he has locked himself in the car and understands and follows your instructions on how to get the keys out of the ignition and into Mommy’s hand through the 3 inch opening of the passenger side window. No to mention thatin an attempt to give them to you he drops the keys in between the car door and the seat and manages to fish them out without pushing them under the seat and successfully hand them to you.

Of course Chris asked why I didn’t just teach him how to unlock the door. That was my second choice. I let Tyler play in the car sometimes and usually roll down the windows so he can’t get stuck and I can hear him play. Today I had Quinn in tow and got him in the car too soon. Then he asked for the keys and I relented and handed them over (this doesn’t bode well for his teenage years, does it?) Anyway, imagine my shock and horror, when he got the key in the ignition switch and turned it on such that power came to the car!! I used this opportunity to roll down the passenger window, but then her turned the key back to the off position cutting power to the car.
I opened the passenger side door since he was playing on the driver’s side. Well, the turkey closed that door partway and had unknowingly locked the doors as well.

Anyway, I was pretty calm, I mean we had an extra clicker in the house. I was really impressed though how he was focused and just followed my directions. I really didn’t think he would be able to get the key out, but he did. He continues to amaze me…..

Unpredictable:  Tyler’s sleep pattern.  Had a normal night last night, normal nap (12 - 2pm) and park play.  Wasn’t tired tonight.  Finally crashed at a little after 8pm with lights going out a little after 7pm….

Predictable:   Fornication….when you schedule it.  Saw it on Oprah once - the idea is that you run other parts of your life like a business, so couples should additionally be the CEO of their love lives.

Predicatble:  Our kids will wake up early.  I always talk about Tyler’s early risings, but Quinn is usually up at 6am herself.  Chris reminded me that as a baby Tyler would also wake up early and one of us would take him so the other could sleep in.  I had totally forgotten this.  So, even if Tyler slept til 7am, somebody would be up with the baby.  And since I have the boobs that someone would likely be me.

1. Tyler filled a bottle with water today, walked over and stuck it in Quinn’s mouth and she started drinking.   This is more luck than Daddy has had.
2. Tyler took his shoes off at the park today.
3. Tyler cut a small chunk of apple today with his own little knife.
4. I LOVE Barabara Streisand’s “Jingle Bells” and Andy Williams “It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas”.  I love old, traditional Christmas music!!
5. I love my new mineral makeup - www.everydayminerals.com- they are out of Austin.  The have a free sample kit and I highly recommend it.
6. I had so many other cute things to blog about, but think I will call it a night…
7. Tyler slept from 7:30 to 6am straight last night.  He had no nap today and was down at 7:15pm.  We MAY have gotton somewhere finally - we will see.

I hate to admit it, but I have to - I am not a kid anymore and that  bums me out.  My holidays were always surrounded by tons of family.  Thanksgiving was out at Canyon Lake with great aunts and uncles and loads of cousins.  It was always so fun to catch up with everyone and there was always something going on.  After the big meal, some folks played cards, some went for a nice long walk and a group was always watching the Cowboys.  Christmas was so amazing.

We would spend the night at my granparents house in Canyon Lake with my other aunts and uncles.   It was one huge sleepover - everyone stayed there.  We would get up there and go to Christmas Eve church - my uncles always cut up a bit suring mass and would make us laugh.  Then we would go to my Aunt Ceil’s and Uncles Leroy’s for a drink- well we didn’t have one, but the adults did.  Then it was back home to open gifts.  A huge food, snack and dessert tray was out as it would take up into the wee hours of the morning to do this.  Each person opened up one gift at a time.  It was great - I remember so much laughing and joy.  After the gifts, there was some chatter and then bed.  I remember fighting with my brother over who got to sleep next to the fire.  And oh that fire - real wood and it crackled into the night and soothed me to sleep and kept me warm.  We woke up the next morning to check out our Christmas stockings and a big breakfast.  More family would come over for the big Christmas feast.   It really was such a great time.  I have tried to recreate this in the past not realy succeeding. And I can’t succeed - this was all from a certain time and place in my life that is over.  I really mourn that and so badly want that for my kids.
My parents always threw the BEST New Year’s party that all of our family friends attended.  Heck, even Easter was out at a farm with my Mom’s side of the family.  We always celebrated with large groups of friends and family.  You felt the love.  I can’t explain it.

Sometimes that is why I would love to have a large family.  However, I honestly don’t have the patience to be pregnant that many more times.   Who knows maybe it will happen, but I can guarantee that the kids would be much older before the “second batch” came along.

There is something so magical about being a kid.  Chris and I were talking about all the things we remember from the holidays when we were kids.  We are anxious to share that with Tyler and Quinn, so in some way we can re-ignite some of the magic of these times for ourselves.

Not that there is anything wrong with my current family or new holiday traditiongs.  Again, it is just that as a kid things are so magical and exciting.  I guess because there is no responsibility in it - your job is simply to enjoy.

As much as I can, I try to have us all doing things together. I really want to begin to build a relationship between the two kids and encourage play between them. Tyler loves it when Quinn and I play “chase you”. We will all play peek-a-boo together. We will all sing songs together and Tyler will “help” Quinn clap her hands. I like that Tyler can see that even as young as she is - she can still play with him. I am blessed in the nurturing way he responds to her. One night I was putting Tyler to bed and Quinn started crying in the other room. Chris was unable to soothe her and Tyler starts telling me “Mommy, go get Quinny”. I thought that was so sweet.

Obviously, I can’t force them to like each other and be friends, but I hope I can lay some groundwork that might help. My brother and I are really close. Having kids has put a bit of a gap between us as it does for most with child to childless relationships. Nevertheless, we talk often and he and his wife are so great with our kids and are always there to help when we need it. He and I are so silly. He is like a twin in so many ways. There were so many challenging transitions in my life that were made less so because he was there (middle, high school and college).

So Tyler can now open the garage door. Thankfully, there isn’y much dangerous stuff for him to get into. For better or worse, it has become another playroom. One day I found him sitting on the floor of his Chariot, rolling the wheel back towards the garage door and then back towards the door to the house. I thought it was pretty funny…and pretty creative on his part.

She is 13 pounds of pure joy. And guess what? Slowly, but surely - she is happier in the car. The big thing is that she now falls asleep when she is tired..whew! She has also become more interested in toys. We not 100% there, but it is so much better. Wish us luck because we are going to San Antonio this weekend - our first long trip with her since the beach in September.

I am nervous because I can already tell that as soon as this kid is mobile, she will be gone. She rolls off her activity mat all the time and if she spies something she wants, will do everything in her power to get to it. She will reach out to grab anything she wants. I was paying attention to something Chris was saying while she was sitting on my lap at dinner. Next thing I know my spoon is flying in the air and onto the floor. She is already trying to make messes….well she is learning from the master Messasaurus, her brother.

She has the greatest smile and giggle. Her face is actually quite square when she smiles. She giggles more and I love to play little games with her. Both kids were cracking up while we were playing peeka-aboo with bedsheets today. I love to play little nuzzle games with her making funny noises. She also loves a song from Tyler’s music class called “Apples and Cherries” - it is a guaranteed smile the moment I start singing it.

She is starting to hold onto me more when I carring her on my hip or over my shoulder. She loves all of her toys. She really digs all of them. She isn’t sitting yet and is slowly working on tripod position. I sware she pretty much crawls in this snake-like fashion skootching her belly. She also leverages her rolling ability.She has found her voice and loves to use it. It is so cute to hear her when she wakes up, well….except at 3am.

Did I mention that I have to buckle her in the swing? She will hoist her whole body out of the seat trying to grab a fish. I swear she could hoist herself right out of that swing. Tyler never did stuff like that.

She is absolute heaven. I think it is so different because this time around I am home with her, I am more confident, I have a support network, I am way less sleep deprived and so one and so forth. All those little things make a huge difference and allow me be so much more present. Maybe this time I know that it won’t last and she is going to grow up so I am each day savoring this little precious baby.

Chris and I have been so blessed with our children.