Beach pictures!

A beautiful brontosaurus

Braden colored this picture today. He told me that he used my favorite colors, blue and pink, on the border of the page. He was also proud of the fact that the dinosaur has grey feet. I like how the flowers are all a different color. What a beautiful brontosaurus.

Father's Day 1 week later

My friend Stormy is an amazing writer. Her blog (http://stormyhickman.blogspot.com/) is full of wonderfully written, honest, witty reflections about her life. Recently, she included two Father's Day posts--one about her grandfather and one about her dad. I got a little teary while reading them, especially the one about her grandfather, and I've thought about her posts for a few days. Now, I'm inspired to write my own Father's day themed post, even though it is a week late. Great writing should cause reflection and inspiration...so Stormy, thanks for being a great writer!

I'm lucky enough to have two fathers:my dad and Tom, who married my mom 17 years ago. Dad and Tom are wonderfully different, and I love them both very much. I rarely write my thoughts in cards or notes to them. Heck, I'm happy if I can just get a signed card in the mail within a few days of the event. So here, for all the world to see, are the things I'm thankful for from each of my fathers.

To my Dad,
Thanks for letting my try a variety of sports when I was little, and I'm sorry I wasn't very dedicated or good at any of them. Thanks for introducing me to running when I was little, something I still enjoy doing. In fact, I ran 4 miles around the perimeter of campus this morning! I know that my running stride and my legs look much like yours, and I often think of you when I am running.

Thanks for taking me camping and hiking. I especially remember the trip with Linsey to the mountains in New Mexico and the three trips to Big Bend. Hiking the South Rim with you is a wonderful memory. Someday we'll do it with my kiddos, too.

Thanks for teaching me that all people deserve our love and respect and that is isn't right to call any group of people ugly names, even if they can't hear us. Thanks for exposing me to the civil rights struggles that various people have had in our country and for encouraging me to learn about people who are different from me.

Thanks for encouraging me to love literature and not being afraid to share all kinds of books with me. As I learned this year, there are parents who censor what their child reads, and thanks SO MUCH for not doing that!

Thanks for taking me to church and introducing me to God.

Thanks for finding happiness in your own life. I love that you have a job you are passionate about, live in a place that inspires you, and have a wife who completes you.

To Tom,
Thanks for marrying my mom! You two have such a great relationship and serve as a great model for me, Linsey, and Kristen.

Thanks for teaching me to drive and for buying my first truck. My mom never would have let me drive before I had my permit, and I appreciate you for trusting me enough to teach me. I loved that little truck, and I am so thankful to you for buying it for me.

Thanks for having boats. I probably haven't shown enough interest in the boats, but please know that I love the boats, and more importantly, I love the times we spend together as a family on them. I love being on the water (but not in it!), and I love the unique places we've been able to go because of the boats. How many people can say that they've spend the night anchored off of some little Cay in the Bahamas?

Thanks for being patient and never, ever yelling. You are the calmest person I know. I was amazed when I met boys who played football for you who told me stories to the contrary.

Thanks for teaching me to be conservative with my money.

Thanks for introducing me as your daughter. That speaks volumes about your love for me.

To Kyle,
While I'm thinking about fathers, I should include you, too!

Thanks for being my babies' daddy!

Thanks for changing diapers. Some men don't. Good men do.

Thanks for commuting 100 miles a day so that our family can live in College Station. You have NO IDEA how much I appreciate that sacrifice for our family.

Thanks for being so darn handy around the house...and yard...and cars. I'm pretty sure that you can make or fix anything! I love working on projects with you, and I love that Braden is old enough to "help" sometimes...and that you are patient enough to let him help.

Thanks for taking out the trash every week. I could do it, but it is really nice not to have to, especially the stinky diaper trash in the garage.

Thanks for buying me a kayak.

Oh wait! You haven't done that...yet!

Didja know?

(editing note: I realize that this post has several irritating errors: 1) there are not paragraph breaks. That is because I wanted a bulleted list, and I can't figure out how to correctly align the paragraphs in a bulleted list using blogger. Yes, I know how to do it in Word, and I'm sure if I spent more than three seconds, I could figure it out, but oh well. 2) I used the indefinite "you" which is a HUGE pet peeve in my students' writing. In fact, just to prove that it can be eliminated, I'll do so right now)

Recent happenings for the Stutts family:

• Two weeks ago, we bought a new car! I'm so proud of Kyle for finally making a decision about our vehicle situation. It's a 2008 Nissan Altima that we bought used. It is fun to drive, gets great gas mileage, and has a keyless start. Crazy! The key just has to be in the car somewhere (bottom of the diaper bag, in a pocket, etc.) and the driver pushes the button and the brake. Braden's reaction to the new car as he stroked the headliner: "Daddy, this is so nice. There's no rips or anything!" The plan is to sell the Saturn (how sad! I've had it for 11 years) and the Taurus. Kyle will drive the Altima and I will drive the truck. On weekends, we will use the Altima as the family vehicle.
• My mom had surgery last week to remove her spleen. She's had very low platelet counts since about Christmas time, and the hope is that this will solve the problem. The surgery went well, and early results seem promising. She had a rough first night in the hospital, but was doing better by the time I got there on Friday evening. I was glad I was able to spend Friday night with her (and her roommate).
• Kyle and the boys drove down on Saturday to visit Grandma in the hospital. They visited both Saturday and Sunday. They were very cute working puzzles, playing Memory, and coloring with Grandma. Braden really liked the elevator and the fact that mom's hospital bed could weigh all of us.
• Saturday night Jan treated us to Chuck E Cheese's. Garrett says "Chuck Jesus." In fact, a few weeks ago, Garrett must have seen a commercial or something and was walking around talking about "Chuck Jesus." Braden said to me in wonder, "Mom, Garrett's trying to find Jesus!" I gave the standard Sunday school answer: "Jesus is in our hearts" and got a very quizzical look in return. He'll understand someday. Anyhow, back to Chuck E Cheese's: much to my delight, it was wonderful! Jan had just as much fun as Braden, and it was GREAT to see them play together. Linsey joined us too. Perhaps it was the fact that we had four adults to two kids, but this was the first time I enjoyed Chuck E Cheese!
• On Sunday we drove down to Galveston and met our good friends the Corleys. After waiting (and waiting and waiting) in line for the ferry, we rode across to the Bolivar peninsula. Patrick's dad's cousin has a beach house on Crystal Beach, and the Corleys invited us to stay for a few nights with them. We went to the beach Sunday evening...the world's biggest sandbox. So fun! We ate dinner at Steve's Landing, a place Kyle and I had been to with Mom and Tom. It's on the Intercoastal--great food, but (like every restaurant we went to this trip) really slow service. Garrett and I walked around outside several times. Once, a small boat was coming in from a day fishing trip, and the men gave us all of the bait shrimp and fish they had left. I tossed them up in the air to the seagulls, much to the enjoyment of the gulls, Garrett, and the men who got a kick out of Garrett's dance of delight!
• Monday was a jam-packed day of fun! Amie and I started with a walk around the neighborhood and dreamed of buying a beach house. Then we all went to the beach. Parker was a pro at body surfing! He and Patrick were so cute--Patrick would push him into a wave, and he would surf it all the way to shore. Braden wouldn't even hear of going deep enough into the water to try it. (sigh). The babies had fun digging in the sand, splashing in the shallower waves, and finding shells. We took lots of pics on the Corley's camera--as soon as I get them, I'll post 'em. After the beach was lunch, then naps for the babies. That afternoon we went to an awesome water slide. It was like the old Jungle Surf in Galveston where people climb a hill, then slide down one of two slides that meander down the hill. We put life jackets on the kids and marched up the hill. True to form, Braden began wailing as we approached the top, "I don't want to do this. I don't like water slides." I took Garrett down the slide first while Kyle held a screaming, squirming Braden at the top. Garrett loved the slide! He laughed, he shrieked, and as soon as we landed in the pool, he was climbing out and marching back up the hill (he repeated that drill the entire 45 minutes we were there). Braden, meanwhile, was still at the top of the hill crying. When we got back up there, Kyle and I traded kids, and I took Braden, kicking and screaming, down the slide. By the second curve he was no longer crying and by the fourth curve, I think I heard a giggle or two. At the end he said, "momma, that was fun...but I don't wanna do it again." Too bad! We walked back up the hill and this time, I didn't have to use so much force to get him on the slide. After that, he wanted to go again and again, but never by himself. Parker, who has no fear of the water, went over and over by himself. After the water slide, we had snow cones, then changed clothes at the beach house and went to dinner at Bob's Place (or something like that). My crab nachos were delicious!
