Goa, take 2

We took our annual pilgramage to the Park Hyatt in Goa last weekend, but this time we did it with friends!

It was SO FUN. We went with the Brashears, Thompsons and Stantons. All the families have 2 kids, so the lot of us equalled 16- not a small party!

The wives and kids flew down around 1 pm, while the husbands followed on a 5 pm flight. That Friday was....well, I guess I'd be nice by saying it was an adventure. The Park Hyatt was NOT prepared for us, and by the time the husbands finally arrived, we threw the kids at them and threw back some wine. It was a rough day.

Saturday and Sunday were wonderful, though! The weather was quite warm, but we had clouds to keep the sun back and even some showers in the mornings (a prelude to the upcoming monsoon).

Mornings began with the brunch buffet before we wandered down to the pool. We basically stayed poolside all day but did venture down to the beach each day. The kids were amazing- everyone got along (almost) perfectly and it was especially fun for us to watch Catherine in action with her friends (when she thought we were not looking!). Ryan had a blast and basically lived in the pool. Evenings ended with group dinners (note: adult table and kid table idea ROCKED!) and after the kids passed out, we adults met up on the Brashear's patio for some adult beverages and great laughs.

Here are some pics of our great time!


We hope to do another group trip when we all return from our summer holidays. Good friends have made living here in India more than tolerable- they've made it FUN.

Top 10

My Top 10 favorite fantasies for Summer 2010 in the U.S.A.

1. Meat: beef, pork and fish
2. Beverages: Fresca, Mexican margaritas and affordable wine
3. Florida beaches
4. T.A.R.G.E.T.
5. Sleeping in my own bed
6. Cruising the aisles of the SuperWalmart and the grocery stores
7. Playing outside: parks, bike rides, splash pads, our own backyard
8. Fast food drive thru's....this includes Starbucks
9. Cooking in my own kitchen, with my own stuff
10. Driving myself around in my own car

Simple things, really.

But oh, so valuable when you've been away for a long time.

I LOVE THE U.S.A.!!

Ryan at 11 months

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my life is flashing before my eyes.

Ryan is 11 months old. WOW. This must be the fastest year ever!

Ryan is making some serious progress when it comes to being mobile. The kid is FAST. He reminds me of my little brother Tom when he was little- dashing here and there. Ryan's crawling speed is truly impressive. And- he does it with flare- waving as he goes. He's cruising around furniture now, and standing for 2-3 seconds at a time before very carefully sitting himself down.

He's pretty curious- about outlets, wires and computers. The word NO means nothing to him in this regard...he laughs at me....my gray hair is growing.

He is prefers to feed himself an entire meal now- but does not mind the occassional bowl of pureed stuff (I think he sees the benefit of how fast it fills him up- no chewing involved!). He's getting pretty accurate with the 'ole pincer grasp and ends meals with little-to-no food in his lap. He especially loves fresh mango, fruited yogurt and cheese. Another major step- milk in a sippy.

Ryan is still a pretty social baby- he especially loves to see other babies, or pictures of babies. He talks to himself in the mirror, and he loves to play with Cate's baby dolls and give them kisses and hugs.

After about a month of crankiness (which I attributed to a general bad attitude- bad mommy!), I finally brought him to the doctor when a rash broke out all over his body. Diagnosis: Scarlet Fever. I was pretty freaked out, but it turns out that really means Strep Throat w/a rash...thanks to a 5-day round of antibiotics, he's ALL better!

At his doctor's appointment, he weighed in at 10.06 kilograms = 22 pounds at 10.5 months. So, he's definitely bigger at this age than Catherine was at 12 months. But he's already thinning out, what with all the crawling and playing.

His top front left tooth has popped through, so now he has 2 left top teeth, and nothing on the right! Looks like the second one over on the right will be the next to come in. He's taken to biting my shoulder- hard. I actually yell out in pain, and have a bruise from the repeated trauma...I hope those next 2 teeth come in SOON.

Favorite things to do include putting blocks in buckets, taking blocks out of buckets, bathtime, swimming, chasing after various balls, opening/closing doors and drawers, sorting through (and chewing on) all our Little People, repeated standing/sitting, discovering books, cuddling, pushing little cars and making the brrrrrr sound, climbing over me when I'm laying down, his music table, babbling, waving "hi" and eating.

