Abbyism of the Week:

Abby: Mommy, you're old.

Emily: Why do you say that?

Abby: Well, you're a lot older than 5. How old are you?

Emily: 31.

Abby: Well, I wish I could go straight from being 5 to being 38.

Emily: Why?

Abby: Just because.

Dance Dance Revolution

Okay. Maybe the kids are too young for the latest fad video game, but not too young to rock out to their own kind of music (they were singing here)!

At the end of July, I took the kids to San Antonio to visit my college roommate, Patricia, and her family. Her daughter Camryn (4) is between Abby and Will in the picture. Too bad 1 year-old Kacie didn't make the shot. She's a cutie too!

We had a blast going to the pool and taking one of the boat tours on the River Walk. We hadn't thought about how ABSOLUTELY HOT that would be until we were already cruising. Yikes! We all had to stop for margaritas after that. Too bad the kids only got lemonade. :)

On the way home, it was a straight and easy trip up I-35 for the first hour (while the kids snoozed). Just about the time they were waking up in Buda, we hit a traffic jam. I didn't think to get off until too late. After all how long could it take? We were only half an hour away from home. . . 

But, alas, I was stuck on the interstate in the one stretch of three miles between exits with kids who became increasingly restless. And we weren't moving more than inches at a time. Will started yelling for water. Abby was trying to calm him down while I was yelling that I couldn't do anything about it. Turns out she had a better handle on the situation than I did.

And there it was. Up ahead, the golden arches. I could see them. I  told Will we would get water there. Of course, I didn't know it would take me driving through the grass plus an additional 45 minutes to get there. 

We finally stopped with about 200 other cranky drivers, waited in the bathroom lines, got ice cream sandwiches, and hit the playground for another 45 minutes. While I was there, I got out my trusty Texas map to find an alternate route home. I found one.

From McD's, we made it home in about 50 minutes, which was really quite decent compared with the rest of the afternoon. All told, it took 4.5 hours to come home from San Antonio. I could have driven home, driven there, and driven back home in about the same amount of time on a normal day. Turns out a tractor trailer had jack-knifed in Austin and shut down the whole highway. Who knows how long it would have taken if I hadn't gotten off when I did. Thank goodness for small favors.

Meanwhile, Brad was back in Austin trapped in his pre-NI Week haze, working almost nonstop (which is why we left town in the first place). Luckily, he was ready to take over when I walked in the door because I was so done with that day!

Will's World

Will went through a stage of stacking things. Didn't matter what or where or how. Just stack until your heart's content . . .

Of course, sometimes it required quite a balancing act

And, in classic "me too" form, when Abby found out what he was doing and that I was taking pictures, guess what she did?

The Big Five

Abby turned five in July. She's been really into unicorns lately, so she wanted to have a unicorn/pony party. Well, after seeing other kids' birthday cakes through the years, I decided that I should try something different from the regular old round cakes I make every year. Yes, I succumbed to the pressure. I found directions online for a unicorn cake. Here's the finished product:

Not bad if I do say so myself. And it tasted delicious. Thank goodness for boxed cake mixes and canned frosting!

Moving Fourth

For the first time since Abby was born, we actually went out to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and everything. The Cedar Park celebration was very family friendly--the kids even got to sit in a fire truck and got their own fire "helmers," as Will calls them. 

I highly recommend this outing to anyone who has kids and lives north. Much better than trying to fight the crowd at Auditorium Shores, where there's basically nothing else to do but sit and wait. 

Although, if you go, let me tell you about the best place to park so you can leave more easily. We got stuck in a bit of traffic and figured it all out while we were waiting. Now, we'll see if the same pattern applies for next year . . . 

Family Reunion Time

We went to spend our traditional long weekend at the lake in Oklahoma, but had anything but our traditional experience. I summed it up pretty well on our Sunday School blog:

What I learned in Hugo, OK (Pop. 5536)

• Even though I'm a laid back mom, playing in a campfire pit CAN be dangerous. Someone could end up with ash in the eyes, for example.
• Firepit ashes can scratch the cornea.
• When in doubt about a medical condition, you can ask for help from the Wal-Mart pharmacist.
  
• A small town can actually have a fabulous eye doctor.
  
• It's a good thing I carry my health AND prescription insurance cards in my wallet.
  
• The best way to get eye drops into a toddler's eye (besides while he is sleeping--yeah right!) is to lay him down and have him close his eyes. When he opens up, the drop goes right in!
  
• Mom really does know best. And by that, I mean MY mom even though it sometimes makes me mad.
  
• Family vacations make me tired. (Well alright, I already knew that, but had to reiterate).

In addition, we got to check out the local, happenin' scene in Boswell during Rodeo Days. We just missed the morning parade, but got to partake of the free barbecue. Later that night, we endured high-speed wind, rain, and thunder. And that's about the extent of our entertainment options in Hugo, OK. It's a good thing the cabins had plenty of spoons.

Abby's Recital

The day had finally arrived. After months of complaining about dance practice, three dress rehearsals, and group pictures, the REAL recital actually arrived. It's a good thing too, because I don't think I could have spent yet another hour and a half doing Abby's hair while trying to distract and entertain Will.

Abby was the prettiest one up there (of course) and, boy can she sing and shake her little hips. They danced to a version of "The Witch Doctor." We've heard it so many times in recent months, that even Will sings "Ooh Ooh Aah Aah."

Now, after the excitement of the recital, she wants to keep taking dance. Imagine that. She wants to keep all eyes on her. :) We're taking a break for now because that's NOT what she was telling me as we were going to weekly lessons!

P.S. It's now actually Aug. 3. I've been holding this post to try to attach a video to it yet again! This time, we figured out how to get the video on the computer and I even edited a nice little piece of the recital. Now, I've saved it as a QuickTime file and can't get it to upload. Sigh.

Road Trip

In June, I took the kids to visit my sister's family in Houston now that they are somewhat settled in their new place. It was a fun couple days. It's really nice to have the cousins be able to play together although, admittedly, we can't leave Will and Phillip alone because they act too much like toddlers (i.e, taking toys, hitting, and biting)!

They all had fun decorating the inside and outside of a moving box. Oh the joy of simple pleasures!

It's great to have Mere & Spence so close now. We've seen them 4 weekends since she moved down in May. I'm sure that pace won't keep up, but it's been fun. And I know my kids are really enjoying their cousin, who Will now calls "Bill."

Will's World

Will, who turns 20 months today, tinkled in the potty twice last night. What a big boy! First, he asks us to put water in his potty, just like in the big potty. Then he sits down and you can tell he is concentrating with all his might to make his "water" come out in the potty too!! Right now, it's just a fun game, but what a huge step!

He's also obsessed with bugs. If he sees one or anything that looks like one (i.e., dirt, rock, mommy's freckles), he points at them yelling "buh, buh" until we do something about it. It completely distracts him from eating and playing. He will even go and grab a napkin or a kleenex for you to get it. Once you get the "bug" you have to open up the tissue to show it to him so he knows you really got it and you aren't just trying to pull one over on him. Smart kid!

Abbyism of the Week:

Last week I drove the kids to Houston to visit with my sister and her family for a few days. As we drove into Houston, (I think it was on 288 south of the Sam Houston tollway, but I'm not sure), we passed by these huge busts of former presidents . . .

Abby: Mommy, are those presidents?

Emily (absolutely astonished): Yes they are, how did you know that?

Abby: Well, I saw Abraham Lincoln and knew he was a president, so I just figured the others were too.

Emily: Did you recognize Abraham Lincoln from the statue at Papa's house (they have a large bust in their living room)?

Abby: No, from my Opus book.

Emily (jaw dropping): Of course!

In case you are interested, the one she is referring to is Goodnight Opus by Berkeley Breathed.

Strawberry Fields

The weekend after Disney, we took the kids to Marble Falls to pick strawberries. They loved it! Especially eating them right out of the box. 

