I'm With Her

In what I feel could be a historic election, I am going on the record saying "I'm with her."

Who knows how November 8 will turn out. But either way, I want Cade and I need myself to know I voted for the most qualified candidate.

Is she perfect? No. Is she a shit ton better than the alternatives? Yes.

And even that said, I generally agree with her. Even if the alternatives were reasonable options, I'd still probably be voting for Hillary Clinton. Because she's very experienced, has an even temperament and sees domestic and family issues the same way I do.

If I had one wish for this election (but God knows I need about 10 wishes), it would be that the usually-vote-Republican folks who don't like Hillary Clinton could more often say "I disagree with her policies but she is a viable, generally fit to serve option." Notice I didn't say they would vote for her. That would be lovely of course. But almost more important I think is the ability to politely and intellectually disagree while still acknowledging that the person is not an unrealistic option.

In 2008 when John McCain ran for president, I disagreed with many of his policies. I did not vote for him. But throughout that election, I felt like he was a worthy opponent and probably a very good leader. He was just leading in a direction I didn't want to go. It didn't (and doesn't) make him a bad person, just someone who would tackle things differently than me.

I'd really like to hear more of that about Hillary Clinton. She's imperfect and she has a particular set of beliefs. But she's not a villain. And even if you are not going to vote for her, it doesn't take skin off your back to acknowledge her as a serious candidate and probably someone who truly wants the best for others (even if you disagree about how to get there).

Donald Trump, however, is not a serious candidate. He is an entertainer, a caricature. He is offensive and mean. He is quick tempered, irrational, prejudiced, out of touch and in every way unfit to be president. I'm sad for the GOP that he's what they have been forced to offer America in this election. For everyone's sake, I wish this were a better matched situation. But it is not.

So ultimately as voters we have three choices:

1. A third-party candidate who won't win
2. An offensive, ignorant, egotistical asshole
3. An imperfect but well-meaning and experienced politician

The choice is ours and I am with her.

I'm Back!

Back in action folks. At least for today. No promises beyond that. What's happened since we last met up, back in February? Well...

• Cade turned 3! He had a Curious George birthday party at the park.
• I went to Boston for a business trip and got to see my roomies while there.
• Ross and I went to Vegas. We saw Elvis and went out for fancy birthday dinner. And, best news of all, only lost a little money.
• I went to a great great great conference in Nashville. It was really geeky. And the boys survived mommy leaving again.
• I accepted the role of publicity co-chair for Chaps. My first order of business is email marketing.
• We all went to Galveston for a family vacation. It was more relaxed than last year's beach trip, which though ultimately good, took some adjusting to. I was ready for Cade to need constant entertaining or risk meltdown and it definitely took a day to discover we could just vegge out. Ah, vacation.
• Kevin visited for Fourth of July! We went to brunch, saw the local Fourth parade, watched baseball, ate pizza and generally just had a good time.

• And then I went to Seattle. It seems like me getting on planes was a theme this spring and summer (truth). I helped Val and Justin make sure that baby Quinn was well cultured with  winery, brewery and vineyard visits. All in three days.
• Sorta during all of that, Cade took swim lessons. It varied between "weekly torture session" and "wow - this is kinda fun." Given that last year it was 100% torture, I'd say that's an improvement.
• I changed jobs. Still at Abila, now Digital Marketing Manager.
• Ross has been uber involved in the union, specifically on a labor committee. He even spoke at an all-department meeting last month.
• Oh right, and we bought a ranch. Yup, a ranch. 14.81 acres in Lampasas County that we now own. Ross is EXCEPTIONALLY excited but really, we're all pretty darn happy about it. And, at the risk of jinxing it, it just seems to be getting better. The day we closed we realized there are power lines on it, which is a huge cost savings and  yesterday we got a call about improved access to city water, another potential cost savings. So...knock on wood and all that.

So that's the "what" of what happened. Cut and dry facts. Not much reflection baked in. But I can give you that too. 

I feel like we've moved into a chapter in life where we are playing the long game. I'm not really a long game person by nature; I live to move fast and want fairly instant results. That's probably why I feel so aware of this shift. 

For example, parenting is pretty much always the long game. Cade is three and I think my friend Rachel sums it up best "Three year olds are two year olds who have gone pro." He's pretty extreme in all his ways right now. As in he's extremely naughty or extremely amazing and adorable. He'll call me his best girl or "my love" but then lose his ever-loving mind if asked to change seats at the dinner table (actual thing that happened 3 days ago). So it's the long game, wondering which side is going to prevail and be the person he's going to be.

