She's Got A Way

Billy Joel's. I'd heard it all my life and then heard it a little differently the other night driving home. I'm just sayin'...

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her

She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know what it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason anywhere

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know why it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'

She's got a light around her
And everywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her everywhere

She's got a smile that heals me
Oh I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me anyway

Rolocado

This is the last lengthy post I'll have for the next week since we're embarking on what some might call a vacation...let's just call it a "family vacation" to Rolocado (As Anna would call Colorado) to go camping.

Actually, I cheated a bit a rented a cabin but we're bringing the tent along. I can't help it, the Type A now-Mother in me has to have a back up plan for rain, toddler not liking the tent, or bears. So cabin/tent camping it is.

It's going to be at Monument Lake in Colorado, which was only a 12 hour drive in the pre-Anna days. Now that this is our first trip with the newest family member, we're planning to break the drive out over two days. As far as we can get each day without pushing too far into insanity in the confines of a Toyota Tacoma pick-up cab.

Yo Gabba Gabba goes to Rolocado. Yes, 6 hours a day of DVD time, I am sure.


Paul and I have gone to this place a few times since we moved to Houston. It was usually a stop on our way to Durango, CO where we'd then move on to Silverton, CO. Mostly our trips consisted of lots of driving, to see how high up we could get. One year we took the train from Durango to Silverton, which was really cool. I think Anna will have to be a little older for that one, though. Our hopes on this trip for now are that the 12 hour drive there and 12 hour drive home will be met with good memories. Even though toddlers notoriously hate to be confined in car seats for too long.


Now I've honestly tried to back peddle my way out of this trip recently. Not that I don't want to go have fun with Paul and Anna, but just that I think this fun might get old to the toddler the first 4 hours in. Good old optimistic nut job husband is planning for nothing but good times and so has tried to squash my doubts. We settled on the cabin which has at least shut me up. A bit.

Who am I kidding, this place has a lodge with a restaurant on site. So it's not the actual destination that's freaking me out. It's the journey. In the car. I think. Also it's the fact that I'm trying to pack for a little human-like creature that changes her mind in 2 seconds flat from waffles to grits. And that when bugs bite her, they leave a huge whelp that's a major downer. And that she's particular about wearing the same shoes everyday, despite the pretty other ones going unworn in her closet. And that fishing with her daddy in the boat will get boring about 45 minutes sooner for her than it will for her daddy.

Everyone knows that Paul's the optimist. Whether he's right or not, most of the boundaries we've pushed with Anna have usually been at the urging of Paul, whereas I am much more comfortable with the daily routine and not shaking things up too much. The boundaries that are pushed usually end up just fine, if for any reason other than that Paul probably works extra hard to make it work so that the next time we think to push a little further he can tell me it's always been just fine in the past and we can do it again.

Anna has been on plenty of travel with us to some strange places. She's been to Colorado twice before (both by plane). She's overall a great toddler with a few standard toddler quirks and there's never been a real disaster. Just some extra work. So I guess in my mind it's just that it'd be so much easier to stay home this week and stick to routine than driving all the way to Colorado for this camping trip...except that I hope it yields good memories. And really I know Anna's going to get a kick out of alot if it...

Anyway, since we will be out of internet's reach, if my cell phone has service, I'll be texting little updates to this blog. If you see no updates, it means my phone has no service. So I maybe you'll be in on the fun too...in the comfort of your own home.

Quick hits

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Editing to add:
Me: "Anna, you're too stinking cute!"
Anna: "No, I'm not STINKY POOP!"
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New Phrases/words:

"Just a second"

"I want to do ___ for a minute"

"Swimsoup" (Swimsuit)

"I donno" (I don't know)

"Uh, sure!"

"O-K!" (loud and cute!)

"Daddy, can I go see the space shuttles?! And the astronauts?"
Me: "Anna, do you want to ride in the space shuttle?"
Anna: "Nooo...."
Me: "Why not?"
Anna: "It's too big."
Me: "Can mommy ride in the space shuttle?"
Anna: "Uhhh...yeah!"

Good answer :)

Must Haves:

Bug bite medicine

Ice packs

Popsicles

Yo Gabba Gabba with Jack Black

Stuffed Tiger and Stuffed Alligator

Chocolate as a motivator for the potty

Fruit snacks

Pull-ups

Grits


Downers:

Bedtime

Taking her food away without asking first

Our toddler knows NASA. She knows the space shuttle and she knows astronauts. She knows the NASA meatball, and has since she could first start to talk. She also knows the space station. I wish she had a vehicle like the space shuttle to grow up with like I did. We are about to have a 5 year NASA launch vehicle gap (possibly longer) which means she'll be in elementary school by the time we get our next generation NASA launch vehicle into full operation. I am partly sad she's going to miss out on the kick-ass space shuttle. She's been to a launch, and will probably be to at least one more before they stop flying (there are 7 launches left). So at least there's that. We're doing all we can for her ;)

Instead of a launch vehicle, she will have ISS (space station) and potentially a kick-ass moon base. Maybe even Mars. Different era, not so bad I guess.

Either way, I love that NASA is in her vocabulary and her blood. What a lucky little girl.

I'm at work

My first thoughts were very loud to me when I walked into this room and it was a series of expletives. No lie. I'm supposed to present here? It is a new NASA room here at KSC. The 25 members of this international board are sitting around the table in a "U" shape. I have a podium, and a microphone. Behind me are 3 screens with my charts displayed and a classic (yet intimidating) NASA countdown clock, which reflects our current space shuttle status. The ceilings are tall. There are flat screens reflecting my charts all around the room. The walls are a comfortable forest green.

This room is typical movie NASA. Where's the less intimidating government NASA with the boring tan walls and tile floor?

Even as JU was introducing me, I swear my thoughts were controlled: "How the hell did I get here? WTF am I doing? Why do these people have such faith I'm not going to screw this up? I'm just a flight hardware engineer!"

Actually I'm not sure I should be displaying my real thoughts about this. I think I'm supposed to be playing this cool but seriously folks, this is the NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations and all of his international equivalents. Now he knows me by name. And frankly, it's super cool! Am I supposed to say that? No, I'm wearing a nice suit sitting with people from around the world in nice suits. I'd better straighten up.

My part is over. Even though it was only 6 charts of pretty benign stuff, it was the biggest presentation of my life. It's not the most nervous I've ever been (because I really wasn't as nervous as I should have been). It was a big presentation because it was a global presentation representing the work for ISS science that we do in our office. And it's usually Julie's job. And she's really good at it.

But I have to say I came across very cool and collected. Because I told myself to. Even on 2 hours of sleep.

By the way, my sleep number bed was stuck on FIRM last night for the 3 hours I laid there. I've confirmed to myself it's alot like sleeping on an air mattress. I prefer my Temprapedic but then again folks could argue that's like sleeping on packing foam.

It still tickles me that I am giddy about all of this and my role today at NASA. It's so "everyday" to the people I'm with here in this room. So pardon my silliness. I mean to be a professional here but I can't help it. I'm at NASA in the room with people I'd have never believed, and they were all listening to me, and creating new ideas, and saying my name. It's NASA! How the heck did I get here? Aren't I still in high school or something?

No. Face it: I'm a 33 year old mom and Deputy Program Scientist for the ISS.

SUWWWEEETTT!!! ;)

Niagara and Back...and back out again.

I'm sitting in Hobby airport right now, waiting for my flight to Orlando so I can give a big presentation for work tomorrow at KSC. I'm happy to be flying Southwest. I've always hated Delta, which we flew for Niagara Falls. And on that trip, there were no shortness of reminders why. Blah. Anyway, turns out Southwest overbooked this flight to Orlando so I volunteered my seat in exchange for a $500 voucher for a future flight anywhere, so woo-hoo! Yeah I'm sitting here an extra 3 hours, but look, I have internet! And it's totally worth $500 :) Yeah that also means I'll be on maybe 4-5 hours of sleep before my presentation in the morning but I Think the adrenaline will keep me going. This is a presentation to William Gerstenmaier and his international board from space agencies around the world. And it's very last minute. Julie had a schedule conflict, and couldn't make it, so I just learned yesterday they need me to cover for her. These are her charts and I have never met any of these people! But I guess there's bliss in the fact that I don't really know what I'm about to get myself into ;)


In the meantime, we're back from Niagara Falls and we had a great time! Anna handled the four plane rides really well, and even napped during her nap time on one flight each way, which is better than when she was a baby, surprisingly. It seems she understood it's cool to snuggle up and sleep on the plane. In fact, she's been doing alot of snuggling lately. It's pretty sweet and I am glad she's finally consented :)


We rode the Maid of the Mist boat that takes you to the base of the falls...you know, the boat ride where they give you famous blue ponchos so you don't get wet. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well. I held Anna during the whole ride, and there was a pretty intense windy, wet, and loud period at the bottom of the falls where we got the closest look. She ducked down into the poncho and watched through the blue see-through material with a look of seriousness on her face, though not scared. She didn't even mind getting wet. When I asked if she was having fun, she looked at me and smiled and said "yeah!" When we got out of the falls, she asked if we could do it again. We were so danged proud of her because something tells me it can probably be pretty intimidating for some 2 year olds. At least for the noise. After the ride, she talked all about how she rode the boat and got wet and saw the water falls. Sweet!


What got on my nerves, though, was the strange new request for the paci. Over. And Over. All day. It started at the airport before we even got on the plane to NY! It continued the whole trip and we could only give in if we wanted a pleasant trip. So she got it when she asked for it, even in the face of my condemnation of that stupid paci! At one point I threatened to throw it into the falls and Paul cautioned me that the child might actually go after it. When we got home, the paci requests subsided and all is pretty much back to normal. The only thing we could think of was that the trip stressed her out. I guess no matter how often you do it, there's always a level of stress involved with travel. So I can see that point. But now oh how I hate that stinking paci! This morning she threw her paci in the bed and said, "yucky! Yucky! That's for babies!!" quoting mommy, but she darned well won't dare give it up yet. She still gets it for sleep and in the car.


I am about to cut them up and just deal with the consequences.


Anyway, my speech went really, really well. The students always motivate me even more when they come to talk to me afterwards. They wait in LINE to talk to me and share their stories. Some want NASA information, others have personal questions. Anna got all dressed up to go to my speech/dinner, and after a fight with getting the stockings on and negotiating on shoes that didn't exactly match but made her happy, we went to the dinner that preceded my speech. She decided that the fancy food was only worth spitting out, and that the ambiance was too professional for her taste, so she and Paul ditched to go eat hot dogs and watch a live band at the sports bar. So they missed my speech. Which is a drag, but I'm pretty sure Anna is sick of hearing what I have to say anyway :)

I am amazed I get to go to all of these great places to give a motivational speech to students who are in programs that are part of the Council for Opportunity in Education. I am amazed anyone cares about my story and that they are honored to have me speak at their student conferences. I am amazed I can have so much fun "giving back" and that I can have such a positive impact in the way students see themselves and their education. I have two conferences left for this year: one at Clarkson in NY and one in Indiana, both in the fall.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our trip. We also got to visit our friends P and C and their new sweet little girl, J, who's just over 3 months old now. They make a beautiful, sweet little family and even though the parent claim to be tired, they seem like it's all so natural to them. Way to go!!!

People question why we bring Anna with us to most things. They claim she won't even remember it, so why bother? First off, so what if she won't remember it? She might. Either way, Paul and I will remember it, so it's OUR memories. Secondly, these new experiences are making neural connections in her little brain. They are helping to develop her mind and her personality. She learned again about elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks in the airport, airplanes, water falls, trolleys, hotel rooms, and I can't even remember what else. The point is those connections are there and will in some way affect her future. Even if she won't specifically remember it. Besides, mommy is a good biographer of her life!

Before the wet boat ride:

After the wet boat ride:

No, Mrs. Ruttley

Last night:

Anna: You Mrs. Ruttley, I'm Anna Ruttley. Daddy's Paul.
Me: No, baby, actually I'm Dr. Ruttley.
Anna: No, mommy, you not doctuh Ruttley. You Mrs. Ruttley! Da doctuhs is yow friends!

Little beautiful Spacetoddler girl, I was up all night every night in the last throws of pregnancy with you finishing my doctoral thesis. Thanks to the comfortable home you inconveniently created in my belly, I was kept awake long enough to get it written in time to graduate before you were born.

