Living in Munchkinland

Michael and I have been having a stay-cation this week. It's been really fun. We had happy hours with our friends Stacey and Chris and Elizabeth and Zach. We played Wii games and let the kids run wild. We had a playdate with an old friend and her children and it was so wonderful to reconnect. We bought a new piece of furniture for Michael's office and created a warm, clean, elegant man cave for him. (this took several days as it was a disaster area to begin with). We spent a day in Austin with mom and dad, visiting the condo, shopping at Border's, having sushi lunch and enjoying the playground and ice cream at South Park Meadows. We did a lot of home improvement chores. For Christmas we received season passes for the whole family for Sea World San Antonio from my parents. Yesterday we used our passes for the first time and spent the day at Sea World with the kids and Lilliana. It was perfect weather and a lot of fun. The kiddie rides were closed for remodeling,

It was a very merry Christmas. We spent our Christmas here at the ranch. On Christmas eve Michael and dad ran up to Austin to fetch Michael's vespa while Mom, Lilliana, Davis, Sam and I all rode bikes, played outside and went caroling up at my grandparent's house. Later that evening mom and dad hosted their annual Christmas eve party at Casa Pacifica. The house was gorgeous as usual and full of bright, sparkly Christmas. We had tamales and chili and tons of beautiful baked goods made by my sister. Cheris and Rob and the kids, Rebecca and Bill and their kids and Fabian and Brad all came and enjoyed the party with us. The San Marcos Davis family was all there and my sister's family and in-laws and friends and my grandparents, Stacy and Lilliana and mom and dad of course. Earl Poole Ball played the piano and we sang Christmas carols and drank white martinis and the kids opened presents and went crazy. It was wonderful and perfect. We were home by 8PM in order to put o

Sam has learned to ride a bike! After two hard days of practicing, Sam has learned how to ride a two-wheeler with no training wheels. For the last year he has been very anxious to quit chasing his brother on foot and learn to chase him on a bike. Davis learned when he was three and a quarter, but it was still summer when Sam was that age and it was too hot for mommy and daddy to teach him then. Finally, with the kids out of school for Christmas break and Sam showing strong motor skills, I decided to give him a chance to learn. He excitedly donned his pads and helmet and raced outside, but when confronted with the actual bike, he became pretty apprehensive (screaming no, laying on the floor, sobbing). After I bribed, threatened and coerced him onto the bike, he was extremely happy. I had the ez-trainer hooked up, and we were off. He insisted we go off-roading and laughed wickedly and gleefully each time we headed into the grass. Finally after a day of practice, excitement, tears

After book club holiday party, we woke up early, threw the children in the mini-van and drove to Sugar Land. We were excited to go spend time with Michael's parents and celebrate an early Christmas with them. The kids were thrilled to arrive and see Grandma and immediately went to her garage to play with the toys she had waiting for them there. After a while, Grandpa came home his Exchange club Christmas present distribution and Michael's Uncle Roy and his cousin's family all came over as well. We had a big lunch and spent all afternoon together. Uncle Roy had brought cookies for everyone to decorate and they all had a great time. (I missed this part as I was busy having a long winter's nap). After we put the kids to bed we sat around the table and had great conversations. It was so good to be with family. We all went to bed early to prepare for a super special activity in the morning. Before the sun came up, we dressed in our warmest clothes, put the kids in

I was sick all week. Sick, sick, sick. My guess is that I had a terrible, no-good, never ending cold. It began last Sunday and it just kept on. I knew I had to rally though. Mom and I were co-hosting our annual book club holiday party on Friday night. I felt just well enough by Friday and the party was on! We hosted at Mom's house and served fun beers and wine and lots of desserts. My mom was in charge of the food and she did a gorgeous job. There were beautiful platters of fresh fruits and cheeses and all kinds of truffles and chocolates and cake. Almost all of our current bookgroup members came and brought their spouses. We even had an alumni which was nice. We did a white elephant gift exchange. I love doing them and came home with some wonderful things! The party was a lot of fun. I really do love my book club girls. The friendships we have built are priceless.

We went to the EmilyAnn Theatre and Garden's Trail of Lights last night in Wimberley. We discovered this last year and fell in love with it. This is also the same place that hosted the butterfly garden in the spring. It is not crowded, the lights are spectacular, it's free (with a suggested donation) and at the end you can sit around the bonfire roasting marshmallows or hot dogs, drinking hot chocolate and watching local entertainment on the stage. Last night we saw cloggers. It is a very special and wonderful holiday tradition for us.

Last night we attended the kids' Montessori school open house. This is a big deal. We all dress up and go to the school after dark. The kids escort us and show us one or two of the works that they have been doing. Then they lead us to the dining room and offer us refreshments. They are so darn proud about the whole thing and so are the parents. Davis showed off his work with the 'O Clock and the phonogram box. Sam demonstrated his knowledge of all the sounds with sandpaper letters and then showed me his favorite shape exercise. We all had lovely time and really enjoyed watching the boys in their school environment. I love our montessori school so much. I am thrilled that the boys have had the opportunity to attend. Enjoy the pictures.

Last Saturday we went to the Sights and Sounds of Christmas here in San Marcos. We got there around 1:30 and stayed till around 5. Kade came with us and the kids had a blast. We had a little trouble meeting up with Mom and Dad and Cheris and Rob and their kids because AT&T decided to fail, but eventually we all found each other. We joked that without our cell phones we just had to pretend it was 1984. Sights and Sounds of Christmas has a huge carnival, an arts and crafts tent, a gigantic slide (upon which the children spent huge chunks of time while we could sit in the grass and chat) a full size Bethlehem full of arts projects like building an ornament, making a candle and making bread, a merry-go-round, a chance to see Santa, a stage of singing school children, and tons of food booths. We got wristbands for the kids, ate turkey legs and made a day of it. It was fantastic. Kade, Violet, Davis, Sam and Graham enjoyed every ride and the company even more. We ran into our f

Every time I make this recipe I get raves. Even the kids slurp it up. These flavorful peas are cooked in the slow cooker and seasoned with fire-roasted tomatoes, chili powder, and bacon. Once I made it without the bacon and it was still awesome. Try it. You'll like it. Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds fresh black-eyed or crowder peas, rinsed, drained 8 to 12 ounces bacon, diced 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped red and green bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups water 1 can (approx. 14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, or chili-seasoned tomatoes 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano Preparation: Put rinsed fresh black-eyed peas in a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker. Cook bacon in a large skillet until softened; add onions, peppers, and celery and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the vegetable mixture to

We spent our Thanksgiving weekend in Port Aransas this year. It was wonderful. We drove down Wednesday afternoon. Mom and Dad and Tiff and Keith and Kade and Keith's parents were all there already. On Thanksgiving day we played on the beach and then we all contributed dishes to create a huge, healthy, delicious, gourmet dinner. We had scallops and redfish and turkey and ham. We had homemade rolls and brown rice pilaf and roasted sweet potatoes. There were roasted sugar snap peas and roasted asparagus and celery, green apple and walnut salad as well as a huge bowl of fruit salad and two kind of cranberry relish. There were also deviled eggs and cheese and crackers for appetizers. Then we had four types of pie. Delish, all of it. After our late lunch we headed over to the Sand Castle to play on the beach with our friends Stacey and Chris. The weather was changing and the sun was setting, but we spent a good hour laughing and then headed back to our condo. Friday morning M