Life is Beautiful...: June 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Back in the Saddle

I'm way behind on blogging! We've had a busy last few days and I've been a bit more tired than usual, so I've slipped. I'll try to encapsulate Friday - today:

Friday, Ben, Rex, and I went to, you guessed it, Katy Mills mall:

Let's roll!

We all rode the new train they have around the mall. Ben LOVES trains.

Did I mention Ben loves trains?

Friday evening, we had the pleasure of having dinner with our friend, Keli and her son Braden, who is Ben's age. Ben and Braden played in the sandbox at Victor's Mexican restaurant and Keli got to give Rex a cuddle and we all ate to our hearts content! I regret, there are no pictures of the boys or of my delicious chimichanga. :(

Saturday, we went to one of Ben's friend's birthday party. Ella and her parents hosted a splendid affair. Mike and Ben took part in swimming in the pool and we all noshed on burgers, hot dogs, and other yummy stuff. It was a great time.

Saturday evening, I went to my friend, Holly's baby shower. Another friend, Elaine, hosted us and it was an absolutely beautiful shower. The Barefoot Contessa has nothing on Elaine! Turkey breast, sausage, pasta salad, and field greens were on the menu, as well as some fantastic appetizers and cupcakes from Ooo La La Bakery that were as big as my head.

Cupcakes!!! There were Bunny Boo (carrot cake), German Chocolate, Strawberry, Velvet Elvis (red velvet cake), & some kind of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate concoction that sounds like something I'd like as my last meal. Elaine made the cupcake stand out of platters and bowls. Beautiful!

Sunday, I took Rex to church for the first time since he was dedicated on Mother's Day and he stayed in the nursery. He did really well and was happy to spend some time with the nice lady that was caring for the babies that morning.

That afternoon, we went to Saltgrass for a late birthday lunch with Mike's parents and sister to celebrate Mike's dad, John's birthday. After lunch we came back to our house and had cake!

Ben with PaPa singing Happy Birthday

PaPa & Ben after the blowing-out of the candles

Ben ate a HUGE piece of cake

After cake, Aunt Melissa & NaNa got into the Wii. Ben and Melissa played a mean game of tennis!

Monday, we went to Inflatable Zone with Kaitlyn and Valerie and let the kids go crazy.

Ben on the giant slide!

We went to Chik Fil A for lunch after Inflatable Zone and they had all kinds of fun activities for the kids. Valerie was trying to get Ben to pose for me, but she had to eventually restrain him and it turned into a laughing matter.

That afternoon, we came home and I'd had about enough of Rex's Ed Grimley impression. That hair just had to go. Part of me felt bad about cutting my baby's hair, but he seemed so happy after I did it. I don't think he liked his 3 inch comb-over anymore.

Before

After!

All smiles and a cooler head!

Today, we went to Chuck E Cheese and met up with my friend, Franky and her little boy, Dante, who is great buds with Ben. The boys ran around like little maniacs and had a ball while Franky and I caught up with each other and kept Rex entertained. It was a wonderful time and I had to ask myself why I waited so long to reach out and ask Franky to get together! She's a wonderful friend and I've missed her.

Both boys took good naps this afternoon and I got lots done around the house. Once Mike got home, I went to meet with some people, then went to the grocery store, so I don't have to drag the boys there tomorrow in the heat or, possibly the rain.

So that's it! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

On the Go

I'm quite pleased with myself today! We got on the road by about 10 a.m. to run some errands. We went to Party City, Babies R Us, and Home Depot (Ben's favorite!).

After Home Depot, I was dreading going back home and trying to do anything at home to entertain the boys for the rest of the day. I called Donna and Selene to see if they wanted to hit up Rat Palace (code word for Chuck E Cheese), but they had gone to the beach. I decided to go ahead and take Ben back to the play area at Katy Mills mall. He really needed to have some fun.

Ben: Ready to Roll! Nice back up shades, Buddy!

