Ski Day

While on my visit to Utah, Gigi took Dani and me skiing at Park City Mountain Resort. We got a great deal on the normally $80+ day pass. A deal in the amount of free. It included the fast track pass which enabled us to butt in line at every lift! Thanks, Gigi!
Helmets are all the rage on the mountain these days, I swear I was the only person that didn't have one.Gigi goes skiing every spare minute. She is getting really good! She definitely left me in the dust to better busy myself with snow plowing.I only fell four times! Twice off the lift (not technically a fall, because I never fully stood up...) Once on a run and once standing perfectly still.

First Mardi Gras After Ike

We took Katie on a whirlwind tour of Galveston while she was here visiting. Here are some of the highlights including a stop on the strand for Mardi Gras...if you can even call it that!
Pier in the middle of nowhere:
I've been looking for a good deal on a Honda:Well, it's still a beach house:Galveston is still in disrepair:
Ike Water Line. The sidewalk we're standing on is an additional foot from the street:
Woo! Remi got the most beads!
La King's Confectionery making a comeback!
Cops taking cover from the downpour:
A drunk guy insisted on taking our picture:
Not much going on at the party:

Seven Years

Today is our seven year wedding anniversary! In honor of that, here are seven great memories with and seven great traits about Keith.

Memories:
1.Excursions in San Diego
2.Road trips big and small (Park City, Eden, Vegas, Denver, Houston)
3.Finding our favorite restaurant (Thai Siam) because of a fight
4.Getting a gift that I didn't at first want: Baxter!
5.Watching all sorts of movies and playing every kind of video game
6.Sitting next to a warm and toasty chimenea
7.Receiving the best care on the planet from him when little Remo was born!

GREAT traits:
1.Killer cook
2.Hilarious
3.Moral and Honest
4.Protector
5.Generous
6.Handyman
7.Excellent Daddy

Newsletter: Month 11

New Tricks: Clapping, Peek-a-boo with a blanket, mimicking like crazy, holding toy phone to ear when we say 'Hello,' trying to say 'ball'
New foods: Veggie Puffs, Orzo pasta, spaghetti, blueberries, cow's milk, loves to act like a baby bird when we eat...wants to try everything like pizza, rolls,

Dear Remington,

Today you turn 11 months old! Two little teeth are finally sticking out of your gums and we think a few more are on the way. Teething adds an interesting dimension to baby life. You wake in the middle of the night and contrast that with 3 hour naps in the day. Somehow through the pain, you remain a sweet little boy (mostly!) You are officially a boy on the go! You love to explore. Your room is a most fascinating place. You love to sneak away while I prepare your bath in the morning to grunt at the CD player. The handles on dresser drawers are also quite appealing. When we play downstairs, we have constructed a bit of a barricade using the sofa, and ottoman and the dog kennel to keep you confined in a safe place. Consider it a sort of giant play yard. We have too much tile and you have to little balance for you to roam free in entire house! You are getting adventurous and try to crawl on the fireplace brick and you have also mastered crawling up the stairs.You love books! Your favorite has been one called Five Noisy Ducks, but you are widening your interests with captivating titles like First Words and Baby Animals. You have a weird little book about farm animals with names like Bronwyn the Pig and Big Ron the Horse. You love toys! Almost all of your toys are hand-me-downs but you can't tell the difference! Your current favorite is a Sesame Street farm house with blocks courtesy of Grandma Sano. You also love to roll a ball and to try to throw your football. Anything that rattles or makes noise becomes a fast favorite, too.

You love food! But you hate cow's milk, plain cheese, and plain peas. Some breakfasts last for a good hour because you practice "no, no, no" by shaking your head instead of eating. When you are really done you start throwing food to the dogs. They love a balanced breakfast of Cheerios and oat toast!You love to go out and about! We always have a fun time taking you places. You are an angel in the car and only cry when the sun is in your eyes. Walks on the trails are fun because you help hold the dog leash. Grocery cart rides are fun when you get to sneak a bite of tasty germy metal. My friend tried to stop you from doing this once while I was looking away. She shooed you with a gentle "No, no." You looked at her like she had slapped you across the face and you wailed for a good five minutes.

You love to laugh! Daddy is definitely the king of making you laugh. One laugh from him and your face brightens. He even does a fake anchorman laugh that keeps you in stitches. Once during a ride in the car Daddy and I were having a conversation and we were laughing about something you when you decided to chime in out of the blue. It was so fun to all be laughing in the car together. You seem to get our brand of humor...I love it!You love to jabber! You have been saying "Mama" for a while, but I think it is just something you say when you want something. You shocked us the other day when I asked you where your ball was, and you responded with a resounding, "Ba!" Just in the last couple of days you have been trying to say "Dada" which sometimes ends up sounding like, "Gaga."

We can't wait to see what the next month holds in store for you!
What a fun boy, baby no longer!

Love,
Mama

Scrub-a-dub

Yesterday we were told by a close friend that Remington looks like a scrubbing bubble...Fine by me, I've always thought they were pretty cute.

My search begins...

Remi's 1st birthday is around the corner. I'm excited to start planning a little party, but Keith DOES NOT want Remington to have ANY sugar in his cake. I've heard of cakes sweetened with everything from agave to fruit juice to prunes, but I don't know where to start looking for something healthy yet edible. Anybody have any ideas? I post anything decent I find. Wish me luck!

Pelosi's word is as good as...........

What a liar. Way to go with the "hope and change" Pres Obama. You're doing a great job cleaning up Washington. Keep it up champ. I think of Obama as a know-it-all, ignorant, arrogant teenager. The kind of kid that thinks they know better than everyone else. They have the solution to all the worlds problems, but, in reality, they have no experience and therefore have no clue what they are talking about. I can't believe how many people drank the Obama kool aid. I look forward to the conservative Republican sweep as people realize that democrats are hypocritical liars incapable of managing anything responsibly.

Here is another example of how dangerous this new administration is. Here is Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

They will use this hyped up "economic crisis" to push their socialist agenda down our throats. While this is not a new tactic among governments, this "stimulus" bill will do nothing but put our grandchildren in debt for the current generations idiocy and lack of fiscal responsibility. Dems are not the only problem. The current weakling Republicans in office, especially in the Senate, are not blameless for our mess. The incompetence in Washington is staggering.

I want these!

But Keith thinks they are oh so ugly...sigh...

Life with one car

Keith recently sold his Mazda Tribute (worst car ever.) Since he only works two weeks out of the month we decided to see what it would be like only having the 4 Runner for a bit while we look for the perfect car. It hasn't been too bad. However, everyone I have spoken with is baffled by our decision. They think I have made myself a prisoner. My friends around here are the ones that are inconvenienced. I can't go to hang out with them during the day unless they come and pick me up. I have had countless offers from people offering to take me places, but I do better without a car because it keeps me from shopping aimlessly at Target. A neighbor gave me a veiled insult by saying she is too independent to have her husband have control of the vehicle. Another woman I know actually scoffed at me when I told her that if I got desperate enough, I would just walk to the grocery store. What is the big deal? It's 1/2 a mile away and it is almost consistently 65 degrees here in the winter. We haven't felt the effects of saving money on the car payment, gas, maintenance or insurance yet, but I'm kinda digging this simpler way of life. If I want to get all hippie about it, I'm reducing my carbon footprint, too. Take that, Al Gore. On a good day Keith gets home by 2pm anyway, so our day continues nicely after that. Even if he doesn't, it encourages me to take the boys for a walk. These walks have helped me to lose almost 65 lbs since Rems was born. I can't complain!