We Clean Up Nicely

Not too shabby, huh?Jax was so proud to wear his shirt and jacket "just like Daddy." Although, he did end up shedding the jacket pretty quickly once we arrived at the office. To him, jackets are for outside. I actually had to bribe him to put it back on for a picture. Baylor didn't get a jacket. I was only able to pin him down long enough to try on the shirt.Baylor also didn't have an i.d. badge to wear. Hint, hint, Grandfather!Now, I'll show off my contribution to the party: flower arrangements. I actually duplicated an arrangement I saw in Napa, although on a much smaller scale.
And, finally, a few shots to make your mouth water. The dessert trays, otherwise known as bribes for Jax.

File This Under Crazy

Today, I saw the aftermath of a fender bender in one of our major intersections. As I was sitting at the light waiting for my turn to go, I watched as the car owners pulled pieces of their cars from the roadway, and the responding police officer filled out an incident report. Then, I noticed a 2nd officer off to the side of the road. Actually, he was standing in a ditch.

I thought, "What the heck is he doing? Taking a break while the other guy does all the work?" Wrong! As I was staring at him, trying to figure out why in the world he was standing there doing nothing, I realized he wasn't goofing off at all. He was tracking a GIGANTIC alligator that had obviously just strolled through the intersection causing 1 car to swerve to avoid hitting him. Too bad the driver swerved into another car.

Way to go, Mr. Alligator! After you were relocated, I hope they sited you for jaywalking! Seriously though, I'm sure Mr. Alligator is now on his way to becoming a nice handbag or wallet. It turns out that in Florida, when an alligator is over 4 feet long and wanders into a populated area, they are labeled a nuisance. Trappers are then called for "disposal." Way to go, Mr. Alligator! It's the chickens that are supposed to cross the road! I hope your gator buddies learn from your mistake.

Shopping with the Boys

Today, the boys and I were on a mission to buy new outfits for Anh's Grand Opening/Open House on Thursday. Jax knew exactly what he wanted too. On our way to the mall, he said, "Mommy, I want a dress-up shirt and a blue jacket too...just like Daddy's!" I couldn't believe that he had actually put thought into an outfit.

Not wanting to disappoint him, I prepared Jax for the fact that we might not be able to find a blue jacket, but we would certainly do our best to find him a nice outfit for the party. Baylor was far less interested in the adventure. Primarily because he was on permanent lockdown in the stroller. When I finally released the harness, it was quite the battle to get him to try on a shirt. He was on a mission to break free and roam. As a result, we went with the first and only option. That's what he gets for being high maintenance.

Jax actually picked out his own shirt and jacket, and to my surprise, they actually matched. I think both boys will look pretty sharp at Daddy's party. Stay tuned for pictures!

Festival Fun

For months and months, we've heard tales about the annual fundraising festival for Jaxon's school. Everyone raved about it and said it was a great way for families to come together and socialize, all while raising money that will benefit the school. What no one mentioned was the grand scale of this function.

Anh and I were picturing yet another little event at the actual school. Oh, we were so wrong. Turns out, the festival is quite the production, and the entire city is invited! We had no idea until last weekend when we were looking at the Sunday paper and saw a huge advertisement. At that point, we really had no idea what to expect.

On Saturday, we set out with Grandfather and Grandma in tow to check out the action. Imagine our delight when we strolled up to the festival grounds and saw this.

Yeah! Jax's school isn't looking to just make a few bucks! They go all out. We were gonna' have some fun.After warming up on the rides, it was time to let Jax try his luck at some carnival games. You can tell we're real "P.C." and all, letting him fire the assault rifle. He's not too bad of a shot either. There was one right through the bulls-eye. So don't go breaking into our house. I've got protection!Jax invested a few bucks trying to win a goldfish. This brought back memories from my own childhood. One year, my dad (Grandfather) turned Travis and I loose at the fair with some spending money. Well, wasn't he "thrilled" when we returned at the end of the night with no less than 10 goldfish. That led to the purchase of a full aquarium the next day and years of aquarium maintenance followed. That taught him not to trust us with money!

