FIRE!

Our Mommy and Me adventure this week brought us to the local Fire Department for a tour. Let me tell you, these are the nicest men. They treat the Firehouse like its they're home and they invited us in graciously. They even offered us breakfast! This is one of the firemen showing the kids (and us grown ups) his gear.

They let the kiddies get up on the truck. Did you know that a ladder truck cost $750,000?!
Sadie really liked this part. We had to have the fireman escort her off because she didn't want to come down!
They brought out the hose for the kids to "spray." They turned the lights and siren on for added effect.
Here, i'm helping Sadie to "spray" the hose.
So, I didn't fix my hair this morning. Don't judge me.
It was a fabulous time. I felt like I had made a few buddies by the end of the tour. They reassured me that they could deliver a baby if needed. I feel good knowing they're a mile and a half up the road.

Pioneer Day festivities

We waited in line for a very VERY long time for a ride on a pony. This was the moment I understood why my dad tried to hit every ride/show at whatever seasonal theme park we happened to visit. When you invest part of yourself ($54.99 per ticket to enter and a 14 hour car ride in my dad's case; and an hour of my life in the sun, 9 months pregnant, trying everything to keep Sadie from crossing the ropes and getting trampled by a pony; not succeeding, so having to hold her, in my case) you want to get the most out of your investment. So when Sadie said "go?" and put her head on my shoulder; clearly tired, I told her "no. we have to wait to ride the pony before we can go." And that's what we did. We waited and her turn came and the whole 2 minutes that she rode she stared at the silver medallion on the top part of the saddle, pushing it like a button. I think I could have had her sit on a saddle without the horse and she wouldn't have known the difference. But I felt good being able to say "Sadie rode a pony." And isn't that part of it all? Giving them the experience? Or maybe its giving us the experience of saying they had the experience? Either way. I don't regret it!

Sadie's first snowball after the pony ride:
Pina Colda. In case you were wondering.

Fuuuuun!

I was killing ten minutes on the computer before leaving to go pick Jared up from work when I hear "fun? fun! fuuuuuun!" behind me. I turn around to see this:

Apparently, Sadie knows how to open the bubbles now. She spilled the entire bottle on the floor and herself, then went on to slosh her legs and arms in the slimy mess. Of course, now its time to go get Daddy from work and Sadie needs a bath. It was really funny, though. I couldn't help but take a picture.

Chuck-E-Cheese

We introduced Sadie to Chuck-E-Cheese. She didn't like him much at first, but they became pals after a while. Mainly, Sadie likes to watch all of the lights and motions from all of the arcade-like games. I didn't even need to buy tokens at first. But then I thought it only fair to give her the whole experience, instead of milking her ignorance. And then of course once she found out that you don't just sit in the car with Chuck E, that it actually MOVES, I couldn't get her to go back to play without tokens.


We played a few rounds of skee-ball and I "helped" Sadie swat a few monsters over the head with a huge mallet and we won enough tickets for this:


All in all, we had a great time.

Memory Post

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. I can't wait to see what people remember.

It'll be fun! I tag all of y'all!

Sadie's first haircut

This girl's bangs were out of control and chronically in her eyes. She refused to keep any sort of bow, band, or clip in her hair so the only option was to give her a little cut. I won't pretend I didn't cry later. After all, this is a sort of right of passage. My baby girl is old enough to have hair long enough that needs to be cut. I try to remind myself that some babies come out of the womb with enough hair that needs to be cut.

Aunt Catherine did the deed. I'm so glad it was her and not me. Otherwise, Sadie's head would look crooked.

Here's the after:Notice the tears...
Upon finishing, Sadie politely told Catherine "Tenk Tu" translated as "Thank You" through her tears. It either means "Thank You" or "Thank you, you've done enough, now back off." I'm thinking its the latter. No, really. Thanks Catherine. We appreciate your patience and steady hand.

Japanese Sunken Gardens

Here are those pictures i said i'd post of the Japanese Sunken Gardens. Its so much prettier in person.







In case you're wondering...this is how pregnant I am.

Home

Space changes when people move into it. Its no longer space, but shaped and defined; marked and bounded by its occupants. A home isn't a home until people live in it and create memories there. Its just wood and sheet rock and cement. People are what make life live.

I struggled to feel at home in this apartment. Part of it was knowing that we'll only be here till March and then we'll move into a house. The other part was something I couldn't put my finger on until now. I didn't get it. I bought pillows for the couch and hung pictures on the walls so why didn't it feel homey? I hadn't lived here before. Living here meant loving here.

It happened slowly. Grandmama and Pa-pa stopped by and then Jared's Mom came. They brought warm, sweet familiarity to this place. They were reliable and comforting in the midst of stark newness. Then, we invited a series of people over for dinner. In between, Jared, Sadie and I developed routines and patterns of loving one another in this space. There were kisses and snuggles and stories read. There were prayers and blessings and tears. Sadie marked the walls and the carpet. I wore in the kitchen cabinets. Jared found his favorite spot on the living room floor. Little by little, this place became less sterile and hard.

This past weekend we had dear friends visit. Troy, Lexi, and Peyton stayed with us and we did our best to show them a little of what we've discovered of San Antonio. I was nervous, wanting them to feel comfortable and welcome and like the brutal drive here was worth it. Hopefully, mission was accomplished. We went to the Riverwalk on Saturday and took a boat tour down the river. That afternoon and evening we ate out; lunch at Genghis and dinner at Perico's. Sunday morning we went to the Japanese Tea Gardens (i'll post those pictures in a later post) and Brackenridge Park before heading to church at 1pm. That evening we made a pizza, played a game and talked and laughed till it was bed time. It was the best weekend i've had since we moved here.

After they left on Monday, I walked around the apartment. I saw how Lexi had taken such great care to make the bed, fold up the pack-n-play, tidy the bathroom (she took out the trash!), and reset the toys in the living room. She reminded me of myself. I have this philosophy of "leave nothing behind but the memories." But the funny thing about this was that by doing those things, she was leaving her mark. That night, right before Sadie went to sleep, I looked at the books she had tucked into a basket in the living room. I saw the puzzle on the floor and the bucket of letters Sadie loves to play with. All of these things were neatly arranged in a way that was different from the way that I normally do it. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, I started to bawl my eyes out. I missed her and Peyton and Troy. I wanted the apartment to stay the way that they left it. Why? Because having them here was another piece of what makes this place alive and home and love.

I'm really looking forward to August when my brother Kevin will come to visit. It will be so great to see him after so many months. I've never gone so long without seeing him or the rest of my family. That's really been hard for me. But i'm finding that over time, with the help of people (friends) and my family, other things are getting easier and easier.