In Case You Forgot

For those of you who may have forgotten what we look like because of either distance or just too much going on, here's recent picture of all four of us together.  It's a rare thing for ALL of us to be in a photo at the same time, so we're going to overlook the fact that Austin has road rash* on his nose, that Brenna's gum is almost hanging out of her mouth, that I'm getting a chicken neck, and that Brent's sunglasses are on his head.  But, hey, we're all smiling, so it's a keeper.

*Road Rash - Austin took a dive getting off his Lightning McQueen scooter the weekend before we took this picture.  The nose was all that was injured... well, that and his pride.

Perpetual Summer

It looks like Fall is not going to grace us with its presence any time soon, so I'm going to blog like we just went to the beach yesterday... because we could have it's so hot here!  I know I live in Texas, but really can't I get a break from the heat just for I don't know 6 months or so?  Is that too much to ask?  Anyway... on with the post.

The week before school started Wendy, my neighbor, partner in crime, photographer extraordinaire and just a fun person to hang with, and I took the kids to Stuart Beach on Galveston Island.  Yes, lived 45 minutes from the beach for an ENTIRE YEAR before taking in the sand, the sea, the waves, the gulls, and all the fun the beach has to offer.  I really have to get out more.

 Brenna and Jordan hit the waves right away and struck a pose for posterity.

Like all girly girls, they managed to turn a day at the beach into a day at the spa.  They covered every inch of themselves in sand whether it was dry or wet. But even a day of beauty has its price... the prep work for the mud bath is grueling at times.  You have to find the right kind of sand, dig it up and haul it back to the spa area.  Next year I'm sure they'll request a Cabana boy to do all the heavy lifting.  Come to think of it, I want a Cabana boy to bring me drinks and carry all the stuff back and forth to the car.  In the end it was all worth it, their skin was as smooth as silk.

Not to be outdone by the girls and their spa day, Brady invented a game that rivals the latest and greatest Wii games on the market.  The mission - conquer all waves that come your way.  The tools - only your arms and legs.  And let me tell you folks, this kid is tenacious and a master at wave wrangling.  The first level of the game was pretty tame - just waves to jump.  On the second level he had to watch out for seaweed which could take away all your jumping powers.  The third level brought giant logs that could knock you down under the waves into a murky under the sea world of spiky fish and crabs with pinching claws. I'm pretty sure he reached level 4 and had about a bazillion lives banked before we dragged him out of the ocean to head home for the day.

Preparing to leap

Wave prepare to meet your maker

I'm really not sure I'm into this whole wave whacking thing

Sometimes you smile for the camera

Sometimes you don't

All in all it was a great day at the beach.  At the beginning of the day, I was all I should live at the beach.  I was born to just sit by the ocean, bask in the sunlight and be lulled by the sound of the waves.  When we had to pack everything up and haul it back to the car and deal with the vast amounts of sand attached to our feet, my idealistic thoughts were dashed.  So for now, I'll leave the beach to the sea gulls and just visit from time to time.

Downsized

This is a photo of my office in progress about a year ago. Some improvements have been made along the way. I hung up some pictures and got a nicer chair. I added the return to the left side of the desk and bought some cool lamp shades to replace the ones that were destroyed in the move. I even got rid of all the boxes in the foreground!

This is my office this week while we have new flooring installed on the main level of the house. Yes, I'm co-existing with all of the kids toys and my severely under-used elliptical machine. I keep reaching for things like my calculator or reference folders. Hopefully I won't have unpacked everything before the floors are done. But do you see the cool black lamp shades I got? I love them!

2nd Grader - Finally

For the past few months any time we referred to Brenna as a 2nd Grader, she was quick to tell us that she wasn't a 2nd Grader. She was simply in between 1st and 2nd Grade. Well today, we officially got to call her a 2nd Grader!

She walked to school with our neighbors, Jordan and Brady. All the kids were anxious to start the walk, so photo ops were fleeting at best. If I had to label this photo it would be (from left to right) "Ta-Da School is Starting - a Little Nervous - Catalog Poser"

If you remember the photos from last year, you'll notice that Brenna (not Daddy) is carrying the backpack this year. This is quite a feat considering she is toting a Pinkalicious hardback, 3 Junie B. Jones paperbacks, 3 other soft cover books and her lunch box. Last year her EMPTY backpack was just too heavy to carry ALL THE WAY to school. Not once this morning did she complain about either the walk or the weight of her pack. Progress people. I can see it happening!
Once we arrived at school it was all business. There was no stopping in front of the school for another picture. It was straight to class to sit down and get to work. She didn't even have the time to give me a parting glance much less and embarrassing hug or kiss. Thwarted I was. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Lemonade Girls

Ever since we moved to Pearland, Brenna has been talking about having a Lemonade Stand. And unknown to me, her friend, Jordan, has had the same desire for about 2 years. This is one of those activities that I just couldn't get behind earlier in the year. I didn't know the neighbors well enough to implore them to come buy and drink lemonade from plastic cups on our sidewalk. Every time she brought it up, I would come up with one reason or another why today wasn't a good day for a Lemonade Stand.

