She Likes Purple

Easter 2013

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, which I know may sound a little strange. I'm not a very religious person, but I do believe deeply in a few things and one of those things is the power of the people I love to make me feel wholer. 

I had a house full of those people this morning, and I felt it very good.

Including these little dudes, who dominated our egg hunt AND our confetti egg stash. 

We thought it might storm during our brunch and egg hunt. Sometimes Texas can surprise you in the best, most sunshiney ways.

I hope your day was just as warm, literally or otherwise.

***

Oh, and these beer biscuits that were on our Easter menu were DELICIOUS and you should make them immediately. 

My Easter Brunch Menu

I've hosted an Easter brunch and egg hunt for the last three years and it's one of my favorite traditions. Fine, it's because I serve mimosas. Guilty! Anyway, here's what else is on my menu:

(From left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4)

We're also having deviled eggs, fruit, and bacon. Juice and coffee, too. 

What are you having? 

The Best

Mike and I have finally begun putting together a living room we can be proud of. It's only taken four years to start this project and it'll only take (I'm sure) another four, but hell I'm calling any progress a victory at this point. 

In January, we painted the walls a nice steel gray, and we've bought frames for the many pictures we want to hang on them. Over our couch, we've decided to hang travel photos, just scenery shots, and it was such a fun ride through vacation memory lane, choosing which pictures we should display. We chose one from Puerto Rico, Chicago, St. John, Boston and in the middle we hope to find just the right photo from College Station. That might not be your vacation city of choice but all this travel, all this everything, began with that tiny Texas town.

Of course we chose a photo from the family roadtrip we took in the summer of 2011 (here, here). You might remember that trip if you've been reading my blog since then. We traveled through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and a tiny bit of Arizona for a family wedding. We took Kyle, then two and a half, and Molly, then (and now) a giant but lovable pain in the ass.

As I searched through the hundreds of photos from the trip for just the right one to frame, I remembered how we almost didn't go. My car broke down (to the tune of many dollars) the week before the trip and the day before the trip Kyle got a Mystery Fever. No money and a feverish child. Yeah, that screams fun family vacation.

But, against all rational thought, we took the trip. We packed the car, we booked a couple cheap hotel rooms, we filled a cooler with snacks and filled my laptop with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, and we hoped for the best. 

We ate burgers in Amarillo, drank margaritas in Santa Fe. We hiked in Arches National Park while watching a storm roll through one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen before or have ever seen since. Kyle threw up in the backseat on a particularly curvy Colorado mountain road but then we saw a deer inches from our car a few moments later, and he quickly cheered up. We visited the Four Corners. We graffitied the cars at Cadillac Ranch. We introduced Kyle to family he'd never met and we sat around the hotel pool with them, catching up and slapping mosquitoes against our arms. Mike's parents treated us to a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride above Gateway Canyons, where we stayed for the wedding. We off-roaded to visit Shiprock.

We also had this one giant fight, on a New Mexico highway late one night as Kyle slept in the backseat. It was ridiculous, as many giant fights tend to be, and Mike and I stewed quietly after it ended. I went to sleep angry. He slept with his back to me. We apologized in the morning, after coffee, a good night's sleep, and a strong dose of perspective, and we shared a family hug in our cheap hotel room before eating the worst continental breakfast we'd ever had.

There was also this beautiful moment on a straight stretch of road, driving out of Utah as the sun was setting one night. Kyle had just fallen asleep and Mike and I were talking about anything, nothing, I don't even remember. Maybe our trip, maybe stopping for gas, maybe Kyle. I think my favorite thing about my relationship with Mike, or maybe just my relationship with anyone I've loved so long, is the ease of conversation. You realize how rare that is, as you get older, when there is no anxiety or self-consciousness or even awareness of what you're saying. You just talk. It's like breathing, talking to Mike, and I realized on that Utah road that I was just so damn grateful we decided to say yes to a trip we nearly said no to. 

It was one of the most incredible trips, no weeks, of my entire life. It was magical, it was beautiful, it was exhausting, it was fun, even the fight, even the carsickness, even the bad felt good on that trip. 

We almost said no, but then we said yes. We hoped for the best, and that's exactly what we got. 

No other reason to write this than I just wanted to remember all of that today. 

(I plan to share the living room makeover when the room is done, of course. So see you for that in 2017.)

No story, I just really like this picture

Big Chucks, little Chucks.

Keep his little for a while longer, time. Please. 

