Max's Half-Birthday Party

Early Birthday

I was away from the house for a good part of the day today to take Ruth to meet her grandparents for an upcoming week of "Nana Camp" with two of her cousins. When I arrived home, there was a U-haul trailer parked in my driveway, and I wondered which of our neighbors was moving. When I started up the driveway, I noticed some very large boxes. And, when I made it into the house, I was greeted with birthday wishes and a room full of new furniture. And not just any furniture, but the furniture I have been pining for ever since I saw it several months ago. Talk about surprised! The formal living room is my "safari room," and this furniture is absolutely perfect for the theme. I love it so much! I'm including the store's stock photo (only mine will have zebra striped throw pillows instead of the ones seen here), but know that it is so much prettier in person and just so right. If you don't believe me, you should just plan to come visit. My sweetie scores big, big points with this amazing early birthday present.

All work and no play makes Mandi a dull girl

Which, of course, you all know I am not. And, lest you think, based on my last post, that this week was all work, I wanted to share some of the "play:"

*Took quite possibly the most hilarious walk ever. Grown-up pushing stroller, pushing tricycle. Hilarious.

*Had lunch with an old college friend that I haven't seen in ages and her two sweet kids, with the promise of doing it again soon and often, since they live not very far from us at all.

*Attended the weekly story time at Barnes & Noble, followed by the purchase of a beautiful book about elephants for my safari room off the discount shelf and a delightful lunch with my kiddos in the mall's food court.

*Spent the day out with just Max, running errands and bonding over ice cream, while a wonderful young lady and good friend watched the big kids for me.

*Laughed out loud on several occasions at my hysterical children.

*Watched Ruth and Max do a rousing performance of "fancy footwork".

*Heard Weston tell something like a hundred "knock-knock" jokes, each one funnier than the last.

*Had a lovely lunch with a new friend, two of her beautiful daughters and my two big kids. We simply cannot wait for the opportunity to do it again.

*Had shrimp for two meals in one day.

*Celebrated an early half-birthday for Max at one of our favorite places. Sharky's is right on Lake Houston, and we got to sit outside--on the shady side. And, there was a nice breeze blowing. The food is excellent, and there is a dancing fountain right outside to play in before and after dinner.

*Rejoiced in the glowing report we got back from the standardized test Ruth took back in the Spring. The short of it is that she made about a 95 and was well above average for most of the content.

Handy Mandi

In addition to the regularly scheduled program around here this week, I have also taken on a few other projects:
*I hung a new towel rack near my sink in the bathroom. No more walking halfway across the room with drippy hands!
*I repaired a chair leg on an old chair that we acquired while at Jeff's parents' house, and also vacuumed off the upholstery of it and it's partner. With places to sit in the living room, it now seems a bit more inviting. Not to mention, I think the old chairs just look so cool.
*I added a storage unit to the inside of the cabinet under the sink in the kitchen to hold the foil and plastic wrap. That should eliminate all the awkward cramming and/or digging and/or falling that previously went along with using those products.
*I made a double batch of my new favorite chai mix to have on hand at all times. Because you just never know when the urge will strike.
*I assembled my new clothes steamer and put it through it's first test. It passed with flying colors, ironically making putting the laundry away less of a chore for me. (I have issues, what can I say)?!
*I very successfully and somewhat successfully (depending on the unit) removed years of built-up gunk from some plastic-coated wire shelving units, which I can now surely put to good use somewhere in this house.
*I took on the pantry...and conquered it! It looks awesome! And, get this, we can actually find things in there! Amazing. I mean, we have canned salmon. Who knew?! Now if all of my family members will just look, but not touch, the pantry bliss will go on and on.

A few pics from the weekend

Nothing to see here

I am sorry but I do not have an interesting post in me tonight. Nor do I even have any pictures from our time away to share with you. I simply wanted to let you know that we are home, and that hopefully my blogging will become more regular in the days and weeks ahead.

Another New Skill Mastered

Yesterday, Ruth couldn't (wouldn't) ride a bike at all. Within a half hour she was going pretty good with someone running along beside. By this morning, she was confident enough to tackle it all on her own--without anyone else even being outside, much less running along beside. The video footage is of her first time doing it all on her own. It is so fun watching her succeed!

Our First Astros Game

Max learned a new word tonight that ought to make his Papa proud: baseball. We spent a total of $22 (thanks to the benevolent bag checker who let us bring in our snacks and water "for the kids' sakes"), including parking, and sat three rows from the very top of the stadium. The Astros won, big time, and we all had a blast. And, it turns out that I much prefer indoor, air-conditioned baseball to any other baseball. Almost as soon as we sat down in our seats Weston asked, "When can we come here again?!" I don't know when it will be, but I can tell you we will probably be doing this again in the not-too-distant future.

Water Bugs

Letting Go of the Boys

Weston is just about to pop with pride, knowing that in just a few short months he will start preschool. We toured the school today, and he was thrilled. He will go three days a week, from September to May. He's really ready for this, and I know it will be a wonderful experience for him--even if I have to give up a portion of my full-body hugs on those days. Max will also be out of the house one day a week, at the same school, which is intended to restore a modicum of sanity to my life. I can't believe how quickly my kiddos are growing up.

My life as a thirty-something adolescent

• I'm thinking about a couple of boys pretty much all day long.
• I wish I looked like a sexy fashion model.
• Pimples, zits and other skin disasters.
• The group I run around with can be pretty immature sometimes.
• On the phone again.
• My music is loud, and my dancing is awkward.
• My car isn't fancy, but it gets me where I want to go.
• Pop quizes all too often.
• My chores must be done before I can have any fun.
• I really want to be a grown-up, but I often feel like I'm still a kid.
• I look to the future with excitement (and just a little fear).

Swim Season Finale

We finished up our swim season today with the Divisional meet at Atascacita High School. And the Gators are, once again, Divisional Champs! This was our first indoor pool competitive experience, and there were many more teams competing, and the pool was deeper than any we've been in before, and the starting blocks were higher. So, there were a few mental hurdles, but Ruth still did fantastic (in her mother's humble opinion)! We are so proud of the progress she's made this year and look forward to another fun swim season next year.

In case you are wondering...

My grandmother is recovering nicely from her back surgery. She is getting around very well and is not in much pain. My grandfather is recovering from his heart attack and a mild case of diverticulitis, and should be released from the hospital today. I am staying at my parents' house for a few days, trying to help out, while Jeff is home with the kids, who are all well and healthy now. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this time.

Living Murphy's Law

[Our house this morning between 8:30 and 9:00]:

I'm running water for my shower, when Weston comes in yelling at me that my phone is ringing. I shut off the water and make a bee-line for my phone, since I am awaiting news of my grandfather's health after a heart attack yesterday morning. I missed the call, but sure enough it was my mom with the expected update. I dial her back. She doesn't answer. So, I put off the shower and sit by the phone. It doesn't ring, and it doesn't ring. Finally, I give up and head back to the bathroom. I strategically place the phone near the shower and hop in. Still it doesn't ring. I step out of the shower a few moments later to a cacophony of cries from the smallest members of my family. I throw a towel around myself and rush out of the bathroom, where the noise grows increasingly louder. Weston is screaming and crying and saying over and over, "I threw up," while Ruth is chanting "Weston threw up" and trying her best to keep her other brother away from the mess, which makes him super-angry. It is then, my friends, that the phone rings. Obviously, I couldn't get to it. I scooped up the smallest child, exposing my backside to the world (or whoever might have been standing on my front porch), and simultaneously herded the sick one into the bathroom with instructions to wait for me. I then successfully trapped Max in his booster seat, while exposing other parts of my still-wet body to whoever might be looking in my kitchen windows. I had no time to feel embarrassed about these actions. I shove a plate of food in front of the wee one, while in the background Ruth's chanting continues and Weston is inquiring at the top of his voice when he can come out of the bathroom. I put him off a moment longer so that I can dash back into my bathroom for my robe. (Why I didn't think of that in the first place, I will never know). Meanwhile, Jeff is trying to conduct a dignified business call and is no-doubt impressing the pants off whichever client is being exposed to all this hullabaloo. Ultimately, everyone is calm and collected. The mess is cleaned up. The noise has not reached the client's ears in any discernible way. And, I finally connected with my mom and received the update I had been waiting for. It's truly a wonder that people can survive with the sort of sustained insanity that goes on around here, but we are living proof that it can be done.

Bathroom Day

The bathrooms in my house get cleaned once a week, whether they need it or not (though, now that I think about it, I can't remember a time when they did not, in fact, need to be cleaned). So, if it can be said that there was something fortuitous in Weston coming down with a little tummy bug today, it is that it fell on "Bathroom Day," thus making it unnecessary to have more than one of those this week. That is not to say that I had to limit my cleaning activities to the bathroom today, but truly, it could have been worse. Weston was just the saddest little thing today, and I could just hardly stand it. I'm really hoping it's just a 24-hour thing and that he will be back to his happy/healthy little self tomorrow. I'm also hoping that the rest of us don't pick it up.

I'm still here

Somewhere in the midst of birthday parties and swim meets and planting seeds and a pedicure and my grandmother's back surgery and learning to send text messages and a whirlwind tour of Texas to drop kids off and pick them up and a pile of laundry that never ends and a sink full of dirty dishes and dinner parties and Bible studies and morning walks and sitting in the massage chair and a myriad of mundane things that don't even deserve to be mentioned, I'm here. Just so you know.

Birthday Weekend

Seven

Sweet Ruth~

You are seven today! Can you believe it?! It blows my mind to even think of it! In this last year you have moved to a foreign country, completed a year of homeschooling, relocated to a new city, and taken up a new sport. All without batting an eye. You are amazing! Not to mention beautiful, thoughtful, brilliant, and creative. You make me smile every day. And I continually thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be your mom. I love the way your eyes light up when you figure out some problem. I am thrilled when you come up and hug me for no reason. I'm touched by the way you love your brothers, and indeed, how you love everyone. I'm so very proud of you and the lady you are becoming! You are a blessing in my life. I look forward to watching you grow and learn even more in the coming year. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom

I have so much to tell you

• Ruth knocked somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 seconds off her backstroke at her meet on Saturday, and received a nice time improvement ribbon at practice yesterday, which thrilled her to no end.
• Max has a new tooth and isn't shy about using it. He bit me on the shoulder yesterday and left a bruise.
• Weston is officially 3 1/2, as of yesterday. We celebrated with donuts for breakfast and McDonald's for lunch, and a few little items off his wish list: gumballs, a brown lollipop and, of course, eyeballs. We are still waiting for his custom-made giraffe t-shirt with a red "W" on the back to arrive.
• Max has learned how to climb out of his crib and has been moved into his pack-and-play until he figures out how to scale that one, which won't be long. He is also working on perfecting his climbing of other things. He has been found, in the last few days, standing on his dresser, sitting on the patio table, in the sink in his bathroom, up on the counter-height dining table, jumping on his brother's tall cargo bed, and up on the playscape--both at our house and the park.
• I have been buying and using coffee implements like a crazy woman. First, a variety of flavored coffees. Then, a new (cutie red) coffee maker to replace the (boring white) one I broke. And, finally, a coffee grinder. Today, I even went so far as to make my own frozen coffee drink--not even to be sociable, but just because I wanted it.
• We were able to get our van into the mechanic yesterday and also bring it home fixed on the very same day.
• The story time lady at the library somehow got the impression that a video can count as a story if it is loosely based on a well-known children's story. (Don't get me started on the completely ridiculous message of said video).
• We will be finishing up our first year of homeschool tomorrow.
• Ruth is turning 7 on Friday.
• Both sides of the family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even a great-aunt and uncle) will be here over the weekend to celebrate Ruth's birthday and to watch her swim.

Memorial Day

We spent time with family, had a picnic at the lake, ate watermelon and played in the sprinkler. What could be better?!

What's more fun than watching a DVD in our van?

Getting pushed through the intersection by Grandpa's pick-up. According to Weston.

On the way to our Bible study tonight, the air conditioner in the van wasn't running as cool as we thought it should. We suspected tampering from the under-five-foot crowd we run around with. On the way home, we began to notice strange sounds and smells shortly before a myriad of warning lights came on on the dash and smoke/steam began streaming out from under the hood, forcing us to take back our suspicions. Thankfully, my in-laws are in town visiting, so we called them to come rescue us. My father-in-law showed up in his pick-up truck and decided to give us a little nudge through the intersection, in the hopes of getting us safely to a gas station so we could better assess the problem. The kids were absolutely thrilled by the prospect of being pushed along by another vehicle (even if their mother was not)! And, Weston enthusiastically volunteered that this was "more fun than the black radio," which is his code name for our DVD player. I had a slightly different take on the situation. We did make it to the gas station and got things cooled off enough to get the van started, and were able to make it home safe and sound, another adventure under our belts. I guess the next adventure will be finding a good mechanic. Woo-Hoo!

Bald, Like Grandaddy

Max has been needing a haircut for a while now, and for one reason or another we just haven't gotten it done. But today, after story time at Barnes & Noble and after lunch, with Max happy and tired to the point of utter compliance, I decided to pop into a place in the mall that could take him immediately. The lady sat Max up like a little prince in her chair and the following ensued:

Lady: What do you want to do today?

Me: Just trim it up and make him look like a little boy.

Lady: Will the clippers bother him?

Me (thinking she meant to use them for cleaning up the edges): No, not at all.

Lady: Good. This way it will not be too short and will not be too long.

[The next thing I knew, the lady had the clippers in hand and was going right up the middle of Max's head, and I realized she could have left off the first part of her last statement entirely].

Me: GASP!

Lady: It will look very nice.

Weston (a few minutes later, watching with delight as piles of hair hit the floor): MOM! MAX IS GOING TO BE BALD! HE'S GOING TO LOOK JUST LIKE GRANDADDY!

I'll say this: the boy will certainly not be getting too hot this summer because he has too much hair! Still, he is a cutie-patootie, if you ask me!

Let Me See Your Butterfly

Inside, Outside, Upside Down

When I woke up this morning I felt different. I felt rested and refreshed and ready to start my day. I wasn't stiff or sore in my hands or feet, and I easily climbed out of bed and got moving. On my walk, I came across a bunny who couldn't be bothered to take more than two hops away from me. I also saw two turtles sitting right beside the path, and I briefly comtemplated bringing one home.

When I got back to the house, my three-year-old was up (not bizarre) and was seated at the table with breakfast he had gotten all by himself (bizarre), without making even the slightest mess in the kitchen (very, very bizarre).

I offered to play a game with the kids this morning after Ruth finished her school work, and Ruth declined. Weston, however, played enthusiastically...twice. Without losing focus or interest. And, Max occupied himself happily during the course of the two games.

Jeff stopped in the middle of his work day to fire up the grill and make us a fabulous, somewhat gourmet lunch.

While out running errands this afternoon, I stopped at Sonic for my Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper fix and was stunned to find regular ice in my cup instead of the famous Sonic Ice.

The line at the post office moved quickly, and Max wasn't a bit fussy while we were there.

I found books at the library on the subjects I was looking for, without assistance and without Max ripping books off the shelves like some major award was at stake.

Then, at the grocery store, on my way to check-out, I was overcome by a need for some of the fresh brewed coffee they had out to sample. I simply could not walk away. I had to have it.

That's when it really hit me that today was no ordinary day. I somehow woke up in an alter universe or something. Nothing was quite as it had been. I don't quite know how I got here, and I don't have any idea what will happen tomorrow. I just feel so disconnected with reality and discombobulated, too.

