solid ground

After a week of working atop sketchy scaffolding, Bean is ready for some relaxation and stability, preferably on solid ground or at least held down tight.

lady luck

Hi, little friend!

groove thang

Having gone to Motown Revue over the weekend, Bean has already showed promising evidence this week of some newly learned dance moves.

workin' on a building

Bean and I are going to do some manual labor on a ranch today. Hopefully, we'll both be getting a good workout and a little more muscle mass!

And when Bean gets tired from all the work, it helps him to know that even the King works on buildings, too.

white out

Yup, pull out those white pants and white shoes.

Well, I don't know about those shoes, Bean. I think you barefoot in those linen trousers would look smashing! Kinda like this but minus the chest hair.

tgialw

Thank God it's a long weekend!

That's more than enough to make Bean dance.

idol upset

Bean texted his fingers raw last night, trying to vote for his idol. But all to no avail.

Don't worry, Bean, our Silver Fox is above American Idol in every way. He's won our hearts and that's really all that matters. It goes without saying that if there was a show called Bean and Nora's Idol, Steve Martin would win every year, with Tina Fey giving some serious competition.

a plethora of pools

The facts show that the number of pools per square foot in Houston is sufficiently higher than the number of pools per square foot in NYC. Therefore, given the increased chances of being in the vicinity of one and dressed in the appropriate garments, Bean and I must prepare accordingly.

Bean, if you ain't sweatin', you ain't workin'! Lift that leg higher!

the ultimate

Bean and I threw some frisbees around over the weekend. Well, actually, I threw the frisbee around while Bean sat in one. He said the grass was too spikey.

Sitting there, Bean realized that the frisbee was the perfect sized saucer sled for him and then he told me that he couldn't wait to see what Houston snow is like. "It's like nothing... you've ever seen," was all I had the heart to tell him.












*I played ultimate frisbee with some new friends this weekend. One of them, the athletically talented Mr. Ripple, asked if he would be seeing Bean playing frisbee anytime soon. I told him that Bean, being in a frisbee situation, would not actually play frisbee but sit and soak up all the enjoyable things attached to a game of ultimate- like the outdoors, friends, and fun- and thus he is illustrated so.

monday alarms

Jackhammers at 7am! Seriously.
Where do they think we are, New York City?!

Well, at least Bean enjoyed them as he reminisced, with pillow on head, about all the street sounds of NYC. Bean, don't forget about the thick metal plates on the streets that do the Law and Order "dun dun" when they get driven over.

it's all good

All kite flying problems solved!
Come to us and we'll create a unique kite flying plan designed specifically for your needs!

hold on

Of course when Bean finally does let go, it's of the kite string.
Thankfully, kites fall back to the ground eventually, right?

let go

Sometimes Bean forgets to let go of the kite and just runs around with it over his head.
Whatever makes him happy!

send it soaring

Bean wants me to take him to buy a kite. I think I'll get one, too. I saw a Buzz Lightyear one at Wal-Mart for $1. It's just too bad we can't buy one from Dick Van Dyke.

cool dip

Bean and I agree that best way to enjoy the Houston heat is to get out of it and jump in a pool! We enjoyed some cool water this weekend and Bean discovered the artistic possibilities of sunscreen.


















*I went swimming yesterday and realized how much I missed it living in NYC. The last time I went swimming was with friends along the Jersey Shore. That was pretty great, except for the millions of jellyfish in the bay. But we rode jet skis so that helped to strike a balance between the good and bad.

mom's day list

How is it looking, Bean?
That looks like a pretty good list and you even made them all start with the same letter. For #2, were you thinking this place? I don't know how much she's going to want to participate in #3. We might have to do that one by ourselves.

checking out the options

Mommies eat free at IKEA for Mother's Day.
That's an idea, Bean.
And if mommy pays for us, as usual, then we'll all eat free!
Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch!



















*I've already done some things for mom for mother's day, like getting her her free 8"x10" print from Walgreens and printing all 396 pictures from our Paris trip. But you know, they always expect something in addition to what they told you to get/do. They are tricky like that, so Bean and I are still brainstorming.

magic?

No, Bean has not taken up the quest of becoming a magician...he has just decided to bring a washcloth with him in the car to absorb his back sweat. The AC in the car is not quite cutting it considering that it has to fight against the hot air coming in from one of the back seat windows that keeps magically sliding down on it's own.

Bean, just wait till it gets really hot! We'll have to sit on beach towels and we might as well wear our bathing suits, too!













*this is all true but before I really worked myself up thinking about how I'd like to be back in NYC I realized that New Yorkers aren't exempt from this kind of anguish either. I remember waiting on subway platforms trying to make the most of the wind from the passing trains. and those empty cars that pull up and make you think it's your lucky day because you get a seat? those cars are empty because the AC is broken! so before I get too upset at my predicament, I remind myself that at least I can control the speed at which I am traveling.

cinco says

It's Cinco de Mayo!
Bean has super long list of all the ways he is going to celebrate. Here is a sampling:

#1. Watch "The Three Amigos" (also my numero uno)
#45. Eat another burrito
#97. Get a pet cucaracha
#108. Shake maracas again
#116. Watch "Nacho Libre"
#154. Kill all cucarachas in the house except the pet one
#162. Ask for a taste of Nora's Margarita
(#34 on Nora's list- Deny Bean a taste of my Margarita or any other like beverage. Only let him drink Jarritos)
#163. Pick my favorite Jarritos flavor
#178. Play some soccer
#201. Watch "Selena"
#202. Make a jumpsuit like Selena's

funny salutations

You know what other flowers are blooming in our garden?
The Hibiscus!
Bean laughs every time I say "hibiscus" because for the longest time, he thought that word was, first and foremost, a great way of saying hello to your rear end.

















*Correction/Explanation: Growing up, I was taught to refer to butt buns as "biscuits". Hence the "hi, biscus," with "biscus" being a funny way to say "biscuits". However, my mother told me this evening that calling buns "biscuits" is strictly a Harmon family thing and therefore a lot of people probably did not get the joke. Was that a good enough explanation and do you get it now?

bloomin' friday

The gardenias in our garden are blooming and Bean could sit out under those bushes and just smell them all day!















*the gardenias are blooming and they smell fabulous. And who couldn't use some Lawrence Welk to brighten up their Friday?