October 8, 2010

  • Pregnant!!!

    It's true!!!  We are pleased to be expecting baby number three :)   I am now three months pregnant!
    I meant to take a 'belly pic' at 12 weeks, but that came and went...this pic below was taken at 12 weeks, so that will have to do!  Can't tell much in the pic, but I am DEFINITELY showing now!  It happened much faster the third time around.  I was able to wear my jeans until 18 weeks with both other pregnancies, but I am just 14 weeks now and the pants are definitely snug.   

    We had our first ultrasound at 8 1/2 weeks.  I couldn't believe that a baby that young could actually move around!  And a lot!  Even the midwife chuckled and dubbed it an 'active little fellow'.  You won't believe it, but I felt the baby move for the first time at 10 1/2 weeks!! (impossible I thought!)  I even checked the pregnancy book...which said you couldn't feel baby until 17 weeks.  Well, I felt both the boys at 14 weeks,  so I guess it's different for everyone! 

    I am quite sick with this one...I was losing weight rapidly until my midwife got alarmed and told me I MUST eat more.  I am still not back up to my pre-pregnancy weight now, but I am getting close.  (you're supposed to gain 5-7 pounds by three months!)  But I know from my previous pregnancies, that my body has a way of making up for lost time and gaining rapidly (I once gained a whopping 9 pounds in a single week!!!  HOW is that even possible?!!) Hopefully we are almost through with the sickness, and ready to move on to a blissful second trimester.  Three months down, six to go!

September 29, 2010

  • Rhode Island

    Aaron and I took our 5th anniversary trip a little early this year and went to Rhode Island for a few days :)   Here's a little history on the people and places:  Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams and others escaping the strict Puritan religion of their neighboring state, Massachusetts.  We were visiting Newport, Rhode Island, which was founded by Ann Hutchinson and a group of other families, also fleeing religious persectution in Masachusetts for being Quakers. They had been banished from Masachusetts and told never to return.  Some later did return and were tried, convicted and hanged for the crime of being a Quaker.  So the land of religious freedom got off to a rough start!  Newport was founded in 1693, was occupied by the Brittish for three years during the Revolutionary War and acted as a Brittish Naval headquarters.  They were finally liberated by the French.  They became an important place for trade and tourism early on.  During the gilded age, many wealthy families built lavish summer homes in Newport. More recently, famous individuals like the Kennedys have lived and played in this beautiful city.  The population is only 20,000 and the economy runs almost entirely on tourism.  It is very close to all the other famous New England summer hotspots (Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Nantucket, etc)  It's a beatuiful place and you simply must visit someday!  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment :)
      
    First stop, the Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum.  Aaron loved this place!  Neat to think about all the Tennis greats who played here :)

    Next up, a stop to see the beautiful Polo horses on the (formerly) Jaquie Kennedy estate

    A quiet retreat to the best kept secret in Rhode Island...the Castle Hill Lighthouse

    It is completely desserted, except for a few chairs.  We sat here for hours, listening to the crashing waves, the tolling of the buoy bells, and soaking in the beauty of the place.  I bet it be gorgeous at Sunset too!

    I didn't want to leave!

    We made the decision to take only my camera phone...since the other camera is large and bulky.  The pictures turned out mostly pretty good, but don't do it justice!  The scenery was simply gorgeous.


    We went down Ocean Drive - a must if you visit Newport.  The locals call it "Ten Mile Drive"

    Along the way, we stopped at the Vanderbilts Summer home - the Breakers. 

    It was lavish and expensive...the walls were painted in gold and platinum!  Hard to believe this was their Summer home.  They were some of the wealthiest people ever to live - with something like $183 BILLION!  (to put this in perspective, Bill Gates has a mer $23 Billion!!!)

    The weather was perfect, breezy and cool the first few days.  The locals described it as "warm", "balmy" and even "hot" (!)  By the end of our stay, the temperatures were in the forties and sixties.  I guess that's what Fall is like around there!  Sounds more like winter for us warm blooded Texans :)


    We visited WaterFire in Providence.  A beatiful display where they light up torches all down the river for miles.  You can even catch a romantic Gondola ride down the river.  It was gorgeous!  My camera phone simply doesn't work well in the dark.  We ate dinner out there by the water.  Very festive atmosphere with beautiful Celtic music being played and the whole state of Rhode Island out to eat picnic dinners by the water. 

    We visited Prescott farm- Headquarters for a Brittish general during the war.  Cute little place!


    There was even a windmill!  Felt like we were in Holland.  Apparently the wind is really great there.  We saw a lot of wind turbines throughout the state (and even a few Nuclear Reactors...I guess they like to explore alternative forms of energy up in the NorthEast)

    There were about four 'Greene' Streets in the tiny city of Newport.  We had to take a pic of one of them :)

    Stopped at this cute ancient little chapel and took a walk through the cemetery.

    All of these tombstones date back to the 1700s and 1800s.  It was sad to see how many were young children!  This entire row here was all one family.  The two tall headstones at the far end were the Mother and Father.  The other were their six children, who all died before them.  A set of twins who only lived five months, one little boy who lived a few years; another who lived to be 16, a girl who was 15 months and a little boy who lived just one day.  It moved me to tears to see this.  How fortunate we are to live in a time where we a blessed to have healthy children!  What torture it must have been for this poor mother to bury six of her children.   How do you survive something like that? Did any of their children survive them?  It's a bit of a mystery.

    Every street in Newport is full of adorable houses like these...all of them famous landmarks.

    St Mary's church, where JFK and Jackie Kennedy were married


    We had hoped to see a lot of Fall foliage, but turns out the Fall colors were a little bit late coming this year and were only just starting to turn (as you can see in the above picture)  The locals blamed it on a 'hot' summer and unusally 'warm' autumn. 

    The Newport Tower - A mystery unsolved.  It was there before they settled Newport and nobody is quite sure how it got there or who built it.

     

    Cliff walk- a beatiful walk and a must see.  (I actually hate to walk barefoot -I don't even do it in my own house.  But I had a new pair of shoes that weren't quite broken in yet, and my feet were so blistered and sore that I HAD to remove my shoes and walk barefoot.  I guess you just get used to it after awhile?)

    We took a sunset cruise aboard a yacht.  It was a beautiful experience (despite the cold!)

    Before our cruise, we stopped by "The Black Pearl" - a restaurant on Bowan's wharf that has been serving it's famous clam chowder for forty plus years.  Aaron doesn't even like clam chowder, but he was licking the bowl on this one.  Really great chowder and perfect way to warm up for our cruise!

    The house in the background is on a rock island, only accessible by boat.  A lonely existence.


    Since I couldn't get a great pic of our boat (since we were on it) there is a similar one in the background, to give you an idea what we were sailing in.  (Sorry for the strangers in the pic!)

    Once out in the bay, it was quite windy and chilly....here we are cuddled up

    The wind made our yacht tilt dramatically the whole time...hopefully this picture is a good indication of the tilt we were at.  I don't know how that guy can stand with the boat rocking like that!

    Beautiful Newport Bridge, lit up at night.  Unfortunately, it was so cloudy that there wasn't much of a 'sun'set

    After our chilly cruise, we warmed up with a hot Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks :)

    This is a multimillion dollar yacht, complete with all the comforts of home (TV, internet, etc)Really, who wants to watch TV when you're sailing?

    The cute (american) car we rented for our travels.  I loved that it was red!

    Our flight home.  I missed our boys so much! We both couldn't wait to get back to them :)

September 21, 2010

  • In other news...

     
    Freezer went out.  We knew this because we came downstairs one morning to a puddle of water...melted ice from the icemaker.  Nice.  We nursed it along for six months, not being able to freeze anything, and finally replaced it with the above super duper model :)   Happy to have my freezer back!
     
    Caleb has a vivid imagination!  We always knew from a young age that he loved to play imaginatively, but we didn't fully understand until his vocabulary improved and he became increasingly more vocal.  Here he is playing a pirate.  Which I have no idea where he picked up!

    Then there was the hot July day when he came to me and told me it was snowing outside; could he please have his snow hat and mittens? (Wow!) He ran outside to play in the "snow" and came in with glowing reports of the snowman he'd built and how cold it was out there.  It was about 110 degrees.


    We decided to redo the tile in our guest bath.  Though we'd planned to let Aaron do the demo alone, Caleb wouldn't hear of it.  He came in with his sunglasses and mittens, begging for a hammer to help smash tile with.  We couldn't resist.  We have some pretty cute video to show how incredibly effective he was at demolishing the tile!


    Our new and improved tile.  We ripped it out and installed it all in one day!  Which is saying a lot considering we have two kiddos to manage in the process :)

September 17, 2010

September 10, 2010

  • One of those mornings...

    If only I could wake up in my own way.  All I want is to be able to yawn, stretch out and blink my eyes a few times.  But those days are long over.  Inevitably I wake up with a tot crawling over me to snuggle in between Daddy and I.  Then begins the bouncing, banging, giggling and kicking.  The lights come on, bright and harsh and the day has started -ready or not. 

    I tried to workout a bit and lay down to do some crunches.  Was a little miffed when the three year old dropped a baseboard on my nose (yes, a baseboard...leftover from our latest remodeling project)  Sporting a bright red nose, I stumbled downstairs in a daze to pull something together for breakfast.  We started smallgroups last night and so we had chips (which I NEVER buy) and brownies.  Guess what Caleb wanted for breakfast?  Well, you can only fight so many battles before 7am. 

    The pack n play was set up from our biblestudy last night.  The boys quickly discovered it.  They tipped it over and crawled inside, acting very pleased with themselves.  I informed them that this too was off limits. (is that all I do?  Make rules and enforce them?  Whatever happened to the 'fun' Mom?) It was about then that I realized Jackson's diaper was sagging down around his knees.  I guess that's where the smell was coming from.   Halfway through changing, I realized I had a defective diaper and went to fetch a new one.  I came back to find that Jackson was happily shaking the poopy diaper, spreading it's putrid contents everywhere. 

    It may only be 9am, but Caleb informs me that it's time for lunch.  I guess the chips and brownies didn't last him that long! I offer him an apple.  "That's not gonna fill me up!  Silly mommy"  he says giggling.  Well, how about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I offer.  He agrees.  Of course Jackson wants one too.  Nine in the morning, I just finished cleaning up from breakfast and here we are having 'lunch' (or  is it 'second breakfast'?)  Caleb raves about the PBJ.  "This is sooo yummy Mommy.  How can it be sooo good?!  Two thumbs up Mommy!!"  I smile, in spite of myself.

    I decide to check my e-mail while both of them are happily eating.  I look up to see Caleb munching on brownies, which he's shared with Jackson.  Jackson is moussing his hair with peanut butter and smiles his toothy grin from beneath a beard of brownie goop.  All I can do is stare.  Caleb chooses this particular moment to clean his plate....by shaking the crumbs all over the floor. Do I really have to tell him not to do that?!!  Something like a growl escapes my lips and I run for the broom.  "What are you going to do Mommy?" Caleb calls out, with a worried voice (translation: Am I going to get a spanking?) I emerge with the broom and start sweeping.  He's already had one SERIOUS spanking this morning, and I haven't the energy for more.  Pick your battles.  Spank only for direct disobedience, says James Dobson.  Caleb tries to help sweep, but ends up spreading chocolate crumbs everywhere.  "Stop it Caleb!" I plead.  He, offended that I don't want his help, assumes his 'angry' stance: hands on hips, nostrils flaring, lip pushed out.  (here it comes)  "I'm NOT happy!" he says and then "You...you...CRAZY WOMAN DRIVER!"  What?!!  I stop with the broom in midair.  Where did he hear that? I can't help but smirk a little, turning away so that he can't see.  It's gonna be a long day!

September 6, 2010

  • Rainy Beach Day

    We woke up this morning and decided to spend our Labor Day at the Beach.  Of course we didn't check the weather!  Turns out a storm was blowing in off the Gulf.  It poured down rain most of the way and Aaron and I exchanged worried looks.  Here's what it looked like when we got there:

    I guess there was something like a 100% chance of rain!  But it made for really big waves.  By the time we got to the beach, it had stopped raining.  We had a great time and it didn't start raining again until we were in the car on the way home.  I'd say that's providential timing!

    Caleb says Cheese

    My best attempt at a self-portrait with Jackson.  Aaron and Caleb were off surfing the unusually large waves.

    Jackson was content to sit and scoop sand onto our blanket.  We got wet once and it was actually almost cold!  The wind was so strong it really gave us a bit of a chill.  We preferred to play in the sand.

     
    Both boys get out of the top part of their harnesses.  Those lawmakers who say kids need to sit in 5 point harnesses until age 8 or something...humph.  They obviously don't have kids of their own! 

    By the way, my younger brother needed to buy a car and so we sold him Aaron's car :) And although we hadn't planned on buying a new car until next Summer, we went ahead and bought a minivan.  (Yes, I'm the soccer mom with the minivan now)  And I absolutely LOVE it! The sliding doors, the sun shades that pull up out of the side windows, the navigation system, dvd player, etc.  It feels like a luxury vehicle!  We have really enjoyed every minute of it and are so grateful to have it. 

August 29, 2010

  • Jury Duty?

    Sigh.  I've always wanted to make an impact on the world.  Change the course of the future.  Serve justice.  Save the world, one criminal at a time.  For the first time, I finally got called up for Jury Duty.  BUT I have two small children (I'm guessing we can't take them along?)  So I'm wondering if I'm going to have to opt out :(   This is permissable for parents of young children.  Sigh.  I want to do the right thing.  But maybe doing the right thing starts here at home.  Thoughts?  Anyone?

August 26, 2010

  • Is he walking yet?

    It seems like I have to answer this question everywhere I go, so I figured I might as well settle the record here online.  I guess the question is not CAN he walk, but DOES  he walk.  You see, Jackson isn't convinced that the upright position is the most efficient mode of travel.  In his case, I would have to agree with him.  He's developed a mode of travel that involves scooting on his bum and catapulting himself forward with one arm.  It works so well in fact that he refuses to walk!  Oh sure, he will walk 15-20 steps (if he happens to already be standing up)  But if the journey is any longer than that, he will plop down and scoot the rest of the way.  I suppose someday he'll have a revelation and realize how much cleaner his clothes would be if he would just walk instead of scoot.  He is 15 months old now and we feel quite certain that a breakthrough is coming very soon.  Meanwhile, I better get back to scrubbing out his britches...and mending the road burn on the seat of his pants!

August 12, 2010

  • On Running

    I haven't been running much lately.  Something about triple digit temperatures really gets me down.  But Caleb asked if we could go running the other day and I reluctantly agreed.  Temperature: 104 degrees (index temperature was over 110!) We loaded up the kids (and dog) in the jogger and found the weight oppressive.  During our three mile run, I got dizzy, saw black spots and felt very much like I was going to pass out.  So we ended by walking the latter part of the trail.  Even the boys faces were bright red and sweaty.  No more running outside in this heat.  It's suicide.  I want to move somewhere cooler.  No wonder they say Houston is the 'fattest city' in America!  Who wants to work out in this heat?!?

    Speaking of losing weight.  The baby weight has FINALLY come off!!  What was it that did the trick?  I'm not really sure, since I haven't bee running lately :)    Jackson turned a year old in May and shortly after that, the weight just started melting off.  And another strange thing happened.  When you're pregnant, you grow a head full of thick hair (hormones I guess).  About three months after you have the baby, the hormones subside and the extra hair comes off...along with most of the baby weight.  Well I am just now shedding my excess hair and my extra pounds.  This proves my theory that my weight loss struggles were hormone based.  My body just realized that I'm not pregnant anymore!!  Weird, I know.  I am now 4 pounds less than I was when I got pregnant, and just a few pounds away from my goal weight :)

    Encouraged by this weight loss, I decided to get running again.  Since I had ruled out running outside, I considered my indoor options.  The treadmill was definitely out...they don't make one big enough to fit a double jogger!  There are a serious shortage of indoor walking trails here in Houston.  And even if you can find one, it's about 1/8th of a mile.  This means you have to run around it 24 times to get your three miles in. No thanks.  So I headed to the local mall for some AC and interesting scenery.  They open the doors at 9am for all the walkers, but the mall doesn't open until 10, so you pretty much have the place to yourself (you and about 40 other senior citizens in their white reeboks, purses over their shoulders)  I was pleased to discover that the mall's walking loop boasts 1.58 miles.  Meaning I only have to cover the same bit of ground twice.  It was quite cool inside and the boys seemed to enjoy the view.  The one drawback is that you can't actually run, of course.  But I walked fast and found that I still managed to get a great workout in.  Leading experts say that walking is just as good a workout as running, provided you cover the same distance.  It just takes longer!  After our walk, we were able to swing by the framing store, Crazy 8 (for a new belt for Caleb) and Target, which is in our mall.  I will definitely be doing this again!  Loved it! 

July 31, 2010

  • On Swimming

    This is the first year we've bought a pool membership. 
    This is also the first year (in a long time) that it has rained every day all Summer long!
    So much for a pool  membership.
    We had the first truly Sunny day in a long time yesterday.  My sister invited us to go to their neighborhood pool.  There was no shade at this pool. Well, it's Texas so the water isn't really cool anyway...more like lukewarm.  Actually, the baby pool was even hot in the shallow end.  And the metal railing on the steps was so hot it made the little ones scream in pain when they touched it. Excited to swim, I kicked off my flip flops and walked the last few steps to the pool barefoot. This turned out to be a mistake, as the concrete was piping hot.  In the ten steps it took from my flip flops to the pool, my feet were blistered...literally.  (not sure if that says more about my sensitive feet, or the temperature of the concrete!) Suffice it to say, you could fry an egg on that concrete.