Big girl Rebecca!

It's been awhile since I've done an update on Rebecca so I thought it was time! Our girl is 2 1/2 now and has really grown up a lot in the last few months.

Speech:

Rebecca's receptive language has always been good and she has had a lot of words for awhile but her articulation needed improvement. She could put together sentences of many words but only used the first syllable of every word. Just a few months ago she called herself "Beh" and me "Ma." She was referred for evaluation with an Early Childhood Intervention program but wasn't far enough behind to qualify. One of her teachers really worked with her this summer though and brought about great improvement. Now she proudly introduces herself as "Rebecca" and is much easier to understand. Which is good, because she has a lot to say!

A cute thing she's been saying a lot lately when we ask her if she wants to do something is "yes please, I'd LOVE to!" Speaking of love, we get lots of "I love you"s from her too, and when I tell her "I'm happy you're my girl" she'll reply "so happy you my mommy."

Naps:

Still napping some but lately reports home from school say she's resting but not sleeping on many days. Daniel had stopped napping well before his 2nd birthday so we're just glad to still get naps out of her at all this late in the game, but I'd bet she gives up the nap by year's end. Which may prove convenient for travels including one special birthday adventure we have planned...

Sleep:

She has been able to crawl into and out of her crib for months now but still likes to sleep in it and does more nights than not. In fact, there have been several nights she fell asleep in the full size bed in her room (the guest bed) but in the morning we discover her in the crib, having woken up and moved during the night. She enjoys the company of a full menagerie of stuffed animals but her beloved pink bunny lovey is the favorite.

 

She does enjoy sleeping in our bed sometimes, and we let her and Daniel take turns falling asleep in our bed. When I come to bed and hug her she'll immediately turn to throw her arms around my neck and cuddle.

Potty-training:

She's been in panties during the day since a little before her 2nd birthday but we hadn't tried potty training at night till just a few weeks ago. But now that she's sleeping in our bed regularly I thought we better take care of night potty-training while she still liked her crib and accident clean-up wouldn't be too bad. So imagine our surprise when we put her to bed in panties one night hoping for the best...and she stayed dry that night, and the next, and every night after! 

And with that, our family is officially done with our diapering days (well, for this stage of life). So I sorted all of our diaper stash and gave it all away to the Rebecca Foundation, a nonprofit that collects used cloth diapers, repairs them, and then passes them on to families in need. It was nice to know that after all the years of use we got out of them, now they'll go on to bless another family. And nice to know we have no more diapers to change ;) She has accidents sometimes during the day, mainly when she gets too busy playing and doesn't want to stop to potty, but she does pretty well most of the time.

School:

She returned this fall to the toddler class where she started in February and continues to enjoy it. She is proud to show off her works when they come home and seems to be learning well. She and Daniel are enjoying Soccer Shots and TOT basketball extracurriculars together and Rebecca will try ballet next week (figured she would benefit from having something on her own apart from big brother).

Over the summer the teachers started putting her hair up in pigtails for her and she loved it and looks like such a big girl with them. I try to do her hair sometimes but she informs me that "Miss Maggie" does a better job. I guess I'll need to watch some Youtube videos to improve my technique!

Sibling relations:

For the most part, Rebecca and Daniel get along well, enjoy each other's company, and play together. But being siblings they do of course fight and get on each other's nerves sometimes too. Sometimes Daniel is the dominant one-no surprise, as he's older and bigger- but Rebecca asserts herself pretty well on occasion. Case in point: there was a weekend night that we let them both sleep in our bed, but when we came up to go to bed we found she had captured the whole bed and Daniel had retreated to his own room. Not sure what transpired from the time we put them to bed to the time he left, but she seems to have had the upper hand.

One thing I love to see is how empathetic they are to each other. If one is hurt or upset the other will generally run over to console (assuming they didn't cause the crying in the first place). One day at school Daniel tripped and fell in the playground and was crying when he got up. Rebecca went over to him even before the teachers got there, and if the situation had been the other way around I'd bet he'd have done the same for her.

