So Very Blessed

2009-07-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

We just returned from a couple of days in Galveston. I was happy to see they had survived Ike but it looks like the island is really suffering from the recession we are in.

But regardless, we had a great time. The crowds were almost nonexistant so there were no lines at Moody Gardens or for the ferry. Rainforest Cafe was the only place we had to wait.

It was nice to have a relaxing time and to leave the troubles of layoffs, paycuts, and other uncertainties at home.

2009-06-21T09:55:00.003-05:00

We think our pool is the best investment we have made for this house. Everyone loves being able to jump in in a moments notice. I have learned that since the girls are getting older it's just not as much fun to swim with mom as it used to be. Friends are now going to need to be invited to keep thing exciting which isn't a problem except that there are no kids in our neighborhood that are close to their ages. All are teenagers or older!

My Canon camera has a setting for underwater photography so I purchased an inexpensive case to be able to take underwater. I've been very pleased with the way the pictures turn out. I even took it to Schlitterbahn last summer and had so many people stop to ask about it. It's nothing fancey, but it sure does the trick when I want to use my camera in or around water.

Tootsie Roll

2009-06-04T23:35:00.004-05:00

I've known for some time now that Tootsie was really beginning to show her age. She has always kept that "puppy" personality and has looked so young for such a long time. But lately her quality of life has really gone down. She was beginning to lose her hearing and eye sight. Last weekend she developed a very serious eye infection in both her eyes and today I took her to the vet to have it checked out. She was given several meds to take and the vet said he heart sounded really good....especially since she would have been 15 in July.

Well tonight the thing that I have dreaded most happened. We are all numb right now thinking about our Toots no longer being with us. I had been preparing myself for a while now knowing that she probably would not be with us much longer, but to lose her is just breaking my heart.

We all love you, Tootsie. I take comfort in believing that God has very special place for our beloved pets and that she is now enjoying playing with Snickers. Some day I hope to be reunited with all the pets in my life that showed me unconditional love and how life should be lived.

Warning....Major Mom Brag!

2009-06-01T16:11:00.003-05:00

Last week we had award ceremonies for W and M. Since W is in Kindergarten their award ceremony is very small and everyone gets something. W received a trophy for the 100 Book Club and Outstanding Reader. But my major brag for W is that we received her test scores and she made it into the Gifted and Talented class. Her tests scores show she scored higher than 99% of kids her age for the nation. We have felt for some time that she was very bright, but didn't expect scores this high. Needless to say we are very proud of her.

M's ceremony was more formal and awards are only given out to those that had special achievements. She came home with four awards and a medal: Perfect Attendance, Commended Performance on the math and reading TAKS Test, All A Honor Roll, Top AR Reader for her class, and Sixth place for AR for her grade. She always performs at her best and we are so proud of her. I'm beginning to think we should have given the consent for her to be in the Gifted and Talented class last year. Making these kinds of decision can be so hard!

A Full Pool

2009-05-31T19:58:00.005-05:00

M's 9th birthday party was today and it was such a blast. She had 18 friends show up and boy was the pool full! It was nice since they are all old enough now to swim so everyone could sit back and relax while they swam. She even had three boy "friends" show up! I think one really likes her since he would stop by my classroom everyday this past year to talk to her and then they would end up chasing each other around the room.

She's growing up way too fast!!!

So here's the cake. It's a good thing I don't have a clear picture of what the cake will look like when I start it since I always have to make changes along the way : ) Everything is edible except the yard used to make the lei.

A Long, Long Time Ago, but I Can Still Remember...

2009-05-19T22:53:00.002-05:00

I found these photos in my "box" of oldies. They were turning a lovely shade of gold/yellow from age but for some reason I still had the negatives. I used my two year old scanner which has the capability to scan negatives to "recreate" these oldies but goodies. I have to say I'm pretty impressed that it worked!

From Girly Girl to Tomboy

2009-05-10T20:52:00.003-05:00

I have to say this girl is pretty amazing. Everything comes so easily to her. She's only played one year of t-ball and already she is one of the top players on her coach pitch team. Short stop is her main position, but she's also seen playing second, pitcher, and first base. I can't help but look at her when she is playing and think of her humble beginnings and how much she has accomplished in just five years of being with us. Go Wave!

