He makes a beautiful princess!

This is my son.  In a Snow White dress that he insisted on wearing.  And the blackmail photos just keep adding up!

Chilling thoughts

Do you know why I like the cold?  Aside from my theory that your birth season tends to dictate the type of weather you enjoy, I think I may realize why I prefer my cold weather: it makes me feel alive.  There is nothing like that icy wind piercing through your body to make you well aware of your reality.  I was leaving yoga today with this renewed sense of self (yoga will do that to you, honest!) and the day was deathly cold.  We are talking wind chills in the teens!  As a particularly strong wind gust cut through my body I was just filled with thankfulness at being here.  At being alive and healthy enough to feel this weather, to appreciate everything I have been given.

There are two particular things that make me feel this way: the cold weather and a good run.  When I'm out running through nature (or even just on a treadmill) I have a whole new appreciation for the world.  Once I have completed my run I feel so alive, like I could take on anything and win.  I think they call these endorphins, but I call it fantastic!  And then there are those runs (usually in a race) where I don't think I will be able to go another step and it takes everything I have to put one foot in front of the other.  At those moments I am so thankful for the gift I have been given to simply run (or even walk).  God forbid I ever lose this ability, I will be able to look back on these times and remember what it felt like to be alive.

My sister lost a close friend over the weekend in a way that makes you realize that you never know when it is going to be your time to go.  What if I dropped my child off at school today and that was the last time I would ever see her, would I be happy with the way I left things?  What if my baby never woke from his nap, would I feel satisfied that he left the world loved?  What if something is wrong with me inside and it's my time?!  These are morbid thoughts, but let's not pretend that we don't all have them.  I often feel like a failure as a mother because I spend a lot of my day yelling at  gently disciplining my children for one thing or another.  I never feel like I spend enough time showing them my love, but it is infinite.  I hope that will speak through even if I am not the best at showing it all of the time.

So the next time you get ready to complain about the bitter chill in the air, instead be thankful that you are alive to feel it.

Race Photos

To see our race photos follow go here.  That should take you to the 5th page of pictures and you can see us in photos 185-199...can you spot us in the later photos in the background?!

Rodeo Time!!

I'm not a fan of rodeos, but I have to admit we had a great day there on Saturday.  For the last six years they have done a race on the first Saturday of the rodeo.  Last year I ran the four miler and it was a lot of fun.  This year I decided it would be fun if we did the walking portion (1.6 miles) as a family.  I had to pay a $40 (total) entry fee for Richard and me, which got us entry into the "race", t-shirts and some samples in our goody bag.  The race ended on the rodeo grounds so we also got free admission for the day.  This was a fantastic deal, as I didn't even have to pay for any of the kids to participate in the race and they got in free to the grounds as well.  We also received two complimentary grounds tickets in our packets and I now have eight total (I received six when I signed the kids up for the Simon Mall Kidgets Club).  We will definitely be taking advantage of these passes again next weekend.

The morning started out bitterly cold.  The temperature was in the 20s, but there was a nasty wind that dropped that down into the teens.  I don't have mittens or gloves for anyone in the family!!  We bundled everyone up in lots of layers and brought blankets for Serena and Jameson since they would be sitting in the stroller the whole time.  Serena was a star: she sat in the stroller all comfy and cozy under her blanket and didn't make a peep the whole time.  My other two were not as quiet!  Jameson, being the little BOY he is, refused to keep his hands under the blanket and pretty much screamed the entire walk because they were cold.  I did feel very bad...at first.  After awhile it got on my nerves because if he just would have kept his hands in his blanket, he could have been fine.

So the walk was definitely not the highlight of the day, but having competed in last year's race I knew there was some great food and Starbucks waiting for us at the end!!  We got some sausage breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy and two cups of hot Starbucks coffee each.  Jameson had finally calmed down, but it was still very cold and the grounds were barely alive yet.  Most of the exhibits didn't open until 10am and it was only 9:30am.  We were able to duck into a warm building where the history of the rodeo was displayed and we got to watch some of the rodeo competition from years past on a TV.  Finally at 10am we went to get Calli her much anticipated hot chocolate and decided to go into the Coliseum where all the shopping was.  We wandered around there for a bit and when we emerged the temperatures were finally heating up.

The kids got to ride ponies and had a blast.  Jameson wasn't so sure at first, but by the end of the ride he was smiling away.  Next we were flagged down by someone asking if we wanted the kids to join the Rodeo Kids Club and get a free shirt.  The word "free" is music to my ears so how could we say no?!  Next we noticed a line near some food and found out it was free samples.  The samples were plentiful, starting with Sunny Delight and continuing with bags of chips, juices, bread with olive oil, popcorn, graham crackers with chocolate whipped cream, tortillas with peanut butter and jelly, fruit cups and other things I can't even remember.  Basically we ate lunch from just the samples and I was overjoyed with the knowledge that we would not have to spend $50 on disgusting fair food for lunch!

Calli climbed the rock wall next and this is always a thrill for her.  They have one at our YMCA and every time we go she insists on climbing.  She has gotten really good and can outclimb kids and even adults (I am sure she could beat me!!).  She got her harness on and just raced right up to the top.  We could hear the comments from other parents and amazement that she could do it being just five-years-old.

HEB had a cute little event this year.  In the past years they have had jumphouses for the kids to play in, but this year they had sort of an interactive farm.  There was a little maze kids ran around and started out by planting a seed.  Then they collected the fruit/veggies that they grew, milked a cow, collected some wool, fed the chickens and got eggs, and finally sold all they had gathered at the market.  They got some real apple slices and celery at the end as well as a bag with a seed they could take home and grow.

We visited the Simon Mall Kidgets Club booth and the kids got free cowboy hats, kerchiefs and badges as well as some balloon animals.  Then we saw Shamu (we had seen the Pillsbury Doughboy not long before too).  We also visited the Army booth so Calli could compete in the push-up contest.  I can't remember exactly how many she did, but I think it was around fifteen.  The guy put her name up on the board, which was nice and she also got some goodies (a pencil, pen, pin, etc.).

Of course we had to go to the kids' most anticipated part of the rodeo: the carnival.  This place is a huge gripe of mine because they just rip you off so much.  Tickets were $1 each and each ride took 3-4 tickets.  A wristband was $25, but we decided to skip it that day and do it the next time.  Instead I got twenty tickets and luckily Jameson was sleeping during this part so the girls were able to use them all up and do three rides apiece.  The first one was the Merry-Go-Round, which Serena had been looking forward to all day.  Then the girls went through some short play gym, where they climbed up a rope ladder, crossed a bridge, went down a slide and then waded through the ball pit to the end.  Finally they decided to go on a small roller coaster.  Serena was actually able to ride with Calli and I didn't have to go on.  The ride made four loops and for the first two Serena seemed to be enjoying herself, but we saw her face on the third loop and she had started to cry.  I think she had fun, but started to get scared toward the end.

We saw a little puppet show, got free ice cream during the sample time and then Richard and I also sampled some wine.  I got a sample of Pull-Ups at the Huggies booth (they also had a little changing tent where they provided free diapers and wipes to use, which was awesome!!) and some Kleenex samples and backpacks for the girls, none of which was in English.  The last thing we did was go to the petting zoo, which was really fun but the kids were scared.  Instead of all the animals being behind fences, it was a big open area for the animals to roam the people to walk around with them.  The kids didn't like the animals just coming up to them like that, although Serena seemed to warm up a bit.  She is my animal lover I think.

All in all, it was a great family day and we sure scored a lot of free samples and had a relatively inexpensive time.  We can't wait to go again this weekend!

Snow Day!!

This is what people who don't live in the snow do:

Freak out when the temperatures hit the teens.
Panic when any kind of precipitation falls from the sky.
Close down all schools and places of business.
Take pictures of the 1/28 an inch of ice on the ground outside the house.
Bundle the kids up in makeshift winter clothes they wear one day out of the year and send them outside to freeze  play.

Just another crazy day in Texas

I just sent Calli off to school all bundled up like an eskimo.  A long sleeve shirt, a sweater, a big jacket and a never worn scarf of mine to complete the look.  She's actually only walking maybe one hundred feet into the school, where they left the heater on all night, so I probably didn't need to do so much.  Don't tell other parents that though!!  If the temperatures here dip below 65 everyone pulls out their puffy jackets, gloves, beanies and boots and bundles up like we live in the arctic.  It's crazy and at least it provides me with some good laughs.  I remember when I was growing up I thought it was so not cool to wear a jacket or sweatshirt to school and I would go in short sleeves when it was 40-50 degrees outside.  I might have bundled up in the winter when it was colder though, I can't remember.  I do just remember freezing my behind off before school; our campuses were outdoors so there was no protection from the elements until the first bell went off and you could scoot to class.  I was probably a little crazy and I think Calli has inherited a little bit of that gene.  She doesn't really like to wear jackets and sweaters and usually I have to coax her into one if I think it's too cold.  I will send her to school in just a long sleeve t-shirt if it's not too cold and that's what she wants.  I'm not raising any wimpy kids who balk at the 65 degrees and turn to jackets and mittens.  The rest of you crazy people can load your kids down in that gear as they walk the one hundred feet into school, but I choose not to!!

I'm pretty sure we're experiencing record breaking cold here.  I woke up this morning to 20 degrees, with the wind chill making it feel like 5 degrees.  I had to step outside to see what that felt like for a second and I was kind of disappointed.  Sure it was cold, but I don't really know what I was expecting to be honest.  My heater meanwhile has been working overtime and hasn't turned off since I cranked it up to 70 when we woke up (I keep it at 62 at night).  I am fairly certain our electricity bill will not be too kind to us this month.  I've also had several friends experience power outtages and I am waiting for ours to go out because of the rolling blackout.  It angers me that those happen.  It is below freezing here and to leave people without power for an hour or two is just unacceptable.  I realize this can happen everywhere, but I just think that when you live in a city with a population of over 1.5 million, shouldn't the power company be a little more prepared for these issues?  If you can't then hand the job over to someone who can.

Meanwhile I'm sitting in my warm and cozy house enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee.  I don't think I ever looked so forward to a cup of coffee as I did this morning when I woke up.  All in all, I am enjoying the weather.  It would just be a lot nicer if this whole city didn't overreact and lose their minds when the temperatures dip like this.  I realize it's quite a change from the norm, but other cities deal with this and more all winter long, so really what is the big deal!?  Stay home, go to work, bundle up, drive carefully and get over it.  Enjoy the cold while it lasts because we all know that hot, miserable summer is coming in a few short months and we will just be wishing we could go back to this time.