Sloan Central

Fort Worth Stock Show

2012-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

> This year was our second year to make a trip to the FW stock show. It was quite a difference from last year though. Last year we had tickets during the ice storm and went to the mostly empty rodeo, skipping the outdoor stuff which was mostly closed anyway.
>
> This year the sun was out and the weather awesome, so we skipped the rodeo and just visited the animals and hit the Midway. We were blown away by how much the kids loved the rides.
>
> All told the older two went on nine rides and even Lincoln got to do the Ferris Wheel with us before he conked out in his carrier backpack.
>
> We already can't wait for next year!!
>

Family Sleepover and Campout

2012-01-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we let the kids have a slumber party in our room. We got into PJs at about 5:00 and started the evening off by making brownies. The kids helped, especially with making sure we cleaned off all the brownie batter from the spoons and bowl.

Then, we had a campfire cookout in our bedroom--hot dogs and the trimmings of course! Next we had story hour, and we closed out the night with a movie in the tent. They got to stay up a bit late, but Robby was conked out by 8:45 . . . Despite the fact that his sister kept nudging him and telling him to wake up. She was ready to party all night. And did until almost 11:00 after which we finally got a few hours of zzzzzzz's before she was back up and ready to party at 6:45. As much fun as it was, I think we'll make this fun event a rare special event rather than a fairly regular treat.

Seven Months and Counting!

2012-01-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

Lincoln is now seven months old and is following in his siblings' steps in starting to push hard to reach milestones.

One first we had with him this month is that he contracted bronchiolitis during the holidays leading to a five day regiment of breathing treatments. He's recovered quietly nicely now though and has moved on to bigger and better things.

Another difference between Lincoln and his brother and sister is that he never developed into a thumb sucker. Instead, he routinely turns to the crook of his elbow to suckle for comfort. Quite hygienic, this one.

When first introduced to baby foods slightly before six months, he was unimpressed, but he is now an expert eater, preferring avocado and sweet potatoes above all others.

He has also started babbling up a storm and shows every sign of copying his siblings by declaring Dada as his first word--against the express command and wishes of his mother.

His biggest passion though is trying to learn how to crawl. So far he's unsuccessful, but he does amazing push ups and boot scoots backwards better than Mater ever could. (We're still not quite sure how he got himself under the table like that though).

My guess is that he will be a crawler by eight months . . . Stay tuned :)

While You Were Away

2012-01-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Bryan had the opportunity to go see Baylor win at at Alamo Bowl with these dear friends:

Meanwhile I tried to hold down the fort here at home. Needless to say things sometimes got hairried:

And I may have gotten so flustered from time to time that I didn't know up from down much less where to wash what:

And more than once it was like trying to wrangle wild tree climbing monkeys:

But luckily I had at least one cool head in the house:

What more could such a blessed mother ask for really??

Lincoln's Alter Egos

2011-12-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

Santa's Little Helper or Rudolph's Greatest Fear??? You decide.

Letter to Santa

2011-12-08T04:23:00.000-08:00

Robby wrote His first letter to Santa yesterday. He wrote it all by himself though Mommy did have to spell the words for him. As you can see, it's in our mailbox awaiting delivery to the North Pole. On the list:

Big boy bike
Spiderman toy
Superman toy
A dog

He did tell me that he doesn't know if they can do dogs at the North Pole, which is the same intel I've been receiving as well ;)

We've Got Spirit Yes We Do!

2011-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

We've got spirit; how 'bout you?? ;)

Had a Great Time for Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

We spent almost a full week in Houston for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful time of family and fellowship. The eight cousins who were there had a blast playing with one another. And, the grownups did too :).

But, getting home and slipping back into a routine just has something to say for itself too. Especially when new PJs are involved :)

A Good Day

2011-11-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

We woke up on Saturday to an unusual phenomenon. We had absolutely nothing on the docket for the day. First order of business, as per usual, donuts. But we decided to go eat there rather than bring them own.

Then, instead of going home, we decided just to go to FW to visit some of our favorite haunts including Barnes for story time and then a trip to our old neighborhood park. It was Lincoln's first time there :).

Then, after nap time we headed to Pizza Nizza for some yummy pie. It was a nothing special day turned into a special day for just the five of us.

Carving Out My Niche

2011-11-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

Before Lincoln was born, I would often work in our office, logically enough. In our old house, the office was a neglected space rarely used by anyone, so Bryan didn't really think to use it, despite the pretense of it being set up as his room. But, once L arrived, I migrated to working off a lap desk in a big comfy chair in our room because as often as not, I would be holding him while I worked. It took little time for B to move in and entirely claim the office as his own.

L is now at a stage where holding him to work is fairly impractical much of the time, but I've continued to be stranded in this big chair with no other place to really work. We've been mulling over the problem for a while and considered lots of less than optimal possibilities that all meant either work spaces that would have to be cleared away when we have company or crowding lots of furniture or both.

Then, last week I had a brainstorm. We got an awesome deal on these great bookshelves from World Market when we moved into our house and have found creative ways to use them from entryway pieces to a wine rack. So, why not a desk?

A couple of nights ago, I reorganized my books so that I could take out three shelves, and I created this tiny workspace for myself by adding a painting to the wall, installing a light on the shelf above my desk, and then adding this cool chair we found.

It's the perfect place to work, and I am just loving it. The kids love to sit at it and "work" too :)

My Little Big Man is Five Months Old!!

2011-11-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

My little man has now turned five months old, and I could not be more in love with this person. He has the sweetest smile, and he turns it on so freely for me. With each child I have had, the rush for him/her to leave behind babyhood has become less and less in my mind. I am trying to linger and hold onto each little moment with this one because I know that before I can blink, he is going to be running after his brother and sister yelling at them to wait up, no longer a baby but becoming a little boy. Trying to really remember Robby and Juliet as babies is almost impossible it feels like, and so I am holding on as tightly as I can. Even so, I find myself helping him practice sitting up, pulling up, and am already making and freezing babyfood on occasion. We have already bought the prerequisite baby food cereal boxes, and they are just waiting for this guy to get just a couple of weeks older. I know we are entering into that really fun stage of an explosion of developmental milestones, and I am so excited. But, I love that this one is willing to take the occasional nap while I hold him, and I am also finding myself less and less inclined to put him down :)

What Kind of Monkey Business Is This?

2011-11-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Robby or Lincoln??

A Halloween Teaser

2011-10-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, today is Halloween at school, so I thought I'd give a sneak peak of the kids in their costumes (sans my little monkey man who is saving his debut for Saturday night).

Four Months Old!!

2011-10-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

This post is pretty late . . . Sorry about that. :). My little man continues to melt my heart more every day. He has such a warm and inviting personality. He's quick to laugh and smile and is just as happy being held by anyone who wants to interact with him. He especially loves it when his brother and sister come over to play with him.

He's rolling like a champ both ways and has started reaching for anything he can get a hold of in order to conduct as many taste test experiments as possible. A constant favorite is Mommy's hair despite her discouragement of such grabbing.

He is a good sleeper though of late he's been waking us up at 6:00am for a quick feeding before snoozing again until after 8:00.

I know that the milestones start quickly piling on from this point forward, and I'm excited. But I will hold onto the sweet baby moments with this one for as long as possible as well.

Happy 2nd Birthday Juliet!!!

2011-10-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Juliet is at the age where she doesn't want to smile for the camera. Robby did the same thing at her age, and it is so sad because a two year old's smile is so sweet. And, Juliet is so sweet. Of course, this year her personality has really taken on a life of her own, and sweet is not necessarily the first word people would probably use to describe her. I would use words like independent, spirited, charming, energetic, friendly, and happy as well.

She has clearly developed her own interests, which include shoes, jewelry, purses, chap (aka chapstick and/or makeup), and she loves the movie Tangled. At school, they say that she loves to play with baby dolls, but she doesn't do that too much around the house. She does love to go shopping, either in real stores or with her shopping cart and purses around our house. She also loves to talk on the phone, especially when she gets to FaceTime with loved ones :)

As with seemingly most little girls, she has her daddy wrapped right up in her little finger, and she and her big brother are great friends. She also loves hugging Lincoln, and it will be really fun when all three of them can play together.

She truly lights up any room that she walks into, and she makes me laugh and smile every single day. She so clearly likes to make up her mind about things, and while she is certainly showing a two year old's attitude sometimes, just as often, she is very sweet and obedient. Tonight, we were over at a friend's house, and I did not want her going up the stairs. When she headed up, I called for her to come back down and was ignored. So, I went upstairs and asked her to come down, and she looked at me and thought for a bit about what she wanted to do. Finally, she said "okay Mommy!" and then every couple of steps on the way down she would say, "Welcome, mommy. Welcome." Clearly, she had done me a big service in her obedience :), but her sweet spirit was really shining through at that moment as well.

I am so proud of her and so grateful to have been given the gift of being her mommy. I can't wait to see what this coming year will bring and what I will be saying about her by the time she turns three!

Look Who Started Rolling Over!

2011-10-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Heaven help us when we get to the mobile stages. :)

Sloan Family Zoo

2011-09-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

My kids have created a zoo in our house. Much as in Good Night Gorilla, the animals seem to sneak their way into the zookeeper's bed at night. Fortunately for them, this particular animal liver doesn't seem to have a problem with that :)

New School

2011-09-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

With our move this year out to a new city has come a change to move to a new school. The two oldest kids were blessed to attend a wonderful school in Fort Worth, but when we moved, the drive to TLCC was prohibitive as a regular routine. So, the kids have been out of a formalized school setting since the beginning of April and home with us full time. While we love having them home, we also want them to have the benefit of the academic setting and social interactions that school offers, so this fall, we have enrolled them in a two day a week program at First Baptist Aledo. For Robby, it is a preschool program, and for Juliet it is more of a play-centered environment. Last week was their first full week of attendance, and they both really seem to love the school and are excited to go on school mornings.

