Welcome to the Motherhood

2011-12-23T18:17:00.001-08:00

We are visiting Gary's parents. For Christmas, we bought his dad an HD TV. We asked his mom to pick out a stand that would hold the new tv, so she picked out a decent-looking one in a box from Wal-Mart.

Upon opening the box, the first thing that came out was a BRICK! Actually, it was a broken pacer. That was our first clue. Next, out came a piece of sheetrock! When we finally got a piece of wood out, it was obvious that this was not the same piece of furniture that was pictured on the box.

The board had nails sticking out of it, and had water rings on it. It had gouges and scratches, and paint spilled on it. It appears that someone bought the furniture, broke down their old crappy furniture, crammed a few pieces into the box, and added enough weight so it felt legit. I have no idea how they taped the box back up so well, because you could not tell anything from the outside.

Gary, his brother, and his mom have replaced it the best they could in the box, and headed back to Wal-Mart. I'm eager to hear what the employees have to say about that!

2011-08-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Garrett Anderson Needham
Monday, August 1, 2011
10:04 pm
9 lbs 8 oz
21.5"

Doing beautifully!!

2011-06-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

Maternity Pics

Megan and I had maternity pictures taken this morning. This is a sneak peek of one. I can't wait to see the rest! I'm 33 weeks, and she's 28 week.

Oh Baby!

2011-01-19T17:54:00.001-08:00

We are expecting our second baby! I'm due 8-8-11, but my doctor will induce two weeks early. Since I've been diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome, I have to give myself heparin shots daily. It's getting easier, but it still isn't fun. My belly displays a new bruise daily, but I know it's worth it!

I had my second doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything looked really good. I will have a sonogram every time i go. It was so reassuring to see a baby on that screen!

Kate is very excited, of course! We're trying to figure out the bedroom situation, but we've got some time to sort that out.

Travels

2010-08-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

We are finally home. In the last two months, we have been gone for a total of 37 days! We went on a cruise for our 10th anniversary in June. We flew to LA and spent a few days doing Hollywood things. Then we took a 7-day cruise to Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. We had a wonderful time, and can't wait for our next cruise. When we got back, we spent a few days around the Santa Monica area, and were in the audience on Jay Leno!

In June, we did our typical Abilene/Lubbock/Durango trip. We just spent one night in Abilene, and went to a fantastic fireworks show at a friend's ranch. We spent a week in Lubbock, while Gary taught at the Texas Tech music camp. Then we left Kate there with Dad and Jean, and went to Durango while Gary taught at Music in the Mountains. He had to stay for two weeks, but I just stayed for one. I brought Kate home from Lubbock and we had a week at home.

My mom, Kate, and I then did a girls' week in New York to visit my sister. We hadn't been there since her wedding in April 2009. We had a great time with Megan and Ben, and they were wonderful hosts. We rode the Staten Island ferry, visited the Lego store and Times Square Toys'R'Us, saw the musical Billy Elliot, spent time with my cousin and his family, played skee-ball at a bar, went to the beach, and rode the rides at Coney Island. Whew! No wonder I'm tired!

We were home less than 24 hours when we packed up for an overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge. We surprised Kate with the trip, and she loved it! We went with Gary's and his family, and the kids all had a wonderful time.

So now we are back home, and have to start thinking about school. We both have a few meetings next week, and then start back full-time on the 16th. We begin school on the 23rd. Kate will start kindergarten, and she is so excited! She's in a dual-language program, where one day of instruction will be in English, and the next day will be in Spanish. I can't wait for her to be able to teach me some more Spanish!

Kate is also on an invitation-only dance team called Tiny Company. They get to perform at various parades and fairs around town, so that will be something to look forward to. Big things are happening this year!

Testing 1-2-3

2010-07-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

I'm trying the Blogger app. We'll see if this works.

2009-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

101 Dalmations

We went to see the play 101 Dalmations today. We had a great time, and our little Dalmation really enjoyed it!

2009-11-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

Here is my Ariel. The bear is part of a class project for pre-school. Each student gets to take him home for a weekend and then take pictures and journal about his time with them, like Flat Stanley. Anyway, he went dressed as Ariel too!

2009-10-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

They're Baa-aaack!!

I am going to pick up Megan and Ben at the airport this afternoon! I am so excited to see them. We haven't seen them since their wedding in April.

2009-10-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Fashion Show

I just had to post a few pics of Kate modeling a new outfit.

2009-09-28T19:10:00.001-07:00

K and Me

My mom took these pics while she was here. There's nothing special to say about them, but I love how vibrant the color is.

2009-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Soccer Girl

We started soccer a few weeks ago. Well, I say we "started" soccer, but really, we had two practices, and then a three-week rainout! The girls had their first game tonight, and it was a trip! They hadn't met in weeks or touched a soccer ball since their second practice, and they had never seen a real goal or field. At least at this age (under-5) all the girls are pretty much in the same boat -- clueless! We don't keep score, and that's a good thing!

See if you can pick out K in the pics below.

2009-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Color Float

K had a project for her pre-school class. The assignment was to cover a box with her favorite color of paper, attach a string to create a float (or more accurately, a "drag"), and affix stickers, buttons, and other 3-D objects. Thankfully Nana was visiting last weekend, and was able to do most of it! It was fun to pick out all the things to put on it. Guess what K's favorite color is?

2009-09-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

It's been awhile. I'll play catch-up when I can.

Today was the first day of pre-school. K is in the "Divers" class, and had a terrific day with all the other 4-year-olds.

2009-06-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Princess Tea Party

K had her princess tea party today.

We had seven other little girls there at the tea room.

I was a bit nervous about how all the girls would behave, but they were good as gold! They all wore their favorite dress-up dresses. The girls got to drink pink "tea" (lemonade) which they poured themselves from ceramic teapots.

They had flower-shaped sandwiches, fruit, and muffins. Then the birthday girl got to open her gifts. She loved everything she got, including lots of Barbie and princess things, a stamp set, and pool toys. Then the girls got to eat cake.

After all were through, they were able to do a craft. They strung foam beads onto a bracelet. They concentrated so carefully, and were all very proud of their creations.

It was a great day, and all the girls had a wonderful time. They all looked so beautiful!

2009-06-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Visit from Nana

My mother came to visit this week, and her birthday gifts to K were a trip to Build-a-Bear, and a princess dress from the Disney store to wear to her princess tea party on Saturday. The "bear" she built is a dog, and she picked an Ariel outfit for it. It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen, and she named it, what else, Princess.

She wanted to be Sleeping Beauty, so not only did she get the dress, but also shoes, tiara, necklace, bracelet, and nightgown!! As you can see, she loves her new outfit, and will eagerly wear them to her birthday party.

2009-06-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Gifts from Mom and Dad

Tonight we let K open her presents. We kept it pretty simple, since we knew grandparents would inflict Operation Gift Explosion upon us. We just gave K a few books, a bank, and a princess scooter. As you can tell, she was thrilled!!

2009-06-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl

Happy 4th birthday!!

2009-06-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ballerina Girl

K has her final ballet class last week. The parents were able to go into the room and watch (usually we stay in the waiting area and watch on a closed-circuit TV). The kids all did a great job! I'll post a video soon. K has loved ballet, and we will sign up again next year.

These are the professional ballet pics they took. I am waiting for my copies to come in, so here are the watermarked ones in the meantime. All photos courtesy B&E Photo.

2009-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Sampson

Today we lost a dear friend. We had Sampson for 8 years, and today we had to say goodbye. He was between 12 and 15 years old, and he was having a very hard time getting up. We could boost him up and he'd be OK for a while, but it was so hard to watch him struggle each time. The vet said we could do x-rays and try a special joint diet, but at his advanced age, I just didn't think it was fair to keep trying things for him that may or may not work.

He was such a handsome boy!

From the moment we brought K home from the hospital, Sampson watched over her like a hawk. He was so patient with her, even as she learned to climb and walk, and pulled all over him. He never minded a bit.

K told us that God has a new dog now. I love that.

He was a truly special dog, and he will be sorely missed. Our remaining lab, Montana, had been a little clingy lately, but secretly I think she is glad to be an only dog.

2009-06-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

Still Trying

We get asked the question a lot, "Is she your only child?" When we say yes, the next question inevitably is, "Do you think you'll have another?" We can only answer that with a wistful, "I hope so."

I never dreamed I would have an only child, or children separated by five years. But I have learned, as much as a planner as I am, that I cannot plan everything. Some things are apparently not up to me (this was news to me). We are currently in month 25 of trying. We know we have two issues to deal with: infertility and recurring pregnancy loss. We really don't know the reason for the infertility. I am on my third and final month of Clomid to see if that can stimulate something, but beyond that, we don't know what the answer is.

I do know that once I do get pregnant, I will have to take a daily heparin shot. For some reason, I have a crazy clotting issue, and my body starts to clot around the embryo and chokes it off, resulting in a miscarriage. We hope that heparin injections will counteract that.

They always say you conceive when you "stop trying." We'll see if that's the plan. We'll give it a few more months, but we are not going to go to heroic lengths to have another baby. We just can't afford it, and I just don't feel right about going through all of that for something that may not even work. I know lots of people that have been through IV and other procedures successfully, but it's just not for us. We also have a bit of a timeline. Gary just turned 40, which I know is not old for a father by any means, but we are looking ahead at retirement, and we do not want to retire with a child in college. So, if this is going to happen, it needs to happen fairly soon.

I am so grateful for K, and am amazed that I was even able to have her at all. If she is an only child, I'll be very happy with my small family. But I don't want to give up yet.

2009-06-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Swimming Kudos

A few quotes from K's swimming instructor tonight. I'm so proud!

"She's such a good listener."

"You just say something and she does it."

"She's a great student!"

"She's so likeable!"

2009-06-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Swimming Lessons

K started this year's swimming lessons yesterday. She did very well, and was not scared to put her face in the water. She even went all the way to the bottom to retrieve diving rings. We have lessons this week and next week, and then we're all set for summer!

Modeling her new swim gear:

with cover-up

and without

K talked the instructor's ear off during the lesson! The instructor asked, "Is she always like this?" and I had to honestly reply, "Yes! 24 hours a day!" It's one thing to think your own kid talks a lot, but when other people start to mention it, it really hits home!

2009-05-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Home Again, Home Again

K and I went home this weekend. It was Memorial weekend, but it was also my mom's birthday, so it was a good reason to visit.

K loves to use the bay window in my mom's dining room as a stage. She closes the curtains, says "Ladies and Gentleman, now the show will begin!" and then does some improv-interpretive dance-singing entertainment. This time she dragged out some baby toys for added excitement. Mom is doing some renovations, and she had planned to remove the bay window, but K loves it so much that she is keeping it!

We decided to go to the local zoo. They've done a lot of work on it, and for a medium-sized town, it's actually a very nice zoo. The last time we went, K wasn't quite two, so you can see how much she's grown. She got a lot out of it. We saw the most beautiful peacock, she got to feed the giraffe again, and she posed like a loon whenever the camera was out.

I snapped this picture in a friend's backyard. I was trying to get landscaping ideas, but K just made herself at home, so of course I had to take her picture.

This last picture is back home. K made herself a little fort in front of the TV. She was quite cozy in there!

2009-05-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Banquet Girl

G's high school orchestra had their banquet tonight. It was a semi-formal affair, so K wore her flower girl dress (might as well get another use out of it)! She could not wait for the DJ to begin! She remembered the dancing from last year! The banquet had a Hawaiian theme, since the orchestra traveled there on Spring Break this year. It was a lot of fun, but of course no one had more fun than K!!

2009-05-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Tea

K's pre-school had a Mother's Day this morning. I took a half-day at school so I could attend. It was also Kindergarten's Field Day this afternoon, so you can see what I wore. It was very sweet -- they had juice for the kids, and water and coffee for the moms. They had yogurt and danishes, and each child had made gifts for the moms. K had made a little tote bag that has a plastic pocket, in which her teachers had placed a picture of her. K decorated the bag with all kinds of animal stamps. She had also made a paper corsage for me and one for her. You can tell they put a lot of time into this, and I'm so grateful I was able to go.

2009-04-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Megan's Wedding

I've looked at the pictures dozens of times, summarized the weekend for friends, relived it in my mind, and I still can't get over how perfect everything was. Megan looked absolutely gorgeous, like a retro Hollywood star. The weather, which all week had been forecasted to rain on Sunday, turned out to be perfect! Megan and Ben had every little detail planned out to the minute, so they were able to relax and enjoy the day.

They are so amazingly suited for each other, and I couldn't be any happier for them. I wish them lots of luck on their travels. They are quitting their jobs next week, and plan to leave May 1st for an Around the World tour. They hope to be back by November 1st. I can't to see where their travels take them!

Here are some pictures from the big weekend.

2009-04-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Hunt

I took K to an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning. You may notice two things in the pictures:

1) K fell on the cement Friday night and now has a nice strawberry on her cheek. (And of course she had school pictures on Monday!)

2) I didn't check the weather that morning, and it was cold and windy. Note the clothing on the other children, and the inappropriate way mine is dressed.

Yes, I deserve the mother of the year award! (But look how happy she was!)

2009-04-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

New York Surprise

I did it! I pulled it off! I managed to get to New York on Saturday and surprise my sister at her bachelorette party! Megan has some wonderful friends that helped me with my secret mission, and even her fiance was in on it. Megan was absolutely shocked when I got there. She and her friends were sitting at a restaurant, and they had her facing the door. When I walked in, she gave me a little smile and wave, and then went back to talking with her friends. Then, it clicked, and she said "How are you here?" and gave me a huge hug. It was so worth it!!

We had a wonderful dinner at Red Egg, where Joanne (Megan's best friend) was able to order for us in Cantonese. The girls had already had a champagne toast, so we then hit the Lower East Side and made it to a few more bars. Verlaine had great drinks, but very loud music. Stanton Social was probably my favorite. It was a lounge, and you could actually talk and be heard. We went to One and One (1st street and 1st Avenue) to dance, but it was a little too bump-and-grind for our taste, so we stayed in the bar upstairs and had a few libations. We ended the night (and closed the place down) at Failte, which was a lot of fun, especially at 4 am. It was quiet and a good place to wind down. Megan saw her favorite bartender there from another Irish pub, so she was glad to have him be a small part of our evening. She plans to go to PJ Clarkes in full wedding attire for the after-party!

I can't believe their wedding is only 2 1/2 weeks away! They are so excited, and she and Ben will make such a good match. They are so excited at the chance to travel for six months, even though it means a bit of uncertainty over the course of the year. If anyone can pull it off, they can!

When I arrived

At Verlaine

2009-03-30T19:50:00.001-07:00

Bad Haircut Contest

Please go here, and leave a comment! Help me win! The last day is Tuesday, and I'm in the lead so far.

Edited to add: I got second place. Thanks for voting, everyone!

2009-03-21T08:05:00.001-07:00

That's One Way to Get Your Message Across

I spotted this car while driving yesterday. I thought it was very funny!

2009-03-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Spring Break Plans

My week...
Tuesday: King Tut exhibit
Today: Dallas Aquarium
Saturday: Arboretum

Family was here Sunday - Wednesday, and another round is here tonight - Sunday. I also had family in town last week Tuesday - Thursday.

Oh, and I'm a single parent this week.

Oh, and I had a birthday in there somewhere too.

Whew! I need a break from my break!

2009-03-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

K's Observations on Mom

I already posted this on Facebook, but for those of you not on there, here it is for your reading pleasure. I thought I might as well get more mileage out of it, since I haven't blogged much lately.

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond.

Interview with K, 3 (almost 4)

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

2. What makes mom happy? When I stay on green at school.

3. What makes mom sad? Teachers writing in my folder.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? When she makes funny faces.

5. What was your mom like as a child? a baby (stating the obvious!)

6. How old is your mom? 32

7. How tall is your mom? "this big" (she stood on her tiptoes)

8.What is her favorite thing to do? Watch TV.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Clean up the house.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? (No answer. This was beyond her.)

11. What is your mom really good at? Games

12. What is your mom not very good at? A puzzle (hey!)

13. What does your mom do for her job? At the school, tell kids what to do. (pretty much)

14. What's your mom's favorite food? Bread.

15. What makes you proud of your mom? Getting a jelly bean. (random!)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Olivia's Mom (Thanks. A pig.)

17. What do you and your mom do together? Play.

18. How are you and your mom the same? The faces are the same.

19. How are you and your mom different? She is bigger and has brown eyes. But Daddy and I have the same eyes.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because I do!

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Arby's and Starbuck's and 7-11.

2009-02-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Story Time with the Weather Girl

Our local CBS-affiliate meteorologist wrote a children's book, and today she held a story time at the library. It was so cute... she read the story to the kids, and talked a bit about weather safety. She was so nice, and even more gorgeous in person than she is on TV. You'll notice in the pictures who is front and center! K loved it too, and we came home with an autographed copy of the book.

2009-02-14T14:04:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-01-25T14:11:00.001-08:00

Harsh Words, but a Good Article

Disney Princesses

K loves princesses more than life itself. I think it's just something to do with being a three-year-old girl. A switch is flipped, and they are programmed to instantly eat, sleep, and breathe princesses. While this is not inherently bad, a lot of "woe-is-me" damsel-in-distress scenarios are common themes. I know it's just pretend play, but I hope we are out of the princess stage soon, so K can realize what real women do every day. They don't wait for Prince Charming to arrive on his white horse and give them a magic kiss.

Although, I still think Prince Eric is hot.

2009-01-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

Two Stories

K has been using her Cinderella alarm clock to get up during the week. I set it for 6:50, and then she come into our room crying that Cinderella scared her, but at least she's awake. Well, this week she hadn't been getting up. Tuesday I thought maybe I had forgotten to set her alarm, so I double-checked it the next night. Same thing. When I went in there yesterday to wake her up, I asked what happened to her alarm. She just said, "I turned it off!" and rolled over! Ugh -- stinker! I can't believe she figured that out! I'll have to put it up high so she can't turn it off.

In her bathroom, I had a Bath and Body Works snowman soap. Last night, she was in the bathroom, and I heard her yell out, "It's not Christmas!" I didn't think anything of it until I went in there, and she had put the snowman soap in the bathroom cabinet, and got out the regular pump of Dial that I keep in there!

There are your two K stories for the day.

2009-01-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Day!

I was so fortunate today in that I was able to take my classes into a classroom with a TV, and we watched the inauguration live. No matter your political affiliation, you can't help but get swept up in the emotion of it all. It is such a moving, touching experience, to watch a man that was not born under ideal circumstances, become leader of the free world. He is truly a story of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" and doing what you put your mind to do.

I am glad that the media is finally going to have a president that they approve of. I got so sick of the Bush-bashing over the last several years. Yes, he made mistakes, but you never got to hear of the good things that he did while he was in office. I am hoping that with Obama starting off on such a positive note, he will continue to shine in the media's eyes. It gets old hearing negativity non-stop. I'm eager to hear some good news for a while.

Even my 3-year-old talked about President Obama in school today. When I turned on the news tonight, she said "That's our president!" I know she won't remember this day, but I will.

I will leave you with this. I still have chills from hearing it.

2009-01-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics Party

K's friend Cassidy turned 5, and she had a party at a local gymnastics place yesterday. We had more fun! The kids got to jump on the trampoline, climb in the foam pit, hang on to a zipline, swing on a trapeze, climb a rope net, go through an inflatable whale, and then eat pizza and cake. It was great!

Happy birthday, Cassidy!!

2009-01-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

Great Site for Books

I came across this site and thought it was absolutely brilliant! I plan to use it often.

What Should I Read Next

Of course, it'll be funny seeing if it comes up with really bizarre suggestions sometimes. I'll test it and see if I like its choices.

2009-01-11T14:58:00.001-08:00

2008 Explained

I thought this was really cute. It's fairly impartial, and pretty much sums up the year!

2009-01-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

A Few More Christmas Pics

Jean just sent me this photoshow. Since I can't figure how to pull pictures from it, I'll just post the whole thing. This is us with Dad and Jean in Lubbock.

Photoshow Link

2009-01-01T06:35:00.001-08:00

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

For us, 2008 was a year of ups and downs. It's been so much fun watching K get another year older, and her vocabulary and imagination have increased exponentially. So has the arguing and stubbornness, unfortunately, but that comes with the territory!

I lost my last grandmother in May. G still has once grandmother left, so it's good K will know at least one great-grandmother. It's just hard to see your parents and grandparents age, and it's sad knowing they won't be around forever.

2008 brought us two more miscarriages, but also a diagnosis, so that's good news. With any luck, we can keep trying and intervene soon enough that we can have one more baby. But we've come to terms with the fact that K may be an only child, and that's OK too. But we don't want to give up hope yet.

Career-wise, things are flowing smoothly. 2008 didn't bring any major changes, so that's a good thing, especially in these times of recession and downsizing. We are grateful to be teachers. There will always be kids to teach!

2009 is looking good. We have a trip planned in April to New York for my sister's wedding, and all three of us are in the wedding party. We will spend our usual 2 weeks in Durango, Colorado in mid-summer, which is always a lot of fun. I also want to plan small trips for K, such as Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, and camping.

I wish each and every one of you a very safe and happy 2009!

2008-12-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hannah Mon-Wannabe

It's already begun. And she's just three. Heaven help us.

2008-12-08T15:32:00.001-08:00

Grandparents' Visit

Papa and Jean came to visit for a few days. They spoil Kate rotten! They took her to the Disney store and bought her a Cinderella dress and Cinderella jammies. Kate really thinks she is Cinderella!

While they were at the mall, they visited Santa. They got a few cute pics of her sitting in his lap. They also rode the huge carousel that is there.

The first pic is of Kate ready for her school's Christmas program. She did a great job with her song!

I don't know how to embed this photoshow, but click this link to see it.

2008-12-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

Amazon Customer Service Number

Because it's impossible to find (it's not on their website) I am including Amazon's customer service number here.

1-800-201-7575

If you order from there, you will need this number at some point.

2008-11-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

Still Here

I am a bad blogger. A very bad blogger. By looking here, you would think absolutely nothing of importance has occurred in nearly three weeks. You'd be wrong... I just haven't written about it. I'll try to catch up.

K had her first dentist appointment. She did pretty well. She was all excited about it, but once we got in there, I had to hold her on my lap. The dentist was very sweet and patient with her, and thought her teeth looked excellent. She still has a big goofy gap, which probably means braces down the road, but it's a good thing right now because I don't have to floss. If her teeth don't touch, there's no where for food to get stuck.

We elected a new president. I guess this isn't really news, but it is exciting. I voted Democratic for the first time, and I haven't gone up in flames yet. I'm eager to see what the next four years hold for us.

We held a bachelorette weekend for my sister in Austin. She flew down from New York, and we stayed with her old college roommate. Two other friends joined us, so the five of us had a great time. We went out on Sixth Street, and the next day had mani/pedis and grabbed lunch. We did a lingerie shower for her at the house, and then spent the next 7 hours or so drinking sangrias and playing spades. It was great to see Meg, and I'm so glad she was able to have a Texas party, since a lot of us probably won't be able to make the New York one.

It's now the weekend before Thanksgiving. I am off the entire next week, which is a wonderful idea, but I know it will go far too fast. K and I are driving down to Houston in the morning. G is already down there, judging an all-region contest. I am staying with a college friend, who has two daughters for K to play with. G will join us Sunday, and we'll drive home together (he rode down there with friends). Then we have a day or two to prepare the house, and four family members descend upon us. I am sure we'll have a good Thanksgiving, and I plan to stay as far away from the malls a possible! I do plan to do a bit of shopping online though.

So, that's that. Thanks for staying tuned.

2008-11-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Here's K dressed as a butterfly. She had a headband will little antennae on it, but she left it at school. She has such a wonderful time trick-or-treating! We went for about an hour. I knew when she started sitting down on the sidewalk that she had had enough! She did make a good haul, and that combined with all the candy she got a pre-school, makes for a sugar stash that will last well into 2009.

2008-10-14T19:12:00.001-07:00

National Day of Remembrance

I don't have anything to add, but I thought this was a really beautiful post.

National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy and Infant Loss

2008-10-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

K's Pledge

I cannot believe how much she's learning in pre-school already this year!

2008-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Odds and Ends

At the dinner table, K was howling like a wolf. Daddy told her not to act like a wolf.

Silence.

Then, "Tweet! Tweet!"

We never said she couldn't act like a bird.

**********************************************

K was sitting on the ~~potty~~ toilet, and it got quiet. Then we heard the sounds of her flipping through a magazine. Some apples don't fall far from the tree!

**********************************************

K: Mommy, what are you doing?

Me: Laying down with Daddy. (Clothed, in case you were wondering.)

K: Awwww!

2008-09-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hot Time at the Arboretum

K and I visited the arboretum today. It was all decked out in its autumnal finest, but it was hard to get into the spirit when it was 88 degrees outside. It was fun anyway. As you can see, we didn't take too many pictures with the pumpkin sweater on!

2008-09-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Extreme Mustang Makeover

Last night my mom and I went to the Extreme Mustang Makeover. The premise was, they took 200 mustangs fresh off the BLM land in Nevada, and randomly gave them to trainers (I guess they applied to do this) and the trainers had 100 days to get them ready for this event. There were 100 yearlings that did halter events (this was Friday night -- we didn't see this) and last night were the older ones with unbelievable under-saddle events. We saw the top 10 perform. They had been narrowed down through previous events. A lot of it was kind of gimmicky- but they did stuff off the back of a fresh wild mustang that I would never dream of doing off of a horse that had been broke for 20 years. The shot guns off them and popped balloons, they jumped rings of fire (I am not kidding!), they rode bridle-less, they go them to lay down. One guy had a platform being pulled behind a pickup, and he got the horse's front legs to go up on it, so he was walking along with his back legs. Then he just urged him up onto the moving platform, and then onto the bed of the pickup! I guess that shows the horse will load into any trailer! It was really amazing. The horses were all being sold at auction this morning. The yearlings were going for a starting bid of $125. I'm sure the older ones will bring in thousands. A lot of the trainers were going to buy their own horses back. It would be so hard to spend that much time and effort on them and then just let them go.

It was absolutely amazing!

www.extrememustangmakeover.com

2008-09-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

What?!?!

I'm all for being green and helping out the environment, but I just could not bring myself to do this. No. Just, no. Sorry. I love my tp too much.

