Memorial Weekend (early) in Dallas

I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend in Dallas visiting with sister Diane and Jason's family. On Thursday I helped pick John up from school. He was still napping when we arrived, and but still gave me a sleepy smile when he saw JanMa was there. Then it was home and out to the backyard to play on the fort.

I climbed up there with him, and I can see the fascination with being up high. We could see the neighborhood houses, people walking dogs or jogging, kids on bikes, cars and trucks going by, a whole world outside his backyard. He likes looking at it, but I don't get the impression he is stomping at the bit to get out there. John is such a sweet kid, so much fun to watch him learn new stuff every minute. He has learned "up" and "down" very well.

John can also climb up the slide to the top to either sit on the fort or slide down. However he gets to the top, he always slides down on his tummy, feet first. This fort/slide/swings is quite large to him, and he is very brave to climb up there at all. In this video what was so interesting is that he was calling out names, Mommy, Daddy, sister, Manmaw, like he was practicing his speech. And he was doing that while concentrating on climbing up the slide. Every minute is a new skill....

Then I worked on renewing my acquaintance with Taylor. She actually crawled over to me and pulled up and let me rest my hand on her back and side to help hold her up.
I even got to hold her on my knee and bounce her. When I stopped, she did what Jake used to do, sort of bounced up and down to get me started again.
She also let me get close to her and didn't cry. Here Taylor and I watch John's friend Heidi play with the fire engine tent.
Taylor is a hearty eater, seems to enjoy her oatmeal and applesauce. She also likes to eat the toddler puffs, but not so much the yogurt melts.
However, she still doesn't want me (or anyone else but Mommy and Daddy) to hold and cuddle her. These pictures were taken in the few seconds before she realized who had her. Plus John was close by.
Friday afternoon Diane and I took the time for lunch and a pedicure. I picked out a bright blue/turquoise color, keeping with the summer pool theme. Diane had a manicure and spent most of the time on a work phone call.
Diane and Richard and I had dinner take-out from Abuelo's, a Mexican restaurant close to their house. Tasty, but I'm glad we ate at home, the restaurant was crowded on Friday evening.
Saturday I watched John's swim lesson at an indoor pool. It had a water-walking track, sort of a walled off walk-way in part of the pool. Jason is walking the track holding John, while John kicks his feet and paddles his arms.

There was also a shallow shelf that extended into the pool that the kids used for part of their swim lesson.

And finally, Ashley asked about drawing programs on the Ipad. I quickly downloaded a free drawing app, and within a minute John had pretty much figured it out.

Then I headed south on I45 back to Conroe for the second half of the Memorial Day weekend. Phew!

Pool surprise!

This little guy surprised me as I was cleaning out the pool skimmers last week. I left the lid off, hoping he would get out and go away. Not sure what kind he is, but it was a pretty gray color. I did what any self-respecting, mature, independent woman would do. I got a couple of long-handled garden implements from the garage, and called the guy next door. He came over and took care of the situation.

Another quick visit to the twins. Jake plays with a balloon. I didn't get pictures, but Jennifer painted Claire's toes with a silvery glitter, and Claire says pretty toes. Jake can climb up the slide to the top, and Claire can climb up the ladder to the top of the slide platform.

Then a visit with Bill to see his grandson, William. William is sitting up very well and can clap his hands.

William had the same reaction to me that Taylor does, a tearful face then a wail. In the video below William would look at me and cry. Bill was able to distract and entertain William so I could get some pictures.

Sammie the dog and William engage in a mutual taste fest.

William shows off his army crawl, he and Sammie check each other out as he goes by.

Downtime

The week following my Mother's Day trip to Dallas on the GV was a bit slow. I was somewhat under the weather, and laid around on the couch for a few days. Towards the end of the week, I was back on my feet and took advantage of the gorgeous May weather (cool nights, low humidity, warm sunshiny days) to wash the car, sit out with Bill on his patio, and attended a graduation party for the twins Aunt Jamie. I also went to an IPad class at the Apple store, and decided that I knew as much if not more than the guy teaching it. It was the basic class, but nevertheless, he couldn't answer my questions, and he actually gave out some incorrect information about camera use.

I bought this to help clean out my sinuses. I know folks rave about the netti pot, but I tried this because you can squeeze it and force the water up into the sinuses. It worked great, and I think it helped clear up my congestion much quicker.
Bill's patio with the double adirondack chairs. Adult beverages and multiple communication devices share the table area.
I supervised Bill while he painted a new chair rail for his dining room to replace one that was damaged by termites.
I helped babysit the twins while their parents went to Jamie's graduation ceremony. Courtney has to move fast to keep up with the twins.
Aunt Becky and Uncle Gary and cousin Christian set up for the graduation party. Jake watches the whole process with rapt attention.

Claire likes it when the tent cover goes "up".

Even though the twins had already eaten, they really fussed when the pizza came and we were eating. I gave each of them a piece of crust and they chowed down, very happy and satisfied. Claire shares a piece with Jake. She is a good little mother to Jake, even at her young age.
They like playing in the tub with the bubbles turned on. Cousin Courtney was trying to tell them not to splash water out of the tub. I just enjoyed the twins enjoying the bath.

The evening of the graduation party, the twins enjoyed their dinner al fresco on their own picnic table. They got to hang out for a short time before their bath and bed time.

Bill and I tried to have lunch at a new Furr's buffet (modern day cafeteria?). But the line was out the door and the tables were packed. So we walked over to Cheddar's and had lunch there. We'll try Furr's again after it has been open a while and the novelty wears off.
OK, this is in the category of unique but clever. I saw this toilet seat in a public restroom, the seat was up and the toilet had just been cleaned. But check out the little "handle" on the side, which lets one lower or raise the seat without touching the seat part. I thought it was clever...

And so another wonderful week of retirement... and I no longer think "Hey, they're at work and I'm not!". I just enjoy each day as much as possible.

Mother's Day Weekend 2011

Mother's Day weekend is usually spent with your mother or with your children. But as my very wise daughter-in-law told me, it should be a day when a mother gets to do what a mother wants to do.

So my mother's day weekend started out on Friday. Bill and I flew his Archer to Lufkin for breakfast at the airport cafe.
I took along the Ipad, of course, and Bill checked his email in the restaurant. You can see the Archer out the window in the background.
I made a quick stop to visit the twins and family on Saturday afternoon, so we could say Happy Mothers' Day to each other. Then on Sunday, I had an unique opportunity to fly with Bill on a Gulfstream V, a high-end business class jet. He had to take it to Dallas for some maintenance work, and since there were no passengers, I got to hop a ride. We planned to visit with Brent and Jason and family, then drive back in a rent car on Monday.

Here is the pilot's work room at the Hobby hangar.
And here is the lobby where the passengers wait before boarding their plane.
Here I am sitting in one of the dozen or so seats on the GV, all better than first-class on a commercial airline. The flight attendant was cleaning up from a previous flight, but offered me a mimosa or champagne. What fun.
The view from the rear of the plane back toward the cockpit.
Bill getting ready for the trip. He says everything is pretty automated, but there are a whole lot more dials and buttons and gauges than on the Archer!
I moved to the jump seat behind the pilots for the trip so I could look over their shoulders and watch. Here is a video of the take-off.

The weather was a little bumpy, we only got to about 30,000 feet or so, then had to start the descent into Love field in Dallas. The whole trip took about 35 minutes. Here is the landing.

I got a short visit with John and family Sunday afternoon. He showed me his new swing set that he and his Dad had build during the week.
I made a stop in Plano to say hi to my sister and see her new kitchen and bath countertops. She got quartz, and they look great. But as in any remodel, one thing only leads to another, and it's hard to know where to stop!

The Ipad made the trip too, of course, and I used it at the hotel, at Brent's house, and we even checked it out at Collins Street Bakery in Corsicana, where we had a late lunch on the drive home.

So my Mother's Day weekend involved 2 airplane trips in which I was up close and personal, seeing both sons and their wives and all the grandchildren along with my sister. Plus Bill and I ate a terrific mother's day lunch at Celebration in Dallas, my second time to eat there. I hope all the mothers out there had a terrific day too.

What do I do all day?

Last week I had lunch with Amy and other former work colleagues. My former boss, who is retiring soon, was there and he asked me what I did all day. I've been pondering that for a few days now, and here are some thoughts. First, my personality is very conducive to retirement in that I don't have to be "busy" all the time, going to work, keeping up with chores around the house, squeezing in time to work out, and so on. I can be very happy just being a sloth! Second, and most important in my consideration of whether or not I'm going to do something, is do I want to do it, and when do I want to do it. If I don't want to do it, I won't! I mostly do stuff I want to do, when I want to do it. And fortunately the things I want to do are sometimes things that I think will help bring in customers to JanMa's Digital Memories, or things that help out a friend, or things that are good for me (like walking on the treadmill!)

So yesterday I was supposed to get a massage, something I wanted to do. But I got an early morning phone call from my son for help watching twins, their nanny was sick. I was at their house by 7:45 a.m. to spend the day with Jake and Claire, which is also something I want to do. So I easily rescheduled the massage, and made plans to take the twins on an outing to Conroe to visit former work colleagues and have lunch.

Final thought for now on retirement is about having time, time to do things you should or ought to do, without having to sacrifice doing the things you really want to do. Given enough time, one doesn't have to prioritize events and activities, I can do them all, IF I want to. Now if only time were money...

At lunch with a friend at Hubbell and Hudson's kitchen, a food market and bistro in the Woodlands. I had a burger, and it was great. Love their large potato wedge fries. I had been assisting the friend with a photo scanning project, and we had lunch afterwards. All things I wanted to do!

Sitting on the patio at Hubbell and Hudson's bistro and kitchen.

Today I have been doing some JanMa work, the vhs to dvd transfer is happening right now, as I write my blog. If I ever come back as a young person, I'm going to be my own boss, so I can work from home wearing my T-shirts and houseshoes. Again, stuff I want to do!

Jake and Claire have a new bench, just their size. The back has images of animals, a lion with a monkey on its back, a zebra and elephant. I have been reading Claire a book with a zebra in it, and she calls it "zee-ba". She pointed to the zebra on the bench back, and said "zee-ba". I pointed to the lion and said lion, she said "line" and then pointed and said, nose, eyes, and monkey (the monkey sitting on the lion's back).
The hardest part of taking them to visit former colleagues was getting them out of the carseats. I took Claire out, and walked her to Jake's side, put her between me and the car to get Jake out. Once both are on the ground, I hoisted the diaper bag and got the mommy-death-grip on their wrists and we walked into the building. Once inside, they could walk and explore the hallways. We first visited with Aunt Jamie, who enjoyed showing them off to her colleagues. Then we went up to the technology department, my old stomping grounds, and the twins ran up and down a hallway that ended in a window. They really liked sitting on the low window sill and looking outside. Then Claire would run back to me and climb into my lap. Jake was much more independent and willing to explore. He would wander into an office or turn down another hall, and I would say, Jake, JanMa is going this way. Then he would come back to follow me. Claire was not fearful of strangers, she would watch them and stay close to me, but not crying and jumping up to be held. I was proud of both of them.
Then it was on to Chick-Fila for lunch, my choice because the twins like chicken nuggets. I did another "mommy death-grip" on their hands to get them into the restaurant, and took them to the playroom. It was full of kids and loud, but the twins just took it all in, not scared or crying at all. Claire even went over to the shoe rack and picked out a pretty pink flip flop to try to wear!

I walked them back into the restaurant, put Jake on one seat of a booth, Claire on the other, and told them to stay there while I grabbed 2 high chairs. Bill and his sister Susie arrived, and we moved to a table. A manager lady showed up and whipped out these placemats that have peel off sticky strips, and stuck one in front of each twin. I was handing out goldfish and cereal bar snacks til the chicken nuggets came. The twins liked the nuggets and waffle fries.

Claire had 2 forks to stab her nuggets, Jake got one fork but he was just as happy to use his hands. Claire stuck her finger in my honey mustard sauce, and got it into her mouth before I could stop her. She grimaced and shook her head, I grabbed her sippy cup and told her to drink. She didn't want to at first, but then she did, and I got her fingers and face wiped off.

Both were mesmerized by all the activity around them, Jake especially seemed eager to take in all the action. Claire watched, but a bit more restrained. This seems to be the opposite of what I see them do at home, where Claire seems to be the more active and outgoing, and Jake quieter and laid back.

Back at home and after a nearly 2 hour nap, the twins and I spent more time outside, having cookies and milk. Again, they found a low spot to have a seat. I think they need another bench for outside, they like being able to sit on things their size.
The next day the nanny was back, the twins didn't need JanMa to babysit, and after breakfast with Bill at The Egg and I, there was plenty of time for a WalMart run, some JanMa's Digital Memories work, and blog updates. Tomorrow is a doctor appt, lunch date with old friend, and late afternoon drinks on the patio with Bill. Friday is totally unplanned as of yet, and I'm totally OK with that. Oh, and the massage? That has already been rescheduled for next week.

Babysitting twins

I hung out with Jake and Claire Saturday afternoon and evening while their old folks went shopping and had dinner out. I had a great time, and the kids are showing me new stuff they can do every time I see them. When Claire woke up from her nap, she was saying "no, no, gato" (gato is cat in Spanish). I looked around for a cat that had been closed up in their room, but didn't see one. She repeated that phrase throughout the afternoon, along with "no, no Elmo" and shaking her head no. I think she has learned the word NO and likes using it.

Grilled cheese and bananas for lunch, which they liked. Chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for dinner, which they didn't so much care for. They ate a few bites, and I was in the kitchen cutting up strawberries. When I got back to the twins, they were very carefully and deliberately dropping their food onto the floor, bite by bite! I left the mess on the floor, meaning to clean it up after bath time, but when I got back into the kitchen, there was nary a speck of nugget or cheese or strawberry to be found on the floor. Hope the cats don't get sick!
After lunch we spent some time outside, they like to climb up in the chairs, then out of them, then back up, and so on. They entertained each other with that for some time and I sat in the shade and just watched.
After some out side time, we came in to cool off. Jake got excited about a TV show called Wiggles, and he followed the directions to dance the wiggle. He may make Mimi proud and be on "Dancing with the Stars" someday.

Claire brought me her sunglasses so I could put them on her, and she wore them around the house for awhile. At one point she started crying, and I think she pinched her finger as she opened and closed the ear pieces.
Claire found her white tutu skirt in a toy box and put it on by herself! She put her feet into it, and pulled it up! It was inside out, but I just praised her and praised her for getting herself dressed. Then I tried to pull it down a bit so it would be around her waist. OH NO, she yanked it back up under her arms. She knew exactly how she wanted to wear it.
Bill came by for a quick visit, and Claire enjoyed his attentions. She is wearing my shoe on her foot. She had both of them on and walked around the house. Jake put Bill's shoes on, but they were pretty heavy and he didn't get far.
I bathed them in the big tub, but when I got Jake's diaper off, it was dirty, so I grabbed a bunch of toilet paper to clean him with. Claire thought that was fun, and she started pulling the toilet paper roll. I snatched her up and pulled off her diaper, it was also dirty! So she got the toilet paper treatment. (This was the 4th and 5th dirty diapers I had changed since noon!)
After a quick wash and drain, I filled the tub with fresh water and turned on the bubbles. They loved it. Finally I snatched Jake and wrapped him in a towel and plopped him in the playpen, then got Claire. They were watching a DVD on the TV, but I couldn't get any sound. Didn't seem to bother them, they watched and laughed at the picture.
Back upstairs, ready for bed, and Claire found a single shoe. She was watching Elmo, and the show was about shoes. She put the shoe on her foot all by herself! Another first. I praised and clapped for her, and she took it all in stride.

I failed miserably at putting them to bed, I know they were tired, and Claire was very content to lay down and go to sleep, but not so much Jake. He cried and howled, and after a few minutes, Claire started. I tried sitting in their bedroom, telling Jake to lay down and close his eyes, which he would do for about a minute, then he would pop back up. After about 15 minutes, I figured that wasn't helping, so I told him JanMa was going downstairs, and he needed to lay quietly and not cry and wake Claire up. I opened the door to find Jennifer and Jeremy just outside the door, I'm sure they heard me talking to Jake on the monitor. I had barely closed the door when Jake started up, followed by Claire. So I left the bedtime to the experts, and called it a night. They are so much fun, and I wasn't tired at all.