B&B

No, we did not jet away to a romantic little cottage that catered to all of our breakfasting needs - even better!  Becky and Benton came to visit!  All the way from Portland. 

Upon arrival, Annabelle called both her aunt and uncle by the name "Becky."  This was not confusing AT ALL.  Over the weekend she differentiated a bit, but her "Benton" is still quite muddled and hard to understand if you don't already have a guess at what she might mean.  She did "know" them though, clearly remembered both of them from Christmas.  I am thankful that she is now at the age that she really knows and cares about her people.

Unfortunately, it was rainy and chilly pretty much the entire time they were here.  So much for providing them with a break from their usual!  They promised that they didn't mind, they were just glad to get to spend time with their niece and nephew.  Very polite, but I know Becky, and that Florida girl was certainly hoping for more warmth and sun than she got!

In addition to the crummy weather, I'm sure that they didn't appreciate the little 24-hour bug that Benton suffered while he was here.  Always striving to be a considerate hostess, I agreed to suffer the bug right along side him, for the exact same 24 hour period.  We still have no idea what it was, what caused it, or why no one else got it.  We missed church and were pretty lazy most of Sunday, but I supposed it could have been worse.

So those were the negatives.  Anything good about their visit?  Of course!  Sam truly loves to play with Benton because the two match each other in energy levels.  It is so wonderful to have an adult around who can keep up with him!  Benton is more than willing to roll the kids around on the bed and participate in pillow fights.  He will also host - and participate in - wind sprint, relay races and speed drills outside.  Both Sam and Benton exerted full efforts, both breaking a sweat.  Annabelle ran aimlessly into the street, totally missing the point of the wind sprints, and the neighbor girl slowed to a trot after only 2 turns.

We managed a few outings as well.  We took them for some quality TexMex - they have amazing food in Portland, a foodie's dream, but they do not have our TexMex - at a new-to-us restaurant that included a playground.  Our table was mere feet from it, which meant Sam was free to live there minus the 4 minutes he ate as many bites of taco.  Annabelle wanted to be out there, but was scared off by the sand.  That girl better get over her sand issue fast...

Saturday we took them out to a local brewery.  Yes, Katy has a brewery!  We timed it all wrong and ended up walking in during the hardest rain of the day.  We were all pretty wet, but no one seemed to mind all that much.  Yes, the kids tagged along as well.  There was food and music in addition to the beer sampling, and plenty of climbing fun until someone in charge shut that down.  Sam also enjoyed running in and out of the rain and screaming.  100% boy.

Monday, after we were all back on our feet, we sent Chris to work and headed to the strawberry fields.  I'd been trying to get the kids there for weeks, but with the rain and cold it just wasn't happening.  Having two additional expert berry pickers with me, we decided to brave the cold and give it a whirl.  turns out that 47 and breezy is a bit of a chilly experience for berry picking!  (please remind my children of that when its 100 and sunny when we pick blueberries this summer!)  Sam did great, selecting a bucket full of excellent berries himself.  Annabelle got fed up with the cold, the mud and her runny nose about half way through and cried and fussed the rest of the time.  Could also have been the conditions in the port-a-potty that were so terrible that she refused to go.  Didn't bother Sam, though.  Yes, I got to take them both to the port-a-potty.  Special times.

But we made it through in record time - the fields were virtually empty - picked out some candy in the store and headed out with our 20lbs of berries.  Not a typo, folks.  And as I type here 5 days later, they are over half gone.  Annabelle cried in the car the entire way to lunch because I wouldn't let her eat the candy before lunch.  BUT Chick-Fil-A fixes all kinds of wrongs, and everyone was happy a full after some nuggets and play time.

Sam woke himself up early on Tuesday because he knew they'd be leaving that morning.  He has developed the ability to rise early when he knows something exciting or important will happen.  We were all sad to see them go, but were thankful they came for a visit. 

HLSR

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  I believe that to be the official name.  "The Rodeo" is all one must say though, and I'm pretty sure everyone in Texas will know what you mean.  It is a part of life down here, not to be missed.  My son, a born Texan, does in fact ask to attend each year now.  So attend we did!

