OUR LITTLE EXPLORER

I ordered something for Calvin months ago, and have been saving it for his third birthday in May, when he is "officially" the proper age for it.

Explorer Outfits For Calvin And His Wonder Crew Buddy Will

However, he's been mentioning "exploring" and "going on adventures" a lot lately, when we go on our long walks together. And, with all the morning-sickness-chaos going on in his life recently, I decided maybe the time for this gift was right now.

First we went out onto the balcony porch to look for "am-i-nals" with our binoculars.

Then we went out back to see if we could catch a butterfly in his net or find anything to put in his specimen jar with the built in magnifier.

Alas, no butterflies were to be found. Nevertheless, he was happy as a lark just filling his jar with leaves and rocks.

He got so into it, in fact, that I'm thinking it must be time to pull out my Sharon Lovejoy grandma book, which I bought back when my first child got married, and there was finally hope that I might someday be a grandma myself.

We've already got her Outdoor Tea Parties and Backyard Explorer Kit ideas in the bag! Perhaps it's time to try this...

or this...

or this!

What's something fun and magical that you remember doing with a grandparent or grandchild? Please share!
 

A PLATE TOO FULL

Well, it's been a rough couple of weeks, but I think we're finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Daughter Lex is expecting baby #2 and having some epic morning sickness -- the kind that lasts all day. The lay-perfectly-still-and-don't-even-speak kind of sickness. And, hard as it was to see her suffering like that, seeing the effect it was having on our little Goober Bear was harder still. One day he took his Dada on a walk, and insisted that they pick some flowers "to make Mama smile". I tear up each time I think about it.

After a few weeks she finally called her birthing center to see if they had anything to suggest, and they called in a prescription for her. Unfortunately, when Nate went to pick it up that evening, he was told their insurance wouldn't cover it, and that one little jar of pills would cost him seven hundred dollars! Now, that might lead you to think it was one of those rare orphan drugs that only a handful of people need, or maybe it's made from frankincense and gold, but no. It's the number one recommended prescription for morning sickness, so millions of women take it. In fact, they've been taking it in Canada for over 50 years. And what is it made of? It's a mixture of vitamin B6 and Unisom. Go figure.

Anyhoo, Nate spent the next couple of days on the phone, going back and forth between insurance people, doctors, HR at his company, and the Birthing Center, never losing his cool or screaming, until finally they came to their senses and agreed to cover it. And, thankfully, it seems to be doing some good. Fingers crossed, because as sad as I am for Lex and Little Goobs, and even with everyone pitching in as much as possible, it is Nate who has born the brunt, juggling pressure at work, nursing, childcare, grocery shopping, feeding, and insurance wrangling. Now he has the added burden of his annual job as a crew chief at SXSW, and the need to start recruiting all the volunteers for his team. I mean, seriously! Just how much can one plate hold?

Well, better go get dressed. Off to Austin to go grab Goobs and bring him back to Wimberley for a bit of fun and adventure!

MEANWHILE, DOWN HERE IN TEXAS...

While friends and relatives up north were struggling through this Polar Vortex thingy, we down south were doing this...

Dinner Al Fresco At Hays City Cafe

which I have to say is a bit crazy, even for Texas. Our problem is inconsistency. This winter we have swung back and forth from low-30's to mid-70s, and our plants and trees have tried to bud out so many times, only to then be thwarted by a hard freeze, that I think they've just given up altogether!

However, our northern friends needn't be jealous. As usual, I'm sure you will get your revenge come summer, when you are doing the things pictured above, while we bounce back and forth between scorching droughts and epic flooding rains. C'est la vie!