Two.

My tiny baby boy is two. Never was there a sweeter, more endearing boy. You know, except when he hasn't had his beauty sleep.

We had a birthday party while my parents were in town, which was fantastic fun, and just like my thank-you notes, this blog is running very late. Things haven't slowed down enough to be able to sit and write for more than a minute or two before I have to sleep, exercise, shower, feed someone, switch a laundry, get to work, put someone else back in bed, or pick up the exponentially growing pile of clutter in the house.

Oh sure, all those things are looming now, but I want to get this down before the next month officially begins.

Jambuca is still average weight (50%), and is slightly taller (65%) for his age. On his 2nd birthday he was half of 5'10", which means he'll be roughly SNG's height when he grows up. E-baby was roughly half my height, so it's only fair. He is able to do all the things on the 2-year-old questionnaire that his doctor has us fill out (fine and gross motor skills, communication, basic problem solving, etc) but he is very hard to understand when he speaks. I know he can make all the sounds, like 's' because he goes 'SSSSSSS' when he sees a picture of a snake, but he pronounces 'Star' as 'Lar' so he doesn't seem to know when to put the right sounds together. He can say 'Yay' but also pronounces the color 'Lellow.' If I still can't understand him in 6 months, I'll ask for the daycare's speech therapist to have a listen. It might be just an unfair comparison after e-baby and her poetry and songwriting at this age.

His favorite things:
Daddy
Dogs
Pajamas (his own)
Shoes (anyone's)
M&Ms (at my office)
Little toy mice (from the Hideaway Hollow series)
Cars, trains, helicopters, boats, and any other Things That Go.
The dollhouses
Play structures
e-baby, the coolest big sister in the world (I catch him striking a pose next to or behind her so that he looks like her stunt double)
Mommy

When Did This Become a Recipe Blog????

My parents are in town, and we've been having a terrific time. In fact, we've had so much fun, that when I cooked up a big 10-Qt pot FULL of broccoli and zucchini, I completely forgot about it and cooked it till it was grey. We ate it that night, and no one said anything. The next morning, I put some in my omelette, and didn't say anything. For lunch, I had some more and had to say something- it was just awful. My mom asked if I had put fish sauce in it (I have to hand it to her, she is so diplomatic, "What an interesting taste, did you do a thai version with fish sauce or something?") -- I had not. It was just awful.

I wanted to salvage it. It was a ton of vegetables. I wanted to make a cheese soup.

Here is what I did:
1 stick butter
3 shallots, sliced thin
3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
Cook these in the soup pot until nice and soft. Gradually add
1/4 c flour
Add
6 cups chicken stock
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add
1 c low-fat buttermilk
12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 t dry mustard
1/2 tsp hot paprika (like El Rey de la Vera's)
Stir well until cheese melts (do not boil or the dairy will be ruined).
Add all the leftover overcooked broccoli and zucchini (in my case, it was about 10-11 cups)
Process with the immersion blender until smooth.

It was OUTSTANDING. Mmmmmmmm.

So it seems that I am now running not just a recipe blog, but a recipe blog for salvaging doomed foods. I would have been popular in the 1930s, no?

Thai Peanut Sauce and Whatnot

I made up a peanut sauce this evening that I will forget the recipe for if I don't put it down somewhere.

1.5c natural peanut butter (the kind that's just peanuts and salt)
1 can light coconut milk
3T fish sauce
3T soy sauce
2T lime juice
2t kaffir lime leaves
2t minced garlic
2t minced galangal (thai ginger)
2T "man ketchup" (Sriracha hot chili sauce-comes in a squeeze bottle) (blame SNG for the nickname)
2T "man salsa" (Sriracha chili-garlic sauce-comes in a jar)

Mix everything in a bowl. You can leave out the Sriracha or double the Sriracha, or only use one kind, depending on how hot you like it, or use fresh finely chopped serrano peppers instead.
I had to use a mixture of kinds of Sriracha because I ran out of man ketchup before it was hot enough for my taste.This was crazy-good over Shiratake noodles and broccoli. 

