Tonsil Tango

In preparation for teenage girls, we had G-bean's tonsils removed. Now we don't have to worry about teenage boys and tonsil hockey! Just kidding. In reality, our sweet little girl snored louder than a chainsaw and packed tonsils the size of ping pong balls.

Thursday we made the dreaded trip to the hospital for G-bean's surgery. I thought that I was prepared, calm and collected. After working there for several years, I knew the drill and the people. It would be an in and out operation- literally! Not so. As I watched them pull away my firstborn in a little red wagon, I lost it. I did what every other parent did, cried and ate a stale bagel while staring at the fish tank. I am not a crier! Leave it to general anesthesia to bring out my emotional side. Don't worry, I pulled it together. And an our later, G-bean was kicking back root beer slushies with the best of them! Kids are so resilient!

Now she is enjoying her diet of Popsicles and Princesses. Yep, for the next 2 weeks we are quarantined. I have a feeling that soft foods and "shows" might get a little old. But until then, I'll enjoy the afternoon snuggles & movies. Thank goodness there are 3 different Cinderella movies.

Run for the Border

The only running I've done lately would be running for the border. With my pint size posse in tow, we headed to Mexico. R joined us midweek. AAAAAHH, sunshine, surf and as Jimmy Buffet would say "2 Pina Coladas, One for each hand"! It was our much anticipated annual family trip to the beach. Magnifico!

It's amazing how things change. Last year, we traveled with 6 week old E and 3 year old G-bean. This year, that sleepy baby was a maniac on pudgy feet. Two crazy kids, two busy parents, and one plan...pick a kid and keep up! The days were an blur of walks on the beach, pool hopping, tropical drinks, guacamole & chips, naps, good books, great catch up sessions with family, bananas flambe, sand castles, game nights, and great memories. Good for the soul and for the skin! I am proud to report it was an aloe-free trip. No sunburns for my peeps! It was a trip we won't forget, especially with the piles of sand we continue to find.

Polka Dot Party

First and foremost, I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to my bestest buddy, G-bean! To think that it was 4 years ago that she came down the chute fist first to greet the world. That's my girl...arriving in her own style! I can't believe how fast it has gone. Looking back, I wish I could easily recall every moment of wonder, love, exhaustion, frustration, cluelessness, laughter, tears, etc...but I can't. Maybe that is why I take so many pictures. I do take comfort in knowing that I lived and felt all of those experiences with my girl and hopefully she will remember for both of us. Because as we all know, kids have long memories!

I must admit, I still have those Martha Stewart aspirations for a fabulous B-day party. This year, things went down a little differently. We started the day with an impromptu breakfast party with R's parents and an aunt & uncle. R was making french toast like it was going out of style in the frilly apron G-bean assigned him. We had syrup flowing, balloons floating, and wrapping paper flying. Birthday bliss! This is where the story takes an unexpected turn. In the wake of our breakfast bonanza, we discovered that our birthday girl had some party decorations of her own...red polka dots.

In my calmest voice, I quickly requested that R google chicken pox. One must prepare thyself for the pictures pox patients are willing to post. Unbelievable! What a gift! One that she wouldn't forget in the itchy 2 weeks to come. After consulting with several nurses, it was suggested that we quarantine the G-bean. Of all things, it's her birthday. She has been wearing her birthday crown from school for 2 days and prancing around the house in all of her 4 year old glory...chicken pox really? It was then that our nurse went rogue. Although it was strongly recommended that we avoid the general public (including the doctor's office), our dear nurse cooked up a plan to sneak us in the back door for an official diagnosis. "Operation Party Princess" was on.

What I love about G-bean is that she thought it was an exciting event, which of course required the assistance of her gold glitter shoes. The commute gave me just enough time to mentally reschedule the next few weeks of our lives, prepare to have 2 chicken pox patients, figure out a calling tree for the 16 kids in her school class, and wonder if we started an epidemic that would make the 10 o'clock news by attending Disney Princesses on Ice with 3,000 other children. Germs!!! You become so much more aware of them and what carrier monkeys kids are when you have monkeys of your own!

With our covert entrance a success, G-bean's mysterious polka dots were diagnosed. Are you ready for this? It was a rash from the hot tub she swam in in Mexico. Exotic, but not contagious! Thank goodness, I was prepared for R to seal our house with plastic wrap and spray paint a skull & bones on the sidewalk. I was ecstatic while G-bean was as cool as a cucumber. She just wanted to finish the Dr. Seuss book we were reading. So, we sat in the back of the clinic, long after we were dismissed, giggling and reading the Cat in the Hat. Then with crown held high, we made our grand exit out the front door!

The story does not end with G-bean evading the pox. On our way home, she casually mentioned that she hadn't eaten any cake yet. Bullocks! No cake! So, my homegirl and I went to pick out the most fabulous ghetto Barbie cake from the store. We then headed home for yet another impromptu eating event. This time, a tea party with a hot pink Barbie cake, little sister, large dog, and dear old dad. Followed by some serious fort building. She was delighted!

What a day! Looking back, I am so proud of my polka-doted girl! There was no "but I wanted a pony" moment or disappointment because she spent the afternoon in the doctor's office. She had a great day and a grand adventure. It was then that I realized that I didn't have to provide all of the smoke & mirrors to make the birthday magic happen. At the end of the day, she felt special and loved. Plus, some of her best buddies hooked her up with her first two Barbies ever! From dress ups to plastic divas, our little girl is growing up!

Merely Mortal

Do you ever have those moments when you think to yourself "I am good"! Days where your energy surpasses Richard Simmons and your productivity exceeds a buzzing beehive. You don't mean to toot your own horn, but...TOOT! You contemplate changing your license plate to 'Miss Thang'. You feel like a superhero on pixie sticks. You almost hope the neighbor's cat gets stuck in a tree just so you can use one more power.

Well, today is not one of those days. I woke up feeling every inch the mortal that I am. How does one explain that to children, because the dark glasses and bathrobe in the middle of the afternoon aren't sending the message. How about "Kids, mommy's cape is at the dry cleaners. You are going to have to settle for Lois Lane today. Mommy will be moving slower and ignoring unreasonable demands and whiny voices. Maybe you could go watch Martha Stewart for a few hours and make a list of things for mommy to do when she regains her superpowers." Yeah right!

So how do I get my mojo back?! Any suggestions that don't involve a barrel full of diet coke (YUCK!), a riding whip, spandex unitard, narcotics, bottle rockets in my back pockets or Mexican jumping beans?

Bite Me

Today I ate an obscene amount of garlic in preparation for tonight. What's tonight you wonder?
Well, I am going to attempt to delve into the world of vampires that has all the mommies sqwaking and the blogs talking. It's this phenomenon called Twilght. I bet you have probably heard about it. I'm a little slow on the uptake. I have been somewhat reluctant to give in. My inner rebel wants me to go against the fang (I mean grain- HA! Freudian slip). I'm not quite sure I have the ability or desire to "fall in love with a vampire". But I was told to look past the nocturnal neck-biting creature and to enjoy the romance in itself. I guess the feeling of love is pretty universal... why not take a chance and sink my teeth into it? (Sorry the puns are just too easy!) Don't worry, I will use a wooden stake as my bookmark.

It's getting late. Time to walk on the darkside. I will now go and attempt to read this with an open mind & closed mouth (garlic breath).

Table for 2

Well people, I had myself a date Saturday night! Yes siree! I had been fantasizing about it quite a bit lately. Eventhough my husband doesn't read my blog, he finally got the message... "Happy Wife= Happy Life." Translation, R took me out on the town.

It was quite romantical (G-bean lingo). We actually had things to talk about (don't laugh). When you dust off your dating duds and decide that it's okay to sit at a table for 2, I start to get nervous. Will we have anything to talk about after work & kids or will we be that couple eating in awkward silence? Will I remember how to behave in an adult setting? One time I actually asked R if he needed to go potty before we left the house (Yikes!). Never fear, we had a million things to talk about. Things that don't normally get addressed while wrangling midgets and slinging slop. It was refreshing to remember that I have an opinion about the world, politics, Hillary Clinton's pant suits, religion, travel, etc. I don't think that Thai food is a truth serum, but it sure did the trick. R might have even made googley eyes (also G-bean lingo) at me.

Next it was off to a movie. Not only did it turn out to be an entertaining flick, but we also had great seats & tasty treats. Yep, my man showered me with peanut M&M's. It was a true test to my "mommy attention span" aka ADD to sit still for 2 hours and focus. But I was captivated and not just by my candy. To top it off, we did not recieve one frantic call from the babysitter with baby in background practicing higher octaves. SUCCESS!

It doesn't take much to dazzle me these days. Just an evening away from kids and time with R to make me feel like a LADY and not someone's mother.

My Girls

TADA! G-bean has broken the world record for wardrobe changes. She now changes her clothes a minimum of 5 times a day. We were hoping to temper that by threatening to make her do her own laundry. Her response was pure panic, horror and then she needed to go change again while she "thought about it". She is obsessed with hair. She wants long hair, because princesses have long hair (along with most of her friends). All of her stick figures have quite the manes. The other day mid-meltdown and out of the blue, she blurted out "I want to marry K. You told me I had to marry a boy- it's K and I love him." AHHHHH! Newsflash, aren't you a little too young to be thinking about this? She is giving us a glimpse of what she will be like as a teenager... borderline SCARY. She actually told R not to "freak out". Another favorite "It's just my problem Dad, I do what I want to do". Other than that, princess underpants reign supreme along with playing with friends, the color pink, band aids, Backyardigans, pigtails, climbing & jumping off of furniture, carrying E (big No-No), and macaroni and cheese. I love that she dons a Sleeping Beauty dress by day and sleeps with a Spiderman light by night. One of my favorite things about G-bean is her passion for fashion and life. She is who she is. She plays hard, loves hard, sleeps hard and starts all over again the next day.

E is officially walking and will soon be breaking landspeed records. Her little walk reminds me of Curious George minus the agile tree climbing skills. She has discovered babies and purses (not by my design). It's purely a function of having an older sister. She loves phones. She walks around with a phone to her ear saying "HI" (she doesn't get that from me either). She has been kind enough to greet me the past few mornings with a beaming smile and an explosive diaper. It definitely curbs my enthusiam for morning snuggles while totally grossing out R & G-bean, but how can I resist the little imp. She has become very busy. She pushes furniture around the house, unloads cupboards, and attempts to get her hands on everything & anything she shouldn't. She has a pretty good success rate due to her persistance and determination. She is also querky. She smiles as if she has an inside joke or hisses while giving you the stink eye. I'm convinced that I have seen E roll her eyes when G-bean is having a diva moment. Recently, she has learned to give kisses and gives them freely without discrimination (just ask Jack). It should make me nervous, but I love to hear my girls giggling wildly from another room. In the picture, they are loading up the jogger because G-bean has offered to take E on a trip around the world. E's job is to check the tires (with her teeth). My favorite thing about E would be her adventurous spirit and hands-on approach to life. No task is too small or too gross for the little one.

Well, that is our growing brood...each with their own attitude.