Our crazy, I mean wonderful, world

Halloween 2009

2009-11-08T18:05:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-11-08T17:50:00.001-08:00

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

2009-08-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-31T12:51:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-31T11:22:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-04-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-14T11:15:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

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?

Steamboat '09

2009-03-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

For the fourth consecutive year, my family has gone to Steamboat Springs, CO to enjoy some R&R. We're fortunate enough to have access to a very nice house, complete with outdoor hot-tubs, so you almost have to peel yourself away from the luxurious amenities to visit the mountain and town.

There are always so many wonderful memories from our time in Colorado, but some of the highlights of this year included: our best travel yet; Sarah skied for three days in a row including a day with Dad on the mountain; Julia got on ski's for the first time. My nephew also cut his first tooth while we were there, which was ironic because Julia cut her first tooth while we were there two years ago. Fun times and happy memories!

A good day

2009-02-17T17:45:00.001-08:00

I don't often post without a picture, but today was one of those days I want to remember, especially when the next day rolls around that I'm not wanting to remember so clearly.

First, we had a good old-fashioned dose of sibling rivalry at our house yesterday, coupled with fatigue and lots of together time (yesterday was a school holiday for Sarah), leaving Mom (me) exhausted and wondering why my sweet daughters insist on fighting so much lately. This is a fairly new dynamic for the girls, and the way I'm handling it is clearly not effective (any advice is VERY welcome!). Days like yesterday chip away at my mommy-confidence and strengthen my desperate desire to raise girls that are not only sisters but truly good friends. Well, today was the sunshine behind the clouds of yesterday. They played together, shared without my constant reminders and laughed together ... the kind of belly-laughing that makes you laugh just because you hear it. Oh, it was music to my ears! In my short journey of motherhood I've learned that when there's a challenging day/week/month, don't give up hope because something good and rewarding is around the corner. Now if I can only remember that when the next round of squabbling starts!

The other highlight from today was what I refer to as my "paycheck." At dinner tonight, Julia reached over and touched my arm and said, "You're a beautiful mom." It was the most angelic thing she's ever said to me (believe me, there have been plenty of un-angelic things too! :) I wouldn't trade any monetary amount, job title or corner office for those sweet words spoken by one of my kids. I've been a stay-at-home-mom for over five years and can say with all sincerety that I wouldn't rather be doing any other job than the one I'm doing right now. Words of affirmation are definitely one of my top love languages, and Julia spoke to my heart tonight, and I'm feeling very loved!

Cowboy breakfast

2009-02-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

My good friend who is originally from Chicago claims that the way us Texans dress up and celebrate rodeo time is a little reminiscent of the way of the rest of the world dresses up for Halloween, but hey, in Texas we do things big, right? I love this time of year because even though I'll never be a cowgirl, it's fun to participate in all the festivities. Julia's school had a cowboy breakfast, complete with an adorable background for picture-taking, but my little cowgirl had that fake, forced "smile" in all the pictures I took indoors. Luckily this one outside turned out okay.

Princess tea-party

2009-02-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Sarah was recently invited to a tea-party birthday party and was it ever cute! The girls got to choose their own dress and shoes, have their nails painted, hair done with glitter and they were served real tea in china cups. They even showed them how to hold their pinky finger out when they picked up the tea cup and served them cucumber sandwiches. The hit of the tea party was the sugar cubes they were allowed to stir in the tea. I'm thinking these pictures of Sarah provide a good idea of what she'll look like in about 10 years when she's wearing "real" make-up ... watch out boys!

The big-girl bed

2009-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

We finally took Julia's crib down a few weeks ago and she moved into her "big-girl bed." We had been in no rush to make this transition because this kid loved her crib! She never tried once to climb out and she slept like a baby. But it was definitely time. And although the event was exciting for her, I have to admit I was a little bit sad. I don't remember being sad when Sarah moved out of the crib, but I think since Julia is the "baby" it represents such a milestone to take the crib down that's been a focal piece of furniture in our house now for the the last 5+ years.

