You know those dream vacations where you remember to pack everything, your kids are angelic (translation: left at home with Grandma), the scenery is beautiful and the food is great? Well I guess one and a half out of four isn't bad.
I spent Saturday morning in a flurry of preparation as I finished laundry and set aside decent outfits for all of us to be seen in public in. Chad came in mid-morning and suggested we take a break (yeah, since he'd been working SO hard) to go frisbee golfing. Thinking it would feel good to stretch the old bones before a three hour car ride, I agreed. We headed off to the park, only to realize on our arrival that neither of us had thought to grab the frisbees! This should have been a sign of things to come, but instead we made the best of it and let the boys play for a few minutes before heading home to finish packing.
We left just after lunch, which I made after Chad blankly looked at me when I innocently requested he take a shower since I had to sit next to him in the car. As these things go I felt that I was pretty well prepared and didn't do my usual last-minute-anal-retentive-checking of the packing of the car. After all, we were only going to be gone two days and only three hours away at that, a mere drop in the puddle compared to the last several fourteen hour+ car trips we have made! My, how quickly the tables can turn!
A pretty nice drive followed, I read my book, the kids watched their movie, Chad drove and talked at me now and then, and Kade slept. We arrived in San Antonio around 5:00 and found a hotel to stay at not too far from The Alamo and Riverwalk. We unpacked the car and trekked up to the room where, to my dismay, I realized I had left my bag with all my makeup, shampoo, razor, hair stuff and comb in it. After a few mental self-kicking moments I got over it (somewhat) and we headed out to the Riverwalk to russle us up some grub.
The Riverwalk is beautiful, and you would know just how beautiful if I hadn't accidentally left the battery to the camera on the charger in the kitchen, instead of in the camera where it belongs. But I digress. We fought our way through the Memorial Day crowds and finally decided on a Mexican restaurant named the Drunken Iguana...hmmm. We were all enthralled by the huge guacamole appetizer, and the food was delicious. Mine, unfortunately, was cold when they brought it out, so I sent it back. I never used to do this, but I have come to the realization that when I am going to pay $12 for two enchiladas, it had dang well better come out right...but I always make sure to be nice about it. They probably still spit in it, but at least I am nice.
The whole time we were enjoying our meal we were a little nervous about the fact that we were the only table that was not covered by the balcony of the restaurant. Pigeons kept swooping down around us, much to the delight of Kade and the anxiety of his parents who didn't want to have any added ingredients to our meals. Turns out, we didn't need to worry about the birds. The busboys, on the other hand, we DID need to worry about. I had taken about three bites out of my newly improved meal and the rest of the family was three quarters of the way through when a busboy on the balcony above us dropped a dishpan and the dirty dishwater splashed all over us and our table. We pushed our plates away (even Trevor and Blake) and decided to be done. Our waitress came over and we told her what had happened, and (to her credit) looked suitably sympathetic to our plight. In her next breath she said, "Well, shall I bring you your tab?". And then she did. Ok. I am not a complainer. Neither is Chad. Yes, yes, I did send my plate back because it was cold. But dirty water all over us and our food and no offer of speaking to the manager or a comped plate or anything?! After she left I gave Chad THE LOOK and told him that he had better not be leaving her a tip. He is too nice, and he didn't have change, so she ended up with about a quarter, but even Mr. Nice Guy agreed that she didn't deserve one.
It is a dang good thing that I am on anti-anxiety meds, cause that might have pushed me over the edge, but despite it all I ended up having a great time. I enjoyed being away from home, I enjoyed being with my husband and the boys. Chad must have felt bad for me cause he even let me look at all the jewelry stands lining the Riverwalk and almost suggested getting me a necklace till he saw how much they cost. I have decided to start making my own jewelry, by the way. We drove up to Austin the second night and took the boys to see Night At The Museum II, which was very cute. Kade even sat pretty still on our laps despite the fact that I ran out of Smarties about ten minutes in. We also played frisbee golf at two different parks along the way, lots of good muddy fun. I told Chad that when the kids get a little older (translation: out of the house) we should rent a motor home and hopskotch around the country to different disc golf parks. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am sooo glad we found a sport we enjoy doing together, and that we don't suck at too bad.
