We had so much fun at the beach last weekend that we decided to go again! The second time around is much easier since we'd already found all of the beach toys and boogie boards and umbrellas.

It's usually about 10 degrees cooler in Galveston, so it's also a nice break from the heat, and boy have we been breaking records in the Brazos Valley. Last I heard we had broken 9 records in the last three weeks. No, we had SMASHED 9 records. We are having unseasonably HOT weather for June. Houston hit over 100F before July. Unheard of! Bryan/College Station has been in the upper 90's since the middle of May. Those of you that follow this blog know that in May I'm usually blogging about splash parks and walks along the river. This May it was just too hot. I'm usually talking about rubber boots and splashing through ankle deep downpours. This May it was too dry. They opened the splash parks and pools early this year because it was so hot. I'm not sure our trees will make it because the growing season never really got started. It went from fall to summer in the blink of an eye.

That should explain the beach. There is a huge difference between 85 and 95 degrees, and since I automatically wake up at 6:00am, it's not such a big jump to say, "hey, let's get in the car and go! We can be at the beach by 9:00am." So, we jump and go. Though this weekend I think we might settle for some blueberry picking. The beach is tempting, but blueberries...well, we use them. Alot. I think the blueberries will win this weekend, but next weekend...I hear the ocean calling.

Fun Galveston Pics

Galveston

As the early gray light of morning crept under the door, a scurrying figure dumped ice into a red and white cooler. A second figure went through the check list making sure that sunscreen, bathing suits and boogie boards were wedged into the trunk tightly. A grunt, a groan and a scuffling and the cooler was heaved into the back of the car. Then a bright flash of light and three snuffling, sleepy eyed girls were bundled into the car, nightgowns flapped in the warm morning breeze.

Yes, the morning breeze was warm. Did I forget to tell that this taking place in Texas on Memorial Day Weekend? Sorry, it should be obvious, once that information is relayed that the breeze is warm and that the family is heading for the beach to cool off from the crackling heat that has been plaguing the Brazos Valley this year.

They made good time, and didn't have to stop until the outskirts of Houston, just a little over 90 minutes. Girls changed into suitable beach attire: shorts, tank-tops. Their excitement mounting. A couple cups of espresso, some donuts and a stack of lunchables because the spam musubi and sushi are sitting snuggly in the refrigerator.

Back in the car, air conditioner full blast, singing to Sir Oliver (all you 70's children should know about Agape Land), and Houston is easily bypassed. The Clear Lake, NASA and League City and the smell of the ocean is prevelant. The girls squeal as they cross the bridge to Galveston Island and the big ships are bobbing up and down in the bay.

They drive by Rainbow Row, a group of colorful historic homes, past the Bishop's Palace and the ocean suddenly spreads out before them. Park. Rent a cabana. Stewart Beach.

I think Stewart Beach functions as a verb by itself. It's like Waikiki. You don't need anything behind it to convey the entire meaning of the sentence. That single word will conjure up images of long stretches of white sand, waves lapping at the edge, children splashing and darting into the waves. An afternoon goes by before they reluctantly put everything back into the car. The children gratefully collapse into peaceful slumber until the water towers loom above them and they are safely home.

Aaarghhh! I'm a pirate!

Yoho, yoho! A pirates life for me. That's what Georgi look like, right now. She has 3 lovely stitches above her right eyebrow, and a bunch of scrapes on her face. For a mom with three girls, the trip to the ER was traumatic. I don't like needles poking my kids. It's okay if they poke OTHER people's kids, but mom starts crying if the needle has to poke her own.

The poor nurses were afraid I might faint or something, but I kept reassuring them that I didn't get squeamish. I just get teary eyed and sniffly. Poor Georgi was a brave little soul. She was quiet almost the entire time and only cried when they poke her a bunch of times to numb her skin. She was perfectly still while they stitched her up. So, the ER experience was much better than I expected.

Thank you for your prayers last night for a very distressed mamma! I have officially been christened into the motherhood of the Nights E.R.!

little tidbits

Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy! What a crazy last couple of weeks. We've been having fun, but it's getting harder to balance work, school, family. We still manage to have lots of fun in the middle of our hectic schedule.

Georgi and Reagan have settled into the childcare routine. We never thought we'd be the ones to have kids in daycare, but we do, and they love it. They come home singing songs and speaking Spanish. I listened as Reagan very seriously instructed Katie that rojo, verde and azul were colors of cars, too as Georgi belted out the ABC song and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I miss having my kids with me all the time and being able to pull them up on my lap whenever I want, but it's nice to see Tanner just a little less maxed out. He was able to attend a meeting about research opportunities, made some great connections with some professor and might be able to participate in the program over the summer.

So, we are adapting as we always do. Full-time work for me makes dinners a frightening adventure. Sometimes I come home to potatoes and broccoli. It's hard not to laugh when there isn't any type of main course like chicken or steak or hamburger or fish or pork or something. Then the slow, realization that something is missing, and he smiles and says, "Oh, and sausage!" Frozen sausage? And we all know the interesting concoctions he makes, so sometimes it's chicken marinara with raspberries and carrots. My stomach is having to adapt, too.

Kate is doing so well in school. Her beginning of the year testing showed that she read 60 words per minute with 100% comprehension and math was ready for 1st grade. Her end of year testing showed that she reads 126 words per minute with 100% comprehension and her math skills are on level with end of year second grade. It's good to see her improving and growing.

That's it for tidbits. 'Til next time!

I was gearing up to shout, "It's spring! It's spring!" when a warm front rolled into the Brazos Valley and made me shout, "I refuse to turn on my air conditioner in March!" We were all hoping for more rain before the summer settled in the valley. The nights are cool, and I think I saw some clouds creeping in with the sunset, so maybe we will revert back to spring-like weather for the weekend.

Last year, it was so cold that we had an indoor Easter egg hunt. As of this afternoon, I am predicting a barbecue. Just so you know, the weather is one of the more popular topics in the south. In first place is football, followed by politics and then weather.

I realized how southernized we are becoming when I took the girls out for dinner and they asked if they could have "soda-pop". Not soda. Not pop. Soda-pop. They all wanted Dr. Pepper. Not root beer. Not orange Fanta. Dr. Pepper. That's the national drink down here. We have Dr. Pepper stadiums, Dr. Pepper ice rinks and Dr. Pepper art museums. Ridiculous, isn't it? On the topic of food, Frito-lay is the Big Daddy of them all. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there is a Frito-lay Opera House. They serve Frito pie at almost every gathering. Right along side your grits, gravy, biscuits and brisket. Wondering where the vegetables are? Pretty sure they're somewhere between the biscuits and brisket. Here, have a pickle. Do you want it frozen or deep fried?

Just a quick update on stuff happening down here. Tanner is slogging away through Chemical Engineering classes. He's mired down in Organic Chemistry and Physics 2. He'll be taking Differential Equations and Chemical Engineering in the summer.

Kate is getting ready for her dance recital. My mom and dad gave her dance lessons for her birthday. She loves every minute of it and gyrates all over the house now. She is doing amazingly well in school. She is reading chapter books. Her favorite series is Juny B. Jones. She surprised me by reading a beginner Chinese reading book. I think it is great that she is getting to excel in these areas.

Reagan and Georgianna started day-school this month so that I could work full time. Reagan loves going to school and comes home every day talking about all the "projects" and "toys" she got to play with. Georgi just gets excited. She doesn't like being dropped off at school, but she sings her ABC's to me when I get home from work, and proudly announces that everything in sight is "Yellow" and the sun and the moon are called "La Luna".

Work is fun. Sometimes exhausting, but I have a great time with my boss. She can't understand where this "wonder woman" came from, so I tell her I just had great parents.

On a side note, things are cheaper in Texas. Anyone who has every had to have a cat or dog fixed will appreciate that it cost us $50. Yup. I'm surprised I haven't convinced somebody to move here yet.

Of coffee (a.k.a. human bondage)

No, I am not making a claim to writing some great literary feat, but there is something about coffee or at least Starbucks that somehow manages to make a few million humans wholly inadequate without it. I'm only talking about coffee because Georgianna once again climbed the counter, grabbed my coffee tin and dumped ground coffee all over her bedroom. It smells like a coffee house in their room, and when I vacuum, I get a sudden urge to drink an espresso.

I didn't get my first cup of coffee until 4:30pm today. I decided to let Tanner sleep. I think espresso must stimulate some sort of creative part of my brain, because I couldn't think of anything interesting to do today with the kids. We took a walk to Kolache Rolf's for breakfast. It's their favorite breakfast place, and just in case you were wondering, "what is Kolache Rolf's?" I will take this time to say that we wondered that for almost a year.

Kolache, pronounced coal-ah-chee, is a Czech delicacy. I guess we have a large Czech population in the Brazos Valley since we have a Kolache festival every year. So, a kolache is a soft, fluffy bread filled with either jam or meat. The girls like both and a kolache only costs .89 and are preferred above McDonald's. I don't really care for kolaches, but getting them on the weekend is becoming a tradition in this family, and I don't care to be on the outside of any tradition, so I take them to Kolache Rolf's.

After breakfast, we walked home. Did I mention that it was cloudy and drizzling? Yup. It was also 72F, so it didn't really matter. As long as there isn't a storm, a little bit of water isn't going to stop us from taking a walk. Once we got home, the girls raced into the backyard to do a bit of digging and mudpie making, leaving me to try to come up with something else to do. So, I did pilates. Then I did yoga. Then I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and made lunch.

My creative side just wouldn't kick into gear. I watched "Destry Rides Again" because I was feeling kinda nostalgic, and I remember watching it with my mom when I was little. I folded some clothes, picked up a few toys, read some email and wandered around the house a little aimlessly until I remembered that 2 year olds need a nap.

I fixed the screen door, played with our kitten, cleaned up muddy shoes and stuff like that. I kept trying to clear the cobwebs out of my head, but I gave up. I waited for Georgianna to wake up to signal me to wake Tanner up. They both tumbled out of bed at 4:30, and we managed to get all the kids ready and in the car before 5:00. A rare testament to the power of coffee. Starbucks never smelled so lovely. I drank two shots of espresso and then we all strolled to Hobby Lobby just to take a stroll. Did I tell you that by this time it was dark, cloudy and rainy? It still didn't matter because it was a balmy 72F. Suddenly, my creative juices kicked in and I let the girls pick out paint pots and paper and brushes. We drove home, made dinner and had a painting party. Splashes of rainbows, hearts, flowers and bushy trees swirled across their papers and strangely enough NOT onto the floor.

I'm hoping the awakening doesn't keep me up until the wee hours of the night. We will see, but that won't keep me from drinking some "joe" tomorrow morning.

What an interesting day yesterday was. You always know when there's not much "happy" news when someone labels something "interesting". Of course, it's not bad news, either. It's just...well, interesting.

It started out as a coolish sort of day, and perhaps that should have warned me because coolish means the girls can't go outside to play or maybe they won't go outside to play, so they are inside all day. After dropping Kate off at school we came home so that I could work. The girls quickly grew bored of playing in the back room, and I'm pretty sure that I should have clued into the fact that something was up when the dvd player was turned on, but I was busy.

When I finally did tune in, Georgi was running around without any clothes on. A quick search revealed a lovely little wet patch in the back room. Round 1 of cleaning and dressing Georgi. And then there was Round 2. And then Round 3. And then 3 cups of water spilled on the kitchen floor. And another dose of water in the dining room. And then a 1/2 filled cup of coffee drizzled about.

Like I said...it was interesting. So interesting that I showed the girls how to steam clean a carpet this evening.

It's a beautiful day on Paradise!

I know most of my family is going to object to the usage of the word in referring to anything other than Hawaii. I just can't help it. It was a lovely Sunday in paradise.

This morning rolled around and I woke up to two snuggly kisses from tiny little lips and a tight baby bear hug from two tiny arms. Georgi had crawled into bed sometime during the night. It was 7:00am and morning time! "Wake up, Mommy, it's light out."

I still didn't feel like the girls were over their sickness to take them to church, so I took them on a walk instead. Two little hands in each of mine lead me to the Kolache Factory where the girls picke out their favorite treats. Kate had blueberry, Reagan had apple, Georgi had peach. I had coffee. A slow stroll back home as we basked in the early morning sun, jackets unzipped, letting the fresh air ruffle our hair and blow away the last wisps of sleep.

