News from the backseat

As we were driving around doing errands, we heard these conversations occurr in the backseat.

Kate: Reagan are you sad? Is it because Jesus died on the cross?
Reagan: Yes, he cross the road!

Song - who did, who did, who did swallow jo-jo-jonah?
Reagan: dodip, dodip, dodip yellow jo-jo-jonah?

Song- Who built the ark? Noah, Noah
Reagan: Who billed the ark? Woah! Woah!

Reagan: I am crying, Mommy!
Mommy: You are? How come?
Reagan (in a very worried tone): I don't know!

Our first day swimming

Yesterday started out lazy. I'm not sure who got more sleep that night. I tend to think that Tanner did. I know that I got into bed at around midnight. I know that Georgie woke up shortly there after. I know that about half an hour later Reagan woke up. I tried to console her and helped her climb into my bed, but no, she wasn't happy. I went to find her blanket, her Minnie, her pacifier as her wailing got louder and louder until she finally woke Georgie up. So, I spent the next hour trying to put Georgie back to sleep. When I finally succeeded, Reagan woke up as I crawled into bed and started whimpering, so I got up, put Georgie in her crib and snuggled Reggie until she fell asleep. I looked at the clock wearily and saw it flash 3:30. I closed my eyes and heard the front door open. There was the usual banging of Tanner coming home, and I waited for the noise to subside. I heard him crawl into bed and murmur red goodnight to him. Which he promptly did. I listened to his snoring, tried to get comfortable with Reggie kicking me in the ribs, and wearily closed my eyes again. All too soon, I heard Georgie crying. I looked at the clock and it read 4:30. I shifted Reagan, picked up Georgie, and decided to sleep upside down so that Reggie's kicks landed on the shins instead of my stomach. Fell asleep. Woke up at 6:30. Fed Georgie. Fell asleep. Woke up at 8:00 to Katie shaking me and asking for breakfast. Told her to eat yogurt. Fell asleep. Woke up at 8:30 to Georgie's crying. Fed her again. Fell asleep. Woke up at 9:00 to Reagan crying. Kicked Tanner. Tanner got her breakfast. While I tried to fall asleep but couldn't because she was crying the entire time which woke Georgie up for good. Laid in bed wondering if there was a God as Georgie climbed on top of my head, rolled down to my feet, pinched my tummy and acted like a baby. Tanner came into the room, took one look at my bloodshot eyes, decided that coffee was not the answer and hustled the kids out of the house. I have no idea where they went to, but I had another 2hours of blissful, uninterrupted sleep.

Then, when everyone came home, I tumbled out of bed, got dressed quickly and hopped into the car. One cup of coffee later, I was pepped and ready to go so we hauled the kids to the park, but Reggie wasn't too happy, so we piled them back in the car, got a little lunch and went to another park. Much more successful this time, and I went for a short walk while Tanner finished reading a chapter of American Government. On my walk, I discovered that the Thomas Park pool was open for the weekend, so I ran the 1/2 mile back to the car, got the girls in and we went home to get bathing suits and life jackets. So, the girls had a brief hour of fun at the pool. We would have stayed longer, but it was cool day for Texas and too cold for swimming. It was 81, and just a little too nippy to stay much longer than an hour. Kate was able to demonstrate all of her new swimming skills, and Reagan adjusted to the idea of floating and bobbing up and down in a huge bathtub. Georgie didn't go in because I thought it was too cold for her, so she sat on Tanner's lap while he kept reading his book. So, by 3:00 we had gone to 2 parks and a swimming pool, but I thought perhaps it was time for Tanner to take a snooze, since I'm pretty sure 5 hours of sleep isn't enough sleep.

