2013

2013 was like a bad boyfriend.

It started off all fun and exciting, and then came the red flags (AC breaking, losing my drivers license, etc.) Still, I stayed pretty optimistic.  Since a few things were working out for me, I kind of dove into everything headfirst, thinking it would all work out in the end.  Unfortunately all I learned was that you should never take on too many projects in your first trimester and you should never work for free.  So, 2013, this is where I say I'm getting sick and tired of you and it's time to break up.  We had some good times but in the end, I ended up wasting my time.  I'm ready for a new year.

Luckily though, a few things happened in 2013 that will make 2014 awesome. This will probably be a crazy, stressful year, but Brandon has a big boy job nailed down and I am pregnant so no matter how hectic things get, I will at least have a baby and a house by the end of the year.  And that is going to be fabulous. 

I of course could never write an end-of-year post without setting some goals for the next year.

1. Be nicer to Brandon. 
Brandon has been really nice to me this year.  And it's not like an annoying newlywed "I am so lucky I have the best husband ever <3<3<3 he is the greatest because he bought me flowers once XOXOXO" type of nice.  He has done some real, substantial, grown-up things.  Like never once complaining when I only made dinner 5 times in my entire first trimester.  Like staying calm and not judging me when one night I was so stressed out with the kids that I threatened to get my tubes tied after this baby.  Like taking care of the kids while I was in NYC pursuing my photography dreams.  Like spending 10+ hours setting up a webpage for me, without even being asked to, just so I can look more professional. Like showing me the techniques I needed to know to do a drawing for which I got paid and he received no credit.  So I'm going to try to pay him back a little. It's going to be a busy semester for him, so maybe I could do things like actually feed him dinner, or stop asking how much time it's going to take for him to graduate so I can live my ideal trophy wife lifestyle and spend all the money he makes.  Yeah, I can definitely do better.

2.  Learn how to say no.
I'm really bad at this, and the terrible thing is that some people really need to learn how to accept NO for an answer, and I've just been depriving them of this learning opportunity all along. I also need to learn that NO doesn't require an explanation, excuse, or apology.  That's the whole beauty of the word-- it's a one-word answer that gives people all the information they need.  Time to use it.

3. Stop thinking there is nothing to do.
There is always something to do.  I have no real schedule or commitments, but I still sit home some days thinking there is nothing to do.  Really? I could go to the beach on any given day if I just did it.  I could get up and take a road trip if I wanted.  No one but Brandon would even notice I'm gone. I don't have to take vacation days off work to do that.  I just need to be more fun.

Yes, 2014 is going to be eventful.  Between Brandon finishing school and starting his new job, and us buying a house and having a baby, it's probably going to go by faster than I can ever imagine.  But maybe if I do all these things I can handle the stress that comes along with all these life changes.  It's going to be a great year!

Sickies on vacation

My expectations of vacations are always wildly different from reality.

Me before going to Utah:
"Yay! I can't wait to play in the snow, have a white Christmas, drink hot chocolate, and have so much fun!"

Me, 10 minutes after arriving in Utah:
"IT IS SO COLD!!!! WHY DO PEOPLE LIVE HERE?!?!?!?"

Yep.  Brandon's decision to take a job in Houston was validated the second I stepped out of the airport.  (Not that we had other options, but still.  I'm not complaining.)

The cold hasn't even actually been that bad. The worst part has been the flu.  We were scheduled to fly out on Monday night at 6:30.  Brandon had a paper to finish that day and the weekend had been super busy for me, so there was a lot to do before we left.  And unfortunately on Monday I woke up sick and our computer wasn't working. The flights went pretty well, but they had issues getting our luggage out in Salt Lake so we didn't leave the airport until 12:30 AM, and got to Lena's house at about 1:30 AM. By the time we got in bed, we were both feeling really sick, and I just lay there shaking until I fell asleep.  Tuesday turned out to be even worse-- I coughed until I threw up, and later Brandon threw up and couldn't move, then fell asleep while eating dinner. Charlie was so tired that he slept in till noon and then fell asleep that evening while sitting down on the floor. Violet did not object to being put to bed, either.  Luckily I went and bought some BYU ice cream, which has healing properties for sore throats, and I'm feeling much better today.  But Brandon is still sick and Charlie threw up this morning, so we will still have to see it out.  So much for a relaxing vacation!

New York trip

Guys, I got to go on a trip without my kids.  You can all sit back and be jealous now.

When Ashley first offered to fly me to New York to take her maternity pictures, I was flattered and excited, but doubtful.  But happily, Brandon had finished class and tickets were cheap, so we were able to make this work!  We spent the first day there sleeping in till 10:30 (bliss), getting waffles (even more bliss), and taking Ashley's maternity pictures.  Apparently after she bought my ticket she had decided that she didn't want to do them anymore, but she went along because she had flown me out there and there was nothing she could do to get her money back. But she ended up having a good time despite the 40-degree weather, and I'm certainly glad we did these because they turned out adorable and I had a blast doing them.

I slept in till 10:00 again the next day (you'll start to notice a pattern of behavior when I'm not around my kids) and Ashley let me hang out with my friend Jennifer all day.  It worked out nicely, since Ashley was pregnant and tired and not exactly wanting to play tour guide, I got to see my friend and not feel bad for ditching the person who paid my way here.  I navigated the subway to meet up for an early lunch at a fabulous (and famous) burger place.

Not sure what to think of the subway yet.

Afterwards, Jennifer, her boyfriend and I had a photoshoot at the Brooklyn bridge.  That was probably the most "tourist-y" thing I did while there, aside from wearing bright colors.  Apparently that is a fashion faux-pas in NYC.  But the bridge was lovely, and it even started snowing right as we got off.

After walking the whole way across the bridge we decided it was time for more waffles.  I've never tasted anything better in the snow than a warm, crisp waffle covered in dulce de leche.

 After a brief stop at Jennifer's apartment, we went to a bar (go ahead and take a moment to pray for my salvation) on top of the Standard that had a great view of the city.  I ordered the virgin version of whatever she was having (something with pear juice and ginger) and it was by far the best drink I've ever had.  I'm seriously considering getting a house with a wet bar when we move just to mix myself mocktails.

 After a delicious dinner at a Filipino restaurant in the Lower East Side (quite a colorful part of town) I headed back for another round of sleeping in till irresponsible hours.

We met up one last time for some ramen lunch and it was delicious.  I would love nothing more than to have another bowl of that right now.  We stopped at Union Square to buy some overpriced souvenirs that would ultimately last only a few hours, and after one last waffle I took a cab to the airport.  It was good to get home but I miss Ashley and Jennifer a ton.

   

I was greeted by two squealing children and Brandon.  To say that I was impressed with his performance while I was gone would be a gross understatement.  I swear I get three gray hairs each time he goes on a trip.  But when I left, he not only took care of the kids, but I came home to some wrapped presents on my bed (some art supplies that I was needing for an upcoming project), he had weaned Charlie off his binkie and taught him to say "I love you mommy," and Violet was so attached to him that she kept wanting her picture taken with Daddy.  Success!

Time management issues

Here is a little glimpse into my time management these days.

Housekeeping:
Amount of time I think it's going to take me to do the dishes: 1-2 hours (of torture, obviously)
Amount of time it actually takes me to do them: 20-25 minutes
Amount of time I spend avoiding doing them: 3-4 days
Amount of time it would take to do them if I did them as often as I should: 5-10 minutes.

Hobbies:
Amount of time I think I will spend at a photo shoot: 1 hour
Amount of time I actually spend there: 1.5-2 hours, plus approx. 30 minutes travel time
Amount of time I think it will take me to edit: 20-30 minutes
Amount of time it actually takes me: 2-3 hours
Amount of time I spend doing things I don't think about beforehand like uploading to dropbox or blogging: 1-2 hours
Amount of time I spend stressing about all the work I've agreed to do:  6-7 hours, daily

Kids:
Time I tell them to get ready for bed: 8:00
Amount of time I spend fighting them over jammies and toothbrushing: 30-45 minutes
Amount of time I spend in their room singing to them and trying to get them to fall asleep: 1 hour
Time they actually fall asleep: 9:30-9:45
Amount of time I spend wondering if I'm ready for another one: 24 hours, every day

Sleep:
Amount of time pregnant Lindsey would like to sleep: 9-10 hours, daily
Average bedtime after getting done everything that I need to after my kids fall asleep: 1:30 AM
Average time I get woken up in the morning: 8:30 AM
Average number of times I get up to pee in the middle of the night: 3
Average time spent cleaning up vomit or consoling a crying child during the night: 30 minutes

Clearly I need some help because I have no idea what the heck I'm doing.

Spilling the beans

I'm pregnant.  Whaaaat?

Most of my family has figured it out by now. I'm terrible at hiding it.  My mom figured it out when I had to lean on something every time I stood up (that's what happens when you have the blood pressure of a corpse) and Ashley figured it out when I apparently started looking bustier in my Instagram photos (I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or creeped out by her noticing that). But, yeah. And if you're wondering how it's been going and you're prepared for a heaping serving of sarcasm and rambling, read on. 

I was feeling great at first.  In Nashville, either Carrie's food had superpowers and was preventing me from actually feeling pregnant, or the first trimester dumpiness just hadn't hit me yet.  Either way, I was doing pretty well there.  But then I made the 12-hour drive home, had to unpack two weeks of clothes for three people, and Brandon left me alone with the kids for a week to go to a conference.  So needless to say, my pregnancy glow has quickly gone from this:

 to this:

Yeah, I've been feeling pretty lousy.



But you know what has been great? Brandon.  Because a little while ago I was like, "Hey, I have a great idea-- let's have a baby!" and he warned me repeatedly that this might not be the best timing (we are coming up on his busiest semester in school and I am due exactly five days after we have to move out) and I still got my way, and now when I crawl into bed and ponder the enormity of what I've just done, he just takes the kids and plays with them and lets me sleep and keeps the "I told you so"s to a minimum.  He has seriously been a great support while I moan and groan about the side effects of something that was 100% my idea.

So let me just talk about one thing.  This is my third pregnancy.  Technically I'm not "showing" yet but I get food babies like nobody's business.  I wake up all normal and un-pregnant in the morning but as soon as I eat something I look completely different.  At 9 weeks I had a meat pie and a diet coke and then sat down and glanced in the mirror.  This was my face when I saw my belly:

You get the picture.  Remember four years ago when I was at least in my second trimester and I posted this as a belly picture?

Let's just say that now you're not the only one who wants to go back in time and slap me.  Before I told people I was pregnant I would occasionally have dinner with friends and I would literally just suck it in the whole time.  I was afraid people would see me after a burrito and be like, "Oh, congratulations, I had no idea you were... six months pregnant... that's funny, I could have sworn you weren't showing before dinner!"

 

It's all good.  After all, we're having a baby!  Am I excited? Yes!  Terrified? More than a little.  Because when it comes to parenting:




Wish list

I'm bored and there's nothing to blog about, so I thought I'd make my Christmas wish list public.  This can be for Brandon, or whoever has me in the Christmas exchange, or really anyone who wants to buy me stuff.  I promise I won't try to prevent anyone from spending money on me. 

Ankle boots.  If anyone sees something like this on clearance, feel free to buy them for me.

 Chambray shirt, to wear with my purple skinny jeans. And ankle boots, of course.

Please, someone, buy me these faux leather leggings.  I promise I will inappropriately wear them under my dress at church and let you laugh at me.

A Le Creuset dutch oven.  Haha, just kidding. I don't expect anyone to spend $250 on kitchen supplies considering how much I hate to cook.  But I'd take the $20 knock-off they sell at HEB!

A salt grinder.  I think it's time I started using that awesome Himalayan rock salt that they sell at Costco instead of table salt, but unfortunately, I have no grinder.

 

Pure unpasteurized honey.  Bonus points if you can find some with the honeycomb still in it.  No, I'm not going to go off on a rant about how dangerous processed foods are for you.  (Trust me.  Someone I know posted a link that said that GMOs cause sterility in lab rats and the first thing that crossed my mind was, "Maybe I should consider eating more of those."  In my defense, it had been a really long day with the kids.)  I just want to know what it tastes like with all the pollen and cool stuff still in it. 

 

I guess that's the extent of my list right now.  A girl can dream, right?

