Our Ike-tastic Weekend

Due to evacuations from Hurricane Ike, our great friends the Lowries (Mark, Alayna - aka Laner, Evelyn, and Everett) came up to visit. They had evacuated before the hurricane since they have two little ones and Laner is due with Evan in December. They had been staying at Mark's parents' house outside of Austin and needed a break. We were so excited to see them since we always have such a great time together.
What follows is an account of the activities we enjoyed while they were here.

Saturday evening

Due to evacuations from Hurricane Ike, our great friends the Lowries (Mark, Alayna - aka Laner, Evelyn, and Everett) came up to visit. They had evacuated before the hurricane since they have two little ones and Laner is due with Evan in December. They had been staying at Mark's parents' house outside of Austin and needed a break. We were so excited to see them since we always have such a great time together. They arrived Saturday after lunch. We kinda sat around and chilled since the kids were all napping. When it got to be dinner time, we all headed up to our favorite Mexican dive, Don Juan's Romantic Mexican food. This place has bean (hehe) around for years and is a favorite. We were meeting lots of people there: Joyce, Charlie, David, and Steve Smith; Martha and Jordan Palmer; Momma, Daddy, and Grandnanny. Steve was in town before heading to NYC for the show he is currently working on. Don Juan's is not a huge place so we took up the entire back room. It was a great time. We squeezed into the booths and were all cozy. After the kids finished their food, we went ahead and let them run around since we were the only ones in the back. (NOTE: We never do this but since there was no one else, we figured it wouldn't be bad parent!) Everyone had a great time just watching the kids run around. Evelyn kept running over to my mom, whom she calls Nanny, and giggling. Then she'd run over to Steve and tickle him and then run back to my mom. She really enjoys my parents, especially since they bought a box of strawberries for her!!)

Sunday afternoon

After teaching Sunday School, I returned home to a house full of people ready to go to the zoo. We got there and got all of kid gear unloaded. We decided to make our way down to the Texas end since it was close to lunchtime and we were getting hungry. When we go to the zoo, we pack a cooler with lunch - saves so much money!! I don't think we have ever purchased any food items at the zoo (souvenirs are a different story!) . Our bunch looked so cool though! Evelyn rode in a stroller. Everett and K sat facing each other in our Radio Flyer wagon. If you haven't seen it, it is decked out!! We have the canopy plus the attachable trailer. There's not a time that we go that people don't ask us where we got it. We realized the first time we went that there wasn't enough room for all of our bags plus K in the wagon. We saw a family that had the trailer and decided we needed one. Luckily, we found one on Craiglist.

The boys really enjoyed being in the wagon. They would sit there and just talk to each other. Laner asked Evelyn what the boys were saying. She replied, "I don't know," with a tone that suggested she was above baby talk. We ate our lunch and then made our way over to the little farm area so that the kids could see the cow, chicken, pig, and goats. Everett loved all the animals, especially the goats. He would just walk up and start petting one.

K on the other hand, showed his fear of farm animals. He just cried whenever Chris would get close to the animal. Such a big boy!! We left the farm experience and went into the reptile building. I stayed outside with the stuff since that building gets crowded. K and Chris came out and we sat on a rock and marveled at our "little" boy as he ran around. Out next stop was in the new penguins exhibit. It is in its own building. They have a glass window from floor to ceiling that goes the entire length of the exhibit. The smart zoo people even built a little ledge that kids can stand on. Since Mark go stuff duty, the rest of us took the kids in. We waited a bit for a space to clear and then set the kids up on the ledge. The penguins were swimming around. Everett got scared whenever one swam towards him. He took a step back and almost fell off the ledge. I caught him but my quick movement scared K so he started crying. After that, the penguins were no fun. We quickly left and took the Lowries to the really cool bird dome. It is filled with parakeets, cockatoos, and cocktails. You pay $1 for a Popsicle stick covered with birdseed. You walk into the dome and wait for a bird to land on your stick. We usually go to the zoo in the mornings so the birds are hungry. They will zoom to your stick. You can even have two at one time on it! By the afternoon, though, they have had their fill and it was tough getting a bird to eat on the stick. We did manage to get some though. I held Everett while Laner stayed outside with the stuff. Everett was so funny! He seriously was like that Looney Tunes character - he wanted to touch them and hold them and squeeze them and called the George!! So cute!! After the cool bird experience, we headed up the mountain to check out the big cats. It was awesome!! Before we even got there, we could hear the lion. He must have been feeling pretty frisky because he was calling out to any available females very loudly!! I personally have never heard a lion at the zoo. This one is usually sleeping whenever we have been there previously (again, get there early, not much action). He would yawn and show his teeth and tongue - HUGE!! The kids were really impressed by his calls. I was happy that K didn't start crying!! Next to the lion is the tiger exhibit. They recently put the new tiger cubs in the exhibit with their momma. I could see the momma up on a ledge sleeping but no babies. It took a while to realize that they were curled up with her!! I got our super cool camera and got a few close up shots of the babies - so cute!!

