rite of passage

The first push pop ever. Then she stole mine too because when I offered a taste I forgot to mention that I wanted mine back. Top it all off, she's wearing a dress I tried on her for sizing purposes that she refused to take off. Doesn't it go so well with the pink camo tee shirt?

Summer is so long in Texas we are sure to have many more evenings of drippy push pops, orange and pink sticky dresses, and many more firsts.

virginia meets texas, part three

On Monday morning we all went to the park Britton, the hub, and I frequent on the weekends. It has a good mix for younger and older kids, and isn't usually crowded until the afternoon. We planned on just the girls going to the American Girl Doll Store for lunch and some shopping while Britton took a nap. But she was really falling apart and I suspect the hub was foreseeing an horrific afternoon of Britton losing her cool. So, we dropped her off at daycare and decided that all of us, men included, would go to the store.

Let me tell you - the place makes me want my own doll. Let me repeat - not a doll for Britton, my own that I can dress up and do her hair and Britton won't be scribbling all over her face in crayon. Jessica still has her Rebecca doll (which has since been retired and you just know Jessica could fetch a pretty penny for her on ebay). And Caroline got her doll, "CJ" (Caroline Jr) for Christmas this year.



The hub and I went to this doll store in Dallas to get Caroline some outfits for Christmas, and we were blown away. There are TONS of outfits, different dolls, accessories including a bath tub and an RV, hair care kits, a salon, and - a bistro. So this time we set up reservations and all got treated to lunch. We were expecting tiny food (maybe because it's a doll store full of 18 inch dolls?) but were surprised at the cheese fondue and turkey paninis.




By Tuesday morning the hub and I had learned our lesson and took Britton to daycare. The girl just needed her familiar routine. And then the group of us took off for the Dallas Aquarium. We've never been, so we were surprised by the price ($21 per adult!) but even more blown away by the exhibits. This is an amazing collection - open-air habitats, re-creation jungles, and of course aquariums.




My friend the manatee. Inspiration for the mermaid.



I love penguins almost as much as I love elephants.



If Jessica had created a better distraction, this miniature monkey would've been in my purse and on the way to my house before security knew what was happening.



Jessica in awe of the archway tanks. These were especially incredible when we walked underneath the shark tank during feeding time. Not for the faint of stomach.



Tim wanted to go to Cabella's after the aquarium, so of course the hub wanted to stop by In-N-Out Burger for lunch. He'll come up with any reason to be within twenty miles of Allen, Texas just to stop there. But Jessica and the family hadn't ever had their burgers, and since they are so delicious we just had to make the stop. Hey, this place is a tourist destination! And we needed sustenance for the duck-blind shenanigans we pulled in Cabella's.




It may have been chaos, we may not have always gotten along, but this is a trip worth repeating every year. Whether it's Texas or Virginia or somewhere in between, these are the trips that make memories.

virginia meets texas, part deux

So on Sunday we planned to do a big group family photo since we're never all in the same place. Memaw agreed to be our photographer and meet us at the Botanic Gardens. I made Caroline's shirt and Britton's dress, and luckily both liked their outfits! Everyone was dressed up in our blue/khaki/white color combos and photo-ready. But Britton had other plans. She was attached to Memaw at the hip and wanted no part of posing with us. But we all just put on our game faces and figured that at least some of the pictures would turn out well. And they did!












I have to add this one because this is the last picture of the day. We're sweaty, tired, Britton is starting to really lose it, the baby is hungry, and Jessica's hair has gone up in a ponytail. No one ever displays the less-than-perfect pictures, so I figured you'd get a laugh out of seeing one that didn't make the cut.

virginia meets texas, part uno

On Friday morning, I dropped Britton off at daycare like a normal day. But instead of going to work I went home. The hub had snuck away early to go pick up his parents' minivan and was out cutting the grass. The occasion? Our much-anticipated visit with Jessica and her entire family! Let me tell you first-hand, its not easy getting us all in one room. Either someone has to work or the airline tickets are too expensive or there's no vacation time left or something. And inevitably trips to visit family get pushed aside for trips to Disney World or Las Vegas or some other glamourous locale. But Jessica and I decided, in a shared nostalgic frenzy, that THIS trip was going to take priority, THIS trip was getting planned beyond hypotheticals, THIS trip was going to happen. Because I can't not see them. And I can't not share my family with my sister's family. BECAUSE THIS IS FAMILY.

And we made it work. Friday morning the hub and I loaded into the minivan and set off for the airport to pick them all up.



Once everyone was hugged and squeezed, all bags collected, we headed off for lunch. Since we're an hour earlier than Virginia, Jessica's family was starved. And the hub knew of a great burger place in Dallas. So off we were. Burgers ended up becoming a common occurrence over our visit - we had them at least three times! But the trip back home was a lot more doable for everyone stuck on a plane for hours once a little food was in the belly.

You can't see it in this picture, but Emily was wearing a onesie that said something to the effect of, "I love my auntie!" It was a great surprise and so sweet.



We got back to our house, gave the grand tour (as no one had yet seen the new house), and hung out for a little bit before Jessica and the kids came with me to pick up Britton. I had talked to her about them visiting, using everyone's name (which she learned quickly!), but nothing really prepares a toddler for seeing five people she hasn't seen in over a year. She was quiet, studied everyone carefully, then once crayons were laid out in front of her she gave in and decided to have some fun.



And of course there was never a need to worry (at least not at that time, but you'll find out more later) and Britton joined right in on being "one of the cousins." Caroline and Garrett included her in activities, like playing on the computer, playing the piano, and splashing in the pool, and she got a hoot out of being with the "big kids."



Now, Emily - Emily is an amazingly good baby. She put up with travel, time changes, no schedule, a completely new place, AND teething and still smiled. But something we never expected happened - Britton started calling Jessica "Momma" when she was with the baby. I tried not to take it personally but I still did.



And Britton went on to full-on regression - sucking on a pacifier (even though she never took one as a baby), getting in the baby "Whale of a Tub" bathtub, insisting on using the high chair, temper tantrums, etc. It was trying, to say the least. It threw me and the hub for a loop because we didn't know what was causing the behavior, though we should have suspected that Britton wouldn't understand having another person there that looks just like her mommy!



Up and ready on Saturday morning, we all ventured out to the Fort Worth Zoo in blazing hot temperatures. The Fort Worth Zoo is one of my favorite places here because it includes so many great animals. Don't get me wrong - I'll look at nature all day long. But a zoo featuring squirrels and pigeons doesn't really blow up my skirt. At this zoo we all got our fill of rhinos, meerkats, elephants, giraffes, and turtles.






I have to tell you this funny story. Jessica gave me a Laurie Berkner CD long ago, and I play it anytime Britton is in the car. I recommend it for parents who tire easily of crappy kids' songs. Laurie Berkner is fantastic - so fantastic in fact that Jessica has had her CDs since her oldest were young. Well, all the kids (minus Emily) were in my car on the way home, and Caroline and Garrett knew every word to those songs! Their favorite (and mine) was "Victor Vito", which Caroline, Jessica, and I used to sing in the car when Caroline was Britton's age.

Then it was back home for some play time and bath time. Next post - the group photo session on Sunday!

happy (belated) father's day!

We did celebrate Father's Day on Sunday, but I have not had a chance to share because my sister and her family were staying with since last Friday. It felt like we never slowed down, and I will update on their visit over a series of posts.

But come Sunday morning, I let the hub sleep in (oh how he loathes when I refer to it as "letting" him sleep in) and then had Britton bring his card to him. I had let her draw all over it with crayons, then wrote him a message over the artwork. I got the hub two presents (really, one from Sadie and one from Britton if we're getting technical) and he loved them.

