What I Did Today

• Emptied the dishwasher and filled it with the bath toys and such that had been under our bathroom sink, an area that had had roaches (which are hopefully now DEAD).
• Allowed myself a few moments to reflect on the fact that we had no roaches in Boston! And that they are so gross!!!
• Got ready, got the kids ready, loaded up everyone and went to my parents' house.
• Dropped the kiddos off and went to the auto repair place to have the brake pads replaced, the oil changed, and a couple of filters changed.
• Returned to the Williams/Crittenden house and hung out with the kiddos for a while.
  
• Made a grocery list for Fourth of July weekend. Went grocery shopping.
• Went to the county tax office to register our car--successfully, this time (this was trip #2)--got our new Texas license plates.
• Filled out the ridiculously detailed new patient forms for Jane's pediatrician visit this week. (Why in the world do they need my driver's license number?)
  
• Picked up the car.
• Did some banking.
• Had an early dinner at my parents' house, drove home.
• Baby stuff, toddler stuff, then more baby stuff until after 8pm.
  
• Went to Lowe's and bought a grill! Fun!
• Made a to do list for tomorrow.
  
• Got on the computer to check my email and write this riveting post.

The End

It was a good day. And by "good," I mean "productive." One of these days, "good" will mean "fun and relaxing."

The Influence of the Berenstain Bears

If you have any doubts as to whether or not the books, TV, and movies you show your two year old have an influence, I'd like to present this recent conversation with Noah as evidence that they certainly do.

You should know that Noah loves the Berenstain Bears--both the books and the cartoon--and we read about them pretty much every day. I have to say that they are awesome, because they get preschoolers used to certain ideas, like having a baby sister, getting a big boy bed, moving and leaving your room and your friends, telling the truth, etc. One of the books we have is about how the bears go to the doctor, which turns out to be a great experience and not scary, like the cubs thought. Well, the lesson that the doctor is not only not scary but may actually be fun has taken root in my little boy's brain, because this morning, this is what he said:

N: Noah go to doctor.
L: You need to go to the doctor?
N: Okay.
L: Why?
N: Noah sick.
L: You're sick? Does something hurt?
N: [silence--looking for something that hurts]
L: I don't think you're sick!
N: [pointing to a tiny dot on his big toe] See, Mommy?

Oh dear.

Long Lost Lauren

In the event that you're one of my long lost Houston friends and are wondering where in the world I am, I would like to present this photo, which I took yesterday morning:

That is our living room. As you can see, we still have a lot to do. (That's quite an understatement, huh?!)

Actually, it's kind of unfair for me to show you this room, because the rest of the house is in fairly good order. And a lot of the things you see in the living room aren't going to stay there: the table and chairs are going in the attic since we don't have an eat in kitchen anymore, the bookshelves are going on Craig's List (unless you want them!), the colorful bins are going in the attic once I get them labeled, a couple of boxes are foam floor tiles to go on our concrete screened porch for the kiddos, etc. So, really, it's not as bad as it looks . . . or so I tell myself. :)

But if you are in Houston and have been wondering why I haven't reached out to you yet for a play date or for dinner or something, there you have it.

Also on the to do list this weekend: start car shopping, pick up a book for Bible study, go to a party, put the attic things in the attic, fill out a life insurance application, decide on and elect Nathan's benefits, etc. Oh, and cook and change diapers and rock babies and play! And the list goes on....

Smarty Pants

When Nathan's parents were in Boston for Commencement, Noah had fun trying on Papa's glasses. They actually looked kind of good!

Cutie pie.

Commencement Day

Up until about a year ago, Nathan always claimed he didn't care if he attended his Harvard Commencement or not. He said that he'd always feel more of an affection for Rice, and that his undergraduate commencement was the one he cared more about. I always said that I definitely wanted to go to his Ph.D. commencement. After all, this whole grad school thing was a big part of my life, too, and I wanted to witness the big, formal ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance and to see Nathan in his crimson robes. "Nah," Nathan would say. "Boo," I would say back.

Last year, one of Nathan's office mates graduated, and after seeing firsthand what a big deal it is and how neat it is to have your family there to celebrate with you, Nathan changed his mind. I'm really glad he did, because then I got to take a picture of him wearing this:

Doesn't he look . . . academic?

This was the morning of Commencement. We had to be there like two hours before the ceremony actually started for Nathan's processional. You can tell that Noah wasn't in the best of moods--he was kind of tired and was also put out that he was being held rather than running (which he did A LOT of that day).

This is the Statue of the Three Lies.

