Dallas

It's been one day since our return from Dallas, Texas. I think we have finally recovered from what I would call a whirlwind, extremely hot, family excursion.
Thanks to my Aunt Mary, my entire family was able to gather together in Dallas to honor my cousin James and his new family for their one year wedding anniversary. I saw some cousins for the first time in 11 years. Too long! The trip was packed with family events from a barbecue, a formal reception, to a baptism then brunch. I don't feel like I was able to talk with and enjoy any of these people enough. But I'm not sure if any amount of time would be enough. I absolutely LOVE being with my Kansas and Texas clan!

Some highlights include an evening walk with the kids in 100+ degree weather. You can tell by the red faces how hot it was!



The roof top pool at the Hilton provided hours of entertainment for everyone. The adults especially enjoyed the phone you picked up and magically drinks would arrive. Here is Luke and Thomas enjoying a shade break by the window. You can see how high up the pool is.



Serious cousin bonding time for my and Mark's kids. So much so that tears were shed by one 7 year old who shall remain nameless. I watched Andrew sulk down the hallway with his head bowed upon saying good bye. Ugh! Heartbreaking!



We got to dress up for the occasion. Something my family almost never does. In fact, my boys wore ties for the first time! Highlight of this evening was the dance show our kids put on. Zac and Andrew paired up, Thomas and Claire did some sort of slam dance routine, and Luke just wanted to feel the music alone. And wow did he feel it! You had to be there. It was hysterical! We (Susan and I) were also smart enough to cut it short and call it a night so perhaps the adults could enjoy the live music and the dance floor as well!







We managed a quick tour of Dallas that included a stroll through Dealey Plaza where JFK was shot, a drive through Butch's Alma Mater, SMU, and a hilarious glass elevator ride for the kids. Eric took this pic when we thought we were going to go up in this building. But for security reasons we couldn't. The elevator wasn't quite as high, but I assure you I am not complaining!



It's hard to pick a favorite part of the trip, but seeing my twin cousin, lovingly nick-named MC (Middle Claire), takes a top spot!

Connections

Zac and I had a play date the other day with a small group of his friends from school and their moms. I too have become friends with these women and enjoy them all so much. That night I lay awake "solving the problems of the world" as my mom would say. It was then that it occurred to me how rich, unique, and special these relationships are. We all have the obvious in common: our kids, their siblings, school, soccer, etc. We talk about our husbands, clothes, and the T.V. shows we watch. The usual girlie chit chat. But what's even more obvious that I never quite realized before is how different we are. The host is Peruvian and speaks Spanish. Another is Chinese, speaks Mandarin, and was raised in New Zealand. My closest friend of the group is Hawaiian and married to a Japanese man. Then the other woman is middle eastern who speaks Arabic. Then there's me! (Wow I need to learn another language.) I have gotten to know these women over a 2 year period and not once have I thought about how amazingly cool this mosaic is.

Now I have made other connections with moms and dads at Zac's school that will always remain what I call "surface" friendships. On the 4th of July I had this conversation with a fellow school mom during Claremont's Memorial Park celebration. After small talk about how our summer has been going I asked if they were going to the 4th of July parade?

Mom: No. It just keeps getting weirder and weirder every year.

Me: (Head tilted with a quizzical look.) Really? (Knowing what was coming but hoping to not hear it.)

Mom: Yeah. Those liberals you know, they just...(eyes rolling and a giggle).

Me: (A smart ass giggle) Yeah. Those liberals!

Surface relationship sealed!

Now those of you who know me well are thinking, "Maria! Just because she isn't a liberal doesn't mean you can't be friends." And I agree. (Although admittedly I really like a good progressive. ;)) It's just that it was assumed that I would jump on board with her bigoted comment. We may look alike, but that doesn't mean we think alike!

So Far

Quick summer catch up...

Father's day was spent at Peterson Automotive Museum. Dad and Eric were in heaven. I chased Luke.



We saw an advanced screening of Car's 2. Here is what Luke did until dad picked him up. Guess he wasn't quite ready for his first movie.



Swimming lessons commenced. Zac was the youngest in his class with kids up to 11 and 12 years old. I am so proud of him. He worked so hard! They had to swim for 30 minutes without stopping, do all of the various strokes including butterfly, and perform some life saving tasks. It was a little painful to watch. But he was a champ. Claire passed level 2...again. We don't need to push Claire. She is happy taking things slow! I must say, her teacher was especially amazing this session! ;)



A little inside joke among the poolside moms. She even lied about her age. She told him she was 6!


This picture I had to post because Zac is standing over my shoulder and asked me too. It is pretty cute.

Every summer I am reminded how hard it is to be a stay at home parent. I so admire all of the mom's who can do it without complete emotional break downs on a daily basis. Although I appreciate this time with my kids and I am doing my best to savor each moment, I am struggling to hold on to what little sanity I have left. And it's only July 1st. Ugh!

Consideration

Last time Sara visited I thought she was ignoring me when I came into her bedroom asking her a question and she was clearly awake not answering me. I began to get angry but as I got close to her I realized she had her earphones in and was listening to her ipod. My bad.

This visit she was considerate enough to think of me so I wouldn't be offended.

I love the developing sense of humor that comes with maturity. Awesome!

First Recital

Claire was busy this week. Saturday afternoon she had her first ballet recital, the Ragdoll Wedding. Somehow I was named "class coordinator" which is HI-larious for those of you who know me well. Part of this job entailed coordinating a basket for the raffle. With some advice from the nice mom's in the class and my mom, I braved Wal-mart and created a "family fun night" basket that wasn't really a basket because I filled up a popcorn bowl with movie tickets, DVD's, a few games, popcorn, and candy. It cost $93 total and with 10 kids in the class I thought it was perfect. Until of course I dropped it off and set in down next to baskets the size of a toilet. Another flash back to college when I would proudly hang my hard work on the wall and then the rest of the class would show up and suddenly I wasn't so proud. (I got a C in that class by the way. Who get's a C in art???!) Oh well. It was my first attempt and a young kid ended up winning it so I figure he was excited.

Anyway, I spent the recital back stage with Claire which was really fun actually. I loved helping all the little girls and boys stay pretty and mildy calm. Claire was just so anxious to get out on that stage. And when she did it was adorable! She was all smiles and I was on the side of the stage all tears. We, I mean she, can't wait to do it again next year!

Thank you to:
Lisa for teaching me how to put Claire's hair in a bun.
Mom for going an hour early to save seats.
Diana for going to the photo shoot and buying the pictures.
Eric for braving a 2 1/2 hour show with the remaining 3 kids!

The Graduate

Claire Elizabeth was a super star today at her graduation from the Early Childhood Center. I was far more prepared this time after experiencing Zac's in 2008. So sorry to all those first borns out there. I am more relaxed with each child. It's great!

Thanks to dad, who stopped by the church early to save 8 seats, we had a great view. Lisa, Allie, and Zoe came as well as Sara. Zac giggled through the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwhole show and screamed loud when Claire went up to the microphone to announce that she can clean her room all by herself. (Hmmm. I haven't witnessed this amazing skill!) Luke was transfixed and sat still in my lap the entire time. Butch and RoRo also enjoyed the performance that ended with RoRo crying along with every other grandparent. It was hilarious!




Now I know that I am extremely bias but Claire was really good! She knew every word to every poem and song and projected her voice beautifully. They did a dance to a song by Happy Crowd and I'm telling you, she rocked out! The teachers told me afterword that she always did it right, but with the audience today she really went all out. That's my girl!



Almost every picture we took was blurry but Eric did get one video of Brown Bear, Brown Bear with sign language. Enjoy!

A Glimpse

Yesterday was Memorial Day. I admit that I have been a little out of it lately with all of the end of the school year happenings that when I drove to church on Sunday and noticed a few houses with flags waving I thought to myself, "Wow, they are decorating really early for the 4th!" Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that. But it's so me!

I got up early yesterday and Luke and I went to Target for two things. This was the first.


Just a glimpse of his future as soon as I have a week to kill. He was pretty excited but I'm not sure he is ready for what's to come.

The second thing we got was this.



It really wasn't that warm and the kids were purple. Actually purple! But they had a blast. The cousins came over later and joined in the fun. I hope this is just a small taste of a fun summer to come!