From North of Here

Differences

2009-03-22T22:05:05-05:00

I think if two kids come from the same parents, they should be the same person. I know that's sort of one of the joys of parenting, but if I could have the same make and model for my two kids I think Spring Break would have been easier.

Waking Up - Will takes care of his breakfast needs and entertainment needs while letting Mommy sleep in. Gigi is up and ready to go at 6 am. She wants sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, orange juice, and pancakes. Since she is 3 this means Mommy will not sleep in.

Breakfast - Whilst she demanded all of that food, she will eat only the eggs. Will, who ate a slice of bread on his own will come in and eat everything left over. Then, in 5 minutes he will ask "What's for Lunch".

Lunch - Gigi is happy with either a 79 cent nacho from Taco Bell or ramen noodles. Will wants lobster or steak - or surf 'n turf. He says he's not picky.

Getting Dressed - In the process of explaining to Will what time lunch is served around the house, both kids have dressed for the morning. Gigi is wearing her favorite shirt - her Las Vegas hot pink shirt - a leopard print skirt, play high heels, and a tiara. Will is wearing underwear. I remind him that sleeping in underwear is fine, but when one wakes up and gets out of bed, something else should be added to that outfit. He asks why. Gigi says "It's nasty." I say "It's depressing and bum-ish."

Clean Up - Will is a worker bee. Gigi sits with a play tea cup and yells about Will's bad attitude, which he has because he's the only one cleaning up the mess that I'm pretty sure wasn't his to begin with.

Lunch - Will is not a fan of Gigi's Ramen Noodles.

After lunch - no one can agree on "something fun". Gigi wants to play games or watch a tv show. Will wants to go to the park. Gigi doesn't want to go to the park. Mommy wants a nap.

Naptime - both kids want to nap with Mommy, which is the only thing they both want to do. Mommy makes both kids angry and chooses to share naptime with dogs because they're quiet and don't tattle.

Afternoon - Both kids paint on the porch. They have different artistic styles and they argue the finer points of "scribble-scrabble" and "copying". I bring the kids root beer floats and veggies and pretend like they're art critics and not squabbling kids.

Dinner - Chris arrives home and both kids are again in agreement that he is the parent who is the most fun, the most loved, and the most in demand. Mommy is relieved because for the next several hours, the first word out of their mouths won't be "Mommy!" yelled and spread into 10 syllables.

Sadly, I'm really going to miss having them both all day with nothing to do now that Spring Break is over.

Summer Breeze on the LP

2009-03-13T17:06:17-05:00

Because we're half-way through March I know any day now an e-mail from my mother is coming to let me know, once again, I have not written. Telling her stories of baking cookies, making dinner, cleaning the house, doing homework, and chauffering her grandkids isn't going to help. The woman knows it takes me ten minutes to write something.

The weather, until a few days ago, was warm, sunny, and beautiful. On beautiful days Gigi and I wait impatiently for Will to get off the bus and start his walk home. We three pile in the car and head to Sonic where every day is 1/2 price drinks from 2-4.

There's just nothing as wonderful as sitting in the car with the windows open, drinking a 1/2 price Diet Coke from the fountain with the kids. We three sit, watch cars, listen to music, and talk. Yesterday Seals and Crofts' Summer Breeze came on the radio.

Music is a time machine.

In the early 80s when the weather was nice we sat in the living room with the windows open. Mom gave my younger brother and I our baths and we would sit in the living room listening to Mom's LPs in our pjs. We had a stereo that was the first thing Mom bought with the paycheck from her first job. And, since we were listening to LPs from the 70s I suppose my mom never bought any new records once she married and had kids. She, I suppose, was "stuck". There was a time when she was into Lionel Ritchie, but I don't smile when I hear Lionel Ritchie songs. His music evokes long car trips with a dad who didn't believe in potty breaks. But Summer Breeze always transports me to the house on Oak Hill and to the open windows in the living room with my mom, dad, and my brother. Those days I remember she would clean the house (alright - she cleaned the house every day, who am I kidding?) and we would sit together after dinner listening to music and talking as a family. Eventually we would come to the Seals and Crofts record and we would sit and listen to Summer Breeze. Hearing it instantly transports me to those nights. You could see the fireflies in the front yard. You could hear the whippoorwill in the woods. I loved that song. I was probably the only four year old in the world who looked forward to Summer Breeze nights.

"I like this song." Will said we sat.

"Me too." I said. "Honey has this song on a record."

The boy looks at me blankly. Records...

"We used to listen to this when I was a little girl."

"When you were seven, like me?" He asked.

"No, I would have been younger because Aunt Amber wasn't born yet. Uncle Nate was there though - and Honey and Poppy. We sat in the living room and listened to this song."

"I want it on my iPod." He said. He closed his eyes and hummed. "Honey has good taste in music." Maybe one day he will hear the song and it will transport him to Sonic in Saginaw Texas. He'll remember sitting in the car with his mom and Gigi, drinking 1/2 price Diet Cokes and watching the trains go by. Maybe it will be a special song to him too.

Our drinks and the song are finished. It's time to go home. I turn on the car and smile at him, because if he likes her Seals and Croft music, I can't wait to introduce him to Honey's Iron Butterfly record.

You've Got Mail. From Your Mother.

2009-02-14T11:46:00-05:00

You have not been writing on the web page. There is nothing for the month of Feb.!!!!

Planning on going to the farm this weekend.

Much Love,

Mom

The funny part is that the e-mail shows my mother's name in the From box, but just in case I don't recognize my mother's first and last name, she has conveniently titled the subject "Mom". I don't know what's funnier, that or that she tells me she's going to the farm for the weekend - which means she won't have internet access until next week. She's letting me know I have a few days to write something.

So...

Mom,

I wrote a few posts so you can read them when you come back from the farm. I've been busy with your grandchildren and their antics.

Much Love,

Daughter

Election Story

2008-11-04T08:23:47-05:00

In honor of Election Day here is how my voting process went. I voted early. For one thing, I don't really like crowds and I hate waiting in lines. I also didn't want to wait and have to take two kids to stand in a long line. I know you think that is whimpy and un-patriotic, but I had a hard enough time voting early with both kids in tow.

I explained to the kids last Wednesday that we were heading over to the nearby junior college so I could vote. Will's school, his dad, and my mom are political junkies. That translated into me having the world's most rabid, passionate first grader in the county when it came to voting and voting for his candidate of choice. I explained to Will that 1. A lot of people died so everyone had the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice without being bullied, and 2. That meant he needed to keep quiet about his opionions in the polling place.

I parked and told both kids that it was important to be quiet in the polling place. I explained this was a serious activity. They both said "Ok." We walked in reverently to the already packed voting place.

I handed over my voter registration card. The workers checked it thoroughly. The man passed it back and smiled. That was all it took for Gigi to leave my side and go to the other side of the table to greet every single election volunteer with a hug and her life story. And since Gigi was so friendly and since they all loved her, the workers then turned their attention to Will. They asked him how he was doing and he militaristicly told them "I cannot talk to you about the vote we are casting. It is our business and no one else's. You can't talk to me about who to vote for." While Will was all business, Gigi was still making the rounds, greeting people, shaking hands, giving hugs.

They looked somewhat amused.

"She'd be great on the campaign trail. She makes good connections with voters. I'd vote for her." A man said. I shrugged. I'm not ready for the Presidency of Gigi.

I pulled Gigi away from her voting place hug fest and went to the open voting booth. Despite going to early voting, the room was still packed. I logged on to the voting system and Gigi was gone. I looked down the row and saw her greeting people at the voting stations. "Hi! I'm Gigi. I'm two. How are you?" She said. Luckily people didn't seem upset with an overly-friendly two year old wearing all pink and a hairbow as big as her head. I nervously looked around, half expecting some government voting agency to charge us with disrupting voting. She came back and I voted - quickly - and we got out of there.

Will said "I thought you said this was an important activity. That was really quick."

"It is important."

"But if people died for it, why was it so fast?"

"People died so it would be easy for each of us to vote. In a lot of countries it's very dangerous to try to vote. Some people in other countries don't get to vote at all."

He looked around and smiled. "Gigi would hate living in that kind of country."

Me too.

Cowboys Game

2008-08-24T21:13:00-05:00

We went to the Cowboys/Texans game on Friday night. We had great seats and had a great time - in spite of the fact that it was hotter than all get out and we got there at 4 pm for a game that started at 7... But the kids loved it and they stayed in their seats. Wilson sat in his, Gigi danced in her seat. She danced and cheered through the whole game. People stopped to take photos of her dancing and singing. It was a lot of fun.

Photos are in the album area.

Home Security

2008-07-31T10:59:00-05:00

I suppose Gigi is a normal 2 year old. She gets in to everything. Her favorite place to get into is the master suite and bathroom.

Somehow the first born did not exhibit this behavior. He never got in to things. He never destroyed things. He never took toothpaste and coated the bathroom cabinents. She did. Yes, it's all child-locked which was a complete farce because criminal masterminds are not to be stopped with child locks. She figured out the child locks almost immediately and then turned her attention to getting on the internet from Chris' cell phone. All of that took place last Fall.

Last week I was cooking dinner. The smell of rosemary baked chicken suddenly was interrupted by the smell of something I couldn't place. It was a smell that didn't belong in July - it was the smell of January or February. "Why," I wondered looking at my green beans, "does it smell like The Flu in here?" I turned around to see Gigi standing there. Upon closer inspection I saw she had used a whole tub of Vick's Vapo-Rub as hair gel, face cream, and body lotion. I ran her up to the shower. 6 hair washes later it was out.

The next day she used a tube of Diaper Rash Ointment in much the same way. When Chris arrived Will and I pointed upstairs so he could take care of the child. It was the same day she'd taken a permanent marker to my carpet and to her hands and feet. I asked her what she was doing, she said she had tattooed herself. "My a Rock Star" she said, beaming.

Yesterday as she had unleashed a wave of havoc and unrest I told Will maybe we should invest in retinal scans for all of the doors and then she wouldn't be able to enter areas she shouldn't be. We spent the day putting the heads back on his action figures because Gigi the Executioner had been in his toys. She had also gotten into his closet and his drawers so we had to put everything back. Will was frustrated with "Hurricane Reagan" by the time Chris arrived home.

"Dad," Will said seriously over his spaghetti, "we need to get some security system so Gigi can't get into my room."

"What do you suggest?" Chris asked.

Will winked at me and said "Rectal scans."

"RET-INAL scan, not REC-TAL." I corrected him as Chris attempted to clean up the spaghetti he'd spit out all over the table.

Vacation

2008-07-08T15:34:00-05:00

So far, so good. We spent June in Missouri with family. It rained a lot in Missouri. And, I realized that my poor children didn't have jackets - which they cried for every time the tempurature dipped below 85 degrees. My kids are 90 and higher kids. They flourish in 100 degree summers.

Since we've been back we've made our way through the days filling them with the gym, the pool, the Wii, and the mountain of summer work Will brought home on the last day of school that I didn't see until July 1st. Prep work for 1st grade. I get to spend my summer homeschooling - poolside.

For the 4th of July we had the most fun and busiest 4th of July in history. We woke up early and went to a parade to watch neighbors Dave and Misty drive their Mini Cooper and throw candy. By 11 am it was very hot and no shade to sit in. We drove home and headed to neighbor Zach's pool where we stayed until it was time to gather our brownies and salad to head over for a church dinner. We ate and played until it was time to head to Lone Star Park where neighbor Brian was wonderful enough to get us passes to the reserved box area where we ate goodies until heading up to the Press Box to watch the fireworks. It was wonderful! We arrived back home and headed to bed around 1am on the 5th. We slept late and then went to the neighborhood pool party and cookout at another neighbor's home. Did I mention we have wonderful neighbors?

This week the kids and I have been cleaning out the house. Old clothes - old dishes - Chris' collection of the Yellow Pages I found in a cabinent going back to 2003.... The kids and I are on a home cleaning and purging mission.

There are photos of our time in St. Louis and a few pictures of our 4th of July in the album area.

May Photos

2008-05-06T21:54:09-05:00

We put May photos in the album. Will starred as "The Dish Who Ran Away With the Spoon" in his kindergarten musical and we spent a day in Glen Rose. That's basically it so far this month.

Miss You Much

2008-04-16T20:03:00-05:00

Yes, we're alive. No, we weren't avoiding you. It's just been so stinking beautiful outside - there were gardens to plant, friends to play with, bikes to ride... And three complete seasons of a British sci-fi show to watch that all four of us (despite our best efforts) became addicted to. But we're here and things are going well.

Chris and I are still busy with work. However, Chris is now working from home 3 days out of the week which is an answer to prayer for the kids who were only seeing him for 5 minutes in the mornings before school. Now he's able to pick up Will from school, attend his Math Nights, and help with homework. Will is loving it.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself when I officially become an "unemployed" person at the end of May. Panic and worry have set in. On the other hand, it's going to be a blast. Especially with Gigi as my house-mate during the day.

Gigi has taken to wearing a tiara and carrying a wand around the house. Yesterday a Victoria's Secret Catalog arrived at the house with information on a shoe sale. I tossed it since (believe it or not) I'm not really in to shoes. Gigi fished it out of the trash pile and opened it. She exclaimed "Ohhhh! Wow! Shoes!" I can't tell you how distressed her father looked.

We hope you all are having a wonderful spring.

Photos of the kids will be forthcoming...

Coming Soon to a Pediatrician Near You

2008-02-20T21:00:00-05:00

Today was Well Child Visit time at the pediatrician’s office. Love the pediatrician. Love his nurses. Hate the front office, but we love the nurses and the pediatrician so much that we put up with indifferent receptionists.

I took both kids into the waiting room and dealt with the front desk headache. I instructed the children “Sit” and “Stay”. One out of two listened. A 50% success rate, which is about all I hope for these days. Firstborn sat down and watched everyone in the waiting room. The youngest child ran laps around the waiting room. Nothing I can do about it because the receptionist keeps telling me “There is no appointment for a Ray-Ann today.” I tell her several times “Ray – GUN. Ray - GUN”. She tells me there is no appointment for a “Ray –GUN Wilson” today. I tell her there wouldn’t be because “Ray – GUN’s last name is not Wilson. Wilson is the other child’s name.” She's confused.

Eventually we get straight. We get in. We survived the waiting room.

We sit in our room and the nurse (love her) tells me Gigi isn’t due for any shots and Will “needs a chicken-pox booster”. Booster. We have to call it a “booster” because my son is a walking thesaurus. He knows “vaccine”, “inoculation”, “immunization”, and “shot” all mean “pain”. The idea of a “shot” causes anxiety. The word “booster” had not yet become associated with “shot” because in Will’s world a “booster” is a seat you sit on in the car or at a restaurant. Booster is associated with food or a car ride – not chicken pox vaccines. At least, it used to be.

The doctor comes in and asks how we’re all doing. Will preceded to inform our pediatrician that while we were waiting in the reception area several families stole books from the shelves. The doctor laughed and said “It happens.” I told Will not to worry about it. “But those books weren’t theirs.” The doctor tells him “There are worse things they could steal besides books.” Still, the boy has a very concerned look on his face. Now I know what he does in waiting rooms – makes sure the books don’t go home with those who are leaving.

While the doctor checks Will out, Gigi found her wet wipes in the diaper bag and began cleaning the room. She cleaned the legs of the chair, then climbed up on a chair where she climbed to the sink. She carefully and thoroughly wiped out the sink and the faucet. The doctor watched her for a while and said “Is she cleaning?” I said “Yes.” He said “She’s a little young for OCD.” I shrugged.

With Will’s exam over, the doctor turned his attention to Gigi. At her 1 year appointment she didn’t talk. We discussed her surgery last April and the pediatrician said “She talks now, right?” I said “Yes”. I wanted to say getting her to not talk is the trick. Will piped up “She sings too.” Before I could stop him the doctor asked Gigi “Do you sing?”

It’s important to point out here that if Gigi has an audience, Gigi performs. Gigi loves to perform. Gigi writes her own music. Her favorite self-authored song currently is what I titled Ode to the Hippo. As soon as the doctor asked if she sang, Gigi stood up on the table and put on a show in her diaper. She began singing rather loudly while she danced:

“Hippo-pod-nus! Hippo-pod-nus! Shake you bon-bon!”

Pediatrician looked at me.

“Did she just sing ‘Shake your bon-bon’?”

“Afraid so.”

“She’s singing a song she made up by herself and it’s about a hippopotamus?”

“Yes. Hippo-pod-nus.” I sang it.

“Shake your bon-bon?” He asked.

“Correct.”

He started laughing.

“Your house sounds like a lot of fun.”

I nod. I wanted to ask him to prescribe me something because of how much “fun” I have every time I hear Ode to the Hippo. It’s an instant headache these days.

The nurse comes in with a few needles. Gigi isn’t due for anything, but since we are in contact with a lot of recently arrived immigrants she needed a TB test and a routine blood test for lead, etc. The nurse asks “Who’s first?” Will, who lives in the illusion that going first means something good – because why would you ask who wanted to go first for something unpleasant – says “ME!” Sweet, trusting soul that boy.

I tell Will to sit on my lap for “The Booster”. He questions not. He hops up in my lap and the nurse is in and out before he can have the anxiety attack. Of course, he has the attack after she’s done, so he stands in the corner whimpering and upset and angry that he trusted me and I didn’t protect him.

I fear Gigi will see this and understand she’s next. She says “Willie crying!” She checks him out as he whimpers at death’s doorstep from the booster shot. I prepare for a wrestling match to get her up on my lap, but instead she hopped up on her own accord and pulled up her own sleeve. The nurse laughed and started the process. Gigi didn’t blink. She didn’t cry. She didn’t do anything but sit and stare down Will. She looked at her brother with the look that says “You’re a big dumb sissy!” She is woman, hear her roar. I briefly consider teaching her the song, but fear it will become an instant hit in her songbook.

