Family Portraits

Courtesy of my uber-talented friend Jenny with Sprinkle of Grace. Do I have a gorgeous little boy or what?!?

Future Blackmail

I really love this 3-year-old stage that Tater is in. The stage in which he does hilarious things and still lets me get them on camera. There are other 3-year-old stages I could live without, but that's a different story...
So I just can't help but share.

OK, so that one's not really that bad, but it was his first day of "school" and I had to throw it in. Can't resist a cheesy grin.

Captain Underpants himself.

Captain Underpants taking a lunch break. He wore that goofy hat for at least an hour.

And my personal favorite...

Mr. Singin' in the Rain. And in a visor and jacket. Do you notice a trend here? My kid doesn't wear pants much.

30 is the new 20

Yep, that's right. I am 30 now. Officially in my 30's. And in honor of my big milestone day, my wonderful family, headed up by my mommy and seester Dana threw me a wonderful surprise birthday party the Saturday before my birthday. I, of course, was clueless as usual; it really was a surprise.

The plan was to have dinner at Mom's with the in-town siblings. We all went over a little earlier than planned so the boys could play a little longer before the cousins went to a baseball game (my fault - yes, I nearly messed up the surprise) and then started getting ready for dinner. Then the doorbell rang and I saw 4 of my sweet friends standing there. And of course, then I realized what was going on... realized why Mom hesitated when I asked if we could come over early; why the projector was out in the dining room (Mom made this fabulous slide show of my life; beyond sweet); why everybody was acting just a little weird. :)

So we all enjoyed some good food, some INCREDIBLE chocolate cake, and some hilarious pics of this ridiculous 30-year-old growing up. Oh, and the boys played. And played and played.

Mom asked everybody to make a "top 30" list for my for my big day; it was the coolest thing ever. Kerry made a list of scripture promises; Dana made a list of quotable quotes; Sara made a too-great-for words list of "Fri memories" shared between the two of us; Crystal made a very cute anagram with my name that actually had 30 words; Christyn sent a list of 30 pieces of advice; my sweet Sabi, Sara and Alison gave me 30 Dove chocolates (woo hoo!) and a facial. There were a few other lists of memories and messages too; and Mom gave me a gorgeous scrapbook to keep them all in. I just felt so very loved. My favorite list, though, was from my dad and step-mom. Even though they couldn't be there, Carla made a ton of great food, and Daddy made a just plain awesome "list." He picked out 30 symbols that represented things he loved about me and different memories we shared. Like a package of "Maw Maw cookies," like my grandmother always gave us, or a paint set to represent my creativity. It was so very touching and so very sweet. I managed to keep from crying all evening until I opened his bag... luckily most everyone was gone already.

It was a wonderful night. I just feel so blessed to have such wonderful people around me. I know a lot of time and effort went into my night, and I can't tell everyone how much I appreciated their thoughtfulness! Even to those who wanted to be there but couldn't; I love you and I thank you so much for thinking of me and for loving me.

So, all in all - turning 30 wasn't so bad. Oh, and by the way - my whole "30 by 30" isn't quite done yet. I didn't manage to get all the way to 30 yet, but I will... and then some. The joy of doing for someone else is just too good a feeling to give up just because I had a birthday.

A precious moment...

We've been keeping an eye on the weather tonight, and I just told Tater that it looked like the storm wasn't coming after all. his emphatic reply was, "Jesus stopped the storm!" I smiled. "He sure did, baby. God can do that, huh?" Very quickly, he said, "Let's pray to God, come on."
So we folded our hands, closed our eyes, and this is what my precious boy prayed.

Dear God,
Thank you for stopping the storm.
Thank you for taking a bath.
Thank you for Nico, and
Thank you for putting me together.
Aaaaaamen.

Date-Day with Tater

Today is my last official day of summer; tomorrow I go back to school for staff development days, and even though I have a four-day weekend, I have a feeling a big chunk of that will be spent on school stuff. So today, I refused to even think about school (previous sentence excluded) and decided it would be Tater's day. He planned the agenda and we shared a fabulous morning together. A morning that plumb wore him out, hence giving me the time to post documentation this afternoon. :)

We started the morning at the river; we went to Kid's Kingdom yesterday and saw some newly hatched baby ducks (when Mommy did not have her camera), so of course we had to come back to check on them. Sadly, they were all gone. We're hoping they made their way down to the river, and were not eaten by hawks, like the nice man we met yesterday told us all about happening to the last group of baby ducks he watched hatch (thanks, dude).

