Batman and Obi-Wan

I have a interesting/terrifying emergency room story to report thanks to Margaret's plan to self-administer some ibuprofen for her cough, but it is too long to type on my iPhone (spoiler alert - she is fine, thank heavens).

Plus, it's Halloween and the candy is wearing off to remind me how tired I am. Until then, I leave you with Batman and Obi-wan Kenobi.

Admit it

So admit it, my neighborhood is better than yours? I thought getting "booed" where you exchange secret Santa type Halloween treats like candy and stickers for kids was fun on the sly was fun, but this clearly takes the cake. A bottle of wine and skittles? I need to find this person and make sure she's my BFF. Stat.

Dance party

Meg's dance class had a party yesterday for what was once Halloween but now is a non-religious/pagan dress up day. My kid can sure rock the freeze game. Plus at this rate, she will be at Black Swan level by 2078.

Bikes

I really like to ride bikes and I love that the kids are getting to an age when we can do it together. Andy can ride without training wheels but he likes them for comfort still (fine by me). Meg likes her tricycle but she's not fast enough to keep up. I have been letting her ride in the bike trailer (see below), but she's too big to want to be towed in what is really a big stroller. And I'm not patient enough to listen to her insist she wants to ride and then have to carry her and her bike half way around the block while begging Andy to slow down.

I'm starting to do some research now on the next step - the trailer bike. These are little half-bikes that attach to the back of the bicycle. The kid gets to pedal and help, a little, but if they do nothing, at least you're towing them vs. towing the kid and the trike.

I was all set to do this until a friend on Facebook recommended I look into a different invention, a bike tow hitch. Basically, you can attach the kids' bike to this trailer hitch and tow him/her like the trailer bike with the advantage of letting them ride on their own until they can't any longer, then hooking them up. I see potential. This could also be useful since sometimes I'd like to meet Andy after school to ride home, but there's no way really to get both our bikes up to the school unless we rode up there together at 7:20 in the morning. And if you know me, you know that just ain't happening.

Anyone have experiences with these, positive, negative, indifferent?

Birds and the bees

"Hey, Dad. My penis is all straight," Andy said this afternoon. "I think it's because I've been touching it."

I looked at Mark and Bjorn. "Is that what I think it is?" They both smirked and nodded.

Sigh, I am going to have to start talking to Andy (and Meg, eventually) more about awkward stuff, like where babies come from. I believe in doing it earlier vs. later to take out the surprise and mysticism of the whole thing, but I'm also somewhat terrified of this.

My very restless girl

My daughter has a problem. She really doesn't like to sleep in her own bed. I have really tried everything from briberly to threats to sleeping with her to letting her sleep with us. We usually play a game where she comes out of bed and finds us, we walk her back to her room, she says for a while and then gets up again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Usually in this process, she eventually gives up and falls asleep somewhere in the house.

Here she is asleep in the den. It's almost always the same pose, face down with her hands tucked under her stomach.

This time she's actually asleep in her room, but still on the floor.

Asleep off the kitchen. Fortunately, she found a matt to sleep on.

This is just off our bedroom. That hardwood floor is, well, hard.

This is impressive because she's actually asleep in someone else's house. We were visiting a good friend from high school and she snuck out there, too.

Just outside her bedroom. She fell asleep on a toy. Her shirt also came off somewhere in the process.

Okay, this was a planned sleepover on the floor of the den. Aren't they cute?

Here she is asleep in my sister Mary's house in Austin.

Half-way into her own bathroom.

This is a personal favorite. We were spending the night in San Antonio to go to Sea World the next day. I think she debated sleeping in the laundry basket and then thought it would make a nice blanket.

Cub scouts

Who doesn't love a man in uniform?

Andy has joined Cub Scouts (and I have had to try to remember over and over that it's cub scouts not boy scouts at this age). He's sort of an academic type kid and isn't as interested in team sports just yet so I think it's a good fit for his personality. Bjorn's been a trooper by jumping on the bandwagon despite it not being his first choice, including the whole outdoorsy/camping part that's kind of a requirement. 

Yesterday was the first camp out. I got sleeping bags for the guys and borrowed a tent from a neighbor. As you can see in the picture below, it's big enough to sleep eight probably. You could practically in that thing. So the boys trekked off to points a few hours west. started setting up shop and the skies promptly opened up and it rained. And rained. And rained. This is rather hilarious since it hasn't rained longer than a thunderstorm here or there since April. 

According to reports, Andy cried and cried (it is his first camp out) while Bjorn struggled to get the tent up during a monsoon. Then Bjorn put them both in the car, said goodbye to the others and went home. Considering it rained several inches last night, complete with thunder and lightening, I'd say it was a good call.

Work

A room with a view.

The most exciting -- an event at the former Versace mansion.

You know, a place like Miami isn't normally my style. It's dressy in an odd way, caters to over (and under) dressed people and is all about show. Yet after spending four days there for work, I kind of dug it. Hanging out in South Beach in a fancy hotel with a great view certainly makes it better. I just appreciated the flair of it being different than just the regular nice enough work hotel with a nice enough restaurant in a big city.

So?

Apologies, Internets. I've been busy. I'm taking a graduate level class that is so far way above my head. It's a math class. I know, what was I thinking? It's a required course in the master's in public health program so if I decide to pursue a master's, I've got to take it. Plus, it related to my job so I'm actually leaning a lot and putting into context some things I've picked up along the way. I just hate having to take tests and quizzes again. After my sophomore year in college, I successfully managed to only take classes with papers so 20 years later, it's a challenge. Sigh.

I've also gone back to work full-time for the first time since Andy was born. Granted, 40+ hours a week from home isn't quite the same as a full-time job in an office where I have to give up 10 hours a week to a commute and actually getting out of my shorts, but still. More responsibility, more stress.

Plus, when that new People magazine comes in with Toddlers and Tiaras on the cover, I have to read it immediately. It's not like it's going to read itself, folks.

I also have a new blog that's distracting me - http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com/. Check it out. You will cry with laughter.

Soccer

I love soccer. I always have. I still play it now and love the friends I've made playing as a kid and adult. 

But Andy? Not so much. This is his fourth season playing and his first season playing with real goalies.  I keep hoping he will love it like I did, but right now he's just not that into it. He always whines and cries before most games and practices. He's happy after he's done, but leading up is torture for me. And let's not forget, it's all about me.

But see how cute and athletic he looks all in uniform?

See? He's running!

I have this framed now. I love how grown up he looks here. And that it looks like he's trying to stifle a laugh.

Look at those vampire teeth?



Nerd alert

We have a new hobby her in Casa de Bennet - geocaching. Basically you use your computer, GPS or phone to navigate to these places to find little "caches" that have been left behind by other treasure hunters. They're pretty well hidden usually and in all sorts of various containers. It's been a fun activity to use the phone GPSs to navigate as a family to various spots and find treasures. Inside the boxes are at least a little list to sign your name that you were there (bring a pencil) and often, if it's a little bigger, there are little trinkets. Bjorn wants his calling card to be little Swedish flags. So far, my trinket has been whatever little plastic toy happens to be laying around the car. It's pretty cool, as Miley Cyrus would say.

Also new in the past two weeks are our kittens! I am embarrassed that I don't have pictures posted yet, but right now we're just dating. They sort of come out briefly, sniff us and dance around the living room. They're warming up quite a bit, but I haven't been able to get any good new pictures. On my list of toys for myself has been to get a fancy new camera, all the better to take fancy pictures with, but that was before the washing machine started spewing water on the floor of the laundry room. Lovely husband is at Sears as we speak trying to find a replacement. I mostly want energy efficiency. The one that came with the house for $50 was probably manufactured in 1989 so it has lasted a good long time. I imagine the newer ones are tons better.

First day part two

Meg had her first day in her new preschool yesterday. She handled it quite well. I think having both first days on the same day helped. Maybe.

First day of first grade

Seriously, when did this happen? He was just a toddler and she was a baby. Now they are so big and opinionated. Andy starts first grade today and rode the bus to school for the first time (I didn't cry but I thought about it). Meg starts a new preschool. Yay! And I'm not ready!

Most miserable cousin

We got to see one of my cousins in Austin and her two kids. It was a nice visit, mostly because we picked a place called Waterloo with a super awesome playground attached to the restaurant (seriously Dallas. Get on that.) Andy however was unhappy to leave as evidenced below.

Adorbs

Andy and I came home from my indoor soccer game tonight to find this. I do love these guys so much.

Austin

The only picture we got of all of us. Look at my little vampire on the right.

A cool picture Mary took of all of us on the boat. She's right, it's a nice shot even if my rear end looks gianormous.

BATS! Seriously, how cool is that?

The kids and I to Austin this weekend to visit my sister. What fun. It's a good thing I didn't know about Austin sooner or I might have really made some sort of push to move there. Forever. What a fun town, friendly, quirky people. My lack of pot smoking probably makes me an anomaly there, but I think I could live with it. The kids were on great behavior, partly because we only went to restaurants with playgrounds. Dallas, are you listening to that? Restaurants with playgrounds. What a great idea! We loved being able to visit while the kids could eat, play, eat, play. Props to my college friend Julie who gave us the names of all the places in town with playscapes built in.

The highlight though was a boat cruise to see the bats come out of their colony under the town bridge. It was so cool and a little creepy to see two million bats flying out in rows at dusk to go hunting for their breakfast. Then we watched them fly off into the sunset looking more and more like a huge swarm of bees than bats. They must have flown out in organized rows for 20 minutes. It was pretty awesome. So awesome that I didn't have time to notice the woman breastfeeding her potty-trained, two year old child.

The great Texas heat wave of 2011 (or why I am melting)

Dear Texas,
I love you. I really do. I love how the landscape changes throughout the state. I love how you have beaches, hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, sand hills and green pine forests all in the same state. I love how proud Texans are, how people are generally nice to women with children and try to help them exit a plane instead of cutting them off. I love that the cost of living is a lot less here. Sure, I have issues (well, tons and tons of issues) with the conservative, Christian agenda that seems to want to keep people (especially immigrants and women) poor, unhealthy, uneducated and pregnant. But in general, this is a nice place to be.

I do, however, have some complaints about this weather you're giving us. I know summer in Texas is hot. That's to be expected. We don't have a Boston winter where it's too cold and snowy to be able to do anything, but we do have a summer so hot you also really can't go out and do anything. I accept that. I am just not so keen on this 110 degree business though. If I wanted that, I'd move to Arizona where at least it's cool at night. And I know it's dry here generally, but I need a little more change of scenery beyond sunny and hot with a chance of clouds for three months. I need at least a good hail storm or severe thunderstorm to make up for the monotony.

It's so hot that it's too hot to swim even. It's hotter than swimming in a bathtub. It's like swimming in a hot tub. It's not even refreshing unless you do it at 10 p.m. and there's a cool breeze.

I will no doubt look back on this wistfully in January when there is an inch of ice on the ground, but I would willingly trade one for the other. Now, how do we go about changing some of this? Do you need a good rain dance? A cloud dance? Vodka? Brie? The new Chelsea Handler book? You name it.

Thanks, Texas. Love ya!

-Katherine

Boat safety week

Today is boat safety week at swim class. I do love that they teach basic boat safety as part of swimming. Most likely a lot of accidents happen with kids in boats and I love that they are teaching them this, too.

Lost and found

Andy has had two pairs of glasses since we got the prescription in April. He has also lost two pairs of glasses. The first pair cost about $150 at the Wal-Mart vision center. I got the super bendy frames and good lenses.

After that pair lasted two days, I went back and got the $9 frames and $20 lenses. Then we found the first pair and had two pairs for a couple of months.

Right before his checkup with the opthamologist, I realized both were missing so I went and found the cheapest pair available. The only frames I could convince him of in the $9 section were Harry Potter frames so I bought him the movie and we have been reading the book. We are now huge fans.

We went to lunch today with my folks at the the DCC. The main building closes for business today as they shut it down and demolish it to make way for the new fancy castle they are building. In honor of the big day, Andy lost his first tooth on the top on a piece of bacon. He has lost all four bottom teeth and now the top ones are on their way. My boy is a toothless first grader. When did that happen?

The very restless girl

And she's at it again!