The First Day of Winter...er...Spring?

It is 40, that's right 40, degrees colder today than it was yesterday. We went from sunny and 75 to snow and 35. Happy First Day of Spring! Good grief!! This has been a very cold winter for us warm blooded Texans and it is still trying to hang on. We had plans to meet all of our friends over at Central Market this evening for a fun night on the patio, listening to live music and letting the kids play on the playground. Needless to say, that was cancelled. I am ready for winter to finally pack it in once and for all!!

I took Colin to Safari Park this morning, which was decidedly NOT a good idea. The weather is so horrible, so I figured it would be the perfect way to burn some hours and energy with the kiddo. What I neglected to realize is that today is Saturday and that means birthday parties. As in "mass crowd of kids and parents packed into a small space" birthday parties. As in "giant 12 year olds that are clearly too big for the playground" birthday parties. Man, it was a mess. Colin and I could not even find a place to stand...it was that crowded. We ended up having to leave after only 30 minutes (we were the first ones there, so I had no idea that insanity was going to ensue). I took Colin to McDonald's for a conciliatory ice cream cone and he cheered right up. :-) The good part of the morning was getting to actually witness Safari Park during the parties. I have toyed with the idea of having Colin's birthday there later this summer, but now I am absolutely certain that it won't work for us. That kind of chaos gives me a panic attack. :-)

It looks like the rest of our day will be spent hiding out indoors while it snows. Yes, snow. Did I say Happy Spring yet?

A Cooking Post...FINALLY!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I actually posted about dinner tonight on the cooking blog after a decade of no posts. ;-) It was delish, so if anyone is interested, check it out!

Spring Break with Gabby

We just spent a wonderful morning with Dana and Gabby! Our original plan involved going to the park with lunch afterwards, but typical of spring in Texas, the weather did not cooperate. We switched to plan B, which was playing at Safari Park. This was Gabby's first visit to Colin's favorite destination and I think she had a great time. Colin absolutely adores this little girl and always has a great time with her. He plays remarkably well with her and she has the perfect temperament to mesh well with Colin. She does not get her feathers ruffled too easily and is so calm and sweet. They called each other over and over again on two "phones" and made themselves a picnic lunch. They were just so cute!! The only issue was getting Colin to leave...I may have to rethink play dates at Safari Park. Colin would literally NEVER leave! He loves it so much and when we go by ourselves, we always spend more than two hours there (frequently even longer!). Dana and I wanted to have lunch AND we were running late this morning, so Colin only got about an hour of play before I had to ask him to leave. He was not a happy camper and our exit involved me carrying a kicking screaming toddler out to the car...not great. Needless to say, lunch did not start out on a good note. ;-) We went to Five Guys Burgers and Colin and Gabby picked out our table. Colin even asked to sit by Gabby instead of me, so I know he is seriously in love with her. hehe!! Colin cheered up once our food arrived and then as he began eating the little bites of hot dog that I cut up, he bit his finger HARD. Lovely. Now this is my favorite part of the whole thing....right as Colin bit his finger, Gabby was singing him a song. As Colin launched into hysterical tears, Gabby looked at Dana and said with utter seriousness, "I guess he didn't like my song!". I WAS ROLLING!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I love these kids!! Colin was really upset after that and spent the rest of lunch alternating between eating and showing me his hurt finger while tears ran down his cheeks. What are the odds?! Gabby was so sweet and kept offering Colin bites of her grilled cheese and fries. She is really one of the most wonderful little girls I have ever met. She has such a calm and generous nature and Colin is really taken with her. He talked about her the entire way home while telling me that he loves her. He has never been shy around her, which says a lot. It was a great morning despite the upset at lunch and I can't wait to hang out with them again.


Here is a picture that I took at lunch and it pretty much sums up the experience. Poor Colin! I hope this is the last time that he takes a bite out of his own finger. ;-)

Gabby and Colin share their "picnic" at Safari Park. No, they did not invite the other little girl to join them. LOL!

