Sally's B-Day Party = A Huge Success!

Well, Sally's party was a blast, and not just for Sally.

We did a Mardi Gras theme -- I made the invitations myself (whew! Far more work than I anticipated!) and asked everyone to dress up.

We had about 10 kids there, and at least as many adults. Andy had procured a Party Pig of Pumkin Ale (yum!) from the local brewhouse (Rockyard -- if you've come to visit, we've surely taken you there to eat) and we had jambalaya, a cheese & cracker tray, white chocolate dipped pretzels with purple/green/gold sprinkles, a veggie tray, chips (Zapp's of course) and dip, juice boxes and homemade king cakes (thank you TonTon/Francois!)


The adults didn't really dress up (except for Andy adn I, and Aunt Susu of course, and one neighbor who used to live in New Orleans, and 2 friends, one of whom once lived in New Orleans) and all the little girls were dressed as princesses, except for Sally (Saints Cheerleader, thanks Aunt Susu for the outfit) and Sydney (Saints fan, thank you Uncle Norman and Aunt BeBe for the outfit!)

The boys were dressed as a ninja, a dinosaur, and one little boy -- Sally's favorite -- did not wear a costume. No worries, though ! IT was still a blast.

We had a parade, a bead tossing contest, Mardi Gras crafts (little make-it-yourself magnets in the shape of jester hats and masks) and a story about the history of king cake. Would you believe that Sally and Mommy got the 2 king cake babies? So we asked Sally who she wnated to give the prize to, and she said Dayne (he is her favorite little boy -- she talks about him all the time).

The kids had a blast, dancing to second-line music (provided by Ton-Ton and Kelly) and it was really fun. We didn't bother with opening presents until everyone left (too much chaos!) and the kids seemed to like their party favors, which included a jester clapper, purple, green and gold beads, mardi gras plastic coins, a mardi gras cup, a mardi gras pencil, a bead dog or cat, and a mask.

It was great to meet the kids (and their parents) that Sally talks about all the time, from school, and a few neighbors were there as well. See the website for more pix.

Fun, fun, fun times! Would I do it at my house again? Yes, absolutely. It snowed that day, and everyone was very gracious about removing their shoes (we're a shoe-free house even when it doesn't snow, and it has nothing to do with dirt in a brand-new house. You have no idea how many pesticides and other crap you are carrying around on the bottom of your shoes! And how long it stays in your carpet...ugh!).

NEWSFLASH: Sally Turns 3 !

Well, our darling Sally is 3 today -- hooray!

No school today -- we opened some presents this morning and just kinda hung out (no school on Fridays). Sally got lots of fun stuff from my friend Karrie, and a whole set of sand toys and a red wagon from Papa Rich and Gigi. She went down for a nap and slept a looooooong time -- until Aunt Susu called in fact, to say she had arrived. (What an amazing aunt! Flying in just for Sally's b-day!)

When Susu got in, we woke up Sally, packed the rest of hte presents in the car (lots from Nana and Poppy) and headed over to Chuck E Cheese around 6pm to meet Aunt Susu. Sally had a blast and we hung out and ate -- stayed until they closed around 9pm. Then we went to Aunt Susu's hotel room (cat allergy) and Sally opened presents from Mom and Dad and Nana and Poppy.

Sally is spending the night in Aunt Susu's hotel room, and they plan to go swimming in the morning while Mommy and Daddy prepare for the party.

The Trip Was A Success!

Well, the Austin trip (Sydney's first trip by plane) was a huge success. Which is great news, since we are all headed back to Austin again next week.

The flight out was horrible -- extreme turbulence and hte plane was sweltering hot. Sydney sucked on her binky during takeoff and landing, but Sally had a little trouble clearing her ears during landing (strange, since she's probably flown about 3 dozen times, but she hadn't flown anywhere since August when we went to Phoenix). The people in front of us had 3 kids, and they shared their gummy sharks with Sally, then all was well.

The trip was awesome -- Sally got to visit with Papa Rich and Sue, Grammy, Auntie M and Uncle Ron, and Nico. She kept calling Nico her boyfriend. I tried to explain that this wasn't Arkansas. He's her cousin, not her boyfriend. She didn't seem to mind.

Auntie M put them in the tub together adn got some darling photos. Sally had a blast.

Grammy and Auntie M took her to Build-A-Bear to make a bear (and all the trimmings) for her birthday. It's pink and purple, and it matches her new big girl bed perfectly, so that's where it sits now.

