rodeo. 2011.

If you live around these parts, then you are well aware of the phrase, "Let's ROOOODEO, San AntoOOOnio!"  So, if you are familiar with that little jingle, then sorry I just got it stuck in your head.  :)  But, it's for a good cause.

I'm updating my blog.  DUH!

So, back in mid-February we took a little jaunt out to the Rodeo.  Lots of fun.  Tillie STILL talks about how much fun it was.  And, really, it wasn't SO spectacular with amazing things everywhere---but it was good old fashioned fun. 

I'd tell you all about it, but I think you'll catch the drift if you scroll through the photos taken that day.  I love Tillie's outfit.  It happens to be one of Calvin's Sunday shirts.  She rocks it.  And, is it amazing that they are pretty much the SAME SIZE?  Yes.  I'll answer that.  19 months a part and *pretty much* the same size. 

well, go ahead and enjoy ALL y'all.

is it bad that I am kind of gagging when I see these pictures of her touching farm animals?  does that make me a city slicker?

again, the goat hoof over Aaron's arm?  Gagging.

creepy goat EYE?  check!

can't believe how brave this girl is...

oh yes, that is right... she is TOUCHING HER MOUTH!?! IN THE PETTING ZOO---no wonder I am freaking out.  And, yes, this is AARON taking the picture.  Oh my word.  So sickening.  It's a good thing I was in the waiting area with Calvin and didn't spot this---otherwise I would have taken her to the bathroom and sanitized her whole FACE!  sigh.  wow.

a little too drizzly outside for my comfort, but all in all, it was a good time.  And, hello, look how ADORABLE Matilda is with that great orange umbrella.  The next few are too cute for words.

Aaron is a good good man.

Again, my secret fears of farm animals come out.  Hello, did you READ the caption under the MASSIVE horse?  Yeah.  You'd be worried too.

but wow, so impressive at the same time!!

this is the kind of horse I'd like to own---the plastic kind.  :)

yes, I did purchase a matching outfit.  I just don't have many chances to wear it around town. 

pure delight. for so many reasons.  Ewe're special indeed.

Little known fact about Cal---he is in LOVE with anything soft.  No wonder he LOVED the little chickies.  Too cute.

again, Tillie was TOO close for comfort.  And, I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but those pigs were going WILD!  I think that's where we get the phrase, "Going HOG WILD."  Seriously, they were nuts.  And, yes, I am paranoid.

and yes, Aaron heard an ear full as I was demanding he needed to scoot Calvin away from the PIG PEN.  I was sure the pig was going to whip around and bite off his fingers.  Luckily, for ALL parties involved, the pig kept his head in the metal bucket.  Hallelujah.  Close call.

Don't be mad if I wanted to buy a custom sign.  Hello.  How cool would that be?  I thought it would be fun to buy Aaron the one that says, "The Man Cave"---but he didn't think we should.  That's weird.  But wait, I spied something pretty phenomenal...  Do you spy it too?

Let's zoom in.  It was fate.  I SHOULD have bought it right there and then, but alas.  I had to walk away.  Maybe next year...

ahh, gotta love the gross CARNY scene.  Kind of magical, but gaggy at the same time.

Hmmm... I wonder what they sell at this stand? 

the guy trying to convince Aaron to do the dart throw.

Giving it a whirl.

pretty sweet of the guy to give the balloons to the kids.

Wow.  And that is it?  I thought there were a few more, but alas, guess not!  hA!
Well, at least that was a nice happy note to end on.

Note to self, roll up your pants when stomping around in WET and MUDDY Animal stalls.  I had regret all over when I realized my pants were wet to my calves.  Can we say UH OH?  yeah.  uh oh.

Wet pants aside, it was a good time and I think it's safe to say we're gonna be there next year. 

And with that, "LET's ROOOOOODEO, San AntOOOOOnio!"

Sister Emily comes to town!

My lovely sister decided to come visit us Texas folk on her very-few-day-precious-break-time.  She was just about to start a new job and had a few days of happy vacation to fill.  And, to think!? She wanted to buy a ticket and travel ALL the way from Boston to San Antonio to see us?!?!  We are lucky.  And, so glad she came.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, we love having our family come see us! I love how fun and easy going her trips are.  No big agendas, just time to hang out, talk, eat, and nap.  :)  The best vacations ALWAYS include naps.

 she's such a trooper sitting in the little middle back seat.  the kids loved her being back there!

One of the days, we opted to head over to Boerne and check it out.  It's always a fun little trip looking in all the little shops.  However, with two toddlers in tow, it's not as "awesome".  We went to a little burger joint and got lunch.  As you can see below, Tillie really enjoyed it.  Great face, Til.  

Em saw an antique high chair in a 2nd hand kid shop.  She decided to put Cal in to try it out.  I'm just grateful he didn't break the thing.  :)  But, check out how OLD he looks in these pictures?  Insane.  Who knew he's a TENDER 15 month old in this picture?!  Crazy.