The first pic is from when we took them to Meet the Teacher day a couple of weeks ago, and the second pic is from the actual first day of school. The little guy will still be home with us full time this year, though based on his grin above, he seems okay with that :)

Happy 3 Months Lincoln!!

2011-09-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

> Lincoln is getting so big already! My little man is three months old and has officially promoted upstairs to share a room with his big brother. He's also been going to the church nursery for about a month now and been totally spoiled by the workers in there. :).
>
> He's not quite rolling over yet, but he's working hard on it and will be mastering it very soon I think.
>
> He's also my first baby who has no interest in this thumb. Why suck a thumb when the whole fist is available for gnawing??
>
> He is a complete master at smiling, cooing, and laughing, pretty much enrapturing everyone who gets around him for any time at all. I'm definitely extremely smitten with the guy :)
>

Happy 4th Birthday Robby!!

2011-08-24T10:41:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that my big boy turned four years old last week. He has grown so much this year, gaining confidence and blossoming into such a little man. I could not be prouder of him!

Below are some pics of him at the Rangers game this week with Pahpah and tah. What a great present!! He loved it :)

Brotherly Love, Sisterly Love

2011-08-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is so lucky to be doted on by two such great older siblings :)

Crazy August

2011-08-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

This month has been such a crazy one at the Sloan house. We spent the first week at a lake house with the whole Sloan clan where Bryan's big sister got married!! It was such a wonderful and joyous week. There were 8 kids in the house. Robby was the oldest and Lincoln the youngest. They all loved playing together.

Then, we got home and Bryan and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary, which is kind of hard to believe.

Next up will be Robby's 4th birthday!!!!

In the meantime, here are a few pics of the kids from this month. :)

Lincoln Lately

2011-07-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is already almost 7 weeks old. I can't believe it. When we took him in for his two week visit, he was not quite back up to his birth weight, so I was anxious to take him in for his month check up. I needn't have worried. They expect babies to put on 4-7 ounces per week at this age, and he has averaged 9 oz per week since his two week visit. He's up to 10 lbs already!

He is also starting to get a sleep routine going that includes 9 hours of sleep at a stretch each night. I'm hoping to get up to 12 very soon though.

We just discovered the bouncer in this picture, and he really loves it. As a result, so do we :).

It's nice to feel like we are developing a routine though our upcoming vacation could really put a dent on that. Once we get home though we should really be able to start establishing a routine, and for the first time I'm starting to feel like we are going to be able to make this five person family thing actually work.

The Many Faces of Juliet

2011-07-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Glam girl, grown up girl, tomboy, baby girl. And yes, she strikes these poses all on her own.

Sweet Sleeps

2011-07-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

One Day. One Bed. Two Boys. Two Naps.

Happy One Month Lincoln!!

2011-07-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet little man turned one month old last Thursday. I can't believe it! He has done so much in one month--visited my parent's house, visited Bryan's parents, hosted extended family at our house for several days. He even went out to eat once and to the grocery store once.

He is such a sweet little guy. He loves to cuddle with his mommy, and he will gladly nap on me from time to time. Neither of his siblings did that. But, Lincoln also sleeps in his bassinet every night without problem. We haven't tried out the crib yet though. He is a good night sleeper. For example, last night he went to sleep at ten, got up at 12:00 for a quick bottle, slept until 7:00, had another feeding, and then slept until 10:00. We've gotten the hang of feeding much more quickly than I did with the other two as well.

I'm anxious to see what he will weigh at his one month appt, but we haven't had that yet.

What We've Been Up To

2011-07-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Outside of learning to be a family of five, we had the great privilege and fun of having a big family event this past week. We threw a surprise party for my grandfather who turned 75 this summer. So, we loaded up for our first road trip with Lincoln and drove to my parent's house in Eastland where we stayed all weekend long. Then, we took my grandparents, parents, and my uncle, his wife, and their three kids to Fossil Rim, which is a wildlife preserve where you can go and feed the animals in a safari-like setting. Then, my uncle's family headed up to our house to stay for three days, which was awesome because they live in California, so we only see them every couple of years.

My uncle is an amazing photographer, and when he left, he gave me a CD with 485 pictures from the week on it. I haven't been through them all yet, but I picked out some of my favorites so far that are pretty representative of what we got to experience last week.

Here's my little man showing off his muscles and asserting his place in the family :)

My middle child stealing my morning cup of tea and getting away with it in her usual fashion of just looking so durn cute as she does it :)

My eldest showing off his new found confidence in the water, thanks to his cousins and a new pair of water wings

Robby hanging with his older cousins and loving absolutely every second of it.

My grandfather with all of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren (with the exception of one son who was unable to travel for the event)

Me letting my inner animal out at the wildlife preserve and begging my cousins in the truck in front of me to feed me their skittles. (They didn't fall for it . . . can't imagine why)

Juliet being taken care of by my sweet cousin, who did an amazing job of helping out with all of the kids this weekend

My husband showing off his inner child in the pool, where we all spent large parts of the week (rotating between four different pools)

The First Few Days

2011-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Life is pretty crazy as we are learning and adjusting to being a family of five instead of four. Thankfully, we've had lots of great support from family over the past couple of weeks to help us through the transition. But, Lincoln is such a joy to have. He is already very busy asserting himself into the family and carving out his role in our lives. His brother and sister have done an amazing job of adjusting to the new arrival. They are both protective and concerned for the new baby, and each seek him out a couple of times a day just to check in and make sure that all is well. Here are a few pics of the family and the kids over the last 10 days:

This was taken right after arriving home from the hospital

Such a good and careful big brother

Right after his first bath. Lincoln does not enjoy the bath at this stage in his life.

Trying out some tummy time. He tolerates it in small doses.

Such a proud big brother and sister!

Such a cute pic. Not sure why it refuses to upload correctly :(

Lincoln is Here!

2011-06-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

After 4 days of nonproductive contractions and only about one hour of productive labor, baby Lincoln made his appearance last night at about 9:57 pm! He was 7 lb 11 oz and 20 inches long. He appears to be completely healthy, and of course we think he's totally adorable :). I can't wait for him to meet his big brother and sister today!

Visit to the Central Library

2011-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we decided to head into the "big city" to visit some our favorite haunts, including our favorite donut store for breakfast, then a trip to the downtown library, followed up by a picnic at the Botanic Gardens. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Both of my kids love to read, but somehow books at the library are never the main attraction. They are much more interested in any of the following:

--fish tank
--drinking fountain
--costumes
--Cody the enormous teddy bear
--the big wooden train

And, last but not least, the computers. Guess I can't blame them. The earphones are pretty rockin :)

The Big 3-0

2011-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

After months of wearing me down, Bryan finally convinced me to let him throw a 30th birthday party for me, as long as it was only family. The big event followed an amazing weekend of fellowship with friends and family, including Robby's first tee-ball game, a trip to the zoo, a neighborhood birthday party for a boy on our street, and lots of great food (both at home and out).

But, the culmination of the weekend was definitely the big party. We are so blessed to have such an amazing family who kept things lively and fun for the whole day:

Sweet Baby Henry--Newest Addition to the Family (. . . so far)

Abby is our youngest niece. She was a trooper to come despite an earache!

Collier the baller. Nuff said.

Lucy and Robby have been close playmates since they could walk.

Robby and Grandpa playing baseball. Robby got about five different pitchers in on the action before all was said and done.

Juliet loved borrowing SueSue's pretty earrings

Juliet also loved talking Pahpah into "sharing" the majority of his food with her

Layla and Justin made their first trip to our house

Jenna came despite still rehabilitating from her latest knee surgery

Michael and Ali spent the whole weekend with us. Their birthday present to me was to let me win several games over the weekend :)

The whole Harris clan

The Sloan clan that were able to come. We were sad to have three siblings and their families who were unable to attend, two because they were out of the country and one out of state.

Thanks again to everyone for coming out amd making it such a special day for me!

Nine Months

2011-05-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

Here is me 10 days to due date. My mom says that I don't look all that far along. My brother (pictured) says that I look as wide as I am tall.

You decide.

New Neighbors, New Friends

2011-05-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

The best part of our new home may just be our new friends. I don't have pics of them all, but here are just a few of the sweet memories we've already made.

So Big!!

2011-05-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to mark and chart the kids' growth from this point as we are brand new in our house to when the time comes from them to leave the house, whether because we move as a family or (hopefully) because the time has come for them to go to college.

This is My Husband. In Waders. In Our Front Yard.

2011-05-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

I knew that I married a country boy from small town Texas, but I've never really had the opportunity to see the country come out in him until we moved.

Instead of a lawn guy, I now have a lawn mower and weed eater and trimmer. What's rocked my world though is suddenly having a husband who takes great joy in the care and maintenance of our yard. Even if it requires him to don waders and go sloshing through our swamp creek.

I've got to admit, I find it kinda sexy ;)

As Promised--A Couple of Pics of the New House

2011-04-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

With the flood and other issues, I really only have pics of the outside of the house, but I promised to post some, so here you go :)

And It Begins . . . First of How Many Baseball Practices in Our Lives?

2011-04-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Robby is playing t-ball this year. While he is a bit younger than I had anticipated, all of his friends are on a team together, and he really wanted to play. So, we bit the bullet and signed him up. He had his first practice last week. It didn't go so well. He was too intimidated to participate, so instead of playing with his friends, he apparently just clung to his daddy.

So, this week, I decided to go too to serve as a cheering section. We also talked about it all week long, preparing him to go. He was super excited to go the first week, and then this week, he did not want to go at all. But, we went anyway, and it turned out great! While he was initially shy, he quickly warmed up and by the end of practice was actively participating in all of the different drills they were working on. He was on cloud nine the whole way home and can't wait for next week.

