Thought I'd take a few minutes and summarize the past week or so.
1. Friday Alex decided that he wanted a new mommy. Long story short, he did something he wasn't supposed to do, I called him on it and he got mad at me. This led to Alex calling Mike at work and telling him he wanted a new mommy. Later that same afternoon, he was again in trouble so I sent him upstairs to calm down. He got very quiet, very quickly. About 10 minutes later he came downstairs all happy and excited. He had been coloring and he drew a picture of me. It's very cute and I guess he couldn't be too mad if he was drawing me.
2. Happy Birthday to Me! Thanks for all the birthday wishes. It was a rather uneventful day, but nice not to have any plans or commitments. We had lunch with Steph & Michael (thanks for the spice of the month, totally awesome gift!!) and then spent the rest of the day doing nothing. Alex was in a right rotten mood most of the day, but that's OK too. No cake, but I did make some "birthday cookies". Kind of wishing I had made a cake...
3. Projects! I FINALLY finished the curtains for my friend. It took me a ridiculously long time, but they turned out beautifully and she is thrilled. Now it's onto the next project, reusable sandwich/snack bags. Just something silly I thought about playing with.
4. After who knows how many months (6, 8, 12???) I finally got my hair cut. It's still long and doesn't look any different, but hey, it's something that I've been trying to get to for months now.
5. We're going to a movie tonight, just Mike and I. He bought tickets earlier today, crazy how expensive they have gotten - $19 for 2 tickets. Now I remember why we don't do this more often.
6. Looks like I'm back to cleaning my own house. Oh well, I should be doing it myself anyway. No excuses now.
7. I'm about to start my 27th or 28th novel of the year. I'd love to get 50 in by the end of the year, but I don't know if that will happen. I'm keeping track, maybe at the end of the year I'll list some of my favorites.
And, I guess that's about it. Thanks for visiting.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Really Knowing Mommy & Daddy
The boys never fail to amaze me. Alex is so attuned to everything we say and do (hopefully this won't scar the poor child later in life). So, today...
In the car Alex told me that when he & Ben got big they would get a rocket and fly us to the moon so that we could look at the stars. He said that he and Ben would fly the rocket and that Mommy & Daddy would be the passengers. Alex then told me that we could take some toys and stuff for the trip. He said Daddy could take some of his models and that I could take some books & pens. The thing that amazed me in all of this is that he knew our hobbies, knew that Mike likes to build models and that I like to read & work puzzles (hence the pens). Anyway, maybe not much to anyone else, but it certainly did strike me.
In the car Alex told me that when he & Ben got big they would get a rocket and fly us to the moon so that we could look at the stars. He said that he and Ben would fly the rocket and that Mommy & Daddy would be the passengers. Alex then told me that we could take some toys and stuff for the trip. He said Daddy could take some of his models and that I could take some books & pens. The thing that amazed me in all of this is that he knew our hobbies, knew that Mike likes to build models and that I like to read & work puzzles (hence the pens). Anyway, maybe not much to anyone else, but it certainly did strike me.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Conversation with Alex
In the car on the way home from the gym today:
Alex: I've got lots of stuff to do today.
Mommy: Yeah, what do you have to do?
Alex: Coloring, playing play-doh...
Mommy: Anything else?
Alex: Smelling flowers. Lots of stuff to do. Busy day.
Alex: I've got lots of stuff to do today.
Mommy: Yeah, what do you have to do?
Alex: Coloring, playing play-doh...
Mommy: Anything else?
Alex: Smelling flowers. Lots of stuff to do. Busy day.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Mommy's Job
Ben and I had a conversation about work today. It went something like this:
Ben: Where is Uncle Michael?
Mom: He's at work.
Ben: Where is Aunt Stephanie?
Mom: She's at work too.
Ben: Are they working at home?
Mom: No baby, they aren't at home. They have to work in an office.
Ben: Oh OK, like daddy goes to work in an office?
Mom: Yes, like daddy. You know, mommy works to. Do you know what mommy does?
Ben: Yes.
Mom: What does mommy do?
Ben: Mommy does curling.
There you have it, my official job is curling.
Ben: Where is Uncle Michael?
Mom: He's at work.
Ben: Where is Aunt Stephanie?
Mom: She's at work too.
Ben: Are they working at home?
Mom: No baby, they aren't at home. They have to work in an office.
Ben: Oh OK, like daddy goes to work in an office?
Mom: Yes, like daddy. You know, mommy works to. Do you know what mommy does?
Ben: Yes.
Mom: What does mommy do?
Ben: Mommy does curling.
