Winter Wonderland

The kids and I were sitting inside the house.  Evan was playing Wii.  Lauren was watching Blue's Clues, and I was on the computer.  I looked outside the window next to our desk at the beautiful sunny day and thought to myself, "Why are we inside?"

I made Evan turn off the video games (Oh! horrible day!), and I called Lauren downstairs.  I wanted to do something, but I didn't really want to get the kids ready to go anywhere.  We ventured into the backyard.  What to do... what to do... They always play on the trampoline, and they get tired of their toys quickly.  What could we do that would be fun and interesting?

So I did what any mother would do in the middle of winter...

I put the kids in swimsuits and filled up the kiddy pool with water.

Wait.  What?!

Yes, today in Laredo the high is 89 degrees.  I can hardly believe it myself, but there it is.  So, yes, in the middle of winter, my kids played in the pool.  And they had fun.  Until Evan poured a bucket of water on top of Lauren, and then she was done.

But for that 5 minutes, it was perfect.

Proof that I do not fib

Let's Go To The Movies!

Last night my husband called me at 5:45 on his way home from work.  He asked how the kids were doing. (They've been sick with stomach virus. Fun.) I told him they seemed to be feeling better.  He suggested we go to the dollar theater to see Megamind at 7:00pm.

Does anybody else notice how little time that is to get kids ready to go?

I somehow got me and the kids ready to go in time, and we even made a stop to dine-in at Taco Bell.  We got to the theater just a little bit after it started.  How did we do that?

I really like the "dollar" theater in Laredo.  (It's actually $1.75.) I've been to some in other locations before, and they're usually gross.  The Cinemark 12 is really clean.  And it makes me laugh because the decor is soo 80's complete with cheetah print doors and bright neon geometric shapes. It's like stepping back in time.

We went on a Monday night which apparently on Mondays if you have a party of 3 or more it's only 75 cents per ticket.  We had to pay a little extra because the movie was in 3-D.  Our whole family only paid a little over $8 to see the movie.  That's less than a normal ticket for one person!  EXCITING!

Our kids were surprisingly good.  The last time I took the kids to a movie, Lauren was a newborn and cried the whole time.  Evan ran around the theater and eventually ran into the lobby with his pants around his ankles.  It was great...  *note sarcasm*  This time they were fantastic.  Lauren sat in her seat the whole time and held my arm.  Evan bounced from lap to lap, but he was overall really good.

I asked Evan what his favorite part of the movie was, and he said, "Watching the movie."  Duh.  I should've known that.

So if you're looking for a cheap way to have some fun with your family, I would definitely recommend Cinemark 12.  We had a really good time, and I'm glad my husband had such a great idea.  :)

We wear our 3-D glasses at night

Lauren-dini - The Magic Escape Artist

My daughter will be two next month.  She encompasses already everything that you would expect from a two year old.  Independent.  Sassy.  And stinkin' cute whenever she acts that way.

A few days ago, I let her play in the backyard.  Our backyard is fenced in.  It's one of the things I love about this house--the ability to let my kids play outside without worry!  It has a gate, but it's usually latched and out of reach for my little girl.

She loves it outside.  She also loves to explore.  She loves pushing boundaries.  I was on the computer, but I had the back door open, so I could check on her.  Imagine my surprise when my neighbor knocks on the door.

Apparently, Lauren had gotten our gate open somehow and walked two houses down.  My neighbors saw her, talked to her, and she started running back to the gate.  They had come to tell me, so I would know.  They were super sweet about it, and I'm very lucky to have such nice neighbors.  I still felt like the worst mother in the world, but I vowed to be more vigilant.

Go to today.  I've started running three times a week, and my sister-in-law has kindly agreed to watch my kids while I do in exchange for watching her kids while she exercises.  It's a pretty sweet trade-off.  I got back, and we were sitting in the kitchen chatting.  We could both hear the kids upstairs playing and laughing.  Imagine my surprise when I got a call from my neighbor saying my daughter was on my street.

My sister-in-law's house is about 5 houses away from me, but they're on a different street.  My daughter had walked almost all the way to my house... by herself.  The garage door was open, and we didn't realize it.

So, now I know it's at least not just me since my sister-in-law was as clueless as I was.  That makes me feel slightly better, but honestly...  what am I going to do with this girl?

I'm just really grateful that we live in a nice neighborhood with nice neighbors.  Thanks to everyone who has caught her so far.  I promise that I'm not a terrible mother.  As my sister-in-law said, "Just let them watch her for an afternoon, and they'll understand.  That girl is FAST!"

The culprit

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

Holy crap!  I didn't sign up for this cold weather when I moved down here!  I was really loving the upper 70 degrees that we were getting.  In fact, I was constantly bragging about it to my family whenever they complained about it being cold in Alabama.  And then THIS happens...

Good news is it's supposed to be back in the 80s on Monday.  Is that what "winter" consists of in Laredo?  Two or three days of really cold weather, and then it's over?

Seriously, though, I think I've become a cold weather wuss since I moved here.  I've been spoiled by the warm weather.  I just want to bundle up and do nothing all day until it gets warm again.  Who's with me?!