Here's a rare Tater/Mommy pic, taken by a not-very-skilled-in-self-portraits Mommy.

We arrived around 8:15 and had the park to ourselves for quite awhile, which was really neat. I played and climbed on just about everything Tater did (except the slides - there I draw the line), so I'm counting that as my workout for today.

He went up.

He came down.

He swung for the briefest of moments... I'll never understand how a kid as fearless as he is doesn't like to swing.

Then we decided it was time to feed ducks. There is a little pond right across the street from the park, so we walked over to say hi. We took our deliciously stale bread and made some friends very quickly. Those ducks are surprisingly well-conditioned to that Mrs. Baird's bag. In the same little pond lives a random crane of some sort - he was a little snobby and too good for our bread - he opted for the native minnows for his morning meal instead.

Tater was fascinated by the minnows. They attacked the bread with as much ferocity as the ducks, but they took much smaller bites.

Finally, we moved on for the next leg of our journey - exploring across the river. We went across the same bridge I remember crossing the very first time we came to San Angelo before we moved here.

There we made some turtles very happy with our remaining bread, but that's a blog all it's own. Then it was on to the little path that leads to the Sunken Gardens. I told Tater there were two paths we could take; one was a nice sidewalk out in the open, and one was back through the woods and might be a little creepy. I couldn't contain my pride when my adventurous boy chose the creepy path. We played it up too - listening for scary noises, looking for strange bugs or other critters... when we finally got to the garden, T wasn't the least bit impressed with the flowers twice his height. He wanted to go back to the "forest," so off we went, stopping to throw rocks into the stream every now and then.

Well, by now we were pretty worn out, so we took a little snack break at the Visitors' Center. Daddy called while we were resting.

And on our way out, we just HAD to have a quick sheep ride.

And then we were ready for more playtime at Kids' Kingdom. Finally, Tater found some kids to play with and we stayed until almost noon when I practically had to drag my sweaty, sunscreen-plus-sand sticky boy away. He chose Burger King (or Kings, as he says it) for lunch, which, of course, involved more playing... indoor, air-conditioned playing this time. Finally we rounded out our date with snow cones. What ending could be better?



Poor tired, sweaty boy. Naturally, he fell asleep on the way home, and has been asleep for over two hours now. We had a blast, but the day isn't over. I'm sure the afternoon and evening will involve playing puppets, watching Bolt, and eating mac n' cheese, all the the current faves. I am just so blessed to be this little boy's mom.

30 by 30 update

I just realized I never posted the result of my big Day One endeavor - seeking the forgiveness of my "enemy." Well, it couldn't have turned out better.

I left the note I wrote her on her pile of stuff when we were on a break. Then I waited. I wasn't sure she had even read it until after lunch, we both happened to be the only ones in the hallway at the moment. She walked toward me with a smile on her face and gave me a hug. I'm talking a real, genuine, squeezy hug. She said she agreed with and was great with everything I had said in my letter, but that she was not up for a truce (what I'd asked for in the note). She said, "Not even a truce; it's just over." I couldn't do anything but grin this big, ridiculous smile. The rest of the week we laughed and joked like nothing had ever happened, which is exactly what I was hoping for. That right there made the entire 4-day (semi-boring) workshop worth it.

I was thinking of doing a weekly update with some of the fun stuff I was doing, but then it occurred to me that would be bragging, which pretty much defeats the purpose. I would still LOVE some suggestions though - I may run out of creativity once school hits. Anybody have some neat "random acts of kindness" ideas I can use??? Anybody know of a need I can fill? Anything I can do for you?

30 by 30

OK, it is no secret that I am not in the least looking forward to turning thirty next month. Yes, next month. In 31 days to be exact. So in all my wallowing in self-pity, I came up with an idea. An idea to make this not so much about me. Because in my reflections and thoughts for self-improvement, I have come to realize that as much as I gripe about the self-centeredness of others, I'm a pretty self-involved person myself (yes, I did purposely put that many self-hyphen words in that sentence).

