Moving On Up

Natalie and Owen have both moved up to their new classes at school. Everything has gone well and they have both adjusted without incident. Last week was considered the last week of the "summer" program, so they had fun themes like crazy sock day, wacky tacky day, and backwards day. Monday was crazy hair day, and Owen's teachers decided to spray all the kids' hair. Mom almost didn't recognize Owen when they brought him out at the end of the day, with his spiked blue and red hair. Unfortunately, the red spray does not wash out of blonde hair very easily, and he has since had pink hair. This is slightly annoying since Mom had plans to have his picture taken for his 2-yr birthday. But the themed days were fun, and now it's the start of the new school year with new teachers. Also last week, Mom, Dad, and Natalie experienced some excitement in the neighborhood on Monday night when big trucks and a crew of workers came to move a house a few doors down. (Owen slept through the excitement.) A builder bought the land and rather than tear down the existing house, they sold it and moved it to another location in Houston. So crews came with all kinds of equipment and raised the house and pulled it away, right in front of our house. It was really neat to see, and Natalie enjoyed being out at night and fraternizing with all the neighbors and their dogs. Other than that, it was an average week. Natalie started her new ballet class on Saturday, and she was very excited to wear her new leotard and warm ups. On Sunday, we all spent some time outside, and it was so hot we were all glistening with sweat. We're looking at three weeks to go until Baby #3 arrives, and before then we are looking forward to Owen's birthday celebrations, which start this weekend. Two years already!

Heat Wave and Storms

Lately if it hasn't been hotter than Hades outside, we've had big storms (like all the rain from Tropical Storm Erin). But we've been busy working on projects inside and getting ready for the baby - four weeks to go! Two weeks ago we went to a neighborhood "party" for National Night Out. They had chalk and ice cream for the kids, and we all enjoyed it. Last week/weekend we had our patio installed in the backyard. Of course right after they finished, it was too hot to go out much, then we had a ton of rain, so we didn't actually use it until this weekend. While the backyard was torn up and it was hot out, Dad painted in the baby's room and Mom, Natalie, and Owen ran errands and played inside. We have to get ready for Owen's birthday and the new baby. This past weekend, Mom and Natalie went to the open house for Natalie's ballet school. She starts up again this coming weekend and she's very excited. This weekend we also enjoyed tax-free weekend and we all got some new stuff. Natalie also tried out her roller skates - it's going to take some practice and some bumps and scrapes before she can do it without Mom or Dad holding on - but she had fun. Owen rode around on his bike while Natalie "skated," and we made sure he had his helmet on after his crash into the (parked) car.

White Linen Night

We had a good weekend. Owen had a haircut on Saturday; he wasn't too thrilled until he saw the lollipops. Once he had one in each hand, he didn't care what we did to him! On Saturday night we went out for what is called "White Linen Night" in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is very artsy, and on this one night, galleries, shops, and restaurants are open late with specials, free drinks, live music, and all kinds of fun. It is spread over an area encompassing many blocks, so they have a free shuttle, pedicabs, and special taxi service. We decided to check it out, so Natalie and Owen had baths in the early evening, and we ventured out. It was really cool! We went to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant (just around the corner - so we walked), and then we walked to where most of the action was. It was packed, with live bands everywhere and all kinds of activity. Like a street party. We started to wait in line to get Natalie's face painted, but the line was going nowhere fast. So we ended up getting homemade ice cream and continuing to walk around. We ended up at our neighborhood coffee shop/market where Dad enjoyed some wine. We also visited some shops where we found some great stuff. Natalie and Owen both had fun, and Natalie made friends everywhere. We have to work on her habit of inviting everyone she meets to come over! On Sunday, Dad worked outside in the heat, while Mom, Natalie, and Owen stayed cool inside. While Owen napped, Natalie worked on her jewelry/craft project. After Owen woke up, they had fun playing together, going from room to room upstairs while Mom worked in the office. They were so good. They had a great time playing, pushing babies in the strollers, reading books and singing songs, and they got to enjoy watching a little of "Happy Feet." So it was a good weekend. We're still counting the weeks until Baby 3 arrives!