Long story short, or I guess pretty long anyway, we had a great weekend...and it is probably a good thing that we didn't have a camera, cause I was kind of scary looking without makeup and with razor burn on my legs from the single blade hotel razor! Ahhh, this is the stuff memories are made from!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Learning Spanish
Seems like I am posting a lot about Trevor lately, but here is a new one:
Trevor is very interested in learning Spanish words. I think this is because here in Texas he sees lots of people who speak it. The kids whom he plays with across the street alternate between English and Spanish most of the time, and he has a little "girlfriend" down the street named Maria Jose. He is always asking me what English words translate to in Spanish. Now, I can help him out every now and then with my remedial two-years-in-high-school vocab, but most of the words he asks me to translate are beyond me.
For a while he was hung up on learning the Spanish word for applesauce. I finally asked my neighbor when she was outside one day and she told me. He was pretty thrilled with that one.
Today we went frisbee golfing and I was about ten feet away from the basket. Normally a pretty easy putt, but I missed. Not thinking, (and some of you might be starting to get the opinion that I never think so this isn't a new thing) I said "crap-ola". This is a word that my dad used to say all the time, so I don't even know it's origin or why it popped into my head at that moment.
Trevor looked over at me and, without missing a beat, said, "What does that mean in English Mom?"
So if anyone knows the Spanish-English translation of the word "crap-ola", please enlighten me. ;) Big sigh.
Trevor is very interested in learning Spanish words. I think this is because here in Texas he sees lots of people who speak it. The kids whom he plays with across the street alternate between English and Spanish most of the time, and he has a little "girlfriend" down the street named Maria Jose. He is always asking me what English words translate to in Spanish. Now, I can help him out every now and then with my remedial two-years-in-high-school vocab, but most of the words he asks me to translate are beyond me.
For a while he was hung up on learning the Spanish word for applesauce. I finally asked my neighbor when she was outside one day and she told me. He was pretty thrilled with that one.
Today we went frisbee golfing and I was about ten feet away from the basket. Normally a pretty easy putt, but I missed. Not thinking, (and some of you might be starting to get the opinion that I never think so this isn't a new thing) I said "crap-ola". This is a word that my dad used to say all the time, so I don't even know it's origin or why it popped into my head at that moment.
Trevor looked over at me and, without missing a beat, said, "What does that mean in English Mom?"
So if anyone knows the Spanish-English translation of the word "crap-ola", please enlighten me. ;) Big sigh.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A few little laughs
It is no secret that I have been very frustrated with Trevor lately. Five year olds just don't seem to "get" it. He is very smart and witty, but lately this has translated itself into "smart mouthed and witless". I am working with him to improve his attitude, and working on myself to gain more patience. I thought I'd post a few little moments that have occurred in the past few days where I was reminded that there is a fun and wonderful little boy in the monster's body.
**Warning: Both of these moments happened in the bathroom, but are not disgusting.
Last week the boys ran out of toilet paper in their bathroom. Since I avoid using it or even entering it except for twice a week when I clean it, I didn't know right away. One morning Trevor came to me as I was making my bed and said, "Mom, where do we keep the toilet paper?" Distracted, I answered him and didn't think about it again till later on in the morning when I was walking down the upstairs hallway and happened to see that there was a brand new roll of toilet paper all ready to go on the roller. Trevor happened to be close by and I asked him if he had done that all by himself. "Sure Mom, I'm not just a kid who does bad stuff you know!" I stand corrected!
Sunday morning I was folding laundry downstairs and Trevor ran by on his way to the half bath off the kitchen. The usual Trevor-in-the-bathroom grunts and groans ensued. A few minutes later I heard him call out, "So long boys!" and then the sound of the toilet flushing. Ahhh, still makes me giggle when I think of that one.
Hope these Trevorisms bring a smile to your face as well.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Back to Reality
Yesterday was the mother of all Mother's Day come downs.