First he got a pair of cufflinks of the flying WV from WVU! He has to wear a tie every day to work, and he's taken a liking to french cuff shirts, which require cufflinks.



I also picked up this mug from Michaels (really, I use the term "mug" loosely as it explicitly says not to use for food or drink). I had Britton color it ALL BY HERSELF, even though they were permanent markers, and then I wrote "Father's Day 2011" on the side with the one color she didn't use.



Later that morning we all went to the Botanic Gardens in Fort Worth for a group picture, then pizza for lunch. More to come!

well wishes to cammy

Earlier this week, my mom slipped in her kitchen, falling and breaking her wrist. She had to have surgery on it to set the bones with some screws. I've talked to her on the phone a couple of times and she sounds much better now than she did before the surgery. I think arm/hand injuries are the worst since you so often just instinctually use your arm. Britton knows how Cammy feels because she had to go to the ER when she got nursemaid's elbow (the elbow tendon popped out). So she put up with my antics before 7:00 am to send a "get well soon" message to Cammy. Is that not the most serious little face?



Sending get well soon thoughts your way Mom!

lessons in parenting

Admittedly, some weeks are easier than others. And I tell you what, this week seemed to wear me out big time. But in all my whining and eye rolling, I was able to learn some great lessons in parenting (albeit, in hindsight). So, please let me share.

1. Maybe I don't hate all spiders.Here's Annie. He (yes, he) is a banana spider. And he's keeping the bug population down, so he can stay. Until Tuesday between 4:30 and 5:30 pm, when our bug guy is showing up.



2. Don't ever give up on Wal-Mart. I detest Wal-Mart. DETEST it. The clientele makes me easily give up on society's chances of succeeding, and everything seems slightly dirty. But Memaw alerted me to the fact that they now carry pre-cut fabric. More specifically, that this adorable collection was on their shelves! I parked 500 miles away from the entrance, stepped around degenerates just loitering about, ignored some seriously misspelled and misguided tattoos on bodies that didn't need to be showing so much skin to begin with, and found it. About 30 minutes of waiting in line later, here's my newest quilt.




3. Be prepared that any exposure to anything could lead to addiction. I so innocently enough showed Britton a video on the computer of her Easter egg hunt and one of the hub reading a book to her. Watching the video is all she wanted to do for every minute of every day spent in this house. But only while on my lap. I know the videos by heart now.



4. Toddlers break your stuff. I got this snowglobe the first time the hub and I went to Disney World together on December 16, 2003, a mere four months into our relationship. Dang it all if I didn't spend Saturday afternoon gluing it back together. I refuse to replace it because it lasted almost 8 years and 500 moves. I will now amend the date on the bottom of it to read, "ALSO - 6/10/2011 - the day Britton threw it to the ground." And I will never let Britton so much as look at something I can't easily replace.



5. Letting your kid snack means she's not eating dinner. Why were the two packs of gummy fruits a bad idea? Because the before and after pictures of her dinner are the same. Well, except for one chicken nugget, which I gave to Sadie for being an awesome dog.



6. Play kids' games their way. Yeah, I have no idea where you're hiding when you go to the same spot over and over again and leave body parts out. But it's still fun to pretend I have no idea where you are and to ask Sadie repeatedly where you went. Even more fun that you believe me every time.




7. Having a kid makes me want the cool stuff I had when I was a kid. Like this beach cruiser the hub ordered for me when the 300 Targets he checked were out of the beach cruiser I've coveted for months. I love it. It reminds me of home and rides like the cruiser I had as a kid. And it has a pepperoni pizza bell, which I ring incessantly.




8. If you live in Texas, get a pool. We're not ready to sink $25,000 into a real pool, but this one will suffice for the summer. Because we've had it inflated for two days, and Britton has been in three times.



9. Salted caramel cupcakes are the new red velvet. Yeah, you heard it here first. Well, probably not. But they are awesome and everyone loved them.