Rosemary and Louis's Adventures: Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas has come and gone and I am obviously behind. I'll start with most recent pictures, from Nana and Nani's visit last weekend. James and dad accomplished putting in the floor of the treehouse that Dev & James started over Christmas (Dev, Summer, and Beatrice visit to Austin during Christmas: http://devandsummer.blogspot.com/ entry from January 6). It's REALLY awesome up there -- it may take another few months to finish but it is going to be sweet. Its hard to believe as they are predicting SNOW in Austin tonight, but it was in the high '70s, and we took out the water table and ate popsicles outside while they were working! Louis also tried out every tool and worked on climbing ladders. He is obsessed with a few things right now: putting on the oven mitt and opening and climbing into the oven, dancing with scarves, washing his hands, and putting sticks in holes (I'm perfectly serious, I know how it sounds). Do NOT try to stop him as he learns these skills, he will physically fight you off (and pretty much win: he has a temper and he is strong). Oh, he also likes guitars a whole lot. We went to the first few "Music Together" classes this past month with Louis and Rosemary and we are really having fun -- Rosemary is the lead dancer in the class and Louis is the lead lover (he LOVES Miss Edie, the teacher). Both kids are obsessed (much to Aunt Mo and James's chagrin -- did I mention Maureen is living with us?) with the CD from our class and constantly listen to it and rock out to it.

When Nani and Nana left on Sunday, Nani went to kiss Rosemary goodbye and she said, very grown-up-like, "It was really fun to have you visit us." There are moments like these and... just since school has started back up... moments where we are constantly doing battle with her. The book her teacher recommended to me sums it up best: "Your Three Year Old: Friend or Enemy?" I got a "jobs chart" for her where she gets little stickers for doing certain jobs (like putting on her shoes), at the suggestion of my friend Terra. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm a little reluctant to have to tie everything to a direct incentive, but, that's the only way I can think of changing the situation!

Its funny how sometimes kids have memories of feelings they had before they had the languate to really express those feelings. On Tuesday it was about 16 degrees so I decided to take the kids to "My Gym," which is basically an indoor playground. As we went to there, she realized it wasn't the "Little Gym" where we used to go in Pasadena when she was only 18 months old. She started talking about the Little Gym, and cried, saying she didn't want to move to Austin. Awww. It was sad. But she agreed her new friends Flora and Esme, and her school, and her new blue room were all pretty great.

Overall, James and I have been having a bit of a rough start to getting back to work after a six week break and three weeks of the six pretty hard partying with the family, but we're starting to get back into the swing of things. I know you feel sorry for us, but really -- James has to teach THREE WHOLE days this semester! He's also been very very involved in the awesome citizen effort to prevent the closure of Barton Hills elementary, which has been a part-time job, and getting back to rugby 3 days/week. As for me, I feel like my body cannot quite keep up with my mind: I'm tired! Its been really nice to have Aunt Mo with us, makes the evenings fun & the kids love her.

From the "Dino pit" at the Nature Center -- Rosemary and Louis are digging for dinosaur bones:

From Becky's awesome wedding (number three!) in snowy New York earlier this month! It was a rare girls weekend to celebrate the wonderful relationship of two of the sweetest people in the world -- who truly deserve each other.

And of course, Christmas at Nani's house. It was REALLY fun and relaxed -- James and I thought one of the best ever. Always a dance party in the kitchen: