The Good/Bad Saturday

Most of our day was pretty good, we had a relaxing morning where we all stayed in our pajamas until the afternoon. We read books, played games, hung out together and generally enjoyed some time at home. I did manage to do 5 loads of laundry, which is always a plus! This evening, Paul and I dropped the kids off with his mom where they enjoyed a fun filled evening at Itz stuffing their faces and playing in the arcade!

Paul and I tried Indian food for the first time. We went to Kiran's on Westheimer and loved it! We had Paneer Tikka as an appetizer, it was really good but right at my threshold for spiciness! Paul couldn't even tell it way spicy. I ordered Navrattan Korma as my meal and it was very good, very rich and a bit spicy. I loved the flavor, but I had to eat it with Naan bread or I couldn't take the heat. Paul ordered Tandoori Chicken and it came with Apricot Biryani and oh my goodness -- that was SO GOOD! I have to try to figure out how to make the chicken and the rice here b/c it was yummy! For dessert, we ordered trio of Creme Brulee (Pistachio, Saffron & Cardamom). We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed just hanging out together.

Now for the bad stuff. My little Zachary has a black eye and a bump on his head. We don't even know where it came from. :( My poor baby, he is always climbing on things, running into things, etc, he is so accident prone. Everytime I look at his sweet little face, I have to give him a kiss. My poor Heather has been struggling with practicing band. We've been going round and round with her for months about practicing. When she signed up for band last summer we told her that she was going to have to practice every day and that we didn't want to pay for her to be in it if she wasn't going to do it. She assured us she would practice. Two weeks ago we finally got fed up with it and told her that we were not going to remind her anymore, either she practiced her 10 minutes every day or she was out of band. She again told us that she liked band but that she didn't like to practice because she didn't like the music she had. So, I took her last weekend to buy new music. She picked it out herself and she still forgot. We gave her one more chance and of course, even after being reminded this morning to do her band, she still didn't do it. I hate seeing her so sad, but we honestly don't understand why she wanted to be in it. She hates playing her clarinet and puts it off until the last minute. Why not pick an elective she enjoys that doesn't involve an argument everyday? Sometimes, I don't like being a parent. It would be so much easier to do the "one more chance" thing again, but how would that be good for her?

Family Day

Paul is going to Washington DC next week for annual training on the IMAGE program. So, he took off today so he could hang out with us! What a nice husband. :) We went to a place in Katy called Times Square where they have bowling alley, an arcade and laser tag. They had a package deal this morning from 10 AM - 1 PM with unlimited bowling, unlimited laser tag, a $10 arcade card and lunch -- of course we did that! I forgot my camera, so I only had the one on my phone, these pictures are pretty low quality.

We played 2 games of laser tag. Caleb LOVED it! The vest was huge on him, it was so cute. Heather and I took turns watching Zachary. Even though Zachary was too little to play, he loved watching the action. We even let him run around for a little bit which he loved.

Caleb in his over-sized vest

We also bowled two games. The first game, Caleb & Heather had bumpers and I bowled a 50! You read that right, I bowled a 50 out of a possible 300. So, the next game I got bumpers and did much better. :) They had this neat little ramp thing for kids where the kids just push the ball to help it get down to the end of the lane. Before we had the ramp, it was taking about 5 minutes for Caleb's ball to make it all the way to the pins.

The ramp that Caleb put his bowl on to push to help him get it to the pins

Paul bowling, he won both games

Zachary was such a good boy, he happily watched everyone from the stroller for the whole first game and half of the second. He was fascinated with everything going on.

Heather bowling

Caleb and Zachary liked the arcade games. Zachary mainly liked the lights and there were a few games where he could hit a button and it would do something. Caleb really liked the air hockey game.

The boys were exhausted when we left at 1 PM and both fell asleep on the way home. They are happily napping right now.

Gym Tots at the YMCA

This summer, Caleb has been going to a class called "Gym Tots" at the YMCA with his friend Emma. When we signed the kids up for the class, we thought it was a gymnastics class, but it is mainly a free play class with a few activities like circle time and bubble time. The teacher, Katy, is super nice and the kids seem to like her a lot. Caleb looks forward to the class all week, he is always asking me when he gets to go again.


Bubbles! All the kids love Bubble Time!

A Tribute to My "Sisters"

I hope the reader (assuming anyone reads this) will indulge me a little. I titled this blog "The Wilson Family", yet my post today is about 2 ladies who have never used the surname "Wilson".

Alicia sent me a picture from her Master's Graduation party on Saturday and it started me on a sentimental journey.

The picture that inspired my post today: Caleb, Zachary, Ethan, Audrey, Savannah, Misty, Kristi, Alicia.

Almost 24 years ago, I met two girls who became so special to me that they have moved beyond the meaning of the word "friend". Yes, they are definitely my friends, and two wonderful friends at that, but the word seems limiting considering the contributions we have made to one another's lives. Webster defines "friend" as "one who is attached to another by affection; one that is not hostile; a favored companion". There were times in our youth when we were a bit hostile towards one another -- the middle school years were especially difficult. It is my belief that if we were merely "friends", our relationships with one another would not have survived. Family bonds can endure more than friendship bonds; if a friendship becomes tiresome, both parties have the option of severing the tie and not looking back. Family bonds are not so easily broken, one or both parties may try to break the bond, but it won't break. Families support one another out of love and a genuine desire to want what is best for the other person. Kristi and Alicia, thanks for being part of my family and I love you gals!

I think this first one was Alicia's 15th or 16th birthday. The next picture could probably be used as blackmail material -- seems like I had some board game that required the use of pink curlers. If memory serves correctly, the picture with Daffy Duck was taken either on the way to, or on the way from a Depeche Mode concert. The last one was my senior year in high school at Spring Creek Park.

This was taken during all of our first pregnancies. Yes, we all got pregnant about the same time! Yes, I know it's weird. No, we did not plan it. I promise!

Savannah's first birthday party

This one is of Alicia and me during our second pregnancies. Same thing, yes, I know. Again, I promise it was not planned!

Heather

Two posts in one day! Wow! Like all things, I'm sure I'm fascinated with my "new toy". Give me some time and I'll probably be doing well to update once a month! :) Yesterday, Heather bought herself a new comforter set and has been working very hard to clean out her room. I am so proud of all the work she did, and even more impressive, she decided to do it all on her own! She has brought down multiple bags of trash and many items to give to charity. Her room looks AWESOME! She is really into purple now and her new room reflects this. Previously, it was all pink.

Out with the old pink. . .

In with the new purple/black/white!

Heather and I also worked hard today to make Julia Child's Beef Burgandy and I have to say, it was delicious! The beef literally fell apart when touched with a fork. It is one of my favorite dishes. I am so lucky to have Heather to help me, she helped me clean the house and make dinner. I truly understand the saying "you may not have grown in my tummy, but you grew in my heart". I am so blessed to have Heather as part of my family, she is truly a magnificent young lady.

This picture was taken at Chuck E Cheese a few months after I met her. At the time, I just thought she was a cute kid. I had no idea how much important she would become to me!

The Busy Week

My first post -- yea! This past week was exceptionally busy. On Monday, the boys and I went to the Children's Museum. Heather, being 13 and entirely too cool for such child like entertainment, decided to go to work with Grandma, where she spent most of the day filing. The boys and I had fun exploring the Children's Museum and then went out to eat at the Olive Garden. Surprisingly, both my little guys were fairly well behaved at lunch! On Tuesday, Caleb and I went to see "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie". Yet again, my cute OTA (Obnoxious TeenAger) opted out. Wednesday we went to Galveston where poor Heather was stung by a jellyfish. She is doing fine and thankfully it was only a small sting. Thursday Zachary had his first dentist appt! He did fairly well, though Caleb was exceptional. Caleb got his teeth cleaned and was a model patient. Of course, both boys got toys, balloons, stickers and toothbrushes from the dentist, so it was a rather fun experience for them. Hurray for pediatric dentists! Thursday afternoon we made sugar cookies and the kids had so much fun. Even Zachary got some dough in his high chair and some cookie cutters to play with. Heather was a huge help -- I couldn't have survived cookie time without her. Quite a bit of dough was consumed by all the kids, but there were still plenty of cooked cookies at the end. Friday morning we went to Gym Tots at the YMCA and Friday afternoon the boys hung out with Grammy at Chuck E Cheese while Heather and I relaxed and got a pedicure. Saturday, the kids and I saw my long lost friend Erin! I was thrilled to see her and the kids about ate themselves sick on cookies while Erin and I chatted. Saturday evening we went to the Edwards home to celebrate Alicia receiving her master's degree. The kids all had a great time and I'm hoping to get a few of the pics to post. Poor Heather held Zachary while he was eating a cupcake and both she and Zachary were covered in chocolate! Caleb, Savannah and Ethan all had quite a blast running around together while Zachary did his best to eat all the Edwards mulch and empty their bird baths of water. All in all, it was a great week!