One on One

So now that Logan is in school every day, I am spending more one on one time with Catherine and loving it.  I am acutely aware of how quickly this year will fly so I am trying to take advantage of our mother daughter time.  She assures me that she loves coffee but I don't think it is the actual taste she loves but rather helping me make my own cup of joe.  She loves to add the milk, sugar, and stir it all up.  It is never neat, but it is fun.

We were having some ear infections since her last tube fell out (actually removed from the ear canal) and finally made our way to see Dr. Albright on Monday morning.  He recommended a third set of tubes as both ears were filled with fluid, infected, and not draining.   I  am very grateful that his staff personally added Catherine to his Wednesday surgery schedule.  I guess we have VIP status since we have had 6 sets of tubes with this doctor.  Catherine did pretty well but did not fall for the anesthesiologist's tricks with getting her to take the mask.  That was no fun, but ears are clear and I have a whole new child!

Thursday morning swim at Pengu

Pretend drinking 

She hoards bags all day long and fills them with everything

Contents of her Hello Kitty purse

Take 3 for tubes

Happy Birthday to ME!

Five years ago today (8/18/2009), I received the best birthday present ever when I found out I was pregnant that Tuesday morning before work. It was my 31st birthday (you can do the math to figure out how old I am)!  I remember calling Brian in Venezuela to share with him our good news.  I remember eating Lupe Tortilla for lunch and obsessing over whether I should stick with my normal diet coke option, be healthy (since I was expecting after all) and order water, or get crazy and order a real deal coke.  I ordered the coke and it never tasted so good.

That afternoon, I remember being exempt from my normal 3pm post Mexican food coma because I was so super excited about our new chapter.  Maybe I was going to be the first pregnant woman who was not tired at all during any part of her pregnancy?

Clearly, that did not happen.  Actually, come to think of it, a lot of things did not happen the way I thought they would when I envisioned life as a "mom".  Honestly, looking back, I don't even know how one can even potentially comprehend just how much life changes when you become a parent.  You have an idea, I guess, of how you have to take care of yourself, your marriage, your career, or anything else that is of meaning to you, while also taking care of your new born bundle of joy.  If you get nothing else from this post, know that even if your perception of parenthood is far from the realities (and for me this has indeed been true), the journey is marvelous and truly one of life's purest joys.

Fast forward five years and here we are today.  Logan started his first full day of PK-4 and Brian and I are proud parents.  We are so very grateful and thankful to begin this new chapter with him.  He was very confident this morning and not a tear was shed.  Grant it, our morning together was a bit short as we were in a rush to get to morning assembly by 7:45am, but I will take it.  Now, if only I can take my own advice and spend a little less time worrying and little more time knowing.

Gratitude

Brian has been traveling a lot this summer.  I try to remain positive about it but I definitely have my nights where I am so tired and frustrated.  There are only so many times I can answer the question why.  Or with Catherine, her current kick is "No mommy, I can do it all by myself."  If I had a dollar for every time she said that in the month of July, I could fund her first semester of college in cash today.

This is where gratitude comes in.  July would have been exceptionally hard except that I was blessed with FOUR sets of visitors that included family and dear friends.  I was so grateful for each visit and extremely thankful that I have a close family and college roommates that still love me!  I also met new friends in July and that is always a good thing.  It is important to always be meeting  people, whether it is friends or neighbors or complete strangers.  This helps create new experiences and friendships.

Brian only has one more business trip this year and trust me,  I am grateful for this.

Mom and Dad

Finally made it to Fung's Kitchen for delicious Peeking Duck

Donald, Clare, Michael, and baby Dawson visited on July 4th

Catherine and Apollo, her super very big puppy dog

Aunt Ashton visited for 4 days and we had a lot of fun and a lot of Mexican food

Hello college roommate....Love Cathryn and so happy she is delivering babies again.
Little Catherine was confused that maybe she was a doctor too.

Brooke and I at the Astros game. Even the "laststos" are awesome to watch with fabulous seats.

Flowers from a friend after my car was broken into...definitely brightened my day.

PENGU

Back in June we started the real deal swim lessons.  No more mommy and baby in the pool.   Kids walk back to their respective lanes and swim with their teachers.  Each class is 30 minutes long and you can have a max of 4 kids per class.

Week 1- Logan and  Catherine were horrified.  Cried so hard you would have thought someone told them they were never going to see their mom and dad again.  Catherine calmed a bit but little Logan wailed the entire first class.  Now grant it, it is only 30m minutes long,  but it was some intense crying.  Towards the end of class, Catherine had calmed down a bunch but then spotted Logan across the pool and saw how upset he still was, and she went back into hysteria herself. 

I was proud of Pengu because the experienced teachers  knew they could not let Logan out of the pool the first day because that would clearly set a bad precedent.  He literally would cry so hard he would beg to leave the pool and attempt to climb out.  Both his teacher and the lifeguard were very good with consistently telling him he could not get up and leave.


Week 2  -  All week, from both kids, please no Pengu, please NO PENGU.  I just kinda ignored and when there weekly lesson came I sat them down at our dining room table and told them that we needed to have an important conversation.  I explained to them how we are going on Mickey's boat in 6 short weeks and also explained that Mikey really did like to know that his friends knew pool safety rules and could enjoy swimming in pools.  Week 2 was marginally better than week one.

Week 3- 180 degree turnaround and my kids were hooked!!   When are we going to Pengu Mom?   Can I go more days? Can I get goggles? I mean they completely feel in love with Pengu and its a fun chapter in their lives right now.

Clearly Logan looks super excited

Logan with coach Katie

Cat with her coach

Happy 3rd Birthday Catherine Anne!!

I think the saying is that the days are long but the years are short.  There is some truth to this.  Catherine is three and this momma is a bit emotional.  Emotional because I can see just how quickly it passes, these seasons of life with young children are pure joy.  (That is when they are behaving correctly!)

Because she is my second, I am able to see things a bit clearer than before. She is sprinting forward in life and loving it.  She loves school, all of her friends, and her teachers at school.  Mrs. Christina and Ms. Gabby are one of her favorite topics of conversation.  She plays with girls but also loves boy type games too.

I asked her if she wanted to take dance lessons this fall or play soccer.  She looked at me and said "Mom, I want to kick a ball."  Apples really don't fall far from trees.  As parents we realize how blessed we are to have this red-headed lad that is truly fearless and willing to try anything.  She is ready for any adventure that comes her way.  

Dance Party at home

Pretty good iPhoto of the 4 of us

They finally found the largest cactus in North West Houston 

Clearly not a fan of princess dress up

Well behaved at the grocery store as long as she gets the yellow cart

Every year we ask the same questions-

What is your favorite color?

Yellow & pink

What is your favorite food?

Red beans & rice with sausage and broccoli

What is your favorite toy?

Hello Kitty doll

Who is your best friend?

Hayden

What is your favorite thing to do?

Watch Mickey Mouse; playing in the dinosaur pool; going to the zoo to see the animals

What is your favorite game to play?

Hide and Go Seek

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Hello Kitty and take care of animals

What are you most thankful for?

My food.  My doggie.  My bumblebee kite and the beach.

What is the best thing that happened to you this year?

Going to the beach

What do you like about being 3?

Going to school.  Going to school.  Sleeping in a big-girl bed.