During the blood test she treated the nurse to a round of Ode to the Hippo.

“Hippo-pod-nus. Hippo-pod-nus. Shake you bon-booooonnnnnnnn.”

“Did she just say ‘shake your bon-bon’?”

“Yes.”

“Big Ricky Martin fans at your house?”

“Her dad is.” What Chris doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.

Both kids were sleeping soundly in the car by the time I pulled out on the main street. I breathed a sigh of relief that our next appointment isn’t until next February and by then Ode to the Hippo will be long forgotten. By then we may be treated to The Enterprizing Emu but that’s a year away.

Fiddling on the Roof

2008-01-07T21:00:00-05:00

You'd think after 8 years of marriage there wouldn't be basic things we don't know about each other, but there are.

New Year's Day we all settled in for a nap - at least, that's what I thought we were all doing. The kids and I settled in for naps. Chris, apparently, had a burst of energy and needed to take down the Christmas decorations outside. It was very windy and very cold, but he went out, sans coat, to climb the two ladders to take down Christmas decorations.

The catch is that we don't have a ladder that extends to the second story. If we want a ladder like that we borrow one from Tim, the awesome neighbor who has everything you could ever need in his garage. If Tim isn't around we have to put a ladder in the back of the house up against our back porch roof and then get a second ladder to get up to the second story roof. Not the safest thing in the world, but it works.

Mostly.

Not only was Chris up on the roof without a coat, he didn't tell me he what he was going to do, nor did he take a cell phone. None of this occurred to him until the wind blew the ladder on top of the porch roof over. Hindsight and all I suppose.

I wake up to stomping going on overhead and banging against the window. Chris was jumping up and down on the roof and using the Christmas lights to bang against the window. He'd already had some passing by neighbor kids ring the doorbell, but we can't hear our doorbell from upstairs if we're all wide awake so there's not a chance we'll hear it if we are dead asleep. After that failed he resorted to jumping on the roof and beating the lights against the windows.

I opened the window and said "Chris?"

"Hey! How are you? Get a good nap?" Sarcasm abounded.

"Huh?"

"The ladder blew over and I'm stuck on the roof!" Frustration abounded.

“Ok….” (Remember, I am still half asleep. All mental faculties are not functioning.)

“I need you to get up on the back porch and put the ladder back up! I’m cold!” Obviousness abounded.

The first point I wanted to make to him as he was stuck up there and somewhat of a captive – although aggressive - audience was that he should have told me he was going to take down the lights. The second point was that he should have at least taken a cell phone. The third point was that if one is stuck on the roof with no coat and night approaching, one should not YELL at the intended rescuer. It makes the rescuer irritated having been brought out of a nice warm nap. But, I’d rather light a candle than curse his darkness, so I complied with his request for help.

I may have taken my time putting on my shoes for the third infraction, but by the time I climbed up the ladder onto the back porch I was still very sleepy and mental function was at about 60%. This is important for one very good reason – I avoid heights at all costs. All costs. I still have nightmares about being on the top floor of the Missouri State Capitol and having the wood railing break. But since my mind was at 60% and I wasn’t fully awake I climbed up on the back porch to help the love of my life down off the roof. Despite his attitude at the present time. I climbed up with no reservation.

By the time he climbed down to the back porch I was awake and fully aware that I was off the ground. I was also lying on the roof of the back porch because it was windy and I was extremely dizzy and frightened. Ever observant, Chris missed that his wife was completely laid out on the roof, clutching shingles, and climbed on down to the ground, muttering “Took long enough” on the way down.

“Hurry up and get down here, I’m cold!” Came the invitation from the ground. I couldn’t move. The wind was picking up. I was very cold up there in my pajama pants and t-shirt.

“This may be a good time to tell you something.” I yelled down.

“What?”

“I’m terrified of heights and I can’t get down!”

Laughter rose up to the roof. When no laughter or movement came down from above the laughter below ended.

“Are you serious!”

“Serious and freezing!”

“How’d you get up there then?”

“I was sleepy! Now I’m wide awake!”

Crying now. Crying and clutching to the roof while lying as flat as one can so as not to blow off the roof with the gale force winds.

“It’s just going to get colder!” He shouts along with his assurances that I will NOT die if I stand up.

30 minutes later I scooted down to the ladder and managed to get off the porch. He was nice enough to get a blanket for me.

“This would have been something nice to know nine years ago when we met.”

I was going to point out that for a while after we met I didn’t know his last name and he couldn’t spell mine so getting around to afraid-of-heights wasn’t at the top of the list. If there were things he felt important to know, he should have asked those 9 years ago. He didn’t. Next time he should wait for Tim and the nice ladder.

Honoring Thy Mother

2007-11-10T22:33:29-05:00

My mother let me know I had not been writing. She called to inform me of this. "You're not writing." She said. "I am writing. I'm writing papers." "I don't want to read your papers, you need to write on your blog. Do you know how many times you've written since August?"

She keeps statistics and monitors writing trends now.

"Mom, I started working on a Master's degree in August. I've been busy writing for that."

"Well maybe you've taken on too much."

"No, I cut out things to make time to study."

"Well, if it's going to cut into your posting on the blog you may want to evaluate whether or not you have time for a Master's degree."

And so, for Mom, two new posts and some photos of her grandchildren which I know are the only reasons she logs on in the first place.

New Photos

2007-10-15T21:03:11-05:00

Because we haven't written doesn't mean we're not doing anything. We've posted three new photo albums of what we've done this past weekend.

Birthday Balloons!

2007-09-28T09:20:00-05:00

Jolene got quite the surprise on Thursday when she walked into her office. Thursday was Jolene's birthday, and Wilson and I snuck up to her office and put 2 lbs. of balloons in there. I didn't get a chance to count how many balloons we ended up with, but as you can see, there are a whole lot! She couldn't even open the door!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

As you can see, they were everywhere! We also bought her 2 dozen rozes...maybe the thorns would have helped pop some of those balloons!

I wish I was there to take her picture...walking in them!

Next Week... Kindergarten. In 13 years...

2007-08-20T12:52:16-05:00

Here's Wilson resting on bench at Baylor...with his little sister.