My new job is also one of tiny tests, weeks of waiting for results and then rinse and repeat. My old job was similar but instead of "weeks of waiting" it was hours of waiting so this too has become the long game.

The ranch is the super long game. We bought it now but we won't build out there for at least 15 years (according to Ross), more likely 20 years (according to me). For now we're paying the bills and doing minor improvements. Don't interpret this as anything other than incredible excitement for the ranch. We're REALLY excited. It's a very cool, exciting and fun long game.

There you have it, cut and dry facts and reflection on this new game we're playing. Maybe I'll check back in 15-20 years when I have results to share. ;)

Hiatus

After almost 10 years of blogging, I think I'm taking a hiatus. There's so much wonderful living going on, I find it increasingly hard to take time to write about said living. Will I come back one day? Maybe, who knows. Will it be a lifetime hiatus that is better defined as just simply being done? Maybe.

So until we meet again dear blog readers! I have some livin' to do.

Painting Party

I'm aiming to finish decorating the guest room this spring. Or at least this year. Friday night I enlisted Cade to help me.

 

As you can see he was a very hard worker.

Now unfortunately Lowes had a snafu around my paint color so my sample bucket and my full-size bucket were labeled the same but did not actually match. So I had to redo the wall Cade helped me with using the full-size bucket color. The end result is a shade lighter than I wanted but I'm telling myself it is for the best because it will help keep the room from looking too small.

Painting should be finished this week so we'll see.

New Year Resolutions Update

20 days in and still going! But dang, this not touching the spending account thing is harder than I expected. Top of the list as for why: vacations.

I went to pay our credit card today and thought "gasp! That can't be right! Someone has our card!"

Ah, no. You just booked a spendy (and lovely) hotel in Vegas Cheryl. Oh and you booked a condo in Galveston. You brought on all your vacation expenses for the year in the same month and before your annual bonus arrives.

Which leads me to the number two reason: bonuses. Not complaining! But when you know you have a bonus coming you so so so want to start playing with some of that money. Do things like you know, book a beach condo for summer vacation. But stop! Wait! Don't book it until you actually have the money!

At least that's what I should have said to myself. Live and learn maybe?

30 Must-Haves When You Turn 30

Last night I read a Houston Chronicle/Cosmo article by reality TV star Lauren Conrad on 29 things every girl needs before she turns thirty. And I threw up in my mouth a little.

Some were practical and smart, like a fire extinguisher. Others, like a cake stand or matching napkins, were depressingly inaccurate. If you want a cake stand, by all means, go buy one. But a necessity? I think not.

It got me all riled up. So in response, here is my list of things you really do need when you turn 30.

Actual Necessities 
1. 401k - Only 30ish more years til retirement, so you better start saving now!
2. Education - Whether it is a college degree, on-the-job training, by 30 you should have the education you need to support yourself. Even if you don't work out of the home, having the ability to if it all goes to shit is really important.
3. OBGYN - For your health, find a doctor you trust and see them regularly. They'll know your medical history and can help you more effectively.
4. Bank account(s) - No more money in your sock drawer. Be a grown up and put it in the bank.
5. Fire safe - Even just a small one for your social security card and similarly important paperwork. You may even stick a few sentimental things in there; ours has the DVD of our wedding photos and our ultrasound pic of Cade.
6. Health insurance - Hopefully with Obamacare we all get some help getting this.
7. Relationship with your parents - As in a good one. Parents or whomever played the "raising" you role. Knowing you as a self-sufficient adult should be their payout for all the times they grounded you, helped with homework, etc.
8. Active activity - One you can actually stick to. Swimming, running, yoga, whatever, you need an active activity to help manage weight, stress and generally be in good health.
9. Life insurance - God forbid something happens, you should have at least enough life insurance to cover the funeral and ideally enough to help your family pay off any major debts like a mortgage.
10. Will - While we're on the topic, you need a will. It should include end-of-life care instructions, and if you have dependents, a plan for their care.
11. Fire extinguisher - I told you, I agree with some of Lauren Conrad's suggestions and this is one. You should really have a fire extinguisher, maybe two.
12. Designated driver - Every time you drink, have a plan to NOT drink and drive. Your date,  your friend, Uber, the couch at the place you are drinking. You are too old to risk the safety of yourself and others because of alcohol.
13. Family plan - Not the "husband, 2.5 kids and a dog" kind. But the family planning kind. Want kids right now? Great, you know how to get them! Don't want kids right now? Great, you know how to not get them. Be an active participant in your sexual health and family planning.
14. Sense of self - You probably tried on a lot of different hats in your 20s (and you'll probably keep doing that forever). By 30 you should sorta know who you are or at least be closer to figuring it out, and be COMFORTABLE with it. If you are a working woman, that's wonderful. If you are an incredible wife and mother, that's wonderful. If you are an enthusiastic patriot and community servant, that's wonderful. Just like it's OK to hate cooking, love cooking, really enjoy country music, love sappy chick flicks or hate red wine.
15. Confidence - Right there with your sense of self, the confidence to be that person, to stand up for what you believe in and be a leader in your own way.