It started out early as I arose to get ready to drive Kade down to Houston for yet another doctor appt. Out the door at 7:45, I noticed Blake across the street with his scooter. He said he was just waiting for one of the little girls he is supposed to ride to school with. I went back to buckling the carseat, running back into the house for my ipod, telling Trevor to buckle up, wiping the sweat (and thereby makeup) off my face, looking for my sunglasses, checking the directions to the babysitter's house (for Trevor), etc. You know, the usual stuff that getting to anywhere entails. When I got in the driver's seat I noticed that Blake was gone but thought nothing of it figuring he had met up with his walking buddies.
When I got a little way down the street I saw said walking buddies and one of their dads. The dad asked me if I was taking Blake to Houston with me, since he wasn't with the girls that morning. This prompted a "heart in the top of the throat" moment as I considered all the possible scenarios of why Blake wasn't with the people he was supposed to be with. I continued on my way and stopped to ask the crossing guard if she had seen him. She said no, so I flipped a u-turn and headed back into my neighborhood to go around the block thinking I might run into him. He was nowhere to be seen. I headed over to my friend's house (also the babysitter of Trevor for the day) and asked for the number to Blake's school.
When I called they already knew who I was and said that Kylie's dad had already been in to find out if Blake had made it, and he had. My headstrong redhead had decided to go with the kids from across the street instead of waiting for the girls...but the crux of the matter is that he didn't bother to tell me! Needless to say, he is busted, he freaked a LOT of people out.
I somehow made it to Houston on time for Kade's appt. where I learned that he needs to be admitted to the hospital for three days so they can monitor exactly how many calories he consumes and collect all of his stool for testing. This will be after the 1st of June.
I then headed back to pick Trevor up and go home to do my daily duties there. As I was picking up dvds and putting them back on the shelf I heard a huge crash. Trevor had put a little bench at the top of the stairs to barricade his toys so Kade couldn't mess with them and had accidentally pushed it down. It hit the bottom with a huge crash and splintered. Grrrrrr!
I was really glad when yesterday ended.
It started out early as I arose to get ready to drive Kade down to Houston for yet another doctor appt. Out the door at 7:45, I noticed Blake across the street with his scooter. He said he was just waiting for one of the little girls he is supposed to ride to school with. I went back to buckling the carseat, running back into the house for my ipod, telling Trevor to buckle up, wiping the sweat (and thereby makeup) off my face, looking for my sunglasses, checking the directions to the babysitter's house (for Trevor), etc. You know, the usual stuff that getting to anywhere entails. When I got in the driver's seat I noticed that Blake was gone but thought nothing of it figuring he had met up with his walking buddies.
When I got a little way down the street I saw said walking buddies and one of their dads. The dad asked me if I was taking Blake to Houston with me, since he wasn't with the girls that morning. This prompted a "heart in the top of the throat" moment as I considered all the possible scenarios of why Blake wasn't with the people he was supposed to be with. I continued on my way and stopped to ask the crossing guard if she had seen him. She said no, so I flipped a u-turn and headed back into my neighborhood to go around the block thinking I might run into him. He was nowhere to be seen. I headed over to my friend's house (also the babysitter of Trevor for the day) and asked for the number to Blake's school.
When I called they already knew who I was and said that Kylie's dad had already been in to find out if Blake had made it, and he had. My headstrong redhead had decided to go with the kids from across the street instead of waiting for the girls...but the crux of the matter is that he didn't bother to tell me! Needless to say, he is busted, he freaked a LOT of people out.
I somehow made it to Houston on time for Kade's appt. where I learned that he needs to be admitted to the hospital for three days so they can monitor exactly how many calories he consumes and collect all of his stool for testing. This will be after the 1st of June.
I then headed back to pick Trevor up and go home to do my daily duties there. As I was picking up dvds and putting them back on the shelf I heard a huge crash. Trevor had put a little bench at the top of the stairs to barricade his toys so Kade couldn't mess with them and had accidentally pushed it down. It hit the bottom with a huge crash and splintered. Grrrrrr!
I was really glad when yesterday ended.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day
Yesterday morning we all slept in. Yes folks, not only did my boys let me sleep, they didn't get up and wander downstairs fighting and slamming doors. It was awesome.
At around 9:00 they came in with a "breakfast in bed" that they'd come up with all on their own. Chad has never been the type to pamper me in the morning on Mother's Day, he has a constant inner struggle of whether or not he loves me or sleep more. For this reason it is a great thing that my boys are able to fend for themselves when I am not around.
They brought me a strawberry GoGurt...with the pink side facing up cause that is my favorite (according to Trevor), along with a pancake wrapped sausage on a stick (like a corndog...from Sam's). They topped it off with a sippy cup of milk...in case I spilled? It was very sweet.
So sweet, in fact, that the pancake-dog was cold on top. Blake said he only put it in for 50 seconds cause that is the way he makes them for himself and he figured I wouldn't want to burn my mouth. When they left the room I looked at Chad and asked him (already knowing the answer) if I really had to eat it. I was able to get down a few bites of each thing and drink my milk...without spilling ;).
Mother's Day at Church was AWESOME (I know, I need to find another word...maybe tomorrow). Brother Jones gave the best Mother's Day talk I have ever heard. He spoke to the women who have not had the chance to become mothers either through infertility or because they have not yet found their Eternal companion. So many times on days like this the focus is mainly on just the women who have children. I know from experience within my own family how painful it is for these other women. Brother Jones gave explanations to them for Heavenly Father's reasons for their situations. I felt such peace as I listened to him and developed a much better understanding of Heavenly Father's plan for us. The bitterness that I felt about this subject sort of melted away.
It has become a tradition in our ward for the women to have a special Mother's Day program and luncheon during the second and third hours. Even the women of the Primary get to attend, while the Elder's Quorum bravely fills in as substitutes for Nursery, conducting and even Sharing Time.
The first part took place in the Chapel with different women giving little talks and sharing experiences. I felt honored to be called to be one of those women, and without meaning to I shared a story about when I was pregnant with Kade that had me sniffling and several other ladies tearing up. That was nothing, however, to the last sister to stand up. She is a school nurse and related an experience she had recently where a little kindergarten girl's mother passed away from cancer and the little girl showed up at school the next day. The mother had been given four to six months to live but passed away in the shower much sooner. The sister said that the little girl ended up in her office for a little TLC, but not before she asked her teacher if she could talk to her because she couldn't talk to her daddy at the time because he was too sad. That got the tears rolling. Then the sister said something that made me even more teary. She wondered aloud what that mother felt when she was given such a short time to live and how it would feel to know that you needed to prepare your loved ones who would be left behind. It made me reflect on my own children and what I would want them to know if I couldn't be with them on Earth anymore.
I would want them to know that I love them and that I am looking forward to the brave men they are going to be someday. I am proud of them for their good choices, and I hope they learn from their bad ones. I spent nine+ months cradling them beneath my heart and many more months holding them in my arms, and though at times they make me crazy, I would not give it up for all the college educations and stretch mark free skin money can buy.
I am honored to be a mother and at the end of the day yesterday I knew that my boys all love me...even Chad. I hope you also had a good day, believe me, I have had my fair share of crummy Mother's Days, so my heart bleeds for you if you didn't! Sorry for the long post, I guess I just felt the need to ramble!
At around 9:00 they came in with a "breakfast in bed" that they'd come up with all on their own. Chad has never been the type to pamper me in the morning on Mother's Day, he has a constant inner struggle of whether or not he loves me or sleep more. For this reason it is a great thing that my boys are able to fend for themselves when I am not around.
They brought me a strawberry GoGurt...with the pink side facing up cause that is my favorite (according to Trevor), along with a pancake wrapped sausage on a stick (like a corndog...from Sam's). They topped it off with a sippy cup of milk...in case I spilled? It was very sweet.
So sweet, in fact, that the pancake-dog was cold on top. Blake said he only put it in for 50 seconds cause that is the way he makes them for himself and he figured I wouldn't want to burn my mouth. When they left the room I looked at Chad and asked him (already knowing the answer) if I really had to eat it. I was able to get down a few bites of each thing and drink my milk...without spilling ;).
Mother's Day at Church was AWESOME (I know, I need to find another word...maybe tomorrow). Brother Jones gave the best Mother's Day talk I have ever heard. He spoke to the women who have not had the chance to become mothers either through infertility or because they have not yet found their Eternal companion. So many times on days like this the focus is mainly on just the women who have children. I know from experience within my own family how painful it is for these other women. Brother Jones gave explanations to them for Heavenly Father's reasons for their situations. I felt such peace as I listened to him and developed a much better understanding of Heavenly Father's plan for us. The bitterness that I felt about this subject sort of melted away.