Now he's showing her how to get to chapel...or Judge Baylor.

Still Enjoying Summertime

2007-08-08T23:19:00-05:00

Our evenings are spent outside with the neighbors or at the pool, leaving no time to come in and post updates. But we've added more summer photos to the album so you can at least see the kids and how happy they are.

Big things have happened at La Casa. We won Yard of the Month - an award we will never win again because Chris and I both rushed out of the house to stop the people from putting what we thought was a "For Sale" sign up in our yard. The sign has been in the yard for over a month. We must have scared the HOA representatives from wanting to come and retrieve their sign.

Our AC unit broke. It's not really a surprise anymore when the AC breaks. In 8 years of marriage we have never had a summer where the AC worked properly. The catch was that it was a manufacturing issue and still under warranty so I did not have to pay for a new compressor. The thing was that we just had to be here when the repairman came or else they would leave. So I spent a very warm Monday at the house waiting for the repairman. Chris instructed us to leave the blinds shut so it would stay cool in the house. At this point, "cool" was a relative term. 85 degrees is not really "cool". What I've learned through this is that at our house if the temperature is above 82 degrees Hell will break loose. The kids and I weren't getting along. It was hot and they were tired of sitting around in the bath tub. To top it off, the dog decided it would be a perfect time to get an upset stomach and pooed all over the house. Not being able to open the windows that meant I had a very warm house that smelled of doggie mess. At 3 pm I decided we couldn't take it any more. I told Will to get his shoes, we were going to go for a ride in the air conditioned car. He said "We should pray for God to send the repairman." Having lost all sense of spirituality in my life after the third doggie mess pile I cleaned, I yelled for Will to "Have a ball" with praying. I kid you not - as soon as he prayed his little prayer - "God, it's hot in my house. We're all having a bad day because it's hot. And God, it smells bad in here. Please send the repairman for the air conditioner. Amen" - the doorbell rang! Amen indeed! Will promptly told the repairman he was so glad to see him. After 15 minutes of glee and hopefulness that our AC was going to be fixed, the repairman let me know he "ain't got that part" and I'd need to "wait for someone else. Probably a day or two." Doing all I could not to break down and cry, Will pushed in front of me and said "And to think, I PRAYED for you to show up!" The repairman, sensing the desperation said "Well, open up some windows and get some air going through here. It smells bad in here, you know." That night our neighbors took us in. They saved our faith in humanity and possibly kept our family together. AC was repaired the following day. And the people rejoiced and shouted praises to God.

We retired our vacuum cleaner. It was a bittersweet moment. "Black Betty" - as we called the old vacuum - was purchased by my Mom in 1989. I suppose she had performed her job as best as we could have expected. The new one, shiny and purple, is a source of great amusement to the kids. Reagan runs in front of it dropping things so she can watch the dual cyclonic action in the clear dirt holders. We are all very fascinated at looking at the junk the cleaner pulls up.

Will starts kindergarten in a few weeks. We're doing all we can to enjoy as much of the summer as we have left. We hope you are all doing the same.

We've Got that Rainy Day Feeling Again

2007-07-05T21:41:10-05:00

In the brief hours when there is no rain, we try to go outside for a little while. Will's baseball season was almost entirely rained out - even the make-up games have been rained out.

Yesterday though we were able to go to Terrell where Chris worked with the pyrotechnic team to shoot off the fireworks for the 4th of July. While Chris spends 6 hours setting up before the show I get to spend 6 hours playing with the kids. We had a lot of fun.Reagan had a great time - until the first firework happened. She screamed. A friend helped out by holding Reagan so I could take the firework photos that we give to the team. The show was great. We arrived back home at 12:30 am on the 5th. Will and Reagan slept until 10 am.

More rain today... We're getting a little tired of hanging out inside.

The Visitors

2007-06-07T22:02:00-05:00

Last weekend my brother, my sister-in-law, and my adorable niece, Adison, flew in to visit us. We were all very excited. Even though their plane was delayed several hours and there was an incident of losing the car in the parking garage, and a major storm hitting during their arrival, we were so excited to see them.

For Mother's Day my mom bought the kids outfits. All she wanted, she said over and over, was a picture of the grandkids in these outfits. We took the kids to get pictures. After it was over, we collectively decided next year she's just getting a toaster. This is a woman who has obviously forgotten what getting 3 kids ages 5, 2, and 1 dressed up for photos and keeping them clean and happy is like. Never again.

We spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday at our neighborhood pool. Monday we went to the Dallas Aquarium and to Dealey plaza. Chris went to work so I got to play photographer. You can tell from the photos that I leave much to be desired with a camera. And, of course, the three of them were stuck in Dallas with bad weather delaying their flight home to St. Louis. The weekend came full circle.

Pictures of our fun weekend are in the album.

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T21:19:35-05:00

After our plans to go south for Memorial Day weekend didn't turn out (FYI, if you plan to board dogs over Memorial Weekend, waiting until the last minute to try and get a reservation isn't going to work out for you, but you all probably knew that...) we had a pretty quiet weekend at home. Everyone we knew went out of town so until Monday afternoon we spent the time at home.

Monday we went to a birthday party. The birthday party featured horse and pony rides and other animals. It was a lot of fun - until Reagan was determined to ride the horse and someone had to ride with her. Since Chris has a camera, that meant I had to ride a horse. I've never be on a horse. Honestly I've never really even been close to a horse. The first problem was that I had to get on the horse. I really could have used a step stool, ladder, longer legs - something. I managed to get on the horse and then had to hope and pray the horse wouldn't get freaked out by me being anxious. Of course, if I was anxious Reagan was elated. She clapped and laughed and squealed the whole way. My daughter has no fear, but I make up for it. Will, too, wanted to keep riding horses. I was so relieved that he is old enough to ride a horse without his mother.

Monday afternoon neighbors started to return to town and, before the rain, we had a pool party for the kids. Great way to start off summer.