On the front, it says:

John Harvard
Founder
1638
But that isn't John Harvard; it's a student who posed for the sculptor centuries later.
John Harvard didn't found Harvard. It was renamed in his honor after he died, which was just shortly after the school was founded.
1638 was not the year Harvard was founded; it was 1636.
Nevertheless, it's still good luck to rub his toe. That's Nathan's Grandma, doing just that.

Even though we watched the proceedings from one of the indoor satellite venues, we did walk into Harvard Yard to be part of the ambiance and to see the sights. But pretty much all we saw were throngs of people and flags:

In the end, I wasn't sure it was worth it to try to negotiate that crowd with a stroller, a baby, and a toddler.. I'm pretty sure Grandma Tanner agreed. But at least we can say we were there.

The degree awarding ceremony was much better. This is Sanders Theater, which is where we saw the IgNobel Prizes one year. Sanders Theater and Memorial Hall, where it's located, are gothic and very beautiful.

This is Nathan's advisor, John Shaw.

John's Ph.D. is from Princeton, which accounts for the orange stripes.

While Grandma, Jane, and I attended Commencement, two of Nathan's colleagues, Judith and Amanda, were angels and watched Noah for us, and he had a great time. As you can see, they drew his outline, which he thought was cool. But the thing he's pointing at is a drawing of a graduate--Daddy!

Here we are in front of Nathan's building. His office was actually in the museum.

Nathan and his parents.

Nathan and Grandma T.

Just try to tell me that's not cute.

We figured that Nathan's degree is half mine. :)

It was a great day, I must say. Congratulations to Nathan, Ph.D.!

Lovely Belmont

A while ago, I mentioned that I have a bunch of catching up to do on the blog because I've been too busy to write lately. Today I went through some of my pictures from the last couple of months and found these, which I had meant to post a long time ago. They're pictures of us in our lovely town.

We lived in a town called Belmont, which was the next suburb over from Cambridge. In fact, Nathan's commute to his office at Harvard was only about three or four miles. Belmont is a lovely place to live; it's almost completely residential, it's quiet, it's small (only 5 square miles!), and it has its share of real charm. For example, the high school is located on a little lake. During the summers, I really enjoyed taking long walks around our neighborhood and looking at all the different houses, most of which were built around 1900-1930. It is just a lovely, charming town, and even though it is only located about 15 minutes from all the hustle and bustle of Boston proper, it does feel like a town--small and residential and friendly.

The week before we left Boston, we decided to take Noah on the commuter rail one day, just so our little train lover could have a chance to ride the train again before we left. The commuter rail runs through Belmont Center, so we parked down there one day and hung out until our train arrived.

Here we are on the lawn near the town center. It was a lovely early summer day.

Noah enjoyed the space to run. Can you spot him?

Here we are waiting for the train.

Here it comes, Noah!!

Whoa! Did you see that?!

After we got on the train, Noah enjoyed the ride and the novelty of it, but it took him a few minutes to get used to it. There's so much trepidation on his face. :)

He got a little more used to it after a while.

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And before we moved away, I wanted to make sure we got some family pictures in front of our house. It was a sweet Victorian, and we lived on the second floor. I've never posted pictures of the front of our house because, well, this is the internet, and I just figured it was safer not to show the world where I lived. But I have always wanted to show you guys our lovely little house. Isn't it pretty?

We'll miss our lovely little town!

Disintigration of a Photo Shoot

The other day, I took some photos of Noah and Jane in their corresponding "Big Brother" and "Little Sister" shirts. When I looked back at the pictures, I had to laugh, because it started out so well but quickly went downhill.

The first photo is stinkin' awesome. I love this. It's a framer.
I love that it shows how much they really do love each other.

Uh oh. Jane is still smiling, but Noah is fading.

Noah's look says, "I'm smiling because you told me to, but my eyes are not in it, Mom."
Poor Jane is long gone.

And Janey rallies!
But Noah is leaving us.

Aaaaand we're done.

Lauren's Chicken Salad with Grapes

A few years ago, I discovered something: I love chicken salad in the summer. I could eat it all the time. It's so fresh and cool, yet it's satisfying. Pair it with a large glass of iced tea, and I'm a happy girl.

There are so many ways to eat it, too. On a sandwich or over a salad are the ways I like it best, but why not spread it on crackers? Why not stuff some celery with it?

I have to say, also, that my favorite chicken salads include red grapes and pecans. I love the sweetness of the grapes and the crunch and the flavor of the pecans. And I also think of those two ingredients as very Texan additions to chicken salad.

