By George

A Conversation

2011-07-19T08:26:00.005-05:00

In the car last week, Maizie says out of the blue:

Maizie: "I want to be born again."

Pause. Pause. Pause. What?

Me: "Ok. Well thanks to Jesus we can always get a fresh start. Isn't that great?"

Maizie: "Yes, I love Jesus and his babies. I want to drive them around and show them directions on how to get to my house."

Me: "That sounds nice."

Maizie: "I'm going to need a smaller car so my feet can touch."

1. She means born again literally. Jason tells me she first brought it up after seeing a picture of me pregnant with Anderson. She was jealous that he was in my belly.

2. She often refers to "Jesus and his babies" because her favorite story is Jesus welcoming the little children.

3. I can't get the image out of my head--Maizie, Jesus and Jesus' babies in a tiny, tiny car.

Phone Pics

2011-07-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

My phone recently was on the fritz, meaning I could only talk to people on speaker phone. I was "that" girl in the supermarket. Only once, but it had to be done. Anyway, new phone came and my IT guy (Jason T. George) helped me transfer 6 months worth of phone photos. Most are pictures taken by Maizie of her toys, the TV, her parents at awkward angles and our messy house. Here are some of the good ones (aka. not taken by the girl). Enjoy.

This pair really love each other.

Did I mention it was 6 months worth of pictures. Ah, snowhats. Sigh.

Yes, she's wearing a bunny/mermaid outfit. Yes, this is in public. No, I didn't want a wardrobe fight that day. Yes, we're proud to keep Austin weird.

Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding. It was a joy to have a date night and meet some fun, new people. Mommy is wearing a Hilltribe necklace. Product testing is fun!

My little fireman.

Anderson and I hang out on Thursdays while Maizie's at gymnastics. I usually run errands and get him a little something for being such a good companion. This day, he wouldn't relent until I took a photo and sent it to Kim to show Ryan. Anderson is obsessed with two things: Buzz Lightyear and Ryan Pollard!

Easter Monday

2011-04-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

We didn't get around to dying Easter eggs until Easter Monday. That's ok. I think Easter Monday is a day to celebrate.
I've always wanted to be one of those cool moms who posted artsy shots of craft projects. So here you go.

Anderson reciting his colors: "Ed, onge, lellow, geen, boo, puhpuh"

All done! Love the rainbow!

Maizie couldn't wait to crack one open.

Easter Morn

2011-04-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

Maizie thought it was funny that the Bunny who knows how to do the robot came to her house and left some treats.

The hit of the basket were these bunny teeth (candy pacifiers).

Hope you had a Happy Easter, too!

'Twas the week before Easter

2011-04-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

And Maizie earned a special date with Mom and Dad. We went to Main Event and ate and talked and played video games while Anderson played with Luc and Evan. Maizie ate up all the attention and Anderson enjoyed splashing with Luc at the water table.

Here he is accessorizing for Easter.

I 'tawt i 'taw a tweety bird. One bite, one peep gone.

Mueller had an Easter Egg hunt in our park. Here's Maizie sad and egg-less before it started.

And Jason posing with the Easter Bunny, who apparently had incredible robot dance moves, according to Maizie.

Serious Business

2011-04-26T18:20:00.001-05:00

Last month, Maizie had her first public performance as the color green in a rainbow of other preschoolers. I was really looking forward to it. She's such a ham at home, I was expecting some looney tune moves. Apparently, performing is serious business for Maizie. She stood attentively and sang exactly (and perhaps informed some nearby kids on how to do the same). They sang the "Lord, you are my rainbow" song for those of you familiar with it. When practicing at home, these were her lyrics:
You are the blue in the sky,
You are the purple in my eye,
You are the pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty butterfly.
You are the brown in the sky when I am playing football.
Oh Lord, I think you are a good idea.
So she takes after me in the lyric comprehension (and creative rewriting of lyrics) department.
And she takes after my dad in hand guestures. I watched him preach for 18 years and he holds his hands like that, oh, say 80% of the time. Love to see him in her.

The after party with friend and neighbor, Mia.

A budding architect like Daddy showing off her city.

Here she is with her teachers, Miss Mary and Miss Teri. Miss Mary received an award for 25 years of service that night. Amazing.

Keeping Austin Weird

2011-04-26T15:32:00.002-05:00

Our kids are wonderfully weird. Growing up, I thought weird was a compliment. Still do. Serendipitous then that we came to live in Austin to raise a family that can help keep it weird.

Keepin' it weird (and cowgirl princess chic) on the pot.

Keepin' time out weird.

Arm movements that are definitely keepin' it weird. This is how he starts his superhero run. Every time. Capes courtesy of my friend Jodi. No, you can't steal her.

Ok, this isn't a weird shot, but I had one left and it was too cute to keep from you.

Farm Cousins

2011-04-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

I wasn't quite done talking about the farm. One of the coolest things is when all the cousins get together. There are 14 cousins now--8 of them are ages 12-18 and 6 are ages newborn (As in last Friday! Welcome baby Lily!) to 6. Here they are vying for attention from Grandpa. He's running out of room on his lap for the little ones!

Saturday morning we went on a duck hunt with Grandma. We saw some grey ducks in the pond that were so pretty we thought they had to be fake. As I took picture after picture and we edged the children closer and closer, we realized they were. Still it made for a fun memory and the kids enjoyed the adventure.

Maizie brought dress-up clothes for the younger girls. So the princesses took over the farm for a bit.

Here are the ducks (minus Megan, Brooke and baby Lily) in a row.

Farm Girl

2011-04-07T21:43:00.002-05:00

Maizie had a great time at the farm, too. PLUS, we set up a tent so it was like a camping trip and farm trip in one. She was non-stop picking flowers, digging in dirt, begging to drive the (gator) cart, and playing pretend with her cousins.

Did you know that mermaids live on farms, too?

How classic is this shot?

Riding the new horse with Grandpa in the lead.

Quintessential cowgirl.

Farm Boy

2011-04-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

We met up with the entire (immediate) George clan over Spring Break at the Normangee farm. Anderson spent all weekend running. Running after cousins. Running after cows. Running after dogs. Or just running because he could. Such a blessing to be able to visit Texas' wide open spaces and let our kids run wild.

I forgot. When he wasn't running, he was playing in the dirt.

"Tick em up, Buzz!"

Anderson and the next youngest boy cousin, Travis. They have a really sweet relationship.

One of the cutest things I want to remember: whenever he sets off, he yells out, "Running!" Such an exuberant 2-year-old boy!

Four Men and a "Little" Lady

2011-04-07T08:50:00.001-05:00

My friend Kellie invited us out for a day at the Austin Science and Nature Center a while back. It's a fun little (free!) nature park, complete with a rescue animal zoo and a dinosaur bone dig pit. Maizie had a lot of fun herding the crew of younger boys.

Any day she can pick flowers is a good day in her book.

Afterward, we went to Zilker. Here is Anderson at 2.5.

A far cry from this sweet baby at a year old. Cue the traditional singing of "Sunrise, Sunset"!

Nana and Papa Visit

2011-03-11T17:59:00.000-06:00

My parents came in from Michigan last week. We had a fun visit, including riding a glass-bottom boat in San Marcos, enjoying my Mom's birthday at the Oasis and them watching our kids overnight so we could go on a mini-vacation here in town. In case you aren't convinced that they are Yanks, my dad didn't bring a jacket (he's freezing in the picture below) and my mom laid out (as in sunbathed) when the temp climbed up to 71. Their love for us and their grandkids are so evident and it's fun to see our kids making memories with them. On Saturday, Jason and I took Anderson to a couple of birthday parties while my parents took Maizie to the Texas State Capital (aka "Maizie's Castle"). She was wearing her Belle dress, waving to her subjects from the balconies, and attempting to solve a mystery involving a "Prince Ghost". They do so much to help with the kids while they're in town, I always think they should plan a vacation after they get home from their vacation. Thanks for the fun visit, Ma and Pa!

Austin Zoo

2011-03-11T17:46:00.000-06:00

We went on a family field trip to the Austin Zoo a few weekends ago. It's a smallish zoo, but perfect for the 4 and under crowd. My favorite memory was of Maizie asking to eat the goat food (little hay pellets). I told her she was welcome to try it. She crunched and chewed and asked for more. That's my adventurous eater, I suppose! My least favorite memory was of her throwing a fit as we left and pickpocketing a stuffed animal, but we won't go there....Overall, a fun Saturday together. We're on the go so much lately, I really enjoy it when we're all together, no matter what we're doing.

Pretty as a peacock!

Loved the "choo choo 'rain" and the "yi-on" and the "tuh-tuhs".

"One for you and one for me."

The Wanderer

2011-02-01T22:22:00.000-06:00

If we weren't all so tired, we'd be cracking up at this boy all day (and night) long. The transition to big boy bed is not as smooth with Thing Two as it was with Thing One. We're going on week three now and he's just finding more and more ways to sneak around our barricades. Week one (prior to baby gate installation) involved him sneaking out of bed, unrolling a tape dispenser, and crawling back in. Week two involved climbing the ladder to Maizie's top bunk and jumping or falling off repeatedly. Week three involves Maizie in mommy and daddy's bed until Anderson gives up the ghost. Each night and naptime is a new adventure.

This is him today. During nap. Which is supposed to be taken in bed.

Budding DJ or are metal desks really more comfortable than IKEA mattresses?