Ben on the back of the blue car at KMM

Hey, baby, goin' my way?

I have no words. And apparently, neither does Ben.

Collapsing with utter play area joy.

No pictures please. Can a kid eat a hot dog in peace?

Rex napped during lunch in the Covered Wagon of a stroller. Genius timing!

I'm learning to love The Covered Wagon

Ben got to ride the carousel twice in one week! He's such a big boy. He tried to get on his horse all by himself, but the nice man behind him helped him get up there while I stayed outside the gate with Rex in the stroller.

When we got home, Rex played in his jumperoo. For the longest time, he couldn't touch the ground, but he can now get a toe on the floor and is able to bounce like a maniac on that one toe! Go, Rexy, go! Show that jumperoo who's boss!

This is my project for tomorrow. This is our coffee table. This is unacceptable.

I put both boys down for a nap after we got home. They were just wiped out (thank you, God). I used the time to my advantage to make dinner, some shortcut spaghetti. Mike's on his way home and we've got lots to do tonight. So it'll be go, go, go after dinner. But at least dinner's already cooked for the most part!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Love of a Child

Today was pretty uneventful, but it was productive. The boys and I made a trip to the grocery store together and, although it was brutally hot, we made it in and out pretty easily and hey, we accomplished our daily goal to get out of the house.

I'm feeling introspective this evening, so instead of writing about the mundane things we did around the house today, I'll write more about what's on my mind, or rather I should say who's on my mind. Ben.

I never believed my parents when my brother and I would ask them which of us they loved more. They always said they loved us equally. Some days I thought they loved me more and some days I thought they loved my brother more. It wasn't until I became a parent to more than one child that I believed it was possible to love your children equally, but to also appreciate their differences.

Ben is my sensitive child. From the day he was born, he's always been a bit more serious than your average kid. Even as an infant, he didn't smile much and always seemed to be in a tizzy about something. As a toddler, he had a frightening habit of banging his head on the floor or any other hard surface and screaming at the top of his lungs to show his frustration. I remember worrying about how he was going to survive in this world. He seemed too tender and too vulnerable to be able to deal with life's blows.

As Ben grew and started pre-school, he began to change little by little, but still maintain his sensitive nature. He became very social and really enjoyed other children his age. I noticed that, for the most part, he lacked the aggressiveness that some little boys experience as they are learning to be social. He was easily led and happily followed and mimicked other kids. If someone pushed him or took something away from him, he seemed to defer to them. He wasn't a wimp. He didn't come crying to me about it. He just seemed okay with others taking the lead.

I remember when I was about to deliver Rex. I was worried, secretly, that Rex would take center stage as the cute, tiny baby and that my feelings for Ben might change after I had a cuddly infant again. I'm embarrassed to admit that I worried about that. But I'm a champion at having irrational fears, so... It turns out that my fears were unfounded. For some reason, Ben and I have grown closer since Rex was born. He helps me by bringing me diapers and bottles and toys for Rex. When I am trying to hide my frustration with a crying baby, he gives me the most unexpected and needed hugs. When I'm so tired I can't move, but still have to clean the kitchen, do the laundry, or get dinner on the table, he wraps those tiny arms around my waist and says, "I love you, Mama". There is nothing that lifts my spirits more than when Ben says he loves me or thanks him for making him a peanut butter sandwich or tells me "Great job, Mama!" when I water the flowers on the deck.

Most days, he follows me around like a little duckling following his Mama duck. You'd think it would drive me nuts and there are rare moments that it does. But I love it more often than not. We are bonded.

It's funny. When I was pregnant with Ben, I remember thinking there was no way I could love another child as much as I loved Vanessa. Turns out there's more room in this mother's heart for the boundless love of this child. I love life's surprises.

Monday, June 22, 2009

One Fine Day

I awoke this morning to Nugget gazing up at me from the crook of my arm with the most precious smile on his face and those big, beautiful brown eyes just twinkling. I have no idea how he ended up in bed with me. I don't remember anything after going to sleep last night after a long and exhausting weekend. I think what actually woke me was Ben's voice:

Ben: Mama?

Me: Mmmm...[grumble...snort]

Ben: Are we going to see Kaitwyn today?

Me: Uh...yeah.

When I opened my eyes, Ben was fully dressed.

Me: Hey! You dressed yourself!

Ben: Yep!

I was so proud of my big boy. His sandals were on the optional way (I just can't bring myself to say he put them on the wrong feet), but the shorts and shirt were on the traditional way (right-side out and tags in back).

Normally, I'm up before both boys, so I knew it had to be late. I looked at the clock and it said 10:30 a.m. Yikes! Valerie and I had discussed getting together with the kids today, so I hurried and called her over my first cup of coffee. Fortunately, she hadn't even had her first cup of coffee, so we had some time to get ready.

We met up with Valerie and Kaitlyn at the Katy Mills Mall play area. The kids played and Rex and I sang and danced to the music coming out of the loud speakers. Rex is quite the dancer, all shimmy, shake, and chub. Before Valerie and Kaitlyn arrived, I got a caramel frappucino at Starbuck's and in between dance numbers with Rex, had an epiphany: Frozen + Cappucino= Frappucino. Eureka. Don't ask me why that's important. It just reminded me of a moment when my friend, Laurie, discovered that chicken fried steak was not actually chicken.

After we [me] were sick of the play area, we went to the food court and indulged in a disgusting meal of Burger King. I got some kind of Chicken Ranch Cheddar sandwich thingy and it was not near as exciting as the picture. We rode the carousel and of course, I forgot my blasted camera, so there are no precious pictures of the kids. Rex LOVED the carousel and Ben loved riding the horse. I think Rex is going to be my little adventurer.

After hitting Bed Bath & Beyond for some tarts and a bed tray at a steal of a price thanks to my coupons, we headed home. While the boys rested, I did finally talk with the customer service manager at Bassett. Before I called, I said a prayer that God would give me the right words to handle the situation. I started out okay, but when the manager became non-committal and was underwhelmed by my dissatisfying experience so far with Bassett, I did get a little more firm and told her what we expected in terms of a resolution. She's supposed to call on Wednesday with an update. I'm praying for the best outcome. All I want is for Bassett to do right by us and to be fair.

Tonight was about as perfect as it could be. Mike came home at a reasonable hour, the boys were both in good spirits and everyone was ready for bed at a decent time. The boys are fast asleep and, even though I spend every day and every one of their waking hours with them, I miss my beautiful boys. :-)

A Fabulous Weekend!

This weekend was incredibly busy, but extremely fun! It was full of great times with family and friends. My Premier Designs jewelry party was a smashing success and a great time was had by all! I laid out a tremendous brunch spread, if I do say so myself (!), of southwestern quiche, kolaches, spinach salad, muffins, fruit, turtle brownies, juices, sodas, and coffee. Kelly, the Premier Designs jewelry lady (and someone who's quickly becoming a friend), did a fabulous job of showcasing all of the gorgeous jewelry. I can't accessorize to save my life, but I'm learning! I couldn't believe all the beautiful jewelry there was to choose from. It was great!

After the party, Jennifer stuck around and we were able to spend some special time together with Ben and Mike. She watched the "Ben movie", as Ben calls it, which is a beautiful DVD of all the pictures of Ben from this last school year. It's such a wonderful slideshow set to music and it brings tears to my eyes every time. His teacher, Miss Wendy, put it together and I will be forever grateful to her for her generosity and dedication.

Ben and Mike played together after that and Jen and I were able to spend some time talking about life and what has been going on with us both. It is one of my most favorite things to do. Jennifer is a rare gem and a most extraordinary friend.

Sunday was wonderful. I tried very hard to be super-wife and take care of both boys AND make Mike a Father's Day breakfast. Um, impossible. I did get breakfast made, but he ended up handling the boys more than I'd have liked. He laughed it off and said this is what fathers do and that he loved it. *Sigh* I love him.

