We're already more than halfway through Advent and just 10 days from Christmas. The past two weeks have been spent preparing ourselves for Christmas, lighting our candles, reading a reflection, and, of course, having an individually wrapped sweet each morning. Necessities, people.
We've also celebrated a few saints' days and participated in a couple of neat-o public events here in NOLA and also in Houston: 1. Luna Fete on Lafayette Square 2. outdoor viewing of The Polar Express on Spanish Plaza 3. Algiers Point (massive) bonfire 4. Second-line with St. Nick in Dutch Alley 5. Walker Elementary's Jingle Bell Walk (Mom's school) and 6. Houston Zoo Lights (on St. Lucy's day). We even managed to have Mexican on Dec 12th for Our Lady of Guadalupe.
With the first of Advent, Dylan and I started hosting coffee & donuts at our church. It so desperately needs a little community life, so we're starting with food and hoping it grows from there! The first day, we were late for the early Mass (facepalm), but the second was a huge success. The following week was more organized and a big success again - for both Masses. Last weekend, we were in Houston, and a friend stepped up to host it. It's happening =).
Those are the big things that have been going on, and any photos were most definitely not taken by me, so I'll try to wrangle some up from Mom, Gin, and/or Dylan.
Little tidbits:
- Ada played peekaboo with (cousin / Father) Scott visiting from FL. Like, she initiated it, held up a napkin, and pulled it down to smile at him.
- Paul asked to go "back to Tetsas", oh, at about Beaumont... (ie, not that far from Houston en route back to NOLA)
- Paul's been asking for us to do to "our green house" what others have done with lights, cute.
- Ada dances, and it's so. so. funny.
- It's December 16th, and we're still in T-shirts (well, Dylan and I are).
Now, I'll get to work on getting some of those photos.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Was there a November?
Time's a funny thing, innit? Shalome & Ahlwan came to visit for 2 weeks, and they flew by in a flash! It's been 2 weeks since they left for Australia again, and it feels like forever. Bam - four weeks. The entirety of November.
And now it's Advent, Week 1! We've begun our Advent wreath and calendar, the former being for the whole family and the latter solely for Paul's enjoyment =). I love Advent.
Oh, what about those 4 weeks, you ask? They were fun-filled, not-so-fun-filled, busy, relaxing, and then Thanksgiving.
We so enjoyed having the chance to catch up with Shalome and really get to know little Ahlwan a bit. He's 18mos now, so he's changed tons, clearly, since we last saw him at just 4mos. We did lots of touristy things together and lots of normal not-so-touristy things. We ferried, streetcarred, playgrounded, and cooked & ate. Dylan couldn't take any time off work, unfortunately, but we all stayed up a little past our usual times in order to talk a bit without tiny people wanting our attentions. We were horrible at taking photos for the entire 2 weeks; we only took a very few at the zoo.
So, some of the fun included said zoo visit (and a 6mile walk for me from the CBD there while the others took the streetcar; Ada slept the whole way in the stroller!), an aquarium visit, backyard picnics, walks on the levee, "First Friday on the Point" browsing, the Gumbo Fest ending in Ahlwan, Paul & Ada's first taxi ride, a date with just Paul, and fancy mussel dinner at Broussard's.
I also must include some of the not-so-fun because, come on, when you're talking about 3 kids under 3, there is just bound to be some nighttime crying, nap refusal, ferry missing, ant bites (68 on Ada's legs!), falling off the bed (Ada again ... same day as Ant Day), nasty weather, teething, fussing, and puking. Add to that one almost-missed flight!
After that, there was a lot of laundry and canceling our normal things due to semi-sickness. Paul copped it bad the night before Shalome & Ahlwan left, then I had a mild version later in the week, even keeping Dylan home to watch the kids. As soon as everyone was up to par, though, we got out! And the weather shaped up. It was cool, wet, and nasty for the second of Shalome's weeks, but it's back up to 65ºish and lovely.
We've moved Ada out of our room and into Paul's! She's done excellently, and Paul hasn't bat an eye. He likes it, in fact, so that's great. Just to balance awesome things, though, let me also mention that we traumatized Paul with a haircut, and Ada fell - again - and busted her lip. She healed over Thanksgiving weekend, and there's nothing noticeable. Poor little - tough - dear.
Thanksgiving was great! Mom, Dad, Ginny, & Ryan stayed here, and Pete came over and/or met us wherever we were doing anything. We had a delicious dinner here together before a delicious dessert session at Aunt Cyndi & Uncle Ben's with the extended family. So, so nice to get everybody together <3. And never-mind that business about Ada's eating ... she'll eat anything, any way, especially if it's delicious, like gumbo or Thanksgiving dinners. Again, the only photos:
Now bring on Advent!
