Sea World / San Antonio, Oct. 2010

The Husband and I have been promising to take Little Man to Sea World for a few months now so when we saw the weather was really going to be nice, we took off on our 3 1/2 hour trip. Little Man was so excited! He wanted to go right when we pulled into town but we explained to him that we would go the next morning....he was not too happy about having to wait. :D

The River Walk in downtown San Antonio.

Beautiful weather - such a relaxing boat tour.

Loved the architecture!

Finally we're here!

Little Man was only tall enough for 2 rides. The Journey to Atlantis and the Shamu Express Kiddie Roller coaster. As you can see above, The Journey to Atlantis WAS NOT a kiddie ride.

I was really surprised that Little Man agreed to go!

Here's the description of the ride per Sea World: "Journey to Atlantis," is part roller coaster, part water ride. Start your journey by climbing the 100-foot-high lift onto a turntable which rotates you backwards. Take a moment to enjoy the panoramic view of San Antonio, then dive backwards through a reverse camelback and onto the second turntable. One more spin and then the final plunge into a lake.

For someone who is scared of heights, I can't believe I was so gung-ho about the ride! I really was! Until I realized a couple of things at the top of the "final plunge". 1) What I thought was a strategic move, sitting in the front row to not get soaked, turned out to be the scariest place to sit! 2) We're 100 feet in the air!

That's us in the front row! Me holding onto Little Man for dear life, with my eyes closed because I don't want to see our big plunge. Little Man covering his eyes because he doesn't want to get splashed in the face. And The Husband with a death grip on Little Man and Little Man's backpack, with his eyes closed too. Seriously! We lifted up out of our seats on the way down and I felt my stomach go up into my throat....seriously it did! And I accidentally let an expletive fly out but thank goodness Little Man didn't hear me! ((gringe))

Little Man thought getting soaked was hilarious! Kept saying, "Daddy, you're all wet, Ha Ha Ha!" Followed by, "Let's go again!" Oh my, I think we have a dare-devil on our hands. :D

Waiting for the fans to kick on.

Thank goodness they had a Body Dryer machine at the ride's exit. Worked really well!

Little Man and I waited in line at least 1/2 hour for the Shamu Express roller coaster. And the ride itself took all of 35 seconds! We're the next to the last car but you can't really see us since we're going SUPER FAST!

And here's an interview with Little Man before we headed back to the hotel. Not really interested in giving us his thoughts on the Sea World visit...just wants to eat his yummy ice cream!

If you have a chance to go to Sea World in San Antonio, I highly recommend that you go in October. The weather was so nice and when you have to wait in line....you'll really appreciate it.

Oh, and take a stroller or better yet, a Baby Jogger with a sun visor. A 32 lb kid gets REALLY heavy toward the end of the visit. :)

Halloween Jib Jab Video

When the husband is out of town, I have a lot of time on my hands to play on the Jib Jab site (beware to anyone whose picture I have on file). :D

Thought I'd do a video Starring Little Man and his cousins for Halloween!

Cast of Characters:

Dr. Frankenstein - Little Man

Frankenstein - Cousin C

Bride - Cousin R

Dracula - Cousin C

WolfMan - Cousin J

I KNEW IT!!!

My loyal followers will remember that we had some sort of wildlife raiding our outdoor cats food bowl. I initially figured that it was a raccoon but later found out it was a possum (see post from Sept. 4th for pictures).

Well I WAS RIGHT!!!

Last night I was on the computer and I hear something on the front porch. This time the light was on! As I quietly walked over to the door, I see something definitely bigger than Licky (the cat) and the possum.

It was a raccoon! And a big one! Snacking away on the cat food...even trying to get the little pieces that fell under the bowl and doormat. My camera finally caught his/her attention and he/she ran off.

One look at its big belly and it's safe to say that our cats food bowl isn't the only one it's raiding. :D

And because it's college football season, I've included some pictures of Little Man (old and not so old) in his OU shirts. Go Sooners!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Instead of sending a card, Little Man wanted to make a video for Grandma M.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU!

Random Pics

Going through my iPhotos and found some pics I haven't posted.....

Little Man's first sno-cone!

Wasn't sure how to eat it so he gave it to me to finish. :)

Guns! It's all about guns right now...building them, talking about them, everything!

He can even tell you the names of all the Star Wars characters

and what type of weapon they carry. Crazy!

Here he is with his biggest creation yet. (sniff, we're so proud!=sarcasm)

We were playing around with the camera, trying to get a good one

to frame for his room. The boy loves his Tiggers!

