The Adventures of Emmylou and Miller, Too!

Halloween 2011 Wrap-Up

2011-11-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

As usual, Halloween was a 7-day event this year. I think the kids dressed up in their costumes five separate times. Even Gary and I dressed up three or four times.

The week started with Miller's Pumpkin Parade at school...

Back in the classroom with Cinderella:
Raaaaaawwwwwwrrrrrr!!!
Miller then proceeded to wear his T-Rex costume every single day around the house (and, um, sometimes out, too), several days past Halloween.
Last-minute Halloween day Jack-O-Lantern carving:
Sweet Alice:
Silly Alice:

T-Rexes only have 2 fingers, ya know.

Out trick-or-treating on Halloween night:

Princess Leia (Delaney- our new neighbor!) walked down to our street so we could trick-or-treat together:

Candy + Grammie = Miller's favorite combination
Lou with her stash:

Finally, in their super cute Halloween PJs from Mimi!
And here are Gary and I as Bonnie and Clyde at the Sammy's House Gala:
(reference photo, just in case...)

And Emily and I as Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice at the Goodwill Ghoulwill Ball!
You might have seen them before... ;)
Eugenie also made an appearance on our street during trick-or-treating... We were honored.

Oral hygiene

2011-10-18T17:36:00.001-07:00

"Mommy, why did you buy us Sponge Bob mouthwash when Daddy says it rots our brain?"

Miller's Dinosaur Party!

2011-09-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Even though The Dino Park is almost to Bastrop, we knew Miller would have a great time having his birthday party there. It was hot but fun!

Such a big guy now!!

Class of 2028

2011-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Miller's first day!

Birds of Paradise

2011-09-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

Lookie what we stumbled upon at Horseshoe Bay over Labor Day weekend:

Broccoli-saurus

2011-09-04T07:35:00.001-07:00

That's what Miller says his new dino's name is. True love.

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Birthday pie!

2011-09-02T18:09:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to Miller! He's having a dinosaur birthday party in a couple of weeks so tonight we kept it simple and celebrated at Bluebonnet Cafe with some birthday pie.

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Faher's Day/Beach

2011-08-31T19:29:00.001-07:00

Now that it's almost September I guess I might as well get our photos from Father's Day weekend up.

We celebrated in Port Aransas, but before Gary could come down to join us we spent a few days there with my friend Lauren and her kids, Ty and Reese.

We pretty much lived in the pool for those few days.

Once Daddy arrived it got a little busier. First we spent an hour or two fishing on the pier where Miller caught 2 fish and Emmylou was cruelly, unjustly denied.

We also paid a visit to their favorite souvenir shop where they picked out (what else?) a stuffed dolphin and mermaid holding lollipops (double score!).
They also had a Spiderman ride in there and Miller and Spidey became fast BFFs.

One night we fried up some catfish we caught at HEB along with some hush puppies and okra. Yay for brown food!
The next night Miller professed his love for broccoli and ate an entire plate. Who is this child?

E & M requested breakfast in bed for Father's Day. Role-reversal, I guess, but Gary didn't seem to mind.
Then they gave him his gifts, of which they had already spilled the beans, of course. Emmylou made him a "Shrink Ray 1000" inspired by Gary's weekly threats to shrink Miller and her forever and put them in his belly, and by the weapon of choice in the movie Despicable Me. Here he is feigning surprise:

The gift from Miller was at least a tiny bit of a surprise. The kids had told Gary that he was getting a "cup with Miller's picture," but didn't tell him which picture. Remember Miller's horrible school photos? Gary, especially, thought they were hilarious, so I got one of those (#70, if you clicked on the link) put on a mug for him. Success!

The kids and I also made some cupcakes that looked like BBQ grills for him and for Pawpaw.

Our kids are so lucky to have the best daddy in the world!

BFFs

2011-08-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist stealing this pic from the Riley's blog. It was from when Emmylou and Tripp met their teachers the Friday before kindergarten started. Sadly they're not in the same class but that's okay, we know we'll all still see each other all the time.

Big boy bed

2011-08-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Miller had a big week too. He got a new big boy bed!

It even has a special spot for his favorite dinos.

Extreme close-up:

Class of 2025

2011-08-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Emmylou started kindergarten on Monday! Here she is before we left the house, making sure I could see the tattoo she had on her hand from the circus the day before.

Entering the class... Her teacher had to remind her to go back and give me a kiss and hug goodbye! I was so proud of her and had to fight back the tears big time at that point.
And leaving after a great first day.
When I asked her how it was she replied, "It was... Guh-REAT!" and "I LOVED it!".

Success!

Aunt Lauren! Part 1

2011-08-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

We are all so happy that we've gotten to see so much of Aunt Lauren this summer! First, she came to visit us at the beginning of June for a few days, and then we just got back a couple weeks ago from visiting her in Virginia. Our photos from Virginia will be up soon (promise!) but for now, here are the way-late ones from when she came to see us. As usual, she cut the kids' hair and even brought something special for Emmylou's hair: silk shimmers! Emmylou has been sassy all summer with those sparkles!

Putting some shimmers in Dolly's hair, natch.

We loved having Mimi here with us too!
Trying on Aunt Lauren's towering heels...
And swimming in Barton Springs!

We love you, Aunt Lauren!

Preschool Graduation

2011-08-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

So, let's see... Where did I leave off? A royal wedding? Mother's Day camping trip?

Geesh, I really couldn't be more behind on this blog, so apologies to anyone who still actually checks for new posts. This summer has been filled with fun and exciting happenings but I'm usually too exhausted once the kids go to bed to do anything that requires a single brainwave.

