We're Still Here

Wow, has it really been nearly three months since we last posted?!? A new full-time job, daycare, the holidays and a surprise guest kept us pretty busy. We've also been cherishing our weekend time together. This winter has been quite mild, so we've been able to spend time outside doing the things we love — like play croquet!

A quick holiday recap: My mom, LaLa, surprised Nigel with a visit before the holidays. He was over the moon to have her here. Nigel's been enjoying all of his presents, and he continues to text Santa (on his pretend phone) in preparation of next year.

Tim: Work is going very well for Tim. He's had several things published recently, including this Market at a Glance of Des Moines, Iowa. He's traveling to Kansas in late February. Before that trip, he is running his very first 10k with me! So very proud of him.

Sarah: I'm plugging away at my new gig. The firm has recently take on oil and gas titling work in Ohio. I've had the opportunity to review documents signed by Thomas Jefferson, which is pretty cool. What I enjoy the most about my job is that I get off at 4:30 and don't think about work until the next morning when I clock in. It's been a while since I've had that luxury!

Nigel: Daycare and the new routine was a bit of a rough start for everyone, including Nigel. He's doing much better now, though. We've signed him up for extra activities during the day — dance class and gymnastics — so he can get his wiggles out. His gymnastics teacher says he's the only kid strong enough to pull himself up onto the bars and hang upside down! Nigel's also really progressing well with writing letters and words and is showing a real interest in learning how to read and spell. For now, we're working on perfecting our letters and not writing so largely.

In addition to all of the normal things that go on in our house — Buddhist temple on Sundays, game nights with friends, book club, trips to the zoo — we have lots to look forward to this spring, including visits from BOTH uncles and a dear friend from NYC, Nigel's FOURTH birthday party and lots of festivals. Thanks for checking in on us!

A [Belated] Happy Father's Day

Just like Mother's Day, Father's Day is a little bittersweet around here — for numerous reasons. But one thing that doesn't get me down is how awesome of a dad Tim is. Seriously, folks, this man is amazing! I could not wish for a better parenting partner. Tim is a selfless giver of his time, gifts and love. I really don't have adequate words to describe how wonderful it is to watch him interact with Nigel. It makes my heart so full and happy.

So how do you celebrate the world's best dad? For Father's Day we had a special breakfast here at home and gave Tim his presents (a coffee mug with pictures of Nigel on it, a personalized card and a few months of The Economist) before heading out to spend the day with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan.

When I see so many dads out there who need to follow this advice, I know Nigel and I have hit the jackpot!

Mother's Day

I joked with several friends last week that I didn't want to blow Mother's Day... didn't want to ruin the special day. I didn't want my Mother's Day to end up like Frankie's on The Middle. She wanted her hubby and kids gone for the day, so they left. Instead of relaxing without them, though, she ended up doing work around the house. And the kicker was, the kids and hubby had a picture perfect day off on their own. You can see the full episode here. Additionally, for various reasons, Mother's Day is always a tad bittersweet at our house. Plus, this is the first year that Nigel's old enough to understand appreciation and the concept of Mother's Day, so I knew there was potential for greatness.

So, Saturday was family fun day. First, we drove to Plano for an Asian American festival. On the way there, Nigel counted to 10 in Spanish and French. I got a "I did that!" feeling in my heart and was just overwhelmed with just how much I love being this little guy's mom. At the festival, Nigel got to play a violin and a drum, listen to Indian music, and have an egg roll during our picnic. It was refreshing to see so much diversity, something we continue to crave here in FW.

Next stop: the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson. It reminded me a lot of Arts in the Park.
Nigel enjoyed looking at some of the art — large sculptures are a huge hit with him — and he also made a plaster hand print. Of course, no festival is complete without ice cream so he had some of that, too.

After a brief stop at home, I chose Indian food for dinner. We went to Tandoor in Arlington. This is where the magic died. I'm not sure if Nigel had just been out too long or what, but he was wild! He refused to eat everything that was offered to him (despite the fact that he's been eating Indian food for two years), and he ran into the parking lot when Tim took him outside for a "chat." It didn't exactly leave me with a warm feeling in my mothering heart.

While I was with my running group on Sunday, Tim and Nigel made carrot cake cupcakes for me (I missed my mom's carrot cake over Easter). They also surprised me with three cards (the one Nigel picked out was in Spanish), a new sports bottle and a running shirt. After lunch, Tim and Nigel went to the YMCA to practice swimming while I watched something on Netflix. When they returned, I ventured off on my own. I went to the FW Botanic Gardens to read and get some sun, but I quickly realized it was way too hot and relocated to Starbuck's.

The weekend was the perfect balance of family and alone time. I really did feel special, minus the Indian restaurant episode. But really, I feel like that every day. I'm so lucky to have a husband who shares the responsibility of parenting, who recognizes when I need some down time and appreciates my style of parenting. And I'm super lucky to have a son who tells me "You're the best mother in the whole world. I love you more than all of the cupcakes, all of the ice cream and all of the hot dogs in the world."

Look Who's 40!!!

Tim turned 40 on Monday!!!! Last year I had hoped to plan a huge surprise party with all of his friends, but that just wasn't doable from down here. So, we celebrated among ourselves. Well, first I tried to celebrate with his coworkers before he left work for the day. Long story short, he was attempting to leave early to surprise us but it all worked out and we had cupcakes and punch with a few of his coworkers.

Then, we tried to go to Sassy Hot Dogs (Tim's choice) for dinner, but the cart wasn't there. So, we ended up at Dutch's on the TCU campus. Tim and I both got the Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger, which had ample amounts of bacon and cheese. The burger itself wasn't anything to write home about, but the soft, fresh bread and toppings made it awesome! The batter surrounding my gigantic onion rings was studded with chunks of black pepper, which was a nice kick! Dutch's just may have replaced Tommy's as my favorite FW burger joint.

Once we were home, Tim opened his presents — all Star Wars themed. All in all, I think it was a good day. Happy birthday, Tim!!!!