. It in no way turned out perfect, but I feel like I did accomplish and complete something and that was the intent.

This is probably wishful thinking, but I'm hoping to make Pink a pillowcase dress next. It's probably too big of a jump considering my VERY limited ability, but I really want to try it. I'm even going to do it the hard way and not make it from a pillowcase or do the ribbon straps. I foresee some very frustrating nights ahead, but I am super excited. :)

Swim lessons, Pink

2009-06-09T14:39:00.005-05:00

Pink started swim lessons yesterday. We in no way expect her to learn to swim after just 2 weeks of lessons, but we do want her to get used to the water. Last week when we took her to our neighborhood pool she seemed to whine a lot, so hopefully these lessons will expose her more and let her understand that water can be fun.

Edited 4:51pm to add:
Funny Pink story: Our instructor (Ms. Cory, again) pulled out some small balls so the kids could pass them to each other over the water while simultaneously gliding their arms. There were 2 blue, 1 green, and 1 pink ball. Pink enjoyed doing the exercise until the pink ball came our way. When she got that one, she hugged it to her body, yelled "mine!", and refused to pass it along. She truly is a PINK!

The pairings are complete

2009-06-08T23:31:00.004-05:00

I think its pretty safe to announce this on my blog since I honestly don't think I have many (if any) regular readers and I really want to share this with someone somewhere..... can you tell I'm a bit chattery???

Anyway... my brother ELOPED over a week ago and I just found out TODAY!
I am so super excited for them! They were married by a judge at her home on May 29th and then spent the following week in Gulf Shores for a small honeymoon.

My brother and his now wife dated for nearly 10 years. We knew (and hoped) it would happen eventually and they had made it very clear that a big church wedding was not for them. I'm just happy they are married because at one point he was saying he was against marriage in general and that just made me kind of sad.

Anyway, now the problem is what in the world do you get for an elopment gift???

Behavior chart update

2009-06-07T00:12:00.003-05:00

Week 1 of doing our behavior chart ended on Saturday. Overall, things seemed to improve, but things were certainly not perfect. I think I'm pretty happy with my charts... I almost just wish I could fit in about 5 more things on Blue's daily chart. :)

Oh, and you may notice that there is a second daily chart shown. That is Pink's chart. She felt very left out every night when we went over things with Blue, so I made her one too. Notice she hasn't gotten one sticker for not making a mess of her toys! haha

Photohunt: Advertisement

2009-06-06T02:04:00.001-05:00

*This isn't exactly what I imagined my Advertisement photo to be but time completely got away from me this week.
Anyway, this is a great little place in David's Mississippi hometown. I'm not a huge fan of their red hot dogs, but I could have their pineapple milkshakes ANY DAY! I wish more of these little places existed.

Week in review

2009-06-05T20:55:00.006-05:00

Blue finished swim lessons
Since my last post about swim lessons, things have gone much more smoothly. Blue worked really hard on listening to his instructor and not getting too distracted. I think one of the main problems was that they kept having to fill in his instructor's position because Ms. Jordan was sick. We were finally told this past Monday that she has mono, so they worked it out so Ms. Cory was there the entire week. Ms. Cory was awesome. She was just enough strict and nice to Blue and he really responded to her. He listened and had fun all at the same time, so I was super happy and proud. :)

*Ms. Cory doesn't look very happy with Blue here, so I am assuming he was her telling a big long story as to why he couldn't jump into the pool. Probably something along the lines of "but I'm a race car!". Don't worry, he did jump in for her.

Pink being her cute normal self
Pink's personality is coming out sooo much recently. She's a sweet little thing, but definitely has a mischievous side. Just today as I was eating a bowl of cereal on the couch, she crawled up in my lap and shyly smiled at me. She never asked for any food, but she followed every bite and even went so far as to kiss me. Considering how stingy she is with kisses recently, I knew she was just trying to butter me up for some cheerios! hahaha

Here she is with a photo of me and David she carried around the house the other afternoon. She loved pointing at it and saying "mommy" "daddy".

