Christmas letter 2011

2011 was a big year for the Martinez family.  It was our first full year playing man to man defense.  Yes Josephine was born on Nov. 10 of 2010 and now we are a foursome.  It’s funny how much difference two years make.  Connor is growing, learning, getting really creative (and sassy), while Josie is doing all the things a little baby does.  And it is amazing how quickly you forget what to expect in each of the stages.  And once they’ve finished each phase, you wonder why you were in such a hurry for the next one.  The good news is we caught ourselves early and really enjoyed Josephine’s baby stages, from cutting teeth, to the crawl, to the gibberish, first steps, and the tight little hugs she gives.

Josie’s Baptism. We had a few crazy twists and turns but in the long run everything was perfect.  Fr. Joe flew in from Chile to preside over Josephine’s entry into the church.  And Nita’s cousins Michael and Clara Springer were named Godparents.  This was especially sweet since Clara’s mother “Josephine” was one of the main reasons Josephine was so named.  Everyone had a great time and Josie did great.

Connor goes bump.  One of the things we learned in Connor’s first year of pre-school is when the kids fall or run into each other they call it going “bump.”  Connor being a pretty rough and tumble kid goes bump a lot.  In one such incident last spring, Connor was dancing with a little girl.  After their turn on the floor, the little girl leaned in for a hug.  Connor, being about four inches taller and a few pounds heavier than she, returned the hug…which led the both of them to topple over.  As he was landing on her, her head missed the bookcase, his didn’t.  He hit the corner of the shelf with his eyebrow and well, bump.  Nita called and said, “Don’t freak out, but Connor needs stitches, can you meet me at Dell Children’s hospital?” We met there and spent four hours in the waiting room.  Connor was a trooper, he only got a little upset during the actual stitching, and of course he was thirsty, bored, and a little stir crazy.  You can only name and rename all the fish in the aquariums so many times.  I did learn a secret though, if you come in, speak no English, and say you don’t know what’s wrong with your child, but his insides hurt…you get seen immediately.  I saw this happen three times, don’t get me started.  However, the doctor did a great job and the scar is virtually invisible.

Thomas we love you.  Connor is a freak for Thomas the train.  As parents who are willing to acquiesce the obsessive, we of course got tickets to the Thomas traveling Broadway show and the actual Thomas the train ride in Burnet, TX.  We thought Connor might do fine for the first act and then we’d bolt for the intermission, but he was awesome throughout.  The train ride was pretty funny.  He was excited about seeing the train, but once he got on, he wanted to stick his head out the window (much to the conductor’s chagrin) and be the whistle (whoo whoooooo!).  Again, he was well behaved and only threw a minor tantrum when it was time to go.  We’ve been waiting for those terrible twos and were looking forward to turning three since the “two’s would be over.”  When I told a friend this statement he laughed at me and said, “Three is just the terrible twos with a better vocabulary.”  And he is right, Connor can be a very stubborn little boy.  I think I was most shocked when he CHOSE a time out over behaving.  That was a new one for us.  It gets easier right?

Nemo, Pinocchio, and reality.  Connor has been somewhat of an amateur oceanographer for a while.  He loves animals, but really loves sea animals, which is why we painted his room as the undersea adventure.  He loves Finding Nemo and the whale scene in Pinocchio. In any case, we thought it’d be a good idea to get Connor some beach time.  One of our friends has a vacation property down in Port Aransas.  So we decided to do a week with both moms, and the nanny.  It was SO much fun.  We cooked really fun meals; I rented a seven person golf cart, and Connor chased sea gulls.  And I mean chased! Lured with biscuits, and then full on sprint chased gulls for hours.  Josie squealed and giggled and got her toes wet.  Connor ran in and out of the surf, and we all had a neat time on the “car boat” (ferry).  One of the days we went to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.  Connor loved the sharks, dolphins, and the otters.  He also had his first ice cream cone.  We didn’t know (helpful hint advisory) that the Aquarium has just built a little outdoor play area with sprinklers, water jets, fountains, and other fun wet activities.  Had we known we’d have brought some swim diapers and other shoes.  A good time was had by all.  And although Nita and I went round and round on whether or not to bring Kara, it worked out perfectly. As it turned out, a lot of sun and two energetic kiddos takes its toll on two Seventy six year-old women, one of whom has had more knee operations than Dick Butkus.  Plus it gave Nita and me a chance to actually go and walk hand in hand on the beach one night, just the two of us.

The tux.  Nita got an email from my cousin Laura in late 2010 asking if Connor could be the ring bearer for her wedding in June.  At that time Connor was walking, running, and moderately obedient.  With some reluctance (because I didn’t want Connor to be “that guy” at the wedding) we accepted.  Did you know that it is cheaper to buy a tuxedo for a toddler than to rent one?  I guess if you look at it from the business perspective, you don’t want to argue with parents all the time about why they aren’t getting their deposit back because there is a hole worn in the knee or a stain that will never come out.  That being said, we now own a 3T tuxedo.  Connor was fantastic.  He held his little cousin’s hand the whole way and didn’t lose Freddy’s ring.  Oh, by the way, (against my advice), Freddy gave me his wedding ring to tie to the pillow for the ring bearing portion.  He thought at his daughter’s wedding there should be a real ring on the pillow, and he didn’t take the hint when I failed to offer my own.  As they walked down the aisle, Connor stuck his thumb in the ring and swung the pillow around all the way down.  It was really funny and very cute.  Also, if you have seen any of the thousands of pictures I’ve posted or shared of Connor, you know he has flaming red hair.  My cousin’s family has mostly black hair, my cousin’s husband’s family, mostly black hair.  Connor was the veritable fly in the milk.  If you can picture a sea of black hair (highlights notwithstanding) and Connor’s red hair parting the black sea; that was the scene.  At the reception he ate enough wedding sugar cookies for two tables and I think the photographer took about 5 rolls of him running, sliding and eventually break dancing. 