They were just SO CUTE together!!

Here they are talking to each other on the phones. They were seriously chatting!

Now, because I am me...I had to reminisce a little. ;-) Here is our play date with Dana and Gabby last year for their spring break! Look how much they have grown!! I love it!

Our Weekend

Jer is just finishing up a three day weekend, which was heaven sent. He is working a LOT at the moment and has not had many days off recently, so we tried to soak up every ounce of time with him we could. Things started out famously when my sister Alieson arrived on my doorstep bright and early Saturday morning with a raspberry mocha for me. :-) Jer did yard work and then we went over to pet the precious baby goats at the little farm down the street. I came very close to trying to smuggle one out of there...they were SO CUTE! We also fed the ducks and then spent some time at the park. After our busy day, we shared ice cream and frozen yogurt at the new shop that opened within walking distance to the house!! It is called "Blue Cherry" and they have all kinds of frozen yogurt, pastries, coffees and desserts. They have only been open for about a month and we go all the time! We are so thankful that it opened!!

Here are a couple of Colin with the goats...SO PRECIOUS!

Would you say that Colin liked his ice cream? ;-)

Yesterday was "A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine", which I purchased tickets for several weeks ago with our friends. That did not exactly go well, but it could have been far worse. Just as I expected, it did not go according to plan. Colin was excited about it and was very happy as we walked from the car over to the event. Once inside, however, he quickly got overwhelmed and wanted to leave. It was absolutely packed. Despite already starting to melt down, he asked to jump in the Thomas bounce house. We got his shoes off and he started to go in, but there were already several kids inside and it was really loud. He came right back out in tears. At this point, the giant Thomas engine was pulling back into the station from the previous ride and Colin was thrilled to see him...complete with steam and his signature toot. Even I thought it was pretty cool! :-) At this point, we had to be in a very long and chaotic line in order to get on board for our turn and Colin was just not having that. After the experience with the North Pole Express, I knew better than to drag him on board kicking and screaming. Once he is that upset, it is just not happening. The good news is that once the huge crowd for the 11:30am train boarded, the place was almost vacated! We had around 30 minutes with the run of the place before the train returned and the passengers for the next trip arrived. Colin immediately cheered up and had a blast! He spent a good deal of time checking out the model trains, which is one of his favorite things in the world. He saw Sir Topam Hat, toured the whole area, and then spent a LONG time in the petting zoo. He was beside himself over that one! He even got to watch a real blacksmith working. He was very impressed with that, too! All in all, we ended up having a wonderful time and Colin thought it was amazing to see Thomas in real life. It is pretty unfortunate that we did not use the expensive tickets, but at least he had fun in the end. I have learned my lesson, however, and won't be spending lots of money on tickets to ride crowded trains anymore! :-) We also rolled the clocks forward on Sunday, which I HATE. I was in such a rush on Sunday morning that I managed to forget my CAMERA to take to Thomas, as well as my cell phone. I felt naked all day. After the Thomas experience, we all had lunch at our favorite mexican place in Grapevine and then hit two different parks and the pet store. Jer even managed to wash and wax both cars, with Colin's help. ;-) It was a beautiful and busy day!

Today has been more low key with lunch at a chinese buffet (which Colin loved) and yet another trip to the park. This one has a sandbox and Colin was all over it. We are going to be finding sand for days!! In fact, he fell asleep on the way home, so I just brought him straight into the house and laid him down on Jer's side of our bed. He actually stayed asleep for the transfer (unheard of!) but that means he is currently leaving a pile of sand in our bed. I think we may have to wash the sheets before the day is out! I am not looking forward to Jer going back to work tomorrow, but I am very excited to see Dana and Gabby! They are on Spring Break this week, so we get to hang out tomorrow! YEA! :-)

Colin in the sandbox this afternoon.