My tired boy after a 3-hour no-nap.

But not too tired to play "Princess Super Heroes" with sister which involved some light saber moves a la Darth Vader.

Big Birthday Boy

2010-12-05T17:00:00.000-06:00

Oh, time. You fly. And I'm not exactly happy with you today. Our baby boy is 2 years old. Really and truly unbelievable. These two years with him have been some of the fastest of my life. And I wish at so many points that I could've pressed pause. FYI: when you are raising an adorable, sneaky, speedy, baby deproofing, destructonating, escape artist, there are no pauses.

I can't express in words how much I love this little man. In so many ways, I feel as though I am a time traveler watching Jason grow up. His faces, his toe-headedness, his quirky sense of humor and his stubbornness are minitiare reproductions of the original. We're laying low for this birthday. We'll have a family dinner out and presents some time this week. We'll let him sit at a steering wheel of some sort to his heart's content. And we'll keep singing him Happy Birthday whenever we feel like it because he makes the cutest faces when we do.

The Birthday Boy at the park. He was so proud to wear this shirt. Thanks, Kim! Whenever anyone asked him how old he was, he'd just stick his chest out, I guess hoping the answer to their question was written there.

Um, baby in tie? Makes me want to smush him. In a good way.

Favorite pic of the man to date. Paint-stick-turned-sword and his "Raaaarrr" face.

Honey, I Shrunk the Jason. Only Jason rarely wears Rudolph hats.

Andersonian as a Second Language
No, he's not a Chatty Cathy, but what he does say is pretty dang cute. So here goes.
Dis-dah - Sister
Peesh - Please
Tanks - Thanks
Tay! - Okay
Bee-Bee - Baby
Ouse - House
Lella - Gabriella
Kiyi Cah - Kitty Cat
Ish - Fish
Tar - Star
Ba-Ball - Basketball
Fuh-Ball - Football
Bye-Bye - Clearest word to date! He loves 'em and leaves 'em!

Other Rememberables
* The scream. 'Nuff said.
* How he goes "shopping" in our kitchen pantry and carries around giant bottles of juice or big boxes of cereal.
* How he quietly works at a new skill, scientifically trying out different methods until he figures it out (so fun to watch him learning to use a tricylce and a scooter, not so fun watching him decode safety features in our home).
* Still using both left and right hands to eat and draw, although I'm starting to notice a slight right-hand preference (tear).
* He stands in time out when told and does a hug for sorry.
* He hates it when Maizie is sad and will pester her for a hug until she's happy again.
* He hates it when Maizie has a toy and will chase her around and around until he's victorious.
* He loves babies and still wants to tickle their faces.
* Makes the best animal and car, truck, rocket noises.
* Loves jumping and climbing. He's gonna be one of those kids that skateboards without a skateboard, whatever that's called.
* Still needs his mommy from time to time and is a great cuddler, tickler and smoocher.

The Girls

2010-11-28T22:02:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent mostly on the Normangee farm. There was turkey-eating, hay-jumping, movie-watching and lots of good ol' fashioned fun. I got some cute pics of Maizie and Brooke (cousins born two weeks apart) that I wanted to post before life gets in the way. So here are the wonder twins at 2 months old....

Here they are now. On the way to the farm, Maizie said, "I have lots of cousins, but two of them are just my age--Megan and Brooke!"

Here are all the girl cousins in the younger set-Megan, Maizie, Brooke and Kaitlyn.

Love these girls and can't wait to watch them grow up as close cousins.

Ahoy, Me Halloween Maties!

2010-11-01T21:52:00.000-06:00

We took our second annual Halloween trip to San Antonio this year, thanks to the most hospitable Maloneys. They are quite the opposite of the Veggie Tales' Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. They do everything and do it all the way. It was all kinds of fun. The bubble from last year made a reaappearance at Trunk or Treat at their church. We passed out glow in the dark bracelets and Maizie had fun bossing around older kids around "her bubble." On Sunday, the pirate ship was completed and Grant and Amanda had all the trick-or-treaters repeat the Pirate Oath to get a piece of their booty. Jason was an evil....sorry, I'm really not sure what Jason was, but he said funny things and held a musket while sitting in a canoe.

Maizie was a pirate princess. Instead of saying "Trick or Treat" at each door, Maizie said, "My name is Maizie and I am a pirate princess and this is Anderson he is my brother but today his is a PAR-rot not a PIR-ate and he doesn't say much and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" We didn't make it very far.

One of my favorite memories from this year is when I had them both try on their costumes Friday. Anderson asked for a cracker and I asked Maizie to share hers with him. She followed him around saying "Polly want a cracker?" Wish I had a video camera for that one! Anyway, his costume was by far the easiest to make and I think it turned out cute for minimal effort. Here's my little bird.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween. And thanks, Fancy Pants and Amanda, for making it one for the record books. Sorry we destroyed many of your worldly possessions. Treasure up in heaven, right?

Four Years Old

2010-10-20T18:12:00.002-05:00

Dear Maizie,
Four years ago today I met you for the first time. I remember holding you and staring hard, trying to soak in the fact that this was real. Trying to understand how such a perfect little creature came from such imperfect humans. Trying to figure out what it meant to raise a little person who would have character, integrity and a heart for people in need. In other words, I was scared. God had entrusted us for a short time to be your parents and we were praying hard that we could provide the kind of support, encouragement and guidance you needed to make your way in this world. Now, four years later, we're blessed by an exuberant, thoughtful, caring, sweet, sometimes stubborn, always confident, adorable little girl. You dive into new situations with ease, love a good story, song or dance, and can talk the spots off a dog. When you're around, there is never a dull (or quiet) moment and we wouldn't have it any other way. I had no idea what I was in for four years ago, and maybe I started off a little scared and uptight. But each day, God has shown us through you that He is in control and that He is your real Father, protector and maker. We see Him in your insistence that we talk to every friend (aka panhandler) we meet. We see Him in your prayers when you thank him for one more day without a boo boo. And we see Him as you are first in line to care for and love on Anderson when he is feeling sad. You are a delight and a joy and I wish you the happiest of days today. Four is going to rock.
Love,
Mama

Birthday girl - 2006

Birthday Girl - 2010

This post wouldn't be complete without a new installment of....

MAIZIESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (4-YEAR-OLD EDITION)
Masghetti - Spaghetti
Gonana - Banana

Scawberries - Strawberries
Gabrella - Umbrella
FighterFighter - Firefighter
FighterFighter Wearing Pajamas - EMT (with scrubs on)
Black FighterFighter - Police Officer (wearing a black uniform)
Pink Girl - Girl wearing pink
Coperate - Cooperate (e.g. "I'm coperating!")
Hair Cut - Hair Style (e.g. "Don't cut my hair" when I'm just trying to put in ponytails)
Just Only - Her "filler" words like other people use "um" or "uh" (e.g. "Just only I'm going to watch just only just only just only Wall-E")

I Cah-n't wash my hay-uh, Mahm- I can't wash my hair, Mom. (her British/Southern/Yankee accent comes out in the oddest combinations)
Race Car Driver - What she wants to be when she grows up

Decorations, Cinnamon - Decorations, Cinnamon (I'm always surprised when she says complex words correctly. I think I said "Cimmanon" until last year.)
R-E-D - Purple

A Party Fit for a Princess

2010-10-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, we celebrated Maizie's Big 4 (the real date is Wednesday). Jason and I decided to alternate years for "big parties" vs. "small parties". This year for both Anderson and Maizie is "small party". We had Mia and Simone and their moms over for a fairy princess picnic. We had pink tea, pink star "biscuits" and heart-shaped pb&js. Our man-in-waiting, Jason, served with grace and poise, calling each of the girls "malady" and providing multiple refills of pink tea. Thankfully, Maizie's fair grandmother was in town and was able to join us for the party.

Time for the presents! Maizie exercized some mad patience waiting for this portion of the evening.

Next we headed downtown for dessert at the Melting Pot. Maizie had requested something "fancy". Three 3-year-olds at the Melting Pot? Memorable. First, they wanted to play with the super long (and super sharp) forks. Then they all reached their sugar limit about halfway through and we thought they were all going to fall asleep or climb the walls. We quickly ushered them out for the final surprise--a horse carriage ride through downtown Austin.

All-in-all, it was a fun way to celebrate the little life of our big girl. When I asked her the next morning what her favorite part of her birthday party was, she opened her arms big and wide and said, "ME!" We'll have to work on her understanding that she's not the center of the universe, but I suppose that can wait until after this week. Happy Birthday, sweet funny silly smart hugable lovable wonderful Maizie!

ACU Homecoming

2010-10-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

We went to Abilene to hang with Jason's sister's family and attend my 10-year reunion. Yes, I am officially old. It's always fun being back on campus and even more funner (the degree paid off, Ma!) to share some of our favorite ACU memories with the kids.

Here's Maizie playing in the GATA fountain.

And Anderson playing on Amy's piano.

Maizie and Jason in front of my freshman year dorm. Jason first said he loved me in that very parking lot.

And we went to echo point with Maizie. She liked to echo. A lot! A lot! A lot!

It was a fun weekend and I'm glad my "more involved and in touch with ACU" friends encouraged us to go. Maizie saw her first big time college football game (ACU won) and we got to catch up with family we hadn't seen in 6 months and friends we hadn't seen in 10 years. Purple-White-Fight-Fight!

