I want to ride my bicycle

Yes, I really do want to ride my bicycle, but that's not the point of this post.

Fellan has been talking about taking his training wheels off his bike, so we finally relented and went out last night for a ride at the park. It was as if he had never been riding with training wheels at all! He just kind of took off and never looked back.

He has such natural physical abilities - it continues to amaze me. So when he talks about how he's going to raise his arms over his head when he wins all his bike races, I have no doubts. I'm going to be there at the finish line, being the proudest mother ever. :)

Weekend Warriors

This past weekend, we spent much of our time working on the kids' bedroom. We got almost everything done, but there are still a couple of small projects that need to be finished before I can take a picture and post it. But maybe I should start the story from the beginning.

In early December, we got out all the Christmas decorations so that we could decorate the house. But the spot where the tree goes was completely filled up with a pile of toys. So, we decided enough was enough, the toys needed a permanent home elsewhere. We moved them up to the kids' bedroom.

However, even after cleaning out the closet, there still wasn't room for all their toys. So, we decided to go ahead and convert their beds into a bunk bed. That was always our intent, however, until that very moment in time, we had always thought it would be too dangerous for a 4-year-old (specifically our 4-year-old) to sleep on the top bunk of a bunkbed. Well, forget that! We needed the room, so we did it.

The kids were so excited about it, they didn't sleep for about a week. Eventually, they calmed down and things have been pretty much back to normal since. However, we didn't like the layout of the furniture. Everything was just lined up against the walls - no depth!

So, we made yet another trip to IKEA and got another storage shelf to use as kind of a room divider and decided that we'd like to get a drop-leaf table for them to use as a desk in their room. Of course, the drop-leaf table is not in stock, so we're going to have to wait a little while for that.

We also thought it would be cool to get a "bed tent" for Fellan's bed and then put a curtain down below for Marxo to create a private space for her (even though she's three, she thinks she's about 13!). So, this past weekend we purchased the bed tent (but it didn't fit :( ) and found some fabric. I actually got out my sewing machine and figured out how to use it again so that I could hem the edges of the fabric. Now we just need to find some kind of hospital track curtain stuff to put up under the top bunk.

As soon as the project is done, I'll definitely post some pictures. The husband and I think the room is "awesome" (Fellan's favorite word these days), but I'm not sure the kids are nearly as impressed as we are.

Next up: the Master Bedroom.

Working, not wandering

Yesterday afternoon I spent about half an hour talking to my friend about his new girlfriend and I got so much work done while talking to him, I was amazed. He kind of jokingly made the comment that it was because our conversation took up the part of my mind that would usually be wandering, but it really is true!

So, I had to come to work today (supposed to be my day off) and I decided that while I'm finishing up the drawing on which I was working while talking yesterday, I'd occupy the part of my mind that would be wandering by listening to the music I have on my computer here at work. (Nope, no iPod for me - I had an iPod Shuffle for about 2 weeks after Christmas last year and then lost it. What a waste.)

The playlist? Norah Jones, Metallica, Gypsy Kings, Nine Inch Nails, The Subdudes, Barenaked Ladies, Sting, Jack Johnson, and Ok Go. I really need to add some "best of" Scorpions and "oldies" Beastie Boys (which I just got for Christmas!) to make it complete... and completely eclectic. :) What's on your playlist?

Real Baby

Well, the boy is still obsessed with having another baby - twin baby girls, you may recall.

When we went on our trip to New Braunfels for the Tour de Gruene, we stopped by a smalltown Dairy Queen. In the Dairy Queen, there was one of those shelves full of pamphlets. Fellan was immediately drawn to a pamphlet about a doll museum or doll store (or whatever) in the area. We, of course, had to take the pamphlet with us and spend the entire weekend discussing which babies in the pictures Fellan wanted.

When we got home, we looked more closely at the pamphlet, looked up the manufacturer, and figured out that we could get a Middleton Doll in our area. In fact, they actually have a Newborn Nursery in Houston. (click on "The Experience") It was an epiphany for us - we could let Fellan adopt a baby himself!

So, hoping to assuage his desire, we took him to the Newborn Nursery in mid-December and let him pick out and adopt a baby doll. He was a little overwhelmed at first, but warmed up to it eventually. The "nurse" checked all her vital signs and let Fellan check them, too. Then she weighed the baby (Fellan chose one of the "premies" - so she weighs 2.8 pounds) and then she asked him to name the baby.

He immediately said, "Baby Maya". So, she asked him if he wanted it to be just Maya or Baby Maya. He said "Baby Maya". Then she asked him if he wanted to give her a middle name. I was standing right next to him and he turned and whispered in my ear, "I was thinking about maybe 'Sara'". (I just about cried.) So, the official name is "Baby Maya Sara".

Santa also got Fellan a baby doll, so he now sleeps with three babies every night.

The only problem? The other day Fellan announced to us, "I want a real baby. No more baby dolls!!!"

He caught on to us...

Santa

This year, the boy asked Santa Claus for a Smart Cycle (we were so proud!). And to go along with the exercise theme, Santa brought the girl a Jump Smart Trampoline.

So, at 7am on Christmas morning, we woke to the thumping of little feet running on the floor and the yelling of a child's voice: "Marxo, Marxo, you gotta come see what Santa brought me!!! It's a bicycle with no wheels and you pedal it and you gotta come see!!!!"

We had forgotten to tell Fellan that when he woke up, he should come get us so we could all go see what Santa brought (you know, so we could capture the footage on tape!).

The presents from Santa were a great hit. However, it seems that Santa's workshop sent us a bum Smart Cycle. It works for about 20-30 seconds and then it says, "Goodbye!" and the TV screen goes blue. Both the kids got good at rebooting the thing and starting over every time, but it really made us mad.

We called Santa's workshop and we have to send back some of the parts (the "petals", as the e-mail states, and the main power cord); then they'll send us another one - in 8 to 12 weeks! Uhg.

Thank goodness for the trampoline! The boy has kind of taken that over as his (but the girl gets some time on it, too). I swear, on Christmas Day, Fellan jumped on the thing all day long. I'm seriously not exaggerating. He would jump from the trampoline over to the couch and sit for about 15 seconds, but then would jump straight back on the thing.

It's been good for wearing him down. (which, of course, was the intent!) :)

Time Flies...

The days and weeks have flown by and I still haven't updated my blog. Ugh. And the longer it takes the harder it becomes.

So, I'm going to rip the bandaid off and write about what we've been doing for the past two months. Or is it three months?

The last I wrote, I think was right before Halloween, so let me start with that - Halloween was a very fun time this year. Last year the kids didn't really seem to get it and they were a little overwhelmed by it. This year, however, the girl literally couldn't contain her enthusiasm. She received a tootsie roll at the first house we visited and it was as if someone had given her something she had only dreamed about. She came back to us from that first door, dug around in her plastic cauldron (she was a witch this year), and started screaming, "Look!!! Look what I got!!!" She was so excited that she was actually jumping up and down at every doorstep. Oddly enough, it made me extremely proud that she could be so overwhelmingly excited about receiving small pieces of candy from strangers. (think about that one awhile...)

Our next family adventure was to attempt to ride in the Tour de Gruene (pronounced "green"). It's a bike ride in Gruene, Texas and since it's not a hugely popular bike ride with thousands and thousands of riders, we thought it would be a good introduction to organized bike rides for the kids. PLUS, it's held during Wurstfest - biking and brats, what could be better?!

So, we drove out Friday night and checked into the hotel. At 2:00am, the boy woke up and came into bed with us... where he promptly threw up all over me. We spent the rest of the night waking up every 30 minutes to hold a bowl for him to throw up into.

Eventually, we got ahold of our doctor's office and got some anti-nausea medicine from the local Walgreens. The boy took some of the medicine and was immediately better and was fine for the rest of the day, which allowed us to go to Wurstfest anyway, so the trip wasn't a complete waste. :)

Since we weren't able to do the bike ride that weekend, we decided we would instead go to Novemberfest the following weekend. It turned out to be a good ride, but I had been fighting a cough for a few weeks (that one of our pediatrician friends told me was "walking pneumonia" and that I needed to go to a doctor - actually her exact words were, "YOU'RE the reason I don't see adults. Adults refuse to take care of themselves. Get to a doctor now!") and due to my limited lung capacity, the ride was, ummm... let me say "difficult" for me - I was unable to catch my breath and was seeing stars after we had only ridden 5 miles. Luckily, the road curved around to be a little more "with the wind" and we were able to finish the 30-mile ride just a little after lunchtime. There was a festival afterwards that the kids enjoyed and it turned out to be a good time for all.

We spent Thanksgiving in New Orleans with my in-laws, during which time, the cough that I still hadn't gone to the doctor about (yes, the pediatrician was correct - adults don't take care of themselves) turned into a raging sinus infection and general super-bad illness. I went to the doctor on Monday after Thanksgiving and got some good drugs which allowed me to return to work (still with a disgusting hacking cough!) on Wednesday. Even now on January 4th, I occasionally have a little bit of the leftover cough. Note to self: don't ever avoid going to the doctor again...

My goal this year for Christmas was to be like my friend, Courtney, who gets all of her Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I didn't make it.

However, I did get most of it done just after Thanksgiving, which made me think that I might have a chance at having a somewhat relaxing Christmas season. And I was totally wrong.

We ended up having two different dinner parties (because we had so much extra time!) and I was still running around trying to take care of things up until the day before Christmas.

The in-laws came over for Christmas Day and we left for Nebraska the day after Christmas. We drove straight through and made it to my parents' house in about 15 hours - quite a feat with two small children! Without the kids, I think the fastest we had made the trip before was about 13.5 hours.

We came back south just in time for New Year's Eve, which we spent quietly at home and in bed before midnight. After the hectic holidays, that was very nice.

So, that brings us up to date, I think! I've been back to work for two days, now I have a three-day weekend, and then back to our usual routine.

I won't say that my New Year's resolution is to blog more, but I might make a bit more of an effort. :)

Beautiful Weather

Here in Houston, we're finally enjoying some nice weather! One day it was 93 degrees, the next day it was 50 degrees. And we're starting the second week of this beautiful weather. It's so nice!

We spent our weekend going to my company picnic on Saturday and attending a couple of birthday parties on Sunday. It was such beautiful weather that we decided to ride our bikes to the birthday parties. You would have thought we were the craziest people in the world - the looks we got from some people!

The first birthday party was held at a park that is fairly close to our house - about a mile away. The second party was about 4 miles further away from our house. That's really not very far on a bike, but in Houston, it's hard to imagine being able to ride that far through residential neighborhoods in central Houston in order to get to someone's house. But, it was actually very easy and a very nice change from having to drive.

I went on a recruiting trip to my alma mater a week ago and I did my best to try to convince the people I was interviewing that Houston is not really all that bad. Granted - my husband and I both hate the weather here, but we live in a neighborhood that we love and we really try to take advantage of all the outdoor activities that we can. Like biking from our house all over the city of Houston!

Anyway, mark this down, I'm not totally bad-mouthing Houston for once. This is a date to remember! :)

Taste Buds

Ok, I know, once again, it's been about 4 weeks since I've posted, but I've been busy! Work's been crazy and the girl turned 3 this past week. She's so big!

But, that's not why I'm writing finally. I'm writing to tell a story...

This morning, as we were sitting eating breakfast with the kids, I realized what complete opposites the kids are as far as taste buds go. I mean, the boy was sitting nicely, eating his dry toast while the girl was happily pealing the rind off her lemon slice and eating it whole - no sour face, no reaction whatsoever!!! How could these two kids be from the same parents?

This is how pretty much every meal is eaten. The boy has some "special food" (which we try sometimes to make similar to what every one else is eating) while everyone else eats "normal food".

So, the boy's diet consists mainly of cottage cheese, bread, hot dog buns, fruit, and... did I mention cottage cheese? We try to make him try at least one bite of whatever food we're eating so that he can "develop" a taste for something - anything - different, but almost every time, it ends in the boy genuinely gagging and almost throwing up.

I had heard about some people being "super tasters" and some being "non-tasters" and this could not be more true about our two kids. This article describes it to a tee:
It's not easy eating green

Girly-girl

I have been somewhat dismayed lately by how girly Marxo seems to be at the moment. Everything has to be PINK, she has to wear dresses all the time, and she loves all that Disney Princess crap.

However, last night, my heart was warmed...

We were sitting on the floor of their room, reading books. The girl was sitting there nicely, following along with the book when, a couple of minutes into the book, she innocently leaned over, raised one butt-cheek off the floor and let out a big ol' fart.

Then she laughed and laughed and laughed - and the rest of us did, too. :)

Jungle Animals

Yesterday at lunchtime, I went to Target to start gathering things for the girl's PINK birthday party. Any time we asked her what she wanted to do for her party, she said she wanted a PINK party. With PINK balloons, PINK cake, and PINK balls. (I still don't know what she means by pink balls, but we'll work through that...)

Anyway, whenever I go to Target, I have to swing through their dollar section to see if there are any good toys for us to take along to use as diversions at restaurants when we go out to eat. I found a package of "Jungle Animals" and thought that could probably provide at least 2 minutes of uninterrupted time, so I got it.

There are twelve "jungle" animals in the package. I don't remember them all, but among them were: a lion, a cheetah, a giraffe, a camel, a moose, and a polar bear. Hmmm...