California Day Four (Last Day)

On Monday we really slept in. We planned to go to downtown LA after lunch and see the LaBrea tar pits and the Hollywood walk of fame. Super tourist day basically. :) Then off to the Metro Rail back to the airport, and then home. At midnight. Texas time.

When we finally find the tar pits, I get really excited, this is some really awesomely cool stuff. Although I didn't really care for the smell. I loved how they had statues in the tar that were molded from bones that were actually excavated in the area. We even got to see the pit bubble. Big woah! Ok, my not so inner nerd is starting to show. I'll tone it down a bit.

After walking around the one big pit, we wondered over to the museum and had a look inside. It wasn't too huge inside, but they had a ton (haha get it mammoths. ton. sorry.) of skeletons, and that really surprised me. It was really informative, but I'll just show a few pictures and spare the "boring details." But one of my favorite parts I didn't photograph. They had part of their lab out in the museum and through thick glass we could see scientists cleaning off fossils that had be found in the back where they are still excavating. Oh so fascinating. I was born for tedious science work!

After browsing the museum we learned that there were places in the back where we could see them excavating. Oooooh!!
So after the pits, we headed over to Hollywood. At first when we were walking along the stars, I wasn't impressed. I didn't recognize any names. But eventually as we got closer to the chinese theatre we saw some big names.

Then we came to an area with look-a-likes everywhere. All trying to make a buck of course. I had to stop and get a quick pick with one of my favorite movie icons, Napoleon Dynamite. He stayed in character pretty well. It was his idea to do the "yessssssss" thing. Clever guy. :)

And then we saw the chinese theatre with all the foot prints and autographs in concrete, didn't take any pictures though. Doh!
And then before we left, we saw Michael Jacksons star. Of course it was the most popular in terms of having a mob of people surround it to take pictures and maybe mourn.

Then it was off to the Metro Rail! Which we got on just in time for five o'clock traffic. Fun! I did really enjoy the light rail system. It was very convienent for us, and was super easy to navigate even for out of towners. We get to the airport and get through much faster this time. Hooray! And even had time to eat over priced Burger King for dinner.

We got back to Austin a little before midnight and when Chris tried to call some of his police pals to give us a ride, there happened to be a SWAT call. I was like, "Come on. On a Monday night." So we ended up taking a cab to the East Substation and drove home to a very lonely Xander. Then shortly hit the hay.

California Day Two

Boy it sure was different waking up on my own instead of to Devon or Matthew. But since California time is two hours earlier than Texas. I had to have woke up at 5:00am Cali time, because it was still pretty dark outside. I just stayed in bed and dozed for a while until everyone else got up.

On the agenda for Saturday was Universal Studios! I was really excited about this. Since Tina works at Clear Channel she was able to get us all free tickets, which normally cost a little over $60 each. Yikes! Three cheers for Tina!! And it was only about a 25 minute drive from their place. Oh and have I mentioned they live pretty darn close to a mountain. I was incredible!

Everywhere we went there were mountains visible. I was in heaven. I love mountains! I just never really thought about the topography of Cali. Having all those mountains around makes the tectonic threat pretty obvious though. I was slightly worried about the .000000000999 percent chance that an earthquake could happen the few days we were there. So basically this means my thought process was,

"Woah. Mountains. Sweet. They're huge. We're surrounded by them. It

took thousands and thousands and thousands of years of tectonic activity

to create them. Wait. Tectonic activity? That means earthquakes. Oh man.

I didn't even think about earthquakes. Dang."

And then my worrying was over. Such a simple mind. I know. But here are some pictures of the mountains.

This was just up the road from there apartment. I don't know if I would ever go inside if there were a mountain right outside my house.

Yep. There were mountains by the ocean. Gorgeous! But technically we went to the beach Sunday. So this is a sneak peak.

So on to Universal! I didn't take my camera because they don't allow them on the rides and I don't trust people enough to leave it in a cubby hole while I'm on a 3-10 minute ride. Paranoid. I know. But it was awesome. First you go into a place called Universal City. There are tons of shops and big name restaurants. It seemed like they were going for a time square/Las Vegas look. Cool stuff.

After that you go into the actual park. We rode on the new Simpsons ride, which Chris said was his favorite. We also did The Mummy ride, which was an indoor roller coaster in complete darkness. Scary. Then of course was my personal favorite, the Jurassic Park ride! Let's see. I can't remember some of the other things we did. Uhg. And it's only been a week.

