Back to the Burque

For the long holiday weekend Eric, Liam and I made the trek to Albuquerque to visit family and friends. As always, we did more eating than anything else! My best friend, Stephanie, and I had the opportunity to spend lots of time catching up. We have been friends since we were twelve years old so we have been through a whole lot. This past weekend marked the first time that I was able to meet her sweet baby, Annabelle. It is really amazing to think about our evolution as women. When we first met we were practically playing with dolls and now we are mommies!

On Friday we went to the St. James Tearoom for afternoon tea. This was my second time to go to the tearoom and it was a blast. I love using the delicate china and eating foods like scones with lemon curd and fresh cream. Yum! I did NOT love the salmon puff pastry, but we make concessions.

At the tearoom, they assign you a personal server who brings in platters of treats and different types of teas to go with each dish.

You also get to choose your own hat to wear from among the St. James collection. Steph opted for the J-Lo inspired wide-brimmed hat. I chose a vintage brown felt hat from the 1940s.

Among our teatime treats: Cheddar & date tart, cucumber sandwiches, almond cream with amaretto peaches, chocolate pecan caramel tart, and lemon bon bons. All I gotta say is thank God for sweater season.

The next day Steph and I once again met up for a spa day. As a side note, I also spent time with my family...I promise! I just don't have many pictures of our time hanging out! We went to the Garden Gate Day Spa in Los Lunas for the "Adore My Body" package. As background, this spa is known as one of the top green spas in the country. The package included a 30 minute massage, back scrub and hydrating paraffin hand wrap, and champagne glass of sparking cider. But is also included a day pass for use of their facilities including hot tub, mineral pool, sauna, steam room and rain showers. You can also order lunch and have it brought to the aromatherapy room where you are treated to your choice of teas. And the best part: It was $49 for the whole day! I had the best massage therapist and I am convinced that a good 30 minute massage is better than a sub-par one hour massage. By the time we left, I felt like the most pampered girl in the whole world!

This was the first time we introduced Liam and Annabelle. Liam was not so interested in his new little friend. He was, however, interested in all of Belle's toys.

We were lucky enough to have our trip coincide with Eric's Dad being in town for business, so the boys had several opportunities to spend time together. The day I went to the spa, Eric and Liam had some good bonding time.

Liam and Grandpa Ron. This was the best of several pictures that Eric took. Several of them included a very blurry Liam who did NOT want to be confined for picture taking.

This was one of my favorite pictures.

The large crow in the backyard is always a source of curiosity for Liam.

Grandpa Ron was a great baseball player when he was younger. Here he is showing Liam a thing or two about the game.

Saturday night we went over to the Baca's house for some good ol' fashioned fun, including a game of Beezerweezer, beer and Dion's pizza and salad. Stephanie and I decided pretty early on, that if our friendship was to stay intact for the remainder of our trip, that we should probably be on the same team. We are very competitive and sore losers. We are also terrible winners, complete with matching victory dance and "in your face" winners remarks. Such sore winners are we, that after we won one of the rounds, we decided to try to lap a second round around the board before the guys had even gotten around the first time (this was very much against the rules BTW). As a reminder to my fellow teammates, the American flag only has 50 stars.

For some time now, I have been wanting to get Liam baptised in the church where I grew up. We also have plans to have Liam dedicated in our current home church in the spring. The day of the baptism was significant because it was also my grandmother's birthday. My grandmother was like a second mother to me, and when both she and my grandfather passed away six years ago, I felt like I had lost a part of myself. So needless to say, this day had multiple special meaning to me.

It is important to both me and Eric to raise Liam as a Christian and to provide the best example we can for him. We are committed to helping him develop a special relationship with God and to filling his life with family and friends who also share this commitment.

Liam wearing his little pinstripe suit.

Hamming it up with Uncle David.

Trying to determine if he should alert anyone to the fact that Annabelle's vision has been impaired by a rogue headband.

This is a horrible picture, but it reminded me one of those "write your own caption" photos.

