When at a loss for words, just distract the audience with pictures of your kids

Growing Up

It seems everyday my little girl grows up a little more. Today was a big day. Everything clicked with tying her shoes! We aren' t even sure how she learned. We showed her a couple of times but we never really worked on it with her. She says she just figured out how to do it. Also, she had a dentist appointment today and went back with the hygenist all by herself, while Weston and I waited in the waiting room. And, we bought all her school supplies today, which was so fun! She was so completely excited, it was contagious! I can't believe how big she's getting to be!

Jam-Packed Weekend

We maxed out our weekend with all kinds of fun. On Saturday, Ruth had invitations to two different birthday parties. The first was at a sprinkler park in Leander. Ruth and I attended this one solo, and had a really good time. That party finished up with just enough time for us to come home and get the boys before heading out to the next party at Capital Gymnastics. Ruth and Weston had a blast, along with all the other kids, while jumping on trampolines and sliding on slides and doing all kinds of other fun gymnasticy things. At the end of that party, we all jumped in the car and headed to Houston to spend the night with our friends and attend church services last night and this morning. We spent the afternoon helping out with a mailing project for the church and then headed back to Austin. We are all pleasantly exhausted now and are looking forward to another busy week.

And Still The Rain Came Down

This is the mantra of an adorable children's book, which I can really relate to. The constant raining makes everyone a little irritable and causes crazy things to happen. But when the sun comes out, everyone seems to forget their troubles and remember how much fun it is just to enjoy life. I love it! Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining about rain in JULY or the cooler temperatures that result. It's just hard for me to get motivated when the skies are gray--and are predicted to be that way for the next ten days--(and have been that way for more days than I can count this summer). It's not all bad, though, the yard looks better than it's ever looked and, like I said, the temperture is much more moderate. Plus, the napping is pretty good when you can get it!

Childhood Favorites

I normally try to leave my emotions and appetite at home when I do the grocery shopping, but lately I have been unable to resist the lure of some of my childhood favorites:

• Honey Roasted Peanuts
• Ovaltine
• Shells and Cheese
• Cracklin' Oat Bran
• Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch
• And even Spaghetti-O's

It's so fun to eat these newly discovered old treats. It's like reclaiming a few short minutes of childhood with each bite. The next time you are at the grocery store, I suggest you splurge on just one thing that takes you back to when you were a kid. The scientific world might argue that it will cut years off your life, but I would say that it actually gives back a little of the life that has already slipped by.

5 And 8

Ruth completed her reading chart today!!! That's five books in ten days! It's amazing to see what a confident reader she has become in such a short time. We are so proud of her and she is definitely proud of herself! As a reward, we took her out for ice cream at Amy's this evening and then to the book store for a new book. Her new chart is already hung and ready to go. This time she has to read six books before she gets her special reward, which she told us she wants to be a trip to the bowling alley. And while I'm shamelessly bragging on my child--(it is my blog afterall, and that's kind fo what it's for!)--let me just say how impressed I was yesterday when she was counting how many lines she had to read on a particular page. She was adding them up by sentences. There were two sentences, each with four lines. So, Ruth counted up the lines in the first sentence and said "Four." Then she added up the lines in the other sentence and again came up with four. Then she announced--without using her fingers or any other adding device--"Well, it looks like I have eight lines to read." I hadn't seen her add in her head before so I was quite surprised and thrilled. Then, tonight at dinner she went on to tell us the sums for all the same number problems (1+1, 2+2, etc.) up to 5+5. She did them all in her head and got them all right. It's truly a wonderful thing to watch your child blossom in this way.

Who Let The Dogs Out?!

The other day I was mowing the grass, and I came across a cute little frog. I caught it in a cup and brought it up to the deck so the kids could see it hop around. They were enjoying the little critter immensely, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, these two huge bulldog-looking dogs appeared in our yard. I told the dogs to "get," and instead of politely leaving my yard, they began to growl and bark. I quickly moved the kids inside, and I think Weston was just a bit traumatized. He began telling Jeff about the dogs quite animatedly, and the next day he didn't want to go outside, which is highly unusual for him. Then, when we saw Jeff's aunt and uncle and their two little dogs over the weekend, Weston didn't really want to have much to do with the dogs, which he normally loves. It absolutely infuriates me when pet owners let their animals run wild--especially dogs. We don't have pets, and there are many good reasons for that. I don't like to feel "threatened" when I'm in my own yard, minding my own business. I think if you are the pet owner it is your responsibility to have a fence or a leash and keep your animals under control. If you can't do that, then you shouldn't have the animals to begin with. I'm sure the owners of these dogs would probably say, "But they are quite harmless. They just wanted to play." That's all well and good, but we had no way of knowing that, and they certainly didn't seem friendly. If they want to play, they should be playing in their own yard with people who actually want them around. If you own a dog, I think you should go to the park with it and play frisbee. I think you should watch it chase squirrels. I think you should let it lick you all over the face, if you enjoy that sort of thing. But don't impose your lovable (in your eyes) little pooch on me and my family.

Ruth's Dictionary

hy-po-chon-dri-ac
noun
1. a person who has two things wrong with them at the same time.

Mommy was feeling carsick and had a cut inside her nose, therefore she is a hypochondriac.

The Little Swimmer That Could

Ruth has always been a little nervous around water--and that's really putting it mildly. We started her in swim lessons in September just to try to get her more comfortable with the water. And when we went to that first class, I really had my doubts about whether she would even get in the water at all. Well, she did get in and she absolutely loved the class. So, we signed her up for the next class. She loved that as well, but wanted to take a break and do gymnastics for a while. Jeff and I still felt that she could be more confident in the water so we insisted that she take another class this summer. So, she has been going every day this week (and she will go every day next week as well). And since there weren't enough kids to make a class at her current level, they bumped her up to the next class. It's almost like I'm watching a totally different kid. She has really blossomed. She is going under and swimming the length of the pool pretty much all by herself and diving and floating on her back without help and, most amazing of all, jumping into deep water with no one there to catch her. I'm so proud of her, and I can tell she really feels good about herself. She's even talking about being on a swim team at some point in the future! She's definitely come a long way in just a year!

Eat A Rainbow

I think the geniuses that thought up this clever little saying were looking to inspire children (and people in general) to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. My son, however, decided to take that saying to a whole other level today. He managed to somehow find Ruth's secret stash of markers, pop the lids off, and eat--that's right, EAT--them. I found him--not once, but twice--today chowing down on Crayola's best. Thank goodness Crayola thought to make them washable and non-toxic! In the heat of the moment I failed to grab my camera, but maybe you can create a mental image with the help of this "Little Guy" I found on the internet. Only imagine that there isn't one single, solitary sliver of pinkish skin tone anywhere near the mouth, tounge or hands. He defintely ate his purple and teal today. And, as an aside, he did also manage to get some green at dinner time, when he went absolutely crazy over the spinach nuggets I served. (He ate 7 of them as quickly as he could get them into his hands and shove them in his mouth). If you decide to "eat a rainbow," may I suggest you stick to the spinach nuggets and avoid the markers. It's a lot less messy and it has to taste better!

Now We're Really Reading

Ruth has been reading individual words for quite a long time and short sentences for a while. But today was truly monumental, as Ruth finished her first real big-girl book (Eloise and the Big Parade) all by herself. She read it out loud to Jeff and I over the course of the last few days, and she sounded out every single word all by herself. She was even able to figure out the words that didn't come out perfectly according to the phonetics. She was soooo proud of herself, and Jeff and I were extremely proud of her as well. As a reward, we all went to the bookstore and she got to pick out any book she wanted. This will be her next conquest. We made a chart for her to hang on the fridge to help her monitor her progress. Every time she reads a book, she gets to pick out a new one to read, and after she reads five, we will take her out for a special treat--most likely ice cream. It's so exciting to see all this click for her, and to see her so excited about it! Feel free to to give her a (physical or verbal) pat on the back the next time you see her or talk to her.

My Crowning Achievement

No, I'm not talking about getting the stench out of Weston's carseat.

And it's not that I sucessfully completed Portuguese I.

Good guesses, but my crowning achievement for today was parallel parking at UT--without hitting any other cars, or giving up or getting one tire up on the curb or getting so close to the curb that I couldn't get the sliding van door open or anything. Normally, the very thought of undertaking this task is enough to send me speeding to the parking garage. The only time I will even consider it is when I can ease into an "end" spot. But tonight, I decided to go for broke. And thankfully, I didn't actually break anything! I slid into a spot right between an SUV and a little compact, and it was awesome. I do have to give some props to my backseat driver. Ruth climbed into the very back seat and told me when I was getting close to the car behind me. I don't really have any idea how accurate her "help" was, but she felt important and it kept her from any other distracting remarks, for sure.

Hill Country Holiday

We spent the last few days and nights in the adorable Bluebonnet Cabin at the Top of the Hill RV Resort in beautiful Boerne, TX. We had the most wonderful time, and here are some of the things we did:

• attended a small-town 4th of July parade in Comfort, TX
• did some grocery shopping in a small-town grocery store
• cooked burgers in the rain
• watched a spectacular fireworks show
• enjoyed the cool breeze and rocking chairs on the front porch of our cabin
• watched spiders build and re-build their webs
• watched the sun set over the hills
• laughed ourselves silly
• read lots of books
• went on scenic drives
• saw Stonhenge and Easter Island-like structures in Hunt, TX
• stopped at the "apple capital of Texas" for a picnic lunch and the most amazing apple ice cream
• swam like fishes
• saw and photographed a hilarious chicken car
• visited The Cave Without A Name
• went to my sister's wedding
• enjoyed live music in a couple of different resturaunts
• drank Yoo-Hoo
• saw the Guadalupe River in a serious flood-state
• spent quality time with our immediate family and some of our extended family

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!

Misadventures In Babysitting

When you have five kids at your house (and you haven't used the Force to put them all to sleep), you find yourself looking for fun, free activities. I actually had it all planned out before our friends arrived. Monday we would go to the sprinkler park, which we did. And when we got there, the whole operation was broken and we ended up back at home with the sprinklers on in the yard. As you may or may not know, it takes approximately 5 hours to get 5 children greased up with sunscreen and ready to go on an outing like that, so I was thrilled, of course. Today's plan was to go play at the Toys-R-Us playscape, since we needed a dry activity. And you'll never believe this, but when we got there it was broken. Determined to keep sanity in tact (both the kids and mine), I decided to drop into the storytime at the library. We barely squeaked in, and then the two youngest kids immediately went into melt-down mode. So, the three of us spent the entire storytime outside. At least the big girls got to do something fun this morning. Best laid plans, huh?! I feel like I've earned a vacation, and fortunately we just happened to have one planned. We're off to the Texas hill country for the next few days. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe July 4th.

Using The Force

The most amazing thing happened at my house today: I put 5 kids between the ages of 18 months and 7 years down for a "rest time," and they all fell asleep. That's five children sleeping in my house, in five different locations, all at the same time. And not only that, the shortest of all the naps was 2 hours--and that by Weston, if you can believe it! The only possible explanation for this is that the Force was with me-- because at least half of these kids are staunch non-sleepers. I don't think I can really take credit for this phenomenon, but it certainly felt like a triumph of some sort. The stars may never be aligned like this again.

Frank

This is the nickname my husband came up with for our daughter, because frankly, she is a weinnie when it comes to almost everything. I normally tell people she's just very cautious, but if I'm honest, it's really just all-out cowardice. So, as you know, she spent the week with her grandparents at Lake Buchanan, and she had the chance to work on her water skills. When Jeff and I got there on Friday, she came up to me and said, "Mom, you guys aren't going to be able to call me 'Frank' anymore, because I'm really brave now." This was a reference to the fact that she had discovered during the week that not only could she jump off Grandpa's shoulders in the water, but that it was also quite fun. Then, yesterday she discovered the joy of jumping off the boat dock to Grandpa in the water...and then jumping off with no one in the water. We are very proud of her for overcoming her fears, and we are hoping to be able to drop the nickname completely someday soon.

Pre-Cleaning

I've always loved the concept of "cleaning up before the housekeeper comes." Be sure and get everything nice and tidy before someone comes to clean your house, so that person won't think you are slobs. Yeah. That makes sense. And yet, I spent the majority of this day in pre-cleaning mode. But it's a little different than you may think. We are having our carpets and sofas professionally cleaned tomorrow, and so I was busy trying to get the floors and sofas vacuumed and the smaller furniture moved so that the cleaning process can go as smoothly as possible tomorrow. Basically, I took care of the big chunks. Hopefully, Steam Express will take care of the rest. Now, I must rest my tired body and mind. Until Sunday evening...

Two For One

You'd think that attending two Portuguese classes in one night would make you double-good at Portuguese. You'd be wrong. I decided to sit in on Jeff's Portuguese II class tonight after my class, since the kids aren't here and since I wanted to test drive it before I sign up for that session in the Fall. Now my brain is fried and I'm definitely none the wiser. It was way, way over my head. And sitting in on the class means participating in the class, so I was quite embarrassed when it was my turn to read. I must discipline myself to study more.
And speaking of reading and ignorance, I simply must share these stats with all of you that Jeff posted on his brand new blog. It's shocking and appalling. The data is quoted by Para Publishing, who is quoting Jerrold Jenkins:
--58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
--42% of college graduates never read another book.
--80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
--70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
--57% of new books are not read to completion.
--the average person stops reading a book on page 18.
I'm proud to say that I am not helping to make up these statistics. I absolutely love books--I love to read them, to hold them, to smell them, literally everything about them. And I think everyone should be able to find some book that they can enjoy past page 18! Here are some of my favorites:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Lord Of The Flies byWilliam Golding
Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck
A Woman Of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic andMadness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

That is just to name a few. I am currently reading My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark. I urge you not to be a statistic. Pick up a book and read it to completion. Do it for yourself, and do it for America.

The Sound Of Silence

The kids are staying with Jeff's parents all week, making it very quiet around our house indeed! This is a situation I'm not the least bit used to, and so every once in a while, I imagine that I hear the children playing or talking or laughing or screaming or whatever. It's weird--the silence and the imaginings. Jeff and I have tried to make the most of our kid-free time. We saw a movie and went out for dinner on Sunday night. We had a quick bite to eat together before Portuguese class last night. And tonight we went out to dinner and then did a little shopping--long after the "normal" hours for those events. I also did some shopping during the day today--the kind that just can't be done with two little ones tagging along. And yesterday afternoon, I took full advantage of the silence (and the rainstorm) to read a little of my book and nap away my migraine. We talked to the kids last night, and they are having a blast. And the grandparents are thrilled beyond belief to have the kids there. It's definitley a win-win-win. But on this end it's definitely a silent victory.

Our Weekend In Pictures

A Day At The Museum

Going Postal

A few days ago I drove by my neighbors' house and saw that their brick mailbox had been knocked over and was lying flat in the yard. I thought maybe they were thinking of replacing it or, at the very worst, some teenagers in the neighborhood knocked it over for fun. Well, today I had a chance to get the story from my neighbor directly. She said they were sitting in their livingroom one day when they suddenly heard a loud crash outside. They immediately hopped up to look out the window and saw the mailman parked just in little past their mailbox. He sat there for a minute and then just went on. (At the time, the mailbox hadn't actually fallen over, but sometime in the night it did). The next time that mailman came by, they noticed a large, supicious-looking dent in the bumper of the mail truck. They have since contacted the post office and have been told that the mailman says he didn't do it, and it's pretty much his word against theirs. The problem with the mailman's story is that I have personally seen him run into another neighbor's mailbox, knock it over and leave it. Unbelievable, right?! You always kind of think of your postman as a "good guy." I guess that just isn't always the case. I do think I'll start parking my van a little closer to the house. Our house is the last house on the mail route and the mailman turns around in our driveway. I hate to think of the bruise he'll leave on Minnie, if we aren't careful.

You Can't Give Panties For A Gift

Apparently, when Ruth was staying with my parents, my mom commented on Ruth's fancy panties. Ruth proudly told her they were new. And so Mom asked her if she got them for her birthday. Ruth was absolutely appalled and said, "You can't get panties for your birthday!!" So, today we were out shopping for a birthday gift for my mother-in-law, and I was asking Ruth if she had any ideas. She offered up a few and then said, "Well, I know one thing: We can't give her panties, because you can't give panties to someone for their birthday!!" So, no panties for birthdays, got it?!

A Boy By Any Other Name...

