What makes school cool?

Wearable art!

And displaying art for everyone to enjoy:

And learning to write things you like:

Mischievous Elf

A mischievous elf has landed in our home. I wonder if he knows he's 2 weeks early . . .

Congratulations to our Baylor Bears!

http://www.baylorbears.com/allaccess/?media=423771

Now, it's on to a BCS Bowl!

Why we're Thankful

It's a boy!

What are you thankful for this year?

A Christmas Wish

Just because this is a good time of year to remember that we have a lot to be thankful for . . .

10-year-old's heartbreaking plea to Santa gives us infinite hope

Halloween

Halloween came and went before we knew it.  Little Ted did get to go trick-or-treating for the first time.  Once he realized he had to say "trick-or-treat" loudly, and not invite himself into strangers' houses, and not  ring doorbells continuously, everything went off without a hitch.  By the time we had visited about five or six houses, his bucket was full, so we headed back home.  And before it was even dark, our candy supply was gone and we closed up shop for the night.  LT, however, stayed in his costume, complete with gloves and mustache, until mommy pried it off him to give him a bath and put him to bed.

A Goblin!

LT found these goblin ears in a Halloween card from Aunt Susie and Uncle Danny.  They were a big hit - he even avoided bending over to make sure they didn't fall off.

School Days

Little Ted recently started Pre-K.  Of course, I don't have any pictures of his first day (or his first week, for that matter) because we were all in the process of adjusting to getting up and ready for school.  So, you'll have to settle for these pictures, which show him on the day of his visitation.

LT absolutely LOVES school.  When he comes home, the first thing he wants to do is go back to see his best buddy or play on the slide.  When we leave the house, he asks if we are going to school and if he needs his backpack.  When he wakes up from his afternoon nap, his usual request is to go to school.

We, of course, couldn't be happier with how well he has adjusted and how much he enjoys his school.  We know that it is doing him a world of good and look forward to seeing him grow through his first year.

Three Cheers for Pennyslvania!

Touching pregnant ladies' tummies now illegal in Pennsylvania

What other annoying behaviors that pregnant women endure should be banned?

Is it Time to get Candy Yet?

Can you tell what has been on his mind lately?  At least once a week, he asks to go outside in the evenings to look for costumes.  I have to remind him that Halloween isn't ready yet.  

Last week, LT and I went to the grocery store.  As per usual, he wore the Mario hat from his costume.  Children in the grocery store came up to talk to him as if he was actually Mario.  It was too funny, and LT enjoyed all the attention.

Dear Cousin Matthew,

Can you come to my house on Halloween?  I am going to dress up as Mario, and if you want, you can be Luigi.  Then, we can go trick-or-treating and collect lots of candy from my neighbors.  What do you think?

Little Ted's Halloween costume arrived in the mail on Thursday.  Long ago, I learned that you have to shop early if you are going to find the costume you want.  Somehow, Little Ted knew exactly what was in that nondescript package, and he was more than a little eager to see it.  

I've had real trouble peeling him out of that costume.  He wears it as much as he is allowed and becomes very sad when it is time to change.  He even slept in the hat most of last night.  Needless to say, we'll be lucky if the costume survives until the holiday.

Ever get a Case of the Giggles?

Sometimes, it can be overwhelming!

Alfalfa?

It seems to me that Little Ted is destined to have this Little Rascal's hairstyle for the better part if his childhood:

Another Year . . .

Last Tuesday, I turned 32.  The celebration, however, took place this past weekend.  Ted's parents came up and treated us to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they seem to value listening skills and a good memory.  We've had the best servers there - and they never write anything down!  That makes this English prof happy.

We also enjoyed a very yummy cake that Ted picked out for me - almond flavored cake with mocha filling, chocolate buttercream icing, and berries on top.  TASTY!

Little Ted got into the celebrating this year.  Last year, he didn't want anyone to sing to mommy, and he tried to dive into the cake before anyone else could.  This year, he helped Grandma and Grandpa pick out flowers, and he told me "Happy Birthday" without a prompt from anyone.  He also wanted mommy to blow out candles . . . poor child; he doesn't realize that mommy's cake can't handle that many lit objects!

All in all, it's been a really good year, and we have been blessed as a family.  I look forward to what 32 has in store . . . 

'Tis the Season . . .

