Texas, The Smallest State

I love the fact that so many of our friends end up in Texas. We are able to get together with friends from our Turkey days, have old friends from both Arizona and Turkey moving to the area this summer, and we are looking forward to more visits. Texas is both large and small. This past weekend some friends that we knew from Turkey came for a visit. They have found themselves in Texas (Dallas area) due to less-than-desirable circumstances (husband away for a year),but we were able to benefit from their current situation. Texas is turning into a small little world of its own. I like the benefits that come with living in this small world, namely the visits.

Alisa and her children came for some running, playing, visiting, lots of talking, and we had a fabulous all around time. We were even able to pull in another common friend (and ward member of mine) for dinners, laughs and catching up time. Another perk of Texas.

I didn't take many pictures. I guess that I was just too busy sitting and visiting. Just the way it should be. I even enjoyed, thanks to Darin the babysitter, a girls night out. I don't remember the last time girls night didn't involve a church meeting or mutual. This was dinner, a real luxury.

I hope that our paths continue to cross with so many loved friends. This is a part of Texas that is just bonus. I didn't see it coming at all, but I love the smallness of this state.

Thanks for the visit Alisa.

Gripes

Gripe1:
I just don't know that I am cut out to be Primary President. I am not sweet, soft-spoken, jumper wearing...you know the ultimate Primary President. I am struggling to keep up with everything. I have too many phone calls with too many "helpful suggestions" to make primary better. I have a chorister that shoots daggers from her eyes. And complaints abundant, because change is hard. After a run-in with the Activities Chair (aka: porcupine in a plaid jumper) I was sure that I should be release and someone else put in. I just am not quite the President that I should be.

Gripe 2:
Thanks to Jaylynn, I am obsessed with felt. Projects and distractions to keep me from doing what I really should be doing. I was just thinking that I have so much spare time, I really need to sew a few things out of felt. I can't help myself and I just can't stop. Thanks Jay, at least Noah will be thankful for this obsession when his birthday comes.

I guess that is all the gripes for now. Time to quit answering the primary phone calls and start sewing again. I will get the window in the playhouse today.... I need a support group for those addicted to felt.

Update

Just for the record.

It is possible to cure the donut cravings. Donuts followed by horrible heartburn followed by loss of craving.

At least that is over. Although I did try a donut a few days later (just couldn't help myself). Same result. Really over this time!

Beans

Noah hates to eat. Each night, however, I try and torture him all in the name of motherly duties. He hates things he really likes, just to be difficult.

2 beans: 1 kidney 1 pinto, that was the source of our fight. He likes beans normally, but not at dinnertime. I refused to let him spit them out. He HAD to swallow. 20 minutes of him crying with 2 beans in his mouth was about all I could take. (I was sure that they would have dissolved before that time, but no.) I explained to him that if he would swallow, he could be done. "Oh, OK."-swallowed. Grrrr- kids are frustrating. And just for the record, those 2 beans were his entire dinner that night.

Monster Trucks

Darin and I surprised the boys with an outing to the Monster Truck Rally. I stayed home with Noah and Darin took the other 3. (I would have only wanted to go to watch their faces, but enjoyed a night of movie watching and snuggling with Noah.)

It was deafeningly loud and as "awesome" as a boy could hope for.

On My Mind

I want donuts!

Glazed, lemon filled, maple topped...I don't care. I find myself trying to justify driving past this store or that just to grab a few. They wouldn't make it home. I'd eat in my car, nobody would know, except maybe my scale. I am lucky that the commissary and Costco don't sell donuts. Or am I? Maybe if I ate every donut that I wanted, I'd get rid of the desire. I am keeping myself locked in the house right now, just to keep from driving to get donuts.

I am blaming this craziness on the stress of pregnancy and presidency...it isn't my fault.

OH, HOW I WANT A DONUT!! (I may give in tomorrow.)

Air

San Antonio is experiencing its coldest January in 40 years, and the coldest temps in 8 years. This after having the hottest summer ever on record...oh, the extremes in temperature. I hate the cold, but the boys have found something to be happy about.

Jag LOVES seeing air. He hasn't seen his breath before, and thinks that it is the coolest thing ever. He huffs and puffs his way to school every day. "Did you see my air?" "Did you see the air on that car?"

At least someone is happy about this rotten weather. I can't wait for spring, I think it may be here in about 2 weeks.

Teeth

What has happened to this mouth?

2010

I've been trying to come up with my resolutions for the new year, but have been a bit mentally preoccupied. I keep thinking of the many unknowns that are before me and think that it may take 6 months to really know what is coming and how to make resolutions to match.

So really, procrastinating is my resolution? And when I make my resolutions, I will add stop procrastinating to my list of things to change.

In the next 5 months I am going to be working hard.

I will be trying to get a Ward Primary under control. I don't yet know what to do, but regardless the children will be seeing me regularly. At least it wasn't Relief Society President! That would have been terrible.

I will be busy at home.

May comes fast and the with all the birthdays that I have in May, one more is going to keep me even busier.

Yeah, I just did that. Sorry mom, but I just told the boys too.




Yeah, we finally did that too. What now? Happy 2010!

Sea World

A first for us! We went to Sea World San Antonio with the Fawcett's (Melanie left on the first). It was a cooler-than-I-would-have-preferred day, but not freezing cold. All of the boys loved it. Noah was LOVING everything that we saw. Shamu (or Shampoo as Noah calls him) was a huge hit. With it being January, we didn't have to compete with the crowds and the lines for the rides were very short. Lots of Sea World fun for all.

Not necessarily a time when you wanted to be in the "splash zone."
Waiting for the 4d showing of Polar Express.
Climbing the cargo nets. He climbed up like a monkey but,needed help getting down by the dad monkey.

Alamo, Etc.

Darin's parents and sister Melanie were in town for New Years Eve, so we went to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. It was a nice 78 degrees and not too crowded yet. We managed to see, do and get out of there before the madness of the night.

River boat ride. A new adventure and the highlight of Jag's trip. It was the day before the Alamo Bowl, so both of the teams (Texas Tech and Michigan) were having pep rally's on the water. Boats full of band members playing were followed by boats full of football players. Davis LOVED the bands. (I may be raising a future band boat rider.)

Noah decided to take charge of the camera and took this lovely picture. He quickly became obsessed with taking photos. This is the most flattering one of the bunch.