All Boxed Up and Nowhere to Go

We're boxing up our valuables (see above) and moving out of our house this weekend!

We have never really warmed up to our house in Flower Mound, and we're tired of living so far from work, friends and family. So we put our house on the market last fall, just to see what would happen. We got a contingency contract on it in October, and the buyers finally sold their house two weeks ago...but with a catch that they needed to close in 17 days. And oh by the way, I was in Mexico for four of those 17 days. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to such a timeframe and now it's BOX HELL at our house. And no, we don't have a new house to move into. So we're putting our stuff in storage and moving into my parents' upstairs temporarily while we look for the right house and the right neighborhood. Are we insane? Maybe. But we are very grateful to my parents for letting us crash there, allowing us the time to find a place that we love and will stay in for a long time.

We got a little emotional packing up Tate's room last night...the room we so carefully decorated and planned for over nine months. We will miss it, but otherwise it's 'adios' to this place. Onward...

Christmas 2009

Some pics and a video from Christmas...

After a rare blizzard created the first white Christmas in Dallas in 80 years, we decided to stay at my parents' house on Christmas Eve vs. trying to drive back to FloMo.

Tate learned the concept of "PRESENTS!!!" (how he says it) very quickly.

During the impromptu slumber party at Mia and Big Guy's, Tate and Blake were definitely up to no good...and they couldn't figure out how we knew their names every time they turned their backs on us.

But Big Guy was there to corral them. (Blake is a new addition to this traditional picture)

It was all too much for Blake who fell asleep on his Mom's knee. We made Nancy stay like this all night.

We got home Christmas Day and while Tate took a nap, Santa showed up in FloMo. Tate now thinks that every time he wakes up, there will be PRESENTS!!!

It was a great holiday. I put all of our favorite moments in a video below.

Now Rob and I have taken the week off until New Year's, and we are very excited to be spending this time with Tate, even if all he wants now are MORE PRESENTS!!!

Montessori Miracle

I don't think Tate is picking up on the Mandarin he is supposed to be learning at his Montessori school, but he IS learning more important things, like...

Drinking from a cup!

Wiping his mouth!

Pushing in his chair!

I'll take those things over Mandarin any day, xiexie very much.

(Yes, I had to google "thank you" in Mandarin)

Rough Month

So it's Christmas week and the space under our tree is still sparse and the blog hasn't been updated in weeks....but we have perfectly good excuses...

We've had a bear of a month...

It's not like we've been just hanging around...

It's tough to balance things this time of year...

No, this month has not been a piece of cake...

We've been trying to stay on track...

But the holidays have us licked...

It's not exactly a stroll through the (North) Park....

So whose fault is it that it's Christmas week and presents still have to be bought and the blog hasn't been updated?

Tate's pointing at her!

Merry Christmas!

First School Picture

Am I wrong for laughing?

Box head

I found this clip while downloading the videos on our camera today. Apparently this is what Rob and Tate do for fun when I am not around. So in honor of the start of the Christmas season, I give you proof that kids (and their dads) need nothing more than a box to entertain them...

Review: Audi A4

I am going to start periodically providing reviews of products I absolutely love or absolutely hate. First up: the Audi A4.

The Audi A4 is the perfect car for someone who loves surprises -- every morning you will be surprised if the window works or not. It's also excellent for the car game enthusiast who loves that game where you punch someone in the arm when you see a "cockeye" car with only one headlight. Yes, when you drive the A4, you will get to imagine all the people passing by you, getting punched in the arm. And do you love the smell of gasoline? Then the A4 is the car for you! You not only get to buy premium gas, but the gas tank will always shut off the pump after only one gallon has gone in. And I can't forget to mention the family-like atmosphere of an Audi dealership. You will get to know those dealership service guys as if they are your brothers...protective older brothers who won't let you go anywhere else with their precious A4.

Yes, my friends, all this can be yours. Seriously. Just go to to CarMax where I just dumped traded mine in.

Next up: Jenny reviews The Toddler Bed. That amazing invention that lets you think that because you have a 'toddler' you should get one...

The Pilgrimage

We made the trek to Oxford with Tate for his first Ole Miss football game. It was a pilgrimage of sorts that Tate took very seriously in his quest to bring a win for the Rebs over LSU.

We started with the traditional taming of the mighty Mississippi River...

And then consulted with three wisemen at the Memphis Zoo...

He said a prayer at the Wailing Wall...

And even rubbed Buddha's belly for good luck....

He chased out screaming LSU fans (note these are the children of Rob's LSU alum cousin)



He even paid his respects to Mr. Faulkner ...(side note: Tate said this statue "scare me." As an English major at Ole Miss, Faulkner scared me, too, Tate...)


We finally made it closer to Mecca as we peered in at the Grove from afar.

And ended up at the mothership:

Finally, we made it to the game! We cheered on the Rebs for two whole quarters....

And then, after a two-day pilgrimage of bringing good luck to the Rebs, Tate passed out and missed the end of the game. Not unlike most fans at an Ole Miss game.

And, also not unlike most fans, ended up in the arms of a girl he'd never seen before...


But that's OK because the Rebs won! And Tate did his victory cheers all the way home...


Hotty Toddy!

Two Peas in a Pod

We visited Rob's Aunt Lucie and her children/grandchildren in Mississippi this past weekend. With six children under the age of ten, there was bound to be some silliness...and none better than trying to get a picture of the youngest two, Tate and Anna Rhodes....

OK, we'll sit still for two seconds.

Oh, you want Tate to smile? OK, I can take care of that....

Going in for the tickle.

Tickle!!

OK, let's try this again.

Oh, no, it looks like she's coming my way...

Eeek!

She got me again!

Roly poly, pell mell, tumble bumble....

Tate had a blast with his new cousins!

Odds and Ends

I don't have any pictures or videos to upload. Things have been busy around our house, but I can't leave Tate the Seal up forever, so I thought I'd throw out a few odds and ends....

1. Cousin Blake was baptized today. It was a very special service, and he was absolutely precious. Read more here.

2. Tate is learning all kinds of new things and surprises us every day. He now knows his primary colors, can count to 10 in English AND Spanish, and can sing the theme song to Backyardigans. I like to think he knows the song because he's a fast learner and not because we let him watch a lot of TV...

3. We decided to try and move Tate into a toddler bed because when you are really busy and have a lot going on in your life, why not throw something like that into the middle of it? It's been a, um, learning experience.

4. Update on our house, which has been on the market: We have a contract on it, but the buyer's house has to sell first. They have had two buyers and we have had two closing dates but BOTH of the deals fell through. We may be living in FloMo forever. So as of now, we are still waiting for their house to sell. We can opt out of the contract if we want, but we are too tired to deal with it. So we wait. And no, we still don't know where we plan to move when it does sell.

5. We have very few pictures of Rob when he was a baby (long story; don't ask), but I came across this one today and did a doubletake because I thought it was Tate.

Maybe it's the hair or the profile or the crazy plaid overalls...but I love when I so clearly see the similarities between them.

6. We are heading to Oxford this weekend for Tate's first Ole Miss experience. For those who are not familiar with Ole Miss, I happened upon this blog post by a total stranger. She captures it perfectly and hilariously so I had to share.

7. Did I mention that I am busy and tired? I met with a professional mommy blogger the other day for work purposes. She said something I keep thinking about....she said, "women in the workplace are not limited by a glass ceiling but by a sticky floor." As I look at my sticky floor and my sticky toddler and my growing pile of work, I know exactly what she means. But that's OK, I'll take the sticky floor.