So, that leaves me with just one nagging question. ....what was I thinking??? Knowing how baseball seems to get into people's blood in a dramatic and irreversable way in my family, I may have just added the newest member of that group.

First attempt at running the bases--still very unsure

Playing catch with Daddy is really fun

He was the last hitter at practice. This hit was a really big one! Great way to end the practice for all :)

Stink Eye

2011-04-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

Juliet's favorite game in the car is to try to give me the stink eye. She's pretty good at it unless some jammin tunes come on!

Our Last Farewell

2011-04-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

We've been out of our home in Fort Worth for almost two weeks now. Here's a pic of our final farewell.

I promise to post pics of our new home just as soon as we take a break from unpacking and take some.

Choo Choo Ride Out of Town

2011-03-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

For the past week, we have spent as much time as possible out enjoying the fun things our city had to offer. There are many reasons for this, like the warm weather, but there are two primary reasons really:

1. For weeks our house has slowly been accumulating boxes and becoming less inhabitable by the day because

2. As of Wednesday we will officially no longer be Fort Worth residents. Our new tenants are moving into our house this weekend, and we are moving into the house we are buying in Aledo.

Of course, we will still be so close but not close enough for the spontaneous excursions that we enjoy now. I am so excited about our move and all of the benefits of living in Aledo. But I will miss being in the heart of the city that I love so much and that has been home for five years.

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!!

2011-03-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Saint Paddy's Day like checking out the garden center and starting to plan for spring planting! Thank goodness we have such great helpers.

The Thing About Shoes and Harris Women--Part 2

2011-03-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

The year is approximately 1987, and the heroine of this story is approximately 6. It is definitely the middle of winter, and the setting is at the foothill of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The little girl in question has developed at a tender age a strong love and affection for her shoes. In particular, she has an enduring attachment to a pair of maroon mary jane style dress shoes that her mother has deemed too small. When the mother declared the shoes too small, the mother also attempted to remove the shoes from her daughter's possession, either for trash or donation. The daughter was devastated, so eventually the mother offered a compromise. The little girl could keep the shoes, on the caveat that she understood that she was no longer allowed to wear them. If the little girl were to be caught wearing them, the shoes would be permanently taken from her. The little girl agreed to the bargain. Soon though, the shoes were crying out to her, demanding to be worn and declaring their vast superiority to any shoes that supposedly fit better.

Then, one day, the little girl saw her opportunity. Her mother had to go to work early, so the daddy was left in charge of getting the girl to school that day. The little girl was fairly confident that the daddy, as with so many daddies, would not be aware of the particular arrangement that the mommy and girl had made regarding these shoes. But, just to be safe, the shoes would be safely tucked in to the backpack as snowboots were the required attire to travel to and from school.

As the plan was laid out, the little girl was struck by a sudden sense of bold fearlessness and decided to take her daring to the next level. There was a particular boy at school, Hank, who was well known as the bad boy of the second grade. This boy had of late struck the little girl's fancy, and she felt that her standard pink snowboots were not the attire required to catch this young man's eye. No, what she needed were her little brother's much more daring black snowboots. After all, when Sandy in Grease decides to impress her guy, she merely has to change out of her pink and into her black clothes to suddenly become the epitome of cool. The black boots might be a little snug, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in the name of fashion.

So, the little girl donned her brother's boots, tucked her treasured shoes in her backpack, and declared herself ready to go to school. As anticipated, her daddy was entirely oblivious to the chosen footwear for the day, a stroke of luck that would never have been possible had her mommy been in charge this particular morning.

Whether or not the boy noticed the hip black boots is a fact lost to time. The school day soon passed, and the little girl boarded the bus to go to the house of the woman who watched the little brother during the day and the little girl for an hour or two after school until their mommy or daddy got off work and came to pick them up.

Another factoid lost to time is whether or not the little girl thought that her daddy was also picking her up from school or just did not plan far enough in advance to think about how to get home from school without getting caught in two pairs of shoes that she should explicitly not have been wearing. The punishment would certainly have included, amongst other things, the immediate and irrevocable loss of the beloved mary janes--not an acceptable option. Alas, it was her mommy who picked them up, and she was in a hurry because they were meeting friends for dinner that night--another unexpected hiccup.

The little girl devised an emergency backup plan on the spot and implemented it immediately. The plan consisted of hiding the shoes at the house where they were being kept. When the mommy got to the door to pick up the little girl and little boy, she naturally told them to put on their shoes as it was time to go. The girl mustered her most innocent look and explained to her mommy that she did not wear any shoes to school that day. When questioned, the babysitter was unable to provide solid evidence otherwise. This was well before the days of cell phones, so the daddy could not be questioned. After a few minutes of confusion and increasing anger on the mommy's part, the story was accepted.

They were going to have to go by the house to pick up shoes for the little girl, making them late for dinner. The mommy was very angry, though it was hard to tell if she was more angry at the daddy or the little girl. In the re-telling of this story, the mommy swears that her bad night was compounded when, on the way to the restaurant, a police officer pulled them over, seemingly to check on the children and make sure that they were okay because it was so apparent that the mother was extremely angry. While the little girl has no recollection of this particular aspect of the story, she does not doubt its veracity.

As a mother herself now, the little girl regrets the serious trouble that she got her father into that night, for alas he also was unable to verify that the little girl wore any shoes to school, though he felt sure that he would have noticed had she only been wearing her tights, as the girl was claiming.

The little girl did not fess up to her crime until many, many years later when the beloved shoes were long gone and the chances of retribution for her misdeeds were very slim.

She has not lost her love for a good pair of shoes.

The Thing About Shoes and Harris Women

2011-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

Last week when I picked Juliet up from school, she was barefoot and her shoes were in her cubby. The teacher told us that the shoes seemed to be hurting her feet, so they took them off. I was aware that they were on the small side, and I had purchased a couple of pairs of shoes for her the next size up. So, I sent her to school the next day in a pair of shoes (with her thickest socks) that were the exact same style (though different color of course!), just one size bigger. When I picked her up, she was barefoot. The shoes were too big. Since her birth, Juliet has been defying shoe makers by always having feet that fail to fit into any available shoe size.

So, I told Bryan that I had to get Juliet new shoes. Despite his strong protestations that a child only needs one or two pairs of shoes and that Juliet does not need any more (showing just how ill informed he is on that subject), the next day when we were at Target, I checked out the shoe aisle, and while I found nothing too exciting, I decided to pick up a pair of pink tennis shoes and then threw in some flip flops because they were cute and cheap. I went to find Bryan and the kids, and Juliet was the cart and was quite fussy. In an attempt to get out of the store before a meltdown hit, I showed her the new tennis shoes. She was immediately enamored, trying to put them on and giggling with glee. That is, until we had to take them from her to pay, at which point the hysterics threatened to rise immediately to the surface. But, she got the shoes back and was a happy camper again.

When we got home, she was ready for dinner, but we had to unload the groceries. Of course, she was moving straight back into fussy mode. I thought that the shoes would do the trick, but I didn't feel like going upstairs to get some socks, so I pulled out the flip flops, which she didn't see at the store. The giggling phenomenon was ten times worse. She was beyond giddy. Bryan walked in on her holding the shoes on the kitchen floor and just bubbling over with happiness. The dismay on his face was beyond priceless as you could see him coming to terms with the fact that like his wife and mother-in-law, his daughter at one already has a strong penchant for cute shoes.

Since then, Juliet has insisted on wearing her flip flops at all times when at home, though she happily is wearing her pink tennis shoes to school. The picture above was taken right after bath time. I had her in her pajamas and was working on getting Robby in his PJs when she came in holding her shoes and a bow and motioning with insistence that we finish getting her dressed.

The shoes are the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night. It's the closest thing either of my children have had to a lovey. I couldn't be prouder of her choice :)

Juliet's Winter Fashion Wear

2011-02-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Minda,

Thank you so much for my wonderful purple furry hats and mittens. They are my favorite accessories. Please note how well they go with my PJs especially. I do so love to dress up.

Tea Time at the Sloan Home

2011-02-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have a lifelong love of good old-fashioned unsweet tea. I love both iced tea and hot tea and enjoy black, white, and green tea in that order. I learned this love from my mother, and I have already passed it onto my children.

Robby, already the connoisseur, has more than once declared to me that white tea is his favorite, though that doesn't stop him from stealing large swigs of my Sonic iced tea whenever he gets the chance. Juliet also loves to take sips of my teas, though her preferences for types are less clear at this point.

I think that there are much worse vices that I could probably have passed on, though I seem to get less and less of my own drinks these days which is definitely a disturbing trend . . .

p.s. despite the lack of outfit or location change, these pics were taken on two different days.

My First Purchase for the Little Guy

2011-02-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

One can never start Christmas shopping too early right???

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Cowtown

2011-02-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

So, I have this habit of putting things on my stairs that need to go upstairs the next time I am headed that direction. Yesterday, I put Robby's super soaker water gun (why it was out, heaven only knows--maybe because we were on our third straight snow day) on the stairs to take up to his room while I was downstairs working and the kids were upstairs playing in Robby's room with Bryan. A few minutes later, I headed upstairs, but when I got there, the door was shut, most likely to prevent Juliet from wandering around and getting into untold mischief. I'm not sure what got into me, but I had this random idea to pretend to be a bad guy who was robbing them. (We've been talking a lot about cowboys because we are supposed to go to the rodeo tomorrow.) So, I quickly headed into our bathroom and got my accessories ready: a bright pink handkerchief leftover from college and Bryan's cowboy hat. I put the handkerchief over my nose and mouth, got my hat on, and headed to do the deed.

