Just a chat...

With Santa!

Eli sat on Santa's lap twice this December. The second time I was able to take a picture. He requested a rocket, a robot, and a dinosaur.

Ella knows this was the REAL Santa. (Before she sat on his lap a baby was placed there and unsuccessfully tried to pull off Santa's beard.) She asked for a sled, hula hoop, and skis. She knows it doesn't snow here. Maybe she wants to visit Santa at the North Pole to use those presents?



Even Rhys sat on Santa's lap...

He asked for his Mommy.

What did you ask for?

nearly eaten alive

We had fun at the science and history museum this morning. Here are some highlights:

Eli saw himself getting eaten by a T-Rex!

Ella saw herself as a sharp tooth's dinner...

An alligator nearly bit off Ella's hand (good thing she is left handed =).

Have an adventurous day!

I love to run.

My husband thinks I'm crazy, but thankfully he supports me. In fact, he recently made my dreams come true by purchasing me a pair of these:
I am a solitary runner. My schedule has never allowed me to run in any neighborhood groups (There was one in particular back in Tucson that ran at five in the morning-crazy women.) but I know that I would prefer to run alone anyway. I love the peace I find running outside and letting my mind wander.

As a solitary runner I find it interesting that I receive a euphoric joy in running in huge groups of strangers. I love to run in races. From the moment I sign up for a race I am excited. The day of the race I am giddy.

Here in Southern Texas I have run in two events. The first was on Thanksgiving in the Turkey Chase. It was four miles of heaven.

Last Friday I ran in what was probably the funnest "fun run" ever. It was: The Lizard Who Stole Christmas fun run (Hosted by Lizardo's pub and sub). This run was at night and I talked Chris into bringing our children down town to see me run. What I didn't know was that there was no set course so they never found me. I did get my picture taken though:




You may have noticed my bright red legs. Those are my long johns-it is winter you know. I was happy to wear red on my legs and green on my arms but I found I was still underdressed for the festive run; people wore Santa hats, bells and Christmas lights. The leader of the group was in Santa shorts.

This run consisted of us following the man in Santa shorts as he meandered his way around downtown Corpus Christi. He led us in and out of bars, restaurants and even a hotel lobby. I was right next to this leader the whole run and I'm sure he made up the rout as he went, picking the bars that had the most patrons inside.

Did I mention we ran next to the ocean? So cool.

Our Castle

We recently celebrated the sixth birthday of Princess Ella. She requested a princess party, but not one like the princess party she had when she turned four. Here is how I pulled it off:

I began by visiting our local Lowe's and collecting refrigerator and washing machine boxes. These boxes are HUGE! I then took box cutters to them and made doors and windows in order to create a castle. Ella and Eli had a blast coloring the outside of it and playing inside it. (The castle was allowed to stay up until we got our Christmas tree.)

I made a castle for her cake.

Ella's birthday party was really fun. We started with some princess pampering. I did princess makeovers with lip gloss, eye shadow, glitter, and fingernail polish while the girls colored pictures to hang up inside Ella's castle.

Next we played games. Our first game was Snow White's Poisoned Apple. It is much like Hot Potato but when you get out you lay down and pretend to sleep. The winner gives everyone Hershey Kisses to wake them up. (Note the two princesses laying down in the picture.)

We then played Cinderella's Missing Slipper. Ella and Eli hid the mates to shoes in our back yard before the party and each princess had to go outside to find their missing shoe.

After the shoes were found we played Snow White's Wishing Well. Each girl had five pennies and a small jar. The goal was to drop the pennies from their noses into the jar.

Sleeping Beauty Says (think Simon Says) was our last game. Each girl had a turn to be Sleeping Beauty. It was extra funny because they kept forgetting and said Simon says instead of Sleeping Beauty says.

I'm rather pleased with the cake so here it is again...

Ella's real birthday was two days before Thanksgiving. As per tradition she had pumpkin pie instead of cake.

Ella is now six years old. She loves school, biking, reading, coloring, barbie, princesses, singing, playing with friends and playing games with her mom and dad.

I love you Ella.

The best treat

Halloween is one of the funnest holidays. I love all of the festivals and how the whole neighborhood/town/city celebrates together.

Our first party was the city's Boo Bash. There were games to play (such as grabbing eyeballs from a pool of water with a blind fold on) and inflatable obstacle courses to run through. I was happy to discover this was all free.

Next we had the elementary school's Fall Festival. The boys wore their costumes for this one. There were more inflated obstacle courses and games (plinko was a favorite). There was face painting and tatooing and friends from school to play with.

We then went to our ward's chile cook off and trunk-or-treating party. I didn't take any pictures of that but it sure was fun.

On Halloween we carved our pumpkin--we originally had two, but one went rotten way before we were ready to carve them.

Chris was ill on Halloween so I had the pleasure of escorting my children around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.

