Working Parents

If you ask Michael where I (Mommy) works, he always answers, "Dinosaur."

At the museum, we have an exhibit that has artwork of dinosaurs and fossils. Michael has seen it several times. Obviously, then I work with dinosaurs.

Yeah, that probably makes me pretty cool in Michael's eyes.

Too bad it's a temporary exhibit. Luckily, there's also a mural with some dinos as well.

If you ask Michael where Daddy works, he doesn't have one answer. He has answered, "Football." He's also answered "Eyes." Today it was, "Uh, uhhhhhh...ears [while putting his hands over his ears]."

I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for Michael's insistence that Daddy works at ears. We just don't know what it is.

I Know a Kid Who Has Lots of Fun Opening Presents!

Dear Santa

It's Christmas Eve. It's my brother's birthday, and growing up, Christmas Eve always meant a family birthday dinner for him. Now, we're spread out geographically. But, I'm still thinking of my brother and the rest of my family today.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is here.

Our family tradition Advent calendar was in the paper this year:

Sharing holiday traditions - Omaha.com

My mom, dad, and I Skyped the final day of the Advent calendar. (Michael too...although he was very busy...)

We're ready for Santa!

Michael left a note out for Santa. He wrote a little himself. While he was writing, he said "E" and "R." 

I asked what he wanted to write to Santa, and here's the response:

"Juice. Cookies. Dinosaur. Here's a cookie Santa.  Here."

No surprise that Michael wanted to leave juice instead of milk for Santa.

Merry Christmas!

Sportswriter David

David has said to me, "I love my job."  And he does.  He gets to cover sports.  Full-time.  It's been a busy fall for him though.  Namely...football. 

One of the local teams, the Memorial Titans, went to the semi-finals for State.  David got to go to Reliant Stadium twice to cover the team during the post-season.  The team lost in the semi-finals, but they did have their best year yet. 

Here's a link to the second story from Reliant:


Steele overwhelms Memorial in semis

David can also be read at:

www.crawfishboxes.com

AND

http://houston.sbnation.com/

I told you...he's a busy sportswriter!  He's also a very talented one! 

Rogue is Missing

Last Thursday evening, Rogue got out.  We were over at David's grandparents' house.  I often take Rogue over there to give her a chance to run while we're eating dinner or visiting.  Leon has made the yard a very safe place for all the doggies that visit.  Unfortunately, it appears that the neighbors had been doing something next door causing the fencepost to shift.  (Even though the gate was locked.)  Rogue slipped out.

We searched for hours on Thursday evening and Friday morning.  We've put up posters and placed announcements online.  An ad will start appearing in the Port Arthur News classifieds.  

I made David check some bodies along the highway.  That was tough.  It was dark, so it was hard to see while driving by.  One was an possum.  The other was another dog.  It was sad to think that's someone's dog.

Driving around Port Arthur, I saw no less than two dozen dogs who were running loose.  About half had collars.  I have noticed that around here let their dogs outside--unfenced and unleashed.  I think it's hard to tell which dogs are strays and which are just hanging out in the neighborhood.  It's hard for me to see, but I think around here it's sort of the norm.  To be honest, I just don't get it.   

I had to work on Saturday.  On my way home, I saw a pair of dogs playing by a canal.  I had to stop and turn around to get a good look at them.  I got out of my car to look at them.  Turns out one was a yellow lab and the other was something of that same coloring.  Not the orange and white Brit I've been searching for.....

We've all been a little distracted and very upset.  We all miss Rogue.  Michael has asked for her, and he stood outside a couple times screaming for "Rogue!"

I am devastated.  I'm trying to be positive, but the worst case scenarios keep creeping up. 

I appreciate the prayers and thoughts from our friends and family.

We are also now able to offer $150 Reward with the help of family.

Party Favor

At the birthday party, they had these wood frames for the kids to decorate.  It was supposed to be a party time activity, but the kids were having so much fun.  The birthday girl's parents decided to let the kids continue playing.  I think that was a wise choice.

So, Michael got to take home the frame, and he had fun sticking on decorations.  He was very specific about where he placed things....a row of stars, planets and a star at the bottom, and random dragonfly and palm tree in the middle.  Love it.   

Getting creative

Framed

Party Time

MDC3 went to a school friend's birthday party yesterday.  He was the lone guy amongst a group girls, but he didn't mind a bit.

