Fun with (mommy's) glasses

Give them a few years and they will probably both need them for real!

Big changes

My dad and Jav spent the 4th of July putting them together (at my dad's suggestion).  This all seemed like a good idea at the time.  It would free up our weekend a little more.

We had been going back and forth about whether or not to let Joel start sleeping in the bottom bunk, straight from the crib, or to let him sleep in Gabriel's old bed for awhile.  He's still really loud when he wakes up at night and has a tendency to wake up earlier than Gabriel.  We decided on Gabriel's old bed because with Gabriel about to start Kinder right around the corner (August 13!!!!!!!), I want him to have some good night's sleep under his belt.  The problem with this arrangement is that the bunk beds are going in Joel's current room, so that means not only would Joel be sleeping in a new bed for the first time, he would be in a different room also.  And on the first night all of this was to take place, there were fireworks popping all around us until late into the night.  How many things could we possibly throw into the mix to make sure he didn't sleep?  Sheesh.

Here is the finished product, with a very happy customer up top.  I thought he might not like it once he got up there, but I was wrong.  But Joel was very restless and had trouble sleeping.  Jav finally went in and slept with him in the bed that first night.

But things have settled down and now Joel loves his new bed.  I mean LOVES.  He can't wait to go to bed at night.  He was waking up early with the early sunrise (he has West Texas hillbilly in his blood), so we got some Eclipse blackout curtains from Target and he's now sleeping until 8 on weekends and I have to wake him up most weekday mornings.  Woohoo!!!

He's not smiling in these pics, but it's because the moment he gets in bed he gets really sleepy.  What happened to my baby boys?  They're so big!

I would be such a nerd without you

I must thank you, Julie, for turning me on to so many good bands, past and present, that I might never found myself.  I heard this on KXT, our public radio gem that I can't get enough of, and thought it was solo Neko Case (you burned me 2 of her CD's a couple of years back and I love her now).  But then looked it up on You Tube to find it was a band you turned me on to through one of our Girls Trips CD's, who Neko Case sings for sometimes.

Right now my boys think I am the coolest mom musically, ever.  I know that will change, but I will try to retain at least a tiny bit of my musical hipness as they (and I) get older.  Keep helping me, Julie!  I'll need you more than ever now!!!

Isn't this one of the coolest songs, ever?  Love the cello and the whistling.

T-ball - Successful or Not?

Gabriel played "Spring" t-ball, his first time to try baseball.  Why they called it spring when it started May 23 is beyond me.  It was stinkin' hot at those games.  We wondered how he would like it. Soccer wasn't too fun for him, which I partially blame on having lousy coaches.  The TCU kids were super nice, but they didn't know a thing about communicating with and motivating kids that young.  So we knew it might all depend on Gabriel's coach (or coaches) and hoped he would get a good one.

Here he is at his first actual game getting his first actual hit.  Pretty good camera work Daddy!  His coaches were wonderful.  Coach Rick and Coach Jaime both had sons on the team and were very good about teaching the kids why they were doing what they were doing.  They were patient when they needed to be, but also tough with the boys if it was called for.

Look at the variation of sizes on his team!  Evan (#10) looked like a 3rd or 4th grader.  Little Aidan (between #5 and #4) was the shortest team member, but also the scrappiest.  He kept trying to either run away from practice and games, or was starting scuffles with his team mates.  Aside:  There were two Aidans on our team, and at least one on every other team.  Popular name!  The boys were also very varied on their skill level.  Maybe because of their size, Evan and Johnny were great at fielding.  I'm wondering if this was supposed to be for Kindergardeners and their parents held them back a year.  Don't know how that works with the age rules at the Y.

Gabriel did really well at hitting with a tee.  But when they switched to coach pitch he couldn't seem to hit the ball.  When he was playing third he would mostly stand there and yawn the whole game.  I thought (hoped) at first that he was nervous and breathing more shallow, and the lack of oxygen was making him yawn.  But Jav just looked at me when I suggested this and said, "He's bored silly."  I will say that he wanted to practice throwing, catching and hitting MUCH more than he wanted to practice soccer.  But it was still usually around a promise of getting to do something else after 10-15 minutes of practicing.  Jav bought a tee and rubber home plate and bases for him to run around.  If nothing else it did help him understand what he was supposed to do a little more.  And he greatly improved his throwing and catching with practice.  But during games, when the ball was hit towards him, he just stood as if glued to the grass while his teammates scrambled around him trying to get the ball.  This is very frustrating to watch as a parent.  But I did pretty good most of the time and let the coaches reprimand him.  Most of the time.