All about Anderson

2010-09-02T17:15:00.002-05:00

So Anderson drew the short stick when it came to blog-time. I guess (and I know this from experience) this is the burden of second children. I grew up relatively unscathed, but I thought I'd dedicate a post just to him and his adorableness. This is a fun age I want to remember for sure.

When we say he's laid back, we mean it. This kid can sleep anywhere and through just about anything.

The accessorizing gene is rather dominant in our family.

Really, really dominant.

So, what things should you know about this little man? To spend a day with him means you're going to hear about a thousand "Whaz That's" and receive about a dozen run-and-hugs. You may also have multiple objects thrown at or near your head and three square meals worth of food scattered throughout your house. He's still not chatting away, but is an incredibly clear communicator and I'm constantly amazed by how much he understands and follows directions.

He loves water and if he spies his swimsuit (or socks for that matter) he will bring them to you and nag you until you let him wear them. He loves jumping in the pool and will go under water without crying, but has a little fear of heights. We mess around with him and heights (a la Michael Jackson and Blanket), but this is starting to feel cruel, so we'll stop. Soon. We also still play "Drop the Baby" with him, but he likes this, so we'll continue. He's a climber, a flipper, a runner, a faller, a tricycler, a consta-mover, an occassional biter (eek!), and a cuddler. He loves his sister and they have started their own warped form of communication together. Scary. Playtime is 50% fighting over the same toy and 50% chasing each other in a circle around our living room. He LOVES babies. Loves them. Only problem is he wants to tickle their face.

Another love: Star Wars. He may not have command over the English language or understand that if you throw a juice cup it goes away, but at least he knows his Star Wars characters (see first video). Watch the second video to see his cute faces, including the one where he holds his breath until his face turns red. Nice.

Hope you enjoyed this rare installment of "All about Anderson"! We are blessed beyond words to have him in our lives and I can't wait to watch him grow into the kind, funny, thoughtful, sweet man I know he can become.

First Day of School

2010-09-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

Last Friday was our first day of preschool. This fall, both kids are going and everyone seems to be enjoying it, myself included. Things have been a little harried around the George house lately, as you can tell by my lack of posting, so preschool couldn't have come at a better time. Here they are being as cute as ever!

Sisterly love. Brotherly push (after picture).

Trying to mimic the picture I took of Maizie's first day. Little businessman with his briefcase.

Can they actually be this old already? Sigh.

Accessorizin'

2010-07-01T19:03:00.002-05:00

Look to the George kids when you want to know what's hot for summer 2010. Eyewear should be large and tinted. Crowns should be bedazzled. And safety always comes first.

Maiziese as a Second Language and an Andersonian dialect

2010-06-17T16:35:00.003-05:00

Ok. Long time, no blog. But with a bit of work behind me, it's time for an update.

As usual, Maizie is saying some cute things. Now Anderson's joining in on the fun. Here we go!

MAIZIE- 3.5 years

By all myself - All by myself

I'll see you to Friday! - I'll see you later

I'll see you to Sunday! - I'll see you a whole lot later

Austin, Tesk-kist - Austin, TX

Maizie Street - Mattie Street (can you tell we're learning our address?)

New - Oldest/best (e.g., Mia is my new friend; Anderson is my new brother)

Insidewards - Inside out (e.g., Help! My shirt is insidewards!)

Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means go FASTER!!!!

I am so kind and so boo-tiful.

Anderson is having a rough, rough day.

I love you, boo-buddy, buddy-boo! (to Anderson)

ANDERSON - 1.5 years

eh-cah! (in a low tone) - truck

eh-cah! (in a high tone) - motorcycle

eh-cah! (in a regular tone) - car

eh-cah! (pointing to the sky)- airplane

eh-cah! (in an excited tone) - Star Wars pez dispensers

Leia - The Leia Star Wars pez dispenser

Ny-ra - Ryan

Eazy - Maizie

Heesh! - Cheese! (e.g. See the picture above)

I've started to be worried about Anderson's language development, but really think he's fine. He communicates really well through other means (pointing, whining, biting!) and I think it makes him lazy since he gets what he wants without using words. He's so curious about the world and is constantly asking "Wuzzat?" so I am getting this feeling that in true Jason George fashion he is soaking everything in, processing it, and will one day soon start spouting out his entire life story.

Maizie is, and has always been, a chatterbox. I've been able to witness her in a classroom setting lately (church, swim class) and the teachers have to learn quickly not to aim any open-ended questions her way. Ask her if she has a teddy bear and she will name all the teddy bears ever created. Ask her if she has ever seen a bird and she will wax poetically about the birds (and the bees) until the cows come home. I absolutely love her personality and the way she just puts it all out there.

The two of them are really starting to get into a good routine together. Anderson is staying up and doing night time routine with big sis now and he loves it even if he loses interest about half-way through. Maizie is constantly making sure he's ok, and wants him to have his cup with him at all times. There's plenty of fighting and blanket wrestling, but overall they're a dynamic (and fun) duo.

Yay! I do this blog for all two of you who read it and to remember our life at different stages. Mission accomplished for today! Thanks.

34 Minutes

2010-04-23T17:03:00.003-05:00

Here's a true story from my trip. Had fun writing it out on the train to Chicago.

Who knows when the critical error happened. Should a mother travel alone with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old? Does that decision fly in the face of the logic of child development and travel etiquette? Perhaps. But grandparents have needs. Desperate needs. So there I was on a plane last Wednesday afternoon for a short jump over to Houston, a 3-hour layover, and then a 3 hour flight to Detroit.

This day was covered in a blanket stitched of equal parts prayer and worry. And as the plane to Houston reached altitude, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Anderson was not screaming as was his custom and Maizie was not loudly pointing out the physical anomalies of fellow passengers as was hers. It would seem that the prayers were paying off and the worries needed to shove off. And besides, according to the pilot we’d be back on the ground in 34 minutes, so what could go wrong? I decided to move my anxieties to the 3-hour layover and the long flight ahead.

That’s when it began. As the pilot finished his announcement, Maizie got down from her chair and reached down for her bag under the seat in front of her. She bumped the seat in front of her. A perfectly-pressed-perfectly-manicured-perfectly-annoyed woman in her 30s was of the misfortune (for us both) of sitting directly in front of my daughter. Upon feeling the bump, which I guarantee was minor and accidental, Veronica (as she shall be called) did a complete 180-degree turn, sighed a hostile sigh and humphetedly returned to her original position. I returned a look of sincere apology laced with a tinge of “help me out here, lady.”

During past flights, Maizie would become obsessed with the fold-down tray, an obsession we would try against all odds to contain. I went over the rules of flying again with her, using the ultra-cool authority of the “pilot”. The pilot does not want any children on this flight who talk too loud, because it takes a lot of concentration to fly a plane and people around us may want to sleep. And please be considerate of our friends that are sitting way too close to us due to the systematic disappearance of personal space on airplanes. Also, the pilot says not to clean between Anderson’s toes during the flight. It creeps him out.

I kid you not, I’ve been on about a dozen flights with my she-child. This was the best one yet. I had brushed off the Veronica glare and was actually enjoying a peaceful existence watching the fluff of clouds pass by as Anderson nuzzled into my lap, sleepy but happy.

Maizie was arranging herself to quietly color when the second chair-nudge incident of Flight 434 occurred. This time, it was too minor to correct. Another full, infuriated turn and sigh ensued. This time, anger begat anger. I stared straight back in silent desperation. My inner thoughts this time were, “They are happy. They are not screaming. She is not incessantly, deliberately kicking. Through the grace of the all-powerful Almighty, she hasn’t even acknowledged the existence of the tray. Don’t mess with me, lady.”

My prayer-worry blanket now fully removed, my temperature rose and I could feel my whole body getting flushed up to about mid-chest. It hovered there, as I thought through all the possible reasons why Veronica was having a bad day, hoping against hope that Maizie wouldn’t move or talk or breathe for the next half-hour, and breathing deeply, calling on some yogic exercises to calm the storm brewing inside.

As a life-long conflict avoider, I also jumped into a common personal practice. I have an over-active “after the fact” dialogue engine in my head. I never have the right things to say in the moment, but if you run into me 15 minutes later, you better watch out!

When the book I was reading to Anderson fell onto the 3 inches of floor space between Maizie and Veronica, I bent over to fetch it, consequently committing a third offence. As I shimmied back into my seat, Veronica’s now vile glare met mine. Like an overheating car, I was boiling inside, only able to send off a few warning signs. A trace of smoke.

My inner dialogue fully developed now, I gave her a final warning in my head, “One more glare, Veronica, one more glare,” I thought.

And as if she had heard my inmost yearning, she turned around one last time. I’m not sure what caused the final vitreous stare, but I am sure it caused me to act. I leaned in closer to her seat and in a quiet and firm voice said, “If you would like to have a discussion about this, that would be great, because your glares are not helping the situation.”

She quickly turned around and stiffened against the back of her chair, like a child caught misbehaving and trying hard to disappear. Maizie asked me “Who are you talking to, Mommy?” and I explained that we were disturbing our friend and we needed to be very careful not to touch the seat. And that when we left the plane, we needed to say we are sorry. Maizie yelled out “Sorry, friend!” in a premature, earnest fashion.

I considered it case closed. By now we were descending and Anderson was fast asleep in my arms. Like a pot of boiling water removed from the stove, I had immediately cooled. I had not considered, though, that by confronting her passive aggressive behavior, I had put Veronica’s pot on high heat.

About five minutes after my hushed confrontation, Veronica turned and said, “You said you wanted to have a discussion, so let’s talk. What did you want to talk about?” Great.

By now those around us were staring wide-eyed straight ahead. I’m sure the other business travelers were secretly rooting for Veronica for finally standing up to “the Mom” after decades of having their lives interrupted by the tyranny of toddler air travel. A few soft-eyed folks were gently smiling at me and the sleeping baby, offering up a silent pity.

Thankfully my inner dialogue was complete and I was feeling unnaturally feisty. “Ok,” I said. “Let me tell you my situation. I am traveling on my own with two small children. I’m doing the absolute very best that I can. My daughter is doing the best that she can. I’m sorry we were disturbing you, but I could really use some community support and the glares were not it.”

Unfortunately, her inner dialogue was not fully formed. I honestly feel bad for her, because she’s going to be replaying our conversation for days, complete with zingers about how she didn’t choose to give birth to my children and how youthful airplane tomfoolery leads to lives of crime and maybe even chronic Restless Leg Syndrome. She simply repeated, “What do you want to talk about?”

So I pulled from my inner dialogue bank. “She’s 3. How old are you?” Zing!

Veronica did not divulge her age. And she did not appreciate my clever turn o’ phrase. “Don’t tell me that she’s 3!” her voice rising. “Don’t tell me that she’s 3!”

When dealing with difficult adults, I’ve found that I generally revert to techniques gleaned from parenting books. So as her voice got louder, I got softer. “What would you like me to tell you?” I whispered. She responded a little quieter, “Just don’t tell me that she’s 3.”

“Ok,” I say. “I can do that.” Returning to the comfort of my inner dialogue, I thought, “Now go to time out.”

She turned forward-facing one last time, adjusted her neck pillow, and we all prepared for landing.

+ + + + +

So, here I am recounting my little “episode” while sitting on a train from Detroit to Chicago. My parents’ desperate need to spend quality time with their grandkids and my desperate need to take a little break from being needed have collided in a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with my brother and his wife sans kiddos.

An older woman sitting behind me has kicked my seat about 40 times, perhaps the victim of the Restless Leg Syndrome Veronica would’ve warned me about if she had time to prepare. She’s also loudly chatting away on a cell phone about a veritable cornucopia of medical ailments. I can’t say I’m enjoying the lesson in anatomy or the feeling of being bumped—this is “my” time, right—but I think if I were sitting in the middle of an empty train with no community, no one traveling along the same path I’m on, it would be an extremely lonely world. So, thanks lady (I’ll call you Francine), and for now, I’ll keep my glares and my inner dialogue to myself.

Bluebonnets

2010-04-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

Texas residential duty: fulfilled.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Farm

2010-04-04T21:44:00.000-05:00

We went to the farm this weekend for some good, ol-fashioned fun. The weather was perfect. So was the company.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-03-05T16:37:00.003-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday and Anderson's 15 month birthday. Thought I'd share a few pics of our cutest patootist for her (and your) enjoyment. He's changed so much in the last few weeks and is really starting to "get" so much of the world around him. Still such a smile bug, a big climber (and slider), and a good sleeper. We love you, Nana, and we love our big 15-month-old baby boy.

Ducks and a Date

2010-02-28T17:38:00.000-06:00

It was a chilly week and Anderson was down with a virus, so by the end of it, we were all scratching at the doors. Thankfully, Kim was up for some company and we were able to take the kids to the duck pond. Maizie and Anderson both probably ate more stale bread than the ducks, but it was lots of fun.

Here ducky, ducky!

Cute boy in his overalls.

Just sittin' on the dock of the bay, er, pond.

Yesterday, Jason took Maizie on a Valentine's Day date (little late). I think that's going to be our new tradition. They went to see Alice in Wonderland at the Children's Theater. Jason said it was great, but it was a new experience for Maizie. First of all, it was hard for her to understand that Daddy kept talking about taking her to a "play" but when they got there she couldn't play. When the lights went down, she got a little freaked out and asked if they could go home about every 5 minutes, but somewhere deep down she had fun. I hope. At the very least, she had fun getting dressed up and going out just her and daddy on a special date.

Proper Handling of Snow

2010-02-28T17:20:00.000-06:00

1. Scoop

2. Throw

3. Lick

4. Soak it all in before it melts.

So Happy Together

2010-02-22T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been another long break from the blog world, but Jason has taken the kids on an errand specifically so I could finish up our taxes. I've been trying to file them every day for the past two weeks! But why spend time with Uncle Sam, when I can look at pictures from the last couple of months, right?

Anyway, I noticed that there are alot of pictures of the two of them together lately. We're taking a break from preschool right now. There were many reasons behind that decision, but a big one was that Anderson was getting up to an age where he could actually be a playmate for Maizie. She really enjoys making her brother happy and he loves playing with her. Our biggest "problem" right now is trying to get Maizie to keep her hands to herself on car trips. She's gotten into the habit of playing with his feet and cleaning out the lint from between his toes! Gross, huh? I guess a sister's love goes far...hope you enjoy the pics.

Who needs a pillow when you have a brother?

Fun with Santa

2010-01-13T22:06:00.003-06:00

I know I've been a blog-slacker. Here are some bones I can throw at you until more time to compile Holiday pictures magically appears in my stocking. Hope you enjoy!

Cake Time!

2009-12-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

A's party

2009-12-23T23:56:00.000-06:00

Catch up time. The whole world is busy celebrating Christmas and here I am catching up on things from a month ago. Here are some cute shots from Anderson's birthday party. I loved having the little kids at the big kid's table. The conversation was really sophisticated that night. Loud, but sophisticated.

Ally was sick that night, so Gabriella had Anderson all to herself. Look at those ladykiller eyes!

I love this shot of Jake and Anderson doing practice walks together. And apparently it's not a party until Dad turns you upside-down. Get with the program, Jason! Thank you all for coming and making it a special night for the boy. I know he won't remember it, but these pictures will help us convince him that everything was equal between him and big sis!

A is 1

2009-12-05T22:04:00.001-06:00

Still in denial that our little baby is actually a year old. It's been a year filled with cuteness and smiles as you can tell from the pictures above. It's hard to find a picture of him where he's not smiling. We spent the morning taking his 1-year pictures and will celebrate with a small get-together tomorrow night. Also on the "celebration" list is a visit to Red Robin for the traditional ice cream sundae and singing and a hair cut! I couldn't bring myself to cut it before his birthday, but the Hulk Holgan/Terry Bradshaw look just isn't working anymore.

On the list of Anderson's favorite things:
Favorite people: Me, Jason and Maizie (this boy loves his family and dives to us whenever he gets the chance--so sweet)
Favorite pasttimes: Climbing stairs, chairs, boxes, benches and anything else that gets him off the ground; also sticking small items into his mouth, gnawing on electrical cords and anything else to foil any attempts at baby-proofing.
Favorite things: His blue blankets (thanks to Aunt Stephanie, Tanya and Kim); the piano; his toy circus truck; bread
Favorite ways to make friends: Waving, chattering, clapping to "If You're Happy and You Know It" and peek-a-boo!

I was hoping he'd take his first steps today. He's SOOOO close, and he may have taken a few steps during his photo shoot to try to escape the evil flash. Keep your eyes peeled for an "I'm walking!" video coming to your favorite blog soon. He loves to stand up and dance and clap to music or So You Think You Can Dance, so I think it will go down in history that this boy was dancing before he could walk.

Happy Birthday, sweet Anderson. You've made it to your first birthday with all 3 syllables in tact. Phew.

Morning Person

2009-11-14T17:14:00.000-06:00

Anderson wakes up way before Maizie (and Mom and Dad) on most days. And he's always chipper. Here he is playing on our bed trying to wake up Daddy.

That was then...

2009-11-14T17:11:00.000-06:00

This is now.

Three in a Nutshell

2009-11-11T02:34:00.001-06:00

Or in a tiny pink laundry basket. Skip to :40 if you want to get right to the good stuff.

What 19 cents can buy you these days

2009-11-11T02:26:00.000-06:00

A Halloween mask no one wanted and a very goofy little girl.

Still Smiling After All These Months

2009-11-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

Anderson is 11 months today and is still the happiest, grinningest thing in the whole wide world. It's really been such a fun time to see his personality emerge and watch him play more with Maizie and interact more with us. I would say this month, he has proven his climbing ability. We have to rearrange our house every day to keep him safe. We put a baby gate on the stairs, but he would still climb on the 1/2 inch of stair left and scale the gate like a monkey. If I want him to get all his energy out, I just open the gate and let him scale the stairs while we follow behind. He's incredibly quick on the way up and would be incredibly quick on the way down if we weren't right there. This week, he learned to crawl into Maizie's rocking chair and when I put that away he went over and climbed into our full-size rocking chair. Should we take all the furniture out of our house or just cover everything with pillows and padding?

His sounds that actually connect to some meaning now include MA-MA! Yea! So, I think we have to officially declare Dadda as his first word (just like Maizie) then Whazzat?, then Daw (for Dog) and then Mama. I see where I rank. Anderson loves to meet new people, he loves anything with wheels, he LOVES music (as soon as he hears music, he stops what he's doing and bounces up and down) , and playing peekaboo. See video below if you're having a rough day.

Whazzat?

His indoor jungle gym.

Such a depressed child.

"You can't see me!"

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T20:39:00.000-06:00

So for weeks we've been hearing a little voice in the back seat saying, "I just need to see that Pancy Pants and Manda." This weekend we listened and headed to San Antonio for some Halloween fun. If you know Grant and Amanda, you know they don't do anything half-way. That holds true when it comes to Halloween. Grant constructed this GIANT alien space ship over the span of 2 weeks with lots of plastic tarp, duct tape and box fans. Such a MacGuyver. Maizie was a little overwhelmed at first, but by the end of the night, she was telling 12-year-olds, "It's just not scary in there." The kids would come in the front, get a glow-in-the-dark bracelet from Alien Grant and crawl out a tunnel in the back filled with strobe lights.

Maizie was a butterfly and Anderson was Sherlock Holmes. I didn't get that many great still shots because 11 month olds and 3 year olds, in general, aren't still. These will have to do. Maizie definitely got the trick-or-treating concept this year (Say trick-or-treat = free candy). She probably could've gone all night if we let her. It was tons of fun to catch up with the Maloneys and see them doing so well in the Alamo City. I tried to spread dirty lies about them so they'd move back, but no one believed us. Oh well.

Birthday Festivities

2009-10-26T21:10:00.002-06:00

Maizie's Big 3 was tons of fun. Last October, I was 7 months pregnant, we had just moved into our first house, Jason had gotten laid off and then started a new job, our second car stopped running and I was helping organize the ARTreach festival at our church. Needless to say, Maizie did not have much of a "2" celebration. I promised her (in my heart) we'd make it up to her. I'd say promise fulfilled! Mia's birthday is in November, but with Baby Ro #3 due to arrive right around Mia's 3rd birthday, we decided to do a little joint party at a pumpkin farm. Tanya made some yummy frito pie and wassel (sp?), which was perfect for the brisk weather we got.

Here's the rundown of the fun.

pic1: Her birthday suit for school. She helped me make "M" cookies to share with the class the day before.
pic2: The princess at the pink-and-purple princess pumpkin party
pics3: Pink & Purple decorations for Maizie & Mia's Big 3
pic 4: Maizie and Mia cheesing it up
pic 5: Poor Ryan stuck at a girl's party. Such a good sport.
pic 6: Maizie may have a crush on Luc. She borrowed his jacket and then cuddled up during the hayride.
pic 7: Swingin' in full princess gear.
pics 8,9,10: The motherlode of gifts! We spent all night slowly opening and playing.
pic 11: The birthday sundae at Red Robin. A family tradition. "Do we have a birthday here?"
pic 12: Princess Maizie
pic 13: Prince Anderson
pic 14: I'm this many!!!

pic 15: Mo Mo eating her cupcake. Good times!

Three's a Charm

2009-10-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd take a walk down memory lane tonight. Sigh. Here's my baby growing up right before all of our eyes. Maizie had a great day today. She received lots of calls, cards and well-wishes. And it was fun to watch her realize today was special and just for her.

She's Three!

2009-10-20T00:08:00.002-05:00

I've had a couple of unexpectantly sappy days anticipating Maizie's third birthday. I can't believe how quickly everything is going by and I'm amazed at the person who is emerging as our beautiful daughter. Between knock-down, drag-out fights over going to sleep and a running list of "I wants", there are moments and looks and touches and grins and laughs and that are too cute to stand.

Without further adieu.

Maiziese as a Second Language - The three-year-old edition

My sick hurts - My belly hurts

My sick feels better - My belly feels better

I'm sweaty. I need a jacket. - Usually it's 100 degrees out when she says this. The girl just loves to accessorize.

I'm going to the O-port to get on the A-plane. - I'm going to the airport to get on the airplane.

Wiiiiissssshhhh! - Any kind of stick or wand (i.e., I need my wiiiisssshhh)

Sleeping Booty - Sleeping Beauty

"I know you, you're a queen and I so boo-fi-ful." The preferred lyrics of "Once Upon a Dream"

"I know" dress - A dress with any kind of twirl capacity.

You can't dance. You're wearing pants! - What she tells me when I try to dance.

Go To Way - Go away

Soappaste- Toothpaste

Cat in the Cat - Cat in the Hat

Cheshire Cat Moon - Crescent moon

Meatball Store - IKEA

Mo Mo and Ca Ca - Simone and Jessica

Gigirella - Gabriella; also, umbrella

Calla and O-sin - Tanya and Wilson

Assisson - Anderson (up until about 2 months ago, thank goodness)

Little Paw - The refugees as a whole (e.g. "I need to go see my Little Paws")

Jesus - Anyone asking for money on street corners. (e.g. "That Jesus is thirsty! She needs she's water!")

Daddy, you stink? You need to change yours diaper? Huh? Anytime there's a smell in the car (whose origin is most often Maizie).

A, B, B, B, LMNOP - The beginning of the alphabet song.

W, X, Why not Z? - The end of the alphabet song.

This much and no matter what - How much we love her.

Barkitecture

2009-10-19T23:12:00.000-05:00

So Jason's firm, Negrete & Kolar, decided to enter Barkitecture this year. It's an event where local architecture and design firms design and build dog houses to be auctioned off for charity. Theirs was called the "Bark-elona Paw-villion" (clever clever) and turned out super cool. We met friends at a pumpkin patch Saturday and then headed down to see all the other dog houses and even witnessed a Doggie Costume fashion show. Maizie was in heaven. It was our first at-home, together Saturday in a long time and it was NICE.

Nashville

2009-10-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, Anderson and I had a Mommy-Son date to meet his little buddy, Eli, in Nashville. On both plane rides, the flight attendents stole Anderson from me for about a half hour and paraded him up and down the aisles. It was great to have the break (he was literally climbing the plane walls), but still felt odd. Here are some pics from the trip. Note the one of Anderson and Eli laying together. They are 7.5 months apart in age, but only 2 pounds apart in weight. Craziness. Oh, and a trip to see Jodi isn't complete without us dying our hair. Click to see more detail. I may be addicted to these collages for a bit.

Bye Bye Fancy Pants

2009-10-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we met some friends down in San Marcos at Guadelupe River State Park to say a fond farewell to Grant and Amanda. We plan to visit them alot in San Antonio, but so far the cards have not aligned for us to get down there. We are looking forward to many years of fun adventures with them in the Alamo City. San Antonio is so lucky to have them.

I got a few good shots of the fun and thought I'd try the Picasso collage, so here you go.

On a side note, I thought I lost my camera (aka third baby) on this camping trip. I was sad. Really sad. Two weeks went by and we bought a cheap stand-in, but my deepest affections remained for the old one. On the way to Nashville this week, I was going through the "fun" process of airport security with a ten-month-old who (of course) fell asleep 10 minutes before screening time. When the stroller went through, the TSA guy told me that I should be careful unfolding it because a CAMERA was in the middle of it! I literally did a "raise the roof" (wee bit embarrassing in hind sight) and told him he was my best friend and that he made my trip. So anytime you're feeling down about where your tax dollars are going, just think back to my story and do a little "raise the roof" on my behalf.

Perfect 10

2009-10-05T20:23:00.001-05:00

Anderson is 10 months old today (and cousin Brooke is 3!) It's been another fun and eventful month. He is clapping up a storm, standing on his own for a few seconds at a time, and "real" crawling! He's also gotten alot more verbal, repeating back tons of sounds. His favorites are "Da, Hi Da!" when he sees Jason, "Wuzzat?" when he points to things, "Uh-uh" when I say "Uh-oh". He's eating like a real person for the most part. I just cut up whatever we're eating into Anderson-sized chunks and he has a ball. He also started "kissing" which means he dive-bombs my face with an open, teethy smile whenever I say "kisses". He's definitely found his voice (aka scream) when he's in the sharing arena with Maizie. That's going to be a long-term battle, I'm afraid. He's so much fun right now I really want to press pause....sigh.

Maizie Wonder

2009-10-01T20:43:00.001-05:00

This video makes me smile. Hope it does the same for you! I'll continue my series of lessons in Maiziese as a Second Language soon. She's come up with some doozies lately. But I thought this would tide over our biggest fans (hi mom and dad!) until then.

Growing Up!

2009-09-10T15:44:00.001-05:00

Saturday was Anderson's 9 month-day. We spent it with good friends and family in Abilene. Tons of fun! Took him to the doctor today and he is 17 lbs., 10 oz. (6th percentile). His height was 27.25 inches (11 percentile) and his head was, uh, well, in the 90th percentile. No wonder I've been having trouble getting his shirts on. The picture above is the "framer" for the dining room. Anderson's new "tricks" this month are pulling up (and learning to get down), putting new things in his mouth (and learning to let mommy fish them out), chasing after his big sis, and clapping to performances on So You Think You Can Dance. I couldn't have asked for a happier, sweeter, cuter man child.

Another big milestone was Maizie's first day of school. It was a bit of a madhouse getting out the door, but I dutifully posed her for first day pics when we got home. She was HYPER, so this is the best we could do. She's loving her class this year with Miss Angela and Miss Jeanne and can really repeat back the things they talk about this year.

Here are the two rugrats being so sweet together....

And now for the rest of the story. 90% of the time, all is well between the two siblings. But luck allowed me to capture this face when Anderson reached his "sharing" limit. Love it.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2009-09-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

Here's a shout out to my most loyal reader, Dad! It's my Dad's birthday today and he's taking care of my mom in the hospital, so I thought a movie chronicalling our trip home to Michigan complete with sappy music would cheer both of them up.

My Dad is funny and sweet and caring and giving and forgiving and he makes an amazing Papa to our kiddos. Hope you have a wonderful day and Mom gets better as a gift to you! Love you!

Cuties Patooties

2009-08-19T23:48:00.000-05:00

Shots that are too cute not to share...

If you can count the number of accessories Maizie is wearing, you win a prize.

Big Boy!

2009-08-19T23:44:00.000-05:00

It's been another month of big changes. Anderson's doing fun, new things every day.

Fun with Friends

2009-08-19T23:37:00.001-05:00

We had an "at home day" that went awry and Noelle and Brian were nice enough to let us come up for lunch and hang out with Luc. Maizie (who would only wear this fancy dress and shoes that day) decided to take Luc for a ride around the apartment. They really love each other and they both like to give goodbye kisses!

Little Jake and Anderson hanging out by the bars at an indoor playground. Surrounded by expensive play equipment and they choose bars. Cutest little jailbirds I've ever seen.

Grumpy Old Men loungin' by the pool. Gotta love it.

Maizie going for a ride on the "Noelle" Express. Afterwards, Noelle said it was her turn and Maizie laid down in the shallow water and told her to get on!

Closest Cousins

2009-08-19T23:27:00.003-05:00

Catching up. Bear with. Brooke came to visit at the end of July with Jason's mom. She watched all 3 kids while I ran around to my heart's content. Glorious. From the looks of these pictures, you can see that Maizie and Brooke had a pretty excellent time as well. Thanks, Margaret!

This shot was Maizie and Brooke playing "house" in our bathroom. Nice.

The pool was closed, so we turned on the sprinklers in our back "yard"! Fun, fun.

Anderson Waving

2009-08-05T16:04:00.001-05:00

Crazy 8s!

2009-08-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

Since I last wrote, our marriage turned 8 years and our son turned 8 months. This has definitely been a crazy year for us. Since our last anniversary, Jason has started a new job (which he loves), we've bought our first house (which we love) and we've brought home our first son (which we absolutely, positively love with all our hearts). Jason is the love of my life and I'm glad we're together through times of change and times of routine. He's keeps me calm and laughing. I have tried to stay mad at him before and it never works. Thanks for 8 great years!

On to the boy. Anderson has changed so much in the past month. He is officially a STINKER! He is army crawling all over the place and has knocked over the dog bowl exactly three times, swallowed a foam letter "S" and attempted to swallow a tag that fell off a toy. He's knocked my camera off the desk, pulled up on the gate and fallen over (twice), and almost jumped out of the exercauser. He's taken his first "big boy" bath with Maizie and also received his first combat wound in a battle for control of a metal Cinderella purse. Maizie was a much more active little baby, but she wasn't as curious as this little Monkey. I am really enjoying watching more of him emerge. Here are pics of our smiley little man.

Perfect fit.

Princess Anderson. He's chronically surrounded by girls, so more of this is sure to come.

Happy, happy. Joy, joy.

Cuteness

2009-07-25T11:56:00.001-05:00

"I'm so pretty, mommy!"

My little twinkies. Kim let us borrow this shirt from Ryan and Jason had one to match. Also, check out the little tennies borrowed from Luc! It takes a village to dress a child.

Love my boys!

Maizie, the ultimate multi-tasker.

Ponies and Monster Trucks

2009-07-25T11:51:00.000-05:00

My family is sometimes in denial that we live in Texas, but this post should be plain proof. Our church has been hosting fun activities all summers to keep us moms sane (oh, and to help us reach out to the community). A few weeks ago, they brought ponies for rides and a monster truck for the kids to paint. Maizie was all about the ponies, but not so much into the monster truck. She wasn't too happy about getting paint on her hands. Here's some cuteness.

4th of July Revisited

2009-07-25T11:44:00.000-05:00

So, it's been awhile, per usual, so here are some updates from the land of George.

The week before the 4th, our church, in partnership with 2 other area churches, opened a resource center at an apartment complex where many refugees are living in Austin. A group of us hung out there each night that week to get to know the families there. I don't like posting kids pics without permission, but thankfully we did a mask project! These kids are so fun and amazingly strong. And to top it all off, they LOVE our kids. We were really blessed by our time out there.

Mueller (our neighborhood) knows how to Keep Austin Weird. We stepped out our front door to watch a little parade on the morning of the 4th. Here were the people leading it. Maizie was a little wary of the giant blue beehive.

July has been H.O.T. We've done a lot of nightswimming to cool off from the hot days. Here's Anderson on his favorite perch.

Another way to keep cool and spend time as a family is a trip to our home away from home, IKEA. Maizie has to stop and pet the "sheep" rugs every time we go there.

Does it Get Any Cuter Than This?

2009-07-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

The Answer: No.

In case you're wondering, I chose the last one. Smiling is Anderson's "go to" face and it shows off his brand new teeth.

7 Months - Laughing, Crawling & Eating

2009-07-05T16:35:00.006-05:00

Anderson is 7 months old today. Here's what's been going on with him.

There's some laughing.

And "crawling".

And eating, with the help of big sis.

Disney Trip

2009-06-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

In case you were waiting with bated breath, here is a compilation of our Florida trip a couple of weeks ago. Here are some things I wanted to remember about the trip. It's super long, but I'm a forgetful bear. Watch the movie and you'll get the jist in just 2 minutes:

We landed on a Wednesday night with our 3 suitcases, a pack n' play, 2 carseats, a twin stroller, a tired boy and a slaphappy girl. She was so excited to go to the "O-port" and get in an "A-plane".

To solidify ourselves as the cheapest people you know, we did a timeshare deal to save on the hotel and tickets. Our "tour" was on Thursday morning with Marilyn, who may have been the human inspiration for Ursula from Little Mermaid, green and purple eye shadow and all. She didn't talk much about the property, but she sure shared a lot of "information" about Disney. For instance, she said Disney was building a new Magic Kingdom "in the desert" between Austin and San Antonio. She also said that you have to have 7 interviews to work at Disney and the last interview (this was "TOP SECRET" info that I should not be posting, but I'm living life on the wild side) contains only one question. That question is, "What's your favorite Disney character?" Marilyn answered, "Cruella DeVille" and was almost not hired, but then she explained her answer and mentioned the Dusenberg car Cruella drove. I, on the other hand, assumed she drove a DeVille. Her interviewer told her that there are magic words at Disney that will open doors for you wherever you go. "Dusenberg" was one of them. For the rest of the trip, we would yell, "DUSENBERG!" throughout the Disney property. No special doors opened, but alas. That night, Jason's family came in and we walked around Downtown Disney and ate at T-Rex, which is like Rainforest Cafe only dinosaur themed.

The next day was Magic Kingdom. I had been waiting for the moment Maizie saw the castle, because she's been obsessed with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella lately. The morning parade was happening right when we got there, too. Maizie did not laugh or flip out or cheer. She was in stunned silence for at least the first full hour. I think she was just soaking it in, because there was ALOT to soak in, including 98-degree-humid-heat.

At the parade, we finagled our way to be close to Mr. Incredible who was dancing with gusto at first, but began to fade at the end. As we walked toward him (in his heavy styrofoam muscle suit) he walked away and toward 3 Disney workers who escorted him off, we believe, to keep him from passing out. It was a little hard to explain to Maizie that Mr. Incredible can run through a burning building but he can't finish a few dance moves in the Florida heat.

Maizie's favorites were the Country Bears and the Bird Hut. She also was brave enough to go on her first coaster ride, the Mad Hatter's Spinning Tea Party Ride and Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride. Snow White's Scary Adventure and the 3D movies may have produced nightmares the next THREE nights. She would wake up saying, "Don't Eat the Apple, Snow White!" Pitiful. Anderson did great all day and could actually go on most rides.

The next day, we went to Epcot. We went to the Nemo building first and I believe Maizie could've stayed there all day. She loves Nemo and fish. Jason and I also got to try the new Mission: Space ride and Soarin'. Pretty awesome. The whole group pretty much stayed together the whole day and Rusty made sure we all put our hands up and yelled at every given opportunity. The day ended with a bang with the Epcot fireworks and laser show.

The next day we went to Celebration, Florida before we headed to Tampa. Celebration is one of the first attempts at new urbanism. So it was kind of like visiting our neighborhood's granddaddy. They had a farmer's market going on and a nice fountain for Maizie to play in.

Next, we made our way to my grandpa's house to RELAX! We got in that evening and did NOTHING. The next day, we drove to Clearwater Beach and gave Maizie and Anderson their first beach experiences. Maizie was afraid of the sand at first and called it "hot snow." I thought she would be afraid of the waves, but she LOVED trying to jump over them, collecting seashells, and building her Cinderella sand castle. Anderson loved feeling the texture of the sand and even took a turn sitting in the warm ocean water.

On Tuesday, we took Maizie to her first movie in a theater: Up. She sat still as a stick through the whole thing, hugging Jason when she got scared. It was a great movie and she could remember quite a bit of what happened afterwards. Jason's sister, Emily, and her family met us that night on their way home and we went to Tarpon Springs for some Greek food. The girls had a great time and acted like they hadn't seen each other in WEEKS! Outside the restaurant, we met a Great Dane that the owner said was just an inch shy of the world record. Definitely the largest dog I've ever seen. His back was a good 2 inches taller than Maizie's head. The owners were really nice to let the 3 girls fawn over the "horsey" with a leash.

The next morning we got up and headed for the airport. Smooth sailing. Flights to and from Orlando are typically filled with kids, so the noise coming from ours blended in quite well.

It was one of the best trips I've been on. I think it's because I didn't plan it too far in advance and build all these expectations for it. We just rolled with the punches and everything turned out great. Who's coming with us next time?

More of Florida

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Maizie's favorite part of the whole trip were the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty statues outside the Disney Store in Downtown Disney. She hugged them, kissed them and danced in front of them. Priceless.

Anderson was happy no matter where we were (even though he cut his first tooth during our day at Epcot). He has now officially been dubbed "Anderson Trooper" for smiling and giggling and laughing in all situations.

We spent the second half of our trip in Tampa and went to the beach in Clearwater. It was Maizie's first real beach experience and she was giddy. She soaked in every part of that experience.

We're not very experienced beach-goers, so sand was EVERYWHERE. On bottles, pacifiers, and all over our baby's face. Thanks to Jason's family and my grandparents (who let us stay at their home near Tampa) for helping make this such a fun trip!

We Went to Disney World!

2009-06-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

We joined Jason's family for a trip to Disney World last week. It was tons of fun. I'll probably do a slide show of all the pics, but I thought I'd do a couple of posts of my favorites now.

The fam on the Spinning Tea Party Ride. Classic.

Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Maizie's LEAST favorite Disney experience.

She was excited on the inside.

Walking with her cousins to see Nemo again. She LOVES her cousins!

6 Months

2009-06-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

Anderson is 6 months today, and I'd have to call this the "Month of the Tongue". His favorite new tricks are scrunching up his nose in the sweetest smile and alternately sticking out his tounge as far as it will go. He's scooting, rolling all over the place, grabbing things and bringing them to his mouth (he especially likes to do this to my cheek, which is highly uncomfortable). We call him our "monkey baby" because he holds on and goes with us wherever we go. He LOVES his sister and watches her every move.

We went to the dr. yesterday and here are his stats for those of you who are keeping track. Weight: 14 lbs., 13 oz. (4%), Height: 25.5 inches (10%), Head: 44.75 cm (69%). The doctor wasn't concerned about him dropping down to the 4 percentile, so we're not going to be concerned either. He is starting to eat more solid foods and pretty much downs anything we give him, so I anticipate that we'll be watching a quickly growing boy in the next few months. Oh, and yes, the head is large 'cause he's so smart.

My camera is dead and in "the shop" so thanks to my dad and Tanya for these shots!

For Halloween, we're thinking Gene Simmons.

Or Crocodile Hunter.

Playing at the Robertsons and checking out the studly man in the mirror.

A cute head in a hat that just doesn't quite fit.

Jo Jo and Cecilie

2009-05-22T23:21:00.001-05:00

So this illustrates how far behind I am on life and blogging. My best friend, Jodi, and her daughter, Cecilie (15 mos), flew out to see us in April. We've been friends since birth (there are pictures to prove it) and I'm so happy we've been able to maintain that friendship across many years and miles. Maizie has recently shortened her prayers and now they go, "Mommy, Daddy, Anson-son, Jo Jo, Cecilie! Amen!" Needless to say, we all had a great time. We toured all the great Austin parks and got to catch up with each other when the girls were napping. She's due in July with a boy and we can't wait to meet him!

Jodi and Cecilie on Mt. Bonnell

Table dancing with Cecilie.

At the park on top of Whole Foods. Isn't she the cutest?

The Zilker train. So much fun and also Maizie's first time to wander away from me. She went straight for the drivers seat and stood there hoping someone would let her in to drive the train.

Last Day!

2009-05-22T16:24:00.001-05:00

Today was the last day of preschool and they had splash day. Maizie had a blast (and her first sno cone).

What a difference a school year makes. Here she was on the first day. Brings a tear to this old woman's eye.

Little Buddies

2009-05-22T16:15:00.002-05:00

Here are Anderson's little friendships. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by friends with babies close in age to ours. It's fun to watch them grow up and figure things out together.

"High Five" Jake! Jake is 4 weeks younger than Anderson, but he's a tall little man! They had fun at the park a couple weeks ago.

Here is Jake, Anderson and baby Luke. Luke is 2 months younger than Anderson, but it doesn't show at all.

Here Anderson told Luke a dirty joke and Luke is shocked. Already being a bad influence...

Our good friend Madi mentioned last Sunday that Anderson reminded her of the Rugrats. As soon as she said it, a lightbulb went off. I knew he reminded me of some cute animated something, but I couldn't figure it out until she said that. I love my little rugrat!

"My Boys" Come to Play

2009-05-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

We've had the privelege of watching Luc and Ryan this month. When they leave, Maizie says, "Where did my boy go? I want to play with my boy!" They are both right between my two kids and it's fun to remember Maizie that age and anticipate Anderson in about a year. Thanks for sharing your boys with us, Kim and Noelle!

Luc was really interacting with Anderson here.

Luc loves to climb and run (and tan)!

If you've seen the British office, this reminds me of when Gareth calls the calculator company.

I guess this game was called "How much for this baby and 7 goldfish, Mr. Cashier?"

Girls Weekend

2009-05-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day Weekend the George girls came to town and Jason watched Maizie all weekend and Anderson much of the time. We did lots of shopping, chatting, eating and girl-movie-watching. It was a really nice break, although I do feel a little naked walking through a store without a stroller. Thanks, babe, for a happy Mother's Day.

Here's what happens when your husband is in charge of the baby for a weekend.

It was great to catch up with our neices, Ensley and Cecily. They have grown up so quickly and I am amazed at how sweet, smart, fun and cool they are to hang out with. Here, Ensley is reading to Maizie. She read a LONG time to Maizie, so she won the patience award for the weekend.

Butler Park

2009-05-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

We met some friends at Butler Park in downtown Austin. There are some fun fountains for the kids to play in. Maizie's much more adventurous this year, so it's fun to watch.

CHHEEEEEESSSEEE!

Uh, can anyone say "Frost smile"?!? Pretty much every picture of my brother and I growing up looks just like this. Good grief.

A woman scorned. Ally is definitely one big Anderson fan. Everytime we see her, she will not rest until she gets to greet him. She brings him blankets and toys and kisses him on the cheeks. Anderson really does love it, but the expression below cracks me up. Sweet, sweet Ally.

Taking Care of Anderson

2009-05-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'm catching up today. Be forewarned. This was from 3 weeks ago.

So...I'm not really in a hurry to start Anderson on solid food, but I was trying to come up with something to keep Maizie occupied after lunch/before nap and said, "Why don't we feed Anderson. Wouldn't that be fun?" I went to the kitchen to get his rice cereal ready and I come back to the sandwich in his hands heading for his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't take a bite, but he sure loved squishing it. I can just see the headlines now, "Mom Feeds Infant PB&J as First Meal." I guess worse things have happened.

Here he is taking his real first meal. He did pretty good for a first attempt. In the weeks since, he's had a whole toddler package of applesauce, half a mushed up banana, and a bit of my mushroom stroganoff. Definitely not going by the "book" this time around...

After his first meal, Maizie decided that Anderson was sick and needed to see a doctor. Here, he's thinking, "Put down the scissors and step away from the baby".

Maizie's "Doctor Glasses" and a worn-out Anderson in the background.

5 Months

2009-05-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

Our little man is 5 months old today and he is officially eating his toes. It's my absolute favorite thing. He's a champion sleeper at night, but has become a little cat-napper during the day (30 minutes here, 15 minutes there). He's ticklish and does the cutest cough-y laugh. I still think he should get an award for World's Happiest Baby. Enjoy these pics of our big boy. BTW, we took him in at 4.5 months and he weighed 14 lbs., 3 oz. and was 24.5" long.

Kiddie Acres

2009-05-05T17:48:00.001-05:00

Inspiration

2009-05-05T17:38:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, Maizie was playing quietly for a nice amount of time. When I finally decided to inspect what was going on, I found this. Inspired by the rainbow she did awhile back in class, Maizie made her own out of crayons.

I love being inspired by things I see (in nature, in books, in stores, in museums) and creating my own version of them. I looks like this trait may run in the family.

Campin' it up

2009-05-02T07:57:00.001-05:00

Here are some shots of our first camping trip as a family of four and Maizie's first experience sleeping in a sleeping bag and eating S'mores. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again.

Easter Festivities

2009-05-01T19:42:00.001-05:00

Here is the long past due Easter montage...two and a half minutes of cuteness if you've got the time.

Two and a Half!

2009-04-20T16:09:00.006-05:00

Today is Maizie's two-and-a-half birthday. Halfway to 5--how unbelievable is that? We went camping with friends this past weekend and I will post pics from that soon, but until then here's a little something for those of you who are working on getting certified in MSL (Maiziese as a Second Language).

Slirt - Skirt

Jesus Shirt - Dress

Lola Milk - Strawberry Milk

Charlie Milk - Chocolate Milk

Waters - No. 1 (e.g., "I need to make waters in the potty!")

Plops - No. 2

Wake-ups - Hiccups

Thumbs Out! - Thumbs up

Downstairs - Upstairs

Door Open - Close the door

Sorry, Mommy! - You need to say sorry, mommy.

Moddy! - When she wants our attention and doesn't care which one of us pays it.

Heckalopter - Helicopter

I'm so SITED! - I'm so excited!

Here are some new phrases that make us smile:

Daddy works on buildings with his watch. (In my opinion, that's a pretty spot on observation.)

I asked, "Did you make waters, Maizie?" She answered, "For real, Mommy."

I closed my eyes a long, long time. (She says this after preschool when she has NOT been sleeping.)

I shared my toys. (She says this after preschool or playdates when she has NOT been sharing.)

I'm playing with my cousins! (She's started imaginatory playing with her stuffed animals and bath toys and calls them her cousins.)

Ok, now let's all focus. (She got this from her cousin, Megan)

No Ma'am, Anderson. You no eat that blanket! Time out! 2 minutes!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:07:00.000-05:00

Here is drop in the bucket that is all of our Easter-type pictures. I plan on doing a slideshow of all of them, but I can't promise when that will actually happen. I know our parents don't want to wait on that to see their two little Easter bunnies. So here they are.

This shot reminded me and Jason of 80's sitcoms, when the characters would say Whoa! and lean back like this.

Obligatory Bluebonnet Shots

2009-04-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

I kind of love that it's obligatory, because they make for great pictures. Here are my two little mudbloods (half Yankee, half Texan) in a field near our house.

Swimmin' Tool!!!!!!

2009-04-07T16:15:00.001-05:00

At least that's what it's called according to Maizie. April 1 marked the first day that our neighborhood pool was open. Maizie and Mia and Jason braved the chilly water for some fun in the sun. All you Austinites are welcome to come join us whenever you want!

Somebody loves his daughter. And vice versa.

Trying not to act too cold so she can stay in longer.

Budding romance. Ally is always the first to make Anderson feel welcome.

Toy time!

Four Months

2009-04-05T21:54:00.004-05:00

Anderson turns 4 months today. This month has marked his first plane trip (to witness my sweet Aunt Anne get married in Charlotte, NC), his first time to meet Uncle Al and Uncle Dale and Aunt Stephanie, and his first time to roll over. Maizie shows a lot of sweetness toward her brother (and a tiny bit of bossiness). She always knows where his pacis and blankets are and wants him to have them at all times. And she loves to hold his hand when we're in the car and sing to him when he cries. So proud of our two little humans!

Here he is in his tux onesie and jeans at the wedding.

Big Ballooning Baby Belly

"My evil scheme will come together in....oh, let me check my pocketwatch....2 hours."

The sweetest sight a new mom of two can see.

Stuck on You

2009-03-22T15:24:00.000-06:00

Last night, Maizie decided to share her stickers with Anderson.

Here he's thinking, "So it begins...."

Maizie kissing and making up and Anderson forgiving. Notice she had the "Z" left for herself. If you ask Maizie how to spell her name right now, she'll say, "M! Z! B!" Awesome.

Just thought she looked cute today, so here's a shot to spread the cuteness around.

Last Day of Winter

2009-03-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

We celebrated a balmy last day of winter here in Austin last Thursday with lots of outdoor fun. It really felt like the official opening of the summer season (YEA! SUMMER!)

Here is one of my favorite pics of Maizie to date. To me, it just really captures her personality. Probably not a special shot to the outside eye, but I love, love, love it.

We went to let Mia, Ally and Maizie run through the fountains at the Triangle Thursday evening. Maizie has been talking about "simataurs" ever since, and I just assumed someone introduced her to some funky Star Trek character or dinosaur. Come to find out, "simataur" is "swimming suit."

Here's Anderson coo-ing at the lovely weather.

Mia and Maizie taking a (short) break to give hugs!

Bible Lessons

2009-03-17T14:08:00.002-06:00

Part of the reason for this blog is to help me remember things. I have the world's worst memory. One of my favorite things right now is asking Maizie what she learned in Bible class. Here are some of my favorite answers.

1. We listen with our ears (I thought she just had a talkative morning, but I looked at her take-home sheet and it was about when Jesus listened at the temple. Pretty amazing what 2 year olds pick up.)

2. Jesus was born. Jesus is a boy.

3. Mommy and Jesus in the ARK!

4. Noses and the burning flower.

5. Jesus and the big building. (Tower of Babel)

Pretty much everyone with a beard (except "Noses") is Jesus and all the girls in the bible are Mommy. I feel really blessed to have so many people helping us introduce our children to God and his love for them.

And Maizie, Too!

2009-03-17T14:07:00.000-06:00

I just realized all the recent posts were Anderson, so here's what's been going on with the firstborn...

Playing her "wi-tar" at the Children's Museum.

Taking the stage as a drummer in a Mariachi band.

Riding her new trike!

And showing us how she's the ultimate multi-tasker. If she's ever a famous musician, this would make an excellent album cover. We'd call it "Since I was in diapers."

Anderson-Go-Bragh!

2009-03-17T13:54:00.000-06:00

If you are having a bad day,

2009-03-13T15:26:00.000-06:00

just look at this.

3 Months!

2009-03-05T00:17:00.004-06:00

Another month has flown by. Looking at Anderson makes me feel completely and utterly blessed. His smile (and dimples) light up a room. He's been getting stronger every day and has settled into a fairly regular schedule, so life is good. Here are some super cute shots of the little old man.

Here he is cooking up his evil scheme for taking over the planet.

And here he is imagining his mission accomplished. Or he just pooped. Not sure which.

With the state of the economy being what it is, we've decided that Anderson should start pulling his weight--all 12 pounds of it. Here he is prepping for his interview as a diaper consultant.

Here he is hanging out with Baby Whisperer, Sarah Brown. Looks so grown up here.

And seriously! Does it get any cuter than this? I expect a call from Anne Geddes any moment now.

It's also my mom's birthday today, so here's a shout out to her. You've been a wonderful mom to me and a ridiculously spoiling rotten grandma to Maizie and Anderson. I love watching you with my kids and I appreciate your level-heading advice when I'm freaking out about one thing or the other. Hope you have a great day!

What's Your Name?

2009-02-22T17:16:00.003-06:00

Just thought I'd share this recent conversation:

Me: What's your brother's name?

Maizie: Too much.

Me: What's your name?

Maizie: Maizie Much!

Me: What's his name? (pointing to Curious George book)

Maizie: Monkey George

Me: What's your name again?

Maizie: Maizie GEORGE!

I have NO idea what goes on in that brain of hers. It's so fun to watch her make connections. Now I'm just wondering if she thinks she's more related to Curious George than her own brother.

Videos

2009-02-21T14:56:00.004-06:00

I've been taking more videos lately and finally figured out how to post them via YouTube. Here is Anderson goo goo-ing and ga ga-ing.

And here is Maizie and Mia getting into mischief a couple of weeks ago. Too cute.

Maizie Being Cute

2009-02-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

Anderson Being Cute

2009-02-21T14:32:00.000-06:00

Maizie and Anderson Being Cute Together

2009-02-21T14:30:00.000-06:00

4th Picture

2009-02-08T19:23:00.002-06:00

Myra tagged me to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder on my computer. So funny, it ended up being Maizie at about the same age as Anderson. I think she's a little older than 3 months here, bathing it up at our old duplex off of 45th. I tag whoever wants to do this!

2 Months

2009-02-05T16:20:00.000-06:00

Anderson turned 2 months today. Time has flown by! He's growing a little buzz cut crop of hair and is smiling and kicking non-stop. He's a lot of fun and is still sleeping like a champ. He loves his swing and watching all the activity when Maizie has her friends over. I couldn't have asked for a happier, cuter, sweeter baby.

We took him in to his 2 month and he weighed in at 11 lbs. 8 oz, which is incidentally the same weight Maizie was at her 2-month appointment. Way to catch up to sister, little gipper, after being born weighing more than a pound less than her!

Not one to be upstaged, Maizie decided to throw up in the car all the way to his 2-month appointment. Thankfully, Jason met me at the doctor's office and was able to take her home and clean up the carseat, the child and the innocent bystanding toys by the time I came back with the baby. She has no fever and didn't even cry about getting sick (I cry EVERY time I throw up, so here's another area where my babies are less baby-ish than me), so hopefully this fun-ness passes quickly.

Ok, enough about puke. Here are some cute pictures of my big boy.

My smiley boy. Notice the single dimple on his right cheek. I can't get enough of it.

If there were a magazine called "GQ Baby" this would be the cover.

My sweet boy.

I love his eyes in this shot. The blanket is one my sister-in-law Stephanie made him. It matches his eyes exactly.

Little Stinkers

2009-01-31T17:20:00.000-06:00

I had some friends over Thursday and we all had a lot of fun.

Here, Mia and Maizie are playing with their food and building a pile of Mac n' Cheese for Ally to come eat.

Ryan went to town on the spaghetti and we were all impressed with Kim's commitment to letting the boy get messy! So cute!

Ryan pushing "baby" Luc in Maizie's doll stroller. I smell blackmail material here later, guys!

Picture Update

2009-01-31T17:13:00.000-06:00

I think you could entitle this picture, "Why I love Jason"

Love this shot of my two in grey.

I came home from a quick errand to find Anderson in a bumbo having a good time. Made me sad that he's already old enough for one of these already. My babay! My babay!