Emma and Mrs. Holloway, her fourth grade teacher, on the first day of school. (It is going to be over 100 degrees today, but Emma is in the a/c path in her portable) 

Max and Mrs. St. Germain, his second grade teacher on the first day of school. 

offspring update

EMMA:

After 7 years with no cable, Emma is finally catching up to the popular culture of her peers. It's really hot, hot, hot outside, so for the last two weeks of summer we've had a "breaking in the cable" festival. For Emma that has meant a steady diet of Disney's original programming. Disney seems to be targeting on the pre-teen female market, and Emma has a target right about center forehead. Suite Life of Zac and Cody, That's So Raven, Hannah Montana have moved in.

At first I felt guilty, like I was voluntarily trading in my PBS loving girl for one who would fall in love with horrible pop songs, and all the commercials and their stuff that we've avoided since moving to Texas. But then I got to thinking about how Emma was sort of left out of all that stuff that her friends talk about. She became a scholar of sitcom, and can now be a part of playground debates. And the shows are pretty innocent. And kind of cute. And I've only downloaded one Hannah Montana song for my iPod.... for Emma! not me!

MAX:

Only three words needed. King. Of. Bling.

Don't know where this is leading, but he is fascinated with the gumball machines at the grocery store. And at Toy Joy, our most excellent purveyor of merriment, he chose the biggest old Liberace style red plastic ruby ring. I have no hypotheses about this, just hoping it will run its course. We aren't worried about the love of jewelry, per se, but man, this stuff is gaudy.

JOEY:

Watching non stop Shaulin Showdown. Ninja type cartoon. Has magic weapons that David has recreated from the show.

Has many magic wands made from carved sticks. Interest in wands followed last viewing of Harry Potter.


So there you have it, introduce popular culture and you get three couch potatoes. One obsessed with weapons, one in love with pre-teen boy/girl dramas, and one who loves the bling. Go figure.

Last night, at bedtime, both boys were in tears about who I would lie down with first. Max got me, since we are trying to get him on school schedule. And Joey was led to my room, in tears, by David. When Max was asleep, I went to gather Joey. Outside the door to my room, David told me that what I found inside might disturb me. Joey had made a surrogate mom to cuddle with until I could get there. And yes, it did creep me out a little.... 

Zebra cake, made by Emma. 

David's Birthday 

Max and I go to the farmer's market every Saturday morning, because we are currently hooked on tomatoes! 

Joey develops the BUG SHIELD to protect him from the bug that escaped into our messy gameroom. 

Max and a buddy wash my old car... before we sold it.. 

Tractor girl 

At 9, Grandad considers children old enough to learn to drive......the tractor. Emma gets lessons. 

soapbox

In case you aren't aware of my political leanings, you may feel free to check out this link. I participated in a September 11 Rememberance Project with my local paper, The Austin American Statesman. You can explore and find my original letter I wrote about how my life has changed since 9/11.

So far, no spam from the Right Wing Wackos.

kids grow up

I recently got in touch with one of our old Seattle friends. Changing an email address, and updating everyone in my address book hasn't been without its little rewards. Anyway, this neat friend had two neat kids, who are no longer pre-teens like I will always have them locked in my mind. She filled me in on thier lives as young adults.

One of them, is a video artist in Seattle. And even though I still picture him as a kid, he made something that I find so beautiful, I can't stop watching it.

almost got it....

Still thinking about naming the van. Rita seems to be winning in public voting.....

If the van is Rita, it follows our common use of "Beatles material as names for things around the house". Emma was almost a LUCY, MAX has Maxwell's Silver Hanger, JOJO gives back his high heeled shoes and his low neck sweater, now we have LOVELY RITA who we hope the meter maid won't visit.

I know it's dorky.

The other trend that emerged briefly was that we have EMMY and MAX from Dragon Tales. Fortunately Joey didn't get named Ord. But I guess the van could be called Weezy.

van name and thinking about fall

Still haven't named the van.

I've had a suggestion that sounded pretty good. Rita, as in margarita. One of my mom friends suggested this one. I was lamenting that Sandy sounded too prissy. And if you are driving a van, you need to go to the other direction for a name. Something slightly slutty. Also in the running, Sissy or Sassy (Sienna derivitive)

When I look at the car, I only think "Big Blocky Whale". But I don't say it out loud or I'd hurt the van's feelings.

Besides naming the van. I'm just holding out for school to start. It is a double edged sword. The good side, since the kids are bickering and bored, I'd get some needed relief. The summer is hot, and seemingly endless, I'd like a little help, some structure, some outdoor playtime I don't have to attend, to wear out the little darlings. On the other hand, I've already started getting emails calling for volunteers at school. I'd have to wake up early, get the kids up, fed and on the way to school.

