Watch out for those church nursery workers

We recently visited a family member's church and left the boys in child care. When picking up Tobin, I immediately noticed he had a red mark, around an inch and a half long, on his right cheek. I pointed it out to the nursery workers and asked what had happened. Neither could remember him getting hurt- which is more annoying than a child getting hurt in the first place. I headed outside to wait for the rest of our crew when I noticed two more of the same mark on his left check. And then another on his forehead. I tried not to completely flip out. Fortunately my family showed up before I marched back in to confront the church ladies. The family pack reacted with shock until Ellen pointed it out for what it was: lipstick. Tobin and been getting SUGAR all morning and had the lipstick marks to prove it!

Just in case you were wondering...

I think I really do learn something new everyday. Here is a sample of my new-found pearls and gems of wisdom. Just in case you were wondering.















*Having your 3 year-old feed the baby will not save you time. In fact, it will take you three times as long to bathe the baby, change his clothes, and clean the oatmeal out of his ears than if you had just fed him yourself to begin with.



* A gallon of milk, if dropped at just the right angle, can empty itself in approximately 2.5 seconds. Which is also approximately the amount of time it takes you to realize that you dropped the milk to begin with.







* Baking with your child can be a great way to be productive and have quality time together. As long as you make sure he's not picking his nose while your back is turned.


* As mommies, we really will do anything for a good picture. As displayed by my friend Esther at the mall.



* Many people have told me if your child won't pick up their toys to take them away for a period of time. However, this trick doesn't always work. I'm thinking that when your child helps you bag them up, holds the door for you to take them out, and then never asks about them again, that it wasn't effective.

Fa la la la la..la la la la

My little gingerbread boys.

Yes, we are still alive. Is it really already the 7th of January?

Christmas was great. We spent Christmas Eve at home and had dinner with my brother. Opened presents in the morning and then headed to California to stay with my stepsister and family. My dad and Ellen were also in California. It was loads of fun!

Twas the Night Before Christmas; reading with Uncle Jeffrey

Santa brought a train table!

Joshua and his cousins.

Kurt and I left the boys in good care and went to San Francisco for three nights. We had a great time and the boys did great back in the OC as well. We are thankful to my family for the opportunity!

You can check out the full load of pictures here at our Picasa web album.

Happy New Year!!!

Determination

I was hoping Tobin would be a little less determined than his older brother, but it's not looking that way. Not that determination is a bad thing, it just makes for challenging parenting. Here a video from a couple of months ago that never got posted.

Kurt just watched this again and wanted me to write that it's a video only a parent can love and that you can get the gist in the first 30 seconds...

Here to stay?

We have steadily been putting down roots here in Texas for several years. Who would have thought we'd be here now after 5 years of marriage and two kids? Anyway, I think we can officially say we are fixin' to stay for the long haul. (See I even talk Texan now.) Kurt made it offcial last weekend as we headed into Austin for a pair of cowboy boots. We went to Allen's on South Congress. Who would have ever thought Mr. Delaware would be doing the boot scootin boogey??? Joshua helped him pick out some cool ones and he's breaking them in now.
After making the big purchase we headed to Chuy's Annual Kids Giving to Kid Parade on Congress Ave. The highlight for Joshua was the fire truck.

I had several highlights, seeing the police chief live and in person, meeting chewbacca, and watching a homeless man wander into the middle of the parade. Ahh, Austin.
Tobin's highlight was when he got to eat. (This it the look of desperation)


After hitting the parade we stopped for some yummy food at Guerros Taco Bar. Joshua was introduced to Queso, a rare treat for our clan.



Say "Queso!"




















Tobin just sat there being super cute and flirting with the folks at the next table.





It's always fun to break from the norm and experience Austin in all it's weirdness!

More notes from November

Thanksgiving was quiet and nice. We had my brother and a friend from our hometown over for dinner. Since everything was low key, we were able to spend some quality time as a family. We made a Thanksgiving Tree together. Some of our favorite leaves: Milk-Tobin (well we were guessing what he was thankful for), Dinner & Ice Cream-Joshua. Naptime-Mommy, Pumpkin Pie-Daddy. All jokes aside, we know we have so much to be thankful for. I often lay in bed under my warm comforter in our safe, little world and think of a mother in a small hut far away trying to keep her babies warm and protected from harm. We are blessed.

In the spirit of thankfulness, I ventured out for my now annual Black Friday shopping. We had been contemplating a high efficiency washer and dryer and saw a really good deal. So, I lined up at 6 AM with about 100 other people at a local appliance and electronic store. Fortunately I didn't have to throw any elbows to get our deal. The fun part? BIG BOXES. The guys (all three of them) had a blast with the boxes for the next week. I still remember playing with big boxes as a kid. Good times!

blog slacker again

It's never too fun to get behind on your blog, it becomes an avalanche of events, photos, and stories to tell. We've had lots of fun the past few weeks-hope you enjoy!

Joshua turned three! The celebration began with a special snack with his class at school. In an effort to promote healthy snacks, we decided to do yogurt cups with a few sprinkles and a dollop of whip cream. However I stressed for a week whether the healthy snack idea was ripping off the fun of his first classroom celebration because he didn't have cupcakes. The night before we presented the snack to him to see if he liked it. He got super excited and clapped. He started in on the whipcream and sprinkles. But then his smile turned to a frown and he started pouting with the announcement that he didn't like the strawberries. I had accidentally bought a kind with a small and occasional piece of real strawberry. So, I spent forty minutes of my life (that I will never get back) picking the strawberries out of two large containers of yogurt. The next morning I put the cups together and finally felt at peace about the healthy snack. Until I got them out of the fridge to take them to school only to find the whip cream had flopped. They no longer looked fun and special. Next year, CUPCAKES for everyone!
Next up Joshua had his first public performance. His Mother's Day Out program had a pie social for parents in which the kids sang us a song. It was pretty funny. I think 75% of the kids just stood on stage looking overwhelmed!Check out the performance here:


Two days later was Joshua's official birthday and the next day the celebration with a few friends. We did a firetruck theme and the firetruck with some real fireman showed up too. The kids loved it, and the moms did too ;) Engine 3 came which was perfect!