Ace.  Have you ever noticed that just when you really need it, something magical happens?  I have made no secret about how blessed my family is and my life has been.  I joined Facebook this year and have seen some really neat stories but also seen how many tragedies there are just in my friend community.  I know I have zero room to complain…but here goes.  I was in kind of a funk for a number of reasons and went out to play golf at my home course one Friday afternoon.  My round was in shambles at the turn (for me), so I decided to stop over at the house for a quick Gentleman Jack for the last four holes.  I took a sip and it was my turn to tee off on the par 3-15^th  hole, all carry over water. I was playing the skins game with four other guys who all had better handicaps than me and they all put it in pretty close.  I decided that I was going to throw one in there tight and committed to the shot.  While the shot was in the air, two of the guys said, “that’s got a chance”.  Then it hit just next to the flag, took one skip forward, spun back…and disappeared.  Hole-in-one.  I’ve never enjoyed paying a bar tab so much.  Most importantly it gave me just the reminder I needed that God is always watching over me and with me.  I’m a little embarrassed that I even felt the way I was feeling.  I’ve said it before and it won’t be the last time, but it’s uncanny that the more I pray the luckier I get.

Mom makes two big purchases.  While driving through the neighborhood we noticed a used golf cart for sale.  Mom had mentioned that she sure would thought it would be neat to have one instead of always driving her car over and using gas.  So I got them together and bingo Mom has a golf cart.  She even has four seats on it now and we can’t wait for the Christmas caroling, and light viewing evenings.  Our neighborhood goes a bit overboard when it comes to Christmas lights.  This was the “good” purchase.  The second purchase was not really a purchase; it was more of a money pit.  At a housewarming party earlier this summer, Connor was offered (and like idiots we accepted) a red eared slider.  For those of you out of the reptile loop, that’s a five dollar common water turtle.  This turtle came with its own bowl and a rock, and two cans of food.  We were told clean the bowl once a week and feed him once a day.  My mother came over and saw this turtle (who I named Soupy just in case things didn’t work out) and said, that turtle needs help.  So she confiscated the turtle and called her friend the turtle whisperer.  Long story short, she bought a terrarium, lights, rocks, bugs, worms, and took Soupy to a turtle vet.  Apparently Soupy needed several rounds of shots and more sunlight.  So I’m not going to embarrass anyone with the total here but it was about WAY larger than my hole-in-one bar tab.  We eventually convinced her to give away the turtle. Soupy has a new home now.  My recommendation was take her to the pond over which I made the hole in one and let her live with the other turtles, but was over-ruled by calls of “this turtle should not be returned to nature, she’ll die.”  Uh, isn’t that the point? Nature solving its own problems. 

Josie’s winning. One of the things you’re never supposed to do is compare your children. However, we all know it’s impossible to just observe where your kid is in height, weight, mobility, tooth-count, etc. versus your neighbor’s kids or just the older one.  You have to keep score.  (It can’t be just me, can it?) Connor was admittedly protected a lot, and Josie was able to experience a few more things earlier because we weren’t such freaks about the whole new mommy and new daddy stuff.  But she really is quite advanced.  I’d been told not to baby talk because even before your kids can speak they can understand commands and language.  Wow is that true.  Just a few days after her birthday, I noticed Josie and Connor playing in his big boy bed.  He is tolerant but can only take so much of Josie and you know she’s all in his business.  In fact, he calls her “Godzilla.”  It seems whenever he’s building something, or putting something together she comes cruising up and starts destroying it.  He usually squeals, “Daddy, Josie’s being Godzilla” with the first and last words having double the amount of syllables than how you just read them. Well in this example, he can’t take it anymore and he dives out of the back window of his train (Thomas Train big boy bed of course).  Josie starts lifting a leg to try to do the same commando move.  I say, “Josie, don’t do it.  Go to the side and go feet first.”  She looks up at me, drops down to a crawl, moves herself to the edge of the bed and kicks one leg over first, then the second.  Nice and safe-like.  It could be coincidence, but I think not.  She is too much into mimicking movements and sounds for that to have been random…plus we all know she’s a genius, and athletic!  Just the other day, she took her first steps.  I was holding her up then let her go and moved away.  She smiled, then looked down swayed and fell.  We did it again, and then bammo, two steps towards daddy.  Nita was shouting, “No, don’t take my baby from me.”  Time for the next phase I guess.  And she is already throwing and catching WAY ahead of Connor.  Something tells me she’s going to be my athlete, we’ll see.  There’s still time to prove me wrong C.  Remember look the ball in, catch with your hands.

