GO SPURS GO! Guys Night #2

GO SPURS GO! In front of the scoreboard

Nathaniel and Jason set out for another "Guys Night" last night. They started out at Jim's restaurant (Nate's favorite Denny's-style diner here in San Antonio). Apparently there was a small crisis when the corndog he ordered showed up because he told Jason (not the waitress) he wanted the pancakes, too. (The kid shovels in pancakes--usually 7 or 8 at a serving.) He got over it.

Coloring the mask at Jim's

Nate with tickets in hand. This wasn't his first Spurs game (we attended a play-off game with Mike in 2006), but it's the first time he was an active participant!

The big event was the Spurs game: San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks--a bit of a rivalry here in Texas (and the Spurs' first game back from their "rodeo road trip"). The tickets were part of Jason's Christmas present--two sets of a Spurs 4-pack including the Lakers, Mavericks, Bobcats and the Hornets. Once at the AT&T Center, Nate was in awe. Jason reported that Nate sat for the entire first half, totally engrossed in the game. "Did they win?" He asked every time the Spurs made a basket. Jason advised him that Tony Parker scored a goal. So Nate ran with it..."Tony Parker wins again! He won 3 times, 4 times, 5 times! He wins all the time!" Apparently last night he did.

Nate, taking it all in!

Highlights for Nate:

• The boys split a bucket of popcorn
• Shouting "Go SPURS Go!" and "Defense!" with thousands of other fans
• Using the Spurs clappers (noisemakers)--little boys love to make noise!

As Nate started to fade (no nap again), Jason took him to the "Fan Fiesta" area to play around for the third quarter. The boys shot baskets, raced on the video games, playing some HEB-sponsored arcade-style games (meltdown #2 occurred when the stuffed HEBuddy toy fell from the claw of one of those crane games and they went home empty-handed). After he regained control, Jason took Nate back to their seats for the 4th quarter, but Nate was fading fast. It was late (almost 10:00), the Spurs had a 15-point lead and J had one tired kiddo. They left a little early. Nate fell asleep in Jason's arms on the walk to the car (and of course it was a long walk because parking is still tight as they clean-up the rodeo remnants). He transferred to his bed without opening his eyes--he was down for the count! The Spurs crushed Dallas 93-76.

The boys, giving Ginobili some pointers.

Post note: Nate had an absolute blast! When he woke up this morning, I asked him if he had fun at the game and his eyes just lit up! Then he yelled, "Tony Parker was killing them!" (Hmmm, a favorite saying of Jason's, "He's killin' 'em out there! Killin' 'em!" Nate's picked up on another one of Jason's favorite sayings as well..."Oh, crap!" We're trying with limited success to replace this with, "Bummer!" But that's another entry.) Nate then went on to explain that Parker made a "scar" (score) and another "scar!" But then "he had to go in time out. But not because he was being bad, he just needed to rest." Oh their little brains.

All-in-all one successful "Guys Night!"

But I certainly need to keep an eye on their "Guys Nights" as they progress! This is the autographed poster our three-year-old brought home! :)

Mia and I had a little bit of girl time, but mostly we had a quiet dinner together and she got to bed early (well, on time). Here's her walking progress, or prowess!

Sneaking one of Nate's cars while he's entranced with "Aurthur!"

Oh! One last thing, I wanted to document that it was 88 degrees here in San Antonio yesterday! (For better or worse.)

Rodeos, Pajamas and Ballroom Dancing?

Friday ended up being one of those days where there's not a definite plan, but it ends up being a big day.

SEARS REPAIR GUY
First, the refrigerator repair guy was scheduled to show up in the window from 8 am -noon. This is Part 2 of Monday's appointment. Our refrigerator has stopped cooling several times since January. Suddenly, we open the fridge and the ice cold Shiner just doesn't feel as cold as it should. According to our internet research [enter pocket protector & glasses], the refrigerator is cooled by your freezer. There are vents that funnel the ice cold air--this airflow is controlled by timers and thermostats. Apparently ice can form in the vents. We looked, thought we saw ice, unplugged the fridge and defrosted it (after unloading all the contents to a cooler and the deep-freeze in the garage). When we were certain the ice was gone (after a full day or so) and we saw a nice puddle of water on the floor, we plugged her back in. Sure enough the fridge worked! We've done this 3 times now since early January with a shorter grace period in-between , so we decided to bite the bullet and call mx.

