Messy Day

This morning I took the kids over to my neighbor's house for a "messy" play date. My neighbor Misty is super nice and very creative with her kids. She invited us to come over so the kids could play in their backyard with water, mud, flour, cornmeal, marshmallows, froot loops and bubbles! I thought they would love it. Emma Mae actually did. She got in there and made a mess with Misty's boys. Jake, on the other hand, wanted to stay inside and play with toys or just hang out in the hammock in the backyard. Seems he doesn't like to get dirty anymore. I suppose I should be thankful for that.






Misty has two beautiful boys. Maybe Emma will marry one of them someday...



By the end of the morning, Emma and Nicholas had stripped down to their underwear and were busy covering each other in cornmeal and flour. Emma Mae had to come home and go directly into the bathtub. Jake, however, came home perfectly clean.

Sea World round two

Last Friday we took the kids to Sea World again. My parents bought Emma a season pass for her birthday since you have to start paying at age 3. The kids had a ball. They loved the silly man at the dolphin show. We sat in the wet zone this time and definitely got nice and wet.






These two look like trouble.


Penguin chick. I want one.


Emma loves beluga whales. I want this girl's job.

Spring is springing in our backyard!

On a completely unrelated note, I'm working my way through Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. And I've got the weight gain to prove it. God bless her, I hope she makes something of herself someday. I started with these knock you naked brownies. It turned out to be a recipe my mama gave me years ago but it was nice to remember it. They should be called you will not want to see yourself naked after you eat this pan of brownies. Delish.




Next, was this strawberry cream cheese cake. Yum. We actually had to give half of this away to our neighbors so we wouldn't eat it all in one night. We have no self control over here. And I'm totally looking forward to making the next thing on my list!

Big 3!

Emma Mae turned three on March 12th and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. We had a small family party for her two days before her birthday because we had plans to be on the road to Amarillo on her actual birthday. Her class at mother's day out had a little party for her as well so she was really confused about when her birthday actually started and when it was officially over.

She wanted a Hello Kitty party. I managed to make some Hello Kitty sugar cookies for her class party thanks to my sweet neighbor who ordered some Hello Kitty cookie cutters as a gift for her. They came out pretty cute.



For the family party, I kind of struck out. Target was out of all of their Hello Kitty party supplies. I managed to find one Hello Kitty gift bag and a Hello Kitty balloon at the grocery store. So I just did everything else in pink. I don't think Emma even noticed.



Both my parents and my sister and her family were able to come for the party. We had our second annual round of playing Taboo at Emma's birthday parties. The boys slaughtered the girls but it was fun all the same. And on a bright note, I can tell you that for the last two days Emma Mae has not had a single temper tantrum and has even been heard saying "yes, ma'am" to me. Could it be we're turning a corner??

Monkeys in a wheelbarrow

A list

1.) The kids and I hitched a ride with my sister and her kids to Amarillo last week. We spent our spring break in Amarillo at my parents house. And while I'm glad we went, my hope, theory, presumption that Emma Mae would outgrow the terrible two tantrums when she turned three proved false. She spent the first two days of our three days in Amarillo in a MOOD. She had an hour and a half long tantrum over the fact that I wouldn't give her milk. Now, ya'll know it wasn't really about the milk or I would have just given into her demands. It was really about the fact that I told her no and she did not like it. As she tries to remind me every single day I am not in charge because she is in charge of herself and she does not like it when I tell her what to do.

I totally forgot my pledge after our Christmas trip to Amarillo never to take Emma anywhere again until she is grown up. Trust me, I will not be forgetting that again.

2.) I did have fun getting my toes done up with my sister and my niece. I did enjoy eating at Taco Villa multiple times. I did enjoy taking Katie to the movies. I did enjoy listening to my dad and my nephew play music together. I did enjoy seeing my parents again and spending time with my family. What I did not enjoy was dealing with a strong willed now three year old. Is that bad? I think that might be bad. She is exhausting. Also, I do not enjoy sharing a bed with Emma. It is like sleeping with an alligator in the midst of taking down its prey. The thrashing, the twisting, the turning-no wonder she's cranky all the time-she can't be well rested!