Thanksgiving and Christmas. You’ll see next that I started a blog, you might want to go check it out in week or so to see how Christmas went.  This year Nita and I decided to double dose family.  We did Thanksgiving with the Italians and Christmas with the Mexicans.  Yep, Houston with Nita’s family for a big fun filled Thanksgiving, with more food than I think Portugal gets in a year.  Everything was fantastic in Houston… until 10:58PM when a blown call ended the 119^th playing of the best rivalry in College Football.  For Christmas, we are going to the valley.  However, we’re going to fly.  Connor has never been on an airplane and this should be interesting.  He knows daddy is on them a lot, and he knows they fly, etc.  But he’s never been to the airport or any of the procedures, etc.  Again, thank goodness the Admirals Club has free drinks (no I’m not going to get my kids liquored up, it’s for me and possibly Nita).

Reading is fundamental.  Nita’s book club kicks it up a notch.  Previously her book club would basically drink a bunch of wine and talk about the first 20 pages of the book (all that they read) and then visit and gossip for two hours.  Now they are seriously attacking these books.  And they aren’t choosing fluffy bubble gum books either.  They are getting into some pretty heavy and intense plotlines.  In any case, she loves the new energy this book club is providing, and I get to hear about ever suspenseful chapter.  Good stuff.

 The blogosphere. Inspired by a friend of Nita’s, I decided to start a blog this year.  I figured a six page Christmas letter with only one mobile child would quickly spin out of control with two.  So for those who are interested, I am writing a weekly blog which is essentially a weekly Christmas letter.  On the good side, the Christmas letter is down to four pages. Go to www.tworedstwobrowns.blogspot.com if you want to OD on the Martinez’.  (Get it? Two reds, two browns? Wait for it, wait for it…there you go.)  So if you are curious about the things that didn’t make the letter, give it a look.  Of course we had a couple more projects at the house (play scape, big boy bed and fire pit), some expanded stories of the ones listed, and the nanny situation. There were rock stars, comedy stars, and sports. There are more descriptions on the holidays and best of all, pictures.  At a dinner the other night, I was talking to a friend about the blog.  I told him that another friend was telling me about the google chrome (Dear Sophie) commercial in which the father created an email account for his newborn daughter.  He then wrote her an email describing every major event (birth, sibling, ski trip, etc.). He then types, “I’ve written you emails since you were born, I can’t wait to share them with you someday.”  It made me think; maybe I should write a book with all these stories.  Not to publish and become rich hoping that people will think we are as interesting as a Kardashian. Seriously, what is it with the Kard?, again…never mind, not worth it.  In any case, my friend said, do both;  Even if you don’t sell a single copy, what an awesome gift to your kids to have a bound volume of your obvious love and pride in them.  It reminded me of a meeting a few weeks after my father passed away.  His boss and peers at work called mom and me to join them at a breakfast meeting.  Each one told stories about how during their round table discussions, dad always spoke of me.  They then told me story after story of my childhood, and mischiefs.  Of course we were all bawling at the end.  Finally one gentleman said, “Your father was so proud of you.”  And you know what, I am so proud of Connor and Josie, I just love telling little stories about them.  So for those of you who take the time to read, I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoy telling them.  And Connor and Josephine, when you finally read these, we love you, we are proud of you, and daddy was just kidding about Josie winning.

Another year and although the economy could certainly be better, we couldn’t be happier.  The kids are healthy, we are healthy, and our mothers are healthy.  We have fantastic friends and God is visible in our lives.  We wish all of you the very best and happiest Christmas and New Year possible.  We hope your family is safe, secure, and you are surrounded by love and joy.  May God bless and be with all of you.  Merry Christmas, From:

Connor, Josephine, Nita, and Marco.  (Ps:, we might be getting a puppy this spring, don’t tell anyone).

Am I a Pageant Dad?

This is Christmas season and we all love those traditions that go along with them don’t we?  I know I do, and I’m also keenly aware that with a three year old and a one year old each year cements the foundation for what will become tradition.  We happen to live in a neighborhood that makes it easy to fall right into those wonderful Christmas traditions of lights, Santa, caroling, etc.

First, the Christmas letter.  I write our Christmas letter, Nita proofs it, and well it honestly is almost a year-long project.  We usually jot down some notes and by September we have a rough outline.  By November it’s pretty tight, and by mid-December, we’re just adding a few details from November. Accompanying the letter is what has become a fun family tradition, the family Christmas card.  In the early years, we went out and just uploaded a picture to HEB or Walgreens.  Now we have a little shoot, dress up and decide on a theme.  Over the top?  Maybe.  But you do it your way we’ll do it ours.  And besides, two of our friends (and you know who you and probably they are) spend the GNP of Costa Rica on their cards, but of course they look it too.  I think everything that appears gold in color for their cards is actually hand painted with real gold. If you’re on the list, they should be out tomorrow.

Next are the Christmas lights.  As I stated a couple of blogs ago, Connor insisted he help this year and I can see that being a really fun event as he and Josephine (who as of yesterday is walking) help mommy and daddy decorate the house and outside in years to come…until they become bratty teenagers and think Christmas is stupid, and then maybe someday much later Connor will say, “Dad, I know where everything is supposed to go, let me do it, you just relax and grab a GJ.”  I can dream!  Anyway, after that we usually load up all the kids, hop in my golf cart and ride around the neighborhood looking at all the light displays.  And there are tons of lights to look at.  Cul-de-sacs with themes, battling scriptures (seriously not a typo or exaggeration, it’s pretty funny) and just those really over-the-top uber-achievers who HAVE to outdo everyone.  If it’s cold out we pull out the heater.  Nita bought me a little golf cart heater a few years back and we’ll put the rain flaps down, turn on some Christmas music (of course my golf cart has a stereo, what am I a barbarian?), and squeeze in real tight.  Josie points and giggles, and Connor usually waves at the Santas and Frostys. 

Now it is prep time for the big day.  No not THAT big day, it’s the day of brunch with Santa at the golf club and golf cart caroling with the hay-ride.  Now two years in a row, Connor did not enjoy his time on the lap of Mr. Kringle. In 2009 he cried, okay he screamed.  In 2010, he also cried and reached for us, no pictures.  This year, we were determined to help him through this.  So my plan was to help him overcome through the power of routine.  All of us who’ve ever been in sports, music, given speeches, acted in plays, or heck even been on a date (you know where you practice looking the dad in the eye, good firm hand shake, smile and have two or three compliments loaded), know the power of routine.  Come to the golf course with me.  Okay, so here you are; your big putt to win the hole/match… deep breath, see your line, take one practice stroke, set up and BANG!!!!  A car horn, cough, loud something from somewhere happens, quickly, what do you do?  That’s Right!  You step back and start your routine over again.  Practice and familiarity breed confidence and have a calming effect.  You get back over your putt and drain that bad boy and count the money!

Now before I press on here, I had a little facebook teasing from a friend of mine.  He accused me of being a pageant dad. That what we did made me more akin to being that over bearing father who was living vicariously through his child actor.  Now he didn’t completely say all that but it was jokingly implied.  My goal was remove the fear and uncertainty and provide a routine that he could fall into to alleviate any anxiety and help him enjoy a pretty neat experience (that also keeps me out of huge lines in stores at the mall).

So two weeks before our lap session, we started talking about Santa coming to the club.  A week before we started practicing asking Mr. Rosy cheeks what we wanted for Christmas.  We also talked about not throwing a tantrum at the club because the big man would be watching and he’d been so good all year, that he can’t risk blowing it right there in front of him.  I even went to a website where you can set up an email “from Santa” to Connor.  It shows some pictures of Connor, tells where you’re from, mentions a couple of milestones, and then shows you the naughty or nice meter.  Connor loved it this year.   Anyway, we even did a “dressed rehearsal” where I put on a red jacket and put a stuffed baby seal (toy not taxidermy) under my chin and did some Ho ho hoing and invited C to jump on my knee.  Connor practiced asking for his toy, saying please, and even had a “where are your Reindeer, Santa?” line queued up. 

Get to the big day, and he decided that he wasn’t going to do it.  Josie on the other hand was HAMing it up.  She loved all the attention, was smiling, laughing, had her cute little dress on.  She was working the crowd like Tara Reid with new…well you know.  Anyway, while this was going on Connor ran to the back room cookie and ornament making stations and told my mother that he’d rather talk to the big stuffed toy Santa in the back room.  I went and got him and said, “Connor, here is your big chance buddy.  Santa needs to confirm what you want.  Daddy wrote him a letter for you, but you know how daddy is, he needs to hear it from you.  Can you go tell him really quickly what you want?  And don’t forget to say ‘please’ okay buddy?”

“Okay daddy.”  I popped him on the on the other knee and he was just about to scooch himself off when I said, “Connor tell him about the tractor.”  He looked Santa in the eye and said, “Can I have a back hoe? Please?”  And then Nita said, “Sweetie, can you smile for one picture?”  And he did…for one picture. J 

Afterwards I hugged him really big and told him how proud of him I was.  I asked if it was okay or if he didn’t like it, he said it was neat.  He was beaming at the brunch table after, you could tell he was very proud of himself, and we were proud of him too. 

Finally, after nap we went on the golf cart caroling ride.  Abuelita (grandmother in Spanish and what he calls my mom) came over in her decorated golf cart and I installed the car seats.  Connor and Josie were strapped in and the whole fam went back to the club.  They rode on the hay ride, the golf carts, and sang a few songs.  Connor belted out Jingle bells and Rudolf like he wrote them.  And Josie was as cute as could be.  You know, do you think she’s too young for one of those kiddie pageants?  Kidding, of course.

It’s all in the tone

Connor and Josephine are on big learning curves right now.  Josie is taking steps and babbling, but still relies on the crawl and the point to ensure success.  She has a little smile that is amazing and a guttural laugh when tickled.  It’s not a fake, “I’m having fun with daddy laugh,” it’s a full on uncontrollable from the toes laugh.  I love hearing it so much I actually have to limit myself so she can catch her breath.  She is also becoming more and more aware of her surroundings.  For example, Connor leads our mealtime prayers.  If we don’t start soon enough after the kids are strapped in Josie puts her hands together and grunts.  Judging by her size and appetite we think this is more to get the food moving rather than her devotion to the Word.  Although she does love her children’s Bible.