When we first arrived, Michael acted shy.  But, he soon warmed up and started playing.  The party was held at a party room, and it was very pink.  But, hey...there was a playhouse (who cares if it was wrapped in pink tulle?!), a keyboard, and a karaoke machine...not to mention snacks, punch, and cake.  The kid had a ton of fun playing with the gals.

Playing at the party

Michael front and center as birthday girl opens her presents

Michael was delighted when we got home and saw that the Harveys were in town.  As usual, Michael was the center of activity over at Mommaw and Pawpaw's....and he loved every minute of it.

Winter is Coming

Well, as close to winter as Texas gets...

("Winter is Coming." That's actually a line from an Book Series/HBO Series--Game of Thrones--that David and I like.  We like to walk around and say that ominously to each other.)

The neighbors have started to put up Christmas lights.  Michael is loving it!  We walk around the block a bit and let him look around, and when we're in the car, he points them out.  Our neighbors across the street have outlined their roof with white lights, and they have lighted snowmen.  Michael enjoys sitting out on the front porch and just looking across the street.  Soon enough, David will get our Christmas lights up too.  I think Michael is going to be so excited!

I had recorded the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and we watched some of that yesterday evening.  Michael clapped for the marching bands, and he was excited to see Boots (from Dora the Explorer) and Kiki (from the Fresh Beat Band).   Uncle Bob will also be happy to hear that Michael likes Spiderman.  When he saw the Spiderman balloon, he pretended to shoot spider webs.

From http://www.marching.com/news/2011/2011-macys-parade-lineup/

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving...I missed my family, and I always miss my grandma's Thanksgiving dinner.  Since I've moved to Texas, I've only been back to Omaha once for Thanksgiving.  I was happy to have a little time to talk with them on the phone, though.

I am thankful to have married into a great family here in Texas.  We had a Thanksgiving lunch at David's great aunt's house.  This was followed several hours later with a Thanksgiving dinner at David's grandma's.  I think David is now the official "briner" for the family.  He brined the turkey for this evening's feast, and it turned out great. 

Michael had a wonderful time all day with all the family.  He especially enjoyed playing with all his "cousins."

Michael loves, loves, loves chasing and playing with his older cousin, but he's also good with the younger ones too.  Here's Michael coloring with his one year old cousin.  (So...that would be David's dad's cousin's grandson...I think...so that would be what?!) 

Also, today...lots of football.  Oh, A&M...how you disappoint...

Happy Thanksgiving!  Technically, it's now "Black Friday."  I could be shopping at Target right now....a little pass midnight.  I am way more likely to go to a store at midnight that 5 am,  but I don't like fighting crowds.  I didn't really see anything that's a "must."  On the news, they had people who were camped out at Best Buy since Wednesday night to save $600 on a TV.  Ug. No thanks.  I guess some people are into it, and maybe it's fun for them too.  But, I'd rather not have to be away from my family on Thanksgiving just to get a deal.  My uncle works in retail, and I was wondering just how early he'd have to be at his store.  I hope he has a good "Black Friday."

A snack for MDC3

Fall Crafts

Michael and I have been having fun crafting this fall. 

For Halloween, we painted a treat bag.  We made ghosts by using his hand and foot as stamps.  It turned out so cute.  Plus, Michael really seemed to enjoy the craft and made the connection that we were using his hands and feet to create something.  He looked at his painted hand and pointed to the bag, saying, "Mine."  He liked having his hand and foot painted, and he took directions really well.  (So different from a year ago...it was hard to get him to lay his hand flat for a hand craft then!) 

Michael also had a LOT of fun filling this bag when we went trick-o-treating.

 
One evening, David, Michael, and I went to Chick-fil-a for dinner, and they were having a fall celebration.  The cow mascot was there and roaming about.  Michael handled it very well.  David did not.  (Such fear in that one towards mascots.)  And, they had a craft out.  Of course Michael and I had to make one!  We got step-by-step instructions on how to make this cute little scarecrow.

Of course, as Thanksgiving approaches, it's a requirement that children do some sort of hand print turkey, right?!  Michael and traced his hands to make the turkey feathers.  Michael then wanted me to trace his foot.  And then he wanted to trace my hand.  And then my foot. 

We had extra hand prints after this, so we practiced counting with them.  I wrote 1, 2, 3, 4 on the hands, and Michael practiced counting the specified number with candy corns.  Michael's favorite number is TWO of course.  He asked if he could "eat."  What good's a candy counting game if you don't actually get to eat what you count?!

