Out and About

We kept pretty busy yesterday, our 3rd full day sans power. We started with an early morning trip to get bagels and ended up randomly meeting a colleague of our friend Diana. I texted her to tell her of my encounter and found that she had the day off because of power issues so we arranged to meet up at a playground around noon. B had a lot of fun playing with her:


My ploy for a guaranteed nap due to playground time failed, but I was able to get some work done while the older one pretended to nap and the little one actually did. How did I work, you ask? Well, it turns out that I can get on the W's (our neighbor besties) wireless network quite easily from our back deck, and the extension cords we hooked up the other night allowed my laptop to get plugged in, as well!

Speaking of community sharing, here's a picture that sums it up:


That's the cell phone of our corner neighbor plugged into a power strip of the neighbor on the other side, connected to extension cords running from the house behind them. Teamwork!

Anyway... after our work/rest/nap time, we headed back to our bestie neighbor house for a special cinematic feature Jen planned for the boys:


Unfortunately, B is not really interested in movies, even if they do feature the Rio birds that show up in his beloved "Angry Birds: Rio" app. So he wasn't long for the cushy viewing area and instead played toys with these cute little people:


We sure would be lost without the W family!! I've been going over each night to wash bottles with their hot water-- I kinda feel like their 5th roommate!!

Wonder what today will have in store?

Still Here in the Dark

Might not have power until Friday night. There are no words...

Well, yes, here are a few: it would be so different if there had been widespread damage and we were all facing adversity together. But for just 4 families to still be without power while the rest of the neighborhood goes about its electric bidness? That's a little harder to take.

Thankfully, we have our dear neighbor friends, Chris and Jen, who not only let me charge my cell phone multiple times yesterday, but who also ran extension cords to us last night so we could plug in our fridge. Those criss-crossed the ones running from their next door neighbor to ours-- the BG noted that it's like a 3rd world country back there.

Oh, and just as he was trying to heat himself some dinner on the grill after a long first day of school and then practice, the gas ran out. Of course it did. He immediately left to buy more, and returned after a long while with....Taco Bell and the same empty tank.

But we're hanging in just fine. The days have been beautiful and the generous offers of help, plentiful. (Also plentiful has been my anxiety snacking, but I'm giving myself a pass on that considering the lack of food-preparation options.)

Oh, and the kids are great. B helped me buy a new trash can this afternoon, and the wee one enjoyed her first spinach dinner!







Enjoy some electricity for us today!!

Hurricane? What Hurricane?

By early afternoon, we had blue skies and sunshine!



Too bad we still didn't have power.

(And still don't. Our entire neighborhood was restored late last evening....except us, the houses on either side of us, and the one directly across the street. What did we DO to you, power company??!!)

Hurricane Update

For the non-Facebookians among you: we're fine. Irene was quite windy and dropped a lot of rain for many, many hours. She finally overpowered our electrical system shortly after midnight. The power is still out.

As it goes, today is my once-a-quarter assignment as liturgist for the 9:30 service at our church. Apparently the church did not lose power, so services are proceeding as usual. Not sure I've ever stood in front of the congregation with a ponytail and makeup applied by lantern-light, but there's always a first time. Hopefully I'll find clear roads along the 20ish minute drive.

The BG filled our coolers with ice after practice yesterday so I think he'll start emptying fridge items into them soon. But maybe the power will surprise us with a reappearance in short order?! Sure hope so!!

If She Lived With Drill Sergeants

"You look WAY too happy to be 7 months old!!"

"Drop and give me 20!"

"That's more like it! No more smiles until 8 months!"

(No babies were harmed in this photoshoot!)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

It's Thursday and I'm Tired.