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

2009-05-31T14:55:00.003-05:00

I heard about this book from another blog (For the life of me I can't remember which one. My apologies!!) and requested it from the library some months ago. I was a bit aggravated with the waiting list, but now I totally understand. This book was surprisingly amazing!

The first part of the book studies the real correlation between high IQ and success. Basically, the author comes to the conclusion that a high IQ does not guaranty success in life or career. A high IQ alone cannot get an individual through the many interpersonal, financial, or even environmental struggles that the average person encounters. I totally agree with this conclusion.

My parents pushed me a lot when I was younger. Luckily, I did have the ability to do well in school and benefited from their direction. I studied and tested well and even made the gifted program. However, I never honestly felt that I was nearly as talented as the other kids in my class. I felt like I lacked a lot in creativity and even social skills. It wasn't so bad where I felt like I couldn't do the things that I wanted, but I felt that I had to work harder at some things that seem to come much easier to others around me.

I know this may sound like a huge cliche, but I do think the book proved for me that my difficult social skills are a result of my parents' lack of example and the fact that I felt like a fish out of water as a Puerto Rican transplant in a small southern town. Its not that my parents did anything wrong or that they harmed me. It was more that I did not have any way to learn the social skills that I wish I possessed today. It really makes me wonder if it will be better for my children.

Another big point in the book that really struck me was the author's study of public schools. After detailing out some studies and examples of different teaching methods, the author concludes that, against public perception, public schools are not failing students. Public schools do their job during the months of September through May. The problem is the months school is not in session. Children with parents that reinforce learning during the summer months retain a lot more information and do better than their classmates as they get older. I was SUPER glad to read this. It seems like pure common sense, but its not necessarily something that can always be easily done. But knowing and understanding this concept will definitely not let me waste 3 months of my childrens' lives every summer.

Check this book out! Its not a super fast read and sometimes I felt like I should have been taking notes, but its definitely eye opening.

Photohunt: Book(s)

2009-05-30T02:16:00.003-05:00

I'm a huge book lover. I love just about any kind of book and am always looking for something new and interesting. When I was younger, my most favorite place to go to get away from my family was the library. I would ride my bike a good 15-20 minutes to spend a couple hours at the library. I always did the summer reading programs and am even today looking into my local library's adult summer reading program.

Understandably, I encourage my children to be interested in books. We started reading to them early and they already both show that they enjoy listening to stories. Luckily, we also ended up with David's mom's books that she collected from teaching 1st grade for over 30 years.

The photo below was taken in September 2007. Blue was 20 months old and we asked him to choose a book for bedtime. When I got to his room ready to put him down, I found a giggly, cute little boy and this on his bed! :)

My little man is so funny! I hope he never loses his sense of humor. :)

Behavior struggles

2009-05-29T14:28:00.011-05:00

So... Blue started swim lessons this past Tuesday. The first day was awesome. Blue showed off the skills he retained from last summer, he did everything he was told, and never even complained about me not being in the water with him. This is his first session of pre-school swim lessons instead of the mommy&me we've done in the past.

The next two days, however, Blue totally changed his attitude. He was still super excited and happy with swimming, but he didn't listen to a word his instructor said and I had to reprimand him repeatedly for splashing, not sitting on the top step waiting for his turn, and spitting water. It was just bad. I was honestly embarrassed by him in front of all the other moms and felt that they did not appreciate that Blue was getting so much attention from the instructor as a result of his bad behavior.

Blue is generally a well behaved kid. Yes, he's had his share of tantrums in random grocery stores, but I have never once received a bad report from his MDO teachers in 2 years and he hasn't consistently received time-outs since he was under 2. His 2nd year was actually his best. Now that he is 3 I feel like he is testing us more, trying to make as many of his own decisions as possible, and really insisting on being more independent. He understands logic, but he's now to a point where he chooses to ignore things. He likes the control of not always doing what we ask of him and though I can appreciate that he is growing up, its very difficult to deal with a little boy who suddenly does not seem to listen.

I want to take some actions this summer, so his behavior does not get out of hand. We've always been big believers in positive reinforcements. We continually point out all the good things he does and we know he appreciates it because he always gets a huge grin on his face and then tries to do even more good.

I looked online for some award/behavior charts and couldn't find one that is just right for us, so I made my own. Its a two part chart: chart 1 lists 6 items he needs to work on every day and then an overall rating, chart 2 tracks the daily overall ratings over 14 days. The idea is to place a sticker in each square if that item was achieved for the day and then if he does 4 out of the 6 items in one day he gets a big sticker for the day. After he gets 14 overall day stickers, we will let him pick out a small prize at our local toy store. Or I'm even thinking of getting some sort of "treasure chest" and filling it with small prizes so he can visually see that there is a benefit to being good.

I'm not sure if I am explaining myself enough on this topic or if my methods will even make a difference. What do you think?

Memorial Day Nature Walk

2009-05-27T21:02:00.001-05:00

We took advantage of the beautiful day this past Monday and went for a walk in our local nature reserve park. Its really close to our house so we headed over there after breakfast with David's visiting family. It was shady in the woods and the views of Lake Houston were really nice.

Blue couldn't hold all the treasures he wanted to take home, so David's mom started storing them in her bag. Crazy boy... he would have packed the whole forest in there if he could have! Pink ran as much as possible, but towards the end did not complain about one of us carrying her back... she was exhausted!

Sweet Pink

2009-05-26T23:28:00.001-05:00

I wanted Pink to look especially cute for her last days of MDO last week, so I dressed her in a little dress our friend Marilyn made her last summer. Its a simple white pillowcase dress embroidered with her first and middle name on the skirt. She also made a matching doll's dress and gave it to her on a Cabbage Patch doll.

*I'm sorry I have this "no face shots" rule because you can't really get the full effect of her cuteness. But I tried to be creative with the photos. :)

Photohunt: Plastic

2009-05-23T06:09:00.000-05:00

This is a memory game that Blue received for his 3rd birthday earlier this year. You hide the animal halves under the egg halves and then match them to make the fun little animals. It is super cute and he has gotten pretty good at it in the past months. Now... if he would only sit down long enough to understand Candy Land!

they should put humongous next to this menu item!

2009-05-22T14:12:00.005-05:00

So, we decided to head over to McAlister's Deli for a quick dinner last night. Normally I order a soup in a bread bowl, bu because of the heat outside I needed to choose something else. Unfortunately, Pink was trying to run away from us as I was trying to decide and just picked the first thing that seemed good. What a bad idea!!!

I saw that they have chili nachos as an appetizer and it even said it could b a whole meal... sounds good right? Well, this was what came to the table. It was HUGE! The guy that brought it was literally giggling and I honestly don't blame him at all. hahaha!

Oh, and this photo was taken AFTER David and I made a dent into the plate of food.

Sick?

2009-05-19T13:03:00.003-05:00

Its official... I feel like crap! The kids were a bit under the weather this past weekend and have passed it on to me and David. The weird thing is that I don't have cold symptoms other than a sore throat and a horrible headache. But its enough to kill my motivation and patience.

We have family coming in tomorrow and the house is a MESS! The carpet needs vacuuming, laundry needs washing and folding, floors need cleaning, kitchen needs a scrubbing, etc. Grrr! Anyone out there want to do a little work for me???

Photohunt: Painted

2009-05-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

Blue's artwork!

everything comes back in style

2009-05-15T17:46:00.003-05:00

How funny is this???

Our MNO get-together last night had an 80's theme so we all pulled out the crazy eyeshadow and big hair. I even remembered my mom kept my charm necklaces circa-1985, so it was pretty cool to wear those again. Fun times! hahaha

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T15:48:00.001-05:00

*Sorry this is late. Silly me totally forgot how to log in to my Flickr account so I had to sort that out before I could post with photos.

I had a pretty relaxing Mother's Day. I watched a fun girly movie, Mama Mia!, and we literally just laid around the house doing nothing. The kids brought home some cute little arts and craft items from school for me. Its really exciting to start my little collection of crafts from them. :)

Here's the little flower Pink brought home from school for me.