We also made an Indian corn picture out of construction paper and tissue paper.  I would show you a picture, but a certain counter-surfing orange and white Brit mistook it for a snack...and...yeah, it was torn to shreds.  (What is it with tissue paper and construction paper that Rogue likes so much?)

Another fun thing with Michael is coloring.  We practice colors.  I'll ask him what color he's using, or if he'll pass me a certain color.  His favorite color right now is GREEN!

4! 2! 4! 2!

"Four!"

"No. Two!"

This is the current debate in my house.

On Thursday, I wasn't feeling well.  I picked Michael up from school and went home.  I rested on the couch while Michael played with his trains.  David was also in the living room watching Hoosiers.  In one scene, the basketball coach told his team, "A minimum of four passes before you take a shot. All right?"  A little later, the coach asks his team how many times they're going to pass the ball before shooting.  The team responds, "Four!"

Michael responded, "No.  Two."

So David said to Michael, "Four!"

Now, David and Michael like to go back and forth.  Two!  Four!

David will ask Michael, "How many times are we going to pass? Four!" Michael will say, "No! Two!"

Or, Michael will go up to David and just say, "Two!"

Michael is developing his basketball philosophy, I guess.

Fall Frenzy

Halloween, grandparent visits, Scarecrow Festival, Children's Festival, Children's Museum...Who has time to update a blog when you're having so much fun?!

The Friday before Halloween, Michael's school had a Halloween party.  MDC3 wore costume #1, Spiderman.

Having a snack

Nini and Granddad visited from Omaha around Halloween.  They brought a special costume for Michael...a dinosaur.  Perfect for Dino-Mike!  So glad they came (and even stayed an extra day).  Michael wanted "Ba..." (Bob) to visit too, but he was staying with the Brittany pack in Omaha.  

 MDC3-style Triceratops

Reading with Nini 

Michael and I went the Scarecrow Festival at Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange, Texas.  We had a nice afternoon walking around, looking at the scarecrows.  Michael's favorites had cars somehow incorporated.  There was a race car driver, which inspired Michael to run a race himself.  The scarecrow below was repairing a car.  Cute stuff!  Michael also enjoyed the Three Little Scarepigs.  My favorite was a Jane Goodall Scarecrow.

 This deserted island scarecrow made me laugh.

 

Last weekend, Michael spent Friday night with Aunt Jill, Uncle Gary (who he prefers to call Pete), and Cole. I had the opportunity to hang out with my graduate school roommates, Jessica and Erin.  They both live in Houston.  I know Michael had a great time, and Jill is a great hostess.  When I there, I found a chocolate on my pillow.  

Then next day, Jill, Cole, and I met Nana and Ken at the Children's Festival in the Woodlands. We saw a live Thomas the Train show.  This was Michael's first "live" event, and he did pretty well.  We watched it with interest.  At the end, he clapped and gave a little "Choo-choo!"  There were a lot of other activities and things to see.   

 The Show

MDC3 watching intently

Michael with some of his handicrafts

Taking a "train trip" with Cole

 Checking out a "toy car"...Michael loved this!

Playing Hockey

 Michael and I also met Michael's BFF James at the Woodlands Children's Museum last week.  We went on a Wednesday. On Monday,  I made the "mistake" of telling Michael that we were going to see James.  He was so upset that I did not mean right away, and he kept saying that he wanted, "Jay..." (Not quite getting the mmmm yet........)  And on Tuesday, after I picked him up from school, he got upset again when we turned onto our street to go home.  He wanted to see James!  And finally, on Wednesday...JAMES!  (And I got to see my friend SARAH!!)  The boys gave each other a huge hug when they saw each other.  They played with trains, trucks, dinosaurs, grocery carts......does it get any better than a Children's Museum?! 

NOLA!

I met my amazing friend Nikki in New Orleans for a weekend.  We've both moved away from College Station and wanted to get together.  The trip was a perfect mix of history and fun (and well, history IS fun).  We toured the Saints Hall of Fame and got to peek inside of the Superdome, did a hokey ghost tour, toured a plantation, went to the Historic New Orleans Collection exhibit about Louisiana history, went to the Crescent City Blues & BBQ festival, visited a cemetery...but you know, none of that is as exciting as Bourbon Street on a Saturday Night.  Haha!

And oh, the muffaletta.  I am not a girl who likes cold cuts, especially salami and pepperoni, but that was one wonderful sandwich.  And beignets.  NomNomNom...... 

