Dossy and Bossy

Who knew?

2011-05-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

So, the problem with falling behind on posting on your blog is that you end up with all these great stories and photos & no time to present them...in short, a glut of material. I wanted to try to post about Easter and the visits to Moms' and all kinds of things, but I don't think I have time today, so this will have to do: pictures of Dillon's new haircut.

But it's not just an ordinary haircut. Jeffery "Dark Horse" Doss once again proved that, with him, all things are possible; in short, he cut our son's hair for the 1st time on the weekend! I didn't even know he COULD cut hair. I don't think he did either. He was doing his own with the buzzer thingie and Dilly really wanted to get in on the action, so I gave consent (his hair was looking rather straggly). I was very impressed by the clean-cut Pickle that came out of that bathroom. Behold:

I think this pose says it all. Here's lookin at you, kid. All he needs are the finger guns. Kapow! More later.

My Japan

2011-03-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

As with most things in life, it's when what we have taken for granted starts to go downhill that we begin to appreciate how much it means to us. I have found this to be true of Japan. I moved away from it and made a whole new life here in the U.S over 10 years ago, and in many ways it's been "out of sight, out of mind." I used to marvel sometimes that I didn't miss it more, having grown up there. But it's sure been on my mind for the past week.

So here it is: I miss Japan. I miss it and cry for it because of the unimaginable suffering of the bereaved and displaced. I know this same sad scenario has played out many times over the past years in different countries, images of people wandering the streets without homes or missing family, and it's always been terrible to see, but this is different. These people feel like my long lost relatives. I lived in small villages by the ocean. Those destroyed houses you see on the news, I stayed in any number of ones just like them all my young life. They are my people too, and I grieve for them and pray for them. And I'm proud of them. I see articles about how no one is looting, how desperate people are still lining up for food & water, patiently; how hundreds of men are basically sacrificing their lives at the nuclear power plants to try and save everyone else, and I think, yes, those are my people too, I'm proud to say that I was born there.

May my family there be safe and fed and warm, may everyone else be as well, and may God be with those who lost so much. And mostly, may it all end well and heal, not least so that I can take my little family back to the place that gave me so much and show them all about where Mommy came from.

I am posting a poem that I wrote long ago, while I still lived there, about Japan. (Thanks, Nikki, for digging it up for me!) It's poor poetry, but I happen to like this one almost best of all, because I said what I came to say in it. If you don't speak Japanese and want to know what the weird words mean, I included a glossary at the bottom. Enjoy.

My Japan:

Weeping willow, tall and fair
Woodland fern, and maidenhair.
Aged Bonsai, twisted limb
Greenest bud on newest stem;

Orange skies at close of day,
Semis sing the night away.
Morning glories, fading fast
Small blue buds and spider grass.

Bamboo forest, small and proud
Long brown leaves, strewn on the ground.
Little sisters run & chase;
Grass stained shorts, a purple face.
Swinging high, swinging low
This is the way the summers go.

I see the moon, the moon sees me;
Homeward walk, outlined tree;
Birthday candles, hanabi,
Cool yukata, matsuri.

Glowing lanterns, strung on high,
Dancing platforms tower by.
Catch a goldfish; catch him twice;
Pink and green and yellow ice.

"Gaijin da!" "This is a pen";
Ice-cream for a hundred yen.
Kiokabe, stifling heat,
Tickling fan and crispy sheet.

Yellow nightlight, shoji door,
Bean bag pillow on the floor.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
True contentment, joy complete.
Father singing sweet and low,
This is the way the summers go.

Glossary for those who don't speak Japanese:

Semis: cicadas

Hanabi: fireworks

Yukata: summer kimono

Matsuri: festival

"Gaijin da!": "It's a foreigner"

Kiyokabe: traditional wall covering in older Japanese homes

Shoji doors: rice paper doors

Both sides of the coin

2011-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

So, today is V day. I know it's not cool to like it, and everyone goes on and on about how it's just canned sentiment and romance commercialized, big bucks for the florists and Hallmark, a money-maker in the cold months for the restaurants, etc. And I'm sure it's all true. I kinda feel two ways about the holiday: on the one hand, I dislike anything forced when it comes to romance or love. (Jeff will joyfully confirm this.) I don't like being told when I should feel loving toward my other half, or when we should celebrate our love. What if you had a big ugly fight on the night of Feb. 13th? (we didn't). (but still). What if you want to make May 4th your big celebration of love? Or whatever. So that's on the one hand.

But I think, in support of it, that sometimes, as busy as we all get, it's nice to have a day that takes you by the hand and sits you down and smacks you in the face with sentiment and chocolate. It's a day that makes you really parse out your feelings for your significant other, and maybe makes you appreciate him/her a little more than you usually do. Maybe it's a good thing to schedule in some amore, especially because there's really precious little time for it the rest of the year. You know? I find that when I'm writing in the card, or planning the dinner we're having, it's a good reminder of what my husband means to me...makes me tap into & express the things that just become passing, unexpressed thoughts all too often.

So Happy Valentines Day to all of you. Everyone can celebrate it, because we all have people that we love.
In closing, here is something for you, Jeffery Doss: a picture that I love of us, which I was trying to print out & give to you as a gift. The #$()*&@%^# printer won't print the thing, so I am reduced to posting it here, with all my love.

The Snow Day

2011-02-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

We got SNOW! FINALLY! We've been having below zero weather for days now...it's gotten down to about 4 or 5 degrees at night sometimes, which for those in Japan is about -15...anyway, we finally got snow!! I was so excited that I stayed way up past my usual bed time just watching it. I felt like the snow sentinel...if I watched it, it wouldn't stop snowing and we would have a nice little blanket of snow in the A.M. And we did!! I took the kids out to play in it, and they had a pretty good time. Then Noah started throwing snowballs at Dilly, who immediately began screaming because snow got on him, and then Zoe started crying because her hands were cold (you know, that painful cold that you get when you've been in snow), so I took her in. Then Dilly was crying about his hands too, and they both screamed merrily in the house for about 10 minutes straight. It was quite humourous and I laughed.
Anyway, enough about my stress free life and wonderful children; here are the pictures (mobile uploads) that Jeff sent home. Alas, I have no camera to record the winter wonderland, because my dear husband took my van to work this A.M with cameras inside. Oh well.
Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all!

2010-12-22T08:33:00.001-08:00

Well, folks, it's that time of year: I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are going to visit my Mom in Dallas, along with most of the other siblings, for our Christmas celebrations & exertions this year. This will be the first time in many, many years that the Rudows (previously and currently) and Jungs, etc, will be together for a holiday! Yay! We are all very excited.
I would like to say to Amber & Steven & children that you will be MISSED. It's sad that we couldn't work it out for you to attend also, but I know there will be a way some other time if we keep working on it. We will think of you, gossip about you, and drink a toast to you. And you really can't ask for more than that.

In closing, I would like to post here a poem that I re-wrote for my husband last year. The thought began stirring in my brain when I observed all that he does for our family, and with a little concentration & foolishness it came together nicely. I would like to say thank you, my dearest dear, for all the happy Christmases you have given me. We've been through a lot the past year or two, but we're always going to be ok as long as we have each other to love and live for. I love you with all my heart. Merry Christmas!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for Jeff Doss.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
Because Daddy Jeffery had placed them there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of boojie danced in Zoe’s little head.
And mamma in her mismatching nightclothes was down
In her bed while Beauty still puttered around.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Mom sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window she flew like a flash,
Tore open the curtains and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen grass
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the crack of Dad’s ass.
As he bent over what to her eyes should appear,
But a red lawnmower, shiny and clear.

With a little hand movement, snappy and quick,
He roared that lawn engine and woke up Aunt Nick.
More rapid than eagles his mower-blades came!
Mom gibbered, and shouted, and called him a name!

Did it sway him? Did it stop him? Never! He stood
And as he shouted, I knew he was the true Christmas dude:

"Now Dyson! Now Cascade! Now Windex will fix em!
On Comet! On Clorox! C’mon, Pledge, we’ll Blitz em!
To the end of the yard, and all through the hall,
Now clean away! Mow away! Mop away, all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
The sound of the lawn mower rose to the sky.
And after the lawn, to the duplex he flew,
With his ratty grey pants on, to clean up there too.

And then, in a twinkling, he buzzed all around
Cleaning the windows and cleaning the ground
Cleaning the dishes, around the sponge flew,
Changing the lightbulbs and cleaning Miu’s poo.

He was dressed, as I said, in ratty old sweats,
His T-shirt was stained and his underwear ripped
A bundle of garbage he had flung on his back,
And after he cleaned he was going to unpack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his smile, how easy!
His head how it gleamed, his nose, it was greasy!
His lovely plump lips drawn up like a bow,
But his teeth, they weren’t quite as white as the snow.

The half of a cookie he held tight in his teeth,
As he plugged up the tree and put up the wreath.
He had a nice face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger inside of his nose,
He pulled out a booger as big as a rose!

He sprang to his computer, crunched the numbers he kept,
Making everything perfect while his family slept.
But I heard him exclaim finally, dousing the light,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Hah, Bumhug

2010-12-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

So I was feeling a little bah humbug the other day. I think that as I get older this feeling comes to me more frequently...I would say 'for some reason', but I know the reason. Holidays, while fun and something to look forward to all year long, are just a lot of work sometimes. The workload increases exponentially with every extra family member you have, so with every child...etc. I think, too, that it's a product of growing up in Japan, where, despite Amanda's information to the contrary this year, people do not usually celebrate Thanksgiving...ergo Christmas becomes the one big holiday, and maybe even MORE fun. I sometimes feel that Turkey day #1, with all the trimmings, followed less than 6 weeks later by Turkey day #2, with all the trimmings, just becomes an overload of turkey.

I won't get into the presents issue, because it's impossible to raise the discussion without taking both sides of the issue (What a waste of money! Give it all to the starving Armenians! Presents are an expression of love and they make the day very special! Also, I personally demand presents of every loved one and acquaintance that I possess, so let's not be hypocritical, Susanna!) etc etc. But no one can deny that if you have to buy for more than, like, your boyfriend, it can be a little stressful. But I also ADORE shopping over the holidays, when the stores are all lit up and cozy and you can drink Starbucks while you peruse the merchandise, until your husband calls you from home asking Where are you but not in a nice way and you can hear the boys disemboweling each other in the back ground while the baby screams merrily......

Sigh. I'm so confused.

Lets just say I have to stay on top of my mood sometimes, to ensure the proper level of merriment.

But think about this, oh you imagineers (don't sue me, Disney): What if you could check into a hotel over the holidays? A big, huge, sparkly, Christmassy hotel, pre-decorated the way the way you like, with a Christmas tree in the lobby and the promise of a ready-made turkey on Christmas day? What if the stores we love were around the corner, and when you woke up you could purchase your Starbucks in the lobby of this wonderland while the Kenny G Musak of Tidings and Joy played in the background, and what if afterward, toting said Starbucks, you could walk to the mall (in your fabulous shoes) which was right around the corner from the hotel and then you could shop till you dropped and then come home to the hotel and have a massage while your doting husband waited for you in the bar with a cinnamon appletini??? What about them apples? What is a cinnamon appletini? Also, where are my children in all this?

I know. It was a VERY nice daydream. But waking up Christmas morning, when the work is mostly done and the tree is decorated and the kids are all starry-eyed over their decorated house and their painstakingly wrapped presents is pretty great too. Or we could go crash Moms'.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, all! I feel kinda bad about not keeping up with this here bloggie of mine, but I stop short of apologizing...I sorta feel that when one has three young children, one shouldn't have to feel too badly about neglecting the things of lesser importance in life. And by that, I mean you. No, not really. You are VERY important to me...I can say this with almost 100% certainty, because I believe that almost no one except my immediate family reads this, SEEING THAT NO ONE EVER POSTS A COMMENT except my siblings and sometimes a parent. So you are important to me & I am thankful for YOU! See how I brought the conversation back around to Thanksgiving? Aren't I a skilled and cunning linguist? Ha ha ha. Say that fast 10 times.

Moving right along: we have just returned from Mom's & DC's in Dallas, where we spent a little "mini holiday vacay" over Thanksgiving. We did the following, not necessarily in this order:

--Made a FABULOUS Thanksgiving meal that we and about 7 other family/guests consumed with relish on the day of, followed by deep and weighty discussions about Black Friday sales.

--Some of the more enterprising of us (hint: not me) went out to said sales at different ungodly hours of the night and morning. Jeff left his warm bed at 1:30 AM to shop, and Mom & DC, not to be outdone, went at 5:30 AM.

--We took the kids to various "new" parks, always a popular activity.

--We went to "A Dickens of a Christmas", which was a sort of happening in downtown McKinney, complete with elaborate Christmas pageant & all sorts of family fun...carousels, pony rides, little petting zoo, etc. We consumed hot chocolate, corn dogs, a sort of Greek taco with lamb & Mediterranean ranch on it (which was really very good), and Mom's personal favorite, a (small) Santa sleigh entirely made of milk chocolate & filled with chocolate mousse! Yum!

--The following night we went on "the Polar Express", which we purchased tickets to a couple weeks before even going up to Dallas, as it was billed as a sort of wonderland for kids, complete with snacks & hot chocolate, a performance before & during the train ride, a Christmas tree maze, etc. Well, we dragged Mom & DC & Abi all down there with us, and to make a long story short, it maybe wasn't exactly what we had pictured. At least the kids loved it...they didn't care. There was the slightly tacky "intro show" which featured young girl singers, a la Miley Cyrus, belting out Christmas tunes with more vigor than expertise, dressed in what I can only describe as "Slutty Santa Chic". The "tree maze" was a walkway, slightly zig zagged, that led to the train itself. The train was old & quite neat....you had to climb stairs to get up into it, and it had these great old sleigh type seats, and they had decorated it nicely. The ride was fun because the kids enjoyed it so very much....they were really just jumping for joy of it. There was a loudspeaker over which a lady broadcasted a sort of running series of Christmas singalongs, instructions to the passengers (one of which was to have a man and woman get into the aisle and dance the Jingle Bell Rock, which Jeff obligingly did...I was proud of him!), and there was a terrific reading of "The Night Before Christmas" by way of an encore. Mom & DC & Abs were right there along with us, having a great old time, greeted by Santa when he came by, etc, and it was really quite terrific actually.

--I had a nice time talking & working out (gasp) and generally 'fellowshipping' with Abi the Beautiful and Gracious, who also assisted me quite a bit with the kids all weekend, Lord love her.
So all in all a very good weekend. I may have mentioned that Dillon broke our camera, but I took some pics on my phone, or the crapcam, to borrow a Dave Barry-ism. Enjoy! (The first ones are actually from Halloween & before.)

Zoe Boe saying hi from Texas

Halloween pics: Zoe was a ladybug

Noah was "clawman" (Wolverine)

Dillon was supposed to be Batman but the costume we got him did not fit, sadly. So he had to settle for Noah's costume last year, a spider. I think he was underwhelmed.

We went to the "Zoo Boo", and this was one of the attractions.

This was a drum with a fake fire in it, and I thought the picture came out nice.

This was the only picture we got of a day adventure we took to a Renaissance Festival, which was AWESOME. We may dress up next time.

And here's the Thanksgiving pics.

2010-10-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Aloha, witches. And warlocks. It's almost that time again, Hallowed E'en, night of the dead and the massive insulin spike. We're getting ready for it in the best Doss tradition, by painstakingly deciding what to "be" and then, with all my accumulated skills of sewing & creating, going to the local Walmart and buying the kids ready made superhero costumes. It's A LOT of work, but it's so rewarding, you know?
Anyhoo, here are a few updates on us recently:

--We did a 5 mile Walk for Heart Disease the other weekend, our whole family, along with some other people from Jeff's work and a couple thousand strangers. It was invigorating, in fact, albiet a bit stressful as Dilly threw his umpteenth fit because he had to sit in a stroller (Horrors!) and Zoe went to sleep in Daddy's arms....not so bad, that, but Noah wouldn't get out of the stroller and Dillon can't be trusted, so Jeff had to carry her, sleeping, the last 2 miles. I think he had a backache. I guess that's what we get for trying to do small marathons with small children. I liked it though....it was certainly out of the norm.

--We've been up to visit Mom, Grandpa, & DC in their new, gorgeous home in McKinney. It's really lovely...high ceilings, lots of crown moulding everywhere, lots of nice windows with trees outside, etc. I mean, this is a home that I wish we could buy & live in! So happy for them. While we were up there DC & Robert were going out to a movie ("The Owls of Gonohreaa" or something) and I blythely invited myself along with no tact whatsoever...and DC not only obligingly let me come, but insisted on paying for me. I told him it was ok, cuz he was my Dad, but that he'd better not make a habit of it. Joking aside, it was pretty nice to see a movie...it's been awhile. Jeff put all the kids to bed for me, bless his tired heart. He's been working pretty brutal hours recently.

--On the kid front, everyone is doing well. Noah is getting really turned on to learning & seems to have acclimated to his school nicely, THANK GOD. I was getting a little worried there at the beginning. He's trying to read everything in sight & sits there practicing his alphabet FOR FUN. I'm very proud of him.
Miz Boe is getting very big and ladylike. She can walk very well now, although she has this funny, old-lady-with-bad-hips sort of gait. Of course now she thinks she's going to be walking everywhere & getting in to everything, just because she can. At least she's not a Dilly #2, climbing the walls. And speaking of the young devil:
Dilly is well physically, but seems to be breaking out in a recent rash of misbehavior and especially naughty escapades. I sometimes dispair of that child. He's very smart and maybe gets bored, and we all know about an idle mind; consider these examples:

1. I often let the kids outside to play in the sprinkler, and since our backyard is fenced, I let them play by themselves. And no matter how much I adjure them by the living God not to, Dilly ALWAYS takes off his pullup and revels in the mud. When I say revels, he takes a full-on mud bath, face to feet, and lets not forget the crotch. It's so gross & I'm sure it's a miracle he doesn't have worms. He eats it too, spitting it out with astonishment on his face, like he had NO IDEA it tastes like....well, dirt. Please see the picture below, exhibit A.

Feel free to pull this up and view it in life size. Please note the expression on the face.

2. He has broken & damaged numerous things, the last one being our beloved camera. It's not that he's trying to be naughty, but he doesn't know how to obey when told not to touch things.

3. And this is the piece de restistance: the other night he went to sleep very early & awoke, unfortunately, at about 11:00 PM, bright eyed & bushy tailed, ready for action. Jeff & I were exhausted & told him to lay in his bed, and then (unwisely) went to sleep with him still awake. I woke up about 45 min. later to find him gone. I had a feeling I knew where he was, and I wasn't wrong: he was in my makeup again. He ADORES my makeup.....it's all in this big drawer in our bathroom & he's never allowed to touch it, and consequently he desires it above all things in this life. I guess it's like the most fun shiny finger paints ever. So I go in there, and I just gasped. My breath was literally taken away by the scope of his perfidy. It was like a movie scene of a crime or something, in it's grandness. My makeup was EVERYWHERE, spread all over. Powders were overturned, lip gloss wands were strewn promiscuously about, leaking gloss everywhere, and there were small, Dilly-sized hand prints, pink, all over our uncleanable, flat paint walls. He had taken 2 tubes of my lipstick and done hand artwork all over the walls. But that wasn't all. There, amid the wreckage of my makeup, staring at me like a deer in the headlights, stood my STARK NAKED son. He had removed his pjs & diaper, and was fully covered, head to toe, in a dusty pink lipstick. He had taken off his diaper and lovingly rubbed it into his crotch and fronie, which were both a lovely rose-pink, and sparkly to boot. It was in his hair, on his neck, everywhere. I CANNOT OVERSTATE THE CASE. Also, in places he was a shimmery golden color. Through my horror it occured to me that he had actually done a very good job of evenly spreading the lipstick all over himself...it was a smooth tone, very hard to achieve. But then, OH MY GOD OH MY GOD YOU BAD BAD BOY etc.
I washed him for 20 minutes with a scrubby and grease-cutting dishwasher liquid to get it off him. Companies make makeup hard to remove. I didn't spank him or anything. It was just too late in the night and I was too weary to care about punishment. But I did cry a little because of my destroyed make up & the mess. Jeff later told Dilly that he had made me cry, and he was so upset that he hasn't gotten into it again. We'll see how long that lasts.
Alright, I have no more time now. There are other stories, but this will have to do. I think, if you love us, you'll pray that we live through Dillon's childhood. Also, that he lives.

Mom & Dad, a little worse for wear

Noah the Barbarian

This has an explanation: that thing on his head it is a net, like a little butterfly net. Dilly was convinced that it was the perfect touch to make him a superhero, and very happily posed for these 2 pictures. The pose he created himself, naturally.

I just think this is the cutest thing in the world.

Starting out on our "walk" for heart health.

Someone took this pic for us...one of the few we have with all of us in the pic.

I think this one is a little better. I took it.

Pretty Aunty Abi, who doted on the kids when we were up visiting Mom.

Family fun at a lake near where Mom & DC live. We had a picnic! Yay.

Batpeople

2010-09-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today I'm in the computer room & Noah is helping me clean up. I had to insist that he did so because his legos were all over the floor. So he takes off his gear & does it, telling me that he's Batman, just like a new Netflix show that he & Dillon were watching. So Noah finishes up his part of the mess, and it's Dillon's turn. I tell Noah, "Batman, go call Dillon to come here."

He dutifully calls:

"Batwoman!"

And Dillon comes running.

The sweetest thing

2010-09-22T19:57:00.001-07:00

The other night I had had a VERY long day with the kids....seemed like they were all acting out much more than usual. I just felt worn out. I was putting them to bed and Dillon, out of nowhere, says this:
"Mama, you're the best mama I never seen".

I gave Noah a piece of yellow construction paper with stars on it that he could practice cutting on (he has to use scissors in kindergarten), and went out somewhere for a while. When I came back the stars were up on our fridge, neatly cut out. Jeff told me that he gave them to him because, "You and Mommy are stars to take care of us."

At dinner tonight I put together some leftovers for the kids to eat. Dillon starts to say something:

"Mama, you...."

and stops. Noah leans over & I can hear him whispering, prompting him:

Noah, whispering: "You're the best cook"

Dillon, triumphantly: "Mama, you're the fatness cook!"

My Holiday: San Antonio

2010-08-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

One thing I really like about having other people come to visit us is that it seems that it makes us more adventurous. We end up deciding to do things that we might not otherwise have thought to do on our own...or if we thought about it, we decided forget it, it's too much work with three small children. But then someone else shows up & suddenly the possiblities are endless. Case in point: we went cave hiking with Paula. The pros were that it's a super neat thing to do & Jeff & I have been dying to see one of these Texas caves for a long time. The cons: it's a very steep, wet, hour-long hike, we have 3 children under the age of 5, and Paula is claustrophobic. None of these things moved us. We went boldly where young children probably should not go, to the Natural Bridge Caverns.
It's a series of caves that has a trail running through it, and there are several hike "tours" that you can pay to go on. The one we went on was billed as the easiest one...it was about 45 minutes of hiking & went down to 180 feet below the surface at it's lowest point. So long story short, this is how we did it: Jeff carried Zoe in the carrier, I ended up carrying Dillon most of the way on my hip, and Noah walked, and was a trooper for pretty much the whole time. Paula pushed through too, even though she had to stop every 10 minutes or so with shortness of breath. I have a very good picture of her clinging to a railing for dear life that I intend to post. Did I mention that it was 80+ degrees down there, with 99% humidity? But what views!! It was amazing to see these caverns under the earth...you felt like you had fallen into a JRR Tolkein story at times. They named these huge caverns all sorts of fanciful names, like "The Hall of the Mountain King" or "The Valley of the Fallen Lords". I was just in awe of these incredible formations that take millions of years to form!! Of course, it's hard to get good pictures while you're balancing a 30 lb child on your hip, but I did my best.

On the way down to the caves

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. The entrance.

Everyone smile! This is fun! This is FUN! (Also, please note my highly appropriate hiking clothing.)

A tight squeeze. I have to admit, when I saw this passage, even I got a little claustrophobic.

Neat lookin rocks

Alien

Looks a little plastic, doesn't it?

A naturally occuring underground pool

Paula trying to smile through her pain

That's better

I didn't mention this, but this was a mini-break-trip to San Antonio that we did on the weekend before we were to leave for CA. We had intended to stop there on our way to CA, but decided that it would be more time efficient to go there the previous weekend & just drive home, since it's only 3 hours away from us.
The next stop was a wild animal park which is practically adjoining the cave site. There's all this acreage & they let all kinds of wildlife roam free over it, and you stay in your car & drive around, trying to feed the overstuffed animals from your hand, praying to God that the Texas Longhorn doesn't scratch your new car paintjob or the 7 foot tall ostrich with a bad attitude doesn't decide to peck your left eye out as dessert. I didn't feed any of the animals from my hand personally...too chicken. Jeff did, though, although he drew the line at the ostrich...who really did act as if he came from the Juvie Ostrich Hall pretty recently. It was a neat experience to see all these animals up close & personal, even if they were stupefied from being stuffed to the gills and sunstroke (it was about 100 degrees that day). We saw all kinds of deer, many varieties of moo cow, ostriches, giraffes (they kept those penned up, I guess they're too valuable to risk being roadkill), zebras, etc. Neat!

The wild animals

Moo

Daddy and Noah feeding the animals

Whatchoo lookin at?

Next we drove into San Antonio proper and checked into the AWESOME hotel that we had booked online. We got it for a very good price on one of these discount sites, and it was a Marriott...I have generally VERY good experiences with Marriott. Anyway, it was just beautiful, with a terrific pool and lovely landscaped areas, courtyard with fountain, etc. We left our bags & proceeded to take the kids down to the Riverwalk, which is the river that runs through the city with restaurants & bars and shops all along both sides of it. We took a little tourist boat on a "cruise" up & down the waterways, with the boatman giving us a running monologue of the history of the buildings & the river, etc. Interesting! Not so great was the waiting in line for a good HOUR before getting on the thing...note to self: maybe doing the Riverwalk on a Saturday night in July isn't the best thing in the world. The kids were pretty worn out after this big day, to say the least. I was too, truth be told. We slept well.
So the next day we went to the Alamo & Paula delighted in the history of it, looking at the displays, etc, to her hearts' content. (We had been there before). To be honest, although it's very interesting historically, I find these historical gravesites and battlefields kind of depressing...it's sad to read the gruesome histories of what went on, and how many people died, even if it's supposed to be "glorious". Anyway...we sweated it out there for awhile (what a hot summer!), and then made our way back to Waco. And that's our big weekend in San Antonio.

The beautiful fountain at our hotel

I waxed artsy with the photos of the beautiful hotel we stayed at:

Noah and Dillon (who's clearly had enough) at a Davy Crockett memorial pool at the Alamo

Ahh! Some sugary sweetness after a long hot morning

Always look for the silver lining: a cloud that was beautiful at the end of our day.

My Holiday:

2010-08-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

I remember reading a Peter and Jane book once that was about Peter going back to school and writing an essay entitled something like "My Holiday", wherein he encapsulated his summer at the seashore or some equally British. We Americans go on vacation & go to the beach. Also, have you noticed that in the similarly titled series, "Dick and Jane", that the writers in both instances have used the names "Peter" and "Dick", which are both nicknames for male genetalia?

Why am I on this subject?

I digress. I'm trying to write a little travelogue of our...well...travels, to California. Jeff and I had planned to drive there for awhile, as we had not been able to afford to do so for quite some time. Yay for pay raises! In our family we have this "special day highwater season" which starts with Noah's birthday on July 23rd and ends with Jeff's birthday on Sept. 1st. Included are mine, Zoe and Paula's birthdays, and our anniversary. Cha Ching! All this to say we often try to go on vacation around this time...makes it all more festive.
This year was a particularly big year for Paula, being her 60th birthday. So Jeff and I decided to fly her out here, because seeing us and helping me to take care of our kids for a week or two is SUCH a special present, and then we all were going to drive back to CA together. Which is what we did. I had a very nice visit with Paula (Jeff was still working, this was about 2 weeks prior to driving to CA), and she caught up on her Grandmother time with the kids. We had Noah's birthday celebration during this time, too. Guess where we went? And they all said: CHUCK E CHEESE! Of course. He turned 5, but for deep dark reasons still INSISTS that he's 4, because per him, if you're 5 you have to go to school. No matter that he already IS in school and enjoying it...I guess it's the idea of the thing that he objects to. It's something we're working on. Anyway, here's some pics of the birthday:

The birthday cake Noah had his heart set on. Look at it closely...it's quite a cake. Bonus points because the toys on it are all actual toys and are being used by both boys! Do you know how much Spiderman toys cost? About as much as this cake. Score.

Noah wanted the Chuck E Cheese crown more than anything in the world, and here he is proudly wearing it.

Yee haw pardner. He struck this pose ENTIRELY ON HIS OWN and held it while we took pictures. The outfit was a present.

Happy Birthday Boy

Miss Zoe with Dilly's consolation prize cars. Grandma Paula got Dilly a present too, so he wouldn't feel left out.

The pièce de résistance: a big boy bike!

I was going to write more and publish more pictures, but unfortunately I am out of time today. More tomorrow, children permitting.

Update

2010-08-19T08:21:00.001-07:00

So Kia fixed our DVD player, just in time for our marathon drive to and from California. Yay! I'll tell you, now that it works, that thing is worth it's weight in GOLD. Even the baby will watch it & it helps a little with entertaining her, which is priceless.
We literally did something, an outing, etc, every day that we were in California, which means that we burned the candle at both ends and ended up sick at the end of the trip...but it was worth it. Had really fun times and made really good memories.
When I can get the pics uploaded to the computer I will post a travelogue.

And now I must continue with the myriad preparations for handing my beloved first born son over to strangers to keep for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week....a process otherwise known as getting ready for school. I find it so disconcerting to think that for the first 5 years of his life he was mine, but now everything in those 7 hours he's away I will have no control over. I have no say in the cirriculum or the rules that he will have to abide by...I don't even know what really goes on in a kindergarten class, because I never attended traditional school myself.

Are we freaking out, preciousss? Yesss. We Is.

Of Cabbages and Kings, and why Texas is Boiling Hot, and Whether the Farking Kia People Are Going to Fix My DVD Player Already

2010-07-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

So first things first: BOOTS! In July! I am a shoe (word that rhymes with chore), and recently we were out at a mall in Austin and we found this TERRIFIC store. It's a Dillards (like Macys, for you California folk), and Dillards is not usually a store I shop in, because it's frikkin expensive and has very few sales. However, the merchandise is really high-end & desirable. So we found this funky little mall that has a clearance Dillards...like a Ross exploded in it. There's just racks and racks of stuff that is on a final sale, like 70 to 80% off. And guess what I found??? Behold:

These are a brand called "Sofft"...and they are soft! And comfortable! And my humongous size! And black! And just $50! They usually sell for over $200. I had to share my joy with you. Adrianne, I expect a congratulatory comment. Also, Mom, Amber and Melinda. Remaining other sisters, you may or may not, as you do not share a size with us and Sasquatch.

Next: We are gearing up for our annual trip to California. Yay! When we first moved out of CA, we went back as much as 3 times per year. It's down to one time, now, as finances permit. But we are going! And sadly, our DVD system in the new Kia, which was purchased with precisely this kind of trip in mind, is not working. We have had the people who installed it out to fix it twice now. I am full of righteous indignation over this, and have all the customer service people bowing low in shame to me. As they should. If they can't fix it, I may have to make them upgrade the system or give us a new van. Sigh. I will let you know the outcome.

But, you know, BOOTS!! Life is worth living, after all.

Independence Day

2010-07-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

So this is a little post to tell you about our Fourth celebrations, and, thematically, to inform you (that don't already know) that I am now "free and independent", because we have bitten the bullet and purchased a van. Yes, we have a new van. Didn't take very long, did it, after Jeff got promoted? Those of you who know me well will agree that we really needed a 2nd car, and a mini-van will be particularly useful to us, as it's much cheaper to drive to California, for example, than fly 5 people there. What a big family we've become!
So the big question you must ask yourself before you buy your new vehicle is, WHAT COLOR SHOULD IT BE? The answer: red. We bought a red Kia Sedona, which seats 8. Most everyone in our family got a little say in what they wanted, namely: Jeff wanted it to be a van; I wanted it to be a Kia & to have an entertainment system (DVD player); and Noah wanted it to be red. Dillon wanted candy and Zoe wanted booje. So, not really helpful on the last two there. But we all are happy with it, except for Zoe, who absolutely detests riding in her car seat and starts screaming upon sight of it.
Yes, I wanted the DVD player in it...if you've ever been on a multiple-day car trip with small children, you'll know why. And wonderfully, we got the system installed at a big discount because the Kia dealer here couldn't locate the van we wanted with the entertainment system factory-installed, so they had a local company do it....you can't tell the difference, and the cost was significantly less! So much for the bells and whistles. Jeff did a lot of research on the Kia Sedona, and it's really a great van, great bang for the buck. So far it drives really well and everything is working great. I guess I'm now that person, the mother of 3 who drives a mini-van. Not so bad after all. You've just got to yield to the inevitable, surrender to the madness, people.

On to other things: our 1st Fourth of July in Waco. It can be summed up in this small sentence: don't watch the fireworks from the bridge. Thank you. We'll be here all week. Try the veal.

Seriously: it was a little scary. Every year, apparently, they do a fireworks extravaganza from the Brazos River, and the "party" scene encompases this large area, which includes 2 older suspension bridges which they still have open. Kinda neat & festive, right? We thought so too. We ate dinner (term used losely...some HIGHLY overpriced cold cheeseburgers and some not-so-bad corndogs), wandered around, kids jumped in the bouncy houses, etc, just generally took in the scenery. Not so bad. Pretty crowded. Then we decide to go up on the bridge. So we do, and we bunk down, along with many others, on one of the ledges at the side, to wait for the fireworks. This was about 9PM. The foot traffic on the bridge was pretty heavy: it was like a promenade, people walking up & down, with folks waiting for the fireworks on the side. But the foot traffic just kept getting heavier and heavier, and as time went on, it was mostly young (teenage) black kids...like the whole black youth of Waco turned out on that particular bridge to party hardy. Long story short, every 15 min. or so some idiot would set off a LARGE FIRECRACKER right in the middle of the bridge, sending about, oh, 500 kids (mostly young, possibly drunk/stoned teenagers) screaming and running in any direction. It was a terrific recipe for someone to get stampeded or injured, not to mention burned by the firecrackers. We were right in the middle of the bridge, and it made me pretty nervous. But by the time this started happening there were so many people on the bridge that getting off was going to take a long time, and we had waited quite awhile for the fireworks, so we decided to stay and hope for the best. Obviously we're still here, so nothing untoward happened, but still...I can see how the mob mentality gets ahold of large groups. There was a moment where we were all trying to get off the bridge at once, when the fireworks were over, and somehow the whole bridge started to sway with the weight and momentum of so many people walking on it, and there was a bad minute where you COULDN'T HELP but sway it, to walk that way, and of course there was a sea of people in front and behind, so we were just trapped on the thing. Claustrophobic. Some kids started to scream and push, etc. Moral of story: we're probably not going to be doing that again on the 4th.
(The below pic is of the boys sitting on the suspension wires of the bridge while Jeff holds them both. My boys.)

Yesterday Jeff had off also, and we had a nice relaxing BBQ. I drank too much for the 1st time in a long while. Jeff caught it on camera:

When I fall off the wagon, man, I really fall. Notice the cookies.

And lastly, Miss Zoe Boe wishes you all a suspension-bridge-free Fourth of July, with a half masticated cookie in her mouth. Peace out.

Bragging

2010-06-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

So I can see from Amber's much posting that I will have to really get back on top of the blog in order to keep up...good job my dear!

So on to my brag: my husband has once again proved he is a Corporate American Rock Star. We found out last week that he got a promotion that he had applied for! The position is 2 levels above the supervisor position that he got hired in with (only 6 months ago!), and I'm just pleased as punch for him and for us too, of course.

And Mom is coming to live just 2 hours away from us in a month or two! Everything is really looking up! I'm using a lot of exclamation points! Because I can!

Ok, I'll stop now.

So much to say, so little time:

2010-06-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in awhile. But I must post some pictures of a recent visit with Amber & Stephen (we miss you guys!) and Co., and a few random ones since I last posted on Easter. Quick updates:

--Noah is doing very well, learning to write and read, and is starting a correspondence with Auntie Adie which is well-greased by the incentive of dollars included in the letters from her. Thank you, Aunty!

--Dillon is also growing up rapidly, with his latest obsession being doing 24 piece jigsaw dinosaur puzzles ALL BY SELF.

--Zoe is saying 3 words: "Mama", "Dada", and "Uh oh". She crawls and is also pulling herself to a standing position on the furniture.

--Mom and Dad are doing ok, too.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

The inscription reads: "This is Noah's Pirate Stand". Noah wrote this ALL BY HIMSELF, with Mom providing the spelling. I did not show him how to write any of the letters. He just started writing his name last week & is progressing rapidly! So proud.

Miss sunshine, looking dapper & delightful.

Mr. Pickle, showing us the inside of the cup and of the platter.

And now, for the yearly Easter Egg Extravaganza Tutorial:

1. Line up all your colors in matching cups and look expectantly at camera.

2. Take off your clothes.

3. Do the obligatory taste test to ensure a good year.

5. Drink liberally until you are sauced to the tonsils.

6. Display mutant green hands.

6b. Display radioactive yellow eggs also.

7. Dance with abandon, joyously, bringing to mind the following gem:

"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy."

Mission Completa

Early easter morning....too early for some.

...But not for others!

Digging into the loot.

The coveted Starbucks Chocolate Chip cookie, only had on special occasions. Noah remarked, "Mommy, how did the Easter Bunny get us STARBUCKS?" Hmmm. Can't you just see a huge white rabbit walking through the Starbucks drive thru, Noah?

The baskets. I got them for $5 each at Walmart & stocked them with a few extras, like bubbles, etc.

Happy boy, searching for the Easter eggs.

AWESIM! (that's Dilly's "awesome")

Pointing out the merchandise.

Found another one!

Zoe looks on, dreaming of days to come.

AHH! The joy of completion!

And finally, the Easter outfits. We dressed up to go to dinner at Cracker Barrel, or known in our house as "The Pancake Place". It's a BIG deal. We don't get out very much.

I got Noah's & Dilly's shirt new at this frou frou department store, along with several other summer things for all three of them, for.....wait for it....$13!!! This is like $100 worth of stuff! Am I a frugalista or what? Huh? Huh?

Lastly, Dilly bids you adieu, and adds, "Y'all come back now, Y'hear?"

How do you get to Animals, by Noah James

2010-03-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Foreward: This is a verbatim transcription of a conversation (monologue) by Noah the other night. He had a box full of stuffed animals and was pulling them out, one by one.

You have to pay for my animals. You have to give me real money to pay for these animals.

Well, dis is called a kitten. Here’s how you take care of him. You get his kitten food, you get a little cage so he could go poop & pee & then you get a water so he could bent down & drink. You pet him when he’s so sad. Meow meow.

And then here’s a small bunny. When he grows up you let him outside & he hops. Boing boing.

And this is called a mouse. Here’s how you take care of him: you get him some cheese & you put him to sleep after he gets cheese.

Mom: How do you put him to sleep?

You just feed him more & more cheese until he’s full & den he goes to sleep.

Dis is called a blue jay. He flies around. You have to get a cage to take care of him & when he gets bigger you let him fly in the wild

Dis is called a fish. You put him in a fish tank & he swims around, he rings his fish bell when he’s hungry.

And then dis is called a duck. You hold him & here’s how you feed him: you feed him duck food. Here’s how you put him to sleep: more & more duck food. When he’s bigger you let him fly out in the wild

Dis is called a bear. He plays baseball. You have to be careful because bears play baseball & then they could knock something down. And then bears wear a baseball hat to throw a baseball.

Dis is called a Gorilla. When he’s strong & big you let him swing out into the wild

Dis is called a big bunny. He has sensitive hearing and he has big ears to hear far away. And then here’s how you take care of him: you get a big bunny cage & close the door so he can’t get out. When he’s big & changes into a giant, you let him hop out of the door. Boing boing boing.

Dis is called a frog: You put him in a frog cage. He’s a tired frog. This frog is always tired. So when it’s time for him to eat you just do the clock & he wakes up. And then you feed him some frog food. And then when he’s big you just let him hop out of the door into the wild.

And then here’s a leopard. He could jump far away & run so fast. PHEW!
Dilly: he’s not a leopard.
Mom: What is he?
Dilly: A draguar
And then here’s his bed. Here’s how you feed him. You feed him macaroni & cheese. When he’s really really really big. And den when he’s full he goes to sleep. & when he’s big big big & turns into a daddy you just let him jump over your fence & run him out.

And then here’s a turtle. You just let him swim around in a turtle tank. And when he’s hungry you feed him cheetos & he swims around catching them. And he’s a fast swimmer to catch his favorite food, which is cheetos. And then when he’s tired you just sing him a lullaby like this one:

Turtle go to sleep
Ah you have the tired eyes
For you to go to sleep

And den when he wakes up you just give him more food.
And den when he’s big & you can’t take care of him anymore you just let him out of the wild and then he crawls to his real home over the fence, until he came to his mommy & daddy.

That’s it!

I have one more pet in here called a donkey & a horse. Here’s a donkey. Here’s what you feed him: you feed him carrots. And den when he’s big you just let him run out in the wild.
Dis is called a horse. You feed him oatmeal & let him run around in your back yard & den you could let him give you a ride. And den put him in a stable so he’ll be warm in the rain. Here’s one problem about horses: they’re really hard to take care of because they could run so fast that they might run away. And then when they grow up to be such big horsies you have to let them go.

I sink I’m going to be a safariar when I grow up, and learn about every animals. Safariars are the best because they stay in the rain forest looking for men that need their help. And I get to have a sword and a shield and a knife & everything! And those are for the animals that are trying to get me, like lions or tigers or jagiars.

Great Expectations

2010-03-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

So, appropos of nothing, I would like to introduce this thought I had out into the yawning void of the internet, namely: I think Disney is doing a great disservice to our children. They are actively encouraging them to buy into the concept that "You can do anything if you just believe in yourself". So many Disney songs and cartoons tout that very concept.

But consider: it's simply not true. Dillon, for example, often believes himself to be a dinosaur. Noah firmly believes he can do karate and eat high fructose corn syrup all day long. Many people on American Idol believe they can sing. I used to believe I could be a ballerina. THESE THINGS JUST WILL NEVER BE TRUE, mon enfants, no matter how much the parties involved believe in them. Are you with me?

And then these poor children watch these movies, these songs, and that theme is ingrained in them. They get unrealistic expectations of life...and then they get depressed when they get older.

"I was supposed to be an Astronaut! I was supposed to be a movie star! I was supposed to be the President of the United States!" (Ahem, Jeffery Doss)

And when it doesn't work out, they feel discouraged or even belligerent & disgusted with their lives. This does not make for a satsfied hoi-polli. I should know. I was supposed to be a princess of Jesus, ruling and reigning, COMPLETE WITH FLYING ABILITY by the time I was 25. I was ROBBED, people. I'm now 32 and can barely get my sizeable ass off the couch.

Oh but seriously, my amigos, don't you agree? There seems to be (in the States, mind you) a serious disconnect between what people percieve is their right to happiness & acheviement, and what is the reality of the situation. I blame Disney. And then, of course, when people grow up & they're neither rich or famous or even particularly good looking, they feel like their life is a let-down.

I saw this documentary one time about this, and it was very interesting. It was saying that people a couple hundred years ago used to be much more happy, even though they, like, lived in holes in the ground and pooped in their own backyards. Why? Because that was all they expected out of life. Expectations exceeding reality = unhappiness.

I have found this to be true in my own life. I have been experiencing, more and more lately, a quiet sense of satisfaction when I look around at my life. Thinking of my kids and my husband, my small life in my small town, gives me a sort of mellow joy. I really feel proud of our financial & life decisions...I feel proud and happy of the piece of the American dream that we have. But get this: I don't remember really feeling this way much when Jeff was making about twice as much money and we owned a house. Why is this? Maybe because I've adjusted my expectations. Our period of unemployment gave me a perspective on just how bad things could be, and how lucky we are to have what we have. I've adjusted my expectations on sleep, eating, free time, and life in general. I've surrendered to the babies, and I like it just fine. I find I'm much happier, actually. Go figure.

In closing, I would like to dedicate this post to a person who I believe is a fine example of making peace with one's situation & finding contentment when & where he can: Christopher, who's birthday it is today. I guess I posted for you after all.

Excuse me...I have to go now. The kids are asking for a Disney movie.

Mother of the Year

2010-03-19T11:01:00.001-07:00

So...I must relate a story here that will do me no favors, but it's too good and weird to pass up.

Yesterday we had kind of a big day, for us. I took the car & dropped Jeff off & then we went out to the park later on. Nice day, nice park, nice time. We were there for probably 2 hours or so. Then we came home & the baby had to be put to bed, and then I had to make dinner, etc, etc, ad nauseum, and throughout I kept thinking every little while: "I have to change Dillon". But I would get busy with something else and I didn't. (Alright, competent mothers, here's the part where you can pat yourself on the back at my expense. I do say, members of the jury, in my own defense, he didn't have poop on. No. MUCH WORSE. )

So after he's had the same diaper on for about 6 hours or so, I finally changed him. This is what I found in his diaper:

ROCKS!!! And not, like, poop rocks. ACTUAL GEOLOGICAL ROCKS. A whole, oh, let's say...2 handfulls. At first I DID think they were poop, but no. He had somehow gotten a load of rocks into his pants at the park and had had them in his diaper for hours. I mean, think about the implications. He sat in his car seat as we rode home from the park, ate dinner with them there, play time, everything. The things were IMBEDDED in his butt. And he never said a word!

And yet he complains bitterly when he has a poop on, and won't sit on it or anything.

Sometimes I wonder about that child.

Sometimes I wonder about myself.

Overdue Pictures

2010-03-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, this is just a hodge-podge of pictures, old and new, that I've been meaning to post for some time now. Some of them (the swing pics) are our backyard, some are from the Waco Zoo, and some from our little home. Enjoy!

Dillon's "Cool Tricks"...(what he actually calls it)...which he performs anywhere and everywhere, all over the house, on the dining room table, etc.

Miss Zoe Boe, pretty in pink.

The many faces of Zoe (please notice the precious hat)

Little Miss Pink. Isn't she lovely?

Noah "Dances with Wolves" Doss, gettin down with the spirit of the drums at the Mayborn Museum, a VERY good place to take small children.

Baby Eienstein

(Note to self: throw away the poopy diaper before taking picture)

Let brotherly love continue

Some Waco Zoo shots: Dilly huging the ancient Chinese horse statue replica...or perhaps trying not to fall off.

Mom: Dilly, what was you doing?

Dilly: Dat's me pullin Chona's hair right dere.

Mom: Why was you pulling his hair?

Dilly: Cuz i was riding on dis lizard. Dat's NAUGHTY!

Mom: Who was naughty?

Dilly: Me's naughty. Yeah, I's naughty. I was having my jacket on.

There you have it, folks. A full confession, straight from the horse's mouth.

My handsome husband, with White Rhinos looking on.

Winner of "Most Unfortunately Named Deer Ever"

AHHHHH....urination station. (Pull up the picture and look closely)

A bad picture of the boys, but the bison in the background looked awesome.

Giraffe in the savannah land

Re: Nothing

2010-03-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

So....a minor miracle. ALL my progeny are sleeping! AT THE SAME TIME! RIGHT NOW! It's never happened before, in the daytime. Of course, I'm so excited that I keep running into the room, checking to make sure they continue to sleep, and that the baby doesn't wake up & start growling or something & wake the others up, that unfortunately I cannot do anything productive with the time. But it's AWESOME, all the same.
I hope you're having a great Friday. We're having some lovely spring weather here, in Waco, and there are flowers blooming in our never-been-mowed backyard. They're weed flowers, of course, but they're the same kind of weed flowers that we had in Japan, and it evokes many good memories of making weed-flower crowns as a child. Ah, bliss. Spring seems to be making an appearance. For me, all seasons start out with a sort of a deep satisfaction & excitement....when it's winter I'm so pleased to pull on my long sleeves and sweaters, and when it's spring I relish the feeling of the wind & sun on my fish-belly-white arms. It gives me a feeling of renewal, you know? And then in a few weeks I get sick of it & start bitching about the humidity. But for now, I'm happy!
Have a good weekend!

Sleeping it off

2010-03-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

So about a month or two ago I put the baby in her swing because she was overtired and wouldn't go to sleep any other way, and put on the "Kiddy Viddie" and tried to leave her alone & get the kids to be quiet too. It worked, and she went to sleep. A few minutes later I look over at her & gave a quiet screech of horror, because I thought she was falling out of her chair. Behold:

Notice the precious feet. She looks like a bunny rabbit on a bender. Sound asleep, and holding onto the swing tray as she slept on it. Awww!

Happy Birthday Aunty Adie!

2010-03-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to you! Sorry the day was marred by sickness, etc, but I hope it ended up somewhat salvagable. I love you, my dear, and hope for the best for you this next year. You're a wonderful sister and I'm so blessed and lucky to have you in my life. Thanks for always being there for me and our family....and for your moral support through this past year.

May your days be merry and bright, and may none of your hairs be white!

Go for the Gold!

2010-02-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

So I've been watching the Winter Olympics a lot for the past few days...maybe not quite as thrilling as the Summer ones, but they certainly have their moments. Like did you catch the men's & women's Mogul skiing? They all have to wear a blonde toupe and yell "You're FIRED" when they cross the finish line. Ha ha, I slay me.
No, really...it was full of drama. For the uninitiated: Canada is hosting the Olympics, and they've never had a gold medal on their own turf. So it looked really good for the women's Moguls, they were one competitor away and their Canadian lady had done really well, when along came the last one to ski, an American, and knocked it out of the ballpark. Everyone was really dissapointed. But then the men's Moguls came along and a Canadian won over some Australian jockstrap, the favorite to win, who was...get this...ACTUALLY CANDADIAN but defected to the Australian team when they wouldn't let him run his INTERNET SPAM BUSINESS on the side of, like, training for the Olympics. I was pretty gratified. Chalk one up for Karma, eh?

Anyway...I got to thinking the other day...they should TOTALLY have the Housewife Olympics. And the event that I would medal in would be: putting the sleeping baby down on the bed. Awesome. It would go something like this:

First Sportscaster: (whispering): And she gets in position for the first element, lowering the infant. Could be a little early, here....

Second Sportscaster: Yes, timing is everything in this sport. If it's not completely asleep....aannnd there she goes! A little early, but she nails it. This housewife in particular has terrific instincts, and seems to be able to get away with doing things on her own timetable.

Second: The baby is down. Note the terrific control in the seamless descent from arms to bed.

First: Doss is particularly known for the stomach lay, which we saw her execute several times during the practice runs. It's where she keeps the core temperature of the baby stable by maintaing stomach contact, essentially laying on the baby, as she withdraws her hands from under it, the difficult second element. Very hard to execute, especially with the weight that Doss is carrying.

Second: Yes, but she seems to have a real feel for it.

First:

Second:

First: I would like to point out at this juncture that "luge" is one of the few words that rhymes with "booje".

Second:

First: Just saying.

Second: (whispering even lower): As you can see, the baby is moving a little. Ah, it's still......

First: No, I saw a hand.

Second: Oh! A gutsy move by Doss! She attempts the Right handed withdrawl WHILE THE BABY IS MOVING. This is one tough competitor!

First: No doubt about that. And here we see the genius of the stomach lay....both hands have been withdrawn and the baby still thinks that the mother is there, because she still feels the warmth...and Doss slowly stands up....

Second: This is the tricky bit...if you do it too early all is lost......................................wait for it............

Second: She nails it! The child is motionless! She wraps it up with the last element, the blanket cover, and out of the room she goes.....careful not to click the room's door too loud.....ANNNDDD SHE'S OUT! A SPECTACULAR RUN BY DOSS! This is a gold-winning performance for sure!

(Crowd goes wild, waking the baby)

Right? Can I get an amen from all mothers everywhere who have learned the exact way to put their baby down? It's a delicate science. Not just anyone can do it.

Anyway, you should really watch the Olympics. Not only is is a culturally enriching experience, but it's even got some extra-curricular stuff that's pretty....titillating. When Mr. Canada won the Men's Moguls, after a TV interview was done, the camera caught him turning around, face into some blonde bombshell, who proceeded to STICK HER TONGUE DOWN HIS THROAT without even so much as a how'dy do. It was like, Blah blah blah, turn, BAM! PORNO! Phew!

Happy Valentines Day, eh.

A long catch up post

2010-01-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

So Happy New Year! It's 2010! Quite frankly, I'm surprised I lived to see this year...this year seems "sci-fi-ish"...I feel that we should all be getting places by personal rocket pack jets strapped to our butts or commuting to work via some transporter which emails your molecules to Tokyo and back in a nano-second, or something. At LEAST we should all have zero body fat (because we take the magic zero-body-fat-pill every day, of course) and should be wearing maroon onesies as the new business-casual, a-la Startrek. Sigh.

(By the way, I think somebody forgot to inform Jennifer "Cameltoe" Lopez that onesies are still only acceptable fashion for babies, if you know what I mean. She showed up in some VERY strange gear for her performance at the ball-drop in NY city over the New Year.
Klassy, with a capital K.)

Anyhoo, here we are, back to the future, looking and feeling exactly the same as ever, give or take the 30+ pounds we gained over the holidays. And when I say we, I mean I. It's VERY bad. We are at orange on the terrorist-holiday-weight-gain-o-meter, and may possibly be travelling very soon into the red zone, depending on the availablity of funds for glazed Starbucks' donuts this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

So my Christmas, in a nutshell:

Christmas Eve I posted about the snow, and then Bikki arrived for Christmas! Yay! We jawed for hours and then went to sleep....ha ha ha. Nikki went to sleep and I proceeded to stay up ALL NIGHT LONG. Why? Because Jeff, in a fit of genius, decided to volunteer for all night duty on Christmas Eve so that he could have it guaranteed that next Christmas he will be off-duty. It's a work-one-year, get-next-year-off sort of deal with holidays at his new company.

The reason this kept me up all night is because we have sort of unusual sleeping arrangements at our house...every living being in it sleeps on the same King-sized bed. Jeff acts as a sort of human barrier against the onslaughts of Dillon in the night, so that he doesn't squash Zoe accidentally. It sounds prehistoric and uncivilized, but it really works quite well, usually. Except when YOUR HUSBAND DECIDES TO BE GONE ALL NIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE LIKE SANTA AND THEN YOU'RE STUCK FENDING OFF THE TODDLER AS HE LUNGES AT YOU, IN INTERVALS, ALL NIGHT LONG. Whew! Got that out of my system. Excuse me.

Oh but seriously, I really was up all night. Dilly has this fixation for....I was going to say cuddling, but it's really a whole new world BEYOND cuddling....more like smooshing. He has to be smooshed up against a parent at all times or his interal 'smooshing' alarm goes off and he wakes up. So I ended up checking on Jeff at about 3 hour intervals all night long, to ensure he was ok...he was worried about being able to keep it together on the job all night long. He did great, and we got through Christmas day ok too...Jeff took a little nap and I ran on vast amounts of coffee and sugar all day long. We had Richard and Sunny over for the dinner as well, which was nice...it's always more festive when you have guests.

Then, on the 26th, hot on the heels of Nikka, Paula (MIL) came with Jeff's nephew Bradley to spend about 2 weeks! FUN! We packed a lot into those 2 weeks, it seems...I think it was because it was the first real 'vacation' we've had since Jeff lost his job, and although we went places together as a family while he was unemployed, and had fun doing it, it was tres stressful, and we really couldn't relax or "vacay" the way you want to. Stressing over how much money you spend is not relaxing. So Jeff got all this time off (the first time since we've been married that he's been able to take time off at this time of year...thank you Atmos Energy!) and we went to all sorts of places with Paula & Bradley: a science museum, which was TERRIFIC for kids, every room just filled with interactive play & learning stuff for young children. We were very impressed and will surely take the kids back there. It's funny...it's a terrific place for young kids, but if you're older and are going there to actually learn about science, it's really not so informative. Example: there's this super-high end room full of displays of these life-sized dwellings from hundreds of years ago, people that lived in the Waco area. Wax figures, you name it. And you go up to this neato full-sized grass hut they built, and the sign under it says something like: "Women traditionally built these huts while the men went out hunting." Aha. Women. Which women? English women? American Indian? Martian, perhaps? There is no indication at all. They spent all this money on the displays and not very much on the explanations. Ha.

Funny story: at the very end of the museum displays, there's this one that shows (people) dummies dressed in all sorts of different gear for different jobs, like fireman, police man, nurse, etc, and the display is showing how people do these jobs. Well Bradley (5) looks at these and exclaims with horror: "Look, they killed these people and dressed them up & put them here!" He thought because some of the animals in the other displays were stuffed, that they had done the same to the people.

What else? Jeff and I got to go out together (thanks, Paula!) to dinner and a movie on New Year's Eve. We saw Avatar, which was awesome...totally worth it, and a must-see on the big screen, in my opinion. We ate at this little Mexican place and I had...wait for it...a MARGARITA! Stop laughing, Adrianne. While YOU may drink alcohol with a dinner out without batting a false eyelash, I haven't been able to do it for years....I've been pregnant or nursing for over 4 years now. Like a moo-cow. Just call me Bessie.

But back to my story...we ended up just having a wonderful time with Paula, doing some shopping, eating out, going to parks with the kids, etc. And on the last day she was here we celebrated Dillon's 2nd birthday 2 days early, but who's counting when you're that young, right? We went to Chuck E Cheese, of course, and had the place all to ourselves cuz it was a week day. Then we went home and set things up while Dilly napped and when he woke up we did cake & presents... said presents mostly of the ball game variety, as Dilly is very into balls. He got a small plastic basket ball set, a kid's soccer goal & ball, and a few other sundries from his parents, and Grandma got him his first tricycle! A good haul. He's growing up so fast.

So thanks for visiting Paula & Becca, we loved seeing you! Next on the visiting roster: Christopher & Sarah! Horray! Will update when they come.

Wow, this is a long post. You have to understand that I've been writing this post for over a week, because I had a lot to say and NO BLOODY TIME for anything anymore. That's what happens when your baby is 5 months old and not sleeping as much anymore, and everyone wants a piece of you every minute of the day. And yet, it's funny, I find myself increasingly content with my lot right now, with the realisation that it won't last forever and I may miss this time when they're cute and cuddly and sweet...probably in about 10 years when they're teens. I love my little family so much, and I've been thinking recently that many of my childhood dreams have come true for me already in my life. And if that doesn't make me lucky, I don't know what does.

I will leave you now with entertainment from the little people:

Noah:

Recently he found this thing...it's a part of one of their toys, I can't really describe it, just a long plastic thing. He holds it up like the statue of liberty and says, VERY SERIOUSLY and with much gravitas:

"The fortunes are stachiels* and the ones that show proudly, and wisely, like a king. Also prancing. " And he proceeded to prance around still holding up his plastic thingie. Proudly and wisely, like a king.

*statues

Dilly:

He's begun saying and doing some seriously cute things, but this is the only one I can think of right now: We often listen to christian music, specifically this one song that starts:
"We fall down, we lay our crowns,
At the feet of Jesus".

Well, this song is somewhat of a favorite with the boys, and they both have sung it in their own special ways. Noah once sang it:
"We fall down, we lay around.....
At the feet of Jesus."

And Dilly recently sang only the first line over and over in his little falsetto, thusly:
"We fall down,
We lay we's self"

Zoe:
She, obviously, isn't talking yet, but is getting very fat and adorkable. She enjoys growling and sometimes does it for minutes at a time, entertaining her little self. Like a little bear or something. Also, she's a big finger sucker and will, when she's nursing, bring her little hand up to her face, and the fingers creep up to her mouth, and then she proceeds to stealthily insert a finger in with the booje, and see if she can suck both at the same time. Then, of course, the boob falls out of her mouth, and she looks at it with surprise and dismay. So I put it back in and she starts all over again. Nobel prize, here we come!

Have a great day, folks. This is a great day for us...old and painful things are passed and over, and we can get on with our lives.

Bless.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

2009-12-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

So it's Christmas Eve and guess what? IT SNOWED! It actually snowed for like, 3 seconds. Well, about 1/2 an hour. Of course we didn't have a winter wonderland transformation, but it was so completely unexpected to be watching "Franklin" (an animated show about a turtle) one minute (wherein it was snowing) and to look out our window and see that it ACTUALLY WAS SNOWING! My joy is complete. I think this is even more unexpected because yesterday the high was 76 degrees (24.5 celsius) and then we look outside today & it's snowing! Weird and wonderful. I went outside and basked in the Christmassy-ness of it all, and thanked God for this special gift. It really felt like a gift from Mr. Claus Himself.

On to bigger and better things: magic. We will entitle this portion of the post "Magic and Lies". "Magic" because Jeff has convinced Noah that he has the power to turn on the Christmas tree by himself via his own personal & powerful magic, by casting a spell, and "Lies" because he does so by turning it on via the remote control tree-turner-on-er-thingie. Noah is convinced beyond all doubt that Jeff is possessed of deep arcane powers because he recites the following:

"Magical, magical, hobble dee dee
Turn on the Christmas tree so we can SEE"

And then, with a wave of his mighty arm, the tree lights up. So Noah tries it, and Jeff obligingly makes the magic happen for him too. Big mistake. It's snowballed into amateur Harry Potter night, 24-7. Noah champs at the bit to make up his own funny rhymes, spells, to turn on the Christmas tree. Finally, in an attempt to stop the madness (madness because we have to physically be there for hours at a time, surreptitiously clicking the little clicker so the thing can turn off and on), Jeff showed Noah the remote control. Made no difference. He still firmly believes in the magic. When he tries to "cast his spell" and no one is around to click the remote, he asks quite seriously if Daddy (who is possessed of superior magic, apparently) has put a strong spell on the tree so that no one else can turn it on or off. On the plus side, it's been some pretty good entertainment for the kids. Dillon gets in on the act too. It's so cute.

News flash: a couple hours later, it's still snowing and there's some visible snow on the ground!! This is HUGE. I'm so excited!
2 minutes later: Hmmm. It seems to be turning into freezing slush. I still retain hope, however. Nikki is driving here now. Hopefully she'll arrive without incident.

Jeff is working all night tonight, like Santa. This is so that he can have time off when his Mom comes here on the 26th. So he's sleeping right now, napping. He napped with Dillon and the baby slept too, so Noah and I decorated about 2oo Christmas butter cookies that I made. It was fun.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night.

A belated Birthday post:

2009-12-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is a belated Nikki-Becca post, for her birthday. You notice I feel the need to hyphenate your name, Nik. This is because the consequences of changing your name so long ago continue to haunt you, my dear...as the old pastor said, "You can blow out a match, but you can't blow out the forest fire that one name-change can start." Or something.
Anyway, it WAS your birthday...and I'm sorry I didn't post. But I wanted to ensure you know how much I love you and value you as a sister and friend. I think that you're doing GREAT and I'm so proud of how you're evolving and building a new life for yourself. I think you're making some really good decisions in the work you're doing, and just the life you're choosing for yourself in general. If this all sounds patronizing I apologize, but this is all true. Good for you! You're well on your way and I'm so proud to have you as a sister.
And apropos of nothing, I would like to share a favorite Nikki story from our childhood:

We siblings used to get presents from our Grandparents who lived across the seas in the form of care packages, or boxes, that were filled with clothes and toys. It was like Christmas whenever they came, and I still to this day carry a torch for Sears because my Grandma used to order stuff for us from them. Mom would get their catalogue and go through it, ordering things for us, and we also would get ahold of it and drool for endless hours over the things hoped for, but never seen. It's ok, the wanting was better than the getting in this case.
Anyway, one year we three oldest girls got these BEAUTIFUL teal blue dresses. They were true flyout dresses (yes, those are italics, you must say it in italics), and to complete our happiness, they possessed a matching satin ribbon, sort of ruched, all around the bottom of them. I may own many dresses, but I think few are going to compare to the beauty I felt these dresses possessed. So we have a picture of us four girls posing together in these dresses, a sort of glamour shot. To go back to something I mentioned earlier, we three oldest girls got these dresses. What was Nikki wearing then, you ask? She was wearing OVERALLS! TEAL OVERALLS! You must understand, Nikki was the child that would rather have died the death than wear pants. She used to throw screaming fits, per Mom, if she couldn't wear a dress at the age of 2. So in this picture we three oldest are smiling, secure in the possession of our teal-dress fabulousness, and Nikki is wearing this grin that indicates that, although she is smiling, she is inwardly as a ravening wolf. We are told by Mom that she threw a huge fit over wearing those overalls that day. And that is a favorite Nikki moment. Why? Because I rejoice in her overall wearing, as a true sadistic older sister should. And also because it shows her innate fashion sense at a tender age. And her inward self-knowledge...she is opinonated, and always was, and always will be. It's a good trait, to know your own mind.
So Happy Birthday, haney! Buy yourself a dress. Maybe I will if I can find a teal one with a flyout skirt and a ribbon around the bottom.

Mi Casa es Suzy Casa

2009-12-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

So Jeff finally downloaded these pics I took of our new place, and I'm posting them now. I actually took these a couple weeks ago, and they've been sitting on our camera, and I've been bugging Jeff to download them for ages, because God forbid I should learn how to work our digital camera and just do it myself. Ha ha ha, I slay me.

Anyway, enjoy. As per usual, this blog picture upload works in mysterious ways, and the last shall be first. So the pics of the house are at the end.

First, I must brag on my husband for a minute. This is a picture of a bath he prepared for me after he came home from work. I had had a spectacularly bad day & was completely worn out mentally and physically. He just came swooping in & made a terrific dinner and prepared this bath for me...I hadn't asked him to do it or hinted or anything. How do you like them apples? I'll tell you, when you have 3 kids under the age of 4, moments like this are few and far between, and when one partner can work up the energy to take care of the other, you DOCUMENT it, baby.

A 'poser'

Aaand....moments' done.

The finished product, which was consumed minutes after. (This is a gingerbread house, for those uninitiated.)

Noah and Daddy actually made it together when Dillon was sleeping. Good call.

Open wide!

Under construction.

Dillon, displaying his candy-tongue.

A rare moment...I actually didn't plan this, I put Zoe on the couch alone & the other 2 came & sat there also. Dilly obligingly smiled.

Missus Turtle

The long toes. Ain't they cute?

Please note that the book is upside down. He reads almost all his books this way, seems to prefer it.

And at last, here is the living room of our place. We bought that area rug cuz' the floors are all cement...a little hard and cold in the winter, especially.

Living room from another angle.

Kitchen

Kitchen as seen from the bar...how artsy fartsy of me.

Dining room

This is the hallway that leads to 2 bedrooms, one on either side. The open door you see is the 2nd bathroom, and the white door there is a closet.

The entry way. Nice crown moulding, huh?

A side order of donkey with your cheese?

2009-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

So I have a few "funnies" that I have been hoarding up in my mind against just such a time as this, when the kids are occupied ALL AT THE SAME TIME for more than 3o seconds and I can write. We'll see how long it lasts.
First, Dilly. He's talking a lot now & can pretty much say anything he wants to, but it often comes out pretty garbled. The funny thing (and different than Noah) is that he will copy verbatim almost anything Noah says, or anything that Jeff or I say. He's like a little parrot. Anyway, this thing he does....I just think it's the cutest thing. Instead of saying "my this" or "my that", it's "mine". For example, "Doan touch the stove goan born mine handies". Or, being interpreted: "Don't touch the stove, it's going to burn my hands". Everything is "mine". And when he says it, I have this urge to snap my heels together and say, "Ya, mein fuhror" in the best German tradition.
And then just today he says something else that got me: we're having a snack and Noah got turkey and cheese. Dillon didn't want that, but after he's done with what he has, he decides he wants more, and is asking me for what sounds like, "donkey and cheese". I was completely nonplussed for a minute, and just sort of stared at him trying to figure it out, when DUH!! it hit me: donkey=turkey. He just got the animal wrong. It even sounds a lot a like, when you think about it. Donkey and cheese, please.

And then there's Noah, who is lately developing quite a mature sense of humor. He laughs at all the right places on the kiddie movies he sees, and can get almost any kind of low-brow joke. I can take responsibility for the advanced way his mind works, but the preference for toilet humor he has goes strictly to Jeff. I often find myself laughing along with him, just delighted in my big son's belly laugh to something that an adult would laugh at...when just 4 short years ago he was a baby. Tempus fugit.
So anyway, here's something that the Kiddy Viddie watchers of old will love: we're watching a Kiddy Viddie, the one with "He's got the Whole World in His Hands" on it. That song comes on & we're watching & kinda singing along, especially Noah. He's really getting into it, and then the 2nd verse comes on: "He's got the big, big fish...in his hands" etc. And if you know your Kiddy Viddie, a series of pictures come on to illustrate this, one of them being Eskimos posing near their igloo with a polar bear nearby. Noah is watching and suddenly bursts out, with not a little exasperation in his voice: "He's got the big big POLAR BEAR, you freaks!"
And lastly: he sometimes makes up words. The most recent one is "crooming". What does it mean? I asked him, and he said, "like when you take care of things, or put them in rows". Hmmm. Perhaps a mix of "groom" and "caring"? Who the heck knows? I thought it was funny.

Hi from Waco

2009-11-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are again, majin folks, coming to you live from Waco, home of the Branch Davidians and the Cowpeople Who's Family Tree Boasts Only One Branch. This is true Texas, friends. El Paso was El Fako when it comes to this. I never knew when I lived there, but now I see the error of my ways: this is DEEP in the heart of Texas, and everyone here has an accent and very down-home ways. We cannot leave the house without some nice person striking up a conversation with us about their children (when seeing ours) or sharing their personal histories with us at the park. This is the type of place that you would feel safe leaving your house unlocked not just for the day, but for your ENTIRE VACATION.
It's weird...I never thought that I would live in Texas at all, but now that I'm here, it's like the Camel's Nose....we saw the nose inching it's way in when we lived in El Paso, and now the whole frikkin thing is in the tent, crapping in the hummus, now that we're in Waco. We are truly Texans now.
Our house is a duplex, which I think I mentioned before. It's very nice because it was built quite recently. This also means that there is slightly restricted access to the area, because it's all new...in other words, one of the roads that lead here is a DIRT road and the other is unmarked. No one can find it because the road has NO ROAD SIGN. It's true. We think someone stole it. Who knows? Coulda been the cows who GRAZE OPPOSITE OUR BACKYARD. I had to drive and meet the movers who brought our stuff and guide them in, like a pilot boat, because it's kinda impossible to find. I will provide this service to anyone else who comes to visit too, because you could literally end up in the 'crick' if you try by yourself (esp. at night), and also because we really hope people come to see us, because as before mentioned, we have no money to come see you. We're all cutting back, and it's a challenge, but I think we're going to manage. It helps that I grew up living like this, so I'm getting back to my roots.
Back to our new place: the biggest drawback I'm seeing is the bug problem. I think this stems from the fact that this used to be pasture land about 3 years ago. When we moved in, before our stuff was unpacked, I casually glanced in our master bedroom to see a spider the size of my PALM casually sitting on the floor. My scalp crawled. I don't know that I ever knew that was a genuine condition and not just a figure of speech, but it crawled. Like it was trying to get off my skull and scurry back to El Paso. I don't know which is worse, spiders or centipedes. Yuck. I'm so tired of Texas-sized bugs. So we sprayed and the management sprayed and we're still finding them out in the yard everywhere, but no more in house, at least for the next 15 minutes until they mutate and become immune to the poison.
But on the bright side: the house looks clean and big and quite classy...it's painted a nice light brown/tan color with cream/white crown molding. The kitchen is pretty big, tile counter tops, new (black...meh) appliances, etc, and it has a little built-in wine rack thingie up high. The ceilings are all high, which means the shelves are all built high. I imagine this is a pain the ass for normal sized people, but for Jeff & I it's a mercy and a blessing, because we can reach everything (barely), but Dillon can't, even if he drags the chair over & climbs as high as he can! Yay! Finding places that Dillon can't reach for the 90% of our stuff that he's not supposed to touch is becoming the focal point of our lives and the bane of our existence. Which brings me to the kids:
They're all growing up quickly. Dillon talks in full sentences now. Example: a big fly was in the kitchen and flew in his hair. He bats it away, yelling, "BAD BUFLY! BAD BUFLY! YOU. WANT. PUNCH? YOU. WANT. PUNCH?" He copies Noah all the time. Noah is growing fast too, physically and in imagination as well. That kid is going to write a book someday. I overheard the following the other day: he's running around talking (to himself) about some magic thing he was going to do, to mend a sword or something, and he's saying how he's going to use his "magic slobber." "My magic slobber"....I just laughed and laughed. We should send it to Dave Barry as an offering for a rock band name.
And Zoe...what a fat, cute thing she's becoming. She's huge, wearing 6 month clothes already (at 2 months), has a double chin and fat rolls everywhere, which pleases me no end. Her thighs are endless, huge and dimpled, and they taper down to her dainty feet with her long toes. Makes me laugh just looking sometimes. I'm so in love with her, she's such a good baby. She absolutely has not a bad bone in her body, and she just exudes love and sweetness. I can never be frustrated with her like I sometimes got with my sons in their infancy...probably because she always sleeps through the night and never gives me a lick of trouble, but also because she's just an angel from heaven. Thank God for small favors in the middle of my insane life.
Jeff's new job is like any job, good and bad things both. But we're thankful for the fact that he has it, with so much unemployment in this country. And that's an overview of what is going on with us. Maybe I'll see if I can take some pics of the house and post. More later.

the one-handed post

2009-10-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

so i'm typing one-handed cuz Zoe's laying on the other one, nursing, & one hand typing sucks so here it is as brief as poss:

Got a job in Waco, Tx. no cracks about branch davidians, pls.

Went there last week for 5 days to house hunt. Not fun with 3 sceaming kids in tow. imagine.

Got a 1400 sq ft duplex, pretty good price.

Waco's pretty...come visit, y'all. we have no money to visit you.

cheers!

More pics:

2009-09-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

I've gained some weight...can you tell? 10 lbs at the last doctor visit! Yay!

Ok, so the way these pics upload, you have to do this backward: this is the "after" pic, after the boys got their hair cut.

Aaaannnd: this is before. Can you tell Dillon doesn't like his picture taken? Looks like the FBI's 10 most wanted.

These next few are "the many faces of Zoe".

And if there was any question, she got Rudow/ Browning feet.

