Science Museum

While Shelly and kids were visiting, we also made a visit to the Science Museum, which had several rooms in the basement devoted to the toddler and preschooler set. Hanging out with Shelly really made me miss the other New Jerseyites, and we talked about all of you a lot! Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Emma driving a firetruck. This was her favorite, because on the back of the truck was a slide!

Damon channeling Bob the Builder.

Giddyup!

At the water table. Audrey was so cute, it really made me excited for another girl.

Damon digging for dinosaur fossils.

From Houston to the Zoo

Last week we were graced by a visit from my friend Shelly and her two adorable kids, Damon and Audrey. They moved to Houston around the same time we moved to Dallas and we have missed them ever since. So while our husbands studied hard for the Texas bar, we played hard! We spent a fun-filled day at the Dallas Zoo. We had such a great time that we got a membership, so come visit us and we'll take you too!

Ready for some fun!

This picture proves just how hard it is to get three toddlers to look the same way at once.

Damon and Emma in front of some animal whose name I can't remember.

These two had the best time just running around together. There were many giggles to be had.

Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?

Hanging out in the nest.

The More Things Change

The more they stay absolutely the same! I love Jon Stewart's take on Obama's inauguration speech...it's totally worth watching if you haven't seen it.

Interesting comparison, no? Much has been said about the historic election, hope, change, blah blah blah. I didn't vote for President Obama, but that doesn't mean that I want him to fail, either. (We have enough problems as it is!) It's just that I'm a bit skeptical. We've heard a lot of pretty rhetoric from him, but haven't really seen much action. I'm interested to see what he can actually do. My hunch is that he'll quickly learn that all of these problems are not so simple after all...no wonder President Bush couldn't solve them. But I'm willing to give him a chance. Just do me one favor please, Mr. New President? Don't spend my money on another massive bailout. The last one didn't work, and I doubt a second one will, either. Recessions happen, the economy cycles, and things will most likely be looking up by the time you're up for re-election.
PS. Just for fun, check out The Idiossey: The Epic Poem of Obamacles. You may not like it if you think Obama can walk on water, but if you're realistic (and have a vague memory of high school English) you'll probably find it funny. It's a little long, but the "Hildusa" parts in the middle are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

The Alphabet Project

I mentioned in my New Years goals that I was going to be working on the Alphabet Project. Check out my new blog documenting this project here. And if you have a toddler or a preschooler, feel free to join me!

Battle of the Bowels

This week I bought both a little plastic potty and a Costco-size pack of diapers. Which will win out? Stay tuned.

On a related note, I'm open to any and all potty-training advice. :)

I should also note that we're not doing too much with the potty yet, just talking about it and inviting Emma to take a seat. We'll see how it goes for a while.

Christmas, Purged

I love putting up Christmas decorations but there's also something so very satisfying about taking them down in January. Yesterday was garbage day so we hauled our tree out to the curb and kissed it goodbye, and I was glowing in the satisfaction of a house purged of all evidence of Christmas.

Until.

I heard a plaintive cry of, "Where Mary? Where baby Jesus? Where angel?"

Emma went digging through my packed box of Christmas tchotchkes and dug out the Fisher Price Nativity set. Apparently she wasn't yet ready to part with it, so these three are still hanging out in our living room:

I do love the fact that she has (sorta) learned the Christmas story. So we'll let them stay a while longer yet. Perhaps we can get baby Jesus moved on to Egypt by Valentine's day.

For Grandmacita and Grandpoppy

Christmas in Videos

Christmas morning:

Presents!

Christmas in Pictures

It seems that I always return home from a trip regretting that I didn't take enough pictures. Alas, here's what I have from Christmas 2008.

Emma enjoyed jamming out on Grandma's piano...

Wouldn't you like to find this under your tree?

Emma with baby Jordan.

Emma checking out Grandma's new book, which, incidentally, is all about Emma.

Presents!

Grandma and Papa hit the jackpot--a new computer!

Hello Oh-Nine

I'm not really all that big into New Years, not being much into drinking and/or hooking up with random people; my inability to stay awake past 9 pm lately has something to do with it too. But I was in the mood to make some new goals this year:
1. Exercise 1x/week. Yeah, I know once a week won't do much for me, but seeing as how I currently exercise 0 times a week, it's an improvement, right? I aimed low, knowing that my current lack of desire to exercise will only decrease as my stomach expands. However, I am going to give birth right at the beginning of bathing suit season, so perhaps that will inspire me to work out more than once a week.
2. Write 1x/week. I've had a couple of projects going for a while, but unfortunately I haven't really picked them up in the last 6 months. So while I want to get started, I also know that having another baby will throw a wrench into things. Thus once a week.
3. Complete the Alphabet Project. More info to come soon.
4. Contact a faraway friend once a week. Writing Christmas cards always reminds me how much I miss people, and how much I wish I kept in better touch the rest of the year.
5. Save some sweet moola. The economy doesn't have me as worried as some people (yet), but buying a house sure killed our savings account. Economic crisis or no, it's time to beef it up again.
6. Start food storage. Again, this has less to do with the economy and more to do with the fact that I finally have an extra closet to put it in.
So that's it. Ambitious, aren't I? :)