Finally...a Stick Figure! or He Won't Support me with his Art Career

Dylan seems to have gotten my artistic talent.  He shows off his coloring prowess with random colors scribbled all over a page.  If asked to color a picture, he'll appease you by haphazardly choosing a color and drawing a few lines, but it's obvious he's not doing it for the intrinsic benefit.  Don't even get me started on writing his name.  It's as if I asked him to cut off his own toe.  However, it's recognizable and I'm sure it will get better.  Right??  It's ok to lie to me. 

Anyway, I was pleased as punch when he came home with this little gem.

On the bottom left he drew a stick figure!  Of course when I asked him about it he told me that it was his friend Colton who happens to be an octopus.  And all the stuff above...well, that's snow.  You couldn't figure that out?  Geez.    

After 20 Years (but with digital pictures and minus the gangsters)

Somehow despite my bossy take charge personality, I have managed to make (and keep) some extraordinary girlfriends.  It's funny because I don't actually remember how we met, but I know it's been since junior high and maybe if you want to be technical, 5th grade.  I know it's cliche, but we have gone through everything together (a certain party that STILL gets brought up by our parents comes to mind) - birthdays, proms, college parties, weddings, and most recently, babies! 

Unfortunately we live in different cities (and while Kel and I were in Dubai - different continents), but when we are together it's as if we lived next door.  Our friendship is easy and it's so fun to see how we all have evolved into wives and mothers while still up for girls' night out. 

Now for your entertainment - going old school

 My 16th Birthday...we are in the MINIVAN!  Note how I can barely see over the wheel!

 What is wrong with my hair (and Mel's???)

21st birthday in Austin (working the leopard print)

And now.

 The kids.

All of us.  Mel - 2 boys, Lora - 2 girls, Me - 2 boys

I love this picture!  The kids are all doing crazy things and we are trying to smile through it all!

Melodi and Lora, I look forward to 20 (plus) more!  

10 Things I’ve Learned From Doubling Our Amount of Offspring

1. No matter how much you prepare #1 for #2, he will still be pissed, jealous, and act like a bipolar monkey.

2. You only thought you knew what exhaustion was.

3. Napping while baby naps is great advice, but then no one will be clothed, eat, or smell nice.

4. Crying doesn’t bother me at all and, furthermore, crying analysis is my new specialty (as in he’s ok, that’s not his hurt cry).

5. I can bathe, brush the teeth of #1, and read him three stories while #2 screams the entire time.

6. I can feed #2 and simultaneously have an in depth discussion with #1 about where sharks live, what they eat (people and fish), and why “Open Water” is not an appropriate movie for a three year old.

7. My mealtime is a luxury.

8. Man to man defense is the way to go; I will not move to a zone coverage.

9. #1 is still too young to realize that he is being worked and gladly fetches wipes, beers pacifiers, and anything else I’m too lazy to get myself.

10. Dinner is a term used extremely loosely these days. Before #2 I was an avid cook and loved trying new recipes. Now, peanut butter and jelly with a side of sliced apples is our gourmet meal.

Flowers, Chocolates, and Diamonds...no thanks

This Valentine's Day I spent in the hospital recovering from a c-section from boy #2 and a cold from boy #1.  I didn't feel awful, but I had a lot of congestion which caused me to cough...A LOT.  You can imagine how fun that is when your abs are currently sewn together and there are staples...So the only thing that prevented me from feeling like I was going to split in half was Kel putting a pillow on my stomach and pressing down on it when I needed to cough (seriously y'all, I have a relatively high tolerance for pain and this made me cry).  And this he did all day and night.  That is some love right there.  Oh, and I got a baby.  Pretty sweet Valentine's Day!

Even Playtime is Organized

I had an epiphany the other day because I realized that a lot of my frustration with Dylan stems from traits that I see in him that are exactly like me.  Here is a list (because that's how we roll over here). 

1.  It pains me to admit this, but his whining is probably 'most' of my fault.  It's pointed out to me by a party who shall remain nameless (because I would like to rip his head off at times) that I sound whiny when I'm reprimanding him.  I get so irritated when he whines, but alledgedly I am just as guilty...
2.  Today he had a conversation with daddy that went a little something like this...
Kelly - Do you want to go outside and play catch?
Dylan - Yes, and then we come inside I can eat lunch?
Kelly - Yes.
Dylan - After I eat lunch I can play for a little while, then it's nap time right?
Kelly - Yes.
Dylan - So we can play catch, I can eat lunch, play, and then take a nap, ok??
Kelly - I think we've established this.
So, he's a tad bit of a planner.  I was getting irritated at his listing mania when I realized that I do the SAME thing to Kelly all the time!  From planning meals to planning our vacations five years in advance, I'm not happy unless I've got some kind of plan.
3.  He has a little perfectionist in him.  He has to finish doing what he's started before he can do something else...if he's started putting all of his cars into the laundry basket, so help you if you tell him he needs to get dressed.  It bugs the crap out of me when he does that - especially when it's time to go to school so mama can have some quiet time.  However, it makes me almost ill to not finish what I've started.  Ahem, laundry pile, I'm looking at you!  Your unfolded chaos is driving me cccccrazy!

And finally...
4.  He is ORGANIZED!  This pleases me to no end!  He cleans up his playroom like a rockstar!  All of his picture labeled bins were a brilliant idea (props to the awesome person - yours truly - who came up with that little gem of an idea)!  All of the cars are in the car bin, all of the balls are in the ball bin (hee hee), and all of the puzzles make it into the puzzle bin.  And, he even plays in an organized fashion...can you tell we've been reading our Dinosaur Train books?

You can't see it in the picture, but all the palm trees and rocks are lined up so that the dinosaurs each have access to them. 

I'm going to try and ease my frustration with the knowledge that my firstborn will have goals and plans and the demeanor to follow through with them OR he will just whine until he gets his way.  I'm good either way!

11...My New Favorite Number

Baby seems to be following in big brother's footsteps.  I started having very regular contractions at 33 weeks.  At the hospital they stopped them, but I had to be on bed rest and medication for two weeks.  This past Thursday night I started having some intense contractions and Friday morning, they were getting pretty close.  I was almost at 36 weeks at this point (D was born at 36 weeks and 1 day).  We arrived at the hospital and sure enough things were moving along pretty quickly.  They had me in the OR just after 11 and Jackson Walker was born at 11:39am on 2/11/11.  He weighed in at 6 lb 11oz and measured 19 3/4" long. 

Surprisingly, he was even bigger than D!  I can only imagine how big my babies would be if I went full term.  I guess 36 is just my number. 

Hope you enjoy some first pics of JW!  He looks so different than Dylan did as an infant.  It will be interesting to see if they look alike as J grows up. 

Space Ships, Astronauts, and Nasa...oh my!

Dylan has two favorite things right now - space and sharks.  You can see the dilemma we're facing for planning his 4th birthday party! 

We decided a trip to NASA was in order to indulge D in all things space-y.  We rode the tram, checked out Mission Control, attempted to land the Space Shuttle, and checked out the Mock Up floor.  Of course the highlight turned out to be the four story play area. 

And he's done...

Amsterdam Parting Gift

My blogging has been...sporadic (to put it nicely).  I know all five of you that read this are biting your nails waiting for my next exquisitely written post.  Here you go...

After joining Kel in Amsterdam (a post on this later, and I guess Spain needs to be up here also) in June for a week, we returned to normal life and celebrated the 4th of July.  A few days after I began eating like I was a bear approaching hibernation, then just the thought of food made me run to the bathroom...

You guessed it...two lines apparently means another kid!

Meet baby #2 coming next March - oh and to make it interesting, it's another boy.  I've already told Kel that our bathroom will soon become MINE and he can share with the other standing urinaters! 

So that is part of my reason for not being here much - you know, the vomiting and all FOR 15 WEEKS! 

Eating isn't a problem anymore (don't know if that's a good or bad thing)!

I Hate Painting!

