I've been wanting to post these great pics of the fall colors here in Austin.

For the second year we went to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's evening of Illuminations. Three thousand luminaries light the paths of the center. Music, holiday treats, and beauty make this a wonderful holiday tradition.
We also enjoyed the company of Dana, Colin, and Baby Addison this weekend. Rhett cooked a delicious dish of chicken pancetta and the kids exchanged gifts. It was a wonderful evening.

December 21st-First Day of Winter

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.- Edith Sitwell

Quick Update

1. Zoe can sing The Twelve Days of Christmas.
2. It's freezing in Austin tonight!
3. I'm hooked on Showtime's Dexter. I can't wait for the final episodes!
4. Some how I'm reading Twilight and loving it.
5. Amanda welcomed a very tiny baby boy, 4lbs 9 oz, the day after Thanksgiving. Celebrate!
6. Henry is still the world's cutest baby.

Zoe's Kitchen

Rhett took off early and headed to Lost Maples State Park for a little hiking on Friday. We took this opportunity to have a girls night. Well technically there was a very little man present but it's as close to girls night as we can get.
I was overjoyed to pick up both of the kids knowing I was about to catch-up on my Z and H time over the next 48 hours.
We invited Hannah to join us at a new little restaurant not far from the house. It is called Zoe's Kitchen and my little Z has been very eager to check it out. I wasn't in love with the food but the company was delightful. It was a wonderful end to a crazy work week.

Something I wasn't expecting

Our school is having a small Veterans Day event tomorrow. We've asked students to bring photos of family and friends who have served. We're hanging them in the breezeway along with their names, branches, and where they served.
So I came home this evening knowing I wanted and needed to do my own searching to honor the many people in my family who fit into this special group. This led to lots of flipping and flipping through the many photo albums that have been collecting dust at the top of my closet. Prior to the digital age of sharing photos, I took LOTS of pictures and neatly organized them all. This would, of course, be prior to having my children as well.
I kept smiling as I rediscovered so many favorite pics that brought back good memories with friends and family. There is one of me with my papa and memaw holding a birthday cake they surprised me with one year. I think I'm 18 or at least too old to be excited about a birthday cake from your grandparents. But I was excited. In another we're playing The Christmas Game. This is a rockin' board game from way back that I would do anything to track down, which was a family tradition for many years with my mom's side.
Of course there is page after page of faces that are so permanent in my life now that I often forget how far we do go back. Cliche but true. Pictures of Amanda and I swimming at a pool in Memphis. I came across so many pics of Rosemond and I hugging, giving cheesy smiles I lost count. One last one I'll mention still seems so real and present to me. It is a picture of Taylor climbing up a sign along the highway. I can feel myself standing there in the tall grass watching him. We're only 17 I think and we're on a road trip over spring break. What the picture doesn't show is a large (I mean large) statue of a bull and Ang and Bob contemplating how to climb it.
I'm so much about trying to enjoy the present, be mindful in the moment, that I may forget to relish the past. I think it is important. Especially with those people for whom our memories have been sealed.

Christmas in November

My mom will be very happy to know we finally used the food processor she bought us for Christmas last year. Rhett reverted to his former self and chose several more labor intensive meals this week. The first endeavor was grilled shrimp and white bean bruschetta. Yum! We have made the white bean spread before. Using our old ,very tiny food processor to make this recipe would take a while. The capacity was about 2 cups, the spring for the button would keep popping out unless you were holding it down and the machine made the worst high-pitched sound you can imagine. The new processor is BIG and quiet. We love it!

Today was literary character day at The Girls' School. It was a whirlwind but lots of fun! All the lowerschool teachers dressed-up as Fancy Nancy.

We May Have a Winner

Trick-r-treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat
If you don't, I don't care
I'll pull down your underwear

I think I have successfully found a costume that Zoe is excited about. She started telling me a few weeks back that she wanted to be a sunshine flower. I have no idea where this came from but she's been adamant-this is what she wants to be.

I looked online for some homemade costume ideas but didn't find anything Zoe liked. We stopped at a party store today and Zoe found exactly what she wanted. Hannah's grandmother made the toole skirt.

If I can just get her to walk down the street and wait without screaming as Hannah gets her candy, I will feel like this has been a success.

Week in review

Embarrassing moment of the week:
While waiting to get our flu shots, Zoe looks over at the not-so-fit woman 3 feet from us and says, "Mama, why is her belly so big?"
Zoe says this twice! The woman pretends she doesn't hear but there is no way she didn't.

I'm a little freaked out moment of the week:
A student in my class has swine flu.

It may be time for a new pair of jeans moment of the week:
After eating my second slice of pizza Friday for lunch I began to get woozy and loose feeling in the lower half of my body. I could be held liable if my button flies off and causes a child to lose an eye.

Time for something new.

Goodbye September

We've all been slightly under the weather, except Z, so this weekend was all about relaxing. I managed to get everyone to nap at the same time Sat. and Sun. This allowed me some much needed rest. Henry has recently decided to start his days at 5:00 a.m.

We did drive to Lockhart Saturday night for some super BBQ. We also got to see Rosemond and Eric for a bit on Sunday. Wish they would have had that sweet Grace with them!
I'm looking forward to cooler days and a break in my crazy work schedule. Life is a blur right now.

Henry is crawling like a pro and pulling up to a standing position. His favorite place happens to be the toilet. (Gross) Zoe is taking dance and gymnastics at her school this year and she really likes both. If we ask her what she did at school today she'll always answer, "Good."
So we don't get much feedback about what's going on but apperently it's o.k.

The most recent thing she does that is so cool is tell us when something makes her happy. For example, if I were to turn on her Dora music in the car she would smile and say, "That makes me happy."
Other things that make her happy are popsicles and having her daddy give she and Henry a bath.

I love watching Rhett get ready for one of his camping trips. There is lots of investigation in the month or months preceding the trip. Boxes arrive in the mail containing the latest and greatest sleeping pad, day pack, etc. Apparently shaving off 2 lbs from your overall pack weight is very important.
The best part is the meticulous tarp set up. Once again, in efforts to keep his pack load down Rhett opts to pitch a tarp under the stars instead of a tent. He has gotten quite crafty at creating the perfect shelter with a 8x6 piece of material, hiking poles, stakes, and twine. There are many Sunday afternoons and weekday evenings spent setting up and speculating the possible arrangements of stakes and other tarp variations. I like to catch him laying in the backyard, underneath his tarp, thinking...thinking....thinking.

If you need a little laugh today...

Last week Zoe and Henry were bathing together. Zoe leaned over to Henry and in a very sweet voice said, "Henry, I like your little boobies."

Then she stated that she did not have boobies. I said, "Are you sure?"

She patted her chest and with lots of expression stated, "I do have boobies!"

Face Glue

dermabound topical skin adhesive is a sterile, liquid skin adhesive that holds wound edges together

dermabound is perfect for sealing the large gash that occurs when a 3 year old slides face first into a dining room chair gashing her face on the outside while also making a hole from the inside out with her tooth

we love dermabound because we were able to address this minor injury without stitches

z was very brave

everyone would have been proud and a little surprised at her patience with the doctor at the emergency clinic

We made it to the weekend

Thank goodness it's Saturday! Rhett let me stay in bed while he got the kids up. They seem to like to keep it spicy by waking up around 6:30 on the weekends but we have to get them out of bed for school during the week. I'm sure it is the first of many jokes H and Z will play on us! When Rhett went in to get Henry this morning he was sitting up in his crib. I'm amazed at how quickly Henry is learning to get around. I know Zoe wasn't doing any of the things Henry can do at 7 months. It is exciting and scary. I was for sure the loud thump I heard at 3 this morning was Henry flinging himself out of the crib. Of course it wasn't but we will be moving his crib to the lowest level today.
Zoe went to Hannah's for a play reunion yesterday evening. Everyone has been so busy that we haven't had a chance to play with our best buddy in a while. When Hannah came over to pick up Z we had to get her dressed up. Leotards and high heels have been our home attire for the past week. Very cute!

Trip Report

We had an awesome time in New Mexico and Rhett is (of course) ready to pack up the kids and move into our own pueblo on the desert plains. The weather was perfect! The locals have no idea how good they've go it!
We went rafting and had the best guide. He was super knowledgeable about the local geology and history of Taos. It made for a fun and educational trip down the Rio Grande. Another highlight was the great ring I got to replace my lost wedding ring (boo hoo). It is a simple silver band made by a Taos artist named Larry Nixon. The band is wrapped with a variety of stones like turquoise, coral, and opal. I miss my old ring but love the new one!

The last days of summer

Back to work today! Ho Hum...

Top 10 Reasons This Was The Best Summer Ever!

1. We ate popsicles everyday
2. We watched way too many cartoons
3. We spent lots of time with friends and family
4. We watched Henry triple in size
5. We reduced our families diaper load by half
6. We had adventures outside of Austin often
7. We watched Zozo change from a toddler to a little girl right before our eyes
8. We slept in (when H let us) and went to bed late
9. We wore holes in our bathing suits
10. We sang, danced, hugged, tickled, laughed, and goofed around to our hearts content

Words to Ponder

For our problems to feel controllable, we need to be able to look at them from a distance, from a different angle and in a way that reveals any positive aspects to our problem. What opportunities does our problem provide for us?

The Dalai Lama makes the point that once we identify any positive angles to our problem we need to repeatedly remind ourselves of these if we are to bring about a change of attitude. The long-term goal is to train our minds to be flexible and supple so that we can maintain our composure even in the most restless and turbulent conditions.

Sarah Napthali

Zoe Rebecca

On the night you were born,
the moon smiled with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered,
"Life will never be the same."

Because there had never been anyone like you...
ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain
that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name.

Nancy Tillman

Happy Birthday Whitney!

We had a great time camping in New Braunsfels to celebrate Whitney's birthday. We floated the river with friends and family. I forgot how much fun laying in a black rubber tube in the blazing hot sun on a Texas river for hours on end can be. Seriously...it is great!

Back from Vacation

We went to Rockport this year for our summer vacation. Rockport is about 15 minutes from Port Aransas and 30 minutes from Corpus Christi. It was perfect! One reason is that Rockport is only 3 hours and 15 minutes from our house.

We had fun at the beach and spent a good amount of time at the neighborhood pool where we rented our vacation house. Zoe really enjoyed staying at the house and loved the bunk beds in the room she and Henry stayed in at night.

Rhett and I enjoyed the screened in porch that allowed the constant breeze to flow through the patio area. We ate our dinners there and I had one too many glasses of wine the first night while we stayed up talking way past my bedtime.

We spent 1 day in Corpus Christi visiting the Texas State Aquarium and eating baskets of fried seafood at a place called Pier 99. The Aquarium was very nice and I think Rhett and I enjoyed it more than Zoe did.

We also got to visit the largest oak tree in Texas located on Goose Island just outside of Rockport. The tree is believed to be over 1000 years old. Rhett liked this area. It is very quiet and known for good fishing and bird spotting.

Our last destination was Kreuz Market barbecue in Lockhart. We loaded up on pork ribs, brisket, and sausage. Delicious!

We measured the success of this vacation by our wishes that we could have stayed just one day longer.

I just want to scream

Alright. I'm not optimistic by nature but lately I've really been trying to stay positive and hope the good energy I put out there will make a few things that are typically challenging for me a little less. Especially, when it comes to parenting.
That wasn't my fortune today. I scheduled portraits for the kids today knowing that Zoe is VERY reluctant to have them done. Strangers, new places, meeting our friends that we have known for years for lunch-well they all throw Zoe for a loop. It is getting better but she still has her days.
The person taking the portraits was friendly and tried so hard to get Zoe to do the pictures. There were promises of balloons, stickers, and suckers. I myself, one who never believes in bribing as a tactic to get my child to do something, told Zoe last night that she would get a special treat if she was very helpful and did her pictures like a big girl. I knew about 2 minutes into this whole mess that Z was going to be Z. She wasn't going to do the damn pictures. I tried my best to move beyond it and focus on the success of H's first portraits. But really I was just so mad that Zoe wouldn't stand up there for a few brief moments and get her picture taken in this very cute dress my mother sent her for her birthday. So there ended up being talk of how disappointed I was and how we would have to tell Daddy about how she behaved. As we were exiting the mall all the exciting things she had asked about seeing or doing on the way in, I shot down as we passed them again saying, "Girls who don't get their picture taken don't get to ride on coin operated airplanes."
I'm laughing as I type this now but I assure you I was just trying so hard not to break down crying from frustration at the moment. Why? All this for some silly photograph. I have hundreds of beautiful photographs of Zoe. Now that a few hours have passed, I have a little better perspective on the whole issue.
This is the deal about Zoe. She puts her whole heart into everything she does. She gives it all 150%. Just like she puts her whole heart into being a great big sister, or learning to do some fancy trick while flying through the air on the couch...she put her whole heart into not wanting that picture taken today.
I LOVE her for that!

Simple Pleasures

We are loving our lush new lawn! Previously we would do all our water play in the front yard. Our backyard was nothing more than a dust bowl. Now we can play in privacy away from the street. It's SO nice!

There's a Protestor Here

Sometimes dinner is a pleasure. The food is delicious and Zozo gives a loud YUM after each bite. Tonight the food was great but Zozo wasn't too jazzed up about it. Here are a few great one-liners I can recall from dinner.

Why don't you stop talking about eating the steak and actually start eating it? Mommy
If you don't eat your dinner, you won't get a popsicle. (This was said about 10 times) Mommy
I'm adorable. Zozo
Gagging while taking a bite of steak. Zozo
Why don't you just relax and eat your dinner? Mommy This was my response to Zozo asking if she could go upstairs and play with Henry. I'm still not sure why I gave this answer.

Old Friends

We had some very exciting guests at the end of this week. Heather, Kennedy, and Caden came to Austin for a few days. They came over Thursday evening along with some other friends we haven't seen in a while. Caden and Zoe had a great time playing outside in the playhouse and they of course ended up in their bathing suits.
Kennedy was all over the place! She was up and down the stairs, babbling nonstop, and flashing those beautiful gray eyes. It was a treat to finally get the opportunity to spend time with Kennedy.
Little Penelope was busy getting her beauty rest most of the evening and she was super cute in her 4th of July outfit. Henry got lots of snuggles from Angie.
It was a real joy to spend time with our friends who share so many memories. Life gets so busy we don't do it enough.

Creamsicle

Do you remember those great Popsicles with the ice cream inside? Zoe and I enjoyed purple Popsicles after a great morning swimming at a local Austin pool. Henry even splashed around a bit. It was the perfect way to spend a sizzling Austin summer day.

Love Thy Neighbor

Those of you keeping up with the fly bag saga will be interested to know we returned from our trip and the bag was gone. Victory!

Holiday Road

We spent the 4th at my parents house on the lake. Rhett's family came and we had a super time. The kids swam and played all day! We took the boat out Saturday night for the big fireworks show over the lake. Unfortunately, there was a computer problem with the folks heading up the show. After waiting an hour and a half for the big fireworks to start we had to pack it up. It was a great weekend. Rhett stayed in his bathing suit the whole time and Zoe didn't need her shoes once!

Story Time

Zoe enjoyed her first full-length book tonight at bedtime. Pooh held her interest and she was so snugly while listening to how Pooh's love of honey got him into mischief time and time again.

The Pink One Mommy

We went to IKEA Saturday night to let Z pick out her new "big girl" bed. I had a feeling Z would pick the very PINK bed and sure enough...she went straight to the showroom with the pink bed and said, "My new bed!" Rhett and Z worked together to assemble it on Sunday morning. I had talked up the new bed for weeks. I even put it on her calendar and we counted down the days before we went to pick it out. She never seemed too excited though. To her she already had a big girl bed. In her mind, she is a big girl-she sleeps in a crib-her crib is a big girl bed.

Now that we have it all set up she LOVES it. She took one of her toys from her crib and put it in H's crib. She told H it was for a baby bed not a big girl bed.

What's the phrase? Two steps foward, One step back

As we're admiring our new sod and the great improvement we've made outdoors we notice a buckle in the wood floor in the living room. Honestly my first assumption was that the cleaning people spilled a bucket of water on Tuesday. But as we continued to notice more and more planks showing signs of water stress it dawned on Rhett that we may have a leak in the AC. Sure enough the condensation line was backed up causing water to leak. What is very funny about this whole thing is that the problem was caused by a holy bush growing beside the outside AC unit. This is the same lone bush that survived while approximately 20 other plants croaked one by one over the past year. Rhett had mentioned he thought this plant survived due to the drip of the condensation line near to where it was planted. But until today we never realized how cunning this little bush had become in its need to outlive its peers. The roots of the bush were growing right up the line. So the one bush we have celebrated and admired over the past year had sabotaged us in the end!

A Fresh Start

Saturday's big project was Rhett's final attempt to establish grass in the backyard. After 4 years, the little bit of grass we had when we bought the house had diminished to nothing more than a dusty patch of ground that served as Benny's pooping grounds.

Potty Champ

You can only truly appreciate this if you understand how many diapers I have changed in the past 3 years. The average child goes through 7400 diapers before they are potty trained.

I made it!

I can't believe I have succumb to the blogging world! I've considered creating a blog many times before to share tidbits of what's going on with the kids with all our out-of-town friends and family. My friend Rosemond tried to talk me into creating a blog 2 years ago but I could never commit. I simply do not like the idea of the world having access to my life. After seeing so many friends, who I believe have good judgement, blog...I decided it can't be that bad. Afterall, I'm in control of what I put out there. You can tell I'm still talking myself into this.