I'm solving the too busy dilemma by only volunteering for what I really LOVE doing. At the school, that is Teacher Treats, an art show my friend pulls together, and Girl Scouts. Joey's school, unfortunately gets zip, except for helping with a classroom party somewhere along the way. A little church work. But that's it.

I'm going to be working in the Fall, but I'm actually looking forward to that. And I'm waiting until at least January before accepting any office Architecture job. I've got some freelance work to do, and I'm going to start sewing again for two art shows.

Busy, but different than the busy of summer with the kids. Only ten days to go!

sweet ride

Ruby, my old station wagon, now belongs to Jerry and his used car lot in Hurst Texas. I sold her yesterday with help from my wonderful Dad, and I actually enjoyed it. I was a little sad to see her go. We had lots of fun times with that wagon. Bought it in Seattle about a week before Max was born when I was REALLY pregnant. I'm sure the salesman knew he had a desperate sale on his hands, but we thought we bargained pretty well.

Since then, the car has been on a road trip with us when we moved back to Texas. Ten days with a 1 and 3 year old along the west coast. It's driven us to the beach, to Grandma and Grandad's, to every family outing for the last 6 and a half years. But it was time to move on.

Now I am a total stereotypical mom. I have a minivan! It is a sweet, fancy, almost spankin' brand new Toyota. It has 3800 miles and I hope to drive her to the end, in about 15 years! Photos coming soon.

Farewell old Ruby, hello, ????. We'll let you know the van's name when we figure it out.

wasting time

I am captivated by this website.

bad car

some people actually enjoy the thought of getting a new car. it is just plain painful for us. decisions, car payments, even with a great deal right in front of us (thank you, benefactors, you know who you are) it is still hard to pull the trigger.

But the old car is not good for us. We made a deal that we would treat it very nice and pay for lots of expensive repairs in exchange for about three more years of good driving. And the car welched on that deal. So there you have it.

Take a Break from the Burka

When your repressive government (or family) decides to let you cool off during the summer, here is the spot for you. I'm getting Emma all set up, right after I order a chastity belt. Too bad the boys can't be "modest" too.

cable karma

First time in 6+ years, I ordered cable. I did it, because it would be stupid not to. AT&T (who I don't like) had raised our DSL and phone service so high that the competitor's price for cable, DSL and phone is only about $8 more. Now we can watch UT Football this fall! Hook 'Em. Not to mention Nick for the kids, HGTV for me, and Comedy Central for news.

Of course, 2 hours after ordering, the universe righted itself. I was up north checking out a very cool UT surplus auction. It was preview day. It was also 103 degrees and I had the kids. On the way home, the engine light not only came on, but blinked at me. I decided to drive straight to the dealer (4pm) and prayed to God the whole way to get me there safely. I could just picture myself stuck on the 183 overpass, with three kids, in the heat in a stalled car with all of Austin streaming by at 80 mph. Got to the dealer, waited with three kids for 2.5 hours. Found out it is a $1200 fix after just spending that much in May. No loaner car. Taxi home $45. Decided not to take taxi. Drove broken car home. Prayed again. Woke up today and drove to gas station/repair shop 1 mile away because I trust those guys to help me make a decision.

Anyway, if you believe in karma, was the chain of events.....

a) ordering cable::disordering of universe::highly expensive breakdown

b) contemplate buying UT surplus at auction::disordering of universe::highly expensive breakdown

c) repair car in May::growing hatred for car::car repays hatred with highly expensive breakdown

d) Heard Bob Dylan song sung by old black blues singer on radio yesterday "Everything is broken" :: contemplate download on iTunes :: song trying to become reality so that I will buy it.

or a combo of all.

evidence

Here is the video of DLR on Conan, apparantly the disgruntled fan who posted it couldn't stand the sound either and dubbed over it. Turn the volume down and just imagine him butchering this song to a bluegrass banjo background. I can't wait for someone to post the real thing, it was horrible!

Top this.

Is there anything as sad as David Lee Roth singing today? He is on Conan O'Brian right now and it is so painful to see that we turned the channel away. He is singing Jamie's Crying to a bluegrass band. What the hell, does he even think of how this affects my generation? He looks like a big baby loser. I'm actually kind of mad about it, mad or sad, whatever.

50% less sunscreen

OK, so why did I wait until halfway through summer to get the boys the surfer shirts they've been wanting? Now I don't have to sunscreen their whole torsos. Max's even has fairly long sleeves. I'll get him all slicked down with sunscreen in about 1/4 the time. Even defiant Joey decided he needed one. Man, where was my brain?