Really, Really, Really Good To Have
16. Flashlight - Again, Lauren Conrad wasn't all wrong.
17. Tool set - Again, she did OK on this one.
18. Adult email address - Please say goodbye to HotHon3y@aol.com. You can't apply for a job or mortgage with that. Use your name or initials.
19. Facebook privacy settings - Understand them and put a few in place. Your boss does not need to see you in a bikini. Really.
20. Resume - Especially if you work outside of the home, but even if you don't, a relatively current resume is always smart to have on hand. You never know when you'll need it.
21. Realistic Budget - No matter how much or how little money you have, a budget keeps it in check. You should have one and be reasonably good at sticking to it.
22. Get outta debt plan - Maybe it is to get 100% outta debt or maybe just to pay off your credit cards. Either is great and the less debt you have, the more freedom you will gain.
23. Passport - Fingers crossed you have a really fun reason to use it. But if a last minute need to travel abroad (remember, that includes Mexico and Canada) comes up, you don't want to be caught in the cluster that is often expedited passport requests.
24. Roadside Assistance Plan - Whether its your own two hands, a paid service or a few reliable family/friends, make sure you know how to bail yourself out if the car battery dies or a tire goes flat.
25. Negotiation skills - Very important for salary, car buying, home buying or even just vacation rental. Or having a toddler.
26. BFF - A girlfriend, husband, your mom. At least one person who you love and can share everything with. You deserve someone to celebrate your highs with and help you through the lows.

Nice To Have
27. Wow outfit - one outfit that you feel really good about yourself when wearing. Doesn't matter if it is work, date-night or what. You deserve to have something you feel fabulous in.
28. Comfortable mattress - Another Lauren Conrad win. You spend 1/4-1/3 of your life sleeping. It should be good quality.
29. Boots - Maybe they are cute, but they should definitely be functional for whatever your winters are like. Now if you live in Hawaii, you can probably substitute flip flops here.
30. Kitchen Favorite - Depending on how you most like to use your kitchen, you should have something in your kitchen that you really really love. Cake stand (to each his own), wine glasses, food processor, margarita machine, it doesn't really matter. Eating and drinking are important, let's enjoy them.

Sunny Day Jailbreak

It was a bizarre and wonderful sunny and 72 today. In early January. Crazy.

It called for a jailbreak.

I left work early, picked up the Cade-man and we hit up our favorite park for sunshine and fun.

 

Totally worth the hour of make-up work I had to do after putting him to bed.*

*Note: putting him to bed. Not after he went to sleep. Because we're 50 minutes past bedtime now and I can still hear that crazy kid upstairs.

Cutting Back

Every 2-3 years, for like the past 10-15, I find that I haven taken on too many commitments. You think after all this time, I would learn. But no. I just get so darn excited about so many things, I sign up for them all.

The high school version: Join student council? Yes! Tutor elementary school students? Yes! Work part-time? Yes! Take AP classes? Yes! Try to have a social life? Yes! Sleep? ...oh I knew I was forgetting something.

The college version: Take a full course load? Yes! (Especially since it was costing a fortune either way). Join TriDelta? Yes! Work part-time? Yes! Host parties at your awesome apartment? Yes! Sleep? ....oh I knew I was forgetting something.

Traveling and wife-ing on our Fredericksburg trip

The mom version: Raise a child? Yes! Be a good wife? Yes! Work out regularly? Yes! Have a full-time job? Yes! Travel? Yes! Generally take care of myself by going to the dentist, doctor, etc? Yes! Blog? Yes! Volunteer? Yes! Watch trashy TV and drink wine? Yes! See friends? Yes! Visit family? Yes! Make Pinterest-worthy anything? Occasionally, yes! Sleep? ...oh right, that again.