Everyday life is pretty simple, as we've been concentrating on a schedule:
Wake up: 7:00
Breakfast: 8:00
1st nap: 9:30
Lunch: 12:30
2nd nap: 3:00
Dinner: 5:30
Bedtime: 7:30
I feel like our social lives have been put on hold over the past 6 weeks or so, but the payoff has been great- he is a happy, predictable baby now and I have to admit, I'm proud of both of us (and Catherine too, for tolerating all this time-keeping!) for being diligent!

We're headed back to the States in 2 weeks, where we'll celebrate his 1st birthday. God has blessed us this year- our son is growing up to be a fun, curious, adorable child. We are thankful!

Playing with sis:

Bird-watching:

Walking around the house:

(In his best John Wayne voice): "I'll take a beer"

Catherine's sleepover buddy

Catherine and Holly have had 2 sleepovers together so far.

Think they're having fun?! Catherine looks like she's about to bust with excitement!

Oh, to be young again! :)

Ryan's modeling stint

Ryan had a photo shoot last week for a local baby store called Greenbell. He was more than cooperative- he was hamming it up!

There were many costume changes, about 10 in all. Some were more attractive than others, and there were many props used- highchair, stroller, potty, toys.

It was a great success, and even after an hour and a half, he was trying to smile for me- regardless of the fact that he was about to pass out from exhaustion. The photographer was nice- I hope he calls us back! We've started his college fund with his initial earnings.

I've seen some friends' kids pics around the store- if any of Ryan's turn up, I'm going to go back and get some pics of the pics!

This was a fun experience that I doubt we'd ever have in the U.S....or maybe so? After all, he IS pretty stinkin' cute, huh?!?

Six great years and counting!

Dear Mike,
This picture always brings a smile to my face, and reminds me of why I love you so much- you are fun! :)


Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you!
T.

Happy Mother's Day!

To each and every MOTHER out there.......Happy Mother's Day!

I am blessed to be mother to three wonderful children who have helped to make me the person I am today.
I love you, Catherine, JohnThomas and Ryan!


And- I am blessed to have the best Mom on Earth- Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Four-Oh

Mike has reached a significant milestone in life...the big...

Four-Oh.

Or, as I like to say, the big Four, OH MY GOD, you're 40??

Hehe- gets his goat every single time! :)

We'll celebrate with the traditional chocolate-on-chocolate birthday cake (with sprinkles of course!), and a rousing round of the birthday song on Saturday, when he MIGHT get a few hours off work.

Mike swears he's still 29...I tell you, if I didn't know better, I'd say he can (almost) pass for it! He looks great for his age, and has a young-at-heart attitude to go with it!

The kids and I made a giant card for him that lists our 40 favorite things about Daddy:

1. His cuddles
2. His monkey arms
3. The way he smells
4. The hair in his nose
5. His new watch
6. The color of his eyes- they sparkle
7. His egg sandwiches
8. His hugs and kisses
9. His snoring
10. His muscles
11. His waffles
12. His hairy toes
13. When he hangs us upside down
14. When he takes us on bike rides
15. His nice teeth
16. When he tickles us
17. When we go swimming together
18. When he "moooooo"s
19. His lips
20. His stinky 'ole socks
21. He listens to us
22. When he gives us baths
23. That he loves us
24. He works hard
25. His hair
26. His favorite color is red
27. His has good manners
28. He exercises
29. His big feet
30. I do NOT like when he's frustrated with me
31. When he explains things to us
32. He reads us stories at night
33. He tell us "Spot the dog" stories
34. He can fix anything
35. He always burns the meat when he grills
36. He takes us on trips around the world
37. The color of his blue work shirt with the white horse on it (Mustang shirt)
38. He takes me to his haircuts and I get candies
39. He let me drive his big red truck when I was 2
40. When he throws me in the air at the pool and I do an action in the air

Happy Birthday, Daddy and Hubby.

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH......even if you ARE old.

xoxox

WANTED

WANTED:

My sanity

DESCRIPTION:

Calm, cool and collected.

REWARD:

$1,000,000

NOTE:

Hard to find. Maybe impossible. Thus, the high reward.

I swear, if one more person in our family gets sick, I'm gonna go bonkers. Well, let's face it, I've already gone bonkers. We have had one illness or another in our home for 5 weeks and counting.

Enough already.

Someone, please help me! Help me find my sanity!