When I got to the door, I demanded all their money after announcing that I was a bad guy. The kids were more than delighted, and by some random chance, they had their nerf guns out and loaded up (really--this was pretty random as we don't play guns with any sort of regularity). But, I managed to get in, get the piggy bank, and get to my hideout (behind the big chair in our bedroom, of course). But, the good guys were soon hot on my tail. The bad news for me is that loaded nerf guns are far more effective than an empty super soaker, even if my gun was definitely the biggest one. I was done for in no time, and besides just taking my loot back, they stripped me of my gear. I have to say that it looks better on them anyway :)

House Full of Sickies

2011-01-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

All four of us managed to come down with the stomach bug at once last weekend. The below are about what all of last weekend looked like.

And, no, there will be no pictures of me as a sickie. That's the benefit of being the writer of this blog--editorial control :)

Picture This

2011-01-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have no actual pictures for the tale I'm going to tell, so you will just have to imagine it. Two nights ago, Bryan and I got Robby to bed around 8:30 and settled down to watch a movie. Within 5 minutes, we had to pause because Juliet was hysterically crying upstairs (a very unusual occurrence). So, we go to check on her only to find her covered in throw up. We got her bathed, changed, and changed her bedding. Then we did that twice more before retiring to bed at 1:00am. At 6:30, Juliet and I were back up starting the routine again, which we did until 2:00, when she went down for her afternoon nap.

Meanwhile, Robby went to school, and while Bryan was picking him up from school, he got a call from CSS for a showing from 6:30-7:30. We had less than two hours at this point to get our house clean, completely rid of the puke smell, and ready to show. We managed to pull it off in the nick of time despite also caring for a sick toddler and keeping our other toddler from leaving pockets of destruction wherever he went.

At 6:20, we are in the car and realize we need a game plan for the next hour. We haven't had time to feed the kids, so that is obviously the first priority, though Juliet was still really not eating as she was throwing up water just a few hours before. We take stock in the situation only to realize that it is the middle of winter, and we have one kid in shorts and a sweatshirt and the other in pajamas and a coat but no shoes. Besides the fact that we don't want to expose Juliet to anyone, obviously going out to eat is not an option at this point.

So, we go for Plan B, which is to head to Wendy's, get some food and go park our car close enough to the house to be able to see when the people come and go so we can get back into the house and get the kids down (Juliet's bedtime is 7:00pm). So, by 6:30, we are parked in our car with Juliet in my lap and Robby in Bryan's and Wendy's spread out between us. We decide Juliet is not getting any food because the idea of her puking in the car is a bit much. After five minutes of her whining, we give in and give her one fry. Then two. I think she got up to five before she was finally cut off.

We were embarrassingly naive about this whole situation, thinking that surely they would get there in the first half hour and that we would be in the house within 15 minutes of Juliet's bedtime. By 7:00, the kids were getting antsy, and frankly, so were we. The food was all gone at this point, and there was not much to do but watch for car lights and guess as to whether this car would be it. By 7:10, I'm predicting that they aren't going to show. By 7:15, Bryan and Robby are going for a walk around the block. 7:20, we are imagining the less than nice things we want to say to the realtor who schedules this showing and then no-shows.

Bryan wants to wait until 7:35, but I have to use the facilities something fierce by this point, and at 7:31, an argument comes very close to breaking out--and then, the lights of the two cars passing us slow down and stop at our house. We have one extremely tired and fussy baby and one toddler who has been cooped up in the car far too long, but at least the people showed up.

After 90 minutes of sitting in a parked car right by our house, we finally got to go back inside. Strangely though, it was something of a bonding experience. But, I promise that if we get another showing during evening hours our kids will be dressed and wearing shoes, and we will find a better diversion than sitting in our car.

It's A . . .

2011-01-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

This morning right before we went to our doctor’s appointment, we asked Robby if the doctor would tell us that he is going to have a baby brother or baby sister. Robby matter-of-factly told us that he was having a baby brother.

….Robby was right! :)

My Future Rockstar

2011-01-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Pigtails

2011-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

Today marks my second day to attempt to put Juliet's hair in pigtails for school. The first time (Monday), she apparently pulled one out in the car, and Bryan didn't know what to do. So he just took her in with a half ponytail on one side and hair down on the other. Her teacher decided to fix it by pulling her hair up on top. The result was classic Pebbles.

I can't help but melt at her in pigtails. But this morning I did see a glimpse of many mornings to come of a battle of hair fixing woes.

Spirit of Excellence Gala

2011-01-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

These pics aren't from the holidays, except that I got them while I was in Houston. But, I promised several people that once I got proof positive of my night with the president that I would post them. Just keep in mind when you look at the pics that I really am pregnant and don't just look that way.

Pesky

2010-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

On January 7, 1985 my parents gifted me with a very dubious present--a pesky little brother who would go on to spend years of his life pestering me while convincing our parents of his general awesomeness. They only see the fact that he is slightly taller than me (a foot is nothing in the grand scheme of things if you ask me) and slightly more athletic than me (the trophy case in my parent's house has exactly one trophy that does not boast of his glories, and I'm pretty sure that mine was one of those given to everyone who participated). Then, take into consideration the facts that he is not only younger than me but also male, and you cannot be surprised that he always got away with everything I didn't. Don't mention to me TVs in bedrooms because I've never gotten over him getting one when I was never, ever allowed to even consider that idea. Curfews are also a sore subject. ...10 years later....

Now, Curtis just finds new ways to pester me, like beating up my husband:

Buying my daughter Christmas presents with literally 17 twist ties that have to be individually undone in order to extricate the pieces from the box:

Teaching my son to sing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" and then to immediately become grossed out by the very idea:

Using my son as a basketball and attempting to throw him into the hoop after Aunt Jenna's ball game:

And, while there is no photographic evidence of the rest of this tragic tale, I can only promise its veracity--single handedly causing me to lose two consecutive games of Ticket to Ride followed by a dastardly and soul-crushing defeat in Royal Hearts.

Luckily, I managed to come back and own him in our last game of the season. Years from now, looking back on the Christmas season 2010, only one pertinent fact will remain: I came out on top. Where I belong, naturally ;)

My Favorite Kind of Christmas Wrapping

2010-12-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

Has a bow and adorns one of my favorite people on this Earth...

Robby's Attempt at Decorating for the Holidays

2010-12-12T14:49:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

My son drew a picture for me for Christmas . . . . all over the kitchen . . . . in permanent marker. Next year, could you let him know that a hug or even a half eaten cookie would be a better surprise?

I think I might need some therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at this point. So much for a laid back afternoon of watching some good football and maybe sneaking in a nap.

Ode to the DumDum

2010-12-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Dear DumDum,

I want to apologize to you for never appreciating your amazing qualities before. As a child and even up to very recently, if offered one of your kind I would turn up my nose and politely decline. Little did I know that at only 25 calories a pop and no fat that you actually have magical powers.

I had the good fortune to stumble onto your powers at Halloween when well intentioned people put you into my son's Elmo candy carrier. Then, I felicitously decided to offer you as a reward for good potty behavior on the day after Halloween. To my surprise and delight, my son was immediately enamored. Now that you are the regular treat on offer, we are more than one month accident free. A magical Christmas present to be sure. I promise to never underestimate your goodness again.

Points for Creativity

2010-12-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

So, as many of you know, we have been trying to sell our house for over six months now. Obviously, it is not the greatest time, but well, we need some more space--especially once June hits. This weekend, we had a second showing on the house, and we could not help but let our hopes get up just a bit.

Today though, we got the feedback. Great location! Great curb appeal! Clients love the living room and dining room area. However, my clients are very tall, and they just don't feel that the layout of the house will work for them as a result.

Too tall. There you go. So, if you know of any shorties who are looking for a great house in a great location for a great price in Fort Worth, send them our way. But, if your friends who are house hunting are tall, please let them know that our house may just not be the one for them.

This has been a public service announcement courtesy of Hobbits Unlimited.

Very Christmassy

2010-12-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Juliet loves to put on her reindeer antler headband and then to walk to the nearest adult for the inevitable coos of how cute she is.

And I always comply. I mean, look at her.

A Tiny Thing to be Thankful For

2010-11-29T13:33:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd post about something for which I'm super grateful. It's been 12 longs weeks but my strict "no caffeine" regimen has been lightened in favor of a light caffeine rule. So, my iced tea breaks are back, even if not for every day. Oh Sonic, how I missed ye.

... of course, that is not the only tiny thing we are grateful for this season :)

Family Portrait, redux

Golf is a, uh, .... Wonderous Sport?

2010-11-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

We recently went to Academy to do some early (ish) Christmas shopping. The plan was basically that the boys would play around on the little practice putting green while Juliet and I did the more civilized shopping . . . like in the children's shoe section . . . or the outdoor cooking section . . . or the pretty much anywhere but the golf section.

Yet, somehow, there we all four were while Juliet and Robby battled for ground on the green, each sure that his/her golf ventures were more crucial than the other's. My attempts to lure Juliet off the putting green were entirely unsuccessful, and the final whisking away involved real tears (just hers, though I don't think a few tears on my part would have been wholly unjustified...)

I have heard all of the great benefits of golf. Trust me, golf runs thickly in the veins of both sides of the family. But, when I think of being a golf mom, all I can picture is my mother walking 36 holes in both pouring rain and scorching heat without being able to really talk to anyone or getting breaks to eat. No thank you. I am resigned to having one golfer in the family. But, two? That is just cruel.

I have hatched plans already to prevent any further interest on my daughter's part for this strangely alluring sport. My plans include new clothes, new toys, a later bedtime, access to sweets.....in short--whatever it takes.

Though, now that I think about it, maybe my real plan should be highly encouraging her to take up golf. It seems to me that even at the tender age of one, she has figured out that if Mommy thinks it is okay to play with, there is probably something more fun to be had somewhere. Of course, golf clubs are just destructive enough that she might figure out that they are actually a great thing to get her hands on after all.