Some Violet stories

I realize that it's Halloween and that I should be posting about our trick-or-treating and costumes, but these are fresh on my mind and I can't let myself forget about the hilarity that is my life with Violet.  Here are a couple of recent stories:

A few days ago, after I had showered both kids, I were getting them dressed for bed.  As I was chasing around naked Charlie to put his diaper on, I said, "Charlie, you have the cutest little bum!"  Violet then walks over to me, shakes her bum in my face and says, "Mine's cuter!"

Then today we went to pick up Brandon at the airport.  He texted me to tell me he landed just as we were exiting the freeway, so I thought we were just in time to do the drive-through pickup. But I pulled into place to wait for him and several minutes went by and he was nowhere to be seen.  Violet announced to me that she had to go potty, but I thought we didn't have time to park and get out since Brandon should have been coming out any minute.  I told her to hold it until daddy got in, and then I would have him take her in (I couldn't take her into the airport because if you leave your car unattended they think you're a terrorist and tow it.)  She apparently couldn't hold it in any longer, and after I convinced her that she couldn't get out and pee on the side of the street (she was about to) she took matters into her own hands and peed in a plastic grocery bag and then handed it to me.  So I'm sitting at the airport, unable to leave the car, with a plastic grocery bag full of pee.  Yes, this is how I spent my Halloween.  I finally decided to stuff it in a paper bag that I found and just have Brandon throw it away when he got out.  Well, a few more minutes went by and he still wasn't out and Violet informed me that she had to pee again.  I told her that I didn't have any more grocery bags (I wasn't sure what to do at this point) so she found a Styrofoam cup and peed in it (I was actually pretty proud of her, she didn't spill or anything) and then she said, "I'll just open the door and dump the pee out."  I just turned around and said, "If they don't let me take a four-year-old in to use the potty, they can have pee on their sidewalk."  And that's what we did. 

Oil Ranch and Zoo Boo

Fear not, readers, I haven't been a complete slacker despite my lack of blog posts.  This month has actually been pretty eventful for us, and the only reason I haven't been posting much is because it took me a good two weeks to recover from the trauma that consisted of driving 12 hours by myself with two kids and almost spinning off the road at midnight in Arkansas.  But I'm sort of back in action, so here are a couple of updates on what we've been doing.

 

First off, we went to the Oil Ranch with my ward's playgroup.  I'm really grateful that it was all planned for me and we got a group rate, because I honestly don't think paying $30 to get into that place would have been worth it. The kids ended up having fun, but it was enough headache for me that I probably wouldn't go again. Instead of having an actual pumpkin patch, they had small pumpkins set out on the grass for the kids to take-- you know, the kind they use for pies that you can buy at HEB for $2.  But other highlights included pony rides, which Violet loved but Charlie wouldn't go near to save his life:

 A romp in a big stack of hay:

 Also, a petting zoo, but Violet is afraid of petting zoos ever since the deer at the rodeo ate her skirt, so we didn't go in that.  But the kids did like looking at the bunnies in their cage.

A tractor ride to go feed some cows, which should have been named the screaming tractor ride of terror, because the cows stick their heads in the wagon and lick anyone in sight, and their tongues are long enough to wrap entirely around Charlie's wrist (although even with a cow's tongue wrapped around his wrist, Charlie didn't get the memo that you're supposed to let go of the food).  The kids were fine after they figured out that dropping the food on the floor of the wagon and letting the cows eat it from there was a much better idea.

 After that, it was hot and Charlie started getting really grumpy and I was about to call it a day and make the hour-long trip home even though we had only been there for an hour.  I finally made a last-ditch effort to make him happy and took a little train ride, which was essentially the same as the tractor ride except that it didn't involve invasive cows and didn't have a 30-minute wait in the hot sun to get on it. So, it was exponentially better. 

The last thing we did there was nothing short of a miracle, and may have been the only thing all day that changed my view of this trip from "totally not worth it" to "pretty fun."  We found an empty bouncy house. We had tried bouncy houses before but they were full of school kids (and to be honest, pretty bratty ones) and Charlie left screaming every time.  But this one, oh, just look at his face. Have you ever seen him so happy?

 The next eventful we went to was Zoo Boo.  Basically, they have trick-or-treating at our zoo.  Awesome, isn't it?  And although it was just as expensive, it wasn't a two-hour round trip and Charlie never complained, so in my opinion it was more than worth it.  There were a few booths scattered around the zoo where you could get candy, play games, and even pick out and decorate pumpkins.

