the Saplings

Batman and Snow White

2011-10-31T11:57:00.000-05:00

Both kids went through several iterations in the "What Do You Want To Be For Halloween" negotiations. I have yet to attempt home made costumes, so we usually allow them to debate up until the time we go to the store. We like to have at least some idea of what they're looking for, but this year both kids changed their minds ~10 times while standing in front of the plethora of costumes. Spiderman, no actually Captain America (the shield!), or maybe someone from Star Wars, no wait I meant Batman...but which Batman? The classic gray costume, or the new Dark Night? Oh great, an all black costume (including mask and cape) for walking around at night. Final answer. Meanwhile, we had a strong, unwavering request for Wonderwoman (is Supergirl close enough? Resounding NO.)...that is, until she saw the actual costumes. Then we had a sudden, unexpected switch to Snow White (do you even know Snow White? Yes - she's a princess.). The costume didn't come with a wig, so we showcased a white-blonde-haired Snow White. We went to our traditional October 31st shin-dig - complete with pinata, games, and trick-or-treat hayride. This year the worlds collided as we got to celebrate with the Kindergarten class (including a celebrity guest appearance by their teacher) and some old friends from the child care center. The party was surprisingly free of meltdowns and sugar overload. And our little one actually got to ride on the trailer this year (safely in Dada's lap...), which was the highlight of the night for her.

Pumpkins 2011

2011-10-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

We barely squeezed in a trip to the Pumpkin Patch before October 31st this year. Seems our crazy schedule finally caught up with us! The dwindling selection made for an easy pick, but less than stellar photo options (and you know the main reason we go to the pumpkin patch is NOT to pick out a pumpkin, but to take pictures...). I also skipped out on the custom outfits this year, although our Tiny Lady benefited from her crafty daycare teachers. In the end I think we left in record time - under 15 minutes (still long enough to tire out The Girl, who had boycotted her nap earlier in the day...at least she could grab a quick snooze on the way home). Back at the house the kiddos picked out the face they wanted to carve (and demonstrated a few other wide-open-mouth options), then it was time to dig into the slime. Our Baby Girl was at first less than thrilled about the cold, wet pumpkin innards...but eventually followed Big Brother's lead.

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Carnival

2011-10-22T11:53:00.000-05:00

Every Fall our elementary school puts on a fundraiser. This is no small bake sale - there are dozens of booths, and prizes worth hundreds (even thousands) of dollars. It's quite a production (and I must say I was glad when it was over - the planning was a little over-the-top!). After a morning t-ball game AND soccer match, we headed over to check out the festivities.

First Field Trip

2011-10-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

I accompanied The Boy on his first ever Kindergarten Field Trip - to visit the local fire station. All three Kindergarten classes (and dozens of parent chaperones) walked the ~1 block to the station early one morning. The kids sang songs and waved wildly to the policemen who literally stopped traffic to let our herd cross the street. The kiddos got to meet the fire dog, tour the station, and see the ladder truck in all its glory. The teachers accepted the challenge of donning the full fire rescue suits (no easy task!). The only thing missing was a water hose display, which was off limits due to the previously mentioned drought. It was amazing to watch these five and six year old interact with each other. They all seemed like old friends, when they really just met two months ago. This, more than anything, finally calmed all of my nerves about the start of Kindergarten. Insert sigh of relief.

Road Trip

2011-10-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

Now that The Boy is in "real school" we have to plan our family vacations more carefully. So when he had a three day weekend we jumped on the chance to visit Gran Rog. It had been over a year since our last trip there and we were excited to pack in all our favorite activities - like dinner at Magnolia Cafe and playtime at Zilker Park. We also added some new things to our itinerary this time, like the zoo and a rooftop dinner party. The Boy was eager to show off two new skills: reading and tying his shoes. Kindergarten is already making a big impression! Our Tiny Lady suffered a major tricycle injury at daycare before we left, so she was glad to get spoiled by Gran Rog (read: slushies and extra dessert on demand). It was a fun-filled weekend that wore her out...she literally fell asleep standing up during story time. We're sure to be back soon for more family fun!

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Birthday in the park

2011-10-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

I picked a day of shopping, and dinner in the park for my birthday celebration this year. A perfect way to commemorate turning 29. ;-) I brought along the camera and made an early attempt to get some Christmas Card photos (trying to take advantage of the great weather...). I got hundreds of "laughing action shots", and plenty of pictures showing Big Brother looking like he's strangling Little Sister. The photos may not grace the front of our holiday card this year, but they perfectly capture what I love most about our family: all the happy laughter.After dinner, my favorite dessert, and some time at the playground it was time to head home. Especially since a family of unexpected visitors showed up at the park....

Rain

2011-10-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

We suffered from a severe drought this summer. NO Rain for months, lots of wildfires, and generally miserable conditions. So when the skies finally opened we let the kiddos celebrate properly.

More Games

2011-10-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks we settled into a good routine of practices and games for soccer and t-ball. Surprisingly we didn't hear any complaints from Baby Sister about having to tag along. She was thrilled to be part of the cheering squad, and have an excuse to play with the other younger sisters (whom she knows from school). We had a few Super Fans join us during the season - Nana, Gran Rog and Grandma. They added to our cheering squad and helped with kid wrangling, which was most helpful on the occasions when we had doubleheaders (straight from t-ball to soccer with only a few minutes to inhale lunch in the car in between). Mom and Dad were thankful for the extra set of hands to change uniforms, open juice boxes and generally calm the overstimulated athlete.

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Two and A Half

2011-09-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

It's that time again! Time for Mama and Dada to debate whether or not the Half Birthday is a legitimate holiday worth celebrating (it IS!! shouts Mama). Our tiny two-and-a-half-year-old has become very interested in bold fashion statements (case in point: the red boots pictured, which she insisted on wearing for several days straight...despite the weather or coordinating outfit). She's learned to pout with the best of them when she doesn't get her way - even throwing herself to the ground in tears at times (but only if we're at home...because otherwise the ground is "yucky"). She's mastered Angry Birds and Tic Tac Toe on the iPhone, and has several times casually asked us if we want to play Words With Friends with her. Hmmm. Baboo travels everywhere with her and she's still our thumb sucker, but our Tiny Lady isn't quite so tiny any more. We made another tick on the growth chart and gasped when we saw she was nearly two inches taller than Older Brother when he was that age. Oh my. He earned a few pics in the slideshow too - he is her BEST friend in the WHOLE world after all. She tries her hardest to keep up with him, and most of the time he lets her. Their favorite group activity is Saturday morning pancake baking with Dada.

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Batter Up

2011-09-17T19:04:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned we were crazy enough to sign our oldest kiddo up for not one but two new sports this season. The weekend after his first soccer game we celebrated his first t-ball game. Like soccer, t-ball follows the "everybody wins" philosophy at this age. An inning consists of each team putting every kiddo up to bat. They advance a single base (no more, no less) after each batter. The highlight of the inning is the last batter, when all the runners head home (so the last batter of each inning technically gets a Grand Slam). The outfield is manned by every player from the other team...plus at least one parent per kiddos...and a few coaches.... It's a zoo out there. And yet not a single ball is ever caught. Ever. Once the ball hits the ground and rolls through a few players' legs there's a massive rugby style pile-up, during which time the runner EASILY makes it to first base...unless he forgot to run...or ran to third instead of first.... After the true owner of the ball is sorted out that player is encouraged to throw it to first. Not that the first baseman will actually catch it. Never. It's all about learning the fundamentals. And occasionally picking flowers in the outfield. And finding any excuse to slide into any base so your pants get dirty. It takes a little over an hour to finish three innings. The crowd in the stands goes wild after every hit (many of the kids need four or five swings to actually connect with the ball on the T). There were only two teams in the league at this age group this season (yes, just two), so we got to know all the kids on both teams by name. But the highlight of the whole experience for The Boy was getting to play with his BFF.

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Game On

2011-09-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

After only two practices it was time for the first soccer game. After some quick team stretches, instructions on which goal was ours, and a little pre-game trash talking (I'm actually not really sure what the means in the 5-and-Under age group...), it was time for the first whistle. Within just a few minutes our Soccer Superstar had a breakaway run down the field - and scored his first goal!! He was so excited, the season is already a complete success in my book.

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Another First

2011-09-09T21:53:00.000-05:00

Because we're crazy, we decided that Kindergarten AND our first soccer season just wouldn't take up nearly enough of our spare time.... Enter: t-ball. I've always thought The Boy has a rocket arm, so I was anxious to see if he'd enjoy the Great American Pastime. Plus, it would give him a guaranteed opportunity to see his BFF a few times a week. Turns out they see each other pretty often at school (even though they're not in the same class), but it's still nice to have some playtime as well. The first practice was a success - we'll see if we have a Little League slugger by the end of the season!

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The Park

2011-09-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

After all the excitement of the last few weeks, we decided we needed to slow down a bit. A lazy afternoon at the park seemed the perfect solution. While watching The Girl constantly pushing her hair out of her face we dubbed her Rapunzel. Check out that golden ponytail.

The Boy, our Big Man On Campus, seemed to enjoy the change of pace as well. It was nice to spend some time relaxing just the four of us.

Soccer Mom

2011-08-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

This week contained so many "firsts" I stopped keeping track. On Thursday we started soccer - much to Daddy's delight (being a former soccer superstar himself). We had a brief break from the heat wave, so the first evening practice was actually bearable (read: probably still in the 90's). The Boy took the field decked out in his new gear. Dada served as unofficial assistant coach (also know as Professional Cat Herder...). The Girl paced near the team, waiting anxiously in case she got a turn to take the field (not this year Tiny Lady). And I took my spot on the sidelines as an official Soccer Mom.

Back in the day

2011-08-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

Just for fun, here's MY first day of Kindergarten. No, I didn't apply fancy Photoshop actions to give these photos that "vintage" look. They really are that faded...which I guess means I really am that old.

These photos are also further proof that my Tiny Lady is actually a clone of her Auntie Kirsten.

The Big Day

2011-08-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

It's here! It's here! After all the planning, nerves, excitement, shopping, dry runs, and anticipation...the First Day of School finally arrived. The Boy at first seemed unimpressed with all the hoopla. To him it started out as just another Monday morning. We are big believers in following a routine (shocking, I know), which I think helped ease the transition.I had warned him the night before that there would be a major photo shoot involved in that morning's festivities. He was surprisingly willing to participate - though he did request that Cabo be allowed to join in the fun.

