TWENTY-NINE

Still working on my baguette skills. Even overdone baguettes are tasty with butter and or jam though so I'm not too disappointed with sub par results.

 2016 week twenty-nine

Theodore's pestering skills, however, are in top form. She's crying in this photo because she's worried he's going to grab her food. 

Friends came over to play outside while I gardened. After 5 minutes of trying to coax them into playing with the sprinkler, I opened the rain barrel hose onto the garden plot I was tilling. They were busy for the next two hours. Best quote from the mud pit. Friend, "Vera, do you like monster trucks?!" Vera, "Uh. Nope!"

Later in the week we drove to San Antonio for Matt's brother's Air Force graduation. V was fantastically well-behaved. Maybe it helped that I forced her to run around the field touching all the display planes before we sat down.

Or maybe it was the oppressive heat that kept her in her seat. Who is inclined to move when it's that hot?

To help her stop whining while walking around downtown San Antonio, we found a flight of pigeons and sent her running into them. She perked up considerably after that.

San Antonio river walk. Beautiful but stressful with a child who knows no fear of the murky water.

The next morning we were in Austin! We spent the night with Matthew's oldest sister. Our trip to Austin started great and got better all the time. We opened our trip by putting the kids to bed and then getting to see all the bats fly out of the bridge. Then we got fantastic thai food from a food truck called Coat and Thai. It was some of the most impressive Pad Thai I've had in a long long time. 

The next morning we got up bright and early and went out on the river (lake?) in the swan boats. Theodore tried to make up for his rough car rides by sleeping the entire time. Uncharacteristically thoughtful and helpful of him. The little girls thought it was just so fun. 

Then we got Voodoo Doughnuts and tried as many silly combos as we could while the little girls just danced and danced.

Before nap we make a quick stop at Hope Outdoor Gallery (or Graffiti city). 

During naps, Matt and I got to have a little date. We went mini golfing and went back to the food trucks for another fantastic meal: turkish kebabs. Worth the wait and the heat. We spent an additional night to trade off babysitting and headed back bright and early Sunday morning -much to Vera's displeasure. She loves her cousins. She spent the whole trip frolicking, giggling, and singing. She was in heaven.

Pretending to drive while we stopped at a gas station to get some snacks. The convenience mart worker told me she hadn't seen a kid come into her store who wasn't whining or crying in a long time and that she was really impressed with Vera's behavior. I have to write these down so the memories of her fantastic behavior blur the memories of the tantrums and screaming and complete naughtiness. 

Quotes:

"Mama, before nap, can Papa and I play Batman? Can we play Batman for 1...hour?"

"Why did the workers leave? Did they leave to take a nap? They took a nap and then they will come back. They always take care of their bodies."

Eating chicken for dinner, "Mama, where is this chicken's urethra? If you see the urethra just drop it in the sink ok?" 5 days later eating chicken strips, "I don't know where this chicken's urethra is. But we can't eat it so if you find it, you need to just take it off and throw it away." (What is happening? Why is she talking about this? Haha.)

Friend, referring to the pit of a peach, "Are you eating the middle part?"
Vera, "No. I'm just eating a peach."

"I'm a new princess! My name is Hella Bella."

At the Air Force Parade they played really bouncy parade band music, "They are playing princess music! Dance with me to this princess music!"

At the restaurant with all the family for lunch, I gave Vera half of my veggie enchilada, but all the cousins had chicken and french fries, "Mama, can you please go get that lady? You need to tell her she forgot to bring me my food like chicken and french fries."

"I'm sure that will be extra!" Lately I've been trying to teach V about doing extra jobs to earn extra things -like jelly beans. But now she asks if everything is extra. "I pooped on the toilet. I'm sure that's extra." "I ate my dinner. I'm sure that's extra." "I didn't hit Theo. I'm sure that's extra." No V, these are normal things you must do. You don't earn jelly beans just for doing what you're supposed to do.