Overheard

Around 8 pm, in the car on the way home from a week long stay at MeMe's and PaPa's:

Mallory scratching her ear.
Mommy: What's wrong with your ear?
Mallory: Nothing.
Daddy: Do you have a booger in there?
Mallory: No.
Mommy: Do you have bump on it?
Mallory: No, I think it's just from my breakfast. Maybe it's just my strawberry strudel.

Short week

It's going to be a sparse week for me in Blogland. That's because on Tuesday we are meeting my parents to hand over the kidlets for the week. Then, on Wednesday, Shawn and I are jetting of to NYC for a client meeting and then a mini-vacation. We should be back on Sunday night assuming we don't decide to run away and join the circus.


Mom and Dad, hope you are prepared to let the kids move in. Just in case.

Distracted

I was distracted by the newspaper on Sunday morning and forgot about the cinnamon rolls in the oven. Once I saw these, I realized that they are just a symptom of a bigger problem. I've become a little too self focused the last few months. I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. Forget cleaning up after the heathens that live in my house, forget finishing up that report for work, who cares about how high the grass/lawn has grown, the piles of laundry can just keep on growing for all I care (okay, maybe I've stayed on top of this one ... but I've thought it!).

But, we all know that it's just not possible to continue to subsist in this manner. So, I am fully recommitting myself to focused activities. Right after I get back from NYC. Yeah, that gives me a few more days to finish up my procrastination.

Don't you hate it when ...

Someone parks this close to your car? So close in fact that you can barely open the car door to put your darling little boy in his carseat. Leaving you with only choice in the matter ... to leave a little present on their door panel. Yeah ... don't you just hate it?

New assistant

Mallory asked me to watch her little Lambie on Wednesday while I was at work. What I didn't know is how good of an assistant she would be. She typed up some notes for me and even made all of my copies. I need to take her to work more often.

Impromptu

Mallie and True had an impromptu breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. Oh the crumbs, but they had a great time.


I cherish these times that they are "lovey" with each other as they are getting few and far between. I can't tell you how many times over the course of the last few weeks that I've heard screaming and "he is touching me" or screeching from Truett because Mallory has pinned him to the floor. Now I understand the need for Calgon.

Home grown

We tried our hand at a mini garden this year. When I say mini, I mean minute ... as in only two tomato plants. I figured we'd start off small you know ... see how it turns out. And maybe next year, we can go wild and crazy and add another veggie or two.

So, the plants were put in the ground a little late in the season but have started to take off. Lo and behold, on Wednesday evening we got our first cherub tomato off the vine. Mallory had the honors.

Cancellation

I blogged a few short weeks ago about Truett needing a speech evaluation. We had three choices for the evaluation:

1. Go to a private practice. Not our first choice as ped says it is not usually covered by insurance.
2. Go to Baylor's Our Children's House. Preferred option per ped since it's covered and it more like a private practice.
3. Use the government-run program, Early Childhood Intervention. This is a good option, but we were told that it could be weeks/months before we get an evaluation and there would not be as many therapy sessions as Option #2.

So ... we decided to go for #2. I faxed over our info/referrals, etc. and anxiously awaited the call to schedule an appointment. Well, they finally called a few days ago and we scheduled for July 21. But ... and it's a big but ... the insurance coordinator called today.

Our financial portion of the evaluation: $550.

My heart dropped. This is exorbitant and I just cannot do it. I feel guilty that I think this is too much money for a speech evaluation. $273/hr, wow (I wonder what the margin is on that?). I've struggled all afternoon wondering if it really is worth the money, but no matter how I look at it I just cannot justify that amount when I know there are other less expensive (but I am told, just as good) means of obtaining the evaluation.

So, we are back to square 1. And option #3. Cross your fingers that we get an appt sooner than later. On the other hand, True has made great progress in the last few weeks. He is even starting to speak in phrases. So maybe a delay won't hurt.

Home improvement: master bath update

I had been mulling over what our bathroom vanity would look like if it were painted. But, I had been too chicken to do it. Or, maybe just the thought of the work involved was off-putting. But, knowing I had a three-day weekend over the Fourth of July must have invigorated me because I stopped at the paint store on the way home Thursday and bought two quarts. I went to work right away ... and this is what we have:


I don't have any before photos on this computer, but trust me when I say it looks 1000 times better. The ivory cream that was there had started to chip along the doors. And, instead of being ivory creamy it was more like dirty dingy.

I am still on a quest for new door hardware. I've bought and returned two sets. Maybe the third time is the charm? We are going to take at trip over to Elliott's Hardware to see what we can find. I think of it as door hardware nirvana. There are hundreds of pulls to choose from. Oh ... it's just about heaven for someone like me.

Shawn even worked in there for me this last weekend and installed lights over the bathtub. I am finally getting rid of all these black holes in the house. The bad part of that ... I see all the dust bunnies. I just can't have my cake and eat it too, can I?!

Birthday boy turns two

I said I would write about True's birthday several weeks ago (who's kidding ... it was more like a month or more ago) and I am just now getting around to it. That's partially because the pics from the party are on the "good" camera and I am admittedly too lazy to pull out the cables, etc. to download them. But of course, Tracy called me out on it so I had to spring into action.

So, now all you lucky viewers get the pictorial version of True's party. And only from one camera. So, I'm sure you're missing out on a lot. But, it's better than nothing, right?
!

Follow up on the Fourth

I went into the fourth not feeling great. Sore throat, snuffy/runny nose, ringing ears. I think I may have picked up the strep that Mallory was diagnosed with earlier in the week. Regardless, I decided to pick up a home improvement project. More to come on that later in the week.

On Friday, I told Mello we may meet them at Hawaiian Falls (a local water park). But, I woke up just not feeling it. The stuffy nose and aforementioned home improvement project had something to do with it. Wish I would have felt better, but I couldn't imagine sitting outside in 100+ degree heat with my head issues (no jokes here, please).

But for the fourth, we stuck close to home (and the neighbors). The day started off with the annual Fourth of July Parade. Mallory woke up on the wrong side of the bed and avoided the camera like it was the plague. True didn't know what he was in for.




I was sorely disappointed in the parade. It has been much better in years past. After the parade, we spent the rest of the afternoon in our neighbor's back yard. They had their Sunday school class and some other friends over. It was miserably hot but had a great time. I don't say "we" because Shawn spent most of the afternoon at home. Truett was tired and needed a nap, and to be honest, Shawn did too. The boys finally came over around 3ish and hung out until we decided to come home just after 4p.


We spent the rest of the night hanging at home. I would have liked to go see fireworks, but all the heat had sapped my energy and to be honest, True needed to go to bed. So, it was a pretty uneventful fourth. I am counting that as a good thing though.

Happy Birthday, America

Hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe!) July 4 holiday!

Building houses and updates

Mallory is really into building things these days (see previous post on blocks). I came in the bedroom the other day and noticed she had confiscated Truett's clipo table. This is her version of a house. Unfortunately the side you are looking at is the garage (the other side looks like the Taj Majal) but you still get the idea. She even made bunk beds and a chair to go inside. She's just brilliant.

In other news, Truett's speech evaluation was finally scheduled for July 21. However, I'm starting to doubt whether he really needs it. In the last week he's had quite the verbal explosion. He's had a large number of new words and is even using sentences (don't want those shoes, mamma or want cookie, mamma). But, I will wait on the insurance office to let me know how much my portion of the evaluation will be before I cancel. Daycare still says he's behind all the other kids so he still may need a little help to catch him up.

I'm off today for the July 4th holiday. Hope you all have a good one!

Funning feeling

Do you ever just have a funny feeling and not quite feel "right?" That's how this week has been for us.

• Truett: We can't keep up with the runny nose. He's waking up early because he can't breathe. And have I said anything about the whining lately? Yeah ... I think he might be going for a world record of whineyness.
  
• Mallory: Has had a tummy ache off and on since last Saturday night. Of course, she has learned how to use sickness to her advantage. Maybe she's just playing us?!
  
• Mommy: Headaches, stuff nose/sore throat, aching foot (I fell and twisted it last weekend).
• Shawn: Well ... he's about the only healthy one around here these days. On second thought, maybe he is sick in the head. He's been doing some things around the house for me (installing lights, etc.).
  
• Mickey: See the picture. Need I say more? He's been hanging around since June 7 and I can't believe he's still alive. I think his time with us is coming to a close though. Peace out, Mickey.
  

It's a good thing the July 4 holiday starts tomorrow. I need some rest (and a good BBQ).

Engineering

We've been building castles around our house lately. Well ... let me clarify. Mallory and I have been building. Truett has been playing the wrecking ball.


Mallory keeps telling us that we need a new house because the one we live in is old. Hopefully this home build house will suffice.

Like I was 13 again

A few months ago my friend Robyn suggested we have a grown-up slumber party. We discussed and decided to do it this past weekend. So Saturday night around 7p, I packed up my backpack and headed over to Robyn's house ... just like I was 13. Except this time I could drive myself there.

She lives in the cutest little cottage and has a wonderful cottage garden. I wish the plants around my house looked like hers - lush and blooming.

After we all got there and got some of the excitement out of the way, we had to decide what exactly we were going to do. First, we went out to eat at Cheddars. I think Melody and Robyn would have passed this important step and just snacked at home. But I was STARVING. Did I say that loud enough? I was starving, really. Withering away. So ... off we went. I was in heaven since Cheddars has a Monte Cristo. That really made me think back to high school when we would go to Bennigan's after each and every Friday night football game. I would order a Monte Cristo and a Death by Chocolate. Great memories. Of course, I am still wearing some of those to this day. I wonder how many calories all of that food had in it?!

Hey Melody, I am proud that you remembered the neck technique. I will tell Tracy that you have it down pat!

After that, we headed back to Robyn's house and stepped into her own personal video store. There were so many movies that we had a hard time picking one. Instead of the chick flick, romantic comedy that you would have expected three girls to choose we opted for something a little more serious - The Changeling. Great movie, by the way. We grabbed our brownies and creme puffs and settled in for the movie.

It was 1:30a by the time the movie ended. Melody, the youngest one of our group I might add, was already having trouble with drowsy eyes. Robyn and I were just getting started though. Since Melody was about half out of it Robyn and I made the executive decision to watch Center Stage. Yet another American classic ballet/love story. One of my favs since I know half of the dialogue and all of the songs. Luckily for me Robyn is way into it as well.

Finally, at 3:30a, it was time to go to bed. We roused Melody and made up the pull out couch. Mello went out like a light. I had to lay there for a while and settle down. Unfortunately for me, Robyn's house has like a thousand windows. No exaggeration. All of them very clean ... so that the sun streams through very early in the AM. About 7:45a I finally gave up trying to sleep and called it a day.

Robyn and Melody roused themselves around 8:30a. We looked, as my mom would say, like the last roses of the summer. There is a reason you stop pulling all-nighters when you hit your 30s. I had momentarily forgotten that though.

So ...here it is Monday night and I'm still recovering. I think it's going to take a while.

Can you imagine?

If she's already saying this at 4.5 can you imagine what kind of driver she's going to be at 16? Lord help us all!

Truett: 2 year stats

So True finally had his two year check up with the pediatrician on Wednesday. Here are the stats:

• Height: 34.5 inches (50%tile)
• Weight: 26.1 lbs (30%tile)

He's gained quite a bit of weight since his 18mo checkup (about 3-4 lbs). He's pretty much perfect, except for his speech. Shawn and I were counting up the number of words that he uses on a regular basis and could only come up with about 25 (which means there are probably at least 35 - 40). Although he's still on the bell curve, the ped was a little concerned as he's been slow to develop in this area. So, she is going to send us for a speech evaluation to see if he needs a little therapy. I'm all for it if it will help little man communicate better. He gets very frustrated when he can't tell us what he wants. Heck ... I know a lot of adults that do that too (um, maybe moi?!).

Anyway, that's the long and short of it. I can't believe he already turned two. The days are flying. I sometimes wish I had a contraption that would slow it down to a reasonable speed. I'll be sure to put inventing something like that on my ever-growing to-do list. Wish me luck.

Water fun

Mallory is our own little Esther Williams. She loves anything and everything to do with the water. Truett on the other hand is slowly being intoxicated by the coolness that summertime water play offers.

We have a blow up pool that Mallory uses during the summer, but the kids (Mallory and neighbors) get in and out of it so much that Shawn often has to let the water out of it to clean it up. But, that didn't seem to stop the two amigos on this day.

Green thumb, after all

I've been known to kill all green things. At one point in my formative years I seem to remember the family joking about it. But, I think I've come a long way in the last few years. I submit this hibiscus into evidence:

I counted 15 blooms on it. 15 y`all! I just adore looking at this plant. The kids do too. Mallory likes to pick flowers for me. Truett is a copy cat. I have finally convinced them to leave this one alone. Especially since they killed the few remaining pansies I had earlier this year. I did like having those pretty purple flowers in the house though. Getting flowers from the kids is like my own badge of mommyhood. I must be doing something right.

Lullabye

Truett is a loving soul. He always wants to make people feel better ... usually by giving kisses. Almost every morning he crawls into our bed and gives me a hug and a kiss. If I am asleep, he often tugs on me, crying "mama" until I wake up and give him what he's after - the coveted kiss. But no matter how he gives it, whether by kiss or hug or a tug of the hand, he seems to want to soothe people.

So this weekend while playing in his room, I looked over and he was soothing himself and the gloworm. Just dancing his little heart out. It was so sweet that I couldn't let the opportunity pass by to record it (of course, using the new iPhone!). I wish I wouldn't have been facing the window so the vid was better, but you get the idea.

Zoo-prise!

Last Sunday, I woke up thinking that we didn't need to waste the day sitting around. So, I corralled us all and we headed over to the Ft. Worth Zoo. This could have been a dicey situation since the weather was supposed to be sunny and 97. But, thankfully, outside of a few snaps between all of us, it turned out okay.

It's about a 45 - 60 min drive to the zoo from our house. We piled in the car about 10:45 and within about 20 mins of leaving Mallory informed us that she wasn't feeling good. What does any good mommy do in this situation? Tell her to close her eyes and go to sleep. One day I will figure out a remedy for car sickness.

Once we got to the zoo, all the "green" was gone and excitement was in the air. Mallory has been to the Dallas Zoo but she was only 2.5 at the time. True has never been. So I am really counting it as a first for both kids. It won't be the last.

They absolutely loved looking at the animals. Here are some of our favs:

All Mallie could think about was seeing the giraffes. True was enamored of the bear. Probably because he was reacting to us while all the other animals were sleeping or too hot to pretend we were even there. See what I mean below? That's a sleeping gorilla.

There aren't many pics of the kids because neither were in a "picture" mood. Hopefully this passes soon. You know I love the camera.

New

New hair.

New glasses.

New me?

No. Needs more improvement.

I'm a thief

We had Mello and Gang over last Saturday night to partake. She took all the pictures and some of them were too good to not steal. So, I am pretending to be Robin Hood ... steal from her and share!

Mini me

I've been curling my hair the last few days .... just for something different. I've fallen into a rut. Mallory seems to think she has too because she asked to curl her hair a few days ago. She is just so darn cute. I love that she wants to be just like Mommy.

Sorry for the dark after picture. It was storming outside and Shawn didn't turn on the light to take the picture. You can get the point though. And, we need to train her hair to curl better. It had all fallen out by morning.

Galveston overview

Our trip to Galveston was a mixed bag for two reasons:

1. Mallory is in LOVE with the beach and water.

2. Truett ABHORS the beach and water.

I think we all had a pretty good time though, even with the hiccups.

Sunday night we spent in the hotel pool. I wish I had taken a picture of it because it was beautiful. Swim up bar and all. Hotel Galvez is my new favorite place to stay in Galveston (and not just because it has a bar IN the pool). Beautiful rooms ... great location ... but the food was so-so. We had a Gulf View room ... and you can see what we got (below). Would have been better to get a room on the front side of the hotel (rather than the side) but I could live with this since we were only there for two days.

Sunday night we knew we needed to eat because we are a family that does not miss meals. But, we were so tired and didn't feel like paying $40 for a steak in the hotel restaurant or trying to hunt down a good restaurant outside the hotel. Can you say lazy? So we ordered room service. I find this to be absolute decadence. Bacon cheeseburgers all around! There wasn't a table to eat on in our room, but Truett didn't seem to mind.

I was a little worried about the beaches, but it was obvious that sand had been trucked in they were in beautiful shape. On Monday, we rented an umbrella and two chairs and planned to stay there all day.

Truett spent most of his time lounging in the beach chair. When he did get up, he HAD to have his shoes on. Or he screamed. Really loudly. Lucky for us the beach was almost deserted, otherwise there would have been a lot more people who thought we were subjecting our child to abuse. Mallory ran all day long. From the sand to the water. Up and down the beach. She was just in heaven.

So I said earlier we had planned to stay on the beach all day. But ... as always happens, plans change. Truett needed a diaper change around 11:30a so I walked him across the street to take care of the situation. He fell asleep on the bed. Sweet peace! Finally, around 1ish or so he woke up and we decided to get a late lunch/early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. We went there last year when Michele and I went visited Galveston so I knew the food would be good. The unknown was how the kids would react to the "thunderstorms" and animals that move/make noises. Mallory was scared to death of it last year, but did great this time around. Truett held on to my arm for dear life during the thunderstorms! Food was delish ... and we ordered a volcano for dessert.


And that was the end of Galveston. On the way back to Dallas, we stopped at Buc-ees (yes, it's spelled that way) for a pit stop. It's a huge roadside spectacle in Madisonville. I ordered us some lunch and we picked up about $40 worth of junk food. Maybe we went a little overboard in retrospect. Anyway ... they have all kinds of crazy things around this place, including this family of fluffy bears that were out front. Being the dedicated Baylor Bear that I am I needed the kids to take a pic with my kin-folk. True cooperated, Mallory not so much.

And that about wrapped up our trip. A little too fast and not enough beach! Next time I will make sure we are there for three or more days. But, had to get home to take care of Truett's birthday party. That will be coming up in the blog soon ... very soon.