Hear Dat?

Good morning, Sunshine!

Just a note: I am functioning on Nyquil Day, Motrin, Tamiflu, and some wonderful cough medicine with hydrocodone :)

Last night was Daryl's pool night, so I got some great footage of Mia and I trying to entertain ourselves until bedtime. The camera came in very useful.



This morning, during breakfast, Mia heard the sound of the crazy wind trying to break into the house. After a huge gust:
she would say 'hear dat?'
yes, what was that?
'elephant'
oh, an elephant. what's he doing?
'singing'...among other answers :)

For breakfast, I made rice cooked in milk until super soft, then I added honey, cinnamon and a touch more milk. It's easy on the stomach, and it's what my mom fixed me when I little and not feeling well. 'Someone' painted the table with her breakfast and when I asked her who made the mess, she blamed it on a grasshopper!

The grasshopper did it

Later, we found Clarise. Clarise is Rudolph's girlfriend. Now, I put up all the holiday decorations up right after New Years, but couldn't find Clarise until now. Mia was soooo happy when I gave it to her again. Clarise now lives in the Loving Family doll house, and sleeps in the crib. Make no mistake NOT in the big girl bed...in the CRIB :)

I got the flu and I'm not sharing!

It hasn't knocked me on my butt or anything, but I've lost my voice, my throat feels like hamburger fresh from the grinder, and my head doesn't feel attached to my body. Wish I could feel my head, but not my throat.

I went to the most fabulous doc around because I feared I had strep. Nope. It's the flu. I told him I came in for strep, not the flu and he had better start working on customer service and give people what they want instead of passing out a flu verdict. One thing I can say about Dr Vik is that he has an amazing salt water fish tank in the lobby. It was any unusually long wait...2 hours, but it was fine because of those great fish and little crabs running around the bottom of the tank. Mia dug them, too :)

So we're now quarantined. One great thing...from so many great things...about having a sorer that hell throat is that I really think about what I NEED to say vs what I WANT to say. I want to say a lot. I usually do. Now, cut down to the essentials, there really isn't that much to talk about. Hmmmm 'look, Mia, see the train out the window' and writhing in pain vs. sitting quiet and realizing that Mia can either notice the train or not. She won't be held back a grade for it.

Before all the symptoms kicked in (late last night), I had a hair appt to get to yesterday. Since I missed my regular Sat appt (I'd rather not say why...but my mom now knows not to get herself lost around the new toll roads right before her daughter needs her to babysit) a few weeks ago, yesterday at 2pm was my first chance at an appt for 3 months. So, I asked my sweet SIL, Melissa, if she'd be up to watching both her own toddler and mine. She was so up for it. Yay! We all win in that situation. I love with Mia gets to hang out with her Auntie M and Cousin Gwen without me being there to direct everything.

Well, I know have a head full of color and no gray. I was supposed to go in for my free in-between-haircuts bang trim today, but after my Dr visit, I had to cancel. Are bangs still bangs if they touch your lips?

Speaking of new looks, here's a snap of Niles in his fancy new sweater.

Mia's napping now, but before her nap, I was on the sofa waiting for my medicine to kick in. I looked over at Mia watching Diego the Explorer. Apparently Diego cares for my sweetie when I'm not feeling well. He's great if you ever need him. I'd give him an excellent reference :) We don't watch much TV, but it sure does come in handy when I'm not feeling well.

Here's my baby with the far away eyes.

January Birthday Bash ~ More Cupcakes

Cole Snacks

This morning, Mia and I hosted a January Birthday Bash for all the birthdays that were celebrated in January...it's part of the Social/ Dinner Club. We had 4 birthdays to celebrate. Blake turned 2, Roarke turned 5, Mia turned 2 and Mama Stephanie will have her birthday this Wednesday.

Even though some friends were sick and couldn't come over, we had quite a turn out. We hadn't seen Kathy and her Julian & Clara since last month at Chick-fil-a. Roarke was his usually hammy self wearing a duck toy bin on his head, wearing up to 4 hats at one time and digging himself on TV. I think I finally got a good sense of what Cole's about. He's such a love bug. Hugging Mia and blowing me kisses as he was walking out the door. What a sweetie. Little, well, not so little Michael came over with his Mama Ashley, and had a great time scooting around in search of toys, and his new little friend, Clara :) Blake was captivated by the trucks and Mardi Gras beads, and was super cute in Mia's cowboy hat.

Michael digs Clara

The Star Station was a hit, as were balls and Mardi Gras beads. It was a nice, mellow and relaxing way to spend a cloudy Monday morning. If I could only get rid of these pesky allergies. I coughed so much last night, I sounded so hoarse this morning. Oh, I can't forget that Jillian popped over for a little bit. She's been so sick with morning sickness, that she's only at 9 weeks and has already lost 10 lbs! She went to her OBGYN appt this morning, and she was able to check her baby out and see a very strong heartbeat :)

Mia snuggles with her pal, Jillian

More pics from today, and Mia's 24th month of fun

Star Station Stars:

Wonderful Weekend

After Friday's nap, Mia and I braved the cold wet weather for the sake of our nearly bald dog. Since his haircut, the cold has been very hard on him, and he just shivers and shivers. So, we went to Petsmart in search of a sweater that fit, was warm and fit his personality. He's a refined sort of a pooch. We scored a green argyle sweater, and he honestly loves it. After Petsmart, we hung out and jumped in rain puddles for a while. We try to take advantage of the puddles rainy weather brings. Mia jumps and splashes and I point out bigger and better puddles. I got her back like that. Once Daryl got home, he took his lovely ladies out for dinner. After Mia did her hair, of course. We really dig Red Lobster. They are INCREDIBLY kid friendly, and make a kids baked fish with broccoli and applesauce. Fish is something I don't cook, but am so glad she loves to eat it. While waiting for our table, Dada hung Mia up by her toes, and then Mia hung out by the lobster tank while an employee took one out to show the kids. It was pretty cool. Saturday morning, we had a yummy breakfast at Antonio's then Mia and I hit the park while Daryl went to the office to get some work done. In the afternoon, sweet Daryl watched Mia while I went shopping. I scored two pairs of the cutest shoes! Yay me! Mia went to bed early, and the guys came over for a game of poker. I only played an hour then I hit Krista's birthday bash. It was great hanging out with girlfriends, and beating guys at pool. Meanwhile, Daryl was at home taking every one's money. He ended up being up by $90 when they counted out.
This morning, we hung out at the house, and painted outside while Daryl ran some errands. All I can say is that it started on the paper....Then after a bath and Mia's nap, we hit the park again.

This time I ran into Jill. A good friend from the Gymboree days. She was there with her husband Spencer and their daughter, Abigail. They guys played with the girls while Jill and I caught up. It's amazing that we hadn't seen each other in a year, but were able to pick right up with ease. She's awesome, and is now planing on joining some of the Mama groups I'm in. That makes me happy :)
While at the park, we tried getting Mia's kite up in the air. It was a gift from pal Isabel and it ROCKS! It's a goldfish. How cool is that?!?! Mia loved it, and I tried to fly it, but when we almost decapitated 2 kids and a dad, we packed up and hit the road. We ended up at the soccer fields by our house, and man can that goldfish fly. It made Mia...and us sooooo happy. Thanks Isabel :)

My little girl


Title: A Study of Primaries Plus Green
Artist: Mia
Medium: tempera on paper and skin

At some point Dada clipped 3 balloons to Mia's back....it did NOT end well. It's not in the clip, but Mia ended up getting tangled and ran away shrieking in attempts to get rid of those damn balloons

Let's go fly a kite


Music time

Bowl-A-Rama!