A (Couple) Pins of the Month

I had a goal (on my to-do list this year) to choose one pin a month that's been gathering dust on my Pinterest boards and attempt to tackle it. It could be anything, really, from a DIY project to a local restaurant I've been wanting to try. Annnnd then I failed right out of the gate because January was pin-less. I know! But, hey. My list, my rules. I still get to cross that bad boy off if I finish 12 pins by December and since I did TWO in February, I'm back on track. 

Phew.

(I also might attempt Janssen's Pinterest challenge, so there's an extra six. I will basically own Pinterest by 2014.)

Pin of the Month #1: Dinosaur Egg Party Favors 

(original pin)

I won't quit my day job to create dinosaur egg party favors for a living, but I still think this was a solid attempt. Even Mike was impressed, and that's saying something.

I bought clear party favor bags (at Michael's), candy rocks (I bought 2 bags, which was a good amount for about a dozen favors), and tasked Mike with printing the notes (front and back) on regular ole printer paper. Then I folded evenly and stapled. I would have preferred a sturdier stock, but this was a night-before-the-party project, so. 

Pin of the Month #2: Kyle's Party Shirt

Turns out, I really like buying Kyle shirts to wear to his birthday parties. Here's a snapshot over the years. (Minus his third birthday, when I didn't buy him anything special except a few hundred balloons.) 

I pinned a few possible shirts for his party, and purchased the winning one about two weeks before his party. The seller was awesome and put it in the mail the day after I bought it, since I left a note about when the party was.

In fact, all the Etsy sellers I've bought his party shirts from over the years have been great. Here are links to each: first birthday, second birthday (we had a small family party, with a transportation theme, so this airplane shirt was perfect), and fourth birthday. 

I know, hitting purchase and calling that a Pinterest project might feel like a stretch, but I often (LIKE, WEEKLY) pin things I'd like to buy one day only to forget all about those things and wind up just dropping $50 at Target on similar (but less awesome) things instead. 

So, there you have it! One post with a lot of references to pins. 

A Week of Holiday-ish Activities

Refresher: My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew will be in Texas the week of Christmas. Instead of a month of activities, I'm going easy on myself (and my wallet) and putting together a week of activities while they're here. Subject to change the week of, of course, since kids are notoriously predictable in their unpredictability.

1. Make bead ornaments. (Maybe they can make a handful for friends, other cousins, etc.?)

2. Make and decorate Christmas cookies. I thought it might be fun for the kids to make some extras and...bring them somewhere to give to...some people. Yeah, I've clearly thought this kind act through.

3. Take a train ride! 

4. Let the kids color paper lanterns and then release them in our backyard. I'm about to make it a Tangled-themed Christmas! 

5. Candy cane hunt (stolen from Elizabeth who stole it from Jen)

6. Hot chocolate bar and then a movie (stolen from A'Dell; I have no original ideas)

7. Even though it'll be after Christmas, I'd like to take the boys to Barnes & Noble or the Target sale aisles and let them pick out an ornament or holidy book each. It can be the thing that reminds them of the Christmas they got to spend together since I'm not sure when it'll happen next.

Bonus! Paint pinecones. I kind of think if it's nice enough to hang outside at all that week, we should toss the kids in the front yard and paint pinecones.

There you have it! So much easier to pick seven activities than 25. 

Sweet California

The first mistake I made when it came to our recent trip to Southern California--a trip to spend time with friends and to take Kyle to Disneyland--was to tell Kyle we were taking him to Disneyland. I have absolutely no idea WHY I did this except sometimes I make poor choices.

This was made all the worse by the fact that we arrived on Saturday morning and our day at Disneyland was Tuesday. Kyle absolutely broke the record for the number of times a three year old has asked, "Are we going to Disneyland now?" in a three-day time-span. Thankfully we had the beach, a beach house with a pool, friends and their adorable kids, pizza, ice cream, and a bunch of other consolation prizes. Still, learn from my mistake, friends! Surprise your kids with Disneyland news the morning of. Or as you are walking through the turnstile into the park. That's an even better idea.

Anyway, so California! We got to vacation there! It certainly redefines sunny, doesn't it? It's sunny the way sunny was intended to be. Not sunny that makes you want to stab things (that would be sunny in Texas) but sunny with an ocean breeze, sunny with just a slight chill at night, sunny without any stupid mosquitoes, sunny with a view. Mike has never had much interest in California, in general. Until he met me, he had no interest in ever visiting, but I slowly changed his mind (so much so that we got married at Lake Tahoe, totally his idea) and now I think he's fully in love. A few days with 80-degree temps and beachy views, and he started saying, "Yeah, we should find a way to get rich and buy a vacation home here." (I'll get right on that! My plan: either lottery rigging or straight-up bank robbing.)

