Make a Smilebox slideshow

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.

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

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!

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

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...

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.