"Mimi Mouse":

Rebecca LOVES Minnie Mouse. Loves her. Always wants to wear a Minnie Mouse shirt (in her favorite color purple, preferably) and requires not one but 2 Minnie dolls to keep her company at night. Often covered with a Minnie Mouse blanket too. I've been known to use a Minnie Mouse voice (or my best approximation of what that must entail, since I don't think I've ever heard her voice) to get Rebecca to use the potty in a public place...Mommy asks and gets no response but Minnie asks and suddenly it's a different story. She refers to her as "Mimi Mouse" which I assume is a conflation of Minnie and Mimi, what the kids call my mom.

On a related note, we took the kids to the Sea Life aquarium a few months ago on a holiday weekend and commented as we were leaving how crowded it had been and how much more enjoyable it was to visit on off days. By the time we had reached our car, the conversation had morphed into a plan to take advantage of our last year of not having to worry about a school calendar and take the kids to Disneyland during the offseason. 

And so it is that Rebecca will celebrate her 3rd birthday in unforgettable fashion: at Disneyland with Minnie Mouse! We're all excited and eagerly looking forward to it and the kids already ask several times a week if today's the day we go to "Dis-a-ney-land."

Needless to say, when I asked her what she wanted to dress up as for Halloween, her answer was as immediate as it was predictable.

Rebecca has such a fun, funny, sweet personality, and it's fun to see that personality take shape more and more as she gets older. We love our sweet girl!

Aggie football weekend

I've been to dozens of football games at Kyle Field but the one on September 12, 2015, will always be special. Not because the game was competitive; it was out of reach by the end of the first quarter. Not just because it was the first game in the new and improved Kyle Field, $485 million later. Since before Daniel was born I've looked forward to taking him to a game there and that day, I did.

I hadn't planned on taking him this year. I had been thinking maybe next year. But when we went to College Station last month he seemed so excited about exploring campus and seeing a game that I decided to look into tickets for this year. I knew the early non-conference games wouldn't be competitive and tickets and hotel rooms would be easier to come by and sure enough, I was able to land both.

Better yet, one of my best friends from college, Crystal, and her 8 year old son Zephyr, decided to join us. Football, friends, mom-son bonding time, what's not to love?

We arrived in Aggieland mid-afternoon on game day and walked from our hotel to campus in time to catch the Corps of Cadets march-in. Daniel enjoyed seeing the Corps outfits all march in and hearing the band. Afterward we met up with Crystal and Zephyr to explore the MSC and eat dinner. Then, it was time to take our seats in the newly opened South End Zone.

By the end of the first quarter I think the score was already 27-3 or something so the only question was when the backups would come in. The boys were excited to see all those touchdowns though and to hear the Parsons Mounted Cavalry cannon boom after each one. They also loved to watch the Aggie Band perform. 

Not only did they make it through the full game, but they wanted to see the Yell Leaders get dunked in the Fish Pond afterward so we walked over to Sbisa to see that. Afterward they had so much energy they ran sprints back to Crystal's car (a pretty long walk), stopping at every driveway or stop sign till we caught up. Oh, and catching crickets. Zeph showed Daniel how to do that so he was pretty excited about that.

We learned that another college friend, Amar, was also in town that weekend too and since we, with kids, couldn't go out to Northgate afterward to party we invited him to come to our hotel to hang out there. The plan was that we'd put the boys to bed then visit out on the balcony but the boys were still full of energy, and we had gotten them some ice cream, so it was after 1 before we all finally called it a night.

The next morning, unsurprisingly, we all slept in then went for breakfast at Taco Cabana where as a nice surprise I ran into my cousin's husband, Michael. After breakfast and coffee we went to the Bonfire Memorial. Daniel was affected seeing it last month and was this time as well. 

After that we visited the Former Student Center with its giant replica of an Aggie Ring, walked around Northgate, toured all our old apartments, then had lunch before beginning our respective journeys home.

Our first trip to an Aggie football game was one of the most fun weekends we've had in awhile. It was nice to get so much one-on-one time with Daniel and show him around a place that means so much to me. It'll be fun to take solo trips with Rebecca when she gets older too. Daniel also loved spending time with such a fun big kid and keeps talking about Zephyr and wanting to see him again. We're talking about making it an annual tradition and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Family wedding weekend

This weekend we went to College Station to celebrate my cousin Paul's wedding. Daniel family weddings are always fun opportunities to catch up with family members but I was also looking forward to this weekend as the first time to introduce Daniel and Rebecca to the city and university I called home for 4 years.