4am/4pm

It always happens this way. A couple of nights with too little sleep. David and I stayed up too late last night, reading books (my new one is The Omnivore's Dilemma --- it is very good/insightful/disturbing). We turned off the lights around 1am.

4 am. Joey starts throwing up. Moves into our room and begins nap/vomit cycle that is about, oh, 20 minutes long. At about 4:45 we hear Max in his room, moaning. David dashes in, and gets him to the toilet. So then it is non stop fun. By 5:00, my paper was on the lawn, so I just decided to stay up and read the paper in bed so I'd be ready to roll Joey over and help him out with the trashcan.

Around 11:30 they are done with the worst of it. Started watching TV, and then around 4pm, it starts: the bickering we never even knew we missed! They are normal. They are fighting again! Hurray!

Mitchell is sitting on the arm of the chair 

her favorite chair 

Emma's at home

OK. I had a chance to look into the future last night. But first I have to back-track a little bit.

There is a very cool furniture store called Mitchell Gold Bob Williams. It advertises in all my design magazines. Google them to see all the yummy furniture. They just opened an Austin showroom, and there were ads in the paper, but for some reason, I got an invitation to their grand opening gala with valet parking, cocktails, and a chance to meet the founders. The invitation said "dress to be seen".

Meanwhile, for the last year or so, Emma has been wanting to be an interior designer, and for some reason she was familiar with the Mitchell Gold ads in my mags. So she was very hyped up about this opening. Not thinking she was ready for a cocktail party, we went to the "soft opening" of the store last week. Emma prepared herself by spending an hour on the computer, looking up and listing all her favorite pieces. After dressing up (for a Wednesday morning last week) Emma wowed the salespeople with her extensive knowledge of the merchandise. They gave her a free t-shirt and officially urged her to come to the Grand Opening Gala.

So, last night was the Gala, Emma was dressed to be seen. Black skirt, cobalt blue haltar top and trendy black string poncho, jewelry, etc.... There was valet parking, a red carpet, water bottles with the store logo, goodie bags (like at the oscars!), cocktails, a DJ, yummy food, lots of furniture, and lots of people there trying very hard to be seen. I thought since I'd know no one there, we'd make a circle around the store and leave. But two hours later we were still there. Emma was totally at ease. She worked the room, stopping to pose/sit on various pieces of furniture. I thought "uh-oh" she really likes parties. She chatted with people, since many stopped us to tell her she looked very pretty. She was asked often if she was a designer. I was pretty much ignored. She talked to me about furniture, parties and food.

On the way out, we accomplished our last goal. She got to meet Mitchell Gold himself. He was outside getting a breath of air. We walked up to him and Emma shook her hand. I mentioned she was a big fan, and how she did internet research, and showed him the list. He asked me if I was going to buy her what she wanted (approx. $10,000 worth of goodies), and then he asked if she was going to be a designer (yes) and then he told her she should be an intern for them when she gets older. On the way to the car, I explained what an intern is. She floated home, her plans for the future secure. And she told me she was never washing her hand again.

miss Max

Max is enjoying week two of day camp. After last week turned out to be so fun for him, we were 8 on the waiting list to get into camp this week. I assumed that meant we would not get in, but on Monday afternoon, we got a call.

This camp is run by the LCRA which is our Colorado River Authority. They have beautiful land about 15 miles east of Austin. The camp is run by LCRA naturalists and professionals, not high school kids. They hike, play Indian games, make crafts, do rock climbing, swimming and river rafting. But the best part is that no less than 10 of the boys from Max's grade at school are all there together, including all his closest friends. He is in boy heaven. He comes home everyday, tired, happy, HUNGRY, and ready to fall asleep at 8pm.

Except last night, he didn't come home. He had his first sleepover! I was missing him all evening, and half expecting him to call for a pickup, but he made it. My baby is growing up! boo hoo.

Max's ears

Max has beautiful little brown ears that stick out just a little from his head. I have to say that it is very tempting to touch them, and they are very soft. Apparantly, the temptation is just too much for Joey, since he can't resist touching them. Max hates this. Hates it! So, frequently, I hear a shout "Stop IT Joey!" and I'm pretty sure what's up.

Anyway, for the upteenth time yesterday, I told Joey he was not allowed to touch Max's ears. Then I tried something new. I told Joey how to politely ask people if he could touch their ears, and then how to respond if they said "yes, please do!" or "no, I'd rather you don't fiddle with my ears." So please think about this in advance (especially Gramma and Grandad) because I'm pretty sure he will be asking you.

Boston, TX

Fun night. This Texas girl reports that an authentic New England Lobster Boil is not a place where my graceful table skills naturally shine. My friends host a big party each year. Really big, and it was all-you-can-eat-lobster. I got my first one, a great big one, and then I didn't know really where to start as far as eating it. I knew there was good eatin' in the tail so I ripped it off and was soon covered in gooey jelly stuff. It was dark outside so I wasn't too sure, but I'm thinking lobster eggs??? By the time I grabbed the second one, I went a different way, looking for the smallest lobster. Nice and clean inside.

What a party.

One day's harvest of cherry tomatos. David once told me he wasn't the kind of guy who would buy me cut flowers, but he would always grow me tomatoes, and he always has. 

Kathy Andy Julie 

more dominoes 

the two that look the most similar 

the two biggest 

picture time 

a common sight 

dolphin Max 

biggest boy cousin, littlest girl cousin 

In the shark's mouth 

Dominoes on the deck 

The three babies 

beach week

We just returned from a wonderful beach week vacation. Still haven't done all the laundry and unpacking, but, you know... The photos sort of tell the story. But the one thing we didn't get recorded visually was our last lunch of the trip.

I was determined that we would eat lunch at an old style diner/cafe along the little highway we were on. We blew through a couple of towns with town squares that seemed like they would come through, but all we saw were Subway, Wendy's, Dairy Queen. We got to Kenedy Texas and David spotted a cafe sign, but it was a Mexican Cafe and not right, then just a few feet further down the road, Barth's Cafe. Perfect! Loaded with cars on the outside, loaded with its original 50's decor on the inside. Even the music was right out of a time warp!

We walked in and past the salad bar with iceberg lettuce (shreaded), two kinds of dressing - ranch and thousand island, carrot and raisin salad, hominy!, black eyed pea salad, chocolate pudding, and not too many veggies to our table in the non-smoking section in the back. The waitress brought us warm, homemade bread and those little packages of butter. The kids got burgers and homemade rings, David and I split a chicken fried steak. We asked what kinds of deserts they sold, and she rattled off about 10 kinds of pie and apologized that they were out of coconut creme.

There was a big group in a banquet space near our table. A high school reunion, turns out they all graduated in the early 40's. I'm sure Barth's looked very familiar to them, and I wondered how many of them stuck close to Kenedy their whole lives anyway.

The beach trip was such a nice treat, Thanks Gramma and Grandad (Mom and Dad to me)

oh yeah 

LU- CHA! LU-CHA!

Last night, the night before leaving town, the night after a long, draining week, and a packed busy day, I donned my Mexican Wrestling mask and went here! Does David have the coolest office or what?? Yes! he does, they got us these unbelievable tickets for free!

We went to the Alamo Travelling Roadshow for the hottest event in town-- a special advance screening of Jack Black's new movie Nacho Libre. We love Jack Black, it was directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynomite (which we loved), the tickets were free (how did David's office ever get 11 of them??), Rodney even treated us to dinner and drinks, there were real Mexican Luchadors having wrestling matches before the movie, there were MIDGET MEXICAN WRESTLERS, then the movie itself! Whew!

We were in the commemorative photo of all attendees wearing Lucha Libre masks which will be posted soon on the Alamo site. I'll link as soon as I see it. LU-CHA!

Summer Easy Living

It was supposed to get a little easier, huh? So far it has been a busy summer for me. The morning routine is easier now that the kids sleep a little later, and I don't have to make lunches, or gather homework, or rush anyone out the door to school. BUT.... I started a new job. I do computer research 4 hours a day here from home. And man it is kicking my butt.

The first day I just wanted to quit. Almost in tears from the frustration, I wrote a resignation email to the girl I'm working for. But in it, I offerred to work until she could replace me. On about day 6 or 7, I was starting to get an idea about how to do this job, and now it is a typical "I don't love the work, but I can do it job". It would be perfect if the kids were in school. If you can consider "I don't love it" jobs to be perfect. It is a high pay, work at home kind of job, that would be perfectly timed to kids in school. That's more like it.

Anyway, I get up early every day (6:30 or earlier) so I can phone the UK. Some days I can hardly understand their wacky accents, but yesterday, I got a very helpful sales rep, who patiently answered my questions, who I UNDERSTOOD, and who I eventually envisioned as really cute, just wanting to help me from around the world. I called a friend who reminded me he was probably more of the tech nerd type with English teeth. So I googled the name and came up with a frumpy older balding man who was the town council man of Derbyshiresham or somewhere. After shooting the picture over to my friend, she told me I should have used yahoo's search engine, she found something much more accurate: