If Only I Could Paint Like This...

My just-turned nine niece, who excels in academics,

won yet another award - this time for painting.

Although I didn't get to see the painting while I was in Houston

(it's touring the city as part of a rodeo festival there)

I'm glad I could see pictures of it.

There's something magical about how kids paint,

don't you agree? 

I love how my niece used purple

(who would have thought?) on the horse,

and how she outlined the fence with red.

It makes the painting really special, I think!

Lunch For DaddyBoy

Niece? Second cousin? Who cares - she's brand new!

My cousin (one of very many, trust me) in India, himself barely more than a kid, just became a daddy!!! The baby is so new they haven't even decided on a name yet. I do hope they call her Sara, my very favorite name, that would've gone to the BabyBug if DaddyBoy hadn't preferred Aisha. But we have NO Sara's in the family, so I really hope they pick that.

Regardless, she is CUTE.

I don't usually post family pics, but this one is so sweet. The new daddy with his little critter, taken by the new daddy's older brother, who is himself due to fly to France in a couple of days for his MBA. He was hoping the baby would come before he left, and it did!

Yikes! No Posts!

My parents are visiting - they arrived Wednesday evening, and I just completely forgot about my blog, not to mention the other two I write for!

I guess family will do that to ya :)

The BabyButton is so excited to have them - truckloads more of love and attention for her, of course!

Stay tuned, though - I hope to have a blog giveaway soon!

And it's here!

Remember how gray (grey?) everything was in my getting ready for Spring picture? It's still a little dull back in the patio, although there is quite a bit of green there as well now, but out front it's like this!

Getting ready for Spring

Last week DaddyBoy cleaned up the flower beds in our little patio...the shovel had a happy mixture of dirt and pine needles and old leaves in it...



You can see the honeysuckle, all intertwined with the hibiscus, is already sprouting. The hibiscus will take a while though. I think even its dried out remains of flowers are pretty.

Oh, this and that...

So I'm back from India, the land of extreme impossible-ness. I swear I don't know how that country ticks, but wow, does it ever!

BubbleToes had a blast, that's for sure, what with all the aunties and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews fawning over her. I was so glad to see my parents again, and all my incredibly talented relatives, especially all my young cousins who continue to amaze me with their accomplishments. More power to them!

So we came back, and DaddyBoy had a tape of Slumdog Millionaire ready for us to watch. I'm not sure why, but there it was. I ended up watching it alone, and in the end I had only one thought - "Ugh!". This movie won at the Oscars??? If you don't count the one scene that still gives me nightmares, it's still a mishmash of Bollywood cliches not worth the truckload of accolades it got, with noise for music, and strange camera work, but that's just my opinion. I mean if you watched it and liked it, great.

And then we watched Twilight, and I didn't like that either. Too choppy, not surreal enough. Lacked atmosphere. Weird acting.

Is it coz I'm watching these on the small screen? Or maybe it's just me?

I am so busy trying to wrap everything up before the SnuggleBug and I leave for India. There are little lists everywhere, but the big question is:

While I'm gone. will DaddyBoy eat his vegetables???

Lil Birdie flies....again!

The past few weeks have been filled with planning.
The BabyButterfly and I will be taking a trip to India!

We'll see me parents
and my uncles
and my aunties
and my cousins

with neices and nephews thrown in for good measure

and deal with

the noise
and the traffic
and the colors

and most of all

try and navigate our way through all the dinner parties without offending the host.

(not taking five helpings of food counts as offending the host)

Flying to Houston seems like nothing compared to this VERY long journey.

Hoping everything goes well!

Photo courtsey marcelgermain.

I'm busy, Mommy!!!