New Year's Eve at The Salt Lick

Grandma and Grandpa from New Jersey have been visiting us for a few days.  Some of Grandpa's coworkers surprised him with a gift certificate to The Salt Lick, so we all enjoyed a wonderful BBQ dinner tonight.

Grandma and I enjoyed brisket and turkey while Andrew and Grandpa got the "all you can eat" plates with unlimited brisket, ribs, sausage, potato salad, beans, and coleslaw.  New Jersey has lots of wonderful food, but good BBQ can only be found down here in Texas. 

Grandpa went to take a picture of the pit as we were leaving and ended up getting invited to stand behind the pit for a picture.  He was SOOOOOO excited! 



Happy New Year!!!

Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store!!!

Danielle and Hudson

This school year has been different for me - it's the first year in 9 years that I haven't been in the school system.  My contract position was not renewed last year, so I am now enjoying the time I have at home each day with my kiddos.  Being home has also allowed me to watch Hudson, the son of some friends we've known for almost 10 years.  Hudson has become like my 3rd child, and we have really enjoyed having him here several days a week.  Hudson and Peter are 11 months apart and enjoy playing together, but Danielle and Hudson have really developed a special bond.  She gets so excited when the doorbell rings early in the morning.  She runs to the door calling, "Hudson, Hudson!!".  I recently caught them playing "boat" together while Peter and I worked on something at the table.  They sat on the little couch together while Hudson drove them various places in the "boat".  They giggled and giggled together and were so cute!  I'm glad to see Danielle developing such sweet friendships. 

Danielle said . . .

So Danielle is talking up a storm now.  People told me that second children often don't talk as early as first children do.  Um, Danielle is proving them wrong.  She is talking just as much as Peter did at this age.  Her words are not as clear as his were, but she is getting her point across!!  We were coming home from Taco Cabana tonight, and she had her drink with her in the backseat.  She wanted to take the lid off of the cup to eat the ice (or at least that's what Peter told us).  I looked back at her and told her not to take the lid off.  This is the conversation we had --

Danielle:  Peas? (Please)

Mommy :  No, you may not take the lid off.

Danielle :  Peas?

Mommy :  No, you may not take the lid off.

Danielle :  Peas?

Mommy :  It will make a mess.  No, you may not take the lid off. 

Danielle starts to pull at the lid and at the same time says --

Danielle:  Ha, ha, ha (with a little smirk like "I'll show you")

Andrew and I were trying so hard to keep it together.  It was HILARIOUS!!  I took the cup away, she cried, and then she got a second chance.  The lid stayed on the rest of the way home.

Peter Said . . .

Peter was watching a show before bed tonight.  The show had finished, but the credits were still rolling.  I asked Peter to turn off the show and come get his jammies on.  His response?

Peter:  I don't know my letters very well.  This is helping me learn.

I honestly had no idea what to say.  He finished watching the credits and came right over to get his jammies on.  :)

Welcome Fall!!

After surviving the hottest summer on record here in Austin - 90 days of 100+ degrees and tying the record for the hottest day at 112 degrees - cooler weather has finally arrived!!  Highs are in the mid 80s to low 90s.  Morning temps are in the 70s.  Fall is finally here!!!  The kids are LOVING the temperatures and taking full advantage of them.  They ask to go outside by 8am.  We play outside for a while before coming in for breakfast.  Then it's back outside until the sun starts to warm things up a little too much.  After lunch and naps, we're often back outside again.  I hope we keep this weather for a while!!!

A year ago today...

I cannot believe it's already been a year.  A year ago today I sat in a doctors office and saw baby Garrett on the ultrasound machine.  I knew as soon as his picture appeared that he was gone, but I didn't want to believe it.  His little heart had stopped beating.  He was with Jesus.  Sunday marks a year since I delivered him.  I am thankful for the two children that God has blessed me with, but my arms are aching for the little one I never got to hold.

A says "Aghhhhhhhhhh"!

Andrew and I took the kids to HEB tonight.  Both kids sit in the front of the cart and usually do fairly well together.  They both try to get out at the meat department, but then settle down for a trip down each aisle to get things like chips, peanut butter, cereal, juice, and more.  As we approach the cold section, they both seem to anticipate that we are almost done and usually get a bit antsy.  With promises of Buddy Bucks from the cashier, we make it through the rest of the store with minimal interruptions.

Danielle has recently decided that it is hilarious to scream for no reason.  Peter finds it hilarious, so this eggs her on.  They started screaming in the store, and Andrew told them that they should only scream if they were in trouble.  I didn't hear this conversation, so as I approached the cart with a block of cheese, Peter asked me if he was in trouble.  Before I could respond, Andrew told me that Peter wanted to know because he had been told he could only scream if he was in trouble.  Smart boy - trying to get me to say he's in trouble so he can scream.

We finished our shopping, used our Buddy Bucks at the Buddy Buck Machine to get stickers (with points on them to redeem for prizes), loaded up the car, and headed home.  This is the conversation between the kids on the way home --

Peter:  Danielle, scream.

Danielle:  (scream) Aggghhhhhhh!

Daddy:  Danielle, stop screaming.

Peter:  Danielle, A says "Aggghhhhhh"!  Can you say A says "Agggghhhhhh"?

Danielle:  (scream) Aggghhhhhh!

Peter was quite proud of himself.  I have one smart little boy on my hands.  He's only 3 - What in the world will it look like when he's a teenager???

Two Dogs

While we were enjoying New Jersey, Andrew and Homer were enjoying a guest at the house.  Some friends of ours took a trip the same time as we did, so Andrew graciously offered to let their chihuahua stay at our house.   Chloe stayed one day past our return home, so Peter was thrilled to have two dogs in the house, even if it was just temporary!!   

 



Outside Fun

Being here has given us a welcome break from the 100+ degree days we've had most of the summer at home.  The kids are actually able to enjoy being outside most of the day as long as it's not raining.  Then it's too chilly!!  Highs have been in the 80s with cool mornings, warm afternoons, and pleasant evenings.  It's going to be so hard to return to the heat!!

enjoying the pool in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard

pushing her baby doll around in the stroller

playing with toys out on the back porch

getting the corn ready for dinner

playing with Daisy (Aunt Kim's dog) who is staying with friends while we're in town

lunch at the Hot Dog Caboose

playing at the park



Beach Babies!!

A trip to New Jersey in the summer wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Jersey Shore.  Grandpa, Aunt Amy, Aunt Kim, Peter, Danielle, and I spent the day on Wednesday down at Ocean Grove, a quaint little town with a wonderful beach. 

The weather was just perfect - hot enough to enjoy the water, but not too hot to make sitting in the sand uncomfortable.  Danielle's first trip to the beach last summer was a bit too early in her life for her to really enjoy it.  She showed us this year that she is definitely a beach baby!  She started digging in the sand as soon as I sat her down and she didn't stop until time to pack up. 

It took her a few minutes to warm up to the ocean, but once she did, she loved it!!  Just like Peter enjoyed jumping the waves,  Danielle kept saying "more, more" after a wave would come.  I helped her jump waves until my arms were sore.  Then she enjoyed playing in the water.

Peter's favorite thing about the beach this trip was collecting shells.  There were TONS of mussel shells all over the beach, and more would wash in with every wave.  Peter spent most of his time collecting shells and sitting in a hole in the sand with his collection of shells.

We enjoyed a picnic on the beach before calling it a day.  Danielle threw a fit when I tried to get all of the sand off her hands, so she enjoyed a crunchy mix of Pirate's Booty and sand. 

We finished the day with a walk around town and ice cream.  Danielle fell asleep just as we were headed down the boardwalk and slept until we were ready to go to the car.  The rest of us enjoyed the sites including the tent city that has been there since the late 1800's.

Once home, Peter enjoyed showing off all of his shells, including a mussel shell that still had the mussel inside! 

Here's a little video showing how much fun the kids had at the shore.