I was curious to see how Liam did with me doting on another baby. At first he didn't seem to care, but when he saw me loving on Belle, he had the most sorrowful meltdown.

Sweet Baby Belle

We had a memorable time this day, shared with family and friends alike. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of pictures of the actual day.

Another beautiful New Mexico sunset. Every time I see a breathtaking sunset here in Texas, I get a little ache in my chest for my home state.

We had a really wonderful time and feel very blessed to have spent so much time with our family and friends. We look forward to catching up with our family in the months to come!

Jump!

Today we went to a birthday party for two of Liam's friends, Charlotte and Levi. It was the most fun I have had at a children's birthday party! They had it at a place called Bounce Town. It was this big warehouse filled with inflatable bounce houses, slides, mazes, etc. This was Liam's first time to jump around in a bounce house.

Being the neurotic mom that I am, I was a little nervous that some of the bigger kids might trample him. Or that he might fall out and hurt himself. Or that he might barf everywhere. But he had the best time! In fact, he pretty much left the place kicking and screaming. Since the place has "an open gym" time every week for a low cost, I don't think that it will be our last time there.


It took him a little time to adjust to the mazes, but pretty soon we were chasing after him, struggling to keep up!


Parents could go in the bounce areas too. Although since most of the kids were a little older, there weren't that many in there.

If you have never seen a kid learning how to jump, it is hilarious! Liam couldn't quite figure it out at first. He would bend his knees and expect the ground to give.

Slam dunk thanks to Daddy's efforts!

Liam wanted no help going down all the slides.

During the birthday group photo, Liam decided that he would no longer sit down. Not while there were slides to slide, bounce houses to bounce in.

Allison and Raelyn made these super cute headbands for the kids to wear.

Princess Charlotte, the birthday girl.

Liam's dinosaur headband.

Adorable cupcakes!

Sitting like such a big boy eating his cupcake and drinking his Capri Sun. I didn't even know he knew how to drink a Capri Sun!

And just because I could!

Random musings

Ever since Liam became mobile, our whole world has been turned upside down. We are constantly trying to teach him new boundaries. But he is just soooo darn curious! Lately we have been having to shut the baby gate to the laundry room where we keep the dogs water bowl and crates. It is not uncommon for Liam to flip the water bowl over and then crawl inside one of the dog crates, shutting the door behind him.

Recently Jolyn shared her copy of "On Becoming Toddler Wise" with me. I have had many moments while reading this book where I have breathed a sigh of relief at knowing that Eric and I are not alone in our struggles. I thought I would share a passage from the chapter on The Walking, Talking, Curious Toddler for those of you who may be going through the same thing.

"During the one-year span between 12 and 24 months, the walking, talking, exploring toddler multiples the demands of mother's time, energy and patience more than any other period in his life. It is also a time when clashes of the will abound, for the walking-about toddler is in the process of not only testing his legs but also trying new experiences with his hands. His mind has also caught up with his legs, so asserting himself accompanies his mobility. If left to himself, unhindered by moral and safety concerns, this little person can empty a bookshelf in minutes, connect with Hong Kong on Dad's cell phone, drink from the bird-bath, splash little hands in the toilet, drain the last sips of leftover beverages, flee the kitchen with a table knife, or take a nap in the dog house - which, after all else, would be a positive thing.

Ah yes, the mobile toddler. There is no question that a toddler's mom is a tired mom, and for good reason. The emotional and physical energy needed to supervise an energy-packed tot can take down the most physically fit mom. If your toddler happens to be a boy, add fifty percent more energy. Never so beautiful does this child look to his weary mom as he does when he closes his eyes in sleep."

Christmas wrap-up

This Christmas season was pretty exciting given that Liam is more aware of the holiday than he was last year. At school they have been creating lots of "art." It was not uncommon for him to come home with a Christmas wreath. Or a Kwanzaa kinara. Or a Jewish Menorah. But here in the Pate Household, it was all about Christmas. Each night before he went to bed, we would read him Christmas stories about what Christmas is really all about and what it means for us as Christians. Of course we threw in a few books like "The Night Before Christmas" for good measure!

