Santa

Today is our first day of Christmas break! I am so happy to be off work until January 4th! Nana and Rachel and I went to the mall to see Santa. We had to wait in line for about an hour, but Rachel did a really good job and shared her list with Santa. On her list was a baby doll, books, barbie, a pretend flower, a nightgown and a CD. I don't know where the pretend flower thing came from. I am so excited for Christmas this year! Should be lots of fun.

Yesterday Don, Carlene, Shonda, Gary, Gavin and Priceilla came over for lunch. Gavin is 2 weeks old and it was the first time I had seen him. He is so little. We had a nice visit with everyone and Priceilla and Rachel really like to play together.

I got a new washer and dryer on Saturday. It is a front loader and it is awesome. I am actually in love with it. I have washed all weekend. I have a never had a nicer washer and dryer. So happy!

Too long!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written. We have been busy with school and Daran is redoing the office, so my computer hasn't been hooked up to upload pics. He ripped out the old carpet, it was disgusting, and put in laminate floors. He also painted the walls and put a chair railing around. It looks beautiful. He moved all the crap out, and now we just need to organize and move back in.

Rachel is enjoying kindergarten, I think. She doesn't really talk much about it, but I think she is learning quite a bit.

My year is going well, and we are all looking forward to upcoming Thanksgiving holidays.

Kindergarten!

So we are back in school! I have been so busy doing stuff to get us both back in school that I haven't even updated this in forever. We had a great summer! I am so sad that it's over. I went back to school on Aug. 11 and Rachel stayed with Nana and Papa for a week and a half.

Rachel started kindergarten on August 24th. She has done such a great job and I am so proud of her! She was a little clingy the first morning, but other than that she has done great! Her friend Bo from daycare goes there and is in her class, so that has helped her transition tremendously. If she sees him in the mornings she is okay. I think she is making other friends now too. She doesn't talk much in the evening about it, I think she is just too tired. Her teachers name is Mrs. Sanders and she seems real sweet. I know I couldn't deal with kindergartners, of course a lot of people say that about high schoolers.

Getting back in the swing of things

So we have been busy doing summer stuff; library, playing, sleeping late, reading, trying to do school work, etc. On Friday we were cleaning and I noticed a big lump on the side of Rachel's neck so I took her to the doctor, and she ended up having strep throat. Poor thing, she had never even mentioned her throat hurting. So she has been getting over that and still wanting to sleep in bed with us! I don't know what we are going to do about that.

Tonight she is at Don and Carlene's spending the night. It is only her second night away from us ever, so I hope she does okay. She was excited about it though. We'll see how it goes.

Pictures from cruise

We're back!

So we did end up going on our cruise, and although there was a tropical storm/hurricane in the gulf, we didn't really feel it. I mean there were some times when the boat was rocking, but I never got sea sick. I was so proud of myself, because that was one of my main concerns, after getting kidnapped in Mexico and killed in a drug shoot out.

We had a wonderful time on the cruise and enjoyed every minute of it. Rachel did have a couple of moments though when she cried for some reason or another. One was when she was jumping on the bed and catapulted herself into the desk, breaking a glass that I then stepped on when I went to pick her up. That was probably our most dramatic moment.

She went to the pool with Daran and finally swam by herself without anyone holding on to her. She had her floaties on. She went to all the shows with us, and was very well behaved during the dinners every night.

On the day in Cozumel we just went to a beach that I had heard about, Paradise Beach. It was really pretty, but Rachel wasn't too fond of the ocean because it was deep. We ate lunch there which was delicious, and then we made our way back to the boat after doing a little shopping. I think I had overestimated Rachel's stamina, and she was really tired that day and kept saying she wanted to go back to the boat.

The next day we were in Progreso. We did a little shopping for an hour or so, and then went back to the boat.

Then we ended up getting an extra day because we came into port on Thursday, but it was closed because of rough seas, so we got to stay on the boat until Friday morning. It was fun! I would do a cruise again.

Tropical Storm

Let's see, what have we been doing? On Saturday, Daran and Rachel washed my car and cleaned it all out, it looks brand new. Then they went to run some errands, then they went to see Karate Kid with her karate school people. Then we went over to Nanny and Papa's house for dinner.

Sunday was Father's Day, but we didn't really do anything exciting. We just did some stuff around the house and Daran packed and got ready for our trip.

Rachel is in VBS this week at her day school. She seems to be enjoying it and I know that she loves being with other kids.

So we are supposed to go on a cruise on Saturday, but there is a tropical storm heading towards right where we are going. So we are going to have to wait and see what happens.

17,18

Thursday was the last day of swimming lessons for her 2 week class. I might sign her up again when we come back from our cruise. She did really well at swimming lessons. She's a lot better about putting her head under water, although she still gets a little bit nervous and makes sure her teacher is next to her.

Friday we cleaned, she likes to help me clean. Then we went to the grocery store. A pretty uneventful day.

I hate my stupid camera. The batteries are always dying and then we have to reset the date. That is obviously not the right date. It should be 6/17/2010.

14, 15, 16

The days of summer run together don't they? We have been doing swimming lessons in the morning, a little shopping after swimming, and trying to take naps in the afternoon. We also do schoolwork, read books, and hang out together. I love summer, I just wish it didn't go by so fast.

Nana and Papa left to go to New Mexico this morning. They will be gone for about a month. Rachel is sad.

June 12 and 13

On Saturday we had everyone over for Papa's birthday. It was me, Daran, Rachel, Doug, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Nana and of course Papa. I made tacos, which I made last year too. Wow, I'm creative. It was nice to have everyone over. I like having people over to the house even though I stress about it being clean.

On Sunday we didn't do much. Just hung out and cleaned a little bit and did laundry.

June 10 and 11

On Thursday we had swimming lessons in the morning and then went to get my car worked on in the afternoon. We were at the car place an hour and a half and Rachel was pretty good. Then we came home and tried to take a nap, but it wasn't happening.

Today is Papa's birthday and we went to eat at Applebee's for lunch. It was me, Rachel, Nana, Papa and Doug. Then the girls went to Kohl's for some shopping.

We are also still working on school and reading. The summer is already going by too fast.

June 9, 2010

Today was swimming lessons in the rain, followed by a trip to the bank, a trip to eat at Schlotsky's and then shopping at Kohl's. Then we came home and worked on school stuff. Daran took her to karate and they signed up officially.

Day 2

I love summer! I love getting to spend time with Rachel and not having to rush off to work of fix dinner or clean or go to the grocery store, etc. Today we went to swimming lessons, then to Chick fil A and then to Target. Then we worked on school for a while. Rachel loves to do school work, it's so funny and cute. Sometimes she won't even stop working. Right now as I am trying to write this, she wants me to go do school with her. Seriously! I guess I am going to do school.

Pre-school graduation/Summer

Rachel's pre-school graduation was on May 21st. It was so sweet and they all looked so cute. She said that she wanted to be a nurse, I hadn't heard that one yet, usually she says she wants to be a dentist.

Today was our first official day of summer. I actually got out of school on May 28th, but had to go last week for curriculum writing. So today we started with swimming lessons, and then we've been cleaning the toys in her closet.

May 3, 2010

I took the day off work to spend it with Rachel on her fifth birthday! I can't believe how fast she is growing! We went to get her a haircut, then to eat at Schlotsky's, then to Barnes and Noble to pick a couple of books, and then to Chuck E Cheese. Then we went to Nana and Papa's.

More birthday pics

Rachel's fifth birthday

For Rachel's birthday this year we decided to rent a bouncy house and invite her friends from her school. I was worried it was going to rain, but it turned out to be a nice day. She loved her bouncy house and bounced on it until the guy came to pick it up at 8:00 that night. It was a really nice party.

Easter

I was out of school Thursday and Friday, so we dyed Easter eggs on Friday. Then on Sunday the Easter Bunny left a basket with candy and some toys in it. We went to church and then over to Nana and Papa's house for lunch. After lunch we had a Easter egg hunt.

Spring Break pics

At the playground in our neighborhood.


Working on workbooks

Spring Break!

I feel a little blah today but I wanted to write down what we did over spring break so I wouldn't forget. Rachel is over at her Nanny's right now so I have a little bit of time.

Last Saturday we had a whatever Rachel wanted to do day. We played racing, finger painted, and read. I let her pick because usually Saturdays are spent doing laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning. I think she really enjoyed having mommy all to herself.

