Play Day

Last week was really busy. Babysitting for a friend all day, errands and stuff around the house. It had been a while since we'd really played or done something fun for Tate. By Thursday Tate and I were ready for a fun play day together. We decided to check out the butterfly center at the science museum downtown. He's been into butterflies lately, thanks to a couple of little einsteins episodes.
First we encountered this cool fountain outside. I'm pretty sure Tate could play in a cool fountain all day long.

Then we headed inside to check out the exhibit. It was super cool. Tate loved that giant caterpillar.And we climbed up some stairs (also a hit) to the big exhibit room where we met some huge bugs: spiders, roaches, grasshoppers and the like.

Tate was fascinated by the big butterflies coming out of all the cocoons. And loved to see the different food that all the different bugs were eating.

Then there were all the buttons to push. He didn't really have to understand what all the buttons were for. There were just so many of them! Kid was in heaven.

And a special thanks to this little exhibit for confirming my fear that a large spider just might be hiding in my shoe every time I go to put it on. After that big room we went out to the butterfly conservatory. The conservatory was enormous and looked like a lush rain forest. There were thousands of butterflies everywhere! It was very cool. Tons of butterflies everywhere you looked. All different colors and sizes and they were not shy. They'd fly right up and flutter in front of your face. That freaked Tate's freak a little. He was fine until one came right up to his face and then that was it. I was holding him and pointing to butterflies at least a few feet away for the rest of the time. It was amazing. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face and Tate was much happier too, as long as they kept their distance. Tate was especially mesmerized by the waterfall and frustrated that I wouldn't let him dive in.Then we had a butterfly treat on the way out. It was a great outing.

That night we went to the discount day at jumpalooza with Glenn. I told Tate that we could go when dad got home and he said, all excited, "Dad wants to COME?" Yeah buddy, Daddy is coming. For some reason, he could not get enough of Daddy that night. He didn't want anything to do with me. If he was climbing somewhere, Daddy had to go with him. At one point Glenn started punching these big things like a punching bag and Tate started busting up laughing. Then he said, "I can do it too!" and started copying Daddy. It was so cute. A very fun and full day. Glad we took a break from the daily grind to really play for a whole day.

Adios!

The ants are history! I cleaned out the pantry today and put things back in. My counters look much cleaner and it's just plain wonderful not to be running in to the little things every day.

There was really no difference after the bug folks came to spray so Glenn took matters into his own hands. We had ant traps that did nothing. Then he found this great stuff called "Terro". You put a little drop of it onto a piece of paper and the ants eat it and take it back to feed to the queen. Once the queen dies, you're free! Glenn was super excited. He planted it right along their path and watched them. He is very science-minded, so watching the process unfold fascinated him. There was much fist-pumping, shouting, and celebrating as they fell for his tricks. I enjoyed watching him much more than watching the ants.

He even sang them a little song as he watched. Sung to the tune of "Lead Kindly Light"

Drink deeply ants amidst the encircling doom.

Die vermin scum!

Drink of the poison and feed it to your queen.

Die vermin scum!

Good times. I had his song stuck in my head all day.

Adios ants. Please don't come again!

Here are a couple of other friends who live at our house.

Lizards. Several. This is one of their favorite tricks. Tate thinks it's hilarious to see just their heads sticking out.

And this is a little frog friend who we find right on our back doorstep every night. We must have some delicious bugs hanging out there or something.

That's a lion! And that's a Cheetah!

Tonight we went to a movie. All three of us. It was awesome. Just what we needed. Glenn's been out of town this week doing training and will be gone next week too. I was worn out and tonight was so perfect.

We decided to take Tate to see African Cats. He loves animals and we thought he'd really enjoy it. We were so right. He's had a little problem the last few weeks in church of not being able to stop himself from talking. The boy is sweet and happy, but somehow completely unable to comprehend the complexity that is a whisper. We had this fun animal book out last Sunday and we had to hide it because he kept naming all the animals one by one in a normal full voice. He was so happy. He was excited. He was just too loud!

So tonight, in the movie it was more of the same. Glenn and I went back and forth between embarrassed and trying to discipline him, and laughing so hard it hurt because Tate just could not stop talking.

"That's a cheetah! That's a baby cheetah! That's a lion and he's walking in the grass. That's a crocodile. He's swimming in the water. The lions are hugging. That's so cute! He he he he he he. That's a hippopotamus. That's some water. Those are waves. Those lions are swimming in the water with the alligators. That's a wildebeest! Wow, look at all those wildebeests! That's a pink ostrich. That's a big lion. He wants to run. He wants to wrestle. That's a gazelle. That's a turtle. Hi Daddy! That's mommy! Those are some trees!" On and on and on. He kept talking when we were whispering in his ear to stop talking. He kept talking through our hands covering his mouth. He was so enthralled in the movie it was like he physically couldn't keep his mouth shut.

At one point Glenn took him out after several warnings that he needed to stop talking. He later told me their conversation in the hall went like this,

G - "Tate, you need to be quiet or you can't go back into the movie."

T - (still completely happy and chatty) "Where did mommy go? I want to see the movie."

G - "Tate, would you like to go back in to the movie?"

T - "Oh yeah!"

G - "Tate, can you be quiet?"

T - with a little smile, "Ummmmm. I don't know."

G - Tate, we have to be so quiet if you want to see more of the movie."

T - "Ummmm. This is my tummy, and this is my back." (master of distraction)

We really did try to keep him quiet. Popcorn, fruit snacks, orange juice were all utilized and still the kid just couldn't contain his excitement. Luckily we were three of maybe 8 people in the movie theater at the time and most of them kept laughing at little man.

It was so sweet to see him completely lost in the movie. There is something so precious about the pure, innocent joy that children find. I just adore being a part of it. Tonight, I love being a mommy and being able to witness that pure bliss all the time. It reminds me how spectacular this world is. How blessed I am for all the little things he notices and finds wonder in that I so often overlook. It was a good night.

Next week we're going to get Oceans on netflix. I have a feeling he'll just LOVE that.

Hooray for Visitors!

It's been a crazy and wonderful 2 weeks in our new house. We moved in and 3 days later, we had visitors. We LOVE visitors! Mom, Kenzie, Aubry, Mya and Sadie came down for Kenzie's spring break and stayed with us for a whole week. We had the best time showing them around our city, neighborhood, and home. And they were really great guests, in spite of many crazy challenges of being in a new home. The ants of course, and also we lost electricity for 2 days of their stay. We spent plenty of time on the phone before they came making sure all the utilities on this house would transfer without a problem...but there were problems. Tons of food thrown away, no AC (luckily it wasn't too hot and we stayed out most of the day), and the kicker, all the fire alarms beeping all night long. We didn't have a ladder tall enough to reach them to put batteries in. A few flashlights and ear plugs later, we had a pretty good night's sleep. Good times. I'm just glad they were so sweet and such patient guests. Sheesh!
The first day they arrived we spent the evening at our duck pond.

We met lots of new little ducklings, little turtles, and even our strange rodent of unusual size. Not sure what it is...but it's not real pretty.The next morning we ran some errands, and spent some time on the phone checking on the electricity situation then after naps we headed to the zoo. I love going to the zoo. It has yet to get old for me. Especially with visitors! Tate loved having so many people around and showing off his zoo.

We even met a little pig wandering around on a leash.

And what is a visit to the zoo without a little bongo drums?

It was sure fun watching the kiddos playing together. I was pleasantly surprised how well they all got along all week. They played nice and were excited every morning that they got to play together again that day. It was so wonderful. We could all just sit in our little toy room and watch them play all day long.
The next morning we went to the downtown aquarium. Always a good time, especially when lots of coupons are involved. We walked through all the fun exhibits. Marveled at fish the size of our children.Mya marvelled at the snake the size of her daddy.

Kenzie tried to scare the puffer fish

and gave Tate some lovin'.

At the end of the exhibit we tried to get the kids to touch the sea creatures.Kenzie was super excited. Tate and Mya both passed on the sting rays but Tate loved these horseshoe crabs, and Mya thought petting the star fish was pretty cool. Sadie preferred the white tiger. Then it was off to the train through a shark tunnel. And then a turn on the ferris wheel. A very fun morning. Kenzie decided she needed to try the hurricane simulator. I was glad she did.

After the aquarium we took off to Galveston for 2 nights. We went to the beach that evening and all the next day. That first night we went to Stewart beach which was really gross and covered with sea weed. We'd only been there once or twice before but it was always nice. So the next day we just walked across the street to the beach by our hotel. It was really pleasant and the kiddos played in the sand all day and could have done so for days and days.

Finding sea shells, diggin holes, dumping water. It was little kiddo heaven.

Mom and Glenn stayed in the waves most of the day and could have done that for days and days. It was great to see mom's face when she's near the ocean. Certainly not the most beautiful beach she's ever seen, but there really is something about being near the ocean that just lights her up inside. I think I inherited it too.

We got home on Saturday, cleaned all the spoiled food out of the fridge and freezer and Kenzie, Mom, and I went to the temple. Kenzie did baptisms and crossed another temple off her list. She's been to far more than I have now.

The rest of the weekend we just hung out. Played with chalk, went to a fun park, lots of bubbles and a few attempts at grandkids pictures.

Looking at a little lizard.

On Monday mom offered to watch the kids while Aubry, Kenzie and I went shopping. We had a great time and scored some great deals. Then we had lunch at Cheesecake factory. Hard to beat a day like that.

They left Tuesday morning. It was pretty sad. We miss them so much around here. For a few days every time Tate heard a noise that might be the door he would say, "Maybe Nanna's coming to visit?" Still when I ask him something like, "Guess where we're going!" or, "Guess who we're going to play with!" He says, "To see Mya (Kenzie, Nanna, Aubry, Sadie)" It's kind of bitter sweet when they leave. While I'm kind of glad to get back to my house and getting things figured out around here, I realize so much more after they're gone how much I miss them. I miss having easy access to them. I miss my little guy being able to play with his cousins. I really don't like that Tate is growing up so fast so far away from them. He's missing so many little things and I absolutely loved watching him play with his family.

It was a great week. A few favorites in no particular order:
1. "Delicious, Mean, and Scary" We listened to the Tangled soundtrack in the car...a lot. Tate and Mya's favorite song the "I've Got a Dream" but it starts out, "I'm Malicious, Mean and Scary..." I like Tate's version better. Mya had most of it memorized and had some great facial expressions and actions timed to the lyrics.

2. "Um...I don't fink so." This was Mya's response any time I asked her if she wanted to do something and she wasn't quite sure what it was.

3. Kissing these cheeks. I mean, seriously. 4. Listening to my mom read stories and sing songs to Tate at night.

5. Moments like these.

5. Shopping with my sisters.

Thanks for coming you guys. Please come again! I promise we'll have electricity!

Bugged

Today I'm bugged. Annoyed. Frustrated. Stressed out.

We have ants. Lots and lots of ants. I'm told they're called sugar ants. They look like tiny baby ants and they're living and apparently throwing really great parties in my pantry. We found them a few days ago scurrying along the shelves. I took everything out of the pantry, threw away a bunch of food they had helped themselves to (even though the bags were rolled up and clipped too), wiped everything down, and sprayed lots of spray. The next morning they were back. So I tried again, throwing away more food, wiping everything down, spraying different chemicals. No luck. They must really love my new house. Luckily they're not in every part of my kitchen, just one corner so far. Unfortunately the corner they settled in is the corner with my pantry and one little counter by my sink. It's been four days. I'm so grossed out by them. I realize it could be much worse. It could be cockroaches. It could be mice. It could be much nastier things. But I'm still grossed out. The fact that they won't die, that they're eating my food, that they're constantly reappearing on my counter and sink makes me super anxious. I'm really jumpy, inspecting everything, every bite, every utensil. I've just stopped going in the pantry. It grosses me out to see them on the shelves, on the boxes, in the food. I'm just going to wait until they're taken care of and then I'll go in there and clean it up and re-stock. I know, I'm a pansy. Glenn's pointed that out. But I can't help it. It's so gross.

We have a pest control person here tonight. She said it could be up to 7 days before they're completely gone. Ew.

We said goodbye to my family yesterday. We spent a wonderful week playing together in spite of the ants. I miss them so much already and I have so many pictures and stories to post. Hopefully I'll get around to it tomorrow. Just wanted to quickly get my frustration out about this particular situation. Yuck.

Final Walk-through

Yesterday we met our Realtor at our new house for our final walk-through. Everything looks wonderful. I have no idea where everything is going to go and what else we will need...but I can't wait to start figuring it all out.

On our way out this old car absolutely blasting rap music drives by, or rather, swerves by our house and our realtor says to us, "Well, at least they don't appear to be from around here. This is a really nice neighborhood and you wouldn't want neighbors like that driving past your yard every day." I agree with her.

Then the car turns around and pulls to a quick stop in front of our next door neighbor's house. A boy stumbles out, he's probably in his early 20's, and he barely has time to close the door before the car takes off again. Our realtor just looks at us and says something like, "Guess I spoke too soon."

