Halloween 2009

Pumpkin Patch 2009

1st day of 1st grade for our 1st born

As expected, Sarah's first day of school this year was very different than her first day of school last year - for all of us! Most importantly, Daddy was in the country (at home, more specifically). The nervous, anxious, first-day-of-kindergarten-jitters, were replaced this year with confidence, readiness and excitement. It was so comforting to walk her through the halls into her classroom and see so many familiar faces this year. Her teacher seems wonderful, and she already knows a handful of kids in her class. I think it's going to be a great year!

Quick trip to Austin

My mom and I took the girls to Austin last week to visit my grandparents, which I hadn't done all summer. I'm lucky enough to have 4 living grandparents, so it's really special to see my kids with each of them. We got to see my sister too, the bride-to-be! She had a bouquet of flowers for each of the girls and asked them to be flower girls in her wedding .... oh, were they excited!

Tiny dancer

Julia started dance class last week. There's just something so cute about little girls in pink leotards and tights! She gets to do tap and ballet and evidently they go on "bear hunts" too! She's loving it so far.

Special Sarah

The past week has been filled with significant milestones for Sarah, including turning 6 years old! We celebrated the weekend before her actual birthday with a pool party at our neighborhood pool. She had a blast with her family and friends and was super excited about some of the presents she opened. On her actual birthday us girls went to IHOP for breakfast (and a birthday sundae of course!). The waitresses made her a silly hat out of a coffee filter with sugar substitute packets stapled to it - she LOVED it! One of her favorite things right now are fake fingernails, which Julia remembered, and said she wanted to get for Sarah for her birthday. I love it when such small things mean so much to kids!

Disney World!

Well, here it is exactly two weeks before school starts, and this is my first post all summer long. It hasn't been for lack to blog about or desire to blog, I just have-not-had-the-time-or-energy! We've had such a busy summer - which is okay by me because at my household boredom tends to equal trouble and fighting. Anyway, I couldn't let the most significant part of summer go without a tribute on my neglected blog, so ...

We vacationed at Disney World from July 26 - August 1, thanks in part to a discount Disney is giving military members right now. This was truly a dream come true for me, because last fall, while Carlton was still in Afghanistan, and I was desperately needing something to look forward to, I started daydreaming about going to Disney World. Carlton had never been to Disney, and was skeptical about the effort and financial investment really being worth all of the "magic" that Disney touts. After several dead-end conversations about my little daydream, I dismissed it as something we'd just have to revisit another year. But, one day Carlton came home and said, "I think we should go to Disney!" I gave him a strange look as if I was uncertain that the man that just said those words was really my husband, and then quickly replied, "okay, let's do it" (so as to not give him a second to change his mind!). We did lots of research, planning, polling friends who had already made the trek and shopping to get ready.

In a nutshell, parts of our trip were very magical. You just can't recreate the magic of meeting the princesses face-to-face, or any of the other characters for that matter. It's not every night you get to see fireworks over Cinderella's castle or see a magnificent light parade with all of your favorite Disney characters.
And, visitng some of the Disney icons like the Dumbo ride and It's a Small World were very nostalgic for me, since I went to Disney Land several times as a small child while we lived in California. It was a full-circle moment for me to watch my kids enjoy some of the same rides I had enjoyed as a child. However, I am certain that collectively we have never been as hot as we were on this trip. I mean h-o-t! It also rained more than normal while we were there which complicated getting to and from the parks. Some days the kids were just so miserable from the "conditions" that it was hard for them to enjoy all of the magic, and of course it wore on us parents too (especially when you know how much you're paying for it all!). That said, we made some wonderful memories, and I'm certain that as time passes we will remember all of the magic, and less of the misery!

I think I took close to 300 pictures, but here are some of our favorites!

Lucky to live in San Antonio

The past few weekends have been busy with birthdays and other events, but this weekend we didn't have anything on the calendar, which is always nice too. But, we've come to learn that, at least for this stage in life, sometimes a Saturday with nothing to do can turn into a long, boring, restless day, instead of the hoped-for R&R. So, Saturday morning we got going and decided to play tourist in our own city. We were down at the Riverwalk by 9 a.m. (not hard to do when your kids get up early anyway), rode a river boat, played at the Hemisphere Park playground and had lunch at Casa Rio (margaritas and all). It was wonderful!

I highly suggest to anyone who is planning to visit the Riverwalk in San Antonio to get there early and experience the Riverwalk while it's still calm and quiet. It's beautiful and a very different feeling than the afternoon or evening when it's usually hot and crowded.

As we were heading back home, I felt so blessed to live in this city, where we can experience a mini-vacation in just a few hours. Another very cool thing happened on the way home from the Riverwalk ... my sister called to tell us she has a shiny little something on her left hand! Congratulations Bethany and Joe ... we're so happy for you!

Julia's 3rd birthday

Last Saturday was Julia's 3rd birthday and we celebrated by having a tu-tu party at our house. This girl lives in dress-up dresses and loves nothing more than to have a "party dance" as she calls it. As long as she's all dolled up and has some music to dance to, she's a happy girl! So, in addition to family, about 8 little girls joined her to decorate princess crowns, play pass-the-ballet-slipper and dance and twirl with ribbon wands (which was supposed to happen outside in the warm sunshine - with lots of space to swing their wands around, but due to a downpour just as the party started we had to do everything indoors. Let's just say I was extremely thankful no one poked an eye out with these cute little ribbon wands ... that were supposed to be used outside!)