The retreat itself was un-frickin-believable. Andy and I both had a life-changing experience. It was truly remarkable, and difficult to put into words. We also met some amazing people, networked a lot, and made new friends. And got to hobnob with some of the more well-known people in my industry, which is always a plus.

The flight back was fine -- so smooth in fact. Everyone slept during teh flight, including me.

Now it's time to focus on Sally's upcoming birthday festivities....

After the Ice Storm

Well, we arrived in Austin OK last night, but there was an ice storm the day before we arrived.

Everything looks quite bizarre.

I asked someone what an ice storm is, and I was told "it's when rain freezes before it hits the ground."

Freaky indeed.

Everything has a sheet of ice on it -- the streets, stop signs, even little street signs have a row of tiny icicles hanging from it.

The grass has a sheet of ice on top of it -- it's quite odd looking.

Leaves on trees have leaf-shaped ice cubes on them. Wacko.

Then, this morning, the sun came out and things started to melt.

Poles of ice dropped off of power lines, crashing to the ground. Sheets of ice slid off cars moving at 55+ mph. Scary stuff -- a good day to stay inside!

Also, trees started dropping leaf-shaped ice cubes. We took lots of pictures, as it was something I may never again see in my lifetime!

Austin or Bust

I'm in travel withdrawal -- I got so accustomed to traveling every 30-60 days that I kinda miss it (now that I'm no longer pregnant). So this Wednesday, we're all flying (my first time since August, and Sydney's first flight ever!)

We're headed to Austin for a seminar that is sure to rock ! I'm a little apprehensive about traveling with 2 kids under the age of 3, but I suppose it's time to get this first flight over with and learn from experience.

Sally is going to spend the weekend in Houston with Papa Rich and Gigi, and with Grammy. Sydney will be with us in Austin at the seminar. Should be interesting....might as well get practiced as traveling as a clan - we are headed back to Austin next month (I'm speaking at a seminar mid-month -- exciting!) and then we're headed to Cancun in early March, where we'll be attending a conference and celebrating our 11th anniversary. (Can you believe it?)

The RSVPs are already starting to roll in for Sally's b-day party and it promises to be a big crowd. We had a play date / dinner at our house with a family we met through her school (Hudson and his mommy and daddy). The dad (Ricky) is Italian, so we shared stories about growing up Italian - being considered weird because we had lasagna for Christmas dinner (who eats turkey for Christmas?) and talking with our hands, spending 6+ hours at the table for family meals, etc. IT was quite a trip. Sally and Hudson chased each other around the house incessantly, except when we were actually eating. Fun fun fun.

Today Andy and Sally and I went sledding on the hill across the street. We've worked out a routine now. Eiteh rbefore or after Sally's nap, we give Sydney a good long feeding and when she falls asleep, we suit up, grab the baby monitor and head across the street and party until she starts waaaahhhh-ing. Today I went so far, so fast on that sled that I sledded down the hill, all the way across the street (hitting hte pavement didn't feel so great) and into our front yard. Luckily,our front lawn slopes upward, so I stopped before I hit the house. But the impact was so strong, my sunglasses and hat both fell off when I stopped. Now that's what I call an adrenaline rush!

Yeah baby! :-)

An Excellent Visit with Sydney's Godparents

Well, I am finally posting about our visit with Francois and Kelly Camenzuli, Sydney's godparents.

We really had a fabulous time -- they arrived on Friday morning, Andy and Sally took the drive out to the airport to pick them up. We kind of took it easy that day, it was snowing quite a bit!

We did have a great time sledding on Friday and on Saturday -- Andy bought a new smokin' sled on Thursday and we were anxious to try it out. Saturday we went out to eat and really just spent a lot of time hanging out this trip. Sunday was the christening (see previous post) and on Monday, Kelly and I went shopping with Sydney while Andy and Francois went skiing at Loveland (Sally stayed through lunch at school on Monday). On Tuesday, we arranged for Sally to have a play date with Hudson after school so that the rest of us could drive down to Garden of the Gods and have a nice day. We had a late lunch at the Crepe Cafe and watched rented movies that night (have you seen Talladegah Nights? HILARIOUS!) We stayed up very late (!) talking and got up early Wednesday to take them to the airport.

How sad when it was time for them to leave :-( but we hope they will come and visit again soon.

Sally very much enjoyed the visit, as well as all the extra attention. We only had 1 major meltdown, and that was the day of hte christening (not enough attention on her, I suppose). But other than that, she was pretty good all week long.