2008-09-15T14:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Day!

Hey, I won! Cool.

2008-09-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween Giveaway

I never win anything, but I thought I'd give this a shot. I want this Halloween book

and getting it free is even better. You can purchase this magazine in stores across US and Canada. Here is the author

in all his fabulous-ness.

Looks cool. Give it a try, if you have a blog.

2008-09-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Church Sign

Does this strike anyone else as odd?

I spotted this on my way home today. I even Googled "crunkk," and couldn't get a legitimate answer. It's not even in the Urban Dictionary yet. That's how crunkk this church is. Allegedly, "crunk" is a combination of crazy and drunk. Nice.

2008-09-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

China Doll

My sister spent a week in China and a week in Japan recently. While she was there, she had this dress made for K. It arrived today, and it is absolutely adorable! It fits her like a glove. I'm trying to think of an occasion where she can wear it. Besides Halloween, any ideas?

2008-09-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

In Honor of Labor Day (a couple of days late)

I stole this from ladybug.

How long was your labor?
16 hours (6 am - 9:44 pm)

How did you know you were in labor?
I never started on my own. I never had a single contraction. She had not dropped into position. I was starting my 42nd week, so I was induced.

Where did you deliver?
Medical City of Plano

Drugs?
Absolutely. After 16 hours and a 9 and a 1/2 pound baby, you betcha! I also had an episiotomy (TMI).

C-section?
Thankfully, no. There was a brief time there when I wasn't progressing, and we thought I might have to have one.

Who delivered?
Dr. Fong. Or as G calls him (not to his face of course), "The Fonger."

2008-09-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

K is going to school at the local Catholic church. She went twice a week last year, but she's going every day this year. She'll have a Masters degree in pre-school!

2008-08-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

First Ballet Class

Tonight was K's first ballet class. It's Beginning Ballet for 2- and 3-year olds. They are smart, and don't let the moms stay in the class. There is a closed-circuit TV, so I could watch from the lobby. They did very age-appropriate things tonight, like stretches, standing up tall and reaching up, squatting down, motion songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider," etc. K absolutely loved it! She came home and reprised what she had learned.

2008-08-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

Playing Catch-up

I am a bad blog mom. Some people write about every playdate, poop, and cute saying. I on the other hand, have had all summer to get these two events posted, and I still haven't done it. I realized if I don't do it now, it's not going to get done, since school starts Monday. So, excuse my tardiness, but here goes...

K turned three in June. We had an art party, and it was awesome. It was held at a local park, so the kids had shade under the pavilion to do a craft or two, and then they could run and play on the playground when they got bored with that. We had three 4-year-olds in attendance: Cole, Cassidy, and Kennedi.

On the playground

Chalk paint

Mini-Picassos at work

Cuties!

Four kids excited for cake!

(Her shirt is not vulgar or anything. I just choose not to broadcast her name all over the net.)

A cute one with her daddy

The second missing post is from our trip to Lubbock and Durango, but I'm tired of posting pics, so I'll have to do that later.

2008-08-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Cake Wrecks

I have a new love. To go along with all the time-wasting sites out there, here is Cake Wrecks. These are all "professional" cakes that look like something my 3-year-old could have designed. Some are just scary. Some suffer random capitalization and quotation marks. And some are just beyond explanation.

2008-08-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

From the Piddly Diddly Department

I am proud to say, I am the parent of a potty-trained child! It was a long and arduous process, and one thing (#2) took much longer than the other (#1), but we are there! I'm sure we'll have an accident here or there, but for now I am relieved of the diaper bag and all it entails. We still wear a Pull-up at night, but that's OK for now.

Yay! She can go back to pre-school next month!

2008-08-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

Shopping

We had been in several high-end stores (read: breakable stuff and I didn't want to buy), and at each one I told K to put her hands behind her back, so she wouldn't touch anything. For the most part, she complied.

We came upon a store I knew she would be very excited about.

I said, "We're about to go into a toy store."

Her reply: "I'm going to touch everything!"

2008-07-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

Wedding Bells

When my sister gets married in April, she has asked G to officiate their wedding! I think that is so sweet! They will actually do a private ceremony at city hall, due to green card technicalities and all that, so G doesn't have to be ordained or anything, since it won't be the actually legal wedding. Megan just said Ben (fiance) really likes him and thinks he's so much fun and energetic, and would really like him to perform the ceremony. I think it's great! Now I can say "My husband married my sister!"

2008-07-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Fall Fashion Preview

Here is K modeling a few of her outfits for school.

2008-07-23T14:39:00.001-07:00

Hair Today, ~~Gone~~ More Tomorrow (hopefully!)

Ever since K was scalped, I have found myself lusting after hairdos. Specifically, hairdos for little girls with long, thick hair. I have found several blogs to fulfill this void in my life, and just thought I would share.

Girly Dos
Babes in Hairland
She Does Hair
Piper's Hairdos
Little Girl's Hair
The Story of a Princess and Her Hair
Princess Charmed Hair
Rockin' Shorty Hairstyles

Someday....

2008-07-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Things I Don't Want to Forget from our Trip

It is really nice up there. It was in the 90s, so it's definitely warm, and the air kept me huffing and puffing, but it's so gorgeous. The nights cooled down, and we slept with the windows open (no AC in the dorms). To see where we were, just go to http://explore.fortlewis.edu/ . It's a tiny campus, but beautiful. Saturday we went here (http://www.durangomountainresort.com/index.cfm/fa/category.display/category_id/158/Village.cfm) and did the alpine slide, and K did the bungee trampoline! Sunday, we rafted (http://www.durangorafting.com/) and had a blast! K was such a trooper! The girl is fearless, so she loved every minute of it.

I did admin stuff for the camp, so I'd write up the concert programs, make copies, etc. It was pretty easy, and it was nice to have something to do while Gary was working. We went to a lot of concerts, and the kids were really talented. http://www.newconservatory.org/photos.asp G's parents were here, and watched K while we were working. They all went to http://www.mesaverde.org/ so K was worn out!

Pics to come....

2008-07-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Va-Cay!

I'm just checking in from an undisclosed location to say hello. I've seen amber waves of grain, purple mountains' majesty, and more Subarus than I think are in the whole state of Texas. I've seen cars held together with bumper stickers, and more running and biking shops per capita than anywhere except possibly Austin. It's been great, and you can't beat the weather. It gets cloudy every afternoon, and cools off just in time to walk around before (and after) dinner. It gets warm midday, but we are working indoors then, so it's OK.

2008-07-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, Heaven!

It was 74 degrees where I am this morning. 74! And I'm not even out of Texas yet! I don't think it's been 74 back home since mid-April. I got up and ran for about 20 minutes. I couldn't tell you the last time I did that, and it actually felt good. It's amazing what a nice breeze and a good beat on your iPod can do for you!

2008-06-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

3rd Year Portraits

2008-06-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Kate!

I can't believe it's already been three years. And yet in some ways, it feels like I've known you forever.

In the beginning

Year One

Year Two (We finally have hair!)

Year Three (sans hair once again)

We love you, Kate!!

2008-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's a Potty Party!

My black lab has had some, uh, bowel incontinence issues lately. It's off and on, so it's very hard to predict. We went to the vet this morning, and they really want a stool sample so they can rule out a few things. Since we have two dogs, I can't just pick up a pile in the backyard. I have to physically watch him do it. That means I am following him around every time I let him outside.

My daughter will be three next week. She still wears diapers, so starting today, it is The Summer of Potty-Training. She has panties on right now, so we're sitting on the potty every 30 minutes. I'm also asking her every five minutes, "Are your panties dry? How are your panties? Do you need to potty?"

I am very eager to stop following things around and watching them go to the bathroom.

2008-06-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Getting Used to It

After nearly 2 weeks, I've grown accustomed to her new 'do. Here is what her hair looks like these days:

She still loves it. We've gotten lots of compliments on the cut, but I feel compelled to tell the story to everyone who hadn't already heard. People might just think I'm some hip, cool mama who's into a little sassy hairdo, and I definitely can't have them thinking that!

2008-05-23T14:08:00.002-07:00

My Pixie

Here she is after a trip to a kids' salon. They did a nice job blending everything in. It's just very short. It'll take me some getting used to.

2008-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Scalped!

My babysitter's 5-year-old son decided to give K a haircut. He didn't just give her a trim -- he scalped her! This is before we had in cleaned up a little at a kids' haircut place. It looks a little better, but it's still v-e-r-y short.

I know it's just hair, but she had gorgeous hair. It will grow back, I know, but it'll take a lot of getting used to in the meantime! Thank goodness I saved all her little baby bows that stick to virtually no hair!

2008-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ah, a Catholic Education

Me: Look what I just drew! What is that?

K: A sun! (Does the sign of the cross) And the Father and the Holy Spirit, amen!

2008-05-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

This Place is a Zoo

We went to the zoo a week ago, but I'm just now getting pics posted.

2008-05-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

More pics

Here are a few more pics from the music festival. They had a butterfly tent that was really cool. You can see how well K can use a magnifying glass! She loved the giant inflatable slide, though she had some trouble climbing it.

2008-05-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

First Rock Concert

We went to a music festival on Saturday. There were art booths, a kid area, but the big attractions were the bands. Here is K rocking out to Firehouse. She was really into it!

2008-05-11T16:03:00.001-07:00

Mothers' Day

For Mothers' Day, I had this pencil sketch made at My DaVinci.com. My mom absolutely loved it! It looks just like K. They really did a great job on it.

2008-05-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Party Girl!

G had an orchestra banquet Friday night, and we attended as a family. I had no idea it had an international theme, but I happened to put K in a new Paris dress, so it worked perfectly.

We got a decent shot of us together as a family.

One of G's students presented him with a sketch she had made! It's really cute, and it shows him with his baton behind his ear, saying "Has anyone seen my baton?" Oh, 14-year-old humor!

Then the music started. There was a DJ, and he started pumping the tunes full-blast. You-know-who ran out onto the dance floor and jumped right in.

This one is my favorite. She is really boogeying!!

The high school kids loved her, and kept watching her dance. K loved being the belle of the ball, and had the best time!

2008-05-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Mothers' Day Breakfast

K's pre-school had a Mothers' Day breakfast on Thursday. I took a half-day off from work, so I was able to go. It was very cute. They had pastel butcher paper on the tables, with little butterfly paper scatters, so it was very festive. The kids' art was hanging from the ceiling, including paper kites, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies.

They has us open gifts, which was just too cute. I received a paper corsage (K has already told me she'd made me a flower, so she kind of spoiled the surprise), a painted placemat complete with interview on the back, and a gorgeous apron with her picture and handprints on it. It's too pretty to use!

