Whew...it's been so long, I almost forgot my login!

Just kidding! Sorry it's taken sooo long to write an update.

We've been to RoRo and PawPaw's house and to Sea World since I've written. Both were great trips! The kids are really getting used to traveling and I think they are enjoying it as much as I am. We did take Daddy on our Sea World trip (since he booked it, it was the least we could do! :)), and we certainly did it in style. Friday evening we got to eat RIGHT BESIDE the killer whale pools. It was awesome!!!! The have a platform (don't ask me how big, I'm terrible at that) where the KW's (did you know they are really dolphins????) would swim up and "slide out" of the water so we could see them...absolutely amazing. Michael has all the pics on his computer and will post them soon. So, Friday we opened and closed the park and the kids were great...Jack napped in the sling and Samantha just trudged right along. What troopers!

Saturday was another early start, 8 am and we toured the park with a guide and saw and did all kinds of things: fed dolphins, sea lions, and sting rays; petted wallabies, lizard-things, sharks, dolphins, etc, etc, etc. Super fun, but the kids were done before the tour was done so it got a bit icky at the end, but oh well.

The one thing we learned from this trip is that Samantha is a roller-coaster MANIAC! Our tour passes enabled us to go up the exit side to ride rides, so she and I rode the "Texas Splashdown" and I was more scared than she. Although, I will have to say that park of my fear was because of my own stupidity...she climbed in the back of the boat all by herself and I let her stay there. So the whole time she's back there riding (having the time of her life) with no seat belt and I am scared to death that my four year old is going to let go and fly out. Not one of my brighter "Mommy moments" to say the least.

Lastly, here's a link to my newest, favoritest songs: Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten.

We made it!

Just wanted to say I have awesome kids! We (the three of us) left Houston at 4 am and rolled into Grandparents house in KS at 5:30 pm. No stops after lunch except to pee-pee in the grass (she totally freaked, but then realized her choices so we made it through...now she's soooo proud!).

Thanks, Dora and Nemo...you were a BIG help today! :)

Later taters!

Closer...

Well, we aren't totally better, but by the end of the night I could say, I think he is feeling better. Some toast and tortilla for supper and nothing before that...should be interesting to see what time he gets up to eat in the morning! I should WAY go to bed now! :)

Later!

Better so far!

Well, he had a great night's sleep and has kept all of the Pedialyte down that we've given him. Somehow after all that throwing up he did yesterday, he had a pee-pee diaper this morning. Amazing!

He's already back to bed, so I am hoping that he'll have a great day of lots of naps. I think that will really help.

Daddy stayed home today, so he and Samantha are going to have a great Daddy/Daughter day. Yeah for them, but I'm a little jealous! :)

Later taters!

Sick again...

But at least it's something new, right? Now the boy has a stomach virus, but luckily (as the nurse pointed out tonight) he's throwing up and not having diarrhea, which is MUCH harder to control and cure. I have to agree with her, but when he's crying, punching, pulling hair and yelling, "I wunt drink!" it's very hard to resist giving him what he wants.

I think this evening he was just so tired that any movement just sent him into another episode of vomiting, so I just got his jammies on as quick as I could and laid him straight down. He didn't mind at all.

Samantha is in our room on her special blue bed so we'll see if any of us get any sleep tonight. I can still hear Samantha up in our room movin' and a groovin'.

Later taters!

Monday tid bits

This weekend we made a very large and very unexpected purchase...a whirlpool cabrio washing machine. Our still-very-new front loader had a computer relay die and so we would have had to replaced a $450 motor/computer for a $475 washer. The Cabrio was NOT what we were looking for when we went, but it seemed to make sense for the long term. So far we like it!

Jack's new stuff: "Was your name?" "Who's dat?" "Wha she say?" The last two are after I get off the phone with someone. Also, this is completely new to us and I am not sure where he heard this, but the phrase is "I not a BABY!" and he says it with such feeling that you really feel like he's been offended by whatever you did. Sometimes he uses it at appropriate times, like at the supper table if I hand him a bite instead of letting him get it himself, but sometimes he doesn't use it appropriately so I am not sure if he has any clue as to what he's saying.

Samantha is fascinated with helping Mommy fold clothes. Today it was Jack pajama pants that we worked on and she did great after I figured out that she needed to lay it down on the floor so she could see what she was doing. And she's working on getting things on hangers and hanging them in her closet. She's excellent at putting away...so overall she is an awesome laundry helper and now that I have a reliable washer we should put a major damage in the laundry category.

Yesterday I got hit with some sort of stomach bug. It really knocked me on my booty: major body aches and they tingley feeling when your skin just hurts. Today wasn't soo bad although I felt so sore in my torso that you'd have thought I spent the day throwing up. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day that we went to the zoo with our friends from church and had a wonderful time looking at snakes, baby giraffes and elephants, and fish. I didn't overdue it today, but I certainly was grateful for the 2 hour nap the kids took! :)

That's all for tonight! Later taters!

For fear of being flogged with a wet noodle...

...I'm going to blog. Thanks AJ for the kick in the pants!

Traveling
This spring and summer is shaping up to be quite the traveling time for us. The kids and I drove to NW Arkansas for our nephew's two year old birthday. We had an AWESOME time together with Michael's family. Probably the second best thing of the whole trip was spending the night in Dallas at an Embassy Suites...thanks again, Uncle Matt!!! It was an amazing hotel...so much so that we had to take a walk around (9:00 p.m.) and see the fish ponds and "Ooooh" and "Ahhh" appropriately. It was fun!

The kids have spring break March 12-16th so we are planning on driving to KS City to visit RoRo and PawPaw (Michael's folks). The following week we'll go to San Antonio for our first "Just the four of us" trip...we are headed to Sea World and we're going to get to feed the dolphins, have a special pre-open tour, and we're going to eat beside the whales one night for dinner!!

Then our fitness forum is having a summit in April in Little Rock. May will take Michael away from us for a trip to Myrtle Beach to play golf with work buddies. June will leave us at home, and then in July we're going on the Wilson's 29th annual family vacation in Osage Beach, MO.

Wow! That makes me tired just typing all that!! Thank goodness for the DVD players that we bought for the van at christmas!!!

Julian
On the baseball batting cages of Westbury high school, sits gang graffiti. It hasn't been there 1 day, not 1 week, not 1 month, but VERY CLOSE to 2 MONTHS. I have called 311 (Houston's help center), the school directly-TWICE, and have spoken with one of the Houston ISD police officers about when it will be removed. I have spoken to our city council woman's chief of staff. And still it sits.

I was aggravated before, but since the woman at the school told me that "that student's death hasn't been ruled 'gang related'" I have become quite livid about the whole situation. I am certain that Mr. Ruiz would NOT be pleased at the lacidazical manor that this is being handled in. If need be, I believe that I can call Cynthia Cisneros and maybe she could help me get some attention and focus on this.

Our city council representative was supposed to have a meeting today with Principal Coleman and the police at our neighborhood police store front. Hopefully, I'll hear from her chief of staff tomorrow.

Samantha
Wow! This kid is growing leaps and bounds! The thing that has impressed me most is seeing her calculating certain things in her head. For instance, holding her jacket or backpack she calculates which arm needs to go in which hole for it to fight right. Amazing! I know it seems small, but watching her process the reversing process in her mind is fascinating.

And we've made a decision about what to do for her schooling. We're going to leave her where she is for the 07-08 school year and then in January of 08 we'll start the "Magnet" process to get her into the school that she wants. Whew! This is loads off my mind!!

Jack
The best news about Jack is that he's sleeping again! On our trip this past weekend, he and Samantha had such a good time sleeping side-by-side that I decided to give them a try sleeping together at home. It seems to be working like a charm. His ears are also clear (finally) so sharing a room may have nothing to do with his better sleep...but who's going to look a gift horse in the mouth? Not me! :)

His new favorite thing is "Whas dat?" We are really enjoying teaching him about his world!

The Rodeo
Every year the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are a HYOOOGGGE event, and it starts next weekend. With the way our kids LOOOVE animals, we'll probably end up buying season passes for Samantha and me (Jack's free) and make it a weekly trip.

People come from all over the country doing "trail rides" and land in our backyard (literally, they stay on the baseball fields behind our house) on this evening. Tonight we took a walk after supper to see the horses and all the people. Needless to say, I think the kids will sleep well tonight!

Well, I think I am working on a blister on my left hand from all this typing, so I am signing off for tonight! :)

Later taters!

Jack's new words/sentances/communications

• "I unt to go." Where, you ask? "Show me," he says as he walks off with a parent in tow.
• "Noot naks" = Fruit snacks
• "I unt to hold you."
• "Coo-Coos" = Blues Clues
• "I shoot" and "my turn" all related to "baketball"
• "Tratter ride" "Tratter key" = Tractor ride and tractor key

Can I just tell you that I looooove communication? There's just so much more you can do with a kid that can communicate!

