friday rain

It rained again today, although much harder. Enough for the kids to get out and enjoy it.If you saw my last rainy day post you know how excited this little girl can get about the rain.
Crazy excited. Skipping and jumping around excited.
Even Lucas loved it.
Steve in retrospect thought that this was not the best idea, carrying a huge umbrella (from our patio table), when we had seen a lot of lighting.
Of course he didn't think that before he coaxed the kids out there with him. I'm not a innocent bystander I guess, since I'm the one taking the picture. I can see the headline "Family hit by lighting while standing outside with huge lighting rod". Good job, daddy (and mommy).
So happy about the rain.
Checking out the little river by the curb.
Lots of splashing.....
And running through it. They had a great time getting all wet. And that counts as a bath, right? Works for me.
Another new tooth picture. Steve caught an even better picture of Lucas with his new little teeth. He looks so funny with them.

They're Heeeeeeere

We did an impromptu venture to the backyard this morning. It's been so hot that the only time that we can even tolerate the heat is in the early morning, the earlier the better. So, right after breakfast I grabbed the water sink and took them out back. Lucas loves, loves, loves to go outside. Such a busy body. I wasn't quite prepared and they were still in their PJ's so I just decided it would be better to go without them. They both really like this "working" sink. It has a battery run faucet.
Lucas motioning for me to push the button to make the faucet turn on. He can reach it himself but I think he was reminding me of why I was out there (to serve him, of course).
Grace attempting to wash her hair. Strange girl especially since she hates getting her hair washed.
I came so close to getting them both in the picture looking up. There were about 10 more like this with one or neither of them looking up or with their eyes closed. This was the best one even though I cut out part of Grace's face.
"I'm ready to go inside now, Mommy."
And here we have the sweet, after-nap picture. Lucas only takes naps on the bed. This bed used to be in his room but now it's Grace's big girl bed. He is so cute when he wakes up. He just sits up and waits for us to come in. Of course Grace has to be the first one in. All I have to say is "I think Lucas is awake" and she drops whatever she is doing to go into the room. She'll say in the sweetest voice you ever heard "Did you have a good nap, Bubby?." It's a nice moment in the day.
The two of them cuddling (kind of) before they start fighting over some toy. And last but not least-----the biggest news of the day.........
No, not a big ol' tantrum by Lucas but his top teeth have finally broken through the gum! Yea!!!!! Finally at 15 and 1/2 months he's got his upper teeth. I never thought they'd come. He's crying because he didn't want me taking a picture of his teeth.
Another attempt to catch those teeth. I think I took about 15 or so pics. He was pretty upset with me but....
Look! I got the money shot. See those little teeth? What a big boy!

Wednesday trial and tribulations

Today was not a great day. It started early with Lucas falling down the last four stairs on our way down to breakfast. See the little carpet burn under his right eye and nose? Poor baby. Don't ask me how it happened, one minute I was holding his hand and the next he was headed down the stairs headfirst, make that facefirst.
After breakfast we decided to make some mosaics with some cutout pieces of construcation paper left over from Lucas's birthday party. I thought Lucas did a really good job. He seemed to like the contact paper a lot---sticky but not too sticky.
Grace got in on the fun too.
The finished projects. Lucas's on the left and Grace's on the right, mommy's on the bottom. I know you can't really see mine but then that's not really the point. And not pictured here are all the small pieces of paper scattered all over the floor.
And here is the beginning of the next disaster of the day---cupcake pops. An extension of my cake decorating class perhaps. I plan to try this again, but will share these pictures with you so that you can feel my pain. Grace is smashing up a cake in the bowl, or should I say half of a cake. After that we mixed in some frosting into all those crumbs.
Then rolled them into balls of gooey yumminess.
Grace finally gets her chance to lick the spoon. It was covered in already-cooked cake and frosting so no raw eggs. I'm not sure that it was even necessary to wash the spoon, it was so clean after she finished (for your information though, I did).
And the grand finale---it all ends up in the trash can. Ugh. They were supposed to be cupcake pops. I'd show you what they were supposed to look like but it's too painful. Maybe later, after I get it right or at least close. Everything was going so beautifully until we got to the part when you dip them in chocolate. I think something was wrong with my chocolate because it was way too thick. Yes, I will blame the chocolate.
And here's what happened to the other half of the cake. It died a beautiful death in a giant rainbow explosion of colored sprinkles. That's what happens when you leave a 3 year old alone with an iced cake and bottles of sprinkles.
And later Lucas decided to play with Grace's makeup box. He loves getting into her stuff no matter what it is. He gets great pleasure in jamming his little fingers into her eye shadows and lip balms. Boys!
I caught a picture of him singing "ooooooo" which is the beginning to the Spongebob Squarepants song. Too cute.

