Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
As usual, lagging behind!
Wow...the past 2 weeks have flown by. I can not believe that its time for Thanksgiving already. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks. Here is a short recap. Pictures to come over the Thanksgiving break hopefully.
Nutcracker Market-
Oh what fun that was. We had quite the crowd this year. Myself, along with mom, Jill, Marney, Pam, Diane, Alyce, Monica, Kristen and Joan all met up at the Market on Friday morning for a fun filled day of shopping. Mom, Jill, Marney and I did not leave until 6pm! Needless to say, we had a great time and did alot of damage. It was so wonderful to spend some time with Jill. Hopefully we can make it a yearly tradition now.
Hanging out with Jill and Kailyn-
Jill and Kailyn were in town the whole weekend of the Nutcracker Market, so on Sunday they came over to hang out. Megan was in visiting as well, so we had a fun Sunday morning. Much to my surprise, Jill had Megan make the girls matching Christmas dresses. They are adorable! Yes we are dorks and like to dress the girls the same when they are together. They are only 6 weeks apart so its so much fun. They were both drama queens as usual so picture taking was a bit difficult until we headed outside. Once outside, in the freezing cold and slight rain mind you, they were happy as clams! They ran and played with Chris. They ended the day holding hands walking along the sidewalk. I love that the girls are so close in age and hope that we can continue to have fun vacations together so they can grow up to become good friends and college roommates at Texas A&M!! Whoop! We did miss Mark and Luke during their visit, but they were enjoying a boys weekend in Illinois.
2nd week at the new school-
Well, Katelyn finished her 2nd week at her new school. While its still extrememly difficult to drop her off every morning, its getting a bit easier. We are trying to stick to a strict schedule to make it easier on her. She does great after we leave which is good news for us. She is also taking to the new schedule and menu. When I pick her up, shes all smiles and so excited to see me. Shes typically worn out from the fun day and is starting to go to bed slightly earlier than usual. Guess thats a good thing. We are hoping things continue to get better and that we have found a long term place for her to stay.
Aggie Football-
How about the Aggies football team? Wow...what a turn around they have made. Since the games have been on tv, we have made it a point to watch. Some nerve wracking games, but they seem to be finding the wins lately. This past weekend, we were excited to watch them play Nebraska. Both Chris and I remember our freshman year at A&M and watching A&M beat Nebraska (then ranked no. 1 or something like that) in the first Maroon Out game. It was great to see them pull out another win and to see the Wrecking Crew make an appearance again. We do love our Aggies and we love them even more when they are winning. We are very excited to watch them play t.u. on Thanksgiving Day.
Babysitting and sickness-
On Saturday we offered to babysit for Chris' boss. Erin is 3mo already. Wow how time flies. Jason and Diane had a dinner to go to, so we headed over that way in the early evening. Shortly after arriving and before Jason and Diane left, Katelyn got sick and threw up all over their wood/tile floor. My poor princess. I felt so bad for her and for the mess she had just made. We got everything cleaned up and thought it was over. No fever, acting normal, etc. Not to much later here it came again. After than, she was good. We thought she just had too much Icee at Target (yes we are terrible parents and got her an icee, what can I say). Since she seemed to be ok, we sent Jason and Diane on their way. They had a great time at the dinner and Chris and I enjoyed the Aggie game after both of the girls were peacefully asleep. I was hoping that was the end to the sickness, but nope. Sunday morning, I had it. Yuck! After a rough morning and a nap, I decided Chris needed to come home (he was working). I was able to rest the remainder of the day and am finally feeling better today. Lets hop it stays that way. Unfortunately Jill called this morning to tell me that Kailyn had it bad last night and is still trying to recover today. Poor Kailyn. I hope for their sake, the rest of the family doesnt get it. I do not wish the stomach bug on anyone!
Thanksgiving-
Yahoo...its finally here! I am super excited about Thanksgiving this year. We are headed to Austin to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and Mark as well as Aunt Judy and the girls, and Jenny (Mark's oldest daughter). We are supposed to head there this evening. This year we get an extra special treat. Trish and family are in town visiting Brad's parents! We are so excited to see Trish and Thomas Wednesday evening for dinner and the whole family Thursday morning for breakfast. We just saw them in October, but we never miss a chance to visit with the Staats family since we rarely get to see them and they are so special to us.
Well, I think that gets us up to date. Pictures to come soon...I promise!
Nutcracker Market-
Oh what fun that was. We had quite the crowd this year. Myself, along with mom, Jill, Marney, Pam, Diane, Alyce, Monica, Kristen and Joan all met up at the Market on Friday morning for a fun filled day of shopping. Mom, Jill, Marney and I did not leave until 6pm! Needless to say, we had a great time and did alot of damage. It was so wonderful to spend some time with Jill. Hopefully we can make it a yearly tradition now.
Hanging out with Jill and Kailyn-
Jill and Kailyn were in town the whole weekend of the Nutcracker Market, so on Sunday they came over to hang out. Megan was in visiting as well, so we had a fun Sunday morning. Much to my surprise, Jill had Megan make the girls matching Christmas dresses. They are adorable! Yes we are dorks and like to dress the girls the same when they are together. They are only 6 weeks apart so its so much fun. They were both drama queens as usual so picture taking was a bit difficult until we headed outside. Once outside, in the freezing cold and slight rain mind you, they were happy as clams! They ran and played with Chris. They ended the day holding hands walking along the sidewalk. I love that the girls are so close in age and hope that we can continue to have fun vacations together so they can grow up to become good friends and college roommates at Texas A&M!! Whoop! We did miss Mark and Luke during their visit, but they were enjoying a boys weekend in Illinois.
2nd week at the new school-
Well, Katelyn finished her 2nd week at her new school. While its still extrememly difficult to drop her off every morning, its getting a bit easier. We are trying to stick to a strict schedule to make it easier on her. She does great after we leave which is good news for us. She is also taking to the new schedule and menu. When I pick her up, shes all smiles and so excited to see me. Shes typically worn out from the fun day and is starting to go to bed slightly earlier than usual. Guess thats a good thing. We are hoping things continue to get better and that we have found a long term place for her to stay.
Aggie Football-
How about the Aggies football team? Wow...what a turn around they have made. Since the games have been on tv, we have made it a point to watch. Some nerve wracking games, but they seem to be finding the wins lately. This past weekend, we were excited to watch them play Nebraska. Both Chris and I remember our freshman year at A&M and watching A&M beat Nebraska (then ranked no. 1 or something like that) in the first Maroon Out game. It was great to see them pull out another win and to see the Wrecking Crew make an appearance again. We do love our Aggies and we love them even more when they are winning. We are very excited to watch them play t.u. on Thanksgiving Day.
Babysitting and sickness-
On Saturday we offered to babysit for Chris' boss. Erin is 3mo already. Wow how time flies. Jason and Diane had a dinner to go to, so we headed over that way in the early evening. Shortly after arriving and before Jason and Diane left, Katelyn got sick and threw up all over their wood/tile floor. My poor princess. I felt so bad for her and for the mess she had just made. We got everything cleaned up and thought it was over. No fever, acting normal, etc. Not to much later here it came again. After than, she was good. We thought she just had too much Icee at Target (yes we are terrible parents and got her an icee, what can I say). Since she seemed to be ok, we sent Jason and Diane on their way. They had a great time at the dinner and Chris and I enjoyed the Aggie game after both of the girls were peacefully asleep. I was hoping that was the end to the sickness, but nope. Sunday morning, I had it. Yuck! After a rough morning and a nap, I decided Chris needed to come home (he was working). I was able to rest the remainder of the day and am finally feeling better today. Lets hop it stays that way. Unfortunately Jill called this morning to tell me that Kailyn had it bad last night and is still trying to recover today. Poor Kailyn. I hope for their sake, the rest of the family doesnt get it. I do not wish the stomach bug on anyone!
Thanksgiving-
Yahoo...its finally here! I am super excited about Thanksgiving this year. We are headed to Austin to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and Mark as well as Aunt Judy and the girls, and Jenny (Mark's oldest daughter). We are supposed to head there this evening. This year we get an extra special treat. Trish and family are in town visiting Brad's parents! We are so excited to see Trish and Thomas Wednesday evening for dinner and the whole family Thursday morning for breakfast. We just saw them in October, but we never miss a chance to visit with the Staats family since we rarely get to see them and they are so special to us.
Well, I think that gets us up to date. Pictures to come soon...I promise!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Fun weekend!
Yahoo....BFF is on the plane right now headed to Houston! I am so excited. Tomorrow is the Nutcracker Market and the start to a great weekend. Mom and Megan will be here this evening to join in the fun! Pictures and stories to come.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Halff Shrimp Boil
Today was my company shrimp boil. Our head of surveying just finished rebuilding his house on the bay and decided to have a shrimp boil to celebrate. We headed over there about 2:30 and had a great time. Katelyn had a blast playing with my co-works daughter Ophelia. It was nice to have a break from carrying her around all day and it sure did wear her out. She was passed out in the car about 10 min after we got on the road. Here are a few pictures:
And finally some pictures!
Dressed for the Trick or Treat parade at school.
Waiting for her turn to get candy
At the pumpkin patch
Friday, November 5, 2010
Falling behind
I got all caught up with my blogging last week and then Halloween, a sick kiddo, and a hurt dog came and slowed the progress! Not to mention that my computer has been acting up and HATES when I try to get into the blog. So, I am taking a few min of time from work to post a few update. Pictures will have to come later since they are all at home.
Halloween was lots of fun this year. On Friday, Katelyn and I headed to her new school for their Halloween trick or treat parade and party. It took her some time to warm up, but she had a great time. On Sunday, Katelyn and I headed to the pumpkin patch in the afternoon to check out all of the pumpkins and maybe try and get some great pictures. She wanted nothing to do with the picture taking, but loved running in the sand and climbing on the pallets the pumpkins were on. I did get a few cute pictures, so I cant complain much. Later it was candy time! We decided against taking Katelyn trick-or-treating this year and instead let her hand out candy at home. So, as soon as it started to get dark we put her in the adorable pumpkin costume and headed outside with the candy! She had a blast watching all of the kids. In between trick or treaters, she entertained herself by digging in the candy bowl and moving it from the big bowl to her pumpkin and back! She also helped herself to some of the treats and was none to happy when we would not give her anymore. Guess we have a candy eater on our hands.
On Monday, Katelyn started at her new school. We chose Kids R Kids which is very close to the house. It was a tough decision and it took us a long time, but we made it. I hope this school becomes a place that we all love and where Katelyn can stay up to kindergarden. Anyways, back to her 1st day. I dropped her off and hung around for a few min to make sure she got somewhat settled in. She seemed to be doing great, so I snuck out when she wasnt looking. Later that day at work, I logged on to the website and was able to see her enjoying her afternoon snack and playing. I was much relieved that things seemed to be looking up. That was until 4:30 when they called and said that she had a fever and would need to be picked up. Dang it...not even 1 day and shes already sick. Thankfully, I was already on the road headed that direction. She spent the next 3 days at home with Patsy (thank goodness for a wonderful mother in law living so close) getting better. Today was her 2nd first day and so far so good.
On top of all that, Haley had to go to the vet which is an ordeal. On Friday evening, she was playing ball in the yard with Chris and hurt her paw. She does this often so we were hoping it would get better quickly like the previous times. Apparently not. She was still limping on Monday, so off to the vet she went. I dropped her off before taking Katelyn to school and waited to hear back. Alot of money, meds, and xrays later, the vet "thinks" its arthritis thats just not showing up on the xrays. So, she has to take a joint supplement everyday for a while as well as some anti-inflamatory meds. We are hoping this along with a strick diet will help. Only time will tell.
So this weekend will involve a little relaxing, an office shrimp boil (for my office), and maybe some shopping. Next week can not come soon enough. Its Nutcracker Market time and this year is going to be so much fun. My mom, Megan and Jill will all be in town for the Market this year. Talk about a fun ladies day! I am so excited I can barely stand it. 1 week from today and we are off to enjoy ladies day and shopping!!
Halloween was lots of fun this year. On Friday, Katelyn and I headed to her new school for their Halloween trick or treat parade and party. It took her some time to warm up, but she had a great time. On Sunday, Katelyn and I headed to the pumpkin patch in the afternoon to check out all of the pumpkins and maybe try and get some great pictures. She wanted nothing to do with the picture taking, but loved running in the sand and climbing on the pallets the pumpkins were on. I did get a few cute pictures, so I cant complain much. Later it was candy time! We decided against taking Katelyn trick-or-treating this year and instead let her hand out candy at home. So, as soon as it started to get dark we put her in the adorable pumpkin costume and headed outside with the candy! She had a blast watching all of the kids. In between trick or treaters, she entertained herself by digging in the candy bowl and moving it from the big bowl to her pumpkin and back! She also helped herself to some of the treats and was none to happy when we would not give her anymore. Guess we have a candy eater on our hands.
On Monday, Katelyn started at her new school. We chose Kids R Kids which is very close to the house. It was a tough decision and it took us a long time, but we made it. I hope this school becomes a place that we all love and where Katelyn can stay up to kindergarden. Anyways, back to her 1st day. I dropped her off and hung around for a few min to make sure she got somewhat settled in. She seemed to be doing great, so I snuck out when she wasnt looking. Later that day at work, I logged on to the website and was able to see her enjoying her afternoon snack and playing. I was much relieved that things seemed to be looking up. That was until 4:30 when they called and said that she had a fever and would need to be picked up. Dang it...not even 1 day and shes already sick. Thankfully, I was already on the road headed that direction. She spent the next 3 days at home with Patsy (thank goodness for a wonderful mother in law living so close) getting better. Today was her 2nd first day and so far so good.
On top of all that, Haley had to go to the vet which is an ordeal. On Friday evening, she was playing ball in the yard with Chris and hurt her paw. She does this often so we were hoping it would get better quickly like the previous times. Apparently not. She was still limping on Monday, so off to the vet she went. I dropped her off before taking Katelyn to school and waited to hear back. Alot of money, meds, and xrays later, the vet "thinks" its arthritis thats just not showing up on the xrays. So, she has to take a joint supplement everyday for a while as well as some anti-inflamatory meds. We are hoping this along with a strick diet will help. Only time will tell.
So this weekend will involve a little relaxing, an office shrimp boil (for my office), and maybe some shopping. Next week can not come soon enough. Its Nutcracker Market time and this year is going to be so much fun. My mom, Megan and Jill will all be in town for the Market this year. Talk about a fun ladies day! I am so excited I can barely stand it. 1 week from today and we are off to enjoy ladies day and shopping!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
As promised
Just a little late, but I put all the blame on blogspot. I tried to upload my gardening pictures last night, but it just wasnt having it. So here they are...
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Gardening
One of the many many things I love about my mom is that she knows just how to make me smile! I love to garden and love when my landscaping is picture worthy, but I dont always have the time to keep up with it. This is where mom comes in. She loves to do it as well, so when she is here visiting, she works on my landscaping. Since she was here for a week this time, she got lots done. I was so happy that we had a free weekend where I could be out there with her. We got everything in tip top shape for the fall. It looks so great...pictures to come tomorrow! Thanks mom!!
Another month in the books
While on vacation, Katelyn celebrated her 18 month birthday! Shes learning so many new things everyday. As I was giving her a bath tonight, I was thinking of all the things she learned over the past month or so.
1. She has added ice, moon, dog, go and hot to her list of words
2. She has learned how to use a broom and loves it
3. She learned how to take her shirts off (or at least try)
4. Shes started to get on her belly in the tub and swim
5. Shes started to float on her back in the tub
6. Shes mastered going down slides and up stairs
7. She can brush her teeth
8. She knows how to take her ear plugs out after bath time
9. She has mastered drinking from a straw (a big people straw)
10. She has started to get a diaper and wipes when she needs her diaper changed. If she cant get the diaper, she pulls at her diaper and points to let us know.
11. Shes gotten like 10 teeth in the past couple of months
12. She is now in charge of feeding the dog and cats (with help of course)
I am sure there are many more that I have forgotten. I really should be documenting these.
Here are some pictures from her 17th month....
1. She has added ice, moon, dog, go and hot to her list of words
2. She has learned how to use a broom and loves it
3. She learned how to take her shirts off (or at least try)
4. Shes started to get on her belly in the tub and swim
5. Shes started to float on her back in the tub
6. Shes mastered going down slides and up stairs
7. She can brush her teeth
8. She knows how to take her ear plugs out after bath time
9. She has mastered drinking from a straw (a big people straw)
10. She has started to get a diaper and wipes when she needs her diaper changed. If she cant get the diaper, she pulls at her diaper and points to let us know.
11. Shes gotten like 10 teeth in the past couple of months
12. She is now in charge of feeding the dog and cats (with help of course)
I am sure there are many more that I have forgotten. I really should be documenting these.
Here are some pictures from her 17th month....
You have to be kidding...
The day before we were set to leave for our vacation, we got some bad news. Katelyn had been sick, so I had taken her to the doctor Wednesday morning. After her appt, we headed to school so I could get to work. When we got there, her class was outside so I started to put her things away before taking her outside. At the same time, I was approced by a teacher (also the parent of a child in Katelyn's class). She, thru tears, told me that she was concerned about the classroom. She said that Katelyn was being put into a highchair with nothing during nap time if she did not sleep. She either sat there until she feel asleep or until nap time was over I guess. I do not really know. After hearing this, I called another teacher (also the parent of a child at the school) and asked what she knew. She confirmed that it was happening and that the same thing had happened to her daugher in that room so she moved her out. By now, I am hysterical and Chris is irrate. So, I scheduled a meeting with the director for that evening. Both of us went and she was a bitch. We had been told by the 2 teachers that they had approached her about problems in the classroom yet when we asked her if she had, she lied. She was very passive and non responsive. The next day, I talked again with the teacher who first approached me and she told me she had other concerns including 1. They spend a large amount of time restrained at the table in the afternoons (hours sometimes), 2. Sharing of snacks (this did not bother us much), 3. The teachers have been seen picking up kids by 1 arm and carrying them across the room. After hearing that, I knew we made the right decision to not send Katelyn back. So we go on our trip and come back. Chris goes to meet with the director (I could not go cause I am still too upset and was afraid I would do more harm than good). She said that she had spoken with 9 teachers and discovered that kids had been confined during nap time with no activity on multiple occasions. Her solution to the problem was to write the teachers up and add another teacher in the middle of the day. He informed her that we would not be returning and said he wanted to get Katelyn's things. When she walked him back to the room, they already had her stuff packed up and ready to go. Guess they didnt want us there anymore. So I talked again with one of the teachers that we had gotten information from and she said nothing has really changed and that the director seemed more interested to know who told us what was going on than addressing the issue.
Its still an extremly sensitive issue with me and I have done alot of crying the past few weeks. I do not understand how someone could do things like that to helpless babies! Needless to say, Katelyn has not returned since we found out. She spent last week with my mom while we searched for a new place for her. This week she is with Chris' mom while the search continues. We are trying to find the best place for her, but its hard to trust anyone anymore! I am hoping that we will find some place great soon.
Its still an extremly sensitive issue with me and I have done alot of crying the past few weeks. I do not understand how someone could do things like that to helpless babies! Needless to say, Katelyn has not returned since we found out. She spent last week with my mom while we searched for a new place for her. This week she is with Chris' mom while the search continues. We are trying to find the best place for her, but its hard to trust anyone anymore! I am hoping that we will find some place great soon.
So much fun!
So, as most of you know, Chris finished in the top 3 in points in IHRA Division 4. Doing so got him an invitation to race for the World Championship in Virginia. Since we were going for the race, we decided to make a vacation out of it and spend the first part of the week with Trish and the kiddos. What a great time we had. They now live in Chapel Hill which is gorgeous! They are renting a house super close to the UNC campus that is 150yrs old. Its amazing how different things are on the East Coast. While there we got to go to William's soccer practice a couple of times, visit UNC and Duke, and spend lots of time with family. Trish's youngest, Thomas is about 5 months older than Katelyn, so she had a playmate her own age the whole time. It was great.
We arrive on Monday afternoon and headed straight to soccer practice. Much to our surprise, Ricky and his kids and Emily and her kids were all there. It was great to see them and we really appreciate them coming in for the afternoon. Emily's youngest, Drew, is 2 months younger than Katelyn. The kids had a great time playing and Trish and Rick did a great job coaching! Tuesday morning we visited Duke (the Chapel and Coach K Court were highlights). Wednesday Chris dragged me to UNC (I am a die hard Duke fan!!). We visited the Student Union, Bell Tower and the UNC Basketball Museum. We spent the afternoons at home with Trish and the boys just enjoying our time together. Aunt Becky visited on Wednesday as well to meet Katelyn. It was great to see her. Its been over 2 years since we saw everyone and I am so thankful that we were able to make this trip.
On Thursday we headed up to Virginia to meet Chris' parents. They made the drive with the racecar and motorhome. After a few bumps in the road, we arrived at the track and prepared for a busy race weekend. Although the racing did not go as well as we would have liked, we had a great time. Chris' mom's cousin lives nearby in Virginia and was able to visit us at the tract to watch Chris race. It had been 10 years since they had seen each other. It was so nice to meet some extended family and hear childhood stories.
All in all, it was an amazing trip. I have lots and lots of pictures. I will post a few here and the link to my picasa album for those who would like to see more. Enjoy!!!
Here is the link to the picasa web album for more pictures.....East Coast Vacation.
We arrive on Monday afternoon and headed straight to soccer practice. Much to our surprise, Ricky and his kids and Emily and her kids were all there. It was great to see them and we really appreciate them coming in for the afternoon. Emily's youngest, Drew, is 2 months younger than Katelyn. The kids had a great time playing and Trish and Rick did a great job coaching! Tuesday morning we visited Duke (the Chapel and Coach K Court were highlights). Wednesday Chris dragged me to UNC (I am a die hard Duke fan!!). We visited the Student Union, Bell Tower and the UNC Basketball Museum. We spent the afternoons at home with Trish and the boys just enjoying our time together. Aunt Becky visited on Wednesday as well to meet Katelyn. It was great to see her. Its been over 2 years since we saw everyone and I am so thankful that we were able to make this trip.
On Thursday we headed up to Virginia to meet Chris' parents. They made the drive with the racecar and motorhome. After a few bumps in the road, we arrived at the track and prepared for a busy race weekend. Although the racing did not go as well as we would have liked, we had a great time. Chris' mom's cousin lives nearby in Virginia and was able to visit us at the tract to watch Chris race. It had been 10 years since they had seen each other. It was so nice to meet some extended family and hear childhood stories.
All in all, it was an amazing trip. I have lots and lots of pictures. I will post a few here and the link to my picasa album for those who would like to see more. Enjoy!!!
Here is the link to the picasa web album for more pictures.....East Coast Vacation.
Where did October go?
Wow oh wow, the month of October has flown by! We have been super busy this month with fun stuff and not so fun stuff. We started the month racing in Ennis, TX. From there we headed to North Carolina for a visit with family. From there we headed to Virginia for more racing. All said and done, we were gone for 10days. It was a great trip and there are lots of pictures to come! That was the fun stuff.
The not so fun stuff is having to find Katelyn a new daycare/school. This has been our project since returning from vacation. Story to follow!
The not so fun stuff is having to find Katelyn a new daycare/school. This has been our project since returning from vacation. Story to follow!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Corn on the cob
Cowgirl boots
Katelyn is going to fit in perfectly at the Houston Rodeo next year! We ordered her some really cute cowgirl boots. Shes still getting used to them and they are a bit big, but oh man...they are adorable.
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