So as I have had to continually do, it was time to cut back. And a handful of these aren't up for negotiation. My boys, for example, are (thankfully) here to stay. And though we all have days we'd rather not work, I never have days when I'd rather not have the income, and truth be told, I really do like my job. Cutting out the dentist and whatnot was tempting but ultimately not an adult decision.

This go-around, I cut back on blogging, specifically for the Austin Mom's Blog. I really did enjoy doing it but I found it was a solitary activity for me. Which is what I set out for initially but as I got involved I realized how social it could be with all the fun public and private blogger events that were held. Yet unfortunately, I never ever could fit any of those in. Literally the only other time I saw my fellow bloggers in person was at our group photoshoot last year and it was truly a three ring circus to get there during rush hour on a work day.

I was, of my own doing, having a half-assed blogger experience. Doing things half-assed isn't nearly as fun, meaningful or productive as doing things all in. I mean if you are going to raise a kid, RAISE that kid. If you are going to watch trashy TV and drink wine, well then damn it, make sure you chill the bottle and have some pajama pants ready.

I'll of course continue to be an enthusiastic reader. It really is the best place to find a list of 50 splashpads, events around town, kid-friendly day trips, hilarious stories in mothering and such. (For an example, check out my swan song, Mom and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.)

I'm hoping with my new found time, I can do the other things a wee bit better. I especially want to get more active in my new volunteer group, which being based in Round Rock, is relatively easy for me to participate in. Also, as part of my new year's resolutions, I'm hopeful I can work out a smidge more and maybe I'll do a few things, like decorating the guest room, with Pinterest-worthy flair.

Thanks AMB - it was fun!

That super kid I'm raising...
by turning him into a toddler yuppie at Starbucks before school

 

New Year's Resolutions

I'm a sucker for New Year's Resolutions. Really, I just like goals. I'm a big nerd - what can I say? Sometimes I make too many and miss the mark on every single one, and that is a big bummer. So I'm trying, especially since I took on this mom role a few years ago, to focus on the ones that really matter. With that in mind, here are our New Year's Resolutions

ME
Exercise four times per week: I know this won't happen every week, like when I'm traveling, but I think it can on the 90% of the year I'm in town. Mom and Dad gifted me with 10 classes at a yoga studio that has a class time perfectly for my work-from-home days so I am set up for success.

CADE
Complete phase 2 of potty training: Also known as really completing potty training. He doesn't have many accidents right now but he is also very reliant upon us to remind him to go. This spring, he needs to go on his own accord and start making it through naptime dry. The latter scares me but I'm sure we'll get there one day. The goal is by his birthday so he can move up from pre-primary to the primary class at school in April.

ME & ROSS
Don't touch the savings account: We're not awful about pulling out of our savings account but we do usually rely on it for vacations and Christmas. In 2016, no dice. We're going to pay for everything from our checking account and let that savings account grow, grow, grow. And of course, continue putting money into it at the same pace we do now.




Ready, Set, Go!

Christmas Traditions

A few days ago I got very concerned with Christmas traditions. Cade is old enough to be totally in love with Santa and Rudolph now and I wanted to make sure this Christmas - and subsequent ones - was totally awesome for him. Ross' schedule throws in the monkey wrench of date inconsistency year after year and that was throwing me off. When would Santa come? How would we explain the ever-moving date? What could be consistent, even if the date moved?

I stressed sufficiently but eventually was distracted by something else. Like in the moment needs of caring for a family.

Today is Christmas Eve and what our tradition could be, should be, will be dawned on me. Since Ross is off for 48 hours, whenever it happens, our Christmas tradition is going to be just that. 48 hours of Christmas awesomeness.

It "came to me" because really, that's what we're trying to do this year. Ross is off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (jackpot!) and I really wanted to make the most of it. So we're spreading the fun out over both days. And while it is really awesome to have Christmas Eve and Day this year, I realized we can always celebrate for two full days. Every year. So that is what we'll be doing.

This year that meant Christmas music and stockings this morning. Stockings, for us we've decided, are from family. No Santa involved and they are done just the four (Mom, Dad, Cade & Lexi) of us. That's our own little private slice of holiday time. So at 8 a.m. today we busted into our stockings.

Aquarium trains for his train set, complete with water and toy fish and they light up!