I guess this was just meant to be this week, because it evolved so naturally I barely registered what was happening. In an effort to get the girls on the same page during a play date, I suggested we make some lemonade. Suddenly I had two girls focused on an activity and willing to help. Jordan filled the pitcher with water and Brenna measured out the drink mix. Brenna poured the mix into the water and Jordan stirred it up. Both girls pronounced the lemonade delicious and went on their merry way to playing peacefully with their baby dolls. I went back to work blissfully ignorant of what was to come.

The next thing I know one of them says, "Hey, we should set up a Lemonade Stand!" Every fiber of my being told me to squash this idea. It was over 100 degrees outside. Who would want to come out for lemonade in this heat? Did I want to stand outside in the heat and supervise the operation? But seeing the anticipation and excitement on their faces made it impossible to resist. The next thing I knew, I was digging out a large pitcher and we started the lemonade making process all over again. We reversed roles this time, so each girl learned a different aspect of the intricate details that go into making lemonade. Being the event coordinator that I am, I started coming up with a list of things we would need. We found some cups and the all important tip jar. Jordan made a sign for the tip jar. It read "10 Cents of Pink Lemonade - Tips". We hauled all this down to Jordan's house to set up the stand. We couldn't let her mom, Wendy, miss all the fun. Plus I needed our resident photographer to capture the moments. Funny, I wanted to say "capture the moment on film" but that's so pre-digital and all.

Since it was Pink Lemonade, all of the accessories naturally needed to be pink. The tip jar was pink. The table cloth was pink. There was a pink bandanna for decoration and a pink umbrella to catch the eye of drivers by. Speaking of "drivers by", we live on a cul-de-sac, so those are sometimes few and far between. Being the Marketing Major that I am, I sent out a text blast to all of the neighbors I knew would have a heart and stop by.
Thankfully they all responded with great enthusiasm and we even had a few spontaneous participants. Both girls had no reservations about YELLING across the street asking if someone wanted to buy some delicious lemonade. One of our neighbors said he give them a dollar if they would just stop YELLING in his direction. I might steal this idea and start implementing it in our house on a regular basis. Saying "tranquility now" to myself isn't working anymore when the decibel levels get too high.

One out of one babies gave the lemonade an outstanding review!

Here's Jordan serving up a cup to Karleigh. Brenna appears to be supervising.

The revenue from the project amounted to $5.60 which the girls split evenly. I'm not sure what Brenna plans to do with her share. I can only hope that if she plans on re-investing it into the business that the next Lemonade Stand event takes place when it is MUCH cooler outside.

Brenna's Big Day #7

Whew! My password to the blog still works, so I guess it hasn't totally given up on being updated. So what is the grace period on posting pictures of your daughter's 7th birthday bash? 2 months? 3 months? It's okay as long as her 8th birthday hasn't come and gone? Who knows?

When I asked Brenna where she wanted to have her 7th birthday party, I knew what the answer would be - Chuck E Cheese. Just hearing those 3 syllables was enough to send my stress level sky high. Wasn't there somewhere else she'd like to have it? A nice park? A quiet library? No, it was CEC or bust.

The big day finally arrived, and I braced myself for an hour of mayhem and headache inducing noise. But much to my surprise, it went very smoothly. We had an awesome party coordinator who took care of everything. Brenna went off and played with her friends and didn't demand that I be glued to her side every moment of the party. And we didn't lose one single kid to a ball pit or some other arcade game mishap. Am I clamoring to go back to see Chuck E Cheese on a regular basis? No. But if in a few years when Austin is over his fear of the big furry gray mouse, my gut reaction when he demands a party there will not be "Oh heck no!"

So, what does it take to party at Chuck E Cheese?
First, you need a birthday girl in a darling sundress.
If you're feeling charitable, you invite your brother.
Your sweet-talk your Mommy into stunning multi-level Princess cake
You play games with your friends
You even let your little brother have some tokens for games
You dance with Chuck E Cheese himself
You make a wish and blow out your candles
You receive a medal for being a "Birthday Star"
You gear up for the Ticket Blaster - safety first!
You grab as many tickets as you can...
...and enjoy the spoils of the day!

Something About Her Eyes

There's just something about the look on her face that makes me believe she can see right into the depths of my soul. And looking into her eyes, I believe I can see all that awaits her as she grows up from a little girl to a big girl. I stopped short of teenager or woman, because the thought of her growing up that much is a bit overwhelming for me.

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple
Won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even though you want to
Please try to never grow up

"Never Grow Up"
-Taylor Swift