California was good, very good, and my only complaint is that California isn't where I am right this moment.

Let's get to the pictures, shall we?

He hated the water, every drop of it.

Closed-eyed pre-schoolers, ruining family memories since forever.

Just a few people at the beach in California, on Labor Day.

Not bad.

He said, "What is that big blue pool?" Poor Texan.

You are shocked I enjoyed some champagne on vacation, aren't you?

It's always disappointing when you order a "large mimosa" and are brought something like this.

 

Oh, hey! I got to hang out with (and drink delicious drinks with) some S. California bloggers, all ladies I really really love and get to see in November at the Blathering. (Woo!)

I was a little worried Kyle would be timid with the Disney characters. He's just sort of a timid little dude in new situations. (He gets that from both parents, actually.) But he LOVED the characters and he wanted to see them all. (Pluto eluded us until the parade.)

Kyle's first rollercoaster! He loved it. That kid continues to surprise me.

MICKEY! You really can't tell--Kyle looks like he's always hanging out with Mickey, no bigs--but his mind was blown. Mickey was his top choice and when we walked into the room to see him, I could feel his excitment.

All the boys on the trip.

Kyle and his Nana.

Friends' kids holding hands. I KNOW, RIGHT?

I hope Kyle remembers the trip as I hope he remembers all his trips--an extra bright spot in an already bright life. That's exactly what they mean to me.

We miss you already, California.

(All the delicious food we ate coming next week!)

Soccer Mom

Here's a piece of advice: if you've never watched three year olds practice soccer, fix that immediately. It'll be the most adorable thing you've ever witnessed and why deprive yourself of that much adorableness? (Although, you know, make sure it's your own child or a child you know and love so you can avoid being the stranger creeping on the the soccer field.)

Kyle had his first soccer practice yesterday and if you're wondering How the heck did that kid get old enough to play soccer?, well, YOU AND ME BOTH. I'm struggling to wrap my head around the speed with which he's growing, but it's still so damn awesome to watch him grow.

Thankfully, he's on a team with a few friends from school so instead of shyly watching from the sidelines (what I suspect his response would have been if he hadn't known any of the other kids) he jumped right in, listening attentively and adorably for the first half of class and then, well, breaking down into hysterical silliness with his friends the last half. "Oh look at him dribble so well! He's even correctly using the inside of his fo---no wait, now he's purposefully fallen down and trying to make his friend laugh by, wait, is he kicking himself?" 

As I kept saying to the other parents: Three year olds, right?

I'm also the Soccer Mom, as in the Team Manager. So far, all this really means is I'm in charge of organizing the end-of-year party. And, yeah, SOLD. I AM ALL OVER THAT. There is a Pinterest board just waiting to be started, let me tell you. Mike is the assistant coach, and this might be his proudest parenting moment to date. He played soccer all through school and when he was told he was going to be a dad, I bet "I get to be a soccer coach one day" was his first thought right after "well, Jennie's about to get even more emotional for a while. That's swell." One thing about Mike, though, is that he's really awful with names. (See the time he thought he dated Kelly Clarkson.) (Spoiler: He didn't actually date Kelly Clarkson.) I could tell he was trying hard to quickly learn the kids' names last night, but it was rather hilarious to hear him from the stands, "Great job....buddy!" "Awesome dribbling....you!" He'll get there, and Kyle will have a blast in the meantime.

Me? Well, no shock, I'll be the one tearing up in the stands.

He's just so big.

Perfect

I do this thing (maybe you do it too) where at the end of most days as I drift off to sleep, I survey all the things I didn't get done on that day's to-do list. Every day, there's something left un-crossed-off and those are the things I focus on at the end of most days.

I didn't do the laundry (again). I didn't buy more checks (for another week in a row). I didn't email that potential Style Lush sponsor. SHIT, THE WATER BILL. (Small Texas city, can you please embrace auto-draft bills already?) I also didn't paint those mason jars even though I bought those mason jars IN 2011 OMG JENNIE JUST PAINT THOSE MASON JARS ALREADY.

It's probably that I have too long a to-do list but it's also probably that there aren't enough hours in the day and then there's also the DVR I like to spend time with. Still, all the good reasons (and good TV) in all the world don't stop me from focusing on the un-crossed-off things on my list at the end of each day.

I am a perfectionist who will never be (close to) perfect, and no matter how easy it is to type that, it's impossible to swallow. It's easy to focus on what I don't get done on any given day, and it's just as easy to lose sight of everything else.