It was definitely a change for us to have a time constraint placed on our morning routine. But we didn't want to be tardy on the first day at school! Luckily both kiddos woke up early, leaving us plenty of time to get ready at a leisurely pace.
Watching him that morning, and turning on my Mommy Instincts, I'd say The Boy was nervous. He said he was excited - ready to go. But he had some quiet, serious moments that I took to be First Day Jitters. We had played up the historic nature of The First Day, and I'm sure it was a lot to take in for a five-year-old. Note to self for Round 2 with The Girl: play it cool! Yeah, as if that will happen....

When it was time to get in the car and drive to school The Boy was all smiles - goofing off, as usual. We parked and all four of us walked the last block to school (in the nearly 100 degree heat...at 8:00 AM...). The Boy was greeted at the door with hugs from his teacher. What a perfect way to start the day - and to calm Mommy's nerves. After settling in at his table, and some more hugs and kisses from the fam, he officially started his first day of Kindergarten. Pause for effect.WOW.

Mommy cried a little as we walked out of the building - and, much to our surprise, the Tiny Girl started sobbing! I think it hit her that she was going to school "by herself", and wouldn't see her Big Brother during the day any more. By the time we drove to school she had recovered and was ready for her photo shoot.

And so it begins....

Big Girl Bed

2011-08-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

As if the First Day Of School wasn't enough excitement, we decided to transition Tiny C into a big girl bed the day before. Mommy didn't get much sleep that night - thinking about the big milestones for both kiddos. The rest of the family didn't get too worked up about the changes....

Bowling Birthday

2011-08-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

Now that the Kindergarten class lists are set we have to go about doing the hard work of explaining to The Boy why he and his BFF-basically-from-birth won't be in the same classroom next year. These two were born just a few weeks apart and have been in the same daycare class since they were ~4 months old. That means they've seen each other almost EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for as long as they both can remember. Mommy is having more than a little bit of a hard time coping with the idea that they'll be separated! Everyone keeps reminding me that kiddos are resilient...he'll branch out and make new friends...that they'll still see each other at recess and lunch and PE and t-ball...BUT STILL. I feel like one of my limbs has been cut off. Ok, not really. But almost.I set aside my feelings of panic long enough to celebrate the 5-year-old birthday of the aforementioned BFF. His party was a quiet family affair at the bowling alley. The miniature size 8 bowling shoes were almost too much to handle. I think each kid got at least one (totally assisted) Strike during the 100 or so games we played. It was a great way to celebrate a birthday, as well as the end of summer / beginning of school.

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It Takes A Village

2011-08-19T17:30:00.000-05:00

Both of my kiddos have been blessed with such wonderful teachers at their child care center. I have never felt hesitant about dropping them off for the day (although I could do with a few less strains of drug-resistant-super-flu that seem to run rampant around the center). Both kids come home bubbling with stories about all the new stuff they've learned. The Boy's teachers spent this year focusing on Kindergarten Prep - reading, writing, telling time, computer skills, and lots of math games. It was wonderful to watch my little sponge soaking up the new info. And also great to see him cut loose on the playground (this isn't Kindergarten yet, after all)! It was one of his best years yet - and helped me feel much more comfortable about his transition to Kindergarten.The little lady had several teacher changes this year, but she took it all in stride. She's always been very easy-going about school - even a little shy at times. When the teachers told me early in the year that she didn't talk much at school I literally laughed out loud. She's such a chatterbox at home I couldn't quite believe she ever stopped talking. Sure enough within a few months she was charming everyone with her verbal skills on a regular basis. That's my girl.She still has several more years at the child care center (insert sigh of relief from Mommy). We've already had a great experience with many of the teachers in the older rooms, so we're looking forward to her future career there. We're also looking forward to the main focus in her next room at the school: Potty Training. Yes please. Maybe she'll be more impressed with the teachers' methods than ours at home (which she mostly dismisses...including reminding me on the way out the door "Do you have my diaper bag, mommy?" Sigh.).In addition to loving all of her teachers, our Baby Girl loves all of her classmates. Including one boy in particular. This I am not ready for. At the End of School Sock Hop she spent her time chasing him around the dance floor. Whenever he stopped she would throw her arms around him in a big bear hug. When Mommy stepped in to try to break them up he would grab her hands and run to the other side of the room dragging her along with him. Young love.

The Beginning of the End of the Beginning

2011-08-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the big moment we've all been waiting for is aaaaaalmost here. This week started the official Back to School activities for Kindergarten. Class lists were posted, teachers held parent welcome sessions, and the kiddos swarmed the school for tours, scavenger hunts and first views of new classrooms. The Farewell to Summer / Pre-K process was drawn out over a full week. I took several days off of work to just hang out with The Boy before his big school debut. We spent our time relaxing by the pool, back to school shopping, and getting in some quality play time with his girlfriend. It was a little surreal walking out of the child care center with him on his last full day of school there. Are we really done with this phase? He's off to The Real World?!?! Oh my. There are scary things out there. Like Bears.All week I rode the emotional roller coaster between "He's TOTALLY ready" and "But he has to stay in the protective bubble and be my baby forever!". Each school event brought a new sense of calm and excitement (Look at that huge library! Oh what fun art supplies!)...along with a laundry list of questions I hadn't even considered (He has to memorize a six digit PIN to buy lunch?!). For his part he seemed curious, nervous and excited. I was glad we could ease through the transition with several activities at the school. If nothing else it tamed my nerves about sending my Tiny Boy off to That Big Huge School With Gigantic Kids (seriously, have you seen any fifth graders lately? They're massive!).Even though he won't be in class with his BFF, at least they'll be at the same school. I think that's a comforting thought for both of them. Meanwhile, our Tiny Lady is also fully prepared for Kindergarten. I don't think she realizes she is REQUIRED to stay my baby forever. No school for you yet, young lady! But I can already tell her transition will be much easier. She knows her way around the school, recognizes the mascot, and greets O's Kindergarten teacher by name. The joys of being the younger sibling.

Craft Summer

2011-08-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

As this summer started I realized I was pretty burned out on our after school routine. It felt like we were doing the same activities over and over. And when the kiddos got bored their immediate default request was for more TV or computer time (and don't even get me started on their Angry Birds obsession). In the never-ending battle to limit their screen time I decided to put my creative skills to work. I spent some quality time in front of the computer (ironic, eh?) combing through my favorite kid craft sites. This was early on in my Pinterest career, so I was also eager to try out some of my newly pinned crafts. Thus was born The Summer Activity Binder. Every day had a theme (math, reading, science, writing, art), and every theme had a nearly endless list of crafting / game / activity ideas. These lists were then neatly organized into a binder for the kiddos to flip through. I had almost as much fun making the list and binder as I did watching the kids do the activities. It was the perfect scenario for my hyper-organized personality. Every day the kids sifted through the ideas and picked out something to work on (or they rolled their eyes and picked their own activity not in the binder...which was great because, yes, I realize I can't plan every single second of their day). Here's a brief sampling of the more photogenic projects from our Summer O' Crafting:

Shaving Cream Bath Paint - the bathtub grout is only a little bit rainbow colored after this activity....Stained Glass Crayon Art - the Tiny Lady insists on removing the wrapper before coloring with any crayon, so we were already set up for this project. The resulting heart and circle art pieces are now hanging proudly in their windows.Rainbow Toast - in another attempt to entice The Boy into eating bread we made dozens of slices of Rainbow Toast over the summer. He was more than happy to decorate, but still totally uninterested in consuming. That's OK. Our carb loving two year old was always in the mood for a second helping.Sink or Float, Super Hero Costumes and Scissors - I think 99.99% of the items in our home were at some point dropped into the Sink Or Float bowls. The kiddos didn't really grasp the "hypothesis" part of the activity though. Who has time to guess "sink of float?" when you can instead be dive bombing large objects into a bowl full of water? Another favorite activity was creating our own super hero costumes (more on that later). Captain America's shield was fairly straightforward to create and color. Of course when The Boy started using his scissors to cut out his project The Girl demanded to be taught how to do the same. By the end of that day we had hundreds of piles of itty bitty paper scraps covering the playroom floor (and very little craft paper left...). Thank goodness she caught on quickly to Scissor Use Rules #1 and #2: you only cut paper, and you only cut AFTER you ask mommy if it's OK. I'm happy to report that no important documents have yet been destroyed by our tiny crafter.Domino Relay - this one actually did involve some computer time. After we built a few domino relays of our own we spent some time watching videos online of the "pros". Amazing stuff. Our tiny lady barely had the patience to wait for 10 dominoes to be lined up so I don't think we'll be ready for competition level any time soon.Batman Cape - one afternoon The Boy decided he wanted to be Batman. So he made a cape. Note that in one of the pictures Batman is wielding a home made light saber. These super heroes rarely stay within the confines of their own story.Family Portrait - and finally, here is The Boy's rendition of our happy family. Lookin good.

The Moms

2011-08-13T12:45:00.001-05:00

Both Grandma and Nana came to visit us this summer. Nana spent some quality time at home wrangling the kiddos. After all that running around she was ready for a relaxing dip in the pool. The kids were eager to swim as well - although I'm not sure their wild jumping, shrieking and splashing really counts as relaxing .Grandma helped us get ready for the big Five Year Old Birthday Party and spent lots of time reading bedtime stories. Our tiny lady was mesmerized and made sure she had a front row seat.

Swim Lessons

2011-08-10T12:43:00.002-05:00

This summer we enrolled The Boy in swim lessons in our very own pool. We invited his BFF to come along and they both made some impressive progress over the weeks. O went from not wanting to put his face in the water (not-ever-no-way-you-can't-make-me) to swimming the short width of our pool by himself. I'm so much more at ease now that he's (somewhat) capable in the water. Tiny C is another story altogether. Every time she's in the pool she insists "NO! I do it MYSELF!" But if her face gets within a few inches of the water she squeals and shakes her head no. Goof.

Birthday Party

2011-08-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

They jumped. They ran. They slid. The tumbled. They screamed. They ate pizza and ice cream and cake. They collapsed from exhaustion. Pretty much the perfect birthday.

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Thanks to Grandpa for capturing even more of the fun.

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Of course, it wouldn't really be a perfect birthday without color coordinated decorations, party favors, and edible goodies, right? RIGHT?!That's what I thought.

Five Years Old

2011-08-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

How are we already here? Five years?! Impossible. I spent a lot of time just staring at The Boy today - in total amazement at how much he's grown and changed from that tiny breech baby who woke us up every two hours with his ravenous hunger...and didn't consistently sleep through the night until 7 months old. We made another tick on the growth chart and marveled at how big he's getting. His five year old "birthday interview" yielded many similar results compared to last year (same BFFs, same favorite foods, same desire to be Buzz Lightyear when he grows up...). He has no idea how much his life is about to change with the upcoming start of Real School. We're enjoying every last second of our lazy days with him. This morning's family project: icing cupcakes for the birthday party.

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One thing that HASN'T changed is his dislike of being photographed. So although it was his birthday, there are about 10 times as many pictures of Baby Sister in the set. Sigh.

Field Trip

2011-07-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

The last field trip of The Boy's child care center career was a whirlwind. The kiddos from two classes joined forces to take over the Children's Museum...along with at least 10,000 other local child care center kids (give or take). I was glad when we headed home - it was a long day with very little down time (and only one lost kid...eventually found after ~15 minutes of frantic, heart-stopping searching...not my kiddo, thank goodness).

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The Circus

2011-07-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

Summer means it's time for the annual child care center circus. This year The Boy was a clown (complete with jumping-through-hoops and other tumbling stunts) and The Girl galloped around as a pony (yes, that's a tail she's wearing). As usual the highlight for both of them was the carnival immediately following the performance.

End of an era

2011-07-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

It was an early wake-up call this morning - 3:45 AM. We stumbled around in the dark for a few minutes, then woke the kiddos. Everyone quietly piled in the car and headed for JSC - Mama still glued to the iPhone and the constant stream of text messages, email updates, Facebook posts and news releases. Then we stood with the crowd on the front lawn - cheering and crying - and watched the final landing of the Space Shuttle Program on the big screen. Speechless.

Family Visitors

2011-07-17T13:53:00.004-05:00

As if the last Space Shuttle mission wasn't excitement enough around here, we also hosted a mini family reunion with Auntie Kirsten and Gran Rog. I don't like living so far away from my only sister (waaaa!), so it's always a happy occasion when we get to see each other. The kiddos basked in all the attention from their adoring fans, and we put the backyard pool to good use in the summer heat. We squeezed in a photo shoot on our last evening together. Both O and C insisted on taking a turn behind the lens. The Boy took some pretty great pictures, even instructing everyone on where to stand and when to look at the camera and smile. The Girl...well...there's some room for improvement. But still I couldn't resist posting them.

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STS-135 Launch

2011-07-08T12:36:00.050-05:00

I thought long and hard about where I wanted to watch the last launch of the Space Shuttle Program. I knew I really wanted to be with the kiddos to see this historic event. Of course it would have been amazing to travel to Florida to see it in person, but I had to support the mission the very next day so that wasn't in the cards - thank goodness we'd checked "see a launch" off the kids' bucket list in February. It would have been exciting to sit inside MCC and listen to the loops while all the go-for-launch calls were being made for the last time, but that's not the ideal (or even allowed) setting for two kids under the age of five. We didn't have cable set up at the new house yet, and although we could have crowded around the computer to watch streaming internet video I was worried it would cut out at just the wrong time and we'd miss the whole thing. They open the large auditorium at work to show launches on the big screen, but I was scared of the crowds and the traffic. In the end I decided to sit with the kids at the child care center. The TV might have been small, but the energy in the room was HUGE.

Three of the younger classes grouped together in Tiny C's room and I brought O-man to the party. Many of the kiddos were too young to understand what they were watching, but I think everyone knew it was something important. The kids jumped and paced and bounced and clapped and squealed along with the teachers. Some of the kiddos had parents working in Mission Control at that moment. Some had family members at the Cape watching the launch in person. With my two little ones planted firmly in my lap I watched the Space Shuttle blast off for the last time. I cried and snapped a few pictures. It was "dress in red, white and blue" day - how perfectly patriotic.

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4th of July

2011-07-04T22:19:00.035-05:00

Our new backyard finally got to host its first pool party. I kept the kids occupied with craft projects and food prep all weekend so they wouldn't destroy the house TOO much prior to the festivities. We wanted the place to look its best for the big debut (well, at least no piles of moving boxes or toys / clothes / dirt covering any flat surfaces...baby steps). We ended up with a fairly clean house and dozens of homemade, red-white-and-blue goodies.

Once we'd eaten our fill of All American food we put the kiddos in their pj's and staged a driveway fireworks display (read: poppers and streamer pull toys...). Then we piled into our cars and headed out to watch the real show. We were lucky that our area still had fireworks - many others were cancelled because of the recent drought. This was the first 4th of July display for all the kids (Tiny C was asleep long before they started last year, but O and Dada did drive around to see a few from the car...). They were all staying up (way) past normal bedtimes AND they got glow sticks. Perfect summer holiday. Let's do it again sometime, OK? (and next time we'll know to sit further away from the light pole...)

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Blueberries

2011-06-26T21:32:00.003-05:00

This year's record heat wave caused us to delay our annual blueberry picking outing. We learned our lesson last year that we don't last long in the sun. We kept waiting for a nice, overcast day so we could actually enjoy our time in the field, rather than sweltering and wishing it was over. Five months without rain didn't really help this plan. It also didn't help the blueberry field - the berries were much smaller and less abundant this year than in the past. We came away with plenty of blueberries for the short term, but not enough to freeze and eat for months to come. Shoot.

Even though we tried to stay in the shade, you'll see some pink cheeks in the pictures. We hadn't been there long before the first "can we go home now?" plea from our fair-skinned baby. We hurriedly picked a few more handfuls of berries, snapped some pictures (Mama wanted to try some artsy-late-afternoon-sun shots...), and headed home.

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Father's Day Craft Projects

2011-06-19T22:39:00.010-05:00

I spend a lot of time crafting. Or, more accurately, thinking about and planning crafting (actually finding the time can be a bit tricky, what with the non-stop energy and activities of an almost-five-year-old and two-and-a-half-year-old...plus I have to create lists, sort, alphabetize, label, color code, calculate, and arrange things at right angles before I can actually start any project...). I'm happy when I can bring the kiddos into my crafting world. Enter: Father's Day. This year we worked on not one but TWO crafts to celebrate the occasion.

First, I combined two crafts I recently saw online - decoupaged coasters, and kid art prints (thank you Pinterest for being a wealth of craft ideas...and also for sucking every last nanosecond of free time out of my day). I love (love, LOVE) watching the kids paint. They take it soooo seriously. And they use approximately 10 gallons of paint in one sitting. The creative results are always fantastic, and this time was no exception. We gave Gran Rog the finished product - kid art coasters - to add some Saplings love to his home.

Dada helped out with the next project - a customized garden paver. I'm sorry to say I didn't take any pictures of the finished product (what?! I don't think this site has ever suffered from a LACK of pictures...!). You can tell by the early stages of the project that it's going to be a keeper.

Happy Father's Day!

Colorado Vacation

2011-06-16T21:08:00.026-05:00

We love the Colorado mountains. Love, love, LOVE. Every time we visit it takes superhuman strength to actually get onto the plane to go home. This time was especially difficult. After a few whirlwind days at Nana's house celebrating the newest members of Team Maples we headed to Vail to unwind. The adult-to-child ratio definitely worked in our favor there - somewhere in the 20:1 range. That meant some real, no kidding relaxation for Mom and Dad: bike rides, swimming (though not in the raging river outside our condo), walks, and a trip to the spa. This was the first trip we've taken with the kids that actually felt more like a vacation than work. They're both so much more independent and self sufficient these days (except for the occasional diaper change for the little lady). There were even a few second cousins (is that what the kids of cousins are called?) there to keep them entertained. Finally - a break for Mom and Dad!

The only snafu of the entire week-long vacation happened just as we arrived at Nana's house. The kids are still fairly inexperienced with stairs, having grown up thus far in a one-story house. Our usually graceful Baby Girl took a head first tumble down half a flight of wood steps. The resulting thud, initial silence, then frantic scream nearly stopped my heart. Also, there was blood. Shiver. Enter Dr. Andrew Maples, DDS. He checked out her swollen lips and bruised gums, and assured us she'd be back to normal in a few days. Of course, her big flower girl debut was also in a few days. You can see the early aftermath of the injury in the first few pictures below (where she's happily following doctor's orders: popsicles). Sure enough, she was completely healed in time for her performance (and pictures) on The Big Day.

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And now, back to reality. Bye, bye mountains.

Colorado Wedding

2011-06-12T20:23:00.085-05:00

The kiddos officially have a new Aunt! Uncle Andy's and Aunt Lauren's wedding was really a full family affair for us - we added the Best Man, a bridesmaid, the Ring Bearer, and a flower girl to the ceremony and celebration. Talk about a good excuse to dress up and party (not to mention escape the heat at home and head for the Colorado mountains). Game on.

We knew the weekend would be hectic, so we flew in our own nanny for the occasion - also known as Grandma. She helped wrangle The Saplings while Mom and Dad were busy with Important Wedding Party Duties. You know, like getting hair and makeup done...~~playing on the slide~~taking pictures...and riding on the party bus. The kids drew some big ooh's and ahh's when they made their grand ceremony entrance just before the bride. Mommy cried, of course. We were all a little worried that one or both of the kids would have a meltdown at some point, but they were the life of the party the whole weekend. Master O was the height of GQ fashion in his miniature tuxedo, and Tiny C owned the dance floor - to the point that she tore the top layer off her dress (no doubt during her two-steps-behind-the-song rendition of the Macarena). She also refused (!) to take off her fancy shoes and socks the ENTIRE vacation - including during naptimes.

We are eagerly awaiting the full set of photos from the uber-talented wedding photographer, Marilee. Within 10 minutes of meeting the massive wedding party she had all 20+ names memorized. She corralled and directed the herd with grace, and captured some once-in-a-lifetime shots for the happy couple. Just take a look at the sneak-peak slideshow. She and her two assistants covered every aspect of the celebration (except maybe the hotel bar after party - which is probably for the best). We were also happy to have Grandma and her camera along to document the day.

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A million thanks to Nana and Grandma for getting the kids ready for the wedding. We couldn't have survived (and enjoyed ourselves so much!) without you. And now...on to our Vail vacation!

And now back to our regularly scheduled Sapling coverage

2011-06-10T21:24:00.002-05:00

I've started making a list of new blog names. Currently topping the list are: Fun-Things-That-Happened-Two-Months-Ago.com and What-We-Did-LAST-Summer.com. In the past two months we bought a house, sold a house, camped out in the old backyard one last time, moved (and lived without a computer and home internet access for two-and-a-half-weeks in the process), celebrated Easter and several friends' birthdays, visited the strawberry patch, watched our little athlete participate in Field Day at school, giggled and cried our way through Preschool Graduation, and took a special trip to Colorado. The photos from Uncle Andy and Aunt Lauren's wedding weekend (and the fabulous vacation that followed) deserve their own post ("coming soon"...as if that carries any weight around here anymore...). The rest of our end-of-school-beginning-of-summer antics will now redefine "Saplings photo overload":

Strawberry picking - one of my favorite springtime, family activities. It's fun to compare our photos from previous years, and gasp at how much the kids have grown.
2008 - only one kiddo, not even 2 years old

2009 - an independent two-and-a-half-year old and a brand new, 2 week old baby

2010 - a big kid and a new walker (she took her first steps just a few weeks prior)

2011 - what happened to my tiny babies?! I see two kids basically ready to head off to college (OK, kindergarten. Same difference).