We had been talking to Julia about how she could move to the big bed sometime soon, and one night as I was rocking her, she told me, "I sleep in big girl bed!" So, I tucked her in the big bed and you would have thought I was throwing her an elaborate party ... she kept saying "Excited! I excited!" Several weeks later she's still enthusiastic about her new sleeping arrangements. She wants all the pillows, blankets and stuffed animals she can find right by her.

(For the first few nights, she woke up with quite a birds' nest in her hair!)

Playing catch-up

2009-02-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm not proving to be the most consistent blogger so far, but I'm not giving up yet. Since I haven't posted since before Christmas, I'll inlcude some pictures from the holidays, which were wonderful! We have such amazing families that all make a point to get together at Christmas, which adds to the joy of the season. Santa brought a trampoline for the girls this year ... and a couple of orange dum-dums for Julia!

Our camping trip to Bastrop

2008-12-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Desperate to have something to look forward to after Carlton's return, we started planning a camping trip earlier this fall. We'd never gone camping just the four of us but thought it sounded like the perfect way to spend a few December days and it couldn't have gone any better. Carlton's parents were generous enough to lend us their camper, which the girls love, and were already very familiar with since they've gone camping with their Grandma and Grandpa and cousins on several occassions.

We spent three nights at Bastrop State Park, home of the famous "Lost Pines." Temperatures were very mild the first couple of nights and then a strong cold front blew in and allowed us to bundle up and be very grateful for heat at the flip of a switch. (Those poor tent campers down the way from us!)

We kept commenting about how nice it was to be relaxed and enjoying family time the weekend before Christmas, a time that is typically busy and stressful. We know that Carlton's unusual schedule allowed us to do this and while we'll probably never get to go camping again right before Christmas, we'll certainly never forget the wonderful memories we made! Here are a few of the highlights:

- Sarah gaining confidence riding her bike
- staring up at the stars and tall pine trees
- smores, hot chocolate, hot dogs, breakfast tacos (everything tastes better when you're camping!)
- the centerpiece Sarah created for our picnic table
- playing indoor putt-putt golf ... Sarah loved it and after some bribery Julia came around to liking the black-light panther that originally scared her to death
- Julia securing food for the deer she just knew we were going to see on one of our hikes (a handful of leaves and a stick)
- Julia and Sarah reluctantly hanging out together while we packed up the camper, but ending up having the best laughing fit I've ever heard them have!

Christmas programs

2008-12-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

Once again, I haven't posted anything in a while, but tis the season for doing a hundred things other than posting on my blog! Here are some pictures of the girls' Christmas programs. Sarah was in the program at our church and Julia participated in the program at her school. Julia's favorite song was Feliz Navidad ... what can we say, she's a true San Antonian!

Blast from the past

2008-12-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

This video clip from Christmas 2005 is one of our family favorites! Santa and Rudolph will be well-fed come Christmas Eve, if Sarah has anything to do with it.

An orange dum-dum and chicken pot pie

2008-12-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

I couldn't let this go without somehow documenting it and figured some of you would get a chuckle out of it. When we ask Julia what she wants for Christmas, her reply is "orange dum-dum, chicken pot-pie!" This is consistently her answer, so Santa gets off easy this year, aside from some cooking. :) She loves dum-dums, but I have no idea where the chicken pot-pie came from (other than people usually laugh when she says it so of course she loves saying it now!)

An especially thankful Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

Since Carlton had just gotten home two days before Thanksgiving, we stayed at our house for the holiday and had the traditional turkey and dressing meal just the four of us. We missed being with extended family but got to see most everyone later that weekend. We enjoyed hanging out on the deck to watch the Macy's parade and later that night to roast marshmallows in the chiminea and watch the football game.

A happy homecoming

2008-12-06T16:52:00.001-08:00

I'm back ... and so is he!

2008-12-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it's been a month since I last posted, but then again life has been a little out-of-the-ordinary the past several weeks. Carlton arrived home on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so needless to say it was a truly thankful day for us! In the week leading up to his arrival, Julia got an ear infection, busted her lip and I got a really bad cold, but we were all well by the time he got home. His flight was scheduled to arrive at 1:30 p.m., so we took Julia to Little Gym that morning, had lunch and then headed to the airport. I actually felt butterflies in my stomach ... you know the kind you feel when you're just falling in love? It was fun to experience that again and Carlton and I later talked about how you can't recreate that feeling unless you're apart for an extended period of time. I think we're both okay with no butterflies in the stomach for a good while!

As we were getting out our homemade signs and I was telling the girls where to watch for Daddy, a man asked if I was waiting on someone in the military. In no time, a handful of volunteers were there with flags and a banner to add to our little welcome party. And a lady standing nearby offered to take a picture of me and the girls.

Sarah ran into Carlton's arms the minute she saw him and tears immediately came to my eyes, knowing that he was really home, for good, right there with us. It was finally real. Julia was all smiles and excited to see him but didn't want to get too close to him until we got back to our house.

The last week and a half have gone as smoothly as can be expected. We're all readjusting to our roles in the family, and I'm relishing in the fact that I have my partner back! I have a whole new appreciation for single parents.

I have lots of pictures to share so I'm going to break them up into a few different posts. Thanks for checking back ... I'll try to post again before the first of the year!

Confessions of a kindergartener

2008-11-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Sarah woke up super early this morning, so she was hanging out with me as I was getting ready. Out of the clear blue, tears started forming in her eyes and she said, "Mommy, I have something to tell you, but don't get mad." I put my concealer down and gave my full attention to her, awaiting what she was going to tell me. She said, "Mommy, sometimes when I tell you that I have white milk at school, I really get chocolate or strawberry milk, and I'm really sorry!" (As I'm sure all you parents can relate, I was relieved to know we were talking about milk choices here ... not that I expected anything more serious, but you never know.) You see, Sarah and I have a little deal; we talk about what kind of milk she's going to get at school each day. Our general rule has been that if you get chocolate or strawberry milk one day, you get white milk the next. It all appeared to be going so smoothly! Anyway, this mornings' little confession opened the door for a great talk about telling the truth, and I was grateful to scoop her in my arms, hug her, and easily forgive this minor offense. Here's to hoping her conscience will always prevail!

"Why?"

2008-11-05T11:40:00.001-08:00

I did not remember that kids starts asking that innocent and short, yet very persistent and annoying question, "why?" around 2 years of age! But Julia now questions most of my actions and words with "why?" A few days ago, she asked the question, and I finally said, "because I said so!" And she replied, "oh, cool!" I'm cherishing that because I know very soon that little three-letter question is going to drive me crazy!

Horsin' around

2008-11-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Carlton's former boss invited us out to her house which is near Bulverde. They have land, horses, a longhorn, goats, dogs and cats. The girls had a blast just seeing the animals up close and I was suprised they both rode the horse.

Halloween

2008-10-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't help the Horns win tomorrow night, I don't know what will! (Sorry Ed and Carrie ... and Carlton too!).
Hook 'Em and Happy Halloween!

Hangin' out with Julia

2008-10-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's been so fun to be able to spend some one-on-one time with Julia now that Sarah is in school. Here are a few pictures from this week.

(Oh, if I could only have that kind of happy attitude while cleaning the potty!)

"Dink muk!"

2008-10-28T18:51:00.001-07:00

I admit it ... I let my child drink the milk from her cereal bowl! And it's part of our little morning ritual now. Since school has started, and I'm the only one getting us out the door in the mornings, cereal is the breakfast of choice at our house (my kids will actually turn down other yummy breakfast foods because they're so addicted to cereal!). For a couple of months now, Julia will eat most of the cereal from her bowl, then say, "dink muk?" and proceed to drink the milk from her bowl.

Some other amusing things she does/says right now:
- she refers to lips as "ips" and loves to put lipstick/chapstick on herself or me; she also notices anyone wearing lipstick and will point and say "ips!"
- in the last week or so she's started saying, "miss ya mommy" when I'm not around or when she knows I'm leaving.
- sometimes when we're outside on the swingset I'll sit on a swing and she'll push me; she stands in front of me and puts one hand on her hip and pushes me with the other hand ... every time!
- this girl is still obsessed with brushing and fixing my hair! I think beauty school might be in her future. :) It's actually pretty relaxing for me though and she always comes around to look at me from the front to check out her masterpiece and will say, "Pretty? Okay."

Daisy Sarah

2008-10-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sarah has joined the first level of Girl Scouts, so she's officially a Daisy. There are about a dozen 5-6 year olds in her troop and they're so darn cute when they sit in a circle and say their little Daisy pledge. It's kind of like being in a club. And I'm pretty sure that most of Sarah's preconceived notions about what Girl Scouts would be like came from watching an episode of Max and Ruby (one of her and Julia's favorite shows) where Ruby is a "bunny scout." So far, she loves it!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to the Bracken United Methodist pumpkin patch today, and it was the perfect day to be outside! Bracken is a small community on the north side of San Antonio, but you feel like you're out in the country. I always love this time of year and a trip out to Bracken has become a "must" to help it truly feel like fall.

Of course it wasn't the same without Carlton, but the girls had fun looking at all the pumpkins, taking a hay ride, and enjoying some bribery candy for all their sweet smiles for the camera.

Unfortunately the trip ended with Julia throwing a temper tantrum because we didn't get one of the 3-4 wagons they had to haul pumpkins. Nevermind the fact that we didn't need it and would have had to wait a long time to use one. Luckily, a man sitting close-by with his baby boy saw what was going on and offered to help. At first I was embarrassed to accept help from a complete stranger when it was obvious I couldn't control my own child ... or carry the heavy pumpkin I'd just bought. But it didn't take me long to realize that that man's willingness to "help another parent in need" (as he said) was God's little gift to me. This man did just what Carlton would have done if he'd been there - he helped carry my load. He even tried to make Julia laugh by chasing her shadow, and I think the scowl on her face finally melted.

All in all the trip was a success; memorable to say the least!

Meeting baby Kensie

2008-10-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last week my good friend Jenny and I headed north on I35 to visit another friend of ours (we all went to high school together) Monica, who just had a precious baby girl. It was so much fun meeting baby Kensie, and of course seeing the other kids together too. This baby girl was all smiles!

Splish Splash!

2008-10-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

These sisters had so much fun at bath time last night!

Pajama Day!

2008-10-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sarah had pajama day at school today and they could also bring a teddy-bear. She was very excited that she got to wear the same thing to bed and to school!

Julia-isms

2008-10-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

This post will be most interesting to Carlton, but others of you will appreciate it too!
Julia's vocabulary has really blossomed over the past several weeks (maybe Sarah being in school has something to do with this????) and some of the things she says are so funny. It's much cuter in person, but I wanted to capture some of them in writing.

-- "Sawah do dat" (Sarah do that) or "Mommy do dat" (she usually says this when she's doing something herself that she's seen me or Sarah do
-- "Mo again" (More again) - means she wants me to do something again
-- "Tank ooo Sawah!" (her cute little way of saying thank you, which she frequently says; she also says "no tank ooo" a lot)
-- "Cool!" (no explanation needed, other than it sounds so funny for a 2 year old to observe things in life and respond, "cool")
-- "Deal?" - it's so funny how being around a 2 year old all day will reveal what words/phrases you use as a mom, and evidently I will present a plan/situation to Julia and then ask her, "deal?" so now she sometimes does it to me
-- "Good morning to you!" - Sometimes she sings this to the tune of "Happy Birthday", which I can only guess she's learned at school
-- "My car?" - when we walk through a parking lot now, she usually tries to guess which car is ours, and she usually narrows it down to all of the silver vehicles in the lot
-- "Hoooome! Daddy truck!" - this is what she says as soon as we're in view of our house, and Daddy's truck sitting out front

Super Sonic!

2008-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of times over the past few weeks, we've gone to Sonic after we pick Sarah up from school for a special drink/snack. The girls just think it's the best thing in the world. Julia usually gets an apple juice slush, Sarah has fun picking out a different flavor slush each time and we usually split an order of cheese sticks - yum! I laughed yesterday as we were driving back home because all I could hear was the squeaking of straws against styrofoam cups as both girls tried to stir their slush.

A weekend at home

2008-09-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first full weekend that the girls and I have spent at home entirely by ourselves since Carlton left, and it was wonderful! We really needed the down time to just play, watch movies, take naps and go at our own pace. On Saturday morning Sarah and Julia pretended for hours. Then we went to play outside and before it was all over Sarah decided to have some water play in the sprinkler ... in her pajamas! It was just the kind of spontaneous thing she needed, and I had fun just watching her be a kid. Little sister is a bit more reserved about playing in the sprinkler so she watched from afar.