I took a half day off today to go see the Normal Rockwell exhibit at the NCMA. I've never been a Rockwell fan; he stopped doing Saturday Eve Post covers long before I was born, and his art always seemed corny to me. But seeing all the covers of the SEP in sequence, and having the chance to really look at the details was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. I also really appreciated some of his art commissioned for Look in the 1960s. The exhibit ends Monday, and even on a rainy Wednesday, it was pretty busy in there.

The kids-- I haven't had an update on them in a long time. Next week is Jambuca's birthday, so I should save some news for a birthday blog post, but I'll tell you he's making us laugh all the time. He talks about everything (and we understand about 1/4 of it) and he is getting a little easier to redirect verbally.

E-baby has really taken off with reading and writing. Something just clicked finally, and she's getting it more and more. The other day she wrote her first name from memory without any help from me. And that's a lot of letters to remember! :-) She's reading 2- and 3-letter and some 4- letter words, but what's funny is that half the time she can guess what the bigger words are because of the rhythm and rhyme of the story. She also memorizes most books after the first or 2nd time they're read to her, so it's hard to always know whether she's reading or reciting. She's got a storytelling streak a mile wide.

I'm starting to suspect that Jambuca has as well. He loves playing out little narratives with the doll house residents, making little parties and dinners, driving the little mice to and from different doll houses, and I wish so badly that I could understand what he's saying when he's there for an hour at a time making the little village come to life.

Reduce, Reuse, Recipe!

For the past couple of months, Sunday mornings have mostly been a time for cooking. Since I've been on my New Year's Resolution diet*, we've mostly been cooking healthier things like veggies and meats for the next week's meals. Having quick meals ready to heat and eat keeps me from snacking like a fiend when I get home from work while trying to make something for dinner.

This morning, I also cleared out the fridge (which I do every 2 weeks or so-- it's shameful how much I throw out each time-- I'm looking at you, 2 week old slice of leftover meatloaf). There in the back were 6 Del Monte Fruit Naturals blackberry and blueberry fruit cups. I bought these because I had a BJ's coupon. Which means, of course, that I bought a case of them. They're fruit in juice with no added sugar and my kids LOVE fruit cups, and they LOVE berries, so I thought, what a perfect match!

Not so much. After repeated attempts, neither of the kids would eat these blackberries and blueberries in a fruit cup. I think that to preserve shape, they have to do something weird to the texture. The flavor is great! But the texture is just... not quite right. I've given up on trying to get anyone to eat them, and I pulled them out of the fridge and thought, "What can I do with these?" So I present to you:

Two Recipes from One Surplus of DMFN Fruit Cups!!!

Gelatin blocks:
Juice from 6 DelMonte Fruit Naturals fruit cups (not the berries)
Enough of any other juice to make a total of 4 cups liquid
2 Stevia packets
4 Knox gelatin packets
Put 1 c juice in a bowl and sprinkle the Knox on top. Boil the rest of the juice. Add to the gelatin mixture and stir in the stevia. Stir well, and pour into a rectangular or square dish (I used a 2Qt Corning Ware). Fridge until set. Cut into squares.

Berry Sorbet (based on this recipe)
berries from 6 Del Monte Fruit Naturals cups (not the juice) (should make about 4c)
20 Splenda packets
2 c buttermilk
Freeze the bowl of your ie cream maker at least 8 hours
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and puree with an immersion blender until super-super smooth.
Fridge until ready to eat.
Put in ice cream maker according to your instructions (mine went 15 minutes)
(The kids wanted a little extra sugar, SNG and I thought it was perffect as-is.)

Both of these were so good we all 4 ate until our bellies hurt. And there were hardly any calories in there. So New Year's Resolution is still holding strong.

* the New Year's Resolution: NO NEW CLOTHES in 2011! Shoes, hats, scarves, gloves, and socks do not count. Just no new clothes to fit a bigger posterior.

Instead of a real blog post...

a totally cute video of my kids!

Two Stories (One long, One short)

This time of year if I even see one PSA about children/families/individuals who are giftless/hungry/alone for the holidays, I get choked up. Case in point, the other day, e-baby asked me why it's better to give than to receive. I told her it was because it feels good to give someone something, like when we donate to the Goodwill. She wasn't quite following (well, they could just go to Target and buy some things). She prodded for more-- she asked why we donate old things to the poor, and I tried explaining how some people don't have much, and the least we can do is give them our old stuff.
Blank stare, crickets.

So I took a different strategy:
me: You know how, when you come home from school, we make dinner, or sometimes we eat out?
e-baby: Yes
me: And whenever you outgrow your old clothes, we go buy new ones?
e-baby: Yes
me: And when your birthday comes around, or Christmas, you get lots of new toys and books and things?
e-baby: Yes
me: That's because mommy and daddy have jobs and we are paid enough to buy the things we need, and have a little extra to buy things we want, like dinner in a restaurant or a toy now and then. Well, some people can't find good jobs, or their jobs don't pay quite enough for all the things they need. There are even some mommies and daddies who can't afford to buy food and toys for their children (and at this point, I start choking up like a super-sappy-sop and can't speak in a coherent sentence anymore-- little face with huge brown eyes, so lucky to have everything a child could ever need)

So we discussed that there are organizations that we give money and other donations to so that they can bring food and toys to people who don't have enough.
e-baby: If I had a friend who was really poor, I would give her one of my toys that I didn't want anymore.
me: Would you maybe give her one that you do still want?
e-baby: Well, no, I don't think that would work.
I mean you know, she is a 4-year-old, not Jesus or the Dalai Lama.

But, she seemed really receptive to the whole taking-care-of-poor-children thing and asked a few more times about how we could help some poor children. So we began a new family tradition: each kid has a budget for buying toys for donating, and we go shopping. Jambuca is still too small, so e-baby shopped on his behalf. She picked a deluxe toy food set (like the one she has and loves) and 2 small Disney Princess figurines. "He" picked a 12-piece toy muscial instruments/band set for babies (like the one she has and loves) and 3 Matchbox cars. We also picked out a bunch of her favorite nonperishable foods to give to the Food Drive at my office.

Here's my favorite part...

In line to check out at Target, the man in front of us accidentally bumped into e-baby, and knocked her over a little. He apologized profusely, and she (in classic e-baby style, using the opportunity to make a new friend) tells him (loudly), I'm donating some toys and food to the poor children! I am so excited! I can't wait to donate! It will make some children so happy! This is the happiest I've ever felt!

After he had checked out, he noticed that our Matchbox cars accidentally made their way into his stuff, and he had been charged for them. Before the cashier could credit it back, he said, NO! Leave it on my bill- That little girl is going to donate, and I want to be a part of it.

A near-tearful Hallmark moment. Over a $3 Matchbox cars donation! But no, that's not the reason. It was the poignant, the raw and gorgeous humanity of the situation. 

When we put the toys into a Toys for Tots collection bin, e-baby told the toys to find their way to a great new home. I don't think she really gets it completely-- how can you understand hunger if you've never been without food? -- but it is the beginning.

By the way, if any of you have ideas for other ways to get preschool-age kids involved in helping others , I'd love to hear your ideas. I'd love for my kids to grow up with a strong conscience and sense of social justice. After all, it was my own mother who, in the mid 1970s, had her children flying Black Power kites in the field next to the airport which had been notable for their racist empoloyment policies. Start 'em young, right mom? (this really is true. ask her about it. my mom is so awesome.)

OK, and the 2nd story. Much shorter, struck me as funny.
To save time and water, the kids have been bathing together more often. We let them use our big bathtub, and tonight I overfilled it and overbubbled it. Jambuca ran into my bathroom, sat right down and pulled off his right (red) cowboy boot. Then he pulled off his right sock, and stuffed it carefully inside the boot. Then he pulled off his left boot, then the left sock, and stuffed it inside the left boot. Then he neatly lined up the pair of boots next to the bathtub and put his arms up to be lifted into the suds, stomping his feet in excited anticipation.

Heh. I think at 1 yr old, I was wriggling free of my diaper and running from the house to streak nekkid down through the neighbors' yards. Jambuca is SO Montessori. (For the record, Jambuca does love to run around nekkid. But he mostly stays inside.

Gingerbread House-Eating Day

I love making gingerbread houses at Christmas, decorating them with cheap candy, and picking at them throughout the holidays. At the end of the Christmas season, the whole thing is so stale you just want to throw it away. E-baby has never been all that interested in eating them, so mostly they sit around being decorative.

This year we made a whole gingerbread village. There was a large central house (town hall?) made mostly from graham crackers and ginger snaps, surrounded by 5 tiny houses made from one of those gingerbread house kits. E-baby made my favorite snowman ever with mini marshmallows.

This year, Jambuca was very, very (VERY) interested in the gingerbread village. He climbed up onto the kitchen island at one point to grab a mini-house and try to gnaw on it. Repeated efforts to redirect him were thwarted and just led to a lot of screaming, so the gingerbread house moved to the top of the fridge.

It's been there for almost 2 weeks. That's just useless.

So, thanks to a great idea from my BFF Lizard, we also decided to have Dec 15 be gingerbread house-eating day. At breakfast today, the kids went nuts on the houses. And honestly, they didn't want much. Everyone had fun. E-baby said it was her favorite day of the year, and she was only sad that she'd have to wait another year for gingerbread house-eating day.

She also started singing this funny song with the lyrics "Chick it easy." It's odd, so I decided to videotape it. Here it is!

(Thank you again, Lizard, for the great idea! And, it is killing me that I know I took pictures of this year's house, but I can't find them anywhere.)

A Recent Collection of e-babyisms and Jambucaisms

* Discussing the Irish potato famine, we somehow got onto the subject of fungicides and insecticides and how they have saved so many lives from starvation and famine. She said that they were like superheros, but for potatoes. (car conversations with e-baby are strange, but never boring)

* He won't go anywhere without his mommy doll: a Polly Pocket with perma-clothes and hiking boots. He carries it in the car, leaves it in his seat to go to school, and grabs it as soon as we pick him up. He loves to point to it and say, Mommy! and then point to me and say, Mommy!

* At school, a little boy friend told the class about watching Rudolph on TV. She burst into hysterical sobbing, and once the teachers settled her down enough to speak, she said, I missed it! Now I will never get to see Rudolph! (the teacher told her that it would come on TV at least 10 more times before Christmas. I DVR'ed it and we watched it this evening).

* He loves to push the Pager button on the cordless phone cradle just to hear it go BEADLE-BEADLE-BEADLE! He also likes to use the cordless phone cradle as an easy-chair for Polly mommy.

* Describing a troll that has bad teeth, she tells me, That troll doesn't eat oranges- he's a scurvy troll.

Existential Mommy Crisis

Since I haven't posted pictures on Flickr since the Ireland trip, you might be surprised to see some more up there (Thanksgiving week and the first snow of the season)

When e-baby was 2, she loved watching Caillou. She was the same age as Rosie, Caillou's little sister. I enjoyed watching her go from being able to speak less than Rosie to being able to speak better than Rosie. I also wondered whether the kinds of things Caillou was able to say and do were really representative of a 4-year old. I mean really, there's no way a 4-year-old can do all that stuff and speak so clearly and understand such concepts.

Tonight we watched Caillou for the first time in a long time. E-baby is Caillou's age and does all the things Caillou does. Jambuca is just a little younger than Rosie. Caillou is a typical 4-yr old (only waaaaaaaay better at using his polite words). It took my breath away.

Speaking of e-baby, she never fails to make me laugh with how she explains things. This evening, a friend/neighbor from next door came over with her 4-yr-old son, and we loaned them our copy of the book James and the Giant Peach. I read it to e-baby last month, and she loved it. She was showing her friend the pictures on the cover, and explaining who the good guys were, and the bad guys, and then she told him about the peach.

"They went inside that peach. I mean INSIDE of it! Wait, I'll show you..."
(putting her hand waaaaay into a big barrel of goldfish crackers)
"See how my hand is in here like this? THAT is how they were INSIDE the peach!"

A lot can change in 2 years.

The Joy of Cooking With e-baby

This evening, even with evil Dora yelling at her from the TV, e-baby was more interested in developing new recipes in my kitchen that would make her restaurant patrons happy. She told me I was the waitress, and to get her some ingredients.

Last weekend I gave you a recipe of my own for using up excess cream cheese in your refrigerator. This week, I give you three e-baby originals. If she becomes famous someday, remember you saw them here first.

Also, for the record, all I did was provide the supplies she asked for. The creative mastery and execution are entirely hers. All recipes are made to serve 4.
Raspberry Marnies
4 big raspberries
4 baby carrots
Put the raspberry on the tip of the carrot like a head, so it looks like a little person whose name is Marnie.

Marshmallow Puffins
4 raspberries
2 marshmallows
a spoonful strawberry preserves
Slice the marhsmallows in half the short way (across the beltline of the marhmallow? Slice the sagittal plane? Just see the picture, OK?). Use each marshmallow half as a platform and smear a bit of preserves on it. Then rest a raspberry on top.
Chef's note: It does not need to resemble a real puffin. Just needs to make a "puffin" sensation in your mouth when you eat it.

Cheese Bonnets
1 stick of mozzarella string cheese
4 grapes
1T vanilla custard, prepared
4 fresh pomegranate seeds
4 toothpicks
Cut the string cheese in half, and then slice the half into 4 pieces. Eat the uncut half.
Dip a grape in vanilla custard. Attach the cheese to the grape (dipped end) with the toothpick. Rest a pomegranate seed on top like a fancy lady's flower on a white bonnet.

After she had finished, and her customers had all eaten their fill of her culinary delights, she told me,
"Well, I've been mostly cooking, so I'd like to rest up and play now."

She had earned some R&R for sure.

Why Texting is Better Than the Phone

Scene: An office supply store, prematurely decorated for Christmas. Kids hollering and playing a toy trumpet loudly, employees giving the stink-eye.
"Hey, should we do the grocery run while we're here? What time is (so-and-so from out of town) getting here today?"
"I don't know-let me check"

(Option A: the phone call)
"Hey, we were thinking about plans for the day, and wondering whether it made sense to go to the grocery now or later, so what time do you think you'll be getting here? PUT THAT DOWN RIGHT NOW. NO, YOU MAY NOT HAVE THAT IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND WE ARE NOT HERE FOR TOYS Sorry, go ahead."
"Oh gosh, I'm not sure how far we are from leaving, and even then, I'm not sure how far it is from here to your house. We will probably stop for lunch along the way. If you need to do some things, go ahead, because we haven't left yet and it will be awhile. The last time we did that drive there was some traffic, but oh, that was a weekday. So probably it'll be an easy trip. I don't know how far it is, though."
"SIT ON YOUR BOTTOM. YOU MAY NOT STAND IN THE CART_SEAT. NO. ON YOUR BOTTOM, PLEASE. ON YOUR BOTTOM. THANK YOU ok, just roughly what time do you think? NO YOU MAY NOT. SHHH. MOMMY IS ON THE PHONE. PLEASE JUST WAIT A MINUTE."
"Gosh I don't know, maybe 2? 3? Later? How about we call you when we get close."
"How far does the GPS say you are? I AM STILL TALKING ON THE PHONE, CAN YOU PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTION WHEN I AM FINISHED? sorry, go ahead"
"Oh, OK, well let's see... turning it on... Let's see. We're 4 hours away now, plus lunch, so we'll be there in about 5 hours."
"YES, NO, WAIT, I MEAN NO, YOU CANNOT CLIMB ON THERE. ok, thanks - see you then!"

(Option B: Text)
"When will you be here?"
"Around 3:00"
"Cool- c u later"

Once in awhile you meet people who Do Not Text. They know how to, but they won't. I appreciate a conversation as much as anyone else, but really, which option seems nicer?

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for SMS.

Recap: Guy Fawkes Day, DC, Veteran's Day and a Recipe

Our Guy Fawkes Day party was last weekend, and we had a blast. It was great to see friends, watch the kids as they get older and an play together more, and burn stuff in the backyard. 'Cause that's the real reason we celebrate, after all. S'mores this year were not as good as usual, mostly because Hershey's miniatures are really, really crappy ever since they stopped using cocoa butter in most of their chocolate, turning it into a chocolate-flavored food. And don't even start on the b.s. that Hershey's was never good-- plain old Hershey's milk chocolate was tasty. Krackel and Mr Goodbar used to taste creamy and delicious. They weren't Belgian, but they were good. Now they taste like wax. They don't even really melt in your mouth. It's all wrong. I know that this change happened about 2 years ago, but last year we had Ghirardelli and Resse's peanut butter cups, so we didn't notice until now.

Monday I flew to DC, and spent a few nights at L'Enfant Plaza. Usually when I go I stay in Rockville because that's where our regional office is. But this time, I was downtown. It was magnificent. Right next to the Smithsonian castle and the National mall, a hop on the Metro to the White House, good restaurants. I was reminded why DC is such a tourist destination. I think I prefer it to Manhattan- more places open to the public, and less crowded.

Oh yeah, I promised a recipe For the party last weekend, SNG made bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeno peppers (MMMMMM!) and in preparation, each of us bought 3 packages of cream cheese, without knowing about the other one getting cream cheese already. We didn't use 6 packages of cream cheese. We didn't even use 3. I had 4 bricks of cream cheese left over in the fridge, and when the world gives you cream cheese, make a creamy dip.  So today I made up the following recipe, which was SUPER-good:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese
2 c reduced-fat mayo (yes, it would taste even better with full-fat)
a small handful of scallions, chopped (I used shallot tops from the garden- probably 7 or 8 stems)
1 can artichoke bottoms, chopped (hearts are fine, I had bottoms in my pantry)
1 can long asparagus, chopped
1 jar hearts of palm, chopped
2 c. cooked broccoli
1 t garlic
8 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
an extra 1/2-3/4 c shredded cheese

Mix all but the 2nd part cheddar in the kitchen aid, low speed, until it's all well-blended together. Divide into small or medium ramekins (mine are 16 oz) and sprinkle the last of the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

I made 6 ramekins, and baked 2 of them The rest are waiting in the fridge.

Two Weeks of Mostly Vacation

We have had a busy and fun past couple of weeks. There are also lots of things rattling around up in the grey matter so this'll be a lengthy if perhaps a little boring, post.

We left for Austin on a Tuesday 2 weeks ago, after work, and flew until very late into the evening. There are no nonstop flights right now (boo!) and Jambuca doesn't sleep in a lap. He dozed about 20 minutes before we landed. By the time we got the kids into bed, it was 2am Eastern time. Rough night, but still probably the best way to go so you don't lose a whole day to travel.

The first day in town we went up to UT campus and wandered. The place has really changed in the last 10 years. The stores on Guadalupe are entirely different, and the campus buildings are much shinier and prettier than they were before. Even the bus routes have changed. No more number 9 bus, and ER goes past the Texas Swim Center now. But I enjoyed the visit, and we bought some fun Bevo tchotchkes at the Co-op. I spent a few minutes wandering the halls of my old building (where the Spanish and Portuguese departments now live) and nothing inside was the same-- the elevator even goes all the way up to the top now!

It reminded me that I used to have a research assistant who was in a wheelchair, and I wouldn't let her run subjects alone because if there was an emergency, she'd have no way to escape the building. Those were the days, when life was simple and no one on the board of regents gave a rat's toot about the safety of undergraduate research assistants. 

Thursday we went to IKEA and let e-baby play, play, play at the kid area (Smaland). It was the first time she could play- she's barely tall enough (by 1/2 inch). Oh how sweet, to wander the aisles with only one fidgety kid, and 3 grown-ups. Every store should have a Smaland.

That night we walked to Cafe Medici, which is a fairly new coffee shop a couple blocks down from our old apartment in Clarksville. They had GREAT coffee. Beautiful coffee. I think the location used to be a women's clothing store???

Friday we had a playdate with T and E and their 3 kids (A, M, and V). Their oldest child is famous for being The Reason we decided to have kids at all. He's still the sweetest, smartest, happiest, perfect-est little boy ever (except, of course, for Jambuca). Be careful around him. He'll make you think parenthood is so easy. In order by age, it's A, e-baby, M, Jambuca, and V. They got along like a house on fire. They were pirates. They were singers. They were monkeys in trees. They were construction workers. T and E seriously need to move to Raleigh someday.

That evening we walked to the coffee shop in the shopping center at Windsor and Exposition. A shame about that place. There used to be a fantastic little gourmet grocery store, a small hardware store that carried the bits and parts for everyone in the neighborhood's old appliances, a restaurant that was an Austin fixture, an awesome bakery, a post office, and a few other little shops here and there. Then the property was sold to a person in Houston who refused to renew the contracts of any vendor who 1) sold meat 2) sold other (non-milk) animal products, 3) sold products that might be used to harm animals (like mousetraps and bug spray). This happened while we lived there, and one by one all the great places left. Now there's a post office, a coffee shop (that sells only vegetarian sandwiches and pastries), a yoga studio, a holistic health woobie-woobie place, some kind of vitamin thing-or-another, and a lot of chiro-realtor-lawyer-crap offices. What used to be the heart of the neighborhood is now its weird second-cousin that no one want to get stuck sitting next to at Christmas dinner.

Saturday we went to Natural Bridge Caverns with my brother, his wife nd their baby, and my parents. I loved it. So did e-baby. Jambuca fell asleep half-way through. E-baby was great at asking questions throughout the tour, and I could tell she was really absorbing a lot of the information. She's since taught her friends (and some of my friends) about the rock formations you find in caves. Sure it took an hour to get there, but it was worth it.

Sunday, we had another playdate with E and the kids, and had dinner at Kerbey Lane South. Pancakes as big as your head.

Monday, SNG and I left the kids behind and went to San Marcos. Unlike Austin, it has hardly changed in the last 15 years. Sure the surrounding area is different-- there's continuous suburb from San Antonio to Austin now-- but the campus and downtown are essentially the same. I still love that town. I'd still love to live there again someday. If corporate life ever gets too dreary, perhaps there's a teaching job waiting for me... Later that evening later we took a walk to Mozart's coffee shop on Lake Austin. I saw a guy drop his car keys into the lake. He tried fishing them out with a golf club, and finally had to jump in for them. Dinner at Magnolia cafe. Grumpy kids. Mom came by with the van to rescue us from a long walk back to the house with two overtired gremlins.

We flew home last Tuesday. Wednesday I took a day off work so e-baby and I could ride all the rides at the State Fair. It was rainy so hardly anyone else was there. It felt like we had the place to ourselves. No line for biscuits at the Apex Lions Club, no line at any rides, no lines for cotton candy, no lines at the petting zoo, no lines at the Grist Mill, no lines at the Ocean Spray samples truck. We had so much FUN! And I chatted with a rabbit breeder at the rabbit exhibit for a half hour and came away with the knowledge that we need a pet rabbit.

Thursday evening we drove down to New Bern. One of SNG's big projects had a grand opening over the weekend, so we went to the festivities. Lots of boring speeches (sorry, Gov Perdue, you're in that list), lots of lunches and dinners, some fun for the kids, and I'm really glad we went. It was cool to see the project and meet some of the people SNG has talked about in the last couple of years.

We got home Saturday night, too tired to do anything. Pooped.

Sunday, we went to the state fair again. The whole world was there this time and we waited in line for ev-er-y-thing.

Whew! OK, so that's where we've been.

Now other stuff.
In the last 3 or 4 weeks, Jambuca has grown tired of being misunderstood. He has exploded into more signing, trying to say words (with very limited success), and asking us for more words/signs. The number of new words I have seen/heard from him are no longer countable, really. It's all very exciting.

He's also been really affectionate this week. He must have read the post last month about how he prefers SNG, because I've become A-OK again. He want snuggles and hugs and kisses all the time. I recall e-baby was like that at this age, too. She's still very snuggly, but she's also surly at times. Jambuca's just sweet, sweet, sweet.

Whew. brain dump finished.

The Sweetest Kiss

It has been bothering me a little bit lately that Jambuca is such a daddy's boy. I don't mind that he's nuts for SNG because SNG is a super cool dad, but I am sad that he seems to (vehemently) reject me in favor of daddy a lot. It's been worse the past couple of months. His 1-yr-old teacher suspects that since e-baby is so much mommy's girl (and demands a lot of attention), he has just gone to the easiest source of available parent attention-- daddy. 

Well, then he goes and does something like this....

Jambuca and e-baby were playing with the dress-up box. SNG helped Jambuca dress in a dog costume and took him to the bathroom to see himself. Jambuca was so happy with how he looked that he walked up to the mirror and licked his own reflection on the nose. SNG told him "Now go give mommy a puppy kiss!" So he toddled out to the living room and gave me a proper (smooch!) kiss right on my cheek. I had no idea he could give a proper kiss! I melted right down to nothing but a dribbly puddle of gooey mommy-love. He gave me another kiss on my cheek, then he gave his big sister a kiss on her nose.