It has become a tradition in our ward for the women to have a special Mother's Day program and luncheon during the second and third hours. Even the women of the Primary get to attend, while the Elder's Quorum bravely fills in as substitutes for Nursery, conducting and even Sharing Time.
The first part took place in the Chapel with different women giving little talks and sharing experiences. I felt honored to be called to be one of those women, and without meaning to I shared a story about when I was pregnant with Kade that had me sniffling and several other ladies tearing up. That was nothing, however, to the last sister to stand up. She is a school nurse and related an experience she had recently where a little kindergarten girl's mother passed away from cancer and the little girl showed up at school the next day. The mother had been given four to six months to live but passed away in the shower much sooner. The sister said that the little girl ended up in her office for a little TLC, but not before she asked her teacher if she could talk to her because she couldn't talk to her daddy at the time because he was too sad. That got the tears rolling. Then the sister said something that made me even more teary. She wondered aloud what that mother felt when she was given such a short time to live and how it would feel to know that you needed to prepare your loved ones who would be left behind. It made me reflect on my own children and what I would want them to know if I couldn't be with them on Earth anymore.
I would want them to know that I love them and that I am looking forward to the brave men they are going to be someday. I am proud of them for their good choices, and I hope they learn from their bad ones. I spent nine+ months cradling them beneath my heart and many more months holding them in my arms, and though at times they make me crazy, I would not give it up for all the college educations and stretch mark free skin money can buy.
I am honored to be a mother and at the end of the day yesterday I knew that my boys all love me...even Chad. I hope you also had a good day, believe me, I have had my fair share of crummy Mother's Days, so my heart bleeds for you if you didn't! Sorry for the long post, I guess I just felt the need to ramble!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A little...break?
I have come to the conclusion that having all boys is not so bad. I came to this conclusion in many different ways, but the latest is the fact that it is Fathers and Sons weekend. I don't know who in our ward scheduled it for Mother's Day weekend, but I'd like to shake his hand!
Last night around 4:30 Chad loaded up the Durango with all the gear (that I packed) and headed off to Wal Mart with Blake and Trevor to buy a tent and then on to Huntsville, TX for a little burping and bonding. Kade and I went on a "date" to a Mexican restaurant for dinner...he was a tad cranky on the way which prompted me to tell him that he was a lousy date, but that is beside the point. It felt a little strange to be in a restaurant just the two of us, but he made sure to entertain everyone around us by dancing to the Mariachi music and yelling at the basketball game that was on the tv in front of our table.
After dinner we went home and watched "What Not to Wear", which I rarely get to watch when my other guys are around. Kade then went to bed and I spent the next few hours (I am almost embarassed to say this next part) cleaning the house. Yes folks. I am a closet cleaner. I figured that it was my one and only chance to have it be clean and stay clean for more than an hour, so I took advantage. I also painted a picture frame black (something I have been meaning to do for weeks) and folded laundry. I did all this while watching HGTV and listening to the silence of my own solitude...with occasional rumblings when the air conditioner kicked on.
This morning I woke up (to a CLEAN house) at 7:30 and finished putting away laundry. After Kade woke up we took baths and got dressed, then we headed out to Kohls to [insert GASP] try on swimsuits. I actually found one that is halfway decent...and by that I mean that the girls don't try to jump out of the top...and it was on sale! I also got a dress, some khaki capris, and a black shirt. Happy Mother's Day to me! Chad is always happy when I take on the task of buying my own gifts, it saves him so much hassle!
All in all, I am pretty thrilled with my weekend so far. Chad sounded pretty worn out on the phone. When I asked if he was having a good time he said that the boys were. I then asked if HE was having a good time and he was like, "Well, you know, as much as I can chasing after two kids who are chasing after other kids." And then I was like (in my head)..."Oh really, hmmm. I wonder what that is like!"
