God Bless Grandparents

If there is one thing that parents and kids agree on it is the greatness of grandparents. My grandparents saved me from certain death at the hands of my parents more than once. Thank goodness my parents feel the need to pass this kindness forward by frequently saving me and my children from each other.

I have a few things that I'd like to get done tonight and so I asked my mother AKA "Grammy" to keep the kids for a while. The kids are happy, grammy is happy, and I'm happy! PawPaw, my dad, just sent me the following email about a phone conversation he just had:

PawPaw: Hello
Grammy: Hi dear. I just picked up the boys. They got out of school early. We are going to the popcorn store.
PawPaw: So you are going to make at least one of them happy.
Grammy: Yes, but I’m thirsty so first we are going to McDonald’s.
PawPaw: uh
Eli: I want ice cream.
Grammy: Eli if you get ice cream you can’t have Rocky Road when you get to the house.
Eli: (unintelligible)
Grammy: You can’t have both.
Me: So, you know you are going to end up giving in on both, right?
Grammy: Okay, I’ll talk to you later.....

I know this conversation would be enough to send Brian into orbit, but I can live with it. I remember my grandparents doing the same. We just visted Brian's granddad this weekend where we were spoiled so rotton, Eli got up at 1 AM the night we got home to come and tell me that he was ready to go back to Houston (and I completely agreed with him).

In other news, my kids can expect more spoiling because Brian's parents get in to town tomorrow!

God Bless Grandparents!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!!!!!!!

Eli turns 5 today!!! I recently read a book that said, “The days are long, but the months and years are short.” That is so true. It feels like the years have flown by, but the days themselves are very long. We get up earlier, go to bed later, and are a lot busier during the day than before kids.

Eli is now reading! He has homework every night. He reads a few books to us, we sing songs, and work on flashcards. The kid is crazy smart. He is a sponge just soaking up all the information people will give him. Eli is also good about teaching his brother how to read books. He likes to help Jaxon through the flashcards too! Their favorite songs right now are: Themes to Indiana Jones and Star Wars, I Wanna Be a Dog, Yech!, and The Marriage of Figaro (probably in that order). Eli is officially 60 pounds and 49 inches tall which is roughly the size of the normal 7 or 8 year old. He has scored 5 goals in soccer this season (we still have 3 games left). Jaxon doesn’t have any goals, but he has managed to get in the mix and kick the ball in the right direction a few times. I’m just guessing, but I think Eli is going to favor science in school.

My 5 year old is a fantastic big brother. He teaches Jaxon everything he needs to know and a lot of things he doesn’t! They stick to each other like glue. Jaxon’s teacher even took a picture of them playing with each other through a window (Eli’s class was outside and Jaxon’s class was inside). Mrs. Arthur had Eli last year and has Jaxon this year. She said that last year Eli called his brother “My Jaxon” and now Jaxon does the same “My Eli”. I think Jaxon got scared in bed the other night. It wasn’t until the next morning that the boys told us that Jaxon slept in Eli’s bed. We are ready to let them sleep in the same room if they will actually sleep and not stay up all night playing.

Tonight should be fun. Grammy, Papaw, Papaw, and the four of us are going to celebrate! Eli has requested his favorite Mexican Food restaurant for dinner. I am not at all in the mood for Mexican. I tried to get him to change his mind to Chuck E Cheese, but he wasn’t going to have it. Ojeda’s here we come!

Here are a few of pictures from Halloween. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Elizabeth helped the kids carve pumpkins. The kids were Anakin Skywalker (Eli) and Darth Vader (Jaxon). They were very particular about their costumes. They wanted to wear the masks, gloves, and carry light sabers until it was time for candy. At that point they ditched all non essential costume pieces, grabbed their buckets, and ran for the door.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

We have had a couple of milestones in the past few days. First off, Eli and Jax love video games and the new Halo just came out. Although not many people in the family approve, Brian has been letting them play Halo. Both kids have gotten frags or kills. Brian is very proud. I'm not sure what I am.

Moving on, Eli has been playing soccer for 3 seasons now. The first two seasons were coed and we had two or three little girls on the team that were REALLY good. Eli was the kid on the team that although he was a head taller than everyone it was a challenge just to get him on the field, much less playing. There was talk of taking him out of soccer, trying a different sport, whatever. Brian and I were more in favor of keeping him in soccer for a while at least for the social aspect. The first two seasons were trying at best. Some games were downright painful. Each game has gotten a little better and there is definite improvement every season, but I didn't know if we would ever get Eli interested in the game. He liked the kids, enjoyed practice, but couldn't bring himself to get into the game. Well, I guess there were the two times that he pushed another kid down in retaliation for the other kid pushing his teammates down.

