Hot Rod
so good to see jenny today-she finally got to meet the kids (she's been in japan for 3 years!!) and we got to catch up. her son, ben, 5, and jack also had a good time together, especially when they got to drive ben's motorized 4-wheeler thingy all the way to the park. if jack were blogging this, he would tell you that it had 2 speeds, and that he drove on the SLOW speed. he was so proud! jenny-hope your foot's okay from when he ran over it. :)

My Idol
this is henry. my new idol. he was telling me this weekend that he used to run 15 miles a day, 6 days a week and then run 20 miles on sunday. WHAT???? he said at first he was training for a marathon, ran it, and wanted to run more but never felt like re-training so he kept up this pace for like 20 YEARS. i am not even kidding. even more amazing is the fact that he never had any knee, hip, or joint problems. he has my undying respect as he puts my current 17 miles a week to shame. but i vow to make you proud, henry! i will not collapse during my marathon! i will use the port-a-potties instead of peeing or pooing my pants! i will even dedicate a mile to you, my favorite meathead.

Morial Day Weekend

headed to canyon lake to celebrate what jack calls "morial day" with the wright fam. i think all together there were 10 grown ups, 2 kids, 3 dogs & a cat named dolly parton. we are talking full house here. irma, you were a champ to host us all. i know you love it, but still. and pat, thanks for being on your best behavior. i didn't hear any bad language from the little mouths in the backseat on the way home (except poo poo butt, but i know you didn't teach them that). some of my favorite moments: meeting belle, the exquisitely dressed poodle, the kids hanging out in pancho's crate (i swear, this was their idea and they LOVED it!), watching dad & irma dance the robot, eating the best fried shrimp ever, jack & my mom watching sound of music together, bekah and me using our british accents to annoy the kids, and pancho humping EVERYTHING in sight. when we got home today, the weather was rainy and dark, so we're enjoying a lazy day inside before we head to church tonight.

Feeboy, We Hardly Knew Ya
we came back from our trip to find fishboy (aka "feeboy") had passed on. he was a good fish. with us for almost 5 months. it's truly a freak of nature for a pet to last longer than 2 weeks in this house. jack did really well with the news-he tried to act sad but then he started laughing. and i about died when he flushed him down the toilet-i had to run out of the bathroom so the kids wouldn't see me cracking up at what was supposed to be a somber moment. inappropriate laughing girl. it will serve me right if everyone thinks my funeral is hilarious. jack is already planning for fish #2-he wants a violet-red one named fishgirl.

malcom & stephanie's wedding
we got so goofy at this wedding, and there wasn't even any alcohol there to blame! my favorite moment (besides all the dancing, of course!) was during a slow dance when bekah sent the camera around to everyone at the table so they could take these pics of themselves. these are the times when i love being in my family. they can make anything fun.

Wide Open Spaces
we visited uncle barbara, uncle henry & uncle chuck at their place by the lake. so peaceful! jack immediately started running around and around on their acres of grass (with no stickers!!) yelling, "this is the best place EVER!" even mia enjoyed herself. and i would have been content to lay in that hammock for the rest of my life.

Going Batty
the fam is back to healthy so we ventured out into the world again today. first for a fun playgroup @ mcdonald's and then to explore the new bat exhibit at the museum. so great to be back to our nerdy selves.

Book Club Continues...
kristel-this is for you & our old amarillo book club. how long did it last? 8 months? well, it was fun nehoo. gave bitter is the new black to kris for her birthday, and she loved it and sent it back to me to read. don't you just love boomerang gifts? so it's a pretty funny memoir of a fancy shmancy girl who ends up living as white trash. hmmm. sounds familiar. judy, tracy, hoflyn and crissy-y'all will definitely like this one, too. no guarantees for anyone else.

I Caught A sweet moment in claire & mia's love/hate relationship. claire came over today while sunny was at the doctor, and the estrogen was OOC (out of control). there was a lot of pushing & yelling (done primarily by mia), flip flop stealing (okay, that was claire) and fighting over toys, jack and my lap. mia also got in trouble at school yesterday...she reportedly hit every kid in her class. wow. somebody get the girl some boxing gloves already. let's put her in the ring.

Happy Birthday, Livia!
shout out to my oldest and bestest friend. i think i used to be jealous that you turned older a whole month before me. like when we turned 16 & 21... not so much at 30, though. you can spend the next 60 years begrudging me my youth while i get all bitter about your skin never aging. :) even when we're 90, i know i'll still love ya just as much as i did in the 8th grade.