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Easter - the last egg hunt in our wonderful backyard. We packed up and moved just a few weeks later. We started a new tradition this year of letting the kids prepare dessert....

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Birthday Parties and Backyard Camping - spring was a busy season for us! Lots of friends with birthdays (a.k.a. lots of opportunities for the kids to see how much cake they can fit into their mouths in a single bite), and one last backyard camping session before we moved. Older Brother took good care of Younger Sister, since it was her first night in the tent (and Dada supervised the whole event, of course). She loved every minute - and even slept a few too.

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There's even a video of some birthday party antics:

Field Day - the Red Robins vs. the Green Hornets. Everyone was a winner.

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Here are the Red Robins (enthusiastically) taking the field:

Preschool Graduation - get out your hankies. Here's our Big Kid receiving his diploma, followed by some adorable (and totally hilarious) musical performances:

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Whew. Up next in my effort to stay only one month behind on posting (instead of three): the Colorado wedding.

Walt Disney World - Revisited

2011-04-23T13:28:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since we talked about Disney. Let's discuss.

The #1 piece of advice we heard before going to Disney was "use FASTPASS!!". Check. #2 on the list - "use Photopass!!". Also check. Hello family photos with all four of us! Since I'm always the one taking the pictures it's rare that I'm actually in the pictures. I also discovered a few iPhone shots I'd forgotten about. The aforementioned fancy photo equipment can get heavy (even with my fancy, quilted camera straps - thanks again, Sus), so even this picture-taking-obsessed gal needs a break sometimes. Cue the tiny cell phone camera. Perfect for capturing Lady C eating ketchup with a spoon straight from the cup, or the Saplings (and Dada) attempting to dig to China.

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More Boston

2011-04-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

One post just wasn't enough to capture all the fun and excitement of the Boston Marathon. During the race itself we tracked Matt's progress on a whole slew of mobile devices - posing for a special moment of silence when we estimated he had reached Heartbreak Hill. In order to provide all his adoring fans with play-by-play coverage I posted several iPhone screen shots on Facebook. Late in the day, after the initial celebrations died down, I remembered to capture the final status.

The next day we trekked to half a dozen different stores to try to find a local paper.

And here are some more details from around town on our various outings. Plus a movie of our quiet time with the fam (Ok, not so quiet).

The 2011 Boston Marathon

2011-04-20T13:28:00.008-05:00

The entire family took a trip to Boston so Dada could run in a local race there. You might have heard of it: THE BOSTON MARATHON. He ran a qualifying time in the Houston Marathon last year and we've been preparing for the big Boston moment ever since. We brought along some super fans (Nana, Grandma and Gran Rog), and of course enjoyed the hospitality of the locals (Auntie Kirsten and Uncle Andrew). Matt's Uncle also ran in the marathon, so we briefly visited with his Aunt one evening at dinner. The Saplings basked in the non-stop attention from their adoring relatives, while Mama and Dada enjoyed the many extra hands available to help with wrangling.

The excitement surrounding the race was overwhelming - from the mob at packet pickup, to the early morning departure of our runner (he had to leave the hotel at 5:45 AM to catch the bus to the start...which wasn't until 10:00 AM!), to the live TV coverage of race start (I admit it - I cried when the starting gun went off), to the deafening roar of the crowd for hours on end (including complimentary cow bells given to every runner in their welcome pack), to the mass of people waiting at the family meeting area after the race.... The local schools plan their Spring Break to start on Marathon Monday and many local business stay closed throughout the day (except restaurants - because these runners need to EAT!). The entire city turns out to support the runners. We were honored to take part in such a prestigious event - and so proud of Dada for making it happen.

Here are the "by the numbers" results:
Total race starters: 24338 (all), 14057 (men), 10281 (women)
Total race finishers: 23879 (all), 13806 (men), 10073 (women)
Official time: 3:14:28 - good enough to qualify him again for next year's Boston marathon!!
Overall place: 3810
Place in men's race: 3442
Place in division (men, 18-35): 2164

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More Birthday!

2011-04-02T20:01:00.002-05:00

Tiny C was born a mere 12 days before her BFF. To be fair, at the time those 12 days seemed like FOREVER. I still vividly remember being visited in the hospital by a certain disgruntled pregnant lady who was desperate to hurry up and have a baby already! I'm pretty sure that's the only time she actually spoke to me during those 12 days. I was thrilled when her little one finally arrived so we could be friends again. Seems impossible that two whole years have passed since our baby playdate / maternity leave days. Sigh. I miss the mall walks, lazy brunches, sleepless nights, and crafting extravaganzas. Oh wait. Scratch the sleepless nights part. I want to erase those from my brain forever.

Since my birthday party planning days were behind me (at least for a few months) I switched into full Birthday Party Photographer mode for this celebration. We don't call this party hostess Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker without good reason. Check out the perfect-down-to-the-last-detail party setup:

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The party goers, including my two kiddos, clearly enjoyed the festivities.

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Two Years Old

2011-03-29T19:16:00.001-05:00

You thought the birthday coverage was over, didn't you? Nope. We celebrated one more time on the actual two-year-old birthday. Cake (round two), ice cream, a party hat and gifts from our family made for a perfect afternoon. Tiny C was thrilled to be the center of attention. Mama was less than thrilled to be entering the infamous Terrible Two's. Mostly because it means that TWO WHOLE YEARS have passed since she was born. Sigh.

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Fashionista

2011-03-27T22:16:00.002-05:00

Our almost-two-year-old diva has made some bold fashion statements in the past, but this one is my favorite. She and Big Brother were suddenly struck with an urge to fix something, ANYTHING, with their tool sets. Safety first!

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Birthday weekend, continued

2011-03-27T13:47:00.001-05:00

The party didn't stop after all the kiddos went home. The next day we visited our favorite springtime event - the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park. As usual, the kids got their hands dirty in the do-it-yourself art tent. It doesn't matter how many art cars or pet rocks they make at the festivals, they need (yes, NEED) a new one every time. I love seeing them work together. Big Brother watches out for Little Sister. He passes on his artistic lessons learned from the two whole years more experience he has over her. And much to our joy and amazement she more often than not replies with a sweet, "Oh. Thanks." (excuse me while I go dry my eyes)

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The Big "Bee-Day" Party

2011-03-26T10:13:00.004-05:00

The build-up to the big two-year-old "bee-day" party was intense. Without really meaning to, we started an unofficial countdown to the big day. It started a few weeks prior when I went to run errands. As is the norm lately, C began wailing - "Take! Me! With! You!". Then tears. Lots of tears. It's a miracle I can ever leave the house after those performances. "Mommy will be right back, I just have to get some things for your birthday party." Big smile. Crying stops. "Party?! My birthday?!!" Oops. What have I done. Two-year-olds can have freakishly good memories. Especially when it involves special holidays where they are the center of attention and get lots of presents. From that instant forward Tiny C began telling everyone who would listen, "My birthday TODAY. My party." When we gently reminded her that it was soon, but there were still a few weeks / days / hours left until her party she would frown and firmly inform us, "NO. My birthday party right NOW." We were thrilled when we could finally tell her the big moment had arrived.

The party was planned for a local park. We crossed our fingers all week for good weather and were happily rewarded. Blue skies! No rain! As each of her friends arrived our Birthday Girl flapped her arms in excitement. And jumped. And made noises that can only accurately be described as squeals. I thought she was excited to meet Tinker Bell, but the party might have topped that as the Best Day Of Her Entire Life. All the kids stopped running (and swinging and climbing and kicking balls and chasing bubbles) long enough to enjoy some lunch. We finished off the festivities with cake and ice cream. Or in the birthday girl's case, icing and ice cream. Whatever makes her happy.

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What makes Mama happy (besides watching my kids having so much fun with their friends) is a good excuse to CRAFT. A trip to The Paper Source provided the perfect inspiration for this year's party theme: bumble bees. As I kept reminding everyone these were nice, friendly bees. Definitely not killer bees. No stinging allowed. Added to the springtime colored stationary was a custom bumblebee design from Etsy. I put those tiny bees everywhere - flower pots, favor bags, cupcakes, the cake.... I also found some great wildflower seed paper (because bees like flowers, right?!) to send home with the party goers. To round out the crafting extravaganza I made our Birthday Girl a party dress (from bumblebee fabric, obviously). What goes with a bumblebee dress? A bumblebee hairclip, of course.

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We're happy our friends were able to BUZZ over to help celebrate Lady C's second BEE-day. I invited the perfect group of Parent Paparazzi. Here are some of the great photos from Grandpa, and my good friends, Melanie and Elizabeth.

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Toddler Speak

2011-03-19T17:57:00.003-05:00

I love the phrases kids, not just mine, come up with as they learn to talk. Cs favorite shout out of late is "aay-body dink ah nook". That would be "everybody drink your milk" in Toddler C Speak. "Nook" has completely replaced the word "milk" in our house. It's like a secret language. In the process of trying to capture her new catch phrase on video I also caught the bumble bee song, the PBS Kids Super Readers call to arms ("Hands in! Super Readers - to the rescue!"), Baa Baa Black Sheep (is anyone else amazed by the memorization powers of kids under two?! It's uncanny!!), and Older Brother lamenting the fact that Little Sister always tries to take his favorite toys.

Not his first rodeo (but it was hers)

2011-03-18T13:05:00.004-05:00

The Boy is no stranger to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but this was The Girl's rookie year. My babies got nose-to-nose with all the animal babies (to the point I wanted to bathe them in Purell several times). The make believe farmer's market was a big hit, as usual. Ditto for the giant tractors. My kids are expert drivers (yeah, yeah...very good drivers...). But the ultimate highlight of the trip was the cotton candy dessert. After bribing him with a sufficient amount of said sugary treat, O agreed to sit still AND smile for some photos. Hello new favorite pictures.

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Partying Hard

2011-03-12T12:19:00.003-06:00

The social calendars of an almost-two-year-old and a four-and-a-half-year-old are incredibly full. At least at my house. On this given Saturday the kiddos were invited to FOUR birthday parties. In our quest to be Super Hero Parents, we managed to squeeze in three of them. The Saplings created some Painted Potter masterpieces at Brooklyn's third birthday party, had a HOOT at Audrey's first birthday party (my crafty, photography expert friend, Elizabeth, has some great shots of the Saplings and all the party details in her album), and tumbled to their hearts content at Anna's fifth birthday party.

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Disney Vacation - The Final Post

2011-02-27T16:18:00.004-06:00

We spent the last few days of our vacation relaxing at the beach. The Ron Jon resort in Cocoa Beach provided endless hours of fun for the kids (especially the biggest kid in our group: Dada). A water slide, lazy river, the beach, an indoor playground, the Ron Jon shop, seafood dinners and a fantastic resort suite - a great end to our once-in-a-lifetime trip. Until the next one.

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Disney Vacation - Day 6, Chef Mickey's and Hollywood Studios

2011-02-26T10:14:00.014-06:00

Our last day at Disney World started with breakfast at Chef Mickey's. We purposely avoided waiting in line to see the main characters within the parks because we knew we'd see them at the restaurant. In addition to Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto there was an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. With waffles shaped like Mickey Mouse. And bottomless OJ. We could have stayed for hours. Except that we wanted to ride the monorail again with the kids, so eventually we did have to leave.

The characters visited every table so you were guaranteed some up-close-and-personal time with each superstar (no waiting in line or elbowing your way to the front of the crowd just to get a peek). There were happy outbursts and wide-eyed stares as each new character rounded the corner into our section of the dining room. The Boy happily collected autographs and gave each character a bear hug. By this point The Girl had mostly gotten over her fear of the characters - she even gave Mickey a kiss on the nose (then spent the rest of the day reminding us, "I kiss Mickey!" and giggling...oh, this one is gonna be trouble).

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I personally went back through the buffet line three times...mostly for donut holes and those Mickey shaped waffles. I needed some serious carbs/sugar intake to keep up with The Two Kids With Endless Energy. After we all stuffed ourselves we made our way to Hollywood Studios.

By the time we got there the park had been open for several hours - so the FASTPASSes for the #1 ride (Toy Story Mania) were all handed out. We debated about the posted 65 minute wait time, but decided we HAD to see Buzz Lightyear one more time (or we'd never hear the end of it from Master O). We were fully prepared to take one for the team, but our wait was only 30 minutes. That ride has the best "distractions" in the waiting area (talking Mr. Potato Head, anyone?), so the time flew by. I was waiting for a desperate "gotta go potty!!" plea, or a diaper blowout, but we breezed through the line without incident. Mama got the high score, even though I had to stop several times to adjust Tiny C's 3D glasses (all those hours battling my sister at Nintendo finally paid off). We hit Luigi's garage (Lightning McQueen! Mater!) and a few other attractions before stopping for our afternoon snack. That finally gave me a chance to capture the required Kids Eating The Mickey Shaped Ice Cream Bar photos. (Full disclosure: O actually did NOT want a Mickey treat, but I forced him to pose for a staged photo anyway. Let's all agree to never mention this ever again. Thank you.) After cleaning up from that dessert fiasco we said farewell to Disney World. Or rather - "see you later". We'll be back.

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Disney Vacation - Day 5, Animal Kingdom

2011-02-25T20:29:00.000-06:00

The pace is definitely slower at Animal Kingdom. You can avoid waiting in line for almost everything (well, everything a four and almost-two-year-old wanted to do anyway). There are plenty of walk-at-your-own-speed trails, a long safari ride, a train, a petting zoo, and several playgrounds where kids can run as much (or as little) as they'd like.

Getting there early paid off (another round of applause for Pre-Vacation Planning!) - we were literally the first riders to arrive at one attraction. That meant we got to ride twice in a row with no waiting. Score. Then we immediately stumbled upon Winnie The Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger with only ONE kid in line at each character. Jackpot. We spent the rest of the day watching animals in various places.

It proved to be a long (and hot!) morning and Tiny C threw in the towel early. She slept through the entire safari, which takes you off-road through rough terrain. Before you board the ride there are signs suggesting pregnant women and people in less-than-perfect health should consider sitting this one out. Apparently those conditions are extremely soothing for our Tiny Lady. She was asleep within seconds. She rallied later in the afternoon when we mentioned there was PIZZA for dinner. Both kids were on photo overload by this point (can't imagine why...), so I let them take turns behind the lens.

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Disney Vacation - Day 4, Beach and STS-133 Launch

2011-02-24T15:53:00.003-06:00

After two FULL days in the park I have to admit it was nice to take a break. We spent a lazy morning on the beach playing in the sand, chasing birds, and partaking in several more rounds of Sand Ball Fight. We visited the pool and tried to convince O to ride the water slides - no luck. Instead we cheered for Dada on his ~20 trips down the slide. Like I said, he was my THIRD kid on this trip. Even with the amount of effort it takes to wrangle two small kids with seemingly endless energy, it's a toss up on who had the most fun - parents or kids.

After a leisurely lunch and a quick trip to the playground we got in the car to head to the launch. Turns out we should have rushed around a little more in the morning. We were anticipating heavy traffic and some slow driving...but not total gridlock. We were literally STOPPED on the freeway for 5-10 minute stretches at a time. While actually moving forward we sometimes reached breathtaking speeds in the double digits - like 10 or 12 mph. Thank goodness for seat belts. We only needed to cover ~50 miles, but with an average rate of ZERO MPH at times we were definitely worried we might miss the launch. Thank goodness both kids took three hour naps (during our total driving time of over FOUR HOURS) so we were spared any "are we there yet?!" outbursts. They clearly needed some rest after the previous 48 hours of frantic once-in-a-lifetime activities. We sat in nervous silence for most of the ride...both terrified we would miss the main event. But we made it to Kars Park on Merrit Island with a whole 30 minutes to spare. We listened to the PAO mission audio and crossed our fingers for a good launch. It came down to the wire, but we hit the combo-Disney-and-Shuttle-launch-viewing vacation jackpot. Godspeed Discovery on her final launch. Although a (massive) cloud bank obscured much of our view, it was still amazing to feel the liftoff. O's immediate response after the cheering around us died down was, "when is the next one going?" Someday we'll explain the historic significance of seeing Space Shuttle Discovery's last launch. I snapped a few photos, but took the advice of many friends (and experts) and just enjoyed the experience. NASA's video highlights of the STS-133 launch are worth watching!

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Soon enough it would be time to go home and work the mission. For now - back to Disney!!

Disney Vacation - Day 3, Epcot

2011-02-23T18:30:00.004-06:00

We had high expectations after our first day at Disney World, and Epcot did not disappoint. Before the trip we weren't sure how the kids would handle the characters and the rides. But the steady chorus of "MORE!" made it pretty clear how they felt (it did take Lady C a while to warm up to the bigger characters, but she eventually greeted almost all of them). In addition to Neemo and Alice, we got to see two of MY favorites in the park: Figment and Snow White. I can remember both of them so vividly from my trips to Disney World as a kid. I wonder what moments from this vacation are going to stick with the Saplings. You know...besides the second-by-second coverage I provided with my camera. Just in case they can't remember something later on....

As mentioned several times on this blog, our Baby Girl thinks she IS Tinker Bell. We had learned the day before that Tink was living in Epcot these days (due to construction at her previous home in the Magic Kingdom). The Disney folks warned us that the lines to meet her can get pretty long, so we showed up 30 minutes early. We're glad we did! We got the #2 spot in the queue, and watched as it grew to over 20 families by the time the tiny fairy finally arrived. It was blazing hot, and there was very little shade. But the kids stayed occupied climbing in and out of the strollers and watching videos on the iPhones. We considered this earning our "We Survived The Lines At Disney" parent merit badge. It ended up being the longest we waited for anything - but OF COURSE it was totally worth it. Tiny C wore one of her many Tinker Bell shirts, and brought along her precious blankie, Baboo, for the occasion (actually, she and O brought Baboo and Cabo EVERYWHERE during the trip...they were in need of some industrial strength laundry care by the end). Lady C stood in shy, nervous delight as Tinker Bell knelt down and started talking to her. The fairy even asked her about Baboo! C grinned and danced around while Mama tried to take pictures through the tears. I love seeing my kiddos so happy.

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Disney Vacation - Day 2, Magic Kingdom

2011-02-22T10:21:00.014-06:00

I don't think the kids were fully prepared for the magic of Walt Disney World. Our first day in the park was awe inspiring - filled with a nearly non-stop string of joyous outbursts ("LOOK!!", "WOW!!", "LET'S GO!!"), larger-than-life characters, parades and fireworks. We were on-the-go for over 12 hours from the park opening show and character arrival, until the grand finale of the Wishes fireworks show well after our normal bedtimes. We managed a mid-day break at the hotel for lunch and a nap, which helped the kids (and Mom and Dad) avoid a meltdown. We patted ourselves on the back more than once during the day as our thorough pre-vacation planning paid off. Our various maps, spreadsheets, iPhone apps, snacks, water bottles, strollers, and toys helped get us through the day with surprisingly few complaints and very little waiting (I hereby donate the contents of my estate to the inventor of the FASTPASS). We definitely have some smart friends to thank for their advice on how to handle a trip of this importance and magnitude (you know who you are...SUSAN). I won't tell you all the things she/we plotted, graphed, charted, sorted and alphabetized in order to ensure a successful trip.... But let's be honest, you know I enjoyed making the spreadsheets almost as much as the trip itself.

I think both kids were running on pure adrenaline for portions of the day - like when we saw their Disney heroes in person for the first time. In a moment of sheer Mommy Genius, I packed O's Buzz Lightyear costume for the trip. I put it in the backpack for our Magic Kingdom day knowing/hoping we'd see him at some point. While we were waiting for The Space Ranger to make his appearance we let O put on the outfit. Then he stood on his tip toes, craning his neck to get a first glimpse. Seeing O's face when he finally saw Buzz was one of the best moments of my life. I wish I had taken a video instead of pictures. It was a mix of unparalleled joy, stunned disbelief, and some amount of relief that the big moment was FINALLY here. I cried a little at seeing how happy he was.

It was a day of firsts for all of us. First time in the park for Dada, O and C. First ride: Dumbo. First character greeting: Stitch. First character autograph: Buzz Lightyear. And I think this was the first time C had seen a fireworks show (she and O left Auntie Kirsten's wedding before their big grand finale display). And there are still three more park days to come!

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Disney Vacation - Day 1

2011-02-21T22:50:00.004-06:00

We waited until almost the last minute before telling the kids about the life altering trip we had planned. DISNEY WORLD!!! (Mom and Dad for the win!! And the crowd goes wild!!) We were actually several months into our planning before I discovered that Dada had never been to Disney World before either. So I was really taking THREE kids on a magical-vacation-of-a-lifetime. I was glad we didn't plan anything big for our first day there - we needed some time to rest up before the frenzied activities to come. We spent most of the afternoon at the hotel beach. Tiny C was at first very concerned about the sand sticking to her feet. She would take one step, then stop to brush off her foot. Then another step. Then stop again to brush off her foot. It took us about an hour to cross the 10 yards to the beach chairs. But once she saw O throwing caution to the wind and actually RUNNING through the sand (GASP!), she decided it was OK to bury her feet all the way up to the ankles. And then she quickly became concerned again and tried to clean them off. She was finally distracted from this never-ending ritual by Dada's invention of a new game: Sand Ball Fight. Kind of like a Snow Ball Fight...just at the beach. You can imagine how thrilled Mama was to be in the middle of the battle field. With my fancy camera. "NONONONONONO! Throw THAT way!! PLEASE don't get sand on the camera!!" We ended the day with a leisurely stroll around the lake. Whew. I needed that.

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I realize this is a disappointing first "Disney" post, as there are no "kids with characters" pictures.... But my engineer brain will only allow me to post things in chronological order, so everyone must be patient. They're coming, I promise. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sometimes Tinker Bell gets MAD

2011-02-20T22:48:00.003-06:00

Ever since Halloween, Tiny C has been obsessed with Tinker Bell. She truly believes that she IS Tinker Bell. She wears her costume around the house (usually accompanied by Older Brother, a.k.a. Buzz Lightyear) and proudly tell us about her wings. This afternoon when we told her it was probably a good idea to take the costume off before naptime she did NOT take it well. Say hello to The Lip.

Devastating. Thank goodness Baboo (and her thumb) were there to make it All Better.

Just wait until she meets another Tink at Disney World....

February is American Heart Month

2011-02-20T21:00:00.013-06:00

During American Heart Month we hugged our Tiny C a few extra times. We'll visit her cardiologist again just after her birthday to check on her ASD. It's been stable (i.e. still there, not shrinking) at every check so we're expecting to start planning for closure in the cath lab sometime soon.

We've been incredibly lucky that she hasn't exhibited any outward symptoms. She's the most energetic almost-two-year-old that we know. And she made it through this cold-and-flu season without any major respiratory infections. It's still hard to fully process her diagnosis - it's definitely something always on our minds. But so far her biggest worry has been the Mama Paparazzi constantly trying to take her picture. Rough Life.

This photo shoot originally started to capture her ridiculously long ponytail. Her hair is now longer than mine and almost totally blonde. For a while we thought she'd be another Knudson Red Head, but it has slowly lightened. Hard to believe her hair was nearly black in her baby announcement pictures. Here she is chowing down on oatmeal - one of her favorite Heart Healthy breakfasts.

J and J Turn 3!

2011-02-19T22:45:00.003-06:00

We were so happy to finally celebrate the big THREE-YEAR-OLD birthday with J and J. The kiddos had a blast, as usual, running around with their friends. A jumpy house?! And pizza?! AND cake?! AND OUR FRIENDS?! You could feel the excitement in the air all afternoon. My great pal and fellow photo enthusiast, Melanie, FINALLY captured all our tiny kids in one place. Well done!! We previously thought this was a nearly impossible achievement - like climbing Mount Everest or getting the kids to take a nap after eating cake.

I took a few more pics of the happy party goers and festivities:

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Video Update

2011-02-18T11:01:00.003-06:00

I totally forgot I had a video of Baby Girl smearing the marker on her face as seen in the photos from this earlier post.

In addition to singing skills she's also a crazy good dancer (just like her big bro).

Popsicles

2011-02-16T22:48:00.003-06:00

Both kids have been struggling with a lingering "winter" cold. In an effort to fully cure them before our upcoming once-in-a-lifetime vacation we let them pick out some goodies from the ice cream truck. Yes, the ice cream truck. In February. Frozen sugar has magic healing powers year round.

More Valentine's Day LOVE

2011-02-14T22:46:00.002-06:00

As if my Craft Project To Do List wasn't nearing 4 digits long...I decided to make the kids Valentine's Day shirts.

Poor O was sick and had to stay home for the day. But he managed to sweet talk his way into a trip to school just as their class party was ending. We had given him every combination of over-the-counter medicine possible during the previous week in hopes of getting rid of his low-grade fever, coughing, and ridiculously sniffly nose. Nothing worked. But within ~12 hours of nearly overdosing on SUGAR from the party he was totally cured. Go figure.

As mentioned in the previous post, these two kiddos totally love each other. Are you sick of the big-brother-squeezing-the-ever-living-daylights-out-of-little-sister pictures? Me neither. Thank goodness.

LOVE from The Pioneer Woman

2011-02-14T16:10:00.010-06:00

One of my favorite blogs is The Pioneer Woman. I was hooked from the first post I read. I constantly talk about her site to my friends - many of whom had also discovered her. I love her photography, her recipes, and her humor. Lately my dinner creations have come directly from her cookbook or her website. I'm not sure this is a healthy trend since 99% of the recipes call for large doses of heavy cream. But they're sooooooo good.

Every few weeks in her photography section she posts a category and encourages photographers - novices and professionals - to upload pictures they think best display the theme. Around Valentine's Day the assignment is always LOVE. Naturally. I share a few pictures every time a new assignment comes up. It's fun to look through everyone else's submissions and see comments on my pictures. This assignment was no different - I picked out a few of my favorite shots I'd taken of the kiddos (because seriously - they LOVE each other so freaking much it melts my heart every time I see them together) and uploaded them to the Flickr group. Then every day for the next five days The Pioneer Woman herself picks out ~10 favorites and posts them on her site (you know, in between her TV appearances, book signings, and generally taking over the world). She includes little notes about each one to explain why she featured the photo. I browsed through Group 1 and Group 2 as they were posted and was near tears with all the LOVE being displayed. Then on Monday - Valentine's Day - I checked out LOVE Photos - Group 3. If you click the link and scroll down you'll see some familiar faces.

!!!MY KIDS ARE ON PIONEER WOMAN!!! I totally freaked out when I saw the picture. Actually, I scrolled right by it the first time. I thought to myself, "Oh yeah, there's O and C but I've seen that picture a thousand times...let's see what else is new here. ... WAIT A MINUTE!! That's O!! And C!! On Pioneer Woman!! I TOOK THAT PICTURE!!" How amazing to have a photo posted there, and for this theme. Precious siblings, if I do say so myself. I think it was The Boy's eyelashes that pushed it over the top. Oh, and the little creases in The Girl's arms. Ok, excuse me...I need to go hug both of them right now. Love.

UPDATED to add: just a few days later The Pioneer Woman won all kinds of awards at the 2011 Bloggies, including Best Photography of a Weblog, Best Food Weblog, Best Parenting Weblog, Best Designed Weblog, and WEBLOG OF THE YEAR. Seriously people. This is no small website. And thus no small potatoes to be included there. I'm giddy all over again.

...and-a-half

2011-02-05T21:46:00.004-06:00

Our big boy turned four-and-a-half today. We made another tick on the kids' growth chart - he's like a weed! He picked Cookie Baking With Mom for his celebration. I initially got out all my heart cookie cutters, given how close we are to Valentine's Day. He asked for more options. So I got out the rest of my "spring" cookie cutters.... Nope. Still unacceptable. He wanted ALL the cookie cutters. What else says February like Santa, snowmen and candy cane shaped cookies? And instead of just the number 4, he wanted ALL the numbers. It was his (half) birthday, so I happily gave in to all his demands.

We were robbed

2011-02-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

By all accounts (ALL!!) we were supposed to get snow on Friday. By Thursday afternoon the "experts" were predicting Snow-pacolypse 2010 for our area. Schools were closing. Work was shutdown for at least half a day. The estimated 1 - 3 inches headed our way had the entire city at a standstill. The Boy came home saying, "C--! We don't have school tomorrow because there's going to be nieve! Nieve is SNOW!" Um yeah, he's a bilingual genius.

We stayed glued to the weather reports on all available networks until late into the night. We told the kids we'd check for snow FIRST THING after they woke up. Which we did. And there was NOTHING. The kids didn't really understand my attempts to explain the inexact science of weather prediction. They just felt robbed of the promised snow. Can't say I blame them! All the pre-storm hype had me actually hoping for some accumulation.

The next morning there was some ice and an overcast sky, but by the afternoon it was just another sunny day. Don't get me wrong - it was ridiculously cold. In the 20's. Although anything less than 70 is considered frigid around here. We ended up having the entire day off from work and school, so we hunkered down and tried to survive the weather disaster that was upon us.

When I plugged in my phone to download the weather prediction screen shot I came across some old pictures of the kids in various winter weather gear (including Tiny C in her watermelon hat and green fleece sweatshirt - both specially made for her by grandma!!). I also found a few other much older pictures of the kids that were too cute not to post.

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Writing

2011-01-22T21:09:00.002-06:00

After the holiday photo overload, January is usually a slow month for taking pictures. At least for me. And many "real" photographers too, according to several of the blogs I read. But I was inspired by some recent gifts to pick up the camera and start clicking. Thanks to my friend Susan, I can now look pretty stylish doing it. Thanks crafty lady.

This time the subject of the photo essay was Writing. The Boy has been practicing his penmanship in his Spiderman workbook (delivered directly to his Christmas stocking by Mr. Claus himself). Proud Mommy alert. The Girl has always had an uncanny ability with writing utensils. I think she was born knowing how to perfectly hold a pencil. And also knowing how to wait until the exact moment when I turn my back before coloring on her hands, face, the walls...anywhere but on the paper provided.

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Grandma!

2011-01-18T20:51:00.001-06:00

Bedtime stories with Grandma - one of their favorites activities. We got a little overwhelmed with all the other activities throughout the weekend and didn't break out the camera until the last evening. I also blame the rain.

Come back Grandma! We miss you!

Rain, rain go away

2011-01-09T16:00:00.003-06:00

We passed this rainy day with some art supplies: Colorforms, or as Charlotte calls it - painting. This is one instance where both kids get VERY territorial. They MUST stay on their own sides of the glass door. No creating artwork (or altering previously created artwork) on the other side. As mentioned about a thousand times, they take their art extremely seriously.

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Thanks to Grandma for the great gift!

New set of wheels

2011-01-08T17:36:00.004-06:00

For at least six months O has been BEGGING for a bicycle. His pleas were reaching a fever pitch. No whining, no crying, but DAILY (sometimes HOURLY) reminders that it was at the VERY TOP of his Christmas list. When he narrowed down his official list to send to Santa it was the only thing that survived. And he was very specific: he wanted a red Lightning McQueen bike with a "basket" in the front. Thank goodness Santa knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. The Man In The Red Suit even took the time to assemble the present and deliver it directly our house while we celebrated the holiday in Colorado. Since winter weather doesn't exist in Houston he was able to take his new set of wheels out for a spin as soon as we got home. C has now inherited the police car and the red tricycle, although she often still prefers the wagon (riding in it, pulling it, climbing in and out of it...). We bought her a bike helmet - mostly to wear in the pull-along trailer for Dada's bike. But she enjoys wearing it around the house too. It's a bold fashion statement, but I think she rocks it. Plus pushing your new baby doll and stroller around the cul-de-sac can be pretty darn dangerous. I'm glad she has some appropriate head protection now.

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No Saplings were harmed in the taking of these photographs

2011-01-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

As the final activity on our epic holiday vacation we spent the day at Brazos Bend State Park. We had an uneventful visit - oh, except for the ~10 foot alligator sunning itself two feet off the main hiking path. There was a park ranger there checking things out when we first walked up, but she eventually left the crowd alone to watch the creature. PANIC. I was convinced we were going to see someone be eaten. Several photographers seemed willing to risk their lives for a closeup. I snapped some pictures from atop a six story observation tower, and with my super zoom lens from across the pond. I definitely lost sleep cataloging the various gruesome ways this trip could have ended. Shiver.

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Happy New Year

2010-12-31T13:25:00.003-06:00

Some random videos that I never got around to posting during the year:

Tiny C acting out Eric Carle's Head To Toe -

The kids having a dance party outside -

Halloween 2010: To Infinity And Beyond! -

Some impressive counting skills -

Letters

2010-12-30T20:55:00.006-06:00

Rumor has it I might take one or two pictures of my kids. I wanted to put my photographer skills to work for our family Christmas gifts this year. I was so happy with the results. And when everyone opened their big, glossy prints on Christmas morning, I think they were happy too!

If you thought the Christmas cards required a lot of photos (see previous post), just imagine how long this project took. Weeks. YEARS! Ok, not years. Thank goodness the kids were (mostly) cooperative. Every couple of days we'd take a few more "letter pictures". There were a lot of "Hold STILL!", "Higher!", "No, no, face THIS way!", and "For the love of goodness, SMILE!!!" pleas from the photographer. And bribery. Lots and lots of bribery. But there were definite keepers in every batch. And then I was basically married to my computer for a few days putting everything together. Photoshop, you complete me. Here are some of the pictures that ended up in the Reject pile.

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Christmas Card Alternates

2010-12-29T20:55:00.006-06:00

I'm not sure I'll ever top this year's Christmas card. Who can beat The Saplings AND The Grinch?

But don't be fooled by the angelic smiles and perfect poses in those three photos. It took me at least 2985672938572934867 attempts to capture anything worth actually paying money to print and send. At LEAST. Here are a few of the highlights (lowlights?) from the rest of the shoot.

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I had actually saved some good photos from earlier in the year, in hopes of editing a few for the card. But in the end none of them passed the Christmas Card Worthiness Test, so I staged the above photo shoot to get some keepers. Here are the runners-up, plus a few other glamor and action shots of the kiddos.

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Christmas at home

2010-12-28T13:25:00.005-06:00

After six days in chilly Colorado we said goodbye and flew home. The kids knew that Santa had left more presents at our house, but they surprised us again with their patience. I think we only heard a couple "are we there yet?!" pleas during our travels. And even those were easily overcome by snacks, in-seat movies on the plane (which were free on both trips - Merry Christmas from Frontier!), and stories. But once we got to the front door they were ready to burst. The kids immediately began tearing into their loot. Mama gave up all attempts at organization and manners. I think the only thing we managed to unpack from the car was the camera. Of course.

We were thrilled with all the creative gifts this year. The kids loved the things from their lists (CARS, clothes, puppets...), but were even more excited about the thoughtful items our family picked out especially for them (a hand knit dress and sweater from my Aunt, handmade watermelon hat and fleece outfit from grandma, puzzles, hairbows...). We've definitely got some Thank You notes to write!

Old Friends, New Kids

2010-12-26T17:00:00.003-06:00

Whenever we go to Colorado I try to meet up with some of my oldest friends (oldest as in known-them-longer-than-everyone-except-my-immediate-family...not OLD). The day after Christmas we visited a local cafe for lunch, with all three kiddos in tow. It was great to meet their newest addition and spend a little time catching up. Although our visit was short it was still so great to see their smiling faces.

Christmas morning

2010-12-25T21:00:00.004-06:00

The kids woke up at their usual time (read as: fairly early, but not too painful) on Christmas morning. Unlike last year, I was ready to capture the amazement-upon-discovering-that-Santa-came moment on video.

The kids could not believe Santa had actually stopped by Nana's house. He filled their stockings. He ate cookies. He even drank the milk. We had a Proud Parent Moment while watching the kids' excitement: we realized they were perfectly thrilled and satisfied with just these small gestures. They didn't even realize that Santa had also delivered presents - both at Nana's and at home. Don't get me wrong, we heard a chorus of "more presents!!" several times throughout the day. But their first reaction was of total joy with just a few, small goodies. Smile.

Santa did well covering all the bases. He left a letter for the kiddos explaining that because the main gifts they'd asked for were so large, he delivered them directly to our house (to save us the trouble of taking them home on the plane). Mama in particular thought this was a splendid idea. Santa did leave one wrapped gift for each of them at Nana's house. And just when I thought they couldn't get more excited...they did.

After the Santa gifts were opened we waited for the rest of the family to arrive. I was impressed with the patience both kids displayed. They were definitely rewarded! They each got to tear through a pile of presents bigger than they were. But first Uncle Andy off-handedly remarked, "I'm going upstairs to get ready to open presents." In the Christmas morning chaos no one really thought twice about what he was doing. A few minutes later he ran downstairs wearing an adult-sized Buzz Lightyear costume (identical to the one O was proudly wearing, as usual). O's jaw dropped. He started jumping up and down. I think he was so excited he couldn't speak. When he finally caught his breath he and Uncle Andy performed a few "To Infinity And Beyond!!" dances. And thus, with mimosas in hand, we kicked off Christmas Gift Opening, 2010. (Don't worry, there are pictures of both Buzzes in the album below). After all the gifts were opened the adults sat down for sticky buns and bottomless OJ while the kids explored their new treasures. We closed out the day with an amazing dinner at Uncle Dan and Aunt Brenda's house. The kids love visiting their dogs, jumping off their stairs, and getting spoiled by the attention of the entire family (which at big family dinners usually means triple desserts...and today was no exception).

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Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T23:00:00.007-06:00

Every year on Christmas Eve, Nana's good friends throw a party. When we're in town for the holidays it tops our list of Must See attractions. With this group of life-long friends there's always good conversation, amazing food, and lately a new highlight: grandkids. The Saplings mingled with their pseudo-relatives as if they'd all known each other their entire lives (which maybe isn't saying much at four and 20 months, but they really did fit right in!). The Boy spent most of the evening playing indoor basketball, including some in-depth shooting pointers from our host. I was especially happy The Girl had another occasion to wear her couture Christmas dress. Although she had to make a bold fashion statement by wearing some brown pants underneath - the dress was definitely not designed with the freezing temps of Colorado winter in mind!

Tiny C found a pile of dress-up clothes in the basement and insisted on wearing these glasses for the rest of the party. We also taught her a new trick just in time for the festivities (see the video). We're definitely not raising a wallflower - she approached all the adults at the party to proudly tell them "Ho Ho HOOO!".

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After the party we headed back to Nana's house. The kids put on their homemade-matching-Christmas pj's, listened to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, put out milk and cookies for Santa, and went to sleep. Thank goodness the kids aren't yet at the age where they try to stay up all night in hopes of seeing Santa. After a few fun-filled days I was ready for an early bedtime myself!

WOW Museum

2010-12-23T20:30:00.003-06:00

There was an almost 50 degree difference between Texas when we left and Colorado when we arrived. To ease the transition we decided to spend our first full day indoors (note: although I grew up with loads of snow every winter I've become completely accustomed to the tropical climate of my new home!). The WOW Children's Museum came highly recommended, and it's literally five minutes from Nana's house. We could hardly believe we'd never visited before - we'll definitely be going back again (and again, and again...). The museum features tons of hands-on activities, and our kiddos took full advantage. I love watching their excited faces when they discover something new. Lots of proud mommy and daddy moments on this trip!

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Dear Santa

2010-12-22T14:36:00.000-06:00

Before we left for the airport we made a quick stop at the post office. We had to make sure Santa Claus got the letters from the kids in time for Christmas. The Boy's original list of 25+ items was fine tuned to one special request: a Lightning McQueen bike. The Girl's letter (which she scribble-addressed herself) asked for a backpack with her name on it. Hopefully The Man In The Red Suit will see the letters and deliver the goods. I have it on good authority that these two are on the NICE list this year.

Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T14:31:00.002-06:00

No, these aren't pictures from our summer vacation to the beach. This was how we celebrated the Winter Solstice. As in, December 21. You know, "winter". We enjoyed the record high temperatures (81, I think) at a local park. We left for the frozen tundra of Colorado the next day, so we had to soak up as many rays as possible.

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Gran Rog

2010-12-19T10:53:00.003-06:00

To help kick off our Christmas vacation festivities, Gran Rog came to visit. He delivered gifts, took the kids to Space Center Houston, and played endless games at our house. The highlight was bath time where the kids got to show off their bubble beards. During every bubble bath both kids decorate their faces and proudly proclaim, "Gran Rog!!" He finally got to see their beard art in person. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

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Santa - Part 2

2010-12-17T20:11:00.005-06:00

The kids got to visit with Santa for the second day in a row at their school holiday party. O's class performed a few tunes - including Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, which he has been belting out at full volume around the house. Both classes had a gift exchange (although I was only able to capture the unwrapping frenzy in O's class...Matt and I used the Divide And Conquer method to track the kids during the festivities), and all the teachers spoiled the kids with goodies. O was eager to see Santa again, because - you guessed it - he got another candy cane. This time he asked for a toy kitchen (sigh of relief - that's also a well known request). C took a lot more bribery this time. We had to do a few introductory viewings before, finally, with blue candy cane in hand (and on face and dress...) she sat for a few quick pictures. I even convinced her to take her jacket off so we could see her new Christmas outfit - made by yours truly.

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Santa - Part 1

2010-12-16T20:40:00.005-06:00

The kiddos had several opportunities to schmooze with Santa this year. The first was at my office holiday party (where I wrangled the Saplings solo due to Dada's previous engagement). O remembered that last year Santa handed out candy canes whenever we saw him (his memory never ceases to amaze me...), so he was eager to have a chat in person. He requested a Lightning McQueen bike. No surprise there - it's been on his list for the past six months. Once Older Brother braved The Weird Guy In The Red Suit it actually didn't take too much convincing to get Little Sister on board. They were both rewarded with the aforementioned treat - and Tiny C promptly started eating hers through the wrapper. As if she learned nothing from Halloween.

Don't mind the Saturn V in the background. Rocket Science kind of invades our life. As if we weren't nerdy enough already.

Birthday Party

2010-12-11T22:00:00.003-06:00

Tiny C was invited to a birthday party for one of her classmates. The crowd gathered at The Little Gym for some tumbling fun. A year and a half ago Baby Girl was too little to participate in Older Brother's 3rd birthday party at The Little Gym (at just barely four months old she slept through most of the festivities). It was so entertaining to watch her explore the options for the first time. She gravitated to the "high" bar. There was a moment of sheer terror when she realized she wanted to get down, but wasn't sure how far away the ground was. That 1 - 2 inch drop can be pretty intimidating.

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The Tree

2010-12-04T22:12:00.007-06:00

Christmas preparations continue! The tree is finally up and decorated. The Boy asked if he could put the star on the tree this year. OF COURSE! After the Official Tree Lighting Ceremony I gave the kids their new 2010 ornaments: Buzz and Woody, and Tinkerbell. They both screamed with glee. It took several days before they agreed to actually hang them on the tree.

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Cookie Decorating, 2010

2010-11-28T22:00:00.003-06:00

We staged our cookie decorating extravaganza a little early this year to make sure we fit it in before the holiday rush. Several dozen sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, thumbprint cookies and candy cane cookies...plus six eager decorators and plenty of sugary toppings. What could go wrong? I covered the table and chairs with tablecloths and towels and we set them loose. Oh the joy. Oh the sugar intake. As Melanie noted, we made one rule for the day: there are no rules. The kids ate icing directly from the bowl. They licked their fingers. They ate cookies while decorating them. We went through an entire box of wet wipes and half a roll of paper towels. I'm pretty sure it was the best day of their lives.

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And thus we conclude the jam-packed week of Thanksgiving vacation!

The Arboretum

2010-11-27T19:43:00.003-06:00

After nearly a week of non-stop activities planned by Mama, we finally fit in Dada's choice. We spent the afternoon running around the trails of the Arboretum. And Mama documented every step, jump and hop, as usual.

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Thanksgiving - part 3

2010-11-25T22:00:00.005-06:00

More pictures of the kids (little and big) playing outside in the balmy weather at Grandpa's house.

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Thanksgiving - part 2

2010-11-25T18:20:00.004-06:00

We once again took a trip through the local light show near Grandpa's house during our Thanksgiving visit. The Boy narrated the whole trip, telling us about all the characters he saw along the way. It was late and we thought The Girl was going to sleep through the whole thing. But she rallied about half way through and seemed to enjoy herself (after getting over her initial where-the-heck-are-we-it's-really-dark-outside confusion). And yes that's a short-sleeved dress she's wearing. Happy Thanksgiving in Texas!

Thanksgiving - Part 1

2010-11-24T21:00:00.004-06:00

Our trip to Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving had all the usual suspects: wagon rides, blocks, bubbles, cats, and running around in the backyard. There were some new characters this time too: water balloons, the play house, Uncle Andy and soon-to-be-Aunt Lauren. The kiddos boycotted their naps - who would want to miss all the fun?! Oh, and we tried to make them sleep in the same room, which was a total failure. Those two can't help but entertain each other when they get together. This time it was O's lively rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star that set them off. Once the giggling started it couldn't be stopped.

I planned some "quiet" projects for the kids too - trying to balance against the flurry of activity that accompanies the holiday. We all sat down to decorate Maple-leaf-shaped cookies one afternoon. I forgot to factor in the amount of icing the kids would consume during the process. C immediately started eating any cookie we put in front of her (who can blame her?). And O dumped an entire bottle of sprinkles on his first cookie (thinking it was a shake-top, when really it was just an open bottle). The sugar intake made for some pretty hyper - and happy - cookie decorators. Plus O wore his Buzz Lightyear Halloween costume around the house 99% of the time, so he was loving life.

Aquarium

2010-11-23T10:42:00.000-06:00

"Guys! GUYS! You GOTTA come here and see this!" I think we heard this outburst from Owen about 20 times in the first 10 minutes at the Aquarium. C contributed at least a dozen "More fish! MORE FISH!!!" in that same time span. I love when they can't contain their excitement.

"Winter"

2010-11-22T10:32:00.002-06:00

This is the time of year we love living here: it's the end of November and we're outside in shorts and t-shirts playing at the park. We definitely got in some good exercise leading up to the big Thanksgiving day feast. C has become quite a dare devil climber and O is practicing for his future career as a star MLB player.

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Happy Face

2010-11-21T20:00:00.002-06:00

We took some time off from work to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. There were several park visits on our busy social calendar. Here's Lady C getting a big kick out of riding the see-saw with Gran Rog. I'm not sure she could get any happier.

More pictures from our epic Thanksgiving break coming soon. We packed every activity possible into our one week vacation!

Halloween - The Final Post

2010-10-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

The kiddos got to wear their costumes one more time - since it was FINALLY Halloween. They had both already hauled home their body weight in candy, but (of course) jumped at the chance to collect more. First we took some pictures with our pumpkin collection (it took some bribery to get Baby Girl to sit next to the carved jack-o-lantern). Then we headed to a costume party thrown by one of Big Brother's friends. The kids were treated to games, food and a pinata before trick-or-treating in style: on a hay ride! At the same party last year nearly all of the parents ended up carrying their kiddos by the end of the night. So our hosts planned ahead this year and provided a trailer for the kids! Picture about ~25 4-and-5-year-olds singing "Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!" in unison at the top of their lungs. About 500 times. In a row. It was...heartwarming.

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Halloween - Part 4

2010-10-30T23:45:00.004-05:00

And now back to our regularly scheduled Halloween coverage (we're almost done, I promise). We spent the afternoon outside carving our gigantic pumpkin. O got to choose the design again this year - I was definitely proud of how it turned out! C was VERY nervous about the whole thing. She did not want to get near the slimy seeds...and she did NOT want to stand near the finished product to have her picture taken.

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Nana

2010-10-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

Another non-Halloween post - to celebrate Nana coming to visit! She got to see trick-or-treating, balloons, pumpkin carving, and all kinds of crazy antics around the house. Can't wait to see you again, Nana!

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NOT Halloween

2010-10-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

A brief break from the non-stop Halloween coverage! We took the kiddos to the Ballunar Festival again this year. C spent the entire trip yelling "My balloons!!" at the top of her lungs. Actually, more like "Ma boons! MAAAA BOOOOONS!", but we got the picture (especially after two hours straight...the tiny finger constantly pointing at the balloons helped too). There was a jumpy house, a jumpy slide, sky divers, THREE ladder trucks to climb in (giving out fire helmets!), horses...oh yeah, and balloons. We saw one of the balloons win the "rendezvous" competition - where the balloon pilot throws a hula hoop out of the balloon and tries to land it around the nose of a huge, inflatable Space Shuttle. Kind of hard to describe. Even harder to do! Think gigantic ring toss. From 100 feet in the air. The crowd went wild when the pilot nailed it. I got a picture of the next guy in line...who missed. We finished off the visit with some kettle corn. Thank goodness for the free fire helmets, which worked perfectly as snack bowls. (Side note: I'm not sure how C ever survived without a teeny, tiny jeans jacket. She wants to wear it All. The. Time. It was a hand-me-down from some good friends, but I'm not sure she'll ever willingly give it back!).

Halloween - Part 3

2010-10-30T22:28:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite photo shoots of the year is the Pumpkin Patch. The kids have so much fun picking out pumpkins and talking about carving jack-o-lanterns. The decision process was a bit tedious this year - it seems O has inherited my need to view every single available item before selecting one to purchase. And then he wants nearly everything he sees. We finally talked him down to one big pumpkin and two teeny-tiny pumpkins. Not bad, given all of his previous selections would have cost more than our house. We also bumped into several groups of friends while we were there. We bribed some one of them to take a few family photos - something we've never managed to capture at the Pumpkin Patch!

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Halloween - Part 2

2010-10-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

O's class was up next with trick-or-treating at school. Buzz Lightyear was the hot costume to have this year - there were THREE in his class alone! He took the hard work of collecting candy very seriously...in between outbursts of, "To infinity...AND BEYOND!"

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Halloween - Part 1

2010-10-28T22:28:00.003-05:00

C's class had two parties to celebrate Halloween. The first was a mini trick-or-treat session through the child care center. The little kids got to collect candy from the teachers, staff, and older kid rooms. Nana was in town and came along to chaperone the event. C danced around in her Tinkerbell outfit and squealed with delight when she saw O (partly because he gave her candy, I'm sure). The following day there was a party with enough sugar to last her for days. As if she hadn't just gotten a bag of candy weighing at least as much as she does! She stayed fairly neat and tidy through two iced cookies and half a cupcake. But then. She smashed both hands flat onto the cupcake and immediately smeared them down the sides of her white, mommy-made outfit. It was an impressive mess - much better than her first birthday cake smashing. Thank goodness this was the last event for her Halloween outfit. Note to self: white is not a good choice for kid clothing....

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Old McDonald's Farm

2010-10-27T10:54:00.001-05:00

O and I spent the day together on a school field trip. Well...I went along. O really spent the day with his best friend and his girlfriend/future wife. The kiddos visited Old McDonald's Farm for some running, swinging, climbing, dirt kicking, sand digging, animal petting, horseback riding and train trips. They were worn out by the end of the day (all those activities, plus the unbelievable 90-degree-late-October-heatwave, no naps, and very few water stops will do that to any kid!). But judging by all of the ear-to-ear grins I'd say it was a good trip.

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Fall Festivals

2010-10-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year. Outdoor activities galore! We went to a local church for their free fall festival last week (Train rides! Snow cones! Jumpy houses! Did I mention it was free?!). It's a pretty popular event, but we were happy we braved the lines. The kiddos loved all the activities. And just a few days later their school had a fall carnival (Games! Prizes! Candy! Did I mention it was free?!). The lines were much shorter, and all their friends were there. It was nearly impossible to pry them away at the end of the day.

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