And can I just talk about Charlie's costume for a minute? He was originally going to be Pasquale (the chameleon) from Tangled, but I had nowhere near enough energy to make it.  So I pulled out Violet's old chicken costume and stuck it on him.  When we first put it on him, he had just woken up and was a little confused. But when he walked up to the mirror, he gasped, started clapping, and yelled, "Chicken!  Bok bok!"  I still can't get over how cute (and funny) he looked in it.  I just. can't. handle. it.

 And of course, Violet was a very pretty (and rather convincing) Rapunzel.

More Nashville fun

I'm not going to do a day-by-day post because we really haven't been doing anything too exciting.  But I will post some stories from our trip, and I promise they will make you laugh.

-- Violet consistently gets dirtier than all 3 Funk kids combined.  They found a sand pile at Soccer practice and all started playing in it.  But whose child had the bright idea to lay down in it? That's right, my little princess.  She also fell into the stream (almost completely submerged) when they were playing around Edwin Warner park, and if that wasn't enough, a few minutes later she fell face first onto a freshly cut field of grass, which all stuck to her wet, sticky body.  When she got into the car she was still soaking wet and now covered in grass, too.  Carrie kind of wondered how she always manages to get so filthy.  She's just special that way.

-- Charlie is also attracted to dirt. The other day he started eating some and got a patch of it on his upper lip that made him look like Baby Hitler.  When we were washing him off that night we had planned on only rinsing his extremities but then decided to wash his hair, too.  And when we did, the entire bottom of the bathtub became black.  We had never seen so much dirt come off of so little an area.  Good call on the hair washing, I guess.

-- I bought everyone lunch at Costco the other day (I know, I'm so nice, spending $1.50 each on our kids) and Charlie turned down his water when he saw Carrie's Diet Pepsi.  He kept taking my hand and reaching for it and yelling, "Soda! Soda!"  When he finally got a sip, he took a deep breath and yelled, "Must. Drink. ALL!"  He and Carrie also share a soft spot for Dirty Diet Cokes.

-- We had a "sleepover" in my room last night.  Since Violet was sleeping by her cousins and not with me, she stole my pillow, which made it hard for me to fall asleep.  I used Elmo, followed by a towel, followed by a stuffed dog, and it turns out that none of the three make for an acceptable pillow.  Graham woke up right as I was falling asleep, and I put him back to bed.  Then just as I was about to fall asleep again, he woke up again, this time crying that he couldn't find the stairs and Caroline yelling at him to stop stepping on her.  The commotion woke Violet up, who crawled into bed with me, and then told me she had to go potty, and then told me she needed a drink.  By the time Graham had calmed down (he was apparently upset because he couldn't find Devin, who was sleeping 5 feet away from him and managed not to wake up through this entire ordeal) it was 3 AM, and I had still not fallen asleep.  The next morning Violet woke me up extra early to ask me if it was her birthday and then beg me to make her some popcorn. I shooed her away only to be woken up later by Charlie standing in his pack-and-play, yelling, "Mommy!" to which I responded by covering my head with a pillow and yelling, "SHUT UP!"  Carrie at least thought that was funny.

-- Another reason I didn't get much sleep last night was because Carrie and I stayed up way too late looking at dumb things on the internet.  But come on, we had a good laugh looking at this:

And this:
http://dashmandy.blogspot.ca/2013/01/revenge-of-snark-and-testimony.html

First day in Nashville

 Vacations for me require nothing but being fed and having my kids entertained by someone other than me.  This is why Nashville has been so great. Violet and Charlie have loved playing with the cousins, and Carrie feeds me all. the. time.  Yesterday we went to the Red Caboose park, which had a red car train for the kids to climb on.  Charlie especially loved it since his favorite book is the Little Red Caboose.

 We then went directly to another park-- Edwin Warner park, which made me really jealous that I don't live there.  Charlie passed out in the stroller, the older kids played in the stream, and I took pictures.  It doesn't get better than that.

 After a well-earned nap, we took the kids to soccer practice, where Graham was busy being Graham and Devin and Caroline showed Violet their moves.  Towards the end, the kids found a pile of sand to play in which Violet ended up laying down in and making a sand angel.  Typical.

More fun to come!

Can't contain the excitement

I thought I'd write a blog post before visiting my sister, but all I can think about right now is visiting my sister!  So I'll just list the top 10 things I'm excited about.
1. Cool weather
2. Leaves that actually change color
3. Eating all my sister's delicious food
4. Not having to entertain my kids because their cousins will do it for me
5. Drinking hot chocolate because it's actually cold enough to do
4. Taking way too many pictures
3. Being able to do my hair and not have it poof up from the humidity 15 minutes later
2. Seeing my cute niece and nephews that I haven't seen in way too long
1. Reuniting team spoiled! Yay!!!!!!

The enforcer

Violet has loved climbing and jumping on me since she first became mobile.  I have tolerated it for years, but now that she's a little bigger and stronger, I've decided it needs to stop.  I have nothing against playing, even rough housing with your kids.  But when I'm obliviously talking to my friend and suddenly get hit with 35 pounds of knees and elbows, I get pretty mad. She does this a lot, too, and many times it's either after I'm done and I've told her to stop or when I'm not even remotely paying attention.  She's not extremely heavy, but since I'm small and slightly spacey, I get knocked over pretty easily.  She's also the boniest child I've ever seen and has no idea what putting her elbow on my thigh and then resting her entire weight on it does to me.  It's not pretty.

I've strategized a plan for making her stop.  She needs to realize that people get hurt when she does that.  However, enforcing this plan kind of makes me feel like this:

Okay, not that bad.  What I do when she won't stop running and jumping on me is put out my hands in front of me to stop her.  I'm not sure why she doesn't realize that she will fall over if my hands are there, but she gets really mad when I do that.  "MOM!  You pushed me!  That wasn't nice!"  No, Violet, you were jumping on me after I told you to stop and you ran into my hands and fell over.  Sorry you got hurt doing exactly what I warned you not to do.  Same goes for if she jumps on my arms-- I simply don't catch her and she falls on the ground, claiming that I "pushed" her. 

Yeah, she really hates this.  I kind of feel like a mean mom, but it's really hard for me to have sympathy for my kids if they are doing something I've repeatedly warned them not to do.  One way or another, she has to learn that jumping on people is dangerous.  Especially with me around.

Foam.

My city is better than yours.

 

There is a park here in Houston called Discovery Green that puts on a "toddler time" every Tuesday.  Sometimes they just do story time, but every once in awhile it's a full-blown party.  Yesterday was one of those times.  They had a foam pit for the kids to play in, and Violet didn't shy away. Here are some pictures from the event.

 Charlie clung to me most of the time, but when our turn was over he was comfortable chasing around the "snow" that flew out of the pit.

This park is also beautifully landscaped, has an enormous splash pad, and is one of my favorite places to do pictures.

I vote this as the best urban park ever.

Shouldn't she be in preschool?

Have you met Violet? She's tall and smart and wonderful and makes people think that she's a little older than she really is.  And I think that's why I'm always getting the question, "Shouldn't she be in preschool?"

It's beginning to annoy me a lot.  First of all, she's 3.  THREE!  She has TWO YEARS before she starts kindergarten, and even that should only be a half-day thing in my opinion.  But I constantly meet people who send their one-year-olds to "preschool"(which I like to refer to as "glorified babysitting") and I feel like they think it's weird that Violet doesn't do the same.  Give me a break, people.  I already have to take my husband to school every day.  I'd like to wait until he's finished with school before our children start. (I'm not counting the once-a-week co-op preschool that we do.)

So the other day I responded to this question by saying that I may put her in a half-day preschool the year before she starts school, after we move into a house and Brandon starts his job. And the response I got back was, "it's too bad that you don't know where you're going to live yet, because it may be hard to get into a good preschool if you don't apply now.  There are some preschools where you have to apply before the baby is born, and even then, you still may not get in."

At that point, I couldn't contain myself anymore and I replied with a rant in which I might have made myself look like a terrible mom.

IT DOESN'T MATTER. I don't care if she gets into a good preschool. I care that she is in a preschool where she is safe and they take care of her, but that's all. Because once she starts kindergarten, they're all going to the same public schools and there's not much you can do about that.  If you find a highly exclusive preschool that claims that 80% of their "graduates" go on to Ivy League schools, know this:  it's only because parents who are obsessed enough with their children's education to spend months getting them into something when the kids can't even wipe their own noses are likely going to be that obsessive all the way to college.  And when they leave home, those kids are going to be on medication for depression because they've never been given the chance to do anything on their own.  I'm not that kind of parent.  I can let Violet learn things on her own (by the way, playing at home is a great way to learn things) and be confident that she will be successful in school because she is bright and creative. 

And it's not going to have a thing to do with her preschool.

I call for a role reversal weekend

Sometimes I am a great mom, and look at my kids and their adorable little faces and think to myself, "I think I want to have 5 kids."

And sometimes, when it's 10:30 and Violet is still not asleep, I look at them and think, "I think I'll get my tubes tied tomorrow."

Okay, it doesn't get that bad. But things get out of hand very quickly around here and the only thing I can do to keep myself from being admitted to the psychiatric ward is to think of how funny it is.  No, it's not funny when I'm tired and my kid just peed on the couch.  But you know what is funny? Thinking of what would happen if I were the toddler and Violet and Charlie were the parents.  And, oh my gosh, just imagine the fun we would have!

When I have a scary dream, I could just crawl into bed with them.  And when they wake up and wonder what's all wet-- Surprise!  That's me!  Time to do laundry!

Or I could wake Charlie up by putting a book on his face and saying, "Read dis. Read dis. Read dis. Read dis. Read dis. Read dis. Read dis. Read dis....."

They could take me to HEB and let me pick out my own shopping cart.  I of course would refuse to get in it unless I found one shaped like a racecar that weighs more than a baby elephant.  I would tell them that I urgently have to go potty as soon as we are in the cereal aisle, and when I get into the bathroom I would definitely put my hand in the tampon dispenser to see if it gave out candy.  And even though I came into the store wearing flip flops, I would mysteriously leave wearing socks and no shoes and just leave them to wonder how I pulled that one off.

I could make Violet make dinner for me, and after it's finally ready and I've been telling her I'm starving for an hour, I would announce that I no longer like rice, or some other basic staple of the human diet.  Yep, I'll just have fruit snacks.

When she finally puts me to bed, I'll be really cute and try really hard to convince her to let me watch a movie in my bed while I fall asleep.  I'll ultimately settle for a cup of water, as long as that girl doesn't have the nerve to put three ice cubes in it instead of four (I'm telling you, I WILL count them).  And she'd better be prepared with an apology if she gives me a yellow straw instead of a blue one.  And I may come out a couple of times if she's doing something really interesting like loading the dishwasher... but other than that, I PROMISE I'll stay in bed.

Yep, having kids is pretty fun. Especially when you look at it from their eyes.

Shooting macro

I don't have a true macro lens. What I do have are tubes that you can attatch to your lens that make it sort of function like a macro lens.  It's a pretty cool concept, but they are incredibly hard to shoot with.  The depth of field is extremely narrow and everything shows up dark.  Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you appreciated how hard these were to take.  

Not such a bad year

Today I felt a little burned out. Brandon has been working so hard lately on internships, theses, and job applications that it seems like we've hardly had time to spend together.  Instead of enjoying weekends I now dread them because Brandon is usually still working and I'm still stuck entertaining the kids.  Because of all his thesis papers, his schedule will be like this for the next 9 months.  I could literally grow a human in the time it takes him to finish them.

 

Tonight I installed dropbox on my computer and it uploaded all of my camera photos.  Looking through all of them reminded me of some moments that I might have otherwise forgotten.  I guess it hasn't been such a bad year after all, and it made me think that maybe this next little while before Brandon finishes school may not be so bad, either.

 

This year Violet learned how to take selfies on my camera and hasn't stopped since.

I got to go to the Nutcracker with my cute girl.

She took her first gymnastics class-- and loved it.

She spent some quality time with daddy.

I got paid to paint for the first time ever.

I was in an art show.

We spent an hour trying to get home from Costco in a terrible Houston flood.

I spent 6 hours at the DMV and got some seriously weird Salvadorian food while I was waiting.

This moment happened.

And so did this one.  I love them so much.