CROUP!!!! I found jack on the floor by the bathroom last night (only after dave alerted me to the noise-y'all know i would have slept right through!) barking like a seal, body burning up. after calling the nurse (kristi-i know i should have just called you-resident croup expert), i decided to sleep in his room to make sure he kept breathing. he did (LOUDLY!) with lots of fits & moans. took him to the doctor today, who gave us meds and said i probably have grown-up croup (my voice is gone) and mia will probably get kid croup any time now (maybe this would explain her being a COMPLETE CRANKMONSTER this morning??). so, we are croup-a-licious over here. things seem better today but i hear symptoms often return again at night, so...i'll probably be air mattress momma again tonight. nehoo, those scary middle of the night experiences always make me thankful to have mostly well kids most of the time.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!!!

and to the rest of you mothers, of course. :) dave and the kids took me to rockport beach as my mother's day treat. it's beautiful out there-shallow water for a loooooong way out, and it's pretty clear, too! but sun-your beach is still the best b/c it's the only one with non-rocky sand. nehoo, we ended my day-out with a FANCY meal at whataburger (well, they do serve fancy ketchup), quick baths and EARLY bedtimes. thanks for making my day special, dave! i am really feeling the froehlich love.

oh, and something totally unrelated...anyone can post comments on my blogs now (see anonymous grandma post on best weekend ever blog), so post away. but be nice, now!

WOW. what a party. we went to the other jack's 4th birthday part today, and it was FANTASTIC! it was at the athletic club, where the kids first get to play in the gymnastics room, complete with trampolines, hoola hoops, vaults, bars and a foam pit. then they're escorted (by CHAPERONES!!!) to the pool. once they get out of the pool, they are greeted (by CHAPERONES!!) with warm towels (SPOILED!), they change clothes and then get escorted into the party room, where there is pizza, cake & presents. uh, hello? we are SO having my jack's party there next year. the club provides EVERYTHING-cake, pizza, plates, cups, the works. and yes, we might be begging grandparents to help foot the party bill, but jack's worth it, right? i mean, you only turn 5 once. and he is your only grandson, and all...

Barbie, you Hussy!
You have corrupted my sweet and innocent son. Thank God you kept your panties on last night as Jack undressed you. He found it hilarious enough to discover that you sport underwear, and i can't imagine his delight if he had successfully managed to pull off your panties (believe me, he tried) and had found your "bagina." I feel a little better that at least you are not anatomically correct (yes, I checked). Just keep your plastic paws away from my son, Blondie, at least until he turns 30.

i love the rainy night

had fun watching the rain tonight. it's almost as miraculous as when it snowed here a couple of christmases ago.

Jack's new BUZZ cut

breakfast with bekah
spending time with bekah is usually unpredictable, and today was no different. as we're walking to kerbey lane this morning, she has to stop and puke on the sidewalk (partied a little too much at a wedding the night before). so i obnoxiously take a picture, and she doesn't even get mad about it. in fact, she actually wants me to blog it. and she's such a trooper that she still eats breakfast with us. love that girl!

we were austinites

this weekend. we met up with livia & jack to celebrate our 30th birthdays. granted, the celebration was a little premature, but we should live it up while we're still in our twenties, right? we saw rain (yes, it really does exist!), got starbucks every morning, ran around town lake (see, i told you we were austinites!), ate at lots of unique and funky places, shopped a bit, saw a movie, and enjoyed a smidge of the night life (momma was too sleepy to really live it up). mostly i just enjoyed the good company. :)

best weekend EVER
the kids had a great time with grandma & grandpa while we were away. it included (but i'm sure was not limited to): movies, swimming, mcdonald's, the park, chucke.cheese, unlimited snacks and chocolate milk. we came home to two exhausted and very happy kids. actually, i think all the grown-ups were feeling that way, too.

she's a flip-flopper

mia has been obsessed with flip-flops this week. trying on all the family pairs and claiming them for her own. screaming when she's not allowed to wear jack's pair out of the house, and talking about them incessantly. so we finally bought her a pair tonight at old navy. i just plopped her on the counter with the shoes on her feet so the girl could scan them without any major drama. and she was happy for a while, but at age 2 it's hard to keep a pair of flip-flops on, so she gets frustrated and throws another fit when they fall off. at this point, i am feeling frustrated, too. it's hard to deal with toddler PMS. i don't understand it. i mostly just want to hide under a rock and not deal with it at all. and it dawned on me that flip flops are perfect for mia b/c she is a flip-flopper. completely unpredictable. flipping from one mood to the next without any warning. noisy. grating. like that little part of your flip flop that rubs your toes the wrong way, you know? but i love my flip flops. my dirty, noisy, comfy pair of flip flops. they make me smile. and so does my (sometimes) sweet mia lane.

movie night

the kids had a great week at school...jack even got to take home chocolate pudding, the "good behavior" bear. here are the snugglers enjoying the fruit of their labor-relaxin' and watchin' lilo & stitch.

new music

livia informed me that jack johnson's music is not exactly new (i think "played out" was the expression she used) but it's new to me...it was pretty much the only cool thing about the curious george movie. she also said he's a hot surfer...no confirmation on that yet (see cd cover), but his voice is definitely surferish-v. smooth. jack and i fight over this cd. he thinks i bought it for him but it's MINE! MINE! MINE!

pardon the interruption

i'm praying with jack last night, and i say something like, "be with jack tonight. let him know that you are with him and that he can talk to you anytime," when he loudly interrupts with, "GOD, please help my mom to STOP PRAYING because i'm really tired and i want her to get out of my room!" oh, that sweet little cherub. i guess that's one way to get him to pray.