So when I went to make some of my favorite summertime treat today, I was sure to include grapes and pecans. I also added just a bit of apple cider vinegar; I noticed that this was an ingredient in Trader Joe's chicken salad and really liked the way it added both a little tang and a little sweetness, so I added a bit to my recipe, and it came out well. I also prefer to use shallots rather than green or red onions because they're milder. I'm going to serve my chicken salad both with salad greens & poppyseed dressing and with some homemade bread so that my dinner guest tonight will have an option of how she'd like to eat it. And I think I'll also have some thinly sliced apples, which I think would go well in either a salad or a sandwich.

I thought I'd go ahead and post my recipe, but there are probably a myriad of variations. In fact, I'd consider my version a work in progress; I'm sure it could use some tweaking. If you are a chicken salad aficionado, what do you like in it? How would you do it differently? (I could go for a little more mayo, myself, if I weren't more waistline-conscious.) Anyway, enjoy!

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Chicken Salad with Grapes

2-1/2 lbs. white meat chicken, cooked and shredded
1-1/2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups red grapes, halved
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1-1/2 tablespoons shallot, minced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, celery, grapes, and pecans. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the shallot, mayonnaise, vinegar, and salt. Pour the mayo mixture over the chicken mixture and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Sittin' Pretty

Jane sat in the Bumbo for the first time the other day. She did really well keeping her head up, and she seemed to enjoy it! I took some pictures, and I couldn't decide on just one or two, so I'm posting several. She's too cute for just one or two, don't you think?

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad! Too bad the kiddos didn't cooperate for a better picture, but they're still cute!

Late Night Reflections on Moving

So when is the last time I let a week go between posts? Probably never! Maybe over Christmas, but I don't think it was that long even then. I enjoy writing on this here blog, so my lapse just goes to show you how busy I've been!

Truly, I'm doing something from the moment I get up until I lie down at night, with the exception of about an hour late in the evenings when Nathan and I sit down to be brainless together while watching TV. I even need to make it a point to start getting up earlier, because there are some things that I just cannot fit in before both kids are up right now, and if they don't get done first thing in the morning, they ain't going to get done at all.

Other than just keeping the basic things going (and I do mean basic; I have only cooked one meal in the last week, and we are getting sick of fast food), I have been unpacking and organizing our house. But I'm sad to say that, honestly, if you walked in right now, you wouldn't think that anything is organized. There are boxes everywhere in the living room (which has no furniture at present), and although a couple of rooms have nearly everything put away, they still look very unfinished. Noah's room needs curtains, a lamp, and a rug; Jane's room hasn't been touched, since she is still sleeping in our room; the den/dining room is the most put together but is still cluttered; and I don't even want to talk about the master bedroom. It just takes a long time to get everything out of the boxes and where it belongs, especially when you need to wash all your clothes (we had moths in our last place).

However, the biggest holdup is just having two small kids. Being an infant, Jane needs attention very often--eating, being put to sleep, rocking, changing her seat, etc. And if she doesn't need something, Noah does. So the constant tending of children really makes the unpacking process go slowly. Today, Nathan and I were laughing as we listened to my parents try to field both Noah and Jane while my dad fixed something on Noah's bed. Noah was just constantly all up in his business. Nathan and I looked at each other and chuckled, agreeing that now my parents understood why we asked them to come over to hang out with the kiddos today so we could get stuff done.

The pantry is probably the only part of the house that is completely done. I have to say that I've been blessed with two amazingly large pantries--this one doesn't have a window in it, like my last one, but it is still ridiculously huge, and for that I am very thankful. Anyway, because it's all organized, I walk in there and feel a little sigh of relief. For a brief moment, the world is right. The spices sit in nice rows. The cake pans are lined up in a lovely way. There are no boxes. There are no toys. There is no dirt. There is nothing that needs to be picked up or moved or put away or cleaned. I love my pantry.

I must go to bed now. More later. Sleep. Is. Required.

Moving

Moving is a lot of work.

Except when you have two kids. Then it is actually hardly any work at all, because you can't even get to unpacking because you're constantly tending children. ;)

So between unpacking, driving back and forth from my parents' house to our house, the kiddos, and a daily trip to Target to get yet another thing I realize I need, there hasn't been much time for blogging. I'll be back, my friends. I have a ton of pictures on my camera that I want to post. There's probably a smorgasbord entry coming up.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Three Months Old!

Sweet Jane is three months old today!

Jane remains one of the sweetest babies I know. She is always willing to give you a sweet smile, and if you just sit and talk to her, she'll almost always talk back. Plus, she's darn cute. I've heard "she looks like a doll" many times when we're out and about.

Jane and Noah love each other already, a fact for which I am very thankful. In our little car, their car seats are right next to each other, and on more than one occasion I've discovered that Noah's holding her hand and she's grinning back at him. How sweet is that?