On one of the days, Aaron and I had to go meet with our builder.  Knowing we couldn't take the kids (nothing productive would have happened at the meeting), Em volunteered to not only watch the kids, but to take them to SEAWORLD by herself!?!  Part of the reason was b/c we needed to be out of the house to get it photographed by our realtors, but she could have just opted for a playground.  Instead, she went BIG and did it by herself for a few hours until we were able to meet up with them!  Amazing!

She even let them buy some fish to feed the dolphins?!  Hello!?  What a cool aunt!

Here are some of the photos she took while she was with them (I shamelessly stole these from her blog):

Gotta love Tillie's face above.  They love watching the Beluga Whales.  Can't you tell?

We joined up with them as they were coming out of the show... Amazed at all Em was able to do with them already!  Here are some more shots through out the day...

Oh the drama...  Do you love how BOTH children are devastated?  Me too.  Thank you late lunch and no naps.  Amazing, how once you show them they are going to eat pizza how quickly their mood changes.  Pizza makes frowns turn upside down---at least in this household.

 

  

Gotta love these next ones of Calvin giving the new Bay of Play's splash pad the STINK eye.  Amazing I was able to catch it in three different photos.  Too funny.

And there you have it.  A fun trip with a fun sister.  Good times.  Thanks, Em!

the world spins madly on.

I don't know if you are familiar with one of my favorite bands, The Weepies, but if you aren't, you should get acquainted. They are great. Anyway, I really love most every song of theirs, and the title for this post is actually one of their songs, "World Spins Madly On"---here's the song for your listening pleasure. As I was just barely listening to it, I discovered it's quite SAD and melancholy. HA! Oh well. I still like it.

ANYWAY, I haven't posted in a while. You know that. I do too. Don't you have those times where it feels like life is moving by so fast? That's what this last little while has been like. Here are some of the reasons I haven't stopped to blog:

::: We are building a house.

bad lighting at the Design Center, but here's a little preview.
p.s. the cabinets will be bright white, not the cream color shown.
p.p.s. the swirly carpet in the background will NOT be in our house. In case you were getting nervous.

::: One reason it's been like a whirl-wind, is you get a bonus if you design everything in the first 2 weeks. Boo-yah. I love bonuses. You'd better believe we jumped on that one. Of course, with every decision there are pros and cons.

Cons? Melissa has anxiety issues. Making decisions of any kind wig me out. Heck, I have a hard time choosing a candy bar. Ask me to choose a tile color? Forget about it. But, since that bonus kept dangling in front of my nose, I persevered.

Although, these last few weeks I kept asking myself, "Why did you not save a binder full of your favorite paint colors? favorite features? etc." Oh well. Live and learn. It has been a little crazy trying to figure what things make sense for us, but hello, overall, it's been rad.

I can't wait to show pictures over the next few months. The Pros about this whirlwind--- we did it, and we did it fast. Aaron and I are loving that we can put our feet up and quit analyzing people's soffits and facias. Sounds awkward. It's not. Google it.

::: Keeping your house SPOTLESS (literally) is a work out. Luckily, I love to sweat all the time, so it's okay. Since we have listed our house, it's been a trick to keep every toy tucked away in it's bin, every dish cleaned minutes after they've been used, and every load of laundry put away promptly (I've never been good at actually putting the clothes back in the drawers). But, it's kind of a wonderful thing to walk into your house after a long day and go, "Wow. Our ENTIRE house is in a state of perfection!"---It's a nice feeling, really. Who knew?!

::: Okay, enough about houses. My sister, Emily, just went back to Boston. She got to stay for a whole week!! It was great. Low key. Great conversation. Good movies. Delicious food. Wonderful time. I forget how much I love my family around. She is the bomb. I don't think I took very many pictures, but she made up for it. :) So, once she gets around to posting them, I'll provide the link for your viewing pleasure. I'm good like that.
Just know, it was wonderful having her in my home, playing with and loving my kids, helping me keep our house "photo ready", and just being around her. She's a good one. I can't believe how lucky I am to be her sister.
On another crazy note, she is back in Boston's 42 degree weather. Yesterday at SeaWorld it was 90 degrees. The sun was out! Unfortunately, Cal and Tillie's faces can vouch for that. Note to self: sunscreen needs to be applied more liberally.

::: Speaking of weather, can you believe that it's barely APRIL and we're already in the 90's? Oh my. South Texas summer, here we come. I am constantly thanking the heavens for air conditioning.

::: We went to the NEISD Used Book Sale today. Oh my word. I look forward to April every year in San Antonio. This used book sale rocks my socks off. Unfortunately, I forgot that this year it opened to the public on FRIDAY, so I probably missed some great books yesterday, but don't worry. I got my fair share today. It's great b/c the books are $0.50/paperback and $1/hard bound. Amazing. Pretty much, our home library is is made up of books exclusively from this sale.
I scored some great ones today. In years passed, I went with some favorite friends. But alas, they moved away. I'm thinking next year I shouldn't be so stingy. If you're interested in joining me next time, holler. I have a system now.   I am a pro.

Anyway, that's all for now. We've got an even crazier few weeks ahead of us, but they are going to be SO MUCH FUN.
I'll tell more about it all later, and then you'll see.
Just don't say I didn't warn you.