Sadly for Jax, he wasn't as lucky. His $2 investment yielded no fish, and mommy wasn't handing over the additional $3 that would guarantee his success during round 2. No thanks, Mr. Carnie, I consider myself lucky to be walking away empty handed.To take his mind off the loss, I introduced Jax to confetti eggs. Boy, did I create a monster! I cracked the first one over Jax's head, and he looked completely confused as the confetti spilled down over him. Then, as if in slow motion, Jax's face relaxed and the smile appeared. He reached into the carton and turned around to attack daddy.

Poor daddy! His crotch was the victim of an overly excited 4-year old assault. It was like a scene from America's Funniest Home Videos. It wasn't an intentional thing. Jax's height limited the strike zone, and unfortunately for Anh, he was facing the action. He would have been much better off if Jax had decided to stage a surprise attack from behind.

After taking a few moments to recover, Anh and Grandfather sought revenge on Jax. It turns out that Jax can dish it out, but he can't take it. He did not like seeing "his" eggs used against him. It was a full on confetti war! Not even Baylor escaped unscathed.When Baylor tried to eat the confetti, I took that as a sign that we needed to indulge in some greasy, but delicious fair food. What better time to introduce Baylor to food on a stick. The corndog was a big hit! The moment was similar to what we had just witnessed with Jax and the confetti eggs. Confusion gave way to delight within a matter of seconds.
While rounding up our festival grub and securing seating, we somehow lost track of Jax. I thought he was Grandfather and Grandma who were tracking down a table, and they thought he was with me ordering food. In Jax's defense, he tried to do as I asked and follow Grandfather to a table, but ended up getting separated in the crowd. Since they didn't even know I had sent Jax tagging along with them, they were blissfully unaware of his absence.

I was actually loaded down with greasy goodness and headed over to their table when Jax ran up and grabbed onto my leg. Confused, I asked him, "Buddy, why aren't you with Grandfather?" I didn't get my answer from Jax though. I got it from the police officer that was 2 steps behind him. He said, "Your son was lost." I was so caught off guard, I couldn't seem to form sentences, but my mind was saying, "Lost! What?! How?"

The police officer filled me in on the limited details. Basically, when Jax realized he was alone, he found his way to a group of ladies who turned him over to the police officer. I just happened to go walking by when the police officer was talking to Jax, trying to figure out who he belonged to. Did I mention that I also just happened to be holding my glass of Sangria too? Nice, huh? Let's hope my otherwise clean-cut appearance was enough to convince the officer that I really did have my priorities straight. This was actually just a horrible miscommunication between parents and grandparents.

Yeah, don't everyone go fighting for the opportunity to nominate me for Mother of the Year. Oh well, it all turned out okay. I guess, if you're gonna' lose your kid, losing him at the Catholic preschool festival is one of the safer places to do it. Obviously, I'm really lucky. I got Jax back safe and sound within a matter of minutes and never even had to experience the absolute panick of realizing that he was missing. So lucky!

So, with that, we called it an early evening even though the plan had been to stick around until after the fireworks display. I think we had all had enough excitement for the day, and the sugar started to wear off which allowed the exhaustion to creep in.

On Sunday, after making a pact not to lose our children again, Anh & I decided to brave the crowds once more with our friends. We did our best to repeat all the fun from the day before. More funnel cake and corndogs...More rides...This time, Baylor got in on all the fun.Oh, and my luck finally ran out. Goldfish were won! Thank goodness they made the "Win a Bunny" game much, much harder. Can you even imagine?! I would have had a stroke.Baylor and his little buddy, Hudson, had a ball watching the spectacle. Check out how they're both chillin' with their legs propped up. Two of a kind, I tell ya'!
We ended the day with 2 children, the same as when started. Yay, success! Unfortunately, I do have to end this recap on a bit of a sad note. Not even 24 hours later, the 2 goldfish have gone to the "big aquarium in the sky." I know what you're all thinking & it isn't true. I tried. I really did!

Rough Nights

Jax has had some rough nights recently thanks to nightmares and his recurring nosebleeds. As a result, Baylor is the only one in the house that is sleeping peacefully these days. How's that for irony? It's so bad that even when Jax is actually sleeping peacefully, I'm waking up to "phantom" calls from him. I guess, mentally, I'm on constant alert.

I'm not sure what is actually causing either of these issues. Over a month ago, we set up a humidifier next to Jax's bed, and it seemed to be the solution to the nosebleeds. It's definitely helping, but it's not the miracle we were hoping for.

As for the nightmares, I have no clue where this is coming from. Almost nightly, Jax wakes up screaming for his "Daddy" in complete terror. He won't stop until someone (it doesn't actually have to be Anh) goes into his room and comforts him back to sleep. I don't think he's doing this for attention. He's obviously scared, and he seems groggy and disoriented like he has just woken up. I don't think he's that good of an actor. Plus, it happens in the middle of the night, not right after he has supposedly just fallen asleep.

When I go into his room, I'll ask him, "What's wrong, buddy?" I know he'll answer 1 of 2 things. If his response is "I got a nosebleed," I just clean him up and change whatever bedding is dirty. When he responds, "I had a bad dream/nightmare," I always try to find out what he was dreaming about, but he can never tell me. He's either too out of it or he simply doesn't remember.

Without knowing what's scaring him, I'm really not sure how to address this problem. I've tried telling him things like, "Jax, do you know that when you have bad dreams they aren't real? When you wake up, you don't have to be scared anymore because it was just a dream." He always nods, but this knowledge alone is not resolving the issue. I hope both of the nosebleeds and the night terrors are a normal childhood phase. It's hard to watch him go through something so traumatic and not have the solution to fix it.

Cold Feet

Looks like our house hunting may be coming to an abrupt end thanks to cold feet. This is a complete 180 from where we were just 2 days ago. We actually made a verbal offer on a newly constructed house in our neighborhood. Things were looking good in the negotiation process. Realtors were getting excited. Actually, they were bickering over the percentage of the commission owed to each. Then, the builder came back with a counter offer that we felt was fair, but given that the house is on a small lot, we decided to walk away. We were willing to make some concessions for a great deal, but it just didn't work out. No big deal. This wasn't our dream house or anything.

Sadly, there just aren't any houses on the market that we're interested in. About 4 or 5 made our short list, but each of them has some issue that bothers us. When you combine that with news reports that the housing market isn't likely to hit bottom until 2012, you get a couple with cold feet. Plus, the homes we're looking at would require a jumbo home loan and the rates for those mortgages aren't all that great. Analysts predict the real estate crisis will spread to the jumbo market over the next 2 years as those mortgages start to reset. Maybe then, the home owners will be more likely to deal. Right now, they've listed their houses ahead of the crisis, but aren't really desperate yet.

It's not that we're looking to capitalize on their loss, but we certainly don't want to buy a house and have the value plummet over the next year or two. That would just be stupid. So while the hunt to buy is likely coming to an end, I guess we're technically still looking for a new home. It's just more likely to be a rental at this point. Anyone know of any other million dollar mansions that are for rent at a ridiculously low rate?

The Big Reveal

As you know by now, I don't bring up work too often on the blog. I'm making an exception though because I figure we're entitled to show off the end result of our months and months of stress and hard work. The new office is officially open! (Actually, it's been open for a few weeks, and I'm just now getting around to this post. Shhh! )

Overall, I played a very small role in the project. All the real credit truly goes to Anh because I can't even quantify the amount of effort he put into it. He designed the whole office. I just got to decorate it! And, without further ado, here's a brief photo tour. Enjoy!

The Reception Area - Designed to Double as an Entertainment Area for Socials

Hallway to Offices and Exam RoomsStaff Workstation Consultation RoomExam Room 1Exam Room 2 -Used Primarily for Laser TreatmentsExam Room 3 - The Procedure RoomExam 4 - The Relaxation/Recovery RoomThe Storage Room

So, there you have it, a sneak peek at the new space. Consider yourselves special! The masses won't see it until next week when we host our open houses. It has been a long road, but we are beyond happy with the final result. If your in the market for a little nip or tuck, be sure to let me know. We're ready for you!

11 Months

His "baby" days are numbered! The Big One is only a month away. I can hardly believe it! Here's a little update on Baylor.

• If we were to judge Baylor by what he eats, then the baby days are long gone. He pretty much eats what we eat now. Baylor is not a big fan of rice, but he loves noodles. At least there's some evidence that he's part Asian. Last week, I introduced him to the strawberry, and I think it's safe to say that is his new favorite food. He could eat his weight in strawberries!