Updates:

2009-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hi, Majin Folks! Here's a quick update for you of what's been going on recently. Hang onto your hats, because I'm gonna breeze through the 5 minute version:

I delivered Zoe (I should say the Doctor delivered Zoe) via C-section on Aug 17th at about 4:30 PM. Thanks to some well-placed equipment overhead, I actually witnessed the operation...quite educational. Zoe has been a very very well-behaved baby, sleeping more than I ever knew babies COULD sleep, and just in general a very well-dispositioned baby, thank God.
Abi & Andre came to help us for 2 weeks just when we really needed them...and thank God for them! I can't describe what a help they were, and the kids just LOVED them. Dillon still asks for you, Abi. He called her "Mom" for almost the whole time they were here. It was such an indescribable relief not to have to worry about the kids & just to know they were being loved & cared for as good or sometimes even better than us parent do! So thank you so very much, Abi & Andre. We really really appreciate it!
Mom arrived about a week afterward, helping out at all hours and doing all sorts of things that she shouldn't have been doing for her arms & hands (sorry Mom!).....we couldn't have done it without you! Esp. when Abi & Andre left. Mom just took over the kids almost full-time....I think we totally wore her out, poor thing. DC, you'll have to make sure she has complete bed rest for about 6 months when she comes home. But she worked so hard for us & uncomplainingly ate our sub-standard food (hey, we were moving & had a brand new baby) and was up at all hours with our wakeful young. Thank you SO MUCH too, Mom. We really enjoyed your visit!
Jeff's Mom, sister & husband & 2 children, and 2 brothers came for a weekend visit & his brothers helped Jeff move some of our stuff into storage. THANK YOU Frank & Kenneth, and thank you just as much to Kara & Kim who very generously allowed their husbands to leave them with the kids on a long weekend when I'm sure they all had much more fun, interesting weekends planned. You guys are awesome & we really appreciate it!
As mentioned above, we have moved. Our beloved home is no more. It's very sad, but it's quite wonderful that it sold as quickly as it did. We had to put some money into the transaction, but not too much at all, and it's better to be out from under a house payment at this time BECAUSE......
we still don't have a job.
So we're in an apartment now, hoping for some doors to open for us.
That's it in a nutshell. Thanks for all the help to our family....we sure feel loved by you all & know everyone is rooting for us. It means a lot.

Pics

2009-09-07T13:51:00.001-07:00

Update

2009-08-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to just update everyone on young Zoe san....the ultrasound shows that she turned again, and is now in the right position! So for now it seems no C-section. There is no guarantee that she will stay that way, but we're hoping for the best, of course. Thanks for everyone's concern & kind words & hopes. May she stay down and come ASAP!

2009-07-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

My biggest son just had his birthday on the 23rd. I can believe that he's 4, having lived the last four years spending every moment with him, but I can't believe how big he's grown. He almost is really that big boy that he believes himself to be. But also still my baby. He asks SO many questions...this must be that phase that you hear about, and it irks me sometimes, but I'm also proud to see how inquisitive his little mind is & how intelligent. He works out the most amazing things on his own. I tell him often what I write now: that I always knew I would have him, that I used to dream of having a blonde boy years before I ever knew I would have children, and that he's my most special big boy. God gave him to me and I'm so proud of the way he's growing & learning.

Enjoy the pics below:

After fielding about 20 questions a day as to when his birthday was, I created a calendar on his whiteboard & he put his little magnets on each day until the day of the blessed event. This is him on his big day, putting the last magnet on.

Awww, happy boy with his presents.

We recycled the Spiderman bag from last year (thanks, Grandma!) and he was thrilled. Notice Dillon Redpants in the background, taking a small break from earnestly trying to get all the balloons off the walls.

Noah playing with the birthday gifts. The camera was probably his biggest gift, and he really likes it. The toys at his feet are the Disney "Tarzan" toys, courtesy of E-bay!

In the water at "Surfin' USA", or the Wet N' Wild Waterpark, with friends Ethan & Zach...his fondest wish come true.

Oops...didn't turn this one sideways. Opening a final gift from his friends, a T-ball set & glove. Thank you, Marsden family!

Jeff holding the jury-rigged pinata while Noah takes a swing. Jeff acknowledges the retarded way his feet are positioned, but agrees with me that this is the best picture we have of Noah & the pinata. So deal. :)

Thank you, family members who called/sent e-cards! Noah appreciated & liked it! We love you!

Baby update:

2009-07-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, friends, I am still pregnant. I feel like I should have delivered by now...like I've been pregnant as long as an elephant, which I understand gestates for over 5 years. Or something. Also, I begin to greatly resemble the elephant. But I digress.
I am 37 weeks pregnant, or 9 months (for the uninitiated). Biology lesson: most people carry their babies until about the 40th week, and then segue into labor and delivery in a natural, drug-and-hospital fest, with nice, compact, 6 or 7 lb babies to show for their pains. My family: not so much. All of us, my mother & older sister & I, ROUTINELY carry babies until they are ready for kindergarten or have at least grown hair long enough to be put into a pony tail. This is a big problem for doctors these days, who can't seem to understand that to us, a 12 lb baby with wrinkled, stained skin from swimming around in it's own meconium (poop) for a couple weeks is par for the course. (Hey, childbirth is not for the faint of heart.) So I don't really have a chance in hell of delivering naturally, because in order for it to be natural, I would go into labor about a month after my due date and my doctor would be medically disbarred or whatever they do to them. So all this to say, I'm almost certainly going to have to be induced.
But maybe not, she says with false enthusiasm! Because I found out that young Zoe has, in the immortal words of the poet, done the hokey pokey & turned herself around, but it is NOT what it's all about at all, because she is now breech. All of which to say, I may be having a scheduled C-section in the next 2 weeks unless she decides to turn again. I will find out this next Thursday and keep you posted.

Happy 4th and Miscellany: a pictoral montage

2009-07-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Jeff, barbequeing on the 4th

Nice!

Don't our backyard look fine? Jeff has been taking good care of it in hopes that it will sell our house faster.

A very pregnant Suz preparing other good things for the 4th BBQ

Our annual trip to Western Playland amusement park, and Dillion's first time on the rides.

Happy boys. Noah rode with Dillon on every kiddy ride...a necessary precaution, because Dilly will take it into his head to literally climb out of his chair at any given moment.

Riding a yellow vintage car is serious business.

Look at me, Mom! No hands!

And brother held his hand for the rest of the ride. What is more astounding (and sweet) is that Dilly let him. They really do love each other.

Not too sure about this ride.

Here come the fireworks! Get ready....get set...

GO!!!!

A word on this pic: last year Adrianne visited us for the 4th and I posted a, perhaps, not so flattering picture of her on that date. Well, in the spirit of fair play, aunty Adie, go ahead & laugh at this one. Even though I look as retarded as they come, it was so good I couldn't pass it up.

Our handsome pickle

Proof positive that Dillon is my son: he loves to put my shoes on & prance around. Any shoes, actually. And you've gotta love the pose!

Pictured here with Noah's shoes on, and VERY pleased about it.

Daddy with a big old grin & glasses on. Jeff & I both recently had to have glasses made for reading...getting old.

I woke one morning & this was the first thing I saw in the living room. Can you say AWWW with me? I love this photo.

An action shot on the 'Slip & Slide', a terrific & free way to spend our 100+ degree El Paso days.

"Man, that's gotta hurt"

What's with the hand?

And below, a little day-in-the-life story of brotherly interaction. We'll call it "For the Love of the Vaccuum Cleaner":

"Whaaaa! Brother has the vaccuum cleaner that I covet more than life itself! Whaaa! I'm a brat!"

"I shared! There, aren't you proud of me? Aren't I the best boy on the face of the earth? Isn't Dilly the naughiest?"

"Ahhhh. I got what I wanted. All is peace on earth...at least for the next 20 seconds until I see something else I want".

The end.

Our handsome boy posing in his pyjamas. We love you all & hope you had a good 4th of July!

Another funny:

2009-06-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

Dillon is getting bigger now...he had a growth spurt recently & is taller and in general more grown up, learning to talk, etc. However, in terms of social development, he is like a little wild animal. Unfortunately. He has no concept of obedience and will climb on anything that will support him (and anything that won't), and has almost killed or gravely injured himself on numerous occasions. This is an example of personality in children superseding parental training, because we have tried everything we know of to make him mind us...and it seems like a losing battle at this point. Here is a perfect example:

Dilly wakes up earlier than the rest of us and one of us (Jeff or myself) have to get up with him. So one A.M Jeff does the honors and somehow (very easily, in fact) Dill gives him the slip and Jeff knows he is somewhere quietly doing what he shouldn't. So he's looking for him and finds him....up on our kitchen counter, having dragged a chair over by way of getting up there. He is standing on said counter, door to the "tootee" cabinet (cookie cabinet) open, double-fisting some Madeline cookies from a box that I hid up there. Cookies all over his face, the floor, the counter, etc. Mouth full. Looks at Jeff like a deer caught in the headlights, stares for a minute, and then reaches one grubby hand out to him & politely inquires,

"Tootee?"

The miscreant himself, sporting a black eye given him by loving big brother (he pushed him & Dilly fell into the corner of a table.)

A little something

2009-06-15T09:32:00.001-07:00

Well hi there folks. It's been awhile, and guess what? I still don't have anything of any import to say. My long silence can be attributed to the "If you can't say anything nice...etc" school of thought. But we're still here, alive & breathing.

But I felt bad for my long silence, so here is a sweet nothing for you:

It's very hot here & we've taken to filling our little blow-up pool & going swimming outside. The kids get in & out & before you know it, the pool is filled with bits of grass & leaves (Noah calls them "leafis"), etc. And for some reason known only to the 3-year old mind, Noah calls the flotsam: "Majin Folks"

Usage: "Hey! What are these majin folks? Get them outta here!"
"Mama, now Dilly just put all these majin folks in the water!"

Have a great summer, and may your pool be free of majin folks.

Good Parenting 101

2009-05-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

For your Monday:

Jeff & I are such great parents that I would like to post here an anecdote that illustrates this. And when I say that we are great parents, I mean that we are often NOT AT ALL great parents. And when I say Jeff and I, I, of course, mean Jeff. Consider:

The following is a lovely rhyme that my husband has imparted to the impressionable brain of our eldest son:

"Once upon a time when the moon was green
Around the corner came a pooping machine.
A shot was fired, a scream was heard,
A man got killed by a flying turd"

Noah doesn't fully understand the verbiage and sings it this way:

"Once upon a time when the moon was green
Around the corner came a pooping machine."

(so far so good, pooping is something any child worth his salt understands. However, the rest sort of deviates:)

"An old man got killed by a turtle"
"ha ha ha ha ha ha ha"

The end.

Easter:

2009-05-01T19:30:00.001-07:00

I will not monologue on Easter...it was probably the same as your Easter, except that we had friends (Justin & Linda & kids) over to help us celebrate it. We put our own baskets together for economy's sake, & it was good. Enjoy the pics!

The basket

Dilly looking cute & bruised (he did it to himself, I promise!)

Noah dilligently searching for the eggs

Dillon, not dilligent at all, with the only egg he found because we actively told him where it was.

He was more into the ball. Notice the egg in his hand, tho.

Ahh, mission accomplished!

Dilly, on the "egg dyeing night", giving you the finger.

Rather dorky all round...notice the faces & strange hand gestures.

(The following pics were taken within seconds of each other. Please note the hand:)

"First, you take the freshly dyed egg...."

"Then you bite it to ensure that the maximum amount of dye is transferred to your mouth & teeth. Also, to ensure the egg is hard-boiled."

"Take a moment to ponder the secrets of the universe. Also swallow the vomit that is rising in your gorge."

"Repeat steps one through three until mouth is thoroughly dyed."

Noah, demonstrating the correct way to do it.

Complete!

Of many things:

2009-05-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

Firstly: Happy Birthday Momma! I'm only a VERY LITTLE late in posting on this, but I figured it didn't really matter because you don't get on this blog very much. But I hope you see this & know how much I love you & Jeff & the kids too....we miss you & are so thankful for all you've done for us. Whenever we have a "child freakout" or a medical question where pregancy is concerned I always know I can call you up & get an educated, well-though out answer....or if you don't know, you research for me & send me all sorts of things you find! It's always above & beyond, and not everyone would do that.
Of course, that's just one of the things that make you special. I could go on & on...but time & space fail me. So Happy Birthday and may you have a wonderful, exciting 55th year. I hope to see more of you...don't know how that will work, but I pray that it does, somehow. Thanks for everything, especially recently.

On the job front: Thank you, everybody, for all your kind inquiries & words & wishes. Jeff is assiduously job searching still, and has some promising leads which I will not jinx by speaking of them here. But I think that if it's meant to be, it will be. I'm counting on it. Will let you know more soon.

My Vacation

2009-04-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm here in San Jose visiting Adrianne....she very kindly had me up for a visit, (and generously paid for me to come), and Jeff very kindly agreed to watch the kids for me while I'm gone. This is probably the only time for the next couple years that the stars align like this to enable me to go off alone, so I'm appreciating & enjoying every moment of it. We've done some fun things...not the least of which is decorating her new apartment, pictures shown below. We also drove into San Francisco & walked around these great streets together...all sorts of interesting shops & things to see. Of great culinary interest to me has been the raiding of the Japanese market, as I've been craving Japanese food all my pregnancy & haven't been able to indulge, as El Paso doesn't have anything like that. Today we went to the beach, brought our lunch, and hung out together on the sand. It was so relaxing! I was telling Adrianne that a big part of the vacation is the ability to just get myself ready & leave the house in a matter of about 15 minutes, without packing everything but the kitchen sink & just KNOWING that you forgot something vital for the young ones. Today was my last full day, I fly home to my babies & my "Beauty" tomorrow. Thanks for a wonderful time, Adrianne!
Anyway...below are some pics. Enjoy.

Aint we fine? I had to use Adr's umbrella because the sun was too much for me...90 degrees!

Beautiful sis in a great new dress, just bought that day...a vacation treat to herself.

Barefoot & pregnant & in cooling off in the freezing water.

A sunken ship that had been "exhumed" and was on display at the end of the pier.

Adrianne the beautiful, again.

Suz the pregnant & parasolled.

A beach a little farther down...had a great little boardwalk with terrific shops. We walked around & I got a harmonica & kazoo as omiyage (gifts) for the kids.

One of the great pieces we found at Home Goods for Adr's apartment.

A rather artistic view of her wall as seen from the kitchen "bar"

The living room & kitchen

And...the living room again. Better Homes & Gardens, here we come.

Pix

2009-04-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Mr Pickle giving you the eye

At the aninmatronic dinosaur exhibit...Dilly was clinging to me for dear life in fear of them.

Noah "digging for bones" at the fake dig site.

Noah poses by his beloved "spiketails".

1st ever watercolor (with some help from Mom)

And below are some pics from our recently rejuvinated yard, courtesy of springtime. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Chris

2009-04-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Chris, I didn't forget about posting for you on your birthday...I was just wrapped up in other things (see below). However, I must say a little something, however belated, for my dear brother. Happy Birthday to you, my son. Sometimes I think about you & remember all the good times we've had over the years. It's weird to think I used to be your "teacher" (term used loosely) at Greenfields....looking back, I was too young to have done anything of the sort. But we had some good times reading those "Little Women" books..."a soupcon of rouge" and all that. Remember Hortense the rabbit? Good times. I remember smuggling bags of oversized jelly beans home for you when you lived in Arrowhead, after walking to that convienience store that was about 4 miles away.
And now you're unrecognizable as that little boy, all grown up with your own life. Well, I think we still get along great, which is a blessing and a sort of minor miracle....so many siblings don't. I love you very much and wish you so many good things for this year. May things continue to get better and better for you in every way.

Recent Happenings:

2009-04-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

So we've had some high drama since my last post...never a dull moment and all that. Actually, here in El Paso my life has been FILLED with dull moments...or maybe we should say "relaxing" moments. Things don't necessarily happen all that much here. As the moving guy put it when he heard we were going from CA to El Paso, "Living there is like watching paint dry". However, I would probably take a little boredom anyday over the following:
Firstly, Jeff's job became a victim of this terrible economy last week. He was laid off. At the time it seemed like the end of the world, and now it doesn't seem quite as bad, but still pretty s****y.
I will say this, however....Jeff is just the kind of husband you would want to have in this sort of situation, taking all sorts of initiative and really "going for" the job search. I feel like if there's any job to be had, he will find it. Which will hopefully be very soon, before there is an axe murdering "spouseicide" incident in this house. Ha ha ha. Ahem.
Also, a few days after we had that gem of news from the stellar guy who was Jeff's boss, I found out that "baby girl Doss" had a cyst in her brain. They found it on our last ultrasound. Apparently it's actually a common'ish' thing to have appear in babies, and only in very rare cases is it indicative of something bad and serious. So our doctor referred us to a high-tech ultrasound place for a 2nd opinion. And I could drag it out and tell you about the agonized week of waiting...but lets just skip all that and tell you the good news, that baby girl Doss is A-OK. Thank God. You would have been proud of me...throughout the whole week I was full of faith and confidence that everything would be fine....and then when we got the clean bill of health I promptly broke down and sobbed like a child in the car.
Also, it's pretty certainly a "she". We are taking name suggestions. This is what we have so far:
Jeff: "Jaqueline"
Susanna: "Zoe" or "Ava"
Noah: "Miu Kitty" or "Toothbrush"

Here she is, in all her 5 month glory. Don't worry, the appearance improves as time goes on. I thought it was so cute how she was all cuddled up on her placenta. AWWWW.

Ode to Toe

2009-03-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I was lying in bed last night after putting Dilly to sleep, and I was thinking. And what I was thinking about was: toes. Yes, toes. And feet. Things of which, for the first 20 or so years of my life I was largely oblivious (except for the use of them, of course)...and which, after "leaving home" and joining the American Workforce of Production & Internet Abuse, I became ultra aware due to some funny happenings. Just little stuff over the years, but it's funny how things like that will stick with you. And here's my conclusion: female America is obsessed with feet! Who doesn't look sadly at their feet after a winter of coverage & declare how they must have a pedicure immediately? And the foot jewelry...the toe rings & anklets.
The other parts of the world I have seen have not been into feet on this sort of scale. In Japan very few people ever wear open-toed shoes at all, and flip flops are worn with socks, traditionally.
My foot saga began a few months after I started working for Gary, who, incidentally I was also dating. It was summer & I was wearing these heeled flip flops all the time, thinking I was really dressing it up. Imagine my horror and surprise (in a wholly bad way) when one time I returned to work in the evening to retrieve something I had forgotton there, only to overhear 2 other women saying the following:

"So we have a pretty good team here"

"Yeah...we just have to get rid of Susanna and we'll have a perfect team. Her and her ugly toes."

Both laugh uproariously.