I'm not sure what happened this season. We have mostly boys on the team. The coaches are silly and have a great time with the kids (our last coach was great too, but in a different way). Eli is maturing and understands more. Anyway, today Eli got to kick the ball for the kick off... he scored a goal. Three seasons in and on the second game he FINALLY scores! He followed that up by driving an entire group of kids into the goal for another goal (I'm giving him credit). In the end he scored FOUR goals!!!!! Needless to say grammy, pawpaw, mom, and dad went bonkers! It was awesome!

It is so fun to see them grow in so many ways. Eli is working hard at learning to read, playing soccer, helping around the house some, and so many other things. It really is an exciting time. I learn with Eli and then know what to expect with Jax. I can't wait to see how Jax does over the next year. Very fun day today!

Sea World AGAIN!

Happy Birthday Paul and Krissy!

This past week we had two family birthdays (Kristin and Paul). Kristin is currently in Florida preparing for 6 months on a cruise ship. It is really difficult work, but someone has to do it. We celebrated her birthday in August before she left. So this past weekend we focused on Paul. I'm certain his true birthday wish was to go to Sea World. He didn't really say that, but I could tell. You may start to notice that we create reasons to do fun stuff in this family.

Friday, my company paid for everyone to take their family to the fair. Since we were already planning to go to Sea World my parents were able to join us. We basically stopped by the fair and wore the kids out for a couple of hours before the drive to San Antonio. The kids had SOOO much fun!
The kids were worn out from the fair and slept pretty well on the drive. I downloaded some new songs for the trip. Eli and Jax were so excited that I put the Theme from Star Wars on my phone. They request it every time we get near the car. Thankfully it is a great piece of music.

Saturday, we were at Sea World for 7 hours! This is us after the Shamu "Believe" Show. Shamu drenched us!!!I thought the kids would be totally worn out much sooner than that, but they found alternative means of transportation for much of the day. We had a great time! Jaxon and I loved the new show Azul with dolphins, beluga whales, divers, acrobats, birds, and swimmers. Eli and Brian like the rollercoaster. My parents got Eli and Jax whale tail necklaces, and they didn’t take them off all weekend.

Saturday night we had Mexican Food on the Riverwalk. Yup, it was just as good as you might guess. We had a lot of food left over and Eli told me we needed to get a “tickle box”. He was so tired he was falling asleep in his chair. On the way back to the hotel we decided that the birthday cupcakes would be more appreciated as breakfast birthday cupcakes. We woke up and had our breakfast birthday cupcakes while Paul opened his gifts. Then we drove to Austin to watch the Texans vs. Cowboys game. Yay Cowboys… FINALLY!

By the time we got home, Jaxon and Eli were both upset that the weekend was over. The rest of us were worn out! I wish all weekends were this fun!

Mom, Where do babies come from?

There is a back story necessary in this tale. Today I got a call from Eli's teacher. It seems he was in an altercation at school. The teacher told us that he pushed a boy, and the boy then punched Eli in the stomach. As far as Eli tells the story, Chase pinched him at center time and then hit him later in the day. He conveniently can't remember doing anything to provoke either incident.

While driving around tonight, this was my conversation with Eli:

Eli: Mommy, did you and daddy pick me out?
Mommy: Uh, not exactly honey. You always belonged to mommy and daddy.

Eli: How did you and daddy get me?
Mommy: Um... well... uh... Well you know Mrs. Britney is growing a baby in her tummy... well you grew in my tummy.

Eli: Did you split me out?
Mommy: (pause)... um... No, you got too big and the doctor took you out.

Eli: Did Jaxon grow in your tummy too?
Mommy: Yes, and he got too big and the doctor took him out too.

Eli: Did I play with Jaxon in your tummy?
Mommy: No, you weren't in my tummy at the same time.

Eli: Did I see your food?
Mommy: No, Eli it is too dark and you were inside... something.

Eli: Did I play with you?
Mommy: Yes, you kicked me sometimes.

Eli: I'm sorry mommy. Did it hurt like when Chase hit me?
Mommy: No, Eli you were a little baby. You didn't hurt me.

Eli: Mom, I'm sorry I got in trouble and the teacher called you.
Mommy: Me too.

Jaxon at the very end: Mommy I don't want to go in your tummy!