This picture was taken during their last game, after he got a hit and ran to first.  The game before this one he got a hit and barely jogged to first and was out.  I was screaming at him to run faster.  The only time during the season I wish I had duct taped my mouth.  Coach Rick told him to be sure and run as fast as he could next time.  So when he got the hit before the pic was taken, he ran his little heart out and was looking over at me for approval when he made it on base.  This makes me wonder if all of his playing is for pleasing parents instead of pleasing himself.  Something I never have to wonder when I hear or see him playing the drums.  Sigh.

My sister-in-law Sandra took this awesome shot just after they got their trophies.  She and Jav's mom came to almost every game.   I liked that Coach Rick told each player how many hits, RBIs and outs each team member got before giving them their trophy.  I think the "let's give a trophy to every kid" doesn't really do anything to drive them to do better the next season.  Hearing some of the higher numbers his team mates had, Gabriel said on the way home, "I bet if I had gotten the most, we would all be really proud of me right now".  We told him that we were SO proud of him already, because he had gone to every practice and game, and had tried his best.  

We'll see if he wants to play when next "Spring" rolls around.  I hope so, but not too much.  

Father's Day

We went to Railhead for BBQ Saturday night with Jav's dad and forgot to take any pictures.  It wasn't a real kid friendly place, and neither of the boys liked their food.  It was ok, but won't be going back.  They didn't even have Shiner Bock on draft for God's sake!  What kind of a Texas restaurant do they think they're running?  We had to settle for Ziegenbock.  But Jav's dad seemed to enjoy everything, so that's what mattered.  

And what do we love about Father's Day, along with getting to honor all the great Dads in our lives?  DONUTS!!!!!!!  The 2nd time this year we get donuts and sausage rolls for breakfast (the 1st being Mother's Day).

Jav, the greatest Dad in the world (alright, tied with my dad), and his boys.  We were supposed to go over to my mom and dad's but they had a carpet issue and asked if I would host at the last minute.  Since I hadn't had the family over since Christmas (!!!!!), I agreed.  Mom and Dad brought the food, so I just had to make sure the house looked halfway decent.

Three of four cousins making silly faces, while the fourth one just looks at them like they're crazy!

Luckily it wasn't too hot to get the hammock out.

My dad and his two babies!

Mamaw and Poppy and their clan.

Staged, true, but funny nonetheless.

We had pizza and salad and birthday cake (it was also my sister-in-law's birthday).  Poor April always has to share her birthday with Father's Day festivities.    But it was a really fun day and I'm glad we got to spend time with everyone.

Choosy kids pick Boogers!

And we are now HUGE Boogers fans.  Let me explain.

The Boogers are a kids rock/punk band.  They mix cool versions of classic kids' songs with originals.  We had never heard of them before we found out they were going to grace the stage of Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, our wonderful FREE outdoor music venue that's 10 minutes from our house.  The summer schedule lasts Memorial Day weekend through Fourth of July weekend.  The concerts are Wednesday through Sunday night, and they cover all types of music.  Wednesdays is kids music.  We had only been to one show two years ago (last summer was just too brutally hot) that showcased dancing dinosaurs.  The show wasn't that great, but Gabriel loved the dinos.

When I looked at this summer's schedule, I saw The Boogers were playing during the week I was already taking off from work.  It was fate!  Plus they were the one band I KNEW Gabriel would get into.  The others were sketchy.  Jav took off early, I packed up a huge picnic dinner, and off we went, despite some pretty threatening looking skies.  We found a good spot, laid out our dinner and got ready to jam.  Ten minutes before the show was supposed to start, the lightening started just to the northeast of the Pavilion.  A few people packed up and headed back to the car.  We put all of our food away, just in case, but decided to stick it out.  It never rained, the weather was wonderfully cool (at least to a Texan in the summertime), and the band was just awesome.