Droppings

I am the Education Coordinator at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.  Last weekend, we hosted a Family Fun Day to celebrate the opening of a temporary exhibit, Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway.  Because the exhibit features the fossils, dinosaurs, and other prehistoric organisms in the artwork, many of the activities were related to dinosaurs and paleontology.

One of the activities was a "dig" in which kids could find a "egg."  After they found the egg, they could break it, and inside they would find a little toy dinosaur.

Okay, so I had to make dozens of these eggs for the event.  It wasn't difficult.  There are numerous recipes online.  I mixed coffee grounds, craft sand, flour, salt, and water to create the dough.  Then, I nestled the baby dino inside and rolled the dough to cover the little guy.  The egg was heated at a low temp in the oven.

But, I must admit...they don't really look like dinosaur eggs.  They looked more like...dinosaur poo.  (Or dog $h!+.)  I was making these things with my student worker and we were giggling over that fact.

But, unlike doggy droppings, these "eggs" smelled great thanks to the coffee grounds.

I had a few leftovers, so I brought some home to Michael.  As with most of the kids, Michael really loved finding the little dinosaurs.

There's a way...

I use Clear Care Contact Solution, and I thought walgreens.com had a good deal on it. I bought a package on-line and awaited its arrival.

Yesterday, my box from Walgreens arrived, and it was huge. I wondered, How much packaging did they use?!

Here's what was in the box:

• 6 packages of spice gumdrops
• 2 packages of blueberry muffin mix
• 6 packages of Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies
• 6 packages of Maxi pads
• 2 bottles of Calcium citrate
• 2 packages of coffee filters

Yeah...I think I got someone else's order. I called customer service, and they refunded my order. They also said I didn't have to send the stuff back. So, I'm stocked for Calcium and pads for a year or three. I doubt the cookies will last that long. And Michael is loving the gum drops.

One of my co-workers said it's like a Christmas gift from a crazy relative...you don't know what you're going to get and it's kind of fun to be surprised.

Big Changes for the Vogel-Coleman Consortium!

We're now living in Port Arthur, Texas.

David is a sportswriter for the Port Arthur News. Check out the news:
http://panews.com/sports

He's been there since April.

Michael and I moved in July. I was fortunate enough to find a job as well. I am the Education Coordinator at the Museum of the Gulf Coast. The museum's website: http://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org/

I've been working there for about two weeks now.

Michael has a new school as well. His teachers have told us that Michael is "so sweet" and "so nice." They've also said he's "all boy." (I guess that was due to "lots of spitting" one day.)

The birthday celebrations continue.....

We went to Port Arthur, and Michael had a birthday party with the family there. Michael had a lot of fun! He got some trains and a train set. David and I watched in amazement as he played for ten minutes straight with the trains. He also got another sleeping bag...one for here in Texas. He loves his sleeping bags!

Choo-Choo!

On Father's Day, we headed over to the Woodlands to celebrate FD and MDC3's birthday with the family there. We played Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Michael loved it! We were going to let him play sans blindfold, but he insisted on wearing one like the rest of us. And check out that hard hat!

Michael's Cookie Play Date with James & Eli

In recognition of Michael's love of Cookie Monster, Michael had a cookie play date to celebrate his birthday with his best pals, James and Eli. They had a blast running around the play area. These boys have grown so much! They were playing peek-a-boo with each other and running around after one another. That's a big change from their first play dates, where they were on their tummies just looking at each other.

Then--September 2009, getting to know each other

Now--June 2011, 3 very active little boys going in three different directions

Omaha Visit--June 2011

Okay...I doubt I'll catch up...during the Spring semester, I was prepping for my prelim exams. I obviously wasn't keeping up with the blog. I passed the exam, though. One step closer to PhD!

Michael and I were in Omaha last week. I went to Omaha a week or so too early. The Aggies made the College World Series. Oh well! Anytime is a good time to visit home. I love seeing my family and friends, and of course, so does Michael!

We went to the Henry Doorly Zoo Wildlife Safari, the Blessing of the Animals, and celebrated my cousin/godson's Confirmation and Michael's Birthday.

Michael considers the park map. See the view from the window!

Michael's 2nd Christmas--Part II

Whoa! Seriously?! The Christmas blog in May?! You bet!!

Christmas Eve, Mimi and Kristen came over for a late holiday lunch. We had a great lunch. Ham, cheesy noodles, salad...that's what I remember, anyway. We exchanged gifts. Michael got his very own "laptop" which he started to use right away. One of the fun presents I received from Tina was a soda maker. David and I have both enjoyed my soda. The other day he even said he misses my orange soda.

The kittehs were also very pleased with their "gift." They got a cat tower, and they love it. Even as I write this, they are both on the tower. It is also a good refuge for them when Rogue is chasing them. Optimus and Cheetara aren't the only ones who like to climb on it, though. More than once, I have caught Michael in the act of climbing it. *Sigh*

Santa came, and Christmas morning was a good one. Michael explored his new toys. A baseball bat! A Tigger! A bowling set! This was also puppy's first Christmas. Those toys in the picture have not lasted. She is a chewing maniac. *Second sigh*

A Wife's Tale: How I Learned To Stop Being Bored By And Learned To Love The Astros

My first post on The Crawfish Boxes:

http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2011/3/25/2070926/houston-astros-spring-training-wife-tale

Zen Baby

Michael is still my zen baby.

When he was a newborn, he used to sleep with his little feet together, his legs forming a diamond. He looked so peaceful and like a person in a meditative posture.

Yesterday, I was doing yoga. Michael was up from his nap, so he was running around. He came over by me and started copying my movements. He's a little yogi (and a lot more flexible than me)!

Michael's 2nd Christmas--Part I

Yes, it's Spring Break. Yes, I'm this behind blogging! Oh well...it's fun for me to think about these great times!

Christmas is a season, and we're so fortunate to have family and friends to celebrate with all season long.

We went to see Christmas lights in the park twice. This is a great display of lights in College Station's Central Park. One of the features is a huge tree made of Christmas lights that you can run under. You can also spin and make the lights twirl.

Video MVI 3044 shows Michael running around the base of the tree. One of the other kids running around is his very good pal, James. Video dizzy is what it looks like twirling under the tree.

http://www.youtube.com/user/vogelcoleman

Michael's daycare had a Christmas program. David and I were very impressed with the show. Michael and his classmates walked in single file as either reindeer or sheep to the song "Away in a Manger." Yes, you read that correctly...SINGLE FILE!!!!!! Amazing what these kids can do. Michael was an adorable reindeer, and he was the first in line, holding his teacher's hand. At the end, when everyone clapped, Michael started clapping too. Love it!

We had a Christmas dinner with David's family (The Colemans, Harveys, and Keiths) about a week before Christmas. Michael had fun playing with the family and opening his mountain of gifts. But, Michael's at that age when it's not all about the presents. It's more about the bags they come in!

Quacks and Cars

Well, as you probably know, Michael said duck awhile ago. It was one of his first words. But now, if you ask him what a duck says, he will tell you, "Quack!" Besides ducks, Michael likes birds, dogs, cats, and DINOSAURS!

He is also getting into planes, trains, and automobiles. While we haven't yet heard him say car, he points to cars and says, "Vroom, vroom."

*****March 2, 2011 morning update*******

Michael was clearly saying "car" this morning, followed by "Vroom, vroom."

Love this kid!

Hanging out with Cole!

David's cousin Cole stayed with us for a few nights just before Christmas. David and Cole have always been close, and Cole is great with Michael. I can imagine David played with Cole in the same way once upon a time.

BTHO Nebraska

Texas A&M played Nebraska on November 20, 2010. Since Nebraska is leaving the Big 12, this was the last time A&M and Nebraska would be playing on a regular basis.

"Grandmother," Granddadders, Auntie, and Jeff came for a visit and to go to the game. (Well, Grandmother decided she would rather babysit Michael!) Well, and David didn't go to the game with us. He was actually in the press box.

Oh....and A&M won! The 12th man was out in full force. A&M set a record for student attendance. It was loud in Kyle Field!

We had a great visit. It was wonderful to have family in Texas! It seems that Jeff's favorite part was What-a-burger.

Red and Maroon mingle:

The student section----------

RenFest

David, Michael, and I met some of David's family at the Renaissance Festival in November. It was Roman weekend. I couldn't help myself...Michael and I dressed up. I couldn't convince David to dress as a gladiator or in a toga. Hmmmm.....

Michael was totally adored by everyone...the common folk, the Romans, the fairies, the elves, kings, queens, noblemen and noblewomen...like I said everyone.

Medusa and Dragon

Medusa hair