Now we're laying low. Everyone is in pajamas; Cade is watching a Thomas Christmas movie, Ross is napping and I am drinking really delicious special Christmas wine. When Cade's movie is over, he and I will decorate gingerbread-man cookies for Santa and early this evening, we'll go to church with Nana and Grandpa Jack.

Tomorrow my parents will arrive, and after naptime, we'll have the big family Christmas party with tree presents and dinner.

It's all the normal things of Christmas, but I'm really enjoying stretching them out across two days instead of cramming everything into one. It also means we can do EVERYTHING: movies, stockings, tree presents, big dinner, and church. Literally all of the Christmas things.

In 20 years, when Cade is in college and everyone is talking about their Christmas traditions, I hope he'll say "we had Christmas weekend. It always lasted two days." Maybe he'll say "we did stockings just us" or "we had surf-n-turf for dinner," some of the little more traditional traditions we're slowly establishing. But if his story is we celebrated and had the best time ever for two days, I'll feel like I've done my mommy job on the Christmas front.

These Halls Are Decked!

We're still working on the outside (long story) but inside, we are festive and ready for Christmas!

The Tree


The Living Room


The Dining Room & Kitchen


My Favorites


More! More! More!

Technology for the Loss

Normally, I love technology. The past 48 hours though, not so much.

• Work laptop was weird and SLOW. Took an hour to resolve yesterday.
• Christmas lights tripped the electrical breaker. Again.
• iPhone died an ugly and sudden death.
• Conference call commands were wonky and caused 8 minute delay (with 100 people on the phone.)

First world problems for sure. But geesh. Isn't technology supposed to make things easier?

....she wonders as she types on a laptop connected to the Internet to post on a blog that people across the whole world can read for free...

Cade Black Eye

Cade Black Eye. That's what Cade told our neighbors his name was last week. Because...yeah he had a wicked black eye. He's almost back to normal now but, man, it was a doozie!

Almost two weeks ago now, he was running to the bathroom ("You can watch a movie after you go potty.") and tripped on the bathmat that is in front of the toilet and next to the tub. He tripped and went face first into the side of the tub. Talk about a big owie.

It didn't look too bad at first. He was screaming and crying his little baby head off but the actual bump spot was really mild. See?




 But then he woke up Saturday morning...



By Sunday morning the colors were vibrant. Fuchsia, black, blue. All kinds of colors that are beautiful in a painting but less than ideal on your child's face.

I took him to an urgent care clinic that afternoon just in case. And thankfully all was as our parent instincts told us that first night. He was fine. Banged up for sure, but nothing broken or fractured, no vision problems. Just an UGLY bruise.

We've gone through the bruised banana look now and though he's not back to perfectly normal skin tones, he's really close. And it certainly isn't bothering him. In fact, other than the first 5 minutes, it hasn't seemed to bother him at all (another reason we were fairly sure he was actually fine).

So yup, that's what's been happening around here. More blogging to come; I'll do my best to be less of a slacker on the blog front. Not just for you, my dear committed (five) readers but for us too. Because it is nice to have all these little stories recorded in-the-moment and easy to revisit.

Cade says

Cade has cracked me up today. Two gems


While watching the mommy and baby scene in Dumbo
Me: Oh look at those big birds and their mommy
Cade: No, that's ostriches

Getting into bed in red Christmas footie jammies
Cade: I llama llama red pajama and you llama llama mommy!

A few minutes later after calling me back into his room
Cade: I not llama llama red pajama any more. I big boy.


That little guy makes me laugh!

Ah...Improvement

Good news folks! It seems that late last week was the low point of my eyesight (knock on wood). Since Sunday things have been much better. Not "better every day" but on average better. I do notice that after a day of working, these new eyes are tired. So I am trying to take breaks during the work day, either to have a laptop free meeting or go for a walk outside. Walks outside of course have triple benefits since 1) my eyes get a break, 2) the weather is lovely and 3) a few calories burned. The weekend is super good to me and Sundays feel pretty awesome.

Another weekend is almost here so I am looking forward to that. And actually on Tuesday I am in an all-day meeting. I'll definitely need to listen actively but I can probably get away with not reading the whole time so that should be a good break in the week too.

In other news, Ross has a week off! This time he's actually getting to rest on his vacation unlike his last one where he chauffeured me, did parent heavy lifting and helped his mom move. This one is more along the lines of play (video & board) games, have a Saturday night out on the town, laze around with Lexi, do Halloween things with the kiddo, experiment with new meals and cocktails. much more relaxing for him and way more delicious for me.

Post-Op

So I had my eye surgery on October 13. I can see but I am definitely still in the less-than-impressed phase.

I had advanced surface ablation, not traditional LASIK. I knew there would be a longer recovery time but I missed some piece of info somewhere. I was cleared to drive and go back to work after 4 days as expected. But my vision wasn't magically perfect after four days. I'm still dealing with variable vision and from everything my doctor and Google tell me, this is depressingly (though somewhat comfortingly) normal. And only time, the great healer, can fix it.

Patience and inaction are not my strong suits. This morning I did LOTS of Googling and besides a dozen articles that said "variable vision for 5 days to 6 weeks" with no cause, action, etc, I found one article that recommended staying hydrated to help keep your eyes moist. Since my doctor has told me to use artificial tears liberally, this seems in line. Thus I swear I have drank two gallons of water today. Like my potty training toddler, I've been running to the bathroom every 30 minutes.

The best analogy I can give for where my eyes are now is it feels like I should be wearing reading glasses. So if I don't blog for a few more days or weeks...now you know why.

The Eyes of Texas

Wow - so much has happened since my Dallas trip!

The constant, and inspiration for this post title, is that my eyes are contact lens free. On Tuesday I have corrective vision surgery. Yay! So it's been glasses every day, all day for the past two weeks. I wish I had spent a little more on my frames and purchased something cuter but in a few days, that won't matter at all.

Next let's jump right to the best of all. Last weekend KEVIN WAS SENT HOME FROM DEPLOYMENT! Yay! Last Friday he texted me from Spain where he was waiting on his connection. Then to Virginia late that night. Saturday he was able to catch an earlier flight than expected and was all the way back to Seattle by lunchtime-ish. Yay! Carly and their dog Holly picked him up from the airport and they are all staying on Whidby Island for a week or so while he goes through all his discharge paperwork. Then back to northern California where she'll return to student teaching, he'll get to do some relaxing and hopefully quickly find a job. He has a strong lead in Southern California so we're all hoping that comes through soon and that he can start before Christmas. His Navy experience will be a real asset for that, or any, gig. And while he learned a lot and saw/lived in some new places, and truly had as positive an enlistment as one can have, I think there are smiles all around for his transition to civilian life. Yay Kevin! Welcome home!

Now know that that cannot be topped...

In other news, last weekend Ross worked a double. Boo! Cade declared it no nap Saturday but thankfully I had a sitter for the afternoon to help us get through that fun time. Sunday we went to the fire station to visit Ross and deliver football snacks.

Monday Cade was sent home from school sick and Tuesday he and I hunkered down at the house with movies. Ross had to be back at work so by the end of that day, we were all running a little thin. Hubby gone for 72 out of 96 hours and a sick kid will do that to a family. So I took my maiden voyage with Instacart and had groceries delivered that day. A bit too pricey for every day life but it was a unique circumstance, I had a $10 coupon and the first delivery is free. A perfect time and place. I'm pleased to report Cade recovered quickly from his little cold and was back to school on Wednesday.

Monday/Tuesday, while Ross recovered from his double and then Cade was sick, we added landscaping to the crazy. The same guy who did our awesome back porch stone-lined and cleaned up our flower beds. I added path lights tonight.

Yesterday was the return of the famous Mustache Party. The party was skipped last year as the hosts were prepping for the arrival of baby 3. But that's behind them now and it was time to party again. For the first year we brought Cade. All and all, he did OK. He declared yesterday no nap Saturday again (an unpopular trend) so I knew he'd be touch and go all afternoon. He had fun though, chasing their chickens, enjoying his first ring pop and playing with the awesome truck and dinosaur toys. He and I managed to stay until almost 6 p.m. He dozed the last part of our drive and was in bed by 7:15 p.m. yesterday. In fact, asking to go to bed.

These two were so sticky and so happy.

Also of note yesterday was Cade's official ability to climb out of his crib. ....yay? No, not yay. Stress! I was really hoping we could do that transition next month post eye surgery but he had other plans. So this morning Ross and I converted his crib to a toddler bed. The rail doesn't fit quite how I'd like so we'll be getting a new one as well as some new dinosaur sheets for his "new big boy bed."

With the after effects of the Mustache Party/my at-home wine night and some wicked allergies (it feels like I have an elephant sitting between my eyes I'm so congested), today was a pretty rough day. Cade also decided to really embrace "terrible twos" which was rough on our already short patience. He went to time-out like five times and had one train taken away for bad behavior.  We made it to bedtime though and an hour in, bedtime in the big boy bed seems to be OK. Only time will tell.

Tomorrow Ross and I are both off but preschool is open. So Cade's terrible two tush will be at school and we will be taking care of grown up things. Like my pre-op eye appointment, dropping off a bag of donations and packing up Nancy. Super fun right? Cade doesn't know it, but he's winning by being at pre-school. However after all that I'm really looking forward to taking Cade and Holden to Fuddruckers for $1 kids' meal night and to play in the arcade a little. Ross and I like Fuddrucker's burgers more than any two adults should and we're happy to return the favor to Jenny and Jeremy (who took Cade to Chuck E Cheese this summer) by taking the boys there for dinner. Mommy's last dinner before surgery! Wah wah!

Surgery is Tuesday afternoon and I'll be pretty out of commission until Thursday morning. I'm not even going to see Cade Tuesday night; I'll just be locked in my room on pain meds. By Friday though I should be cleared to drive. And these eyes of Texas will NEVER HAVE TO WEAR CONTACTS AGAIN!

Girlie Getaway

Last Friday I hit the road for a girlie getaway to Dallas. Nik is probably my girliest friend so it is only natural that she planned the perfect girlie getaway. I ended up going to Dallas Friday morning and working the afternoon from her apartment (reverse of original plan). What a great remote office! City view, big windows, pumpkin scented candles. Totally perfect.

When both of our work days were done, we went out to a fancy girlie wine bar for drinks and appetizers. Then meandered down the block to rooftop patio and ended the night at a place close to her apartment famous for infused vodka/liquor drinks. Delicious! Super girlie, super different than a normal night out in Round Rock.

Because we're adults (read: lame) we were happily home by 11:30p. She actually stayed with her boyfriend which you might think was weird for me to be at her apartment alone. But no. We've been friends for 15 years. I have no problem making myself at home in her home. She has a cozy apartment, perfect for one person but a little snug for two. So being there by myself meant I could watch TV as long (or not) as I wanted, putter around uninterrupted and without interrupting anyone and just enjoy alone time. It was like being in the best stocked hotel suite in town. I LOVED it.

Saturday morning we went to another cute neighborhood in town (who knew Dallas had so many cute areas!) for breakfast and then went to yoga in the park. Yup, outside yoga in a downtown park. Can you think of anything more me!? It was awesome!



Love love love. Hands down my best Dallas trip ever. Cannot wait to do it again!

Oh Those Terrible Twos

Not to dwell on it because that's no fun but this past weekend, Cade was a hellion. Let me share one story to give you a glimpse of it.

Saturday night in the bath he splashed excessively despite me telling him to stop. So I pulled him out of the bath and angry about it, he hit me. Then I put his naked wet wiggly body down and he ran into the tent in his bedroom. I said "Cade, you come out of that tent to get your jammies on right now or you are going to time out."

He ran out of his tent, went behind the rocking chair (ie away from me) and then marched into the middle of his room and said "I pee." Then naked and defiant, he started to pee.

I ran toward him, put a towel between him and the floor and said "Why? Why are you peeing on the floor?" And do you know what that little naked butt stinker said to me?

"I pee because time out."

Needless to say, that necessitated immediate bedtime. "You are done in this town!" I told him and he was jammied and in bed wailing by 6:15 p.m.

I poured a glass of wine and left Ross to have any further conversations with him. Despite that sassy awful behavior, I am pleased to report that Ross had a man-to-boy conversation with him and Cade did apologize to me for hitting me and peeing on the floor.

So...yup, that was our weekend. Monday morning started with more of the same. I'm not sure what they did to him at school that day but thankfully the right kid, the sweet happy one I've been busy raising, was waiting for me at the end of the school day. Thank God.

Day Out with Thomas

Yesterday Cade had a magical experience: he rode Thomas the Train. "A Day Out with Thomas" came to Burnet (about an hour from us) and Nancy got tickets for the whole family. So after naptime (though no nap) we headed out to Burnet to see Thomas and take a ride.

 

We tried to explain to Cade on the dive that he was going to see Thomas, like for real. Not on the TV, in-person. He didn't really get it but when we got there and he saw Thomas, he was really excited. And he was psyched to go for a ride.