Easy as S A T

For the last three days Ruth has been taking the SAT (Stanford Achievement Test) for first grade. We prepared her that the test would be testing a wide variety of skills and that there would probably be some questions she didn't know. On the first day's debriefing, we asked how the test went. She said it was easy. We asked if there weren't any difficult questions, and Ruth laughed out loud. "No," she replied, through snickers, "it was very easy." She also told me later that she LOVED taking the test. Yesterday, she was disappointed in herself that she had to use scratch paper for some of the math problems, rather than doing them all in her head. But still, she thought it was pretty easy. She even quizzed Weston on some of the questions, and when he answered correctly, she said smugly, "See, I told you it was easy." Today, she didn't have much to say, except that she finished the book she had taken in to read in case she finished any sections of the test before other testers. We won't know her actual scores for a while, but we are glad that she felt good about the test and that she wasn't intimidated by it, since this was her first real test to ever take.

Mother of the Year

One of my very favorite cousins-in-law sent me the most fabulous Mother's Day greeting. I laughed out loud, and I hope you will, too. Happy (Late) Mother's Day to all you hard working mommies out there!

Gator Bowl

Today was Ruth's first swim meet. It was just a time trial, so we weren't competing against another team, but it was still a pretty big deal. Ruth was amazing! She swam like we have never seen her swim before, and she just did great! That's not to say that her times were the fastest of the group, but she was diligent and determined, and she finished all four of her races without going over to the side or the rope for a break (a first for her). And the main thing was, she had a great time, and she was proud of herself. (And her parents were super-proud of her, too--in case you can't tell from my ridiculous yelling in the video). And, aside from the swimming part, the meet was just a lot of fun. The park and pool areas were covered with parents and siblings and swimmers all cheering each other on and enjoying the beautiful day. And, the concession stand starting serving nachos at 8:30 am. What's not to love about that?! Check out the pictures, but if that isn't enough for you, come watch Ruth swim live and in person. It's just an all-around good time.

Frame Game

I bought two completely different types of do-it-yourself frames today, asking what I thought were plenty of questions of the salesperson. When I got them home, though, I found that neither of them came with directions. One, I was able to work my way through following advice I found in some forum on the Internet. The other I had to give up on. I'm thinking I may not have bought all the parts for that one, but I don't know for sure because there isn't one word of instruction to be found anywhere--and nothing helpful (that I found) on the Internet either. Am I really the only one in the world who doesn't intuitively know how to do this?! Any advice would be appreciated!

Turning Over a New Leaf

I'm not a morning person. I don't like to get out of my nice, warm, cozy bed. And, I despise the sound of an alarm going off. But, I also really don't like feeling like I don't have any time to myself during the day. So, I'm turning over a new leaf. My plan is to start getting up earlier and trying to make the most of the hour or two I have before the children wake up. Actually, I thought I would institute this plan on Monday. Unfortunately, my radio alarm was set to a non-station. Yesterday, I just about beat the thing to death, trying to hit the snooze button. And didn't even succeed in hitting snooze. Rather, I ended up turning it completely off---and sleeping on. Today, I set two alarms. The regular one (set to a nice, local, country station) and the cell phone (placed strategically in the bathroom, out of arm's reach and harm's way). Finally, success! I woke up to the regular alarm, even, and didn't destroy it in the process. I then stumbled into the bathroom to turn off the other alarm before it began it's annoying wake-up call. Then, peeking through half an eye and walking with robotic stiffness, I made my way to the shower, my morning savior. Hot water pouring over me like a waterfall always magically clears my sleep-muddled brain and loosens my prematurely old joints. And, suddenly, I realized that I had just taken a giant step towards my new goal! With that inspiration tucked neatly under the towel twisted atop my head, I donned my tennis shoes and set out for a brisk walk through my portion of the Livable Forest. And, I must tell you, it was amazing! It was quiet. And beautiful. I was able to pray and think and just breath deeply. I was all the more encouraged to find a still-quiet home when I returned. And, I pocketed a few more moments in which to drink a glass of water, visit with Jeff, change clothes and read the Bible--all before anyone demanded a thing from me. It was glorious! This isn't the first time I've set this goal, and experience tells me I probably won't ever become a morning person, but on a day like today I at least want to try a little harder not to murder the alarm clock when it delivers its rude awakening.

What's that you say?

Max has recently developed quite a vocabulary. He talks all the time, and it is so adorable. The words are not clear English, as you and I might say them, but they are becoming more and more discernable. Here are some of the words I can understand:

• 
  
  Momma
• 
  
  Dada
• 
  
  Ruth
• 
  
  Weston
• 
  
  Duck
• 
  
  Done
• 
  
  Yes
• 
  
  Cracker
• 
  
  Outside
• 
  
  Water
• 
  
  Bath
• 
  
  I'm sad.
• 
  
  Bye-bye
• 
  
  Bed
• 
  
  Door
• 
  
  Flower
• 
  
  Dog
• 
  
  Moo
• 
  
  Yum

Welcome to the neighborhood

We hosted a "welcome to the neighborhood" ice cream party for ourselves today, which turned out just fabulous. A rain storm threatened to put a damper on the festivities, but it only rained a few minutes and then cleared up and was quite nice. Lots of the neighbors showed up and everyone was so nice. There were tons of kids, and they took over the cul-de-sac with bikes and scooters and a rockin' game of hide-and-go-seek. It reminded me of the street I grew up on, and brought back many wonderful childhood memories. This is a great place for families, and we look forward to more fun encounters with the neighbors in the future.