So back to my whininess over turning thirty... I already decided I am going to buy myself a fabulous German chocolate cake from Halfmann's. On my birthday. But up until then, I am going to do something for someone else. Something that helps, uplifts, encourages someone else. And something that brings the glory to God, not myself. Because it's not about me (another mantra to add to my list - It's not about me, it's not about me).

Yeah, I know it brings to mind that episode of Friends where Phoebe wants to do something unselfish and Joey says there is never any truly unselfish act, since you feel good even when you do for others... and she lets a bee sting her, not knowing that the bee will now die. I will admit, I'm not opposed to the "warm fuzzies" I will get. But I can't think of a better birthday present, can you?

So the plan is, starting tomorrow, I will seek out opportunities to DO for others. Actually, I already have a plan for day one. I will admit, this one is a little selfish, but definitely for the greater good.

I can count on one hand the number of people on this planet I do not get along with. One of them is a fellow teacher that I am spending the week in a training with. There is a long history of hurt feelings and grudges on both sides, and for all our sakes, it needs to stop. Tonight I wrote her a letter apologizing and asking for forgiveness and a truce. What is it the Bible says about showing kindness to our enemies? Heaping coals on their heads, right? But I don't want her to be an enemy. I'm not naive enough to expect friendship, but to set both our souls at peace and for the good of our departments, I have to try.

They are not all going to be that "big." I don't think I have that many wrongs to make right, or at least I hope not. :) I'm actually just planning to keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities the Lord puts in front of me. And any suggestions are welcomed. But every day, for the next 30 days, I will shine His light.

And when the big day comes, I won't be able to help but be content. Yep, selfish after all...

And the Lord will grant the desires of your heart...

Several things over the last year or so have made it very clear to me that God is in control of my life, not me. And while I still don't understand the "why" on a lot of things, I'm learning to accept and trust in His understanding. I'm reading through Proverbs (Lord knows I could use a little wisdom) in my study Bible, and this little side note stuck out to me. I will do well to remember:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

"Unfulfilled longings are familiar to every woman. Sometimes when a woman must wait for her deepest hopes to be realized she can become heartsick, despondent, even desperate. Consider Rachel, whose longing to have children not only caused her to feel like she would die from the pain of waiting, but also led her to take matters into her own hands in order to get what she wanted (Gen 30: 1-5). In a woman's quest for relief from disappointment, she can be tempted to manipulate and demand that her desires be satisfied according to her timetable. Or she can suppress her dreams and desires and settle for much less than God has planned. Either way, she loses. How much better off a woman will be when she trusts God to fulfill her dreams, when she waits on him instead of manipulating or giving up. Only He sees the whole picture, and only He has the power to fulfill her heart's desires (Gen 30:22-23)."

I have lately been praying not so much that God would grant my desires, but that He would shape my desires to match His own plans for me. While I will admit I am not quite whole-hearted in my prayer (it's just so hard to let got of control!), I feel He truly IS changing my mind-set. And that is a great place to start.

Big Boy Room

My baby is a baby no longer. My great big 3-year-old is sleeping in a great big 3-year-old room now - all by himself the whole night, I might add (hence he is no longer in mine). We got him a twin-size mattress but left it and the box springs on the floor. Once we're pretty sure he's not going to go rolling off it all the time (he is quite the flailer when he sleeps), we'll put it in an actual bed frame. He loves it - when he first saw it, he thought it was the coolest thing for jumping on. And jumping off. The bedspread is the one we used to have on Samm's bed before she lived here, so I didn't have to buy a new one! Yay for recycling!



I copied these little star hooks from ones my mom made for my new baby nephew's room. Even though I intended them for cowboy hats and jackets, Tater is having fun putting his silly dress-up hats on them. The little cowboy shelf is one of the few decor carryovers from the baby room... I just think it's too cute!

I put in new curtains, but just the top panel. We don't have blinds on these windows and they all get direct sun in the morning, so we've always doubled up on the tab-tops to block out the light and heat a little more. Before he had 2 red panels so I replaced the top only with blue (there was too much red in his room). I kinda like the layered effect. I didn't iron the curtains, which bothers me a little, but I figure a few more weeks of this heat should knock the wrinkles right out, right?

This is the dresser that a friend gave me (actually, all the dressers in this house were free gifts from friends!) that I repainted with my sister's help (post-bedrest) before T was born. The lamp is a repainted $1 garage sale find. The barn-wood mirror - $3 at another garage sale a few weeks ago. The little quilt was $5 at a craft show in Ballinger before T was born. I call this my wall of bargains. :) The only thing I have left to do in here is find a suitable living space for all his stuffed animals. I stole their box to store the stuff that used to be under his bed. Until then they'll just stay stashed by the toy buckets.

And this is my favorite wall. That is indeed a real rope hung on the wall with hooks and tack nails. It's authentic too - the roper who used to live here left it out in the roping arena out back, so it's nicely "weathered." Here's a close-up. I'm a little too proud of this idea - I just think it turned out so cool!!!

And I do have to say that it is kinda sad that the only room in this house that I consider to be finished, decor-wise, is the bedroom of the three-year-old male... who really couldn't care less. He does really like the rope actually - he told me it is "awesome." :)

That's all that matters.

Bullet Train

A little randomness - need to warm up the old blogging muscles.

• Today July is halfway over. Meaning my time off is halfway over too - I have a week of workshops the week before actual in-service starts, so as of Aug 3, I'm back at work.
• That really bites.
• Tater's big boy room is done. Pics will be the next blog.
• I've incredibly bummed right now - my brilliant photographer friend Jenny is going back to teaching and will now be limiting the times she does photos. And she is incredible, so she books up fast. So because I took it for granted that she would always be there, I have put off booking our family pics and it will now be November before we can get them done. I'm ridiculously mad at myself.
• I have a lot of projects I wanted to get done this summer but have only checked 3 things off the list. I think I'm gonna just have to be good with 3 or so more, because the motivation just ain't there.
• It is still up in the air when/whether Samm will be back. Thoughts and feelings regarding that are varied and will be kept.
• I am evidently not too terribly committed to my weight-loss goals because I have lost a whole pound. The goal is 10 before the first day of school.
• I just ate half a bag of mini-rice cakes - the caramel corn ones. And I wonder why I'm not losing weight...
• I think it is unfair for an almost-30-year-old to still be having to deal with acne. Hence I have been tanning. I know it's bad but I hate not being able to wear cute tops in the summer.
• Plus tan fat looks better than white fat.
• I am not excited about school yet. I wish I were. There are evidently a ton of changes to our state standards. I don't really care enough to try to figure them out yet.
• Wow, now I remember why I don't blog - so stinkin' negative!! Maybe I'll try again tomorrow when I'm in a better mood.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

I have been awful lately. I have not written, nor really wanted to write. Well, I have wanted to write, but I just don't have anything to say. Well, I have plenty to say, but there's only so much I can say. There's so much stored up in this heart of mine, but it's not "out loud" kind of stuff. And I need to post some pics of these kids of mine, but I haven't taken a lot lately. I kind of feel like I'm in some strange la-la land lately and am on auto-pilot. I am busy or tired or zoned out on Facebook (an addiction I really need to overcome).

But there are 4 days left of summer school. Then I am reclaiming my break, my time and my mind. I will write more. Maybe even tomorrow, after T and I go on our marathon garage-sale/flea-market spree. See, my next project is turning his room into a more big-boy sort of space. We are in need of bigger-boy stuff.

So if anybody even still reads this, stay tuned. I will be back to boring you soon. :)

To my Mama on Mother's Day

Dear Mom,

I love you. First and foremost, I love you so very much. There aren’t words to describe how grateful I am to you, in so many ways and for so many reasons.

Thank you for being an incredible example of a mother; you have taught me more through the way you live than you’ll ever know. You have been such a picture of Jesus for me – thank you for your servant’s heart and your quiet passion for Christ. Thank you for raising me in the faith – for teaching me the path to righteousness. Thank you for showing me a mother’s unconditional love. Over the years, you have demonstrated the boundless patience, mercy and wisdom that I hope to show my own kids. Your selflessness is an inspiration and an encouragement to me; I know I would not be the mother I am without your tireless example. I would not be the woman I am. Thank you for your patience with me all along the way.