To make a short story long, Monday's appointment was a 5-day wait (the refrigerator went out Wednesday night), so we consciously made the decision to unplug & defrost and just tell him what the problem was. Wrong decision. The repair folks need to be "eyeballs on the problem" to diagnose. So "Lennie" couldn't do anything. But, what he could do, since he was looking at a perfectly good unit and I was sure this was going to happen again, he sold me a one-year mx agreement with Sears. All house-calls, repairs, parts, labor and 1 free cleaning are covered under this warranty. So I gambled and bought the policy for $80 (in addition to the $70 he had to charge me for telling me the fridge was working). Thank goodness the gamble paid off! ;) This time he was able to make the appointment the next day. For you curious types, the problem was a timer for the defrost unit. We're awaiting parts.

The Culprit (I mean the refrigerator in the background, this time Nate's innocent!)

SAN ANTONIO STOCK SHOW & RODEO
Since the repair guy actually showed up at 8:45 (early in the 8-12 window), we were able to pack up the kids and head out to the rodeo. Today was dollar days, but when we got to the gate we discovered it was also military appreciation day; so we got in for free. (And free is almost always good in my book!) We didn't get tickets to the actually bronco ridin', bull-bustin' rodeo this year, but we took in the walk-around events and free entertainment--petting zoo, commercial exhibits, livestock barns, Animal Adventures, The Texas Experience, HEBuddy Kid's Corral (complete with shark jumpy) and AT&T Chute where Nate got to practice lassoing a steer. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be outside--electric blue sky, about 73 degrees and a slight breeze.

The animals were pretty aggressive at the Petting Zoo this year.

I'm surprised Amelia kept her hat as long as she did!

The Shark Jumpy! (a big hit)

Nate, learning about cotton at The Texas Experience

Animal Adventures

(Nate's favorite attraction are the baby chicks, but I didn't get a good shot this year.)

Bo the Pig in the Livestock barns

Of course, we test drove some tractors this year, too!

The good news is, Amelia passed out in her stroller from exhaustion (head collapsed forward in her tray) and Nate fell asleep in the car. They both got naps! This was important because our day wasn't done...

PAJAMA PARTY

The kiddos had a pajama party for the Kids Night Out theme at church this evening. Nate wore his Harley-Davidson jammies and Lightning McQueen slippers. They were told to bring their teddy bear, but Nate couldn't decide on just one lovey. We limited it to three stuffed animals. After a tough elimination round, he chose his big SeaWorld dolphin, his sloth and "Doggy." It was a Lions & Tigers & Bears theme. Nate's class had a hotdog party, read stories, did lion crafts & activities, etc.

It's Pajama Time! (Nate & Amelia ready to pajama-de-bop!)

BALLROOM DANCING
While the kids were entertained 20 minutes away, our Sunday School class met at Studio One Ballroom. Yes, we took ballroom dance lessons!

1. Waltz--simple box step
2. Rumba--our favorite, simple box step with different timing
3. Salsa--arghhhh! The one we practice the most at home b/c it was our most difficult! (But it is fun to say!)
4. Merengue--actually one of the simplest--especially for the guys (but difficult to do well), you just sort of march in place for 7 counts, swinging each other around or twisting into a pretzel

We had loads of fun--the key is to practice, practice, practice! Our instructor Carlos said as we left, "use it or you lose it!"

We're naturals! :)

(And, yes, sure I planned to coordinate with the studio colors!)

Afterwards, we all met at Fudruckers (we hadn't been there in probably over a decade!). I had the buffalo burger, sweet potato fries and root beer. Yum! OK and we (er, Jason) succumbed to the cookies & cream shake after we'd cleaned our plates!

She's WALKING! (And he's TALKING back)

Wow! so much has happened since my last milestone post! Here's a list of what Amelia has been up to the past few weeks:

• Crawling on all 4s (Jan 11)--as opposed to the army crawl on her knees & elbows with her little bottom wiggling up in the air (Nov 2)
  

Crawling on all 4s--she's quick!

• Waving to us in her high chair (Jan 20)--she still doesn't wave, "Bye-bye!" on command
• Standing with confidence (Feb 1st)--the day Jason returned from NYC

Playing outside in her "garden"

• Signing (Feb 14)--her first sign repeated back to us with any intent was "more"--referring to food, of course! She's a good eater like her brother, but she really loves those carbs!




• She says "Da-da" (her first word, Dec 15), "Ma-ma," and barks like a dog & giggles when she sees a dog, "uh-uh-uh" in a high-pitched squeal.
• She still has just her bottom two teeth (around 15 Oct and 8 Dec)
• Drinking from a sippy cup regularly--she'd been being lazy (we still hold it for her most of the time, just for our sanity--she likes to throw it on the floor...again and again and again); but Mommy held tough this week--no daytime nursing (morning and bedtime only)
• Eating solids--not just solids, I guess, but "real people food" (introduced the end of Jan)
  
• Gives hugs and kisses at bedtime--the kisses are more like an open-mouthed mauling, but you take what you get. And her hugs? Priceless. She wraps her arms around your neck, buries her head into your shoulder and pats your back with her little hand!
• WALKING! (Feb 15) she took her first steps in the kitchen stepping away from the dishwasher and walking towards Mommy! (Jason was rinsing the dishes while I was playing and got to see her take off as well.)

(You might want to wear earplugs, my "baby-ese" is a little shrill with these first steps!

With Nate, we're working on processing feelings--frustrated (a Sesame Street word), excited, happy, angry ("mad"), sad and afraid ("scared") are the ones that tend to surface the most. In the process, he's developed a litany of punishments for Mom & Dad when he thinks he's being treated unjustly. Some consequences are pretty macabre. We're trying to figure out how to help him process these emotions better (besides the vinegar on the tongue for his "bitter words" while sassing).

• Dec 29--"I'm going to saw you in pieces and throw you in the garbage!"
• Jan 4--"If you don't listen, I will lock chains on your feet and you will go to jail."
• Jan 14--While sulking after I didn't buy him the toy car carrier at Target (after taking him to "Stellaluna"--a play in the Children's Fine Art series here in San Antonio), sitting in his carseat, schemingly looking out the back window he announced, "I think a T-Rex will come and eat you up!" "Oh, that might hurt!" I respond. "No, he will eat you all to pieces." He emphasizes my imminent doom. "Then who will share popcorn with you at Target?" I inquire. "Daddy." "Then who will drive you to Bible Class?" "Daddy." "Then who will give you kisses?" "Daddy." "Oh, Then I guess the T-Rex can come eat me up." I surrender. "No. I said if the T-Rex accidentally sees you then he might accidentally have to eat you." He reneges. "Oh. OK." I smile.
• (Jan 15) Angry after I put his toys in timeout for not listening, he's sent to the steps for sassing. He starts to drag the gigantic box from his new carseat upstairs. "Nate, the box stays downstairs." I look down and command from the top of the steps. "But I want to just stuff you in it." He matter-of-factly responds.


Nate's new carseat--Graco Nautilus, 3-in-1 booster

(Note the box he was going to "stuff me in.")

• (Jan 22) After not allowing him a cover and a straw for his cup at breakfast, "Mom, you're fired!" Hah! I wish it were that easy!
• "I'm going to choke you!"
• "I'm going to put you in jail."
  (Interesting side note: He's also in this uber-competitive phase where he wants to be the first at everything, win every game and in general be #1--beat Mia buckling into their carseats, beat me finishing our oatmeal at breakfast, get the most pairs in "Go Fish!," get to Candy Castle first, beat Daddy by getting his shoes on first, beat me to the toy box, etc. The other night at dinner, Jason and I finished our chili before his bowl was empty. "Did you beat me mom and Dad?" "Yes, Nate. It appears we did. We finished our supper first." "No!" [Enter crocodile tears on cue.] "Mom! You are going to jail for beating me and Dad YOU are going to jail for beating me!" Huh. I wonder how many people he's told THAT to? "Mom and Dad beat me last night."?! :0 )
• (Feb 11) "Mom, you're being un-useful! I'm throwing you outside under the car!" (a twist on "Thomas the Tank Engine," a very useful engine.)
• (Feb 12) Upset because Amelia "beat" him into her carseat after preschool (with Mom doing the buckling obviously) he shouts, "No! Mom, you are doing bad things! I am going to put you in jail in a cave!"
• (Feb 14) While sitting on the steps muttering during a time-out, he blurts,"I'm in charge!" "Watch it, Nate." I intercede. "Oh, I'm just saying I'm in charge of my potty and cleaning up my dishes and you're in charge of...of...BEING NOT USEFUL!"
• (Feb 20) After Jason told him to clean up the bath toys and pulled the drain in the tub, Nate screams, "I'm going to put you on sale!" "Oh, on sale, huh?" Jason replies. "Yes! You are doing bad things so I am going to put you in the garage sale the next day." "Really? How much are you going to sell me for?" Jason asks. "For 93 cents! If somebody has 93 cents, they can buy you!" (We had a garage sale the first Saturday in February--a very successful sale I might add. We moved a lot of merchandise! We only brought one carload of leftovers to the donation station--and nothing came back into the house! But apparently Nate's take on the whole decluttering process is that you get rid of something in the garage sale when it's bad or you don't like it!)

So, we have our hands full with this kid's mouth right now--if he's not sassing, he's sticking his tongue out. "No, Mom, I wasn't sticking it out to be mean...I was being a frog...like this...see?"

Joy.

This entry aside, Nate still brings lots of smiles to our faces and joy to our lives! :)

(Here he's torn up Parker's play mat to make letters to spell his name--he loves letters and words!)

In more mundane journaling, it's been cloudy and drizzly here for the past 3 or 4 days. Enough to make the days dreary, but not enough precipitation to qualify as a proper rain. (I'm like a barometer--when it's cloudy & rainy, I'm slow and cloudy...OK, and crabby.) I'll tolerate the clouds in exchange for rain, but if it's not going to soak the earth...give me my sunshine! :) Last night we went over to the Holly & David's for a burger burn and gathering of the med school crew. The burgers were delicious--straight from "The Family Farm." Jason brought the red velvet cupcakes and chipotle brownies he made for V-day. The little babies--Amelia, Parker & Luke (all born within 2 months of each other)--had fun socializing (well, as the big girl on campus Mia was certainly the group bully and had the most fun tormenting the boys). Nate did a super job of entertaining himself with Holly's coloring books, activity pads and being the "cool big boy" with the babies.

The med crew babies (and their Mommies)--Parker, Amelia & Luke

Bathtime with Parker--he was quite territorial with his bath toys!

Today was MOPS Bible Study --we're doing a Beth Moore study on the Psalms of Ascent. Wow! She just has this was of delivering the Bible so it is very approachable. She takes you on this winding path through many chapters and stories, parallels and symbology; then brings you right back to the beginning so you come full circle. I always end up saying, "Huh! Now I get it!" after a lesson. The kids are actually both napping at the same time right now (thanks to our late night out last night and the fact that Nate's cough is back). I'm getting computer time for the first time in 2 weeks! Jason is cooking up a Japanese dinner--inspired by some tofu I picked up at the commissary and his field trip to Tim's Oriental Market down the street. It's always a fun surprise when he gets into one of his creative cooking modes!

Be My Valentine!

Our Valentines!

(Do you know how hard it is to get a photo of them together with our wriggly, squiggly baby?!)

Grandma Breyen made Amelia this cute valentine jumper.


And Nate actually thought his valentine shirt was cool!

Nate has his first Valentine's Party at preschool on Thursday the 12th. He wrote all of the kids' names on his cards--well, at least he wrote all of the letters of their names on the NASCAR cards (they're small cards so he'd soon be out of space and have to put the last few letters at the beginning of the name...e.g., he'd often sign them "ENAT"). Along with marker and crayon drawings, each valentine was adorned with the proper amount of stickers, too! Earlier in the week at Artworks, he made valentine cards for the grandparents and great-grandparents using oil pastels and water colors. To my knowledge, he'd never drawn a heart before. The facilitator asked him if he could draw a heart for one of his Valentines. He hasn't stopped since. The best part is, every time he draws a heart, he walks over and gives me a big kiss on the cheek! If he fills the space with hearts, he'll fill my cheek with "lots and lots of kisses!" He had so much fun doing his valentine card "project" he's been trying to find other people to give v-cards to (now birthday cards or even "just because" cards).

We call this one, "Heart Masterpiece #368"
(Yes, I got "lot & lots of kisses" for this one!)




Mia & Maraca



Mia & Mommy
(She did have another Valentine's Day dress!)

Our neighbor Lizzie had her birthday party on Thursday, too (right after Nate's preschool party--a very social day!) Lizzie is a Valentine's Day baby. Her birthday marks the beginning of "birthday season" in our neighborhood. Nate was a little put off by the girly Strawberry Shortcake theme at first, but (after a stern talking to about being grateful--another concept we're working on) he got to decorate his own strawberry cupcake. Amelia got to play around with the big kids.

One of Nate's "tackle-take-down-wrestling hugs" for Amelia

Nate's Valentine's Day lunch

(He wasn't impressed--he smeared the ketchup right away and decided he didn't like cheese quesadillas anymore. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" is becoming a more vocalized mantra in our house! BTW, that's applesauce in the bowl, so there were some fruits & veggies involved!) :)

He was much more impressed by the tortilla cut-out.

At least Amelia still smiles at us on a regular basis (without threats & bribery)!

In other family events, our church had a Parent's Night Out (4 hours of childcare for $20) on Valentine's Friday the 13th, so Jason and I actually had a romantic date night! We went to the Liberty Bar to celebrate in style! We shared the cheese plate--drunken goat cheese, brie, manchego and some French Cheddar served with dried cherries, fig jelly, almonds and bread crisps. For the main course, we split the chili rellenos stuffed with shrimp & currants in an almond cream sauce AND the cilantro-garlic grilled salmon. We ventured to the Lighthouse Cafe for a ginormous snickerdoodle cookie-and-coffee dessert.

Practice, practice, practice!

She's so close to walking!

On Valentines Day proper, Jason rode with the ambulance from 7:00 am to midnight with only 5 responses. He's taking an EMT course right now for school. They have to see 40 patients, so he was hoping for a few more cases--maybe a lovers quarrel or two! ;) The kids and I went to the zoo. It barely broke 60 degrees today with an overcast sky and a breeze so it was a little chilly for what we've grown accustomed to here in San Antonio this "winter." Most everybody was at the zoo in a parka, stocking hat and the like---save my two children! Nate's mantra is, "But, Mom, I like to be cold." "I like the cool." or "I don't need a jacket it gets me too hot." and Amelia won't keep two socks on her feet to save her life. So, there's Nate and Mia meandering through the bundled crowds in a T-shirt and bare feet respectively. "Mom of the Year!" :)

She was answering the flamingos cacophony with her own shrill squawks!

Nate jumping across the stones on the water bridge. Jumping...a favorite pastime.

Looking for the hippos! (Yes, Nate took this photo!)

But she's happy just watching the fish!

The zebra venturing as close as we've ever seen him to the crowds. He's quite shy.