Fun had by all...

I think I mentioned that we weren't missed while we were in San Diego...did I mention that?  Well I figured it was so but when I got the picture CD back (my mom took pics on those new disposable digital cameras) it seemed quite evident.  Georgie and Isaac were in kid heaven at Gaga and Papas house.  I called my Mom from the airport, before we had even boarded the plane and they were ALREADY at TOYS R US!  One Star Wars ship, one Star Wars DVD and a princess dress later they returned home to watch movies.  

The next night brought Disney On Ice.

Two pretty ladies

Two handsome boys 

(and a flounder slushy...they would never have gotten one of those out of their daddy!)

Oedipus Complex in a rare extended generational form...Isaac LOVES Gaga!

I know how much you wanted to see a picture of this...

and this.  

Don't you just want to bite those pinky cheeks

This must be where I get my lazy morning snuggle habit from.  Gaga is an addict when the kids are in town!

Slaying Dragons with Papa

Possibly the greatest treat of all?  

Seeing cousins Liam and Arie fresh off the boat from Guam.

I had to post this last picture despite the sunrise stripes across the middle.  

This is Georgie dressed up in my old jazz costume.  I can't believe how big she is getting.  Can someone please tell her to stop that!

San Diego

Don't let this go to your head Californians but every time I visit your state (Northern or Southern) I think,  "Oh, so this is why it's so expensive and every one wants to live here...because it's so frickin' beautiful...okay, I see it now."  Flowers, shrubs, vines, fruits, trees, beautiful people, interesting businesses, tans, unique shops, cyclists, runners, sandy beaches, delicious restaurants all bloom in California.  Can someone give me a 5 million dollars so I can move there RIGHT NOW?!

Can he please be by my side...he's cute;)

So, Joey and I visited San Diego last weekend 

(where were you Crystal and Melanie...you used to be here:)  We were childless.  The kids stayed with my Mom and Dad.  A post with their pictures will soon be following.  We arrived on Thursday afternoon and immediately took to the beach.  We took this picture for Gigi and Isaac at the childrens beach in La Jolla.   They would have loved seeing this.  It was brisk and I was wishing I had brought a jacket.  We walked the shops on Prospect street and then settled on an amazing Thai restaurant for dinner.  We were the only people there.  Needless to say we got great service!  No pictures;(  On Friday I awoke ready for a day of shopping while Joey attended his Pediatrics conference.  I arrived at Fashion Valley promptly at 9:45...waiting at the door for the shops to open!  But not before I watched a movie in the hotel while getting dressed.  Home For The Holidays was showing on HBO.  Ever seen it?  You should...hilarious and touching.  Anywho, I spent way too much money, ate sushi and arrived back at the hotel around 5:30 pm.  Yes, I agree, that's a full day and it was worth every penny!

Here's Joey with the Paella we shared at a Spanish restaurant downtown.  Man was the single scene alive and well at that tapas/bar!  I was glad to go home with the guy above!

The next day was a half day of class for Joey.  So, after breakfast, I settled into my book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by the pool and burned myself.  No sunscreen.  Sorry Adam;)  When Joey was done we hit In and Out for lunch, oh so delicious!  We found a Trader Joes AND a Spanish foods specialty store all on the way back to the hotel!  Thank you California.  You have everything (except Cafe Rio).  We bought cured spanish sausage to eat with cheese and baguettes when we got home and one for my Dad too.  Joey was in heaven!  We then met up with JOeys brother Rob, his wife Sara, his cousin Amy, her husband Aaron and the happiest little toddler I've ever met, Audra.  It was so good to see them that I fell asleep.  Seriously.  I fell asleep on Amy and Aarons floor at the end of the night.  How rude and embarrassing.  But I did get to talk to them a lot beforehand!  We ate dinner at an Italian Restaurant in Little Italy, walked the Pier at the craziest little beach I've ever been too.  We saw homeless teens, a homeless man carrying a newborn baby in a front pack, mohawks, surfers...we stood out like sore thumbs.  I think we were the cleanest cut people there.  It was really nice to be with them.  After a four hour plane delay we headed to Houston for our babies!  My Dad picked us up and we found Mom, Grandma Nina and Alyson, Liam and Arie waiting up for us as well.  Thanks, Aly, for keeping your kids up so late.  They are adorable!  

We had prizes for all.  Here are some shots of a few of the things we bought the kids.  They were pretty excited.

San Diego, we love you.  Time without children, we love you too.  Grandparents that keep them for us and spoil them rotten, we really love you.  But being back at home with our little family is truly the best of all...isn't that just special;)

"Private Date"

Last week Georgie bought a "private date with Mom" with her pennies (our newly revised version of a reward system).  Now what are two girls going to do for fun in a small Oklahoma town?  See for yourself:

I let Gigi pick the color for both of us. 

Not exactly my style, but I walked out of there with pink, sparkly toe nails!

And yes, I have a lazy eye...but isn't she cute!

Especially with a mouth full of ice cream.  I always remember the camera when it's far to late.  She looked absolutely darling sitting across the table from me with a big pink ice cream cone fastened to her face, pink cream dripping down her chin and fingers.  Of course I couldn't remember the camera at that moment.  I had to wait until the last bite was taken and she refused to sit anywhere but on my lap...nice angle there eh?

IT IS HERE!

Songbirds are singing, a subtle breeze is blowing and my windows are open to hear, smell and see it all.  Spring is finally here!   The tiny tip of a purple Iris greeted me this morning as I ran out the door to my workout class.  By the end of the afternoon nearly the entire bud has emerged from its deep green encasement.   I've peeked my head out to look at it at least 10 times today.  I hung clothes on the line to dry and made bread with my own little fairy in a spritely green dress.  My skin is perfectly sweaty.  I didn't know that perfect and sweaty could co-exist but I'm finding that, today, it can.  Don't you just love days when life seems...magical!  I watched a beautifully artistic movie last night and I think that set the tone.  Can you tell I am feeling a little dreamy?  I can't help but see beauty everywhere today.  I hope this lasts.   

After Dinner Delight

After a lovely dinner outside (spring is finally coming to OK!) 

I came out to find this in our new hammock:

Joey and Isaac were having a Star Wars quiz...

Joey:  "who said 'Flying through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops, boy'

Isaac:  "mmm...Han Solo"

How's that for cute?

p.s. Did I tell you I leave for San Diego tomorrow for a childless trip with my husband?  Woo HOO!!  My lovely, generous parents offered to take the kids for us while JOey and I attend his pediatric conference (he attends, I play).  This is my idea of perfect...half the day alone, doing WHATEVER I FEEL LIKE and the other half of the day with my best friend!  And the kids couldn't be more excited about a long weekend with their very best friends in the world...Gaga and Papa.  Truth be known, I miss them already!  

Thanks to Crystal for all the travel tips!

I feel a journal entry coming on!  I have no idea what I'm going to say except that I think I need to document a little bit about the kids, what they're saying, what they're doing, how they're changing.  Because they are.  Immensely.  JOey's been uploading all our home videos into our external hard drive.  As they upload, they play on the laptop in the background.  It has been so fun to remember Isaac and G as "littler" people.  And to realize how much they've grown.  Here's a little bit about them now:

Isaac:

Isaac is learning to read.  He is resistant to much instruction and is reticent to read for us because "those are hard words" but once you get him going he's a good little reader.  He gets so excited when he reigns triumphant over a page!  Today he spelled "elefant" and "igloo" phoneticly (sp?).   

Isaac is learning to play soccer.  I sense that this has been a big stress in his life, actually.   He's getting better little by little and asks for Joey to go out and play with him a lot of the time.  He wants to practice.  But then before the games and practice he gets grumpy and says he hates soccer and doesn't want to go.  If he gets his foot on the ball at all he just grins from ear to ear.  If I wasn't his parent I could enjoy watching him play a little more (and I should be able to anyway!) because about 89% of his second game he spent in La-La land...shooting at things, dancing with his shadow and talking to himself.  It was hilariously frustrating!  I think he'll not do that too much next time.  We talked with him a little bit about helping out his teamates.  He did much better at the next practice.  I'm looking forward to seeing him progress or maybe decide it's not for him.  Whatever he chooses.

Isaac is very curious.  He asks a lot of questions about the things Joey and I talk about, things he picks up on in movies etc.  Today he asked who and where "bad" people are.  I won't go into my response but we ended up talking about war and he couldn't seem to get enough information about it all.  

Isaac loves to make-believe play.  He is always sword fighting something into a corner.  He does amazing sound effects complete with Star Wars music being hummed in between blows.  Lately he's been watching Star Wars 1 and loving all the characters from that movie.  