I started to complain about what an exhausting day yesterday was but then I realized that it would be better for us all if I just posted this pic of the green pajama cuties instead:

Inner Monologue

"Man, I was so nice and cozy asleep in my car seat. Why did they have to wake me up to bring me into Trader Joe's? Well, at least my mom has this cushy cart cover so I can just stretch out and get a few more winks. But what is UP with my high-water floodpants? It's not my fault that I have a narrow waist and these jeans that finally fit without falling off are now several inches too short. Oh, this is all making my precious little head hurt..!"

Thoughts on Traveling with Tykes

• Even though each flight had a delay (grrr), we are still huge proponents of flying Southwest with kids. In addition to the free baggage allowance, I really like the fact that we can board and choose seats, and then other passengers have the option of avoiding us. I would feel really bad if we were on an airline with assigned seats and our seatmate was a harried businessman. This way, the harried businessman can just pass us by and find another seat. (This actually happened on Sunday. It was hysterical. The man started to sit down in our aisle seat and then looked up and was like, "NO WAY!" and moved on back. To his credit, he made a point of telling me after the flight how good the kids were.)

• The Denver airport's long and winding roped off security lines were basically wide enough for a small double stroller to navigate....until randomly, there'd be a giant statue of some Colorado hero taking up half the path. Seriously, airport planners?

• On the up side, the Denver airport requires a tram ride to get from the check-in area to all the terminals. A train at the airport? That's a big day for the Brookster!

• A stroller is a necessity for surviving with two kids and no other adult help. I totally could have had her in the Ergo and held his hand, but the thought of not having a child-containment system makes me sweat a little bit.
  
  
• If using a stroller, however, be prepared to hear lots of sadness regarding the fact that escalators and moving walkways have to be avoided.
  
  
• Calories should not be considered when trying to make it through such a day. Consuming a King Size Hershey Bar (accidentally with almonds-- man!) is fine. Balance it out with only getting a Cheeseburger Happy Meal rather than a Big Mac Extra Value Meal, and you're golden.
  
  
• Flying by yourself with two kids is THE most sensible time to use one of those premium beverage coupons Southwest gives out occasionally. If you're lucky (and/or pathetic-looking), the flight attendant might wave it off and give you a free drink. But give up on using Dr. Pepper as a mixer. It just doesn't work.
  
  
• People really do still practice acts of kindness. They will help you with your stroller and with your bags. Again, looking pathetic (but smiley!) never hurts.
  

• Always remember: even if everything falls apart and your angels turn into unrecognizable monsters, you will never see these people again! Who cares if they're still pointing and staring at baggage claim? You've made it!!
  
  

A(nother) Moment with Brooks

It is so hard to get him to look at the camera without making a funny face, let alone getting him to look at the camera at all. I happened to try bending over and shooting up at him last week, and just loved these (completely unedited) snaps. Those Colorado skies are just so brilliantly blue!

Do you have a favorite of the 5 pics?!

(The title comes from the fact that I knew I'd used that heading before. Amazingly, I even remembered when. Check out this old post!)

We Didn't Go Chasing It

But we sure did see a beautiful waterfall!

(I'm pretty sure anyone in the next generation up is confused by my blog title, so here's the AARP-reader link to my reference!)

Back to the waterfall. Can you even believe the beauty of North Clear Creek Falls?


Why would we expect to get a group shot when there are so many rocks to throw into the water down below?!

These skies haven't been retouched at all. Just gorgeous.


Loved those little peepers sticking out of the carrier!

All of these fab photos were snapped by my aunt Carole Jean (mama of loyal reader Mama Bear). It was such a treat to spend time with her and my uncle Maxey this week:

(I went big with the photos since they were all so picturesque-- well, except for that next-to-last one. Oh well!)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

FISH FEST!

(Not to be confused with a Fish Feast.)

Why does this guy look so pensive?!

Because he's trying to figure out just how Opa was going to stock B's beloved Rio Grande with fish!

Enter Matt and his truck o' trout:

This is Matt. Matt has a lot of fish:

B didn't want to get too close:

But he wanted to be part of the gang carrying the first shipment to the water:

Get ready, river! Here they come!

