House of Estrogen

What Do You Know?

Earlier this week, my good friend C over at Brightenthecorner posted What Do You Know? - a game to post at least five things you know. Following in her footsteps, here are five things I know.

1. I know that I have some sort of civic black cloud of karma over me this week. On Tuesday, I got summoned for jury duty. On Wednesday, I got pulled over and received a ticket for an expired registration. The court dates for both are in the same week. Good times.

2. I know that the politically correct thing for me to say is that I will miss Elise horribly while she is at camp this week, and that it pains me to even think of my child being away from me for a week. That said, I can't wait. I think Elise will have a ball. I always loved summer camp as a child, and I know she will too. Also, a week of just two children in the house sounds so quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.

3. I know that I don't like Dunkin' Donuts. The Daylight Donuts near us went out of business, so we were stuck with Dunkin this morning for breakfast.  I don't like them. I don't know why it is so popular. They don't make good donuts.

4. I know that my poor husband was in a bike wreck yesterday and is pretty beat up. He injured his ribs and wrist, and is all scraped up on his face and back.

5. I know that round trip flights to San Antonio right now are only $160. I really want to go down there to see C and some other friends who are going to the Hill Country Hyatt in August, but J.C. is going to be out of town, so I don't think I can make it work. Wah.

So there you go... five things I know. What do you know?

If I Had a Spaceship...

This was Nina's independent writing for the topic of "If I had a spaceship..."

If I had a spaceship, I would fly to Texas. I would pick up Maggie, Will, and Rowan. I would go to the spa with the girls, and Will will watch football. He sits next to Jacob. I would be at Texas for a week.

That's my kind of girl! She's off to Texas for a week at the spa in her spaceship! Love it!

 

 

Fall Fun in Big D

Elise, Addie, and I headed down to Dallas this past weekend for a little fall fun with my parents. Why just two kids, you ask? Well, have you ever tried traveling alone with three? Yes? Then you understand. No? Then try it and let me know how it goes. Air travel with a toddler is not my idea of fun regardless, so adding in two constantly-bickering older sisters sounded like more than I was willing to tackle. In a lucky twist of fate, it turned out my choice of Elise and Addie was for the best in more ways than one. Nina ended up with a horrific case of strep throat all weekend. I felt horrible for her, but I was also glad she wasn't part of the traveling half of the family.

It was a nice trip. We did a little swimming...

where the girls decided to push poor JoJo in the freezing water.

We went shopping and had lunch at the American Girl Store and Bistro.... Elise's definition of a dream vacation.

We hung out with Bubba. My poor ol' Dad can't really travel any more, so the girls don't get a lot of opportunities to spend time with him. I wish they could have gotten to know him more before his hearing and vision deteriorated so much. We just have to take advantage of the time that we do have with him.

 
 
Of course, we went out for Mexican food... for my beloved nachos.

My personal favorite part of the trip was the visit to the Great Pumpkin Festival at the Dallas Arboretum. I've never seen anything like it! The pumpkin houses were spectacular!

 

It was k.i.l.l.i.n.g. me not having my good camera with me. I was surrounded by dSLR's with killer lenses for all the awesome photo ops while I snapped away with my sad little point and shoot. I had serious camera envy. Then again, it was so crowded that it was hard to get pictures without a background full of people anyway, so maybe it was just as well. It was clearly a popular photography spot. We saw two brides and three girls in their quinceanera dresses doing photo shoots along with loads of kids either in Halloween attire or (of course) their UT or OU outfits.

One of the girls being photographed for quinceanera was wearing a dress very similar to this one, and she had a doll wearing a matching dress. I thought Elise's jaw might fall right off her face. You would have thought that Cinderella herself stepped right out of one of those pumpkins. I'm just envisioning six years from now Elise trying to convince us she needs a quinceanera dress even though we don't have so much as a drop of hispanic blood in us.

In true Texas style, one of the brides was wearing white cowboy boots - love it! I may not live in Texas any more, but I'm still a Texan at heart. You know what they say... "You can take the girl out of Texas..."

 

 

We really had a fun trip. If you'll be anywhere near Dallas this fall, I highly recommend a visit to the Arboretum.