Singing with a song on the radio and snapping his fingers.

Music

Songs that have caught my attention from commercials, t.v. shows, elevators, stores, etc.

"Generator Second Floor" by Freelance Elephants (HGTV House Hunters Commercial)

**not on audio**

"From the Morning" by Nick Drake (AT&T Commercial)

"Decode" by Paramore (Twilight Soundtrack)

**not on audio**

"Faithfully" by Journey (I think I heard this in the grocery store)

"To The One I Love" by REM (heard on the radio this morning)

"Eyes On Fire" by Blue Foundation (Twilight Soundtrack)

"Dawn" from the Movie, Pride & Prejudice

"Say Hey" by Michael Franti & Spearhead (Corona Light Commercial)

If you hear something on T.V or a movie...go to www.whatisthatsong.net, to look it up!

What have I done?????

Little Man is OBSESSED...I mean COMPLETELY OBSESSED with Star Wars!

It all started with one Star Wars shirt:

He was 2 and really didn't know what Star Wars was.

Then 3 more t-shirts, underwear, a mini Lego set, The Clone Wars animated movie, the Star Wars IV, V & VI DVD's (gifts from Uncle E), the Darth Vader costume for his Build-A-Bear, a big History of Star Wars & Legos book and the kid is officially OBSESSED. Hmmmm. Maybe I went overboard.

NOW, he wants a light saber but I know we have reached our limit and The Husband and I REALLY don't want to get whacked with it.

I can see it now...the kid is going to grow up to seem like a normal person, good job, family but every year when Comi-con rolls around, he'll sneak off, put on his Star Wars costume of choice and join thousands of fans who meet every year to celebrate their love of Star Wars, comic book characters, etc. Here's an explanation of Comi-Con that I found online.

**Every July, Comic-Con turns San Diego into a frenzied fanboy orgy. Alpha Nerds descend upon the city’s seaside convention center in costumed droves. They come to quench their thirst for collectible blood, waiting hours in lines for sneak peaks, giveaways, and valuable face time with the creators of their favorite alternate television/film/comic universes. Hollywood, knowing full well to kiss the hand that feeds it, proffers sacrificial celebrities and exclusive footage in hopes of reaping the benefits during the next summer’s blockbuster season.**

Even now, when he's "in character", he'll get mad if you call him by name. He'll yell, I'm not Little Man! I'm Boba Fett! (mommy rolling eyes and thinking, Oh Lord help me). Then he'll march around the house humming Darth Vader's theme song!

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's got such a vivid imagination. We could just do without the shooting of blasters and fighting with imaginary light sabers.

This will be Little Man (Boba Fett on the right) and his buddy Earl from accounting, greeting the Comi-con visitors exiting the bus. :D

Say Hello to my Little Friend...

O.k., Let me set up the story for you.

We moved into a new place and it came with a stray cat named Licorice (Licky for short). :)

I told the owner not to worry, that I would feed her. I've got a soft spot for animals, especially strays, and when we sold our home back in Oklahoma, 7 yrs ago, I asked the new owner to feed my strays for me. Luckily she's an animal lover too! (Thanks "L"!)

SO

I've been feeding Licorice every day and we recently noticed that her water dish had little bits of dirt in the bottom of it in the morning. I just figured we had a visiting raccoon stopping by to eat the leftovers...seeing as they wash their food before they eat it, and we back up to a wooded area. And, Licorice wouldn't eat out of her bowl until I washed it out REALLY well. Apparently doesn't like the smell of raccoon in the morning.

This goes on for a few days.

WELL! Last night I was waiting for The Husband to get his snack so we could watch our movie and I hear a noise coming from the front porch. And I'm thinking to myself, "that's kinda loud for a cat, maybe it's that raccoon!". So I sneak over and peek out the glass but the porch light isn't on ... I think I see something that looks like a small white cat but then I squat down to get a closer look and realize.....THAT'S not a cat! By this time The Husband comes in and says, "What are you doing?" I shush him and run to get my camera (of course). Then I whisper, "o.k., hit the lights".

This is what we see! A little possum! I was worried that it might try to hurt Licky but she's just sitting there...chillin' on the doormat like it's no big deal! They must have a special arrangement when it comes to her leftovers.

Licorice (black cat) and the possum.

Closer shot but blurry.

Didn't want to scare him/her off with the flash.

The possum finishes it's snack, gets a drink of water and toodles off into the darkness. So we turned the light off and started the movie.