We also took a tram tour of the lots where they film tv shows and movies. It was really neat. The tour combined entertainment sections and also real sets. For instance, we drove down the actual Wisteria Lane (spelling?) from Desperate Housewives. I don't watch the show, but it was interesting the see how they just built there own neighborhood in the middle of rows and rows of studios.

We were able to get our hands stamped to go back out to Universal City and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Those are always fun. But pricey! We stayed at the park all day. It was awesome. Not once did I have to change a diaper or read "But Not the Hippopotamus" a million times. I had real conversations without interruptions. I could make decisions without worrying how they would impact a one year old and five year old. It was nice. But I still missed them. :)

California Day One

We've been back for almost a week now. I'd better blog now before I forgot what happened. ;)

Well, first off, we dropped the kids off on Thursday afternoon, meeting Chris's parents halfway to their house. It's a four hour drive total. We met at a McDonalds and the plan was to eat and let the kids play on the playground, but of course it was raining. One of the three days it rained this summer! We load up everything in Pop's car and move the car seats over. Then came the hard part, saying good-bye. The trick was to be sincere but not too sappy to where Matthew would get upset. Meaning I couldn't show how sad I really was, because I knew I would miss them. So I had to be tough. I did a good job because the kids left smiling and that was the important part.

We drive back to Austin. Now our plan was scheduled to leave at 7:40am on Friday morning. Instead of paying $25 a day to park at the airport, we park at the East Substatin, Chris's work. Seemed like a good secure place to park, within the large gates and surrounded by police cars. You can't beat that!

We wake up at 5:15 on Friday morning, get ready real quick, and drive to the East Sub. From there we walked a few blocks to a bus stop for the airport flyer, due at 6:28am. We cleverly packed everything in backpacks to make this easier.

As we are approaching the bus stop I realize I don't have any change for the bus and I wasn't sure if they took 20s. So Chris dashes across the street to a Sonic to get change. He ran back across the street just before the bus was pulling up. What a trooper! The bus gets us to the airport in ten minutes. Shocking. I know.

We go into the airport thinking, "yeah, we're here an hour early that should be fine this early in the morning." Then we see the lines to check in baggage. UHG! I was feeling panicky. An airport employee told us we had to go to a specific (and LONG) line to check in Chris's gun. It takes half an hour to get to the counter and it turns out we actually could have gone through any line. Grrr. So we pay for the bag and then fill out some paper work for Chris's gun. While there I nervously say, "We can make to the terminal by 7:40 right?" The lady then tells us the most amazing news, the flight was delayed by 35 minutes. Talk about relief. So we go over to where they really check the gun and then we were off to go to our terminal.

We wait in another line to take off our shoes and put everything through the x-ray machine. When we get out of that line it was 7:32am. If our flight had not been delayed we would have had eight minutes to get to the gate and board before it left. But luckily, we we're stressing any more.

We board on the plane. And arrive in sunny California where it was 74 degrees at 9:15am. Awesome weather! We collect our bags and hop on a shuttle bus to the Metro Rail. I was really impressed with the rails there. It took us an hour to get from the airport to Passadina, where Jon and Tina live.

We meet up with Jon and Tina and then we were off to Chinatown! We had lunch at Foo Chow, which was used in the movie Rush Hour. You may have heard of it. But we weren't that impressed with their food. Then we walked around, taking tons of pictures of course. It seemed pretty empty. And I was expecting more outdoor vendors, but maybe it's different on the weekends.

Then we headed back to get some groceries, because lucky me was getting cooking lessons from Jon, who buy the way is almost done with culinary school at the Le Courdon Blue. You know we're Emiril went. Yep. Jon's that good. :)

He showed me how to make mac and cheese, the real way. I've tried twice and both times I ruined the sauce and we had to eat buttered elbow macaroni. And Chris said he wanted quiche, so I got to learn out to make that from scratch too. Both were actually pretty simple, I just learn cooking techniques better hands on. We had sooooooo much cheese though! It was great.

Dino Park or Great Scott We Finally Made It!

Alas, a wonderful day came on Tuesday that was cloudy and perfect to spend a couple of hours in Bastrop, at The Dinosaur Park. I know it sounds odd that a cloudy day would be a perfect day, but with it being the norm this summer for the temperatures to hang out nicely above 100, clouds make it less burdensome. It was a 30 minute drive for us, but with the back seat full of books, the kids didn't really notice. Sneaky. I know.