Friday after a 3 1/2 hour drive to get there our first order of business was a quick swim in the hotel pool to let the kids burn off some energy before dinner. Afterward as we were getting ready to head out to dinner we noticed several other members of the big extended Daniel family had checked in and asked around to see if anyone wanted to join us. 

My cousin Paul (not the one getting married), his wife Tarsy, and their 2 kids Becca (14) and William (11 1/2, as he proudly noted), were staying right next to us and decided to come with us so we enjoyed a fun evening of catching up with them over an Italian dinner and a few glasses of wine. Their kids were so sweet and engaging with my kids-those fun, cool "big kids" that little ones just adore. I remember at our wedding 8 years ago Becca was one of the little girls who were enchanted with the bride (me!) and little William was the little boy rocking out on the dance floor wearing a pair of binoculars around his neck!

Saturday after breakfast we went over to campus to look around. Kyle Field, the football stadium, has undergone some significant upgrades (still in progress) so we started by walking around to see the exterior changes. One of the new additions is a sculpture of a group of students sawing the horns during the Aggie War Hymn. I don't particularly care for it myself (the people look weird to me) but Rebecca was downright scared of it and cried and clambered to get away (probably not the response the artist was looking for!).

After that we explored the MSC (Memorial Student Center). The kids liked the flag room and the wall of wooden carvings of A&M's history. I was impressed to see all the renovations that have been done since my time there.

After that we went to the Bonfire Memorial. I've been to see it a few times and it's always a moving experience. The collapse happened my junior year and as it happens, I was on campus that very night, camped out along with a group of friends waiting to "pull" our tickets for the annual rivalry game with Texas. It's been nearly 16 years but a sad, surreal experience I'll never forget.

We explained it to the kids in a very simple, age-appropriate way: some boys and girls were working building a project here and a terrible accident happened and people got really hurt, and this memorial remembers the bonfire tradition and the people who were there that night. Rebecca was too young to take anything from it but Daniel was very affected by it. 

As we walked around looking at the portals honoring the 12 victims he asked more about them and if they were all better. We told him that these people whose pictures he saw had gotten hurt so badly that the doctors couldn't fix them and they had died and gone on to Jesus's house (a topic we'd talked about a lot last year when our old cat, Todd, died). He asked if they had moms and dads and if they were sad. He saw a bunch of bikes in a nearby bike rack and asked if those bikes belonged to  the people who got hurt. No, I said, this was a very long time ago, those are other people's bikes, as I thought how within a few years, the students riding around campus won't have been born yet when the Bonfire fell. He wanted to see pictures of the bonfire both aflame and after it fell and grew quiet when he saw pictures of the collapsed pile. 

Sunday night as we lay in bed he said we needed to go to the police station and show them that picture and make sure they knew about this. I told him that the police and firefighters had gone out there and helped (I heard the sirens myself) and lots of people had done so much to help. (Update: tonight, Tuesday, he brought it up again as we lay down and asked to see pictures. We watched a Youtube video/slideshow with images very familiar to me but new to him.)

After our morning exploring campus we went to Aggieland institution the Dixie Chicken for lunch. Gotta start 'em young, right? ;) Then it was naptime for Rebecca so Kevin took her to the hotel and Daniel and I went souvenir shopping (dress for Rebecca, mini helmet for Daniel), got him a milkshake at the Chik-Fil-A he had seen and begged to go back to, a stop by a local running shop, and a grocery store run,then it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the main event.

Here we are all dressed up:

Before the wedding started Daniel told Kevin he wanted to give Paul and his bride Haley a message. He dictated and Kevin wrote, then Daniel signed. Here, his sage advice:

Where we were sitting we didn't have a clear view of the happy couple during the ceremony itself but once Daniel finally saw the bride he said "wow, she's so beautiful!"

Then it was on to the reception. We weren't sure how long the kids could hold out, so we just planned to play it by ear and stay as long as we could. Turns out we've got some dancing fools on our hands! The moment the dance floor was opened up to guests Daniel was ready to head out, Rebecca hot on his heels.

Every chance he got, Daniel wanted to dance with "Ms. Haley" in "the beautiful white dress." He asked if he'd get to see her again after tonight and I said yes, I'm sure we'll see her at the ranch and other family gatherings. He was disappointed to hear she wouldn't be wearing the beautiful dress though, and on the drive back to the hotel he said he was sending her an email on his LeapPad to make sure she got beautiful clothes!

When he wasn't busy pining after the bride, Daniel managed to get a few dances with the flower girl and even granted Mommy a few dances. Rebecca was a pretty enthusiastic dancer too and kept Daddy occupied. We managed to sneak one dance for just the two of us while our little dance partners were otherwise occupied.

All told, we didn't leave till 11-way past the kids (and my) bedtimes! We had a great time and I know the kids will be disappointed that we don't get to go to a big party like this every weekend.

The next morning we all slept in-I was the first one up at 9:30 and finally had to wake the others up so we could get out to brunch to see family again before we all headed our separate ways. How did I entice Daniel to leave his comfy bed? I mentioned that a certain bride was going to be there!

After brunch it was time to go home and we all slept well in our own beds that night. It was a fun weekend and the first of what I hope will be many times to take the kids to Aggieland. Yesterday he insisted on wearing his Aggie jersey to school :)

Every time we get the chance to spend time with my extended Daniel family I think how lucky I am to have such a big, close extended family. But this weekend it occurred to me that luck was only part of that, it also took a lot of people making the effort over the years to keep everyone connected. I want my kids to have the same experience I've had-to go to family reunions and run around with cousins (1st cousins, 2nd cousins, it's all the same to us) and to know those names on the family tree not just as people they happen to be related to but these wonderfully warm, kind, fun people whose company they enjoy. Looking back through years of family reunion and wedding pictures it's fun to see that the faces and fashions change but there's always that group of little kids playing together, a group of older kids doing their thing, and the adults visiting. Most of my grandparents' generation has passed on now but I like to think they'd be pleased to see the legacy living on.

Daniel is 5!

This week Daniel turned 5. My little boy is growing up!

We celebrated his birthday throughout the week. The weekend before we gave him his main present, a trailer bike. He's getting pretty fast on his balance bike (last year's birthday present) but can't go far on it so I thought he might enjoy being able to join me on rides. We snagged one in barely-used condition on Craigslist and took it out for a spin. It took a little adjustment for both of us and felt quite wobbly to me at first (don't see myself wearing clip-in shoes with this any time soon) but we got the hang of it and had fun. Looking forward to more biking adventures together.

The night before his birthday we had dinner at Fuzzy's Tacos at his request. But he mentioned that they didn't have balloons so I stopped by Kroger to get some balloons-Lightning McQueen for him, Minnie and Mickey Mouse for Rebecca. Aside from a brief moment of high drama when he accidentally let go and it floated up to the ceiling (before being retrieved by a helpful employee), dinner went well.

On the morning of his actual birthday we had his celebration of life at school. The tray in the middle of the room has 5 candles, one for each year, and the papers around the edge are the 12 months of the year. He carries the earth once around for each year of life and his teacher would talk about what he was doing at that age and pass around pictures we brought in.

That evening we switched from celebrating with young folks to a decidedly older crowd as we helped call a bingo game at an assisted living center for a senior community visit through the Dallas Area Young Lawyers Elder Law Committee. I'd taken Daniel with me before and he had enjoyed it so when I offered the change to go again he was enthusiastic. I baked strawberry cupcakes for the residents and they sang happy birthday to him and many gave birthday hugs. They enjoyed him and Rebecca and the kids enjoyed the attention. Afterward, the family headed out for burgers and milkshakes.

As befits his generous nature, he passed out cupcakes to all the residents in the room before taking one for himself.

Afterward we watched the slideshow our birth photographer had put together for us. He and Rebecca loved seeing how small they both used to be (we watched hers too) and Daniel liked sitting in my lap in the recliner in his room hearing the story of how after we brought him home, I took him in my arms and carried him up to his room and sat in that same recliner holding him. Of course, I told him, he was a lot smaller then and easier to carry! 

This weekend we did Daniel's big birthday party. As we've done every year so far we had his party at a local pool with party tent areas and a fun kid-friendly pool area. We enjoyed celebrating with so many friends and he and Rebecca had a great time. It's great that with them being at the same school they have the same friends and I love seeing that the older kids make her feel included.

