A summer break

About 1 million years ago, I took the kids to see my cousins in Dallas.  Somehow, I managed to only get about 4 pictures of them, but conversely, I managed to get about 10 pictures of a giraffe's tongue.  Go figure. We will just pretend that it has nothing to do with mental state.  Keep it klassy, tallgirl.

It was a great visit.  This is the third time we have seen David and Tracey in the last year.  I remarked to Tracy the other day that I think that might be the most I have ever seen them.  I think David and Tracy have been together for about 15 years, which shows how often we saw them.

It was fun and slightly stressful, as can be expected when traveling with kids.  My kids are really great travelers, but they are also kids.  The Texas heat made it damn near impossible to get outside, which made life hard on everyone.

Flowers Make me Happy.

and so do my lens extenders.

A whole Lot of Nothing

This post was started about 2 weeks ago, I wanted to post it before it got too much more out of date...
Sorry it is so incomplete.

**************************************

Schools out and things keep moving faster and faster.  I feel little like I am caught in an escalator that keeps speeding up and speeding up.  Part of it is being busy and part of it is seeing the kids change.  I don't think I would know how old I was if I didn't have kids.  They mark the time for me.  I can only imagine that one day I will look up, and it will be only Mr. T. and I again.  It makes me want to hold onto those two little kids and never let them go.

But I would be lying if I said I didn't sometime fantasize about it only being us again.

We are back in swim lessons again.  BabyP is doing them as well as Peanut.  He is doing marvelous.   He has more to learn.   He is getting brave and will go down slides by himself.  He will jump into the water.  He will put his face in, and he will instantly tell you he doesn't like it.  I think Peanut is showing off a bit. She is interested in talking to her friends and doing flips. She is swimming by herself now.  She can do the crawl, but she chooses to goof around instead.  She has a friend that is older in her class.  She always wants me to call her a mermaid.

We spend most days at the pool, because it is so hot right now.  I have been running in the morning on the weekends, but in ways, that seems like the hottest part of the day because the humidity is so high.  The relatively cool temperatures of 83 degrees Fahrenheit just don't seem to cut it these days.  

It is fun to see how grown up the kids are.  Parts of me really like the age they are in now.  My only hesitation is that Peanut is starting to turn into a little bit of diva, which makes me bonkers.  She corrects me constantly and treats me like I am a moron.  I thought I had another 8 years or so before this set in. BabyP is prone to huge bouts of grumpiness.  When Peanut starts acting like a diva, it really spins my world out of orbit.

Peanut is interesting because she is becoming a very complicated little person.  I guess I never really realized how complicated human beings are.  She can be stormy and emotional.  We talk through the things that are bothering her.  I try to tune into if she is too tired or too hungry.  I try to find answers for her moods.  Somehow, in the last 6 months, it quit being easy with her.  It is almost like I looked up one day and didn't really know who she was anymore.  I still feel like she is my sweet little girl, but it seems like she grew some more layers that I just haven't figured out yet.

BabyP is turning into a little charmer.  He is goofy and funny as well as his temperamental old self.  He gets mad at me and yells things are STUPID.  "I don't want to go home.  Home is stupid!"  He pushes the boundaries.  I have to stay firm with him, but secretly I am proud that he is so strong.  I want him to be strong young man who is unwaivering in his support of something.  With that being said, I realize that I need to help him learn to listen to himself and others.  

Teenagers

The last two weeks we have spent everyday at the pool.  The kids have swim lessons at different times, so I alternate between working out and watching lessons.  While I am sitting there watching the kids my eyes always wander to the middle of the pool where the teenagers are.  These humans are like aliens to me.  They are like a dangerous hybrid of grown up bodies and 5 year old minds.  They scare the hell out of me.

Mind you, the kids at our pool are really good kids.  They are always very polite.  I am old enough now that they call me ma'am.  They smile politely to the kids.  What I think has me so freaked out is that someday, my kids will be one of these aliens.  I think it will happen before I get a chance to put down my beer.  Peanut will be rubbing up on some boy, and my sweet BabyP will be picking some screaming girl up and tossing her into the pool.  Even worse, either one of them is bound to use the diving board for showing out.  Gross!

I guess I will grow into parenting one of these aliens, but I hope I realize when I have one on my hands.  That is the part that scares me the most, what if one day I look up and forgot to "do the right thing" or "say the right thing" and it leaves my kid in a straight.  I do not see myself sleeping at all during their adolescence.

Happy Independence Day!

Our Sweet friend Rhonda invited us over on Saturday evening for a fourth of July party.

This was the first time the kids have ever had sparklers.  They both enjoyed them.

One particular kid, who will not be named, decided to throw HER sparkler into the air and try to catch it.  Evidently, she is into doing tricks with fire.  Which, also make her into someone who is into going home immediately.

For our Fourth of July Parade, we went to the neighborhood we used to live in for a parade.  It was really nice to see old friends and neighbors.

Peanut really wanted to be in a parade, but I wasn't too crazy about the thought.  Once we got about halfway down the hill to start of the parade, Peanut wasn't too into it either.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of hills to conquer before the end.

This is sweet Steve from work who offered to help me take care of my kids since, evidently, I can not do that on my own.  They kept crashing into one another and falling down and generally just making me sweat through my shirt prior to me being able to make it to the first hill.  They even managed to crash into a car about 100 feet into the parade.

This is Steve's wife, who evidently can handle her two kids leaving her husband to help me with mine.  I did not account for the hills when I put the kids on their bike.  I also did not account for Peanut not being able to ride her bike anymore.  I am getting rid of that bike at our next garage sale.

And a fire truck.  What family festival/parade/neighborhood thingy is complete without a fire truck?

They read the declaration of independence.  Everyone booed at the appropriate parts.

 And of course a family shot with two kids that were really really tired.

just because

They make me smile every day.

Warshin' the Caaaa

So, I have been busy.  I have been working most nights, which is why I haven't picked up my camera to take pictures of my pretty babies OR to even see what pictures were on it.

Mr. T., as you may have guessed, is pretty crafty and mean with the dollar.  That means, that a good part of the weekends are spent doing things that normal people a.  Don't do. or b. pay someone to do.  Since he loves him some cars, car washing is usually something that he does at home because he can water the lawn and wash the car at the same time.  BONUS!

BabyP is of the age, where he really wants to help.  If you ask him to do something he will listen, then do it.  Washing the car turns out to be a perfect chore for a three year old boy to do with his dad.  It is also much safer than having him help change the oil.

Notice below that he has a sword that he is going to clean the car with.  Somehow, that got passed Mr. T., who has a strict 'don't do stuff that will scratch the car' policy.

And, of course, if brother does it, sissy wants to do it.  I think this scene ended with everyone being sprayed down by the hose because Peanut can not help herself.

Happy Morning

I was getting ready for work the other morning, and I heard Mr. T. calling for me.  I went outside and say this.

I don't think I have ever seen a hot air balloon over my house.  I guess it crashed later that morning into the river, but it sure made my day to see it before it did.

cute things BabyP says

"did you go swimming today?" says mr. T. to BabyP
"Yes. Well, no.  I got in the water and some lady held me like this."  BabyP says while he acts like he is holding someone under their arms.

******************
me to him "you are a very special little boy."
him to me "you are a very special mama, and nothing is stupid."