• Thankfully, Baylor is still an excellent sleeper. I can always count on him to sleep a minimum of 12 hours overnight, and he still takes at least 1 big nap during the day. The only downside to the nap is that he must be in his crib. He's not like Jax who could nap on the go, in his car seat or stroller. So, if we're out and about and Baylor wants to nap, he's pretty vocal about his desire to be in his bed. This can make outings kind of difficult, but it's getting better. Eventually, he'll either just give up and pass out or I bribe him with food to improve his mood. Nice, huh?


• Baylor is proving to be quite the budding athlete, just like big brother, Jax. He can already kick a ball, and he loves to steal his brother's baseball bat and golf clubs. Baylor can't actually swing them yet, but he sure loves to watch Jax throw a fit about sharing them. Little stinker!


• Lately, we've noticed that Baylor is starting to throw hissy fits of his own. He's quite opinionated and does not like to be corrected. Just more proof that he's my kid, I suppose.


• When it comes to personality, Baylor seems to display characteristics of both an introvert and extrovert. We're starting to see signs that he's going through a period of stranger anxiety. He's comfortable with relatives, but now he's not so quick to interact with strangers. Before, he would really put on show to any admirers willing to offer him attention, but now he'll cling to us when others approach him. It only takes a few minutes to butter him up though, even less if you have a treat to offer.


• The extrovert is on full display once we're at home though. He'll boss you around with baby talk. We have no clue what he's saying, but watching him stand there and authoritatively address you while waving his arms and pointing his finger in a scolding manner is quite entertaining. He must get this from Anh because I'm not the least bit bossy. ; )


• By far, the most amusing new skill is Baylor's dancing. It doesn't matter whether it's a commercial jingle or the music channel, if there's a beat, Baylor will dance. Dancing at this point consists of running around in circles while shaking his head from side to side and then pausing to bounce with the beat. It's pretty funny!

Yes, our baby is growing up fast. He's starting to look and act more like a toddler. It's exciting, but also a bit sad. Oh well, you know what moms say, "He'll always be my baby!"

Good Morning, Boys

Most mornings, I wake up to the sound of Jax "whispering" to Anh, "Dad...Dad, are you awake? Dad...Dad...Dad?" Sounds heavenly, doesn't it? Well, this morning, I woke up to the sound of Jax's voice, but he definitely wasn't in our room. After listening for a few minutes, I concluded that he was upstairs talking to Baylor who was obviously still in his crib. How sweet!

I didn't know whether Baylor had woken up on his own or whether Jax had woken him up, but regardless, it was sweet hearing them interact with one another. That is until a few minutes later when Jax yelled, "Dad...Dad...Baylor got out of his crib! Dad, Baylor fell out of his crib!"

There went my relaxed morning! I jumped out of bed and raced up the stairs. I didn't know what to expect because there was no screaming and crying. When I rounded the corner into Baylor's room, I was the only one panicked. Baylor was just standing in his room like it was no big deal that he had just climbed over the rail and fallen to the ground. Nope, no big deal! Jax pointed to the crib and said, "Mommy, Baylor climbed out and fell down."

I should have been prepared for this. This is about the age when Jax first started climbing out of his crib. I just assumed he was freakishly advanced and devious though. I didn't realize that these abilities or traits ran in the family, and that I would be "blessed" with another escape artist! Yeah, lucky me!

I'm not sure what exactly we plan to do about this. I'm not even really sure that Baylor realizes what he managed to do. He has been trying to climb onto things lately, like the ottoman and couch, but he's never been successful. Climbing up is not easy for him, but clearly climbing down is another thing all together!

The Hunt Resumes

After an extended break, we've officially resumed our search for a home. We spent Wednesday afternoon touring a bunch of homes in our current neighborhood, and while we did like 2 of the houses, we've decided to keep looking. Nothing was perfect, but we've kind of given up on perfect at this point to be perfectly honest.

The good news is that our landlord doesn't even have a court date yet for the foreclosure thanks to the massive backlog. At least, that's what he tells us. Plus, he's supposedly working with the bank on a loan modification package. BUT, according to the reports I've read, he won't qualify because this house (along with the 29 other rental properties he owns) are investment properties. I guess we aren't really bailing out everyone. It just seems like it!

