Rosies and Posey

Here's a short clip of the kids having a little fun on a Saturday morning. Notice the jammies. As soon as the sun hits their windows, they are ready to either jump or swim. And I'm still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I can't even remember when I had so much energy. Just watching them tires me out.

This week was a tiring week. And for no reason in particular. No BIG events. Bri was in town, which doesn't default to him being home that much, but still, nothing out of the ordinary. I must be getting old and washed up (like Chuck!). Oh no!

But before I allow myself to get too worked up over this, I have to remember that Abram is just leading into toddlerhood (or jumping into it, rather. both feet. and right on my face quite literally.). I remember that I was plenty exhausted when my girls were toddlers, and that was in my early twenties. So perhaps this too shall pass. That must become my mantra. It too shall pass that Abram wiggles out of my arms and down the aisle at church because he now recognizes that Dad is up front and that everything shall stop that instant including the speakers while he storms the pulpit. And as I have him firmly in my arms, he goes limp and slinks down until his Sunday shirt is hiked up around his neck and his baby belly is exposed to the whole congregation. And this is a boy who will not go quietly. Naturally he is contorting his body and raising his voice in protest. His other method is to stand just next to me while casually playing in the aisle with cars and trucks making audible but still subtle car noises. Which on its own would be fine. But he mosies away little by little, until he makes a mad dash for the front. How is it possible that someone who just learned to walk can make such a fast break? Enigma! If it weren't for Jill and her mini marshmallows we kept shoving into Abram's mouth, we surely would not have made it through sacrament meeting. My experiences with Abram truly make my girls' toddlerhood seem ever so rosy. Even Santi's, and I never thought that was possible. I thought that girl had prepared me for every possible scenario.

I know however, that I will remember these events fondly and with laughter. And I think I will have the pleasure of looking back feeling accomplished. That somehow (and I'm pretty sure that it's by Grace only), I survived not only childbirth, but toddlerhood. That I was refined, made stronger and more brilliant because of each of my children. And certainly more patient. Which may quite possibly come in handy, say around the teen years. But who's to say, really.

But I am not the only benefactor of Abram's new stage. Watching this video reminded me that the girls are definately maturing and learning to nurture their brother. They are such a blessing. And in times like this, they take him for a few minutes so I can get breakfast on the table. Best setup ever.

BedHeads

I took this video by accident. I was trying to immortalize the image of Bri wiped out by playtime with his son. I wanted a snapshot but didn't realize that the camera was set to video. As soon as Abram heard the lens focus, he was jarred out of sleep. You can see a little confusion in his disoriented look.

San Antonio or BUST!

There are 3 things San Antonians don't mess around about: the Alamo (Seriously, you could be shot on spot. Except that the courtesy sign just out front of the door does say to remove hats and leave firearms outside), the Riverwalk scene, and the Spurs. And of course, Pace Picante Sauce which is made by folks in San Antonio who know what picante sauce is s'posed to taste like. So on our most recent trip there, we had to get our pic in front of one of America's most iconic images of the west. Which we did in the rain. So forgive the bad hair.
Here are a few pictures of the girls at the Riverwalk. I actually really like it. Before moving here, my only memory of the Riverwalk was from the movie "Cloak and Dagger." Which was really scary, in a sort of 80s uber-paranoid conspiracy sort of way. But our trip was quite refreshing and a very nice break from the daily grind. It was Abram's first trip to the city and after a few skeptical minutes of the Rainforest Cafe animals, he really took to it. He decided that the gorillas were in fact very funny and nothing to be suspicious of as he initially thought. So it was fun for all.

Beware: lots of pictures follow, but I just couldn't help wanting to remember all that I can of our family trips. Plus it's proof to our sure to be melodramatic teenaged daughters who will likely accuse us of never allowing them to do anything fun throughout their entire lives. I'll have this.

There's nothing like Guinness

The record book, not the beer. Or maybe, I don't know. Anyway, while en route to San Antonio, we realized our plan to go to Sea World was quickly diminishing (as Sea World San Antonio closes at an unbelievable 6pm in the off season. And to what "off season" could they be referring? This is South Texas which translates to....WARM!) So we had to come up with an alternate plan and quick. Fortunately, the girls were just stoked to be in the city. So that worked out. Right across from the Alamo was the Guiness Book of World Records Museum. Hilarious. There are various records held that no one in their right mind would have the time nor inclination to conceive. It killed me. I hope you can read the record that Brian is practically hurling over. It's next to the picture of Bri trying to hook up with me in the Love Chair while being photographed by our eight-year-old. Now that is super classy.

Hands On

Here are pictures of our trip to the Children's Museum. The girls LOVE this place and we haven't visited since I was prego with Abram. So we were overdue. There are a lot of hands on activities that kids usually only dream of. Plus the kids love to be in the city. It's something we miss so much about La Jolla. A trip to the nearest city with all of its amenities (like museums, theater, zoos, etc...) is now 4 hours away from us. (This is where BIG FINN taunts us to come back to S.D. If only...)