We had a O' Mama playdate over at Interstate Bowling Lanes this morning. We meet up with Courtney & Izzy, Monica & Gabriella, Allison & Sarah, Amy & Cassidy & a mama friend of Courtney's & her 3 kids.
This was Mia's first time to bowl, but it won't be her last. She had a fabulous time looking at all the lights, and watching the grown-ups in other lanes bowl. Our lanes were set up with bumpers (no chance of a gutter ball) and ramps (the balls need some force of speed to get them down the lane...today). Mia dug the bumpers, but NOT the ramps. She some how knew that using a ramp was wrong. So, she pushed her ball down, and it did take FOREVER, but it got down there and knocked down some pins. Pal Izzy is an old pro, and used the ramps like a champ. Mia watched her and after a while decided that ramps may not be bad after all. The balls were only 6 pounds, so the kids were able to maneuver them with out help, but since Mia was the youngest, Izzy helped set her balls up for her.

Then it was snack time. I love greasy bowling lane food. We shared a buttery crusty grilled cheese sandwich, and some popcorn. Mia shared her sandwich and popcorn. That's one thing that's wonderful about bowling, you learn to share your ball and wait your turn. The kids did really well at that.
While Mia was snacking, it was her turn, but she couldn't part with her sandwich, so I went for her. Ok, that ball was super light and only the tippy tips of my fingers fit in the holes, but I still got a strike...without bumpers! :) The next round I went again, and got a spare...this time the bumpers came in handy :) It was a fabulous way to spend a rainy morning. We all had a great time, and have figured that we need a bowling Mom's Night Out. Yay!

Gabriella & her Mama, Monica, bowl

Cassidy & her mama, Amy, bowl, too Sarah waites to bowl

Bowl-a-rama

She's so smart

On her second birthday, Mia learned the ins and outs of mixing colors. She shared this with us the day after her party, but since we haven't been out of the house and are lacking blog material....here ya go :)

The consumption of 1 YELLOW cupcake followed by 1 BLUE cupcake yields GREEN poo!

See Ya Later, Buddy!

Mia received many wonderful gifts for her birthday, but one we could have done with out was a cold & cough. Poor sweetie has been so snotty this week, and that means we've both been house bound :( Mia's been staying in her PJ's all day...they're warm and we weren't going anywhere. I wasn't up for MNO at the Melting Pot on Monday, we had to reschedule Mia's 2 year well check appt with her Dr, because she wasn't well, and ya need to be well in order to get your shots. Yesterday, we missed a playdate with Liesl & Andrew. Today, we missed going to Ready, Set Play with our friends in the Tots group. She hasn't run a fever or anything, just snotty with a cough, but I don't want to get anyone else sick, or to make it worse. Tomorrow, we have Mia's first solo swim class scheduled, and she should be well enough for that...I hope.

Even though I pulled out my mom's full-spectrum light...for SAD therapy, I was still feeling a little blue. With not being able to get out, my allergies still lingering, and it being so damn gray and yucky outside, what's a girl to do? I posted my blueness on the O' Mama site and got lots of ideas and love from them. I seems that some other mamas are feeling blue too. A few minutes after posting, I received a phone call from pal and now fellow O' Mama, Sarah. Isabel was also getting over a runny nose, and they'd been housebound too, but the best part was that they wanted to play and were willing to travel! Yay! A sicky playdate!!!!

We spent a wonderful couple of hours hanging out, catching up and watching our two girls have fun with some of Mia's birthday gifts. Isabel was mesmerized by seeing herself on TV...LIVE. The chalkboard (thanks Ita) was a huge hit, as was the play house (thanks Nana & Paw Paw), the M & D music set (thanks Krista & Shane), the dollhouse from mama and dada (thanks 5 yr old Valerie who sold it on craigslist), and the green rocker I got at ikea last year. Mia loved it at the store, but hadn't touched it at home. The Bell LOVED it! The girls took turns reading a story with sound buttons. Elmo's Potty Time is a hit because of all those cool sound buttons.

We had a nice lunch...Sarah brought some yummy pasta for the girls, and Sarah and I made sandwiches. Mia shared some of her breakfast french toast with Isabel. It's pretty messy to make, so when I do, I make a bunch. The Bell had had pasta a couple of times this week, so she was very open to the french toast. So, our house was pretty much a buffet...breakfast, Italian, sandwiches, and potato salad from Rudy's (thanks Dee & Tom...we finally finished BOTH tubs of potato salad....we also used pickles & onions on the sandwiches..absolutely NONE of that TON of food you brought over for Mia's birthday dinner went to waste!) :)

When the girls were ready for their naps, Sarah and Isabel said bye, and Mia was out for a couple of hours. That wonderful nap was brought to her by Isabel :)

Oh, the reason for the blog title 'See Ya Later, Buddy!': Daryl loves teaching Mia new words and phrases, so the word of the day was BUDDY. When I or someone leaves, she usually calls out later alligator. Tonight, when Dada went out to play pool, Mia waved to him and said....see ya later, buddy :) Tooooo freakin' CUTE!

FINALLY! A friend to play with!!!

I've noticed when Mia concentrates, she sticks her tongue to the side Isabel does, too :)Awww monkey love

Isabel ROCKS!

The Snapper Turns Two !!!

Yesterday, Mia turned two, and over breakfast, Mae asked me about the day she was born. So, Daryl and I were able to travel down memory lane to the day the snapper came into the world. It was a very sweet way to start the day. We had a mellow day yesterday, Mae took the birthday girl on a nature walk, we all played with her and her new birthday gifts, and Dada assembled her new playhouse that she received from her Nana & Paw Paw.
The birthday celebration started on Friday when Mia had about 15 of her closest friends & their mamas over for a birthday playdate. Mia's Tia Mae flew into town, so she was able to witness the wonderful chaos that many kids in one room could create. We played and chatted, had snacks and cupcakes. Mia had a wild animal theme going on, so we ordered a Madagascar cupcake cake for her. Nana came up from Dripping Springs, so at one point Mia was on the sofa flanked by both her grandmas. She was in heaven. Dada came home from work early to hang out at the party, too. When he walked in the house instead of Mia yelling 'Dadaaaaaa', she looked at him and said 'Daryl'! It was so funny. I guess since my mom has been living with us, and she calls him Daryl, Mia's figured his name is Daryl.

The next morning started fast. We all got up kinda late, so we had about 30 minutes before we had to hit the road for Roarke's 5th birthday at Extreme Fun. The place is rather new, so this was our first time there. We all had a blast. Mia especially enjoyed the foam pit. She could actually wiggle around until she was buried, then would call out 'Miiiiiaaaaa, Miiiiiiaaaa' (Like Daryl and I do when we're playing hide-n-seek with her) so we could look for her. Too cute. Roarke had so many friends their. I was able to meet a couple of mamas from the Tots Learning Through Play meetup group that Mia and I recently joined. Juliet, Krinken, Monique & Blake were there, too :) After play, food and a slice of a yummy Yoda cake, we were home bound for Mia's nap.
I took a nap, too :) That was a nice treat. Then Nana, Paw Paw, Memaw, Unca Joe, Auntie M and cousin Gwen came over a little early to celebrate Mia's birthday family style. Auntie M MADE a cute little apron and bag for Mia's new kitchen. It was a lot more elaborate than I though it was going to be because Melissa is a self-proclaimed beginner. It was awesome! She should open an Etsy store :) Tom and Dee brought generous portions of Rudy's BBQ for the party that night. It was so nice to not make a single thing. Last year, I really over did it, and ended up in bed for a week.
Around 7pm all our friends started showing up. We had a great turn out. Mia even got to hang out with 6 year old Jonas. Jonas made a birthday card for Mia with a butterfly on front and a sweet little scene of a house, tree, flowers....complete with armored tank! We had a crazy fun time with everyone. Mia crashed before we were able to blow out her candles. We ended the night with a friendly game of poker, and poured ourselves into bed around 2am.

Really AWESOME Birthday pics here

Happy Birthday to Miaaaaaaaaa.....Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuu

Mia officially graduated

to the next swimming level. Here are the classes we've already been through :)

Water Acclimation: A parent and child class designed to gently introduce babies to submerging underwater. The age qualifications are six to 35 months. (we did this last spring)
Waterbabies: A parent participation class for babies who are already submerging. Little ones between six and 35 months will learn eight to 10 second underwater breath control. (we did this last summer)
Advanced Waterbabies: A program for babies who have eight to ten second breath control. This parent participation class will teach six to 35-month-olds to move three feet through the water. (Just finished this one up this fall...today)
Aquababies: A class for two-year-olds who are already moving about three feet through the water. Parents who are on deck during this class will watch babies increase their distance to ten feet and begin to get a breath in the water. (we start this one up next week!)

Mia did well in class this morning, but the high fives were enough motivation. So, we moved up to M&M's. Wow! I think Mia would do anything for an M&M. We rarely give her sweets, so this was a HUGE treat, and just the motivation she needed :) They handed out T-shirts and ribbons at the end of class. Mia was thrilled to get her ribbon and her shirt is purple...one of her favorite colors. Then we made a mad dash to Auntie M & Gwen's house for a playdate with the Other Mothers group. It was in full swing when we got there with Gwen putting hair bands on her toes, but we melded right in. We hadn't seen Elissa & Jake since the Christmas party, and Jasmine & Atticus since the playdate at Lachelle's and that was during the summer! Man, has that kid grown! He's such a happy little one who loves to dance, and at 9 months he cut a rug with Mia who just loved him to pieces. Speaking of loving to pieces, Mia gave Blake a few hugs and kisses today! She even ran after him around the pool table. Gwen happily got in the mix, but I just think she liked the running and wasn't too interested in the outcome. Melissa brought out the stickers, and Mia had the best time sticking one one Jet's (Juliet's) nose! We had a super fun time :)

I'm a floater!

Yesterday, Mia hung out with her Ita all day so I could get some stuff done. I got all the stuff I needed for her parties, and hit the outlet mall. Then, I went to my appt at Zen Blend.

Zen Blend is a business run by mama friend, Kristi and her husband. Kristi is a massage therapist, and along with massage they offer the use of a floatation tank! THAT'S what I was there for. I've had countless massages, but that floatation tank was something that's very hard to describe.

Kristi explained all the ins and outs, then I was alone to shower (to remove any oils from my body and hair) and get in. It's a tank about as wide and long as a pool table, and as tall as a small car. It has one large door to get you inside. The water is about knee deep, but it's full of 800 pounds of Epsom salt! So, after my shower, I inserted my earplugs..water tight, and climbed on in. When I shut the door it was pitch black. They do have an underwater sounds system that you can choose to use and I did. I picked some relaxing Japanese flute music. Even with the earplugs in and my head in the water, I heard it all perfectly.

The water and air in the tank is your exact body temp, so it's hard to distinguish yourself from your surroundings. That's the point. Nothing to disturb you at all. With all that salt, my body just floated on top of the water. I floated and thought and floated and didn't think. For a while, my brain was completely quite....that's something that NEVER happens. I lost track of time and didn't care. When it was over, I was so relaxed. My whole body felt new, and not 'compacted' by gravity and the weight of the world.

After a nice shower, I got dressed and met up with Kristi downstairs. She had water and tea waiting for me. They don't let people drive directly after a float, and I can see why. This is something I recommend for those who love massage and for those who don't. You get all the benefits of bodywork without anyone touching you. It was fabulous!

No pics, but here's her website:
http://zenblend.com/
and direct floatation tank info:
http://zenblend.com/float.htm

Oh, I got to hang out with my honey at pool last night. Daryl is playing in a pool league again! Yay! He stopped a couple of years ago when I was very pregnant. Now that everything is under control, he's joined his dad again in a league playing at Click's South.

A little info: I met Daryl while he was playing in a league with his dad, brother Joe, and friends Shane & Steven. It's something they all enjoy so much, so I'm so glad he got back into it. I loved hanging out with them last night. I got so see some old friends, watch my sexy husband play pool and hang out with pal, Krista who showed up to watch her honey, Shane play. We was filling in for a guy that couldn't play, but will join the team once they start playing North again.

