Memories from "The Beach" 2010

Last Summer we took the kids down to South Padre Island, for both of their first beach encounter.  It was a great week (in the company of good friends), and long story short, the kids have been talking about it ever since.

N: Mom, can we go to the beach again this year?

A: We'll see if Daddy says it's ok.  It's a long drive.

A few minutes passed as we drove around town...

N: Those clouds go on forever.  If I could figure out a way to get up there, I bet I could ride those clouds all the way to the beach.

Fast forward a couple of months, as we're loading into the car and getting ready to head out.

E: No!  I don't want to ride in the car.  I want to ride on a cloud!

Day One:  It was a long, but pleasant car ride (to the repeating chorus of "Are we getting close to the beach?" and "The Beach, the beach, the beach.  We're going to the beach, the beach, the beach!"  by our oldest, a tune which was quickly picked up by our youngest, and by the end of the 8-hour drive, they were both singing it in a round...or at least that's how it would have sounded if my life were really a musical, but as, sadly it's not, it was slightly less melodic)

After unloading the car and toting in our luggage, we put the kids down for a cat nap (it was about 4:30) while Jason and I made a menu and grocery list.I do about 90% of the cooking at home, but Jason and I really enjoy being in the kitchen together, even when it's just something simple like making sandwiches, so with that in mind, we thought it would be fun (and cheap) to do most of our own cooking.  With our list in-hand, we hopped back in the car (Yes, all of us...after all, this is a family vacation!) headed over to Port Isabel's Walmart for a quick grocery run.  

We returned home, stocked the fridge, and made dinner.  Then, we watched a movie (Eli's favorite, "Cars") and waited for dark, and my favorite beach-y activity...the crab hunt!

 For anyone who's never been on a night crab hunt, it pretty much goes like this: Walk around on the beach after dark with a flashlight (an adventure in it's own rite!), and scan the sand, looking for slight movement.  Alert the net-handler (in our case, Daddy) of the discovery of any catch-worthy crabs (while chasing them--they're quick-- and keeping them in your flashlight beam), collect, and dump in bucket.  Then repeat, until said bucket is full of feisty crustaceans.  (Which we always release at the end of our adventure)

We brought in a pretty good haul for an hour's worth of crabbing. Norah was scared to death to look at them.  Eli just wanted to hold the flashlight.   And Jason and I had a lot of fun.

 Day two:  Everyone slept late, then we headed down to the beach.  Being the blindingly white complected family that we are, we made sure to coat everyone with a layer of SPF 70 before making our way down.

Jason was also kind enough to set up an easy-up, so we could stay in the shade when we weren't in the water. (Which for Norah was little to no time).

Day three: Well, let's just say our "Water Baby" needed a little break from the sun. So, we decided to go visit "the turtle lady" (a term taught to us by our good friends, the Livingstons, when we went for the first time last year), aka the Sea Turtle Rescue Center.

Eli really enjoyed the turtles this year...especially the ones in the plastic tanks, who seemed to like people as much as people liked them.

Norah enjoyed walking around and looking at the different variety of turtles, and was especially interested in knowing "what was wrong" with each of the turtles she encountered.

We even got had a close up view of one the most loved residents of the rescue center, "Allison", a green sea turtle with only one flipper, who uses a special prosthetic suit to swim. 

After naps for the kids (and some obsessive puzzle working by the adults), we headed over to Pier 19 for dinner.  My favorite memory (though there were many good ones) that night might have been Eli, sitting beside Jason.  He looked up at him with his sweet little face and said, "Daddy, let's hold hands".  I had to take a photo so I would remember it.  Precious boy.

They had some goofy wooden photo boards outside, so naturally, the kids wanted to pose with them.  (Eli thought this one was an "astronaut" and Norah just liked the octopus because it was pink.)

Then, Norah spotted the mermaid and HAD to have her picture made as "Mermaid Norah"...

Which, in turn, led to the "Eli Mermaid" shots.  You wouldn't know it by his expression, but he BEGGED to get to take his picture "with the mermaid" like Norah had.

