June 2009

Zachary's Super Saturdays

Little boys lead a grand life. These have been the events of Zachary's Saturdays this June...

Tee Ball
Birthday party

Tee Ball
Lunch at Hollander's old house
Birthday Party
Dinner at Gwen's

Tee Ball
Spend Night with Moronesos

Tee Ball
Pool (with Ice Cream Sandwich and no Day Rest)

Must be nice... :)

Final Swim

Today my parents had a garage sale as they prepare to 'move on up'. It was blazing hot (go figure - summer in Texas) and after we closed up shop, everyone decided a dip in the pool was in order.

Zachary is no longer afraid of swimming and was like a little fish, splashing everywhere and swimming with his 'swim jacket' all the way to the deep end and hanging on the diving board.
(All this was diligently supervised by Grandma T.)

Very Sad

You never dream that you will outlive your baby. My sweet friend is going through this right now. Please keep her and her husband in your prayers for comfort and healing as they deal with this tremendous loss.

Rubik's Cube

I solved a Rubik's Cube today!
Zachary got me one for Mother's Day, with an instructional DVD. With the help of the DVD, I got it solved. It only took 1.5 hours. :)

This is especially exciting because as a child I messed one up so badly that my dad said it could never be fixed. Hmm... I wonder if that thing is still around...

Sophie's Test

Sophie has this test she runs when someone besides Mom is staying with her. She cries, cries, and cries some more. If you come back again, she's usually pretty good. I guess she figures if you come back for seconds after the crying fit, then you're worth getting to know. Man, she's tough!

The End of an Era

It's the end of an era, folks. The Bennigan's on South Hulen Street has been demolished. I noticed it on the way to Tee Ball tonight and recalled the good times there. It was the site of post football game hang outs, the place of employ for my former boyfriend, Barf, and the location of my first legal drink (my birthday was on a Monday, and who else was open on a Sunday night till midnight, but Bennigan's).
My best memories, though, include many fabulous Brownie Bottom Sundaes that Erin and I could eat in about a minute and a half (no lie) and all the great girl talk and bonding done before and after.

RIP Bennigan's.

Food

I realized today that my kids eat like I did when I was pregnant with each of them.

Case in point:

• Zachary: grilled cheese, mac & cheese, milk, treats, treats, and more treats. No lie - I actually got a note from the doctor saying it was OK to eat sweets.
• Sophie: everything in sight. Seriously - if it doesn't eat her, she will eat it. Pot roast, steak, pork loin, veggies, fruits, breads, turkey, cheese, pasta with sauce, you name it, she likes it.

Oddly, they both like fish sticks. How on earth that happened, I will never know!

Another "Graduation"

Zachary "graduated" again from his Little Gym class. He received a medal, and did a great job showing off all his tricks. Grandma T and Sophie were along to share in the fun times.

May 2009 Photos

Tooth #3

Tooth #3 has arrived! We found it today when Sophie wasn't napping after Splash Day at Mira Vista. It's on the bottom (again), on the left side.

Splash Day

Today was our first Splash Day at Mira Vista. We got everyone ready (took about an hour) and got to the pool only to realize that Sophie's food bag was left at home.

Zachary had a great time splashing in the kids' pool, eating cotton candy, listening to the DJ, and swimming in the big pool a little. He liked watching the Splash contest and the Pie Eating contest. Next year he might win. :)

Sophie looked really cute in her swimsuit and will try the pool another time.

Lessons from Mom

Ask my mom what her favorite store is and she will say, "Home Depot." Since I can remember, she has been home improving and doing various projects that require fun power tools. She has done all the painting and wall papering in their home. She stained the deck 2 or 3 times. She made planters for the back patio. She mowed the lawn, maintained the pool, laid parquet flooring, etc. She will tackle any project, especially if she gets a new "toy".

All this has taught me that women can do anything we set our minds to do, especially around the house. I demonstrated that for Sophie today as I took apart her crib and set the mattress on the lowest setting. Usually you don't have to disassemble the whole thing, but the manufacturing was not up to par.

I know Sophie won't remember this, but I hope that she continues to see she can do just about anything that she wants.

Disclaimer 1 - Steve and I tried to do this together on Thursday night, but with 2 kids on the move it was impossible to get done. So it's not that he didn't want to help, or that I didn't want him to help. It just had to get done when Zachary was out of the house.

Disclaimer 2 - Dad traveled a LOT when we moved here and so Mom was often left to her own devices around the house. Again, not that he didn't want to help; he just wasn't here to do it all the time.

Sophie is 9 Months Old

Sophie is 9 months old today! We went to a well check visit with Dr. Young. She got a Hepatitis B vaccine and was checked for anemia (she is not anemic). Here are her stats...

Height - 29.5 inches (97%)
Weight - 20 lbs, 14.5 oz (84%)
Head Circumference - 17.5 inches (65%)

Dr. Young is pleased with her progress, and said that her ear infection is gone.

She's Crawling

Sophie crawled today for the first time! She is quite proud of herself, and Zachary thinks it's pretty cool too. Nothing is safe, of course, but it is a nice step towards growing up.

Grammar

A little rant and rave is allowed every now and then...

There's a Facebook group called "I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar". I am a member. I do judge. Mostly in professional environments, never my friends, but it does happen. I mean, really people, if you are going to publish something, grammar should not be that big of an issue. And if you're not sure, ASK SOMEONE!!!

I got this headline from Pottery Barn (they should definitely know better) today:
"Free Shipping on Must Have's For The Bath".

My question - what belongs to the "Have"? I know there are much bigger and more important things in life to get worked up over, but this stuff just sets me over the edge. You want me to spend $34.00 on a Susainable-Wax Filled Recycled Glass Candlepot and you can't be bothered to read the headline on the email? Give me a break.

The sad thing is, I bet most of their customers didn't notice.

Tee Ball - First Practice

Zachary had a great time at his first Tee Ball practice tonight.

His team is the Phillies, and his number is 1.

It was very fun to watch as the kids tried to bat (good success), catch a ball (not so much), throw the ball (pretty good) and run the bases (truly hysterical).

All the kids are first time players and his friend, Gwen, is also on the team. It should be a lot of fun!

Family Music Night - Spring 2009

Sophie and Zachary both participated in music at TCU this spring. Zachary was in with the big kids (3s and 4s) and Sophie was in a mixed age class. It was a lot of fun doing something with each of them and they both really enjoyed it. Family Music Night was tonight, and we went in spite of the Swine Flu invasion. Zachary spent a LOT of time running around, but Sophie enjoyed the music, doing her own bouncy dance and playing with some instruments. Grandma T and Grandpa H came with us and we really loved having them there!

April 2009 Photos

Main Street Arts Festival

Mandy wanted to take Zachary to the festival to see Me & My Monkey (local Beatles tribute band). We decided to load everyone up and make a day of it. 3 adults, 2 kids, no problem. And we actually did manage to have a great time. Sophie only cried a little and it was a wonderful day! Thanks Mandy for suggesting it!!