Shhhh....artist at work!

2009-04-26T19:27:00.002-05:00

W has asked every day since Jim finished the fence when she was going to be able to paint it. Well today was the day. She started off great but soon realized this was a slow process since the fence is detailed and is going to take a long time to finish. Certainly not a one day deal. But she enjoyed it and certainly got the painting urge out of her system.

Finally Said YES

2009-04-26T19:20:00.001-05:00

W had been asking for some time now to so swimming so both of them were a bit surprised when I said yes today. But they were even more surprised by how cold the water still is even though it is beginning to feel like summer.

Makeover in Progress

2009-04-19T20:54:00.005-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER

Here's my latest project. From the day we bought the M and W this bedroom set we all hated it. I'm not sure why we bought it, but it was a decent set so we were stuck with it. Two weeks ago I decided to tackle the job of sanding down every piece....to bare wood....so that I could paint it white. Every girl needs a white bedroom suite, not brown! I'd hate to know how many hours I spent with my palm sander but I did get the job done. I added 1/4" MDF board behind the headboard, footboard, and across the top of the mirror so that hopefully the Shaker look would be transformed to be a more cottage look. I'm thrilled with how the paint looks. We bought an airless sprayer so the coat is nice and smooth...no brush strokes. And we found this darling comforter set that both girls agreed on.

I have clear glass knobs ordered for all the pieces which will hopefully be in the coming week. I needed 38 of them just for the dresser, chest of drawers and nightstand!!! The lamp on the nightstand is a work in progress. I painted it purple today and pinned on the boa but I don't like the look. It's too fluffy for that size lamp so I think I'll go with some cute beads instead. And both girls love the "diamond" that is below the lamp. W was thrilled to find it at Hobby Lobby and really thinks it's real. I just don't have the heart to tell her it's glass : )

Now if I can just find the right accessories to decorate the room. I didn't realize what a challenge it would be to find cute girly decorations!

MIA

2009-04-15T16:09:00.005-05:00

Wavey was a very brave six year old, much braver than her mother would have been, as the dentist gave her numerous shots to deaden the area before pulling her upper front tooth. The tooth still had its root so it left a big hole in her gum. She only cried when it was over and said it wasn't because it hurt but because she was scared. It broke my heart! Today, thankfully, was a much better day. She's enjoyed the attention of everyone wanting to see the hole along with the spot of her missing bottom tooth she pulled by herself yesterday before her dentist appointment.

I know this looks nasty, but I just can't get over how big the tooth was that was pulled. The one on the left is the bottom tooth she pulled yesterday morning. Like most baby teeth you pull, what you see in the photo is mainly what you could see in her mouth. The one on the right is the one the dentist pulled. W grinds her teeth and has ground her two front top teeth down to the point that there is very little sticking out past the gums. The arrows show how much of the tooth was actually exposed from the gums. The rest was the root, or whatever you call it on a baby tooth.

On the bright side, the tooth fairy did stop by and leave her some money for the pain and suffering. I'm sure a new DS game is in the future.

In Bloom

2009-04-12T08:51:00.002-05:00

We were all pleasantly surprised to see that the bluebonnets in front of Meme and Pawpaw's house made it through the storm...namely Ike....and look as good as ever!

The Diorama is DONE!

2009-04-08T16:26:00.003-05:00

Here's a project I was dreading to do. After 22 years of teaching I now have a new found respect for the parents and the projects they are required to do at home. Also, with both girls in softball and on different teams, my afternoons are spent running around like a crazy woman trying to get everyone to practice or a game. With Jim getting home late from work, or working nights, he hardly ever has time to be the taxi service....and not to forget he's also building me an awesome looking fence, too! On top of all this, I got the bright idea I was going to paint their bedroom set. It was a stained brown and I don't know why we bought it since neither of us like it. So I've been sanding the set down to bare wood. It's amazing how much saw dust I've produced. But it is finished and ready to be painted....hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend so I can get it painted.