So, that my friends is how the 4 year old mind works!

SOOO Not ready for this!!!

It has recently occurred to me that things are really changing in our household. Brian has become handy. I mean hands-in-the-dirt fixing sprinkler systems and using augers to clear drains kind of handy. Yay!!!! This is a change I can totally get use to!!! As if that isn't enough to adjust to, I sense a change in the kiddos as well. They are truly little boys. There is very little toddler left in them. It felt like it would take forever to get them out of diapers and away from sippy cups. Now that we are beyond all of that, I realize I didn't really consider what the next phase would be.

Eli is sort of starting kindergarten. He is only 4, but we are putting him in my mom's kinder room for the year. She is an amazing teacher and I've always wanted her to teach my kids. I didn't however want to make my kids miss out on a year at their elementary school so this is my middle ground. Eli is already reading 3 letter words and sounding out 4 letter words so he is ready. Heaven knows he is tall enough. He is easily the youngest in the class and still a head taller than all the other kids. I'm also very proud to report that he tested very high and will be in the highest reading group!

Jaxon is now going to school for a couple of hours every day. He loves it. This will also be his first soccer season. I managed to get Jaxon onto Eli's team (because they are so close in age). Jax is so ready. The benefit to being a younger brother is getting to learn things sooner. He is growing up at the same rate as Eli (just a year and a half younger).

I've never been the type of mom that was tearful when returning back to work after the birth of my kids. I didn't cry the first time we dropped them off at a day of preschool. I'm sentimental, but I wouldn't say I go as far as probably a lot of moms out there. Am I ready for the tooth fairy to visit? Nope, I'm not. Don't get me wrong - I'm not ready to say that I wish I would have treasured potty training time for the right of passage that it clearly was... I'm glad we are to this point, but I'm really not sure how we arrived here quite so quickly! Maybe by the time Eli starts what I will consider his real kinder year I'll be ready... probably not. Thankfully, I have a year to get use to the idea.

Mammaw Douthit

I don't know where to start. This past Wednesday Brian's grandmother passed away. She was such an amazing woman. I know everyone says that after a person dies, but let me tell you a little about her. She was married for almost 60 years, had 5 children, and 17 grandchildren. She believed that taking care of the home and all the people in it were her biggest responsibility. She was very short in stature, but she was able to get anything done she set her mind to.

Gene was a doctor and Doris felt that his work was important enough that he shouldn't be bothered by the little things at home. I never heard her complain about the challenges of raising 5 kids with a very busy husband. I heard stories of her taking them camping, preparing treats for school, making new dresses overnight, and all that is in addition to her normal cooking and cleaning for a large family. Oh, and did I mention that she did a lot of this while living in Korea?!

Doris thought the world of her grandchildren. When I came into the family, I remember encouraging her to get her grandchildren to help her with chores. She refused saying she wanted them to enjoy themselved and each other. It was her greatest wish that the family always be close. She still did EVERYONE'S laundry (including my own when I was there). She cooked for a million people. If she knew that you liked a particular dish, you could count on eating it while you were there. Everything at her house was wonderful. Food tasted better, there was peace even in the midst of chaos, and she loved with true unconditional love that you didn't need to earn. From the moment I met her, at the time as Brian's friend, she took me into the family as one of her own. I always joked that I married him for his family and she was a big reason for that. In the summertime, all her grandchildren would come live with her for months and she taught them the same lessons she taught her children. Brian and all his cousins grew into amazing adults in part because they never wanted to disappoint their grandparents.

Doris also had a calling outside of her home. She was touched by the Korean people. She decorated with Korean art and pottery, she spoke the language fluently, and she loved the culture and food. We never wore shoes into her house. You'd always see a pile of hundreds of shoes by the door. She created a outreach program through South Main Baptist Church, that ministered to Korean women. She would help women learn English, teach them to drive, and anything else they needed to learn to integrate fully into our culture. She was director of this program for over 30 years.

Finally, Doris was the best Christian I've ever known. She didn't speak badly of anyone... ever. She was hit by a man on a motorcycle and almost killed. She experienced pain for the rest of her life because of that accident. She forgave the man immediately and never complained of the pain. Doris didn't gossip, but she did pray. She prayed for everyone. She never asked for anything for herself, but I've heard stories of all the things she would get for other people. Doris didn't sit down often. She very quietly worked away daily at everything that needed to get done not once asking for a thank you. There were 3 preachers at her service (each of them knew her and the family), and I got the impression they were nervous. I'm guessing the reason is because even they didn't want to let her down.

