Thanksgiving Dinner

Dinner was great! We went to Brennan's in Houston, excellent food! I had turtle soup for my appetizer, lump crab cakes for my main course and bread pudding for dessert. First time I have ever had turtle soup...spicy, but good. The kids did well...it is hard for them to sit still for so long, but they ended up behaving as well as can be expected. The big boys do so well now at dinner, you really don't even have to worry about how they behave. Mine on the other hand don't understand why you have to keep your voices down and not wonder around. Ivy was the biggest challenge...she was tired and she very rarely will fall asleep in your arms now. So she was uncomfortable and grumpy, but we just kept feeding her bread and that seemed to work. Then of course dessert kept her happy for a bit longer. Needless to say she was sound asleep almost as soon as we were in the van. Thanks again Mom and Dad!!! Dinner was excellent, we could not have asked for more!!!

Happy Birthday Ivy!

Well as you can see I am going a bit out of order...We had Ivy's 1st Birthday party on Sunday the 18th. Turned out to be a very small gathering, but very nice. Ivy loved her cake, as you can see she had a death grip on her piece. It is amazing how fast a year can go. It feels just like yesterday that I was home on maternity leave. I have a hard time thinking of her as 1...and I keep getting surprised with the things she can do. I think with the first child you read every book and watch to see if they are reaching their mile stones. The second child you think you know it all and you pay less attention. At her one year check up, they asked if she said mama and dada and it took me by surprise. I told them that I did not think so, that she babbled all of the time but that she did not say mama and dada. Well needless to say, the next day at home she called me mommy...and I had Shelly as my witness. I need to to a better job at watching for her new tricks...

Here Comes the Holidays!

Well, school is out for Thanksgiving...could not have come at a better time. No big dinner plans for Thanksgiving. Mom called one day a couple of weeks ago and asked if we minded going out to dinner instead of having a big dinner at home....no problem there. Don't know if I will miss the home cooked meal or not. We will still be together, we will still have a good meal, just no dishes to clean or left overs to worry about. Sounds like a good plan actually. Christmas shopping is going well...Izaac is pretty much done, just need stocking stuffers. Ivy on the other hand is a challenge...she is old enough to enjoy toys...but we have almost everything out there that is age appropriate, and if you look at "girl" toys, they are too old for her, and there are just somethings I can not bring myself to buy...ahhh the perils of being the second child.
Ivy has been suffering from runny nose, coughing and ear infection starting the first of November...I think she is finally getting better...then yesterday I developed a painful cough. I just hope it does not develop into anything major. Don't really have a family doctor that I could call up and pop in for a quick check up. The one I went to as a kid has got to be closing in on his eighties and I don't feel like forming a bond with him. Maybe this might spur me into finding a new doctor. But then again...maybe I will just get better:)

Reno

Well, we made it back from Reno safe and sound...Don't really know what there is to say about it. Reno was never on my "Places to See Before I Die List" and now I know why. They will definitely not win an award for the most beautiful city. There were so many oddities on our trip that I can't remember them all, but two things stuck out in my memory the most. One, when you look at the brochure for the Grand Sierra Casino and Resort, you expect luxury. Well that is only to be found in the rooms that they have renovated...not the ones we were staying in. We were treated to a full size, Murphy Bed, that I am pretty sure had not been replaced since the early 80's. Only a slight case of bait and switch. Most of the casino itself had been renovated and looked nice...maybe one day they will finish and all of the rooms will look like the brochure. The other strange thing that stood out was the "free gift" I received when I signed up for the casinos players club. Anyone who has been to a casino before probably knows about the free gifts you get...well most places give you something with their name on it, like a coffee cup, key chain or something else on that level. But, No, not the Grand Sierra Casino. I received a paper towel holder...yes, you heard it right. And just to drive the point home, the man who gave it to me also provided verbal instruction on its use...just in case I was confused on its use:) Weird to say the least.
I would have to say the highlight of the trip was our drive around Lake Tahoe...I definitely know why people visit there. It is beautiful, and if you can get there without going through Reno, do it. We also were treated to a small amount of snow in the mountains. So needless to say, it was an odd trip.

Reno...Check...don't have to go back

Reno Here We Come

Well, I am off to Reno with Tobie. Really have no idea what to expect. Tobie has to do the conference thing.My big plans are to sleep late and shop. I am aiming high! We just dropped the kids off with their aunt and uncle in Spring, and we have yet to pack. Don't know how I feel about leaving the kids for five days. I am sure it will sink in the first morning I get to sleep late. They will be in Spring for two days and then they get to go visit Gran and Papa for three days. We will be back Halloween afternoon, so we will not miss out on Trick or Treating! If you were reading...I finally found my keys! Thank goodness for small favors.

Where is My Mind?

Well, I am having one of those weeks where it seems like you will never make it to the weekend...and it is only Tuesday! I lost my car keys on Saturday and I have yet to find them. I have also lost some important papers at work, which should not be hard to find because they are a stack about four inches thick, yet no one at work has seen them... And to top it all off my mother had to remind me that it was my wedding anniversary tomorrow. Not doing so well, and I could go on but it would just get sad. Most weeks I can look forward to the weekend to rest but that is not the case this weekend...Friday there is a chili cook and a work party to go to. Saturday we have a t-ball game and a wedding. Sunday is church, Sunday school for Izaac and a birthday party. Maybe I will rest next year.

Nothing Exciting

Well, I think I am actually getting good at this blog thing. I don't have something to write every day, but I think if I can write once a week I will be doing good. I definitely am having an easier time putting pictures on the page. So as long as Tobie is putting the new photos on the computer I can update with new photos.

Fall Break

Well my Alvin induced, random, week of vacation has come to an end. Unfortunately I can not say that I got anything done. You would think with a week to get things done...it would actually happen. I think I feel that I have so much I want to do that I can not seem to get my thoughts together enough to do any of it. I did actually start painting a rocking chair that will go in Ivy's room...but I have not finished. The people at Lowe's suggested oil based paint...yea, thats not fun. I was told that it would last longer than latex but after a day of drying I was still leaving finger prints in the paint. Ive sanded it again and it is almost ready for the second coat, so I will see if it looks good when I'm finally done. Tobie did get the back door and wall almost finished...if you did not know...our back wall rotted out and Tobie replaced to door and fixed the leak. Now we just have to finish the cosmetic work.

This blog thing might be dangerous....it gives me freedom to ramble on.

Blog later, I actually have to get up at my normal time tomorrow.

My First Blog

I want to thank Shelly for telling me about blogger.com. We will see if this is easier for me to use and for my friends and family to check in with us. The true test will be to see if I can put pictures on this site:)