Connor is working all the angles a three year old has.  He is working on negative attention, victim status (Daddy, I need a hug), positive attention, proactive invitations (“Where you going daddy? Can I come with you?”), mild tantrums, not so mild tantrums, courtesy, and willful disobedience.  Did I leave any out?  These were all on display this weekend when we took the kids to Cabelas for the first time.  For those that don’t know it’s a huge superstore of everything outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, etc.  It also has a snack bar, an aquarium, and a bunch of stuffed game animals in different sections in the store.  And I don’t mean little tiny cuddly stuffed bears, I mean someone went out and shot a grizzly bear, took it to the taxidermist and stuffed it.  Now make that times 200.  Not all bears, there were lions, deer, an elephant, rhino (no Romney jokes), zebra, polar bear, armadillos, coyotes, foxes, wolves, antelope, you name it.  And in the aquarium, there were bass and catfish as big as Connor.  Josie loved standing on the edge and watching the fish swim towards her…they probably thought she looked delicious.

Then we played in the camping tents while Josie tried to turn a cot into a trampoline.  That’s when we saw the shooting gallery.  It was an old fashioned light gun gallery with all kinds of animatronic animals and other outdoor gear.  Connor was scared to death.  Ha, just kidding.  He couldn’t pick up the gun and pull the trigger fast enough. Yes, we have a gun safe, relax everyone.  So we bought some tokens and let me tell you that boy is quick on the trigger.  I was trying to aim for him and he just kept reeling off shot after shot.  He loved shooting the snake and watching it slither away, and then back again. 

We got him away from the gallery and figured it was time to go when he almost took down an entire rack of fishing rods.  Plus it was lunch time.  Cabelas strategically placed an ice cream freezer just on the other side of the registers.  Bastards.  So Connor matter-of-factly said, “I need an ice cream.”  We told him we’d go get some lunch and then maybe…but before that sentence concluded we heard a chorus of 20 different ways to ask for ice cream.  He almost lost it, but currently responds well to, “Connor take a deep breath buddy.  Calm down, tell me slowly.”  So he took a deep breath. And said, very calmly, “Daddy, Mommy, I need an ice cream please.  Please have an ice cream?!” 

Well what can you do?  It’s 12:15, we hadn’t had lunch, do you give him the ice cream?  Of course not.  So we said, “Connor, as soon as we leave the store we’re going to get some lunch then we’ll have dessert.”  He might have mentioned that this was not acceptable and he was really looking forward to some ice cream.  I’m summarizing the BAZILLION mentions and combinations of the words ice and cream he just ran through.  Finally I thought I had him when I said, “Okay buddy tell you what, if we go someplace that has ice cream, you can have ice cream.”  His amazingly quick response was, “Mommy can we go to a place for lunch that has ice cream please?”  My boy.  Josie meanwhile is just being sweet, but she’s clearly hungry too.  So here we are at Dan’s Hamburgers.  Connor and Mommy each get a milk shake.  I’ll save you the entire conversation on the 10 (felt like 40) minute drive from Cabelas to Dan’s and how a milk shake is actually ice cream and how that was acceptable to Connor, anyway he got a shake.  He even ate half of his cheeseburger and some fries and even an onion ring.  Josie just pounded everything we put in front of her and was even rewarded with a few spoons full of ice cream.  And by the way, she does the cutest thing with new foods now.  She’ll stick her tongue out to taste something before she allows a full mouthful.  Let’s just say, the ice cream passed the tongue test and within seconds she was pointing and saying “that.”  My girl.  And the ride home was nice and peaceful.  Those kids were worn out.

All in all it was a pretty fun filled weekend with the kids. I can’t believe how fast they are growing up.  One of my neighbors just posted that her kid lost a tooth.  Then all the tooth fairy talk started going.  Josie’s just about walking, Connor is debate captain of the pre-school.  Connor, Josie, please stop growing up so fast.  Daddy needs a hug.

Fart jokes are funny …sometimes.

Okay, so we are officially in the zone.  Connor has discovered negative attention and as a smart kid has learned to use it.  We finally had some issues this weekend where Connor was both really good and really naughty.  We also discovered that burping and farting are kind of funny, except loud fake burp noises at the dinner table, and at the store, at school, at the mall, or basically anywhere. After Connor knocked over a row of cans at the supermarket, he went into the burping chorus.  It reminded me of the time(s) I was asked to go cut my own switch.  And no I didn’t make him cut a switch…he’s too young for knives or hatchets. By the way, there is no perfect size switch.  The thick ones just hurt and the thin ones bend and snap like a bull whip.  You are kind of screwed either way.

Nita and I have different ideas on how to discipline and have even had “discussions” on what things are okay and not okay.  Some of those discussions were funny in retrospect, some of them not so funny.  I was talking to another friend of mine about this and I think as athletes all our lives we were taught to constantly anticipate what the next move or the potential consequences of certain actions.  For example, I’m terrified that if Connor continues reaching up and grabbing things off counter tops, or opening drawers and reaching inside them, or slamming doors that he’s either going to burn, cut, or sever a finger or do the same to Josie.  She is constantly on his six (right behind him) trying to be his shadow. Nita is more apt to let him discover things, not in a bad way, just allow him to grow.  I guess I’m more of a corner back and she’s more of a safety.  In any case it’s all working out and we’re really having fun watching Connor and Josie grow and learn and trying to help dial in the discipline without stifling the inquisitive creative thought process. It’s a way tougher job than I thought it would be by the way.