And they're OFF!

This fly-fisherman happened to be about 50 yards downstream when all this activity happened. I bet he had the best fishing day of his life!!!

Thanks, Opa, for such a fun experience!

Keeping Busy

Someone fancies himself a leader of men:

Did you notice the fab new boots?

Little sister stays inside and is entertained:

(She also drools.):

Mornings at the Cabin

Fire-Gazing

(even when it's August, Opa gives in to the kiddo who adores helping make a fire!)

and Hot Chocolate-Guzzling!

Maybe we'll actually leave the house today! (or not!?)

Whew! We Did It!

The wee ones and I were booked on a 7:20 PM nonstop flight to Denver on Saturday. I've been moderately concerned about flying by myself with two kids (I know that sounds like a paradox, but I think you get me), so the increasingly incremental delays they kept announcing in the terminal seemed to bode poorly for our experience.

Indeed, we didn't take off until after 9 pm, which is already more than 2 hours after C's bedtime and later than B would go to bed as well. I am pleased to say, however, that they were real troopers and we survived so I could blog another day!

"Delay? What delay?!" (many thanks to Jen W for the stroller loan!):


Once we boarded, the little miss was soooo tired and needed just to fuss herself to sleep, which is normal for her but not exactly what you want to have happen in a constricted space. She finally conked out about 10:30 and slept for 90 minutes. The B-man never once even shut his eyes-- the iPad is just too entertaining.

After we landed already so much later than scheduled, there was an unusual holdup with the bags. We finally climbed into our airport motel beds at 3 AM based on the time zone where our day had started. And that was immediately after discovering the bathroom sink wasn't draining. Nice.

Opa and Grammie had driven up to meet us at the airport and we made the 4-hour trek back to their cabin yesterday. We got here a bit before my aunt and uncle arrived after their own journey from Texas. We are so thankful to have this special family visiting time.

But, you guys-- I'm so tired that I'm pecking out this post on my phone at 9:33 PM Sunday after realizing, once already under the covers, that Monday was drawing near. I can't believe I almost forgot to write a blog post!! And this one has been SO thrilling, right??! :-)

I'll try to do something interesting to report tomorrow. Hopefully we'll all be caught up on sleep by then!!

"Meeels on Wheels"

It's been a busy week. I brought on most of the (fun!) chaos through my own calendering of activities and I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it. But I'm now too tired even to remember whether we've talked about B's favorite nickname for his sister, this blog post's title.

I think I have. But whatever. It's cute enough to read twice, right? Especially when she's actually on wheels.....:

We've been getting our exercise with some AM walking up and down hills around our house. I figure I'm pushing something like 75 pounds total between the kids and the stroller, so that's something!

Of course, I've also been eating something like 75 pounds of food each day.

Let's just summarize by saying: those thighs of C's? It's like looking in a mirror! (which I try to avoid.) :-)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Gettin' My Fix

Football practice starts this Saturday with the onslaught of 2-a-days. Life as I know it (aka having the BG around so I can escape for solo adventures) will be ending. I'm trying to maximize my time this week and determined it had been way too many months since I'd wandered the aisles of the biggest, best thrift store ever.

Behold my bounty:

For C: 1 fully lined and hooded jacket, 5 dresses, 2 tops, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of jeans, 2 sleepers, 1 adorable tennis skirt (I know, but come on!), 1 pair of shorts, and 1 Fourth of July outfit. For B: 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of pj pants, 3 shirts.

(And yes, in case you're wondering, some of C's clothes are for the future. Gotta get the deals while you can....regardless of size!!)

I have a rather discerning eye when I "thrift" so the items are all like-new and mostly brands like Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, etc. Such a thrill. Even more thrilling? Since it was "Everything 25% Off" Day, I got all this loot for.......$30.

Ah, that feels good.

A Long Time Ago

There was this little boy:

Today, he becomes closer to 40 than 30. Poor sweet little guy! ;-)

Speaking of little guys, I decided it would be fun to ask the B-man a few questions about his dad on the occasion of the BG's big day:

How old is Daddy? Ten.

Is that older or younger than you? Younger than me.

What is Daddy's favorite food? Leftovers

What does Daddy do for fun? School and work.

What does Daddy look like? Tall.

Do you look like your Daddy or Mommy? My Mommy (quite emphatically)

What would you like Daddy to get on his birthday? A present.

What kind of present? Maybe an expensive drawbridge?

Where would Daddy like to eat on his birthday? Maybe at Jimmy John's?

If you could go anywhere with Daddy, where would you like to go? To New York, New York.

What makes Daddy happy? Well, it makes him sad when I put sticks in the sewer line.

But what makes him happy? (hemming, hawwing, "I don't know"-ing.) Finally: Playing with me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG GUY!!!

(may you have lots of that play time with B, since we sure as heck don't have any prezzies for you!)

Grabby McGrabberton

Watch out, Big Brother. She's gonna getcha!

PS: A HUGE round of congratulatory hugs and cheers for this fabulous couple on the occasion of their engagement over the weekend. YAY!!!! Can't wait for "Round Two" of Havalchak Wedding Excitement! (Um, we will be invited, right?!)

First Prank

Are we not very good parents for playing a joke on our 3.5 year old? Or are we super fun? Not sure about that one, but I do know that we have a wonderfully resilient and happy kid who busted a gut loudly for about 20 seconds after this all went down. (Seriously. He was tickled. Promise.)

So here's the set-up:

During the year, our church hosts a post-service fellowship time that generally includes Dunkin Donut munchkins. As is common practice at churches, however, the summer season is a little more carefree, a little less organized, and--in our case--a little lacking in the donut area. So we generally stop at the DD store right by the church on our way home for some munchkins. (Because, you know, childhood obesity is not something we're too worried about with our stringbean...)

Yesterday, he decided only to eat 2 on the way home and "save the rest for later." We told him he could have the bag o' holes back after lunch and put it on top of the microwave in the meantime. Well, he became transfixed by the notion that his donuts would melt up there. Every few minutes, he'd ask us about it. During lunch, he excused himself to go to the bathroom and was still calling out from all the way down the hall, "Are my donuts melting??!"

So we decided to have a little fun. While he was in the bathroom, we removed the remaining donut holes and hid them. Into the bag went little crumbs of bread, and then we put it back on the microwave. Boy comes back, finishes his lunch, asks for his donuts, and his loving father surreptitiously catches it on his phone (thus poor quality):




Don't worry! We produced the bag of donuts immediately after that (cue the belly laughs from the B-man). See, he's just fine:



Clearly, these videos prove that you should not include me in any kind of humorous prank-pulling-- I was cracking up before he even opened the bag! :-)

Okay, So Maybe They Don't Really Look Alike

Turns out they're (gasp!) different in other ways, too! To wit:

• C is WAY stronger than her brother. She has a grip like you wouldn't believe and is shockingly quick at grabbing whatever is in front of her. She has meatier legs and will put weight on them, which is something B very rarely did. (Prediction: B will tend towards his mother's level of athleticism and be the "moral supporter" on the swim team, while his sister will be a powerhouse wrestler.)

• C rolls over and over as a form of travel; B just rolled and stopped. (Prediction: B will be the guy whom friends call when they just want to hang out, while C will be the one organizing the adventures.)

• C is quieter than B was, but B grinned more. (Prediction: B will successfully charm the customers as a WalMart greeter, while C plots world domination.)

• Although both are excellent sleepers, B fell asleep in non-crib locales more easily. (Prediction: B will be a much better roadtrip companion, while C will stay in only 5-star hotels.)