Nina seems to have recovered from her strep. She and J.C. made the best out of the remainder of the weekend once she was feeling a little better, and she knows she is on the roster for the next trip to Dallas.

 

Mamma's Been Traveling

I've been a bit absent from the blogosphere lately, in part because I've been a bit absent from home. Last weekend I took a spur-of-the-moment three day trip to Dallas to visit my parents. I am entering the world of the "sandwich generation", the group of people caring for both young children and aging parents at the same time.  My poor broken-back mostly-bed-ridden dad needed some company, and my tired, worn-out mom needed a break from the full-time care duties. I wish they were closer, so I could help them more. It is tough being across the country, and sadly, it isn't in the cards for them to move just yet. I was glad I was able to go though, and we had a nice visit.

This weekend, my traveling was of the fun, carefree, selfish variety! I drove a couple hours to meet up with my shopping buddies, J and H, as we do once or twice a year. I abandoned the stroller and pool bag in favor of an icy Dr. Pepper and GPS in the car. Instead of the Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, High School Musical filled playlist, my iPod was rocking Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Lady Ga Ga, and Glee. Dinner was grande margaritas and enough tacos and enchiladas to feed a starving nation rather than my toddler's favorite meal - edamame dipped in ketchup. The weekend was my me time.... desperately needed me time, I might add. I didn't miss the girls at all. Does that make me a terrible mother?  I don't think so. I think it makes me a mom trying to do her best at a tough 24/7 job who realizes that she needs a break every now and then. Most jobs come with built-in vacation days. Motherhood doesn't. You have to invent your own vacation days occassionally in the name of sanity.

J, H, and I are the mothers to a collective 8 girls (ages 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 2). When we started these shopping excursions, the 5 year old was in an infant seat, and Addie wasn't even a blip on an ultrasound yet. We would spend our day ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the delicious layette at Gymboree, piecing together mix and match coordinates at Carter's, and buying sweet Mary Janes at Stride Rite. This year, we found ourselves spending the most time in Justice, Old Navy, and Aeropostale shopping for jeggings, graphic tees, and hoodies. My how times change! Instead of buying whatever our hearts desired, we were saddled with the expectations of the child who will only wear green, the one who will only wear jeans, the one who won't wear jeans, the child who wants the exact same dress from last winter, and the child who wants to wear Uggs every day. We reminisced about the "good old days" of shopping while all agreeing that we are DONE having children and glad to be moving forward with life. Our discussion topics and shopping tactics may have changed, but the good times have not. We all want need that time away to decompress, commiserate, and just relax... child free.  I'm glad to be home and loved the hugs I received when I walked in, but when our next shopping weekend rolls around, I know I'll be waving good-bye and blowing kisses as I race out the door!

A Real Mom

Somehow, Elise, Nina, and I managed to eek out medical clearance to travel to Dallas for a few days. We flew out this morning, and this afternoon, we walked to a park. The girls were swinging. I was half-comatose on a park bench after being up all night with Addie with an ear infection. After begging me to push her (which I refused to do because she knows how to pump), Nina yelled out, "You're not acting like a REAL MOM!!!"  which brought on a cascade of giggles from the other moms at the park. I didn't budge from my spot and yelled back, "Oh I'm acting EXACTLY like a real mom!" which brought on a another round of laughs. One mom was dutifully pushing her toddler daughters on the swings, so I said to Nina, "That mom over there... she is pushing her kids because they don't know how to pump yet. YOU can pump, so I get to sit."

What was going through my mind was, "You want a real mom? How about your mom who has in the past six days has taken care of children and a husband with norovirus (x3), strep throat, and an ear infection, and still brought your butt to the playground even though she is desperate for sleep." Dude... if that isn't a real mom then I don't want to know what is!

The High Highs and the Low Lows

J.C. had his first physical therapy appointment yesterday. It went well, and the P.T. unlocked his brace about 50 degrees which allowed J.C. to fit in his car! Today was the first time in nearly a month that he has been able to drive, and it felt like a Christmas miracle. We both felt so liberated. He was able to leave work to meet the school bus without my having to drive him there! Maybe our luck was turning.