Photohunt: In Memory

2009-05-09T01:19:00.005-05:00

I'm originally from Puerto Rico. My parents moved to the States when I was 6 years old heading into 1st grade. I still have a lot of family there; 2 grandmothers, a grandfather, 2 aunts, 3 cousins, countless 2nd cousins, and other random relatives from both sides of the family. I've only been back to PR twice in the last 24 years. My first trip back was when I was 11 and my whole family went for 2 weeks. My second trip was a year after I got married in 2004. David, of course, travelled with me and some other family members. It was a memorable trip, but I sure could have done without some of the family drama that went on.

I took the two photos shown during that 2004 trip. They show El Castillo San Felipe del Morro or El Morro. This is the historic fort depicted in many advertisements for PR and has become a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico itself.

Understandably, I wish to return to Puerto Rico for a long visit one day. I want to take my children and show them where their mom's family is from.

you can't learn everything from a book

2009-05-07T21:28:00.003-05:00

I was recently on a discussion board where a poster stated that he knows more about raising children compared to most parents even though he himself is not a parent.

Yeah... I'll let that sink in for a minute....

My initial reaction to this statement was utter shock. How could someone say something like that? How can one person think its ok to insult all parents reading that post? How much does this person think of themselves compared to parents he's never even met? I felt appalled and immediately defensive.

The more I thought about what he wrote, though, I started thinking about some parents that I have seen out in public. Parents who don't use car seats, who think their kids can run around stores and restaurants unsupervised, parents who only think about themselves and not about their child's well being, etc. Unfit parents exist. I can admit that. But these parents are the exceptions, not the rule.

Future parents all over the world attempt to research all they can before their first bundle of joy arrives. They read book, they talk to other parents, they take classes, and even spend time with other kids. But taking a class on breastfeeding does not totally prepare a mom for that REAL moment when you're trying to get your infant to latch. That class does not guarantee that the baby will cooperate or that your milk will even come in. Those are things that parents cannot control. Those are things that no book can fully explain or fix. Oh, and and by the way this is just problem #1 on day #1 of the child's life. 6569 more days to go...

My point is that there is no book, no person, and no other child that will be able to give you total insight into what YOUR child will be like. Getting to know your child and what works for him will only be known by spending time with that child. And obviously, if you don't have a child you can't say that you know more about parenting until you experience it first hand.

no matter how you dress it up, its not for us

2009-05-05T23:35:00.003-05:00

We went out for a cheap breakfast at McD's this past weekend. I think we mainly just wanted to get out of the house early and do some errands. To save time and money, we both ordered coffee with our meals instead of planning another stop at Starbucks. David ordered some sort of latte while I just asked for plain black coffee. As I personally expected, mine was nothing to really write about. It was hot and it had a bit of a coffee bean taste. David's was just plain gross... weirdo foam and hot colored water. He tried to add sugar, but it just masked the odd taste.

Anyway, the reason I'm sharing all this is because there have been reviews comparing the McDonald's coffee to Starbucks. McDonald's is supposedly cutting into Starbucks' market. I just don't buy it. I can understand that people are completely cutting back on spending in general, but I just don't think Starbucks should be replaced with McCafe! If McCafe is successful, then I would assume its because of new coffee drinkers or McD's current base. I cannot be convinced that the Starbucks faithful is moving over to the golden arches.

Personally, we've been trying to cut back on the Starbucks spending and David has started taking a thermos full of home brewed Starbucks coffee to work. No McDonald's for us. Go Starbucks!!

New blog look

2009-05-04T23:44:00.003-05:00

I like to follow what I call crafty bloggers. I like reading how much more creative others are. I love looking at their projects and I especially love it when these bloggers post tutorials. They make things look so easy... like I could actually pull out that dusty sewing machine and whip out a hip skirt for my daughter. haha!

I read a post this past January, though, that actually showed something I felt I was capable of doing. Truthfully, its not really crafty but it came from a crafty blogger... so I can still claim it! This blog post explains how to alter Microsoft Clipart using Microsoft PowerPoint. Since I've been looking to update the look of my blog header, I thought it would be a great way to get something unique without having to spend time learning how to draw my own graphics or paying someone else.

So what do you think?
I designed the header using Clipart downloaded from Microsoft's website. I used the method mentioned above from some of the elements, but had to edit others using another image editing software when that method didn't work.
Personally, I'm pretty happy with it. It seems clean and fits my blog title pretty well. :)

Photohunt: Walking

2009-05-02T01:24:00.005-05:00

This is a photo of Pink calmly walking into Blue's soccer game... She really wanted to be one of the big kids on the field!

*Yes, I did quickly go after her and bring her back to her chair. :)

April in review

2009-04-30T16:15:00.013-05:00

So, its the end of April and I have been a horrible blogger this month. I blame the iPhone for my absence. Now that I am more easily able to connect to Facebook through the iPhone, I don't feel the need to jump on my laptop everyday. Its much more convenient to use my iPhone when I'm driving (eek!) or when I have a couple of minutes between the kids' tantrums. I've also been attempting to go to bed at a decent hour, so that has hindered my blogging as well. I'm not going to stop blogging, but it looks like I need to make a better effort to stay up to date.

The last month has been quite eventful. These are just some of the things I should have blogged about:

Blue had his first dentist visit
we attended the Houston Children's Festival where Blue rode a pony and Pink actually pet an animal
Blue has been enjoying his Saturday soccer games
David and I started cleaning out the backyard of the excess plants and the water fountain
I coordinated a playgroup trip to a local firestation
we visited Pascagoula, MS during Easter weekend to see David's family
Blue had an Easter Egg hunt at school
we almost flooded our car during a Saturday freak storm in the Memorial area of Houston
I was able to finally photograph both the male and female Cardinals in our backyard
we hosted 2 playdates at our house

Here is a bit of photojournaling for some of the listed items:

Blue being a big boy at the dentist's

at the Houston Children's Festival

fire station visit

Easter weekend in MS

crawfish!!!! in MS

flying kites in MS

the sun setting in the Gulf of Mexico

the 2 cardinals (click on it to see it bigger)

Blue at soccer... where are his legs?!?! ;)

Photohunt: Protect

2009-04-25T14:39:00.004-05:00

We recently visited our local fire station with our playgroup and the kids got to try on some of the equipment. Blue had an awesome time!!! :)

Photohunt: Purple

2009-04-19T10:44:00.000-05:00

We bleed PURPLE and gold. Go LSU Tigers!!!

Missing

2009-04-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry I've been missing for over 2 weeks now. I haven't done this in a while, but its just been crazy around here and I've honestly not gotten on my computer in a while. The kids have kept me on my toes, our playgroup has had a lot of events, and we've had lots of family activities on the weekends = BUSY!

I need to post several blogs to catch up, but am not sure when I can do it. We have a playdate tomorrow morning and then I hope to get some housework done in the afternoon since I'm hosting book club Thursday night.

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

iPhone test

2009-04-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Test blog from my phone. :)

Sent from my iPhone

She's going to be Trouble!

2009-03-31T23:18:00.004-05:00

Pink had her first experience with time-out today. It was not fun for either of us and it honestly made me really sad. :( She's only 16 months old and it seems to early for her to already purposely do exactly the opposite of what I say. I know she knows she is doing wrong, so that's why she was put in time-out. Ugh... I hope this does not start a trend!

even MORE signs of Spring

2009-03-27T15:15:00.003-05:00

Our backyard is a bit neglected right now yet somehow these flowers just popped up. :)

I think they are quite stunning! Anyone out there know what they are? Are they weeds or a plant that the previous owner purposely planted?

Signs of Spring

2009-03-23T17:05:00.003-05:00

Besides the obvious warm weather and flowers blooming everywhere, I'm really glad to welcome back some of the birds that like hanging out in our backyard. Unfortunately for me, I'm never quick enough to get a good shot of them through the window and there's no way they come near us when we're out back playing.

This photo is of a new bird that was drinking water next to the cardinal that I have been watching since we moved in last year. I guess I should figure out what he is. :)

Photohunt: Yellow

2009-03-21T02:06:00.002-05:00

Ugh! Is this not the ugliest chandelier ever??? This is the light currently in our dining room. No, we did not choose it. It was put in when the house was built about 9 years ago and for some crazy reason the original owners never thought to change it. When we moved in there were similar lights in the breakfast room and the entrance way. We've replaced the one in the breakfast room since we do have to use that room every day, but we have yet to get to the other two. One of these days...

*I know... I should have done some pretty Spring flower, but this is the "yellow" (or really brass) that is stuck in my head!

Bluebonnet Hunt 2009

2009-03-20T23:48:00.006-05:00

This is the second year in a row that I've gotten this idea in my head. For some reason I seem to think that Spring is not Spring if I do not get my requisite photo of the kids sitting amongst Texas bluebonnets.

Honestly, this is just a me thing. The kids could care less and other than saying something like "oh, yeah that's pretty" not even the adults think its that special. I'm hoping this is not a *keepin' up with the Jones'* thing and I'm not doing it because everyone else seems to.... I really think I do it because I think its fun and I think the flowers are beautiful.

Thankfully, I was able to drive directly to a spot only 1 hour from our house to find a big enough patch. It wasn't a true field like you can find in Brenham, TX but I really did not want to drive that far.

I'm happy with the resulting photos and I do think the kids had fun. :)

*BTW, please remember that I do not show my kids' full faces on this site. I have this blog open to the world and I prefer to at least keep a bit of privacy for them. So, a lot of the better photos with the kids smiling at the camera are not shown.

where's Pink???

my best boy!

Pink checking everything out

Sporting a new haircut

2009-03-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Sent via BlackBerry

Some thoughts on yesterday's park visit

2009-03-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

We finally got to visit the park yesterday when the fog disappeared and the sun showed its face. The temperature reached into the 80s and I was soooooo happy. I've missed the heat. I'm really sorry for those of you up north, but I'm an island/southern girl at heart and do my best in warm weather.

Anyway, I packed a lunch, wore my running.after.the children tennis shoes, and headed to the best playground in the area. Usually this park is pretty empty during the week, but since it was spring break the crowd was quite good. We even ran into one of my friends and I got to chat for a while. :)

Overall, it was a really good time, but there were 2 things that truly concerned me...

1. As is our current tradition, Blue had to check out the public facilities. I knew it would happen and purposely brought the stroller so I could at least contain Pink from touching any nasty restroom items, but it was still in no way enjoyable. ALSO, there was a strange man hanging out by the restroom building. I watched him for a while and he appeared to be by himself... I just didn't like that...

2. After lunch, Blue immediately seemed to befriend a boy probably twice his age (around 6 years old). Blue has played with other boys this age, but they've been family members and I've trusted them. I wasn't sure why this little boy wanted to play with Blue. There seemed to be other boys that were closer to his age. I was probably being too suspicious, but he's my first born and I'm a protective mommy.

Does anyone else out there totally over-analyze a simple trip to the local park/playground? Please tell me I was being good for being cautious and not some crazy mom!

Spring Break: Day 2

2009-03-17T10:08:00.006-05:00

For some reason I've been a bit apprehensive about Spring Break. The kids don't have MDO and we don't have any playdates planned. I figured we'd be cooped up if the weather didn't improve. So basically, I assumed it would be a week of the kids fighting and me pulling my hair out.

Well, we're on day 2 now and things are not going badly. We had an enjoyable day yesterday and, though I am sad that the weather is so blah this morning that we can't do my planned park visit, today is going smoothly as well. I do know that if the sun doesn't come out tomorrow enough for the park, we're going to have to either go to the mall playground or just walk around Target. Either way, we'll just need OUT.

Its so weird that I feel nervous about having both kids by myself for 5 days straight. They are honestly only at MDO for 10 hours a week each and considering they are awake 60 hours during the week, this should be a peice of cake. I guess I just know deep down that those 10 hours do keep me sane and give me a much needed break. I think its good for everyone involved...

oh... and this is what happens when the kids are cooped up... digging in my stuff!

Poor baby!

2009-03-15T23:39:00.000-05:00

David's been trying to point this out to me, but I think I'm just now realizing something...
I'm not giving Pink as much as I gave Blue at this age.

I don't mean day to day attention or love, but more little things like surprise treats, toys, or special outings. I remember doing these things for Blue. I remember buying him small toys when he was sick or treats if he was a good boy on errands. Today I've cut these out for him because he's getting older, should be well behaved without a bribe, and I don't want him to get used to getting toys without a real reason. But as a result, I also don't do it for Pink. She doesn't know the difference and of course doesn't complain, but its still not right.

I should know better... I'm the 3rd of 4 kids and I know what its like to be ignored and not get everything your siblings get. So, I need to come up with ways to make it up to her. I need to take advantage of Tuesdays while Blue is in school and possibly even plan outings on the weekends while Blue stays with David.

What do you think? Does this make sense?

Photohunt: Four

2009-03-14T12:54:00.007-05:00

four eyes!

Photohunt: Space

2009-03-07T12:31:00.005-06:00

Photo taken January 9, 2009.

Continuing with my weeks in reverse

2009-03-04T22:45:00.004-06:00

I just realized that I never posted photos of the beautiful flowers that David bought Pink and I for Valentines days. I thought it was so sweet that he thought of Pink. :) He's such a great guy!

Awesome belated birthday gift

2009-03-03T17:45:00.000-06:00

Thank you David!!!

Sent via BlackBerry

A week in review

2009-03-01T23:17:00.010-06:00

I have tons to share since my last real post. The family and I had an awesome visit to Louisiana where we spent time with my parents, attended a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, and ate tons of fattening food. Then this past week I celebrated my 30th birthday and attended some pretty awesome playdates with some women that I really want to be friends with.

I think the photos below will showcase my time away much better than I could with words.

my mom and Pink at the parade on St. Charles

cool Pink

cool Blue

David and Blue yelling for beads

the awesome crowds at the parades

LSU's campus... one of my favorite places on earth

Blue at his school's Mardi Gras parade

Blue at the Houston Zoo

Blue and Pink petting animals at the Houston Zoo

Pink was so brave!

Photohunt: Thankful

2009-02-28T16:08:00.007-06:00

We were in Louisiana last weekend to visit with my parents and attend some Mardi Gras parades. It was such a great weekend!!!! David and I even got to get away one afternoon and had lunch together without the kids. We really needed that.

Here's a photo of the two of us that says how thankful I am to have him as my husband.

blogging about nothing

2009-02-18T23:39:00.002-06:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long... Not really sure what's going on with me, but I just haven't felt like blogging. I've been trying to stay off both the computer and the tv during the day so I can actually get things done around the house. I know... NO FUN!

Anyway, things are good with me. I joined that new playgroup and it seems to be going well so far. Only time will tell if its going to really work out. We had a nice Valentine's weekend. Nothing fancy, but we got to spend family time together. Ummm, I think that's about it... saaad!

We're heading out to LA tomorrow to visit my parents and take the kids to some Mardi Gras parades on Saturday in New Orleans. Hopefully I'll come back more excited to post about something. :)

Photohunt: Bridges

2009-02-08T13:54:00.007-06:00

I need something new right now with all the mess going on, so I thought I'd try this out.

Update 2/9/2009: As I just looked at my own photo it made me want to share when/where I took it. This was in September 2008 when we evacuated for Hurricane Ike. We kind of made our way through Dallas, Baton Rouge, and finally Pascagoula. This pier in Pascagoula, MS was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but had recently been rebuilt at Beach Park. When we visited David's parents we decided to go check it out and let Blue have some fun. He was actually a little scared looking down through the cracks and we told him to run the whole way so he wouldn't have time to look down. :)

Good Citizen, if I do say so myself....

2009-02-04T11:01:00.007-06:00

I meant to mention yesterday that I have officially awarded myself a Good Citizenship Award!

When we went to the playground we soon discovered that the bigger slide has a huge crack halfway down. I had the number of the people that manage that park in my cell phone, so I called them to report the problem before we were even out of the park.

Then, on the drive home, we got stuck in traffic because the lights were out in one of the main intersections in our area. After we safely crossed the intersection (it was tough! we were turning left), I called our local non-emergency number and reported it.

I usually do things like this on a regular basis, but I was really surprised yesterday when I seemed to be the first person to report both of these problems. The crack in the playground slide was VERY large. My son actually had his whole bottom stuck in it, so it had to have been there for a while. And with soooo many people in traffic at that intersection, why didn't anyone else make that quick 311 call?? I guess I really shouldn't question things and just keep up my good work of SAVING THE WORLD! hahaha

Oh Happy Day!

2009-02-03T22:51:00.003-06:00

Blue was at MDO this morning while Pink and I attended a playdate at a local kids' gym. We had an absolute AWESOME time!

Pink loved the gym. I mean she LOVED it. She never stopped moving, jumping, dancing, laughing, smiling, climbing, rolling, sliding, etc. Several moms commented on how active she was for a brand new 1 year old. I wasn't very surprised. My kids are VERY active. They rarely stay in one place for very long and are always looking for a new way to play the same game. I'm proud of them for that. They are not shy in any way and will easily jump into any situation. Some days I wish I were more like them!

Blue had a really good day today too. He went to the potty twice at school and once at home. I took him and Pink to a park after he got out of school. The weather was so beautiful and I was avoiding dirty dishes in the sink. ;)

He's also just recently made the funniest comments!

Blue: "Mommy my train is broken. I told you 3 times!!!!!"

me: "Blue, hurry up and eat your ice cream... or else daddy will eat it!"
Blue: looks at daddy with alarm, pushes daddy's shoulder so he faces me more "Daddy, you talk to Mommy!"

I'll have to remember to post the others tomorrow... I can't remember the rest right now.

Weekend Review

2009-02-01T21:55:00.008-06:00

My parents came in the past Thursday for a visit. It was a surprise visit and I'm glad they took the initiative to come out, but... it was just a bit stressful. Overall, they are good parents. I know they care about me and my family. They just don't outwardly show it in the traditional sense.

They only stayed 2 short nights and then headed out Saturday morning. I don't know... Again, I'm happy they came...

Ah, they did bring us 2 Gambino's King Cakes!!!

Roco - my parents' dog

After my parents left Saturday morning, we played outside with the kids since it was such a beautiful morning. Pretty soon a couple little kids from 2 houses down also came over with their dad. Sadly enough, in almost 8 months, this was our first social experience with any of our neighbors. We talk to the ones that live across the street every now and then, and even exchanged small Christmas gifts. But overall, everyone in our new neighborhood keeps to themselves. Usually, I'm ok with this, but now that we have kids I want them to start making some neighborhood friends.

I know... Our kids are so young; we have plenty of time... I'm just overly stressing.

In other news...

I'm finally able to keep a bow in Pink's hair. If I keep her occupied enough, she even leaves it alone enough to look absolutely adorable. :)

Gloating

2009-01-25T22:46:00.003-06:00

We didn't share the news that we were pregnant with Pink to most people until we were almost in the 2nd trimester. We were ecstatic with the news, but we were in France at the time and scared should something bad happen while we were so far away from family and my ob-gyn. I did see a doctor at the American Hospital in Paris, but it was such a strange experience... he even had me do an ultrasound at 8 weeks. Not really sure what they were looking for that early, but it was still interesting.

Anyway, back to my original point...
When we did tell some family member and friends, we didn't initially get the response we expected. Some people were not excited with the fact that Blue would only be 2 years older than the new baby. They expressed that we were having our children too close together and that we would not be able to give Blue as much attention with a new baby.

I was totally baffled with this thought. At the time, I lived for Blue. Everything David and I did was for him. But we felt that we wouldn't be taking our love and attention away from him. We would just be adding another little child that we could love just as much. Blue was such a good little boy and we wanted to have another perfect baby like him.

9 months later we had Pink. Yes, she was and still is a perfect baby. Yes, we love and adore her and Blue equally. But the real kicker, the thought that makes me totally believe that we were right and those naysayers were wrong, is how Blue and Pink interact together. They are honest to goodness siblings and friends. They love playing together and make each other laugh so much. I couldn't imagine having had them further apart. I truly don't think they would have as close of a relationship.

I want Pink and Blue to experience their childhoods together. AND I know that David and I will ensure that they are both happy and feel loved at all times.

taking our Christmas card photo... Do you see the love in her face??