So Maybe They Favor?

Cleaning out pictures on my hard drive and came across these photos.  All on the left are Ell & KP on the right.  Sometimes their resemblance catches me off guard.

  

  

  

  

 

Yep. They are Related.

Everyone wants to know who a baby most resembles.  At 8 months old, I still see so much of my husband in Brook-Brook, but there is definitely no denying she and the Ell-Monster are related.  Let's do a side-by-side and see what you think:

It's a lot of Dark

My almost-three-year-old makes me laugh.  Some of his phrases that may forever be in our vernacular:

"It's a wot of dark."  Yes, he does specify between 'a wittle dark' and a lot.

and

"It's bewwy gwass." (It's very glass)  Used to indicate that something is breakable.

We also had to ask him today what his sister's name is.  He said, "Brook-Brook."  Hrm.  Suppose we should call her by her full name more?

On Perfection.

Today was one of those rare, close your eyes and make a wish, hold your breath, perfect kind of days.  Rare.  Rarer still with an almost three-year-old consumed with a case of the whinies.  I can expound upon that another time.  Back to perfection.  I should add to my raving that it was a balmy 78 degrees.  In January.  Really.

We decided to embark upon the virgin journey for our chitlins to the Fort Worth Stock Show (no rodeo this year. . . I mean there is a rodeo, we just didn't attend).  I was excited.  Even after departing our home at least an hour and a half past our goal departure time.  So we off we went.  Brooklyn missed her morning nap.  She didn't cry.  Elliott didn't whine.  No really.  He didn't.  We saw horses. We saw pigs.  We saw chickens.  We saw lambs.  No whining.  We (Elliott) sat on tractors.  No whining.  We visited a petting zoo, where Ell declined to actually pet. . .anything.  We wrapped up our trip with a jaunt down the giant bumpy slide, complete with burlap seat, for Daddy and Ell.  Oh, and a trip on the motorcycle carousel.  NO whining.

This day then moved into another study in perfection by dining outside at Joe T. Garcia's.  No margaritas, but still perfection.  Oh, and did I mention that it was 2:00 and neither of my children was crying AND that they still hadn't napped?  Yep.  Stupendous.

We go home.  We napped.  We painted.  We played.  We laughed.  This is one for the record books.

Snack break. Yes, I did remember the hand sanitizer.  

I was impressed with the hard work and cheerful, friendly attitudes of the teens there to show their animals.  They didn't seem to mind stroller-pushing, camera-wielding families with toddlers wanting to pet their animals.  I never did the ag-thing, but it made me think I would be proud to see my kids work that hard at something. . . I mean, without considering the slaughtering-thing at the end.  I couldn't handle that. 

One of the rare acutual petting moments.

We loved the baby chicks and the ducks.  I am fairly certain Ell would have been happy to spend all day in the Children's Barn.  

Tractor-sitting is always a big hit.  

Creepy-eyed goat and Brooklyn.  She was far more willing to actually pet the animals.  

Takes me back.

Loving the "motorcycles."

Will Rogers Colosseum on a perfect day.

I love the Art Deco inspired art architecture.

Brooklyn checking out her feet at lunch.

He's like my own Jackson Pollock.

At the end of the day, Ell told me that his favorite animals were the piggies.  Can't you see why?

Perhaps my favorite picture of the day.  I mean, of the ones sans children.

And did I mention that when we returned home, our cleaning service had been to visit?  I know.  I'm a little spoiled.  We would live in squalor if not for the cleaning service with both of us working full-time.

And THAT is how you spell a perfect day.

We are THOSE Parents. Laughing at our Kid.

I've totally neglected my bloggy-blog. This new year has started at a run, to say the least.