3.) I bought Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. I think I love it. Looks like I'll have to put off trying to take off the extra five pounds I gained over the winter. And by the time I get through making everything I want to make I'll probably have five more pounds to take off. But that's okay! I'm okay with that!

4.) Is anyone out there reading Game of Thrones? I'm totally addicted. I have given up watching television to read at night. I'm halfway through book four and can't wait to see what happens next.

5.) Also can't wait for The Hunger Games movie to come out. Great books. Read them before you read Game of Thrones.

The newest member of our food chain

On Tuesday the kids and I finally made it to the pet store. Everyone was in a good mood and happy and no fits were thrown. We left the pet store with a new pet! Because what I really need is something else to take care of around here. His name is Striper and he's an adorable little hamster. The kids were beside themselves with joy. They sat and watched him for a long time. Jake kept brushing wood chips out of Striper's wheel to "take care of him." So cute.




It wasn't long before Zoe, our cat, took a turn watching Striper. I think she just wants to be friends don't you?



Then all three of them watched him. I wonder if Striper feels paranoid? He has brought much happiness around here for the past two days. I hope we have many more days ahead with our little rodent.

Going on three

Emma Mae has six more days as a two year old. I am praising God. Because my theory is that when she turns three we will see the end of the terrible two tantrums. Jake never went through the terrible two's. He was a perfect little angel two year old. Turns out, he was just biding his time, waiting for me to let down my guard. He hit us with the terrible three's. But, I swear the day he turned four he went back to being my sweet boy again. Thus, my theory about the terrible tantrums lasting for exactly one year. I cannot wait.

Saturday, I took the kids to Target and promised them we could go to the pet store afterwards if they were good. They were very good in the store so we headed out to get in the car to go to Petco. Emma refused to get in her car seat. She threw the biggest fit about it. It seriously took me ten minutes to get her buckled in. She had acquired the strength of ten warriors and fought me tooth and nail. Well. After that, you know I could not take her to the pet store. That would have been bad parenting. I felt bad for Jake because he was being perfectly reasonable but I had to tell the children we would no longer be going to see the puppies and kitties. Emma acted like I had cut off her arm or something. What ensued was the biggest, baddest, most awful temper tantrum ever witnessed in the state of Texas. She screamed the entire way home. She was yelling "MAMA! I want to go to the pet store! MAMA! You are making me very CR-AAANK-YYY! MAMA! YOU HEAR ME MAMA?"

Why, yes I do hear you Emma. The people in the car next to us hear you as a matter of fact. I calmly informed her that we were not going to the pet store because she was yelling and being ugly. To which she replied, "MAMA! I NOT YELLING ANYMORE!!" Ya'll. She so was.

We came home and she was still yelling and kicking my car seat. So I took her to her room and told her she was in time out until she could calm down. Then I tried to shut her door. That's when she acquired super human speed and beat me to the door and threw it open again. So I had to peel her off the door, toss her in her room, shut the door quickly and stand there and hold the door closed. I almost felt bad. Then I heard her screaming "MAMA! You do NOT tell me what to do! I WILL NOT stay in my room forever and ever and ever." It was a doozy. The whole thing lasted about thirty minutes but it felt like an eternity. So, needless to say I am counting down the days until three gets here. Three? Don't let me down, okay? I need you to be the year of the calm Emma Mae. Also, the year she lets me put clips and bows in her hair. Thank you. LM

Family fun day

Yesterday, Mike took the kids to the Y after breakfast for a little indoor swim time. Which meant that I got a little me time. I couldn't decide if I wanted to squander all my time sitting on the couch reading book three of Game of Thrones or clean the house. In the end, I chose to play the piano (which I never do anymore) for twenty minutes and then I cleaned the house while listening to some music. It was a very nice two hours.

When Mike and the kids got home we got everyone dressed and headed out to use our latest coupon. This one was to the Austin zoo. The weather was ridiculously perfect (85 degrees in March) and we had a really good time.


We had almost as much fun as this guy was having in his bathtub.




Jake was a little concerned the lions would try to eat his stuffed zebra.




After the zoo we headed over to Torchy's tacos for lunch. Yummy. Nothing like a shrimp taco to top off your day. This is also the face Jake makes at me every night when he comes to kiss me goodnight. It's alarming. Love my little family!