When I pull into the driveway for the dinosaur park there were three small PrimeRose buses, which is a daycare out here. I was a little bummed, but then I noticed that they must have all come about 15 minutes apart because they were separated pretty well in small groups. Not too bad. The first place you walk in is the gift shop, which of course is bursting with dinosaurs in every corner. I about lost it. It was incredible. I might have to remember this place for Christmas presents for little man. Devon had to drag me past all the shelves of dinosaurs so we could pay to get into the park.

The park really consists of two parts. One is a 1/2 mile trail where you see the dinosaur sculptures and the other has a playground, picnic tables and a dino-dig area to dig for dinosaur "fossils." When we headed over to the trail to start the tour, we had a clipboard with scavenger hunt clues. I wasn't sure if Devon would get what a scavenger hunt was, but of course she found everything but one, and I couldn't even find it. It just gives us a reason to go back another day.

So here are the pictures I know you are dying to see. :)

Here are the kids with a Stegoceras. Once Matthew saw this he started squealing "di-di!" Too cute! And then as we walked on he was eagerly looking around the woods for more "di-di's." It really is a great place, as you walk through the trails it gives you the feeling of being on a dinosaur safari.

This is the kids with one of the most recognizable dinosaurs, the Triceratops. These statues are built to scale, so seeing just how big these creatures were is incredible. Or I'm just a big dino-dork.


Along the trail there were a couple of statues for photo opportunities and interaction. This is the kids with a baby Apatosaurus. After playing with this dinosaur Matthew didn't want to keep going. He wanted to stay and play with it. It took a little convincing, but finally I said "I see more dinosaurs" and he got back in. :) More sneakiness. I should write a book called, The Sneaky Mom.
Here are the kids with my personal childhood favorite, the Stegosaurus. It was huge!

I know the kids aren't in this picture, but you can't ignore the T-Rex. He is actually placed along the trail to where you go around a corner and BAM! there is a T-Rex. Very clever Dinosaur Park.
After the T-Rex, was its' nest with a baby T-Rex. The kids loved climbing all over it.


After finishing the trail, we had some lunch and the kids played on the playground and in the dig pit. But before we left, because dark rain clouds were headed our way, I snagged some pictures of the kids playing with this random T-Rex head. It thought it was awesome that there was a place in the back to climb in the mouth. Super funny.

Overall, this is a really neat park. If we are ever to win the lottery I would donate lots of money to this park. This is the only dinosaur park I have ever heard of. Oh and I forgot to mention most of the dinosaurs at the park, have been found in Texas. I thought that was cool. Of course I didn't show them all. I wouldn't want to spoil all the fun.

Hooray for Backup Plans

So this morning started out a little cloudy, and I thought "what a great day to go to the Dinosaur Park!" I've been wanting to take the kids there all summer and finally I found a day when we could go. We had no errands to run, no traveling, housework wasn't pretty caught up, and no one was sick, all perfect conditions for a morning trip to the dino park. This morning I was able to pack a picnic lunch without the kids even noticing. Once we were all dressed and it was close to time to head out I told Devon where we were going. She started bouncing up and down. Then Matthew started bouncing because Devon was.

At around 9:30 we head out to the car, because the park opens at 10:00, why they don't open early in the summer is beyond me. So the car is all packed and I am buckling Matthew when it dawns on me that when I was looking at there website the other night it said they were CLOSED on Wednesdays. I wanted to cry! All that work and good timing gone to waste. Bummer.

So I gently tell Devon that they are closed today and she actually took it very well. I still got in the car and started it. We had packed a picnic and the stroller, by George, we were going somewhere. So the next best thing was Zilker Park, because it's free. We head out and when we get there I see daycare buses. Uhg! Luckily they weren't on the playground and the kids got a good 30 minutes before the daycare kids came over to the playground. After that we walked around Barton Creek, and watched the train pass by about four times. It's a shame I didn't have any cash on me, I could see Matthew was pleading with his eyes to ride it.

After we had all the fun we could, we ate lunch and headed home. We left at 11:30 and we were all sweating. This summer has seemed much more brutal than usual. A few weeks ago I tried to take the kids to a park nearby and even when arriving at 8:30 the equipment was hot to touch. So here is a small replay of the kids time at the park.

Ever since Matthew was about 10 or 11 months old he has always gone down slides backwards on his belly. It's so funny to watch. There was even a tube slide that he tried to wiggle onto backwards, he wasn't able to make it though because it was not flush with the platform.

Here the kids are driving the firetruck together. I somehow managed to get them smiling at each other. They really are some sweet kids.

This one is funny. Matthew looks concerned because I snapped this picture right after the Zilker train had tooted it's horn. He had never seen the train before, but he knew there was something interesting coming.