But to get just a bit caught up (like, from May and June :-P ), I 'll start with Emmylou's preschool graduation. It's hard to believe we already went through four years with her preschool and that she'll begin kindergarten in less than three weeks. But let's not go there, shall we?

The day started with Grammie picking up Emmylou for breakfast before school. For the past four years Grammie has taken Lou to breakfast before school at least once a week. Sadly this tradition won't live on next year when Emmylou has to be at school by 7:30!

With her class and "diploma":
There was a slideshow as each kid was called so you could see both a baby picture and current photo of them.
Songs, a few words and then cake and lemonade outside.
And, she just looks far too grown up in this picture...
Miller also had his last day of school. He will miss Ms. Marci so, so much!

Reading a last book:
Last yoga practice:
Farewell party:
Last time to play outside:

Next year he'll be in the Day School. No more Children's Morning Out for him!

Goofy/Creepy

2011-08-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

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Twister!

2011-07-22T05:41:00.001-07:00

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Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T07:20:00.001-07:00

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Eenie meenie...

2011-06-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

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Poolside Chat

2011-06-11T11:24:00.001-07:00

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snugglebugs

2011-05-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Camp Out

2011-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time camping out over Mother's Day weekend! A few of the highlights: spotting an armadillo only moments after arriving, hiking, bug-collecting, swinging in the hammock, and cruising around Lake Buchanan on the Vanishing Texas River Cruise.

Emmylou led Show-and-Tell with her bugs...

Look how pretty we all are on the morning of Day 3...

The view behind our campsite...
Mother's Day brunch: tacos al pastor, roasted corn and Mexican pastries! Super yum. Thanks, Em and Lizzie!
And this cardinal really liked my Mother's Day present: my new car! Thanks, G! :)

Welcome to the newest Riley!

2011-05-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

We are thrilled that Levi Thomas Riley arrived last Friday, May 13th! Isn't he just precious?!

One last photo as a family of 4...
Tripp and Tate in the waiting room (thank God for iPhones and iPads).
Surprise! It's a BOY!Tripp was thrilled to meet his new brother and watch him getting weighed and measured...

Emmylou and Miller got to meet Levi the next day.
Welcome, Levi! We love you already!

Risky Business

2011-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Miller got some new Wayfarers...

Easter morning, 2011

2011-05-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Waking up to their baskets...

Half-devoured peep in hand, both dying to go outside for the hunt...
GO!

Fun, fun morning.

Royal Wedding

2011-05-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

Since we are already up to our eyeballs in princesses at our house, I figured having a little fun with the royal wedding was par for the course. I was also thrilled to finally be celebrating a princess not marketed by Disney!

Alex invited Emmylou and I over for an English breakfast and to watch the wedding. After getting on her princess dress, gloves and tiara, we arrived at 7 a.m. sharp (the wedding was DVR'ed). I can't even begin to describe how excited Emmylou was about going. She could hardly sleep the night before!

Watching some of the wedding with Aunt Emmy:
Shepherd's Pie, scones, sausage roll, and Wills' groom cake!
Diana made an appearance among the cookies Emmylou and I made:
Gasping at the pomp and circumstance:

Hugs from Alex!
Bingo cards for watching the festivities:
And everyone was fascinated by Bonnie's fascinator...
Thanks, Alex, we had so much fun!!!

Dino Park Visit

2011-05-08T19:23:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the wonders of Groupon, we recently found out about the new Dino Park near Austin. They have life-size dinosaur replicas you can see as you walk along a trail, along with other things found some 65-100 million years ago that you can find scavenger hunt-style. We knew Miller would be all about this place but both he and Emmylou still haven't stopped talking about it. In fact, we went camping this weekend (post and photos to come!) and Miller kept saying he saw a T-Rex on our hike.

Stegoceras:
Petrified dino poo (a replica, people!):
Some kind of raptor:
Triceratops:
Loveableasaurus:
Iguanadon, maybe?
Creepy dinosaur (you may recognize him as the egg-stealer from the movie Dinosaur):
Stegosaurus:
The finale: T-Rex!

WARNING: Naughty children may get fed to T-Rex.

Litter mates:

Future paleontologists:

Toothy grins:

In Search of Isamu Taniguchi's Garden!

2011-04-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Emmylou's friend Annie's grandmother wrote a book awhile back about the Oriental Garden at Zilker Botanical Park. It was built by a Japanese man named Isamu Taniguchi in 1969 as a way to say thank you to the city and to UT for all they had provided for his family over the years.

Annie's grandma, Jane Bauld, read the story to all of the classes in the school last week and autographed copies for the kids. She became an instant celebrity and everyone fell in love with her story of Isamu Taniguchi's generosity and dedication.

Since Emmylou and Miller didn't have school today we went in search of the wonderful places we read about in the book: the bamboo tea house, the bridge-to-walk-over-the-moon, the stepping stones and waterfalls, and the pagoda marking Mother Tree's location. Domo arigato, Taniguchi-san!

Quick break to sing the Healing Incantation song ("Flower, gleam and glow...") from Tangled to see if this is one of those golden magic flowers:
Um, nope.

Then lunch at Flip Happy crepes!
They took awhile so we played Go Fish.
Yum!

Need for more male influence

2011-04-22T06:42:00.001-07:00

Miller: "Mommy, please help me with my purse."

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At the banana stand

2011-04-21T16:55:00.001-07:00

Spontaneous trip to Bananarchy tonight for frozen bananas. :)

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For Emmylou

2011-04-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Prayer for a Daughter

By Tina Fey

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Another doozie

2011-04-19T15:48:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned here before (although I think he's completely adorable in person) that our Miller may not be the most photogenic child that ever lived?

Today we got his school photos which had me cracking up before I could even leave the classroom...

Foam & a hamster ball

2011-04-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

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Possibly the ugliest thing we've ever made

2011-04-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Emmylou was supposed to bring a bug to school for Show-And-Tell on Friday. It could be alive, dead, a toy-- whatever. Since she'd been asking to make a stuffed animal recently, she came up with the idea of making a stuffed spider to take to school. She picked out some fabric from some old scraps I had but then we had to get creative since I didn't have any stuffing. We ended up pulling out one of her old prizes from The Claw that was in a stash to go to Goodwill: a giant Hershey's chocolate chip. Once we pulled the stuffing out to use in our spider we also decided to repurpose the eyes and mouth. Voila!

Btw, yes, those are purple, sparkly pipe-cleaner legs.

Very. Scary.

Lola's birthday party

2011-04-11T09:09:00.001-07:00

Lola turns 11 this month! We don't know her actual birthday, so we just decided to celebrate today with some special treats.

Happy birthday, Lola! We love you!

YouTube Video

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Horseshoe Bay

2011-04-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

We walked around the Horseshoe Bay resort this morning. Lou & Miller insisted on bringing their friends T-Rex and Mirabelle (E's new pink, feathery puppet) and showing them around.

Yesterday we took a fun trip to Sweet Berry Farm. We love that place!

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Oh, to be a boy

2011-04-09T16:56:00.001-07:00

Miller just learned the best part of being a boy: peeing outside.

Christmas card outtakes

2011-03-27T19:54:00.001-07:00

If you received our Christmas (post)card, you might recall that it looked like this:
We had a lot of questions about whether the kids were faking sleep or not, so I'll go ahead and admit that the cuddling was all staged. Although I tried several times to get their photos while we were in New York sharing a bed and they were truly sleeping, it turns out they're not quite as cute when they're drooling and all sprawled out.

Yes, somehow I don't think the card would have worked as well with, say, this image...

Or, this one..
And probably not this one either.

Catching Up

2011-03-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

While I'm strolling down memory lane, here are our long overdue photos from Christmas 2010.

At the school Christmas program, Emmylou's class all dressed up like wisemen. They sang a song then deposited their gifts at the manger for the baby Jesus. All except Emmylou. She walked by then hid hers under her robe and took it back to her seat.

Of course we made gingerbread houses again this year.

Gingerbread tip #1: Covering your roof pieces with skittles and gumdrops makes for a way-too-heavy roof.
Aunt Emmy took Emmylou and Miller to Build-A-Bear a couple of days before Christmas to buy them their gifts: Rudolph and Clarice which they begged for constantly throughout the Christmas season.

Miller crashed on Christmas Eve but Emmylou stayed up to leave the milk and cookies out for Santa. She also decided to leave Santa a gift, which was a little stuffed animal that she got when she visited Santa at the mall. Re-gifting already!

We enjoyed "The Night Before Christmas" over and over.
One of the only photos from Christmas morning... They saw their very own claw game!

Valentines

2011-03-27T18:26:00.001-07:00

I should probably just go without posting this since it's so belated, but I was so proud of the Valentines Emmylou and Miller had this year that I'm going to do it anyway.

I can't take credit for them- I saw the idea on a blog last year about a week after Valentine's Day and waited all year to make them. Usually I forget these kinds of things but somehow I managed to remember this year! Emmylou and Miller were so cooperative, too. I'm sure they'll get made fun of if I try to do this stuff when they're older so I'm taking advantage now!

Pup Camp

2011-03-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

Obviously I'm still really backed up on posts (look out for Valentine's Day and Christmas coming soon!) but here's something that actually happened only a few weeks ago.

Since Emmylou will start kindergarten in August, she got to go to her new school for a little introductory time. The school's mascot is a Scottie, so they called the day "Scottie Pup Camp." The principal read all the kids a story then they got to go to the cafeteria for a snack of milk and cookies. Emmylou is so excited about starting kindergarten! She has several friends from school now that will be going with her, including Tripp. :)

With her friends Ali and the 2 Annies:

Washing hands before snack while anxious mothers watch:

*deep breaths*

Rocky Raccoon

2011-03-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

Damn oak pollen! Miller is on 5 medications and still looks like this. :(

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Beach 2011

2011-03-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

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Birthday girl

2011-03-15T19:46:00.001-07:00

Emmylou turned 5 yesterday! I'm having a hard time getting my head around that, although I can't really remember myself before I was a mother. On one hand it seems like it's flown by and on the other it feels like it's been forever.

It seems like we've been celebrating for weeks but yesterday we really did it up with a roller skating outing in the afternoon and dinner at Chuck E. Cheese's later. Miller was running a fever all day so I had to stay home with him during dinner (missing CEC is such a sacrifice!) but I did get to go skating along with Emily and Lizzie. So fun! You should have seen Emmylou shakin' it to 'Single Ladies' out there! I think the last time I roller skated they were playing Joan Jett and Juice Newton...

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Books

2011-03-09T08:09:00.001-08:00

If Emmylou's a future rollergirl, then Miller is a future mad scientist. We went to the library yesterday and these are the books he chose to check out- completely on his own.

On the other hand, I, myself, can't even figure out how to rotate this photo to post.

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Future rollergirl

2011-03-01T14:41:00.001-08:00

Maybe a future Hellcat? Holy Roller? We're taking suggestions for her roller derby name now... I'd vote for Miss Behavin' but I think it's already taken!

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21 degrees

2011-02-09T09:09:00.001-08:00

Perfect weather for some swimming.

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Snow Day!

2011-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Fun with dinosaurs

2011-01-31T20:48:00.001-08:00

Tripp came for a sleepover the other night and we went to Grammie's house for dinner. He was so proud to show us what he did (at the dinner table, no less) with the dinosaurs he was playing with!

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Kumbayah

2011-01-31T20:46:00.001-08:00

Guitar playing is big in our house at the moment.

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For Daddy

2011-01-26T12:53:00.001-08:00

So Daddy just started a new job back at his old digs this week, which means he's out traveling again. It was so nice having him home this past six weeks but I guess we've all got to eat.

Here are some pics for our homesick daddy...

We miss you, Daddy! Can't wait to have you back home tomorrow!

Braids!
I promise to catch up on posts soon!

Worst one yet

2011-01-07T18:56:00.001-08:00

Look at that goose egg! *deep breath*

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Gah!

2010-12-24T10:09:00.001-08:00

A little pre-holiday spiffing up.

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NYC December 2010

2010-12-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

Someone's really excited to be in New York.

At the Disney store...

They were so happy with their purchases:
Carriage ride through Central Park:

Underneath the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree:
Getting ready for Broadway!

So sad I wouldn't let her ice skate in Bryant Park:
Chasing pigeons is almost as fun:
Underneath the tree in Bryant Park:
Heaven for Miller: the Lionel Trains store...

Birdie's return

2010-12-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

The morning after our camp-out, Birdie, our elf, came back. Parenting is so much easier when he's around!

Camp out!

2010-12-16T21:04:00.001-08:00

Last year, right after Christmas, I read a blog post about someone's favorite memory being how her family would camp out under their Christmas tree one night each year. Ever since, I've been determined to start this tradition with our family too. So Saturday night we dragged mattresses and pillows, blankets and a blow-up bed for Gary and me into the living room and settled in. We made gingerbread cookies, drank hot apple cider and watched Frosty the Snowman before turning the lights out. Miller ended up getting put back into his room (until about 5am when he made it back into our bed) but the rest of us slept in the living room. These photos are terrible but we definitely had fun!

What the grinch teaches children

2010-11-23T16:15:00.001-08:00

Even though it's still not even Thanksgiving, Emmylou and Miller are all excited about Christmas. I shamelessly fed their excitement tonight and let them watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Right after the ending I asked both of them--who were sitting slack-jawed on the couch staring at the credits-- "so what did that teach you? What is Christmas really all about?"

Their responses:

Miller: "Getting a choo-choo."

Emmylou: "Candy."

At least we have a little time to work on this.

How to use chopsticks

2010-11-19T16:10:00.001-08:00

Tonight at Madam Mam's...

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First day...

2010-11-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

For Miller to wear underwear!

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Oh, the indignity of it...

2010-11-13T09:30:00.001-08:00

I think a new scooter's in order.

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Waking up with Lola

2010-11-08T05:32:00.001-08:00

Our heater's broken and being replaced tomorrow, so we've been shacking up with Grammie for the last few cold nights. Lola especially loved last night because she got to snuggle with Emmylou. Lucky dog!

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Not-so-strange bedfellows

2010-11-04T18:05:00.001-07:00

Look who I found all cuddled up in Miller's bed... I knew it!!*

*Obviously not that it matters one way or the other to us. :)

And, P.S., if you can't tell, I finally got the new iPhone and am thrilled with the improved camera on it. I'm hoping that means I can post more spontaneously now!

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Tuckered out

2010-11-04T07:42:00.001-07:00

I guess the Halloween festivities really wore Miller out- he fell asleep in the shopping cart on Monday.

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Halloween IV

2010-11-03T12:36:00.001-07:00

Once we got home from the Riley's party, we decided to trick or treat at a couple of houses on our own street just to say hi to the neighbors.

Not exactly sure what's going on with Spidey here except that I'm pretty sure he was chewing some candy and that a new diaper was in order...
Here's what happens when you eat too much candy!
We all look kind of exhausted, don't you think?

Checking out the stash...
And this, my friends, concludes Halloween 2010.

Thank. God.

Adios, Halloween candy!

2010-11-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Monday night the Switch Witch struck again. In case you don't remember, I signed Emmylou and Miller up for it when they were born in the hospital. They are each allowed to keep 5 pieces of candy and then we put the rest out for the Switch Witch who trades them ~~diabetes~~ candy for a toy. This year was a huge success as Emmylou's been saving up for a big Jessie doll for months and thought she'd have to wait until Christmas to get it. I guess we didn't leave out quite enough candy since Daddy didn't get the iPad he was hoping for!

The next morning: Score!

Run for the Water

2010-11-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't think there was enough going on this Halloween weekend, we decided to enter the Run for the Water, a race that gives a person in Burundi a lifetime of water with every registration. Isn't that cool? They have a 10 mile race, a 5K and a kids 1K walk. I did the 5K and Emmylou and I did the 1K together. I was so excited for her to run her first real race and she really loved it. Her friends Tripp and Charlie did it too and we were so proud of Ms. Elizabeth for running her first race ever!

Halloween III

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween night we went to the Riley's neighborhood party that included a pizza party at Ski Shores and a combo trick-or-treating hayride afterward. It was so luxurious being driven around to the lakefront homes so they could shower us with candy!

Here's Emmylou standing in the costume contest at Ski Shores. I couldn't believe it- she was beaten out by Ariel! If only they'd seen her last year... Her disappointment in not winning was quickly forgotten once the pinata was cracked.
The prince and princess on the hayride:
Cinderella and Spidey...
The look on E's face in this pic totally cracks me up:

Thanks, Rileys! We had a blast!

Daddy's birthday at Phil's

2010-11-01T15:04:00.001-07:00

Between getting ready for Halloween and Gary being swamped at work, we didn't have much time to throw together a formal birthday party for him. So we just went over to Phil's Saturday night for some burgers and ice cream. The kids just loved playing with him on the playground!

Halloween II: Charlie and Kate's party

2010-11-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Charlie (Buzz Lightyear) and Kate (Dorothy) had a party on Friday night at their house. It was so much fun! The kids played games and even the parents dressed up.

Emmylou was the first to get an apple! (Yes, 4 year-olds are allowed to cheat and bite the stems.)

She was so proud of herself!
That apple and this carrot were the last healthy things she ate for at least the next 72 hours.

Kristin and Carlos:
Bela, Tripp, Sofia and Emmylou:
The mommies... (and yes, I was Cinderella this year- my motto with those damn Disney princesses? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.)
England football player, Wonder Woman, Super Man, construction worker and Prince Charming just sitting around having a bite...

Our contribution to the menu: pretzel ladies' fingers, man toes and kid digits and we also made these cupcakes:
Lots of treats:
Coming down off the sugar high:
The Amazing Spiderman's Worst. Meltdown. Ever. (on his way to the bathtub once we got home)

Halloween I

2010-11-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Emmylou's school had their annual Halloween parade on Thursday of last week, kicking off a seemingly endless string of Halloween costume-wearing occasions. I'm starting to wonder if Halloween is going to be bigger than Christmas pretty soon! With all the other Halloween activities we've had, Emmylou and Miller both ended up wearing their costumes on 3 of the last 4 days. At least we got our money's worth out of the costumes this year.

Anyway, most of my photos of the "parade" (i.e., a quick walk around the perimeter of the chapel) came out blurry, so here's the best one of E in her Belle costume with her wig (Tripp's the green army man from Toy Story):Once in the chapel, her class sang a Halloween song. Her teachers were dressed as Snow White and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

"Parade":

And the best surprise? Gary had gotten stuck in California on business but ended up flying all night on a last-minute flight just so he could come to the school for the show! He got there just in time.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

2010-10-30T16:53:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

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Location:Northland Dr,Austin,United States

Pumpkin patch 2010

2010-10-28T05:26:00.001-07:00

Emmylou's class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch we usually go to every year.

The teachers hid paper ghosts and bats among the pumpkins for the kids to go find.

Ms. Jodi, the school's director, read the book 'The Littlest Pumpkin' to all the kids.

Featured artist of the month

2010-10-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

When I rounded the hall to pick up Miller from Children's Morning Out last week I was surprised to see that he was the featured artist of the month! Just check out that awesome spider he made.

What's in Emmylou's purse?

2010-10-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of blogs, mostly related to design. Every once in a while, one thing they like to do is ask people they interview about what they keep in their purse. My friend Kaho reminded me of this with a post on her blog the other day, so when I picked up Emmylou's monkey "purse" today and found it surprisingly heavy, I knew I needed to out the contents.

I love that she has a kazoo in there. :)

Artists at work

2010-10-22T14:39:00.001-07:00

A little peace and quiet today in our house courtesy of a few markers and a couple sheets of paper.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Victoria's Voice

2010-10-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was very busy. Emmylou and Gary were both in Gary's cousin Trey's wedding Saturday night (photos to come!) (congrats, Trey and Deb!) and then the kids and I miraculously managed to get ourselves to a charity walk early Sunday morning. But we didn't want to miss it because it was for such a good cause! We know Victoria through the Riley's and Victoria's mom organized the walk to raise money for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, a communication disorder a lot of children I've worked with have been diagnosed with.

Miller and Tate walking with the uber-nanny, Ms. Connie:
And the crew playing on the playground after the walk:

Spidey and the Butterfly

2010-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Gary and Grammie took Miller and Emmylou to Sweet Berry Farm today while I was brunching with some friends. They said it was packed and crazy but Emmylou and Miller did manage to get their faces painted and pick out some great pumpkins.

Girlfriend

2010-10-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Miller and his too-cute-for-words girlfriend:

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Vroom-vroom!

2010-10-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Pawpaw and Nana came over last weekend to give Miller his big birthday present: a four wheeler! He still doesn't get the concept of steering to stay on the sidewalk, but he loves it. Thank you, Pawpaw and Nana!

Day out with Thomas

2010-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy took Miller to see Thomas the Train last Friday, but I forgot to charge the camera battery so these are the only pics from it. No photo with Thomas but it looks like he had a good time!

Tate and Miller's Birthday Party Preview

2010-10-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had Miller and Tate's combination birthday party at the Riley's house. Since my camera never made it out of its case (what a luxury it is to have Emily as a sister!), I'm stealing these photos from Tripp and Tate's blog until I get the ones Emily took. Click here for a link to their post about the party.
We all had a blast and can't thank the Rileys enough for hosting it at their house!

Napping with friends

2010-10-07T14:11:00.001-07:00

Moose and Zee

2010-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

We've been so busy lately that we've hardly had time for TV, but that doesn't mean we don't still love our favorite network hosts Moose and Zee! After seeing a little short on Nick Jr where they briefly show you how to make Moose and Zee felt pillows, Emmylou convinced me that we needed to tackle the project. One crafternoon later, they were finished. Aren't they cute?

Rain, Rain

2010-09-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

We're loving all this rain we've been getting lately!

Is there a league for this?

2010-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Or maybe we should start a fund for her future gambling problem?

I don't want to brag or anything, but Emmylou seems to be a claw prodigy. She is obsessed with playing the claw game and actually wins almost every time she plays it. Seriously, she's scary good. Maybe 5 for 7 tries at this point, not including the time she pulled out two prizes at once!
The only drawback? What the hell am I supposed to do with all the crap she wins?! Things like a purple dolphin covered in flames and a bright red Betty Boop pillow just don't really fit our decor. Luckily she hasn't gotten too attached to her winnings yet. Like most addicts, the thrill is all in the get.

Miller gets a little help from Dad but winds up empty-handed:

First Days

2010-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Belated, as usual, but here are some pics from E and M's first days of school. How are they this big already???

Like kids in a candy store

2010-09-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

Emmylou and Miller love Big Top Candy Shop! Sometimes we take them in there if we go down to Guero's for lunch. This day, surprisingly, they picked ice cream over candy. Crazy kids.

Dear Miller: You're two.

2010-09-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Miller,

Can I freeze you? Right now? You are the sweetest thing I could ever imagine.

You love your "Big Book of Trains" and can tell me every color of every train in there. You have a really big crush on Jessie from Toy Story. You want to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween but also every day up til then and after. You just learned this past week to say the word "Buzz" instead of calling him "Bee" like you did for months. You also just learned how to call your sister "EmmyLOU" instead of just "Emmy." You are starting to notice letters and think every letter is "I" or "B" or "O." (You point at the HEB sign and say "I! O!") You love brushing your teeth and using your Sponge Bob toothpaste.

You are (drum roll, please!) finally a better eater. After 24 months of eating habits ranging from ho-hum to atrocious, we had a green bean showdown last week that seems to have been the ultimate cure-all. I wouldn't let you out of your chair until you took a bite of a green bean and although it took almost an entire hour and a few tears, you finally took one bite, declared it "nummies!" and then proceeded to eat five more whole green beans. The next day was the hot dog showdown (yes, that's how desperate I am- forcing you to eat hot dogs) which took about thirty minutes. Again, "nummies!" and "more hot dog!" We eventually got through pizza and rotisserie chicken and yesterday I noticed when I asked you to take a bite of something you took about one second to think about it and then put it straight in your mouth. I'm not sure I have ever felt as victorious as I did those nights! Thanks for making me feel like Super Mom, I needed it.

This last month has been a big one for you. You are talking so, so much about anything and everything and trying to do everything your sister does. You even peed in the potty yesterday for the first time!

You love school. When I turn into the parking lot in the mornings you shout "yay!" which is great on the mornings you get to stay. The trouble is on the two days a week that Emmylou goes to school and you don't. You get so upset when it's not your turn! I was so proud of you those first couple of days. You were so happy to go and start playing! You love your teacher, Ms. Marci, and you love having Tate in your room with you.

I keep asking you if you're a baby and you say "no, big boy!" I try to explain to you that you can be both, but mostly I just have a hard time not gobbling you up. You fill my heart with joy.

I love you so much, Miller!
Mommy

Your new favorite reading room:
You and Emmylou in the sleeping bags Grammie got y'all out at the lake last week:
And you in an outfit that both you and Emmylou thought was a great idea (once I told Emmylou that you couldn't wear panties since you aren't potty-trained):
And to be fair, it wasn't just you:

Porch Sleeping

2010-09-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

When we left Dollywood we drove to my Aunt Jane's house a couple hours away for the last stop on our Tennessee trip. She lives in a charming resort community made up of eleven lakes and five golf courses. Being that it's a couple thousand feet above sea level and that she lives right on the water, the weather always seems to be fantastic.

Jane has a great screen porch that gets a lot of use. Emmylou took advantage of it both afternoons we were there during naptime.
Someone else found a new place to nap... This is Jane's dog, Daisy, who I refer to as The Sweetest Dog in the Entire World. Emmylou loved that she found her little bed to sleep in!
More from our visit with Jane to come!

Hooray for Dollywood!

2010-09-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

After our brief trip through the Smoky Mountains sans carseats (I probably should've mentioned in my last post that we topped out around 10 MPH on the driving tour loop, just in case you have plans to report me to CPS), we headed to Pigeon Forge, TN. Dollywood is located about 7 minutes from Pigeon Forge, which turned out to be a lot like a low-rent Vegas for kids. The main street seemed to go on for miles with dozens of go-cart places sandwiched between Medieval Times, laser tag businesses and bungee trampoline set-ups. Also, there were an inordinate number of pancake houses and many Family Inns of America, a chain I'd never heard of before.

Anyway, we did not stay in one of the there-must-have-been-twenty Family Inns of America and stayed, instead, in what was probably the nicest hotel in Pigeon Forge (thanks for making those plans, Grammie!). Once we arrived, Grammie, Emmylou and Miller went swimming while I ordered pizza for dinner and went in search of some much-needed wine, which, unfortunately was unsuccessful, since as it turns out, most of Tennessee is composed of dry counties. What?! Surely Dolly likes her cocktail every once in a while, right? We managed.

The next day we left the sophistication of Pigeon Forge for the mecca of all things bright and beautiful...
One of the first stops in the park? A tour of Dolly's "Home on Wheels:"

A closer look at that sign:
Um...LOVE her!

At Dollywood you can also buy a new wardrobe for yourself at Dolly's Closet. Slogan: Her Style. Your Size. Thank goodness.

The other thing we made a beeline for on our way in was a ride on the coal-burning steam train. I thought Miller would burst with excitement over getting to ride it, but in reality he just looked kind of nervous and worried the whole time. The train whistle was really loud so I guess it was kind of understandable. He did ask to go on it again a couple hours later so it must not have been too bad.

After the train we hit most of the rides for the kids, and they loved them.
We also got soaking wet...
When it was time for lunch we happened into Miss Lillian's Fried Chicken House and ended up spending a lot of time with this lady:
She's the "Chicken Lady" who walks around the restaurant with a ukulele making up songs about whatever's going on at that exact moment. Since Miller fell asleep for about an hour in there, she came over to our table a few times and had us cracking up. I really can't explain it, but if you find yourself at Dollywood, please go see her. You won't be disappointed.

Once Miller woke up we headed over to one of the many shows Dollywood puts on which made zero sense (like most amusement park productions) and had me distracted the entire time feeling sorry for the actors and wondering whether they thought they'd "made it" by being a Dollywood performer. Does anyone else do that? Emmylou napped during the entire thing.

Then we bought Miller a drink that came in a train shaped bottle. If you look closely you can see that he's wearing his Willie Nelson shirt. It just seemed appropriate for the occasion.

After a visit to one of the many candy stores in the park, our last stop was in Jukebox Junction where we found these great vintage cars the kids loved driving. As was true for the rest of the park, there were no crowds and no lines so we got to ride them as much as we wanted.

On the way out Emmylou and Miller chose to buy their dad a shot glass with Dolly's picture on it as a souvenir. It even said "I (heart) Dad" on it. Kind of reminded me of the last time Emmylou wanted to buy a shot glass. He loved it!

Dollywood was so much fun! Thanks for a great day, Dolly! We love you!

She'll be comin' around the mountain when she comes...

2010-09-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'd like to formally apologize to everyone who was in the car with me for singing that song every half hour on our way from Nashville to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

But the mountains are so beautiful, how was I supposed to help it? (Side note: that song also inspired me (and Grammie, too!) to eat chicken and dumplings- is it dumplins?- for only the second time in my entire life.)

Emmylou and Miller thought the best part of the park was riding through Cade's Cove without wearing their seatbelts and sticking their bodies as far as possible out the windows.

It was so beautiful, we'll have to go back when we have more than just a couple of hours!

Chihuly in Tennessee

2010-09-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Where's the best place to take a 4-year old and almost 2-year old who most often resemble wild animals? Why, a giant, breakable, outdoor glass art installation, of course!

Honestly, it might be a miracle that we didn't have to contact our insurance agent during our visit to see Chihuly at Cheekwood.

"Emmylou, look surprised."
Miller likes art!

"Hmmm... could that be giant floating candy?"

It was a little exhausting corralling the kids but well worth the effort. The grounds were stunning and the art was perfect to see at twilight. :) Thanks to Cathy and Ann for taking us!

4 going on 40

2010-09-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

On our first night in Tennessee, my aunts Cathy and Ann took us to Arrington Vineyards where we packed a picnic dinner and enjoyed the gorgeous views. Emmylou asked to have her juice box squeezed into a wine glass, although I'm not sure where she even got the idea to do that.

Cheers, y'all!

Miller is 2!

2010-09-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has already sent Miller birthday wishes on Facebook, text messages, etc.! Even though we arrived home from Tennessee pretty exhausted late Wednesday night (and we're planning an official joint birthday party with Tate in a month), we couldn't let Miller's birthday on Thursday go by without at least a small celebration. Gary, Emmylou and I took him to his favorite place on earth, Chuck E. Cheese's, for dinner and a little impromptu party. Grammie came and had even made him a special choo-choo cake!

"CHEESE!"

Who really blew out the candle, I wonder?
"Miller, how old are you now?"

We gave him a big Buzz Lightyear that was a huge hit:

And he got a few more fun things from Em, Lizzie and Carol...

We love you, Miller! Happy birthday, sweet boy!

New season

2010-09-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

With the Longhorns' new season starting today, you know what that means... New orange and white outfits!

For Miller, Gary was sure he needed Longhorn apparel for a full 24 hours before the game actually started, so here he is in his new Horns jammies:
Then he needed to put on his new quarterback jersey:
Does it even matter if we win? (Gary, don't answer that.)
Miller is trying so hard to learn how to do "hook 'em!"

And Emmylou insisted I take this photo of her with her beef jerkey. Mmm-kay....
Texas Fight!

Dinos in SA!

2010-09-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Our usual crew met up a couple of weeks ago for a day trip to San Antonio to see the dinosaur exhibit at the Witte Museum and play at Kiddie Park.

Check out our VIP (not really) wristbands!

Budding archaeologists at work:

More fun at the rest of the museum:

And fun rides for everyone!

It was a long, hot day but we had the best time with our friends!

Upstate

2010-09-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of days after Lauren's visit, we flew to Buffalo and then drove a short way to Wellsville and Lake Cuba to spend some time with our friends Steve and Yvonne and their kids, Nora, Maryanne and John. The weather was amazing and we had a great time with all of them. The kids loved to ride on the tube behind the boat and we were impressed that even Miller gave it a try!