Then my mom called. My uncle passed away this morning. He fought a fierce but short battle against lung cancer. I miss him already. I know not everyone has a close relationship with their aunts and uncles, but I do with several of mine. Uncle John lived near my parents and would pick me up from the airport if they were busy, help out my parents with anything they needed, and always fit me in his schedule for a good Mexican dinner any time I was in town. Now he's gone, and besides all of us losing a really wonderful family member, the Dallas Zoo is losing a truly outstanding volunteer and Zoo advocate.

It has been a hard day riding this roller coaster of life. The news about my uncle was certainly a reality check that J.C.'s injury really isn't all that bad in the big picture of life, but it was also another hard pill to swallow in what has been a tough month emotionally.

J.C.'s new found driving privilege couldn't have come at a better time. Now I can hop on a plane this weekend for a quick trip to Dallas and feel reasonably confident that he can muddle through a few days alone with the kids. As long as he doesn't have to chase Addie anywhere, I think he'll do OK. I'm pretty sure she would beat him in any race.

Is it 2010 yet? I'm just about ready for 2009 to be over.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!

The last two days of our trip were spent at my aunt and uncle's lake house with my best friend M and her family. Her boys are 6 and 8, and they got along fabulously with our girls. The older one, K, was so sweet with Addie, especially. One of the rooms at the lake house has two sets of bunk beds, so the kids thought that was a real treat... like going to camp!

To show all the kids how long M and I have been friends, M brought a picture of the two of us in a church performance of the Christmas story. She played Mary, and I was an angel. I'm guessing maybe we were in fourth grade or so? I have NO memory of ever being in that play, so needless to say, we've been friends a LONG time!

This is going to be a seriously picture-heavy post, but I'm using the excuse that the pictures cover two days to justify it. There were just so many fun pictures because we were all having such a great time!

The view off the lake house porch...

 

The younger sibs... B and Nina - both a bit timid on the slide.

 

The hot shot older kids, Elise and K showing them how it is done!

 

And even the parents got in on the fun! M taking the plunge...

And the dads!

 

I guess age 7 is when you get brave enough for a rope swing. I don't think the younger kids tried it.

 

And then there is this move. JC is anxiously waiting a call from the Olympic diving team...

 

After swimming and playing for a while, R got the jetskis gassed up for us, and ZOOM, ZOOM!... we were OFF!!!

 

Elise with R

 

Nina looking oh so cool.

Even Addie went out for a spin! We thought the noisy motor might scare her, but she loved it and threw a serious tantrum when it was time to get off!

 

 

The race is ON!!!

 

 

Moms gone WILD!  I think the guys were a little nervous that we might not come back!  M and I had a blast zooming around the lake. It took us back to our high school days with summers spent on her dad's boat. The other boaters on the lake were spared a scary sight since thankfully we've outgrown mooning people!

 

Look at that grin on B's face! Love it!

 

I think JC looks slightly nervous here with me in the driver's seat!

M loved getting a little girlie time, and JC got to borrow a son for a couple days!

  

 

We spent the majority of our days swimming and jetskiing, but we did take the boat out for a spin a couple times as well.

 

  

 

Gotta stay hydrated when you're out in the sun all day... with Kool-Aid, of course! Love the pinky up in the air, all dainty like she's having afternoon tea.

Saying goodbye to Uncle D and Aunt D (my dad's twin sister)

I know, I know... enough with the pictures already! You get it... a boat, some jet skis, and smiling, happy people. I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. Vacation posts are now over. Unfortunately, that means the vacation is too.

Goodbye, Hill Country Hyatt, We'll Miss You!!

Sniff, sniff... Friday was our last day at the Hill Country Hyatt. Have I mentioned I love this place? Have I convinced you to take a trip there yet? We had another great day just taking advantage of all the fun activities at the hotel. The girls' cousin 'I' came over to spend the morning with us, and the girls thought they were hot stuff showing him around and introducing him to the lazy river. Elise won the jackpot when a family said, "We have to leave for the airport, so you are welcome to have these floats." Ahhh... the coveted dolphin float... Elise had been begging for one all week, and now it was hers! We had lunch delivered poolside - complete with froofy island drinks. Life is good.

  

 

 

Is it just me, or is it a little scary how tall Addie looks in this picture? 'I' is four, and she is just 17 months! What do you bet she weighs more than he does?