Our little Texan/Afghan princess

2008-09-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

We got a package in the mail from Carlton today (happy day!) and in it were some dress-up clothes for the girls and scarves for me. Julia's favorite past-time these days is playing dress up, so she didn't waste anytime putting on her new "Barbie dress" as she calls it.

Cute cousin Carter

2008-09-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled that my brother, Stephen and his wife and new baby could come visit us on their way home Sunday. They live in Houston and have been house-hopping since Ike, so I know they were anxious to get back to their home, where they finally have power. But we sure were happy to see them and play with Carter for a little while. This little guy is as cute as can be, and Sarah and Julia just loved on him, probably more than he (or his mom!) were comfortable with. :)

A girls weekend

2008-09-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last year, my mom, sister and I went to NYC for a girls get-away, and we had so much fun that we decided to plan another trip this fall. Although it was a little closer to home and not quite as glitzy, Fredericksburg was the destination of choice. Good food, good shopping and great company - perfect! My girls ended up coming with us too, which provided some entertainment/drama/laughter/and yes, tears that we wouldn't have otherwise had, but we made some great memories and just had fun being together.

My mom's birthday is next weekend so we surprised her with a little celebration.

By the time we were leaving and trying to get a good group picture, Julia was acting, well, like a 2 year old.

We hope my sister-in-law, Gina, can join us next year!

Missing Sarah

2008-09-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

For every way that Sarah has had to adapt to the new school schedule, so has Julia. I have to wake her up in the morning to get Sarah to school on time (and sometimes Julia just tags along in her pajamas with cereal in hand) and I have to put her down for a nap earlier, and then wake her up from her nap to go pick up Sarah. Well, lately, when Julia and I are going to run errands, or sometimes even when we're getting ready to go to her school, she'll say, "pick Sarah up?" This morning after we took Sarah to school, we came home and got Julia ready for her school day, and she was just moping around. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "miss Sarah!" Oh, she got lots of hugs and love for that response! Usually, she's whining for her pacifier or blanket, but this morning she just wanted her sister. Great reassurance for mom, given the bickering that's gone on between these two sisters this week!

A sweet and swirly treat

2008-09-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Carlton went to the circus a few months ago and got these lollipops. I had stored them away for a day like today when we just needed something yummy and fun to help pass the time.

A visit with Melodi

2008-09-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

My childhood friend and college roommate came to visit me and the girls this weekend, and it was so fun to hang out with her! Melodi and I have some fun stories from our past - ranging from church camp as kids to late nights during college in Austin. We rode the train in Breckenridge Park and fed the ducks today before going out for lunch. Thanks for the visit Melodi!

A yard-mowin' kind of gal

2008-09-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Mowing the yard has never been one of my chores or responsibilities. I'm not too prissy for it, I've just always been fortunate enough to have men in my life (dad, brother, husband) that took care of that job. Well, guess who has already mowed the yard twice since her husband deployed? And I've actually kind of enjoyed it (shhhh, don't tell Carlton that!) I haven't braved the edger yet though - that thing scares me. I'll post a picture if/when I attempt that.

Julia's first day of preschool ... well, kind of

2008-09-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today I dropped Julia off at her first day of preschool at Northern Hills church and she did great! She actually attended mothers-day-out at a different church last year, so whether you call it MDO or preschool, she's already had a year of this. But this year she's going to a different church, so in a way it's a "first."

She strutted her tough-guy walk (something that makes her such an individual ... a sweet little blonde haired girl that walks very macho sometimes!) from the car to the building as if she had done it a hundred times. When we got to her room she was a little more reserved and held onto my leg as I helped her teachers get her belongings in the right cubbies/baskets. But the teacher quickly distracted her with some dolls as I left the room.

As I walked out to the car, I was torn between feelings of elation since I now had a few hours of freedom to spend my time as I pleased and a tinge of sadness that another year was starting, which inevitably means time is marching along and my little girls are growing up. Now, I love to watch and experience each step of my girls growing up - I marvel at the way they learn and the way they transform from chubby-cheeked babies to toddlers and then "big girls" who want nothing to do with bows in their hair. So I let a few tears well in my eyes as I drove off in my sentimental state, and then quickly cranked up my music and started cleaning my house. (Yep, that's what I chose to do with my first day to myself ... it was badly needed!)

A 90th birthday celebration

2008-08-31T18:31:00.001-07:00

This weekend I had the privilege of joining Carlton's family to celebrate his grandmother's 90th birthday in Victoria. What a milestone! Nana, as she's affectionately referred to, looked great as always (hair and make-up fixed and painted fingernails) and was in good spirits. She's an amazing lady, with an amazing family, and I was honored to be a part of her special day. Here are some pictures from the party, as well as one of Julia and her cousin Maggie just goofing around.

Julia bonded with her uncle Ed this weekend. It was pretty evident that she viewed him as the closest thing to her daddy that she'd seen in a while. This picture is from the party, but later in the day while Ed was trying to relax and watch football and nap, he had a 2 year old crawling all over him. Thanks Uncle Ed!

Sarah's first day of kindergarten

2008-08-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

After all of the thought, preparation, paperwork, questions, prayers, conversations, worries, and shopping, it's all over. Sarah's first day of kindergarten that is. I admired the calm confidence she seemed to have this morning as Julia and I hugged her and said good-bye, leaving her at a table with two other little girls, all dressed in pink of course. After we finally got out of the parking lot,about 15 minutes later, and made it the half-mile or so to our house, I got a phone call from Carlton asking how it went.

I had held it together relatively well, which is an accomplishment for any mom dropping her first child off at kindergarten, but when Carlton told me what an accomplishment today was for me, after 5 years as a stay-at-home mom, the tears came. And then later, when flowers arrived on my front porch with a note saying, "congratulations on the first 5 years" the tears came again. I am so grateful for my amazing, thoughtful husband. He couldn't share this important day with us in person, but we certainly knew he was thinking about us.

When I picked Sarah up today she came through the doors holding another little girls' hand; ironically her name is Julia. It's so refreshing that kindergarteners can make friends with another person so easily. A real-life example of "all I really needed to know I learned in kindergarten." The other noteworthy news from today is that Sarah will be buying her lunch from the cafeteria tomorrow. She is most excited about this, and when I asked her if she'd like to wait until I can have lunch with her to help her figure out the logistics of going through the cafeteria line, she said, "Mom, I can figure it out." As long as I promised to provide the exact amount of money she needs (because she "doesn't know about money yet!"). For all of the firsts that Sarah will experience in kindergarten, I'm experiencing just as many. I have to remember, I've spent 5 years giving her roots, and now she's going to use her wings. Thanks for indulging in my sappy thoughts on this common yet significant day in our lives!

A rainy day princess and butterfly

2008-08-25T18:49:00.001-07:00

It has been raining in South Texas for days now, and after a long weekend indoors, the girls were willing to put up with a few sprinkles in order to get some fresh air.

Meet the teacher

2008-08-22T21:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I’m officially entering a new chapter in parenthood, called the public school years! I can hardly believe it’s time, but Sarah starts kindergarten on Monday. I realized I truly hadn’t given it that much thought since I was so preoccupied with Carlton’s departure. But now it’s upon us and I felt a strange sort of excitement walking through the halls of her school tonight as we went to meet her teacher. True to Sarah’s personality, we weren’t able to really tell if she was excited about kindergarten and she was expressing several concerns about school and her teacher throughout the day today (like, she didn’t want her teacher to be old!). Naturally, I was concerned that taking her to meet-the-teacher tonight was only going to add to her anxiety, and my inability to change her mind about how wonderful school will be. But, when her new teacher had everyone in the room sing happy b-day to Sarah, well that just saved the day. Thank goodness for Mrs. Garcia’s intuition! When Sarah was getting out of the car at home she said, “Mom, school isn’t so bad after all!” Whew – can you say relief?

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just had to get some pictures up from the last few days. We went to Victoria Tuesday through Friday and enjoyed celebrating Sarah's actual birthday with family, hanging out with cousins and grandparents, going to the pool, getting a pedicure (for mom!) and being showered with love and support from our wonderful families. I must say it's good to be back home though, and the mama-bear in me is anxious to figure out what our new "normal" is going to be while daddy's away.

Sarah's 5th birthday party!

2008-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

About six weeks ago, Carlton and I decided to have Sarah's 5th birthday party on August 16, not knowing for sure if he'd be here to celebrate with her. We figured if he was still here - great, and if not, it would give the girls and I something to look forward to after his departure. Sure enough, he left the Thursday before her party, but our foresight played out (for once!) and Sarah and I distracted ourselves with excitement and preparations for her Chuck E. Cheese party.

Woo hoo for "rat pizza" (as Carlton calls it)! An hour and a half of pure chaos was worth it since mom didn't have to do an ounce of cleaning or cooking! Sarah had an absoulte wonderful time and was blessed to be joined by so many friends and family. We even called Carlton on the phone and he listened to "happy birthday." Sarah has been enthralled in the world of Barbie and Disney Princess today, thanks to the many nice gifts she received. Yipee for independent play! I'm coming to appreciate that more every day. Happy 5th birthday sweet Sarah - we love you!

Sad Good-byes

2008-08-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Good-bye’s are never easy, especially around our house, and Thursday was no exception. We said good-bye to daddy/hubbie for 3 long months and it wasn’t easy. We started the day with breakfast at the Egg and I and then came back to the house so that Carlton could finish packing and last-minute preparations. There was a sense of calmness once we got back to the house – the girls pretended together wonderfully (which is a rare thing) while Carlton showed me some things on the computer. The rest of the morning unfolded much like a normal day – Sarah played school and Julia played doctor and then talked me into painting. Around lunch time though, with Carlton’s 1:30 p.m. departure, the inevitable sinking feeling hit me hard. Carlton and the girls ate lunch; I just wasn’t hungry. And then he sat on the floor and the girls just crawled all over him, alternating just plain silliness with hugs and kisses. I tried to take a mental picture of all that laughter and love.

Another sweet thing I saw today was Julia walking down the stairs and Carlton was heading upstairs and they stopped to kiss (she in her little pink dress with her blond hair down, and he in his camo and boots). I didn’t have my camera out, and wouldn’t have captured that quick moment even if the camera had been handy, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never forget that sweet sight.

Sarah has gradually come to understand that daddy’s leaving on a long trip, but we know that her concept of time is much different than reality. She’s talked about it very matter-of-factly and seemed most interested in what present daddy will bring when he returns (he always brings home a small gift when he goes on a trip). So, one of the most memorable parts of the day was just a few minutes before we knew Carlton was leaving, the cab company called to let him know his cab would arrive soon. Sarah started crying and asking why a cab was picking him up and why he wasn’t taking his truck. It quickly became apparent that that was the part of this scenario that wasn’t playing out as it had in her mind. She began crying pretty hard which made the final good-bye with Carlton extremely emotional. All three of us were crying, and saying good-bye and then there was little Miss Julia – she wouldn’t give Carlton a hug or kiss and gathered up all of her shopping items (she’d been pretending to go to Target earlier) to wish him farewell. She wasn’t mean about it, just a little prissy, and daddy finally got his kiss.

Sarah and I made a bee-line for the couch to snuggle and sniffle as soon as Carlton was out the door, and Julia came over to pat Sarah on the back and covered her with her most-treasured blankie. Ahhh, this is what melts a mama’s heart! Then, in her little Julia-nese she said, “daddy, work, bye-bye,” and continued some combination of those three words for a little while. It was as if she couldn’t understand why we were so upset because daddy was just going to work.

As Carlton said, that was the hard part for him and now he can start looking forward to coming home. I too will start anticipating his return, but there will be many challenging days for me in the months to come. I’m thankful to have two beautiful girls to help fill the days for me though and couldn’t be more proud of my husband. Sorry for the novel – just had to spill all of the emotions of the day into writing.

Here goes ...

2008-08-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I’d just jump in head first to this whole blogging thing and make my first entry about one of the hardest days I’ve experience in a while. Don’t worry, they won’t all be this heavy, and I’ll include pictures soon, so stay tuned for more!