. . . for football (almost!).  So you shouldn't be surprised to find a football article on RG3 on our blog:

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/sports/201309/robert-griffin-iii-rg3-cover-september-2013

Good Indoor Fun

Need some good indoor fun during the dog days of summer?  We have discovered that paper airplanes make for hours of entertainment.  All you need is a decent sized open area free of breakables, printer paper, and an energetic toddler.

Our inspiration: this episode of Fireman Sam, where Norman Price gets himself into trouble in the firehouse with his paper planes.

Conversational Bits and Pieces

Little Ted: Mom, where'd you go?

Mom: I had to use the potty.

LT: Did you flush?

(Yes son, I did flush, but thanks for the reminder.)

Little Ted Grows Up

This past week, we took Little Ted for his 4 yr check up.  Anyone with little ones knows that these check-ups can be fraught with anxiety - for the parents and the child.  The reason?  Nearly all of LT's doctor visits have involved receiving immunizations.  While I do believe these are good for his overall health, my son is not a pin cushion, nor does he enjoy the process (surprise, surprise).  

This visit, however, was almost pleasant.  LT enjoyed playing in the waiting room and then patiently cooperated with the nurse while she weighed him, measured his height, and recorded his blood pressure and pulse.  So far so good.

The visit with the doctor went well, too.  They laughed together while she completed her exam.  And when he received four (!) immunizations, he didn't even shed a tear.  In fact, I think  mommy and daddy felt worse than he did about the whole process.

All in all, our little boy is growing up.  As great-grandma said on her homemade birthday card for Ted, "we're going to have to drop the 'Little' from his name soon!"

Birthday Party

Here's a snippet from LT's birthday party last week.  We had a small, low key family party with good food and good company.  And the Super Mario Bros cake wasn't bad, either.  :-)

A Life in Pictures

Four years ago today, Little Ted made his grand entrance into the world.  He's grown and changed a lot since then.  Here's a look back in honor of his fourth birthday:

First week

First birthday

Second birthday

Third birthday

Fourth birthday

Happy birthday, Little Ted!

When you visit your 9 yr old cousin

You learn new words, like "X-box" and "Zombies."

You also discover cool toys like these:

In other words, you have lots of fun and get to enjoy all kinds of new things.

Independence Day, Texas Style

When you live outside the city limits, as we do, the 4th of July is a great time to put on a backyard fireworks show.

But before you get to the main event, BBQ is a must.  This year, Ted's dad made us fajitas, finger ribs, lamb chops, and grilled corn on the cob, and his mom added a salad and chocolate cake to the menu (yum!).  Then, when the heat of the day dissipated and the sun was setting, we all worked our way to the backyard, slathered ourselves in bug spray, and set up shop outside.  Matt and Little Ted had fun throwing poppers all over the back porch and cracking open confetti poppers.  Then, Ted opened up the fireworks we had purchased to put on our own show.  The boys had a lot of fun watching the sparks fly.

Little did we know that we were soon to be outdone.  Once the sun had set and the sky was dark, the real show began.  Neighbors all around us had purchased their own fireworks, but these were more like the ones that you might see at a professional show (no kidding).  For a good couple of hours, we enjoyed watching the fireworks from the comfort of our own backyard and without the hassle of driving to an event, parking, and dealing with the crowds.  

I could get used to this tradition . . . 

How to Create an Angry Face. . .

Step 1: Place your index fingers on the outside edges of your eyebrows.

Step 2: Applying pressure to your eyebrows, move your index fingers towards the bridge of your nose.  Your eyebrows should now be scrunched together.

Step 3: Use your index fingers to check your eyebrows and make sure they are appropriately "scrunched"

And here is the final result:

LT uses this method to distract mommy and daddy when he gets in trouble.  It's hard not to laugh when he makes his angry face - it's just darn cute!

But I have to say, his happy face is my favorite:

Baby Birds

Back in March, with the help of Ted's parents, we added some potted plants to our porch.  Shortly thereafter, I began a battle with the birds, who were determined to build a nest in one of the new hanging pots.  I successfully removed the first nest before the birds were able to lay eggs.  But it took some effort.  As soon as I realized what was happening, I began removing the nest.  In the process, the birds discovered what was going on and attempted to stop me.  They swooped overhead while I wildly waved my arms and told Little Ted to duck.  He, of course, thoroughly enjoyed all the excitement while visions of Hitchcock's The Birds ran through my head.  No injuries were sustained in the process, and the birds left us alone . . . for  awhile.

I discovered the second nest only after there were eggs in it.  Knowing that the eggs would not survive if I moved the nest, I left them alone and watched as my plant was torn to shreds.  Birds have no respect for hanging gardens.

Yesterday, while LT and I were watering the plants, I discovered that the eggs had hatched and there were now three (maybe 4) little birds sitting in the nest.  We showed them to LT, who now calls them "my baby birds."  This morning, we had to check on them, just to make sure that they were still there and to try to wake them from their slumber.  I exepct that this will become a daily routine.

The Personal Trainer

Do you need a personal trainer who is energetic, a good motivator, and lots of fun?  I have just the person for you . . .

Congratulations to the budding scholar!

Perfect attendance, straight A's, top reader . . . I wonder what he'll achieve next year!

Congratulations, Matthew!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Today, my grandmother turns 80 years old.  We weren't able to visit her to join in the big celebration the family had this weekend, so we are celebrating her here.

LT's first (and only!) visit to Great-Grandma's house.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Return of Spiderman

Halloween is a long way off, but Spiderman has already made a return appearance.  We found some Spiderman pjs at the Disney Store yesterday, and, of course, we bought them.   LT thinks they're wonderful, and I doubt we'll be able to peel him out of his new get-up any time soon

Happy Mother's Day

From our little mad scientist.

Vote!

Ted's cousin is participating in a competition as a part of Austin's Fashion Week.  She's a member of a team that includes designers, a hair stylist, a photographer, and a model.  Her team has put together a "look" and is competing against other teams for the People's Choice award.  

Please vote for her team by visiting the following website:  http://fashionweekaustin.com/mash-up-teams/.  Click on the image for "Revival of Denim" and cast your vote!

BTW, Ted's cousin designed the jewelry you see in the image.  To see more of her creations, visit her Etsy store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/FelizGarcia?ref=seller_info

Thanks!

Easter

Ted's parents came out for a visit over the Easter holiday.  We spent the better part of Friday roaming the city, with stops at the Alamo, the Wax Museum, and the Mercado.

The presidents - current and future.

Matthew and Grandma had their hands cast in wax at the Wax Museum.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the final product.

 Before our guests had to leave on Sunday, we had an Easter egg hunt complete with several dozen cascarones.  This was Little Ted's first experience with the confetti eggs, and he really enjoyed cracking them on his own head.

Convincing him to crack them on someone else's head was a little more difficult, but Grandpa finally convinced LT to try it out.  He was very polite about the whole process.

For the Husker and Football fans who read this blog . . .

. . . this is our favorite recent feel-good, newsworthy moment.

Bowl Head

This is our son.  In these photos, he is wearing a bowl on his head, as you

 can plainly see.  His father swears up and down that this is something he gets from the "California" in him. 

Sadly, I must admit that he is right - at least partially.  I did indeed teach him to wear his bowl on his head.  Not on purpose, of course.  It happened entirely by accident.  We were being silly one day, and I placed the bowl on my head.  This began the bowl wearing phenomenon.

So yes, wearing a bowl on his head is something our son did get from his mother.  But let me assure all Texans who might read this blog - it has NOTHING to do with the "California" in him.

:-)

Spring Break

Today marks the official end of our Spring Break.  Unlike our college days, where breaks were work free, we now practice "working holidays."  That said, we were able to enjoy some down time with Grandma Gonzalez and Cousin Matthew, who spent the last half of the week with us.

On Thursday, we headed up to Austin and spent some time at the State Capitol.  Uncle Ted got to introduce Matthew to the Capitol, the Texas Supreme Court, and the grounds surrounding the Capitol.  Needless to say, Mattie had a good time - and he learned a thing or two about his state government!

Below are some pictures of our outing, including shots of the boys playing in front of the TRS building in Austin and relaxing on our back patio at home.  Little Ted really enjoyed having another kid around - he doesn't often find a playmate who is willing to spend as much time with him as his Cousin Matthew will.

Comfortable Seat

Sometimes, a comfortable seat isn't a seat at all. In this case, LT has turned a wagon full of stuffed animals into a chair.