So, we headed home, got the bathing suits and towels hung, kids rinsed off and dressed and a little snack. Tanner decided to finish up a quiz first, so I settled the kids down with a project and began to make bread. Then when Tanner went to sleep, I nursed Georgie and put her down for her afternoon nap, put Reggie down for hers, and Katie and I made jello. Then I took out soup for dinner. Made corn bread muffins. Put Kate down for a rest, and decided to make cookies. So, I found a recipe for Italian Ricotta drop cookies. Made a batch of that. Served up dinner. Finished up the loaf of bread. Felt like twiddling my thumbs, so I decided to make more cookies. Kate and I made Cream Cheese Ice Box cookie. Poured 3 glasses of milk, piled the cookies on a plate and then we all sat down to watch "Babes in Toyland". And that was our day.

Made it just in time!

I crawled out of bed at 7:30 this morning and quickly made my first shot of espresso before I brushed my teeth, pulled on shorts and t-shirt and put my hair in a ponytail. I was a little concerned. I hadn't had much sleep the night before. Just having problems with insomnia, and then when I finally started to fall asleep, Reagan crawled into bed with me and tried to play pat-a-cake on my face. 7:30 was not the ideal time to be waking up, but I had to. Today was my THEA testing day, and it started at 8:30.

Tanner got the kids in the car and drove me to Blinn. The test was slotted to take 5 hours, so I made sure there was a bottle of milk and plenty of baby cereal for Georgie. We arranged for me to call from the office phone when I was finished.

Well, I finished in just under 2 1/2 hours, and I walked over to the office. That was when I realized that it was Saturday. I tried the office anyway, but it was closed. I groaned. It meant I would have to walk to find a phone. The usually crowded parking lot was deserted. Summer break had just started for the colleges in this area. I sighed and began my hunt for a pay phone. I walked down 29th street to Villa Maria. I walked down Villa Maria to Texas Ave. 2 miles of walking before I found a phone.

I placed a collect call to Tanner, but no one answered. I sighed again. Tried again. No answer. Tried one more time. No luck. Decided to walk to Starbucks and get coffee and a donut. After a bit, I went back to the phone and tried again. No luck. Once more unto the breach dear friends, and still no success. I shrugged, figured it was only about 3, maybe 4 miles to home, so I'd just walk it.

As I trekked on down Texas Ave., I remembered that we had dropped off a bike at the bike store. That would mean the very last bit of the journey could be accomplished pretty quickly if I picked up the bike. About another two miles down the road, I spied another pay phone. I was surprised at how empty the streets were, but I guess everyone is right about the town emptying during summer break. So, I tried another collect call, and this time the operator said that our phone wasn't set up for a collect calls. Aha! So, I payed for the phone with my debit card, but still, no answer. Oh, well, it didn't really matter, I was almost home.

I stopped at the bike store, picked up the bike and pedal my weary way home. Only about a mile left in the journey, but it was nice to have the speed for the last little part. When I got home, there was no car in the driveway. So, I sat on the porch and prepared for a long wait. And then, the thunder began to roll. I almost started to cry at that point, but instead I prayed, "Dear Lord, I really don't want to get wet or electrocuted, please bring my family home to let me into the house."

Apparently, Tanner had woken up to hear the phone ringing the time before I went to Starbucks. I think it was my sixth call. But, he wasn't able to accept the collect call. He assumed I was calling from Blinn, so he put the kids in the car and went to go get me. He waited around for about an hour, and then when I finally didn't come out of the building, he drove home the same way that I walked.

He got home about 20 minutes after I did, so the I didn't get wet. I didn't get electrocuted, and I discovered that it is possible to walk all the way home from Blinn. Tanner clocked it: 5 1/2 miles. I guess I'm getting into pretty good shape because I'm not even that phased by the trek. I am tired, but that's because I didn't sleep last night.

Oh, and the testing went well.

From the mundane to the extraordinarily expensive

Shopping for eye wear is not my favorite thing to do. I try to put it off for as long as possible. When the optometrist gravely looks at me over the tops of his own eyeglasses and asks me the inevitable, "When was the last time you visited an eye doctor?" I squirm a bit in my seat before stammering, "I don't know, two, three years?" They never believe me. Just one look at my outdated frames tells them the truth. I haven't crossed the threshold of an optometrists office for at least five years.

This time around, I actually did better. I'm pretty sure I squeaked in at a respectable 3 1/2 years, but who's counting, other than my optometrist?

I suppose I'm suffering from sticker shock. The last time I bought glasses, I got a complete set with feather weight lenses and sunglasses for $150. Okay, okay, you've got me. I confess, it's been longer than 3 1/2 years. I still feel light headed about spending so much money on the glasses, but what else was I suppose to do? I bought a cheap pair of frames, but the lenses alone cost almost $200! I didn't even buy the top of the line, latest technology lens. Just the standard feather weight with no extra coatings. Makes me feel like getting LASIK.

I think I finally understand why those online eyeglass stores are actually useful. Something I'll have to keep in mind for next time. If there is a next time. I'm already determined to make this pair of glasses last at least 5 years. At least that way the cost will average out to a respectable $60 a year.

A Day at the Beach

Just a mere 3 hours from our humble abode is a
small island that contains just a bit of paradise. We decided to make a push to visit it before Tanner's absolutely insane summer schedule starts, and since a native assured us that May was really the best time of the year to go, we went.

The morning dawned at around 6:15, but Tanner was really tired, so I decided to let him sleep. I got up, finished loading the car (Tanner had loaded all the heavy stuff the night before) and made sure that we had plenty of sunscreen. Then I made a couple shots of espresso, woke Tanner up, grabbed a couple of pillows while he put the girls into the car, and away we went.

I drove since it was daylight. Tanner slept in the car until Houston at which point I shouted, "Help! I'm lost!" I really don't like Houston. It has about 5 skylines, so no matter which way you are pointed, you think you are heading toward city center. It doesn't help that it has TWO beltways and about a dozen tiny freeways going in between the beltways. With Tanner's expert help, and I must say he's much better at navigating than I am, I managed to get through Houston and in just a few short hours we were passing NASA.


I was really excited to do this trip because I found this great little oriental market, so I was able to make SPAM Musubi which is the lunch my mommy always made whenever we went to the beach in Hawaii. The only thing is that they didn't have the Hawaiian Nectar Sodas that we always drank, so I had to settle for Sprite, Gatorade and water. I wasn't sure if the girls were going to like the musubi which is SPAM fried in soy sauce and then sprinkled with Furi Kake and rolled in rice and dried seaweed. You know, as I'm writing the ingredients it does look really gross, but to me, it's the food of the gods!

So, we made it to our little bit of paradise by 10:30, and we scouted out the beaches to try to discover where would be the best place for the kids. The waves were choppier and higher than the last time we had been there, and there were surfers in the water, but when we finally got out of the car, and I sat on the beach and watched the waves just like my mommy taught me, I realized that they were only about 5 feet max, so I put on the kids' life jackets and took them to wade in the water.

We spent the whole morning splashing in the waves and Reagan couldn't believe her good fortune. I was actually ENCOURAGING her to get wet AND dirty. Wow! She was so thrilled. I've never seen a kid relish the dirt so much as she did this day. I suppose I should say sand, but the way she covered herself in it and rolled around in it, really reminded me of a little piggy trying to stay cool, so I'm going to call it dirt for now.

Lunch was a success. We brought this little tent for shade, so we all sat in it while we ate the musubi, chips and cookies. The girls topped it all off with a lot of Gatorade and then raced back to the hole they were digging in the sand. Then, Tanner showed them the seashells that were beginning to wash up onto the beach, and suddenly a whole new world of discovery opened up for them. They ran up and down the beach picking up every seashell they could find. At first there were only a few that were sprinkled along the beach, but as the tide continued to turn, more and more began to show up and the girls just couldn't keep up. They were panting by the time they filled three buckets with sea shells. Kate was so disappointed when at the end of the day we told her that she could only take a few sea shells home, but she was very good, and picked out her favorites without complaining.