Daddy didn't open his eyes until almost noon because we were so quiet when we got home. The girls played with their kitty, taught her how to chase her tail and giggled into their blankets. Laundry, mountains of laundry waited in ominous silence behind the bedroom door. Being sick for over a week meant that I had laundry. Tanner is good at starting the laundry and switching the laundry, but folding the laundry...like, I said, there were mountains. So, I made the girls fold it ALL while Tanner and I crept quietly out of the house to do 2 weeks worth of food shopping in an hour and a half.

We browsed the vegetable aisles, the cheese mound, the baskets of bread. Slowly piecing together a menu of dinners. Fresh garlic, cheese, spinach, ricotta and long thin lasagna noodles; white wine, garlic, cubed bread, swiss and gruyere cheeses; fresh mozzerella, basil, spring greens...we enjoyed our leisurely foray into the grocery store.

We flung the doors open wide and let the breeze ripple through the house. Long sunrays stretched across the carpet and played with bits of dust in the air. Yes, a beautiful day in our bit of Paradise.

Finally, the winter weather has rolled away, and we get our sun and blue skies back for the next week! I cannot believe I have lived so many years looking forward to sunshine June rather than complaining because I don't have sunshine in February.

Every person I know has been shaking their head in confusion. Sleet, hail, ice, snow...these are words that only exist on paper for most of us. They belong to the stuff of legend and lore. You know the stories, "When grandpa was a kid there was snow storm that shut down the town for 3 whole days..." It is shocking to have these stories jumping up and taking our lives by storm. The kids are morose: no day off of school on Good Friday. And Good Friday is usually sunny and warm, a day to play in the backyard or on the street. It's a guaranteed picnic day, lunch-with-mom-or-dad sort of day. Instead, it's a school day. No one gets to spend the afternoon dyeing eggs. It's just a normal day at school.

But, I guess legends have to be made and re-born every 30 years or people begin to forget what makes everything else special. It was a lot of fun watching 22 and under kids trying to drive in the snow. They would get stopped and a light and then the car wouldn't grab the asphalt, so of course they decided the best course of action was to step on the gas even more. We were tempted to set up lawn chairs and a beer stand on the corner and just watch the cars slide. We didn't because while everyone was dealing with winter weather, we were dealing with the flu.

I now understand the purpose of flu shots. It's to keep parents healthy enough to care of kids who get sick. It's taken us an entire week to finally put to bed the last fever. Everyone but Georgi is starting to eat again. This bug makes you disinterested in food for at least a week. A great incentive for weight loss, but really, I'd rather go on a 40 day fast.

We welcomed the sun this morning. For the first time we all felt like we had energy to take a walk, so we bundled everyone up and went for a walk. Starbucks, pet store, shoe store, Ross and then home.

Badda bing! January is almost over?

Huh? What's up with that? I blinked and Christmas/New Year's zoomed by.

Reagan had a birthday party with all of her new friends. Pin the tail on the donkey and a Cakewalk, and of course the princess castle cake...I need to post pictures.

Oh, how I wish everyone in PDX could experience a Christmas with us, but with our luck, it would rain if anyone came for a visit. The last two years have shown us the sunny side of Christmas. Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, plenty of warmth for kids to dash outside in pajamas to play with a new toy. As the day progresses, everyone piles into cars to visit friends and eat Christmas dinner, and nothing, I mean nothing, tastes better than southern cornbread stuffing--even when you accidentally dump the brown sugar intended for the crispy crust of the sweet potato pie into it. It's not a New England Christmas, so, no one thinks about caroling. Instead, someone grabs a football and a game spills off the front porch and on to the street. Jugs of iced tea. Pecan pie. Brownies and Divinity.

It's awfully quiet in a college town on New Year's Eve. Oxymoronic, isn't it? Everyone is asleep by 10:00pm. Not a bang, boom, honk or hoot. No sirens. Everyone is thankful that the town can take a brief nap before the Spring Term arrives.

Then the mad rush to side the house before school started. The mad rush to pull out windows, build walls, insulate, build a new window, set a new door, get the house tight and ready. Time to adjust to getting up early every day. A quick dash to the zoo before Christmas break is over. A nice afternoon spent with Uncle Howell. Starting choir for the kids, dance for Kate, violin for Reagan. Practice some Chinese. Choir for mom and dad.

Deep breath and January is almost over, and time to put together a birthday party for Kate.