Reunion Cookies

This post has been waiting to find its way onto my blog. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I just have a lot of pictures to sort through from this time period and other things have been coming up. I mean I couldn't put "Sunday Beans" and "Cake Wednesday" on the back burner, could I? Since I've been lazy about taking pictures the last few days I'm catching up on some things that I haven't had a chance to write about yet.

This is the beginning of the Adcock family reunion weekend. The reunion was held in McKinney. So, the logical thing was to make cookies to take to the picnic. Not one, but two different kinds---cut out sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I mean it just wasn't enough to have to pack for 4 (yes, I typically pack for Steve when we go on trips together) and prepare for the 4 hour car trip. I needed to make, no I had (in my mind) to make cookies. I thrive on stress. Well, maybe thrive isn't the right word.......

Grace was my helper for the morning.She's helping me cut out some unicorn cookies. Unicorns are one of her favorite things right now. I know it's hard to tell with an expression like that but she was having fun (I think).
I guess she'd had enough of the cutters and decided to freestyle it. Not quite the consistency of playdoh but close enough to make a little man.
No, this picture was not taken in winter time. We've actually been having record high temperatures 100+. What's the deal with the parka? I think she must have thyroid problems because she is always complaining that she is cold. Then I find her rummaging through the closet looking for coats and scarves. This is an old coat even. I think it's size 18 months (she wears 3T now) but she just had to put it on. Hood and all.
I'm not sure if her smile is genuine. I think she's just doing it for the cookies or the chocolate chips.
Here's all the prep work that goes into decorating cookies. A lot. All of this occurs after the kids go to bed. I think it took just as long get the icing made, colored and placed in the bags and squeeze bottles as it did to actually decorate the cookies. Of course I did this the night before we left for McKinney, before I drove to McKinney (didn't I mention that not only do I do the packing for our trips but I also do the driving. I have an illness, some sort of syndrome. They don't have a name for it yet...).
The final result. My favorite was the ice cream cone. The unicorns turned out better than I expected. I know this isn't the best picture but it was late (2AM?) and I never ended up taking another one.

And "what about the chocolate chip cookies?" you say. "No pictures of the chocolate chip cookies?Why?" Because I didn't make them until the next morning....on the day we left.

Yeah, me and stress we're like this (crossing my fingers ever so closely).

Sunday Beans

I know it's been a few days since my last post. I guess I'm still sulking over my cake fiasco. Also to blame is that we had a pretty uneventful weekend. Steve got home on Friday and as is often the case when he comes home from a business trip, he had to catch up on work on Sunday. I guess work begets more work.......I can't complain since I don't work, I mean since I don't get a paycheck. Besides I got to sleep in late.

I tried to keep myself busy by cleaning out the pantry and dining room a little bit. It's been on my to do list since we moved here. Maybe next year I'll get to the garage (not likely). The kids entertained themselves with beans. It's not as messy as the water play sink at least not in a wet sort of way. I still end up hunting down beans for hours afterward but it keeps them busy enough to take a nap, I mean organize the pantry.The blanket helps keep the clean up to a minimum but who am I kidding? Those beans are small and there are hundreds of them......
He's really concentrating when his tongue sticks out like that.
Grace watering her "flower". She likes to plant the spoons/utensils into the beans.

And that was our Sunday pretty much. At least the pantry is cleaner and more organized. Not quite clean or organized but more that it was yesterday. And that, my friends, is progress.

I failed to mention that my mom made us a yummy dinner of chicken spaghetti and even sent us home with some garlic bread so I didn't even have to cook. Good thing too because after cleaning out the pantry, all that was left to eat were beans. Ok, not really but wouldn't that have been funny. I can just see the look on Steve's face---"Wait, weren't the kids just playing with......".