By the way, made it through the Harry Potter midnight showing last night with TT in time to get 2 hrs of sleep before my 6am meeting this morning (fun movie!). I'm feeling fine thanks to Starbucks but keep your distance come around 8pm tonight. And I still gotta survive a piano lesson and pack.

Ramblings

Anna in the grocery store last night, riding in the cart:

Mommy, you have boo-boos!! Grabbing at my rather low-cut shirt. Fortunately, no one saw her attempt to expose my chest in public, and boo-boos sounds less explicit in public than "boobies" so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still I had to laugh. And so the akward body part identification and embarrassment in public begins. Actually, I'd prefer it to a tantrum.

It dawned on me this morning that I may never get to fly in space. At least, not the NASA route. Since I got my MS degree and actually have been qualified to even be considered since 2001, there have only been two astronaut selections, totalling only 20 new astronauts to join NASA in 9 years (selection years 2000, 2004, and 2009). Out of a total applicant pool of around 3,500 in each selection cycle or so. The number selected is getting smaller and smaller, and fewer years are between the selection process. As I was growing up, 30 astronauts were selected every 2 years. Better odds for me! But if the current trend holds, and selection now comes every 5 years, I will be faced with the words I never through I'd say so soon: "I will be getting much too old to even be considered." Which is a drag because for so long I've been able to say "eh, I'm still young, I have time." I will be 34 in September. All I can say right now is it is what it is. Whatever.

On Thursday we're getting on a plane to Niagra Falls, where I'll be speaking at another student conference. The plane ride there is split between two 2-hour flights with about an hour in between. I suspect Anna will be pretty well-behaved, at least until nap time approaches. I made the mistake of telling her we're getting on a plane on Thursday so she now asks me whenever we get into the car if we're going to go ride the plane. I've lost track of take-off and landing numbers but I think she's been on about 5 round trips already. Her last flight was in Jan. so it's been about 6 months. I think she's mellowed a bit since then so hopefully Thursday's trip will be uneventful as far as complaints go.

I'll try to post as things go...

The weekends are kicking my butt

First off I don't know how Paul has so much energy and a happy attitude to do all he does every single day non-stop. If I were doing half as much as he from dawn till dusk, I'd pull it off but I'd be suddenly cranky one day when it all caught up. So far he hasn't erupted...LORD. He even stays up late. Works hard and plays hard.

Speaking of playing hard, this has been a fast week and we are playing hard this weekend. I am super grateful Anna's keeping up!

My nephew Kody is in town, and he's not the moody, quiet, self-centered almost-13-year-old you'd expect. He's stinking cute, friendly, chatty, and participates in everything. Not to mention polite. He even actually enjoys playing with Anna and Anna really likes having him here. He came to stay with us for a week or so and attend the football camp Paul's clinic supported for 3 days. By the way, the employees and our friends all rock for supporting a second year in a row! In the horrible Houston heat, keeping the kids hydrated, lots of tiring physical activity. Thank you guys for supporting us again. You are truly great friends and a great Valeo staff!

Anyway, Kody and Anna and Paul and I have been buys this week. Almost every evening is swimming till the pool closes. Last night LW and her family came to the pool and we ordered pizza and the kids played for hours. It was so freaking fun! My favorite part was when LW's daughter (same age as Anna) and Anna were singing London Bridge and Baby Bumble Bee in the middle of the pool with us. Sooooo stinking cute. Anna's getting GREAT at hanging in the pool by herself with her arm floaties on...she kicks on her belly, she jumps in from the side, and goes completely under. She is so comfortable in the water now: a far cry from where we started when the summer started! And Kody can do some mean dives off the diving board.

Yesterday at the Little Gym, Anna was all over that room, doing stuff she's never done before. She even hung off the bars by her legs, upside down! She's always hated bars before. She can walk along the beam with her arms out and I don't even need to hold onto her. She totally loves that place! I wish we could get a few consistent weeks in a row, though. It seems we're always out of town or something (like next weekend).

Anna: Mommy, I know that thing!

Me: What is it, baby?

Anna: It's a hair thing!

Me: What's it do?

Anna: It cleans ma hair!

My hair dryer.

This morning was Kemah and now she's napping before we go to OM and MM's bouncy birthday party.

I'm beat and actually took a 30 min nap myself yesterday. And I'm not a napper!!! Just like last Monday I feel like I'll be beat rolling into work.

Gotta go wake her from her nap to go to the party...

It's definitely summer

Ouch. I am sore. We worked and played hard this weekend. Events full of stuff we'd never have done as a pre-Anna couple.

As a form of coaxing a sleepy-head to bed Thurs night, I told her she and daddy could go get donuts when she woke up. Surprisingly, it was her first question upon (EARLY) wake-up Friday morn. Lest she forget! Started the day out with crap for breakfast ;) Actually, that's pretty much how our entire 3-day weekend went: junk food. Is it bad she wants popsicles for dinner? (And no, we don't oblige. Cotton candy has much more fiber).

Friday morning we took a trip to the Children's museum of Houston. Croweded, hell yes. Air conditioned, hell yes. So 1 for 2. Anna had fun as usual and this was Paul's first trip. We made it back in time for her 1:00 nap, which she had decided to skip at school all last week. They said she wasn't cranky or noisy or anything. Just laid on her mat not sleeping, but obviously tired. Our goal this weekend was to get her little body clock back on nap track. We had success all weekend so hopefully she'll nap as well at school this week.

Friday afternoon was the neighborhood pool. At one point Anna jumped in and went completely under water (gasp!) and came up giggling, saying she saw bubbles and went "blub-blub-blub!" Ha, yes, baby. That's what it looks like when you jump in: lots of bubbles! :) She's doing great in the pool, and has eased up so much that she will just float on her belly by herself with the arm floaties on. That's my big girl!

Saturday morning she hung out in the small pool Paul filled for her in the back yard, in true July 4th spirit. He got her some new toys to keep her busy in the pool and she played while I got some work done inside and Paul got some work done on his shed outside.

Saturday afternoon we went to the zoo for the last hour it was open. We were supposed to meet TJ and family but they were running late. And I thought for some darned reason the zoo was free that day. But turns out it wasn't. So we went ahead and paid $26 to get into the gates to see elephants and giraffes and pay double for concession dinner. Monkeys were nowhere to be found. Frankly, it was the end of a hot day and they weren't getting paid holiday overtime to perform for us so there wasn't much to see. But it wasn't bad. Anna got pizza and cotton candy for dinner so I think she sees it as a success.

After the zoo kicked us out, we walked over to the Miller Outdoor theater for the Houston Symphony and fireworks on the lawn. We met up with TJ (Ommom) and the family and Spacemonkey. TJ brought wine and shared their goodies as usual with this little family whose goodies only consisted of juice, turkey sandwiches, and cheetos. TJ knows how to pack a yummy bag for these kinds of things. But I should give myself props for even packing an ice chest of my own, which is a first for me :) I'm usually COMPLETELY thoughtless about these things.

It was crowded and hot but by the time we all settled in and the sun went down, there was plenty of breathing room, a breeze, and the music was great! Anna liked it for the most part and then started getting sleepy...around 9:30 she started showing serious sleepy eyes but she's a fighter, and eats to stay awake, so she held on till the fireworks at 10:30pm! It kicked off with a series of cannon shots which she LOVED and wanted "more, more!" And she was non-stop chatter and giggles throughout the entire fireworks show: "fireworks go boom! Boom! They're blue and white! Look! That's pretty! WOA! Boom!" Now I see why people brave the crowds and heat just to get out to these events: with the intent to watch the family's (hopefully) fun reaction. We usually stay at home and go to bed early on the 4th. Paul and I were more tickled with watching her watch the fireworks. We finally got home a little after midnight, and mercifully she slept in till 9:30 the next morn. I joined her on that sleep-in but Paul got up early to work on the shed! I don't know where he gets his energy.

Incidentally, Anna-Marie's very first July 4th celebration in 2007 erupted with explosions of her own: soy milk and poop. Yes, in 2007 when she was just a few months old, our weekend was about cleaning up vomit and other GI virus-related fun. Last year we were at my dad's in New Orleans and she was an early sleeper back then. So this was her third July 4th, but the first time she's seen July 4th fireworks.

Sunday was more backyard pool play (this time add the sprinklers) and in the evening, TJ and family came over for grilling and more pool play :) It was HOT but better when the sun set. It's always so fun and neat to have people over for dinner. It makes the house come alive and we just haven't done it as much as we used to. Time. Time. Time. Paul made some really great ribs and TJ brought over some yummy cupcakes and watermelon. And I supplied my own wine coolers. Score me another point because I usually mooch that off my friends too :) They know I like them but never even think to pick them up for myself.

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Quick stories:

Thursday night I put her popsicle into the freezer since she forgot about it and it was getting close to bedtime. Once we got into bed, she looked around: hey, "where'd my popsicle go?" I told her she ate it. She asked again. I told her again. She didn't believe me. She asked again. I reminded her it's all gone. She seemed content with that but her brain knew something was off there. It's happening: it's going to be harder and harder to get stuff by her.

Saturday I ran her over for a quick doc's visit to check out some seriously nasty mosquito bites on her leg to be sure it wasn't an infection. I reminded her the doc always gives her stickers after her visit. As we were leaving the doc's office, I buckled her into the seat. There's that look again: "mommy, where's the stickers?" Huh? "I need a sticker, mommy". Out of the car, back inside. Not because she was whining for it or anything. But because I'd promised her. And yes, you veteran parents, I am seeing a trend and I am learning a lesson from it :) But I do know beter than to ever promise anything I can't deliver on and I do know not to tell her we're going to do something if there's a slight chance we don't end up doing it.

Later she put one of those stickers on my shirt and left the other in the truck. The lost their stickiness so I threw them away during her nap. Upon wake-up she asked me for them. I told her they were still in the truck. She let it go. Whew.

This is a Lego skill I didn't know Paul had.

My new favorite Anna video:

Spinklers with Daddy:

Feels like Friday

But it's only Wednesday. I guess it's cause it's a short week with Friday being a holiday for us.

Then again it's already July 1. What the heck, people? What happened to June?

At work I'm pounding out an in-depth review of ISS early Life Science experiments and some results for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and a conference. It's keeping me busy on a super short deadline (as far as paper preparation goes) but I'm learning tons. I have bursts of great productivity followed by periods of not wanting to look at it all day. And so it goes with writing :)

Today I got out of the office for awhile to look at some electric pianos. My first piano lesson is tomorrow afternoon, and it will be weekly from now on. The instructor is my boss's daughter's piano teacher and our first phone conversation revolved around talks about books, study, and practice. And also about how it's tougher for adults to take lessons because of their crazy other commitments (she was nicely hinting at me to be sure to show up since there is no mommy to make me).

Then it dawned on me: She was starting to make this sound like hard work or something. It may be best that I know not of what I am about to get myself into :) All I know is that teaching starts again Aug 24 and while I think may be busy right now, this is NOT busy. Busy will come when teaching starts and so I am using the time right now to trace the piano learning curve. Today I found a piano I think I'd like to buy but I'll ask her thoughts during our lesson tomorrow. It sounded so pretty when I tapped the keys. And as the notes came out, I turned the volume down so no one in the shop would hear me suck. Or rather so that they would not hear my lack of creativity that comes by nature for me. So then another realization: Um, this will be a creative challenge I may not have prepared myself for.

And no, the last 5lbs hasn't budged. Must have been that damned chocolate cake we made. It's amazing how one piece can screw up the entire scale ;)

Paul's clinic is unexplainably successful more and more everyday. They have met their goals over and over and keep setting them higher. At the end of everyday it's super cool to hear how his day went and even though I'd like to beat him for the schedule he's been keeping the last 2 weeks, it's his dream so I only give him partial crap for it ;) That's right honey, would you believe I am holding back?

Anna's been cheery and cooperative and sweet again so far this week (even though she's been skipping naps at school). I love talking with her because she's more and more saying the wackiest stuff. These days brushing her hair and teeth are a breeze (and even the days of me sneaking into her room at night to clip her nails have been long gone. She patiently watches now). She really likes to go places and do stuff and mostly me taking her along to places doesn't even really stress me out like it used to. Well, that's the story for now ;)

Her latest addiction: popscicles. The Flav-O-Ice kind. You know, the long sticks in the plastic you push up. It bums her out she can't have one for breakfast, though. Yeah toddlerhood can be rough.

A Weekend Together

This was the first weekend in awhile that the 3 of us has been together...maybe it's only been the last few weekends but it seems like awhile. Anyway, we had a great time just hanging around the house, cleaning, and visiting friends.

Paul bought Anna a Lincoln Log set which she actually enjoys building with Paul. Good thing he loves it because I am just not the creative builder type. I found a little Strawberry Shortcake doll while we were out shopping and I had to buy it. Anna didn't care for it either way but I remember that smell from growing up! It's the SAME Strawberry Shortcake smell even though the doll looks different. I never actually had one but I played with others when I was young. So I finally got one of my own. :)

We visited Z and C and her parents last night as a thank you for Paul's treating her mom's shoulder. Glad he could help! They cooked fish which Anna LOVED and we had a great time. Anna got sleepy and silly towards the end of the night and sang "Hoppy Poppy" (AKA Hokey Pokey) all the way home in the car.

This morning Anna bounced out of bed cheerfully...she still will wake up and wait/play in her bed till we come up to get her! It's funny because even after over two months of having the crib rail down, she still hasn't figured out she has the complete freedom to leave her bed and play with her toys. Yesterday morning I woke to watch her on the monitor and I was surprised to see her climb out of her bed. I thought: THIS IS IT! But she got down, grabbed her paci off the floor, and hurried back into her bed. We kinda have to giggle at that. She will also reach across to her bookshelf to get her babydoll but not leave her bed. This moring she was happy to see me and told me she was fixing her doll's pigtails. Then when she got down to our bedroom, she told daddy to wake up and let's go get some donuts!!! "Get up daddy! Move it!"

Tonight we went swimming at LB and AB's pool along with their daughter, OM, MM, CM, and OMMOM (TJ). I love it when we do that. Anna had a blast and it's so fun watching the kids play while the rest of us catch up. LB's baby boy is around 3 months old and she looks great and the baby is super sweet and laid back. We had lots of good food tonight as usual!

I got a peak in at Anna's final molar this morning. Its flat sruface is almost all the way through so I think we're past the worst part. She hasn't been bothered in her sleep for awhile, and her attitude has been happy Anna all week. So this one wasn't NEARLY as bad as the previous one. And now we're just about all done with teething. YIPPIE!!!

Well it's late. Night night!

More HOT

Johnson Space Center
Emergency Notification

Excessive Heat Advisory - ACTIVE

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Advisory for the JSC area through 7 PM CDT Saturday June 27th. Hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to produce heat indices above 109. Please exercise caution while outdoors.
Issued on June 26, 2009 at 14:55

Photo Updates

Here's just a data dump of some of the photos that have been collecting in my camera over the last few weeks...


Anna's unattended artwork on our $1200 Lazy Boy. Luckily you get what you pay for and all of it came right out with a wet cloth and minimal elbow grease...

The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Fl. Picture taken when TT and I tried to get as close as possible without actually sneaking in...This building is huge and it's where the Space Shuttle gets assembled.

The closest TT and I could get to the Space Shuttle Endeavour at KSC the day before its scrubbed launch.

Proud Spacemama's photo of bouncing Toddler at the Engineering picnic last weekend at JSC. Anna's usually intimidated by these boucy things but she was eager to get in and jump this time! Growing up!

Working that horse like her daddy does. At the JSC Engineering picnic last weekend.

Playing at the park with MM and the Sauers girls at the Engineering picnic last weekend.

Anna and the Sauers girls...

A rare photo of Anna with Mommy, courtesy of OMMOM.

The Little Gym's final class of the spring gave the kids a medal last weekend...

At Mythos restaurant, updating my Twitter at Universal Studios! Those are NOT horns.

Yummy dessert at Mythos.

Play date with Paul at Universal Studios during my Workation a few weekends ago...

Our hotel room inside the Hyatt Orlando Airport. This room was really nice!

Paul watching the travelers in the airport terminal from our balcony.

Even though my hotel room in Cocoa Beach was on the beach I never actually took any photos of the beach! Weird? TT did and she is going to give me some of the photos so I can post them too. I also have more pics on my phone I'll post once I figure out how to get them off!