Josephine is almost walking now and is chirping up a storm.  She’s practicing her words and when we sing songs (which are perfect around Christmas time) she’s joining in gleefully.  She’s also working the baby signs and Connor is using them to his advantage as well.  Today in fact he signed “more” in the middle of a tantrum to ensure we understood what he needed.  It was almost worth paying him off…almost.  They are also huge into the Christmas spirit.  Connor is singing Christmas songs; Josie is grunting and baby talking her way through them as well.  The Christmas videos are going and the lights are going up.  I’ve mentioned that our entire neighborhood goes Griswold around here haven’t I?  Well we do.  600 trees are delivered to the neighborhood and we all put one in the middle of the front yard with C9 lights.  They become the streetlights for the area.  Plus there are little theme areas that are just fantastic.

Connor insisted on helping put up the outside lights and of course I let my little helper give me a hand even though it made the entire project last about twice as long.  He LOVED it and he looked adorable in his little knit hat, ski boots and mittens.   Yes he has ski boots and mittens.  The funniest part was when we were putting the inflatable Frosty and Thomas Train up and I had to deflate Frosty so I could stake it in the ground.  He was pretty distraught that Frosty had met the same fate as the greenhouse in the movie and said we needed Santa or some Christmas snow to bring him back to life.  I could have gone so many ways with that one, but chose the righteous path and explained that this was a doll and the real Frosty was in the North Pole with Santa just like the show said.  He decided that was a good explanation.  Josie just loves the lights and also looks adorable in her little coat and hat.

After all the decorating in the 40 and high 30’s weather, we decided to give Connor a warm bath.  Josie watched Connor playing and quickly decided she also needed to be in the tub and dove in head first.  We all gasped and rushed to keep her from drowning. She, however, merely put her hands down and pushed her little head up and giggled.  What a pro.  So the kids were having a bath and as always Josie was trying to be Connor’s shadow. So Connor dove OUT of the tub.  We put him back in and Josie tried to hold him down in the tub.  It was hilarious.  I can’t even show all the pictures with all the new laws and what not, but they are adorable and if a three year old turns you on and you want to come and try to abduct him, well I have a Glock, a CHL, and I will shoot you in the face.  So there’s that.  In any case it was really sweet.

They are really starting to play together and Connor is even trying to teach Josephine some words and signs.  He’s constantly singing the jingle bells, Frosty, and Rudolph songs and of course he’s teaching her how to make farting sounds.  He laughs when she farts or burps and to be honest so do we.  I know, you don’t have to tell me where this is going.  We are planning to go to my family’s ranch for Christmas and my cousin said he’s already bought a whoopee cushion. Plus we’re going to have tamales, lots of them for the holidays, so that should go well.  But honestly, my first Christmas with Nita she bought me a little fart machine with a remote control.  And you know what?  Fart jokes ARE funny, I don’t care who you are. 

Don’t take my baby!!

Whew what a week.  We went to Houston for Thanksgiving and the kids were awesome for the trip.  We had adjacent hotel rooms with the moms and of course Josie didn’t want to have anything to do with the pack and play and ended up sleeping between Nita and me …at the head of the bed of course with her feet firmly extended to push off on my forehead as she twitched in her little dreams.  The family was fantastic and we took the kids to see Uncle Sammy’s restaurant on our way home.  By the way if you are ever in Houston and want some good Italian food, go downtown to Patrenella’s.  Anyway, Connor played in the garden, the kitchen, the bar, and then he found the candy dish.  Luckily he was in the other car.  The moms got Plumeria clippings and it was nice to spend some time with him.  This is Nita’s father’s brother.  Plus there are tons of pictures of the old family from both Italy and when they first arrived.  Anyway, it was an awesome holiday.

Josie is starting to walk.  Yep, she’s taking her first steps and it’s apparently pretty traumatic.  I say that because as I was holding her waist and then scooching back and letting her go so she could take a few steps toward me, I heard Nita yell, “NOOOOOOO don’t take my baby.”  She’s a little bit ahead of Connor and I guess Nita is scared that another phase is about to be gone. So there is that.  She was a big hit with the Italians as well.  We ate at her Godparent’s house and there is a staircase.  Josie showed her climbing prowess by going up and down about 20 times. At one point while I was on Josie duty and Nita was on Connor duty, one of the ladies came to me with open arms and said, “Give her to me.”  In about three minutes she came back handed Josie to me and said, “I can’t keep up with her, all she wants to do is crawl up and down the stairs.”  I guess when you have three core skills, you do what you do.

Connor had a breakout weekend as well.  First we put up the tree Friday night while the kids were sleeping.  When Connor woke up and came downstairs he saw it with the lit presents under the tree.  He said, “Santa brought a tree,” and then played with the light switch for 20 minutes.  We also lit the fire pit outside for the first official time.  We’re still going to do a couple more things to it, but it passes nicely for now, we even made s’mores…and then Connor morphed into puss in boots and his marshmallow skewer became his sword.  He ran around the back yard stabbing imaginary ghosts and a very real tree.  We also had a couple of fires in our fireplace inside and Connor wanted to help with all the fireplace tools.  By the way, if you are moving burning logs around with the tong tool, you may want to do it with shoes on. Just a tip.  Anyway, Josie also loved watching the fire and hearing the crackling of the wood.  If you are wondering if you’ve discovered the key to all the unsolved arson crimes, you haven’t and quit watching CSI.  It only gets cold here in Austin about 20 days a year so we make the most of it.

There is nothing cuter than hearing your little three year old singing jingle bells over and over. I mean it, his little voice is discovering pitch and more range, but he’s still three.  Plus he’s mine and I love him, so well you know.   Last year’s Frosty and Rudolph were adorable because he didn’t remember all the words.  This year he does.  So of course I taught him the “batman smells, robin lays an egg” version.  He belly laughed and immediately memorized the lyric.  And it is really cute and funny to hear your son singing it…until the teacher calls and then it’s not cute anymore.  Do you know that it takes a lot longer to unlearn something than it does to learn it?  Go figure.

Here we go, a first, Connor chose a time out.  Yep, he was being a little naughty and was refusing to settle down.  His Aunt gave him a new Thomas train toy that we were going to wrap and put under the tree…until he saw it in the bag just as we were getting ready for breakfast.  He was refusing to eat so he could go play with the toy and repeated, “Can I play with my toy” in various ways, tones, and voices (including whiny cry) about 50 times.  By the way, I know I have a tendency to embellish at times for a better story…but no joke, 50 times.  At about 48 I said, Connor if you say the word “toy” one more time you are NEVER going to play with it.  Nita of course scolded both of us.  In any case, Connor was refusing to eat because when he was “done” he’d be able to go play.  I told him, “Connor, listen buddy.  You either eat your breakfast, or you are going in time out, you pick.”  Defiantly he looked at me and in a very calm voice said, “Play with my toy, daddy?”  I said, “Your choices are eat, or time out.”  He said, “Time out.”  Record needle scratch sound.  Time stops. Dogs and cats living together. Van Halen gets back together, announces tour.  What?!!!  Connor just chose a punishment over behaving.  Oh, my.  This was our first time, and I have been informed (by laughing fathers) that it will clearly not be the last.  I think I understand what Nita was feeling when she saw Josie’s steps. NOOOOO, don’t take my sweet little boy!!!

Come back here boy!!!

We went to take Christmas pictures yesterday, and it felt like a Simpsons episode, all that was missing was the nudity…check that, Nita changed Josie for the picture in the lobby. At least it wasn’t Connor stripping down to his birthday best and mooning the store.  Not that he’s above that.  As we were looking at the proofs it was a cornucopia of faces and everyone looking at everyone instead of the camera.  It was really pretty fun picking out the card.  We were able to chuckle and relive the entire shoot.  Of course Connor was making little faces and Josephine was checking out her new shoes, Connor chanting, “Gumball gumball” the entire time.  I’m sure she was wondering where her toes went.  Then there were so many props around it was almost too much stimulus. Then of course she’d catch a glimpse of something interesting and off she went.  Meanwhile Connor being a good big brother was trying to either catch or watch Josie.  Nita and I are trying to keep looking into the lens and hope the kids were too.  I’ll post the pictures a bit after Christmas for a good chortle.  All in all both kids did great.  Connor was very well behaved and he got his gumball reward as promised. 

It’s amazing what we’ll do for a little treat isn’t it?  I remember 37 years ago getting stitches with the promise of a lollipop which I did not get by the way. But Connor will behave at the grocery store for his half doughnut and lollipop and balloon that HEB so generously provides (not the doughnut, that we purchase).  Seriously, Connor will do trigonometry if it means watching a Thomas train video or getting a cup cake.  Actually, what’s been pretty fun is Connor is way into the classics.  Knowing us, you know we’re kind of old school, so this should come as no surprise.  Connor LOVES the Wizard of Oz, Dumbo, the Aristocats, Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Book, Pinocchio, and the Robin Hood with the foxes and bears.  And to be honest, we love watching those classics with him.  We don’t deprive him of the more contemporary stuff, he watches Cars and Nemo, etc. but if given the choice, he’ll pick one of the classics. Pretty cool.

Josephine is still in to the three dimensional entertainment.  She’d rather grab things, hug stuffed animals, put things in her mouth, etc.  She’s not as interested in the video entertainment…yet.  She’ll also grab a book and scoot her way over to you, book in tow.  She then moves you into position to hold her and read her the story.  She’s a page turner as well, very participative. As for the videos, sometimes when Connor gets up to dance with one of his shows, she’ll also do a little dance or at least coo and wiggle.

Speaking of shows, it is a little weird going into this Thanksgiving.  For at least a few years, this is going to be the very last A&M vs. Texas football game.  I remember skipping several Thanksgiving dinners (to my mother’s chagrin), in order to say in College Station for the game and usually wave Cotton balls (back then when A&M won (five times in a row) we’d usually also with the South West Conference and then it was off to the Cotton bowl).  And now 115 years of tradition is slipping away.  I won’t talk about who is more or most at fault, because we’re really beyond the “why” and stuck with the “is.”  As most of you know, I went to A&M and my lovely wife went to Texas.  It has been a fun rivalry for our entire marriage with each of us buying little trinkets involving our Alma maters for the kids.  And of course last year we had to put our dog of 14 years (Rio) down at half time.  It had nothing to do with the score, he had organ failure and the after-hours emergency clinic said it was time and of course we had to be there with him to say goodbye.  I always thought I’d be able to share a virtual toast at halftime with all my friends in honor of Rio.  Now it just seems weird that it won’t happen for a while.  I hate when they move traditions.  I even hated when they moved the game off of Thanksgiving.  It just didn’t feel the same.

This year we’re heading down to Houston for a big Italian Thanksgiving, lots of Aggies, and a lot of food.  Connor will get to run around with his cousins and have a really good family experience.  And desserts!  That boy has a sweet tooth like his momma.  Josie will be passed around, cheeks pinched and her little feet may not touch the ground the whole time.  She too can put away some food; I can’t wait to hear the comments about her little appetite. In any case, we’re taking both moms and it should be a fun time for all.  I’ll let you know how it actually turned out next week.  Hopefully it won’t be a Simpsons Thanksgiving. And let’s hope the nudity is limited to Josie and the changing table.  But one never knows.

Who wants seconds?

I never had a sibling so I’ll never know personally what my kids will go through.  However, this weekend was the first (of hopefully many) joint birthday parties for Connor and Josephine.  Josie turned one on Nov 10 and Connor turns three on Nov 20.  So on November 13, we had a petting zoo party for both of them.  It was a huge hit and best of all our neighbor’s 10 year-old had a really great time.  This is the third year in a row we’ve done this and if we could squeeze this out for seven more years, I’d be tickled.  It’s super easy.  Call the mobile zoo, they come, set up the pen, dump all the animals in, kids go nuts for an hour, pony rides, redirect kids, they put up the animals, clean up the poop, and they disappear.  Can you say party in a box? 

This year was extra nice because we had that play scape put in.  So the kids weren’t watching the animals getting loaded up, they played and ran around like they being chased by bears.  It was really fun watching Connor and Josie interact with all the kids and animals this year.  I can really see the big gains from Connor’s first year.  In year one, he reached out for animals and squealed.  Year two, he chases and picks up some animals, and almost decapitates a bunny.  Year three has him chasing, and cornering the animals, picking them up and placing them where he thinks they should be.  In some cases on top of a hay bale, in others I guess they needed to be free.  Yes he dropped two chickens, a pig, and a duck outside the pen and the adults then had to chase and catch the renegade livestock.  Even the little calf made a break for it. 

This year he also had fun with the feed.  He learned to lure his prey with the feed they provided and then he’d make his move.  I liked his strategy and no animals got hurt and they certainly got fed.  Josephine woke up from her nap about half way through the zoo and we got her into the pen. She smiled, giggled, and petted many of the little goats, sheep, ducks, the foal, donkey, and calf.  She wasn’t too cool with the pony ride but come one, she’s one.  In any case, she seemed amazed that all these animals that are two dimensional in her books, or are stuffed in her room and sedentary all of a sudden came to life.  How cool that must be when everything is in discovery mode?  But she was a bit bolder than Connor was at his first one, but isn’t that the way?

As we were getting the cake and cupcakes ready for “happy birthday” and strapping the kids into their chairs, Connor’s Godmother asked, “So will this be Josie’s first sweets?”  Uh, no.  We kind of laughed about this because I guess like most parents we were so protective of Connor in year one.  No nuts, no honey, no milk, etc.  Josie’s pretty much had a free for all in the first one.  Sometimes it was Nita and I watching in horror while Josie found something on the ground that Connor was eating and she put it in her mouth.  So we’d watch, mouth agape, hoping nothing would happen…thankfully it didn’t.  J  So Josie was a bit ahead of the curve.  In fact, if I was sure she’d find her way back I’d let her check the mail, hmmm, maybe a tether or a leash of some sort… it is getting colder out you know and I don’t want to go out there this winter.  Of course I’m kidding. That really is more of a Connor job isn’t it?

In any case, we thought about all the things Josie has done earlier and laughed.  The list was pretty extensive.  Then it also made me think about those families with more than oh let’s say five.  One of my best friends in high school had 12 brothers and sisters.  His mom always had food on the stove, which of course was a treat for me.  And his dad always had beer in his tool shed fridge, which was also a treat for my friend and me. We left money in the cooler for whatever we took, and to be honest we were fairly responsible about it. While we could have taken a lot of it, we usually took a sixer, which in retrospect is probably why our “ruse” continued to work.  In any case, it made me wonder about how much the baby or at least number 11 gets away with in a family that big.  I mean if Josie’s eating pecans off the floor at nine months, is number six or seven playing with knives in the kitchen?

Plus it was a different time, I guess.  There were no car seats, helmet laws, food warnings, or anything like that.  There was a really funny episode of Mad Men a few years back where the two moms were in the kitchen smoking while the kids came running in with dry cleaning bags over their heads.  They said, “Mommy, mommy, we’re spacemen.”  Mommy’s reply was, “My dry cleaning better not be on the floor mister!”  Good times, good times.

So I guess I hope that the phrase, “Why does Connor’s/Josie’s stupid friends have to come to my party” is delayed for 7-8 years.  Because I’m telling you, one party in the middle is way preferable to two distinctly different and separate parties.  In fact, think we can run this through high school?  I’ll leave my beer fridge open.  Connor, you better leave some money, and don’t take more than a sixer sporto.