The best treat of all was given me while we were out trick-or-treating. I was stopped by a couple who was out with their children. The husband asked if I was the mom who roller-blades to school every day. I answered in the affirmative. Then his wife told me I am her inspiration. She mentioned that one day her son came home from school and told her that he had seen her inspiration at the library. It's fun to know that I'm so well known. It's an honor to know that I inspire anyone. What a treat!

Random updates

Ella has been having fun playing soccer this fall. The league here in Southwest Texas separates the girls and boys, only has three players on the field per team and has no goalies. Ella loves it and has become so much more aggressive. Last week she scored two goals.

I live in Texas. And if I learned one thing from the movie "Whip it" it is that when you are in Texas you either do beauty pageants or Roller Derby. As the neighborhood "Rollerblading Mama" it was fitting that I organized a g.n.o. to attend the Hurricane Alley Roller Derby. It was quite possibly the funnest night out ever. I think that in another life I was a Derby girl. (My Derby name is Hermione Danger.)

There are a lot of parks here and the weather is perfect 98% of the time. So my boys and I go to the parks often. Rhys thinks he is invincible. He likes to go head first down every slide.

We recently went to the Dr for our flu shots. Eli was not too keen on this idea and decided to hide from the nurse so that she couldn't give him his shot. When the nurse came in though he found the superhero in him and came out from hiding. He was actually quite tough and did not cry.

I had a birthday in September. My big present was our new butler Jeves. He is amazing. He opens and closes doors for me. He helps me back up. He says goodbye when we leave him. He gives me the freedom that I'd longed for since we moved to Texas. And Eli let me know that when we are driving around we are inside Jeves' stomach.

Looking For Dracula

I heard Ella singing this song the other day and thought it was super cute. I asked her if I could record her performing it and she was happy to oblige. Actually, she was giddy with excitement to be recorded.

Please click on the phrase below to watch Ella sing.

"Looking For Dracula"

r e s p e c t

I recently had a birthday. It was a big one. I turned thirty.

When I lived in St. Louis I had a good friend turn thirty. She was so excited to finally be a respectable age. It made me laugh at the time, but now that I am the one turning thirty it has made me laugh even more.

I have thought a bit about being thirty. Society would say I am now old enough to think about getting married--I married at the age of twenty. I remember the movie "13 going on 30" and the quote in it: "I'm thirty and flirty and fabulous." --This quote works fine for me, but I only ever flirt with Chris.

Most of all though being thirty makes me think of my parents. If I am thirty that means that they have been married for more than thirty years. I find this quite impressive. In fact I would say that being married for more than thirty years is respectable and plan on doing the same myself.

Anyway...

For my thirtieth birthday I had a pirate party. My guests all dressed up in their pirate gear:

We ate at a restaurant called "Blackbeard's" and ordered fried frog legs:


It was interesting. They were breaded and fried with the bones still in them. The sauce was great and tasted very Cajan. Chris explained it best when he said the frog legs tasted like a mix between chicken and fish. I had a difficult time getting past the fact I was eating frog and while I'm happy I did it I probably won't do it again. (Even Ella tried some!)


I had a great birthday.

the beginning

Monday was the first day of school. My big little girl started kindergarten. Sigh.

Because school here starts at 0800 and we walk/bike to school Ella has to wake up at 0630. (And I have to wake up earlier still.) She was very excited and very prepared. She had set out an outfit the night before and had me braid her hair so it would be curly.

Tada:

Here are my children eating breakfast at 0645.

Here they are getting some play time in at 0705.

At 0715 we are out the door, back pack on, and ready to go!

Ella rode her bike. Eli rode his bike.

Rhys rode in the stroller. I pushed him while roller blading.

On our way to school.

This is the "secret passage" (a wall blocks the view of the continuing sidewalk.)

Ella's bike, safe and secure.

Ella was still excited and refused to come home with me. Fine, go to school then.

The school allows parents to eat lunch with their children any day. Ella invited me to eat with her on day one. I was thirty seconds late because I had to sign in as a guest in the office. She was already sitting down with her class.

I almost left to let her eat lunch and make friends, but she jumped up and moved to sit by me at the guest table...all the way at the other end of the cafeteria.

She was giddy with excitement and told me everything they had done thus far. Then she noticed the note I had put in with her lunch. She just about bust a gut when she saw the smiley face I drew...

Ella left with her class after lunch. I just had to document that she is tall.

Eli really missed his best friend while she was at school. Luckily Chris had the day off and took him to the beach. They swam with jellyfish. Eli loved it.

The problem with school is that it is a recurring event. I'm fine sending my girl off to school for 7 1/2 hours every once in a while, but they want her five days a week! That is a lot of waking up at 0600. I'm more of an 0700 kind of morning person.

science/art fun

Today we did a fun science/art project. The idea came from Crayola.com.

You squirt liquid glue (elmer's) in a design onto your paper. Then you sprinkle salt on the glue. Then you use droppers to drop colored water (food dye + water) onto the salty glue.

You get to watch the colors spread across the picture as the water spreads across the salt. When the colors mix you make new colors. Science is cool.

See how much fun it is?

This was a big hit with Ella too.