I guess by now you understand that I looked up to her very much and loved her as if she were my own grandmother. There is no way I'll live up to her example. She created such a beautiful family, and she would have been so proud of them this past week. The Douthits have great pride in their family. It annoyed me at first, but this past week it came together for me that part of what we are proud of is being part of her legacy. It was a privilege to know her, and an even greater honor to be part of the beautiful family she raised.

A Patriotic Outing

This past weekend was thankfully pretty quiet. My parents kept the kids ALL DAY on Saturday so Brian and I got tons of stuff done... we had a nice grown up lunch, we went shopping, we took a nap. We had tons of things we could have done that would have been productive, and I'd like to say we did at least one of those things. We didn't. It was awesome!

On Sunday, I decided that it was finally time to take Papaw over to the War Memorial by his house. My cousins and I got him a brick for Christmas this year. The memorial was officially opened on Memorial weekend, but we hadn't been by there yet. I have to say that it was really fun. We went and picked Papaw up. He wasn't expecting us, but he jumped out of his chair and off we went. The people who put the memorial together were fairly wise about it. There are no steps or obstacles to keep veterans away. They add new bricks every year on Memorial Day. It is very pretty even from a distance, and up close it is a great place to reflect. Papaw had a great time. The kids didn't understand, but had a great time anyway. I really enjoyed looking over all the bricks. I really like this way of honoring people who have served in the military (local and tangible).

Then last night we went swimming. My kids are officially fish! We got some fun under water shots! I'm working on not completely freaking out when the kids take a dive and are under water for longer than 5 seconds. It really goes against everything in me to let them play under water, but I'm so relieved to know they can handle themselves at least a little near water.

Finally!

I finally feel like I'm ready to get caught up. The past month was crunch time. The type of month where things only get done if it is a necessity. I'm not sure why it felt so busy, but it did. The good news is that my granddad is healthy again, the kids can swim (sort of), I have graduated from all the Wilton Cake Decorating classes, and another Douthit cousin has found a woman willing to put up with him for eternity. Congrats to Andrew and Leah!

A large portion of the Douthits were in town for the wedding. We had so much fun. There is always 100 things going on at once. Some of the craziest moments are when we are mobilizing. Making sure that everyone is in a car going to a single place is hysterical. I'm not sure how we have avoided our own home alone story for this long. Simply deciding who would stay in which hotel rooms was pretty entertaining. Everyone wants to be with everyone all the time. I'm so glad that my kids are experiencing this. I know realistically someday these get togethers won't be as common and some kids born into the family in the future won't have these same experiences.

It is SOOO fun to watch Eli and Jaxon with the family. I can't even describe how much fun they have. Both of my boys are somewhat shy with adults. They get to the point with the family where they don't have a clue who is holding them (or throwing them) and they don't even care! They are already asking me to go to Houston for a visit because they know that is where the largest gatherings of people are. Anyway, these get togethers with the family is such a fun time for Brian and me, I'm glad that our kids will have some of these memories themselves.

This is Gene (Brian's paternal grandfather) and me at the wedding. He is the patriarch of the Douthit Clan. He and his wife Doris will be married for 60 years next month! He has 5 kids, 17 grandkids, and 4 great grandchildren (with another one on the way).

The Fourth of July was really fun. We had a Douthit brunch before everyone left town, then Brian's family ended up over at my parent's house for a cook out. My grandfathers were there too! The highlight was Elizabeth bringing her violin. I had begged all weekend for her to play, and she finally caved! We got her to play some patriotic music, classical music, and "Axel F". Ya, you read that right. Eli and Jax LOVE "Axel F" by Crazy Frog (the song from the 80 movie, but redone by a singing frog). That was pretty much the highlight of my day. I have all of this on video! Eli had a fake microphone that he sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while Elizabeth played. ADORABLE! We all ended up in the pool and hot tub after dinner. Tanner, Brian, and my boys had a great time swimming. The rest of us tried to stay out of the line of fire as best we could : )

Another busy week...

I have known for a while that I just needed to get through this coming weekend and everything will slow down for a while. My cake decorating classes are almost over (my last one is tonight). If I'm given enough time I can now make all kinds of beautiful creations with buttercream, gumpaste, fondant, etc. This cake decorating thing has inspired me to pursue more of my interests.

Eli and Jaxon have been in swim lessons for the past week. I haven't seen it yet, but apparently Eli is really getting the hang of it. I think Jaxon will probably get it better next year. It will be so nice when I can not worry about them so much around water. They are having a great time with the lessons. The first day of lessons I asked them how it went and Eli told me he sank : ) This week he tells me he isn't sinking anymore.

The big news of the week is the family wedding this weekend. Most of the family will be in town. I'm pretty sure this is mostly going to be a blur of fun. The trick is going to be celebrating one of my favorite holidays with my boys (our annual traditions) while the wedding stuff is going on. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone!

Take the good with the bad...

Well, the news today is that my maternal grandfather isn't fairing too well. He has many problems that he must overcome in order to make a recovery and get out of the hospital. Every time we think he may be on the path to getting the needed surgery, something falls out of place and we have to fix another problem before surgery can occur. Today we need to get a stint put in to get one of the chambers of his heart working again. If that goes well, he may have surgery on his carotid artery tomorrow. This surgery has already been turned down once, and cancelled twice.

On a happier note, today is Brian's and my 9th anniversary! It is hard to believe all that has happened in 9 years - both in our personal lives and in the world. The world was a different place back then and we were different people. We still have most of the same traits we had on our wedding day, but we've grown into each other. His best and worst qualities have bleed over and become mine, and mine have become part of him.

The innocent eyes that we viewed the world with have hardened somewhat. 9/11 happened when we had only been married 3 months. That brought on war and recession. The recession prior to this one in our lives happened in the 80's while we were watching Fraggle Rock and the Thunder Cats. It really wasn't a concern of ours. War was something the US did really well. Brian and I only barely remember the Cold War. I remember the USSR was a terrible place, and President Reagan told some people to tear down a wall (which I still want my piece of Marylyn)! The gulf war happened when we were in junior high and it was minor compared to today's troubles.

Anyway, anniversaries for me are always a fun time of reflection. I have the most amazing husband. Brian cooks, cleans, plays video games and sports with my boys. He is one of the most patient people I've ever known. He encourages me, inspires me, and sometimes saves me from myself. Thank you honey for an amazing 9 years! I love you!

The Clean Kid

Brian and I would never be mistaken for being too clean. We do what we have to to eat off clean dishes and wear clean clothes. The rest of the cleaning happens... when we get to it. Jaxon on the other hand LOVES cleaning (he gets this from my mother). If you'll let him play with the broom and dust pan he is happy as he can be.

Nap time at our house is sacred. More for mom and dad than the kids. We do not miss nap time! Today the kids weren't going down. Jaxon kept bopping out 5 minutes after we put him down each time. Eventually we assumed he went to sleep. A little bit later, Eli comes in dressed only in underwear and was trying to explain to us why he needed new underwear. The only part we really understood was "cleaning the bathroom".

Brian got up first. From across the house I could tell that Jaxon had locked him out of the bathroom. At some point Eli got in trouble and was crying. Brian was yelling and pounding on the door. Once I got them away from the door, Jaxon hesitantly let me in.

Oh boy, the suds and water we EVERYWHERE. Walls, mirror, toilet, floor... you name it and it was soapy. Jaxon had grabbed his spongebob sponge and was scrubbing the floor. We removed the kiddos from the room and cleaned everything. Brian was angry, but I was laughing hysterically. I found it so funny that when left to his own devices the barely-3-year-old would decide to clean the bathroom. The older, and wiser, brother decides to help him until he realizes that the cleaning is a little out of hand. Eli clearly didn't want to implicate his brother in this clean caper, but I KNOW how this got started. So if you come to our house and notice that for once the boys bathroom smells like roses, you can thank Jaxon.

Focus and Perspective

I have several friends going through different kinds of rough patches right now. Sometimes I get frustrated because I want them to focus on all the things that they have going for them. There are a lot of bad things in the world, and thank goodness most of my friends and family are healthy, have jobs, and have a nice place to go home to at the end of the day. While thinking about how some people in my life need to refocus, I caught myself needing a new perspective on something myself.

Eli and Jax are energetic little boys. Brian and I spend A LOT of our time herding them. Most days we are flying from one place to the next and don't have time for wrangling. I catch myself wishing that they would be immediatly obediant (not likely for a 4 and 3 year old), and do what I ask when I ask it all the time. Then a funny thing happened. I realized that much of the time when we are herding them or trying to convince them to do what we want them to do, they are having the time of their lives. Either they have fun with the herding, chasing, and racing us around, OR they are having fun with an activity we are trying to pull them away from. At first all I noticed was the running, chasing, and racing... then with a new perspective I realized that the kids are having the time of their life in those moments. Racing mom to the car, or being chased to the bathroom is FUN for them. I'm so thankful that sometimes my biggest frustration is that my boys are already living life to its fullest and still stop to smell the roses... even if we don't quite have time for rose sniffing. In the end what does being late all the time really matter if you are happy when you get where you are going?