Why am I starting to feel like I am already sunk on this one?????

Proud

2010-11-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is a picture from the Tarleton women's basketball game tonight. The amazing woman shooting the free throw is my sister-in-law Jenna, wife of my very lucky brother. In the span of less than a year, she has faced ACL surgery, multiple bloodclots that arose as a complication from that surgery, long recovery and lots of hardwork to overcome the effects of both of those, and most recently, a foot injury.

Yet, there she is, out on the court being a superstar. She never gave up on her dream, and she worked incredibly hard to get there. We are so proud.

The Boys Club

2010-11-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

I have been aware since I was a little girl of the existence of a phenomenon that I have come to call the Boys Club. While this is not a physical, card carrying, dues paying organization, it is very much a living and active organization.

To find proof of this organization, simply observe any two males who are in the proximity of one another. Often, these males are immediately drawn to one another simply due to their gender. They not only bond over the pure fact that they are both male, they revel in proving their manliness to one another through an extremely wide variety of activities that expand and broaden as they grow older, but it doesn't seem to change entirely. The other option is competitive facing off, but that is the stuff of another post.

When Robby was born, Bryan and his brothers would collectively hold Robby while softly (for them) chanting, "Boys! Boys! Boys! Boys!" I thought that this was cute--a playful gesture. Little did I realize that it was actually an iniation process into the club, which I have now learned is something that boys are aware of from birth. I don't think I was quite prepared for this.

I am constantly amazed at how Robby identifies himself so proudly as a boy. If he sees a pair of pink converse shoes, he is quick to point out that he can't wear them because he is a boy. If Juliet tries to play with his toys, he sometimes tells her that she can't, citing that it is because she is a girl (or a baby, or both, but you get the point).

If we can't convince Robby to get dressed in long pants or a long sleeved shirt, despite the need due to the weather, (for some reason, Robby strongly prefers shorts and short sleeved shirts--and short socks come to that) Bryan can simply go put on something similar, and then Robby will want to wear it too. Because they are boys, and those are the clothes that boys wear.

Which leads me to the problem of belts. Because Bryan is so skinny, he needs a belt all the time. But, Robby doesn't have a belt. So, he gets upset because he is not dressed enough like Daddy. So, Daddy ends up going without a belt. Santa, if you are reading this, can you bring Robby a nice belt for Christmas so that his daddy won't run the constant risk of losing his drawers in public?

(both are wearing grey baseball shirts, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes...no belt)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:29:00.001-07:00

This year Halloween was really fun because they were both old enough to dress up, and Robby was definitely big enough to get in the spirit of things. We got to go trick-or-treating twice--once with the school on Friday morning and once this evening at our church.

Here are some pics from the events:

(We totally bribed him with a piece of candy to get him to smile for this one :)

Not all ballerinas can suck their thumb and perform their moves at the same time.

Robby was thrilled to get to trick-or-treat with Aiden. This was their first year not to have matching costumes, though we moms never actually planned it the first three years.

Robby and Brodie are ready to take this joint for all the candy they can get!

If I play my cards right, that banana will be mine!

And a Happy Halloween it was :)

A Real Texan Now!?

2010-10-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

I moved to Texas in 1990 at the ripe age of 9 after being born and raised in Fort Collins, CO. My dad is a born and bred Texan, and even though my mom didn't grow up in Texas, she was born here and graduated from high school here. So, I consider myself to be of Texan heritage. After 20 years here, after marrying a Texan, and after giving birth to two Texan babies, I think I have the right to call myself a true Texan.

But, there was a missing key ingredient. After years of trying to figure out the missing link, I finally hit upon it. How can I be a true Texas girl if I've never owned a pair of cowboy boots? (And, no, the red lace up ropers from 5th grade DEFINITELY don't count.). Last week though, my sweet husband bought me my very first (and let's be straight here--very likely my only) pair of boots.

So, here I am. 29 and finally a true Texan. What a good day. Let's hope the Rangers do me proud.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

2010-10-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

We have a very set nighttime routine with Robby in terms of getting ready for bed. The routine is as follows, with very rare deviations:

1. Mommy/Daddy announce that it is time to start getting ready for bed.

2. Robby suddenly remembers 14 or 15 urgent tasks that must be completed before bedtime preparations can begin. Much bargaining ensues.

3. PJ/teeth brushing time

4. Last minute wrestling and/or chase games are held between Robby and Daddy

5. One last potty break

6. Story time. Always a Curious George book, though we do vary on which one will be chosen

7. Prayer time and song time. Robby normally requests a minimum of five songs. We bargain this down to three. The following three songs are always chosen of late and in this exact order:

A. Jesus Loves Me --the standard

B. Jesus Loves the Little Children --a true classic

C. Life is a Highway (as prominently featured in Cars) -- recently featured in Parents magazine as one of the top lullabies of all time. .....or not.

Happy 1st Birthday Juliet!!

2010-10-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Juliet, you have finally made it. You are officially one year old. This year has been a huge blessing, and I cannot tell you how happy you have made us.

I love you so much.

I love your beautiful smile more than I love my first cup of hot tea in the morning.

I love your sweet snuggles more than I love homemade chocolate chip cookies OR brownies.

I love your infectious laugh more than I love sleeping in as late as I want.

I love your slightly mischevious nature more than I love shopping for a new pair of shoes.

I love your inquisitive personality more than I love curling up with a good book.

I love your modest drama queen tendencies more than I love watching Grey's Anatomy.

I love your wonderful (and not picky!) appetite more than I love even the best Mexican food.

I love your tenacity more than I love solving even the hardest word puzzle.

I love your warm greetings more than I love getting long emails or real mail.

And, it's not just me. You have made our family more complete. Daddy and Robby both love you so much also. We can't wait to see how you will grow over the next year!

Like Father, Like Son

2010-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Recent breakfast conversation with Bryan:

Bryan: The key to successful entrepreneurship is finding a product or service that you can offer that costs you less than what other people are willing to pay.

Amy: Mmmm hmmmm. What's amazing is your ability to find those things.

Bryan: Are you kidding me? It's simple--you just always have to be on the look out and to be ready to jump on ideas when you have them. Of course, it's always very important to carefully research the idea and put facts and figures on paper before you start something.

Amy: Oh, completely. Yeah. Man, this Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit is awesome.

Bryan: I guess. Sometimes eating is such a chore though.

Amy simply makes a face that is a mixture of disbelief and resignation.

-- End scene --

Recent dinner experience with Robby:

Mommy: Robby, you simply have to eat something. Food is what gives us energy and helps us to grow big. And, pizza is yummy.

Robby: Noooooooo. I don't want to.

Mommy: Just a few bites. You got to make the pizza all by yourself. So fun!

Robby: I don't wanna eat.

Before Mommy knows it, Robby has sprinted from the table and comes back with a calculator and proceeds to just crunch some numbers. While she doesn't read three year old writing very well, she's pretty sure it's a basic workup of the numbers for Robby's first venture--a pizza stand at the daycare.

Robby, thinking to himself: Let's see, average food haul per day would be one poptart, three pizzas, and six chicken nuggets.... that should be good for at least three or four glasses of milk, a dump truck, and some sweet markers. Now, I just have to figure out how to smuggle the food into school without the parentals noticing that I'm not eating it.

A Family Portrait

2010-10-05T17:45:00.001-07:00

How I Managed to Fight the Rainy Day Blues

2010-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

1. Lunch at Chick-fil-a complete with romping time in the play area and a milkshake shared with Daddy. Check.

2. Special adventure with Mommy and tah to see Curious George Live. Check.

3. Skipping nap as unnecessary waste of daylight hours. Check.

4. Sweet rain boots. Check

5. Capture and successful commandeering of mom's new umbrella. Check

6. Making Mommy's heart work overtime due to the mixture of pride, love, and fierce protectiveness at the sight of my independence and grown up behavior. Check.

It's Fall . . . Right?

2010-09-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

My thermometer may give no indication of it being fall, but my kitchen says otherwise. Last weekend we made our first batch of chili for the season, and tonight we are ushering in this marvelous time of year with our favorite homemade pumpkin pie. Mmmmmmm. My tummy is glad that fall is here even if my pants aren't. :)

Things You Never Thought You'd Say

2010-09-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

From the Sloan Files of Things We Never Thought We'd Say:

"Don't rub it in sweetie. It's not lotion . . . It's tomato sauce."

Happy Birthday . . . er, Happy 11 Months Juliet!

2010-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

This month marks my last month of celebrating Juliet's monthly milestones rather than her yearly ones. She turned 11 months old last week. So, naturally, we had her 1st birthday party last Saturday. What?? The girl is advanced; that's all I can say.

Actually, we had her baby dedication at our church this Saturday, so we just decided to have one big bash. It was an extremely special day. My maternal grandmother flew in from California for the occasion, and it was her first time to meet Juliet, which was so wonderful. We had great representation of family from both sides, and it meant the world to us everyone who was able for the tea party and then the service afterwards.

Getting the stage set

The tea party spread

Birthday cake, petit fours, blueberry scones, and the awesome flowers my grandmother arranged

The birthday girl makes her grand entrance

My favorite pic from the photo session with Nana

Outfit change 1: down to diaper for the cake! She just dug her face right in and stuck with it for at least 15 straight seconds. It was awesome!

Sharing her goods with Daddy

Opening presents is so fun!

Robby scored a couple of presents himself :)

We have now made it to the dedication service. Our pastor is praying for the family. As you can see, both children were really attuned to the prayer.

The whole family! What a blessing to have such wonderful support as we raise our children.

Hamming it up for Nana's camera!