Mike opened his gifts and loved the Willowtree figurine that Rex "gave" him. It is of a man holding and gazing at a baby. I added it to our collection and it looks so beautiful with all the others.

Vanessa also wrote Mike a beautiful and touching card that really made him feel special. I am so grateful that they are close and that Mike is able to be there for her.

Mid-afternoon, Mike's parents, my wonderful in-laws came over for a late lunch/early dinner. We ordered out for Chinese and it was fantastic. After we ate, the men opened more Father's Day gifts and we spent some time together playing with the boys. We discussed going to Disney World sometime next spring together as a family, perhaps doing a Disney cruise. We all got so excited talking about it. We looked at the Disney World website and Ben watched videos of the different parks over and over again. It would be so magical for Ben and Rex. I can't wait to see if we can make it happen.

After the Disney discussion, Mike, John, and Ben went outside with Ben's little golf clubs. Belinda and Rex looked on from inside the kitchen while golfing lessons ensued.

PaPa showed Ben how to hold the club.

Daddy helped Ben with his swing!

Once Ben came inside, he was really tired and very hot. Not conducive to an already overly-exhausted little boy. He wanted to take a picture with our camera and was pouting when I tried to get a shot of him with NaNa and Nugget.

So I promised him he could take some pictures after I got a good picture of him smiling with NaNa and Rex. Silliness took over!

Finally, I got a nice shot of all of them!

After more playing, laughing, and frivolity, John and Belinda headed home. As if they didn't have the oppotunity to get sick of us already, next weekend is John's birthday and we're taking him to Pappadeaux Saturday night for dinner! Seafood fondue, here we come!

Mike and I are lying in bed, me blogging (of course) and he, reading the last of the Sunday paper. He expressed to me a few minutes ago how special his day was. As amazing of a father as he is, I'm so grateful we were able to give him half the joy today that he gives us daily. Life is most certainly beautiful...

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Friday Happenings

Wow, is it late. I'm having my Premier Designs jewelry party tomorrow morning and have been prepping all day today. It's going to be fun and I'm really excited!

Today was a neat day. Jennifer called the other day and wanted to know if she could take Ben to see the new Pixar movie, "Up" today. I thought that would be really cool for Ben, knowing how crazy he is about Jennifer, not to mention his love of popcorn and BIG movie theaters! So we got him all amped up about the movie Thursday night. The first thing he said this morning was, "Jennifer's coming and we're going to see 'Up'!" He got dressed and I helped him brush his teeth, go potty, and get his water bottle. Jen showed up and did me the honor of holding and snuggling Rex while I got the carseat in her car. NaNa showed up just in time to say goodbye to Ben and take over with Rex while I dashed out to run errands for the party.

While I was at Best Buy, Jen called and said that both she and Ben found "Up" to be a bit of a snore and could she take him to lunch. Wow! My big boy had a lunch date! I told her of course and they went to Chili's. He told me all about his burger that he had at lunch when he got home.

Jennifer is a wonderful friend and I can't tell you how special it was for me that she and Ben got to steal away and spend some special time together. That kind of sweet gesture doesn't occur to a lot of people. But Jennifer is special. :D

When I got home from running errands, Belinda, Mike's mom, told me that Rex had napped the whole time I was gone and was an angel. Why doesn't he do that for me?! God bless Belinda. She enabled me to run my errands without having to drag 2 kidlets, who'd rather be with their NaNa anyway, with me. It was wonderful to be able to jump in and out of the car quickly and get some things done.

From about 4:30 on, I worked on prepping for the party. When Mike got home, he brought me a vanilla latte from Starbucks (my favorite!). He's such a kind and caring husband. I love his little acts of love.

Mike hung the new blinds in the dining room and we finally bid farewell to the chewed up blinds we've been sporting for a couple of years now. I swear, it looked like a serial killer or a wild animal lived here with those blinds hanging in the window. Oy.