We took a little break in the afternoon. Tanner loaded everything up and then we found a Starbucks which he was in desperate need of, and I wasn't about to say no to. Then we found The Strand which is in the historic part of town. There was this toddler size chess board that the kids had a blast playing at, and then we found a toy shop with a lot of stuffed animals. Reagan had some money left over from her Tutu, so she bought a stuffed turtle. Then we all had ice cream before heading back to the beach.


The rest of the afternoon proved even more mild than the morning. The surf became even more gentle, so this time we even let Georgie splash in the shallow parts. She's a beach bum, I think. She just loved the water, the sand and the kelp that was scattered across the beach. Between those three things, I had a difficult time keeping stuff out of her mouth, and she did manage to get a handful of sand a couple of times, but I trust no serious damage was done.

The funny part or maybe not so funny is that I kept trying to let Tanner rest, but every time he laid down with one of the girls, they would either poop or pee. So, he kind of spent the day changing diapers.

So, is it hot out?

That was the question my mom asked Kate today while we were video conferencing. Kate's reply was, "No, I'm cold." Now for those of you that don't follow the weather forcast for CS, it has been in the high 80's and low 90's for the last 2 weeks, and today it finally dipped down to 82. But, when it is 82 with a slight breeze blowing, it's possible to go outside to play, it's possible to make it through the day without eating a popsicle, and it's possible to buy ice cream at 2:30 in the afternoon and bring it home in the trunk of your car. So, technically, it is cold out.

While Tutu ate a bowl of cereal, my girls ate a bowl of ice cream. While Tutu turned the heat up in her house, I turned the AC to 73. While Tutu put on a sweater, I took off Reggie's clothes and let her run around in a diaper. But, to Kate, it's still cold outside.

It's too hot to bake cookies, so we made Jello. It's too hot to play in the park, so we went to a spray pad. It's too hot to wear a t-shirt and shorts, so we wear loose sundresses. But, since I let her wear tennis shoes today, it's cold outside.

Aaah, my children are going to grow up not knowing what it is like to stare outside and look at a gray, chilly sky and wonder if you should wear gloves. They won't understand the meaning of the words--no, you can't go outside today, it's raining. They will never hear the question, "is my nose blue?" Instead they will stare at the bright blue sky and wonder if they should just wear a bathing suit. They'll understand the meaning of the words, "no, you can't go outside today, it's too hot." And they'll hear the question yelled from the back porch as they race for the wide, freedom of the backyard, "Did you remember to put on sunscreen?"

Well, today was a pretty normal day. We tried to sleep in. Not happening. So a cup of coffee later I managed to clean up the living room, dust, vacuum, wash windows. Tanner got the girls dressed and breakfasted, and then we put them in the car and drove out to this little house in the middle of nowhere that wanted to get rid of a dresser for $20. Brought it home and distributed the girls clothing a little more evenly so that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to keep their room clean. Why do I keep fooling myself? I know that no matter how many shelves, containers and boxes I get their room will still be messy. Why? Because I'm their mom.

So, then after a yummy tuna salad lunch that Tanner made, I made a second cup of coffee and taught lessons. Tanner took the kids to a park and an ice cream. Swung by to pick me up and we went to register me for THEA testing on Saturday. Then I made dinner and ate with Tanner while the girls played outside. Tanner started to tear out their bedroom wall to insulate it, and I helped by caulking in the cracks and vaccuming up all the dust. Then Georgie started to fuss, so I nursed her until she fell asleep at which point my first evening lesson showed up. So, Georgie went into her crib and I taught. Unfortunately, Georgie doesn't like to sleep through my lessons, so I heard Tanner go in and pick her up. I heard the soft whump of the nail gun and wondered how he was managing to take care of Georgie and finish the wall. After I finished teaching my evening lessons, I found that he had put Georgie in her little jumper-roo. So, I picked her up and joined the girls outside for a few minutes and watched them make chalk drawings. Then I fed them. I sat down and rocked Georgie to sleep, put Reagan to bed, gave Kate a shower, found my half drunk cup of coffee, half a water bottle and a dirty bowl in the office. Cleaned the kitchen. And the day is done.