Cake Wednesdays part 3

It took me several days to get over the disaster that was my last cake decorating class. (Hint: I'm writing this post on Friday even though it's dated the 22nd, ahhh the wonders of blogger.) I had such high hopes. We were going to learn how to make a rose. "We'll spend at least an hour of our time making roses until everyone gets it." My instructor promised. I guess she didn't realize who exactly was in her class. The problem: my icing was too stiff. I could barely pipe it out of the bag and it just wouldn't stick together. The horror. I kept adding water and trying to get it to work but it never did. I tried my other icing (hence the purple rose) and even my sister's icing (the blue rose) but to no avail. I just couldn't get it to work and by the time I was able to get the icing to stick somewhat I had forgotten the instructions and was just too frustrated to care. So disappointing. But, I promised to post this so here it is......Definitely has that homemade look and let me tell you it looks worse in person especially when sitting across from the perfect red roses made by another student. Her cake looked like it was ready for a professional bakery whereas mine looked like it was ready to be smashed into a clown's face at the circus.
A close up of the roses. Shaggy and shaggy. Icing has always been the favorite part of the cake for me but today it was the enemy.
This is what happens to ugly, poorly decorated cakes--they get eaten. Ha! Take that you hideous cake. You are no match for my gastric acid.

I guess the moral of this story (and something that I will try to keep in mind for my future decorating endeavors) is that in the end no matter what the cake looks like it's gonna get eaten. So, there you go.

Bedroom makeover

We spent part of this weekend making over Grace's room. We finally decided to do it because we're pretty sure we'll be living here for another year and Grace was getting a little too big for her toddler bed. Not that she is so big that she needed to graduate to a full sized bed but that was what we had. The headboard is actually from her old crib/toddler bed.
She is sooo excited. We even got rid of the changing table in her room and moved it to Lucas's room since he's the only one who uses it. The rocking chair is in his room now too. We (I) haven't quite finished the transformation. I still need to pick out bedspread and new sheets. I bought her a really cute dust ruffle that looks like a ballerina tutu.
Of course Lucas is thrilled too. He couldn't wait to get up on the bed with his big sister and jump around. She was not so thrilled. Oh, that boy loves his sister. I'll post some more pictures when the room is finished.

It's a little sad for me because now our bedtime routine will have to change a little bit. No more "mommy can you just rock me for a little bit." Sigh.

A musical night

Steve and I went to see The Music Man at the Zilker Hillside Theater with Jenny, her husband Fernando and their family. Great fun despite the heat. Here's a shot from our seats. Not bad thanks to Fernando who went early to lay down blankets.

We had a good time even though it ended up being a very late night (for us). I can't remember the last time I'd been here. Highschool? I can't think about it in terms of actual years. Anyhow I had seen the movie numerous times growing up. I have no idea why. Maybe it was shown a lot on TV? It's not like my parents were huge musical buffs.

What's really weird is that I finally figured out where I got my kid's bedtime song from. I stole it from The Music Man! There is a song that goes "Goodnight ladies, goodnight ladies. Goodnight ladies. We're going to leave you now." Instead of singing ladies I run through different people in my children's lives--daddy, mommy, grandpa, grandma, etc. ending with their own names. And instead of "leave you now" I sing "go to bed". I almost teared up a little when they started singing it.

Sooooo do you like my new tattoo? It already washed off. I can no longer walk around Austin looking like I'm cool (or a dork depending on how you look at it, ok a dork). I'm sure Grace will give me another one someday.

Much ado about nothing

No themes today, just some random stuff that we did today.

We went to my friend Jenny's house which was fun. They have a trampoline, a swing set, a play house and lots of toys---need I say more. Oh and a cat too! Grace was in 3 year old heaven. No pics though. I was a little distracted myself. The best part was they both took a nap when we got home. In their beds. For an hour. I was in 34 year old SAHM(stay at home mom) heaven. I wonder what the 40 year old SAHM heaven will look like. I can only imagine-----a world without Dora and Diego and dare I say diapers. Wait, I think it gets better----school. Ooh, I'm getting goosebumps. Okay, Cynthia, stop dreaming and focus.....