Thank you for loving my kids. I can’t describe how blessed I feel to be able to hand my little man over to you every day. I know I don’t say enough how truly appreciative I am, but I want you to know how invaluable it is to me to know Tater is learning and growing with you. Thank you for your well-stocked pantry that both my darlings raid daily. Thank you for loving Samm as much as you do. One of the things I love about you is your huge heart; in that heart there is truly no difference between biological and step-grandchildren – they are all yours and that’s all that matters.

Having you for a mother has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I am so glad to be able to call you my mother and my friend. I am so grateful God decided to give me to you; but truly, you are God’s gift to me. And I am so indebted to you for the life you have poured into me. Thank you will never be enough.

I love you Mama.
Jenni

Capitol 10k

Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but I did actually go through with running the Capitol 10k in Austin March 29th. Well, "running" is not the word I should use, though I did do a little of that. I finished the race, and truthfully, that was all that really mattered to me.

I started semi-training back in September, when my uber-inspirational friend Jenny invited everybody to run the race (a very special race to her) alongside her. Then Samm got here, and I let that be an excuse to quit, though I didn't really need an excuse. See, I don't really like running. In fact, my mantra there at the beginning went something like, "I hate this, I hate this, I hate this..." And so, I quit and returned to my previous slug status.

Then Sara asked me if I was still doing it. And my answer was very vague, but she pressed and I caved. So I started semi-training again. But not really. Dedication to something I have little interest in just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But going to Austin meant hanging with my Fri for the first time in forever, so I was definitely in! I just decided that I would set an easy pace - do what I could and not worry about times or how many old ladies passed me.

Then race day came. It was stinking cold, but I was strangely jazzed. The race atmosphere was just incredible. There were a record 18,000 people registered for the run that day - there were just people everywhere. Amazingly enough, we ran smack into Jenny right before the race, so I wsa thrilled to get to see her. Plus Sara made us these awesome t-shirts that nobody gets but us (that's the beauty of it!). And even though I am SO not a runner, I really felt like it that day!

And then they blew the horn. And we all just stood there. There were about 2000 people in front of us, so it was a little like a cattle drive for a bit. But then we broke free and ran. And I ran longer than I thought before I told Sara I'd see her at the finish line. Then I did my thing - admittedly faster than I thought I would. I of course walked up all the nasty downtown Austin hills, but I did run more than I thought I would. There's just something about being surrounded by people who are pushing themselves that makes you not so quick to give up. I did walk plenty though - they have these race photographers around and every single one of them caught me walking, looking like I'm about to die. But I didn't die, and I finished 6.2 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. Not great, but not total crap.

But most importantly, it made me want to do way better than "not total crap" next time. I am going to continue running. I am going to find a way to like it. And I am going to be proud of myself next time I cross a finish line, because I will have a real goal that I will have honestly worked for. (note - I say all this in the future tense because I am just now recovering from my awful shin splints and the nasty foot-tendon pull that I caused by not training properly - Wednesday will be my first day back on the road).

So I'm not done. Thank you, Jenny and Sara, for giving me the push I so desperately needed. I may be calling when I need it again.

Rodeo 2009

Ah, rodeo. A time of excitement and irritation in my household. Excitement especially for the other 3 members of my family, slight irritation for me, since I end up basically a single mom for the entire month of February, cleaning up messes, literal and otherwise. But this year was not too bad. R and our friends who came up from San Antonio rented an RV to stay in both weekends, so he didn't have to mess with trying to come home at 2 am and leaving again 5 or 6 hours later every day. And amazingly enough, everybody stayed well for rodeo this year, ever Randy, which has never happened. Samm really got into helping out at the rodeo - her daddy put her to work and she took her job very seriously. I was really proud of her. She ended up staying out at the trailer the last weekend too... even rode the mechanical bull! I think she had a lot of fun in spite of herself. :)

Here's Samm's first bull-riding experience - just the tail end. The guy running it went pretty easy on her at first and she was doing great.

A tradition I hope we continue - Tater and Daddy with all the bull-fighters and Lecile Harris, the most famous rodeo clown in the country. We got a pic like this at Tater's first rodeo, but unfortunately didn't last year. He and I were both sick last year and only made it to part of one perf - he was very cranky and very little picture-taking occurred.

