Stupid MySpace

If you keep checking your MySpace account be warned. People have been receiving spam using email addresses from people in you friends list. I got a email from MySpace that said that Tobie posted a comment. Well, I went on, saw his name, accepted his comment. Then when he got home, I told him the link he posted did not work....needless to say, he never sent that message. And not only that, he has been getting messages from his "friends" as well, and they have never sent them. And to top it all off, people at his work have also been receiving these messages and the emails are showing up on their work email accounts!!!! I went in today and canceled my account. If they can use other peoples email to send messages...its just asking for trouble. SO LONG MYSPACE!!!

Daily Grind

Not a whole lot going on now that the holidays are behind us. The kids are back at school, and are doing well. Izaac has been doing very well lately...He went from 3-4 "red" days a week, early in the school year to all "green" days for many, many weeks now. He is well settled into being four and feels very comfortable with school and the expectations that they have for him. Lets just hope he can carry that into Kindergarten next year! He started at the Little Gym last week and loves every minute of it. He goes around the house trying to stand on his hands and trying to do cartwheels. His coaches told Tobie "Boy! He has alot of energy!" As if we didn't know. Maybe next time they will have him run a few laps around the gym to wear him out. I'm sure he will learn many new skills, but all Tobie and I want is a happy and TIRED kid when he is done! Izaac got to go to "Safety Day" at Tobie's work this past Friday, and had a wonderful day. So much so that he conked out in the car on the way home and then proceeded to sleep all night! Maybe that is what it will be like when he doesn't take naps at school!
Ivy is a pill!!!! She has been fighting a cold and teething all at the same time. And she does not teeth well, if you know what I mean. We have been living on Motrin and Orajel for the past week. But I am retiring Orajel due to a bite so bad that she almost drew blood from my finger! The mornings have been a nightmare...I can't hardly put her down without her throwing a fit and when Tobie tries to help, she gets offended and throws and even bigger fit. On two different days she has gone to school partially dressed because she threw such a fit about getting dressed. Wednesday we walked into school with her holding her shoes. The morning lady just laughs as I bring her in. But, she actually slept all night last night, so maybe we are turning the corner.
Thats it for now...sorry, still no Christmas pictures...

Where does the time go?

Well, the holidays are over and I am back to work and I really don't know where the time went. We started getting ready for the Christmas holidays by buying out IKEA. I swear it seems like our whole house was bought from there. We decided to move the shelves that Tobie had in his office up to Ivy's room and then finish her room off with the matching dresser...have to say I am very happy with it...now I just have to organize. We finally bought shelves for upstairs and according to Tobie the play room is done...only it would be perfect if we painted and got new carpet though...oh well, that will have to wait. Then we reorganized the office so we have one very big desk...big enough that I now have room for my things...its the small things that make me happy. We finally moved the poker table out of the "dining room" which opened up a ton more room for toys! We actually slimmed down the amount of toys downstairs, so we are not constantly tripping over them. And all of this was done before Christmas...

SO with that being said...No one has gotten Christmas cards...nor have we even ordered them...Right before the holidays Tobie was working tons of overtime (61 hours in one week) trying to get his project flying...and you all know my computer skills. So no cards. We will get to it even if they are Happy St. Patrick Day cards...Sad, I know.

As far as I can tell:) Tobie has not put any of our holiday pictures on the computer, so I am sadly having to post without pictures...I just could not wait any longer...Shelly was giving me too much grief:) And again relying on my skills with technology means that all of the pictures are trapped on the cameras:) I will bug him about it.

New Years was very laid back, more enjoyable then being out in the craziness. Izaac managed to stay up to 11:45, I did not worry about it because the people in my neighborhood had been popping fireworks all night, so he saw his share, even if it was not the finale at midnight. It is sad thinking back on the years, they go so fast now. We lost Butch, and Charlotte in '07, but gained Nolan. Hopefully this year will be only filled with joy.

We did manage a trip to LA before the new year, where Tobie got addicted to Guitar Hero III. On the ride home we called every Walmart and was able to acquire our very own Guitar Hero, lucky us. It is fun to watch...too frustrating for me to play. Shelly and the kids made it down last Thursday, and we managed to make it to the Health Museum to see the Sesame Street body expose. The kids had a great time!

Well with that, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! To those of you we do not see often, we miss you all more during the holidays and wish we could have been with you. Good wishes for the new year. May '08 bring you peace, joy and love!!!

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