Here's what we did the second half of the day. Random, I tell you.

Grace has been talking a lot about bones. I think because we were reading an alphabet book and the picture for X was x-ray. I tried to explain it as a picture of your bones (I'm inventive that way). Personally, I think that's kind of cheating. Does x-ray really count? What about x-linked? They must have forgotten about real x words like xanthoma or my personal favorite, xanax, but I guess those aren't really appropriate for a children's alphabet book. Anyway, I digress......I thought a little lesson on bones was in order. So let's go.
We laid the specimen, I mean Grace down and traced around her body.
I never knew how deformed her arms or legs were. Maybe some kind of genetic issue. I'll call the doctor tomorrow.
She looks thrilled about the whole thing, huh? In typical Cynthia-mommy fashion, I went way overboard with the lesson extending beyond just bones to internal organs. I just couldn't help myself. Never mind that she became uninterested almost immediately after she laid down on the paper. Torture in a way that only I can provide.

As you can plainly see by my illustration, I'm no Netter. To be honest I couldn't even remember how many bones were in the wrist--6, 8, maybe 12? I guess it's a good thing I'm no longer practicing medicine. At least my MD is coming in handy, sorta. Let's not talk about the organs I forgot to draw. Who needs a pancreas anyway? Kidneys, puhlease. They just didn't quite fit in my 2-D representation but I thought you might be wondering (about how I got an MD in the first place). Can you tell I miss my medical roots? Some days I do, but most days I'm happy to be at home tracing my enthusiastic daughter on banner paper. I'm just waiting for the day that she asks me about her heart, or diabetes, or how to remove an ingrown toenail. Oh yeah, baby! You might also be wondering why she has a crab on her head. That was her drawing of her face on top of her head. I think she was a little confused about the whole process. Overall I think it was a good idea on the surface but maybe she's just a little young to appreciate or I'm a little over the top to let her appreciate it in her own age appropriate way. Cue the guilt.

And how did I torture my other child, you ask? I mean I try to torture them both equally. Here is Lucas desperately wanting the camera, not Mommy. See the craziness in his eyes? They're saying "give it to me mommy or I will throw a tantrum the likes of which you've never seen". Do you see how he threatens me? I had no choice....
Not too bad considering he's only 15 months. I know I should not let him "play" with my $300 camera with a broken lens but I'm a sucker for a quiet tantrum free afternoon. I only had to bend down slightly to get in the picture. Not a flattering pose. Even photo editing at it's best couldn't help. Not that I know anything about photo editing at it's best. Oh well.
Little fat baby feet, so sweet. And the thanks I get for giving him my camera.
Hey wait, I gave him the camera. Why is he throwing a fit? Because I had to take it away. Lesson #1345--all things must come to an end (especially when they involve an annoying flash and lots of beeping). Note to self---maybe giving in to your child's every desire is not the best parenting tool to avoid a tantrum. They'll happen eventually. It's only taken me 2 kids to figure this one out. Yeah, I'm a fast learner. I'm not posting the other pictures in this full blown tantrum but they included throwing himself face down on the floor, getting up again and stomping his feet and then rolling around on the floor again. Or maybe you'd like to see them. Maybe next time. Or maybe I should not be taking those pictures in the first place. Hmmm, maybe a video camera might work better. Ha! I know, I know. Call CPS if you must.
The last bit of the day was spent swimming at my parent's house (or is it parents' house since I have 2). Fun. Grace tried out her new swimming vest. She did really well keeping her head up and out of the water.
Lucas and Grandpa going for a swim under the waterfall. Here's the proof that my camera is broken. The zoom just doesn't work.

And that was our day in a nutshell (well, not really because that implies that I told you about our day succinctly). We came home and went to bed. I even went to bed at 9:30 (must of been the 2 glasses of sangria I drank). This is why I do not drink on most days and which is also why perhaps I should.

P.S. Ok, so I looked it up and there are 8 bones in the human wrist. If you would like more information (names, etc) give me a call in the next 10 minutes. After that I can't guarantee that I'll remember anything about the wrist other than it's the best place to put your watch.