Laura's rule of life #117

If you ruin dinner (in this case by using stale arborio rice to make risotto and don't figure it out until you start tasting the risotto half an hour into cooking)...



You can always order a pizza!

The Stanwood-Camano Community Fair

Last week while we were back in Seattle we went to the Stanwood-Camano Community Fair. Every time we go Robert and his family regale us with stories of Megan showing sheep, running the Republican ice cream stand and performing in the parade. Having grown up in a huge city instead of a small rural town I still get a kick out of it all.


Here is Gray and Aunt Megan after going on the "scary" ride. He spent the whole ride curled up in a ball but wanted to go again afterward.


Riding the Ferris Wheel with Dad. When they got on the ride operator very seriously told Robert not to rock. Every time they got to the top the whole thing creaked and popped, maybe we should have called this one the "scary" ride.


Eating ice cream with Papa.


Aunt Megan, Cousin Wendy and Gray with a Goat. We also got to feed an Alpaca, and we petted a bunny and a dairy cow.

Happy Birthday Nana

First a Tulsa Shock game.


Then dinner and cupcakes. Happy Birthday Mom. We love you!


Someone REALLY likes chocolate cupcakes.

This morning we drove out of Tulsa to the Thunderbird farm.


There we picked our own blueberries.


A very proud little boy.


We bought eggs and honey from Farmer Don.


Then we came home and used our eggs, honey,


and blueberries to make


muffins. Yum!


Not a bad way to spend a hot summer morning.

Dr. Mom

I have spent the last 2 days trying to come up with some funny or clever way to post about my big news. However, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing funny or clever about it!
To that end:
I PASSED MY DISSERTATION DEFENSE!
This means that (except for turning in my paper on August 11th at 10am - yes I had to make an appointment for it) I have now earned a Ph.D in Experimental Psychology. This also means that Robert intends to call me Dr. Laura for the rest of my life, which he thinks is a lot more humorous than it actually is!
Now I am going to sleep for a month!

Big Boy Bed

So, as Gray's parents we have utterly failed at potty training...thus far. In a sad, pathetic effort to feel better about ourselves we decided to move him from his crib (where he was totally happy and from which he never even attempted to escape) to a big boy bed. You know, so at least he's progressing a little bit. If this works we will feel much better about ourselves! We are also planning on several trips this summer and he has outgrown portable cribs (even sleeping at a diagonal)so he will have to sleep in real beds. We thought that having some practice would be a good idea before we left.

Meanwhile, from Gray's perspective "I have a big boy bed? Does this mean I am a big boy? That would be so cool - no bedtime, all the popsicles I can eat, and Toy Story 3 on demand. Wait doesn't that also mean taxes, vegetables, and the occasional jury duty? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"



"Sweet, my bed is lower to the ground so the chubby cat can sleep on the other end. Wouldn't be soooo bad except for his snoring. Thanks Mom and Dad"

The Tulsa Shock

This year Tulsa got a professional women's basketball team called The Shock. We bought two season tickets and my mom (who is a huge women's basketball fan) bought the two right next to them. Robert and Gray have gone with Nana and Uncle George before but I had not had the chance. Last week Nana and Uncle George left for an Alaskan cruise so we had all four tickets and went on Saturday. Gray doesn't really get the game yet but he loves Volt the mascot and the dipping dots (which I had not had since the early 90's at the old Pasadena Mall). Let me tell you, these women do not hold back. I attended many MBA Sonic games back is Seattle (before they became the Oklahoma Thunder, coincidentally) and a few WMBA Storm games. For families I highly recommend the WMBA if you have a team in town. The tickets are less expensive, crowds are usually lighter and more families attend so the between play entertainment is usually family oriented.

The Rocking Horse

My great grandfather bought this rocking horse for my grandmother. This is me riding it when I was about a year old, with my mom.


Here is Gray riding it with my mom the weekend that we moved to Tulsa a year ago.


And here is Gray the other day. Living in Tulsa gives us plenty of opportunities to see horses and even cowboys in action. Except for having it's tail pulled out occasionally (and the gum I stuck in it's nose when I was a kid) it seems to be holding up pretty well, so maybe it will make it for another generation to enjoy.

I crack myself up

When Robert has to go away on business trips I try and put a few cards in his suitcase. Usually they are store bought and just say that we will miss him but occasionally I get inspired and make one. I took the following pictures for one of these cards, they make me giggle so much I just had to post them. Plus, I just love this face (he was very cooperative with his mother's crazy requests)!

Growing Up

Last weekend Gray graduated from his Super Beast class at The Little Gym. He starts a class this week where the parents don't get to participate anymore. First swimming, now Little Gym. He is growing up so fast it's hard to keep up. The other day he kissed me on both cheeks and then asked "Does that make your heart happy Momma?" and of course I said yes, who wouldn't?

Summer Has Arrived

Summer seems to have arrived in Tulsa with sunny skies and 90 degree weather. We were just starting to think having a pool wasn't worth the upkeep, but now we remember how great it is to have one in Tulsa.

Grandma and Papa are visiting

Robert arrived home today from a week in India on business. So Grandma and Papa came on Thursday to see us and help out with Gray. The weather had been overcast and rainy for weeks but it finally cleared up over the last few days. This morning we actually spent some time in enjoying the backyard, including a run through the sprinklers. Hopefully the pool will be warm enough to swim in soon.

Gray's Tree

For Christmas last year Gray's nana (my mom) bought him a tree. It is a Loblolly pine tree, native to Oklahoma so it should be able to withstand the searing summers and freezing winters. She bought it through and organization called Up With Trees. They plant trees all around Tulsa,and Gray's tree is planted in a park a little south of our house. The black mark on the trunk is how tall he is now, it will be fun to see who grows faster.

The Betty Rowland Art Show

Last weekend we got dressed up and attended an art show at Gray's nursery school. He was very proud to show us all of the art that he had made over the last year. Each piece was mounted and labeled by medium. There were the expected marker, water color and finger paints. Some were unexpected, bubble wrap, jelly beans and this picture is of his piece made with paint and a toy car. We had cookies and punch and he showed me all of his favorite things to do on the playground.



P.S. As you can see his belly button is still his one and only security object (luckily every time he checks it is still there).

Behold the Wiggler!

Or as known on late night infomercials - the Plasma Car

One of Gray's paternal Grandparents is responsible for this super cool little scooter. After his dimwitted parents finished struggling with the directions for putting it together he was off like a rocket and now does laps around the kitchen!

Gray Turns 3!

So our little boy turned three last Monday. Unfortunately for him, on the wheel of parents he chose poorly and ended up with the two of us who were incapable of throwing the massive birthday blowout that he was hoping for. Instead we went to the aquarium with Gray's friend Jonah and his lovely parents Karen and Avi.



The shark tunnel proved the hit of the day and in a pinch worked as a race track for the two boys to run around, and around, and around, and around.



We also got to feed the turtles - who, courtesy of their daily tourist handouts have become fat, lazy, and cranky! Be careful with your fingers...



Super Mom did manage to orchestrate a solid birthday snack for Gray's school on Monday. Ice cream pizzas!



And finally the hit of the birthday - a reversable superhero cape! On one side its a Superman cape, on the other it has a giant "G" with a lightning bolt. Supergray has been wearing it nonstop and sleeping with it since its arrival!



Thank you to Robert, our guest blogger for the day.

Big Boy Swimmer

Last week Gray's swimming teacher surprised us saying that he was ready to move up the the next class. He started tonight and this was his first class without me in the pool with him. He didn't bat an eye when I walked away, and did a great job listening to his new teacher and doing everything she asked.

Recycling The Cardboard

Recycling is almost a bad word here in Tulsa. There are no public recycling bins, the recycling only gets picked up once every two weeks, and they only take a very limited kinds of recyclables. Which means that we throw all of our cardboard in the shed and then flatten it and drag it out to the recycling center at Sand Springs every once in awhile. Here is about 6months worth and the majority of our Sunday afternoon last weekend.