We laugh, finish up with our realtor, head back to our car and the boy stops us. He asks if we're his new neighbors (he lives with his mom, who we've met earlier and seems to be really nice). He stumbles over to us, holding a cigarette, and trips on the driveway. I don't really understand how he's still standing upright, he's so wobbly. He offers his hand and says, "Sorry, I'm drunk." I think to myself, "Yes. You most certainly are. And that's probably not all you are."

Glenn just laughs, says, "It's all right, man" and we introduce ourselves. As we end our conversation and start for our car again he yells to us, "Don't worry, I won't throw my cigarette butts on your yard." We just laughed and said, "Thanks!"

Glenn and I get in the car and the first thing he says to me is, "That boy is going to be a member of the church some day."

I look at my saintly husband in amazement. "Seriously Glenn, that was your first thought after meeting that kid?"

He thought for a second, then said, "Well, my first thought was, 'I really hope his friends don't rob us,' but my second thought was, 'That kid's going to be a member of the church some day. He's messed up, but he's really friendly. He seems to have a good heart.'"

Oh my dear sweet husband. I have a lot to learn from him.

Well, it's going to be a busy few days signing papers, packing, moving, setting up utilities, changing our address. It all has to happen so fast because we got our closing date moved up but we didn't know it was "for sure" until yesterday so that gives us 2 days to get everything done so we can move in and get somewhat settled before my fam gets here! So excited and also so stressed out. One step at a time. Wish us luck!

Lately

We've been busy. It's actually kind of hard to pin point why the last few couple of weeks feel extra busy, so here's a run down of what we've been up to in general.

- I have a new calling. Well, it's not super recent, but I'm in the Primary Presidency in our ward and it keeps me busy. Sharing time, meetings, trying to figure out cub scouts, and planning our activity this Saturday.

- I've started teaching piano lessons. I just have three students, all on Friday afternoon when Glenn's off of work so he watches little mister. I love it. Nice to have a little extra money to hoard for something special (a new Easter dress? A family vacation maybe?), and fun to be teaching again.

- Glenn found the perfect motivation to get in shape. A competition, of course. His company and his division are having a biggest loser contest. Cash rewards, prizes, and of course, the opportunity to be the "winner" which is, in my opinion, his biggest motivator. He's lost 12 pounds this month and the contest goes on for 4 months. He completely swept the competition this month (extra impressive when you consider that we had company and a vacation in that month). I'm trying to be good and supportive. I'm running out of salad ideas for dinner.

- We bought a house. Yep, that's probably the biggest reason it feels crazy around here. We looked for months and one night we were looking at the newest listings in the development we love and we found our perfect house. It's the builder we like, a floor plan we like, has all the extra spaces we've been hoping for (an office downstairs for sewing/computer/piano, a game/TV/toy room upstairs out of sight...), and it was for sale by a relocation company which means we got a fantastic deal! The seller is being relocated by his work and his company basically bought the house and just wanted it sold so they weren't pricing it very high. I seriously can't wait. I'm crazy excited and also crazy anxious. Packing, moving, changing addresses, utilities, caring for a yard and a house and eventually furnishing and decorating...it's awesome and intimidating. I can't wait. We close in a couple weeks but we're actually hoping to be able to move in this weekend! Because...

- My mom, sister, sister-in-law, and two nieces are coming to visit next Tuesday! I seriously can't wait to have them come! I hope we're in our house by then, even if it's empty and messy.

I feel swamped. I love it. It just seems like there are a lot of things that are always at the back of my mind and are never going to make their way to the top of my list. When, for example, am I going to make time to go to the dentist? No idea.

Tate's wonderful, as usual. And, because I know my mom would say, "seriously Kim, what good is a post with out a picture of Tate?" Here are some pictures of Tate.

I was cooking dinner and I heard his voice "reading" a book to himself in his bedroom. This is one of his new favorites. It's called "The Wicked Big Toddlah" about an abnormally large baby who lives in Maine. Tate's discovered how cool the library is. We go there and come back with a bunch of new books which he can't wait to read with us and is quoting to us within days. Randomly throughout the day he'll quote multiple pages to himself. It's hilarious. The bad part, for me, is that when he can quote entire pages of these great books it's sooooo hard to resist buying them for our collection. I love that he loves books. He's such a good kid.