May 2009 Photos

Tooth #3

Tooth #3 has arrived! We found it today when Sophie wasn't napping after Splash Day at Mira Vista. It's on the bottom (again), on the left side.

Splash Day

Today was our first Splash Day at Mira Vista. We got everyone ready (took about an hour) and got to the pool only to realize that Sophie's food bag was left at home.

Zachary had a great time splashing in the kids' pool, eating cotton candy, listening to the DJ, and swimming in the big pool a little. He liked watching the Splash contest and the Pie Eating contest. Next year he might win. :)

Sophie looked really cute in her swimsuit and will try the pool another time.

Lessons from Mom

Ask my mom what her favorite store is and she will say, "Home Depot." Since I can remember, she has been home improving and doing various projects that require fun power tools. She has done all the painting and wall papering in their home. She stained the deck 2 or 3 times. She made planters for the back patio. She mowed the lawn, maintained the pool, laid parquet flooring, etc. She will tackle any project, especially if she gets a new "toy".

All this has taught me that women can do anything we set our minds to do, especially around the house. I demonstrated that for Sophie today as I took apart her crib and set the mattress on the lowest setting. Usually you don't have to disassemble the whole thing, but the manufacturing was not up to par.

I know Sophie won't remember this, but I hope that she continues to see she can do just about anything that she wants.

Disclaimer 1 - Steve and I tried to do this together on Thursday night, but with 2 kids on the move it was impossible to get done. So it's not that he didn't want to help, or that I didn't want him to help. It just had to get done when Zachary was out of the house.

Disclaimer 2 - Dad traveled a LOT when we moved here and so Mom was often left to her own devices around the house. Again, not that he didn't want to help; he just wasn't here to do it all the time.

Sophie is 9 Months Old

Sophie is 9 months old today! We went to a well check visit with Dr. Young. She got a Hepatitis B vaccine and was checked for anemia (she is not anemic). Here are her stats...

Height - 29.5 inches (97%)
Weight - 20 lbs, 14.5 oz (84%)
Head Circumference - 17.5 inches (65%)

Dr. Young is pleased with her progress, and said that her ear infection is gone.

She's Crawling

Sophie crawled today for the first time! She is quite proud of herself, and Zachary thinks it's pretty cool too. Nothing is safe, of course, but it is a nice step towards growing up.

Grammar

A little rant and rave is allowed every now and then...

There's a Facebook group called "I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar". I am a member. I do judge. Mostly in professional environments, never my friends, but it does happen. I mean, really people, if you are going to publish something, grammar should not be that big of an issue. And if you're not sure, ASK SOMEONE!!!

I got this headline from Pottery Barn (they should definitely know better) today:
"Free Shipping on Must Have's For The Bath".

My question - what belongs to the "Have"? I know there are much bigger and more important things in life to get worked up over, but this stuff just sets me over the edge. You want me to spend $34.00 on a Susainable-Wax Filled Recycled Glass Candlepot and you can't be bothered to read the headline on the email? Give me a break.

The sad thing is, I bet most of their customers didn't notice.

Tee Ball - First Practice

Zachary had a great time at his first Tee Ball practice tonight.

His team is the Phillies, and his number is 1.

It was very fun to watch as the kids tried to bat (good success), catch a ball (not so much), throw the ball (pretty good) and run the bases (truly hysterical).

All the kids are first time players and his friend, Gwen, is also on the team. It should be a lot of fun!

Family Music Night - Spring 2009

Sophie and Zachary both participated in music at TCU this spring. Zachary was in with the big kids (3s and 4s) and Sophie was in a mixed age class. It was a lot of fun doing something with each of them and they both really enjoyed it. Family Music Night was tonight, and we went in spite of the Swine Flu invasion. Zachary spent a LOT of time running around, but Sophie enjoyed the music, doing her own bouncy dance and playing with some instruments. Grandma T and Grandpa H came with us and we really loved having them there!

April 2009 Photos

Main Street Arts Festival

Mandy wanted to take Zachary to the festival to see Me & My Monkey (local Beatles tribute band). We decided to load everyone up and make a day of it. 3 adults, 2 kids, no problem. And we actually did manage to have a great time. Sophie only cried a little and it was a wonderful day! Thanks Mandy for suggesting it!!

The Zoo goes to the Zoo

Sophie's 8 months old now, so it's time for her first zoo outing. We took our zoo to the zoo today and they had a great time! We went with Ashley, Alex, Jenny, Dylan and Jovie. The mommies quite enjoyed the adult company and the kids enjoyed being kids with other kids. I think my favorite part was watching Zachary with the other boys just running and having fun. My least favorite part was getting pooped on by a bird. (PS - I am NOT kidding!)

Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny visited our house last night and hid some eggs. Zachary enjoyed hunting for them and seeing the treats in his easter basket. Sophie enjoyed chewing on a plastic egg. I'm sure she'll be more excited next year.
We enjoyed a nice breakfast at home and made it to church on time in our nice clothes (whew!). The kids were happy to stay in the nursery (double whew!) and we had a relaxing Easter church service.
After church we cruised on over to my parents' home for Mom's birthday lunch. This is the second time in 5 years that my mom's birthday has been on Easter. We had a great lunch (thank you Mom and Dad) and visited for a while. Sophie fell asleep and then we brought Zachary home.
Hoppy Easter Everyone!

Family 5K

We participated in our first family 5k this morning. It's Race for the Cure Day in Fort Worth and we headed downtown to participate. Sophie is not a fan of the stroller and Zachary was not a fan of the wind, but we did ok. I think around mile 3 we took a short cut and then around mile 4 we broke from the pack to go back to the car. My babies just couldn't make it and we didn't want to subject our walking mates to their screaming any more. Zachary and Steve did run up the big hill at 10th and Forest Park and I pushed the stroller most of the way, so I am proud of those accomplishments.

Things we learned for next time:

1. Make sure all participants are well fed.
2. Make sure all participants are dressed warmly/cooly enough.
3. Make sure all participants have used the restroom prior to leaving the house.
4. Know key "escape routes" from different parts of the race.

March 2009

Texas Storms

I have lived in Texas almost 26 years, and I have seen lots of storms in that time. Snow, hail, rain, thunder, etc., and all the various clouds that go along with them with all the various shades of purple, green and everything in between. But I have never seen anything like this... looks kind of like an upside down ocean or something. Anyway, these clouds were really cool so I took a picture.

Let me assure you that the storm that followed was not so cool. :)

Thank You, Mom!

When we moved in our house, my mom sent over 9 boxes of my 'memories'. From babyhood to college, anything that I wanted to keep was fair game and was tossed in a box. A couple years ago, I got the 9 down to 7. With the great closet cleanout, I vowed to go through them and whittle it down from 7 to 3 or 4.

What could I possibly have saved, you ask? Every card ever received (I still do this for us and our kids); impressions of my teeth pre-braces; my 2 year molars that were extracted prior to said braces; notes from middle school, high school, and college; my childhood "art"; bookmarks; key chains; photos; medals; t-shirts; certificates; ticket stubs; and a very worn 'talking' teddy with disputed ownership.

The box count is now 4, and I have really enjoyed the stroll down memory lane over the last few weeks. Thank you, Mom, for letting me keep all my 'treasures'! Love you!

Lovey's First Day not at School

Zachary decided to leave Lovey at home this morning. I thought, OK, guess I'll be driving home really fast to get it after I drop him off at school. He did great, though, and didn't ask for it once. My baby is growing up!

First Tooth

Sophie has been teething forever. Seriously, months and months. But today, during rest, out popped her tooth. Zachary was the first person I told and then he felt it (very carefully with the help of mommy). Auntie called so we told her next and then we saw Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa M for dinner.
It's on the bottom, but I can't tell if it's the right or left because she doesn't show it yet when she's smiling.
Hopefully the next ones won't hurt her so much. She had been on a solid food strike for the last couple of days b/c it hurt so bad. :(

February Pictures