You Know It's Time to Call it a Night When

2010-09-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

the following two things occur simultaneously:

1. You spend over 20 minutes looking for the lid to the Greek yogurt, which involves multiple rummages through the trashes and scouring both the garage and fridge before realizing that the peel-off foil you trashed was the only the lid that came with the yogurt after all.

2. You realize that the strange sound you have been listening to throughout the entire hunt for the nonexistent lid is your cat who has locked himself in your childproofed kitchen cupboard for who knows how long.

Yup, folks, bedtime it is for this tired lady.

For Robby - A Happy Birthday Tale

2010-08-31T10:46:00.001-07:00

One of the greatest blessings for me this year has been to see Robby blossom into someone who loves books and loves to read. So, for his third birthday post, I decided to write him a story about my favorite little boy in the whole world.

On the day God made Robby, he was so tiny that God decided to give him a very safe and warm place where he could begin to grow. The place God put him was in Mommy's tummy!

Robby liked it there very much. He liked it so much that when it was time for him to leave Mommy's tummy and to move into Mommy and Daddy's house, he decided that he did not want to leave. Mommy had a doctor come help her, and after many hours, they were able to convince Robby to be born.

Here is a picture of what Robby looked like right after he was first born!

Once Robby was born, he came to live at his mommy and daddy's house where he had a room and bed of his own. At first he was so little that he spent every day just eating and sleeping. He was so little that he could not walk or talk or even sit up by himself!

But, the milk that Robby was drinking helped him to begin to grow and get bigger. By the time Robby had his first birthday, he had learned to sit up, to stand up, to walk, and even to say a few words. He was still pretty little though.

After Robby turned one he started changing from a baby to a little boy. Each day he amazed his mommy and daddy with all the new things he learned how to do.

Robby started eating the same foods as Mommy and Daddy and started drinking milk in a big boy cup. He learned how to run really fast and jump really high. He learned how to golf and how to climb all over the jungle gym at the park. He started playing with choo choo trains and learned that he loved the movie Cars.

Before he knew it, a whole year had passed, and Robby got to celebrate his second birthday!

The biggest thing that happened the year after Robby turned two was that he became a big brother. Just a couple months after Robby turned two, Mommy and Daddy brought home a little sister for Robby. They named her Juliet. Robby is a very good big brother, and he does a great job helping to take care of Juliet.

Robby continued to grow and become an even bigger boy after he turned two. He learned how to use the potty and stopped having to wear diapers. He also got to start sleeping in a big boy bed instead of the crib he slept in when he was little.

While Robby continues to like Cars and trains and playing golf and playing at the park, he added some new favorites to his life as well. Robby learned to love Curious George and swimming and Toy Story.

Time flies when hanging out with Robby, and it's crazy, but he has now had a whole year pass since his second birthday. Now Robby is three. We can't wait to see how Robby continues to grow and get bigger this year. Before we know it, Robby will turn four and will able to run even faster and jump even higher.

I am so glad that I get to be Robby's mommy because he is my favorite little boy in the whole world.

Juliet's Favorite Things

2010-08-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

In honor of my 10 month old sunshine girl who is always happy, a little ditty that pretty much encapsulates her outlook on life: (If you need me to tell you the tune to sing it to, I am going to be disappointed in you ;)

Pulling on cords and chasing the kitty. Eating blueberries and being so pretty. Playing with Robby on the playground swing, these are a few of my favorite things.

Smiling at Daddy and laughing with Robby. Grabbing at Robby's toys is my new hobby. Waking up happy at what each day brings, these are a few of my favorite things.

Bouncing and snuggling and drinking my bottle. Cruising throughout the house going full throttle. Listening to Mommy tell stories and sing, these are a few of my favorite things.

When I fall down, when I lose my toy, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad :)

Juliet turned 10 months old on our 7 year anniversary. I feel less bad about how long it took me to get this up considering that we haven't made it to our anniversary dinner yet either :)

I Need New Mascara

2010-08-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

(This picture was taken this morning prior to the events outlined below. P.S. Grammy--he loves the shirt and even let me take this picture to show you how good it looks on him)

So, today I figured out how to knock two things off my to-do list in one shot: I would continue my trend of cooking something new at least once a week and make sure Robby got to celebrate his birthday in style at school this week by making homemade cupcakes for him to take to school tomorrow. As I lay in bed last night sleepless from jet lag, I even came up with this (slightly unoriginal) concept:

....no not just a bunch of cupcakes. Squint your eyes and let your creative juices flow. Then, you will clearly see that it is a caterpillar. --You could tell. I knew you had a discerning eye, my friend.

Anyway, the point of this is that while I was hard at working making this culinary delight, my children were upstairs for their daily nap. Unfortunately. . . only the one who is actually unable to get out of bed without help was in her bed.

The other had stealthily made his way to my bathroom, where his inquiring mind stumbled upon my makeup bag. What is a little boy to do with a whole bagful of makeup and no grownup around? Well, let's see:

1. dump it all out on the bathmat
2. open up the various containers and deposit the contents in a pile on the floor and mix around to see what color is created.
3. use the wands from one item to the next so that concealer becomes black and mascara pink.
4. attempt to save the parentals loads of money by experimenting to see if enough mascara applied to the hair will allow a glimpse of what you might look like with black hair (the verdict--we will stick with the more natural tones for the foreseeable future).

Needless to say that once he was discovered he was in BIG TROUBLE both for getting out of bed during nap time and playing with Mommy's stuff that he is not supposed to touch. But, after the punishment time had ended and the bath was administered, he was allowed to come downstairs and test out one of the cupcakes.

I only felt slightly guilty when I snuck the last couple of bites of the cupcake when he went to go to the bathroom considering that I am now out of concealer, blush, and mascara. I only felt slightly guiltier at allowing the poor kitchen fly to be blamed for the missing cupcake upon his return from the bathroom.

I Have Issues

2010-08-12T21:54:00.001-07:00

The pictures above were taken right before I left this morning to fly to Phoenix for a work conference that starts tomorrow. Upon arrival this afternoon, I found that I had the whole afternoon/evening to myself. So, I did what any self-respecting mother would do. I went shoe shopping and then went to a movie. Of the movies that are out, the ones I really wanted to see were all something that I knew my hubby wants to see too, so I ended up picking a rather strange indy film about two mothers whose teenage children decided to find their biological donor father.

I have to admit that I found little in the movie that I related to until the end. The last scene is a farewell scene as the two moms drop their daughter off at college to start her freshman year. I teared up then, and I am tearing up now (I kid you not).

I get that the goal of parenting is to see your children grow up, leave the nest, and go be successful as adults. In my head, I get it. But, right now that feels like someone telling me that in 15 short years I have to hand my leg over so that it can learn to be independent. If not my leg, then definitely my heart. How am I supposed to just take my babies, plop them in a dorm room, and walk away?

Yes, I know, I know. I have many years to prepare for this eventuality. And, yes, I know that by the time this happens I will have lived through the teenage years. But, like I said. I have issues. Now apparently is as good a time as any to start stressing about this goodbye. It's like what Sally says in When Harry Met Sally.

Sally: "And, I'm gonna be 40."

Harry:"When?" Sally: "Someday."

Harry, "In 8 years."

Sally: "But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end."

So, me? I'm gonna go start thinking about how to work out my issues. And you? If you haven't seen When Harry Met Sally, that's what you need to do.

Making Memories

2010-08-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

Robby started telling us over the weekend that he wanted to play a game with us. We checked it out and figured out that the only game we really had for children is Elefun, which we played and Robby loves. But, it gets tedious after a while for the grownups because you have to keep reloading the elephant every couple of minutes.

So, when we went to Target last night, we checked out the game section and found three classics for $7 bucks each--Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Memory. Of course, such a deal could not be resisted. We talked up Memory the whole way home, and then we got home and started teaching Robby how to play.

We were surprised at how well he picked up on the concept and how well he could remember where cards were. But, I had not really thought before about all the other elements that we need to teach Robby about playing games, like...waiting your turn, only turning over the set number of cards, being patient, . . . trying to beat the competition.

Bryan and I consider the instruction of our children to be one of the most greatest roles in our lives, and we know that modeling behavior is one of the best ways to teach our children. So, it was in the spirit of instruction that we played three straight games, only one of which had Robby as a participant.

The other two fiercely competitve matches (what? Robby wanted to watch and not play so he could better learn. He takes learning very seriously!) were played solely to provide some teachable moments. For example, when I stomped off after getting soundly beaten and pouted downstairs about the loss, I was teaching Robby what a poor loser does and why it should be avoided. When Bryan and I respectively gloated and lorded our superior memory skills over the other, we were teaching Robby why it is so much more fun to play with a gracious winner. The match that was played after Robby went to bed was a strategy session. Eh? You think that Bryan and I would continue to play a game aimed at preschoolers simply for the opportunity to best one another? Definitely not. I wouldn't even describe us as competitive, really.

These are hard lessons to teach a kid, but someone's gotta do it.

Cindarella or Step Sister?

2010-07-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I have a tina diva of a daughter already. You think not, do you? Well, let me present two pieces of evidence here:

1. Titled: "Gimme, Gimme--I'm the Fairest of them All."

2. Titled: "Of COURSE My Sunday School Teacher Told You that I Get the Cute Shoes of the Day Award"

Sick Day

2010-07-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, both of our children got sick pretty much simultaneously. I worked the first part of the morning, so Bryan was in charge. Here is a comparative study of the difference between the sick day when Mommy's in charge and the sick day when Daddy's at the helm:

Daddy starts the day off with a quick "errand" that he had to run to pick up something from storage. Half an hour later I call to tell him that Juliet has started throwing up and I have to go pick her up from school (we thought only Robby as sick at first). When I ask where they are, I get only evasive answers. Then, these picks show up in my email...

At this point, they have made it home and Mommy is now in charge.

I'm not sure what to make of this stark difference, but I am just sure that there is a profound revelation about parenting and the differences in our roles somewhere in this day.

