Preciousness

Keith's precious is nearly ready

Bedroom paint?

Something dramatic?
Or subdued?
I'm leaning towards a slate-ish bluish gray. On the other hand, the burnt orange color is appealing to the untamed side of my personality.

Beach days

Remi and I have been visiting Keith in Galveston a lot lately. Remi's new favorite activity is going to the beach. He could walk forever on the sand and he now really likes to splash in the water. He also likes the wave at strangers, shake their hands, and to poke them.

Toes at Old McDonald Farm

Toes and I went to Old McDonald's Farm earlier this week with friends. This is his second time in a petting zoo. He was a bit traumatized when a sheep thought his hand was food, but other than that, he came out of it unscathed. All he wanted to do was play in the grass. I think I'm the one that had the most fun. I learned two things: goats have no souls and deer are not as soft as one might think.

I ain't afraid of no goats: Or sheep:Okay, emus are freaky.
First train ride:
Chicken heads
I can't remember what they were looking at, but it must have been fascinating: Isn't she a beaut!

Tasty Vittles

Since I eat alone so often I have a lot of freedom choosing what to eat. These have been my favorites over the last week.
Caprese. A simple yet delightful salad consisting of roma tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, sea salt and pepper, homegrown basil and aged balsamic vinegar. I've eaten this about 5 times in the last week.
Buffalo Chick'n Salad. Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheddar, Kraft free ranch and Morningstar Buffalo Wings. Ate it three days in a row, it was so good!

Bite

So, I'm thinking about getting braces...again. My teeth stayed straight for about 4 years after I got them off the first time. After that I got lazy about wearing my retainer. Then my bottom teeth started crowding so my dentist took out my permanent retainer, and teeth especially started shifting when I was pregnant with Rems. I have a lot of excuses, none of them really valid. How many of you would go through the agony again? I'm still trying to decide...

Necessito Burrito

Last night we met up with an old San Diego friend for BBQ at Goode Company. Keith and I kind of have an understanding about eating out, so when friends come into town we let them choose where to eat. Because I'm a vegetarian it complicates things, but usually, almost always, I can find something to eat anywhere. Not so at Goode Company! The only thing I could have eaten was the cole slaw (YUCK!) and the white jalapeno cheddar bread (hardly a meal.) So I sat and watched everyone down their piles of smoky meat while I sipped on an old fashioned root beer. Two hours later, I'm starving and we still have a thirty minute drive home.

Keith was feeling generous and offered to stop somewhere else for a quick meal for me. I had heard a local radio show host, Michael Barry, a few months back during his Job Listings Hour, endorsing a place called Freebirds Burrito. One of the managers had called in to list some openings at one of their locations. I have been wanting to try it ever since.
After a couple of wrong turns, we finally made it. The interior was reminiscent of a Vietnam era hippie, John Lennon quotes on the wall, and a big mural with "FREEDOM!" written in pink letters breaking through brick. Quite the departure from the down-home BBQ joint we had just left.
They have four size choices: 1/2 Bird, Freebird, Monster, and Super Monster. I opted for the Veggie Freebird with rice, black beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic, corn salsa, sour cream and a mild tomatillo sauce, all on a cayenne tortilla. The fact that I'm still thinking about it should let you know how good it is! So next time, given the choice between BBQ or burritos, I think I know which one I'll choose...

Newsletter: Month 14

Nicknames: Remi, Remi-Toes, Toes, Rems, Kid, Boy

Dear Remi,

You turned 14 months old on Mother's Day. I think you thought the purpose of Mother's Day was for you to be extra mothered. You spent 2 1/2 hours screaming over the course of 5 hours because you didn't want to take your nap. You are testing the powers of manipulation to the limits. Even as I right this you are upstairs screaming because you don't want to go down for the night.
Other than THAT, you are my fun little constant companion. We have had a great time with a visit from Gigi, playdates with friends, and trips to Galveston. I love going to the grocery store with you. Sometimes I take you down the toy aisle, I'll pick a toy for you to look at, then a few minutes later we put it back. No tears, no whining, nothing! You are just ready to move on to the next adventure. You love to play a game where I push the cart ahead and say, "Bye, bye!" You wave back and then I chase and tickle you.
Your daddy and I have started ordering for you from the kid's menu at restaurants. For some reason, this is a very exciting development to me. Granted, most of the time it's just macaroni and cheese, but sometimes you surprise me and eat things off of my plate like orzo stuffed tomatoes! Other times you surprise by not eating anything but white bread and water...
You spent a few hours with Daddy this afternoon. You spent much of the time terrorizing him by hitting, kicking, and trying to bite through his clothes. When I got home your reign of terror continued. You threw a remote at Niles, walked around squawking and ended up cornering Baxter in his bed. What a funny transformation you are going through.
Your energy level is rising and I find that I need to REALLY wear you out if I want to have a peaceful evening. The last few days we've been successful by taking you to a local fountain to play. Once we get you home, something happens to you around 6pm. You become docile and sweet, you'll play quietly with toys, or try to figure out ways to make Daddy and me laugh. The roller coaster ride of each and everyday is crazy, but I always find myself wanting more.

I love you, Remi!

Love, Mama

This is a new obsession. Every pair of shoes you find has to be worn like this:
This fountain is our friend:Fun house mirror:
Just found your belly button:
You love to pet the grass:
And you love to share cookies:
Maybe you don't love Mariachi:

Antique Find

Keith and I often visit an enormous store in Houston called The Antique Center of Texas. It consists of 200 dealers filling 120,000 sq ft of antiques. Prices run the gamut of cheap to uber expensive. We last visited to find a small secretary to use as a computer desk, but we couldn't find anything in our price range that we really liked. What I DID find were these adorable vintage blocks for a $1.25 each...

Can't we all just get along???

Where black people and white people buy furniture...and Hispanics, too!

Cannoli

Need I say more?
* 3 lbs whole milk ricotta cheese
* 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
* 18 cannoli shells
* chocolate, melted (optional)
* pistachios, chopped (optional)

Directions
Mix cheese, sugar, cinnamon and chips together well and stuff into cannoli shells. You can dip one end of the finished cannoli in the melted chocolate and roll in chopped nuts if you like.
Original Recipe by DiB's can be found here

This is what I woke up to:

I love that Keith labeled the hand prints!

Mothering

I have been reflecting on what it means to be a mother lately. So many people I know don't get along with their moms, some for good reason, others because of petty grievances. How horrible and hurtful it is to resent a mother for her actions or child raising abilities when in all likelihood, she was just doing the best she knew how.
Keith and I are both lucky to have wonderful mothers. I strongly believe that the similar manner in which we were raised has helped us build a more solid relationship with each other AND their example has helped me to be a better mom.
Over the last few weeks, my relationship with Remington has become even more clearly defined. I'm no longer just his food source. He treats me differently than he does other people, even if that means he gets more frustrated with me. He knows who I am, clings to me a certain way, and is always happy to hold me when strangers are around.
The decision to become a stay-at-home mom was an easy one for me. I'm so glad Keith was on board to completely take over bringing home the bacon. While it is the hardest job I've ever had, it is by far the most rewarding. What I'm doing now as a distinct impact on the future, unlike filing paperwork or cashing checks, the mundane work I was doing before. For the first time, I'm my own boss and I love my job, even though I have one of the most demanding clients ever! Can't wait to add more clients!
Happy Mother's Day!

Bye, Gigi

Here are some pics from your visit! We miss you already!
The best picture I could get at the DMB concert without the camera Nazi catching me:
Ikea fun:
Beach fun:
Goodbye:
Even if we don't get many pictures, we always get a final airport shot:

Running ragged

I have been a bad blogger due to the fact my sister, Piper Gigi, has been visiting for the past week. Activities were as follows:
Red Curry Thai
Target
Played Dr. Mario and various other Nintendo games
Galveston-The Stand, swimming, steak
Ikea
Dr. Mario
Aunt Vicki's
Loehmann's
Dr. Mario
Remi's photos (at Target)
Dave Mathews Band concert
Dr. Mario
Target
Hosted a dinner party for the Piper's
Target
Deerbrook Mall, Old Navy, Show Carnival
Houston Premium Outlets
Italiano's
Dr. Mario
More Galveston-The Strand, dinner, the beach
Dr. Mario

I don't know which we like more, Dr. Mario or Target.

What a fun visit. Gigi is great at entertaining Remi (if he'll tolerate it) He even gave her his version of a kiss today. I'll post pictures soon. We miss you already, Gigi, even if you did steal my Banana Republic jeans!