They also had horses, donkeys, goats, and chickens for the kids to pet and feed. It was super fun. We enjoyed fresh strawberry popsicles, ice cream, and a smoothie. Plus we came home with about 9 pounds to eat, share, and freeze. And that only lasted us a couple weeks!! Yum!

Abbyism of the Week:

Last week, Abby asked me how God knows when a mommy is ready to have a baby in her tummy. The question floored me. I didn't really know how to respond. I think I came up with something like when a mommy and daddy are ready to love, take care of, and teach a child to grow into a happy adult. Too bad that's not the case for all children born into this world.

Disney World -- At last!

I've been working up to this blog for a while, trying to summarize the first half of the year and my current musings simultaneously over the last several weeks. It's been a little discombobulated, but alas, so is life. :)

We went to Disney World in April with my parents. I definitely recommend the 2:1 adult to child ratio for anyone planning a trip there! We were there for 4 fun-filled days, including a lunch date with all the princesses! Abby loved it, but somehow Will was determined not to look at them. We have several pics of him looking intently at the floor while posing with princesses, plus video of all the background antics we tried to do to get him to look up! I guess it's good he's not ogling the women just yet. It'll come soon enough! Instead, he loved the water fountains spread across the park where kids could run and play. There were a few times he ended up soaked to the bone, but he didn't seem to mind.

The one major inconvenience while we were there was getting stuck on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We were stuck inside the boat for over an hour because one of the water pumps broke. But really, it was dark and quiet, and we were sitting down (and Will slept through the whole ordeal!!), so it wasn't that bad. And he might not have gotten a good nap that day otherwise. Of course, the same song of the pirates got a little old after an hour, but oh well.

Abby was a champ. She was so patient and easygoing. A lot better than a couple of the adults in boats on either side of us who started yelling at the ride operators, who were trying to get us out safely, for inconveniencing them. And one woman had an all out fighting match with her 10 year-old daughter about whether to leave before the crew members had given the okay. The girl was being the mature one to stay put and follow directions while the mom went ballistic. Boy, are they going to have issues in a few years. 

Once we finally got out, we were directed through the bowels of backstage Disney back to the park. You'd never believe all the stuff behind the scenes. And how do they hide it so well??? Anyway, we made it back to the park and enjoyed the rest of our trip with our sanity intact, which is more than can be said for some of the trapped guests!

All in all, the trip was great and the kids were great. We were all pretty tired when we got back, but we've recovered. Abby's already asking if we can go back for her birthday (in July!!). I said MAYBE we'll go back when Will is her age. It's not an every year kind of trip if you know what I mean!

Will's World

Will's world, Will's world . . .  party on . . . excellent. Okay, I'll stop reliving high school. Since I have a regular column about Abby, it's only fitting that I start one for Will too. He's all over the place these days. He loves dancing and running. I counted up his words the other day (yes, I have other things to do), and he has over 75!! He's become quite a cute little kid. His favorite book is about trucks and I can keep him awake in the car by yelling "truck" or "bus" periodically because he'll sit up to look out the window to see it. Wonder how much longer that will last.

He has this Playskool bus and a Little People dump truck. You remember those, right? They are perfect sized for toddlers. Not too small, but not huge either. His latest thing is that he actually opens the door on the school bus and tries to put his foot inside. He gets very frustrated that he won't fit, but it cracks me up! He's also tried in his dump truck and in the trucks on the pages of his book! What a hoot.

Oh, another new trend--sticking his hand down the back of his diaper. More and more often, he's doing it when he's dirty. Guess that means he's becoming aware of his toileting needs. Great! The other day, I heard him wake up from his nap saying "dahper dahper." I went in to find that he had pooh on his hands. Luckily none got on the sheets or the wall! Oh, life with a toddler is interesting!

Easter

Oh yeah, Easter was nice too. We spent time with all 3 sets of our parents plus my brother and his wife. The highlights of the weekend were a visit with the Easter Bunny at the church picnic and the cascarone fight at my parents' house. Here they are in their Sunday best . . .

Forget the video!!