Just another day in Paradise

• Garage-saled in the morning--picked up a nice, new-in-the-bag, king-sized bedding set on the cheap for the guest bedroom.
• Went to some of my favorite stores, just for fun, all by myself.
• Came home to an empty and very clean house.
• Met the kids and hubby at the pool for the opening day of the swim season.
• Heard my son say, "Dad, where are the kitties? You said this was the kitty pool."
• Finished looking through my new Real Simple magazine.
• Helped put together the playscape in the backyard.
• Realized that I don't miss my bigger yard in Austin so much now that I get to mow this one.
• Battled three different kinds of ants, both inside and outside my home.
• Thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to my kids play on their "new" playscape.
• Found my three-year-old pressed up against the back door with his pants and underwear down around his ankles after he had "watered" the flowers.
• Did not have to go the emergency room, though there were at least three or four occasions during the day when it might have been a possibility.
• Washed my new bedding set--just in case--and snagged the comforter on something in the process, leaving a small tear. At least it was cheap!
• Made a loaf of bread in the bread machine.
• Had frozen pizzas for dinner.
• Loved (almost) every minute!

Shrieking Li'l

Do you know what that sound is, highness? That is the Shrieking Li'l. If you don't believe me, just wait. It always grows louder.

*You Princess Bride fans will no doubt pick up on the spoof from the movie. Our youngest child is a shrieker, and we have now given him a new nickname. And when the shrieking begins, someone will undoubtedly be found reciting this modified line from the Princess Bride. I wanted to include an audio clip, but it sounded too much like torture, and I thought it might upset the grandparents. The child is fine, of course. He just wants what he wants, and he wants it right now--and he has a voice with which to demand it.

Do I seem more insane than usual to you?

If I do, it's because both of my boys have refused to take their afternoon naps this week. I'm really hoping this is just a fluke and that things will go back to normal any day now. But, I must confess, I'm a bit worried. I'm definitely not ready to give up the naps, even if they are. That's my moment of sanity and productivity, after all. What will I do without it?! I already feel myself becoming more panicky and less coherent. Think happy (sleepy) thoughts for us...

Go Gators!

For those of you don't already know, Ruth is a full-fledged member of our neighborhood swim team. From the very first meeting, we understood this group is pretty hard-core. But, at today's first regular practice of the year, we realized that we take our swimming pretty serious around these parts.

When we left the house for practice, it was lightly raining, and I prepared Ruth for the certain fate of practice being cancelled. But, she insisted we drive over to the pool, just in case. Well, it wasn't raining too hard when we arrived at the pool, and parents and children were disembarking from their vehicles and entering and exiting the pool area with a flourish, so it seemed to still be game on. Most of the parents, I might add, had monstrous umbrellas with them, which seemed to be a little in the overkill department to me. For about 5 minutes.

Just as Ruth stepped nervously into her place in line in lane 1, the bottom fell out of the sky. And I began to wish that I had a humongous umbrella of my own, or at least that I had already made friends with one of the other mothers with a giant umbrella. I thought certainly they would send the kids back to their now-soaking parents--(even those with umbrellas couldn't avoid the deluge). But the next thing I knew, the coach was sending the first group of kids plunging into the frigid pool. That's when I learned that you don't call off practice just for rain. There must be lightning.

Then, the phone rang. It was Jeff, asking if practice was still on. He was slightly concerned, since the power had just gone off at our house, less than a mile away. Still, the kids made their way, as best they could, from one end of that never-ending pool to the other.

And then, someone found a snake in the baby pool. And still, the show went on. Until finally, there was undeniable rumbling in the sky and the threat of lightning was firmly upon us. Only then, did the drenched parents gather up their shivering children and call it a day. It's no wonder the Gators are the reigning swimming champs in this area.

*Really, we were only there about 20 minutes and truly it didn't seem dangerous--and no practice is required, so we never have to go if we don't want to-- but I was surprised to see how "all in" these people are.

Long Overdue School Update

It's been a long time since I've reported on Ruth's school work. Here is some of what she's been up to:

• In-depth study of Ancient Rome, which will continue through the remainder of 1st grade.
• Brief study of Ancient India
• Brief study of Ancient China
• Learned how to make paper
• Took a break from the Spelling and Vocabulary classes to focus on handwriting
• More study of the human body: brain, reflexes, learning/memory, the five senses, heart/blood, lungs/breathing
• Transitioned to a new art book--focusing on drawing animals
• memorized the poem "All Things Beautiful"
• Illustrated a book for "All Things Beautiful"
• Learned squares of numbers 1-10
• Worked on fractions
• Perfected many multiplication facts
• Made a goal to finish second grade Math before her birthday
• Will finish second grade Grammar next week
  

Pictures from our trip

Spring Break #2

We are off to the Davis Mountains for the next few days to work on our cabin and hang out with family and generally just have a good time. We'll see you all next week.

Which of these things is not like the others? Which of these things just doesn't belong?

Though it seems like laundry would be among the more mundane tasks one could engage in, sometimes you find a prize in the laundry basket. And, sometimes--on a really good day--you find two.

Fifteen Months

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?!

I went into the grocery store just before noon today, with a "rumbly in my tumbly" (the inspired words of Winnie the Pooh) and the thought of grabbing some lunch when I finished my shopping. Before I could even get in the door, a nice man beckoned me over for a sample of some sweet watermelon. Once inside, I found sample stations set up every few feet--chicken salad, lasagna, hummus, mac and cheese, California rolls, trail mix, yogurt, etc., etc. I must confess, I did not turn any of the samples down. And I only purchased one of the products being offered. And when I was checking out, I realized that I wouldn't need to stop for lunch after all.

Is this as completely pathetic as it seems?! Or is it possibly the most brilliant scheme in all of lunch history?

A Day in the Life

• Woke up early and actually had some quiet time to myself to pray and read the Bible before everything got crazy.
• Attempted to remove the sticky "essence of movie theater" off of my kitchen floor.
• Noticed that each of my children seemed taller when they got up this morning.
• Worked my way through the utility room, clearing out things that didn't belong and organizing all the cleaning supplies.
• Removed an inconvenient shelf from the wall in the utility room.
• Changed the light bulb in the utility room...standing on tip-toe on a short bar stool, which was perched on a bar-height chair, while my height-fearing husband gripped my legs for dear life and kept me from falling to my death.
• Ate chocolate chip cookie dough like it was going out of style.
• Made homemade paper with Ruth.
• Cleaned debris and misplaced items off the back porch.
• Became outraged when I read of Plano ISD's scheme to dumb-down future generations.
• Understood several of the "words" Max said.
• Unpacked and enjoyed framed pictures and albums of days gone by.
• Reveled in Max's 3-hour and Weston's 2-hour naps.
• Pulled a shard of glass out of my finger.
• Made a mad dash to the library before it closed, when Ruth announced she was out of books.
• Bought a birthday present at Walgreens.
• Bought two gallons of milk...for the second time this week.
• Laughed genuinely and hysterically as Weston told "Knock-Knock" jokes.
• Had breakfast for dinner.
• Bought a dining room table and chairs to use in the homeschool room.
• Sang "Amazing Grace" with my family, along with a few other old hymns, before reading the story of David and Goliath and watching the children's faces light up with joy and wonder.

A Walk In The Park

There are miles and miles of greenbelts and walking trails here in "The Livable Forest," and we have slowly been taking advantage of them as we explore our new surroundings, and as the weather permits. The largest park in Kingwood is just around the corner from us, and I swear, you would think you walked into another world. It fronts the lake on one side and has an extraordinary amount of beautiful trails. I told Jeff I felt like I was on vacation somewhere instead of just a short distance from the house. It's amazing, and is something we will take every opportunity to enjoy it.

Mattress Mess

We had our first overnight house guests on Friday night. To prepare, we blew up our tried and true queen-size inflatable mattress--which we already knew had a leak, but which we hoped to fix before my in-laws arrived. No such luck. The air leaked out, and we couldn't figure out from where, so we went to Plan B. We decided to buy another queen-size inflatable mattress to replace the leaky one. I bought a relatively cheap one, which was labeled as a queen and had the dimensions on the package. When I blew it up, I found it barely bigger than a twin-size mattress. I had Jeff look at, and he, too, thought it was awfully small. We then looked up mattress dimensions online and found that the dimensions on the package were actually full-size dimensions. But, when we got out our handy-dandy tape measure, we found that it didn't even meet those standards. I grumpily deflated the mattress and returned it to the store. I then went to a different store and bought a more expensive, name-brand, queen-size inflatable mattress, with actual queen-size dimensions printed on the box. When I blew it up, I also found it lacking. And the tape measure test confirmed: a full-size bed masquerading as a queen. I was outraged at the blatant false-advertising and the attempt of the inflatable mattress people to so badly rip off the faithful consumers--namely me! Jeff felt the same way. So, we deflated and packaged up yet another inflatable mattress and determined that we were getting out of the inflatable mattress business altogether. Instead, we instituted Plan D, which was to go out and buy ourselves a new king-size mattress and move our old one up to the guest room. A bit extreme, I know, but it was the ultimate plan anyway, and it was worth it not to have to deal with anymore crummy inflatables.

The morals of the story are these: Don't believe everything you see in print. Do not trust inflatable mattress people under any circumstances. And, we have a super-comfy guest bed, so don't hesitate to come visit!

All Dressed Up

Mommy Quiz (Ruth)

This seems to be the going thing in Blogland right now, so I'll jump on the bandwagon. You're probably all tired of hearing about moving and the house anyway. Weston's answers follow in a separate post.

Ask your child(ren) the questions and type in their answers as they say them. Tag other folks with older kids who might have fun with this. :)

1. What is something Mommy always says to you? I love you

2. What makes Mommy happy? Hugs and Kisses

3. What makes Mommy sad? When I get hurt

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh? By tickling me

5. What was your Mommy like as a child? I don't know

6. How old is your Mommy? 31

7. How tall is your Mommy? Kind of in the middle of me and Daddy--maybe 5 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Eat at Chuy's

9. What does your Mommy do when you're not around? Plays on the computer

10. If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? For cooking

11. What is your Mommy really good at? Cooking

12. What is your Mommy not very good at? Picking me up

13. What does your Mommy do for her job? Stays at home with us

14. What is your Mommy's favorite food? Mexican food

15. What makes you proud of your Mommy? When someone tells her that she is a good Mom

16. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? Alice (from Alice in Wonderland)

17. What do you and your Mommy do together? Grammar class

18. How are you and your Mommy the same? We almost have the same length of hair

19. How are you and your Mommy different? Mommy has green eyes, and I have brown eyes

20. How do you know your Mommy loves you? Because she always says "I love you."

21. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go? Chuy's

Mommy Quiz (Weston)

