This Old Gingerbread House

The supplies!


Getting started :)


Seth concentrating.


Wyatt being sneaky


S-n-L


Luken rocking the icing.


Wyatt (as always) was such a good boy.


Keeley did a great job!


Seth and Luken working hard


Wyatt is watching.


Seth's Snowman


Seth's house is complete


Today we had some friends over to play and build gingerbread houses. Well..technically they weren't gingerbread houses at all. We built them out of graham crackers and decorated them with icing and candies. As in life, Mom and Dad laid the foundation and then turned it over for the children to take over. They took their time decorating each little house. They all did a great job. Wyatt enjoyed table surfing for stray crackers and unsupervised candies. Happy Holidays!!

Do You See What I See? Do You Hear What I Hear?

Seth's "cool face"



Whats going here this holiday season? First of all, Seth got glasses. Despite the fact that Seth failed several eye exams given by the school...despite the fact that he can't catch a ball...despite the fact that I too, wore glasses as a child...I didn't think he actually needed glasses. I thought he just wanted to look like Scott. We took him to the eye doctor and his vision is 20/150. Poor kid. His glasses came in today. I wouldn't say that he's exactly excited about wearing them but I know the difference it will make. He keeps asking me when he can take them off. I told him he could take them off when his contacts come in...in about 8 years.
And Wyatt...sweet baby Wyatt. Wyatt doesn't talk. At all. He grunts. He's like an adorable, tiny Tim Allen. At his 18 month wellness check up, the pediatrician suggested we have is hearing tested. Today I took him to an audiologist and thankfully there is no hearing loss. It's not uncommon in cases of a difficult birth like the one he had. I didn't know. He will start speech therapy in early January so we'll have him up to speed soon :)
We are now enjoying the season...seeing all of the sights and hearing all the sounds perfectly. Perfect.

Feels like Felt

Felt supplies


Wyatt and Sesame Street felt guys


Seth telling a story to Wyatt


I had saved a post from The Green Wife's blog about felt boards a while back. Seth loved felt boards and I thought Wyatt may like one. Friday, Wyatt and I loaded up and headed to Hobby Lobby to buy supplies. It didn't take long to cover the board and I spent a little while that day cutting out shapes. Seth made of list of things he wanted me to make so I stayed up that night making them. A boy, girl, tiger, etc. The boys have had so much fun since. Seth loves coming up with stories to tell Wyatt and Wyatt enjoys putting the shapes up on the board.

It's Christmas Time in Texas

It's Santa's Rodeo..we'd hang our boots for stockings but our feet would get too cold..so gather around the campfire and thank God for all your blessings..yippee ki-yi-yay get along little doggie, it's Christmas time in Texas :)

Did I mention it snowed? Yep..for about 2 hours it snowed. Hard. Of course it didn't stick because two days earlier it was 70+ degrees. We didn't let that ruin our good time :) Seth had to go on to school but Wyatt got to play in it. He played until his little baby hands were frozen and I forced him to come in. Good times though.

Cabin Camping in Oklahoma

I haven't blogged in a while. We've had Halloween, parties and camping trips since my last blog. Boooo me, right? The camping trip was the most recent. I had been feeling a bit closed in. I needed to get into some wide open spaces and fast. The boys needed to be able to get out and explore. We picked Beaver Bend, OK. While it was lovely, it was far. Too far. We've decided to do this more often but closer to home.

In Beaver Bend, we rented a cabin. It was beautiful. Very fancy. That's right..a fancy cabin. Not what we were looking for. Did I mention it was in a neighborhood? Yes..a fancy cabin with a HOA. Whatever dude. We complained and switched cabins the next day. The 2nd cabin wasn't as "nice." It was absolutely perfect. The boys explored. We built camp fires, poked things with sticks, had fun at a little festival...it was exactly what we needed. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Oktoberfest

Last weekend we enjoyed a family outing to Oktoberfest in Addison. In the past, it was always near 100 degrees. Last weekend it was in the 80s and perfect. The kids played in the fountains, watched a puppet show, did the chicken dance, watched me lose my new lens and win a carnival goldfish. Good times. Timmy the goldfish (or Oktoberfish as Rebecca named him) passed this morning. Good-bye Timmy.

It's a Bluesy Rainy kind of Evening

Seth creating...


Cider keeping a watchful eye...


Wyatt gives Cowboy a massage...


Cowboy and his boy...


Wyatt "Fingers" Whigham



It seems like monsoon season in Dallas. Seriously..it has rained every day for the past 7 days. We have had a few breaks in the rain over the past 48 hours but it is still raining on and off. My children normally go out to play in the rain but after the first few days of rainy play I had to start keeping them inside. I don't want them to kill what little grass will grow in the yard. Tonight we had a peaceful, laid back kinda evening. After dinner Seth decided to write a comic book, Wyatt played with the dogs and Scott entertained the whole family by playing some blues. A fitting end to a perfectly lovely (yet wet) day.

Cute Wyatt in Sept

I know, right? Freaking adorable!




I think this goes on my head...


That's better...


It's a pants off - dance off!



Yesterday was such a hot day. Wyatt and I bought a big, fat watermelon. As soon as we picked Seth up from school, we hung out outside and enjoyed what we hope to be..the last of the summer heat. Later Wyatt decided to wear Seth's backpack on his head and try to dance off his watermelon high.

Speechless

There has been such an uproar about President Obama speaking to "the youth" of America. I think it's a great idea..stay in school, work hard, do your best, etc. That is, I thought it was a great idea. Seth's school has decided to show the speech to all grades. Kindergarten?!? They sent home a form for me to sign if I decided not to allow Seth to watch it. It seems so harsh, so black and white. (No pun intended!) It's like me signing the form is making some sort of declaration...some political statement...some stance about the President's views, his party or maybe even him personally. Oh sure, maybe it's not really that big of a deal. Maybe most of the class will be sitting this one out. It just irritates me that instead of me signing a form showing that I want him to participate, I have to sign a form to deny him from participation. Will I run the risk of making myself look like an unbending right winged nut job? Will I look like I have a racial issue? Thank you for making me dwell on this all weekend! Ugh. As I said to a friend earlier, I think the President of the United States of America should have the right to use public school as a forum. It's really not that. It's simply that my dear 5 year old with ADHD lacks the ability to sit still and/or be quiet. He can't sit through a tv show without a certain amount of chatter and fidgeting. We go to Church. I do not bring Seth into the service with me because he will be disruptive. So instead, he goes to a service designed for a child. This is logical. Why do I have to feel guilt and worry over what is so obviously common sense?? The picture above was taken as Seth and Wyatt watched President Obama being sworn into office. I love this picture. I am proud of this picture and everything that it stands for. I love this country. I love having freedom and choice. I just don't like feeling like my back is against the wall. In the end, I have to go with my gut and do what I feel is best for my kid. He'll have to miss this one. You want my child to participate? Come in person and be prepared with puppets, magic tricks and balloon animals.

Sidewalk Chalk Painting

Thank you to my friend Nush for the idea of sidewalk chalk painting! The boys had a great time. This morning after reading her blog, Wyatt and I went to the Goodwill in search of a muffin tin. We didn't find one but did find a vegetable tray for .59, so we decided it was perfect. "We" being me. Wyatt didn't care either way. When we got home, I gathered up broken bits, chunks and scraps of sidewalk chalk and let them melt into water. Once Seth got home from school, we had a painting party :) Seth painted, Wyatt liked stirring but that's OK. Someone had to do it. Good times.

A Giant Batch of Hatch

A lovely stack of hatch chilies


What they look like roasted and ready.


Yummmm...I'd love to go to their festival one day.

August in North Texas is almost unbearable. Know what helps you get through it? Hatch chili season. The season is coming to an end, sad I know. BUT at least my freezer is full of processed chilies. I couldn't be happier. I spent hours on Friday peeling roasted chilies. Saturday, Scott and I spent hours de-seeding, chopping, measuring and freezing chilies. I feel ready for the winter now. We've had hatch chili eggs, hatch salsa, hatch lime dip, quesadillas..if we've thought of it, we've made it. Some people in Hatch, New Mexico (wait...there's a NEW Mexico??) say they can tell if the chilies come from North or South of I-40. Oh to have been lucky enough to earn this skill!! Practice makes perfect, luck ducks. Today is the last day for roasted chilies at Central Market. I highly suggest to you all, go get yours now. Do it. Right now. Seriously. Go.

The Big K

Seth making the "K" in sign language. (no..it's not right but thats OK)


Seth walks with Daddy and Y to school.


Seth and I walking into the school. He wanted to hold my hand. I love that.


Seth and the teacher. We should call her "Miss Maybe" after my Mom's temp/perm cat.




I remember my first day of school. I was pretty sure the party was over. My days of sleeping in had to come to a standstill. I want Seth to love school. I want him to wake up in the morning and be excited to go. Today was the first day of kindergarten. The Big K. I had to wake him up 4 times. I had to uncover his sweet little head 4 times. I had to make him respond to me..FOUR. Different. Times. (Haha Looks like the apple is resting in the shade of the tree!) Scott's genes helped him read at four, my genes made him sleep in. It's a good balance. Anyway, once he finally got up and ready to go, we headed out as a family on this big day. Seth's teacher is a temporary/possibly permanent teacher. He really liked her so I hope she stays around. He was super excited about the cafeteria. Apparently so excited, he neglected to actually eat the lunch I packed. He did however, eat it on the 4 min car ride home. Silly boy. He enjoyed being the only boy at the girl heavy lunch table. Looks like the party is not over. It would appear that it's only just begun. :) I love my boy.

The Sacrifices We Make

What a one year old can do while you chop vegetables. Amazing.


He learned to climb barstools today.


The poor living room.

People love to warn soon-to-be Moms about the sacrifices that come with this maternal position. You are told how your sleep, your beauty, your body, your free time..will all suffer in the name of raising children. And to some degree, they are right. You start convincing yourself that caffeine is your friend, beauty is over rated and yoga pants look best when they have been worn for 3 days in a row. I was thinking about these "sacrifices" as I was putting away laundry yesterday. My clean and orderly bathroom and bedroom were sacrificed in the name of keeping the children busy, while I put away clothes. Today, it was my kitchen and living room up on the altar. I felt I had no choice but to allow these rooms to be destroyed by the worlds cutest 15 month old in order to prepare nourishment for his little body. Nigel Short says “A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused.” Dazed, confused and/or possibly entertained? I'm abandoning the notion that my house, as a whole, can be clean and orderly at the same time. And while this does bother me, I know in the grand scheme of things, it is a temporary situation. Two decades from now, my boys will not remember if every closet was systematically arranged, if every sock was still married to it's original partner or if occasionally, they were dried after a bath with the towels we reserve for the car and dogs. Reflecting on the day once they are in bed asleep I realize, it's not that much of a sacrifice, it's not that big of a deal and it's just not that big of a mess. I'll happily do it again tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that....