Sea World Birthday Trip!

This time of year is the parade of birthdays in our family (Happy Birthday to Mom and Dad!). SO this year we decided to celebrate all the birthdays at one time in a fun location. We drove down to San Antonio with my parents and met Brian's parents and siblings. I can't even tell you how much fun we had. We narrowed our online photo album to our favorite 172 pictures if that tells you anything.

First stop: Salt Lick just outside of Austin. This is one of our favorite places to eat in Austin. Great music while you wait and great food once the wait it over. So much fun!

Jaxon and my parents at Salt Lick

Stop Two: Sea World!!! The kids LOVED the animals. I really think they learned quite a bit too. Eli even got to ride his very first roller coaster!

When the ride was over, he was ready to go again!


Stop Three: River Walk and Cafe Ole! The food was delicious. The River Walk was bustling with activity. The scenery there just can't be beat!

Here's the whole family on the River Walk!

Stop Four: The Alamo - try explaining the historical significance of the Alamo to a 4 and almost 3 year old. Impossible. I think Eli understood that bad things happened there and it was important. I guess that is how it starts. I love history so this part was really interesting for me. I went to the Alamo as a child, but it is different to go back and see it as an adult.

Last stop: Shady Grove in Austin. They made us wait for forever, but the food was delicious.

This photo was taken while we waited at Shady Grove. So adorable! I can't believe my baby is almost 3!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAX!

What did I do this weekend?

Every Monday people at work ask about your weekend. My life is constant chaos so there is usually something to report. Today I really had to think about what in the world I did this weekend. Time flies so fast now that when I remembered what I did Friday night, it seemed like two weeks ago. Really strange phenomenon. Anyway, we got to go to a hockey game in Allen with the kids. They had a GREAT time! Everyone was cheering, "Let's go Allen".... Eli was cheering "Let's go Alvin". I wonder if he was looking really hard for the chipmunks.

Uncle Aaron came in for visit. He really came in town for a run through mud called the Warrier Dash, but he let us think he was here to see us. We cooked out, and then I got to have Saturday night out with some girlfriends. The big question is I had so much fun... why couldn't I remember this when I got to work this morning?! I'm officially losing my mind.

Brian and I have been watching Stephen Hawking's new tv series. Two comments: if you aren't watching this, you should be... and I'm now terrified of black holes. Seriously.

My last comment of the day is a bit more controversial. There is a lot of talk about nukes these days. Ahmadinejad is actually in NYC. This alone blows my mind. There are a lot of people that I don't want ANYWHERE near me or my kiddos. Most of the time I would try to keep them away from pedophiles, murderers, etc... but to bring this guy (that I believe is true personified evil and a terrorist) into my country near LOTS of children turns my stomach. I know he is too much of a coward to do any of the dirty work himself, but REALLY.... WHO LET THAT MAN INTO MY COUNTRY!?!?!?! Everyone takes Hitler very seriously. They get offended at the mention of his name or if people dress in his likeness.... this is a new version of a very bad prototype. This is a super villian as bad as anything in a scary movie and he is here. Am I the only one upset by this? I want Reagan back. I miss the cowboy that ended the cold war without any bombs or shots. This would have NEVER happened under his watch. I'm outraged, offended, horrified... there really aren't words to accurately portray my feelings on this.

Parenting Tips

So I'm finally getting the hang of this parenting thing. I thought I'd share some pointers:

• When your child asks where his toy is (and you KNOW that you just sold it because toys are taking over your house and you can't stand it anymore), pretend that you have NO IDEA what he is talking about. You can even explain that "this is why we have to be more careful with our toys". Eventually he'll give up and go looking for the toy himself or find something else to play with.
• When you are doing dishes after dinner and your 2 year old is "helping", you can save your breakable dishes by asking them to bring their dishes into the kitchen. Food will ALWAYS end up on the floor. That is when you ask them to let the dog in and put them in charge of guiding the dog to the right area. By the time they herd the dog (who, by the way, is scared to death of being "petted" by the child) to where the food is, you will have finished your dishes and the floor will be "clean" again. Success!
• When your wonderful spouse mentions in front of the children that he wants to take them to a movie at 9 PM, don't be the bad guy. Complain that you are really tired, but if that is what everyone wants to do you'll play along. Walk a few steps behind him and the kids into the movie theatre so that all the people who see young kids out late will give dirty looks to your husband and leave you out of it. Also, negotiate that all potty runs and discipline will need to be done by him since this was his spectacular idea. When the movie is over and the kids are happy (and ready for bed), remind your husband how tired you are. Never admit you had a good time as this will eliminate all chances of going to bed early while he gets put in charge of the bed time routine with the kiddos.

See! Nothing to it!

Happy Birthday Aaron and Marylyn!!!

This weekend we traveled to Austin for a birthday weekend! We had so much fun!!! We ate at the Hula Hut on Friday which was perfect for the little guys after a long ride in the car. There was a long wait, but plenty of space for them to run around (and plenty of people to chase them). Saturday we went to see Tanner play polocrosse. Being out in the country is relaxing for me so I knew I would have a good time. I had been trying to convince Eli and Jax to let Tanner ride around with them for 2 weeks. Eli was firm about NOT wanting to ride. Jaxon told me that he would, but when Tanner came riding up to us and Jaxon wouldn't even look at him I had my doubts. An hour later he was on the horse. I have no idea how long Tanner was riding around with him, but Jaxon wasn't ready to get off when I pulled him down. Eli didn't seem bothered by the idea that Jaxon got to ride and he didn't. Maybe next time...

The birthday dinner was fun. I thought we were in for the typical family get together (which is large, but just because the family is large). I was surprised to find out that several friends would be showing up. We had such a great time! We had BBQ overload, then cake overload, then cobbler, lots of friends and fun. By nine we were all ready to fall into bed, but in true Douthit style we kept going. We will be traveling back to Austin next month for more birthday fun (Daddy, me, Jax, and Mom all have birthdays within a 2 week period). I can't wait!

For now I'm going to have some fun settling into my cake decorating class and my new dance class. Ya, you saw that right. They don't go well together at all. The cake decorating thing is something I've always wanted to learn. The dance class is my comfort zone and I still LOVE it like I did when I was a kid. It is sort of a dance aerobics class, but the teacher is great. The class is really fun. There are about 70 people in the class. The teacher sticks to mostly hip hop and latin. I've already gotten to know a few of the women. None of us are anything alike, but I tend to like situations like that where I'm around a ton of people and everyone is different. I think all the people of this class stick together well because by the end of the class we've seen the best and worst of everyone : )

The Grandparents' House

We LOVE going to Houston. This past weekend we went to Kingwood to visit Brian's grandparents. They are two of the most beautiful people on this planet. Gene was a doctor until he retired a few years ago and Doris stayed home and raised 5 children and 17 grandkids. They were missionaries in Korea. I probably only know a small part of their struggles, but here is what I found out this weekend. They would have liked to have one more baby (going for the 3 boys and 3 girls), but Doris had deep vein thrombosis with her last pregnancy and they decided to stop while they were ahead. Gene told us about the procedure they had back in those days... ugh, I'm not good with that type of stuff so just thinking about it makes me shiver. If you really want to know what happened look it up. Several of the cousins and Gene had a discussion about spanking. Gene piped up and told us that his mom used to keep something to whip them with in the kitchen on her water heater (so that it was warm when she wanted to use it). Knowing Gene now, I can't imagine that she ever used it on him, but then again maybe her methods are what created such an amazing person. I wish I had a water heater in my kitchen to warm up a paddle, but these days that would probably get me arrested.

Doris is really submitting to alzheimers now. This breaks my heart on so many levels. She was a super hero. I'm totally not kidding about that either. When I married into the family she was cooking 3 meals a day for HOARDS of people, and she was a fantastic cook. If you left your room for 2 minutes she'd sneak in and find all your dirty clothes. Before you realized they were gone, the clothes would be folded perfectly on your bed (she did this for the entire hoard too). She was able to keep all the million Douthit children in line with just a single look. Both Gene and Doris have perfected the art of parenting. The grandkids might not listen to a word that their parents say, but if you tell them that the grandparents will be disappointed in them even the surliest teenager in the worst of adolescence will stop and rethink their actions. I am still studying up on how they set up this system and I'll let you know if I figure out their secret.