Ask your child(ren) the questions and type in their answers as they say them. Tag other folks with older kids who might have fun with this. :)

1. What is something Mommy always says to you? I love you

2. What makes Mommy happy? Your eyes

3. What makes Mommy sad? Your mouth

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh? You just do

5. What was your Mommy like as a child? Daddy

6. How old is your Mommy? 21

7. How tall is your Mommy? About shorter than me

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Eat breakfast

9. What does your Mommy do when you're not around? Go to the library

10. If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? For moving out of the house

11. What is your Mommy really good at? Pianos

12. What is your Mommy not very good at? Reaching without a stool

13. What does your Mommy do for her job? Work

14. What is your Mommy's favorite food? Granola and Roast and Potatoes

15. What makes you proud of your Mommy? I don't know

16. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? I don't know

17. What do you and your Mommy do together? Work

18. How are you and your Mommy the same? We just are

19. How are you and your Mommy different? I don't know

20. How do you know your Mommy loves you? I just do

21. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go? Library

No more warm-fuzzy

Raise your hand if you love to get the clothes out of the dryer and feel their warmth radiating into to you as you carry them to that little patch of floor in the bedroom where they will remain for the next few days/weeks. Ooh, what a good feeling! Unfortunately my new dryer doesn't deliver that little piece of laundry paradise. The clothes come out cool, even when you run the machine on the high heat setting. I'm sure that's a good thing on some very practical levels, but I'm in this thing for the literal warm-fuzzy, and I must admit, I'm disappointed every time the dryer buzzer goes off and I open up the door.

Virtual Tour

Many people have asked to see pictures of the inside of the house. My pride prevents me from taking any pictures while there are piles of boxes and stuff lying around everywhere. So, I will give you the empty house version, and when everything is really settled (in another couple of years or so) I'll come back with more interior pics. Here's the narrative of what you'll be seeing in the slide show:

As you walk in the front door, the dining room is on your right and the staircase is on your left. Straight ahead is the formal living room (with the fireplace). There are two little doors (which you can't see in the picture) leading out of the dining room on the far right wall. Those take you into the kitchen/breakfast/family room (the utility room is just through the doors on the right), which can also be gotten to by going straight through the formal living room. Facing the white, built-in bookshelves in the family room (from the kitchen), you'll see a door on your right. This leads out to the driveway and garage. There is also a door on the left, between the family room and the living room, that leads out to the backyard. Past the staircase (if you are starting from the front door) and to the left is the powder room (not pictured). From there, a jog to the right takes you into the master bedroom. From the door of the bedroom you can see Jeff's office, with the French doors. Looking out from the office, you can see the master bath. At the top of the stairs there is a large game room, with lots of built-in shelves. There are two bedrooms to the right of that room: Ruth's (lavender color) and the guest room (tan curtains). Those two rooms share a bathroom (also lavender). To the left of the game room, and down a step and a short hall, is the boys' room (blue curtains). They have their own bathroom, which can also be accessed from the short hallway leading to their room.

Maybe this will give you all a better idea of what the house looks like. But if your curiosity is still nagging at you, you'd better just plan to come visit. It looks much better in person anyway!

Lost and Found

You will remember from my last post that several items were missing as the moving dust began to settle. It was especially disturbing because they weren't the kinds of things that might just be in the next box. (We're talking mops, brooms, rakes, hoes, filing cabinets, etc.). Well, the good news is that most of the items have been found (or, as in the case of the vacuum cleaner, it has been remembered that they actually met their demise before we moved from Austin). The cleaning supplies were at my parents' house and the yard tools and filing cabinet were at my in-laws'. This makes me very happy, because for a while there I was seriously questioning my sanity.

Now, if I can just find the bag with all my pajamas...

Let's Play "What's In The Box?"

Even with fairly thorough labeling, it is still exciting to open each box and see what it holds--whether true treasures or moving mysteries. It is so neat to take each item out and carefully and lovingly find it a new home within the new home--or toss it in the nearest garbage can, if need be. Some items bring an unexpected smile, some an unexpected frown. But either way, I'm enjoying getting all my things out and finding them a special place.

So, without further ado, here are this week's categories and answers for "What's In The Box?"

1. So Happy To See You Again

*Clothes and Shoes (more than just a two-week supply)
*Massage Chair
*Address Book
2. Unexpected Joys
*Dating Memorabilia, including scrapbooks and letters
*African stuff
*Crystal and China (after they were washed and put away all bright and shiny)
3. What On Earth Made Me Put You In A Box In The First Place
*Lots and lots of sippy cup valves, without corresponding sippy cups
*Worn out, ill-fitting bras and panties
*Stale, disgusting candy from birthday pinatas gone by
4. Damaged Goods
*Antique Gossip Bench
*Moqueca Pots from Brazil
*Memory Foam Mattress Topper
5. Beyond Repair
*Cheap, metal garage shelf
*Decorative Mini-Martini (Cordial) Glass
*Melted, Spilled, Re-solidified, No-Longer-Useful, Highly Fragrant Bluebonnet Candle
6. Why, Oh Why Did I Say Good-Bye
*Coffee table and Side table
*Highchair
*Large Faux Flower Arrangement
7. Wish You Were Here (I know I kept them, I just don't know where they are)
*Broom, Mop, Vacuum Cleaner
*Ladder
*Shovel, Rake and Other Yard tools
8. New In Box
*Washer/Dryer
*Toaster Oven
*And coming soon: Oven
Thanks for playing along with us. Be sure to join us next time when we find out "What's In The Box?"

