Sunday, April 29, 2012

Adventures in Austin

I just got back from a weekend in Austin with my longtime friend HRN. We live states apart, her being in Minnesota and me in California. Time to catch up in either state is few and far between with both of us being worker bees, wifey's and mommy's, so Austin just seemed like the natural place to meet. We biked and walked the majority of the city and it was HOT, y'all. If you've never been, this city, in my owns words, is home of the infinite food truck, thoughtful signage, thriving small business owners, and more food. Here is a glimpse into our weekend.....




Our hotel. 7 rooms. All adorable. Including the front desk girl who had "Uff-da" tattooed on her arm.




In a yard somewhere in Austin.




Rainey. Her maiden name and a street where people drink.


A series of signage and food trucks staring now..











































Cheers Austin. You're awesome.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sending him.

Today was a big mommy moment friends. I officially registered Hudson into kindergarten. He is officially "in the system." Although we won't know if he gets in to the dual immersion program (spanish speaking) for another month, he is definitely going to kindergarten. I know I've addressed this issue a few times and I was so over people who talked about the "to send or not to send" subject before I had a kid, but when you do have your own, this is a big deal. Or at least most people make it out to be a big deal.
Surprisingly, I was not sad at all. In fact, as I walked on the elementary school campus I became energized and excited for this new adventure we are all about to embark on. Especially for Hudson, obviously.
Then, when I went to pick him up from pre-school, I saw a few other parents, who have not yet made the big "to send or not to send" decision, with worry in their eyes. Worry about doing the 'wrong' thing. Worry about not having a plan yet. Worry that they are worried and still trying to decide. They ask me what we are doing and I confidently say "sending him."
One thing about me, it's not that I am sooo confident, it's that once I make a decision, I stick with it. I would call it more stubborn and less confident. It is almost a fault, but at the end of the day, I don't dwell over spilled milk and there is something to be said about that.
So, I've pretty much heard it all. The pros and the cons. The good reasons to send and the bad. The bottom line is my kid may have to work harder (or smarter) than another kid to get through kindergarten or maybe even throughout his entire education, but I just don't see that as a negative factor.
One final thought: If your kid is gonna be a fuck up, they will either be paying the older kids to buy them cigs or buying the cigs themselves for the younger kids. Either way, you can always blame it on the year they started kindergarten.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Chinese Proverb




Hud, his new desk, and his old growl face.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Lego Life

I've been a bit quiet lately as I've been trying to spend more QT with the fam. Now that E is getting better, he is more engaged, which means less computer time for me. This is a happy thing.

We had a relaxing Easter brunch at our place with some friends and their kids. The rest of our free time was (and pretty much always is these days) putting together Legos with Hudson. His latest (obesssion) hobby.

This Lego assembling, my friends, is a great metaphor for our life at this moment. As E gets better each day, WE are putting the pieces together (back together) one by one. Piece by piece. Sometimes doing it by heart, because we've done it so many times, sometimes reading the directions because its all brand new. We make mistakes and when we realize we've made a mistake, we have to undo a few pieces. Try, to do it right the second (or third) time around. In hopes, that eventually, we will have a perfect product.....Or at least a solid base to build from.

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."
~Emile Zola


Easter eggs.





A work in progress.....





The Lego village. Hundreds of Legos people.