For the Yearbook File...

2010-07-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

I was having a kind of hard day today, and then tonight I came across this picture that I had never seen on Bryan's phone. Suddenly, I'm feeling much better. Seriously--this kid is awesome.

True story--I've got him going around with my old iPhone saying, "Tutoring, this is Bryan!" in the exact same tone that we are constantly hearing from Big B himself. It never gets old :)

Oceanfront Property in Arizona

2010-07-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have been hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Suckered by false promises. Look at that neat organization system. Lids within lids! Compartments! Bright colors! That lunch says to me--baby mayhem has been contained. Wrangled in. Handled. I have my cheese cubes in a separate tray from the turkey cubes, and both are separate containers from the strawberry pieces. The crackers are in a fancy container that allows little hands to go in and grab but prevents crackers from falling out otherwise.

False. Lies, I tell you, lies! I took that container and shook it upside down as hard as I could and nothing came out but a few crumbs. I'm not gonna lie. I felt impressed. I felt like the master of my domain--a mother who has finally come into her own. Then, Robby looked up from Disaster Zone 4 (also known as his place at the dinner table) and announced that he needed a cracker. Bryan gamely handed him the container. I think it took all of 5.7 seconds for him to figure out how to dump a substantial amount of crackers on the floor without removing the lid. The container is not toddler proof--it's parent proof.

Tomorrow when Juliet sits down to eat her lunch, how long will it take her to destroy the order that I have commanded with her lunch? Well, just about as long as it takes me to get the 15 lids off I would guess. :)

A Daughter's Plea

2010-07-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Mommy,

I am now 9 months old, and I think it is time that we have our first serious mother-daughter heart to heart. I have to tell you something that you are not going to like. You might not even believe me at first, but I think that once I reveal the various pieces of evidence, you will have to accept the truth.

Gosh, this is harder to say than I thought it would be.....okay, here goes. Mommy, I do not feel that I should be labelled or treated as a baby any longer. I am going to show you that I am at least as grown up as my brother, and perhaps even more mature in many ways.

First, I now have my own toothbrush, and unlike my brother I actually love to brush my three teeth. In fact, my toothbrush is my accessory of choice most of the time. I even brush at the grocery store when the option affords it.

This leads to my second point, which is that I am now eating table foods just like everyone else. Sure my ham bits and cheese cubes seem to litter the floor more than make their way into my stomach, but that's not the point! The point is that I don't eat baby food nearly as often any more. So, I must not really be a baby after all. And, I am at least as capable as Robby of making a very good sized mess with a relatively small amount of food.

I also have a sippy cup of my very own that I am learning to use, and when I do use a bottle I finally hold it myself without your assistance.

I am also standing without assistance for good stretches of time and cruising along the furniture very quickly, which allows me to find and procure many items of interest that you seem to feel I am not grown up enough to chew on. Please, mommy, just let me chew on the wipes, the cat hair, the electric cords, Robby's shoe. I know what I am doing, and I consider these exercises crucial to my daily happiness.

I have very sophisticated taste in books. My brother might still like Curious George, but I have moved right into the more complex world of Shel Silverstein (oh the tears I have shed over the cruel fate of the lovelorn Giving Tree!)

Now, I have presented my case. I believe that the evidence speaks for itself. As such, it might be a good time for you and Daddy to discuss an allowance. Just think about it.

Etiquette Lessons Part 2 of 2

2010-07-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

For Robby a big part of the etiquette that he is learning right now is how to drink out of big boy cups. My assistant etiquette instructor performed this particular lesson. As you can see, Robby really is a natural. My children are well on their way to being prepared for any formal dining situation, if I do say so myself.

Etiquette Lessons Part 1 of 2

2010-07-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe in teaching my children good manners. Knowing how to be ladylike while sitting at a table can really make a good impression. Though she is only 9 months old, I think this video really illustrates how quickly Juliet is learning these important skills.

Joy Ride

2010-07-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, today we went to the Farmer's Market to get some fresh fruit and veggies. Then, on the way home Robby and Juliet were laughing like a pack of wild hyenas in the backseat. We were unsure what the cause was, but that is nothing unusual--they often laugh together without us being in on the joke.

When we got home, I guess you could say we caught them red-handed. And, boy was Juliet red in the face.

Apparently, Robby decided to share one of his strawberries with his sister. Apparently, she likes strawberries.

Cleanup on Aisle 4 anyone?

My Legacy?

2010-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Bryan recently read this book that studied the traits of people who later became great in life. One of the biggest factors was simply the time spent doing the activity that the person went on to master. There is a certain number of hours that the book claims all people will have spent practicing before becoming a master at his/her art/sport/trade, etc. I cannot remember what it is exactly, but it is in the tens of thousands.

While reading the book, Bryan did some calculations and figured out that there is one person in this household who should be a master at a particular activity based on the number of hours spent engaged in the activity. Yup, the person is me. Any guesses as to the activity? If you guessed reading, go give yourself an extra cookie from the kitchen as your prize for being right. While you are at it, send another one my way :).

I am a reader. I read almost every day, and sometimes for hours at a time. I have been known to pop out my book in inappropriate situations (like in the middle of class or church). I have an unusual penchant for reading on my bathmat at 2:00am so as not to wake my husband. I have 40 shelves of books and many, many more under my belt that were not saved.

Yet, at first, this realization depressed me a little bit. So I read alot. Big deal. It's not going to make the world a better place. It's not going to leave a lasting imprint on the world. It's not even going to earn me millions and let me retire at a young age. So, it felt like kind of a waste.

But then, Robby suddenly hit a stage where he is less interested in a book for the pictures and more for the story. He wants to read the same story over and over, and if you get it wrong, he lets you know right away. He takes a book to bed at night, and happily tucks in to re-devour the pages.

And, it has made me remember once again the pure bliss of engaging in a story and allowing my imagination to take over. There is little in this world that I would rather be doing than sitting with my children in my lap and a good book in my hands.

My children have a strong legacy of readers on both sides of the family, and I am so happy that they are also getting to experience the pleasure of reading stories to my children and helping them to discover the adventures that I once discovered as a little girl myself.

Recent Computer Troubles

2010-06-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

While we both primarily work off our laptops these days, we do have an old desktop from our Knoxville days that still takes up residence in our little used office. In our ongoing attempts to sell our house, we have cleaned out much of our old junk, and we recently decided to assess whether or not to sell the computer. So, we called a local computer company who agreed to send out a technican.

Upon arrival, I admit to being surprised at who they sent both because of her relatively young age, and, honestly, her gender. I suppose I am antiquated in my thinking of men as computer technicians though. I have to say that I was impressed as she quickly cut past the greetings to get right to work.

She spent quite a bit of time just looking the computer over. From what I could tell, she was fairly sure of the grim prognosis from the first few minutes.

But, she did have several tests she wanted to run before discussing her diagnosis.

Then, she ran a few more tests just to be sure (she is nothing if not thorough).

After the decisive banging on the top of the machine method was a failure, she was left with only one option. A laying on of hands.

But, to no avail, she had to deliver the sad news. Our machine appears to have said its last goodbyes and is now nothing more than a prop in our underused office.

Curious George Indeed

2010-06-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, Robby has developed a passion for Curious George. This started with a recent trip to Barnes and Noble where he eschewed the trains for reading with Mommy (much to Mommy's delight!). We read Curious George Visits the Fire Station, and he was hooked.

Now, when I was pregnant with Robby, I got a hankering early on to start buying baby stuff, but I had not had any showers yet, so I knew enough to wait to see what I would get. So, instead, we started scavenging for cheap children's classic books. We went to used book stores, book sales, and garage sales. As a result, we have many older Curious George books. Over the last few days, we have read them all.

I remember George very fondly from my childhood, but these books had some big surprises in them for me. Such as:

1. In the first Curious George book, the Man with the Yellow Hat smokes a pipe (not entirely shocking)

2. But then, he teaches George to smoke a pipe before bedtime (and this is not one of the naughty things George is guilty of!)

3. In the book two characters are described as the thin man and the fat man (I can't imagine that in today's politically correct world)

4. This one, to me, is the most shocking. In a book from 1985 called Curious George Visits the Zoo, there is a page of people having picnics, and front and center is a dad lounging on a blanket clearly smoking a cigarette.

I am just really unsure of what to make of this development. When Robby asks me what the daddy is doing, will I

a. Tell the truth and use it as a teachable opportunity

b. Go for an evasion tactic and continue to pretend to not see or not know what is going on

c. Tell a white lie

Only time will tell I guess. In the meantime, I have Netflixed the Will Ferrell film. Here's to hoping that the delinquent side of Curious George is left on the sidelines for that one.

My Mister

2010-06-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

I remember a conversation with a friend a few years back when the friend told me that her husband had accepted a telecommuting job that would allow him to work from home. My friend is a stay-at-home mother with two children. While I ooohed and aaahed over what a wonderful development that was, in the back of my mind I was thinking two things:

1. She is crazy to think that this will work
2. My marriage would never survive that kind of arrangement

I did not consider this assessment to be the result of a bad relationship with my husband--on the contrary. I just thought that too much time together would drive us both batty.

Fastforward a little over a year, and suddenly my hubby and I found ourselves in almost the exact same situation, except that I was telecommuting too. The first few months were definitely an adjustment. There were new lines to be drawn and new territory to be staked out. The proceedings were not always jocular.

But, now a year later, we have transitioned into a pattern that we both have found works for us. And the best part is that he still has the power to surprise and delight me. Like when he got on Amazon to look through the list of recent bestsellers just to see if there was anything on there I might like and then ordered me a handful of books without mentioning a word until they arrived at my doorstep. Like taking me to Winslow's cafe on the spur of the moment for no special occasion at all. Like watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy with me even though he really isn't that big of a fan of the show.