I've been holding off on posting recently because I really wanted to include a funny video of Abby from Easter when she learned that we were going to take her to Disney World. Well, we don't have the right 1394 cable blah blah blah or something like that. 

I'll leave that up to Brad to remedy, but in the meantime, enough is enough! I have a backlog of postings in my head and I'm bound to lose them if I don't record them soon. So, I'll just have to recap the old-fashioned way. I'll type. Uh, guess that's not too old-fashioned. Anyway . . .

Jan (my mom): Where do the princesses live?

Abby: I don't know.

Emily: Sure you do. Where do they live?

Abby: Disney.

Jan: That's right. Disney World. How would you like it if you and mommy and daddy and Will went with Honey and Cutter to Disney World?

Abby (to me): Can we go?

Emily: We already have the reservations.

Abby: But first I want to snort!

And then she proceeded to put her finger to her nose and snort like a pig several times. I think that means she was excited, but she sure does have a funny way of showing it. "But first I want to snort!" HA!

It was so much funnier in the moment. I'll still see if we can get that darn cable so I can get the video loaded.

Abbyism of the Week:

So it's been a while since I've actually noted what Abby's saying enough to remember the funny utterances. Here's one from today:

Abby: I can't wait to have a little kid.

Emily: Well, you have to wait until there's a mommy and a daddy. Raising a kid is hard work so there has to be two of you.

Abby: Oh I know it's hard work, I just can't wait to have a kid.

Emily: Why, did you see a kid that you liked?

Abby: Well, kids are just so funny and cute.

Emily: Like who?

Abby: Well, like me. I'm so funny and cute that people just love being around me.

I guess she has a point. Who can resist?

Party On!

February also brought much celebration in the Berger family -- my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary and my mom's 60th birthday. It was the first time we'd all been together--all 24 of us. Of course, 3 of the boys were only a year old! 

We partied hard all weekend long. And somehow, Will had time to teach cousin Phillip how to climb the stairs . . .

No More Politics As Usual

February brought excitement about the upcoming primary election like I've never felt before. I even dragged the kids to an Obama poster making party and a street rally before the "big debate." Little did I know the party would be the beginning of our rise to fame! The picture below was posted on www.barackobama.com:

Okay, okay. You can't even really see us until you look really hard at the two beautiful blondes in the corner by the couch, but we're there. Then, a few days later I got a call from Abby's preschool teacher who asked if I was an Obama supporter. I thought it was a little weird, but I told her that I was and she said she thought she had just seen me and Will on the NBC Nightly News! It was a teaser for an upcoming story. 

Well, I was walking out the door, but I set up the DVR to get the story. When I watched it later, I found that all 4 of us were in the story for a full 1/2 second, so you might have sneezed and missed it. It was footage from the sign making party again! See if you can find us! It's like Where's Waldo?! (HINT: Will is in the box over Brian Williams' shoulder and the rest of us are later into the clip).

I didn't know how on earth she was able to recognize me until later that night when my sister called to see if we had seen it too. She said we were in the teaser for much longer than in the story--maybe a full 4 seconds! Hmm, that makes 4 1/2 seconds plus how many hits do you think we got on the website? If I'm adding correctly, I've still got a long way to go toward my 15 minutes of fame! 

Fame or no fame, we had fun. Or at least I did. :) The rally ended up being MUCH smaller than I had expected. Just a few people on the sidewalk waiting for others to march from somewhere else. But we got some pics anyway! 

Kids for Obama!

O BA MA! O BA MA!

Alright Alright, I'll Post

Apparently the natives are getting restless because there hasn't been a post on the Buchanan Family Blog since Christmas. We are getting complaints! Well, one anyway. This is for you Kyle. I'm glad to know someone other than me reads these! I'll try to catch you up on the last 4 months without boring you. Not sure how many Abbyisms I can remember from that time, but I'll start them up again!

As always, we spent most of January recuperating from the holidays and trying to find our routine again. By the end of the month, Will was ready to give up his morning nap, but I wasn't! Yikes!