Daniel made an interesting request for his birthday cake. He wanted a cake like Prince Wednesday's on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. This was 1) oddly specific, 2) involving a minor plot point 3) and a minor character 4) on an episode we hadn't seen in months. I had to pull that episode up again to make sure we knew what we were talking about and he confirmed that's what he wanted-yellow cake, layered, with strawberries. I'm a good cook but never been much of a baker but I got some boxed cake mix, icing, and strawberries and hoped for the best. I looked at a screenshot of the Prince Wednesday cake as I prepped mine to make sure I was doing it right. My layers weren't as tall as the show's but otherwise I thought it was pretty close. Daniel was concerned it wasn't big enough but then decided it would do and ended up eating 2 slices at the party, so I guess it worked out!

As much as people talk about how great the youngest years are, as Daniel gets older I'm really enjoying how much more we can do together, how much more we can talk about, and seeing his personality shine through more as he grows into the person he's meant to be. He's a sweet, brave, thoughtful boy with a big heart and an inquisitive mind. He's a great helper and the best big brother Rebecca could ask for. We love our birthday boy and I'm excited about the adventures the next year holds for him.

O Canada: Victoria trip

A few weeks ago the kids got their first stamp in their passports (well, metaphorically anyway) as we took a family vacation to Victoria, BC. Last fall I settled on the Victoria 70.3 as my first half-ironman distance triathlon and we invited my parents to join to make it a vacation. Then, when my aunt and uncle accepted the invitation to come too, we had the makings for a great extended family Canadian vacation.

We flew from Dallas to Seattle (a flight which, with an overtired but refusing to nap or stay still Rebecca, felt even longer than it was!) then another short 30 minute flight from Seattle to Victoria, which gave us a nice aerial view of the beautiful scenery. Our first evening we strolled around the harbour (yes, that's how they spell it ;))) and enjoyed a nice seafood dinner.

Friday, our first full day, we took advantage of the beautiful, sunny, 60 degree weather to walk to breakfast in the harbour area.

Yes, Daniel and I are wearing boots. Representing Texas!

The Government Building...which was also beautiful by night, as a later photo will show

After that we went to the Butchart Gardens just outside of town. They were as beautiful as I remembered from a family vacation there when I was younger and really, iPhone pictures don't do it justice.

Rebecca peering into the quarry area:

Family pic in the Japanese garden:

Kids looking into Japanese garden pond:

The kids' favorite part of the garden experience was the carousel. I think they could have spent all day on that!

Afterwards we took the kids to the hotel swimming pool to play for a bit. Alas, Kevin also accidentally took his phone swimming, and it didn't enjoy the swim as much as the kids did.

Friday was Kevin's birthday so my parents and aunt and uncle graciously took the kids for the evening and Kevin and I went out for a birthday dinner at a restaurant called Olo. From what we'd read it sounded a lot like FT33, our favorite Dallas restaurant, and we weren't disappointed.

Saturday the rest of the family explored the Royal BC Museum while I went to the race site for packet pickup and to claim and then drop off my bike. Hearing the athlete briefing that walked us through the details of the race, seeing the course, and buying Ironman gear for the family made it all real: after months of training, tomorrow I was really going to do this. From what I hear, the museum was nice too, though the food truck lunch they had after was hit or miss.

That afternoon Kevin rested at the hotel with Rebecca while Daniel and I joined the rest of the family for a boat ride around the harbour. Daniel's favorite parts were the seal we saw playing in the water and the float houses in the water. Oh, and the seaplanes that kept taking off and landing. Apparently it's quite the active harbor, even as most of its use is now recreational rather than commercial as it once was.

While we were at the harbour Daniel also noticed "Plasterman," a street performer. We gave him some money to put in Plasterman's bucket and he was rewarded with the chance to pose with Plasterman.

That night Kevin went out to watch a Stanley Cup finals game with a Canadian crowd and the rest of us went for a predictable pre-race meal at the Spaghetti Factory. This meal was memorable mainly for learning the hard way that if the kids are going to share a meal, and the plates don't get split in the kitchen, the meal should be set in front of Daniel, not Rebecca ;). She immediately felt possessive of the plate of pasta set before her and was not a happy camper when we took half of it away. After many tears and a second order, all was resolved. We headed back to the hotel to get the kids ready for bed and after getting last-minute details ready, I was in bed not long behind them.

We got a hotel room suite that had a main bedroom area and a sitting area with a foldout couch. The kids did surprisingly well sharing the foldout couch. Here they are in funny sleep positions during the night.

The next day was race day. You can read about my day here. Here's a quick picture from the transition area before the start of the race. One thing that I had been surprised about was that the race started at 6am. I worried we'd be swimming in the dark but there was full sun by the time I got to the race site at 5. (Side note: thank goodness for thick drapes in the hotel room, or we'd never be able to get the kids to sleep!)

After a leisurely morning the family headed out to the finish line to meet me. The kids enjoyed playing on a playground conveniently located right there and I enjoyed seeing all those cheering familiar faces as I finished my race. 

No visit to Canada is complete without a mozza burger from A&W so we crossed that off the list after the race. Later that night we celebrated our last night in Canada with a yummy seafood dinner. On our walk back to the hotel we were treated to the beautiful night view of the harbour one last time.

Then the next morning we were up and out of the door by 5:30am to make our 8am flight. Kevin and Rebecca slept the whole way to Seattle while the rest of us enjoyed the views out the window.

After planning and looking forward to the trip for so long it's hard to believe it's over, but we had a great time and would enjoy returning to Victoria some day. Daniel asks almost every day when we can go back to Canada. It won't be right away, but we'll definitely be back!

International Dinner

Last week was one of the highlights of the Apostles Day School school year: the International Dinner. It's a celebration of the diversity of the school family and a way for the children to honor their heritage and put on a presentation for their families. The teachers and kids practiced for weeks getting their songs and dances ready. I was especially looking forward to this year's dinner, first because it was the first year to watch both kids, and second, because I had to miss last year's for a family funeral. The night did not disappoint.

The classes performed one at a time, youngest to oldest. Rebecca's toddler class was first. The kids sang "London Bridge is Falling Down" then danced to "Deep In the Heart of Texas." Rebecca participated, albeit looking back often to Ms. Vicki for guidance. Afterward she spotted us in the crowd and ran to me immediately, "Ma!"

Next was Daniel's class. They sang a few songs, including "This Is My Commandment," and danced to some Indian music. The unplanned comedy of the class's performance was when each kid one by one said which continent they were from (having recently learned them all). Daniel gave a creative answer ;)

After the class performances were over we enjoyed dinner with some friends. It was a fun night!

Kiddie Acres

A few weeks ago we traveled to Austin. When we went last year the kids loved their visit to Kiddie Acres amusement park so they were thrilled when we told them we were going back.

I have fond memories of my own Kiddie Acres visits as a child so I was excited to take my own children there. The rides are all just like they were in the '80s; it's like the land that time and liability insurance forgot. It's a very small park, only about 6-8 rides, and it's never been so crowded we've had to wait in line on any visit. It would be boring for an older child but is perfect for the preschool set. All the rides are targeted to their age, everything's close by, and you can do the park pretty thoroughly in an hour and a half. In contrast to the 5-point safety harnesses we see everywhere now, these rides just have metal chains to belt the rider in loosely.

The kids crammed plenty of action into our visit and rode each ride at least once, and favorites (boats, planes, cars, 2-3 times).

Starting off our day on the boats:

Rebecca did enjoy the cars, though her expression doesn't reflect it here!

Riding the carousel with Baba:

As you can see Rebecca's favorite color these days is purple. What's sweet is that on this ride, and several others, she went for the purple car/boat/plane and Daniel left the one he was in in his preferred color to join her. It was more important to him to be with her...I know, awww!

He did talk her into joining him in the black car this time:

Riding the ponies (which, unlike the other rides, are presumably not the same ones I rode as a child):

On the train with Baba:

It was a fun afternoon and I can definitely see many repeat visits in our future.

When I showed the kids these pictures of another little blonde-haired girl's visit, they swore it was Rebecca. No way it could be Mommy!

With a much younger Baba/Dad (and before I made the unfortunate acquaintance with vertigo):

The kids resemble me just a bit, right? ;)

Kiddie Acres: making little Daniel children happy since the early '80s!