However, I got sick and tired of looking at the nasty green walls in our guest bath, so pulled out the brushes (and beer).  **This was done a few months ago**

It took me the better half of an afternoon and evening to put on two coats, but I am so pleased with the results!  I also exchanged the mirror that was in there for one that we got in Mexico several years ago. 

I'm slowly moving onto some different house projects as I have time and (more importantly) money! 

Before...yucky green

After...nice brown!  It looks a little deeper in person, but you get the idea!  I really like how the white stands out so much more now!

Back behind the toilet...

Those little grass plants survived the journey from Dubai and I really like my Seattle painting better against the brown.

Organization in the Making

Yes, I am organized.  I am one of those sick people who enjoy filing/creating filing systems/labeling.  My clothes are in rainbow order in my closet and here are my shoes.     

Dylan seems to be taking after me (in at least one positive aspect). 

He did such a good job matching the pictures to the shoes and I think he enjoyed the project as much as I did! 

The Pitfalls of Dressing Professionally

REALLY??  All of this for five work shirts.  I'm thinking that the nice folded packaging is overrated.  Not pictured (well) are all the pins that hold the craziness together.   

Dylan turns 2...and 3 (maybe I'm a little behind)

I guess with the potty training right after Dylan's 2nd birthday, I didn't post anything about his birthday party!  I'll just do a little flashback for you with all the highlights!  As most of you know, I'm a planner.  That means that I annoy a lot of you about what I'm 'planning' to do.  The first birthday, while a huge milestone, did not have much in the way of a theme.  So, for #2, I did an airplane motif.  D was enthralled with basically any motor vehicle (and still is).  Unfortunately, Party City (or Micheal's or Hobby Lobby or Target) has failed to make a Dubai appearance, so I had to traipse around getting all the necessary decorations.  I even lucked upon a mini airplane cookie cutter at some strange Japanese version of a dollar store.  Airplanes 'flew' around the room and we even had packaged peanuts!  Thanks to my good friend, Shannon, who took all the pictures for me.  Also notice Dylan's special birthday shirt - on the front, Captain Dylan, and on the back, Flight 0002.

A party in Dubai wouldn't be complete without some freak occurrence.  On this day, my kitchen gas ran empty about 30 minutes before party time (exactly when all the food was being cooked)!

And, now...onto 3!  Dylan and I discovered Dinosaur Train (a show on PBS) sometime in January, and we've been hooked since.  It's incredibly educational (seriously, I've learned a ton about dinosaurs) and has a cute little catchy title song.  Everyone's happy.  So, for birthday #3, I decided to do a dinosaur theme.  Birthdays 1 and 2 were challenging for any games, but I knew that this year they would perfect!  I made 'fossils' and buried them in a sandbox for the kids to dig up.  I also had the kiddos hatch dinosaur eggs (balloons) to get the baby dinosaurs out.  The kids hunted for dinosaur eggs (spray painted Easter eggs) that were filled with goodies.  We also attempted some water painting of dinosaurs.  My crowning glory though was the cake!  I made a dinosaur landscape complete with a 'smoking' volcano! 

This birthday was special because the grandparents (and even a great grandma) helped Dylan celebrate!  While the grandparents made it to Dubai for his first birthday, it wasn't possible for them to make it for #2. 

How To Be a Cajun

Marrying into a Cajun family has opened my eyes to a whole new culture. I cook A LOT, but never attempted anything remotely Louisiana-ish. My mother in law makes a killer gumbo and my husband had been craving it and asked if I could try to make it. Let me say this – I can cook pretty much anything if I have a recipe. There have been a few failures (fried chicken being the most recent), but I’m usually successful. So, I hunted down an Emrill gumbo recipe and went to work. I had my chicken, sausage, and homemade stock. My veggies were chopped and prepared. I just had to make the roux.


A simple word for a process that is difficult to explain and follow. You’re not supposed to stop stirring and the flour is supposed to turn brown, but you can’t burn it. It smells AWFUL and doesn’t look appetizing either. I followed the rules though and stirred it for hours until it looked right and then I made my first mistake. I added ALL the roux to my pot with the chopped veggies. Apparently the recipe only calls for two cups and I put in at least four. I didn’t catch my mistake until I’d added all of my homemade chicken stock. Thankfully, I hadn’t put the meat in yet. I took a quick taste and gagged, so I added more stock, and tasted again. Still awful. I added water because I’d used up all of my homemade stock. Another taste and all I got was burnt flour.

The disappointment on Kel’s face made me jump in the car and buy a jar of roux and more chicken stock. Back at home I started over with the exact measurement of roux and stock. Tasted it and still awful. Kel decided that we needed to add a can of beer. I thought it was a waste of a beer, but in it went. Tasted it. Burnt flour with a hint of beer. Our next bright idea is to let it simmer. I sit down (now that I’ve spent 5 hours on the failed gumbo) and massage my claw of a hand. I glance over at the mess on the stove and watch as it foams over the top of the pot. FAB U LOUS.

I turn off the heat, let the whole thing cool, and put it down the disposal. Then I call Papa John’s.

After my failed attempt at gumbo, I was a little leery when Kel wanted to host a crawfish boil. I would go nowhere near those southern lobsters until they were hot and on a table. Luckily a friend offered his assistance for boiling all 100 pounds. I used my expertise in peeling tails to prep for (gasp!) etouffee. I decided not to totally give up on my grafted Cajun branches and searched for another Emrill recipe.

My hand seized up a little when I read that you needed to prepare a light roux, but relaxed after seeing that it would take just a few minutes. I added the holy trinity of veggies and sautéed, deglazed with some sherry, and threw the tails in. Added a bit of stock and seasoning and let it simmer for a few minutes. And then, the moment of truth. I took a bite, then another, and another! It was good.

So maybe I can hack this Cajun thing. Just don’t make me eat Boudin.

Toma (long A)to/Toma (short a)to OR Adventures in Gardening

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really have a green thumb.  It's surprising because MANY people in my family are full blown gardeners that speak in the gardening vernacular...growing, planting, tilling, composting, mulch, cold crop, bed...So, I figured that I need to tap into the gardening genes and utilize my backyard. 

With the late freezes this winter in the south, tomatoes from Florida will be at least triple the cost from last year!  Some may bitch say that I'm a little cheap thrifty, so paying that much for tomatoes won't fit my grocery planning. 

Anyway, to prepare myself and further my knowledge, I took an intense vegetable gardening class and have been reading as much as possible about organic gardening, composting, full sun/partial sun, manure (blech), and water ratios.  I know, I know, boooooorrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.  I bit the proverbial bullet and bought six different tomato plants and two tomatillo plants.  I know what you're thinking - salsa and FRESH tomato/basil salad!  Funny, that's what I was thinking! 

I'm actually trying to do the tomatoes and tomatillos in containers instead of a bed.  Mainly because my raised bed isn't finished yet.  My needy husband Someone likes to eat dinner and have clean clothes to wear.  Compromises, compromises. 

I am optimistic because all of the plants have grown in the past week that they've been in their new homes and some already have flowers.  (hoping that's a good sign)  Watch next week for growth updates (definitely exciting blog fodder) and flower status. 

Before their new homes

Only the best for my little tomatoes! (This was before I found some cheaper organic stuff at Houston Garden Center)

All in a row...taken on 3/13 (much bigger already)!

My helper (LOVE the gloves) - so took me twice as long to plant

Stay tuned for the next entry about composting!  Fun stuff indeed!

Things I Never Thought I'd Say on the Phone

"I've got to call you back - Dylan's trying to climb on a llama!"

Three Minutes Unattended...

While Dylan was plunked in front of the tv watching Dinosaur Train I was in the bedroom getting dressed.  I noticed an absence of sound - that eerie quiet that all mothers recognize as TROUBLE - and came out of the room to investigate.
 
I Someone mistakenly left the cable remote within reach of the toddler; the same toddler who crawled for the first time in order to reach a remote.  So, you can imagine his delight upon discovering the remote just sitting there, practically RIGHT next to him, with all those colorful buttons just waiting to be pushed AND mommy out of sight.  I know exactly how he felt - on our first trip to Vegas I was giddy when I realized you could walk ANYWHERE with an alcoholic drink!

