Happy Birthday Julie!

It's Julie's birthday tomorrow, so since she has been the one most frequently encouraging me to continue blogging, I am posting tonight for her. This in spite of the fact that I am in Day 2 of a low carb diet, and it is kicking my butt tonight. I was successful losing weight this way last year, so I am confident it will work. But the first few days, as you leave behind all bread, pasta, potatoes and sugar -- my precious, sweet sugar... Excuse me.

Ok, I've composed myself again enough to resume. I'm eating my after-dinner grapefruit and feeling much better now. You never realize how sweet and satisfying a grapefruit can taste until you're eating it instead of a brownie, ice cream and cookie dough sundae. Mmmmm, sundae.......

Sorry, back again. Can you tell that food is dominating my train of thought tonight? How about we switch to some Braden stories instead?

Today at Shelley's Community Bible Study chapel service, the children of all the women who attend the Bible study sang at the end of the service. Songs included "This Little Light of Mine" and "My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty...". Got it on video tape, and I have to say Braden was equal parts precious and hysterical. He did not sing much during the early songs, but had hearty applause at the end of the songs for those who did. On the two songs mentioned above, he did get more involved, especially when the hand gestures which went along with the singing got more and more exaggerated. He has been singing "My God is so Big" at the house, almost certainly because he likes the gestures which go along with "big", "strong" and "mighty".

Bedtime now requires reading a very busy book called "Night Sounds". This book has a page on the right hand side which describes a nocturnal animal, and opens upwards to reveal a picture of the animal and a more detailed description. On the right side is a picture of the animal hidden behind a flap which you can pull open, and a color-coordinated row of buttons along the bottom which makes the sounds each particular animal makes in the wild. The book features Coyotes, Bullfrogs, Katydids and Owls among others. Every night when we get to the owl, Braden recites the "Great Big Owl" story from the Gymboree tape. His version goes something like this. "Uh Great Big Owl. With long pointy nose. Pointy ears. (Growling)Claws for toes. (Not growling anymore.) He lives high duh tree. When he looks you. He flappa duh wings and says 'who, who, who'." When Shelley or I tell him the story, we cup our hands in front of our mouths to make "who" sound louder. Braden, when he tells it, place his hands flat on each cheek to say "who". Cracks me up.

His other favorite bedtime ritual is to recite the "Three Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree" story - also from Gymboree. (My apologies to Jeffrey if you are reading - I realize you have an irrational discomfort with "Gymbo the Rhythm-less Clown", but this is my baby we're talking about!) Braden's version of the song: "Three little monkeys swinging duh tree. Teasing Mr. Alligator 'catcha me' - 'catcha me'! CHOMP! Two little monkeys," etc... No part of the song gives him quite the pleasure as bringing his left hand down from above his head to his right hand while growling "CHOMP"! But anyone who knows the song could have guessed that part.

Finally, he has developed an obsession with throwing things over the fence. Doesn't matter which side of the house, front yard or back, side yard right or left. If he has something he can carry, and has the thought flash across the front of his busy little mind, he sprints to the nearest fence and tries to throw his payload over it. Upon completion of this devilish task, he usually turns around and asks "where toy go?", like he has no idea he just chunked it into one of our (fortunately) patient neighbors' yards. This behavior is irrating with only one redeeming element. Whenever we are in the house, in the car, at a restaurant - anywhere - and we ask him where something went, the answer is invariably the same. Example: Me, at Jason's Deli: "Braden, where is your fork?" Braden: "Over duh fence!" Everything in the universe which is temporarily misplaced is reported by Braden to be "over duh fence". Often, if we are home, and we can't find what we are looking for after searching a bit, we will make the rounds in the backyard, looking into the neighbor's yards to see if maybe, just maybe....

Austin is starting to show signs of spring fever, which is understandable given that we are four months into Spring here in Houston. He is loving baseball (mostly playing 3rd base) and enjoying the long evening sunshine with his friends across the street. Getting him out of the bed in the morning is another matter altogether.

That's going to about do it for now. We are looking forward to Dad and Mom coming for a visit next week, with Mom getting her "Longwood Mother's Club" card renewed, and Dad getting dragged out to another Astros game to sample America's past-time and the best bargains for food and beverages in the Southeast corner of Texas. (My favorite "Dad quote" from the last Astros game we went to: "That was a good bbq sandwich, but not five dollars and ninety-five cents good!") Honestly, can't you just hear him saying it?