And now it's Advent, Week 1! We've begun our Advent wreath and calendar, the former being for the whole family and the latter solely for Paul's enjoyment =). I love Advent.
Oh, what about those 4 weeks, you ask? They were fun-filled, not-so-fun-filled, busy, relaxing, and then Thanksgiving.
We so enjoyed having the chance to catch up with Shalome and really get to know little Ahlwan a bit. He's 18mos now, so he's changed tons, clearly, since we last saw him at just 4mos. We did lots of touristy things together and lots of normal not-so-touristy things. We ferried, streetcarred, playgrounded, and cooked & ate. Dylan couldn't take any time off work, unfortunately, but we all stayed up a little past our usual times in order to talk a bit without tiny people wanting our attentions. We were horrible at taking photos for the entire 2 weeks; we only took a very few at the zoo.
So, some of the fun included said zoo visit (and a 6mile walk for me from the CBD there while the others took the streetcar; Ada slept the whole way in the stroller!), an aquarium visit, backyard picnics, walks on the levee, "First Friday on the Point" browsing, the Gumbo Fest ending in Ahlwan, Paul & Ada's first taxi ride, a date with just Paul, and fancy mussel dinner at Broussard's.
I also must include some of the not-so-fun because, come on, when you're talking about 3 kids under 3, there is just bound to be some nighttime crying, nap refusal, ferry missing, ant bites (68 on Ada's legs!), falling off the bed (Ada again ... same day as Ant Day), nasty weather, teething, fussing, and puking. Add to that one almost-missed flight!
After that, there was a lot of laundry and canceling our normal things due to semi-sickness. Paul copped it bad the night before Shalome & Ahlwan left, then I had a mild version later in the week, even keeping Dylan home to watch the kids. As soon as everyone was up to par, though, we got out! And the weather shaped up. It was cool, wet, and nasty for the second of Shalome's weeks, but it's back up to 65ºish and lovely.
We've moved Ada out of our room and into Paul's! She's done excellently, and Paul hasn't bat an eye. He likes it, in fact, so that's great. Just to balance awesome things, though, let me also mention that we traumatized Paul with a haircut, and Ada fell - again - and busted her lip. She healed over Thanksgiving weekend, and there's nothing noticeable. Poor little - tough - dear.
Thanksgiving was great! Mom, Dad, Ginny, & Ryan stayed here, and Pete came over and/or met us wherever we were doing anything. We had a delicious dinner here together before a delicious dessert session at Aunt Cyndi & Uncle Ben's with the extended family. So, so nice to get everybody together <3. And never-mind that business about Ada's eating ... she'll eat anything, any way, especially if it's delicious, like gumbo or Thanksgiving dinners. Again, the only photos:
 |
| My turkey birds |
Now bring on Advent!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Hallowtide & growing kids
Paul & Adeline are growing up! Duh, I know, but I can see it happening. We pulled out the long pants last week, as it dropped below 70º, and I watched Paul's tiny, un-diapered hips strutting down the sidewalk in his jeans. On the baby-front, Ada decided that she no longer wants to be spoon-fed (slightly) puréed anything; she wants chunks, and she wants to do it herself. So different from Paul at 9mos! Since she made her decision known to us, she's had peas, penne, all the previously-tried fruits and veggies just cut up & not smushed, and oatmeal clumps ... because what else do I dooo for breakfast??
Then there was the baking of the Souls' Cakes (delish & prayerful):
And then Trick-or-treating!
All the Brauds came in to celebrate Peter's & Nana's birthdays a couple of weekends ago, and we had 2 fun meals out together. Of course we didn't get a picture of us all together; that'd be foreward-thinking. Mom & Ginny did, however, get a couple good shots of the kiddos & Pappy, too.
That pretty well takes us up to Halloween already.
First, there was a neighborhood party the Sunday before Halloween:
Then there was pumpkin carving:
The next day, All Saints' Day, there was a Fitzmorris (Gammaw Braud's side) reunion on the Northshore, and I am so glad we could make it! It was a lot of fun chatting with all these people I haven't seen in ages and getting to show them Paul & Ada (and Dylan, too, ha). I must've said 10 times that day something like, coming to these events is part of why we moved down here. It felt so good to belong to a big group. Family love!
And now we come upon a busy next two weeks in November; Shalome & Ahlwan arrive this evening from Melbourne! It'll be a ball to see Paul & Ahlwan - and Ada, for that matter - play together, and we're, of course, excited to get to visit with Shalome for a little bit, too.
Here's a little comparison for fun's sake:
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Finally Fall
And enjoying the weather! Complete with open doors for a through-breeze to freshen up this old place.
So, a short reflection to start. It seems I've actually crossed over to the side of "mother" somewhere along the line. Yes, yes, I know I've been "Mama" for going on 3 years now, but that's not what I mean. A friend offered to take Paul to the playground while Ada morning-napped, and this strange sensation came over me, like "what do I do when I only have a 9-month-old, napping?" My mind bounced back quickly to 2 yrs ago when we had just moved to Austin, MN with 9-month-old Paul, and I yearned for those naps (yes, plural); they were morning and afternoon. I finally got to do what I wanted. And I complained when they were shortened. Now? Now I don't think about what I finally "get" to do. Oh, yes, I still look forward to naptime (I don't know any at-home mom who doesn't), but I usually ask myself how I could use it best - for us. Should I nap, too, to re-engergize for the long evening? Should I start the meal? What needs doing vs how can I be best for later on? Somehow, somewhere along the track, I stopped thinking of naptime as me-time and more as, well, naptime, or at least rest-time. Sometimes that's facebook or the blog, sometimes that's sleeping, and sometimes it's "productive", moving from one put-off-chore to another. In any case, what's changed is this attitude of I want to read, I want to do my nails, I just want to do what I want to one of What are we going to do together later, and can I make that go smoothly? In fact, while Ada napped this morning, the initial reaction was Squee, alone time! But that quickly changed to Bummer, I'll miss our playground fun. Wonder where little Miss Adeline gets her FOMO* from... This is all to say that I think I embrace the role of at-home-mom & housewife better than I thought I did back then.
*fear of missing out
And now for a photographical show of our visit to Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch.
1. Set A down.
2. Set P down.
3. P hits face on pumpkin stem.
4. P fusses about pumpkin stem.
Finally, things are a-moving here! First, I've gotten the go-ahead from the Church Lady to organize donuts after the 2 Sunday Masses starting this Advent - boo, a whole month away but yay a little fellowship! Second, I started a Friday morning levee walking group; one mom called it a stroller brigade. I've labeled it "Let's Go!" Whatever the title, it's mommas with their littles in strollers or carriers walking on the levee for a mile & back at a grown-up's pace. Nice. Next, perhaps because of the weather, people are starting to congregate a little more. And while many aren't necessarily eager to seek out meet-ups, most are up for meeting for something I suggest. I'll take it. Then, Dylan's job is ticking along, and he seems pleased with his colleagues and with the work he's doing. Very good things. We haven't talked tons about it, though, because there isn't a ton of time to talk when it's well-spent wrestling the bébés. You read that right - wrestling the bébés. They both wrestle and love it! Ada's gotten very mobile and loves physical, rough-n-tumble games. It goes without saying that Paul's into that. We just have to, um, remind him that Ada's still tiny. HE has started playing in English. So funny and cute. He names and counts his cars and shows his books to Ada in English. And I can't forget to mention his "tank ou, Ada" as he's ripping something out of her hands or the "sowwy, Ada" when he knocks her over. Shrug.
Life is grand!
So, a short reflection to start. It seems I've actually crossed over to the side of "mother" somewhere along the line. Yes, yes, I know I've been "Mama" for going on 3 years now, but that's not what I mean. A friend offered to take Paul to the playground while Ada morning-napped, and this strange sensation came over me, like "what do I do when I only have a 9-month-old, napping?" My mind bounced back quickly to 2 yrs ago when we had just moved to Austin, MN with 9-month-old Paul, and I yearned for those naps (yes, plural); they were morning and afternoon. I finally got to do what I wanted. And I complained when they were shortened. Now? Now I don't think about what I finally "get" to do. Oh, yes, I still look forward to naptime (I don't know any at-home mom who doesn't), but I usually ask myself how I could use it best - for us. Should I nap, too, to re-engergize for the long evening? Should I start the meal? What needs doing vs how can I be best for later on? Somehow, somewhere along the track, I stopped thinking of naptime as me-time and more as, well, naptime, or at least rest-time. Sometimes that's facebook or the blog, sometimes that's sleeping, and sometimes it's "productive", moving from one put-off-chore to another. In any case, what's changed is this attitude of I want to read, I want to do my nails, I just want to do what I want to one of What are we going to do together later, and can I make that go smoothly? In fact, while Ada napped this morning, the initial reaction was Squee, alone time! But that quickly changed to Bummer, I'll miss our playground fun. Wonder where little Miss Adeline gets her FOMO* from... This is all to say that I think I embrace the role of at-home-mom & housewife better than I thought I did back then.
*fear of missing out
And now for a photographical show of our visit to Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch.
It's little Miss's first time!
And the trying-to-get-two-kids-to-pose begins!
1. Set A down.
2. Set P down.
3. P hits face on pumpkin stem.
4. P fusses about pumpkin stem.
5. Fascination with pumpkin stem begins.
Bouncy Pilloooooow!
Paul picked out his very own
Finally, things are a-moving here! First, I've gotten the go-ahead from the Church Lady to organize donuts after the 2 Sunday Masses starting this Advent - boo, a whole month away but yay a little fellowship! Second, I started a Friday morning levee walking group; one mom called it a stroller brigade. I've labeled it "Let's Go!" Whatever the title, it's mommas with their littles in strollers or carriers walking on the levee for a mile & back at a grown-up's pace. Nice. Next, perhaps because of the weather, people are starting to congregate a little more. And while many aren't necessarily eager to seek out meet-ups, most are up for meeting for something I suggest. I'll take it. Then, Dylan's job is ticking along, and he seems pleased with his colleagues and with the work he's doing. Very good things. We haven't talked tons about it, though, because there isn't a ton of time to talk when it's well-spent wrestling the bébés. You read that right - wrestling the bébés. They both wrestle and love it! Ada's gotten very mobile and loves physical, rough-n-tumble games. It goes without saying that Paul's into that. We just have to, um, remind him that Ada's still tiny. HE has started playing in English. So funny and cute. He names and counts his cars and shows his books to Ada in English. And I can't forget to mention his "tank ou, Ada" as he's ripping something out of her hands or the "sowwy, Ada" when he knocks her over. Shrug.
Life is grand!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
So much NEW
Dylan's view is new, and everything's going well while he settles in. Things are changing and settling for us on the homefront, too, like what happens after nap, how the cooking gets done, and when the kiddos bathe. But Dylan's view!
Ada's teefus are new, and she weighs 16 lbs at 26" long. We knew she had those two bottom, front teeth coming through, but her sleep was so insanely rough for 3 full days & nights that we took her in to see the doc to rule out other things wrong. After checking her ears, nose, and chest, he put a tongue depressor in her mouth, lifted her teeny baby lips and - wowza! - she's working on 6! Two bottom center, and all four top center! We didn't even think to look up there, yet, but the doc said they're coming in like popcorn. We're relieved all that work and lack of sleep are for something productive.
Her climbing up on things is new, and she loves it. So far she's landed back on her bum, but I'm sure the face-plant is on its way.
Paul's feeding her is new (and adorbs) - he is a really great big brother. Nuff said.
His Lightening McQueen and Thomas undies are new! And have stayed dry for 4 days so far - woo! Yes, we bribed with ice cream. For, like, a month. Every #2 in the potty got us all a bowl of ice cream. (#1 gets him a chocolate chip, but we haven't had an accident there in months.) It's the #2 that's been the kicker ... we're out of ice cream "Ooo, big boy underwear! Keep Thomas and Lightening McQueen dry, now!" Done.
Dylan and I went to a movie. In a movie theater! We saw "Gone Girl" - thank you for watching a napless Adeline, Nana!!
And the weather's new! Highs in the 70s, thank you very much.
Then there's this - can only get one kid to look at any given time. Ah well.
Ada's teefus are new, and she weighs 16 lbs at 26" long. We knew she had those two bottom, front teeth coming through, but her sleep was so insanely rough for 3 full days & nights that we took her in to see the doc to rule out other things wrong. After checking her ears, nose, and chest, he put a tongue depressor in her mouth, lifted her teeny baby lips and - wowza! - she's working on 6! Two bottom center, and all four top center! We didn't even think to look up there, yet, but the doc said they're coming in like popcorn. We're relieved all that work and lack of sleep are for something productive.Her climbing up on things is new, and she loves it. So far she's landed back on her bum, but I'm sure the face-plant is on its way.
Paul's feeding her is new (and adorbs) - he is a really great big brother. Nuff said.
His Lightening McQueen and Thomas undies are new! And have stayed dry for 4 days so far - woo! Yes, we bribed with ice cream. For, like, a month. Every #2 in the potty got us all a bowl of ice cream. (#1 gets him a chocolate chip, but we haven't had an accident there in months.) It's the #2 that's been the kicker ... we're out of ice cream "Ooo, big boy underwear! Keep Thomas and Lightening McQueen dry, now!" Done.
Dylan and I went to a movie. In a movie theater! We saw "Gone Girl" - thank you for watching a napless Adeline, Nana!!
And the weather's new! Highs in the 70s, thank you very much.
Then there's this - can only get one kid to look at any given time. Ah well.
Friday, October 10, 2014
In other news...
We went to the zoo!
See -->
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Oh, and Dylan got a job with a law firm in town. He received the offer on Monday, so we celebrated with a fancy dinner, of course; and he'll head off to a snazzy new office in a big ol' high rise on Monday of next week. Very exciting ... and a big game-changer for us. Our daily schedules will see major changes, and one of our goals just became "maximizing family time". What that means for me and how I can shift things around to meet that goal, I've yet to work out. God's timing is impeccable - thank you!
Ada-face
It was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi last week, so let's see some Adeline Frances, shall we? She's on the move, she loves spinach, she's got a little 'tude, and she's deliciously kissable.
Let's see what her big bro's been up to, too, because look
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