Here are my little rocker boys.  Gabriel begged to go down front where many of the kids were dancing, and finally Jav took him down there.  I was so proud of him for just letting go and having fun like that.  He said before the show that he wasn't sure if he'd dance.  He was afraid people would laugh at him.  I convinced him that it didn't matter - who needs them?  He doesn't even know these people and the important thing is to do what you feel like doing and HAVE FUN.  Boy did he ever!

Our awesome view of the stage.  There's not a bad seat in the house.  What a wonderful venue to have so close.  We should be ashamed of ourselves for not going more often.  It was so neat also to see grandparents, parents and kids all hanging out and having a wonderful time.    Plus have I mentioned The Boogers ROCKED!!!!!!   I just read up on them and discovered the lead singer and band starter, who goes by Krusty Booger, has a PhD in Developmental Psychology.  He finished school and decided to combine his love of punk music with his passion for children's language development.  

This is what the sky looked like about halfway through the show.  I didn't know Jav was going to sneak into the picture and end up looking like Moses.  Ha!

Towards the end of the show, Joel got tired of jumping and started falling down and just laying on the grass for awhile.  Which meant Gabriel could come tickle him.  But make no mistake, he had already out-jumped every single kid there.  If jumping up and down was an Olympic sport, Joel would win the gold medal!

The last number was a cover of Stepping Stone by the Monkees, which is right up my sixties music-loving, hipster-dancing alley.  How can you not absolutely love a band who plays that for their last song?  We had one of the most fun nights of our year so far.  Joel has been refusing to listen to anything but The Boogers in the car since we brought home a CD.  We've already decided to buy him the other one for his birthday.   And we are already ready for the next concert appearance by The Boogers!!!

If you want to listen to their greatness (a clip from Levitt a couple of years ago), click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYRD6-lwN7U

Our trip to Paris

The anniversary card said, "If I can't sweep you off your feet and take you to Paris, France, how would Paris, Texas do instead?" My wonderful romantic husband set it all up. He found the Bed & Breakfast, and he had his Mom and sister set up for taking the boys one night each.  I needed to get away SO much that I felt like I was going to the other Paris.  Plus I didn't care where we were going.  I was just really happy to be able to spend some time with him.

We left Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend.  Our first stop after dropping off the boys:   Starbucks!

It wasn't a long drive.  THIS was the house.  Isn't it lovely?  I had some mediocre expectations based on past Bed and Breakfast experiences.  They were blown away.  Old Magnolia House is run by two sisters.  Debbie cooks breaksfast and makes wonderful baked goods to snack on anytime you want.   Sherri takes care of guests, decorated the inside and maintains the gardens outside.

This was the staircase leading up to the bedrooms.  There are three bedrooms, each one with its own bathroom.  We could never hear any of our neighbors.  The house was built in 1871, and was the only house from that era not destroyed in the big fire that Paris had in 1916. When Debbie and Sherri decided to buy it and renovate it to a B&B, it had been vacant for over 10 years.

Here is one of two stained glass window panels that just took my breath away.  This one was in the parlor over one of the front windows.  I have seen Victorian way overdone.  But this house was so understated.  Every corner of every room is arranged just perfectly.  Sherri mixed old paintings with actual old photographs, which resulted in making the house seem authentic.

Here is our dining room.  See the fireplace in the corner?  Nice.  This was the room where we came for our two fantastic and unique "Southern gourmet" breakfasts.  The first morning we started with a homemade cinnamon roll and one piece of perfectly cooked bacon.  The main course was scrambled egg cooked in a pepper half with melted cheese on top, with an avocado and tomato relish and more bacon.  The second morning our opener was custard with sauteed cherries, blueberries and raspberries on top.  The main dish was homemade croutons with fried eggs on top, a potato pancake and more fruit with cream.  I was stuffed like a tick when I walked out of that room each morning, but very, very happy.

The 2nd stained glass panel, which is over a side window in the dining room.  The pictures don't do them justice.

Here's a view looking down one side of the house.

I loved this and want to find one like it.  It's a tower herb garden.