A few days after those festivities, my dad and brother showed up with Jeff's belongings to get him set up here is Austin. So, I now have family in the area! We are excited that he is here and look forward to lots of free babysitting!


Hurray for Uncle Jeffrey and for BBQ!













Poor Papa, this marks his third trip of moving someone to Austin (Me, Kurt, and now Jeff)








More November Notables to come...

Sad to say...

Back in 2006 when we visited California, we took a day trip to Santa Barbara. (You can check out my blog entry on the visit here.) My great grandfather owned property there in the 1920s and began to build a home there. When the stock market crashed he had to halt the nearly completed building and in 1947 my great Uncle Hobert sold the property to the Holy Cross Order of the Episcopalian Church. It has been used for a monastery and retreat center every since.

Friday I was reading CNN.com for the first time in a long time and saw there had been fires in Santa Barbara. The article I read specifically said the County Sheriff had flown over the monastery and it appeared to be completely destroyed. I feel very sad but so thankful that my brother and I were able to visit there with my dad when we did.

Back in 2006 on our visit.

My brother found a few pictures online on the ruins:

It sad to think of such a beautiful place being gone, but we are glad no one was hurt. Hopefully it will be rebuilt and continued to be used as a retreat for people. I'll end with the paragraph I wrote in the 2006 blog entry:

"It was a quick trip, but a great day. I thought about what could have been if only the family had held onto the house and the land. But it's great to know that so many people make use of the land and the retreat house. I'm sure not many who visit know the history, but I'm proud of my family for leaving a legacy of memories. For themselves and for the generations of families that will enjoy it in the future. I feel fortunate to have been able to go there with my Dad to narrate. And my brother to pick on. An my husband to hold my hand. Hopefully someday we can take Joshua there and hike up the canyon."

My Million Dollar Idea

Oprah has a show every few years in which viewers share their million dollar ideas. So many people featured have been stay at home moms that took an idea and made a living off of it. I'm always amazed and inspired to come up with my own idea that will launch enough success to hire a full time maid. These ideas pop up randomly a few times a year, but then I find someone else has already thought of it first. For example, when making homemade baby food for Joshua, I came up with a brilliant idea for a system of containers to keep the baby food in, freeze it, and warm it up all in one. Sadly I saw it in the One Step Ahead catalog a few months later. (I guess they really are one step ahead ... )

Well, the tides have turned and I think I finally have my million dollar idea: Electric Training Pants, or ETPs for short. I know, brilliant isn't it? I just can't believe no one has thought of them before. It's being designed for stubborn children who have the complete capability of going potty but are too busy playing, being stubborn, or are just a little on the lazy side. They will fit just like regular underwear but will have a component to it that will emit a little shock if the child tinkles in them. So you have a sneaky child? No worries, these ETPs can only be taken off if the child is sitting on the potty. Yes, we've thought of everything. I think the song for the commerical will be very similar to the Ren and Stimpy Don't Wizz on the Electic Fence tune. (Does anyone in the world besides my brother know what I'm talking about?)

I'm off to write Oprah!

La la la la, la la la la, Tobin's World (to the tune of Elmo's World)

(We sing that to him a lot)
Tobin's 8 months old today; he deserves a little Zeb Daily Grind spotlight!

We never quite know what his brother is going to get him into when we turn our backs for a moment...

We think he might be very competitive in luge. This is often his position for sleeping. He likes to rub his feet together when he's tired (strange- like his mommy does!) so he has them crossed a lot.

His hair has finally come in!


One of the few frowns I've caught in a picture.


The next generation in our playgroup came around the same time, so Tobin has a bunch of buddies now.

He's working hard on crawling...check out his moves in the video:

Trick or Treat, smell my feet...

Wig from Goodwill: $1.99
Red & Gold Fabric: $4.25
Gold sequins: $1.52
Gold thread: $.99
Hours of labor by mom: free
Getting to be the King of Rock 'n Roll for your first Halloween: Priceless














Cardboard from freecycle: free
Fan from freecycle: free
Blue paint leftover from another project: free
Hours of labor by mom & dad: free
Electrical tape: $3.29
Liquid nails glue: $4.10
Being tired of your costume 1.5 minutes after putting it on: Priceless

We hope your Halloween was filled with lots of treats!

crazy campers

We decided it was time for our annual camping trip and rolled out last weekend. Two other families went with use which meant 5 kids ages 3 & under. That way we could insure that someone would be crying at all times. It was a little crazy but mostly fun. Or was that a little fun and mostly crazy?

We are women, hear us roar! Esther and I built a magnificent fire. Then the rest of the crew came back from a hike and someone, whose name starts with a K, laughed at it and then started messing with it. Next thing I knew it had been completely revamped and there was no longer a flame. But I'm clearly over it. The important thing is we were able to have our s'mores so no one got hurt.

We packed up and said we wouldn't do that again; at least until next year when we convince ourselves it will be fun and forget the meltdowns everyone had once we got home.Hmmm, helping or pushing in this picture? We'll go with helping...