I took the kiddos with some friends this year - my friend Kelly to be exact.  Sam and her Leo have been thick as thieves since they were babies, and now that they neither live near each other nor attend school together, we make an effort to do these types of outings together.  Sam was thrilled to have a buddy along, especially for the inside stuff, which he deemed to be boring compared to the "outside stuff and the rides."  Really?  He found the carnival to be more exciting than the educational exhibits in a giant arena?  I AM shocked!

 

 

 

Annabelle appreciated more of the indoor activities, though, because several involved looking at animals.  Cows of various shapes, pigs of different sizes, bunnies, chicks, and my personal favorite, the animal L&D/Postpartum wing.  Yup, they group a bunch of super-preggo and just delivered animals together in hopes of showing off some live births.  I've never seen one, but I just love peeking in at the newborns.

And we rode the light rail again - Honestly, it was Annabelle who was most excited about this ride.  Her train obsession right now is fierce.  I'm glad she got a kick out of it, since she was only tall enough for 2 or 3 carnival rides.

We departed the light rail around 1:15 with two worn out kids.  I grabbed 2 happy meals, settled everyone into their seat and managed to keep them both awake on the 25 minute drive home, at which point I placed 2 tired and full kids into their beds for naps.  Mommy score!

As an extra treat this year, Chris and I went to the Rodeo as well!  We actually went on a triple date with some new friends from the neighborhood.  We took a hired car to Reliant, and despite it being 40 minutes late, that is a great way to go.  No parking, no waiting in traffic, no shuttles.  There's awesome rodeo action first, including barrel racing, bull riding, calf scramble, wagon racing and mutton busting.  The mutton busting is 5-7 year olds - Sam is unfortunately uninterested but one of the guys we went with offered to train our sons together if we can convince them!

The concert was Maroon 5 and I actually enjoyed it!  I'm  not much of a concert girl (Chris isn't into them either, we're a great match!) but I like this one!  I really knew the words to every song that was played, which Chris says is a testament to how overplayed they are on the radio.  Great seats, a chopped beef sandwich and some nachos helped, too.

It was a fun night out and a great chance to hang with friends.  Chris and I are contemplating some boot purchases, but we're leaning towards our 10-year anniversary in Texas before making such a commitment.  We're 8.5 years in...are we Texans yet?

Siblings

These 2.  Sam and Annabelle.  It sounds funny to say "they're getting older," because they are 2 and 4, still so very young.  But for the first time I feel like I have 2 KIDS.  Not a preschooler and a baby, but two kids.  Yes, Annabelle could still be considered a toddler and Sam a preschooler, but next year she is a preschooler and he is a kindergartner.  In a few months our world changes a bit, and I can see them both growing and preparing for it.

One of the ways I am really enjoying watching them grow is in their sibling relationship.  They have always been fascinated with each other, but the fascination is slowly being replaced by a real relationship.

At times that relationship looks like a friendship.  They have favorite games to play together now.  They love to ride their Cozy Coupes around the driveway together.  One day, when the weather was nice enough to leave the doors and windows open, they played in those cars for 20 minutes while I was inside cooking dinner (one point to life on a suburban cul-de-sac, that would never have happened at the old house!).  They were engaging each other, playing WITH, not just near.

 

Another favorite of theirs is to play in Annabelle's crib.  She, of course, loves it because that is where Paci lives.  He loves it because it is a special privilege to be allowed to climb in with her.  But really, neither would stay long without the other.  They will hang in there for a long time together - I think our record is pushing an hour.  

One morning Annabelle called to announce that she was awake.  I went in to get her and she shunned me, demanding to see Sam.  The next day, when she called for him by name, I sent him in to greet her.  They were in there at least 20 minutes before either bothered to ask for me.

 She asks for him when she wakes up from a nap, and gasps with excitement and announces "Sam Side!" (Sam is inside!) when we drive past the preschool.  She has been known to walk to the back door and declare "Get Sam" when he is at school.

He is taking well to the big brother role, in all aspects.  He is my helper in potty training and her helper in times of need.  Two days ago when she was stuck in a giant indoor play structure, he hear her cry (yes, he recognized her cry) from one level up and when to pull her up with him.  He pulls her into his games and imaginative play, he likes to feel "big" when we let him in on "our side" of the story and he gets to play along in helping her to learn something.  And sometimes he yells at me for punishing her.  "You cannot yell at my sister!"

And sometimes he throws her under the bus for crimes they committed together, and sometimes he hits her on the head because she put his helmet on.  And sometimes she screams at him, or just in general so that we blame him.  "Annabelllllle!" and "Sam, NO!" are heard regularly.  And part of me gets frustrated, and part of me knows that this is all part of a real sibling relationship that I have the responsibility of helping them to form.

When they fight over toys that no one has touched in a month, I want to scream.  But when they fight over my lap, all seems right with the world.

Annabelle At 2

What's Annabelle like at 2?  The quick answer: She remains a sweet, laid-back, go-with-the-flow, loyal child.  Although she is beginning to show her two-year-old colors through temper tantrums and "NOO!", those are still the qualities that still describe her best.  Her tantrums are a riot though - throwing herself face down on the floor, but only if its carpeted.  She literally stopped herself mid throw-down the other day when she realized she was on the driveway, straightened back up and continued to cry in an upright position.  Kinda hard to take her seriously on that one!

She is a cuddler.  Just before bed each night she gets "pacis" (her pacifier) and "bwanky" (her blanket) and curls up in the "wap" (lap) of whatever loving adult is putting her to sleep.  She snuggles in, turns her head and balling up her blanket to make a little pillow and hangs there as long as you let her.  She would prefer the same treatment when she wakes in the morning and after nap, but our schedule doesn't always allow it.  But you can be sure that if I accidentally make a lap at any point in the day she will push her way onto it and stay until asked to move or Sam distracts her, whichever comes first.

She mimics everything that we do.  If I kneel down to look at something, she kneels down next to me (which, of course, is unnecessary since she is so short!).  When we play on the floor, she copies the position I'm sitting in.  She follows Sam around copying all of his play.  She spanked her own hand the other day after throwing some food on the ground.  She looks at me to hold her hands in the same position that I do.  Yesterday I was attempting to lay down the law with Sam and she sat down next to me and start wagging her finger at Sam, just like I was doing.  I couldn't contain my laughter and lost that opportunity to train Sam's heart.  Sigh.

 (Sitting quietly, listening to story and instructions at a Little Lights service event with mostly elementary schoolers.  Later she found a group of 2nd grade girls and sat herself down in their little circle.)

She is still mostly indifferent towards tv, but that may be largely due to the fact that we are often watching Sam's shows, which are a bit over her head.  She does love Elmo and Thomas - to the point that she calls out for each of them if they are not on the screen for more than 10 seconds of their respective shows.

 (First Princess Movie, Little Mermaid, for Family Movie Night)

Fortunately, her love for Elmo is helping us in her Potty Practicing.  We have an Elmo doll that has various potty-related phrases, a cup and a potty of his own.  He lives in the kids' bathroom, and he is often the motivation to get her to sit on the potty.  Well him, and of course the nini. 

She is into trains, insists on a "Choo Choo Nomas" (Choo Choo Thomas, or Thomas the Train) at dinner every night.  She loves to push Sam's cars around and steal his trucks of his shelf. 

Lest you think I am raising a total Tomboy, let me detail her girly side for you, too.  She loves shoes and has an opinion on which pair she wears on most days.  She frequently points out her shoes to people we run into throughout our days.  She loves to have her toenails painted.  She likes to wear "ju-wee," particularly necklaces when Mommy has a noticeable one on.  She loves to take care of her baby dolls, and is trying to sing them "Rock-a -Bye Baby" but she doesn't yet have enough words so she just says "rock-a-baby" over and over again.  She is newly-fascinated with princess.

When she runs, she almost always yells.  Not in a mad or annoying way, just "ahhhhhh" as she hustles along.  You add the bounce of her toddler run to the yell and you get an adorable sound.  Recently, though, she prefers to gallop than to run.  Really, she gallops almost exclusively in the house.

She loves to jump.  Occasionally she hops around the room chanting "jumps jumps jumps jumps."  She steals away to the trampoline in Sam's room whenever she can, often resulting in a fight.  She has started jumping off of her new name stool, first announcing her pending feat with "Watch-ah Mama!" or "Watch-ah me!"  She still needs work on her two-footed jumps, but what she lacks in skill she makes up for with enthusiasm.  

Her talking is improving, mostly in the past month.  She is making an effort to repeat many of the words that we say and does so on command when specifically asked.  She can speak in two to three word sentences and generally communicate her wants and needs through combinations of words and gestures, but much of what she says still require translation by me and Sam.  There is also plenty that she says that the two of us still don't understand.  She makes many of her words unnecessarily plural, and leads into many phrases with "ah."  We are encouraged at her progress, but I do still feel she is a bit behind compared to some of her peers.  We will re-evaluate in 6 months.  In the mean time, some of my favorite Annabelle-isms:
-"Sam, No!"
-"Stops, Mama"
-"I Okay"
-"Wuv You, Mama"
-"Pwim-Pwence" (Princess)
-"Nini" (Candy)
-"Weady, Gooo!"
-"Bye, Sam Oood Day!" (Bye, Sam.  Have a good day!)
-"Onne, Twoo, Onne, TWOOO!"  (she can't really count past 2 yet, but loves to count down to an exciting moment)

She is still petite.  Today she weighed in at 24lbs (16%) and 33.5 inches (34%), which puts her at a BMI of 15 (14%).  Her 18 month clothes are too short (except dress, which we turn into tops with leggings!), so she is mostly in 24 months or 2T.  She wears a size 5 shoe.  Her hair is filling in and is still as curly as can be, but still relatively short.  Even when its wet it doesn't stretch beyond her neck.  Everyone comments on it, and it looks so much better in humid weather.  She has multiple hair products just for her.  She has her Daddy's eyes - blue-ish green with a blue ring around the outside - and her Mommy's baby cheeks.  I find her to be absolutely beautiful.

We're still hoping that some day she gets all her teeth.  Neither the pediatrician nor the dentist is concerned, and she doesn't let it hold her back from chewing anything.  Interesting tidbit - when your two-year-old is teething, she tells you "mouf ouchy" instead of crying inexplicably.  Handy!

Likes:
-Animals
-Playing with Sam
-Being Included in Big Kid Activities
-Cuddling
-Candy
-Choo Choo's
-Shoes

Dislikes:
-Most Vegetables
-Being Left Out
-New People, turns out she's a bit shy.  She is braver if Sam is with her.

Celebrating Annabelle with a Paw-ty!

Yes, last Friday and Saturday marked Annabelle's second birthdays.  About 6 weeks ago that notion seemed completely unfathomable, but I have begun to come to terms with it.  More on Annabelle at 2 later this week, but for now let me show you how we marked the special occasion!

The festivities began when Gommy and Papa arrived on Wednesday evening.  Sam was permitted to stay up late for their arrival and rode with me to the airport.  He sat still and silent in the back seat while the bags were loaded so that he could yell surprise when they got into the car.  No small feat for my boy, and it was cute to watch him work so hard at his surprise.

It is important to note that Annabelle mastered the ability to pronounce Papa's name over Thanksgiving.  She recognized his voice in the recorded storybook and named him in pictures - specifically.  She had no word for Gommy.  So she and I started practicing about a week before their arrival and she'd gotten as far as "Gom-ky."  By Thursday at lunch, it was clearly and loudly "Gommy" and she has been asking for her (well both of them) by name ever since.  What a relief for Gommy!

After a play day on Thursday, we were ready for an awesome 2-day birthday celebration.  Friday morning started early with a donut breakfast.  My kids have a particular love for those things, and they usually eat the frosting off the top first.  I can't blame them.

We all loaded up for a trip to the Children's Museum, a favorite outing for both kiddos.  I'm glad I had extra adults with me because I have rarely seen the museum that crowded.  Holy field trips.  We made the most of what we could and headed home for naps.

After naps we met up with Daddy for dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse - the kids loved it over the summer, the food and the entertainment.  Unfortunately, this time the fire terrified my daughter and she spent most of the meal in someone's lap.  The "Special Birthday Treat" was also a bit ho-hum and the ice cream went un-touched.  Oh well.

Back home for presents, and there was no disappointing here.  This year's present opening extravaganza (which admittedly extended beyond one night - too many presents or not enough attention span?) proved that my girl is no longer a baby.  No only did she officially grasp the concept of a present, that they are fun to open and generally contain someone she wants, she was truly interested and wanted to play with each item she opened.  And they weren't baby gifts.  My favorite moment has to be when she was wearing her new espadrille sandals (still one size too big), her princess cape and scootering down our front hallway.

It is so much fun to watch someone truly enjoy their new gifts.  New shoes, outside toys that will allow her to keep up with Sam, a new fish.  Annabelle is now officially, suddenly interested in "Pwim-pwences" (read: Princesses), so those gifts were more of a hit than I anticipated as well.

Saturday morning, after an 8:30am soccer game - yikes!, was the big Paw-ty.  My animal-loving daughter scored herself a Puppy Party.  We ended up with a great group of 2-year-olds, their older siblings and their chauffeurs - er, parents.  Everyone seemed to actually enjoy the activities I planned, and some of the food was even eaten.  I always have too much party food!

So, what makes a 2-year-old's party a Puppy Party?  Well naturally there was a Puppy Cake created by yours truly.  I think it turned out pretty great, perhaps my best "shaped" cake yet.  Unfortunately, after the fire scare the night before at dinner, Annabelle was a bit afraid to blow out her candles.  We had even practiced blowing out candles!  I decided not to force the issue at a party and let the always-eager-to-steal-the-spotlight older brother do the job for her.

There were other puppy-themed snacks as well.  Candied dog bones (store-bought Scooby Snacks I dipped in candy coating and sprinkles), Pink Puppy Chow and Bread Stick Dog Bones.  Yes, some of the snacks were served in dog bowls, which Sam and Annabelle have since adopted as cereal bowls.

What would a Puppy Party be without a puppy of your own?  I say no party at all!  So each party guest adopted their own puppy and decorated them to make them truly their own.  It was a solid call on my part to forgo the fabric markers in favor of washables - they are two, after all, and at least one mom went home with marker on her white pants.

Next up was the opportunity to make your own puppy ears!  A simple craft geared towards the 2's, coloring and stickers onto paper-shaped ears that the parents helped them staple to a headband.  I think the kiddos looked pretty cute, even if they did only wear them for a short bit!

Outside was the puppy obstacle course, with last-minute adaptations to happen on the driveway instead of the muddy backyard.  Each kiddo got a puppy sticker for finishing the course.  Some had the extra obstacle of crawling around Leo, who was using the last tunnel as a deer blind for target practice with the Nerf guns that the big kids had pulled out of Sam's room.  Ha!  They even managed to take turns on the slide...mostly.

Finally was "Digging for Dog Bones" and it was a HUGE hit.  Turns out all those preschool teachers out there really know what they're doing with those "sensory tables."  I filled our water table with rice and buried some dog bones marked with different colored shapes.  Find a matching shape and earn a stamp!  With Papa in charge on the stamp, though, I'm not sure how many had to find a match to get that stamp.  Those two-year-olds had a blast pouring and scooping and working their hands through that rice!  Score for the party-planner!

And then it was time for everyone to go home.  I am very pleased with how it all went off.  I am very pleased with the fact that the Birthday Girl really enjoyed herself and everything I planned for her.  I am thankful for friends and family who joined us to celebrate our Baby Girl - because it turns out, I really love celebrating her!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl, I love you!