Time to Breath...

Well...it's ended up being another late night for me, but that's ok....this is usually the time when every one is asleep and I can go forth with "my time"...no distractions, just time to create or do whatever needs to be done....and since I have promised "regular" updates...I better make good on my word...I am no stranger for sacrificing sleep for PR projects. Brad was home and "study-free" this evening, so I was really able to spend creative time in the kitchen... tonight I baked 'roll out cookies' in the shapes of leaves (fall theme) with poured icing for Maddy's MDO 'Thanksgiving Feast' tomorrow. I have the best recipes for both if any one is ever interested.
>Is it me, or does this time of year seem to be flying by faster than usual?? I can really feel a difference since the time change...any ways, we are all doing swell here in the Mulsow Household. We had a much-needed relaxing weekend...Brad was at school, and I was able to see some good old friends from middle/high school on Friday...we all have kids now, so it was fun catching up and watching the little ones interact. Courtney had twin boys (Kyle & Luke) back in September, and Ruth is due with her second girl in late January. Her daughter Claire (16 months) reminded me so much of Maddy at this same time last year!!!
On Sunday, Brad, Maddy and I met my mother and grandmother at HAAK winery in Santa Fe...about twenty minutes drive from our house. Oma's nursing home facility had scheduled a day trip to the winery for their annual Zydeco Festival. The weather could not have been nicer, and it was wonderful seeing Oma and Omi and just listening to the live music...
Oh, and now that is Nov. 19th... Brad and I can officially celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary! YAY us! I will try and do something special on the blog as a salute...check back later this week :). Have a good one!

Yes, we are up and running!

Ok, so I know it has been FOREVER since I have blogged, but I am hoping to resume weekly blogs again and somehow prioritize my time to do so...I have officially dedicated today as "update my pages day.." ha!

This has been an extremely busy and challenging year for the Mulsow Family, and these past months have been no exception. Brad is consumed with his job and school (he is taking three classes this semester!!!), Maddy is Miss. Chatterbox and LOVES socializing, and well, me...I am trying to find time for myself and my health this season... while at the same time keeping everything running and organized within the household.

We have been very blessed over the last couple of months....since our last blog in May...we have traveled to Washington D.C., Sea World and other venues in San Antonio, Colorado for Edward and Judi's wedding, central Texas for July 4th and Brad's Austin intensive, New Orleans for family gatherings and poker playing for Brad,....we've avoided massive destruction from a devastating hurricane, started attending church services regularly again, exercised more, and just took in life more.

With all the complexities in dealing with Brad's obligations to school and work, we are looking forward to his graduation date more than ever....the countdown has been on now literally from Brad's inception into the program....and we relish the few days and moments we are together as a family of three!! Who knows where life will take us in these coming months and years!

I have not been the best photographer lately...sorry to say my "photo vault" is running low...I made sure to take a photo of Madelyn this morning before school though...rain boots and all!

I am putting together several slideshows of pictures from the last several months....see below:

Up Close and Personal

This morning Madelyn and I ended up at a place called Bayou Wildlife...it is an awesome safari-like animal adventure park that we just loved....here are a few more pics I thought were pretty cute or funny that I just had to post...

One of the many highlights...

The Ostriches were definitely not my favorite...These birds are MASSIVE!!!!

Giant camels literally in our laps...

Can you say Animal L-O-V-E-R???

Maddy and Mommy

one of the MANY crazy Emu birds...

Uhhhh Goldie...have you heard of personal space??? This guy was sitting right in front of us on the tram ride...poor thing!

This is Goldie, a golden-haired buffalo...loved him!

Happy Mother's Day!

I had an amazing Mother's Day with Madelyn and Brad. Even though I only got to see Brad for a couple of hours today, he was awesome! We went to Pappadeaux for lunch and had a nice time...check out the pics...we were trying to get one of Maddy without a mouthful of crackers, but we didn't have any luck!
Happy Mother's Day fellow Mamas! Happy Mommying!

Ball Park Babe

She is ALL about the cotton candy!Madelyn went to her first official Major League Baseball game on Saturday night to watch the Astros take on the Mariners. She absoutely loved it! She was incredibly stimulated by all the action, people and large graphic screens.

Whirlwind...

I know it's been a while since I have updated the blog...so here are just a few things going on... We have had a crazier-than-usual week here. Brad has been dealing with a take-home exam from school that is taking much of his free time (It is due Tuesday, so we will definitely be celebrating the end of this semester for him!)and he is also preparing for a turnaround at work that begins tomorrow....ugh, I don't look forward to these at all! Maddy is dealing with her two-year-old molars breaking through, and I am just trying to complete a multitude of tasks before Brad's turnaround begins next weekend(he will be working 12-14 hour nightshifts, bummer) and Maddy's MDO ends in just three SHORT weeks. Life just seems chaotic right now....and to make matters worse I had a little car accident earlier this week that added to the stress...yes, I backed OUR truck into OUR trailblazer in OUR OWN driveway!!! The entire rear door needs to be replaced....we dropped it off to be fixed this morning!! Other than that, we are doing well...every one is in good health, and we are busy, busy , busy with playdates, updating and de-cluttering the house, weddings and traveling.
Last weekend we went to visit and play tourist in New Orleans. We had been planning a short vacation there for months, and it was SOOO worth it! We had not been to New Orleans since May of 2005....almost THREE YEARS...the longest I have ever been away from the "big easy"! With the post Katrina reconstruction and birth of Madelyn, it never seemed like the right time. We really focused our trip on visiting with family, showing Maddy the sites and having date-nights...we were so relaxed and happy...and are looking forward to returning soon...hopefully with more time than we had this go-round. Here are a few picsfrom that weekend...Astrid and Maddy with Aunt Anna's famous "Rice with Chicken" dish. Maddy and daddy at the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium....an amazing place. Maddy trying to feed a cheese puff an enormous turtle at the Audubon Zoo....this zoo is incredible, our favorite so far, no doubt!Maddy had no fear when she presented with a snake...A picture of us at Pat O'Briens Piano Bar with our cousins!Aunt Anna, Uncle G and Madelyn...boy was she spoiled by them!!!We were able to return in time on Sunday to enjoy a crawfish boil at our naighbor's house...the perfect ending to a great weekend!

Earth Day Celebrations

We are trying our best to become more and more "green." Brad has always been a big aluminum can recycler, and last year we switched out all our lightbulbs for energy-efficient florescent bulbs. This year we have starting recycling our plastics, tin cans and glass containers, and it's amazing how much we throw away in our society...the amount of trash our single family produces is crazy!!! Our next goal is to recycle our paper goods and start bringing our own bags to the stores...hopefully we'll get there soon.Here is a picture of Madelyn before MDO on Earth Day...she is talking to her dad on the phone...Earth Day Celebration! We went to an awesome earth day and arbor day party yesterday....the kids had a blast and learned some important lessons concerning the environment and trash. We even made our own pots and planted some tomatoes!!!

Discovery Green

On Sunday we decided to check out the new "Discovery Green" park downtown....what an awesome place that is!!! We met some good friends there and just took the day slowly...soaking up the live entertainment, people watching, and sun.... picnicing is one of our favorite things to do, and this place is definitely one of our new favorites!
Brad had the wonderful idea to bring the bubble machine....it turned out to be a big hit!
It had been a while since Madelyn was able to spend time with her sidekick Jacob...she really enjoyed it and and his new little sis Gwyneth...

"Toe" and "Omi" time

Maddy and I spent Friday night with Omi and Abuelito so Brad could have some quiet time at the Houstonian studying for finals and so we could spend time with the folks...Brad met up with us on Saturday evening to celebrate Abuelito's 63rd birthday.

New Friends

Here are some pics from a fun playdate last Friday afternoon at our neighbor's house...Madelyn is loving her new friends!

Future Star Pianist

This is Maddy's new favorite instrument!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...

Maddy and I met Brad for lunch yesterday, and we had a nice time. Madelyn counted to seven all by herself for the first time without being prompted...it was awesome. We are still working on her Spanish numbers, and she should have those down in no time. Last night when Brad's dad called, Maddy answered the phone without me knowing...by the time I figured things out, she was in a "full on" conversation with her Pa Pa....ha!!
This past weekend we enjoyed the beautiful weather. Pa Pa decided to fly in for a visit, making the weekend extra special. Here are some pics from our adventures.

This and that...

I took Madelyn to the doctor today, and she has an ear infection. She informed us of her "ouchie" last night, and it was difficult for her to sleep. Needless to say, she ended up sleeping with us, and I in turn, ended up awake most of the night. This is her second ear infection ever, and it is caused from her allergies and their symptoms (congestion, etc.)...I was on the weather.com site the other day, and it cited Houston as having the second worst allergy season in the nation right now...go figure. I know I am so ready for my sinuses to clear.
Madelyn has also been talking up a storm lately...speaking in sentences, saying "bless you," when someone sneezes or coughs, saying "thank you" when given something, etc. She has always been a great communicator...pointing at things she wants or taking or leading you by the hand when she wants to show you something...as her Uncle Edward calls her "She is a woman who knows what she wants." I would have to agree 200% with that statement. So it's nice to see her verbally communicating on a regular basis. She is repeating everything I say now, and you wouldn't believe the amount of words coming from her mouth....she really has been paying attention all these months.
She also reached another big milestone...Madelyn peed on the big potty this past Saturday. This was her first big pee. Up until this point she would toot, which of course was always fun and exciting too, because she at least had the sensation and urge to sit there. She doesn't like sitting on the little potties for toddlers for some reason (although I think it is because she see's her big cousin and older friends using the "big potty."), so we have the big potty inserts that she can comfortably sit on... we are not in the training process with her. We are just letting her go when she wants, which is usually after dinner or before or after her bath. We still have a LONG way before this becomes common practice...and we are not rushing anything.
Here is a pic from last night...Brad made her a strawberry smoothie...is it big enough?

BEACH BUMS

Since moving to the edge of the mainland, one of my ultimate favorite things to do is go down to Galveston...I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being on the island. And today was no exception...the weather was perfect, the company was fantastic and it was just so relaxing. Our neighbors and good friends Mike, Kristin and their two boys, Raymond and Owen, caravaned with us. There are not many things that top being on the beach in my world, so I am lucky to be able to visit often. I am looking forward to going down at least once every couple of weeks this spring and summer, after all... we are only 15 miles from the bay and 22 from the gulf coast....how lucky are we (hurricanes excluded)??