I just stress out way too much for these home projects. I never know what to do but once we get started it comes together. I have been so impressed with how much time and effort M has put into this type of project. I found wooden cutouts of the farm animals at Michael's that she painted herself, the straw on the barn floor and loft area is timothy grass that our guinea pigs eat, and Charlotte's web is made by a hot glue gun and some parchment paper. The actual barn is a revamped store front we had to make for second grade. I've wised up and learned to keep all her projects so that either she or W can use them over again. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Shangrao Sisters

2009-04-05T23:18:00.004-05:00

I was thrilled tonight to find an e-mail from one of the adoptive parents from M's group. I had lost contact with all of them since losing their e-mail addresses from a sick computer. But we are back in touch now and we're planning a summer reunion. I can't believe it has been almost 8 years now. The last time the Shangrao group got together was at our adoption agency's reunion and they were so young I do not think they completely understood who the other girls were. Now that they are all almost 9 years old, it should be interesting.

I'll have to remember to post about our adoption day drama. I've yet to hear a story like ours. But it all worked out and we received the daughter God had meant for us to have.

Go Lady Cougars!

2009-04-05T23:09:00.003-05:00

Oh, how I wished I could get better action shots of M and W's softball games. With the set up of the field, the 10 ft high fences, and the sun always seeming to be at the wrong angle, I just never seem to be able to get many photos of my girls playing softball. I'm tempted to set up a deer stand behind the solid fence in out field to get some good shots. But I'm afraid they would have me arrested for being so weird or my students from school would recognize me and then I'd never hear the end of it.

As for these game pics, I have to do a major mom brag. Although M is a head shorter than anyone on her team...or the team they are playing...she hit a triple!!! She's so tiny...still wearing a 5T shorts even though she's almost 9 years old....but boy can she hit the ball. I love hearing people talk about how good she is at batting and since we look nothing alike, they do not realize they are saying all this right in front of me.

A Future Four

2009-03-24T17:44:00.002-05:00

Today W kept asking me to help her write a story but I honestly had too much going on after school trying to prepare an activity for my classes tomorrow. So she sat down and wrote a story all by herself. This is all her own work and she spelled all the words herself. I love how she used the phonetic spellings along with the correct marking for the vowel sounds.

I have to admit I am quiet impressed that a 6 year old kindergartener can write so well. Once Mrs. Clark gets ahold of her and teaches her how to use "voice" she'll be all set. Look out 4th grade Writing TAKS.....she's going to get one of those seldom seen 4's!!!

Wavey-isms

2009-03-23T16:06:00.003-05:00

Sometimes W's choice of words just make me laugh. Yesterday my mother called while I was out cutting the grass and she told her I was "lawn mowering" the yard. She actually very bright but sometimes she just makes up her own language.

And I had to include a picture of my house with my freshly "lawn mowered" yard. We have 8 oak trees in our front yard that 100+years old and although our house is the oldest one in the neighborhood that is still in need of updating, I just love it. It has such a laid-back, cozy feel inside with plenty of extra room for all of us. And notice the custom lattice fence that Jim is building for me to the left of the house. I didn't want a complete privacy fence since this is the only side that we get a breeze from in the summer. So he's building this fence one section at a time. I just love him since he always gives in and builds things the way I want them done.

In The Game

2009-03-21T23:07:00.002-05:00

At first W couldn't decide if she wanted to be a girlie girl or a tomboy. After seeing how much M enjoys softball she's decided that she's going to go the tomboy route. It's really a good thing since she so athletic, coordinated, and everything she tries just comes so easily to her. Right now her coach has her playing second base and short stop. I'm impressed since this is her first year in this league and usually the younger kids are stuck in outfield which is so boring!

Her first game was today but with both girls having games at the same time, I just never got around to taking any pictures. Hopefully I'll have some game pics to post soon.

In Awe

2009-03-15T18:54:00.002-05:00

While visiting Jim's parents in Stillwater, OK, I decided to check out the books at Hastings since M had finished the AR book she had brought with her on the trip. She was in awe of all the books in the children's section. I guess I've never taken her to a book store since she's become addicted to reading. She spent such a long time checking out each series of books. She found series that she had never read before and they are now on her list of future books to read. I wished I could get that excited about books. I am just not a reader....never was, never will be.

So M's new series that she's ready to couquer is Hank the Cowdog. She's almost finished all the Katie Kazoo and A to Z Mystery books so she was in need of a new series.

Now I can only hope that W is as excited about reading as M has become.

DS Face x2

2009-03-12T14:28:00.005-05:00

M and W spent their hard earned report card money to buy their own DS for our trip to OK this past week. After seeing my students play them for hours during our six week party at school, I thought they might like them since it would be entertaining for them for the long trip, but I had no idea just how much!

I felt as if I only seen the top part of their face for the majority of the trip. Of course they were so involved in their games that they didn't even notice me....or the flash of my camera!

Cups

2009-03-05T22:16:00.002-06:00

For a week or so I have been mentioning to M that it is time for her to start wearing a bra. She's only in 3rd grade but with some of her fitting tops she really needs one! So tonight while shopping at Wal Mart we checked out the beginner bras. She was checking out one that was padded and had an underwire. She was feeling the padding when the following conversation occured.

Me: "Michaela, do you know what that is called?"
M: "No"
Me: "Those are the cups."
M (with her brow nitted and a very serious look on her face): "I don't think I have cups."

I was trying to hold back the laughter to the point that I had tears in my eyes. Of course, she had no idea what I why I was laughing.

I love that girl!

You Know What They Say About Dynamite

2009-02-28T20:01:00.005-06:00

The old saying about dynamite coming in small packages couldn't be more true when it come to M and her softball playing skills. She is by far the smallest one on the team but today at her first practice she really looked good. Last year she had a fantastic season with both fielding the ball and in her batting. She really came alive on the field. Her first year she hit the ball maybe 3 times the entire season and last year, she only struck out two times. Woohoo!!! Everyone remembered her because she was so tiny but could really nail the ball when up to bat.

I think I am going to enjoy her new coach this year. She moved up to PeeWee girls, which is 8-10 year olds, so the standards of playing will definitely increase. Her coach spent our 2 hour practice doing nothing but going over the fundamentals of playing. I was impressed and thrilled that she is now going to learn the proper way to play ball.

If you would have asked me two years ago if I though M could ever be an athlete, I would have quickly told you no way. But as one mom today said, M doesn't realize just how small she is compared to the other girls and it's certainly not going to stop her.

Round Two.....

2009-02-27T20:50:00.004-06:00

W ran a high fever Saturday after through Tuesday of this week. I'm assuming she had the flu since it's going around at school. She never had any body aches but mainly just a high fever of 104* that would barely go down no matter what meds I gave her. Her fever broke on Tuesday and she was ready to go back to school the rest of the week. Tonight however seems to be a repeat performance of early this week. Once again she has a high fever and just wants to sleep. Poor baby.

Last Slice

2009-02-23T18:48:00.005-06:00

Yum! I made this cake yesterday and in less than 24 hours this is all that is left. M even thought it was delicious! A parent at work made this for the teachers and we all though it was delicious so I had to find the recipe to give it a try myself. I was surprised when I searched for it online that only one person had posted the recipe.

So for anyone interested here's a very moist, rich cake that is super easy to make.

Stranger's Cake

1 yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (16oz.) container of coconut pecan frosting

Preheat over to 350*. Grease and flour bundt cake pan. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

It's a Dog's Life

2009-02-23T14:16:00.012-06:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Turn up the volume~~~~~~~~~~~~

So you do think this what they meant by the phrase "It's a dog's life"?

Jazzy can snore. Out of all the Pekingese I've been privileged to share my life with, he wins the prize for snoring. He snores so loudly at night that Jim has to turn up the volume on the TV so that I can hear the movie. Of course he is always at my feet so the beautiful noise he is making is drowning out whatever the actors are saying.

But who couldn't love such a face! And besides, I wouldn't have met Jim or have my unique screen name if it weren't for these flat faced, bow legged, loud snoring furbabies!

Going, Going, Almost Gone!

2009-02-22T21:10:00.004-06:00

That's normally what you hear at an auction, but in W's case it has to do with her teeth! From a distance you may not notice it, but she has been grinding her teeth so badly that her top two incisors are almost gone! I had to go back and look at some of her baby pictures to be sure, but she did have normal sized teeth for a toddler when we adopted her. To add to all of this, the dentist told us this past week that she has to have the top left tooth pulled in a few weeks since her permanent tooth is growing behind her baby tooth. This is causing two problems: #1 the top of her baby tooth is about to come through the top part of her gums, #2 her permanent tooth does not have the room it needs to come in correctly.

I can already tell Dr. Olson will be seeing a lot of us in the coming years!

Making the Grade

2009-02-20T20:08:00.000-06:00

Seems like every week there is some sort of vocabulary test in one of M's classes. I've always felt the need to stay on top of things when it concerns her school work even though she always makes very good grades. Since she started school I've made cards with her vocabulary words and definitions on them so we can study together. I think I spend more time typing them into Excel, printing them on cardstock, and cutting them out than what it does for her to match them. She always gets them right the first time! Maybe it's just me needing to feel needed more than it is that M needs my help to make good grades.

Dancin' to the Bee Gees

2009-02-16T06:40:00.009-06:00

I just had to add this video of M when she was about 2 years old. I love the Bee Gees....yes, I'm admitting that....and she would just crack us up at how she would stop and dance to Stayin' Alive when I played it. And those Mardi Gras beads, well I just can't help but think of this video everytime I'm around them!

Life in Bridge City

2009-02-15T21:52:00.005-06:00

Here's the latest in first class homes for Bridge City. Almost every home in Bridge City has one of these in their front yard, and if they don't then it's only because it wouldn't fit and the family is living in one at a newly developed trailer park somewhere within the city.

This is my parent's FEMA trailer and looks identical to thousands of others that are parked in front of damaged homes in my town. Although not much to look at, they are such a welcomed addition to families while they are rebuilding their homes.

I just hope my hometown can recover from all that has happened here in the last year. We are all dreading hurricane season this year!

Yes, It's Blue!

2009-02-15T21:21:00.002-06:00

I couldn't help but take this picture today while I was working in the yard. The sky was actually blue, without a cloud in the sky. Not gray or drizzling rain, just a bright blue sky. Wow, what a little color can do to life your mood!

Beads, Beads, and More Beads

2009-02-14T20:13:00.010-06:00

I had to give them a few lesson on how to "been seen" so that they would get plenty of beads at the Mardi Gras parade. I knew W would be able to easily handle the task of yelling out for beads since she's such a show boat, but M I wasn't sure. I think the picture tells the story. M didn't hold back and was able to easily keep up with W. After the parade, we went out to eat Mexican food. I thought it was really cute that M wanted to wear her beads into the restaurant while W only wanted to wear a few of them. It's so unlike W to not want the attention from wears pounds of beads around her neck.

They ended up with 229 strands of beads, 4 stuffed animals, 3 balls, 3 cups, 2 frisbees, and 2 plastic coin. Problem now is what in the world do you do with 229 strands of beads!!!!

And I have to add...what's up with W's smile???? She's normally the one with such a great natural smile anytime I want to take a picture. But in this one...well, could it be more forced!

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better.....

2009-02-14T11:40:00.005-06:00

Here's the Valentine that W had displayed on their bulletin board at school. Instead of the traditional "I Love You, Mom" here was her thoughts on Valentine's Day. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Cake or Box?

2009-02-12T23:06:00.005-06:00

So here it is.....M's Valentine box for school. We didn't know what to make and since I'm still in the "cake" mood, we decided to make her Valentine's box that looks like a cake. I was VERY impressed with the time that M took in making this. I covered the tiers in pink paper and attached the two tiers together but everything else was her doing. She really worked hard in making everything line up and look nice. In the past when she's had a project to do, she never seemed to really care what it looked like and would just slap it together. I think she's growing up!

And here's the goodie bags that we made to give to friends tomorrow. Earlier in the week I had decided I was not going to make anything for them to give out at school since I'm working an after school program which is leaving me very little time once I get home in the afternoons. Well when we were buying those horrid store bought Valentines, M made a comment about how she loved the Valentines we made last year. Guilt!!!! So I caved and decided to make goodie bags with them since we had already purchased the cards. And here I was thinking they didn't care that we had gone through all the trouble the past few years in making homemade Valentines for their friends.

W's Family Day - 2009

2009-02-08T20:26:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We prefer to celebrate Family Day which is the day we received our daughters instead of Adoption Day which many adoptive families do celebrate. The day that my daughters were put into our arms is the most memorable day for us so that is our reason.

W's adoption was much different than M's. She was very upset when she was given to us, and for a short time was unconsolable. Thankfully she did calm down eventually but it took days before we could get her to smile. Our hearts broke for her since we knew she was grieving over the loss of everything she had known.

She bonded very quickly to M and me but wanted no part of her dad. He could not hold her, play with her, or even push her stroller. I was the "chosen one" that had to do everything for her. She did come near DH when he was eating something that she was interested in, but even then she approached with caution and would not take her eyes off of him while he was giving her something to eat.

To know W today you would never guess that she was such a sad child in China. Today she is the happiest girl and has a great disposition. Friends and classmates gravitate to her and she is always ready to have some fun.

We love you W and feel so blessed for God to have brought us together as a family....forever.

Five Years Ago.....

2009-02-05T21:20:00.004-06:00

We were on a very long flight to China to adopt our second daughter, Yuan Chun. I loved this referral picture of her. She has just a hint of a smile and her eyes remind me of puppy dog eyes. Little did we know what we were in for once receiving her........

2009-02-01T15:51:00.005-06:00

This was my weekend project. A friend asked me to make a cake for a baby shower and since it was for someone I used to work with, I just couldn't say no....especially considering a local cake shop wanted $400 for this same cake! So it took me a total of 9 hours to do the icing, decorating, and assembling. While I enjoy cake decorating, I'm just too slow at it to ever do it for a profit.

My New Toy

2009-01-29T06:38:00.004-06:00

Breakfast is always a big deal around our house. Probably more for me than my kids, but I feel it is very important to send them to school with a healthy breakfast and not sugary foods like cereal, pop tarts, donuts, etc. So I bought me a new toy. It's a waffle - sandwich- pizzelle maker and it works wonderfully. I love the fact that I can cook omelets with the sandwich trays, along with grill cheese sandwiches. The waffle trays are nice and thick so homemade waffles are on the breakfast menu at least twice a week. We have been experimenting with different waffle batters and have all fallen in love with one that includes cinnamon. Yum! I still need to buy some fresh blueberries and add them to the batter...or maybe some chopped pecans!

Some of my girlsfriends at work have been kidding with me since I do get up and make breakfast every morning...except on weekends. But honestly, it only takes about 5 minutes with my new gadget so it's not a time consuming job.

DH also helps in making breakfast when he works nights since he's just getting home when it is time to cook breakfast. He is the king of omelets, the old fashion way, along with scrambled eggs.

Chinese New Year 2009

2009-01-25T19:57:00.004-06:00

We celebrated the Chinese New Year with the Chinese Association of Southeast Texas just as we have done for several years now. I think my girls love going to the celebration since they are there with their Chinese friends more than the fact that it is a Chinese celebration.

This year was special since they wore silk qi paos and they looked so beautiful in them. Thanks K for letting us borrow the dresses!

The celebration lasted until after 10:30 so we were all exhausted and ready to go home and relax after it was over. But it was fun and a great way for them to celebrate their Chinese heritage.

A Dog and Her Girl

2009-01-24T19:52:00.002-06:00

This is a typical Friday night. M falls asleep on the couch in my computer room with Sassy curled up right beside her. I have so many pictures of the two of them together. When we bought Sassy we knew she wasn't a full blooded Pekingese even though the lady selling her said she was. But M wanted her, and we wanted a companion for Jazzy so Sassy became a part of our family. She really is a sweet furbaby and she loves her girl.

Finally Some Sunshine!

2009-01-18T18:49:00.007-06:00

Finally, today we had sunshine and temps in the high 60's. None of the drizzling rain, cold weather, or humidity. A perfect day for the park.

AR Star

2009-01-17T11:33:00.001-06:00

The girl loves to read. Everytime I turn around she has a book opened and it totally engrossed in the pages of her new found hobby. Right now the Katie Kazoo series is the books of choice but she also loves A to Z Mysteries. This past grading period she had 20.6 points which made her the top reader in her class. I guess what impresses me the most is that I'm not a reader so as a toddler she was not read to as much as she should have been. So I cannot take any credit for her love of books.

And I have a major mom brag: M made a 100 on her practice reading TAKS test!!!! For those of you not in the state of Texas, this is a mandated test that all 3rd graders must master to advance to 4th grade. I'm very proud of her accomplishments, if you can't tell.

Now I See!

2009-01-15T19:42:00.007-06:00

M is now sporting her new glasses. I was upset when I found out she had to have glasses but now that she has them I think they look really cute on her. The style is a little funky so they aren't your typical glasses. The best part is she is able to wear them all day without them bothering her. I was worried that they would take some getting used to, but so far she loves wearing them.

Now if we can just get those braces to straighten up her teeth!

Four Month Anniversary

2009-01-13T22:54:00.007-06:00

I've lived in this small town of approximately 8,500 people all my life....46 years! In this time we have had several hurricane evacuations called but up until Hurricane Rita hit in 2005 my family had never evacuated. We always stayed put and decided to just ride out the storm. But things are different now that I have two daughter that depend on me. While I do not jump at the first sign that a hurricane might be headed our way, I do take them seriously now that I am a mom.This past hurricane season is one that will forever be a part of Bridge City's history. Hurricane Ike had formed in the Gulf and everyone was watching it form into a very powerful storm. Although all models were showing it hitting landfall much farther west than our area, it was such a huge storm that we knew our area would experience some of the effect of such a storm. Little did we know that Ike would make a more northernly turn and head straight for our town.

I can still remember DH getting off work on Thursday morning, my work had already called saying the district was closed, and we were trying to decide if we were going to evacuate and if so where. Since we are currently owned by 4 pekingese, 1 African grey parrot, and 2 guinea pigs, packing up and heading to a hotel is out of the question. We are very fortunate that DH's parents live in Oklahoma and they are our safe haven. Although it is a very long drive with that many furbabies, it's one worth taking since his parents are so accepting of our pets and allow them to have free roam over the house.

It's really unnerving to go through your house trying to decide what to save and what you are going to leave behind. It was almost noon when we were packed and ready to leave. My parents were heading out in their truck the next day so they had plenty of room for the two huge rubbermaid storage containers of scrapbooks and adoption paperwork I just couldn't leave behind. As we left with the van packed with suitcases, animals, and of course children we headed out on our long trek to OK. Although I knew that they were predicting a massive storm surge with Ike I honestly did not think it would hit our area. I have lived here 46 years and have never had anything even close to flooding from a hurricane. I was expecting wind damage like we had recieved from Rita....downed trees, limbs torn out of our 100+ year old oak trees, roof damage...all things that are fixed without causing much of a disruption to our quality of life. After hours on the road from detours, traffic, and potty breaks for the dogs, we finally headed north on I45. We were just south of Dallas when we traveled through an area where the overpasses over I45 were occupied by fire trucks, firefighters and their families. They had huge spot lights shining into the sky, the lights on their trucks were flashing, and they were standing next to the rails holding huge American flags. It was really an awesome sight to see. I wished I had the forethought to stop and take a picture, but we were finally going 70 mph and we still had a long way to go. At first we thought they were there for moral support for all of us that were evacuating but later on we realized it was 9-11. Either way, it was a very patriot moment that I will never forget.....I tend to get sentimental with anything remotely patriotic.

Once in Stillwater, the news seemed to be giving our little area a glimmer of hope. Ike was still headed west and we were praying that only strong winds and some rain would visit our area. Saturday night we stayed up until after midnight watching Ike make its way towards the Texas coast. We had a couple of hilarious moments watching poor Geraldo being blown over, knocked down, and battered by the weather preceeding Ike. Still the news was acting as if BC was going to be spared any real damage. So we went to bed thinking things were not going to be as destructive as we had originally thought.

Saturday morning I was awoken by my cell phone beeping that I had a message. Cell phone service was average at best during this time so voice mail was the way to go. My message was from my aunt who asked me to call her saying "things were not good." Hearing this I could not dial her number fast enough. What I found out was devistating. Ike had hit very close to BC and unlike Rita we were on the east side, or wet side, of the storm. Bridge City had received the brunt of the storm surge since the coastal towns around us had seawalls and we did not. The storm surge was channeled right into our town. The storm surge was 14 feet and in a town that is only a few feet above sea level, it was total devistation for Bridge City. Only a few homes did not received water damage.