"helping" Daddy wash the cars...with a mop. He is so dang cute!

The Land of Colin

We just got back from the park and Colin has finally, blessedly, fallen into a nap. The nap remains a distant memory around here, but every few days he will just be so exhausted that he falls asleep despite his best efforts to avoid it. I love the days that he naps at a normal time because the evenings are so much calmer! These moments are rare, but welcome! :-)

The weather remains beautiful but VERY windy...Colin and I picked up Wendy's and headed over to the park to eat and play. I was not paying much attention to the winds and probably should have skipped trying to eat outside. Everything was blowing all over the place! We were the only ones there, however, so Colin was able to turn the whole playground into his own make believe world. Imaginary play is his latest new move and it is the MOST adorable thing you have ever seen. He found a baby push toy that had been left at the park and immediately turned it into a car that needed fixing. He announced that it needed a new battery and turned the car over to work on it. He then told me that he had to go to the battery store and I was the salesman. He asked for a battery, which I "gave" him and he then said, "Thanks, Battery Store Mommy!". HILARIOUS! He then switched gears and gave me a spot to sit and then began asking what I would like to buy. I begin asking for items, which he runs to get in various "storerooms" that I am not allowed in. I know this because he says, "Mommy, stay there! Don't come in my storeroom!". ;-) This lasted for some time before he switched gears one final time and turned into a chef. He asked what I would like for him to cook for me and then "cooked" whatever I requested. This includes having to disappear into other rooms to find "ingredients". He also very seriously informed me that I should not touch the pans because "they are very very hot, Mommy!". So, basically the entire playground visit was not really a playground visit at all. It was more of a shopping/eating expedition in the land of Colin. Once back in the car, he announced, "That was so much fun, Mommy! Now we have to go home and get warm!" :-)

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that I firmly believed that I should have two children exactly two years apart. I don't exactly know where this idea stemmed from, except for my own notion that my two children would be close enough in age to be best friends. You know...like all siblings are in the perfect world that is your imagination. :-) The time came and went for me to accomplish my goal and we were just not ready yet. As time has ticked by, I have come to the realization that I am blessed with this precious time with Colin. I am never EVER going to forget these brief years that I have spent focusing all my attention on my first born. I love that we are buddies who go out on our own little adventures everyday. I love giving him my undivided attention and that he thrives under it. He is going to be a wonderful big brother one day and will be old enough to be my little helper. I know that my second child, whenever God blesses us with him, will not have the same limitless time with me, but he will have the greatest gift in the world and that is Colin. And my sweet little first born angel will always have the relationship with me that only the eldest can know. I think that we are a very lucky family, indeed! (and no...I am not pregnant!) :-)

Little Joys

We are having a wonderful time here in our little world and the weather has a lot to do with it! The sun has managed to come out of hiding and has the crisp quality that it seems to lack in the winter months. The sky is blue with wispy white clouds (cirrus clouds to you, Jer! hehe!) :-) Things are bright again and I am very happy to finally bid adieu to winter and the blahs! It seems as if I have tons to update from the past week, so here we go!

* Jer and I took Colin out to one of our favorite parks for a picnic and play several days ago and had the most beautiful time. Jer pointed out how much Colin has grown as far as his gross motor skills...he no longer needs any help when navigating the playgrounds. He can climb anything and no longer wants us to shadow him. He does request us to slide with him or play with him, but it is because he wants to play rather than needing any help. I don't worry anymore if he is out of my line of vision. He is a playground champ! He will launch himself down the biggest slides he can find with not an ounce of fear. It is wonderful! We followed the park with a trip to the new observation area at the airport where Jer works. It consists of picnic tables and viewing stations that overlook one of the main runways at DFW. They even play the Air Traffic Control over a loudspeaker, which Colin thinks is awesome. It was a great day all the way around.

Colin and Mommy checking out the new observation area.

I love this one...Colin was loving watching the airplanes land.

All smiles during our picnic lunch!

*We met our friends at another park a couple of days ago and I was bubbling over with happiness the entire time. Colin was very happy and had a wonderful time playing with his friends. He was much more open than he has been in recent months and his peace spilled over to me. He ate lunch at the picnic table with everyone rather than asking to sit away from the crowd. At the very beginning he did whisper to me that he wanted to go home, but then seemed to push the thought away and let go. He had a great time. He played "race" with Jack (my friend Eren's son) for a good portion of the time and told me repeatedly that Jack was his friend and they were "having a good time playing". He seems to have just grasped the true meaning of "friend" after we talked so much about it recently. He was, of course, literally overjoyed to see his favorite baby on the planet, Pierce, and told me no less than 100 times that he was having a good time with him. He played on his blanket with him and "helped" him slide. It was so precious. THEN in even bigger news, he went up behind Kim's mom and hugged her around the neck!! That was the first time I have ever seen him hug someone outside the family, so I was overjoyed for him. The afternoon ended with Colin playing airplanes with Hayden in perfectly peaceful accord. Hayden is such a sweet boy and he was willing to share his things with Colin. I am very lucky to have these friends...everyone that I am close to is so good to Colin and that has really helped him (and me!).

Here is one of Colin playing airplane with Hayden. They were so adorable playing together!!

Colin and Jack...they were having a great time digging in the wood chips. They are 100% boy!

Here is easily one of my all-time favorite pictures...Kimberly took this one of Colin and Pierce. She takes beautiful pictures and this one is just so sweet. It perfectly captures how Colin feels about that baby boy! She also took the wonderful picture that I used for my new blog header!

*Yesterday, Colin and I ventured out for a very exciting event...the new library is finally open!! Our weekly visits have been suspended for just over a month now because they were moving everything from the small interim library into the new facility that was just completed. Colin was beside himself to go and it did not disappoint! The building is beautiful and has a big outdoor patio in the back that will probably be a favorite spot for picnics. The story room is so precious and even has a tiny door that only toddlers could fit through! LOVE IT! Colin spent the whole visit picking out books and then going from chair to chair to read them. He would not let me help him, so I managed to get a couple of sweet pictures from the seat across from him. The only downside to the visit was the fact that Colin refused to leave and it came down to me carrying him out kicking and screaming...which is always fun in a quiet library. ;-) I spent 20 minutes trying to get him to come with me and his response was to run from me while weaving in and out of the aisles of books. The tiny makeshift library at City Hall was too small for such shenanigans, so I am going to have to work hard on getting him to behave in the new larger environment. I am glad he loved it so much, but I don't want another chase scene. Whew!

Here is Colin reading...you can see the giant letters on the wall in the background...it spells STORY ROOM and there are little nooks nestled into the letters that kids can sit on. The tiny door is carved into the bottom of the letter R. Absolutely adorable!

We also got his haircut yesterday before we went...he looks like a little marine! We tried a new barbershop, which Colin loved. The haircut is so cute and I love the way the back of his head feels! :-) Such a handsome little man!


Colin was in pure heaven reading all the books. He kept picking out books on animals. :-)

Now that was a long update! :-) This weekend we have tickets to "A Day Out with Thomas" in Grapevine and I can't wait to see how it goes. It will be packed with kids, so there is a solid chance that Colin is going to want to leave immediately. I knew it was a big risk to buy the tickets, but with his love for Thomas, I had to give it a shot. Our friends will all be there with Colin's friends, which may help. Expect an update on that one! :-)

Bring on the Spring!!

FEBRUARY IS OVER! YEA!!! It is officially March and the weather is finally turning around in our neck of the woods. Today was brilliantly sunny and warm and Colin and I took ourselves out for an afternoon at the park. Jer is teaching the late night sessions this week, so I needed to get Colin out and about so that Jer could get some sleep. It was the perfect day to do so and I feel just as refreshed as Colin does. A little vitamin D goes a long way for this mom! I am so happy at the thought of busy days spent in the sunshine!! Spring is the season for picnics and outdoor fun and I am so excited that it seems to be getting underway. January and February are my least favorite months of the year and they always seems to drag on endlessly. March is such a cause for celebration!

Monday night was our big viewing party for "The Bachelor" finale and it was an absolute blast. This season was so much fun because Jake (the bachelor) is from our area and lives just a few houses down from my good friend Kim. We have had the best time joking about everything from jumping his fence to bringing Vienna (his final pick) baked bread and an offer to give her a make-over. HA!! We have been having so much fun making fun of these girls that we got the bright idea to dress up like the actual bachelorettes at those silly rose ceremonies and have our own "most dramatic rose ceremony ever". Lindsey hosted at her house and we dressed up in full bridesmaid attire, complete with teased hair, giant chandelier earrings and the whole nine yards. Lindsey even had a final rose for all of us! It was hysterical! We drank lots of champagne (which required Lindsey's sweet husband to go out for more), ate ourselves silly and laughed the whole night. We watched the majority of the season together on Monday nights and it felt so great to have a chance to laugh and play with friends. I think becoming a mother has taught me to value my friendships with other women so much more. :-) Here we are on Monday night...don't hate us because we are beautiful!

Colin made a major breakthrough at the park today, which was fantastic! There were a lot of little ones out and when we first arrived a little boy slightly older than Colin tried to engage him to play. Colin ran behind me and told me that he was scared. I sat down on a park bench with him and asked him to explain his fear to me. He said, "I'm scared of other people, Mommy". He said that specifically to me a couple of days ago as well. I talked to him about how the little boy was just like him and that other people are not scary at all. We talked about the other kids in relation to him and Colin listened pretty well to what I had to say. I told Colin that the other little boy probably liked to slide just like him. To my utter amazement, Colin ran back up into the play yard and began playing with the other child! Colin spoke to him and asked him if they could slide together!! I almost passed out! They played together for a good while...Colin followed him around and spoke to him on several occasions, asking if he was ready to slide and if he was coming, too. It was wonderful and I was SO PROUD of him. We made our way to another playground where a little girl slightly younger than Colin was playing with her siblings. Colin asked me if he could play with her!! I told him that he absolutely could and he then did the same thing with her...following her around and asking her to slide! They even climbed on a park bench together and sat down side by side! It was just wonderful to see. It felt like a giant step in the right direction. What a great day!

I have been having a wonderful time with Colin lately...I didn't post this last week, but Colin and I spent a great day together that I got adorable pictures of. We had lunch together at McDonald's, which is one of our favorite "date" spots. :-) Colin is hysterical about our lunches together...he begs to go to "Donald's" and gets so excited when we pull into the parking lot. He goes right up to the front and asks for his food. SO CUTE! He also loves to pick out our table, but it is never inside the play area. In fact, about 80% of the time, he skips the play area all together! I don't think it has anything to do with his shyness at all...we usually eat when there are few people even there. He just prefers the dining room atmosphere and gets a kick out of sitting by the windows and talking with me while we eat. I always ask afterwards if he wants to play before we go and usually he says, "No thanks, lets go to the park instead." These moments always make him seem like he is 30. ;-) Anyway, afterwards we headed over to the indoor Safari Park, which he loves so much. In fact, we have been twice in a week! Both times he stayed for over two hours. They have a lot of stuff that he loves, especially all the train/space/castle tables. We spent a long while there and then popped into Panera Bread for cookies and chocolate milk. He really seems to relish our time together and I am trying to soak it all up. I know that I will blink and he will be a teenager who wants nothing to do with his boring old mom. :-)

Here is Colin enjoying his Happy Meal.

Heading down the slide at Safari Park!

Jumping on the trampoline at Safari Park.

Finishing up our date with cookies and chocolate milk!

I am so blessed!