• Tuesday morning, we had to get up really early because I needed to be at school at noon for a meeting with the English department and our new principal about TAKS data, curriculum design, etc. I was a bit nervous about this first bit of interaction with the new principal, but I was happily surprised by how receptive he seemed to all of our comments and ideas.
• On Wednesday, Garrett moved to a big boy bed! About a month ago, I found a posting on our school district's "Swap Shop" from a lady at the Barbara Bush Parenting Center--she had a client who was in need of a crib with a drop down side. I thought to myself, "I have a crib with a drop down side...I'm almost done with it...it was given to me (thanks Jan!) and it would be good to pass it on to someone else..." so I called the lady. Turns out she lived in Madisonville, but was going to be in College Station for an appointment on Monday, June 16. I wrote in on the calendar, and then...forgot all about it. She called me on Monday, and I was at the beach! Oh, I felt so awful! So, I offered to take the crib to her as soon as I got back (hey, I have nothing else to do, right?). She suggested we meet in the middle, at the "North Zulch Grocery and Gas." Soooo, Wednesday morning when Garrett woke up, Kyle began disassembling Garrett's crib (and Braden's crib and Katie's crib). He made a detailed drawing and labeled some pieces so that they would be able to put it back together. While Kyle was taking the crib apart, I talked to the boys about what we were doing: "Garrett doesn't need his crib anymore because he is such a big boy. I know of a little baby who needs a crib, so we are going to give this crib to that little baby." The boys seemed absolutely okay with no concern whatsoever that this was a major milestone in their lives...I mean, this crib has been in constant use in our house for FOUR years. Getting rid of it means that we don't have a baby anymore! Did the kids care? Not at all. As planned, we met Robin and her baby at North Zulch Grocery and Gas and moved the crib from my truck to hers. Robin is young, early 20s, and very, very sweet. She was so appreciative and went on and on about how pretty the crib was and how much she liked the bedding (she must not have noticed Braden's teeth marks on the crib). I asked how she came to be in touch with the lady at the Barbara Bush Parenting Center. She said that when she was pregnant, she began going to the pregancy outreach center in Bryan. There, she would watch videos on parenting and child development to earn baby supplies...blankets, a car seat, etc. When she inquired about a crib, they told her that they didn't have cribs. Another mother in the waiting room overheard, and suggested she visit the Parenting Center, which is part of our school district. She went there, and they too said that they don't have cribs, but the director offered to put an ad out on Swap Shop...and that is where I came in. The best part about this crib exchange was that Garrett and Braden (and I) were able to meet the little baby boy who was going to be getting their old crib. I also think it is good for the kids to see us model helping out our fellow man (or woman, as the case may be). God has so blessed my family, and it is so important to me to pass on those blessings as I am able. I want my children to learn that value, too. Meanwhile, back at the the Stutts house, Kyle had thought of a great plan: We moved Braden's double bed into Garrett's room. That will also be the new "guest room." We moved Linsey's old trundle bed from the attic to Braden's room, thus making more room for the train table and toys in Braden's room. Oh, and when I say "we" moved the beds, I mean "Erin." Kyle did get the trundle down from the attic before he left for work, and it isn't his fault I did it by myself: I was just too impatient to wait for him to get home. So far, the bed switching has been fine. Garrett keeps sneaking out of his bed and into his closet at nap time (a gate at his closet door may stop this--I try it today), but bedtime has been great. And so far, he's stayed in his bed all night. Braden, too, has slept in his bed all night two nights in a row! It has been glorious!
• On Thursday around noon, we listed the Saturn and the Taurus for sale on Craigslist and on Swap Shop. I think we had about 8 calls about the Saturn; four were people who wanted to come look at it. We sold the Saturn that evening to my friend Randi's father-in-law for our asking price of $1800. Thanks, Randi! Now we can concentrate on selling the Taurus, and we'll be back down to two cars like a normal family.

