To My Beautiful Ruth:

Six years ago today, I was graced with the title "Mom." I knew little of what that meant, but I knew the little girl I held in my arms was an amazing gift from God. I thought you were easily the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And when I look at you today, I feel the same way! But not only are you beautiful; you are also smart and funny and sweet. You love everyone and are one of the most thoughtful people I have ever known. You make me smile every single day. And I'm so thankful for the privilege to know you. I want you to know how very proud I am of you. I have enjoyed these last six years more than any other years in my life. I look forward so much to watching the future unfold before you. You can go where you want to go, do what you want to do, be who you want to be. And I'll be right here--loving you and cheering for you and trying not to get in your way. Happy birthday, Sweet Girl. I love you!

Love,

Mom

Three Ring Circus

Someone said, "I know, let's go out for dinner."

And then the music started: Doot-do-doodoo-doodoo-doot-do-doodoo.

I was strapping Max in (on Jeff's side of the car), Jeff was strapping Weston in (on my side of the car), and Ruth was in a tizzy because her seat belt receiver was stuck under the seat.

Someone said, "Let's go to Mangia."

And then the music again. Followed by, "No, I want Mexican." "I want a cheeseburger." And crying from the little one.

And dinner went something like this: two trips to the potty, spaghetti all over EVERYTHING, all children crying--sometimes independently, sometimes in stereo...

And the music continued: Doot-do-doodoo-doodoo-do-doot-doodoo.

The Good Life

The kids LOVE living in a house with no furniture. And really, what's not to love?! They get to sleep on the floor, camp-out style. They can run around all over the place, even the nooks and crannies that were formally off-limits. They get to use coolers for tables. And, there is an echo. Ruth said this morning, "I just like our house so much better without all the furniture. It's just so fun!" And we were concerned that it would be a hardship living in our house for a week without any of our stuff. I can't say that Jeff and I are quite as ecstatic, especially since Jeff turned up sick today and had nowhere comfortable to land. But, I'm glad the kids are having fun. And watching them embrace uncharted waters with gusto is a good lesson for me. It's good to look at life as an adventure 'cause that takes the burden right out of it.

Party Day

This morning, Ruth had a birthday party with her friends at Brushy Creek Lake Park, and it was a blast! The kids played on the playground and in the water, and we had hot dogs and cake and just an all-around good time.



Today also happened to be Weston's half-birthday*, so he got to pick a destination for dinner. He came up with Chuck E. Cheese, a place he had never been before but instantly fell in love with. I don't think they have Chuck E. Cheese in Brazil or we would probably be facing another trip there in November!



It was such a fun day! We are so proud of these kiddos and can't believe how quickly they are growing up!

*Check out the rules (according to Jeff) for the Half-Birthday celebration on Jeff's blog.

**There are many more pictures of these events up on Flickr.

So Surreal

Here we are in our house with no children (well, Max is upstairs sleeping, but you know what I mean), no furniture and no boxes to pack. And, frankly, it's a little creepy. We spent ALL of yesterday moving our stuff out and now it's not here...and we won't see it again for at least 8 months. Weird. And so what have we done all day? Absolutely nothing!! And it felt good! Just the calm before the storm, I'm sure, but it was good to take a break.

Public Service Announcement

If you ever find yourself in a house with a super-jumbo box of plastic utensils (and no other utensils whatsoever) and desperately need to serve up some ice cream, select a knife from the box. It cuts through the hard ice cream like a charm. And as a bonus it helps you get rid of the knives, because you always end up with thousands of those left after all the spoons and forks are gone.

Could've Been a Nasty Spill

One of Weston's very favorite activities is to watch our picture slide show that I run as the screen saver on my computer. It's really the only thing that can hold his attention for more than a few minutes. My rule is he can watch them, but he can't touch the computer or anything on the desk, and he's very good about keeping his hands off. Today the desk was particularly messy because Jeff and I both had things we needed to print, and Jeff even left a cup of tea sitting there. When Weston asked if he could watch the pictures, I deliberately moved the tea. A few minutes later, Weston found me upstairs a began to explain:

Weston: Mommy, I spill. I sorry.

Mom: You spilled something?

Weston: Yes. I spill on you compooter.

Mom (thinking the worst): What did you spill?!

Weston: I spill you e-mail on flo by compooter. I sorry.

(A quick inspection showed a pile of bills apparently swept off the desk onto the floor. Definitely could have been worse)!

Disasterous Debut

In honor of getting to show our house to a prospective tenant, Jeff made his debut into the world of vacuuming. It wasn't long before I heard a screeching sound, followed shortly by an awful burning smell and the sound of Jeff's voice saying, "Do you get this smell when you vacuum?" Uh, no. No, I don't. Undaunted, Jeff continued with his new-found activity. In just a couple of minutes I heard another odd sound and went rushing into the room where the vacuum was running, saying, "Stop! That is not a good sound...STOP! There is SMOKE coming out!" Jeff then walked his new friend out to the garbage can and a massive deodorizing campaign got underway. If it wouldn't have been for the timing of this little incident, I might have wondered if this wasn't one of those things that men deliberately do wrong so they never have to do it again. Oh well. One less thing we have to pack up and move.

You Can't Pack A Bag With A Kid On Your Back

But you can be happy, if you've a mind to.

Sometimes, Weston is literally on the packer's back while they are trying to put things in a bag. Sometimes, he is taking things out of a bag in one room while the packer is putting things in a bag in another room. It's an interesting packing challenge. Other packing challenges include trying to squeeze the following items into our Brazil luggage:

• a queen-sized blow-up mattress and air pump
• two table-top fans
• something like 15 bottles of sunscreen (ours is just way better--and this fair-skinned girl isn't taking any chances)
• a first grade curriculum, complete with plenty of (English) reading material
• a portable high chair
• a large first-aid kit
• bed linens, pillows and towels
• a power transformer and extension cords
• a travel clothes steamer
• and a myriad of other things

(We are just hoping there will still be a little room left over for frivolous things like clothes)!

Little Visitors

We have lived in this house exactly six years. And we have seen the occasional creepy-crawly in our time here. But we have never seen the likes of the the spider population that has come out to bid us farewell. There are spiders of every shape and size in every nook and cranny. It's crazy! I don't have spider issues, so this doesn't really creep me out. I just find it sort of fascinating. Have they been hiding here all along and are just coming out because we're moving things around? Or is there some other phenomenon at work here? What do you think?

The Kitchen Sink

I think I put it in that box over there. Oh. Wait. I think that's something we're leaving here. But (almost) everything else is in a box or a bag or a trunk or a suitcase. We are now eating off paper plates and using plastic utensils. Only things that are absolutely necessary for daily life remain unpacked. And the furniture will be moved out next weekend. Oh, and today we did a trial run of packing for Brazil. We are in a race against the scale and the baggage limits on that one, but I think it's all going to come together. Things are happening so fast around here, I feel like that "hurry-up" music from the movies is playing all the time. You may be right, we may be crazy. But we wouldn't trade it for anything. And in just a couple of weeks, we will all be able to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

One Little Boy's Wild Week

Monday--> Took a tumble down the stairs.

Tuesday--> Two shots in the leg to prepare for trip to Brazil.

Wednesday--> Mashed finger against table with chair.

Thursday--> Close encounter with couch pillow zipper, leaving a sizeable scrape on the leg.

Friday--> Threw up on every surface of bedroom. Twice.

Saturday--> Complained of ear pain.

Sunday--> Predicting a trip to the Urgent Care Clinic or ER if things keep going the way they have been.

(None of these things have been in any way serious. The child is still alive and happy, and probably won't suffer any permanent damage).

Ruthonomics

(A conversation between father and daughter).

Dad: Ruth, it won't be long before you're old enough to have a summer job. What kind of job do you think you'd like to have?

Ruth: Well, all the jobs I really want are only for grown-ups.

Dad: Why don't you tell me what kinds of jobs you'd really like to have.

Ruth: Well, I really want to be a Mommy.

Dad: Well, that is pretty much just a grown-up job, and it's going to be a long time before you can do that. What other things are you interested in?

Ruth: I think I'd like to make sugar scrubs.

Dad: Oh. That's definitely something you could do. When Mommy gets back to making her sugar scrubs, do you think you'd like to help her out?

Ruth: No. I think I'd just like to make my own. And I think I'll sell them for $1.99.

Dad: Well, that's a good price.

Ruth: What does that mean, anyway?

Dad: $1.99 means that it costs one dollar and ninety-nine cents, which is just almost $2. If you sold your scrubs for $2, and Mommy sold hers for $12, who would sell more?

Ruth: Well, I would because it would cost less money, so more people would buy them.

Dad: The only problem with selling them for that low price is that your supplies would cost more than you were selling them for so you wouldn't really make any money.

Ruth: Oh. Hmm. Well, I guess I could just buy the sugar with a credit card.

Ruth: No, that won't work, because I don't have a credit card.

Ruth: Oh, I know. I could save money by ordering my jars!

Ruth: And, I could order 12 jars.

Looks like the girl is well on her way to putting me out of business! I'll have to see if I can't convince her to be a partner instead of competition in the next few years!

Survivor

[I snagged this from Melanie's blog and thought some of you might enjoy it].

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks. Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all home work, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function. Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times. The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting. They will need to read a book each night and in the morning to the children, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called "Mother"!

30 Minutes To Fabulous

(Or at least something that passes for fabulous if you don't look too closely).

We found out at 1:30 yesterday afternoon that someone was planning to come see our house at 2:00. We kicked it into high gear to try to put a little polish on everything and did a remarkable job--if you look quickly and not too thoroughly. I shoved things under beds, in drawers, in the tops of closets and even in random moving boxes. And then, the people didn't show up. That was annoying, but we considered it a good practice run. At least now we know that we can pull it all together when we need to. Hopefully, we won't have to do that too many more times, though, before we get someone to sign the papers.

Small Fry

(Or Little Tater, if you prefer).

I really can't believe it, but Max is already four-months-old--which means another trip to the doctor's office for a check-up. Sometimes that can be a really bad thing, but today's visit couldn't have gone smoother. Max just cooed and smiled and almost jumped up and down when Dr. Little was examining him. And he was quite a little toughy when he got his four shots. Dr. Little informed me that he is ready to start cereal just anytime and that she expects him to produce his first tooth in the next month or two. (This was surprising to me since neither of the other two got their first teeth until they were around 11-months-old). I also found out Max's stats, which were also a little surprising since they were on the low end. He weighs 14 lbs. 3 oz. (45th percentile), and he is 24 1/2 in. long (25th percentile). He is hitting all the right milestones and seems to be very healthy. I can't believe how quickly he is growing! And in my humble opinion, getting more handsome by the day!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Here's what's growing in my container garden--without much help from me, I might add! Just in time to be relocated to new homes! But, at least they all decided to show off for me one last time (or for the first time, as the case may be).

Unidentified tropical plant my neighbor gave me a while back, which has never done anything like this. If you know what it is, please speak up.

Bougainvillea

Lantana

A real-live pineapple! This plant was given to me by my mother-in-law several years ago and is finally reaching it's full potential!

Mother's Day Weekend

What a weekend! After I picked up Ruth from school on Friday, I came home and spent some time in my massage chair while the boys were napping. I was just about to doze off myself, when I suddenly opened my eyes to find all of my beautiful children and my wonderful husband standing before me, flowers and cards in hand. One of the cards contained a DVD of the kids telling me they loved me and why. I won't lie to you, I cried. But, they weren't done there. The next thing Jeff told me was that they wanted to take me to the San Antonio Riverwalk for the night and that everything was packed and ready to go. (Although there was a final Mommy inspection and missing items were added). So, we hopped in the van and hit the road. We had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants down on the River. And we stayed at a place I have always wanted to stay, and everything was just wonderful!

On Saturday afternoon, my parents and my sister and brother-in-law came over for another little party. We had dinner at Cool River Cafe and had a wonderful time hanging out together.

Then, this morning, Jeff and the kids took me out for breakfast/brunch at Cracker Barrel as per my request. We had some great grub and picked up some cute things in the Country Store.

It was such a fun weekend, and I have to tell you that I can't think of a single thing I would rather be than Ruth, Weston and Max's mom. They are wonderful and beautiful and amazing. Motherhood is sometimes a hard job, but there is nothing that even comes close in terms of payoff. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to get to do this. What an incredible blessing! I'm also thankful for all the other wonderful mothers out there and hope you have all had the special day you deserve!

Parrot and Turtle Revisited

Well, I thought I was being kind of cute with my parrot and turtle blog post the other day. Turns out I was only being vague. So to clear up any confusion, I will tell you that I was referring to Weston, the parrot, and Max, the turtle. From now on I will try to be a little more clear on points of pets versus children.

The Science Works on This

I can't smell anything. My nose is completely stopped up with a never-ending supply of green goo that is not in the least impacted by my many trips to the Kleenex box. Consequently, I can't taste anything either. You would think this would be a deterrent to me eating, but it actually has the opposite effect. Since I haven't tasted anything, I feel like I haven't really eaten anything. So then I end up eating things that have no taste, taking in calories I don't need, and not even getting the pleasure of yumminess as a reward. It's really not very fun at all--on so many levels.

Gallery Night

It was "Gallery Night" at Ruth's school. There was a nice little spaghetti dinner followed by an art viewing. There were pieces on display from some of Jollyville's best up-and-coming artists. Here is Ruth with her "Wild Thing On Blue." Fabulous, isn't it?!

Life with a parrot and a turtle

We aren't pet people, but we've got a parrot and a turtle living here in our house. They are both adorable but do carry the less desirable traits of their species. The parrot will say the last thing he heard anyone else say, but he is particularly fond of imitating the little girl that lives in our house. This is sometimes distressing to that little girl, though we have insisted that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It also causes an increased level of insanity with the parents to hear the same thing over and over. And the trouble with turtles is that when they get themselves over on their backs they are just stuck--and this makes them very unhappy. Our little turtle seems to get himself in this position rather frequently these days around 2 am--just when I was getting used to sleeping through the night. But they are two cute little critters, so I think we'll keep them.

Scene from this morning

Darkened hotel room, sometime around the seven o'clock hour. Mom and Dad in one bed. 2-year-old boy alone in adjacent bed. 2-year-old boy half-stands up in his bed, bounces once, soundly smashes his head into the headboard, then promptly lies back down without so much as a peep, while Mom and Dad silently cringe at what they suppose to be his pain.

Later that same morning:


Mom: Weston, did you sleep well?

Weston: Yes.

[pause]

Weston: I went swimming!

Mom: I don't think we'll be able to go swimming this morning.

Weston: No. I went swimming.

[pause]

Weston: In my bed.

Mom (to herself): Sounded like there wasn't much water in the pool.

Hold On To Your Hat

'Cause the winds of change, they are a-blowin'! And I'm not talking a nice, gentle Spring breeze here. What we have here is gale-force winds of change that could potentially knock a grown man down. Some of you know about this already, but we are now at liberty to share our news with the world. So, here we go.

Jeff has officially quit his day job--(today was his last day)--to pursue his dream of being his own boss. He has been doing some consulting work on the side for a little over a year and has built his business to a point where we are finally comfortable for him to go out on his own. This is thrilling and exciting and just a little bit scary, but the changes don't stop there. When Ruth finishes up the school year at the end of May we will move out of our house and officially be homeless. We will stay alternately at each of our parents homes during the month of June, and then in July we'll hit the skies for Brazil--just days after we return from our vacation to Belize. We are planning to live there for six months, immersing ourselves in the language and culture, and soaking up a little sun and sea--while watching the water drain in the opposite direction in the tub and experiencing a flip-flop in the seasons. While we are there, we will begin a homeschool program with Ruth that we are all really excited about. And when we come back to the States in January, we will be moving to College Station to an as of yet unspecified house. It's a lot to take in. Believe me, I know. I'll give you a second to catch that hat of yours.

So, my house is now almost completely packed up, and all the boxes are awaiting delivery to an as of yet unspecified storage facility. We will be renting our house here, and I believe the sign will be going out in yard tomorrow. So, if you or anyone you know would like to live in North Austin in a fabulous house with a giant yard, in the highly acclaimed Round Rock ISD, please let me know. And if any of you have ever thought about visiting Brazil, let me suggest to you that sometime in the latter half of this year might be a great time to do that. We don't know where we'll be living yet--(yes, there does seem to be a theme here, doesn't there?!)--but just like now, friends and family will always be welcomed. We will still be connected to all of you via e-mail, phone and, of course, this blog. This means you need to be extra-diligent to leave comments--or start leaving comments if you haven't previously. (I know there are lots of lurkers out there)!

We have thoroughly enjoyed the phase of our lives that has had us in Austin, and we will keep fondly the memories we have made here. But we are also so very excited about this new phase of our lives and look forward to making many more new and wonderful memories as we go forward in the journey. We will not forget the friends we have made in Austin, and we are thankful that the smallness of our world these days will allow us always to stay close, no matter how far away our physical bodies may be.

So, that's it. That's all the changes we can muster at one time and still hold on to a shred of sanity. (And then, only just barely).

Picture This

*Family of five waking very early and skipping breakfast in order to catch flight home.

*Family of five arriving at airport without much time to spare.

*Dad and oldest child bringing in luggage on stroller, when stroller craters and bags go flying.

*Miscommunication between Dad and Mom.

*Family of five getting all the way up to the security check-point (after standing in line for a while) before realizing they don't have all their boarding passes printed out.

*Dad running back to ticketing area to print boarding passes, while Mom and kids wait near security check-point.

*Oldest child's backpack seized and searched by TSA officers, and bottle of water confiscated.

*Family of five boards plane just minutes before take-off, only to find that there are only middle seats available.

*Flight attendants ask other passengers to move around to accommodate late family of five.

*Dad and oldest child in one part of plane. Mom and two youngest kids in another.

*Two older kids forced to switch seats when middle kid needs to go potty while Mom is feeding baby. Neither kid happy about switch.

*Medical emergency aboard plane in the row directly in front of Mom and oldest child, which occupies all flight attendants and two nurse passengers for at least half the flight and blocks all access to rear restroom.

*Sleeping baby filling diaper to overflowing, covering himself and Mom.

*A landing so exciting that people throughout the cabin screamed out loud.

*Harried family of five disembark, pick up luggage and catch shuttle to pick up car.

*Mom and kids (and luggage) wait at curb for Dad to bring van.

*Dad has problems getting car out of garage and must back up garage ramp around a curve.

*Family of five arrive home safely and try to put this travel nightmare behind them.

Our Trip In Pictures

A Fancy Party

Ruth has long been a fan of the Fancy Nancy books and an even longer fan of anything over the top.When we celebrated my Mom's birthday earlier in the week, she was impressed that my dad (who had come from work) was so dressed up for the party, and she got the idea of a fancy party stuck in her head. When she found out we would be having a birthday party while we were in Vegas, she immediately made sure everyone packed some "fancy" clothes to wear to her party. Yesterday, Mimi took her to The Cupcakery to pick out some fancy cupcakes and gave her some fancy restaurant choices, of which she chose The Elephant Bar and Grill. So, tonight we got all dressed up in our finery and headed over to the restaurant for a wonderful meal. But the big surprise came after dinner. Unbeknownst to Ruth, Mimi and Grandpa arranged for a limo to pick us all up at the restaurant and take us on a little drive down The Strip. Ruth was absolutely thrilled and just felt so grown up. In fact, we all had a blast! It was the perfect gift for such a fancy little lady and she will certainly remember it fondly for years and years.

Safe and Sound

The kids and I arrived in Vegas safe and sound yesterday afternoon. (Jeff went on to Phoenix to meet with some of his consulting clients and joined us here this evening). I have several beefs with the whole air travel industry, but that is a rant for another day. The point of this post is to let you all know we have arrived in Vegas and are having a blast. Today was unique grocery stores, parks and ice baths--I mean swimming pools. Tomorrow we have a serious (early) birthday party planned for Ruth--and many yet unplanned adventures as well, I'm sure. So, in order to be at my vacation best, I must hit the hay. I'll try to check back in tomorrow or the next day.

Vegas, Baby!

Well, we are off to visit Jeff's parents in Las Vegas tomorrow. They are coming home in June, supposedly for good, so we had to work in one last trip out there. (We went at the end of Jan./begining of Feb. last year, Jeff and Weston went in Sept. and Jeff went by himself in Nov.). I will be taking my laptop so that, hopefully, what happens in Vegas won't have to stay in Vegas, but I'm not making any promises. I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Cuteness Counts

This One's Dedicated To My Mother-In-Law

Because only she really knows what it's like to try to motivate Jeff Watts to go shopping for new clothes, and then to go along on such a shopping trip. She's lived through it, and for that reason she deserves our respect. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), it doesn't happen very often. But today, with the big kids visiting their aunt, uncle and cousins, I convinced him it would be a good time to go. And I have to give the boy his props. He went with a good attitude. He was willing to try things on. And he didn't complain about how much money he was spending. It was actually even sort of fun. And Jeff now has a new wardrobe--from shorts and swimsuits to sports coats--that should carry him handsomely through the next five years or so.

Love Letters

Today I happened across a box of old letters from Jeff to me, spanning the whole of our early relationship--from the first time we met at Student Council Camp up until right before we got married. Some of the letters were written in 1994, and this just floors me. How is it possible that we have known each other for 14 years (and been married for almost 10 of those years)?! I didn't have time to re-read all the letters, but I couldn't resist a few. And it was fun to take that little walk down memory lane. Some were silly. Some were serious. Some were encouraging. Some were passionate. Some were just full of the day-to-day. All of them were perfect. We don't often send each other letters anymore, but Jeff's still my best friend, my confidant, my lover, my encourager, my everything; and I love him more today than I did way back then (when I thought I loved him as much as was humanly possible)!

Anyone Seen My Boys?

The Sky Is Falling

Maybe not, but here are some things that fell around here today:

• A huge limb out of a tree in our front yard. We suspect that the trash truck must have rammed it pretty good.
• A little boy--off the couch and onto his head. On purpose. Over and over. (For some reason this activity seems to be hilarious).
• Snot. It's everywhere.
• A dead squirrel. He seems to have fallen right out of a tree in our backyard. Yuu-uck!

An Old, Old Story

The other day we were having a family Bible time and talking about the Lord's promise to Abram (Abraham) to have many descendants, even though he was already an old man without any children. We read this:

And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."

Then Jeff asked the kids if they could count the stars. Weston guessed there were probably 5. Ruth thought more like 90. We talked about how there are so many stars that no one in the world can actually count all of them. Then we talked about how amazing it was that the Lord would give Abram such a promise. And that's when Ruth piped up and said, "Well, of course, old men can't really count that high."

Of course.

Just Another Manic Monday

The first thing my eyes spied when I came downstairs this morning were cracked eggs all over the kitchen floor. That's how the day started. Here are some other highlights:

~Egg also all over the interior of the refrigerator.
~Cereal carefully placed in a left-over cup of milk in the fridge.
~Chips crumbled on the part of the kitchen floor not covered with egg.
~Unauthorized throwing away of half-full boxes of cereal and crackers.
~Snot, snot everywhere.
~Tears and more tears.
~Rebellious two-year-old on the loose.
~3-month pictures cut short by tears and more tears.
~Small boy falling out of tall chair.
~Rebellious foot-stomping episode presented by oldest child.
~Baby poked with straight pin by brother.
~Iron Chef mess to clean up.
~Purse-sized Kleenex package emptied.
~Loose Kleenexes shoved randomly into Mom's purse.
~Kleenex box emptied.
~Loose Kleenexes filling toilet.
~Did I mention snot?
~How about tears?

Iron Chef Jeff

Jeff and I are serious Food Network junkies. Among our favorite shows is Iron Chef America. So, when one of Jeff's co-workers threw out an Iron Chef Challenge on Friday, Jeff was instantly drawn in. (For those of you who don't watch this show, the idea is that two chefs--and their sous chefs--face off against each other in Kitchen Stadium, having an hour to prepare at least 5 dishes. The catch is there is a "secret ingredient," which the chefs supposedly don't know anything about until just before the face-off but must feature in all of their dishes. The chefs are judged on taste, originality and plating). In this work version, the secret ingredient was given on Friday, and anyone who wants to participate just brings their dish(es) to work to share with everyone tomorrow at lunch time. The secret ingredient was lime. There are no real winners (or losers) here. It's all just for fun.

So, today we transformed our kitchen into a kind of ghetto Kitchen Stadium, with Jeff acting as chef and Ruth and I taking on the role of sous. Jeff has a real talent for this kind of stuff and came up with some fabulous dishes. He made Chipotle Guacamole on Mango Lime Salad with Chile Chilaca sauce, served with Masa Lime Tostadas. He also made a Papaya Limeade, which was absolutely wonderful. We all had a great time working together in the kitchen and sampling all the yummy dishes. If there was going to be a winner in the competition tomorrow, I'm certain Jeff would win.

Dropping In For Lunch

We had lunch today at The Salt Lick. So did lots of other people. We went by van. Some of the other diners arrived by bus. Some on motorcycle. But one or two diners arrived by helicopter. No kidding. We didn't find out who the VIP was, but we did snap some photos of the chopper.

Instruction Manual

You've heard that kids don't come with an instruction manual, but I found one today that they are sure to start handing out with the pink and blue blankets at the hospital.

Ugly Betty

So I have this *friend* who is feeling a little blue. She had a baby about three months ago and still hasn't gotten back to her regular size, which she had pretty much done by now with her last kid. (Of course, she can't seem to break her pregnancy binge eating habits, so that definitely isn't helping). (She is working out, though, so she feels she should be seeing at least some progress). Her weight actually isn't too bad, but none of her curves seem to be in the right place. She doesn't so much enjoy the task of picking out clothes in the morning. And if that weren't bad enough, her feet seem to have grown as well--about a half size. Also, she rather foolishly picked this exact time to attempt to grow her hair out, because she hasn't been really and truly excited about any of the stylists she's gone to in quite a while. And she is noticing more and more gray hairs when she looks in the mirror. She seriously needs a pedicure and probably a dozen other beauty treatments she isn't even aware of. Poor thing. I really do feel for her. I hope she can pull out of this funk quickly. I have suggested to her that she just avoid mirrors when possible, 'cause "what you don't know can't hurt you." And I keep reminding her that her children and husband don't seem to be bothered in the least by the things that are bothering her.

God Bless The Resale Shops

I have long been a fan of the local children's resale shops. You can get everything there--from clothes to gear to toys--at a fraction of the cost of the regular stores. And that's super-important when your kids are outgrowing their clothes and shoes every other month or so. I recently ordered something for Max online (after shopping around to find the best price). Today I found out they weren't going to be able to ship it until May 1, so I just canceled that order and headed over to one of my favorite resale shops. They had the exact same thing for exactly half the price. And it looks brand new! So awesome! Plus, most of the children's resale shops around here have a play area so the kids can play while you shop. You definitely don't get that in the regular stores! It's just an all-around happy experience.

Three's A Crowd

2, 10, 5, 15, 4, 7: All acceptable numbers of little girls that can play happily together. The only number that just doesn't work is 3. This has been true at least since I was a kid, and I find that the formula still works now that I have a little girl of my own. It remains to be seen if this is a cross-gender phenomenon, though I suspect the trouble lies almost solely in double X chromosomes. This makes certain play dates a little difficult, though no less insisted upon. Hopefully, it is something that will be outgrown at some point--or at least overcome by sheer force of will.

One Year Ago

Weekend Highlights

Something New For You

I thought the blog needed a Spring-looking facelift. So here you go. Let me know how you like it.

Pass The Biscuits, Please

It was a big day around here. Ruth finished Jungle Book today, and Weston kept his big boy underwear dry and clean all day. So, tonight we went over to Central Market to see the Biscuit Brothers. So much fun!! The kids danced and danced, and we all had a blast.

The Fur Is A Flyin'

Well, I don't own a fur, but if I did it would be flying. It's Spring Cleaning time at the Watts house. And if it ain't bolted down, it's a contender to make a little trip to the nearest Goodwill. We are doing some serious paring down. I hauled six large trash bags full, plus a few other full tote bags, out of my closet alone!! And I made Ruth try on every item of clothing she owns when she got home from school. Mom's rule: If the belly peeks out or I can see too much leg, the item must go. And it wasn't just the closets and drawers that felt my wrath. I'm pretty sure we could stock a small preschool with all the toys I sent packing--some under the radar, I must admit. I'm not sure which room I'll attack tomorrow, but possessions (and small children) beware.

Double Embarrassed

So...I found my list in the bottom of my black hole diaper bag. If I was embarrassed before, well, now I'm doubly so. Not only that, but upon re-inspection of found list and a quick glance at the printer, I realized I was hunting for the wrong-numbered cartridge all along. Brilliant. But, alas, the correct printer cartridge (and the aforementioned undergarments) have been purchased and put in their proper places, so I hope to put this embarrassment behind me very qickly. And I will thank all of you to do the same.

(And stop laughing at me. It could have happened to anyone)!

I'd Like To Have That One Back

That moment when I handed over my shopping list (with two separate listings for undergarments) to the little helpy-helperton in Fry's so she could see the number of the printer cartridge I wanted to replace. She didn't know if they had it or not, but she proceeded to take it from me and show it to no less than 5 other (male) employees. By the time they had all had a good laugh looked it over and agreed that they didn't sell what I needed, the kids were restless and the baby was crying, and consequently, I forgot to ask for my list back. I was pretty embarrassed when I realized that I had left Helpy with my list. And with my shopping unfinished, I would have to work from memory. Yikes! (Though I clearly remembered the undergarments)!

When I relayed this story to my husband with a bit of a blush, he added the normal, helpful Jeff perspective: "O.k. so now everyone who works at Fry's knows you wear underwear. (So what's the big deal)?" Yeah, so I guess that isn't much of a surprise. But to have it listed there for everyone to see...

...Oh, but wait, I've just shared it with the world, so I guess it doesn't really matter so much, huh?!

"I Think I Can, I Think I Can"

This was the mantra of the day, and it worked!!! Weston went through the whole day (except for his nap) in big boy underwear and didn't have a single accident! He earned his "Potty Train" and we couldn't be prouder of him! And he's pretty pleased with himself, too!

Using The Potty Train To My Advantage

At one point today when Weston was sitting on the potty, he asked, "Where's that potty train?" Which kicked me into a rarely-used quick-thinking gear and prompted me to come up with a brilliant plan. I made a deal with Weston that if he can make it through a whole day without any accidents, I will buy him a train. He thought that was a fabulous plan and agreed to work hard to achieve the goal. He is also looking for a little supernatural intervention, as he prayed tonight to be able to get his "Potty Train" tomorrow. He wore his big boy underwear pretty much all day and only had one accident, so there is definitely hope that we could be buying a special "potty train" in the next couple of days. I'll do whatever it takes to put the diaper days behind us!

All Aboard! (whether you like it or not)

Unfortunately, Patient Mommy neglected to show up this morning--something about being up in the middle of the night with the baby.* But in her place, all of Two-Year-Old-Weston showed up. It wasn't a great combination, I can tell you. To make matters worse, Two-Year-Old-Weston was doubling as Potty-Training-Weston-In-Big-Boy-Underwear. (You can see that things are going to deteriorate quickly). After the second accident in a span of 20 minutes, there was a little display of frustration, in which Non-Patient Mommy gave that little boy quite a talking to. Weston unwisely thought the whole situation was quite funny and proceeded to laugh, laugh, laugh. Non-Patient Mommy gave him just the slightest swat on the leg to get his attention, to which he immediately produced a more appropriate sad face. The two moved off into the bathroom to clean up the mess, and Sad-Face Weston said, "That scary me." To which Non-Patient Mommy snapped, "What?! What scared you?" "That Potty Train scary me," he replied, which dissolved Non-Patient Mommy into a fit of laughter and helped her see the error of her ways.** That Potty Train scares me too, Weston.

*You surely didn't think that nine hour sleeping thing was going to last, did you?!

**Attitudes on both sides were much-improved after Weston's nap, and the afternoon went along much smoother. He even kept the big-boy underwear dry for several hours and had many successful attempts at the potty.

Oh What A Beautiful Day

Today was such a fun day. We moved Max into the crib in his room last night (as opposed to the cradle in our room), and he slept a whopping NINE HOURS!!!!! You read that right. Nine hours. How fabulous! If I had only known, I would have kicked him out of our room long ago!

Weston tried out his big boy underwear during the first half of the day. And he did moderately well. With a few more days practice (and a little more attentiveness from Mommy), I think he'll get the hang of it.

Ruth told us the most hilarious (to us--to her is was very serious) story at dinner. It began, "Today was better. I had a meeting with Mrs. Towler to discuss So-n-So's behavior." What?! Turns out there was some sort of altercation on the playground (carried over from last week) in which some girls wanted to play "Cowgirls" and others wanted to play "Agents," and they just couldn't seem to work it out without a little intervention. The best part was that Ruth had no idea what "Agents" was, but she was sure she didn't want to play that and was convinced the other little girl was being "unfriendly" because she was insisting on playing that. It was Kindergarten drama at its best!

We finally managed to connect with the UPS guy today, and so we now possess the latest in video technology--a video camera that fits in the palm of my hand, weighs almost nothing and doesn't use tapes! It's very cool. Now we will be able to entertain ourselves and all of you on a regular basis with the likes of this:

Another Fun Weekend

We Interrupt This Program...