Anyway, this is what I saw on the tv when I walked out to the living room.

My two year old evil genius son figured out how to use the split screen feature using the CABLE remote, not even the tv remote.  Here's the kicker:  his electronics guru daddy didn't even know that it had that feature.  AND, daddy was out of town, so I had to figure out how to get it back to normal if I wanted any kind of sanity.  Plus, I wouldn't want to deprive the child of his educational programming. 

It took me twenty minutes (after the twenty minutes I spent on punching every button combo I could think of), the tv manual, two different remotes, and much yelling to finally fix the damn thing.  All the while I'm listening to the toddler wail "moooooooooommmmmyyyyy, where's dinosaurus?  I want to watch them!  MMMMMMMooooooooommmmmmyyyyyy, where's the choo choo train?  I like it!"



  

Conversations with a toddler - #1

"I want a big boy, pink cup."

Don't we all honey, don't we all.

Times, they are a changin'

A bit of a pictorial for you today...apparently we are turning into losers.

New Year's Eve 2007 (some hotel party)

New Year's Eve 2008 (we're out, but now it's only dinner)

New Year's Eve 2009 - you guessed it...Chuck E. Cheese.  Yes, we suck.

Experiments on my toddler - #1 (well maybe #2)

I guess I have to count potty training boot camp as experiment #1 which turned out hellish but worked ok, so I have moved on to #2.  Cue the Mr. Burns laughing and finger steepling...

During a visit back to Texas (before the move) I was still a bit jetlagged and intoxicated up late.  As I flipped through the channels I landed on an infomercial for Your Baby Can Read.  I sat enthralled as these tiny little kids were reading words!  And, I mean tiny like 8 months!  Because of my teaching background in reading, I knew the value of kids being able to read young, but 8 months???!!  The skeptic in me is thinking that this is all a crock (a big crock too at $180)!  But, I continued to think about it and decided there might be something to this.  Because of the alcohol jet lag or my overloaded brain, I forgot about it (or maybe it was the high price tag).

Flash forward to this January.  At a visit to my best friend's house, I saw some flashcards on the floor of her son's room and asked her if it was from YBCR.  Of course it was and she demonstrated - or rather her 2 year old read the words on the flashcards!  I was impressed.   

I don't know that Dylan is a genius above average, but he likes to learn new things and I've noticed him comprehending and asking questions about the gossipy shit I've been talking to my friends about on the phone intelligent conversations Kel and I have (so he's already figured out how to eavesdrop AND not look like that's what he's doing).  But, and this is a big but...I was NOT spending $180 on this thing!  $180 on my kid's future doesn't seem like a lot, but most of you have met Dylan and momma likes to go to Vegas.  After some searching and bargaining I got YBCR for about $40.  Now, $40 I am willing to invest in D's future.

I won't bore you with the whole process, but basically you watch a DVD with your child over a certain period of time and go through ten flashcards with each DVD. 

We started this mid January and within a week Dylan knew 5 of the 10 flashcards.  What I realized though is he had memorized how they looked on the card and by background color (the cards have different fonts and colors...).  Because I'm so smart I wanted to be thorough, I tested this out.  I wrote down the words he knew on paper and he couldn't tell me what they said.  I also asked him to read me the words in a book (the same ones he knew) and he could not. 

We've been on this for about a month and now he's starting to recognize words in books that he knows from the flashcards, but more importantly he tracks with his finger on the page while we read and he points at words and asks me what they say.  It's a small step, but very important!  I think he's also getting the concept that letters make up words.  He loves the letter 'D' and points it out often.  

Also, another milestone - the word 'hi' was on the first DVD, but not on a flashcard in the first set of those.  It's also on the second video and in the second set of cards.  Without any practice on the second set, he knew 'hi' and read it immediately.  He loves has a preference for the color, pink and so all of the words on a pink background he knows.    

I haven't been able to capture anything on video yet - but stay tuned.  I'll try again in the next few days.

The flashcards