Mike and I worked throughout the night and finally we're bathed/showered and ready for bed. I'm excited about my party tomorrow. It will be good to visit with great friends, eat, and look at cool jewelry!

Night, all!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Out & About!

Today turned out to be a really busy, but fun day! I got up, had my coffee, got dressed, and put on my make up before the boys rose for the day. We had breakfast together and Rex enjoyed a bowl of rice cereal while Ben munched a peanut butter sandwich.

After breakfast, we hit the post office, the cleaners, and the pet store for dog food. Then I decided to take the boys walking at Katy Mills mall. I resolved to walk 3 times around the mall (3 miles) and only got around once before veering into Ann Taylor Loft to snatch up a cute shirt that was on sale. While there, Rex started screaming bloody murder which, unfortunately, did not speed up the sales clerk one bit.

After leaving Ann Taylor, I sprinted, pushing the stroller like a maniac, to the play area. Ben ran and frolicked with the other kids while I fed Rex. I ran into a couple of my mom friends, Lindsay and Jessica and got to chat with them while Ben played. Lindsay and I have been trying to make plans to get together for months and voila! We got to catch up at the mall.

After we got home, Rex took a solid nap and I got to wrap up loose ends around the house in preparation for my jewelry party on Saturday while Ben had quiet time in his room.

When Mike got home, we had dinner and relaxed for a bit before bathtime ensued. I got Ben and I out of the way and then Mike gave Rex a good scrubbing.

Ben tried his hand and brushing his own teeth, something we don't let him do too often, but he did a pretty darn good job tonight!

Here's Rex all snuggled up in the towel Aunt Laurie gave him. I wish you could experience how wonderful he smells after his baby lotion massage.

Ben took it upon himself to fix Rex's unruly hair.

All in all, a wonderful day was had by all!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

In a Slump

Not much to report today, but I'm trying to post something daily, so I thought I'd report that there's not much to report.

It was a bit of a dreary day. I got out of bed with the best of intentions to go somewhere. Rex's morning nap once again put a damper on plans. So we stayed indoors and didn't do much. It was a bit depressing, I have to confess. These are the dog days of summer and the heat, the bugs, the burning grass, it's all enough to bum me out.

I'm in the process of setting some small goals for myself. I realize that staying in day after day is not conducive to my well being. I need to be out and about with the boys and living. Ben also needs to play and be active and well, if Rex misses his morning nap once in a while, I guess he'll sleep that much more soundly in the afternoon. At least that's been my experience with him in the past.

So tomorrow, the goal is to get up and go to the Y. Even if all I do is sit and read a book in the lobby, we will all be out and doing something. Bassett is coming to look at the sectional tomorrow and I'm nervous about that. I'm going to pray for guidance in the best way to handle that situation.

So that's it. Not much else to share. Good night!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mommies Need Playdates Too...

Our good friend, Selene, invited us over to play today. She has two handsome sons, Gavin and Joey, and was also watching a little boy named Bobby while his mom was at work. She ordered the most fabulous Hawaiian pizza from Domino's and we ate, talked, and the boys played until they were worn out! Rex had so much fun watching the big boys play. I can tell he is ready to toddle after them once he starts walking!

Ben got to play with the coolest toy Gavin and Joey have. It's a Geo-Trax airport and I was even impressed with how neat this thing was. Once Ben and Rex are rooming together and we turn the nursery into a playroom, we've got to get one of those!

Selene is one of those moms I really admire. She can put together a Geo-Trax structure in the blink of an eye, make lunch for 4 active boys while juggling sippy cups, and snuggling a baby all in rapid succession. And she seems to enjoy it all. She's also one of those moms you can confess your "bad mom" moments to and then not feel so bad because she lets you know you're not alone.

It was a fun, fun day for me and the boys. God bless Selene!

