Mmm-mmm good

Mustard and pickle sandwich.

Makes My Monday

Two things make my day this Monday.

First, Cort and I took a little trip this weekend. We went to New Orleans with three other couples. Good friends, good food, good times.

Second, we may have found us a second babysitter in the process. She kept all four kids while we were gone, and everyone seemed to have a great time. If only she lived in Houston.

Bourbon Street - gotta love it

Warming up

Houston weather is warming up. Thank goodness, because the recent cold snap was not good timing for us . . . in that it coincided with Will's newfound refusal to wear a coat, pants, or long sleeves.

Oh, the joys of two year olds.

Happy birthday to me

A couple of days ago I had my first annual 39th birthday. Joe made me a card.

On the front it said

MY MOMS giFT CARD

(The boys heard the phrase "gift card" over Christmas, but to them it isn't a card giving you credit at a store, it's a card that also functions as your gift.)

Inside it said

DeAR: AMY
hAPPY 39Th
BiRTDAY
I LiKeD The CAke
DiD
YOU?
ANSeR
_ _ _

(Note that there are three spaces for my answer, meaning that the only correct answer is Y E S.)

Then it continued with

MY MOMS TiMeLiNe

1971 0

1972 1

1973 2

1974 3

1975 4

1976 5

1977 6

1978 7

1979 8

1980 9

1981 10

1982 11

1983 12

1984 13

1985 14

1986 15

1987 16

1988 17

1989 18

1990 19

1991 20

1992 21

1993 22

1994 23

1995 24

1996 25

1997 26

1998 27

1999 28

2000 29

2001 30

2002 31

2003 32

2004 33

2005 34

2006 35

2007 36

2008 37

2009 38

2010 39

And that pretty much sums up my life, I guess. And my son.

LOST

No, the blog is not lost. I've got postings and pictures from the holidays on, but they just haven't made it on here yet.

For the time being, Cort and I are enjoying some completely frivolous time. We have Netflix on demand through Tivo, and a little over a week ago we started watching the first season of LOST. Wow, what an addicting show. We've already finished the 25 episodes in season one. (And by the way, this is the way to watch a television show.)

So, there are blog postings to be written, as well as closets to be cleaned out, budgets to be done, Christmas decorations to be put up, and any number of other household, financial, work, and child-related tasks in the queue. But right now, we're just LOST. And we're enjoying it.

What a decade

Y2K in Chicago

Election litigation

Presidential inauguration

New York City

Australia

New York City again

New York City again

Texans inaugural season

House remodeling/addition

Ruidoso

Alaska

Twins

Lots of "firsts"

Saying goodbye to Grandpa

Florida to see Aunt Jody

St. Simon's Island

Ruidoso with kids

The hurricane that wasn't (Rita)

New job for Cort

Cayman Islands

Starting Christmas traditions at home in Houston

More twins (and big brothers!)

More "firsts"

Cayman Islands again

Soccer

New house

New job for Amy

10-year anniversary and Zihuatenajo

Cayman Islands again

Oklahoma

Hurricane Ike

Denver

Skiing in Ruidoso

Spring training and Disneyworld

T-ball

Preschool graduation

New York City

Basketball

20th high school reunion

Cayman Islands again

Kindergarten

Saying goodbye to Tracer

Here's to the next one!

Proud parental moments

Our next-door neighbors came over on Christmas Day to bring the kids some gifts. She is an artist, so she brought them all sorts of art supplies. They are great neighbors, and we've really enjoyed getting to know them over the last couple of years. And really, it was so sweet of them to get something for the kids.

So I'm walking them to the door as they're leaving, telling them just that. I'm holding Helen, and she chooses that moment to pick a humongous booger out of her nose and show it to me. I try to ignore her, but she was loud and insistent.

"Booger, mommy, booger."

And then,

"I eat it?"

Merry Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas from the Maddux household!

We had a wonderful day, despite all the kids having colds and Cort being under the weather as well. Grandad, Gransan, and Gramma were all here. We thought a lot about the days we used to travel for Christmas, since both Oklahoma and North Texas got over a foot of snow. The pictures from folks having a White Christmas "back home" were amazing, but we'll still take being at our own home sweet home with our family.

Charlie and Joseph are now old enough to do the honors of reading the Christmas story on Christmas Eve

Waiting at the top of the stairs before being allowed to see what Santa brought (if you are wondering, Will refuses to wear pants anymore)

This was Will's ABSOLUTE favorite gift -- his very own broom

He's a cleaning machine

Here he's cleaning up the mess from underneath the "kids' table" -- can't believe we have enough people in our immediate family (plus grandparents) to justify a kids' table.

Our babysitter, Cynthia, gave the boys new Texans hats - she knows them well!

The boys also got new baseball gloves, new soccer, football, and baseball cards, a ball bounceback, mini college football helmets, miniature "football guys," mini baseball helmets with a standings board, and baseball and football PJs -- yes, they LOVE sports

Cynthia got Will this stuffed dog. He named him Bob.

Will also liked the rain boots that Charlie got him - notice Charlie and Joseph in the foreground taking pictures with their new cameras

Here Cort is reading Helen the book given to her by her (very perceptive) brother Joe -- "Hands Are Not For Hitting"

Christmas confirmed that Helen really is a girl! She loved wearing and showing off her new clothes and hair bows.

She played a lot with her two new dolls, along with the bed for the dolls and a little dollhouse

Our little girl showing off her new Christmas finery

We still need a little work on the true meaning and spirit of Christmas and a little less emphasis on the commercialism -- we spent all morning opening Christmas presents, for crying out loud. But, mostly, we just enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with family. And watching the kids have a fabulous time, whether with the presents themselves or with the wrapping they come in . . . .

5-year-old humor

"Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Threw a rock and hit a tree and made it pee in 1981!"

What????

Comment of the day

Charlie:  "It's six days till Jesus's birthday!"

Me:  "That's right.  It's six days till Christmas."

Charlie:  "And there's football on Christmas!"