Pajama day!

It is 4:30pm and we are still in pajamas. At this point is it even worth getting dressed?

Summer means...

...carrying a diaper bag instead of a purse because the boys are always with me.

...not having to pack lunches!

...trying to get the kids to sleep twice--once for naps and once for the night.

...watermelon so cold that my teeth hurt!

...having time to keep the house clean and the laundry done.

...reading books instead of papers.

...waking up at 5:15 to run before it gets hot (well, the last two days anyway).

...memorizing the daily schedules of Nickelodeon and HGTV.

...it doesn't really matter that one of our hot water heaters went out last night! Who wants a hot shower anyway?

...flip flops for the entire family.

...watering the plants every day. Sometimes twice.

Memorial Day weekend

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Kyle's Aunt Sam's house in Galveston. She lives on Offatt's Bayou, near Moody Gardens and the airport. Her house is at the end of a small road, and she has a neighbor on only one side. The other side of her house (the end of the road) is a local spot for fishing, kayaking, etc. We attempted to find hermit crabs, but didn't have much luck.
Here is Kyle's mom and the boys--check out Grandma's muscles! She helped the boys look for hermit crabs. We didn't find any, but Aunt Sam did. She kept claiming that she was an expert, and she was right! She found the biggest hermit crab I've ever seen. We watched it walk around for awhile, then let it go back into the water.
This is Sam's neighbor's pier. Kyle is fishing at the end of the pier, and Braden is walking (very, very carefully) out to Daddy.
Perhaps the boys' favorite part of the visit was playing with all of Sam's animals. She has two dogs, a few cats (two are just visiting), a parrot, and fish. Garrett loved the dogs while Braden was most impressed by the parrot, especially when Sam took him out of his cage to sit on her shoulder. I tried to get a picture of Garrett, Sam, and the dogs, but none of them would cooperate. This is the best I could get!
Moody Gardens has recently leased the Galveston Municipal Golf Course, and they have totally redone it. A new fancy housing development has gone in by the golf course--about a half mile down from Sam. The neighborhood park is pretty cool--it is a "real" pirate ship (according to Braden). He and Grandma had lots of fun sliding down the fireman pole.

Ahhhh, the first day of summer!

I've deemed today the first "official" day of summer for the boys and me. We slept in (well, until 7:45 when Tiffany called on her way to teach summer school), we watched morning cartoons, I straightened up the house, then took a shower. It was nice and relaxing. It's weird, though, knowing that I have absolutely nothing else to do...no papers to grade, no emails to respond to, no lessons to plan, nothing at all. Sweet!

Braden had his first swim lesson this morning with Rachel, the sister of one of my students. She and a friend teach private lessons in the summer in the friend's pool at her house in the historic Southgate part of College Station. I figured Braden would do better for Rachel if I wasn't there, so I packed the jogging stroller in the car and Garrett and I took a 30 minute walk while Braden swam. We got back in time to see Rachel trying to get Braden to put his face in the water--it didn't work, not even after I tried to bribe him with a snow-cone. Maybe tomorrow. She said he swam the length of the pool with her hand under his belly barely supporting him.

After swim lessons, we went to HEB. Funny, all of the "race-car" carts were gone. Turns out that Monday morning is when all of the stay-at-home moms and home-for-the-summer moms go shopping. There were kids everywhere! They also had lots of samples out--more than they have in the evenings and on the weekends when I usually shop. We munched our way through the store.

The boys are eating grapes right now--Garrett keeps calling them "stwawbewies" and making Braden mad. I think he's doing on purpose just to get a reaction out of his brother. He's kinda clever like that. In just a minute I'm going to put Garrett down for a nap, put Braden in his room for "quiet time" and begin my quest to catch up on my scrapbooking.