Santa Fe. Part 4

I should really come up with more interesting titles for these posts. But who has time for that when you're in paradise, right?

Yesterday, my mom and I took the kids out to lunch and then to see some prairie dogs at this fun store called Jackalope. Aubrey loves seeing them bask in the sun. Even Henry got a little excited , thrusting his right arm out as if to say "see, I see, do you see?" It's his universal sign for everything now. While the kids were napping, I made it down to the Plaza and walked around for a bit and took some photos.

Today has been a little slow. Aubrey has been complaining that her lips hurt, and pointing inside her mouth. I thought maybe she had developed an ulcer inside her check as a result of her little bug. Well, turns out her tongue is full of blisters. Poor thing. It hurts her to eat and she is crabby, cuz the girl likes to eat. A quick call to the Doc confirmed it's probably just part of whatever virus she had/has, so we're trying to feed her cold, soft food and hope it passes quickly. We did make it to the playground after lunch to help wear them out. Might have been too much. Aubrey pitched a world class fit when we returned (over who knows what) and went straight to bed for a nap. She actually slept, which will mean a late night. Oh well. I think she needed the nap more than I need her to go to bed early.

Santa Fe. Part 3

It's been a quiet few days here as we've worked to get the kids well. Henry turned the corner yesterday afternoon and has been sleeping like a champ since. Aubrey is about a day behind, I think. Still a little worn out and whiney, but the fever is gone. Whew. She is on her way to the Children's Museum with GiGi as I type.

Aubrey, Grandad, and I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning, and then I escaped while the kids were napping and went the the flea market up the road. I've been hoping to get in a hike, but it just hasn't happened yet. We'll be here through the week, so I'm sure I'll get my chance.

Big news around here is that Henry has learned to clap. Not sure why this excites me so much, but it does. He's showing so much personality these days. In fact, I hear him piping up right now. Better go.

At the Santa Fe Farmer's Market

View of the Sangre de Cristo mountains

YAY Henry

A great end to every day...

Santa Fe. Part 2

Hello from gorgeous Santa Fe! It really is torture to come here in the summer. No humidity, cool air, afternoon rain showers, an incredible blue sky, mountains, green trees, and on and on. 14 hours in the car with the kids, by myself... now that's real torture. But we made it to my parent's house without too much trouble, and now that we're here... both kids have a fever, Henry is teething, and no one is sleeping well. Thank goodness the weather is fabulous, right? If only we could get out and enjoy it! At least I have some help around during the day. Aubrey just loves being here and can't get enough of her GiGi and Grandad. Yesterday, she put her feet in the river behind the house and went on a special trip to get ice cream with Grandad. Henry woke up with a low grade fever yesterday and was extremely fussy all day. He wouldn't eat and his top gums are so swollen. We just need that tooth to break on through already. After Aubrey returned from her ice cream outing, she wouldn't eat dinner either, which is very unusual for her (even after an ice cream snack). Sure enough, I felt her head and she was hot. Luckily, she doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, so I'm hoping it will pass quickly. Don't I always say that? So, we are taking it easy today and enjoying some time on the portal (porch).

Santa Fe. Part 1

we have arrived. ahhhhh.....

VBS

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church, and I think we are all still recovering!  Aubrey loved it, but she was wiped out by the end. She was there everyday from 9-noon.  That's the first time she's done something that many days in a row, and I think she handled it pretty well. She was ready to go everyday and is still singing the songs.  I'm amazed at what she retained, not only the lyrics, but the bible stories.  She managed to tell me about Moses and the burning bush, "King Pharaoh" (as she says) and how God made a terrible mess (still makes me giggle), and the parting of the Red Sea and how Moses led the Israelites. I was shocked. She actually said Israelites!  

I worked two days and put Henry in the church nursery, which meant no morning nap.  I was weary of doing it because every time we leave him for church, we get buzzed after 30mins.  I was so relieved that he did GREAT.  I think he had his moments, but they did a great job of working through his initial crying phase.  I loved having a break from rushing home to get Henry to take his nap and really enjoyed the adult conversations, and of course, it was wonderful seeing all the children sing and play. I had the best job... photographer!  

Introducing...

I finally settled on a name and logo. Check out my temporary webpage!  www.jillbee.com

Girl's gone wild, mom style.

I spent another night at the lake with my girlfriends this past weekend and we had a fabulous time! It was a perfect way to celebrate weaning Henry on Saturday morning (or should I say the perfect way to keep me from moping around all day). We left early Saturday and headed to Marble Falls for some shopping and lunch. I actually had some birthday money to spend and didn't spend a dime. Isn't that how it always is? Anyway, we headed to the lake after lunch and promptly donned our swimsuits and set out on the boat. It was a gorgeous hot summer day and the lake water felt great! I don't think any of us set out to do anything but swim and cruise the lake, and we ALL (minus Melissa who is 5 months pregnant) either water-skied or wake-boarded!!! Who says mom's can't have fun and keep up with the young crowd. It had probably been at least 10 years since I had skied and I had never wake-boarded before. I managed to get up on the first try (thanks to watching everyone else first).

We enjoyed great conversations and food and I left feeling very refreshed! I could have used another night though :). Can't wait for the next girl's weekend. Thanks Christy for making all the arrangements and thanks to your family for sharing their place!

Little Fish

Aubrey had her last swim class today, and although she is no where near "swimming," she is definitely loving the water more than ever.  She is no longer tentative about jumping in the pool without holding hands, and is starting to put her face underwater more.  A popsicle on the last day certainly motivates a girl.

How far we have come...

Summer 2006

Summer 2009

A year in the life.

I meant to get this posted on Henry's birthday, but just got a little sidetracked. When Aubrey turned one, I found a great frame for 12 small photos. Probably for 1-12 grade photos. Instead, I used it to display a photo for months 1-12 of her life. I love it, but it always bugged me that it didn't start with day one of her life. I needed 13 spaces. So for Henry, I just whipped up my own template. Maybe one day I'll get around to printing and framing it too

.

You know you've had a hard few days when...

you'd rather be here...
doing this... (but definitely NOT wearing that)

Not much more to say about that!  Aubrey has been sick, and there is no question that it brings out the worst in both of us. I mean really. Dreaming of 6 months away from it all on a luxury cruise? 1. Worst mom of the year for wanting to escape. 2. And escape to the ship?  Apparently I have the worst memory, cuz I'm sure there is no place better than right here with my family. (By the way. We are very blessed with healthy children. How dare I complain. But I am human and I'm a tired mom, so indulge me for a minute. Thanks. OK, I'm done).

Swim lessons

Aubrey started real swim lessons this week.  She could not have been more excited.  She showed no hesitation on Monday when the instructor swam up and put her arms out for Aubrey to jump in.  Aubrey grabbed her hands and off she went.  On day two, she was still excited to go, but knew what to expect and showed a little more hesitation. The instructor wanted her to jump in without holding on to her hands. That is when Aubrey entered negotiations. She spent a good three minutes telling the teacher that she doesn't do it that way. I had to walk away to keep from laughing, and so I didn't interrupt with "Aubrey, do what she says right now or you don't get to swim."  I decided that probably wouldn't help.  Today was a little better. She is pushing off the step and reaching out for the instructor, but is still very hesitant to let go and go under.  I don't imagine she'll be off and swimming by the end of next week, but I feel like she's on the right track, and I have a better idea of how to work with her. 

So, I brought my camera along today and even whipped out my super telephoto lens that hadn't seen the light of day for many, many years. In fact, it took some elbow grease to get it to zoom.  Unfortunately, I didn't really test it out before we went, and it seems to have some issues.  The autofocus wouldn't work, so I had to go manuel.  As a result, most of the photos were out of focus. I just dare you to try to get a good, in-focus, shot of a 3 year old swimming while using manuel focus. Go on, I dare you.  On top of that, I had to deal with the  blazing hot sun at 4:30 pm.  I gave up before she really got going. Henry was not happy in the stroller and the water looked so nice, I took him swimming. He loves it.