There are two tourist attractions in Paris.  The first is this statue adorning an eccentric Paris resident's grave.  Some say it is Jesus, but it looks more like a female to me.  Whoever it is, he or she is wearing cowboy boots.  The Evergreen cemetery in Paris is the biggest one I've ever seen.  It holds 40,000 people and that number will grow for at least 15 more years.  It took us awhile to find this, even though we'd been given some shady directions.  I could have spent all morning just wandering around looking at gravestones and listening to the birds sing.

We spent our second morning browsing books and CD's at Hastings.   Ahhhhh.  Time.  A precious resource we don't have much of back home.

It was a little strange to see this beautiful Italian fountain in the middle of the Paris town square.  There are antique shops and restaurants around it, but nothing but boarded up windows and dilapidated buildings in the next blocks.  Really sad.

We didn't think about the fact that everything in small towns closes up for Sundays and holidays.  It was a little tricky to find open restaurants.  But we succeeded in finding a Mexican restaurant called "TaMolly's"  Food was not that great, but at least we didn't have to eat dinner at the DQ.  

Here's the second tourist attraction in Paris.  Pretty self-explanatory.

Since it was Memorial Day weekend, it was nice to stumble upon this in-progress monument to service members, past and present, alive and deceased.  It was really pretty and nice and quiet next to an open field.  But I'm not sure it I would have placed it so close to the Eiffel Tower monstrosity.

Here we are saying goodbye to our relaxing weekend, and to two of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten.  Thanks honey.  I couldn't have had a better time in France.

Last Day of Preschool!!

Gabriel's last day of preschool was a couple of weeks ago.  I was sad, but didn't get as upset as I thought I was going to.  Probably only because Joel will be returning for at least one more year there next year.  

We have loved every second of Gabriel's preschool experience.  Class sizes have been small, and he has been with many of the same kids all the way through.  The teachers know each kid inside and out.  He has grown SO much each year between his first and last day it's been amazing to see.  Of course, this year he really seemed to mature.  I was a little shocked to find out that around half of his classmates will be there next year.  I've been told that holding your kid back is the newest trend.  But we are forging bravely on ahead with kindergarten.  I feel that he's ready.  Right now he seems excited, but my mom told me he mentioned to her that he was worried about making new friends.  I think that fear will go away pretty quickly once he's there a few weeks.    

Joel and one of his teachers, Ms. Kelly.  His other main teacher, (and the one he immediately bonded with), was Ms. Monica.  She left to have a baby in April and missed the last six weeks.  She returned here and there to sub, but wasn't around for a picture the last day.  :(  

Even though he didn't start until mid-year, Joel loved every minute of school too and was getting along with all of his classmates really well.  I'm excited about his next year, because one of Joel's teachers will be the mom of the triplets that have been in Gabriel's classes since his first year, Ms. Lyndsey.  

In the meantime, we have a fun summer already in full swing.  We've been going to the park every Tuesday morning, something we've never done consistently before.  Both boys started their swim lessons Monday.  They are taking separate classes but at the same end of the pool at the same time.  I wasn't sure how it would work, since I can only watch each boy some of the time.  But the only time it was a problem was at the end of class when the teachers want to tell the parents what needs to be worked on, what they did well, etc..  Hopefully they'll be understanding and know I can't be two places at once!  I was nervous about a Waterbaby class for Joel without me in the water, but he did really well, even though his other classmate SCREAMED the entire 30 minutes of class.  In fact, Joel was so laid back in the water that he doesn't feel he needs to exert the extra energy to kick.  He was content to just let the instructor carry him around the whole time.  We'll be working on that.  

Gabriel's in the middle of his first t-ball season, and seems to be enjoying it more than he did soccer.  We've even been getting him to practice 2 or 3 times a week.  We have great coaches, who both have boys on the team.  The pic below was taken of his first swing in his very first ever game.  And we're about to come up on our year anniversary of weekly drum lessons.  The boy is getting pretty good.  (At least his very biased mother thinks so.)  AND we've signed him up for two camps this summer:  Zoo camp starts next week, and Music and Art Camp at his old school will be in July.

These two are going to have such a fun summer!