My parents were unfortunate to have almost 6 feet of water in their home. And being the lowest area for their part of town, the water stayed for a couple of days. They lost everything. Car, furniture, appliances, pictures....you name it, it was lost. Right now their home is stripped down to the studs and they are waiting for contractors to start to rebuild. This is basically the story of most of the residents of BC....waiting, waiting, waiting.

The front yard of my parent's home. Like everyone else in Bridge City, all that they owned was now ruined and in a big pile in the front yard.

The walls, flooring, and furniture are gone. They are now waiting to see if they will be able to rebuild. Notice the waterline still on the front door.

Even if your home was still standing after the storm surge, many residents still had a thick blanket of dead marsh grass covering their yards.

This home lost everything. There were no walls to tear down and pile in the front yard. It was all washed out when the waters went down.

Another home with devistating effect from Hurricane Ike.

Finally!

2009-01-12T20:30:00.001-06:00

W has been waiting ever since Kindergarten started to lose a tooth. Apparently several kids in her class have already lost one and she was really beginning to feel left out. If you know W at all, you know she always has to be the leader, the top dog, the one in control so having all her teeth was not a cool thing.

Unfortunately for her it came in a very unconventional way. Apparently after taking their showers, M and W decided to play tug with the towel except that W had it in her mouth instead of her hand. When M jerked, out came the tooth. Since then is has mysteriously disappeared. It's no where to be found. We have searched all over the bathroom in hopes of finding this special incisor but it's no where to be found.

Thankfully the tooth fairy does not require to actually find the tooth underneath the pillow in order to get a small monetary reward for the missing chomper. Of course, I made her write a letter to the winged tooth collector explaining how it happened and promising that she would never play tug with her sister, a towel, and her mouth.

These Eyes

2009-01-11T16:59:00.002-06:00

These are the eyes I look at everyday and marvel over the fact that they belong to my daughter, M. Little did I know that all this time she had such poor eyesight. She failed the eye test twice at school a little over a month ago so I immediately set up an appointment for her at a local TSO office. Yesterday we went for our visit and I found out she has 20/200 vision in her right eye and 20/100 vision in her left eye! From what I've read on the internet anything over 20/200 is considered legally blind.

I don't know how she has managed to do so well for so long. She has never complained of blurry vision, headaches, or being able to see anything. She does wonderful in school and at sports. She had such a great year last season in softball that she was asked to be on one of the select/ASA teams. I still do not know how she was ever able to see the ball coming to her when she was batting or trying to catch the softball.

Her new glasses will be in mid week and she seems very excited about them. I'll be sure to update the blog once she has them. I have to admit, they do look precious on her!

The Oak

2009-01-10T23:50:00.000-06:00

My neighbors have the most awesome oak tree in their front yard. Legend has it that this oak tree was blown over during the hurricane of 1900 that hit Galveston Island. The tree is now mature and everyone in my hometown knows it. I guess for a tree, it's famous in my neck of the woods. If I ever need to give someone directions to my house all I have to do is mention this tree.

Every year I get to watch families climb onto the branches for family Christmas pictures and prom time is a sight to behold. I get a front row seat to all the beautiful formal gowns that will be worn that night. Although I have never had any pictures taken under or in the tree, I can only imagine what wonderful pictures come from under these branches.

The day this photo was taken was a typical southeast Texas winter day. Chilly and raining. I have been trying to learn how to use some of the manual features of my camera and my lesson for this week had to do with shutter speed. I was actually sitting on the tailgate of my husband's truck hoping to get a few photos of birds feeding at my small feeder but had no luck. Instead I snapped a few of the oak tree. Although this small photo does not show the detail, if you click on it to see the larger version you can actually see the raindrops stopped in mid air. It's by no means a photo to awe over, but I was pleased that what I had learned in my self-paced camera class I was actually able to achieve. Now if I can just get some sunny days to try this out with my daughters playing. I am so hoping that I can actually get some action shots that are not blurry.