Earlier in the month, my friend Allison, arranged for a group of us to take a carriage ride in Deerfield Park in Plano. Supposedly the tradition began years ago when the neighborhood was being built. At the time, people thought that the neighborhood was too far north to consider building a home. So the developers decided to give a $5,000 prize to the home with the best Christmas lights. The residents all went overboard and bought so many lights and decorations, that the next year they used them again. And so the tradition began.

As fate would have it, we happened to pick the warmest night in December for our horse drawn carriage ride. The daytime temperature was 85 and the evening cooled down into the 60s. The neighborhood itself was really amazing. And the lights were really beautiful. Liam even got to experience his first hot chocolate.

Greeting one of the horses pulling a smaller carriage.

Taking in the sights with Dad.

Look at these shacks. The poor residents of Deerfield clearly can't rub two nickels together.

Some of these homes were reminiscent of the Grizwalds, complete with timed music.

Saying goodnight to our carriage. What a fun experience for our entire family!

This year, we traveled to Wichita, Kansas for Christmas to visit Eric's family. We were a little bit anxious to see how Liam would do on the six hour car ride, but overall, he did really great. My only complaint about the road trip, was the lack of clean bathrooms. You never notice until you have children, the complete lack of changing tables in restrooms. Why Starbucks? Why?

The day before we left for Kansas, I was treated to a birthday massage and facial, followed by a great lunch with Eric. The evening after we arrived in Wichita, my sister-in-law, Jolyn, arranged for a babysitter to watch all three kids so that they could take me out for a birthday dinner. We ate at this fantastic seafood restaurant with great food and delicious wine. Afterwards we came home where I opened gifts and we ate carrot cake (my fave) that Eric made me from my Nana's recipe. It was a fantastic birthday!

Liam had a great time playing with Sam and Holly who just adore him. The feeling is mutual! It was really funny to see Sam running after Holly and Liam running after Sam.

Liam was obsessed with the piano. He loved banging around on the keys, making...joyful...music.

Moses surveying the scene.

On Christmas Eve, Holly recited the Nativity story to us. She memorized the whole story from the Bible to share with us before Christmas Eve service.

Sam is one of the most photogenic kids I know.

Liam in his Christmas outfit with Grandpa Ron and Daddy.

Grandma Becky, Mommy and Liam. Unfortunately Liam couldn't stay in the service the whole time after throwing Daddy's Blackberry in the aisle and then squealing at the top of his lungs. A reminder of why we love our Church nursery!

You know what they say: The family that wears funny hats together, stays together!

Jolyn bought the men matching cowboy pajamas and the girls matching owl pajamas for Christmas Day. Gotta love Nick and Norah! This shot is entitled, "What does a kid have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?"

Playing with a kaleidoscope.

I love this picture because amidst the excitement of Christmas Day, Liam was more interested in playing with a hairbrush that he found on the floor. Perhaps next year he will be more excited about the actual presents.

Holly and Sam singing Happy Birthday to the Baby Jesus!

Group shot of the girls.

The men folk

Opening Christmas gifts. Liam definitely had more interest in opening gifts than he did for Christmas last year or his first birthday. But the excitement was short lived.

A monkey pillowpet. It's a pillow. It's a pet. It's a pillowpet!

Sam and Holly were given a few Nerf toys. Eric thought it would be fun to stick a dart on the forehead of our unknowing son. Later Eric and Ryan had several tournaments with the Nerf gun and torpedo launcher. I married a man-child.

Liam wearing Woody's cowboy hat from Toy Story. In addition to his

fireman's hat, Liam has become obsessed with hats.

Chillin' on the alphabet train.

The cousins. This was the only shot (of many) that we were able to get of all three of them with their eyes open and no major blurs. Such is life with children.

Chloe after her holiday grooming.

Cooper in his Christmas finery.