  Next, we headed down the pier for our first-ever family dolphin-watching experience.  We had originally planned to take the tour earlier in the day, but as it was a Wednesday (the slowest day of the week for them), we were the only ones who signed up for our tour, so they called and offered to upgrade us to the "Sunset Cruise" at no additional charge.  We were happy to comply.  Fair warning: Momma got a little camera-happy on the boat...

Norah was THRILLED when we finally boarded.  Eli, on the other hand, might have a little "land-lubber" blood in his veins...It took him quite a while to decide he was ok with being on the water.

Waiting for our tour boat, the "Double Sunshine" to take off...(Which, incidentally, I thought was a pretty clever name for a double-decker boat that regularly sees the sun reflected on the water)

Still a little uneasy as we were moving through the water...

But then we passed....a PIRATE SHIP!

Now THAT got his full attention!

Finally a smile!  (Although it kinda looks like to me he's secretly thinking "ARRRR!")

They let us get up and walk around once we had left the dock.  Norah LOVED roaming the ship.  She made sure we went up to the top deck (which we later discovered was the "smoker's paradise lounge", so we spent most of the tour down in our happy, nicotine-free zone.

It was a beautiful sunset--and God's majesty was really magnified by watching it reflected over the water. 

 It was a special memory to share with Norah, watching the colors change, and talking about how God made a new sunset every, single day, whether took the time to notice it, or not.

I have to admit, I don't know when the last time I intentionally watched a sunset was, but I really need to make it a point to do it more often.

Finally, toward the end of the tour, we saw a family of dolphins.  (A group of 6-7, one of which was a  baby!) It was fun watching them playfully dive out of the water in a way so graceful it almost seemed choreographed (one more amazing evidence of what a creative God we have!).  They were pretty hard for me to catch on my camera...this was as close as I got.

So, that was the first half of our vacation.  Please check back soon, and I'll try to fill you in on part two!

Somebody Get that Grasshopper a Slurpee!

Guess who's been brushing up on his painting... (I think his Daddy would be proud of the Jedi-esque "lightsaber grip" he's got on that paintbrush)

 And judging by that pride- exuberant grin, I'd say he was a little more pleased with his finished product this go-round.

Enamored is a little more like it...

You see, it's not every day that  a little boy depicts in paint the perfect specimen of a "grasshopper".  Please note the two, green, forked, front legs, as well as the yellow, hind leg, and high, bent "knee" sticking up in the rear.  And how about  those two, beady eyes!?  But my favorite detail, by far (and the one which Eli will GLADLY point out to anyone who happens by the fridge to admire his work), is his "LOOOOOONG  tongue", positioned just below his eyes, and extending down to the ground.

I love it, and plan to frame it and hang it along side of Norah's Turtle Painting from her first trip to the Children's Museum.

Meet the (Wooden) Robinsons!

Meet Norah and Eli, wooden sibling wonder duo, and proud inhabitants of Norah's latest artistic endeavor!  "And what, pray tell, do they inhabit?", you ask?

This stunning, pink, garden home, complete with curtains, flowers, and water hose! (you have to keep all those flowers alive in this summer heat, somehow!)

The south side of this lovely, 1-room home  boasts yet another garden (the house is surrounded by them!), and a "statue" (seriously, where does she come up with this stuff?)

But wait!  There's more!  Inside, you'll find a pedestal dining room table, four, matching stools and two, cozy beds, fashioned from jewelry boxes...

Each with it's own, custom, coordinating pillow case and blanket.  (The pillows are stuffed with cotton balls...the perfect size!)

What may look like just a box and some discarded trash to you, has opened a whole, new world of creativity and entertainment to a certain, beloved four year-old in Robinson County.  She played for literally 2 HOURS, uninterrupted on the floor like this yesterday, and went straight back to it the moment her feet hit the floor this morning.


Maybe there is something to the idea of just giving your kids a box to play with after all?

 Thanks to Miss Katie for the beautiful pink box and for helping Norah get her "fairy house" started during their final art lesson of the summer.  It was the perfect parting project, as it lends itself to LOTS of additions (Norah is already scheming about more furniture and home decor...we may even put up some "wall paper" or some "wood floors" with a little scrapbook paper and some mod-podge...the possibilities are endless!)

N and E have been really enjoying each other's company lately.  It warms my heart to watch them growing to be good friends.  Jason and I were pretty skeptical when they asked if they could nap together.  We thought there was no way they would actually get any sleep.  But, they proved us wrong by sacking out in less than 10 minutes, with nary a peep!

 In other news of note...Eli recently decided that he didn't like sleeping in diapers (he's been going without them in the daytime for almost a year, but I'd been nervous about letting him go overnight), so we've been diaper (and accident) free for a little over a week now.  Free at last!! 

With his new-found transition into "big boy-dom", he has also begun trying to dress himself...

He still has a little bit of trouble telling the front from the back on his shorts...but I have to give him an "E" for effort.

(And please note his new "high and tight" corps cut.  Norah wasn't sure how she felt about his "almost bald in the back" hair cut...but after I showed her how soft it felt, she was sold.

N: "Buddy, I like your fuzzy bunny haircut!"
E: "Sank you, Norah."

Side note: Almost any time she compliments him, Eli will reply with a solemn and serious, "Sank you Norah.", coupled with a single nod of approval.  It is so cute.  I can already tell how much he values her opinion.

Another side note--the pillows in the background of the first photo of E are some the fruits of my latest sewing efforts.  I cranked out 10 new throw pillows for the couch, recliner and love seat last week using black and white fabrics, with a little bit of green as an accent.  The silhouette shown is Eli, and Norah's is on the other end of the couch.  The kids are pretty proud of them, and think they are "their" pillows.  I hope to finally banish the aqua vertical blinds (that came with the house) in favor of some damask drapes sometime in the near future.

Big Girl Day

Jason and I were a unified front from early-on that there would be no holes in Norah's ears until she requested them.  (No judgment on anyone who chooses to do otherwise, that was just our decision)

Even when she started asking us about 8 months ago, we did our best to dissuade her.  It's not that we have anything against pierced ears (mine have been since I was a baby), we both just agreed that we wanted it to be her own decision, and we wanted to make sure she understood the repercussions of her choice. (ie- it WILL hurt, but only for a second, it is permanent, and you MUST take care of them.)

So, after 6 months of politely requesting and a mature display on patience on her part, we decided to give her our blessing.

We chose Fathers' Day weekend for this rite of passage, so that AA could join us for the occasion.  We started our day with our "Big Girl Breakfast" (a tradition we have each time AA comes to town) at Madden's in downtown Bryan.  (For those who aren't locals, Madden's is classified as "Casual Gourmet", although we  and most other patrons usually dress up to eat there)  These special breakfasts are a great place for Norah to practice etiquette in a social setting (we also try to do a good job of that at home, but there is something extra fun about dressing up and being a "little lady" at a special restaurant with the "big girls")

After breakfast, we headed to mall and got right down to business.  We chose "The Icing", because after inspecting the other piecing venues, it looked the cleanest, and the girl working there had the most experience in piercing ears.

After explaining (again) to N that she would have to keep the same earrings on for 6-8 weeks, she carefully selected her favorite studs.  (She chose tiny, opalescent flowers, which I loved because they would match everything!)

Next, her ears were marked...

Norah leaned forward for us to examine the marks, to be sure they were even.

Last chance to back out...

And...done.  Sad tears...but the good news is, they were short-lived.

As soon as she saw her shiny, new ear bling, she was completely happy....well, almost...

The sucker pushed her over the top.  The girl offered her two (one for each ear) and Norah politely declined, saying that "One is enough, thank you."  (I was floored!)

Smiling and posing with the sweet girl who pierced her ears, just 30 seconds ago. 

More smiles with with AA.  We were all so proud of what a trooper she was!

I will say, the new earrings might have made her a little bit vain.  Every time we passed a mirror in the mall, she had to stop and admire them.

She even asked AA for her compact mirror on the ride home.

As soon as she got home, she burst through the doors and couldn't wait to show her daddy.  Jason, of course did a great job of telling her how pretty they looked (and how pretty she was even before she had them pierced).  Then he asked her how long she had to keep them in and she confidantly replied, "68 years".

It was a special day, and one I hope she will fondly remember...especially since Jason and I don't plan on signing off for anymore piercings for a LONG time.