 

The agenda for the afternoon included face painting and ice cream.

 

  

There's my mom!

Family vacation heaven, I tell ya!

Now I get to the one really rotten part of our trip (well, in addition to the flight, but I'm trying hard to forget that part).... dinner Friday night. I hate to even mention it because it does put a small chink in the armor of the HCH since the concierge is the one who gave us the recommendation. I'll try not to hold a grudge. My parents had come in town for a couple days, so I asked the concierge for a recommendation for a Mexican restaurant for us.  She recommended a place called Perico's. I do not second the recommendation. The 20 minute quoted wait was an hour. Service was awful. Food was awful, and IN WHAT UNIVERSE IS IT OK TO PUT AMERICAN CHEESE ON NACHOS???  Hello??? American cheese?  I shudder just thinking about it. That's almost worse than North Carolina nachos with their drippy, melted cheese goo making the chips all soggy. At least with those, you know what you are getting as soon as you see the plate. These nachos looked like authentic Texas nachos but then BAM! the smell of the American cheese knocks you off your feet. I'm really thinking Ann's Nacho Hut is in my future. Any venture capitalists out there wanna get in on this? Anyway, it was a bad night and it put me in a foul mood, but s'mores back at the HCH put me back in my happy place, so all was good.

The next morning, we said good-bye to the Hill Country Hyatt to embark on the next leg of our San Antonio adventure!

Zebras and Peacocks and Elk! OH MY!

Thursday was our day to hit the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. Before heading out there, I attempted to take a few pictures of the girls together on the grounds of the Hill Country Hyatt. It is so beautiful there that I had high hopes for a cute picture, but as I've said before... there is a reason that people with more than two kids use separate pictures of each child on their Christmas cards!  I have a great respect for photographers who can get great pictures of several chidren together. I am not one of them. Most of my pictures looked about like this.

  

Despite the protesting toddler, I kept trying and managed a few OK shots. I'll be glad when the "must be walking every waking moment" phase passes.

 

 

  

  

 

 

After that, we were off to the Wildlife Ranch. It is one of those drive-through wildlife places where you feed animals from the car.  The girls were pretty timid, making sure to throw out food and quickly close their windows, so we didn't end up with any zebra bites or ostrich heads in the car on this trip! We all enjoyed seeing the animals though.

 

 

Addie had absolutely no fear of this peacock even though they were about the same size. She kept chasing him, and I would race to stop her just as she would reach to grab a tail feather. I'm a little surprised she didn't get pecked!

 

Dinner that night was our favorite San Antonio treat... my uncle's venison! Mmmmm. The girls never asked what we were eating, so fortunately, we didn't have to tell them it was Bambi! After dinner, I ran Addie to an urgent care place, and as we suspected, her ear infection was still raging. In fact, not only had the antibiotic done nothing to help the single ear infection she started with, now both ears were infected. We clearly had our answer to why our flight was so miserable. The poor baby was in pain. Anyway, with new antibiotics on board, we had hope for our flight home a few days later. When we returned to the hotel, it was too late for s'mores, but at least we still had one more night there! Whew!

San Antonio Riverwalk

No trip to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Riverwalk, so we headed downtown to the river one evening for dinner. By the time we got there, we were all ravenous and decided whatever Mexican restaurant we stumbled upon first would be the winner. We had no time or energy for leisurely reading menus to choose a favorite. It all worked out great though since the first place we found was Casa Rio which was the first business to open its doors to the River in 1946. The nachos and margaritas were great, along with everything else. The girls were completely freaked out by the pigeons though. They were all over the place, and despite our assurances that the pigeons weren't going to bother them, the girls sat through the whole meal with their feet up in their chairs.  Of course, after all of our promises that they didn't need to worry about the pigeons, one of those stupid birds flew right into my back and nearly scared me to death! Better me than the kids, I suppose. That might have scarred them for life; however, since it was me, they found the situation quite comical (not so funny on my end).  We didn't get a chance to take a river taxi, so the girls were a bit disappointed, but that episode was quickly laid to rest with giant desserts at The Republic of Texas. All in all, it was a fun evening, and we certainly considered it a success since nobody fell in the river.

 

Mmmmmm.... Mexican food!

 

 

Love those curls...

 

...and the giggles!