They stood up on the fire truck to get a good view of the training passing by. I really wish I could have taken them on the train. Next time I'll bring cash for sure. Matthew was pointing at the train.

This is of course my favorite picture. They were building a "pebble castle." That was Devon's term for it. I really am blessed to have some sweet kids. Even though they are four years apart they still play very well together and truly love each other and I think this photo really captures that. Of course they have their spats here and there, but that just helps them grow closer in the long run. Right?

Long Days

Now that Chris's hours have changed from 9pm-7am, to 4pm-2am, mine have too. Chris used to wake up around 4:00 in the afternoon and shower then come downstairs and be with the kids while I cook dinner. We would all get to eat together and clean up and head out for an evening walk. Well, now he's up between 10am and 11am, and gets to see Devon as she is getting home from school. He leaves now about 2:45pm. So there really isn't mealtime opportunity because Devon eats at school and Chris eats when he gets hungry.

After one week of this schedule I realized cooking the dinners I used to is pretty much not going to happen because Matthew isn't quite big enough to stay happy by himself that long. So I've been making lots of pasta, and almost homemade pizza. I get credit for putting on my own sauce, cheese and toppings right? This also makes my days seem much longer. I'm definitely more worn out by the time the kids are asleep at 8pm.

I have had one bit of salvation though. My good friend Bridget who lives just around the corner. We hang out most nights walking around the neighborhood, in each others front yards or at our houses, whatever we are in the mood for. It's really been nice having company in the evening. And I really adore her kids. Devon and her three year old are best friends, and on days when we don't catch them after dinner Devon is really bummed.

Chris seems happier with these hours because he's not flip flopping his sleep hours, and that makes me much happier too. But like I said these days seem awfully long now. Let's just look at today.
Wake up at 6:30am
Feed both and dress kids
Get Devon to school on time
Go to the grocery store
Put all the groceries away
Unload dishwasher
Sweep kitchen floor
Clean out litter box
Sweep the cat room
Play and read to Matthew
Bring Matthew to bus stop and get Devon
Feed Matthew lunch
Help Devon with homework
Put Matthew down for a nap
Punish Devon for swinging Xander around
Put Matthew back down for his nap because he never really fell asleep
Put Devon down for quiet time
Watch Twilight with a few interruptions (this is rare)
Let repair man in to fix laundry machine
Kiss Chris goodbye
Do two and a half loads of laundry
Water vegetable plants
Play with kids outside
Make almost homemade pizzas for dinner
Clean kitchen
Reload dishwasher
Take kids for walk
Come home and play a little longer
Bathe both kids
Put Matthew to sleep
Put Devon to sleep
Fold third load of laundry
8:15pm plop into glider and blog

Now I go read until I fall asleep, which should be soon.

Four Years and Twenty Pounds Apart

Yikes, it's been a while since I've been in the blogging world. What with Matthew turning one, Devon having the flu and then the chaos of having two birthday parties in one day, it's been pretty crazy around here. Oh, and let's not forget the reordering of the house after the chaos. I feel like I just now have returned back to normal.

We'll start with Matthew. He turned one and got a rad little hotrod for his birthday. He loves it! At first he would just climb in and out, in and out for long stretches of time, but now he has gotten over the novelty of it and can be pushed in it without trying to hop out like a stunt devil. Also, I made him an awesome dinosaur cake that was delicious! It was banana cake with chocolate frosting, all made with love from scratch.

Shortly after Matthew's birthday Devon starts to get cold/allergy symptoms, but then on the day of her well check appointment she runs a 102 F fever and has to miss school for the first time all year. There goes that perfect attendance record. At the doctors, they test her for strep and the flu and she comes back positive for both. This is on Tuesday, her birthday party is supposed to be on Saturday. Uh-Oh. Luckily, she went to the doctors at the height of the illness and started to recover quickly. Then on Thursday the doctors office calls me and says that the 48 hour culture of her strep test came back negative, so apparently she didn't have strep, just the flu. So one less dose of meds for her, hooray!

Now Matthew's well check was at the same time as Devon's. Seemed like a good idea at the time to just get them both out of the way at the same time, but it also meant it was a very loooooooong appointment. I think next year they will have separate appointments. Poor little Matthew weighed in at 19 lbs 4 oz, so he still has to use the baby car seat, backwards. He's not a big fan of that. Devon weighed in at 40 lbs, which means she's only gained one pound in a year. Now I know why she seems so lanky, it's because she is. But then again she was sick and her appetite goes away when she's sick. So maybe she's really 41 or 42 now.