But! No more than 5 minutes later we hear Licky growl and hiss so I'm running for the front door thinking, "What now!" Flip the porch light on and it's Patches, the neighborhood Cat Bully (longhair tortoise shell cat), either trying to get what food is left or up on Licky's doormat! So I'm knocking on the glass, trying to shoo Patches away, "Bad Kitty, Go Away!" But of course, she blows me off and sits there having a face-off with Licky.

Buy this time, I'm done, they can sort it out themselves! So I switch off the light and sit back down to watch the movie with The Husband.

I'm sure he thinks I'm a complete Nutter with all this cat / animal drama. :D

Picture Catch Up...

Thought I'd post some pics that I've had on my phone for a while as well as the ones from Little Man's first Day of School.

Little Man loves eating at "the rice place", Pei Wei.

I think its because he gets to use chop sticks (with the kiddie assist).

"Honey Chicken" (Honey seared chicken) is his fave!

Trying to get all Kung Foo on Mommy,

OR heaven forbid flashing gang signs at the age of 3! :D

Running to school! Can't wait to see his friends

and play on the BIG playground.

The Husband and I trying to keep up.

One of his teachers, Ms. D and his friend "W", greeting him at the door.

All wound up from an exciting first day of school!

See Food! Aggghhh!

(giggles)

I did get a little misty-eyed after dropping him off. sniff sniff. He's growing up so fast, and becoming too cool to kiss Mommy bye in front of his friends. Good thing I'm still pretty fast and can grab him and plant a smooch on him before he can get away. ;)

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from August 26-29 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and we'll donate 5% of what you spend to a non-profit."

R-E-L-A-X

How do cats just lay around all day?!?!?

Recently The Husband and I were watching House Hunters International (we're HGTV addicts) and the featured couple were selling their home in Dallas, TX and moving to Belize. The man said that all he needed for work was a computer and a phone.

At first this seemed ideal to us...then after "the move" the couple explained how they wake up and spend the day by their pool or going into town or snorkeling or some other stress free activity.

The Husband and I looked at each other and said, "we would get so bored!"

After that, I got thinking...I don't think we know how to relax and do nothing! We've been on vacation before (pre-child) and we were still pretty active although sleeping in was nice...which now seems like an indulgence. :)

Even when we go to the gym, I can't sit in the steam room or sauna for more than 10 minutes because I get bored! Ya know...that's just sad! :D

SO!

It's my goal for our family to learn how to R-E-L-A-X (ahhhhhh) and do nothing from time to time.

And in case you need some instruction on how to RELAX, this is what I found on the internet:

Missing your joie de vivre? Knowing the importance of relaxation and knowing how to relax are vital for ensuring your ongoing health and well-being, as well as restoring the passion and joy in your life. Your is your responsibility. Allowing life's stressors to impact your health negatively will end up with you feeling under par in everyday activities and could eventually lead to illness.

Learning how to relax is a key to good life balance and self respect. Restore your faith in the worth of including relaxing as a permanent part of your lifestyle.

How to Relax

Life can be overwhelming and tedious. With a job, children, mortgage and car payments, it can all seem endless and relentless. But instead of working yourself into a frenzy, it may be best to relax. Take a little time to decompress and clear your mind. Only at that point will you be able to really focus on life's challenges and overcome them. Here are some tips on how to relax and decompress!

Instructions

1. 1

   Define your stress. Relaxing is about finding out where the stress lies in your life and being able to walk away from it for a moment. Take a rest. For all of us it's different. This step may cause you to also be blunt with yourself. Sometimes achieving the new promotion is what's putting the greatest stress on you. So, take a pen and paper and physically define your stress. By writing it, you will understand it and be closer to controlling it.

2. 2

   Realize your bliss. All of us have things that make us truly happy. It could be the smile of your loved one or climbing Mt. Everest. Your bliss is something that is such a pleasure, such a joy for you to do, the worries of the world simply fall by the wayside. Ask yourself what your bliss truly is. Then on that same piece of paper where you defined your stress, turn it over and write the things down that you love doing. They may not all be realistic due to time or monetary constraints, but find at least one thing you can do a week that forces you to relax.

3. 3

   Cut off communication. We are so "connected" in this world, many of us are reachable at every moment of the day either via Internet, PDA, cell phone, home and work phones. Being reachable is a source of stress in that it is not allowing you to relax, decompress or get away from the rest of the world. Shut off the cell phone, turn off your PDA, log off the Internet, unplug the phone and simply just be quiet in the moment. This may seem sort of hard. You may find yourself being consistently pulled to those devices that we've all become so accustomed to.