New Year's Day

You know you are officially old and have small children when you aren't really sure that you did anything on New Years...in fact, you are pretty sure that you were sleeping by midnight...but you do remember that you went to the zoo bright and early on New Year's Day. We had a blast. We drove on down to San Antonio Zoo(because the Austin Zoo is laughable at best) with some of our favorite friends and made a day out of it. I'll admit that I am a little spoiled with my memories of the fantastical Smithsonian Zoo...but they say that our zoo is pretty good. I will admit that it is nice and also lacks the crazy sloping hills that used to make me sweat profusely and possibly curse in my mind whilst pushing my 80 lbs of children in the stroller.
We had a lovely time...the kids love the zoo so much. It was Eme's first trip. She might have noticed an animal or two. I am sure she will like it more each time we go. She mostly loved Marc - she pretty much loves him the most.

Feliz Navidad

Grandma Walker was able to come for a brief visit. What a treat!

One of the funniest nativity stories I have ever seen...note the kitty ears on Marc. Need I say more.


There is nothing quite like Christmas to make you feel like a kid again! I just love Christmas with kids. I love the excitement and anticipation of every part of the holiday season. We really try to limit the "stuff" part and focus as much on the real goodness of Christmas as possible. It probably helps that our TV doesn't really get channels and they are unable to pipe in cable...so we are not bombarded with all the crazy commercials.
I was pretty proud of my boys this year. They did extra chores to earn money to buy gifts for other children (Sub for Santa kind of things). They had so much fun picking out all the toys...maybe they thought they might get to keep them, I am not sure. But I would like to think that they "got" it a little bit. Hopefully we can keep up the tradition and it will be something they will remember with fondness.
We got to spend Christmas with Marc's family in Dallas. It was very fun to be with all the cousins at one time. The boys couldn't get enough...plus their cousins have a WII, so they pretty much didn't want to come home. To top it all off, we got a white Christmas. It was kind of crazy...but we were in Dallas afterall! LOL

Our Little Runner

M loves to run. He always wants to race. When he was younger and we had preschool at our house, he'd beg his friends to race him over and over and over. Usually kids are happy to do a few loops around the couch or the backyard, but this is different. Four or five laps later, most are ready for a rest and/or don't want to race anymore. But not M...he could go on forever.
Since he started school, on our way home from school he asks to be dropped off at the end of the street by the mailbox because he wants to run home.

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE that he likes to run and totally encourage it, so I was really excited when I got a notice from school that there was a district-wide cross country race. The race was broken up by ages and gender and was 1 kilometer. I know that doesn't seem that far...but to a 5 year old used to running home from the mailbox, I knew it might be a little daunting. So, I mentioned the race (almost in passing) and said that he could do it if he wanted. He thought for a moment and said that he would think about it (totally his father's child...analyzing already). After about a week, he decided that he wanted to do it and even chose the race over going to Sea World.

On "race day" I was totally nervous. I felt the same as I feel before one of my races. I tried to act calm and not project my feelings on him. He was so cute. Before the race, he got into the holding area with all the other 5 yr old boys and "warmed up" by doing jumping jacks and some stretches (maybe they do that in PE at school...I wasn't sure what he would do when the announcer told them to warm up). Then, the gun sounded and he was off. He did such a good job and ran the whole way. I couldn't have been more proud if he was in the Olympics. Who knows if he will continue to run...but it doesn't really matter. It was fun to see him doing something that he loves!

For the Love of Food

FOOD...it's everywhere...especially at this time of year. Some people have self-control and limit themselves, but for what? Is it weird that holidays mean something to me...and by something I mean that I think about food almost non-stop. Is it just me? Did something happen in my childhood that made me so obsessed with eating and cooking and tasting? I just don't know but I kind of don't care. There are things in life that are for pure enjoyment, and I think food is one of those things.
One of my sisters-in-law is able to cook an entire meal and never, ever taste it along the way. I asked her how she would know if the meal was ok and she told me that they would find out when they started eating. I think that is awesome but for many reasons, I don't think I can do it. I feel like tasting along the way is part of my cooking process (whether for peace of mind or just enjoyment...I'm not sure).
At any rate, this is my ode to food, I guess. I love everything about food and am so happy to live in such a prosperous time and place that I can fully enjoy and savor every tasty bite.

Sick Girl

SO, E has gotten her fair share of (what I thought were) colds this past few months (starting to think it is more allergy related, we ARE in Austin afterall!!). Poor thing just cringes when she sees a kleenex coming her direction. The things is...even when she looks awful and like she must feel cruddy, she is still remarkably pleasant and sweet. It's like she feels bad for feeling bad and so she tries to smile and "act" like everything is ok...how thoughtful of her, right!?

Halloween

My sister hosted an awesome Halloween party and we couldn't resist driving down to Houston to participate. I can't believe I don't have pictures of it to prove how awesome she is. The invitation was a work of art...seriously...I kept it out to show friends for weeks. She had the whole place decked out from the entry to the bathroom. There were devilishly delectable things to eat (and eat and eat) and fun games too. Plus, my sister dresses up as the most amazing witch ever...green face and all(hopefully I can get her to send a pic so i can show you).
So, we had tons of fun and witnessed a miracle...my dad dressed up for the first time ever! I am not sure if it is the grand kids...but he is getting "soft" in his old age I guess. It was great. He even won the costume contest by a landslide. (As an aside...face paint as part of a costume for kids...not so much a big hit in my house as you might be able to see.)
On Halloween night we went out to a party at my parent's house. It was fun and entertaining for the kiddos. But possibly its most redeeming quality as a party was that when the kids were "done" and started asking for sleep...we just had to walk in the house and put them in bed. Ahhh....good times.

Friendships that last

Some things never go away...a good friendship is one of those things. A true friend can still be your friend even when you haven't talked for months...or even years. You can pick up the relationship where it was "left" without any weirdness.
The first week of OctoberI experienced this firsthand. I spent a weekend in California to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Amy. Amy and I met in 7th grade and became best friends. We were thick as thieves throughout middle school and high school and remain close as adults. Amy was always kind and sensitive as a friend and always sacrificed to be part of my life. She even came all the way to Utah to visit me in college and then to LA for my wedding. Her family is wonderful and her house was like a second home for me growing up. I will always love her and am soooo happy she found Spencer. From our brief meeting I saw that he is handsome, generous and kind and that, most importantly, he loves Amy. Their wedding was very nice and Amy was one of the most beautiful brides ever. I am so glad that I was able to participate. (I couldn't find my camera on the day of the wedding...big bummer...so here are pics from the rehearsal).

AND...as if that was not wonderful enough...I got to stay with one of my most wonderful friends, Lizzie. Lizzie was one of my first "married friends" (we were even married days apart). Her husband and mine got their first jobs out of college at Merrill Lynch (back in its hay day). Lizzie is one of those friends that I feel was my other half...irreplaceable. We lived a few doors down from each other and did almost everything together. We cooked together, sewed together, grocery shopped together, ate together, worked out together...you name it. She was there when times were tough and I will never forget her even when we are states apart....
Anyway, it was amazing to be able to see her after more than 5 years. I got to meet her children whom I had never seen in person and reconnect with her and Shad. I tried my first fish tacos with her this trip and am in love (I can't believe I have never had them...yum!). Thanks for your generosity and for letting me spend a few days with you Liz! (We didn't really take pictures together...big bummer...and the one that I DO have is pretty awful...so I will just let the good times live on in my mind).