Me and my ugly toes? Really? I had never so much as heard tell that I had slightly unattractive toes, much less ugly ones. Sadly, this was only the beginning. My toes seem to have inspired violence of emotion one way or the other. Consider an opposite story:

While working at ADP we used to have quite a turnover of temp. workers coming through. There was this one really friendly African American guy, actually quite good looking, who was very quickly "chummy" with me. He would always greet me, and seemed just really friendly and nice. Then one day we were both getting coffee at the breakroom & he was complimenting me on something, I don't know what, and then he tacked this gem on the end:

"Yeah, you and those sexy toes of yours."

Hmmm. Sexy? Ugly? Unfortunately this was only the beginning of a very creepy sexy toe campagin that escalated until he wrote me a love letter, expressing his desire to take me out on a date, and presumably get up close and personal with said toes. Can anyone say YUCK? So I dated him for 3 months. Ha. Kidding. He had a visit with HR soon after.

And this is just the personal stuff. There were always at least 3 or 4 women at ADP, every time the weather warmed up, who would start in with comments expressing distaste at seeing un-pedicured feet uncovered, and would make general comments about how gross it was....along the lines of, "If you have ugly feet, cover that **** up". This was all new territory for me. I started getting pedicures and really liked the result.
But you know, pedicures cost a lot of money over the long term, if you keep them up. And when you've had a professional pedicure, trying to do one for yourself just doesn't seem to cut it anymore. There's really no comparison in my opinion. So I tend to spend the summer longing for them and getting them like maybe twice, if I'm lucky.
All this has made me so aware of feet. If you have nasty toes, I will notice. I will be in agony if my heels are all cracked and gross and you come over to see us at our place and I don't have shoes on. It's sad.
Incidentally, I told Jeff about the "ugly toe" incident, and he has jumped right on the bandwagon, like the supportive husband he is. He routinely takes my foot and says,
"If someone was mountain climbing on your toes, they would go right down from your big toes, like steps (here he takes his fingers and walks them down my toes until he comes to the 2nd to last one. The piggy that had none. Then:)
"And then they come to the last toe, and....AHHHHHHHH they fall off the cliff and die if they don't have a parachute. HA HA HA HA."
He says I have a mutant baby toe because it's about 1/2 the height of the other ones. He also says my toes are as long as fingers.
And I come right back and tell him that his big toe that got crushed by Noah about 2 years ago and the nail never grew back right is rancid. And his toes are overweight and need to go on a diet. Then we both laugh together. Good times.

As a last thought, I think my sons' toes are the cutest things on the face of the earth. I just can't get enough of them, and 'eat' them regularly. The ADP toe guy would be proud.

Maternity clothing rant

2009-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, maternity clothing designers, we need to talk. We need to have a serious discussion as to why in the heckloslovakia I cannot find, for love, money or breastmilk, a knee-length maternity dress. That's all. I'm not asking for the moon here, I don't think. I need a dress that hits me at or just below the knees. WHY IS THIS BEYOND THE REALM OF POSSIBLITY?
Now, I must admit that this season the lovely 'town dress' has, um, come to town...which is great. Amber, it is your season. Those town dresses are YOU, girl. I even bought one. But I'm not so much into the hippie-dress-to-the-floor thing all the time...kinda awkward. And seems really dressy to me, for some reason. I just want a knee length one. I've looked in Motherhood, online...nothing. A lot of mid thigh or above the knee ones. And people, I'm here to tell you, when I am 9 months pregnant and retaining water like yesterday's milk-marinated cheerios, and also about 300 lbs overweight to boot, you DO NOT want to see me in something that hits me at the thighs. Sorry. We all have our cross to bear. Mine is terrifically ugly upper legs. Also, in the spirit of inclusiveness, I will go even further and say that it would interest me to know who is wearing these mini dresses. Are there that many people in the United States of Fatness who can wear these things through their 3rd trimesters? Because I gotta tell you, it aint just me. I see PRECIOUS FEW people who look like they need to be showing their legs at right about that time.
However, sometimes we all need to wear a dress. So why, for the love of the man Jesus, can I not find one that would flatter me? I thought this was the land of opportunity, people. Jeez. Get with the program, designers.
Or maybe I should just stick to pants.

70% of the substance of things hoped for

2009-03-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

So we went to the gyno today for my 2nd ultrasound....and incidentally, to also find out what we're 'having'. No biggie. I wasn't excited or nervous at all....I just happened to not sleep very well last night.
So they do the whole song and dance of ensuring that every part of the fetus is grainy black and white, all the while pointing out things like..."And as you can see, here is the left femur. Oh wow, what cute toes on the right foot." And as parents you're sitting there going, "oh yes, oh yes" and thinking, "that looks like a really bad copy of a black and white impressionist painting". Oh but seriously...I was that parent with Noah, but I have become older and wiser in my time. I am able to intelligently converse with the technician on things like cleft palate, spinal bifida, and the four chambers of the heart. Our baby is 6 ounces, seems to be on schedule growth wise, and is 70% a girl. At least that's the percentage the lady gave us. "It" very obligingly opened it's little legs for us to see, and we didn't see anything, if you catch my drift. So nothing equals girl.
We'll know for sure in a few weeks. Excuse me while I go physically restrain Jeff from jumping in the car to purchase the entire stock of the children's girl department in Macys against the upcoming arrival.

I'm late! I'm late! For some very important dates!!

2009-03-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Chronologically:

Amanda, Happy Birthday! So glad I got to talk to you the other day, you sound well (mentally; I know you had a bastard of a cold & allergies) and it's always a joy to talk to you. Miss you guys a lot, and I'm glad to know that you had a nice birthday. 17! Good times. Someone once told me youth is wasted on the young. It was true in my case...maybe you'll be smarter. You're smarter than me in general, so have a blast while you can! Love you, my dear. Don't be a stranger.

Adrianne: Happy Birthday to you too. I wish we could have been there to "drive up" and take you out, (you) protesting all the way, and give you some expensive & unnecessary gift that would've made your day. But as it is, I've not even sent off my card. What a bad sister. But please know that I love you SO VERY MUCH and wish nothing but good things for you this year. I'm really rooting for you in every way...I know that you have the strength to do the right things for your own life, as you've proven time & again. I feel so lucky that I have a sister like you...it makes this 3rd pregnancy easier sometimes, thinking that maybe I'll give Dilly or Noah a brother or sister like you've been to me. Have a wonderful 30th year.....and don't worry about getting older. It's all in the mind, until it's all in the mirror. Cheers.

The Greatest Show in El Paso

2009-02-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss lately, so this is going to be a nice long post to make up for lost time. Seems like someone always needs me to do something these days, or I need to do something for myself...hard to make computer time. But, gambarro! (Which is not gibberish...it actually means "keep trying" in Japanese.)
Anyway, here are some of our doings recently:
We heard a circus was in town, so I was determined to take the kids. Noah had been seeing videos of children going to a circus & had been wistfully saying, "Mama, I wish I could go to the circus"...hint hint. So we kept it a surprise until the big day. He was very exicted. As well he should have been...it turned out to be an exciting day.
On our way there, as it turns out, we had a very near accident on the freeway, courtesy of some nimrod who had...get this...strapped a refrigerator to the tailgate of his hooded truck. So the fridge is basically haging off of the tailgate, just strapped with some bungee cords around the sides of the truck. THANK GOD Jeff spotted this, as you had to kind of look closely before you realized what this idiot had done. We merged directly behind this guy to exit the freeway, & Jeff saw what he had done & slowed way down, getting as far away from it as he could. The thing was literally swinging in the breeze, as the guy was doing about 60. Well, the inevitable happened...it fell off & bounced all over the 2 exit lanes. Again, thank God we had seen it and weren't right up behind him, because it could have all been over for us in a big way. We don't think anyone was hurt. You win the booby prize if you can guess where the guy was from & where he was going with that thing.
Anyway, that was some excitement we could've done without. But the circus was great for the kids. It was a very small affair, a travelling thing, with only about 12 performers in all. They all doubled & trippled up doing different things. The kids loved it, of course. They can't tell the difference between what's a professional act & what's not, they were just happy to be there. I felt kinda bad for some of the lady performers, actually. You know how in a circus you see all these model-looking, muscular, fit people in basically g-strings & pasties, up there twirlling around in the sky with, like .2% body fat? Well, they had the g-strings & pasty part down, but unfortunately (or fortunately, if you run that way), they had had a little more for dinner than your average acrobat, if you catch my drift. Most of them were these little hispanic girls, maybe 4ft on a good day with high heels on, and just not what you would expect to see in those getups. I think many of them looked kinda uncomfortable too.
One act that I thought was pretty amazing was when they took 4 dirtbikes & rode them around at what seemed like at least about 40 MPH in this little metal sphere type thing, like two collanders put together. I mean, there wasn't really even room for them to park side by side at the bottom of it! Pretty thrilling stuff. They had great timing...if they had been even a little bit off there would have been a pretty bad accident in there. I thought that was the best act they did. Noah liked it when the acrobats "flew" on their ropes, and Dillon liked the balloon we got him.
Oh yes...a huge highlight was that Noah got to ride ponies and an elephant! Doesn't get any better than that. I have pics, but unfortunately our camera was uncooperative, or else I'm just a bad photographer. In any case, I will post them here for your enjoyment.

Firstly, some pics of the kids:

Noah at lunch...observe the food around the mouth.

Dilly at lunch. If you look closely, he is looking rather gritty. This is because he took his peaunt-butter besmeared hands and RUBBED THEM ALL OVER HIS FACE & HAIR. I had to shower him afterward.

Dilly "Dorkyface" Doss

Hamming it up with Miu the Possessed

"Dorkyface" II

And now the circus pictures:

The Ball of Danger in which great feats were performed.

Daddy & Dilly with the prize balloon

After the elephant ride, the best pic I could get with our crapcam

A nice shot of the elephant's butt & Noah there on the end.

Noah on the pony ride

Quote of the Day

2009-02-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

" The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up & parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. "
--Anne Morris

If you don't know who Anne Morris is, it's because she's just a person from New York who drinks Starbucks, and the above quote is off of my vanilla latte this morning. But isn't it great? I think that I have never heard anything quite like it, and I wish someone had told me this about 10 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartache.
It's amazing how true it is....how we all have that "internal critic", some more than others, which tells us that our fears are just rational hesitation, when in fact they are almost always just our own cowardice & inability to let go of what we have now to make the leap, or commitment, to something new.
I would like to challenge myself and you today to commit to something you have been on the fence about, and not let your mind convince itself that it's too dangerous. It's almost always worth it, I've found. And Anne is right...it's VERY liberating.

A healthy appetite

2009-02-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I was thinking today about how there is at least one perk, that I know of, in being pregnant (for me....may not apply to just anyone): namely, that I develop a healthy appetite! (And when I say healthy I don't mean that I was niggardly in the appetite department before....oh no. I become healthy in the things I have an appetite for, is what I'm saying.) I suddenly become the child my mother always wanted, in that I want very much to eat healthy, good food, and have almost no taste at all for the bad stuff.

Case in point: we went out to eat at Hometown Buffet, which incidentally should change it's name to Pigouts "R" Us...but I digress....anyway, we went there on Sat. nite for dinner. And usually I enter these all you can eat places with firm resolutions to be good & not eat the gross national weight of The Gambia, but things always digress rapidly, if you catch my drift. However, the other night was different! I didn't want the usual deep fried stuff I always do, was content with some fish and a little chicken, and get this....I didn't even want anything from the dessert table. This is a miracle on par with the feeding of the 5000. I have a legendary sweet tooth, but it magically goes away in my first months of pregnancy. This has been the case with both of my other children. Each time I develop a craving for fresh fruits, veggies, and Japanese food. Sadly, as we live in Mexas, or Texaco (not the gas station), good Japanese food is out of the question. But I can get produce all I want, and it's so great to actually want what is healthy for me. I begin to feel so....superior. Righteous. On the way to fitness, and certainly healthier than you are, (unless you are my Mom, who has informed me that she now only eats brown rice and tofu and early morning dew).

When in fact it's all a sad lie, a fiction of galcium proportions, a delusion and a snare. Because, friends, as soon as my morning sickness wears off, the cravings for all that good food goes with it, and the old sweet tooth/burger-and-fries-wanting all comes back in with a vengance. And oh, how low I sink. In the last few months of pregnancy all I have to do is drive past a fast food place & I can gain a pound or two. I am absolutely serious....it's like a disease. There is nothing I can do about it. So I'm enjoying my healthy, superior feeling while it lasts. I may be a lactation station, I may be a pregnant overweight housewife with no life, but by God, I not only eat healthier than you, I actually WANT TO. How do you like them apples?

Childish Miscellany

2009-02-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

If you have children or are around them a good deal, you will agree with what I'm saying here: there is NOTHING new under the sun when it comes to children. The things that you did when you were young, the dreams you had, the jokes you told, and you thought you were so original....all done before, and your children will do them after you. For example: the other day I popped some popcorn for the kids, the 1st time I've done so for a long time. It may as well have been both of their 1st time to eat popcorn. And Noah, upon picking up his first piece, looks at it & says, "Look, Mama, it's a dinosaur!" and then the next one..."Look, it's a mingo!" (Flamingo). Etc. And I sat there thinking, "I remember doing this exact thing when I was little, sitting there telling my family what my popcorn was...I did it all the time!" It was so funny that he had just come up with it out of nowhere. And of course, the all time favorite everywhere with every child, are poop & private parts jokes. And farts. These NEVER fail to get Noah laughing. The other day he laughed for probably 20 straight minutes because he had almost "bit Daddy on his peanuts". (Through his pants, of course. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Why was he biting there at all? I have no idea.
Also, a funny tidbit from the other day: We were outside swinging & conversing. Noah says to me out of the blue & off the topic,

"Mama, I want to teach people about Jesus. I want to teach them".

I though that was remarkable & pure of him, seeing that we haven't ever really spoken about doing that in front of him, and asked him how he wanted to do it. He says,

"They will say, 'Sir, what is Jesus?', and I will say, 'He's under the haystack, fast asleep.'"

I bit myself so hard trying not to laugh at that one. He confused "Little boy blue" with the baby Jesus sleeping in a manger.

And finally, on the subject of nursery rhymes, here are some lyrics by Noah that shouldn't be missed:
"Patty cake, patty cake,
Bake your man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Pat them, and prick them,
And mark them with the breeze,
And throw them in the oven for the baby and me."

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water....

2009-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well hello there. I know I've been very remiss with the blog, but I have (what I think) is a pretty good excuse: I'm pregnant again. Dealing with that wonderful ol' morning sickness & trying to figure out how to wean Dillon off of his drug of choice, boo. (That's boob, for the uninitiated.) I found out quite a while ago actually, but wanted to wait before announcing it on this blog. But I think it's time....of course, many of you know already. Thanks for your support! I felt like such a fool when I found out, as I had been blythely putting it about that we were "done" with having more kids, etc. Well, like they say, life is what happens when you're busy making plans. And at the risk of offending the Gods again, we ARE done this time. Which is why I'll thank you to put your prayers, good thoughts, & positive energy toward hoping with Jeff & I that this one is a girl, if for no other reason than that I will never again have to hear Jeff's plaintive, "What are we going to do with the $6000 wedding dress* I bought you if we don't have a girl? Who am I going to sing these sappy father/daughter country tear jerkers to if we don't have a girl?"
Seriously, I would like to have a girl. Very much. Which almost certainly means we're having another boy. But I'll keep you posted.

*(Editors note: I bought the dress. But for some reason he persists in thinking he did. It's an on-going discussion.)

Happy Birthday Dillon!

2009-01-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

So Dilly had his 1st birthday on the 8th of this month. The problem of having a birthday on January 8th, is, of course, that everyone is broke & worn out with much partying. We were trying to decide what to do for Dilly and we ended up just having a small party at our house, just with a cake and a few presents (mostly balls...he's VERY big into balls), which turned out really nice & low-key...probably a lot better for Dillon in the long run, since he's still so little. It's funny, but Dillon seems like a baby to me still, much more so than Noah did when he turned 1. Maybe because Noah was talking more at this age? Not sure. Dilly says a few things..."ball", "light", "apple", "Mama & Dada" and, of course, the requisite "bu" for boob. However, he is very expressive with his facial expressions, pointing, etc. He gets his point across. So here are some pictures of his birthday and the trip to the zoo we took the Saturday afterward. Enjoy!

Dillon "dorkyface" Doss

Vogue, baby. Strike a pose.

The balloons were a huge hit.... close competition to the presents! We probably could have just bought him balloons and he would've been happy as a clam.

"Dorkyface" II

"Ahh, the exctasy of being me."

The cake, from Cold Stone.

"I don't know about this....pretty cold and kinda gross."

"Oh God, my hands, my hands!" (He was actually very disturbed about having the cake & icecream all over his hands, & started crying as he held them up to me, as if to say "wash me up!")

The requisite 1st birthday mess

"Mom, must we do this in the kitchen sink?"

One of the birthday balls

Young cuteness

Ride that tiger!

The circle of life: Noah is amused by the seal, Dillon is amused by Noah.

Blue eyed boy.

Adrianne, I tried to call you but you didn't pick up. So had to post.

2009-01-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in 2009. Seeing that I never expected to live long enough to see this year when I was younger, I should be feeling gladness. But at this point I'm having January blues and I would go for the Millenium, quite frankly, by way of a change. I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself because my house is a mess and my husband is at work and where the heck is the maid service already? I guess I'll have to get up and do my own dirty work. Laziness....another thing I was supposed to grow out of by 2009.
But Happy New Year to you & yours. May it bring you many good things. May your house price and your spirits rise this year. And may I clean my house before my poor beleagured husband gets home.

Happy New Year

2008-12-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

So what are you doing for the New Year's celebrations? Personally, I tried my hand at a little arson last night. That is to say, I almost burned down our house...or at least our kitchen. This is what happened: we purchased these lean beef shishkabobs (sp?) at the market and I was sure that the way to cook them would be to broil them. My mom turned me on to broiling as a great way to do meat and make it tender, and since I have never yet succeeded in making beef tender EVER I thought surely broiling would do it. As an added touch I added quite a lot of olive oil in the pan for the meat to sort of "marinate" in as it cooked. Suffice it to say this was not a good idea. The boiling oil was splashing upward & hitting the red hot oven heating coils & you can probably guess what happened....we had a full fledged fire going on in that pan in the oven. I mean, you opened up the oven & flames were leaping out. I vaguely remember yelling, "Jeffery Doss, get the fire extinguisher!!"....then my wonderful husband came & saved the day. He took that flaming pan out of the oven & the fire went out. All was well until the smoke detector went off, making us all deaf. But he handled that too! What a hero of a husband I have. Thanks, honey. I joke about this, but I was really seriously scared for about 30 seconds. I told Jeff, "God, thanks honey for helping me....I was picturing us standing out in the street watching the house burning down & the firemen spraying hoses." And over by the sink, my wonderful husband & hero starts laughing & says, "Yes, and listening to Miu (the cat) inside meowing & roasting to a crisp! ha ha ha!" Hmmmm. What's that saying about a lot can be told of a man by what exictes his laughter? Disturbing.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Hello, all. Merry Christmas! I've been pretty busy for the past few days, baking, etc. Never a dull moment! We're not going to have anyone over this year, just us to cook for, but it seems to be quite a lot of work nonetheless. What have we been making? Last night we did a cookie baking marathon, doing chocolate chip, oatmeal, and Christmas cookies. The Christmas cookies we got as a present from Frank & Kara last year....the mix only, of course. They came with these neato little decorating boxes full of sugar sprinkles, all different colors and shapes...just the sort of thing that is meat and drink to a 3 year old. Well, we started to bake & opened the bag, and it seems that in the year that the thing sat on our shelf it had gone sort of rancid or something...didn't smell good. Did that stop us? Oh no. We rolled, sprinkled & baked every last one of those things. Noah keeps eating them when I'm not looking & says they taste really good. Hmmm. What a good mother I am. We (Noah & I) also baked an apple cake for tomorrow. (12/26 update: this cake turned out SPECTACULARLY bad. I am throwing it away today.)

Speaking of Noah: he's been full of funnies this morning. In the spirit of sharing at Christmas, here they are:

(We were in the bathroom, talking about this and that. Noah had made this little paper wreath at church last Sunday and we put it up prominently in the living room, and since we know he likes attention, Jeff has several times said to him, "Who made that beautiful wreath? Who?" and he always says, "Me"!)
So Noah says: "Daddy needs to stop asking me who made that wreath. He keeps asking and asking and I telled him so many times." (I laughed so hard...he must think Jeff is an idiot who can't remember a thing.)

I gave Noah a little pukka shell neclace and he uses it as a cowboy rope for some reason. He was prancing around the living room pretending to be a cowboy & I asked him, "Cowboy Noah, will you rope in those diapers all over the living room and put them up for me?" He sort of struck a pose and then said in this weird accent: "AT YOUR SERVANT!" And picked them all up.

After doing the above, he wanted to tell me a story. This is it in it's entirety:
"Once upon a time there was a girl named Julie. And her had a wife. And her had her Christmas stuff out. And her wife went into the woods, and there were monsters and tigers and lions and cheetahs there. And then a cowboy came to save her….me! And then I got her and then once I got her and next her wife and they went home. That’s the end of my story.
Once upon a time, the naughties in the forest came to their house & knocked out the door (sound effects)…and they opened the door & they runned away. And then they went and get a fork to sword them. And then then they said “Hmm, this is the wrong one”. And they went & got spoons and they didn’t know what to do about their spoons & forks to sword the naughties. And guess who came? Cowboy Noah. And he fight those naughties away. "

Merry Christmas all. May God bless and keep you from the naughties, or if not, may you have a Cowboy Noah to fight for you. Or failing that, a good fork or spoon.

P.S: A prize to the person who can come up with the best title for the above story. My submission is: "Brokeback Mountain II: Cowboy Noah, the lesbians, and the silverware."

Happy Birthday, Rebecca Rudow!

2008-12-16T14:46:00.001-08:00

There, how do you like it? I was trying it on again for you, so you can see what you think about maybe possibly changing it back from Niki. Anyway, Happy Birthday, even though it's late. E-cards don't really seem to cut it, so I'm sorry that's all I sent, but I did want you to know you're very special to me & I love you! You're a very talented, intelligent, fun & well-spoken person, full of love for life, and very courageous. I wish I had half your music talent!
I know you've been through many things in your 27 years, things that many other people don't go through in a lifetime....and you should be very proud of yourself that you've survived & thrived (?? Throve??). Anyway..I feel that we're very similar in many ways, and I've always been able to relate to you & felt like when we're together, we get along well. I have many good memories of Dad's place, and of your recent visit.
Ok, well, I guess anyone that knows you knows the things that I've written above anyway, so I don't want to belabor the obvious, but I did want to write a little tribute to you, now on the eve of your departure into the great unknown that also happens to coincide with your birthday. Keep going, don't quit, continue to be courageous, and great things will happen for you. Think about what YOU want and don't settle for anything less. I know God wants to see you happy too, and you deserve it.
I love you haney, Happy Birthday.

Christmas Time!

2008-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

This work entitled: "Moo Cow in Perspective" or, "I, said the Bovine in Shadow". (I was trying to get artsy fartsy. Didn't quite turn out.)
Christmas is for children.

Our bookcase "village".

I love our manger scene. It's just beautiful & so lifelike.

Another creative photography attempt. Notice my reflection in the baubble.

A little blurry, but I'm so proud of our outside lights.

Front door wreath.

The village, pic sensibly taken by Jeff with lights on.

Our Christmas.

Dillon "helping"

Caught in the act.

This is why we had to put a gate around the tree.

Noah & Daddy putting the angel on the tree....

Oh no! Disaster strikes!

Ahh, that's better.

Dilly's first "colored light" experience. Notice the wrestler choke hold by Noah.

R.I.P, D.

2008-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my beloved friend & boon companion, Diet. He was with me for at least six months, constantly at my side, and, although exacting & a real pain in the ass sometimes, at least made me feel really good when I followed his advice. With his help, I was going places. I had plans for a whole new life, not to mention wardrobe.
Sadly, it was not to be. Tragedy struck over Thanksgiving, ending his young life before it was hardly begun. Reports differ as to the actual cause of death, but it seems that he may have been crushed by...I weep as I write....thousands of pounds of turkey and cranberry sauce. Candied yams may have also been involved and are under investigation.
We have kept him on life support now for the past 3 weeks, waiting in agony to see if he will pull out of it & return to us, but we are past hope. He is dead & cannot be revived. I will be pulling the plug this weekend, supported by my friends, Starbucks and Pastries. Dessert has promised to follow shortly afterward.
Services will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Obesity. No flowers, please.

Copperlasion Station

2008-12-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

The following conversation, which, in the words of the immortal Dave Barry, I SWEAR I am not making up, occurred the other evening. Noah had his helicopter and was "flying" it around in the air, saying in a montone voice to himself:

Copperlasion. Copperlasion. Copperlasion. Copperlasion.

Me: What’s a copperlasion?

Noah: It’s like a mergency.
Like a flu, or a challenge, or a flower bed.
Pause....
Which one?

Me, struggling not to laugh: Probably the flu.

Another thoughtful pause, and then the flying resumes:

Copperlasion: the flu. Copperlasion: the flu. Copperlasion: the flu.

In other news:
Dillon is going to be a plumber when he grows up. In fact, he thinks he's one now. The kid has an unnatural fascination with toilets, and specifically, splashing in toilet bowl water. We have to literally lock all the doors to the bathrooms of the house so he can't open the door & start his water play. But it's not only the water: he also likes to "inspect" the different toilet fixtures, try to turn the knobs, flush the toilet, etc. He's just all-round fascinated. I can't tell you how many times I've realised all of a sudden that it's suspiciously quiet and have made a beeline for the toilet to find him guiltily jerking up from a toilet bowl, sleeves and hands & face all wet, with a big joyous smile on his face. Or maybe he just enjoys watching Mom become a screaming, jabbering idiot, yelling, "GROSSIE! GROSSIE! No no Dilly!" over & over.
(Grossie alert: do not read on if you want to keep your supper down):
A true story: one day I had been taking a shower, so I had him in his walker in our large bathroom to keep him out of trouble where I could see him. Jeff & I were looking at something for, I swear, only like 30 seconds, and we look over to Dillon & see the following: the toilet bowl is open & hadn't been flushed after the last...shall we say....number 1. Dillon, who had opened it, is sitting beside it contentedly, sort of splashing his hands around on the tray of his walker, which, as we look closer, contains a USED PEE TISSUE, considerably disintigrated, and he is SUCKING ON SOMETHING which turns out to be another portion of this tissue. I just about had a stroke. Had to monitor his vital signs for a couple hours.

Can anyone say EWWWW?

And on that note, have a wonderful Tuesday.

Pics

2008-12-02T15:46:00.001-08:00

Noah was afraid of the birds (below) and so sat on the door of our car

Our "showtelle" (Noah thinks that hotel is a showtell....?? Show-and-tell, perhaps?) in Phoenix

The jacuzzi outside our room in the hotel in Phoenix

Happy Turkey Day

2008-12-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

So we're back! We had a whirlwind vacation (term used loosely), and we're back in old El Paso. East, West, home is best, as they say. Thanks to Paula for putting us up in CA, as usual! We had a very good, if not restful, time, and below are some highlights:

Jennie & Tyler's wedding! They got married the Saturday before Snakesgiving, with a great little ceremony & nice reception at a local OC place. It was a very nice event, great also for seeing family & friends that we otherwise wouldn't have. Tyler is a great guy & is a welcome addition to our/their family. We got to see a lot of him, as Jennie & he are living there in Paula's house. Good times!

Jeff & I got to do karaoke with a couple friends & relatives, which was SUPER fun. It reminded me of when Jeff & I used to be footloose & fancy free back in the Triassic Period when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Everyone was drinking & singing & showing off, really. You sing better when you're trying your best to show yourself off, you know. Also having some booze in you helps. Very fun. Then we did it again, the last day we were in CA, with the whole family, dragging Paula & Jennie & Tyler & kids along. We enjoyed it & hopefully didn't pierce their eardrums with the high note of "My Way".

Thanksgiving was nice...we 'did' the usual family thing at Paula's, and then I persuaded Jeff to drive us all the way up to see my family that evening, which he did, and we had a good time there too. Got to see the Uncle & Aunt, of course, and also Grandma Mary, all of whom seemed delighted to see us & the kids. Gotta take advantage of these opportunities to see everyone, as we live so far away now.

What else? Let's see: Jeff awoke at the ungodly hour of 3:30!!! AM with his Mom to go shopping for the exceptional deals they have on Black Friday (the day-after-thanksgiving-super-sale-day, for the uninitiated)....can you believe it? I thought he was crazy, but they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Got some new bedding that is featured prominently in the next paragraph as "Huge impediment to leaving California with all our stuff in the car".

Huge impediment to leaving California with all our stuff in the car: we had too much stuff. We couldn't fit it all. It was literally a scientific, mathematical impossibility, like travelling faster than the speed of light, or me fitting into a size 6 jean. You get the idea. Why? We were trying to fit 4 king sized comforters (don't ask) & a few bedding sets to go along with them (decorative pillows, sheet sets, Euro pillows, etc), about 7 bags (including suitcases, duffles, etc), 10+ fully wrapped presents for Christmas, 2 ...um...King sized adults, 2 children with oversized carseats, 2 huge bags of toys for the trip (ha! couldn't reach anything to get any toys out of 'em the entire time!), a DVD player, a "snack" bag, a stroller (NOT UMBRELLA), and a standard "TOTO" porcelain toilet in our 5 seater Toyota Avalon sedan. THIS IS ALL TRUE EXCEPT FOR THE TOILET. And I'm surprised we hadn't thrown that in just for good measure. Oh yes, and a fan. For white noise at night. And diapers. Many diapers. So guess what we ended up doing? We sat there, friends and neighbors, and vacuum packed everything we owned that could have air sucked out of it. All our clothes, the bedding, everything. I was SO afraid that when we stopped in Phoenix overnight we would come back to the parking lot to find our car had blown up like a balloon in the middle of the night. If everything had reinflated, we would've been in BAD trouble. Thank God it didn't. When we reached terra firma of El Paso, I literally danced a jig of happiness that we arrived home with our stuff intact, and us intact too. Well, almost intact...pieces of my scalp with hair attached are strewn along the 10 due to the never-ending whine fest that was Noah & Dillon. Road trips with young children are SUCH a joy. But that's a whole other story.

In closing, I'm thankful for:
My husband, and my children. My boys, my loves. I've been so blessed and so happy. Every day with you is a gift.
My larger family, my parents & siblings, my in-laws & out-laws (cheapshot), who have all been so good to me. I've been so lucky there too. I love & miss you all.
My health.
Our house.
Jeff's job in this bad economy that allows me to care for our boys at home.
My friends, most of whom I haven't seen in awhile. Miss you!
Wine, karaoke, and good times. Happy times.
Increasing peace as I get older.

That's all now. See pics above. Comment, or I will track you down & sit on you.

In closing

2008-11-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

I can't resist one last thought for the day:

So I'm reading online this A.M before we leave to CA, and came across this gem in an article about how this guy has changed since becoming a Dad:

"Since Kate’s birth, I categorize all things in life into two categories: Things That Can Kill the Baby and Things That Cannot Kill the Baby. Open jug of bleach? Category one. Angry boss? Category two. By dealing with ultimate peril, you are much more calm and collected about all the other nonsense."

Today, when a client goes apes**t or you lose a file that you've been working on for days, ask yourself, "Will this kill the baby?" And if not, you're good to go. See how much better you feel?

Hello & Goodbye

2008-11-18T21:11:00.001-08:00

Glory to Tory

I am leaving tomorrow to CA for Thanksgiving & Jennie's wedding! Very exciting, all sorts of fun things planned. Will have updates when I return.

I forgot to blog the below, however:

When Amber & Steven were here, they entered Tory into a 5k marathon, an all down-hill one on our Transmountain road. And, wait for it...she came in 3rd place for her age division! WOW! Good for Tory. Won a trophy & everything. I wanna run a marathon some day. Maybe when I grow up.

In other news: Happy Snakesgiving, per Noah. This is really what he calls it.

My favorite people:

2008-11-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

A Swift Kick in the Pants

2008-11-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

So is it just me, or does anyone else wonder why a person who PATENTLY CANNOT SING gets away with being, quote, "One of the hottest new country stars on the top of the glitter hill" or some such thing...namely, Taylor Swift? I watched the CMAs last night & she performed, and, DUDE, she can't sing! It seriously sounded like she was the friend that her posse got buzzed enough to persuade her to get on stage at Tuesday night all-you-can-drink Karaoke Bar and she's, like, just trying to stand real still & not have her voice shake too much as she's singing, praying to God her voice is on key enough to get her through the song. It's really bad. She speaks through half of her songs, for Gods sake.
But you know what the wierdest thing is? NO ONE IN THE MEDIA SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT IT. If you're a bad actor, you will be burned in the worst way. No one else besides singers seem to be able to get away with this sort of fakery. I was totally expecting someone to say something about the elephant in the room, namely, that Taylor Swift is totally out of her league & should just give it up & become a model or something where she can keep her mouth shut....but no, just mentions about how she looked "cute & sweet" or something. Where is the media cruelty we have come to count on when we need it most? Where, people?

Fields of Gold

2008-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

You wanna hear a true story?
I once knew a woman named Carol Jordison. I met her at ADP. At first I only knew her through work, and because of work, and she scared me. Not only because of her appearance, which was formidable (she was a very heavy woman and wore a lot of makeup & her lipstick was ALWAYS perfectly bright red), but she was very good at her job. And the reason that made me afraid was because I was just learning mine, and her's was to support mine, and I didn't always do things right. And she didn't abide fools lightly. With me so far?
So Carol & I got to know each other over time. And I realised that far from being scary, this woman was one of the nicest, most moral (in the best sense of the word), most giving & sacrificial women that I knew. I used to sit with her in the break room at lunch & watch her crochet someone a new blanket, which she was ALWAYS doing in her spare time, watch her drink her diet coke with the lipstick-stained straw, and talk with her about her life or mine. She was very self-effacing. She never seemed to think that she was anything but completely ordinary. But that woman raised 2 children alone after leaving an alcoholic husband. She saved money for her kids and lived in a trailer park. She drove a 20 year old truck 2 hours EACH WAY to and from work, and was always the first one in the office, looking like a million bucks while I, who lived 10 min. away, looked like I had rolled out of bed & got HIT by a truck. She lived for the summer vacations with her grandchildren when they would rent an RV & hit the road. And I found out that she had fought cancer alone about 10 years before, drove herself to and from chemo, all by herself. This woman was amazing to me. She was so humble. One time Jeff & I took her out to dinner and she seemed embarrassed the whole time, like she felt like she wasn't worth the effort. She made, as I said, blankets for everyone. If you had a baby, if you were getting married, you knew you could count on a Carol blanket. And they were worth having.
I say I knew her because shortly after I left ADP I found out one day that she had died. Her cancer came back and she passed away, when just a week or so previously she had been in the office working hard, as always.
So today I covered Noah up with a Carol blanket, one of the 3 she gave us, and I thought about her. It's nice & warm & has given us 4 years of comfort. And I think she would be happy to know that her generosity lives on in our home, covering our little ones, and that I think of her fondly every time I see her handywork. Thank you Carol. Jeff & I loved you a lot. I hope that someday, when it's my turn, I can have accomplished what you did: a legacy to the people that knew you of giving & caring.
That's what my heart is full of this afternoon.

Recent Happenings:

2008-11-06T09:24:00.001-08:00

1. Who's glad that Obama won? I sure am. Let's all shout "Horray" and hope that this guy can do something good for our poor ailing country. He seems to be confidient & "Presidential"...but I guess presidential is as presidential does. Go ahead, Mr. O. Make us proud.

2. Nikki left us today. Sniff. We love you, my dear, and thoroughly enjoyed your visit. Please grace us with your presence another time, and have a safe journey.

3. I had a SUPER fun marathon session at the dentist yesterday, coming away with one root canal, one partial root canal, and one filling. It took them from 10 in the AM to 4PM!!!!! My mouth hurts like a MF. I was remarking yesterday that it's one of the great mysteries of my life that no matter how much work I get done at the dentist & how expensive & invasive it is, the next time I come back, be it in one month or six, I AM SURE TO HAVE AT LEAST 3 MORE CAVITIES. It's like an immutable law of nature. Pretty soon I'll have to have dentures...I don't know how they can drill anymore into some of these teeth. And Jeff, the rotter, doesn't go to the dentist FOR YEARS and he saunters in there & they say, "Oh, you just need a deep cleaning, no cavities!" My God, the injustice.

Take a gander at my son, the future rapper:

2008-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

Twinkle, twinkle, little gangster.

"Puff, the Magic Dragon,

Lived by the seed,

And frollipped in the autumn mist

In a land called Honalee.

Little Jackie Paper

Loved that rascal Puff

And brought him strings and sealing wax

And other pantsy fluff."

Halloween Pics

2008-11-04T09:28:00.001-08:00

Daddy & pretty Aunty Nik at Trunk or Treat

Mom & Dill

Whachoo lookin at?

See my tail?

Another Dino angle.

Noah James, as a Dinosaur, complete with smeared chocolate on chin.

Our mobile Pickle. He's actually standing on his own now, and the other day took his 1st two steps!

The below pictures are all fast snap shots taken of Dillon after we put on his lion costume. I posted quite a few because he's so cute I can't bear it...and even though it may be overkill, "It's my bloggie and I'll post if I want to"

We "did" a pumpkin for Halloween, our first ever as a family, because Noah wanted to so badly. I thought this picture actually came out kinda neat.

Happy Halloweenie

2008-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

So, friends and foes, it's been quite awhile. But oh my god we're back again, like the Backstreet Boys, except we're not original, yeah......oh brother.
What have I been doing, you ask? I have been hosting a relay-type family reunion at our house! Fun! First Mom came for a week, as duly posted below, and then Amber & Steven & co. came for about 2 weeks, and lastly Nikki's here, finishing up her 2 week vacation! Good times. We've done the El Paso rounds for the rellies, with the highlights being Old Messilla & the world's best breakfast buffet they have there in the haunted "Double Eagle" old-world restaurant...shopping expeditions with Amber & Mom, Starbucks, Scrabble games, movies, etc. FUN!
We took Noah & Dillon our churchs' "Trunk or Treat", which has been a fun, wholesome Halloween gathering in the past, but this time was more trunk than treat...there were so many people there that you couldn't make the rounds of people's trunks to get any candy! Thank God Jeff brought, like, a garbage bag full of candy home from work, or we would've missed out on the requisite "Halloween 10lb Weight Gain" that comes the morning after the "Halloween Trip to the Emergency Room for the Stomach Ache & Diarrhoea From Hell" which, in turn, comes after the "Halloween Candy Pig Out Because They're Really Just These Little Fun Sized Candies So I'll Have Another".
The kids were SO CUTE! Look at the pics & see for yourself.

Our house

2008-10-05T21:51:00.001-07:00

So if you've never seen our house, my Mom took some pictures that I'll post here. Enjoy.

The front of our house. The tree is a pecan tree.
Our lovely driveway
The backyard
Backyard & patio with swing set (aka the Dillon Sleep Machine)
Our living room. Windows overlook backyard.

Amber

2008-10-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Happy belated birthday Amber! I sure love you my dear! I feel that every year I get to know you better, and we get closer. That's a wonderful thing. Thanks for all the advice & listening ears that you've lent me the past year. I appreciate your take on things, as you always have something to say that's worth listening to. Also, I never knew this about you, but you're a very nice, sweet person. That came out wrong. I always knew you were very nice & sweet, but recently, since you've come to visit us for about a month every year & I see you in action, I see that you're much sweeter & nicer than I've ever given you credit for. You have an incredible patience with your kids & are so much more "motherly" than I'll ever be.
Happy Birthday & may your year ahead be terrific.

Mom's Visit & Pics

2008-10-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

So Mom visited us last week. We hadn't seen her for about a year and a half, so it was very special & nice to have that time with her. Thanks for coming, Mom! Jeff couldn't get any time off work, unfortunately, and so she pretty much just hung out with me & the kids....well, mostly with Noah, who monopolized her something dreadful. He is a very bossy child....can't think where he gets it. But Mom just played with him and colored and in general did "Grandmotherly" things till she was blue in the face, I'm sure. But Noah ADORES her & had such a great time. Dilly was just kind of there, like the blobular child he is. And Mom & I talked pretty much non-stop for the 4 days she was here & caught up on everything. It was pretty great.
We also went to the park for a picnic, had a "girls night" shopping extravaganza wherein nothing was bought (thanks, Jeff, for watching the kids!), went to dinner a few times, had a hair-straightening fest that Mom emerged from looking like a million bucks, and ended everything up by going out to Fabens to the working ranch they have out there & seeing the "anmeals" & eating dinner. It's really a great place....when any and all of you come out here we'll take you there, if you haven't already been. There are quite a few animal pens, almost like a mini zoo, a huge wooden fort & play set big enough to keep kids busy for hours, an indian corn maze, and a very nice steak house. After we wandered around the grounds for about an hour we had some great food & margaritas...and Mom even took the kids for a jaunt while Jeff & I ate our food, which was the 1st time in a while that we had been able to eat together. So that was very nice.
And now she's gone....sniff. We miss you, Momma.

Noah on the slide in the play area

Dillon looking dorky

Noah concentrating on driving the tractor

Mom & Noah in the hay wagon

Noah on the little old bouncy horses we found

I joined in

The tooth shot. Notice the new bottom teeth.

Dilly blue eyes

Handsome daddy and grumpy Dilly

Ostriches
Is your Mama a Lama?
The lama poopeth. Mom thought this was terrific material for a photo.
This guy is straight out of Dr. Seuss. I think the good old Dr. hit the crack pipe & looked at photos of lamas for inspiration, personally.

Weighty Matters

2008-09-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

So last week, I hit a 10 lb weight loss, the first real "celebration station" since consciously deciding to modify my Ms. Piggy status & diet for real. This is as opposed to wishing & hoping that you'll be like all those people who told you, "Oh, honey, don't worry, you'll just lose all sorts of weight when you nurse...you can eat anything you want! I just horked anything down when I was nursing and STILL lost so much weight they had to hospitalize me! Giggle!" ....and then you go and eat your weight in chocolate & wonder why you can't pull your fat jeans over your dimpled thighs. I'm not bitter.
So...anyway, rejoice with me, I have lost the pounds that I had found. Some of them anyway. It's a good start. I've been exercising at least 1/2 an hour every day on our precore machine &, you know, just trying to do the salad thing & stay away from the Evil Sweets of Satan.
On a related note...it's funny, but I'm feeling better and better about myself and my body as it begins to look worse & worse. When I was in my early 20s and just about as beautiful as I'll ever be, I was INCREDIBLY self-conscious & had all sorts of self-loathing. And now I look back at those pics & say, WHAT WAS I THINKING? It's sad, really. There was so much mileage there that I never used. And now that I'm wrinkled and sagged and completely unrecognizable to my old friends, I feel quite good about myself. Ha. I think I still look hot sometimes. Not because anybody but my husband tells me this, I just believe it. I think this is actually a step in the right direction for a Rudow girl.
And no, I will not post a before and after picture. I'm not THAT confident.

Greens, greens, the magical fruit

2008-09-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you what, you haven't lived until you've pretended to be salad.

The following conversation occured during my simultaneous viewing of Grey's Anatomy, listening for the baby, who, of course would not stay asleep because Grey's Anatomy was on, and trying to "tune in" to my 3 year old son:

Dis is my Magit Stick! RAAHHHH!
(He brandishes a small green plastic drumstick, broken in the middle.)

I will turn you into....

A LION!!

I dutifully roar and look fierce while following Meredith's love life.

Now I will turn you into a....

SHARK!!!

Does this phase me? Not at all. My shark impersonations are well rehearsed. I snap and flip my fins.

And now you will be.....

Salad!

Hmmm. That was unexpected. I sort of contort myself and strike a pose, not unlike a petrified person in the last stages of muscle spasm, very salad-like.

He laughs delightedly.

There

2008-09-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

That should be easier on the eyes, to read. I like the bling, too.

Word, homies.

Whatever.

Hmmmm

2008-09-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's an article from Slate that I thought would be interesting to some of you. I know, you probably don't have time or the interest in reading it, and if you don't, I won't hit you...har har. But I thot it was good & brings out a lot of true points. I will post a few key quotes from it, and if you want to read it all, click here. I do sometimes use the old smackeroo, but I'm wondering. I sure don't feel like a good parent, usually, when I do. And I think it's true that it leads to increased anger & bad angry/abusive reactions when a "hit" child becomes a parent themselves. What do you think?

Spare the Rod
Despite the rise of the timeout and other nonphysical forms of punishment, most American parents hit, pinch, shake, or otherwise lay violent hands on their youngsters: 63 percent of parents physically discipline their 1- to 2-year-olds, and 85 percent of adolescents have been physically punished by their parents.

The science also shows that corporal punishment is like smoking: It's a rare human being who can refrain from stepping up from a mild, relatively harmless dose to an excessive and harmful one. Three cigarettes a month won't hurt you much, and a little smack on the behind once a month won't harm your child. But who smokes three cigarettes a month? To call corporal punishment addictive would be imprecise, but there's a strong natural tendency to escalate the frequency and severity of punishment. More than one-third of all parents who start out with relatively mild punishments end up crossing the line drawn by the state to define child abuse: hitting with an object, harsh and cruel hitting, and so on. Children, endowed with wonderful flexibility and ability to learn, typically adapt to punishment faster than parents can escalate it, which helps encourage a little hitting to lead to a lot of hitting. And, like frequent smoking, frequent corporal punishment has serious, well-proven bad effects.
The negative effects on children include increased aggression and noncompliance—the very misbehaviors that most often inspire parents to hit in the first place—as well as poor academic achievement, poor quality of parent-child relationships, and increased risk of a mental-health problem (depression or anxiety, for instance). High levels of corporal punishment are also associated with problems that crop up later in life, including diminished ability to control one's impulses and poor physical-health outcomes (cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease). Plus, there's the effect of increasing parents' aggression, and don't forget the consistent finding that physical punishment is a weak strategy for permanently changing behavior.

Anyway, you should read the whole thing. It's interesting.

On site Emmy update

2008-09-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm looking at the Emmy red carpet pictures & Noah is with me, looking too. I see this pic. of Eva Longoria Parker and I say to him,

"She's pretty, huh?"

"Lup" (Yup)

"But why her got her pants off?"

Why indeed.

Just call me post girl/Noah part II

2008-09-18T09:21:00.003-07:00

Wow, I'm sure a shiner poster the last few days. Maybe it's because I need a boost & it's so nice to read the feedback.
Anyhoo, I thought of a few more Noah funnies for your Friday. Enjoy!

-He has made up another word, "Paj". Rhymes with "Taj" like the Taj Mahal. Where is this from? No idea. But this is how it came about: Jeff and I always talk like a house afire when he gets back from work, telling stuff from the day, etc. Noah doesn't like this because he wants Daddy's attention. So he'll often come up to either of us & say, "I have a secret!!" And of course, we'll stop and say, "Ok, what is it?" all conspiratorilly. (Is that a word?) And, because, of course again, he DOESN'T have a secret, he whispers in our ear, "PAJ PAJ PAJ PAJ POSH". The other day he asked me,
"Mama, what does Paj mean?"
"I have no idea, you made it up."
Pause....then ,
"Oh"
Light of comprehension dawning.

-Another thing he'll do to get attention is, when we're talking, he'll hold up his hand all straight, fingers tightly together in the traditional "stop" handsign, come right up into our faces and say,
"No, no no. Let me read this one."
Which means he wants to talk.

Again, where does he get these things?

Orange?

2008-09-18T09:21:00.002-07:00

I don't know if I'm diggin on this day-glo orange look. Is it searing your eyeballs, oh gentle reader, or is it lifting your spirits?

Ok, got it

2008-09-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

Orange Atumnal-ness it is.

Noah update:
Newest phrase is "I have no affession for that." What does this mean? Is he saying affection? Confession? He says it all the time. He incorporates it into his made-up songs, ie:
"The grass is green
And I don't know like it,
I have no affession
For that"
etc.

Help

2008-09-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dude, what am I doing to this blog? I can't get these nice backgrounds to match the templates for the script. ARRRGGHH! Keep checking, we may have upwards of 20 new background/script combos TODAY ONLY.

Pix

2008-09-15T19:18:00.001-07:00

I thought there was a strange resemblence here to Lucius Malfoy. The hair is actually lighter in the sun.

My new 'do'

2008-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I got my hair done last weekend, my bi-annual hair splurge. About once every 6 months my hair gets so ragged & nasty & grown out that I have to gird up my loins and tell Jeff to fork over some money, honey, to have it done. I found this nice little place that did it for only $60, which is a very good price. The guy took his time & did a good job. The only thing is, I told him "really blonde", and now I think I look a little like Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter, only maybe with not such great bone structure.

A thing of beauty

2008-09-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

So it was Jeff's birthday on the 1st of September. Happy Birthday, Beauty! (In case you're wondering, we both call each other Beauty as a nickname. Original, huh? Also, quite optimistic.)
Anyway, I sure love you honey. Have a wonderful year being 36, and may all your dreams & asperations come true for you this year. You're my "Thing of Beauty and joy forever". I love you!

Also, my Grandpa Larry had a birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday, Grandpa. I hope you read this blog & that it helps to make up for the abominable way in which I do/do not keep up with you in other ways. Sorry about that, I've always been slack with writing & calling. But I love & miss you & hope you're keeping well.

Pix

2008-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

On the Riverwalk.

Super duper shot of Noah & me riding Shamu coaster. We're the ones on the end.

Noah in bad mood at Sea World, Dillon just happy to be there.

Side shot (sorry!) of Dillon, quite pleased with himself in new double stroller.

Noah riding the lion in the entrance to the S.A. Zoo

Me, carefully explaining how to feed a goat while Noah is horrified and goat looks on.

They had this great little "mock" beach at the zoo in the kids area.

Noah playing in the sand & surf

August

2008-08-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I know I've been remiss with this thing...but you take what you can get when you have 2 children under the age of 3. Speaking of which...I am typing under a palpable cloud of exhaustion that has set in after Dillon has decided, for the past 4 or 5 nights in a row, that 3:00 AM is a terrific time to party. He wakes for a couple hours and then goes back to sleep, and I'm getting a wee bit tired of it. He's getting about 3 teeth at once...I think that accounts for some of it. Good times.

Enough with the whining. Here's what's been going on:

--We went to San Antonio on the 4th of August through the 7th. We drove there & back, takes about 7 hrs each way. Boys were surprisingly good in the car...there was one time when one of them started to scream and cry, but I just told him, "Jeff, if you keep that up we're going home" and he stopped. Oh, but seriously...

We stayed in the Sheraton Guntor which is this really beautiful old hotel that Sheraton bought & rennovated. I had TERRIFIC sleep while there (I should say the baby had terrific sleep and therefore I did), may have had to do with the dark curtains & the fact that we kept the room near freezing. So that was a real bonus. (It occurs to me that some of my 'kin' and I spend quite a lot of time talking about our sleep, or lack of it, when we should know that nobody really gives a flying truck. It's only important to the person who's losing the sleep. So I will endeavor in the future to ensure that I don't do this anymore. Yeah, right.)

We went to Sea World on the 1st day...the San An. Sea World is big on roller coasters and short on actual Sea stuff. That's because San Antonio is probably about 500 miles from the nearest ocean. So that was kind of so-so. We got rained out by the tropical storm coming into Galveston, and Noah & Dillon were kind of grumpy. I think they're a little young for that park yet. But I rode the Sea Eel ride of Doom, which was fun. Had to do it alone, while Jeff watched the kids. Thanks honey.

A highlight of the trip was going to the Riverwalk. Whoever designed the thing did a good job...seems like all these old trees are still there, a couple stories high some of them, all along the river. And these businesses are all operating along the waterfront on either side, mostly restaurants. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there, to get a Hurricane glass; I drank the hurricane, Jeff collects the glasses. Everyone goes home happy. (He's got the glasses from all over the States). Anyway, it's a beautiful thing, the Riverwalk. You should go if you can. San Antonio is a really pretty place, from what we saw of it.

We also 'did' the Alamo & the zoo. We met up an old friend of mine, Richard, with whom I used to live at the School. His wife & two kids were there & we had a blast. Thanks for meeting us, guys, it was good seeing you.

So all in all a good trip. Our first, as a family, with no one else along.

--We had a new kitchen floor put in, more wood laminate. Like the sleep, this is the sort of thing that is riveting to the person involved and not so much to everyone else. But it rocked my world for about 3 days.

--Dillon has learned to crawl & pull himself up hanging onto things & will even walk a few side shuffle steps while holding on. He's the proud owner of two bottom teeth & so has ushered in the super-fun era of "the Biting of the Boob". His two top teeth and at least one other bottom one are all coming in at once right now, so he's a real barrel of laughs. I am trying to potty train Noah for, like, the 12th time, and he is duly made to ride the potty train, kicking and screaming all the way, for as many times a day as I can remember. If anyone has a tip for me, let me know. He won't be bribed & I don't want to threaten, so anything besides those two.

And that's all, folks. Pics to follow. Hope you've been healthy, happy & prosperous.

Birthdays and Anniversaries "R" Us

2008-08-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to do a little shout out here to 2 very special people to me who have their birthdays on the same day, the 7th. It's a little late, but I wanted to acknowledge them:

1st: Abi, my youngest sister. I love you sveetie. Haven't seen you in a coon's age, but I hear things from time to time and know that you seem to be doing well. Can't believe that you're already 19...crazy how time flies. You have the sweetest disposition & I'm so proud of you for all you do for others. Bless you, my child.

2nd: Paula, my mother-in-law. I love you too! You're a terrific mother, as is evidenced by your son(s) & daughter...and I feel blessed to know you. Thank you for all the love & care you show Jeff & I and also our kids. We miss you!
Happy Birthday!

And Happy 4th Anniversary to Jeff & I. Four good years, baby. I think we made some good choices. You make the magic happen for me. I love you.

Happy Birthday to me

2008-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is my birthday. I know, I know....I'm like a 5 year old. Seriously. I really thought that once I got "upwards in years" (I'll be 31 GASP) I would, like, stop not being able to sleep the night before in case the birthday fairy came or something like that. Or stop expecting everyone I know to show up at my surprise party with presents and cake. But, here we are, 31 years later and still going strong with the delusions of childhood. Oh well. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I distinctly remember Tom (of Eva) at the office house where I lived when I was 7 creating this gem:
"Oh little town of Cleveland,
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The husband of Maggie (his wife at the time)
The father of Tina, and of the twins....
(And I can't remember the last line)"
It was a song to be sung on the eve of his birthday. I imagine he was in his late 30s. Of course, at the time I thought he was in his dotage. And because we're really digressing here, I remember that Mom's birthday, which fell right after his, was forgotten because we all got so much into Tom's. And she felt bad about it which consequently made me feel really bad, and so I've carried the burden of guilt for that to this day. Thanks, Mom. (Hee hee hee)
So I guess I'm not the only senior citizen in the world who still feels like a child over their birthday. So sing with me:
"Happy Birthday to me,
I live in El Paso
Which looks like Mexico,
But without all the cleanliness and greenery."
Thank you.
Also, if you would like to get me a present, a house in California would be nice. They're on sale now, I believe.

Pix

2008-07-30T11:37:00.001-07:00

Jennie at the zoo. She's had some work done and is really unrecognizable.

Boys on tiger.

Noah burnt his foot on our lawnmower (quite seriously, actually.) Daddy is comforting him.

We love our Grandma!

The birthday boy!

Opening the presents.

Young Dilly Pickle.

My 3 year old pirate.

Our kitchen floor was damaged when our fridge leaked and the water sat for a couple days. Never a dull moment! What a good use for Jeff's bonus, because we really didn't have anything else we wanted to spend that money on besides a brand new kitchen floor. I'm not bitter.

Presents!

Jeff & Jennie decorated this. Good job!

I did the cake. Kidding. Thanks, Albertsons.

Bradley in our lake in the yard during a rainstorm.

This is a favorite. Makes me laugh. Look at their faces.

Pickles and I.

Dinosaur madness.

Ahoy, you frickin dude. (Actual Noah quote.)