We're home

In the midst of the boxes and chaos, we are here. And we are happy. This is a good place for us. (That's right, Sharon, we are happy; we're in a good place; we're where we need to be)! We have met many of the neighbors already, and all have been very friendly. We are learning our way around town. (Jeff can probably make it to the hardware store and back blindfolded by now). And we are even making progress with unpacking--thanks in no small part to my parents, who kept the kids while we moved and came down over the weekend to help us out around the house. We are also really enjoying seeing and using all our stuff again. And for the children, it's like a great big birthday party. Since our stuff has been in boxes for nine months--and some of it for as long as a year--they can't even remember some of the toys they had before, so everything seems new and fresh and exciting. And, really, it's the same for Jeff and I with our stuff, only we don't call someone over to watch us enjoy our items like the kids do. The Lord has blessed us so much and we are so thankful to be home!

Ready for the next adventure

The children have been delivered to the grandparents. The van, the moving truck and the trailer are filled to capacity. Everything is in place for us to hit the road tomorrow for the next phase of this grand old adventure we call life. So, the next time we meet, it will be from our new house, in our new city, at some as-of-yet undetermined time in the future. We hope you will all come along with us on this adventure. If it's anything like the other adventures, you won't want to miss it! I, for one, am on the edge of my seat!

Meet the neighbors

We were in Houston this weekend, with the rest of Jeff's side of the family, to (among other things) do a drive-by on our house, and to take the full tour of the house his brother and sister-in-law are buying. When we all get settled, we will only be about 35 minutes from each other, which we are super-excited about! It's probably going to be more fun that we can stand!

Unpause

When we returned from Brazil, we expected to be moving to Kingwood within a few weeks or maybe a month, at the most. As often happens, it didn't exactly work out that way. Just as we were getting started with the process of getting a new house, we were put on "pause" because of needing to file our tax return before applying for a loan. That actually turned out to be a good thing (as also often happens), because it meant we got to rethink what we wanted in a house and that we got to spend more time with family in the interim.

A couple of weeks ago, we were house hunting again and found one we really loved. We made an offer and only finally finished our negotiations last night around 10:00. We are scheduled to move in a week from tomorrow, which means we are most definitely in "unpause" mode--especially since we will be gone over the weekend and won't be back until Monday. Our day today was spent packing and trying to take care of all those fun things a move necessitates. We are so excited about our new home and hope you will all come visit us when we get settled! This is how you'll know where to find us:

You haven't lived until you've played Pictionary with a 3-year-old

The game: Pictionary

The teams: Daddy and Ruth vs. Mommy and Weston

The rules: Somewhat modified

The scene: Weston rolls the die and happily moves his piece the number of spaces. It is his turn to draw. Daddy whispers in Weston's ear something off the card that he is likely to know what is. Weston does not hear him and then does not understand him. Finally, Weston readies his pencil and promptly forgets what he is supposed to draw. Daddy reminds him. Time begins and he positions his paper just so, places his hand on it and begins to trace, saying, "Look what I can do!" Surprisingly, time runs out without Mommy guessing what he was supposed to be drawing because it didn't remotely have anything to do with a hand. Mommy draws on the next round, while Weston looks all around the room and wanders off a couple of times. Finally, Daddy asks if Weston would like some help guessing, to which he replies, "Sure." Ruth and Daddy then begin guessing. Weston does not. When it's Weston's turn to draw again, his object is "thumb." Daddy thinks this will be easy for him, since he can obviously draw his hand. Instead, he draws swirlies on his paper, and Mommy begins to guess wildly. "No," he says after just two guesses, "it's a thumb." Later, when tasked with drawing a cow, he carefully lays out two pieces of paper. On the first, he makes a very elaborate drawing, putting in numerous vague details. As the time for that turn winds down, he quickly makes a mark on the other page, and then promptly returns to the masterpiece. When time is called, he proudly announces that he has drawn a dolphin. Daddy's face is all surprise as he says, "You were supposed to draw a cow." To which Weston points at the mark on the other piece of paper and says, "That's the cow."

The result: Mommy and Daddy laughing so hard they can't see straight and a miraculous victory, due to the modified rules, by Team Mommy/Weston.

Watts Goings-On

Our little vacation was loads of fun! We spent a few days visiting with my family in Belton and then went East. We stayed in a cozy little cabin, surrounded by pine trees, livestock, a nice lake and lots of peace and quiet. We also drove into nearby Tyler a couple of times to visit a wildlife museum/country store/awesome playground and the children's museum. We explored, laughed, ate, played, and relaxed. It was wonderful!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

It was a road-tripping, gas-siphoning, bag-losing, Ranger-riding, deer-spotting, turkey-chasing, campfire-building, tent-pitching, sunset-watching, marshmallow-roasting, s'more-eating, star-gazing, sleeping bag-sleeping, wind-blowing, body-bundling, sheep-herding, rustic-toileting, bath-skipping, gun-shooting, target-hitting, log-rolling, relative-visiting, dutch oven-cooking, book-reading, nap-taking, face-sunburning, ranch-exploring, dirt-eating, camo-wearing, deer blind-visiting, water-freezing, hot chocolate-drinking, flower-picking, treasure-collecting all around good time kind of weekend.