update

I thought I'd post a little update since I don't have anything very fun to blog about.

Unfortunately, "fun" has kind of gone out the window since the stress of moving is starting to make me a bit crazy. Just when I thought I was handling everything so well, I find my temper shorter and my need for peace & quiet coming a lot more frequently! We close on our house tomorrow (hooray), so we'll now be tenants in our home for the next couple of weeks. The boxes are filling up my dining room and entry way, but, alas, there is still so much to pack! I've spent a good three days either on the phone, at the computer or at the Kinko's fax machine, trying to get all of our utilities either cancelled or installed. This job, combined with address changes, are perhaps my least favorite aspects of moving. I've also been busy trying to figure out how to eat all of our remaining food (I hate waste!). Note to local readers: I'm planning a little "grocery store at my house day" sometime soon. All my unused, unopened food will be free for the taking! Think brand new gourmet dipping sauces . . .

In other news, Audrey had her last day of school today, and to keep her from deteriorating into a puddle of emotion over leaving school (?!), we went to McDonald's. Nothing like an M&M McFlurry to chase the end-of-school blues away! I feel kind of bad because I've been hyping up the last day like it's something to be happy about, because, naturally, it is, but Audrey is having feelings of sadness over leaving her friends and her teacher. As much as I keep telling my kids how fun it will be in a new house and a new town, it's obviously hard for them to picture their lives in a place they've never seen. So I feel bad that I didn't acknowledge Audrey's feelings until last night when she kind of broke down. :( She also wrapped up her horseback riding lessons at the local ranch. She's doing so well: loping just for fun, doing lots of pole-weaving and the occasional beginner barrel-racing exercise. We need to get her a helmet before she signs up for lessons in our new town!

Neal is finishing up his thesis (Something to do with chemokine receptors. I think.), staying up until the wee hours on his laptop, analyzing lab data and composing his presentation. He'll defend it after I've already left town, so I'll miss the big day. Too bad; it's fun watching Neal talk science in front of people. I love it when he sounds nerdy. :)

Parker and Miles are living typical little boy lives. Miles is into his Hot Wheels, the Wiggles and airplanes. He says at least two new words every day (his latest are "ya," "elbow," and "water") and occasionally wants to sit on the potty. He loves to sleep with two books in his bed and when we're reading, he likes me to read one while he "reads" the other. He speaks a bit of Spanish: when he's listing off the people in our family (a favorite conversation), he'll say, "Bawdy (Parker)? Audrey? y Daddy?" Where he learned that, I'll never know!

Parker has been helping a lot in the kitchen, asking to play outside with the water balloons, and sleeping in until 9. I don't think he's missing school one bit. He loves to wear swim shirts and read about either Star Wars or extreme weather.

Forgive my spotty blogging while I get my life into a truck and into a new town in the next few weeks!

ballooning

These were our best friends this weekend. We engaged in several water balloon activities: baseball, driveway rolling, pop-fly tossing, soaking Daddy's car, even water balloon surgery. We filled dozens of them, had some rather cold & surprising, change-of-outfit-requiring mommy-wetting incidents, and sustained some injuries. I got a purple mark on my finger from tying them all in knots, and Parker got a weltish-type spot on his chest when Neal launched one right at him. It forgot to pop. No love lost, though; Parker asked as we were cleaning up the "biodegradable" leftovers for the fourth time, "Mama, can we bring the water balloons with us when we move?" These are the days, huh? :)

Miles likes the "beebee" sized balloons. He squeezes them and giggles, and makes piles of them on his little lawn chair. He prefers to hold one in each hand.

Well, Parker liked the little ones, too. He collected a bunch of them in Audrey's bike basket.

And this is the part of Miles which I like to eat the most.

Grateful Sunday

Us, on a very typical evening, outside with the neighbors. Thanks for the pic, Kimberly!!

This week, I'm grateful for many things, among them:

• the relative peace in my life, despite the fact that stressful things are happening. I've still been able to relax in the evenings and spend time with my kids during the day. I don't feel too rushed and hope that I'm pacing myself well.
• Neal, for telling me that I didn't make the "ugly cry face" during my talk at church today. I cried, I have a feeling he's just being nice. :)
• Friends who are strong in the face of grief and illness. Their grace and peace are so inspiring.
• that our house has sold. I'm reminded of how miraculous this is every day, and I feel so blessed. I would be a basket case if I still had to worry about that.
• the opportunity I had to read through Julianne's incredible thesis this weekend. That girl has a brain that won't quit, and her words, although describing tragic circumstances in Africa, were beautiful and impressive. I learned so much, shed a tear or two, and have great respect not only for the women whom she studies, but for Julianne as well. Love you, Jooj!
  

pinch me

I can't believe this is really happening.

Graduation no. 4!

Go Neal, Dr. and then some!

Does anybody get Consumer Reports?

I had to purchase a washing machine once. I was 19, I was my own landlord, and our stackable mini w/d combo went halfway out. The washer was kaput, the dryer was fine. I sauntered into a used appliance shop in some dinky little nearby town and found the only machine in the place that would fit in our small laundry closet. It was a perfect fit, and that washer was my only option.

not my laundry room

Fast forward 11 years, and here I am, needing to purchase real appliances. The kind that can handle several loads a day rather than the occasional dark load after a night of dancing in college. I have no idea what I want or like. So I'm coming to you for help! Here are my queries:

a. Do you have a front-loading w/d? If so, do you enjoy it? Does it hurt your back after a while?
b. Do you have a high efficiency w/d? Do they really save you money? Do they clean efficiently?
c. Do they make high efficiency/front-loaders?
d. Is there a brand of appliance I should steer away from?
e. Is it okay to purchase appliances at Home Depot or Lowe's? Do they jack up the prices? Is there a ladylike way to say "jack up the prices?"

Guess what. I also need a fridge. I have a side-by-side right now and my freezer is so narrow that I can't even fit a frozen pizza inside. I like the look of the freezer drawer type, but does all the stuff at the bottom of the drawer get forgotten?

Helpsies?



i heart smegs.

We rock.

Us with all the weirdos at the Radiohead concert.

Our date this weekend was a trek up to North Houston for Neal's much-anticipated Radiohead concert. I was lukewarm about the idea, but he really wanted to go, and heaven knows he deserves a great night-out, seeing as graduation is this week. Ten years ago, when I was in London and Neal was my boyfriend, I remember picking up random Radiohead (and Cocteau Twins) singles for Neal, knowing that he couldn't get them in the US (this was pre-iTunes, obviously). So, he's liked them for a long time, and they don't tour often; this was our chance.

We had a fun time: our seats were good (although not quite as good as the Coldplay show). I, being the old lady, donned my ear plugs first thing and left with a headache as a result of all the, um, "fragrant smoke." But the band sounded great live, the light show was incredible and the crowd was pretty entertaining, too. Neal joked about how he should have worn eyeliner and skinny jeans and I felt a little over-preppy wearing a cropped white jacket. (Apparently, black tank tops and eighties accessories are the norm for this sort of thing, I soon discovered.) But what can you do, we're in our thirties now. We (along with a couple thousand other people) snuck in our camera and got some footage. You can see more on Neal's blog.

Grateful Sunday

This Sunday, I'm grateful for:

• date nights for 2 weekends in a row. And babysitters who clean up my house.
• the actual, true finalization of our rental house and Neal's employment. We have been swimming in contracts this week.
  
• all of our friends here, who give us the impression that they'll genuinely miss us. I kind of put off my goodbye emotions until the very end. I like to be in denial like that.
  
• Miles, and his yummy squishy lip kisses.
• Parker's incredible preschool teacher. She set the teacher bar way up high.
• only 2 more weeks of the torturous task of dragging Audrey out of bed for school.
  

little man

Parker had his preschool advancement yesterday. Did Mama cry? Yes, Mama cried. It was a result of several emotions: Parker growing up (the worst! why can't he stay little?), and saying goodbye to his friends and angel teacher. Several of the other boys are moving, too. And his teacher is just the best, we'll miss her so much.

Parker and his friend, Kai, looking like little grown-ups. These guys are great buds.

Officialness.

After the ceremony, before the goodbye tears.

Luckily, I still have this little guy. He hasn't even started yet, and won't for a few years.
(Sigh of relief.)

Oh, double sigh, I just found Audrey's preschool grad post . . .

Just when you think it's safe to rent a house,

I had a great trip to our new hometown yesterday. My new realtor friend was lots of fun and she adored Miles, which gives her major points in my book. We had fun eating lunch, chatting and looking at houses. I found the one I really liked: it's brand new, on a sizable lot, in the town we were hoping for. The street isn't the best, but the newness of the house made up for it in my mind. So Neal and I discussed, agreed, and I applied for a lease. When I got home late last night, Neal wanted to see more about it. So we mapped it, we rechecked the elementary school rating, and then we checked out the sex offender map.

After our recent run-in with Mr. Psycho in our backyard, we're a bit more vigilant about the quality of our neighbors. Well, it turns out that the backyard neighbor (with very easy access to that backyard over a short chain-link fence) is a convicted child molester. Aggravated s. assault on a child, to be more specific. There are only 4 such people in the whole city (I promise it's a nice place), but of course, one of them lives on the lot attached to that one. So, lesson learned, always check that map first!

Needless to say, we quickly ditched that brand new house, and we're now pursuing our second choice (above). A nice house, with fresh paint, new carpet and a HUGE backyard. Not too shabby.

Jet Setters

Miles and I are getting ready for a quick trip to DFW tomorrow. We're flying up in the morning and home in the evening, meeting with a realtor, renting our own little car, and eating out for lunch AND dinner. Should Miles wear a business suit? :)

The best part is, we're looking at HOUSES! Because yes, dear friends, who have stayed with me through thick and thin, we are, in fact, MOVING. And we are excited. And sad. But trying not to dwell on the fact that we're leaving so much behind. It's not that far from here, hopefully our local friends will come visit. You know who you are. :)

We're trying to dwell on the fact that Neal is actually finishing his quasi-lifetime of schooling and getting a good job. Dwelling on the fact that he will no longer be performing slave labor at the dental school. That people will pay him to do root canals instead of us paying them. Dwelling on the amazing blessing it is that we sold our house. Dwelling on how wonderful it feels to have made it this far and have been happy the whole time, despite our perpetual student status and our constant refrain of "when we're done with school . . . " or "maybe when Daddy gets a job, you can start karate (or insert other parental promise here)" . . . We feel like life is finally really getting going for us, and we couldn't be more excited.

We'll be moving mid-June, taking a couple of weeks to settle in and visit family, then Neal will get started.

We're off to find a house; wish me and Miles luck!

Grateful Sunday

~us, this morning~

On this beautiful Mother's Day, I'm so grateful for many things.

• my darling children. For some reason, Heavenly Father has blessed me with children as close to perfect as I can imagine. I love them with everything I have and love to watch them grow and learn. Neal and I are so grateful that they are ours.
• the appreciation I've felt from my husband and kids today. This Mother's Day has seemed more meaningful than those in the past, because I think my kids (the big two) really get the concept. They are sincerely grateful and want me to have a really good day.
• the mothers in my life; there are so many. From my first sister, who mothers her own children with patience and grace; and my second sister, who gives her entire self to women and children in need, as well as loving my own children; my sisters-in-law; and my friends who teach me how to be better mothers all the time. I wrote some tributes last year to my mom, mother-in-law, and grand*mothers. Click on the links to see them. I'm so lucky to have so many virtuous and charitable women in my life.
• oh, and sleeping in until 8:43. That was good, too.
  

steamy afternoon

Look what we found today.
A "cute" little froggie and a super sweaty little boy. I prefer the boy.

Mugshot

So I got my hair cut today. This is the extent of my exciting blog, folks. This is the hair I'd love to have, but I have a big ole Texas-sized cowlick in the front of my hair, so real bangs are forbidden. I went to my latin Edward Scissorhands hairdresser with a picture of Camer0n Dia z, of all people, and came out with this. I like. You like?

Neal asked me if I was smiling at the wall while he took the second picture.

I was.

weekenders

Since I don't have any topics swimming in my head, I'll just post some pics from our weekend, and swimming!

Audrey and her friend, Emma.

Miles, the entertainment for the bleacher section at Parker's t-ball games. We must bring his bat and ball every time. It's adorable.

Parker, after he scored a run. Look at the intensity!

Audrey girl

Our Audrey.
She's one of a kind. She's the kind of girl who . . .

*will pick up a bug or toad with her bare hands and come show you how cute it is.
*knows every single one of her classmates' first and last names and precisely how to spell them.
*is positively convinced that stuffed animals have totally real feelings.
*is completely oblivious to the fact that a couple of boys have major crushes on her.
*looks totally adorable in cowgirl clothes.
*can't stand to make a mistake or not do something well.
*can read one of her chapter books in about 40 minutes.
*then wants to read you her favorite parts.
*wears about a size 4 waist and a size 7 length.
*looks like a natural riding a horse, ponytail swishing along in perfect time with her horse's tail.
*will compose a song on the piano and come get you to transcribe it for future performances.
*checks to be sure her Sunday shoes make a clicky-clack sound before we can buy them.
*will show you every single little owie that she got at school.
*still loves to color, even though she's seven.
*loves to laugh really, really hard.
*wants to put a necklace or bracelet on before we go out to dinner. Maybe some lip gloss.
*will one day have a horse of her own.
*will tell you that her hair is "copper," not red.
*has no idea how lucky she is to have that hair.
*likes to have forbidden, body-shaking, torturously funny giggle fits during church services.
*loves to update her book list on Goodreads; writing reviews is her new favorite task.
*will say in her prayers, if her brother is being noisy, "Please bless PARKER TO BE REVERENT DURING THE PRAYER," in a very stern, but reverent voice.

She's a wonderful girl!

Grateful Sunday

I've fallen off the blog train and I can't get myself back on. But our life will soon get exciting and then maybe I'll have more to talk about. In the meantime, I'm grateful today for:

• our visit from my parents this weekend. It was filled with long, peaceful days, afternoons in the yard, naps for just about everyone, and quiet moments with the kids. The best kind of weekend. Oh, and our pools opened. Hallelujah.
• medicine. I think the bug that was getting me last week was tonsillitis. I got some drugs, now I'm feeling better. I can almost swallow normally. :)
  
• Elliott & Ginger's pictures from their trip to England and France. I haven't been across the pond in ten years, and I seriously ache to go. So even though I had to go have a good cry in the shower after I looked at their pictures, I'm happy for them that they got to go.
• a job contract for Neal, which should be final in a couple of days. Talk about Hallelujah.