Sunday we hung out during the day and then went to Elizabeth's birthday party. Eleanor made lasagna and the kids got to play. Rachel always enjoys spending time with her cousins.

Monday we were going to go to the San Antonio zoo, but we ended up going to the Austin zoo with Lori and Hannah and Hayden. The kids had tons of fun looking at the animals and riding the train. It was a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be, but very crowded. We will have to go back some time.

Tuesday we went to Chuck E Cheese and then to the bookstore to get some Easter books. Rachel always loves going to CEC.

Wednesday we went to get ice cream and then play at the park that is by our house.

Thursday we went shopping with Nana, Rachel got some new shoes, and then Rachel spent the night with Nana and Papa. She did really well, but woke up at 3 in the morning and wouldn't go back to sleep. That is the first night ever that we have spent the night away from each other.

Friday I got my hair done and then picked Rachel up at my parents. They had gone to CEC with Eleanor and Elizabeth and Benjamin. Then we came home and tried to rest.

Snow!

So it does actually snow here from time to time. This was especially exciting because it was actual snow! It was light fluffy snowflakes. Unfortunately I was at school, and we didn't get to leave early. Daran left early though and picked up Rachel from school, and they came home and made a snow man. They had a lot of fun playing in the snow. By the time I got home from work, they were both inside and the snow was melting. It was really pretty while it lasted.

The date on these pictures is wrong, it should be Feb. 23.

The next morning I woke up not feeling so great, and it turns out I had strep throat and missed school for three days. I was miserable, the sickest I had been in a long time.

I haven't wanted to write this post so I've been putting it off. Sadly, our dog of almost 14 years, Zoey, died on January 19th. She had been sick for a while, so we knew it was going to happen, but it was really hard on us.

We were eating dinner and Zoey was outside. I had put her outside earlier in the day because she had peed on the kitchen floor and I mopped it up. The weather was nice, so she stayed out for a little bit. Well, while we were eating we heard a yelp from outside and we looked at each other because it sounded different from any sound we had heard before. Daran went outside and he said he could tell something was wrong. She died shortly after he went outside. He took her to the vet and they cremated her.

We still miss her and talk about her all the time. She was a good dog and very patient with Rachel. Rachel would hang all over her and Zoey very rarely growled or got mad. Zoey kept me company when I was home on bedrest and Daran was gone all day to work.

Last week of vacation

On Monday we went to see Princess and the Frog. Rachel did okay, but I don't think she was really interested in the movie. She wanted to go to the bathroom and sit on my lap most of the movie. She didn't really pay attention, but I liked the movie. I thought it was cute.

On Tuesday we met Nana, Papa , Elizabeth and Benjamin at the bouncy place in Lakeline Mall. It was very crowded, so we didn't stay too long. We also ate lunch there and then we came home.

On Wednesday we went out to eat lunch with Nana at Mimi's and did a little shopping.

On Thursday Nana and Papa took care of Rachel for a few hours while I graded papers, and then we went to HEB. It was New Year's Eve, but we didn't really do anything exciting.

Christmas Part II

On Christmas Eve, Nana and Papa came over around 4:00 and Rachel opened a present and then we went out to eat dinner at Red Lobster. Rachel was so well behaved, i was so proud of her. She even ate well! Then we came back to our house and opened the rest of our presents. Rachel got some art supplies, new clothes and a princess light. Daran got a gift card to Fry's, and I got some new silverware and some earrings and a new nightgown. It was a great night!

After Rachel went to bed, we got all of the Santa stuff out and off we went to bed!

On Christmas morning Rachel woke up around 6:30 and then we opened presents. She was very excited to see what Santa brought her. She got a barbie bathtub, art stuff, barbie jeep, a barbie, and some games. I know I'm forgetting something, she got lots of stuff.

(I thought I would throw in that picture of Zoey because she is sick and we don't know if she will make it much longer. She is almost 14 years old. We have had her since 1996 right after we moved into our house on Dominique. We are very sad that she is sick and it breaks our heart.)

Then we got ready and went to Nanny and Papa's house. We stayed there most of the day and opened presents and then had a delicious lunch. Rachel got lots of stuff there too. A doll, games, stuff for her doll house. We had a wonderful Christmas.