Ladder

I've been meaning to post these. Danijela had a great time at Henrietta's birthday party. The absolute best part for her was climbing the ladder to the attic. The setup was a kid's dream party. There was a bounce house in the living room. Then you could travel up to the attic where there was a smaller bouncy deal & toys. Forget all that. All Danijela wanted to do was go up & down the attic ladder. Mind you I was wearing seriously tall & clunky boots. In retrospect I should have removed my boots & gone up & down as much as she wanted. We did go quite a few times.

Good Link Trail

A few weekends ago we went to the grand opening of the Good Link Trail. Danijela put on her best "earrings" for this special event. She also had pink eye for which we called the doctor that morning. Please know she had a great time inspite of this. Pink eye shows itself as blood shot, sensitive eyes for her.

Good Link Park is a great, big park with miles of paved walking trails, playgrounds, pavilions & a horse corral. Not completely sure why we removed THE stroller from the trunk before leaving! There was a climbing apparatus (can't believe I just used that word) at one park. Danijela was determined to climb that thing as many times as we would allow. She was reluctant at first & wanted Tata or Mama to climb with her. I was game. Within a short period of time she was all over that thing. Ironically, I noticed just this week that the playground Watermark is building includes one of these things. The ground covering was bits of used tire. Seems like a great recycling idea initially until you start to think of the Texas summer heat beating down on the black tread. Ouch!

Park It

Gratzi, Cara. This is a wonderful & special photograph.

Thank you for sharing.

One

Happy 1st birthday, Henrietta George!

Dining Out

Dining out definitely isn't what it used to be. A couple weeks ago Danny suggested we go out to dinner. It always sounds good, but dinner with two kids is rarely (okay, never) relaxing to me. We decided to take Luka to his grandparents & bring Danijela with us. We had a great time together. Before we left she put on her shoes. She selected one brown loafer & one plastic high heeled princess shoe. She got all kinds of compliments. She also wiped out several times. We all laughed (thankfully). Before we left the restaurant she mentioned something about cake & we willingly splurged. That last picture was not the end of the story. That plate was clean.

Shoe Shot

Good is Love

Tata's worked incredibly hard on two projects (totalling 700M+) that were in jeopardy. He is one of "those people" that enjoy going to work each morning. As usual he stood up to the challenge while leaning into God 100%. He managed a team of people who put their heads down to watch God accomplish a miracle through them. And they did. Danny doesn't exhibit stress like the average person. He isn't average after all. He usually expresses it as an after thought & you are usually surprised like me.

On Wednesday I said to Danijela "Let's write Tata a note." Oh, she was all over that. I got the chalk out while she ran for paper & pen. On the sidewalk I wrote "Good job, Tata." She was busily "writing" on her paper close by. Out loud I shared my note "Good ..." She immediately interrupted saying "is love!" It took me all of 5 seconds to realize she thought I said "God." You never know what your sweet children will retain, but you can assume most everything. God is love (1 John 4:8) is the first verse we memorized as a family this year at Christmas. Life rocks.

Blueberries

It had been a busy day. That afternoon we found ourselves with a sleeping Luka (gasp!). So we decided to eat blueberries on the couch & talk. It was some good girl time. She reluctantly let me take pictures (I usually ask). I'm so glad she did.

Color

The house is changing quickly. The interior walls & doors are painted & cabinetry stained. The retro chrome door hardware has been ordered. The windows have been cleaned. The wood stairs are being finished & wire railing designed. I purchased most of the lighting today. This afternoon I encountered a women exiting the house. She saw the door open & took a self-guided tour. When she saw me drive up she asked if I was the builder. She seemed bummed to find out I was the new owner. By the way, she was incredibly sweet. More to come. If things progress aggressively we'll move into the house in April.

Things To Do

I've heard that some people actually have a list of "things to do." You know. Places to go & things to see on any given day. I am not one of those people. The Monday morning crew was coming over today. Danijela & I were in the kitchen discussing all the cool things we could do when they arrived. The conversation went something like this.

Mama: Danijela, we could play with Playdoh.
Danijela: Yes!
Mama: What else could we do?
Danijela: We could make elephants!
Mama: You mean draw elephants?
Danijela. Yes!
Mama: Drawing is a great idea. We could also play in your kitchen.
Danijela: We could make jaguars!
Mama: Great. What else?
Danijela: We could make good choices!
Mama: That is the best idea of all.

Danijela is a cool chick.

The Little Lady & The Ladybug

I never knew a tini tiny ladybug could cause such a ruckus. We were in the courtyard playing when Danijela encountered one. You would have thought a snake was crawling up her leg. It was the funniest reaction. She was very interested & horrified at the same time. She did calm down. The poor ladybug will never be the same.

Courting

It's hard to believe we've lived in the apartments since late October. I deeply appreciate the diversity of the people. As I mentioned before several families are from the former Yugoslavia. Danny goes to their homes & helps them consistently. I only wish I could speak the language as most do not speak English. Thursday Grammy drove through on her way back to Austin. She selflessly took Luka & Danijela outside to the courtyard so I could cook without screaming.

Danijela started playing with this boy. He was visiting next door. I asked his name several times. Each time he said it as he bent down. My Mom says it was "Kabul" ... when I asked him he spelled it with a "Bk." It's still somewhat of a mystery. He definitely had major boy in him & didn't want to leave our apartment when his family came a callin'. I plan to print the image & give it to them as a gift. I'm relatively certain they are Ethiopian. The children speak English but the parents do not. I want to organize an evening where everyone comes to the courtyard for a "block party" to celebrate life & their own culture. I need to connect to these people before we leave. I want this to be the beginning of friendships / relationships ... not the end.

One Year

Memed

I was tagged by Desi. Strangely I haven't spent much time with Desi but consider her a sister & not just a sister in Christ. Okay, maybe she is more like a sister-in-law. But she is the sister-in-law you graviate toward at family functions. The only reason you actually go. I imagine we'd sneak around the corner to smoke a cigarette & share a glass of something. That girl is real. Love her.

#1. My husband & his twin brother immigrated with their family from Yugoslavia in the mid-1970's. They were 11 years old. They didn't know English but definiately knew soccer. Both received athletic scholarships to SMU. My husband even played professional soccer for the Sidekicks. My father was one of their first coaches in the U.S. & stood as a witness for their US citizenship. Twenty years later we met again & got married.

#2. Before babies I was working out at 24 hour fitness. I stood in line to get into a boxing class every week. We had to wrap our hands & everything. Man, that class totally rocked. It got me in incredible shape. The instructor, however, was recently convicted of murder-for-hire in Dallas.

#3. I wasn't very popular in high school but managed to be a cheerleader, drill team member & mascot. I was voted Most Funny (or something like that). I'm pretty sure that was because I voluntarily danced around as a bright red & blue Mustang my senior year. The freshmen & juniors didn't know better.

#4. A Dallas Cowboy (football player) lived in our house while I was in junior high & high school. I clearly remember the liquid steroids in our refrigerator. The guy had the biggest neck in the NFL at the time. So wish I could remember that figure. Suffice it to say his neck was bigger than his head.

#5. I moved to Texas at the ripe old age of 2 years. While living in Oklahoma the tip of my right ring finger was snapped off when I folded a child's lawn chair. My sweet Poppy tells me he almost passed out as I held a washcloth dripping in blood. I was completely unfazed. I have a recurring dream about standing on a stainless steel operating table. Every single part of my body is covered in gauze except my finger. Go figure. Oh, my finger was reattached with stiches. You can still see the scar.

#6. There is this thing in my head about order. Things must line up (physically). It was once virtually impossible for me to leave the house if everything wasn't in its proper place. Before babies I'd return to the house from the car to make sure all drawers were shut COMPLETELY. I know. I'm sick. I absolutely had to reword the meme rules so they would fit neatly on one line.

Heck, I can't select the same people Desi meme'd. I don't have many friends & she selected them all (almost). Therefore, I must meme Moosh in Indy. This is like asking Reece Witherspoon to stop what she is doing & respond to a quiz. The girl is famous. Next I have to meme My Kewpie. Melanie doesn't blog very often or consistently but I want some answers, girl. She is an amazing artist. See for yourself. Monkey Marie is next. Like Melanie, Courtney is an interior designer. She is also super cool. Then we have My Bubbles. Tracy & I have known each other since we were 18 (1st year in college). Let's see ... 41 - 18 = 23. Damn girl, that is a seriously long time. I've always admired you for your dreaming becoming reality. Heck, I only dream I'll get three hours of sleep tonight.

Rules

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let them know they're tagged by leaving a comment.

Meme

I've been memed by The Baby Stole My Brain Cells. I had no idea what a meme is so I googled. The best definition for the meme I received is described at chrisg.com:

"In science, a Meme (pronounced to rhyme with “theme”) is a self-propagating unit of thought that is spread from one host to another. Richard Dawkins invented the term as a kind of idea-gene. Like genes, as Memes spread they mutate or die. Only the fittest Memes survive. For bloggers Memes have become synonymous with internet quizzes, surveys, and novelties that people link to and pass around on their blogs, forums and via email.

Fun or just interesting, it is only those that capture your imagination that you will take part in and propagate, apart from those you do out of a sense of duty to your friend who started it. The latter don’t tend to get very far."

So here goes.

Construction Zone

Welcome, friend. It's so good to see you. Come on in & see for yourself. Don't bother taking off your shoes. Yes, the outside is very blue. We know. Everyone is wondering what color we'll paint it after putting on the blue primer. Well, it's not primer. It's blue. We love it. I bet you can't wait to see inside. Ever wonder what these crazy people are doing?