This past weekend, we drove a few hours south to spend time with our new niece. She was a week old, that delicious tiny baby, and I could have snuggled her for days on end. In fact, we did little else this weekend than lounge on the couch, watch Kyle play with his new train track on the hardwood floor and snuggle this new person who will one day be playing with her own toys on the hardwood floor but for the weekend just slept in our arms.

Kyle loved her -- "look at baby Ava!" -- and I loved her and Mike loved her and it's really beautiful to see a family grow and I don't mean that in the technical way, but it's just really beautiful to see hearts expand to welcome more people into the world.

Most days I kick myself over all I didn't get done (THE LAUNDRY, THE WATER BILL, MY GOD, THOSE MASON JARS) and then some days I lounge on a couch all weekend, snuggling a new baby I get to spoil rotten without every worrying about the ramifications of that spoiling while watching my sweet boy play on the floor and I think...I didn't accomplish a single thing this entire day and yet this day is one of the days I'll conjure up first when I begin conjuring up perfect days.

I'm not perfect, not even close, not even close on a good day.

But sometimes life is.

He Gets His (Lack of) Golf Skills from Mike

Whoa, you blink and a week passes between posts. I don't know how that happens either. Anyway, a drive-by post today to share some photos from Kyle's first mini-golf outing, from Memorial Day.

(Horrible photos courtesy of Mike's non-iPhone.)

Kyle would hit the ball something like nine dozen times before just picking it up, putting it riiiiiiiight next to the hole, and tapping it in. Then he'd shout, "HOLE IN ONE!" We'd cheer for him and tell him what an awesome golfer he was because there is time enough for giving it to him straight and that time is not at three, during mini-golf.

As we drove out of the parking lot, he said, "We should do that again sometime!"

Noted, my boy.

Seven Quick Takes

(My friend A'Dell does these "seven quick takes" posts from time to time -- she put one up last week, in fact -- and I'm blatantly stealing this idea from her because that's what you get to do when you're friends with smart people. Steal their ideas and then serve them cocktails so they'll forgive you.)

1. I actually meant that cocktail part literally. I made this lemon light cocktail for Kristie and A'Dell for Mother's Day, and it was delicious. Make one for yourself tonight because it's Wednesday and sometimes Wednesdays need cocktails.

2. I also posted on Style Lush about my (sad and pathetically) bare living room wall and how I need to do something with this wall before I just give Kyle a book of stickers and let him go to town. Anyway, I think I've very nearly narrowed it down between filling it with different canvas prints or a bunch of symmetrical (but very large) white framed photos of our travels. Anyone want to vote to sway me one way or the other?

3. I woke up terribly sick at about 2am this morning, and I was up most of the night and most of this morning awfully, horribly, miserably sick sick sick. I haven't been that sick since, well, Kyle. I'm not pregnant, no need to let your mind wander there, but oooooh did it remind me of being pregnant and it reminded me how sweet time can be, to make you forget how awful being that sick really is. (It is just so awful.) Anyway, I'm already feeling better, although not quite 100%, but I'm going to spend the next few days crossing every appendage I've got that my boys miss the puking bullet.

4. There are many posts flying around and pins being pinned about Fun Summer Activities, and while nothing really changes for my house this time of year it's no secret that I really hate summer. I loathe it, in fact. It's just hard to describe how miserable it can be here, especially coming off of last year's brutal summer. So, I'd like to plan some fun activities that help me enjoy the next few months instead of complaining day and night about the heat while never leaving the couch because it's JUST. SO. HOT. OMG. ANYWAY, all that to say, I hope to come up with my own Fun Summer Activity List soon.

5. I still owe you (as if you've been DYING for it) one last Puerto Rico post + the logistics and cost of the trip. That's a'coming! Soon. Ish.

6. Over the weekend, I was hanging up some clothes and Kyle came into our bedroom and said, "I need a hooker." I couldn't possibly have heard him right, so I asked him to repeat it and he said the same thing over. After many back and forths of "what do you need?" "A hooker!" I finally figured out that's what he was calling clothes hangers. This is the kind of entertaining thing you have to look forward to, moms of crying newborns. Instead of correcting him (that wouldn't be fun at all) I asked him to go ask Mike for one. So, he took off down the hall yelling, "Daddy! I need a hooker!"

(I just typed hooker so many times, the searches to my blog over the next few weeks should be fun!)

He looks sweet but the mouth on this kid!

7. These shoes are impossibly expensive but I love them.

Our Weekend in Oklahoma

We went to Oklahoma this past weekend and even though I've visited the state countless times before, I was surprised this trip by just how pretty parts of Oklahoma can be. (I know! I bet you're surprised too.) We drove out of Texas via 35N  into Oklahoma City right at the magical sunset hour, and there were sloping hills (well, hills by Texas' standards), green, green grass, and a really pretty sky. I also had a charming road-trip companion (that would be my kid) and he was a delightful, chattering fool the entire five-hour drive. He even chose the "pee on the side of the road instead of making Mommy hunt down a gas station at 10:30 p.m." option when he needed to go to the bathroom. Buy that kid a pony!

Once in Oklahoma, I stopped to pick up Mike (he had to head north before us for motorcycle race set-up shenanigans) and we then went to my grandma's house in Tulsa through Sunday morning. It was great to see her as it always is and even nicer for Kyle to have some time with her. We hung out, caught up, took in a local street festival, ate delicious food, and relaxed, mostly. (Side note: I also watched the Descendents on Saturday night and absolutely loved it. Totally lived up to the hype for me, refreshingly.)

I have a small, very spread-out family, and I promise it's only the latter that I struggle with. I don't particularly care about the size, I just wish we all lived on the same block. (Well, I wish that most of the time.) So, it's always like exhaling to be around anyone who loves Kyle like family should love him: fiercely, naturally, without pause. It's such an honor to introduce him (or help him cultivate relationships with) people who love him simply because he exists.

On Sunday, we drove about an hour to the motorcycle track and enjoyed a nice day of watching Mike be a total rockstar. He's completely in his element at the track, and I know both Kyle and I fall in love with him a little more every time we watch him zoom around on his bike. The weather was nice and cool and Kyle even got to ride with Mike during the spectator lap. (Don't fret! It's a lap intended for kids and family, and he rode on the tiny little pit bike, wearing a very secure helmet, going about 10 MPH.)

We watched a couple of the races from the bleachers and, adorably, Kyle can spot Mike's bike without me having to point it out to him, smart little dude, and every time he saw his bike coming around the bend, he'd shout at the top of his lungs: GO DADDY GO. YOU ARE SUPER FAST! The entire crowd was charmed by him. So was I.

As it goes in these situations, five minutes after we got home, I began planning a family camping trip for sometime this summer. (I think we'll camp in a cabin with A/C, though, just in case that declaration made you think I've officially lost it.) I love stealing away for some uninterrupted time with my family, and while every person has beautifully different visions of what family happiness looks like, mine looks just like that: showing my kid the world, tiny piece by tiny piece, holding Mike's hand, making memories as a trio as we go. (Molly is so pissed at me right now. Okay, Molly! You can come too.)

Some pictures:

More pictures (and video of Kyle dancing!) over here. 

My Christmas Plan!

I am stealing this idea from Elizabeth, Emily, and A'Dell. That's a lot of stealing. But, I like the idea of organizing my to-dos since Christmas is a blink-of-the-eye away. It'll also be easier to refer to this list instead of the usual list I create on paper and toss into (then lose in) my purse.

1. Decorate! We need to get lights on the house (ahem, Mike, ahem), a tree from Home Depot (where we've found the best tree deals to be), and the decorations down from the loft.

2. Create advent calendar and finalize activities. Last year we made an activity advent calendar (activities here), and I loved it, even though Kyle wasn't quite two and a little oblivious to the entire holiday season. This year, I hope he's excited about a few things. To make it easier on us, we'll just do the 12 days before Christmas. (Didn't get to this. Is a January Activites Calendar a ridiculous idea?)

3. Christmas cards. Get them, address them, stamp them, send them.

4. Make card-holding wreath. I am putting 11/27 down on my calendar as the day I create this wreath, paint some pine cones, and decorate the house. (Fail!)

5. Gifts for Kyle's teachers. We usually go with the old Starbucks gift card/homemade cookies combo. I'm not sure if I'm feeling any more creative this year. (We got them mugs filled with candy.)

6. Plan our Book Club holiday party menu, decorations, and music. I think I'll ask Elizabeth to be my simple design consultant and go really simple with the menu too: drinks, appetizers, and bite-size desserts.

7. Deep clean the entire house. (Of course it's already dirty again.)

8. Round up a group for the Christmas on Main Street events in a nearby city. (Fail!) 

9. Find a volunteer opportunity for the family. (Fail!) 

10. New Christmas pjs for Kyle. I love this tradition. Year one and year two, for oohing and ahhing.

11. Gifts. Oh man, what to buy everyone? I guess I make a list, pick out thoughtful-yet-reasonably-priced things and get to getting. We never buy much for Kyle, but I'm thinking this year we might get the cart, food, and cash register that's been a big hit for him at Claire's house.

12. Gifts for my Lush writers. (Purchased! Just need to send them.)

13. One nice, holiday-related date night. Mike and I have been insanely busy this year, feels like more than any other year, and I want one night to pause time with him. (I'm counting my company holiday party as our fancy night out!)

14. Plan Christmas Eve menu and pick out Christmas morning cinnamon roll recipe. We started a tradition a couple years back to do breakfast-for-dinner on Christmas Eve (or sometime around the holidays) and then cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.

15. Pick out a restaurant for my company holiday dinner. (Victor Tango's, baby!) 

16. Tea at the Ashton in Fort Worth. Very blatantly stole this (fantastic!) idea from A'Dell.

17. Look at lights on Christmas Eve. One of my favorites.

18. Take Kyle to visit Santa. Santa is usually at Mike's work, and I'd much rather go there then to a mall or some other soulless place, so that's probably what we'll do. (He would have none of this, and that's fine. He got a candy cane and liked talking about Santa, so that's a win in my book.)

19. Hot chocolate, holiday movie, snuggle. I'm putting this family fun night on the calendar for 12/23. WE WILL HAVE FUN BOYS.

20. Convince Mike to buy me a puppy for Christmas. I'm telling you right now, this one won't happen, but I'm going to work on my Wearing Him Down skills. I'll keep you posted. (NO. PROGRESS.)

Race Recap: Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest 5K

Last year, the Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest 5K was only my second 5K to finish, so it felt good to return to the course this past weekend and see if I could smoke my time. Last year, it rained the entire race (which I actually didn't mind) but this year it was the exact opposite: really sunny and really warm.

I've been training for my half-marathon with Kristie, but we're lucky to have other friends who run, too, and this group of ladies has dubbed itself the Running to Drink Team (fitting, right?). We run, we brunch, we laugh, we high-five. They're fantastic.

We even have our own signs bedazzled for us.

We all run at slightly different speeds, but Kristie and I took off at the start together. Pretty soon after that, though, she pulled ahead. It was hot, and I didn't want to force myself to go any faster than I could, especially not at first. I knew the run was going to end on a tough hill, so I tried to focus on that as I slowed down a little.

My initial goal was to finish under 33 minutes but not even a half-mile in, I didn't think that was going to happen. The sun! Oof, it was a bitch.

I somehow caught back up with Kristie around mile two, and that re-energized me to push on. On that last, horrible hill, I saw my friend's husband, holding the sign above, and it was then that Mumford & Son's "The Cave" came on, which pushed me over that hill, feeling pretty good.

Then, right at the finish, I saw Mike. All it took, and we finished strong!

Last year's time: 45:38 (a 14:41 mile)
This year's time: 31:17 (a 10:04 mile)

I shaved over 14 minutes off my time and over 4 minutes off my mile pace. I'm running another 5K this weekend (in addition to a five-miler) and I'm hoping to finish under 30 minutes, if the weather cooperates and everything else falls into place. Cross your fingers!

It was a hard but good run with an incredibly supportive group of friends around me. We headed to The Pour House afterward for oh-my-goodness-so-good food and cheap brunch-y drinks.

It was such a nice day.

(Well, until kick-off of the second half of the A&M game. Ouch.)

No longer chained to our house by babies or batshit weather

Kyle has become so damn awesome to hang out with. I know this feels like one more annoying endorsement for age two, but it's just that all these possibilities have opened up for us as he gets older. We can now take him places we used to pass on because of his then-age or (non-existant) attention span. I shudder thinking about dining out with him just a year ago. Oh, how times have changed.

Also, the weather is beginning to cool off, which means we can plan activities outside again. Do you know how much more fantastic life with a kid can be when you can actually leave the house? For extended periods of time!

(Lots more.)

A few weekends ago, we took him to a small local butterfly festival, put on by an organization some parents at his school are part of. I thought he'd freak out by all those flapping wings, but he loved every second of it, and he also let someone encourage a butterfly onto his nose.

{Bad cell phone photo! Oof!}

This past weekend we took him to get burgers and had such a lovely little lunch, the three of us. Then we took him to see The Lion King: 3D, his first in-theater movie, and it was entirely enjoyable, which stunned me. We asked him toward the end if he wanted to leave -- he was getting a little restless -- and he said, "No, we leave when it over." He also kept exclaiming, "Wow, what a big TV!" (We'll need to work on his whispering for the next movie outing.)

I know it seems so obvious to any parents who've been doing this for years and years but when your kid becomes less a screaming baby and more a fun little person, parenthood just indescribably changes and expands. It's still work, don't get me wrong for one second, but it's such different work and the rewards are a million-fold.