This weekend we celebrate Father's Day, and to be sure my mister is a great father. Truly. But, right now, what I most want to celebrate is his husbandness (blah, blah, blah, that's not a word. It's the essence I'm going for here people). Because in that category too he is great.

**Sweetie, I am not sure how often you check this blog (do you? check this blog I mean?), but if you are reading this, ILY and MB.**

Letters to Juliet (or Happy 8 Months)

2010-06-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Juliet,

I want you to know that I am so proud of all that you accomplished this month. You got your first tooth, which means that you now get Cheerios as a snack. I am amazed at your ability to strew them across a 15 foot spread of the floor from your perch in your high chair. Your booby traps are always well placed, and I never see them until one of us makes that distinctive crunching sound as we walk. It is amazing how many crumbs one tiny Cheerio can produce, and I never would have known that fact without you.

I am so proud of your ability to both sit yourself up and pull yourself up at will. These are the first steps to true mobility. You are so cute as you stand up in your crib and squawk love screeches to us at 5:00 something in the morning. We only hover under the covers feigning deafness for those first fifteen minutes to give you the opportunity to practice your speeches. Of course it is not because we are desperately hoping you might decide to go back to sleep.

You are ever-ready with a smile and a laugh. You love so much to laugh with your brother. The teachers at school all coo over you constantly in order to be rewarded with your smiles. If asked, I would definitely not say that I lie awake at night worrying that your winning smile will lead your father to give you just about everything you ask for. I am sure not worried based on the conversation that I overheard recently where he was promising you any car you want on your 16th birthday. He was talking about barbie cars right??

This month you began to clap and wave bye bye. I looked this up on the baby milestones, and these fall into the category of the most advanced skills babies usually achieve at your age. I think that my letter to Mensa notifying them of your skills is not misjudged at this point. I think the bit about your ability to crawl will really impress the admissions committee. In fact, I probably need to get you a few new dresses today and obviously some additional bows and shoes just to prepare for the ceremony that I am sure will be held. And, speaking of bows, I bought you about 25 on my recent trip to Canton. So, now we just need you to grow some hair so that I have a legitimate explanation to justify this purchase to your daddy.

Each day with you brings more delights, and we all could not love you more.

So proud (and so tired!)

I love you,
Mommy

The Big Game

2010-06-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Most people who read this blog will know that I come from a family of weirdos, that is to say, huge baseball fans. When I tell people that, I am pretty sure they don't get it. I am not saying that my family (and, really by this I mean mostly my mom) just like baseball. They want to marry baseball. Baseball and the Harris' sitting in a tree.

Skeptical are you?

Exhibit A: they go on baseball themed trips every year, usually more than once. This year they were so desperate to see spring training that they actually rode a greyhound for two straight days to get there.

Exhibit B: My mother has been known to sit in her car in the garage for long stretches of time (in the summer in Texas!) just to listen to the game on satellite radio

Exhibit C: My parents built a baseball field in the backyard that is fully stocked with stands, a batting cage, a pitching machine, bases, infield, outfield, and a sign that says "Field of Dreams."

It's a disease. Luckily, I escaped the gene, but they are trying to pass it onto my children.

Exhibit A:

They tricked me into letting him go to the Rangers game on Sunday with them by beguiling me with how cute he is in his hat and jersey

Exhibit B:

Now my brother is in on the act. According to Robby, this style is "the Curtis."

Exhibit C:

He's turned his back on me and my non-baseball ways. I'm not sure if it was the new baseball mitt, the two new baseballs, the free jersey giveaway, the batting helmet, the two popsicles, or just the very special adventure with his Pahpah and tah that won him over.....because one thing I do know is that it was not because he actually likes baseball.

Big Boy Helper

2010-05-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

Robby is such a big boy that he even has chores, which include helping to dry the dishes after dinner, putting away his toys, and helping to water the flowers.

This week, he and Daddy watered the flowers right before bedtime, so he was already in his PJs. We didn't want to get them too wet, so we took of his shirt. The result was classic. I am sure that at some point down the road if Robby sees these pics, we will find ourselves in big trouble both for allowing him to model this fashion and then for taking pics of it :)

A Fun Send-off

2010-05-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend we have headed down to Houston to see off Bryan's brother who is headed to Honduras for a year to do mission work. We have managed to fit in some really good times, including golf, swimming (Juliet's first time), and a great game of hide and seek. Our first night in town, the electricity went off about 8:00pm after a short lived but violent storm. The lights did not come back on until 1:00am. So, it was the perfect excuse for a great game of hide and seek:

The boys did 18 holes on both Friday and Saturday. I am not sure how they managed the heat, but they all seemed to have a great time.

Saturday we also took a quick trip to the HBU swimming pool, and it was Juliet's first time to go swimming. She seemed to like it, but it was Robby who really had a great time.

Showing off the latest in baby swimwear fashion!

Not My Proudest Parenting Moment

2010-05-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

So....we have been working on potty training for a year this summer. Of course, we did not get serious about it until after Christmas, but it has been a long process for us. Lately though, Robby has been doing really well at school, even coming home in the same big boy underpants that he went to school in. At school, they have a woman whose only job is to change diapers and help the older kids go to the potty/wash hands, etc. (which is crazy in and of itself if you ask me). I was talking to Ms. Carmen today, and she told me that she is really proud of Robby. She said that she will be recommending a tuition break next week because he is potty trained. Well, of course I was thrilled, but I was also surprised because Robby has never in his life done anything other than pee pee in the potty. He will tell you that he is supposed to take care of all of his business on the potty, but frankly, he is just all talk when it comes to anything other than pee pee.

So, being the conscientious mother that I am, I mention this final hurdle that Robby really needs to overcome prior to being considered truly potty trained. Imagine my shock when Ms. Carmen tells me that Robby takes care of any and all necessary pottying in the actual potty at school. And, apparently this is not a new thing.

When I asked Ms. Carmen her secret, she said gives lots of hugs and bribes with a little bit of candy now and then. A little bit of candy?? Is she kidding me? I have presented elaborately decorated gift bags with promises of wonderful surprises inside. I have been known to hall an entire plate of cookies or a whole pan of iced brownies to right outside the bathroom to notify Robby that if he were to overcome this last hurdle, it would be his key to all the brownie or cookie he wanted. And, all of this to no avail. But, for Ms. Carmen, he will comply for a little bit of candy??

When I asked Robby today if does all of his pottying in the toilet at school he matter-off-factly told me yes. When I asked why he does not do the same thing at home, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

I am at a loss for words. And, I'm out of ideas, so if you have any great tips, please do share.

If This Doesn't Tug at Your Heartstrings....

2010-05-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 7 Months Juliet!!

2010-05-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Juliet is now 7 months old, and she is continuing to amaze me each day. I am blessed with such a happy and well-adjusted little girl. She is eating all manner of baby food now from sweet potato, to avocado, to carrots, to squash. She even gnaws on the occasional cracker. She rolls over every which way, works hard to get anything she can put her hands on, and she has the most infectious laugh.

Here are some recent pics:

Happy Mother's Day to Mommy :)

Wearing her tea party dress

Sitting pretty at the Botanic Gardens

on tah

2010-05-07T22:20:00.001-07:00

This last week, Bryan and I went on a vacation to Washington DC. (More to post on that later). We had the opportunity to stay at a lovely boutique hotel that was the childhood home of Al Gore. Part of the hotel's charm are rooms that are throwbacks to the 1920's or 1930's. One thing included in our room was an old fashioned alarm clock. This alarm clock charmingly ticked away each second for us so that we would always know as each second passed us by. About three minutes into the room, I declared the alarm clock banished, and it was stuffed in a drawer under a blanket. I do not like clicking, ticking, tocking noises. This includes clanky fans, silverware scraping, and especially ticking clocks. As I banished the clock, I was flooded with a memory of my mother, a memory of something for she did for me that is so small I am not sure she remembers but so characteristic of that certain love that really only a parent can experience.

The year is 1996. I have just broken up with my first boyfriend (who proved my parents right by being very bad news). My parents decide that I need to experience a little bit more than what I have seen in small town Texas thus far, and so they sign me up for a mission trip to Zambia.

Because I was only 15, my mother was not comfortable with me going alone; thus, she and I both signed up for our first trip out of the country. I could talk all day about how that trip continues to have lasting influence in my life, but instead I want to talk about a moment I had with my mom.

Mom and I did not always, shall we say, see eye to eye when I was a teenager. Those years were tempestuous, as we were [are] both very strong willed. But, I don't remember fighting with her on this trip. Here is what I do remember: there was not much space in the missionary compound, and Mom and I had to share a bed. For some reason on this particular night, we knew that we had to get up very early the next day, so my mom set her alarm clock. And, you guessed it, it was the loudest ticking clock on the planet. Perhaps my memory is simply fuzzy, but I don't recall being overly sweet or adorable in my complaints to my mother about the infernal thing. But, instead of upbraiding me or ignoring me, my mom simply put the alarm clock under her pillow so that the sounds would be muffled from my ears.

She put it under her pillow. A big boxy alarm clock. A big boxy alarm clock that ceaselessly ticks the seconds away. A big boxy alarm clock that ceaselessly ticks and then at some point begins to relentlessly clang.

I should also mention that my mother has supersonic hearing. She takes cottonballs to movie theatres to stuff her ears and drown out the sound and refuses to watch TV with my dad on a regular basis because she feels he watches it too loud. My mother is not a noise person either.

But she did that. For me. Without complaint. Without ever bringing it up again. That night of what must have been very restless sleep became an incredibly powerful testament of a mother's love for this daughter.

I hope as a mother to follow her example and show my children my love for them with similar reflexive acts--unpremeditated moments that are simply and willingly borne out of love.

2010-04-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

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