Frustration

Two weeks ago we went to the beach. I had a doctor's appointment before we left, and when I got home I heard that Brody was running the vacuum cleaner and something was wrong. It was making a really weird noise. We were in a hurry and so decided to worry about it later, when we got back. Well, Brody called Sears and they said the vacuum is still under warranty but in order to get it looked at we had to take it to the Central Park Sears and then they would have to send it to Dallas...crazy! We went ahead and did it because we felt like we didn't have much choice. If we tried to work on it and it broke, I'm sure the warranty wouldn't cover that. Brody got a return date of May 18 to pick it back up.
Today, I get a call from Sears. I am expecting the lady to tell me the vacuum is ready. Instead, I hear a not-too-friendly voice tell me that they are going to have to "reschedule their promise date". WHAT?!?!?! Isn't that just a nice way to tell me they are breaking their promise? Anyway, when I ask her why they are having to reschedule, she says, " Uh...we've been really busy". She continues on to tell me that the vacuum cleaner is still here in San Antonio and hasn't even been looked at yet. She has no idea when they are going to ship it off to Dallas, but they did just finish the paperwork and they can promise that I will have it back MAY 31!! I'm not holding my breath...
I'm very frustrated, but kind of feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. If we pick it up and try to fix it ourselves and can't do it, or ruin it...we're out of luck. On the other hand, I cannot go two more weeks without a vacuum cleaner! I think we are going to let them ship it off, but I will be praying for a speedy return!

Beach Trip

This past weekend, we went to the beach for a weekend getaway. Scarlett had never been out of town. It's hard to believe, but with all of our family living here, there really had never been a reason to travel. Now that she's older, we thought she would enjoy a vacation, and we wanted to get away before the new baby comes. She had a blast and Brody and I had a great time too. There's something really special about seeing your child experience something for the first time...she loved the beach! Here are some more pictures of our trip:

with Mommy in front of Virginia's Restaurant

with Daddy at Trout St. Bar and Grill

having a great time

playing with her Nemo toys and new seashells

swimming with Daddy
...and Mommy

It Has Begun...

Last week, my sister wrote on her blog that her son was so mad after not getting a popsicle. This is pretty similar...I guess the cousins think alike.

Scarlett hasn't been a good eater since giving up baby food. She would eat any and every baby food, but once we started her on table foods she pretty much turned in to the pickiest eater in the world! It's very frustrating because Brody and I are not picky. I don't have recent shots of her eating, but you can see from the picture how many of our meals are spent...I think this is when she was one...she's almost three and it hasn't gotten much better.


Occasionally, I let her choose what she wants for dinner, but I'm really trying to get her to eat whatever it is that I fix because I don't want to be a short order cook, spending all night in the kitchen. So...tonight it was a macaroni beef casserole. Most kids would probably love it...it has macaroni and cheese in it! Well, not Miss Priss. She sat at the table, with her arms crossed and her bottom lip turned completely out in a pout. I ignored it for a while, and finally gave in and asked her what was wrong. She said "I mad". I asked her what she was mad at and she said, "I mad at Mommy. I wanna popsicle". I told her that I was sorry she was mad, but that she could not have a popsicle until she ate her dinner. Eventually, reluctantly, she gave in and ate her dinner so that she could have dessert. The girl is not even three and she's giving me a taste of what it will be like to have her mad at me!

Picnic in the Park

Today Jaime and I decided to take the kids to the McNay for a picnic. The weather was gorgeous and the kids had a great time running around together exploring. We did have to avoid a bride, a family, and a graduate, but the kids didn't seem to mind. We also decided to get some pictures of Scarlett and Beck because we hardly ever take any while they are playing together.

They aren't professional quality, but I think they came out pretty cute. It was so sweet to see them holding hands and running around together. Scarlett loves her cousin. I feel so lucky that we have such a close relationship with them, and that we live in the same city.

We really didn't get much of a picnic in...they ate quite a few M&M's that I brought to try and bribe them into sitting still, so they weren't very hungry when lunch time came around. I think they would have run around the museum all day if we'd let them. Jaime and I were a little tired and hot by the end of the morning, but I think it was worth it to see the kids having so much fun.

Potty Time

I am kind of reluctant to write about this. Let me start by saying Scarlett is NOT potty trained yet. She will be three in August, which is also the same time the baby is due, and I've been starting to worry that she will still be in diapers when the baby comes. At the same time, I'm in no rush to train her. Part of the reasoning in my own crazy mind is that with the new baby coming I'm not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel in the way of buying diapers...we will still be doing that for a few more years. And of course, I am concerned about what to do when she is potty trained and we are in public. In my germaphobe mind, I can see us getting dysentery the first time we use a public restroom, and have actually looked into getting a portable potty to use in the car for such instances...although I think that might just cause Scarlett to become a freak about germs like me, which I really don't want to facilitate.

Regardless of my fears and reluctance, I know that Scarlett is at the age when she might be ready to train. So...several times a day I ask her if she needs to go potty. Most of the time she says no and actually kind of freaks out about it. But randomly yesterday, she said that she wanted to go. So we went...and waited, and waited, and drank some chocolate milk, and waited some more. Finally after drinking all of the milk and singing "Building up the Temple", "Jesus Loves Me", and "The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock" about 400 times, SHE WENT POTTY!!! She ended up going three times yesterday, each time taking about 30 minutes, so I spent 1 1/2 hours yesterday sitting on the bathroom floor singing songs and fetching more and more water. I can't say that she's trained, but I guess it's a start, and that's something!

How fast time goes...

Some days I feel will never end. Occasionally, Brody has to get up and leave for work before Scarlett is awake, and then doesn't get home until after she's asleep for the night. And most of the time, I am blessed that Scarlett is obedient and happy. BUT, there are always exceptions to the rule...and on days like these, I sometimes go back and look at pictures of her when she was so tiny and "easy" and I feel like I'm right back there in that moment. And it always puts things in such perspective for me. I had a baby girl and I blinked and she's a toddler. Sometimes it makes me sad that it has gone so quickly, but more than anything, it is a constant reminder to love every second I have with her and appreciate the fact that I get to stay home with her to witness every second. I thought these pictures were a small example of how quickly the time flies. Here is Scarlett's first Easter. I remember that she had her first fever two days before and I was a nervous wreck that she was sick, and also selfishly worried that we would miss Easter. Fortunately she got better quickly, and she had a great time.

In 2006, I really felt like Scarlett understood the egg hunt. She's still a little young here to understand an Easter Bunny or the real meaning of Easter, but we're making some progress...

and here we are this year. I think she looks like such a big girl! She was very excited to see the goodies the Easter Bunny brought her and this year when Mimi gave her a little pink Bible, she now knows that it's about Jesus and that "Jesus yuves me". And the fact that He loves her and made her makes me feel truly blessed this holiday!

zoo day

Well, I thought today would be a good day to go to the zoo. The last time I went on a Friday and it was super crowded, and I figured that most schools would not take a field trip on a Monday. Apparently, schools go on field trips every day of the week, because it was pretty busy again. Brody had the morning off so he came with us, and we invited his mom to join us. Scarlett had a great time, and as usual loved the train ride which is always her favorite part of going to the zoo.

She did ask where Beck was because so far we haven't been to the zoo without her cousin, but once we got going and she got her snack, she quit asking so many questions and enjoyed herself. On our very first trip to the zoo this season, the brown bear smelled really bad. Ever since then she wants to know if we are going to see the brown bear and then she says, "Bear needs a change a diaper". It cracks me up every time.