Thanks to everyone who made the trip and made Julia's day extra special!

The birthday girl enjoying her birthday pancake breakfast.

Concentrating really hard to ride her new Dora scooter!

The ribbon-wand dancing ... indoors.

My mother-in-law always takes care of getting the birthday cakes for her grandkids, and unless otherwise requested, the cakes are made by Linda Goodman in Victoria. They taste heavenly and she does an amazing job of decorating them. This is extra special for us because Linda made our wedding cake too!

Playing with her new dollhouse.

Roadtrip

The weekend before last we went on a little road trip to celebrate some special family events. My cousin just graduated from Texas State and we went to a party in her honor at my aunt and uncle's house in Austin. Halie is such a beautiful, sweet and smart girl and we wish her the best as she starts this new chapter in life!

Before the party we swung by Hula Hut, known for its mexican/polynesian cuisine and fun, lakeside atmosphere. Unfortunately it was pooring down rain, but it didn't stop Carlton and I from reminiscing about one of our first dates there. Who knew that over 9 years later we'd come back with two little girls in tow!

After a visit with my grandparents that evening, we headed to our next destination, Houston, for my nephew's first birthday party. We spent the night in a hotel, which is always a treat for the kids. We even got up the next morning and braved the clouds and mild temperatures for a swim in the pool. Carlton and I often marvel at how the most simple things in life are grand adventures for kids. After the swim, clean up and quick lunch, we headed to the birthday party.

First birthdays are such a milestone - for the child but mostly for the parents. We were honored to share this special time with them and had so much fun watching this adorable little guy play with the beach balls, eat a cupcake and absorb some well-deserved attention.

I've especially had fun having a nephew, since it's all pink around our house! I wish we could see him more often but it's great to keep up with him through my sister-in-law's wonderful blog.

Oh yes, and this post wouldn't be complete without capturing the new contraption that Cartlon engineered for this trip to help provide some "personal space" for our two backseat passengers who can't seem to help from pestering each other. The towel simply unrolled to provide a "wall" that, in theory, was not to be touched, or swatted at, or pulled back or otherwise messed with. I lost track of how many times I heard Carlton say, "respect the wall!" but it sure provided for some entertainment and at times a mild distraction from the pestering. The cliche is so true ... the things a parent will do!

Fiesta!

Both girls had Fiesta celebrations at their schools last week. Julia had a trike-a-thon and Sarah had to make a float that she got to pull in the kindergarten parade. Second only to Mardi Gras, Fiesta is a good excuse for San Antonians (and all others who travel here) to p-a-r-t-y. The kids even get a school holiday out of it for the Battle of the Flowers parade. We're not big crowd people, so we stay away from the formal parades, but it's fun to participate in the kiddie versions of the festivities.

Expanding her vocabulary

So, we always thought that since Sarah loves to talk Julia might be a little more introverted, quiet or shy. But whoa were we wrong! Since Sarah started kindergarten in the fall, and Julia has had more one-on-one time with me, she talks all - of - the - time!!! She's really started putting more complete sentences together that sound very grown-up. Today we had a conversation that went something like this:

Julia: Mom, can I ask you a favor?

Me: Um, okay, what?

Julia: Can you pick up my crocs for me and put them away?

Me: (jaw dropped) Sweetheart, Mommy does favors for you all day long. You can pick your shoes up by yourself.

And, last Friday at MOPS, one of the adult helpers in Julia's Moppets room told me that Julia had told her that I got frustrated that morning because she didn't want to wear a ponytail. Geez! Talk about accountability! For the record, I think I maybe rolled my eyes and let out a sigh as she exerted her independence that morning over her hairstyle.

Spring Break

The girls and I enjoyed some time in Victoria last week during Sprink Break hanging out with family and visiting the sites of Victoria. It was a great change of pace, and of course the girls get spoiled with both sets of grandparents around.

A rite of passage

Last Friday definitely an exciting evening at our house ... Sarah lost her first tooth! It had been loose for a while and she had been complaining that it hurt when she bit into hard foods like apples. When we got home Friday night after supper, I noticed it looked a little grey, and Carlton asked her if she wanted him to pull it. After some initial hesitation, she agreed, and two or three tries later she had a tiny hole in her pretty little bottom row of teeth. She wanted to call everyone we are related to to share the news!

Carlton and I were marveling the other night at how many "firsts" she has accomplished over the past several weeks/months. She has learned how to read, started learning how to ski, lost her first tooth, learned how to tie her shoes and started taking piano lessons. She's eager to learn and takes on new challenges with patience and determination.

P.E. Showcase

Sarah was chosen along with four other kids from her class to participate in the P.E. Showcase for our school district, and I must admit it was bigger deal than I originially thought it would be. Each grade level from about six schools in our district learned the same routine and performed it together. Several routines included props like hula-hoops, parachutes, ribbon wands, and balls. The kindergarteners performed an aerobic routine to "I'm a Believer." It was so cute and Sarah was pumped to be a part of it. She's quite the performer! (She's in the black shirt on the left.)

Where's Waldo?