A little preview

Just to tide you over, while I slack off on blogging duties....
I took R to Laguna Gloria last week to have her pics done by the fabulous Christi Cosper of Candid Chic Photos. She hasn't put up the whole gallery yet, but check out her preview by clicking on her site (www.candidchicphotos.com), then going to "Blog" and looking under the heading "The last one is my favorite" (or something close to that). She got a few great ones!
I'll get around to posting more soon. Really, I have lots of excuses this time: I locked myself out of my office (don't ask), I currently can't find my camera (again, no questions), and now I have to block off a couple of hours for R's nap every day b/c she will only get to sleep in my bed for an afternoon nap. I would act all mad about this, but I am finding that I quite willingly doze off a bit each afternoon and I really love cuddling up with her. It's so sweet and cozy, and I know it won't last much longer. It's become my absolute favorite time of the day. And big girl bed at night is (fingers crossed, wood-knocking) going pretty well....
So, super quick update, pics and more info to follow at some later date.
Night night!

Change is for the better! (?)

Big girl bed, night 1, went just fine. Better than expected, actually. Lots of "I miss my crib," and "I want my crib," and "Is my crib still in Austin?" last night, but she laid down and fell asleep really well. Granted, she was wiped out. But she slept and stayed in her bed until 5 a.m., when she came in our room hollering for me, scaring the bejeezus out of me in the process. I went in with her and finally got her back down about an hour later. Reese seems to have sonar tracking abilities. Every time I was sure she was asleep (snoring, talking in her sleep, deep breathing) and moved a fraction of an inch, she sat up and looked at me. Finally, I just told her I would be back very soon to wake her up and she was either satisfied with that or too sleepy to argue.
Here she is, getting ready to be tucked into the big girl bed for the first time.

And this is how we found her when we went to wake her up for school. Planning her escape in her sleep, I guess?


We took Greta in for her first big grooming sesh today. She went in a fluffy furball and came out poodle-fied. And this is asking them to keep her coat longer than they wanted to cut her! And with a "teddy bear head," whatever that means. If anyone has a good grooming rec in ATX, please pass it along.

She looks cute but I miss all the mounds of fur.

Sorry for the pics--they are all from D's iphone and will have to do for now!

Bum money and the like

We've been singing songs a lot. Our Reese does not shy away from performing, singing and dancing with as much gusto as her little body allows. Every time we're on the hike and bike trail, she makes up songs as we walk along, usually ending the song in a dramatic and loud manner. Everyone turns to look and laugh. The other day, she sang (with both hands in Hook 'Em), "The stars at night are big and bright, 'til Gabriel blows his HOOOOOORN!" I really liked the combination of the songs. :)
But two nights ago, after we had been singing lots of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Annie songs all evening, I was putting R to bed. I started singing one of the usuals, but she stopped me to make a request.
Here's how it went.

Reese: No, Mommy. Don't sing that song. I want you to sing the "dollar on your bottom" song.
Me: stunned silence
R: Mom-meee, sing the "dollar on your bottom" song!
Me: Um. Er. Hmm, I don't know that one?
R: Yes, you do. The "dollar on your bottom" song! The "tomorrow" one!
*taking a moment to process*
Me: Ooooh, you mean "bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun!" Got it. And please don't ask for that song at school tomorrow.

Okay, I didn't say the last line but I really hope she didn't bring up the fact that her mommy likes to sing about the dollars on her bottom. No telling what they'll make of that...and also, how funny is it that R thinks of dollars being on someone's backside when she hears the phrase "bottom dollar"?

The big girl bed has arrived! R is up playing on it. I don't have my camera right now but will take some pics with my phone. As soon as I get back the camera, I'll put a few up of the 5K and weekend farm visit.

Sweet daddy and daughter...and the octagon...

I was running errands late this afternoon and I got a text from D to be quiet when I got back because he was able to get Reese to nap. Now, this has been an issue in our house lately. Let me rephrase that: this has been an ISSUE in our house. R can climb out of her crib quite easily now, and yes, the big girl bed is coming next week, but in the meantime, naptime has turned into a hideous drawn out two hours of me trying to get her to rest. The crib isn't an option because she pops out. I try making her a nap spot on the floor but it doesn't work. I let her relax in our bed, even watch a little TV, but no dice. I am losing it folks--because before, even on days when she barely napped or didn't at all, she stayed in her crib for 2-3 hours at a time. And often napped that amount of time too. She still needs the rest, I still need her to rest like that, etc. I've tried bargains, being very authoritative and making it a "rule", anything and everything I can think of with no luck.
Apparently, Daddy's got the magic touch. How sweet is this scene?