There was a special exhibit called Jump to Japan. The kids were able to dress in kimonos, serve tea and rice cakes as well as create their own anime movies and ride on this catbus thing. I didn't really get the catbus, but Santi seemed to like it.


I love this picture of Abram(s). This aquarium was in the tiny tots section of the museum. He loved the fish so much I thought it might be fun to get an aquarium, and then I remembered that, however little, there's still maintenence involved. And I'm not doing that. Carpool, homework, dance class, swim practice, musicals, and diapers...I've my fill for a while.

Riding the Bull. Feeling the Flow.

Toreras are tough and that's NO BULL! There was a family festival going on right outside the museum and the girls couldn't resist trying their hand at bull riding. We are in Texas afterall. The kid-sized bull was awesome and I think they did pretty well for their first attempt. The only things missing were chaps and fringe. Although, I don't think we'll ever be that committed to Texas.

RETRACTION!

I unwittingly entered the world of political punditry and I've already been called out. An RNC representative (actually it was BIG FINN, but it sounds much better this way), phoned this morning and told me I made a mistake in my last post (Walker, Texas Ranger) regarding Presidential candidate John McCain and Chuck Norris. Turns out it was Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee (Shauri's fav) who had Chuck appear behind him at a political rally. This got me thinking that in such a heated political climate, some offenses may have been made in my implication that it was lame to recruit a less than shining star like Chuck Norris to publicly back your campaign. Therefore, apologies all around: first) to the McCain campaign, I'm sorry that I implied you were lame enough to recruit a washed up actor to further your campaign; second) to the Huckabee camp, I'm sorry that you were lame enough to recruit a washed up actor to further your campaign; and last but not least) to Chuck Norris, I'm sorry you're lame and washed up.
So hopefully I've made ammends and everyone involved is satisfied and sees that I am just trying to report current events in a fair and balanced way. No spin zone. Peace.

Disclaimer: I'm sure that Chuck is a very nice man. And seeing as how he's posed in this picture with Old Glory, I hope my criticism of his acting doesn't make me unpatriotic. I can prove my patriotism without having to be wisked off to a secret locale to be detained indefinately.

Walker, Texas Ranger

In case you don't watch mediocre (at best) syndicated TV dramas on USA, there is a show called, Walker, Texas Ranger, featuring everyone's favorite action hero, Chuck Norris (who can also be seen on stage behind the Republican candidate for president, John McCain at political rallies which is a smart move, because Chuck's celebrity status is through the roof.) Honestly, I've never seen it and this post pretty much has no relevance to the show or Chuck whatsoever except for the coincidence that Abram is now walking and we live in Texas (and I thought I was funny). Actually, we live in Texaco (and that's a story for another time since this post is supposed to focus on our son's monumental accomplishment of walking).

Well, Abram didn't really show much interest in walking since he has two adoring sisters willing to carry him everywhere he wanted or didn't want. When he doesn't want their attention and smothering, it carries with it a look of cruel and unusual punishment. The poor boy has worn all sorts of dress up stuff including hair clips and glittery hair gel (proof below). I'm too tired to do anything about it anymore. I'm settling on the hope that it builds character and that when his wife asks, "Honey, does this look OK?" he can respond with an honest answer.

Back to the walking: about two weeks ago, he started taking a few steps at a time, which in hindsight is probably what I should've captured on video. But it was usually when I was alone and couldn't convince him to do it on camera. So with Marin's help, I am able to post a video of a few steps to show the doting grandparents. Although crawling is still his main form of transportation, he'll likely be turning that corner very soon. And I couldn't be happier. Seriously. Yesterday he crawled away and ate fries and a chicken nugget off the McDonald's floor at playgroup. Yah, he'll be getting sick any day now. Nice.

Get A CLUE!

For Family Home Evening on Monday, we tried something a little different. We played Clue Jr. and had a great time. It's a really cute version of the original and far more simple for little ones. "Who dunnit?" Someone had a piece of cake with a drink! How DARE they! You have to figure out who ate the cake, with which drink, and at what time. A mystery for the ages.
So we dressed up like our chosen characters (sort of). Bri was Col. Mustard, although he looks like a mix between Col. Sanders and Boss Hog (I told you he owned a cowboy hat). Plus the paper eyebrows and mustache are sure to make all ladies swoon. Marin was Mrs. White, sporting an apron with broom in tow. Santi was Miss Scarlet adorned in all sorts of jewelry, and I was Mrs. Peacock. I'm not sure who Abram was, he pretty much just grabbed at all the pieces and put them in his mouth. Seeing how this would dramatically hamper our game, we turned on a Baby Einstein DVD. He was satisfied. As it turns out, Miss Scarlet was the culprit. She ate the cake, with a swig of apple juice, at 4:00! Marin and Santi sort of simultaneously uncovered the dastardly plan. It would've topped off the evening perfectly if we had cake and juice for refreshments, but I didn't think that far ahead. Everyone settled for cookies. But if we do it again, it's more fun to go all out. Which is what I suggest everyone do if you're looking for a fun Family Home Evening...Get a CLUE! (don't worry, we ended with a prayer and all)