Anyway, many of the Douthit cousins gathered at the grandparents house this weekend (Colin, Cory, Kevin, Christian and Kendra, Courtney and Dean, Kristin, Brian and me, and Eli and Jax - unless I'm forgetting someone). Eli and Jaxon were in heaven. So many people were willing to play with them and give them everything they wanted for two whole days. They didn't throw a single fit while we were there, and they fell asleep immediatly as we drove off. No matter how many times I go to the grandparents house, I always feel a little bit like I'm in a tv show from the 50s. Everyone gets along SO well that it is almost scary. Most of the family is happy, loving, and energetic so it is a huge break from "real life" when we go there. It seems like our already ginormous family is growing too! I have a guess on which cousin will get engaged next, but we'll have to see. There are at least 3 couples in the race although I'm not sure all 3 would admit to it. I'm so glad that I married the oldest cousin and my kids will hopefully experience this enough as small children to make an impression.

Oh, on a final note. I'm SOOOO mad at myself. We are camera people so we have two cameras and a camcorder on us MOST of the time. This weekend we went to a basketball game to see Kevin play. He scored 5 - 3 pointers in the first five minutes of the game and another 2 point shot right after that. I had my camera (with a video function on it) IN MY HAND! Our camcorder was right by Brian's feet. We didn't get any of it on video (we did get still shots). I can't BELIEVE I did that, but I was having so much fun cheering with the rest of the family that it didn't occur to me until it was over. Sigh...

Life is sometimes stranger than fiction

My kids love to play pretend these days. Sometimes we'll "drive" to McDonald's and order cookies, sweet tea, and toys. Last night the boys decided on their own that they were going to have a picnic. They got a blanket and spread it on my bed room floor. The talked about what kind of food they had and were sharing it with each other. They occasionally would get up and share some pretend food with me. I pretty much eat whatever they offer. Then their dad came in the room. When they offered him a cheeseburger he turned it down and requested a steak. Jaxon was more than willing to play along he turned around and grabbed at the air, turned back to his dad and handed him some "steak". Brian complained that the steak had clearly not been cooked long enough since Jaxon was able to prepare it so fast. He made Jaxon cook the steak and mash some potatoes to go with it. After Jaxon finally got done with all that, Brian asked Eli to put some cheese on the potatoes. After all this, the very serious cook and waiter didn't even get a tip.

On another note, I went to the Galleria at lunch yesterday. I just found out that while I was there an out-of-state diamond broker was stabbed and robbed in the parking lot. Apparently, some men from out of the country have been doing this in several major cities in the U.S. They parked their car behind his, pulled him out of his car, took his clothes off and stabbed him, and got away with up to $1 Million in diamonds. They switched plates on the get away car too. Doesn't this sound like some kind of tv show?!?! Strange to think it was happening where I was and I had no clue at all. I did get some really cute kid's clothes though. There is a great sale at Children's Place right now!

Where to start?

It seems everyone I know has a blog now. I mainly want to use this as a way to record funny stories about my kids, but I'm sure I'll throw other things in since I'm not the most focused conversationalist (or writer). I am calling this Marci Monthly because I'm HOPING that I will write at least that often.

Eli (4) and Jaxon (2) are big boys, but lately I've been so taken back by how grown up they are getting. Eli can do a lot of things for himself now, and he does things for his brother too. He is a fantastic big brother and is protective of other little kids too. Jaxon speaks to me in full sentences and we have some of the funniest conversations.

It seems as if life is flying by. In the past two weeks we've been to the Dallas World Aquarium, the circus, several parks, restaurants, had two different visits from family members, and who knows what else. The kids are in constant state of motion and learning. My kids can remember everything! It takes me a minute of concentration to remember what I ate for lunch. Three months ago at Christmas we created a slideshow of photos and set it to the Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. My kids love classical music and often request classical songs when we are driving around. Last night Jaxon wanted to hear this song. When it started playing the boys started talking to me about all the pictures we used 3 months ago in a slide show: Uncle Aaron's blue tongue, Aunt Krissy is sad because she fell in the mud, Granddaddy got a big hot dog, etc. It blows my mind how fast they take these details in and how long they can retain them. Kids are truly amazing.

That is another reason for me writing here. My kids remember SO much, but I don't! Papaw, my dad's dad asked me on Easter if I planted my garden. He told me how his parents and siblings would plant the garden every year on Good Friday. He and my other grandfather have slightly differing opinions on when to plant and harvest, but I would like to remember these tips just in case I develop an interest at some point in the future. I love hearing stories about how things were done in his childhood. I've lost both of my grandmothers so half of these stories are gone.