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T12:07:00-05:00

Mother's Day started a few days early for me. On Friday I picked the kids up from school and received their handmade gifts. I love the handmade gifts! Reagan made me a picture with her photo on it and Will made me a card with little popsicle stick "coupon" flowers. I can pull out a popsicle stick and give him a chore to do in honor of Mother's Day!

Most of the chores are things he already does for his allowance - feed the dogs, clean his room, help sort laundry - but one chore seemed strange. "Help staple paper." I don't think I even staple paper at work. I don't even think we have a stapler at home. Maybe it's something he wants to do together? It did make me smile.

He also presented me with a questionnaire he filled out about his mom. He was right about my eye color, but some of the other answers puzzled me. For example "My Mommy's hair is ____________" he answered "blonde maybe?" And this one really has us wondering "My Mommy looks pretty when she ____________". Wilson's answer "puts on her blue shoes and goes to work." I don't have any blue shoes... and is it me, or does it sound like I have a less than reputable job in his description? Chris laughed. Just wait though because next month he's up for the questionnaire!

Friday night Chris was out of town so I had a special night planned with my kids. First we made their favorite meal, then we took a walk with the neighbors. When we put Reagan to bed, Wilson and I pulled out a movie, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, popcorn, and root beer. It was a nice mom-son date.

On Mother's Day they took me out to our favorite Italian restaurant in Saginaw. We went home and spent the day playing. It was a very busy day (a stray dog showed up and for some reason I can't understand, we operate a catch-love-release program for strays at our house) complete with a bike race between me and the boy. I loved every minute of it!

Ye Olde Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-06T21:34:00-05:00

Our neighbors decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year by spending the day at a Renaissance Festival. We had a great time watching swordfights, seeing jousts, and eating food on sticks - Steak on a Stake was Wilson's favorite. Photos are in the album.

Its time for Bluebonnets!

2007-04-15T21:17:45-05:00

Well, its that time of year again, and this year we gathered up the kids, some old friends, and the camera and headed out to Ennis, TX for their annual bluebonnet festival. We had a blast out in the flowers, and afterwards we took the kids to McDonalds for a post-photo shoot lunch. It was such a fun time, especially to see Reagan out in the flowers, just like her big brother was when he was her age. Of course, he was there with his handsome smile for a few pictures too!

Click here to start the photos!

Doctors and Dentists

2007-03-29T12:35:00-05:00

This has been doctor week for us.

Tuesday I took Reagan to an otorhinolarynologist. Ear/Nose/Throat doctor - which is easier to say, but probably wasn't as impressive looking on his business cards as otorhinolaryngology. Basically the child has had fluid in her ears for the 13 months of her 13 month life. And while we've only had 4 ear infections it takes her forever to get rid of the infection and the fluid never leaves. So, she is hard of hearing. Not hard of hearing in the same manner her brother is, but can't hear well instead of doesn't hear well. So step one is putting tubes in her ears and hopefully that will fix the hearing and we might be looking at some speech therapy later. If the tubes don't help, well, then we get to discuss other options. I'm pretty confident the tubes will work.

The most difficult part of the otorhinolarynologist visit was that Reagan doesn't sit still. She was everywhere. She climbed on chairs, she met other patients, she followed the doctor and the nurses. Of course the nurses were happy about it - taking her around, showing her all sorts of medical instruments. The highlight of the visit was when she managed to take the screws out of a drain cover in the doctor's office. Yes, the screws. She used her fingers and unscrewed a screw from a drain cover. The otorhinolarynologist said she will end up being an engineer. I rather think she'll be on the demolition side of engineering.

Yesterday I went to my dentist. I've never been fond of going to the dentist, but my dentist is just the best so I didn't even mind that I was there for a filling. She gave me plenty of numbing junk so I spent most of the day unable to figure out if I was putting on my lipstick right and making sure not to make a mess while drinking my water.

Today the kids went to their pediatric dentist. This was Reagan's first dental appointment. Wilson is an old pro at the dentist's office. He received an "A" on his brushing report (since I do the brushing I was quite pleased with myself) and his x-rays all looked great. While he was getting his exam, Reagan was refusing to sit still. As usual for her there was way too much to get into to sit still.

There was a wall of all sorts of toys behind us. It held Reagan's attention for about 2 minutes. Then she was off and following the dental assistants and dentists around. Of course they assisted her in discovery of all dental tools, chairs, teeth polishers - you name it. At least she didn't remove any screws.

Reagan's teeth look beautiful, according to our dentist. We're brushing good, she has good spacing, and she has an excellent bite. It was a good visit all around. Wilson got a balloon animal when we left and Reagan got an inflated examination glove. A good time was had by all.

Old Photos

2007-03-27T21:14:02-05:00

We were cleaning things out and I came across some old photos. I'm not sure when Wilson stopped being a baby or when Chris and I stopped looking so young, but it must have happened quickly. For all of the pain it is having Chris take so many pictures, I'm glad he did because the memories are so wonderful. I put the old photos in the photo album.

Welcome Home

2007-03-24T21:29:00-05:00

Honey and Poppy have spent the last week on a mission trip to Guatemala. Since their children are grown they spend their time globe trotting on mission trips - one of the perks of not having children at home who "need" you I suppose.

While they are on these trips the church sends out updates on how their work is going and when they are due to return to St. Louis. Friday I got news that Mom and Dad were getting a layover at DFW airport. i grabbed the kids and rushed to the airport to spend a little time surprizing Honey and Poppy with the kids. It was great, even if the time was short. Even though I'm 800 miles away from Mom and Dad and don't see them every day, I missed them while they were in Guatemala and knowing they were only a few miles away - well, I wanted to see them.

The airport was a mess. DFW is a hub airport and on spring break it is a busy place. When we arrived at the terminal all of the parking spots were full. I told Wilson "You'd better start praying for God to give us a parking spot, because I don't think we're going to find anything." Wilson started praying outloud for a parking spot. I kid you not, we turned a corner and there was one spot right in front of the terminal. I said "Here's a spot!" Wilson shouted out from the back seat "I love you God and your awesome way!"

When it was time for Mom and Dad to go back to their gate, they walked us over to the parking garage and they told Wilson "we have to get on our plane" - while we were driving away from the terminal a plane was taking off. Wilson shouted "I hope they ran or else they just missed the plane!" i explained that wasn't theirs, the airport has a lot of planes taking off.

i called Mom later in the night after they'd arrived home in St. Louis. Apparently I wasn't the only kid running to see them at the airport. They arrived in St. Louis with Amber, Nate, Christy, and Adison all there to greet them, even though they had planned on shuttling with the rest of their mission team back to the church. They had a surprize welcome party instead.

Mom joked that she can't even leave her grown children and their families for a few weeks, but she said it was much better than arriving home and no one noticing. She said she and Dad must have been pretty good parents. For all three kids and their families to run out to airports, I'd agree.

Welcome home - we missed you.

What We Did on Spring Break 2007

2007-03-20T13:49:05-05:00

The kids and I took Spring Break together last week. It was a wonderful and busy week. I was initially worried that there would be boredom and laziness abounding on Spring Break but it turned out we were so busy we needed to return to our normal schedules to get rested!

The week started off with a play date at the park with our neighbors. This was our very first play date. We wore ourselves out at the park up the street, talked, watched the boys put gravel on the slides, pushed the kids on the swings (it turns out the swings are Reagan’s most favorite thing in the whole world), ate raisins, and that evening the kids and Chris went for a bike ride.

Tuesday we were up bright and early. We dropped Reagan off with Auntie Lesley so Wilson and I could meet up with Karen and Maria for a service project in Mesquite. We took the kids to participate in Shoes for Orphan Souls where we were going to volunteer sorting donated shoes, removing tags, zip tying them together, and then sort them by age and gender. We also were sorting donated socks the same way. There was a warehouse full of shoes and socks to go through. I was very glad Karen invited us – I try to make sure my kids participate in philanthropy because if I don’t teach them about it, I doubt they will ever learn it. The hard part of teaching a 5 year old about philanthropy is the actual 5 year old… After a fun morning and early afternoon of sorting socks and shoes and taking a pretzel break and touring the large warehouse (Wilson asked what happened in the warehouse at night when the moon came out. I told him nothing, it was still a warehouse. He apparently linked a warehouse to a werewolf…) we were treated to lunch by Karen and Maria.

Tuesday night we ate dinner with our Ukrainian friends, the kids played, Reagan danced to Ukrainian music, and our friends discussed their side of the Arms Race in the 1980s between the USSR and the USA. It was funny to hear their side of the story.

Wednesday we went to the zoo with Lesley, Brandon, Kerry-Lea and a million other people in Fort Worth who were on spring break and at the zoo for half-price day. Luckily we got there early and while it still looked like rain. The kids loved the petting zoo. Reagan loved the goats and the chicken, Wilson loved the baby longhorn named Pumpkin. Wednesday night Wilson, Reagan and I headed to Sonic for an after dinner treat – we parked there, ate mozzarella sticks, listened to oldies music, watched the trains go by and practiced tying our tennis shoes. It was a great time.

Thursday we met Chris at his new office. The kids loved it. They got visitor passes and saw where Daddy works, met his friends, and then we went with one of his co-workers and her husband to the Dallas Art Museum for a concert and the Matisse exhibit. Wilson and I had fun at the museum looking at the art. Wilson loved the Japanese warrior armor and he was able to see some sarcophagi since he’s really interested in mummies. He liked Matisse’s sculpture more than he liked the paintings. Reagan had fun looking at all of the art. We crossed the street to go to the sculpture park and then went out for pizza at a downtown Dallas pizza parlor.

Friday Chris joined us and we took a trip to Baylor to go to the Mayborn Museum there where Wilson and Reagan both played with everything. Saturday was neighborhood yard work day followed by our neighborhood street party. We have street parties all of the time, they are so much fun.

But now Spring Break is over and we’re back in the routine. Now that I think about it we’re still pretty busy – soccer practice, choir for Will, Cancer society relay Thursday, and a cancer fundraiser Friday… I suppose we’d all rather be busy than bored.

Warm Weather Weekend

2007-03-13T21:47:55-05:00

The best thing about Texas is how quickly spring arrives. The trees are blossoming, the grass is turning green, and the kids' noses are runny - spring is here.

To kick off our weekend we had a spring soccer game. This time the kids' soccer colors are light blue and dark blue so the name "Smashing Pumpkins" that worked so well with our black and orange jerseys wouldn't work this time. The kids decided to be "The Polar Bears". I personally thought we should stick with the band theme and call the kids "The Moody Blues" because if you've ever seen kids trying to play soccer during naptime you know it can be very moody.

Reagan is completely upright these days. No more crawling. She's walking around and getting in to even more junk than she was before.

Wilson and Chris practiced riding Will's new bike over the weekend too. It worked great until one of the training wheels broke...

Pictures of our weekend are in the photo album.

Relay for Life

2007-02-28T12:18:54-05:00

Some of you may know I am planning to run in a race this spring. I'll be participating with a group of friends from my church in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. One of our teammates is currently undergoing treatment for a stage 4 brain tumor.

I have to raise money and I encourage you all who feel led to do so to sponsor me or one of my teammates through the Relay for Life website http://www.acsevents.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=191558&lis=1&kntae191558=CDE33E3C0FC24C95973335AC97331CC7&team=1828366

It is an overnight relay in which our team needs to keep at least one member on the track at all times. Participants can either run or walk, but the scariest part of it to me is the whole "overnight" part. For someone whose bedtime is 10:30 on weekends, an overnight race is a scary idea.

If you are able to donate and sponsor me, even if it's just a $5.00 donation, I really appreciate it. Wilson will be accompanying me on this adventure. We'll see if we can't keep each other up all night.

Birthday Party Redux

2007-01-29T21:44:51-05:00

Birthday party part 2 happened over the weekend. Chris' parents drove up from San Antonio. It was the first opportunity they had to visit since Christmas and all of the ice storms. So Friday night we celebrated Christmas and Saturday we prepared for Reagan's second 1st birthday party.

Saturday morning held adventure. Wilson received play dough for Christmas and PawPaw was selected to be the one Will wanted to play with. It turns out my father-in-law is a very good play dough artist. We marveled at "Dog with Bone at Fire Hydrant". Chris and I participated too, but as I could only replicate DNA strands I gave up and let the boys carry on.

I went upstairs to clean my bathroom. I happened to look out the window and noticed a cow walking behind our fence. We have a ranch behind us so we frequently have the herd moving behind the house but this cow was on the wrong side of the ranch fence. I yelled down to Chris that a cow was loose in the backyard. My husband and father-in-law decided to wrangle them a cow. They hopped the back fence while Wilson and I watched from the upstairs window. Wilson said "What are they going to do when they catch that cow?" I told him I didn't know. "Maybe they'll let me keep it." Wilson said. I asked where he was going to keep a cow. He pointed to the back yard. He said "I think I'll name him Brisket." Lovely. The men returned, cowless. The cow ran off rather than be herded back to her side of the fence.

Saturday night was Reagan's birthday party. It was quite the international event. We had our South Africans and the Ukrainians. Nadya, who Reagan loves, made Reagan's birthday cake. Nadya bakes from scratch. The cake had layers with fruit and cream and chocolate icing. It was such a beautiful, delicious cake and such a special Ukrainian birthday cake. The older kids played upstairs and it's always interesting when you have a house full of kids and parents yelling at kids in Ukrainian, Afrikaans, and English. The good thing is that "I mean stop it" is easily translated by kids no matter what language they speak.

Photos of our weekend and Reagan's special birthday cake are in the photo gallery.

The End of The Year of The Shrimp

2007-01-02T22:26:00-05:00

I'll just be honest with you all. Our last two months of 2006 were hard. Just when we were certain nothing else bad could happen, it did. We've had friends leave, we've had to adjust to a new community, and we've had loved ones pass in the last two months. But I suppose that's just how it goes. 2007 looks promising, so Chris and Reagan headed off to the store to buy sodas for a block party. Wilson is still in St. Louis partying with his grandparents. He called last night to tell me "Honey and Poppy are having a party for the old people." His words, not mine. I told him he should keep that bit of information to himself and not tell Honey and Poppy's friends they are "old people". We are saying goodbye to "The Year of the Shrimp" and hello to "The Year of the Steak".

Our Christmas trip to St. Louis was good and a much needed break. Wilson was able to participate in the Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant as a king, Reagan enjoyed dancing and clapping to the music at the Christmas Eve service, and I spent Christmas Eve wishing for a Christmas miracle - someone else to wrap Christmas presents. We all have something we are good at. We all have things we are bad at. I'm no good at wrapping presents. Chris and Mom were busy wiring the home theater, Dad was on the couch "supervising" (asleep), and there I was, doing my best to wrap gifts. I would have paid any amount of cash to have someone else do it. I searched for bags to put gifts in but realized the only person worse at gift wrapping than me (Amber) had already claimed the bags for her gifts. It was a long, lonely Christmas Eve wrapping gifts.

Wilson a week earlier was able to tell "Santa" what he wanted for Christmas. We were at the Fort Worth Farmer's Market buying Dad hot salsa when "Santa" was spotted by Wilson selling Christmas trees. Wilson chased Santa down, told him what he wanted, and asserted he HAD been VERY good this year. The problem was that Christmas-Tree-Peddler-Santa acted like he knew exactly what Wilson was asking for. He didn't ask for details or clarifications on the toy. He just said "Well since you've been such a good boy this year, I'll do my best." Thanks Santa. Next time ask for color, shape, function, serial number - something so I can figure out what in the world I'm trying to purchase at Toys R Us.

We purchased what we thought Will asked for, but just to make sure "Santa" left a note on the gift:

"Dear Wilson. I hope this is what you asked for at the Farmer's Market in Fort Worth. My elves are not familiar with Power Rangers Mystic Force Phones. They though this might be what you wanted. Thank you for being such a good boy. Santa."

The next day I read Will the note. He said "Yes, this is it." I said "Great!" Chris and I breathed a sigh of relief - faith in Santa still intact at age 4. Then, slowly, Will turned around to me, studying the note from Santa very carefully. "Mom, Santa's writing looks like yours." Chris scowled at me and muttered "Why didn't you write in all caps?" I muttered back "I did write in all caps." I took the box from Will and studied it myself. "Well, maybe Santa likes neat handwriting too. He wanted to make sure we could read it and all..." Will appeared to accept the answer and trotted off. Next year Santa is asking for one of those label makers, just in case anyone wonders what to buy him. Next year Wilson is getting a handwriting profiling kit. He appears to have a talent for it.

Reagan got stuffed animals and a ride-on toy. The ride-on toy sings songs. Three of the most annoying songs we have ever heard. Three songs that have propelled Mommy and Daddy to taking out the batteries of said ride-on toy. Chris has gotten quite good at the three songs though and often starts singing them just as I'm about to fall asleep. This has caused some marital friction.

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We celebrated a year since we first put money down on this lot and started building a home. In a few weeks we will celebrate Reagan's first birthday and a few weeks after that we will celebrate Wilson's 5th birthday. We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas.

The really wonderful thing about the new year is that the friends we once said goodbye to all came back. A few months back Wilson said "I wish God would quit taking my friends away." We explained that God wasn't taking them away from us, they were just needed somewhere else because they only came here for a little while, and their time was up. Wilson said "Well, I wish God would give our friends back." He prayed for his friends to come back. We explained just because you ask for something doesn't mean God's going to give it to you. But then Russell, Crystal, Gideon, and Micaiah moved back to Texas and we were able to see them in November. Soon after that news came from South Africa that Kenneth, Lesley, Brandon, and Kerry-Lea were applying for visas to come back to the U.S. A few days ago they arrived. I called Wilson in St. Louis to tell them they had arrived from Africa and Wilson said "See, I knew God would give me my friends back." I suppose the theme, if I had to pick one for 2006, would be "Letting Go". Of course, sometimes when you let go it comes right back - apparently. We're so glad to have our friends back and we're very thankful for all of the new friends we've made this year.

Wishing you all the best in 2007 -

Chris, Jolene, Wilson & Reagan