Fun with Dad! from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Day of Turkey
For dinner I shook things up with a few of the dishes:
- Herb-injected turkey
- Garlic mashed potatoes and gravy
- Chipotle scalloped sweet potatoes
- Green bean casserole (made with fresh green beans, not mushy canned)
- Mac and cheese (just noticed this recipe is by Paula Deen = eesh)
- Butt rolls
- Stuffin Muffins
- Cranberry-orange relish (not a big fan of canned cranberry sauce)
- Spinach, cranberry and walnut salad
Ariel, Rachel and Toby watching the game
Aiden was pleading with his eyes for someone to stop Daddy from feeding him more sweet potatoes (homemade!)
After dinner we played the game Apples to Apples. We also downed a pot of coffee to counteract the effects of tryptophan. For dessert, Ariel and Robert brought homemade pumpkin and pecan pies and Rachel brought spice cakes. Ugh I was SO full!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Babies Holding Babies
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Old bike, old girl
My dad studied abroad for a year in London. He used this bike to drive around Europe and somewhere along the way met this young lady. This is all before he met my mother.
It's so weird to think that my parents had lives before us. Hell, before they even met each other. But then again, I think about Aiden and how much life we lived before he came into the picture. I guess the circle of life goes on.
My dad is contemplating buying a bike again. It makes me laugh a little, but I think it would be good for him. You only get to do this life thing once!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Viruses suck it
Aiden has not slept through the night for a week now. This cold stuffs up his nose to the point that it wakes him up. I am exhausted. Actually, I think I am going back to sleep until Aiden gets up again. When he got up for the 7th time at about 5:15 this morning I checked his temp to find he still has his fever. I'm going to stay home with him today. If he is still sick tomorrow then Travis or Auntie Ariel will take care of him.
Try to stay virus free!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tags
Friday, November 20, 2009
Peas Please
As entertaining as it would be to see all the kiddos in character costumes, I have opted to wait until next weekend to go. I know I could never get to the theater early enough to get a decent seat. Every movie I've seen opening weekend, I spent sitting in the front row staring up the nostril of each actor.
The bummer about not seeing New Moon today is that I will probably see some of the trailers that divulge more of the movie than I am ready to see. I just may have to avoid the TV today...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Capturing Life with a Cell Phone
Ariel wore this outfit, wig and all, to work one night. She's a bartender, so I'm sure it helped her get a few extra tips. ;)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Palms Alive
Monday, November 16, 2009
Extreme Weather
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hospital Visit
Visiting Landry in the hospital from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Artist Extraordinaire
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Baby-sized Recovery
Finally!
I woke up at 2:30am and checked Aiden's temperature before immediately offering him Tylenol. His temp had dropped to 97.9F. Woot! I was glad to have all day Wednesday off for Veteran's Day so I could keep an eye on him all day.
Taking the teething ring out for a test drive.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
4-Month Stats
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tex RenFest
I mean LOOK AT THAT WOMAN! I'm not quite sure what she was supposed to be. A fawn maybe? She had three-inch, tusk-like teeth jutting out of her bottom jaw. These people were EVERYWHERE. I didn't take nearly enough photos.
One woman was super interesting, but it felt wrong to take a photo of her. It was like she went into Hobby Lobby and bought a bunch of silk flowers and just glued them to all the not-for-show-in-public places. It was actually very pretty, with the colors arranged together. Oh and their was a vine entwined around one leg. Creative.
Getting the festival was a feat. We left at 10:30 thinking that would give us plenty of time to get to the north side of Houston so we could have lunch there. Nope. Traffic was ridiculous. We didn't get to the festival until 2pm!! We were all cranky and hungry, so we rushed in directly to the gyro stand in the Greek section of the festival. I sat down to feed Aiden while everyone grabbed food. We sat and people-watched while we ate. I could have done that for hours. It was Roman Weekend, so there were lots of people wearing togas. There were fairies and gladiators and peasants. We even saw someone dressed as a tree. ??? Maybe because we were in the woods? And fairies supposedly live in the woods? Not sure.
The grounds were HUGE. I guess this is the only activity that goes on there. Makes me wonder how that space is paid for if it only gets used for a couple months out of the year. Since we were all hungry, we griped when we found out the maps were $5 each and passed them up. After we ate and had clear heads I think we slightly regretted that decision. I've decided that next year I'll go there first thing in the morning, buy a map and leave by 4pm.