• B never had diaper blow-outs like C does. (Prediction: Again, B will be a better roadtrip companion! :-)

All in all, I think I'll keep 'em. I'm eager to see these two interact more and more as they get older. I couldn't imagine a sweeter big brother than Brooks, though-- just yesterday morning, he requested that I put her on my bed so he could "lie down next to her and give her big huggies."

HAPPY FRIDAY!

If Only We Could Bend Time

First of all-- HATS OFF to the 3 of you who turned yesterday's post into a Caption Contest! Karen I, Anne, and Brother Dearest, you guys ROCK!!! And make me giggle, too!

I was taking a few pics of C yesterday (she's now a sittin' fool)...:

...when the pink stripes immediately jogged my memory.

You know what?

I bet she'd really enjoy playing with these two cuties:

That pic was originally posted on July 15, 2008, which means B and his birthday twin, the Cadybug, were just about a week older than wee C is now. Funny to note that the post mentions each of them having the tops of teeth-- Camille got her first tooth in the last week, as well!

Ah, the memories!

(BTW, I had really been holding out hope that the little miss could still grow some luscious locks before too long, since I remembered that Cady started out with minimal hair and look at her now! Unfortunately, this pic proves that Camille is WAY more similar, fuzz-wise, to her brother than to his twin. Methinks someone will be bald for many years!)

Wordless Wednesday

Still A-Sniffin'

Oh, y'all. The candle-love is back in full force. (Yet again another time where I lament not having labeled posts when I started, 1090 posts ago-- I'd love to link to earlier tales about B's sniffer! But hopefully you know what I'm talking about...)

With all the rummaging around in the hutch for serving pieces for the party the other weekend, the stash o' candles in there *somehow* escaped and now fills the basket where the toys and books used to be. Really, who needs toys where there are candles to line up, sniff, line up again, and sniff? The kid will play with them forever...which is kinda nice, albeit eccentric!

The other day when we were finally putting platters and bowls away, I found a couple more jars hidden in there. While B was napping, I got them out and added them to the existing candle line. The joy on his face at his expanding inventory was priceless. It wasn't actually this face, but probably pretty close!

The Calendar May Say August....

...but I'm not done telling you about July. So there.

My parents generously offered to keep the kiddos overnight on our anniversary so that we could have a night out. You know me and my bargains-- we had to try to get a sweet deal on Priceline! It took some strategic bidding, but we ended up with the 5-star Adolphus in downtown Dallas for the low, low price of $65 plus taxes. Sweet!

When we checked in, the guy clarified that we had a King Deluxe Room, to which I cheekily replied, "Unless you have a special room for 10th anniversaries!" He was a delightful lad who immediately started consulting both the computer and the hotel schematics and ended up giving us an Executive Suite, still for the low, low price of $65, which was just about 1/10th of the printed price on the back of the room's door!

Our suite:

Our visitor, posing in her absolutely adored striped chair:

We had to sit in the chair, too!

Might be my favorite pic of us, ever:


Then it was off to the bar at the Ritz-Carlton, where we picked up this handsome fellow and enjoyed some delicious margaritas and chips & guac:

Brimming with happiness (and tequila), we made our way to what was imagined originally as a celebration with the 5 Dallas-residing participants in our wedding, but due to schedule conflicts with the other 3 (we missed you!), ended up being a reunion of Apartment #3210...plus some husbands we allowed to tag along:

Just for funsies, let's pause and take a quick trip through our shared history told through poor-quality scanned photos, beginning with the first day of class as sophomores in our "new" off-campus apartment:

1998

1999

2000

2002 (at loyal blog reader JJC's wedding!)

2005

2006 with the moms

2009

July 14, 2011

It was an evening of laughs and memories-- and lots of excitement at finding out that BOTH of these girls are due with 2nd babies in January. As an expert in January babies, I was pretty excited! :-)

As it happens, Lindsay's pregnancy has already become a little more interesting than she expected. I know she and Jason would welcome all prayers and well-wishes. You can read more about it here.