Two New Firsts

Who knew that when I woke up this morning, my day was going to be filled with so many new things? Neither one very exciting, but then again, most of my days aren't. No surprise there.

This is my new front door! It's been on a few weeks, but they had it all boarded up so I couldn't really get a good picture by peeking through the slats. I love it. I mean I really, really LOVE it. I know it's not much to look at here, but imagine it in red (of course) with all the white "clapboard" (it's really concrete siding, but it's supposed to look like old clapboard siding) all around it and black shutters. Dontcha just want to stop in and say "Hi"?


I think Brad was a little hesitant about the big star on the front door. But what else is a tried-and-true-Texas gal supposed to have on her front door, I ask? Trust me, it'll grow on him.

This is my other "first."


I cut Eli's hair for the very first time today. I was forced to because of a very long story that begins with Brad bartering legal service for free haircuts and ends with me being very frustrated once a month because the Hair Cut Lady and Brad do not work on consistent schedules. We were two weeks past when he should have gotten his last haircut and it was being rescheduled (again) for a time that was completely inconvenient for me so I decided to cut it myself. It can't be that hard. Although it is a little on the short side, it's way better than the hooligan hair he had before.

Sorry that the pictures both seem to be listing to the left today. Apparently, I can't hold my camera straight.

This was not a first, but it's a nice picture of Eli and Phoebe throwing rocks while Brad talked to the Septic Tank Man. I'm so glad they have all those fancy, educational toys at home to ignore.

The Last Few Weeks In Pictures

The first few weeks of summer have flown by and I feel like we've hardly gotten to experience them because they've gone so fast! Of course, we've filled it with way fun things like VBS, the pool, Six Flags, and just goofing off. It's been a good summer so far. The pictures of the "Dude Wagon" need a little explanation. It was a little car that my mom and her sisters had when they were little. My brother, sister, and I played with it when we were little and then my aunt had it for her son. My aunt brought it to us from Lubbock when my mom was visiting and I am so excited. I LOVE old stuff and especially stuff that has some memories to go with it. It's been a hit around here. We turn right back around on Thursday and go visit Brad's parents. The fun never stops around here!

So Far This Week...

I am spending the week with at my parents house. We haven't been too crazy, but here are a few highlights from the first few days:

I broke my toe...again. It's really all Carrie's fault. We were racing to the "long" couch in my parents living room (it was designated rest time) and I hit it on the blanket chest my mom uses as a coffee table. It wasn't so bad except that then Carrie and my mom laughed. There is no sympathy around here!

Eli Slip n' Slided for the very first time. I have pictures, but they are at CVS being put on a CD because my camera is still not working. I'll post later. Needless to say, he loved it. It's running and water and mud...what more could a boy ask for?

We've been swimming at my parents neighborhood pool. Not too much to tell there.

We ate at the Magic Time Machine. It's a place in Addison where all the booths have themes and your waiter is dressed up like a character from a book or movie. We sat in the boat booth and Captain Jack Sparrow was a our waiter. How cool is that?! He was really good and in character and Eli thought it was fantastic. I got a great picture, but again, I'll post it later.

The Creepy Cartoonist hit on my sister. They have one of those cartoon artists at the Magic Time Machine and I had Eli's picture made. While we were waiting the three minutes it took him to draw Eli, he told Carrie he'd draw her for free (insert creepy chuckle here). My mom and I thought it was funny. Carrie was less thrilled.

Carrie is taking Eli to Six Flags today. The best part about this is I'm not going! She is such a great aunt!

That's about all for now. I'll try to post again tomorrow between my trips to the pool and cookie making. It's so fun to visit my parents!!

Yo-Ho! A Pirate's Life For Me!

Eli's fifth birthday party is come and gone! For those of you who don't know me well, I planned out his first eight birthday parties before he was a month old. I love to "do" birthday parties and since he doesn't know any better...Eli thinks it's great! His first year was a cowboy cook-out, a luau for his second, his third birthday was a dog party, last year was a "messy party", and this year was a pirate party. (The next three are secrets, so you'll just have to continue checking the blog!) I've learned a few things along the way like don't have the party at your own house, no party should be longer than two hours, and not to include lunch as an activity! This year has been the easiest so far...mostly because I combined Eli's party with another little friend because their birthdays are a day apart and we invited all the same people! She took care of the awesome party favors and decorations and I did the invitations, cake, and "activities." Because I'm a freak, I made the invitations and cake myself. I didn't have a picture of the invites, but they were rolled up messages inside cleaned-out coke bottles. Get it? Messages in bottles? At the party, we had a treasure hunt (what pirate party is complete with out it?) that included all the activities at the party and ended with finding the treasure (the party favors). Brad and the other dad were awesome. They became pirate captains to lead the crew on the treasure hunt complete with costumes and voices (although Brad sounded more like Oscar the Grouch than a pirate). The first stop was to dress like pirates, then a "walk the plank" game, then the pinata (where we used cutlasses to whack at the pinata until they broke...the cutlasses, not the pinata), then the cake, then finding the treasure, then opening presents. I had a treasure map and clues and the whole shebang! Eli's little friends all told me it was an awesome party and really, what better compliment can a mom receive?