Come back & see us again real soon. The painters were here today. They'll start staining wood on Monday & sometime next week the interior will be all painted. I can hardly wait. Looking forward to seeing you.

Ding Dong

House of Blues

3rd Birthday

Last year we ran with the If You Give A Pig A Pancake theme. My sister handed down this book from her children to mine. We hosted the 2nd birthday at our home for both Danijela & Kiley. It was easy & fun. We had a nice pancake breakfast & cupcakes. No activities. Just families hanging together for the morning while the kids played.

We stayed with the pancake & pig theme again. Why this year was so much more stressful (to me) I don't really understand. Everything definitely felt off kilter though. It started with Melanie going into labor (Welcome, Cole!). Melanie, THE hostess, gave birth the evening before the party. I was solo (sort of). The morning of the party it was cold & raining. Then a crazy London fog rolled in too. People arrived & it was way too quiet. Not a good sign for a toddler party. My own daughter was 45 minutes late. Half way through the gig she registered 101.8 on a thermometer. Thank goodness for our friends (Tara, Sundee) & my Mom being in town. Thank you to those that came. The books Danijela received are great. We've been reading them constantly. The princess tiara, ring, necklace & earrings are a definite hit too. They all fit nicely in a new purse she received from Jan-O. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Note: The people pictures we did manage to take are horrible. Sorry.

Close 'em, sister.

Now she is basically screaming "I don't want to close my eyes, Mama!" There is a definite rhythm to her song. For effect she is hitting her bed. Not sure what to do. She is getting loud enough to wake her sleeping brother. Hum. I'm half entertained & half angry. Not a good combination.

Cheetah

I'm sitting in the living room right now. Danijela is in bed. I can hear her loudly whispering either "cheetah" or "tina." Then I think she is saying "Come back." This is the third night since her duh-dahs (pacifiers) have magically disappeared because she's a big girl. There has been a ton of talking throughout the night. Some while she is sound asleep & others when she wants to talk to a live person. Our nights have been very long between Miss Danijela & her brother. Tata & Mama need a vacation.

Tune Up

It's safe to say Danijela likes the doctor. Luka not so much. On Tuesday Danijela had her 3 year checkup while little guy had his 10 month. I thought I was being practical by taking them at the same time. Luka screamed so loud (for sooooooo long) that Danijela cried too. Then the inevitable shots arrived & it was a mad house. She was climbing up one side while Luka arched his back & almost fell off my lap. I survived & so did they. I have their stats but not handy right now. I'll have to post those later.

He's here.

Proud papa just called. Melanie delivered their bundle of joy at 9:39pm. The story is the woman pushed for 9 minutes. Crazy. It was also 100% natural childbirth yet again. Their son's name is Kaiser Cole . He is 20" long and weighs 7lbs 13oz.

One Potato, Two Potato

This is a funny story (to me anyway). I heard clanging in Danijela's room. I turned the corner & found Luka unloading the toy box. One by one he dropped each item down the back between the toy box & wall. He's been pulling up for sometime. Here he was concentrating on investigating a plastic potato & it turned into standing. We see this more & more. This is a crappy quality photograph but he's still a cutie pie.

Back to Cinderella

Cinderella rocks. And I specifically mean Cinderella herself. We rented the movie for our potty training weekend. I was honestly a little leary but it was Danijela's choice. It had probably been 30 years or more since I had seen it. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I skipped past the first few scenes. Why is it Dinsey is compelled to include the death of parents in it's animated features? Cinderella was no exception & I find that really strange. Anyway, Cinderella is no pushover. The girl is one tough cookie. In the midst of being beaten down she's kind, thankful, smart, grounded & skilled. I like her. I also like that she gets to live happily ever after.

Radio Flyer

The tricycle is a hit. We had it waiting for her in the living room when she woke. Danijela was definitely surprised & happy. She's even hugged it a few times. She took to it fast & is almost a pro.

I have to say the whole adventure of finding a tricycle was a little disappointing. What is the deal with all the jacked up bikes? Man, most are walking advertisements for Disney or some other TV character. And they are loaded with images & super bright colors. It's cool if that's your deal. I personally am into simple plus Danijela is only familiar with Cinderalla. I wanted something classic & not gender specific. So Radio Flyer won.

Birthday Girl

In a few short hours Danijela turns 3. Where did all the time go? We love you, sweet girl. You have brought so much joy & taught us about love. Tomorrow you will recieve your first tricycle. Right now you are sleeping peacefully. Tata needs to get the tools out!

Meal Plan

On Monday morning I added three new solids to Luka's diet. That would be sidewalk chalk, ear plugs & mulch. He took to all three quite nicely. He's an adventurous eater.