My Monkey had surgery on Friday to put a new set of tubes in his ears and to remove his adenoids.  Since his tubes have fallen out, he's had several ear infections and Chris and I are serious about stopping the antibiotic trend now.  Before taking the wee one back for surgery (he really had no idea what was happening--we just told him that the doctor was going to fix his ears), they gave him some twilight medication to ease any anxiety he might have.  The parents around us had concerned looks, but we weren't there yet.  Nope.  No, we were the parents laughing uproariously, and those of you who have heard me laugh know this is LOUD, because our kid was Funny.  Funny with a capital 'F.'  Being the solicitous parents we are, we even caught the goods on video for your viewing pleasure.  Yes, that is my snort.

Sometimes My Husband Surprises Me

Last night we decided to order in so that we could watch the World Series game. . . that was postponed.   Being that we didn't have anything thawed and we received a coupon for Mooyah Burgers, off we went for a little family dinner.  Driving down our street, this happened:

Chris:  Look, it's the Steak People behind us.
Me:  The Steak People?
Chris:  You know, the people who knock on the door saying they have just a few steaks left and would we like to buy some?
Me:  (quizzical look)
Chris:  Oh that's right, you always make me answer the door.
Me:  (distracted) Mmmhmm.
Chris:  I always just tell them we're vegan.  They don't have anything to say to that.

Good thing the Steak People didn't see the meat lovers pizza box in the trash bin.

Intoxicating Baby Scalp

Seriously?  Is there any better smell that the head of a tiny baby?  I say no.  I find myself sniffing Brooklyn's head over and over, letting it fill up my senses, eyes closed in bliss.  I want to bottle it up, saved for days when she's over-hair sprayed, yelling "I hate you," or the tween years when she's greaserrific and not into washing her hair.

Brooklyn participated in a rite of passage two weekends ago--she visited the Ranch.  Site of girls' weekends full of margaritas, game playing, relaxation and porch sitting.  It was the first time in 14 years that we have taken a child with us for a girls' weekend.  I have to say, it went surprisingly well.  Being a monumental moment, it was captured via iPhone pictures, for isn't that how all big moments are captured?

Breakfast sudoku time with Kathy.  Ranch staple of sitting at the banquette.

Chilling on the floor, pulling her head up to check out mommy.

Turns out that Big Sam loves baby heads, too.

Just one more sniff!

Sunset on the Beer Blind.  Don't worry, no beer was consumed by small people.

As always, leaving the Ranch was difficult, but made more enticing by going back to my sweet toddler boy.  He insisted on sending me a video when he was with Glammy & Poppy.  And as is typical in toddler-world, I came back to my sweet boy saying "Gwammy" instead of "Mammy" and asking "why" incessantly instead of the continual "what for?"

Drug Store, Oh How I Love Thee

You know what I love?  Yes, yes, my kids.  But this post isn't about that.  No, this post is about one of my long-time loves.

The drug store.  Oh, the drug store!  Walgreen's, CVS. . . you name it, and I love it.  The miles of make-ups, shampoos, conditioners, face wash, nail polish (I can't even remember the last time I painted my own nails, but still)--sigh.

Then there's the abundance of magazines, greeting cards and candy--candy!

Office supplies, oh how I love office supplies.  The joy of searching out the right pen, delightful markers and Sharpies--Sharpies!

I can spend much time perusing the band-aids, supplements, the cleaning supplies.

I think my passion is rooted in my early experiences of the Saginaw Pharmacy.  Privately owned, delightfully cluttered with cosmetics, high-end stuffed animals (oxymoron?), and the alluring candy at the check-out, I was thrilled to stop with Nanny on our way home from "town."  I've searched for a picture of that by-gone establishment, but alas, who thinks to take a picture of a pharmacy?

(Things I don't love about the drug store include waiting endlessly in the pharmacy drive-thru line. . . for upwards of 10 minutes without moving an inch.  Then to actually have to drag my lazy arse out of the car and go inside, only to find that my prescription isn't there.  Gah.  How is it the drug companies are getting rich, many people can't afford to buy their prescriptions, but the pharmacies are chronically understaffed?)

I exhibited remarkable reserve tonight when I went to CVS and managed to return after purchasing only my prescription.  NO impulse buys, even though the two bottles of hydrogen peroxide for $1.99 was mighty tempting.