Once Upon a Time...

...I used to have a blog.  Lately our lives have been way too crazy for me to keep up on blogging.

Lately we have enjoyed Thanksgiving and Black Friday...Nick has been busy finishing up his last semester of graduate school and is graduating this week...we have been house hunting and are finally getting close to actually buying one I think...and we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with Nick's family in Denver.  Those things sound really fun, and they are, however they also entail more tedious tasks like trying to get ready to move (thank heavens we have a relocation package and are NOT doing it by ourselves this time!) and buy all the Christmas presents (which is fun, but still work...especially with an almost 2 year old in tow).  It has just been a busy time and I am sure glad that we ran our half marathons in October and aren't trying to train for that anymore!

I am excited about the weeks to come...lots of fun and memories...however I am also looking forward to February when things have settled down and we are in a routine which largely consists of me decorating a new house.  Woohoo!  (On a side note: I will post someday perhaps about all the blah blah of buying our first home, however can I just say that I am so happy to be doing it in Texas?  Not only is it close to some of my family, of course, but home prices are great here and we are definitely going to be spoiled no matter what home we get!  We really are lucky for many, many reasons.)

Anywho, so wish us luck in all of our endeavors this next 6 weeks or so...and please don't think that we forgot your Christmas card- if you know me at all you know I only do Valentines! :) 

I sure hope we are NOT related!

Though I know Ben Franklin gets all the credit, the modern-day concept of Daylight Savings Time was introduced by George Vernon Hudson...and I am just saying that he better not be anywhere on my family tree because we are definitely NOT friends this year!  The whole time-change thing is great when you are in college or single or don't have kids...but it really bites when you have an almost 2 year old.  I am pretty sure that this week the first time I looked at the clock in the mornings the time starts with a "4".  So I lay in bed and let Leo talk til 5:20 or so....so Nick gets up and takes his turn and I get to sleep another hour some days...it still makes me grumpy and Leo grumpy.  Then I am frustrated that I am grumpy and not loving and patient and that makes me even more grumpy.  And this weekend we had 2 nights in a row with Leo in bed and built-in babysitters (we were staying at my parents') and we didn't go anywhere or do anything...we were just too tired.  That is lame.

I am hopeful that we at least get to sleep in til 6 soon so that when we go to Denver for Christmas we aren't getting up at 3-something.  Not only that- the kid is not his happy self when he is over-tired and try as I may I can't get him to nap longer than 90 minutes once a day...and no matter what time he goes to bed he still wakes up bright and early.  It is one of the greatest mysteries of the world to me...if kids are tired, why don't they just go to sleep???  Anywho, I just hope that I don't run in to Ben or George because it would not end well for them!  Here is to a better week :)

Happy Halloween Pumpkins!

We have been preparing for Halloween for far too long!  Leo enjoyed wearing his pumpkin shirt from Grammie and shouting "Happy Halloween Pumpkins!" multiple times a day.  We had a window cling that said "Happy Halloween" with a bunch of pumpkins on it and he really loved it.

I was more concerned about picking out a pumpkin than Leo was, but he obliged me.  We didn't carve one this year but decorated a couple with stickers.  Leo really just liked trying to roll them.

We started off the Halloween festivities by going to the Cosby's neighborhood party.  It took Leo a bit to get into it, but I think he enjoyed it after a few minutes.

He really liked throwing the balls for one game...

...and mostly Nick and I just ended up running after them.  At least he found something he enjoyed!  

To celebrate on Halloween day we hit up Chipotle for their $2 "boorito" when in costume.  Leo wore his farmer outfit (the best we could come up with this year...the kid won't wear anything on his head so our costume choices were limited.  He has been really into all things farm lately so it was a natural, albeit simple, fit.)  Anywho, Nick went as a Chipotle burrito :)

I made a make-shift witch hat out of construction paper and a headband this afternoon so I could get a "boorito" too.  Naturally Leo didn't eat any of his but Nick and I enjoyed it!  Plus it was fun to see the other costumes while we were there.

Who knew Leo would LOVE trick or treating?  He had no hesitation about going up to any door, knocking, and saying "trick or treat".

He got all too comfortable reaching the in the bowl and grabbing a handful...luckily he has little hands!

Below is his first ever trick or treating experience!  You have got to love Texas hospitality too...everyone was so friendly and cute with him.

His bucket got heavy quickly and we ended up carrying it most of the time...and him a bunch of the time too!  I thought about taking his wagon to pull him in but we only hit up 13 houses...he is still pretty little after all and it was past his bedtime.  He had a really cute Halloween bag my mom had made, however I was worried he would end up dragging it and so we opted for the bucket tonight.

He kept asking for "more" after each house and couldn't wait to enjoy his first Twix and Smarties as we were still canvassing the neighborhood.

We are so happy that he really enjoyed this holiday- it is really fun to celebrate the holidays with a kid!

I was pleased that I didn't have to coax him to say "thanks" and he told every house at least once.  Sometimes he would say "Happy Halloween" and "bye" too...I know it doesn't seem like it and this subject is a whole other post, however Leo is super verbal.

Leo's favorite part was this light-up projection thing that had these firework/flower things spinning and rotating.  He could have stayed there ALL night!

We got him in bed just about an hour late, without a bath tonight.  He thoroughly enjoyed this Halloween and I am really excited to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with him this year!  And just for the record, Nick was so excited about going trick-or-treating with Leo tonight...far more than I anticipated.  It was cute to watch them :)  

And by the way he was the cutest farmer you've ever seen :)  Although I do hate when they figure out the whole "say cheese" thing because then all the pictures look like the above instead of a real smile.  Oh well.

Half way there?

Nick and I ran a half marathon together on Saturday.  It was okay, but not really what I was hoping for and since Nick is doing another one in just a few weeks I am now wondering if I should have signed up for a second chance too...I have til the end of the week to decide.  I'll keep you posted...and someday blog more about our race.

We are having a hard time...

Leo is seriously in a funk of some sort.  The kid won't sleep.  I'm tired...mostly mentally and emotionally.  We checked in with the Dr. today just to make sure all was well and he told me that Leo is in perfect health so we may just be getting into the "terrible twos" a little early.  Oh great.  Is that comforting?

Lucky for Nick, he has events the next two nights so I get to listen to Leo yell and scream and cry all by myself.  Wahoo.  Is there anything sadder than listening to your kid cry "mommy, mommy, mommy" for an hour?  I think not.  I know it is a little early but "bahumbug!"

Our little summer vacation

(I happened to have the camera on Nick & Leo when Shamu made his first jump...I think this shot is absolutely priceless!  I sure love my boys!)

So we were tied to Houston for the summer as Nick was completing an internship with ExxonMobil...Nick living with my parents during the week and commuting home for the weekends and Leo and I staying a few days here and a few days there pretty much all summer.  It wasn't as bad as we thought, however it was a lot of driving for us...especially me & Leo.  All in all he did great- dvd players in the car are such a life-saver!  However after 14 long weeks of commuting and missing great vacations on both sides of the family, we were happy to be done and return home to College Station.  School didn't start for another 2 weeks and so we decided to take a quick trip to San Antonio for a little vacation...we weren't at all bitter about the fact that we missed the Woodbury family cruise to Alaska or spending time at SI Bar with Grandpa Elmo's new horse...we just needed a vacation! :)

(Luckily Leo napped on the way to San Antonio!  You would have thought that it was vacation enough just letting him have his nuk and "puppy" (blanket) in the car...he thought that was pretty great.)

 So we drove over on a Tuesday and settled in to the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch.  Our first stop was at Krispy Kreme- there are donut shops a plenty in Houston but no Krispy Kremes!  It felt like a vacation already :)

(Donut lovers!  Leo wouldn't wear the hat...but Nick didn't have a choice!)

Leo has really gotten in to donuts lately too because we reward him (and us!) with a Shipley's donut after our long runs on Saturday.  He has discovered sprinkles and now prefers a whole sprinkle donut to the much easier and not as messy donut holes.  Sigh.  At least it is cute, right?

(Our room at the Hyatt resort-  the life-saver kitchenette, Leo's makeshift bedroom, and Leo jumping on the bed)

We were pleased with our room at Wild Oak Ranch- it had a little kitchen area and a little living room area where we rearranged the furniture to make a "bedroom" for Leo, complete with rocking chair.  We ventured out to explore the resort a little bit, ate at their restaurant, and played for a few at the "beach" by the lazy river the first night before putting Leo to bed and making a plan for SeaWorld the next day.

(The beautiful resort- lazy river, watching and learning from the girls in the pink bathing suits, digging in the sand with Dad, dumping water, and the "yes I just ate sand and I'm not sure if I like it" face)

We were among the first people to the park on Wednesday and had an awesome parking spot.  We had packed lots of sunscreen and snacks and were ready to make a day of it.

(There was no line for tickets and the bag-checker told me our bag was "expertly packed"...woohoo!)

First we explored the Sesame Street "Bay of Play" a tiny bit and watched a 4D Elmo film...Leo wouldn't wear the glasses but loved it anyway.

(Watching the seals, mommy & baby seal napping, Leo trying to be a big kid, and too cute watching seals!)

Then we visited the seals, otters, and sea lions before their show.  There was a baby taking a nap on its mom that was so cute and Leo loved pointing out which ones were mommies, daddies, and babies...this is a new thing he loves to do.  Pretty much everything is either a mommy, daddy, or baby around here.

It was fun to see Leo interact and copy the older kids too.  He is still my baby but he seems so grown up and it seems like he has such a desire to act like a big kid...slow down already Leo!

(I know it doesn't look like it here, but I promise Leo really loved the penguins...real, stuffed, or costume!)

We watched other shows and visited other animals, like the penguins that Leo apparently loves, before grabbing lunch.  We let Leo play in the small water park for kids and then dashed over to see Shamu...of course Leo fell asleep on the way there so we let him take a catnap in the stroller instead.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- every time we try to go nap free we wish we hadn't.  Period.

(Sesame Street, a wheel, AND playing in water? What could be better?  Perhaps just the merry go round with Dad and Mom a few (dozen) times!)

We had a fun day but it was clearly time to go so we headed back to the resort after grabbing a Happy Meal.  Leo was zonked and I didn't feel so great either- I thought it was just a long day in the sun and such, but later I realized that I had caught Leo's hand/foot/mouth and most likely had a fever that day :(  I crashed pretty early after taking a bath.

(The lazy river/beach combo was great for the whole family and the weather couldn't have been better!)

The next day we spent the morning at the resort and let Leo play at the lazy river after we got in our 4 mile run...even if it is vacation you do not skip exercise! :)  The resort had a regular pool with slides and games and such and also a lazy river that had a beach part.  Leo loved trying to fill up the hole in the sand with water...something he saw older kids doing.  After a quick nap we headed back to SeaWorld to hit up a few faves- merry go round anyone?- and make sure we saw Shamu this time.

(Anxiously awaiting Shamu, seeing him jump with Dad, classic SeaWorld shot)

Leo couldn't get enough of "Grover's round up" merry go round and rode it time and time again...always saying "horse...up, down...yeehaw...up, down" over and over again.

(One last ride on Grover's round up and seeing the dolphins before it was time to go home)

Shamu was well worth the wait and I got the ice cream I had been wishing for :)  Nick got to see the dolphins up close too so we were all happy campers.  We let Leo pick out a souvenir before saying adieu...he only had eyes for this particular stuffed penguin which he calls "peng".  Original, no?

(Peng!  Leo liked him to ride in the stroller with him after we bought him...good thing the gift shop was the last thing on our list, right?  Peng rode in the car seat on the way home and slept in bed that night- Leo was thrilled with him and loved to kiss his beak.  He has always been very loving!)

We grabbed dinner and headed back to the resort.  The next morning it was already time to pack up and we wished we could have stayed many more days.  We took advantage of the lazy river one more time- being there early was great as we had the "beach" to ourselves!

(One last ride around the lazy river!)

Then it was back to the car for the long drive home.  One more stop at Krispy Kreme and a few hours later and our fun was over.  We had so much fun going on our first real family vacation...you know, not visiting family or going with other family or whatnot...and have vowed to do it more often.  It was so much fun and just what we needed to be ready to start Nick's last semester of college- ever!