Last night around 4:30 Chad loaded up the Durango with all the gear (that I packed) and headed off to Wal Mart with Blake and Trevor to buy a tent and then on to Huntsville, TX for a little burping and bonding. Kade and I went on a "date" to a Mexican restaurant for dinner...he was a tad cranky on the way which prompted me to tell him that he was a lousy date, but that is beside the point. It felt a little strange to be in a restaurant just the two of us, but he made sure to entertain everyone around us by dancing to the Mariachi music and yelling at the basketball game that was on the tv in front of our table.
After dinner we went home and watched "What Not to Wear", which I rarely get to watch when my other guys are around. Kade then went to bed and I spent the next few hours (I am almost embarassed to say this next part) cleaning the house. Yes folks. I am a closet cleaner. I figured that it was my one and only chance to have it be clean and stay clean for more than an hour, so I took advantage. I also painted a picture frame black (something I have been meaning to do for weeks) and folded laundry. I did all this while watching HGTV and listening to the silence of my own solitude...with occasional rumblings when the air conditioner kicked on.
This morning I woke up (to a CLEAN house) at 7:30 and finished putting away laundry. After Kade woke up we took baths and got dressed, then we headed out to Kohls to [insert GASP] try on swimsuits. I actually found one that is halfway decent...and by that I mean that the girls don't try to jump out of the top...and it was on sale! I also got a dress, some khaki capris, and a black shirt. Happy Mother's Day to me! Chad is always happy when I take on the task of buying my own gifts, it saves him so much hassle!
All in all, I am pretty thrilled with my weekend so far. Chad sounded pretty worn out on the phone. When I asked if he was having a good time he said that the boys were. I then asked if HE was having a good time and he was like, "Well, you know, as much as I can chasing after two kids who are chasing after other kids." And then I was like (in my head)..."Oh really, hmmm. I wonder what that is like!"
Monday, May 4, 2009
Doing the Limbo...again.
I have never been very bendy, therefore when it came time at rollerskating rinks to do the Limbo game I was usually the one to opt out. Of course, now all that non-practice has come back to bite me in the keister cause I can't help but find my life suspended in a neverending state of limbo!
After all the prayers and waiting for Chad to get a job here in Texas, we are now doing it once again. We are fine. Chad still has a job. We have a decent house to live in and plenty of food on the table, yet we are like the kid who gets the toy he begs for and then discards it for one of his older, more trusty toys. The job he has right now just isn't what he was promised. Don't get me wrong, we are so thankful to Heavenly Father for hooking us up, but we just feel like it isn't what he is supposed to be doing. So he has applied for a few jobs and is still looking around for others. Maybe this will take us back to CA, or TN...who knows?
I do know that there was a reason we were sent here to Texas, if nothing other than to meet some REALLY special people. We were saying the other day that if we could just transplant our Ward and neighborhood to wherever we have to go next we could be very happy in that place too!
So now we just wait. In limbo. I feel very at peace, surprisingly. I am usually the one who hates "hurry up and wait mode", especially since we have been doing it for so long now. First waiting for Chad to finish school, then waiting to know where he would get a job, and now waiting again for him to find a better job. Limbo, limbo, limbo! Oh well. Things are going to work out. I am just going to keep thinking happy thoughts.
After all the prayers and waiting for Chad to get a job here in Texas, we are now doing it once again. We are fine. Chad still has a job. We have a decent house to live in and plenty of food on the table, yet we are like the kid who gets the toy he begs for and then discards it for one of his older, more trusty toys. The job he has right now just isn't what he was promised. Don't get me wrong, we are so thankful to Heavenly Father for hooking us up, but we just feel like it isn't what he is supposed to be doing. So he has applied for a few jobs and is still looking around for others. Maybe this will take us back to CA, or TN...who knows?
I do know that there was a reason we were sent here to Texas, if nothing other than to meet some REALLY special people. We were saying the other day that if we could just transplant our Ward and neighborhood to wherever we have to go next we could be very happy in that place too!
So now we just wait. In limbo. I feel very at peace, surprisingly. I am usually the one who hates "hurry up and wait mode", especially since we have been doing it for so long now. First waiting for Chad to finish school, then waiting to know where he would get a job, and now waiting again for him to find a better job. Limbo, limbo, limbo! Oh well. Things are going to work out. I am just going to keep thinking happy thoughts.
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