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!

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!!

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.

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.

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!)

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

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!

That's One Way to Get Your Message Across

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

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!

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.