2009 Facebook

And here are the Facebook posts for 2009, at least through today. It may be worth noting that Facebook isn't *entirely* to blame for the blog post scarcity.

Since May, our schedule has included:
- Trip to Abq for all 4 of us
- Mom, Grams and Carter go to Baltimore
- Carter has ear tube surgery
- Alex has ear tube surgery, and adenoids and tonsils removed
- Mom, Grams and Carter to go Boston
- Mom goes to Baltimore again
- Mom goes to Portland, Maine
- Mom goes to Portland, Maine again
- Mom serves on jury duty
- Another trip to Abq for all 4 of us

None-the-less, here's what I found interesting enough to post to Facebook.

January 9 at 9:10pm
--- was pretty happy the nice man at Dion's complemented us on our well behaved children. Nice!

January 12 at 8:34am
--- is home with a sick 4-year old and another NSF RFP... woo woo, good times. ;-)

January 12 at 6:10pm
--- is watching Scooby Doo with fever boy

January 15 at 9:47am
--- is home with Alex again... day of laundry, vita updating, and movies.

January 21 at 7:43pm
--- loves that Alex likes telling jokes. "Why did the dog eat his tail? It had boba tea on it! ha ha ha ha"

January 31 at 1:15pm
--- is waiting at pediatric "after hours" clinic for coughing, feverish Carter to see a doc. Starting hour 2

February 1 at 10:55am
--- is amazed that, though he is pretty sick, Carter gets a real kick out of the fact he can walk by himself... 4 or 5 steps anyway!

February 8 at 8:09pm
--- is thrilled the Christmas decorations are finally down. Alex: it isn't Christmas anymore?

February 14 at 8:21pm
--- husband and boys are driving 7 hours today to the ranch so she can hear her sis sing... True love!

February 16 at 1:46pm
--- is between Roswell and Ruidoso

February 17 at 9:48pm
--- thinks she has the cutest kids ever.

February 17 at 10:25pm
--- Alex finally got to become a cowboy. He makes that hat look gooood... like he was born to be a cowboy. Alas, he exclaimed while we were riding around in the feed truck, "I like living in the city."

February 22 at 9:47am
--- is thinking it is a picnic in the park kind of day.

February 24 at 11:50am
--- It would be a perfect way to rebel... one of *My* sons actually playing sports. "Ba" (For “ball”) is one of Carter's first words... I may have to read a book on "when your child wants to play sports".

March 2 at 9:10am
--- thinks Cocoa Puffs may be the best cereal ever. Chocolate. Cereal. Genius! "Kids, leave Mommy's cereal ALONE!"

March 6 at 1:56am
--- loves her kids, doesn't like the pink eye they gave her.

March 7 at 10:48am
--- is eating banana pancakes and getting ready for a park picnic.

March 20 at 10:33am
--- just held her baby down for his shots. I HATE that

March 21 at 10:18pm
--- nice day today: birthday party, bouncy dragon, haircuts for my boys (well the 2 with hair!) Never would have believed 20 years ago that THIS was what I wanted!

March 29 at 9:16pm
--- had a good weekend... folks in town... life-size animatronic dinosaurs on Saturday... Coraline 3D on Friday... (well ok except for that. snore!) now off to bed!

April 4 at 9:47pm
--- good day: picnic play date, dion's pizza, birthday party, adorable boys, stolen peppermint patty from the Easter basket stash... shhh!

April 19 at 2:47pm
--- just finished the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi, and a mini train ride

May 10: Mother’s Day
--- 2:22 pm: just took Victorian tea at Ft. Selden... Nice! Then tripped and knocked my shin on the metal part of the cart at Target and said some very unmotherly things, so very NOT genteel
--- 5:25pm : I've always said the best gifts are the ones your kids make. Now that I'm spending this Mother's Day cleaning up my kids' vomit on the couch, I'd like to amend that statement.

May 11 at 11:00am
--- I love watching Alex watch movies. He really gets into it, with fierce expressions (currently, very angry at Clayton for not telling the truth in "Tarzan") and waves his arms at the screen... balls up his fists. Too cute.

May 11 at 8:17pm
--- Can I just tell you how much I love my boys? They are just so enjoyable. I love holding them when they sleep... and being with them when they are awake. Sorry for the mommish gushing but golly. I saw a grandma at the grocery store just belittling her grandson today, over and again, and I wanted to say, "Hey, crazy lady... don't you know what you have here?" Maybe her boy isn't as great as mine are......

May 13 at 6:02pm
--- very frustrated at the price of hospital bill for Carter's ear tube surgery tomorrow. Holy cow!

May 14: Carter has surgery for ear tubes
--- 5:50am: is sitting in front of the hospital waiting. Carter is frustrated that he can't eat or drink so I left early to drive him around to distract him. Should be a fun morning. C'mon 8:00
--- 1:39 pm is good. Carter is good and eating like crazy. All’s well.

May 14 at 9:22pm
--- So, my loving son wants to invite *everybody* to his birthday party... I drew the line at 20
invites... which is wonderful if they all come (the more the merrier). BUT, what if they all invite HIM to THEIR birthday parties? I wonder if you can get a bulk discount on the Crayola Glow Station?

May 17: Takes Carter and Grams to Baltimore for CYFAR Conference
--- 9:51pm: is in Baltimore. Carter loved his first crab cake. Good taste, kid!
--- May 18 at 11:23am: is participating in weight lifting via tourism. (No strollers allowed in the national aquarium!)
--- May 20 at 10:38pm: is ready to go home! To the airport in 6.5 hours... Now off to bed!
--- May 21 at 8:05pm: is home! After giving Alex his red felt crab hat, he asked me if I saw REAL crabs in Baltimore or just "hat crabs"

May 22 at 6:00pm
--- At preschool graduation, Alex's teachers predicted his future career as a standup comic. That made me laugh!

May 24 at 5:55pm
--- Alex had birthday cake and candy and ran around with his cousins, then got SICK in his sleep. Let's just say the sock monkey took one for the team

May 27 at 1:11pm
--- Alex is 5 today! I'm sure it will seem like tomorrow he'll be driving and dating, then the next day he'll be off to college, and then the next day he'll be doing things with kids of his own. I'm just happy I get to be here for his very short time called childhood.

May 30 at 8:11am
--- getting ready for a Tae Kwan Do birthday party, and hoping the dogs don't bear the brunt of it when we get back.

June 2 at 4:20pm
--- Getting ready for my other child to have *his* surgery tomorrow ;-) This is Alex's last night with his tonsils and adenoids, we'll have to do something special with them, like... um... huh. What *do* you do with your tonsils anyway?

June 3: Alex has surgery for tonsils, adenoids and ear tubes
--- 11:00pm: Alex's surgery went great. He's miserable, so we're right on schedule
--- June 4 at 12:58pm: Alex thought a hamburger from Sonic would make him feel better. Surprise! It did... I underestimated the restorative and healing properties of beef, bun, catchup and mustard.
--- June 4 at 1:01am: Alex and Daddy at the pharmac... Er... At Sonic.

June 9
Took Carter and Grams to Boston for Games for Health Conference. Carter screamed and cried on all 5 flights to get there and back. At Boston, he was thrilled, and enjoyed watching boats.
--- 9:27pm: I'm off to the Games for Health conference in the am... it looks fantastic... even if it is rainy in Boston

June 20 at 7:56pm
--- on another green enchilada high. Golley, I love NM! The boys are in deep New Mexicofation, they ate their traditional beans, rice, tortilla.

June 21 at 11:30am
--- The Imagination Movers don't yet realize that Nina will be their downfall. There will be 3 broken hearts and Uncle Knit Knots will have to bring the smackdown.

June 22:
I left to Baltimore for the first time without Carter. (After a very difficult flight to Boston and back, I just couldn’t put him through it!)
--- 10:28 am: flying solo. It's weird getting on a plane without my child, extra bags, toys, snacks, etc.

June 27 at 3:21pm
--- family day! Downtown market this morning and what this afternoon? Library? Coas book store? hmmm…

June 28
--- 8:17am: CC's bday: sleep in, breakfast burrito, Target, picnic lunch in game lab with the boys, enchiladas at Andele! Guess that is how he likes to party!
--- 8:19pm: CC:"Alex', can you spell 'daddy?'". Alex: yep... "c.c." snicker.

July 4 at 11:38pm
--- watching fireworks with my boys on my lap... Gotta admit I got a little teary eyed when "Battle Hymn of the Republic" played.

July 6 at 10:13am
--- Alex: "Mommy, I see a bug, and awww, how cute. He look's like Wall•E's friend!" Mommy: "Curse you, Wall•E!"

July 11
--- 8:30am: Heading out for a day of birthday party, music party, grocery shopping and, oh Target, cuz' it's Saturday.
--- 11:34pm: fun day today watching my boys play with others. Tomorrow... 12 hours of travel, and maybe, just maybe I'll actually read a book!

July 12
I went to Portland, Maine, for my third trip without Carter.
--- 12:42 pm: small water in el paso Airport is $4. I don't think I am a naive traveller or an old fogey, but that still shocks me
--- 5:20 pm: delayed in Atlanta... will arrive in Maine at midnight. So THIS is why they have bars in airports.
--- 7:10 pm: delayed again. Terrible thunderstorms. Airport is packed with exhausted travellers. Maybe a 1:30 arrival?
--- 9:27pm: sooo glad I'm not flying with Carter. Yay! Our flight is not cancelled. Maine, I'll see you at 2 or 2:30 or you know, breakfastJuly 21 at 2:42pm
--- I am really getting frustrated trying to find care for Alex after Kindergarten this fall. Sigh.August 3 at 9:32am
--- Last night at Music in the Park, a woman I didn't know stopped me and said the nicest thing: she told me they enjoyed watching us parent our children and how wonderful it was to see a healthy family. I think that is one of the nicest complements I've received. Today, I get to see photos of my good friend's beautiful new baby boy... healthy families are indeed a joy!August 4

Went to Portland, Maine, for the second trip without Carter.
--- August 3 at 7:54pm: One more plane trip... well, six, actually. But three planes there, lobster dinner, good meeting with great people, three planes back and no more airports for a while!
--- August 3 at 8:51pm: Me: Alex, I'm going to miss you but I'll be back before you know it. Him: I already know it.

--- August 6 at 5:43pm: more hours until I see my boys! I may have to climb into bed with Alex and snuggle him up!August 8
Jeanne, Grandma and I took Carter to see “Mary Poppins” as a sing along at the Plaza Film Festival
--- 5:13 pm: the Plaza Theatre in El Paso really knows how to put on a film festival. I'm impressed!
--- 1:28 pm: off to see my big screen heartthrob, Dick van Dyke. Mary Poppins is kind of passive agressive, but Burt is a cutie pie

August 12
CC and I took Alex to see “Star Wars” on the big screen at the Plaza Theater in El Paso
---5:42pm: the Force is with all 2400 of us in the sold out crowd waiting to see the movie. I've decided all movie theaters should drop the cheesy ad slides before the feature and hire organists to play instead.