Since we got there later in the day, we didn't plan around the shows very well. Next year I want to try the bungee cord trampolines and the giant swings. OOOooo and next year Aiden will be walking when the festival comes around so I'll definitely go into the petting zoo (as sad as those things are) and maybe we'll try the camel and elephant rides. So much to do, so little time! I laughed when I saw there was RV parking for people who camped the whole weekend. I'm rethinking that now.
Leaving RenFest was beyond insane. We got in the truck at 5:30 and sat in line for three house while we waited for the police to get some sort of domestic disturbance under control. By that point, EVERYONE from the festival was in the car, ready to go, so the traffic leaving was ridiculous. By the time we got out of the worst of the traffic, we were all ready for a bathroom break and dinner. McDonald's here we come!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Home Cinema
- Away We Go - It's a comedy-drama, which is a strange combination, but I LOVED it. I love the two comedians who play the leads in this, especially seeing them play more serious roles. Plus, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an extremist parent which was beyond entertaining.
- Shaun of the Dead - I know this is an older movie, but man was it funny. The videography in this one reminded me of Snatch with the quick screen changes to show a series of simple events. I think it was good in this film because it pointed out how lots of people end up living like zombies once they get stuck in their daily routines. I've decided that everything is funnier with a British accent
- Phoebe of Wonderland - This one was too slow for Travis, but I enjoyed it. It's about a little girl (played by Dakota Fanning's younger sister) who has a big imagination and some eccentricities that her parents try to decipher.
- The Passengers - Eh. It was ok. Before we watched the movie I was surprised I hadn't heard of it before because it has a couple mainstream actresses in it. After we watched it I wasn't so surprised anymore. It's about a small group of people that survive a plane crash who go to group therapy. The lead doctor is played by Anne Hathaway. Different movie that I was used to seeing her in, but I think she did a good job. Towards the end I was more than confused about what was going on. Right before the twist was revealed I figured out what was going on. There were some parts that were uncomfortable for me. I don't do well with forbidden relationships. Puts me on edge.
- G.I. Joe - CHEE Z. I thought this would be better since the graphics looked awesome. Well, the graphics were awesome but the acting sucked.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Collision Update
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Happy Birthday Mom!
Nice throw.
It was a long day for Aiden. We have to be careful about doing so much. Aiden has started to get distracted very easily. He used to sleep anywhere, but now it's like he'd rather stay awake and be a part of the activity than fall asleep. By the end of the day he is a monster version of our son; one I'd rather not know.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween Comparison
That Halloween was a little rough because I was not drinking. Sadly, I may have been a regular drinker because everyone was surprised I opted out. The pregnancy was still a secret, so I dodged the drink offers as best I could. It's so strange to think back to that party. It feels so long ago. I have a feeling I will be comparing things between now and a year ago for the rest of my life. Things change so quickly when you become a parent! In my opinion, it's for the better.
So, anyHOO. This year, we went up to Chris and Alexa's for Halloween. Chris was gone on a flight, but he got back around 9pm. Travis handed out candy while Alexa and I went trick or treating with Aiden and Blair. Aiden just took in the smoke and lights that come with Halloween while Blair decided which houses we did and did not go to for candy. By the end of the of the trip, Blair had figured out that he could take candy from each of these houses.
I can only imagine what a strange night this would be for first timers. Random people dressed in crazy costumes handing out candy next to pumpkins and skeletons. Blair was a trooper though! There was only one house that he seemed adamant about not approaching. Instead, he steamed full force ahead, dragging Alexa down the sidewalk with him.
After we went up and down the block once, we headed back to Alexa's driveway to help Travis hand out more candy to kids. Aiden took his bottle and went down for the night, while the adults opened a few bottles (see first photo) of their own and hung out in the chilly night.
One significant difference I noticed between trick or treating in the south versus the north is that everyone sits in the driveway to hand out candy here. Up north, it's usually cold and sometimes raining (or snowing if we were unlucky), so people stick to the indoors for handing out candy. There was the occasional elderly woman who would sit behind her storm door with her bowl of candy so she could watch all the trick or treaters go by. But that was the closest anyone got to their driveway on Halloween night.
This year, I made Aiden's Halloween costume. I really wanted to do something cute that he will probably avoid at all costs in a few years. Maybe not next year, more likely the year after that, Aiden will want to pick out his costume and will probably be something scary or gross. I took full advantage of his inability to understand such things at this point and dressed him up as an owl. It was a HOOT!
I hope you had a safe and happy Halloween!