Speaking of Sally, she has transitioned into the Primary class at Montessori School -- now she is in Cyndy's class (the owner of the school) and she is still attending Monday through Thursday mornings and loving it. She seems to learn a new song at least twice a week, and she is counting quite a bit. She likes to count everything! Also big on taking turns -- the pottying is going great and she mostly remembers her manners. We are still extremely pleased with this school, and with her progress. Now she is in a class with just 3 and 4 year-olds, which seems to be very good for her socially.

Today we met some friends (our friend Natalie and Sally's friend Marianna) and we saw "Charlotte's Web" at the theater. I actually enjoyed it much more than the original -- this version was live action -- and it was much, much funnier. I particularly enjoyed the sheep!

Tomorrow we are attending Makena's birthday party -- she and Sally are very close in age, and she is our neighbor (Sally adores Makena)! It's at a rec center, about 20 minutes from the house.

No school on Monday (MLK day) so we'll have to find something interesting to keep Sally occupied.

Did I mention it snowed AGAIN today? Only about an inch, not to worry. Very, very cold today - about 2 degrees! But very sunny of course. So interesting since it was something like 40 degrees just a day or two ago.

Dunstan Baby Language

Whew! I am always amazed when I check this blog and see that days adn days have passed since I posted.

Sydney's christening was very, very nice. She wore my family's christening gown -- the same one worn by Sally, by me, and by all my siblings. Darling! We got some nice pix, too.

It was also nice to have a private ceremony, unlike the cattle call we had for Sally. And Rev Sue walked Sydney around the church, and people got to bless her individually - very nice. Daddy video'd the whole thing, and we got a CD recording as well.

So what's Sydney up to these days? Smiling, squeaking, holding her head up very strongly, and beginning to bear weight on her legs. She also stares very intently if you wave a toy, shake a rattle, or put her in front of a mirror. Oh, and now that we understand Dunston Baby Language, we can actually communicate with her!

Two of our friends (Marilyn and Larry) from church bought this DVD set for us -- Dunstan Baby Language. An Australian woman "cracked the code" on baby language. Basically, newborns make just 5 sounds, each of which indicates something (hungry, tired, upper gas, lower gas, uncomfy). Now that we've seen the DVD, we know what she is asking for, and we can provide it without stress and with minimal delay for her (and minimal screaming for us!)

It is so superfly, I can only imagine what the world would be like in 10 years if every mommy got a copy of this DVD before she left the hospital after delivering a new baby.

I am LOVING it!

Silly Sally Antics

Sally loves to help in the kitchen (she is also a big help with Sydney, except when she grabs a limb and drags her across the crib so she can get a better look at her). The other day I was cooking spaghetti and I said "Sally, look what I'm cooking." She looked in the pot and said "Oh, you're making sticks!"

Then we taught her how to eat spaghetti. Now THAT was amusing. Especially when she tries to suck in the last dangling bit of noodle. Amusing!!

Presents continue to trickle in from delayed Christmas shipping. The dress-up Disney princess chest from Uncle Norman and Aunt Bebe (our latest shipment) is a HUGE hit. She says "I play dress up now" and seems to like the Snow White costume the best. It's entertaining to watch her watch herself in the mirror. Especially with the jewelry.

I've been busily working (lots of new projects and products in the works, and a major speaking gig in Austin next month) and also planning Sally's birthday party - - we're going with a Mardi Gras theme this year. I've got to start making the invitations this weekend.

Sydney is getting more alert and can watch us walk around the room. She is also holding her head up very well and trying to bear weight with her legs. She tries to grasp, too. Sleeping in 3 to 5 hour chunks at night, which is a blessing. She's plumping up -- we have a checkup tomorrow and I'll bet she's put on nearly a pound and grown an inch taller since our last visit 2 weeks ago.

This Friday, Sydney's godparents (Francois and Kelly) fly into town -- we are really looking forward to their visit, and the Christening is on Sunday. Pix to follow!

Oh, and we got good news about Sally's Montessori school today -- beginning on Monday, she is transitioning into the Primary class with Cyndy - the owner of the school, who we just adore. Plus, three of her friends (Sara, Logan and Hudson) will be in the class with her as well. Hooray!!! We're looking at having her stay an extra hour (through lunch time) one day a week starting soon. That will give us the chance to catch a movie now and then!

That's all for now...hugs to all.

BTW, did you get our Christmas card yet? The mail was delayed because of the blizzards here.