Halloween Convict

This is not G's Halloween costume, but it sure was cute (and nice of Grandma L to bring! Thanks Mom!) He wore it to lunch yesterday when we stole Daddy away from his office.

You think the cuteness is done, then *wham* it hits you right between the eyes.
Going after the balloon.
A little frustrated
Now a little worried
Now happy again.

There will be more ridiculously cute pictures on Facebook, for those who are on it.

Attack of the Tooth!

Apparently, I have given birth to a toothing fiend. 7 months old and already has 6 teeth. The last two have come in at the same time, which made the last week very difficult.

G is just about always happy. So if he isn't, he's having trouble sleeping, and he doesn't have a fever, we figure he must be teething. So we grit our teeth and weather the storm, as long as it lasts. Luckily for me, this time Johnny wasn't feeling well a few of the days, so he stayed home from work and helped me keep my sanity.

I just have to keep telling myself that those who act like they deserve love the least, need it the most and cross my fingers that my patience lasts.

Also, it's really hard to get a picture of the teeth, so here's a diagram:
As you can see, the circled teeth are already here, making G look a lot like a jack o' lantern.

The new tooth is showing just a little. And the teeth coming in are, well, coming in. Here are the best pictures I have taken thus far: (forgive my horrible handwriting, touch pads are not forgiving)

His bottom teeth as indicated by the arrows:His top teeth:
You might have to click on this one and see full size.

State Fair

We decided we couldn't be so close to the biggest state fair in the country and not go. Plus, we thought it would be a good way to celebrate our third anniversary, which is the leather year. We asked G if he wanted to go. I think you can see his opinion.It was a cold day, in the 50's so we all had our sweaters and jackets on. We brought plenty of warm fuzzy blankets and socks for G.

We didn't want to worry about parking at the fair grounds, so we took the train. G's first train ride.

Sorry the picture's fuzzy, but we had to hurry to get on the train. It turns out that personal space is also bigger in Texas, so it was a challenge to get on the multiple trains we had to take that day. Some people weren't too happy to make room for a large stroller. Oh well, at least G was happy. Nothing makes him happier than a good crowd.
Shortly after this picture was taken, a man with a bike got on the train. G decided to have a staring contest with him until he got off. G won. He has no shame and stared quite frankly.

We got to the fair and quickly gave up all hope for napping. Too many people, too much noise. So we watched a horse instead. We were just wasting time until we could go see some dancing dogs-quite lame as it turns out. Lame enough to put the boy out, if only for half and hour or so.
One of the things we really wanted to see at the fair was the livestock. So we followed our noses to the livestock pavilion. And saw goats, sheep, pigs and cows. This goat really liked G.
We didn't look at any of the dairy cows (sorry Mom), but we did enjoy plenty of "steak cows" as Johnny calls them. This one is a Brahman, a breed from Brazil.
Johnny made me take a picture in front of the Texas Longhorn, since I am now a citizen.
This was the biggest cow at the fair, Peter the Great, as the sign says. It was a little disconcerting to be that close to something that big. Though I'm told he's very friendly. Hard to tell from the picture, but his back just kept going and going.

This is a video of the pigs. I wanted to justify my claim to be a good imitator of animal noises. Unfortunately, there are lots of people around, so you have to listen very closely to hear the pig.

Those of you who watch Oprah probably know that she came to the Texas State Fair. We went a few days before her, luckily, but like her, we felt that eating fried food was an important part of the fair. So we tried a corny dog, sweet and spicy deep fried shrimp (an honorary mention), a foot long chili dog, and this, a Belgian waffle. Yum . . .
Luckily, we were walking everywhere, so we could justify eating such fatty foods. I'm sure every Texan justified it that way, though from the looks of Texas people, they probably shouldn't. I guess that's a big difference between Utah and the South. In Utah, people are all uber-conscious of how they look, there are a lot more overweight people here. Also, they have a lot more fatty foods. Whole milk costs the same as skim . . .

The only thing we missed at the fair was the produce, which is a shame because I was told at choir practice the next day that there is a butter sculpture every year. That would have made a cool picture. Maybe next time . . .

Dual Citizenship

So while Johnny was out of town, I decided it was about time to register the car and get a Texas driver's license. I had gotten the car inspected a week or so before, and I knew it was just a matter of time before someone pulled me over for not having it registered.

So I packed up the boy and went to the DMV. Luckily, it's pretty close, right by the library. Unluckily, it was cold and rainy. But the driver's license division was right next to the registration, so I thought, hey, I can get both in one trip. Simple, right?

Wrong! I walked into the driver's license place, saw the forms for new licenses, which I picked up to have ready, and looked around for someone to ask where the registrations were. I finally saw the sign and went down the hall, but as I was looking around the driver's license room, I remembered I didn't bring my social security card with me. Which was silly, I know, because I remember way back to when I got my first driver's license and had to sign my social security card that was all the documentation they required . . . and then I almost got into an accident on my way home (sorry Mom!). Good times . . .

Anyway, I knew I was going to have to go home. But what I failed to realize is that Texas is another country, so the normal documentation that people tell you to bring, the extra documentation that you bring just in case, the random documentation that is just with the extra documentation--is not going to be enough!!! Oh, no. You must make at least three trips out to your car and one trip home before you gather enough things to register your car.

Okay, so I did actually have everything in my car, but I knew I would need my social security card to get a driver's license, so I went home to get that and the title to our car just in case the "or" mentioned in the sentence, "You need your registration or your car title" was really a legal "or", which means "and". Basically, I didn't want to have to come home again.

So after three trips to my car and a trip home, I got my registration . . . finally. And they handed me the new plates right there. After charging me an extra $90 citizenship fee. What?!

After parting with my second to last check in my check book (because of course, they don't take Visa) for $180, the total fee to register my car and become a citizen, I went next door to the driver's license bureau. I had been told what they'd want to see, and after all, I now had my social security card, my Utah driver's license, all I'd need, right?

Wrong! I had forgotten yet again that Texas is a foreign country, so see a social security card and a driver's license from another state is not enough proof that I am a U.S. citizen. They also needed to see my passport.

Well, at this point, I'm pretty fed up with the DMV. So I decide to try another day. So, another day arrives, and I set out again for the DMV. Still cold, still rainy, only now, it's also busy. And the only parking space is in the middle of a big puddle. So I walk into the driver's license division with one very wet shoe, hauling a big heavy car seat and all the documentation I've been told to bring. I jump right in line because I've filled out the right form, and I already have everything. I took care this time to make sure I looked decent for a photograph, and I wait. I finally approach the counter. And, surprise, surprise, I don't have everything I need. I have to go out to the car. So, I leave my stuff at the counter, drag the heavy car seat back to the car, grab the document, pray that they won't surprise me with another requirement, and go back into the DMV. Take a lousy picture, pay them with my last check (cause they don't take any plastic), and leave.

Luckily, the people in line were nice. Several people opened the door for me during the whole multiple-day torture session. And I only said a handful of bad words in my head. Welcome to Texas. Hello dual citizenship.

Happy Anniversary to me

Well, my parents were in town last week, and we had lots of fun driving out to Fort Worth, spending time with my grandma, and going to the gardens. So much fun, that I forgot my camera. Don't worry, I kicked myself every time we got out of the car.

They came to our house for the end of their trip and we got to finish our guest room. It looks so much bigger without all the cardboard in there . . . Anyway, since it was our anniversary weekend, Mom and Dad watched the little boy while we went out and celebrated. It was my year to plan, so I picked a nice restaurant fairly close to Johnny's work. It turned out to be the poshy-est place we've eaten at yet (but not the most expensive). It was a Mediterranean restaurant named Canary.
I think it's pretty new. The chef has been on cooking shows and is known for his work with pomegranates, apparently. We were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived, so we got a lot of attention. Not only did we get bread and yummy seasoned olive oil, but we also got a pallet-cleansing drink made of carrot juice, orange juice, and pomegranate seeds on the bottom. It was very refreshing. Then we had quail, shrimp, catfish, pork chops, Blue Bell ice cream with pomegranate sauce (surprising and delicious), and chocolate cake. Oh, we love good food and this was worthy of an anniversary dinner.

Then we went to see the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at a theater uptown. Let me just say uptown Dallas is sweet. Gorgeous architecture, fun streets and neighborhoods, and lots of cool buildings like the aquarium and museums. The play, well, I love the play, and several of the things they did were lots of fun. The space was almost in the round, very intimate, and very much remenicent of an actual cafegymitorium. The men in the play out shined the women significantly, but we still enjoyed ourselves. We got there just in time for a quick trip to the bathroom before the show started. It was a little stressful because they didn't let in late-comers, but dinner was really worth it.

Not familiar with the Bee? Here's the Tony performance.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the night off!

However, on our actual anniversary Johnny was out of town . . . for a week. I don't think that will be happening again. It was very sad for all.

A Day's Worth of Random Thoughts

• You know what would be completely useless? Ironing baby clothes.
• I do not recommend that anyone trying to conceal their need for a root job wait three days to wash their hair.
• I love that my mouse is wireless. "Now I know that wirelessness can be confusing, but it basically just means 'without wires'."
• I wonder when selective hairlessness became a desired trait in women. Probably when personal razors were trying to find new market share.
• I remember when I used to take showers at night all the time in high school. I wonder if that helped or hindered my insomnia. It's a little strange that we associate warm water with both waking up and relaxing. That would be a good sleep study . . .
  
• Why do I always pick the worst books to read while Johnny is away on business? Last year during his recruiting trips I read "The Time Traveler's Wife". This time it's "The Last Lecture".
• The idea that if you work hard enough you can accomplish your goals didn't work for Hilter.
• The lesson I get from Snow White: never leave home wearing something you don't want to be stuck in for years, potentially. Pretty sure those dwarfs didn't sew. Or do laundry.
  

G is for cute!

This is G. G is for good boy. G is 6 months old. Lets count to 6 together.

1- Stand everywhere you can, especially if someone wants you to sit.
2-Play catch with Daddy.
3-Smile at strangers.
4- Suck on paper.
5- Pull out handfuls of cat hair from their source.
6- Chew on wood furniture.

These are a few of G's favorite things. This is G. G stands for good luck.