Monday, June 15, 2009

The God Box

As is my nature, I've been doing a lot of worrying about things that are beyond my control today.

I was really getting myself worked up and kept trying to think of something to make myself relax and feel better.

That's when I remembered a very special gift that Vanessa gave me for Mother's Day this year: A God box. The purpose of a God box is to write your worries on a little piece of paper and put it in the box for God to take care of.

On the inside of my God box, its says, "As for God, His way is perfect". I know that the things I worry about are so small to Him.

I grabbed a few small scraps of paper and wrote down the worries that were on my mind and put them in the box.

I did not worry about them the rest of the night. Amazing how something like that can work. :-)

Escape is Just Footsteps Away

Well, today started out a bit rough. The contractor who was sent by Guardsman to clean spit-up stains (that shouldn't require a contractor to clean) showed up early at 8 a.m. to clean the sectional. That's another story for another time, suffice it to say that I have high hopes Bassett will replace the sectional as the fabric is not easily cleaned at all.

So besides a very nice man seeing me in all my pre-coffee, pre-contact-lens, pre-ready-for-the-day glory, things were okay. I had resolved to get the boys and myself out of the house until...Rex decided it was time for his morning nap. He napped until after noon, at which point I was starting to feel a little glass-half-empty and stir-crazy.

Not to be discouraged, I figured, "Hey, I have a double stroller, let's use it!" So everyone popped on their shades and around the neighborhood we walked...well, I walked, Ben and Rex rode. It was scorching hot, but we were out of the house. It was a brief walk, but it was a walk.

After the walk, we came back and broke out the super-cool Gymboree bubbles. Did I mention Ben loves Bubbles?

Always a good reminder that when I'm feeling caged, I can always walk right out the door with the boys and escape.

Fun in the Sun

We had a great day Sunday. My friend, Donna, invited us to her sons' birthday party today and it was a blast. Donna has a great backyard with a trampoline, a slip n slide, a kiddie pool, and an Extreme Coaster, Ben's favorite! It was so great to see our friends and their families. Valerie, Selene, Heather, and Trudy were all there with their clans. Lots of delicious food and good times. Ben got to experience his first pinata beating and that was the best. Some of those kids beat the crap out of that thing. Donna didn't have a tree to hang it from, so she duct-taped to a rod and held it out for the kids to hit with a stick. She's braver than I am!

Once we got home, the boys napped and I tried to. Mike continued to work on the guest bath floor. He finally finished it at midnight and it looks great. Go Mike! He worked so hard and I'm so proud of his handiwork.

Once again, we are up too late. We've been discussing getting ourselves on a better schedule, so we're more rested. The world is a different place when we've had enough rest. That said, I'm off to bed!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Odelay! A Day with Family & Flooring!

We had a great day today when Mike's parents came over to help us put in a new floor in the guest bathroom. The old flooring was hideous and I can't believe it took us 5 long years to finally go purchase snazzy new peel and stick tiles. Yeah, it's cheap. Yeah, it may be cheesy. But hey, it's an easy fix and looks pretty cool if you ask me.

Mike and his dad, John, worked all afternoon, cleaning, measuring, cutting, peeling, and sticking. Belinda, Mike's mom, otherwise known as NaNa to the boys, and I played with Ben and Rex while the men-folk worked away.

There was a brief lunch break in which Ben sampled his first hot dog(!) and we all noshed on brats, dogs, Funyuns (yes, Funyuns), and jalapeno potato chips.

Belinda and I got to spend quality time together with the boys and chatting about the joys of mother- and grandmotherhood. Ben frolicked nearby and also volunteered his handyman skills to PaPa and Daddy here and there. Rex was his precious little chubbed-out self and provided plenty of smiles and melt-worthy moments. He got to spend a little time getting to know his new friend and mommy's little helper, Mr. Exersaucer.

I absolutely love Mike's parents. Really. No woman could ask for better in-laws. Family is the most important thing in our lives and let me tell you, we've got it good.

Life is Beautiful...