So, to inspire me off our couch this pretty fall, what are your favorite fall activities with your kids? I want to fill this fall with an insane amount of fun. Although, come on, it's us we're speaking of. Insane is part of the game.

Elsewhere: Surviving a Long Road Trip

I never really talked about logisitically mastering a road trip with a toddler (and a dog) even though I shared details from our family roadtrip trip here and here. Well, I actually did share a few secrets just somewhere else entirely. (Sneaky!)

Head over to the North Hills Hospital blog for some of my secrets.

That part about scrambling to find a hotel in the dead of night? Yeah. That happened. To us.

 

 

Roadtrip Details!

Blue was the drive there. Red was the drive home.

There being Gateway, Colorado, where we stayed for two nights to celebrate Mike's cousin getting married. All about the resort and what we did while there for another post. But, today, THE ROADTRIP!

Day 1

We stopped in Amarillo for lunch (we got burgers to-go from Coyote Bluff), made a quick stop at Cadillac Ranch and then got to Santa Fe around 6 pm or so. Each time we'd stop for gas or a bathroom break or at a rest stop to let Molly stretch her legs, Kyle would clap his hands and say, "WE MADE IT! WE'RE HERE!" Oh, sweet sweet boy, if we ever take you on vacation to a Texaco in far West Texas, go ahead and retract our Parents of the Year award.

Also, upon spotting mountains in New Mexico, Kyle said, "What IS that, Mommy?" with wide eyes. "Oh nothing, just beautiful landscape you'll rarely get to see because we're raising you a Texan, but our housing costs are really reasonable!"

Day 2

We got an early start (and a lot of coffee) and drove up through Colorado. Durango was beautiful, the mountains were spectacular, and the roads ... curvy. We all got a little queasy. Kyle got a lot queasy and puked all over himself and then needed a quick cuddle in the back seat before we continued on.

Poor guy.

We got to Gateway about 4 pm, after driving up through the beautiful canyons of Western Colorado.

Day 4

After breakfast in Gateway, we drove up and into Utah where there were no public bathrooms for many, many miles. MANY MILES IN ALL CAPS EVEN. I was reaching the point of having to either pee my own pants or pee on the side of the road. The GPS/Smart Phone wasn't being very helpful, either, to tell us where the next restroom might be, so it was getting pretty bad. (And I have an impressive bladder, you should know! I can hold it for Olympic-like times.) Finally, I made Mike pull over and I pulled my pants down on the side of the highway (on the other side of the car, of course), ass out for all of Utah to see. Desperate times and all. I got back in the car and Kyle said, "Daddy saw your butt, Mommy." Not the first time, son. Not even the first time in public.

We spent most of the afternoon in Arches National Park and, wow, if you ever doubt America is spectacularly beautiful country, go there immediately. It'll leave you speechless. Mike and I talked about  one day returning to camp overnight, when Kyle's older. It was my favorite part of the trip, I think. Just looking out on this vast world, where everywhere you turn is another postcard view. I loved it.

We left and drove through Moab and into New Mexico, to try and make it to the Four Corners before sunset. A storm and curvy roads slowed us down, so we missed it by five minutes and hadn't planned anywhere to stay. (Yeah. That caused the first and only fight of the trip, I can't lie.)

We ended up in Farmington, N.M., at a random Best Western. I fell asleep within five minutes of laying down.

Day 5

We got up and backtracked to the Four Corners where I kept yelling, "KYLE'S IN UTAH! WE'RE IN COLORADO! OH NO!" He looked at me, at one point, and said, "Mommy, no yelling." Oh, he's in for a world of disappointment if that's how he prefers it.

We then drove to Shiprock ... Rock? I don't even know what it's called! It was a sight Mike really wanted to see, and it was pretty cool, admittedly, this jutting rock in an otherwise flat land. Molly got to run around as far as she wanted, and she was fairly pleased. See:

From there we drove to Albuquerque through Gallup and then drove and drove and drove to Roswell, convinced it would be a funky little town with quirky people and places. No offense to anyone who lives or loves Roswell, but it was the most ordinary town I've ever set foot in. A local suggested we eat at Golden Corral when I asked where a tourist should stop to eat. Yelp! suggested Denny's.

We left, skipping dinner and not looking back, and we drove and drove and drove some more. The drive out of dodge (Roswell) and into Texas was actually kind of wonderful. Just today I read a piece in Grantland, an oral history of Friday Night Lights (and you know how much I love this show by now), and in it Sarah Aubrey, an executive producer of the show, spoke about one of the final scenes they filmed: "The sky is that only-in-Texas pink sky as the sun is starting to set." I choked up because, well, yes. I know that sky. It sounds funny, to say the sky is different in Texas, but it's just about my favorite part of the entire state. The sky alone has kept me here, at times, I think, and it welcomed us back home after days away. We grumble about the weather and a million other things but when we crossed that state line, we both smiled, we couldn't hide it.