Just flying on a plane might have been the highlight of the trip for Emmylou:

At Lake Cuba:
The girls became fast friends...

We brought them Mexican dresses:
Tubing!

Nightswimming:

The kids loved canoeing...
And more boat-riding.
Handsome Baby John:

Big Boy Miller!

We had so much fun we're hoping this becomes an annual trip!

Lauren's visit!

2010-09-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Now that we're back and recovered from our latest vacation in Tennessee, I can start catching up on documenting our fun summer!

In late July, Aunt Lauren came to visit us from Virginia. We were so excited to have her come to our house and hang out with us! Lauren is a fantastic hairstylist and did Emmylou's hair while she was here. Emmylou LOVED Lauren's pink hair and as a surprise, Aunt Lauren even brought some for her!

Lauren also brought Emmylou a doll with beautiful hair and a mini hairdressing chair with everything she needs to make her gorgeous. She loves it!

Come back soon, Lauren! We love you!

Snap to it

2010-08-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Just to prove that the kids are, in fact, still alive despite my lack of blogging, here are a couple of recent photos.

First, Emmylou just learned to snap a couple of days ago, so here she is demonstrating her new skill:

And here's a cute photo of Miller I took at his friend Everett's first birthday party last week:

I can't believe he turns 2 next week!

We've had a really busy and fun summer so I have lots of catching up to do on posts. However, we're going to Tennessee on Thursday for a week so who knows when I'll find time to get around to them. In the meantime we hope you're staying cool and enjoying the last bit of your summer! xo

Swim Buddies

2010-07-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Emmylou finished up her week of intensive swimming lessons yesterday. She got to have her lessons with her friend Rhea, who she adores. Rhea is a year older than Emmylou so that makes her super cool in Emmylou's book (I think she actually told me, "Rhea is super cool, Mom). Both girls made tons of progress and had a great time being together!

Back to SA

2010-07-15T20:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Gary and I took the kids to San Antonio for a mini-vacation. We stayed on the Riverwalk and did really tourist-y things. I think Emmylou was most excited about simply staying in a hotel and ordering room service (I talked that up a lot- afterall it's one of the best things on the planet, right?).

After enjoying lunch at La Margarita (don't judge! Mi Tierra was packed!) and a little shopping at the Mexican market, we took the kids to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. They loved it because we got to sit right next to some life-sized fake gorillas that moved around every 10-12 minutes. Miller's eyes just about popped out of his head the first time they went off (sorry for the bad iPhone pics).
They also got Icees in special souvenir glasses which we didn't even end up taking home with us because they were bigger than their heads- I couldn't think of another instance when they might need them again. And, um, that was a lot of sugar:
The next morning we ordered room service for breakfast and I think it might have even surpassed Emmylou's high expectations. For a mere $6, you can have a bowl of Froot Loops delivered to your room! Thanks, Westin! We ended up getting three orders (yep, Gary loves them too).

Then we went to the Buckhorn/Texas Ranger Museum which had some cool things in it but could have been replaced by a free trip to Cabela's in Buda on our way home.

For lunch we headed to the Tower of the Americas and got to have a fancy-schmancy meal at the very tip top at a table by a window. Emmylou thought it was so cool that the table moved slowly around in a circle so you get a 360 degree view of the city.
Later in the evening Mimi joined us for dinner on the Riverwalk and treated us to a barge ride. Here's Emmylou waving to her adoring public and the only photo proving that I was also on this trip.
We spent the last night watching The Princess and the Frog in the hotel room.
Does it get any better? I can't wait until we get to take them to Disneyworld! Must. Plan. Trip. Now!

Emmylou is 4-4

2010-07-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

Dear Emmylou,

Here you are, well into the 4's now, and you are still a firecracker. Maybe more than ever.

Here's what you like most these days: swimming like a fish; buckling yourself in and opening/closing the car door all by yourself; reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to your brother; wearing sparkly shoes (but not really dress-up clothes much anymore); asking/begging that we buy you anything you see advertised for children ages 0-18 in TV commercials; and asking questions about anything and everything you see around you. You want explanations on how and why everything happens as it does and you're trying hard to make sense of it all. I love your curiosity.

You're also really smart. Because you're still throwing temper tantrums more than ever, on one particularly desperate night I succumbed to ordering a ridiculous number of books from several different parenting programs. After reading the websites, I was able to start using some of the Love and Logic techniques the very next day and actually had excellent results. But within 48 hours you were already using the techniques with me. One of the lines I'm supposed to use when you're throwing a fit is: "I love you too much to argue." After I used that once or twice you got really annoyed and started saying "Stop saying that, Mommy!" But then I guess you decided you liked it because two days later when I asked you to stay with Daddy while I went to look for something (and you were not happy about it) you told me, "Mommy, I love you too much to stay here without you." In shock, I had no response except to say, "okay, you can come." I knew I was in trouble when you figured this out before the books even arrived.

At least, yes, after many challenging months, you are actually behaving a little better. Being sweeter to your brother. Things have been nice this past week. Not to say that you've become the most laid-back, eager to please child, but that's okay, because I never want you to lose your personality or not be confident enough to go after whatever it is you want.

Thanks for keeping it fun, Lulu. I love you to the moon and back a million, billion times.

xoxoxo,
Mommy

Another stroke of brilliance: After our toilet paper holder fell out of the wall (and after I filled the empty holes with wall putty), you called me in to show me that your giant Chicago souvenir pen could also double as a toilet paper holder when jabbed into the old holes. Genius, my love!