Traipsing around...

So Jennifer and I have been hanging out a lot lately. Besides the extremely interesting converations and good company, it almost always involves food. Sometimes it's a little difficult because I have to carry around 2 babies... but somehow we manage. One of our first lunch dates was to Barnaby's where I had the best burger of my life. I took Mom a few weeks later and she agreed it was awesome. Just after Brandon's birthday, we went to Tiny Boxwood's. It's a very high-end place where lots of River Oaks trophy wives go to lunch. Well, we're not rich, so we had to fake it. I put on my preppiest J.Crew shirt and Jennifer let me borrow her Coach sunglasses. I think we had them all fooled:

until Violet had a blowout and ruined the atmosphere. But it turns out I lied about the Barnaby's burger, because the buffalo burger I had at Tiny's was definitely the best burger I ever ate. Last week we celebrated Violet's birthday and Jennifer surprised me with some presents from her and her mom-- a cute dress for Violet, and a pretty shirt for me.

I like it because it's something I wouldn't have been brave enough to buy on my own, but it's awesome. And since it's from Saks, maybe I'll wear it to Tiny's next time.

Since she will probably soon be whisked off to some other part of the country with a new job, I am milking every minute I have with her. And I love it.

Rip-offs

I have some complaints against businesses that I have had to deal with lately. First off, we had to get new cell phones. It made me wonder how they decide what to charge for phone plans, and I concluded that they just pull a number out of their butts. Seriously, does it cost them anything to give you more minutes? Who decides how much a minute is worth? We have also noticed that family plans are more expensive than getting two individual plans, and that getting a plan that includes text and web is more expensive than getting a regular plan and adding text and web. But most people don't notice, and they get ripped off.

My second complaint is against Target and its ridiculous return policy. I had to exchange some shoes from Violet's birthday and didn't have a receipt. They scanned them and said, "Well, these shoes cost $10, but you will only get $8 back, and you'll have to pay the difference when you exchange them for the smaller size." Since when is it ok to charge 20% for an exchange? I checked and the shoes were still in stock, and not on sale. I left without exchanging them and wanting to punch the customer service rep in the face.

Finally, I am boycotting Yoplait yogurts and switching to puddings from now on. I bought the Boston Cream Pie flavor which, on the package, had a picture of a chocolate-covered pie with chocolate shavings next to it. When I opened it, not only was there no chocolate, but I'm pretty sure they didn't even add any flavor because it tasted like plain yogurt. It was disgusting.

For those who missed out...

Violet's birthday party was awesome, so here is a picture recap.
Of all the fancy gifts that Violet got, one of her favorites was a set of 3 rubber frogs from the dollar section at Target. Here she is playing with them, with Leah's cute little butt in the background. The cake was good. The pink strawberry middle plus bright blue icing combo made it the brightest cake I had ever seen.

And here it is before getting hacked into peices. Violet loved having us sing to her!

This was on the day of her actual birthday, opening all her presents from Brandon's family. She loved them, especially the purple tie-dye onesie from the previous pictures.

So I finish with Violet's birthday and suddenly Halloween is a week away, we have been extended a Thanksgiving invitation, Christmas exchange names have been drawn, and Brandon and I are pondering our next big vacation. (Speaking of vacations, Brandon finally posted some Belize pics on his blog.) Things are happening fast around here.

Birthday girl

When Violet woke up this morning, we told her that it was her birthday and that we have presents for her. She was so excited that she decided to escape during her diaper change and run around in her birthday suit. She even left mommy a little present on her stepping stool. Hopefully she is better behaved at her party tomorrow.

Funny things from this weekend

In no particular order:
Brandon signed the acceptance letter for his internship and I spilled red popsicle all over it. It didn't look very professional after that, but he was about to leave and had no choice but to mail it as-is. I felt really badly and almost stuck an apology note in the envelope that said, "This is Brandon's wife. Please excuse the popsicle stain on his acceptance letter. It's not his fault that I'm a slob." Unfortunately he sealed the envelope before I got to add my note.

Ashley fed Violet a ton of blueberries and the next day she had a blowout in the car. When I changed her diaper, her poop was blue.

On Friday, Ashley suggested that Violet sleep on the bed with us. Ashley didn't know that Violet plays before she falls asleep, so every 15 seconds, Violet would poke Ashley in the face and I would hear Ashley giggle.

On Saturday night, Violet was asleep in the pack-and-play and Ashley and I started laughing about something. Violet started laughing along with us in her sleep.

We were looking at the jaguar exhibit at the Dallas aquarium when I overheard a guy trying to impress his girlfriend with his knowledge of animals. I walked up to the cage and told Ashley that you can tell jaguar spots from leopard spots because jaguar spots have smaller spots inside, whereas leopard spots don't. A couple of seconds later, I heard the guy repeat exactly what I had just said to his girlfriend. I guess I wasn't the only one eavesdropping.

On Saurday, Ashley kept making fun of me because I never exercise. She laughed at me when I told her that I don't need to because I stay active. Then on Sunday, she complained about how sore she was from carrying Violet around all day. Guess who is laughing now?

Brandon's packing list:

Snorkeling gear
sunscreen
insect repellant
swimsuit
underwater camera

It's hard to believe this is a school-related, educational field trip. Belize. I am jealous.

I'm sure he will have a good time. Last weekend, he was apparently having so much fun on his field trip that he left his wedding ring at the bottom of the river.

Life is happening

Lately my posts have been mostly about how cute Violet is. That is because Brandon takes the computer to school on most days, so when I do have it, I don't have much time to actually write and I just end up posting pictures. But now he is on a field trip to Enchanted Rock and I get the computer for the weekend, so here is what has been happening besides Violet's cuteness:

1. I have a job. Another baby comes over to play with Violet, and for some reason I get paid for it. It's awesome.
2. Brandon got an internship offer for next summer. And it isn't the kind of summer internship where they pay you less than minimum wage and get away with it because it gives you "experience." Geology interns get paid as much as full-time employees.
3. I hang out with Jennifer all the time. She is a good sport and pushes the stroller for me when I need her to. We go out to lunch, go to museums, or do whatever fun thing there is to do that day.
4. I have been sewing a few things-- nursing covers, headbands, shirts, etc.
5. I started painting again. I have one finished and I'm working on a new one. I'm not the best but I think they turn out pretty well and I like doing it, so I see no reason not to.
6. Violet and I are visiting Ashley soon. All she had to say was "I have some old clothes that you can have" and I was sold. I email her all the time to remind her how excited I am.
7. Cooking and cleaning... okay, I really don't do either of those too much. I always get semi-prepared meals at HEB and call it good. As for the apartment, it's only clean when people come over. That's fine with me.
8. On Wednesday Brandon and I had a date for the first time in a long time. We went to Pappadeaux and had cheesecake afterwards. Yum.

So there you have it, I have mostly been working and trying to get other things done during my days off. It's a pretty fun job.