Even after defying six winters in Massachusetts, it looks like we're not the hardy winterfolk that we thought we were. Last Saturday, we went to the Chuy's Children's Parade downtown with a few other devoted Austinites who were willing to face the elements for a peek at a 50-foot Strawberry Shortcake doing the limbo. And go ahead and laugh, all you Bostonians, but it was COLD! I didn't think to pack gloves (except for the kiddos--thanks, Kelly!), because we're in Texas, after all..

So we stood out in the 40-degree air and unrelenting rain for almost 2 hours, watching a somewhat sparse procession bravely prance before us: Bob the Builder, bless his soul--never once stopped smiling. Strawberry Shortcake held her head high with grace, even as she doused torrents of rain on small children standing too close to the ropes. And even Oscar looked a little less Grouchy, determined as he was to put on a happy face for all of us. The bagpipers were my favorite, though. They were particularly stoic. They looked as if they were marching to defend their honor, and perhaps, in a way, they were. I will not attempt to be honorable, however. It was dang cold, and I didn't have enough feeling in my fingertips to buckle PJ's car seat (Derek did it; don't worry, Grandmas!).

My complaints are really just an attempt at humor. I had a great time, as did the rest of the family. It was all for Ava, really. We talked it up all week, and then gave her many precautionary warnings as the forecast worsened through the week, so that by the time Saturday rolled around, she could recite to us: "I go to parade now. It cold. It rain alot. That's o-tay!" The weather did not dampen her interest in the least.

And PJ lay cuddled in the stroller, warm and toasty under a blanket and a CVS bag, before drifting to sleep.

Here are Strawberry S. and Bob the B. prostrate on an Austin street, barely clearing the traffic light. And when they did clear..well, those were definitely parade highlights.

"Well, folks, you might want to get out and do your grocery shopping today or tomorrow, because after that you're going to have to face the cold if you go outdoors!"

-A Texas weatherman yesterday, referring to this weekend's cold front, bringing high temperatures in the (gasp!) 40's.

What do YOU do when you're stuck at a traffic light? I have found that our little community here in Austin has an abundance of sloooow traffic lights. While nearly everything that I could possibly need outside of my home-sweet-home is within a mile or two, I have to pass through several lights (including the tortuous left-hand turn signals) to get to any of these places. Now, Boston had traffic lights, but they generally had a quick turn-around because there just wasn't enough room for big, wide roads that necessitated long traffic signals. But here I find myself tapping my fingers impatiently when I'm stuck for 2..3..4 minutes at a time. And while I can be a very patient person under many circumstances, this is not one of them (For an exhaustive list of the other circumstances in which I am not patient, I will direct you to my husband and older daughter).

I know that some of you must have great ideas. My mom, for instance, flosses her teeth at traffic lights. Give me your suggestions, and maybe we can all have our around-town driving moments brightened a bit.

Derek says that it's not possible to be more than 100%, but PJ will prove him wrong. She is off the charts for her weight, and off the charts for cute. While I'm bragging, she has slept a solid 8 to 9.5 hours straight every night for the past week, except for one night. Honestly, I never really believed people when they said their babies did this. It took Ava about 15 months to accomplish that feat. Not that I would ever dream of comparing my children, but PJ is a serious cake walk in relation to other..ahem..children I've known well in my life who might happen to resemble her...

AND today was PJ's first LAUGH. Wondering what did it? Dancing with a mom belting out "Rock the Boat". Trust me: it would make YOU laugh, too.

And she's just the right size for our handy-dandy baby-case. Oh, how I love fat babies.
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Lay off the rolls, PJ!

#1 in the series (in no particular order)
Things I like about Texas:

44 cent avocados!

And if anyone is interested, I can give you the rundown on the prices of other popular produce items (bananas? 37 cents/pound).

There was a most unwelcome welcoming committee that came to greet us last week. One of those kind ambassadors of the Texas Underworld left me a little housewarming gift to remember him by.

FIRE ANTS! IN OUR APARTMENT! At least, that's what we suspect they were. If you've never heard of fire ants, suffice it to say that they are evil little creatures, and you should stay far away from them. Except when you come to visit us in Texas! (Don't worry, they're out of our apartment now..)

By the way, this first in my series, "Things I do not like about Texas," a companion to the series, "Things I like about Texas." Creative titles, I know.

We have arrived at last in Texas. Is this the place? Is this the promised land? I guess time will tell. Right now, it's a little bit lonely.

Here is a rundown of the latest transition in the life of our family:

• Last night in Massachusetts with our dear friends. We romped on the beach, rode the carousel, and pretended that nothing at all was about to change.

Ava giggled herself silly with her best friends in the whole world, Abizella and SuperKid.

And then we hit the road.

• Good drive from Boston to Arkansas. PJ slept ALL the time in the car, waking up to eat every 3-4 hours before returning to her blissful slumber. Ava read lots of books, did a little bit of whining, requested hundreds of songs from the front seat duo, and watched HOURS of Mary Poppins on our new portable DVD player (Who knew you could buy another parent for $69.99!). We loved seeing some family along the way (uncles and aunts and cousins..) and wish we'd had time to stop to see more. Ava met up with her identical cousin in Tennessee. Quick! Who's who?
  

• Finally saw Graceland. Derek's hounded me about it for years (we have been to Memphis numerous times), and though I've always wanted to go, I could never justify the price of tickets. We forked over our grocery budget, though, and decided it was definitely worth going hungry for a week. Really really tacky, but then, it's Elvis... I will suggest to Derek that he devote a post some time to Graceland.

• One week in Arkansas with Mom and Dad. Lots of fun with the grandparents: trips to a redneck pumpkin patch, the zoo (riding with Grandma after her knee surgery on the motorized vehicle!) Stoby's for breakfast, Toad Suck park, trick-or-treating. The good times never stopped! Granddad was characteristically indulgent, as Ava quickly learned. Each time she had a choice of "staying home with Granddad" (read: watch Mary Poppins?) OR going somewhere with her mom, she chose Granddad every time. And PJ learned how good it feels to be held all the time. Uh-oh.

Our nocturnal animals--PJ, the bat, and AK in the half of her costume she agreed to wear, as a panther/dog/cat/bat, depending on the moment you asked her.

• Derek left Arkansas after a few days to get to Austin, meet the moving van, and begin work. All of that went well. By the time I arrived with the parents, Derek had done a ton of work unpacking, though the place was still a mess of boxes and piles of stuff. The best thing he did was set up Ava's room, with most of her toys and books unpacked and her bed made. When she entered her room for the first time, she was ecstatic. Beside herself with excitement, she pointed out every item for me: "My dog! My bed! My dog book! My train! My kitchen! My chair! My sheep!" and so on.

• The apartment. We love our new place. It will take some getting used to a few modern luxuries, but we now have (for the FIRST time in our 9 married years--not counting when we were house-sitters) the following: walk-in closets, central A/C, and best of all, a DISHWASHER! Hallelujah. And this weekend, when it's 85 degrees, we plan to try out the pool.

We still have a lot of exploring to do. We have driven around downtown and I can't wait to get a closer look at it, as well as all over the Austin area. Right now, I'm trying to get the apartment organized, get used to the idea of our new home so far from the home we're used to, and still be a good mom. I'm not sure which of those tasks is the hardest... Up until my parents left a couple of days ago, I could *almost* pretend that this was all a long, elaborate vacation. But reality hit after they left. This is our new home. I know we're going to like it here, but it is hard to be in a new place after leaving a place that you really loved.