We're off to the lake this afternoon, since Ruth doesn't have school tomorrow. We will surely return on Sunday with stories to tell and pictures to view. Hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Ruth's Day In The Sun

We began the day a little earlier than normal so we could go up to the school for the Jaguar Pride Assembly. Ruth was awarded one of these Jaguar Prides back in the Fall, and she received another one a couple of weeks ago for contributing positively at her school. The assembly was extra-special for Ruth today as she had 2 parents, 2 brothers, 2 grandparents and a great-grandparent there. (I might add that it was nothing short of a miracle getting us all up and ready and out of the house by 7:15)! Ruth was absolutely beaming with pride when we left her this morning! And we are all as proud of her as she is of herself!

Ruth's day continued to be special when I took her out for a girl-only night tonight. We went to see Horton Hears A Who, which was a really fun movie that we both enjoyed. Then, we went out for dinner (just the two of us) at Jason's Deli. She was thrilled to have me all to herself, and I was overjoyed at getting to have some one-on-one time with her. I know I won't have these days forever, so I cherish every minute of them while I do have them.

Playing, But Not By The Rules

Well, I've been tagged, and I never was really very good at being "It." So, instead of tagging others I'll just share my fun facts, and we can all go about our normal lives. But first I need to think of my fun facts. Hold on...

...Hmm, this is kind of hard. I'm trying to think of some things you all don't already know, but I'm kind of an open book here.

...Well, I may just have to put facts, whether known or not, so here we go:

1. Jeff and I met in high school at Student Council camp in San Angelo, TX and were pen pals for about a year before ever having a date. We started dating in college and were married right before our senior year. This year we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.
2. I spent three weeks in Africa when I was 17.
3. I LOVE to travel!! Any time. Any where. Just let me get my purse.
4. All of my kids have at least one name that is a family name--Ruth was Jeff's grandmother's name, Wayne (Weston's middle name) is my grandfather's name and Max Andrew comes from Jeff's dad (Maxie) and Jeff's grandfather's middle name.
5. I just realized that No. 4 is actually facts about my kids rather than myself, so I'll try again and hope to stay on task: My maiden name is Pope and when I was a kid I wished my parents would have named me "Hope Pope."
6. My massage chair is easily my favorite piece of furniture. It would be worth going back into the house for if there was a fire.
7. I have an unreasonable fear of cockroaches and have been known to use an entire can of Raid on just one of these disgusting creatures. (I also have an unreasonable fear of rats, but you already know all about that).
8. I love to scrapbook, though I don't have much time or space for that at the moment. I also like lots of other crafty things--but never, ever anything that involves sewing.
9. I always drink a Diet Dr. Pepper at 10:00 in the morning, if possible. And sometimes I treat myself to another one in the afternoon.
10. I do not ever step on a scale, unless forced to at a doctor's office. Nothing good can come of me knowing and obsessing over that number.
11. (This is a bonus to make up for No. 4): I enjoy crossword puzzles but only ever work the one in the airline magazine when I'm flying somewhere. I also like logic puzzles and sudoku puzzles and wish I had more time to play around with them.

Wild And Crazy Weekend With Some Of Our Relatives

We had a fun weekend at Jeff's parents place at Lake Buchanan. The big kids rode the SeaDoo (or SeaBoat as Weston likes to call it). They also received new fishing poles and practiced their casting. Ruth got her first "grown-up" pole in a pleasant pink, and she is very proud of it and of her ability to cast. Weston got a rocket launcher pole, which very nearly took out the back door and Granny Wanda's head--not on Weston's casts, I might add! We played several games of Scrabble, of which I managed to win a couple! Weston covered his face (nay, his whole body) on at least three occasions with various foodstuffs. And Max charmed everyone with his adorable smiles. It was a great time! Can't wait to do it again next weekend!

Short and Fat

Max had his two-month check-up today and his first round of immunizations. He took the shots (all five of them) like a man, hardly crying at all. Now that he is gaining weight, he's going at it with gusto. He weighed 12 lbs. 9 oz. (75th percentile) and was 22 in. long (20th percentile). He is hitting all the appropriate milestones, and the doctor said everything looks really great.

Two Months Old

Today's Special

Patient Mommy decided to pay us a visit in honor of Spring Break. Yay! And because she decided to play with us, Ruth got to do something she doesn't often get to do. She got to plan the entire dinner menu, make the shopping list, do the shopping and make all the food. It was pretty much an all-day affair, but it was so much fun! And on the menu? Pizza Biscuit Bears, Sailboat Salad, Mr. Taco Bean Dip, Peanut Butter Teddies and Root Beer. Wish you all could have been here!

How To Celebrate The First Day Of Spring Break

1. Sleep in.
2. Make muffins--and if they have chocolate chips in them, all the better!
3. Eat said muffins in the living room while watching back-to-back episodes of Little House On The Prairie.
4. Play with your siblings.
5. Pick up lunch at Subway.
6. Eat said lunch at RadiJazz, after running through the parking lot in the rain.
7. Slide, jump, run, laugh, sing, skip, climb, throw balls, roll down hills, etc.
8. Repeat over and over.
9. Take a nice little siesta.
10. Dine at the Luby's of your choice, making sure to get Jell-O.
11. Play several hands of Go Fish.
12. Stay up late.

Does Anyone Have The Time?