There you have it, my official job is curling.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Skunkles, Peaches, & Super Heroes
We have a skunkle! In case you are wondering, I will now enlighten you as to what exactly a skunkle is. At breakfast a couple of weeks ago, Alex said "Mommy, there's a skunk in the yard!" Being the good mom I am, I said, "Sure honey, whatever you say. If he comes back again be sure to tell me." A few minutes later, Alex is all excited, "Mommy, the skunk is back!" This time I got to the window to see the "skunk". As you know, everything is bigger in Texas. What we have is a HUGE squirrel that is half black and half brown. The squirrel's head and top half of the body are very black and the lower half, including the back legs and tail is just normal squirrel brown. But the thing is just abnormally large for a squirrel. The coloring is what confused Alex. Anyway, we dubbed the critter the skunkle. He makes a regular appearance in our yard in order to eat our...
Peaches! Yum! For the first time we actually have an abundance of peaches on our tree, not so many that we are overloaded, but enough so that every day we can go pick a couple of ripe ones and have a tasty snack. I think the end is near though and this weekend I will probably pick the last batch. Total, we've probably gotten close to 30 or so peaches. Hard to say for sure because we eat them as fast as we pick them.
And finally, I'm going for mom of the week award. Somehow or other the boys and I were discussing super heroes on Monday and they, mostly Alex actually, decided that they would like some super hero capes. I let the kids pick the fabric all by themselves and I stayed up very late Wed. & Thurs. making super hero capes. They are very happy though, so I am happy!
Peaches! Yum! For the first time we actually have an abundance of peaches on our tree, not so many that we are overloaded, but enough so that every day we can go pick a couple of ripe ones and have a tasty snack. I think the end is near though and this weekend I will probably pick the last batch. Total, we've probably gotten close to 30 or so peaches. Hard to say for sure because we eat them as fast as we pick them.
And finally, I'm going for mom of the week award. Somehow or other the boys and I were discussing super heroes on Monday and they, mostly Alex actually, decided that they would like some super hero capes. I let the kids pick the fabric all by themselves and I stayed up very late Wed. & Thurs. making super hero capes. They are very happy though, so I am happy!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Hi!
Well, hello! How are you? Me, oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Yeah, it does kind of look like I fell off the earth here. No, no reason really. I just haven't felt much like enlightening the world about our lives. Sometimes it's just kind of like that. But, today I am feeling a bit more like sharing. I may have to cut this short though, it's in the middle of nap time and I expect that my little munchkins will wake up soon.
I last left you with pollen, nearly 2 months ago. I had in mind to do a nice little post all about babies shortly after that - baby birds, baby dogs, baby fish, people babies, but I never got around to it. Long story short, we had a spat of babies popping into our lives for a bit there in the spring. We had a nest of baby cardinals, so fun to watch. We saw the eggs, watched them hatch and then watched as they left the nest a short time later. I know I commented on our fish, George & Gracie, and their babies. The first batch of babies resulted in about 4 or 5 that have survived the trials of our tank. There is currently a second batch of babies - probably about 70+, we'll see how many of those survive. Baby people - I had the honor of watching a 2 year old and then a couple of weeks later a 3 year old as their mommas both had new babies. Those were both middle of the night deals too - but, all went well. The new babies are darling and that is that. Finally, baby dogs. Yes, I asked Mike (quite randomly at that) if we could get a puppy. Mostly I think it was just to see how he would react. No, we are not getting a puppy. Yes, it is a COMPLETELY mutual agreement. But, I do have a friend who recently adopted a great dane puppy - so so sweet!
Garden update - wow is it fun to eat stuff I've grown! We pretty much devoured all the spinach and kale already. As soon as my tomatoes are ripe they are eaten right off the plant, still sun-warmed (they are cherry tomatoes) . Same for the strawberries. I dug up my first potato, will dig the rest up this week. The corn is almost ready as well. The herbs make an appearance almost daily in my kitchen, I have to be careful or I will decimate the plants. I did have some caterpillars devour all of my dill and parsley, but I think those plants served a good cause so I won't complain. The peach tree is so full of fruit it's branches are touching the ground in places. I imagine and hope for a good harvest by month's end. My sunflowers are blooming - I even have a red one this year and I finally replanted the front bed. It's been a very successful growing season.
We've been doing plenty to stay busy. The boys are just insane, but I love it (most of the time, sometimes they totally drive me CRAZY!) Pretend school seems to have ended. Really there isn't much to say there, I think the other moms were simply too busy with newborns to participate anymore. I'm OK with that though, it just gives me more time with the boys and more freedom. We've found a new (new to us that is) museum to frequent. It's on the UT campus, has all of these really great fossils and dinosaur skeletons and is absolutely perfect for kids their age. I am glad to have found it now that summer is here, a nice cool place on a scorching day. Which brings me to the weather. We had an amazing spring, much cooler than in years past, with plenty of rain too. But, it is June and that means that the cool weather is gone until October and it will be 90+ for the summer. We'll have 100 degree days starting this weekend.
Oh, I almost forgot, Alex has a new found love for his bike. Back in February and March he started to ride a little bit, but suddenly gave it up and wouldn't touch it. Last week I talked him into a ride again and now he wants to ride every day. We've had a few falls, one pretty good skinned knee and a slightly skinned elbow, but he's still riding. By this time next year, I bet he won't need training wheels any longer. Ben loves to ride too.
Finally, I'm going to leave you with one last run down of todays events. I'm getting hot you see and I want to get something to drink. It's hot because our AC finally died. There are 3 guys working hard to get a new one installed. I caught a scorpion this morning and relocated him to the greenbelt - yay me for not smooshing the little guy. The check engine light came on in my car today, that's my job tomorrow, hopefully it will be nothing. Yuck to all the silliness of the day!
Alex is awake so I'm going now, thanks for stopping by!
I last left you with pollen, nearly 2 months ago. I had in mind to do a nice little post all about babies shortly after that - baby birds, baby dogs, baby fish, people babies, but I never got around to it. Long story short, we had a spat of babies popping into our lives for a bit there in the spring. We had a nest of baby cardinals, so fun to watch. We saw the eggs, watched them hatch and then watched as they left the nest a short time later. I know I commented on our fish, George & Gracie, and their babies. The first batch of babies resulted in about 4 or 5 that have survived the trials of our tank. There is currently a second batch of babies - probably about 70+, we'll see how many of those survive. Baby people - I had the honor of watching a 2 year old and then a couple of weeks later a 3 year old as their mommas both had new babies. Those were both middle of the night deals too - but, all went well. The new babies are darling and that is that. Finally, baby dogs. Yes, I asked Mike (quite randomly at that) if we could get a puppy. Mostly I think it was just to see how he would react. No, we are not getting a puppy. Yes, it is a COMPLETELY mutual agreement. But, I do have a friend who recently adopted a great dane puppy - so so sweet!
Garden update - wow is it fun to eat stuff I've grown! We pretty much devoured all the spinach and kale already. As soon as my tomatoes are ripe they are eaten right off the plant, still sun-warmed (they are cherry tomatoes) . Same for the strawberries. I dug up my first potato, will dig the rest up this week. The corn is almost ready as well. The herbs make an appearance almost daily in my kitchen, I have to be careful or I will decimate the plants. I did have some caterpillars devour all of my dill and parsley, but I think those plants served a good cause so I won't complain. The peach tree is so full of fruit it's branches are touching the ground in places. I imagine and hope for a good harvest by month's end. My sunflowers are blooming - I even have a red one this year and I finally replanted the front bed. It's been a very successful growing season.
We've been doing plenty to stay busy. The boys are just insane, but I love it (most of the time, sometimes they totally drive me CRAZY!) Pretend school seems to have ended. Really there isn't much to say there, I think the other moms were simply too busy with newborns to participate anymore. I'm OK with that though, it just gives me more time with the boys and more freedom. We've found a new (new to us that is) museum to frequent. It's on the UT campus, has all of these really great fossils and dinosaur skeletons and is absolutely perfect for kids their age. I am glad to have found it now that summer is here, a nice cool place on a scorching day. Which brings me to the weather. We had an amazing spring, much cooler than in years past, with plenty of rain too. But, it is June and that means that the cool weather is gone until October and it will be 90+ for the summer. We'll have 100 degree days starting this weekend.
Oh, I almost forgot, Alex has a new found love for his bike. Back in February and March he started to ride a little bit, but suddenly gave it up and wouldn't touch it. Last week I talked him into a ride again and now he wants to ride every day. We've had a few falls, one pretty good skinned knee and a slightly skinned elbow, but he's still riding. By this time next year, I bet he won't need training wheels any longer. Ben loves to ride too.
Finally, I'm going to leave you with one last run down of todays events. I'm getting hot you see and I want to get something to drink. It's hot because our AC finally died. There are 3 guys working hard to get a new one installed. I caught a scorpion this morning and relocated him to the greenbelt - yay me for not smooshing the little guy. The check engine light came on in my car today, that's my job tomorrow, hopefully it will be nothing. Yuck to all the silliness of the day!
Alex is awake so I'm going now, thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Pollen
I tried to capture some of the pollen in pictures so I could show you how intensley yellow EVERYTHING is right now. The pictures simply did not do it justice. There is no point in washing the car, in an hour it will be yellow again. It's like walking on a rug of pollen. Any hard surface looks like a child took yellow chalk and scribbled over it so completely covering anything that was blank so that everything would be the same pollen yellow. The dog lays on the back patio and when he gets up he is yellow. The windows are open and the furniture is yellow. My keyboard is yellow. And it's only just begun, this will last well into May. At that point, maybe my eyes will stop itching :-) Oh yes, and after the pollen, then the worms will come out of the trees, but that's a story for another day. In the mean time, if you live here in Austin, you know that to say everything is yellow is not an exageration. I do love my live oaks, they do more for temperature control in the summer than anything else. The pollen is a small price to pay for their beauty. So, I leave you with this lovely image of pollen...
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