I thought it would be fun to show two of my favorite ornaments from this year. Each year since we have been married, we have acquired a White House ornament. This is the 2010 ornament which celebrates President William McKinley and the role of music in the White House. It is really fun to look back on these ornaments and the historical stories each one tells.

Each year one of my coworkers makes me an ornament off of our

Christmas card. This was the photo on this year's card.

This picture pretty much sums up the after Christmas exhaustion!

Hope your Christmas was a wonderful one!

Aging gracefully?

Twenty something years ago, on a cold December night in Albuquerque, my Mom went into labor. Twenty something years later, her daughter is attempting to accept another year by aging gracefully. So far I have felt a flux of emotions about my upcoming birthday. Sort of like the seven stages of grief. One moment I am totally nonchalant about birthdays and getting older. Afterall, people are suffering all over the world. Why get upset about something as trivial as a birthday? The next moment I am kicking and screaming, wondering how long I can start to lie about my age before the gig is up.

I think big milestone birthdays cause you to look back on your life: where you have been and where you are going. I feel very blessed to have an awesome husband and a healthy son. I have an amazing job that affords me many opportunities. I have a great extended family and wonderful community of friends. By all accounts I am a very lucky girl.

So why does it feel like I am going through some sort of life crisis? I have never before struggled with birthdays. Maybe it is because past birthdays signaled exciting new changes. Old enough to drive. Old enough to vote. Old enough to drink. But now? Old enough to be entered into a new age bracket when filling out the census? Old enough to get botox? Where is the excitement?

However, I realize that this next stage in my life can include brand new adventures. Eric and I still have a lot of traveling to do. We hope to eventually build a home that we have been designing for years. We have new adventures to plan as Liam gets older. I want to do things that I still haven't had the opportunity to do. So maybe, at least for now, I will try to look at this next stage as a new chapter in my life while saying goodbye to what feels like an old friend.

Friends Forever

As some of you may know, my 28th birthday is quickly approaching. My best friend, Stephanie, is also a December baby. We are all too familiar with the hardships posed by having a birthday around the holidays. Birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas wrapping. Christmas cards with Merry Christmas crossed out in ink and replaced with Happy Birthday. Santa saying that he chipped in with Mom and Dad for a combined Christ-day gift. An Advent candle used as a birthday candle sitting atop a slice of birthday fruitcake. Ok. So I might be embellishing. A little bit. I mean after all, the Baby Jesus has to share his birthday with Christmas too so I shouldn't complain! Just kidding. I am really not that disconnected from the real reason behind Christmas so stop hissing at me.

Because we are sensitive to the plight of the December birthday, we take special efforts to recognize each others special day. Yesterday Steph sent me the most awesome gift a 27 year old could ask for (yeah get comfortable with me starting to lie about my age - deal with it). We are true fans of "Saved by the Bell." I mean hardcore. Why, just this morning as I was blow drying my hair for work, I was watching the episode where Tori Spelling was dating Screech and her parents wouldn't approve of their relationship because....well because he was Screech. But as you SBTB fans know it all turned out ok and they were able to perform in their high school glee club competition. But I digress.

Among the gifts that Stephanie gave me was the most awesome magnet a girl could wish for:


And it got us talking. We somewhat joked that everything we learned in life we learned from watching SBTB. It is not a bad rule of thumb to place yourself in the shoes of your favorite SBTB character depending on the situation at hand. For example, if you are about to go to a great event, you might ponder, "What would Lisa wear?" Trying to weasel your way out of a sticky situation - "What would Zack do?" Attempting to figure out how to solve a mathematical equation? "How would Screech answer this?" Or maybe Jessie (before she went off the deep end and stared in Showgirls). What hair product to use to get that wet mullet look? Slater all the way.

Then we discussed another equally important point in dissecting the magnet situation. Team Zack or Team Slater? We both agreed: Team Zack. After all, Mario Lopez is sort of a male Jezebel. And it is sort of creepy that he hasn't aged at all. Sort of like he sold his soul in exchange for that youthful mullet. So I bid you a fond farewell in the only way I know how. Via montage. Crank it up and enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday