My Big Girl

I can't believe how big H is getting. It seems like just yesterday she was "failing to thrive." Then, Friday night she went and lost her first tooth! Well, let me yank out her first tooth! We don't do the Tooth Fairy at our house. We don't put our teeth under our pillows and hope for money. Not out of any malice against the tooth fairy. We just don't do it.

Funny story... Haroon let the kids watch Hellboy 2. In the film, the "tooth fairies" are actually terrifying. So, If you asked my kids if the tooth fairy came into their room while they were sleeping, they'd freak out and probably scream!!

In lieu of money under their pillows for teeth, we let the kids pick out a toy or some such item they want that's about $10 when they lose their first tooth. In the long run, our kids are not getting as much as everyone else, but they don't seem to notice!!

Hafsa picked out a shoe decorating kit. It came with puffy paint, glitter, sequins, fabric pens, stencils and stamps... I was actually quite impressed with the quality and variety. I figured she'd go for a Barbie. Nope, my girl likes to do her own thing. Marches to the beat of her own drum, etc. (I wonder where that could possibly come from?!) I figured painting and markering her shoes would be a better pastime than the ceiling, bed frame, toy kitchen, floor, table, every available surface drawing she's been doing lately. She pretends she doesn't do it, but they boys would never write anything they didn't have to and I doesn't know how to write yet. And I know *I* didn't do it, and I'm pretty sure Haroon didn't write on the ceiling!! Do they make dry erase paint?!

Well. The blogging continues. Until it stops, I guess. Thanks for reading this far down.

Beef Savings Fund or Who Knows a Good Boarding Preschool?!

So, many of you know about my "job" as a ticket buyer. The strangest job acquired through the longest possible six degrees of Kevin Bacon type thing. It is great. I do minimal work for some nice cha-ching!! The only downside is that it is unpredictable. Before the holidays, for example, business was booming. Before that, however, it could be less than once a week I'd get to go. So that money really can't be budgeted. It can, however, be spent with reckless abandon!! Like last night, when we piled all the kids in the van and went to Texas Roadhouse. Or, as the kids call it, the "throw your peanuts on the floor restaurant!"

The kids love this place. Haroon likes the giant steaks. I like to not have to cook dinner, so really it's a win-win-win situation! The only problem is that the boys are growing. Not kidding, they are eating machines. They both put away massive amounts of steak last night. I am considering opening a savings account for their food. Because I am pretty sure this eat-till-there-are-no-crumbs-left-on-the-table thing is not going to end anytime soon! But for now, they are adorable young boys. For proof, here are some photos of them doing the line dancing with the waitresses. They were nice to them and I could hear them telling them the steps. It was sweet when they all gave the boys high fives at the end!! Y spent the rest of the meal sure they were going to start dancing again and he would miss it somehow. He kept saying "I think they're dancing." "I think they're starting!" etc... boy was he happy when they danced again!

It's crazy how much more I like the kids when they're back in school! It must sound awful, but 18 days of 4 kids constantly bickering was enough to make me wish the kids attended boarding school!! Yes, boarding preschool. Boarding kindergarten. The kids seem happier too. They seem to love routines, which is unfortunate for them, as I am completely incapable of creating or maintaining one. But... that's topic for a whole different post on a different day!!

H's Reading Party

Super Nerds that we are, we throw "reading parties" for our kids when they learn to read. We go all-out. It started with Y, obviously. In his class, they have a "special reader of the day" that reads to the class at the end of the day. He worked really hard on this book, so we decided to reward his efforts with a trophy that we presented him in front of his class with his name engraved and it said "Our Special Reader." With O, we went to Casa Gallardo to eat fried ice cream, and got him a trophy that says "Super Reader, Writer and Speller". H's party consisted of "cake with candles you blow out" and a surprise party in her room. Her trophy says "Champion Reader, Writer and Speller." The trophy store guy thinks we're a bit nuts, but luckily we'll only have one more reading trophy to buy... assuming that I learns how to read!! I can tell they really treasure their trophies, because I just asked O what his trophy says and he recited it to me... even the exact date!!

Magic House and a resolution to blog...

Well, thanks to a Christmas gift from my mom, we are now members of the Magic House. I've always envied people wearing the purple "we're members" stickers. Now, in my head at least, we are the envied ones!! We went Monday and Friday this week. We had a good time. It's really nice not having to rush through everything or even have to get to everything in a day. Monday we spent time in the government and construction part and didn't even go there Friday.

On Monday, I was trying to get O to come out of the giant climbing tree... O, who loves nothing more than to ignore adults. O, oh O... this lady said something to him. He walks away from her. I go "get" him. As we walk away I hear her tell her son... "oh, no wonder he didn't listen to me, he didn't understand me." *Translation* THAT MUSLIM LADY DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. THEREFORE, HER SON DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. THAT MUST BE WHY HER SON DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME." I felt a little guilty for just smiling a bit and walking away.

Friday was much more hectic and I braved it alone, without Haroon. Possibly a mistake. Possibly set a precedence that I am somehow able to manage all four by myself. We had fun. We got to go up to the "old" part. My favorite part. Especially, the room where you jump up and the Much more strict, stay next to me, no you can't go off by yourself, I don't care what dad lets you do kind of fun. But, fun still! I look forward to many more trips this year. Many, many, many more trips.

From Shaw's Garden? Yes indeed!

So... I drive past Shaw's Garden everyday after I drop off Yusuf at school. Last Wednesday, I decided to take the three little ones (Omar, Hafsa, and Imani) because it was free and I thought we could all use a little fresh air. As we are walking through the parking lot, Omar, my little fireball takes off running. (Ignoring the rule about holding my hand or the stroller!) A car parked in the first spot backs up (fast) and only my crazy, amazon-like motherly cry prevents him from being run over. I mention this because not only does it set the mood for the day, it also cements in my mind where I parked the car!
You see, when we came out we were dumbfounded to find that my car had been stolen. Dumbfounded in the way you can only be when you are accompanied by a rowdy three year old, an exhausted two year old, and an infant on the verge of a nursing strike that is very hungry yet refusing to eat while you are relaxed in the gazebo of the children's garden. You know, things were quite hectic. Did I mention that this is Ramadan, and I am fasting. So, yes, I'm hungry. But, also prevented from screaming obscene things or getting angry. (Fasting isn't just about not eating or drinking!)
So, they found it the next day. Crashed into a tree down a hill as the officer puts it. Totaled. I can tell from the obscenities written on my steering wheel that the hoodlums that did this were not fasting. But what bothers me the most is that they stole my car seats. They stole my kids toys. They threw away my appointment cards I had nestled in the visor that served as my calendar of doctor appointments. They stole my awesome Pixar Cars window sun screen that made my minivan look like a "cars car"! ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
So, one week out and I'm still pretty sad about the whole thing.

my first blog

hello anyone that is actually reading this. i hope you are not disappointed!