So, Saturday comes and so does the families. We have cake and presents for Matthew at 2:00 and then somehow time fast forwards in warp speed and it's time to dash to the children's museum for Devon's party. The museum is downtown and we are in Manor. Shouldn't have to worry about traffic because it is a Saturday right? Wrong. Highway 290 was backed up and I was hyperventilating. Then there was construction all around the museum, which wasn't there during our last trip. So Devon was 15 minutes late to her own birthday party. And for those who know me, then you know I was loosing it. I absolutely HATE being late, especially to my daughters only 5th birthday party. Luckily, I have an awesome husband who reminded me the party doesn't exist without the birthday girl. Great man I tell ya, great man. Devon had a blast at the party. Unfortunately, none of her school friends she invited came, but that just left more free passes to the museum for us.

Just an Ordinary Day

Yesterday was fantastic. Although it started out like every other ordinary day.

I was feeling a little icky when morning came at 6am, so Chris jumped up and took Matthew and got Devon ready for school. I manage to get out of our warm and comfy bed about 10:30. All is quiet and I'm wondering why Chris didn't wake me up to nurse Matthew to sleep for his morning nap. When I walk out of our room I notice Matthews bedroom door is closed, so I peek in, out of curiosity. And he is out cold in his crib.

I head downstairs and Chris is watching a Harry Potter movie, and he tells me putting Matthew down was easy, so he didn't have to wake me. At first I was a little hurt because I wasn't needed, but I got over that pretty quick because I was excited because maybe this weaning business wasn't going to be quite so horrible (on Matthew).

I went to the bus stop to get Devon and we came home and did homework. So far, like I said it was very ordinary, for the most part. Then we head downtown because Chris needed to go get some of his uniforms replaced because they had holes in them. After that it was yet another instance where we were like, "Well, now what?" Whenever Chris has weekdays off, it can be a little tricky finding something to do that doesn't cost money. So I head south not sure exactly where I'm going.

At first I wanted to go to SoCo (south congress for you non-Austin folks) and just walk around all the fun shops. But then I wasn't paying very close attention and drove right past Congress. Smooth. I know. So I changed my mind (this has been known to happen frequently) and since we were headed for the Town Lake trail (I refuse to call it Lady Bird Lake because it was Town Lake when we moved here almost four years ago). We park and check out this new area where there is this awesome fountain that is great for kids to run around on, but it's too cold, so we head to the trial.

The side of the river we were on has a leashless dog area, so there are cute dogs every where! Matthew had an unwanted encounter with a little puppy lab and got a kiss. Let me tell you, he did NOT like that at all. I suppose he felt very violated. I can see that. ;) So from then on when a dog got too close he protested from his stroller. As we're walking Chris suggests we cross the river at the next bridge and head over toward the animal shelter. Sounded fun to me, so we headed that way.

When we get to the shelter Chris goes straight for the dogs, but after a little while there are these girls in front of us talking to every dog they pass, so we detour to the cat house. There we meet Rebel. The 18 lb five year old cat. Chris and Devon go in to play with him and then I went in because he was adorable. But he hid in his cat house when I went in so we looked at the other kitties and we met Xander. He was cute and the volunteer said he was great with kids, so I take Devon in and he is very playful and sweet. One of the shelter workers heard us talking about Xander and she told us his adoption rate was reduced from $75 to $35. Wow. We hang out a little longer, including one more visit with Rebel and head back out to the dogs.

Chris found a pure bread Siberian husky and takes him out for a walk and into a pen. He's not very social, but he does listen well coming straight to the leash and doesn't fight it. Then we find a german shepard, lab mix. He's cute and playful so we take him out too. He basically acts the same as the husky, but Chris seems disappointed that I'm not interested in any of the dogs. We walk around some more and head out.

It's about 4:30 and we start walking back on the trail toward the car. We start talking about the animals we interacted with. Chris brings up the dogs again, talking about how we will never find another pure husky again at the shelter, trying to win me over. I wasn't really thinking about the dogs. I was more concerned about Xander, the playful black cat. So we talk about the possibility of getting a cat and the next thing I know we are in the car grabbing some drive thru food so we can go back to the shelter and rescue Xander.

I knew there could only be one reason they were cutting his rate. He had been there almost two months and his free room would be needed for the next kitty. So we sign some papers and hand over the credit card and wah-lah! We now are the proud owners of Xander!!! They give him to us in a cardboard pet carrier and off we go. In the car he seems a little concerned so at first I let him peek him head out and then I just open the whole box so I can pet him and comfort him.