Nite-nite!

Samantha's prayers

Sometimes she says the funniest things and tonight it was this:

"Dear God, thank you for Jack's virus and thank you for medicine that isn't working. Please help it to do something. Amen"

She obviously heard me talking to the doc today, complaining that the decongestant was decongesting anything. She is so observant and very clearly mimics Mommy, some days that is good and some days (today) not so good.

Exercising is really helping me with my mood and confidence. I like to lift heavy stuff...I do it all day with Jack already, but the focused, purposful lifting is rewarding, too.

Later!

Everyone's better! Yeah!

Jack and I are doing much better (except for the little cold he has)!

Today at swimming (we normally swim on Wednesday, but we've added another class for Samantha so that she can finally clear a hurdle she's been struggling with for a while), Jack saw his Wednesday teacher and kept saying: "I unt bow bubble wit Sondra" and at the end: "Bubble wit Sondra Wedday."

As you can see, he is really talking up a storm. Another popular saying is: "I unt da Mommy/Daddy."

Hope all my friends and family in cyberspace are doing well out there. It's getting cold here! FINALLY!!!

"See ya!" <-- Another new Jack sentance.

Jack's fall

Well, today at Sam's Jack decided to take a header out of the shopping cart! never again will he ride in the back of the basket; Samantha NEVER rode back there until she was at least 3, and now Jack will be under the same rules. I immediately took him to the Doctor who looked him over good and said he thought he would be ok. We are supposed to keep watch over him for a good 24 hours waking him every 1-2 hours while asleep. We may not do it that often, but we'll definitely be checking in several times. He didn't lose consciousness or vomit which are all really good signs. Here's pics of his boo-boo...we actually didn't see it until bathtime--neither did the doc.

Picture time

These are from our anniversary on Tuesday:



My work over the past month
These are the new shelves that I put up in our bathroom:



This is the new drawers I put in our upstairs closet. There will be linens in there ASAP!



The following pictures are from the downstairs:
Harry Potter closet




Shelves between two book shelves, they used to be covered with "stuff" that's now located in the Potter closet! Yahoo!


My Sid Dickens tiles; see how odd it looks with the big hole on the right?? :)

I think I've really hurt myself

Yesterday as I was playing "organizing" in my closet, I bent over to put a drawer in (no worries AJ, pics will be coming soon; thanks for the idea) and it was like my SI joint gave way and I collapsed forward. I didn't fall down, because my gut instinct was to stand straight up and so I did. The pain was over a few seconds after I stood up, but the desire to throw up continued for a few minutes. I was able to move all day and most of the evening, but I got really stiff and sore in bed...the ibuprofen didn't seem to do anything. This morning I'm ok if I don't move...not good seeing as my day job requires constat movement. :)

Hopefully over the weekend it'll get better and I can be back in the gym monday morning! I had been soooo good this week to go and exercise!

Later taters!

Change 12 things and you'll change your life

Well, I am WELL on my way to changing my life (not that I thought it was bad) after this week. The Container Store puts its elfa storage systems on sale for a while each January and I have been doing serious damage to our bank account there this week! Our "Harry Potter" closet downstairs has had its useless shelves ripped out (I got to do the demolition! woo hoo!) and have replaced them with elfa drawers...MUCH BETTER!!!!! Now we have art supplies drawers, electronic stuff drawers,etc. I love it!

Upstairs has had the following changes:

• We're taking out Jack's changing table and I've installed two acryllic shelves to hold diapers/wipes and toiletries.
• We've removed the bottom shelf in our hall closet so that the filing cabinet slides back and I can get the vaccum and ironing board in too!
• Next for the hall closet is installing a drawer on one of the shelves that will slides out, so that I can store linens and not have to pull all the stuff out to get something in the back.
• I installed a new towel hook in the kids bathroom and need to get one more so it will be balanced.
• I installed a new hook row of hooks to hang baseball caps.
• I bought some hooks for the hats in Samantha's closet.

And I finally hung the Sid Dickens tile that Michael gave me for my birthday (July)! Too bad it left an asymmetrical whole on the wall that's gonna need to be filled! :)

I still have a small list to purchase at the Container Store, but it's small...or maybe medium.

I started exercising again today! Yeah for me! It's gonna take some getting used to for Jack. I gathered that he cried the entire time I was away today--20 minutes. So, we'll just ease back into a routine so that the DOMS aren't too bad for me and the seperation is too bad for him. Samantha loves going to the Y 'cause they have looots of cool dress up dresses.

Kiddos took GREAT naps today so Mommy got some rest too!

Tomorrow, Michael and I celebrate 8 years of marriage. This past year has been the hardest on each of us, but I think our marriage has been better in '06 than any other. Michael, I love you and the family we have created together. I love our life, and everyday I am glad that I chose you. Your humor and smile keep us going when we think we might collapse in tears and your strenght of character is a beauty to behold. Thanks for your loving arms that surround us with grace and mercy and bring us closer to God each day. You're my man and I am so proud of you!

Later taters!

A good team

Michael and I would like to announce that we have finally become a good team! Yahooo! Just kidding! We just had a really good day and it could have turned out equally as bad--and we were the deciding factor.

Jack was up a 6 (* read: Mommy and Jack were up at 6*) this morning and Samantha decided to join him at 7:15. After two minutes of playing with him, she screams from his room, "Mommy! Jack is awake!" Oh dear! That did NOT make Mommy happy as she KNOWs she is not to go in his room in the morning unless she KNOWs Mommy is in there. And then, to wake Mommy up by screaming at her...NOT GOOD! So, we had a rough start and then at breakfast (her favorite place) she just was irritating us, although not on purpose. So, after fussing at her for a minute, I just looked at Michael and said, "We just need to stand down." I used this terminology because it was fresh on my mind (we watched TWO Battle Star Gallactica episodes last night on DVD) and because I knew she didn't know what that meant, so we could back off without loosing face. Michael heard and agreed and from then on we had a GREAT day!

Jack's new words:

• Ba -- Gramps
• PLEEEEEEESSSE -- Please, Mommy may I have some gum?
• Blue balls -- blueberries
• Chair
• Hep -- Help
• Car wet -- This morning as he was trying to get in his "Cozy Coupe" he looked at me and said this. I was amazed!
• Snaak -- Gerber baby fruit snacks
• Caker -- Cracker
• Saw -- the power tool
• Duck
• Play
• Fie-fiss -- Butterfly
• Toothbrush
• Flush -- like flush the potty
• Dink -- Drink
• Hi

That's all I can think of for now. There's nothing really that he can't say...it's just that some things have meaning while others are just repeating the syllables. This is also a stage where he comes to us and takes our hand to show us what he wants! AWESOME!!!

Hope we are able to do something fun outside tomorrow, this crazy "I'm might rain any minute" weather has been tough. Maybe we'll hit their new sand box Santa brought?!!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Later

Tomorrow's gonna be fuuuunnnn!

Tomorrow is going to be a blast! Here's the schedule: 9:20 Samantha swim class, 9:40 Jack swim class, and 10:30 4 children and 1 adult arrive at the Wilson's for the ULTIMATE play date. Don't ask me what we're gonna do, but it will be fun! That is for sure! You can't help but have fun with 1 five year old, 2 four year olds, 2 two year olds, and Jack! I sure do hope it's pretty outside! :)

Jack is talking up a storm! "Chair" and "Putting" (pudding) are new words. This morning when I told him Daddy was home he spoke an entire paragraph about "My Daddy hum!" It was supppper cute! The sorta bad news is that his bi-lateral ear infection is NOT gone after 10 days of antibiotics, so we got a new one...that's almost gauranteed to upset his tummy! Boo!

So, can I ask WHY would you put a SCARY snow monster in the Rudolph claymation movie??? Samantha was TERRIFIED that this horrible creature was going to eat Rudolph's mommy and daddy. She must have asked Michael the same three questions 1500 times before bed. Luckily I knew the "God is bigger than the boogey man" song from Veggie Tales and we sang that tonight before bed. Bless her heart! I'm guessing there will be no "Polar Express" video after all this year! Now I am worried about taking her to see "Charlotte's Web"...how's she gonna deal with them wanting to eat Wilbur?

I really didn't realize that my four year old would still be so sensitive to movies and visual things. I wonder if Jack will be different?

If I don't get to wrapping soon, I am going to be so tired Christmas morning that I may just sleep while they open gifts! :) Just kidding...but I gotta get started!

Later taters!

Sufficiently covered

Well, I think I did it! I think I am REALLY finished shopping for Christmas!! Yahoo!! Now, I've just got to wrap this crazy stuff!!! And my ultimate goal is to remove all the crap that comes along with every kid toy we purchase...BEFORE the big day. But that seems rather lofty since we need to put the wagon together, too (hint, hint, Michael :)).

Jack's reading books to himself, outloud! Tonight it was "Bickey" (Baby Mickey) and the blocks were "too har" and the dinasour was "too bumpy" but his "bankie" was perfect. You see Mickey's looking for something to sleep with. When I asked Jack if he slept with a bankie he emphatically shook his head NO! And when I mentioned Poe (a TellyTubby that Samantha insisted be in his bed) he repeated it 5 times; and to think I thought he viewed Poe as a bump in his bed. I think he really likes her!?

We had a much better day today. If I could just remember to keep a cool head when I discipline Samantha I wouldn't have to "one-up" her after she's one-upped me. And life would be much more simple.

Ok, I've avoided cleaning the kitchen long enough!

Later!

Nuts or no nuts..that is the question!

Well, we are finally going to one nap a day for Jack. He doesn't seem to be taking it very well, but I really feel like he should be able to do it. The reason we've kept at it this long is that he sleeps so much better at night, when he gets two naps during the day. Crazy I know, but they say sleep breeds sleep. Wish us luck!

On to the nuts
Funny, yet sad, at the same time: Samantha had a freak out on Satuday at church (crafts and b-fast with Santa) because she imagined that she had eaten nuts. She was decorating a cookie with icing and after tasting the icing she began to spit, claw her tongue off, and generally act like a nut because she thought it had nuts. Michael was the only parental figure there (I was shopping) and I don't know how he settled her down but eventually they recovered. When I got home with her, we had a big laugh and I asked, "What made you think it had nuts?" "I coughed" she said. We all laughed again. I tried and tried to tell her that Mommy and Daddy will never give her nuts, but I think she'll have to figure that out herself. At least she was able to laugh...laughter is the best medicine. And if you can't laugh at yourself, life is going to be very stressful.

I've gotta make a list of what gifts I have so that I make sure that everyone is sufficiently covered.

Later!

The things kids say...

Last night we were sitting down eating dinner. Michael and I were probably talking about work or something, when Samantha chimes in with "What's dufft mean?" We asked her to repeat it a couple of times, and finally she says, "It's when Mommy says this: (and she begins to sing)

'You are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words!
Too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who can grasp your infinte wisdom, who can fathom the dufft of your love?'"

We laughed and explained that it was "depth", like the water is three feet deep in the pool. "I don't have three feet!" she says. Too funny! By this point Jack is probably throwing food, so somehow the conversation ended without much understanding, I'm afraid.

And today, Jack and I are waiting for Dad at the doctor's office when he decides he wants his jacket "Off!" and he says it repeatedly until he got the jacket removed from his body. That is definitely a new word for him. Can I just say that I LOVE it when they communicate with words!

Michael and I are discovering the differences between Jack and Samantha. Samantha would be quite happy with the same breakfast for the next 15 years, but Jack...dear little Jack...he needs variety for breakfast, lunch and supper. About leftovers Jack says a resounding, "NO!" We're ok with the differences, it's just a shock to our system 'cause we got our parental game down; we know what's for breakfast, or at least we did! Now we have to be creative and think so early in the morning. Anyway, knowing is half the battle, G.I. Joe!

Christmas shopping is almost done, although I need to get the gifts all in the same room and count them...so that they have an equal amount. My favorite gift this year is the sand box that we bought for them! I can't wait for them to see it!

Another almost done thing is Christmas cards...envelopes almost done, and I haven't decided about a short little note to include. We've been in the wilderness, so it would be quite a short note. We'll see.

Tonight, I'm going to coffee with my friend, Julie. I REALLY like her and am excited about becoming closer friends.

Later taters!

A GREAT Thanksgiving and beyond

I just have to brag on my kids, 'cause I'm the mom and it's my perogative! I have the best travelers in the WORLD. At 3 years and 17 months, we watched a total of ZERO videos on the 15 hour trip to Kansas, and they were just fine without it. We only stopped twice, once in Dallas and once in Broken Arrow, OK. They were both fairly long stops, but we certainly deserved them, if you ask me!

Once we got there they slept the best they've ever done. It was a great time!

Words to add to Jack's list

1. Bus
2. Boat
3. Adam
4. Matt
5. RoRo (Michael's mother's "Grandmother" name)
6. Ozzie

This evening Michael will post on his blog about his mornings "adventure." November 28 seems to be an adventursome day for us...four years ago today I had our beautiful girl after having my appendex removed.

Speaking of birthday's: Samantha's getting her first doll house today and i can't wait to see the look on her face!! And we got her two play dresses from Gymboree, since she's constantly asking to wear a dress.

Gotta run! Curious George needs to be read!