I didn't get a perfect pic because I didn't want to ruin the moment. But I had to capture it!


On the other hand, R has been calling me "octagon" all afternoon. I was confused and wondering why I was being identified as a (rather unflattering) shape, but then I realized she was FREAKING CALLING ME OCTOMOM!!!!! I'd rather look like a stop sign! We listen to CNN on XM when we're in the car and they were talking nonstop about that insane lady today. And so now R is referring to me as "Octagon," the Octomom. There was some frantic negotiating and mild hyperventilating when I realized what was going on. But no more references between dinner and bedtime, so maybe it's gone. I'll be quickly changing channels tomorrow...
Another funny thing R said today--after I gave Greta her bath, I was brushing her massive mounds of fur, and I made a comment about brushing her beard.
R stopped what she was doing, looked at me and said in the most hysterical high-pitched feigned shock falsetto: "What??!! Greta has a beard? Like a maaaaaaaaan?" I don't know, maybe it was a location situation, but it is still cracking me up.
Here's our bearded lady. She does need some professional grooming, and stat!


I will be praying for rain that ends at noon on the dot tomorrow--our neighborhood women's club is hosting our annual 5K fun run to raise money for the parks. I am in charge of race course logistics, for which I signed up to be of help but not bite off a big huge hunk. You know. Anyway, I have ended up being a little more stressed about this than I figured. The overwhelming chance of intensely severe wicked storms isn't really helping. Neither is the fact that RunTex running groups are using it as a training run. I really want it to go off well and seem well-run and not totally amateurish. So, send sunny vibes at 5:30 tomorrow afternoon. And check it out online if you are interested (http://lifeisgoodinthewood5k.com). If you are partial to soggy jogging, please come join us tomorrow! See you on the flip side...

Easter was eggs-cellent

Sorry, had to do the word play.
We did have a great Easter. The Easter Bunny came to our house, but "only downstairs" as R likes to tell everyone.
Hunting for eggs at our casa--and being most excited about the plastic ones due to the candy content!




Then hunting for eggs at my parents house. The Easter Bunny must have had more time there because he left a TON of plastic eggs and candy everywhere...hunh....



Followed by brunch at Siena. Ma Pam wears the bunny ears.

And Janise wears the bunny ears. Reese put them on and everyone roared with laughter, which caused her to promptly take them off and refuse to wear them.

With a mouth full of candy. Yummy!



Good times!

We had an amazing day yesterday--a friend tipped me off about the Child Development Center preschool program at the elementary school R will eventually attend (and one of my alma maters as well). So we toured the campus and CDC program and were completely blown away by it--the curriculum is fantastic, they fully use the campus (playgrounds, cafeteria, etc) and the kids were having a total blast. And they had a spot in the 3-year-old class open for this fall...so we are signed up and good to go! We have liked the program she's in but it is only offered 2x a week. CDC is 5 days, which is going to be an adjustment, but I just know she is going to adore it and learn so much. Plus, a lot of the kids in her class will be kids she'll know in elementary school as well (the program is only open to kids in our district). We were giddy all day yesterday, it was so exciting to have found the perfect place for R! Yippee!!

Things that happened in the past 24 hours...

...or, blogging in a more timely manner.
We packed it up and headed south yesterday...for Saaaaan Aaaaaan-toooon-eeeeyyyo. Not exaggerating, that's how Reese pronounces it. She adds at least 5 unnecessary syllables, I swear. We went to experience Disney on Ice, and experience it, we did. That experience is NOT a cheap thing, either. Lemonade for $10, "magic wand" for $18, program (and crappy lei and coloring book) for $20. Sheesh.
Anyway, we started our 24-hour getaway with a walking trip from our hotel to Market Square, or El Mercado, for a little shopping and eating. We hit the stalls and bought some dresses (see: every single pic of Reese from here on--she changed into one of hers in the restaurant booth and insisted upon wearing it again today too), then ate at Mi Tierra. Yummy!
Mesmerized by a Shirley Temple.

Really, Mi Tierra? Whipped cream on a Shirley Temple?

Foreshadowing: all sugar highs must come down, yes?

Say it ain't so! Also, no nap for the day makes for a more difficult night. I keep telling folks R is losing her nap, but then we have stretches of several days of 3+ hour naps, and I change my mind. Weird limbo time. But zilch yesterday--she was too excited driving down to SA. And asking us nonstop if we were going to see Hannah Montana. I'm not kidding.

We didn't see HM, but Disney on Ice. This kicked the pants off of the Elmo show we saw. It was really quite the production! Mickey, Minnie, et al visited four different stories as part of an adventure. Firstly, Lion King. Then, on to Little Mermaid and plenty of, ahem, eye candy for the gents.

The ladies weren't left high and dry, as you can see! Next was the Hawaiian story of Lilo and Stitch--the only story I didn't know. Need to watch that one. But my attention was still there. :)

the grand finale was our gal's fave, Peter Pan! Several of the characters flew, there were amazing crocodile characters and fireworks to boot. Of course, none of that translated very well on my camera.

Serious clapping. Which Daddy thinks is hilarious, clearly.

Towards the end!

Bye-bye, Tink and Peter!

Walking out. The show STARTED at 7:30, we didn't leave until 9:30 (notice zombie stare), and weren't asleep until after 10.

Luckily, R slept great through the night...until 9 am! When we woke her up by flashing in her face with the camera, naturally.

This morning, we headed to Sea World. Whee, Sea World, can't you tell?

No, really, smile at Daddy.

This was about the only ride R could go on, due to height. She's wearing lifts next time because it was slightly ridiculous.

We saw the Shamu show, which was very cool.

And made for an excited girl. See, same outfit as the night before? We sat on the first row beyond the "splash zone," so we were prepared to get wet. We didn't, but they VERY. CLEARLY. mark the zone. In multiple languages. Then they say, "Are you ready to GET WET???" And then they ask you to make hand signals to cue the multiple Shamus to splash. So imagine how SHOCKED everyone was when they actually got wet. No, I'm serious. Apparently we seated ourselves in a particularly dim-witted area because there was a mass exodus of people who looked mortified and MORALLY OFFENDED that they got wet. The horror! And really, who takes a 2-month-old baby down in the freaking splash zone, people?? Really? Okay, maybe they are sleep deprived. Because that's the only excuse. So as about 2 dozen people were trampling each other to get out of the zone, babes in arms, about 3 dozen little boys were jumping over the rows to get down there and get wet. I don't know, this all seems pretty easily cleared up, but maybe that's just me.

And a shout-out to Steph on our way out of town. :)

Great times in the SA, y'all. We'll be back soon. Especially since the price of a one-time admittance is the same as a year long pass to SW. Oh yes, we'll be back.

Things that happened several days ago...

...or the case of the back-in-time blogging.
I have a little catching up to do. BTW, since when did spring become as busy as the freaking holidays? I'm really not complaining because it's all fun stuff, but good grief. We finally have a "clear" weekend in mid-May....
So, the Jackson Hole Oswalds came to visit us last week. They were here in town for part of their two-week (!!!!) spring break, and it was wonderful to see them and catch up.
We made lots and lots of time for eating, of all sorts. TexMex, BBQ, sushi. You name it, we ate it. Here we are at Hula Hut...Reese, totally enthralled in whatever Major and Blaize were doing.

There was a lot of movie watching and playing. Reese, hanging with Blaize before bedtime.

Major, too.

We got to tag along on a play date with friends Henry and Lucy. She loved riding the standing swing.

It knocked the bow right off of her!

We miss the Oswalds tremendously and loved having some time with them! Come again soon!

Wonderful wedding weekend!

What an amazing weekend! My cousin Stephanie married her sweetheart of the past 7 years, Bo! It seems like Bo has already been a part of the family for so many years. But now Steph and Bo are officially husband and wife, and I really cannot think of a better-suited, more wonderful and perfect couple. They are such sweet people and truly complement the best in each other. So of course we were thrilled to celebrate with them, and also so honored that Reese was a part of the festivities as the flower girl! And oh my, the preparation of being the fairy princess flower girl...and also Mommy learning how to "just roll with it" and let whatever happen, happen.
The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were wonderful. The Friday night events were held at the same venue as the wedding, Angel Mountain, located in the piney woods outside Bastrop. Angel Mountain is an especially meaningful site because Bo's mother recently bought the property and renovated it. This was the first wedding to be held there under her management--how cool is that? The venue is really gorgeous and so well done. And Bo's stepdad's family from Sardinia cooked the rehearsal dinner. We had the most authentic Italian cuisine--homemade pasta, lamb stew, a roasted pig. Yum yum yummy! But I didn't take any pics, so just take my word for it.
On Saturday, Steph was so considerate to include R in the "big day" beauty primping at the salon. Reese got her hair professionally styled alongside the bride, mother of the bride and all the bridesmaids. As you can imagine, that was pretty big-time for her. She absolutely loved being included with the big girls and of course adored her "princess hair".
We started off the salon experience on the right foot, with a bagel and pink cream cheese.

Steph, the super relaxed bride!

Hair styling, part 1: R had two stylists work on her! Here she is, getting her hair curled.

Apparently, a death grip on the sides of the chair helps your hair turn out perfectly.

She thought she was done, but only half way there!

Move over, Shirley Temple.

Part 2, the up-do! I was most curious to see what they were going to do with R's wispy, fine pixie cut, but they did get it up in a respectable curly pony tail up-do. Which fell about 10 minutes after we walked out of the salon into the unseasonably warm weather. But it still looked cute!

All done!

With the maid of honor and my cousin/Steph's sis, Rheannon, the bride and one of the bridesmaid's, Miranda...

"Princess hair" from behind!

In a flurry of getting ready at home--our good friends are in town and staying with us, and Leya made the point that I am never on the blog myself. Um...can't imagine why! ;)

Which brings us to: wedding time! Reese, decked out in her flower girl attire with Grandma Margaret.

Rheannon helping R with her wings. Which lasted about 10 minutes, none of which happened to be during the wedding....sigh. Roll with it, Mama, right?!

Um, ever so slightly pleased with her new jewels, which Aunt Janise made to match her dress. Admiring the bracelet.

And generally feeling pretty and having a grand time!

RJ was the ring bearer--aren't they adorable?!

This pic makes me crack up, mainly because of the general look of disdain on RJ's face. Why on earth is she hugging me???

The handsome dad and lad duo.

Papa and Reese, cutting up, per usual!

Ash and RJ, looking beautiful. She had a baby two weeks ago. I know, not fair, but you just can't hate her for already looking amazing because she's so darn sweet!

Reese in awe of the stunning bride!

OMG DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR!!!! The groom and groomsmen were right across the hall. All close calls were avoided, luckily!

No pics at the moment of Reese and RJ during the walk, as I was hustling between shoving them off and then luring them down. David got pics on his camera but we all know how that goes. I have no clue when I will get those! Might try to download/post the video soon (connecting cord has been located, at least it was at one point! Lots of kids playing Wii today so who knows!) Anyway, they both made it out and to the top of the aisle. RJ opted out of the walking of the aisle, but Reese made it down.
Here is a pic I pilfered from Facebook! I was so proud of her--she made it all the way down, albeit at her own (somewhat) relaxed pace.

Then, she even went up to the altar and sat by Rheannon for a few minutes! Notice her, bottom left, cold chilling on the step.

Taking it all in from the best seat in the house! She quietly made her way back to our seats on the second row, then announced LOUDLY, and many times, that she wanted a cupcake. Obv, she'll fulfill her flower girl duties, but there's a price to pay. And it comes in the form of sweet treats.

Again, my camera is not that great, but the ceremony was so sweet and so personalized. They wrote their own vows and there wasn't a dry eye in the house--note mother of the bride, Sandee, wiping her tear away.

After the ceremony and a couple of stolen cupcakes, RJ and Reese took a little time to blow off steam and play! They had a blast, and we all enjoyed ourselves so very much!

Congratulations, Steph and Bo! We love you so very much and wish you all the very best in your life together! xoxoxo