Cow Appreciation Day 2010

Cow Appreciation Day 2010

I've heard the commercials for Chick-fil-a's annual "Cow Appreciation Day" for the past few years and always been slightly intrigued.

Does anyone actually show up dressed like a cow?  I wondered.  So, this year, we decided to give it a try, and I must say it lived up to all the hype.

We all donned our white t-shirts, then added our "spots" (black construction paper held on with some trusty duct tape).  The cow head hats we actually had...we're weird like that.  

Norah smiles, while Eli revels in his ice cream

Actually, they were generously donated by Chick-fil-a to Children's Story Time at the library a couple weeks before, and since I'd heard that Cow Appreciation Day was just around the corner, we held on to them for the occassion.  (They also had free hats available at Chick-fil-a on Cow day, for anyone who happened into the restaurant without a costume.)

Now, if you aren't familiar with Cow Appreciation Day, you might be wondering, "Why in the world would anyone want to embarrass themselves by dressing up like a cow?"

"Moooooooooo!"

The answer, dear blog friends is simple: Free food!
The more decked out you were, the more free food you were rewarded with.  For example, if you showed up with no cow gear and just picked up a free cow hat on the way in, you got a free entree.  If you were completely cow-ified, you could pretty much have anything you wanted off the menu.  In our case, we went all out--at least by Chick-fil-a's standards (I wish I would have taken full-length shots of the kids...we all had on black shorts, and N was wearing white converse sneakers, and E was wearing black ones.)

2 kids meals, 1 adult meal, and ice cream...$0.00!

As a result, 3 free combo meals for us!  (Plus ice cream) Now, you may notice from the receipt, we only saved  $10.42.  A small token for dressing like a cow in public.  But honestly, how often does a restaurant chain feed an entire family for free?

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  We had so much fun!  There were some really creative costumes.  Our personal favorite was a table of high schoolers who all came in together.  They were all cowed-up (face paint, tails, ears, etc.), and 2 of them dressed up as a 2-man cow, each providing 2 legs, the rear person being the body (he was bent over at the waist, holding on to the guy in front) and the front person being the head and chest.  They walked everywhere in unison, and even wore a cow bell.  So funny!  (I know, I totally slacked on taking their photo...sorry!)

And, in case you were wondering, 95% of the people who came in the restaurant while we were eating were decked out in cow gear.  And the looks on that rare 5% of street-clothed folk  were priceless!  (A mixture of  confusion, annoyance that they had to pay and everyone else didn't, a small bit of remorse at being "left out" of the fun, and of course amusement at how funny the "black and white" restaurant looked) Most people who weren't dressed up took their food to go...I think they felt a little awkward/out of place.  Probably wished they had just used the drive through.

It really wasn't the least bit embarrassing because "everyone was doing it" and it was good, clean (free!) family fun.  I think we'll make it an annual tradition, and maybe even try to get a group of our friends together next year!

A Little Privacy...

Hey friends/family/lurkers, after some thought, deliberation, and prayer, I have decided to take this blog private.  As the kids get older, I think more and more about their safety, and I just don't like the idea of not knowing who is reading our life story.  I'm more than happy to share our story, I just want to know with whom I'm sharing it, if that makes sense.

So, all of this to say, if you like keeping up with our little family via this blog, please send me an email (happilymarriedrobinsons at gmail dot com) and I'll add you to my list of "invited readers" (blogger's term, not mine...you're all invited...I just want you to identify yourself).  After I hit the button to go private, all "uninvited readers" will be unable to read blog posts (future or past), so if you stop back by and can't get in, just shoot me an email and I'll add you to the list.

I apologize in advance for the inconvenience this will cause you.  (Such as not receiving notifications via google reader when new posts go up, and having to login/enter a password to visit my blog) I hate it too.  And I am guessing it will lessen the traffic I get, as well as the amount of comments I receive (which, by the way are one of my favorite parts of having a blog)...but I'm guessing that if you read this blog, then you probably care about my kids on some level (otherwise, it's probably pretty boring and you wouldn't' keep coming back), so I hope you will understand my sentiment in wanting to keep them safe.