Bob, the league leader mentioned that I should try to get into the 4-man league starting in 7 weeks up north. It's a slightly lower caliber league, but I'd be able to learn from some players and beat others...something that is very good for my confidence. I used to fill in with Daryl's league, but I always got creamed. Krista is toying with the idea of forming a team with me. We got a table last night and shot around a bit. Yeah, we need some practice, but we had a ball!

We made some new friends today :)

Last night before dinner, Mia rifled through her dress up box and found her tiara, a feathery velvet purple skirt and gloves. Oh, we can't forget her butterfly wings! Mia wanted them all on, and when she was all fancy, she turned to me and said 'princess'! I had to take her downstairs to show her Dada and Ita. I think Dada loves having a little princess :) This morning was spent at Julia & Chloe's house for a fun playdate. We played with Juliet & Blake, Martha & Bethany, Liesl & Andrew, Carolyn & Naomi, Old pal Taz & her Sophia and 6 month old baby Bella, Sandy & Tyler. Chloe had an incredible spread of quiche, sausage croissants, a meat & cheese plate, watermelon, goldfish, blueberry muffins.... It was all so crazy good. Ask Mia, she tried everything....so did I :)

Ya know, going to playdates I've come to realize that Mia has a bunch of toys, but not compared to Chloe! She has a huge Princess castle in her playroom and so many other toys, that I no longer feel like Mia has too much. She's got the right amount.

Mia drove her first car today. She was super sweet in it, but wasn't sure how to get it to go since it was on thick carpet that made locomotion hard. Blake didn't have a problem scooting around...he just went backwards :)

I hadn't seen Taz since she was pregnant with Isabella, and now Bella is 6 months old! My time does fly. She excitedly asked me what we were up to, and I wasn't sure how to respond. I just said oh, playdates, swim class stuff like that. She seemed a little disappointed in my answer, but I'm not sure what I was supposed to say. When you sum up what Mia and I have been up to, it gets foggy. We're busy every day, but nothing seemed monumental enough to mention. Taz has a new baby, and is trying to get Sophia in a Mother's Day Out program. She always talks with so much energy, maybe that's all it was. Just made me ponder a bit like Pooh...think think think :)

Party at Izzy's ~ The PRINCESS Floodgates have been Opened !

Mama Courtney & her Izzy hosted the coolest playdate this morning. It was all about dressing up like a Fairytale/Story Character. Mia dressed up like a butterfly. She was soooooo cute. Izzy was Belle from Beauty & the Beast, and had a costume change half way through the playdate. She was then Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Cousin Gwen came as the cutest little pirate and even said Arrgh! Mia's pal Sarah was Barbie as a butterfly princess. Skye was Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Ava wore pj's with all the Disney princesses on the front...she came complete with tiara and scepter :) Gabriella wore a fancy party dress with a Princess Aurora necklace that sang like Aurora did in the movie. Do you see a Princess Pattern forming?!?! Ryland came as himself...I think, and David was Spiderman.

We got there right on time, but the others were late, so Izzy and Mia got some time to play on their own. Izzy's scrappy little dog is also named Mia :) The was the sweetest dog, and Mia loved her. Apparently since our try at skating last week, Izzy has been looking forward to hooking up with Mia. I think the older girls gravitate towards her because she's little and they like caring for her. Izzy and Sarah are around 3 1/2 years old.

Izzy wanted to play tea party with Mia, but Mia didn't do it quite right, so it was off to the doll house, but Mia still wanted to play tea :) Then off to Izzy's room to play with her stuffed animals...all except the ones Mia kept picking up. They were Izzy's favorites, so she went and put them in her mama's room for safe keeping :) It was sweet how Izzy had plans how they were going to play, but Mia's not that experienced in one on one play...she still does a lot of parallel play. Then everyone got there and the party rocked. Izzy has this cool kid karaoke thing that had 2 working microphones and a camera that hooked up to the TV. Mia was beyond mesmerized with seeing herself on the screen. She sang a little of her lolly lolly song, but was more interested in looking at herself. There was much play outside on the playscape. It was such a gorgeous day and all the kids played in perfect harmony :)
Some sweet video