Anyway, what all this boils down to is that we've still got some time. There's no need to start frantically packing just yet. Who knows maybe we'll actually make it through the 12 month lease. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and the landlord better be crossing his too because I've decided, if we aren't able to live here for the full 12 month term, I will sue him for fraud to recoup my moving expenses, security deposit, and utility connection fees. The attorney I consulted has convinced me that it's a slam dunk case too.

For now though, we'll focus on the positive. Round 4 of Florida house hunting is off to a good start!

Smarter Than They Look

Yesterday as I was cooking dinner, Jax asked, "Mommy, can I play my new skateboard game?" He was talking about his new Wii game from Grandfather. I agreed, but told him he would have to bring me the remote so I could change the tv's mode.

That's when we discovered that once again the remote was missing. You see, Baylor has learned that "hide the remote" is a fun new game that drives the family bonkers. Two days ago we spent about 45 minutes looking for the dang thing, eventually gave up, and then discovered it OUTSIDE when Anh opened the front door to take out some trash. I have no idea how Baylor managed to get it outside, but somehow he did.

Jax was growing frustrated that he couldn't find the remote, and then he was really frustrated because I couldn't help him while cooking. I told him, "It's okay, Jax. Daddy will help you look when he gets home in a little bit." The next thing I knew, Jax was standing next to me holding my cell phone and asking, "What's his number?"

At first, I said, "Buddy, go put Mommy's phone away." Then, I thought about it and remembered that we had just taught Jax Anh's cell number in case of an emergency. I said, "Why don't you tell me Daddy's number. You know it." Jax paused and tried to remember. Clearly, we need to go over the number again. Then, when he couldn't come up with the number, he said, "Why don't we text him instead!" Very smart, Jax. Except, you still need to know his number.

By this point, I was quite impressed with both boys' level of ingenuity. Of course, that's when Jax really took it to a new level. Out of the blue, he said rather emphatically, "Mommy you're the boss, right? Not Daddy!" My kid is so obviously a genius. That's right, son! Mommy's the boss!

Castillo

A while back, we spent the afternoon at our "little fort" and vowed to head to the "big fort" a few days later. Well, days turned into weeks, but we finally made it! The wait turned out to be for the best. Grandfather has since reached the magical age of 62 which qualifies him for a lifetime pass to National Parks. Since he's allowed to take 3 adult guests and an unlimited number of children in with him, we were actually able to explore the fort for free. Can't beat that!You enter the Castillo via a drawbridge, but the moat is now empty. Too bad, it would be pretty cool to see it filled and infested with alligators. Just a suggestion, in case any park rangers are reading. We wandered around for a few minutes, but quickly made our way to the Castillo's upper deck to stake out a spot to watch the historic weapons demonstration performed on weekends.The cannons were a big hit with Jax, especially when he learned that the soldiers were going to fire one!

Prior to the firing, a park ranger provided us with a little history lesson, and we were surprised to learn that a cannonball could travel up to 3 miles to it's target. Who knew?! The volunteer "soldiers" were dressed in historically accurate wool uniforms. Can you imagine how they must feel during the summer heat?! They even spoke Spanish during the reenactment.

The only disappointment was that there would be no actual cannonball involved. The park ranger explained that the home owners across the bay had vetoed that. I guess I can understand!

Beach Babes

Naturally, we had to spend at least 1 day at the beach during spring break. Luckily, Mother Nature finally gave us a break, at least when it came to the temperature, and we were able to have a little fun in the sun. Although, it was a bit windy. We made the best of it though. Jax was able to work on his kite flying skills.Baylor enjoyed watching the kite's tail dance around in the wind, but the beach toys were what really caught his attention. I thought I was prepared with 2 of everything so there would be no fights, but I only packed 1 "big" shovel. Of course, that would end up being the most popular toy! Next time, I'll bring 5!Jax and Uncle Al were the only 2 brave enough to actually go into the water. It seemed really cold to me, and I wasn't falling for Uncle Al's, "It gets warmer the farther you go out" argument. Yeah right! It gets warmer because you begin to lose sensation in your extremities!Nope, Baylor and I hung out on the beach with the toys. I think we made the right call too. Jax eventually made his way back onto the beach and spent the better part of an hour wrapped in a towel shivering. Poor kid!