When we get home we quaranteen him in our bathroom, give the kids a bath the put them to sleep then we give Xander a bath, just to be on the safe side. He does surprisingly well. After the bath he just roams the house for a couple of hours and then after that he just follows me everywhere. It was cute. We headed to bed and he came with us. I think he has done this before because as soon as I went in the bed room he hopped on the bed and layed down. So we get in bed and at first he lays on Chris and then moves to the end of the bed where he stayed until about an hour before we got up.

Once it was time to get up Xander got to get reacquainted with the kiddos. Devon was very good with him, but for some reason Matthew would protest if Xander got too close to him or me. It was funny. Nothing too loud like crying, he would be pretty much go, "Ehhh" like saying "hey!" It's been fun. However Matthew does seem to enjoy the cat scratcher just as much as Xander. And already Xander is good at sharing. So now, we have a third kid in the family.

Xander has quickly made himself at home. And I've got to admitt it's going to be nice having some company at night when Chris is at work.

Mischief Report

So since my little guy is a magnet for mischief I decided to occasionally chronicle it. Because how else am I going to remember it to put in his baby book? I haven't decided if he just has a normal boy level of mischief or if he is above average. I only have Devon to compare him too and she was anything but mischievous as a baby. So as of right now here is what he's getting into.

He has been playing in the pantry as long as he has been able to crawl to follow me in there to fold the clothes. He loves pulling all the clothes out of the dryer for me and throwing them on the floor. However, that doesn't fill his mischief tank. Now he has discovered that he can reach the bottom shelf of the pantry and I caught him this morning with some loot. He grabbed a box of Bakers chocolate. I let him play with it until he discovered how to open the box. Then I had to trade him for a big wooden spoon.

He has discovered how to open the cabinet doors. This is all my fault though. I used to open up the cabinet that has all the pots and pans for him to play with while I cook. So now he goes into the kitchen with the sole purpose to open that cabinet and pull out the pots, pans and of course their lids. And I also let him play in the cabinet that houses our tupperware. He has recently discovered that he can crawl into it and go for the goods in the back. Silly boy.

Oh and this one should get me the parent of the year reward. About a week ago Matthew discovered a little box that has samples of baby lotion, butt cream and shampoo. He loves to take it off the shelf of the changing table and empty it out. He also would chew on all the bottles. I never thought it was a bad idea until he handed me a sample bottle of Johnson's baby shampoo that was half empty. I freaked out!! I ran to Chris saying, "Does his breath smell like baby shampoo?" And of course it did. He had drank half of that little bottle. I felt horrible. So that little box has been hidden away where he can't get to it. I can't believe that happened. Apparently his new teeth aided him in popping the lid open. It's not harmful or anything, but he did have a very loose stool a few hours later. Like I said, parent of the year. Right here.

Bed Time Schmed Time

Well, today was exciting! It was very chilly and it was a Saturday which means Farmers Market day, Hooray!! My favorite. We get out there and it is so windy that most of the vendors took down their canopies, but I wasn't worried because we were all bundled up.

Matthew had on two pairs of socks, sweat pants (that are huge on him!), a onesie, a sweatshirt, a beanie, and he was snugglied to me with a blanket over him. We were warm. Devon was sporting her new coat I bought on Friday while she was in school. I'm so proud of myself for paying attention to the weather forecast and snagging a coat before they were all gone.

So we walked around and got the veggies we will need for next weeks meals and had some lunch. Then we headed over to the library for new kid books and cook books. I'm two pages away from starting on spiral number three for all my recipes. Then back to home. It was almost one by the time we got home and we were all pretty pooped. I made some grilled cheese, since we ate lunch at 10:30 like Devon is used to doing at school and then Matthew was ready for his afternoon nap.

I popped in Cars and we all snuggled on the couch. Matthew was the first one asleep, nursing knocks him out quick when he's tired, then me and at some point Devon even fell asleep. It was cute! I woke up at the end of the movie to both my sweeties sleeping on me. It was heaven. But I knew I would have to wake them up. It was 4:15 and if they nap too late, then they won't got to bed. So we woke up and then went to wake up Chris.

Tonight I went out on a limb and made something I wasn't sure Devon would like at all. I made crunchy chicken and blackbean tacos. Turns out if you put anything in a crunchy taco shell, Devon will eat it eagerly!! I'll store that bit of info for future meals. Every bite she took, she dramatically mmmhed. It was great.