Last summer, Ruth took the idea into her head to start calling Weston "West." She kept that up for several months and then decided to start calling him "Weh." Both of these nicknames really got on my nerves, but I saw very quickly that the more I would try to correct her, the more exciting it was for her to call him by those names, so I dropped my attempts of correction. But in the last few weeks, she has started calling him "Wel," and that one I just cannot tolerate at all. So today I quit biting my tongue and told her in no uncertain terms that she could not use that nickname. And then I told her if she kept it up I was going to start calling her by some name that wasn't anything like her real name. She didn't like that idea one bit, and I think she got the point. No wonder Weston doesn't know how to say his own name. He doesn't even know what it is!

Little Blessings

Minnie (our van) heard about AhRoi's problem and became very sympathetic--to the point of death. The kids and I were out running some errands today and came back to the van at one point to find the battery completely dead. Instead of becoming frustrated, I decided it was a good time to count my little blessings. So here they are:

1. It was near the end of the workday so we didn't have to wait too long for our knight in shining armor to arrive.

2. One of the stores had a kid-sized table and piles of books for us to read while we waited for Jeff.

3. That store also had a nice bathroom and a Coke machine--and I actually had enough change to purchase something.

4. I actually made it out of the house with a sippy cup, snacks, an extra diaper and plenty of wipes.

5. We did get the car started and made it back home.

6. Jeff got the computer to cooperate so I could share our little blessings with all of you.

Near Death Experience

Well, my right-hand man--my e-mailer of e-mails, blogger of blogs, keeper of schedules, planner of vacations, finder of information, connection to the world--seems to be trying to die on me. Or maybe he's just had a stroke, because certain parts of him are just not working. And even my computer guy (a.k.a Jeff) doesn't know what the problem is. This makes me very, very sad. I depend on AhRoi too much for him to leave me. It's a miracle I'm even getting to post this blog tonight. That's one of the functions affected by the stroke, along with some other internet access. My e-mail program still seems to be working fine and my Skype phone is working as well as it ever has--but that's a whole other story. I will try to keep the blogs coming, but I just never know if AhRoi will be up for it. And some nights it's just not worth trying to rouse him. Don't forget about me if I disappear for awhile. I love you all...

Summer Fun

Go, Spurs, Go

I like sports fine, but I'm not usually too much for watching them on TV. I make an exception for basketball, especially the NBA finals, especially when the Spurs are playing. They were really on fire the first half, and I look forward to seeing how the second half comes out. They are a great team and very fun to watch.

Sure Plays A Mean Pinball

Well, with a quaratine in place at our house, we had to come up with some creative things to do today, and one of them was dragging out the old-school 8 bit Nintendo. We played Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punch Out, some pinball game, Mega Man III and my personal favorite, Rad Racer-- some with a little more coaxing of the old machine than others. Ruth loses interest in these old games very quickly, and I'm not really too far behind her. But Jeff really loves them. You can just see on his face and hear in his commentary that he's 10 again. We should all have something in our lives that take us back like that. Ruth and I also found refuge in the equally old-school game of Yahtzee. The girl is good. I have never played that game with her that she hasn't beat the pants off me, and today was no exception. Our quaratine is still on for tomorrow, so we'll see what else we can come up with for entertainment.

Friday Updates

1. I reported that Jeff and Ruth were sick. Well, that remains. But, after seperate trips to seperate doctors in seperate towns, we now we know what they have (kind of) and they are being treated. Turns out Ruth has Strep Throat, without ever actually manifesting a sore throat of any kind. And Jeff has something that definitely ends with "itis," but due to a slight language barrier between doctor and patient, we aren't quite sure what the first part of that is. They will be laying low another couple of days for sure.

2. I reported that Weston (or possibly Weston's mom) was disappointed in the selection of boy's sandals. Well, this morning he found a pair he liked,that fit, that looked manly, and have at least as good a chance as any other pair of not stinking to high heaven like the previous out-grown ones.

3. I reported that Weston had a minor "yeast infection." That's true, but what he really has is "jock itch." My mom said, "I knew he was a big boy. I just didn't know he was that big." We picked up some cream for him so that little problem should go away before too long.

4. I reported that Ruth would be attending art camp this week. She did, and she enjoyed it very much. She finished up today with a parade and reception, which parents and grandparents were invited to attend. The theme of the camp was "Asia," and they really made some neat things, including homemade paper, masks, paper lanterns, headbands and many paintings and drawings.