We got home, late late late, and I thought Kyle would refuse his bed, pitch a fit and demand to sleep with us, after so many nights of sharing a room in multiple hotels. But, I laid him down, he looked at me and said, "Turn off the lights, Mommy."

So, I did.

One family vacation behind us. Many more ahead, I hope.

Miles & Miles

2460 miles, to be exact.

Our family roadtrip is over, sadly. Well, sadly for my heart but not-so-sadly for my ass. 2400+ miles of car sitting is serious(ly painful) business.

Anyway, I have 15 separate posts I want to write inspired by the trip but, sadly, a full inbox waits for no woman (to post blogs). I also leave again this coming Tuesday morning for a work trip to Comic-Con (that's not an oxymoron, I swear) so the posts may be spaced out.

Over many years.

The trip was unexpectedly fantastic, though. I knew we should go, for many reasons, but I wasn't prepared for how much I'd enjoy it. All that driving and cheap-motel-staying and toddler-entertaining and gas-station-food-eating and mile-marker counting sounds a little awful, right? And that's before I mention we took Molly with us. OUR CRAZY, TIGHTLY WOUND DOG. On a road trip for thousands of miles! I don't really understand us either. I emailed Jonna just today and said, basically, that this is why we can't have more children. Because we come up with ideas that drive us all mad. Beautifully mad, sure, but mad all the same. It really was exhausting -- on Thursday night, I laid next to Kyle around 8:30 pm to rub his back as he fell asleep and I woke up ten hours later, no recollection of how that had happened --  but it was also incredible, seeing so much of the beautiful states we visited and spending so much of that time just us four. Turns out, I really like my family. No matter how many times I said through clenched teeth, "OMG STOP WHINING RIGHT THIS INSTANT."

No matter how many family members I said this to.

(More than one!)

Here are just a few photos, from our whirlwind travels, and 500 more will be put up on Flickr before 2012. Also, look forward to the future trip-related post that will include the story of how I got naked in public. Oh, don't act so surprised.

Forget Fancy, We Have Fast

We had our rehearsal dinner at the Reno In-N-Out Burger. I was sure it was going to be a big ole disaster. We couldn't rent out the entire place -- or at least we couldn't for $20, which is what I offered them -- and we sure as hell couldn't make In-N-Out unpopular on a Friday night, so we got smart and planned our rehearsal dinner for mid-afternoon, during what we hoped would be a lull in the burger crowds.

It worked. We had 40-or-so people in that In-N-Out, and we all sat more-or-less together and the entire thing cost $200. (Natalie even had seconds!)

(Everyone in this picture was with us.)

After dinner, we hit up Reno for drinks and gambling.

It was a pretty fantastic night, that night before our wedding, so last night, the night before our fourth anniversary, we drove about a half hour to the newest craze in North Texas:

The lines were insane and I would have laughed in the face of all that insanity any other night but last night, when I was full of nostalgia (and hunger). We waited about an hour, in a very well-orchestrated line, and we paid $16 for our anniversary dinner.

Kyle even approved.

(He approved right after he covered his arms in stickers. Obviously.)

Mayfest & Mother's Day

Today was a really glorious day, including a fancy brunch with my own mom, a long afternoon nap, flowers and take-out burgers, but Saturday was a really special kind of day, the kind of day I plan to look back on often, especially on Monday commutes or Friday afternoon conference calls (those should be illegal, but they're unfortunately not). It was just a perfect combination of events that lined up to give me such a sweet and memorable day, including Kyle being oh-my-goodness perfect and Mike ditching plans he had for weeks in order to take me out to do something I really wanted to do, go to Mayfest, a local festival.

We forgot the stroller and had to walk what felt like miles to get to the festival gates, and then what felt like miles more around the festival, and it was hot and super crowded, so I assumed we'd regret the entire thing an hour in, but there was no regret. Just sweet memories, a happy toddler holding tightly to my hand and riding happily on his dad's shoulders, and festival ice cream and snacks to top it all off.

Kyle turned to me, as we boarded a little train to ride around the festival toward the end of the day, and said, "Are you excited, Mommy?"

You have no idea, kid. No idea.

(More Mayfest pictures.)

(I hope every mother out there had a beautiful weekend, too. Full of whatever it is that makes happiest: naps, mimosas, bad tv, festivals with your family, whatever. If you wanted it, I hope you got it. Because you deserve it. We all do.)