'Cause we definitely don't! We went about our morning in a leisurely way. Then, about 10:45 I laid down with Weston for a nap. I woke up right at noon and made my way downstairs. When I got to my computer (after a stop at the bathroom and maybe another quick distraction or two), it was 1:15. How could this be?! I check the microwave clock: 12:15. The oven: 12:15. The living room clock that runs on battery power: 12:15. Huh. The computer still says 1:15. Why is that? Oh, I know. It's all that fighting I did with the computer yesterday--re-starting it several times and even popping the battery out--and the computer is trying to get in the last punch. That must be it. And that's easy to fix. We spend the rest of our day in ignorant bliss. At 4:30 I go to the grocery store. Jeff calls me after I've been there just a few minutes. "I figured out the time problem," he says--and I think he means computer problem that caused the time to be off--"the time changed last night." Right. I knew that. (But I still think the computer hates me)!

The computer hates me

I have been fighting computer battles all day--and mostly losing, I think. Needless to say, I don't have any pictures for you tonight. Sorry. Take my word for it, though, I have really cute kids and we had a really fun weekend.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

--Oprah Winfrey

We had much to celebrate today. First of all, it was Friday--which is always worth celebrating. But today was a special Friday because it marks the beginning of Spring Break for Ruth. We all attended a cookout at her school today to kick off the special week. I think that's the first time I have ever had a hamburger at 10:25 in the morning! But it was a fun time, and Ruth was thrilled to have us all there--and her friends were almost as excited to see us as she was!

This evening was also the official celebration of Ruth's reading--a big party for finishing Black Beauty and Heidi. Ruth revised her original tent-camping plan in favor of the more practical living room camp out. We picked up Peproni RollsTM* from Double Dave's, popcorn and Ratatouille** from the movie store and then set up our beds in the living room. We just love celebrating these little moments, and we feel like the kids will remember them fondly even into adulthood--at least we hope so!***

*I don't know if I'd be alive today if it weren't for Peproni Rolls. Thanks to Aggie Bucks and Double Dave's "Two for Tuesday" special, I ate them at least once a week when I was in college. I ordered them so often that the people who worked there knew me by name. This was before the reality of counting calories ever even occurred to me. Since I've been out of college, I have had the rolls a few times but certainly not often, so tonight was a real treat.

**I can't think of when we have all enjoyed an animated movie so much! It was really fun! And it didn't have a super-evil bad guy like so many of the children's movies do these days. We would definitely recommend it!

***I do have pictures of all this celebrating, but my camera and my computer are not speaking to each other and cannot be persuaded to work out their differences tonight. Perhaps if they can put their disagreement behind them tomorrow I will post some pics.

Oooh Baby She's Got It

de·ter·mi·na·tion
n.

a. Firmness of purpose; resolve
b. A fixed intention

Ruth came home from school today determined to finish her book (Heidi). The thing was, she was only about half-way finished, and Jeff and I were pretty skeptical that she would actually accomplish this. It's not that we weren't rooting for her, we just didn't think she had the attention span for it. But she proved us completely wrong! She sat down and read...and read...and read--10 chapters, 113 pages (57 text pages)! She just wouldn't stop (except for dinner)! We even told her several times that she could always finish it tomorrow, but she insisted on staying with it so she could have a special treat tonight--ice cream. (The actual reward is tent-camping, and we just didn't think that would be much fun in this crazy WINTER weather)! She just continues to amaze us, and we are so very proud of her--not only for her incredible reading, but also for her fierce determination!

Big Day

It was a big day around here today. First of all, there was a rash of e-mail changes. Jeff and I both got new e-mail addresses, and Ruth got signed up for an address of her own. You have all been spammed with the updated addresses, so we'll be expecting to hear from you soon!

The other big event of the day was me putting new sand in the sandbox. The kids went absolutely crazy! You would have thought I filled it up with candy and told them to eat until they were sick! I hadn't realized how much they have missed playing in there while it was out of commission because of having left the lid off during a few too many rain storms and then put it back on before all the water had evaporated. Can you say mildew?! (And no telling what all kinds of diseases)! Ick! Anyway, it's all clean now and the kids are thrilled. They probably played out there for an hour and a half. Eight bags of sand at $2 a bag is a steal in babysitting dollars! Unfortunately, I didn't trouble myself to go inside for the camera. But trust me, it was fun times! Winter is supposed to be bothering us again tomorrow, so I'm glad they got to enjoy being outside today.

Hope you did, too!

Jumping the Gun

Was it really I who declared it the official end of winter only two days ago?! Surely not! Surely nothing so ridiculous would enter my thoughts! Because clearly it is still very much WINTER. And my plants are all going to die. Perfect. Cruel and depressing is all that is. Just when I was ready to don the flip flops, too. Oh well. I'm in serious need of a pedicure, so I guess I can keep my little piggies covered for a little longer. (There is just the slightest chance that all of this could have been predicted, since I have jumped the gun on Spring just about every year of my adult life. I can't help it; the lure of the first few warm days and the Siren song of flowers in bloom gets me every time)!

W for Weston

Weston is getting pretty good at saying the alphabet, and he is particularly fond of the letter "W"--for very good reason! He can identify that letter in books, on signs and anywhere else words and letters lurk. Tonight he took his ownership of the letter to another level when he became distressed that every page of the book we were reading before bed didn't have a "W" on it. "Where's my W?" he would ask. And then he would scan the book until he would find one. And he's not above claiming the "M" if need be. After all, "M" is just a "W" standing on its head--although I think I finally got through to him that "M" is for "Mommy" and he can't have it! I guess I need to special order one of those books where they put the kid's name in the story. That way "W" really will be for "Weston."

Enough Is Enough

Today I declared "Mandi's official end of winter", which I do every year around this time. A girl can just take so much winter, you know. So, to celebrate Spring, I moved all my plants out of the garage and into the bright sunshine. Many of them were quite happy in their cozy little winter home, so they came out blooming. That makes me really happy! And the smell of mountain laurels was in the air. It won't be long now before the bluebonnets make their appearance! I can't wait! I love Spring!