Next, we headed to the elephants - K's favorite. They were so active!! They were kicking balls around, kicking the barrel around, and swaying. And they were really close to the fence so the kids could see how big they really are.We really learned that the later in the day, the more we see and hear!!

I mean even the hippos were active. They were having a great time playing with the water spray.

We stopped by and saw the giraffes and then headed to our last stop - apes!! They were all pretty active except for the big gorilla in the center. He was sitting up at the top next to a window. We went up to check him out. He looked so sad in his eyes, like he was bored. K started crying when we tried to get him close to see the gorilla so that didn't last long. Needless to say, we had some tired kiddos and parents!! We went home and put the kids down for naps.

Sunday evening

While at the zoo, we smelled the delicious odor of hamburgers on the grill. It was then and there that we decided to have a cookout for dinner. When we got home, the kids went down for naps. Chris and Mark went to the store to get stuff for dinner. I had invited my parents and grandmother over. I also invited our friends the Priests over. They have season tickets for the seats behind us at the Airhogs. Chris took charge of the grilling and did an excellent job. When we sat down to eat, we said our prayer. We have been holding K's hands or shoulders since he was a baby when it was prayer time. This time, he held our hands the whole time. After was said amen and did our hand squeezing, we let go of his hands. He then grabbed our hands and said "Amen!" It was a total thrill of my soul to see that he understands!! The burgers were great. Though we were reminded that K doesn't like burgers yet. I ended up making him some mac and cheese with veggies. He did eat that but was totally shoving the baked beans into his mouth as fast as he could. There was a whole lot of visiting and laughing and cheering (Cowboy game was on). It really felt good to know that we have people in our lives who enjoy being in our home and sharing a meal together. The best part of the the evening was when Everett and Evelyn started singing "Ring around the Rosie". Everett is hilarious at this. When it comes to "all fall down", he throws himself on the floor and just giggles!! And Chris and I lost it when K joined in. While the Lowrie kids are spinning in circles, our pride and joy stands there and twists his body so that his arms flail around. For "all fall down", he bends over and smacks the floor. The rest of the night, he was running around saying "Ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes." But it didn't come out as ashes. Sounds like he was calling for a donkey!!

Monday afternoon

Chris and I had talked during the day about going to Don Juan's to eat dinner since Mark and Laner had enjoyed it so much. When I walked into our house this afternoon, the funniest sight greeted me. Laner was sitting in the green chair and Mark was sitting on the couch. Both had the "hand caught in the cookie jar" expression on their faces. Why?? Because they were snacking on Don Juan's!! We were kinda worried they didn't like it but I guess our fears were totally wrong!! Their kiddos were taking naps. They had a good day checking out the state park in Cedar Hill. They really enjoyed the beautiful nature the park offers but the playgrounds (a total must for all parents with little ones) were a complete bust!! Metal slide??? In the sun???? Crazy!! When Evelyn woke up, she went with me to go get K from Miss Becky's. She enjoyed seeing all the kids. Though she was a bit flabbergasted that it seemed like we walk everywhere! After Everett woke up, we watched the kids play for a while. We then went to Mike Lewis park which is close to our house. I made sure to grab the leftover hot dog buns we had since there are ducks at this park. We got there and unloaded the kiddos. This is a new playground and the equipment is not your typical equipment. There really aren't separate playgrounds for toddlers and older children. It is mostly for older children with lots of climbing things. Evelyn hopped up on the big wheel. You are supposed to ride it laying down and holding on for dear life. She wanted to ride it sitting up. So, I gave her a spin and she fell off. No cries though!! From then on, she laid down on it. They did have this little red cup that spins. I put K in it and spun him slowly. He wasn't too happy about it. He enjoyed walking on the stuff they put for ground cover. It is shredded tires and quite bouncing! We then ventured to the other side of the pond and waited for the ducks to come over to us. I will say that this moment was the highlight of my day. Each child truly showed their unique personalities. K was walking around saying "Mack! Makck! Mack!" - his immitation of a duck. Then he would go "Meow!"Meow!" Evelyn kept handing the bread to the ducks saying, "This if for you, your majesty." We tried to tell her that she needed to throw the bread but she didn't. Then one of the ducks got her fingers when he or she was trying to get the bread. She started throwing after that. Everett, was sitting there eating his bread. He would pretend to give it to the ducks but would quickly put it in his mouth. K also showed that he still cannot throw. He kept "throwing" the bread but it landed right by my feet. I was afraid that the ducks would mistake my white little piggies for pieces of bread! While feeding the ducks, Chris came to the park on his way home. He just laughed at our little boy quacking and meowing at the ducks. After the ducks, we went back to the playground for a few more minutes of fun. Mark put Everett in the little red cup. He really liked it. So much so that when Mark took him out, he cried. So, Mark put him back in and spun him some more. After a few minutes, it was time to go. Mark got him out of the red cup and walked over to the big wheel to give Evelyn a few more spins on the big wheel. While we were standing there watching the fun, Everett's tummy realized that it didn't like the spinning and he threw up a bit. But it didn't phase him at all!! He was ready for more fun. Before we got to go have more fun, we would have to stop by the house and change Everett's shirt.

Monday Night Dinner

After some suggestions, it was decided that we would eat at the Oasis on Joe Pool Lake. Since the Lowrie's had explored that state park side of the lake, we thought they would enjoy seeing the other side that is managed by the city. The Oasis is a nice place since it is on the water. We decided to sit outside since it was a nice night. We got a table away from the smokers. the table looked so dirty that I had to pull out my trusty anti-bacterial wipes. Both Laner and I used a wipe but we were astonished to find that the table wasn't dirty at all!! The dark spots looked more like cigarette burns than anything. We ordered our food and just enjoyed talking to each other. Mark stated that this would be a pretty romantic place....if we didn't have the kiddos with us. And it really was with the sun setting, the splashing of the waves, and the cool breeze. Granted, you had to ignore the slightly fishy smell!! We really had a great time just sitting there talking and watching the kids. K kept looking over all the glasses to make sure that Everrett was still there. At the end of the meal, I put a napkin over K's head and asked "Where's Keegan?" He pulled it off and all the kids just laughed and laughed. So we had to go around the table letting each child "hide". So much fun!
I really did enjoy yesterday afternoon. It made me realize that we really are depriving ourselves of some great fun when we just sit inside during the evenings. I had a total paradigm shift about this. I always felt like the evening was half over when I got home from work. This day made me realize that there are so many things that I can go do with K outside. Looking forward to our next grand adventure - Wednesday afternoon at the library!!

Why we are nominated for Parent's of the Year

Whenever I think I've got things under control, God reminds me that he is in charge. Last night, he did just that. And at church of all places!! We have a very full Wednesday night. Our church provides dinner on Wednesday nights for the low price of $3 a person - SWEET!! And it was spaghetti night - a Teubner family fav! I mean who needs desserts when there is garlic bread!!! Anyways, K tore into his spag and made a fantastic mess of it. It was time to clean him up so I open his diaper bag and come to the strange realization that THERE ARE NO WIPES!!! WHAT??#?$?#!?!?#!? But I put a bib and cup in there and didn't even notice!!! And of all meals not to have wipes! So Chris goes and gets wet towels (lovely, industrial strength ones that absorb no water and are horribly coarse). We get him "cleaned" up and Chris takes him to the class where he is setting up for the FPU class he teaches. I use the time to clean the high chair we used. Totally grossed me out but it will be the one that we use from now on since I KNOW it is clean. Ok, got that done and collect K to take upstairs. As I pick him up, an order hits me and it is not pleasant. Great!! I hated it when parents would drop off kids with dirty diapers when I worked in the nursery. And then I am floored with another realization. Not only do we not have wipes, we also have no diapers!! Great!!! Luckily, the gals in the nursery have a sense of humor and laugh off my lame apologizes for the situation. YEAH! After bell practice, I go to pick him up from the nursery. They are not smiling. The first words out of their mouths were "He had two poopy diapers." Great!! Thank you!! No, no autographs, please.