Isaac is incredibly sensitive.  Isaac loves for me to crawl in bed with him after Joeys tucks them in and sings them songs.  If he hasn't already fallen asleep I get to see this tender little look on his face...as if he's just won an olympic medal...when he sees me coming.  It's worth a million dollars to me.  And yet, sometimes I put off going in there just to "get things done".   I'm trying to be better about things like this.  When Isaac is in a good mood, well rested and thinking clearly, he is the sweetest brother.  He takes care of G, shares with her, laughs with her, plays with her.  Even when he's not, actually, he is a good big brother.  He tends to hit a little more when he's grumpy but he and G get along incredibly well.  Because of his sensitivity he doesn't take criticism too well but the best thing about him is that he knows this about himself.  He recognizes it and I can always reason with him.  He has been so good about changing his attitude when I remind him to do so.  I see him learning how to control his emotions a little bit better every day.  I understand how hard this is for him and I am so proud to watch him grow and work hard at being more under control.  Recently he has begun laughing somewhat forcefully when he hurts himself;)  When he did this today he said, "I'm working on being tough."  Too cute!

Isaac has become a BIG helper around the house.   He now mops the floor, takes out the trash, sets the table without complaining and sometimes does this without me even asking.  He helps unload the groceries, sorts the laundry and helps Georgie with things that she can't do.   It's quite nice having all that help on house cleaning day!

It seems like a lot of information, but I know there's more;)  I'll think of it as I am trying to fall asleep tonight!  One of these days I'll get around to updating Georgies "profile"!

Easter Sunday...

...minus any really good pictures!

I hate to even make this post without pictures of the kids in their Easter Dress but I happen to have the time tonight.  Ya never know when that's going to come around again, right?!  Sunday was quite a busy day for us so I didn't get around to getting pictures of the kids.  I also wasn't very happy with the weather that day...rain, rain, thunder, overcast, cold.  Whoever heard of such an Easter?  But the bunny came anyway:

And the Easter Egg Hunt...well

You see, exhibit A above.  Georgie came in after 2 seconds with no eggs.  She's not much for rain.  (No this is not her easter dress but it is her fifth outfit of the day)

Rain didn't stop some of the big kids from hunting.

Joey got a picture of my Easter Table Setting;)  It made me feel good that he appreciates my hard work:)  We had three families over for dinner and there were some delicious contributions!  Thanks friends!  

Oh ya, the centerpiece tucked into Gigi's new Easter Basket that I found at the local antique store that I LOVE!  I think it's too cute to hunt eggs with, don't you?  Shouldn't I just keep it for home decor?  I will be adding to this post in a few Sundays...when the kids re wear their Easter gear on a beautiful spring day and I get some perfect shots!

Easter Nests

One of our few Easter Traditions:

Easter Nests

Begin with some crushed shredded wheat cereal.  

(the big plain biscuits work best)

Then throw some chocolate chips (3 parts chocolate), some peanut butter (1 part peanut butter) and a few T of butter into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave in 30 second intervals to avoid burning.

dip your finger in the melted concoction and spread it all over your face.

Drop large spoonfuls onto waxed paper and shape into nests.  Fill with chocolate or peanut butter eggs.  These make cute decorations for your easter table as well as good gifts for the neighbor and treats for school classes.

*Note:  We like dark chocolate and natural peanut butter but you can use any variety of chocolate that you prefer.  Obviously, for a sweeter nest, use milk, then semi-sweet for a little bit richer etc.  

Sao Paulos' got Nothin' on Altus

the carnival comes to altus

sheer joy on the bumper cars with dad

beep beep

"do you want to do that again, G?"  

umm..no

weeeeeee

i'm not scared!

 seeing your face makes me feel a little safer, dad  

(but dad pays the price afterward with some nausea...

kind of like those rear facing station wagon seats)

and, G, the only ride she'd have anything to do with  

who can resist a pretty pink pony? 

Squeaky Clean

Early Bathtime + Perfect Light +

 Squeaky Clean, Beautiful Children =

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday Joey!

We celebrated for two days this year!  

(hence the day late post)

On his REAL birthday we had a party at his work.  The ladies at the office were so kind to pitch in on a potluck lunch complete with presents and a decorated office!  Darnit where was my camera!  It was hilarious.  Explanations wouldn't do it justice.  That evening, after Isaacs soccer game, we went to Applebees ( I know yucky, but our choices are slim here okay...and we had a gift card;)

Today we had his birthday dinner at home:

Marinated Steak

"Green Fries"

Key Lime Cheescake

 (this was supposed to be the last picture...not sure what happened)

Grilled Flat Bread

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday dear Daddy, Happy Birthday to you!

Favorite things about Daddy:

Isaac:  "Daddy plays guitar for me and teaches me how to play soccer"

Georgie:  "Daddy pushes me on the horsey swing...and the park"

Me:  "I love that Joey loves me for who I am, even when I'm upset, he lets me be me, inspires me to be a more honest person, and I can talk to him about anything in the whole wide world."

We love you, Joey and are so grateful for you.