Everything was made so well! I can't imagine doing all that work with paint with 12 2-year-olds running around! Kudos to those teachers who do what they do so well!

2008-05-10T19:17:00.001-07:00

Through the Years

My Great grandmother made this Cathedral Window quilt for me in 1976. It was the only handmade quilt I had, and my sister used it too.

How times have changed. K has probably 12 handmade quilts (thanks to Nana), but I got this one out and took some pictures of her on it, too.

2008-05-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Girl in a Box

SpongeBob SquareLeg

You Blockhead!

2008-05-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

The Visitor

Our neighbor's cat was in our bushes this morning. He saw K, and jumped up into the window. I'll bet they spent 10 minutes there, playing through the glass!

2008-05-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Visit

I flew to Lubbock last weekend to see my nearly 91-year-old grandmother. She has really changed a lot since December, when I last saw her.

She has been moved a few times, from a hospital, to assisted living, to a rehab place, and back to assisted living. She no longer can get out of bed by herself, and doesn't seem to want to. I suppose it's your right to want to be waited on when you're that age.

My dad didn't tell her I was coming, so it was a big surprise. I think she was a little disappointed that I didn't bring K with me, but it was much easier to make the quick trip by myself. We'll be up there for a week this summer, so she'll get her fill of K then.

Grandma, despite having lost a lot of weight and looking rather frail, still seemed like herself. She is very mentally together, and we spent about 2 hours just talking. She repeated herself slightly, but I do that too! She had her beloved Cubs game on, so that hasn't changed a bit.

Her room is small, but it looks like home. Some of her furniture and her special things are there, so it looks nice and homey.

I don't know how many more visits I'll get with her, but I am glad I was able to make this one.

My dad and stepmom are saints for getting everything set up for her. The last 6 months have been really hard on them, and I'm so glad they have been able to get her situated comfortably.

2008-04-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Blender Feels Left Out

Me: Who's in our family?

K: Mommy, Daddy, me, Sampson, Montana, and the vacuum cleaner!

2008-04-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods Jr.

G brought home a little play golf set for K. She loves it!!

2008-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've Been Called Worse

K wanted to go to the playground, and I told her we would go later. Quietly, she looked at me and said "Poopy mommy."

I think that's the worst thing she could think to call me!

I did ask her if that was nice, and she said no and apologized to me. When she left the room, G and I cracked up!

2008-04-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

New Bedding

We now have new bedding to go with the new bed. I think she likes it! It's supposed to be "ivory," but it's a little on the lemony-buttery side. Oh well, her room has yellow in it, so it still matches.

2008-04-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

Tent Girl

K asked me the other night if I would set up her tent. I said I would, and asked her what she wanted to do in there. She said "Watch Happy Baby Songs," (her favorite annoying movie). I told her I wouldn't put her movie in there, but she could read books. I think she brought every book she could carry into her tent! She had the best time in there for a few hours.

2008-04-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of K

2008-03-30T16:26:00.001-07:00

Big Girl Bed

Yes, she is nearly three, but she is not a climber at all, so we've just kept her in her crib! We finally broke down and got her a toddler bed (OK, Nana bought it for her) and we just set it up. We'll see how it goes tonight!

2008-03-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

I was just rear-ended (and not in a good way)!

We are fine, but SO annoyed! My mom and K were in the car, and K is upset that the car got "bumps" and now has to go to the doctor.

We were sitting at a red light waiting to turn right, and a Tahoe hit us from behind! My car has several dents up the middle of the back door. No air bags deployed. The Tahoe looks like its grill is now a little off-kilter, but it's hard to tell.

I spent the afternoon on the phone with insurance companies, but it should be a pretty clean-cut case. I'm just thankful we are all OK, but what a pain!

2008-03-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2008-03-14T04:46:00.001-07:00

Interview

I asked K a few questions last night, and thought some of these were funny.

Favorite song: Twinkle Twinkle
TV show: Max & Ruby
Letter: K
Number: 6 & 7
Shape: oval
Animal: giraffe
Food: yogurt
Drink: Coke (!)
Thing to do outside: Put on my puppy shoes
And then?: go down a slide

2008-03-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Bigotry or Common Sense?

When I was younger, and we saw a man walking alongside the road, my mother would instinctively lock the door. In all my adolescent smugness, I would silently wonder why she did that. What had that person done to her? Was she locking the doors because the person was another race? Because he was a man? Aren't we supposed to love and trust one another? What kind of message was she giving us, her daughters?

Now that I'm a mother, I find myself doing the same thing. I wonder if it's just something I learned, or if it's a truly mommy-inherited fight-or-flight mechanism.

I suppose the right thing to do is lock my doors as soon as I get in the car, but I never think about it. But what kind of a message am I sending to my daughter? Only trust people that don't have to walk where they are going? All pedestrians are evil?

I hate how when we get in our cars, we feel as though we are in our own mini-fortresses, and the rest of the world is composed of idiots. If I met a person face to face, I would say hello or give them a smile. But on the road, we say or at least think things that we would never dream of saying or thinking in closer proximity. Why is that?

2008-02-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

Donuts with Daddy

This morning at Kate's preschool, they had "Donuts with Daddy." G took her to school, so he could be a part of the festivities. Kate came home with this picture and questionnaire from her experience. I think it's pretty funny (and that I look like I'm robbing the cradle).

And here's a picture of her at home. Sorry it looks like she's throwing down a gang sign.