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

I sooo didn't really have too much to do with my new blog except to give an opinion. A sweet friend is trying to get a business started and she offered to makeover my blog for practice. Isn't it fabulous?! I can give you her name and email if you want it, but you'll have to email me because she's not quite up and running yet and I don't want to overwhelm her! :)

We've had a really, really, really, really, really, really busy week around here. We had Eli's birthday party Saturday and it was amazing (if I'm allowed to toot my own horn)! My parents, Brad's parents, my brother and his wife, and my sister where all here. I even cooked my very first brisket. It was okay...there is always room for improvement. I decorated for VBS on Sunday and then it started Monday morning. We've been VBSing it pretty hard this week and tomorrow is the last day. While I love VBS and all that it does for children, it wears me out! Brad decided to climb a mountain this week, as well. He's on Trek with the youth group so we haven't talked to him since Tuesday. The guides were nice enough to let him call home on their fancy "top of the mountain" cell phones since it was Eli's actual birthday and our anniversary. (I think I forgot to mention that...oops!) Happy #8 to us...I'll have to write one of those mushy, gushy, still-so-glad-we-got-married blogs later because I am too tired right now. My mom stayed with us this week to keep Phoebe while Eli and I were at VBS every morning and that has been a HUGE blessing. I think I probably would have not fed my children dinner tonight if she wasn't here. Did I mention we were really busy? We've snuck in a few "fun" things here and there around all the naptimes...a visit to the soda shop in Canyon, the pool, the movies to watch kung foo panda movie (it's pretty good, by the way!), and lots of pictures. Unfortunately, all the pictures are on my mom's camera because I think mine has died for good. I'll have to wait for Brad to get home to do something about it so it's good that we've got "Nenarazzi" with us this week. And, boy, does she have some good shots! They will all have to be posted later because my computer is acting funny and I don't want to download pics until they are safely stored on a CD first.

This post is already longer than it needs to be so I'll just leave you with Eli's explanation about frogs:

Eli: Mom, did you know frogs have really long tongues and they stick them out to catch flies? They eat flies.

Me: Really? (I was kind of distracted at the time.)

Eli: Yeah, they use their tongues because their hands are dirty because they hop on them.

Eli, that's some good thinking!

Sorta Kinda Like Sophie's Choice

Pepperidge Farm forced me to make a choice the other day that no mom should ever have to make! I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and on my list was Goldfish. Like most moms, I buy the big, square box that doesn't fit on any of my pantry shelves. On the snack aisle, there were two different kinds of Goldfish: patriotic red, white, and blue Goldfish or "made with whole grain" Goldfish. There were no red, white, and blue Goldfish that were also made with whole grain. I had to choose between cute and healthy.

I chose cute.

I know you are all surprised.

A Night of Murder and Mayhem...

Last Friday Brad and I witnessed a murder! Our Sunday School class had a murder mystery with another class at one of the elders houses. It was so much fun! We were invited to an Italian mob wedding set in the 1970's. Unfortunately, the bride did not make it through the reception, but did spend the rest of the evening wearing a lovely halo that matched her dress. The "wedding" was held at her house and she and her husband went all out! They had "engagement" photos displayed, a real wedding cake, all the windows blacked out to set the mood with candles and twinkle lights...quite a scene. Every person was given a part to play. I was Beatrice Milburn (aka Cousin of the Bride II) and I didn't have a really big part. Brad was Biff Buffoni--a member of the mob who had a central part. While not the murderer, he did win Best Male Actor. Who knew Brad was so talented?

Eli took these pictures before we left. That's why we look so tall. My dress was one of my mom's from the 70's and we bought Brad's suit at a thrift store.


Wow. That's just about all I can say. Wow.


Some lovely ladies.


These are some good friends of ours who actually don't go to church with us at all, but it was his mom and dad who hosted the murder so they came anyway. The blue dress was also my mom's. Careese won Best Dressed Female with her wig and gigantic glasses. Oh, and Brad is not shooting that baby...it just looks that way.


This is our Sunday School Class. Aren't we fabulous?


Here are a few of my observations from the evening:

The 1970's were a hot, uncomfortable decade. Everyone at the party was wearing polyester and very tall shoes. Seriously, I'm surprised you all survived.

Murder Mysteries bring out all kinds of anxiety. At least three different people mentioned to me that they should have taken their anti-anxiety medication before the party. I think it had something to do with having to dress silly and play a silly part. Some of us are just now feeling comfortable with our own selves...much less an Italian, crazy version.

Our parents are pack-rats. More than half of the attendees just raided their parents' closets for their costumes. There were several leisure suits and bridesmaids dresses in attendance. Are we going to be just as bad?

Sizes really have changed in the last few decades. My dress was a large and Careese's was a 10. Go figure.

I think this might be only post (with pictures) that do not include any of my children!

SUMMER!

I think it is safe to say that summer is here! Yesterday Amarillo reached a high of 106. Hallelujah and Praise The Lord! I love it. While many of you are inside, sipping your iced teas and bemoaning the weather...I am finally thawing out. I love the heat. I even love the humidity, but we don't have any of that. It's supposed to be in the 90's all week long and I am so excited. (I'm pretty sure that I can now call myself a true West Texan if I can spend a complete paragraph talking about the weather.) Because it's so warm, we've spent our time doing what we will (hopefully) do all summer long...SWIM! Another fellow blogger had a "Saving Summer Carnival" that she hosted on her website and while I'm a day late, maybe someone will still want to read it.

We've learned that Phoebe LOVES the water. We knew she would because she loves bathtime. Any time Brad is going to take a shower (even if she just got out of the bath) she "runs" into the bathroom and begs to be let in. She love water of all types...in the tub, in the sink, in a puddle on the ground. Unfortunately, she has no fear of the water so I spend alot of my pool time just following her around and splashing. There's worse ways to spend a summer vacation.



While Eli has never been quite so fearless in the water, he's gotten pretty good at the whole "swimming" thing. Of course, the water here is still pretty cold and he spends about half his time lying on the concrete trying to warm up. It's a hazard of having zero percent body fat.



There are not very many neighborhood pools here in Amarillo and even though we have a water park, it's not that great. The place to swim here is the Amarillo Town Club. It's actually a gym and you have to have a membership to swim in their very cool pools. We've had a membership in the past and I actually used it some to work out, but that's fallen by the wayside and I've completely given up trying to be healthy. (I just don't see the point.) After begging and pleading (and maybe even crying a little) I finally convinced Brad that we needed another membership for the sake of the pool. He agreed and now I am one of the "in" crowd. It may be the very first time in my life! We plan on visiting this pool almost everyday.

Also among my summer plans (for the four of you who visited from Lynley's site are trips to the library because Eli wants to be a part of their summer reading program. They mentioned "prizes" last time we were there and he was all about that. I've never been one to sit down and do alot of "curriculum" stuff with either of my children. That might have something to do with the fact that my almost five year old doesn't know all of his letters, sounds, numbers, and books of the Bible. :) I admire moms who do that, but feel completely unequipped to do it myself. It's the frustrated perfectionist thing again. I'll pretend to take the high road and say that we learn through play around here (although we all know that really we're just playing). I do plan on doing two or three cooking times with Eli every week. Before Phoebe was born, Eli helped me cook dinner every night. It was such a special time. After she was born we had the cancer thing and then two kids and I've never really gotten back into the habit. I hope to start it again this summer. I have an "AlphaBits ABC Children's Cookbook" that I got years ago that has a lot of kid-friendly recipes in it and we're going to work through some of those. I have some other random kids cooking magazines, as well, and we'll try them out, too. Then there are always to the trips to see grandparents and cousins, VBS, and just plain goofing off that we'll be doing also. I have very high hopes for this summer, and like every other summer before, it will pass way to quickly!

Just so nobody worries, I got that fair-red-headed-baby a hat today at Target. I just can't stand sunburned scalp!

A Season of Jet Planes

It dawned on me the other day that there are more picture posts of Phoebe than Eli. I think it is because while Phoebe is content to sit and play and pose, Eli is always on the move. The boy has moved since the moment he was born...even before. I remember being so worried about Phoebe when I was pregnant with her because I didn't feel her move very often. I did the fetal movement monitor test pretty often. It's because I was so used to Eli who moved all the time. The child even moves in his sleep! I did get two pictures recently that really captured my own little Tasmanian devil.

Brad took this over Memorial Day weekend when he, Eli, and my dad took a hike to The Lighthouse in Palo Duro Canyon.

Doesn't this just capture my proud, stubborn, independent, strong not-so-little-boy-anymore? Eli has always been my challenge. His boundless energy (think: Energizer Bunny) is coupled with a mind that is always thinking and an independent spirit that would try even the patience of Job and exasperate his less than patient mommy. I have cried more tears over that boy than all my cancer combined. He brings out strong emotions in all of those around him.


I took this picture at the park on Friday. It's an action shot, of course. Eli does everything BIG. He laughs big. He plays big. He loves big. Most days I feel like a superhero mom who is trying to teach her child to use his powers for good and not evil. But despite all of this...despite the tantrums and the tears and the exhaustion and the worry, I love him deeply. He is in my care for this season and I am already mourning how quickly it's passing. Next week he turns five, and like all moms I am scratching my head wondering where the time went. It almost brought me to tears this morning in church when I realized that there would only be a little more time when my worship would be punctuated by the sound of fighting jet planes from the seat beside me. Soon enough he'll learn to sit quietly and pay attention and then he'll be sitting with the youth group and then he'll graduate and move away and we'll only sit with him at church when he comes home to visit. And while I want him to be quiet and respectful, I'm not going to stress too much about the noise he makes at church or who he is disrupting. More than likely, the woman sitting behind me is remembering those sounds as the sounds of her past as her own little boy is grown up with children of his own.

Oh that I can relish this time with him and not get mired down in the expectations of myself or who I think my child should be!