So now, it is 8:30 and while I should be having quiet Mommy time, Devon is now hanging out in the living room reading her knew library books because she is not tired. Big surprise there! So I'm going to join her on the couch and read her the new books until 9:00 and then I will have to put my foot down for bed time. It's ok to fudge the rules from time to time, it's all for the love of reading!

A Contemporary Samaritan

Saturday Devon's school had a Fall Festival where each grade had a game booth set up and the kids could play the games for 50 cents. Devon had a blast and even saw a few of her friends there.

Well when it was time to go Matthew was pretty pooped and fussy. So I put him in the car and he got even more mad, because he is not a big fan of the car seat. This made me flustered, so I was trying to start the car to cool it off, then I tossed the stroller in the back and hoped in the car to leave. Luckily it is only a 5 minute drive from the school to home.

We get home and I'm excited because I get to get fussy Matthew out, but then a horrible realization came to me. I had left my purse on top of my car and left it there because I was in such a hurry to hop in the car and get home. So of course it didn't make it back home with us.

So we turn around to go back to the school and it is not on the ground where we had parked. So I went inside to ask if anyone had turned in a purse. Nope. So we drive the same route we took looking for my purse on the side of the road. Nothing.

Let me tell you, I felt so lousy and horrified. I couldn't believe I did such a bone head thing like driving with my purse on top of the car. So I call the bank and they canceled my debit and credit cards, so no one can get a free ride on our money.

Then I went to the police station and filled a report. Luckily it was an officer I knew from the Neighborhood Watch, and he was telling me how someone took his wallet from his house when he had a party and spent $3,000 in four hours. Yikes!!! It made me feel a little better that I wasn't in that boat. But when I told him my drivers licence and social security card was in there he just looked at me. Uh oh. Apparently I just handed someone all they needed to steal my identity to get a credit card, buy a car or even a house!! This really made me miserable. But luckily my parents were there to help me feel better and Chris did an awesome job cheering me up, while picking on me too.

I tried not to let it ruin my weekend. Sunday after church we went to our churches fall festival on the capital grounds. While we were sitting there enjoying some barbecue Chris gets a phone call from Reel Flix, the movie rental store in Manor. Apparently, someone called the store because they found the membership card in my wallet, which was in my purse on the side of Highway 290.

That's right!! A sweet old lady saw me turn onto 290 with my purse on my car and watched it fall on the ground. She turned around and picked it up. The reason it took until Sunday afternoon to find me was because she couldn't figure out a way to contact me, until she thought to call Reel Flix.

Isn't that awesome that there are still honest people out there. Hooray for contemporary good samaritans!!!!!

Oh Baby the Places You'll Go

Well, little Matthew is getting dangerously close to being eight months old. Seriously, in four days. He is such an awesome little guy though. Always happy and gives away smiles to anyone who asks. We both hit a big milestone this weekend. He stayed in the church nursery for an hour while I was in Sunday school. And he did really well. I, however, was a nervous wreck, clinching my cell phone in my hand to make sure I didn't miss any vibrations. Luckily I had alot of support from the other moms in the class who knew exactly how I felt.

Also, Matthew is become a little climber and instead of describing his expeditions I will demonstrate it with a montage of pictures. All of these were taken just within the last two weeks.

Here we have Matthew climbing up on the lego table.

Instead of going around the box, he just went over it. Was this the path less traveled?

He absolutely loves climbing over people!

This is definitely my favorite age (of children in general), from now until about two. This is when everything is new and demands exploring. The simplest of objects can become powerfully stimulating. It's just amazing to watch the learning process unfold.

Raising the Bar

During the past few months I have been consuming all sorts of information about nutrition and health. I just can't get enough of it. Who knows maybe I'll become a nutritionist and conquer the school lunch systems out here. (when I find the time)

But anyway, my new found hobby is finding new recipes to cook. I've been scouring the rows and rows of cookbooks at the library, searching recipe websites online, and taking notes from friends. I'm even borrowing a technique from my grandma where I copy down all the recipes in a spiral and then make a table of contents at the beginning. It's quite fun and I'm not waisting money on cookbooks that I might only use a few recipes from.

Unfortunately this also means there is potential for yucky dinners from poor recipes, and the only way to know if it is bad is to make it. And there are some pretty bad ones out there. I have attempted twice now to make mac and cheese from scratch and both were horrible. But I'm not giving up! Mac and cheese from a box is insanely processed and I KNOW I can outdo a box.

I have made a few dishes where I surprised myself. And if you know me, then you know I hate to have to touch meat, aside from cutting it. I don't like to eat meat with bone in it so I don't cook meat with bone in it. Poor Chris, this really limits my meals. I have been making baby steps though. Last week I made pan fried tilapia, and it was actually good. I've also made chicken nuggets, chimichangas and my own refried beans. Which I must add that Chris said, "These are better than the can." SUCCESS!!

So maybe I'll get really bold and post some pictures of my new found culinary skills. Although they will never compare to the great Bescow, Chris's best friend. He is actually attending the top culinary school in the US and his pictures of food he prepares makes me drool. Shoot, I am still trying to figure out how to mince garlic properly. One of these days I'll get it right.

Run Devon Run!!

So this morning started out just like any other. Breakfast, shower, get Devon ready, feed Matthew, and head out the door at 6:40am to walk down the street to the bus stop. We even saw our neighbor walking her 8 year old daughter to the bus stop. As we are walking, I notice our neighbor and her daughter running and since we are so early, I assume they are being goofy and racing or something. But then, a few seconds later I notice flashing lights on the next block. Panic!

All I remember from that point is saying, "Devon the bus is here. Run!" I grab her hand and hug Matthew with my other arm, he's in the baby carrier and we book it. Poor little guy, he begins to get concerned after a minute of running so I hug him tighter. And for the record, if you are looking for a good lung opening work out just strap 18 extra pounds to your chest. If that doesn't make your chest burn, nothing will.

Oh and did I mention Devon was yelling, "Mommy! Wait! I can't run that fast!" Yep, it was total excitement this morning. Why the bus came almost ten minutes early this morning I will never know, but I sure would like a warning the next time that is going to happen.

After a week of walking Devon to the bus stop, I have timed it just right to where we only have to wait a couple of minutes before the bus gets there. I don't like having to stand out there too long in the chilly morning air with Matthew. So for the next few days I'm going to be leaving earlier just to be safe. Uhg...

Having Fun Together

Whenever I do laundry, Devon almost always wants to play with the laundry basket. The other day she found a new way to play with it. Yep. She "trapped the wild thing." She's a big fan of the book Where the Wild Things Are, so this is why she called Matthew a wild thing.

Matthew thought the whole thing was quite entertaining, and kept giggling which is what caught my attention. I don't know why I always get suspicious when one or the other is laughing, but it always gets my attention quick.

So I showed Devon a different way she could play with Matthew and the laundry basket. There was an added bonus to this game. She got a bit of energy out too. :) Sneaky me.

I'm pretty sure Matthew liked this game better than hunting for wild things.

I Love Fall

Saturday was amazing! I am so ready for fall. We started out our adventure by going to the farmers market downtown, which I love. The weather was cool and the sun was shining. People were walking their dogs. There were a ton of other families with kiddos and there was a band playing music. I just love the complex simplicity of it all. We enjoyed some good food too. Homemade empanadas, mmmmm. Next week I'll try to be smart and plan the weekly meals so I can get the produce I need there.

Then after that we went to the library, also downtown, to get Devon new books for the week and me too. Man let me tell you, I could seriously spend all day there looking at books and be perfectly content. It is so huge. I just love it. I got some new recipe books and a book on preserving food, because that just seems like an awesome thing to do.

Then after that, yep it was a busy day, we went to the Austin flee market, which is conviently on the way home from downtown. It's a buck per car to park, if you hadn't noticed this whole day was pretty cheap. We walked around, had some ice cream. Then we headed back home. When we got home Matthew was passed out and stayed asleep for another hour. So I watched Cars with Devon while searching for new recipes in the library books I got. It was just so mellow and exciting at the same time. I loved it. It was a great family day.

Crikey!!

The other day I was driving to the grocery store and I saw what I thought was trash blowing in the road. When I came up to it I realized it was a snake over two feet long!! I couldn't help but think of good ol' Steve Erwin, also known as the Crocodile Hunter. If you were a fan of the show like I was (back when I was living on campus and had cable!) then you know that he would always come across these huge snakes while he was conveniently driving around. Who knew that could happen to everyday people, and not just herpetologists.

I was so tempted to spring out of the car and creep over to it just like Steve-o would, but then I remembered the last time I tried to pick up a snake and decided otherwise. I looked in my reptile book to see if I could identify it, but it wasn't in there. It covered reptiles in North America, but obviously didn't have them all. I'm guessing that I would need to look in a Texas reptile book or somebody bought an imported snake and just let it loose when it got too big. That is really common for people to do!