Grace

I apparently don't have any. Back up. Last Thursday, I took a day alone to go shopping. That was not very successful, of course, because I was born without a fashion gene. So, I called a friend, Stephanie, who very graciously agreed to go with me on Saturday. We hit the mall at 10am, ready to shop, and spend. She had told me her favorite store was Buckle. Loves it. Never leaves there without something she had to have. Well, my shopping Karma being what it is, we, of course, left empty-handed. No worries, moving on. Express, Hollister, Dillards, JCPenny, all produced finds, some better than others. Lunch! Tokyo? Nope-closed for lunch on Saturday. Pei Wei it is.

So, with renewed strength, we headed over to Phelan, starting at Trendy. Found a very cute, go out with the hubby, top. Perfect! Go out to the car, open the driver's side door--into my forehead. HARD. So, I think, maybe she didn't see it. Ouch! I don't think I can get away without her knowing about this. Nope, she saw it. I'm thinking, wow, that really hurt, I bet I have a knot. Yep-and its busted open. Great. All I can think at this point is NO! I'm shopping today, and I'm not spending the rest of my Saturday in the emergency room. Stephanie, who is my own private RN and Paramedic (no, really, she is), says, you're going to have to get it fixed. It needs Dermabond. Let me repeat--I am NOT spending the rest of my day in the emergency room! So, we head over to Doctors Express on Dowlen to have them look at it. On the ride over, I call Dennis, who is at work, to tell him. He so lovingly referred to me as Frankenstein. Wonderful. By this time, all we can do is laugh. Do you have any idea how embarassing it was to walk in to the office, and have them ask what happened? Do I really have to answer? Um, it was a fight over the last pair of shoes in the shoe department. Yeah, that sounds good. Anyway, no glue, not deep enough. Just some gorgeous steri-strips on my 3cm laceration to the forehead. The knot and swelling finally started to recede after 72 hours. Hopefully the strips will come off sometime this weekend, but the important part was that in under an hour, we were back out shopping again, and headed to Gaudie & Co. We are NOT to be stopped. We had a great time, and hope to do it again very soon. Dennis kind of hopes we wait awhile so the checking account can recover first. We'll see-it wasn't that bad. Hope everyone enjoys their Easter weekend! Watch out for those car doors-they're dangerous! Sarah

Vacation

I could use one. But didn't you just get home from vacation, you ask? Why, yes, I did. That was a family vacation. And as anyone who's ever been on a vacation with 3 boys knows, you need a Mommy vacation when you get home. We prefer the kind of vacation where you drive to your destination, which, of course, involves a pool, no matter the weather. Once there, you don't leave until the week is up, and its time to pack and go home. We stay at places with full kitchens so there is no deciding where to eat, then coralling 3 boys at a table while they wait for their food, which, of course, they will eat in half the time it takes you to eat yours. We sleep in, go to the pool, watch a movie maybe, and repeat. We usually don't want to come home. This trip, however, was much different. Left Friday after school, and by Monday, I was reconsidering the remaining 4 days. I love my children dearly. There are times, however, when they drive me mad. There is one middle child, who shall remain nameless, that has days where he wakes up and spends the entire day coming up with ways to make everyone else miserable. I must say, as far as talents go, he's very accomplished at it. Monday was one of those days. Once it begins, there is no way to stop it--believe me, I've tried. And tried. Well, we survived that day, just like all the others before it, and Tuesday was the mirror opposite of Monday. Monday was rainy, Tuesday was beautiful. Monday everyone was cranky (as a domino effect of one cranky individual), Tuesday everyone was all smiles. Tuesday was one of those days that makes you glad you didn't do anything drastic on Monday.

You know you're vacationing with boys when one says "How about a smelliest fart contest?" and you're the only one who doesn't think it sounds like a good idea in the closed up minivan. We did manage to make the whole week without any vomit, so that's a first. If anyone cares to know, we survived all of the following:

Saturday
Geocaching
Trip to Oatmeal and Bertam
Picnic and playground
Ice cream

Sunday
Longhorn caverns in Burnet
Alamo Springs Cafe in Fredericksburg
(Yes, we drove an hour and a half out of the way just to eat hamburgers at one of the top 3 hamburger joints in the state. It was worth it)

Monday
Capitol
Dr. Seuss exhibit at the Art Museum
Texas Memorial Museum at UT

Tuesday
Breakfast at Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg
A visit to a magic shop, which they loved
Nimitz Museum
The HUGE George Bush Gallery of the Pacific War
Lunch at Rather Sweet
A little shopping
Ice cream
Enchanted Rock

Wednesday
Tennis (Coy wouldn't rest until we played)
Austin Children's Museum

Thursday
(My favorite, with Tuesday a close 2nd)
We spent the day at a near-by park on Lake Travis.
Just walked along the edge of the water, the boys collecting rocks, and played.
Ice cream

Friday
Packed up, left out early, headed to San Antonio
Visited the Alamo
Lunch on the Riverwalk at Casa Rio
Stopped at a dairy in Schulenburg
HOME SWEET HOME!

Anyone else exhausted yet? Of course, someone not accustomed to vacations with children may not be impressed that we lived to talk about this week, but those of you who've done it, you understand. I'll be perfectly content if I don't have to pay to park for another year, or find my way around another downtown district that I'm not familiar with. Yes, the Ice Creams were worth mentioning, because they were probably one of the boys' favorite parts. I think next time we'll find a pool, I'll buy every variety of ice cream on the market, and we'll call it a vacation. It'll probably be the best one we ever take. Sarah

Ewwww!

Today was one of those days that tests your stomach as a mother. Cade had Cub Scouts tonight, and when we left, it was already dark. As we're beginning to pull away and head home, Kyler says, "Here Mom." Now, in the car, this happens constantly. It might be garbage, a toy he's done with, a drink he's finished with, you never know. I will be more careful from now on. I reach back, in the dark, and hold out my hand. He places it in my hand, and in a split second, I find my mind racing--"He didn't have gum. Did he not want the rest of his grape? What in the world is this disgusting feeling thing?" So, I ask "what is it?" He very proudly replies "A booger!" Ewwww! I'm sorry I asked! I can honestly say, that after 10 years of motherhood, this is a first! I never thought I'd have to establish a "no passing boogers without a kleenex" rule, but it is now on the books.

After school, and before Scouts, we raced to Beaumont to Academy for the annual fun of searching for a pair of cleats for Cade. Now, shopping for shoes for Cade is like a treasure hunt. You know there are a pair out there to fit, there has to be; but can you find it? Yesterday I was feeling optimistic, so I picked up a pair in the same size as his school shoes. I don't know what I was thinking, usually I'm much more realistic. So, today, we returned those shoes that he couldn't get his foot into, and bought a pair a size and a half larger. It turned out to be much less painful than years past. Pants, however, are a different story. Cade has managed to find the exact weight where a small is cutting off his circulation, and a medium is falling off. Hmmm, what now? Thank goodness they're required to wear a belt. Oh, and after 5 years of playing baseball (two of which Cade and Coy both played), we actually have the appropriate color belt and socks, without having to buy more! I'm super excited!

I'm also excited about our upcoming vacation, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get anything done to get us ready to leave. Usually, I have 4 lists going, and I'm on the ball. So far, nothing. I have always worked best under last minute pressure, but this is ridiculous. Packing for a family of 5 is no small feat. We also pack most of our food as well, because we don't eat out most meals while we're gone. Okay, wish me luck! Sarah