The Weston Report

Weston had his 18 month check-up today and the doctor's exact words were, "Well, I guess he's just perfect." I've thought so all along, but it's nice to have that motherly intuition confirmed. As soon as we got in the elevator to go up to her office, Weston was intent on charming the socks of every person he saw...and that certainly didn't stop with the doctor or her nurse. He was melting hearts with his smile and his many blown kisses. He is 33 1/2 in. tall (80th percentile) and weighed 28 pounds (also 80th percentile). And, aside from a small yeast infection, he was in perfect health. He's getting so big and we're so proud of him.

Sickies

Jeff had originally planned to work from home today. Instead, he spent most of the day on the couch--hot, then cold, asleep, then barely awake, headachy, and general body achy. This afternoon, he finally took his temperature and found it to be 102.9. Yuk! Then, my mom called around 7:30 to say that Ruth was sick, running a temperature of 102.9 and that she had had a headache and been very tired when Mom picked her up from camp. (Fortunately, she seemed not to have the fever until later in the afternoon). Double yuk! Obviously, Jeff and Ruth somehow came down with the same thing without even being in the same town. I just hope Weston and I don't come down with it tomorrow. The bright spot in the day was getting have lunch with Jeff's aunt...I just really hope she didn't pick up any of these icky germs.

Little Boys Need Shoes, Too

Weston and I were on a mission today (whether Weston realized it or not) to find him some new sandals, because his little feet are just getting too big for the ones he has now. And what I want to know is why on earth should there be fifty choices of girls' sandals and one, maybe two, for boys?! I mean, little boys need shoes, too. It's just not right. Jeff said, "Well, we men just don't care that much about shoes," which may be true, but wake-up and smell the dollars you sellers of shoes, we mammas (read "purchasers of shoes) do care! And we want choices!

Stretching The Old Brain

I attended my first Portuguese class this evening, and I really enjoyed it. I went in to it a little nervous that it would be a bit over my head and a little overwhelming, but it was just the right pace for me. And I must admit that for this near-thirty, stay-at-home mom it was nice to stretch my brain a bit in a non-child dominated environment. Jeff is taking another stab at Portuguese II, but I'm sure it won't be any problem for him as he's practically a professional translator. Well, at least he's the only one who could even come close when a Brazilian visitor showed up at church on Sunday. I'm so glad I let him talk me into taking the class. Maybe someday (a long, long time from now), I can pinch-hit as the church translator.

Quiet Night At Home

Ruth left this afternoon to spend the week with Nana and Papa. She will be attending Art Camp and enjoying the exclusive attentions of her grandparents while partaking in lots of other fun activities, I'm sure. Weston was absolutely exhausted by 6:00 this evening, so off to bed he went. Jeff and I had dinner by ourselves at the very adult dinnertime of 6:30. Then, we each retreated to our respected flopping places and dug into our respective books. So, aside from the thunder that has been rocking the house for the last few hours, it's been really quiet around here. And, I have to say, it's been kind of nice.

Pain In The Neck

And it's not Jeff, in case you were wondering. I woke up this moring with a terrible crick in my neck that I haven't been able to shake all day. I'm planning to go to bed here in a few minutes, and I really hope it will disappear while I'm sleeping.

My Little Cuddle Bug

I have never really been what you might call a "cuddler". I guess I have never been able to be still long enough. Jeff has been working on me for almost 9 years, and I really have gotten better. But what has really worked on me is this adorable little boy who lives in my house. He is just such a little cuddle bug. Today when I got him up from his nap, I took him into my room and laid down with him on my bed. He just laid his head down on my chest and rubbed my arm with these sweet little strokes for about 10 solid minutes. Then, he sat up for a few minutes and then tackled me with the biggest bear hug. He did that several more times before he was really ready to get up and go play. So, so sweet. It definitely makes me want to be a cuddler.

Callie Sighting

Tonight we had dinner out, and when our waiter came up, he just stared at Ruth for a moment and then commented that she looked exactly like his friend's daughter. He couldn't believe how similar they looked. And then he said that the little girl he knew was named Callie. Some of you will recall that before Weston came along, Ruth had an imaginary sister named Callie. Weird, huh?! We haven't heard much from Callie since Weston arrived, but all this talk of Callie reminded me of a really cute story. A few months before Weston was born, with talk of Callie an absolute non-stop around our house, Ruth and I were shopping in a clothing store that had mirrors placed strategically all around it. Ruth got a little off from me a one point and suddenly screamed out: "Mom! Come here!" So, I came right away and found her standing in front of one of the mirrors. "Mom! Did you know my sister was going to be here? Have you met my sister before? Look! She does everything I do!" It was really hilarious! I haven't thought of that in a while and it was good to laugh at the memory again tonight.

D-E-S-S-E-R-T-S

That's "stressed" backwards, and you should have seen me shoving M&Ms into my mouth like a mad woman earlier. Today's culprits: medical bills and accompaning medical insurance statements (does anyone out there actually understand how to read one of those things?!), mysterious van problems--after just having major work done on it two weeks ago--and the ever present stresser that everyone has to deal with: people. Ugh! That reminds me, I might just want to have some ice cream before I hit the hay...

It's Official

My baby is 5 years old...officially! And today was all about her. This morning we played with friends at Inflatable Wonderland. We had milkshakes and rode silly rides in the mall. Then, when Jeff got home, we opened presents and had a swimming party at Rock 'N River Water Park. Such a fun day! We're so proud of our little lady and can't believe how quickly she's growing up.

Past, Present, Future

We had a wonderful weekend with our family. We remembered the past, as we talked about Memorial Day and the many family members and friends who have served in the armed forces and given their lives for our freedom. We celebrated the present with a birthday party for Ruth. And we looked forward to the future as we attended my cousin's graduation. There was much laughing...and a little crying. We are so very thankful for our wonderful family and all the special moments that we have been able to share with them.

Here are a few pictures from the birthday party portion of our weekend:

Blog Bonus

I don't normally have two posts in one day, but you can just consider it an advance on the weekend, since we'll be away. Plus, I just had to post these funny Ruthisms.

--The conversation was tuned to half-birthdays yesterday, for obvious reasons, and Ruth had a lightbulb moment. She wanted to know exactly when her half-birthday was, and we told her Novemeber 29. "Wow!" she said, "Both my birthday and my half-birthday have a 29!"

--This morning, while I was bathing the children and Ruth was scrubbing her pits, she asked, "Mom, how come I don't have little seeds in my pits like you?"

You just never know what's going to be said around here! Happy weekend. Happy Memorial Day. See you Monday.

Becoming A Statistic

Ever wonder where all those university-published statistics about teenage health and how it changes over time come from? Well, they come from people just like me--I mean just exactly like me. Sometime when I was in high school I somehow got signed up as a participant in just such a study. I haven't thought about that in years. But a couple of weeks ago, they called me to say that they had received another round of funding, and they wanted to know if they could come over an interview me. Sure. Why not. Part of the interview was questions, as you probably guessed, but the other part of the interview consisted of me giving some biological samples--blood, urine, saliva. I did fine on all of these except the saliva. And, wouldn't you know, there were four of those kinds of samples--one the day of the interview and three the following day. This reptile girl could not produce enough moisture--at any time of the day, mind you--to fill the tiniest test tube half-way. It was embarassing...and dehydrating! But, it wasn't all for nothing. I'm now $110 richer. It's no jackpot on the penny slots, but I'll take it.

Swing, Batter Batter, Swing

We took a break from celebrating Ruth's birthday tonight to celebrate Weston's half-birthday, since we will be at my cousin's graduation on Saturday, his real half-birthday. We had dinner at Luby's, which is a huge hit for kiddos, as they get a goodie bag, a balloon and free Jell-O. And they get to see all that food at eye level and the choices are endless. Weston doesn't really care so much about that yet (although Ruth certainly does), but he definitely likes to get his food quickly and to eat, eat, eat. (Bid Kid Meal for him, thank you very much). When we got home, we had chocolate chip cookies for dessert and then let Weston open his little gift from us. I think he liked it. What do you think?

Perfect Babysitter

Tonight, while I was working out, Jeff got the kids ready for bed. In the process, he excused himself to go to the restroom and asked Ruth to please keep Weston in her room. She did just the right thing. She built him a little pallet (out of cowgirl bandanas), covered him up and began reading him a story. You will notice that she is even holding the book open so Weston can see the pictures--never mind that she was sitting behind him and he was completely distracted with the balloon. What a perfect little babysitter! And what a sweet big sister! And, of course, Weston didn't go anywhere. He was happy as a little clam!

Gymnastic Finale

Today was Ruth's last day of gymnastics (and her second birthday party). She had a good time, but I think she's ready to move on to other things. Here are some pics of her finale.

Luckiest Gene Pool I Know

Well, Jeff talked to his mom this evening and found out that she hit the jackpot on the penny slots today and won almost $550. This is the most unbelievably lucky gene pool I've ever seen! It's amazing. I'm really glad I'm associated with these people, and I keep thinking that it's just a matter of time before the good luck starts to rub off. Congrats, Sharon! Treat yourself to something really special!

We Like To Party!

We had the first of Ruth's birthday parties today, and it was really great! She had a blast playing with all of her friends and fully embracing her cowgirl theme. Thanks to all who came and made the day special for her.

If You're Goin' To San Francisco...

...Be sure to get there and back in 15 hours. Jeff had a business trip to San Francisco today, leaving at 7 this morning and (hopefully) getting back at 10:00 tonight. (He sort of has a track record for delays on return flights). All this for a one-hour meeting. Ick. When Ruth and I were talking about where he was at dinnertime, she said, "You mean Daddy went all the way to California for a one-day vacation?!" Not exactly.

Playroom Found

Our playroom has been lost for quite a while. It kind of just became a dumping ground for all toys that we were too lazy to take upstairs or put away in their proper places. And, honestly, I was actually sort of afraid to go in there. But, you'll remember that the other day I had some major success in finding things in the play kitchen box that did not belong there. That box resides in the playroom, and so I was inspired to see what else I might find. And what do you know: I found the playroom! It's actually a very lovely room. I know it probably won't be long before it's back in complete disarray, but for now, everything is in it's place and some things have moved on to a new home outside of our house. And speaking of found rooms: Ruth spent the last two days (with strong prompting from the parents) finding her room, and it looks so good now. And she was so proud of her accomplishment. I just wish she would remember tomorrow how much she enjoyed it today. But, I digress. The point is we found two rooms in our house today, and that's really good news.

My Favorite Chore

Most of the things that get done around our house get done because they have to be done. And, frankly, some things don't get done at all, because I conveniently never have enough time to do them. (wink, wink). But there is one chore that I really do kind of love. And that's mowing the grass. I always look forward to getting to do that particular chore, and I always have--even when I was a teenager. There is just something about being outside and sweating (not profusly, but just enough to know that you are working) and the fresh smell and the clean look when your done. And it's so nice to do a job that gives you instant gratification and doesn't have to be repeated in ten minutes, like most of the chores around here! Oh, and I'm a push-mower girl all the way. I love to be down there in it, getting that beautiful green dye job on the rim of my old tennis shoes and cutting nice, tight circles around the trees. Oooh, I can hardly wait until it needs to be done again!

Don't You Just Want To Eat This Kid Up?

Lost And Found

Today, while trying to get things somewhat organized for Ruth's birthday party this weekend, I discovered that an essential bit of wardrobe for the stick-horse race was missing. So, I looked in all the dress-up bins in Ruth's room--although in retrospect, I'm not sure why on earth I thought it would be where it actually belonged. Then, I looked in all the nooks and cranies of her room. Then, I searched the nooks and cranies of Weston's room, as he has been known to take things from her room on occasion and deposit them in his room (or some other unidentified place). No luck. I looked in the playroom, the living room, and even my room, while periodically re-checking the party supply closet to see if I overlooked it. Nothing. So, when Ruth got home from gymnastics, I asked her if she knew where it was. Yep...Uh, maybe not. She looked in all the places I had looked-- and was also shocked not to find it where it belonged--and a few extra ones. After the kids went to bed, I decided to give it one more try, before I just chalked it up to that mystery place where the socks from the dryer go. You can't imagine what I turned up on my search. I found the living room coasters, which have been missing for over a month, in the bottom of the play kitchen box, along with one of my African napkin rings. I found Weston's Bible under the loveseat. I found a single flip-flop of Ruth's under the couch, the partner of which I threw away maybe six months ago because I thought it was a lost cause. I found two balls and a Portuguese picture dictionary under the cushions of the sofa. I even found a sippy cup in the yard. And finally, wedged between Jeff's guitar and the wall, over on the far side of Jeff's chair, where the sun doesn't shine, I found the cowgirl vest I was looking for. What a relief. I will certainly sleep better tonight.