Note to self:

Ride for 23 miles with Fellan in tow on the trailer bike, then take him swimming for 2 hours at a friends' house - he'll actually get so tired, he'll take a nap on his own on the weekend - for the first time ever!!!

What more could I ask for?

Every Monday morning, people at work ask all their other coworkers that one question which I always think is only asked out of politeness, "How was your weekend?"

Well, my weekend was great! It started off on Friday evening when my husband suggested that I take my road bike out and see if it still works. I haven't ridden my road bike since the boy was about 6 months old, so considering that stretch of time without any mileage, the bike did great! My butt? Not so much. I think I'll be getting a new saddle sometime soon. There's no way I'll be able to put enough miles on that saddle to get used to it before our biking excursion this coming June. :)

On Saturday, we went for a family bike ride in the morning and then rode our bikes up to Allen Parkway to watch the Art Car Parade. This was the first year we were finally able to go after many years of conflicts, one type or another.

And Sunday was a Mother's Day bonanza:

• The husband and kids went and got me bagels, coffee, and flowers.
  
• Then it was time for the family bike ride...
• ...with our ride finishing at the Houston Grand Criterium - yep, a real bike race in Houston!
• Then lunch and naps for both kids (yay!)
• And to top it all off, we went to IKEA, where the kids are both now able to stay in the supervised play area while we get to wander around and not yell at children. How refreshing!
• And then (as if this wasn't all enough) we picked up the kids from the play area and went and ate dinner at the IKEA cafeteria.

Yes, yes, I'm easily amused, but it really was a very fun and relaxing weekend. The husband did a good job of making it a nice Mother's Day weekend. :)

Nice, strong cup of milk

The girl is increasingly asking to drink out of cups that don't have lids or that are not "sippy cups". And usually, she wants to drink milk from a big-girl cup.

So, we'll get her a cup of milk and every time we give it to her, she takes a long drink, puts down the cup, sighs, and says, "Now that's what I like: a nice, strong cup of milk."

It's just what I always wanted!!!

Well, since I last posted here, I think I've had a birthday, Fellan had a birthday, and my older brother had his 40th birthday (notice how I made sure to tell you that he's my older brother, making sure that you know I'm not yet 40. Far from it. So far that I can hardly imagine what the world will be like four years from now when I hit that mark...)

Anyway, my parents and my brother were here this past weekend to have a collective birthday celebration. Much fun was had by all, but my favorite part was the opening of the gifts. Not just because I got presents, but because I love to watch Fellan open presents.

Fellan is a very sensitive and emotive little boy. He has high, high, highs and low, low, lows. Opening presents is always a high, high, HIGH! His enthusiasm is infectuous and it's really genuine enthusiasm that he brings to every present opening.

Every time he opens a present, he will invariably scream with delight, "Wow! It's just what I always wanted!!!" or "It's the [insert vehicle type here] that I wanted!!!!" (Fellan requested matchbox cars for his birthday - we are totally overrun now...)

I would love for him to retain this ability to be thrilled with any and all presents, although, I'm afraid that I may have ruined it for him already.

I specifically told my mom what I wanted for my birthday and how to order it and then when my brother got to town, I actually went shopping with him and picked out my own present. So, when I opened my presents, I also exclaimed, "Wow! It's just what I always wanted!!"

I'm hoping I haven't made him feel too self-conscious. He is a very sensitive little boy, too, afterall... *sigh*