At the carnival - Tater wasn't as ready for the rides as I though he was. He was just plain scared. I put him on the motorcycles, and it was great until they started moving. He screamed so much I had to ask the guy to stop the ride so I could take him off. Then we rode the carousel together and he even cried a little there. We went before the Friday night perf, so he may have just been worn out, I don't know. But even when we came back Saturday, he had no interest in getting back on those rides. Samm didn't really either, just the big swings.

Then Saturday night, Sara and I got an actual babysitter (for the first time for both of us!) and had a girl's night out. We had great seats and enjoyed a great performance!

And I'll leave you with a few pictures of my beautiful kids - taken especially for Grandma Mueller. My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of all us together this year. Oh well - I know a great photographer - I'll be calling her really soon. :)

Tater's Alphabet

And I quote:


A B C D, E F G,

H I J K Lemmo Lemmo P.

Q R S, T U V,

Devil-u X, Y and Z.

Now I know my ABC's,

Next time won't you SING WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!

I. do. not. want. to. work. today.

I have 4 million things to do for today. And tomorrow and next week.
But I don't wanna.

I am a slug today.

Ugh.

'Twere the nights before Christmas

When I put up the Christmas tree this year, I wondered just how much of the whole Christmas concept Tater would understand. Between the Jesus part and the Santa part, would he really get it?

Well, he did. He got it and then some. I think there were times the kid had more Christmas spirit than I did. We worked our way through the Christmas story using our advent calendar and talked a lot about why we celebrate Jesus’ birthday at Christmas. They had a little birthday party for Jesus at Church the week before Christmas, which was too cute. We sang Silent Night and O Holy Night before bed at night. We discussed how the three kings brought Jesus presents, and that’s why we gave each other presents at Christmastime.

And then there was the whole Santa thing. I was worried that, like most kids, he’d be a little leery of that big ole’ hairy guy in the bright red suit. But he was fascinated instead. He learned all the words to Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (which I never got on video, try as I may). He asked every day if Santa was coming tonight. “I want to see him, Mom!” He even started taking my lines, telling ME that if I didn’t stop getting on to him then Santa wouldn’t bring me any presents. And when he was at the mall with Nana and had the chance to go talk to him, he didn’t freak out. He sat in his lap and talked to him; and two days later, when he was at the mall with Mommy, he made a bee line for the Jolly Old Elf. He asked Santa for a sword and some mistletoe. Yeah, I know. Luckily he forgot about the mistletoe when he told me later what he’d asked Santa for, because even though we have plenty of the stuff around, I was not looking forward to having it disintegrate in my house in the days to come.

And then there were the movies. We had to watch every Christmas special ABC Family had to offer. The three Christmas DVDs we own were worn out (although he love to watch The Grinch all year round – go figure). For 3 weeks, it seemed like if the TV was on, it was playing something Christmas.

And the lights! Oh the lights!! Tater was in awe of all the lights, especially the light tour on the river sponsored by the city. Grandma and D-Pop took him for the first time, and he couldn’t stop talking about it for days. We went again with Samm, Dana and Levi, and I think he kind of got annoyed with our constant chatter the whole way through. He was just so entranced by those beautiful colors and designs.

All in all, it was just a fun season. Christmastime is my absolute favorite time of the year, and it seems Tater may join me in really getting into the spirit, even if my other two grinches don’t. J It just touched my heart to see how truly magical Christmas was in his eyes. I pray it stays that way for years to come.

Siblings

My children played tonight. Together. In the same room with the same stuff. For more than ten minutes. This may not sound like such a big deal, but for two kids - one 15 and one 2 1/2 - who have both lived as only children for their entire lives, it's monumental. And the first time it's happened at this length in the two months they've been living under one roof.

While I was fixing dinner and therefore unavailable to play, Tater resorted to Samm as back-up. And amazingly enough, she obliged. They were having so much fun I let the food sit out a little longer than I needed to just to give them more time to play. They read a Dr. Seuss book three times. They dumped out all the play food, enjoyed a few root beers together, picked it all up (wow!), and played "football" which consisted of Samm bouncing the huge 18" bouncy ball to Tater sitting in his bed who promptly smacked it back to her using a pirate sword.

I hated to make them stop to eat, but after dinner and Samm's shower, they were right back at it. This time it was animal doctor and batman walkie-talkies. In fact, I had to drag him out of her room to got to bed. Actually, she did - he insisted on her carrying him to his room, which she did without a moments' hesitation. I told her it looked like Tater had a new best friend, and she smiled that smile... you know, the one you rarely get from teenagers;the real light-up-the-face genuine smile... it was pretty much priceless. I think they may actually end up liking each other after all! Makes this heart all warm and fuzzy...

Note: this was not the original "Siblings" post I had in mind. It is much better.

Twilight saga indeed...

OK, so it's established that I am a certified Twilight nerd. My friend E has been going on and on about it for a year, and when I saw the movie was coming out, I went ahead and read the book. I cannot watch a book-movie without having read the book first. So I read it. And I, along with every other female who has read it, fell hopelessly in love with Edward, the main character. For those of you non-nerds who don't know, the book is about a family of good vampires who don't eat people; they only hunt animals. But Edward is the knight-in-shining-armor kind of hero that every girl dreams of. But yeah, after that one book, I was hooked. Samm and I both eventually read all four books in a two-week period. They are hard to put down! But going to see the movie... that was an experience...

We went on a Friday night, the day after it came out. Samm with two of her friends and me with my dear E. We of course had to get there early. Like an hour early, and they had the little line roped off for us and everything. We were a full hour early and there were already at least 20 people in front of us! I guess I didn't realize what a following the book had. But that line filled up fast, and when they opened the ropes, I kid you not, people RAN to the door of the theater. Samm, the girl who kept saying it was going to be a theater full of dorks, was one of them. :)

We sat down behind an entire row of Glenn girls (of course), the average age in the theater was probably 14 (E and I felt so old!) and I swear there were not more than 10 guys in that sold-out theater. The buzz before the movie was incredible. It was all Twilight. Which book you were reading; whether you like Edward or Jacob better; who hasn't read that far yet, so don't give anything away!!

Finally, the previews ended, and I've never heard so much shushing in my life. I just cannot fully explain the atmosphere in that theater that night. All those girls were so into the movie, so caught up in the story. It was obvious over 90% of them had read the book. They all sighed and giggled at Bella's first glimpse of Edward; they laughed at things you wouldn't get not having read it; they actually erupted in applause when Bella and Edward kissed. It was just... an experience. One that I'm so glad I got to be a part of. It was just so awesome to be in a room full of teen and pre-teen girls who were excited over a book, especially after spending the last seven years trying to get kids excited to read. It gave me faith again.

And I am so ready for that next movie to come out.

Tater Talk

I just love the way my little man talks. He is finally saying his R's, even if they come out as W's. So instead of saying he was "cying", he has moved on to "cwying." He tries so hard to emphasize the W, I mean, R too. He still rarely says the S at the beginning of words, unless it's Samm's name. The problem is if the S is followed by another consonant. My favorite example - one day he got chill bumps and told me, "Look Mommy! I have pinkles! That means I'm cold!" Took me forever to figure out what he was talking about, and when it finally hit me, I died laughing. Pinkles = Sprinkles. The little bumps all over his arms looked like sprinkles to him. Silly boy!


He picks up anything and everything he hears, and he somehow manages to even got the context of most of his new comments right. He is such a little adult too. Here's a little sampling of his articulation:


He walks up, plops himself on the couch by me and says, "So mom, how you been doing? Doing good?"


Since we've been potty training, we've used candy as rewards. So after his potty trips, we have to "go get a piece of candy about going potty." Not "for" or "because," but "about."

He always talks about what he wants to do when he grows up, saying things like, "I'm going to be a bull rider when I get bigger and bigger." Or "I can do that when I get bigger and bigger. "

Last night we were sitting outside after playing and he said, "Hmmm, let's talk a while." "Ok, baby. Talk about what?" "Let's talk about your wishing well. So how about your wishing well?" And thus launched an interesting conversation about the origins and uses of the well.


Sometimes when I ask him if he wants to do something, his thoughtful response is, "Hmm, well... yeah. I guess that will be a good plan."

Funny. Just plain funny, that little boy.

Update: I thought more.

His daddy has introduced him to the joys of ReddiWhip. They gleefully squirt it into their mouths, much to Mommy's chagrin. Tater calls it "Whoop Cream."